Andy The Cat

Well! this has been an interesting adventure. My very first Squidoo page! I hardly know where to begin. Let's see...We touched on spaying and neutering.

How about vaccinations? There is a bit of debate now about the necessity of vaccinating every year, or even at all, for indoor cats. I will explore a bit to find more information. Conventionally, kittens are given a series of three shots, one month apart, starting at six weeks of age; then once a year after that, for adult cats. Some veterinarians are now questioning the necessity of vaccinating once a year, however. It's an interesting question. Of course, if you are boarding your cat at a kennel regularly, you want to make sure its shots are up to date.

Cats are VERY communicative.

They communicate in a variety of ways, and ways within ways. If you are new to cat care, their voices can be as incomprehensible as a newborn baby's is to its human mother. Soon though, a human baby's vocalizations have meaning to its human mother. If you are a human, new to cat care, cats vocalizations can be challenging.

Lets explore that a bit.

It's not hard to figure out if a cat is upset. Step on its tail or paw inadvertently, and its many decibel shriek will instantly propel your heart into your throat.

There are more subtle ways that your cat will indicate displeasure. A low throat, continuous growl, going up and down the scale, lets you know that he is really scared/mad/unhappy/threatened.

Or he may not vocalize at all, and just puff up and hiss. Hissing and spitting are threatening techniques, meant to scare and startle. Added to this is the classic Hallowe'en stance, of the arch back, open mouth black cat. It all means, FFFtttt Offfff!!! I HATE YOU!!!

Friendlier sounds are even more confusing. Cats have a variety of voices for - well - everything.

They trill. This is a sound that starts in the throat, and comes out, either as an order, or a question. In the case of a mother cat, it can be a call to kittens, for instance, if she needs them to nurse, or if she needs them to come and find out what mousing is all about. Or it can be about finding them if they are mobile and curious, and imperative, if she is anxious about that. It sounds like a cross between a high pitched meow and a purr.

In the case of your neutered cat, male or female, trilling means many things too. Instinct breeds true. Gretchen is the baby in this household, and I can count on her, several times a day to find a 'mouse'. She trills...Mrrrr....mrrr...mrrr. and arrives sooner or later, with a furry toy in her mouth. Gretchen has never had babies but she sure knows how to train them.

But it doesn't stop there. Andy (blush - that would be me...) has all the trills and menacing sounds down pat. There are mating sounds, some sounding like trills, but with an aggressive note. When you see a neutered male grabbing a female by the neck, and making these sounds, he's acting out his genes...I guess we don't forget.

The trilling sound comes again, with my brood, when we have a favourite toy. With me, Andy, that is a paper ball. Any paper will do. 8 by 10 size is good. Crumpled up, it is the GREATEST TOY EVER! I will play fetch all day..... And all the while I will trill and purrrrr.

Other vocalizations are imperative Meows! For instance, I WANT FOOD NOW! Or maybe, WHO PUT THE STUPID PAPER BALL IN THE WATER DISH?! Oops, that would be me.

The nicest sounds of all are when you are curled up on the couch, and you're gently scratching a furry head, and that furry head is leaning into the scratch, and he's....purrrrriiiiinnnngggg....

Sound coming later....