Here it is ...
... and here's Murphy and Kitty Crusader (on the shelf) enjoying it! 
Posted on 08/11/2007 10:25:00 AM PDT by DancesWithCats
Ever want to know what your cat is trying to tell you? By listening to their meow and following the clues of body language it is easy to figure out what your cat is trying to tell you. The pitch, volume and amount of meowing offer the keys to unlocking the message you are being sent. Responding to your cats meows in a consistent way will help your cat know exactly how to tell you things. For starters here are the most common cat meows translated for us human care givers.
One short meow Translated : "Hello", "see me", and "hi" Explanation: A short meow is a just your cat saying "Hi" and making sure you see her.
(Excerpt) Read more at esecret.org ...
Here it is ...
... and here's Murphy and Kitty Crusader (on the shelf) enjoying it!
LOL!
That’s a cool idea! I probably have enough scrap lumber to build most of it - would just have to buy wire. My cats would love something like that. Thanks!
Cool chart. One of my female cat’s nicknames is “Question Mark” because she puts her tail in a perfect question-mark shape - usually when she’s happy.
The most complicated issue with it was the little tunnel that you see on the left. We attached the tunnel to the patio screening with a special pet door made to fit thru screening. Cats were scared to death of it for the first few days. They never have learned to bump it open. LOL I just propped it permanently open with a bit of wire. Silly things. You’re welcome! Let us know how you get on with it! Good luck! Yes they will love it!
Their names are, clockwise:
Moe
Mabel
Mini-me
Tabby
Fluffy
& Frosty (don’t ask me why I named him that - I was running out of names)
If I lived out in the country & had enough land and a barn - I could see myself having many, many cats & dogs. Maybe I can do it someday - I did buy a Powerball ticket for tonight!
My fantasy is like yours. A place to have a pet palace and lots of money to maintain it all. At the risk of sounding like Micheal Jackson, besides cats and dogs and little critters like guinea pigs, etc., I’ve always wanted a camel. I just think they are cool.
I was thinking about building it out of the den window with a screen door outside that I could come & go from. I’m going to work on plans now.
My bunch are:
Molly Maguire,
Kitty Crusader,
Sweetie (who's not),
Suzy Q,
Gwegowee (gender confusion ... had called her Gregory and then discovered whoooops!),
Murphy,
Pippin,
Merry,
G.G. (Grey Girl),
Joseph and that's the pack! Whew. And the two doggies, Robbie and Sadie. Everyone of them are rescues, God love 'em.
Hmmm, first row, three across...I’m going to have a talk with a few kitties this afternoon.
However we learn a lot from them -- even if it is more than we might have bargained for.
Anyhow, here are the rules:
EPISODE I
Cat Bathing as a Martial Art
by Bud Herron
Some people say cats never have to be bathed. They say cats lick themselves clean. They say cats have a special enzyme of some sort in their saliva that works like new, improved Wisk -- dislodging the dirt where it hides and whisking it away.
I've spent most of my life believing this folklore. Like most blind believers, I've been able to discount all the facts to the contrary, the kitty odors that lurk in the corners of the garage and dirt smudges that cling to the throw rug by the fireplace.
The time comes, however, when a man must face reality: when he must look squarely in the face of massive public sentiment to the contrary and announce: "This cat smells like a port-a-potty on a hot day in Juarez."
When that day arrives at your house, as it has in mine, I have some advice you might consider as you place your feline friend under your arm and head for the bathtub:
* Know that although the cat has the advantage of quickness and lack of concern for human life, you have the advantage of strength. Capitalize on that advantage by selecting the battlefield.
Don't try to bathe him in an open area where he can force you to chase him. Pick a very small bathroom. If your bathroom is more than four feet square, I recommend that you get in the tub with the cat and close the sliding-glass doors as if you were about to take a shower. (A simple shower curtain will not do. A berserk cat can shred a three-ply rubber shower curtain quicker than a politician can shift positions.)
* Know that a cat has claws and will not hesitate to remove all the skin from your body. Your advantage here is that you are smart and know how to dress to protect yourself. I recommend canvas overalls tucked into high-top construction boots, a pair of steel-mesh gloves, an army helmet, a hockey face mask, and a long-sleeved flak jacket.
* Prepare everything in advance. There is no time to go out for a towel when you have a cat digging a hole in your flak jacket. Draw the water. Make sure the bottle of kitty shampoo is inside the glass enclosure. Make sure the towel can be reached, even if you are lying on your back in the water.
* Use the element of surprise. Pick up your cat nonchalantly, as if to simply carry him to his supper dish. (Cats will not usually notice your strange attire. They have little or no interest in fashion as a rule. If he does notice your garb, calmly explain that you are taking part in a product testing experiment for J.C.Penney.)
* Once you are inside the bathroom, speed is essential to survival. In a single liquid motion, shut the bathroom door, step into the tub enclosure, slide the glass door shut, dip the cat in the water and squirt him with shampoo. You have begun one of the wildest 45 seconds of your life.
* Cats have no handles. Add the fact that he now has soapy fur, and the problem is radically compounded. Do not expect to hold on to him for more than two or three seconds at a time. When you have him, however, you must remember to give him another squirt of shampoo and rub like crazy. He'll then spring free and fall back into the water, thereby rinsing himself off. (The national record for cats is three latherings, so don't expect too much.)
* Next, the cat must be dried. Novice cat bathers always assume this part will be the most difficult, for humans generally are worn out at this point and the cat is just getting really determined. In fact, the drying is simple compared to what you have just been through. That's because by now the cat is semipermanently affixed to your right leg. You simply pop the drain plug with your foot, reach for your towel and wait. (Occasionally, however, the cat will end up clinging to the top of your army helmet. If this happens, the best thing you can do is to shake him loose and to encourage him toward your leg.) After all the water is drained from the tub, it is a simple matter to just reach down and dry the cat.
In a few days the cat will relax enough to be removed from your leg. He will usually have nothing to say for about three weeks and will spend a lot of time sitting with his back to you. He might even become psychoceramic and develop the fixed stare of a plaster figurine.
You will be tempted to assume he is angry. This isn't usually the case. As a rule he is simply plotting ways to get through your defenses and injure you for life the next time you decide to give him a bath.
But at least now he smells a lot better.
In the alternative, there is this:
EPISODE II How To Give A Cat A Pill
1. Pick cat up and cradle it in the crook of your left arm as if holding a baby. Position right forefinger and thumb on either side of cat's mouth and gently apply pressure to cheeks while holding pill in right hand. As cat opens mouth, pop pill into mouth. Allow cat to close mouth and swallow.
2. Retrieve pill from floor and cat from behind sofa. Cradle cat in left arm and repeat process.
3. Retrieve cat from bedroom, and throw soggy pill away.
4. Take new pill from foil wrap, cradle cat in left arm holding rear paws tightly with left hand. Force jaws open and push pill to back of mouth with right forefinger. Hold mouth shut for a count of 10.
5. Retrieve pill from goldfish bowl and cat from top of wardrobe. Call spouse from garden.
6. Kneel on floor with cat wedged firmly between knees, holding front and rear paws. Ignore low growls emitted by cat. Get spouse to hold cat's head firmly with one hand while forcing wooden ruler into mouth. Drop pill down ruler and rub cat's throat vigorously.
7. Retrieve cat from curtain rail, get another pill from foil wrap. Make note to buy new ruler and repair curtains. Carefully sweep shattered figurines from hearth and set to one side for gluing later.
8. Wrap cat in large towel and get spouse to lie on cat with its head just visible from below spouse's armpit. Put pill in end of drinking straw, force cat's mouth open with pencil and blow down drinking straw.
9. Check label to make sure pill not harmful to humans, drink glass of water to take taste away. Apply band-aid to spouse's forearm and remove blood from carpet with cold water and soap.
10. Retrieve cat from neighbor's shed. Get another pill. Place cat in cupboard and close door onto neck to leave head showing. Force mouth open with dessert spoon. Flick pill down throat with elastic band.
11. Fetch screwdriver from garage and put door back on hinges. Apply cold compress to cheek and check records for date of last tetanus shot. Throw T-shirt away and fetch new one from bedroom.
12. Ring fire brigade to retrieve cat from tree across the road. Apologize to neighbor who crashed into fence while swerving to avoid cat. Take last pill from foil wrap.
13. Tie cat's front paws to rear paws with garden twine and bind tightly to leg of dining table. Find heavy duty pruning gloves from shed. Force cat's mouth open with small spanner. Push pill into mouth followed by large piece of fillet steak. Hold head vertically and pour a pint of water down throat to wash pill down.
14. Get spouse to drive you to emergency room; sit quietly while doctor stitches fingers and forearm and removes pill remnants from right eye. Stop by furniture shop on way home to order new table.
15. Arrange for SPCA to collect cat and call local pet shop to see if they have any hamsters
___________________________________________________________
There, you are now armed for living in Harmony (????) with you puddy cat.
Good Luck.
PS: We have 9 cats, 1 parrot, two chipmunks, several birds, a squirrel, a couple of rabbits, in the yard, and a family of geckos under the back steps.
Is Murphy sassing you in the picture? Is that a tongue sticking out? Not trying to get him in trouble or anything.
This is an awesome kitty condo. Your furbabies are so lucky! I’m going to show it to my son and drop hints.
If I did win the Powerball, I always thought I'd like to start a Trust that would pay for spaying & neutering cats & dogs. I can't stand it when people let them run & get inpregnated and then decide they don't want to take care of all those animals & dump them somewhere by the side of the road. I do think there's a special place in hell for people that abuse animals.
We just had a wonderful thing happen. A dog that just appeared in our yard one day, we decided to keep him, got him neutered, a bright red collar and a tag with his name and phone number. We had him about 3 months & one day he just disappeared. We put ads in the paper & called the animal shelters for weeks, but to no avail. That was in March of this year, 4 months ago.
I kept looking at the lost & found ads in the paper everyday & I never really in my heart gave up looking for him. A couple of weeks ago, I saw an ad that sounded a lot like him - I called the lady & we went to look and it was our dog! He didn't have his collar on anymore. It was like a miracle - he came home with us & my other two dogs licked him real good when they saw him & he settled back in like he had never been gone!
I praise God for that lady that found a dog running loose on the street & cared enough to rescue him & put an ad in the paper. She was an angel in my book.
Ping.
Yeah once it's painted and has the carpet added to the shelving, they are just going to love it all the more and I'll be happier with how it looks. I've wanted to build this for a long long time. Had bought all the supplies and was JUST starting on it when I fell and broke my hip. sigh Life can be so much fun ... Hope your son takes the hint! Oh heck. tell him it's what you want for your birthday!
My cat does the silent meow thing. I think the Big Mew did a deal with him, my kitty, before we brought him home.
Miss Molly does a silent meow thing too. Most of the time no sound comes out at all. And then, every once in a while, as I’m reading or watching tv in the living room, the house shakes with this thunderous piteously long wooooing sound! LOL Molly for heaven’s sake. She tucks herself in the bathroom down the hallway, pokes her head out like a gopher in a hole and lets loose. It sounds like a fog horn from the grave! LOL LOL Oh, kitty cats. Full of surprises.
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