[Ganked from Messy Mimi:]
I have become accustomed to thinking of my cat Serena as a non-cuddler. As she's moved into middle age and developed the capacity to sleep soundly, however, I've encouraged her to take naps indoors, and when napping indoors she often does snuggle beside me or on my lap. This may or may not mean I have permission to stroke her fur. Mostly it doesn't. But she's been behaving more like a house pet during the past year.
Well, not in front of kittens. Being able to take cuddling or leave it alone, Serena has used it as an occasional reward for good behavior during years when she's been very obviously training me, in an ethical behaviorist way. She's had no opportunity to read B.F. Skinner, whose books I don't own, but you couldn't prove this by her behavior. The junior cats' role in the training process has been to stay out of it. No soppy snuggling for them! For shame!
The other night I suspect Serena thought I deserved a special reward for trying a new flavor of packaged rice mix. It wasn't advertised as "low sodium" but clearly was, with more grease cooked into the rice before drying and less salt. I hate that approach to preserving food--for one thing the lack of salt allows the extra grease to go rancid faster, though this was a new packet and didn't taste rancid so much as just greasy. I will not buy that flavor again. But cats don't care about salt and do love animal fat.
"Cats," I said, "a mouse has been prowling around the closet. Go and watch for the mouse."
They know what this means, but it wasn't good enough for Serena. "You deserve a reward," she nonverbally said. "You may hold me on your lap."
I let her curl up in my lap.
"Silver," I said a few minutes later, "you know you are not allowed to curl up on my lap. Sit over there, beside us."
"No, it's all right, she said I could curl up on your lap beside her," Silver nonverbally said.
"She has purrmission," Serena nonverbally affirmed, washing Silver's face.
Silver purred right out loud. Serena didn't even sniff in a disdainful way.
They know how to push my happy-cat-lover buttons. As your pet does. Or the pet you adopt will do.
This morning Petfinder decided I needed to see the cats available for adoption in Tazewell, Tennessee. I didn't even know where that is. There is a town called Tazewell, Virginia, that used to have a high school big enough to be in the same league with Gate City, so I have a general idea where that is, but who ever heard of any other place being called Tazewell. If we don't know something it's a good idea to look it up, so I searched for Tazewell, Tennessee. It was named in honor of Tazewell, Virginia. Early explorers walked from one place to the other; it took them a few weeks. Whatever it may look like to visitors, it's pronounced "Tazz-well." (There's a linguistic explanation for this. It was not originally done just to confuse visitors.) Kingsport, Tennessee, is on the border between Sullivan and Hawkins Counties; if you drive all the way west through Hawkins County you come to Hancock County, and if you continue all the way west through Hancock County you come to Claiborne County, the seat of which is Tazewell, Tennessee, population just over two thousand. Some county buildings, including the animal shelter, overflow into what's called New Tazewell, which has its own post office.
I've never found a reason to make such an expedition, but Petfinder does have a reason why somebody out there would make one.
Zipcode 37825: February from New Tazewell
Doesn't that face make you think "Cheer up, it's not as bad as all that"? Will the illusion of tear marks on the cat's face be a source of love and laughter? February is a small cat with a healthy weight of just six pounds. Not much is known about her, but she seems to be a pet who's lost her human.
Zipcode 10101: Rosalina from NYC
Her web page: https://www.petfinder.com/cat/rosalina-07870df0-2609-499d-9747-7c2fc33938d5/ny/new-york/animal-haven-ny17/details/
Amber-Eyed Silver Tip? They tend to become happy-mood anchors for their humans. Of course they attract good luck. What could be better luck than to be owned by one?
Lentil Soup from NYC
His puppy face and the lack of other objects in the photo may make him look like a tiny fluffball. Do not be deceived. Lentil Soup is young and lovable but he already weighs over 25 pounds. He is probably still growing. And he may be less cheerful if his coat's not trimmed away from his eyes; sometimes long-haired dogs can become downright mopey when their hair irritates their eyes enough to cause constant tears. But LS is a dear little fellow, thought to be more Yorkshire Terrier than anything else.
Zipcode 20202: Rose from DC
Her web page: https://www.petfinder.com/cat/rose-502207e9-4a5a-4995-910a-acbe93d612fe/dc/washington/metro-ferals-md-md307/details/
Oh, such ridiculously sad eyebrows! Fortunately they're just an illusion. Rose is described as a friendly cat who loves human attention. She may have found coat coloring that produces the illusion of a sad face useful, but she's a brave mother cat who reared five kittens on her own and is ready to be someone's primary or only pet again.
Raven from DC
His web page: https://www.petfinder.com/dog/raven-26714507-47a9-4905-8031-a24d00c8da37/dc/washington/peps-pals-rescue-md539/details/
Born to a straying (or abandoned) pet in Maryland, Raven is described as a remarkably well brought up puppy, friendly, cheerful, clever, and curious. He's another terrier-mix pup who may look small in the picture but weighs over 25 pounds, and they don't say how much because he's still growing.
Zipcode 30303: Indigo from Chattanooga
Her web page: https://www.petfinder.com/cat/indigo-5c0482f6-3ad9-4cf1-8af3-79394761997a/ga/atlanta/your-local-fur-mama-tn1052/details/
My beloved Serena is a natural-born Queen Cat. Indigo is what might be called a Bossy Cat . She does not like sharing her living quarters with any other non-human animal, though she does like being close to a chosen human. She is too clever for her own good. She can and will open doors, with no constraints about politeness. She will let you know what she wants. And you will do it. And you will be delighted because it's so nice to know what your pet wants.
I think an animal who was bossier than Serena might be too full of itself to survive and could hardly be much fun to live with. Then again, before she took over the Cat Sanctuary I would've thought an animal who behaved like Serena was too full of herself to survive and would hardly be much fun to live with. I then watched this kitten grow up, choosing her name before her ears even unfolded, and she's been more fun than a barrel of monkeys and a source of love and laughter every day. Somewhere out there is a person who will love every minute of life with Indigo.
Gage, also from Chattanooga
Part cur and part coon hound, Gage has probably reached his healthy adult weight of 60 pounds. Coon hounds are stereotypically cool, self-contained animals who don't mind being neglected, but they're also intelligent animals who can enjoy being trained to be closer to their humans. Gage is working on cage, leash, and paper training so that he can live in the house with you. It would be a pity to send him back under the porch, now. He should be a great trail buddy but he's being socialized as a pet.
Priscilla, how interesting that you should mention Tazewell. I am familiar with both. The one in Tennessee isn't too far from where I live and the other one isn't far from where my mother lives.The one near us, my late great-aunt and her husband, whose also no longer with us retired there after her husband got out of the service many years ago. I didn't know that the Tazewell in Tennesse was named after the one in Virginia but it does remind me an awful lot of it and I recall my great auntie saying it reminded her of home. My great-grandparents lived in Rocky Gap, Virginia and that's where my mom lives. :) Thanks for dropping by. Have a boogietastic week! ~CAAC
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