Letters to the Herd

They know that you're afraid of them, child! As the oldest cat here, I can tell you from experience

that it's all attitude! We cats respect someone who stands up for themselves. If you want equal status,

you're going to have to be firm but don't get too nasty with them. Your person wouldn't be pleased to

My people are thinking of having me declawed. What's your opinion of that?

Personally, I don't much care for it. Thank goodness my first mom let me keep my back claws or I

wouldn't be able to scratch! I still can't defend myself, though and that's partly why I get chased a

lot!. They don't just take out the claw but also the first knuckle of the toe! Some people think it's OK

and you can live well enough without claws. You'll be better off if they let you keep them, though.

I get called weird and a freak because I have more toes than most cats. How does

We're called polydactyl because of our extra toes. It's a natural genetic mutation. Some people think

that because you look different, you are deformed. This isn't true of anyone (including people) who

are born with extras. We are normal cats in every way and we can do more with our extra toes, too! :-)

Why don't you practice picking things up or opening doors? Use those toes! You can, after all! Above

all, don't listen to those who would judge you unfairly. They only need to be educated! Be proud of your

My people think I'm weird because I like to drink out of the faucet. Am I the only

No, you're not weird! You just like you're water straight from the tap, right? What's wrong with

fresh water? A lot of cats like water for more than just drinking! I like to dip my head under

sometimes, Shades like to play with it and when my sister, Fuzzball was alive, she liked to wade

in the tub water as it was draining. There's also a breed of cats who love water (Turkish Van), so

I just got out of a really bad place where one of the people was really mean to me! The nice one

brought me here to this new place but I'm still scared. My new person seems really nice and I don't

I know it isn't easy but you need to be a little more bold with your new person. If he's as nice as you

say, he'll understand that you need time to adjust to your new life. Start by rubbing on his leg. If he

reaches down, try not to cringe. If you just can't help but run, go right back and try again! Nice people

make mistakes, too but when you get to know him, you can cuddle right up to him and he'll do his best

to make you feel loved. It sounds like he's doing all he can to make you feel comfortable but you need

Sometimes I get this irresistible urge to rub all over my person and knead my paws

on her belly! Why do I do that? I know I'm always in a great mood when this happens!

What you're describing is perfectly natural for us as cats! When you're in that great mood, you rub on

him/her as a way of claiming them to be yours. We have scent glands all along our sides, the sides of

our faces and in our paw pads, so we make sure they know they're ours! :-) As for kneading, that goes

way back to when we were kittens. You probably don't remember but when you were first nursing, you

did that on your birth mom's belly to get a drink of milk. You do it now out of love! :-) My mom says I'm

My person says that I'm too fat. How do I tell her to help me lose weight?

Your person needs to check your diet. There are diet foods out commercially and the vets (a four letter

word, I know) have diet foods available, too. My mom has to feed all of us the same food because she has

no way to seperate us. If you're an "only cat," or in a place with one or two others, s/he may be able to

feed you your own food. S/he should follow the directions on the label. Another thing is for your person

to make sure to play with you every day. We need that exercise! My mom plays with me and the doctor told

her that I wasn't in too bad of shape considering the richness of the food I eat! :-) Good luck to you!

My person is always getting after me for jumping up on tall things. Is this wrong?

I guess it depends on what you call wrong. Your person doesn't seem to like it, so in their eyes, it's wrong.

For us, it's natural! Some people buy these things with many levels on them, so their masters (us) will have

something to climb on without causing trouble. Other cats have to "wing it." Loving heights is normal for

a cat as is curiosity. I've gotten into trouble, too but I try to keep it at a minimum until my mom is asleep

(hint, hint). Then, I go exploring! Just don't tell her I said that, though! Let's keep it between us, OK?

My person loves me but doesn't always pay a lot of attention to me. How can I get

What are you doing to begin with? If you're just rubbing a leg upon occasion, that won't always get it.

People need that attention, too but many of them think that cats can get along fine without loving. Some

even ignore their cats completely until the cat asks for loving. That's sad but it happens! Start doing cute

things, and play like a wildcat! That'll get their attention and maybe s/he will even join in! :-) When you

want loving, don't just rub his/her leg, get in the lap, give them a kiss or two and purr like mad! I like to

cuddle on Mom's shoulder. Even if she's busy, she always makes time to love on me! :-) See how cute I am?

I found a ball that I just love to play with but my person says it belongs to the dog! He

doesn't even use it and my person took it away from me! I'm so depressed! Can you help?

Maybe your person doesn't realize that the dog won't play with the ball! People don't always acknowledge

that pets have their favorite toys, too! I understand about your depression! My mom was at her wits end

trying to find another key ring for me. She finally made two for me and that really helped! Maybe your

person will realize on his/her own that you're upset and either give you the ball or find you something you

like just as much! :-) In the meantime, mope if you must but don't forget that your person is only human!

S/he will make mistakes from time to time and remember that s/he loves you! :-)

I love to play a lot! Sometimes my person gets frustrated with me when I get too rowdy

but I just can't help myself! I love to chase things and bugs just fascinate me! Why am I

We cats are hunters by nature and there's no changing the nature of the beast! When we play, we're

keeping those hunting instincts sharp, keeping our muscles toned and strong and having fun to boot!

You need to watch yourself with those bugs, tho. We tend to forget everything when we play and sometimes

we break our people's things if we're not careful! The problem with bugs is they're not very considerate of

"people things" so we have to watch it! If you don't believe me, ask my mom! I caught a mouse last fall and

I never go outside! All that playing kept me sharp, so have fun but be careful! :-)

I get these really big, nasty knots in my fur and sometimes they hurt! My person tries to

comb my fur but I don't like to sit still that long! Is there any other way to keep the knots

I'm sorry but it would be best if you'd let your person comb your fur! From your letter, it sounds like you

have long hair. We long haired cats need the extra help when we're trying to stay groomed! We can't

always get to the undercoat beneath the long hair and it gets matted. That's where our people can help!

If you want to get right down to it, even short haired cats need the extra help! Combing not only removes

the knots, but also excess hair. If we swallow a bunch of loose hair, we can get hairballs and you know they

aren't any fun! Not only that, some of the best quality time I spend with my mom is when she's combing me!

You wouldn't believe how good it feels once the knots are all gone (PURR)! Give it a chance, OK?

Though Image has crossed to the Bridge, his advice is as good now as when he gave it! :-) In honor of my

sweet old lover and his wisdom, I'm leaving his letter here. I miss you, my precious old "beast!" :-(

Loud voices scare me and yet, you like them. How do you know when your person's playing or serious?

How well do you know your person? It seems to me that you're focusing on the volume rather than the

inflection. When my mom's mad at me, there's a completely different tone to her voice than when she's

playing. You see, not every person talks to their cats and we can't get to know them when all we hear is,

"Here, kitty,kitty, kitty!" My mom's almost bilingual and talks to us all of the time in our language as

well as hers. We cats need that conversation so we can understand when we're in trouble or just being

loved. If it's love, love back and don't be afraid to talk to your person! He/she needs it, too! :-)

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