Posts Tagged ‘cats’

Cat house

laelene Posted in general blog,Tags: , , , , , ,
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My mom told me about some older cats at a shelter that had to be adopted ASAP or be put down.  We’d love to adopt them, but my mom travels frequently and I can’t exactly have three cats in my apartment for months at a time.  This got me thinking.  I’d really like to start up a charity cat house where volunteers could help take care of cats and share the space with them in exchange for a place to stay and some food.  I’ve never really believed in the shelter scenario where these cats don’t get to roam around as their curious natures would usually dictate.  But having a house full of cats can get a bit crazy, so I wouldn’t want my household to be that chaotic.  Yet, I feel that cats do so much better with people living with them and not just being allowed free reign of a place when the humans go back to their homes at night.  Plus, some cats quite enjoy cuddling with a person at night!

And so I have conceived of this new idea where a normal house with pretty standard furnishings could be slightly altered to create a shelter for people and felines.  I’d add in some more beds than you’d normally get in an American household and invite homeless people to come live there while they straighten out their lives.  In exchange for a bed and daily meals, they’d spend part of their days helping with the chores of maintaining pets (including just playing with and petting them!).  I’d also want to get career guidance for them and get them the education they need to make something of themselves.  They could learn from each other how to cook, or if none of them have that skill, other volunteers could come in to teach them how to shop within a budget and cook decent meals, avoiding junk.

So this house could be a sanctuary for cats and humans alike, with the humans taking care of the cats and the cats providing companionship and a sense of purpose to the humans.  I think pets can be really therapeutic, but I prefer cats because they generally don’t make a fuss and can care for themselves in many areas.  We’d get cats from shelters that were going to put the poor creatures down and probably have a bunch of older ones.  If anyone wanted, there could also be the option of adopting these cats out, so it would, in a sense, be a halfway house for them too.  I guess I just want to bring in people and cats facing bleak futures and give them an environment to recover and move on to a better stage of their lives, whether getting a job and becoming independent or getting adopted to a caring family.

This is just an initial concept, but I really hope I can go somewhere with this one day.  I’ve learned recently that I’m a dreamer, thinking of all those wonderful “what ifs” while conveniently forgetting about how to fund those dreams.  So, I’m taking a step back before I get too caught up in the idea and thinking very practically about how this could work (which will take some time).  Still, it’s a nice dream to have and something to develop into a real plan when the time comes.

Feline visitation

laelene Posted in photo blog,Tags: , ,
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siamese cat looking up at me

Aww, what a friendly kitty! 🙂

Kitty in the window

laelene Posted in photo blog,Tags: , , , ,
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I was walking by some rooms in Saxon Suites on the UCLA campus when this kitty caught my eye. We’re not supposed to have animals in the rooms, so I wonder if those blinds were supposed to hide the cat, not frame him in the light. Oh how I miss having a cat! I can’t wait until I can get one again, one that will be naughty like this cat and let his curiosity guide him, defying any rules.

That’s what my cat did back in NY. He got us kicked out from a temporary living situation because he peeked through the blinds when management was walking by. We weren’t supposed to have a pet there. So, we had to move into the Hilton in Danbury until our house was ready for move-in. What a naughty little cat.

cat sitting on window sill

Cat prints

laelene Posted in photo blog,Tags: , , ,
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Look, I got a visitor! I can’t wait until I can get a cat of my own. 🙂

smudged paw print on windshield

trail of paw prints on windshield

Cats are my type of pet

laelene Posted in general blog,Tags: , , ,
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Cats control.  Perhaps that’s why I like cats.  They like to be in control, just like I like to be in control.  Here’s an interesting video on how they use purring to get what they want.  They know how to get what they want and I generally do too.  And they love to nap!  I think more than that, it is their independent lifestyle though.  I don’t like dogs because they’re too needy.  I can leave a cat alone for days with no issue.  A dog would probably destroy the house and find a way to hurt himself.  Plus, cats don’t smell the way dogs do.  One of my greatest peeves is when a dog tries to lick my face – I don’t want to be anywhere near that, because their breath just reeks!

I think it’s fascinating that cats only purr for people.  At some point, they learned that doing so would make us happy, so now they know how to use it to get us to give them what they want.  I respect their smarts and love that they present a challenge.  They don’t always do what you want, but when they do, you can bet something went right.  I feel like you really have a relationship with them – some give and take and learning how to work with each other.  Dogs, on the other hand, just follow you around and give you all the attention and love you could ever need.  It’s suffocating.  I like pets that also can leave me alone.  And I like knowing that I’ve earned the good treatment I’m getting, rather than getting it because that’s all my pet does.  I suppose I prefer the depth of personality versus the unconditional love.

Cats are really misunderstood and it’s unfortunate.  They make for richer relationships.  Not to say that dogs don’t have personalities, but they’re not as complex as cats are.  And they certainly aren’t as clean.  It’s much easier to maintain a cat than a dog!  No walking, no barking to deal with, and so much less energy required.  It’s perfect for me; low-key and laid back, just the way I like it.  I can’t wait to get my next cat.  All my childhood ones have passed on.  🙁  I miss that sort of companionship and nothing is more soothing than hugging a purring cat.

Feline adoration

laelene Posted in general blog,Tags: , , , , , , ,
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I have, as long as I can remember, always loved cats.  I like animals of all sorts, but felines are certainly my favorite out of the bunch.  Perhaps it’s because much of my behavior is like theirs, so I feel a connection.  Last night I ran into a plump kitty lounging around outside on my walk home.  Being the first time that I had come across a cat and I wasn’t headed anywhere or with anyone, I decided to stop to pet it.  I couldn’t tell if it was a boy or a girl, but it certainly enjoyed my stroking and scratching.  I was reaching out pretty far, so I tried to shift to move closer, but that scared it a few feet away.  I considered trying to approach it again, but it takes some time for cats to trust you, so I decided that was enough for the night and headed back.  As I made my way back to Marylin’s, I thought of my beloved cats and how sad I am to not have them anymore.

The first cat I ever had got some sort of disease and had up to 90% of her lungs filling up with fluid before we found out and put her down.  That was the first time my dad and I cried together.  Actually, that’s the only time I can remember.  The second one we got had the longest life of them all and got sick recently, dying just on or past Christmas day 2008.  He was in China and my parents and I were in Cancun for the break.  I wish he could have held out for my dad to get back to him.  Then the third one we had just disappeared one day almost six years ago.  My mom is convinced that the coyotes or owls in the neighborhood caught him.  He was always a rambunctious one, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he ventured too far.  We’ll never really know what happened to him, but I can always hope that someone took him in and he’s happily squeezing himself into their sinks for his naps now.

This is Jerriey, our second kitty, curled up on my favorite blanket.

Lately cats have been on my mind a lot because one of Panda and my friends got herself a little kitten that was found on site for a Habitat for Humanity project.  That reminded me of the three other times I have come across cats that I really wanted to adopt.  First was a little black kitten we found at a club in the Echo Park area.  It was my first day on site for the filming of Wristcutters: A Love Story and this little guy was found hanging out in the back area

Little Echo.

Little Echo.

where the crew hung out as we waited through shots.  I named her Echo (I think the club was named that too) and gave her a lot of attention.  In fact, I even managed to convince the club owner to adopt her, since I couldn’t.  Next was a pair of kittens, brought to us on Wilshire Boulevard.  Katana and I were just walking along in Westwood when this kid comes running up to us and asks if we’d like to adopt kittens.  We looked at each other with those yearning eyes.  In our hearts, we really wanted to.  In our minds, we knew we couldn’t.  So, we only glimpsed the kittens he held in his hands, swaddled in his clothing before we sadly had to say no.  We watched as he ran down Westwood Boulevard and talked about how we could make it work.  Then, in the spur of a moment, we decided to go with our hearts and take them.  We went after the boy, but didn’t know where he had gone.  I looked to my left and noticed a pet store, so we went in.  The boy had just handed over the pair and when we tried to take them now, the store owner said she’d have to take them in for various shots and clean them up before we could come back to adopt them.  Sigh.  In the weeks after, we thought long and hard about how we could do this, even thinking we’d name them Boba and Udon (one was black and one was grey).  Unfortunately, practicality won out in the end and we never did go back for them.  Finally, the third came when I was volunteering at a cat home.  A tiny grey kitten was confined in a box with a plastic facing so we could see.  She was held there because she was still being treated after being rescued from Hurricane Katrina and,

Miss Katrina.

Miss Katrina.

consequently she was named Katrina.  I loved that little cat from the seconds we got to spend with her before turning our attention to the cats we could interact with.  Just the way she cocked her head when she looked at us was adorable enough for me to want her.  Unfortunately, I was still in school at the time and my dad had left the country, so it was just my mom taking care of the one cat we still had.  But I wanted a kitten to raise myself.

This is a dream I’ve held for years and years, ever since I got to carry little Jerriey home from the shelter, so cute and loveable.  He spent the whole time purring, which is what won me over.  I have mentioned this desire many a time and though he started off first not comfortable with the idea, he is now more open to it.  Granted, we had to have a whole hullabaloo of a… discussion over it, but he’s willing to consider it at least.  To me, having a cat is almost more important than having kids.  Not only are they nice to cuddle up with, their purring is good for your health.  They are very independent and don’t require much attention or care, which is how I live my life.  They train very easily, from going to use the litter box when nature calls to coming to eat dinner with the banging out a plate.  I also like to crawl into small spaces and squeeze myself into strange positions to sleep.  And come on, there’s a reason we call it the “catwalk” – they’re beautiful and graceful creatures!  Cats are highly misunderstood animals.  People take their independence for aloofness, much as they do with me.  And I think that is why I defend and adore them so much.  I’m misunderstood too.

Our friend's new kitten, isn't she precious?!

Our friend's new kitten, isn't she precious?!

Well, my dream of owning a cat is still very far off, sadly.  I have to wait until I’m settled enough to keep one with me.  I have to make sure I have the funds to buy all the food, litter, and catsitting services I would need to take care of it.  Thankfully, they love very simple little toys, so just a little catnip and some string or crumpled newspaper can do the trick.  Once I feel like I have the resources and capabilities to finally care for a cat of my own, I hope Panda will be ready to have one too (or maybe more).  He doesn’t even need to do a thing.  I’ll buy everything, scoop the kitty litter, feed them, play with them, and arrange for their care when/if we are away.  All he has to do is let me have one.  For now, he has agreed to catsit our friend’s kitten if she ever needs us to and we will go visit her after I get back.  I hope he likes that experience so he’ll be willing to have one of our own.

Back in high school Katana and I would joke about how we’d grow old and have properties next to each other, each with certain natural formations that we want (like a waterfall for me), and we’d both have houses full of cats.  (This was back when we imagined ourselves as old maids, never having been able to truly settle down.  I guess it could still work with men in our lives, as long as they allowed all the cats.)  At night, we’d both go out and sit on our rocking chairs on our porches to enjoy the nightfall, either knitting or petting a cat.  We’d have our houses close enough that we could see each other, but our property large enough for ponds and creeks and forests and whatnot.  I think it’d be great if we do end up that way.  Yup, we have all the makings ofbecoming crazy cat ladies.

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