Monday, March 29, 2010

{Understanding Oliver}

Are you a cat person?

I didn't know I was until this little guy made his way into my heart two years ago.



It's been really fun getting to know cats through him. When we first brought him home,
I bought a little book to help me understand cat mentality, health, needs, wants, and communication. But I haven't done any real reading to keep in tune with him since.



His birthday was last month. So, aside from a special, extended play time in my office his
room -- I also bought some teach-me-about-cats reading material. Oliver is a communicator.
He is! But he still can't talk to me and tell me everything I need to know. So, it's nice to
read up and inform myself a bit. I found this magazine to be super interesting.


For example, I learned:
* Citrus oil, a common ingredient in cleaning products, is toxic to a cat's system.
* How to tell when they're sick (because it's harder with cats then dogs) .
* This guy -- who is a cat behaviorist, trainer and lover -- is on Animal Planet's Cat 101.

I feel a little more connected to my parenting role with Oliver when I know exactly what
I need to be doing for him and why. He's such a special little guy, and I want him to have
the healthiest, happiest life he can!

6 comments:

Kristi said...

Yep, me and E are definitely cat-people :)

carlene federer said...

Norahs yawn, and Olivers cat-ness are adorable!!! and I love their names!

SplendidlyImperfect said...

Aw... I miss having a cat sometimes. Especially when my dogs are barking like idiots at nothing. Then a cat sounds REALLY nice. :)

Oliver's a cutie. I've been thinking that if I do get another cat, I'd like it to be an orange one.

Anne said...

Orange tiger kitties are the best!

Sam, as you know, we recently adopted a cat that had either escaped from his previous home to find us, or got dropped off at our farm due to unfortunate circumstances in his family's situation. While I would like to think that someone chose us to be his adoptive parents, I think the previous suggestion is correct as he was starved practically to death. Our vet believes he hadn't eaten real cat food for about three months. We are currently battling bowel problems due to his inability to digest decent food. His enzymes are all screwed up and we fear he might have some intestinal disformation. But we continue to love him and do the best we can. The other pets are trying their best to either accept him or ignore him. He has put on 4 ounces since we first found him on our porch. We're thinking about calling him Maximillian because he's cost us just about that...about a million!

Sue Thomas said...

Oliver is one lucky cat!!!

Lindsey said...

Oliver is cute but cats make me sneeze :(

I know this post was about cats, but if you are looking for an informative read about dog health - check out Speaking for Spot by Dr. Nancy Kay. I am not quite done with it yet, but it brings up a lot of good points. I am sure that some of it (like how to choose a good vet) would apply to Oliver too!