I
TOLD YOU ALREADY!
The Ask Maya archives
page 1
Please note: Maya's opinions are not always those of the management!
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Ask
Maya for the 1st week of September, 2002
Ask
Maya for the 2nd week of September, 2002
Ask Maya for the 3rd week of
September, 2002
More
"Ask Maya" archives on pages 1,
2, 3,
4, 5,
6,
7,
8, 9
and 10
Ask Maya for the 1st week of September, 2002:
Dear
Gretchen,
Maybe, if he's not too aggravated by now (lol) ask him why my kittens
choose to lie on my flowers and how I can get them to stop. It kills the
poor little things.
- Sue
Dear Sue,
First of all, I am a female. A FEMALE, thank you. And I am quite beautiful. No one is a beautiful as me. You'd better believe it.
Secondly, you may address your questions to ME.
Now, why do people ask me questions they could be asking their cats themselves? Not all cats know each other, you know. There are a lot of cats out there I wouldn't WANT to know. But I will see what I can come up with using logic and guessing and my wisdom and experience.
Flowers are wonderful, and so are plants. Every cat should have some plants to hide in and nibble on, if they want to. I have one particular plant that is very big and I love to hide in. No one can see me, and if they do, I look like a jungle cat. I am so sneaky and sexy and fierce! IT makes me feel really good. Sometimes I have to chase Maurice or the Little Annoying Cat away from it, but it is mine. The Moms call it Tico, which has something to do with their trip to Costa Rica, which they told me all about. But the plant is not from there, although it is a nice plant. Humans are wierd.
So, as long as the plant's not poisonous, it's good for the cat. Now, I see you have a problem in that you don't want the plants to die. I suggest you provide a hardier plant or one that's more tasty so the cats will go to that. Kittens are easily distractable that way (although I was a very focussed kitten, myself). Also, if the flowers are indoors, take them out of reach. But that's only logical, right?
If they're outdoors, don't let the kittens near them. Cover them, or something. Or distract the kittens. But the best thing to do would be to give them something better and point it out to them. Then everybody's happy. It is not nice to deprive cats, and green stuff helps us digest sometimes. But let them look at the flowers! Flowers are very pretty, and sometimes contain bugs, which are interesting. Every cat should get a good view of things and lots of things to look at. Why The Little One spends all that time under the bed looking at nothing, I don't understand, but most cats aren't that wierd -- they're smarter than that.
You're welcome. I feel glad to provide you with my benevolent service and wisdom.
- Maya the Cat
Ask Maya for the 2nd week of September, 2002:
Dear
Maya,
How come sometimes cats will hunt, capture, and toss about (but not kill)
their prey?
- Jodi
Dear Jodi,
I do not believe all cats do this. Some cats do, though. There could be a number of reasons.
First
of all, the cat might not be very bright.
Secondly, maybe they just like the game of the chase and the hunt so much and they don't care about the meat. Maybe they get enough to eat, so that's not on the top of their list... it's just mor fun to play with the little buggers they get.
Or a cat's instincts can go flooey from being indoors all the time. If all they've had before is toy mice and nobody taught them about hunting for real, what do you expect? Some cats have stronger instincts than others, and some get more "human" or "dog-like" (yecch) than others, too. You have to give your cat better messages about being a cat if they get like that, or maybe get a smarter cat to teach them. Then again, you may like you cat that way, who knows? There's no accounting for taste, I'll tell you. [shaking head]
One other thing. Maybe the cat is saving the food as a present for you or as a snack for later. Cats are very giving and practical that way. Some of them, anyway.
Personally, I can't remember the last time something tasty ran past me, and I'm not so into the chase anymore. Although sometimes we get a really good light or reflection going that runs around in the room and that gets me all excited. That's why I always wait in the morning for the refrigerator door to open. Maybe if your cat had a nice refrigerator door light to chase, he wouldn't do that. But then again, as I said, there's no accounting for taste. I just hope you enjoy your cat's hunting prowess and don't blame him too much. After all, do you hunt your food? Does the fish you catch go right into the frying pan straight from the water? I thought so. There.
I hope my answer was helpful to you. I do so love getting questions! Best of luck and stay observant,
- Maya the Cat
Ask Maya for the 3rdweek of September, 2002:
Dear
Maya,
Why is it Baldrick, my nearly blind cat, can find his way up to the barn
and yard where my horses are kept on his own - often before I've even
got up - but seems incapable of finding his way *home* again? To the extent
that I've been up there several times over the past 2 - 3 weeks late at
night, to find him? (It's only a 2 - 3 minute walk but it's the 20 minutes
spent calling him that takes the time up!)
- Karon and Baldrick
Dear Karon,
I
like your name. I like the "on" feeling at the end. It's almost like "Maya".
You're welcome.
Okay, my mom G. just explained what being blind is to me. Damn! I would not like that. I am very into my vision. I have superior vision and nobody sees things like I do. However, I'm told that I'm called "deaf," which means I can't "hear" things. Mom G says that this means that other creatures feel a vibration in their head differently than I do and it's another "sense" that warns them sometimes that things are coming. However, it can be annoying and startling and hard to block out, too. Anyway, I've never missed it and I find my extra-special vision terrific. I wouldn't ever want things to change, I can tell you that. I am perfect the way that I am. So, maybe your Baldrick feels that in a different way... that he doesn't need his eyes because he has great ears or smell. I will try to think of it that way.
Okay, so Baldrick gets out there but he won't come home. Have you ever considered that he doesn't WANT to come home? Maybe he's just fine out there, having fun, thank you. Have you ever seen what he's doing? A barn must be an exciting place. I would think you could explore and hide and stalk for hours. So, that's just one thing.
The other thing is, have you ever smelled a barn? Mom G. has sent barn smells to me and I know what it's like having too many cats in the litter box. I bet you it is easy for Baldrick to find the barn no problem, but once he's out there, his nose gets all smelled out and it's hard to go for the subtler things. Maybe he gets high on all the smells and energies out there. Or maybe he gets scared to pass the horses. Are the horses chained up? I mean, not that *I* would be afraid of the horses... although I don't need to try it, thank you. They are big, big animals. What if they were stupid and wouldn't listen when I told them what to do? Feh. [shivers]
Anyway, one last thought might be that he's tired. He spends the whole day doing what he wants to in the barn and he gets pooped. Maybe he wants you to come get him. Give him a break. Maybe he just wants you to do the walking and know you want him. Or maybe he's lazy. I don't know.
So, maybe you could put a trail of flowers or something else that smells on the path between the places. Or maybe you will just have to keep getting him. Ask him yourself. But I hope my suggestions opened your mind. Cats often have very good reasons for doing things. And if they don't, well, they're "people", too. It's up to you to decide what to do from there.
Best wishes to you and Baldrick... is he a stripey-cat?
- Maya the Wise