Sneaky (cat!)

[pixelated]

One of our former cats was plenty nice enough, but didn’t like dogs. She was also deaf, she was largish for a cat, maybe a bit smaller than Sneaky, and fearless.
Anyway, one day I was working in the yard planting a tree, LaChat the cat was hanging out, supervising. A Dachshund, the neighborhood tough guy, came down the sidewalk, spotted the cat and started barking so he could scare the cat into running for a chase. Cat’s ignoring him, since she can’t hear him. Dog gets frustrated, and gets closer and closer, barking. Finally he gets too close, cat launches, digs her claws into his back, and runs him across the yard wheelbarrow style. Dog gets loose and runs home. From then on, anytime the dog got to our yard, he’d detour into the street until he was past our yard, and come back to the sidewalk.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

They are not very forgiving, not like dogs. We have an older male who terrorizes the neighborhood, the other day a neighbor came over and said the cat had abused their little dog, and the dog needed to see the vet for stitches. I was happy not to pay the vet bill. That is life with a cat.

My grandpa had a cat like that. She was a dainty little dilute tortie named Molly who had the habit of leaving rattlesnake heads on his doorstep! She murdered anything she could catch, and by the time she died a few months before her 20th birthday, she had killed more than 9000 small animals. Grandpa lived in a rural area with lots of mice, moles, chipmunks, rabbits, and snakes. Interestingly, Molly never killed birds!

Grandpa had to get rid of his dog cage because Molly would stand on top of the cage, reach down through the bars, and claw his dog's face up. One day she went to his neighbor's yard and attacked his pitbull. The dog did nothing to provoke this, it was in a fenced in kennel. Molly climbed a fencepost and jumped down on top of the dog; after she clawed its face up, she slipped through the fence and sat down and stared at the dog as it shook the fence with its teeth! No fear!

She loved Grandpa though, and spent a lot of time laying on his lap when he was suffering from Alzheimer's Disease. She sat in the kitchen window looking outside for weeks after he died.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Sneaky has been wanting to sleep with me every night now. He'll go lay on my bed and wait when it gets close to bed time, and he looks at me sad if I take too long to go to bed. Last night, he stretched out next to me, on his back, and slept all night that way! In the morning, he woke me up by cuddling up to me with his head on my head while purring loudly (sweet) then kneading my hard with his claws (not so sweet)!

Old photos of him wrapped in a blanket while I was trying to change the bedsheets, just to have some cute pics. They show how he lays when he sleeps with me.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Every time I sit on the sofa to read, Sneaky cuddles up to me and sleeps. He did that she a while last night, then went and stretched out on my bed when he saw I was getting ready to sleep. He actually let me sleep in really late today instead of waking me at 8 or 9 am to feed him!

I shot this last night with the crappy camera on my tablet.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Another cute photo of Sneaky sleeping with me while I'm sitting on the sofa reading. This was last night, around 2am! He stretched out and put his front paws against the side of my arm and kept them there a long time. Always has to be touching ❤️

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

One must maintain constant watch to ensure that no enemies set foot in your territory. At any moment a dog, an opossum, or a neighborhood cat might try to test your defenses!

Last night, Sneaky spent a bunch of time sitting on the hood of my car staring at the house in the distance. The people who live there have three large dogs that are usually in the front yard barking their fool heads off at every little thing that passes by. They are kept in the yard by one of those invisible fence systems.

Sneaky find them most annoying. Interestingly, they were not out last night; so I'm not sure what Sneaky was so concerned about!

 

[sebastel]

whatever it was, it gave opportunity to catch a nice picture of Sneaky's nightwatch. typical cat.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

whatever it was, it gave opportunity to catch a nice picture of Sneaky's nightwatch. typical cat.

Yeah I liked how the light on the front of the garage outlined his silhouetted form. When I saw it, I ran in to get the camera, hoping he wouldn't move!

 

[Retro-Grouch]

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One must maintain constant watch to ensure that no enemies set foot in your territory. At any moment a dog, an opossum, or a neighborhood cat might try to test your defenses!

Last night, Sneaky spent a bunch of time sitting on the hood of my car staring at the house in the distance. The people who live there have three large dogs that are usually in the front yard barking their fool heads off at every little thing that passes by. They are kept in the yard by one of those invisible fence systems.

Sneaky find them most annoying. Interestingly, they were not out last night; so I'm not sure what Sneaky was so concerned about!

It's much more dangerous when you don't have your enemies under your direct surveillance.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Last night, Sneaky insisted on staying out half the night, despite it raining all night. I finally got him in, and he was soaked! He wasn't happy that I was taking pictures instead of giving him a new plate of food, and he got more unhappy when I got a towel and dried him off after photographing him.

He tried to scratch me when I dried his belly, as usual. Funny thing is that when he is dry, he loves belly rubs, but if he's wet, he will bite and scratch anyone who touches the belly!

After he ate and finished drying, he came into my bedroom and slept cuddled up to me the rest of the night.

 

[Darthfeeble]

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Last night, Sneaky insisted on staying out half the night, despite it raining all night. I finally got him in, and he was soaked! He wasn't happy that I was taking pictures instead of giving him a new plate of food, and he got more unhappy when I got a towel and dried him off after photographing him.

He tried to scratch me when I dried his belly, as usual. Funny thing is that when he is dry, he loves belly rubs, but if he's wet, he will bite and scratch anyone who touches the belly!

After he ate and finished drying, he came into my bedroom and slept cuddled up to me the rest of the night.

You've been forgiven for all the indignities you subjected on him.

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Some snapshots of Sneaky and my son, Mack, hanging out in the kitchen this morning.

 

[dxq.canada]

That is soooo Cat behaviour!!!

 

[CMur12]

How can anyone resist the charms of a cat?!

I once found a greeting card with a close-up photo of a cat on the front. It said, "There are two kinds of people in this world."
Then you opened it and it said, "Cat people and idiots!"

I sent one to a friend who had dogs. I told him that my cat Joey had insisted that I send it to him.
I don't think he believed me.

- Murray

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

How can anyone resist the charms of a cat?!

I once found a greeting card with a close-up photo of a cat on the front. It said, "There are two kinds of people in this world."
Then you opened it and it said, "Cat people and idiots!"

I sent one to a friend who had dogs. I told him that my cat Joey had insisted that I send it to him.
I don't think he believed me.

- Murray

I saw a meme online a few years ago that said "Dogs are for narcissists who need to be worshipped; cats are for those humble enough to bow before God." Another one shows several cats in a room, all thinking the same thought: "I am God." The caption said "This is why cat's don't have a religion."

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Sneaky killed his first mouse of the year this morning! I gave him some steak and chicken.

He went outside for a little bit this morning, and when he came back, he scratched at the door to let me know he wanted back in. He was sitting on the doorstep next to a rather large dead mouse! Of course, he didn't eat it!

 

[DownUnder]

Like so many others, I enjoy this thread, and I return to it regularly, to read up on what new antics your Sneaky has been up to.

From his contented and certainly well-fed look, it amazes me that he would even bother to put in time and energy to catch a mouse.

Your images of Mr S are so much better than mine are of our five. Obviously they reflect the close one-to-one relationship you have with him.

Our eldest, Olie, passed away last week, from an aggressive cat virus which took him in less than 24 hours. He was aged somewhere between 13 and 15, a large, genial ginger and white tabby, very laid back and relaxed and easygoing as many gingers are

He claimed us as his in 2015 after living in the garage of a derelict property next door. One day I was in the garden and he came and flopped down on my boots. He looked (and he was) hungry so I fed him. After eating he relocated himself to the mat at the back door of the house, and eventually he moved in and took us over. From that day, as they say the rest is history. For eight years.

About a year ago, after dedicating almost a decade to long naps on our bed and occasionally catching and killing a rat stupid enough to venture on our property, Olie left home to live with our next door neighbors, a nice Indian couple who have no children and dedicate all their free time to finding homes for homeless cats in our community.

We had to accept this, cats after all being cats and entirely devoted to whatever they set their feline minds to do.

Our neighbors had a small, sad black kitten found on the street and taken in, abandoned at so young an age that he had to be hand fed for a few weeks with an eye dropper and cat formula. Olie and this kitten formed an immediate bond and were together day and night. Both died on the same day from the same virus.

We buried them together in our garden.

The five others in our household are also greatly loved and looked after, but Olie was special for being entirely, uniquely himself. As cats are. Superior beings, possibly sent to us by an unknown culture from some distant, as yet uncharted universe, for reasons and purposes we have yet to fathom.

 

[CMur12]

I saw a meme online a few years ago that said "Dogs are for narcissists who need to be worshipped; cats are for those humble enough to bow before God." Another one shows several cats in a room, all thinking the same thought: "I am God." The caption said "This is why cat's don't have a religion."

I've long said that every cat thinks s/he is the center of the universe!

I read of a study conducted in 2014, producing findings that cat people tended to have higher IQs, while dog people tested higher for friendliness. 😎

I wasted no time telling the same dog friend mentioned above about this study, but he immediately questioned its scientific validity.

- Murray

 

[Retro-Grouch]

I've long said that every cat thinks s/he is the center of the universe!

I read of a study conducted in 2014, producing findings that cat people tended to have higher IQs, while dog people tested higher for friendliness. 😎

I wasted no time telling the same dog friend mentioned above about this study, but he immediately questioned its scientific validity.

- Murray

His reaction is further proof, as if any were needed!

 

[Darthfeeble]

I'm pet bi, so I guess I'm smart and friendly.......... Dogs have masters, Cats have staff.