Jan 25, 2015 | Bright Ideas, kittens |
Luna loves Brutus – she follows him around, tries to nuzzle him, always wants to know what he is doing. She loves him.
Brutus loves Luna, but more in a best friend “lets play chase but don’t eat my treats” kinda way. They play, yes, but he sometimes bullies her or chases her away from what he considers “his”. He is always around her but most of the time when she tries to snuggle him he activates “THE CLAMP” which is Brutus just grabbing hold of her neck and chomping down. (really hard! His jaw strength is amazing!)
But the other day, Luna made progress in her pursuit of Brutus’ affection! They both come in the bathroom with me when I shower (as I’m sure your cats do) and Brutus sits in the chair and usually falls asleep. Luna sits on the rug. After my shower I dried off and sat on the floor next to Brutus’ chair and started to pet him. Luna became very interested and starting pacing around the chair so I picked her up and put her on the chair. She sat as far away from Brutus as possible, almost leaning against me. He opened his eyes to look at her but I kept petting him and eventually he went back to sleep.
After some time, Luna crept closer. Eventually she put her paws over his paws. Again he opened his eyes but I kept petting and he went back to sleep. Luna sat like that for a while, looking very pleased with herself.
After a few minutes, Luna began to inch closer again. She started to sniff him and even licked his paws abit. I was taking pictures at this time but every time Brutus would wake up she would go still and wait for him to close his eye again then would continue inching closer.
Then she got close enough that their tails touched!
Closer still…
And finally, she flopped on him! Snuggling as close as she could (basically on top of him) she just pretended to sleep as he woke up and looked at this kitty now laying on him
It’s usually at this point that Brutus will bite or chase Luna away, but this time he started to clean her!!! She remained perfectly still the whole time and eventually (after looking at me to see why I was being a weirdo taping their snuggle session) Brutus went back to sleep! They were finally cuddling!
But then Luna’s ear started to inch and although she didn’t want to (it started with a twitch) she had to shake her head. It was at that point Brutus woke up, deployed THE CLAMP and I had to rescue a screaming Luna from the chair.
She didn’t go far though and I told her it was good work for one day. Little by little she will teach Brutus to cuddle and then he will love her as much as she loves him.
Jan 23, 2015 | kittens, Tech |
I’ve never had a cat who like watching TV as much as Luna does.
It’s so bad that if I am using my tablet she will come up on the couch and paw at it until I turn on some kitty tv for her!
Dec 31, 2014 | kittens |
The Burmeseys have been a bit rambunctious since we returned from Arkansas. They have been on the counter, fighting, teaming up on the other cats (!) and just general destruction.
My Aunt recently posted this image to Facebook, and although most people think of cats as quiet creatures the Burmesey are not. So when they are quite, you know something is up
also if you have a Burmese kitten…
Case in point, we heard Brutus quietly playing with something near the computers and the first thought was “That’s nice that he is playing with a toy instead of harassing the other cats” Then our next thought was to get up and see what he was playing with since he was too interested in it for it to be something wholesome.
We were right – here you can see our USB memory stick that Brutus CHEWED apart.
You can clearly see on this chart that Brutus has the highest bite force of any creature alive, dead or imagined.
The next incident was due to Luna, who is even worse than Brutus in counter-surfing. We heard a noise in the kitchen during a commercial break and turned around to find our water on and running. I think this one solved itself though since Luna is notorious for eating scraps from the sink but I bet she’ll think twice after being soaked.
I’m slightly pleased by this one because it occured shortly after we had to throw out a stick of butter after finding Luna munching on it after we made some popcorn.
Dec 22, 2014 | kittens |
So far Pothole is not having a good Christmas! Peapod was supposed to deliver her favorite wet food – Fancy Feast Appetizers Steamed Tilapia in Broth.
It’s super stinky but being a old kitty it entices her to eat – so much so that she even begs for it.
So when 5 Chi-Chi’s Salsa Medium arrived instead of Pothole’s dinner, she was a bit disappointed to say the least.
I offered to let her eat it, but she said salsa doesn’t compare to delicious fish.
Dec 19, 2014 | kittens |
I can hear you now – “But that’s every cat!” and I will tell you you’re wrong. Never in all my years of owning a cat have I had cats that disrespect me as much as these two.
In my house, cats are not allowed on the counter. This is a rule I tell guests, this is an actual rule and my older cats follow it great! They have a stool by the counter and upon which they can sit an observe, which they do. However there are no paws on the counter and if given a treat the older cats will take it to the ground to eat it.
The Burmese on the other hand – today as I was working at the table I heard some growling and fighting behind me and turned around to see both Burmese on the counter fighting. I can’t even begin to tell you how wrong this is. When I yelled at them to stop, they looked at me, then slowly stretched their way off the counter onto the stools.
Here I was making Iced Tea and Luna decided to help. What cat will jump in the refrigerator? Every time you open the door you need to make sure she is not in there.
Here is Brutus, I guess he assumes that because he is not on the counter, this is technically allowed. Spoiler Alert: It’s not
This is above and beyond any amount of kittenness I have experienced, ever. As you saw from my previous posts they are becoming better and better friends and I fear the day when they finally start working as a team.
Dec 17, 2014 | Holidays, kittens |
Day by day the Burmeseys are becoming better friends. In full disclosure I put Luna here but she kept trying to go up and was a little frightened. This was the first time Brutus didn’t bite her to chase her away from his “territory”. They are still figuring things out between them but this picture gives me hope that my life won’t be filled with hissy/growly/screaming for the next 18 years…
In other news, Luna has discovered the best way to get around the house is the hood of my sweatshirt. I full expected to claw her way out but she settled in for the long haul. It started to get a bit chokey though so I took her out, which of course is when she used her claws!
And finally my little man, Brutus, enjoying his Christmas present a bit early since we will be out of town. It is a gift box filled with all sorts of super cat goodies. The company is KitNipBox and they even offer a monthly subscription! Brutus was more excited about the box and the package which stunk of catnip over the actual toys and treats but you know how cats are! KitNipBox knows – the shipping box even turns into a little cat house!
Nov 21, 2014 | kittens |
And he would prefer it if you referred to him by his proper name.
Nov 11, 2014 | kittens |
Introducing older cats is harder than kittens and sometimes you run into trouble. In our house it manifested in Brutus chasing Luna throughout the house while she screamed, hissed and left a pee trail. We tried keeping an eye on them but cats are sneaky devils and sometimes we thought everyone was sleeping until we heard the screaming.
We tried giving Brutus a time out or locking up Luna when we left but it was just delaying the issue and not really solving it. We then decided to put Brutus on a harness and leash when he started to get out of control. For the most part this would make him calm down and go to sleep and allow Luna to explore the house freely without threat of attack. After a week or two of this they are getting along much better. We still have to harness Brutus up sometimes, but its less and less for shorter periods.
I believe it is very important to harness train your cats – not only for situations as described above but also for transport or even just some outside time. We have been working with all our cats since they were young (and are currently working with Luna) to accept a harness so I have lots of thoughts on what types are most comfortable for the cats as well as most secure.
Cats will escape if they are really determined. Make sure the harness fits snugly leaving room for about 2 fingers under the straps. This is a dog but the same measurements apply to cats. Usually in a harness you won’t need body length but keep in mind that cats are longer than dogs so if you are going to use dog clothes/harnesses make sure to take that into account.
The best harnesses I have found are the thick strapped velcro ones (my cat: ) Mine were made by a friend but you can find similar styles on etsy or amazon. These are great because they are fast and easy to put on and the wider straps make it harder for a cat to slip out of. Additionally, because they are wider and usually lined with fleece they don’t tug at the fur or chaff the neck so a lot of cats who don’t tolerate harnesses, don’t mind these.
The second best IMHO is the Come with Me Kitty brand This harness has thin straps but has a v-neck which lays across the cats shoulders. My cat has slipped out of this harness once or twice so it is easier to escape than the first type. However due to the harnesses shape and construction I have seen a lot of cats be okay in this harness because they don’t think it is choking them.
Finally I would recommend a standard H shaped harness. This is the easiest to escape from and even my dumb cats can do it but they are cheap and prolific so you can find them anywhere if you want to test out harness training. If you don’t tug on the leash they cat shouldn’t have a problem with it. This video is one of the first few times Brutus wore his harness. It also had a bell on it basically turning him into a toy. He liked it much better once the bell was removed.
The final option I will offer you is to get any harness (or adorable cat clothes) and put it on your cat when it starts bullying the other (or you just want them to look cute). Usually just feeling something on them makes them focus on that instead of the other cat and mine usually end up going to sleep. Make sure you set a timer so they don’t wear it too long (eventually any cat will get into trouble – even a costumed cat) and keep a general eye on them so they don’t get caught up on anything. Here is my cat in his Dinosaur of Shame suit.
Nov 7, 2014 | General Chit-Chat, kittens |
After about a month, Luna (almost 100% sure this is her final name) is fitting in nicely and has become a snuggly member of the household. She and Brutus are still working on their relationship but they are getting along much better. Especially around feeding time. I have never had a cat in my life who enjoy cat food as much as these two babies.
Surprisingly, Luna may actually be more of a food baby than Brutus. For being such a tiny cat (about 6 lbs) she is constantly hungry, eats super fast, and then proceeds to eat any food in the vicinity.
Luna also loves cat treats – to the point that she tried to run off with my pinky finger the other day. Right now her favorite is “anything” but she seems especially partial to “everything” as well.
Its not all bliss though. Luna is still a bit nervous in her new house and Brutus doesn’t understand playing nice which leads to much screaming and fighting. During structured playtimes (such as with “da bird”) its pretty good and everyone gets along. Luna even tries to snuggle Brutus by rubbing her head on his face to which he responds by biting her neck. We are working to better social Brutus but right now he has two modes – sleeping and BRUTUS! We are also teaching Luna to be more confident in her environment so she feels more comfortable playing.
The Burmese breed also seems to be a possessive breed so if one has a toy or bed, the other MUST have it. This also extends to people which has lead to some of the fights. Luna is not a total slouch in this area and I have seen her run up to and chase Brutus away from me. She has also completely taken over his bed, which lead to us having to buy more beds.
At least everyone is happy now:
Well as happy as cats can be anyway…
Oct 13, 2014 | Current Events, kittens |
Today we picked up our new kitten, a 1 year old retired platinum Burmese.
Currently known as “Shalimar” (not sure if we are keeping it), she was born in Russia and brought to the States as a show cat/breeder.
When Shalimar wasn’t getting pregnant after a few trys, the breeder decided it was better to find her a forever home rather than pursuing any fertility b treatments (did you even know that was a thing for cats?!)
After talking with The Other, we felt that due to Brutus’ unending energy and the older cats general disdain of said energy, it was best to get him a playmate around his own age.
We were originally looking at another kitten but thought that since he is such a – well, brute – it might be better that the kitten was a bit older. Shalimar is only 1 month older than him.
She is a but shy right now adjusting to her new surroundings, and Brutus is a bit growly about not being the baby anymore. However both are curious so once everything settles down I’m sure they will be good friends.
Recent Comments