MSI Press Blog

  Moo, personality plus, cleaning his paws, without a worry in the world All cats are unique. No two are alike even if they are the same breed or from the same litter, Like people, But Moo is particularly unique. MOO was trapped as a feral kitten on the streets, TNR'd, and delivered to a shelter for adoption, but nobody wanted him. Not even the shelter, where he was so frightened that he did not move from one spot in two days, urinating and defecating on himself, not eating, and trembling non-stop. They called the TNR liaison and asked her to take him back and put him on the street, that he was not adoptable. Instead, she called me. He was just a scared kitten, about 12 weeks. He had no happy space of his own, no toys, no chance not to be on display. We put him by himself in our cat room, with toys, trees, food, water, and litter. All his own. We intruded only to refill and clean dishes. He began to explore and to play with the toys. Then, we invited super friendly, giant cat (but ...

  Wooper by herself in the hallway The Would-Be-Only Cat in a Multi-Cat Household Some cats clearly—or subtly—present as preferring to be the one and only. Sometimes it's fear. Sometimes it's jealousy. Sometimes it’s both. These cats may coexist with others, but their emotional well-being and overall health often show the cost of that compromise. It can be difficult to differentiate between cats who are genuinely frightened of others and those who simply don’t want to share the attention of their beloved human. Either way, their needs are different from those of cats who seek feline company. Wooper is a classic example. We adopted her from our veterinarian’s office, where she had lived for a while after being rescued by the vet’s neighbor—found as a tiny, abandoned kitten in the grass. She was sassy with the clinic staff, which we took as a promising sign that she might handle the dynamics of a multi-cat household. At the time, we had two boys and one girl, and we hoped she mi...

  Jack and Sophia playing on the cat tree. Is It Play or a Fight? How to Tell When Cats Are Just Roughhousing It’s not always easy to tell whether cats are playing rough or heading toward a real fight. The line can be thin, especially when the action is fast, noisy, or dramatic. I’ve seen this firsthand with Bobolink, who used to sprint the entire length of the hallway and launch himself onto Happy Cat—his chosen role model and best friend. They’d tumble together in a flurry of paws, tails, and mock bites, purring all the while. To the untrained eye, it might have looked violent. But to those of us who know cat dynamics, it was clearly joyful play. So how do you know whether cats are fighting or just having fun? Here are some guidelines to help you read the situation accurately. 1. Watch for Reciprocity In play, both cats take turns being the “chaser” and the “chased,” the “pouncer” and the “pounced upon.” If one cat is always on the bottom or trying to escape while the other conti...