As I mentioned in my last post relating my joy at finding a cheap, suitably sized litter box, Brodie and Shadow are growing up to be pretty big guys. Sometimes it even seems like they might still be growing! Which is cool, of course. I've never understood people who get all disappointed when kittens grow up. Tiny babycats are certainly totally darling, but big strapping grownup cats have their own particular brand of awesomeness, and my guys have more awesomeness than you could shake a stick at.
Observe below, as Shadow awesomely tries to get a head start on his dinner:
It's hard to convey a sense of scale unless photos are taken with the cat standing next to something of known and/or obvious proportions. The above photos do a pretty decent job of illustrating Shadow's impressive tallitude, though: note that the kitchen island Shadow's got his paws on here is 36" (about one meter) high. Meaning Shadow is that tall standing up (as in, measured from top of head to bottom of back feet). Clearly I'd better be careful what I leave near the edge of the counters!
(a) Most of the popular articles regarding that study made what looked to me like unwarranted interpretive leaps (sadly not much of a surprise there these days), and
(b) While the study itself read as more "neutrally investigative" and data-focused than the popular articles, it did not seem as if the experimental setup necessarily accounted for feline sensory modalities, and hence may not have permitted a true test of the cats' cognitive capacities in the area of physical causality.
So, in light of item (b) above, and in light of the fact that I had all the necessary components on hand to create a setup similar to that used in the aforementioned study, I decided to see if my own feline housemates might be interested in trying their hand (or rather, paw) at some string-pulling.
Of course I am not aiming to present my own "results" as Real Scientific Data; they were, after all, quite informally obtained from a tiny sample set. At the absolute most, observations presented herein might represent a sort of "proof of concept", i.e., how setups could be improved in future experiments to increase the likelihood of meaningful results. Overall, though, I mainly did this for fun -- for me, and for the cats!
BACKGROUND
Four cats were offered the opportunity to participate in this activity:
The three younger cats (Coraline, Brodie, and Shadow) were littermates, born into a feral colony. I adopted them when they were between 7 and 10 weeks of age. The elder cat (Nikki) is unrelated to the others, was born into a cattery, and lived with my parents until early 2010.
All four cats had lived with me for at least six months prior to the experiment, and since the experiment took place in my' home, they did not have to acclimate to an unfamiliar environment beforehand.
PREDICTIONS
Predictions going into the experiment were as follows:
(1) At least one cat (of the four) would demonstrate both motivation and ability to complete at least one task case successfully.
(2) Performance (in motivated cats) would improve when the treats were made more visually obvious, i.e., via use of color and size contrast.
(3) Performance might improve if a less flexible medium (i.e., plastic zip ties rather than string) was used, as this would provide faster feedback to the cats regarding their efforts and would be less likely to induce distraction (cats often find strings, and their movements, extremely interesting in their own right).
SETUP
The setup used in this exercise was based on the description provided by the study1:
The apparatus consisted of a box of base size 49 × 40 cm with clear Perspex walls on three sides and a wire mesh lid. The top of the box hinged off the base to allow access to the inside. The base was made of chipboard with a white plastic surface, and protruded from the box at the front by 9 cm, providing a smooth surface and good contrast for the strings. A 1-cm gap at the base of the front wall allowed the strings to pass from the front accessible end into the inaccessible part of the box. A clear Perspex bridge (base size 11 cm × 6 cm) was used in trials where there are two crossed strings to prevent the strings getting tangled. Every part of the set-up was visible to the cats at any time. The strings were blue rope (∅ 5 mm), with a length of 25 cm (long) and 10 cm (short). Cat treats were attached to the strings to act as rewards for succeeding in the task. The reward for each trial was approximately 10 g of mashed tuna or pilchards, or a small cat biscuit.
Some articles referencing the study also included a photograph of the apparatus used, which I attempted to replicate as closely as possible given available materials.
Main Structure
To make the main structure of the apparatus, I used several pieces of scrap, held together with blue painter's tape in a rectangular "frame" shape. To the bottom side of the frame I attached a sheet of thick white watercolor paper.
To the top side of the frame I attached a piece of Plexiglas with a grid pattern drawn on it -- however, upon closer reading of the study apparatus description (after I'd already completed my experiment), I noted that the original study had used a plain wire mesh on the top of the frame.
(Image showing main structure of test apparatus I built)
This meant that, contrary to my original (incorrect) impression, the cats more than likely would have indeed been able to smell the treats, as wire mesh blocked their physical access to the treats via the top of the box, but not the transmission of odors. If I were to try the experiment again at home I would use a piece of window screen or similar material for the lid of the box, rather than Plexiglas.
Another difference (albeit a deliberate one in this instance) between my setup and the referenced study's setup was the fact that in some trials I employed a central wooden divider that extended the interior length of the box (parallel to its left and right sides).
The purpose of this divider was to prevent the strings or zip tie mechanisms (more on that in a moment) from interfering with each other physically at all during "parallel string" trials, as I saw the potential for distraction if one string ended up touching the other while the cat was pulling on it, etc. However, in practice this divider turned out to be unnecessary, as when I removed it the cats' performance did not change and the strings/zip ties did not get tangled at all.
Treat Delivery Media
I experimented with two primary variables in terms of the treat-delivery media:
(1) Flexibility: In some trials I used actual strings (lengths of very flexible sisal twine), with or without a "treat container" at one end (see below):
In others I used plastic zip ties modified to include a small "cup" on one end to hold treats.
(Image shows one of the zip tie/treat cup mechanisms employed)
(2) Contrast: In the first few trials I used unmodified sisal twine lengths and simply tied a piece of dry cat food or chicken jerky to the end of the treat-carrying piece (see image below, note the lack of visual contrast):
In the second few trials I used yellow "cups" filled with a small amount of dry cat food attached to the ends of plastic zip ties.
In the third round of trials I went back to using the sisal twine, but attached the end of a white plastic spoon as a treat container.
The goal here was to see what, if any, impact visual contrast had on the cats' ability to correctly identify the treat-carrying piece (thus distinguishing it from the "dummy" piece). One major criticism I had of the original study was that (inasmuch as I could tell from the description and photos available) it did not seem as if the treats were sufficiently visible to the cats.
Since, as I noted in my prior post, cats have fairly poor close-range visual acuity for fine details, I surmised that the treat holder needed to be significantly larger/wider than the end of the string (or zip tie) in order for them to be able to distinguish it properly. I also figured that it would be helpful for the treats themselves to stand out color-wise against the background of their container or cup.
TRAINING
I did not employ a formal "training phase" as the study described doing. However, I did present the treat-delivering string and zip tie pieces to the cats for inspection (prior to inserting them into the puzzle box). During this activity some of the string/zip tie pieces contained treats and some did not.
I also left the apparatus on the floor for several hours prior to starting any task trials, so that the cats would be able to investigate it at their leisure and not be distracted by the sheer novelty of the equipment when the task trials began.
RESULTS & DISCUSSION
Participation Variation
Of the four individual cats presented with the test equipment, two (Coraline and Brodie) completed various task cases successfully. Shadow was very interested in watching his siblings but declined to participate himself, and Nikki seemed totally uninterested in the activity.
Having lived with these particular cats for some time now I am not surprised by this outcome, given their respective personalities and predilections; Coraline and Brodie (Coraline especially) have always been the most mechanically inclined of the group, whereas Shadow is more inclined to solicit favors from humans (i.e., he'd rather meow at me to GIVE him a treat than try and get one himself).
Nikki, meanwhile, just tends to operate on an agenda all her own, and while at some point I can see her getting interested in a string puzzle of some sort, she wasn't interested on the day(s) on which I ran trials.
I should note that I do not draw any conclusions (negative or positive) about the non-participant cats' understanding of physical cause and effect based on their non-participation in this particular exercise. Since neither of the non-participants even attempted to complete the task, all I figure is warranted in terms of conclusion is that the materials and situation failed to inspire their interest, which of course says absolutely nothing about their capacity to cogitate about string and its uses.
Social Factors
By "social factors" here I refer to the presence/absence of multiple cats near the apparatus setup during task trials. Initially I tried testing one cat at a time, however, for the younger cats this proved impossible. No single cat would participate or do anything with the apparatus at all when separated (via a closed door in the house) from his or her siblings. Instead, the lone cat would wander around looking for his/her siblings, while the sibling cats would scratch at the door.
Once I let all the cats wander about freely, though, the three younger ones were plenty interested in the apparatus and two of them participated consistently over the course of three days. To me this suggests social factors might be more important to cats (especially related cats who get along well) than many would necessarily suspect. Having all the cats accessing the setup simultaneously did make certain aspects of the experiment more difficult to organize but it was certainly a better situation than zero participation, as I had when I attempted to test a single lone cat at a time.
As for Nikki's non-interest in the setup, social factors may have played a role her as well -- she tolerates the others but does not seem to like being very near them. I may try taking the apparatus out to the patio at some point and seeing if she might show more interest there -- she seems to be a lot more inhibited indoors, will only play with toys in the yard, etc.
Basic Observations
Again, as this was an informal/fun exercise and not an Official Scientific Experiment, I did not keep a precise count of how many times a given cat solved a task -- since I was the sole person setting up and running everything, it was not possible to carefully track every variable. However, I did note whenever a cat was able to solve a particular task case 2 or more times, and I considered that to be my basis for "success".
As expected, none of the cats completed a task in which a treat was tied to the end of a string. They all seemed vaguely interested in the strings as strings, but did not appear to even realize that one of them had a treat attached. I expect that this effect was compounded to a degree not necessarily present in the referenced study due to my use of plexiglas rather than wire mesh (which they'd have been able to smell the treats through) as a box lid. Unfortunately I did not get any video footage of this phase.
During the zip tie trials, Brodie and Coraline both consistently solved the parallel case. Their success was independent of "position habit", meaning that I was able to switch what side the treats were on and/or move the apparatus to a different room in the house and they still knew what zip tie to pull on to get the treats.
Brodie solving parallel zip tie task (room #1, treats on left side):
Brodie solving parallel zip tie task (room #2, treats on right side):
Cora demonstrates her zip tie prowess here:
(This one is actually an "amusing out-take" candidate -- I had not yet properly secured the apparatus to the floor before this trial, and Cora got her claw stuck in the treat container after she pulled it out, so we had a bit of a treat explosion! Her brothers, of course, were pleased by this turn of events.)
I did not end up doing a "crossed" case with the zip ties, because I discovered that the ties were too thick to fit under the 1 cm gap at the front of the box when stacked on top of one another. Refinement of this task would definitely account for this issue.
In the "string and spoon" phase (in which the treats were placed into the end of a white plastic spoon attached to one of the pieces of sisal twine), again, both Coraline and Brodie were successful at the parallel strings task. Unfortunately (due to disorganization and logistical wrangling difficulties on my part) I did not get a video of Brodie doing this but I got two of Coraline:
In the "crossed strings" case, Coraline had no trouble with this at all. I don't think she went for the "wrong" string even once. Brodie did not do as well here, however, he has always been very interested in string as a toy, and it seemed like when the strings were crossed it was a lot more fun to play with them than try to figure out which one had a treat attached to it.
The video below shows Cora easily solving the crossed-strings case:
(To me it certainly LOOKS like she knows darn well what the function of the string is, but I am not sure how to quantify this observation!)
CONCLUSION
In conclusion I note that my predictions (1) and (2) turned out to be accurate inasmuch as I could tell. Two out of four cats-in-residence completed at least two types of task each, which to me suggests that their performance was unlikely to have been the result of "random luck". However, of course in a formal study many more data points would be taken and results might differ.
As for the contrast issue, while again more data would be a good thing to have here, it really did seem based on what I observed that if the cats could clearly see the treats, those motivated to obtain them had no trouble doing so.
As for whether the zip tie mechanism improved performance (due to it being easier to physically manipulate than the string), it did look like this was probably the case, at least for the parallel task. Again, physical constraints of the apparatus prevented me from trying a true "crossed zip tie" case.
Finally, I find myself really wishing there were some way to quantify or better express what looks to me like "purposefulness" in Cora's performance on the crossed strings task. Perhaps, though, the difficulty of quantifying such impressions is why well-designed experiments employ numerous trials through which many data points are obtained, so that one is not relying upon subjective impressions, but rather, probability.
And all that said, I do have to say that trying this experiment (fumbling as my attempt was...) definitely turned out to be highly enjoyable, both for me and for the participating (and spectator) cats. I've since been strongly inspired to come up with ways of feeding them more creative than just dumping food in a bowl, as they seem to greatly enjoy "outsmarting" their food, which I suppose is quite appropriate for a small carnivorous predator species!
1-Whitt, E., Douglas, M., Osthaus, B., & Hocking, I. (2009). Domestic cats (Felis catus) do not show causal understanding in a string-pulling task Animal Cognition, 12 (5), 739-743 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-009-0228-x
NAME: Shadow DATE OF BIRTH: 15 August, 2009 (approx) SEX: Male (neutered) ANCESTRY: Domestic Shorthair (Mixed)
BACKGROUND:
Shadow is one of a litter of three feral kittens adopted by me and Matt in October, 2009. He was not trapped at the same time as siblings Coraline and Brodie, and very nearly was not trapped at all -- the night we finally caught him, we'd already had an instance of the trap accidentally being sprung by a gust of ill-timed wind, and a "miss" where I activated the trap a split second too late (in that case he was very startled and ran off for a while). But in any case, he got to re-join his siblings in their new home by the time he was 10 weeks of age, and settled right in (albeit with a less-than-warm welcome from Coraline!).
APPEARANCE:
Shadow is a medium-large (bigger than Cora and Nikki, slightly smaller than Brodie) muscular, evenly-proportioned cat. His fur looks solid black in most circumstances, but when you catch him in just the right lighting you can see rust-brown highlights and faint tabby patterning (which I think technically makes him a melanistic tabby). He has one very small patch of white hairs on the bottom of his belly, and one white whisker (the rest are solid black).
Nose and paw pads are black, and his eyes seem to be somewhere midway between Brodie's and Cora's in color -- they're sort of yellow-orange with a greenish band that shows up when viewed from a certain angle. His whiskers are all black except one, which is pure white!
HOBBIES:
Running around the house, wrestling with siblings, bird-watching, fish-watching, squeaking at the bedroom door in the morning when the alarm goes off (and jumping onto the bed when I open the door and let him in!), chewing cardboard boxes, finding secret hiding places (behind boxes and in closets, etc.), ambush games, hunting insects and spiders.
LIKES:
The humans' bed, sunbeams, windows, naps in cupboards, snuggles with siblings (he's a bit of a "den mother" type and can often be found washing someone's ears!).
DISLIKES:
The cat carrier (may be related to the whole "vet" thing, but he seems to dislike being confined in the carrier more than he dislikes actually being at the office). He is very smart...when he so much as SEES the carrier, he runs and hides somewhere in the house, and he is extremely talented at evading attempts to get him inside it!
CATNIP?:
Very occasionally he goes for it with vigor, but usually (as of late) he just seems like he'd prefer to be doing something else. He definitely isn't a fiend for it to the degree his sister is!
FOOD:
I have never seen this cat refuse to eat anything (well, except the pill he needed when he had a tapeworm, but that's another post!). Wet food, dry food, chicken, turkey fish, oatgrass...he likes it all. He knows the word "treat" and will climb my legs trying to get one if I'm holding the bag.
UPDATE: As of August 2010 Shadow (along with Cora and Brodie) is on a mostly-raw diet. Which he LOVES, especially when there are crunchy bones (chicken or quail) involved! He is also developing something of a more refined palate as he grows up; he doesn't eat like a garbage disposal anymore, and has actually turned his nose up at mice and smelt. But he enjoys plenty of other diverse raw protein sources so I am sure he is getting a good balance of nutrients.
TOYS/PLAY:
Like his siblings, Shadow's favorite toys are of the interactive variety (dangling from a string or attached to a fishing-rod-type device). He is also a fan of the laser pointer dot and will sometimes go into the hallway and shriek at the wall (where I normally project the dot) as if to say "hey, where is that thing I like to chase?"
But...I have to say that his favorite things to play with aren't exactly toys at all...rather, his greatest delight seems to be stalking any spiders, moths, or flies that get into the house (we have an attached garage that leads directly outside so there's plenty of opportunity for things to crawl in). He doesn't usually catch them but he loves to chase them, and will make what I have come to call his "battle cry". It really is a thing to hear, hopefully I can catch it in a recording sometime because it is both mighty and adorable. It's like a high-pitched discordant wail-squeak-chirp.
Oh and another thing he likes to play with is...kitty litter. Definite incentive to keep the boxes clean there, because he sometimes seems to get so excited watching the litter particles move while he's digging that he starts making the Battle Cry. And then proceeds to throw litter around everywhere, whooping with joy. I've read this is a "kitten thing" and cats usually outgrow it...meanwhile, I am keeping the hand-held vaccuum handy!
INTERACTIONS WITH OTHER CATS:
The main words that comes to mind to describe how Shadow is with other cats are "nurturing" and "solid". Nurturing because he seems to have taken it on himself to keep the family's ears (and everything attached to them!) clean and well-groomed. Solid because he is a kitty who stands his ground.
It was quite hilarious to watch him and Cora together when Shadow first arrived...apparently three weeks of separation is a LONG TIME when one is a tiny kitten, and Cora initially did not appreciate the presence of yet another boy in her house! So whenever Shadow would do something like, say, jump onto the bed, Cora would put her ears back and fluff her tail and growl and hiss in her best THIS IS SERIOUS BUSINESS manner. While Shadow just...sort of sat there, blinking quizically now and then or pausing to wash a paw (or his butt). Which just irked Cora even more.
Sometimes she would succeed in pushing him off the bed, but Shadow would never gallop away in fear, and he was never discouraged by her posturing. So eventually it was like Cora just gave up, and now she's at least half as likely as Brodie to be seen receiving an ear-wash.
As for Shadow and Brodie? Best buddies, right from the start. They snuggle, play with, and groom each other every day, and have been doing so practically since Shadow got here.
As for Shadow and Nikki, Shadow's approaches have been similar to Brodie's...attempts to engage her in play, and further attempts to sniff or stealth-snuggle her from behind. So far these have been met with mixed success. I think Shadow's "solid-ness" might be wearing on Nikki's snarliness, because the other night I caught the two of them playing a sort of chase-and-hide game.
Overall, then, based on what I've seen, I would say Shadow is a "very friendly toward other felines" kitty. So far he's never met a cat he didn't like, or at least want to play or nap with!
INTERACTIONS WITH HUMANS:
Shadow was a huge surprise to me in this regard. When I finally managed to catch him (when he was ten weeks old) I was all prepared for a lengthy socialization process, or even a cat that wouldn't take to taming at all (and would have to be neutered and returned to his colony).
But, what ended up happening was the following. Shadow hid in a cardboard box for the first day after we brought him home (perfectly expected feral kitty behavior), and then on the second day was mildly traumatized by falling into the water dish when he attempted to climb the sides of the kitten crate we had him in.
On that day I woke up to the sound of "mew! mew! mew! MEW!" and went into the spare bedroom (serving as our cat acclimation chamber), and found a knocked-over water dish in one corner of the crate, and a very wet and terrified kitten cowering in the other corner (actually IN the litter box, as it was the only dry place left!). I figured I should dry him off so I very tentatively picked him up and blotted his soggy belly with a paper towel. I fully expected him to bolt away or struggle or scratch me, but he did none of these things...instead he just sort of cuddled up in my arms and let me finish drying him!
Then, later that day, I finally got him to eat something -- a relief, since I'd read that cats could experience serious liver problems if they went for more than a day or so without food. As it turned out, he was the opposite of his siblings when it came to early eating habits...where they initially would not eat unless Matt and I were out of sight, Shadow would only eat out of my hand. While sitting on me. It just goes to show you, all cats are individuals!
Anyway, Shadow only took a few days to get confident enough to eat on his own, and he took to the litter box straight away with no mishaps. And within four days of his moving in, he was crawling all over me and purring, and doing that "walk up to human, arch back, present backside for top-of-tail scritches" thing.
I was completely boggled by this...it certainly was not due to any Cat Whispering talent on my part. I did not "tame" Shadow, or even "socialize" him in any systematic fashion, and yes, I'm sure he was 100% feral when we brought him in. The nearest I can figure is that his innate disposition combined with the circumstances just compelled him to figure maybe these particular humans (that is, me and Matt) were okay.
In any case, he remains a super affectionate kitty to this day -- at least with the humans he knows and trusts. Around the house, when there are no visitors, he acts, well, like a cat...a happy, relaxed, playful one. The vestiges of his feral-ness remain in that he is still very, very shy with strangers, hides when visitors come over, and will not let anyone touch him except me and Matt. However, he does seem to be getting a bit bolder...the last time my sister visited, he came out of hiding when he heard me get out the treat bag (for Cora, who was already out).
UPDATE: As of Summer 2010, Shadow has started emerging from hiding nearly to the extent that Cora does when visitors are present -- that is, as long as there are treats to be had. Apparently he's decided that hiding is good, but snacks are better!
(click below to see a video of Shadow, when he was about 4 months old, having a cat-conversation with me. :D):
NAME: Brodie DATE OF BIRTH: 15 August, 2009 (approx) SEX: Male (neutered) ANCESTRY: Domestic Shorthair (Mixed)
BACKGROUND
Brodie is one of a litter of three feral kittens adopted by me and Matt in October, 2009. He and his sister Coraline were trapped at about 7 weeks of age; Shadow (sibling #3 -- another brother) was trapped three weeks later.
APPEARANCE
Brodie is a long, lanky, yet solid and muscular (feels a lot heavier than he looks!) grey mackerel (striped) tabby cat. His coloration is a bit lighter and more subdued than sister Coraline's, and he has more in the way of pure-white background hair (where Cora has more of a buff-tan). His ears are on the large and pointed side, and he also has a somewhat long and pointed nose/profile (which makes me suspect he's got some Siamese or Oriental Shorthair bloodlines in there somewhere, especially given that his meow is VERY Siamese-sounding).
Nose and paw-pads are shaded pink and black. White "eye-liner" fur around his eyes. Extremely long, slender, whippy tail with a slight kink near the end. His eyes are a clear limeade green.
HOBBIES:
Batting toys under the rug, curling his paws under him, making sporadic but impressively Siamese-esque meowing sounds, bird-watching, playing with his siblings, trying (unsuccessfully but enthusiastically) to entice Nikki to play, batting toys under rugs, leaping about (he seems to store a ton of potential energy during his naps!). Shredding cardboard and paper wherever he finds it. Napping in the laundry basket.
LIKES:
Where his sister Coraline is Serious Business, Brodie tends to be quite silly, and is utterly shameless in his enthusiasms. And he is very enthusiastic about everything he enjoys, from napping to snacking to running around after toys and such. (Occasionally he will get so excited he will run into a wall or clip a corner whilst gallivanting about the house, but this never fazes him; he just rights himself and keeps going!)
DISLIKES:
Sudden movements. The Vet.
CATNIP?:
Another "yes, please!" Though not quite as enthusiastic as his sister Cora when it comes to the catnip, he is nonetheless generally very pleased to see (or rather, smell) the stuff. He also enjoys eating it.
FOOD:
Brodie loves eating and will eat practically anything he can find. I have to watch him in that regard because he has a penchant for chewing on string and other fibrous matter. He is very curious about "human food" and will steal your dinner if you leave it unguarded!
As far as "cat food" goes, he likes it all, wet or dry, though (again) I have to be careful because as a kitten we found out he was intolerant to corn (which shouldn't be in cat food anyway, IMO, but that's a whole post unto itself). It gives him the runs, to put it somewhat politely. So basically he isn't picky but his digestive system is. He seems to do best on foods like Orijen and Evo (which are grain-free) as far as the dry stuff goes.
UPDATE: As of August 2010 Brodie has been eating a mostly-raw diet, and this has so far been amazingly beneficial to his digestive system. He has also proven himself to be the most adventurous eater of all the cats here...he will try pretty much anything, and is so far the only one in the household who will actually consume mice. Though he prefers the heads to the back end (not that I blame him!).
TOYS/PLAY:
Brodie's taste in toys is similar to his taste in food...pretty indiscriminate! Like his siblings he is fond of "Da Bird" and other interactive toys, but he also has a greater-than-average tendency to, for instance, go after the string or the handle a toy is tied to rather than the toy itself on occasion. He is what one might call a "detail oriented cat" in this regard. He also tends to get very attached to certain particular toys...in particular, several of those little fuzzy toy mice that have had their tails ripped off. He will carry one of these around in his mouth, from room to room, for hours. And if he loses one of them under the sofa he won't be satisfied with a different mousie...he will wait for me retrieve his "favorite" and accept it delightedly once it has been liberated!
Temperament-wise, he's a bit more sedate than his siblings in general. But when he gets into playing, he really gets into it. He also seems to have an excellent memory / sense of "object permanence" (see the video below for this!), and has been known to "cache" toys for later, i.e., via sticking them in the food bowl for storage!
INTERACTIONS WITH OTHER CATS:
From the very beginning, Brodie has been the resident peacemaker/negotiator. His general attitude toward other feline-people can probably be summed up as "oh hai, want to play (or nap) with me?" He gets along splendidly with both Cora and Shadow, and can often be found snuggled up with one (or both) of them, engaged in a vigorous round of ear-licking. Back when Shadow first arrived (3 weeks after he and Cora), Brodie seemed delighted to have another playmate and I am sure that his instant acceptance of his "briefly estranged" brother helped Cora eventually warm up to Shadow as well.
Because of his easy-goingness with other cats, he was the first I trusted to physically meet Nikki when she moved in in January 2010, and (all things considered) that ended up going fairly well.
Overall Brodie is very sweet, generous, and gentle with other kitties but certainly has a mischevious streak as well and loves the Stealth Ambush. :P He also has a tendency to "push his luck" with Nikki, as if he's determined to bring her into the Inner Kitty Circle. E.g., if she is napping on the couch in front of him, Brodie will sloooooowly extend a paw out and lay it on Nikki's back, or very delicately start licking her tail. And he seems determined to keep trying even though he usually gets a hiss or a face-swat at some point!
INTERACTIONS WITH HUMANS:
With me and Matt (though moreso with me because I'm home more) Brodie is very affectionate, and recently has taken to curling up on the couch with us while we're watching "Buffy" (yes, again...I will never tire of that series!) and purring like a low-flying helicopter. He is also quite fond of jumping up on my desk while I'm sitting at the computer and sort of sauntering back and forth in front of the monitor, soliciting back-scratches (and going "NYEOW!" at me if I stop petting him too soon!).
One thing that seems very particular about his interactions is that, once he trusts a human, he seems very emphatic about treating you like you're another cat. Not that I think he actually THINKS humans are cats...I mean, we look and smell and sound so different from cats that it's unlikely they'd make such an egregious identification mistake! Rather, it's more like...(and I don't claim to know this for sure, it's just what it looks like to me) he is saying something like "oh how very CAT of you! Now let's touch noses!". And you get the sense that there's something almost...not "sacred", exactly, but it's got something to do with respect. And you feel (well, I feel, at least) very much like it's something that should never, ever be betrayed. If that makes any sense.
With human people he doesn't know well, though, he is still very shy and skittish. He usually hides if visitors come over, though if someone gets out an interactive toy, he will occasionally come out (on the heels of his brave sister Coraline!) to investigate.
NAME: Coraline DATE OF BIRTH: 15 August, 2009 (approx) SEX: Female (spayed) ANCESTRY: Domestic Shorthair (Mixed; mother was a black DSH, father unknown)
BACKGROUND:
Coraline is one of a litter of three feral kittens adopted by me and Matt in October, 2009. She and her brother Brodie were trapped at about 7 weeks of age; Shadow (sibling #3 -- another brother) was trapped three weeks later.
APPEARANCE:
Small, compact cat; (approx. 7 lbs as of 8 months of age) Blue (grey on cream-colored background) mackerel/part-spotted tabby. Back is very dark, almost looks solid grey, but breaks up into tabbying on either side of her body and toward her head, legs, and tail. Tail is subtly striped, very dark at the tip. Dramatic, high-contrast facial markings including black "eye-liner". Her eyes themselves are this amazing deep coppery orange color, and are often open wide and round (several people have commented "she looks like the cat from Shrek" upon seeing this!)
Background cream-color fur shades into peachy-tan on her face; overall she exhibits darker and sharper "tones" than her tabby brother, Brodie. Nose and paw pads are all pink shading to black. Long whiskers and eye-brows. Fur length would probably technically be considered "short", but she's fluffier than either of her siblings, especially about the cheeks and tail.
HOBBIES:
Bird-watching, squirrel-watching, bug-chasing (though I've never seen her kill one -- she seems to be more into catching them, releasing them, and watching them wiggle and run around some more), playing Wrestle & Ambush with her brothers, shelf-scaling, tearing around the house, intensely examining things, attempting to catch the goldfish (I keep the lid to the aquarium taped shut to curtail any diving expeditions!), emphatic snuggling.
LIKES:
Like her namesake (the Neil Gaiman character "Coraline" from the eponymous book and film), she is both very clever and very brave. She got her name after (as a teeny 7-week-old kitten) managing to escape from the kitten-pen, dart out the bedroom door, and scale the bookshelves in the guest room within 2 days of being adopted. (At 5 AM on a Sunday morning, no less!)
From the beginning her assertiveness and strategic planning ability were evident; you could just see her looking around the room and figuring out what was next to what, so she could determine how to get to Interesting High-Up Place. Even as a baby she was very "look before you leap".
Hence, she very much seems to enjoy high places (she and Nikki definitely share this predilection!), soft things (she is SERIOUS BUSINESS about her pillow-kneading sessions), little things that dart around, windows (the household orifice kind, not the Microsoft kind!), sunbeams, boxes.
DISLIKES:
- Having her nails clipped (she seems to have this near-precognitive sense of when the snipper thing is about to close, because she will just sit there RIGHT up until the point when I merely start to THINK about pressing the lever. At that point, she will jerk her paw away with lightning speed!).
- The Vet. (I know, what a shock.:P)
- The dreaded e-collar (a.k.a. Cone of Shame). The vet stuck one of these on Cora after she was spayed. I personally think this was a bit overcautious -- I've never before heard of a cat needing to wear one of these after a spay, particularly an early spay (Cora was only 4 months old when I got her fixed -- she was precocious and already in heat at that age!). But in any case, Cora absolutely would not tolerate the Cone. As soon as I opened the carrier following her surgery, she rocketed out and ricocheted around the room, crashing into walls, furniture, and quite possibly the ceiling until she was able to remove the infernal thing from around her neck. I honestly hope she never really NEEDS a cone because, gah, she'd probably need to be sedated or kept until a very small cage until she recovered from whatever prompted the cone. Which she would absolutely hate, and justifiably so, and which I would feel terrible about given it's hard enough navigating this whole "the cat doesn't like X/but X is for their own good" business. Cora is NOT the sort of cat to "get used to things". She means what she says, and her opinion of the cone was an unmitigated "oh HELL no!"
CATNIP?:
Yes, please! Coraline is a catnip fiend. If I fill an old sock with the stuff, she will drag it around the house, roll around with it, drool on it, and push it into her face once it's been sufficiently mashed to release the most potent of the plant's vapors. I am just glad it's harmless and non-toxic to cats because she really has quite a time with it!
FOOD:
As a tiny kitten she would eat pretty much anything she could get, but as she grows up I'm seeing her get pickier (her brothers are another story!). Her Absolute Favorite Thing Ever seems to be chicken or turkey wet cat food where you have actual chunks/shreds of meat with gravy or broth, though often she will JUST lick up all the liquid and leave the meat chunks to dehydrate in the bowl. She seems to be okay with most dry foods (is partial to Evo, though) and tolerates pretty much all of them well as far as digestion goes.
UPDATE: As of August 2010, Cora (along with her brothers) is eating a mostly-raw home-prepared diet. She's a little tentative about trying new things but so far has gotten to like chicken, turkey, quail, and beef. She's also getting quite adept at bone-crunching, which still amazes me seeing as she still looks so little!
TOYS/PLAY:
Coraline is a big fan of toys -- both commercially-sourced cat toys and random bits of stuff about the house that she makes her own toys out of. While she loves interactive play and will scale the microwave, refrigerator, or closet shelf to steal any dangly-type toys, she is also quite keen on "bat the thingy around the house" games. Favorite subjects for these activities include plastic zip ties, plastic spiders (I had some of these left over from Halloweens past and once Cora found them she quickly started sending them skittering across the floor!), and little fuzzy rattle-mice.
She also has this one really elaborate thing she does (which I can hopefully get on video at some point) involving sort of...batting the object around a table or chair leg in ways that seem to involve some sort of intricate paw-dancing. Difficult to describe, but she's very intent on it when she's doing it, and there just seems to be this tremendous amount of thought going on.
INTERACTIONS WITH OTHER CATS:
Cora seems like the sort of cat who, had she not been raised with siblings, would have become an "only cat" (as in, totally intolerant of other felines in her vicinity). She is intensely territorial, and had some friction with Shadow when he first arrived (they'd been separated for only three weeks, but when you're a tiny kitten, that's a long time!), and seems to have an ongoing passive-aggressive thing going on with Nikki.
But she and Brodie were adopted together, and I think that prompted them to bond -- they've still never had a day apart in their lives, and can often be found lying in an overlapping pile of paws and entangled tails. I have also seen Cora and Shadow napping together, and they occasionally groom each other, but that has been rather a long time in the making. And when it comes to Nikki...well, Nikki is still somewhat larger/stronger than Cora, and Cora isn't daft, so she generally runs away when she sees Nikki heading toward her. So I would say that overall, Cora likes and enjoys the company of certain other cats (i.e., her brothers) but isn't quick to accept new cats, and is always going to have pretty high standards about who she lets into her personal space!
UPDATE: As of late summer 2010, Cora seems to have reached a kind of truce with Nikki! I caught the two of them napping together -- not snuggled up, but touching nonetheless -- on the futon recently. Which just amazed me.
INTERACTIONS WITH HUMANS:
It's kind of funny...initially Cora was SUCH a little hissy wild beast, but she's calmed down a lot, and is now actually the bravest of the litter as far as interacting with (unfamiliar) humans. She definitely has a mind of her own, and interactions are (as they should be!) always on her terms, but when she's in a snuggly mood you are definitely going to know it! Sometimes she follows me around the house going "nnnnnn!" until I sit down (so she can power-knead my lap). She also solicits head-scratches from both me and Matt, and will usually sit on my sister Katie for a while when she visits too.
She still usually hides at first when someone she doesn't know comes into the house, but will generally be the first to come out and investigate. Overall I would say at this point she's more curious than wary of humans, but still has that initial (and highly appropriate/self-protective) reflex to check things out from a distance first.
(click the video below to see some of Cora's amazing leaping prowess!)
NAME: Nikki (technically "Shan-Su Nikki-Bunni", but nobody calls her that! :P) DATE OF BIRTH: 29 October, 2001 SEX: Female (spayed) ANCESTRY: Siamese (Traditional Chocolate Point).
BACKGROUND:
Born in San Jose, CA, and adopted as a kitten into my parents' house in northern California. Primary human was my youngest sister Sara Kalyn (who is currently away at university). Nikki lived in her first home with my parents and younger siblings for eight years, and moved in early 2010 to her second home with me and Matt (as my parents were moving out of state, and figured Nikki wouldn't take to the move well; also, she and their dog had "issues" involving territory.).
APPEARANCE:
Small/medium-sized (8 lbs fully grown) feline with cream-colored body and chocolate-brown face, ears, legs, and tail. Chocolate color on points fades gradually into body color. Some subtle milk-chocolate shading along her back. Compact and muscular (typical of Traditional Siamese). Moderate features (neither very sharp nor very rounded). Tail is thick, powerful, and highly expressive. Fur is short but very dense, somewhat fluffy on haunches. Very subtly elongated profile, slight down-turn at the tip of her nose. Pale ice-blue eyes.
HOBBIES:
Patrolling the house (she has a "circuit" she likes to follow around the kitchen and living room, and up and down the hallway). Climbing shelves (climbing everything, really -- she works hard at getting to whatever the highest point in the room is!). Getting into the middle of whatever the humans happen to be doing (she is VERY curious!). Trying to sneak into the garage (off-limits to kitties, too many potential hazards, i.e., sharp tools and clutter). Going on walks outside (she is actually very good on a leash and harness). Bossing the younger cats around. Operatic, multi-syllabic yowling (not just when she's annoyed; she just seems to like conversing!).
LIKES:
Sunny napping spots, high shelves and perches, being brushed (especially with the Furminator -- she LOVES that thing, and will purr and roll around like a kitten while being groomed with it), meddling, lap-sitting (seriously, she is like a lap-seeking missile in the evenings), acknowledgement.
DISLIKES:
Dogs, rowdiness (she gets very irked when the younger cats are racing around the house at top speed), surprises (she is very sensitive and startles easily), confinement, being ignored.
CATNIP?:
Meh. She mostly doesn't respond to it, or if she does, doesn't care for the effect. The most significant reaction I've seen from her to the stuff was when I tried giving her a fresh leaf, straight off the plant. In that case, she sniffed it, drooled on it a bit, but then seemed to get annoyed at it and actually whacked the leaf away from her with a paw!
FOOD:
If it were up to her, she'd probably choose to dine on whipped cream and cheese at every meal. However, that would obviously not be a nutritionally complete diet for a cat (and too much milk would likely cause digestive upset). So, most of the time (aside from very small treats of the aforementioned dairy delicacies) she has to put up with Cat Food.
It has been quite a trial finding food(s) all the cats will eat (Nikki is VERY picky) and that none of them are allergic to (Brodie can't tolerate corn, so most grocery-store brands are out). But at this point Nikki seems pretty happy with Innova dry cat & kitten formula, so I've been giving her that.
UPDATE: As of August 2010, Nikki is primarily on a diet of grain-free Fancy Feast (when she'll eat it...she goes through periodic phases of rejecting every manner of wet food, but eventually she comes back to it) and Blue Buffalo Wilderness Salmon dry food. She's been utterly disinclined to try raw meat of any kind, but (surprise, surprise) she apparently will eat canned salmon.
TOYS/PLAY:
Nikki seems to be totally uninterested in cat toys (or other things cats frequently make their own toys from, e.g., plastic zip ties) that don't move, and she isn't the type to bat them around and make them move. On one occasion I saw her pick up a fuzzy toy mouse and give it the "killer neck-bite" but after that she had no interest in the thing (I guess she'd satisfied herself that it was "dead", or something).
So far she seems most interested in (a) dangling pieces of string or cord (like the hood-closure pulls on my jackets, which she will swat at if I lean over nearby her), (b) the Cat Dancer (a very simple toy consisting of a rolled bit of cardboard at the end of a wire coil; it takes very little human movement to make the thing on the end wiggle like a bug), and (c) Da Bird (a "fishing pole"-style toy with a little bunch of feathers at the end of the line that spins when you wave it in the air).
["Da Bird" is the hands-down favorite of these three; maybe because it moves most like something that's alive (and even makes cool whippy sounds when the feathers are pulled through the air).]
In any case, she is very clever, bores easily, and will let you know in no uncertain terms if she's feeling insufficiently entertained!
INTERACTIONS WITH OTHER CATS:
Previously, when she lived with my parents, Nikki got along quite well with Nutmeg (their senior boy-kitty, who was adopted by my sister Katie around the same time I adopted Nikki). However, she is definitely not a "loves all other cats automatically" sort of cat, and so far I'm considering it fortunate that most of the time she ignores the younger set.
She has some degree of territorial anxiety still, though I am guessing (as she's only been here three months) that's pretty normal as she is probably still gathering data to reassure herself that yes, she is still going to get her fair share of food / napping spots / attention despite the presence of three young ruffians.
I do hope she eventually makes friends with at least one of the others, as she seems to really need and want companionship, but of course I know you can't force cats to like each other and I am going to let her take things at her own pace. The kittens really are a handful and a half, and I expect once they grow up and settle down a bit she might find them less obnoxious and more companionable.
INTERACTIONS WITH HUMANS:
While wary of strangers, Nikki is extremely sociable, chatty, and affectionate with the humans she deems worthy. She is definitely the sort of cat that does better with grown-ups than, say, small, unruly children, though, as she severely dislikes being grabbed or chased (not that I blame her!). When she likes you, you will know it, and when she's mad at you, you'll know that too -- she's an excellent communicator and a quick learner when it comes to getting the message she wants to send across to the primates in her midst.
She will solicit head-scratches and grooming when she wants these things, and the intensity of her appreciation of these things is tremendous -- but at the same time, being as sensitive as she is, she tends to get overwhelmed easily and will (for instance) turn around and nip my hand if she decides she's had enough brushing. But even when she's not in a touching mood, she much prefers to have people around than be alone, and will YELL if she can't find me or Matt.
(Click the video below to see Nikki going for a walk outside!)
I am a small piece of the universe observing itself. In this capacity, I am an engineer, science geek, sf/fantasy fan, amateur artist, cat appreciator, hyperlexic infovore, and maker of various and random quasi-functional objects.
