FauxMo
This neighborhood cat scared the crap out of me when she strolled past our driveway a few months ago. It was highly unlikely that MoMo had gotten out, but I was sure it was him. Look at the apple-shaped torso and the fat little bottlebrush tail! Anyone might have been deceived. Matthew and I have finally trained ourselves to stop knocking on doors and inquiring about every seemingly freelance cat we encounter; people thought we were really weird, like why wouldn’t a cat just be tooling around outside with no collar. Matthew even seized a longhaired tortoiseshell with a purple collar and took her to what he thought was her home a couple of blocks away, only to learn that she was not the one in the “lost” flyer. The one in the lost flyer had a red collar on, anyway, but he couldn’t help himself. I told him that pretty soon we were going to see a “catnapper” flyer with his picture on it. Seizing innocent cats and transporting them hither and yon. But who am I to talk! I almost brought poor FauxMo right into the house.
the real deal
bottlebrush
November 28th, 2008 at 11:08 pm
Well, I didn’t actually carry the cat to the house, it was more dramatic than even that:
1) The first cat that I saw that I thought was the missing cat from the poster, I called the number and the guy came over to check the cat out. Not the right cat.
2) The second cat looked exactly like the cat, down to facial markings that were exactly the same. I took 10 or so pictures of the cat, called the guy and then asked him if I could email him pictures. He gave me the email address to use, and I sent 2-3 pictures. Not the right cat.
But, the posters were all up & down the block, and since the second cat matched the pictures so closely, I thought for sure it was the right cat. But, longhair brown tabby cats apparently all look the same to me…
November 28th, 2008 at 11:11 pm
WEIRDO. How is it that this behavior sounds so reasonably kind and concerned, and yet so stalkerish at the same time.
December 1st, 2008 at 3:50 pm
The comments around this place are as much fun to read as the post!
(That kitten MoMo picture is ADORABLE!)
September 8th, 2009 at 8:30 pm
I LOVE that kitten photo. It’s like a mug shot! Darling.
Hey, any advice on kitty collars? I’ve been putting off making Henry wear one because he has such a fit, but I’m now afraid someone will think he’s a stray and nab him! The safety collars appeal to me, but it seems like Henry would be able to rip it off with one big swipe of his paw. The old school ones might work better, but now I’m paranoid because I think he’s going to get hung up on something and choke!
September 9th, 2009 at 1:54 am
Liz! Thank you–that is one of my favorite pictures of all time. And if any of our cats is deserving of a mug shot, it’s definitely Mo.
We always get the safety collars, although I think the cats are more likely to get caught in them while trying to get them off than while just going about their business. Two of the cats never mess with theirs, one of them “rages” out of his on a regular basis (we hear loud complaints and then find him with the collar on the floor nearby), and one of them once managed to get her jaw caught in the collar for several loud, anguished moments despite its safety-release buckle.
If you can pair the wearing of the collar with something desirable, like a play session, and then take it off when you stop playing, that could help Henry to see the collar as a sign of something good, and to get used to the sensation while distracted by fun. (One of our cats once dragged his harness and leash to the back door. After a very rough start, he had grown to love having the harness put on because he knew it meant outside time, and he is now one of the two who never mess with their collars.) Do that for a few days, then leave it on after a play session while he’s in the house and you can see what he’s doing. I would recommend a tag that lies flat on the collar itself, rather than a dangly one, although they look cool. That will give Henry one less thing to be annoyed by. Meanwhile, don’t worry, I will keep Matthew away from Texas so he doesn’t use his catnapping moves on Henry.
MoMo is actually the other cat who never tries to take his collar off. From the moment we put it on, he strutted around seeming very pleased with himself.
September 9th, 2009 at 7:19 am
oooh! Sorry I didn’t check here before posting a plea to my readers about collar experiences!
I love your suggestion to pair it with play. Henry does love a good romp with the flashlight. I’m a little worried about actually trying to get it on and off more than necessary (seriously, this cat has attitude to spare), but with Mike’s help, I think we can do it!
I’ll let you know what happens for sure! Thank you!
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