I do love sitting up here in the window where I am master of all I survey! I know every hiding spot in my home, and with my keen eyesight I can see out into the garden too - and spot any insects or other things that I can chase!
I really do feel safe and secure in my home and in the garden, as I regularly wander around refreshing and updating my scent and scratch marks to make sure no other cats try to take over my territory. But I don’t mind my doggy brother sharing the home and garden with me anymore - sometimes he has a sniff around too and marks the tree in the garden, but he can’t get as high as me or into the secret places I have found! My human parents worked hard to get me and the dog to bond and we get along quite well now - he knows his place!
But, wait a minute, what’s that I hear? I’ve also got super-sensitive hearing - did you know that I can hear sounds that are very low pitched (much like my humans) but I can hear much higher pitched noises too - even better than a dog! That makes me a super-cat!
Miaow! Is that the cat from next door I can hear? I definitely don’t like him coming into my garden - this is my territory and I don’t like sharing it with other cats.
Sometimes, if he comes too close, I have to hiss at him to make him go back to his own garden. I don’t like to fight (it does stress me out sometimes) but if my human hears us, she will come out and try to scare him off by clapping her hands loudly - that normally does it!
I’d better go around my garden again and spray and scratch some more - just to make sure that cat gets the message that this is MY TERRITORY!
I do love being outside - it’s quite natural for me to hide behind a bush or a plant pot, or up a tree lazing on a comfortable branch in the sun - and watch out for prey that no-one else can spot.
Apparently, my cat ancestors used to stalk their prey and then pounce and catch them for food - I don’t need to do that as my human parents feed me very well. However, I still like to stalk and pounce small animals and insects in my territory - it feels like a natural thing to do and it keeps me both mentally and physically fit and healthy!
Sometimes I take these prizes to show the humans, but they don’t seem to be that impressed by my catches; I think they’re a bit squeamish!
I also like being indoors too! I’ve got lots of super hiding places and high perches to jump up to if I want some ‘me’ time. I like sitting on the windowsill and looking outside into my garden, especially if it’s raining. Although my fur is water resistant, if it gets too wet it gets heavy and I can’t move as quickly, so I wouldn’t be able to chase that cat.
When it’s raining I prefer to stay indoors, curled up in a nice cozy place and have a little doze. Then I get exercise when the human children come home as they like to play with me. They’ve given me a toy mouse on the end of a string which I can chase - it’s almost as good as the real thing - and there’s a lovely toy that I can chew and it helps me keep my teeth and gums healthy.
But I sometimes get stressed - if I hear loud noises, or bangs (like fireworks - they really scare me) or, like now, when there’s another cat in my territory, it sets my heckles on edge! My human parents have put up some cat-proof fencing to stop them coming into my garden but it doesn’t always work - I think they come through by climbing the tree that overhangs my garden. But at least they can’t get into my house as I’ve got a special cat flap that only works when I get close to it - I think it has something to do with the collar around my neck.
Other cats are not all bad! I share my house and garden with another cat and we do get along quite well. I think that’s because my human parents have made sure that we each have our own resources in the house - we have our own cozy beds, our own food and drink bowls and our own scratching posts and even our own litter trays. She marks and scratches hers, and I do the same to mine. They also introduced us slowly, so we got used to each other’s scent before we actually met which helped!
My human mummy has also plugged in a FELIWAY FRIENDS diffuser into the room where we spend most time. It really makes me feel relaxed - just as if I’m still with my mummy cat and brothers and sisters so this helps us get along better. It also helps me to feel calm if I see a neighbourhood cat through the window. However, if she doesn’t refill it regularly, we can get a bit tetchy with each other! Miaow!