by Nomi Berger
 
What’s in a name? Everything, especially when distinguishing a cat’s color from a coat’s design. From light to dark, betwixt and between, there’s a purr-fect fit for every feline on the palette of pussycat colors and patterns.
 
Coat patterns are combinations of colors in a specific layout and appear in six varieties -- solid, tabby, bicolor, tortoiseshell, tricolor and colorpoint.
 
Solid: The easiest to recognize, it consists of one color evenly distributed over the cat’s entire body. Although as very young kittens, some “solids” may display several hairs of a secondary color, when they mature, those hairs disappear.
 
Tabby: The most common pattern, it consists of spotted; striped (mackerel); ticked (agouti), and blotched (marbled).
 
Bicolor: This term refers to a white coat with one other color, whether a solid or a tabby pattern. Harlequin is often used to describe a cat whose coat is predominantly white. Van refers to a cat whose coat is mostly white with patches of color only on the head and tail. When a bicolor cat is mostly colored, the patches of white are named to describe their location: locket (chest), mittens (paws) and buttons (belly). A black cat with white paws, chest, and either a solid or patterned face, is aptly named a “Tuxedo”.
 
Tortoiseshell: This unique pattern is created by a consistent mix of orange and black or by their softer version of cream and blue, and are seen almost exclusively in females. Tortoiseshell males are rare and, in all probability, sterile. Affectionately dubbed “torties”, those cats displaying an underlying tabby pattern are often referred to as “torbies”.
 
Tricolor or Calico: This colorful pattern consists of white, black and red (orange) or a diluted version of cream and blue. The ratio between white and color determines the number and distribution of the two colored patches. The more white there is, the more clearly the red and black patches are defined, hence the name “calico”.
 
Colorpoint: Here, the face, paws and tail (point/tip) are darker than the rest of the body, and being temperature-related, the cooler parts develop a darker color. The colors of the points include dark brown (seal), red (flame), blue, and lilac, and in breeds where the points form a tricolor or tabby pattern, they’re called “lynx”.
 
As for coat colors, fashionable felines sport hues from white, black, red and blue to cream, brown, cinnamon and fawn.
 
White: The only color that is always solid with no underlying tabby markings, one genetic variety can sometimes cause deafness.
 
Black: While true solid black may be “the ideal”, black cats often have underlying tabby markings. When exposed to sunshine, some black coats develop a rusty tinge, whereas in the colorpoint pattern, it’s manifested as dark brown, and is referred to as seal-point.
 
Red: This is the professional term for orange or ginger, and because the red gene is sex-linked, red cats are usually males. And because of its strong connection to the tabby pattern, a true solid red is difficult to achieve. In the colorpoint pattern, red is referred to as flame-point.
 
Blue: A dilute version of black, it is, in fact, a deep bluish-gray, and can be seen in many breeds, including mixed-breed cats.
 
Cream: A dilute version of red, when combined with blue, it creates dilute calicos and tortoiseshells.
 
Brown: A rather rare color, it’s most associated with a breed called the Havana Brown, while in other breeds, brown variations may be called chocolate.
 
Lavender/Lilac: These are interchangeable names for a shade of pale gray-brown with pink overtones, and in the colorpoint pattern, lilac is referred to as frost-point.
 
Cinnamon: This is a variety of solid light brown with distinct red overtones.
 
Fawn: This is a dilute version of cinnamon.
 
 
 

By Nomi Berger

Are you hesitant about planning a vacation because of your kitty? Are you haunted by visions of your beloved, four-legged furry friend meowing mournfully in a boarding kennel run by well-meaning strangers?

Consider, then, the alternative image of your puss-in-boots purring, safely and satisfyingly, at home. Cared for by someone who's both qualified and experienced in all things cat. Consider the cat sitter.

Cat sitters are paid professionals who come to your home and spend quality time with your precious pet. Consider the benefits. Your feline, whether friendly or finicky, remains at home, with the same diet and daily routine, and receives personalized attention, affection and exercise while you're away.

To start, ask your vet for recommendations. Ask your family, friends and neighbors for the names of their own pet sitter if they have one. If not, research pet sitters in your area. Interview each candidate over the phone, then in person, and ask the following: Will they give you a written contract listing their services and fees? Will they provide you with the phone numbers of clients who have agreed to be references? Can they provide written proof that they're bonded and carry commercial liability insurance? What formal training have they received should an emergency arise? Are contingency plans in place if they are unable to fulfil their duties? If they provide live-in services, what are the specific times they agree to be with your cat.

If you're satisfied with the answers and the references have checked out, it's essential that your cat then meets and interacts with the prospective sitter. Monitor them closely. Does your cat seem comfortable with this person? Are they a good fit? Are there any issues that need to be addressed?

Once your decision has been made and you, yourself, are comfortable, you can begin to plan that long-delayed vacation: whether for a weekend, a week or longer. Then, before your departure: Walk the sitter through your home, pointing out all the essentials needed to make your agreed-upon routine run smoothly, including such safety features as fuse boxes, circuit breakers and security systems. Give a trust worthy neighbor copies of your keys and have that neighbor and the cat sitter exchange phone numbers.

Prepare a comprehensive list of emergency contact information, including how to reach you, your vet, and the closest emergency clinic. Store all of your cat's food and water bowls, treats, toys, and other supplies in one place, along with extra food and litter in the event that you’re away longer than expected. Tape a list of feeding instructions and a photo of your cat (should your pet pull a “Houdini”) to the door of your refrigerator.

Close every door, leaving your cat access only to the living room, your bedroom and one bathroom. Ensure that all cupboard doors are shut, and if necessary, doubly guarded by childproof locks to keep prying paws from prying. Remove all breakables from surfaces, high and low, to remove all temptation from the sight of curious claws. Clean the litter boxes and fill them with fresh litter just prior to your departure.

With everything firmly in place, all you have to do now is leave. Secure in the knowledge that your cherished cat is in good hands and is after all, a mere phone call away.

by Nomi Berger
 
Being an election year, what a fitting time to revisit some of the nation’s most famous and infamous First Felines.
 
Abraham Lincoln was the first known president to bring cats into the White House, including his son Tad’s cat, Tabby, reportedly feeding him with a gold fork at White House dinners. Lincoln was an avowed ailurophile, who could play with cats for hours, and when his wife, Mary, was asked if her husband had any hobbies, she simply replied, “cats.” On a winter visit to General Grant’s headquarters during the Civil War, Lincoln rescued three half-frozen kittens from a telegraph hut, tucked them inside his coat, and brought them back to the White House, where they lived until they were placed in permanent homes.
 
The wife of Rutherford Hayes received America’s first-ever Siamese cat, aptly named Siam, in 1878 as a gift from an American diplomat stationed in Bangkok, Thailand. A good-natured cat, Siam soon became a favorite of the Hayes family and the staff, calmly roaming the White House, and often making “grand entrances” when the First Lady entertained guests. The President’s personal physician even treated Siam when she became seriously ill with a respiratory infection, but she ultimately died.
 
William McKinley owned two Turkish Angora cats: Valeriano Weyler, named for the governor of Cuba, and Enrique DeLome, named after Spain’s Ambassador to the U.S.
 
Theodore Roosevelt had two cats, Tom Quartz (named for the cat in Mark Twain’s “Roughing It”), and six-toed Slippers, who habitually fell asleep while sprawled out in the hallways of the White House. At one state banquet, guests even had to walk around her as they made their way to the dining room.
 
Woodrow Wilson owned two overly friendly felines named Mittens and Puffins. Both cats were overly fond of attempting to leap onto the Wilson’s dining-room table during family meals, only to find themselves squirted with water to shoo them away.
 
Calvin Coolidge owned several cats during his time in the White House, including Blacky, Bounder, Climber, Tiger and Timmie. Timmie slept with the family’s uncaged canary, Caruso, perched between his shoulders at night, while Tiger could be found walking beside the president or wrapped around his neck. Once, when Tiger wandered off, Coolidge pleaded for his return in a radio address, and he was. But despite being fitted with a special collar (it included his White House address), he strayed a second time and disappeared.
 
John F. Kennedy’s daughter, Caroline, owned Tom Kitten, named after “The Tale of Tom Kitten,” the classic children’s book by Beatrix Potter. Sadly, when the President was subsequently diagnosed as being allergic to both cats and dogs, he was forced to keep his distance from the cat. When he died, however, Tom Kitten earned his own obituary in a
 
Washington newspaper!
 
Gerald Ford’s daughter, Susan, owned Shan Shein, a seal point Siamese named for a city in China. This First Feline slept in Susan’s bed at night and spent her days with Mrs. Ford while Susan was at school.
 
Jimmy Carter’s family owned Misty Malarky Ying Yang, another seal point Siamese that First Daughter Amy adored. During her years in the White House, Misty Malarky could usually be found curled up in her favorite spot – inside Amy’s dollhouse.
 
Ronald Reagan and his family owned two stray tortoiseshells, Cleo and Sara, that lived at their vacation home, Rancho del Cielo, in California during his White House years. They also kept several other cats at their ranch.
 
Bill Clinton’s daughter, Chelsea, was the proud owner of Socks, the “tuxedo” she rescued in Arkansas after noticing her outside the window during a piano lesson. Dubbed the “Chief Executive Cat” by Clinton, Socks had her own fan club page on the White House web site, and her own “inbox” for her fan mail that was kept on the desk of the President’s secretary. When Socks died of cancer in 2009, her ashes were flown back to Arkansas for burial.
 
George W. Bush and his family owned India, a striking black cat named after baseball player, Ruben “El Indio” Sierra, of the Texas Rangers. Very shy and reclusive, India died just prior to the Bushes leaving the White House. They also had Ernie, named after Ernest Hemingway, who, because of his “wildness” was eventually sent to live with friends.  

by Nomi Berger

Felines are famously known for their catnaps. But as all cat-savvy cat owners know, their precious pusses are also adept at sleeps that surpass both siestas and snoozes. In fact, adult cats can sleep between 13 and 18 hours a day, although the numbers will vary according to their age and personality. Those who spend their days at home alone will tend to sleep THROUGHOUT the day.

For their part, newborn kittens spend MOST of their time sleeping. Out of doors or in the wild, it’s nature’s way of ensuring they don’t wander from their “nest” or make sounds that may attract predators while Mom’s away. So it is with indoor kittens. But, as the weeks pass, the number of hours they sleep will gradually change to match those of adult cats.

As nocturnal predators, cats are prone to sleeping during the day while staying awake at night. But, as an involved pet parent, you can greatly influence your own cat’s sleeping times. By providing her with sufficient daytime stimulation in the form of cat toys or a companion cat, she’s more likely to stay awake during the day and sleep through the night. Or, alternatively, if you’re away for much of the day, the optimum time to play (interactive games are best) just enough to tire her out is just before YOUR bedtime.

As for those cutely characteristic catnaps? As opposed to dogs or humans, cats can spend numerous hours sleeping relatively lightly. How often have you seen your cat sitting with her eyes partially closed or fully opened, enjoying a restful respite? Rouse her gently, and she will be widely awake within seconds.

When selecting their primary places to sleep, cats’ priorities are safety and temperature. On hot summer days, they will seek out the coolness of high, shaded nooks and cat trees, ledges and shelves. On cold winter days, they will search for a patch of warm sunshine or a nearby radiator, curling up with their faces between their paws to reduce the loss of their own body heat.

And then, of course, there are cat beds, homemade and store bought, in varying shapes, colors and sizes, all of them spelling “comfort.” But for most friendly and faithful felines, their place of preference is YOUR big bed! This, to them, is pure pussycat heaven, the consummate cat’s meow. Nothing spells comfort for them as much as sharing your space, and nothing spells bonding for you as much as sharing your space with them.

Sweet dreams!