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Such a lovely cat and V E R Y fortunate to have such wonderful custodians.
When I call June Bug, I sometimes still expect a little clumsy kitten to coming tottering to me....Time has really gone by quickly! Getting June Bug outside is a work in process. She is perhaps not much of a walkies cat, but more of a courtyard cat. Next post is going to be about this topic and what we, and June Bug, have learned.So happy for the update, seems like just yesterday you brought her home. Does she still go on walkies?
When I am working away from home I often pause to wonder what the cats are up to.... and wish I was home playing or napping with them. They are not big on hugs, and I often wish they were........Reading these updates is like looking forward to the next wonderful episode of a good TV series. Besides your beautiful photography, I love the way you write. Thank you for all these. Makes me always want to go home from office and hug my cats, especially Bourbon. Your Lilia reminds me of her.
No cat window perches in Art Motion and Sound... yet .. slowly redoing the scratcher line and designing/testing some perches and shelves.Hi Bengalcatman - You have beautiful cats! June But reminds me of one I lost two years ago at the age of 14. Loved him dearly. I now have three cats -- all rescued from my backyard. A trio consisting of mother, daughter and granddaughter. Very fortunate to have this generation of females in my care. I was reading up on various socializing techniques, toys, etc. and one of the posts I came across mentioned that you designed a window sill to be used as a cat window perch. I tried locating it under your forum but could not find it. Could you please send a photo of it? I have materials around the house (I'm pretty handy) and if it's a simple design, I would like to build it myself. Anyway, hope this note reaches you, and you don't mind sharing your cat perch. Thank you in advance!
No cat window perches in Art Motion and Sound... yet .. slowly redoing the scratcher line and designing/testing some perches and shelves.
The perch we have in our home is a custom design that goes from a loft to the middle of a big window - not sure if this is what was referred to?
I suspect the easiest thing to do is make a larger sill that either replaces the existing sill or goes over to of it. Seems like cats are pretty happy with a 5 1/2 to 6 inch ledge
This one is in our living room and its 5 1/2 inches deep
One thing I learned from designing things for cats, the cat might only weigh 10 or 12 pounds, but they can play REALLY hard. In playing with perch designs I found that most of the time cats carefully jumped up... but once in a while they would zip full speed, leaping up and knocking loose what I thought was very secure!
Not sure if I have been helpful. Hope you can come up with something that works!
June Bug is three years old now. We found her in early June and she was about three to four weeks old.
June Bug has matured into a lovely young cat who is well behaved, friendly, curious and (still) playful. She remains best of friends with Makena, recalling I suppose, how he raised her and watched over her when she was a kitten.
I frequently wake up with June Bug and Makena, sleeping close together, between me and the open window that overlooks our yard
June Bug declines to walk or hike with us when we take Makena out for his daily outdoor jaunts. She never became fully comfortable on lead. She does sometimes allow us to put her on a lead and so she can sit with us in the courtyard in the evenings. She does enjoy the perches around the house and loves to watch outside
June Bug loves to play with us. We make a few minutes each day to get a toy out and play with her. She likes to stalk us and pounce gently on a foot or leg.
June Bug getting ready to pounce
One of June Bug's favorite games is Rug Monster. I get the bath mat from the shower, and put my arm under... she attacks with great enthusiasm. Rug Monster was a game I started with her when she was a tiny kitten quarantined in our bathroom. It is still her favorite playtime game. She knows the name "Rug Monster" and will race over if I mention it.
She likes to follow us around and watch what we are doing. Alway curious, often giving a quiet little "meow" when she is puzzled or very interested...
June Bug was fascinated by the croisant I was using to make a breakfast sandwich
Since she was a kitten, June Bug always like shoes. I figured it was a kitten thing and she would outgrow it. But she still loves to lay on, rest her head on and even hug our shoes.
Our Bengal Lilia is most focused on my wife. Makena is bonded strongly to both my wife and I and has no preferance. June Bug follows me. She is a "daddy's girl."
I am fascinated by the relationship between June Bug and Makena.
They are quite strongly bonded. They often play together. Makena being much faster and many times stronger, is always careful to play at June Bug's level. June Bug has learned that Makena needs some solitary time every day, and she gives him his quiet space. But clearly, they enjoy each others company, sharing a window perch, napping together, sharing food and toys.
Makena is highly inteligent. June Bug, with the frivolous high energy shenanigans of kittenhood behind her, has begun to watch and learn some of Makena's traits. She has learned how to politely ask for a treat, she has learned how to ask for playtime. She knows to be patient when we are busy and must defer her playtime.
This thread is fun to look through, recalling finding June Bug and looking back to see how she has grown.
June Bug newest thing: she wants to walk!
Early in this thread there were lots of pics showing June Bug out on walks. She enjoyed them when she was little but gradually she lost interest. For a time she liked sitting in the courtyard with us, but after a few months she didn't want to go out anymore. June Bug never particularly liked having a harness put on.
In nice weather my wife and I sit out in the courtyard or by our pond and eat dinner, talk, read etc. Makena is ALWAYS with us on these evenings... poking around, eating dinner that we bring out for him, napping in the shade etc. This is part of a tacit deal that evolved with Makena: you are a bit too wild to be inside, we will get you out as much as we can if you behave indoors. All parties seem very happy with this deal and Makena spends a lot of time with us outside.
When Makena hears us get his harness, he trots over and helps us put it on. June Bug would run if she saw us get her harness, and we had to coax her to let us put it on. But something changed......
I was moving June Bug's harness a few weeks ago from the closet, and she raced over and started meowing. It took me a minute to figure it out: she was looking at the harness. She sat and let me put it on her without too much fuss, then led me to the back door. My wife was sitting out and reading while Makena was enjoying the sun.
Since then, she begs if she sees us with her harness - she pushes her head right in but still gets a little confused when we snap the buckles near her belly.... but she then leads us to the door.
She "slinks" a bit at times, but she clearly wants to be out!
When Makena, my wife and I were out in the courtyard behind the house, June Bug always sat in one of the windows and watched. I suspect that June Bug had a "eureka!" moment and realized that she could be out with us if she put on a harness. She made the association between "harness" and "with everybody."
She hasn't figured out how not to get her lead tangled, and doesn't always pay attention when we ask her not to do something (Makena seldom gets tangled and always listens.) But she does not have the experience and boldness that Makena has, so I guess she will figure it out over time.
She occasionally slips her harness. We have adopted a policy of bringing her in immediately if slips the harness so that she learns that the fun stops if she does that. Unlike Makena - we have to watch her constantly, so if they are both out, one of us has to watch her constantly. But she is slowly adapting and is VERY eager for her next outdoor adventure.
She LOVES eating grass!
I took her out for a few a bit this morning and she had a lot of fun. Fortunately, Makena does not get jealous if I am out for a short time with June Bug, though he did get a long walk earlier in the morning. Afterwards June Bug curled up with Makena for a nap
Look closely at this pic and note how much longer Makena's hind legs are!
Curious to see where this leads. If June Bug becomes really comfortable and wants to explore and hike like Makena, or if she just wants to sit with us in the courtyard on nice evenings. Either is fine, her happy and playfull manner is a pleasure to be around.
I know I have mentioned this before, and this will be the last time I will bore you with this but, it could very much behoove you to write a children's book on the "Tails of June Bug and Makena". Animate the pictures of the cats, and then just tell your story. You would not have to change much in their story to capture the younger audience. You live with the subjects of your story every day of your life. It would not take much to make their antics appeal to children. There would be the potential that you would be doing a great service to shelters that have cats that need to be adopted to good homes. You would be reaching out to some children who after reading your book (s) would want a cat to love and care for themselves. A potential win/win for you and shelters around the country. The same "would apply to "Basscat" and his bobcat, Gibbs, except I need to make it perfectly clear that I am NOT endorsing children to out and ask mommy and daddy to adopt a bobcat for their very own. LOL Food for thought, now I will leave well enough alone. Thanks for listening!June Bug newest thing: she wants to walk!
Early in this thread there were lots of pics showing June Bug out on walks. She enjoyed them when she was little but gradually she lost interest. For a time she liked sitting in the courtyard with us, but after a few months she didn't want to go out anymore. June Bug never particularly liked having a harness put on.
In nice weather my wife and I sit out in the courtyard or by our pond and eat dinner, talk, read etc. Makena is ALWAYS with us on these evenings... poking around, eating dinner that we bring out for him, napping in the shade etc. This is part of a tacit deal that evolved with Makena: you are a bit too wild to be inside, we will get you out as much as we can if you behave indoors. All parties seem very happy with this deal and Makena spends a lot of time with us outside.
When Makena hears us get his harness, he trots over and helps us put it on. June Bug would run if she saw us get her harness, and we had to coax her to let us put it on. But something changed......
I was moving June Bug's harness a few weeks ago from the closet, and she raced over and started meowing. It took me a minute to figure it out: she was looking at the harness. She sat and let me put it on her without too much fuss, then led me to the back door. My wife was sitting out and reading while Makena was enjoying the sun.
Since then, she begs if she sees us with her harness - she pushes her head right in but still gets a little confused when we snap the buckles near her belly.... but she then leads us to the door.
She "slinks" a bit at times, but she clearly wants to be out!
When Makena, my wife and I were out in the courtyard behind the house, June Bug always sat in one of the windows and watched. I suspect that June Bug had a "eureka!" moment and realized that she could be out with us if she put on a harness. She made the association between "harness" and "with everybody."
She hasn't figured out how not to get her lead tangled, and doesn't always pay attention when we ask her not to do something (Makena seldom gets tangled and always listens.) But she does not have the experience and boldness that Makena has, so I guess she will figure it out over time.
She occasionally slips her harness. We have adopted a policy of bringing her in immediately if slips the harness so that she learns that the fun stops if she does that. Unlike Makena - we have to watch her constantly, so if they are both out, one of us has to watch her constantly. But she is slowly adapting and is VERY eager for her next outdoor adventure.
She LOVES eating grass!
I took her out for a few a bit this morning and she had a lot of fun. Fortunately, Makena does not get jealous if I am out for a short time with June Bug, though he did get a long walk earlier in the morning. Afterwards June Bug curled up with Makena for a nap
Look closely at this pic and note how much longer Makena's hind legs are!
Curious to see where this leads. If June Bug becomes really comfortable and wants to explore and hike like Makena, or if she just wants to sit with us in the courtyard on nice evenings. Either is fine, her happy and playfull manner is a pleasure to be around.I know
Me, too!!Always interested in and happy with June Bug's and Makena's updates. I have followed this thread from June Bug's babyhood.