Cat Clowder

Meow, Clowder!

Mungojerrie And Rumpelteazer

Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer were a very notorious couple
of cats.
As knockabout clown, quick-change comedians, tight-rope
walkers and acrobats
They had extensive reputation. They made their home in
Victoria Grove--
That was merely their centre of operation, for they were
incurably given to rove.
They were very well know in Cornwall Gardens, in Launceston
Place and in Kensington Square--
They had really a little more reputation than a couple of
cats can very well bear.

If the area window was found ajar
And the basement looked like a field of war,
If a tile or two came loose on the roof,
Which presently ceased to be waterproof,
If the drawers were pulled out from the bedroom chests,
And you couldn't find one of your winter vests,
Or after supper one of the girls
Suddenly missed her Woolworth pearls:

Then the family would say: "It's that horrible cat!
It was Mungojerrie--or Rumpelteazer!"-- And most of the time
they left it at that.

Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer had a very unusual gift of the
gab.
They were highly efficient cat-burglars as well, and
remarkably smart at smash-and-grab.
They made their home in Victoria Grove. They had no regular
occupation.
They were plausible fellows, and liked to engage a friendly
policeman in conversation.

When the family assembled for Sunday dinner,
With their minds made up that they wouldn't get thinner
On Argentine joint, potatoes and greens,
And the cook would appear from behind the scenes
And say in a voice that was broken with sorrow:
"I'm afraid you must wait and have dinner tomorrow!
For the joint has gone from the oven-like that!"
Then the family would say: "It's that horrible cat!
It was Mungojerrie--or Rumpelteazer!"-- And most of the time
they left it at that.

Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer had a wonderful way of working
together.
And some of the time you would say it was luck, and some of
the time you would say it was weather.
They would go through the house like a hurricane, and no sober
person could take his oath
Was it Mungojerrie--or Rumpelteazer? or could you have sworn
that it mightn't be both?

And when you heard a dining-room smash
Or up from the pantry there came a loud crash
Or down from the library came a loud ping
From a vase which was commonly said to be Ming--
Then the family would say: "Now which was which cat?
It was Mungojerrie! AND Rumpelteazer!"-- And there's nothing
at all to be done about that!

By, T.S. Eliot, from ‘Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats’

Illustration by, Edward Gorey

Meow, Clowder!

Do mew meow all night long and make your human nuts? Let's explore why we do this, and what your human can do to quiet mew down and get a good night's rest!

We are crepuscular animals, which means we are naturally most active at dusk and dawn. The most common reason we exhibit zoomies and meowing at night is because we are not getting enough activity during the day to tucker us out. When this happens, we end up playing at night, and some of us just like to talk while we play and explore. Try giving us more one on one playtime during the day. This will exhaust us and make it more likely that we will sleep when mew do. Here are some other reasons we may meow at night, and what you can do:

We are bored: Again, try giving us more one one one play time during the day so we’re tired at night.

Overactive thyroid or kidney disease: If night mewing is new, we could have a health problem. Take us to the vet to make sure we aren’t sick, especially if we were never night meowing previously.

Age: Just like our human guardians, we can become disoriented with age. Meowing at night is the most common symptom of this. If we are losing vision, hearing, or getting kitty dementia, we will wander around and meow. While there is no solution for this, mew may try giving us play time during the day so we are too tired to wander around at night. Even if mew do this, mew should be prepared for us to take up the meowing during the day.

If we seem to be wandering while meowing during the day, gently pat us on the head, let us sniff mew, then walk with a little more force so we can follow your smell and the vibrations your walking makes. A lot of the time we just no longer have the faculties to always know where our human is, and we get confused and need some help finding them.

Paws and Purrs 🐾,

The Professor, Kitty Clowder Cat Ambassador

Meow, Clowder!

The Maestro has been working hard on his first symphony/theme song, The Symphony of Destruction. It’s very serious business, but sometimes he takes it all a little too literally, knocking stuff down and chasing me.

My mom converted a macaw cage into a safe zone for him at night, letting him have more room than his playpen. He seems to like it and doesn’t mew when he’s in there. It’s large enough for toys, so if my mom needs to get stuff done around the house, he’s safe and has things to occupy himself with.

Overall, his transition into our home has gone smoothly, even if we are all a bit tired. He’s cute; he’s funny funny; he’s sweet; and we all love him… including me.

Paws & Purrs 🐾,

The Professor, Kitty Clowder Cat Ambassador

🐈🐈 Maestro Update 🐈🐈

Meow, Clowder!

It’s been a little over a week since The Maestro Stormfield moved in and meowzers, he is certainly living up to the ginger cats are bonkers stereotype, 😹.

My mom says she’s never known a kitten with this much energy, coordination, and curiousness. We can’t turn our backs for a second because he will disappear. He’s managed to outsmart us at every turn, and laughs at our attempts to kittenproof the living room, which my mom turned into the designated kitten zone. I think he has ADHD, but my mom says he’s just “exploring.”

Every morning he wakes up and runs at top speed throughout the room, randomly pouncing on toys and attempting to climb things like the curtains as he goes.

I am slowly becoming more tolerant of him. He hasn’t annoyed me enough that I’ll leave the room, but every now and then he needs a good swat (a soft paw swat, of course) or hiss. So far, I’ll play chase with him and we’ll nap near each other. I have no interest in cuddling him yet, but that may change. I do like getting nose to nose with him, and I did allow him to sit on me yesterday.

This little guy may be an agent of chaos, but he’s also very sweet and cute. He gets everyone laughing so hard they start wheezing. I purrsonally find his antics with my big, d***y dog the most hilarious. He likes to pounce at the dog, who won’t even look at him. The dog is 80lbs and afraid of a kitten, 😹.

It’s hard for my mom to get still photos because The Maestro is always on the go, so here’s one of us sharing my tower. We nap on different ledges. As long as he doesn’t try to touch me, he can be as close as he wants.

That’s all I have time to report right now. He just woke up from his nap and immediately tried to sit on my head so I need to go work on boundaries with him.

Paws & Purrs 🐾,

The Professor, your exhausted, yet entertained Kitty Clowder Cat Ambassador

Meow, Clowder!

Morris the cat may be one of the most famous cats to have ever existed. One thing is for sure; he always had a steady job.

Best known at the 9Lives mascot who would only eat 9Lives, Morris’s career was extended well past cat food. While there were actually 3 Morris the Cats for 9Lives, we’re going to be focusing on the original.

Morris was adopted in 1968 at the Hinsdale Humane Society, right outside Chicago, by professional animal handler Bob Martwick. Martwixk worked in advertising, and put Morris in 58 commercials.

Morris didn’t just appear in commercials. He was also a film star, appearing in the Robert Altman film “ The Long Goodbye”with Elliott Gould, and the movie “Shamus”with Burt Reynolds.

Sadly, Morris passed away unexpectedly 1978, at home in Chicago. He believed to have succumb to old age. There have been three more Morris cats since the original passed in 1978, all having strived to continue on the work of the original.

Paws & Purrs 🐾,

The Professor, Kitty Clowder Cat Ambassador and

Meow, Clowder!

Today we rememwber fellow cat lover, the incomparable Harry Dean Stanton, who passed away on this date, 8 years ago.

Paws & Purrs 🐾,

The Professor, Kitty Clowder Cat Ambassador

Meow, Clowder!

Here’s a random cat fact:

A cat has free-floating clavicle bones, which allow them to get through any space they can fit their head into.

Paws & Purrs 🐾,

The Professor, Kitty Clowder Cat Ambassador

Meow, Clowder!!

Are mew a licker? I am! Aside from napping, licking is one of our most favorite pastimes. We lick for a variety of reasons, the most common being grooming. Why else do we lick, and what does it mean? Well, here are some common reasons:

• Grooming, as mentioned before.

• Socialization. When we lick other cats, we’re saying they’re part of our group. We often lick humans for the same reason.

• Anxiety. Sometimes when we are anxious, we will obsessively lick ourselves. If mew notice your kitty licking themselves obsessively, something is wrong and mew should take them to the vet.

• We were taken from our mommy’s too soon. Many times when a kitten is separated from their mother too soon, they can become confused. They will start licking and suckling on plastic, blankets, and other weird items because they’re looking for a mother’s comfort. When cats do this, especially if we do it on harmful items, mew should distract us and then reward us with treats.

• Affection. This is the most common reason we lick outside of grooming. We love mew, and we want mew to know it, so we lick mew. That’s our way of giving you kisses.

Paws & Purrs 🐾,

The Professor, Kitty Clowder Cat Ambassador

Meow, Clowder!

The Maestro is adjusting purrfectly. I'm so calm about him that my mom lets me in the same room. I usually like to watch him from a foot or two away, but yesterday I actually played with him!

The Maestro is in love with me, but afraid of the dog. I keep telling him the dog is just a big d***y dude who is more afraid of him than he is of the dog, but he hisses at him anyway.

So far, The Maestro loves climbing our cat tree & playing in our tunnel. He can't carry his mice yet, so he drags them around by their tails. He sleeps with a blue sloth stuffy in our tent, but my mom won't let me in there with him for nighttime yet because she's afraid he might annoy me too much. I am allowed to inspect it during the day when he isn't zipped up in there.

Thank mew for your patience with posting, Clowder! The Maestro is a very curious dude, and we can't turn an eye away from him for even a minute because he might do something goofy like squeeze between couch cushions.

We will be back to regular posting soon!

Paws & Purrs 🐾,

The Professor, Kitty Clowder Cat Ambassador

Meow, Clowder!!

He's finally here!!

Meet, Maestro Stormfield, a/k/a The Maestro!

We are going to take a few days off to help him get acclimated to his new home, but we'll be back soon!

🐾🐈‍⬛ Katie, The Professor and The Maestro's human mom