Dear Fisher,

Everything around our house is crazy these days. The kids are all hyper and they put on awful faces and try to scare me. It works just fine, thank you very much. This is holiday season – that’s what they say. It’s just starting and I can’t wait until it’s over. Worst is they have pictures of black cats in the window and they all look scary as heck. It is an insult to me and gives black cats a bad name. Sometimes I just want to run away from home. Can you help?

Tommy

Dear Tommy,

If you mean will I help you run away from home, the answer is “No!” But, if you mean will I help you try to deal with your situation, I will be happy to. First order of business is to get the kids you live with under control. Even though you have a built in instinct to fight back, run away, or just freeze in place when you are afraid, these reactions are only encouraging them. Children can become overly exuberant when suddenly allowed to act like little monsters. You may remember doing much the same when you were a kitten.

You will do well to put forth your best effort to act aloof. After all, that is one of our best traits. Here is how that can work for you: The children put on scary masks and rush at you. You act aloof. After 3 or 4 efforts to scare you, they become bored. They then start to pick on each other, which annoys the parents and they end up in time out. At this point, skip the aloofness and do a little happy dance. All is under control.

As for the actual night of Halloween, your adult family members should help you by:

1. Setting up the master bedroom as your safe haven, with litter box, food and water dishes.
2. Select a pleasant program on TV so the endless doorbell ringing will not drive you nuts.
3. Close the door to the bedroom. Appoint only one person to open it to check on you.
4. Treats are OK, but no candy. Candy will cause new and often worse problems.

Everyone must be on guard for your safety and inability to escape.
Urban legend or not, cats should not go out on All Hallows Eve. Many animal rescue groups report an abrupt increase in the adoption of black cats at this time. For more information, look up Black Cats and Halloween.

You are right to say this is the first of the holiday season, and no doubt the worst of it will be over for you soon. Next is Thanksgiving. Please remember to think kindly upon all turkeys.

Your friend,
Fisher

For those who are convinced that a black cat crossing their path is bad luck, I just want to say, some of my best friends are black cats. They are not all that different from me or my other friends, who are orange, gray, tiger striped, or a huge mix of other colors. According to Mary Anne Miller, in her article The Mystique Behind Black Cats,

One of the three prevalent superstitions alive in our culture today concerns the black cat. These superstitions are: the number 13 being unlucky, you don’t walk under an open ladder, and if a black cat crosses your path, it is considered bad luck.

But, there is no convincing some folks who really believe in such bad luck superstitions. I wonder if they ever have nightmares about, oh, let us say, 13 black cats all sitting under a ladder! Mercy!
Ms. Miller explains that in ancient Egypt, the black cat and good luck went together hand and paw. One very special black cat named BAST was so revered for her powers of riches and prosperity, she became the official deity. The history of the black cat and good luck is very positive in Sumatra, the Yorkshires, and much of Europe and England.

So what happened? The Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth Rock and changed history in more ways than one. Their fear of witches who often kept company with black cats just ruined the reputation created by so many wonderful black cats across the water.

Halloween will soon be here. Some revelers will take the opportunity to seek out and cause harm to cats – and these types really do not care what color. These trouble-makers are suspicious and afraid of cats. This is the night for you to stay home, wherever it is. Be safe. Be aware.

So what do you think of black cats?

Your friend,
Fisher

Well trained dogs are as agile as they are entertaining.

Hope you enjoyed the show!
Your friend,
Fisher

I am an older cat and I nap a lot, but the other times I’m just plain bored. I live in a high rise and am safe from bugs and other living dangers. My life is good from most points of view, but what am I supposed to do when I wake up and my peeps are gone to work all day? I love it here but the scenery never changes and it’s quiet all day long. Boring, boring, boring. Do you think my peeps think it is all OK just because I sleep a lot? I think not! What should I do?

Darryl

Dear Darryl,

Boredom happens when day after day, everything stays the same. You may all be in a rut. Your humans get up, feed the cat, go to work. They get home, pet the cat, feed the cat, and they are done for the day. When they come home and you are sleeping (again), they think you are fine. Your humans likely do not realize you are bored. “After all”, they would say, “Whoever heard of a bored cat?” But we know it happens, do we not?

Your humans must understand that a bored cat may turn to his own devices for entertainment which can lead to a roll of toilet paper strewn about the living room on the same day they bring a guest into the home after work. Or, you might think of trying alternative snacks from the garbage pail and proudly leave the evidence for them to clean up. Sometimes boredom causes one to become obsessive. For instance, cats tend to be extremely clean. You may overdo cleaning your fine long hair, and the humans come home to “here a ball, there a ball, everywhere a hairball.” Soon, everyone is unhappy.

Your task is to get your humans involved with you. Several ideas for boredom relief are:

1. They could get you a companion cat or dog depending on your personality. However, it would be very sad if you mistook it for punishment.
2. Your humans must get into the habit of controlled playtime with you. They should build 15 minutes into their morning and evening schedule. If you want less time, just act sleepy and they will move on to their daily routines.
3. Boredom can easily be relieved if you have something to watch. There are “mewvies” made especially for cats, or they could install a nice aquarium full of fish for you to watch.
4. An ordinary cardboard box with holes cut in the sides and a few toys stashed in it could inspire your imagination and keep you busy well past next nap session.

You could all have happy bonding time if you make your own toys. Take a look at this site for a ton of neat toys any kid can make. Add to the fun by hiding them around the house. Hunting is a natural cat instinct.

These are just a few ideas I have come across. Oh, one more! Drop a couple of ping pong balls in the bathtub and have a game of feline racquetball. Now, wouldn’t that just be the cat’s meow.

Your friend,
Fisher

What if dogs were in charge and went to rescue shelters to find their humans?

The MSPCA Adoption Center in Nantucket, MA, received an email from You Scream I Scream band member Floyd to say: “We wanted to raise awareness about pet adoption and Petfinder, ’cause most of the animals in the video were found or adopted.”

This week’s email had a few surprises. First came the fun video from my friends at The Outside Joke. Then, on a more serious side, came an amazing story of a group of men in New York out to make a difference!

You can visit The Outside Joke more of their fun stuff.

On a more serious side, check out Real Men Ink – Unleashed. Find out about their extraordinary efforts to help save helpless, abused and abandoned animals. They support rescue organizations and are committed to educating the public.

“If you don’t like us from the way we look, we can’t help that. But if you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem, so stay out of the way.”
— Joe Panz, Leader, Rescue Ink