Why Our Cats Love Winter

Everyone knows that cats are desert animals, so you might wonder why I would say that ours love winter weather. Well, two reasons: Sunshine and the wood stove.

Most animals, whether warm- or cold-blooded, love radiant heat. Who hasn't, at one time or another, witnessed garden snakes or lizards basking in the warm sun on a stone wall? Anyone with cats and dogs will tell you that they will seek out a sunny spot on a cool day, and cats are notorious for napping on a sunny windowsill. Personally, my favorite time to soak up the rays is in the early spring, when the air is chill and sun is beginning to strengthen; there is nothing more relaxing and soothing than that type of heat!

Our cats are great sun worshippers. Since they are indoor pets, they never have to contend with cold weather, but that doesn't mean that they don't care about lying around in the sun. They don't do it because they're cold, but because it feels so good! We have a passive solar home, so at this time of year the sun shines in full-tilt through our huge front windows, nudging the temperature in the house into the mid-70s. This provides our cats with a plethora of sunny places in which to stretch out and relax. When they are in this "zone", they are as gooey and pliable as any cat can be!

When the sun goes down, we light up the wood stove down cellar. For maximum feline comfort, I have strategically placed comfy beds close, but not too close, to this source of radiant heat. Bear and Little Girl are addicted to this comfort, but Goldie is not. He loves the sunshine, but is somewhat indifferent to the wood stove. He'll hang out down cellar on occasion, but always acts guilty when we discover him lounging in front of the stove. The other two will sleep like the dead when the stove is roaring, but not Goldie. Well, as I've said before, gold cats are different!

Dogs also love wood heat, but a friend of mine told me a story about one of her dogs who became so inert from sleeping by the wood stove that he wouldn't even get up to go outside to do his business! Her veterinarian told her that this is not unusual with dogs, and that they need to be supervised and not allowed to spend too much time lying close to this source of heat. A word to the wise!

The moral of this story? Cats know how to relax and enjoy life, and we would do well to take our cue from them. Stay warm!
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Ten Things We Love About Cats, Part 2

Moving right along, here's the second half of my list.

6. Cats point out "yucky" things that you may not notice right away. Cats are nasty-neat animals, and they will let you know in short order when you are getting slack with the housekeeping. The Bear gets busy with the "burying" routine whenever he encounters some imperceptible bit of goo that he feels should not be there. I've learned to just get a moist cloth and wipe the spot he's concerned about, whether or not I can actually see anything amiss. Then there's "the face". This occurs after some particularly energetic sniffing, usually of a rug or upholstered piece of furniture, during which the cat's nose is practically buried in the subject's fibers. Then, they raise their head and--there it is! The partially opened mouth that lets you know there's something there that they like the smell of, but you probably won't. So, just go get the wash cloth!

7. Cats keep us warm in winter. Just ask J. about this! When he's ready to settle in on a cold winter's night, he gets in the lounger, picks up the remote and calls for Goldie. Usually, it is only a matter of minutes until man and cat are acting as mutual space heaters, with the added bonus of Goldie's resounding purr helping J. relax after a hard day of work!

8. They are like little "early warning systems". Have you ever found yourself asking your cat, "What's the matter?" only to then hear a knock on the door? Cats know long before we do that someone is walking up the driveway, something is burning or a thunderstorm is coming. How many times have you been quietly reading a book, noticed the cat/s acting alert and done a security check, just in case? Sometimes it is nothing more than a Christmas card fell off the mantle, but they knew it before you did.

9. Cats listen to our problems without being judgmental. When you've had a hard day, it's great to be able to unload it onto your significant other at the end of the day. But they often want to comment, critique, offer advice, etc. Sometimes you just want to talk, without having the other party butt in. If you've got a cat, you've got a friend! They'll listen, let you pet them, and even comfort you if you're upset. What more could you ask for?

10. Cats make a good life even better. Enough said!

I don't know about you, but I've already thought of another ten things...oh well, this could be an ongoing feature!
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