Cats and voice recognition

My cats have entirely different attitudes toward voice recognition. Riley tries to detach the headset for my laptop. Kady sits on the bed blinking at me and watches as I talk to the computer. We humans are fascinating.

I switch from dragon naturally speaking to windows speech recognition depending on the task. There's no doubt that dragon is better for straight dictation, but some of the navigation features of windows speech recognition are superior. I don't have dragon 11 yet, so maybe that will change.

I'm charging my wireless headphones and Riley is winning the battle here detaching the corded headsets I'm using so off I go.

If you have to give up a pet, please take them to a no kill shelter

As the snow fell over the past several days, my cat Kady started to go to the window and cry. This is unusual for her and when I rolled over to her, I realized why. She was staring out at the snow and shaking. She spent last winter outside in one of the worst winters ever after being abandoned.

I diverted her attention away from the window and she immediately calmed down. Right now she spends most of her time playing with toys and, typical kitten-style, plays until she's exhausted and then takes a nap. Although technically she's not a kitten (she must be at least over a year old), she is going through her kitten stage now which is fun to watch.

As she played with her toys, I remembered that my other young rescue kitty, Riley, who is about a year and a half old now, went through this every time it rained. He would sit at the window and cry. He was abandoned outside an apartment complex overnight when he was four months old and showed up terrified on someone's doorstep. They immediately called the shelter. Nevertheless, when I took him in shortly afterwards, he was almost catatonic - wouldn't move from my lap and shook whenever I put him down. After a week or so, he was able to be left on his own but he clung to me for months.

Why am I writing this? I'd just like to spread the word that there are lots of no kill animal shelters now. If you have to give up a pet, please take it to a no kill shelter rather than abandon it outside. Leaving a pet outside who isn't used to it, even if they do survive, leaves them with all kinds of problems - health and otherwise, that make it even more difficult to get them adopted. Kady has arthritis, almost no teeth and permanent leg and pelvic injuries from being hit by a car even though she's barely over a year old. Riley, as much as I love him, was difficult to adopt because he needed constant human attention for a long time.

They are, by far, a few of the sweetest pets I've ever shared a home with and worth every moment and resource I've given them. But a lot of their suffering could have been avoided if they had been put into a shelter rather than abandoned outside.

For a list of no kill animal shelters, click here.

Riley gets a sister!

Last week I adopted a 2 year old female American shorthair mix (tabby on white) named Kady from the rescue shelter that saved Riley. Because he's settled in so well and is still young, I thought it would be nice for him to have companionship.

Things have been busy around here, but Kady has settled in nicely! Right now both cats are hanging out with each other, taking turns at the window and occasionally chatting. They're not playing together yet, but that'll be next. Riley is showing Kady his toys, hitting balls and mice toward her.

No pictures of them together yet, but I'll get some as soon as she's more comfortable.

A message from Riley: Feline Update

Hey everyone! Hope you're enjoying Spring. Just a short message from me, the rescue kitty, letting you know how well things have worked out just in case you're thinking about letting a rescue pet rescue you.

I'm happily settled into my new home after a long winter. Can't believe it's taken me all this time to train my so called owner and the aides, but I have things the way I want them at last.

1. It's everyone's job to feed me. No exceptions Even if you're paralyzed. Use an assistive device. Geesh
2. I now have three napping areas set aside for me, aside from the bed. Finally folks got their act together an d have put down plush blankets in all three spots.
3. My cat toys are no longer in the way. Everyone is trained to roll and walk around them.


I still don't like storms since i was left out and abandoned during a thunder storm, but no one has figured out how to make those stop. I meow until someone picks me up but I'm less scared than I was. I prefer snow because it makes no noise.

My so called owner was a mess when I got here after she lost her cat Buddy. She's doing much better now that I'm around.

I hope someone reading this decides to check their local animal shelters for a cute pet like me. I wasn't in great shape when I was adopted (everyone kept calling me a handful, whatever that means), but with a little patience and love, my so called owner says I'm just as happy now as Buddy was.

And I think that's a very good thing.

[image description: A photo of Riley, a tabby on white, looking at the camera, cocking his head as he stands in front of a window.]

The good folks at Animal Allies took good care of me until I was adopted. Please consider helping them continue their good work with a donation.

Never read the news alone

Mornings aren't the same around here since my cat Buddy passed.

Our routine was set. I'd get up between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m. Before I started work, I'd blog and read the news. Buddy perched behind me. When I came to a particularly upsetting news item, I'd shake my head or exclaim out loud. Suddenly a big white paw would be on my cheek or he'd lean over and snuggle me.

Anyway here's my schedule for the past three or so weeks: my kitten Riley meows and whimpers at about 6 a.m. After unsuccessfully trying to get him back to bed and to sleep, I get up and check to make sure he has food. He usually does, so then I coax him onto my lap in my wheelchair, where he plays for a while, then falls asleep for a bit. Sometimes we both do. By the time I settle him down, it's time to start work.

However the past few days Riley seems to be calmer in his new surroundings. Some mornings he even spends time looking out the window after he wakes me up.

This morning he jumped up behind me and settled into Buddy's old spot. So I began to read the news. I groaned at one point. I felt a small tiny paw touch my cheek.

"Aww," I said.

I've come to believe that everyone should have that same kind of support as they read the news these days.

How fortunate am I to find it twice.

Welcome Riley!

In the spirit of all that was, is and ever shall be my dear Buddy, loveable, fluffy guy that he was, I adopted a rescue kitty through Animal Allies. He's about a year old and was abandoned by his owners when they moved.

I've named him Riley. As you can see in his pictures, he's a tabby with white and has large green eyes. Of course his eyes aren't quite open in that photo since he just woke up from a nap.

Riley is fitting right in. He's a bit of a couch potato, giving cat toys the obligatory shove to make me happy, but not really into it yet. Maybe once he settles in more. He likes listening to stories. Mostly he wants to sit in my lap.

And that's fine by me.

RIP Buddy 2002-2010

Over the weekend I had to make the difficult decision to have the vet put my cat down.

Here's my favorite picture of him from a few years ago, in his favorite place- bed. When he wasn't in bed, Buddy was the closest thing I ever had to paws-on assistance: holding down pages while I used my mouthstick and laying on my legs during spasms. He tended to show up whenever I was struggling to do something and would inevitably put a paw out to help. If that failed, since he had no opposable thumbs, he would snuggle me.

When he was a kitten, his tail was so big that he constantly tripped over it and would sit on the floor and sigh. I assured him he would grow into it, which he sure did! Buddy weighed 25 pounds and was close to four feet long. Despite that, he was one of the most gentle animals you'd ever meet.

Rest in peace, my dear companion.

MIssing my Buddy

Over the past few weeks has been the first time in almost twenty years that I've been without a pet around. My cat has been in the animal hospital twice. He's there right now and I'm waiting to hear news.

I used to have multiple pets, perhaps for this reason. As pets age, we all know it's inevitable we'll usually outlive them. But this cat was an "only cat" type, so when my aged tabby passed away years ago, I decided that having one big fluffy tuxedo cat was the way to go. And because he has a larger than life personality and acts more like a dog than a cat (being an Angora- affectionate and sociable), that's worked out well. He's always been oh-so-happy so I have no regrets, not for him and not for me.

But the quiet. It's odd not to hear his chewing from a pet bowl, paws running around the corners of hallways (and sometimes slamming into walls), objects falling in other rooms or plaintive meows begging for attention of some sort. It's strange not to have a twenty five pound ball of fur jump up on the keyboard while I'm concentrating on something other than him or to have him plop down and put one of his huge paws on the screen to signal it's time to stop working and go to bed.

Yet it's not loneliness per se. Not the kind Roger Ebert talks about here. Friends keep calling. But they're humans and, as such, our relationship differs. Geesh, not one of them has offered to go in the other room and drop objects, which I think is really unreasonable. Could be fun.

Although I can see some pluses in not having a pet around in terms of time management, it's not worth the loss of companionship and unconditional love they have always given me.

A Dog's Life

I just received a comment from Barbara/Daisy at Furlicity. It's a creative blog if you haven't read it yet. The intro reads:

This is my journal of life after being rescued from a puppy mill. It is fondly dedicated to my heros at: http://www.fureverafter.net/ to my foster parents who started me on the road to furlicity, and to all the humans who value life in all it's forms.

***

For all the animal lovers out there, I found this video showing a cat who is trying to battle a printer and it gave me a few laughs so I thought I'd post it.

Sometimes I blame myself....

that my cat is so inactive. I think - it's my disability - I don' t move around enough to help him exercise. But then I saw this video:





and I realized: it's the cat....
[visual description: A female dances to Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy while twirling a hula hoop while a cat sleeps the entire time underneath her. He does raise his head near the end.]

Rabies shot day

One of the reasons I use a vet for my cat who makes house calls is my disability. The other is because I've had cats like this one who freaked out at the vets.



Okay, now that's scary.

Luckily, my cat Buddy's first priority in life is to make friends with anyone he meets and the vet is no exception. As the groomer and vet worked on him (minor matting , rabies shot), he snuggled, asked to be petted, etc. until he got the shot. His eyes went wide and he made a short speech about that.

But after seeing that video, I'm not complaining....

Cujo the Cat

No, not really. It's a picture of my cat, Buddy who, it turns out, is camera shy. Who knew? I can't hold a camera and never tried to take his picture. But when we did try, finding good lighting was not an option. 

We had to chase the cat around and wear him out before he permitted this shot.  

What you see in this photo is a long hair tuxedo cat who weighs about twenty odd pounds.   He is black with a white ruff, white boots and a white " milk spot" right by his nose. And a white belly underside that resembles a bunny rabbit.  (Everyone thinks  he's a she -maybe because of the white ruff and all the fluff? Don't know.) But he is all boy  - ruff and tumble.  

Buddy and the Beast

My cat Buddy has had his limits tried ever since I started testing mobility devices out. I've gone through a series of wheelchairs trying to determine what will work best. Because my home has narrow hallways and one of Buddy's favorite places to crash out is the hall, this has really tested his ability to adapt.

But he is a cat. I was impressed with how he gave me exactly enough room to get by with each wheelchair. On the other hand, I found myself looking down, trying to judge where I was so I didn't hit the wall or him as he calmly blinked at me. It was like having a feline traffic cop waving a paw at me, saying "Go on - lots of room."

And then I got a demo chair that I dubbed The Beast. It's not called that because it's huge - because in the realm of power chairs it's not. I called it that because it climbs over almost any obstacle. This chair just doesn't take no for an answer.

The Beast got Buddy's attention. It was the first chair he felt intimidated by. I saw him circling around it when I wasn't in it, sniffing it, putting a paw on the wheels and even meowing at it. It was as if he knew he'd met a contender. House cat meets the Lion King. When I entered the hallway with the Beast, Buddy moved. When I entered a room, he stood up and watched the chair without removing his gaze. I was astounded.

I'll never know what happened that caused a different reaction in Buddy to the Beast. He's always been around wheelchairs and I've never seen him afraid of one before or even wary of one.

A few days later I went into the kitchen in another wheelchair. There was Buddy - curled up, sleeping in the Beast. I rolled over, leaned down and said "Everything okay?"

He rolled over on his back and extended his paw toward the joystick, trying to get it to work. I sighed.

Yes, everything was back to normal in Buddy's world. Somehow he conquered the Beast and discovered it was just another wheelchair.

Speaking of cats and wheelchairs, enjoy this piece entitled Tom and Jerry by the Disabled Avant Garde



About this piece:

"A Collaborative work by the Disabled Avant-Garde (artists Katherine Araniello and Aaron Williamson)

Tom and Jerry: in this piece the DAG's frequent use of 'blue screen' filming and technology reaches its apogee in a cartoonish, slapstick homage to their 'cat-and-mouse' heroes. Traditionally, cartoons and animation are considered to be very accessible to disabled people. Here, the DAG perform an hilarious chase through their 'mama's' house, bumping into cartoon furniture and whacking each other with pots and pans. The anthropomorphism that is an integral factor in the appeal of cartoon characters once again takes on new resonance through the 'filter' of disability. Compare this knockabout, no-holds-barred romp with the careful tiptoeing around disabled people in real life, wrapping them in cotton wool and avoiding causing any offence."

A Cat Wake Up Call

Anyone who has a cat will appreciate this video...

Fetch cat fetch!

I've seen several people express surprise at the fact that my cat Buddy fetches objects - and brings them to me. However, I've had several cats who fetch - all different breeds, sizes and shapes. Their favorite is aluminum foil balls since they're fun to chase and easy to carry. I had one cat who used to love it when I tossed balls down the staircase. She would carry them up the stairs back to me and chase them down for hours.

Buddy, however, is particularly enthusiastic when balls are tossed around corners. He likes to do burn outs - take off and slide around the corner - all 20 odd pounds of him. It reminds me of a cartoon kitty, like Tom and Jerry and I half expect a bubble to float over his head with the words "Got it!" Sometimes I hear a crash and wonder if I should get him a helmet.

And then, suddenly, it will get very quiet. When I check, I see Buddy crashed out, laying on his back sleeping, one paw on the aluminum foil ball.

Awww.

37 year old cat is world's oldest

His owners say they are beginning to think that the cat, who is named Baby, will outlive them. Click above to see a slideshow of other photos.

Baby will be featured in the August issue of Cat Fancy.

[visual description: Baby, a 37 year old black cat, is shown standing looking off to the left.]

Cat-a-Log : A Blog

I found this wonderful blog about cats - with lots of photos the other day. Highly recommend it for my readers who love cats.

And for an adorable kitten in a box video, I have this:

A wheelchair built for two

[visual description: A man and a woman sit on a couch that has two large wheels at the sides. There are pedals in front of their feet to propel it.]

When I saw this picture, I realized that it might make more sense for me to design a double occupant rather than just a single passenger power chair since I seem to spend half my time convincing my cat that he doesn't have to ride shotgun with me. Ever since I got the power chair, my cat has displayed an inordinate amount of interest in it. This includes jumping up in my lap as I speed by, sleeping in the chair when I exit it, making re-entry an engineering feat, and overseeing the battery charging every night.

My cat never showed this kind of interest in my manual wheelchair. He would cuddle up for a nap on the air cushion once in a while but nothing like this. What makes this couch look good is that my cat is large. I call him fluffy and he is, but he also weighs in over 20 pounds. He could use his own seat. Sharing mine isn't working out.

Tonight I decided to put a kleenex box on the wheelchair when I transferred onto my armchair to keep the fluffy beast off of it. He peered up at the box, sulked and decided to jump in my lap where he stretched himself out to his full length, falling off the sides of the armchair and kicking me in my chin with his long legs. At least my wheelchair was empty and ready for me. The only problem was I couldn't get him off my lap so I could transfer back into it.

This could all be avoided if I had a couch on wheels. I could stay on my side and the cat could stay on his. It would be comfy.

The only difficulty would be getting around corners.

The only cat syndrome

[visual description: A photo of my cat, a black and white tuxedo long hair Angora.}

We've all heard about the only child syndrome. But not enough has been written about the only cat syndrome.

Usually I live with two cats but when Murphy passed away this year, I decided to give it a go with having one cat - my three year old male named Buddy. I was a bit concerned that he might be lonely being an only cat. I thought perhaps he might go through a grief process and wander around looking for the cat who died as I've seen other cats do.

It was not an issue. I never saw Buddy look for Murphy although he did immediately take over her bowl. He also took her place in bed, the spot reserved for the cat with the most territorial rights. When I asked "Do you miss Murphy?" he yawned, rolled over and showed his fluffy belly for me to pet.

Alrighty then. So much for his need for feline companionship. As the days went on, Buddy eased ever more comfortably into the role of the only cat. I no longer had to multi task between two cats. He didn't have to share "lap time". He discovered that he could jump up in my wheelchair any time - no waiting, no number to take. He figured out that he came first. He loved it.

So yesterday Meredith comes over and says she saw a really nice white cat in Petco and almost got it for me. Buddy, who was on the bed, narrowed his eyes. I asked about the cat and Buddy turned and gave me a look. I must be imagining this, but I swear he shook his head no . And I said to her "I don't think Buddy would like that." He sighed, laid down and closed his eyes.

Alrighty then.

Quad weight (cat) lifting

{visual description: Book cover reads "Catflexing: A Cat Lover's Guide to Weight Training, Aerobics and Stretching " showing photo of a standing woman holding a very large black and white cat out in front of her mid-air.}


That's right. I lift weights.

I don't have any special equipment like some of my quad friends who use this 3000 dollar device called an Uppertone to do it on. Not me.

I use my cat. The cat weighs about 23 pounds although it might be a bit less. He is pretty fluffy so he may just look heavier than he is.

But he's no lightweight. And although I haven't been able to lift much over 10 pounds in free weights (which has taken me a while to work up to ) I can lift that darn cat. I think it's because his weight is balanced better and he just doesn't slip. He lets me lift him with my elbows - kind of sits there in the crook of my arms and lets me lift him up, down, up , down.

Sometimes he sighs. I think I've seen him roll his eyes at me. Once he fell asleep while I was doing it.

But I'm not deterred. I think he's heading toward 25 pounds soon. And that will be a new personal best for both of us.