Hello, two-legged readers — It’s Lucinda the literate cat. My CCL (Cantankerous Cat Lady) has asked me to write a post explaining the effect of different seasons on the life of a cat. Therefore, I will give you my observations surrounding the idea of a cat for all seasons.
First of all, there is one constant that becomes a thread running through the entire year, and it is that a cat thrives on predictability. A cat establishes a routine and, if possible, sticks to that routine no matter what. So, what are some things that can modify the routine?
Before we discuss this issue, let me note that there may be seasonal behaviors that change somewhat depending on if your cat lives indoors with you or spends time outdoors. I’ll try to note the differences. Now, let’s look at cat routines that may be affected by the seasons
Spring
No matter the season, we get up at the same time every day. In my house, it’s 7:30 a.m. If our two-legged has not yet left her bed, this is the best time to get her moving. After all, a regular routine involves being fed at the proper time. If you live indoors with her all the time, it becomes crucial to get her moving.
If you live outdoors, it’s vital that you do the moving. Breakfast will not usually come running to you, but you have to chase it.
Actually, as this particular activity takes place at the same time in all seasons, it’s good to get the pattern established. However, for you indoor cats, note that twice a year, your mysterious two-legged decides to change the hour of the day, making it either an hour earlier or an hour later.
We simply have to adjust, The two-legged will not listen to any argument about consistency. However, once you move past this obstacle, your routine again becomes fixed. Sometimes you two-leggeds have some strange ideas which we are forced to accept.
A Vet Can Be Helpful
Though I don’t believe any of us cats relish a trip to the person you two-leggeds call a “vet,” I can certainly see the advantage of one such visit. That’s the one when the vet removes the Tom cat’s ability to mate with a female and make new kittens. It can save a great deal of trouble for many a cat.
Spring becomes a time fraught with danger for any cat who suddenly craves the joy of mating. For the female, she simply has an overpowering itch that must be scratched. As a result she carries a kindle of kittens around inside her until the time for them to be born.
Then she has to bear the pain of birthing them and afterward has to raise those babies until they can take care of themselves. Meanwhile, the Tom has had his moment of pleasure and he can go on with his life.
Of course, he may get into a serious argument about that female and receive injuries from another male, but I say, “it serves him right!” It’s a rare Tom who helps at all with raising all those kittens after birth.
So, lady cats, in the spring you may find it much more pleasant to avoid such situations and remain a lady cat instead of a brazen hussy-puss.
Now, next spring, don’t say I didn’t warn you!
Spring — It does have its joys — the growing warmth of the sun, the sounds of birds you might chase and the sweet smell of growing things can furnish great pleasure.
Summer
An ongoing part of our routine in any season involves grooming. We like to stay clean and to look our best. Also, if we are an outdoor cat, grooming serves to dull our smell enough so that we may avoid a problem with predators. If they smell us, we could be in deep danger.
It’s the reason, too, that we like to roll in the dust outside. Not only does it help in the removal of foreign matter in our fur, but it also covers our smell as well. If we wish to hunt, such a dust bath can prove most important.
Shedding
Our summer grooming can cause another problem. Because the weather warms, we begin to shed our winter coat. This shedding can start in a warm spring and really increase by summer-time. What do we do with all the fur we lick off?
Well, we swallow it, of course, because it’s nearly impossible to spit it out once it’s in our mouth. Then all that fur travels down inside us and gathers into a little — or largish — ball. Often the only way we can get rid of it is to cough it up.
Now, if our two-legged knows such furballs will soon come out of our mouths, and land on her floor, she can help us to prevent this problem.She can get a supplement from that vet-person to give us regularly, and when we eat it, it will magically cause that furball to disappear. Though the vets don’t represent fun and games, they have some good tricks up their two-legged sleeves.
Harmful Insects
Another time that vet can become particularly useful, especially in summer, occurs if we sustain an attack by fleas or ticks. These nasty critters can burrow into our fur and even into our skin and bite us, making us itchy and miserable. Tell your two-legged to get something from the vet that will cure this problem!
A warning: Watch out for flying insects that we think would be great to catch and eat. Some of these insects, and especially the ones called bees, can hurt us with a sting or bite. A swollen mouth that hurts when we try to eat is no fun. If your two-legged says to avoid a certain bug, it’s a time you should listen!
One thing I forgot to warn you about: Shortly after summer begins, you must face one of those two-legged events called a holiday. This one is known in our country as the 4th of July. The two-leggeds go crazy during this time. They fire off all sorts of noisy things, many called firecrackers, that can scare that extra fur right off your body!
Find a safe place to hide away and try to relax. This strange custom won’t last too long. Then all can return again to some sort of normalcy.
Fall
Summer can make a cat feel so good! A warm nap in a sunny spot can feel heavenly! And then fall comes and the wind blows and the temperatures get colder. Now it’s time to start growing back some of that fur we lost in spring and summer.
I see fall as a contemplative time, when a nap in a high spot where the heat comes up to you proves most delightful. If the summer became too hot, the fall cooling temperatures can feel very good.
Now it becomes important not to become too lazy, though. We might slow down a bit, but we still need our exercise to remain healthy. Also, it becomes most important to make sure we gain adequate nutrition, especially in these less active times.
Just don’t let the slower season bring on boredom. Find new ways to entertain yourself. Hopefully, your two-legged will recognize this need for stimulation and help you out.
Winter
This season is the end of the cycle. Be assured that when this winter period passes, the delightful spring will come around again. Meanwhile, rest up and renew your strength.
Acually, winter can become the best time of all for playfulness. Get your two-legged to participate. Playing in winter goes a long way toward making the season enjoyable. Besides, if the temperature is lower, playing will help keep you warm.
It’s also a good time to sit in a high window perch and watch the weather outside. The snow may come down in great cascades of dancing flakes. Or, if it’s raining, you have the pleasure of sitting inside in a warm place and observing all that water falling from the sky. The proper feeling now becomes gratitude, because you do not have to be out in that storm.
If you happen to be an outside cat, hopefully you have already discovered a cozy place out of the weather where you can endure the storm in safety. If you have met a friendly two-legged who lives close by, perhaps this is the time to go to his door and cry piteously. Perhaps you will gain admission to his warm, cozy house.
Another Hazardous Holiday
If you have the good luck to live inside, you must face the hazard of Christmas. The two-legged will actually bring a tree into the house and keep it there for a couple of weeks. Incomprensible behavior! Then they hang all sorts of perfect cat toys all over it.
However, if you try to climb that tree or play with those shiny toys, the two-legged will become very angry. Those toys belong to him, and he doesn’t want to share. This is one of the times when I feel the two-legged becomes most selfish, but since they are bigger than us, they are in charge.
Best to let them selfishly enjoy their tree and shiny toys all by themselves, as you don’t need to become subjected to the punishment they may give you.
Hopefully, you can keep your routine intact through all four of these seasons, and learn to enjoy the benefits that each one brings you. The cycle repeats again and again, so flow with it and keep your own predictable routine as intact as possible, so you can travel through each season successfully. Do your best to enjoy the journey.