simon and peanut in their happy forever home

thanks shannon for sharing the pics.

cats do control humans, study finds

Animals
Cats Do Control Humans, Study Finds
By Live Science Staff
posted: 13 July 2009 12:37 pm ET

1 of 1

Some cats may manipulate their owners into feeding them with a unique meow - a purr mixed with a high-pitched cry.
If you've ever wondered who's in control, you or your cat, a new study points to the obvious.

It's your cat.
Household cats exercise this control with a certain type of urgent-sounding, high-pitched meow, according to the findings.
This meow is actually a purr mixed with a high-pitched cry. While people usually think of cat purring as a sign of happiness, some cats make this purr-cry sound when they want to be fed. The study showed that humans find these mixed calls annoying and difficult to ignore.
"The embedding of a cry within a call that we normally associate with contentment is quite a subtle means of eliciting a response," said Karen McComb of the University of Sussex. "Solicitation purring is probably more acceptable to humans than overt meowing, which is likely to get cats ejected from the bedroom."

They know us
Previous research has shown similarities between cat cries and human infant cries.
McComb suggests that the purr-cry may subtly take advantage of humans' sensitivity to cries they associate with nurturing offspring. Also, including the cry within the purr could make the sound "less harmonic and thus more difficult to habituate to," she said.

McComb got the idea for the study from her experience with her own cat, who would consistently wake her up in the mornings with a very insistent purr. After speaking with other cat owners, she learned that some of their cats also made the same type of call. As a scientist who studies vocal communication in mammals, she decided to investigate the manipulative meow.

Tough to test
Setting up the experiments wasn't easy. While the felines used purr-cries around their familiar owners, they were not eager to make the same cries in front of strangers. So McComb and her team trained cat owners to record their pets' cries — capturing the sounds made by cats when they were seeking food and when they were not. In all, the team collected recordings from 10 different cats.
The researchers then played the cries back for 50 human participants, not all of whom owned cats. They found that humans, even if they had never had a cat themselves, judged the purrs recorded while cats were actively seeking food — the purrs with an embedded, high-pitched cry — as more urgent and less pleasant than those made in other contexts.

When the team re-synthesised the recorded purrs to remove the embedded cry, leaving all else unchanged, the human subjects' urgency ratings for those calls decreased significantly.

McComb said she thinks this cry occurs at a low level in cats' normal purring, "but we think that cats learn to dramatically exaggerate it when it proves effective in generating a response from humans." In fact, not all cats use this form of purring at all, she said, noting that it seems to most often develop in cats that have a one-on-one relationship with their owners rather than those living in large households, where their purrs might be overlooked.
The results were published in the July 14 issue of the journal Current Biology.

another bad hair day kitty

beauty got adopted today, yeah!

my grandaughter abby, came to visit and to entertain the kitties for a few days

not cats, just deer

when hunting season is over, the deer come to eat and visit for a while. they come for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. we have apple trees, one peach tree, grapes and blue berries. so far they are leaving the blue berries alone. the deer can have all the apples they want but need to leave the figs and and blue berries to me.

it is great pleasure to walk out on the porch in the mornings, have my first cup coffee, and watch the deer. and to top that off we live within the city limits. we retired, left the big city, and moved to a very small rural area and we love it.

now back to the rescue cats.

liriope must be like cat nip ?

the sunbathing cat and

doesn't he look like a black furry turtle?

urgent cats being neglected

well...they think they are.

the big boys have moved in their new home

with the heat it was time to move the big boys into the new cat house. it took quite a while. i would move one cat and wait until he was settled before moving another one in. i had cleaned the house really good before the first one went in. i had a good time with them, took pictures, fed them up for the night and closed the door.
6am this morning i went to check on them and i thought someone had ram shacked the building. litter pans turned over, the medicine cabinet open, and most of the contents out and on the floor. they were laid back and very proud of themselves.

the new pink, high back litter pans i think were too small for these big boys and they let me know it. all this before breakfast

they now have there old litter pans back. the cabinet door has been bungee corded until we can get this fixed.

good news sterling is very happy, (this is the cat that loves to be under the cover)
i made in a tent in one of the cages so he will not get so hot.(a/c is on)


whew! already a full day and with the heat index we are looking at 103 degrees.

look what i got in the mail today

these are really nice. i only got three and now i wish i had gotten the fourth one. i originally was getting one for myself and the others for a gift. well, i just may keep them all.

visit gary's blog, he is a hoot, or his esty shop.

thanks gary for the wonderful pottery.

how i cat proofed my plant (i hope)

this plant used to be beside my bed and every morning i would get up to a pile of dirt on the night stand and the floor (no they didn't use it as a litter box).
so today, i moved the plant to another room and wrapped a wreath around the plant.
we will wait and see what happens and how many days it takes for them to get to the dirt.

Peanut & Simon

They are doing fine, they act like they have always been there, they are slowly trying to make friends with the dog, they are not sure about her yet. I will send pictures if they are ever still long enough to take any!
Thanks again !


Peanut & Simon's mom got a new home this weekend too!

look who came for a visit...

remember why you do not let your hubbie go to the animal shelter topic.

it was nice seeing angus and look at his feet, they are huge.

yeah, two adoptions tonight.

a very nice family came tonight, that was very interested in peanut(only).....hubbie and i have been holding our breaths and the call just came in. they will take peanut and simon both,yeah!

they needed to stay together.

peanut and simon go to be neuter on thrusday and will go to their new home on saturday.

remember the trash dump kitten

we just think he is always going to have a bad hair day. he has finally put on a little weight and now loves to play with his mates.

how sweet

look at one of the things Georgia donated to the cat house today...

this was Georgia's rocking chair when she was 2 years old (we are not telling her age now) and after she outgrew the chair, her cat took it over. now peanut and simon want to say thank you Georgia.

we enjoyed your visit and many thanks from all the cats today.

Peanut and Simon

These two guys are in our foster-to-adopt program.

birds

i love birds just like anyone else....

and aren't they cute in the cat house!

here is the link for the decals http://www.singlestonestudios.com/animals.html

we never pass up a deal

$30.00 for these extra large DOG beds.. but they were on sale for $15.00, i got two. all the cats in the house have taken their turn.

these will have to make do...

in not wanting to spend any more money, i pulled these out of storage. recovered the seats and all is good.

kittens everywhere, people here are just putting them out on the road.

applications are being accepted now for the kitties.
the web site will be updated shortly with all available cat and kittens.
cool whip was returned tonight. the couple just did not want to give him a few more days to adjust. i was told he was not comfortable. well he is now! we returned the adoption fee. personally, i think she was not really ready for another cat.

meet simon

look who got adopted today

he did not want to leave. he had the deepest sounding meow, that said "nooooo"
i had to get back in the house in a hurry.

a mouse is already in the new cat house

the cat house is coming along

don't even look at the blue color (mistake) added window

flooring and baseboard in.

the window was donated and the labor to install the window also.

pet defense screening

ok for only 44.00 we were able to order the pet screens for our windows in the cat house and boy do i feel better. we did not need a lot and the size we could use was on clearance. thanks for the information on this tia.


here is the link, if anyone needs any pet proof screening.
https://wholesalescreensandglass.com/osb/showitem.cfm/Category/12

flooring today for the cat house

ok we got the flooring today for the cat house....from this point on...no more pics until it is finished. i like to keep you in suspense.

i am not missed at all

my hubbie and i had to hold this kitten just about all day and after he ate, he had to have his head rub and so on....he loved to be held.

he has been back with his family for a few days now. i went back to visit and take photos and....he does not want to be held. he has bonded with his mates.
little bid is still much smaller but he is eating very well and doing good.

Happy Mothers Day

LIFE ISN'T ABOUT WAITING FOR THE STORM TO PASS
IT'S ABOUT LEARNING TO DANCE IN THE RAIN.

MOTHERS

Real Mothers don't eat quiche;
they don't have time to make it.

Real Mothers know that their kitchen utensils
are probably in the sandbox.

Real Mothers often have sticky floors,
filthy ovens and happy kids.

Real Mothers know that dried play dough
doesn't come out of carpets.

Real Mothers don't want to know what
the vacuum just sucked up.

Real Mothers sometimes ask 'Why me?'
and get their answer when a little
voice says, 'Because I love you best.'

Real Mothers know that a child's growth
is not measured by height or years or grade...
It is marked by the progression of Mommy to Mom to Mother...

The Images of Mother

4 YEARS OF AGE - My Mommy can do anything!

8 YEARS OF AGE - My Mom knows a lot! A whole lot!

12 YEARS OF AGE - My Mom doesn't really know quite everything.

14 YEARS OF AGE - Naturally, Mother doesn't know that, either.

16 YEARS OF AGE - Mother? She's hopelessly old-fashioned.

18 YEARS OF AGE - That old woman? She's way out of date!

25 YEARS OF AGE - Well, she might know a little bit about it!

35 YEARS OF AGE - Before we decide, let's get Mom's opinion.

45 YEARS OF AGE - Wonder what Mom would have thought about it?

65 YEARS OF AGE - Wish I could talk it over with Mom.

The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair.

The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes,
because that is the doorway to her heart,
the place where love resides.
The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole,
but true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul.
It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she
shows, and the beauty of a woman with passing years only grows!

phone ringing off the hook...

will you take this cat he is now fiv and was left behind when owners moved away...
will you take my cat that is declawed, my kids are now allergic to cats...
will you take my cat, he is pi**ing on my bed...
will you take my mother cat and 5 kittens. i know i should have had her fixed when you offered a free spay last year...(i will this year after she is thru nursing) and now there is 5 more that needing "fixing"

we have had a lot of calls in the last two months.

we get calls from across the state, and even two states away.

we do what we can, but we certainly can't help everyone.

cat perch for the windows of the new cat house

we finally have someone that can do something. the sheet rock had to be redone... long story there. anyway, we are now proceeding and three of the windows will have perches.

always something. while looking at the photo of the window, i am starting to feel uncomfortable. i am thinking we will need to replace the screen with steel screen.

not from my garden....

from a friends flower garden.....these are almost orange in color...beautiful.

buddy's sleeping position

purina kitten ad maybe?

except this is a grown cat.

i am shaping up!

oakville kittens

update on one of the oakville kittens, mitzi, that alley cat and angels was able to save. here she is getting along very well with a dog. they even look alike too!

at the trash dump today

a friend and volunteer that comes by every morning to care for the rescue cats, rescued 5 kittens today from the trash dump. one of the kittens was not in good shape. so i agreed to take him in for a few days. and i am glad that i did. he did take in some milk with a dropper. then he was able to eat some wet kitten food, but later in the day and into the night, no pee nor poop. so you know the rest of the story. good news, we did get the pee & poop. we will all sleep better tonight.

we will only have this little fellow for a few days to give him some special care, then he will go back to be with his family.

Warrenton NC 230th year celebration

what a day! and what a great success. two kittens were adopted today.
we did do a litte in sales for the rescue, but the main point of being there today was to pass out information on spay/neuter, homeless cats, and let poeple know we are here.

thanks for for volunteers today in our 90 degrees temps and for everyone asking, we did get into some comfortable clothes later in the day.

a beautiful view from my kitchen window...

the kittens are on our back porch and this is what i see while making my morning coffee.

i am back

computer crashed....i needed a new one anyway but i did not need VISTA ! so i have had three days of ********. but i think i have updated everything, installed most of the programs. i had recently backed up data on an external drive. if you have not done this you really need to. however i did loose my emails. now time to relax a bit.

update

so sad

that these little guys have to be caged but they do for now. boy will we ever be glad to have that darn cat house finished. if the cat house was finished now, these guys could go into an isolation room and have the entire room to play. (old cat house)

and if the owner of the mother cat had her spayed, these kittens would not have ended up at our shelter.

and i wish all rescue would spay and neuter before adoption, it is the only way.

baby boy 2

new baby boy 1 pulled from the shelter today

you betcha,there will be more pics.

the worlds #1 cat bed

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5589279&page=1§ion_id=&order= scroll down and see the wonderful handcrafted, and made in nc cat bed.

for more information on the bed, please visit the site.

we have two of the beds and our cats love them. there will be a bed at our towns 230 year celebration on april 25, 2009 in warrenton, nc. so please stop by our booth for a chance at the worlds #1 rated cat bed. (per our cats opinion)

a kids cat quilt donated for our april 25 event

if you are close by, please stop by our booth. the town of warrenton, nc is celebrating our 230th year anniversary.

click on the photo to see an enlargement.

happy easter everyone

lottery

http://kitsandmortar.com/2009/02/11/the-ultimate-cat-house/

scroll down and look at the people house that was designed for their cats.

when i hit the lottery...just maybe!

and more cats/kittens

the mother and babies were pulled from our shelter and placed in to foster care.

we have a new cat !!!!

meet our new unnamed mascot. yes, he has a body too!
rags maybe?

here is the link for the costumes. these are very nice. fantasycostumeshop.com

it's about finished

new computer desk

ok, i tried for days to keep them off and finally gave up.

meet george

george is a wonderful person we met through our food program. he is stepping in to help the rescue with the sheet rock. he is scheduled for surgery on monday (6 disk replacement). all it took was one phone call and he had several of his friends come in to help. we hope to show more photos as the night progress.

our ebay auction

our first round of vera bradley items on the ebay auction did great even after the all
the ebay and paypal fees, we still did around $300.00. we have more items to put on soon.

just for fun

it is not easy to take good photographs of animals. but it sure is easy to get some funny ones.

cool whip

this nice big boy is available for adoption.

building inspection

passed on monday. after many emails i realized i forgot to tell you. now we are waiting for the sheet rock man.

after surgery

meet newcome

This makes a total of 4 incoming this week an all of them and another went to be spayed/neuter today.

why we love cats and dogs, a series by PBS. good music too!

-

help us name this cat

disaster preparedness

as spring is just arriving we are gearing up for disaster preparedness with the hurricane season that begins in June.
rags to riches cat rescue had applied for the “Power to the Paws” program, courtesy of Petfinder.com Foundation and Merial.

we are excited to announce that we have been notified that we will be awarded a Honda 3000 watt generator and transfer kit and shall be hearing from the Honda dealership soon. as many know locally how storms have caused havoc to our community we are trying to ensure that even with the toughest times we can help our cats and kittens.

we are truly grateful for such a kind donation!

cool whip, freddie jr., and ??? were rescued from our shelter this week.

cool whip (white cat) and ??? (gray)were both under the large dog pillow (on top of the cat pen) when i went out to take pictures of the new cats today.

all of them are going to the vet tomorrow to be neutered and missy is going in to be spayed. with having the unaltered males around this week, missy is now in heat and caged.

meet freddy jr.

thank you steve for taking the cats in and giving them a wonderful home.

Hey Cathy,

This is your weekly update from the now expanded and re-invigorated ******
Household!!!

They are adjusting well!!! I now have three bed partners at night, The dog and the two cats. Parker and Winston have chosen 0500 hrs (Military Time, I know you know what that is !!!) as their appointed "lets get up, run, and play in Dads bedroom" I got ran over by both of them fighting the other morning which was a new experience. I bought them a kitty hotel with all the extras and they are consistently knocking that over in the middle of the night. They have feather toys, they ate two play mice, and have had a ball with a Catnip toy that I got in Walmart on sale. Needless to say, it has been an intresting journey already!!!

They are using the litter pan each and every time!!! No more accidents!!! Fannie has warmed up to both of them.. she even bought her own personal laser light to play with the cats... Yea, shes tough and does not want two cats - MALARCHY!!! My daughters think they are the coolest things since sliced bread....The poodle is still out as far as her vote goes.. she had one minor mishap with Winston but both survived without a scratch.

I am sooooooo glad that I was lead in your direction!!! Those two little furball, heathen, mongrels have brought alot of laughs and pleasure to all of us, no matter what Fannie says. I really love the both of them!!!

Thanks for the Support and Time. Until the next Chapter!!!

Steve *******

donation

the rescue has received many new vera bradley items. at the top left of the blog you will see a link to the items that we have for auction. all the money will go to the rescue, minus ebay and paypal fees.

and i still have many items to list.

the rescue has its own ebay and paypal accounts. the paypal account has been approved for non profit.

one of the new kids on the block or should i say BIG BOYS

just a updated photo of a beautiful cat that resides in our home

check out those whiskers!

three cats

pulled from a kill shelter this pass friday and we hope to pull another tomorrow.
photos to follow soon.

keep fingers crossed that we the pass inspection tomorrow. we are 99.9% sure that it will.

for garage mama's admirer

three adoptions this week

kelley love was adopted. we are very pleased that kelley love will finally get in a home where she will get a lot of attention and can settle down.

did i ever show you my christmas present from a friend

this is twin size and it is going in the cat house.