Saturday 4 February 2012

My feline black twins



The late Oliver, and sister, Sadie, 2009
I love them, my 'twins'. Born March 31st, 2011, they are about 10 months old.
We adopted them from a post on OVFreecycle.

 They play and sleep well together, but don't eat together. Between the three cats fighting for food- we have to throw out the food in 3 dishes, and put them strategically on floor and counter.

We have to feed them apart. Felix weighs less, Buster weighs more but lets Felix push him out of the way. Sadie, their big sister, nudges them both out of the dishes!
We feed Felix on the counter, which is crazy, but we have to. They love being up high.
Our spray bottle of water is still effective. When they jump up on the counter, hunting for leftovers, we spray
them with water. They learned quickly and now we just lift the bottle and they'll jump off the counters. Sigh.

Me, too?
I read an article in our EMC paper from our Lanark Animal Welfare Society (LAWS), our visit and photos are here, that spoke of black cats having different personalities than cats of different colours. I began to research it.

I popped him up!
Stubborn, independent, willful, but also friendly, outgoing, affectionate with us. Buster is the one who teases sister, Sadie. He'll give her a whack on the way by. She'll sit on top of the chair, he'll jump up and playfully whack at her. Felix isn't so brave!
Buster herds the turkeys in the backyard, as they look for scraps under the feeder. He herds them, splitting the flock, and driving them away from HIS tree, where he hunts for the red squirrel.

In 1973, the following traits were linked to colours in a book called "Your Guide to Cats & Kittens" by Pedigree Petfoods. Short-haired black cats: Clown-like delight in "entertaining its owner with gymnastic tricks and enthusiastic affection".
Can we play? Poor wee Batman!
They play fight, stop to clean a paw,
not necessarily their own, and fall asleep.
(Cats and Cat Care Retrospective - 1960s & 1970s)


Felix atop the new caterpillar!
The black coat was likely the first colour mutation of the wild tabby-patterned that were the ancestors of today's domestic cats. I've found our black cats easy to spot on the snow, but likely, indoors, to sit on my black purse, or other dark objects on the floor. Once they close their eyes, they disappear!

They like cuddling, but only after playful games. We have a lot of toys to wear them out!

Buster watches Reddy
In an article that appeared in the March, 2003 issue of NewScientist, “Black cats may be the more fortunate felines.” Research showed that ebony felines may have a health advantage over other cats. The gene for melanism, which makes their fur black, may be able to prevent certain viruses or bacteria from entering their cells, making them more resistant to disease than cats with lighter-colored coats.

Buster on top of the china cabinet
Genetics are interesting! "Blotched tabby and black are both caused by recessive genes. Two black cats will beget more black cats." Buster has an underlying dark brown tabby colouring in the sun. Felix, with longer fur, seems more black! He's also the one who likes to cross the highway to look for mice friends.

Also, I've read, Black cats less likely to be adopted at shelters

I've made videos of my boys:
 Kittens in castle, shows their playfulness; KITTENS in the swamp, as my boys liked to play in the wetland, and didn't realize that the floating water lily leaves weren't able to hold their weight! I had to wash them off in the bathtub, as they smelled pretty swampy!


Cat and mouse standoff

Buster caught a mouse out in our backyard. Sadie was watching carefully, non-pussed. 

The brothers argued about a mouse one of them caught. They don't hesitate to steal one another's captures! 
I made a collage of their antics:

CLick here for more camera critters! #200
How to tenderize a shrew!

15 comments:

TexWisGirl said...

beautiful kitties. black dogs are the same way - less likely to be adopted at the shelters.

Kay L. Davies said...

Oh, I remember when the twins were little, and the lily-pad incident. LOL
Too bad Felix still wants to look for mice on the other side of the highway. So scary.
Really enjoyed this post, Jenn, although a little misty-eyed about your baby Batman. You fought so hard to keep him alive, but of course you had to release him, and the "red of tooth and claw" part of Nature triumphed. So sad.
K

Hootin Anni said...

Ohhhhhhhhh, so very PURRecious!! I love cats. And kittens. They're just so much fun.

My Saturday Link: BALD EAGLE I do hope you can find time to pay me a visit and say hello.

Anonymous said...

They're beautiful! I love that picture in your sidebar of the two of them hunting.

Grandma K said...

This was very interesting to me! I have had cats all my life, but never a black one until Shadow. He is different from all other cats I have had. He isn't affectionate - except on his terms. He will attack me if I do something he doesn't like. He can be very aggressive. I have noticed he gravitates to dark things (we have no snow!!!).

Thanks for the information!

Anonymous said...

Jenn
I love your post and every cat picture and info!!
We have a grey tabby cat 10 years old.
His Name is Maximus, El Presidente born on a farm in Salem, Ontario.
Actually, I wanted to buy some field tomatoes but we returned home with a kitten:)
I think a home without a cat is not really a home.They are beautiful and very interesting to watch.
Gisela

DeniseinVA said...

Your twins are adorable. I enjoyed reading this post very much, and looking at all those great photos. Thank you!

VioletSky said...

i did not know this about black cats, so now I have been forewarned! I have been fortunate in getting three affectionate cats and hope my next (I'm thinking a pair of sisters) will be just as cuddly. They need to be light coloured to match the furniture I bought to match the calico, though!

SquirrelQueen said...

I really enjoying seeing your adorable black twins and reading the information on black cats. Whenever I'm at our local humane society it is always sad to see the beautiful black kitties who have been there awhile and are unlikely to find forever homes. I have a long haired black cat and a black tuxie, both are very sweet and loving.

Linda said...

Great information! I enjoyed reading, and viewing the photos. THey certainly are pretty kitties!

Maude Lynn said...

Beautiful kittens!

Powell River Books said...

As the partner of two black cats, I can tell you they are and were long lived. My very first cat was a female short hair. She had the nastiest disposition, but could be affectionate when she wanted to. I estimate she lived 16-17 years. Stick (that I now share with Mom) we estimate at about 15 years old so far. We took him to the vet four years ago for a rabies shot so he could cross the border, and they diagnosed him with kidney problems. He's still going strong with no further deterioration. So maybe black cats are healthier. My research with two bears it out. - Margy

Tatjana Parkacheva said...

Beautiful post and very informative.
They are so cute.

Regards and best wishes

Kate said...

They certainly sound like a hand-full, but lots and lots of fun!

George said...

I enjoyed reading (and seeing) the adventures of your twins. It sounds as if life is never dull with Felix and Buster around.