gemfyre | Looooooooooooong cat survey.

How many cats dwell in your home? 2

What are their descriptions/breeds? Both domestic shorthairs. Lil is a cowkitty (black and white) and Bella is a tortishell. They are in my icon.

What are their names and nicknames? Lil and Bella. Sometimes called things like Lillycat, Bellaboo, Bella Button, Stinky, Fuzzbutt, Pain in the arse, Purrball, Doofus, Idiot, Floofy tail etc

How come you named them what you did; the history behind their names?
Both were already named when they came to me. Phantom, the cat that lives at my parents place was named after The Phantom of Opera because half her face is paler.

Are any of them related? Nope

Have any of them fathered/mothered kittens? Nope

If so, how did the cats react to the kittens? N/A

Are they spayed/neutered? Yep

Are they trained? Lil is too old and stubborn to train out of her bad habits and Bella is just daft.

Had you rescued any of your cats when you got them?

Lil was already old (about 12 years old) when she came to me. Her owner had died and her hubby was going to have Lil put to sleep. Lucky my sister-in-law intervened.
Bella belonged to a friend who was unable to keep her. She was about to go to the RSPCA (where I'm sure she would have found another family) when I decided I could take her. I'm so glad I did, I love that cat to bits.

What is each cat’s personality?
Lil is a cranky, needy old thing. She ALWAYS needs to sit on me and will claw at me/furniture until I let her. Being old she can no longer retract her claws so everything cops her claws. }:-\ She's also decided litter trays are optional now she's getting older.
Bella is a bit daft. But she's very smoochy and friendly once she gets used to you. If she doesn't know you or you make a loud noise/fast movement she is gone. She's also very athletic. She has to punctuate almost every movement with a little "mrrp", it's hillarious.

Are any of your cats comedians? Bella is a cack.

Are any of them solemn? If any it would be Lil, crankypants that she is.

Do you feel they judge you? This is the beauty of pets, they don't.

Do your cats get along? Most of the times, but they have their spats too.

Do you have any other pets? Not unless you count the spotaneously generating goldfish in the pond out front.

If so, do your cats get along with them? Occasionally they fish will be... observed. And they have been known to drink from the pond when the water level is high.

Do you give your cats treats? Sometimes. Bella goes spazz for fish skin I have discovered.

Do they know any tricks? Hah, unless you call, "Lets knock the plushies off your computer monitor with my tail" a trick, then no.

Are they introverted or extroverted? If you sit down, Lil will sit on you. Bella is skittish around anyone she doesn't know but will quickly warm to you if you're quiet and patient. Make of that what you will.

Do they get along with people? Yeah, I reckon they do.

Do they have their claws? Declawing is illegal in Australia, for good reason. Sometimes I wish Lil didn't have claws though, she has wrecked a few things with them.

Are they respectful? As

softpaw answered - They're CATS..

Do they have any favorite toys; what toys? Hah, these are defective cats, they won't look twice at toys. Actually, Bella will occasionally attack a little squeaky mouse thing and the bit of elastic it once hung on, and the ball on one of the scratching posts. But she's equally likely to attack her tail, or a leaf, or the tag on the beanbag...

Do they dig catnip? Lil does. Bella munches the parsley instead, dumb cat.

What kind of food are they fed? Tinned for dinner and biscuits available all the time. Sometimes I'll buy roo chunks and give that to them instead of tinned food. They also get to lick the plates after our dinner.

Do they beg for your food? Hell yes. Lil can hear a bowl emptying from 5 miles away.

Do they like tuna? Yesm

Any of them like veggies or fruits? Nope, apart from catgrass and catnip.

Have any of them had fleas? I think Lil had fleas briefly, but we bumped that on the head quick smart.

Have you ever given any of them a bath? God no. I value my life. Cats are self-cleaning (they also clean each other rather enthusiastically).

If so, how did they react? N/A

Do your cats ever go wild during a full moon? Haven't paid attention.

Do any of your cats particularly like music? Don't think so.

Do any of your cats have bad breath? Lil has bad teeth and subsequently bad breath.

Do any of your cats have health problems?

Lil - is old, is missing most of her ears due to skin cancer (they were removed before I got her), her nose has pre-cancerous black marks on it, she pees and poos where she shouldn't - subsequent to a bladder infection, she's skinny and wobbly.

Bella - is just a tad overweight.

Have they ever challenged a dog? Once a bloke was walking his medium sized dog on the path in front of our house. Lil approached the dog fearlessly, looking like she wanted to swipe it across the nose, luckily I intercepted. Lil is not afraid of dogs, Bella is afraid of everything.

Any of them ever randomly gone wild? What do you mean by that?

Do they like to be held? Until they get sick of it. Lil will purr contentedly just because she's close to her human.

Do loud noises intimidate them? Bella shits herself.

How do they feel about whistling? Not sure, but when I hum/sing in certain tones Lil gives me this look.

Are they fearful of the vacuum cleaner? Yeah

Does a mower scare them? It's like a vacuum cleaner for grass is it not?

Have they ever caught spiders, cockroaches, moths, mice, or flies inside? I'm sure Bella has. She's certainly chased them. I need to train her to catch Cabbage White butterflies and pantry moths.

If so, are they good exterminators, or do they just play with the pests? I assume bugs are eaten. I recently discovered that birds, when caught, are also completely devoured. Phantom never ate what she'd catch, so this has been a real eye opener for me.

Are any of them afraid of heights? Well, Lil is physically unable to jump very high so I don't know what she thinks of heights, she has no problem being held while I'm standing. Bella can jump 5/6 feet onto a narrow fence, then prowl the rooftops, so I don't think she has a problem with heights - one of her favourite sleeping places is atop the cat tower.

Do you think they form facial expressions? Ummm...

Do any of them smell like perfume, naturally? WTF kind of question is that? Cats smell like cat spit, why the heck would they smell like any kind of perfume?

Any of them smell not so good? Bella's arse doesn't smell good when she sticks it in my face. Lil's breath stinks and she smells a bit funny because she licks herself with that stinky mouth of hers.

If so, what do you do about it? Nothing

Do any of them feel like mink or rabbit fur? Ummm. Bella is nicer to pat than Lil, but I think that has more to do with the fact that Lil is skin and bones and Bella is kinda tubby. Both of them have soft fur.

Any of them major shedders? Not really. Nowhere near as much as Phantom who sheds enough to stuff cushions.

Do any of them have a tiny voice? Lil most of the time. Except when she does a loud "MOW!" that fills the house.

How about a loud mouth? If Bella wants something she will not shut up. And if you approach her when she's sleeping it's "MRRP!! MOW!"

Do they like to get fur in your face? Bella indeed.

Do they purr a lot? Oh yes, two little kitty V8s when they're being petted.

Any of them like to roll? Bella will roll over cutely sometimes when you fawn over her.

Any of them like rubbing against legs, chairs, walls; basically everything? Of course.

Any of them hyper? Sometimes Bella is. If Lil was any slower she'd go backwards.

Are any of them pretty carefree? These are cats we're talking about...

How about mischievous? Not really.

Do they like to test the boundaries? Whoever wrote this survey is projecting human emotions onto animals methinks.

Do they follow you around like shadows? Lil has to be near me, preferably on me.

Any of them like to throw fits? Throw fits?

Ever tripped over any of your cats? No thank God but there have been plenty of close calls. They have been inadvertantly kicked a few times.

Do any of them ever end up looking hilarious when trying to be menacing? My two couldn't be menacing if they tried.

Have your cats ever been exposed to a frog or toad? No.

If so, how did they react? N/A

Do shiny things scare them? I doubt it.

How do they feel about birds? *Makes funny chirpy noises.* And as we recently discovered, Bella thinks they're quite tasty.

Do they think bags are a great? No. They either make scary rustly noises or are a closed in space - and my cats, being defective, don't like small, closed in spaces.

Have you ever given them the round cap seal from a milk bottle to play with? Yes. Bella has batted it around a bit before losing interest. Phantom goes nuts over them.

Do any of them fetch? Hahaha, no.

What are their greatest fears? CATS. Not PEOPLE.

Relay a funny incident about one of your cats: Ummm, Bella chasing her tail never ceases to give me a giggle.

Are they good with children? Probably not, small humans are usually too loud and fast.

Do they hide from strangers? Bella does. If people are quiet/sitting around Lil will inevitably jump on someone's lap.

Do they claw the furniture? Lil does. }:-\ Bella only claws the recliner, which I have relegated to being another scratching post.

How old was each one when adopted?

Lil - about 12
Bella - around 4

How old are they now?

Lil - around 14
Bella - around 6

Have you ever moved with your cats? Yes, twice. From Perth to Narrogin and back again. They certainly didn't enjoy it but they weren't permanently scarred.

If so, how did they react to the move? Within a week they were fully accustomed to their new homes. The biggest trauma was being put into cat boxes then a car and driven a long way. After that any house looked good.

Have you ever left your cats home alone while on vacation? I'll leave mine a max of 4 days alone. I make sure they have plenty of biscuits and water available and fresh litter in their trays. Any longer and I have someone come in to feed them/scoop the trays every few days.

If so, were they glad to see you return or didn’t care? They're glad to see me return home if I've been out 10 minutes or 2 weeks.

Also if so, was the home a disaster? There's usually litter around the place and sometimes poo in random spots. And considering Lil these days we'll probably come home to a few pee puddles when we return from Adelaide. Hopefully it'll be on the tiles and relatively easy to clean up.

Have you had any cats that have died? Yes, Cooking Fat died of kidney failure in 1994. He was my first cat.

If so, how did the other cats, or you, deal with the grief? I took the day off work and cried most of the day when we found out he was so far gone and had to be put down. On the day he was put to sleep mum and dad took him to the vet, while my sister and I went out to visit someone who's cat had recently had a litter. We picked out a tortishell kitten who became Phantom.

What are their favorite activities?
Lil - sleeping, sunbathing, annoying me, toileting where she shouldn't.
Bella - sleeping, prowling rooftops, playing the "I'm on the wrong side of the door!" game.

Is there anything odd about each cat? Neither of them like boxes or tunnels or any of those hidey holes cats usually love. I think it's trauma caused by long trips in cat carriers.

Do you feel they have souls? I guess. I don't really think about it.

Do any of them have a bell? Lil does. I really should put Bella's collar back on, which has a bell. She had a habit of getting her leg stuck in it so I removed it for a while, she is microchipped. But the collar also has an ID tag which is visible, unlike a microchip.

Any of them sport a fancy, or odd collar to match their personality? Nope. Really, they need new collars. Lil's collar is usually pink and Bella's is usually black.

Do you feel your cats are quite different than most cats? Like people, every cat is an individual.

Are they a gang, or are they loners? A bit of each.

Do they spice life up for you? Ummm...

Any of them like to lick you like a dog? Yes, Lil seems to have a fetish with washing everything and anyone in her path.

Do they ever go outside? Yes. Lil is good because she can't jump the fence. Bella can and I wish she wouldn't, but she's so much happier when she can romp outside. They're always inside by dark though.

Do they like nature? I guess so.

Have any of them killed anything? Yes, Bella recently got a Red Wattlebird. Matt assumed she wouldn't be able to catch anything, now he knows better and won't let her out again when there are birds nearby.

Will they ever wear outfits? No.

If you live where there is snow, do they like the snow? No snow here.

How do they feel about wrapped presents? No idea, they'd probably regard them as just another thing in the house.

Do they get excited about packages? No

Do they ever go in the car? Only when moving or to the vets.

Will they go with you to the park? No

Do they ever pose for pictures? Cats are perpetually posing.

Do they obey your commands? Not really.

Do they bite or scratch? If they have reason to do so. I don't give them reason to do so.

Any of them moody like a teenager? Lil is cranky like an old lady.

What are their eye colors? Greenish/yellowish?

What large cats do you think each cat is most like? Lil looks like a cheetah sometimes because she's skin and bones, but she's certainly not as fast as one. Bella reminds me of a well fed leopard or jaguar.

Are they protective of you? I doubt it.

Do they have a spiritual bond with you? I think so

Do they like being petted? Absolutely.

Do they like to be picked up? Yes, Lil more than Bella.

Ever trimmed their claws; if so, how did that go? I've done Lil's claws a couple of times. First foot is easy, then it gets progressively harder. Haven't felt the need to trim Bella's claws, but I imagine it would be a challenge.

Have you ever carried them around on your shoulders? Isn't that the natural place for cats to be?

Any of them climbed into your bag and tried to hitch a ride with you? Lil slept in my suitcase a few times when I was packing for Malaysia.

Are they leash trained? No

How do they feel about the vet? How would you feel about a strange person who puts you on a cold metal surface, prods you and pokes you, then sticks a thermometer up your arse?

Do they have collars? Yes, Bella is currently not wearing hers though.

Are they timid or adventurous? Bella is adventurous. I think Lil is just old and content to lay in the sun for the rest of her days.

Do they smile? Probably.

Do they stare? At me? Not really.

Do they ever hold grudges? Cats! Not people!

Are they friendly? Haven't we already had this question? Lil will sit on anyone who provides a lap. Bella is a big smoodge once she knows you.

Do they climb on counters or cabinets? Lil doesn't, because she's physically unable. Bella will. The only surfaces she's not allowed on are the dining table and kitchen benches, and usually she stays off them, and gets yelled at when she does.

Do they think you are a jungle gym? Not really.

Have any of them ever gotten caught in a couch? Like, fallen down the back or something? No

Have any of them ever gotten caught in a closet or cabinet? Not when it wasn't deliberate.

Do they climb into bookshelves? No

Do they have any cat condos? No. They sleep on couches, beds, the floor, the beanbag, the cat tower, wherever they please.

Where do they sleep? see above

How do they feel about musical instruments, if they ever encounter them? Not a clue.

Do they do anything they know drives you crazy? Sometimes I wonder if Lil knows how annoyed I get when she constantly sticks her claws in my bum wanting to get on my lap. And I remove her and put her on the recliner and she comes back, so I remove her and put her on the recliner and she comes back... *rinse* *repeat* And Bella is developing a bad habit of coming into the bedroom sometime between 4:30 and 5:30am and meowing and rattling the blinds and tapping the window and generally making a racket until she's let outside.

Do you love your cats? Oh gosh yes. Even though they are often messy, stinky, pains in the rear end. I guess it's like toddlers, you love 'em anyway.

Do your cats love you back? I'd like to think so.

Could you live without your cats? Well yes, but I prefer life with them.

Do your cats run everything, or do you? I do, although they like to think they do.

Holy crap that was long!