Showing posts with label animal lover. Show all posts
Showing posts with label animal lover. Show all posts

Sunday, 21 July 2024

Halle Berry is a certified cat lady! Catwoman changed her.

The Internet is pleased to announce that Halle Berry is a "certified cat lady". And she became a certified cat lady because of the film Catwoman (2004) saying that the "experience changed me". She added that she "became a cat lover because of it" and she has been described in the past as a "self-proclaimed, lifelong dog person". I think we can describe her as an animal person actually which I love. The more celebrities who are animal people the better animal welfare will be.

And a beautiful aspect of Halle Barry's love of animals is that she rescues cats. She added that she had "just rescued four kitties I found in my yard three weeks ago".

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"I am a cat woman through and through, because of that experience and those relationships. That experience changed me."
She has an Instagram account and last month she shared a post on that social media platform showing us that she had adopted kittens from a family of stray cats that she discovered in her yard.

She introduced us to a couple of cats named Boots and Coco. She said that: "I found these two little fur babies in my yard along with their two siblings and their mom".

She ensured that the mother was spayed so that she could no longer procreate and create more homeless kittens and released her back into her yard where she is now an outdoor cat. She found forever homes for two of the babies and the remaining two "are our new lovies". She now has a "full house". Meaning of animals and I presume cats.

Halle Berry did exactly the right thing. She is a good woman beyond the world of cat rescue and animals in general. There is on doubt in my mind.

When she prepared for her role as Catwoman she was given a cat early on during the production as she didn't have one. His name was 'Playdough'. She said that she didn't have the responsibility of children and had plenty of time "to focus on this".

During the filming, apparently, she said that she was a "full-on cat, all the time. I'd crawl around my house, trying to jump on my counters, thinking 'If I were a cat, how what I get up there? I was in a 24/7.'"

Catwoman


Halle Berry played Patience Phillips, who becomes Catwoman, in the 2004 film "Catwoman." The movie itself wasn't a commercial success (I believe), but it did mark a milestone for superhero films as one of the first to be led by a woman of colour.

Here's a quick rundown:Movie Title: Catwoman
  • Year Released: 2004
  • Halle Berry's Character: Patience Phillips / Catwoman
  • Genre: Superhero (loosely based on DC Comics character)
  • Reception: Negative reviews, but notable for casting

While the film didn't win over critics, Halle Berry's performance was recognized with a few award nominations, including a BET Award for Best Actress.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.

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I have taken it that the photos in the montage are in the public domain. Wrong? Please leave a comment and I'll respond promplty.

Friday, 2 April 2021

How do I make my cat love me?

How do I make my cat love me? You can answer the question in one sentence. Love her or him. If that is your starting point you will respect your cat as a cat but you will treat her as a member of the family. They are open to being friends and bonding. Just open the door to them. In respecting her you will understand her behaviour and requirements. 

You will understand that she needs to behave naturally to be happy. And if you provide that environment and she is happy she will be inclined to love you. And if you give her the best quality food that you can it will also help to make her love you. But above all all your actions must be the actions of a person who loves their cat.

Love bug feline

So you will pet her in a way that she likes. You will learn what she likes through observation and by trial and error but all the time it will be gentle and respectful. And you will learn her rhythms and routines. You will learn her fears, her likes and dislikes. You will prevent the circumtances that make her fearful. And everything that you do in relation to her will be based upon what you've learned with the objective of making her happy.

A domestic cat must be able to behave as naturally as possible in the human home. Any animal who is prevented from behaving naturally will find it difficult to be happy. They will be more inclined to be anxious. The inherent abnormality of the human home can create anxiety in domestic cats. Human caretakers have to overcome this. The home should be as calm as possible. Multi-cat homes need to be proficiently managed. You'll need skills.

There should be a minimum of intrusive noises and activities. Reassurance can come from routines and rhythms in the life of the cat's caretaker. Cats will pick up on this and follow them.

If you love your cat you will provide her with some high vantage points were she can rest in safety. They love moving vertically. Meet that desire. You will also provide some hiding places where she can rest and hide when she feels anxious. You will allow her on your lap if she wants to be there even if it inconveniences you. You will allow her to come on to your bed at night because in terms of scent the human bed is the centre of the universe.

If you have a close bond with your cat, which is your objective, your scent is very important to her. Domestic cats rely far more than we do on their sense of smell. It is perhaps more important than their eyes in identifying objects.

Because it is so important and because the bed is in the words of Jackson Galaxy a "scent soaker" she should be allowed on it and even inside it with you under the covers. Don't balk at allowing this to happen. Put away any squeamishness. It will improve the bond between you both and in doing that it will make her happier and you as well.

A lot of cat owners think that they should lock their cat out of the bedroom at night. I strongly disagree with this for the reasons mentioned above. Like I said at the beginning, you respect your cat and treat them as felines but you should regard them as members of the human family. You would not keep your child from coming into the bedroom at night so why should you do the same thing with your cat? If getting into the bed is impossible for you build a little bed for her in the bedroom.

You want your cat to find her mojo, the raw wild cat inside of her which should be expressed as near as possible in the way would that it be expressed if she was free-living in a wild place. Many domestic cats live inside the home full-time. This puts extra pressure on owners to make their world as natural as possible.

Cat window box
Cat window box. Pic in the public domain.

If permissible and if the budget allows at least build a window box which is a construction that sits inside a window frame but juts outside so that they can sit in it and smell the air and be closer to nature. Better still build an enclosure attached to the house. Once again this allows a cat to experience nature at least to a limited extent. This in turn allows a more natural existence for them. This brings pleasure and with pleasure they are more likely to love you.

Catio in the Middle East
Catio in the Middle East. Image in public domain.

Never shout at your cat or punish her. They don't understand punishment. They don't like loud noises and they will pick up your animosity towards them if you shout at them. Use a melodious and gentle voice with her. Cats do not need to hear a cat-like voice to understand or appreciate you. It should be a calm voice which is reassuring. A lot of what we do in regard to our cat is to reassure them because they are quite nervous creatures although it does depend upon the individual personality.



Don't punish your cat. Poster: Ruth aka Kattaddorra.

As mentioned, feed them the best quality cat food that you can but don't overfeed them. Do not try and buy their love with human treats to an excess. Give them the odd treat but not too much because if your cat becomes obese that is not an example of loving your cat. It is an example of indirectly and perhaps inadvertently abusing your cat because obesity brings health problems. You would be harming your cat if you allowed her to become obese. There is an epidemic of feline obesity partly because many people themselves are obese and they have failed to recognise what obesity really is.

Obesity brings feline Type II diabetes and other illnesses just like it does with humans. The coronavirus pandemic has targeted obese people. By far the majority of people who have died because of contracting Covid-19 are obese people. You want your cat to be healthy. A healthy cat is more likely to be a happy cat and a happy cat is more likely to love you.

If a cat is miserable because she is unwell it will be impossible for her to love anybody because she will be too unhappy. And finally, at the end of her days you will probably have to decide to euthanise her. The timing of this process is vitally important. 

It should be an objective decision in the interest of your cat and not of yourselves. Sometimes people delay this decision because they do not want to say goodbye to the cat that they love. This can prolong pain and distress in a cat through a chronic illness. Seek the advice of a good veterinarian who has at least 10 years experience and who knows felines and is sensitive.

Be with your cat when she dies. Your last duty as a loving cat guardian. Image: PoC.

And finally, on the day that she is euthanised you should be there with her, to comfort her and to say your goodbyes. This is your final duty, the duty of a person who loves her cat and who is loved in return.

Friday, 5 February 2021

Allow the friendship between cat and person to grow over many years

What I'm going to say is essentially common sense but I do believe that it is worth saying it nonetheless. It comes from first-hand experience, actually. When you adopt a kitten and live with her for the remainder of her life your relationship will change over those 15 to 20 years.

Man loves cat and vice versa
Man loves cat and vice versa. For illustration purposes only. Pic in public domain.

This is because you will change, your circumstances will change and above all the character of your cat companion will change. Of course, it depends upon the inherent character of the cat (and person) and the environment in which they live. But if your cat is a little bit feisty and perhaps a bit standoffish which may concern you slightly then you might expect things to improve over the next 10 years as your cat goes from being a teenager, through to being a youth and then to a middle-aged lady.

It's my experience that a feisty little male cat can become quite mellow in middle-age. I prefer the mellow character. And if you are consistent with the love that you deliver to your cat through excellent care, the bond will deepen between you. There is a reward because your cat will become more attached to you and more often than before seek your attention and enjoy being with you, perhaps lying on your lap or next to you in bed.

The point worth making is that the relationship deepens but the deepening depends upon how the relationship is managed by the person. It is the person who is in charge. Consistency in excellent caretaking with plenty of tender loving care will warm the relationship as the years go by.

It will become very beautiful and tender. Both parties will be supported and enjoy the relationship. The lesson is to be patient, very patient and think long-term. Also be consistent and develop those routines and lifestyles which cats like. They need the reassurance of a well developed routine which suits them. It gives them confidence and through confidence they can express their personality more positively and thereby show their love for you.

Sunday, 29 June 2014

John Dolan And George. The Power of Companion Animal Friendship

John Dolan has spent a total of 12 years in prison.  It was mainly for theft and drug offences.  He was living rough in east London in 2010 when he was given a Staffordshire bull terrier called George.  Dolan says:

 “Just before I got George I was on drugs, it was terrible.  The day I got the dog I wasn't sure what to do.  I realised I had a big powerful animal on my hands that needed a lot of looking after and there was I, barely able to look after myself...  What George has given me over the past three years is a belief in myself and my ability to draw."

Dolan credits George with helping him to transform his life from a homeless criminal into a successful artist.  He now sells his drawings to £2000 each.  John Dolan knew he had some talent because he used to dabble with art when he was a teenager.  While he was sitting on the pavement doing nothing as a homeless person with George he decided to draw the buildings opposite.  I suppose it kept him occupied. Up until that time he was simply begging for money it seems receiving the odd coin here and there.  Then he started to supplement the donations by selling his drawings for £10 and £20 each.

John Dolan and George

Gradually John Dolan became known as street artist and a lawyer, Richard Howard-Griffin, got to hear about him and recognised his talent.  He organised an exhibition of his work.  And now a forthcoming book is about to be published about John Dolan and his dog George - John and George: The Dog Who Changed My Life.  It is due to be released next month.

Which brings me nicely to the next topic of this short article which is that John Dolan's story very nicely mirrors the story of James Bowen who adopted an orange tabby cat named Bob.  At the time James was a drug-addicted busker. His story has been well publicised and as I recall, two books have been published about him and his relationship with Bob.  More than 1,000,000 copies have been sold.  James Bowen's life has been transformed and he too credits that transformation, at least substantially, to Bob.

John Dolan says,

“If I had not had George, I would never have picked up a pen.  He is my saviour...  He's like my child, the one I never had.  He's given me a life."

Both the stories of James and John remind us of the power of the friendship of a companion animal.  Don't underestimate it.

Photo by Rob Weir

Tuesday, 17 June 2014

Trespassing Cats: A Neighbourly Battle Of Biblical Proportions

Lady releases trapped cat
It happens everywhere especially, as far as I can tell, in the United States of America.  A neighbour likes cats and looks after lots of them. She can't help it. She just loves cats too much and can't stop herself from helping them.

Her next door neighbour either dislikes cats or is neutral about them.  His young boy is allergic to cats. His neighbour's cats wander into his yard. They urinate in his yard and occasionally defecate there as well. He puts up with it but after a while he decided to put down traps then take the cats that are trapped to the local rescue centre.

The cat loving neighbour finds out that she is missing some cats and then discovers what is happening so at 4 in the morning she sneaks out of her property onto her neighbour's property and releases the trapped cats. The person who trapped the cats figures out something is going on because he knows the cats were in the traps at one stage.

We have the makings of a war between neighbours which is something to be avoided at all costs.

Anyway the guy who set the traps sets up surveillance cameras to record what happens at 4 in the morning when his neighbour comes onto this property to release the cats he has trapped. He uses the video material to tell the police what has happened and she ends up facing what in America is called a “criminal trespass charge" for walking onto her neighbour's property.

Trespass is normally a tort meaning a civil wrong and not a crime. In addition, I do know what crime she has committed. Opening traps? Perhaps she damaged the traps.

This must be an American law.  Anyway she will probably end up with a criminal record and the guy who got her prosecuted will end up with an extremely angry neighbour who will carry on doing exactly the same thing as you did before.

No one's a winner, everyone's a loser.  The answer has to be a common sense answer which is that the lady who'd like to look after cats continues to do so but at the same time respects her neighbour's rights and wishes in order to keep the peace with her neighbour. I say that being a cat lover but even cat lovers need to respect other people's rights.

Being a cat lover does not trump everything: the behaviour of a cat lover has to fit in with society just like the behaviour of everybody else.

This is not a made up story but a real one. The lady who looked after the cat is Jean Kerdock-Locke and her neighbor is Ben Sanchez. The live in southeast Albuquerque, USA.

Tuesday, 27 May 2014

Are You Considered By Some to Be a Crazy Cat Lover or Animal Hugger?

Jackson Galaxy Considered by Some to be a Crazy Animal Hugger

If you are a young man and you love cats and perhaps you love all animals then you might be considered to be a crazy cat lover or crazy animal hugger by some people.  Jackson Galaxy says that he is considered to be a crazy animal hugger by some people in the USA (click on the link above to read more about that).  He is not your archetypal cat lover based on appearance which is why he breaks down barriers. He breaks down the stereotypical image of a person who likes animals and cats. This is his great asset I think.
Cat lovers are creative people. Poster by Ruth aka Kattaddorra

What I mean is his appearance is his great asset because when you combine his appearance with the fact that he is a well-known cat behaviourist and “animal hugger" then you have a potent mix which is highly effective and which draws people in who would otherwise not necessary be that interested in animal welfare.

The stereotype is that older women, particularly independent and intelligent women, are cat lovers. The other stereotype is that the younger man or the family man is a dog lover.

If you like animals a lot then people who don't understand can unjustifiably criticise you.  However, I don't think that a person who loves animals would criticise a person who does not love animals.  I think that people who care about animal welfare are generally better people and they tend to be more polite and therefore will not be aggressive towards people who are different.  Conversely, the people who are aggressive towards people concerned about animal welfare can tend to be more aggressive anyway.  Am I stereotyping people myself?  I'm not sure but that is how it looks to me sometimes.

It is surprising that such a well-known cat behaviourist with his own television channel in the USA is criticised and insulted by people who call him a crazy animal hugger.  This is what Jackson himself says happens sometimes.

On a more optimistic note, however, he does say that there is an ongoing general shift in attitude towards animal welfare among Americans in America.  He believes - and he is well placed to assess this - that Americans are becoming more sensitive towards animal welfare, which means of course that Jackson will become more mainstream and criticised less!  What a good thing that would be. Perhaps this trend will translate into less declawing of cats and less wild cat species as pets.  There are too many pet wild cats in America.  They are unsuited.

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