Ear issues

It looks like I'll do a post on ear issues soon. Olwyn arrived with a bad case of ear mites, which undoubtedly led to her ear infection, but it cleared up with medication.

The other cats got some precautionary ear drops to keep them safe. Since they are indoor cats, this should take care of matters, but outdoor cats require more focused attention to keep this menace in check.

Cleaning a cat's ears is a tricky job, but an important one. My vet recommends starting the process with a little soapy water. Their instinctive shaking of their heads will distribute the liquid, and helps get dirt out of the ear canal for us. Then the rest of the cleaning goes more easily.

Update: She's Fine

A recent checkup because I didn't like the way Olwyn was scratching her ear turned out to be... nothing.

Good girl!

Translate for the Cats

We have been reminded of the importance of old and new toys for the growing kitten. My doting partner got Olwyn new versions of her old favorites, (Rattly Rat and sponge balls) and of course she prefers the old favorites.

But it's never wasted when we have multiple cats, so RJ will be encouraged to claim them. This is a good way to bolster a cat's confidence, too. Poor RJ is still torn, still occasionally getting too rowdy. All these troubles come from RJ's lack of social signals. He needs his signals translated for his kitten, Olwyn.

Supporting RJ in his communication attempts includes:
 

• Stepping in to explain to Olwyn what his true intentions are.
• Petting both him and Olwyn to foster good feelings for each other.
• Making sure Mr. Bond doesn't go Old School on RJ too much; Mr. Bond, as much as he loves RJ, is himself puzzled by RJ's behavior. But that was not only because Mr. Bond is usually very good at understanding behavior. It is because RJ never behaved in a puzzling way to Mr. Bond before. Mr. Bond needs support, too.

So we can see how we can become the translation service for cats, even with each other.
 

Why we do what cats want

Of course we do what cats want. But science published a few studies that discover nothing cat fans didn't already know.

See my take on this story for Huliq news.

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