Paws & Effect: Wise words from the store cat

Howie

Hello! Howie here. I'm the store cat for Busch Pet Products. I consider myself to be pretty famous. It's recently come to my attention that there are a lot of people out there who don't know enough about the feline persuasion. I mean, really, it's not like we put ourselves out there like dogs do, so I can see why we are not more understood. So, for all you out there who don't understand cats, I will graciously fill you in on some important feline facts.

We are much more complex than our canine counterparts. We aren't often as vocal as our canine friends. I guess that's why our humans often have no clue how to deal with us. Just because we don't wear our feelings in the form of happy tails and wagging tongues doesn't mean we don't have plenty to say. My human says cats do everything for a reason. Well, I'll have to give her credit on this one -- she's spot-on. And, if more people understood that, maybe cats would be the No. 1 pet in the world and not those slobbery, stinky dogs!

Here's a great example: If your precious feline decides to use the outside of the litter box instead of the inside, you can guarantee something is wrong. Did you change the litter? Move the box? Both? Let me make one thing clear: Cats DO NOT like sudden changes. Just because you like the smell of a new litter does not mean we do. Gradually introduce us to it and we'll eventually come around. If you decide one day to move our litter box, please warn us! How would you like it if you had to go to the bathroom and the toilet got moved into another room? Not cool, people.

And while we are talking about toilets, do you like to eat in the bathroom? Cats don't, either! So if you have our food and water dishes near our litter box, you might want to rethink that arrangement. And you wonder why we keep digging up your favorite houseplant...

Speaking of eating, let's discuss feline diets for a minute. Cats like meat. Cats need meat. So why are you feeding us dry food that probably doesn't have real meat in it anyway? It wouldn't hurt you to read a label, and we much prefer wet food. Did you know feline diabetes and chronic urinary tract infections are all related to lack of water and moist food in a cat's diet? Personally, I prefer salmon and occasionally some shredded chicken, but no corn, wheat or soy, please!

Even though we felines choose to be independent most days, we do rely on the human species to help us get some things. Now, don't get me wrong, my wild counterparts can function very well on their own, but we domesticated sort need a little more help. Be sure to take us to the vet for our check-ups (whether we like car rides or not) and be sure to involve us in some form of play for at least 10 minutes each day. I really like this toy we have at the store called Da Bird, and my lovely human brings it out on special occasions, but a good laser light or feather toy is pretty awesome, too. We also like to be brushed every once in awhile. It won't kill you to drag out the brush now and then, would it?

You know, come to think of it, we cats really are quite easy to have as pets. I think everyone should have a cat in their life at some point in time. In fact, there are tons of great kitties looking for homes, so be sure to check out Safe Harbor Animal Sanctuary or the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri (just to name two). Maybe you will find one as awesome as I am. On second thought ... you probably won't.

About Stacy and Howie

Stacy Busch-Heisserer is the owner of Busch Pet Products and Zoomin' Groomer Mobile Pet Salon in Cape Girardeau. She is a lifelong animal lover who currently has six cats and three dogs. You've probably seen her cat Howie lounging around the store. Originally from a shelter in South Carolina, Howie made his way to Busch Pet Products when he was 11 months old and soon became part of the family.