Namira

[Juska]

I'm gonna take Namira out back today on the leash and see if I can't coax the other cat out. Or possibly put some food out to lure it in. I don't want it starving out there. She's been here almost 5 weeks now.

[Juska]

Haven't seen hide nor hair of said doppelganger kitty. Hopefully my dad just saw a barn cat or another creature that is fine outside.

I found out what Namira is.

Apparently her specific grade of white to black ratio is called a Harlequin or Magpie. At least there's something! If you Google "cap and saddle cat" or "harlequin/magpie/piebald cat" you'll see tons of photos of cats just like her!

[James_S]

So it seems Namira is just going to stay with you :) I have a dog and two cats myself and the hierarchy is as follows: the male cat is a philosopher and I swear something similar to a monk, dog is a goodhearted, shy and kind soul and the female cat is a fat ballerina and a princess - she rules the house. Cats are awesome and they go along with dogs just fine.

[Juska]

Mom got a shot of Namira and I in the back yard the other day:

[Ash]

Ooh! I love it! You look so classy, and then Namira is the perfect final touch. ;) You're beautiful.

I still love Namira's eyes and tail. She's a pretty cat, and she's so lucky to have you. You need to change your signature now, because it seems like she's a keeper, lol.

[Juska]

Oh, haha, I totally forgot about my signature! I'll go change that now :)

[Juska]

Here's another thing about cat ownership that gets me, I even hear it from supposed "cat lovers": the nail-clipping issue.

It's like the only options people know of are having the vet sedate the cat/have a poor vet tech hold the beast and clip them (and drop serious cash on the procedure), and declawing, which is not only expensive for you but painful and debilitating to the cat. You wouldn't cut the first joint of your dog's toes off to keep him from scratching people, would you? Of course now. I think a lot of it comes from people not even knowing what the procedure entails. When I tell people that they actually cut the end of their toes off, they get this grim, shocked look on their faces.

When people talk about their cats being bat#*@& crazy about having their nails clipped, and they'd rather have a vet or groomer do it because the cat is either so nuts or they're too scared to do it, it makes me think of someone who's afraid to floss or some other easily-done-at-home hygiene duty. Of course there are cats out there that may have past trauma that might make them fear it, but anyone that adopts a cat from kitten or even young adult stage should not have a problem with this. I've cut nails on feral kittens and gotten them used to it. It's really not that difficult if you're consistent and gentle.

It's all about training. I know, training a cat!? What is this witchcraft!?

Namira literally showed up in my house one day, probably never had her nails clipped in her life, and she's totally fine with me doing it. There was one time when I asked my dad to hold her, and she was actually worse about it. Much worse. But I just cut all of her nails in under 60 seconds. Because I trained her to lay still and let me do it.

How? Intermittently, when I go near her when she's laying down, I touch her feet and squeeze her toes very gently so the claws stick out. I let her inspect the nail clippers (which are human toenail clippers, the same ones I use, haha).

That's it...no vet, no cutting off toes, no pain or agony for either of us.

I wish more people would realize that cats aren't just small, furry creatures that live in a house with you, and you should let them do whatever the heck they want, because they can. Cats can be trained, too. I haven't even OWNED a cat for almost 16 years until now, and I know that!

Of course, there are many people who have this issue with their dogs and other pets as well. Trust me, I've clipped nails on probably a thousand dogs over the past couple of years, I've heard and seen it all when it comes to dog toenails.

Sorry for the rant, haha. I guess being a dog bather for 3 years has turned me into a bit of a nut.

[BlueBaby1023]

I feel the same way about cats and nail trims! I trim all of my animals nails, from the small pets, to the cats, to the dogs. The only cat I have an issue with is the one in my avatar, Rachel, but she was mostly feral when I adopted her and is not much better now. Even as an 8 week old kitten she spit and hissed and bit when getting her nails trimmed (and with just about anything really... food-hiss, toy-hiss, petting-hiss...). Now I can sneak up on her while she's asleep and usually get them done before she even realizes what's going on. It's about knowing your pet and using that to your advantage.

[TamanduaGirl]

You don't need to trim a cats nails they naturally shed them off when clawing at stuff. They aren't going to over grow like a dog's does.

[Juska]

Yes, but it helps when the cat likes to run and climb all over you and your furniture. It also keeps her from doing any damage when she "massages" my sheets, clothes and furniture, haha. Not to mention her claws might get stuck in the carpet if they get to full length.

[Juska]

A new collar for Namira. Has an amethyst stick stone pendant, purple glass and silver beads.

[Ash]

Ooh, could we see a pic with it on her?

[BlueBaby1023]

Have you ever had any issues of cats getting stuck with these? I know you mentioned previously that her collars kept coming off, but I'm sure you don't want her getting hurt either.

[Juska]

She lost the first collar I put on her; back when I was letting her go outside on her own. Now she is strictly an indoor cat, with short, supervised visits on the back porch to nibble on grass.

The collars I make for her close with a bead and loop-style clasp, and if she ever did get it stuck on something, the bead would pull out of the loop. All that keeps it on is that bead (and they're small ones, only a few millimeters in diameter), it's not meant to be a collar for attaching a leash to or anything. Strictly for fashion purposes ;)

[Juska]

I think Facebook killed the links to my previous images because I moved some of them to a new folder just for Namira. Anyway, here are some new pictures!