Study Questions The Intelligence Of Felines

I feel bad for the fifteen cats who were nice enough to take part in psychology lecturer Britta Osthaus' silly string challenge only to be labeled limited in their problem-solving abilities.

Kate From Amtrak, Please Keep Your Cat!

I was on an Amtrak train yesterday, sitting across the aisle from a twentysomething girl who slept eight hours of our 12-hour journey from Montreal to New York City while I gazed lovingly at cell phone pictures of my cat Charlotte and imagined the happy reunion we would enjoy when I got home.

When the girl finally woke up, she got on her cell phone and chatted with a couple of friends and then her mom. My ears perked up when I heard her complaining to her mother about her cat. "I'm thinking of getting rid of her," the girl said.

I immediately started taking notes. Weird, I know. But it is the journalist in me. I knew I would be writing about this.

"She bites when I play with her," the girl said. Eventually, she admitted to her mother that the cat doesn't bite hard.

Looking for another justification to get rid of her cat, the girl told her mother, "I liked her a lot more in the beginning."

The girl also lamented that owning a cat is not as satisfying as owning a dog.

As you can probably imagine, I was freaking out as I listened to this girl.

"Will you help me with this?" she asked her mother. "I don't know who I'd contact. Maybe I could take her to a pet store or a shelter."

"I spent a lot of money on her, but I did like her for the time I had her," the girl added.

I am not a photojournalist, but I felt compelled to snap a photo of this girl. Judging by the quality of this photo, you can see why I am not a photojournalist/cat sitter and am just a regular journalist/cat sitter.



After she got off the phone with her mom, she called a friend, and from that conversation I learned this girl's name was Kate.

Kate chatted with her friend about a guy she was hanging out with who didn't call her for five days, then left her a voicemail claiming he had lost his phone. She was smart enough to know this guy was full of it and not worth her time, which gave me hope, and I debated whether to say something to Kate about her cat. I wanted to implore her to keep her cat. The shelters are already full of cats who need homes, and I am sure her cat loves her and would be heartbroken if she knew that Kate wanted to get rid of her.

But I chickened out and didn't say anything.

Anyway, Kate, if you happen to read Cat Sitter in the City (okay, you probably don't), but if you do, please don't get rid of your cat. While boys will lose their cell phones and drop out of touch for days on end, your cat will always be there for you. Your cat likely doesn't have a cell phone, but if she did, she would always answer on the first ring, and she would be happy to talk to you.

Put in the time and effort to bond with your cat, Kate, and it will blossom into a relationship that you'll treasure for years to come.

In Honor of Michael Jackson: Thriller Cat

It's Cute Cat Photo Friday!

I am out of town on vacation, and I miss my cat Charlotte like crazy. Team Charlotte is taking care of her while I am away. Yes, believe it or not, I have a team of people caring for my cat because the job is just too big for one person. Anyway, I am indulging myself and making Charlotte the subject of today's Cute Cat Photo Friday. The pictures below were taken by R., one of Charlotte's official photographers. As you can see, Charlotte is incredibly cute. I can't wait to kiss her little face when I get back to NYC on Sunday.

The Ultimate Maternity Hospital For Cat Lovers

There is a Hello Kitty-themed maternity hospital in Taiwan. No kidding. Ohdeedoh, the blog on home design for kids, has posted an item on the facility. The thinking behind the concept is that all of the Hello Kitty paraphernalia will reduce patient stress levels.

I am trying to decide whether I would have been less stressed if the surgeon who took out my gallbladder at New York Presbyterian hospital a few years back had been wearing Hello Kitty scrubs...

Okay, probably not.

Incidentally, I had my gallbladder taken out at the same hospital where Andy Warhol had his gallbladder removed. I found this out just before I had my surgery, and I thought it was pretty cool until I also found out just before my surgery that Warhol died in his sleep after his procedure.

Cat Sitter Waits For Kristen Wiig's Answer

I am obsessed with cats, but I am also obsessed with Saturday Night Live's Kristen Wiig as regular readers of Cat Sitter in the City know, and I had a dream about her last night. It didn't involve cats in case you are wondering.

Rather I was at Saturday Night Live, and I was performing for Kristen, who, incidentally, will portray me in the inevitable Cat Sitter in City movie due to my inability to convincingly portray myself. Kristen thought my skits were funny, and I was thrilled because I had written all of them, and I asked her if I could be her intern. I explained that I didn't want to perform on Saturday Night Live because I'm not a great actor, but I told Kristen that I am a great writer and wanted to write skits for and with her.

In my dream, Kristen already had two interns, so I was a bit nervous about my chances, and I will ultimately never know what Kristen's answer was because I woke up before she could tell me. So now I am left wondering what could have been.

Cat Sitter Casts Leads In Inevitable CSitC Film
Kristen Wiig Guests On Flight Of The Conchords
Kristen Wiig's Crazy Cat Lady Video Surfaces
Cat Sitter In The City Declares Saturday Night Live The Most Cat-Friendly Show On Television
Kristen Wiig Must Portray Me In The Inevitable Cat Sitter In The City Movie

New York City Remembers Pretty Boy

The death of Pretty Boy, the East Village cat known as the mayor of East 7th Street, has made the New York Times.

It's Cute Cat Photo Friday! Meet Katerina!

Katerina is so cute and sweet. When I asked her to pose for a photo for Cute Cat Photo Friday, she sat down in front of her favorite pillow. "All you need is love...and a nice cat or two," Katerina says. Agreed.

This Is Why I Love Living In The East Village

Where else in the world would you find a mural of cats doing bad things? This one is on East 3rd Street and Avenue A.

Badpie Bakery Blogger Blogs About My Blog

I was thrilled to learn that the author of the Badpie Bakery blog blogged about my blog. The author's husband turned her on to my blog, which she says is destined to become one of her favorite blogs. I love hearing this, of course.

In turn, I checked out Badpie Bakery and think I have found a kindred spirit. The witty author loves cats (her cat Burt Reynolds, who is pictured above, even has a blog of his own) and So You Think You Can Dance!

Real Housewife Earns Cat Sitter's Respect

Those girls on The Real Housewives of New Jersey are kind of scary, and I'd be afraid to cat sit for any of them. But I have to give Dina props for taking a step back from her career to spend time with her family and her cats. She is a devoted cat mom, and I like that.

In fact, I am so impressed by Dina that I would like to invite her and her cats to make a cameo on The Real Housecats of New York City, my upcoming Bravo series.

My Life In Animated Form

My friend R. just sent me this video of Strawberry Shortcake and her cat Custard, noting that it could easily be me and my cat Charlotte. Scary but true. Enjoy.

Manhattan Cat Survives 26-Story Fall

I'm a little late to the party on this story, but I just read a blurb in New York magazine about a Manhattan cat who survived a 26-story fall from a Manhattan high-rise last month. The cat, whose name is Lucky (no joke), and his mom shared the terrifying tale on Good Morning America.

By the way, the photo accompanying this post was taken as Lucky hurled toward the balcony that he ultimately landed on. While I am glad Lucky made it, I don't want people thinking that cats routinely survive these types of falls. They don't. In fact, one of my friend's cats died a few years ago after falling from the twelfth floor of an apartment building. Some guys were doing work on her apartment, they left the window open, and the cat jumped.

Keep your feline safe by making sure your windows are equipped with sturdy screens.

Cat Sitter Recommends Another Must-Read Blog

My cat Charlotte and I would love it if you spent all of your time reading Cat Sitter in the City (have you gone all the through the archives at the bottom of the page yet?), but we understand if you feel the need to check out Cat Deeley's weekly blog on EW.com.

If you don't know who Cat Deeley is, you are not watching Fox's So You Think You Should Dance with your cat, and you really should be. As the title implies, the show is a dance competition. Charlotte and I watch it because we live for "the dance" as Charlotte calls it, and I also find it a source of new dance moves that I can use to impress the cats I cat sit for.

I could have been a professional dancer, but my career was thwarted by selfish dance instructors who were more interested in eating than teaching.

A Twist On Cute Cat Photo Friday

Normally, today would be Cute Cat Photo Friday. Well, I'm mixing it up and making it Cute Cats Photo Friday!

That's right. I'm featuring two cute cats today, and you should prepare yourself because you will likely be overwhelmed by their combined cuteness.

Without further ado, meet sisters Darla (on the left) and Dottie.
How cute are they?
Look at Dottie's cute little face. And what a cute little pose! I can't stop looking at her cute little chest and paws.
Darla is sticking her little tongue out. How cute is this cat? Even her little pink tongue is cute! And her teeth are cute, too! There isn't one part of this cat that isn't cute!
As you can see in this photo, I was caught in a swarm of Darla and Dottie cuteness. They both wanted me to pet them and kept walking back and forth acting all cute. Unable to handle the sheer amount of cuteness before me, I blacked out. When I came to, I was too weakened by their cuteness to snap more photos. These cats are just that cute.

Juba Health Update: It's Good News!

As regular readers of Cat Sitter in the City know, my cat sitting client Juba recently had a pituitary tumor blasted with a shot of radiation from the CyberKnife. This nasty tumor was making Juba insulin-resistant, therefore complicating his diabetes treatment.

I recently checked in with Juba's dad and am happy to report that the radiation has appeared to help. Juba has been doing so well in recent days that his dose of insulin has been reduced to eight units from twelve, and the blood work he had done last week came back excellent. Well, his blood sugar was still high, but not crazy high, and all of his other functions and readings were perfect, his dad says.

Meanwhile, Juba is playful again, which is a great sign.

Cat Sitter In The City Seeks Facebook Friends

I have taken the plunge and created a Facebook page for Cat Sitter in the City. There isn't much content on it at the moment, but once I have more than one fan, which is me at this point, I will start updating the page regularly. Hope to see you there!

East Village Mourns The Loss of Pretty Boy

I was sad to learn that Pretty Boy, a cat known as the mayor of East 7th Street here in the East Village, died on Tuesday, May 19. I found out when I read the latest issue of The Villager. Pretty Boy's death actually made the front page, which says a lot about how much people loved him.

I had the pleasure of meeting the handsome white cat a few times when I visited Mikey's Pet Supply where he would lounge on the counter. Pretty Boy also spent a lot of time at Salon Seven, and he was known to sit outside the restaurant 7A to watch people eat, according to The Villager.

Pretty Boy's friends estimated that he was about 22 or 23 at the time of his death. He will be missed.

The Story Behind Keyboard Cat

You've likely seen Keyboard Cat by now. He is an Internet sensation, and Green Day even spoofed him recently. For those of you who are interested in finding out more about Keyboard Cat, I just found this news story that explains how he came to be a celebricat.

Welcome To Another Cute Cat Photo Friday!

This cute cat is named Stella. A former cat sitting client of mine, she is a native New Yorker who now lives on a lovely farm in England with a goat, sheep and chickens. Stella and Lil' Kim, who passed away last summer, lived with me for six months two years ago. My cat sitting clients don't normally live with me, but Stella and Lil' Kim's parents had to move back to England, and the cats had to get some shots and then wait six months before they could join their parents.

I went to the farm last September and got to see Stella again, which was amazing.

For some reason, I have been thinking about her a lot lately and really missing her.

Stella is not only cute but incredibly beautiful as you can see in the picture above and the photos below. We did this photo shoot in my apartment, and it was a big accomplishment because there was a time when Stella was afraid to have her photo taken and would run for the hills any time I pointed my camera at her.

Anyway, enjoy these pictures of Stella!

Would You Spend $180 On A Litter Box?

I was just perusing ApartmentTherapy.com, and I came across an ad for the ModKat litter box. It costs $180. I am not kidding. I don't know what else to say.

Book Your Feline A Ticket On PetAirways

Your cat can fly first-class with a new airline launching for pets called PetAirways. Well, not first-class but coach, and I don't want to hear any cats complaining about that (Kiki and Fonzie, I'm talking to you) because flying coach is way better than flying in the cargo hold like cats and dogs do on traditional airlines.

PetAirways launches this July and will serve five American cities—New York (yay!), Los Angeles, Denver, Chicago and Washington, D.C.—at the outset. Plans call for the airline to expand to 25 cities within the next two years.

Check out this video for more info on PetAirways:

Make Works Of Art With Your Feline Photos

This afternoon I was delighted when I received these photos of my cat Charlotte from R. She had taken photos of Charlotte from my blog and then turned them into works of art at BeFunky.com. Check out the site. It is really easy to use, and you can take your resulting masterpieces and have them printed on everything from t-shirts to cups.