About katpuke.com

About this site.

Hello! This site was created as a fun way of dealing with the issue of cats throwing-up. I recently married a man with 2 cats. Keep in mind that I am new to owning cats. My family has always been more familiar with dogs. Honestly, I never knew that cats had a tendency to throw-up! And this whole hairball thing has been quite a learning experience for me! Although we want to include information about hairball remedies, carpet stain removers, cat litter and other cat health information we would still like to keep this site as entertaining as possible. (Humor is the best way of dealing with issues like puke, I believe.)

About the cats - from their perspective.

Mahpee. I'm Mahpee. That's short for Mah pee yah loo tah (man who is not afraid of his horses). I can become invisible simply by sticking my head in dark places and hiding behind doors. I enjoy watching my humans clean up the litter box. In fact, I think it's time to make them do that trick again. My favorite web sites are Live Nude Cats and The Orange Cat Supremacy Page (only this one doesn't exist anymore!).

Sheba. I'm Sheba. I'm so pretty, I can stare at myself in the mirror for hours. If I can't wake my humans up to feed me, all I have to do is run over their heads in the morning. I've spent 13 years carbo-loading to get just the right amount of weight to be able to make their heads bounce a few inches off the pillow. Like a sumo wrestler, I'm in top physical form, but I have the grace of a gazelle. It's been suggested to me by many that I should join Chubby Kitties Anonymous, but I think that these people have not read my Cat User's Manual.

About the cats - from the perspective of the humans that they own.

A little over 13 years ago, I adopted Sheba and Mahpee. I had just lost my cat to liver disease and the home felt barren without a cat's presence. I had gotten to know a couple of people working at the local grocery store. I often worked late into the evening and stopped off at the grocery store on my way home. It seemed I was always buying cat food or cat nip and would joke about how my cat would torture me if I didn't bring some food and treats on my way home. The people at the store noticed that I was no longer buying cat food and asked me why. I told them that I had just lost my companion. One of the clerks told me that her cat had just had kittens and they were looking for a good home for them. I wasn't sure if I was ready to start caring for another kitten, but I had grown up my whole life with cats, so I took down directions to their home.

I didn't know much about these people but I lived only a few blocks from their neighborhood. It was a very poor neighborhood that had once been the site of an enormous textile industry. The mills had closed several decades before, but the poor families in this area clung to the false hope that one day the industry would be revived. As a consequence, many of the families were represented by generations of folk, all on the same block. I went to this couples house. They directed me to their living room. In the room were 4 kittens, 2 Angora-like and Mahpee and Sheba, the shorter haired ones. The mother cat hid in the corner afraid of everyone in the room. I was told that the mother was a 'wild cat' and that 'she don't come near anyone.'

The 2 Angoras immediately approached. But I was struck by the cries of Mahpee and Sheba as they cowered in fear from this new person. My heart was immediately drawn to them. I knew the Angoras wouldn't have any trouble being adopted. They were cuddly, sociable and quite elegant. But the other 2 were beautiful in a way that some don't percieve. They were wild and innocent. As I reached to pick up Mahpee, the woman said, 'Oh, don't bother with them. They're the dog cats. We're going to throw them in the river tonight. You want the pretty ones.' I was dumbfounded and asked them, 'come again?' 'Oh, we're gonna put them in a bag and throw them in the river tonight,' she said. 'No one's gonna want them. They're the dog cats.'

I continued to talk to the owners as all the kittens returned to nurse on their mother. When Mahpee and Sheba reached their mother, the owners would push them away with their feet. 'We want to make sure the other ones get enough milk for their coats. The dog cats are gonna be gone tonight.' I asked again for Mahpee and Sheba. They refused and I told them I would think about taking the Angoras. I left after exchanging pleasantries and grocery store tales, all the while hiding my anger and rage at their ignorance. They told me that they put the cat and kittens out for the night and bring them in when they return for work, so I should come by the next day after 7PM. That night, while they slept, I lured the mother cat away from the kittens with some nutritious cat food. The type of food she hadn't seen for quite some time. While she gourged herself on some much needed fat and protein, I scooped up Mahpee and Sheba and took them to my home. It took several days of feeding them milk on my finger tip while they hid behind some shelves before they learned to trust me and accept food. But they have been my companions since and have weathered many storms with me over the years.

Thom