What It’s Like Living in a Single Cat Household-20 Questions

Interview with Jessie Cat

Host of

Cats The Boss

NOTE: Jessie has since passed away, but I wanted to keep this information here for you…

~~Answers from the Cat of the House: Jessie (with a smidgeon of help from human Mom/website assistant, Gina).~~

1. Are there any other pets in the house besides you? Nope. Which means I get ALL the attention! Nice. Gina used to have three dogs… all died from old-age and they were pampered and well-taken care of just like me! She knows how to pour on the lovin’!

2. Would you like another cat in the house as a companion? I’m not sure. Maybe around 3:00 A.M.,  when my humans are sleeping, it might be nice to have someone to play with because I sure can’t get them out of bed to play then! But with Gina home so much, I really do get a lot of attention. We play and I get snuggled and she’s always talking to me. And I know she has zero intention of getting any additional animals now. As it was, I was a stray…so I’m very lucky they rescued me and chose to adopt me!

3. Do you get along with other humans in the house? Yes, I do. Human Dad is the only other person in the house. Things are cozy with the three of us. Gina giggles when he picks me up, puts me on the recliner with him and talks sweet to me.

4. Do you eat wet/canned food or dry food or both? Are you on a special diet? I’m not on any special diet…except Gina really measures how much I get to eat so I don’t get fat. Hey – what’s an extra spoonful of that canned chicken and gravy gonna hurt?! Nope-she’s pretty strict. In the morning I eat dry cat food. In the evening I eat the canned food. Since I’m smaller (about 9 ½ pounds), the canned food lasts for three evening meals.

5. Do you gobble up all the food at once or munch on it several times until gone? I usually go back several times until I’ve finished all the food. I rarely leave any food uneaten. In the morning with the dry food, I’ll return to the bowl about three times during an hour. In the evening with the wet food, I’ll eat half right away and return once or twice over the next 1 ½ hours and finish it off.

6. Do you eat treats during the day? Mid-morning I get four (4) little treats. That’s it!! Maybe if the humans go somewhere, I’ll get two more treats before they walk out the door. Gina says, “I’m not having a fat cat in this house! No more treats!” Those treats have calories in them, too. I suppose.

7. Are you spayed? Yes. I was taken to the veterinarian on the very first full day of officially being adopted. Gina didn’t waste any time! And the vet said she could spay me the next day and so it was done. I was able to go home that evening. I’m happier and healthier now that I’m spayed. According to Gina, spaying (and neutering for the boys) can also help prevent spraying/urine marking and other destructive household problems.

8. Do your humans work outside the home or is someone able to stay home with you? If they go somewhere, do you have full run of the house? Gina works from home. She’s an author/writer. Young-adult, supernatural stuff. And if both humans leave, sometimes I have full run of the house. It depends on the time of day. If they leave during a time I am known to be active, I’m placed in my “safe room.” It’s okay in there…I have my litter box, water, window perch, toys, blankets.  If I’m super chilled out or lounging, then I have full run of most of the house. I think they are afraid if they leave me out during those times I’m hyper, I might destroy something or hurt myself.

9. Are you groomed by your human? Oooohhhh yes. Some of the grooming I dislike, but I put up with it. I don’t fight back. Gina does the brushing (I like), ear cleaning (ugh!), teeth brushing (really, really do not like) and nail clipping (eh-not crazy about but she’s careful and fast). And of course I groom myself quite thoroughly every day! You’ll usually catch me around 6 AM and 7 PM cleaning. My ears have always had a problem with wax, so I also try to scrub them out the best I can, too.

10. How often do you get groomed by your human? Brushed – once a week. Although this red glove with rubber tips is swiped over my body a few times during the week. Ear cleaning – once a week. Teeth brushing – daily (can you imagine me having to put up with that EVERY day?!).  Nails clipped – once a  month.

11. Do you have any health issues? Not really. When I was first rescued, I did have several problems. I had tapeworms, roundworms, ear mites, ear infection, I was “in heat” and underweight. Hey-I didn’t have any fleas or ticks though – which shocked the vet! All of those problems have been fixed. Perhaps the only thing would be dealing with excess ear wax.

12. Do you sleep on the bed? Yes. And the couch, recliner, office chair, rocking chair, the two kitchen chairs and the window ledge in my safe room. And once in a while, I’ll even sleep on the floor! Oh – and I sleep ON my humans, too.

13. Do loud noises or storms scare you? I’m able to ignore most of the noises. Pots banging – maybe a slight jerk of my head, then I’m fine. I used to be afraid of the treadmill when it was in motion, but I can sleep on the couch while it’s running now. I have no problem with music, the TV, doors closing, dingers, hand clapping, whistling, dogs barking, thunder and lightning, nothing for the most part…Except for the dreaded vacuum cleaners. I despise them. She has several. I’ve memorized what they look like and before the awful noise begins, I’m dashing at high speed down the hallway to go hide under the bed.

14. How do you travel in a vehicle? I’m placed in a cat carrier. It’s a smaller one so I can’t jump around. My human dad jokes that my sides needed buttered to get me into it, as it was bought when I was newly adopted and still underweight. But the carrier is not that bad. And I’m good – I don’t fight it. One of my soft towels is fluffed up for me to lie on. Another towel is draped over the top so I can’t see all the movement and activity happening around me…which helps to calm my nerves.

15. Are you on a flea/tick/worm preventative? Yes. Revolution – it is a prescription from the vet. It even takes care of ear mites! It’s a topical, once-a-month medication, squeezed out on my neck.

16. What kind of toys do you have? Do you have a cat tower and scratching post? I have LOTS of toys. Let’s see…5 different types of balls, stuffed mouse, ball of yarn (only allowed to play with it when humans are around—afraid I’ll swallow some yarn!), string with feather (again-play time only with the humans), dental chew toy, mouse in roll-about ball, batting toy, another stuffed toy, plastic ball to bat in round device, fake mouse, sock, and the best toy ever – Da Bird!!! And yes, I have a monster-sized cat tower and a separate scratching post.

17. How many hours a day do you sleep? Do you have any special talents? I sleep approximately 17 hours a day. Is that a problem?! And I DO have a special talent – I’m a bug wrangler! Spiders and ants are my specialty…if I come across them.  And the other day, my human dad took something big out into the garage and a FLY flew in! Wow! Talk about exhausting being on fly patrol!

18. How many litter boxes do you have? Clumping or Non-clumping litter? One. Perhaps if the humans left for a full day or longer, an extra one would be set up. It’s a large square-shaped litter box that is open where anyone can watch me potty. But I’m not shy. Gina can be standing right next to me and if I have “to go”, then I go! And non-clumping litter is used. I’ve had different types – I’m not picky.

19. Do you go outside (besides when going to the vet) or are you strictly an indoor kitty? If indoor, do you try to dart out the door when opened? I’m an indoor cat. There is NO casually wandering outside whenever I want to. BUT, I have a Kitty Holster cat harness that I don’t mind wearing and we go outside several times during the week for a walk or to bask in the sun. No, I don’t try darting outside when I see a door open. But the humans are very careful to watch me and are on guard for such behavior. They shoo me away from doors and make sure to never leave the door ajar and walk away from it.

20. Any final words to the readers? Where to begin?! Spay/neuter. Help homeless and feral cats any way you can. Don’t bring a cat (or any animal) into/under your care unless you can actually care for it. And a pet does have expenses. Go to shelters/humane societies when seeking a new cat. Or take in that stray in your back yard. Take care of health issues – keep up on vet visits. Report any animal abuse you see. Use flea/tick/worm preventatives. Don’t overfeed-fat cats have health problems. Respond to bad behavior-get to the root of the problem-don’t ditch the cat-HELP and LOVE your cat. Which brings us to a favorite saying in our home, and one that Dad says to Mom before he goes off to work: “Rub the kitty!” 

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