Stop and Smell the Roses

"She is alert, but calm. Her ears are on a swivel, constantly twitching to keep tabs on anything and everything around her."

Nutmeg is fascinated by the outdoors. She is too scared to go out there, but she can watch it all day. She will perch on top of a couch or a window sill, and spend hours soaking up the sights and sounds. Cars tend to scare her, briefly disturbing her watch. Nothing goes unnoticed behind her either, her ears make sure of that.

Cats' ears are like an owl's head, they have over two dozen muscles in their ears that allow them to rotate them 180 degrees. ("Cat Behavior") A lot of a cat's body language comes from the movement of its ears, but that is a topic for another day. Cats have incredible hearing, and can pick up sounds below and above our human capability. When a cat freezes randomly and appears to stare intently at something, it could mean it is listening to a sound that we cannot hear. They can also pick up the slightest sounds, sounds we couldn't hear if it was in our range. ("How Well Do Cats Hear?") Cats' hearing is their most incredible sense. It is nearly impossible to sneak up on one. Even if it doesn't acknowledge its stalker, it knows that he/she is there. So the next time you see a cat's ear twitch, or even follow your movements, consider how effective its hearing truly is.

Nutmeg is, as I discussed in previous posts, scared of everything. As a result, her ears are in constant motion. She hears everything, and will keep track of every noise. If she hears something that she doesn't recognize, she races to the darkness under a bed in a flurry of claws and fur. They snap back and forth with an unseen precision. Some of the sounds that scare her into the asylum of the bed aren't even perceivable by human ears. Most people would think she is crazy, possessed perhaps, and avoid her. That suits her well, because she is terrified of new people. They make unfamiliar noises and have an unfamiliar smell. But those people don't understand why she does what she does, or why she is the way she is. Not many would take the time to find out, either. But that is true for most things, isn't it?


"Cat Body Language." Catster. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2014.  
       <http://www.catster.com/cat-behavior/cat-body-language>.

Merritt, Pamela. "How Well do Cats Hear?." Way of Cats Blog.
       WereBear Media, 2 May 2012. Web. 24 Nov. 2014. 
       <http://www.wayofcats.com/blog/what-cats-hear/17870>.

Fight or Flight... or Lay Down and Look Cute

So far you have heard much about my cat Nutmeg, but I have yet to inform you of the other feline presence in my house. My sister's cat Taffy is a Tabby, like Nutmeg, and has very soft fur striped with yellow and orange. Taffy is older than Nutmeg by five years, and asserts a dominance over her. She is a chronically angry cat who loves her sleep. Wake her up, and you will be wiping blood off of your hand for the following hour or so. Despite Nutmeg's timidness, she has a certain fascination with disturbing Taffy's slumber. Like a sleeping bear, Taffy will always strike back.

Nutmeg is skittish by nature. She may be scared of everything, but her reaction to those things is peculiar. She doesn't run from them most of the time, and she certainly doesn't try to face them, but what she does do is curl up into a ball and stare at her foe with widened eyes. It is extremely effective when her assailant is a human being, because those green eyes can melt the coldest heart. Taffy, however, will take the opportunity to smack her around a few more times before she wises up and skitters under a bed. Beds are her sanctuaries. She spends most of her life in or under them, and uses them to escape any danger that she stumbles across. They are much more than a place to sleep; they are her homes.