This week seems to be all about cute kittens and that’s due to my WANA friend Ali Dent and her awesome blog. She offered to review my book Complete Kitten Care and then followed up today with an author interview (gulp!).
Truly, to me kittens and cats are way more interesting than authors. And to prove that fact, here’s some curious kitten trivia from the book:
- Newborn kittens can’t regulate body temperature.
- Although blind and deaf at birth, newborns scent-mark Mom-cat’s milk bar and usually return to the same nipple each time.
- The prime socialization period for kittens is 2-7 weeks of age (BEFORE they go to new homes)!
- A four-month-old kitten can go into heat and become pregnant.
- Kittens “talk” more with silent body language and scent than with spits, hisses, purrs or meows.
- Meows tend to be aimed more at humans than at other cats.
Learn more in the book, of course. 🙂 And if you’re very bored and want to find out what makes this weird pet-centric writer work, please visit Ali Dent’s blog for her interview with me–AMY SHOJAI, THE UNTOLD STORY!
I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered? Do you have a new kitten and need answers? Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, listen to the weekly radio show, check out weekly PUPPY CARE must knows, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter with excerpts from the forthcoming THRILLER, LOST & FOUND, and pet book give-aways!
Hi Amy…when a little stray kitten wandered into my life years ago, I wanted to “do things right”…so bought your Complete Kitten Care book/copyright 2002. New baby…new book!
I found it fascinating when I read that the kitten offers a “greeting” to the mama cat upon return to the “nest”. Sure enough, my little one did offer a sweet trill everytime I came in the room…I began to imitate it to greet her in return. Since then, I use that trill for all cats I meet.
Learning and then applying is what makes the study of cat behavior so great!
Until next time…Annie
Hi Annie, thanks so much for stopping by–I’m delighted to *virtually* meet you. Small world, eh? Glad the book helped, that was such a fun topic to write.
I had no idea either meows were aimed at humans! I find it amusing that my2 rescued brother cats dont meow for food in the morning – they just sit on either side of my head and stare at me until I get up to feed them!
I do wonder, what makes one cat (sleek, fast) want to escape outside all the time and the other one not (fat, and slow)?
Hi Donna, thanks for visiting! As to your cat question–different metabolisms and activity levels/personalities truly define cats. Likely the curiosity and activity levels of the one that spurs exploration also keeps the cat slim. *shrug*
Pregnant at 4 months? Oh dear – I’m assuming that’s a rare happening! Love the photo up top – sooooo sweet! Great interview with Ali and I know this book is going to be a huge hit!
Patricia, it depends on when the kitten is born, and the Oriental breeds (Siamese, Burmese, etc) tend to mature earlier than some others.
Hope the book strikes a chord with kitten lovers, yes!
I didn’t know that about the mama’s milk. I loved Ali’s post on you!
I’ve got a question for ‘Ask Amy’: my son has a cat ~ Frostbite. She’s a sweetheart, but really doesn’t give a hoot about any of us. Well, she likes our son and will sleep with him/hang out in by his computer while he’s on it, etc. But my husband and myself? Not so much. How can we get her to like us and be more loving? Thanks!
Great question, Tameri! I’ll add it to the next batch for Ask Amy. *s*
I loved your interview over at Ali’s too! It was cool learning how that book came into being. And, you do sooooo much! I just can’t wrap my mind around it.
Thanks Bridgette, Ali did a terrific job with the interview. I’m trying to cut back so I can have some real “down time” with family. Hard to do when you work for yourself though.
You can always try what a lot of the folks who make a living online do: crunch time for a bit to back up several posts ahead and set something up to auto-post them at set times while you’re away. 🙂 Not sure if WordPress had a feature for that or not though.
Already doing that Karyl. 😉
“Meows tend to be aimed more at humans than at other cats.”
The prime exception I have seen is within families. Our little group of cats had certain calls that all the kittens seemed to know the meaning of. There is one I used to mimic to call them all, after seeing momma cat use it to gather them for hunting lessons. It never failed until after the group started breaking up, and they weren’t as used to it anymore.
Karyl, that’s fascinating! Yes, they can have specific “dialects” or accents just as humans have regional communication differences. It all comes down to what form of communication is rewarded with the desired results.
How interesting that meows are aimed more at humans than other felines…very interesting. Guess they really are trying to communicate with the dumb ones. Mine are immensely patient but when they get fed up with not being understood, they take matters to another level, one usually involving sharp little claws. Attention getters, that.
LOL! Yep, the “sharp bits” will get attention for sure!