As you all know I love climbing trees and running around outside but how do blind cats and other perfectly imperfect cats keep fit and healthy indoors? What do we get up to during the day to keep ourselves busy, entertained and in tip top shape? Well, when I arrived in my furrever home mummy and daddy realised just how much I loved to explore they so made sure that we had lots of places to climb and explore. I was such an active adventure cat, exploring everything and getting everywhere that mummy and daddy decided to make sure I had lots of places to explore.
With me being blind though they had to think about me not only getting up but getting back down again as well. I’m happy to climb down from somewhere but I don’t really like to jump unless I really have to. Mummy and daddy didn’t want me to have any spaces that I might get cornered and panic if I was being chased so they bought lots of furniture just for us kitties. This furniture were allowed to climb and scratch and muck about on.Well this means we’ve got our own indoor gym and adventure playground.
As I’m climbing about and exploring I can imagine that I’m anywhere I want to be, I can pretend that I’m outdoors with mummy, climbing trees, listening to the birds or climbing up to catch the birds. I can pretend that I’ve gone on adventures further than our gardens, to climb and conquer the biggest, tallest trees in the world, chase the fastest critters in and out of the different levels and of course defend my tree top from predators and those who want to take what I’ve got (normally this is my little sisfur Angelin)
There’s nothing more fun than a good rough and tumble, wrestling around on the floor, bed or even table. Peppar is the master of wrestling, he’s the undisputed champion of our world. Mummy says we’re pretty evenly matched as most of the time he closes his eyes when he fights! He might be much older than us but he still packs a punch with his paws but it’s all good natured and we’re never mean to each other. Most of the time he’s just trying to teach us how to wrestle and be able to take care of ourselves but he also puts us in our place when we need it. Recently Angelin’s been trying it on with him and trying to beat him but no matter what move she tries he’s always one step ahead of her and generally gets the last paw. She gets so excited that daddy says her tail goes all big and fuzzy and her ridge goes up to try to make herself look bigger and scarier but this doesn’t bother Peppar and one swift tap of his paw and victory is his.
Running (well chasing really), Millie is really good at this as she’s got the advantage of sight and she’ll sit and wait for me or Angelin to wander past and then out she pounces, normally with what daddy describes as a rugby tackle – a big Millie style bear hug which takes you completely off your feet, then the chase ensues, down the hallway, under the bed, up the scratching posts, round the living room! Phew, Millie might only have three legs but she’s quick, I have to use all my super senses to run as fast as I can and not bump into things, it’s just as well I have cat like reflexes! Although sometime even I have to admit to getting the odd angle wrong and having the odd bump here and there.
Football obviously, you all know I love chasing my little foam footballs around and playing football with mummy outside but there’s an indoor version that I can play on my own, it really helps to hone my senses and reactions as the ball never really stays still and whizzes round and round just asking to be pounced on. I can make it go fast or slow and then pounce and away it runs back round the other way. Angelin has also mastered this game and even manages to free the ball by grabbing it with her paws and out it pops from its trap and rolls away across the floor with Angelin chasing after it and the rest of us girls joining in, the little ball doesn’t stand a chance with all three of us after it, bang! it bounces off the chair, crash! it hits the wall, then all the fun is spoiled by mummy putting it back in its trap for us to have to start all over again.
As you can see we always find ways of keeping ourselves entertained and keep both our minds and bodies in tip top shape, all it takes is a bit of imagination.
Jenny’s Story 