A few seconds of pondering silence in the Scrabble game was interrupted by a rustle of plastic at the cat door: Portland Bill was coming in again. Nobody paid any atten­tion. Michael and Gladys Herbert were ahead, Gladys doing a bit better than her husband. The Herberts played Scrabble often and were quite sharp at it. Colonel Edward Phelps-a neighbor and a good friend—was limping along, and his American niece Phyllis, aged nineteen, had been doing well but had lost interest in the last ten minutes. It would soon be teatime. The Colonel was sleepy and looked it.
'Quack,' said the Colonel thoughtfully, pushing a fore­finger against his Kipling-style mustache. 'Pity-I was thinking of earthquake.'
'If you've got quack, Uncle Eddie,' said Phyllis, 'how could you get quake out of it?'
The cat made another more sustained noise at his door, and now with black tail and brindle hindquarters in the house, he moved backwards and pulled something through the plastic oval. What he had dragged in looked whitish and about six inches long.
'Caught another bird,' said Michael, impatient for Eddie to make his move so he could make a brilliant move before somebody grabbed it.
'Looks like another goose foot,' said Gladys, glancing. 'Ugh.'
The Colonel at last moved, adding a P to SUM.

Michael moved, raising a gasp of admiration from Phyllis for his INI stuck onto GEM, the N of which gave him DAWN.
Portland Bill flipped his trophy into the air, and it fell on the carpet with a thud.
'Really dead pigeon that,' remarked the Colonel who was nearest the cat, but whose eyesight was not the best. 'Turnip,' he said for Phyllis's benefit. 'Swede. Or an oddly shaped carrot,' he added, peering, then chuckled. 'I've seen carrots take the most fantastic shapes. Saw one once ...'
'This is white,' said Phyllis, and got up to investigate, since Gladys had to play before her. Phyllis, in slacks and sweater, bent over with hands on her knees. 'Good Chr— Oh! Uncle Eddie!' She stood up and clapped her hand over her mouth as if she had said something dreadful.
Michael Herbert had half risen from his chair. 'What's the matter?'
'They're human fingersV Phyllis said. 'Look!'

Read more...

Kitty in NY is the best in-home cat boarding service in New York City. Your cat will be in a safe and loving home environment while you're away. We have great options in Manhattan, Brooklyn or Queens. Contact us and send more details about the service you need. We'll be glad to help you.

Walt Disney himself loved all animals (as his movies reflect!):

We know you enjoy real and fiction cats. If you have to leave the city for a few days or a long period of time Kitty in NY offers the best in-home cat boarding and ​cat sitting solutions. Our caregivers are carefully selected and instructed. We follow up with them not only to confirm availability and conditions but also providing the contract and being available during and after the boarding/sitting service. We have selected some of the best cat caregivers in the city, you can find out more about them in our blog. We will be glad to help you with your cat. Book your next cat boarding/cat sitting service in advance!

Why Do Cats Purr? The Basics

Purring is common when your cat feels friendly or relaxed. However, it’s also something that can happen when your pet is stressed, hungry, in pain, or anxious. The fact is that all cats are different. You’ve probably noticed that different moggies have different personalities. In the same way, all behavior from your cat will depend on the context and that cat’s history. Getting to know your cat on a deeper level makes it easier to figure out whether your cat is purring for anxiety reasons, depression, or something else entirely. 

Purrs release feel-good chemicals for your cat – just like running and exercise creates endorphins for humans. Experts think that cats use these vibrations to soothe themselves. This could mean that your kitty is trying to calm their nerves when they’re snuggling, or that they’re just enjoying the experience. 

Studies found that whole-body vibrations at a certain frequency in a cat’s body can also increase the chances of your kitty healing and overcoming ailments. It sounds pretty weird, but even astronauts from NASA have used vibration therapy to support bone density and keep them comfortable in space. 

Higher frequencies of purring serve their own unique purpose too. One study in the Current Biology journal found that cats purred louder when they were trying to get owners to feed them. Interestingly, the vibrational frequency of a cat’s purr, when they want to be fed, is around 220-520 HZ.

That’s awfully close to a human baby’s cry of around 300 to 600 HZ.  
Here are some of the most common reasons why cats purr.
​

1. Crucial Communication Between Cats and Kittens

Purring is crucial for the survival of newborn kittens. Remember, they don’t have any vision to help them out when they’re trying to find their mom for food. A mom’s purr guides her kittens to her with soft vibrations. Even though the kittens are deaf, they still feel the purring. 

The adorable vibrations that happen between kittens and their moms are kind of like homing devices. They keep the momma cat and her baby cats connected. Kittens start purring in return when they’re about 2 days old, showing their contentment for the food.
​
In the wild, the purring communications between a cat and her kittens are pretty clever too. Since purring isn’t as noticeable as meows and cries, it doesn’t attract predators. 

Another bonus? Purring helps kitties to heal (we’ll come back to this in a minute). When a mother cat is giving birth and recovering after labor, she’ll use purring to release endorphins and reduce pain. Once again, in the wild, this means that the kitty doesn’t attract any predators when they’re in a dangerous environment. 

2. Cats Purr for Attention
You might already know that cats generally only meow when they want the attention of their humans. It’s not as common for cats to meow when they’re communicating with their fellow felines. However, cats do purr for attention – from other kitties, and from you. 

Cat parents are often familiar with the adorable little vibrations of their kitties when they cuddle and stroke them. These little fluff balls exude contentment to let you know that they like what you’re doing. Most kitties also recognize the obvious benefit of purring.
​
The more your kitty purrs, the more likely you are to give them attention and love. This means that they get more of what they want from you whenever they purr. 

 What if My Cat Doesn’t Purr?

Cat purring is usually a pretty great thing for felines and their companions. So, what does it mean if your cat virtually never purrs? First of all, don’t panic. Each cat is different, and many purr at different volumes and frequencies. Some cats are incredibly quiet when they purr. The only way you would notice that these felines are purring is to touch their throat. 

Other cats seem as though they don’t purr at all. Scientists are trying to understand why this happens, but we’re still not sure. Feral cats are more likely to purr less than domestic cats. Some scientists think that feral kitties are taught by their parents to reduce purring in order to avoid predators. 

Scientists have also found that feral cats are usually less vocal in general than domesticated kitties. They don’t develop the habits of purring and meowing as much in their early lives, so they don’t continue it in adulthood. This could be because domestic cats have developed their vocal abilities over the years to communicate better with humans. 

The only real reason to panic about a cat not purring is if you’ve noticed they haven’t been doing it for quite a while, and they’re showing other signs that something isn’t right. If your cat isn’t eating or drinking properly, they’re vomiting, or they’re struggling with going to the bathroom, seek advice from a vet. 

A lack of a purr isn’t necessarily a sign that something’s wrong with your cat. Remember, cats usually purr to heal! However, any change in behavior in a kitty is usually worth exploring.

This article was written by our friend Dexter Jones at We Love Cats and Kittens

You can read more about why do cats purr at myindoorkitty.com.

Photo #1 by Marco Biondi on Unsplash
Photo #2 by Isi Parente on Unsplash
Photo #3 by C. Z. Shi on Unsplash
Photo #4 by Zoritsa Valova on Unsplash
Photo #5 by  Lisa Algra on Unsplash

KITTY in NY provides the best cat care options when you have to leave the city. Our cat sitting visits are perfect for short vacations, weekends or mini business trips. Your cat/s will be visited 30 or 45 min and you will receive a photo/video update after the visit. If you need to leave for longer periods we recommend our in-home boarding service. You bring your cat to the caregiver's apartment where he/she will be the only pet. Contact us with more details about the service you need. We'll be glad to help you with your cat!

​We asked our caregivers and clients to share with us some of their cat memories:

When I arrived to New York it was a chaotic new beginning. I had always longed to leave my home town. It seemed too small, too provincial, too boring, too tranditional... I did not want to marry a local and become like my other friends: a mom, a wife, a respected member of society. I fled from it as soon as I could. Where else could I go? New York City seemed the right place to begin a new life.

I rented a small studio in a depressing neighborhood in the middle of nowhere, Queens. It was an ugly and dirty part of this huge city I've learned to love and hate over the years. A corner deli, a laundromat, a nail saloon and a neighborhood supermarket were the local spots to hang out. The studio faced a brick wall and electric light was required to see anything all day and night. I remember laying down on that bed, looking at the dark bricks. Pigeons would flap their wings every now and then and rest on the rusty fire scape. I was in New York City! 

Beginnings are not easy. It was a tough time, I don't think I could make it now. In perspective, I did what I wanted to do. I became used to the new situation, learned how things worked in this amazing megapolis. It took me a couple of years to dissociate the shinny New York image we see on shows and movies from the real street crossings sourounding my everyday life. Trash, rats, empty cans and thousands of people at every corner.

After a year I adopted a cat. It was in one of those adoption trucks the ASPCA sets in Union Square. A tiny tabby kitten, inside a cage, was gazing at me inquisitively. It was love at first sight. She was 8 months old, found in an abandoned building. Skittish and scared. I took her and and gave her a 370 sqf home. She could eventually climb up the firescape. I named her Sisi, a historic joke. Sis was not an easy cat. My friends could never see her, she would only trust me. She would sit close to me on the couch and watch tv. Very independent, she was not demanding. Easy to care for, lovely tabby with huge green eyes. We moved several times, always in the city. She lived 16 years with me. The day I lost her was a terrible day. It was as losing part of my youth, a time that I only shared with her. When we lose a cat a part of us disapears with them: our projects, jobs, boyfriends, family visits, sex and heartbreaks. Sisi was there, my beautiful gray tabby with her understanding green eyes. 

Kitty in NY has a wide range of carergivers in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx. Our cat sitting and in-home boarding solutions are a great way to enjoy your time away from the city. Business trips, holidays, vacations, home renovations or allergic guests will be no longer a problem. Contact us with more details about the service you need. We'll be glad to help you with your cat/s!

KITTY in NY provides cat sitting and boarding solutions for kittens and older cats. We have selected caregivers who have no pets of their own. We will help you find the best option for your cat's needs. Contact us and give us more details about your cat. We'll be glad to help you.

Kitty in NY is fully booked for Christmas week. We wish all our clients, followers and cat people a merry Christmas. We will continue providing in-home boarding and cat sitting services in 2016.

KITTY in NY provides cat boarding and cat sitting solutions. Our cat care options will let you leave the city without worrying about your cat. You will receive periodic updates from the caregiver. Your cat will be good hands while you take time to run your business or enjoy your vacation or family meeting. Contact us with more information about the service you need. We will be glad to help you.

When I was a teenager we used to take the same route to school every day. On our way we were still sleepy and it was colder, most of the time I did not even realize what was going on around me. But I was eager to observe the neighborhood cats on our way back.

My parent's house was in a middle class neighborhood. Tree lined streets, small houses with a decen front porch and a small garden. Most of our neighbors had one or two cats. Some of them were allowed in the house, others had to stay outside.

The house at the corner belonged to Mrs Abercrombie, a widow in her 60's. She had a very plain front porch with no chairs, plants or flowers. Her white house was what we later called minimalist. She was not into decoration. Her cat was a large black cat, we just called him "the black cat". He was not afraid of humans, he would look at us and wouldn't move an inch. He did not like to be touched.

The second house was always empty, it became a no man territory with wild plants growing everywhere. A couple of times we jumped the fence to find nothing but trash and dusty old stuff. Once we found the body of a dead cat, a ginger tabby was rotting in the back yard. We had never seen him before.

Our neighbors next door were Mr and Mrs Dawson. They had two cats, a male and a female, both tabbies and skittish cats. We could look at them for a few seconds before they run into the house through an open window. They would often stare at us from behind the blinds.

​My favorite was a Persian cat. He belonged to Mr Crown, a retired gentleman who had been a diplomat. He was a distinguished old man, always dressed in fancy clothes. He had gray hair and glasses. His cat was a gorgeous cream Persian cat with orange eyes. Every time I passed by Mr Crown's living room windows I would look to see if his cat was taking a nap by the window. One day Mr Crown invited us in to meet his cat. It was a special moment, touching that silky coat with those orange eyes looking at me.

While growing up that was my favorite moment of the day, on my way back home. A true cat walk. 

Kitty in NY provides the perfect cat care solution for you. When you go out of town send us an email with your dates and we'll get back to you as soon a possible. Our cat boarding and cat sitting options will help you enjoy your time away from the city. Contact Kitty in NY with more details.

When fiber-optic, sky blue hair became the fashion, my father began the 
monthly ritual of shaving his head. It was August, and we were still living in the 
Projects without a refrigerator. The sound of my mother fluttering through the 
rosaries in another room reminded me of the flies I'd learned to trap in mid-
flight and bring to my ear.
"Vecchio finally died," my father said, bending to lace his old boots. "You 
want to come help me?"
My grandparents lived in a green-shingled house on the last street before 
the Jones & Laughlin coke furnaces, the Baltimore & Ohio switching yard, and 
the sliding banks of the Monongahela. The night was skunk-dark. The spade 
waited off to the side.
Before I could see it, I could smell the box on the porch.
We walked down the tight alley between the houses to get to the back yard 
where fireflies pushed through the heat like slow aircraft and tomato plants hung 
bandaged to iron poles. My father tore and chewed a creamy yellow flower from 
the garden.
After a few minutes of digging, he said, "Throw him in."
I lifted the cardboard box above my head, so I could watch the old white 
cat tumble down, a quarter moon in the pit of the sky. 

Poem by Maurice Kilwein Guevara

At Kitty in NY we provide the best cat care service in the city. Our cat in-home boarding and cat sitting solutions will help you enjoy your trips, vacations and holidays while your cat is in good hands. You will receive periodic updates from the caregiver. Our caregivers love cats. Contact us and send more details about the service you need. We'll be glad to help you.

KITTY in NY has the perfect temporary home for your cats when you're away. We select caregivers in Manhattan, Brooklyn or Queens. Your cat/s will be the only pet in the apartment. Contact us and we'll help you as soon as possible.

Jack Kerouac, author of On The Road, was a poet and novelist who was a pioneer of the “beat generation”.

Jack Kerouac loved cats, especially his cat Tyke. He talked about Tyke's death in his memoir Big Sur.

“The next sign is in Frisco itself where after a night of perfect sleep in an old skid row hotel room I go to see Monsanto at his City Lights bookstore and he’s smiling and glad to see me, says ‘We were coming out to see you next weekend you should have waited,’ but there something else in his expression — When we’re alone he says, ‘Your mother wrote and said your cat is dead.’
Ordinarily the death of a cat means little to most men, a lot to fewer men, but to me, and that cat, it was exactly and no lie and sincerely like the death of my little brother — I loved Tyke with all my heart, he was my baby who as a kitten just slept in the palm of my hand and with his little head hanging down, or just purring for hours, just as long as I held him that way, walking or sitting — He was like a floppy fur wrap around my wrist, I just twist him around my wrist or drape him and he just purred and purred and even when he got big I still held him that way, I could even hold that big cat in both hands with my arms outstretched right over my head and he’d just purr, he had complete confidence in me — and when I’d left New York to come to my retreat in the woods I’d carefully kissed him and instructed him to wait for me ‘Attends pour mue kitigingoo’ — But my mother said in the letter he had died the night after I left.”

“Holding up my
purring cat to the moon
I sighed.”
- Jack Kerouac, American Haiku, 1959

KITTY in NY offers a wide selection of loving temporary homes for your cat in New York City. Your cat will be the only pet in the apartment. You will receive regular updates from your caregiver. In-Home cat boarding is truly the best solution for your mid/long term needs. Contact us to explain the services you need, we'll get back to you as soon as possible.

Read on to discover three cat mysteries that have had readers purring. You might enjoy curling up with one - assuming, of course, that your cats allow you to share their sofa.

Sam the Cat Detective, by Linda Stewart. Published in 1993 by Scholastic as a trade paperback. Stewart tells a classic urban noir tale -- with all the key roles, from gumshoe to bimbo, played by cats. Sam, the P.I., is a handsome Russian blue who, with his human partner, runs a specialty bookstore. His client is Sugary, a sultry longhaired cat from the building's penthouse who comes to Sam for help after her owners are burglarized. The thieves took off with a jade necklace that one of her owners had made for a customer; it's not insured, and her owner faces financial ruin. After negotiating his fee -- half a pound of lox, plus expenses, and a small can of tuna in advance -- Sam goes to work. He enlists a few toughs (like Spike, a big black cat who lives upstairs, and Butch, who lives in an adjacent alley) and checks out the buzz on the street with a feline fatale by the name of Angie ("Tan-colored. Tough. You go to see Angie, man, you better sharpen your nails"). This book is a gem, right down to the cover illustration by Chuck Leslie. It shows Sam on a dark street corner with his shadow, cast by the streetlight behind him, sporting a tough-guy fedora.

The Man with My Cat (1999) is Paul Engleman's wickedly funny take on the cat mystery subgenre. It opens with Phil Mooney and his wife Frankie on the doorstep of a Chicago cat shelter, trying to summon up the nerve to unload a Maine Coon cat named Phull -- a charmless and destructive beast they have inherited from Phil's dad. They wind up taking Phull to the local vet instead, in the dim hope that neutering may discourage him from spraying the Mooney household from top to bottom. But when they return to pick up the cat, they discover that he's been stolen -- and a nasty fellow who cost Phil his career with the city fire department appears to be mixed up in it. The Man with My Cat is a wise-cracking urban mystery with the hard-bitten "sez who? sez me!" ambiance of a Mike Royko column. It will be treasured by anyone who's ever had a love/hate relationship with a cat.

A Cat of One's Own (1999) is the 17th book in the popular series about ailurophilic actress and amateur detective Alice Nestleton, written by Lydia Adamson. (Adamson is the nom de plume of Frank King, who also employs it for an animal-oriented series involving veterinarian Deirdre Nightingale and for a bird-oriented series with sleuth Lucy Wayles; in addition, King wrote a dog-oriented series under his own name.) While most cat mystery series follow a particular feline/detective team, Adamson sticks with one sleuth but cleverly introduces a new cat -- or cats -- in each book. In A Cat of One's Own, Alice has helped her recently widowed friend Amanda select Jake, a distinctive brindle cat, from the local shelter. When Jake is catnapped, Amanda pays $15,000 in ransom -- but then is found murdered with Jake, unharmed, by her side. Alice, who was watching the ransom pick-up, becomes a murder suspect. This New York series has more drama and passion than the usual cat cozy, plus a fascinating array of feline breeds and personalities.

Kitty in NY provides the best in-home boarding and cat sitting solutions. When you go out of town contact us. We'll be glad to connect you with one of our loving temporary homes or with a professional cat sitter in your area. We look forward to helping you with your cat!

There were only two Americans stopping at the hotel. They did not know any of the people they passed on the stairs on their way to and from their room. Their room was on the second floor facing the sea. It also faced the public garden and the war monument. There were big palms and green benches in the public garden.

In the good weather there was always an artist with his easel. Artists liked the way the palms grew and the bright colors of the hotels facing the gardens and the sea.
Italians came from a long way off to look up at the war monument. It was made of bronze and glistened in the rain. It was raining. The rain dripped from the palm trees. Water stood in pools on the gravel paths. The sea broke in a long line in the rain and slipped back down the beach to come up and break again in a long line in the
rain. The motor cars were gone from the square by the war monument. Across the square in the doorway of the café a waiter stood looking out at the empty square.

The American wife stood at the window looking out. Outside right under their window a cat was crouched under one of the dripping green tables. The cat was trying to make herself so compact that she would not be dripped on.

‘I’m going down and get that kitty,’ the American wife said.

‘I’ll do it,’ her husband offered from the bed.

‘No, I’ll get it. The poor kitty out trying to keep dry under a table.’

The husband went on reading, lying propped up with the two pillows at the foot of the bed.

‘Don’t get wet,’ he said.

The wife went downstairs and the hotel owner stood up and bowed to her as she  passed the office. His desk was at the far end of the office. He was an old man and very tall.

‘Il piove’ the wife said. She liked the hotel-keeper.

‘Si, Si, Signora, brutto tempo. It is very bad weather.’

http://bit.ly/1wdIolF

By Carls Sanburg

The fog comes
on little cat feet.

It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.

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A cat on the bed
Stretching in oblivion
Getting her checklist done

Would you please show me!
Just a touch of cat knowledge
To get rid of commitments and guilt
How to be more selfish, to have less feelings?

Damned school!
Made me a better citizen
but in exchange I suffer this never ending worry
Guilty of being born
of breathing, of feeling pleasure, of being who I am

Help me kitty
You do understand
the greatness of being yourself
Your only obligation: to Be
your agenda for the day: the next minute
your memory: non existant
your law: your instinct

Sleep sweet kitty
I'll take care of everything

November 2014 - Patrice Mersault

KITTY in NY provides the perfect cat boarding experience. We connect you with people in the city who love cats but do not have any pets of their own at the moment. They all have had cats in the past and enjoy cat company. Your cat will receive all the love and attention while you're away. Contact us to find the perfect solution for your cat in Manhattan, Brooklyn or Queens. We'll be happy to help you!

This latter was a remarkably large and beautiful animal, entirely black, and sagacious to an astonishing degree. In speaking of his intelligence, my wife, who at heart was not a little tinctured with superstition, made frequent allusion to the ancient popular notion, which regarded all black cats as witches in disguise. Not that she was ever serious upon this point - and I mention the matter at all for no better reason than that it happens, just now, to be remembered.

Pluto - this was the cat's name - was my favourite pet and playmate. I alone fed him, and he attended me wherever I went about the house. It was even with difficulty that I could prevent him from following me through the streets.

Our friendship lasted, in this manner, for several years, during which my general temperament and character - through the instrumentality of the fiend Intemperance - had (I blush to confess it) experienced a radical alteration for the worse. I grew, day by day, more moody, more irritable, more regardless of the feelings of others. I suffered myself to use intemperate language to my wife. At length, I even offered her personal violence. My pets, of course, were made to feel the change in my disposition. I not only neglected, but ill-used them. For Pluto, however, I still retained sufficient regard to restrain me from maltreating him, as I made no scruple of maltreating the rabbits, the monkey, or even the dog, when by accident, or through affection, they came in my way. But my disease grew upon me - for what disease is like alcohol? - and at length even Pluto, who was now becoming old, and consequently somewhat peevish - even Pluto began to experience the effects of my ill-temper.

Read more... 

We have a lot of black cat clients! Kitty in NY is the best option for your in-home boarding needs. Our caregivers love cats and enjoy their company. Contact us to book your cat boarding service. We have great caregivers in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. We look forward to helping you with your cat.

The Naming of Cats is a difficult matter,
It isn't just one of your holiday games;
You may think at first I'm as mad as a hatter
When I tell you, a cat must have THREE DIFFERENT NAMES.
First of all, there's the name that the family use daily,
Such as Peter, Augustus, Alonzo or James,
Such as Victor or Jonathan, George or Bill Bailey--
All of them sensible everyday names.
There are fancier names if you think they sound sweeter,
Some for the gentlemen, some for the dames:
Such as Plato, Admetus, Electra, Demeter--
But all of them sensible everyday names.
But I tell you, a cat needs a name that's particular,
A name that's peculiar, and more dignified,
Else how can he keep up his tail perpendicular,
Or spread out his whiskers, or cherish his pride?
Of names of this kind, I can give you a quorum,
Such as Munkustrap, Quaxo, or Coricopat,
Such as Bombalurina, or else Jellylorum-
Names that never belong to more than one cat.
But above and beyond there's still one name left over,
And that is the name that you never will guess;
The name that no human research can discover--
But THE CAT HIMSELF KNOWS, and will never confess.
When you notice a cat in profound meditation,
The reason, I tell you, is always the same:
His mind is engaged in a rapt contemplation
Of the thought, of the thought, of the thought of his name:
His ineffable effable
Effanineffable
Deep and inscrutable singular Name.

by T. S. Eliot

KITTY in NY offers the best cat boarding options in the city. Your cat will enjoy a loving temporary home while you're away. Contact us and send us your dates, cat's names and personality and the area where you are located. We have great caregivers in Manhattan, Brooklyn or Queens. We'll be glad to help you.