I’ve been around cats all my life and I’ve adored them from day one. But I’m afraid that I’ve taken them for granted in some ways. For example, I know that cats sometimes hiss. It’s what a cat does when backed into a corner. When a cat hisses he looks pretty scary because his ears go flat, he swishes his tail, and he shows his fangs. He looks like he’s going to bite and, if you’re close enough, you might get sprayed by his spit. No one wants to see their cat hiss at them. A hiss is a warning and you’d better heed it.
I never thought much about a cat’s hiss. I knew that all cats came with the capacity to take an aggressive stance and I’ve seen just about every cat I’ve ever had hiss at one time or another. But yesterday a friend shared something she read about the cat’s hiss—that when a cat hisses, she is imitating the snake. Now that was too juicy to let go, so I launched my own research and learned that, sure enough, that’s what the experts are saying. When a cat hisses, she is channeling her inner snake. Some say the cat learned this self-defense mechanism from the snake. What do you think?
If you don’t have a cat of your own and if you live in the greater Cincinnati area, you can
Kittens waiting for a home
observe the cats at Ohio’s first cat café—the Kitty Brew Café. Hopefully, those cats don’t have a reason to hiss, however. And don’t worry, the owners aren’t breaking health regulations because the cats stay in a room separate from the café behind a window. Once you’ve had your food treat, you can enter the lounge and snuggle with one of 12 to 15 cats—all from local shelters, and some of them having been saved from being euthanized. Yes, they’re up for adoption. There’s a $10 fee to enter the snuggle lounge.
What a great promotional activity for cats. How many times have you not been in the market for a cat, but you stopped by the animal shelter anyway or you take a peek at kittens in a box in front of the supermarket and, the next thing you know, you’re carting one home?
