The Dreamer

I often wonder if Binx dreams when he sleeps. One day while I was doing my observations I noticed him sleeping and it looked like he was twitching. I got up from the couch to see if he was okay and as soon as I touched him the twitching stopped. I thought that maybe he was having a bad dream and was trying to get away from something just like I do when I have a bad dream I wake up in a panic. That day I didn't think much of it so I just continued to observe him. A few days later he started twitching again and I had walked over to him to pet him and it stopped. It was almost like my presence and me touching him made him feel better, it made him feel safe. After the second time that Binx was twitching it got me thinking a lot and I really wanted to know if cats dream while they sleep.

Binx Sleeping, dreaming but what he is dreaming about remains a mystery. (Photo taken by Devin Gonzalez. 25 Oct. 2014) 

I found out the answer to my question and the answer is yes cats do dream. Scientists monitored the brain activity of rats when they were awake and when they were asleep. They then concluded that all mammals dream. ("Do cats dream?"). In another website it stated that a man watched his cat and noticed that his cat's paws started twitching and his cat's breathing started to increase. Unfortunately it is not clear what cats dream about. ("Do Cats and Dogs Dream?").

After doing some research I continued to watch Binx when he slept. I compared the way he slept to the way I slept and I noticed some similarities. I had a bad dream one night and I could feel myself moving in a frantic way like I was trying to get away from something. I thought that maybe the reason why Binx was twitching was because he was trying to get away from something as well. I wish I could know what exactly Binx was dreaming about.

Works Cited
"Do cats dream?" Purina. 7 Feb. 2014. n.d. 9 Nov. 2014.
"Do Cats and Dogs Dream?" Parade's communityTable.com 10 Mar. 2014. n.d. 9 Nov. 2014.

Curiosity Almost Killed the Cat

With the weather changing and the seasons changing my mom and I love to having a fire going in the living room. So as soon and the weather starts to get colder the first thing we do is go out and get some wood to start a fire. I think I found someone else who likes a fire going just as much and my mom and I do. My lovely cat Binx. 

Before we had even started the fire we were cleaning out the ashes from the past fires. All of a sudden I look in the corner of my eye and I see Binx kind of tip toeing around the fire place. I knew by the way he was walking around it he was curious and wanted to know what was going on. I tried to shoo him away but it didn't work so well. In the matter of ten seconds he had already jumped into the fire place. This cat went from black to grey in an instant. 

Binx's tail right after he jumped in. (Photo taken by Devin Gonzalez. 30 Oct. 2014)

Binx lurking around the fire place. (Photo taken by Devin Gonzalez. 30 Oct. 2014)

After I cleaned Binx and got all the ashes off him we started the fire. The glow and warmth from this fire was inviting everyone to come sit near it. I sat in from of it for a while, my mom did, my grandma did and so did Binx. He started to creep towards fire and he got a little too close, way too close actually. Luckily I had grabbed him before anything serious happened. The last thing I wanted to happen was have this poor cat get a little too close to the fire. 

Just like Binx was curious with the fire, I was curious on why he was curious. What in his brain caused him to want to get so close to that fire? Cats are hunters. In the wild they have to be prepared or they wouldn't be able to survive. They must always be curious about their surroundings ("Why are cats so curious?").  

There's a bit of curiosity in everyone. When it comes to new food I want to know what it taste like. When I hear a noise I want to know where it came from. Or when someone asks, "Hey does this smell funny?" The first thing I do is put my nose to it because I want to know if it really does smell funny. We're all a little curious about something. 

Works cited 

"Why are cats so curious?" ireport.cnn.com. 23 Mar. 2013. n.d. 1 Nov. 2014. 

Separation Anxiety... Or So I Thought

I think my little Binx has some separation anxiety. I noticed that the other morning when I was getting ready for school he was so excited to see me. Even though it had only been a couple hours since he had been around people. The other day when I had come home after school it was the something. It was like he was the happiest cat on the planet when I walked in the door as he intertwined himself between my legs. I walked in my living room with Binx right behind me and he sat on my lap when I sat on the couch. I was sitting there thinking. Do cats not like being alone for a certain amount of time or is my cat just weird and really wants some attention from people. So I did some research.

The article "Home Alone" points out that cats actually seek out other cats as friends like a new kid starting at a new school looking for friends so they are not alone. If a cat is developing some separation anxiety they will begin to show different kinds of behavior such as urinating on things and becoming destructive ("Home Alone"). Here is the website where I found my information. http://www.cdhs.net/library/view.php?26

After doing some research I realized that Binx isn't going through separation anxiety at all because he isn't peeing on anything and he isn't being destructive. As I looked at Binx, I started to wonder. Maybe cats just want to be loved and want some attention every once in a while just like we humans do. Being loved doesn't have to be from a significant other, it can be from a family member or even a friend. Everyone deserves one person to love and care for them. Even animals deserve that. Binx is looking for that person and he's found it in my family.

Works Cited                                      

"Home Alone." Central Dakota Humane Society. N.p. n.d. Web. 26 Oct. 2014.

Light Shining In the Eyes

I find it kind of odd that Binx isn't phased by sunlight. And here's why. I was sitting at my kitchen table one day doing my homework and the shades to my back door were open with the sun shining right in. The rays from the sun blinded almost every person that had walked by the kitchen. Unless of course that person or animal I should say was Binx.

With the sun's rays shining as bright as they possibly could into my kitchen I watched Binx walk towards the back door like it was the easiest thing he had ever done. Walking without a care in the world towards the blinding rays. I sat there wondering how he was able to do that because if I were to have walked towards the back door I know I would've ran into something because of the bright light coming in. Once Binx had gotten to the back door I believe that I had seen the most beautiful thing on a cat's body.

Binx had laid down at the back door in the sunlight. I think he liked it there because it was warm. Almost like the sunlight had attracted him just like a lamp attracts a moth. As he looked up the sunlight hit his eyes and his eyes lit up like a candle when it first lights. It looked like the sun caused his eyes to glow. They glistened and appeared to be this light yellow color. His pupils looked like ovals that had been stretched upward and whenever he would focus on something outside they would expand.

Seeing this kind of reminded me of the morning sun shining on a lake and that shining, glistening, reflection of the sky is on top of the lake. The expression on Binx's face looked like he was just enjoying the fact that a couple rays of sunshine highlighted a part of his body that no one knew could be so beautiful. It was almost like he sat at the back door just for me to realize that there's more to him than just purring or chasing flies around the house. He laid at the back door without a care in the world, the unbearable sunlight shining right in his eyes as if it didn't even phase him.  

Now I Know

My little Binx is a lover. He loves to cuddle. His favorite spot to lay is right on my neck under my chin. I was petting him the other day and he was purring like crazy. His purr was the loudest purr I have ever heard. So as I was petting him I started to wonder, what makes cats make this famous sound? I found this article on why cats purr and I am amazed at what I found.

http://pets.webmd.com/cats/features/why-cats-purr

I found out that not only do cats purr when they feel good or happy but they also purr when they feel scared. I have never heard Binx purr when he's been scared. Now I know that cats also purr when they get scared I will be looking out for that familiar sound that cats make the next time Binx gets scared. 

Eyes Opened

I found out that Binx loves to chase flies. His determination to get this fly amazes me. No matter where this fly goes Binx is right behind it trying to get it. Wherever the fly lands Binx is right there ready to pounce on it. As I watched Binx try and capture this fly I was lucky enough to get a picture of him. The intensity of his face and his body language just astonishes me. 

As I watched Binx try and get this fly it really got me thinking. No matter how many times Binx failed to get this fly he still over and over attempted to catch it. He never gave up. Binx has opened my eyes. If at first I fail to succeed at something I'm not going to give up. The same way Binx didn't give up. I am amazed at what this little cat has taught me. 

Noticing the Little Things

A few months ago my mom and I decided to get a cat. We hadn't had one for a couple years and we thought it would be nice to have someone else around the house other than us. So on July 15th we took a trip to the humane society and adopted our cat Binx. He is a full black cat and is the sweetest cat we have ever adopted. My mom and I soon discovered that our little Binx is one weird cat.

After about two days of living in my house Binx started feeling a lot more comfortable around everything except this one spot in the house. He started to act a little funny around the back door. He would walk very carefully around the door and wouldn't really stand in one spot when he was near it.

The blinds to the back sliding door were open one night and Binx didn't like it very much. He walked around like he had seen something. Or maybe he had seen his reflection in the glass but he wasn't acting like he usually did. So this kinda brought questions into my mind. Do cats get scared when they see their reflection? Can they really see things that humans can't? 

Here is a picture of Binx looking at the back window. What is he really looking at?