How to Catch Tuff Ghost

He’s a skittish little critter, but if you try really hard you can catch him and pick him up and give him a good squeeze.

There are three things to remember when trying to get him.

1. Look up!

This advice was born out of a mistake. I told a friend to “look up” for something but he was already focused on chasing a cat. He thought the advice was for the cat-catching. Oddly enough, it helped. When Tuff Ghost thinks you aren’t looking at him, it’s easier to get near him. Just look away and inch closer with your arms at your sides.

2. Accept a Headbutt

Tuff Ghost shows his love with soft little headbutts. If you hold out your fist and he gives you one, he is probably comfortable with you getting close enough to grab him. It will still be a struggle though.

3. Distract with Food

If all else fails, grab him while he’s eating. Nothing distracts him when there is a hearty bowl of kibble in front of him and he is easy to catch. He sure won’t be happy about it but since Tuffo never scratches, there isn’t much to fear about bothering him a little.

Sea Ghost’s Story

I acquired Sea Ghost the same way I got Tuff Ghost (see: Tuff Ghost’s Story). So what can I say about her that hasn’t been said about Tuff Ghost?

Well, for one, she doesn’t live here anymore. But we’ll get to that at the end.

When I got Sea Ghost years ago, then named Gretel, and she hid all the time with her brother, she was actually less scared than he was. She would come out from their hiding places for food more readily and I even pet her a few times the first month. After a while, I was even able to pick her up, something I only recently have done with her brother.

We hadn’t fixed them yet because we thought they were too young, at their tiny size. One fateful day, I found the siblings doing “the deed” with each other. We chased them apart as fast as we could, and then kept them in separate apartments. It was too late. Sea Ghost was pregnant but we didn’t know yet.

My tiny little Sea Ghost was unknowingly pregnant. We separated the two siblings as soon as they started Doing It. Sea Ghost went to live with a neighbor downstairs with another cat, Lovelace. One fateful Thursday the 12th, there was one, single mewing little kitten curled up in Sea Ghost’s limbs.

After we adopted out the kitten, Sea Ghost went to live with a fraternity brother’s family in Connecticut. She lives there to this day, fat and happy.

Sea Ghost Flusk

Tuff Ghost’s Story

Tuff Ghost is the youngest cat I have and the only male. He is now about 4 years old.

About three and a half years ago, I was shown a picture of two blurry, black and white kittens that another fraternity brother had rescued from the street. She had no room for them in her apartment because she already had three cats. They were brother and sister and identically patterned, except the girl was much smaller, both adorable tuxedo cats. They were named Hansel and Gretel.

It took about three seconds for me to decide I wanted the kittens, but about three weeks to convince my roommate we should have more cats. At this point I already had Olive and Haircut, and I guess my fraternity brother who had the kittens assumed I could handle more. Olive and Haircut were even getting along!

When Hansel and Gretel showed up, they ran straight from their crate to behind our boiler and stayed there for about three weeks. I would put food and water behind there, but we started to be concerned about whether they were eating at all. We scared them out from their little hidey-hole and covered it up with some big boxes, which remained there for about 8 months. They found new hidey-holes anyway.

I renamed them Tuff Ghost and Sea Ghost, after songs by the Unicorns, now that I finally knew what they looked like. Tuff Ghost is still afraid of me to this day.

Tuff Ghost Silberstang

One of the oldest pictures of Tuff Ghost.

An Introduction

I have three cats. They are good cats, and usual cats.

Some people like to say, “oh my cat loves to jump to high places!” or “awwww she plays with yarn” and I really wish I could. My cats are tricksters, escape artists, bold.

If you lean over, they will jump on your back. They can open my refrigerator and pee in the toilet. I have never taught them any of these things, or any other trick. They just know. They learned.

This is not to say that my cats are different than other cats. They are all pretty much the same. They will purr and eat and lay in sunbeams and jump on the shelves and even chase bugs. It is just that I didn’t know cats could open doors. And I didn’t know cats could work as a team.

They are less like pets and more like shiftless roommates, forever late on the rent and refusing to clean up after themselves.

Anyway, here is an introduction to my cats.

Olive

Haircut

Tuff Ghost