Mary Ellen “Angel Scribe’s” senior kitties, Whyspurr and Myster E., still play pranks on each other.

Our two Silver Persian cats, Myster E. and Whyspurr are 16-years-old.  You would think by now that the siblings couldn't outsmart each other.

There is a set of windowed French doors leading from the cat room into the main part of our home.  The cats’ water and food are in there along with their litter box, a tall scratching post to observe birds at the outside feeder, and enough cat toys to open a pet store.

For the last year, Whyspurr has been playing a prank on Myster E. and he has yet to cat-ch onto it! When he goes to use the litter box, she paws-itions herself behind the French doors, crouched down peeking through the glass at him -- waiting.

After he uses the kitty washroom, he walks back into the house. Whyspurr, who’s waited patiently the entire time, springs out at him.  Her action leads them to spin around the house chasing each other like kittens.

Do cats get alzheimers?  Myster E. is either walking into his sister's trap knowingly to join a game of chase, or he is honestly forgetting to look?

Every day, we stand and watch Myster E. as he jumps out of the litter box.  We think "Today is the day he is going to look for her! Nope!"  Then, as he causally strolls back into the house, he is once again not aware of her, and he definitely never thinks to look through the glass panes for his trickster sister.

Meanwhile, she wiggles her furry little rear end in anticipation of her approaching "prey" then jumps out at her brother.  Every time, he acts stunned as she rushes him. He jumps in the air, totally surprised, and the chase is on.

One thing is for sure, they still feel young enough to “hunt” and exercise together and we are grateful for every day with our beautiful fur babies....errr furry seniors.

We are learning several things by observing cats; every family has a comedian, even if it is the cat! Plus, unlike Myster E., we keep our eyes open for the obvious!

“Many senior pet owners do not realize that pets like humans lose their eyesight with age,” said Janetta Overholser, president of The Humane Society of Cottage Grove. “Even though I know this, last August I saw one of my elderly outside cats staggering. I went to her and discovered that cataracts had grown over both eyes. Apparently, she could no longer find any of the bowls of water I leave out for the animals. She was hot and dehydrated, so there was an immediate trip to the vet clinic.”

Please DO NOT DUMP young, elderly or any animals! The results are pain, suffering and heartbreaking because the pet starvation is a slow-cruel death.  Please bring your unwanted pets to a shelter so they can be rehomed.”

Tricks to keep alert blind pets to where they are in your home/yard through touch, smell and sound.
- Place a doggie gate in the hallway to paw-vent blind animals from wandering outside.
- Different thicknesses of throw rugs.
- Table top water fountains.
- Textured flooring, tiles, indoor carpeting, rubber mats.
- Solar/wind chimes.
- Different scented candle/herb sachets in each room.
- Don't move fur-niture or leave objects on the floor.

KNND and the Humane Society of Cottage Grove, Oregon's fund raiser: October 20, 6-9p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church,  216 S.  3rd Street. Entertainers are David “Elvis” Lomond, Cowboy Cadillac, Dallas McCord, Cameron Reiten, and Julie Nedele.

“People in the United States spend millions of dollars on Halloween costumes for their pets each year.  I wonder how many fewer animals would be euthanized if that money were instead donated to animal shelters,”  Mark Cuppola.

Mary Ellen's Silver Persians swam their way into readers and viewer's hearts! They have appeared in magazines and newspapers around the world. (France, England, Canada, China, Germany, USA, etc.)

They have been featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul books.

Also, several National and International TV shows featured the swimming felines teaching pet-water-safety. And their furry faces appeared on a line of shirts.