Festival O' Felines

Harri in the Drawer

2011-06-23T08:04:00.001-07:00

Harri is a very weird cat. She always has been. She's very timid and runs around the house constantly looking over her shoulder. She hates to be picked up. She likes to be petted at times but will bite you while you are trying to pet her. From the time that she was a little kitten, she has had a fascination with open drawers. I'm folding laundry and putting things away and she sees the open drawer as an invitation to cozy up on top of the clean clothes.

There was the time when she was much smaller that we heard pitiful little meows coming from inside the dresser and realized that we had shut the drawer with her in it.

Getting a Lickin'

2011-05-31T11:15:00.000-07:00

Bear taking care of her Mimi.

First One Down

2011-05-22T09:35:00.000-07:00

Lucy had her first vet visit in a few years yesterday. She did not enjoy it.

Her appointment was for 3pm and at 2:45 we were calling her name and looking all over the back yard for her. No Lucy. I figured if we couldn't find her we'd just take one of the other cats, but after shaking her food dish she finally started meowing from on top of the shed. And then wouldn't come down. Keith managed to kind of climb up where he could reach her and dragged her down and stuffed her in the cat carrier. Eeek, what are you DOING TO ME?!?

Then, off to the vet's office, which is just a short drive up the road and is right next to McDonalds, very handy if you want a snack after visiting the vet. She got her temperature taken first and weighed and then we waited for about 30 minutes in the little room, Keith getting kind of cranky at having to wait and being kind of annoying. We had brought along a towel to wrap Lucy in since we weren't sure how she would react to strangers touching her, and Keith brought his leather gloves just in case she started biting or clawing. She was okay up until the vet started poking at her. Then the growling started. She got one shot and since she is an outdoor cat now was going to get a leukemia shot. The leukemia shot is kind of like an air gun and makes a loud noise, so what the vet does is position the cat right in front of their cat carrier so if they run for it, they run right into the carrier. Lucy didn't run into the carrier, we had to shove her in there while she was spitting and hissing.

The cost was fairly reasonable, $30.00 for the visit and then the usual $25.00 for each shot. The other cats won't need the leukemia shot so their visits should be a little cheaper. We're going to take one every 3 weeks until everybody is all up to date and then we'll start saving up for next years visits.

Patient

2011-05-16T07:13:00.001-07:00

Harri is quite the patient little cat. She will wait at the door to the garage for you to open it up for her since she won't go through the kitty door for some reason, and then when she is finished doing whatever it is she is doing in the garage, will wait patiently on the other side of the door, staring out at you through the clear kitty door, sending out thought waves until you finally listen and come open the door back up for her.

She will also sit waiting by the bathroom sink for her drink of water. Why she won't go drink from the kitty fountain in the kitchen I don't know, I think it has something to do with her fear that all the other kitties are going to gang up on her or something. Anyway, she will sit and stare and then you finally hear her thinking about water or feel those kitty eyes staring at you and you go fill up her bathroom sink water dish.

Cats on Drugs

2011-05-13T16:02:00.000-07:00

I gave everyone a toy dipped in that wonderful stuff, catnip! Every cat in the house knows when the catnip comes out and everyone needs their own toy, except Buddy always thinks that someone else's toy is better than his. Just like at dinner time, he eats his food and then scavenges more food from all the other bowls cause you know, someone else may have gotten better food. Or catnip.

See, here is Buddy looking around for better catnip.

Mimi Sleeping

2011-05-06T10:58:00.000-07:00

She is such a sweet little kitty. Although why she chose the top of my dresser for her nap is beyond me. I guess the light was too bright for her little blue eyes, too.

Falling Down

2011-05-02T08:17:00.000-07:00

With our new gate on the side of the house, Lucy can't get back over the fence if she comes out front unless the gate is open. She has figured out how to get up on the top of the gate from the back yard by climbing onto the trash can then onto the fence and then on up to the roof of the house. From the roof she leaps onto a tree branch then climbs down. She did this the other day while I was watching, but instead of climbing down from the tree, she went further and further up into the tree. Then I hear branches cracking and see leaves shaking and down she goes. She sat there for a minute, then kind of shook herself off, and seemed to be okay.

Keith built her a couple of platforms so she could have a more comfortable napping spot and yesterday I just happen to look up into the tree.

I'm surprised he didn't build her a full on tree house with doors and windows and a porch.

In Pursuit of the Wild Lucy

2011-04-25T09:59:00.000-07:00

We search the wild forest in pursuit of the elusive, ferocious, and fearsome Lucy cat in her natural habitat, hoping to observe this creature as she goes about her day.

What's this? Hidden high in the branches of a tree, her fur blending in with the brown shades of the branch, the sharp clawed dangerous Lucy cat is lurking, hoping for unsuspecting prey to walk below.

She appears to be quite relaxed and sleepy, maybe she has already devoured her morning meal and has settled in for a nap while she digests.

Behold this dangerous cat!

Relaxed

2011-04-24T10:40:00.001-07:00

Lucy seems to be adapting well to living the outdoor cat's life. She doesn't look too upset in these pictures.

She has gotten in the house a few times, Keith had the garage door open and forgot to shut the kitty door into the house, then shut the garage door, and here comes Lucy wandering in through the kitty door. I scooped her up pretty quick and put her back outside. I am so afraid she will go off on one of the other cats and I don't want them getting all freaked out again.

Pepper still kind of whines when she sees Lucy through the window or door but the rest of them are getting used to seeing her out there. We had the front door open and everyone was sniffing each other through the screen door. I kind of wonder what is going through their minds. How come we can see her and smell her but she's out there? What the heck is going on here anyway?

We've decided to let her stay as an outside cat as long as nothing else weird happens with her. Keith is going to build her a little house out there for her, who knows if she'll actually use it but at least there will be some shelter. We'll have to dose her with Advantage when flea season starts up and we know she'll end up with a parasite or two but we feel better allowing her to stay rather than taking her to the pound.

I'm SO SCARED!!

2011-04-22T09:53:00.000-07:00

Poor old Buddy. He acts like such a big badass but every time the trash truck goes down the street he runs straight into the garage to hide from the noise. Why he thinks the garage is a safe place I don't know.

Today it was the street sweeper truck.

Keith was still in bed and Buddy runs into the bedroom and crawls under the covers with him, turns all around in panicked circles, and then finally cringes under the covers. He is still there after the street sweeper left a long time ago. It might come back!! OH NOES!

Lucy is adapting to living in the back yard after being banished from the house for her territorial attacking wild crazy behaviour. She has pretty much chased all of the other strays and outdoor cats that like to poop in our yard away. She also found a way to get up the tree out front and onto the roof of the house and was wandering around up there the other day.

Keith still wants to find her a home, but cats are a dime a dozen around here so the chances of that are slim and none. We are deciding whether to let her live out her life outdoors, but the indoor cats still get freaked out when she comes to the back sliding door and get all nervous that she might attack through the glass or something. We can't open the screen to let the breezes in because who wants cats screeching at each other through the screen?

Stinky Boy

2011-04-19T06:52:00.000-07:00

The other day I'm trying to work on the computer and kept smelling stinky smells and where is that coming from and Pepper, did you forget to cover up your poop again? So, I go clean the cat box and blame it all on Pepper, and then later come to find out that she's been set up to take the fall.

By Buddy.

He comes in, uses the cat box to deposit some very stinky poo, AND THEN LOOKS AT IT AND LEAVES! Oh, I see what's going on now, you know that Pepper gets in trouble for doing this and you've never liked Pepper anyway, so what better way to get back at her than to leave a very smelly reminder of your extreme disdain for her AND GET HER IN TROUBLE AT THE SAME TIME!

Seriously, is it the salmon cat food that's making things stink so much?

Hmmm

2011-04-07T06:47:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I wonder what the cats do all night since occasionally I find strange things in strange places when I wake up in the mornings.

The other day it was a six inch long piece of wood molding sitting by our bedroom door.

Today it was the instruction book for my portable DVD player that I thought was up in the cupboard in the bedroom with the portable DVD player.

And a camera strap that I've never seen before laying in the hallway by the living room. Or maybe it was the strap for the DVD player.

I dunno.

Buddy in the Box

2011-04-06T11:52:00.000-07:00

I got a box ( A BOX!) in the mail yesterday with a book that I had ordered in it. It had lots of nice squashed up paper in it so I put it on the floor because I know how much my kitties like boxes (BOXES!).

Later here comes Buddy who curls up in the BOX!, sits there for a while, and then takes his afternoon nap in the BOX! Which is just barely big enough for him. He's back in there today.

Hairbrushes and Hairballs

2011-04-05T07:41:00.000-07:00

We all know that Pepper is a weird cat and likes weird smells like the seasoning salt that is better than catnip as far as she is concerned. When Keith uses the salt at dinner I usually have to put a little bit of it on one of my cleaning rag washcloths and let her roll around in it in total bliss.

She also likes my hairbrush when I have just brushed my hair after my shower and it smells of lovely shampoo smells. Is it gross to throw the brush on the floor and let her sniff and rub against it? Probably, but I don't care and it makes her feel special. She waits patiently by the bathroom sink each night when I brush my hair and if I forget that she is waiting patiently there and put it back in the drawer before letting her sniff and rub, well...

First she looks around to make sure that nobody else will get her hairbrushy goodness.

Then, hairbrush heaven.

I was trying to get a picture of her snaggletooth. It makes her look like she has a constant sneer on her face. Which she usually does, snaggletooth or not.

I woke up this morning and found a coughed up hairball on the blanket. Fortunately it was on Keith's side of the bed and what he doesn't know won't hurt him. Although I really didn't feel like having to wash the blanket today.

A package of books from BNSF came by UPS for Keith yesterday so I stacked them in his mail pile on the counter and of course they looked really comfortable, so...

Snaggletooth

2011-04-04T07:23:00.001-07:00

We noticed that Pepper's lip looked a little funny on Friday night so Keith looks at her teeth, Pepper squirming and growling, and one of her front bottom teeth is sticking out all funny like it's been knocked loose from where it belongs. We have no money to take her to the kitty dentist so I'm hoping that the tooth will just fall out on its own and she'll just be missing a tooth and fit right in here in hillbillyland. You walk around town here and most of the residents of this city have missing teeth, so why not the cats, too?

The last time Bear went to the vet we found out that she has a missing tooth so apparently since cats can't brush their teeth or floss, occasionally their teeth fall out. Hopefully we won't have to start buying them dentures.

Speaking of Bear, Lucy is still defending her living room territory against her (and only her) but she walked into the bedroom and looked around the other day, walking right past Bear who was sitting by the food bowl, and didn't growl or even pay any attention to her. I don't know, I just feel bad for poor Bear being afraid to leave the bedroom. She did sneak across the hall to the front bedroom this morning so she could sit and look out the window.

More Mean Kitty

2011-03-31T08:23:00.000-07:00

Well, I was hoping that Lucy was finally calming down and had even bragged about the uneventful day she had when talking on the phone with Keith last night. She hadn't growled at anyone or gotten into any fights. Mimi and Harri have been coming out into the living room again with no problems. But poor old Bear. She hasn't been out of the bedroom in almost 2 weeks now, only a few times crossing the hall to go into the front bedroom, looking out of the window for a few minutes and then scurrying back across the hall into the safety zone.

Last night I was sitting on the couch and Bear came all the way down the hall where she could see into the living room and then sat there staring at me with that kind of creepy stare that she has. I knew she was longing to come sit on the couch and get her face rubbed and petted but was too afraid to come any further.

I hadn't seen Lucy for a few hours and was kind of hoping that maybe somehow she got outside and ran away and I wouldn't have to worry about her anymore, but no, she was up on top of the entertainment center sleeping. So after Bear stared at me for a while, she crept into the living room, into the kitchen, and was going to go out the kitty door to the garage when Lucy saw her from on top of the entertainment center and immediately jumped down and was ready to attack, growling and ready for action. I grabbed the squirt bottle of water and Bear went into panic mode and ran back into the bedroom, me squirting and yelling at Lucy.

So. I really think that Lucy got it into her head that the bad cat that sprayed on the screen door is somehow Bear and she doesn't recognize Bear anymore and thinks that Bear is a new cat that shouldn't be in the house. That's the only explanation that I can come up with for the sudden I Hate Bear thing that is going on.

Better watch out, Lucy, a trip to the pound is still an option here even though it would break our hearts to have to do that.

We Are Back!

2011-03-29T13:17:00.000-07:00

I was thinking about deleting this blog since it's been over 2 years since my last post (wow, how time flies when you're having fun, right?) but after re-reading some of the posts and looking at the pictures, I'm going to start up the blog again.

So, what's new with the six fur kids? If you've read the other blog recently then you know that Lucy went on a mean streak after smelling some other cat's pee that they sprayed on the screen door and she attacked Bear and Buddy and the fur flew and Bear didn't come out from under the bed for four days. I've been spraying the house with pheromone spray and got Good Cat stuff that goes in their water dish and she seems to have calmed down a little bit but Bear is still afraid to come out of the bedroom even though she finally came out from under the bed.

Buddy is such a dummy that he's forgotten all about it. In fact, he and Lucy and Pepper were all sleeping on the couch yesterday albeit about a foot apart from each other. Far enough apart to where if I'd wanted to sit on MY couch I would have had to make somebody move.

Harri actually came out from the bedroom yesterday and spent quite a bit of time in the same room as Lucy without anyone getting into a fight. Lucy just kind of ignored her.

Mimi got snarled at this morning, though.

I've been keeping Mimi, Harri, and Bear in the room with me at night with a water dish and food dish and poop box, but they keep waking me up by either crunching on their food or walking on the bed, or like Mimi did at 4 am, playing inside the cardboard box and scratching on the bottom of it. I think I will remove the cardboard box tonight and also take some Benadryl to maybe knock me out enough to where I can't hear them crunching or feel them walking on the bed.

We're Moving

2009-01-31T09:15:00.000-08:00

It's hard trying to find something to write about on this kitty blog since the kids are all getting older and boring. Sleep, eat, sleep, eat, poop, sleep, eat, poop, poop. An occasional hairball here and there. So, I'm going to move the kids back over to my first blog:
http://geelizzie.blogspot.com.

And, any future fun feline happenings will take place over there.

They're a little pissy about being shoved into virtual cat carriers for the move, but it will only take a few minutes and there is no vet trip involved, so they'll get over it soon enough.

Here's a farewell lolcat.

And that is exactly why we bought the HEFTYPET cat door for our house!

Cuddle Up

2009-01-23T09:43:00.001-08:00

Cute picture of the day:

Buddy in The Box

2009-01-19T17:00:00.000-08:00

He looks a little grumpy because apparently I disturbed his nap by having the audacity to walk into the kitchen.

Where Cat Toys End Up

2009-01-16T13:00:00.001-08:00

Under the stove. After having lived with this stove for five years or so we just recently discovered that you can pull the bottom drawer (you know, the stove drawer where you keep the extra pots and pans that you never use and the drawer never gets cleaned so it's full of dust and oven dirt?) all the way out of the stove. Usually we try to retrieve the cat toys from under the stove with a fly swatter or ruler. Wow, pulling out the drawer really makes it easier to get the toys out from under there. Duh.

And this is why we continually buy new toys for the cats, because they all eventually end up under the stove and we think the cats have nothing to play with. Maybe they are doing this on purpose.

Please disregard the state of my kitchen floor. We are still anxiously waiting for Keith to put in the new floor. After all, it's only been a year since he started ripping out the old floor.

And here is the awwww picture for the day. Bear hugging her Mimi.

Funny Stuff

2009-01-13T12:26:00.000-08:00

This one reminds me of school picture day. "Now be sure to smile for your picture today so it looks good!"

And this one might be a little blasphemous, but it made me laugh!

Hiding in Plain Sight

2009-01-11T19:21:00.001-08:00

Harri thinks that if she stays in the laundry basket she is safe from Buddy the bully.
I'm going to get her a laundry basket of her very own because this one usually has dirty (and sometimes clean) clothes in it.

And Mimi thinks that nobody can see her, either.

You can just barely see her little paws peeking out, though.

There she is! Sound asleep.

Annoyed Pepper

2009-01-07T16:37:00.001-08:00

Pepper loves our new sofa. So much that she claimed one corner as her very own and gets a little pissy if you want to sit in HER corner. Buddy, being the take no prisoners type that he is has decided that HE belongs in Pepper's corner, much to her chagrin.

Look closely and you can probably see the daggers shooting out of Pepper's eyes. She is not happy about Buddy being in 'her' space. And if I want to sit down, I make two kitties pissy.

Total Relaxation

2009-01-03T10:25:00.001-08:00

Lucy was getting her hugs and kisses from Bear yesterday. She was in a state of total bliss.

Cats in the Cupboard-Again

2009-01-02T19:35:00.000-08:00

Last night while relaxing in front of TV watching the evening news, I heard some banging noises coming from the kitchen and knew right away that we must have shut a cupboard door on one of our unsuspecting cats. They're strong enough to push the door open a little bit, just enough so that it will close again with a bang, but not quite strong enough to push it open all the way.

So, I go into the kitchen to see who got stuck inside the cupboard and see Mimi staring at the cupboard door, so, no, it's not her. I open up the cupboard and there's Lucy looking back out at me like 'Hey! What's the matter with you shutting that door on me? It's dark in here!'

We usually do a head count once a day to make sure nobody's missing in action, with six of them there's always somebody getting into something.

No These Aren't For You

2009-01-01T12:02:00.001-08:00

Keith brought me some flowers yesterday. We had to put them way up high where the cats won't eat them, which they tried as soon as we put them in water.

Cat Resolutions

2008-12-31T08:49:00.000-08:00

So, since we humans make our new year's resolutions each year, it got me thinking about what kind of resolutions our feline friends might make and what kind of resolutions I wish they would make.

Here are my hopes for resolution minded kitties.

I resolve to make sure all my poo makes it into the litter box and I will cover up all traces of said poo.

I resolve to ignore your new sofa that looks so much like a huge scratching post slash kitty bed.

I resolve not to wake you up at 3am because I'm in the mood to be petted.

I resolve to stop jumping onto your back every time you bend over or are trying to clean up the kitchen.

I resolve to stop jumping onto the counter to investigate the food that you are trying to prepare for yourself.

I resolve to stop biting your ankle because I am bored and you are not paying attention to me.

And here are the actual resolutions that our kitties will make.

We resolve to make sure that the litter boxes are always full of poo and pee and litter is scattered all over the house because we know how much you enjoy cleaning cat boxes twice a day and what else do you have to do anyway?

We resolve to sleep on your bed every afternoon for at least four or five hours.

We resolve to sit and/or sleep on your new sofa in the exact spot that you would like to sit, necessitating in our removal from said spot four or five times a day.

We resolve to continue to be picky about our canned cat food, requiring the expensive Fancy Feast brand, but ONLY in certain flavors, any substitutes will result in turned up noses and looks of extreme disgust.

We resolve to become bored with our new toys in about five minutes, and will require you to provide a steady source of new toys and amusement throughout the year.

We resolve to demand to be petted when you are:
a/ trying to sleep
b/ trying to cook dinner
c/ trying to read a book or magazine-we will sit directly upon said book or magazine
d/ trying to go to the bathroom
and e/ every other time you are trying to do anything but pay attention to us

And, finally, we resolve to continue to be a never ending source of amusement and affection for you in this new year to come!

Silly Mimi

2008-12-29T08:13:00.000-08:00

Why do cats do the silly things that they do? I was at my workbench the other day and just kind of stopped to watch Mimi squeeze herself under my little bookshelf which only has a few inches of space under it. She got under there, laid there for a little while, and then was done and crawled back out. Good thing she is tiny, I can just picture one of the bigger cats doing this, and then walking around with a bookshelf on their back because they got stuck.

Good Little Kitties

2008-12-25T12:35:00.000-08:00

Well, maybe not so good all the time, but our kitties got stockings stuffed with toys instead of lumps of coal. Any lumps this year were the ones they left for us in the litter boxes.

It was like a toy bonanza, a toy-o-rama, a festival of feline fun, so many toys that they didn't know what to do!

Cat Shaped Throw Pillows

2008-12-23T15:32:00.001-08:00

This is why I get sleepy in the afternoons. Seeing all these kitties snoozing on the bed makes me want to join them.

Buddy And His Buddy

2008-12-20T17:09:00.001-08:00

Every night when Keith lays down on the bed, Buddy's sixth sense goes into action and he comes into the bedroom to lay down with (or on) his favorite human. He just loves Keith so much (either that or he just thinks he is a big nice warm comfortable cat bed that has hands to pet him).

Buddy never does this with me, which kind of hurts my feelings. After all, I'm the one who fed him a bottle and wiped his tiny bottom when he was little, and I'm the one who cleans his cat box twice a day, and I'm the one who buys him new cat toys, and I'm the one who opens those cans of cat food twice a day, but he just likes Keith the best. Must be some male bonding funky boy smells thing.

BFF's Forever

2008-12-17T10:02:00.001-08:00

Mimi just loves Bear, and vice versa. All Mimi has to do is flop herself down next to Bear and cuddle up with her and she knows Bear will give her some loving. It's so cute that Bear kind of became the kittens surrogate mama when they were little and all or them still go to her for comfort.

Lazy Saturday

2008-12-13T21:42:00.000-08:00

Keith and I went out for lunch today mainly because we hadn't been to the grocery store yet and there was nothing for lunch in the house, not even bread for peanut butter sandwiches, and when we got back home there were no little kitties coming to the door to greet us. Very unusual. So, I looked around the house and found every one of them sound asleep, not having missed us at all, and not really caring that we were back home again.

And, then, since all of the cats were asleep and looking so comfortable and cozy, Keith decided to join them in naptime.

He was very careful not to disturb Lucy with his big feet.

CAT FIGHT!!

2008-12-12T11:55:00.000-08:00

Buddy was terrorizing little Mimi again last night and she decided she'd had just about enough of that big bully. He outweighs her by at least 8 or 9 pounds and he just loves to jump on her when she least expects it and bite the heck out of her. Her little ears went back and her fur went up and she swatted right back at him. I keep an eye on them when they do that because I'm afraid Buddy might really hurt her one of these days. I'll go stand in between them and give them 'that look' (just like you do with kids) and they'll usually go to their respective corners.

I thought they had settled down but next thing I know they were on top of the shelf divider in the kitchen batting away at each other.

Mimi emerged the victor!

Candy Continued

2008-12-11T10:19:00.000-08:00

On my other blog I posted a picture of the yummy box of candy we got from Keith's brother in Boise. The cats were way more interested in the shipping box that the candy came in and Mimi turned it into her own little kitty bed and sat in that thing for hours that day.

It's Chilly!

2008-12-08T09:13:00.000-08:00

The weather has been getting quite wintery and I guess the cats fur coats aren't keeping them warm enough, so they crawl under our comforter for their naps. Mimi was under the comforter the other day and Keith laid down on the bed right on top of her. What a rude awakening from your nap, getting so unexpectantly squished. There were two lumps in the bed yesterday, both Mimi and Buddy had crawled under there.

Now, we check out all lumps before flopping ourselves onto the bed.

Funny Kitties

2008-12-05T11:43:00.000-08:00

These silly cats really make me laugh sometimes, especially the three little (well not so little anymore, but the youngest of the six) ones, who still have enough kitten in them to provide entertainment, rather than just laying around like the older ones.

This morning I was transferring some pills into another bottle, mainly because I opened my pill bottle and dropped the lid, which proceeded to roll under the stove. Not wanting to dig around under the stove trying to find it, I just transferred the contents to another bottle that I had. Transferring pills into a plastic pill bottle makes lots of rattling noises, which to the kitties means one of two things. Either treats or toys, treats or toys, rattling means treats or toys. So, all three of the young ones jump up onto the counter and stick their collective faces one inch away from the pill bottles trying to see whether I'm rattling treats or toys. Treats or toys! Yay! Yay! Treats! Toys!

Sorry, kids, just me trying to transfer pills with three curious kitties milling about on the counter top. Not toys, and not treats!

Then, last night, Pepper amazed me by actually chasing Buddy around the living room. I think he was amazed, too, that someone would actually have the audacity to chase him, when he is usually the one terrorizing all the other cats by doing all the chasing. It was hilarious, you could almost see little though bubbles over Buddy's head. 'What the hell is going on here?' 'Wait a minute, nobody chases ME around!' I don't know if Pepper was just being cranky or if she was having fun, but it sure was fun for me to watch!

Harri

2008-12-03T09:25:00.000-08:00

Poor Harri. She is the most timid fearful little kitty and all the other kids pick on her. Buddy, Mimi, and Lucy delight in seeing her quietly sitting somewhere and do that little wiggle my butt and get ready to pounce on you thing, and then chase her all over the house. She is constantly checking over her shoulder to see who's next in line to torment her.

All of the other cats have the going through the cat door into the garage thing down pat. The three younguns will bang through that thing at top speed, Pepper and Bear take a little more dainty approach to it, but Harri will sit there and look through the door into the garage, look back at you, look through the door again, hoping it will magically open or you will come and open it for her. Keith has tried pushing her through so that she'll get the idea, but she just won't go through that door. Last night as I was heading for bed she was sitting by the door hoping hoping that I would let her in the garage. Nope, sorry, Harri, I don't want you stuck out in the garage all night since you won't come back through the door by yourself.

So, this morning I don't see her anywhere and check in the garage to see if Keith let her in before he left for work, but don't see her. Then a few hours later, there she is, in the garage looking at me through the cat door, hoping I'll come let her back in. She doesn't meow or anything, just sits there looking at you hoping you will notice her and open the door. Which I did.

She is the original scaredy cat.

2008-11-28T18:16:00.000-08:00

And yet again, cats will always lay on whatever you leave laying around. More pictures to prove my point.

Lucy on Keith's discarded socks. (Yes, he shouldn't have left his socks in the middle of the living room floor but Lucy didn't mind.)

Mimi on Keith's magazine that he left laying on the bed. How comfy and crinkly.

And Mimi on my paper bag from Office Depot-more crinkly stuff for her to lay on.

Uh-Oh

2008-11-26T07:09:00.000-08:00

Yesterday every time Mimi ate something she immediately started gagging and threw it back up. Lots of times yesterday.

So, it means a trip to the vet to see what is wrong with her, and according to the internet searches that I did, it could mean all kinds of problems. I guess there is vomiting, and then there is regurgitation, which is what Mimi is doing, the food doesn't even get as far as her stomach before it comes back up. Some of the answers I found while searching this issue are sort of like when you are searching why your head hurts or something-BRAIN TUMOR!!

The internet is great and all that, but sometimes the information you get is way scarier than what's really going on. Regurgitation in animals apparently could mean poisoning, intestinal infections, or just that they're eating too fast. All do agree on one thing, take the cat to the vet if it continues.

So, just like kids getting sick on holidays and weekends, we'll have to watch her today and then take her to the vet on Friday or Saturday if she doesn't stop hacking her food up. She seems just fine other than that, yesterday she was almost being a pest jumping on my shoulders and flopping down right in front of me as I'm walking through the house. She's such a small kitty that you almost don't see her until you've tripped over her.

Yes, Cats Will Indeed Sleep on Anything

2008-11-20T06:03:00.001-08:00

Poor little Mimi. I had shoved Keith's shoes into the corner by his dresser so that I wouldn't trip over them, completely forgetting that Mimi likes to sleep in that corner, so...

This just doesn't look very comfortable to me, but Mimi seems to have had no trouble going to sleep on the shoes.

Looking Out My Back Door

2008-11-18T10:58:00.000-08:00

Creedence Clearwater Revival circa 1970 something:

Just got home from illinois, lock the front door, oh boy!
Got to sit down, take a rest on the porch.
Imagination sets in, pretty soon Im singin,

Doo, doo, doo, lookin out my back door.

Theres a giant doing cartwheels, a statue wearin high heels.
Look at all the happy creatures dancing on the lawn.
A dinosaur victrola listning to buck owens.

Doo, doo, doo, lookin out my back door.

Tambourines and elephants are playing in the band.
Wont you take a ride on the flyin spoon?
Doo, doo doo.
Wondrous apparition provided by magician.

Doo, doo, doo, lookin out my back door.

Tambourines and elephants are playing in the band.
Wont you take a ride on the flyin spoon?
Doo, doo doo.
Bother me tomorrow, today, Ill buy no sorrows.

Doo, doo, doo, lookin out my back door.

Forward troubles illinois, lock the front door, oh boy!
Look at all the happy creatures dancing on the lawn.
Bother me tomorrow, today, Ill buy no sorrows.

Doo, doo, doo, lookin out my back door.

This song is now going through my head on an endless loop after seeing the kitties doing this today.

Why

2008-11-16T08:02:00.000-08:00

Do cats love to lay on your clothes? It never fails, if you fold some clean laundry on the bed, cats immediately lay on top of it. If you put the clothes you were just wearing on the bed, cats immediately lay on top of it. One of these days I'm going to do a little experiment and put random articles of clothing all over the house to see how many cats lay on it. Or will they become confused with too many choices of clothing to lay on and not lay on any? Will it freak them out if they find a pair of pants by their water dish, or a t-shirt by the couch, or some underwear in the bathroom? I'll do a laundry and cats study that I can turn into a documentary. Think I could get some government funding for my study?

The Art of Laziness

2008-11-12T07:45:00.003-08:00

Bear is a very round fluffy sweet little ball of fur who has perfected the art of laziness so much that she even lays down to eat.

She daintily puts her little paw into the food dish, scoops out one piece of food onto the floor, and then eats it.

Then, after that exertion it's time for another nap!

Love Me Some LOLcats!

2008-11-10T08:05:00.001-08:00

Who me? The dog did it. Yeah, that's what happened, it was that dog.

My Little Helpers

2008-11-08T07:13:00.000-08:00

Every time I go to put clean sheets on the bed the kitties radar goes into action and they leap onto the bed to see what I'm doing. It's hard to put sheets on the bed when they want to help.

I usually just end up covering them up instead of having to constantly move them out of the way.

The bed ends up looking a little lumpy, but at least it's made.

Almost as Good as Catnip!

2008-11-05T13:26:00.001-08:00

Pepper is such an odd cat. She's cranky and mean but also loving and sweet. Almost every time I come in the door she comes to greet me. The only time the other cats come to greet me is if I have bags of cat food in my arms.

Last night we were putting our dinner on the table and Keith got his seasoned salt that he likes to liberally pour on all his food. Pepper could smell that salt coming and jumped up on the table totally excited by that smell. Now, our table is very small and I really don't like to have to share it with a fat cranky kitty, so Keith put the salt container on the floor.

Oh, heavenly smell of season-all!!

Buddy the Bully

2008-11-04T19:15:00.000-08:00

This morning Buddy was his usual rambunctious self and then some. I heard poor old Mimi making some very strange meowing you're hurting me sounds and look over to see Buddy with his jaws around her neck. She is very petite and Buddy is very big and strong. I broke up the brawl but Buddy wasn't done yet. Mimi hid in the laundry basket and when I went over to give Buddy a pat on the head he decided that I looked good enough to bite, too. He wants to play rough, but doesn't realize how rough he really is. When he's in a mood, you don't want to turn your back on him unless you really want him to latch onto your calf and bite you.

I figured he needed a toy rather than another kitty or me to bite on, so I chased him into the living room to find some toys. Maybe catnip would keep him occupied for a little while? I got out the catnip, which of course made all the other cats come running, then rubbed a toy for each cat with the catnip. They're always more intrigued by someone else's toy, though, so I have to keep re-distributing the toys so that everyone can get their fix. They love that stuff! After the catnip fest, he seemed a little calmer and didn't try to rip Mimi's throat out anymore today.

Mimi

2008-11-02T16:04:00.000-08:00

Is practicing for her new tightrope act.

Careful now!

Waiter, There's a Mouse in my Soup!

2008-10-31T11:20:00.000-07:00

Lucy was getting a drink of water, seemingly oblivious to the big pink fuzzy mouse that had drowned in the water bowl.

drink drink drink...hey, what the ?!?

I can only assume somebody was saving this mouse for later.

They're So Angelic

2008-10-29T07:36:00.000-07:00

When they're sleeping! Just like small children, these kitties look so very sweet when they are all curled up snoozing. And just like small children, the three little ones are so very active when they are awake. This morning I am listening to the wham of the kitty door to the garage as they chase each other around the house and run full blast through the kitty door, run around the garage, and then back through the kitty door again. Then, all of a sudden, just like small children, they will become exhausted and drop wherever they are for a little nap.

Hungry Hungry Kitties

2008-10-25T08:31:00.001-07:00

I woke up late this morning and opened the bedroom door to find five kitties all right outside the door waiting to be fed. There was no dry food left in their bowls from last night and they were hungry! Buddy always jumps onto the counter where I line up the bowls, so he gets his first. Pepper jumps onto the breakfast bar (she's fat and can't jump onto the counter without the help of the breakfast bar stool) so her bowl goes there, and Mimi and Bear wait not so patiently on the floor for their bowls. Lucy has never eaten canned food, for some reason she doesn't like it, and poor Harri is too timid to eat when all the others are around, so I either take some food into the bedroom for her or just let her come out and eat when she's ready.

Last night Keith left the bathroom door open so of course at about 3:30 am Buddy was jumping around on the bed wanting to play. I shooed him out and shut the door, not realizing that Lucy was still in the bedroom, so about 30 minutes later (right after I had finally gotten back to sleep) Lucy was jumping around on the bed. I made Keith get up and shoo her out, since he's the one that left the door open. And that is why I woke up late this morning.

Walking The Cat

2008-10-23T07:58:00.000-07:00

We've been trying to go for a walk each evening after dinner and last night we were talking about how fun it would be to put Buddy on a leash and take him for a walk, but also about how freaked out he would probably be to be put on a leash. Then we got on the subject of pet strollers and maybe that would be fun to have and an incentive to get our butts outside and walking. I did a little online research on pet strollers and was a little taken aback at the prices of said pet strollers. You could spend more on a pet stroller than on your babies stroller!

We found this one that is very reasonably priced even with shipping, but what sold me was the cup holders!

What's really ingenious is that the carrier thing comes off and you can use it separately and the stroller folds up just like a kid stroller. Very clever! I think the little cats would like this since they like to play in the regular cat carriers, but the big cats know that cat carrier=vet, so it would probably make them a little nervous.

Keith said that the cup holders would be great to hold his beer while walking around the neighborhood!

Refrigerator Kitty Says There's Nothing Good To Eat in Here

2008-10-19T17:08:00.000-07:00

When Pepper was little she would jump in the refrigerator just about any time you would open it. You always had to double check before shutting the door to make sure you wouldn't end up with a kitty popsicle in there. She finally outgrew that habit, or got too fat to fit in there, or something, but then the kittens started doing it, too. We would have to do a head count of kittens to make sure nobody was stuck in the refrigerator, especially after the time Keith could hear pitiful little meows coming from somewhere and finally realized it was Mimi from inside the fridge. Now that they are grown, kitties in the refrigerator isn't as much of a problem, partly since they are easier to see if they are in there.

Buddy jumped in there the other day and wouldn't get out, so I just shut the door on him for a few minutes. Didn't seem to bother him at all, or at least he was pretending it didn't bother him.

Nah, nothing looks good in here.

Okay, guess I'll get out now.

Hi!

2008-10-17T08:42:00.000-07:00

Whatcha doing?

Just chillin here.

Clean Sheets Are Nice Too

2008-10-16T16:26:00.001-07:00

We kitties like laundry, clean, dirty, it doesn't matter. We see laundry and we like to rub in it, lay on it, smell it, and shed all over it. Haven't put the pile of clean sheets back on the bed yet? Who cares, they are even more comfortable this way!

Dirty Socks-My Favorite!

2008-10-13T08:29:00.000-07:00

Pepper is an odd cat. Her favorite smells, other than catnip of course, are green peppers, celery, black pepper ( you have to hide the pepper shaker or she'll lick the top of it) and the smell of the cream that I put on my heels after my shower. I use bag balm and heel cream, and the bag balm is especially enticing to her. She'll nip my heels and lick my hands in her quest to get to that wonderful smelling bag balm! So, last night I put socks on over my bag balmed feet and then tossed them on the floor when I went to bed. Yes, they do belong in the laundry basket, but it's all the way across the room in the closet, and I was tired.

So, this morning Pepper found my socks still faintly smelling of bag balm and decided that they would make a great pillow for her head. Mmmm, smelly bag balmed socks!!!

Kierstyn

2008-10-11T17:12:00.000-07:00

This is Kierstyn. We saw a story about her plans for her Saturday morning on the news last night. Kierstyn loves animals and wanted to do something to help out all the unwanted animals that the local SPCA takes care of. So, she set up a donation center for anyone who also wants to help these animals by coming by and donating supplies, food, toys, or just plain old cash to the SPCA.

After seeing her story we made sure to plan to come by the locally owned bagel shop (great bagels) where she had her table and donation jars set up and do a little to help this lovely young lady reach her goal today.

Isn't she a cutie?

I know it's a little hard to read this sign, but your local SPCA could also probably use some supplies, food, or whatever you can spare to help keep these animals fed and housed. I see laundry detergent and bleach on the list, that's something you don't even think about, the animals bedding and blankets needing to be washed. You don't have to wait for someone like Kierstyn to set up a donation center, just call your local SPCA and ask what you can bring, I'm sure they'll be happy to hear from you!

This was such a great start to our weekend, to be able to help out just a little with a donation!

Thanks, Kierstyn!!

Lazy Kitties

2008-10-10T07:51:00.000-07:00

With the nicer weather this week, we were finally able to open the windows again, which the kitties just love. They sit by the open window and just smell the smells and hear the birds and watch everything that goes on outside.
I have to watch them like a hawk, though, their kittenness still comes out when they get a little excited and they start climbing the screen. Mimi managed to knock it out again the other day, but I caught her before she escaped.
We moved the bird feeder away from the window so it's not quite so tempting to try and get a bird now.

I'm Sponsoring an Orphan

2008-10-08T09:42:00.000-07:00

You know how you can sponsor a child who is starving in Africa? Send your check in every month and the child will be fed and clothed for a month? Well, you can also sponsor a starving kitty with a monthly donation.

Check out this website:
http://www.cathouseonthekings.com/

This is a no kill sanctuary for abandoned and stray kitties here in California that was started by one woman and now houses something like 700 cats. I first found this from a link someone posted on a forum to the video that shows what the cat house is all about. Go to the site and watch the video, it's amazing. And, no, this is not a crazy cat hoarder lady with half dead feral cats all crammed into a one bedroom apartment. It's truly amazing what this one woman has done.

Anyway, about my orphan. I went to the site after seeing the video and looked at all the different ways that you can help out this sanctuary. I can't afford to adopt any more cats so I thought I would do the monthly sponsoring thing instead of just a one time donation. You can set up the donation through your paypal account (very smart of them to do it that way-no worries about deadbeats not sending in the check each month) and it's $15.00 a month to sponsor a kitty. You can even go visit your orphan if you want, although how they'd be able to round up your orphan out of the 700 cats there, I don't know. Maybe they'd just bring you any old cat that kind of looks like your orphan.

So, this is my orphan, her name is Rosy, she is two, and she was abandoned by her owners.

That is one mean looking cat, isn't it? Either that or just holding a grudge against her humans.

You only have a few choices of orphan kitties when you sponsor one, it's not like you can look at all 700 cats and pick out the cutest or anything.

Under Cover Buddy

2008-10-06T08:15:00.001-07:00

Buddy has been sleeping like this for a long time, and it still makes me laugh every time I see this lump in our bed.
He crawls up under the comforter and sleeps for hours like this, all cozy in his little comforter cave.

The other kitties will jump on the bed and walk right across him, hardly disturbing him at all.

This is My Spot

2008-10-03T07:46:00.000-07:00

We have nice cozy cat beds and blankets and pillows and cat towers and every creature comfort for these furry kids, but where is Lucy's favorite place to sleep?

On the cold hard kitchen counter. And not just any part of the counter, it's always in the same spot.

Cat on Your Back

2008-10-02T14:20:00.000-07:00

Keith was leaning on the kitchen counter reading something. Warning, don't bend over when there are cats afoot!

Mimi was looking up at the top of the refrigerator and I just know she was thinking about making a jump for it.

Missing

2008-09-29T11:08:00.000-07:00

We thought we had lost Lucy yesterday.

I had asked Keith to take the screens out of the windows so we could clean them-after all it's only been, oh, maybe 3 or 4 years since we cleaned the windows? Or maybe we've never cleaned the windows, who knows. Anyway, he got all gung ho and took not just the screens but the actual windows out so he could clean the runners which were indeed totally nasty.

So, here we are with the living room window wide open and no screen and of course the cats are really curious about this so we locked the cats we could round up in the bedroom. Then a little while later we realized that Lucy was nowhere to be found. Uh oh...

We looked everywhere, under the beds, in the closets, in the garage. Our house is really small so there aren't that many hiding places for little kitties. Well, crap, she must have gotten out the window.

So, Keith searched all the yards around us and no Lucy.

We were worried but finished up on the window job keeping an eye out for Lucy and hoping she would find her way home.

A few hours later Keith went into the living room and there was Lucy, innocently laying in the middle of the floor.

We still haven't figured out where she was hiding, but we were really glad that she was safe inside and not out wandering the neighborhood.

This is her favorite sleeping position-doesn't it look comfy?

Cats and Boxes

2008-09-26T08:07:00.000-07:00

What is it with cats and boxes? Any time a box or bag or any other kind of receptacle is out where the cats see it they are instantly fascinated with it. Curiosity indeed.

Even when the box is just a little too small they like to squish themselves in it as best they can.

If You Open the Cupboard

2008-09-24T19:43:00.001-07:00

Chances are a kitty will jump into it.

Buddy got in there first and then along came Lucy to see what he was up to. Buddy left and got on top of the fridge, sticking his paws into the opening between the door hinges to bat at Lucy. I was afraid all the dishes would come tumbling out if I tried to make them vacate the cupboard, so I just waited until they got bored with it and left of their own accord.

Cats are just so nosy.

My Little Helper

2008-09-22T11:15:00.000-07:00

I was cleaning the bathroom the other day, and yes, it really needed it, and Mimi decided she needed to leap from the floor onto my shoulder to make sure I was doing it right.
Now, if I could just train her to clean the toilet for me!

Feeding Time at The Zoo

2008-09-17T09:08:00.000-07:00

Every morning and every afternoon it's time to open up that can of cat food for all the hungry kitties. They have dry food available if they are starving, but they know that when I get up in the morning, first stop-even before coffee-is getting all the kitty dishes out and popping open that cat food can. Buddy is the most aggressive and jumps up on the counter for his dish. Pepper jumps up on the breakfast bar because there is a stool that she can jump on first, then onto the breakfast bar. She's too fat to jump directly onto the counter. Mimi will wander around on the floor waiting for her dish, Bear hangs back hoping that she'll get some too, Harri is usually still hiding in the bedroom and won't eat with the others, and Lucy won't eat wet food, so she doesn't really care.

Buddy will eat anything and usually eats out of his bowl and then scavenges out of all the rest of the bowls. He has super hearing when it comes to that pop of the cat food can. In the afternoons he will be two rooms away or sleeping out in the garage and he can hear that can open. One morning I had opened the closet to get my robe, shut the door, gone out to the kitchen and opened the cat food can, put the bowls out, and no Buddy. What the heck? He's always the first one here! Oops, he was in the closet when I shut the door and so I had to go rescue him.

This picture was taken on a day when they were extra hungry and Pepper actually made it to Buddy's counter. I was amazed that they were eating side by side like this.

Of course, as soon as Pepper abandoned her bowl, Buddy was right there eating what was left. Not like it's all the same food in each bowl or anything, he thinks there might be something just a little tastier in each bowl.

It Was Mimi the Whole Time

2008-09-11T11:11:00.000-07:00

Remember the mystery of the pillows that belong on the window bench in my workroom but appear in the living room each morning? I figured out who the culprit is the other day while working on some things at my worktable. Mimi was sitting on the window bench with both pillows when I look over and see her picking up one of the pillows with her teeth and then dragging it over to the edge of the bench and dropping it on the floor. It was almost like the pillow was just really annoying her and she had to get it off that bench now, just like when you toss a throw pillow off your bed so that you can lay down. Then, she does the same thing with the other one, but after she drops it on the floor she proceeds to drag it over to behind the table. Now stay there, don't get back on the bench you pillow, you!

She is a very petite kitty, too, but apparently has some really strong jaws.

Buddy and Lucy pictures for the day.

Buddy and Lucy

2008-09-09T08:07:00.000-07:00

They like to sleep in the middle of the floor so that you have to step over them. Either they are very trusting or they just like to make you step over them.

Buddy the Bully

2008-09-06T08:08:00.001-07:00

Poor little Harri. She is such a timid little thing, always looking over her shoulder to see if someone's out to get her, and always kind of staying out of everyone's way. Buddy just loves to chase her and make her hide somewhere, and even Lucy was getting in on the action the other day. If Harri would just stand up for herself and take a swipe at Buddy I think he would stop but she's just too timid.

Here are some Lucy pictures for the day. She sleeps in the oddest positions.

But she always looks totally relaxed and I guess if someone took pictures of me sleeping I might be in some strange positions too!

Mimi

2008-09-02T14:18:00.000-07:00

I was cleaning out some of my books and putting them into plastic bags to take to the Goodwill when Mimi decided that this nice big plastic bag looked like a nice place to play.

Yes, I know it is just as dangerous to let your kitties play with plastic bags as it is your kids, but I was watching her the whole time.

A bird or something out the front door caught her attention for a minute.

She got tired and took her nap inside the plastic bag. She was in there for about an hour.

Cats Have Short Memories

2008-08-30T09:37:00.000-07:00

The little ones love to play and hide in the cat carriers. I guess they forget that cat carrier usually means vet trip. Lucy has apparently forgotten her recent torturous trip to the vet for her shots and the oh so humiliating ritual of taking her temperature with the rectal thermometer.

And, how do the cats all know that we are folding laundry in the bedroom and what is so exciting about folding the laundry anyway? Every time we are folding laundry on the bed, five or six cats all stream into the bedroom and jump on the bed and have to inspect the piles of folded clothes-to make sure we are doing it right?

Scaredy Cat

2008-08-29T08:07:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning I was actually in the kitchen actually doing something kitcheny with the radio on and turned just in time to see Buddy tearing around the corner into the kitchen, across the floor, and through the kitty door into the garage.

Oh, yes, yesterday was garbage day and the truck was coming down the street. Scaring the snot out of Buddy. Like it does every week.

Now, our big cats will hide under the bed or other furniture when they are scared, but the little ones think that the garage is a much safer place, not realizing that it is closer to the street and the walls are thinner and noises like the garbage truck makes are much louder in the garage.

Wake up!

2008-08-27T08:47:00.001-07:00

Hey, what are you doing? Are you sleeping? Hey, hey, wake up!

Buddy was playing with a mouse the other day, having a great time tossing it around and chasing after it, but then it landed next to Pepper. Buddy must have some smarts because he patiently waited for Pepper to move before he went after his mouse. He knows that Pepper is a very cranky kitty!

With six kitties in the house, I shovel a lot of poop every day, twice a day, from the cat boxes. Not only do I shovel poop, but I have to wash Pepper's butt every day, too. She is fat and the vet thinks she has arthritis in her hip so she has a very hard time cleaning herself 'down there' so I have to do it for her. She must be getting used to it because even though she protests loudly she lets me do it. It probably feels a lot better not having a nasty butt.

Mmmm....Muffin

2008-08-25T12:31:00.000-07:00

Keith was eating a banana nut muffin yesterday morning and turned away for a minute. Mr. Buddy aka Mr. Nosy was on that in a heartbeat! He likes banana nut muffins! They're yummy goodness in my tummy!

You can't turn your back on this guy. He really enjoys jumping on you when you least expect it. If I bend over to pick something up off the floor or to pet another kitty-wham, right onto my back. And if he is on top of the refrigerator, do not-I repeat DO NOT take your eyes off of him or turn away. He will leap onto your back and will not get down. Sort of like a log ride or something, if you move, he just readjusts himself. And he is a big boy now!

Miss Mimi's Massage and Acupuncture

2008-08-23T16:36:00.000-07:00

Is your back hurting from sitting at the computer too long? Neck and shoulders feeling a little tight and achy? A bit of a headache from staring at the computer screen?

Let Mimi from Miss Mimi's Massage and Acupuncture take care of all of your aches and pains in one simple treatment.

She will leap from the floor onto your shoulders in a single bound, massaging your shoulders as she turns and turns finding a comfortable spot, digging her needle sharp claws into your skin so that she doesn't fall off as she is turning and turning trying to find that comfortable spot. Then, for a few moments, she will sit and warm your tired muscles with her little belly as she lays on your shoulders. Then, up again, and more claws digging into your skin, turning and turning again, then once more laying on your shoulders, chirping and purring for the duration of your session. Sometimes she will even help your headache by slapping her tail against the side of your head. And, to help that carpal tunnel syndrome, she will frequently walk down the length of your arm to reach the computer desk where she will effectively block that screen that is giving you eyestrain and headaches. And then, back up the other arm to your shoulders again. For more walking and purring and chirping and needle sharp clawing.

Mimi is waiting for her next customer.

Whatever Are They Doing?

2008-08-21T08:23:00.001-07:00

This is the window bench that Keith built so that the cats could look out the window in comfort.

There are two pillows that are usually on this bench so that the comfort level is even more comfortable. Can you see the pillows? No? Well, that's because somebody-and I'm not sure who-drags the pillows off of the bench, out the bedroom door, and into the living room.

Every night.

Each morning I wake up to find the window bench pillows somewhere else other than the window bench. I have yet to see whichever of the kitties becomes super kitty during the night and drags things through the house with just the strength of their little jaws, but I'd like to know what the motive is behind this. Do they sleep on the pillows after they've dragged them through the house? Or do they just enjoy my bewilderment each morning?

Can We Come Out And Play Too?

2008-08-20T08:33:00.001-07:00

I was out in the back yard and turned around and saw my audience.

All lined up wishing they could come outside, too. No, we don't let them out and while some people think it isn't 'natural' to keep your kitties inside, our budget just doesn't allow for the flea medicine and the parasite medicine and the extra trips to the vet when they get beat up by other cats.

This morning I woke up to find a big shop towel covered with sawdust and metal shavings laying in the middle of the living room. I'm guessing that someone decided to drag that big shop towel-actually an old bath towel- from the garage through the kitty door and into the living room. Why? I don't know.

Mmmm...Funky!

2008-08-17T08:41:00.001-07:00

Your pile of dirty smelly sweaty funky clothes make such a lovely bed to lay on. My olfactory senses thank you!
And, we got a new kitty bed-I mean office chair for the studio. My back has been hurting a lot so we spent the money on an ergonomically correct kitty bed-I mean office chair-for me.

I like to sleep under the furniture because I know you can't see me.

And we like to squish ourselves between metal and wood for our naps.

Is She Plotting My Untimely Demise

2008-08-14T17:06:00.000-07:00

Or just hoping I'll feed her?

She does look a little evil in this picture.

I always wonder what's going through Bear's mind when she looks at me like this. I'll be busy doing something and turn around and she is just staring at me. It's a little bit creepy and a little bit sad. I'm so busy and there's so many cats around that they don't always get the individual attention that each of them needs, and Bear is not one to 'ask' for her attention. She'll just patiently sit there and stare at me.

I do give her some one on one each night. She knows that about 10 pm is time for me to relax and put in a dvd and she'll hop up onto the couch and sit waiting for me. I'll pet her and get out the kitty brush, which she loves. She gets all excited when I brush her and will start biting me-more more! She loves to be rubbed on both sides of her face, sometimes that will get her biting or even drooling because it feels so good.

She's such a shy kind of timid little kitty-if someone comes to the door she runs and hides while all the other kitties want to know who it is.

But, she's my little sweetheart and my favorite out of all the kitties.

This Morning

2008-08-10T11:35:00.000-07:00

I made Keith feed the cats. He got up to do something and came back to bed and left the door open so of course we had six cats in the bedroom saying 'ahem, didn't you forget our rumbling stomachs? hello?!?'

I made him get up and feed them.

Then I shut the bedroom doors and went back to sleep for a little while.

Then I went to the bathroom and since the door was open, every one of them had to walk through the bathroom to come back in the bedroom. One after the other in a little parade.

And then they all mill around in the bedroom for a while before realizing that the cat food in the bedroom is the exact same food that's out in the kitchen.

They do this every morning.

This is What

2008-08-08T07:52:00.001-07:00

I found under the couch.
The land of lost kitty toys. Buddy thought that he had hit the motherlode when he saw all the rescued toys. Notice the wadded up paper, one of Mimi's favorite playthings.

And Mimi is still putting her toys in the food dish to save them for later.
A lid off of a water bottle.

And a wad of paper. That was in the food bowl. That I took out of the food bowl because Pepper was trying to eat.

Another Awwww Moment

2008-08-06T08:34:00.000-07:00

I came into the living room last night to find Buddy and Lucy squished together in one of the round platforms on the kitty condo, all intertwined, with Buddy licking Lucy's little face. Too cute!!

Buddy always has this very haughty expression on his face.

Yeah, I'm just too cool, but not so cool that I don't still love my sister.

Sweet Little Lucy

2008-08-05T07:07:00.000-07:00

Unlike Buddy and Mimi who will leap onto your shoulders when they want some attention, Lucy will very delicately put her little paws onto your leg and wait until you pick her up for her petting. She usually does this in the afternoon when I am working on the computer of course, so I pick her up and pet her and give her hugs. None, and I mean none of the other cats will let you pick them up and put them on your lap. Buddy and Mimi both struggle to get down and Pepper growls if you pick her up. Harri and Bear will tolerate it for a minute as both of them are very timid kitties, but the expressions on their faces let you know that they are not too happy about being picked up.

But, sweet little Lucy likes to be held and petted-for a few minutes at least.

Here she is being an itty bitty kitty again. I remember when all three of the little ones could all fit in this basket together!

Snack Time

2008-08-03T10:28:00.001-07:00

All I have to do is just barely pick up the container of kitty treats and little ears all over the house perk up and a herd of kitties comes a running!

Kitty Treats!!

Nom nom nom!

Not So Cute

2008-08-02T09:35:00.001-07:00

Mimi is sitting on my shoulder while I am trying to work on the computer. Her tail is going whap whap whap against the side of my head.

An Awwww Moment

2008-08-02T07:28:00.000-07:00

Sometimes these kitties just make you go awwwww....so cute!

although this view looks vaguely obscene.

Tastes Better Right off the Floor

2008-07-31T07:41:00.000-07:00

As I was filling up cat food bowls this morning I spilled a HUGE amount of dry cat food all over the kitchen floor. Maybe I need to have my coffee before attempting to feed the cats or I'm just extra clumsy this morning. But, anyway, the cats thought it was some kind of manna from Heaven or something-wow, huge piles of cat food all over the floor!! Let's eat!!

So, rather than eating daintily out of their cat food bowls, they just stood there in the middle of all the cat food bounty and had their fill.

Just Warm Blooded Furniture

2008-07-30T08:34:00.001-07:00

I remember reading somewhere that to a cat you are just a piece of furniture-albeit with warm blood and the ability to open cat food cans.

I was sitting on the couch watching TV the other night while Buddy was racing around the living room chasing Mimi. Apparently I was in his way because he raced right up and over me in his quest to get Mimi. Didn't even say excuse me.

Derailment

2008-07-29T08:23:00.001-07:00

Keith was playing with his new train set on Sunday afternoon, which of course totally fascinated all the kitties. Can you imagine if you were a little tiny person on the little tiny train and saw this huge predatory kitty lurking over the tracks? Aaaaaaaggghhhhh!! It's a monster!!

Lucy was a little leery of the train and was safely up on the nearby shelf where she would delicately stretch out her paw to touch the train as it went by.

Mimi just plopped herself down right in the middle of all the action, blocking the track with her tail.

Great kitty entertainment.

New Kitty House

2008-07-28T11:06:00.000-07:00

I got our spoiled kitties a new pop-up kitty house-their old pop up kitty houses have been jumped on and in and smashed up so much that they are looking really lopsided these days. This one has a crinkly pad thing you velcro into the bottom and a silly looking tunnel thing you can velcro onto the side and velcro other pop up kitty houses to it and create a huge tunnelly kitty house playground if you are so inclined. I think we'll skip that.

Mimi was the first one in.
And she decided to chew on the velcro first thing, succeeding in ripping the silly tunnel right off.

But, for 8.00 it's probably worth it for the entertainment value.

Midnight Madness

2008-07-27T09:17:00.000-07:00

The other night Keith left the door open when we went to bed, saying, oh, it's okay, the kittens won't bother us.

HAH!

I really didn't enjoy having big almost full grown kittens walking across my face at 2 am thank you very much!

A Box!

2008-07-25T08:46:00.001-07:00

Whoo hoo!! An empty box!! Kitty fun-o-rama!!

To The Vet

2008-07-24T07:48:00.000-07:00

Mimi went to the vet yesterday for her first annual checkup/vaccinations. Last summer at this time we were making almost weekly visits to the vet with the three kittens for their respiratory infections and their kitten shots.

We have two vets that we use, the nicer more upscale office that the big cats have always gone to and the All Critters Hospital that the little guys go to. Last year we tried to get them into our regular vet but they couldn't see them for almost a week and the kittens would probably have died before then so we called around looking for a vet that could see them right away. The office is just down the road in a funky old building with a pet spa, furniture store and a health food store in it, like a mini strip mall. I don't think the building even has air conditioning (or they just don't want to use it) because it's always hot in there. I feel sorry for the poor girls who have to work in there all day. This vet is an all animal vet, there are pictures on the wall of some of his surgeries like a rat all strapped down on the table and snakes and stuff. I've never seen anyone bring in an odd animal while I've been there, but they do have some kind of parrot in the waiting room that meows like a kitten.

When I got there with Mimi yesterday they said the doctor was running late and I could just leave her and pick her up later. Sounded good to me, not having to sit there in that hot office waiting, so that's what I did. My only worry with Mimi is that she is such a skinny little thing, so they did a stool sample-don't ask me how, I guess they stick a swab or something up inside her little bottom-to make sure she didn't have a tapeworm or something, and checked her out and gave her the shots. I do like that this vet will do stool samples without us having to monitor the litter boxes and try to catch the right cat's poo. With six cats it's really hard to know who's poo is whose. The doctor thinks she is okay on the weight, so I guess she is just a petite kitty, like Harri, who is fluffy but tiny under all that fur. Other than a chipped canine tooth-don't know how that happened unless Buddy slammed into her one too many times-she is in good health and is all set for another year.

Buddy and Lucy are next in line for their annuals, so I made appointments for them for a month apart to kind of lessen the financial part of all this-at $217.00 for this visit, you kind of want to spread it out a little!

Dumpster Diving

2008-07-21T08:33:00.000-07:00

Mimi and her trash. She loves trash and loves to dumpster dive for her next piece of trash to play with, my trash can of paper beside the computer being her favorite.
She'll find that special piece of trash, look at you like 'don't you take this away from me!' and then run off with her score.

Just Laying Around

2008-07-18T10:33:00.001-07:00

Kitties do have the knack of making laying around an art form, don't they? It's nice that the three little ones still like each other and will hang out together. It's interesting to see how they relate to each other and I wonder how that will change as they get older. They still chase each other around and play fight, tumbling around and batting and biting at each other, but also have more and more times of solitude.
So, it was kind of unusual to see all three in the same space, although poor little Mimi does look a little third wheelish.

Lucy The Water Baby

2008-07-17T06:11:00.000-07:00

Lucy has always been fascinated with water. When Keith takes a bath, Lucy is right there on the edge of the bathtub, tail usually hanging down into the water. If you turn on the faucet, she is right there wanting to take a drink and will sometimes sit staring at the faucet like 'why isn't the water coming out?'
Sometimes I will turn on the water for her and then go off to do something else and forget thet I've turned on the water and come back 45 minutes later to find the water still running.

The Thrill of the Hunt

2008-07-15T08:32:00.000-07:00

I finally figured out what Mimi is doing when she brings junk in from the garage. She's hunting, and since there are no real creatures out there (at least I HOPE there are no real creatures out there) she brings me her kills in the form of: pieces of scrap wood, a large piece of cellophane off of a filter package, and assorted pieces of paper. (We have a really really junky messy garage) She brings them in with that 'look what I brought you for dinner' meow and drops them by the food dishes in the kitchen.
I praise her for being such a good little huntress.
She's such a little sweetie.