Happy HOWL-O-WEEN

Gracie says on behalf of Abby, Boo, Jinx and Ping she wishes everyone a safe and happy holiday!

Feline Friday -- The Great Pumpkin

And your point is?

Enough already with the freakin' pumpkin.

Visit Friday Ark, to see this week's round-up of cats, dogs and other animals.Also, make it a habit to visit the Carnival of the Cats which goes up every Sunday and will be hosted this week by Watermark

Reminiscing Part II

One of the nicest things I recall when Boo, Ping & Jinx came to live with us, was how they use to greet me every day when I came home. They were always milling around my husband's workshop because he was home and they liked his company. But, when my car pulled into the driveway and I drove into the garage I always remember seeing 3 tails straight up in the air and the three of them running towards me and I always felt like they were saying "Hi Mom, glad you're home, where's the food?"

Remembering BUTTON

I don't recall where I got this photo, but this kitty looks just like BUTTON. I never got a chance to get a picture of her, which I can't tell you how much I regret.
One night last december I thought Boo had gotten outside. I was beside myself in a terrible panic searching for her. There is a wooded area next to our property and on the other side of that is a small business complex. I was out with a small flashlight in my PJ's calling and calling for Boo. All of a sudden my light caught the eyes of a cat. I could tell it was a small cat. She didn't run as I approached her so I patted her on the head, but I knew it wasn't my Boo. I had come to the end of the area I could search, so I headed back home. This little cat followed me step for step back to the house. As it turns out, Boo was in the house, she had gotten into a closet. *WHEW was I ever relieved. We then turned our attention to this new addition. She was disheveled and hungry and full of ticks. She looked like she was on her last legs. It was obvious she had been someone's pet. We fed her, took care of the parasites, got her to the vet and she began to bloom. Poor Button, had some terrible baggage though. She had a very strange gait and had a sensitivity to touch around her back legs. When the vet checked her over, she said that Button had either been hit by a car, or had been thrown from one. Button's bones had healed well she told us. But, they did bother her from time to time. She was a biter. You had to be very careful with her, because she would quickly snap at you. She had such a sad sorrowful meow. We tried to ease her into the house, but she refused to even come close to the garage. She did not like other cats. She would fight with our cats through the windows of the house, especially with Boo. So she settled nicely into my husband's workshop, where she seemed to be happy. My husband was home nearly everyday so he spent lots of time with Button and they developed quite a bond. When he began a part time job, he could not spend the time with her he once did. We knew she was really lonely. On July 16th we both headed off and we saw Button walking across the front lawn, it was our last time to see her. When we got home, she wasn't in the workshop. I searched and searched and called and called for her. I knew something was wrong. She always came home in the afternoon. She never stayed out at night. Of course we told ourselves she would back the next morning, and of course she wasn't. We searched the neighborhood. We told ourselves she would show up. We checked with animal care and control and she wasn't there. She never came home. We don't know what happened, other than she simply never came back. I would like to think, that in the six months she was with us that she was happy. We loved her and tried to care for her as much as she would let us. She was a very sad girl. But she loved being around us when we were on her turf. I miss her and I still say kitty prayers for her. The only good thing that came of this was that Gracie found her way into our hearts and we saved her from being put in animal care and control. But, I still miss Button. Wait for me girlie at the Rainbow Bridge and I will find you. Love you Button.

Remembering Part I

Boo last December
Prior to August of 2004 we had no pets. I always wanted a dog. I had grown up with dogs and dogs were what I was most familiar with. Well, all that changed when someone kindly let out Boo, Ping and Jinx in our neighborhood. I knew very little about cats. It was all a learning process. It was also a gradual process of the cats becoming part of the family. I now shudder when I recall that these 3 lived outside for several weeks before they moved into the garage and subsequently into the house. In the Septemeber of 2004 we had Hurricane Jeanne come through our area, it was pretty scary stuff, the 3 cats were outside. They were protected in one of those plastic totes you buy to store stuff in. I can vividly recall going to the window and checking on them, the three of them were curled up tightly together sleeping it all away. They were in better shape than I was that night. But, now to think I didn't bring them in, I am ashamed of myself. I can't imagine allowing them outside. One of the most vivid early memories I hold of Boo dates back to that August. She was on the far side of our property which is a little over an acre and I called her for dinner, she STREAKED across the yard, and I don't believe her little paws touched the ground. I was so amazed at how fast she was. She reminded me of a cheetah from one of those nature documentaries. That vision is one I will never forget because it was so striking to watch her movements.

Feline Friday -- Cat for Sale!

Rollback special...Jinx in a box!


Visit Friday Ark, to see this week's round-up of cats, dogs and other animals.Also, make it a habit to see the Carnival of the Cats which goes up every Sunday and will be hosted this week by Mind of Mog.

A Very Unusual Sight

Abby sitting in my husband's lap.

This is unheard of and amazing. She has never before wanted to sit anywhere but in my lap. She was in search of a lap and mine was unavailable, so she settled in to the closest one she could find, but the moment Mom's was available she hopped right in and made herself a nest.

Communicating With A Cat

Ping speaks!

I have thought a lot about how cats communicate. I don't profess to be any type of expert on this subject, far from it in fact. But, I have given it a great deal of thought. I try to understand what my cats are saying to me. I find it interesting the different ways they communicate to me and to one another. I have 3 very vocal cats. Ping is a meower. He talks and chatters all the time. Before Gracie came to live with us, he spoke so sorrowfully most of the time. I thought he was really lonely. He is such a gregarious cat and I think he needed to have another cat that had a similar temperment. Gracie fit the bill just perfectly. She is also a talker. But, her little mews are so soft sometimes nothing comes out of her mouth when she speaks. Other times she 'squeaks'. So, hence her nickname of "Squeaky". But, one thing I have noticed is that she has calmed Ping's chatter down. Now that he has her to play and romp with he doesn't go around all the time and 'cry'. Abby is quite vocal. But, when she is communicating with the other cats, she is telling them in no uncertain terms to stay away! She has an unusual mew, her sound is a cross between a nanny goat and a cat. Her communication to me is totally different. I have walked up to her and she will meow at me one time and let me know that 'hey I'm right here'! It is really evident she is announcing herself. I have also heard her mournful when she is looking for me and can't find me. It is a totally different low sad cry, and of course her happiness is expressed when she dances and prances in figure eights and purrs so loudly it sounds like a motor engine running. Jinx only talks to me when he is hungry and then he chirps. He will lead me to the kitchen and actually to the food. He knows exactly where the cans are and of course he knows his dinner plates. Boo will only 'talk' when we are alone or early in the morning when she is ready to get up. She is the only cat that sleeps with us. Our bedroom is her room, and she feels comfortable in there. In the morning she will let me know when she is ready to get up by standing on my chest and kneading me and then she will get up into my ear and meow. It's time to start the day. I would really like to understand cat language better than I do and I keep researching the topic. On my to read list are:

1. Cat Vs. Cat : Keeping Peace When You Have More Than One Cat
2. Think Like A Cat
3. Psycho Kitty
4. Angel Cats
5. Hiss & Tell
6. What Cat TEAch Us
7. Cats Have No Masters
8. Why Cat Do That
9. The Feline Mystique
10. Communicating With Your Cat
11. Twisted Whiskers
12. The Cat Who Cried For Help

I See You!

Abby looking at herself in the mirrored door of the bedroom.

Total Serenity

Abby

Isn't she peaceful & serene? She is such a happy little camper when she is taking her catnaps. But she sure is a pistol when she wakes up.

2 Peas In A Pod

Ping & Gracie asleep together on the foot rest.

Gracie has only been with us since July. She was abandoned at the door of the Animal Care & Control. They had not taken her in because they didn't want another mouth to feed, and to be fair I believe they were hoping someone who came in would take her -- for free. Of course, we were those "someones". Gracie is only a kitten with a big PERSONALITY. She is a very loving girl who just wants to be loved back. We felt strongly that she wouldn't have any trouble fitting in with our expanding family, and she hasn't. At first, Ping & Jinx were standoffish to her, but she is so infectious, that it wasn't long before they were all frolicking and playing like long lost brothers and sisters. Gracie has a habit of headbutting anyone or anything as her way of saying "hello". She began walking up to her brothers and doing this which shocked the heck out of them, they didn't know what to think. But, they soon realized she was only warmly greeting them and they began accepting her welcome with kitty kindnesses of their own. As you can see Gracie warmly snuggled up to Ping suggests they have really accepted their youngest sister. She has had less success with acceptance from her two sisters. Boo is skittish, and since Gracie likes to romp it scares her. So they are still adjusting. Abby hasn't taken to Gracie at all. She is the oldest cat and is settled into her ways. It will take some time, but I believe that sooner or later (probably MORE on the later part) they will form an acceptance of each other. But for now, Gracie is quite happy to be totally accepted by her big brothers.

Feline Friday -- The Cookie Monster

Abby likes her 'treats'. When I tear open a new bag of her 'cookies' I barely have time to empty the contents into the jar before my tiny kitty starts poking her head into the jar to grab the first crunchy morsels.




Visit Friday Ark, to see this week's round-up of cats, dogs and other animals.Also, make it a habit to see the Carnival of the Cats which goes up every Sunday and will be hosted this week Where The Dolphins Play

Loyalty

Loyalty:
a feeling or attitude of devoted attachement and affection

A common Manx trait is one of loyalty. Abby, my Manx is extremely loyal. We adopted her in June from a rescue group. She had previously been in two other homes and with her last family for three years. One trait they did not like about her was her need for affection. Abby is exceptionally cute, especially since she is a minature in size. At 4 1/2 pounds she is quite diminitive. But, what she lacks in size she makes up in stature. She has a strong personality. When she first came home with us she nipped any hand that came near her, with lots of patience and determination I have gained her trust and she rarely nips at me. I can only surmise that in her mind, there was some NEED to protect herself from. She now knows that she has nothing to fear and I believe she understands that and that is why she stopped nipping. She is quite affectionate, and I can see the calm soothing look in her eyes when she lies in my lap. She loves to groom me and she will do that for some time, after she has finished her task of grooming she will fall deeply asleep and snore! Occassionlly she will fall so deep into sleep that she will dream and whiskers, ears, & paws will twitch. I believe she finally feels safe and secure in a home where she has no worries.

Food For Thought

I have tried to feed our cats with food that was 'good' for them as well as food that they liked. I have done some research on cat foods and it's a little disturbing what the manufacturers can get by with. Every time that I find what is suppose to be a a 'premium' cat food, my cats nearly refuse to eat it. This last time I purchased Royal Canin which I understood was suppose to be good for them. Well they will nibble on it, but they still like Purina One better. I have tried to find them better canned foods but they still prefer Friskies, which I know is like 'fast food'. Probably tastes good (to them) just like a fast food burger joint tastes good to for us. But, I wonder about the nutritional value in the food. Jinx is always hungry. He rarely eats the dried food I have out at all the times. Abby is the only one who likes the dried food, but then she has rarely eaten the canned foods in the past, and I discovered why her former owners did not feed her anything other than dried foods. Her little system just can't take too much of the wet foods. I have found that the Meow Mix in the packet is something she can eat without suffering any bad results. But, I only sparingly give that to her once a day. Boo & Abby LOVE the Temptation treats...and I mean LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! The other cats could care less about them. On special occasions I will give them bites of plain cooked chicken. But, I try not to give them too much human food. As it is, Abby wants to sit in my lap at dinnertime. So, I being the obedient cat slave let her.

Watching The Tube

Boos takes a big interest in the local weather.

Lately Boo has taken up residence on top of the VCR. She seems to love the TV, especially when it has colorful graphics or there is a lot of motion on the screen. She likes sports for that reasoning I suppose. It's usually pretty colorful and there is quite a bit of movement. She will sit on top of the TV and look down and when she really sees something she finds fascinating happening on the screen she will paw at it. This past weekend when all of the cats were in the room with the TV they heard the animal sounds coming from the TV and they were quite entranced with that too. I know they were wondering where in the world those creatures were!

Boo's New Hideout

Boo has a new hangout.... there was only one drawback. When the other kitties found out about it, they wanted to get up in the top of the chest too. So, Boo being the most laid back cat that she is, gave up her new nesting spot. After much bickering with each other, I had to close up the chest and make it off limits to everyone. Sounds like little kids,doesn't it?

Friday Cat Blogging--Cats & Flowers

Abby says "Happpy Anniversary" Today is my husband,Wally and I, 16th wedding anniversary. Anymore that's saying a lot.

Abby decided to help us celebrate!

Visit Friday Ark, to see this week's round-up of cats, dogs and other animals.Also, make it a habit to see the Carnival of the Cats which goes up every Sunday and will be hosted this week by ginasrantings

The Whammy That Was Tammy (sort of)

We had Tropical Storm Tammy past through yesterday. It was more bust than bluster, although we did get quite a bit of rain in a very short time, minor flooding definitely beach erosion. So what did the the cats think?

Gracie...Ping any thoughts?

Boo....Boo...Boo.... what did you think?

zzzzzzzz....

Ping, Jinx any additional thoughts?

Ahhhh Abby what did you think?

Abby???

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Well, I guess they didn't think a lot of it!

Curiousity & the Cat

Whenever there is anything 'new' the cats they are very inquisitve about whatever it is. In this incident, Abby happened to come across me opening the drawer to the server. She peers over the side intently fully engaged in seeking to find out what is new and different. She hops into the drawer trying to go into it's secret places. Only to find it doesn't have any, but she searches the entire space and then when she is satisfied she has checked it out totally she is ready to move on.

The TWO Sides of Boo

My beautiful Boo.

The Faucet

Abby has a new way she likes to get water.

One day Abby went over to the faucet and started licking so I turned on the water and she lapped it up. She loves to drink quite a bit of water, which I am glad to see, as our other cats barely drink fresh water. But, I feel they get enough liquids from the canned foods. Abby doesn't eat much canned food, only a little because of her digestive system. Occassionally when she wants water and she won't go stand on the divider in the sink, I will just use the palm of my hand and fill it with water and she will drink from that...yes, I know she is being indulged. I like doing it for her. She doesn't do this all the time, normally she will drink from the water bowl, but I have found that she really likes fresh water, and who can blame her? If you let water sit it does have a slight funny taste, so I can't fault her.