Love me...love my cat

On Sunday we were watching a couple of episodes of Dog Whisperer which featured dogs who had been brought by their owners into a new relationship - they had been good pets with a single owner but developed behavioral problems when the other person joined the household. As one fellow said, the girlfriend and her dog were a "package deal" so he knew he was going to be marrying both!

So..on that note...my husband decided to track down photos of the cats we each brought into our relationship. As you might remember, my hubby-to-be brought over his grey fluff cat for a visit. In the first photo, Dusty has settled into becoming a full fledged member of the shared household. The second photo is my cat, Sushi, who always loved rolling on his back for a tummy scratch. Both cats accepted each other with no problems. While it has been many years since these two have been around, we still hold their memories dear ...and will never forget them.

A typical Saturday

We have just returned from our regular Saturday morning schedule. First stop is breakfast at McDonalds, where we enjoy some time to relax for about 30 minutes. Then we head over to the local Humane Society to cuddle a couple of the cats and check out the gift shop. In the photo above you can see the items that caught my eye over the past two visits. Today I found a set of recycled paper cards with colorful cat art which I thought would be perfect for sending a quick note to a friend. We also regularly visit a pet rescue place which sells a variety of great treats and other pet essentials for our cats and dogs.

We happened to see four kitties in one of the cat trees as we walked by one of the cat condos. It is always so cute to see them all cuddled in one spot even though there is plenty of room in each cat condo for them to run around. Even the large cats seem very content to curl up in these stainless steel bowls, with or without a blanket inside. We have not yet purchased a cat tree but have looked with interest at various ones on other blogs. Cat's Cats blog shows a recently added cat tree that looks very popular with the cats...and I think those cats at the Katnip Lounge have an incredible layout which would make any cat very happy! Hubby points out that we already have some choice high spots around the house...but I am so fascinated by these cat trees at the Humane Society that I would like to track down one of these. They are almost like a piece of art in their own right!

I am the favorite...says Angel

One of my friends was reading one of the earlier posts and asked me how I could have a favorite. "Don't you love them all?" she said. "Of course!" I replied. And I do love them all very much. But they have their own ideas on who is special for them. Sebastian is so bonded to my younger son that there is no one else in his sights. He will purr for me if I come and scratch his ears or under his chin..but if he sees younger son go by he is off like a shot, following him like a shadow. Spike is friendly to us all but he is definitely my hubby's cat. Just 10 minutes ago, Papabear saw him at the bottom of the stairs and gave him a "come hither" wave. Within a few seconds, I heard a deep rumbling purr and saw him cuddled in Papabear's arms, heading up to bed.

Angel divides his affections between hubby and me..with some love reserved for younger daughter when she visits. He will sneak onto the bed later at night and curl up on my legs. In fact, it doesn't matter to him where I am..if my legs are out, he cuddles up very quickly. The shot above is from the other night when I stretched out on the couch to watch TV. As soon as he saw the blanket being pulled up, he was on his way over. As you can see from the left side of the photo, he has a back leg up at an odd angle, as a result of pushing his body a little further forward.

He will follow me around, looking for an opportunity to have his ears and whiskers scratched and stroked. If I don't respond on a timely basis (i.e. right away!) he looks at me with those green eyes, making me feel guilty. He is the only one of the three cats who will actually stare at me for some length of time. And when he sits on my lap, being patted, he will turn his head and give me such a loving gaze. (Yes, this is the same cat that tries to bite me when I try to bring him back inside after he slips out the door!) I do feel a strong connection to this little white cat and I really hope he knows how much he is loved here. A stubborn - but very sweet natured cat….a true study in contrasts. I felt a sense of déjà vu a couple of years ago when reading one of the blogs I follow. The author had a special relationship with her Punkin during her cat’s time on earth and her descriptions of Punkin made me think of Angel several times. If you have some time to read this blog, you will find many heart warming stories (and some sadness too). http://houseofmanycats.blogspot.com/

Wait for me!

One sneaky white cat in hot pursuit of freedom! While it may appear he is simply running after the woofie, perhaps to play, the real story is that he has managed to run out of the house while I was trying to stop Spike from getting out. The woofie has settled in well and clearly recognizes this house and yard as hers (quite evident when we are returning after her walk and she speeds up noticeably when the house comes into view). Consequently we will let her out onto the driveway when we are unpacking groceries. This time Angel was very quick to slip around me and run onto the grass. I told hubby that he could bring Angel back into the house, which he quickly declined. Refer to this post to see why neither of us wants to pick up our loving cat when he is sitting on the lawn: http://ourfurryboys.blogspot.com/2009/05/wearing-of-green.html

Romeo comes for a "visit"

My friend just posted her latest pics of Romeo on fb...and I had to ask if Romeo could come for a visit on the blog. I am a sucker for green cat eyes (so I guess that's a hint that Angel is my favorite of the home boys!) and Romeo has those beautiful green eyes that set off his handsome tabbyness so well. And after all that hard work posing, he had to take a quick rest on the bed. I just love the way his back legs are just suspended at the end of the bed..and he looks so blissful in his resting pose!

Welcoming Committee

Two content animals...waiting patiently for their loving humans to return. Aaah...if only that was true! When we leave the house, the opening and closing of the door is accompanied by the frenzied barking of the little Sheltie who has separation anxiety. When we return, the welcoming comittee is typically comprised of Spike, at the front window, the woofie barking madly right behind the front door and Angel just inside the door to the left, head trying to push out as soon as the door is opened. Sebastian lurks in the background, usually halfway up the stairs, watching to see if he has an opportunity to escape into the great outdoors.

Sebastian's idea of a pillow

Our bed is usually occupied by Angel, who comes in during the night to sleep on any available warm legs and in the day to sit on the edge of the bed looking out at the window. On occasion, I do a double take when I notice Angel doesn't really look like himself - and then I realize it is Sebastian. I have a bad habit of leaving some article of clothing on the bed and whenever I do this, it isn't long before Sebastian comes into the room and is drawn towards whatever has been left there. He sits on top of it, beside it, in front of it...and always leaves me a "present" of little white furs. (One would think I would know better by now!)

Encore...encore!

I missed this one yesterday...and had to give Spike a chance for an encore. This is such a typical pose for our fluff cat...calm, confident and curious. He can sit for a long time at the window, simply watching whatever is going on. Although you can't see the front window from here (it is just to the right) it is the window where Spike watches the neighbourhood kids go to school in the mornings. He can see the impatiens from the other side every day..so this is his chance to actually get close and smell them.

Spike and Girly enjoying the fresh air

The inspiration for these photos came from Cat's beautiful photo of her Casper (white cat, red geraniums...but you really have to go and look at this photo http://catscats-catrina.blogspot.com/2010/08/thursday-in-garden.html ). Every once in awhile, Papabear will put the harness on Spike and bring him out for some fresh air in the front yard. He is the only cat that will put up with a harness...the other two wriggle around desperately trying to get out of anything that we put on so it doesn't turn out to be much fun for them (or us).

Girly is quite good at staying close by on the rare occasion we let her come out without her leash on. This time is the first time she has seen Spike outside (which tells us it must be more than 4 months since Spike's last excursion ...since that is when Girly came to live with us). These two will generally sit close by but there is always a space between. Spike does not believe in cuddling up with anyone except Papabear...and Girly spends more time stepping over cats who are in her way than she does trying to make friends. In fact, she likes to play "cop" when she hears any cat kerfuffle. The dining room window becomes hot property whenever we open it (not often in the recent 30 degree heat) and there is room for 2 cats. That is the first problem...third cat always feels left out. If Spike is the 3rd cat, he will simply shoulder his way into the mix and then the other cats at the window will hiss at him (not that he cares..even if he could hear it wouldn't stop him). If it is Spike and one other cat up there, all it takes is Spike taking a step closer to the other cat and then the hissing starts. Girly's hearing seems to be quite good because as soon as she hears the hiss, she is at attention, running to the source of the sound.

Can't you see that I am busy?

Sebastian has been caught in the middle of a grooming session....he stops with tongue in mid air, waits until the camera is put down again and then goes back to work. Of the three cats, Sebastian has the softest fur, which glistens when he stands in the sunlight. We can never get him to stand long enough to be brushed but he does seem to do a decent job on his own. The one strange habit he has (never observed in any of our other cats) is a slight drool when he is curled up with younger son. Usually he cuddles up to younger son's arm in the late evening during study time...and shortly after we hear younger son grumbling when Sebastian lets a little drool fall on bare skin!

PS For those of you who come over from the Friday Ark to view, please check out http://wendyslolspot.blogspot.com/ for a feature on our furry boys provided by Wendy (a wonderfully creative cat lover with a great sense of humor!)

I know I'm not a cat..but aren't I cute, too?

Every once in awhile I feel a little guilty that the woofie is left out of the regular postings. Yes, she shows up occasionally - but as a supporting player rather than one of the stars of the blog. Papabear has a knack for taking good photos (mine will never show up on the blog since I really have no sense of composition, artistic style or even the ability to take photos that don't chop off something/someone that should have been in the frame). So I thought it was a good time to let the woofie have her own post - even if she isn't quite as cuddly as our soft, furry boys.

The introduction of the woofie has meant daily walks for Papabear and regular outings for me (after work and on weekends) so this means regular visits to the park down the street and the city parks which dot our city. We have been fortunate to have many days of sunny weather this summer - although the 30+ C weather these past few days has been a bit hotter than we like when we are on a 20 minute walk. I can almost hear the cats sniggering at the front window as they sit comfortably in the air conditioned house, watching us come in from the latest walk!

Spike's version of a cat condo

Just a few minutes before this photo, Spike was stretched out, fast asleep. He is on the top of a very high bookcase. one of his favorite spots in the family room. In a typical day pose his paws will do the "double dangle" on one edge and the fluff tail will beat a steady rhythym when someone walks by. At night he will tuck his nose into his paws and we will hear the occasional snore. He has a prime view of Papabear on the computer so I reckon this is one of the reasons I find him here regularly. Every once in a while. late at night, I forget the fluff cat is up here. I turn on the light when I go in and then I hear a little grunt as he wakes up.
PS A sharp eye will see the boomerang on the wall at the left. Not a functioning one...but beautifully illustrated with aboriginal art.

Friends "not of a feather"

Usually our Lord and Master of the Fluff is sitting up where he can look down on the denizens of the house - so this was a real surprise when Papabear walked back into the living room after getting himself a cup of coffee. Out with the pocket camera..and up with the photo! ("Up"loaded, that is.) We have been very pleased with the integration of the woofie into the household. Often she is sitting just a foot or two away from Angel and he just casually looks over at her, then buries his head in his blanket. If you look up and left, that is Angel's favorite chair. Spike will walk by, swishing his tail and ignoring dog and humans. It is very common, though, when I am in the kitchen late at night, to turn around and find Spike stretched out on one part of the kitchen floor and the woofie stretched out on another, both equally comfortable in the company of the other. Sebastian is the one hold out ...but there seems be some thawing so we hope they come to a truce in the near future. The woofie's fur is fast turning grey so we don't know how much time we will have with her. We just have a best estimate from the vet as to her age and our reading shows that the typical life expectancy for her breed is 12 - 13 years. But, as with the cats, this is her "forever" home and we'll love her through whatever time she has.

The dangling paw

Angel has been observing Ben's dangling paw http://catscats-catrina.blogspot.com/2010/08/tuxedo-tuesday.html and decided to show off his own paw dangling ability. The first shot catches Angel on the living room coffee table - about 10 minutes after Spike has hopped off. The next is one of Angel's favorite poses...anytime I lie down on the couch it is just a matter of time before Angel susses it out and slinks over to stretch out. Who needs a hot water blanket when Angel is around!

"The one that got away": Angel was sitting on a large box the other day, with paw draped over the edge, when the woofie walked by. Angel started batting at the woofie's tail as she walked by but by the time we grabbed a camera, the action was over and the paw tucked away.

7 facts about me

An invitation from Cat at Cat’s Cats is behind the badge you see above…and the objective is for me to let you (the readers) know seven things about myself.

Well…..how could I resist an opportunity to respond to this? This will be an interesting challenge for me since I initially started the blog for friends and family who wanted to know what the cats were doing rather than me!

1. The old saying “If you love what you do, you’ll never work another day in your life” is so true…but my husband regularly phones me to remind me I do have to come home from work at some time. I work in Finance, in the retail fashion world. Whenever I feel I’ve had enough numbers for awhile, I pop down to the concept rooms where the fashion samples are arranged on the wall,,,or the next season product is laid out in modules. I do spend more on clothes than I should….but I tell my husband it is “research”!

2. In summer I relax, watch HGTV shows, Coronation Street and Dog Town (why don’t they have a Cat Town or a Cat Whisperer?) and spend time in the garden, walking the dog, out shopping and just driving around checking out the local shops and malls. I slow down in summer and find I am recharged and ready to go again in September. By then I am eager to get started for my upcoming evening lecture sessions (accounting and finance….what else!) I love to teach and I enjoy writing my own cases for one of the classes….this is the creative side of me coming out.

3. I love to read …hard copy or electronic…either media suits me fine. I enjoy science fiction, with Isaac Asimov top on my list. I do have several books scattered around the living room (you see some of them underneath Spike) and more upstairs…I have a bad habit of starting a book and then grabbing another that catches my interest or happens to be handy at the time I taking a break.

4. We have 4 kids (the baby bears as we call them...although the 6’6’ son and 6’5” son really don’t appreciate that description). The youngest son is our Cat Whisperer in the family and he willingly shares his bed, desk and cupboard with our scaredy cat, Sebastian.

5. I knew my husband was going to the right fellow for me back in the early days when he showed up at my door one winter day with a beautiful silver grey long haired cat tucked away under his coat, with just its penetrating green eyes peeking out. (He still loves long haired cats, hence the many photos of Spike that are peppered throughout the blog.)

6. I have been drawn to animals from an early age and have had pets most of my life. At the top of the post I have included a photo of a much younger me at my grandpa’s farm in Australia…..surrounded by my favourite four legged furry friends (one cat and one puppy) and a “chook” (as my grandma would say). On a related note, I was born in Australia, lived in Africa, England and Scotland….and then moved to Canada when I was still quite young. Here to stay now!

7. My favourite time of the day – usually happens late evening when hubby and I are sitting in the living room. Angel will be draped on my legs, the woofie is curled at our feet and we hear soft snoring coming from Spike who is tucked away behind us on the blanket by the couch.

I want an iPhone

Spike's deafness precludes us from reading to him at bedtime.....so Papabear took the next best step and found a magazine with all sorts of interesting pictures ..and what did his eyes stop on? The new iPhone! Hmmm.....I wonder if Papabear is helping direct his interest here.

Angel checks out the pears from his comfortable new box

We found a great plastic pet storage box at Home Sense this weekend - designed for cat brushes, toys, leashes, etc - made by a company called Curver. The storage box was well designed so I quickly looked up Curver - apparently it is a European company without locations here so I guess we won't have any luck looking for a matching storage box for dogs. There was only one box on the shelf at Home Sense so we can't even buy another one, cross out the cat pictures and magic marker in the dog name!

We had some of the extra cat brushes in a photo box so emptied out the box this morning. Less than an hour later, Angel found it and crammed his little furry body into the box. Feigning innocence, he pretends he is checking out the decorative pears!