Merry Xmas

Not exactly filled with the Christmas spirit, Spike shows his displeasure with being woken up to sport a seasonally appropriate ornament. Angel's wearing of the green (and red) was equally short lived...his ornament had long pieces of chiffon ribbon that looked too temptingly like a favorite toy.

After a 5:00 AM Christmas dinner for all pets and a quick walk for the woofies, all are now settled down for a nice long nap, leaving just the two humans in the house awake to wish all readers a Merry Xmas!

Start posting my photos!

The look of a cat who is exasperated with the person who is not posting his photos or writing about him! Also this is the very same look at about 5 AM in the morning when he comes over to my face and stares at me, willing me to crawl out of a nice warm bed and come downstairs to feed him.  This previously was hubby's job, who rises even earlier than this.  He feeds the four woofers first and then the four cats not long after 5 AM hits.  I, on the other hand, would push Angel away from my face, and pull the covers over me so he couldn't start licking my nose as his second step in the "wake up" process.  However, in the past four months, I have been getting up around this time so that I can walk the pup.  Although he goes out at the same time as the other woofers, the two old girls don't appreciate the young feisty boy in their life and are likley to try and take a bite out of him. And since I am now up at this time I usually have the task of feeding the cats while hubby takes care of the ravenous dogs. I am definitely not a morning person but Angel doesn't worry about that..he is smart enough to understand the implications of the change in routine so he is now much more persistent in the AM if I am not getting up when he thinks I should!

2 weeks and NO CATS!

I have just come back from Calgary...with no cats to cuddle for two weeks! The first item on my "to do" list when I returned was to grab my Angel and hold him close.  Usually he patiently puts up with me hauling him around and even follows me when I forget to pat him. As you can see by the photo below he doesn't look too impressed so I guess this is going to take a little time to get back in his good books.  At least he had plenty of room at the end of the bed while I was gone!

A Window for Sharing

Two different days..but the same two cats who love the smell of fresh air and the eye candy of various squirrels who dare run through our yard. Normally Sebastian displaces Angel at the window but in the first shot Angel stands his ground and keeps his paws clearly planted on the window sill.  In the second shot you can see Sebastian has found something of interest and shortly after, will jump right onto the sill behind Angel and start invading his purr-sonal space!

In case anyone is wondering why the outside of the window is violet..well, it isn't intended to be part of the standard colours of our house.  Several years ago a friend gave us some shocking purple paint, almost an ultraviolet, and definitely not in keeping with the colours you would see on the rest of the houses on our street. So we painted our back windows on the main floor to see how the color looked, and being on a roll, we popped around to the front of the house and painted the front door!  It did stay purple for a couple of years and then we switched to a more conservative (?) maple red color.

A lazy weekend

After seeing Trish's photo this week of a favorite cat napping spot  http://katniplounge.blogspot.ca/2012/08/uncomfortably-numb I remembered hubby had taken a photo the other day when I had a chance to curl up on the couch with two nice warm cushions. The only problems are sharp back claws being pushed into tender skin when Angel is getting settled and a cold wet nose when Seumas goes to put his head on my leg. Other than that.. it was good to be able to snooze on the couch for almost an hour!

Fur-riends on another blog

Two of Cat's handsome boys are not feeling well ... and I do hope they get better soon.  It can be a helpless feeling, not knowing exactly what is wrong and not being able to understand what is wrong with your pet.  This morning, we had a whiny pup out on the 5 AM walk (nothing wrong with him) and we were discussing how frustrating it can be trying to figure out whether the whine means hunger, thirst, pain or simply just a desire to play with someone. He had a round of needles yesterday so it could be residual discomfort..but I wish he could talk just a little to let me know what is wrong.

Still Life

The continual hot weather here means that the soil is drying out and the gardener doesn't want to go out in the heat to weed the garden. So "planting" metal ornaments sounded quite appealing!  Although these photos aren't very clear (I took them rather than the resident photographer who does a much better job of it) they show the latest additions to the garden.  The local dollar store had some cute painted metal cats (blue, orange and white) and I couldn't resist. I know they will probably be rusting within a year or two but hopefully that will still look suitably charming in the back yard….which sports a couple of flamingos which did cost considerably more….and are already rusting.

The blue cat sits in front of a flowering almond bush which has pretty pink flowers in spring.  There are purple heucheras behind the cat but they are not very visible in the shot. The orange cat has a Golden dwarf Japanese barberry bush behind it (stays small and compact, with bright lemony yellow leaves all summer), with the yellow flowered lysimachia and a vine which started as a piece cut off the vine which grows up the side of house.  The white cat really stands out in the early evening and is actually surrounded by purple flowers (magenta purple salvia to left, soft blue lilac coloured salvia behind and the remnants of some deep purple bachelor buttons to the right.)

I missed a great opportunity to capture a true cat "still life" earlier in the week...Spike was curled up in the chair by the front window fast asleep.  A dog was walking by outside and within 30 seconds all 3 dogs were gathered around the chair, woofing loudly. Even the pup added in a few yips for good measure. Through all this cacophony of noise, Spike stayed soundly sleeping. Sure enough, by the time I tracked down the camera, the dog outside had disappeared and woofers inside had headed back to their respective napping spots.  Even though Spike was still fast asleep, the irony of the "still life" photo op was gone!

A Rare Sight in This House

I know many of you have cats that willingly cuddle together...and I have bemoaned the fact it doesn't happen here. But..to my surprise...I found a photo opportunity that I had to leverage quickly before the joy of proximity changed to the pain of personal space invasion.  Angel had been fast asleep on the cat bed when Spike came up and carefully stepped into the empty space left at the side (since this is actually a large dog bed it provides plenty of space). As Spike wiggled in that chubby body of his, the fur on his side must have tickled Angel's nose. Angel opened one eye warily but decided against a quick exodus. Instead he closed that eye and snuggled his face into the cushion in the cat bed.  Spike watched him for a few seconds and then put his head down to go to sleep.

Why I love my cats

Sometimes a sleepless night really brings home how much I love my cats. First ..at around 3 in the morning...a loud yakking sound at the end of the bed..a scramble to get up and see which dog was getting sick and make it there before next dog decided to jump on clean up duty.  Then, an hour and a half later, a couple of soft, piteous whines from the third dog at my side of the bed, looking for someone to carry her downstairs. (She can't climb stairs due to her age and arthritis so I carry her upstairs each night - although don't usually have the AM shift to come downstairs.)  After snuggling back under the covers and falling asleep, I heard the sharp yap of a wide awake puppy.  At this point all three dogs were downstairs with hubby (who is always up by 5 AM to feed dogs and cats) so the pup wanted someone to give him attention.  I hoisted him out of his crate, took him outside to take care of business then handed him over to hubby.

Now, over this time, Angel was sleeping at the end of the bed, not bothered by anything going on and not moving until he heard hubby heading downstairs for feeding time. Angel comes up at night time right after I head to bed, jumps on the end of the bed and spreads himself over my feet.  At some point during the night, Sadie saunters down the hall and curls up on the laundry basket just outside the room (well..not a functioning laundry basket anymore..now taken out of use and filled with a cat blanket). Spike occasionally sneaks up to sleep in the headboard...squishing his ample frame into a rather small bookcase section in the headboard, right by his adored "papa". And NOT at any time during the night, am I woken up by any of my sweet cats!   

  

Sadie and Seumas are sharing the couch in the photos above.  Sadie crawled up on Saumas' blanket just after it had come out of the dryer. She was fast asleep when Seumas was put on the couch to play with his toys..she opened an eye to see who it was and then went right back to sleep. Seumas followed suit shortly after!

A New Furry Boy ...but not what you think

Sadie, our well known "flopper", who will sit or lie anywhere that catches her fancy, has decided to sit on top of the new dog cage holding the new furry boy.  She has taken a sniff or two of the new pup without any real interest and is now ignoring him. She can easily ignore his little yips, being deaf, and he isn't eating her food so it is just another day in the household.  Spike and Angel have similar reactions..a sniff or two of puppy's face and then back to what they were doing.  Sebastian, ever wary of anything that might pose a threat, hissed and backed up.  But he keeps away from every four footed furry in the house and only has eyes for hubby and youngest son.

Lady Gray earns a nickname

Aaaah...the joy of being tucked into a snug cat bed with some warm Ontario sun rays streaming through the glass door!

My friend's silver kitty is certainly enjoying her life and I am sure is spoiled wonderfully now.  Apparently she loves to curl up and snooze much of the time during the day and she has recently been nicknamed "Lazy Gray" by the man in the house, who swears she is always sleeping.  My friend knows better since she sees the food in the Lady's dinner bowl has mysteriously vanished when no one was looking.

What Cats Do on a Holiday

The long awaited holiday weekend came...and all of us in the house took full advantage of a day of peace and quiet. Sadie made herself comfortable on hubby's leg. Angel stayed up in the bedroom tucked into a little ball.

And Spike....well, Spike was just being himself...nest napper on a large scale.  He decided that the dog bed would be just the spot to stretch out in.  He could probably smell a wee bit of himself from the last time he usurped this bed..but clearly the dog smell wasn't enough to deter him.

One Happy Spike

I am back from Vegas and just getting caught up on the To Do list (which does include cuddling a cat or two).  I enjoyed my visit with Trish at Katnip Lounge and had a great time relaxing in the catio with good company.  Trish sent back a "I care" package for the kitties here which included a new treat for them ...valerian. When I returned home, it took me a couple of days to get everything unpacked and I still had the treats tucked away in my suitcase, expecting to take it out for the weekend.  On Thursday, hubby noticed Spike rubbing up against the side of the suitcase, sniffing all around the zipper. That was our first hint we were going to have some happy kitties.  

This morning I walked by Sadie, all curled up on top of one of our boxes of Raisin Bran. The box was on its side and Sadie had squashed the part of the box in, probably to make it a more comfortable sleeping spot.  I thought this would make an interesting photo so was going to send hubby over to take a photo at some point. On my way back to the living room, I took the treats out of my suitcase and headed over to the chair to sit down for a few minutes with my coffee.  I heard the clicking of claws on the floor and looked up to see Sadie coming out, on a direct course for the valerian.  I let her sniff the package and didn't even have it open before she was rolling on the floor and looking decidedly silly!  

Spike came in to join Sadie within 2 minutes..and he had also been sleeping soundly last time I saw him. He was trying to bite through the bag, madly licking at the outside and desperate to get it opened. The first photo above shows his first lick of valerian.  Then I brought out one of the tickle feather treats and he put on his meerkat impression trying to grab the feather (all licked and chewed right now...I am glad Trish put in several more for all of the cats to enjoy!),  The next photo shows Sophie coming up to share the fun..she also wanted to sniff and taste the valerian ...but settled for a bite of the feather.

Last photo...a quick snap of Trish and I out in the catio...enjoying fresh air and cat company!

Enjoying the one sunny day this week

Although it is really hard to tell which cat this is, the sleeping pose might give it away.  Sadie will tuck herself away into any place she can fit into.  I probably mentioned in an earlier post that one time we found her squished in behind the bathroom door, curled up on a towel on the floor.  This time, her body was right up against the warm window and if you looked at her from the other side, you would see the pink nose and paw pads touching the window.  We haven't had a lot of sun lately ...but anytime we do, the two chairs up against the dining room window see their fair share of furry occupants.

And now.......what is better than four cats?   Thirteen cats, of course!  I am off to Nevada for a software training session and coincidentally, the session will take place less than 30 minutes from the Katnip Lounge. And I will have the pleasure of visiting the lounge tomorrow! After reading the blog for many years I am really looking forward to meeting Trish and the stars of the Lounge in person.

 Sleeping soundly.....

Awakened when the flash went off!

This couch has seen its fair share of occupants these past few months.  The usual suspects are myself, working late into the night, one dog and one cat.  In fact, that is the corner of my sweatshirt in the top photo. Girly, the sable Sheltie, is usually the only dog on the couch and we have the knitted blanket on so that she doesn't scratch up the leather underneath. Angel, the elder, is the other regular occupant..but only when the couch is dog free.  Surprisingly, the other day Spike climbed up on the back of couch, fully aware that there was a dog below, and curled up to snooze comfortably.  I suppose I shouldn't be surprised because our fluff usually sleeps exactly where he wants, regardless of where it is. Yesterday, at feeding time, I had to drag him out of an empty box lid. Today, when I walked into the family room, I found him stuffed into the shelf of the open bookcase, just an arms length from hubby working on the computer.

Bella stops by the blog for a visit

My friend's cat, Bella, loves the camera.  Fortunately for Bella, her owner is a Visual Presentation Manager who has a good eye for composition and who loves taking photos! 

In the first shot, Bella has found an empty lunchbox :-( but then realized that the lid would make a comfortable resting spot :-)

In the second shot, she has a prime observation perch, curiously looking down to see what her 

owner is doing,

Spike and the new box

The other week a large box containing hubby's mail order hard drive showed up and he put it on the dining room table for just a few minutes before heading back to open it. He came in to find Spike comfortably sitting on the top of the box, surveying his territory from a higher vantage point.

Once Spike moved off the box, hubby quickly opened his new toy (ummm...I mean...new piece of valuable computer equipment) and left the empty box and wrappings right where they lay as he headed off to his office.  After hearing some rustling in the background, I came in from the living room to see what was going on and found him curled up in the box, getting ready to settle in for a snooze.

The last shot is the somewhat annoyed look when all that is left on the table is the packaging (box on floor behind him).

Two deaf kitties warming up the coffee table

Yes..it has been many weeks since the last post.  January and February are usually quite busy for me but this year has been a "perfect storm" of cascading deadlines in various areas, an additional workload in the day job that was not expected and a severe lack of sleep trying to fit everything in. At this time of year I work within a small margin of error of time which means there really isn't much flexibility if something unexpected happens. But...it is back to the normal workload..and enough about me..since I know those who come to visit the blog are more interested in the kitties that have the starring roles!

The two photos above are taken two months apart - the first was just a week ago and the second was back in January.  I was so surprised to see Spike and Sadie sitting side by side in relative peace on the coffee table so I yelled to hubby to take a photo.  Usually when these two are side by side either Spike is tapping Sadie on her backside with his front paw or Sadie is turning around with a loud hiss when she feels Spike's hot breath behind her.  

Two months pass...and the scene is repeated. Spike still holds the position at the north end of the table and Sadie is within breathing distance....but nary a hiss or any sign of discontent. I realize that in many other cat households it isn't unusual to actually see cats curled up in close proximity..but here it is a rare event so we have to make sure we get a photo!

One day...many years ago

When I was much younger, my family went to Africa (Tanganyika) to live for 2 years. It didn't matter where I was...I would find a cat somewhere to pick up and cuddle.  This was the neighbour's black cat and as you can see I wanted his beautiful face turned towards the camera.  Since we were only living in the country for a short time, my mum didn't want to get a pet for such a short time.  This was back in the days when people travelled by ship when they moved from country to country so she didn't think it would be good for a cat to be locked up for several weeks when we made our next move to England.  Fortunately, there were many cats in the small village where we lived so I was always able to find one who didn't mind a scratch behind an ear or a pat on the head by a little girl walking by.

One day I thought my parents had relented when I came home from school and found two goats tethered in the yard.  Having spent time on my grandpa's farm in Australia in my very early years, I firmly believed anything furry/hairy/fuzzy and four legged could be a pet.  I quickly named them Jimmy and Monty although they really didn't seem to appreciate any attempts to befriend them.  A few weeks later, I found out their real purpose in our yard. One goat (Jimmy) was stolen not long after but the other goat wound up on our dinner table. And I'll have to say, I have never eaten goat curry since.

Winston is ready to go shopping

Winston belongs to one of my friends (he has visited the blog before) and he is in fine form here.  Th e shopping bag was accidentally left unattended on the floor ..and in a flash there was a matching black tail hanging out of the bag. A quick turn around - and a handsome face popped out. Winston is lucky to have an owner who loves to play with him..and as soon as she took a few photos to capture the moment she was down on the floor helping Winston enjoy his new (but temporary) toy.

Spike says no...

to another woofie in the house. Hubby had the Sheltie book out to do some reading (not to look for a new woofie!) and Spike quickly sat right on the page hubby was trying to read.  No camera handy..so hubby had to use the nearby cell phone. And just in case you are wondering what the source of Spike's antipathy is..the three canine residents are shown below, enjoying their time in a cat free park.