Our Furry Boys

Spike says no...

2012-01-14T21:29:00.001-08:00

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.

Sadie's chosen spot

2011-12-30T22:31:00.000-08:00

Sadie has decided that the coffee table in the living room is just the right place for a quick nap in between eating and looking out the window. You can see some scratches on the table - courtesy of a cat running across the table at any given time. Sadie has her own style of leaving scratches as she jumps up onto the table.

After seeing several days of a curled up cat sleeping on the wooden surface of the coffee table I finally took pity on her and folded up a blanket for her. It didn't take long for her to realize this was hers and now most evenings when I come home I see her curled up in various positions, oblivious to the world around her. If you look closely in the first photo you can see two of the woofies behind her, curled up peacefully on their own cushions.

The first two photos catch her in two of her typical poses. I particularly like the second which has her paw tucked over her nose. (No...it is not that cold in the house!)

The last photo shows what happens to any spot that is left unprotected for long. I took a break from my list of "to do's" and put some cat treats out for the four kitties. When I came back into the living room about 15 minutes later I had to take a second look when I saw the change in occupant. Now this is where you can see my lack of skills in taking photos...I took my phone out of my purse to get a quick shot but obviously did not check the view finder carefully - or I would have seen the edge of my finger in the shot. And that is why hubby is usually responsible for any serious photography around here!

My Faithful Companions

2011-12-24T19:31:00.001-08:00

Usually one or both of these two are my companions late at night when I am working on my laptop in the living room. Today, they must have been a little confused. It was noon, I was home, and ...yes...busy working on my laptop. Within 10 minutes of me starting up the laptop and spreading some paperwork around, they both slipped into their respective resting spots, silently keeping me company as I worked. I think they must have been surprised to see me working during the day..but they didn't miss a beat getting settled in beside me.

Turn the clock forward nine hours....youngest daughter has come and gone, hubby is off to bed and I am settling back in to work on some analysis for the day job. As I look around me, the three woofies are spread out on their beds, Angel has moved over to the far side of the room and all I can hear are soft little grunts from Spike as he stretches out in the bed recently vacated by Angel (with a little help from Spike). Just the company I need as I dig in for another 3 hours of work!

Handsome New Faces

2011-12-20T03:09:00.000-08:00

Aren't these boys just so handsome? Bandit on the left and Schroedinger on the right. They live in B.C. so don't have to worry about seeing the amount of snow we have here...but on the other hand, they see more than their fair share of rain!

I was laughing when I read the email since I know that Siamese meow well. Here's what had me laughing: "Schro has such a very good pair of lungs on him that our neighbours are convinced that we have a small child on the premises. I occasionally wonder if we shouldn't have called him Pavarotti instead of Schroedinger." I can almost hear the operatic aria now!

Years ago our family had two seal point cats. They lived with us out in the country for several years and then moved into the city with us. I came across an old film my father took when we still lived in the country ...you can see my face for a split second and then the camera quickly panned down to the little meezer kitties running around in the fresh cut grass. Typical of our family though...if you are cute, furry and have four legs you get more camera time!

Dog bed..cat bed

2011-12-18T20:25:00.000-08:00

As if we don't already have enough pet beds in the house! This is actually a dog bed from Costco that looked just right for Spike's big bulk. He has a few places where he can stretch out but most times he stuffs himself into cat beds that barely contain him. I had walked by this dog bed several times while checking in regularly to see if they were stocking orthopedic dog beds (for the old woofers).

Finally last week, I put it in the cart and told hubby it was for Spike. Once we had it in a good location in the living room Spike was quick to get in and get comfortable. Once I figure out how to download the photo I took on my cell, I'll be able to show that look of contentment as he is lying on his back all stretched out to the ends of the bed.

When the bed is empty, Angel does try to sneak in and curl up. This photo was one of the times he wasn't disturbed. Yesterday he was asleep when Spike jumped in beside him. Spike took a little lick of Angel's back....and then he took a bite out of Angel's neck! I guess that is what happens to any cat who dares to invade Spike's territory.

When the dogs are away...

2011-12-06T20:03:00.000-08:00

Hubby takes the woofers out three times a day, leaving the house in the care of the cats. It is not unusual to have one cat at the window, and sometimes two but it is very rare to see all four at the same time. In fact, most passersby reckon we only have one cat that looks a little different (more fluff/less fluff) at times. Speaking of The Fluff, he is easy to pick out here. Unfortunately the photo is a little fuzzy and I had to look twice to see who was who. From left, Sadie, Angel, Spike and then Sebastian sneaking in cautiously from the far right.

There are actually seven "cats" in this photo, my hubby pointed out. Two metal cat caricatures in front of the window to the left and one cat planter to the right.

Just right for Sadie

2011-12-03T14:09:00.000-08:00

The new cat tent has been sitting empty for several days post acquisition. After Spike checked it out, there seemed to be a general lack of interest on the part of the other kitties. We tried relocating the tent in several areas downstairs with no sniff of interest. I finally became tired of tripping over it in its last resting place and took it to the upstairs hall where it sat for a few more days.

Two days ago hubby was headed upstairs and thought he saw something inside the tent. Stopping to look inside, he saw a curled up Sadie snoozing away. The next day on my way by, I saw her tucked away looking totally contented. Now we are at the third day of finding her ensconced in the tent, so have concluded that she has taken ownership. I was surprised because she had to jump up onto a box which leaves very little paw space before hopping into the tent (regular readers know that her short legs means she is not as agile as the other kitties and typically hesitates to jump up when the height of the jump exceeds her comfort level). However, it is clear by the look of contentment on her face as we pass by her sleeping in the tent that any hurdles getting there are worthwhile!

Super size the cat bed

2011-11-27T11:55:00.000-08:00

On a regular basis, the bedroom of the cat whisperer son attracts the attention of the three short-haired kitties. Spike has no interest in this bedroom..probably because it is the undisputed domain of Sebastian who claims it and its human as his own. He will allow Angel and Sadie in on occasion..but as you can see the prime spot by the lap top belongs to Sebastian, who is usually curled up right beside youngest son's arms. In spite of Sadie's short legs she is able to jump up onto this bed (no such luck in our bedroom where the platform underneath is higher). Angel is a sucker for a warm comforter so he will take any bedroom that has a warm body in it, preferably with outstretched legs so he can get comfortable. (I will admit we kicked the boy out of bed while hubby took this photo!) Often youngest son is working on his laptop with Sebastian keeping him company, when the other two sneak into the room and find themselves a spot to curl up on at the end of the bed.

Praying for more food?

2011-11-20T00:42:00.000-08:00

If it is food..or a new cat bed..you can bet Spike will be first in line! Hubby was at the dollar store this morning, picking up some spare dog booties for the woofies (there are several centimeters of snow on the ground and the snow packs into the woofie paw pads if they don't have booties on). While he was looking around the store, he saw a fleece pad that looked just right for tucking in one of the many cat tents dotted around the house. As with many items that come in our house, the fleece pad was left on a "temporary" spot, waiting for someone to put it where it belonged.

A few hours later I came into the kitchen and found Spike with his front paws up on the fleece pad, looking like he was praying. I figured if the prayer was for food, he would be in luck since the pad was sitting on a case of cat food!

Another New Nest

2011-11-12T06:27:00.000-08:00

We were shopping in Winners on Friday when we saw an interesting cat "tent". We were trolling the pet aisle and saw an oddly shaped pillow-like item stuffed into the shelf. When we pulled it out we saw it was actually a cat bed shaped like a tent. There was a small square cushion attached that goes into the base and helps the tent keep it shape. Discussion in the car on the way home...."Which cat will be in here first?". I was firmly convinced it would be Spike, but hubby thought Angel might be the one who would lay first claim. Well...yes and no. Angel was quick on the draw as soon as the tent came in the door...busy sniffing around and in the front. But he wasn't brave enough to actually go in. So the tent sat on the floor..waiting and waiting for the first official occupant. And no surprise here...hubby's camera caught Spike checking out the inside from the inside!

Halloween Treats

2011-11-05T20:52:00.000-07:00

Halloween is quite routine for us these days now that we don't have to take the kids out ..or wait for them to finish their rounds. We buy 2 boxes of chips and several cases of drinks - knowing that none of the leftovers ever go to waste!

This was a point halfway through the evening when almost 30 trick or treaters had come by..and we had finished our quality control procedures (i.e. tasting a few sample bags of chips to make sure everything was OK!) I moved the empty box into the living room and within 5 minutes the first furry found his way in. Not long after that the nest napper decided it was his turn and as soon as Angel jumped out, Spike jumped in.

Spike in a Box

2011-10-30T10:21:00.000-07:00

Spike has been a happy cat for several days this week. We picked up an HP printer at Costco for a great price last week and as soon as hubby had unpacked the printer, Spike quickly laid claim to the box. First, he jumped into the box from the coffee table and then flipped it over on the side. He sat for awhile, looking out, and then started to roll around in the box. We had to pull him out so we could move the box out of our way and then decided to put it in the dining room for a couple of days until he lost interest.

After four days, he was still going in there on a regular basis but unfortunately we had decided to return the printer and needed the box back. Again...tip the box...dump cat out on floor...and see aggrieved look on cat face!

The best places to stretch out in

2011-10-15T22:09:00.000-07:00

It turns out that the great little wicker cat beds that Lady Gray and Fergie were sleeping in last week are actually wicker laundry baskets from Michaels. Take one wicker laundry basket, add soft blanket and let sit for 5 minutes. Remove look of surprise from face when furry inhabitant peeks out of basket!

I was mentioning this great idea to a friend at work ..who happened to have cats with a wide variety of taste in resting spots. Winston loves the plastic laundry baskets..and scorns the specially purchased cat tent right beside the laundry basket. Fynn has a soft spot for the great outdoors ..and enjoys the coolness of fresh, green grass. When they decide to kip down together - a cosy box is the abode of choice!

We are always watching

2011-10-09T22:21:00.000-07:00

Curious cats...when they are not sleeping, they are watching what is going on.

Spike swivels around so that he can see any of the woofies ...but he is rarely close enough to them to worry. As you can see from the angle of the photo he is on one of his many "high" spots where he can look down upon us all.

Angel is more direct - he looks right at us when he sees the camera come out. He has such an "in your face" look that has been perfected over many years!

A lazy afternoon

2011-10-02T13:56:00.001-07:00

Fall has started with beautiful, warm days ... just right for a quick cat nap here and there. My friend in Ontario is also lucky enough to have a great start to Fall and her kitties seem to have the same natural instincts as ours...find a warm nest or friendly human to curl up with.

Anniversary Bouquet

2011-09-24T10:08:00.000-07:00

This past week I celebrated an anniversary at work and instead of receiving flowers or chocolates, I had the pleasure of receiving a cookie bouquet, especially personalized for me. My good friend knows my love for my four footed family members and she arranged with a local bakery to pull off photos from the blog and put them on large cookies (very tasty ones!)

I carefully brought them home and put them on the kitchen counter for hubby to take a photo. Less than five minutes after they were left unattended on the counter, I heard the sounds of plastic being crunched. Coming back into the kitchen I found Angel perched at the edge of the counter, busy trying to chew a hole in the plastic cover to get at the cookie. The evidence of this is shown in the last photo you see!

curious Angel

2011-09-17T12:21:00.000-07:00

Angel often walks across the end table when he is on his way to the green cat bed by the door...or looking for a warm lap to curl up in, if someone is in the living room watching TV. Every once in awhile, in mid transit, he stops and looks up as if there is something interesting in the air. As long as it isn't a wasp that has slipped in, then we don't take any notice of what he is looking at. If it is a small flying insect, then sooner or later one of the felines will have it as a tiny snack. If it is something else that I can't see...then I probably don't want to know!

Almost a year now

2011-09-09T19:28:00.001-07:00

It is almost the first anniversary for Sadie's Gotcha day..so time to post a few recent photos. She has picked up a few of Spike's habits in her time here ....taking over a recently vacated warm seat, claiming back part of the woofie territory and keeping watch at the front window with a woofie just beside.

In the first photo, it had been a cold morning (air conditioning in the house) so I grabbed a warm blanket to throw over the back of my chair. I went to get coffee and brekkie, and came back to a curled up, contented cat in my seat. Nest nappers come in various sizes and shapes around here!

In the second photo, Sadie has decided that she was going to make herself comfortable on the small carpet we bought for the dogs. Usually there is a woofie curled up on the carpet but this day it must have been empty long enough for Sadie to find a comfortable spot and fall asleep. This always surprises me because the smell of several woofies must be thoroughly blended into the carpet and I can't imagine that being appealing to any cat.

In the last photo, hubby and I came home to find two plaintive faces pressed up against the front window, waiting patiently for us to return from shopping. Usually Spike grabs the front window and will hip check any cat in the way but I reckon he must have been sleeping at this time.

New cat attraction

2011-09-03T16:59:00.000-07:00

Why is Spike looking out of the front window so intently, totally oblivious to the sleeping dog at his left?

It is the most recent "cat attraction" set up by hubby in the front yard (who knew dogs would be equally interested in the visitors to the bird feeder?) This is a large bird feeder (almost 5 feet in height) that we found at Costco. After filling up the feeder with a wide mix of different seeds, we have seen a steady procession of birds, squirrels and rabbits (the latter eat the seeds that the birds kick off in their frenzy to get to their favorite seeds). This is an ongoing scene that seems to catch the attention of all the four footed furries in our house!

Remembering Romeo

2011-08-26T19:03:00.000-07:00

R.I.P. August 1999 to August 2011

My friend R. has said goodbye to her beloved Romeo this week. He had renal failure and R. had to make the difficult decision to help relieve him from further suffering. A most handsome cat with an expressive face ....with an attitude that was so humanlike. I will miss his visits to the blog - but he will always be on here. His first visit was on January 14, 2009 ..followed up by one of my favorite ever photos where he is drinking out of the fish bowl without bothering the fish who lived there! http://ourfurryboys.blogspot.com/2009_04_01_archive.html

The first 4 photos above show him in one of his favorite places - in the yard outside his home (plenty of fresh air and insects to watch, along with a sun warmed resting place). The last shows a totally contented cat, curled up comfortably on his owners' bed, knowing he was loved and cared for.

If it looks like a box - it belongs to Spike

2011-08-20T09:42:00.000-07:00

On Friday, we were putting together some items no longer in use to drop off at the the local thrift store. (Note: this cat was not one them!) We had hunted around the house for empty boxes and while we were filling a couple of smaller boxes, I had placed a larger box on the dining room table. You will probably see it doesn't look level and that is due to the fact it is precariously perched on several books we were deciding whether to keep or give away. This did not deter Spike one bit. We came back into the house after walking the woofies and this is the view that greeted us!

There are only two cats in the household that love boxes this much. Angel always tries to crawl in any empty box, then he chews on the outside edge before quickly climbing out. Spike prefers to get comfortable and stay there for some length of time. In fact, we have a box lid in the family room by the window where he likes to rest in the afternoon. I think he realized this box was too shaky to rest in and not long after the photo was taken he decided it was time to get out and look for another suitable sleeping spot.

A new decoration for the headboard

2011-08-12T20:33:00.001-07:00

Our headboard has a variety of items that have caught our fancy at one time or another. This means there is no room for cats. Most times they respect the ban and stay away from the breakables but every once in awhile we catch Angel trying to cross from one side to the other late at night. Usually I am just falling asleep when I hear clinking sounds as Angel attempts to step through without knocking anything down. Once I realize what is going on, I haul him down beside me.

This time, Sebastian has decided that he is equally as handsome as any of the items we have displayed on the headboard. He simply looked over at hubby with a guilt free look when his photo was taken and stayed firmly planted in his spot.

Angel Keeping his Nose Warm

2011-08-05T20:01:00.000-07:00

Recently, we have had 30+ degree weather and most of the residents of the house have been enjoying the air conditioning. The woofies are always glad to get back in the house after their walk and the cats aren't running to the door to get a sniff of warm humid air. However, Angel seems to find his nose is getting cold. He is curled up on our bed and has tucked his nose under his nice warm paw.

Spike eating his greens

2011-07-29T20:04:00.001-07:00

Spike has not been happy with our ongoing enforcement of his diet. Dry food is being regulated although he still uses his keen sense of smell to alert him to the times I do try to put dry food down for the other three. He is close in weight to Mr Puddy (currently weighing in at 15.2 pounds) and looking to hang onto every ounce. Here you see the innocent look after we caught him chewing on some greenery in the house.

The other night hubby heard a thump in the kitchen and found that Spike had managed to chew his way into elder son's closed pizza box, the thump being two pieces of pizza being knocked onto the floor. With all the floof floating along with Spike, there isn't even a 1 second rule for food on the floor - it simply goes right into the garbage bin. Normally we don't leave any food out..and on the odd occasion we forget to put it away, we have never come back to see any bites taken or food missing. Now Spike is on the lookout for any unattended food and we do have to be more careful. Even the dog treats now have to be put away where Spike can't reach.

Doggy Picnic

2011-07-24T16:34:00.000-07:00

When we first looked into adding a dog to our family, the first question was always whether the dog liked cats. When Girly (sable colored sheltie to the far right of the photo below) was featured on the rescue site, we were told she was tolerant of the three cats in her current home. And that trend continued when she came to us ...tolerant of three cats. As it happens, we had four cats to introduce to her and she was fine with 3 out of 4. The fourth, Sebastian, gave his thoughts of having a new dog in the family (hiss, growl) and now these two have a wary truce in most cases unless they get in close proximity.

The merle sheltie you see above came to us through the rescue about 3 months ago. She is 12 years old, has poor eye sight and is arthritic (also had to have 14 teeth pulled). She has also encountered Mojo before (one of the three grey cats living with the wonderful woman who runs the sheltie rescue) and as you can see, has a fascination with cats. She always has an eye on any of our cats who walk by her in the house here and yesterday, she was the only sheltie at the picnic who had an interest in a close up cat view.

The rest of the shelties simply saw Mojo as just another four legged furry running around the backyard.

Spike Praying to Get Out

2011-07-17T13:28:00.000-07:00

Spike has been visiting the dry food dishes on a regular basis hoping to find some food waiting for him. We have been trying to reduce his daily food intake to help him take off some of the extra weight he has put on over time. Typically, I will put food out when he is asleep, since he won't hear the shake of the dry kibble coming out of the food container into the cat bowls (on the counter so that the dogs don't help themselves). That way, by the time he wakes up and lumbers into the kitchen there is just a small amount of food left for him.

When he is awake, he regularly comes into the kitchen looking for dry food in between the official wet food feed times. He sniffs at the bowl, sees there is nothing there and then plaintively looks at me with those sad, hungry eyes of his. (I think that might have been the cause of him getting too much food to begin with!). At this point he has given up trying to make me feel guilty and he is looking out the window, hoping to see a tasty morsel on the run outside. Now he just needs to be able to get outside and chase it down!

PS Sadie is back to her normal routine now and is coming downstairs for dinner with the rest of the furries. She still sleeps often during the day and can be found in various places around the house (just found her curled up in a wire basket this morning sleeping on some socks). I wonder if she might be older than the estimate we have...since she was originally found wandering on the street by her former owners several years ago.

2011-07-03T09:50:00.000-07:00

Winston is a gorgeous floofy owned by a co-worker. She added her comments to the photo but I haven't been able to figure out how to add them in the appropriate places. Imagine a comment to the right of the photo which says: "note the double leg extension on the right". Then on the left it says "and the elegantly crossed front legs". Winston knows how to show himself off to best advantage...and just makes you want to scoop him up and cuddle him!

Happy July 1st

2011-07-01T19:58:00.000-07:00

Our four kitties wearing white from the white and red colours of Canada Day (do pink noses count as light red??) are celebrating over on a fellow Canadian's blog, better known as Wendy's LOL spot. Please pop over to Wendy's blog and visit the other Canadian kitties celebrating today!

http://wendyslolspot.blogspot.com/

Sadie sleeping through dinner

2011-06-24T20:47:00.001-07:00

If there was more room on this blanket I think I would be curled up by Sadie. She looks so content and has certainly decided this is her home - whether it be on my sweater by the table, on a box in the hallway or even on the toilet paper underneath the small table in the hallway. Yes - the latter place probably does sound odd. We put a large package of toilet paper rolls underneath the table to keep her away from the front door since she used to crouch under the table, looking out the door as soon as it was opened. She figured out how to squish herself between the top of the paper rolls and the underside of the table top so now sits in there on a regular basis. We figure by the time she extricates herself after the door is opened we will have time to close it again before she gets too far!

Lately she has been sleeping on top of younger son's gym bag in the upstairs guest bedroom and hasn't been coming down for the regular 6 PM dinner feeding. This is unusual but as long as she is down at some stage in the evening I won't worry yet.

Not a good choice for your diet

2011-06-04T10:45:00.000-07:00

Spike has been feeling the effects of a slightly smaller daily feeding and is looking out the window to see what else he can get his paws on. This is bigger game than the squirrel he was eyeing up the other day but should that window glass not be there, we are quite sure Spike would be up to the task.

So you might ask why our big boy is getting a little less to eat each day. (Easier said than done since he likes to hipcheck the other cats out of the way so he can get his face in their food dishes). Last week the cats were on the checklist to take to the vets. The dogs had gone in the week before - basic check ups for all 3, a few needles, some ear mite medicine for the 12 year old and a spay for the 4 year old (latest rescue woofie). Then it was time to load up the four whitesters for a checkup. Angel, the elder, appears to have a touch of arthritis in one of his back paws so we will getting some glucosamine to help ease the aches. Sadie and Sebastian passed with flying colors. Spike, while looking sweet and lovable, sent the scale flying upwards when he stepped on. The vet advised us it was time to take some weight off the big boy, pointing out a chubby little tummy hidden underneath all that floof. Easy for her to say...she doesn't have to stand there and look at the pleading amber eyes and piteous meows of a hungry kitty cat!

Room for Two

2011-05-28T20:34:00.000-07:00

Our woofie looks rather annoyed to wake up and find Spike sprawled out at the end of the couch. Usually this spot is occupied by me when I am working on my laptop. For the past three weeks I have been working on my other commitments in my "spare time" (3 projects for two different educational organizations) on top of the regular 45+ hours day job so have almost doubled my working hours in this time. Short term pain - since it will be coming to an end in a little over two weeks. During my late nights I typically have my two loyal pets keeping me company- the woofie on the couch, then on the floor, then on the couch..and Angel somewhere in the living room, looking over at me occasionally with a loving glance (or at least that is what my bleary eyes see!) Spike has no interest in hanging around with me - he only has eyes for my hubby. But he certainly has an interest in continuing his domination over all things soft and comfortable!

A dog bed for cats

2011-05-07T18:25:00.000-07:00

We have two dog beds in the living room against the bookcases - a handy spot for a woofie to settle down out of the way of the rest of the traffic. This morning, I came downstairs and looked into the living room to find hubby having his morning coffee, keeping an eye on a sleeping Sadie, all curled up at the end of the round dog bed. She always chooses odd places to sleep, with the favorite spot last week being the top of a box with a couple of dog towels on it.

About ten minutes after I sat down on the couch in the living room, one woofie decided it was time to claim back part of the dog bed and she carefully climbed onto the back end, looking back at us with a slightly exasperated look.
After a while, the residents of the dog bed moved onto other pursuits, leaving an empty spot....just waiting to be filled by none other than the nest napper himself, Spike. As you can see, there is no room for a woofie to climb back on.

Wherever another cat finds a comfy sleeping spot, we know it is only a matter of time before Spike comes along to lay claim.

Angel is looking for the limelight

2011-04-30T08:25:00.000-07:00

This morning I was woken up by a raspy tongue on my nose...Angel's trademark wake call when I am not paying him the attention he feels he deserves. He is the elder in the household and has had many changes in his life here as more animals come into his life. For a cat that spent his first 5 years with his previous owner as a "single" cat he has adjusted well to the changes here. We have recently brought in two more rescue woofies into the household (the Ark doors are now closed!) and Angel has accepted the presence of these with barely a wary look. The three woofies sleep in our room at night in various spots on the carpet and Angel bravely walks by these in order to come sleep on the bed (his place is at the end of the bed, well established over the past years that he has been here). A woofie or two (or three) will not deter him from a comfortable night's sleep.

One of his favorite places to observe the world at large is on the back of one of our chairs in the living room (just a quick jump away from his favorite green cat bed on seat of this chair).

Coffee Table - reserved seating for one

2011-04-17T05:48:00.000-07:00

This is a small coffee table we bought several years ago to keep in the family room. Hubby was in the midst of moving this from the family room to the guest bedroom and had put it down for a few minutes in the living room. It didn't take Spike long to find a new spot to test out and as you can see his large body is hanging off both sides.

I thought this would be an appropriate photo to accompany the new banner above. Ann at Zoolatry has captured the personalities of our cats and designed a beautiful banner for Our Furry Boys. For those of you who can identify each cat with a single glance, you will notice that Ann has put Sadie on the far right to follow the "3 white furry boys and now a girl" sub titling. In her email Ann referred to making the banner "a little wider than it might need to be"...which I think aptly describes Spike in this photo!

Peace at last

2011-04-08T19:30:00.001-07:00

Hubby went upstairs to take a nap the other day...and found a furry boy all curled up on the bed. Not unusual if it was Angel or Spike..but we don't often see Sebastian here. The woofie sleeps on the floor at the foot of the bed at night so that is usually a deterrent to Sebastian. He does venture in when he thinks he will be there by himself..but he usually sleeps very lightly, with one eye ready to open at the slightest sound or smell of the woofie. This is an unusual pose and we were lucky to get it on camera. He must have felt relaxed enough to curl up and not worry about any unwelcome woofies!

Speaking of relaxed kitties..we couldn't resist taking this photo at one of the local animal rescue shelters. Along with all of the cats and dogs looking for a good home, this shelter also operates a retail shop and there are a few resident kitties who have earned the right to walk around the store at will. We were checking through the cat trees that were up for sale and laughed when we saw what was curled up inside this one. If you look carefully you will see this sweet tabby has her left paw tucked underneath her chin. That is actually her quite large tummy you see there - she is lying on her side with her underside in full view. I had just mentioned to hubby that the sleeping ledges would be too small for our Spike..and then we saw a cat rivalling his size, all tucked away inside this small sleeping space. (I should say "stuffed" into the space since she just barely fits in!)

Now that is a big cat cage!

2011-04-01T22:21:00.001-07:00

The intrepid and fearless Spike decided it was time to conquer a new frontier - the woofie's travelling cage. We had taken it out of the car when I had to head out West to pick up older son from college (along with a full load of assorted household articles) and the cage had been sitting in the living room for a few days. We had placed the blue blanket on top since we didn't want any of the cats to jump up and get a paw or two caught in the slats. For the first few days there was an occasional sniff from one of the cats as they walked by but no real interest. Then one day we found Spike pulling at the partially open cage door and then climbing inside to check it out. He settled in for several minutes, looking totally comfortable on the woofie's blanket. Then he decided enough was enough, walked out and then jumped on top of the cage to fall blissfully asleep (likely dreaming of continued world domination, Spike style!)

We 3 Kings...enjoying spring

2011-03-27T10:43:00.000-07:00

This is an unusual photo...and the smell of newly arrived spring must have been enough for these boys to put their differences aside and share the counter. Usually it is one boy at a time, face pressed close again the screen in the window, drinking in the fresh air and occasionally drooling over the sight of a squirrel running along the fence. Sebastian was the first at the scene (as always) when the window was opened..and then Angel snuck up along the left side, carefully skirting the sink full of dishes. Spike's good sniffer helped alert him to the open window and he ambled in from the living room. Once he was on the counter we knew it was just a matter of time before the other two boys would take off so hubby snapped a quick photo before the mass exodus.

It is Ladies Night

2011-03-25T18:15:00.000-07:00

Sadie loves to curl up on a nice warm lap in between naps in her cat bed. She usually prefers to sit on younger son or hubby but a couple of times she has decided to sit with me for a few minutes. I had just put my laptop down the other day and I saw her looking at me from her cat bed (it sits on a file box right beside the laptop stand). She climbed out and slowly ambled over to sit on my leg, honoring me with her presence for about ten minutes.

This is one of my favorite photos of Sadie. The quality is not great, since we grabbed younger son's camera phone for a quick shot. She has stretched out on younger son and looks totally comfortable. She stayed this way for quite some time, purring happily.

When I saw Sadie stretched out, it made me think of some of the earlier Schmoo cartoons. You might remember that her original name was Schmoo and then we changed it to Sadie, in honor of the independent woman in the same Lil Abner cartoon. My son, being of a younger generation, has no memory of the Schmoo so I thought I'd show him one of the happy creatures!

Tasty Dish Outside

2011-03-18T19:08:00.000-07:00

Spike has become quite a large cat over the past few years...he is one of the first to the counter at feeding time and often we find him hunched over the dry food bowl, a large paw on either side, and a crunching sound as he works his way through his snack. I'll put a little treat down for one cat and Spike will simply push his way through to the treat, regardless of which cat gets shouldered out of the way. So food is one of the key attractions for our big boy..and you can see he is already looking outside to see what could be next on his menu!

Friday Night Line up

2011-03-11T15:04:00.000-08:00

Hubby has been busy this week, making sure every cat has a moment in the spotlight. Spike, as you know, loves the limelight, so is always willing to show us his best side. Sebastian is at the other end of the spectrum, and typically dashes off if we move in too close. But..we have them all!
Angel is always curious ...one ear towards the kitchen just in case someone is taking out the margarine...other ear towards the front door just in case there is a chance of a quick sneak outside.

Sadie has laid claim to the brown plaid cat bed in the living room. Persistence has paid off for her and she has managed to convince Spike that this bed really isn't good for him. She has spent a lot of time in here, hissing at Spike when he has come over to investigate. She is a brave kitty to hold her position when a cat twice her size is looming over her. Now it really has become her spot, and she loves to stretch out with her tail and legs curled against the edge of the bed and her head laying over the edge.

Sebastian opens his sleepy eyes to see what is happening. He has a variety of sleeping areas throughout the case and this is the cradle in the spare room. I gave up waiting for hubby to dismantle the cradle and put it in the garage (well..there's a longer story behind that but it would take a whole new blog!) I found a really soft taupe dog blanket and popped it in the cradle. Less than 24 hours later Sebastian had curled up looking oh so comfortable.

And, of course, Spike has to have the last word...or several if we look at what he is sitting on. I suppose he thought he would help distract me from my work...how could I even think of reading when there was such a sweet, loving face in front of me?

Speaking of beds

2011-03-04T22:50:00.001-08:00

Even a shared bed has plenty of room for two. The bed belongs to younger son -which does explain why it is made so nicely (ha ha!) Angel is curled up with his nose tucked carefully into the covers. Sebastian - ever watchful - is guarding the laptop to ensure no one touches it (one eye out in case the woofie is in the hallway). And now...I am off to a bed of my own!

Now this is the right size cat bed for me

2011-02-26T18:27:00.000-08:00

The contented look on Spike's face says it all! Over the past few months you have seen Spike busy taking ownership of a multitude of sleeping spots. This is the final frontier...yes, the queen size bed that hubby and I normally share with Angel (who takes very little room at the foot of the bed). Hubby typically takes Spike up to bed with him but as soon as he falls asleep, Spike is gone in a flash, heading back downstairs. About 3 weeks ago, Spike decided there was merit in having the opportunity to stretch out, unimpeded, on a fuzzy, warm blanket and has slept there almost every night since. By the time I come up to bed, I often find him lying on my side of the bed, curled in a large fluffy white circle. I have to push him over to get enough room for myself and he gives me an aggrieved look, making me feel a wee bit guilty.

Contemplative Cat

2011-02-12T11:34:00.001-08:00

Sadie has little fear of any of the other residents in the house. She usually sits calmly, watching the action around her. Every once in a while she sits in a place that surprises us. This is the woofie's carpet, placed between our chairs in the living room. The woofie also has a proper dog bed by the TV but we found she really liked sitting closer to us so we picked up a soft cotton carpet which she could stretch out on. The other cats typically avoid this carpet (likely they can smell the woofie) so it sits empty except for the times the woofie wants our company. The other day, hubby found Sadie sitting in the carpet, entranced by something we couldn't see. Whatever it was kept her interest up for several minutes. You can probably see a slight tilt to her head as she looks down...something we noticed early on. She tilts her head whenever she wants to look at something more closely and has a quizzical look on her face as if she is ready to ask a question!

The pizza is all mine

2011-02-06T20:20:00.000-08:00

"Don't even think about it...these are all mine"...says the look in Spike's eyes.

Last week, younger boy decided he needed some real sustenance in our absence (we were in Calgary visiting eldest daughter and our new granddaighter) and ordered some pizza. When we returned from the airport we walked into the kitchen and saw Spike with his territory staked out. There was some pizza left and fortunately it was in one of the closed boxes, away from floating floof.

Two days later, when the empty boxes were stacked on the table by the front door, ready to go out into the recycling box, we found Spike settled on them once again. This time it was a more precarious perch and the boxes were actually hanging over the end of the table. One move in the wrong direction and Spike would have been on his way to the floor along with the boxes. No time for a photo then...grab cat quickly and deposit in living room, grab boxes and head out into the miserable cold to drop in recycling box.

I Spy With My Little Eye

2011-02-02T09:10:00.001-08:00

Sebastian is enjoying the view outside..waiting patiently for a squirrel, rabbit or bird to show up.

A menacing white shadow appears behind him. Note that Sebastian's ears have already flattened as he feels the hot breath of the intruder behind him.

Yes...the nest napper has turned his pursuits to windows and has muscled Sebastian out of the way. Spike now has the prime viewing position and is looking out the window.

A view to the left...with the bird feeder and squirrel highway in sight.

A closer look at the "squirrel tree". After the little varmints run along the top of the fence they head right up the large tree just at the corner of the two fences. This is their launching pad to several other squirrel friendly trees in our neighbours' yards.

A quick pan to the right shows the main squirrel highway. The fence at the back of our yard sees the footsteps of many agile squirrels and the occasional racoon on their way from one yard to another yard. There is another large tree to the right (a Northwest Poplar that was planted in the corner of the yard when the house was first built) and we have bird feeders hanging from the tree branches. Although the feeders are squirrel proof it doesn't stop the squirrels from desperately trying to get at the seeds...but this does provide plenty of viewing pleasure for the cats!

Kessie makes a new friend

2011-01-27T13:42:00.000-08:00

This is one of those "aaah" moments ...cute cat...cute little girl! You've met Kessie before....and here he is meeting a little baby girl for the first time. He looks curious and not the least afraid of the little fingers coming towards him. His owner was visiting with another of our co-workers who is currently off on maternity leave and Kessie decided he wanted to visit with a new friend. He sat patiently when his head was touched (this is the first baby he has met) and moved closer for a better look. Friends fur...ever!

bella Bella

2011-01-15T18:20:00.001-08:00

Bella really is one "bella gatta"! You might remember the posting about a friend who bravely ran into the middle of traffic on a busy morning to rescue a frightened little kitty. (http://ourfurryboys.blogspot.com/2010/06/rescue-kitty.html ) Although this is not the same kitty, this little beauty also was lucky enough to gain her forever home because of the kindness of my friend. These are photos from Christmas, as you can see from the Christmas basket pose, the "I am a decoration in a tree" pose and the "I am a gift under the tree" pose. At the end of all this hard work, Bella settles herself down by the fireplace waiting for Santa to come down the chimney. (Although a roasted Santa he would be!)

White Out

2011-01-11T19:20:00.000-08:00

Angel often comes running to the door when I come home, hoping to get outside. Most times I am quick to corral him and scoot him back in the house. But..hubby took pity on him the other day and decided to let him step out into the fresh snow. Angel is not sure that he really wants to go any further now after his first mad dash out ...his little paws have felt the cold and perhaps he realizes it would be better to stay in the warmth of the house. (His head has already turned back towards the house ... watching me watching him!)

Resistance is Futile

2011-01-08T17:57:00.000-08:00

In Penthouse View posted on January 6th http://ourfurryboys.blogspot.com/2011/01/penthouse-view.html MTVA commented that while Spike might look innocent, he was likely plotting the takeover of the much coveted green cat bed. Such timely words! Earlier today, Spike decided it was time to assert his ownership over "all things comfortable" and told Angel to vacate the bed. Angel did not give up without a fight...some hissing, growling and paw waving..but all to no avail. When a pussycat twice your size decides you need to move, what do you do? Well .. a graceful exit to the nearest chair seems to be the answer for now.

Romeo..the cuddler

2011-01-07T22:24:00.001-08:00

Romeo's "come hither" eyes are beckoning us. It must be cold in Montreal....since he is snuggled right up to his mom's jacket!

Penthouse View

2011-01-06T18:08:00.001-08:00

After waiting patiently for awhile, Angel was able to secure his place in his favorite green bed again. He quickly curled into the bed, with a wary eye out for any interlopers coming his way. He just might have missed the nest napper below!

sweet spike

2011-01-03T16:55:00.001-08:00

Looking so angelic, Spike has staked out his territory on the coffee table. His paws are crossed as if to say "Aren't I so sweet?" He simply plops his large body down wherever he finds a comfortable spot and then looks around to see what is going on. All the action was on the TV behind him - but he thought it would be more interesting to face hubby and I.

Kessie wearing his Xmas clothing

2011-01-02T08:53:00.000-08:00

Kessie is a beautiful Russian Blue - a rescue cat belonging to one of my friends at the office. There are several of us at work who know the joy of owning a pet (or two or three!) that has been abandoned by his or her owner and we are thankful that these animals have come to us, where they are welcomed into a family that loves them. When my friend talks about Kessie, her eyes light up and she has a wide smile as she describes the latest event in Kessie's life.

In these photos Kessie is wearing his Xmas finery - looking absolutely handsome, as ever. He enjoys having his sweater on since it gives him some additional warmth in this cold winter. Often his ears feel cold to the touch but when he has his sweater on, his ears are nice and warm.

Spike extends his reach

2011-01-01T12:11:00.000-08:00

Spike's desire to dominate all sleeping spaces has extended to the woofie's personal rug. Normally this rug is on the floor at the end of the bed and the woofie will sleep here most nights. To this point no cat has ventured on the rug for any length of time - one quick sniff and their little mouths hang open as they walk off with their noses in the air. We had just done a regular wash of the rug but happened to leave it in the living room, waiting for the next trip up to the second floor. The woofie settled herself on the rug as soon as we put it down, so we decided to leave it there for a bit.

Later that day, when the woofie vacated the rug in favour of the dog bed in the corner of the living room, Spike came over to have a good sniff. He then settled himself comfortably on the rug, as if to say: "Yes, this is my domain as well ...and I'll sit wherever I please!"

Waiting for the New Year

2010-12-31T18:36:00.000-08:00

The snow is piling up at the front window and 2 of the boys are waiting patiently to see the New Year arrive. (Well, actually, just watching to see who is driving by at this time of the night). It is minus 20 right now with a miserable windchill ..and it makes me think of what it must have been like for Sebastian 3 years ago at this time. He had not yet been rescued by the Humane Society and was living on the street in the east end of the city. Perhaps this was the month he lost a chunk of the fur on his soft little nose..or maybe one of many days when the tip of his ears froze in the cold. Most likely it was just another cold day which made the cracks on his paw pads grow larger and more painful. He has come a long way since we adopted him .... and it feels like he has always been a member of our furry family.

So tonight is a peaceful night at home..with the furry beasties dotted all around. Sebastian is curled up on younger son's bed, Spike has jumped into the box by the front door, Angel is sitting on the arm of the chair (looking over at me), Sadie has settled herself onto hubby's lap ..and the woofie has wiggled in beside me on the couch. Who could ask for a better New Year's Eve celebration?

The Series Continues: Spike in a Box

2010-12-29T10:32:00.001-08:00

The scene begins with an old box on its way out to the recycling bin. We made the mistake of leaving it on the floor, expecting to take it outside the next time someone headed out the door. Within a few minutes, Angel quickly jumped inside and made himself comfortable. Well..we all know what happens when Angel finds a "nest" he enjoys...............................................

Yes...it is the master of all "nest nappers" who comes along to check out the new nest! As soon as Angel left the box to head into the kitchen for a bite of food, Spike hopped in and made himself comfortable.

Much as I'd like to toss this box out into the bin, it seems to be a popular spot now..even if only for a few minutes. So...during our travels this morning, we popped into a local pet store and picked up a furry little sleeping pad to tuck inside the box. We came home, put the pad inside the box, grabbed a coffee from the kitchen and then looked for Angel to show him the new cozy box. By the time we had Angel in hand, the box was already occupied by Spike. Argh!

Spike in a basket

2010-12-28T16:32:00.000-08:00

This looks like an interesting cat bed.

But it seems a bit too high.

This is better...and I have a nice scratch pad to sit on (at least that is what mum calls it)

I think I have to move further back here. No..that's not quite it.

Aahh..this is better!

What to do on a cold winter's day

2010-12-27T11:07:00.000-08:00

Curl up in a nice warm cat bed, of course!
Sadie's sleep has been disturbed by the house photographer. As you can see, she is slowly turning the black cat bed lining to a nice pale shade of white.

Sebastian looks out warily, wondering why someone is invading his space. This bed has been placed on top of the refrigerator - which is one of Sebastian's safe havens away from the reach of the woofie.

Angel has resigned himself to giving up the green cat bed and is now esconced in a small furry brown bed at the end of the couch. (A wee touch of catnip spray did help ease the way!)

Spike is enjoying the spoils of the hunt...stretching out luxuriously in the green cat bed as if to say..."This is mine...all mine....and I will enjoy every square inch of it!"

Romeo returns

2010-12-20T21:32:00.001-08:00

Tell me your secrets....the light is shining in your eye and you will tell me.
I am waiting.....
Hey..don't turn away from me!

What are you doing?

Ahh..the evil eye. OK..no more questions!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Actually the real story starts a frame or two earlier. Romeo informed his mom that he wanted to have an open window to sit at. Within a few minutes of nice fresh air (Montreal cold winter air) Romeo decided he had had enough and needed to warm up. He found a nice cosy spot on a nearby printer and warmed himself up under the overhead light. My friend was able to grab her camera to get these great shots you see above. The light makes Romeo look like a much lighter colored tabby and his green eyes really stand out. The last photo is the most fascinating to me since I can see the depth and variations of the different greens in his eyes.

Sadie enjoying the front window

2010-12-17T20:58:00.000-08:00

Sadie loves the smell of fresh air and any window action she can find. She is the first cat to realize a window has been opened (although with this cold weather it will be a door rather than a window). She can be in a sound sleep, curled up in one of the cat beds, when one of us opens the front door - and we barely have it open when she is already sitting up, eyes wide open with her little pink nose sniffing out the elixir. She also loves to curl up on the window seat at the back of the house, patiently looking for any movement outside. Right now she is at the front window, giving the "evil eye" to papabear and his camera for disturbing her concentration.

Introducing Lady Gray

2010-12-13T17:34:00.000-08:00

Isn't this such a glorious silver gray cat? Her fur reminds me of Jimmy on Cat's Cats...a most handsome silver gray sweetie. Lady Gray is a new addition to my friend's family. She joins the resident cat in the house - Fergie (yes, the talented kitty walking with the balloon in her mouth http://ourfurryboys.blogspot.com/2009/05/fergie-finishes-playing-and-puts-away.html ).

My friend decided to bring Lady Gray into her family after finding out through her vet that a family who owned Lady Gray had developed allergies to her. As soon as I read this, I thought of "Lucky 13" at Katnip Lounge. The thought of Sylvestor waiting so long at the vet's for a loving family to rescue him was so sad..but fortunately such a happy ending. Lady Gray did not have to wait as long, fortunately. My friend has a wonderful warm heart and this will be another lucky kitty with a forever home.

Leg Warmers

2010-12-12T09:09:00.001-08:00

I could use a couple more of these when I am outside...weather here is -29 degrees Celsius, and that doesn't include the impact of the windchill. It would be a great day to stay inside and snuggle with the furry beasties.

(I will admit that when papabear said it was time that we took the woofie for a walk...I responded "We? I think you mean "you"!)

I'll make myself fit into this bed

2010-12-09T18:39:00.000-08:00

You might remember this green cat bed from an earlier post ..when we were surprised that Angel managed to fit in. Well..it has been in the house for a few weeks without any interest from Spike. 3 days ago (and coincidentally about the same time Sadie started to sleep in Spike's favorite brown plaid bed) Spike decided to squish his quite large body into the green cat bed. We thought this would be short lived since he really looked quite uncomfortable at the time. However, every day for the past 3 days he has been jumping into this cat bed in the early evening. Right now he is fast asleep with his head and tail hanging out, definitely overflowing. Poor Angel who had claimed the bed for his own is now sitting beside me on the couch, with a not so happy look, occasionally looking over to see if if his bed is available.

What are you doing down there?

2010-12-05T21:20:00.001-08:00

Spike often has an inquisitive look on his face, showing his curiosity about the world around him. He could well be looking at me "glued" to my laptop...work, work and more work! Just enough spare time to cuddle a cat or two, take a quick walk with the woofie and then back to the ever growing "To Do" list. I am looking forward to the upcoming holidays where I can enjoy time with family and catch up on my blog reading!

A Matching Set

2010-11-21T12:53:00.000-08:00

A question one shouldn't ask is how many pet beds we have in the house. I think I've lost count by now. Just in the living room alone we have three cat beds and one dog bed. Almost every room in the house has a nice sleeping spot for one of the furries.

The woofie's bed is one of my favourites and came from Costco. We bought it because the beautiful soft green matched the house decor..but the woofie wasn't impressed with our sense of colour/style and ignored it for several weeks. Finally, she is starting to use it although it appears to be rather grudgingly sometimes. The cats are more appreciative when she is on her bed because they can race back and forth in the living room without having to scoot around a lounging dog.

When we were out at our regular visit to the Humane Society gift shop the other week, I happened to see a matching cat bed. The inside was fake fur, which our kitties seem to like cuddling up to and the outside microfibre was almost a perfect match to the woofie’s bed. We debated whether our cats would fit into the bed since it looked smaller than the beds we currently have but I couldn’t resist the opportunity to buy one that might actually look like it belongs in the room. When we brought it home, the first one in was Angel. It took him some time to figure out how to fit all of himself into the bed. He started out with a tail and a leg hanging out, then he turned around a few times until he could fit all extremities in. As you can see this photo is from one of his first few attempts! He now has claimed this bed for himself, figuring if he spends much of his time all curled up, then there would be no room for anyone else to climb in.

So how many cat beds does everyone have? I am thinking a ratio of 2 beds to every cat is probably the norm.

Before and After

2010-11-19T20:54:00.000-08:00

BEFORE (peacefully asleep in his cat bed)

AFTER (look of annoyance as he sits up and turns towards the person who woke him up)

The Eyes Have It

2010-11-11T10:54:00.001-08:00

Angel - with light green eyes

Spike - with his amber eyes. In real life, these are a deep gold colour.

Sebastian - with an odd mix of color. One pure blue eye..the other a greenish gold with a ring of blue around the iris

Sadie - with her tilted green eyes. They are similar in color to Angel's eyes but the shape is so very different and she has a thin white hooding on the inside .She actually tilts her head to look at us so I wonder if she has difficulty seeing clearly.

A couple of weeks ago I saw a great shot of Casper's eyes on Cat's blog. http://catscats-catrina.blogspot.com/2010/10/wordless-wednesday.html

I asked hubby to take photos of our four furries and it surprised me to see how very different each set of cat's eyes look when the rest of the cat is not in sight. For regular readers...can you figure out who is who? Hint...photos have been added in the order each cat joined our family. Nov 15th postscript...names now added!

Sadie is here to stay

2010-11-05T17:57:00.000-07:00

Similar to Spike, when Sadie sleeps there is very little that will disturb her. This past week, she tried to stuff herself into a brown fake fur cat bed that we bought at Petcetera. As you can see by the second photo she hasn't quite managed to squeeze all of her into the bed and she is slowly tipping out of the edge. Hubby felt sorry for her and put one of our couch cushions (NOT intended for cats) by the edge of the cat bed so that she wouldn't slide onto the coffee table. Between the time hubby put the cushion beside her, went out to play* on the computer for awhile and then returned to the living room, Sadie had moved over to lie on top of the cushion. Of course, after she finally woke up and climbed down, she left a small present of white fur nicely laid out on top of the cushion!

* hubby maintains he is busy working on the computer not playing

The love of our animals

2010-10-31T11:33:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I have been out of town attending a conference and several events (leaving the cats in the care of our youngest son). On Saturday, two of my colleagues were receiving their hard earned and well deserved professional designations and I was particularly touched by the comments they made as part of their recognition of the support they had received along the way. Both recognized the role their pets played in their journey..and it made me think about my own furry family members who give support in their own way. I have probably mentioned that Angel will invariably curl up beside me when it is late at night and I am working on my laptop. He seems to instinctively sense the difference between me watching TV and simply having it on as white noise when I am working - and it is the latter times that he will come to sit beside me. Our woofie is also quite good at staying downstairs with me late evenings - although she will occasionally whine and try to let me know when she thinks it is time to head off to bed (she then gives up and comes back to sit by my feet!) It can be quite lonely at 2 AM when the house is quiet and every one else is in bed ...so the company is much appreciated.

The Watch Cat

2010-10-27T19:41:00.000-07:00

A new little baby..and already there is a guardian cat on the job! One of my friends at work is celebrating a new grandchild and had this wonderful photo to show me. The last time I saw this handsome furry was when he was a small kitty just being welcomed into his new family. My friend says her daughter's himmie is well behaved and is very careful when settling in beside the new baby.

The New Face In Town

2010-10-26T20:50:00.000-07:00

Check out this new cutie at http://houseofmanycats.blogspot.com/2010/10/new-face-in-town.html Laura at A Life of Many Cats has added a beautiful new lady cat, Khia, to her household. Khia has a marvellous "coat of many colours" and has such beautiful green eyes. I am looking forward to seeing many more photos of this sweetie.

Testing out the sleeping areas

2010-10-20T21:56:00.001-07:00

Our new little Sadie lady is testing out potential sleeping spaces. The first option was OK..but Spike kept coming over to sniff her with she curled up in this cat bed. The second option was the couch in the living room - and we found Sadie fast asleep looking oh so comfortable. She loves to stretch her paws out whenever she is lying down. Surprisingly, her paws are almost the same size as Spike's….which is unexpected for a little ladycat.

As we spend more time with her, we are better able to observe the characteristics which make her different from the boys..and those that are similar. She seems to be most like Angel in temperament and actions. The other day when I had my shower, I opened the shower curtain to step out and expected to see Angel sitting comfortably on the clothes basket (he loves the sound of water). But this time it was Sadie who was curled up on the bathroom mat with her head stretched out on my pajamas!

Please..please...let me out!

2010-10-17T16:52:00.001-07:00

We have been very fortunate to have great weather this past week .....and we have had our windows open to enjoy the fresh, crisp, Fall weather. Sebastian is the cat who is most entranced by the smell of the great outdoors....and is the one we always have to watch carefully to ensure he doesn't escape out the front door whenever we come in or leave. Hubby was outside working in the yard when he looked up and saw this plaintive little face looking wistfully out of the kitchen window. He quickly whipped out the little camera he keeps handy for impromptu shots..and caught this one just in time for posting on the blog!

Busy day...long post

2010-10-09T17:21:00.001-07:00

It has been a busy day today. Up early for breakfast at McD's and then over to the Humane Society...picked up a great little reusable shopping bag, a kitty magnet and a new Wubba for Spike. He really loves the ones that have the long legs with the soft fuzzy material. You can see in the photo above that Spike is enjoying his new treat!

Then down to the Forks to see the Rescue Inc guys who were in the city this weekend to help out in a fund raising event for the local rescue groups. (Above is a quick shot of them, along with their two favorite dogs.) It was great to see so many people out and many of them had their dogs with them as well. Many of the rescue groups had set up booths to sell products so we had to go check everything out. My favorite stopping point was one of the cat rescue booths where I saw several cute cat mats and matching catnip squares. Of course, I just had to buy a mat and a catnip square for Sadie. While waiting in line, I looked through the cat prints (pictures...not paws!) that were sitting in a display holder. One print was titled "Sebastian the Cat" so I had to add that to my purchases as well. Even though the cat in the print was black, I thought the title was a hint so we will now have two Sebastians (although one will be behaving better than the other!) In the other photo above you'll see how Sadie is enjoying her new treat.

Last stop was a local rescue we regularly visit to purchase salmon treats for the woofie. Yes, another place where we get a chance to pat some free roaming kitties! The other item we picked up was a holder with two large stainless steel water/food dishes. One would think this was for the woofie...well, yes and no. Spike and Angel often stop by the woofie's water dish to help themselves so we decided it would be a good idea to have a couple of dishes at floor level for whichever furry decides he/she needs a drink!

P.S. An additional comment for Angel's photo yesterday. Angel often sits beside me on the couch late in the evening when I am working late. A laptop on my lap....and a sweet little cat cuddled up to my right. When it is time for bed, most often Angel will follow me upstairs and sleep by my legs. I do feel guilty when the alarm rings and I try to move my legs away from Angel without disturbing him. I am never successful since he is a light sleeper..and he will quickly try to walk up onto my chest, where he promptly sits down facing me and tries to lick my face. So every once in awhile I do have to let him sit undisturbed on one of his favorite places (i.e. the chair...not me!)

Angel on my chair

2010-10-08T16:33:00.000-07:00

After a long week at work, it is always nice to come home and stretch out. Not so today....Angel has called dibs on my chair and I don't have the heart to move him!

Monday is a day for sleeping

2010-10-04T20:58:00.001-07:00

Hubby went looking for some photo ops today of the exciting cat antics we expected to see - but not so! All he found were four sleepy cats. Angel in the chair by hubby's computer. Spike in his cat bed in a high safe space in the main hallway. Sebastian in the baby bassinet in the guest bedroom upstairs. Sadie on her new cat bed by the dining room window.

Meeting part 2

2010-10-03T16:55:00.000-07:00

The suggestion of treats to be shared when meeting was a great idea..unfortunately my hubby has interpreted Cat's suggestion in a slightly different manner than it was intended! We brought a new Wubba today and placed it in front of Sadie, looking to entice Spike over. (I should mention here that I cheated a wee bit last night and opened the door for Spike. He was stretched out in front of Sadie's door when I was headed up to bed last night so I opened the door and let him. He walked right up to Sadie, they sniffed noses and then Spike walked past Sadie to check out the rest of the room. Of course - no camera since hubby was fast asleep in bed already.)

Spike's reaction to the Wubba was typical..grab, bite, chew..and ignore any other cat in sight. Sadie just sat and watched in interest. The smell of catnip must have wafted downstairs since Angel was quick to come up and as soon as Spike lost interest, Angel went over to smell the Wubba. As you can see in the background, Sadie is getting ready to walk out of her room, willing to leave the Wubba treat to the boys. And out of the room is the operative word...she is now free to walk among the rest of the furries. So far, she has walked around both floors, looked out the front window and the back window (both of which are level to the floor which provides a great sightline for a cat) and has learned how to take the cat tunnel shortcut through the hall.

In Memory

2010-10-02T14:43:00.000-07:00

In memory of those friends and family we've lost..and thinking of those who are still fighting.

The first meeting takes place

2010-10-01T19:38:00.000-07:00

Sadie, on left, at the entrance to her "quarantine" room and Angel, on right, sitting just outside the room. We opened the door, knowing that Angel was patiently sitting in the hallway. Sadie came out tentatively and quickly backed up when she saw Angel. Hubby decided to use the laser pointer to catch their attention and brought them within a few inches of each other. When he turned off the pointer both cats stayed in their positions, watching each other. As you can see, Angel looks a bit wary and is pulling back as he watches Sadie. Within a couple of minutes Angel disappeared down the hallway and we thought the introduction was over. But after a few more minutes passed Angel returned and went straight into the spare room to check out Sadie's digs. We let him walk around the room with Sadie following at a safe distance. Angel was curious but obviously was still being careful since we saw him slowly putting one foot in front of the other, barely putting any weight on each foot. Once he was done the circuit of the room, he decided he was done and hot footed it out the door.

Hey...we're still here!

2010-09-26T10:31:00.000-07:00

The boys are wondering why they aren't getting any face time these days. "Who is this new little girl anyway and why is she taking our place on the blog?" So...before I leave for Toronto for 3 days I thought I'd best give the boys their 15 seconds of fame. In the first photo, Angel is stretched out on my leg, fast asleep. I'm guessing he wasn't as excited about The Event as we were. Then we catch Sebastian in a relaxed pose (at least for him, that is as relaxed as it gets). He has slipped into our room to stretch out on our bed, away from that annoying woofie. He knows the woofie is too short to jump onto the bed so he is safe. And to close the trio, Spike has put on his sweet and innocent face, belying that deliciously wicked streak he has.

And speaking of the V E T

2010-09-23T22:26:00.001-07:00

Sadie is off to meet her new vet tomorrow - a checkup and probably a couple of shots (ouch!) She will really need the comfort of her new blanket after this. We put a warm grey blanket on the bed, folded in several parts to make a little "nest" for her. It looks like she has now added another favorite sleeping spot to her list - likely no time sharing here when the others find it. And speaking of that, once the vet visit is over and she is back home safe and sound, Angel will be her first official visitor. He has been the most persistent, waiting outside her door and meowing...looking for a chance to sneak into the room. We expect him to be a real gentleman when the door is finally opened and he can visit!

I am so NOT pleased!

2010-09-21T22:33:00.001-07:00

Some very expressive photos of our friends' cat Romeo..as he heads off to the vet with his mom and dad. Not a happy cat...and you can see how he is hanging onto mom with that "please....don't let go of me" look. The first photo shows his true feelings about his visit to the vet.

She has a name!

2010-09-18T18:56:00.001-07:00

Finally, our new little gal has her name. I have appreciated reading the suggestions since that helped us land on agreement on an S name…then we had to come to a consensus on the name itself. I used my veto on hubby’s “Snooky” and he used his veto on “Sera”…so that left us still searching for a name. I happened to mention that I remembered the Shmoo character in the Li’l Abner cartoons (yes, I know…many years ago!) and in discussion about the Sadie Hawkins Day that originated in the cartoon, we both looked at each other and said “that’s it!” I like the fact that there is a link to her original Shmoo name and even better – the connection with the history behind the real life Sadie Hawkins Day. An excerpt from the Li’L Abner .com site says that the Sadie Hawkins Day became a “woman empowering rite" at high schools and college campuses. Since Molly, Virginia, Domino and the lady cats at the Katnip Lounge are definitely the queens of their homes and keep their boys in line, I thought that “Sadie” was really appropriate!

The door opens a crack

2010-09-17T19:15:00.000-07:00

Yes..there has been a lot of interest from the other side of the door. Angel's paw was poking under the door several times yesterday when I was in keeping the new girl company. Sebastian has been pacing outside and will sit right outside the door. Hubby was upstairs for a little cuddle time today and heard some meowing so he opened the door to find Sebastian on guard. Since our newbie can't hear the meowing but does have a good sense of smell, you can see her nose is right at the bottom of the door, checking out the other side.

She's coming out a bit further each day.....

2010-09-15T21:02:00.000-07:00

Fast asleep..and no worries about a camera click waking her up! She has now decided that an old office chair tucked away in the corner of the room is a comfortable sleeping spot and she is most likely to be on the chair whenever we open the door. She has willingly come over to me several times and will drape the front part of her body on my lap, waiting to be petted. It is nice to hear the soft rumble of a purr in place of the early day growls and hisses!

Day 5..and we are still "discussing" her name. Snooks sounded like a good compromise .. since I have the same distaste for the associations that go along with Snooki (I told my husband that it didn't matter that he modified the spelling to Snooky because it still sounds the same!) But there is a good chance that hubby will "accidentally" call her Snooky if we keep it a similar name. I agree with Wendy that we need a distinct feminine name for her...I like the sound of Serephina and particularly like the continuation of the S names. Younger son is suggesting Buffy (since we have Angel and Spike) but she doesn't look like a Buffy. I guess that just means more visits with her until we can agree on a name!

Next steps

2010-09-13T18:37:00.000-07:00

New little white gal has decided the tent is worth checking out and realized that the fleece pad inside is much more comfortable than the floor of the cat crate. We have been able to look at her more closely when she ventured outside the tent when we were in the room. She has a much shorter tail than the resident males and has short legs in comparison to the main body. This might be a disadvantage for her if she races against any of the boys in pursuit of treats or toys. Mind you, we haven't had a female cat in our house for over 15 years so perhaps we don't remember the physiology of the female cat!

At this stage, she seems a bit more confident in moving around and we are hearing less hissing and growling. My "cat whisperer" younger son actually coaxed a small purr out of her so this tells us we are heading in the right direction.

Still working on her name. Perhaps someone can mention to my hubby that Snooky really isn't a great name for a kitty ...or if he is lucky enough to get some support, maybe I'll have to change my mind!

The first glimpse

2010-09-12T17:00:00.000-07:00

Here is one of the earliest photos. The new little girl had been settled in her room with all the necessities, including a cat tent with a fleece cat bed insert and a freshly made "human" bed with cosy flannelette sheets. The first hour she was huddled under the desk by her food looking out at us with her green eyes, emitting an occasional hiss and/or growl. My husband pointed out she had just lost her family with whom she had spent the last three years and the familiarity of their home so it was expected that she would probably feel lonely. We left her in peace for a while and then popped our heads in to see how she was doing. We found her curled up, fast asleep in the cat carrier that came with her. This was the only "smell" of home for her so hopefully was giving her some comfort.

She was named Schmoo (spelling?) by her previous family but there is a great debate here about a new name for her. We have three people weighing in and 3 different names so far. No sign of any agreement so it might be awhile before I can tag the posts with a proper label.

(And speaking of names, yes, Wendy......we might have to rethink the name of the blog!)

Looking for a cat tree...came back with a cat!

2010-09-11T19:48:00.000-07:00

No photos yet...but here is the start of the story. I was looking through Kijiji for a cat tree last weekend. I do love the look of the Lotus cat tree recommended by Katnip Lounge..and have put that on my wish list for next year..but wanted something in the interim so Kijiji it was. I continued to click through the Pets section since sometimes ads are under the wrong heading..and happened on the cats looking for a new home. One ad drew my attention - a five year old white female cat who was deaf needed to be rehomed. I looked at the ad a couple of times that evening and then I called my hubby over to read it. I remember clearly when Spike came to us, how worried I was about being able to look after a deaf cat. Now, he is an integral part of our family and the deafness certainly was not a hurdle. So we thought perhaps there was room for one more kitty in our home. That same weekend our eldest son was moving 2 hours away to go to college so coincidentally we had a room available for the quarantine period. Hmmmm! More news to follow later on in the week.

The sleep of the contented

2010-09-10T21:29:00.000-07:00

Angel loves to curl up in my hubby's computer chair and does not always wait until it is empty. Occasionally he is insistent that the chair is his, even if hubby is sitting in it and he will work his way into the small space at the back of the chair, pushing his paws against hubby's side until the chair is emptied!

Spike has been busy this long weekend

2010-09-07T19:50:00.000-07:00

The little granddaughter was with us from Sunday through Monday, enjoying the long weekend with us (shopping, breakfast at McD's, dog walking, cat petting). She has one of those Jetson like strollers where the seat is raised high off the ground and it is a necessary item when we take her on long walks. In between it sits in our hallway awaiting the next outing. Spike decided to check out the stroller more closely and spent a good 10 minutes sniffing around the base. He then decided it was time to check out the comfort level and climbed onto the foot rest. We thought we had a good pose here so hubby quickly snapped the photo and headed to the computer to upload it. Of course, once hubby was out of sight along with the camera, Spike decided he would try and fit his slinky body into the seat. I turned back to see him stretched upright, head and body already underneath the grey handle you see behind him in this photo. From the big toes firmly planted on the foot rest to top of his head on his outstretched body, he managed to reach up past the top of the seat, ears brushing against the canopy. But as soon as I called hubby to come back with the camera, Spike must have thought it was time to make a quick exit, stage left!

The peaceful rest is ending quickly

2010-09-05T12:11:00.001-07:00

Sebastian's new sleeping spot is about to be invaded. Spike, displaying his alpha cat tendencies, is getting ready to displace Sebastian. Even if Sebastian hisses, that will not deter Spike. He will simply step into the cat bed and his close proximity will be enough to send Sebastian off in search of another safe haven.

Aah...the irony!

2010-09-04T14:34:00.000-07:00

Sebastian and the woofie still dislike each other and often I have to referee when they come too close to each other. When Sebastian comes into the dining room, particularly by this window, the woofie runs out to start barking at him. If I catch her before she gets into the dining room, she will sit on the floor at the entrance, head erect and eyes staring at Sebastian. So I am sure you can already guess that Sebastian is not a relaxed cat when he heads into the dining room. Imagine our surprise when we came home from shopping today and found him fast asleep in the cat bed which actually sits on top of the woofie's travel kennel. Well...he was fast asleep until he heard the camera coming out of its case and then he slowly stretched out his legs, looking up at us with those sleepy eyes!

He is blissfully asleep..and I am envious!

2010-09-02T16:44:00.000-07:00

A busy week so far...several deadlines cascading together and never enough hours in the day (or evening for that matter) After seeing this photo of Spike sleeping peacefully on one of his favorite boxes I thought that would certainly be a nice way to end the week - although on a couch instead!

Love me...love my cat

2010-08-30T16:54:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-28T11:00:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-26T20:07:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-08-24T19:14:00.001-07:00

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"

2010-08-19T20:18:00.001-07:00

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

2010-08-18T15:56:00.001-07:00

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

2010-08-17T20:54:00.000-07:00

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!)