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.

Sadie's chosen spot

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

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

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!