One Happy Spike

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

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

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

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

Enjoying the one sunny day this week

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

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

 Sleeping soundly.....

Awakened when the flash went off!

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

Bella stops by the blog for a visit

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

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

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

owner is doing,

Spike and the new box

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

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

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

Two deaf kitties warming up the coffee table

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

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

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

One day...many years ago

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

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