Saturday, July 02, 2005

Kountry Kitties.....

My recent move to the "country" with my apartment dwelling, city slicker cats is providing me with a variety of unusual challenges and a plethera of comical treasures. I never tire of watching my barnyard challenged felines explore the great outdoors....leaping through the fields, running up the trees, basking in the sun, sniffin' flowers....such charming kitty activities. I am constantly amused by their antics...like when Monkey spends hours stalking a bird only to give his position away by the butt wiggle before the pounce, or the "Ballet" he performs when a butterfly flutters within range. Then there is Peapod and his visible annoyance when the air outside is "pushy", and Lucie's endless attempts to get across the yard without setting a single paw on the grass.
And of course there are the "firsts". The first time they saw the horses next door was hysterical, as was their first encounter with a jackrabbit. The first night it rained, hundreds of teeny tiny frogs appeared out of nowhere and provided hours of entertainment, and the pig...the first time they saw the pig was priceless. They still cannot figure out what the heck rain is, or how to get away from it....they apparently think planes, flocks of ducks, and the occassional cloud are going to fall from the sky and land on their heads by the way they run for cover whenever one appears, and all of them remained convinced that the garden hose is a snake....a snake that occassionally spits.
I'm telling ya, the amusement never ends.
Take for example, the other morning.....as usual, I headed out to the front porch (followed by a long line of felines) to drink my coffee and watch the kitties play. As I set my coffee on the table, I notice that all four cats have made an abrupt stop on the doorstep...and with eyes pert near popping out of their heads, they sit.... staring intently at something behind me. So, I turn around, expecting to see a big cloud, a flock of birds, or perhaps a low flying plane...the usual things in the sky that freak them out....but one of the usual suspects in was not. I too found myself suffering from "pert near eye popped out syndrome" (to the delight of the cats I'm sure) when I saw what hovered above.
It was a big, beautiful hot air balloon taking off from the field next door.....and it took up the whole sky. After the initial shock, I was mesmerized by the beauty of it...it was so close it felt like you could just reach out and touch it. The cats on the other hand, took a bit longer to relax....eventually they ventured off of the doorstep and out into the yard, but they kept a real close eye on the balloon....making sure it kept its distance. Peapod, the baby.....even tried to chase it....cute little shit that he is. Now in the morning when I open the door, all the cats do a quick check of the sky before they step out into the day........just in case.

Bad Hair Day


Bad Hair Day..... Posted by Picasa

Little Pooter


Little Pooter.... Posted by Picasa

Hassie's New Perch


Hassie's New Perch..... Posted by Picasa

Friday, July 01, 2005

Pee-Pod

Warning
...the following subject matter may be not be suitable for those having just returned from lunch....

Peapod (my 3 month old fuzzy-butt kitten) had a rather disgustingly amusing "accident" the other day....
Like all cats, he was born with the instinctive knowledge that humans should never be allowed to go to the bathroom unless accompanied by at least one cat....so, when he happened upon an unsupervised potty break and realized all of the big cats were outside, he felt it his duty to join me. With brave determination, and a look of naive curiousity, he rushed in, parked himself in the middle of the floor..... and stared.
And stared.....and stared.....and stared.
For the inexperienced cat owner, this can be an uncomfortable if not traumatic ritual.....but my years of exposure have enabled me to ignore their bothersome presence....a sort of "natural immunity" if you will.
So, paying little attention, I went about my business, stood up to flush the toilet.......and before I knew it,
little Peapod had jumped right in. Swoosh. Kerplunk. Didn't even touch the rim. A perfect shot.
Yuck.
And boy, the look he gave me.
Gross?? yeah, but he rinsed off easily enough and it was funny as hell.

Thursday, June 30, 2005

The Girls....


Loki and Caliope....

Caliope.....


Caliope...the sweetest one of all.
Such a petite little dew-drop.

Loki...


Loki...the trickster. What a little devil this one is.....

The Girls.....


Loki and Caliope.....
Are they beyond cute or what??

Peapod.....



Peapod (aka "Chubby")...
This little guy reminds me so much of Leo it's spooky....
he is the spunkiest little shit, completely fearless, cute as crap,
and I have fallen hopelessly in love with him....dammit.

Beluga....



Beluga....the whale. He was born big and just got bigger and bigger and bigger....
Beautiful kitten with a super sweet personality....

Hassie.....



Hassie....name given due to the fact that combing out his fur a bazillion times a day was such a hassle.
Cute little shit.....not bright, but cute. Spent a lot of time walking into things and falling down.

The New Toy Box.....




Caliope.... Posted by Hello

Peapod in a Box..... Posted by Hello

Caliope in a Box.... Posted by Hello

Loki in a Box... Posted by Hello

Wednesday, June 29, 2005

A Ball, Some Yarn, A Piece of String.....

What is your Favorite Plaything....

Living in a tiny apartment with 4 cats and 5 kittens during the rainy season is quite a challenge....they get bored, they get fussy, they blame you for the nasty weather and treat you accordingly. In order to maintain your sanity in this situation, it is imperative that you come up with interesting ways to entertain them .....not always an easy task. When the usual toys no longer pacify them, you must rely on skill and ingenuity in order to survive.....( or for them to survive). Having been in this situation more often than I care to recall, I have amassed an unusual assortment of "toys" to keep my cooped up kitties content. So, if you have a cat suffering from severe boredom and you find yourself tinkering on the edge of insanity....feel free to test some of these out. And, if there is anyone out there who has found any other methods of calming the cooped up cat.....I would be delighted to hear them.....(the rainy season is quickly approaching again!)

Bubbles.....
Bubbles are great....they even have catnip scented ones.....but I don't think they can tell the difference.
I enlist the aid of a table fan when using bubbles....blow them in front of the fan and the fan blows them all over the house. Works great on the kittens....the older ones are less amused.

The Dangly's
Last winter, my house was full of giant dangly's....elastic string hung from the ceiling with some feathers or a toy tied at the bottom. The stretchy string makes for some serious "snapping" action which can be rather comical (risk of "snap back" injuries can be substantial in younger cats).

Table Tents
Large blanket tossed over coffee table.....table tent.

Balloons
Blow 'em up....then let 'em go. Once the cats get over the initial shock....it's funny to watch them try to figure out what the hell they are.

B.O.T.'s
(Battery Operated Toys)
Anything that moves or makes noise. Those little mini remote control cars are great....but my personal favorite is a huge battery operated wooly mammoth (weird, I know) that walks, brings it's trunk up, and moos. Yappy dogs are good for a laugh as well.

Space Shooters
You know, the toys guns that shoot the foam discs.....cats love them but they are a bit high maintenance as you have to gather up all the discs and reload....they are also easily eaten by teething kittens.

Laser Light
This should already be a staple in any cat's home.

Tunnels
You can get those ridiculously over-priced tunnels at the pet store.....I got mine at a toy store for 1/3 the cost....and then you can crawl in with them.

The Vaccuum
Used as a last resort.....I just park it in the middle of the room and watch the cats avoid it like the plague.

Nature
Crickets are the best.....they hop, they don't bite, they are not too easy to catch, and they can last for days.

The Bathtub
Toss a couple of balls in the tub.....hours of entertainment (danger to shower curtain = high)

Tuesday, June 28, 2005

They Maybe Trying to Tell Me Something....






Is there a hidden message to be found in these sleepy poses???
Is it mere coincidence or are they really trying to form letters of the alphabet...
You be the judge.....

Leo Sleepy Poses.....


Leo's Sleepy Poses



Sleepy Poses

Leo Sandwich


Okay....I have been aware that I have some super strange cats for quite sometime and I am comfortable with that....I myself am not of the norm, so the quirkiness of my kitties should come as no surprise. I have gotten used to the strange "toys" they drag in from outside, am aware of their individual phobias, know all of their "itchy" spots, favorite foods, etc. etc....nothing they do surprises me much anymore....except the sleepy poses. They never cease to amaze me with their sleepy poses.
Leo was by far, the best at inventing new and unusual nap positions/locations, he would crack me up at least once a day. Kittens are also great at sleepy poses.....and Lord knows I have had plenty of them to giggle at.

Sleepy Leo


Sleepy Leo Posted by Hello

Sleepy Leo


Sleepy Leo Posted by Hello

Giggles.....

What looks like half of a cat?????
The other half.

Hee hee hee....I know....baaaaad joke.
How about some of the more humorous photos of my wacky furlines???
Enjoy!

Monkey Peek-a-Boo


Monkey..... Posted by Hello

Leo.....


Leo.... Posted by Hello

Monday, June 27, 2005

Grrrrr......(Lucie)


Grrrrrr...... Posted by Hello

Ezzie's New Hat


Ezzie's New Hat Posted by Hello

Feline Funnies.....

A few of my personal favorite feline funnies.....from here, there...just about anywhere......


Little Known Feline Ailments:

Feline Intermittent Trance Syndrome:

Intent staring into space or at mundane objects for a substantial length of time.
Symptoms may last from several seconds to several minutes, and in severe cases...many hours.
The world record was set by a Siamese who unblinkingly studied the pattern in a Turkish rug for 3 hours 53 minutes....breaking a long standing record set by a Persian Cross who stared at an exterior brick wall for 3 hours 42 minutes (the presence of ants on the wall led some experts to question the validity of this record).
A reported time of 3 hours 49 minutes by a domestic shorthair was disqualified when the cat was found to have fallen asleep.

"Happy Coat"
(also "Happy Tongue")

A condition most often noted in sleek furred cats.
The cat proceeds to fluff up its fur in pleasure....starting at the base of the tail and continuing forward towards the nose. In extreme cases, the cheeks and forehead also fluff up and the cat is said to have "Purred itself Fuzzy".

"Happy Tongue"

Happy Tongue is signified by a small part of the tongue protruding from the mouth until the cat remembers to tuck it away again.


Seasonally Affective "Door into Summer Syndrome"

This condition was first described by Klaus Strynum in his book of the same name. It manifests at times of inclement weather causing a distinct behavior pattern in the afflicted feline. Once infected, the cat wanders around the house demanding that each external door it comes be immediately opened. On discovering that the weather there is just as nasty and cold as the weather outside the last door inspected, it resumes its frantic search for "The Door into Summer".
The cat remains convinced that one of the doors....on the umpteenth time of opening....will have a beautiful summers day on the other side of it. This affliction is more prevalent in younger cats of an active disposition and is frequently contagious in multi-cat environments.

"Greeblingz"

Greeblingz are believed to be non visible entities that many authorities have linked to UFO sightings feeling that they may be diminitive other-dimensional beings. Cats suffering from the effects of Greeblingz typically have wild-eyed expressions and may appear to be under the influence of a particularly potent batch of catnip. The cat dashes madly throughout the house in pursuit of unseen prey with little or no thought given to obstacles in it's path.....lamps, keepsakes, wall hangings and curtains have been found to be the most common victims, although everything in the household is at risk.
A very few cats are naturally immune to Greeblinz attacks....noone knows why.
In some areas of the world, this condition is also known as "The Flaming Kahooties".

"Fuffling"

The cat lowers its nose into water and exhales.
This is followed by whiffling, sputtering, sneezing, snorting, head shaking and a general expression of utter confusion.
Bath bubbles have been known to trigger attacks of fuffling in some cats, as well as soap suds left in the kitchen sink. There is also the belief that attacks of fuffling are linked to interesting items observed in the water (eg goldfish, food crumbs, greeblingz....).
Fuffling is most commonly observed in early kittenhood, but older cats have been known to suffer an occassional bout.

"Snudging"

The affected cat repeatedly head-butts any available part of its human and turns its head slightly so that the lips and cheek are rubbed against arms, legs, hands, clothing etc....
This condition gets its name from a contraction of the phrase "Soggy Nudging" and serious cases can result in a significant rise in the volume of laundry produced by the chosen human.

Feeding Frenzy


Feeding Frenzy Posted by Hello

Leo Trying to Nap


Leo Trying to Nap Posted by Hello
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