Exploration

I like to assist Ms. C in all that she does. When she was in the kitchen taking out the trash, I decided to assist her when she reached for a new garbage bag:

I really like to get into places like this. I would probably stay awhile inside, except that Ms. C is always moving around the house, and I really need to keep an eye on her. I wish she would spend more time here and leave more doors open for me.

I may look lazy, but I know that toy's inside the cat condo and I am going to Get it! Won't you come and play with me?

***

Mr. Hendrix tagged me for the Four Things meme a couple of days ago, so here are my answers:

1. Four jobs I’ve had: I have always been self-employed, and I have many important jobs. First and foremost, I am a Watcher. I must keep an eye on my humans at all times and be in the same room with them. I'm a professional tuna-eater. I am also a pro-napper. Finally, I am an Expert of Play Techniques.
2. Four movies I can watch over and over: I have never actually watched a movie, can you believe it? Perhaps when my humans get a TV they will get me some videos of safari animals like hyenas and lions, or birds. For now, looking out the window suffices.
3. Four places I’ve lived: First I lived at a pet-store, second I lived with a lady who had to give me up, then third I lived at the SPCA, and fourth I lived in my current forever home with Ms. C and Mr. R who rescued me!!
4. Four TV shows I love: Well, we don't have a TV so I can't love any shows. But I can imagine that I love shows about nature and animals I'd like to.... eat.
5. Four places I’ve vacationed: I have to agree with Mr. Hendrix, my life is also one long vacation! If I could go anywhere at all, I would like to go to a morning fish market in Japan. I imagine it as one big all-a-cat-can-eat buffet.
6. Four of my favorite dishes: I love tuna and shrimp, tuna and crab, tuna and ocean whitefish, and tuna by itself.
7. Four sites I visit daily: I watch Ms. C while she visits the journal of author Neil Gaiman, Sen-Chan and Tom's blog The Poupounette, for lack of a better news site CNN.com, and the Distributed Proofreaders site where she volunteers in proofreading documents for Project Gutenberg.
8. Four places I would rather be right now: There is no place I'd rather be right now! I am in my forever home, in my own chair, right beside Ms. C snoopervising her typing.

Special Whiskers

Yesterday, my mom promised you a picture of my new, special whiskers. But first, here's a picture of my normal whiskers. You can see that I smile in my sleep:

Unfortunately, it is very difficult to get a good picture that illustrates the true cuteness and specialness of my special whiskers. Mine are just beginning to grow in. I think that these whiskers are probably typical of my kind, but Ms. C is charmed because the cat that came before did not have these decorations. The special whiskers are not in the normal four rows on my muzzle or the ones on my brow, but are set further back along my cheek:

If you want to see a better example of special whiskers, check out the lovely portrait of Ambrose over at Grrreta's blog. He is a fully developed mancat, and hopefully when I am full-grown I can also possess such lengthy and beautiful special whiskers!

I got a new toy. I think Ms. C is a little more enthralled with it than I am, it's called the Silly Octopus Toy:

However, seeing as I will play with anything and everything that can be moved, I am sure it will come to play its own vital role in the theatre of my war-time dramas.

Finally, I've decided to get over my shyness a little bit today and show you how nicely my belly is healing. Yes, you may look at my belly! My spots are coming back!

PS. Mr. Hendrix tagged me for a meme, and tomorrow I shall tackle it!

Happy Again!

This morning, Ms. C took me to that Vet again. I was good and quiet in my carrier until I saw the vet tech. As soon as I saw her, I started hissing! I don't know why they laughed.

It didn't take long at all, and soon enough Ms. C and I were back home again! It's so wonderful to have that horrible collar off. Now I can give myself a full bath!!! As soon as I situated myself on one of the best locations in the house, that is just what I did:

I also occupied Ms. C's chair, because I really think it suits my coloration perfectly. A brown chair for a brown tiger cat like me!

I have been developing some new, special whiskers on my face which you cannot see in either of the above pictures, but Ms. C promises that tomorrow she will feature them in a special portrait.

Play Time

I like to play. My humans don't always properly anticipate the moments, like when they are moving their feet happily in bed as they go to sleep, and I think it's a monster that I need to Get.

I was resting calmly in my chair when Mr. R came along to pat me, and I decided it was Playtime! Here I am in my "Adan" pose, like when Lego bites him, even though no one is biting or even touching me!

After he went off to do his human-stuff, I continued to play with my favorite fuzzy cat-print scarf in my chair. I kicked it. I bit it. Then I hugged it close and slept.

A Passing, Awards, and more

A good friend of Ms. C's lost her friend Katie yesterday. She was two months away from her 16th birthday. Katie shared her home with two other doggie pups and three kitties, but she was unquestionably the Queen of the whole caboodle:

Katie was a dog with attitude and knew that her place was in the lap of her humans. One of her favorite things was when her mom had a job at a nursing home, where she adopted a woman resident's lap as her own. She and the resident would squabble joyfully all day. In return for nosing the woman's book out of her hand, she received a lot of pats and treats!

Here she is in that favorite spot (you can see how happy they all are!!) along with her mom Ms. A:

Katie had a great life, a great mom, but now she goes on free of pain. She will be missed.

***

Next, I'd like to thank the beautiful Grrreta and her family for honoring me with The Cool Cat Award! I am tickled pink! In fact, I am so excited I just have to go play herd of thundering elephants right away! *thunders*

I'm going to pass this award on to Adan and Lego, Parker, Sen-Chan, and the Cat Street Boyz! I think that's 9 cats in all. Thanks for making me and Ms. C smile every day!

***

Finally, I would like to share some cuddly pictures of myself. If one of my humans is napping on the couch, I love joining them there. I expect to make my nest in the safe, warm spot between their knees. I'll arrive smiling, and knead the cat-blankie softly before settling down. Here I am with Mr. R:

I hope you were not looking at my belly!

I also like to cuddle this fleecy scarf. I like to lay on it too, but sometimes I just want to put my paws on something nice like this, if Ms. C's foot is not available or I just feel like sleeping in my own chair.

The Usual is Wonderful

Yes, I sleep with my eyes open. Sometimes they are just barely open, other times (as you can see here in Mr. R's chair), they are quite a bit more open than that:


Have I ever mentioned how much I love my mom, Ms. C? When I am not defending the house from errant sock rolls and shoes, I like to relax. Sometimes in Mr. R's chair, but often I like to lay on the cool mat at Ms. C's feet. It is even better if I can be touching her feet, too:

I hope you are not looking at my belly!!

New Foes!

Shoes are wonderful foes. Today I also discovered a new foe -- the sock roll! I'm not so good at biting the sock roll right now with this stupid collar, but I try. Kicking, on the other paw, is entirely possible as you can see!


Out of about 20 action pictures, this is the only one Ms. C was able to capture that was not totally blurry. Either Ms. C needs a lot more practice, or she should adjust her camera. Anyone else use a Sony Cybershot DSC-P100 who can recommend some settings to Ms. C? The camera is "old" now. What kind of digital camera do you use to get your best action shots?

Tabby Tummy Tuesday

Before we get to the good stuff, Ms. C would like to share with you the reason why I have to wear this collar.

Here is a picture from a week before my operation. No, I am not squinting because of the camera flash, I am squinting because I am Having Bad Thoughts because I am sly! You see, I really, really want to bite that cord that I am hiding with my paw right now. I figure if I cover it up then bite it, no one will know what I am doing. Maybe I need to change my technique because for some reason, as soon as they tell me "no" and my eyes go all half-shut, they know I am up to something.

And yes, that was the face I was making when I wanted to pull at my stitches. I really thought I could get away with it.

Now, as requested, the tummy pic! You can see my frankencat stitches. I show my belly all the time when I relax, and I like to roll around when my people approach.

Ms. C apologises for not having a lot of new pics, but she has been trying not to bug me too much. Hope you are all having a great week so far!

Recovering

As you can see, I am back to my normal behavior (mostly!). Once the anaesthesia wore off and I stopped walking sideways or backwards and wobbling, and my humans had offered me enough assistance and attention, I was ready to PLAY! We played fetch, and here I'm battling a new foe:


Nonetheless, I continue to receive a lot of sympathy and extra patting. At first, I did not want to go anywhere by myself, because I was really having some difficulty figuring out how to move with this claw-forsaken collar.

Ms. C carried me to my food and water, and I had a little bit of both. Later, she carried me to and placed me in my big litter box, where I did both kinds of business. I made sure she stayed with me for this. She poured a scoopful of litter over each spot for me, I was really grateful! I even gave her finger a rub afterwards (something I rarely deign to do), and for the first time since my surgery, my tail went straight up in the air and I walked beside her.


Tomorrow will be the requested belly picture. I am really feeling better, and thanks to all of you who have been wishing me well!

.... After the Big Day

I'm miserable.

Not only was I in a strange place overnight, away from my favorite folks, but the alien people who had captured me, well, they . . . I can't believe this . . . they shaved my belly.

And there are itchy little threads there, too. I was going to do something about them myself, so I made sure I did not show any interest in them in front of the aliens--what, Ms. C? They are called nurses, not aliens? OK . . . so I pretended I did not care about them and the nurses sent me home, where I immediately set to work on these strings stuck in my belly. Ms. C and Mr. R didn't seem to like it that I was pulling at them, so I tried to find a quiet corner in which I could be left alone to do my work.

Alas, as you can see, this only earned me another trip back to the alien place:


At least I can still eat and drink.

I am thankful that Ms. C and Mr. R rescued me from the terrible alien place so quickly. They are scratching my ears and chin for me, and I really feel safe under their desks. When I lay near Ms. C's foot, I like to be touching her feet with my own feet. It gives me a good and comforting feeling.

I hope all of you other folks are having a much better weekend than I am. I'm just glad that Ms. C is going to be home all week long to wait on me hand and paw.

A Big Day

Ms. C:  We are sorry the updates are not as normal-- I am still on the road, and will be back to my regular secretarial duties for Abby tomorrow!

Today was a big day for Abby, however. Mr. R took her into the Animal Hospital at 9am for her spaying.  So tomorrow when I see her, I will be looking at her little shaved belly.

Mr. R just called to let me know Abby is doing fine!

See you soon!

The All-Too-Short Story of Evil

Hi Everyone!  Abby here.  Ms. C is on the road today, so she did not take any pictures of me before she left, so she has decided to instead do a tribute to the cat that came before.  I shall let her speak for herself.

***

Ms. C: I think most of us have been through our share of tough times, and when we make it through those times, we should always find some way of rewarding ourselves.  Back in 1998 when I found the light at the end of the tunnel, I decided that it was time for me to get a cat.  it would be my first pet, and rewarding for both me and the cat who found its new forever home!

So, I went to the SPCA.  I was looking for a cat to take home with me, because I know everyone always wants those cute kittens (sorry Abby... I love you even though you are a kitten!).  I spent a lot of time looking at those kittens and cats before I saw her. 

Perhaps you have had this moment too, when you go to look for a friend, and then it happens. You make eye contact with The One.  I don't know how I missed her, I walked around that place in circles for quit awhile before I saw her, sitting on her haunches in her litter-box.  I felt like running back out to the front area where the volunteers were, but I made myself walk.  

"I found her!" I told them.

Before I knew it, they had her in the cardboard box, and I smiled and laughed as she meowed the whole three miles home.  When I opened the box at home and she came out, she never hid.  Instead, we took a nap together.  We had both been through a lot!  It was a wonderful bonding experience, and we were fast friends from the first.

Her name-card said her name was "Magic," but I decided that she would have to earn her name. She really earned her name when I tried to bring a second cat into the picture.  A friend of mine had a landlord who told him "either the kitten goes or you both go," and that is when I learned something about my cat's nature.  No Other Cats were to be tolerated.  After three months (and the unwelcome kitten found a more welcoming forever home), she earned her name: The Big Black Evil Cat! Or Evil for short.

She was large, and extraordinarily friendly to all humans.  If a group of friends were over, she sat down right in the center of everyone so she could be close to us all.  Even though she was declawed (before I got her), she was not a biter.  In fact, she saw biting as a real rudeness.  Have you ever met a cat that was exceptionally polite?  She was one of those cats.

Even though her name card at the SPCA said "Magic," I found out later that she had had her picture in the paper the week before as "pet of the week," and they made the poor camera-shy feline wear a silver party-hat.  When I first got her, she was terrified of cameras, but got over it over time.  The picture in the paper said her name was "Big Black," and considering her extraordinary size, she definitely fit that description!

My lap was always the #1 best location she wanted to sit in.  She could leap to an incredible height, so we often played games with shoelaces and scarves.  Abby will be happy to see that I got the same sill pictures of Evil as I get of her!

Unfortunately, her life was much too short.  I took her to the vet one week for what looked like some kind of spider bite, but it turns out that just about any kind of insect could have produced the trauma she was experiencing since she was no longer producing any plasma for healing wounds.  Three weeks later, she died.  The bone cancer was throughout her body.

We will miss you forever, Evil!  You were a truly wonderful friend. 

Muzzle and Chin

One of the most attractive parts of me, so Ms. C says, are my whiskers. They are not especially long, or special and curly, but they are numerous, and as you can see from my portrait below, the rows are delicately low-lighted with little dots of darker fur on my muzzle where they are "planted" (as Mr. R says):

I love having my chin scratched. When I want it, I lay down near a human and just let my head fall backwards oh-so-slowly, and they get the idea. If you saw this, wouldn't you want to scratch it?


I've been dealing with that unruly shoe that I have to kill every day. In fact, there is a new shoe I have to also deal with, and it's so tiring. I definitely need to relax now!

How Lazy Can She Get?

Come on, mom. Look, I'm even helping you to type. But it is almost 8pm and you have not blogged about me yet today.

Ms. C is very lazy today. To be honest, I have too. I have been coughing and hacking a little bit, and Ms. C keeps asking me if I have a hairball. What's a hairball?

She weighed me today and I am now 7.5 pounds. That means I have gained 2 since they brought me home! I plan to keep on growing forever, until I am as tall as Ms. C, if not taller.

PS. What is a frootbat and why is it called that? I am a confused kitty.

(Un) Easy and Undercover on Sunday

As an update, I'd like to thank Texas for this award! *rolls happily!* He's not feeling so great today, so please stop by and bring him some purrs and scratchings and treats.

OK, so I start off Sunday with a little "easy" by sleeping on Ms. C's inner elbow. Please don't laugh, it was comfy!

However, you know me. Easy is never gonna last for long. Look, I'm trying. See: here I am sitting in Mr. R's chair. He has a really nice fleecy blanket that I can't help but knead when I sit on it. Purrr-rrr-rr-rr.


Are you a burrower? I am. I love to burrow under blankets, or in the crooks of people's knees or elbows. Anywhere I can squiggle into! So of course, I have to burrow under Mr. R's fleecy blanket. Ms. C has this special video presentation of that event:

I hope you are having as much fun today as I am! Come on over and we will burrow together!

Caturday Award & Catnip

First of all, I would like to thank both the awesome cats of The catsp and Sen-Chan of The Poupounette for honoring me with this Arte & Pico award!

About the award:

This award was created to be given to bloggers who inspire others with their creativity and their talents, also for contributing to the blogging world in whatever medium. When you receive this award it is considered a special honor. Once you have received this award, you are to pass it on to 5 others.

Rules:

1. You have to pick 5 blogs that you consider deserve this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and also contribute to the blogger community, regardless of language.
2. Each award has to have the name of the author and also a link to his or her blog to be visited by everyone.
3. Each award-winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award itself.
4. Award-winners and the one who has given the prize have to show the link of "Arte y Pico" blog, so everyone will know the origin of this award.
5. To show these rules.

Thank you so much for this honor! In return, I would like to tag Catzee, Texas, Nixon, Jake, and Jojo!

***

And now, on to the Caturday activities. What should I do first--play or sleep? Well, you may know (or not) that Ms. C was a little bit disappointed that I had no interest in catnip. Some cats don't, but today I discovered its joys!

I wrestled with my mouse, clasping it and rubbing it all over my face. I rolled. I even made my little furrymouse go airborne:


It was exhausting, and blissfully I discover a new and comfy way to rest my ears during my nap. We are going to be lazy today, and I hope you shall too!

Get Motivated!

The humans say a picture is worth a thousand words. Keeping this in mind, today I am going to give a brief but powerful motivational presentation.

My fellow felines, the importance of rest cannot be overstated. I spent a day exhaustively examining some of the best ways to perform this vital function of our daily lives. Here are four positions that any cat will find easy and rewarding.

I'll begin with the most active of the relaxation poses. Although I have selected the piano as my location, keep in mind that any similar surface will suffice. Here, I am not yet asleep, and I find it pleasurable to let at least one limb hang off the side, succumbing to gravity:

Next I move to my personal chair where I can stretch out and do some actual sleeping.

Location is of the essence, and every cat's decision on a good location will be specific to the variables of his or her situation. For instance, I select my location because it is in close proximity to Ms. C. Other cats will need to select a place to rest where they will not be disturbed by other members of the household. A high location can often protect a cat from the curiosity of a dog (although, as I will show in next Tuesday, this is not always the case) or children.

Make the most of each location by changing position. I have moved from the stretched position to demonstrate a classic "cute" sleeping pose:

However, it really is best to move around throughout the day so as not to wear out any particular sleeping situation. Carpeted cat-furniture is always a good choice. In my final pose, I combine all of the qualities of the above poses, letting my limbs hang over the side, stretching, and rolling:

In closing, I'd like every cat to know I believe that we can all succeed in this important endeavor. Keep in mind that great and wise Spanish proverb:

How beautiful it is to do nothing, then rest afterwards.

***

It's Adan's 11th Birthday! Please visit his blog and wish him many more happy days!

It is also Mickey's 15th birthday! Check him out at his blog and send him all the nip!

Unruly Tail, Unruly Foot, Unruly Mom

Mr. R's chair is a little bit slippery sometimes, especially since I don't try to scale it with my claws. I shouldn't have to. Also it rocks a little, and sometimes I barely make it to my lookout post:

When I get there, I notice my tail. Just look at it. It definitely needs to GET GOT!


While I am trying to sedately groom atop my cat condo, sometimes my leg acts up. What was once a peaceful time can quickly turn into an action-packed wrestling match. Of course, once I manage to get my leg, I wash it thoroughly, just like I do when I get one of my humans' hands.


Here she comes now. I will clasp her wrist and maybe bunny-kick her arm, and then bathe her hand:


Ahh . . . that was a job well done. Now it's time to retire to the dark recesses of the lower level for a nap. Or maybe an ambush. Maybe both--you never know!