Monday, June 30, 2008

Exhausted!

It's been a long day.


Ms. C took me to the vet today for a follow-up. I am doing a lot better, not sneezing nearly as much, but I refuse--do you hear me?--I REFUSE to take any pills, which are not for my sneezing but for my supposed parasites. I would rather resist, twist, close up my little throat, and run around foaming at the mouth. Ms. C has mentioned something about "fish flavored suspension" but as long as she is not talking about "pills," then I am not concerned.

At the vet, of course I have to go through more than my share of exhausting experiences. There were DOGS in the waiting room. They rudely took my temperature in my ear again, weighed me (I am not 5.9 pounds!), looked in my mouth and ears, rubbed my belly when I did not want it to be rubbed, and worst of all, they covered me with a towel and gave me a horrible shot! I don't have Leukemia, so I don't see why they have to shoot me about it! I was angry. I bit Ms. C to let her know that her patting wasn't going to comfort me (but not hard, just a warning!). I hissed when they gave me that shot, and I kept hissing till I got back into my carrier and crouched for safety in the back of it.

As soon as I got home, I had to trot around and inspect everything. I even got back into my carrier, but I came right back out and expected to be fed. Luckily, they were very understanding. So I am sure you can completely understand my exhaustion:

Great News & Playful Start!

The News
First of all, I am really excited to welcome some great friends of mine to the blogosphere! I introduced them last week, and now Sen-Chan and Tom have their own blog, The Pouponette! Visit it to see all the fun they are having, find out what a Poupounette is, and see all of their beautiful pics!

Playful Start
I was a little bit confused when Ms. C took my favorite place to lounge away, the table in-between their two desks. She said something about "painting the ugly thing," whatever that may mean. But as you can see, she kindly placed a temorary table between their desks and put a nice, soft cloth on it for me. I think it really sets off my stripes:

But do not be deceived by that pose of repose. I have many games to play each day, each of vital importance. Some, like this example of Catzilla, I like to play with Mr. R:

This morning I was up very, very early with the crazies at 4am. I viciously attacked those monsters under the bedcovers. Mr. R tried to calm me with some corporal cuddling. Just what is corporal cuddling? Ms. C has located (but had nothing to do with the creation of) a fun and educational video concerning this topic:

An Engineer's Guide to Cats



When the corporal cuddling failed, Ms. C decided to just do the right thing after all and get out of bed. I followed her, and while sitting in the chair next to hers, discovered that my tail was getting out of hand!! You can see here, I almost Got it:


Never fear, even though you see my claws viciously extended in the previous pose, no harm came to any tails:

Sunday, June 29, 2008

A Visit from Adan!?

Could it be? Is this visitor on my desk the famous Adan?!


I am generous to my guests. I'm going to let him hang out in my favorite spot with me:


Adan, is it really you? Maybe I will be able to tell by your scent:

We quickly fall to the floor, rolling around, kicking and biting. This is fun! I am so envious of Lego who gets to live with you and pounce on you! Except...

No! it is not Adan! It is an unknown intruder-cat and I must defend my territory against it! Oh my goodness... this little toy is a freak! I was showing it who was Boss and all of a sudden it made a horrible, awful, scary noise. Worse than any thunderstorm, of which I am not afraid! I ran away (Ms. C: When you squeeze it, it plays "Oh Christmas Tree").

I will conquer my fear of that intruder soon. I wish it had been the real Adan.

Saturday, June 28, 2008

A Cat's Guide to Sleep, Vol. 1

Sleep is a very important part of each and every day in a cat's life. This is something every cat knows from birth. The highest feline achievers are also champions of sleep, and it's also a great bonding activity. I have a few favorite ways to sleep, the most incredible of which Ms. C says is the twisty position:


You need to be able to accomplish a spinal-180 in order to do it. If you are not sure what that is, then take another glance at which direction my feet are going (front vs. back feet), or just ask your local feline. Following that, I often stand up, stretch, and sleep in the other direction for awhile:

And then back again. I'm really asleep now, very deep:

Here is a close up, I don't want you to miss a single important aspect of this position:

Just to make sure you really understand how deep a sleep can be accomplished in these ways, check out this video:

And finally, I often switch to the table in between Ms. C's and Mr. R's desk:


I really need to have the proper energy always ready in order to ambush Ms. C on the stairs, or to have a proper bout of the midnight crazies. Practicing these important elements of my days is the surest way to become an expert!

Friday, June 27, 2008

Exhibit A

I'm anxious to begin one of my games, but I must allow Ms. C to share this with you first. She found it in the middle of the floor when she got up--it's her bookmark. As you can clearly see, I took care of it in the night for her; now she will no longer feel threatened by it:


Exhibit A. Ms. C's Bookmark.


I have several favorite games, but one of my all-time favorites is waiting at the top of the stairs for Ms. C to come up, and running away from her like she is a Terrible Monster. I could do it over and over and over again!


PLEASE chase me!

Look at my tail. Are you following?
She even got a short and bad-quality video of the game. She really needs more practice, but you get the idea. She said I looked cute in spite of the bad cinematography. Of course I do!


As you can see, it's going to be another beautiful day here. This morning we have a family of crows in the trees, the younger ones trying to follow their parent around. I get excited when they make noise. Then I have to run around some more!


Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Meet a friend: Sen-Chan

Today I’d like to introduce a friend of mine! His name is Sen-Chan, and he is a gorgeous pure-bred Sorrel Abyssinian. Born on July 9th of 2007, he is in charge of a human, Ms. V, and an English Springer Spaniel six weeks younger than himself named Tom. They live in harmony together in France. Ms. V describes her first encounter with Sen-Chan:
“When I first met him at the breeders, he was already coming down with cat flu, so he wasn't feeling great, but he immediately knew what he wanted. He climbed onto my lap, and up my arm and to my face so he could give me lots of cuddles. This propensity for dishing out love is still, months later, one of his most endearing characteristics. He uses his paws, his head, and of course his tongue, to show his affection. And it's not at all limited to me. Anyone who crosses his path is treated as a potential best friend, and that includes all dogs!”

And as you can see, Sen-Chan really loves and cares about his “brother” Tom, the Spaniel. They play and nap together:


Like all of us kitties, Sen-Chan loves to stalk, chase, and play with his toys. Here is one of my personal favorite pictures of him, playing with the late Mr. Bun:

Unfortunately, Tom has a bad habit of stealing Sen-Chan’s toys (including Mr. Bun!) and chewing them to death. I am sure he just wants to share in the fun, but doesn't he know you can’t play with something once you’ve eaten it!?

In spite of this toy-stealing, Sen-Chan and Tom are devoted to each other. Ms. V writes that Sen-Chan “tries his best to keep Tom tidy and grooms him vigorously although the task is almost impossible. The two love to chase one another and often sleep curled up together.” I sure wish I had a pal like that!

Sen-Chan does not have his own blog, but as you can see he is a very up-to-date cat, and we keep in contact with frequent correspondence about important subjects as you can see from his screen:


Sen-Chan is so energetic that Ms. V has to feed him about six meals a day! If he's like me, I bet he wouldn't mind more! You can see just from looking at his pictures what a sleek, muscular, beautiful boy he is!

Special thanks to Ms. V for sharing the pictures of Sen-Chan. I could look at them and hear the stories all day long about how he likes to "get out" and runs around with his tail like an antenna, causing Ms. V and Tom to chase him minute after minute! Oooh, I love the game of Chase too! He is truly a lucky cat.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Takeover Complete

Success at last! After only a week and a half in residence, I have taken over Ms. C's desk! She had to put her keyboard in her lap to allow me my proper amount of space. Judging by how well I take up space now, as I grow, it's only going to get better!

Anyways! Tomorrow is going to be a super fun day because I am going to be featuring a friend of mine, who you may have already had a glimpse of in the comments. He has 2 ears, 4 paws, claws, and whiskers too! I'd have done it today, but Ms. C is a little bit under-the-weather and I can't hold on to any whip to crack it on her.

How Do I Help Thee?

How do I help thee? Let us count the ways:

See me saving you from the evils of the sweater-shaver:


I guard carefully and we sniff each others' noses, and come to a mutual understanding:


I type for you:


Is there a cord in your way? Let me get it for you:

Finally, I keep myself impeccably clean. I am sweetly scented!

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Places to go!

I start my day out by herding the people upstairs. Then I feel free to relax, although most often I am very excited that we're all awake, and have to celebrate with my furrymouse for awhile.


There are many places in the house that must be explored each day. I make new discoveries all the time. I've only been in my new home just over a week now, so you can't blame me for not yet knowing every nook and cranny of my home. But I shall! As you can see here, it takes some effort now to fit my growing self under the drawers of Ms. C's desk:

This spot here between the people's desks is MY table. It's supposed to have a printer on top, but they are going to have to put it somewhere else because I need to be here, right between them. Who else is going to keep an eye on them?!


Finally, Ms. C tried really hard to get a picture of what she calls my "scamper butt." After about 10 tries (because I am so quick!) she had some success. I don't care what she was trying to do, to be honest, I just wanted to play!

Monday, June 23, 2008

I'm Not Afraid

Yes, when Ms. C comes up the stairs, I love to do the stiff-legged sideways jump, puff up my tail, and run off, but I'm not really afraid. Nothing scares me. Not even a thunder storm. In fact, during storms I really love to sit in the open sliding glass doors, up against the screen, watching all that transpires.

In the meantime, I would like to share with you my favorite new resting places. Ms. C rearranged her desk and places a special piece of fabric beside her desk for me, as you can see. The positions are quite favorable:

I have really taken to sleeping in this spot. I can stretch out, and keep a close eye on Ms. C at the same time. Ms. C was laughing with Mr. R and saying "She's not going to fit there forever!" I have no idea what she means. I can fit almost anywhere.

I am always ready for my close up:

Finally, to the left, when I need to groom, I have a special piece of fabric that is very comfy and perfect for me. Ms. C thinks I look "vulture-like." Do you??


I hope everyone has a wonderful week! I know I am going to with Ms. C, now that she is giving me some tuna.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Tabby Torture Instruments

I appreciate that they love me, I do. But ever since the vet called and talked about a "parasite," they have been torturing me. Depicted here are the instruments they use:



Supposedly this is supposed to clear the parasites out of my guts. But I don't appreciate it when they capture me and make me swallow the little pill. Yesterday it was just awful. It tasted so bad that I foamed at the mouth. Today, it was bad, but Ms. C coated it in the slippery, yummy-tasting butter and I did not foam. In fact, right after that she fed me some tuna!! It took that horrible taste away. I love her.

Sleepy Sunday

I expect my people to wake up at 6am every day. Although I tried to rouse them at the proper time this morning, they would not move until 7:30. I was very patient, I even took a nap next to Ms. C for that extra time, touching my front paws to her face. Now that we are all awake, we can nap throughout the day! I have a few favorite places to sleep. This is where I was right before I decided to help Ms. C type this entry:

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I also like to sleep in the same place with Mr R:


I also enjoy stretching to my full-length when I sleep on the couch:

It makes stretching my toes easier. Where are your favorite places to sleep?

Saturday, June 21, 2008

New Hidey-Holes

For the first few days, I ignored it, and now I'm not sure why! They've placed my condo near to the window so I can sit on top and look outside and all around:

Maybe you can see it in the picture above, but there is a furry mouse in the top level of the condo. I just discovered it today when I went to hang out in the top cubby for the first time, and the mouse and I had so much fun battling it out up there!


It's a great hidey-hole, and I have a clear view of both Ms. C and Mr. R when I am inside. I've also developed some new hobbies, including cursor-killing. I think a lot of you other cats might have known about this exciting game for a long time! I only do this on Mr. R's computer, and he assists me.


Ms. C has been giving me small spoonfuls of wet food today! Oh, I was so excited. As soon as she returned from the store and I heard the cans clanking together on the counter, I ran to the kitchen and let her know in my loudest (but cutest) voice that yes I am a very good cat and definitely deserve this treat! I may not care about regular treats, but wet food is another story. Ms. C said something to me about the vet finding a parasite in my bowel movement, and that I would soon be getting my medication with this wet food, but I am not concerned for now. As long as that wet food keeps coming!

Friday, June 20, 2008

Almost Midnight Crazies

I slept this morning on Ms. C's face. I slept this afternoon. I had a nap this evening, making sure my paw and chin rested on Mr. R's arm.

Now, I am ready to PLAY!




I know I look vishus. But no claws were used in the making of this movie and no humans came to any harm. So please don't call the SPCH. At the end, I see a bug flying around so I have to go get that instead.

Deer Update

The Deer are back! Ms. C moved quietly to get pictures:



I am a very inexperienced cat when it comes to deer. Why are they "Vishus Deer?" Ms. C thinks they look like food with legs. I agree.

PS. Thank you for the tip, Parker. I now feel a little more informed about the bloodthirsty vishus deer, and have alerted Skeezix to this incident of their multiplication!