In Which Abby Dares A New Way To Wash

Abby: This morning I was hanging out on Mr. R's desk, when I noticed this glass of water sitting lonely and unattended. Obviously, that means it's my glass of water! What should I do with it first? Maybe I should try taking a drink, I bet it's fresher than the water in my bowl.

(muffled voice) I don't think this is going to work very well. I'm afraid if I put my head in any further, I will not be able to get it out, and that would be too embarrassing.

This works a lot better! I can dip my paw in, I get a sip of the fresh water, and cleaner paws too. I am going to spend a long time doing this, with both front paws.

Dip, and lick. Dip, and lick. Repeat until happy and satisfied. You know what? I can't believe no one stopped me today. The usually do everything possible to stop me from getting into their glasses.

Finally, I present this teeny tiny how-to video in case anyone didn't get the idea:

Sharing on Sunday

Abby: Hey there, sis! I am glad to see you. This looks like a really interesting place to be. Mind if I hop on up?

Stygia: Well, actually, if you don't mind, I'd really like to be al--

Stygia: (sighs) too late. My purrsonal space has been invaded.

Abby: This is pretty neat. There is even another level below this one!

Stygia: Yes, there is. Why don't you go there?

Abby: Because I like being near you.


Abby: Ms. C has just placed a box on the floor, so I need to go check that out now. Thanks for sharing your space with me, Styggie!

Stygia: Uh, right. I'd say "anytime," but I try to be honest.


Abby: Speaking of sharing, Ms. C wanted to share a blast from her past with you, the first cat she ever knew. Her name was Scooter. Ms. C and Scooter greatly enjoyed being together, until Scooter passed over the rainbow bridge when Ms. C was three years old. Scooter knew how to share, too!

When you're not looking...

Stygia: When you're not looking, I look around for things to bite. I'm sorry I bit this picture of your niece, Ms. C, but it felt good to me:

Abby: When you are not looking, I try to go to places and play with things that you would probably stop me from doing if you saw me, like your decorative fake-plants and mermaid collection.

What do YOU do when your humans aren't looking?

Solar-Powered Silliness

Stygia: This is how it begins. In the morning, when the sun rises, Ms. C opens the blinds so we can power up. Usually I sit in a more dignified position on or inside the cat condo, but Abby is rolling on the rug and attacking it. This means I need to get a better view!

I descend from my outpost. What is she doing? Does she think by hiding her eyes under the rug, that I am not going to see where she is? You can see that I am ready for any move she makes next!



Abby: You think I haven't learned anything lately? Remember how Stygia taught me the deceptive roll that misleads your opponent into believing you are vulnerable? I now use it to my advantage! She scuttles away.

I don't know why I love this little rug so much, but I do! I am sure if I roll around a bit more, my sis will come right back for more. After all, she is too curious not to investigate. Tee hee!

Happy Weekend

Abby: Ms. C is going to be away for the weekend, so I thought I would share with you the various ways I am going to be enjoying my weekend while she is not around. First of all, there's supposed to be sun:

There is nothing quite like a good bath in the sun. Wait! Mom! Why did you have to choose this picture? Hmph.

And my belly needs the sun too:

We hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, and we will see you on Monday!

Tabby Trouble

Ms. C: There were no photographs to record the event. In fact, by the nature of the beast, it all happened behind my back. It's been quite some time since my ponytail has been the subject of a cattack, so I was quite surprised and jumped forward in my chair a little when it happened. However, Mr. R was a witness to the whole event, and here are the results as he reported them to me:

The Attractive Ponytail

Silly Abby got her claws stuck in my chair, and when I leaned forward in my rocky chair, she was fully lifted off of the floor, left to dangle with her belly pushing forward! You know what? I think she got what she deserved.

Lessons for Abby

Stygia: Yes, I instigated it. You've seen the results of our "fights" in recent posts; obviously Abby needs some lessons, and I am just the right cat to show her how it's done.

First of all, the best way to begin a "fight" is with The Staredown, but sometimes your opponent may be distracted, as Abby was this morning. She was chattering at some birds, so I had no choice but to begin with a more overt maneuver.

My move is a little bit deceptive, because I am rolled on my back, which makes me appear vulnerable to my opponent. Since she wasn't paying attention to me, I had to whap her. Sure enough, this combination of posture and touch caught her attention and drew her into the action:

I continue my "vulnerable feint" as Abby attempts to whap back. In any good wrestling session, no matter how talented you are (like me), your opponent is probably going to get a few good whaps, chomps, or kicks in. This is part of the fun! It's also ok to run away, but only if you're just doing it so you can turn right around and turn your chaser into the chasee. If you run too far, you lose, the game ends, and that's not fun.

It's always important to have a good game face! If you think cats are not expressive creatures, well, just look at this close up. Showing teeth, flattening ears, aggressive whiskers, and glare are all important aspects of a good game face for your wrestling match.

If you are wrestling for fun or training, as Abby and I are in these pictures, it is not necessary to make any sounds unless your opponent becomes too rough. In a real fight, a lot of noise must be made in order to properly intimidate your opponent, but in wrestling for pleasure, it would be a bad idea to really scare your opponent.

I must admit, Abby did a lot better today! And why shouldn't she, after all, she has a great teacher.

PS. Oh no, please, please DO NOT look at House Panthers today.... I am soooo embarrassed!

Cool Cat

Abby: Ms. C has been working on creating some birthday presents for her nephew, and one of them features ME! Yes, it is I, Abby Normal:

She says she needs to do some touch-up work on the lettering, but I think it's great the way it is. I mean, it's ME, and what's cooler than that? At least in THIS household.

To paraphrase ZZ Top:

She had a feline strut that was as sweet as molasses
But what really knocked me out was her cheap sunglasses
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah!

I know you need to see more of the coolness, so here I am, paws in place. Catnip included!

Stygia: Abby thinks she is so cool, but I know for a fact that she is really just a very silly and ridiculous cat. I mean, just look at her face in the next picture! Hahahahaha!

Easy on Sunday?

Abby: While some of you may be taking it easy on Sunday, I am constantly on patrol. Up here, on top of Ms. C's printer, I can get a good view of the entire room, while sticking close to her.

So far, I have determined that this lamp needs THE BITEY! Don't you agree?!

Stygia: I, on the other hand, am taking it quite easy. I can just as easily keep my eye on my people from my place where I roll on the floor!

Don't forget to visit me over at House Panthers today! Rawr!

Chattering at the Birds

Abby: What to do? They are on one side of the glass, and it's not my side of the glass! Yet, I am so, so excited! Turn up your sound a little to share in my excitement!

Round Two

ROUND TWO: Will Abby make her comeback today? Stand by for the thrilling action!

Abby has been playing with the rug, it's very exciting. She and Stygia begin the opening ritual, The Staredown -- it's a key moment of great psychological import!

It's looking good for Abby, who opens with the Thunderbird attack! Her focus is immense! But wait, Stygia is actually bending over backwards for the Reverse Crescent Counterattack!


It's into the cat condo for Abby, with Stygia close on her tail. This is it folks, the make it or break it moment.

Abby bursts from the condo, but Stygia is ready in an intimidating, Skeksis like pose!

She's on the run again, folks. It looks like Abby needs to go back to her trainer for a little more practice so we won't have to keep calling her the cowardly lion, er, tiger.

And the winner is...

Abby: My first move is to descend from the chair above! I wrap a paw around her neck, all friendly-like, and begin to wash her head and ear. She can't resist it! I am going to move in for THE BITEY!

Oh, yeah! She's rolling! She's trying to kick, but I am quick. And I am still on top.


She is still on her back. Could it be she is down for the count? 1 . . . 2 . . . 3 . . . 4 . . . ARRRGH! I get facewhapped! (tail fluffs up to raccoon size as she heads under the dining room table)


Stygia: First cat to run is the big loser!!! Never underestimate me, little sister.

Helping Mom to Get Started

Abby: We are helping Ms. C in getting started on her art project! There are a number of ways we are doing this. First, we are hanging around her as much as possible. After all, if she sees us all the time, from the moment she wakes up until the time she falls asleep, she is sure to never lack inspiration, right? Also part of this is working together, both Styggie and me:


Stygia: You may think I was looking at birds, and I was, but as you can see I can just as easily turn to keep an eye on Ms. C at any moment!

Abby: Here I am stretching, absolutely bending over backwards on some of her art supplies! We are a great help!

Rolling, rolling, rolling....

Keep those kitties rolling!

Stygia is missing Mr. R right now, who's gone for the weekend with the National Guard. He is her true love. Yet, she is very happy and rolling around flirtatiously. You can biggify the picture to get a closer look at her fangs! That's how you know she is smiling. You can also see her over at House Panthers today!


Abby is also a shameless roller. Her best friend is Ms. C, and when Abby's sleeping on the couch and Ms. C approaches, she rolls for her! Catnip is also very important to roll in, for both cats. Then they walk around the house with little green bits in their fur and feel very pretty.

Now, Mom...

Abby: MOM!!! How could you post a picture like THIS of me?

Ms. C: Because I find it cute!

Abby: . . . . . . . (Translation: *stare of doom*)

Ms. C: Now, Abby..... that's what you get for trying to get in on my picture of this beautiful wine-glass from my grandmother.


Hope everyone is going to have a great weekend!

Snow Day and meme

Stygia: We got some snow here today. To be honest, it has not turned out as terribly as we feared. Here is a shot Ms. C took at 6:30am:

And here is one she took around noon. You can't see the ground, but there is probably about 6-8 inches of snow.

It's stopped now, however, and guess what?! The sun came out! It is really bright out now, and I was very, very excited about that. I howled at Mr. R's chair and jumped all over it. I ran back and forth upstairs, attacking Ms. C's big bag, the green frog, my mice, and the rug by the window. Here I am, reaching out to Ms. C in mid-excitement:

What did Abby do? That lazy thing didn't even notice when the sun came out. She was napping between Ms. C's legs on the couch, and when Ms. C got up, she didn't even bother to move or object when Ms. C covered her up with the afghan:

We were tagged by The Kittini Boys for the 5th Photo Meme!

The rules are:

1. Open a document or file folder.
2. Click on the fifth folder.
3. Click on the fifth photo.
4. Post the photo and describe it.
5. Tag five other bloggers for the Meme.

Almost all of Ms. C's pictures are of us. It's only natural.

We don't think this photo actually appeared on the blog before! It's showing early to mid October of 2008. We are showing our love of the sun. I think it's pretty cool that you can see both of us in the picture.