Category: CAE

Attention, Alabama and Tennessee residents!

The North Alabama Spay Neuter Clinic is now open in Huntsville. They charge $35 for feline neuters, $45 for feline spays, $55 for canine neuters, and $65 for canine spays. The only cost above the basic charge is $10 for the rabies vaccination if you cannot provide proof that your animal has been vaccinated in the past 12 months.

PLEASE NOTE THAT ANYONE CAN USE THE SPAY AND NEUTER CLINIC. You do NOT have to qualify! There is no extra charge for weight or if the cat/ dog is in heat. Ear tipping for ferals is free.

The clinic also provides FeLV/FIV test and heartworm tests for $20 and the other vaccinations for $10, but those are completely optional. They’ll also do fecals!

The North Alabama Spay Neuter Clinic web site is here.

Please please please pass the word. I know there are so many people who are unfortunately put off from having their cats and dogs spayed and neutered by the potential high cost. The fewer unwanted kittens and puppies who are brought into this world, the better.

Maybe one day there’ll be no such thing as unwanted cats and dogs. Wouldn’t that be lovely?

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Forwarded from reader Nicole yesterday was this email from Animal Haven, a shelter in New York City. They recently rescued two blind kittens, Ray and Light, from a horrible situation.

Dear Friend,

Cruelty to animals takes many forms. Sometimes it involves violence resulting in injury or death. But most times, Animal Haven gets notice of cruelty that stems from neglect – animals deprived of basic needs like food, water and shelter from the elements.

This is what happened to two very special kittens currently in our care – Ray and Light. They were pulled from a hoarding situation in Brooklyn – the likes of which we had never seen. The building was falling apart around the hundreds of cats living there. As litters of kittens were born, they were left to fall through the ceiling cracks and on to the concrete floor below. Many didn’t make it but the few that did ended up with injuries and infections. Ray and Light are suffering from an eye infection that literally ate away at their eyes.

But with the help of caring friends like you, they can have a life filled with normal activity and love. Already as we medicate them daily and give them the care they need, each kitten is showing signs of affection, play and general contentment. Animal Haven couldn’t do this without your help.

What can you do?

You can help Animal Haven stop animal cruelty and help cover the costs of caring for the victims.

If you suspect cruelty or abuse, write down the details and report it to Animal Haven as soon as possible. Even if you are uncertain as to whether the situation warrants investigation, please call us and let us check it out. We would much rather get involved before it’s too late.

Taking in and caring for neglected and abused animals and working to find them a new home is a very costly undertaking. It is a critical part of Animal Haven…it’s part of what we do and we are committed to helping those animals in need. Please help us keep this commitment by giving a gift today. Will you please give?

Donate to Animal Haven here.

Putting a stop to animal cruelty and abuse takes a community – one person at a time.

Sincerely,

Tiffany A. Lacey
Executive Director

Animal Haven’s web site is here.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

How about letting some chickens in the garden during the day? They might help with the squash bug problem!

At this point, we have about 10 chickens roaming free at any given time during the day. They do go into the garden, but they’re really not interested in the squash bugs at all. I’m guessing that they just don’t care for the taste of the squash bugs. You’d think, being chickens, they’d eat any bug that crossed their path, wouldn’t you? They don’t like ants, either.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Holy cow – keith & chemda broke up?! I haven’t listened to the show in quite a awhile but this blows my mind and my next thought was…what does Miss And3rson think about this?!

Oh, I crack myself UP with that picture.

I wrote about that at the top of this entry and it pretty much holds true. I was worried that the show would end up going away, and I was worried that it would change, and it has, but Keith is still the obnoxious asshole who always makes me laugh.

What’s more disturbing to me is that Patrice up and freakin’ MOVED, and now there are no more Patrice Thursdays, and that makes me REALLY sad. I love me some Patrice.

Also, I think it’s WEIRD that Keith is dating Ray’s ex-girlfriend, but I haven’t quite caught up yet to Friday’s show where Ray Devito was on, so maybe Ray will be all “No big deal!”

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

I also have another kitten question. I’ve had to keep my sisters separated because of the conjunctivitis, but it’s much better now, so I’ve re-introduced them this morning. They recognized each other immediately and there was no posturing or anything, but they’ve been fighting non-stop. Is this normal? They’re just reestablishing dominance/territory? Will they settle down at some point? I mean, I can’t spend the entire day distracting them with toys! (They’re just over 3 months old.)

Man. Gomer, my 16-year-old three-legged cross-eyed scaredy cat, was a hell of a lot easier to deal with! 😉

I think they’ll settle down – they’re still so young that they’ve got that kitten energy going on, so I’m not surprised that they’re fighting.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Speaking of unwanted animals, we had another stray dog show up. It’s mostly hound with some boxer mixed in. Vet said that likely, some redneck hunter tried to train it to hunt, and when he didn’t take to it, the hunter released him so he wouldn’t have to feed him anymore. I can’t tell you how enraged the situation makes me. If you know of any hound rescues, please let me know. I’m willing to drive if need be to make sure he finds a good home. He’s such a sweet dog.

People drive me NUTS. I don’t know personally of any hound rescues, but maybe someone out there will or is in need of a boxer/ hound? This is from Michelle at When Cats Attack (she’s in Tennessee), y’all let her know if you or someone you know can help!

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Tell me you gave that caterpillar to the chickens, I just know they’d love that fresh protein!

Of course! I tossed it in the chicken yard, and one hen picked it up and ran around with it while a bunch of other hens chased her, then she dropped it and another hen grabbed it up and ran around with it. I assume it was eventually eaten, though I didn’t stick around to witness the eating myself.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

is that a burpee seed “time to plant” clock behind those jars of chicken stock? i covet one but they cost about a jillion bucks on ebay!

Indeed it is!

Fred’s father gave it to us. If I remember correctly, Fred’s stepmother’s parents gave the clock to Fred’s parents, and they had it for a long time, then stuck it in the attic. Fred’s father was cleaning out the attic and asked if we wanted it. I think it goes nicely with our decor (if we could be said to have a “decor”, that is).

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

I posted this to FB, but I didn’t know if you’d see it there, so I *HAD* to tell you about it here 🙂 Big Cats on the ‘nip!!

Love it!!!

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

We were just adopted by a long haired abused, starved, tortured little girl kitty that we named Daphne. She showed up on the porch one day and of course I fed her, kissed her, loved her and took her to the vet. Someone had actually shot her twice with a BB gun- once in the chin and once in the chest. One spaying, several shots, a port in her chest for the BB infection to drain from and VOILA we have a beautiful new girl. (Let’s not talk about the vet bill)

Yes, people should need permits to have pets.

PEOPLE DRIVE ME NUTS. Perhaps I’ve mentioned? Daphne is one lucky girl!

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Looking at the photos of Elwood and Bolitar prompts me to ask if any of the permanent residents ever miss the lodgers when they are sent to the adoption centre? I know your heart breaks but I have an image of thousands of kitty tears being shed (which, I realise, in the case of some like Stinkerbell and Miz Poo, maybe tears of joy)!

I think – or I’d like to think, I’ll say – since Jake and Elwood have grown up having fosters come and go, they’re used to it. Of course, we’ve never had fosters for as long as we’ve had the Bookworms, so I don’t know what their reaction will be this time around. So far, the reaction to fosters leaving has always been no reaction at all. The permanent residents start taking over the computer room again, things get quiet… and then I let another group of fosters into the house to roam at will, and it starts all over again!

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

The best way to get photos that show the details of cats’ eyes, especially black cats and cats with dark fur is:

1. Turn the flash off. Flash often either gives cats “pet eye/red eye” or makes their eyes look bright yellow, or washes them out.
2. Photograph the cat in a room with a lot of natural light.
3. Try to get the cat to lay near a window, and get them to look up so the light from the window illuminates their face.
4. Stand back and zoom in to fill the frame with their face.

I have a black cat and have spent the past 5 years trying to capture her with my camera! I used all those techniques in this photo of her.

That is a GREAT picture! Thanks for the tips, I’ve already started putting them into practice. Or trying to – Moxie’s being difficult about posing for me, all she wants to do is sit in my lap and be petted.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

when you foster…do the kittens that don’t get adopted in a certain amount of time, come back to you??

They can, and they have in the past for a few weeks, to give them a break from the cage. If they’re adopted and then returned to the adoption center and aren’t adopted from there, they’ll usually go to the shelter after a few weeks. They don’t come back here very often, though. We’re lucky that they usually get adopted!

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

I sort of want to live in the kitty room. It looks so fun and cozy. You could come in and tell me I’m pretty every morning and feed me some breakfast.

I don’t know. Would I have to scoop your litter box? 🙂

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

So … did you wind up with 24 baby hamsters, or what?

We got 5 hamster babies the following February – here. What a difference a decade makes, ’cause can you believe that not only did I not put up any pictures of them, I didn’t mention them again ’til March, and then only to report that there was at least one still alive? Several days later I reported that the baby hamsters were super-cute – STILL NO PICTURES – I talked Fred into letting Danielle keep two of the baby hamsters – NO PICTURES – annnnd at the end of March, I reported that we’d returned the hamsters to the pet store.

And I never took a damn picture, apparently.

Who the hell WAS that woman?!

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Is the gun thing a joke or can you really shoot? It’s a skill I’d like to develop but first I’d need a gun.

I can truly fire a gun, but I’m not claiming to be the best shot on earth. I’d only ever fire a gun at a person if I felt my life were in danger (or they really pissed me off)(kidding!), and at that point I’d imagine they’d be pretty close.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

So you denied the frog but not the third dog? Interesting… Verrrrrry interesting!

Oh, I DENY THE THIRD DOG. Believe you me, I have no desire for another dog. My plate is full with all the cats who keep showing up.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

At least Franco and Garrity are being returned because of the wannabe-owner’s allergies, and not because THEY have problems. Whoever takes them for good will adore and spoil them.

The girls who returned Franco and Garrity were VERY sad about returning them, from all reports – they cried and cried. At the moment only Franco from that litter is unadopted, and they put him in with another kitten so he wouldn’t be lonely. He’s such an awesome, sweet, snuggly boy that whoever ends up adopting him will be lucky indeed.

I know I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again – I’ve never had a black cat who isn’t completely awesome.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Robyn, I just have to say every time I see Newt I tear up. He looks JUST like my kitty “Yellow” (ironic since they are “buff”) that we lost 2 years ago to an illness. I just want to grab him and snuggle into his fur. Is he really soft? He looks like he would be.

Newt’s actually not that soft – he’s got wiry fur – but he’s a total sweetheart and he loves a good snuggle!

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Before you throw the wisteria into the back 40, I have heard that it attracts rats. Not having wisteria, I have no firsthand knowledge of this.

I don’t know about rats, but I can report that mice really seem to like wisteria. Which is fine with me – the back of the back 40 is far enough away from the house that if a family of mice wants to set up in the wisteria, they shouldn’t migrate to the house. At least that’s what I’m hoping!

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

I have a cat, Emma. Emma is 8 yrs old and I have had her since she was about 1.5 – 2 yrs old. She weighs 12.8 lbs and the epitome of a quiet little angel with wings and a halo. Emma is the most submissive of kitties and, no matter what, she is at the bottom of the totem pole. Then, there is Sidney. He is 1.5 yrs old and a complete mama’s boy. He is 8.5 lbs and all boy-kitten. The problem is that he dominates Emma. He thinks he owns the world even though she was there first. He will charge after her to run her off from the food dish, from MY lap, and oh the tortures in the kitty box. In no way is Sidney aggressive or mean in that scary kitty way as it almost looks like play. I do know that if she chased him he would love it. He just knows that she will back down and he will get whatever he wants. I scold him when he tries to dominate her and I will not allow him to push her off my lap (jealousy). But of course, I work and am not always there. Sidney is not hateful or anything (he is actually incredible precious) but I would like him to be more accepting of his big sister and not act like a little Napoleon. Any suggestions?

I don’t have any good suggestions on this issue, but I KNOW someone (or several someones!) out there has some great suggestions. So let’s hear it, y’all! Leave suggestions in the comments, please.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

What is the name of the driveway alarm that you have? Is it easy to use and where can one be purchased?

We have an Optex driveway alarm and according to Fred (who set it up), it’s very easy to use. My only complaint is that occasionally a bird flying by the sensor will set it off, but that doesn’t happen very often. We bought ours online, but I honestly don’t know where we purchased it from. The price at the link above is about what we paid, though you might find a better price by Googling around.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Okay, wait. Who is… THAT?

Hint: It’s not Moxie.

That right there is Dodger, the newest addition to the MMMs. Yeah, I know that his name doesn’t start with “M”, but Dodger’s such a perfect name for him that it’s going to stay. Dodger was found by Winnie and Kathie, a pair of Challenger’s House foster moms – the same ones who found Moxie and Melodie! He ran across a busy road right in front of them, dodging three cars along the way. As it turned out, he was living under a local business and they were feeding him leftover chicken fingers.

Poor baby.

I brought him home yesterday morning, and when I opened the carrier he walked out, spotted Martin, and head-butted him so hard that he almost knocked Martin over. It was SERIOUSLY sweet.

He was a little freaked out last night, but this morning he followed me around the kitten room while I scooped, and then sat in front of me and let me pet him and pet him.

He’s actually changed the dynamic in the kitten room a little bit – Melodie has suddenly become friendlier and less skittish. And there’s been a LOT more playing in there.

He’s about 9 or 10 weeks old, is the vet’s guesstimate, and he’s smaller than Moxie and Melodie, but bigger than Martin. He’s a sweet boy and a fine addition to the MMMs!

You know I was wildly waving a cat toy around to get their attention, right?

He’s got his pink fuzzy toy. What else does he need?

Miss Melodie, in my lap again.

Another shot of Moxie’s gorgeous eyes.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

I put this box by the door to take out to the garage and put with the other recycling. Then when I went to grab it to actually take it out…

“Shhh….”

“Don’t tell her I’m here!”

“I’m DYING to get out that side door!”

No luck this time around, Bolitar, you sneaky little brat.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

I was coming out of the foster room the other day, and Jake went running in. I had an armload of stuff and didn’t want to put it down to chase him, so I made a mental note to go back and get him after 10 minutes.

Three hours later I was all “Huh. I wonder where Jake is?” and then remembered.

I walked into the foster room, and Jake was in the condo on the cat tree, snuggling with Melodie’s “baby”, all nonchalant and “What?”

The kittens didn’t seem to care at all that Jake was in their territory.

Someone asked earlier this week if Jake and Elwood are our version of Charlene Butterbean. I guess they kind of are, though I think they’re probably rougher with the kittens than the sweet Miss Bean. We’ve always called Tommy our ambassador because he’s good with the fosters, but whereas Tommy mostly puts up with the fosters, Jake and Elwood actually seek them out and play and snuggle with them and really like them.

It’s funny, because I had SO hoped that Miz Poo would be the kitten lover, but she wants nothing to do with any of the fosters (she’ll grumpily put up with them after a while – they have to wear her down, though!). None of our girl cats have any desire to be motherly with the fosters, not even Kara or Maxi, who WERE mothers.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Previously
2009: I like how he thinks he has any choice in the matter.
2008: Meet Michele the chicken!
2007: (Miz Poo, upon seeing me pick up a fly swatter and walk toward her, whines and runs away. Like I beat her spoiled ass on a regular basis! I don’t, but I oughta. She deserves it.)
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.
2004: The morning I wake up and find a cricket in bed with me is the day I start closing the cat door at night, believe you me.
2003: I HAVE THINGS TO DO THAT CANNOT BE ACCOMPLISHED WITH A PORTLY POO IN THE WAY.
2002: No entry.
2001: Yeah, like YOU don’t have a voice in your head that reads things to you…
2000: No entry.

So, when I work in the garden, I wear these gardening gloves that I picked up at Lowe’s. My hands still get a little dirty, but not nearly as dirty as they would if I didn’t wear gloves at all. I have two pairs of gloves, because I am JUST THAT FANCY. When I’m done working in the garden, I hang whichever gloves I was wearing on the clothesline so they can dry before I need to use them again.

If you are thinking to yourself “Robyn, hanging gloves on the clothesline for days at a time is just askin’ for trouble!”, you might be right, you damn know-it-all.

Yesterday, I went out, grabbed a pair of gloves off the clothesline, put them on, and continued across the yard toward the side gate. And then there was a vibration against the pinky of my right hand, and an angry buzzing sound coming from the same location.

If I possessed my very own set of testicles, I can tell you that they would have crawled as far up into my body cavity as possible at that moment. There was this long pause of incredulous disbelief as my brain scrambled to catch up with just what the holy hell was going on, and then I went into a full-body dance across the yard, my feet barely touching the ground as I frantically pulled the glove off and threw it to the ground.

Just thinking about it gives me the willies.

I threw the second glove to the ground too just in case, and then I stomped on both of them several times, as hard as I could (did I mention that I wear an old t-shirt, old shorts, and my boots when I work in the garden? I am always a vision of loveliness, if you were wondering. They write poems in tribute to my loveliness.) When my pulse was back to something approaching normal, I turned the gloves inside out, and found a dead baby bee.

From now on I’ll be hanging my gloves inside to dry.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

I have a YouTube video from almost two years ago, when Kara’s babies were still here. Those babies would occasionally nurse until they were 4 months old – and she let them. Now, I know they didn’t NEED to nurse at that age, they were just taking advantage of her, but she let them do it sometimes, and it didn’t seem to bother her. She certainly didn’t mind getting up and walking away when she felt like it. I felt like it was up to her to cut them off, and she did eventually. They weren’t doing it all the time, either, just every now and again.

Every now and then I get an annoying comment on the YouTube video telling me that those kittens should NOT be nursing, that kittens should be weaned by then, WHAT AM I THINKING?!

And it drives me fucking nuts. Every fucking time. Finally, after the latest comment, I logged in and shut down comments on that video.

But I’m still feeling very stabby on the topic. The video is TWO FUCKING YEARS OLD, am I to go back in time and make the kittens stop? ARRRRGH.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

I do kind of think it’s funny that you were checking them out when they were next door, curious about who they were, but then didn’t open the door to find out. Not that I would have either, but I think it proves that you weren’t really all THAT curious.

I was curious because I’m nosy like that – but I’m also too nice to say “no” to salesmen, so I solve that problem by not dealing with ’em.

Don’t they make some sort of directional microphone that I could keep by the sink and point toward their deck when my nosiness overcomes me?

(I’m KIDDING!)

(Mostly.)

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

How you keep yourselves from wanting to keep all your foster kitties is beyond me…those who have come here, have stayed…young and old alike…I love them all!! But kittens…how do you hold yourself back : )

These days, I’m walking a thin line between “I LOVE my Bookworms!” and “TOO MANY CATS UP IN MY SHIT!!!” Because when the cats swarm, they are crazymaking. I know I’ll miss the hell out of the Bookworms, but I really am looking forward to having them find their forever homes and making mine a little less crazy.

(That said, I can admit that when I think about taking the Bookworms to the adoption center, whenever that happens, I tear up. MAH BABIES!)

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

I guess I’m paranoid, but I don’t think the few bucks you make on eggs is worth dealing with nosy strangers on your property when you’re home alone. Just my opinion, of course.

I think you’d be surprised at how the money from those eggs adds up. Saturday is our day for eating dinner out, and most weeks the money that buys our dinner out comes from the sale of eggs.

Plus, when I’m home alone and have to deal with unknown egg buyers, I’ve usually got a gun in my pocket.

Three years of walking around the property armed, and I haven’t shot anyone. YET.

::crazy eyes::

 

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

I have a food question that I thought someone here might be able to figure out. Remember that glowing, almost fluorescent yellow chicken gravy from back in the day? I’ve been wishing I knew how to make it, but I have no clue, and my searches have been fruitless. Can anyone help me in my quest for creepy gravy?

I’ll be interested in seeing if anyone has a response to this one. I am not remembering the fluorescent yellow chicken gravy, but I’m certainly curious about it!

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

I don’t know if you are aware of a new group here in Alabama for getting legislation passed to help companion animals, cut down on kill shelters? If not, here’s a link to their website:

Alabama Voters for Responsible Animal Legislation (AVRAL)

Please pass it along to other rescue people/shelters, etc. that you know. Maybe we can create enough interest for some serious activism regarding abandoned/mistreated companion animals!

I hadn’t heard about AVRAL – thanks for the tip!

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Do you like smoked salmon/lox? My favorite way to have fresh dill is scattered over a plate of smoked salmon, over which crème fraîche (or sour cream) has been (HEAVILY!) drizzled and a handful of capers sprinkled on top. Even better if all of this is on top of freshly made blinis, but that’s asking a lot.

You know what’s sad? I don’t know if I like smoked salmon! I don’t believe I’ve ever had it. I’m going to have to change that, I think, because 99% of the recipes I came across when I was looking for a way to use up that dill were for salmon.

Here’s something else that’s sad – I’ve never had capers! What are they, y’all? Will I like them?

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Have the cat/kitten adoptions slowed down since the economic depression hit? Sorry if you’ve addressed this before. I don’t skim, I’m just senile.

Right now adoptions are really slow, but I think they usually are at this time of year. This area hasn’t been hit nearly as hard by the economic downturn as other parts of the country – between the defense and aerospace industries, Huntsville is the place to be!

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Is that really Spanky snuggling? He must be mellowing 🙂

That was, indeed, Spanky sleeping next to Reacher, but it was more a matter of Reacher sneaking up and laying down next to Spanky while Spanky was sound asleep and unaware of what was going on, than Spanky deliberately being within touching distance of another cat. The kittens are such sneaky little brats.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

You live out in the country… so I know that is going to play a role… but is there a limit on the number of animals you can have on the property? I’m thinking that pretty soon you and Fred need to consider setting yourself up as a Kitty Rescue yourself. — God knows you are well equipped for it.

There are no restrictions on the number of animals we can have on our property. As long as we take good care of our animals, we can have as many as we’d like. And if we didn’t take good care of our animals, one of our neighbors would notify animal control. She loves animals as much as we do, and she’s always got an eye on the animal owners in the neighborhood.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

May I suggest a counter in the header to keep track of the animals? Something like “X chickens, Y cats, 3 dogs, 2 pigs and a frog.” ;D

I just might have to do that.

BUT THE FROG DOES NOT BELONG TO US!

(Famous last words, right?)

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Your chickens have such beautiful feathers … do you gather them up and do anything with them? I “collect” feathers (beautiful feathers) … and basically just look at them, no crafty-stuff involved …:-D

No, I don’t really gather then up. I ought to, though, I could make cat toys with feathers hanging off them. The cats would love that!

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Do you rotate what is planted in your rows? That might be an issue. Plus, the weather was weird this year. Too cold, too wet, too hot … for too long.

We do. We’ve never gotten a decent crop of regular-sized tomatoes, either. Next year we’re planning on raised beds, and we’ll see how that goes.

It’s very odd – the white scalloped squash, which was planted right alongside the yellow summer squash, came in like gangbusters this year. The yellow squash, on the other hand, didn’t do so well. Which annoys me because I much prefer the yellow squash – it’s got more flavor than the white.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Bad news, good news, and a happy ending for two Challenger’s House cats!

Bad news: Franco and Garrity are going back to the adoption center. They were adopted by two roommates last Friday, and as it turns out, one of the girls has allergies. I’m sad for the kittens, but I know their forever homes will come along, and hopefully soon.

Good news: Gavin and Lieu have both been adopted! Not together, but to very good homes.

The happy ending: Monarch is 7 years old and Georgia is 10 years old. They’ve been residents of Challenger’s House since they were days old, literally – Georgia was 5 days old and Monarch was 3 days old.

Earlier this week, they were adopted to a great guy who works at Petsmart. Monarch’s still a scaredy-cat and hiding, but Georgia has been out and about and has been hanging on one of the two cat trees their new daddy bought for them.

I love a happy ending, no matter how long it takes to come!

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Yesterday, of her own volition, Melodie came down and not only approached me to pet her, but even played with a toy I rolled across the floor for her!

Baby steps.

In the evenings, at bedtime, Fred goes upstairs before I do, and has some time alone with the kittens while I putter around downstairs. As it turns out, not only has Melodie approached Fred for petting, she’s been very aggressive about demanding the petting.

Why do all the scaredy-cat girl kitties love my husband so, I ask you?

Moxie loves me, at least. Right, Moxie, you love me?
“Sure, lady.”

Melodie eyeballs me from atop the cat tree.

Caught in the act! Martin and Melodie, snuggling.

“See mah feets?”

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

For a time yesterday, this box was verrrrry popular with the Bookworms. It’s been sitting there for a couple of days, I’m not sure why it was the place to be, all of a sudden. This is Reacher, enjoying a little quiet time. (I like to call him “Reacher Creature” because I’m a dork.)

Rhyme suddenly realized he was being followed. (“Rhyme time!”)

Bolitar leapt in to try to gain control of the box. (I call Bolitar “Buster” and usually say something along the lines of “Buster Brown gets around!” Did I mention I’m a dork?)

This did not go over well with Rhyme, who just wanted to chase his tail in peace.

::CHOMP::

Bolitar fled for friendlier pastures. (Yes, I removed the strap from around his neck and tucked it out of the way so he can’t strangle himself.)

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

::smooch::

“You been eating crickets again? Your breath – whoa.”

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Previously
2009: DIDN’T SAY THAT ON MY ITINERARY, FUCKERS.
2008: Creating a Monster.
2007: Now THAT is a signal I understand.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.
2004: My crap, is my scalp FRIED.
2003: I’m still thinking of killing her.
2002: Getting impatient, because Fred hadn’t carried the bag of food upstairs and poured some fresh food for his majesty, Tubby started bitching “Give me food, damnit!”
2001: “Remember when you moved that dresser? That was cool.”
2000: No entry.

I asked Fred to wake me up at 5 yesterday morning so I could get my entry posted and get out in the garden before it got really hot.

It was just after 6:30 when I made it out to the garden, and the sun was barely up. The garden is shaded until about 8:00, but holy CRAP was it already hot at 6:30. For two hours I yanked up blight-ridden tomato plants, and by the time I was done yanking up the ones that were the worst, only about 1/3 of the row of tomatoes was left. I see the spots on some of the leaves of the plants that are left, but maybe a spray of fungicide will stop that damn blight in its tracks. I’m not counting on it, but a girl can dream, right?

While I was yanking up plants, I plucked the tomatoes off the plants and put the decent ones in one bucket and the spotty, mushy ones in a different bucket to give to the chickens. It was so gross, the way I’d reach out to pick a partially ripe tomato and find that it was so mushy it felt like a hot water bottle. I ended up with one bucket of tomatoes to keep, and TWO huge buckets of tomatoes for the chickens.

The chickens were appreciative of their early morning snack.

Once that was done, I went around to the tomato plants that were left and picked ripe cherry tomatoes. I ended up with a large bowl of them, which was nice. I’m just sad about my stupid blighty tomatoes. I spent so much time pruning those stupid tomato plants that I was sure this was going to be the year we were going to get some decent tomatoes.

DAMN YOU, BLIGHT!

Ah well. Maybe next year will be a good tomato year for us. We haven’t actually HAD a good tomato year, so I think we’re due for one.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

So, Tuesday was the day I spent almost all day out of the house. First I got my hair cut, which was nice because at least it’s short and looks okay. But I have to admit that I ran across a picture of me from when I was in Maine, and in retrospect I kind of liked having it longer.

I’m not growing it out, though. Every time I grow it out some, I want to chop it off. It’s staying off, at least for now!

From there I went over and wandered around Kohl’s for about an hour. I’ve discovered this fancy new way of buying clothes. First, you walk around and see some clothes you might like. Then – get this! – you TRY THEM ON. You try them on! That way, you can look at yourself in the mirror and decide whether you want to buy them or not, figure out whether they’re comfortable, whether they’re worth the price.

I just may patent this revolutionary new idea, this trying on clothes. I know, right? AMAZING! The old-fashioned way of eyeballing clothes, getting them home, putting them on, and deciding they don’t work, then leaving them in a pile for a month before lugging them back to the store is NO MORE!

So I bought three shirts that I liked, and I DID NOT buy about 30 shirts that didn’t work for me.

Pardon me for a moment while I bask in my own brilliance.

After I left Kohl’s, I went to Target, where I wandered around for another hour. While I was there, I checked out the netbooks they had, and decided pretty quickly that I wasn’t crazy about either of them. I only bought a birthday card at Target (I had no idea it was legal to leave Target without spending at least $100!), and then headed to Sam’s. At Sam’s I fondled the netbooks they had on display and decided that I liked the HP and the Dell was okay, but I’m still leaning toward the Toshiba.

From Sam’s I went to Costco and fondled the netbooks THEY had on display, and am still leaning toward the Toshiba.

From Costco I went to McDonald’s to get lunch (a grilled chicken snack wrap is just the right size for me, I’ve learned), then went to Rite Aid to buy a bottle of water. I’ve learned that when I go to the hematologist’s office, I’m going to spend, at bare minimum, an hour waiting for a 45 second face-to-face, so I wanted to make sure I had something to drink while I waited.

I made it to the doctor’s office right on time, and to my surprise they took me right back and put me in an exam room.

Then I sat there for an hour and a half. But I had my book and I had my water, so I sat and slurped and read the time away. It’s a good thing I waited so long to see the doctor, because in the 45 seconds I spent face to face with him, I learned the (not) surprising fact that my iron and everything else is fine. My magnesium is low, and I need to start taking a supplement, but otherwise? Fine.

I need to go back every 3 months for blood work and don’t need to see the doctor for a year.

I headed home and got to spend half an hour cooling my heels before it was time to grab up Sofia and take her to Petsmart to meet up with her new mommy. While we waited for her new mommy to show up, Sofia sat in the carrier and was completely calm. I’ve never seen anything like it – she just sat there and watched the people go by. Some people had their dogs with them, and she just watched them and wasn’t freaked out at all. When they looked in the carrier at her, she just blinked at them, and everyone commented on how gorgeous she was.

It was about 8 by the time I left there, and I got ten minutes down the road before I remembered that I’d forgotten to get something the shelter manager had left for me, so I had to turn around and go back to get it. By the time I got home, it was 8:45, and I had just enough time to check my email and say hi to all the cats, then it was bedtime.

I have to say, I much prefer the days – like Wednesday and Thursday – when I get a chance to breathe. Luckily, most of my days are like that!

The plan for today is to spend a few hours in the garden, a few hours making pickles and boiling and mashing yellow squash, and then this afternoon I’m taking the rest of the white kittens to Petsmart. I’ll drop them off, run a few errands (including going to Best Buy in hopes that they have the Toshiba netbook in stock so I can see it in person), and then go back to Petsmart to pick up Martin’s new sisters. I can’t wait to meet them!

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

No 2 son and his girlfriend are holidaying in Japan and he is amazed at the size of certain anatomical parts of un-neutered toms – if you get my drift (and there seem to be an awful lot of entire males). Which got me thinking, if Coltrane DOES have another home what his other family must have thought when he came home with certain bits missing!

Let me tell you what – I am SO accustomed to only seeing neutered male cats that when unneutered ones come along – like Coltrane, and Roscoe before him – those things are very jarring to see. And they’re HUGE.

If Coltrane DOES have another home, I would have liked to be a fly on the wall when his people spotted what had been done to him!

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

How about a Christmas present for your readers/internet friends. Upload some of your cat photos and captions/stories to a publish on demand site like Lulu. Your readers/internet friends will be pleased because they will be able to buy a very funny book for themselves or their cat obsessed friends & relatives. Challenger House will be pleased because they can get all the proceeds…. and you will be pleased because I will quit bugging you to do this every six months. What’s not to love?

The work of going through my site and pulling out the photos and captions to upload, is what’s not to love. 🙂

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Love the gorgeous blue eye of the white kitty. Stunning. Think it will stay that brilliant?.

I bet it will – Stinkerbelle’s pretty blue eyes are still as blue as they were when she was that age.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Robyn, I was reading USA Today and there was a story about animal hoarders. It said how one lady had 15 dogs (I think) and 10 cats. I thought of you (wonder why?!). I’ve often said if I had a big house, I’d have 10+ cats, too. With the feral, the fosters and your permanant cats, how many do you have now? 😀

There’s our 12 (I’m including Coltrane even though he doesn’t come in the house), plus the Bookworms, plus Los Gatitos and Martin, so that’s 12+4+3+1=20. Tonight we’ll be losing the three white kittens and gaining two, so we’ll be down to 19.

Anyone with 15 dogs, though. THAT’s just crazy! 🙂

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

I see you now with your Scoop Hands trying to herd dozens and dozens of cats into the coop. It’s amusing me. At what point do you and Fred move into the coop and give the cats the entire run of the house? 🙂

We’d have to have separate coops because Fred snores and I like to stay up later than he does. Fred better get to building!

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

do you buy your Advantage online, and if so, where? None of the vets or pet supply stores around here carry it.

Lately, I’ve been buying Advantage and Frontline at Canadian Medicine Shop. I’ve also bought from PetsuppliesNet.com, and from USA Sales Outlet.

Also, do you worry about the cats grooming each other and consuming Advantage or Frontline? Our cats are constantly licking each other on the exact spot where it’s supposed to be applied.

I don’t worry about it, because I believe that Advantage and Frontline were tested and shown to be safe if cats inadvertently lick some up. From my experience, though, any cats who get some of it in their mouth don’t care for the taste, at all, and will stop licking at it immediately.

My Friday question: Will you still have an indoor kitten room, too?

Absolutely – in fact, inside will always be the preferred place to keep fosters. The kitten coop is meant to be more of an overflow location. If Los Gatitos were going to be around instead of going to Petsmart later, then Martin and his new sisters would be going out to the coop as soon as we got the air conditioner installed.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

I love the checkered shirt you’re wearing in those photos. I want one in that color and in red.

Oh, I am absolutely ridiculous when it comes to those shirts. Not only do I now have one in green, I have one in sort of a cream color, one in a purplish-red, and on Tuesday I bought one in blue. If you find a shirt that fits and is comfortable, I say buy one in every color!

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Edited to add:

I have a litter of feral kittens (six kitties and their Mom). Mom “Marley” showed up in our barn in the spring very pregnant, delivered six beautiful kittens in May and I fed her while she was pregnant, of course, so she became friendly and has now brought her kittens up to the house. I feed them all Kitten Chow which they love. The runt has some health issues that need veterinary attention, and we simply can’t afford vet costs for 7 cats (they run about 200 – 300 per cat for spaying or neutering and needling etc). Momma Marley and “the runt” are friendly. The others put up with me sitting there and no longer run off but if I move suddenly they are gone.

After that long background, here is my question. How on earth did Fred catch that feral kitten? I have feelers out to get them in foster care but will have to catch them first. I spend a LOT of time sitting near them and sometimes a few of them edge close to me, especially if I’m petting their Momma and runty. They have made great strides but it’s taken weeks so I’m hoping you can share some tactics with me to either make them approachable or to capture the 5 that are skittish? Keep your fingers crossed for these babies that the Humane Society will come through and find a foster care situation for them, please!

I have two ideas – and if any of y’all have suggestions, PLEASE feel free to jump in here! The first idea is to have a large crate, put it outside, and begin feeding them in there exclusively. Do that ’til you’re able to get all of them in there at once, then shut the door. Voila! Caught kittens!

(That sounds kind of dumb, now that I re-read it. And that would have to be one big crate!)

My other idea is to stock up on Gerber Chicken and Gravy baby food, and when you put out Kitten Chow for them, put some of the baby food on a couple of plates and put the plates right next to you. They’ll eventually be overwhelmed by their desire for the baby food, and come over next to you to eat, thus allowing you to pet them and eventually snatch them up.

I don’t know, that seems too simplistic, too, doesn’t it?

Maybe a trap?

People, jump in here with suggestions, please!

As far as how Fred caught the feral kitten, he chased it around ’til he caught it. But Martin’s pretty young and I’m not sure the chasing scenario would have worked with a kitten older, or if there’d been a large number of them.

I hate that it costs so much to have cats spayed and neutered where you are. They just opened a spay and neuter clinic in Huntsville, and it costs $35 to neuter and $45 to spay a cat at the clinic, with an additional $10 for a rabies shot.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Say goodbye to Los Gatitos! They’re headed to the adoption center this afternoon, and I’ll be surprised if they’re there past the weekend.

Hermano, hanging out.

Sofia shows her sass.

Pancho. Fred laughed when he saw this and said that it looks like a Glamour Shots portrait!

Sofia was all disapproving, “Lady, you keep saying you’re going to take this door out to the garage and strip it and repaint it. How long are you going to talk about it before you do it?” It’s SUMMER in Alabama, Sofia! It’s supposed to hit 100 today and tomorrow, and going outside is like walking into a sauna. I’ll do it this Fall when it’s cooled off some! (Yeah, right.)

How can you not fall to the charms of Evita?

Flirty Hermano.

“What?”

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

“I hope my new sisters are nice.”

Poor Martin. He’s so lonely – I go in to spend time with him, and the moment I walk through the door he howls with his squeaky little howl. I can’t wait ’til he meets his new sisters! Last night he came face-to-face with Jake, and he was only mildly freaked out by the experience. Hopefully the same will be true tonight when he meets the new girls!

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Three of the four. Corbett’s always off marching to the beat of his own drummer.

Jake, Rhyme, and (you can barely see him) Elwood.

Reacher, Jake, Rhyme, and Elwood. They love to hang out in the kitchen in the morning, when the sun shines through the windows.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Spanky’s also a fan of the morning sun in the kitchen.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Previously
2009: I have sprouted six zits in the last 24 hours, just because.
a href=”http://www.bitchypoo.com/date/2008/07/23″>2008: Grrrr.
2007: No entry.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.
2004: I really REALLY want a monkeypod tree for my back yard.
2003: Bonus entry, just for you!
2002: Sit on it.
2001: Packing, packing, packing.
2000: No entry.

From the Challenger’s House update email:

Here at Challenger’s House it’s been hard to keep up with all the calls & requests for us to take cats & kittens. It was a late “kitten season” but even with an adoption center (at Petsmart) full of kittens, and foster homes full of kittens, and kittens here at the shelter, adoptions have been slower in 2010. In the first quarter of this year, we took in 37 and adopted 47 but in the second quarter we took in 57 and only adopted out 27. We still keep a population of 120-140 at any given time.

What a lot of people don’t understand is that being a no time limit (no-kill) shelter, we can’t take every cat or kitten that comes along. If we did, we would be overcrowded, disease would set in, and money would run out quickly. And since we keep the cats until they are adopted or die of old age we end up with cats that are middle aged & older, some of whom will probably live with us the rest of their lives.

At the current time, donations are down & our funds have dwindled. We are asking that everyone who is able, send a donation to help us defray the cost of vet bills, medications/vaccines, flea control, food, litter, utilities, and all the other expenses associated with operating a shelter that provides a comfortable place for the cats & kittens to stay until they are adopted. You can make such a difference by supporting Challenger’s House in its quest to help as many homeless and unwanted cats & kittens as possible.

We take the animals we can but when our foster homes are full and the shelter is full, and when money is tight, we have to turn people away. It’s heartbreaking to tell them we don’t have room for the litter of kittens they found in the ditch or the cat that their neighbor moved off & left.

If you’d like to donate to Challenger’s House, you can do so by mail, phone, or Paypal – all the information is at the bottom of their Petfinder page, here.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Robyn, any chance you remember and wouldn’t mind sharing the store where you got the “Say no to Pot” Lobster shirt? I need to order one!

You can get one at Cool as a Moose! I love that store, and always have to visit it every time I go to Maine. They have the best stuff, and a great Life is Good selection.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

The first couple of squirrel pictures I declared “That is one BRAZEN ass squirrel!” and then I scroll down and you declare him brazen too. That must be a New Englander/Maritimer expression because I never hear anybody out west say it.

I wouldn’t be surprised – I’m sure I picked it up from my mother, who was born and raised in Maine. It’s a good word, isn’t it? 🙂

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

We were at my parents last month and my 7 year old daughter came up to us and said, “Mommy! That squirrel’s tail was soooooo soft!” After a brief recovery period, I asked if it was dead. It wasn’t, but it clearly had some serious issues. Later it fell out of a tree, about 20 feet to the ground, for no obvious reason. More than a little disturbing.

My brother (a new parent) was surprised that I was so calm. But we’d been through almost the exact same situation last year with a raccoon. Only that one WAS dead. I thought the “No petting dead things” rule had me covered. Clearly, I need to come up with something a little broader.

Just when you think you’ve got it all covered, they come up with something new, don’t they? You might need to go with “No petting ANYTHING without asking me first!”

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

“She gives the best stink-eye on the planet. But once she’s relaxed and fed, she is one happy child. (Just don’t let her see you pointing that camera at her.)”

My GOD, if you replaced “child” with “middle aged hag” you’d be describing me perfectly.

I love that yellow bathroom. Very cheerful and you’d never know it was in a basement.

This comment made me laugh out loud.

And the bathroom was awesome – I said to my parents “Now when I have to get up in the middle of the night to pee, I don’t have to go upstairs and wake up completely in the process!”

Do you suppose I had to pee in the middle of the night even once during my stay? NO. But if I had, I’d have been all set!

My parents’ basement is a walk-out basement, so it’s not as dark as your average basement. Considering that when they first bought the house, the basement was nothing but a big cement room, they’ve done some amazing things with it!

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Do you ever get trolls, and what’s the most ridiculous thing anyone has ever criticized you for on your blog? I never read you talking about jerkoffs, so I figure you must not respond to them, and that really is the best strategy – all they want is attention. But at the same time, because of your larger readership I am sure you must get some weirdos from time to time.

You know, I think I’m pretty damn lucky – the hateful comments I get are few and far between, and it’s been a few years since I’ve gotten any that I remember. There are three that come to mind.

The one that immediately comes to mind is from 2003. Jackie in Vancouver, WA posted a comment saying that my new haircut looked like crap, I was an idiot for “letting” Fred take the spud on day trips, and I better get back on track with the weight loss or keep looking over my shoulder. (My response to that is here. Fred’s, which was vastly better, is here.)

(Hey. She called me “honey”! Maybe it was actually Teresa from the NJ Housewives!)

I’ll admit, that was the funnest one to deal with because our girl Jackie? Seemed to have forgotten that Fred is pretty damn good when it comes to computer-type things. In less than 5 minutes we had her home address and phone number and knew that her deceased father was retired from the Navy. Someone might have called her phone number and claimed “Sorry, wrong number”, but it wasn’t me. Nope.

Another one (which I only remembered because I was looking for the post about Jackie) was in the comments (which no longer exists, apparently, because I can’t find it – it must have been lost when I switched from Movable Type to WordPress). In that entry, I mentioned a book I’d seen at Target and thought about buying, but which I put on my Amazon wish list instead, so I’d remember to buy it when it came out in paperback. “Sandra” left a long, accusatory email about how I only mentioned the wish list so someone would go buy the book for me. I was mostly horrified that anyone would think I was doing that, but “Sandra” was also not a long-term reader, apparently, and had never left a comment before, so I think she was just a drive-by. There seems to be a certain breed of internet asshole who like to wander from blog to blog and leave bits of assholery behind.

And the last was the comment from Lakewood, NJ who wanted to school me in the correct way to lose weight. My response to that is here. (Huh. 2003 – 2004 was quite the time period for assholes, wasn’t it?)

I feel like someone left a hilariously nasty comment about the fact that I’d decided to have weight loss surgery – I remember that it made me laugh because it was so poorly written (here’s a hint, if you want your nasty comment to be taken at all seriously, probably you might run the spell-check on it first), but I haven’t been able to find it.

Oh, and the last (and the one that still makes me laugh). A few years ago someone took me to task because the cucumbers we’d been growing in the garden were being eaten up by bugs, and I was tired of dealing with them so had Fred pull them up. (You can scroll down to her comments here.) I think, mostly, that she was looking for attention, so I helpfully went back and deleted her url from all the annoying comments she’d left leading up to that last comment.

I’m sure there are more, but those are the ones that come to mind. And like I said, there haven’t been any in a good long while – but I am NOT complaining about that, believe me!

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Don’t all the kitties come running to you for snackin’ time? I thought they had you trained pretty well, Robyn? 🙂

Believe it or not, I have actually discontinued snackin’! time!, and the cats are all still alive and kicking. And so am I, which is a little bit of a surprise, because I would surely have thought they’d killed me in my sleep by now.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Oddly enough, what I thought was a rag that SYMETRY guy was cleaning the windshield wipers with looks like it IS a shirt; if I didn’t know it was too ridiculous to be possible, I’d say it looks like he’s trying to sew a button on while his hatted passenger (wife? almost certainly) rolls her eyes in exasperation. I can’t see her eyes, mind, but that pose just SCREAMS “I am rolling my eyes at you.” Which is kind of a waste of eyes, because niiiiiiiice arms.

The guy in question:

What he appeared to be doing was putting shirts over the seats – I’m sure the seats were leather, and either hot or sticky (or both). He seemed to be taking a long, long time to get it done, though!

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

For two days I have not had any of your photo’s or banner come through. Do you think it is at my end? Anyone else have this problem?

I know it’s been a few weeks, but is this still happening for you, Catsy? I’m trying to get Fred going on finding a new host for our websites, but there appears to be a serious lack of interest on his part.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Thought you all might like, even though I’m sure you have seen it.

Baby moose in sprinkler.

AHHH! SO FREAKIN’ CUTE!!!!

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Not to be rude, but I’ve gotta ask – do you actually own any clothes that fit, or are they all oversized t-shirts?

Oh, hush up. YES I own clothes that fit, but I really HATE IT when my clothes touch me. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again – if I could wear clothes that only touched me at the neckline and then billowed out to touch me nowhere else, I’d be a happy camper.

Shirt that (mostly) fits, exhibit 1.

Shirt and jeans that (mostly) fit, exhibit 2.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

I went and added a note on yesterday’s entry, but in case you missed it…

“NEGATIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIVE!!!!”

“And then we was tutored, and it was EXHAUSTING!”

They tested negative (didn’t I tell you they would? But I was still worried!), they were neutered, and they had their ID chips put in, got their rabies shot, the whole kit and kaboodle. Now they’re ready and available to be adopted, we’re just waiting for room at the adoption center!

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

To celebrate the negative test results, well….

Meet Los Gatitos (Spanish for “The kittens.” At least that’s what Babelfish tells me. I know nothing of Spanish, so if Babelfish steered me wrong, please let me know.)

This is Hermano.

Pancho, Sofia, and Evita sleep off their spay and neuter surgeries.

Hermano’s a little leery of me.

“Whatchoo doin’, lady?”

Yes, we have FOUR white kittens. Hermano has two blue eyes, Sofia has one blue and one green eye, and Pancho and Evita both have green eyes. (I’ll be putting collars on them so I can tell them apart from a distance.)

They’re about 10 weeks old, and when they counted back on the calendar at the vet’s, they came up with May 5th – Cinco de Mayo, thus the Spanish names.

These kittens were tossed in a ditch by some guy in a van out in the country. Luckily, the sister and mother of a Challenger’s House friend came upon them almost immediately, which is a good thing – white kittens are particularly vulnerable to predators because they’re so visible.

They were a little bit skittish last night, but this morning they weren’t too concerned about me. Hermano let me pick him up and pet him, and didn’t think it was TOO horrible an experience. Pancho is a live wire – he was literally hopping straight up in the air to get rid of some of that energy. They’re adorable, sweet, playful kittens, and I’m looking forward to getting to know them!

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Spanky, in his current favorite sleeping place.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Previously
2009: I do not like scary flying things or their nests.
2008: “LOOK AT ME WHEN I’M REFUSING TO LOOK AT YOU, YOU GRINNING MORONIC MOTHERFUCKER!”
2007: I can’t speak for Fred, but I know I was thinking “Jesusgodalmighty, I hope that scar on his head doesn’t pop out and his brain doesn’t come sproinging at me, because then I’d have to bat it like a volleyball and I never was very good at volleyball.”
2006: No entry.
2005: Off to Maine!
2004: No entry.
2003: “That is a child who does not fear her parents nearly enough.”
2002: It’s a Poo! Inna box! A Poo inna box! What more could you possibly hope for?
2001: No entry.
2000: No entry.

Philadelphia area readers:

The Philadelphia-area shelter I volunteer for in a dire situation. A new director is coming in and is going to set a number of cats beyond which any extras will be put down. Right now it is looking like hundreds. Most of these cats are highly adoptable- healthy and friendly. If you or anyone you know is able to adopt or foster for a couple months until the danger has subsided, please contact Cat at cat_hoffman@yahoo.com. I will pay your adoption fee if that is an issue, and drive up to 3 hours (New York, Baltimore, DC) to deliver. There are all colors, ages, and sizes…I know many of them and can help pick out one with the right personality for you. You WILL be saving a life.

Thank you so much!
Cat Hoffman

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Go sign this petition!

Gaston County Animal Control’s Director, Reggie Horton, is purposing legislature to stop the shelter’s adoption program and rely entirely on the “gas chamber” to solve the overpopulation problem. It will save the county the enormous sum of $7,000.00 annually. We can not allow this to happen. It is extremely urgent that we get as many signatures as possible. The Board of Commission will have to make a decision before June 30, 2010.

Go here to read more about the topic, and sign the petition. It only takes a few minutes.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

©Henry County Care & Control

Henry County in Georgia euthanizes 200 – 300 cats every month.

Every MONTH.

That is an incredible number. Go over to Covered in Cat Hair to find out more about the situation and how you can help.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

©Laurie Cinotto

The Itty Bitty Kitty Committee is having their annual Dog-A-Thon fundraiser! Click on the picture to make a donation. If you don’t, it will make Charlene Butterbean sad – and you don’t want to make Charlene Butterbean sad, now, DO YOU?

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Wednesday, as some of you noticed, marked a year since Mister Boogers died. I told Fred last Fall that Mister Boogers’ death seemed to have kicked of a Year of Suck – first Mister Boogers died, then we had the four kittens who died, and then Fred lost his job.

So it was kind of neat that Fred started his new job – a job that he’s really excited about – on the anniversary of Mister Boogers.

I miss Mister Boogers, still. There are times when Jake or Elwood looks up at me and they look so much like him that it takes my breath away. He would have loved those two (though to be honest, if he had still been around when they showed up, I’m not sure we would have kept Jake and Elwood), and he would have hated and then loved all the fosters who have come through in the past year.

Good ol’ Boogie.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

I don’t think I’ve mentioned that Fred and I have started watching Friday Night Lights on Netflix, starring my third husband Kyle Chandler, who I have loved since way back in the Homefront days. We’re a little more than halfway through the first season, and I’ve gotta say, I disapprove HIGHLY of all this underage drinking. Tim, drinking with his brother. Tyra, saying “Let’s get drunk” to her mother. I guess what surprises me is not so much that there IS underage drinking as much as how casual it is. Like, everyone does it and they don’t even attempt to hide it from their parents. What the fuck, I ask you?

But it’s a good show, and I highly recommend it, not that y’all haven’t already been watching it all along because I’m always the last to know about the shows worth watching. Every time we finish an episode, Fred says “I can’t believe what a good show this is!”

Indeed.

So we’ll keep on watching, if only to answer the burning question, the question I ask myself every time Fred hits “play”, the question that makes my heart race and my hopes rise, only to be cruelly dashed in the next instant:

Just when WILL Tim Riggins wash his hair?

(Seriously. That boy looks like he’s got the stank going on. Surely Tyra and Lyla can find a cleaner football player to moon over?)

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

I have a question about the cats humping/”twitchy”/dominant behavior.

But there is no way in hell I am going to ask it.

If anyone can read my mind, an “Always,” “Sometimes,” or “Never” answer will suffice.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

So glad my cats aren’t the only green-bean-freaks in the kittycat world. I have to immediately put a lid on freshly picked green-beans before Zsazsa sees them, or she strews them all over the house. Sometimes I’ll give her one or two to play with. She loooves them.

Before Fred pulled up the pole beans, he went through and picked what was left. Then we put the bowl on the counter, with the intention of occasionally giving the cats green beans to play with. Unfortunately Bolitar – WHO IS A BAD BOY – has figured out how to get up on the counters, and so he’s been having a good time jumping up, getting a green bean, and then running off to play with it. Yesterday, he took two okra pods off the counter, and I have no idea where they are.

He’s a troublesome one, that Bolitar.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Um, Robyn… if y’all ever want a “proper” vacation and need a Crooked Acres sitter, send me an e-mail. For me, that’d be like the best vacation EVER. Kittehs? Yes, plz!

Rousing games of “Do I smell cat pee?” Sure!

I’m totally serious. I might need to come a day or two early to learn ’bout all the farm critters, but I’d be more than willing to study quickly so y’all could go and have a nice relaxing getaway.

You better believe that if I could ever talk Fred into leaving the farm, you’ll be the first call on my list! 🙂

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Do your cats check your breath? My cat has a breath inspection every day when I get home from work. She only gets excited if she smells gum though. For some reason she loves to eat minty fresh gum. She will actually dig in my purse looking for it. So strange, these cats.

I actually don’t have any breath-sniffers among our bunch, although when she was a kitten, Miz Poo would practically stick her head in my mouth, sniffing wildly. I know we’ve had a few litters (Phyllis, Dwight and Phyllis come to mind) who were big-time breath sniffers. I wonder if some cats outgrow it, and some never do?

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

I gotta say, Robyn, that your blog is the best laid-out one that I read. I’ve been checking out a lot of new blogs lately, and most of the bloggers could really take some lessons from you. Yours is easy to navigate, easy to read and excellent photos. Not to mention that you are a charming hoot (but you already knew that).

Why, oh why, do some bloggers insist on putting crappy music on their sites? And you can’t turn it off! If I never hear Music Box Dancer or My Heart Will Go On again in my life, I’ll die a happy old hag.

Awwww, gosh, THANK YOU! I try to make my site pretty easy to navigate (nothing annoys me more than discovering a new site that makes it difficult for you to go back and read old posts), I’m glad you approve.

I don’t know why some people insist on forcing their music upon you – maybe they think the music should be part of the blog-reading experience. If I were going to have mandatory sounds on my blog(s), it would be the sound of many cats purring. Wouldn’t that be soothing?

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Hey Robyn, have you ever heard of strawbale gardening? We’ve done it for the past two years and it is awesome. It works really well, and the best part is there is no weeding! Been meaning to mention that to you for a while now, but just finally got around to it. Happy Friday!

I had never heard of it before, actually, but it sounds pretty interesting. Maybe next year, among the raised beds, we should have an experimental straw bale or two!

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Has anyone tried Stainerizer to remove cat pee? Sounds like a great product if it works.

I’d never heard of Stainerizer (warning – that site talks to you and can’t be turned off). Readers? Anyone tried it?

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

OK, I know this is weird, but I had this dream last night that I found 4 kittens in my bookcase. I pull them out, turn to my husband and say, “We have to give them to Robyn and Fred to foster.” Although in the dream, I was worried that this would put you into kitten overload! My subconcious scares me sometimes.

I had a dream that I was driving by a church, and someone pulled out right in front of me, then pulled into a subdivision where I just happened to be going. They swerved over onto a random lawn and started putting kittens out of their car. As fast as they got them out of their car, I grabbed them and put them in mine. I kept saying to myself “Fred is going to KILL me!”

They were all brown tabbies.

And when I woke up, I realized that we live right next door to a church, and I’m wondering if that’s where the dropoffs could be coming from.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Holy moly! I know that you’ve SAID that Elwood was big, but…. I didn’t realize he was quite so, um, ROTUND. Wow.

Who’s the biggest cat you have now, anyway?

The scale reports that Tommy’s the biggest cat at 13.5 pounds. Elwood’s not too far behind, at 12.5 pounds. Sugarbutt’s a couple of ounces heavier than Elwood. And Jake weighs three pounds less than Elwood. No wonder Elwood looks so much bigger than Jake!

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

I know ‘freezer camp’ is a phrase you use. Maybe another can be ‘it’s time for some chickens to go to the blue coop!’

Ha! Maybe so. 🙂

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Joe Bob is so pretty. Is he as soft as he looks?

He really is, he’s soft and silky and just as sweet as he can be.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Do you have a recipe for the refrigerator dill pickles? I looked on the recipe site but either there isn’t one or I’m blind.

I got the recipe from Annie’s Eats. I haven’t tasted them myself, yet, but Fred reports that they “taste like dill-flavored cucumbers”, and gave them two thumbs up, for what it’s worth.

Also, are you watching the NJ Housewives? I finally caught up yesterday and holy jeezus! I thought Danielle could not possibly be more crazy, but I was wrong wrong wrong. She’s a psychotic 14 year old in a 50 year old body. & thank god she got that boob fixed.

Um. EXCUSE ME. Are you saying that someone COOL enough to follow Paris Hilton’s brilliant pretend-to-be-on-the-phone thing is NOT the coolest gal in Jersey?

She is a complete nutball, that one. But unlike Kelly from NYC (who has, I do believe, a serious mental issue), I think Danielle knows exactly what she’s doing. I love how she creates drama where there is none! She drives me nuts, but I have to say, thank god for her. If she wasn’t there to drive the Manzos crazy, the show would be nothing but Ashley pouting around acting like a spoiled brat, Caroline sobbing about her empty nest (with the damn kids STILL LIVING THERE), and Teresa’s girls needing a good, hard smack.

Actually, most of the kids on that show need a long timeout in the corner and a whack with a wooden spoon, if you ask me.

The “ham game” makes me want to punch those kids. Ham isn’t dry! It leaves goo everywhere! It’s NASTY! Stop that shit!

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Are your bruises still there?

Two weeks later, my bruises are 99% gone, and my elbow doesn’t hurt at all. I managed to escape with nothing broken this time around, thank god!

Watched the Real Housewives of New Jersey-question for Friday if you watched it-was Teresa stirring the pot? Danielle is a nut case but I think the Manzos handle it better. Do you also watch Watch What Happens? Did you see Danielle sing on it and what did you think?

Teresa was ABSOLUTELY stirring the pot. She had the crazy eyes a-twirling, and come ON – after throwing the table at the end of last season, she thinks it’s “silly” to not make polite conversation? For the love of god.

I did see Danielle sing, and I actually think that unlike Kim (Atlanta) and Luann, she won’t need to be Auto Tuned to within an inch of her life in the final product. She can sing, kind of, and the song was interesting.

Is she a lesbian? I doubt it. I think she’s just trying to get more attention, and has decided that this is the way to go about it.

And someone please stop that woman before she Botoxes again!

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

A tomato sandwich???

I am unable to determine whether this comment is censure or a request for more information, so I’ll go with the latter.

A tomato sandwich: two pieces of bread, a light layer of mayo, slices of tomato, a sprinkle of salt. Put in mouth, chew, and swallow.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Do you ever have a slug problem? We plant a few squash every year, and the slugs make a tasty treat out of them.

Strangely enough, we don’t have a slug problem, and I’m not sure why. We don’t put down anything to deter the slugs, they just… aren’t there. Now that I said that, watch. Tomorrow morning Fred will go out to check on the garden (“Yep, still there!”), and the slugs will have decimated the squash plants.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Robyn, if you haven’t seen this already, I think you should 🙂

I hadn’t seen that – and I love it!

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

We’ll be headed out to the adoption center in a few hours, so I can get the Rescuees settled in their cage. Adoption hours take place this evening and again tomorrow, so I’m keeping my fingers VERY crossed that they’re all adopted super-quickly. Y’all keep your fingers crossed, too!

Kittens… and a bucket of squash! Of course. Where else would the bucket of squash be, after all?

Sweet little Lieu.

Gavin, lookin’ smug.

I don’t know. I didn’t ask. I’d rather not know.

Sheila, with a toy in her mouth, fighting with Lieu. Who says kittens can’t multi-task?

Melted kittens. (Garrity in the front, Reacher in the back.)

Don’t Sheila and Reacher look like they could be related?

Sheila, fighting with Bolitar.

Lieu, sound asleep.

And a Rescuees movie, without Lieu. Lieu hadn’t shown up yet when I shot this stuff.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

“The heat… is so hot… I am melting… save yourself!”

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Previously
2009: No entry.
2008: I envisioned an evening wherein Fred and Trey discussed how Trey’s shrimp was too shrimp-y and then Fred could talk about the organic eggs we bought a few years ago being “too egg-y”, and they could bond like the weirdos they are.
2007: I gave him The Eyes and said “Oh NO you did NOT!”
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.
2004: Had I, in fact, ONCE KILLED SOMEONE and the memory was trying to break free into my conscious mind?
2003: “Yeah, I see you, you portly little cat. You don’t scare me!”
2002: Some Eminem lookalike just drove by and put a flyer on my mailbox.
2001: I have the sinking suspicion that we’re going to be homeless by August 1st.
2000: No entry.

It’s a SUPER Question-Answering Extravaganza this week because I took last Friday off due to falling down the steps (you should see the bruise on my ass – it’s pretty spectacular) and was taking the week off from blogging the week before.

So off we go!

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Hey Robyn. I have a kitty question to ask you, and I’m hoping you’ve got some insight.

I have 2 male cats. Basil (the spitting image of Suggie) who is 8 and Monkey who is 1.5. Both are fixed, indoor cats.

In the past month, I’ve caught Monkey kneading the crap out of a blanket I keep on the couch. I figured it was cute, and didn’t pay much attention to it, until I noticed that every few minutes he started to *twitch* his back legs. I happened to pick him up and he was fully *exposed* . So I no longer keep that blanket on the couch. Lol.

I thought that was bad enough until I walked into a room and saw Monkey mounting Basil! I picked him up and again, he was *exposed*. THAT kind of left me feeling a little queasy. Poor Basil had no idea what was going on!

Have you ever had any issues like this? I’ve tried to find info online but came up blank.

Any words of wisdom you can give?

My response:

I’m fairly sure that the part where Monkey was mounting Basil was a dominance thing, but I sure don’t know why kneading on the blanket would involve a kitty erection. Maybe he was just… happy?

(I’m sorry, I’m laughing. “Kitty erection” would be an excellent punk band name.)

How about if I throw the question out to my readers? Surely someone out there will have some input!

How about it readers? Have some words of wisdom, here?

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

On a side note, is it illegal to dump animals in your state or county? It is animal cruelty, after all.

Good question! I assumed it was, but Googled about to see if I’m right and can’t seem to find the answer. Of course, to prosecute someone for abandoning an animal, you’d have to catch them doing it. Maybe we need to set up a camera pointing at the field across the street to catch the animal-abandoning motherfuckers.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

G*df*ckingdammit, my husband never finds kittens!!! Now I am REALLY pissed at him. It’s not bad enough we are going out to dinner for his birthday Sunday so I have to miss the season premiere of True Blood WITH NAKED ERIC NORTHMAN, but he, my husband, not naked Eric Northman, never finds kittens.

I bet Eric Northman finds kittens.

BAH.

I always liked the name Lieutenant and thought if I ever had a German Shepard (Sheperd?) POLICE DOG, I would name him/her that. Also I think your Lieu there has huge feet, or is that just the camera angle? Oh, I see other commenters noticed too!

I frantically Googled around for at least half an hour in a vain attempt to find a picture of Alexander Skarsgard naked, surrounded by kittens, but had no luck.

Damn you, Google.

Also, Lieu does have some mighty big feet. I think he’s going to be a big cat, though surprisingly, he doesn’t have a very big appetite. His siblings dive face-first into their evening snack of canned Fancy Feast, but he kind of picks at it, then wanders off to play.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Oh yeah, and something tells me that a couple people we know are going to be keeping a closer eye on that field across the street!!

Can you believe it took me a LONG time to even realize that that’s where people might be dropping off animals? DUH. And yeah, I glance out across the street at that field at least a couple of times a day since I figured it out. I’d go walk through the field, but the grass is pretty high, and I don’t want to stumble across any snakes.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

OUCH!! Get rid of the Crocs. They’re obviously unsafe and hideously ugly too. If you wear shoes that completely cover your feet and toes and have a tread on the bottom, you’ll be a lot healthier and happier. Trust me, you’ll get used to proper shoes after a while.

Look, you Croc haters, they’re comfortable! And I only use them when I’m running out of the house to go over to the garage or out to my car to get something. I don’t wear them in public because they’re pretty dirty and beaten-up. I HAVE other shoes that I wear in public (though in the house, at home, I go barefoot. How else am I to properly step in piles of cold cat vomit??), I swear I do.

This is really all Coltrane’s fault, if you must know. I was going out to set up a cage in the garage to keep him in overnight, so I put on those Crocs without thinking about the fact that it had rained earlier in the day.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

It sure does seem like folks in your area like to drop kitties off at your house. This one is a beauty, isn’t he?

I think we’ve likely become known as the cat people around here. Fred’s told just about everyone he’s come into contact with that we have cats, we foster cats, and we lurrrrve cats. I’m wondering how many cats (and/or dogs) have been dropped off in our yard or near our house that wandered off before we knew they were there.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Val asked:

I have a question for tomorrow. I suck at grammar, and I’m back in schoool at middle age.

So where does the ” go when you quote a word at the end of a sentence – before or after the end punctation?

“quoted word.” or “quoted word”. I can never remember!

And got the following answers (thank god, because hell if I know!):

It depends on what version of English you write in, Val. In British English, they write it like “this”. In American English, we write it like “this.”

and

But not question marks or semi-colons.
Commas and periods are inside the quotes, question marks and semi-colons outside. American English anyway.

and

That depends on the kind of quoting, though:

Did she just call him a “worthless jerk”?
She said, “Isn’t he a worthless jerk?”

I have frequently seen things like this (in major US publications, not just random people’s usage or British English sources):

What then are we to think of “the And3rson Effect?”
Scientists call it “the And3rson Effect;” no one is quite sure why it happens.

I disagree with the first sentence (I think it should be Effect”?) and agree with the second, but they both seem to have mainstream support.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

How is Fred liking his job now that he’s settled in?

Um. He’s in the process of leaving that job for another job, actually. 🙂

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

The only thing I have ever used coconut oil for is suntanning. Back in the days, when I was young and stupid and thought that having the deepeset, darkest tan possible was the most important thing in my life. I lifeguarded my way through college and one of my friends and I heard that coconut oil was the best thing to use to get a really great tan. So we finally found some at a health food store and slathered our selves with it every day that summer. I don’t know if I was any tanner but I’m sure I upped my chances of getting skin cancer…

Dude. I’m the whitest of the white, and I put BABY OIL on my skin and sat out in the sun. I fried my legs so bad I couldn’t walk for two days!

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

If I ever catch my son in a compromising position with a lady friend, I am going to ask him, “Does she have a mole?” and when he replies, “No, it’s just a freckle,” I am going to laugh and laugh and laugh until they take me away.

HEE!

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Even though in a philosophical sense poop is much grosser than pee….. I would so much rather pick up a few poop nuggets off the floor than deal with the lingering cat-piss smell. (Diarhrrea on the other hand, is a totally different story. ah, the joys of a cat with IBD!)

I’ve tried a ton of different cat-piss cleaners/smell removers, and the only one I have found to really work in the long term (preventing cats from going back to pee in that same spot even months after I can’t smell anything) is the aptly named Anti-Icky-Poo.

Come to think of it…. it might have been right here on this website that I first heard about it! If so – THANKS!

I agree, cat pee is the WORST. And what’s even worse than regular cat pee is unneutered male cat SPRAY. Coltrane has been spraying the side door (maybe he’s going to have the smelly spray forever since he was a couple of years old, or maybe the hormones haven’t worked out of his system, I don’t know), so I get to spray the door down and clean it off every day. It’s just noxious.

I seem to remember hearing about Anti-Icky-Poo, but I’ve never tried it.

It’s time for y’all to chime in – what does everyone else use? (Unless, of course, you’re one of those people who never has to worry about cat pee. Can I come live with you? Please?)

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

“blotting wet pee with dry rage since 1999”

AIN’T THAT THE TRUTH.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Robyn, do you have a Trader Joe’s near you? They have a lovely Lemon Verbena soap that doesn’t dry out my skin at all, and it smells fantastic. (My skin is pretty picky about soap, too.) If you don’t have a Trader Joe’s nearby, send me your address and I’ll send a bar from my stash. 🙂

There’s a Trader Joe’s in Nashville – I think this is an excellent reason to drag Fred up there to visit it finally!

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

‘Nother question: apart from the sad litter of 4 (who look almost premature in that photo) how many have you bottle fed?

Maddy was our first bottle baby, back in 2006, and then we didn’t have any bottle babies again ’til the four who died last Summer. After that, we had the Wonkas. The Wonkas were no sooner weaned than we got the Cookies. Then somewhere in there was Ike, the kitten another Challenger’s House foster mother rescued from the Emergency Animal Hospital in Huntsville. Also the little black kitten and black and white kitten that I “babysat” a few times and then had for a few days. I didn’t count them, because they went to another foster mother, I only had them for a few days. Then came the Bookworms, who weren’t bottle fed for very long – in fact, they were lapping formula out of a bowl only a few days after we got them, if I recall correctly.

So I haven’t had a huge number of bottle babies, but enough so that I have some idea of what I’m doing. I really like them when they’re little bottle babies, because they’re so sweet, but they also stress me out a LOT. I was afraid for the first few weeks that I had Maddy, that she was going to die at any moment. Luckily, she was too evil to die. 🙂

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

And I know that Jake and Elwood mysteriously appeared not long after the loss of Mister B (not a skimmer, me) but they could sort of be fosters, couldn’t they? Or did you know from day one they would be permanent.

I knew within a couple of hours that we were going to keep them, but it took a few days for Fred to agree with me. The original thought was that we were going to foster them, but they never entered “the system”, so I don’t really consider them to have been fosters.

What blows me away is that I wrote down their weight when we first got them and I came across the piece of paper yesterday – they were the size the Rescuees are now! I can’t even remember them ever being that small!

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

You are going on vacation?? Just you to Maine? Or are you & Fred finally going to FL. And if so, who is taking care of Crooked Acres.

Just me, to Maine. Fred’ll be taking care of everything while I’m gone, of course. I don’t know that we’ll ever be able to go on a proper vacation again – I think we’d have to hire someone to come stay here and take care of the animals while we were gone.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

How did the potato growing experiment go? I can’t remember if it was last year or the year before that where you were going to grow potatoes in kind of a raised bed upon bed thing. Did it work?

It didn’t go well – I think the compost Fred put down was still decomposing, and the potatoes didn’t care for it. They grew some, but ended up rotting. I thought about trying it again this year, but somehow despite the fact that I started longing for summer in January, the whole garden thing took me by surprise, and I didn’t get anything set up for potatoes. Maybe next year!

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

And … don’t you have another permanent resident cat to create a link for?

It’s on my list! 🙂

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

What’s the average length of time each litter stays with you (approximate, you don’t have to go calculate it out precisely)? Because I’ve been reading since somewhere between Sugarbutt and Maddy, but there’s a BUTTLOAD of cats I don’t recognize – I wonder if some of them were one-night-wonders or something.

Without actually going and looking, I would guess that litters average 3 weeks to a month with us. The shortest litter (though I don’t remember which one) was with us for less than 24 hours. Actually, there may have been two litters who were only with us overnight.

Okay, I think I’m going to have to get back to you on that. Now I’m curious and I’ll have to check!

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

How in the world do you come up with all those names!?

Usually we try to come up with a theme and start coming up with a list of names that go with that theme, then check them against the list of names that have already been used by the shelter. We’ll often hit a snag when we have a list of names that will work and haven’t been used, and then find that one of the names has been used in the past. For instance, we started out naming Stinkerbelle’s litter after characters from Gilligan’s Island (Maryann, Gilligan), but “Ginger” had been used, which is why we named her “Tina Louise.” If we come up with a name that has been used, we’ll add a surname to distinguish it (thus “Eddie Dean” in the Ka-Tet litter).

I still can’t believe that the Steel Magnolias names hadn’t already been used and we were able to use them.

I have a folder in Gmail entitled “Kitten names”, and when someone suggests a name or a theme, I file the email in there. Then if we get a litter and are having a hard time coming up with names, I look through those.

I always think that SURELY one day we’re going to run out of names, but so far it hasn’t happened!

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

I’m curious as to how the cats who go out react to the chickens and to the pigs (and George and Gracie too). Have the chickens ever had to prove themselves to the kitties?

Maxi, Newt, and Coltrane don’t really go near the back forty, though if they venture too close to the fence, George and Gracie will bark at them. They don’t bark at them in a “GO AWAY I WILL KILL YOU” way, they bow to them and wag their tails and bark in a “Come play with me!” way, but since the cats don’t speak dog, they rarely cross the ditch.

George and Gracie will occasionally catch sight of one of the cats in our back yard (usually Tommy) and bark at them – there’s about 80 feet between the back of our back yard and the beginning of the back forty – but the cats in the back yard don’t really pay attention to the dogs at all.

Maxi and Newt pretty much ignore the chickens – they’re used to them – but on the rare occasion we get a chicken in the back yard, the cats go all wide-eyed and flat. I think Jake or Elwood followed one of them around the back yard a few months ago, interested but not QUITE willing to attack.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Can’t you just see in her eyes that she’s a little troublemaker? But OH so squeezable!

::THLURRRP::

“Who, me? Makin’ trouble? NAH!”

Into everything, this one! She’s all “What’s in HERE?!”
(Please note the green bean on the right side of the picture. The Bookworms LOVE green beans fresh from the garden, and they steal them right out of the bucket to play with.)

Elwood’s all “Nope! No room in the basket! No room for a little kitten! Sorry! Move along!”

Lieu, on the arm of the chair, sits and watches Sheila, who has climbed onto the box of pictures on the top shelf, and is batting at the charger cord for Fred’s phone.

They adore hanging out in this box. Why do I spend so much money on beds and toys, again?

Corbett and Bolitar, flanking Crazy Jake.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Spanky’s the biggest ‘niphead in the house. If there’s a toy filled with ‘nip, he’s there licking it.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Previously
2009: “What up, bitch?” he said, his 73 eyeballs glittering at me.
2008: I know, I’m lame. But you’ve gotta have priorities!
2007: Three times in the course of an hour, the same conversation, word-for-word, I swear it.
2006: No entry.
2005: I’d say this country is going to hell, but that handbasket sailed a loooooong time ago.
2004: Yes. Robyn DID recently learn how to do popup windows. Why do you ask?
2003: Do I LOOK like an outside kinda gal?
2002: Which is when I realized that I’d actually dreamed the conversation and hug and kiss.
2001: No entry.
2000: No entry.

Have you heard the latest KATG episode, and what are your thoughts?

I’m actually about 15 episodes behind, but Nance told me there was something big brewing, so I downloaded it and listened to it on Sunday.

For those of you not in the know, Keith and Chemda announced in Friday’s show that they had broken up and are no longer and couple. Not only that, they broke up a year and a half ago and have been pretending they were a couple because the book contract they signed stipulated (since the book is a relationship book) that they had to remain a couple for at least a year.

My thoughts are (1) THANK GOD they’re not ending the podcast, (2) I sure as shit couldn’t tell they weren’t a couple (I’ve gone back to where I was listening before, 15 episodes back, and I don’t know, there’s maybe the occasional moment where you can tell they’re not actually a couple any more, but they’re few and far between and easily shrugged off. (3) Mostly, I’m just sad that they broke up, because it certainly seemed like they were going to last, didn’t it?

A lot of people in the forums (well, not a LOT, but a few at least) were pissed that Keith and Chemda have spent the last year and a half “lying”, but when I think about how incredibly lonely it must have been for them, not being able to discuss it with friends, having to keep up the charade that they were still a couple, well, it’s another part that makes me sad for them.

I hope that they’re able to keep the podcast going for a good long time!

And, why is the cat not pooping in the litter box? I know I should be thrilled that it is poop and not pee, but seriously. Not a pleasant good morning, how-dee-do! Damn cats.

If I knew the answer to that, I’d be a millionaire. My usual advice is to make sure there are enough litter boxes for the number of cats you have, and that they’re kept clean. Some cats are pickier than others about the cleanliness of their litter boxes.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

I do not understand how you get a damn thing done all day. I cannot pass by one of my two sleeping kitties without burying my face in their fur, pulling their ears and declaring them mine, or playing with their toes. You have umpteen billion chances each day to do the same, and you have KITTENS in the house. I would be living in squalor if there were kittens in the house.

I spend a LOT of time picking up cats and kissing them. A LOT. And I don’t clean the house NEARLY as often as I should. Can you imagine the state of my house if I had to work a real job? I shudder to think!

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

That must be the best! box! ever! (And who is looking in the window at all the hot box action going on?)

No wonder all the cats in the ‘hood want to live with you. It’s like a giant fud buffet and cat Disneyworld and indulgent parents, all rolled up into one fantabulous house.

In that movie, it’s Maxi who is looking judgmentally through the window at the kittens playing with the box. And of COURSE all the cats in the neighborhood want to live with us. Where else will they get their very own canned-food snack every night, along with as much dry food as they can shove in their mouths?

Spoil the cats? Us? NAH.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

I took martial arts for a college semester and learned how when you use your “chi”,you are 25% stronger.To ME,chi meant I took a breathe and used force,either kicking,punching,pushing or pulling. I find the difference in strength amazing.I practiced using it with other apps.than martial arts-breaking down boxes,opening jars… and pulling weeds! Whether big or small,I found that when I breathe in before I start to pull the weed,the weeds and all of the weed’s roots come as well.
I am sure that there are many martial artists reading your posts who may disagree with my explanation of all things “chi”,I just know that it works well for me…Happy Weed-Pullin’!

Next time I weed (which won’t be too soon, if given the choice!), I’ll give that a try. I have to say, I don’t much care for weeding, but when I pull up one of those really big weeds, and it comes up and the roots tear free of the dirt, well, I really kind of enjoy that.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

I have taken magazines out of a recycling bin, and a vintage vase. I justify this by recycling lots ‘o crap.

Coincidentally, I was just talking about/bemoaning the fact that we need some friggin’ newspapers to smother the weeds in the garden, but we no longer subscribe. I think I’m going to raid the Kroger bin later! You’ve corrupted me! (Donald Sutherland is pointing at YOU)

Really, when you think about it, we ARE recycling the newspaper after all, right? Hell, at the end of the growing season, Fred will run the tiller over the garden, and the newspaper will break down and help nourish next year’s crop!

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Be sure to save all your receipts for the trees. lowe’s and home depot have a year warranty on trees and plants. it might be 2 years. just bring them a receipt and the dead tree and they will swap it out at no charge.

In April, Fred actually dug up and returned some apple trees we bought at Lowe’s last Fall because they died. Just another reason we love Lowe’s!

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Somebody, and we won’t mention any names, is spending a lot more time outdoors weeding shit and had better put some sunscreen on. You’re turning into one big freckle.

I know, I know. The problem is that I get all the way out to the garden and THEN remember that I haven’t put the sunblock on, and I don’t want to haul my ass all the way back to the house. I suppose if I put a tube of sunblock out in the wood shed, it’d be easy to get to, and I wouldn’t be courting a lovely case of skin cancer.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Robyn, I was reading through some past entries, good entertainment for a Memorial Day evening when I am too tired from working in the garden to do anything else…and some of those were the Gatlinburg entries. And I would like to hereby nominate the “I like cheese, just not on salad” for your “best of” page. I hadn’t thought of that in forever, but it made me laugh all over again.

Your wish, my command! If any of you guys ever run across an entry you think belongs on the “Best Of” page, feel free to let me know, and I’ll add it.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

I found this verrrry cute webpage with photos of kitties in boxes, just thought you and some readers would enjoy it:

25 Comfortable Ways of Sleeping in a Box

Too cute!

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Doesn’t Miz Poo get a snack? I can’t imagine her sharing with any of the other cats.

Miz Poo is one of those rare cats who has zero interest in anything other than dry kibble. She doesn’t eat canned food, she doesn’t eat people food. The one thing she does like other than her dry kibble is the juice from a can of tuna, so when Fred has tuna sandwiches, he gives her a bowl of the juice and she slurps it up and smacks anyone who comes near.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Oh, such a bad boy. Yesterday, after bragging about how he hadn’t needed any time outs on Wednesday, Corbett required THREE time outs! And the third was 15 minutes instead of 10 because he went to the back door, LOOKED RIGHT AT ME, and then slipped through the cat door. The cheek!

BAD. (But OH so gorgeous!)

Rhyme is a GOOD boy. He likes to sleep near the back door and watch the cats come in and go out, but he hasn’t tried going out himself. YET.

Bolitar (who’ll likely get his head smacked when Miz Poo wakes up) loves to run out the side door when we open it, but he gets out there and doesn’t know what to do, which makes him easy to snatch up and carry back inside.

Marches to the beat of his owner drummer, that Corbett.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

::slurrrp::

Paws up, y’all!

Smilin’ Garrity.

“WHAT?”

Talk about your baleful look, eh?

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Stinkerbelle would like me to keep my distance, please.

 

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Previously
2009: When I was done, I looked at the windows, thought about getting out the supplies to clean them, and decided I’d done quite enough of that nonsense for the day.
2008: I KNOW it’s just nature and instinct and all that, but it still PISSES ME OFF.
2007: That whole separating-laundry stuff is a line of bullshit perpetrated upon the American woman in an attempt to KEEP HER DOWN.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.
2004: Styrofoam peanuts = pure evil.
2003: It’s got to be the hormones in the air, that’s all I can guess.
2002: No entry.
2001: We call them the Naysayers.
2000: No entry.

Occasionally when wandering around the internet, I come across a recipe I’d like to try. And in the recipe, it has you cook chopped onions as the first step, but warns you not to let the onions get brown.

Why is this, does anyone know? Does it affect the taste of the final product, or is the recipe creator just being annoying? I HAVE BETTER THINGS TO DO THAN HOVER OVER THE PAN TO MAKE SURE THE ONIONS DON’T BROWN.

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

I thought you would like this link Robyn–cats and Lost!

(WARNING: Lost spoilers!)

I LOVE it! “I’m gonna make sweet-ass love to the island.” HEE!

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

I LOVE how Gavin always looks so pissed off in all his photos. Do you just happen to catch him that way, or is he really a sourpuss, pun totally intended.

He’s a bit of a sourpuss. It seems that he likes to complain (scroll down to the kitten section to see a short movie of his complaints) and I can’t quite figure out how to make him happy.

Does he want a snuggle? He does not.

Does he want food? NO. If he WANTED food, he’d go GET some food. What, you think he’s STOOPID or something?

Does he want to play? He does not.

He just likes the sound of his own voice, is what I’m guessing.

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

Huh, I didn’t know that is what cat acne looks like. One of my cats, Bitty Kitty, has some of that dark-looking acne on her chin, but since it is so small, never bothered her, had not taken her to vet for it.

Do you have a home remedy for that? She does eat off of a plastic dish, so could that be the cause? How does the vet treat it?

The vet gave us Clavamox and told us to try wiping his chin with Stridex pads. The shelter manager told me that she uses Calendula Flower Oil extract in warm water – A few drops (around 6 or so) in about 1/4 cup warm water & scrub with a gauze sponge or wash cloth. Takes care of it quickly. I’m going to try the Calendula Flower Oil extract next time Miz Poo has a flare-up. Spanky’s acne is slowly going away, so I guess the Clavamox is doing its job.

I’d definitely switch from plastic to ceramic or stainless steel. Though someone told me in the last day or two that their vet recommends against even ceramic and suggests only stainless steel. If Spanky’s acne turns into an issue, I’ll switch over to stainless steel, but for now we’re going to stick with our colorful Fiesta bowls!

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

What an adorable bunch! I think it’s so good for the kitties to be in a home with lots of other kittens and cats. Maura has been SO laid back about getting to know Beau – I’m sure it’s because she came from a multi-kitty household. Now the dogs, that’s coming a little more slowly. But we are making progress! Check it out:

You can see more pics of Maura and her siblings at Kathy’s Flickr page. I especially like this one. 🙂

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

LOST.UGH. So disappointing! Have you seen this video yet? Kind of sums up how I feel!

(WARNING: Lost spoilers in this section!)

I hate that there were so many unanswered questions about that goddamn island, but I loved seeing everyone find each other again in the alternate storyline. I can tear up just thinking about Jin and Sun. ACK.

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

Yay for Fred and his new job. I really want to see some of his wardrobe choices because I am a person who loves brighter colors too. His (or should I say yours as in a collaborative effort) paint choices have always been great in your house and around the property.

Fred gets all the credit for every single paint choice. I just don’t have the “eye” for knowing what’ll look good on the walls and what won’t, so when we were renovating the house I said “I want this room to be blue” and he’d carefully consider the choices and present me with one that invariably turned out to be pretty amazing.

His only two missteps (and this is just my opinion) were (1) the guest bedroom at the old house, which he painted a Pepto Bismol pink and (2) the original color of the upstairs bathroom. We went with what was supposed to be a neutral beige-y color that turned out to be the same color as Barbie Doll skin. I like it much better in purple.

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

Question -I thought that Fred had his own business and then lost a big client. I’m confooosed. But happy that he’s working. 🙂

He did, and they did, and now he works elsewhere. 🙂

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

Every time you get new kittens, I think THESE are the cutest kittens ever and no other kittens will ever be as cute. Then you get MORE and they are EVEN CUTER. How do you stand it? 🙂

I know, right? I think “Okay, we have reached the peak of kitten cuteness. There’s no way on earth that there can ever be kittens CUTER than this. I’ll be lucky if they’re like 2/3rds as cute. But I’ll love them anyway!”, and then the next batch comes along and they’re so cute it makes me just about pass out. It defies logic, but they just keep getting cuter!

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

Robyn, this totally relates to yesterday’s post, but I saw it on FB today and thought you’d appreciate a chicken language scholar! Chicken Talk.

How neat is that! I always wondered why hens cackle after they lay an egg. I love the descriptions of the noises chickens make and what each noise means.

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

“I have been taking my dog hiking alot lately. I have put Frontline on her, but most people don’t realize that it doesn’t keep ticks from getting on your animal, or even from biting, it will only kill if they do bite.
Anyway, I hadn’t even considered her getting ticks because we had just started this new activity. One night we were laying in bed (yes, she sleeps with us) when I look over and see a tick in the bed! I jumped up, screamed hysterically, and then had a nervous breakdown because I found THREE MORE TICKS in the bed! Now we check for ticks after every walk.”

Hi – just a comment for the poster who left this…I live in NC and hike with my dogs often – OMG the ticks! I hate them so much and wish I could say I haven’t been bitten by ticks numerous times (can we get Frontline for people?!) but I have found that using a Preven-tic collar in conjunction (or alone but then there’s less flea protection) with Frontline really keeps them off. Ticks won’t even get on the dogs when they wear the collar & it lasts about 3 months. It is a little more scary pesticide-wise but still proven safe for mammals. You can get it through a vet or one of the websites that sells Frontline, Heartguard, etc. Also, they only cost about 16 bucks a piece!

I just wanted to make sure the original poster saw this!

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

I have an old man cat, Jake, who used to be portly and is now getting scrawny in his old age. I’ve been trying to keep his weight up by supplementing with wet food (like 1/2 can of Fancy Feast in the morning), but he still does like the dry and doesn’t devour the wet food. (In the meantime, my tuxedo boy, Barney, is turning into a butterball. A demanding, cute, butterball!) I think I remember you talking about feeding baby food to the cats and kittens. Did they seem to like it more than Fancy Feast? Is there a favorite flavor they seemed to like more than others? And what does a jar of baby food cost, anyway?

They do like the baby food quite a bit – I have yet to come across a cat who doesn’t adore baby food – and Gerber 2nd Foods Chicken and Gravy is what I always buy (at the suggestion of someone who does feral cat rescue). It’s like crack to them.

It’s kind of expensive, though – about $1 a jar, and those jars are SMALL. When I occasionally stumble across them on sale for 90 cents or less, I buy every jar on the shelf.

The only suggestion I can think of is to maybe try giving him Fancy Feast Kitten – it’s got more fat in it (to help kittens grow) and he might like it. Our fosters really like the Fancy Feast Kitten Turkey Feast. Also, I don’t know if it’s feasible for you, but maybe put him in a room by himself while you’re giving him the canned food so Barney doesn’t get too much of it.

Also, when Spot was aging and had lost weight, the vet gave us a tube of Nutri-Cal to give him a few times a day. He didn’t love the stuff, but he didn’t hate it, either, and I think it might have helped some.

Readers, do you have other suggestions on how to help an aging cat put some much-needed weight on?

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

So, is Fred going to blog soon about his new job? I’m dying to find out how its going.

I doubt Fred will ever so much as mention his new job on his blog; he never talked about the old job either, if you’ll recall. 🙂

Things are going just fine so far!

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

I am curious as to how you juggle the dietary needs of your cat clan. We have finally gotten the two new cats settled in a bit. The boy is always hungry (= pot belly!) and the girl is quickly learning that she better act quick to get the good stuff.

But we have the geriatric 21 year old cat that usually has Science Diet Senior always available with a morning and afternoon dose of wet food to make him happy and try to keep his weight up.

The new cats LOVE old cat’s snack time so I have taken to giving them just a teeny tiny bit so that they will leave old guy alone. Then they race upstairs for a quick bite of kitten food. But they don’t finish the kitten food, they would rather eat the senior cat food and the senior would rather eat the kitten food (he has urinary and hairball issues – not sure that is a good choice for him).

So how do you keep everyone straight at your house and HOW do you manage to live within your home with so many cats afoot? With 3 and a dog we are experiencing quite a bit of chaos. Doesn’t help that we went from two old, lazy cats to one old lazy cat and two obnoxious youngins (though so far they don’t wake us at night – just can’t seem to get a moment of peace during waking hours when we are home).

Could you maybe lock old cat in another room to give him his snack? For a while Spanky was on a special canned food at snack time (I’d give you the details, but for the life of me I don’t remember what the food was or why he was on it. Good thing I’m in charge of my cats’ health, ain’t it?) and we’d put him in the small bathroom with his plate of food at snack time. Nowadays he eats the same snack as everyone else, so it’s this mad rush to give everyone their plate of snack at the same time, and then make sure no one is bullying anyone else to get to their snack.

Snack time at our house looks like this: I call the Bookworms into the guest bedroom, close the door, and give them their kitten food. Then I go into the kitchen and divvy canned food onto 8 plates for the adults (Sugarbutt and Tommy share a plate). Sugarbutt, Tommy, and Joe Bob eat their snack on the counter, Jake, Elwood, and Kara eat their snack on the kitchen floor, Spanky has his snack in the dining room, Maxi and Newt have their snack on the side stoop (in inclement weather, they have their snack in the computer room), and Stinkerbelle has her snack wherever Fred puts her plate. She’s extremely skittish and if you look at her sideways while you’re carefully putting her plate of snack down and pushing it gently toward her, she’s apt to run off and sulk. Which is fine with me, because if she doesn’t come get her snack, do I look like I care? She’s certainly not STARVING, but Fred practically bursts into tears at the idea that his poor beloved Stinky might not get her snack. I have put that damn cat’s snack plate on top of the bookcase where she spends 75% of her time, so she can just sit there and daintily eat her snack like she’s ROYALTY.

Anyway.

So I’d recommend putting the old cat in another room so he can get his old-people snack without the kittens all getting up in his face.

As far as how we live in our house with so many cats afoot, let me tell you – when I fall and break a hip, it will be because I tripped over a goddamn cat. I have to walk through the house like I’m wading through water so I don’t kick a cat, trip over a cat, step on a cat, or in any way harm or bother a cat. You’ll get used to it. 🙂

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

A shout out to your readers and yourself to vote for S.A.I.N.T.S. and hopefully helping them garner some much needed money for their end of life animal rescue. Such a wonderful woman and volunteers giving last hope/chance/ days animals their loving due.

Hit the purple button and vote for them as often as you can! They are under the name S.A.I.N.T.S in Mission BC Canada.

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

Gavin’s a wee complainer, and I remembered to bring the camera into the kitten room with me and get his complaints on tape (Garrity jumped in there to share HIS complaints, too, since I was documenting complaints). Gavin’s husky little howl just cracks me up.

Please ignore the fact that that door behind the kittens desperately needs to be stripped and repainted. I’ll get to it some day. Maybe. If that room is ever empty, which I hope it never is!

Franco and Garrity, hanging out on the cat tree.

It appears there’s something interesting going on over THERE. I couldn’t convince him to look at me.

“Who, me? What?”

Sheila, mid head-shake.

Gigglin’ Garrity.

Sheila likes to let the boys know just who the boss is ’round these parts.

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

Here’s a purring kitten video for you – Rhyme spends the majority of his life purring so loudly you can hear him from three rooms away. So, for that matter, does Reacher.

(These videos would be so much better if I just kept my mouth shut, I swear.)

Corbett, snoozing.

Bolitar and Reacher. I love it when they stretch out on their backs and sleep like that.

Corbett.

Yesterday, I couldn’t find Corbett anywhere. Since we’ve been having an issue with him going outside, I worried that he’d gotten into the back yard, climbed the fence, and was headed toward the very busy road. I didn’t see him anywhere outside, and I called and called for him. As it turned out, he’d climbed behind my monitor, stretched out, and gone to sleep.

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

Previously
2009: I traumatized Fred by telling him I was going to have it professionally framed.
2008: Now that I have only the one drain, which will be tucked under my clothes, I don’t have to worry about the kittens puncturing anything and blood spurting all over the place.
2007: No entry.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.
2004: No entry.
2003: Today I’m still burning with curiosity, and I wish I’d asked anyway.
2002: So yes, the vacation rocked.
2001: If vacation pictures aren’t your thing, I’ll see ya tomorrow.
2000: I’m so so SO glad to be home.

Reader Heather told me that in California, the Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society had a fire yesterday:

In the early morning of May 20, a major fire destroyed a large section of our shelter. We lost our entire cat sheltering area as well as laundry facilities and offices. We are currently without water, electricity and phone service.

We lost 15 of our beautiful cats that were ready for adoption but all the dogs survived and are being cared for in our kennels and at a veterinary emergency service.

They desperately need donations, foster homes, and volunteers to help with the cleanup. If you’re in the area, you can contact them via email or phone – the information is on their web site.

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

Wow – that Oca looks really cool! Which kind did you guys get? I wish I actually had more than just container gardens when I come across neat stuff like this!

We got our Oca tubers from Seeds of Change, here. It does say, on that page, that Oca also shows promise as a container plant for indoor cultivation. I’m hoping we end up with a decent harvest and that Oca is as good as it sounds!

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

Someone may have asked this before….before you had many more chickens probably. But can you really tell them apart? Or are you able to tell just a couple of them apart? You mentioned the buffs being from the original eggs from 3 years ago so that’s why I wondered.

I would hope that if I had 20 black cats I’d be able to tell the difference between them – but I’m not sure I could do it.

Myself, I’m only able to tell a few of them apart. It’s Fred who told me that the Buff Orpingtons were from our original batch of 12. Buffs are good mothers, good layers, and pretty gentle, so we opted not to process any of them. When we have a large number of a certain kind of chicken (like the group of Light Brahmas we have), I can’t tell any of them apart.

When Maura was here and we had three black cats, it wrecked my nerves. I was forever letting Maxi out the side door and then worrying that I’d let Maura out, so I’d have to go find Maura to make sure I hadn’t. I can’t imagine having 20 black cats!

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

From Maura’s mom, Kathy in Birmingham:

So to update everybody on Maura, since I suck at updating my own sites, Maura is doing AWESOME! She and Beau are good buddies. He’s so different with a little friend to play with. They are both getting excellent exercise, chasing each other up and down the stairs (between 2-6am only, of course!). Her litterbox issues seem resolved, her appetite is good, and she seems to be having lots of fun. The guest room which was her “acclimation chamber” is still her favorite hang-out spot, but she comes downstairs with Beau to greet us when we come in the front door, too cute! She seems to be a perfect fit. I’m sure it helps that she came from a busy house fulla kittens & cats! I’ll post a link with pics here once I get some more. Thanks again!

I told Kathy that I am tickled pink to hear that it’s working out so well with Maura. Not that I had any real doubts, but you never know ’til you know. You know?

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

How does Fred feel about the sales of his kindle book, “No Limit” on Amazon.com? I left a review on his book and he is getting some other very good reviews and comments. I want to encourage everyone to check it out. Thanks for telling us about the free PC Kindle software to download for us without a Kindle. I didn’t realize that there are many free books on Amazon to download, too.

He’s happy that people are getting to read it now – and very much appreciates the reviews on Amazon. Thanks, reviewers!

I love that there are so many free Kindle downloads on Amazon, isn’t that awesome? If I didn’t have my Kindle, I might be tempted to download the PC Kindle software onto my laptop and use that as a reader.

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

Survivor spoilers; skip this section if you haven’t seen the season finale yet. (What are you waiting for?!)

No one else has commented about Survivor yet. Russell is a douche bag! The previous season he pouted like a child because he did not win the game. We half expected it this time too but he was a little more grown up about it. He got the Sprint $100,000 award both times. I personally think it is absolutely delicious that he took Sandra to the end thinking it would give him a huge advantage and she wound up winning! He even told her several times through the season that she “won’t get a vote”. Well -he- didn’t get a vote! ha ha.

Russell is, indeed, a douche bag. I think that he did play an excellent game, but he fails to understand that it’s impossible to win the game if you don’t at least make an attempt at playing the social aspect of it. If the jury hates you, for the most part they’re NOT going to vote for you.

I think Parvati played the game better than Sandra did, but I like Sandra a lot and think it’s telling that she posed no physical threat to the other players, and still won the game twice. Which points up that if you’re not willing to play a social game, you’re screwing yourself.

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

My question is where does one get a “ham-mick”? Since its so popular with your kitties I would love to give it a try with ours!

Get yer Ham-micks here! We have two of them, and they are super-popular (check out Sugarbutt at the end of the entry, enjoying the computer room Ham-mick).

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

Strawberry Lemon Marmalade!!! Recipe please!!!!

As a side note, when I mentioned making strawberry lemon marmalade earlier this week, I said it wasn’t very lemony. I was wrong – it’s definitely lemony and it is SO good. Also, rather than crushing the strawberries, I throw them in the blender and, well, blend. I love strawberries, but don’t care for big chunks of them in my jam-type foods.

I got this on Facebook, from Cait.

From the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserves.

Makes seven 8-oz jars

1/4 cup thinly sliced lemon peel
water
4 cups crushed strawberries
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 package 1.75oz regular powdered pectin (I use yellow Sure-Jell)
6 cups granulated sugar

1. Prepare canner, jars & lids
2. In a small non-reactive saucepan, boil lemon peel in just enough water to cover it until softened, about 5 mins. Drain and discard liquid.
3. Add strawberries, peel and lemon juice to a large non-reactive saucepan and mix well. Whisk in pectin until dissolved. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Add sugar all at once and return to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil hard, still stirring, for 1 minute. Remove from heat and skim foam.
4. Ladle hot marmalade into hot jars, 1/4″ headspace, wipe rims, tighten lids down with bands.
5. Place jars in canner, covered 1″ with boiling water, process for 10 minutes, turn off heat and take off canner lid and let sit in water for 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool and store.

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

Did I miss the part where you explained why Fred couldn’t take the tick off of his own arm? I don’t think he’s an amputee (that I know of; boy, am I gonna feel dumb if he is), and if he was pointing it out to you, he could obviously see it, so…???

He claims that he tried, but couldn’t do it, and didn’t know that I was in the middle of my peeing-and-progesteroning routine. LIKELY STORY.

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

What’s up with the mirror site? Is that so someone can read your journal while at work?

Yep – some people have been unable to get to my site because of the domain name, so I thought I’d provide an alternative. It’s literally the exact same entry you see on Bitchypoo, just cut and pasted and published.

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

I have been taking my dog hiking alot lately. I have put Frontline on her, but most people don’t realize that it doesn’t keep ticks from getting on your animal, or even from biting, it will only kill if they do bite.
Anyway, I hadn’t even considered her getting ticks because we had just started this new activity. One night we were laying in bed (yes, she sleeps with us) when I look over and see a tick in the bed! I jumped up, screamed hysterically, and then had a nervous breakdown because I found THREE MORE TICKS in the bed! Now we check for ticks after every walk.
Funny story: I was telling a friend about it and she said her husband got one on his “taint.” (If you don’t know what that is, it “taint” the pee-er and it “taint” the pooper, it’s the space in between!) Tell Fred he better be checking! haha!

UGH ticks. I loathe those things!!!

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

Question for Friday-have any of the older cats gone looking and gotten upset when the fosters leave?

Not that I can tell, actually. They seem to realize that there’s something different, but don’t seem to know exactly what it is. I was afraid that Jake would be upset when the Wonkas and the Cookies went off to be adopted, but he really took it in stride. I think that if we only had two or three cats, they’d be more apt to notice the absence of kittens, but as it is they don’t seem to be terribly bothered.

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

I am a skimmer when it comes to links (I seldom click on links after an unfortunate goatse related incident some years back), so forgive me if this is old news to you, but have you seen the Kittens in AutoTune video?

The guy is annoyingly douchey but I’ll forgive him.

I had not seen that – and that is HILARIOUS!

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

We have one tortie and one orange cat… the orange cat clears the house each time he takes a poop. Also, he snores like a chainsaw. It’s a good thing he’s cute.

Sugarbutt snores like a chainsaw, too. It’s pretty funny when Fred and I are laying in bed at night talking, and Sugarbutt’s snoring up a storm over in his cat bed in the recliner.

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

So tell me, did you like the Petpride cat litter, or did I steer ya wrong?

The Petpride litter isn’t bad, actually. I think it works better than Arm & Hammer, and not as good as Fresh Step. I knew going into it that it doesn’t clump as quickly as Fresh Step and didn’t think that would be an issue for me, but apparently it is. I’m thinking about mixing the Petpride and the Fresh Step together to get a decent litter hybrid that won’t break the bank.

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

I keep meaning to leave you this tip (totally off subject, sorry!) about comparison shopping in the grocery store. The trick is to look at the price per unit for similar items and then make a decision. Obviously, this is only helpful if the items are being measured using the same unit (price per pound, for example). I don’t always buy the cheapest price per unit item, but it’s a good (& quick) place to start.

Most of the good grocery stores do that, but do you suppose I EVER think to look at that information? Of course NOT. I need to start doing it, damnit!

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

I’m owned by 2 orange tabbies and oh Lawd! The Stank! I’m always amazed that such cute, cuddly fluffy beings can make the most heinous smells! And the breath! Stunning.

We can always tell when one of them takes a dump because we hear them digging for China (usually happens 15 mins. after we go to bed at night) and then they start up with a very mournful dirge. We think they’re grieving for the poo. Seriously nasty shit, but I love my boychiks.

The mournful dirge is cracking me UP. HEE.

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

Since you mentioned George and Gracie, I’ve been wondering whether you’ve lost anymore chickens?

They look like the sweetest dogs!

Nope – since we got George and Gracie, we haven’t lost a single chicken. And they ARE the sweetest dogs. Now if I could just get George to stop touching his cold, wet nose to the back of my bare leg when I go out to visit them, the whole “dog” experience would be perfect!

“I can’t help it, it makes her jump and scream and that makes me laugh and laugh.”

Also, look who’s on the front page of PetsAdviser.com for today and through the weekend! (It’s this picture, in case you’re reading this at a later date.)

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

Remember how I said the other day that Franco’s a talker? Apparently Franco passed on the talking torch to Gavin. I was awakened this morning by a VERY loud Gavin, who was howling sadly at the door to the foster room. Judging by the way Gavin was sticking his paws under the door last night, I’m guessing that he’d REALLY like out of the room. He’s going to have to wait, though. There’s another 10 days in solitary confinement for the Rescuees before we let them out into the house. I’m pretty sure that mayhem will ensue, once there are EIGHT kittens racing around the house, hissing and growling and smacking at each other.

I can’t wait!

“I couldn’t help it! I just wanted a snuggle and some canned food! I AM NOT a big baby! Okay, maybe I am. But I had to register my complaint, didn’t I?!”

I cannot seem to get a picture of Sheila that conveys exactly how adorable she is. I’ll keep trying, of course.

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

Reacher.

Rhyme in the front and Corbett in the back.

Yes, Bolitar, that is an EXCELLENT idea. Let’s see if we can break that feed tray right off the printer, shall we?

“Hey! He’s fallin’! Someone HALP!”

“That’s okay, bro, see? I saved you! Well, I yelled for someone to save you. Same diff!”

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

Suggie on the Ham-mick!

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

Previously
2009: Is there anything less scary than a hissing kitten? I think not!
2008: These pigs, I’ve gotta say, are coming in handy as garbage disposals on legs.
2007: No entry.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.
2004: We’re off to Memphis.
2003: Possum #2.
2002: Mean mommy.
2001: No entry.
2000: No entry.

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

You can read Fred’s entry about his book and how it ended up on Kindle, here.

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

Until June 30th, Kaye is donating 20% of sales to the Red Cross for Nashville Flood Relief. If you mention that you came from Bitchypoo, she’ll add another 5% for a total of 25%!

So go check out her Artfire and Etsy sites and buy buy buyyyyyy! (Don’t forget to mention that you came from Bitchypoo!)

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

We had a sad incident yesterday morning (we’re fine, the cats, dogs, and chickens are fine, before you start worrying). I glanced out the window and saw that Newt had a squirrel in his jaws. The squirrel was fighting pretty hard, so I told Fred what was going on. He went out to get the squirrel, and of course as soon as Newt saw Fred, he started running. Fred eventually caught up to him, and took the squirrel away, then waved through the window at me to get a box.

The squirrel was hardly moving, and we were pretty sure that it was going to die, but we wanted to give it a chance, so we ended up putting it on a soft blanket in a cat carrier, and put the carrier out in Fred’s workshop. Fred checked on it regularly, and then suggested that we try giving it some kitten formula to perhaps give it energy. Fred syringed some formula into its mouth, and it swallowed a little. Then I got out a bottle, and he tried giving it some more. She swallowed some more, but she also didn’t seem to have any control over her limbs. He put it back in the carrier, and I headed off to run errands.

He told me, when I got home a few hours later, that he’d ended up putting her down. She clearly couldn’t move, and when he went out to check on her at one point, she had chewed one of the toes on her front paw completely off. He surmised that she was probably paralyzed and couldn’t feel anything, so opted to put her down.

And I know someone’s going to ask, so this is how we put small animals (voles, chicks, squirrels) down when they’re critically injured:

Soak several paper towels in ether, which is commercially available as diesel or gasoline engine starter at any auto parts store. Put the paper towels into a sealed container large enough to hold the animal, and leave them for several minutes. This lets the fumes build up to lethal levels. Put some dry paper towels down over the wet ones, and lay the injured animal on them (probably you would want to make sure you didn’t inhale any fumes). Reseal the container. In very short order, the animal will go to sleep, then die quietly. Make sure you leave the animal in there long enough for the ether to do its job.

(Copied from one of Fred’s entries.)

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

Is Jake more into kittens (or, these current ones anyway) than Elwood? I got to thinking, and realized I never really see pictures of Elwood with them.

Elwood tolerates the kittens, but Jake really LIKES them. And for that matter, the kittens really LIKE Jake, too. Elwood will allow a kitten to snuggle up to him, but Jake encourages it. So yeah, to answer the question, Jake likes kittens more than Elwood does. Elwood’s mostly interested in where the next snack is coming from. I tried to get a shot of Jake and Elwood together, but Jake was having none of it. Elwood is HUGE compared to Jake, it’s absolutely amazing to me, the difference in their sizes.

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

I haven’t read all comments, so I don’t know if it’s been mentioned, but I have you looked into Bio-identical compounded HRT? I have been on compounded BI HRT for more than a year and a half. I feel it saved my sanity and my life, and I actually think it helped me LOSE weight. My ovaries were doing a whole lot of nothing at age 43, and I have never felt better since I started my compounded prescription. I got it from a hormone specialist at my OB/Gyn office. My insurance doesn’t pay for it, so I gladly pay out of pocket for it!

I’ve considered it, and at some point I’ll likely broach the subject with my Gynecologist, but so far it looks like switching to a half-dose on my estrogen halted and reversed the weight gain.

A couple of people suggested that the weight gain could be due to stress. I don’t feel particularly stressed out, but that doesn’t mean I’m not, right?

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

I wish you good luck with finding a job! I’ve been trying for months to find ANY p/t job…. like at Lowes, Home Depot, CVS, Walgreens, Staples any damn place….. apparently no one is hiring!!!! What are we in some kind of recession or something?

and

My opinion about employment is if you are not asking anyone else for financial assistance then it is none of their business. I’m not surprised that you are looking some too. I hope Fred can find a great new position and you find something good too if you want/need to. Good Luck!

I should take a moment here to confess to y’all that I don’t really WANT to get a job. But with Fred out of work, I thought that if I got a job, it would at least slow the rate at which our savings are being spent, which would mean we could go longer with him out of work, if necessary. So I decided to make a good faith effort at applying for any jobs I’d be qualified for, but let’s be honest – I haven’t worked in 10 years. I doubt my resume is getting a second glance. I’ve talked about going back to college once Fred’s employed again, just to have some schoolin’ under my belt (haven’t had any learnin’ in 15+ years) and to put on my resume, and there’s a community college conveniently located not ten minutes down the road. We’ll see.

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

Dear cat lovers,

I have a dilemma. So almost every evening I go jogging on this pretty tree-lined path in the middle of Phoenix, AZ (yes, there are trees in Phoenix). And the past three times I have jogged, there is this cute young cat who hangs out near the path. Tonight she followed me part of the way as I was jogging. She has no collar, is kind of dusty from being outside but otherwise looks like she is well fed. I want to take this cat home and turn her into my sweet baby kitty. But what if she has an owner? I don’t want to kidnap this cat and take her away from her family. On the other hand, this beautiful tree-lined path is adjacent to a very busy road. In fact, I saw her attempt to cross the road a couple of times. It is a situation where this cat could get hit by a car very easily. What should I do? I fear for the cat’s safety but I certainly don’t want to cat-nap her from her owners if she has them?

My suggestion would be to bring her home, and then put up flyers in the area. That way, if she has owners, they can get in touch with you, and no harm is done. If she doesn’t, well, then you have a sweet baby kitty! (And please let us know what happens!!!)

Anyone else have suggestions?

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

Our indoor cat Lola is a little over one year old. She is fixed and is not declawed. The problem is that she is stalking the door now and whenever we open it, she runs outside and hides under the neighbor’s car, or in the bushes or under our deck, etc. I’m so afraid she is going to get lost one of these days. What should we do? If she got away, would she find her way home?

My suggestion would be to keep something by the door to scare her away – I’d use a can of compressed air or a spray bottle of water. You could scare her away, then get out the door without her escaping.

I imagine that if she were to get away, she’d probably hang around in the area and you’d be able to catch her later, but there’s no guarantee – and I’m concerned that if she gets out once and finds out how AWESOME it is out there, she’ll just redouble her efforts to get out.

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

I was having dinner with friends last week and talking about selling my late father’s house, splitting the money with my sister, and buying myself a small house with a yard. (I’m currently in a small condo with no patio or balcony, but near the beach.) One friend asked why I wanted to move after 30 years in the condo. (I’m 57, and most people my age are going from houses to condos, not the other way around.) I said so no one could tell me how many cats I could have. He said, appalled, “You want more than TWO cats????”

I doubt he could even imagine the Robyn/Fred household! 🙂

By the time I am 57, we will have won the lottery, of course, and we will buy a small island in a warm place, and we will have a sweet little cabin, and the cats will roam free and I will call it SWEET PUSSY ISLAND. Oh, yes I will.

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

YOU, Miz Ander$on are TROUBLE! We went to the SPCA this weekend to pick up a replacement cat buddy for my husband and the 21 year old cat and we ended up with TWO kittens. This here DOG person, blames you and your house of cats. If you can have 20 and still be sort of sane, surely we can handle 3 cats for awhile.

No word yet on how the dog introduction is going to go. I suspect there will be some unhappiness on the part of the cats. For now, everyone is sequestered.

Oh sure, eeeeeveryone blames the pusher. Hey, man, I’m just here to encourage you tryyyyyy the drug. If you get addicted, well, that’s not MY fault! 🙂

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

I work in a hair salon, and I’ve learned that if you use fabric sheets, they create a layer of waxy buildup on the towels, making them less absorbent.

I knew that, actually, and I don’t use fabric softener on the towels or cleaning rags. Actually, I don’t use fabric softener on anything but cat beds, now that I think about it. I do use straight white vinegar as a fabric softener, but there shouldn’t be any build-up from that… right?

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

Okay, I am owned by ten cats. It’s a work hazard from being an employee at an animal shelter. Anyway, I have an orange feline, inappropriately named Blossom. Now I’m wondering…do orange cats make stinkier stinks?

Okay, orange cat owners, weigh in on this topic! I can tell you that Sugarbutt could peel the paint off the wall. Spanky’s not too bad (but he’s not all orange either), and I can’t really vouch for Newt, since I think he usually uses the great outdoors as his litter box.

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

Robyn: I was bored so I started reading your posts from years back. On this date in 2003 you posted the following:

“The best part of the zoo, my friends, were the baby pygmy goats. My god in heaven, they were the most adorable things I’ve ever seen. Seriously, I was this close to snatching one up and tossing it in the Jeep. I said to Fred “Someday, if we have a house on enough land, promise me we’ll get some pygmy goats!” He wouldn’t, though, damn him.”

Now that you have Crooked Acres I was just wondering where those pygmy goats are???

Shhhh. I’m older and wiser and I know that I don’t want goats! Fred wants to get goats to eat, and I AM NOT GONNA EAT GOAT (don’t waste your breath, I’m just NOT GONNA), so don’t go putting ideas in his head.

(It would be awfully cute to have a couple of pygmies out there running around, though, wouldn’t it?)

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

The pictures and videos of Jake are fantastic.The meowing one cracked me up and that boy has some large paws in the second video. Is it the angle or is he gifted in the foot department? He appears to be a major piece of work.

It must be the angle – Jake is actually a pretty small cat, but of course all cats have big ol’ rabbit feet (the better to haul ass when need be, I guess!), and his are comparable to the rest of the cats.

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

Friday question/request: Are you growing veggies etc this year, and where are the pic’s of them, woman! 🙂

We are, of course, though there’s not much to see at the moment. I’ll try to get a picture this weekend to share – but nothing’s very big. I’m dying for my first tomato of the season, so hopefully the cold weather is gone and the hot weather will encourage the garden to grow!

(Pictures of the garden and part of the “orchard” will be up in Monday’s entry!)

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

Where’s Elwood? I never see any pix of him….is he camera shy??

He’s not really camera shy, he just tends not to be around when I’ve got the camera out. He’s a solitary creature, our Elwood. I did get a few shots of him, though!

“Hey, I can do the crazy eyes, too!”

Trying to get a shot of Jake and Elwood together (that’s Elwood laying down), but Jake would have none of it.

He really likes to hang out in the kitchen in hopes that food might be accidentally spilled.

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

I have accused my KIDS of pooping in the litter boxes because of both the stink and the size. They deny involvement.

Oddly enough, this reminds me of my favorite George Clooney story, which I read in a magazine years ago:

“Richard [Kind] had this cat that he loved and adored,” Ben Weiss tells me. “So George would go in the bathroom, and that’s where the litter box was. And there would be cat shit in there, so George would clean it up and flush it down the toilet. Then Richard would go in there and say, ‘God, it’s so weird. My cat hasn’t taken a shit in forever.’

“George went along with that, and kept cleaning the box for a few days. Richard went to the vet to get some kind of thing to make the cat go to the bathroom. The poor cat. The cat’s shitting, and George is still cleaning it up. And then finally George stood over the cat box and took a giant shit. And finally Richard goes in there and says, “Oh, my God! Kitty!” (Source)

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

Miss Maura is doing well in her new home with Kathy in Birmingham!

Poor Kathy got to see first-hand what Maura is like when you try to do something to her she doesn’t like. That cat is one of the hardest cats we’ve ever had to pill – and it’s stunning to see Miss Quiet and Laid-back fight for her life when you’re trying to pill her. She might be quiet, but she knows how to stand up for herself!

Things have cleared up for her, so now she’s been let out to explore the house and meet her brother Beau. Kathy said that Maura is submissive, but stands her ground. Beau gets all wound up, then runs away. I suspect that as a little time passes, Beau and Maura will ultimately be good friends.

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

“What?”

This is Bolitar. Doesn’t he look like his name should be “Buster”? He totally looks like a Buster to me.

“WHAT YOU WANT, LADY???”

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

When Kathy came to get Maura, she traded this cat bed for Maura’s favorite cat bed (so Maura would have her bed and not feel nervous in her new home), and I left it on the table – temporarily, I thought, ’til I could decide where to put it. Miz Poo located it, and declared it hers. I guess that’s where the bed will stay!

 

* =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= * =^..^= *

 

Previously
2009: I swear to god that if I had a brain, I’d be dangerous.
a href=”http://www.bitchypoo.com/date/2008/05/14″>2008: The hetred will never steer you wrong.
2007: Ugly, but somehow oddly appealing to me.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.
2004: Memeriffic.
2003: “One of the cats brought in a baby possum and it appears to be dying.”
2002: A mother can dream, can’t she?
2001: I almost shot a red bean out of my nose, I was laughing so hard.
2000: No entry.