Bad Day

Someone on Facebook sent me this today. What makes it even funnier is that he is a very large and tough (not!) LA cop who doesn't know anything (he says) about cats, and cares less.

It's been a bad day for the kittens who have been in deep hiding without food and water since the cleaning lady arrived at 9. She's been gone for an hour, and Sophie and Santino still have not come out. Oh boy, I am going to hear about this from Santino!!! I'm sure he'll be very shocked and hurt.

Miki and Rudy helped with the cleaning, though. :-)

Hot, Hot, Hot

Except for a burst of wild play, the kitties have just been lounging today, and they have been doing so alone. I have been industrious.:-)

Yes, Rudy's belly really is the color of the couch.
I've never seen another Aby of such great color.

Is My Cat Weird?

O.K., o.k......all cats, just like people.....are a bit strange which, in my mind, makes them all the more lovable....depending, of course, on the nature of the strangeness. (I'll spare you examples, as I am certain you can think of plenty yourself.)

Santino just went ape over my vegetarian lasagna. He loves it.
Is my cat a vegetarian? Should I allow him to have this as a snack, or do I have to shut myself in a closet in order to eat it undisturbed?

Oh, and his favorite toy is a small clay fish which he finds on my art table no matter how well I hide it. I could put the fish into a jar, but now....what kind of fun would that be?

A Special Awakening

I opened my eyes this morning, but I couldn't see. Oh, there was something, but I could not bring it into focus.

Before I had time to become alarmed, the something began purring. Santino's face was pressed hard against mine, his eyes open staring into mine.

Sweet, sweet Santino....I adore him so!

Leeroy's Umbrella

This photo was taken a couple of weeks ago when it was raining everyday. I just didn't have time to post it then.
I had used my umbrella and set it in the hallway to dry before I folded it up. On my way to the bathroom I spotted Leroy sitting under it. He stayed there long enough for me to go get the camera and take his picture. I have no clue as to what he was doing. I don't think he knows what he was doing. But he was enjoying himself. Notice the kitties on the umbrella. My MIL gave it to me. It's one of the few things I really like that she has given to me. The handle is a kitten too. Unfortunately the kitty handle has lost both its ears and eyes! But the umbrella is still functions.

So Relaxed

I thought Santino was so cute with his head hanging off the couch!
He was also cute when he lay down on top of Sophie who simply got up without a grumble and moved over.

He was cute when he sat right against Rudy and allowed Rudy to wash his ears. Actually, I even thought he was cute when he ate brown rice out of my dinner plate. About the only time I don't think he's so cute when he jumps up my bare shoulder with his claws out. Even with them clipped, it hurts. Oh, and I have to admit I think he's cute when I catch him on the dining table and he gives me his best innocent look. He is very smart and there isn't a doubt in my mind about his knowing where he is and isn't allowed.:-)

Things are really good here! My feline family is very relaxed. Everyone is looking good, too, and Santino is his fluffy self again.

I'm afraid I'm on the fluffy side, myself. I blame it on going vegetarian. Why do people think it's o.k. to eat undomesticated animals, while it's not o.k. to eat domesticated ones? Is a pig's life really less valuable than a dog's or a cat's? I used to think so, but not anymore.

Back to Normal

His Royal Sweetness Santino is already recovered from his surgery. Though the written instructions handed to me were to keep him quiet for 7 to 10 days, I have never done that with a neuter, nor would Santino stand for it. I did stop him from wrestling with Sophie last night, and oh, the look I got from both!:-)

Miki is still a bit grumpy, but it's directed at all 3, no longer centered on Santino. I think he is feeling a bit neglected! I had 3 friends over for lunch today, and he made good use of their laps while Rudy did Aby tricks for attention. I did not get to show off the kittens because they hid for the entire time. It's not a large house, but I could not find them. I so hope they will outgrow their shyness! No one who has come over has seen either one of them.

We are treating Santino's very smelly soft stools with a food change and a probiotic creme (oral).
Vet said yoghurt does not work as well because cats have different flora than humans. I administer it every 12 hours and I'm grateful that I CAN. (Both Miki and Rudy won't let me anywhere near after giving them medication just once! That's when another person here would come in handy. ) I am relieved to have found a vet I am able to trust. When I asked him abut tritrich.... foetus, he at least knew what it was and explained why he did not believe it was likely.
At last, I don't have to play Vet! :-) Yippeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Bad Haiku

Kitty castrated//
Sweet cat so betrayed again/
Bye bye furry balls//

All cats stirred up here//
Brother no balls smells funny//
Be gone strange kitty//

Chaska not happy//
Too much tension with my four//
Return, normal day//

Tomorrow will come//
Pretty balls gone now o.k.//
We still like haiku//

A Day in The Life Of....

Just as I was thinking I would need to open another can of "Hunter's stew with duck", Rudy walked away in disgust. Too crowded for his royal Abyssinian highness. Miki vanished shortly hereafter.


Too full to move, it's time for a nap. It looks peaceful here, and it IS, except for this morning when I was awakened very early. What's funny is that only last night I was thinking about how much fun the kittens are. This moring I woke up to Sophie chewing on my toes, and Santino pouncing around on my body. Couldn't go back to sleep. Discovered both food bowl completely empty.

Animal Communication

This is Chocolate Point Balinese Santino, after whom I named my little boy Santino. Balinese are small cats...usually 7 to 8 pounds, but Santino Sr. is from Sweden where they like a lot of cat. He is 10 pounds, I was delighted to hear. More of a good thing is simply wonderful! I expect my Santino will reach 9 pounds.:-)

I tuned into Val Heart's teleseminar on Animal Communication. (Unfortunately, she is now limiting her practice to horses and dogs, or I would use her to talk to Santino about his trip here, and to Sophie about her trust issues. ) Though I continue to remain skeptical, I am most interested. I would LOVE to take the 10 hour ++ course in Animal Communication, but I can't spend the $499! It's fascinating stuff! Everything the animal expresses is an effort to communicate with us. Animals are spiritual beings with their own valid viewpoints. Are we willing to open our minds and willing to hear them? Animals live in a feeling world. They are not busy mentally like we are. They feel what we feel....they mirror us. (Makes me wonder about peeing problems of the past! I'm so glad that Rudy stops at merely making motions to cover up food that he doesn't like, and that I get it, and he doesn't need to take another step to making me understand!)

I now wish I had taken the time and effort to fly up to get Santino, spending a couple of days with him before traveling with him in the cabin. He must have been so very scared! I was not thinking!!! Taken from his home with his human mom and dad, adoring cat mom and lots of little relatives and put on a noise plane with strangers. Cruel, I now think. Oh, and Sophie.....She is still a bit scared of me, but I sense her love for me so clearly. I'm thinking it's not my imagination. It's in the way she looks at me....and, in how she treats precious Santino. Someday, she, too, will be nestled against my head when I sleep.

http://www.valheart.com/5SecretsThx.html

Kitty Dynamics

This cat tower is a major activity center. The two kittens have claimed it for themselves. Sophie captured it from Rudy, but
she did not argue with Santino when he claimed it for his own.
So far it's looking like he intends to be top cat here.:-)

















Sophie and Santino always wind up together. Only when Santinoto lies on top of Sophie,does she move. She is such an easy-going cat. She never swats anyone.

My friend, Louise, was right. Four is a better number than three. The two young ones have bonded, and the older two are much happier not being bothered too much by either kitten. They are very tolerant and kind, but draw the line at being pounced on, sat one, or the like. And, for the first time ever, I have witnessed Rudy and Miki grooming each other!

They share me fairly well during the night, lining up in a kitty train along my side. There is jostling for position, though, and none of us sleep until the older two just give up and let Santino have my shoulder and face. Next comes either Miki or Rudy...whichever arrives first to claim the spot below Santino, and at the foot of the bed is Sophie. Santino sleeps curled into me, but Rudy and Miki stretch out full length. When I shift, the jokeying for position starts all over. I think I just figured out why I wake up tired, duh.

Santino was diagnosed with "gastroenteritis" yesterday, and much to my relief, he is better today. I was happy with the vet's approach of starting conservatively while alerting me to the importance of calling him today, and not waiting until Monday. So, Dr. Doogie has passed the second "interview". I liked him even more yesterday....and, today, since Santino is much better.

Oh, by the way....suede cloth is the perfect material as far as I'm concerned! The upholstered chair which was covered with a volume of liquid vomit, dried without a mark on it. All I did was blot it with paper towels. Sometimes, cleaning fluids or water leave a worse stain, and I'm so glad I waited. Yes, I am a cat-lady, but I don't want my house to look like a cat-house. LOL

Chloe

This kitty's name is Chloe she is a real sweetheart. She belongs to a friend of mine.
She appeared one day at their house and stayed. I know this picture looks like she was sampling the wine but she really wasn't. My friend is an artist so that is the reason for the nicely composed picture. As well as a very co operative kitty.
I have a new picture of Leroy that I want to post but I have to down load it from the camera. I will do it as soon as I can.

Barfing Birthday

Santino is 6 months old today. Just like a human baby, he barfed. He was sitting on the back of this livingroom chair, but as soon as I lifted my camera in for the perfect birthday shot, he barfed all over the chair. I watched in mild horror as the barf formed a puddle on the chair seat. By the time I unfroze, it was over, and all I got was him looking at the barf with a puzzled expression.

He had skipped dinner last night and breakfast this morning...so his tummy had been upset. He is fine now, however, sweetly cuddled in my lap.

Somebody is always barfing! And, it's always very shortlived, and I never get to the bottom of it, damn it. No hairballs, no stray rubber bands, no pieces of silk plant, nothing.

Interviewing the Vet

Santino and I interviewed Dr. Doogie this morning. He is 30, he told us, but looks like he's 18. We liked what we could see of the practice, and we liked Dr. Doogie and the vet tech...yeah, we liked the vet tech in spite of her tongue piercing.

Santino is a BIG little boy of 5.2 pounds!( God, he feels good to cuddle!) Wow! His daddy must be big. Santino protested all the way to the vet, only 10 minutes away. But, he was fine once he was there, as well as on the return trip home. I was very happy about how he was about being handled! I made a neutering appointment for next Monday. I think we have made a good match....The vet is only two years out of school, but I am looking at his being familiar with the latest, though with typical Texas limitations. Geez!

Rudy was visibly happy to have Santino back home. :-)