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      Sunday, March 01, 2009


otherstuff
10:15 AM - 03/01/2009

The topic: Somebody buy me this…
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I really like it, but won’t pay twenty bucks for it.

But I love the message.

      Tuesday, March 03, 2009


catstuff
08:42 AM - 03/03/2009

The topic: It’s TUMMY TUESDAY #128!
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One of the days I had the camera going last month, Bobby came over to me and started rolling around and grabbing at my feet.  Of course, I had to start shooting.  And look what I got!  A picture of a Bobby belly!

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If you’ve got a Tummy Tuesday blog entry, feel free to post the link in the comment section or trackback to this entry. And if you put a link back to this page, then more kitties will get to show off their tummies!

      Wednesday, March 04, 2009


catstuff
09:52 AM - 03/04/2009

The topic: The Skippy plan
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So, Skippy continues to steer clear of the humans.  Jackie has learned if he gives chase to Skippy, at least one human shall give chase to Jackie, with a spray bottle of water in hand. Jackie doth not like getting hit with a jet of water.  When he hears the squirt mechanism, he runs into the house.  *laughing*

Anyway, Skippy is trying to get into the house at night, via the cat door in the garage.  Tonight, we will not set the door to in or out only, it will have full swing.  And we will set one of the traps in front of it, covering it with a towel.  So, when Skippy tries to enter tonight, he will be successful.

And tomorrow, Skippy will get his first ride in my car.  We’ll take him to the same place we take the ferals, not our regular vet, because he’s not fond of working with ferals, but the place where we took Wally.  If Skippy were more human amenable, I’d have no problems taking him the the regular vet, but this other place works with the county on feral neutering (not that we are asking for a discount), and we feel they’d be better equipped to handle a cat who might have problems with being handled.  And we’ll have him tested for disease, shutting the barn door after the horses have gotten out, since our cats have been in the yard with him for the past couple of weeks. *sigh* Not much we’ll be able to do about that.

And with any luck, by tomorrow evening, Skippy will be back here.

Brian’s going to get the trap down tonight when he gets home and I’ll probably have him get the big crate, too, the one with the shelf and the rope that I can hang a towel on, for some kitty privacy.  Who knows, maybe once back, Skippy will realize that he’s in a safe place and has no need to be frightful of us.

Some recent Skippy pictures:

Skippy at the very end, that’s Pete in front of him, keeping watch.


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Skippy sleeps


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Skippy wakes up; the scratch is Jackie's fault


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Of course, when I started taking pictures, the other cats came out to watch. And Rory decided she was going to kick the snot out of her brother, Ron Howard


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Skippy makes sure he's safe


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I took the next two from the extra room window. Skippy is up on the bank. He knows I'm there, but he knows I can't get to him.


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Be sure to visit the Friday Ark for more pet related blogs.

      Thursday, March 05, 2009


catstuff
06:54 AM - 03/05/2009

The topic: It worked!
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My plan worked!

Brian got the trap down and brought it into the garage.  After I was sure all of the current resident cats were in and I’d shut the computer down for the night, I placed the trap in front of the cat door.  After setting the trap, there was empty space on either side of the trap, between the trap body and the door.  I put cat litter containers there.  Those suckers are forty pounds each, no way a cat will move them.  Then there was the problem of the trap being set off by a cat walking on the top.  I put cardboard across the tops of the cat litter containers, then put gallon jugs of liquid to hold it in place.

Throughout the night, I’d check it.  Never saw a kitty cat in it.  The last time I checked it empty was a a little after three.   This morning, at five, we had a kitty.

The cat door with the litter boxes on either side


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The trap being checked out by Potter, Chandler and Pancho


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A not very happy Skippy


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I’m sure he’s very confused and very scared right now, but I hope to make that up to him for the rest of his life.

Please keep fingers crossed that he’s healthy.

 

UPDATE 9:00AM

Well, the vet clinic where we used to take ferals, asked when we came in, with the covered trap “do you have an appointment?”.  Uh, no, this is a cat in a trap, trapping isn’t an exact science.  “Well, you need an appointment.”  To which I replied “I’m not keeping him in that trap for days.” 

I called our regular vet, Amber answered, I explained the situation, she said “well, if it’s a neuter we can squeeze him in”.  As well as repeatedly wondering how he got into the yard.  I was really reluctant to take him there since I know the vet would rather not work on wild animals.  And really, at this point, we don’t know how Skippy will be with people.  I mean, HE KNEW THE CAT DOOR!  He’s gotta know people somewhere along the line.

So, he’s getting tested (please, please, please be healthy) and neutered today.

And, please, God, don’t let him go nuts and hurt anyone at the vet’s office.


catstuff
09:47 AM - 03/05/2009

The topic: Remember Bart’s picture for
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Tummy Tuesday?  I took this one yesterday, he’s looking much better, wouldn’t you agree?


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catstuff
09:49 AM - 03/05/2009

The topic: Pancho has been here almost a year
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And he's acclimated quite nicely, I think.

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catstuff
01:52 PM - 03/05/2009

The topic: Crap.
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Skippy has FIV.  Feline AIDS.  Same thing Handsome had.

Transmitted by deep bite wounds.  The vet advised euthanasia.  Because of the danger to the other cats.  Skippy is not an aggressive cat.  In the one altercation I broke up, Jackie was the aggressor and as soon as the testosterone has left Skippy’s body, Jackie should be okay.

Crap, crap, crap.

      Friday, March 06, 2009


catstuff
09:42 AM - 03/06/2009

The topic: Another headache
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So, this morning, I get up and let the cats out, check in the crate to make sure Skippy is still with us (he is, he’s found the perch) and go back to bed. Ah, how nice it is to not think I absolutely need to go out and find Skipper to make sure he’s alright before releasing the beasts. 

Back to bed I go.

We get up, go for our walk, come home.  Brian’s in the kitchen, putting water on to boil for his oatmeal.  I look out the window. 

What are the cats looking at?  Over on the bank, what are they all so interested in?  I can’t see this from where I’m standing.  I go outside.  I look on top of the doghouse at a black cat.  It doesn’t recognize me.  I don’t recognize it.

NOOOO!!!!!  Not ANOTHER one! 

I yelled in at Brian.  “There’s another cat out here.”  He said “no, there can’t be”.  Uh, yeah, there is.  I start getting the resident cats back in the house.  Couldn’t find Daniece anywhere outside, but didn’t see her inside.  I finally found her in the garage, hiding behind the storage cupboards. She was traumatized.  I picked her up and let her know everything was okay. 

Then I blocked the cat door.

We went outside, Brian looked under the pool pump where I’d seen the black cat run.  He didn’t see him.  He fires up the hose, he’s going to start spraying the grass around the pool.  This is an insane idea.  This cat has nowhere to go.  Brian just “wanted to make sure” there’s really a cat before he messes with opening the gate on the right of the house (it’s in bad shape, ready to fall over and he has it shored up on the outside until he has time to fix it properly).  I go back inside the house, grab a flashlight.  I took it back down to the pool pump and shine the light under the deck.  And on top of the towel Brian put out for Skippy, is a strange black cat.

Brian comes down and I hand him the flashlight.  “Look for yourself.”  He does.  “Are you sure this isn’t one of ours?”  I’m just shaking my head.  I ask him to tell me who it looks like (forget that I’ve already done the head count in the house and all black cats have been counted).  “Well, the neck seems kind of big for any of ours…”  And that would be because this is another unneutered male. 

Brian starts swearing.  He’s not happy.  Because he’s torn.  He really would rather not release this cat back to outside the yard, but realistically, we just are at capacity.  Setting out the trap would mean keeping the cats in until he’s trapped and who knows how long that will take?   I’m tired.  I’m sapped because of Skippy.  I just don’t have the energy to do this again so soon.  Brian, looking at the cat, says quietly to himself “but I don’t eat very much….”  I know his heart is hurting.

Opening the gates is the only option at this point.  The gates get opened.  Brian tried to scare the cat from under the pump by jumping on the wood overhead.  No luck.  Very apologetically, he got out the hose.  “I’m so sorry I have to do this, I’m just so very, very sorry” and he squirts in the direction of the cat. The cat runs out.  Over to the side of the yard by the shop.  Then up the bank.  He tries to escape through the fence at the top corner.  It’s not working.  We try to get him to go out of the gate.  He runs down from the bank, over to the other side of the house and out the gate there.

Whew.  I just don’t understand this.  It’s usually years between cats getting into the yard and now we’ve had two in two weeks?  What’s up with that?

*sigh*

I’ve got a headache.


catstuff
12:39 PM - 03/06/2009

The topic: If that black cat
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comes back into our yard, Brian said we’ll let him stay.

I guess he just feels really, really, really bad about having to let him out.

      Sunday, March 08, 2009


otherstuff
08:45 AM - 03/08/2009

The topic: Daylight Savings Time
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sucks.

otherstuff
08:46 AM - 03/08/2009

The topic: My old computer
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So, Brian’s gone, left for the property yesterday morning.  I messed around until late morning, then got started on changing out the sound card. Guess what?  The sound cards I got on eBay don’t fit in the slot that the old card was in.  They are useless to me, unless I can figure out where else they might go. And I just am not that savvy right now and I don’t want to do it.

But I refuse to give up.  If the old Virgin game 7th Guest runs under the win98SE OS, then why won’t the newer 11th Guest?  And, damn it, I want to play Under a Killing Moon! 

Looking at link after link, I finally find two that look promising.

I find one for Under A Killing Moon with instructions for running it in Dosbox.

I’ve tried Dosbox before, wasn’t really thrilled, would rather run DOS, but at this point, I’ll try anything.

I followed the step by step instructions and guess what?  I’m playing Under A Killing Moon!  The sound is a little choppy, but I think I can live with that.  The video seems to be okay.

Then I went to the link Ifound for setting up the 11th Hour in a windows environment.   The longest thing about that was defragging my hard drive before set up. 

I installed the Trilobyte patch and the 11th Hour now plays in Windows, I don’t have to exit to DOS.  Yay! 

Now that I’ve got that done, I’ll most likely not turn on that computer for another six months.


otherstuff
09:13 AM - 03/08/2009

The topic: Did you know
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there is no such word as “alot”?

It’s “a lot”.

And it’s not “anyways”, it’s “anyway”.


catstuff
09:15 AM - 03/08/2009

The topic: Skippy let me pet him!
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He liked those neck and ear scritches.  And he likes cheese.  I gave him a little bit last night and this morning and he ate them right up.  But then wouldn’t eat anymore. 

A half hour later I tried scritching him again and he hissed at me.

Well, a little bit is better than nada.

      Monday, March 09, 2009


catstuff
07:52 AM - 03/09/2009

The topic: Cleaning Skippy’s crate this morning
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He’s really good at using the litter box, but he covers it with the blanket when he poops and his stool was a little loose. Blankie got poo on it, so I had to change it out for a clean one.

I foolishly put my head in too far, without my hand going in first and he hissed at me, then slapped my head. Luckily it was right at the hairline, so the scabs won’t be that noticeable…..

      Tuesday, March 10, 2009


catstuff
09:06 AM - 03/10/2009

The topic: It’s TUMMY TUESDAY #129!
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This should be fun, Bobby has taken up residence on my lap.  Oh, good,  a substantial scritch got him to leave, that’s all he wanted.  Validation.

Okay, so today’s tummy belongs to Daniece.  Found her stretched out on the sofa last night and she just looks so darned cute, belly up, paws curled under.


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If you’ve got a Tummy Tuesday blog entry, feel free to post the link in the comment section or trackback to this entry. And if you put a link back to this page, then more kitties will get to show off their tummies!


catstuff
10:51 AM - 03/10/2009

The topic: Skippy update
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Well, Skippy is slowly coming around.  This past weekend I pulled the towel out, so there’s no privacy.  I figure he will assimilate better if he can see what’s going on.  I pull the blanket and towels down at night because I don’t want the other cats bugging him (and, okay, I have to say it) or spraying on the crate and getting pee inside. 

Pulling out the privacy towel was a good idea.  Since then he’s sleeping better and much more restful.  Seeing that there wasn’t anything to fear I’m sure has helped his progress.

He’s letting me pet him, will even lower his head so I can get behind his ears.  He’s more alert than he was. 

I did start him on amoxicillan last Saturday because I felt that if he had any sort of infection going on, this would help him recuperate more quickly.  And fortunately, he likes the Pill Pockets, so pilling is not an issue.

For the first time this morning, I saw him drinking water.  Yesterday, he was eating the dry food.  This is all good.  The first three or four days, all I knew that he was ingesting was the wet food I fed all the cats at night.  So, it would appear his appetite is picking up.

So, here are some pictures I’ve taken, starting last Thursday, when he first came home.

Thursday:

I have the crate completely covered because he was coming out of the sedation and was trying to get out.  The darkness and quiet helps him to calm down.


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Saturday: He's still not feeling well. He's in pain and I'm sure is confused about what he's doing here.


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This morning: He's a lot more relaxed. I took the second two pictures with the gate open. Didn't phase him in the least, he wanted to sleep.


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I’m glad to see him sleeping. It’s my guess that he’s recuperating from whatever was going on before he happened into our yard, the time spent in our yard, fleeing from both Jackie and me.  The only difference was I didn’t want to kick his ass, I wanted to be his friend.  I think he knows that now. 

Jackie doesn’t seem to care about him one way or the other, now that he’s in the house. 

Skippy does show a little more interest when the gate it open, looking out behind me.  I’m sure before too long, he’ll want out.  And that’s just fine with me. But as long as he’s not showing agitation at being cooped up, I figure that will give him more time to heal to stay safe and not be stressed by the others trying to check him out.

      Wednesday, March 11, 2009


catstuff
09:48 AM - 03/11/2009

The topic: Kirby gets a can of Friskies
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for his very own self each day.  What he doesn’t finish, I give to Miss Elizabeth.

Last weekend, he ate the entire bowl by himself (I feed him in the bathroom with the door shut).   I saw the empty bowl on the counter and he was ready to run out of the bathroom. 

Then I saw that he’d puked the entire bowl of food back up.  It was in the sink.

Yummy.

      Thursday, March 12, 2009


catstuff
08:10 PM - 03/12/2009

The topic: For the first time
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since he’s been here, Skippy decided he was going to walk out of the crate when I had opened the door to pull out his litter box.

Saturday. I’ll let him out Saturday.  He’ll be getting his last amoxi tomorrow night and I don’t want to let him out of the crate when all the cats are in the house.  I’ll let him out Saturday when we get back from breakfast.

I was happy dancing to see he wants out of there.  Believe me, I’ve been waiting for this moment.

      Friday, March 13, 2009


catstuff
02:31 PM - 03/13/2009

The topic: Skippy is outside
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and he’s loving it.  I let him out a couple of hours ago and he hasn’t settled down yet.  He went out cautiously, but once he realized where he was, he started running around.  He ran up trees, rolled in dirt, he’s just having a great time.

Still not too sure of me, though.  He’s keeping his distance.  We’ll see what it’s like when it’s time for kitties in.  If he doesn’t run in with the rest, I’ll leave the cat door to in only.

      Sunday, March 15, 2009


catstuff
09:49 AM - 03/15/2009

The topic: Friday Skippy went outside
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and Friday night, Skippy did not come in.  Not with the other cats at “kitties in” and not through the cat door.

There was very little dry food outside.

Last night, just before “kitties in”, Skippy came into the house for something to eat. And he ended up staying indoors all night. 

But this morning, he was one of the first out the door when I opened it.

Surprisingly, there wasn’t much hissing, spitting or growling last night and I actually got a good night’s sleep because I wasn’t worried about him outside.  Funny that. He’s lived for who knows how long outdoors without any help from me and I slept just fine. But he becomes my ward and I worry.

I’m hoping he gets the schedule quickly.  Evening-in.  Morning-out.

Seems pretty simple to me.

      Monday, March 16, 2009


catstuff
08:22 AM - 03/16/2009

The topic: Skippy news
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Last night was the second night he spent inside.  When he came in, I shut the door behind him.  There were still a few cats out, but I’d already chased the ones who don’t do the cat door in (Little Bit is the big worry).

There was a little growling, but not much.  And we found that Skippy is laying on the fake plant on top of the armoire to sleep.  The problem is when he gets down, the other cats are up there sniffing around and rustling the leaves and making sleep hard.  *sigh*

When the door is opened in the morning (the first time, the time when I go back to bed), Skippy is one of the first ones out.  It’s in the low 40s and when I got up, I see him curled up in the damp grass by the pool.  He likes this spot, but I don’t understand him laying right there where it can’t be warm at all.  And yesterday, when it was nice, I watched him breathing and it was way faster than normal, but I don’t know if he was dreaming or smelling something blowing in on the wind.  I watched him off and on during the day and for the most part, his breathing looked okay.  I just keep remembering Blackie. 

So, this morning, he wants to come back inside.  I opened the sliding door (the heats on, I don’t want to leave it open) and he made his way back inside.  He loves the Drinkwell Original Pet Fountain. He likes that running water and went back to it a couple of times while we were watching. He wanted to go back outside, but I’d shut the door. I decided to see if I could get him to go out the cat door in the garage.  And with a little coaxing, he made it into the garage.  I’d tossed some Greenies outside of the door, in hopes that the other cats would go out and he’d see that the door was working as it should, no trap on the other side.  LOL

Potter, the new resident stalker, was the first to go out.  The first and only, the others were running around, crying at me “where’s the treats?  I smell the treats, where’s the treats?”  But Skippy did come out to the garage and I heard him at the door.  I was in the dining room, Brian had made breakfast.  I look out the window and that little rat Potter was standing guard on the other side of the cat door, not letting Skip out.

I put down my fork and ran out the living room door, around the house, scooped Potter up in my arms and brought him back inside.  He just smiled at me, like he was such a good boy.  Hard to be angry with him.

Anyway, Skippy made it through the cat door, to go back into the out. I’m pleased that he did the cat door.  Now that I know he knows it, I’ll be interested to see if he comes in the same way.  Food is a great incentive.

      Tuesday, March 17, 2009


catstuff
08:58 AM - 03/17/2009

The topic: It’s TUMMY TUESDAY #130!
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Do you ever have one of those days where you don’t know if you’re depressed, bored or just have a bad case of PMS?  And by PMS I mean “Poor Me Syndrome”? Where for no reason that you can tell, you feel sorry for yourself?  My day was like that yesterday.

I finally figured out I was just bored.  Me being bored makes no sense at all, because I’ve got plenty I can be doing.  I can play games on my old computer now that I’ve finally got it all set up.  I can learn how to properly use the settings on any one of my cameras.  I can learn how to use the sewing machine that embroiders, the one who’s needle I’ve never even threaded.  Or I can use my old sewing machine to make some clothes (I’ve got a cedar chest full of yards and yards of fabric and patterns I’ve never even cut out).  I can bead.  I can straighten out my jewelry drawer (where I just toss my Disney bags with new pins, just toss my necklaces, earrings or watches, so bad now I can hardly even get it open, I need to wear reading glasses and use a flashlight to find anything in that drawer). Or I can start crocheting again.  Lord knows I’ve got enough yarn to last me for decades. 

I decided to crochet. I pulled down a storage container that had some sort of cover started.  I thought it was supposed to be for the loveseat, but it’s too small for that, it must be for the recliner.  I sat in my corner of the sofa and started crocheting. It was if I’d never stopped. 

And Richie lay next to me.  And Richie showed me his belly.  And I got a picture of it.  I was very glad he didn’t grab for the yarn.


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If you’ve got a Tummy Tuesday blog entry, feel free to post the link in the comment section or trackback to this entry. And if you put a link back to this page, then more kitties will get to show off their tummies!

      Thursday, March 19, 2009


catstuff
08:06 AM - 03/19/2009

The topic: Skippy’s first friend?
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I think his first play buddy just might be Lorelei.

This morning I went out to say “good morning” to him.  I’m pleased that he’s no longer dashing away immediately when he sees me.  It’s slow going, but I think before too long, he’ll no longer consider me a threat to the point that he needs to flee.  Anyway, as I’m talking to him, Lorelei comes up to me. I pick her up, give her a snuggle, then let her go. She bounced up onto the bank, bounces over to the doghouse, then down onto the grass and over to the plum tree.  She runs up into the plum tree. 

Skippy had decided I was moving just a little too quickly for his liking and he started up the bank.  And he watched Lorelei.  And he followed her.  He didn’t give chase, but you could tell he wanted to, not an aggressive chase, but a playful chase (where the cats bounce).  He watched with interest as she was in the tree.

Yep, I think Lorelei might be his first friend.

Or he’s just finally getting assimilated into the clowder and is feeling more at ease with the other cats.  Since he’s only about a year and a half old, I do expect him to be playful.

      Monday, March 23, 2009


catstuff
07:30 AM - 03/23/2009

The topic: Acclimation
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Well, he knows in at night and out in the morning.  I’m talking about Skippy, in case you were wondering. 

And this morning, before I opened the door, I took advantage of the fact that Skippy was right in front of me.  I started stroking him.  It sure makes me smile when he lifts his butt in the air.  But no matter how fine that stroking felt to him, he still wanted out.

When I finally got up, I found him on the bank, sleeping between some mondo grass.  One of his usual spots.  I’m looking forward to the day when he’s just as comfortable inside as he is out.  I think one of the things with being in is he’s not really sure where he’s supposed to run when there’s a chance some kitty might decide to rumble.  And he can’t relax.  But he is eating from the cat feeders and as I mentioned before, he loves the water fountains.

He even came into the garage last night when I fed the cats (if you were watching the dinnercam, you might have seen him).  He didn’t stay long, he sniffed a bowl and left.  I saw him eating the same food in the office not ten minutes later.  I guess he just didn’t like the company. LOL


otherstuff
07:55 AM - 03/23/2009

The topic: Stupid PMS
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Not the premenstrual, but the poor me.  Gah, it’s so annoying.  Sitting here thinking about Brian not liking his job, but thinking to myself “even though he’s doing basically the same thing over and over, he’s doing it elsewhere, he’s meeting other people and he’s talented at what he does.”  What do I do?  I sit here all day long, washing the same laundry, cleaning the same litter boxes, vacuuming the same floor….I’m bored with my life.

So, he’s in the office yesterday, I’m in the other room flipping through channels.  PBS has a three hour program with Dr. Wayne Dyer.  Interesting.  Back in the seventies, I lived with my first boyfriend.  While he wasn’t physically abusive, he could be pretty mean with some of the things he said.  I belonged to a book club and he was reading some of the info on the books and told me I should get this certain book, because I was so messed up.  The book?  “Your Erroneous Zones” by Dr. Wayne Dyer. 

I ordered it.  It came.  I read it.  I lost weight (I’ve always had a weight problem).  I felt better about myself. I got a new job.  And I left him. It was a hard thing to do, it was a scary thing to do, but I did it. And I never regretted it.  (He did. Told me “I should have never told you to get that book.”)

The show was probably halfway done.  (And I came to believe that there was actually only an hour of show, the rest was the PBS “give us money, please, give us money” crap.  I ended up turning it off and I set the recorder to get it last night and I can watch it and fast forward through the pleas for money.) Anyway, the part I did see, I found very interesting.  It was about your passion.  And one of the things he said was to have a good life, to not complain about the things you have to do to live.  Find the joy in your life and things will come to you. 

After I’d turned it off, I started thinking about this.  And my boring, joyless life.  I asked Brian “what kind of joy can I find in cleaning the same litterboxes day after day?”  Then it hit me.  I said “you know what?  I’m living my childhood dream.  I’ve got lots of cats.  I just never knew it would be so much work.”

But you know what?  Being a model is a lot of work.  Being president of the United States is a lot of work. Being a writer is a lot of work.  Just about anything worth doing is a lot of work.  But the results are what make the work worthwhile.

So, I’m gonna try to quit bitching to myself about my boring life.  Because it’s really not so boring after all.  I’m living my dream.  How many people can say that?


catstuff
04:16 PM - 03/23/2009

The topic: For those of you who don’t know
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and don’t pay attention to the pictures at the top of this page, I feed the cats at a quarter til eight (Pacific Daylight Time - which sucks) most nights. 

And on lots of those nights, I’ve got a camera going so you can watch.

Isn’t that just the most exciting thing you’ve read today?  Bet you can hardly wait!

jesterA


catstuff
04:31 PM - 03/23/2009

The topic: In case you’ve forgotten
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what Skippy looks like, here are some pictures.

On the bank, in front of the doghouse:


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Laying on the bench by the pool:


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Going to check out the morning kibble toss leftovers:


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Eating some of that kibble (he'll come running when he hears me toss it out):


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Drinking out of one of the water fountains. I would venture to guess if it weren't for the water fountain, he'd probably never come inside during the day:


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catstuff
04:54 PM - 03/23/2009

The topic: So, we’re both in the office
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and I hear one of the cats in the litterbox.   I turn around and watch.  I call Brian’s attention to the cat in the box.

It’s Oliver.  And he has his head and two front paws inside the box, in the litter.  His back end, tail, back legs and paws are on the outside of the box.

He’s squatting and he’s pooping.  I always wondered why he pooped outside of the box and not in it.  Now I know. 

Technically, he is in the box.

It was sure stinky.

      Tuesday, March 24, 2009


catstuff
07:25 AM - 03/24/2009

The topic: Who dat?
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In our back yard this morning.  Not feral.  Male.  Neutered.  Kind of dirty, which would lead me to believe he’s been on his own for a little while, but he just could be somebody’s cat that roams.  Which makes me crazy.

I’ll keep an eye out for posters and “lost cat” ads in the paper.  If nothing appears, we’ve got us a new kitty cat.  Oh, and I’m going to see about taking him in for testing this afternoon.


catstuff
09:13 AM - 03/24/2009

The topic: It’s TUMMY TUESDAY #131!
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And for today, I've got three tummies! First off is the oh so adorable Rachel in the catcam chair. She's getting chubby:


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Sunday was a pretty cool day, cats stayed in and comfy on the sofa. I snapped this tummy of Richie. His back paw is on Benny, and he's kind of laying on Daniece:


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And here we have Georgie, sleeping on the arm of the sofa:


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Hope you enjoyed!

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If you’ve got a Tummy Tuesday blog entry, feel free to post the link in the comment section or trackback to this entry. And if you put a link back to this page, then more kitties will get to show off their tummies!

      Wednesday, March 25, 2009


catstuff
10:36 AM - 03/25/2009

The topic: Introducing…....
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SPOT!


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I’m sure you can see where he got his name..jesterA Brian was in favor of Homer, but I said no!  You name him Homer, I’ll call him Homey. Brian said no way, so we went with Spot.  That became official after we were sure that the marking on his side was not temporary.

We went to the vet this morning, where he tested disease free (yay!), no microchip, and the vet said he looks pretty healthy after a thorough exam.  Said he’s probably a year to a year and a half old.  I found this amazing since he put Skippy at a year and a half, and Skippy weighs twice as much.  So, it’s looking like we have kitty number (koff koff) thirty-seven.  [gulp]

I took some pictures of him yesterday and some more this morning, in the back yard.  It’s a very, very nice day, very pleasant and it was nice just sitting on the ground with the camera. 

Let me tell you about Spot’s first day here.

After spending the better part of the morning trying to find a way out, he spent the rest of the day in the family room window, sleeping peacefully.


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That ended after we went to bed.  He cried all night long, looking for a way out.  Memories of Bobby last year.  I hope Spot doesn’t take as long to get used to the diurnal life we live here as Bobby did.

Back from the vet, out of the carrier and he’s officially a new family member.  He stopped by the fountain for a drink of cool water. His chin looks really goofy in this picture.


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Skippy took right to him. We’re thinking they knew each other before coming into the yard. Skippy didn’t react to any of the resident cats like he did Spot. After sniffing him, he followed him around, rubbing bodies and head butting him. It might be because they’re both new, but I’m thinking they were already buds.


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Lorelei, enjoying a morning sunbeam.


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Spot, rolling over in the grass.


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Ron Howard AKA Little Shit tries to start something with Spot. I heard Ron growling and watched as he arched his back in the "I dare ya" stance. Spot just yawned and Ron ended up walking away.


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And then there's sweet little Bob.


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Skippy stops and smells the whatever on his way to his day bed, between the mondo grasses.


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Oliver, the bread head (his face smells like freshly baked bread...yum!). He just doesn't know what to make of all the new cats. He does know they do not make him happy.


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Right now, Spot is down by the pool, just checking things out.  It doesn’t appear that he’s looking for a way out, but just learning his new digs.

I hope he likes it here.

      Thursday, March 26, 2009


catstuff
07:46 AM - 03/26/2009

The topic: While I’m pleased that
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Skippy has a friend in Spot, the problem is Skippy is now more active.  Much more active. And he looks to be a little possessive of Spot. This made for a not too much fun evening last night. 

Now, I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned that Captain is a slappy cat.  He’s one of those cats who will not make friends.  Any cat who gets into what he considers his space, gets slapped.  Well, he’s on the dining room table last night.  Spot jumps up onto the table.  Captain Slappy slaps.  A little fight ensues. Skippy gets riled up and starts going after other cats.  I grab the water bottle and start spraying like crazy. Skippy runs, smacking cats along the way.

I find him and yell at him.  I tell him ‘you don’t fight the other kitties!’ 

The problem right now is that many of the cats are on edge and will jump at the littlest thing, which has the domino effect of everybody wigging out. An example.  We’re watching television last night.  Georgie is sleeping on the arm of my chair (like in this past Tummy Tuesday pic).  There’s a small table next to the arm of the chair, where I have my glasses, my water glass, a plastic coaster, a plastic hair clip and the remote.  Georgie gives a little stretch and moves the hair clip. It makes a little scratching sound on the table top.

The cats scatter.

The cats slap.

It’s not the most fun thing in my life.

I find the Feliway spray and go nuts through the house. I get a headache, Brian’s chest gets tight from the smell of the Feliway.  But the house calms down. Then I go in search of my diffusers.  I find one brand new refill, but I can’t seem to find one of the three diffusers I know I’ve got.  It took about fifteen minutes, but I did find it and got it set up in the family room. 

The household calms down.  Spot stretched out on the cedar chest in the dining room and Skippy took up watch on the kitchen counter, keeping an eye on his charge. 

Things were quiet until 3:30 this morning.  At which time Little Shit decided he was going to get into it with Spot. And Skippy wasn’t going to let this happen.  I got out of bed and opened the sliding door to the patio.  “Just get the hell out, I need my sleep.”  The posturing doesn’t happen as much outside.

I’m seriously considering calling the vet and getting a prescrip called in for Skippy.  I know he’ll take a pill in a pill pocket.  Just to keep him calmed down until everybody adjusts to having new cats in the house.  The skittishness and slapping doesn’t bother me as much as the thought of him getting into a bad fight with one of the others, because everyone is so spooked.  You know, that misplaced aggression thing.

Brian says to wait, call tomorrow, see how things go today.  He’s probably right.

Oh, and since the introduction of Spot, Skippy is MUCH more friendly to me.  He rubs my legs, follows me around (just a little bit) after I pet him. He talks to me and trills to me.  Which is why I was so upset last night when I started hitting him with squirts of water.  But he’s not holding it against me, I guess, he still likes me this morning.


catstuff
08:56 AM - 03/26/2009

The topic: You’re probably gonna get tired of these updates….
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but so what? tongue laugh

*lol*

So, this morning, Spot wanted in.  It’s cool outside, the heater is on and I’d shut the doors.  I open the door.  “Come on, Spot, get in, I’m not keeping the door open”.  He comes in.  Skippy is right behind him.  Not sure if he’s gonna come in or not.  I shut the door, he stands there, looking at the door, looking so pitiful.

I open it.  “Come in!”  After doing this about ten times, he decides he wants to be with Spot and comes inside.  They eat a little, then go into the main part of the house. Then into the garage.  I follow.  “Hey, Spot, let me show you something…”

I pick him up and show him how the cat door works.  I pushed it open, held it that way with my hand, then put him in it and he walks outside.  I opened it for Skippy and he followed Spot.  Then Spot turns around and comes right back in, he’s got the cat door down after one try.  Skippy, on the other hand, stands outside nudging it with his nose. And cries.  “I want in, please let me in!” 

Goof.

I guess he’s still traumatized by that trap being on the other side of the door.  He’ll get over it.

 


otherstuff
09:11 AM - 03/26/2009

The topic: So, we’re watching television last night
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and that Quaker Oatmeal commercial comes on.  You know, the one where they strap on the jet packs, but the “jets” are cartons of oatmeal, then they take off.

Brian has expressed his not understanding this commercial a couple of times.  I explain it to him. That oatmeal is supposed to give you energy.  Then he tells me “well, whenever I have it, I sure don’t have energy for very long”. And I say “well, maybe that’s because you eat the sweetened crap, the flavored stuff. If I made it from the oatmeal carton and it was just plain, you might have more energy.” 

He takes umbrage.  Tells me that there are plain flavors in the box of mixed we get at CostCo. And that he has those “every other time”.  Now, I know that there’s not much of a sweet smell to the regular, plain flavors.  And that I usually get a whiff of sweetness when he has oatmeal.  Anal person that I am, I get up from my spot on the sofa, go into the kitchen, grab the box of oatmeal and dump all of the packets on the counter.

“Okay, let’s just see how many of the flavorless packets you’ve actually eaten….”

He’s getting pissed off. He starts to tell me “well, I just grab what’s in there, I don’t pay attention.” 

I ignore him and start splitting the packets into individual piles.  I read from the box.  “Okay, there are ten packages of regular included in the box.”  I count the regular packages on the counter.  I count ten!  Then I read the side of the box.  “Okay, there are six packages of oats and flax included and there are four in the pile. You’ve had two of those!”

The mixed berry count was way down (only two left), the apples and cinnamon was down, and probably six of the maple flavored gone. 

My point made, I put all of the packets back in the carton and put it back on the frig.

But that said, I do agree with him that a breakfast of bacon, eggs and toast does seem to last longer than a breakfast of oatmeal.  Flavored or not.

      Saturday, March 28, 2009


otherstuff
12:38 PM - 03/28/2009

The topic: Facebook
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I joined this past week and play Pet Society and Farm Town.

Anybody else play?

      Sunday, March 29, 2009


catstuff
12:32 PM - 03/29/2009

The topic: Skippy and Spot
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So far, no posters or mentions in the paper of lost cats.  Not for these two, anyway.  I think they were both abandoned, Skip before Spot.  I think Spot’s abandonment was more recent.

Anyway, a short recap.  When Skippy came here, I couldn’t get near him. Then he walked into the trap via the garage cat door.  Then he got neutered, spent a week in a large dog crate.  The first couple of days he hid behind the curtain (towel). Then I took that out and took my chances petting him.  I got slapped a couple of times when I scraped the bottom of the crate to clean up all the kicked out litter.  I let him out and he caught on to coming in at night.   Then Spot shows up and Skippy took him under his wing.

Skippy would not let Spotty out of his sight. Wherever Spot laid down, Skippy was close by.  Wherever Spot went in the yard, Skippy followed.

The plus to all this was that Skippy got a lot more relaxed around me.  Since I was no threat to his buddy, I’d most likely be no threat to him. I guess he understood that, because he’d come up to me and let me pet him, he started rubbing up against my legs.  Yesterday, I even heard him purr. The first time!

And I think having Spot here just made Skippy all around more relaxed.  Because right now, Spot is sleeping on the bed, on my pillow.  Skippy is outside in the ferns.  I was able to reach in and let him sniff me and give him a little scritch between his ears.  He didn’t get up, he didn’t run, he just stayed where he was, all kicked back.

Spot was a godsend.

      Monday, March 30, 2009


otherstuff
01:21 PM - 03/30/2009

The topic: Someone emptied out one of our bank accounts
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last week.  We went to the bank this morning to file papers about it, then I had to file a police report.

Of course, the young man who came here is allergic to cats.  And then he asks “how many do you have?”  I say “a lot”.  “How many is a lot?”  “A lot.”

Then I tell him I don’t want someone coming and taking them away because we’re over limit.  Limit is six, I think.  *lol*  He said “I don’t care about that, I’d rather they were here than out on the street.”  So, I told him. 

I guess when he looked around and saw all of the cat trees in the living room and the house isn’t in reek mode, well, he probably figured they ARE better off here than on the street.

      Tuesday, March 31, 2009


catstuff
10:17 AM - 03/31/2009
I'm listening to Facebook's Pet Society

The topic: It’s Tummy Tuesday #132!
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And after only being here a week, the newest kitty of the clowder, shows he's got a belly as good as any kitty here! For your viewing pleasure, here's Spot!

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Isn't he a cutie pie? ================================================ If you've got a Tummy Tuesday blog entry, feel free to post the link in the comment section or trackback to this entry. And if you put a link back to this page, then more kitties will get to show off their tummies!
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lisaviolet is seventy something, married with no kids, takes care of lots of cats, likes taking photographs, loves Southern California weather and spends altogether too much time avoiding her responsibilities.

In her spare time, she makes pretty things to sell in her store.

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