Trista's Cat Tales

Talking Cat

2011-08-05T23:37:00.000-04:00

We're pet sitting for a talking cat, and we love him! He's gray, like our Hoss, and almost as wise. As soon as he hears our human open the door, he starts talking to her. Sometimes he mews, and sometimes he mee-oows in a deep voice. He turns "meow" into lots of different words and talks nonstop while our human lies on the floor beside him. When he's had his say, he gets up and goes under his human's bed. Hmmm... I wonder why he does that. Anyway, that's his way of telling our human it's time to fix his food.

Hey, did you know kittens and mother cats meow to each other, but adult cats don't. We communicate with each other through body language and with our eyes. We meow to humans because, well, we know most aren't real smart and don't speak our language.

Here's a picture of Otto stretched out on the floor talking to our human. Isn't he beautiful!

Let Me Out Of Here

2011-08-03T00:04:00.000-04:00

We pet sat for a new cat last week, a handsome tabby named Ollie. We love him! We were told he's very shy, but he came right out of hiding to see our human. She was so pleased! She thought he must really like her because she gave him treats. Maybe he did, but I think there was a reason why he sat in front of the cat door the whole time she was there. Can't she take a hint? Oh, I forgot. He was supposed to stay inside while his people were out of town. Poor Ollie. Glad they were gone for just a couple of days.

Darn. I wish we had a cat door. Then we wouldn't have to wait for a human to let us in and out.

Here's Ollie's picture. Isn't he beautiful! And look, he has a screened porch, too. Lucky cat!

Cats Before Plants Part Two

2011-07-22T00:01:00.000-04:00

Bagley's not angry with our human anymore. He met her at the bottom of the steps, and they sat together on the floor of the foyer for a long time. He was rubbing against her face and purring really loudly. Our human loved that, even though she had little bits of silky orange fur stuck to her face.

Here's another picture of him.

Cats Before Plants Please

2011-07-18T21:26:00.000-04:00

Bagley's not too happy with our human tonight. Today, she watered the plants on the deck before she fed him. He sat at the entrance to the kitchen and glared at her as she went back and forth and back and forth with the watering can. Silly human... Since when are plants more important than cats? And no, he didn't want to go out on the deck and help her!

Bagley's a beautiful orange Persian with attitude. We love him so much. Hope you like his picture.

More Catnip Capers

2011-07-16T00:42:00.001-04:00

We pet sat for Ginger and Cinnamon again this week, and our human took them more of our catnip! It was really good catnip, too, the kind that comes in little bags, not those plastic tubs. Right before she left their house, she gave them some 'nip on their favorite rug and put the bag in the silverware drawer, where she thought it would be safe.

When she went back the next day, the drawer was open, and there was catnip everywhere. She found the empty bag on the rug. Wow. Those two must have had quite a party! Wish I'd been there.

Here are their pictures again.

The Neighborhood What?

2011-07-16T00:07:00.002-04:00

The woman who lives downstairs from us told our friend Suzanne she likes us, even though we're the "neighborhood prowlers." What the heck does that mean? This is Winston. Does he look like a prowler to you? He'd just finished eating a huge bug. Ugh...

Outside At Last

2011-07-12T00:14:00.000-04:00

I have the best news! That man who was going to build the outdoor enclosure at the group home finished it today! It took him just a few hours. Then our friend Marge put the cat door in the window, and cats started pouring outside. GiGi and CiCi were the first to go out, and they stayed out for hours!

Being stuck inside all the time must be awful for a cat. I can't even imagine what life would be like if we couldn't go outside and feel the grass under our feet and the sun on our backs. Hey, you don't make your cats stay in all the time, do you? Our human asked me to post these links to outdoor enclosures:
Purrfect Fence
Kitty Fence
Plans for building an outdoor enclosure

Our friend Holly took these pictures of the group home cats trying out the enclosure. You can see more on our Facebook page.

Arturo

CiCi

Leo

A New Group Home

2011-07-10T23:31:00.000-04:00

We got some bad news last fall, and I never even told you. My human and I were just too upset. Our friend Ruth told us we had to move our shelter out of her basement. Our human was devastated, and so was I. That group home saved my life, and besides, I had fun there as Head Cat.

We managed to adopt out most of the cats who were there, so they wouldn't have to go to a new shelter, if we found one. But we couldn't rescue any cats. All our human could do was give advice and tell people to post their cats on Craig's List. It was very hard for her. She was very sad.

We posted on Craig's List, too, and begged for space for a new shelter on Facebook. Just when we giving up hope, a miracle occurred. Someone saw our post on Facebook, told a friend, and the friend wrote to our human right away! She loves cats, and our human helped her with a cat problem years ago. She never forgot.

So we have a new group home now, and it's beautiful. It has lots of sunny windows and huge cat trees. It even has a bedroom with a soft, comfy bed. I wonder why no one ever sleeps on it. I would!

The best part is that tomorrow, a man and his helper are going there to build an outdoor enclosure so the cats can go out. Our human is so happy and so excited, and so am I. When she's happy, I'm happy. In fact, I'm so happy I'm going to go outside and celebrate now by catching... Oops! Forgot again. I'm not supposed to talk about that.

Here's a picture Diana Hanshaw took at the old group home.

Lily And The Lizard, Part Three

2010-12-28T01:12:00.000-05:00

The lizard (I wonder what his name is) was in a better mood today. He didn't stand up, maybe because our human didn't drip any water on him, but he did watch her and kept blinking at her. In catspeak, blinking means "I trust you and want to be your friend." We have no idea what it means in lizardspeak, but our human blinked back and told the big guy she loves him.

Lily and the Lizard, Part Two

2010-12-26T20:40:00.001-05:00

We're pet sitting for Lily and her lizard again, and today the lizard got upset with our human. Or she thinks he was upset. I guess it's hard to know with lizards.

Although the people left her a step stool this time, the aquarium he lives in is still too high for our human to reach inside, so she's using the long tongs again. So today, when she got there, our lizard friend was sleeping under his heat lamp as usual. She reached into the aquarium with the tongs to get his water bowl and spilled a couple of drop of water on him! He got up on his feet, turned around and looked right at her. Eeek! He's a bearded dragon, and they're supposed to be very gentle. But still, our human was surprised because she'd never seen him on his feet, and she was a bit scared. So she went downstairs and hung out with sweet Lily, who never gets upset about anything, until the big scaly guy went back to sleep. Gosh. I hope that doesn't happen again tomorrow. I thought our human and the lizard were friends.

If you've never seen one, this is what a bearded dragon looks like. Interesting, isn't he...

Christmas Eve With Tommy

2010-12-24T23:01:00.000-05:00

This is our first Christmas Eve without Tommy, and our human is so sad. To make her feel better, I thought I'd republish her post about their Christmas Eve tradition... just Tommy and our human walking together late at night.

This what our human wrote a couple of years ago.

"I love to walk with my cats. But on Christmas Eve, Tommy and I walk alone, just the two of us. It's our holiday tradition.

"Tonight, after everyone else is inside, Tommy and I will walk behind the building next to ours and look at all the Christmas lights on the houses across the woods from us. Maybe we’ll sit together on the top of the hill and watch the lights twinkling through the trees. I’ll feel very connected to my beautiful white and orange friend and at peace with the world. Then, he'll go on his way to do the things outside cats do at night. And I'll come in and think about what a gift he is to me and how lucky I am to know him and all the other cats in my life.

"My cats and I wish you and your animal companions a joyous holiday season and a very happy new year."

Trista's back now. Here's Tommy sleeping on his favorite chair on our balcony.

And Now PK's Gone Too

2010-12-24T22:52:00.001-05:00

I don't believe I have more sad news to share. PK, our bright, sunny, orange PK, got cancer and joined Little Gray and Tommy and all his other cat friends on the other side. He was the last of the cats who lived here when I arrived to take charge of this household as Head Cat. We were such good friends, and I loved him so much. Our human and I are just so sad... again.

He told me that was what he was going to do, although our human kept taking him to different doctors trying to make him well. He knew how much we wanted him to stay here. But he couldn't, he just couldn't. So less than a week after we found out he had cancer, he curled up in a cat bed and went to sleep with our human sitting on the floor beside him petting him and telling him how much she loved him. He loved her, too, and he's still with us like the others are. We just can't see him, and that makes all of us so sad.

His body was so beautiful... bright orange with golden eyes. Here's his picture. He was trying out a harness and leash he wore to Walk for Paws, a huge fundraiser for an animal welfare group. He and his friend Sebastian were the only cats who did the walk. All the other walkers were either humans or dogs. Our human was so proud of him!

Lily and the Lizard

2010-09-03T01:37:00.000-04:00

We're pet sitting for Lily and her lizard this week. Lily's a beautiful, round tabby cat with wonderful eyes. The lizard's a big bearded dragon who's... well... our human thinks he's interesting, and she really likes him. The only problem is his aquarium has really high sides, and it's on top of a high table. Our human couldn't reach his dishes, so she piled some books up on the step stool in front of the aquarium. She still couldn't reach, so she and Lily looked around the kitchen until they found some long tongs.

So now our human gets up on the step stool. Then she stands on the books. Then she reaches into the aquarium and grabs The Big Guy's food dish and water bowl with the tongs. After everything's refilled, she gently drops the dish and water bowl into the aquarium trying to not spill any water. The finishing touch is adding three worms (worms??? eeeuuuu) to the food.

The lizard is very nice and patient while she's doing all this. He doesn't move. He just watches. Sometimes our human thinks she might be annoying him. But we hope he's just happy to see her and glad to know fresh lettuce and water (and worms) will be arriving very soon.

Rhyming Cats

2010-08-16T02:46:00.000-04:00

We're pet sitting for rhyming cats this week. Napy and Mapi. They're not related and don't even know each other, but their personalities are so similar! Weird... We seem to be getting a lot of hissy cats this summer.

We've been pet sitting for Mapi for years, and she still hates our human, or any other stranger who happens to venture into her house. So when our human's there, she sits on her cat tree in the kitchen and glares. Then she hisses. Then she glares some more. The best part of the visit is when our human tells Mapi she loves her and leaves.

Napy's name is Napoleon. Maybe because she's so territorial. She meets our human at the door and hisses. Then she follows her to the food dishes, still hissing. But she becomes a different cat when our human gets out the treats. Then she's all purrs and our human's best buddy. Maybe we should try giving Mapi treats. Oh, never mind. She doesn't like them.

Here's her picture. Isn't she beautiful!

Saved!

2010-08-16T01:24:00.000-04:00

We got the best news tonight. Bellini, a strictly indoor cat who escaped from his family's car at a McDonald's in Laurel, was reunited with his family in the woods where he'd been hiding and is on his way home to Georgia.

Poor guy had never been outside in his life until he slipped out of the car and flew into the woods. His family stayed in Maryland for two days looking for him and posting fliers. Finally, they had to go home. But before they left, they called the Howard County Cat Club and some other rescues. I'm so proud of our human. She's the only one who called them back, and then they corresponded on our Facebook page. Our human suggested calling a pet detective, and the detective searched the woods with her dog until they tracked down Bellini.

I'm proud of our friend Becky, a Howard County Cat Club volunteer, and her husband, Ryan, too. They spent two nights in the parking lot hunting for Bellini. It's so nice to know people who care.

Hey, you keep your cat in a carrier in the car, don't you? And do you tug on all the openings to make sure they're closed securely? We get confused in moving cars, and we feel trapped and defenseless and scared. We're going to run, if we have the opportunity, because all we can think about is having our feet planted firmly on the ground and being in control again. One thing cats really don't like is losing control.

Here's Bellini's picture. Pretty cat, isn't he.

Dinnerware

2010-08-16T01:01:00.000-04:00

Our diabetic foster cat, Kitty, got a new timed feeder today. Our human thought Kitty's blood glucose levels wouldn't fluctuate so much (what the heck does that mean?) if she could have some wet food every four hours or so, even if no people were here to feed her. The timed feeder is in the bathroom, where Kitty's other dishes are.

So tonight, when we went to check on her, Kitty was sitting on the edge of the bathtub watching the dial on the feeder. Watching... watching... patiently watching. The dish sprang open, and Kitty sprang to the floor at exactly the same time. So now she's happily eating some kind of low-carb Fancy Feast, and the rest of us are waiting for our dinner to be served.

I got a new dish, too. It's actually two heart-shaped dishes on a heart-shaped stand. Cute... I'm not sure I like that the bottom of the white dish says "spoiled" and the bottom of the pink one says "rotten" though. I am not spoiled! Our human is just well trained.

I think one of the dishes is supposed to be for water and the other for food. But cats like our water as far from our food as possible -- another room is best -- so we're using my two dishes for dry food and wet food or tuna.

In case you've forgotten what she looks like, here's Kitty's picture again. Remember, she's up for adoption.

Buttons and Bows

2010-07-29T03:11:00.001-04:00

I got a new collar today, and our human loves it. It's black to match my fur, with black and white gingham bows and a little black button in the middle of every bow. I also got a charm -- a glittery heart because our human loves me -- to put on the collar. It's all very pretty and girly and princess-like because, well, I'm a Princess.

The problem is that it took me two years to figure out how to lose the collar I had. And then our human went right out and bought me this one. The heart and bell clank together, and all the little animals can hear me coming from a mile away. And if they don't hear me, they see me because the glittery heart sort of glows in the dark.

I know it's the thought that counts, but I would have preferred a heart-shaped catnip toy. Wait! I think we have some of those! Gotta go... I'll be back tomorrow night.

Green With Envy

2010-07-27T01:08:00.002-04:00

I'm so jealous of Obi and Luna, my orange patches are turning green with envy. They have soft blankets and quilts on the human furniture! And they have heat lamps over the blankets. We have soft blankets, but they're all in cat beds and baskets. And we don't have any heat lamps. No fair...

One morning when our human got to their house, Luna was stretched out on her back on one of the quilts basking in the heat from the lamp. Obi had been sleeping under another lamp above the sofa but woke up when he heard our human because he knew she was going to let him go outside. From the kitchen, all she could see were his ears and his sleepy eyes peeking over the arm of the couch.

Here are their pictures. Aren't they beautiful! Luna's an Abyssinian and Obi's an Ocicat.

Coyote Country?

2010-07-24T01:05:00.002-04:00

We got a frantic call from Casey's and Sophie's mom yesterday. A coyote had been seen in her driveway! Would our human stay outside with Casey and Sophie instead of letting them go out alone? Our human wasn't sure what she'd do if she saw a coyote, but she said of course she'd stay outside with Casey and Sophie.

So today, the three of them went outside. Sophie went right back in, not because she's scared of coyotes but because it was too hot. Casey sat in the driveway and waited for our human to go back in so he could do the things cats do when we're outdoors. When she made herself comfortable on the steps, he glared at her. Then he strolled over and rubbed against her legs: "Nice human. What a nice human you are. Go inside now. That's a good human." She didn't budge, until he went into the neighbor's yard. Then she was on her feet in a nanosecond trying to keep up with him while watching for coyotes. He was so disgusted, he glared at her and went into his house, where he sat by the door hoping to sneak out when she left.

Honestly. I'm so embarrassed. I don't know why she behaves that way. So what if there's a coyote in the neighborhood. It's just a big dog. Oh, no. Wait a minute. Don't coyotes eat cats? Eeek! I hope our human keeps a close eye on those two!

Here are their pictures. Casey's outside on the patio.

Hisss...

2010-07-22T00:34:00.006-04:00

There's a new cat named Shadow at Cleo's house, and she's very shy. So this afternoon when our human got there, Shadow took one look at her and walked across the living room hissing at her. Hisss... Hisssss! Hissssss!!! Then she followed our human into the kitchen, still hissing. Maybe she just has a unique way of saying she's hungry. As soon as she noticed a can of Fancy Feast being opened, she retreated to a corner of the dining room and waited (quietly) for food.

Cleo used to be afraid of our human, too. For years, when she heard her coming into the house she'd run into the basement and hide behind the washing machine. Our human would crawl under the laundry sink and put some treats behind the washer for Cleo. All that changed though, when she started getting Fancy Feast. Now she waits under the dining room table for the food to be served. And if our human doesn't open the cans fast enough, she comes into the kitchen to see what's taking so long.

I'm not crazy about Fancy Feast myself. In fact, I won't touch the stuff. But hey, whatever works for Cleo and Shadow works for me, I guess.

Here are their pictures. Cleo's eating Fancy Feast.

A Broken Heart -- Again

2010-07-21T01:04:00.006-04:00

I'm so sad again. Our Tommy cat crossed over to the other side last week. Except for PK, all my old friends who I loved so much are gone. I can't write now... Here's our human.

It's been exactly a week to the minute that I heard that horrible scream. Then I discovered my wonderful, strong, funny Tommy cat limp on the floor. Tommy's cardiologist and all the websites I read warned that one of the complications of HCM is "sudden death." Yes, it was sudden. That afternoon, he met me at my car, clawed his signature into the post of the trellis as he'd done many times a day for 14 years and followed me inside for a bite to eat. A few hours later, he was gone. I still don't believe it. So many losses this year -- Little Gray, some of my favorite pet sitting cats and now Tommy. I've written some of my memories of our time together on a separate page. I hope you enjoy reading them.

Here's Tommy, my wonderful Tommy, sleeping on his favorite chair on the balcony.

Meet Muffit

2010-07-10T01:47:00.001-04:00

We have a new cat in the group home. She's a beautiful dilute calico, and she's so soft and cuddly our human named her Muffit because she looks sort of like a muff. Hmmm... Our human doesn't come up with the best cat names.

Anyway, someone found her wandering the streets of downtown Baltimore covered with infected flea bites. I certainly know how that feels! The woman wanted to keep her, but her original cat hated Muffit so much he got sick. So now she's up for adoption.

Muffit is so friendly, she wandered around touching noses with everybody when she got to the group home yesterday. She even touched noses with Mulberry, who has a serious chip on his shoulder and hates everybody. Mulberry was so surprised that a cat actually wanted to be friends with him, he just stood there with her nose against his. Then he came to his senses and swatted her in the face. Ouch! Poor Muffit!

A volunteer took this picture of her with a cell phone. And Diana Hanshaw took the picture of Mulberry. He doesn't look grouchy...

Catnip Capers

2010-07-10T01:36:00.002-04:00

Ginger and Cinnamon were so excited that our human took them catnip today. She put the container down on the floor, and Cinnamon started swatting it across the foyer. Then, he rolled it towards the kitchen with his nose! Wow! I'll have to try that. But I can't right now. Our human took them our catnip!

Here are their pictures.

Saved By Facebook

2010-07-07T02:00:00.002-04:00

I'm so excited! We're getting two cats off death row at that Prince George's County Shelter, and we couldn't have done it without the Howard County Cat Club's fans on Facebook. Our human posted the two tortoiseshell sisters there last night, and our friend Becky offered to get them out of the shelter. Then Holly, another friend, said she'd foster them until they can go to the group home next week.

Their human took them to that high-kill shelter because she's expecting a baby. I don't understand why two cats nearly died because a new human is about to be born. But then, there are a lot of things I don't understand about humans, and to be honest, I'd rather not even think about them. The human we live with is kind to cats, and maybe the best we can do is win them over, one person at a time.

Here's CC's picture. She's so cute!

Lunch Date, Continued

2010-07-07T01:39:00.001-04:00

Our human has a different lunch date this week -- a huge, longhaired black cat named Sam. Sam's very serious and dignified and attentive, and our human loves him. So they go out on his balcony, and she eats lunch with one hand and pets him on the head with the other. She says it sort of reminds her of the slogan, "Cat Hair is a Condiment," that you see on mugs and T-shirts. I don't know... I've never seen any mugs or T-shirts with that slogan. And what's a condiment? I don't think I'd want to eat one.

Anyway, Sam doesn't shed much, and he's being very careful to not get his silky fur in our human's food.

Toxic to Everyone

2010-07-06T01:55:00.002-04:00

We got some great news tonight! Zoe was very sick, but she's fine now. Her vet thinks the lawn chemicals that were sprayed around her condo community caused her upset stomach and "weird" behavior. Gosh, that's not good news. Zoe wasn't even outside. The fumes came in through the windows.

You don't spray chemicals on your lawn, do you? Our human wanted me to share this link to an article by the Natural Resources Defense Council.

And here's Zoe's picture. We're so happy she's okay.

Creatures of Habit

2010-07-05T00:59:00.001-04:00

Maybe you've noticed that cats are creatures of habit. And we never forget our daily routines with our pet sitters. So the routine at Dakota's and Rhianon's house is: sit on the floor and say hi to the cats, prepare the food, give Dakota his medicine, serve the food, scoop the boxes, give the cats catnip... Oops! No catnip! Dakota's waiting in his usual spot on the rug by the kitchen table. Rhianon is in her catnip corner near the fireplace. They were still there, waiting, when our human left.

That was yesterday. Today, we sent some of our catnip with our human, and life was back to normal for Dakota and Rhianon. After they ate, he went to his spot on the rug, and she went to her corner near the fireplace. Our human wasn't far behind with 'nip for both. Phew... glad they were happy.

Here's Dakota's picture. Rhianon's didn't turn out (so what else is new). But we're going to see them again in a couple of weeks, and our "photographer" will try again. Good thing she doesn't care for cats the way she takes pictures.

Enough Already

2010-07-04T01:06:00.000-04:00

After a week of being inside, Bandit really wanted out today. Can't say I blame him... He sat right against the kitchen door, looking big and fluffy and determined. Our human tried to lure him out of the way with treats so she could go out to feed Halloween Cat, but he wouldn't budge. She thought maybe she could distract him with his food, and he did get up on the counter to eat. But when he saw her with Halloween Cat's food in her hands, he flew for the door.

Finally, our human went out the front door and walked around the house to the backyard. When she went back inside, Bandit was still pressed against the kitchen door waiting to bolt for freedom. Gosh, poor Bandit. Glad his people are coming home tonight. I hope they let him out right away.

Here are pictures of Bandit and Trouble. Trouble has a lion cut for summer. We have a picture of Halloween Cat, too, but it's not very good because our human was inside at the sliding door, and, of course, he was outside under a table.

Halloween Cat In June

2010-06-23T00:56:00.000-04:00

We saw Halloween Cat today! Well, I didn't see him. I was busy napping under a bush while our human was pet sitting.

Halloween Cat is a feral cat who lives in Bandit's and Trouble's yard. Our human has never seen him, and she was so excited when he appeared today. He sat under a tree, and she stood by his dishes, and they blinked at each other. In case you don't know our language, blinking is catspeak for "I trust you and want to be your friend."

Meanwhile, poor Bandit was stuck inside with his cute pink nose pressed against the sliding doors in the family room. He used to be feral, too. He's still afraid of people he doesn't know, but he loves our human because she always lets him approach her first, and she gives him treats. He'd love her even more if she let him out. But he's supposed to stay in when his people are out of town because he and Halloween Cat always fight.

Hey, if you get adopted by a feral cat, I hope you won't make him stay inside all the time. A week while you're on vacation is okay, I guess. But not all the time, always, forever. Our human asked me to link to this article by Alley Cat Allies: Why It's Trap Trap-Neuter-Return Not Trap-Neuter-Adopt.

Tabletop Treats

2010-06-22T00:11:00.000-04:00

Our human couldn't find Hagrid anywhere today. Usually, he sits right in the middle of the living room waiting for the treat party to begin. But he wasn't there, and he wasn't in the kitchen. Where'd he go? Then our human spotted him stretched out on the dining room table with one big paw resting on the bags of treats. So our human sat at the table, which is covered with a white cloth embroidered with delicate pink flowers, and doled out treats, one at a time, to her huge Norwegian Forest Cat friend. Hmmm... I wonder if his human lets him eat on the dining room table.

And Then The Police Came

2010-06-21T01:26:00.001-04:00

Our human pushed the wrong button on the remote and set off Piper's and Brian's burglar alarm today. Oops! The police came. Oh, no... When she heard the knock on the door, Piper hid. But Brian was right there at the door saying hello to the nice police officer. Our human was very embarrassed, but the office said not to worry because pet sitters set off alarms all the time. Well, maybe some pet sitters set off alarms all the time, but we don't. At least I hope we don't. Since I don't like to ride in cars and don't do any actual pet sitting, I don't know for sure.

Our human was very tired by the time she got to Piper's and Brian's house because she and Kitty spent the whole day at an adoption show. We were all very disappointed to hear that Kitty did not get adopted. This is her writeup on Adopt A Pet, and here's her picture. If you'd like to have her, we'll bring her right over.

Feed Me!

2010-06-19T00:48:00.003-04:00

We've been pet sitting for Motley this week. We love Motley! One of our human's favorite things is when she bends over to pick up the cat food crumbs, and he walks under her and rubs his face against hers. She thinks that's really sweet. I don't know... I think maybe he's telling her to stop wasting time with cleaning and open the cans of Fancy Feast, but don't tell her I said that.

Here he is on his balcony. Handsome, isn't he.

Hi Harry!

2010-06-18T01:24:00.004-04:00

I'm so excited! Harry came out from under the bed today and joined our human and her friends, Pistula and Saber, on the deck. I'm still trying to figure out why a pet sitting cat would hide from our human, but apparently a lot do at first.

When we first starting pet sitting at their house, Pistula hid, too. Our human found him in his kids' playroom, surrounded by tons of toys. Then he discovered that our human and Saber were having lunch together on the deck so the cats could have more outdoor time. Turns out he loves tuna from Subway even more than he loves treats. After two weeks, our human's getting sort of tired of tuna sandwiches from Subway, but she wouldn't want to disappoint Pistula, and he really looks forward to those lunch dates!

He and Harry are beautiful black cats with green eyes. He's big; she's tiny. Saber's a round, friendly silver tabby. I think it would be nice if she had some orange, like me. But she's still very pretty. Here are her picture and Pistula's.

Stormy Weather

2010-04-25T23:49:00.001-04:00

We had a huge storm tonight, and I was so scared I hid under the chair in our human's office. That Katie Cat was under there!

Gosh. I hope the pet sitting cats are okay. Gizmo and Lizzie are all alone in their houses. I guess a cat you hate is better than no cat at all. Gotta go now. I hear thunder. Hey, Katie! Move over. I'm coming back under that chair.

Red Sneakers

2010-04-23T01:26:00.000-04:00

Our human drives a lot and spends a lot of time at traffic lights. So today, she was bored at yet another light and started looking at people's shoes. She saw a man with bright red sneakers to match his bright red shirt and another man with light blue ones. They sound pretty.

Hmmm... I wonder if I could get a pair of sneakers to keep my white feet from getting dirty. Orange would be nice, with holes in them for my claws. Well, I guess I could take care of the holes myself. Hey, if you know anyone who sells cat-size sneakers, could you send me their email address. I don't do phone calls.

Actually, my feet look pretty clean in this picture. But our desk is a mess!

Here, Kitty

2010-04-12T19:40:00.003-04:00

We have a new foster cat. Really... I thought we weren't going to do that anymore. Those Honey Cat we're fostering are still here, more than a year later. And now we have Jasmyne, a.k.a. Kitty. We couldn't leave her in that teeny, tiny cage in the Baltimore County shelter though. That's a terrible life for any cat, but especially for a 12-year-old diabetic!

Our human calls her a "meet and greet cat." She's very friendly and sociable, and she talks a lot. I like her, but I certainly hope she doesn't stay!

Check out her page on Adopt A Cat. And if you want her, she's all yours.

Written With A Broken Heart

2010-04-10T22:11:00.002-04:00

I haven't done any blogging for a long time because we had a terrible tragedy, and I've been too sad. Little Gray, our human's beloved and all-time favorite cat Little Gray, crossed to the other side in January.

I can't write any more now. He was her best friend, and we're just so sad.

They Call Him Twinkie???

2009-11-19T22:52:00.001-05:00

We have some new cats in the group home -- a female tabby named Trixie and a guy named Twinkie. Twinkie? Hahahahahahahahahahahaha. Twinkie Toes... Oh, Twinkie Toes...

Oh, I'm sorry. I'm being mean. And poor Twinkie and Trixie have enough problems. When our friend Kathy got home from dinner the other night, she found Twinkie and Trixie outside her door in cat carriers. Lucky they got dumped at Kathy's house. Someone else would have just hauled them off to the shelter.

If for some reason you can't keep your cats, don't just drop them off uninvited at the nearest cat lover's house, vet's office, barn or feral cat colony feeding station. Most vets take abandoned cats to the shelter. And barn cats or ferals would probably run your cats off because they don't like sharing their territory with newcomers. I certainly don't! Our human asked me to post this link on rehoming cats.

Oh, and Twinkie's Thomas now. I like that... Trixie and Thomas. They'll be adopted together, of course. If you'd like to meet them, just let us know.

Cooperative Cats

2009-11-17T21:13:00.002-05:00

I love cooperative pet sitting cats. Well, I love Angus and Gabriella anyway, but I love them even more when they cooperate with our human.

It was a beautiful day today, and the three of them went out in the yard. Angus hung out for a little while, and then he headed in the direction of his route around the neighborhood.

Our human was freaking out, because when he goes on one of his jaunts he's usually gone for three or four hours. So she called him and started to follow him. Nice guy that he is, he sat down and let her pick him up and carry him inside. She was petting him, and he was purring.

Hmmm... I wonder if he was willing to go in because he was hungry and knew food was waiting inside. Now that I think about it, maybe he was just being a cat eager for a meal.

Too Much Of A Good Thing

2009-11-16T22:18:00.002-05:00

Ugh. I was going to write about Motley tonight, but I'm really not feeling well. I've been lounging in my heart-shaped bed all evening eating salmon flavored Zukes Natural Purrz cat treats. We love these treats. But I guess I shouldn't have ripped the bag open and eaten all the treats all by myself. I'm really not feeling well...

About Motley... he's a huge tabby with white toes! It's sort of cool that he's named after the band, Motley Crue. Wish I'd been named after a rock star. After all, I am one.

Since Motley lives in an apartment building with a security door, he can't really go out. But he and our human like to hang out in the hallway. She lies on the floor, and he walks back and forth rubbing against her face. She loves that and thinks it's really sweet of him. I don't know... whatever makes her happy makes me happy, I guess.

I'm really not feeling well. I need a nap.

Saved From Death Row

2009-11-01T20:22:00.003-05:00

Raj and Tigger got adopted today, after just four days in the group home. They're very nice, cuddly 10-year-old sisters, and it's hard to believe that less than a week ago they were on death row at the Prince George's County shelter. Oh, what a thought... No cat deserves to be on death row in a shelter!

Anyway, our human and her friend Denise worked very hard to get them out. One of our clients (Rusty's human) went to Prince George's County to get them and kept them at her house that night. Our human took them to the group home the next day, and their new forever family met them this afternoon.

I love it when people work together to save cats. This whole thing just makes me so happy!

This picture of Tigger was taken when she was in the shelter.

Duck, Duck, Geese, Part Three

2009-11-01T20:08:00.000-05:00

It poured all day today, and when our human got to the house with the ducks and geese, there was just one lonely goose drifting around in the pond honking. Our human felt sorry for him out there all by himself. I wonder where his friends were. Gosh... I hope they're okay.

Duck, Duck, Geese, Continued

2009-10-26T22:23:00.008-04:00

We're pet sitting for the ducks and geese again, and this morning the geese had a huge fight! They were honking and hissing at each other, and flapping their great big wings. Our human knows what to do when cats fight, but she doesn't have much experience with geese. So as she was dipping her hand into the bucket of corn she had for them and flinging kernels everywhere as fast as she could, she did the same thing she does when we're having a disagreement.

I'm almost embarrassed to say this. She says, "be nice guys. You're friends. Be nice with each other." Then she tries to send us mental pictures of all eight of us getting along. The geese paid about as much attention as we do. They kept hissing and honking and flapping their wings until our human went to feed the cats, who were waiting for breakfast in their various corners of the yard.

Hmmm... Wouldn't you think she'd feed the cats first?

We're Inside Cats Now?

2009-10-23T23:37:00.000-04:00

Honestly, I don't know how cats can stand living inside and never, ever going out. We've been inside cats for two days now because some large men with very large, very loud vehicles are digging up our parking lot. I wonder why they're doing that. We liked our parking lot.

Anyway, our human won't let us out. She says it's dangerous to be out there with large men going backwards and forwards in large vehicles. We're only allowed out at night, when the men are gone but the vehicles are still here taking up all the parking spaces. We like to walk on them and get paw prints all over the windows. Serves the men right if they can't see where they're going.

I hope they go away for good very soon, because we're getting bored in here. We've played with all the catnip toys and climbed up and down the cat tree about a million times. Looking over the railing of the balcony just makes us depressed because we want to be down there, not up here.

Hey, you don't make your cats stay inside all the time, do you? If you do, here are some ways to get them outside safely.

Here's a picture of Little Gray wandering around outside. Cute, isn't he? He was a lot younger when this picture was taken.

Days At The Bay, Continued

2009-10-21T01:03:00.001-04:00

Lizzie spent today at her bay window watching all the goings on outside. Our human knew she was still at the bay when she went back for her evening visit because she heard Lizzie meowing as soon as she got out of her car.

My goodness... Lizzie's not that big. I wonder where she got that huge meow.

No More Brushes for Bosco

2009-10-14T22:49:00.001-04:00

We just got the saddest news. Our beloved friend Bosco lost her battle with cancer and crossed over to the other side. We loved her so much, and our human is devastated. For 10 years, she spent part of every Thanksgiving and Christmas with Bosco. We'll be pet sitting for her friend Shanna this year, but it just won't be the same.

Peaceful journey dear Bosco. We love you.

Invasion of the Honey Cats, Continued

2009-10-14T22:41:00.003-04:00

Winston is in big trouble tonight. He brought a small animal inside and started eating it right beside our human's desk. Silly cat! She didn't even know he was there until she heard the sound of crunching bones. Yuck! The only animals I eat are already ground up and come out of cans.

Anyway, our human freaked out, and Winston's feelings were hurt. Oh, well...

Now he and KT are sitting together on the perch on top of our big scratching post snuggling and grooming each other. They look so sweet, but our human is still furious. She's hard to figure out sometimes. Really... We're predators. We catch things. Some of us eat them. She should understand that by now.

Live A Little

2009-09-07T02:35:00.001-04:00

Stanford and Farclas love Liv-A-Littles, those super healthy freeze-dried chicken cat treats. I happen to prefer Friskies Party Mix myself, and they're the only junk food I'm allowed to have. But anyway...

Our human was fixing Stanford's and Farclas's food tonight, when she realized Farclas wasn't in his usual place by her feet. She looked around and couldn't find him or Stanford anywhere. Then she spotted them. They were sitting shoulder to shoulder in front of the fridge waiting for their treats.

Home Alone

2009-09-03T00:27:00.007-04:00

No fair! Noel got to go to the beach with her human, and Lucky had to stay home. Their human said something about Lucky not liking to ride in cars but Noel loves it. I don't know... I'd probably be willing to ride in a car if I was going to the beach.

Anyway, our human and Lucky are having fun at home. They go out on his balcony every day, and she brushes him. He loves that, and the whole time she's brushing he looks at her with his gorgeous green eyes.

But his favorite thing is when she turns on the television, so he'll have some company at night. He sits on the sofa in front of her and reaches out to touch her gently with one paw. How sweet...

I love when pet sitting cats make our human happy.

Here's a picture of Lucky on his balcony.

Up A Tree

2009-09-03T00:21:00.006-04:00

Rusty climbed a tree today! That wouldn't be such a big deal, except he was wearing a harness and leash. I wonder how he did that...

He sat on a branch and looked so happy and pleased with himself. And, nice guy that he is, he came right down when our human asked him to.

Here's a picture of Rusty in the tree. He's a Devon Rex. Cute, isn't he.

Lucy Needs A Home -- Even More Urgent Now

2009-08-11T03:07:00.004-04:00

Our hearts are breaking tonight. Lucy had a new foster home all lined up, but the people changed their minds at the last minute. Tomorrow, she's going to start boarding at the vet's. I'm not quite sure what that means, but I know she's going to be living in a cage.

Poor Lucy. She doesn't deserve that.

Our human has been crying all night. Even sitting on her keyboard until it made all kinds of buzzing and beeping noises didn't make her laugh. Gosh, I hope I didn't break it! I was just trying to help.

Duck, Duck, Geese

2009-08-01T20:47:00.004-04:00

We're pet sitting for some ducks and geese this week. Actually, I think we were hired to take care of the outside cats. But while our human doesn't always see the cats, the geese are always there waiting for corn, which our human scatters all over everywhere so they won't fight while they're eating.

This morning, the geese were in a neighbor's yard when our human got to their house. She was walking down to the pond when she saw them coming... a long line of geese marching two by two across the yard to the pond and breakfast.

Whew! Glad I wasn't there. I'd be terrified of a bunch of birds twice my size, even if they were walking along in neat columns. In case you've never noticed, cats don't do columns. We go where our free spirits take us and hope our friends catch up.

Lucy Needs A Home -- Really Urgent

2009-07-30T09:38:00.005-04:00

I'm feeling so sad today. Our friend Lucy is very sick, and as if that wasn't bad enough, she needs a new home. No one seems to want her though.

Lucy has diabetes and pancreatic insufficiency. She's on pancreatic enzymes (I wonder what that is) that are mixed into her food and Lantus insulin. That's the kind of insulin Little Gray had until our human switched him to Levemir. Taking care of him doesn't seem to be a big deal. The only problem is the dry food. LG loves dry food, but he's not allowed to have it. Mine is up on a counter where he can't get to it.

Anyway, Lucy's in a foster home. But her foster is moving in a couple of weeks and can't take Lucy. Our human and I are freaking out because we don't know where she's going to go. The Howard County Cat Club can't afford to board her at a vet clinic, and she'd be miserable and terrified there anyway.

Lucy loves people. She's a lap cat (ugh... I'd never be a lap cat!). And she loves to just sit around with a bunch of humans and join in their conversations. Of course, they don't know what she's saying. They think she's just listening. Wrong again...

Could you spread the word about Lucy or maybe foster or adopt her yourself. Her diabetes is well regulated, and she's such a nice, loving cat. She really deserves a real home where she'll be happy and adored, like I am.

Here's her picture. She looks so sick!

Armies Of Ants

2009-06-16T21:32:00.004-04:00

Our human has spent the entire week trying to outsmart armies of ants. I'm trying to understand why she would even do this. She can't outsmart cats, and she spends a lot of time with us. She doesn't know the first thing about ants, and she doesn't have the patience to just sit still and study them the way we do when there's something we want to catch. I wish she'd ask me...

Anyway, ants have invaded every kitchen where we're pet sitting, and our human put all the cats' dishes on plates of water. That worked for everyone's food except Baxter's. The problem is that Baxter has a little plate, and the water kept getting into his food.

First, our human put his plate in the foyer, but the ants found it there. Then she moved it into the living room. It took the ants about a nanosecond to find the new location. The next idea was a sort of cube table beside the sofa. When our human got to Baxter's house this morning, he was nowhere to be found (I think he's scared of large numbers of teeny crawling insects) but hundreds of ants were marching up the side of the table and wandering around in Baxter's Fancy Feast. Ugh...

Our human was standing in the middle of the kitchen listening to poor Baxter meow and wondering what to do when she realized the legs of the table in the breakfast room were in the middle of the table, not the edges, and the ants would have to walk across glass to get to his food. That seemed like a real possibility, so she set up the table with a little place mat for Baxter. When she left, Baxter was happily eating his Fancy Feast, and when she want back this evening the plate was licked clean. No rejected food. And even better, no ants!

Cat Naps And Cosmo

2009-06-13T22:38:00.007-04:00

Our human got to Cosmo's house at 4 p.m. today. I don't believe she did that! You'd think she would have learned by now. Cosmo is busy napping under a bed at 4 p.m. And no matter what you do, now matter how many treats you offer him, he won't get up.

Our human has been pet sitting for Cosmo for years and years, and she knows his schedule. At 4, he's sleeping. At 5, he's just waking up. At 6, he's ready for company. Then he likes to sit on the back on the recliner in the living room while our human pets him and gives him treats.

Today, our human couldn't even find him because he was napping under a different bed. When she tracked him down, she opened the bag of treats and gave him some. Cosmo yawned and went back to sleep. I'm glad she didn't totally ruin his nap. But I'm still embarrassed. She should know better than to disturb a sleeping cat.

Here's a picture of Cosmo outside on his deck. He's a Ragdoll. Isn't he beautiful!

A New Friend For Me, Part 4

2009-06-13T22:09:00.005-04:00

The cat that I rescued eats at the dining room table now. He sits on a chair, and our human puts his dish on the table in front of him. She thinks that's so cute! And I guess she's glad that someone is using the table. All the rest of us eat in the kitchen, including her.

After he eats, he takes a nap on that Katie cat's favorite chair. Hey, in case you've forgotten, we're still trying to find a home for Katie and Honey and Winston. They're supposed to be foster cats, and I don't know why it's taking them so long to get adopted. I hope they're not planning to stay here!

Here's Katie's picture again. If you want her, she's all yours.

Dexter Needs A Home, Please Help

2009-06-13T21:28:00.002-04:00

We're desperately trying to find a home for a diabetic cat. His family is going to have him PTS if he's not out of the house in a week. What a thought...

We've posted him twice on the Feline Diabetes Message Board and on Craig's List. No one wants poor Dexter. It must be awful to be unwanted and facing a death sentence just because you're sick.

Dexter's seven years old and loves other cats, dogs and (human) kids. He loves adult humans, too. The humans he lives with say they love him as much as he loves them, but they can't afford insulin for him and they can't live with a cat who feels so horrible he doesn't always use his litter box. I suspect the real problem here is the litter box issues. Heartless... oh, never mind.

Here's a picture of Dexter. If you think you might want to adopt him, contact me ASAP. We don't have much time!

Brushes For Bosco, Part 3

2009-06-08T22:14:00.003-04:00

Bosco has a new house. Well, it's not a house exactly. It's a box about a foot away from a small storage box. The two create a space that's the perfect size for a cat, and Bosco loves sleeping between them. Our human has been brushing Bosco in her "house" all weekend. But today, Bosco wasn't in the mood for the brush with the white handle. So she got up, went to her row of brushes by the couch and put her velvety black paw on the blue one. Our human brushed and brushed and brushed until her arm ached.

The Magic of Mr . Wizard, Final Chapter

2009-06-08T20:52:00.002-04:00

We got some bad news today. Our guinea pig friend, Mr. Wizard, crossed over to the other side. We're so sad...

Peaceful journey little friend. We love you and we'll miss you...

Phoebe, Where Are You?

2009-06-06T00:43:00.007-04:00

I'm so disappointed in Phoebe! We were friends in the group home until I came here to make our human happy. Phoebe and her daughter, Leia, finally got adopted by our human's third-ever client and went to what must be the best home for cats on the entire planet.

So you'd think Phoebe would be grateful to our human for saving her and Leia from a kill shelter (oh, what a horrible thought!) and introducing them to Carol and Drew. She says she really is grateful, but that's no reason to go home before she's ready just because our human might be waiting for her.

So our human waits and waits. She watches the news with Phoebe's friend Franny, wanders through the neighbor's yard looking for Phoebe under the bushes and deck, checks on the next street where Phoebe has some friends... Eventually Phoebe shows up and is really annoyed if she has to wait at the door for more than two seconds.

I don't know why I'm so bent out of shape about this. After all, Phoebe is a calico cat. I just don't like our human wandering around outside unsupervised. She could get lost or get into a fight with another human, like the neighbor who doesn't appreciate having her in his yard. Phoebe says she's an adult, and she can take care of herself. I'm not so sure about that.

Diana Hanshaw took these pictures of Phoebe and Leia when they were in the group home. Phoebe was Patches then, and Leia was Lea.

A New Friend For Me, Part 3

2009-06-06T00:24:00.004-04:00

That cat I rescued is coming inside to eat now. We had to move him indoors because Big Yeller, who's supposed to eat on Mel's patio, was helping himself to our cat's food when it was under the bush. I guess he likes Fancy Feast better than Special Kitty. Personally, I wouldn't touch either, but there's no accounting for taste.

We gave our cat a temporary name. It's Hikitty because we couldn't think of anything else. And when our human sees him she always says "Hi Kitty" and sounds like she's really happy he came by.

So now he comes inside around 9 and takes a nap on one of our chairs. He usually sleeps until it's time to eat, and after he's eaten he goes back outside. I like him so much. I wish he'd spend the night inside with us. I'm getting tired of staying outside to keep him company until all hours of the night. This is especially tiresome when it's raining and we have to sit under a big bush to stay dry.

We Rescue A Human, Part 2 -- Tragedy Strikes

2009-06-06T00:12:00.005-04:00

This has been a terrible, sad day for the Howard County Cat Club, and I'm just so upset for Diana and our human. You know that human we rescued? We lost two of her cats today. Nubbin had FIP. Badger had pneumonia and went into cardiac arrest. I'm not sure what any of these things are, but they must be very bad because our human has been crying since she got home and she and Diana are talking about closing the group home. Oh, no...

I have a sad feeling the Nubbin and Badger must have crossed to the other side. Peaceful journey, my friends. We love you.

We Rescue A Human

2009-05-02T21:19:00.014-04:00

Our human and our friend Diana and I rescued a human yesterday. I'm sort of confused because I thought we rescued cats. And human rescue is scary. Things were very tense around here for awhile.

Since my part in the rescue was to stay out of the way while our human freaked out, I'm going to let her tell the story. Here she is...

Ann and I met for the first time two years ago. She was homeless and living in her truck in a shopping center parking lot, and she needed help with her two elderly cats. The cats and her dog had been living in the truck with her, until Howard County Animal Control took the animals. They sent the dog to rescue. The cats were in the shelter. I begged my friends. I begged my clients. I begged on email lists and forums. I was still begging for a temporary home for them three days later when Ann called to tell me Animal Control had killed the cats. She said this was all my fault.

So now it's two years later, and Ann is being evicted from her home again. When I returned her call, she told me about the feral cat who befriended her when she was living in the shopping center parking lot. Soon Ann had lots of company in her truck, the feral cat and her five kittens.

Eventually, a friend paid for Ann and her cat family to move into an apartment. She told me how she and the cats walked together every night, and the mom, who is now tame and friendly, slept on her chest.

During our conversation, Ann mentioned that all she wanted was for her cats to be safe. When they were with a rescue, she said, she would mix all of her medications together with some wine and "peacefully slip away." The moment we got off the phone, I called 911 and prayed that the cats would be okay and not wind up at Animal Control. I didn't want to let her and her cats down again.

Thanks to a sympathetic police officer and an amazing property manager named Becky, the cats are safe. They're in our group home, and I hope someday Ann will be able to take them back.

When Diana and I got the cats from Ann's apartment this morning, I couldn't help but notice all the baskets full of toys and the cat beds scattered around the apartment. The cats were Ann's family and her reason for living. I also couldn't help but notice the pictures of the old cats who died in the shelter a couple of years ago.

I suppose I could say that this story has a happy ending, at least for the cats. But I'm still wondering how, in one of the most affluent counties in the nation, in a county where The Horizon Foundation pours thousands of dollars into community nonprofits to make them work for the people they serve, one intelligent, well-educated but very sick woman could fall through the cracks, not once but twice. And I'm still wondering why, when she was in such distress she saw no choice but to take her own life, not one of those community nonprofits was willing or able to come to her rescue. Not one except a nonprofit that receives no funding from anyone and usually rescues cats.

A New Friend For Me, Part 2

2009-05-01T00:12:00.005-04:00

That cat that I rescued is coming around every night now. I'm so happy! I love him! The only problem is, he has a really loud meow.

He usually shows up about 10 to eat and hang out with us for a little while. Then he leaves. I wonder where he goes...

This is where we were getting into trouble. He always comes back around 2 a.m. and meows nonstop because he wants us to come out and keep him company. The neighbors didn't like that at all! So now our human takes more food out to him and sits with him while he eats. Then she puts a basket with some catnip toys in it outside our door. He loves the basket and sleeps in it all night.

We're trying to find his family, but so far we haven't had much luck. I don't know... maybe we'll become his family. I'd really like that.

Here's a picture of him meowing. That seems to be just about his favorite thing.

A New Friend For Me

2009-03-12T02:03:00.006-04:00

I rescued a cat tonight! It felt so good to help a cat in need.

This is what happened... a very cool gray and white cat and I met on the sidewalk. He said he was hungry, and I told him to come to my house to get something to eat. He didn't want to come in, so we took some Fancy Feast and Evo dry food outside to him. Actually, he got two bowls of Fancy Feast because he didn't like the first one. He ate and left, which is pretty typical cat behavior.

Gosh... I hope he has someplace warm to spend the night. And I hope he comes back tomorrow night. If he does, we'll give him the right flavor of Fancy Feast the first time.

Oh, if you're wondering what happened to the food he didn't like, Hoss ate it. Of course... Hoss will eat anything.

Invasion Of The Honey Cats, Continued

2009-03-08T22:50:00.003-04:00

Winston and that Katie cat went to another adoption show at the Highland Groomery today. I'm sorry to say that they did not get adopted! They don't even try...

Today, about two seconds after they got there, Winston went behind the furnace. When he came out, he was a grimy black/gray cat. Even his white nose was black!

It took two baths in some kind of high-powered shampoo to get him clean. Then he had to spend the rest of the show in a cage with a blow dryer on him. He meowed nonstop for three hours! That Katie cat was in a cage right across from him, and she meowed nonstop, too. And they wonder why nobody wanted them!

Darn... I'm really disappointed in those two. They were supposed to be out of here months ago. I certainly hope they don't think they're going to get to stay forever. Hey, if you want a ready made three-cat family let me know and I'll send you our address.

Days At The Bay

2009-03-07T23:25:00.003-05:00

Lizzie and our human spent their time together this week at The Bay. At first I thought our human was going on little day trips to a large body of water. Then I discovered that "the bay" is a bay window that our human opens when she's at Lizzie's house. Oh, well...

Lizzie loves sitting at the open window watching all the action outside. And it's never too cold for her to enjoy a few breaths of fresh air. Hey, if you have strictly indoor cats, I hope you'll open a window for them for a few minutes every day. Their lives will be so much more interesting if they don't have a huge piece of glass between them and the birds and little animals in the flowerbeds outside. And some fresh air makes everyone feel better, especially cats!

I wish we had a picture of Lizzie. She's 16 years old and a beautiful gray tabby with a really cute face.

The Roof Walker

2009-03-01T23:18:00.005-05:00

Sam always greets our human when she gets to his house. But he wasn't there today, and she was disappointed and a bit concerned. Then she heard the cat tags jingling. For some reason, she looked up and there was Sam strolling down the steep, pitched roof of his house, surefooted, confident, graceful and beautiful Aren't cats amazing? I'd like to see a human try that!

Party Time

2009-03-01T22:53:00.003-05:00

I just found out that our human and Hagrid had a treat party every single day last week! No fair. We don't have treat parties here.

Hagrid is a big, beautiful black and white Norwegian Forest Cat. He's very gentle and smart and sensitive. He speaks to our human with his eyes. He's one of those cats who gets health food (ugh. We do, too), but he's allowed to have as many junky treats as he wants when his human is out of town.

So this is how the treat parties work. Hagrid and our human sit nose to nose on the floor in his living room, and she gives him one treat at a time. When she thinks he's had enough (he's never had enough, but what does she know), she starts tossing treats, one at a time, across the room so he can chase them. He loves that! When he finally gets tired of it, she scatters a few more treats around the room so he'll have something to do after she leaves, kisses him on the head and heads for the door. When she looks back at him on her way out, he's always hunting for the treats that were supposed to keep him busy for hours.

Here's a picture of him studying the floor looking for... you guessed it...a treat. Our human is not a good photographer!

Missing Mia

2009-02-28T23:24:00.005-05:00

I got some sad news this week. Mia, my friend from the group home, crossed over to the other side. She was very old and very frail, and I guess she just got tired and decided it was time to move on. She seemed happy in the group home, but I'm still sad that no one adopted her. She and Taz, her lifelong friend, would have loved going to their forever home together. Now Taz is all alone, and my human and I feel sad for him, too. We wish he could go home with someone who knows and loves him. Maybe he could come here. We love him!

Taz and Mia were abandoned outside when their family moved. It was weeks before a neighbor realized no one was feeding them, and by then, both were infested with fleas and Mia was very sick. She never really recovered.

Mia loved humans, and she got a lot of attention in the group home. I think she was the volunteers' favorite because she was so old and wise and so sweet. But all she ever really wanted out of life was a lap to call her very own. Maybe she has one now -- I hope so. Peaceful journey, dear friend. We miss you.

Here are some pictures Diana Hanshaw took of Mia and Taz.

Happy Hearts

2009-02-19T00:29:00.003-05:00

We did a lot of work on our online store tonight. We put something called The Litter Buddy on sale for half price because we just want to get rid of it. And we added some new catnip hearts. They're so cute! I got one as a reward for helping out, and I love it.

Winston got a Live-A-Little salmon treat as a reward for... doing absolutely nothing! He's been batting it around the kitchen all night. I guess he doesn't know he's supposed to eat it.

In case you don't feel like clicking on the links to our store, here's a picture of the catnip hearts. Hey, wait a minute. We're selling two hearts together. How come I just got one???

Your Cat's Calling You

2009-02-15T20:57:00.009-05:00

Something weird happened at the adoption show today. Taylor and Emily got adopted! That's not the weird part though.

Taylor and Emily were both "strays" who showed up in people's back yards. They both made the mistake of choosing yards that belonged to people who think cats should live "strictly indoors." That didn't work for either of them, and they both wound up in the Howard County Cat Club's group home, where they were a lot happier!

Someone saw them on Adopt a Pet.com and went to the show today to meet them. She loved them, and they loved her. They'll be going to live in her barn later this week. I'm so excited for them!

But this is the weird part. About an hour after the woman left, a couple came into the store and went right to Taylor's crate. They just stood there looking at him for the longest time. Then, they asked our human where he came from. They lost an indoor/outdoor cat two years ago, and they were convinced that Taylor was their missing cat. When they found out he'd been adopted and was going to live in a pretty little horse barn they decided they didn't want him back. Instead, they left happy that he was alive and well and going to a home he'd enjoy.

Our human and her friend Diana think fate brought them to PetCo today so they could see their cat one more time and know he was okay. Could be, but I think it's more likely Taylor had them come so they'd stop worrying about him. Cats can do that, you know.

Here are some pictures Diana took of Taylor and Emily.

Follow The Dot

2009-02-12T21:07:00.009-05:00

I heard about a new toy today, and I want one. It's a little plastic mouse with a laser beam, and our human and her friends Frank and Dino have been playing with it all week. The cats literally climb walls to get to the red dot. If our human shines it on the ceiling, they'll look up at it until her arm aches. And today, they chased it down the basement stairs and then back up again! Sounds like fun. I'm very excited because I'll be getting mine tomorrow. I wonder why our human didn't pick one up for me today. I hope the store wasn't out of them!

Here are pictures of Frank and Dino. Aren't they beautiful!

Dig We Must

2009-02-09T23:25:00.003-05:00

We have a new pet sitting job that our human loves. We're helping an elderly woman take care of her six cats. My part is providing moral support from home, when I'm not sleeping or arranging a play date with a tiny animal outside. Our human's part is scooping all the cats' boxes, including a child's wading pool full of litter. I haven't figured out why she likes this...

She has a helper -- a white and orange kitten named Charlie, who loves to sit in the middle of the wading pool and chase the scoop while she's digging in the litter. She has a special friend, too. Her name is Rainbow, and she follows our human around the house and sits beside her while she's scooping. Our human scoops for a minute and pets Rainbow for two minutes. Then she scoops for another minute, and then pets Rainbow some more. No wonder this job takes such a long time.

There's also Obie, a retired Ragamuffin show cat, and few others she doesn't know real well. Today she befriended a very shy gray and white guy who seems to like her because she gives all the cats food.

She likes the cats' human a lot and has fun talking with her about... well, what does she ever talk about... cats. But mainly she loves being in a house with so many beautiful cats, and she loves Charlie and Rainbow and Obie.

Spring Hasn't Sprung

2009-02-07T23:11:00.003-05:00

I'm so happy it's spring! Oh, no... Our human just said it's not spring! Today was just a beautiful, warm day in the middle of winter. Darn. How disappointing...

Since it felt like spring, I spent the whole afternoon outside. Tommy stayed with me for a little while, but he got bored sitting in a sunny spot behind the fence watching the dogs go by on their leashes. I love watching them pull on their leashes when they see me. I don't understand dogs at all. I wonder why they do that.

Love That Litter

2009-02-01T21:13:00.004-05:00

We did yet another Squidoo Lens tonight. This one is about maintaining your cat's litter box. Yuck! My job was to stand in front of the monitor so our human would have something beautiful to look at while she was trying to type.

I love technology! Later, we printed fliers for the adoption show next Sunday, Feb. 8 at the Highland Groomery. I sat on the printer and helped push the paper through that little opening. Our human says that's why most of the fliers had wavy lines on them and ended up in the recycling basket. Good thing we have lots of yellow paper.

That Katy cat doesn't know it yet, but she's going to the show next Sunday with Winston and Honey. Here's her picture. If you want her, she's yours!

Claws and Effect

2009-01-31T00:45:00.004-05:00

Our human and I wrote another Squidoo lens tonight. I like the title -- Claws and Effect: How To Save Your Couch From Your Cat. I got tired of working on the lens though and fell asleep in my heart-shaped bed with one leg dangling over the keyboard. Winston helped, too. He sat on the floor with his head pressed against our human's leg the whole time we were writing. If I'd known he was there, I would have chased him!

Here's his picture. He's on my cat tree! Don't forget: Winston and his mother and that Katy cat are up for adoption!

The Best Bouquet

2009-01-26T00:40:00.005-05:00

Simba's "mom" sent me flowers! She left them in her kitchen for our human. I love them. Our human put the vase on the counter where I eat for just a minute, and I liked them so much there that's where they stayed. I love to put my face in the middle of the bouquet because the flowers smell so nice.

Simba and our human usually go outside when she visits him. But it's been too cold this week. So they've been staying inside and Simba's been rolling back and forth on the living room floor for belly rubs. That doesn't sound like fun to me, but Simba loves it.

Today, after Simba's house, our human had lunch at Lake Elkhorn and watched the ducks walking on the ice of the frozen lake. It must be hard for birds who are used to drifting along in the water to have to walk on ice! Our human was wondering if they were getting enough to eat and wishing she had something for them when a man showed up with a huge bag full of... was it bread? Whatever it was, the ducks were very happy to have some food.

Here's a picture of Simba on the couch. Isn't he beautiful!

Enter Dog; Exit Cats

2009-01-14T21:57:00.005-05:00

We got an interesting email tonight. I think the woman had to be kidding or something when she said she wants to give up her cats.

Really... she can't be serious about ditching the cats because they don't like her new dog. The cats were there first. Shouldn't the dog be the one to go?

One of the cats has no claws! The other one has no front claws, and that's bad enough. So the cats took one look at the new doggy, who, the woman says, was "just sitting there," and freaked out. They were going for the stranger sitting in the middle of their living room and attacked the woman instead. Oops! She got bitten. Badly. Oh, well...

Our human told her the cats were terrified and she shouldn't take it personally. They were just doing what animals do when they're frightened. But the woman is now more afraid of the cats than they are of the dog. The vet who amputated the tops of their toes (declawed them) said she should find a new home for them. That doesn't sound like good advice to me.

But maybe the cats would be better off with someone who understands cats and goes to a decent vet. Hey, if you want a couple of declawed cats, I know of two who need a good home.

Our human wants me to include some links on introducing dogs and cats. If a dog moved in with me, it wouldn't be pretty. But here are the links anyway.
http://www.animalbehaviorassociates.com/dogs_cats.htm
http://www.thecatsite.com/Behavior/50/Introducing-Cats-to-Dogs.html
http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&C=100&A=1384&S=5

Becoming A Pet Dectective

2009-01-10T00:18:00.006-05:00

Our human and I took a mini-course for pet detectives tonight. She thought the part about dogs was really interesting; I fell asleep. I was disappointed, too, because I thought we'd learn how to find Casper.

Although we haven't had much luck with Casper, I know how to find lost cats. So if yours is missing, just give me a call (our human will answer the phone. I don't do phone calls) or write to me. Or even better, take the mini-course at www.petdetectivetraining.com/. Our human got 99% on the quiz! Oddly, the one question she got wrong was about indoor/outdoor cats.

Here are some more places to find information about searching for lost cats:
www.catsinthebag.org/
www.adoptapet.com/public/lost_found/index.html
missingpetpartnership.org/
www.blakjak.demon.co.uk/lost_ct1.htm
And, of course, don't forget The Cat List: www.catlist.org

The Cat List

2009-01-10T00:00:00.004-05:00

Our human and I just finished a new project. My job was to sleep in my heart-shaped bed beside our keyboard while she wrote and rewrote and then rewrote everything again. She thinks it's still not right, but we got tired of working on it.

Anyway, the project is The Cat List. It's an online message board where people can post lost cats, found cats and cats for adoption. There's also a section where pet sitters, groomers and veterinarians who do not declaw can list their businesses. We already posted Casper there.

We use Craig's List a lot, and it always puts us in a bad mood because there's so much clutter it's hard for us to find what we're looking for. And the "pet police" always delete our posts about adoption shows. I don't much care, but it makes our human furious.

At least no one can delete our posts on the Cat List, because it's our list. And we hope it will help lots of cats.

Cherokee Goes Home... Finally

2009-01-01T21:13:00.009-05:00

I saw my friend Cherokee yesterday. She was in our friend Diana's car, and I thought she was coming to stay with us. Then I got the most wonderful news! She'd been adopted, and Diana was here to meet our human and go with her to take Cherokee to her new home in Washington, DC. I was so glad that I got to say goodbye and wish her luck and happiness. Diana and our human were so happy they were crying! How odd that humans cry for joy...

Anyway... this is sort of odd, too... Cherokee is supposed to be a working cat. She was adopted by some nuns who operate a residence for young women living temporarily in DC while they go to work or go to college. The young women discovered mice living in their pantry and were not at all pleased. At a group meeting, they decided a natural approach to Mouse Management would be more appropriate for religious women than cruel traps, so they decided to adopt a cat.

The odd part is that Cherokee is... well, let's just say "the good life" to her is having a lap to curl up on. She excels at purring, but I'm not so sure about catching mice. She is a cat though, and we're all predators. I just hope she doesn't have to work too hard. I don't think she'd like that.

Cherokee was in the group home an awfully long time waiting for the right forever family to come along. And she was never very happy there. She didn't like living with so many cats. Her feelings were hurt, too. She moved in with her first human when she was a kitten, and they were best friends for six years. Then a man moved in with them, and then a human baby came along. That's when the man decided there was "no room" for Cherokee.

It seems a man would take up more space than a cat. Maybe they got rid of the wrong family member.

It doesn't matter now though. Cherokee went to her new home with a huge bag of gifts. Diana bought her a pink bed and matching blanket, and we gave her some catnip toys from our online store. She also took a really pretty mat to go under her litter box and a cute matching privacy screen. When Diana and our human left, she was still in her carrier (with the door open) snuggling with the catnip toys. Our human said she looked like she was smiling.

When she called today to see how Cherokee was doing, the person she spoke to said everyone thinks she "so beautiful. They love her," the woman said, "they just love her."

Be happy, my friend. I hope you'll be very, very happy.

Here's Cherokee's beautiful picture again. It was taken by Diana Hanshaw.

Blowing In The Wind

2009-01-01T20:42:00.004-05:00

It was very cold and windy yesterday, and our human thought all the pet sitting cats who usually go out would want to stay in. So she was very surprised (and sort of disappointed) when she got to Grant's and Elliott's house, and Elliott bolted for the door. A leaf sailed by, and he jumped up and caught it. Then he pounced on it as it blew around on the ground. He was having so much fun, until a gust of wind hit him in the face and blew him backwards into his apartment. He wanted to go back out again, but Grant and our human were too cold.

I don't know... that doesn't sound like fun to me. I spent the whole day curled up in my heart-shaped bed dreaming of summer.

Here's a picture of Elliott on his patio.

Christmas Eve With Tommy

2008-12-24T20:01:00.003-05:00

It's Christmas Eve, and I'm taking the night off to watch for Santa. It would be really cool to see a large human flying overhead with a bunch of reindeer. Gosh... I hope I haven't missed them. Here's a post our human did for her blog last Christmas. Gotta go...

"I love to walk with my cats. But on Christmas Eve, Tommy and I walk alone, just the two of us. It's our holiday tradition.

"Tonight, after everyone else is inside, Tommy and I will walk behind the building next to ours and look at all the Christmas lights on the houses across the woods from us. Maybe we’ll sit together on the top of the hill and watch the lights twinkling through the trees. I’ll feel very connected to my beautiful white and orange friend and at peace with the world. Then, he'll go on his way to do the things outside cats do at night. And I'll come in and think about what a gift he is to me and how lucky I am to know him and all the other cats in my life.

"My cats and I wish you and your animal companions a joyous holiday season and a very happy new year."

Here's Tommy on our old cat tree.

Cats, What Cats?

2008-12-20T23:26:00.007-05:00

Taz's picture was in the Howard County Times this Thursday! We just found out today. Now our human's looking everywhere for a copy of the paper. She loves Taz.

The photographer took Taz's picture at an adoption show at the Highland Groomery last Sunday. The thing about the Highland Groomery shows is that the cats aren't in crates or anything. They're free to just wander around and go wherever they want. So when the photographer got there, it looked like there were no cats at the cat adoption show.

Taz and Mia were sound asleep in the sun on a window seat in front of a bay window. Winston, that foster cat of ours, was hiding under an ottoman, and all you could see was his cute little white nose sticking out from under the ottoman (no wonder he didn't get adopted!). Lucy was in a carrier hissing at anyone -- human or feline -- who came near her. Cherokee was wedged between a desk and a wall. And Mr. Marx and Emily were hiding behind some file boxes on a shelf. Oh, and Max and Mickey were sound asleep on the resident cat's bed under a desk.

The photographer was there for an awfully long time. Finally, our human managed to get Taz to wake up and stay awake just long enough for the photographer to snap his picture.

There's a show at the Highland Groomery on the second Sunday of every month, and our human has what sounds like a good plan for next month. It involves treats -- lots of treats. She was sort of embarrassed that the photographer and potential adopters had to crawl around on the floor looking for cats last weekend, and she's hoping the treats will keep everyone front and center next time.

Diana Hanshaw took this picture of Taz. Isn't he beautiful!

My Present Of The Week

2008-12-20T23:16:00.003-05:00

I got a new collar today. I like it, I guess. It has pretty orange flowers on it to match my fur. The best part is that it has a rhinestone charm in the shape of a crown. I love it! I like that everyone who sees me knows I'm Queen Of My Household.

I don't know why our human laughs every time she sees it. Really... what's so funny about having a strong sense of entitlement.

I also got some new ping pong balls to bat around. I'm supposed to share those with Katie and Winston, and I might if I get tired of them.

Turtle TV, Part 2

2008-12-15T22:22:00.005-05:00

Our human saw Stanford and Farclas and Hampton the turtle again this weekend. There's a tiny Christmas stocking with Hampton's name on it hanging on his aquarium. How cute! I wonder what Santa's going to put in his stocking.

Our human said Santa Claus is a large man with white hair who brings presents to all the children and cats once a year. That's interesting. I thought cats were supposed to get presents every day, or at least several times a week. Maybe our human is just exceptionally well trained. I'd be very annoyed if I got a present only once a year, or even just once a week!

Turtle TV

2008-11-30T20:14:00.005-05:00

We pet sat for a turtle this weekend. Well, no, that's not quite true. I don't actually pet sit. I help by making sure our human knows I'm thinking about her when she's gone all day. And I put paw prints on her windshield. They're supposed to remind her of me and make her laugh while she's driving. I don't know why she keeps wiping them off with those things that go back and forth on the windshield.

So this weekend, she pet sat for her cat friends Stanford and Farclas and their foster turtle, Hampton. Hampton's going to be released at a reservoir (wonder what that is) this spring. But for now, he and some tiny creek minnows are living in an aquarium in Stanford's and Farclas' kitchen. The cats think the turtle and fish are the best thing to come along since kitty DVDs. Stanford sits beside the aquarium watching the fish. Farclas lounges on top with his tail draped over the side. Our human never actually saw Hampton, and she rarely saw the fish. For some reason, they were all together under a big rock. I hope they weren't hiding from the cats!

Here's Farclas on top of the aquarium. He's a Norwegian Forest Cat. Isn't he beautiful! I wish I could be that big!

Apologies To Piper, Again

2008-11-25T22:31:00.005-05:00

I'm so embarrassed! I had to apologize to Piper again for our human's totally irrational behavior. Really... all Piper did was get up on the fence between her yard and her neighbor's. I can't think of even one good reason why our human would put her arm behind Piper and gently sweep her off the fence and then take her inside and lock the door. So what if the neighbor's yard also has a high fence and a locked gate and there's a very busy street just a few yards away. It's not like Piper actually went in the yard or the street, thank goodness.

Anyway, that was yesterday. Today, Piper got to go out but on a harness and leash!

I would not go out on a harness and leash, and I don't know why Piper would put up with such treatment from her cat sitter. She was really nice about it, too. She was very patient while our human put the harness on her, and then she walked right out the door and started crunching around in the leaves and hunting for tiny animals in her yard. She had fun pouncing on the leash, too. It was like a long string (15 feet) to chase. Meanwhile, Bryan Wilson, who was not on a leash, found a few green leaves to nibble.

Our human was very pleased with her pet sitting day when she got home. And it sounds like Piper's not mad at her, although I can't imagine why she's not.

Here's Piper in her harness and leash.

Invasion Of The Honey Cats, And A Few Words About Fat Cats

2008-11-23T23:28:00.007-05:00

I don't believe it! Winston and that Katie cat spent the entire afternoon at an adoption show and didn't get adopted. I've been to adoption shows, and I told them how to make a human fall in love with them. But of course that Katie didn't listen. She had to do things her way, and now she's back here sound asleep on my cat tree.

Our human is always tired and grouchy when she gets home from adoption shows, especially if Cherokee's been there. She gets so tired of hearing people talk about how overweight Cherokee is. Poor cat... she can't help it if she's, well... full figured. It's all that dry food she eats that's packing on the pounds. If she'd get adopted and go to a home where she ate only wet food, she'd be slim and beautiful like me.

What humans don't understand is that we're descended from desert cats, and our bodies are designed to get most of the moisture we need from our food, not a bowl of water. And we're obligate carnivores -- we need animal protein and moderate amounts of fat. But dry food contains a lot of corn and grains. Our bodies don't use grains efficiently, and in some of us they turn to fat. Our human wanted me to include this link on the "Catkins Diet." And here's an article on why we need wet food. And this is our vet's favorite Web site.

Here's a picture Diana Hanshaw took of Cherokee. Isn't she pretty! I loved her when I lived in the group home. I wish The Honey Cats could go there, and she could come here.

Happy Birthday To Me

2008-11-19T00:16:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was our human's birthday, and I got a present! It's a heart-shaped wicker cat bed, and I love it! We put it on our human's desk, right next to her keyboard. Now I can sleep in the bed instead of on the keyboard. It's a lot more comfortable, and our human's happy. For some reason, she didn't like it when I napped on her keyboard. The "a" key doesn't work well now, and she says th t's bec use of me. Really... you'd think aaaa machine could hold up under six pounds of fur.

People love to talk about behavior modification for cats. But what works better is behavior modification for humans. Our human calls it "accommodating our cats." Whatever... it's amazing how quickly they learn with positive reinforcement.

I've been wanting my own bed beside the keyboard for a few days. And now I have one, and all I had to do was lie on the keyboard and look like my feelings were hurt every time our human yelled, "Get OFF!!" She learns so quickly...

Darn, that "a" key really is a nuisance. I hope we don't need a new keyboard.

Here I am in my new bed.

Invasion Of The Honey Cats, Part 2

2008-11-14T00:38:00.006-05:00

I had a really bad day today. Those three foster cats are still here, and I spent the entire day on the cat tree making sure they didn't come out from under our human's bed. I was so frustrated I even chased poor PK, who ducked under the bed and landed in a pile of cats who aren't supposed to be here. Scaredy cat!

Honey and Winston are very cooperative and stay under the bed as long as I'm on the cat tree. But that Katie keeps sneaking out and trying to take a nap on the bed instead of under it. She acts like she owns the place. What nerve! She asked if we could be friends and go hunting together. I don't think so! I want my old friends, Casper and Jasmine. I'm in no mood for someone new in my life just yet.

Tonight our human answered a question on Just Answer from a couple who's splitting up, and they want to split up the cats, too. They have two 10-year-old sisters who have never been separated. I don't know why people would think it's okay to do that just because they each want a cat. Don't the cats' feelings matter? Don't they realize that we form strong bonds with our friends and family members and grieve for them when they're gone? Our human found this article for you on our relationships with other cats.

On Just Answer, she suggested that the cats should stay together and one of the humans could adopt a new cat from a shelter. I was so proud of her! She'll probably get negative feedback because that wasn't what the people wanted to hear. But at least she tried to help the cats.

I have to get back to the cat tree now, but first I thought I'd post these pictures of Honey and Katie when they were in that shelter. The picture of Winston was taken here. He's on my cat tree!! If you want the cats, they're all yours!

Fancy and Cubby Get Adopted -- Again

2008-11-12T00:36:00.005-05:00

I have the best news! Fancy and Cubby got adopted again, and this time it's forever. Oddly, a woman named Laura who lives in New Jersey saw Buddy and George, their arch enemies, on PetFinder. Buddy and George had already been adopted so our human suggested Fancy and Cubby.

Laura and her two sons and best friend came to Maryland to meet them. Fancy and Cubby loved them the moment they saw them, and they went home to New Jersey that night. As our human was following their car down the street she was so happy for them she was crying and wishing them luck and happiness at the same time.

Laura has two cats inside and can't have more indoors because she's allergic. So Fancy and Cubby have their own little house (Laura calls it a shed) at the end of the deck. It has windows, ceiling fans, brand new heated cat beds and a cat tree. Laura set up her laptop in the cat house so they can keep her company while she works, and she has coffee with them every morning.

I'm so excited for them! They're such nice cats, and they deserve a wonderful home. And isn't it interesting how cats like Buddy and George can make good things happen for other cats, even if they hate each other.

Here's a picture of Fancy on her new cat tree and Cubby looking out the window.

Invasion Of The Honey Cats

2008-10-26T23:12:00.012-04:00

I am really upset tonight! I just went into our human's bedroom to take a nap on my favorite perch on the cat tree, and there are three new cats in there! One of them was on our human's bed, looking like she owned it. What nerve...

I was not told that those cats were coming here. I was told our human was getting three cats who came from a shelter in North Carolina where they gas animals... Oh, this is just so upsetting. I can't believe they would do that to a cat or dog. I wish the cats and dogs could get together and gas them!

The three cats who are here, Honey and her kids Katie and Winston, lived in a cage in the shelter for two months. When they were "out of time," someone from a rescue in their town started emailing all over everywhere begging for somebody to take a few kittens to make room. Then no one would be killed. Our human offered to take three adult cats, and a really nice woman drove them up here yesterday.

I do not like sharing my things with cats I don't even know. But they'll be going to the group home in a few days. And at least they're alive. They're nice cats, and they didn't deserve to die because the woman who had Honey was too lazy to get her spayed and then got mad because she had kittens. Was this Honey's fault? I don't think so! The maddening thing is that this happens all the time! I really do wish people would understand that we aren't human, and we don't do birth control on our own.

We don't have pictures of Honey, Katie and Winston yet. But take my word for it: They're beautiful. Hey, if you're looking for some very nice cats, these three need a forever home. They need to stay together, and a nice barn would be just fine.

Welcome Back

2008-10-19T23:50:00.004-04:00

Our human is pet sitting for a feral cat colony this week. She loves these cats, and I'm sure the cats love her, although they've never shown it, until this morning. When she went into the garage, where some of them eat, they'd left her a welcome back gift... a squirrel. She thanked them and asked if they would mind moving the poor guy. She said outside the garage sounded good.

When she went back this evening, the squirrel was gone. What nice cats! Or maybe they were just really hungry and didn't like their breakfast.

Here's a post she did for her own blog. I don't know... she's not a bad writer, but I think my blog's a lot better than hers is.

"I'm in the middle of one of my favorite pet sitting jobs -- a backyard colony of six feral cats. I love to sit on the top of a hill and watch the cats and the geese and the songbirds and the deer all coming and going from their respective parts of the yard as if the others weren't even there.

"This little universe seems to have rules that only the animals understand. The geese eat the corn first, while the deer wait and finally get to finish what's left. The cats watch the bird feeder but never go near it. And the cats have divided themselves into three pairs with separate living and eating areas. The couples are almost always together, strolling across the yard with their tails intertwined, or lying in the grass together, shoulder to shoulder. And we thought cats were antisocial, solitary hunters.

"Here's a wonderful article about the 'unsociable cat.' Enjoy..."

Apologies To Piper

2008-10-08T23:38:00.008-04:00

Piper almost caught something today. She knew it was there, wedged behind the slats in her fence. So she carefully reached behind what she thought was the right slat with one tiny gray paw. Bryan Wilson, her housemate, was no help at all. He was lying next to our human and startled himself by crunching all the leaves when he flipped over for belly rubs.

Piper touched the little animal in the fence. He ran for cover, and our human saw him. She immediately began clapping her hands, distracting both Piper and Bryan. I am so embarrassed! I don't know why she has to overreact when a cat acts like... well, a cat.

I apologized to Piper. But I know how it feels to miss out on a play date with a tiny animal, and I have no idea how to make it up to her. Maybe I'll invite her and Bryan to come here and go hunting in the woods with me. We'll make sure the human is safely inside with a big pile of treats (potato chips would work) so she won't get in our way... again.

Here are some pictures of Piper and Bryan. Piper's chasing something.

Where Are You?????

2008-10-06T00:14:00.004-04:00

Delores was nowhere to be found today. This was not good, because Delores is old, hyperthyroid and nearly blind. She usually meets our human at the door and hisses at her. I rarely hiss at anything, but I guess that's Delores' way of telling our human she's happy to see her.

But she wasn't at the door today. And she wasn't on her big, cushy ottoman or on the sofa. How scary...

Our human looked everywhere... at least three times. She looked under every piece of furniture, went through the closets with doors that had been left open just a few inches and tried to see behind the stove. No Delores. She was thinking about driving around the block a few times to give Delores a chance to come out and eat when she noticed a tiny lump under the white throw on the couch. It didn't look big enough to be a cat, but still it was worth a try. Our human touched the lump with one finger, and the white throw sprang to life. Hiss! Hisss! HISS!!!

Our human apologized for interrupting Delores' nap and tiptoed out the door.

Wind Chimes, Sunshine and Maevina

2008-10-03T00:17:00.007-04:00

Our human visited with her friend Maevina today. Maevina is a beautiful, gentle black cat with green eyes. She and our human love each other.

It was a beautiful, sunny day, and the two of them sat outside on the balcony listening to the music of the wind chimes playing behind them. They were lost in thought and the pleasure of each other's company for a long time. Then Maevina realized she was still hungry and asked for a second can of Fancy Feast. She got it, of course, and some treats and catnip, too.

Traveling With Tommy, Part 2

2008-09-24T23:33:00.009-04:00

Our human had one of those special "cat days" today. Tommy had a follow up appointment with the cardiologist, so he and our human had almost the whole day together, just the two of them.

On the way to Rockville, he rode most of the way on the armrest in the car with his head against her shoulder. Coming home, they listened to Fresh Air and Charlie Haden's new bluegrass album on the radio and had lunch from Wendy's in a shopping center parking lot. For some reason, listening to the music in an empty part of a parking lot with no one around but Tommy, made our human feel like all was right with the world.

Isn't she lucky to have a cat friend who brings her so much peace and happiness. I wish every human had a cat like Tommy, or me, of course.

Here's a picture of Tommy sleeping on the balcony.

Fancy And Cubby Get Returned

2008-09-21T21:11:00.006-04:00

I got some sad news today. Fancy and Cubby were returned! I was friends with them in the group home, and I was so happy for them when they finally got adopted last month.

But it turns out that Fancy and Cubby weren't what the people "had in mind." They wanted instant lap cats. But after two years in a shelter, Fancy and Cubby needed more than a few minutes to adjust to their new home and people they'd met just once before at an adoption show. The more the people tried to get the cats to cuddle on their laps, the more aloof they became. Can't say I blame them. I wouldn't even consider curling up on our humans lap! It's much more comfortable to nap on her desk with my head on her keyboard.

Back to Fancy and Cubby though. Cats in no-kill shelters tend to wait for the right forever family to come along, even if they have to wait for years. Our human knows this, and she was a bit concerned when Fancy and Cubby were less than enthusiastic about the people who wanted to adopt them. Maybe she would have made up a reason why they couldn't have them, but there were extenuating circumstances...

There are some new cats in the group home named Buddy and George, and they chased Cubby at every opportunity. Poor Cubby was so terrified of them, she made a windowsill into her private apartment. She even had a litter box up there!

Our human (and her friends Diana and Ruth) was so eager to get Cubby away from Buddy and George, she went ahead with the adoption and hoped for the best.

When she found out they were being returned, she begged her friend Pat to let them stay at her house so Cubby wouldn't have to deal with Buddy and George again. So now they're living in a room at Pat's house because Pat doesn't like her fosters to hang out with her forever cats.

Darn... I wish we could at least find a better foster home for them. This is just so upsetting! Maybe you'd consider giving them a temporary home. Please... Here's their writeup on Adopt A Pet. And here are some pictures Diana Hanshaw took of them when they were in the group home