Womancat Wensday

Both of us womancats today...

Uh-oh!

Hmmm...

Best be cautious...

I think I'll find a safer place...

 

Answers To Comments

TBT:  Some very interesting comments recently...

The black whisker was a surprise to me.  Well, I should have expected it on black/dark cats.  But I haven't had a black cat for 50 years and I wasn't noticing loose whiskers back then.  They just got vacuumed up.  When I started collecting whiskers, all The Mews had white ones.  You really only "see" what you look for.  I wonder how many of Binq's black whiskers I just never noticed.

I mentioned Ayla was trained by her breeder to pee in the toilet, but lost the habit due to the presence of regular litter boxes for Skeeter and LC.  I don't recall Lori's breeder mentioning that and she has been here 3 years anyway, so would have lost the habit.  I wonder if she has been doing that sometimes all along and I just never noticed before.  Well, it's not like I stand around in the bathroom all that much.

About Marley and Taz size...  Marley once weighed 16+ pounds.  A couple of years ago (when he first showed signs of kidney problems), the Vet said he wanted Marley to lose 2 pounds.  He weighed about 14 late last Spring, and may weigh 13 now.  Yeah, the kidney problems are slowly getting to him even with a special diet and sub-Q injections.  But he is over 14 years now, so such things are (sadly) to be expected.

And Taz has actually lost weight.  9.2 to start and 8.5 now.  I think that is due to his increased activity outside since he arrived.  He runs around outside a lot.  More about food below...

I love seeing The Mews eating together.  Well, Marley, Taz, and Binq always do.  But sometimes Lori goes weeks wanting to eat alone.  It doesn't have to be far away.  Just out of sight of the others.  And she likes corners to eat in (harder for any other Mews to get their nose in her bowl.  Sometimes, she won't eat unless in the bedroom with the door closed.

But the meals are what I wanted to mention.  The Mews get 6 meals a day.  I read once that a feral cat needs 6 mice a day.  So I feed them a little more than  a "mouse" of canned food each meal.  Basically, they each get about 1.5 ozs  (half a Fancy Food can each, each time).  Marley gets more just because he is larger.

As I mentioned, Marley is very slowly losing weight.  Taz seems to be holding at 8.5, Binq is gaining weight (about 1 lb since she arrived).  Lori seems to have settled at 7+.

I understand about Marley losing weight gradually.  He's getter older and there are the kidney issues.  I give him all the food he will eat.  And I do the same with Taz.  He is always meowing at me in the kitchen while standing next to the food mat, so I interpret it as wanting more food.  I always give him some extra whenever the other Mews are outside.  I like plump kitties!

One weird thing about Marley's kidney care diet (Royal Canin and Hill's prescription food.  Marley doesn't really like any of the flavors.  But the other Mews love them!  Which amazes me.  I had to search about that.  The Royal Canin kidney care diet has 3 flavors, all based on pork liver.  Years ago, I read a dystopian sci-fi book where the main character said "when we were poor, we ate pig liver".  I've never eaten it, but I presume that means it isn't that great.  LOL!

But Lori, Taz, and Binq will eat it with gusto.  Maybe it is just "different".  But they get 10 flavors of regular canned food, so how different does food have to get?  

But what is a post without some pictures?

Binq's favorite toy...

Visitor - There is a smokey-color cat I see on the deck sometimes.  I note it has a collar (badly-trimmed).  I don't know if it has a home recently.  A housecat out in the dark suggests otherwise so it may be abandonded or lost..  I've tried to carefully slip a food bowl out, but it runs away.

I will try to live-trap it and bring it to some place that can check for a microchip.  If not, get a good picture of it and post it around the neighborhood and a local website.  I won't adopt it; 4 mews are almost one too many for me.  But if I could return to an owner missing it, that would be a good thing.

I had an unwanted visitor cat who stayed around for a week once before Ayla was successfully spayed.  I got a good picture.  Printed several copies and put them in ziplock bags and went to post them on street signs.  I only got to the 2nd street sign before a teen girl bicycled up and said that was hers.  He was an intact male but kept inside.  And escaped.  

She was so happy to see him again.

And then he escaped again and I got him again (he was friendly).  But that time I walked to her to her home and told the parents they needed to have him neutered or he was going to the Shelter the next time.  I volunteered to pay for it.  I don't know what they decided to do, but I never saw in my yard again.  I hope it was merely neutered.  But you do what you can...

So I hope to find the newest intruder cat has a home and that I can find it.

Easy Like Sunday

Lunch.  We all love our meals, but the 2nd one seems best.  The first gets us over the night starvation (while TBT is asleep) so it fills our tummies in the morning.  But the 2nd breakfast is even better, as we can just enjoy it more slowly and savor the flavors...

Less getting into each others bowls, too.

But even then, somecat is still hungrier and some adjustments occur...

But the calmest meal is the 2nd...

Caturday Saturday

TBT:  Weird Stuff...

Skeeter used to drink from the toilet bowl.

As a kitten, LC sniffed the bathtub drain then turned around and peed into it.  I thought that was utterly cute.

Ayla's breeder used to train the kittens to perch on the edge of the toilet and pee there.  The training doesn't stick when there are litter boxes, and I had to have litter boxes for Skeeter and LC.  But I did see her do that a few times before she lost the training. 

And nothing like that happened again until recently when I got 3 surprises in the past week...

So I was surprised to see Taz drinking from the toilet.  There is a waterbowl now that I had a flavor enhancer to, and there is a water fountain.  So he suddenly drinks from the toilet!

And then I was in the bathroom and Lori hopped up on the rim and peed into the bowl!  What?  Why did she decide to do that?  The litterboxes were all clean.

And then, I found a black whisker on the old platform tree.  I thought all cat whiskers were white.  It had to be from Binq.  But Binq is not a lapcat.  She generally stay around, but not "real close".  So I never noticed her whiskers were black!

And the last surprise of the week.  Binq seems to feel the bedroom is not her space.  She jumps on the bed in the morning and seeks attention (which I of course give thoroughly).  But she has never slept on the bed.  It is routine to wake up at night and see Marley, Lori, and Taz sleeping on the bed in corners or up against me.

So imagine my surprise when I got up briefly and saw Binq sleeping in a corner of the bed!  And she has done that 3 nights in a row.  Not that she is quite ready to sleep in contact with me, but it is a good start.  Just that much (after nearly a year) is a positive adjustment.

I'm sure there will come a day when I discover Binq sleeping next to me.  

Flashback Friday

This time we revisit this week in 2010! 

Iza had this weird cowlick unless I specifically brushed it down.  I don't think it was from licking. It always occurred in the same place.

A new toy was a favorite.  Both Iza and Ayla liked it.

But Iza got in control of it.

Iza was enjoying the back yard.  Notice the bells on her collar.  I tried those to let me know when she came up behind me (so I wouldn't step back on a paw).  And maybe save a few birds.  But she learned to walk without jingling them.

I bought a foam hut.  It was used at first, but only briefly.  It wasn't a favorite thing.  I gave it away eventually.

None of The Mews then really figured out the turbotrak.  The bridge baffled them.  

I will mention that Binq has become a Master at it.  She can send the ball (s) over the Bridge and sometimes just goes crazy with it.  But I can't seem to find a picture of her doing that.

In the yard, a burning bush was in full "burn".  

It was lovely.  I had 3 around the front yard, but this was the best one.

Womancat Wensday

 LORI:  I  enjoying the bag cabinet...

But I got tired of that, so I had a nice rest on the aquarium.  The towel makes a nice pillow and the light makes it warm.  

Im surprised none of the others come up here.  And I hope they dont!

Answers To Comments

TBT:   I love getting comments I can answer.  So here are some From Friday and Sunday...

From Brian's Home:  "That was a darn cool new Marley throne!"  Yeah, it seems to me that all cats know what color background shows them off best.  Orange cats like Marley and Taz seem to like black or green.  Black cats like Binq seem to like red.  Beige cats like Lori know they show up well with any strong color.

From Memories Of Eric And Flynn:  "Of course Marley did! Does anyone use the hidey hole now?"  Yes.  Lori likes it and sometimes Taz gets in.  But Marley can't really fit in there anymore and Binq has shown no interest.  

From several about Lori's beard:  I have never seen that on a cat.  And I have no idea whatsoever how it exists.  But it is "precious" in the sort of cute way that something is unique and unusual.  I am constantly amazed by it.  And it is rare to get a picture showing it well.  Have any of you ever had a cat with a beard like that?

From Megan:  "Poor Marley. He tells himself that if he just concentrates hard enough the cushions will get warm".  Heated cat mats don't seem to last long.  But I'm willing to try again.  At least, if it isn't warm, it is soft.  And since the deck door faces south, he gets sunpuddles there.  Perhaps just the memory of the warmth is good for him.  And I see an obvious Christmas present arriving for him.  And even maybe sooner.  Why wait?

Thank you all for the comments (mentioned here or not).   They keep my spirits lifted and The Mews tails held high!

So a few random pictures with no particular theme...

OK, its all Lori this time.  The Mews flipped rattley mousies and she won.

Monday Mancat

TBT:   Taz is such an utter food thief.  No pictures of that because I am always too upset at the time to think about pictures when I see him stealing my dinner,

I often have meat to thaw for dinner.  It is usually in a pan of warm water in a zip-locked bag.  That never stops him.  Last night, I thought I had it safe.  A spiced chicken thigh in a lidded pan and under my heavy wood cutting board.  I was only away for 5 minutes.

When I returned, he had gotten it out!  I don't know how he does that.

OK, I got him from the Shelter when he was about 3 years old.  Maybe he had a lack of food in his original home.  Maybe he always thinks about where food might be.

But I feed all The Mews 6 times a day.  Plump kitties are happy kitties, right?  Sometimes Taz even leaves some food in the bowl.  So it isn't like he is lacking for food in any way.  And he likes the various Fancy Feast flavors I offer (they all do).

He can't stop searching for more though.  He seems to be obsessed with finding it.  Apparently, I am going to have to put the thawing pan in the oven or M/W.  I'm pretty sure he can't open those.

But it is Mancat Monday so here are some general pictures of my beloved food thief.  Ah, I did find some after all.

Oh wow...

Sometimes I forget what pictures I have...

Easy Like Sunday

 Various recent stuff...

Lori at dusk.  And don't you just love that little beard?  I don't know why she has it but I love it.

She sure loves the high places.

Binq goes nuts about insects on the outside of the deck door.  She can't catch them, of course, but that never stops her from trying.  She just hurls herself at the door.  And I've seen her jump almost 5' high at them.

Marley always loves the cushions at the bottom of the plant stand.  They used to heat, but died.  But he still loves laying on them.

Utter contentment...

Lori is still struggling with her unwanted shelter kitty siblings Taz and Binq.  But things seem to be getting a bit calmer.  I was sceptical about the herbal "calming collar", but it actually seems to be helping.   And if no other effect, she sure smells better.

But she has 3 favorite places.  The hood of the aquarium, the pillow on the bed.  And as you can see here, The Lap.

Ooh, and yes, "the sling"...

May all of you have a good day!

Flashback Friday

This week we go to this seek 2013...

TBT bought a new computer chair.

 And Marley immediately claimed it!

Iza still preferred The Lap...

Marley could still fit in the hidey hole.

Blog4Peace2024

 

Easy Like Sunday

We were waiting ta go out, but TBT made us wait because we hadnt been fed yet

It is impawtant ta start the day with full tummies.

So we got out about 15 minnits later... 

Caturday Saturday

MARLEY:  The Bag Cabinet is becoming popular here.

You will probably be seeing more pictures of us there this month.

It used to be "neater" but we have been re-arranging it for more comfort.