Mancat Monday

LAZ:  Not a good pic, but I seldom get up on the back of the TV chair and TBT took it, so I decided ta use it.   Its kinna Aylas spot.  But she was outside, so I sniffed an looked around...

Good sniffs.  An the view isnt bad from up here either...

Easy Like Sunday

MARLEY:   Laz an I are helping to make the bed today.  Well, he likes the sheets to be flat, so we layed on then to do that.  

Its not OUR fault that the bed it so warm that we fall asleep on it...

He does too.  

Flashback Friday

Today we revisit this week in 2011.

Marley was young and playful, and more Ayla's size then.  They played a door game.  Who would reach around first?

Nothing much ever happened.  They were both too cautious...

So it was a waiting game.

Kinna got boring sometimes...

C'mon Marley, jump through the door!

Where's he go?

OK, time fer a nice nap...

 

Thankful Thursday

 THE MEWS:  In these days when we see sad stuff on the TV, we thought of the good life we live...

1.  When we are hungry, food appears.

2.  When it is hot out, we are cool.

3.  When it is cold out, we are warm.

4.  When it rains, we stay dry.

5.  When we want attention, we get it.

6.  When we want ta snuggle, we have each other and TBT.

7.  When we want to be alone, we have places to be.

8.  When we are bored, TBT tosses toys and kibbles that bounce around the floor

9.  We get scritchies whenever we ask.

10. When we feel sick, the vet helps us.  Not that we like that at the time, but the next day is usually better.

11. We have the Big Back Yard ta explore.

12.  We have wunnerful lifes.

13.  And we have the promise of The Bridge when life gets too hard someday...

Tuesday Hunting

LAZ:   I sure like Big Brofur Marley.  He teaches me stuff.  But I'm also learning on my own.  He says ta find mousies in the grass.  I have been findin NEW places where the yard is rougher.  

I LISTEN a lot.  They make sounds in the dry leafs.

Heard one!

And I got it, too...

Mancat Monday

MARLEY:  

Laz is a Good Brofur.  We play around in the house a lot.  Outside is less offen, but we did yesserday.  

A bit of nose-sniffin, a bit of checking the lawn fer mousie-smells...

A bit of relaxin time together...

I'm still helpin him learn where ta hunt.  He still thinks the unnerbrush is best, but I remind him the holes are easier ta find in the grass.

He'll learn...

I'm a lucky cat!  I found a good Bein (I went right up on his lap when he came ta adopt me), Ayla and Iza liked me from my first day, and my new brofur Las thinks I'm the best thing since canned toona!

Ta make things clear, I loved my original Bein.  She was real kind, but I made her sneeze something fierce, so she looked for someone I din't and TBT came by.  When I scratched up dander in my furs on his lap, it didn't bother him a bit, so off I went.

And what a crew I've met because of that.  I might have been an 'only" kitty otherwise.  Which might have been OK cuz she really gave me great attention.  But I would have never gone outside (it was a "condo") or met other kitties...

Meow Like A Pirate Day

Ahoy, Mateys, we be doin our best ta honor our pirate shipcat ancestors this day!  And since some of us may resemble the lubbers list of those still wanted fer a brief visit to the hemp halter, we will keep our images hidden this morn of a red sun...  So we are channelling our shipcat ancestors today (Scatter The Crazy, Little-Chiller, Yayla The Backclawer, IzBerserk, and Lazuli The Gem:

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We are assembled on the good ship MousiePain fer our annual beaching ta the caching place fer ta hide more booty afore headin inta port where the lubber taxers (worse than us scalliwags, as they risk not life nor limb of our efforts ta free wealthy merchants of their ill-gotten gold).

The first moments off-ship are awkward.  It takes a wee bit of grog ta lose our sea legs an stand on the unmoving deck land.  We get landsick at first, missin the calm movements of the waves.  We can dance on the shiftin decks but fall on a floor...

But there be fresh foods aport.  Cackle eggs, fresh beef, meat pies!   

And there we fancy ourselves sharing Nip with the Hands an bein a bit free with the most adventuress of the womancats, til our pieces o' eight run out and the Cap'n comes round ta scurry us back ta the ship saying "all hands hoay".  Too little fun ashore an ya regret the missed gambols fer months; too much an its the brig fer a week or even a keelhaulin iffen ya sliced some lubber fer purrfectly good reasons...

Tis a fine line we walk ashore.  Little time ta find the places that sell the pretty gawkles the smiths make from our gold and silver.  But the cost...  The smiths hornswaggle us cruelly.  And they call US thieves!    Arrr, there be no help fer it, by yer leave.  

We must have the gawkles fer our own personal and matey's admiration on the next adventure (we old seadogs do like ta show off our stuff, and for the next port where the designs are new to the local bawdies and get us more than we gave.  

An sometimes we "run a rig" on the smiths and other lubber traders in return.  A bit of confusion in the shop caused by one matey results in a "slight shift of ownership" of a geegaw or gawkle into a deep hidden pocket of one of us...

Back aboard ship, there is work ta be done.  Most of it is work we do asea, but sometimes it does take lubbers.  They be the ones havin the trees an we do need those and the tools to shape them...   We hands all glom basic wood-stuff but a cracked mast needs lubber work.  So it's a few days being lubber-like workers again doin the liftin and hard stuff.

If a mast is broken, it be a fortnight in port.  Cap'n dares not let us off-board, so the meanest mates are set around the rails with guns.  So little chance of leaving.  If it is barely damaged, the lubbers "sister" the mast, putting large timbers around the weak spot bolted through.  

I depends on how profitable our recent adventure went.  A good time "visitin" the merchant ships means a new mast; a poor one means just "sister-repairs.  Arr, those be weaker and risk us more in storms, so we fight hard ta get enough each encounter to keep the ship in fine fightin shape, ya know.  We doesnt go out ta the sea ta die, ya know...

There be cases when a cheap Cap'n (they be greater riskers than Hands, bein gettin the more share of profit) and there be a mutiny to choose another of us we trust better ta the safety of the ship.  Bad Cap'ns send us ta Davey Jones Locker in weak ships; Good Cap'ns sail us on sturdy ships and provide decent foods (kibbles AND cans).  And Nip once a week...

Bad Cap'ns get keelhauled and mebbe we are sometimes slow ta pull them across the barnacles.  Good Capn's get rewarded with obedience and trust and "Aye-Aye Sir".  

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We return the post to ourselfs now.  Wow, that was a weird expreience in remembering how our Pirate Shipcat ancestors lived.  And how oddly they resembled we The Mews in name.  Strange how that can happen.   

We look forward to other Meow Like A Pirate Day posts...

Flashback Friday

We are going into this week of 2014, which is sort of recent for our flashbacks,  but it was test of a week.  

There was an empty kibble bag that SMELLED great, so we couldn't resist it.

Its hard ta push into an empty bag.  But we all got our FAVRIT flavors after, so it was OK.  

 

Thursday With Ayla

AYLA:   I was a bit restless last night.  I like the back of TBT's TV chair.  And I like the bloo Star Wars mat.  But I think I should have more Bloo.

TBT says that is about as "bloo" as it gets, but I don't think he quite unnerrstands.

I need MORE!

This is absolutely my favorite mat, but I'm off the edge sometimes and that just "Won't Do".  A Princess must look Purrfect at all times.

I mean, sometimes, I drape a paw off it.  And when I am off-bloo, something seems wrong.

But he says he will fix that tomorrow, so that is good.

Cats Showing Trust

TBT:   We have all seen lists of how to know your cat is happy.  I love to read them and and I agree with them.  The lists are good for making sure everything is right with them...

But it seems to me that there are some things I never see on the lists to judge their degree of trust:

1.  You walk into the bedroom where the cats are napping and turn on the light and they don't even look to make sure they are safe.

2.  You step across a cat in a narrow space and it doesn't even twitch because it knows you won't step on it; not even the tippy-tail.

3.  If a cat is outside in a surprise rain shower, it will coming running through the rain because it knows you have the door open for it.

4.  Your cat is caught off-guard by some inside or outside threat (bigger introoder cat, dog, vishus deer, Delivery Person, doorbell, fireworks, etc) it runs to you because it knows you can defeat ANY danger.

5.  You have slept late and the cat is hungry.  It sits calmly near you waiting for you to get up.  OK, that's a joke.  Actually, it is walking on and around you while complaining loudly.  But I suppose it trusts that IF you get up, you will feed it before you eat.  Yes, I do; an elephant can go longer hungry than a mouse, and a Human longer than a cat.

6.  A cat that trusts you knows it can whap you and not get whapped in return (unlike by its sibfurs).

7.  A cat that trusts you knows the sounds of the house that are not sounds of nature.  You can dump a few clean cans into the recycling bucket and not disturb them.  However, don't accidentlly drop one on the floor near them...  That's a threat and they will teleport UTB!

8.  If you step on a tail-tip or bump one with a foot, they will run.  A cat that trusts you will return immediately if called.

9.  A cat that trusts you ASSUMES the next can you open for them will taste great.

10.  A cat that trusts you will come inside when called even if it is stalking a mouse.

Got any others?

Caturday Saturday

TBT is quiet today.  We get a first meal for the day and will get outside time after, but he views days a bit different than we do.  Our day starts at dawn (his seems ta start in the middle of the night).  But he is not acting quite normally.  We can tell he is upset.  

It's not about US of course so it must be the larger world he lives in.  That happens sometimes; Beins are very complicated.  He says it is "9-11" and we need not be too concerned about it.  So we arent.  He knows what concerns us or doesnt.

But of course, when HE is upset, we are all a little worried.  Like, what if he forgets ta let us out or forgets a meal?  He dint of course, but such things concern us greatly.

We get hints when he is upset.  Like today, he groomed hisself carefully, took a shower (well, a routine thing, but he spent more time than usual at it (water, ick...), and then put on his black furs.  THAT is not routine, and we've leaned that it is another sign he is sad about something.  

So after we had our meal, we gathered around him to provide some comfort.  He dint take anny pictures then, so we are showing one we found from before.  It means about the same...

The point was ta show him "peace".  We ate together nicely.

Sat around together nicely.

Napped near each other (Marley in the middle of course).

And napped together later nicely again.

He seemed pretty happy with our show of "nice"...

We do our best to help him on the troubled days, as he does for us.

Flashback Friday

This week in 2009, Iza was learning fun things.  She discovered toilet paper unrolling and holding up the walls.

She sure loved to put her feet on the walls.  And guard the hallway...

I spoke to the Tonkinese breeder today, but more about that HERE!

Thankful Thursday

LAZ:   I found TBTs stash of freshly hotted towels an mats an such (kill fleas and eggs).

Rolled around on them gloriously!

I dont think I have anny fleas, but he is gonna have to run them through the dryer again.

His problem, not mine...  I have my flea collar and no flea touches ME and lives.

All *I* want is the softy warmth!

But if that gets fleas killed, thats good too.

TBT:  The fleas are not a big problem.  Apparently, I discovered them early enough and got serious collars.  Most of the house is uncarpeted, which makes their lives harder.  I'm been vacuuming the floors and furniture regularly.  

At the worst, Ayla had some bumps near her tail and Marley had some "grit" on his and a few fleas.  Laz never showed any signs of them.  When I put Seresto collars on each, several dropped off Marley the first day while he was lounging on the newspaper I was "trying" to read.  And I combed out 2 that were already dead the first week .    None from Ayla or Laz.  But Ayla's tail bumps did go away in a week.  

I previously mentioned that Ayla had a contact reaction to the collar and scratched to bare skin in 2 spots.  I removed it of course and 2 weeks later, the spots are fully healed and furred.  Fortunately, she is always up high, so any few remaining fleas would have some trouble finding her.  And her bae-of-tail remains unbumpy.  

Flea-combing Laz never revealed any sign of fleas.  Maybe they don't like his taste.  Marley has no "grit".  Ayla is not scratching.  

I actually saw a flea on me one of the first days and decided to watch it (know your enemy).  I THINK it bit me 2x to taste my blood but didn't like it.  It's hard to detect.  But I did grab it and rolled a pen over it hard.  They are hard to crush but not impossible, LOL!

I'm not saying there is no flea anywhere in the house, but what few there are losing their battle.  I vacuum thoroughly floor to top of chairs, flea-comb The Mews daily...  It will take a while, but the collars seem very effective.  Fleas that land on the Boys, die.  And if they don't like me, they haven't got much anywhere else to go before they starve.  I check Ayla constantly.

The flea trap worked well.  For anyone who didn't see a previous description, it is basically a nightlight over a tray.  The original tray bottom was sticky, but soapy water works just fine.  The fleas think the warmth of the nightlight is an animal and when they jump at it, they fall into the water.  

I got 6-7 fleas that way in The Mews Room over a couple days and several more in the computer room.  Oddly, none in the bedroom, but I naturally tend to vacuum that room more often (its the only place I'm barefoot).

I should mention that identifying dead fleas can be tricky.  They are REALLY small.  A magnifying glass helps, but I also have a jewerel's loupe that is more powerful and I could see the difference between a flea and a sticky seed that way.  Flea legs look different from spines on seeds.

I haven't found a flea on any of The Mews in a week, and I've SURE been looking!

Twofur Tuesday

LAZ:  Todays Twofur is Me and TBT.  

He is wearin his shadow-camo pants, gray socks, and camo shoos.

Which matches ME very well.  I like that.

Mostly though, I like The Lap.  I'm getting a LOT better at that these days.  TBT said I should practice at that and I HAVE!

I kinna "get" colors lately.  Ayla goes well with bloo.  Marley goes well with green.  I go well with light an shadow.