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Category Archives: Cats
9.9.12 Snack Time at the Zoo
Note to my Readers: Sorry for the rant, but sometimes, I just have to get it off my chest.
Sometimes when I look down and realize that we currently have 5 cats, I worry that I am someday going to be called the crazy rescue lady. I wish I could say that everyone gets along, but lately, with Muffin really getting on in years, and Kitty, losing her mind and peeing everywhere, the multi-cat (multi-animal) household, is not working as calmly as it used to. Over the last 30 year I have always had multiple cats: it went from Rosie & Eddy, add Babydoll & Wussy, subtract Eddy (breast cancer), subtract Wussy (kidney), add Alice & Gertrude, subtract Babydoll (cancer), subtract Rosie (old age), add The Muffin Man, Zackary, & Cuddles, subtract Alice (kidney), subtract Gertrude (old age), subtract Zackary (kidney), add Nine & Stella, subtract Cuddles (brain tumor), and here we are. And then the dogs went from Nikki, add Squash, lose Nikki, add Louise, lose Squash, add Sofie.
With 7 animals, someone is always crying that they are hungry and because Muffin wants to eat all the time (he is down to about 3 or 4 lbs), we feed the cats pretty often. The cost to keep the zoo in dog and cat food is killing me! We just switched the cats to 1/2 commercial brand (9 Lives at $.43 per can) because the good stuff (Wellness $1.65 per can) is so expensive. I am switching the dogs to something different too, but it is harder for them (they are more tummy sensitive). Currently I am moving them from Prescription Hills ID to VeRUS, Lamb and Brown Rice (not cheaper but maybe I will use less in the long run). You almost need a Ph.D. in animal science to figure out the best animal foods at this point, and when you do, you can’t afford them. Oh my!
I will need to take a loan out of the bank to keep up with the 7 animal’s appetites at this point. Whose idea was all these animals anyway? Good thing that I don’t eat much (but how come they always want whatever I am eating too?).
Oh, don’t get me started on the cost of dog treats these days…….
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤ 
9.1.12 Hang In There, Nine
Dear Nine –
I know that you have been waiting in Peanut’s window but she is not coming back until Thanksgiving in November. You will be older then. Snow may have fallen outside. You will have found many new dragons to slay around the house over the months to come and you will go on many new kitten adventures. You will still play with Sofie and Stella and the rest of the pack but I know you don’t know, that she will not be here to see it. Keep doing those really cute poses and funny antics though because Mommy will do her best to catch you on camera, and we will send it to Peanut so she can see you from far away. I am sorry, Nine. Life is different around here now. You will not be able to help her with her homework or chew on her pencils. But she will come see you again. And when she does she will give you the biggest hug you ever had in your whole short life because I know that she wanted to sneak you into her suitcase and take you with her. But we will have a fun time here at the zoo. It will just be different. But it still will be fun. I promise, – Mommy
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
8.31.12 PJ & Titan
Parker & Titan
While in New York taking Peanut to school, I had the opportunity to visit with my 14 month old grand nephew, Parker Jaxon, and my grand nephew cat, Titan. Titan is a very big guy and has been around many rotations of the earth before P.J. came along. He is a very tolerant cat and seemed to take the baby’s ‘little to hard’ pats, in stride. A few weeks ago I wrote about Madelyn Dawn, my 17 month old grand niece (from my other nephew), and the special relationship she appeared to be having with a nanny goat. Teaching children to be kind to animals is a pattern you set up for their whole life. There is still so much animal (and human) abuse on the planet. We teach by example. We teach others, especially children, by how we live. Taking care of your animals and having the children help feed and walk them can teach respect and compassion. Stopping violence against animals also is being recognized as an essential part of childhood education through a program called, humane education, in the schools. I believe that if you live the life you want your children to emulate and start teaching from the minute they are in your care; then there is a good chance they will grow up to be animal conscious humans – kind and caring. As the saying goes…. “All you need is love… and a cat.”
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
8.26.12 Silly Cat Places
Noel 2012
Kitchen Sink
Nine: Making the bed
Not sure why Noel decided to sit in the kitchen sink but I was lucky enough to catch a picture of her. Animals do the silliest things. Noel is an especially funny cat. You will find her in some really weird places. Now, Nine, he likes to make the bed, which is a very cat thing to do.
Where are some of the silly places your animals like to be?
The Muffin Man
In my pocketbook
Miss Kitty
Watching TV
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
8.18.12 Everyone Needs An Office Cat
Last year, I guess it was last year but maybe it was longer ago, both Noel and Muffin slept in my office under the window in their beds. As Muffin has gotten much frailer (he is 19 or 20 now I think), he does not come on my desk much anymore (accept late in the day sometimes when he wants to chew on my phone cord to tell me that he is hungry). Muffy mostly sleeps on the glass coffee table in the living room these days (I assume because it is central and cool and low to the ground). Noel mostly sleeps alone in my office. She gets to decide which bed she wants. Today she is in Muffy’s red (manly) bed, but mostly she is in the her pink (girly) bed. I have noticed that since my return from Australia she often sleeps in the next room (my den) on the couch during the day (I think it is much cooler in the den than my office, with all my equipment and lights. Also my office is the hottest corner of the house (of course it would be)). I like that she has branched out (at least one room over). Noel doesn’t get involved in the stupidness that goes on in the house with the other animals. Mostly, she is ABOVE it. Even the humans steer clear of her since she is not very approachable! The only one she lets pick her up is me. I pick her up like I did when she was a baby (upside down) and rock her in my arms and pet her face and her paws. She and I are pretty close I guess. She is my office cat. Everyone should have an office cat.
Noel and Muffy in the office window
April 2010
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Late Breaking News as I finish the post: OMG! Kitty is on my desk because no other cats are here (this never happened before).
8.17.12 Update on Miss Constance Kitty
If you remember Miss Constance Kitty had lost her mind and was peeing everywhere. Then she went to a week at the Kitty Spa while we were on vacation in July and she seemed to stop for many weeks after that. But then V and K8 went away last week to the beach, she started up again (pissed that V, the mega snack giver, was not here probably). She peed on both couches and ruined a bunch of stuff. (Just as an aside, I discovered this product they make for kid’s that wet their beds called ‘GoodNight’ bed sheets. They are plastic/paper and adhere at all 4 corners to the bed. I put those on the couch under a blanket to save the cushions.) I also started to lock her in a bathroom with a litter box and her dinner. This helps a little. I think it is the alone time that helps here more than the availability of the box, but V thinks that the dogs and also Nine the kitten, keep her from getting to any of the 4 litter boxes I have throughout the house (maybe, who knows), and she really needs to go, so she does (as you can tell, I am not buying this theory much). I never know when she is going to slip up and what she is going to pee on, but it seems that any changes or commotion seems to set her off. After the major pee fest the first 2 days V was gone, I started locking her in the bathroom, especially if I went out of the house for any period of time. This seemed to help. She did not mis-pee anywhere inappropriate after that, that week. But, as soon as V got home, it started again (commotion?, I missed you? or just plain ‘CRAZY!’) We did get medicine that we are suppose to rub in her ears to calm her down, but I am not sure that that makes much of a difference. I think she takes after that famous actress that said ‘I want to be alone!’ To be continued…..
PS. As I am finishing this post, I hear Sofie wildly barking in the kitchen and cat screaming going on and when I go see what is happening Nine has Miss Kitty pinned on the kitchen counter in a corner, Sofie is on the floor, egging him on, and poor Kitty does not know what to do. Kitty is now in her bathroom having alone time and a nice snack. Ahhhh, life in a zoo.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
8.9.12 Nine’s Adventure
Let me start by saying, he is fine. But I am very upset by the whole thing. OK, I will start from the beginning. Today was just one of those days that went from bad to worse. I am not going to get into all the human stuff that created a really bad day, but there is one piece that I will tell you. Friday, the Pest Control guy was suppose to come to do his yearly termite inspection but he never showed up. Today he was suppose to come at 3 pm and he showed up at 9 am. I hate when people do that, and if I did not have to have this inspection as part of my contract, I would have told him to go away until another day. Anyway, the same guy has been coming for years. He is a strange older dude and rambles on and on, and does not watch what he is doing (or where he tries to put his hands – but that is for a different blog). To do this inspection he mainly checks the garage and the outside of the house. When we went from the house to the garage, I told him to shut the door behind him, but I saw that he did not, so I came back and closed it. Around 9:30 am he finished his inspection after much to much chatter, yada yada yada, and then he went. I went back to work and at 11:00 am I got the dogs ready for their walk with Mojo. When I opened the front door, who is on the front steps but Nine! I never knew he was out and I never saw him exit. It was really hot out and he was panting terribly. On top of that, Mojo hates cats, so I was really worried that they were going to be rounding the corner any minute and all 90 lbs of Lab would see 9 lb Nine and go after him. I approached Nine cautiously but he ran (which I did not expect). Nine jumped the fence (it was a really nice jump actually) and scrambled into my back yard. I called Peanut and together we were finally able to wrangle him and get him in the house (before Mojo arrived or any other disasters befell him (like meeting a fox)). All the other animals in the zoo were very concerned about him and gathered around; they even let him eat a snack without trying to steal it from him (which is unheard of with this group). Panting cats are a very bad sign and he had me very scared for a few minutes. Ice cubes and paw washing cooled him down pretty quick and then he slept for the afternoon. You would think that taught him a lesson but noooooooo!!!! Not Nine the Adventurer. Whenever I am at the door now, guess who is trying to have another adventure.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
8.4.12 Noel Took Charge
Noel In Charge
The trouble with leaving Noel in charge of the zoo while I was gone, is that she actually took it very seriously. Here you see her taking over the dog bed in my office and forcing poor Louise to sleep on the floor. That is the trouble with animals of different species. They seem to boss each other around in funny ways. What I found really cute is that Louise actually listened to her and vacated the bed. Maybe it is an age before beauty thing; Lulu being the younger animal of course. I think that in my absence Noel was forced to deal with situations that she did not prefer; like having to be with people other than Mommy and actually being with the rest of the herd/pride. I noticed that she has been out more the last couple of days since I have been home. She was investigating ‘Syd,’ the platypus that I brought home from the Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia, for Peanut. Funny what happens to certain animals when you give then a sense of responsibility.
Maybe Noel will start being more social with the other animals now that she has been in the leadership role. I doubt it though. I do find it interesting that the dogs allowed Noel to be in their bed when they do not allow any other cats to even come close. They are really possessive about their spots usually. I have seen Sofie get extremely upset at Nine for trying to enter her kennel (she probably was protecting her lovey, Beaver, who was sleeping inside). The dynamics of my pack/pride are very interesting. When you change one thing, take out a member or add a member, even for a short time, the relationships seem to shift. Sometimes they come back to where they started, and sometimes, they don’t. I really hope the dogs don’t start standing on my desk and sleeping in Noel’s bed under the window. I don’t think I could deal with that.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
DogDaz Zoo 