Post 307: Andy’s new tub

Dougy has a favorite plastic tub that Andy knows better than to try sleeping in…!

Today, I decided it was worth 99 cents plus tax to give Andy his own personal plastic tub. It proved to be a good choice! I placed the tub high on top of a carrier that itself is on top of a settee, and it took Andy very little time to check it out:

andys new tub 2

Looks too small, doesn’t it? The boys are extra fluffy….

They actually are smallish to medium-sized cats, and the tub is exactly right for both of them.

@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@*@

I noticed a major boo-boo on this after (of course!) I posted it. I deleted it, then discovered Professor VJ Duke’s comment in an e-mail linked to the deleted version. Anyway, I hope he accepts my apology for accidentally deleting his comment, which I include here as a p.s. to this incredibly short and tiresomely redone and redone and redone and redone post!

Here it is:

Professor VJ Duke commented on Post 307: Andy’s new tub

“He looks so funny in there!”

To which I note, yes, I think so, too!

His blog is a hoot, incidentally, and here is a link: http://thepunchylands.wordpress.com/

Check it out!

Post 306: brothers

Don’t tell my * favorite sister-in-law, but my brother Richard and I talked on the phone yesterday for four hours. Yeah, four hours!

We always have long telephone conversations, but four hours pretty much doubles the usual length for these marathon conversations. No apologies, though. My brother not only is my only brother, he is my favorite one, and it’s been awhile since we talked.

We talked about a lot of things and a lot of nothing, but it was a fast four hours. The best news to come out of it, though, is my brother plans to visit in June. I’m ready! He usually stays around five weeks, but those five weeks fly by. He’s a great guest! (Anyone who does the dirty dishes is a “great guest”! 🙂 )

Though the boys don’t know what I meant when I told them my brother is coming for a visit, I guarantee they will be excited to see him in June! Yes, Richard is my cats’ favorite “uncle”! The moment he walks in the door, they crush against him, excited to see him again. I think they remember how much fun he is!

Here is a video from the first time my brother visited after I got the boys. He’s the one “operating” the Da Bird toy. Andy and Dougy play the crazed cats chasing the feather toy. Under equivalent circumstances, my brother’d be your favorite, too!

Andy and Dougy were a couple of weeks short of one year old in this video.

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* I know: if you have only one of something, technically it can’t be a favorite. This is a family inside joke with my brother and sister-in-law. What isn’t a joke is they’d still be my favorites if I had two or more brother or sister-in-law.

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After I wrote this, I remembered another cat and another time my brother visited. Louie loved my brother’s visits, too. During this 2011 visit, Louie’s favorite toy broke. My brother fixed it, then gave it a test run with Louie. Here’s the result:

I think you get a better idea now why I love my brother and look forward to seeing him! I suspect lions would purr and rattlesnakes would rattle out my brother’s favorite tunes if they met him.

Dogs love him, too! When he was here the last time, my niece’s dog Oreo, who always visits my brother and sister-in-law each day, had some behavior issues because he was upset my brother wasn’t there!

Post 305: Double portrait of Dougy and Andy

Both boys on the cat tree usually means someone’s going to harass the other to get the favorite hidey-hole, but not today. Dougy (top) and Andy (hidey-hole) posed briefly for this double portrait.

As usual, the camera had difficulty keeping up with micro-moves by the boys, so it is soft focus. On the other hand, it’s rare to get both in one photo, good, bad, or indifferent:

doubler portrait of dougy and andy

Andy, surprisingly, let me take several flash photos of him inside the hidey-hole. This one turned out best:

Andy in his hidey hole

After this brief interlude, Dougy ran off to sleep in the bathroom, and Andy snuggled back down inside the hidey-hole. So why am I at the keyboard? I should follow their lead!

Post 304: Update on David and his recovery from heart surgery…

Here’s the update on David and his recovery from heart surgery:

There’s a short update on how his ginger cats, Zeus and Phoebe are doing, too!

Post 303: Sochi Winter Olympics dog slaughter

I will not watch or support in any way the Winter Olympics because of the slaughter of the stray dogs of Sochi. Dogs are not the problem. It’s people who create these situations, and humane solutions, while difficult and expensive, perhaps, are needed, not bullets or poison.

As a responsible pet owner, as someone who earlier rescued two cats and who periodically makes donations of cat food to the local animal shelter, I can not watch these games without feeling I’m betraying my need to promote responsible care of pets.

America, for that matter, can do better with regards strays and pets, too.

Contribute time, money, food, whatever you can to local shelters and encourage them to become no-kill facilities if they aren’t already. If you want a cat or dog, adopt from the local pound instead buying one at the pet store. Shelter pets are in great need of love and a good home.

Learn as much as you can about the type of animal you adopt into your home before you adopt them because you are responsible for the quality of life of that pet until it dies. Even little details like knowing you need to have one litter box per cat plus one can make a big difference to the cat and to you in how well they adapt to life with you or other cats in the household. Knowing that a Jack Russell terrier is a high energy dog before you get one prepares you to spend lots of time with it playing doggy games and taking it on walks to wear off that energy. Know these sorts of details before you adopt!

Responsible pet ownership involves more than tying up your pet in the backyard and forgetting about it. They need your love and attention. They are social animals. They need food and water, shelter from the elements, grooming, current vaccinations for all diseases your veterinarian recommends vaccinations for. Always spay or neuter your pets, especially if they are outside animals.

Provide care appropriate for each stage of their lives. Kittens and puppies are a delight. They quickly grow into adults, however, and suffer many of the same illnesses and disabilities geriatric humans do when they reach the later years of life. Know what diseases and disabilities your pet is likely to suffer, especially pedigree animals that have more genetic issues than mixed breed animals, and prepare to deal with the needs brought on by those issues.

Sometimes they have severe medical needs because of disease or when injured by other animals, bad people, or they are in street accidents with trucks and cars. Those are more reasons to keep them inside or in a place where they can run free in the yard but be fenced in. Veterinarian bills can run into the hundreds and thousands of dollars. Don’t kid yourself about that possibility!

Sochi didn’t just happen. People in their ignorance and indifference to the needs and eventual suffering of their dogs failed to prevent the circumstances that lead to it, but the dogs pay the final price.

Post 302: Days after major heart surgery, David posts a video update….

For those of you who know of Zeus and Phoebe the ginger cats’ human’s major heart surgery this week, here is their human (David) updating his subscribers on what happened and how he’s doing. It is pretty encouraging!

David still has a long way to go to heal and return to work, but I felt he looked and sounded good in this video.

God bless, David, and good healing!

Post 301: Time to wake the kitty!

It was my turn to wake the kitty today, so, gladly, I did it! Dougy was my victim this time.

Watch out, Andy. I know where you sleep!

Post 300: sleepyheads and their morning routine

We got up early today, about 1:30 or so. By “we”, of course, I mean “they” – Andy and Dougy – got up early, then tormented me till I got up. The boys wanted to be fed early! I made them wait till 2:30, and, I assure you, no cats got substantially scrawnier for the extra hour’s wait!

I made myself some coffee and waffles for breakfast, then watched the news after feeding the cats.

Andy climbed on his favorite morning perch beside me on the end table.

Andy resting on back_edited-1

Dougy whined and moaned about something. I asked him, per morning ritual, “What’s the matter, Dougy? Timmy in the well…again?!” (It’s one of two jokes the cats and I have. The other is when I say “woof-woof” to them. You have to be there…!)

I, of course, knew what was on Dougy’s mind: he wanted to play “feather toy”! After a bit more teasing, I pulled out his toy, and Dougy bounced and rolled around, tearing up the front room catching, chewing, mauling his favorite toy. Andy doesn’t get it. Oddly enough, he doesn’t get involved in play until well into the game.

By 5:30, I was sick of “Morning Joe” and Joe Scarborough. I decided to roast some coffee beans. I sat on my bed, under the fire alarm, because I’ve had problems with fire alarm hyper-sensitivity. Roasting coffee beans produces enough smoke it sets off the alarm! In Winter, anyway. In Summer, I can open windows and doors, turn on the vent fan, and usually avoid the alarm.

Andy saw me on the edge of my bed, broom at ready to push the reset button on the alarm. He thought I was going back to bed and acted like that wasn’t agreeable with him. He looked stressed by the fact I was on my bed! This may be a response going back to a year ago when I spent lots of time in bed because of illness. The boys would bring their toys into my bedroom and leave them by my bed while I slept. I’m still touched by the thought of it.

Anyway, the alarm went off, the boys ran helter skelter, I punched the reset button, but my roasted coffee bean supply is assured for four or five more days.

I returned to the front room to watch a little Home and Gardens programming before dealing with this post and all of the e-mails piled up in my account. I fell asleep.

When I woke up three hours (I think) later, Andy’d nested in the clothes dryer, and Dougy’d snuggled up in the top one of the stacked cat carriers by the recliner. We’d all took a morning nap!

I like my cats when they just wake up. They wake up happy and sweet. Dougy’s always up for ear rubs and chins scratches, so it’s no big deal he wakes up sweet. Even Andy, my little cynical cat, wakes up forgetting he’d rather not be scratched on his tummy, something he truly likes if he’d just let himself indulge in the pleasure.

I’m more like Andy. As long as no one expects too much of me until I sort out being awake, I’m happy when I wake, too.

Post 299: Again? I’m watching you, Adrian. I’m watching.

Guess what time it is, again! Yes, time for Congress to vote to raise the debt ceiling!

Remember last time? An element in Congress forced the entire Federal Government to shut down at a cost of an estimated $24,000,000,000 hit to the economy. The country came so close to a notch down in its credit rating that you wondered which foe, foreign or domestic, paid off these clowns in the US House of Representatives and US Senate to bring America to her knees.

Remember what the whole business was about, what the hang-up was on voting to pay for US bills already authorized by Congress? No? Well, it kept changing because one variety of clowns in Congress continued not to understand that the President wasn’t backing down, he wouldn’t negotiate on the debt ceiling vote, that “no means no”.

Well, they are loading up the clown car again, just in case. You know, that tiny car that rolls into the chambers of the US House of Representatives and the US Senate, the doors open, and out pop a sufficient number of clowns to gum up the works. Yes, it is debt ceiling time again, and there is talk again by one party of holding the nation hostage for something in exchange.

“They think they should get something out of it,” I heard the television guy say. I was half asleep in my glider, but that woke me up!

“Yeah,” I thought to myself, “a swift kick in the butt and another one to remove them from office for any Congressman or Senator who puts us through last Fall again!”

The television guy used an analogy: “If you pay off your credit card (that is, pay for what you’ve already spent), you shouldn’t expect to be rewarded (that is, get handed some political deal you seek for doing your Constitutional job, which is to authorize money to pay for what you’ve already spent!)”

US Secretary of the Treasury Jack Lew says the window to vote to raise the debt ceiling or risk national default is narrower than last time. Will our dysfunctional Congress step up and pay for what they’ve already spent, or will there be another round of clowns popping out of the clown car? I’m not sure. All I know is there are only three potential clowns from Nebraska that I have any control over.

It’s time again to keep my eyes on how they handle this round, maybe remind them even Republicans in a scarlet state can make the mistake of popping out of the Congressional clown car, that they can’t run fast enough in clown shoes to avoid a swift kick in the butt if they play last Fall’s debt ceiling game again.

One is running again in 2014. I always vote. That isn’t a threat. It’s a promise. I’m watching you, Adrian. I’m watching…. Don’t be a clown!

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I must admit, this was my favorite clown from last Fall, the most clueless of the most clueless:

>honk! honk!<

Post 298: “It’ll be a cold day in hell…!”

Change is a big issue with cats. Ask any cat.

This week, I failed to get cat approval on a critical part of their environmental needs, the cat litter. Yes, I changed the cat litter without first establishing they’d use it!

I expected resistance, of course, so I only changed one of the three litter boxes to a litter made from pulverized walnut shells. Though it looks and feels pretty much like sand (to me), it is dark colored instead of light like most cat litters. That raised suspicions.

Dougy says, “We are not amused!”

Over 24 hours, I watched for signs of cat activity. If I use the toilet, Andy almost always follows me in to use the box. (Dougy follows me in to walk under my legs if I’m sitting on the pot, but that’s another story.)

First time I used the toilet after the change, Andy came into the bathroom, and hopped in the litter box to discover alien litter. Noticing the difference, Andy sniffed around, checked all sides of the box and the middle. Gingerly, reluctantly, he backed into position, and peed in the usual corner, the one closest to me. (Strategic – I am there so he can’t get ambushed by Dougy from that side, and he can see Dougy coming from the other of the two open sides!)

One use is encouraging, but not convincing. Remember, the other two boxes still have the favored old litter in them still. Seriously, I’m not going 100% with a new litter and risk two upset cats using any place outside the boxes to poop and pee because they are upset with the change! It can happen!

A few hours later, I was on the pot again. Dougy came in to use the litter box. He hopped in, looked around, walked the box, sniffed where Andy peed earlier, then hopped out. Oh no! Dougy was the one I thought would adopt the change first!

This morning, I did an inventory of litter box uses in the new litter. Someone pooped in it, and there were three clumps of urine. That seems like one cat’s usage to me, but it hasn’t been 24 hours yet since the change.

I forgot/neglected to scoop the two litter boxes with the old litter in them after I switched the one to the new yesterday, so it is difficult to determine which “output” is new or old. I scooped all three at the same time before I prepared breakfast. By day’s end, perhaps, or by tomorrow, I should have some sense of success or failure.

I am hopeful I can switch to the new litter for a variety of reasons. It works better with less dust that the old litter, seems to contain odors better, makes use of waste walnut shells, is the same color as cat poop (so I don’t have to look at it – 🙂 ), and is lighter in weight than sand, no small consideration for an old, beat up guy like me.

Another possibility (a suggestion I’ve seen elsewhere) is to mix the new and the old together and gradually acclimate the boys to the changed litter. I don’t have a fresh container of the boy’s favorite litter on hand, but may make it to the store today to get some.

That noted, at least one cat gave me a signal. “It’ll be a cold day in hell before I use a new litter!” Perhaps.

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Speaking of cold days in hell, here's how warm it is here at the moment:

cold 2-5-14