Post 467: the boys are back on routine

Andy and Dougy missed my brother when he left for home last weekend, but they now are recovered from the blahs that came with reduced play time and attention. I try to give them all the attention they want, but it’s impossible to give them the same amount as two or more people can!

Sunday, they were inactive. Andy was so lethargic, I worried about his health. “If you don’t look better in the morning, it’s to the veterinarian for you, buster!”

Andy spent most of the time between my brother leaving and yesterday sleeping or lazing on top of the blue carrier.

Monday, they were a more like themselves. Ornery.

This morning…whoa! Don’t stand in the way because they ran several foot races against each other, at top speed. “Kill the antelope” is the game, with each cat alternating between predator and prey. It is clear they are “back to normal”! That means they eagerly play when I get their toys out, enjoy “kill the antelope”, and find things outside the window very interesting.

“Do I have to play?” This isn’t normal Dougy behavior…!

Yesterday, Andy still spent a lot of the time on top of the blue carrier, but he was more engaged, watching birds out the backdoor. He also spent a lot of time watching birds out the dining room window since the neighbor’s bird feeder hosted scores of yummy-looking treats on the wing all day. Dougy even took to the window, chittering in excitement.

Andy reacts to birds outside the back door.

Dougy took his seat on the little red chair by the back door, a favorite bird and squirrel watching spot for both boys.

dougy 3 july 14 2014

It’s great to have the household back on routine!

Post 430: He’s here!

I arrived a few minutes late at the airport when I drove to the next town to pick him up. Or, a happier way to put it, I arrived on schedule, but his plane arrived ten minutes early!

The boys were pleased to see my brother, as was I, because the place is neatly picked up and vacuumed (don’t check for dust…!) even though I didn’t finish the job until literally the last minute before I had to leave to pick up my brother.

andy sniffs air 7 4-25-14

We’ve lived in filth and squalor lately because I figured I should wait till the last minute to clean up before my family arrived rather than clean up when the place needed it, then have to do it again at the last minute. I don’t know, but I think next time I’ll clean twice instead of live in filth and squalor again!

Even I have a limit, I discovered. I had to empty my vacuum canister four times, there was so much crud on the floor. This is not that big a place! And I forgot yesterday was trash day. I barely got the trash out the door, but the sack with the week’s accumulation of “cat litter” — well, clumped urine and poop — didn’t get out in time. Not what you want to live with a second week. Andy and Dougy are cute, but there are some downsides to them, too.

As cats will do, they made sure the scent-marked him by wrapping their tails around him as they nonchalantly walked past him. At least Dougy did. Andy was more discrete about it.

food comes 4 4-25-14

My brother and I sat down, being old guys with bad knees and sore feet. I’d brought out a new toy the cat brothers both really, really, really like. Andy oftentimes is a bit fussy about toys, so anything he really, really, really likes counts as a major home run! Have you seen the price of cat toys?

I hate buying something both Andy and Dougy won’t play with. Andy, anyway. Dougy is a play slut: He’ll play any time, any toy! Especially if its his favorite human uncle, my big brother! Both boys enjoyed their play session with my brother and the new toy.

After all that last-minute cleaning, I hadn’t managed to bring in anything easy to make, so I was happy I had some frozen sloppy joes in the freezer. My brother and I had that for supper, and topped it off later with some mixed nuts.

Time to finish this update and get on with the icky chores for today!

We managed to stay up till a bit after 9 PM, though we both managed to nod off from time to time doing it. Yeah, we had to watch all the Andy and Dougy videos I made since the last time he was here, then we watched something on television.

The cats got me up at the usual time this morning, after two, before three. I caught up on my e-mails, videos, blogs, and Facebook since my brother wisely stayed in bed. Of course the cats know I’m the one who feeds them, so my brother gets to sleep in! 🙂

Today, I have to apply flea-tick-whatever stuff on the boys, clean their water fountain and put in a new filter, and — still — give Andy his medicine. He’s been begging me for attention, but I’ve ignored him on the thought he might be ready to be caught when I complete this update. Or not. Andy is no idiot, unfortunately, and he can run faster than I can!

Post 420: Andy’s favorite toy

Andy is a suspicious little cat, and doesn’t readily come to play, unlike his brother Dougy, who’s always up for play. Because of Andy’s quiet nature, any time he shows interest in something or wants to play, I definitely encourage him!

Most of the toys Dougy likes, Andy doesn’t. One toy is almost exclusively Andy’s: the rod with the multi-colored ribbon on it, the Cat Charmer (so it’s called)!

I lead Andy into temptation…

I have his interest!

I leave this toy out because it is kind of fun to see that Andy’s been playing with it, specifically, it’s never in the same place I last saw it! Andy picks it up and carries it around.

Most mornings, I wake up, and it’s on the floor by my bed. “Come play with me,” Andy tries to tell me. “Now!”

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We played a little with the toy, then went our separate ways. Andy came back, though, and crawled into a favorite hidey hole, the box across from my computer desk.

Andy, watching me from the box across from my computer desk.

He knows I still have his favorite toy on my desk…!

Post 413: museum day

After yesterday’s busy trip to the veterinarian with Andy and the follow-up posts and video, today lacked drama.

This morning, I answered comments on the videos and post, tossed some of the boys’ new toys out for them to chase (and knock under things, where I’ll find them when I clean, I fear!), and spent the afternoon at the military museum.

Sallows Military Museum

The museum will be open seven days a week for the summer, which is nice because it means new volunteers will fill in the five other days a week another volunteer and I didn’t cover since last summer.

A new director was hired, I think, after a long search, and she will have a logjam of busy work going back to last summer to catch up with. A good way to learn what’s involved in the museum, eh?!

With the warmer weather, I had several visitors today, something that didn’t happen most of the winter. I always feel great when this city resource starts to get some use! With the coming holiday, Memorial Day, it is all the more important that people visit the military museum for a reminder of what the holiday is all about.

I like to use live flowers when I decorate family graves for Memorial Day. Mom used to put out geraniums when it was her turn to honor our dead, and it has been my turn to continue the tradition the past few years.

Post 396: fly times

I fell asleep with my bedroom television on. That attracted the flying beastie, which in turn attracted the boys for an early morning hunt. Fly times began for the 2014 season around 1:00 AM today.

It’s so cute when the cat brothers expend 30 calories for something that probably is less than one calorie in total food value. Of course, nutrition for the body isn’t the issue here. It’s about feeding the soul of a cat!

Yep, my boys were hunting a flying insect that managed to slip past the screen door.

“Look here, Fluffybutt! I’m going to rip that tail off!”

Bang, crash, tip, run, chatter, pause and regroup. If the boys have snits with each other from time to time, there is one time they are unanimous in what to do: When there is a spider or insect loose in the house, they are a team!

Television in bed was out, with Andy and Dougy blocking the view and batting at the insect or anything that moved on the screen. I turned it off. It was close enough to “feed the kitties” time, so I did. Then I gave Andy his medicine after a spirited morning hunt of my own to trap this elusive cat.

[Mostly, the boys are BBF — “Best Buddies Forever”!]

The insect disappeared for a time. Andy settled into a nap. Dougy pestered me to play with three or four different toys. His adrenalin was still up from the fly hunt. I became Dougy’s chosen play partner till his prey found the lamp stand light and Dougy spotted his prey.

Whew! After nearly knocking the lamp over, Dougy finally trapped the flying insect and batted it around till it stopped moving. That was just about 4:50 AM. In fly times, time flies!

[This short video shows the technique the boys apply to an insect or spider once they trap it. Yep, bat it to death, then leave it.]

Post 366: My cats thank you, Adrian!

Nebraska 3rd Congressional District’s Adrian Smith recently mailed his constituents an anti-ACA mailer. I tossed my copy pretty much unread: Nothing new here!

Franked mail from a Congressman: You and I pay for it, and it is one of the many benefits of office.

It took minutes for the boys to find it and retrieve it from the trash.

🙁 Cats!

Little, sharp teeth make retrieving things from the trash a snap!

Of course, once retrieved from the trash, the boys spent the next few minutes playing “king of the mountain” on it — click back to Post 365, to see Andy claiming the mailer yesterday. http://phainopepla95.com/2014/04/05/post-365-a-rippin-good-time/ 🙂

I retossed the mailer several times, but the boys retrieved it from the trash each time. I gave up: this is the most favorite piece of retrieved trash ever!

I take back all those nasty things I said about you, Adrian. My cats think I was out of line: They love your mailer! Mrow!

The evidence of their enthusiasm is there, believe it!

Bite, scratch, chew! What a wonderful plaything is your mailer! Primo stuff!

Andy’s so impressed, he’s calling off his run for your job. Seriously!

andy for congress poster

Of course, his campaign poster now becomes collectable, a piece of Nebraska political ephemera.

After all you’ve done for my cats, I should mail you one!

Post 358: 11:05 and I haven’t stopped for breakfast…

The day’s out of sync. I not only slept till 4 AM, it’s 11:05 and I haven’t stopped for breakfast.

Dougy woke me up, growly, whining because of the time. That’s Dougy, not me who was growly, whining because of the time! I was content to stay in bed even after I realized it was, by Dougy’s reckoning, “late”!

Andy’d hopped up on the bookcase by my bed at some time in the night, and was content to continue his doze. I pet him a little, rubbed his ears, but he was conked out, not interested in getting up.

2011-01-01 Andy in window and on desk 004

Dougy persisted with me, though. Damn those opposable thumbs! If only Dougy had a set, he could open that cat food can for himself! (And would!) But since he doesn’t, he prowled by my bed making unhappy cat sounds and scratching my bed.

I got up and put wet cat food out for the boys.

Then what? After catching Andy, I gave him his medicine. “Catch” as in “pick up a sleepy cat off the bookcase and carry him into the kitchen where I had a towel to wrap him in and his medicine waiting”. I’ll stick with “catching”. Sounds more athletic and adventuresome than the sad little kidnapping this morning! Even I felt cheated out of something, it was so easy!

Let’s see. Watched the news. Said things at the television since I live with two cats and they never repeat what I say. Played with Dougy because he was pumped. Andy and I were still sleepy, but Dougy kicked into high gear, tore through the house, stopped by Andy and me, crouched in a low pouncing posture to alert Andy and me he wanted interaction from one of us, either one, he didn’t care which!

Andy joined the chase. I dug out some toys. Andy came back to rest, I took over. Dougy was still pumped! Next thing, it was 11:05. I think I’ll stop for breakfast. The boys, in the meantime, have gone back to sleep.

Post 287: cathouse or piled box eyesore?

Every box that comes into the house requires cat examination, exploration, and determination of suitability for cat habitation.

Over time, the piles of boxes gets out of hand. I bang around in my smallish apartment trying to negotiate between the physical presence of the boxes and the emotional attachment of the boys to “their” boxes. They notice, believe it, when I try to slip one or two out in the trash!

This morning, I felt Dougy and Andy weren’t putting much into their play with the “feather on a pole” toy. I remembered there were peacock feathers in the cleaning closet behind the boxes piled between the kitchen and dining areas…. The boys hadn’t played with peacock feathers for months. Moving the piled boxes out of way, I retrieved one peacock feather from the closet.

Now I remember why I rarely bring out the peacock feathers! This one got one play session.

Sitting on a dining room chair, I played “peacock feather” with the boys. Dougy isn’t fussy how I present a toy: He’s always up! Andy, however, is fussy about how his toys are presented. His style is “dig the mouse out of the wall”. He likes to catch his prey by touch rather than sight.

“I need to find a way to increase Andy’s play time. Dougy gets the fun, Andy gets to watch him have fun,” I thought.

Staring at the pile of boxes, I remembered seeing a new roll of duct tape in the tool drawer a few days ago. “I’m going to make something out of the pile of boxes so people coming here think it’s a pile with purpose, not just poor housekeeping!” (Of course, even modified it is, erm, an eyesore…!)

Andy and Dougy’s new, improved box pile,

Not only is the pile taped together, there are openings that allow an adventuresome kitty to go in one box and come out another! The construction wasn’t finished before Andy and Dougy started to check out the changes, popping inside for a sniff and look around. The “new” cathouse is a hit!

Catch as catch can: It’s fuzzy focus because Andy and Dougy give you one chance for a shot before they start hiding from the flash. Too bad! This would have been a good one otherwise!

See what I mean? Hiding his sweet little face now that he knows the flash is out!

DSCN0182

Just heard a crash and a startled “meow”. It came from the north bathroom. When I took a quick look, Dougy and Andy both had a suspicious look about them, but I didn’t see what went boom! I better do that now.

Post 272: simple pleasures

My cat Andy is, if anything, a terror when he takes something on. Watch as he vanquishes mere strips of paper, licking the first one, then killing the second one dead!

film noir

Today, November 30th, is St. Andrew’s Day in Scotland. I named my wee Persian buddy Andy after St. Andrew, a nod to my mostly Scottish heritage.

Saltire of Scotland

In recognition of St. Andrew’s Day, I made a quick video featuring Andy the Persian cat.

In this film noir, I am the victim of a “toothing”. Or am I? The victim, I mean. Dougy, Andy’s brother, is on the scene. What did he see? What does he know? What the heck is his part in the “toothing”? Or DOES he have a part? Can he be made to talk? Or will he cover for his brother? Will the answers show themselves or will more questions arise? And why the heck is SpongeBob smiling that “toothy” smile?