Post 312: Andy finds the catnip

I’ve given up trying to keep the boys off the table. Cats will be cats, and it’s easy enough to place a placemat or napkin under plates or food placed on the table. It’s part of the joys of having cats around!

I spilled a little catnip on the table this morning. I meant to put it on a napkin on the floor for the pleasure of the boys. Dougy had his fun there. Andy, little poop, decided to check out the source:

“Mmmm! A jar of catnip! I knew there was more somewhere!”

“Errrr…! I feel the glow!”

“Some over here…!”

“Some over there…!”

“Must…lie…down…. Wait! I am already!”

“Ummm…. Errr…. Whatza!? Ummm…!”

“I could go for some *Greenies…!”

[*Greenies are a cat treat that Andy really, really, really likes.]

Post 308: Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink…

For the second time in a week, lanes where I live had to be dug up to repair burst water lines. Last week the burst line was one lane over. Earlier this week and yesterday, it was my lane. I had several things I needed to do, so I was glad I wasn’t blocked in my parking spot like my neighbor with the white pickup parked to the left of the backhoe in the photo.

We’ve had some snow lately, though not too much. Below freezing temperatures and the fact the infrastructure is older than the hills is a recipe for burst water lines.

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When I left to pick up cat food and the new crushed walnut shell cat litter I tried and both cats and I decided we prefer over the old litter, I drove the wrong way down this lane because it’s a little closer than going the other direction for grooming or veterinarian business. Just beyond where the backhoe is in this photo taken minutes later, there was a lake of water pooled on the lane. When I came back home, the crew’d arrived to fix the burst line. At least this time I had no choice but to drive the wrong way on a single lane one way lane!

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Looking over the roof of my car from my parking spot, this is what I saw when I returned home from picking up cat stuff. You can see the work crew assessing the lake in the lane, which is where they’d fixed another leak earlier this week. I was glad I had to get groceries because otherwise I knew I’d piddle around in the house stewing about the fact the water was shut off and all of a sudden I felt thirsty or needed to use the toilet or take a shower or wash dishes or give a cat a bath or…! Yep! I’m a “stew arounder” when it comes to interruptions in utility services.

I counted on the repair being done when I returned from the grocery store because I park where the pickup is to unload my groceries. It’s the shortest walk for me, no small consideration since I have lousy knees. I had to unload groceries from my trunk from the right side instead of the left because I had to come in from the south instead of the north because the backhoe was still in the lane, but that wasn’t any problem. My cats would have been pissed if they had to adjust to this deviation from norm, but not I! Ha!

Groceries unloaded, I remembered I needed some change. One more trip needed before I settled in for the day: stop by the bank for cash. When I returned, this pickup was parked in front of my apartment.

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You can see the top of my car, parked in my parking spot, which is behind the pickup. (Yeah, across the lane from where I live: It’s a pisser not having one right by where I live.) My access to the parking spot was partially block, but I managed to maneuver the buggy into place with a little effort.

On the other hand, look closely, and you can see where I had to tramp through snow along the bed of the pickup, which was parked close to the edge of the lane. Do that using a cane on ice on the sloped lane when you are not too stable on your feet! Look at the sidewalk and you can see where I stomped my feet to get as much snow off my shoes as possible before entering the apartment.

The alternative route, around the pickup on the other side, is farther than the one I took and meant walking with a cane on a sloped icy lane, definitely less safe than tramping through snow covering uneven ground, but not much.

Cat doodad by my door….

The pickup could have been parked farther up the lane. There was room enough. That would have left me less dangerous, more direct access to my sidewalk. That’s why I didn’t pixellate the company name on the door. I can be very petty when my personal safety comes into play. I guess I should have been grateful he didn’t park in my parking spot (which is cleared out) since the other side is covered with a drift and snow removed from my spot. That would have really stirred me up if I had to park in deep snow because my spot was taken!

Since it was nasty cold out, yes, I was wearing my vintage 48-year-old neck scarf from my university days. You knew I would be. I accidentally took this photo, but the scarf looks great, eh?!

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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:

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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.

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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 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 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.

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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 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:

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Ugh!

Post 296: photo evidence of Dougy’s naughtiness

Both Dougy and Andy are mild cats, part of their Persian cat heritage. That doesn’t mean they don’t have their days. The day I took them to be groomed last week, for example, was Dougy’s day to be naughty.

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I know most people doubt Dougy is ever naughty, that I “exagggerate” his misdeeds of that day, but take a close look at the photo above. Notice the position of the chair…. Yes, knocked over during the chase where it landed on top of things that had been on the seat, waiting for me to sort through them.

The knocked over chair created a convenient pocket in which to hide from “The Man”, a hiding spot that revealed Dougy’s lack of comprehension of the difference between thinking you can’t be seen if you can’t see your pursuer and you can be seen if your fluffy butt’s exposed but your head’s hidden.

Once Dougy hid there, he assured his capture!

Post 288: oh yeah, the cathouse and silver vine

Yesterday, a big bang interrupted the thought and direction of the post. Today, I’ll tidy up a bit, try to finish yesterday’s thought.

The big bang still is a mystery, but I know one or the other cat knocked something off of something else. I’ll find it someday while cleaning or moving furniture. In the meantime, there haven’t been fumes, flames, or broken things strewn about, no blood or broken bodies. I think it might be their Cat’s Meow toy, which used to be on top of a desk, but now is on the seat of the chair in front of it.

As for the matter of Andy and getting him to have more fun, he really, really, really liked the peacock feather! Dougy did, too, but that was like saying the fat kid likes ice cream: Dougy really, really, really likes all toys and play things!

Cat slobber and claws are tough on peacock feathers. I wonder how peacocks would be on cats?!

As for the cathouse, as mentioned yesterday, I wasn’t even finished assembling it, and Andy, then Dougy checked it out. It was a huge success in terms of cat approvals, though the duct tape wasn’t up to the task of sticking down tightly in some critical spots. I probably will have to get some more tape to keep it together.

Have you heard of silver vine? It has many uses, but cats are supposed to respond to it in a way like catnip, only more intensely. Sure, I bought some for the boys, just to see how they liked it!

The package text was almost all in Japanese, but I poured out half a packet for the boys. Turns out that’s the “dose” alright!

Seems simple enough, eh? Dose up your cats and watch them get it on! They have fun, you have fun, you all laugh and frolic together! Woo hoo! Better than catnip, and we know how good that is!

Dougy went over by the door, rolled over on his back with hind legs stretched straight out and forelegs curled on his chest: He was maxed out on silver vine, let me tell you! Mellowed out, not playful in the least, though an argument for stress reduction seems to apply.

Here’s what the amazon description said about this Japanese alternative to catnip.

Andy hit the dust twice, snorting deeply. While his brother rested in bliss by the door, Andy hopped up on the cathouse, walked around the top, hopped down on the floor, paced around, tail twitching. Need I emphasize his “horns” were up?

Andy pounced Dougy, who still in bliss on his back, literally didn’t know what hit him. Andy dug deep into Dougy’s thick fur, biting and ripping out hair! In a flash, Dougy regained sobriety, and the brothers were a ball of fur rolling and tossing around on the floor! Andy harvested more hair. Poor Dougy let out a yelp. Though Andy is at least a pound lighter than his brother, he’s a scrappy little fart, and Dougy looked like he wasn’t having a good time at all: silver vine isn’t on his list of favorite cat amusements!

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Dougy finally, finally, broke away from Andy’s grip and teeth. Andy spit out more fur, and Dougy took refuge in the cathouse. Yes, the silver vine powder seems to be a bit more intense than my boys can handle. Back to raising catnip on my window shelf. Anyone want some left over silver vine powder?

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Postscript: Don’t worry about Andy and Dougy! They are best of buddies, and sometimes do play rough. After that, they return to less vigorous brotherly love! For example, after the silver vine wore off, they sniffed each other, and all was back to same-old-same-old, no harm done other than a few chunks of Dougy fur removed from his thick coat. I can’t figure out where it came from, his coat is so thick. Well, his pride was hurt a little, but that was soon over.

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!

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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.