Snowy Thursday

Mom tried to take a picture of me tapping her hand to ask for a treat, but it came out all blurry, so here is another picture of me enjoying my nip candy cane.

Karen Jo:  I think I am going to have to make a little video of you asking for treats.  I will have to look up the process in the manual.

It snowed all day today.  I didn't want to get out of bed this morning.  After I finally got up to eat, I just sat near the heat vent in the living room all huddled up.  I didn't want to play at all.

Karen Jo:  I am sorry if you feel cold, but I have made you several warm places to stay.  Your bed is right by a heat vent and I got you a warming mat and put your ham-mick where the sun warms it up, when we have sun.  The cold didn't stop you from asking for treats tonight.

I got a lot of treats tonight.  I did get distracted from asking for treats a couple of times by noises outside.

Karen Jo:  That was the big, rumbly truck that shovels the snow off the street.

I got good stuff to eat, too.  Mom got a smoked salmon filet for Christmas and she has been eating it and sharing it with me.  I like smoked salmon a lot.

Karen Jo:  I do, too.  I am going to be sad when it is all gone.  I am going to cook a steak tomorrow, though.

Great.  I love steak.  Hmm, that means you are going to stay home with me tomorrow, doesn't it?

Karen Jo:  Yes, I only cook steak when I am going to stay home.  The way the weather is, I don't think I will go out at all, except to feed the birds and bring the trash bin back in.

Yay!  Lots of Mom time for me!

Tuxie Tuesday

This is the only time you are going to see me wearing this thing, so take a good look.  I hated every second of wearing it.  Mom has promised that she will only put it on stuffies from now on.  Mom has been neglecting me.  She hasn't played with me for days.

Karen Jo:  I have tried to play with you, but you haven't been interested.  You like to play with your nip toys by yourself, so I just watch.  I have rolled balls for you and tossed you mousies, but you have just ignored them. It seems you would rather have me feed you treats.

I love my treats.  Mom thought it was just the nip treats I wanted so many of, but she has tried the Temptations and the Pounce, and I want lots and lots of them, too.  I haven't gotten any Greenies in a long time.

Karen Jo:  There is only one store in town that carries Greenies and I haven't been there in a while.  I will try to get there tomorrow. At least you are still eating your regular food, as well as gobbling down the treats.

I just like to eat, that's all.  I haven't been getting any fatter, so it's OK.

Karen Jo:  I don't think you have been getting any fatter, but I haven't weighed you in quite a while.  You furchin feels the same size to me.  I like it that you don't bite me any more when I feel it.  It makes petting you more pleasant.

I trust you completely now.  I will let you touch me anywhere, except on my butt.  I still haven't forgotten how you washed me back there.

Karen Jo:  You really needed the washing.  I am sorry that you hated it so much, but I couldn't have you running around with a poopy butt.

I am really glad that I don't have that problem any more.  Life is so much better now.  I love being healthy.

Karen Jo:  I love it, too.

Christmas Loot

 Just look at all the stuff that was in my Christmas stocking!  Toys, new catnip and lots of treats.  I am a very happy kitty.

When Mom got the toys out of the little plastic stocking the were in, I grabbed the catnip candy cane.  I had a really good time with it.  Then Mom gave me some treats and spread some of the catnip around for me to enjoy.  We had chicken for lunch and I ate quite a few little bites.  Then do you know what Mom did?  She deserted me!

Karen Jo:  I went down to my brother's for Christmas afternoon and dinner.  I spent the night and came back Sunday afternoon.

You sure didn't stay long.

Karen Jo:  I had to go to work.  I tried to make some of it up to you by feeding you lots and lots of treats when I got home.

I liked the treats, but you cheated on me.  You smelled like another cat when you came home and the new toy you gave me Sunday smelled like another cat, too.

Karen Jo:  That was my brother's cat, Dodger.  I have actually known him longer than I have known you.  When I opened your present from my nephew, Dodger wanted to inspect it.  Then he rubbed his scent all over it.  I think he wanted it, but I saved it for you.

At least you left me lots of food before you left.  I ate quite a bit of it, too.

Karen Jo:  That you did.  You ate quite a bit while I was at work, too.  Maybe I should only feed you once a day.

Noooo!  You can't do that all the time.  I need new food at least three times a day.

Merry Christmas

Sammy and Andy sent Mom this great picture of me in a Santa hat.  Thank you so much.  It looks a lot better than the picture Mom got of me.  Yeah, she got the Santa hat on me, but I didn't like it one bit.  I crouched down real low on the floor and didn't look happy at all.  Thankfully she took it off me right after she took a quick snapshot.  Maybe she'll show it to you sometime.  Merry Christmas to all our friends.  May you have a great day with lots of friends and family around.

Just Lying Around

Just lying around in my ham-mick again.  We got some sun this morning, then it rained.  It looks like the snow will be all gone by Christmas. Speaking of Christmas, Mom is mailing out some of her Christmas cards really late.  She just can't seem to get with the program.

Karen Jo:  I was feeling pretty good yesterday, just very tired.  I decided to lie down for a little bit around four and zonked out until six-thirty.  So much for getting a bunch of work done.

Mom is having Mexican food.  I didn't like the smell of it and didn't even ask for any.  I hear we are having chicken tomorrow and steak for Christmas Eve.  That sounds good to me.  I got lots of treats yesterday and this evening.  Mom keeps putting stuff in my stocking, so it looks like a good Christmas coming up for me.  She says she didn't get my big present ordered in time, so she is waiting until after Christmas to order it.  I wonder what it could be.

Karen Jo:  I'm not telling, but I hope you like it.

Mom put her arm out last night when she went to bed and I went to sleep on it.  I got really ticked off when she moved it.  I was so comfy.

Karen Jo:  I let it go as long as I could Herman, but my arm went to sleep and began to ache.  I finally had to move it.  You didn't have to go all the way to the foot of the bed.

You disturbed me.  I came back up again after a while and snuggled next to you again.

Karen Jo:  And I petted you until my arm got tired.  It was a really nice time.

Yesterday Mom tried balancing the Santa hat on my head without using the chin strap, but I wouldn't hold still, so it wouldn't stay on.  Mom keeps saying that there will be a photo of a kitty wearing a Santa hat for our Christmas post, but I keep saying that it won't be me.

Karen Jo:  I am going to try it on you one more time tomorrow.  If it works, fine.  If it doesn't, that's fine, too.

Tuxie Tuesday

I really enjoy my ham-mick.  Mom set it up in the biggest sun puddle we get in the living room.  Every afternoon that we have some sun, you can find me in it.  I got so comfy in it today that I didn't even get up to ask Mom for my treats before she went to work. She just gave me some head pets and told me that she would be back later.  I purred a little, then settled down for a nap.  I made up for missing my goodbye treats when she got home.  I got lots and lots of treats then.  Mom keeps going out the door and coming back in every few minutes.  I don't get it.  Usually she comes home and closes the door and stays in.

Karen Jo:  I am going out to see the total eclipse of the moon.  I have a really good view of it from the driveway.

I got a whole bunch of roast beef for lunch today.  I sat there on the floor and stared at Mom and she kept giving me little bites as she ate.  Unfortunately it's getting rather small now.  What's next on the menu, Mom?

Karen Jo:  Mexican food.

May I have some of that?

Karen Jo:  No, Herman.  It would make flames shoot out your butt.

That doesn't sound good.  Are you going to cook something good soon?

Karen Jo:  We will have chicken the day after tomorrow.

That's more like it.  I got a really good petting session last night.  Mom went to bed, but wasn't as sleepy as usual.  She petted me for quite a long while before she went to sleep.  I love to roll over on my back and let her pet my chest.  I even let her pet my tummy a little bit.  I do let Mom brush me enough to keep the mats away.  I got spot shaved last winter, more than once, and I don't like it.  My fur is healthier this year and I seem less prone to mats.

Mancat Monday

Here I am just relaxing.  Mom had just given me my pill and I had just eaten my treats in the little PTU.  I just plopped down after munching and Mom took my picture.  I haven't been very cooperative about getting brushed lately.  Sometimes I just walk away from Mom while she is brushing me and go somewhere, usually behind my platform, where she can't get at me.  She doesn't get mad, just reminds me that if I don't let her brush me, I could get mats again.  I haven't had a mat in a long time, so maybe I have forgotten what a pain they can be.

Karen Jo:  You let me give you a good brushing today, so I think you are OK there.  I didn't find any mats forming.  Now that your fur is not dry any more, but healthy and shiny, maybe it won't mat as easily.  You are also grooming yourself more and that should help.

I still don't take a complete tongue bath like most cats, but I do work on one area for a while and I pick a different area each time.  My thin spots are almost all grown back in again.  Mom didn't give me my treats last night.

Karen Jo:  You asked for treats as soon as I came through the door.  I had to use the litter box room first and you joined me there, as you usually do.  Then you asked for dinner and never asked me for treats again.  I think you ate so many the night before that you went off them just a little.  You had plenty of treats tonight.

Yeah, I love my treats.  I played with my toys quite a bit last night and today, which made Mom glad.  I hadn't played much in days.

Karen Jo:  You go back and forth between playing with your toys and ignoring them.

Mom cooked some real roast beef again, not that pot roast stuff.  I have been helping her eat it.

Karen Jo:  You do get really interested every time you smell me warming it up.  You hopped up in my chair again when I was bringing my plate to the table. I think you keep hoping that I will just put the plate in front of you and let you have it all.

That would be really cool.

Karen Jo:  You know that you wouldn't eat more than a few bites of it.  Even when you really want the roast beef, and I give you as many little bites as you want, you usually quit after five bites.

I still think it would be neat to sit in your chair and eat off your plate.

Caturday

Mom didn't get a picture taken of me today.  This is an old one that she took at night with the flash.  You can see why she only takes pictures of me during the day.

Karen Jo:  I got behind getting ready for work today and just didn't have time for a photo shoot.

Things have gotten interesting around here.  We got about a foot of snow yesterday.  The bird bath not only froze, it got all covered over with snow.  Once Mom filled up the feeder, there were lots and lots of birds to watch outside.  Am I ever glad that I'm not an outside kitty any more!

Once Mom got home, I started asking for treats before she even got her coat off.  I had to wait for a little bit for my treats, though.

Karen Jo:  I really needed to visit the litter box room before I did anything else, Herman.  Walking home when it's really cold has that effect on me.  You did get your treats.  I was surprised that you could eat so many and still want your supper.

I didn't eat much supper, but treats aren't everything.  I will probably eat more of my supper later.  I did a good job of eating the food you left for me before you went to work.

Karen Jo:  You did indeed.  You ate almost all of your Medley and some of your Stinky Goodness and quite a bit of your Purina One.

There's not much to do around here but eat and sleep while you are gone.

Karen Jo:  Says the cat who has more toys than he knows what to do with.

Finally Blogging Again

 Here I am in one of my safe spots.  Mom never bothers me when I go under the table like this because  I only go under here when I am really ticked off and want to be left alone.  What ticked me off so much?

Remember this thing?  I thought it was a toy and liked playing with the white fuzzy ball on the end.  One day when she wasn't feeling too bad, Mom gave me all the nip treats I wanted, then played with me and while I was feeling really mellow, she tried to put it on my head.  That's when I realized what it really is.  It is the dreaded Santa hat!  I squirmed and struggled and wouldn't let her put it on me, then I went under the table and didn't come back out for a long time.  I hope she doesn't try to put it on me again.

Karen Jo:  I may give it one more try, but I won't really force it on you.  I have the chin strap let out as far as it will go, but I think it may be a little too tight for you.  I have been away from blogging for so long because I got worse and finally ended up at the doctor.  I thought something weird was going on because, although I felt tired, I didn't really feel sick.  It turns out that I have a very minor cold, but my allergies have gone berserk.  This can get really bad for me because my allergies not only give me itchy eyes and a runny nose, but they affect my bronchial tubes as well.  I can start coughing and not be able to stop for half an hour or more.  Now I am on a couple of high-powered cough medicines and two allergy medicines and I am almost back to normal.

Mom spent a lot of time on or in her bed and that meant lots and lots of petting and cuddling for me.  Mom has decided that I can only have as many treats as I want once a day.  I make the most of it.  Mom used to make me scratch on my platform for every treat, but when I wanted lots and lots of nip treats, I started to reach toward the bag with my paw.  Mom got the message and gave me a treat each time I stretched out my paw toward the bag.  Now she gets close to me and I tap her hand when I want another treat.  I make a meal out of them, then we play for a bit.  After the nip really takes effect, I play THoE all over the house for a while.  The other times that I ask for treats, I only get up to four.  I have learned this.  Today when she got her coat on to go to work, I asked for a treat four times, then went into the kitchen to eat my regular food.

Karen Jo:  You are always surprising me with how smart you are.  I don't know if you are counting up to four treats or if you have learned what "no more" means.  I suspect the former, because you didn't even ask for another treat after the fourth one.  I want to thank every one for all the good wishes for me to get well.  I am on my way.

Catching Up

Here's another photo of me playing with my kitty with the nip in his swim trunks.  I'll let Mom explain why we haven't been blogging.

Karen Jo:  I have a cold.  I don't feel really sick, but I have no energy and I just haven't felt like blogging.  I hope to be back to normal in a few days.

I hope Mom gets back to normal soon.  I have stories to share.  I don't get all the treats I want all the time, just when Mom has the day off or when she gets home from work.  I eat meals just like I always have, but I really love those nip treats and I can eat a lot of them.

Karen Jo:  I am just too tired to write more tonight.  Maybe tomorrow or the next day.

Nippy Tuxie Tueday

Mom finally got around to stuffing this kitty's swim trunks with catnip. At first I barely noticed it.  Then that great aroma started to get to my nose and I played and played with it.  After I finished tossing it around, I laid my head down on it like I was going to take a nap, but I moved as soon as Mom pointed the camera at me.  Mom got a whole new bag of nip treats and is giving me as many as I want when she gets home from work.  She will give me some before she goes to work, but she always quits giving them to me before I get enough.

Karen Jo:  Just what do you call enough?  I gave you about eight of them before I told you that I had work to do and quit this morning.  I gave you your nip kitty and sprinkled nip on your cardboard scratcher and Turbo Scratcher.  Just before I went to work, I gave you five or six more.  I think you are becoming a nip head.

And what's wrong with that?  I don't get really stoned, just playful and happy.

Karen Jo:  There's nothing wrong with it.  I gave you nip treats tonight when I got home until you didn't want any more.  I didn't even count them, but I know that it was more than ten.

Mom gives me other kinds of treats, too.  In the morning she mixes the nip treats up with Temptations, Greenies and Pounce.  She ran out of Greenies today.

Karen Jo:  I will get you some more Greenies tomorrow.

Mom is eating turkey again.  I ate a little bit of it today.

Karen Jo:  A friend of mine has a family that doesn't like the dark meat, so she brings some of it to me.  You only ate two bites.  I don't know why.  It is really good.

I think maybe I only really like freshly cooked people food.  I am not so keen on leftovers.

Karen Jo:  Your loss.  I still don't understand your reactions to my cooking.  You won't touch a bite of pot roast, so the last time I cooked it, I put in onions and herbs.  You kept meowing and meowing at me all the time it was cooking, like you wanted some.  When it was done, I let you smell it and you walked away like you were offended at the very idea that you might like to eat some.  I wouldn't have given you any because of the onion at any rate, but I wanted to know why you were meowing.  Were you disgusted at the smell or what?

I am not telling.  I have to keep you guessing.

Weird Stuff Going On

Mom took whatever was in the mysterious box and put it in here.  I don't know what it is, but it has a picture of another kitty on it.  I am not sure I like that.

Karen Jo:  It's your Christmas stocking, Herman.  I am going to replace the picture of the other kitty with a picture of you, once I get the right picture.  Sorry about the photo.  I never have gotten the hang of the flash on this camera.

What's a Christmas stocking?  We didn't have anything like that last year.

Karen Jo:  I know.  My cracked ribs were still healing.  Santa Paws and I will put toys and treats in your stocking for you to have on Christmas day.  We had a little Christmas last year.  Remember all the crackly paper?  You got treats and toys, too.

 I remember.  That was a fun day.

I have been acting totally normal today.  This morning I ate part of my breakfast, asked for lots of treats and played with Mom for a little bit.  I guess I just had a bit of a bad day yesterday.

Karen Jo:  You may have had a bit of tummy trouble.  I found a really mushy poop in the litter box today.  You are going back to getting two doses of poop medicine per day.

Rats!  At least the poop medicine isn't really nasty, like the other stuff.

Karen Jo:  You only have two more days of the nasty stuff to go for this month.

Yay!  Mom and I really had fun tonight.  I asked for lots and lots of treats and got a good buzz going.  I ran all over the house and then played with Mom.  Then she got my dinner and I ate some, then I let Mom change out of her work clothes.  After a little while, Mom came back and gave me nasty medicine, then I got a whole bunch of treats again.  Life is good.

Caturday

I just felt like lounging around this morning.  I even think I scared Mom a little.

Karen Jo:  Just a little.  You got me up at 6:30 for breakfast, but you didn't eat any of it.  You didn't want to play and you didn't want treats when I got my jacket to leave for work.  You always ask for treats when I get my jacket. Last night I had steak and you didn't want any of it.  I was a little bit afraid that you weren't feeling good.  Tonight when I got home, you were totally back to normal again, thank goodness.

Some kitties have been asking about my nip treats.  They are made by The Goodlife Recipe and they look just like Temptations, which isn't odd at all, as they are made by the same parent company as Temptations.  They have chicken, carrots, grains and catnip in them.  I think they are the best treat ever.  Mom is feeling bad about something.

Karen Jo:  I feel a bit guilty, actually.  Clean+Green sent me a free can of their carpet and upholstery cleaner a long time ago on the condition that I review it.  I accepted their offer, as you were being a barfy kitty.  Fortunately, you haven't barfed since and you haven't had an out of the litter box experience since you got well, so I haven't had a chance to use it on anything.  I am delighted about that, but I still feel a bit bad about it.

A package came but Mom didn't let me see what was in it.

Karen Jo:  It's something I won at an auction and I am saving it for Christmas. You will get it then.

I hate waiting for stuff.

Not Enough Treats

Mom didn't take a picture of me today, so here's another shot of me checking out the nip on my ham-mick.  At least Mom hopes that it's the other shot.  The two pictures are so much alike that she couldn't tell which one she had used already.  Mom finished off the turkey today.

Karen Jo:  You were meowing at me the whole time the turkey was warming up, but when it was ready, you only took two little bites before walking away.

It smelled better than it tasted.  Besides, I had just had my elevenses.  What's next on the menu?

Karen Jo:  Pot roast.

Yuck!  I don't like pot roast at all.  When are you going to cook something that I like?

Karen Jo:  I might be able to work in a steak soon.

That's more like it.  Mom did find my nip ball.  She always manages to find it.  Once it took her a couple of days, but she found it.  Mom isn't giving me all the treats I want.

Karen Jo:  I got you to scratch on your platform instead of the couch by giving you a treat every time you scratched the platform.  Lately you have been really overdoing it.  You will scratch a little, then look at me, eat your treat, then scratch again.  Every time I pick up my coat, you race to your platform and start scratching.  The other day I was a couple of minutes late for work because of all the scratching and eating you were doing.  So now I will only give you up to four treats before I leave for work or when I am busy getting ready for work.  You can still have all you want when I get home or when I have a day off.

That's not fair.  I am supposed to get a treat every time I scratch.  Maybe you should just put all the treats in a bowl on the floor and let me help myself.

Karen Jo:  I can just see the results of that.  You would probably eat so many that you would barf them all up again.

I haven't barfed up any treats yet, even when you give me as many as I ask for.

Karen Jo:  You still are not getting your treats in a bowl on the floor.

Rats!

Tuxie Tuesday

Mom seems obsessed with my fur sometimes.

Karen Jo:  I never lived with a cat with long fur before.  I love the way your fur gets wavy sometimes, especially the fur on your side, right next to your tummy.  If you biggify the picture, it will get all out of focus.  I forgot to switch the camera to macro mode.  I will do better next time.

Not much went on today.  Mom had turkey for lunch again, but this time I wasn't much interested.  I only ate one bite.

Karen Jo:  I have given up trying to figure out your food preferences.  Yesterday you wanted all the turkey I would give you.  Today, you couldn't care less.  Who know what you will do with it tomorrow.

I just wanted to laze around while Mom got ready for work today.  I ignored all the toys she got out for me, but I played with my nip ball while she was gone.  She couldn't find it tonight.

Karen Jo:  I will find it tomorrow in the daylight.  I always do.  You really wanted your nip treats tonight.  I just gave you nip treats when you asked for treats to see how many you would eat.  You ate eleven of them, then you raced me to your food dishes.

Sometimes nip treats give me the munchies.  I wanted my dinner and I ate quite a bit of it.  Then I wanted to play, play, play.

Karen Jo:  And play we did.  You really gave your fevver-butt squeaky mouse a workout, along with your sparkle ball and even your big ball a little bit.  I love playing with you.

Mancat Monday

I really love my ham-mick.  I nap in it after lunch every day.  It was Mom who was tilted, not the floor.  Mom, you haven't been blogging for me.

Karen Jo:  I apologize.  I tried to blog last night, but Blogger wouldn't let me.  I left you Thursday to spend Thanksgiving with my brother and came back Friday.  I was too tired Friday to blog, but I did pet you the whole time I was watching a movie on TV.

That was awesome.  A two-hour petting session.  You did some good cooking today.

Karen Jo:  I got some turkey thighs and roasted them.  When they were ready, who did I find sitting in my chair at the table?

Me!  I wanted your plate.

Karen Jo:  You had to settle for bites while I ate.  You ate quite a few little bites.

Freshly cooked turkey is wonderful.  I hope we have some more.

Karen Jo:  There is enough turkey for two more days.  I will share with you.  You sure have been asking for a lot of treats.

Those catnip treats are the best.  I want a lot of them and sometimes I get a bit buzzed.  The ham-mick comes in really handy then.  Playing THoE by myself is more fun when I am buzzed, too.

Karen Jo:  You get more playful, as well.  You really get into batting your toys around.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!  I have a lot to be thankful for.  I am very thankful for Friends of the Shelter, who saved me from being put to sleep when the vet discovered that I had both FIV and FeLV.  I am thankful for my forever home, with all the good noms and great places to nap.  I am thankful for my bucket of toys to keep me occupied.  I am thankful for my medicines, though I don't like some of them very much, for helping to keep me healthy to enjoy my new life.  I am most thankful for my Mom who decided that she wanted to take me home as soon as she saw me.

Here is something else to be thankful for.  My ham-mick from Forty Paws arrived today.  Mom won it in an auction.  I am checking out all the nip that came with it. After I finished with the nip, I hopped in it to take my afternoon nap.

Tuxie Tuesday

I was sleepy and Mom caught me mid-yawn.  This picture is from several days ago, but it's just the way I felt today, too.  The weather was very cold and some snowflakes came down.  The sun peeked out occasionally, but not much.  I played with Mom a little bit, but mostly I just wanted to nap.  I didn't even eat as much as usual, though I did a good job making my cheese and treats disappear.

Mom says that I am a very polite kitty.  She had the big Temptations bag open to get me a treat and I stuck my head in it.  I took out one treat and ate it.  It smelled great in there.  Mom put the nip treats in with the Temptations.

Mom invented a new game.  She puts a toy under my warming mat and moves it around, then takes her hand out and I fish out the toy.  Tonight she wasn't fast enough in getting her hand out of  the way and I got her instead of the toy.  She yelped, but she wasn't hurt.  Maybe some more stuff will happen tomorrow.

Mancat Monday

I'm just grabbing some sun rays while I can. The weather is turning really nasty with high winds.  I don't like the wind.  It makes me jumpy.  I was in the kitchen, thinking about jumping up on the sink to ask for a drink from the faucet and Mom's footstep on the kitchen floor startled me.  I have never reacted that way before.

I still don't trust my new cube.  Mom put a nip treat inside and I stuck my front half in to grab the treat, then exited through the closest hole immediately.  At no time was all of me inside the cube.  I have really been hitting up Mom for treats lately.  The nip ones make me frisky.  I got six treats out of her before she left for work today. She gives me different kinds each time I ask, so I get a variety.

I finished my week off Interferon yesterday.  I saw Mom get the bottle out of the refrigerator today and I meowed and meowed for it.  I love my Interferon and not because I get cheese afterward.  Mom kept on giving me the cheese, but it didn't seem the same without the Interferon first.  I even ignored it yesterday until Mom got home from work and even then I didn't eat all of it.  I ate most of it today after my Interferon.

Karen Jo:  I am so glad that you love your Interferon.  I love it, too, because it is helping to keep you healthy. I just wish you felt the same way about your pills.

Ugh!  I don't like pills.  Sometimes I threaten to poke Mom with my mighty claws when she gives me one.

Karen Jo:  Sometimes you do poke me with your mighty claws, although I have gotten better at seeing it coming and letting you go before it happens.  I can always pick up the pill after you spit it out and give it to you again.  With all this talk of Herman sticking me with his claws, I should probably explain it better.  Herman normally just pricks me lightly with his claws to wake me up or get my attention.  It is extremely rare for him to leave any kind of mark.  The exception is when he objects to taking a pill.  Then he means business and draws blood if he connects.  However, this hardly ever happens.  Just lifting his paw is enough for me to get the message and leave him alone for a bit about the pill. Usually he just tries to twist his head away or chews lightly on my finger.

Mom and I played some today both before and after work, though I didn't really seem in the mood. The wind made noises and that distracted me.  I did manage to get some sun, though, both on the floor and on my platform.

More Goodies

 Just look at all this cool stuff!  My prize package from the Halloween contest arrived today from Samantha and Clementine of Life from a Cat's Perspective on behalf of the New Tuxedo Gang.  There was even a kitten calendar for Mom.

I started to play with this one as soon as Mom got it off the card.  What's really cool about this cat is that you can stuff his swimming trunks with catnip.  Now Mom has to get me some new nip. We ran out and I feel deprived.

Karen Jo:  Oh, poor you!  You haven't used up all the nip I put on your cardboard scratcher and your Turbo scratcher yet.

I was interested in the cube until it scared me.  Mom had taken it out of the package and was unfolding it when it made a loud noise and popped out of her hands.  I went and hid behind my platform and wouldn't come out for a long time.

Karen Jo:  They aren't kidding when they call it a pop-up cube. It popped half-open.  I finished opening it, but I don't think Herman has gone near it yet.  I tried scratching on the back of it to interest him tonight, but he knows that trick.  I'll put some treats in it tomorrow to see if he can get over his distrust of it.

There were some new treats in the package.  I haven't had Pounce before.  Mom opened up the bag and gave me one when I came out from behind my platform.  I like them.  I played with my mousie and my doggie toys with Mom after she got home from work tonight. Thank you so much, Samantha and Clementine and everyone who voted for me.

Mom was hard to get up this morning.  I really had to work at it.

Karen Jo:  It was pretty strange.  Herman knows that I have to get up when the alarm goes off.  It seldom does go off because I usually wake up a half-hour to an hour early and turn on the radio, then just doze until the alarm is ready to go off, then get up.  This morning I woke up an hour early and turned on the radio, after I made sure that Herman's food was OK after his early morning feeding.  Then I zonked out completely.  I was deeply asleep when the alarm went off.  I turned it off and threw off the covers, then zonked out again and started dreaming.  I dreamed that I was in my underwear, sitting on the side of the bed and putting on my socks. Herman kept sticking his claws in my butt and I kept turning around to tell him to knock it off, I was up already.  I finally got really irritated with him and gave him a sharp rap on the head with my knuckles (which I would never do) and he began to cry.  I woke up then and sure enough, Herman was sitting right by my butt, looking totally innocent.  I don't know if he really cried out or not, but since he is so vocal, he probably did, out of frustration.  I usually get up at the first hint of claws.  He did a good job, as I got up only 15 minutes late.

The Rest of the Party

This is my Gotcha Day gift. It's a warming mat.  There is stuff inside that reflects heat back to keep me warm this winter.

This was in the package, too.  I don't know what it is, but the white ball on the end is fun to play with.

Here I am trying out my new warming mat.  I love it.  It has become my favorite nap spot.

Karen Jo:  First, many apologies.  I had intended to keep on posting about Herman's Gotcha Day Party after I woke up again after the breakfast post.  For some reason I have been incredibly tired recently and I just didn't have the energy to post again until now.  All I can think of is that my still-working-but-woefully-inadequate thyroid gland is doing its job very irregularly.  That said, here is how the rest of the party went.

I finally had to go get Mom up because all the kitties were getting hungry again and Roxy wanted some broccoli.  We had ham, turkey, chicken, a whole salmon and the biggest shrimp ring you ever saw, plus some broccoli.  After making sure that all the food was out, Mom got out the wand toys for a while.  Some of the kitties wanted pets and scritches before their afternoon naps, so Mom was kept pretty busy.  The sun came out and melted most of the snow, but it stayed in the shady spots.  Then the wind came up and it got pretty nasty outside, so we all played inside. There were toys scattered all over the house.

When it got dark, Mom brought out tuna cake and nip ice cream.  Then she mixed up huge batches of niptinis and meowgraritas. Some kitties played with my flashy balls in the dark hallway.  We put the music on and danced and played until we dropped.  One by one the kitties and woofies teleported home after their post-party naps.  Thank you all for coming.  It was a great party.

Tuxie Tuesday Gotcha Day

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Here I am resting up in my comfy chair, getting ready for my Gotcha Day Party, which is starting right now.  One year ago Mom got home from work and called my foster Mom, who loaded me up in a PTU and brought me over to my new home.  I was set free in my "safe room" because my foster Mom was afraid that having a whole house to roam around in might blow my mind, as I had been locked up in one small room for six months. As soon as my foster Mom left and I discovered that I was staying, I wanted out. My new Mom opened the door and let me explore the whole house.  I have had the run of the place ever since.

Everyone is welcome to come party beginning right now.  Tonight we just have drinks and the buffet available, but there will be plenty of food tomorrow.  Mom is staying home all day, so we have a human slave at our disposal for the whole party.  For drinks we have niptinis, blue gizzies and meowgaritas, with Russianless white Russians for the kittens and water for those who want to keep their wits about them.  For snacks we have Temptations, Greenies, Party Mix and nip treats.  For those who want something a bit more substantial, there is the Herman Buffet:  Kitten Chow, Purina One for sensitive systems, Green Pea and Duck (grain free) and Friskies Seafood Sensations for the dry food; the canned food selections are Turkey Florentine and Ocean Whitefish and Tuna with gravy.  Um, sorry, I already licked up all the gravy.

We can basically do anything we want, but Mom has a few ground rules.

Karen Jo:  Just a couple.  Please, no THoE between 2:00 am and dawn.  You are welcome to play the stereo, the CD player and the radio, but please not too loud.

All right, lets get to it.  We have plenty of music, a whole bucket of toys, food and drink and lots of places to crash.  There are two couches, a table with a big cushion and a soft throw on it, a comfy chair, two more chairs with cushions, and my platform in the living room.  There is a comfy chair and a couch in my "safe" room.  There is a rocking chair, a computer chair and my Mom's bed in her room.  The whole house, except for the kitchen is carpeted.

Karen Jo:  All the kitties and woofies who can fit are welcome to share my bed with me and Herman.  Just remember that the space right next to my chest is reserved for Herman.  If you eat up all the food, you are allowed to wake me up at oh-dark-thirty, but I will go right back to bed after filling the food dishes.  Breakfast will be served after dawn.

All right!  Let's party!

Hahaha!  You kitties have good appetites.  We got Mom up at oh-dark-thirty to fill up the food dishes.  All the dry food needed filling up. Then we let her sleep until sunup.  Now its time for breakfast.  Mom is making kitty-sized omelets.  Put in your order for omelets with tuna, bacon, ham, tuna or chicken, or any combination you like.  To drink we have fresh water out of the faucet or tuna juice or milk.  We are going to keep her busy. Once we have eaten our fill, we will let her go back to sleep until we want the wand toys to come out. For a special bonus we have SNOW!  The back yard is safe for any kitties or woofies who want to go out and roll in the snow or eat it or throw snowballs.  There isn't much, but it looks like there is more on the way.  Mom has plenty of fluffy towels to dry you all off when you are done outside.  More fun is coming when Mom wakes up again.

Mancat Monday

I found a great sun puddle and made the most of it.  It's been cold here.  The water in the birdbath is frozen every day.  You can see my thin spots, but Mom thinks that the fur is growing in again.  I have been really active, running up and down the hall to get Mom to play with me and running from the kitchen to the living room to get her to give me a treat.  Mom found some great new treats for me.  They are Goodlife Catnip treats.  I love them.  I even got Mom to play with me in the living room in the dark.  I ran down the hall to her room to get her attention, then ran back into the living room to show that I wanted to play.  Mom came in and I pounced her feet.  She couldn't see too well, so she rolled me a crinkle ball, so she could hear where I batted it.  It took her a long time to find it, so she decided to use my big flashy ball instead.  We had a lot of fun with it.

Karen Jo:  I will have to remember that you really enjoy playing with your flashy balls in the dark.  I hope I can find another one of the big flashy balls when its battery runs out.

Mom has been being lazy and not blogging for me, but she will be sure to blog tomorrow.  It's my Gotcha Day!  I am getting excited.  Mom ordered a present for me, but she won't tell me what it is.  She has been putting weird stuff on my head, like mousies or my octopus, and says that she is just practicing.  I am not sure I like the sound of this.  I hope it doesn't have anything to do with my Gotcha Day present.

Karen Jo: I promise you that your Gotcha Day present doesn't go on your head, but something else will, I hope, at least for a little while.  It's not laziness, Herman, but tiredness.  When I find myself falling asleep over the keyboard, I go to bed instead of blogging.  Work has been crazy lately.  I hope your Gotcha Day present arrives in time.  Would you like to have a party?

Oh, yes, I want to have a big party, with lots of food and drinks and nip and toys and everything.

Karen Jo:  We will have a party, then, and everyone is invited.

Lazy Thursday

Here I am in Mom's rocking chair.  Mom decided to see if just the overhead light was enough to take a picture with and it almost is.  I usually nap here while Mom is on the computer, if I am not under her chair demanding to be petted, that is.

After reading about it on Max's blog, Mom finally found a tri-tip roast and it is every bit as good as Max said it was.  The trouble is, Mom fed me shortly before the roast got done and I wasn't hungry enough to do it justice.  She did let me lick up the juice on her plate, though.  I love, love, love beef juice.

You can find the photo that appears in the Friends of the Shelter calendar here.  When we play, Mom usually rolls or tosses a toy in my direction and I grab it.  Sometimes I pick out a toy and start playing with it.  When I toss or whap it out of reach, Mom rolls it back to me. Rarely, I will chase the toy after I whap it a good one.  Tonight we played with one of my little furry mice. When I whapped it out of reach under a chair, Mom tried to get me interested in one of my balls, but I was through playing.

Tuxie Tuesday

Mom apologizes for using the same picture of me with my toy bucket twice in just a couple of days. This was the picture she meant to use yesterday, but she forgot to uncheck the "put it in a new folder" box and she couldn't find it.  I had just gotten a bit of playtime with my toys after I got my nasty medicine and I was pooped out.  I didn't even eat all my treats, as you can still see some in the PTU in the background.  My fur is getting all stick out all over again, but this winter it still has a shine to it, so Mom knows that it is just the dry weather and the dry air from the heater making it do that.  Mom has some news on the kitty girl.

Karen Jo:  It isn't the news I was hoping for, but it is still great news.  The kitty girl was adopted over the weekend.  The lady at the shelter said that she was amazed at how many people showed an interest in adopting her.  It looks like more people are now willing to give kittens with problems a chance.  My name has been added to the list of people interested in adopting cats with feline leukemia, so I may find out about another one some time.  It has been my experience in life that cats who need me have a way of finding me.  That brings me to a dream I have had twice now.  Each time in the last year that I have decided that I was really interested in adopting a cat, I have dreamed about a part Siamese or part Himalayan cat.  The first time was just before I found Herman and the second time was just after I found out about the kitty girl and had made up my mind that adopting her would be a good idea.  I have no idea if it means anything, but I find it interesting.

I chased a fly all around the kitchen this morning.  I almost caught it, too.

Karen Jo:  You could have caught the one I found swimming in your water bowl.

That would have been too easy.

I got some really nice cuddle time this morning.  Mom isn't quite used to the new time yet and woke up an hour early, so she spent the extra time listening to the radio and petting me.  After she got home from work, I ran up and down the hall twice, just to let her know that I was ready to play.  And play we did.  I used to just play with one toy for a few minutes, then I was done playing for that session.  Now I will play with a toy, get tired of it, go to another toy and play with it and even go on to a third or fourth toy.  My play time has gone from 1-5 minutes to 5-10 minutes.  I even run after toys and keep whapping them time after time, which I rarely did before. Tonight I was celebrating that I didn't have to take the nasty medicine today and I won't have to take it any more until next month.  I feel so good that I am just bursting with energy and fun.

Karen Jo:  I have some news for you.  I just heard from The Friends of the Shelter and their calendar is out and you are in it.

Yay!  Now you have to get a photo in for the PAWS calendar.  I want to be a big time calendar cat.

Karen Jo:  I will do that tomorrow, Herman.  I have so many pictures of you that it is going to be hard to choose, but I will do it.

Mancat Monday

I like hanging around near my toy bucket.  I might like to get something out of it.  I got some exciting news.  I won the tuxedo category in Hansel's Halloween Contest. I never expected that with just my collar.  Thank you all so much for voting for me.  Not much has been going on around here.  Mom didn't want to get up Sunday morning.

Karen Jo:  The time changed, Herman.  I didn't have to get up until an hour later than usual.  I still got up early and fed you.

You mean I wasted my time making sure to get you out of bed at your usual time?  I wondered why you just checked my food and went back to bed. That must be why my Interferon and cheese were so late. Why do humans have to mess around with time, anyway?  It is all so confusing.

Mom and I had a lot of fun playing Sunday night.  We mostly played with my little mousies, but I knocked my flashy ball around a little, too.  I whapped my mousies and picked them up in my claws and bit them and tossed them around.  When they got too far away from me, Mom batted them back to me. We played for a long time until I decided that I was a little hungry again.

Karen Jo:  I love playing with you, Herman.  I am loving it that you are eating very well, but haven't been gaining any more weight.  You seem to have decided that 14 pounds is your ideal weight.  You do jiggle a little when you run, but I don't think you are really fat.

Ayla and Iza are curious about what the little kitty girl looks like.  She is a black and white long-haired kitty.  If I don't hear from her rescue group tomorrow, I will be calling them on Tuesday.  I really hope that this works out and I can adopt her.  I think it will be lots of fun for everyone involved, once the adjustments are made.

Caturday

Sometimes I like to relax next to my scratching post.  You can see that I have been giving it a workout.  Mom is a bit upset about something.  I'll let her tell you about it.

Karen Jo:  I am really disgusted.  I set aside several hours for the Blogblast for Peace, to get globes for me and Herman ready and I had my limerick all written.  When I turned on the computer, I discover that my ISP was down and it stayed down the whole night.  Of all the times to lose the internet, it had to be then.

Other than that, things are going well.  Mom hasn't heard from the people with the girl kitty yet, but she will call them on Tuesday if she doesn't hear from them first.  I found a fly on the floor and gave it a real workout before it flew away.

Karen Jo:  You really batted it around.  I was surprised that it wasn't too dizzy to fly.

Mom cooked the lamb roast and guess what?  I liked it.  I ate every little bite that Mom gave me.

Karen Jo:  I liked it, too, though it was very bony.  I got the shoulder roast because I hadn't ever tried that cut before.  I think I will go back to the leg from now on.

I found a new way to get attention.  If Mom is on the computer and I want to be petted, I go under her computer chair, then stick my claws in her ankle.

Karen Jo: I don't mind petting you at all, Herman, but you are really hard to reach when you are under my chair. Why don't you just jump up in the rocking chair right next to the computer chair, where you are much easier to reach?

It's more fun to make you work at it.  Mom tried to get me to watch the ravens while they ate my leftover food, but I wasn't interested.

Karen Jo:  I like to watch them eat your food.  They hop around and sometimes do a little dance, where they walk up to the food, then hop backwards, then go forwards again and take a little bite, then hop back again.  I find them very entertaining.

Just Hanging Around

I'm just relaxing next to my toy basket.  I was all stretched out in a sun puddle, showing off my floof, but just as Mom got down on the floor with the camera, the phone rang.  Of course I had to get up and help her answer the phone.  Mom didn't blog for me yesterday like she said she would.

Karen Jo:  Sorry, Herman, I got all wrapped up in watching the election returns, then I went to bed.

I have been doing a lot of running up and down the hall and through the living room.  I feel so good I just have to do something.  I found out that I can jump up on the kitchen sink and look out the window.  There are little birdies in the bush right by that window sometimes.  I meow and meow at them to come in, but they never do.

Karen Jo:  They can't get in through the window, Herman, any more that you can get out.

That's too bad.  I have been playing with Mom quite a bit, too.  I am mostly a good boy about taking my medicine, but Mom is giving me the really nasty stuff again.  I let her know how I feel about it.  I stuck my claw right in her finger and made the blood come out.

Karen Jo:  You are halfway through this month's dosage now.  Just a few more days and you won't have to take it again for three weeks.

That's a relief.  I got all fresh litter today.  I like new litter day.  My dry food bowls are getting low and Mom isn't refilling them.

Karen Jo:  I am going to dump all the left over dry food tomorrow and give you all fresh. The ravens are really going to have a feast.  You should watch them.

I don't like watching those big birds as much as I like watching the little ones.  Have you gotten my Gotcha Day presents yet?

Karen Jo:  Not yet.  I will put in the order tomorrow.  I got some interesting news today.  How would you like a little sister?

I'm not sure.

Karen Jo:  There is a three-month old kitty girl with feline leukemia being fostered nearby who really needs a home.  I am seriously thinking about giving her a try.  You are very secure and healthy now, so it shouldn't stress you out too much.

What if I don't like her?

Karen Jo:  I can take her in provisionally.  If things don't work out, I can give her back.

Election Day

Mom is taking over the blog today, but I will be back tomorrow.

Karen Jo:  I just want to remind everyone to go vote if you haven't already.  Voting is our right, our privilege and our civic duty.  It makes me really sad when I read statistics that indicate that less than half of the registered voters generally vote in a non-presidential election year. Every election is important and I always go vote and I want you to do so, too.

Mancat Monday

Mom didn't get a picture of me today, so here is one of the first good pictures she took of me.  She picked such an old picture because this is my Gotcha Day month.  I got a good treat for Halloween.  Mom and I played and played with my flashy ball in the dark.  We batted it all over the living room and into the kitchen.  We played with it there for quite a while, until I knocked it up against my food bowls and I decided that I would rather eat than play.  Another reason that Mom decided to show a really old picture of me is that I am feeling really good.  I am playing with Mom as much as I did before I got sick last Spring.  I even started wanting to play with her before she goes to work, as well as after she comes home.  I am even playing with my toys after she goes to work.  I haven't played this much since last winter.

Karen Jo:  You are making me really happy, Herman.  I love to see you having so much fun.  I am overjoyed to find your toys scattered far and wide when I get home, instead of where they were when I left. We had lots of fun when I got home.  We played with your pink pig from the Hams of the Werld Tour, nip ball, another ball, fevver-butt squeaky mouse and eraser mouse.  We haven't had a sustained play session like this in such a long time.  Aside for the occasional pudding poop, I think you are as healthy as you were when I got you.

Happy Halloween

What is it with Mom and dressing up kitties, anyway?  The first thing I did when Mom plopped this thing over my head was go hide behind my platform.  Mom crawled after me and petted me and told me everything was all right and even pulled on my paw a little, but I wouldn't come out.  She went and sat on the floor with the camera, next to the treats and eventually I came out.  I used my hind foot to kick at this thing a little, but finally just made myself comfortable and Mom took two pictures.  She used one on Hansel's Halloween Contest blog and this is the other one.  Then she took it off, told me I was a good boy and gave me a treat.  Mom and I want to wish everyone a Happy Halloween.  Have fun, but stay safe.

Caturday

Mom didn't take any pictures of me today, so this is an old one that she didn't use.  You can see why.  I am inspecting my ball with the mousie inside.  We did find out that the mousie will squeak if I stick my paw in the ball and poke it.  I only did that once, though.  Mom found my nip ball the next morning.  My nip ball goes missing quite often, but Mom always finds it again.  I am playing with Mom more in the evenings.  For some reason, I don't seem to want to play with her before she goes to work, but I do after she comes home.  Mom has been lazy and hasn't been blogging for me.

Karen Jo:  It isn't laziness, Herman.  I wasn't feeling too good the last couple of days.  Luckily I figured out that it was something I was eating and I won't cook that way any more.  It seems that I can't really tolerate breaded fried foods any more, even fried in just a little bit of olive oil.  I finally found a lamb roast and we will be having that Sunday.

That sounds good.  You didn't share your steak today.

Karen Jo:  You didn't ask for any.  You munched your cat food, then left the kitchen just as the steak got ready.

We have been having lots of cuddle time lately.  When you don't feel good, you spend more time in bed and I get more attention.  Will I get to stay on just one dose of my poop medicine?

Karen Jo:  It looks like it.  The other day I found mostly pudding poop and thought I was going to have to put you back on two doses, but today I found almost all good poop.  Good job on catching that bug this evening.

It dive bombed me.  I wasn't going to put up with that.

Wordy Wednesday

This was supposed to be my picture for Tuxie Tuesday, but Mom let me down.  I am watching her get dressed.  I didn't want to leave the nice warm bed.  I love making her get up around me.  I didn't get up until it was time for my Interferon.

Karen Jo:  Sorry about Tuxie Tuesday.  I was really tired when I got home, so after I fed you I sat in my rocking chair to rest a little by listening to the radio.  I fell asleep.  When I fall asleep sitting up, with a light on right over my head and the radio on, I know that it's time to go to bed.

At least you are blogging for me tonight.  Not much has been going on.  I only got pilled once yesterday and today.  I usually get pilled twice.

Karen Jo: Yesterday I only found a little bit of pudding poop, so I decided to see if one dose of your poop medicine will do the trick.  I'll be giving you one dose for the rest of the week and if the pudding poop goes away, we'll stick to one dose.  I only want to give you as much medicine as you need.

I am all for less medicine.  I really don't mind the poop medicine much, but I would rather have less of it than more.  I have been joining Mom in bed almost as soon as she gets in herself and I snuggle up really close.

Karen Jo:  The cold weather has really arrived.  The bird bath was frozen this morning.  Snow flakes drifted down just a little bit today.

I played with Mom a little bit today.  My nip ball has gone missing again.

Karen Jo:  I will look for it in the morning.  I know how much you like it.

Mancat Monday

It's supposed to be Mancat  Monday and Mom kept pestering me to pose with a pink hat.  I don't think that's very mancatly.

Karen Jo:  That's the hat I wear to work every day to show my support for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

What do I care?  It doesn't affect me.

Karen Jo:  Oh, yes, it does.  You know those soft warm things you like to cuddle up against and rest your head on while we are in bed?  This month is to help protect those.

Oh, I am all in favor of that.  I didn't eat any of the canned food you  left me when you went to work, but I ate up all that you gave me when you got home.  I didn't like having you gone away all that time.

Karen Jo:  I'm sorry, Herman, but it you want to keep having more food than you will eat, I have to keep on going to work. Do you know what I found in the litter box today?

I'm afraid to ask.

Karen Jo:  Half normal poop and half pudding poop.

Does that mean what I think it means?

Karen Jo: Yup, you get to go back on your poop pills.

Darn it.  Does this mean I get more treats?

Karen Jo:  You will get treats for taking your pills, yes.

I wish I could just get treats for nothing.  I have to scratch on my platform or post to get a Temptation or Greenie.  I have to take a pill to get Party Mix.  I have to take my Interferon to get my cheese.

Karen Jo:  I give you treats sometimes just for being you.

Not nearly often enough.  I got kind of grouchy today and wouldn't play with Mom before she went to work at all.  I saw her in her uniform and knew what it meant.  I did play with her just a little bit after she got home again.  Mom is eating pot roast again.  I smelled meat and begged for some, but when she gave me a piece, I could smell that it was pot roast and didn't even taste it.  I hope she cooks something good soon.

Last Mom Day

Another older photo.  Mom finally caught me sleeping.  The sun was so warm and I felt so good that I didn't wake up like I usually do when Mom tries to sneak up on me during my afternoon nap.  Mean Mom deserted me off and on for most of the day today.

Karen Jo:  I had to go get your Interferon and do the grocery shopping this morning.  It looked like it was going to rain down buckets, so I wanted to get it done early.  I got home, gave you your Interferon and cheese, ate my own lunch and decided to go out again to do some more stuff before the rain came down.  While I was in the grocery store, getting the stuff I forgot this morning, I met my best human friend and we got to talking, then she invited me to a very early supper, so I went.  We talked and ate and talked some more and by the time I got home again, there wasn't enough light to take a picture of you.

I like the new treats you got me.

Karen Jo:  I like you to have a variety.  I found some Feline Greenies and brought them home.  I also found some very healthy treats, but I remember the last time I got you very healthy treats.

I remember, too.  Instead of eating them, I would stash them around the house.

Karen Jo:  I have some good news for you.  You are doing so well that your vet has decreased your dosage of Interferon.  Now you have it every day for a week, then get a week off.  Do you know what that means?

I don't get my shredded cheese for a week?

Karen Jo:  No, I won't deprive you of your cheese.  It means that if you keep on having good poop, you won't have to take any medicine at all every other week.

Yay!  That sounds great to me.  You had that catalog with the kitty on the front out again.

Karen Jo:  Yes, I got a new issue.  Your Gotcha Day is coming up.  I need to find something good for your present.

That sounds great to me.  Everything is going so great, there must be some bad news coming.

Karen Jo:  There is.  I go back to work tomorrow.

Oh, no!  I like having you home every day.

Karen Jo:  Don't worry.  I will be having my days off soon.

Back to Normal

Mom didn't take a new picture of me today, as she has been wanting to use this one for a while now.  She thinks I have an elegant profile.  Things have gotten all back to normal now.  I woke Mom up to feed me at oh-dark-thirty, even though I hadn't eaten much of the food I demanded that she give me at bedtime.

Karen Jo:  And what did you do when I turned on the kitchen light?  You headed straight for your dry food and started munching down.

You didn't give me any new Stinky Goodness, so I had to eat the dry.

Karen Jo:  There was nothing wrong with the Stinky Goodness that you had.  It hadn't dried out yet and you had hardly touched it.  Sometimes I think you get me up at oh-dark-thirty just because you know that you can.

::stifles evil laughter:: You got your own self up in the early daylight to feed me breakfast.

Karen Jo:  I had to get up to use the litter box room anyway, so I might as well get you breakfast.  I gave you fresh new food from two newly opened cans and what did you do?

I licked up all the juice and nibbled at the food.  Then I begged and begged for new food when you got up for the day.

Karen Jo:  Which you didn't get until lunch time.  I am not going to get you new food every few hours when you aren't eating it much at all.  Which is not to say you aren't eating.  You are munched down pretty good on your duck and pea and your Purina One.

I wish you would cook something good again.

Karen Jo:  You are too picky to please.  I especially didn't put herbs on some chicken just for you and what did you do?

I sniffed it and walked away.

Karen Jo:  What did you do the last time I offered you real live cooked shrimp?

I sniffed it, licked it, chewed it up and spit it out on the floor.

Karen Jo:  What did you do with the last two bites of steak I gave you?

I chewed them up real good, then spit them out on the floor.  Is there a point to all these questions?

Karen Jo:  No matter what people food I give you, you don't seem happy with it.

So try something different.  I ate the pasta Alfredo and the macaroni and cheese you gave me.

Karen Jo:  I might cook roast lamb soon.  I don't put any herbs or spices on that at all, so we'll see if you like it.  If you don't, all the more for me.  I love it.  You are falling down on your job as mighty hunter.

What do you mean?

Karen Jo:  I haven't swatted the flies all summer, because you like watching and stalking them.  Now that it's getting colder, they are getting more sluggish and crawling around on the floor, easy prey.  You just bat them around a little.  I can understand if you don't want to eat them, but you don't kill them, either.

Why would I kill them if I don't want to eat them?

Karen Jo:  Good question.  The problem is that there are getting to be a lot of them around.  If you aren't going to take care of them, I am going to have to get out the fly swatter soon.

Aw, don't kill off my real live toys.  Now I want to answer some questions that have shown up in the comments.  Yes, I am a Gemini and I am very vocal.  I meow at Mom, chitter at the ravens, mew at the little birds and purr at the slightest petting.  Mom doesn't put a whole lot of store in astrology, but she was amazed at how close the Gemini profile came to me.  One thing that didn't fit was that the book said that Mom and I don't have compatible signs.  Maybe it meant that I wouldn't be compatible with a Scorpio cat, since it is a book on cat astrology.

I'm Back!

Mom got home after dark on Tuesday and brought me some new toys:  two small squeaky mousies, one with a fever-butt, and a furry ferret.  I played with all of them a little bit, but mostly I just wanted Mom to pay attention to me.

Here I am today, ignoring my new toys, as usual.  I was really glad to see Mom home again, especially as I had eaten up all my Stinky Goodness.  She brought a strange man in with her who wanted to pet me.  I went over to him and let him pet me just a little.

Karen Jo:  That was my nephew.  He drove me home from the airport.

Then Mom fed me and petted me and played with me for a while.  Then she decided to go to her room and turned out the lights and left me all alone in the dark again.  I cried and cried until she came back and turned on the lights once more. She petted me and asked what was wrong.  Then she said the magic word "bed" and I followed her back to her room and curled up on the bed with her and we watched TV together and I got petted and petted and petted.  It was wonderful.  She only got up to get into her PJs and into the bed and then I got petted some more.

I missed Mom a lot, but I didn't mope or stop eating or anything like that.  I met the cat sitter at the door whenever she came over and let her give me my Interferon with no fuss at all.  I didn't get my poop medicine while Mom was gone, because Mom said that was a bit too complicated for this cat sitter, but I am pooping just fine.  No trace of pudding poop, so Mom says I don't have to take my poop medicine any more, unless the pudding poop comes back again.  Yay!  I played with the cat sitter a little tiny bit, but I wouldn't play with the other lady who came by a couple of times.  I did let her pet me some.

We didn't blog before now because Mom has been a bit tired or something.

Karen Jo:  I was two time zones away and on a different schedule.  I am almost back to normal now.  I had a nice visit, but didn't do much.  I did get lots of rest and I feel great.

Thanks to every cat and dog who came to my house trashing party.  I got almost everything back to normal before Mom showed up, so she didn't suspect anything.  All she found was a bit of unrolled TP.