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!