Quiet Thursday

 We have had some really nice sunshine lately and I have been taking advantage of it.  It sure is quiet around here tonight.

Karen Jo:  I shut Emma up in her room tonight.  She has to go to the vet again tomorrow and the vet lady wants a stool sample.  The only way to make sure that the stool sample is Emma's and not yours was to clean out the litter box, then shut Emma up in her room overnight.  She's not happy about it, but it has to be done.

You mean I can have my sleepy spot by your chest without having to worry about Emma?

Karen Jo:  Yes, if you want it.  I hope she didn't ruin things for you the other night.

That was really something.  When I came to bed, Emma was curled up by Mom's face.  I stayed toward the end of the bed, where Mom could barely reach me to scritch my chin, because sometimes Emma hisses at me when I come to bed.  Emma just kept purring, so I crept a little closer where Mom could pet my side.  When Emma still didn't hiss at me, I figured everything was okay, so I snuggled up to Mom and turned on my back, so Mom could pet my chest the way I really like.  All of a sudden, Emma let out a yell and attacked me. She didn't hurt me, but it really startled me and I retreated to the foot of the bed.

Karen Jo:  It caught me by surprise as well.  One second Emma is purring in my ear and the next she is flying at Herman in full attack mode.  It only lasted a second.  Herman retreated to the foot of the bed and Emma jumped over to the rocking chair.  I scolded Emma and comforted Herman, but Herman decided that it wasn't worth the aggravation and he jumped off the bed and went to the living room.  I tried to go to sleep.  A little while later, I heard Emma growling softly.  She was still in the rocking chair and Herman was on the floor, thinking about jumping back on the bed.  I told Emma to knock it off and she did, but it was a while before Herman joined me in bed and even then he stayed near the foot of the bed.  Come morning, Herman had crept up behind my legs and I gave him some morning petting.  Emma was still in the rocking chair.  I had no idea she was that jealous of Herman.

This is one of Emma's favorite spots.  She is lying on a bookshelf just under the window.  She can relax and still see outside.  She spends quite a bit of time lying here or sitting up and looking out the window.

Mancat Monday

Yay! Mom said I could have my blog all to myself on Mancat Mondays.

Karen Jo:  We will have to find a day for Emma.

She can have Wednesdays.  Here I am chilling out on my ham-mick, which is one place that Emma hasn't tried to take over yet.

Karen Jo:  She hasn't been up on top of your platform yet, either.

It's probably just a matter of time.  I want everyone to know that I am feeling great.  Emma and I are starting to play together.  I chase her all over.  One fun game is that she runs around the living room on the furniture and I chase after her on the floor.  When she runs out of furniture we have a little boxing match, then she turns around and runs the other way.  I have gotten into pounce position watching her a few times, but I haven't pounced her yet.  As for her being faster than I am, hah!  I showed her tonight that I can catch her whenever I want.  I didn't even touch her.  I just caught up with her and showed her how fast I can be.

Karen Jo:  You showed her who gets first dibs on the Medley, too.

That's right.  I have started guarding my Medley dish.  At lunch time Mom put down my Medley right in front of me and I started eating it.  Emma watched.  Then Mom put down some really good Stinky Goodness.  I leaned over and started eating that, without moving from in front of my Medley dish.  Emma just sat there and cried.

Karen Jo:  I gave her a dish of Stinky Goodness in her room, as usual.  It took her a little longer than I expected to catch on to what I was doing.  She didn't realize that food was being served in her room until she heard me filling up her Kitten Chow.

Tonight I was nicer.  I just ate my Medley and let Emma eat the Stinky Goodness.  Mom has showed me that I can eat Emma's Stinky Goodness, if she eats all of mine and I want hers.  Mom says that the ravens are mad at us.  Mom gives them any left over Stinky Goodness.  There isn't much left over any more, just a few crumbs sometimes.  Mom hardly ever gives me treats any more.  She doesn't give me my cheese snack any more, either. I haven't been bugging her about it.  Chasing Emma is lots more fun than asking for treats.

Karen Jo:  I am hoping that between not getting many treats and getting lots more exercise, you will lose the weight you need to without my actually having to put you on a diet.

Sunday, Nip Day

Sorry we haven't been around lately.  Mom got sick on Tuesday and hasn't felt up to blogging until tonight. Emma and I both lapped up all the extra cuddle time in bed.  Emma is all over the house now.  Nothing is safe from her.  She has been eating my food regularly and here she is hogging the catnip.

Karen Jo:  I put catnip on Herman's scratcher in the living room and the Turbo Scratcher in Emma's room.  Emma pounced right on it.  Herman got really close and there was a flurry of paws from both of them.  Emma retained possession of the catnip as long as she wanted it.  When she got up from sniffing and rolling in the nip to get something to eat, I expected Herman to go after the nip, but he didn't.  He just lay there next to it for a long time.

Emma:  I smelled the nip and I wanted it.  I am faster than Herman and I got there first.

Karen Jo:  Emma has been using her speed to her advantage.  It didn't take her long at all to learn the food routine in the kitchen.  Having discovered Herman's buffet and connecting the opening of the refrigerator with new food appearing, she has been beating him to the canned food regularly.  Today at lunch time, she beat Herman to his Medley and he just sat there and watched her eat it.  I put the Stinky Goodness right in front of Herman, but he still just sat there and watched Emma eat his Medley.  When I got back from putting out Emma's Stinky Goodness, most of the Medley was gone and Emma was going to town on Herman's Stinky Goodness. After she was done, Herman just looked at the damage, then looked at me and meowed sadly.  I picked him up, took him down the hall and showed him Emma's Stinky Goodness, which he ate part of.  When I got home from work, both cats came into the kitchen and Emma started eating some of Herman's Purina One.  I told them that it was supper time and picked up Herman's Medley dish to wash it.  Herman left the kitchen, which is highly unusual.  I found him sitting in the hall with his back to me.  I walked up to him, but he walked a few more steps down the hall and sat down with his back to me again.  I petted him and told him what a good boy he was and that he was my favorite mancat.  He followed me back to the kitchen and took up his usual position, right in front of where the Medley dish goes.  I put the Medley down right in front of him and he started eating. This time Emma just sat and watched.  I washed up and filled the Stinky Goodness dish and Emma dove right into that.  They ate side by side for the first time.  I hope this means Herman will start sticking up for himself a bit more.  He has been deferring to Emma in everything.  Both the Medley and Stinky Goodness dishes get licked almost completely clean every meal now.  I think Emma is eating more of it than Herman.

Herman:  I like Emma and I don't mind letting her have her way most of the time. She has almost stopped hissing at me. She keeps stealing my favorite spot next to Mom at bedtime, though.  Mom will make every effort to reach me wherever I lie down, but sometimes I get up and move away.  Once in a while, I will even get up while Mom is petting me and jump down from the bed to find someplace else to sleep.

Karen Jo:  I really hope that Herman isn't feeling displaced by Emma.  For him to leave the bed while I am in it is very strange.  He used to only get up to eat or use the litter box and always came right back.  Sometimes Emma decides to sleep on my other pillow and Herman will take up his favorite place next to my chest.  I feel that this is just something that they will have to work out for themselves.

Tuxie Tuesday

 Mom hasn't been taking pictures of us for a few days, so here is one of Emma that she hadn't used yet and a recent one of me that she has used, but she really likes it.

Emma has been hogging most of the attention lately.  Mom wants to tell you about her latest trip to the vet today.

Karen Jo:  Emma gained two-tenths of a pound and the vet said that was a good thing, as she was too skinny.  The yeast infection in her ears seems to have mostly cleared up, but something else is going on in there to make her ears so itchy.  What the vet lady did find reminded her of mites, but she couldn't see any definite sign of mites -- no eggs or droppings or actual mites.  We are going to treat her for mites for a week anyway, just to make sure.  The other thing that needs to be taken care of soon is that Emma has a bad tooth that will probably have to come out. The vet suggested that we try to get her ears cleared of whatever-it-is before taking out her tooth, though.  Emma hates the carrier already.

Emma stole my spot for sleeping with Mom, too.

Karen Jo:  She just beat you to it.  I sat up and petted you and made a spot for you near Emma.  You still got all your bedtime petting.  You were just next to my tummy instead of my chest.

To top it off, Emma stole some of my Medleys tonight.

Emma:  Hey, you started it!

Karen Jo:  Let's start at the beginning, shall we?  When we got back from the vet, I let Emma out of her carrier in the living room, as I want her to explore it.  She wandered around for a little, then went back down the hall to her room.  When I got home from work tonight, Herman was in the kitchen to greet me as usual, but Emma was looking into the kitchen from the living room, which had never happened before.  She was very hungry, as she had eaten all her Stinky Goodness and almost the whole bowl of Kitten Chow.  She heard my voice and wanted to be fed.  I fed them both, starting with Herman, as always.  Emma started really chowing down as soon as I brought her her Stinky Goodness and was still at it when I topped up her bowl of Kitten Chow.  I went back to the kitchen to put away the groceries I had brought home and I saw a dark streak dart into the living room.  I hadn't heard the usual Herman thumps, so I checked and it was Emma.  I went to her room and there was Herman, finishing off Emma's Stinky Goodness.  I figured that turnabout was fair play, so I picked up Emma and put her down in front of Herman's buffet.

Emma:  There was more food that I had ever seen before in my life!  I checked out every bowl and dish, nibbling a little here and there.  Then I smelled something that smelled better than anything else and started eating it.

This was too much for me.  I saw her check out my whole buffet, then start eating my Medley!  I hid behind the clothes hanging from the kitchen doorknob and did my wiggle butt, ready to pounce.  I started my run, but Emma turned and gave me a hiss.  I put on the brakes and she went back to eating my Medley.  I gave Mom my saddest look, but she didn't do anything about it.

Karen Jo:  I have told you and told you not to steal Emma's Stinky Goodness.  You have your whole buffet, but she only has what I give her in her room because she hasn't been brave enough to come out into the kitchen.

But she ate my Medley!  My very special food!

Karen Jo:  I told you that if she ate all of it that I would give you some more.  She didn't eat all of it, not even half of what you left.

She went in the living room and rubbed her girl stink on one of my toy boxes.

Emma:  I was only using the edge of it to scratch my itchy ears.  You have three toy boxes, so big deal!

I think you two girls are picking on me.

Karen Jo:  I think I know a big strong mancat who is going to learn a whole lot more about sharing than he ever dreamed of.

Fluffy Friday

 Here I am, just hanging around, wishing that my new sister, Emma, would come play with me.  I was thinking that she was getting used to me and even liked me a little.  Usually, I sleep in my usual spot, snuggled up to Mom's chest and Emma sleeps snuggled up on Mom's other pillow or next to her back.  Last night, after petting time with Mom, I decided that I wanted to sleep next to Emma, so I walked over Mom and settled down within inches of Emma.  She gave me a sleepy glance, then all three of us went to sleep.  When Mom woke up at dawn for breakfast time and moved around, Emma and I both woke up.  When Emma saw how close I was to her, she hissed at me. After breakfast, when we were all settling down to sleep some more, I walked up to Emma and put my head forward for a nose kiss.  She gave me the nose kiss, then hissed right in my face.  I backed off and looked to Mom for some petting comfort.  That Emma sister is too much.  She won't play with me and she won't cuddle with me.  I even have to share my Interferon with her now.  Mom gives me my Interferon, then my shredded cheese, then gets Emma's dose of Interferon ready.  I always tell Mom that I want it, but Mom gives it to Emma anyway.  This morning I totally turned up my nose at my cheese and do you know what Mom did?  She went and got Emma and plunked her down right in front of my cheese! Emma sniffed the cheese, then started looking around.  I was in the living room, just watching.  Emma darted to the hall and started to run down it.  I chased her to the end then turned around for her to chase me, but she wouldn't do it.  How can I play THoE if Emma won't chase me, too?

Karen Jo:  Watching Herman chase Emma down the hall was quite enlightening.  He is twice her size and could have easily caught her, but when he got close to her, he slowed down.  She ran into my room and he turned around before he got to the door.  Then he waited for her to come out and chase him, but she never did.  Only once have I seen Herman show the slightest bit of jealousy toward Emma. Bedtime is Herman's special cuddle time.  I had been petting him and Emma was on the other pillow behind my head. Emma gave her little "I want some attention" meow, so I stopped petting Herman and started petting Emma.  Herman gave us both such a look that I stopped petting Emma and went back to petting Herman.  However, it was just a few minutes later that Herman stepped over me to sleep next to Emma.  He really likes her, but she is still not sure of him.

Karen Jo : At Herman's request, here is Emma wearing the St. Patrick's Day hat. She was really a good sport about it and only tossed it off once before settling down and letting me take the picture.

Emma:  I want to get some blog time, too.  I really love my new Mom and my new home.  However, Herman is a Giant Kitty and he spooks me.  He is twice my size and over twice my weight.  When I was an outside kitty, the other bigger kitties were mean to me and stole my food.  Herman has never been mean to me, except he chases me sometimes.  Mom won't let him steal my Stinky Goodness, but he drinks my water and sometimes eats my Kitten Chow. He also pees in my litter box.  I just don't know what to make of him. Sometimes he touches me gently with his paw.  Half the time I hiss at him and half the time I don't.  He gives me nose kisses, which I like, but sometimes I hiss at him for it, because I am not sure of him.  I want to go out and explore the rest of the house, but Herman is always there, in the hall, waiting for me.  He never chases me unless I run first, but I won't walk past him to get to the rest of the house.  Mom has put me in the living room once and in the kitchen once, but I ran back to her room both times and Herman chased me.  I just don't know what to do, except stay back here where I know it is safe.

Karen Jo:  I hope that soon Emma will get over being spooked by Herman and go into the living room and kitchen.  I am quite sure that Herman will do nothing to hurt her.  Quite the opposite.  I think that Herman wants badly to cuddle and play with her.  Things do get better day by day.  Emma has come up the hall almost to the living room and only changed her mind when she got within a foot of Herman, lying on the floor and watching her.  He really does only chase her if she starts running first.  If she walks toward him, he only lies there and watches her. He seems a little upset now if she hisses at him.  He looks disappointed, but backs off like a gentleman, giving her room.  I want so much for them to be friends, but I am willing to wait for it.  If it stays this way, with Emma just living in the back of the house and Herman lording it over the whole house, I can accept it, but I am hoping for both cats to enjoy the whole house.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Thank goodness Mom decided to reuse this picture from last year instead of putting that stupid hat on me again.  I would like to see her try to put it on Emma, though.  That would be fun.  Mom has been acting really lazy and strange lately.  She hasn't even been going to work.

Karen Jo:  I am on vacation this week.  I have been really tired, so I have been resting and sleeping a lot.  I also had a pile of mail and newspapers to get through and I need to do my income taxes and clean the house. Sorry about not blogging, but I have been going to bed much earlier than usual.

Not a whole lot has changed between me and Emma.  We touch noses almost every day now and she only hisses at me sometimes. When Mom got up the other morning, I grabbed her warm spot and Emma and I ended up sleeping only about four inches apart.  I actually touched her with my paw when we woke up and she didn't hiss at me about it.  I tried to play chase with Emma on Monday, but she wouldn't chase me back.  I have started peeing in Emma's litter box.  I still poop in my own box, but I pee in hers. There is good news on the poop front.  I ran out of Centrine a week and a half ago, but I am still making normal poop.  Maybe my pooper has recovered from my illness last year.

Karen Jo:  I certainly hope so. That would mean that you are a healthier kitty and you won't have to take as many pills.  Emma had to go to the vet on Monday for her introductory visit.  I was glad to take her, as I had noticed that she was scratching and rubbing her left ear quite a bit.  It turns out that she has a yeast infection in both ears and needs medicine in her ears for a week, then back to the vet to see if that took care of the problem.  She is supposed to be wearing a soft E-collar, but there was no keeping her in it.  I let her out of her carrier in the living room, which she had never visited before, just to see what she would do.  She started exploring and Herman was just watching her.  When she found the hall, she ran down it, and Herman chased her.  She ran into her room and Herman stopped short of the doorway and waited for her to chase him back down the hall, but she was having none of that.  She was too busy kicking off the collar.  I tied it back on her and one minute later she had her front paw caught in the neck opening.  I tied it as tight as it would go and three minutes later she was wearing it for a skirt.  That's when I gave up on the collar.  She is not often scratching inside her ear, so I think it will be OK.  I have been tidying up the house, taking care of the mail and working on my income taxes all day and I am getting pretty sleepy, so I'll just say Happy St. Patrick's Day to all of you and end here.  I will try to do some visiting, but if I start falling asleep at the keyboard, I am going to bed.

Easy Like Sunday Morning

Aren't I a handsome fellow?  Mom has cut down on my treats again.  Now I only get five at what used to be pill time.  I keep telling her that I want more, but she just tells me that I am her wonderful big boy, but I got too big.  I still get the occasional treat for scratching on my post, but only one at a time, no matter how many times I scratch.  Mom caught me eating Emma's Stinky Goodness and picked me up and carried me to the kitchen and put me down in front of my own food dishes.

Karen Jo:  You and Emma get exactly the same Stinky Goodness out of the very same can.  There is no reason for you to eat hers.

Hers was closer when I got hungry.

Karen Jo:  Emma gets hungry, too, and she won't come into the kitchen yet to eat at the buffet.

I don't know why.  I won't hurt her.

Karen Jo:  I think she is figuring that out, but she isn't completely sure yet.

I wish she would play with me.

Karen Jo:  You made a good try this morning.  When I woke up at not-quite-time-to-wake-up-yet, Herman was at my feet and Emma was cuddled up next to my chest as I faced the wall.  Herman came over and lay down.  I had turned down the covers a bit, as the sun was coming in and it was getting warm.  Herman put his front paws under the turned down cover and moved them around, making baby Bed Monsters for Emma to pounce on.  She ignored him.  Then he darted out a paw and tapped her, urging her to kitty wrestle or even chase him.  She just snuggled closer to my chest.  The really important part of this interaction is that Emma did not hiss at Herman. This is the first time that Herman has touched Emma without her hissing at him.

She still hisses at me, though.

Karen Jo:  I am really going to have to start taking pictures of Emma earlier in the day.  I get good morning light in my room, but it doesn't last. Emma played her first game with Herman this morning.  I got up early to feed Herman and Emma breakfast.  Herman came with me to the kitchen, as he always does, but Emma, who now sleeps on my pillow, stayed on the bed.  I finished putting out the food and went back to bed, noticing that Emma had moved down to the foot of the bed where Herman had been sleeping.  A few minutes later, Herman came walking down the hall and prepared to jump on the foot of the bed to reclaim his sleeping spot.  Emma stuck her head over the edge of the bed and hissed at him.  Herman just walked around to the side of the bed and jumped up.  Emma hissed at him again.  She was playing Queen of the Bed, but Herman ignored her.  He looked at her and she retreated back up to the pillow and he reclaimed his spot by my feet.  I think it's great that starting last night, they both sleep in the bed with me, though at opposite ends.  I think Emma is losing her fear of Herman, or she wouldn't have been playing Queen of the Bed with him. While I was taking off my shoes tonight, Emma pounced on the laces.  When she tired of that, she attacked another pair of shoes on the floor.  I am glad that she is playing now.  Before this, the only thing that got any reaction out of her at all was the Cat Dancer.

Caturday

I still spend lots of time hanging out in the living room.  I am getting used to not getting so many treats.  Mom thinks it is doing me good.  I seem to have more energy; I run more and even walk with more hustle and I am playing with my toys more.  Of course, some of this may be due to having Emma around, too.  I started taking more interest in things from the first day she moved in.  I haven't chased her again.  When I want to get close to her, I just calmly walk up to her.  Sometimes she runs away from me or jumps up on something and sometimes she stands her ground and hisses at me when I get close to her.  She doesn't always hiss, though.  Last night when it was time for bed, Mom turned out the light and called me.  I jumped up on the bed like I always do and noticed that Emma was sleeping in the rocking chair.  I walked up the bed until I was even with the rocking chair, put my front paws on the rocking chair arm, then leaned down as far as I could to sniff her.  She never even woke up.  Then I snuggled up next to Mom for my petting session.  After a little while I decided I would rather sleep by Mom's feet.

Karen Jo:  I woke up in the middle of the night to go to the litter box room and you were sleeping in the doorway to Emma's room.  Emma was still in the rocking chair.  Before I got back to sleep again, I felt you jump up on the bed, then I felt a kitty on the pillow beside my head.  I think the two of you shared the bed with me for a little while.

Karen Jo: I am having a bit of trouble getting good pictures of Emma.  One, she doesn't hold still for long.  Two, she only hangs out in her room and my bedroom, where the light isn't as good as it is in the living room.  When I got home, Herman was sitting at the very beginning of the hall and Emma was peeking out from her room.  Herman sauntered down the hall and Emma darted into her room and jumped up on something.  I don't think he is using her uneasiness around him to keep her penned in the back of the house, but he could be.  That just doesn't seem to fit with the rest of his reactions to her, though.  He isn't a bit jealous of her.  I can sit on the couch and pet and pet her and he just watches.  He doesn't try to take my attention away from her.  I really think he sits at the end of the hall and watches her because he wants her to come to him to play.

Emma Has Come Out

I am waiting by the kitchen door for Emma to come out into the larger part of the house.  So much has been happening and lazy Mom hasn't been blogging about it.

Karen Jo: I have been very tired lately.  We can make a nice, long post today to let everyone know all that has been going on.  Tuesday morning I was in Emma's room, petting her while sitting on the couch with her when Herman came into the room.  He sat down about two feet away and just looked at Emma.  I set her down on the floor right by my feet just to see what would happen.  Herman walked up to Emma and they actually touched noses.  Then Herman decided to get personal and sniffed Emma's tail.  Emma growled softly at him and he backed away just a little bit.  Herman darted out a paw and touched Emma's paw.  Emma hissed softly and Herman turned around and left the room.  I did a bunch of stuff that needed doing and was feeling pretty tired by four o'clock or so.  I decided to play with Herman and/or read in the living room for a while.  I opened Emma's door to see what she would do and, after a while, she came out.  Unfortunately. Herman went charging down the hall and scared her half to death.  Instead of ducking back into her own room, though, she ran under my bed.  I went to sit on my rocking chair and Emma came out after about five minutes and started inspecting my room.  After about 15 minutes, Herman came in and watched her.  Emma would find a place she liked to sit and Herman would walk up to her.  Emma would hiss and Herman would back off. After the third hiss, Herman left my room.  Emma left shortly after Herman did and went back to her own room.  I closed the door, thinking that she probably wanted to be left alone after her big adventure.

I don't know why she doesn't like me.  I like her and I haven't ever done anything to her to scare her.

Karen Jo:  Not deliberately, no. Charging down the hall at her full speed did scare her, though. Wednesday was just like the other days with Emma in her room and Herman outside. Today was Emma's big day.

Karen Jo:  Emma is sitting in my computer chair.  Herman got me up at 6:30 this morning for breakfast, so I fed both him and Emma.  Then I closed Emma's door again.  About an hour later, I heard a big discussion going on in front of Emma's door, including a kitty pushing on the door.  I thought it was Herman trying to get in. When I finally got up for the day, got dressed and went to check on Emma, I discovered that the latch on Emma's door hadn't engaged, so the kitty pushing on the door had been Emma trying to get out, because if Herman had pushed on the door it would have opened.  I opened Emma's door and she came out and she has mostly been out all day.  She goes back into her room periodically, basically to eat, drink and use her litter box.  She has ventured down the hall almost to the living room, but the sight of Herman always stops her from coming all the way into the living room. She is still a bit afraid of him.  Mostly she has been hanging out in my bedroom.  Herman has come in a couple of times, but she still hisses softly at him every time he gets too close.  I am happy to report that too close now means withing touching range.  She started out hissing if he got within two feet of her.  I have also discovered that Emma will play with the Cat Dancer for short periods of time.  Things are looking really good and I don't think Emma will be behind a closed door any more.

Things got interesting at Mom's dinner time.  Tonight was steak night and, as usual, Mom ate her steak while watching TV in her room.  Emma was sitting on Mom's computer chair and I was sitting at Mom's feet.  I got three bites of steak and Emma got one.  There was no hissing at all.

Tuxie Tuesday

My friends have been giving me awards and my lazy Mom has been ignoring them.  I got this one from Lucy at A Tale of Two Kitties way back in January.  Sheesh!  Thank you very much, Lucy.  I really appreciate it, though it took my Mom forever to do anything about it.

Karen Jo:  Accepting and passing on awards takes me a lot of time in writing the post, Herman.  I have felt pushed lately and didn't think that I could do them right.  I finally just dove in and started.  We will do awards posts when I can get my act together until we catch up.

The award says I should tell you 7 things about myself, then pass it along to 7 other bloggers.  Mom thought it would be a good idea if I told you 7 things that Emma and I have in common.

1. We are both tuxedo cats, though I am gray and she is black.
2. We both have medium long fur.
3. We both have pink paw pads, though I only have one and she has pink or pink and black paw pads on each foot.
4. When being petted, we both want our chests scritched.
5. We both have all white whiskers.
6. We both purr a lot, though my purr is scarcely audible and Emma's is normal volume.  Mom has do to something I like for me to purr and sometimes Emma starts purring when Mom comes into her room.
7. Neither one of us is a lap cat.

Now to pass this award along to 7 friends.

1.  Spooker at Purrchance to Dream, hoping that it will make her feel better.
2. Daisy, because she is the most stylin' cat I know.
3. Attie Cattie
4. Mickey, to cheer him up.
5. Ducky, because I really like his style.
6. Nimbus
7. All of the OKcats because they are just so much fun.

 Can you believe that Mom wanted to just call this post "Award" and end it without any input from me and Emma?  I had to remind her that it was Tuxie Tuesday and you can't just ignore us tuxies on Tuesday.  I am showing off my magnificent tummy again.

Karen Jo: This is a perfect picture for Mardi Gras.  ::giggle::

What's so funny?

Karen Jo:  Mardi Gras is French for Fat Tuesday.

Mom!  That's not very nice.

Karen Jo:  Sorry, I couldn't resist.  At least we can answer Roy's question.  He wanted to know if your tummy was all floof or a short-haired tummy with so much fat that the fur stuck straight out.

And what is your answer?

Karen Jo:  You are a medium floofy cat with a pudgy tummy that makes your fur stick straight out.  We are working to make your tummy a bit less pudgy.

I don't like it much.  You didn't give me any pills tonight.

Karen Jo:  You have finished your course of Metronitozale and you are out of Centrine, so you won't be getting any more pills for a while.  I gave you your treats anyway.

Not enough of them.

Karen Jo:  By rights, you shouldn't have gotten any treats at all.  You get your treats for being a good boy about taking your pills. No pills, no treats.

That would be totally unfair.  I always get treats after you come home from work.

Karen Jo:  Let's leave it up to your friends.  If they think you deserve some treats just because you always got them before, then you will continue to get them.  If they think you shouldn't get treats because you don't get pills, then no more treats at pill time.

Please tell Mom in the comments that I should get my nightly treats.

Karen Jo:  Emma continues to do very well.  I spend as much time as I can with her, petting her and telling her what a lovely girl she is and how happy I am that she has come to live with us.  She hasn't shown any more interest in leaving her room, but she is becoming more tolerant of Herman by the day.  Today I decided to leave her door open while I went back and forth, filling her bowl of Kitten Chow, getting her fresh water and scooping her litter box.  Of course, Herman discovered the open door and wandered in.  Emma was on the floor and at first she scooted behind the TV.  Herman lay down on the floor in the meatloaf position and spoke softly to her.  Emma came back out and also lay down on the floor only about a foot away from Herman.  They just looked at each other for a while, then Herman got up and started inspecting her litter box, which I had just scooped.  When it looked like he wanted to use her box, I picked him up and we left.  I thought that his using her litter box might be a bit much for her.  I think I will start leaving her door open for short periods now and then, just to get her used to the idea.  The only thing that bothers me a little bit is that she doesn't seem the least bit interested in the toys that I bring into her room every day.  She has walked up to them and sniffed them, but not played with them. Of course, I don't know if she has ever seen toys before, as she was a stray and I don't know how long she was on her own.  I am going to try some of the wand toys tomorrow to see if she reacts to them.

Mancat Monday for Real

Hahaha!  My silly Mom tried to skip Sunday again yesterday.  She hates Sundays.

Karen Jo:  I don't hate Sundays, but they are really hectic at work and I do wish I could skip them sometimes.  I was tired and there are two important phone calls I have to make on Monday, so I guess I had Monday too much on my mind.

I am telling Mom that I want more treats, but she is ignoring me.  I don't really pester her about it.  There is one side effect, though.  When she was filling me up with treats every night, I let her sleep in the morning because I wasn't hungry for breakfast.  Now I am back to getting her up at dawn to be fed.

Karen Jo:  I don't really mind, because you let me go back to sleep after I feed you.  You are eating more of your cat food now, too.  You completely cleaned up your Medley both last night and tonight. Both Teri and Simba have suggested that your Prednisol might have something to do with your weight gain.  The good news is that we are going to try to wean you off the Prednisol in a couple of months.  We have to wait because the company who made Centrine has stopped making it.  When you run out, we are going to have to see how your poop does.  If you go back to pudding poop or worse, there is another medicine we can try.  We want to get this settled before we start messing with your Prednisol.  You are doing so well that we don't want to upset things any more than we have to.

Karen Jo: Emma was looking straight at the camera when I aimed the camera at her, then turned her head as I framed the photo.  At least she held still as I snapped the picture.  She really cleans her dish of Stinky Goodness.  She is nibbling at the Kitten Chow, too.  I think she is getting  used to Herman.  He really talked and talked to her this morning through the door.

I wanted to know why she didn't want to come out of that room.  I couldn't wait to get out of it.

Karen Jo:  You were an only kitty then and you had been cooped up for months.  Emma was only at the shelter long enough to heal up from her spaying.  She feels safe in her room and she's still not quite sure of you.

She's not very much scared of me any more.  I walked into her room and drank her water and talked to her a little bit and she just lay on the couch and even closed her eyes like she was going to take a nap while I was there.  That looked boring, so I left.

Karen Jo:  I was very pleased to see that interaction.  I think things are progressing very smoothly.

Mancat Monday

 I am showing off my magnificent tummy again.  Mom isn't taking away all my treats, just cutting down on them.  After I regained my weight after being so sick, I leveled off at fourteen pounds and stayed there for a long time.  I only gained the last two pounds when Mom started giving me all the treats I wanted when she got home from work.

Karen Jo:  That was my fault.  I thought that the way you asked for more treats by reaching out a paw toward the treat bag or patting my hand or my cheek was so cute.  I was giving you a ridiculous amount of treats each night.  You were making a whole meal out of them.  This week I am giving you ten treats when I get home and next week I am going to cut you down to five.  Then we will see how it goes.  If the weight starts to come off, then I will leave it at that.  If not, then I will cut you down to two or three.  I do think that when Emma gets used to you and comes out to play, you will be getting a lot more exercise and that will help with the weight.  I do want to keep a couple of extra pounds on you as a cushion against the next leukemia flare-up.

Mom thinks that just having Emma in the house is good for me.  I am playing with my toys more and running up and down the hall a little bit more.

Karen Jo:  I do think that she is good for you.  It got so all you were interested in was eating, sleeping and seeing how many treats you could get.  The other day, you chased one of your balls all around the kitchen, which you hadn't done in months.  Almost every night when I get home I see that you have been playing with your toys at least a little bit.

Karen Jo:  Emma stayed still for this picture, but it doesn't do her eyes justice.  I have never seen such bright golden eyes in a cat in person before, though I have seen some pictures on blogs.  Herman got about one foot away from her before she hissed at him this morning.  It was just a little hiss, too.  Emma has discovered the stairway to the top of the bookshelves and the kitten cozy that I put up there.  It's just some storage boxes stacked up, but it works to let her get up to the window so she can look out.  At present it's her favorite place.  To get down, she moves along the top of the bookshelves then jumps down on the couch. Tonight after I petted her a bunch, I picked her up and took her on a tour of the house.  She stopped purring, but she didn't struggle in my arms or start to shake in fear.  I think she was interested to see what was outside her room.  When we got back to her room, Herman was in there, of course.  He was really checking out the bed that I bought her, but I don't think she has done more than walk across it.  I sat on the couch with her and petted her for a bit while she watched Herman.  When she jumped down and went into her cave, I picked up Herman and we left her alone.  I think she is coming along very well.  Herman chirped at her today.  It wasn't anything like the way he chirps at birds, but more of a questioning sound.  I am hearing lots of sounds from Herman that I have never heard before.

Vet Visit

 Lazy Mom didn't get a picture of me today, so here is one from a while ago that Mom didn't use because it is almost exactly like another photo that she did use.  I went to see the vet yesterday and everything went fine.  I got excused from my rabies booster again because my immune system is so compromised.  Mom was right about the vet lady being impressed.  She said that my Mom is taking wonderful care of me, except for one thing.  I'm too fat.  I weight 16.4 pounds, which is two more pounds than Mom thought I weighed.  I don't think I'm going to like what is coming next.

Karen Jo:  Nothing drastic is going to happen, Herman, but we are going to have to cut waaaay back on your treats.  Those two extra pounds that I didn't realize you had gained came from eating all the treats you want.  You can't do that any more.  I am going to talk to the vet lady again when I take Emma in for her introduction to the vet lady visit and see if getting you back down to 14 pounds will be enough.

So that's why I haven't gotten so many treats the last two nights.

Karen Jo: There is some good news.  We are going to try to cut down and maybe get you off the Prednisol, since you are doing so well.  No more stuff put in your ears after a while.

That will be an improvement.  I wish I could get rid of those really nasty pills.

Karen Jo: Sorry, Herman, you need to keep taking those.  They help keep your immune system as strong as it can be.

Karen Jo:  Emma's picture is blurred because she seldom sits still for long.  She is doing very well.  This morning when I opened her door, she walked out into the hallway.  As soon as she saw Herman, she turned around and walked back into her room.  However, she didn't run from Herman and she didn't hide when he stuck his head in the door to talk to her.  Herman loves to talk to Emma, but I have no idea what he is saying.

I am saying, "Mip, yip, meep, merp!"

Karen Jo:  I won't worry about what that means as long as it continues to sound friendly.

I talked to her some more tonight through the door.  I want her to come out.

Karen Jo:  She will eventually, Herman.  Just give her time.

Meet Emma

 I would like to introduce all of you to my new sister, Emma.  I don't know how she got that name, but she has it now.

Karen Jo:  I was petting her this morning and said all the names I had considered for her out loud to her and Emma was the only one that seemed right.  She is doing well.  She got a bit active in the night, as I found the scratching post knocked over.  I hope that didn't scare her when it happened.  She ate some Kitten Chow and used the litter box. She is still a little shy.  I will be petting her and she will be purring up a storm, then she will suddenly jump down and go into her ladycat cave.  Herman has managed to sneak into her room a few times.  He got in this morning after her petting session when she had gone into her cave.  He approached the cave very slowly and she didn't react until he stuck his head in.  Then Emma hissed at him just a little.  I was ready to grab him, but, like the gentlemancat he is, he backed off by himself and left the room without any help from me.  Early this afternoon, he stuck his head in while she was sitting in the chair.  He meowed to her very softly and she pricked up her ears, but just looked at him.  I stopped him from going into her room.  I don't know whether to try harder to keep Herman out of Emma's room, or just him look in from time to time.  Will this help her get used to him, or upset her?  She seems fine with him unless he gets too close.

I am in the hallway, not far from Emma's room.  I want to go in there so badly.  I like her and want her to like me.

Karen Jo:  It will happen eventually.  Right now she is just a little bit scared of you.

Scared of me?  Why?  I never did anything to scare her.

Karen Jo:  When she was an outside kitty and the nice people were feeding her outside they noticed that the older, bigger cats in the neighborhood would come over and pick on her and steal her food. This is still fresh in her mind and you are an older, bigger cat.

So she thinks I am going to beat her up and eat her food?

Karen Jo:  I think that is a real possibility.

How can I convince her otherwise?

Karen Jo:  Just keep being nice to her.  As she feels more secure and realizes that there will always be plenty of food and you are not acting in a threatening manner she will probably stop being scared of you.

Not Quite Wordless Wednesday

This is one of the less successful pictures of my new sister.  I want to get into her room very much, but Mom won't let me.

Karen Jo:  Don't worry, Herman.  You will get to meet her properly one of these days.  I am going to let her decide when she is ready.  So far, she has given no sign that she wants out of the safe room.  The last two times I checked on her, she was fast asleep in her ladycat cave.  You have been taking all of this in your stride.

I have my usual run of the house, except for the safe room.  I am getting my food, treats and medicine just like usual.  You pay attention to me like you usually do.  I don't have anything to worry about. Dinner was good tonight.

Karen Jo:  I cooked a roast leg of lamb and some black-eyed peas.  I have almost finished the chicken casserole and needed something to eat and make my sandwiches that I take to work out of.  You certainly enjoyed the lamb.

I could have eaten more than you gave me.  With all the excitement, you forgot to wash my butt today.

Karen Jo: Yes, I did.  If I can't manage to get it done in the morning or after I get home from work, you will have to go to the vet with a slightly dirty butt.  It will be a tad embarrassing, but you have to go, clean or not.

Tuxie Tuesday Times Two

Here is my new sister, who doesn't have a name yet.  Mom never uses the flash on me, so she wouldn't use it on her, either.  Mom had a hard time getting a good photo, as little sister doesn't hold still for long, but this one came out pretty well.

Karen Jo:  So far she has come out to eat up two portions of Stinky Goodness and the last time I went in, I got down on the floor and she came over to me for petting.  She hasn't told me her name yet, but all sorts of names keep popping into my head, like Emma, Lucy, Jennifer and Irma.  It will take some time, I guess, but a name will eventually stick.  She really purrs up a storm.  She hasn't used the litter box, yet, but I don't really know how often cats go.  She let me pick her up and put her in the litter box, but she hopped right out again.  I don't smell anything untoward, so I guess she just hasn't needed the box yet.  Herman spends time sitting outside her door and wants to go in every time I open the door.  I don't think that the getting used to each other time is going to be very long at all, but I will try very hard not to rush it.

I am making sure that my ham-mick doesn't disappear into the safe room.

Karen Jo:  I wouldn't do that to you, Herman.

My scratching post and my Starlight Turbo Scratcher and some of my toys disappeared into there.

Karen Jo:  You hardly ever use your scratching post and you only use the scratcher part of your Turbo Scratcher.  I didn't take any of your favorite toys, either.  You still have your cardboard scratcher.

Mom got up at way-too-early this morning and used the litter box room and got me my breakfast, but I knew something was up when she didn't go back to bed.  I got a little nervous when my PTU came out and Mom put a fresh towel in it, but she shut it back up empty, so I relaxed again.  Then my foster Mom showed up and I got a bit nervous again.  Almost every time my foster Mom comes over I end up at the vet, so now I avoid her.  Then Mom and foster Mom went away for a while and when they came back, my PTU wasn't empty any more.  Mom put the PTU on the floor in the living room and something in it meowed!  I meowed back and got an answer from the PTU, so I went over to investigate.  There was a kitty in there.  She backed away from the door, but I got a good sniff of her.  Neither one of us hissed or growled. Then Mom and foster Mom took the PTU into the safe room and opened the door of the carrier.  I was really torn between wanting to keep my distance from my foster Mom, just in case, and seeing what was going on.

Karen Jo:  I'll take over for a while, as Herman stayed a ways down the hall.  His new sister is a gorgeous black and white tuxie with golden eyes.  She has medium long fur.  She was a bit shy of coming out of the PTU at first, but came out when I put some Stinky Goodness in her dish.  She also had fresh water and Kitten Chow waiting for her.  She munched some Kitten Chow and drank a little water.  Herman's foster Mom had to leave, so I walked her to her car and forgot to close the door of the safe room.  When I got back, the little girl was back in the carrier and Herman was drinking her water.  As I stepped into the room, Herman approached her food dish and she let out a little, very lady-like, growl.  I evicted Herman and stayed with her a bit, but she stayed in the carrier.  I guess Herman gave her just a little scare.  I left her alone for a while and when I returned, she had discovered Herman's mancat cave.  I sat on the couch and reached down and scratched the carpet and she came out to meet me.  She wanted to be petted.  She is a little shy.  She will let me pet her for a while, then she goes back into the cave, then comes out for more.  She even rolls over for a belly rub.  Her purr motor went into high gear.  I am so used to Herman's almost inaudible purr that it sounds loud to me, but I think it is probably just normal volume.  I am going in and visiting for a few minutes every hour or so.  Herman spent nearly an hour outside the door to the safe room when she first arrived, but now he is just going about his daily business, though he does go check the door every once in a while.  He is always waiting for me there when I come out and has darted in again a couple of times.  I think Herman likes her and is eager to make her acquaintance.  She is quite a bit smaller than he is and I think she is just a tiny bit afraid of him.  Pictures will have to wait until she feels secure enough to come all the way out of the ladycat (?) cave into the light.

Tuxie Tuesday

Just relaxing on the carpet again.  Our cold front has passed through and we didn't get any snow out of it, but it still won't be warm enough for me to go to my wellness exam by stroller.  I wasn't waiting for my Interferon this morning, but when Mom said that it was time for it and I heard her open the refrigerator, I came right to her to get it.  When Mom said that lunch was ready, I came and sat and stared at her until she started sharing her chicken with me.  I have decided that some leftovers are yummy.  Mom kept fishing out little chicken chunks for me and I ate six or seven of them, which is a lot for me.  I like some people food, but I prefer cat food, especially treats.  Tonight things got crazy again.  Mom came home and did what she usually does until it was time for her to blog.  Instead of turning on the computer, she started messing around in my old safe room, moving stuff around and out of the room.  Then she got out the sucky monster and I hid.  Now my scratching post, which I hardly ever use, is missing.  Something is up.

Karen Jo: I got a call from the lady at the shelter about the leukemia kitty.  She is delighted that I would be willing to take her in and I am going to go pick her up in the morning.

You are going to go get that kitty?  But you don't know anything about her.  You haven't even met her.

Karen Jo:  I know that she is in a high-kill shelter on death row because of her leukemia. That's enough for me. Your foster Mom saved you from euthanasia when she took you in and kept you until I could find you and bring you home.  This time the foster homes are full and desperately trying to place kitties before kitten season starts.  If I don't go get her, she will most likely be put to sleep.

What if I don't like her?

Karen Jo:  I am going to give you a good long time to get used to each other, several months at least.  If the two of you just can't learn to get along or tolerate each other, then I will work with the Friends of the Shelter to find her a forever home.  Either way, she will get a chance to live.

You are going to keep her locked up in the safe room, right?  I won't have to share with her.

Karen Jo:  She is going to stay in the safe room until the two of you get used to each other.  You are going to have to share some of my time with her starting as soon as she arrives.  You are going to have to share your toys with her, too.  Once she comes out of the safe room, you will have to share everything with her.

Bummer.