Happy Halloween

We hope that everyone has a very Happy Halloween.  Mom decided not to put the Halloween collar on me again this year -- once was enough for her to learn how much I dislike it.  It's way too big for Emma, so we bring you Halloween Bear.  We will be back tomorrow to tell you what's been happening around here.

Wordy Wednesday

 More 'tocks shots.  Mom put some new catnip on our scratchers and I am checking it out.  I turned around just as Mom took the picture, which is why I am blurry.

Emma:  Mom actually thought I was going use the Alpine Scratcher and wanted a picture of it, but I was only trying to decide on whether or not I wanted one of the toys in the toy buckets.

Karen Jo:  Emma is feeling much better.  She is no longer spending time in her hidey-holes and is coming into the living room again.  Her eating and drinking and litter boxing have stayed normal the whole time, so I don't know what it was, but it is possible that she had a tiny flare up of her feline leukemia.  One of the most prominent symptoms is lethargy.

Emma:  I feel pretty normal now.  I am not yet ready for much play time, but I am taking much more interest in looking out of the windows again and not sleeping all day long.  I must say that Herman has been very kind to me.  He hasn't chased me once while I was feeling bad.

I have been looking out for her.  I sleep near, but not too near, her.  Just now she is sleeping up on the big pillow on the table in the living room and I am in my bed, right next to the table.

Karen Jo:  Herman has been the playful one lately.  We have played soccer and Da Bird and toss the mousie in the last few days.  Herman sleeps with me at night, unless the coughing spells get too loud; then he deserts me.

It's hard to sleep with all that going on.  You shake the whole bed when it gets bad.

Karen Jo:  Hopefully it will get better soon.  We are due for some cold weather starting today and I have an appointment with an allergist next month.  I put off getting that appointment way too long.  I should have done it last spring.

At least you still cook interesting things.  I keep asking for tastes, but you are stingy.

Karen Jo:  I am not stingy.  You don't follow me to my bedroom where I eat supper any more, so you don't get any more bites after I leave the kitchen.  You didn't even notice that I had shrimp for lunch.

It was cold, so I guess I didn't smell it very well. Maybe tomorrow.  I did enjoy the bites of steak and sour cream and chicken and roast beef I have been getting.

Emma:  I don't see how you can eat that stuff.  I sniff it and it doesn't smell like food to me at all.

You are just silly.  It is all delicious.  I want to go outside something terrible.

Karen Jo:  I have noticed.  I have to push your head back in the house every time I open the door.  I can take you for a ride in your stroller.

I don't want a ride in my stroller.  I just want to go outside on my own.

Karen Jo:  I am sorry, but that is impossible.  It's dangerous out there.

Sigh.

Late 'Tocktober

 We are a day late, darn it, but Happy Birthday, Derby, and here are my 'tocks.  They are a bit blurry, but I never stay still when Mom is looking at my 'tocks.  I am afraid that she is going to wipe them, which I hate.

 Emma:  Happy Birthday, Derby, and here are my 'tocks.  I am too lady-like to leave my 'tocks uncovered by my tail, so this is the best we can do.

Karen Jo:  I guess this could count as a 'tocks shot, too.  Happy Birthday, Derby!  I am sorry it's a day late.  I chased the kitties around yesterday morning, getting 'tocks shots and got all ready to post, then I had a really bad allergy attack.  I didn't even get to the meeting I was supposed to attend.  After getting very little sleep for the previous two nights, then having another bad attack, I was just wiped out.  I was either coughing or couldn't hold my eyes open.  I fell asleep a little after seven and didn't wake up again until after midnight, so I called it a day and went to bed.

She was so noisy in bed the previous two nights that not even I could stand to be in the same bed with her.

Karen Jo:  As you can see from the bottom picture, Emma is not afraid of Herman.  Wednesday, she spent the whole day asleep on her snuggle on her high shelf. She got down to eat dinner and retreated to her original hidey-hole, under the corner table in her room and spent the night there.  Herman slept in her bed.  I think he wanted to keep her company.  Thursday, Emma spent most of the day on the kitchen chair with a cushion.  After I got back from running some errands, she came into my room and plopped down on the floor. This is quite unusual for her.  I picked her up and put her in my lap and she just settled down and let me pet her.  This is also unusual. When she does stay in my lap, she usually turns round and round and pats everything and kneads a little bit before settling down.  She stayed in my lap for over an hour and I only moved her because I had to use the human litter box.  Last night she slept in my underwear drawer, which I keep open for her and Herman slept in bed with me.  In the wee hours, Herman and I both woke up to Emma either having very lady-like dry heaves or coughing.  That's when I figured out that, although Emma probably stayed in her hidey-hole the first day because of Herman, Emma was really hiding out and being a sleepyhead because she wasn't feeling all that good.  That also explains why Emma hissed at Herman last night when he came up to her to give her a nose kiss.  I was about to call the vet to make her an appointment this morning, when Emma came bounding down the hall for breakfast, just the same as ever.  Now I think I will keep an eye on her for the week-end and see if she really is back to normal.  If not, I can call the vet Monday.

There were some questions about the jealousy between Herman and Emma.  Herman always gets jealous and wants attention when I have visitors or am talking on the phone.  He usually comes up to me and tugs on my pants leg, or puts his paws on my lap or meows at me to get my attention.  This was the first time that he took it out on Emma. There is very little fighting over food.  The only time it happens is when they both want to eat out of the same dish. They usually trade whaps on the head, then the interloper backs off.  If I switch attention from one of them to the other the first one always gets jealous.  I had thought that Herman had gotten over this, but he hasn't.  Petting both of them at the same time isn't easy, as they are seldom that close together.  If I am petting Emma and Herman comes up for some petting too, petting them both doesn't stop Emma from swatting at Herman.  Herman will sometimes tolerate my petting Emma, too, while I am petting him, but not often.

Tuxie Tuesday

 I am especially fond of sunspots since my shaving.  I found a great one near my platform.

I love to lie on this chair in the living room, though I haven't been doing it much lately.

Karen Jo:  I am getting a little concerned about Emma.  A few days ago I had a visit from my financial advisor.  He and I sat around the table in the living room and talked.  Herman seemed to get jealous, but instead of pulling at my pants leg with his claws like he usually does, he took it out on Emma. Emma was just lying on the couch, watching the visitor and me.  Herman went and sat and stared at her, as he does when he wants to chase her. Emma wasn't interested in playing chase.  Herman took a swat at Emma and Emma swatted him back, then there were angry cat noises from both of them and a mad dash down the hall.  Emma went to her most secure hidey-hole and stayed there for the rest of the day. She did come out to eat, then retreated to her high shelf in her room.  Since then, other than coming out to eat and use the litter box, she is up on her high shelf or in her hidey-hole in her room, or in her secure hidey-hole in my room.  I did see her lying on the kitchen floor last night, but it didn't last long.  She got up, ate a bit, then went back to her room.  Has Herman terrorized her once too often, so that now she is scared to get near him?  Is there anything I can do about it?  I feel terrible that Emma is restricting herself to just a few spots in the house where she feels safe.  I am petting her while she is up on her shelf to show her that I love her and she purrs up a storm. Would going and getting her for playtime in the living room help or make things worse?

I kind of miss her company, but otherwise I am enjoying being king of the castle.

Karen Jo:  I just wish you would be nicer to her.

Caturday

 I am just lounging around with my toys.  I have been doing a lot of this lately.  Mom is a very bad blogger.

Karen Jo:  Yes, I am and I really apologize.  My allergies have been very bad lately and it's very hard to type and cough at the same time.  I really will try to do better.

Mom took a bad picture of me, but posted it anyway.  I let her get close to me with the camera and I guess she didn't want to miss the opportunity.

Karen Jo:  Emma is up on her shelf right below the window sill and the light is coming in right at the camera.  I really must resist trying to take pictures of her up there.

Not much has been going on around here.  Mom has been either goofing off or cleaning, neither of which interests us much, except that she goofs off lying down quite a bit and we love to cuddle with her.

Emma:  I found a way to get Mom all to myself.  I am becoming a lap cat.  I sat on her lap for an hour the other day and it was bliss.  I got petted the whole time and Herman couldn't do anything about it.

I sat at Mom's feet and glared at Emma for a while, but she didn't run away like she usually does when I glare at her.  I guess she knew that Mom would protect her from me.

Karen Jo:  That's right, Herman.  Emma deserves her petting time as much as you do and you have been hogging bedtime.

It's not my fault that I always beat her to the bed.  She's just too slow.

Karen Jo:  The fact that you have been giving her a swat on the top of the head when she does jump up on the bed has nothing to do with it, right?

Of course, right.

Emma:  Herman has been being mean to me.  He even invaded my hidey-hole between Mom's bed and the wall.

I got tired of your saying that I was too fat to get in your hidey-holes.

Emma:  Luckily, I have another hidey-hole that you ARE to fat to get into.

I keep trying and you keep growling at me.

Karen Jo:  That's because she runs to her hidey-hole she gets tired of your chasing her, Herman.  You need to give her some space.

Hey, I'm not always the bad guy here.  She chased me down the hall just the other day.  She smacks me on the head when I try to eat out of the same bowl that she is eating out of.

Emma:  That's because your head is so big that if I let you share my bowl, the next thing I know there is no room for me.

The food has been great around here lately.  Mom cooked chicken and gave me some and last night she had steak.  I got four or five bites, plus sour cream.  Mom even offered Emma a bite of steak, but she didn't want it. Emma is weird.  She even turned down a catnip treat a few days ago.

Emma:  I prefer cat food to people food.  I have decided that I only like Temptations for treats.  Mom gives me one for taking my Interferon.

I don't get a treat for taking my Interferon any more.

Karen Jo:  That's because you like taking your Interferon and Emma doesn't.  You get plenty of treats for scratching on your scratchers.  That's all for tonight and I really do promise to blog more often.  I am really sorry if I worried anyone with my absence.