Meowy Catmas!

Spyro:  Meowy Catmas everyone!  This is what happened when Mom tried to put the Santa hat on me.  I got it off before she could snap the picture, even though she had the camera all ready.  I am fast!  I put the claws and bitey to it good.

Oja:  I saw what was going on and I ran and hid when Mom came after me with that hat.

Karen Jo:  Well, I tried.  Snowflake the stuffie is the only kitty around here who will actually wear the Santa hat.

Oja:  Spyro likes to pull the feathers off toys and I like to play with them afterwards.  For some reason Mom finds this very funny.

Karen Jo:  You look like you have a Santa moustache.

Karen Jo, Spyro and Oja:  We all hope that you all have a wonderful Catmas and stay safe and warm.

Easy Like Sunday Morning

 Spyro:  We've been having lots of sunshine and we have been making the most of it.  We get great sun puddles in the living room and we love all of them.  Mom has been very lazy lately.

Karen Jo:  I haven't been lazy.  I've been Christmas shopping.

Spyro:  You've been lying on the couch with Oja and reading.

Karen Jo:  Yes, I have, quite a bit.  Shopping makes me a bit tired.  Haven't you noticed how much I've been going out?

Spyro and Oja:  Yes, we have and we don't like it.  We also don't like the scarcity of food around here.

Karen Jo:  I took you both to the vet Saturday a week ago because Oja had gotten awfully round and Spyro missed two jumps in the same week.  I was worried.  It turned out that you had both gained weight, especially Oja, and the vet told me to put on on a diet.  Now you don't get lunch any more and I cut down on your dry food.

Oja:  (singing)  Sunshine on my belleh makes me happy!

Karen Jo:  I am glad.

Oja:  So my tummy is round.  You don't have to starve me.  There are only two food bowls on the floor now: my Stinky Goodness and my crunchies.

Karen Jo:  I feed Spyro on the counter now.  I saw you push him away from the food the other day.

Spyro:  I'm happy about that.  Oja was eating more than her fair share.  I'm still hungry, though.

Karen Jo:  I'm sorry about that.  You are going back to the vet in February and maybe then I'll be able to give you some more food, Spyro.  You aren't really overweight, but Oja is.  I give you treats whenever you ask for them and you have been helping yourself to treats a bit, too.

Spyro:  If I'm starving and you leave treat bags lying around in the open, what am I supposed to do, ignore them?

Karen Jo:  I don't really mind.  You were missing jumps because of the weight you had gained, though.

Spyro:  I haven't missed a single one since that vet visit.  I want more food!

Karen Jo:  Well, now that I am feeding you on the counter, maybe I can go back to giving you the old amount of crunchies, since Oja can't get at them.

Oja:  I'm being discriminated against just because I have short legs.

Karen Jo:  And a very round tummy.

Award and Fun Stuff

 Karen Jo:  Team Tabby gave this award to Spyro, Oja and Angel Herman two weeks ago and I am finally getting around to posting it.  Thank you so much Team Tabby.  I am sure that Herman is thrilled.  I know Spyro and Oja are.  I guess Spyro and Oja might qualify as babies, as they are both two years old.  I pass the award along to:

Forty Paws
Four White Paws
The Chesney Cats
Alasandra, the Cats & a Dog
Jacqueline's Cat House
The Cat Post Intelligencer
Glorgirly
Manx Mnews

 Spyro:  Mom has trouble taking good pictures of me, because I am seldom still.  I was sitting in a light spot in the hall, just as handsome as you please, but when Mom pointed the camera at me, I walked right between her legs and into the kitchen.  I thought I could talk her into letting me go outside.  I jump up on the stove and meow and meow at her to open the door, but she hardly ever listens to me.  I also keep moving my head.

Karen Jo:  I really wish I could get a shot of the way you tilt your head when you are curious about something.  That is where your head was when I pushed the button, but you moved immediately.

Spyro:  Always keep the beans guessing, that's my motto.  Mom got some interesting packages in the mail today.  I sniffed them all over and even knocked one of them on the floor.  Sadly, none of them were for us.

Karen Jo:  It's the time of year for interesting packages.  There will be some for you, eventually.

Spyro:  I got some good views of Mom crawling around on the floor yesterday and a bunch of balls appeared.

Karen Jo:  I went on one of my sporadic toy hunts.  Oja's jingle balls have been disappearing.  I found a bunch of balls and a little something from Herman.  That last week he was really fighting me about taking his Metro.  I found a pill he had spit out behind his platform after I thought he had swallowed it.

Spyro:  I haven't seen any more chipmunks, but there have been a lot of birds.

Oja:  I like to watch the birds, too.  Late yesterday afternoon, Mom found me in this chair on my back, looking out the window.  I was watching the birds in the tree next door and decided I might as well be comfortable about it.

Karen Jo:  I would have loved to take that picture, but there wasn't enough light.

Oja:  Some of you must be thinking that I live in this chair, but I don't.  I run around a bit and play with Spyro and knock balls all around.  I snuggled up tight to Mom last night.  We had a good time together.

Karen Jo:  I am getting used the changes.  When I am feeling sad that Herman isn't there to greet me at the door or snuggle up to me at night, I tell myself how lucky I am that Spyro greets me at the door every time and Oja snuggles up to me most nights.

Not Quite So Sad

 Poor little Emma got shortchanged once again.  November 19th was her Bridge Day.  I was going to make a post just for her on the day, but I started crying again and I couldn't see to post.  It's been a year now since she left.  Somehow it seems an eternity and just a little while ago at the same time.  I chose a picture of her at play because that's the way I want to remember her.  She so loved to play, both with toys by herself and especially with Da Bird.  Every night after I got home from work and fed her and Herman, I took a little time to get in my PJs and rest a little, then I would go into the living room and get out Da Bird for a session with Emma.  We had such fun together.

 Spyro:  We have been having sunny, but cold weather.  I know it's been cold because I have been escaping and find that I don't like it much.  Mom doesn't even have to come get me. After only a few minutes I go back to the door and demand to be let back in.  I love catching the rays in my ham-mick.  Mom has been tossing me out of her bedroom and closing the door.  I don't like it.

Karen Jo:  I have only done it twice.  Once a few days ago when you began attacking my pajama legs and your claws were going through the material and hurting me.  You just wouldn't stop it, despite my pushing you off my legs and petting you and trying to get you interested in something else.    After five minutes, Oja started crying at the door and I opened it again and got up for the day.  The second time was today when you were helping me make the bed.  I don't mind it when you attack the sheets and blankets and let yourself get covered up.  However, this morning you attacked the blanket where I was holding it and made such a deep hole in my finger that I had to get a bandage to stop the bleeding.  I let you back in as soon as I finished.

Spyro:  I still don't like it.  The traffic at the bird feeders has been very interesting.  We had some little animals as well as birds.  I lashed and lashed my tail.

Karen Jo:  Some chipmunks have discovered the bird seed that the birds knock to the ground.  I was very glad to see them.  I haven't seen any since the fire two years ago.

Spyro:  What were you doing in the back yard for so long?  You said I could stay out with you if I behaved, but it was too cold for me to stay out long.

Karen Jo:  Herman's grave marker arrived and I was putting it up along with the solar powered colored lights  I got for Herman and Emma.  Herman got a star and Emma got a dragonfly.  I really like them and they make useful markers for the sides of the graves.  I also fed and watered the birds.

Oja:  Hmmph!  Going outside in the cold seems stupid to me, especially when there are such nice sun puddles inside.  This is the same chair where Herman and I used to nap together.  I have been really good about keeping Mom company at bedtime.  I curl up right next to her face and purr softly.  I let her pet me a little, but I don't want to be petted as much as Herman did.  I want to take my nightly bath, then curl up and sleep.

Karen Jo:  Oja does sleep with me on most nights.  Some nights she and Spyro prefer to sleep elsewhere, but one or both of them is always there in the morning, making sure I am getting up for breakfast.  I am feeling a bit better.  I went to Thanksgiving dinner with my brother and nephews to one of my nephew's girlfriend's house.  There was a whole crowd of us and it was delightful.  When my brother brought me home, we had time to go to the bank and get the last of the papers connected with my Mother's death signed and notarized.  I went and filed the last of the papers with the county today and got the utilities put in my name and changed the insurance to my name, too.  It's finally almost all done.  Once I am sure that the last shares of stock have been transferred, I can close her checking account and everything will at last be all taken care of.  That took a great weight off my shoulders and made me feel happy.  I still miss Herman lots.  It's hard to get used to being greeted at the door by only Spyro, but it will come.  I also feel better that his grave has a marker and a light. I should be blogging fairly steadily from now on.

See You in a Little While

 Spyro:  Mom had the major sads today, so this is going to be a short post.

Karen Jo;  The floodgates opened yesterday while I was writing Herman's Gotcha Day post.  How I miss every little thing about him just came crashing down on me, so I'm taking a little while off from blogging.

Spyro:  In the meantime, what do you think of this for my header photo?  I am up on my spytower, looking at Mom.

Oja:  Mom thinks this would be a good photo of me for the header.  What do  you think?  Mom is very inexperienced at this.

Karen Jo:  I don't think I will be gone long,  but I don't want you to worry about me.  A wonderful thing is happening.  Spyro, who is anything but a lap cat has been jumping up on my lap and demanding attention and actually staying for a while.  Oja, who is a bit of a lap cat, but not really, has also been spending time in my lap and giving me lots of attention when I lie down to read or go to bed.  She is doing her very best to fill in as bedtime cuddle cat.  She has done this from the time she came out of her room and she is getting better and better at it.  With such good helpers, I should be back to being more myself soon.  Thank you all so much for all the kindness you have shown me.

Herman's Gotcha Day at the Bridge

I have hundreds of pictures of Herman, so it was really hard to pick a favorite for this post.  I wanted one where he was sitting up and in full floof, so that narrowed it down considerably.  This is from way back, shortly after I adopted him.  The shock of his running off to the Rainbow Bridge has worn off and the sadness has come to full flower.  I was feeling really down this morning and actually dreading doing this post until I saw this article in last night's paper.  It seems that Herman certainly didn't waste any time in taking up his duties as guardian angel kitty.  To summarize, a tiny kitten was rescued from the town landfill (dump) on the afternoon of the very day Herman went to the Bridge.  She was taken in by Friends of the Shelter (the same group who rescued Herman) and named Milagro (Miracle). To top it off, she is a black kitty with a white bib.  She will be in foster care until she is old enough to get her shots and be spayed, then she will be put up for adoption.  I certainly believe that Herman had a paw in this.  He had been rescued and given a chance for a good life, so he passed the favor along.

Going through the pictures also gave me a chance to review all the good times Herman and I had together.  I have pictures of him playing, napping, lounging around, looking out the window -- just generally enjoying life.  The joy I got from adopting Herman changed my life.  I was in a depression after losing my Mom and feeling very lonely.  At the same time, Herman was very lonely in foster care because he had to be isolated from the other kitties and his foster Mom had a houseful of them.  He had given up hope of ever getting out of that one room and was just moping around and acting grumpy with people.  His foster Mom was afraid that he would never get adopted because of his health issues and his grumpy attitude.  Then I saw a flyer about Herman posted on the bulletin board of the grocery store where I worked and I decided almost immediately that I wanted to adopt him.  I didn't go into it blind.  Before I called about him, I went online and read everything I could find about FIV and Feline Leukemia.  I decided that I could handle it and called.  When Herman and I met, a small miracle occurred.  For days, Herman had been hiding and would only come out for food, so his foster Mom gave me a paper plate with a dab of tuna on it to lure him out.  He came out, ate the tuna and instead of going back into hiding, as he had been doing, he sat there and looked at me.  I held out my hand and he nuzzled it.  He even let me pet him a little.  His foster Mom was amazed.  After that I only had to go through and interview with the head of Friends of the Shelter to make sure that I would give Herman and good home and then he came to share my home.  The rest is well documented in this blog.  The love and comfort Herman gave me brought me out of my depression and the love and comfort I gave him brought him out of his.  We were a perfect match for each other.

Because of Herman, I was able to open my heart to other kitties with Feline Leukemia and I am so glad that I have.  It is very comforting to me to have Spyro and Oja to love and be loved in return  Thank you, Herman for all that you gave to me in the three years we spent together.  I will never forget you.

Happy Blogoversary, Tabby Cat Club!

 Spyro: We are resting up so we can party all night at the Tabby Cat Club Blogoversary Party.  You can come, too.  You don't even have to be a tabby cat.  Just go here.  Oja and I will be there.

Oja:  I wish I could join the Tabby Cat Club.  Is there a club for gray cats?

Karen Jo:  I don't know of one.

Oja:  Rats!  Herman was in the Tuxedo Gang and Spyro is in the Tabby Cat Club, but I don't get to be in any club.

Spyro:  Aww, Mom might be able to find a club for you.  Guess what I found out?  The Bird Channel has all new programming on Cat TV!  I watched and switched my tail and talked to them.  You should jump up on the platform and watch, too, Oja.

Oja:  Maybe later.  I bet I can see them from my pillow on the table just as well.  Mom slowed down some today and lay down on the couch to read.  I jumped up on her to help her relax.

Karen Jo:  I really enjoyed that Oja.

Spyro:  We got to play with the glove with the dangly things this morning.  At least I did.

Oja:  I gave the lady bug a smell and a bite.

Spyro's Forgotten Birthday

 Spyro:  My silly Mom completely forgot my birthday late last month.

Karen Jo:  I had to figure out a birthday for you.  Your adoption papers didn't even have your age on them.  When I took you to the vet a few days later they told me you were about one-and-a-half, but didn't assign you a birth date.  I added six months to your vet visit, but forgot to write it down.  When I was checking on Herman's dates I realized that your birthday must have been forgotten, so I dug out your papers and sure enough, I spaced it out.

Spyro:  Mom brought this thing into the house and thought that she could get the tags off and hide it from me until today.  Hah!  One of these dangly things has a FEV-VER on it!  No fev-vers can get by me.

Karen Jo:  Spyro wants to hand-wrestle me and his claws are sharp, so I got one of these gloves with dangles on the elongated fingers.

Spyro:  I pounced it before she could even get her hand in it.

Spyro:  Once she got it on, I not only attacked the dangly things, I went after her hand, too.  See me put the bitey on?

Karen Jo:  I am going to enjoy this glove, too.  Spyro will put the bitey on just about anything.

Oja:  I got to play with the dangly things, too, but they spooked me at first.  Mom had to hold really still and let me check them out.

Oja:  Spyro wanted his glove back almost as soon as I started playing with it, so I attacked the Plague Rat instead.

Karen Jo:  This photo is for Baby Patches and his Mom at Nip and Bones.  They wanted to know if Herman had enjoyed the toys I bought from them.  He did.  I thought I would show them that the toys are still being enjoyed.

Karen Jo:  Happy Belated 2nd Birthday, Spyro.  I will try really hard to never forget it again.

Busy Mom

Spyro:  I love napping in Herman's bed.  It's comfy and warm and it smells like Herman.

Oja:  I have taken to napping on this blankie on the couch.  Mom often lies down on this couch to read and I like to get up on her legs when she does.

Karen Jo:  I was lonely last night.  No kitty came to sleep with me.

Spyro:  We were mad at you.  You left us in the night and didn't come home until 0-dark-thirty.

Oja:  We were starving.  Dinner was very late.

Karen Jo:  My friend took me out for a while, just to get me out of the house and to take my mind off Herman for a few hours.  It worked and I felt a little better.

Spyro:  You were up so late that I decided I better get you up for breakfast.  It was easy.  All I had to do was jump up on the bed and you were awake.  I don't know why Herman made such a fuss about how hard it was to get you up.

Karen Jo:  The only time Herman had a hard time getting me up for breakfast was when he decided to get me up before dawn.

Spyro:  I came in later to get your lazy buns out of bed and I'm almost sorry I did.  All day yesterday and all day today you have been busy, busy, busy.  I've never seen you do so much work around the house.

Karen Jo:  I have to keep busy, or the negative side of my mind tries to lay a guilt trip on me about Herman.  I know perfectly well that there is absolutely nothing to feel guilty about, but I hate the thoughts that crop up, so I just keep busy.  The same thing happened when my Mom died.

Spyro:  Late this afternoon, I finally got tired of it and tried to get you to stop playing with your papers and play with me.  I sat on your papers, so you had to slide them out from under me.  When you were writing in your little book, I put the bitey on your pen.  When that didn't stop you, I put the bitey on your little finger.  Finally, when you got up to get something, I pushed all the papers and your pen and your little book off the table.

Karen Jo:  I had let the mail pile up and I had some bills to pay and I put the order in for Herman's grave marker.  I pet you a little between opening envelopes.

Spyro:  It wasn't enough.  I wanted your undivided attention.

Karen Jo:  After I put the peas on the stove to cook for supper, I gave you all the attention you wanted, as long as it lasted, which wasn't long.

Spyro:  Oja came into the kitchen and I decided to hop down and greet her.

Karen Jo:  And chase her into the living room and play with her.

Karen Jo:  To change the subject, the Bird Channel is on Cat TV again.  It snowed just a tiny bit Saturday night, so it's safe to put out the bird seed, suet and water again.  The bears have gone into hibernation.  I put everything out yesterday, but the birds didn't find it until this afternoon.  Spyro and Oja haven't discovered the birds yet, but it won't be long.  They get a little noisy in the mornings.

Thank You

Karen Jo:  First of all, I want to thank each and every one of you for the huge outpouring of sympathy and comfort.  It does my heart good and helps with my grief enormously.  I will come around and thank each of you separately, but it will take a while.

Spyro:  Mom caught me just waking up from a nap in my ham-mick.  Mom says that after Herman's Gotcha Day she is going to rename this blog Spyro's Spytower.  What do you think of that?  I like it.

Karen Jo:  The URL will remain the same, just the blog name will change.

Spyro:  Mom isn't putting out as much food.

Karen Jo:  I figured out how Herman managed to gain weight on his diet.  I was putting out a half-cup of dry food for each of you and it all disappeared.  This morning I noticed that the two of you didn't eat all the dry food.  Herman was eating more than his fair share.  Today I put out one-third-cup of dry food each for you and that seems about right, at least for now.

Spyro:  I miss Herman.  I went around and really sniffed the places that he used to nap.  I know what happened to him and that he won't be back, but I wanted to smell him again.  I used his litter box just a little.

Karen Jo:  I scrubbed out Herman's litter box and put in all new litter.  It needed it anyway.

Oja:  Surprise!  I am back in my room.  I found this great pile of stuff to nap on.

Karen Jo:  The once-forbidden room was my parents bedroom.  When Mom died, I picked up all the stuff connected with her last illness and just dumped it all in that room, along with anything else I needed a place for.  When I finally cleaned it up, I took all the wraps and shawls and dumped them on the couch in Oja's room, thinking that the kitties might like them.  Herman discovered it about a week and a half ago, then Oja found it and last night Spyro tried it out.

Oja:  Last night in bed I had Mom all to myself all night.  It was great.

Karen Jo:  I didn't even need to call out, "Bedtime!"  Oja was already on the bed, just waiting for me.  She curled up next to me, a little closer to my head than Herman did, and waited for her petting.  We had a great time together.  Spyro slept in the rocking chair next to the bed, as usual.  Also as usual, when I woke up they were both down by my feet.  No kitty woke me up at dawn for breakfast.  I think maybe Spyro will take over that job or maybe they don't really care what time they get breakfast, as long as they get it.

Spyro:  Mom locked me up in the human litter box room.

Karen Jo:  I have to lock up Spyro when I take out the trash because I can't both carry the trash and keep him from running out the door.  I didn't have the heart to lock him up in Oja's room, as I usually do.  Maybe I'm just being silly, but I just couldn't do it.

Spyro:  It's OK.  I have my litter box and water in the human litter box room.  I can play footsie with Oja under the door, too.

Karen Jo:  Spyro loves to drink water out of a glass, so I keep a plastic glass with water in it on the sink for him.  Thanks again, everybody and a special thank you to Anne of Zoolatry for the lovely graphic of Herman. I put it up on my sidebar, but you have to scroll down a bit to see it.

Farewell, Herman

These are the last two pictures I took of Herman, napping with Oja and enjoying a sun puddle.  I was going to post a few days ago, and took pictures of Oja and Spyro, but when I tried to take a picture of Herman, the camera informed me that the battery was dead.  I tried charging the battery, but it didn't work.  I could have done it wrong.

Herman ran off to the Rainbow Bridge early this morning.  I don't think he suffered at all.  Yesterday at breakfast he was his normal self and later that morning he was up on his platform, enjoying a nice sun puddle when I gave him his Interferon and his treat.  When he didn't come into the kitchen for lunch at 1:00, I went looking for him and found him in Oja's room, in Emma's hideyhole.  I put his lunch down in the usual spot and told him that if he didn't come out and eat it soon, Spyro would get it.  He didn't seem interested, so I sat   down and petted his head the way he liked for a little bit.  I told myself that I needed to get him to the vet as soon as I could.  Unfortunately, the vet closes at noon on Saturdays.  It was the same at suppertime.  I petted him some more and then went to bed because I was very tired.  I called out, "Herman, bedtime!"  like I always do, but he didn't come.  In fact, no kitties came to bed with me last night.  I spent a restless night, but there was nothing I could do.  Spyro and Oja showed up together to get into bed with me about dawn, which is about when I suspect Herman ran off to the Bridge.  Were they staying with him to comfort him?  I like to think so.  When it was light enough for me to see, I got up to get the kitties breakfast.  Spyro and Oja ran in and started eating, but no Herman.  Herman never misses breakfast.  I went to where I had seen him last and he was lying on his side, his favorite sleeping position.  It wasn't until I touched him that I realized that he had already left.

Was there anything I could have done?  I don't think so.  When Herman stated growling at Spyro when Spyro wanted to play, the first thing that crossed my mind was that maybe Herman wasn't feeling so good, so I started keeping a close eye on him.  When Herman got sick two years ago the first symptom was diarrhea.  Herman didn't have diarrhea.  I cleaned normal poop our of his litter box yesterday.  After I buried him in the garden, I checked where he had been lying to see if there was any mess I needed to clean up.  All I found was one perfectly formed little ball of poop.  When Herman wasn't feeling good, the first sign was that he started letting his tail droop.  He was holding his tail high yesterday morning.  Before when he was sick, he stayed on the floor and wouldn't jump up on anything. and stopped coming to bed for his cuddles.  He was up on his platform yesterday morning and cuddled with me Friday night.  The last time, he went off his food and lost weight at an alarming rate.  He needed more metronidazole Tuesday and I took him with me to weigh him and he had actually gained two tenths of a pound.  As I posted when Herman first got grumpy with Spyro, I thought Spyro had hurt him a little rasslin'.  I did find what felt like two tiny scabs on the back of Herman's neck.  I made sure I felt his neck every day for signs of soreness or swelling until the scabs disappeared, so Herman didn't have an abscess or any type of infection.

I was so happy when Herman reached his fifth birthday, thinking he was out of the danger zone.  If he had only had feline leukemia, he might well have been, but he had FIV, too, so maybe they both ganged up on him at once and carried him off.  I don't know.  I'm just glad he didn't suffer.  It looked like he just went to sleep and woke up at the Rainbow Bridge.  It is just five days until his third Gotcha Day.  Maybe Emma was there at the Bridge to greet him and maybe not.  They never did really like each other.  He has plenty of other friends there to greet him.  I am going to miss him terribly.  I think what I will miss most is calling out, "Herman, bedtime!" every night and having him join me for a long petting session and cuddle.  Oja is more that willing to take over that duty.  Sometimes she would beat Herman there and the both of them would cuddle up with me and each other.  I had one hand to pet each.  Spyro and Herman made up recently.  I saw them nose kissing only a few days ago. Spyro just stopped trying to get Herman to play and all was well.  They would eat out of the same dish together.

I will leave the present blog header up through Herman's Gotcha Day, then I will change the title to something else.  I am thinking of using Spyro's name and something alliterative, but nothing good is coming to mind, but my mind isn't exactly clear right now.  The tears haven't started yet, but I think I am still in shock.  I will write Herman a farewell limerick, when one comes to me.  See you at the Rainbow Bridge, Herman, my handsome boy.

Dona Nobis Pacem

All three of us wish peace and goodwill to all of you.

Happy Halloween

 Spyro:  Happy Halloween, everyone!  Mom decided to put the Halloween necklace on me.  I am a rough, tough Mancat and I don't wear necklaces, so I stepped through it and turned it into a belt.  Mom threatened to lock me up in Oja's room if I tried to escape when the Trick-or-Treaters came by, but I behaved myself and remained free.  Mom was pretty sure I would behave because loud knocks at the front door make me nervous.

Herman and Oja:  We don't give a hang about Halloween, especially when there is a nice sunpuddle to be enjoyed.

Karen Jo:  Since the weather turned cool, sunpuddles have become prime napping spots.  I was afraid that the new heat-resistant windows would diminish their desirability, but the windows do not prevent the sunshine from warming up whatever it falls on.

Spyro has been being mean to me.

Spyro: Have not!

Karen Jo:  Yes, you have, a little bit.  Herman was relaxing in the above chair and Spyro jumped up to join him.  I don't know why, but Herman flattened his ears and gave Spyro some mighty growls.  Spyro appeared to ignore Herman, but Herman jumped down and found another spot while Spyro settled down in Herman's sunpuddle.  A couple of days ago I actually saw Spyro harassing Herman while Herman was trying to use the litter box.  I don't know why Spyro would do that.  Each of them has his/her favorite litter box.  Herman prefers the one in the entrance hall, Spyro likes the one in the human litter box room and Oja likes the one in her room.  I heard Herman digging in his favorite litter box, then I heard him growling, so I went to see what was going on.  Herman was crouched in the corner by the door and Spyro was standing near the litter box, but scooted away when he saw me.  Herman got back in the litter box and Spyro ran up and actually tried to bite him.  I shooed Spyro away and let Herman do his business in peace.  I wish I knew what was going on with those two.  Sometimes I see them giving each other nose kisses and butt sniffs just like they used to when they were the best of friends and sometimes they seem like they are going to get into a big fight.

Oja:  You never can tell about Mancats.  Me, I am friends with both of them, though I cuddle with Herman more often that I cuddle with Spyro.  Herman will let me nap with him in peace, but sooner or later, Spyro always wants to rassle.

Spyro:  Hey!  You pounce me lots of times when I am just walking by.

Oja:  You are the one who starts to rassle when all I want to do is snuggle with you.

Karen Jo:  We have all been doing fine.  I haven't blogged in a long time because I upgraded my internet speed and had lots of problems to begin with.  I have most of them ironed out now.  I am looking forward to being able to visit more blogs as I won't have to wait as long for blogs to load.  Yippee!

Busy Again, Sigh

 Big sigh.  My Mom is so unreliable.  She said she would blog for us, but went and got busy AGAIN!  Luckily she has finished a bunch of stuff, so maybe we can get back to blogging more regularly.  I hope so.  She hasn't even taken new pictures of us, so here are some old ones that she hasn't used yet.  This is Mom's "new" computer chair for the study she is setting up in the once-forbidden room.  We kitties have taken it over.  If my position looks a little odd it is because I am grooming myself.  I made Mom promise not to take any embarrassing pictures of me when she started this blog, so I made her wait until I put my leg down to take the picture.  I have been snarling and hissing at Spyro whenever he tries to rassle with me.  Remember that last rasslin' match I told you about, when Mom found Spyro fur on my chin?  He stuck me with his claws and that's why I bit him.  He's too rough for me.

Karen Jo:  I found what might be tiny scabs on the back of Herman's neck and this is what I think happened to put Herman off rasslin' with Spyro.  Spyro just looks hurt and confused when Herman hisses at him, but he backs off and goes to do something else.  Oja still pounces Spyro for rasslin'.

 Spyro:  I am going into the kitchen to see if there is anything to eat.  Mom was putting out some kibble that none of us like very much, but luckily the old kibble is back again.

Karen Jo:  I put in an order for a 16-pound bag of your kibble, but you finished what you had before it came in and the store didn't have any small bags of it, so I had to get something else to fill in.  I can put in regular orders for the big bags now, so you should never run out again.

Spyro:  I don't know why Herman doesn't like me any more.  I still like him.

Karen Jo:  I think you hurt him the last time you rassled with him.  You have very sharp claws.  I always have puncture marks somewhere on my body from you.

Spyro:  Oja still plays with me.  In fact, she usually starts it.

Oja:  I am right at the start of the hall, just staring at Mom.  Now I go almost everywhere the big kitties go:  up on the platform, in the ham-micks, in Herman's bed, up on the couch, in the chairs.  The only place I haven't been is Spyro's favorite spot on top of the boxes.  That would be quite a jump for me.  I play with all the toys.  I have to giggle.  Mom was afraid that Spyro would hide one of his new balls with feathers somewhere she would step on it.  Well, he did and she did.  She didn't break it though, just dented it so it rolls funny.  I don't understand why Herman got so upset with Spyro.  Spyro and I rassle all the time.  I cuddle with Herman now and he doesn't mind.  We even groom each other.  Spyro and I groom each other, too, but we usually end up rasslin'.  Herman and I don't ever rassle.  When Herman has had enough grooming, he just gets up and walks away.

I hope Mom takes some new pictures of us soon.  My handsome fur has almost all grown back now and Mom is chasing me around with the brush again.  I will have to get used to it all over again.  She even brushes Spyro and Oja a little bit.

Getting Back on Schedule

 Mom was trying to get me to play with this yellow ball, but I didn't want to.  I hardly play with anything any more.  Spyro tried to get me to rassle with him yesterday, but I avoided him.  The last time I did rassle with him, I got a little rough.  Mom heard a yipe and when she came to see what was up, she found a tuft of Spyro's fur on my chin.  I just want to be left alone to snooze these days.

Karen Jo:  I would be a bit concerned about this, but you have never played much and you still go for the catnip when it is offered and eat normally and scratch for treats once or twice a day.  You got me up for breakfast this morning, which you hadn't done in quite a while.

I had to.  There isn't as much food around as there used to be and I was starving.

Karen Jo:  I am putting out the recommended amount of kibble for each of you and you still get your Stinky Goodness three times I day.  It isn't my fault that you didn't show up for lunch yesterday until almost all of it was gone.

 Spyro:  I always show up first for meals, but I am still the skinniest cat.  That's because I do more.  I really like lying up here on these boxes.  I am going to be sad when they get picked up.  Mom even took me outside on my harness yesterday evening.  I had a great time.  I sniffed at lots of stuff and got very interested in some birds who were in fairly low branches of a tree above my head.  Unfortunately, the trunk of the tree is over the neighbor's fence and the branches within jumping height are too thin to support me, so all I could do was watch them and talk to them.  I dug at a fresh gopher mound, but I didn't find anything interesting.

I got to go out, too, but I didn't see or hear the birds.  I was more interested in chewing on the grass.

Oja: Mom got all happy when I started playing with this ball.  I don't know why.

Karen Jo:  It's because you are the first kitty who has ever played with that ball.

Oja:  I like it well enough, but I like my jingle balls better.  We are having fun with the jingle balls with the feathers on them.  Spyro got out the pink one yesterday and played with it, then hid it again.  He got out the yellow one today and we both played with it for a while, then he hid it again.  It drives Mom nuts.

Karen Jo:  I'm just afraid that you'll "hide" it somewhere I'll step on it and break it.

Oja:  I am getting curious about this going outside business.  Maybe I'll want to try it someday.

Karen Jo:  You will have to put on your harness, but I'm afraid that the one I bought for you is too small for you now.  You can share Spyro's.

Oja:  I don't like the sound of that.  We'll see.

Mom finally got all the "important" stuff done that she has been "working" on and not blogging for us.  I think we can drag her away from the TV more now, too, so we just might get back to blogging almost every day like we used to.  I hope so.

Toys and Stuff

 I just got finished scratching for a treat and mean Mom made me wait until I got my picture taken to give me my treat.  Yes, I still get treats, even though I am supposed to be losing weight.  I only ask for one once or twice a day now, so Mom lets me have them.  The regular cat kibble has disappeared and all the bowls now have weight control kibble in them.  How boring!

Karen Jo:  That's because you managed to gain two-tenths of a pound eating the regular kibble.  I know it's not really your fault.  Spyro and Oja always gobbled up your weight control kibble first thing and you didn't have much choice but to eat the regular kibble.

I got a real treat the other evening.  I was lying in Mom's rocking chair and she was petting my chest when Oja jumped up in the rocking chair behind me.  I was all set for her to start bugging me, but she started grooming my back instead.  I got attention from two sides at once.  I loved it.

 Oja: I am playing with the turbo track and debating whether Herman's tail looks like more fun.

Karen Jo:  When I went to get the camera, Spyro and Oja were lying side by side playing with the turbo track.  By the time I got back, Spyro had left.

Spyro:  You have to be fast if you are going to catch me doing something.  I decided I wanted to lie up here on the storage boxes instead.  We got some new toys!

Karen Jo:  My friend took me to Santa Fe to try to find a computer desk for the once-forbidden room. While I was there, I looked in a pet store for a replacement for your favorite toy.  Spyro absolutely adored a toy that was a ping-pong ball with a feather stuck in it and something like a little sand inside.  I couple of months ago it disappeared and I haven't been able to find it anywhere.  I found something similar.  It looks like a miniature golf ball with  a feather stuck in it and a jingle bell inside.  I got two of them, one yellow and one pink.  I put the plastic bag with the balls and a package of two toy mice on the table and went off to do something necessary.  By the time I got back, Spyro had gotten the toys out of the bag and was playing with the balls on the floor.  I took the pink one and put it in a toy box, thinking that one at a time was enough, but Spyro took it right out again.  I just left them out and by yesterday both of them had disappeared.  I guess Spyro knows where they are, though, because the pink one reappeared today.

Oja:  I like these new balls, too.

Spyro:  You like anything with a jingle bell in it.

Oja: So, you like anything with a feather on it.

Karen Jo:  It's great that you like different toys, though sometimes your likes overlap.  The toy mice didn't go over so well.  They are an orangish plastic that is supposed to be infused with catnip and they have a slit in the bottom to put treats in.  It was so hard to get a treat in one that I doubt the kitties will ever get it out.

Spyro:  I played with the mouse for a little while, but I like the new balls better.

Karen Jo:  I will hunt around for the yellow one.  I know that both it and the ping-pong ball are in the house somewhere, but I have no idea where.  You kitties have some hidey-holes that I can't even look into.

Spyro:  You will just have to keep buying us new toys.  Hahaha!

Where Did the Time Go?

 See how high up I am?  Isn't it awesome?  Mom is keeping some storage boxes for her friend and they are stacked up on an end table.  I am taller than Mom now.  Mom was really surprised to find me up here, because I have never gotten up this high before, though there are places in the house where I could do it, like the bookcase in Oja's room and the top of the file cabinet.  Now maybe Mom will get me a cat tree to climb.    Mom really let the time go by between posts this time.  Wow!  It's been almost a month.  She has been busy, so I guess we will forgive her this time, as long as she promises never to to it again.  Lots of things have happened around here since our last post.

 Spyro:  I wanna put a nose print on the camera lens.  Just get a little closer.  I wanna cat tree, too.  Know what?  The forbidden room isn't forbidden any more.  Mom cleaned it all up and now we can go in there all the time.  The bed in there got made up with pillows and everything and I like to lie on it.  I tried to get on the   window sill, but all I managed to do was bring down the sheer curtains.  Mom heard the noise and came in and saw me pawing the material.  I should have run away, then she wouldn't have known which cat did it.

Karen Jo:  I would have known anyway.  You are my teenager cat, always getting into mischief and trouble.

Oja:  See me chillaxing in the living room?  I spend most of my time in here with the other kitties now.  I love to play with all the toys.  I found out what the big Turbo Track does and I like it.  Spyro and I both play with it, sometimes at the same time.  I love the balls that look like cages with a jingle bell inside.  I chase them all over the house.  I even started napping in the ham-micks.  They are great!  Spyro and I rassle all the time and sometimes Spyro rassles with Herman.  I don't rassle with Herman, though.  He's too big for me.

Karen Jo:  We can see your ample tummy, too.

Oja:  It's good to have a little extra weight.  The food has gotten a bit boring, though.

Karen Jo:  Some kitty has a bit of diarrhea and I think it's probably you.  Everykitty is on Classic Fancy Feast now.  If it doesn't clear up in a week or so, I will have to make a vet appointment or two.  I did take Herman in to weigh him and he has gained two-tenths of a pound.  It's time to put everykitty on the diet kibble, as soon as the new bag of the regular runs out.

Karen Jo:  I have so much stuff in my top two drawers that I can't close them.  Spyro loves to get up in them and dig in my socks.  Now I am finding socks in odd places, like the entrance hall and behind the TV.  I wonder who is doing that?

Spyro:  I don't have the slightest idea.  You closed all the windows and we can't get whiffies any more.

Karen Jo:  It got cold Friday night and it hasn't warmed up enough to open the windows again.  If you are lucky, you will get a few more days of open windows before the cold weather sets in for the duration.

Spyro:  You haven't been taking me outside in my harness and leash much lately.

Karen Jo:  No, I haven't.  I have been really busy with stuff and the weather hasn't been cooperating.  I will try to take you our more before it gets too cold.  I guess I can look forward to the kitties getting the fall friskies.  What that will do to Spyro is beyond my imagination.  He is all over the place, getting into everything now.  I love it, even though I complain about it sometimes.  I am way behind in my newspaper reading, because Spyro always jumps up on the paper almost as soon as I start to read.  I must say that petting Spyro is more interesting than reading the paper.

Mom Blew It

 Mom wanted to get a full on portrait shot of me, but I ducked my head at the last second.  I love doing that.    I also love it when Mom tries to figure us all out and posts her observations. We love to prove her wrong.   Mom posted yesterday that I didn't accept Oa as a member of my family  Just this morning,.  I tried to get Oja to play chase with me.  She declined, but it was obvious that I consider Oja part of my group now.  I put out my paw and tapped Oja very gently, then ran away from her, expecting her to chase me.  Spyro was close to her and she decided to play with him instead.

Spyro:  Oja ruined my shot that I was packed and ready to go on my vacation.  See the Tabby Cat Club for my dream vacation.  Oja and I play all the time.  It's great fun.  I was having such a great time with the nip nanner this morning in the living room that Oja couldn't stand it.

Oja:  If the toy was that great, I wanted it, living room or not.  I pounced Spyro and took it away from him.  Then I heard Herman making a lot of noise and I moved away from the nanner just enough to see what he was up to.

I am a very enthusiastic digger in the litter box and Oja only had to move about a foot to see me.

Spyro:  I saw my chance.   I went into my very best stealth mode and sloooowly sneaked up on the nanner, one inch at a time.  I was very patient.  I didn't grab the nanner when I was close to it, oh no.  I waited until I had the upper half of my body covering the nanner, then I started licking and bunny kicking it.  Unfortunately, Herman stopped making so much noise and Oja spotted me.

Oja:  I spotted that sneak thief Spyro playing with MY nanner and I pounced him good!  The trouble is that we had so much fun rasslin' that we forgot all about the nanner.  I love rasslin' Spyro so much that in the afternoon I spotted him napping in Herman's ham-mick and pounced him.  We rassled until Spyro kicked me off the ham-mick.  Mom was afraid that I would have a bad experience with a ham-mick and avoid them, so she picked me up and put me in Spyro's ham-mick and petted me.  I stayed in the ham-mick while I got petted, but jumped out the moment Mom stopped.  Maybe I will try out a ham-mick on my own later.  I also found Herman's bird-watching platform in the living room.  The view is even more awesome than the one from the top of the bookshelves in my room.  I like the living room and there is more choice of food in the kitchen.  Did you know that Mom puts out two choices of canned food and two choices of kibble at every morning?

Karen Jo:  I only put out kibble once a day.  It is carefully measured, but you kitties never stick to your own.

Spyro and Oja:  Herman's diet kibble is awesome.  We love it.

Karen Jo:  Poor Herman hardly gets any for himself.  He ends up eating your kibble.  The next time I see the vet I am going to ask if it is all right you give you all diet kibble, because you all like it so much.  That way I could be sure that Herman wasn't getting too much higher calorie kibble.

Spyro:  I don't need diet kibble.  I am just the right weight.  It is Herman and Oja who are heavy.

Karen Jo:  And who is the first kitty to plant his face in the diet kibble?

Spyro:  I am, of course.  First you get out the Fancy Feast and I jump up on the counter and try to lick up all the juice, if it is a new can, then you put the dish down in front of Herman, but I am right there to share it.  Then you put out the second flavor of canned food, whatever it is.

Karen Jo:  I thought I would be sneaky and put out a higher quality canned food in the second dish, then slowly change you over to only high-quality canned food.  Oja ruined that.  She gets loose stools from anything but Fancy Feast Original Pate Style.

Oja:  I ruined the whole scheme.  I now come into the kitchen and plant my face in the high-quality food every chance I get.  I don't care if it gives me a loose stool.

Karen Jo:  Then I put out Oja's Fancy Feast in her bowl.  Oja used to follow me down the hall to her room to get her Fancy Feast.

Oja:  Lately I have been too busy gorging myself on what is in the second bowl in the kitchen to even notice that you have put food in my room.

Karen Jo:  Then I put Herman's measured amount of diet food in his kibble bowl.

Spyro:  By this time I have finished the Fancy Feast in the first bowl and am ready for more food, so I start munching Herman's diet food.

Karen Jo:  Then I put Spyro's regular high-quality regular kibble in his bowl.

Oja:  By this time, I have finished the canned food in the second bowl and am ready for more, so I help Spyro eat Herman's diet food.

Karen Jo: Then I put Oja's share of kibble in her bowl.

By this time, no cat is interested in Oja's kibble.  It does disappear by the end of the day, most days.  The upshot is that I  have to share the Fancy Feast in the first bowl with Spyro.  I hardly get a look-in at the high-quality food that Mom started buying for me.  To top it off, my siblings eat all my diet food before I get a chance at it.  No wonder I am not losing weight.  Today it became evident that Spyro and Oja were eating up all the canned food and my diet kibble. so Mom picked me up and put me in front of Oja's Fancy Feast.  I gobbled up about half of it.  Soon Mom has to take me in for a weighing.  I don't think I have lost any weight due to my greedy siblings, but time will tell.  I like weighing sixteen  pounds,

Karen Jo:  I am not overly concerned with your lack of losing weight, Herman.  You have been at an average of 16 pounds for the last year, even taking into account the pound you gained when Emma came to live with us and you put on the muscle weight you had lost when you were so sick without losing the fat you had gained after you got well.  You gained muscle, but you didn't lose fat because you ate your food and Emma's too, most days.  Emma was not deprived.  She gained weight before her FeLV struck her down, too.  It's weird.  I heard from Herman's foster Mom and read on the Internet that it is very rare to have FeLV kitties get overweight.  They are usually underweight and have to be encouraged to eat.  Here I have three kitties with FeLV and one with FIV, both wasting diseases.  Herman is about two pounds overweight, after surviving a bout of FeLV which brought him down to 8.5 pounds (he should weigh 12-14 pounds), one kitty who is at his normal weight and one kitty who is a bit heavy, but in her normal weight range.  I don;'t want to take any credit not due me, but I think I have done well by my kitties.  Brag, brag, brag!  I think I was just lucky and got FeLV kitties with good appetites and good attitudes.  Except Emma, that is.  I feel so bad about Emma.  She did gain a pound before her FeLV struck her down.  I think it was the stress of being afraid of Herman that did her in.  I don't know what I could have done about it.  I couldn't have kept her in her room by herself -- she banged on the door until I let her out.  I rescued her from Herman's dominating ways every time she yelled for help.  I don't know what happened between the two of them while I was at work, though.  Dear Emma, I did my best for you, it just wasn't enough.  I must say, hurrah for Herman: he is through the danger zone  Most kitties who get FIV or FeLV before they are grown die before they are five.  Herman turned five in June and is doing great.

Karen Jo: Herman must have gotten FIV and FeLV before he was one and a half:  Congratulations Herman!  You made it to five!!  The statistics say that you will probably live a normal cat lifespan.  As far as I know Oja got FeLV after she was grown.  The vet even says that she may have had kittens at a very young age.  Her estimated age is two.  Her chances are good.  Spyro is estimated at one-and-a-half.  His chances are not so great.  He could have gotten FeLV before he was one.  I am not going to worry about him.  He is the most active of the kitties and he loves life so much that I think he has a long life in front of him.  Go Spyro!

Karen Jo:  Some people say I am an exceptional cat Mom because I take in kitties with a fatal virus or two.  I don't see myself that way.  I have lived in this house since I started third grade, allowing for university and a couple of jobs that didn't work out.  When my Father and then my Mother died, the house became unbearably lonely.  A few months after my Mom died I saw an ad for a cat who needed a home NOW.  I went to see Herman and we took to each other immediately.  His foster Mom said she had never seen Herman take to someone so quickly.  I already knew that he had FIV and FeLV, but I didn't know what that meant, except that it would probably shorten his life span. I didn't care.  I needed him and he needed me.  His foster Mom  brought him over to my home the next week and he became my heart-kitty almost immediately.  A few months later Herman's FeLV became active and I thought I was going to lose him.  The vet, his foster Mom and eventually I all thought that he was headed for the Rainbow Bridge.  I kept giving him his meds and the vet kept trying new meds and I would sit by him by the hour and tell him how much I loved him and he recovered.  His vet's office now refers to Herman as the Miracle Cat.

Karen Jo:  A month or two after it became sure that Herman would survive his FeLV attack, his foster Mother called me and asked me if I would sign up as at least be a foster Mom to FIV and FeLV cats.  I  felt so blessed that I agreed.  About a year and an half later I got a call from Herman's foster Mom that the Espanola kill shelter had a FeLV cat..  Emma was on death row and would be put to sleep in three days if a home could not be found for her. We picked her up the next day.  Emma didn't work out as I had wished, but I gave her eight and a half months that she wouldn't otherwise have had.  About six months after Emma went to the Rainbow Bridge, Herman's foster Mom called me again and told me that Spyro was on death row in Los Alamos.  All the foster homes were full and I was his only chance.  I went and got him that day.  I had signed up with the Espanola shelter as someone who would take FeLV cats.  About three months afer I adopted Spyro, I got a call.  Oja needed a home within three days or she would be put down as unwanted.  Herman's foster Mom and I picked her up the next day.  I am no hero.  I just love cats and have room and enough income to take care of some of the unwanted ones.  I am blessed and nothing special.  I just happened to adopt a special needs cat and found room for others with the same problems.  May God shower blessings on everyone who adopts a shelter animal.

Back to Blogging

 We are really enjoying our ham-micks.  We get in them to nap almost every day.

 Spyro:  I think it's funny that I often take Herman's ham-mick and Herman takes the one that Mom got for me.

Oja:  This picture is to show just how well we are all getting along.  That's me and Spyro eating out of the same dish in my room.  A few weeks ago I would have whapped him a good one if he had tried to share my food.

Karen Jo:  We haven't posted in like forever, so what would all of you like to say about what you have been doing?

I miss being next to Mom when she goes to bed.  Oja usually beats me to it.  The other night, I was first.  Oja jumped up on the bed after I had gotten all settled in and Mom expected a showdown.  It never happened.  Oja did what I usually do:  looked over the situation and decided to snuggle down somewhere else.  Mom often wakes up in the morning to find all three of us in bed with her.  I still rassle Spyro sometimes, but mostly he and Oja rassle.  Yesterday I saw Spyro having so much fun with the nip nanner that I rassled him for it.  I got it for a little while, then Spyro started the rasslin' again and we both forgot about the nanner.

Spyro:  I love rasslin' with Oja.  She is nearer my size, being only one pound lighter now and Mom thinks she might have even grown a little bit since we got her.  I don't see how, as she is two years old, but she does seem a little bigger and not just around the tummy.  It's funny.  I'm the cat who eats the most, but I'm the only one who hasn't gained weight.  I think it's because I run and jump up on stuff more.  I have given up on jumping in the laundry basket when it's on top of the dryer now.  I did it a while ago and it fell off the dryer with me in it.  I haven't been up there since.  I am still the top escape artist.  I have stopped being afraid of Mom's foot.  She used to be able to stop me from slipping out screen door when she opens it by putting her foot in front of me.  I know full well that she isn't going to kick me, so I just jump right over it and head for the back yard.  Mom is still amazed at how close she can get to closing the door and I still fit through.  She has to put her hand on my head and keep it there until she has the door almost shut and sometimes I still get through when she has to let go to get her hand out.  When she is going to carry something outside, she shuts the kitchen door as far as it will go, then opens the screen door.  I can get the kitchen door open, but it takes me longer to do that than she needs to get out the door.  I love going out in my harness and leash, but I haven't been getting to do that nearly as much as I want to.

Karen Jo:  I rigged the kitchen door so that it can't shut completely.  That's so the wind won't blow it shut and latch it so you can't get in or out.  You haven't been able to go out in your harness as much because the days have been crazy hot and it has been raining in the early evening.  YAY!  It can be pouring down rain and you will still be by the screen door begging to go out.

Oja:  It is so much nicer now that we all get along.  I rassle and groom Spyro and he rassles and grooms me back.  I groom Herman sometimes, but he doesn't groom me back.  Once Mom even saw him push me away with his back paw while I was grooming him.  Mom hasn't ever seen me rassle Herman.

Karen Jo:  I recently read an article on Cat Wisdom 101 on cat behavior that said that grooming another cat indicates that the groomer accepts the groomee as a member of his/her group.  I think that maybe now Oja is more accepting of Herman than he is of her, even though I have seen them eating side by side.  I guess that would mean that Oja and Spyro see only one group of three cats and Herman sees two groups with himself and Spyro as one group and Oja by herself.  If so, I bet it is because she beats him to his accustomed spot next to me in bed.  They have never fought over the "best" spot or even contested the other one when they find him/her already there.  It's just a feeling I get from Herman.  I also haven't seen any of the dominating behavior from Herman toward Oja that I saw him do toward Emma.  I think Oja has more confidence in herself than Emma had and won't put up with it.  I saw  Spyro chase Oja into the bathroom one day and Oja jumped in the tub to escape him.  When she had enough of being in the tub, she just jumped out right over Spyro.  Emma would have been cowering in front of the tub and yelling for help.

Oja:  I don't see what the boys like about going outside.  I have absolutely no interest in going out.  I look out the window and that is enough for me.  I still haven't tried out the ham-micks, but I discovered that Herman has a great bed by the wall in the living room.  I am getting quite a collection of toys in my room.  I pick out the ones I like from the living room and bring them back, or play with them in the hall.  I don't play with them in the living room.  Sometimes Spyro comes in and we play with my toys together.  I love the TurboScratcher in my room and play with it every day.  Mom hopes that some day I will discover the big TurboTrack in the living room and play with that, too.

Karen Jo:  I don't know why Oja won't play with toys in the living room.  Maybe she still doesn't feel completely at home there.  She mostly naps in her room or in my room, though I have seen all three of them in the living room napping with Emma in Herman's bed and the boys in their ham-micks.  Ayla, Iza and Marley gave us an award ages ago.  This post has gotten so long that I will save it for tomorrow.

Togetherness Report

 Having two ham-micks led to our each having one, which was great.  Somehow that led to this:

 Spyro:  If I hadn't heard Mom turn on the camera and lifted my head, you would have seen me using Herman for a pillow.

Karen Jo:  I see this as a great advertisement for the sturdiness of Forty Paws' ham-micks.  This one is holding almost 27 pounds of cat.

Oja:  I still don't see what the big deal is.  I prefer to sleep on chairs or up on my windowsill or in a hidely-hole.

Mom got a new swivel chair and put it in the living room.  It's great for napping.  All of us have tried it out.

Karen Jo:  That one is for when I get my office set up in the forbidden room.  I have the desk and chair now.   All I need is the get up and go to get it organized and cleaned up.

Get up and go?  That's a laugh.  All Mom has been doing lately is lying around, watching TV.

Karen Jo:  The Olympics are on and it has been twenty years since I could really just sit or lie down and watch them.  My lying around so much has left you kitties to your own devices and what have you done?

We all made friends with each other.  Spyro and I both let Oja lick us, though Spyro is apt to turn it into a game of chase or rasslin'.

Spyro:  It's great.  I have two rasslin' partners now and one partner for chase games.

Oja:  I think it's OK.  Neither one of the boys has licked me, though.  I hang around next to Herman sometimes and I play with Spyro.  Mom is surprised that Herman and I don't fight over the bed.

Karen Jo:  Yes, I am.  Oja has taken Herman's old spot next to my chest at night and Herman doesn't seem to care.  When I am lying on the bed in the evening, watching TV, Herman will come up sometimes and claim his old spot.  That makes both of us very happy.  Last evening, we were together like that and Oja jumped up on the bed.  I thought that there would be a fight, but there wasn't.  Oja looked things over, then decided she would rather have the computer chair.  When Oja is next to me and Herman jumps up on the bed, he claims a spot near my feet.  Sometimes Spyro jumps up on the bed too, but he never stays long.  Spyro just isn't a bed cat, at least not in warm weather.  I imagine that they will all pile on when it gets cold.