Happy Squillions Day!

Karen Jo:  These are my Squillions.  I got them back when I couldn't have real kitties.  I named them after some gorgeous gingers of the Blogosphere, namely Fat Eric, Eric and Flynn.  That black and white kitty isn't really a Squillion, I guess.  Her name is Star.  It's funny.  Now I have four real cats and two of them are gorgeous gingers.  I will see about signing them up once I get their papers and they are officially mine forever.

Snowless Sunday

Spyro:  I always like to be where  Mom is, so I follow her around the house, unless I am napping.  I hate to hold still for the camera, though.  I am up on this thing that looks like a table, but isn't, in the boys' room, watching Austin eat.  I ran outside today, thinking that I would get to stay for a while because of Mom's ouchie ribs, but she came right after me and grabbed me and carried me back inside.

Karen Jo:  My ribs are hardly ouchie any more, unless I try to lift something heavy.  Luckily, Spyro isn't quite heavy enough to set off the pain.  I still can't stay up all day without getting really achy.  Every once in a while I have to get back on the bed and spend some time there to soothe the ache.  I still haven't heard from my doctor what the damage was, so it wasn't severe.  She thinks I may have cracked a rib or two and I think she's probably right.  I should be back to normal in another week or two.

 Oja: Except for eating and using the litter box, I have spent the whole day on Mom's bed.  She got new flannel sheets and they are wonderful.  Every time Mom gets up, I grab the warm spot.  When Mom lies down, I get next to her for her warmth.  Happiness is a warm kitty.

 Austin:  I am in the easy chair in our room.  Of all the kitties, I spend the most time in here.  I like to get up on the bookshelf by the window and look out and I like to nap on the couch.  Sometimes, I like to go see the Mom in her bed and last night I had to put Oja in her place.  I jumped up on the bed and hung out for a while on the Mom, getting just the right amount of petting.  Then I wanted to walk across the Mom and up to the head of the bed to jump into the rocking chair.  Oja was lying next to the Mom and I had to walk past her to get where I was going.  Oja growled at me, so I backed up a little and stared at her.  Oja kept growling.  I don't know why.  I just wanted to walk past her.  I got fed up and lunged at her.  She squeaked and jumped over the Mom.  I walked where I wanted and jumped into the rocking chair.

Karen Jo:  I think Oja is losing in her bid to be Alpha cat.  Whenever Austin or Rocio invite her to rassle, she declines by running away.  I think it is Rocio who chases her down the hall, but it could be Austin as well.  It usually happens when I am in bed and I can't see who is doing the chasing.  I think Austin is going to be the Alpha.  He is the one who starts most of the rasslin' matches, except the ones between Oja and Spyro.  He is the one who won't put up with Oja's attempts to be bossy the most.  Spyro doesn't care who is Alpha, as long as it isn't him.  Rocio doesn't seem to care, either.  Spyro and Rocio nap together, as do Austin and Rocio.  Oja will now tolerate one of the boys napping near her and even touching most of the time.

Rocio:  All I want to be boss of is the toys.  This morning I was chasing a fuzzy mousie all over Mom's bedroom.  I like to drop the mousie in one of her boots, then fish it out again.  I say, let Austin be the boss cat.  He isn't mean about it.  He will rassle with me until I run away, then he will pounce Spyro.  One time we finished our match and the only kitty watching nearby was Oja,  Austin looked like he was going to pounce Oja, but as soon as he started his wiggle-butt she squeaked and ran away.  Oja growls and sounds tough, but she hasn't got what it takes to back it up.  Maybe she is scared of us and is putting up a brave front.

Karen Jo:  I thought of that when Oja was getting used to Herman and Spyro.  It soon became obvious to me that Oja wasn't afraid of them, because she didn't run from them or cower before them, she just doesn't like mancats all that much.  The growling and hissing incidents are getting fewer and fewer and may stop in a month or two.

Karen Jo:  We were supposed to get a big snowstorm with up to a foot falling today and so far I haven't seen one flake.  It has been very cloudy all day, but no snow.  Darn it, there were things I would have gone out and done if it hadn't been for that forecast and the threatening, but apparently empty, clouds.

Caturday

 Spyro: Yes, we are still here.  Mom has a good excuse this time.  At first she was just busy with paperwork and paying bills and stuff, then she fell down and hurt her ribs.  She was in bed all day every day until just a couple of days ago.  At first it was all she could do to get up and feed us and water us and clean our litter boxes, then she had to catch up on the mail, which she hasn't finished yet, and do a bit of cleaning.  A friend of hers came over for about a week to take care of us right after she fell, because she couldn't even do that.  She is mostly better now, except she can't pick up anything weighing more than a few pounds and she can't stay up all day yet.  These are photos that she took before she fell, but we are still doing the same stuff.  I found this heat-reflecting pad that Mom got for Herman and I really like it.  It gets nice and warm when I lie on it.  Notice the nice sun puddle?  We haven't seen any of these lately.  We have been getting snow and more snow and we are due for even more tomorrow.  I ran outside yesterday when Mom opened the door to get the mail and ran right back inside.  Brrr!  I was a good boy while Mom's friend was taking care of us and didn't run outside even once.  You know what?  When your Mom has sore ribs, you can get her up for breakfast really fast by walking over her body.  Don't do it when she is really sore, though, or you will get yelled at.

 Oja:  Here I am in my favorite chair.  I haven't been spending much time here lately.  Mostly I have been lying beside Mom or on her lap while she lies in bed.  I love it.  I purr on her lots.  I even let her pet me more than usual.  Sometimes when I wiggle away from the petting, I hear her sighing.

Karen Jo:  I love having you lie beside me or on me and purr, Oja.  I am just sighing because I miss Herman.  He never got too much petting.  None of the four of you really like to be petted much.  All of you seem to like it for a little while, then wiggle or walk away from it.  Would you believe it?  One time I even had all four cats on the bed at once.  It didn't last long, but it was great to see.

 Austin:  This is my favorite spot in the house.  I am the shyest one, but I have been in to see Mom and lie on her and purr while she has been in bed;  I usually do it when the other cats are doing something else.  Oja still doesn't like me a whole lot, but she is getting better.  One evening Oja was lying beside Mom and I jumped up in Mom's lap and snuggled down.  I slid my head over and laid it on Oja and she didn't react to it at all.  We stayed like that for quite a while until Oja realized whose head it was lying on her side, then she growled at me and I moved.

Rocio:  I can't decide whether I like the ham-micks or the cat beds best, so I keep moving around.  I even sleep in the cat bed in our room that Mom says no cat has slept in before.  She got it for Emma, but no cat liked it before.  I don't know why; it's a nice bed with room for both me and Austin.  I have been spending some time lying on the Mom and purring, too.  She likes it and pets my head and back.  I have a new game. I chase Oja down the hall until she jumps up on the Mom's bed and growls at me.  It's fun to watch Oja run. She moves her back legs together like a bunny hop.

Karen Jo:  I think having the boys around has gotten Oja to exercise more.  I think she has lost some weight or gotten stronger or both.  She is getting up into places that she never went before, like the window sills in my bedroom.  It's a much bigger jump than getting up where Austin is in his picture.  She has also been eyeing the kitchen counter and that is quite a jump for her.  I will be adopting the boys.  I got some of their paperwork today and will start the process tomorrow.  Oja still growls at them occasionally, but she let Rocio groom her for a minute and let Austin lay his head on her for a while.  Spyro loves being big brother to them and they all three have so much fun playing together that I couldn't stand the thought of breaking them up.

Austin:  Hear that, Rocio?  We get to stay!

Rocio:  YAY!