Herman's Hideaway

Mancat Monday

2012-01-30T00:25:00.000-07:00

I was sound asleep in my hammick when Mom started to sneak up on me with the camera. I just opened my eyes a slit, saw what she was doing and went back to sleep. Mom spilled some nip on my hammick the other day and that makes it even more special.

Karen Jo: You certainly are not a nip-head. You didn't even play with the ball that I had marinated in the nip today.

Nip doesn't affect me all that much. I really go for a new nip toy the first time you give it to me, but after that it doesn't seem like as much fun. The only nip toy that I played with time after time was my nip syringe. It's too bad that Emma destroyed it.

Karen Jo: I am thinking about getting you a new nip toy from that company for your birthday.

That would be nice. You were on the computer a lot today, but you weren't blogging.

Karen Jo: I need a new computer or to update the one I have. I was researching what I need/want for hours. I found a good deal and ordered it.

That was kind of fast, really. Shouldn't you have put more research/thought into it?

Karen Jo: Maybe, but the one I found had everything I needed/wanted and it was on sale, but only through Sunday. I only had an hour to make up my mind, so I went ahead. Had I spent more time on research and thought, I would have ended up paying at least $200 more for a machine with the same/similar specs. From what I checked upon about the prices of the parts I would need for an upgrade, buying a new computer was cheaper.

I hope you didn't spend my food money.

Karen Jo: Don't worry about it. My Social Security payments have started and my pension finally starts next month. We will be doing fine.

Not much else went on today. I napped and ate and ignored my toys. Mom did the laundry and used the computer. I discovered that the printer makes interesting noises, but the paper coming out startled me. I found a moth in the litter box room and played with it for a little while, but it was tiny and I lost sight of it soon after it took off flying. I did bat at it a couple of times when it first took off, but I missed.

Caturday

2012-01-28T21:58:00.000-07:00

Here I am on my big pillow, catching some rays. Mom took this picture two weeks ago and is just now getting around to posting it. She keeps promising to be a better blogger, then she lets me down again. Sheesh!

Karen Jo: I am really sorry, Herman. I just keep getting caught up in other things that I do.

Like leaving me here all alone. You did that four nights in a row this week.

Karen Jo: While I was working, I was at work nights and weekends. That left me with no social life. I am making up for it now. It does play havoc with my blogging time, though.

At least you are blogging now. I did get my meatloaf all to myself, but I didn't eat much of it. When it was fresh out of the oven and cooled off enough to eat, I loved it and ate little bite after little bite. What was left was leftovers and I don't like them nearly as much. I ate very little of it after that and Mom ended up giving it to the ravens. They ate it all up. Since then I have had a little chicken and some roast beef, which I didn't like as much as usual, and some steak, which I like a lot. I ate as much as I could, then licked the last bite so Mom couldn't have it back.

Mom has been trying to bribe me with catnip. She wants me to play with her. She has been putting my little furry balls in a plastic bag with catnip and leaving them there for about a week, then giving them to me. I can't resist playing with them for a little while. She even gave me a pinch of catnip on a piece of paper to make me more playful. I ate some of the catnip, then took a nap. I do play a little bit. We played bat the mousie a few days ago and I am up for a little soccer a couple of times a week. Mostly I just want to be fed and petted.

Karen Jo: You have started using my leg for a scratching post while I am sitting in my rocking chair and reading. I thought you wanted to be a lap cat and lifted you into my lap. You didn't stay long.

That's because I didn't want to be a lap cat. I wanted you to get up and feed me.

Karen Jo: I thought of that, too, but it wasn't anywhere near time to eat.

It's time to eat now, so hurry up and post this, so you can feed me.

Chasing Sun Puddles

2012-01-11T18:06:00.000-07:00

With the birdies not coming around and my toys being boring, there's not much else to do around here but chase sun puddles. I had found a great one up on the big pillow on the table, but Mom wasn't fast enough with the camera to catch me in it. When the puddle moved to the carpet, I followed it.

Karen Jo: I don't know why you think your toys are all boring. I try to play with you and you ignore me, mostly. We did bat a ball around a little bit last night.

I have seen them all before and played with them all before. I did play with the mousie hanging from the kitchen door a little bit last night.

Karen Jo: I think you are just being lazy and would rather nap in a sun puddle than play.

Sun puddles are great in the winter. They aren't around every day, so I have to take advantage of the ones I can find. When are you going to cook something good again?

Karen Jo: Soon. I have all the ingredients for a meat loaf, but I don't feel like cooking it tonight.

Meat loaf is good, except that you put onions in it.

Karen Jo: I will break you off some little pieces that don't have onion in them.

I think you ought to cook one for me with no onions.

Karen Jo: That's an idea. I could make you a little one before I put the onions in.

Now you're talking.

Tuxie Tuesday

2012-01-10T22:42:00.000-07:00

I am just chillaxing on the carpet. Not much has been going on around here. Mom fell asleep watching TV last night, so that's why we didn't blog. I keep getting up on my platform to watch the birdies, but they mostly don't show up. That big snow we were supposed to have didn't come down. We just got a light dusting.

Karen Jo: It looked more like a heavy frost than a snowfall to me. You are getting me up for breakfast before dawn again.

I get hungry.

Karen Jo: Then why don't you eat the food that is in your dish already?

By just before dawn it's all dried up and yucky. I want fresh.

Karen Jo: I guess I can't blame you for that. I think I got some about to form mats out with the Furminator yesterday.

I don't really like that. It pulls.

Karen Jo: It's better than getting mats.

I guess so. You sure are stingy with the treats. You opened a new bag of my catnip treats yesterday and so far I have only gotten two of them.

Karen Jo: I alternate back and forth with the Temptations. You only get one treat at a time now because you are supposed to lose weight.

Poop on that. I want more.

Karen Jo: Sorry, that's the way it is.

We're Back!

2012-01-08T21:57:00.000-07:00

This is my Christmas loot. The wooden ball is from Mom. The rest is from my woofy cousins. I also got two packages of Temptations -- one from Mom and one from my cousins. I like the wooden ball best. It doesn't look like much, but it was well marinated in really good nip. Actually, I like the Temptations best of all.

I am chilling out on the couch next to where Mom sits to read. Mom is really sorry about us being gone for so long. When she got back from her Christmas visit she started going out every night. After New Year's all the excitement was over and she got a bad case of the sads. She is all better now and promises to be a much better blogger and visitor.

Karen Jo: Herman gave me quite a Christmas present. I got back much later than I expected on Christmas Day and was too tired to blog. I sat in my rocking chair to watch TV and Herman actually got on my lap for a few minutes. He hasn't done it again, but he does get up beside me on the couch when I read and puts his head on my leg. I guess I don't expect him to ever become a lap kitty, but he is very affectionate. When I go to bed he is there almost immediately and stays most of the night, just getting up to eat and use the litter box.

I like being next to you at night. You give me such good chest scritches and belly rubs. It's been kind of boring around here. There aren't many birdies to watch and Mom hasn't been doing much.

Karen Jo: I am getting better about doing stuff. You are very particular about when you will play with me. You haven't responded to me much at all. There are fewer birdies around than there were last winter. It is colder with more snow than last year, so maybe more of them went farther south this year. I haven't found the bird feeder empty in a very long time. I only fill it up now if it is more than half empty, which takes a couple of days.

I only play with you when I feel like it. I play by myself sometimes. Most of the time I would just rather be near you and get attention. I am letting you brush me a lot more and I even let you snip out that mat on my leg that you have been trying to get to for weeks.

Karen Jo: Yes, you were really stubborn about letting me get that mat off your leg. I enjoy brushing you, especially when you start purring while I am doing it. Hopefully, now you will let me brush you enough so you won't get any more mats.

Don't count on the mats staying away. My fur mats easily and it's growing back now and getting nice and long. It's a good thing, as we are having another snow storm tonight.

Karen Jo: It's supposed to get pretty cold tonight and the snow is supposed to get about three inches deep on top of what we already have.

I am snuggling close tonight.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-23T21:35:00.000-07:00

Hahaha! Look who's wearing the Santa hat this year! Mom didn't even try to put it on me again.

Karen Jo: I was going to put it on Emma, as she didn't seem to mind the St. Patrick's Day hat, but Snowball here makes a good second choice.

Mom finally put up a tree and my stocking and a wreath on the front door. There's a bad picture of the tree on Kitty Limericks. I like the lights. After they had been on for a little while, I got up on my platform to admire them. We did have steak tonight. I got a couple of licks of sour cream and some steak juice and several bites of steak. I was nice and turned away from the last piece Mom offered me without licking it first, so Mom could eat it. That was my Christmas present to her.

Karen Jo: The love you give me every day is my best Christmas present.

Mom is deserting me tomorrow and won't be back until Christmas day. Let's have a house trashing party while she is gone. She is going to make me wait until she gets back to empty my stocking and open my presents, so let's do it before she gets home. I have lots of toys to play with and there is turkey all sliced up in the freezer. We could dig it out and let it thaw and feast. There are lots of fleecy blankets around to sleep on and even a couple of cat beds. Let's party!

Merry Christmas to everyone! May your days be filled with love.

Bad Mom

2011-12-22T20:04:00.000-07:00

I have been up here a lot, looking out at the snow and napping on this great pillow. Right now I am admiring my two Christmas presents. I sniffed them all over earlier, but Mom was too slow with the camera to get a picture of that. Speaking of being too slow, Mom has been a really bad blogger again.

Karen Jo: I have been really busy getting out Christmas cards, shipping packages and stocking up on food between snow storms.

We don't even have a Christmas tree.

Karen Jo: I know. I haven't put up a tree since my Mom died. I will look out in the garage for the small one tomorrow. I could put all the Christmas cards on it for decorations. I will also put up your stocking.

Am I going to get anything in it?

Karen Jo: Yes, you will get a toy and some treats in it.

Just one toy?

Karen Jo: You also have your two Christmas packages from your woofy cousins. You don't need more toys, anyway. You have three plastic buckets full of them already. You might get some from your kitty cousins in Albuquerque, too.

It sounds like you are going to desert me for Christmas again.

Karen Jo: Only for a day and a half. I will leave Christmas Eve morning and come back Christmas afternoon. And that's only if the storm we are having now is over by then. We are certainly going to have a white Christmas this year.

You have been really boring lately.

Karen Jo: I try to play with you, but you don't want to play for very long at a time. You get plenty of petting when I am reading and when I go to bed. You also get brushed almost every day.

I haven't gotten anything much good to eat since you cut up the turkey and froze it.

Karen Jo: You got all the turkey you would eat while I was cutting it up, though. When I was done, I put the carcass in a plastic bag and put the bag on the kitchen floor while I went outside to take the lid off the garbage can. When I came back, you had your head in the bag. I waited until you were done with the carcass before I threw it away.

That didn't take long. You didn't leave anything good on the carcass. You wouldn't share your supper with me tonight.

Karen Jo: I was eating fried rice with vegetables and an orange. I let you smell it and you turned away. That was funny. You really meowed at the orange, until you got a good smell of it. You couldn't back away fast enough then. I am having steak tomorrow night. You can have some of that.

Yay! I love steak and sour cream, though I don't eat as much of it lately as I used to. Are you ever going to put up my Christmas cards?

Karen Jo: I will work on it tonight, if my software will cooperate.

Tuxie Tuesday

2011-12-13T20:43:00.000-07:00

I decided not to get up when Mom did. I like her pillow as much as she does and the flannel sheets are nice and warm.

Karen Jo: I can't blame you for not wanting to get up. We are having a big storm today, with lots of snow. I didn't go out at all, except to feed the birds and take out the trash.

Mom finally found a small fresh turkey and cooked it yesterday. I stuffed myself when it was done. Mom kept offering me bites and I kept eating and eating. I ate so much turkey that Mom didn't give me any cat food at my dinner time.

Karen Jo: You couldn't have possibly eaten any cat food after all the turkey you put away, so it would have just been wasted. You really do love your turkey. Every time I get it out, you meow and meow until I give you some.

Fresh turkey is the best. It is even better than chicken or roast beef or steak. I hope we have it for a long time.

Karen Jo: Not for too much longer. I will have to cut it up and freeze it soon. Turkey goes bad fairly quickly if it isn't frozen.

Rats. I will have to see how much I can eat before that happens. There was some excitement out the window yesterday.

Karen Jo: I saw you get all excited and jump up on your platform. There was a little calico kitty outside in the snow. She ran away when I approached her. I hope she got home all right.

Not much else has been going on around here. Mom went to bed way early last night and I got lots and lots of petting. She was pretty boring today, just sitting at the kitchen table doing something.

Karen Jo: I finally got going on my Christmas cards. I got them all ready to mail. Now I just have to get them to the post office. The storm is supposed to end tomorrow at noon and the sun is supposed to come out. I'll go then.

I have been getting some nice cards in the mail and by e-mail, too. I wish Mom would put up my e-cards so I can share them.

Karen Jo: I will get started on them soon. Copying photos from e-mail gives me a "not responding" error sometimes and that can be a pain. As soon as I can I will get them all up on your sidebar.

Out and About

2011-12-09T18:22:00.001-07:00

I have just been brushed. That's why my fur is sticking out a bit. I haven't turned into electric cat again, but I am afraid that it is coming. I found this great sun puddle and plopped down in it for a while. Mom keeps fussing with my fur and pulling at it and threatening me with the little scissors.

Karen Jo: I need to keep up with the little mats before they become big mats. I got one out of your chest fur today, but it took me three tries. You keep squirming away from me. Tomorrow I will go after the one on your foreleg. It beats me how you can get a mat in the short fur on your foreleg.

I am just talented that way. Mom deserted me for the first time since she got sick.

Karen Jo: I had to go to the store. I was going to go out again, but decided that it was too cold.

What was that yummy stuff you were making in the kitchen after you got back?

Karen Jo: I am going to a Christmas party tomorrow and needed to make a snack. I made a Braunschweiger ball and boy, were you interested.

It all smelled so good that I just had to have some.

Karen Jo: I let you have a few licks of the Braunschweiger/Neufchatel mix before I added the seasonings.

It was really good. I want some more.

Karen Jo: Sorry, Herman, but it's for the party. If there is some left over, I will bring it home, but you still won't be able to have any more.

Why not?

Karen Jo: I added onion and horseradish and bourbon to it. None of that is any good for you.

Rats. If you eat any of it in front of me, you better be prepared for lots of begging. Not much else happened today. I curled up on the couch with Mom while she read after her chores were done. I love the way she pets me while she reads. She even put the book down and just petted me for a while. Then she found the mat on my foreleg and I left when she reached for the little scissors.

After the Storm

2011-12-08T19:17:00.001-07:00

I'm just napping in my ham-mick again. I love my ham-mick, especially in the winter. Au was wondering just how big I really am. This ham-mick is 20 inches long and 13 1/2 inches wide. As you can see, I fill it up. Mom was acting really weird for a while. She was staying in bed, but getting up and down all the time. I couldn't get really comfy with her.

Karen Jo: I got pretty sick last Friday, going at both ends. I am all well again now, but it really wiped me out and I needed to rest up after I got better. It's a good thing I did all that shopping last week. I haven't needed to go out again yet. I did cook the turkey and the roast beef and Herman got his turkey bites and roast beef juice and some bites of that, too. The storm didn't amount to all that much. We only got a few inches, but we needed it. We are still in a drought and need all the snow we can get this winter.

I like the snow. It makes the birdies easier to see. I get up on my platform in the afternoon to watch them some days. They really splash around in the birdbath right after Mom puts in fresh water.

Karen Jo: I put warm water in the birdbath in the winter. I think it must feel good to them.

I am playing with more of my toys. Last night Mom got out my flashy ball and I knocked it all around the living room. I am even playing with my Starlight Turbo Scratcher, which I haven't done much of since it was new. Oh, I have been using the scratcher part, but ignoring the ball, until a few days ago. I also knock around my crinkle ball and my regular balls and even a mousie or two.

Karen Jo: I am really having fun playing with you, Herman. I thought you might be interested in the laser dot again, but you ignored it.

I gave up on that one. I can't catch it or bite it, so why should I chase it? Mom thinks I might be getting interested in her lap.

Karen Jo: I do. You get up on the couch to read with me and put your paws or your head on my thigh. The lap is only a step away. I put you up on my lap the other day because you kept pawing at my knee. You even stayed for a minute.

Your lap is lumpy. I prefer the couch. The bed is even better. Boy, did I get a lot of petting time while Mom was sick! It would have been perfect, if it weren't for all the getting up and down. I would just get all comfy and blissed out, then Mom would get out of bed again.

Karen Jo: Sorry, Herman, I couldn't help it. I am well now, so you can get in your uninterrupted hour or so of petting when I go to bed.

I love that, along with snuggling up to you to keep warm.

I Wanna Treat!

2011-12-02T14:25:00.001-07:00

I was giving Mom my "Please give me a treat" face just before she took the photo. I looked down just as she pushed the button. I did get my treat, though.

Karen Jo: I think I am going to have to hold the treat or the treat bag in my hand next to the camera if I really want to get that look.

I have just about finished off my Duck and Pea and there is no sign of any more coming. Sigh. At least I still get my Medley and Stinky Goodness three times a day. Mom got up early to go to the store to get the groceries that she would need for the next few days. We are supposed to get a big snow storm starting any time now, but it hasn't started yet.

Karen Jo: If I had known that the storm was going to hold off this long, I wouldn't have gotten up. When I got up, it looked like it was going to start snowing any minute and there were tiny flakes in the air as I walked to the store. Then at noon we actually got sunshine for a little while.

It made a big sun puddle on my big green pillow and I made the most of it.

Karen Jo: It is certainly cold enough for a big snow storm. The birdbath was frozen solid. I couldn't get the ice out to put in water, so I just poured some water on top of the ice. Hopefully, that will melt enough ice to get it out of the birdbath, so I can fill it with water. The birds are really going after the suet, so I put out a new cake today.

You are doing something funny with your fingers and my fur.

Karen Jo: You are getting little mats in your chest fur again. I am trying to work them out with my fingers. I don't want to try to cut them out because you have a thin fat layer and loose skin right where the mats are. I am afraid that I might cut or pinch your skin. At least you are enjoying your brushing again and don't run from me any more.

Most of my fur isn't long enough to catch in the brush, so it feels good. You can forget that Furminator, though.

Karen Jo: It's not that bad. I need it to thin out your chest fur so you get to keep it for the winter. Remember how cold you got last winter because you had to have your chest shaved for mats?

Boy, do I! Did you find something good at the store?

Karen Jo: I found some turkey thighs and a roast beef. I will cook the turkey thighs, then get rid of the skin and bones and cut it up and freeze it for lunch meat.

Don't you dare put it in the freezer before I get some!

Karen Jo: Don't worry. I will save some out for treats for you. Tomorrow I will cook the roast beef. Then I will have lots of food to see us through the storm. I will let you lick up the beef juice after I carve it.

Yay! I love beef juice.

Tuxie Tuesday

2011-11-29T15:26:00.001-07:00

I am getting a lot of use out of my ham-mick these days. I can't believe that Mom forgot to include all of our blogging friends in the things that we are thankful for. I don't know what she was thinking.

Karen Jo: I wasn't thinking very much. My brain was still full of how much I was missing Emma. Your fur is growing back nicely, Herman. It even looks a little wavy.

Just in time, too. It's getting cold around here. Mom left the door open and the screen door closed and I went up to the screen door to check things out. I soon retreated because the air coming in was so cold. I don't know how Mom goes out in it in just her shirtsleeves.

Karen Jo: I am only out long enough to feed the birds and change the water in the birdbath. It's not too bad as long as the sun is shining. You have been pretty cuddly lately. When I sit on the couch to read, you often come up on the couch and sit beside me. You have even put your head on my thigh. Are you turning into a lap cat?

You wish. I do like to be near you and get petted, though. I like to play with you again, too. I am playing with almost all of my toys, even some of the wand toys. I even played with Da Bird for a little while.

Karen Jo: That surprised me a little. You hardly ever payed any attention to it before Emma came. I am glad that you are playing with me and even chasing your balls around and running down the hall. You jumped up on the sink for a drink of tap water a couple of times, too. I was afraid that you would turn into a lounge cat and lose the muscle tone that you built up playing with Emma.

We are almost out of Duck and Pea.

Karen Jo: I know. I am reluctant to buy any more. You didn't lose any weight last month. You didn't gain any, either. I am thinking about not giving you any more Duck and Pea until you lose the rest of the weight you need to lose.

Dang, not only didn't you bring me any turkey, now you want to cut down my buffet even more.

Karen Jo: I tried to buy us a turkey yesterday, Herman, but all they had were really big ones. I will wait until I can buy one of the smaller fresh turkeys again, then you will get some turkey. As for cutting down on your buffet, you have to lose some weight. I want you to stay healthy. From what I have read about FeLV, if you make it through your fourth year, and you are halfway there, you stand a good chance of living a normal lifespan. I don't want anything to compromise that.

At least I still get some treats, though not as many as I would like.

Karen Jo: I wouldn't make you go without treats completely, Herman. I know how much you like them.

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T00:15:00.001-07:00

Karen Jo: These china quail mean Thanksgiving at my house. My mother always used them for table decorations. I am thankful for many things -- my home, my family and Herman, mainly. I am also thankful that I got to share in Emma's joy of living for eight and a half months. What are you thankful for, Herman?

I am thankful for this nice sunspot on your bed. I am also thankful for my forever home and my Mom who does so much for me. I am thankful that I got to know and play with Emma for a few months, even though I wasn't always nice to her. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Tuxie Tuesday

2011-11-22T19:26:00.001-07:00

I am sitting my my toy baskets, trying to decide whether I want to play with what Mom has gotten out for me today, or pick one out for myself. I went with Mom's choices, though I didn't play with all of them. Mean Mom deserted me for most of the day.

Karen Jo: I left the house for my teeth cleaning appointment a little after ten and didn't get back until a quarter to one. At one my friend called and wanted me to go with her to visit her mother in the nursing home in twenty minutes. I didn't get back from that until three-thirty. I did try to play with you after I fed you on my return, Herman, but you didn't want to. I invited you to share my easy chair while I read after I did my chores, but you only wanted the chair. I moved to the couch and you took my warm spot on the chair. I tried to play with you again after supper, but you weren't much interested. At least you joined me at bedtime last night.

About midnight last night I jumped up on the bed and stared at Mom the way I do when I think it's bedtime. She actually put on her PJs and came to bed. We snuggled all night. I got a lot of petting.

Karen Jo: I was so glad that you wanted to come to bed with me again that I petted you until I fell asleep. We stayed that way until dawn, when I had to get up to use the human litter box and I fed you. I was so happy that you came back to bed after you ate. I really missed you those two nights you didn't come to bed. I think we were both missing Emma quite a bit today. I found Herman in her room twice, lying between the litter box and the spot where Emma passed away. Herman used to only go into Emma's room to use the litter box or play with Emma.

You told me that you are deserting me for Thanksgiving.

Karen Jo: That's right. I am going to my brother's house Thanksgiving morning and coming back on Friday. Don't worry, the same nice lady is going to come in and feed you and give you fresh water.

Does that mean that I don't get any turkey?

Karen Jo: I will ask for some turkey to bring home. If it all disappears, then I will cook a turkey just for us soon. How's that?

I guess that will do.

Mancat Monday

2011-11-21T16:19:00.000-07:00

I am up on my big pillow in front of the window, washing my face. This is a spot that Emma and I shared. Sometimes I would get up here and sometimes Emma would. Mom finds it interesting that I got up on the couch that Emma preferred yesterday, even though I had not been up on that couch since Emma moved in with us.

Karen Jo: You seem to be moving back and forth between spots that Emma used and spots, like your bed by the heat vent, that she never went. You also used Emma's litter box almost exclusively yesterday. I wonder if her smell lingering in these places comforts you. I cleaned and put new litter in both boxes today, as it was long overdue. I hope that didn't upset you.

Heck, no! It was high time that you put new litter in the boxes. You took the food and water out of Emma's room, but you refilled both litter boxes. Why?

Karen Jo: You have gotten so used to using either box that I thought I would keep both boxes filled up. If you stop using one of them, then I will cut you back to just one.

Hey, kitties, you will never guess what has showed up on my buffet! I have kitten food again and I got a treat of baby food yesterday and today. I was feeling too sad to eat the baby food yesterday, but I cleaned it up today.

Karen Jo: Don't get too used to it. I decided to let you have the kitten food that was left in Emma's bowl and to give you the baby food that I was going to try to tempt her to eat. When that is gone, you won't be getting any more.

I'll just enjoy it while it lasts. You didn't share your lunch today.

Karen Jo: You didn't show up to ask for any until I was on my last two bites of roast beef sandwich. You can have some roast beef tonight, if you want it. Speaking of not showing up, where have you been at bedtime the last two nights?

I have been sleeping in my bed in the living room. I did join you just before dawn both mornings.

Karen Jo: Yesterday morning I thought you just wanted petting and didn't get why you kept putting your paw on my face. This morning it finally dawned on me that you wanted early breakfast. You haven't asked for early breakfast in a very long time.

Well, I want it now. You should be glad that I am waiting until just before dawn instead of o'dark-thirty. Why didn't I get my lunch until just now?

Karen Jo: Sorry, Herman, with all that has been going on, I just forgot. You should have reminded me.

I have been sleeping, so I guess it's OK this time. I want you to be more punctual in the future. It's not like you are all that busy.

Karen Jo: I have had a busier day today than in a long time. I got up early to cancel Emma's vet appointment, so they could get some other animal in her slot. I did my usual chores and cleaned the litter boxes. I played with you more than usual, as you have been more playful with me. I went to the grocery store. I finally applied for my Social Security, which I should have done weeks ago. That trip to the allergist has really paid off. The new medication has made me feel better than I have in months. I actually have my energy back. Before today, just getting my daily chores done has been all I could do and I didn't always finish all of them. It's too bad that Emma didn't live to see the new/old me. She would have enjoyed the extra play time.

I am enjoying it. We played with the blue-mousie-on-a-string that Emma got for Christmas in July. I don't usually play with wand toys, but maybe watching Emma have so much fun with them gave me ideas.

Karen Jo: Herman seems to understand what happened to Emma quite well. He is not looking for her, unless he is doing it after I have gone to bed.

Goodbye, Emma

2011-11-20T11:26:00.000-07:00

Karen Jo: I want to thank all of you for purring so hard for Emma. It really means a whole lot to me. This is the most recent picture that I have of Emma that shows her and her personality well. She ran off to the Rainbow Bridge last night. It all happened so dang fast. Tuesday she was running and playing and being my lap cat and Saturday night she's gone. I keep asking myself if I missed something, but I don't think I did, really. She was a bit more subdued after the fight with Herman, but not much. She was a bit more leery of Herman, but I thought that quite normal. The vet checked her over very carefully and there was no sign of any injury. Wednesday, she hid all day. Thursday she was lethargic and I whisked her off to the vet, who found nothing. Friday she was weaker, but still jumped up in the easy chair to sleep on the fake sheepskin cushion. Saturday she seemed about the same during the day. She was moving around the room, though very slowly. I sat with her for over an hour starting about 4:00. She was over by her bed, soaking up the heat from the heat vent and I went over and spent some time petting her. She made some funny little noises, like she was maybe in a little bit of pain, so I stopped petting her and went to the easy chair to read. After a bit, she walked over to lie beside the chair, where I could easily reach her and I started petting her again. I kept on petting her until I had to get up to go to the bathroom. When I got back, she was in her hidey-hole, too far back for me to reach her. I checked on her hourly, but she stayed in her hidey-hole until I found her in the litter box at 9:00. She had gotten in and done her business, then hadn't the strength to get out again. When I picked her up to put her on the floor, she was so limp that I think I knew, deep down, that she wouldn't last the night. I got the syringe and gave her some baby food because I didn't want to believe it. I petted her and talked to her, but she was very unresponsive. I left her and left the light on because I didn't want her to be in the dark I came back at 10:00 and gave her some more baby food, petted her and talked to her, again with very little response. I stayed as long as I could, but seeing her like that was more than I could bear for long. When I came back at 11:00 she seemed cool to the touch and I think she had already gone, but I didn't want to believe it. When I checked her at midnight, there was no denying it. Rigor mortis had set in.

I slept very little last night. I wrote her a limerick, because I had to do something other than lie in bed and wonder if I could have done anything differently. I will be posting it a little later. She is still there on the floor of her room. This morning, I opened the door to her room and took Herman back to see her. He sniffed her paw for quite a while, then went around to his little hidey-hole under the sewing machine. He was attracted to her food, but kept looking back at Emma. Finally, he reached out and very gently touched her paw. Then he nibbled on her kitten food and left the room. In a little bit I will go out and find the shovel and see if the soil is frozen or if I can dig her a grave. There is a spot under the living room window just across from the bird feeder where I can bury her. If the soil is frozen, I will put her in the garage until tomorrow when I can contact the vet about having her cremated.

Most people stop blogging for a while after losing a loved one, but I think I will be blogging more. I need to keep my mind occupied and it's good to know that other kitties are having birthdays and gotcha days and house trashing parties. Goodbye, my dear sweet Emma. I will miss you so much.

Caturday

2011-11-19T19:52:00.000-07:00

This is kind of dark, but you can see the contrast in my ruff, which wasn't shaved and my lower chest, which was. I am growing fur back, but slowly. Mom hasn't taken any pictures lately.

Karen Jo: I promise to take new pictures of you, Herman. I am not going to take any pictures of Emma until she feels better. I hate to see her lying flat on the floor. The Emma update is that she is not doing too well. The good news is that she is still drinking and using the litter box. She does feel much more comfortable in her room with the door closed. She moves around the room and last night I even found her upon the fake sheepskin cushion in the easy chair. The bad news is that she isn't eating. I bought some baby food today and she wouldn't even lick a tiny bit off my finger. She just turned her face away from it. I am going to mix up a slurry of baby food and water and syringe some into her tonight. I syringed a little water into her today and it prompted her to drink more water on her own. So far she is hanging in there and she does have some body fat, but not much. I know that I can only syringe one ml of the diluted baby food into her at once, but does anyone know how many times a day I should do it to keep her going?

I want to go see Emma.

Karen Jo: I am sorry, Herman, but you can't. She is too sick.

Now that I can't play with Emma, I am playing with my toys again. Mom and I played for a long time this evening. Mom plays with me whenever I want now. She gives me good stuff to eat, too. I have gotten chicken, steak and roast beef in the last couple of days. I am getting more treats than usual, too.

Karen Jo: I have to watch myself to see that I don't spoil you even rottener than you are now. I am glad that you want to play with me again.

Purrs for Emma

2011-11-18T21:08:00.000-07:00

Mom took this picture of Emma and me occupying the bed together on November 6th. Don't we look peaceful together?

Karen Jo: You weren't so peaceful a couple of days later. I was standing at the kitchen table reading my mail and giving Emma a pet or two, with you sitting in my chair looking on. I then went to my room and shortly thereafter head kitty fighting noises. There you and Emma were on the kitchen floor kicking each other like crazy. Your first real fight. Are you really that jealous of her?

Yes. I didn't really hurt her and let her go as soon as you asked us what we were doing.

Karen Jo: You did let her go, but whether or not you hurt her remains to be seen. I checked Herman over for wounds immediately and didn't find any. Emma hid for three hours and I checked her for wounds as soon as she came out of hiding and didn't find any on her. Emma then sat in my lap and Herman came into my room to see what was going on. He got up in the computer chair and after a little while raised his paw, as if to swat at Emma. Emma growled and I said, "Don't you dare!" and Herman put his paw down. The next day it looked as if everything were back to normal.

Everything was back to normal, but you were too lazy to blog about it.

Karen Jo: I have been feeling too tired to blog. It looks like I have developed asthma. I am now on a medication for it and I am feeling a bit better. I will be back to regular blogging.

You forgot about my Gotcha Day.

Karen Jo: I didn't forget it completely. I knew it was coming up, but I didn't check on the day until it was too late. I'm sorry. Your Gotcha Day was the day I realized that I hadn't seen Emma all day. I found her hiding under the couch and let her be. Thursday I discovered that she was very lethargic and was lucky enough to get her into the vet that afternoon. The good news is that her temperature, lungs and heart are all perfectly normal. The bad news is that she could have a hidden abscess caused by a claw puncture during the fight, though the vet says that she has never seen a case of that where the cat didn't have a temperature. The really bad news is that her feline leukemia could have become active. The vet sent me home with the pink liquid antibiotic to give Emma twice a day for a few days to see if she improves. Today she is very weak. She doesn't fight the antibiotic I squirt in her mouth, though she doesn't seem to like it. When I got up this morning, I found her by the water bowl in the kitchen and she had peed on herself. This worries me very much because Herman never did that even when he was at his sickest. I cleaned her up and put her back, but she crawled under the kitchen table. I left her alone for a little while, but decided that she would be more comfortable in her room on the warm carpet than on the cold kitchen floor. Her food, water and litter box are all close at hand in there. I got her kitten food off the tall shelf and put it on the floor, then went and got her and put her near her food and water. Herman came in to see what was going on and immediately gorged himself on the kitten food. I let him. I went to make sure that I had an extra dish, so I could give her some Medley in her room and Herman followed me, both out and back in. Herman walked up to Emma and sniffed her all over, then bent over the top of her head. I thought he was going to give her a comforting lick, but he just sniffed, then raised his paw and took a swat at her. She dodged and scooted away from him. I immediately evicted Herman from the room and shut the door. I brought Emma back to her food and water and petted her a little, but she wanted in her hidey-hole under the corner table. I have been in and out several times and spent quite a bit of time with her, just reading in the easy chair. She did come out and sit by my feet for a while, then went to her bed by the heat vent. I was glad to see that, as I thought she would be comfortable there. I had to leave her to do stuff around the house and when I came back, she was back in her hidey-hole. So, Emma is back where she was when she first moved in, locked up in her room, because I can't trust Herman around her. I will visit her often and spend time with her. I made another appointment for her on Monday. If the antibiotic works and she improves significantly, I can cancel. If she stays the same or gets worse, the vet will take a blood sample to see if the feline leukemia is active. Please purr for her. I am very worried, because if it is the leukemia, she doesn't have the reserves that Herman had to fight it. She has only lost a tiny bit of weight, but she is tiny herself.

Dona Nobis Pacem

2011-11-04T00:26:00.000-06:00

We are both purring for peace. Emma and I made peace with each other. Though we still have the occasional spat, it is never anything serious We hope that all the people in the world can follow our example. We know it won't be easy, but we purr and purr that it will happen.

Occupy the Bed

2011-11-02T01:01:00.000-06:00

The Krasota Kastle Cats started the Occupy the Bed movement and we decided to join in. Here I am preventing Mom from making up the bed. This makes the point that we think the bed should belong to the kitties.

Emma: Mom keeps a soft throw at the foot of the bed and I have claimed it as my own. It's dark and makes it hard to see me. I nap here quite often.

We could take up more room if we would both occupy the bed at the same time, but we never do that when Mom isn't in the bed and we rarely do it when Mom is in the bed.

Emma: The only times we are both in bed at the same time is when I beat Herman to bed and grab his spot next to Mom. He has to be contented to sleep by her legs.

Karen Jo: Thank goodness that little trick of yours hasn't started any spats, Emma. You both respect the first cat in the bed gets the petting rule and don't get jealous (usually) unless I try to pet both of you. Sometimes (rarely), neither of you comes to bed with me and I have to sleep all lonely.

It's that coughing and shaking the bed that keeps us away, I think. Sometimes we get all comfortable in Emma's room or the living room and don't feel like moving just because you decide it's bedtime.

I got to go outside. Don't worry, it was in the stroller. I am beginning to enjoy the stroller more. I didn't start complaining until we were almost at the vet's.

Karen Jo: I just took you in for your monthly weighing. You weigh exactly the same as you did last time. I'll take that as good. I don't know how you recognize the vet's before we go in, but your complaining goes up a notch as soon as the sign is really clearly visible.

You take me there every month, of course I would recognize it. I had to really ramp up the complaining before you would take me home again. You just stood there talking and talking.

Karen Jo: OK, you recognize the vet's by the sign or whatever. Why don't you stop complaining when we get close to home? Surely you recognize home.

I do, but I am still cooped up in the stroller and I want OUT.

Guess what? Mom roasted a cross-rib beef roast and I liked it. The only beef I have liked before is steak and rib roast. Mom gave me little bits whenever she ate some herself. I really bugged her about it. I even jumped up on the table while she was eating, which is a big no-no.

Karen Jo: You got your fuzzy butt coaxed off the table right quick, too. I am glad to see you jumping up so high again. You even jumped up to the sink for a drink of water the other day.

I got it, too. I love faucet water.

Emma: I am totally all right again, all well. Herman and I play chase and boxing again just like we used to. Herman was really nice. When he realized I was almost myself again, he started to play with me gently. He jumped out at me and made me run, but didn't chase me and didn't try to swat me. He waited until the next day to start playing a little rougher. I have only run to my hidey-hole once since I got well and I didn't stay long -- just until Herman went away again. I have also become a lap cat. I sit in Mom's lap for at least a little while almost every day. Herman watches sometimes, but doesn't try to do anything to make me get down.

I don't care if you sit in Mom's lap. I don't want to sit there. I think you get a bit more attention than you deserve, but I get attention, too.

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T21:38:00.000-06:00

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

2011-10-26T00:50:00.000-06:00

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

2011-10-21T14:21:00.000-06:00

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

2011-10-18T22:01:00.000-06:00

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

2011-10-15T21:03:00.000-06:00

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.

Togetherness Day

2011-09-30T21:01:00.000-06:00

That's me on the left and Emma on the right. Mom couldn't believe her eyes when she saw both of us sharing the pillow in front of the window. She had never seen the two of us so close together before. She wonders if cuddling together can be far away. I say, "Yes! Cuddling together can be very far away, especially if she keeps on trying to butt in on my petting time."

Karen Jo: Emma wasn't trying to butt in on your petting time. I had been petting you for a long time and thought you were asleep. She just jumped up to see if she could get some attention, too. You have been really hogging bedtime lately. I just reached over and started petting her and you smacked both of us with your paw. Poor Emma just looked confused. It was morning and that is usually her time.

Night time, morning, I don't care. If I am there first I want all the attention.

Karen Jo: And you have been getting the lion's share of it. To clue in our friends, I haven't been feeling well lately and have been spending a lot of time in bed. Herman has been right there with me, wanted to be petted and keeping me company. Poor Emma hasn't been getting much attention at all. I have managed to find some time for her when Herman isn't around.

Enough of that. Our litter boxes need changing.

Karen Jo: I know. I tried to buy litter today, but all I could get was one box and I need two boxes for one litter box. I will try again on Monday. There was enough Deserts' Sand, but you don't really like that.

I don't like that at all. Oh, well, I hope some more Swheat Scoop shows up soon.

Karen Jo: I think I am going to have to start buying it one box at a time whenever I can find it.

Emma: I want some more play time.

Karen Jo: I have tried to play with you more, but you usually don't want to play when I want to play.

Emma: So find out when I want to play and do more of it.

Karen Jo: I know that you like to play at night, but I have been so tired that I haven't been up to playing with you when I used to.

Emma: So get over it and play with me.

At least the food is getting better. Mom cooked chicken in the oven and I sat by the oven waiting and waiting for it to get done. At last it was ready and Mom gave me a bite. She made something good out of it with cheese and I got some cheese, too. Tonight was steak night and Mom gave me some sour cream.

Karen Jo: I would have given you some steak, too, but you never asked for any.

I was too full of sour cream.

Emma: I don't like that stuff. My duck and pea bowl is almost empty and you aren't filling it up.

Karen Jo: Every month I dump all of your dry food, wash the bowls and start over. You will get all brand new dry food in the morning.

Emma: I can hardly wait.

I can wait. I tried some more of that duck and pea yesterday and barfed it again. I think I will stick to my weight control formula.

Karen Jo: I think that's a good idea. I took you to be weighed Wednesday and you have lost 0.6 pounds. I hope some of it was fat and not just fur.

I do, too. I hope I didn't lose that much fur.

Emma: I think you look great without your fur, except for your swag belly.

You little twerp! Wait till I get my paws on you!

Karen Jo: Now, now, Herman. Your belly is a bit more obvious now.

Humpf! At least I still get most of the petting around here. That proves I am still the primo cat in this house.

Adopt-a-Less-Adoptable-Pet Week

2011-09-21T00:38:00.002-06:00

This is the most appropriate badge I could find for Herman and Emma. Herman is FIV+ along with having Feline Leukemia. Emma just has Feline Leukemia. Adopting these two adorable kitties is the best thing I could have done for them and for me. Herman came along shortly after I lost my Mother and was feeling very much alone in the family home by myself. I was sad and lonely; he was sad and lonely; we were a perfect match. Other than his one bout of active Feline Leukemia, Herman has been perfectly healthy in the almost two years that he has lived with me. Emma came to live with us on March 1st of this year. Herman was showing some signs of being lonely while I was at work and the word came that a nearby shelter had a cat with Feline Leukemia who needed a home at once because the shelter didn't really have an isolation cage and all the foster homes were full. I went and picked her up the day after I found out about her and talked to the lady at the shelter. I can't say that they loved each other at first sight, but they get along well. There was never any real antagonism between them. Emma hasn't been sick at all. If you are thinking of adopting a first cat, please consider taking one with FIV or Feline Leukemia. These diseases are serious, but they are not an automatic early death sentence. There are treatments to help keep them healthy and research is coming up with new drugs to help or even cure the diseases.

This is Hal. A life on the streets of Albuquerque, NM, has left him with an aversion to dogs and children, a cauliflower ear and FIV. He really needs a quiet home and a loving human. Please consider adopting him. You can find out more about him here.http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/17712249?rvp=1

Herman Goes Nekkid

2011-09-17T16:44:00.000-06:00

I found a sunspot on the big pillow in front of the living room window. Mom would get me shaved just when the weather turned cool and rainy. I am trying to keep warm now. I am also using my ham-mick and bed in front of the heater again. This is called a half-lion cut. I think it is more three-quarters. I thought Mom would become a better blogger when she retired, but she's worse now.

Karen Jo: My apologies. I am still trying to get used to my new schedule, or rather a lack of one. I fall prey to the lure of the TV much too often, then fall asleep watching and don't blog. I am also going out more. I love having a social life again. Working nights and weekends meant that I had barely any social life at all. I promise to do much better. Herman, don't complain about your shave too much. You know that you feel much better.

True, I am running around and playing much more, now that my flanks don't hurt from the nasty mats.

Emma: One of the things that I really like about having Mom around all the time is that she lets me explore places I was never allowed in before. I surprised Mom by getting up on her clothes in her closet when she was trying to pick out something to wear. I walked from one end of the closet to the other up here, then I jumped down again.

Karen Jo: I was about to offer you a ride down, but you handled it all on your own.

One of the things that I don't like so much is that Mom changed our lunch time. We used to get fed at 1:30 every afternoon. Now we have to wait until three or four.

Karen Jo: I was throwing out so much food that you didn't eat between breakfast (any time between 8 and 10) and lunch that I decided to space out your meals more evenly. Now most meals get eaten almost completely. You still get breakfast and supper at your regular times.

You are not giving me enough treats.

Karen Jo: I am only giving you one treat at a time and only several hours apart now. You need to cut down on treats so you can lose weight. You need to go in for a weighing again fairly soon.

Rats. Hey, maybe I lost weight when I got shaved, so I will weigh in at less this time.

Karen Jo: That's possible, but you are still not getting more treats.

Rats again. At least I still get nibbles from your meals.

Emma: Mom has started giving me a treat when I take my Interferon, but I still run from her when I see the syringe.

Karen Jo: I don't know why you don't like it. It's just a little squirt of cold water in your mouth.

Emma: It's the cold I don't like. It makes me shake my front paws and sometimes give a little shiver.

Karen Jo: Sorry about the cold, but the Interferon has to be refrigerated. Herman likes it.

I still shake my front paw right after I take it.

Karen Jo: Emma is still having a lot of fun chasing the ribbon tied to my Happy Retirement balloon. It's Mylar, so it still floats. Today, she was playing with it in the living room when I left to attend a meeting. When I returned several hours later, Emma was napping on my bed and the balloon was in my bedroom, too. I am guessing that she grabbed the ribbon and took the balloon with her. The windows were closed, so it couldn't have drifted there on its own.

Emma: I am not saying a word. It is really fun, though. I am also still very partial to my new wand toy, though I still like Da Bird best. We are getting more play time, though we aren't always interested when Mom wants to play.

Mom went on a toy hunt the other day. I love watching her lie on the floor and try to reach the toys we have batted under the couch. She found a bunch of balls and a couple of mice. Mom has been watching me pounce Emma. I jump out and try to grab her with my front paws. She always gets away, though. Sometimes I chase her afterward and sometimes I don't. I like to keep her guessing.

Emma: I don't know why Herman wants to grab me. I don't mind it, or the chasing. I can always get away from him. He won't follow me if I go up high or if I duck into any of my hidey-holes. Herman can be fun with toys, too. I whapped a ball near him and he whapped it again and I chased it. He lost interest after that, but it's the most play with toys interaction Mom has seen between us.

Karen Jo: The two of you seem to be getting closer and closer. Most nights both of you sleep with me on the bed, though not close to each other, usually. The other night Emma beat Herman to his favorite spot next to my chest where I pet him. I was petting Emma when Herman showed up. He just lay at my feet, out of whapping range from Emma and went to sleep. I kept expecting him to try to get his spot back, but he never did. I didn't even try to pet Herman, because I know how Emma reacts when I switch my attention from her to him, even if I pet both of them at the same time. The upshot is that Herman is no longer jealous of Emma, but Emma still gets jealous of Herman. What was really unusual is that Emma stayed by me all night. She usually moves during the night, then Herman reclaims his spot. I had both kitties in bed the whole night, which was really great.

Mo Cats Day

2011-09-09T01:23:00.000-06:00

Karen Jo: I just read that Beau's Mom Cathy passed away. It makes me very sad. I have been reading Beau's blog for years and enjoyed it very much. Cathy loved all the kitties so much that I can't think of a better way to honor her than to go ahead and blog for Mo Cats Day.

We got our package from China Cat and Willow for Christmas in July yesterday. We were late getting our gifts to them, too. Look how nicely everything is packaged and wrapped. It came with a nice card, too.

Look at all this good stuff. Even Mom got something. That square that says "Meow" is a picture frame with a great picture of me and Emma in Santa hats in front of a fire with a Christmas tree. Mom loves it and has put it out on the table. We got a purple cube and lots of Temptations (some flavors we have never had before), furry mousies with rattles, a little basketball, a blue ball that looks like a woofie, a nip cigar and a wand toy. Each of us grabbed our favorite right away.

I grabbed the nip cigar as soon as Mom got it out of the package. I sniffed it and licked it and bunny-kicked it like crazy. Then I took a nap using it for a pillow and had nice nip dreams.

Emma: I got all excited when Mom got out the wand toy. I played and played with it until Mom's arm got tired.

All the toys got played with before the day was over. Mom gave us Temptations, too. Thank you so much, China Cat and Willow.

Mom has been acting strange since she retired. She has been sleeping a whole lot. At first she went out almost every night, then came home and went straight to bed, so she didn't blog. Then she just started going to bed early and didn't blog.

Karen Jo: I don't think I realized just how tired I had become. After several night of spending 10+ hours in bed, I finally feel rested again.

Emma: I like all the bed time. I can get my morning pets and the noisy thing doesn't go off and Mom doesn't get up until I have enough petting.

I like all the bed time, too. I have been getting long petting sessions at night. Mom even lies down to watch TV and I can get more petting then, too, if Emma doesn't beat me to it. Other than that, Mom hasn't been much fun. She has been playing with papers all day long.

Karen Jo: I had a lot of paper work that I had been neglecting. It is almost all done now. I have been trying to play with you more, but mostly you don't want to play in the afternoons.

We got used to napping all afternoon while you were at work. We still like to nap in the afternoons, especially now that it gets all cold and rainy every afternoon.

Karen Jo: Yes, I am having to close the windows every night (if not earlier) now. Fall is well on its way.

And you are still plotting to steal my fur.

Karen Jo: I have to. Your mats are even worse that I first thought. You have an appointment with a groomer on Tuesday. Hopefully, it will just be for some spot shaving, but I will let the groomer decide whether you need the whole lion cut. I don't think it will be necessary, as you don't have any mats on your back, just on both flanks and around your legs. You need your butt cleaned, too, but I will try to get that done before your appointment.

I don't like you wiping my butt.

Karen Jo: I know, but it has gotten pretty bad. Your fur is so thick that it is hard to see how many klingons you have. I thought there was just a little bit, until I wiped at you this afternoon and felt them all. You will have to get wiped every day until I can get them all off and maybe you just need to be wiped every day to keep clean.

Argh! I am going to hate that.

Emma: You need to groom yourself. I keep myself clean without any help from Mom.

Your fur isn't as thick and you don't have pudding poop.

Karen Jo: You don't have much pudding poop yourself, Herman. Just a tiny bit every day. It does tend to get stuck in the fur, though.

Nobody warned me that having a retired Mom meant that she would have more time to do stuff to me that I don't like.

Karen Jo: I have more time to do things you do like, too, Herman. I didn't see you turning down bites of my lunch or supper.

That's true. I found out that I like corned beef, but you wouldn't give me very much.

Karen Jo: It's salty and I don't think you should have too much salt.

It is cool that you are home for more meals.

Thank You, ML

2011-09-03T18:54:00.000-06:00

I am a bit late getting my post up, as I have been celebrating my retirement, but I do want to participate. Thank you so much, ML, for all the kitties you have rescued and the inspiration you give all of us to open our hearts and homes to those kitties (and other animals) who need our help so much and who give us so much in return. Without the Cat Blogosphere, I might never have found the blogs of people who adopted cats with health problems and learned that FIV and Feline Leukemia were serious, but no reason not to adopt. Without your lead in showing how a house could take in so many kitties and not only survive, but thrive, I might never have considered taking in my two darlings. Oh, I would have adopted a cat or two, but probably not the two I did adopt. Without the links to so many cat and other animal blogs, Kitty Limericks would not have gone on as long as it has. It is being revived, by the way. Most of the entries in my blog lists came from introductions I found in the Cat Blogosphere. Thank you so much for all the birthday and gotcha day announcements and the sad ones of our friends going over the Rainbow Bridge. I have had very limited time for visiting and I would never have been able to keep up on my own. Mainly, just thank you so much for being the wonderful person that you are.

Tired Thursday

2011-09-01T16:01:00.001-06:00

I can't believe how weird Mom is acting.

Emma: I am looking for Mom's mind. I think she lost it.

We are used to Mom coming home and announcing that she is tired. She does that almost every night.

Emma: Last night she came home with flowers and a balloon. Instead putting on her PJs after she fed us, she put on a clean shirt and changed her shoes and combed her hair.

She called her friend that she goes out with and off they went and didn't come home until stupid o'clock.

Emma: When she finally got home, she had more balloons. When we tried our best puzzled looks to find out what was going on, she said that she was re-tired and was celebrating.

Of course she was tired all over again, after working seven days in a row then staying out until stupid o'clock, but we don't see anything good about that.

Karen Jo: Retired doesn't mean that I am tired all over again. It means I don't have to go to work any more.

What about the green papers? You always told us that you had to go to work to get green papers for our food!

Emma: And toys!

And treats!

Emma: And litter!

Karen Jo: Don't worry. I worked for a long time and earned a pension and Social Security. They will send me green papers every month.

You mean they are going to give you green papers NOT to go to work?

Karen Jo: That's right.

Weird! But I think I will like it.

Emma: Me, too.

Wonderful Wednesday

2011-08-31T00:35:00.000-06:00

I am chillaxing on the bed, keeping Mom from making it up.

Emma: I am chillaxing on the couch, wishing Mom would come and make Da Bird fly around.

It's supposed to be Whisker-Hump Wednesday.

Karen Jo: I know. I don't have any good pictures of your whisker-humps. I will try to get some.

What's so wonderful about Wednesday, anyway?

Karen Jo: It's the last day of my seven days in a row of work. All I have to do is get through Wednesday, then something great happens.

What?

Karen Jo: I'll tell you tomorrow.

Emma: Some kitties have been sympathizing with me about getting chased by Herman. Truth to tell, I usually enjoy it. It's a fun game because he never catches me. When I get tired of it, I have several hidey-holes and places I can go where Herman can't follow me.

You never chase me back any more.

Emma: I only ever did that a couple of times, anyway. I think it's more fun running from you. You chased me away from the toy I was playing with this afternoon.

I wanted to play with it.

Emma: You always want to play with whatever toy I am playing with.

If you are playing with it, then it must be fun and I want it.

Emma: At least you don't always interrupt my play. Sometimes you are just too lazy to bother.

I need my nap time so I can chase you some more.

Emma: I really checked out the chicken Mom was eating to see why Herman likes it so much. I decided that I didn't want any after all.

I think you're nuts. The chicken is delicious and I ate a bunch of it.

Karen Jo: I just wish that you wouldn't lick the last bite before you decide you don't want it after all. If you just sniffed it and walked away, I could eat it.

It doesn't go to waste. You give it to the ravens along with the cat food we don't eat.

Karen Jo: The ravens really love your left over cat food.

Emma: They were really making a racket about it the other day.

Karen Jo: They sure were. They must have been pretty hungry.

Emma: I jumped up in the kitchen window to watch them. I can stand in Mom's chair and look out the window. I can get all the way up on the windowsill, but it's pretty narrow, so I would rather stand in Mom's chair. Mom hogs it sometimes, though.

Karen Jo: I only sit in that chair to eat my lunch. You have it the whole rest of the time.

Mancat Monday

2011-08-29T01:24:00.000-06:00

I am almost snoozing near the kitchen. Mom has been eating chicken again and she is sharing with me. I love it. Mom says that after she finishes her seven days of work in a row, she is going to get something really nice. She isn't saying what it is, but something is making her very happy.

Karen Jo: That's right. You will find out all about it in Thursday's post. You have been chasing Emma around quite a bit lately.

The weather has cooled off considerably and that makes me frisky. What better way to use up that extra energy than chasing Emma?

Karen Jo: How about letting me work on your mats?

That's not fun in any way.

Karen Jo: I am really afraid that you are going to have to go in for a shave. I am ordering a mat cutter to see if that will work, but if it doesn't, or you won't let me use it on you, shaving is all that's left.

It's cooling off. I'll freeze.

Karen Jo: You have a nice warm bed right by the heat vent. If it gets cold, you can be all snuggly there. You know that the mat on your flank is getting uncomfortable for you.

Yeah, I know. I don't like for you to touch it. How come I have to get these darn mats anyway?

Karen Jo: You have very thick, long fur. When the undercoat sheds, it gets caught in the outer coat and mats. You don't groom yourself much, so it builds up. You walk or run away from brushing and furminating, so I can't help you all that much. I'll look into getting you a better brush than your slicker brush that will be more comfortable for you than the furminator to try to keep things under control better.

I hope that works. I used to enjoy my slicker brush, until it started getting caught in the mats and pulling.

Karen Jo: I will have to be more careful in brushing you, then maybe you will enjoy it again.

When am I going to get some new toys? I haven't gotten anything new in a long time.

Karen Jo: You don't need any more toys, really. You don't play will all you have now.

That's because they are all old and boring. I want something new.

Karen Jo: I will look around to see if there is anything you don't have already.

You took away the kitten food. That was mean.

Karen Jo: You need to lose some weight and the kitten food is high in calories. You are doing fine with the duck and pea and the weight control formula.

I don't like that weight control formula all that much and Emma won't touch it at all. Why don't you take that away and give us something good?

Karen Jo: Because you need to lose weight. After the weight comes off, maybe I can get you another flavor of the Now.

The way things are going, that will take forever.

Karen Jo: Run up and down the hall some more. That will help.

That's no fun unless I am chasing Emma.

Sunday with Emma

2011-08-28T01:09:00.000-06:00

I am clillaxing in my computer chair. Mom is messy and she has gotten all sorts of stuff on the arm and side of the seat. Maybe some day she'll clean it up.

Oh, gross! It's my turn to blog and you put in a picture of the litter box?

Karen Jo: That's your paw print in the litter. You were the first kitty to try out the Desert's Sand litter, just a few days after I put it in the new litter box.

That was a long time ago. We are both using that litter box now.

Karen Jo: I know. I haven't been blogging because I have been working very hard and coming home exhausted again. Right now I am in the middle of working seven days in a row and don't know if I will be blogging again until September, which is only a few days away.

You can blog more if you work at it.

Karen Jo: I'll try. The Desert's Sand litter is mostly being used by Emma, though I have seen Herman in it. Some days they pee in the Desert's Sand and poop in the Swheat Scoop. Some days it's the other way around. Most days they do a bit of both in both.

I am glad that you didn't take the kitten food away completely.

Karen Jo: I put it up on the high shelf in your room, where Herman never goes.

He's too fat to get up there.

Karen Jo: Emma, that's not nice. Herman could get up there if he wanted to, but he has never wanted to.

The important thing is that now I get kitten food and Herman doesn't. Hahaha!

Karen Jo: You haven't eaten much of it. You have mostly been eating the duck and pea when you eat dry food.

Herman eats the duck and pea, too, along with his diet food. I don't know why he likes that stuff. It's like the kitten food, but not as tasty. The other day we ate so much duck and pea that the bowl was empty.

Karen Jo: You don't understand why Herman likes people food, either. He has been tasting my food almost every day lately.

Herman will eat almost anything. He even ate that Greenie that I spat out.

Karen Jo: I was surprised at how long it took him to find it. He didn't find it for three days, until you kicked it off the chair onto the floor.

Herman sure has been chasing me around a lot lately.

Karen Jo: The weather has been cooling off and that makes him more playful.

I found a new hidey-hole to get away from him. He can't fit under your dresser.

Karen Jo: That's true. It's smart of you to duck under there when he tries to corner you.

Some of our toys have gone missing. You need to go on a toy hunt.

Karen Jo: In a few days. I will have more time to hunt for toys soon.

Weird Wednesday

2011-08-17T00:39:00.001-06:00

I am always turning away from Mom as she takes my picture lately. You get a good look at the inside of my ear, though.

Emma: I am also being wiggly when Mom takes my picture. But then, I wiggle ALL the time.

Tuesday was really the weird day. We did things we don't normally do.

Emma: I went for a ride in the stoller. I loved most of the ride. I only meowed a few times. I got worried when we went inside, because the only place I have been inside in the stroller is the vet's. It turned out not to be the vet's, though.

Karen Jo:The nice lady at the pet supply store wanted to see you. She had never seen a cat in a stroller before. She even took a picture of you. I wanted to get a mat cutter for Herman and a new litter pan to replace the one that broke. I don't think the mat cutter I got will work on Herman's problem, but I can get another kind from a catalogue.

Emma: You put the weird litter in the new litter pan and we still won't use it. Hahaha!

Karen Jo: I didn't know whether you recognized the litter pan from the evacuation and didn't want to have anything to do with it, or if it is the litter itself that you object to. Next I will put it in one of your old litter pans to see what happens. I tried to get more Swheat Scoop at the store, but they were still out of it.

After that it was my turn to for a ride in the stroller. I still don't like it. I meowed at Mom the whole way to the vet's and the whole way back.

Karen Jo: I needed to get you some more Interferon, so I took you along to weigh you. You gained two tenths of a pound. Do you know what that means?

No, but I don't think I am going to like it.

Karen Jo: It means that I am going to have to put the kitten food where you can't get to it, but Emma can.

No more kitten food? That's mean.

Karen Jo: I am sorry, but you need to lose about three pounds. Switching you over to grain-free dry food took off six tenths of a pound, but now you have put two tenths back on.

At least I got some good stuff for supper. Mom had steak for the first time in weeks. I got a lick or two of sour cream and three bites of steak.

Karen Jo: You got four bites, but you only licked the fourth one. Speaking of that, I found out something new about Emma.

Emma: I am full of surprises.

Karen Jo: That you are. I found out that you don't like Greenies. It is Interferon week. Herman loves his Interferon and actually begs for it when I open the refrigerator in the morning. You don't really care for it and resist taking it a bit. I thought that I could get you to like it better by giving you a treat right after the Interferon. I gave you a Greenie right after your Interferon and you spit it out.

Emma: It was too big and too hard for me.

Karen Jo: It is still sitting on the chair where you spit it out. I am surprised that Herman hasn't found it yet. I guess he will eventually.

Fungus on Sunday

2011-08-14T00:56:00.000-06:00

The rainy season brings up some surprising things in my yard each year. In the front yard, I mostly get fairy-ring mushrooms, but the back yard produces huge toadstools. Each of these beauties is the size of the palm of my hand. They are probably very poisonous, but I find them fascinating.

Fungus?!? What about us? This is our blog!

Emma: Yeah! We are supposed to be the focus of this blog.

Karen Jo: Okay. Tell me all the fascinating things you have done since yesterday.

I dodged the scissors once more and I really hid from that pointy thing.

Karen Jo: That was a seam ripper that was recommended as a way to cut out your mats. I decided pretty fast that you are far too wiggly for me to try to use anything with such a sharp point on it to get rid of your mats.

Emma: The weird litter boycott continues.

Karen Jo: The Desert's Sand remains pristine, untouched by kitty paws. It's fine with me. Now I only have to scoop one litter box.

Emma: Herman, Do you think this new litter thing is really just a fluke, or is Mom being tricky?

I am not sure, but I think we better keep an eye on her.

Karen Jo: I didn't have to share my lunch with any kitty, either.

You got out that stinky stuff that you put on your meat. I don't like that.

Karen Jo: I didn't put any horseradish sauce on the meat, just on my plate. I dipped the meat in it just before I ate it.

I don't like the way it smells at all. It put me right off.

Karen Jo: Don't blame it all on the horseradish sauce. You don't really like roast beef in the first place.

I like rib roast, but you don't get it any more, just like you don't get lamb any more.

Karen Jo: Sorry, but both of them have gone beyond my budget in price. We will all have to wait for a big sale. Don't worry, I will be roasting some chicken again soon.

Yay! Just don't put too many herbs on it.

Karen Jo: What else have you been doing?

Emma: Both of us have spent a lot of time looking out the windows. There have been birdies and rain and wind to watch.

There was a full moon tonight, but it was too cloudy to really see it. It was nice and bright last night, though, and we looked at it quite a bit.

Caturday with Emma

2011-08-13T01:06:00.000-06:00

Mom thinks that this is her computer chair. I think that it is my chair. You should see all my fur on it. Now Mom wants a word.

Karen Jo: I really apologize for not blogging in such a long time. This is a very busy time at work and I have been coming home exhausted. I have also had a bunch of doctor appointments for which I have to get up early and that only adds to the problem. It's nothing major. I got a fungus on my hands which is proving to be a tiny bit stubborn and I had my eyes checked. The eyes are fine; I just need a slight adjustment to my eyeglass prescription. I will try to do better, but things are going to get even more hectic for a little while, then in September things will get a lot better for me. Now back to Emma.

Mom didn't eat anything very interesting until today. She cooked an oven roast and drove us crazy last night with the smell, but she didn't eat any of it. She got it out again today and Herman went nuts. He kept begging and begging for some, but only ate one bite.

Karen Jo: I'm surprised that he even ate one bite. Herman doesn't usually like roast beef, unless it's rib roast. This was a sirloin tip. You didn't want any at all, though you licked your bite. I know, you just want your cat food. You will be glad to hear that I got some more duck and pea for you.

That's good. I like the duck and pea. You did something weird with the litter boxes.

Karen Jo: It was well past time for new litter. I always get you Swheat Scoop, but they didn't have enough at the store for both litter boxes. I got something called Desert's Sand for the other litter box.

It's weird and it's in a different box. It's in the box that the crystal litter was in. Neither one of us has used it yet.

Karen Jo: One of your regular litter boxes broke while I was cleaning it. Part of the bottom just broke right out, so I had to dump the crystal litter and use the new box that I got during the evacuation for the sand litter. I should say that I wasn't able to get regular litter boxes for a while, so I was using plastic storage boxes that aren't as sturdy. I hope that you get over the newness and try it out.

Maybe. Herman was mean to me again. He cornered me in the entrance hall and made me cry.

Karen Jo: I think it was more of a snarl than a cry, but he was being mean to you. It did eliminate the speculation that Herman didn't like you using "his" litter box in the bathroom and was being mean to you over that. The litter box in the entrance hall was the one with the crystal litter and neither of you had used that since the evacuation when you didn't have a choice. I think he is just trying to make sure you know who is the Alpha cat around here. You were mean to Herman this morning.

You were giving me my morning petting and he tried to muscle in.

Karen Jo: That's not quite true. He jumped up on the bed and just got close to both of us. I never stopped petting you, but just reached out to give him a pet to let him know that I knew he was there. You hissed at him and went at him with your claws out.

I didn't even touch him. He is good at ducking.

Karen Jo: He has to be with you being so jealous. I thought you were over that.

Not when it comes to my morning petting. That is MY time and my time alone.

Karen Jo: I will have to remember that from now on. I have been coming home to find your toys all over the place. Do you and Herman play with them together, or do you each play with some by yourselves?

We aren't saying. It's cooler now, so we both feel more like playing while you are gone.

Mancat Monday

2011-08-01T00:55:00.000-06:00

I am relaxing by the scratching post and showing off my magnificent tummy. Mom came after me with the scissors again, but this time I gave her a warning. I touched my teeth to her hand.

Karen Jo: I found a little mat on your flank. I know you don't like me messing with your backside, but I wasn't that close to it.

You were close enough. When are you going to stop with the scissors?

Karen Jo: When I get all the little mats out. I remember seeing an ad for something called a mat cutter. I think I will look into it to see if it is something you might accept better than the scissors.

I don't like the sound of it. I hope it doesn't make noise. At last I got some chicken with cheese. I got four bites today. I turned my nose up at the fifth bite. I was full.

Karen Jo: Being full didn't keep you from sitting there and staring at me while I ate. That's why I offered you the fifth bite. Then you decided you were full.

I got six treats today. Mom will only give me three at one time. I asked this morning and again tonight.

Karen Jo: Three at one time is plenty. I probably shouldn't even be giving you that many. You are due for another weighing.

Do I have to? I don't like going out in the PTU on wheels, especially to the vet place.

Karen Jo: Yes, you have to. I need to know if you are still losing weight, staying the same, or gaining.

If I am losing, do I get some more treats?

Karen Jo: No, not until you are down to where you are supposed to be. Even then I have to be careful, to make sure you don't gain weight again.

Man, this doesn't sound good. I love treats and want more.

Karen Jo: If you were as active as Emma, I bet the weight would come off faster.

No cat could keep up with Emma. She runs all over the place all the time. I get tired just watching her. She doesn't even lie still for petting.

Smart Sunday

2011-07-31T00:39:00.000-06:00

Today was turn away from Mom while she is taking our picture day. Emma and I both did it. The fan has been blowing papers off the kitchen table and Mom doesn't always pick them up right away.

Emma: I had fun with Mom when she was trying to take my picture. First I was on the couch and she sat in my chair to take a picture on my level. I walked over this table to stick my nose right up to the camera lens, then I got into her lap. Mom thought that was pretty cool, so I got petted for a while. Then I got back on the table and sat down looking at Mom, so she aimed the camera and pushed the button just as I got up and turned away.

Karen Jo: I love it whenever you jump up into my lap. You don't do it very often. I have hopes that someday you will become a lap cat.

Emma: I have something new that I like to do. I jump up on Mom's dresser and look at myself in the mirror. I don't meow or try to play with the kitty in the mirror; I just sit and look at myself.

Karen Jo: I have never seen a cat do that before. It seems like Emma knows that she is looking at herself, but cats aren't supposed to be able to recognize themselves like that. Emma is a smart cat and maybe she is smarter than I thought.

I'm smart, too. I know just how to get you to give me treats whenever I want. Or almost whenever I want.

Karen Jo: You are very smart, too, Herman. I have never seen you with a mirror, so I don't know how you react. You know when it's time for your Interferon and remind me if I forget and you know just how to get me up early to feed you.

The put my paw on Mom's head and slowly extend my claws trick works every time. It doesn't hurt her, but it sure gets her attention. You didn't give me any chicken today.

Karen Jo: When the chicken was ready to eat, you weren't anywhere in sight. You and Emma were busy in the living room, so I had to eat the chicken all by myself. I will be having it again tomorrow, so you have another chance.

Good. I have always liked this way of cooking chicken. You snipped my fur again today.

Karen Jo: There are lots of little places where I will have to snip your fur. You are getting lots of little mats. You have been resisting me lately, so they are building up. You don't want to be furminated, which I understand, because if the furminator hits a mat, it pulls and hurts. You don't want your mats snipped, which I don't really understand because I have never hurt you doing it. You really don't want to be shaved, which I understand completely. Snipping is the only way to get rid of your mats that you will tolerate, at least some of the time.

I guess I will have to put up with it. I know that little mats will become bigger mats if they aren't dealt with, then I will have to be shaved, but I don't like the snipping all the same.

Caturday with Emma

2011-07-30T00:43:00.000-06:00

Mom snapped me up here with the stuffies. Neither Herman nor I are interested in playing with the stuffies. I just like to rest up here sometimes and this chair is one stop in my run-around-on-the-furniture game.

Karen Jo: I noticed that neither of you think of stuffies as toys. I even bought one just for you to play with and it always gets ignored when I get it out. Maybe I need to roll it around in nip or something.

It has been forever since you put some new nip out.

Karen Jo: The two of you don't seem to need it. You are lively enough as it is. I will try to remember to put some out on Sunday, though.

There is this very interesting smell in the kitchen.

Karen Jo: I am finally cooking the chicken. I used the recipe that Herman likes -- the one with the Swiss cheese.

I noticed Herman in the kitchen earlier, meowing at you.

Karen Jo: He wanted some cheese, so I gave him a little.

You didn't give me any.

Karen Jo: You didn't ask for any.

I probably wouldn't like it anyway. Herman has started chasing me again. I like it when he will play. I have been very playful. I got one of the balls out of the toy box with holes and knocked it halfway down the hall. Even Herman has been fishing toys out of that box and playing with them. It's fun.

Karen Jo: I am really glad that the two of you are enjoying that toy box so much. At first I wasn't sure that Herman would like it. I knew that you would, though.

I still like Da Bird the best.

Karen Jo: You are certainly putting some wear on it. The feathers are looking pretty scraggly. You don't mind that a bit, so there is no point in getting a new Bird for it yet.

I am glad that you started feeding the birds outside again. I like to watch them.

Karen Jo: I enjoy the chirping. There are definite signs of wildlife coming into town. I saw a bunny on my way to work a couple of days ago and I saw a coyote while I was coming home from work tonight. The paper had a story about a mother black bear and her cub who were in someone's back yard. The fire burned up a lot of their food, poor things. At least the fire is almost out now. The rains have really helped.

Catchup Thursday

2011-07-28T01:32:00.000-06:00

I was just playing with the dangler inside the Alpine scratcher. Emma hasn't discovered it yet, at least not that Mom has seen. Mom is giving me treats for scratching, but only three at a time. I just wait a while on her days off and start scratching again. I scored about twelve treats on Tuesday. Mom gave Emma a treat while I was getting mine and she almost didn't eat it. Mom was just on the point of giving it to me instead when Emma finally decided that she wanted it. Darn it!

Emma: I let Mom get close enough with the camera for a closeup of me. This is quite unusual. I usually move away from her when she gets this close with the camera.

Karen Jo: Sorry for not blogging in a week. Things just kept happening to my blog time. I was bragging last week about Herman not being jealous of Emma any more and he isn't. However, Emma still gets jealous of Herman under certain circumstances. Emma jumped up for her morning petting and she took Herman's usual spot. Herman jumped up on the foot of the bed, but gave Emma room. I reached way down to pet Herman with my right hand while I was petting Emma with my left hand. Emma smacked Herman right between the ears, then grabbed my wrist with her teeth and bunny-kicked my arm.

Emma: Herman was moving in on my petting time. I am fixing him now, though. I am jumping up on the bed at night before he does and grabbing his spot. Now I get the night petting.

It doesn't bother me. I know that I just have to wait and you will jump over to the rocking chair. Then I claim my spot and get my petting. Mom bought chicken, but still hasn't cooked it.

Karen Jo: Stuff happened to my cooking time, too, so I put the chicken in the freezer. I will cook it tomorrow for sure. The two of you have been a bit friskier lately.

The weather has cooled off a bit. Emma is running all over the place during the day again. I am feeling up to trying to grab her as she darts by. I haven't caught her yet, but I am getting very close.

Karen Jo: I wonder what you would do if you did catch her.

I am not sure. Kitty wrestling doesn't seem to be our style.

Karen Jo: The weather is cooler because the rainy season has started. It either rains or threatens to rain every day. It isn't raining nearly enough to mitigate the drought, though.

Fun and Games

2011-07-21T00:44:00.000-06:00

I am just relaxing again. Lots of kitties were impressed with our buffet again. We get so many kinds of food put out because I have both FIV and feline leukemia and Emma has feline leukemia. Both are wasting diseases and Mom is making sure that we get enough choices so we eat enough. We also seem to burn up a lot of energy keeping the virus in remission. I did get too fat, so one of the choices is NOW weight control formula, which I actually like. The other dry foods are Natural Balance green pea and duck and NOW kitten formula. We get kitten food because we need the extra protein. For canned food we get Fancy Feast and Fancy Feast Elegant Medleys. Mom wishes we would eat healthier canned food, but when she tried to give me some, I barfed it right back up. My last bout with feline leukemia left me with a slightly delicate stomach. Mom isn't likely to mess around with our canned food again, unless she can't get the extra weight off me any other way.

Emma: I love this chair. I can get up on the back of it and watch the birdies and the high back makes a bit of shade in the seat. It is also my favorite place to scratch. Mom has given up trying to get me to stop scratching on the furniture. Bribing me with treats to get me to use the scratchers doesn't work because I don't care if I get treats or not. I have even walked away from a treat when Mom tried to give me one. The spray stuff doesn't work because I think it smells interesting. Mom sprays my scratch spot and I sniff and sniff it. I scratch too many places for the sticky tape to work. If she put it on one place, I would just scratch somewhere else.

Karen Jo: I don't really care all that much. All my furniture is quite old and you aren't really causing all that much damage. I would rather you used the scratchers, but you won't, so that's that.

We got a tiny bit of rain this evening, so the weather cooled off. I even felt like playing this evening, but not as much as Emma wanted. She kept running right past me, trying to get me to chase her. I did a little bit, but she wanted more. I played soccer with Mom for a while.

Emma: Now that I know that Herman is just playing when he chases me and I want to play with him, he won't do it much. Mom and I played with Da Bird for a nice long time tonight.

Mom bought some chicken, but she hasn't cooked it yet. She cooked something even better for lunch today -- steak!

Karen Jo: I had started thawing out a steak for supper last night when a friend of mine invited me out for dinner. It had thawed too much to put it back in the freezer, so I just had to cook it for lunch. Grin.

I don't care why we had steak for lunch, I just wanted my share. I tried jumping up on the table to help myself, but Mom put me right back on the floor. I got my bites anyway. Emma didn't even come to investigate. That silly girl really has her food priorities messed up. She will even eat the dry food when there is new Stinky Goodness in the dishes.

Emma: I eat the Stinky Goodness first when it is just put out. I am just not that interested in people food. You eat dry food when there is Stinky Goodness out, too.

Not until it is all dried up and yucky.

Tuxie Tuesday

2011-07-19T00:18:00.000-06:00

I am just lying around. I do a lot of this lately. I am also protecting my chest fur. Mom gets the scissors out almost every day and wants to snip off some of my lovely fur.

Karen Jo: You are getting a whole bunch of small mats around your forelegs. I feel them when I pet you at bedtime. I try to snip one out every day. I want to get it under control before you have to get your chest shaved again.

No more shaving! I hate being shaved. I guess I will have to put up with the snipping and the furminating, but I still won't like it.

I am getting a nice cool drink of water. Mom just put cold water in our bowls. We are both drinking a lot and peeing a lot in this hot weather.

Karen Jo: I am very glad about that. It will keep you healthy. I froze the rest of the pot roast today. What would you kitties like me to cook next?

Herman and Emma: Chicken! Just don't mess it up with a lot of herbs and junk we don't like.

Karen Jo: Chicken it is. I will cook some without anything on it just for you. I am going to try to find a new recipe for me. I am tired of baked chicken with herbs, though I can use it many ways once it is cooked. Are you enjoying the fan while I am at work?

I love it. I lie just in the kitchen doorway, where the fan can cool my tummy fur. I even feel a little like playing at night.

Emma: I like it, too. Herman isn't much fun in the middle of the day. I can run and jump right over him and he just ignores me. The good part is that Mom can play Da Bird with me for as long as I want and he ignores that, too, even though it is at night. He isn't jealous of me any more.

I have gotten used to having you around. I know I can pounce you when I feel like it. I also know that Mom will give us both as much petting as we want at night and early in the morning. There's no reason to be jealous any more.

Caturday with Emma

2011-07-16T00:12:00.000-06:00

Mom never posts on Femme Friday any more, so she said I could have Caturdays.

Karen Jo: My friend and I have gotten into the habit of going out together on Thursday nights and I don't feel like blogging when we get home. Most of the time we don't get home until bedtime, anyway. It gives us both some much needed R&R.

I am in the laundry basket. I helped Mom fold the laundry this morning.

Karen Jo: Mostly you just furred it up a little. You did grab a couple of things as I took them out of the basket.

When you left us last night, you left something cooking that made a yummy meat smell, but we didn't get any.

Karen Jo: I made Hungarian pot roast in the crock pot, then put it away when I got home. You weren't interested in it today.

Herman was, but he didn't like it after he tried it.

Karen Jo: I left the onions out, so it would be kitty safe, but I guess kitties don't like tomato sauce, paprika and caraway seeds.

At least you finally got some more kitten food.

Karen Jo: And after all your begging for kitten food, what were you eating this morning?

The duck and pea dry food. It is pretty good stuff. It's a lot better than that weight control stuff Herman eats.

Karen Jo: Herman eats the duck and pea, too.

Herman eats almost anything. I don't know what he sees in human food, but he is always trying to get some.

Karen Jo: Herman loves steak. You didn't even come into the room while I was eating my steak on Tuesday.

It's OK. I have eaten a bite or two. I much prefer cat food.

I enjoyed watching you crawl around yesterday, looking under the couch for lost toys.

Karen Jo: I found quite a few, including both nip balls. I also found the beat up Bird. I put it on the line with the "new" one to make a bigger toy to play with.

I like it. We played for quite a while tonight. Herman decided he would rather eat than play.

Karen Jo: I don't think either of you eat very much in the heat of the day while I am at work. I keep finding uneaten Stinky Goodness in your dishes. I also gave Herman his yucky pill just before playtime. He was probably trying to get rid of the taste or maybe his treats made him hungry.

Treats are another thing I don't understand why Herman gets so excited about. I will mostly eat one if you offer it to me, but I won't ask for one.

Karen Jo: You and Herman are very different. I like it that way.

Tummy Thursday

2011-07-14T00:49:00.000-06:00

This is what Mom saw when she got up and started to get dressed. I decided to nap at the foot of the bed.

Emma: I decided to nap in the computer chair. We love doing this to Mom. She has to get up and get dressed and go to work and we can just nap around.

Karen Jo: You both were showing off those lovely tummies, so I decided to take pictures. I have to be fast to get a picture of Emma these days, as she retires to her hidey-hole so much. It's dark and must be cooler in there, she spends so much time in it.

Mom ate something interesting for lunch, but she didn't give me any of it.

Karen Jo: I was having turkey dogs with mac and cheese. I offered you a piece of turkey dog, but you didn't want it after you licked it.

I think I would have preferred the mac and cheese.

Karen Jo: I will try to remember that for next time.

Emma: I helped Mom eat something good last night. She was sitting and eating, then she turned away, so I helped myself to some.

Karen Jo: That was banana ice cream. I am glad you liked it.

Emma: I played with Da Bird for quite a while tonight, but Herman didn't want to play.

I played with my mousie wand toy for a while. I pounced you while Mom was in the bathroom. That's how I like to play.

Emma: That was fun, but it didn't last long. You leaped out and pounced me, but didn't chase me.

It was still a bit too hot for chase games. You don't get as hot as I do.

Emma: I am really glad about that.

Karen Jo: The weather report keeps saying that it might rain, but it only rained on Sunday and Monday. I wish it would rain some more. We really need it both for the moisture and to put out the fires.

Mancat Monday

2011-07-11T00:42:00.000-06:00

I am just relaxing in the living room. Mom tried to get me to play a little bit, but it's just too hot during the day. I play more at night. I do chase Emma around some during the day because she just asks for it, but I save playing with toys for the night time when it's cooler. Mom's bitey is all healed up now. I have been playing with the toy box with holes in it. It's fun to push the toys around and try to pull them out. I get some petting time in bed with Mom every night. She says that she is going to have to do something about the little mats she feels around my armpit, but I'm not worried. I know now that she isn't going to hurt me with the scissors, so I don't fight her about it. I am not looking forward to it, but I don't think it will be too bad. Emma's lucky. Her fur is shorter and not nearly as thick as mine, so she doesn't get mats. She sure sheds, though. She got in bed with Mom one morning for a long petting session and practically turned the sheet black with her fur. Mom just laughed about it. Now Mom has some stuff she wants to say.

Karen Jo: The picture doesn't do them justice, but these are the pendant and earrings that I got from the auction. Someday I will learn how to take pictures that are actually in focus. The best thing happened tonight. It rained! It didn't rain much, but it really cooled off the temperature and it got the ground all wet. I hope it rained all over the fire. The paper is back to normal publishing, but I haven't found out much. A fellow says not to put out bird feed, because the bears are hungry, so I haven't been doing it. I notice that my neighbors are all still feeding the birds and I miss the chirping. Bears were spotted in town during the evacuation, but I haven't read any more about them coming into town after we all came back. I think I will start feeding the birds again. They will need food more than ever with so much of their natural food sources being burned up.

All Back to Normal

2011-07-07T00:52:00.000-06:00

As you can see, I don't have any trouble looking at Mom any more. The bitey is healing up nicely -- the redness and swelling is gone, except for just a little at the puncture site. I discovered the dangler inside the Alpine Scratcher and played with it for a few seconds. For some reason that made Mom really happy.

Karen Jo: It made me really happy because it means you are fully over your bad experience with all the moving around. You had stopped playing altogether and now you are playing again and having fun.

Emma: Mom was afraid that this picture wouldn't come out at all. When she pushed the button to take the picture, I was lying on my side and looking at her. As soon as I heard the click, I got up and walked away. Herman and I played chase today for the first time since we got back home. Mom is very amused, because I have been the one trying to get the game started. I have been jumping over Herman and racing past him very closely. What finally worked was when he was walking down the hall and I sped past him. He couldn't resist that. Mom doesn't know which one of us did it, or maybe both of us, but lots of little toys were pulled out of the toy box with holes when she got home. I also pulled out the octopus and catnip banana from a toy box and played with both of them. All in all, we are totally back to normal.

Karen Jo: This makes me very happy. Stress can do very bad things to kitties with FIV and feline leukemia. I am thrilled that both of my darlings have come through this with flying colors. My digestive system is also back to normal. I received the labrodite pendant from the auction and ML even threw in a pair of earrings. I am delighted. I will post about them tomorrow with a picture. I didn't see any smoke or fire coming from the ski hill, so I think the fire is definitely out there. I hope that the local paper gets back on schedule soon, so I can find out some things for sure. The rest of the fire rages on. In an arc from almost due west to almost due north, the mountains are dotted with fire. It looks like a thousand campfires, but it is many miles away. Since this fire is so huge, the best that the fire fighters can do is contain it and wait for the rains. The percentage of containment goes up a little every day, but the devastation is tremendous. The Santa Clara Indian Reservation watershed is burning, so they are looking forward to real problems in the near future, not that they don't have enough now. Please send them some purrs.

Settling Down

2011-07-06T01:47:00.000-06:00

It's hot here, so I spend a lot of time just lounging around, pointing my tummy at any breeze I feel. My head is a little fuzzy, because I moved it while Mom was taking the picture. Mom apologizes for not posting yesterday. We kitties didn't get sick from the stress, but Mom did.

Karen Jo: You might say I am a very visceral person. If I get stressed out, I also get intestinal distress. I was also eating a different diet from what I am used to while evacuated.

Mom didn't find the extension cord that she was looking for, but she found another one that works. Now we get a fan blowing while Mom is at work. Yay!

Emma: Mom couldn't take a picture of me today, because I was in my hidey-hole from the time Mom got up until it was time for her to go to work, so this is a pre-fire photo. I am playing with the wand toys by myself because Mom won't always play with me.

We were so glad to be back home Sunday night that we both demanded a lot of kitty loving in bed. I jumped up as soon as Mom got in bed and get petted just the way I like for a looong time. Mom finally told me that she really had to get some sleep and stopped. I stayed right where I was all night long.

Emma: Monday morning was my turn. After Herman got Mom up early for breakfast and we both ate, I jumped up on the bed and demanded attention from Mom. She petted me for a looong time, until I had enough and went to sleep by her feet. Herman was on her other side, hoping to get some more petting, too, and he did.

Karen Jo: Monday night you both deserted me. Herman didn't come to bed until I was nearly asleep and Emma didn't show up at all. I guess that means that both of you are totally back to normal. The other clues are that Herman is back to pouncing Emma and Emma is teasing Herman by jumping over him. We had a nice play time tonight, though Herman didn't play much. He really enjoys watching Emma play, though. Sometimes this makes Emma nervous, because he used to pounce her while she was playing. He hasn't done that in quite a while. Now the two of them have a staring match, then Herman pounces.

It's really too hot to snuggle. I do appreciate all the petting, though. You know how fickle Emma is. She is always jumping up on the bed and down again.

Karen Jo: You have both regained your appetites as well. Neither of you ate well while we were evacuated. Herman especially was off his food. Now the food is disappearing at its normal rate.

Emma: The kitten food bowl in my room is almost totally empty.

Karen Jo: I was going to get you some more kitten food last Tuesday, but we evacuated on Monday. I will get you some more on Thursday. You do a pretty good job of chowing down on the duck and pea.

Emma: Yeah, but I like the kitten food better.

Karen Jo: There was a lot less smoke in town today. Sunday night and Monday night, I could see fire on the ski hill west of town and on the mountains to the northwest. Tonight, I only saw the fire to the northwest. I hope that means that the fire on the ski hill has been put out. I hope so. There was a real danger that the ski lodge would burn down. The local skiing facilities are provided by volunteers and fixing up the damage is going to take a lot of their resources. So far the worst damage I have heard about is that the cable for the chair lift burned through. The rainy season is due to start in two weeks and I pray that it does.

Home Again

2011-07-04T00:56:00.000-06:00

These pictures were taken shortly after we got home. I didn't want to look at Mom for reasons that will become apparent.

I couldn't wait to get back in my window and look out again. Part of the haze you see is dirty windows and part of it is smoke.

Karen Jo: First of all, I want to thank all of you for all of your prayers, purrs, crossed paws, good vibrations, pug snorts, and good thoughts. They worked! The fire fighters kept the fire completely out of town and off lab property. I am writing this late Sunday, but it won't get published until after midnight, so whatever I or the kitties say about today is Sunday. The evacuation order was lifted today and my brother drove us back home this afternoon. I got home too late to go to work (I thought), but I was feeling a bit guilty about it until I discovered that I wasn't on the schedule for today. I fed and watered the kitties, unpacked, fed and watered the birds and did the laundry. I will now turn the blog over to the kitties, who are aching to tell you their tale of woe.

Sunday night was really weird. Mom came home and fed us and put on her PJs and played with us, just like usual. Then she started putting all sorts of things in bags, including some of our stuff. She was running around like crazy and then went to bed really early, for her. Monday morning, I thought things were back to normal, but Mom kept stopping whatever she was doing and listening to the radio very intently. Just about time to go to work, the phone rang and after Mom talked for a while, she started throwing even more stuff into bags, including our food. A lady we know came over and suddenly Mom stuffed us both into our carriers and we got put in a car and off we went. It was awful. I was in the back seat with three other kitties, while lucky Emma got to sit on Mom's lap. Two of the three other kitties were meowing up a storm. I chimed in once in a while, but Emma barely said anything. I bet it was because she was embarrassed. She pooped in her carrier before we were even halfway there.

Emma: I was scared. I am not used to being near so many other kitties, especially loud ones.

You were in Mom's lap. I was stuck in the back with them.

Emma: I got Mom's lap because I am small and fit into a smaller carrier.

We finally got where we were going and we got stuffed into a bathroom. We didn't even have a litter box at first.

Karen Jo: I had to go out and buy you one. The litter box I packed for you wouldn't fit in my friend's car with all of our stuff and you five kitties.

We finally got a half-size litter box and food and water. I kept asking when Mom was going to open the door and let us out, but it turned out that we were stuck in there.

Karen Jo: It was very kind of my nephew to volunteer to take us in, but he has two kitties of his own and you two have feline leukemia. You had to be kept separate and the bathroom was the only room available.

Emma: I adapted much better than Herman did. He kept rushing the door and getting shoved back in and scooped up just outside the door and brought back in. I just stayed put.

I got the nickname Houdini because I got out the second night and the humans never did figure out how I did it. I am tall enough to reach the doorknob, but the door opened in. Anyway, about four in the morning the lady human found me in the living room looking out of the sliding glass doors. The bathroom door was open, but silly Emma was still inside. I got scooped up by the nephew and shoved back in the bathroom. The third day, I discovered that I just fit into the sink and started taking my naps there. The morning of the fourth day, we got stuffed into our carriers again and off we went.

Emma: This time Herman pooped in his carrier before we were halfway there.

I had to go. At least I went in the back corner of the carrier and used my towel to cover it up.

Emma: Herman complained all the way there and it was a long time. I just settled down in my carrier and tried to nap. When we got where we were going, we got stuffed into an even smaller bathroom for a long time.

Karen Jo: We had to get the bedroom ready for you and my brother wanted to check that there wasn't anything left in that bedroom that you could mess up. It was just a couple of hours. Then you got a whole bedroom to yourselves, with a full sized litter box that I bought for you. I tried to sleep in there with you the first night, but my allergies got too bad and I had to move. The next day I got permission from my brother to open the back door to that room and lock the screen door and put on a fan, so you could get more fresh air. I slept in there with you that night. The last day we were there, my brother found the door to the bedroom open twice, so we actually had to lock you in there and I had to sleep elsewhere, because the lock only worked from the outside.

Emma: Again, I adapted right away, but Herman kept trying to escape. The second night we were there, he actually bit Mom.

I didn't really mean to hurt her as badly as I did, but I was scared and hurt.

Karen Jo: It was as much my fault as it was yours. You made a run for it and I made a grab for you and all I managed to catch was your tail. You wouldn't stop pulling and I wouldn't let go, even when you growled at me. I and your hind end were still in the room, so when you turned and bit me, I closed the door. I was afraid that if I let go, you would run and hide and getting you back would be a real problem. My brother's house has so many places for a kitty to hide. I was also afraid that if you got upset enough, you might pee or poop and contaminate my brother's house. I figured that getting bit was a better option. I never expected you to bite me as hard as you did. Six teeth punctured my skin and the deepest one from a fang got infected. So today I got to visit an urgent care center and got a shot and ten days worth of antibiotics.

Emma: After Mom got back from the doctor and she and her brother ate lunch, Mom came into our bedroom and started throwing things in bags again. Then we got stuffed in our carriers again. Herman didn't put up any kind of a fight, but I did. I thought where I was wasn't so bad.

I just wanted to go home.

Emma: Then why did you poop in your carrier again?

I didn't know we were going home. I was stressed out. I meowed all the way home. It was the longest trip yet. I pooped on my towel and kicked it to the back of the carrier. At last we got home again and do you know what I found there? Empty food bowls! I complained about that, you can be sure!

Karen Jo: Of course. I emptied the Stinky Goodness bowls just before I left because I thought they would get really stinky while we were gone. I fed you as soon as I got your stinky carrier out of the house and threw away your ruined towel. Now we are home and everything is getting back to normal, sort of. The town is full of smoke and I could see the fire on the ridges west of town. The fire fighters set a back fire in the canyon that was the fire's easy way into town and feel totally confident that that edge of the fire is contained. Keep purring for the rest of the people threatened by this fire and the others in the state. This fire is called the Las Conchas fire and it is the biggest wildfire in New Mexico history.

Fire Update

2011-07-02T10:31:00.000-06:00

Karen Jo: There isn't much I can tell you. We moved on to my brother's house, as he has more room. The poor kitties have to remain isolated because of their feline leukemia. At my nephew's they had to stay in the bathroom. Here they have a whole bedroom and I sleep with them. So far the fire fighters have kept the fire out of Los Alamos and away from the lab. It is beginning to look good for going home. Some county and lab workers are being recalled to get the town ready for re-occupation. Things could still go horribly wrong, but so far it looks really good.

Evacuation

2011-06-27T18:41:00.001-06:00

Karen Jo: There is a large fire threatening Los Alamos and we have had to evacuate. Herman, Emma and I are at my nephew's. We are all safe. I will keep you updated as things change.

Update: I would like to let you know that the fire is approaching town on the opposite side to where we live. Our house will probably be fine. The fire still has to burn down a mountainside, cross a canyon floor and climb the opposite canyon wall to get into town. There are lots of fire crews fighting very hard to keep that from happening. Herman and Emma aren't very happy with all the changes in their lives, but we are all safe and that is what matters most.

Hiding on Sunday

2011-06-26T00:46:00.000-06:00

This is where I hide from the Fuminator. It is also really handy for chowing down on the kitten food.

Emma: I am playing with Da Bird by myself. Mom doesn't give me nearly enough play time with it. Mom has been a bad blogger again.

Karen Jo: Sorry about that. I had a really hard week at work. I had to work overtime almost every day.

We haven't been getting any good food. Mom has been eating chicken out of the freezer that we don't really like and she is cooking a pot roast in the crock pot. We don't like pot roast at all.

Karen Jo: That's just too bad. I like pot roast. It's not like the two of you are starving. You aren't even eating all of your Stinky Goodness these days.

It's too hot to eat a lot. Mom popped me into the PTU on wheels and took me down to the vet to get weighed. I lost half a pound.

Karen Jo: It's called a stroller and lots of kitties like to go for rides in them. You meow and meow the whole time you are in it.

I hate being confined. Besides, the only place we ever go is the vet.

Karen Jo: I bet you would complain just as much if I just took you for a walk.

Emma: I want to go for a walk in the stroller. I enjoyed the ride when I went to the vet.

Karen Jo: I have to go get more medicine for Herman next week. I will take you along and weigh you. I am glad that Herman lost half a pound, but I want to make sure that you aren't losing.

Emma: I am looking forward to it. Herman isn't much fun these days. Mostly he just lies around.

It's too hot to do much. I move around at night. I am not even snuggling up to Mom at night any more. It's too hot to snuggle.

Karen Jo: Would you like a lion cut for the summer?

No way! I find going nekkid embarrassing. I think you should set up the fan like you did last summer.

Karen Jo: I got out the fan, but I can't remember where I put the extension cord. Once I find it, I will set up the fan and run it for you.

That sounds good to me. Hurry up and find that cord.

Relaxing on Sunday

2011-06-19T00:57:00.000-06:00

I am just relaxing on the floor. This camera angle makes me look really fat. Just remember that a great deal of it is floof.

Karen Jo: And a bunch of it is fat. You are my pudgy Herman boy. You have been eating your weight control formula dry food. I hope it works for you and you become not quite so pudgy. I think you might have lost a little weight, but the last time I thought that you had actually gained. No worries, I can tell that you are feeling really good these days. You play ball with me in the evenings sometimes and for a longer time than you used to. Last night you even played with your fevver-butt birdie and fished mousies out of the toybox with holes and played with them, too. You chase Emma around and jump up on the table to check out what I am eating. I expect to see you jumping up on the sink for a drink of water out of the faucet again any day now.

Emma: I am up on the end of the couch. Under that table is one of my hidey-holes. I drag Da Bird under there and tangle up the string around the table legs. I haven't been up to any more mischief lately, for which Mom is grateful. I have actually been starting the chase game with Herman. I will run up to him and tag him with my paw, than take off down the hall. The game usually ends when I run into Mom's room. Herman turns into my room then back out into the hall, expecting me to chase him back, but I usually don't. Sometimes I do. Mom says our record is four times up and down the hall with Herman chasing me twice and me chasing Herman twice. It's a fun game, but it is getting too hot to play it except early in the morning and in the evenings. We are usually both crashed out for nap time when Mom goes to work. I have been teaching Herman how to groom himself.

I already knew how to groom myself; I just didn't do it much.

Emma: I think watching me do it has inspired you to do more grooming.

Maybe and maybe I just feel really good and want to groom myself now.

Karen Jo: I don't know which it is, but watching you do so much more grooming makes me very happy. When you first moved in, you were very depressed and hardly groomed yourself at all. When you were so sick, you only groomed your backside. Now you are grooming yourself all over and at least once a day. I take it as a sign that you are happy and healthy.

Caturday

2011-06-18T02:11:00.000-06:00

I'm just taking it easy in the living room. Mom calls this my classic Herman position.

Emma: I am taking a nap on Mom's bed. Mom has been a bad blogger again. I even missed
Femme Friday again.

Karen Jo: I am sorry, but things just haven't been going well for blogging. I could have made a Thursday post, if a certain tuxie girl hadn't stolen my glasses.

Emma: I don't know what you are talking about.

Karen Jo: I was very sleepy and all tucked up in bed when I took off my glasses Tuesday night. I reached up to put them on top of the bedstead bookcase, but I fumbled them and they fell down. I thought I would just pick them up off the floor in the morning. Come Wednesday morning, I couldn't find my glasses anywhere. They weren't beside the bed, where I expected them to be. They weren't under the bed. They weren't behind the rocking chair. I nearly went crazy trying to find them, but finally had to go to work wearing my old glasses. When I got home, I started all over again trying to find them, with no luck. I was thinking about stripping the bed and taking the mattress and box springs off the frame, thinking that they had gotten into some crevice under the bed that I couldn't see from the side. I decided to lie across the bed and look under the bed from the opposite side with the flashlight to see if a different perspective would help. When I looked down, there were my glasses, in your hidey-hole.

Emma: I found them on the floor. Anything on the floor is a toy.

Karen Jo: That's a good excuse. After I finally found them, it was too late to blog and I was too tired, anyway. I have been too tired to water the lawn after work, too. The poor grass is in terrible shape. At least the roses have gotten enough water to bloom. If you are wondering why I don't just water the grass on my days off, it's because we are in severe drought conditions and the county has imposed watering restrictions. The days I am allowed to water don't coincide with my time off.

Emma: Mom says that I should reassure my friends that I get in my whaps at Herman, too. I love to lie in my chair and wait for Herman to go by. I give him a whap in the middle of his back before he suspects that anything is up. Tonight he was playing ball with Mom and I pounced his tail. He whipped around, but I was out of reach.

Karen Jo: Herman and Emma have both gotten used to the new dry foods. I have seen both of them eating all three of their choices. Emma barfed a bit of the duck and pea the other day. It is those little round disks that cause the problem. They are small enough to swallow without getting chewed up, then they absorb moisture and expand, then come up again. The Now food is in tiny round pieces that can also be swallowed without being chewed up, but they are small enough not to cause a problem when they absorb moisture.

Emma: I have stopped running to see what Mom is putting in the dry food dishes. I know that it's just going to be the same boring stuff day after day.

Karen Jo: If Herman loses the weight he needs to, I can get you different flavors of Now. At present, it's just going to be the weight control formula and the kitten food. Unfortunately, they are both the same flavor.

Mom froze the rest of the turkey, so no more turkey bites for me. I don't know what she's going to cook next.

Karen Jo: I don't know, either. I think I will eat out of the freezer for a while. There's still chicken in there.

You haven't cooked lamb in a long time.

Karen Jo: I won't be cooking it again, unless there is a good sale. The price has gone up out of my range. I am afraid there is going to be a lot more pot roast around here.

Herman and Emma: YUCK!

Mancat Monday

2011-06-13T00:49:00.000-06:00

I am just relaxing. Mom likes to take pictures of my profile sometimes. I got more turkey today. I didn't want as much as I did yesterday, but I still ate quite a bit. Silly Emma didn't want any at all. She doesn't know what she's missing. I pestered Mom for my Interferon this morning, but she wouldn't give it to me.

Karen Jo: You only get Interferon every other week. You have to wait until next Sunday to get it again.

We really need to have the litter boxes changed.

Karen Jo: I know. I will do it on Tuesday, when I can pick up enough litter to do the job.

I had to give Emma another lesson in who is in charge around here. Mom came when she yelled at me.

Karen Jo: I wish I knew what started these "lessons". I hear Emma yell, well, snarl is a better word, and invariably find both of them in the bathroom. Herman is sitting there like an Egyptian statue and Emma is cowering against the bathtub or the litter box in a defensive position. I have to persuade Herman to back off and Emma makes a run for it. I stand in Herman's way to keep him from chasing her. Then it's all over and they are friends again.

It was really windy inside the house again today. The door to Emma's room slammed shut. I bet Emma was glad that she wasn't inside at the time.

Karen Jo: I need to buy some more door stops and make sure that they are under all the doors in the house. Today you lost access to some food, water and the second litter box.

I loved watching Emma be a klutz tonight while she was playing. I laughed myself silly when she fell off the couch while playing with Da Bird.

Karen Jo: She just gets excited and forgets how close to the edge of the couch she is. She plays up on the couch because you pounce her sometimes when she is playing on the floor.

I just pounce her every once in a while. It's fun.

Sunday Musings

2011-06-12T01:01:00.000-06:00

I am watching Emma, ready to pounce if she does anything,

Emma: I am watching Herman, ready to run if he tries to pounce me.

Karen Jo: Herman and Emma were both playing with the toy box with holes and they decided that they both wanted the same toy that Herman fished out. They backed off from each other and lay down and stared at each other, tails twitching for a while. Nobody got pounced.

I got lots of turkey today.

Karen Jo: You really wanted turkey today. You ate all I offered you and wanted more, so I even cut a little more off the turkey for you after I was finished eating. Emma, on the other hand, didn't want any at all.

Emma: I prefer cat food to people food. I will take a bite or two of something really good, but I would really rather eat cat food.

I tried to get Emma to chase me today, but she didn't really cooperate.

Emma: I saw you run after you pretended you were going to pounce me in the kitchen and started out after you, but I thought you went down the hall when you ran into the living room. I looked down the hall and didn't see you, so I stopped running. When I saw you in the living room, I jumped up on the furniture and started to run again, but you didn't chase me the way you usually do.

I didn't want to play that game. I started fishing around in the toy box with holes and that developed into the staring match.

Karen Jo: I am very glad that you both like the toy box with holes. I knew that Emma would like it when I bought it, but I wasn't sure about Herman.

Mom is using that furminator thing on me all the time now.

Karen Jo: Your fur is trying to mat again and I have to get the extra fur out before that happens. You are shedding up a storm and your undercoat fur is getting caught in the guard hairs. At least that's the way the vet explained it to me. You need a very thorough furminating all over, but I don't think you are going to put up with having it all done at one time.

You can bet on that. I little every day is more than enough. Why isn't Emma getting furminated?

Karen Jo: Her fur is not nearly as thick or long as yours is. Her shed fur comes right off with light brushing or even just petting.

Emma: I am not minding the brushing as much as I used to. I even let Mom brush my tummy a few times today before I started biting the brush so much that she had to stop.

Karen Jo: I appreciate that. You need some brushing, but not much. It is mostly to get the fur off into my hand instead of all over the furniture and floor.

Emma: I found out that I can stand in Mom's chair at the table and look out the kitchen window. There are all kinds of birdies out there.

Karen Jo: You do love your bird watching. You are so talkative with me that I find it strange that you don't chitter at the birds.

Emma: I don't want to scare them away. Herman doesn't talk to the birds, either.

Karen Jo: He doesn't any more. He did a couple of times when he first came to live with me.

There isn't much point in talking to birds. We don't speak the same language.

Caturday

2011-06-11T01:14:00.000-06:00

It's been hot lately, so I do a lot of relaxing on the carpet with my tummy turned toward the breeze.

Emma: My head is all blurry because I started grooming my chest fur just as Mom snapped the picture.

Mom has been a really bad blogger. She hasn't posted in a week.

Karen Jo: My apologies. We get more customers later in the day in the summer, so I have been getting home later and several days I needed to go to bed earlier because I had to get up early. It's going to get worse, because I am going to have to start watering the yard after I get home from work some days. I will do as much as I can. Things should get a lot better in September.

I guess that will have to do. At least you finally cooked something good again.

Karen Jo: Yes, I roasted a turkey Wednesday night. I don't get you two, though. Thursday, you couldn't get enough turkey. Today, you hardly wanted any at all. I would offer you turkey and you would sniff it, then just look at me. You kept staring at me all the time I was eating, though. Each of you took one little bite, then didn't want any more.

Sometimes we want it, sometimes we don't. I jumped up on the table to see if the stuff on your plate was better than what you were offering me. It wasn't.

Karen Jo: Herman has shown some interest in the toy box with the holes in it. I showed him that I was dropping a few treats into the box and he made a half-hearted attempt to get them out, but soon gave up.

Why should I work that hard for treats, when I know you will give me one for scratching?

Karen Jo: I have seen you fishing little mousies out of it.

Now that is fun, at least for a little while.

Emma: I like to whack one of the balls in the box and run to the other side to see if it comes out.

Emma has started tearing up the new bird already.

Karen Jo: She is just playing with it. She has ripped off all the smaller feathers, leaving just the two big ones, just like she did with the old bird.

Emma: I just played with the bird and the feathers came off. I wasn't trying to wreck it.

Karen Jo: I know. I think the smaller feathers aren't fastened as well as the big ones, or, being smaller, the quills aren't as strong and they break.

We have open windows all the time now and we love it. There was one really strong gust of wind this afternoon and it slammed the hall door shut. We didn't love that.

Karen Jo: Neither did I. I put something heavy in front of that door so it doesn't happen again. I am glad that it happened before I went to work. If that door had slammed shut while I was at work, you poor kitties would have been cut off from both litter boxes. It hadn't occurred to me that that door would slam shut. I have never felt such a strong gust of wind through the house before.

Emma: It scared me. I went and hid for a minute, until I realized that Herman wasn't scared, so everything was all right.

It made me jump, but I have heard doors slam before. Mom's bedroom door and the kitchen door did it last summer, until Mom got doorstops for them.

Birthday Presents

2011-06-04T00:41:00.000-06:00

Finally, here are my birthday presents, with my handsome self checking them out. Mom really blew it yesterday. She was supposed to give updates on the party, but she didn't.

Karen Jo: I tried to, Herman. I was updating the birthday party and the power failed. Then I had a lot of things to do and I never got back to it. I apologize.

The only birthday present I am really interested in is the nip rainbow. I sniffed at the new bird for Da Bird and totally ignored the Peek-a-Prize.

Emma: I like all your presents a lot, Herman. The Peek-a-Prize is really fun. You should try it out. The new bird is awesome. I played and played with it.

Great. Emma likes my birthday presents better than I do. I want to thank everyone for coming to my party. Emma and I had a great time with all of you here. The only time the Peek-a-Prize got really interesting was when the churchyard meeses tried to hide in it. That was a lot of fun.

Birthday Party

2011-06-02T01:01:00.000-06:00

Sammy, Andy and Shelly's Mom, Judi, sent me this great birthday card. Thank you so much. As you can see, my birthday is actually on Friday, but we are going to celebrate today, as Mom has to work on Friday. The party starts right now and will go on all day, right up to midnight on Friday. Mom has been stocking up on cat food, so we have plenty of Stinky Goodness and Elegant Medley for everyone. We also have lots of healthy grain-free dry food, if you like that sort of thing. There will be lots of chicken and roast beef and salmon, too. Mom also stocked up on treats, so we have Temptations, nip treats, Greenies and Party Mix. Mom will be mixing up niptinis and meowgaritas for the adult cats and serving tuna juice and milk for the kittens. We have a good supply of nip and tons of toys to play with. We have lots of places to sleep for the kitties who want to start partying tonight and sleep over. Since Mom doesn't have to go to work tomorrow, she says that we can play THoE all night if we want to. Mom has a full-sized bed with lots of room for kitties to crash on.

Tomorrow, I get to open my presents and the party will really get into high gear. The weather looks like it is going to stay warm, so we will have lots of open windows Mom will feed and put new water in the bird bath, so the Bird Channel will be pretty interesting. Mom promised to post updates on the party tomorrow and I intend to see to it that she does. Come on over and let's celebrate my fourth birthday.

Fresh Air Sunday

2011-05-29T00:54:00.001-06:00

I'm whiffing the fresh air. My head is a bit blurry because I kept moving it all around to get in all the new smells coming in the open window. It was warm enough for open windows as soon as Mom got up this morning and we got to keep them open until Mom went to work.

Emma: I am watching a birdie take a bath.

Karen Jo: Sorry it's such a long shot. This is my third attempt to take this picture today. Every time Emma saw me coming toward her, she jumped down. I would back away from her and she would jump back up. I finally ended up taking the picture from across the room. She was absolutely fascinated by a bird having a really good time in the bird bath, which I had just filled. I opened windows in the kitchen, living room and my bedroom, which gives a nice breeze through the house. I closed them when I went to work because the weather had been so cold lately, I was afraid it would get too cold by the time I got home. After I got to work, I realized that I hadn't turned the heat back up, but I needn't have worried. The house was 80 degrees inside when I got home. We have an open window in my bedroom and the back door open, with the screen door securely latched. I will leave them open until it gets too cold. It's down to 60 outside, so I will have to close up before I go to bed.

We were good kitties today, with no spats, though Emma almost pounced me tonight.

Emma: I was up on the couch and ran to my favorite chair when I saw Herman relaxing near it. I came within and inch of pouncing right on his head, but thought better of it at the last minute and put on the brakes.

Karen Jo: I could tell that if Emma had pounced that it was going to be a play pounce. Herman barely reacted.

I was too hot to react much. 80 degrees is way to hot for me to feel up to doing much at all. Emma was still running around, but her coat isn't nearly as thick as mine. I was really glad when Mom got home and left the back door open and opened her window to get a little breeze going. I will be really glad when we get to have open windows while Mom is at work, so it doesn't get so hot in here.

Karen Jo: That should be soon, if the weather stays warm. I just worry that if I leave the windows open and the temperature really drops, you will be two very cold kitties when I get home.

I haven't gotten cold since my fur grew back in after I had my chest shaved last year. Emma might feel it, though.

Emma: I could always snuggle up to you to keep warm. I'm not sure I'm brave enough to do that, though, if Mom weren't around. It seems we can only snuggle up next to each other when we are also snuggled up next to Mom.

Karen Jo: Give it time. I think the two of you are eventually going to be very affectionate toward each other.

Caturday

2011-05-28T00:47:00.000-06:00

The sight of Mom crawling around on the floor trying to get good pictures of us never fails to amuse me.

Emma: This catnip banana really amuses me and that seems to amuse Mom. She was laughing, anyway.

Karen Jo: I love the contortions you get into when you are really enjoying playing with something.

Emma: I didn't find Herman very amusing on Thursday. After you wrote about how well we were getting along, he was really mean to me. He backed me up against the bathtub and whapped me.

Karen Jo: I don't know what got into him. I heard you making the angry cat sound and came to see what was the matter. I had to tell Herman to back off a couple of times before he actually did it. Then you ran like crazy to get away from him. When I went to comfort you, I found a big tuft of loose fur on your side.

Herman: I was just reminding her who is the boss kitty around here.

Karen Jo: I think you can do that without scaring her half to death. I just don't get it. Today when you wanted to share the Medley while she was eating it, she just half-raised a paw to you and you backed off.

Herman: I knew that she wouldn't eat all of it, so I just ate some Stinky Goodness until she finished what she wanted and I got to eat the rest of it.

Karen Jo: The two of you have been cuddling up together with me in bed like usual, so whatever ticked off Herman so much is all over and forgotten, apparently. At least the weather is finally warming up and we are getting more open windows around here.

Emma: I love the open windows and the birds. I get up on the very top of the easy chair and watch them while sniffing the fresh air.

Karen Jo: I tried to get a picture of that, but you reacted to the camera whirr and jumped down. I will have to remember to turn the camera on before I come into the room when I want to catch you doing something.

Togetherness Thursday

2011-05-26T01:04:00.001-06:00

Here's a sight you don't see every day. In fact, Mom had never seen it before. Mom had been reading in the easy chair next to this couch. Emma crawled all over her for a while, then went to the couch. I joined her there. We even stayed put while Mom went and got the camera.

Emma: It's a good thing she got the camera when she did. I jumped off the couch right after the picture was taken and Herman followed in a couple of minutes.

Karen Jo: This is the first time that I have ever seen the two of you so close together, just chillaxing. You usually only get this close when you are both in bed with me.

Emma: Bedtime is the best time. I even groomed Herman's head a few nights ago.

Karen Jo: That surprised me, too. I think the two of you are beginning to really like each other. Herman was fascinated with Emma from the very beginning, but Emma was scared of Herman at first. Then she began to tolerate him. Both of them have displayed jealousy of the other. Now the ambushes and whaps are much more playful.

The Purina One is all gone. I am going to miss it.

Karen Jo: You missed it so much that you even started munching on the Green Pea and Duck again.

Emma: I tried the Green Pea and Duck, too. I would still rather have the Fancy Feast Filet Mignon.

Karen Jo: I know that you would, but give the grain free food a chance. It is much better for you.

We don't care about that. We want food that tastes good.

Karen Jo: Well, I know that neither of you is starving. You aren't even finishing up all of your Stinky Goodness all the time.

Sometimes we forget about the bowl in Emma's room.

Emma: I'm very glad that you still put food in it, though. Sometimes Herman hogs the food in the kitchen.

You try to hog the food sometimes, too.

Emma: Yeah, but you're bigger, so it's harder for me.

Karen Jo: OK, that's enough of that. Mostly, these days, each of you chooses a bowl, either the Medley or Stinky Goodness and eat side by side.

Sunday with Emma

2011-05-22T00:56:00.000-06:00

Emma: I get the blog to myself today because Mom has been really bad about posting on Femme Friday. For some reason, Mom finds this photo really amusing. I don't know why. I just found myself a comfy nap spot. Herman and I are getting along really well now. We haven't had any kind of spat in a couple of weeks now. We even sleep touching each other in bed with Mom. That's so we can each get a hand to pet us before Mom goes to sleep. After Mom gets really sleepy and stops petting us, we just stay where we are and we sleep, too. I have been chasing Herman down the hall a little bit more. It's fun. I like to lie in my favorite chair and wait for him to go by. Then I swat at him and he swats back. We only manage to swat each others' paws, but that's what makes it fun. Herman didn't want to play tonight at all, but I did. I played with Da Bird until Herman came into the living room to see what Mom and I were doing. Then Mom tried to get him to play with Da Bird, but he just ignored it. Then Mom tried to get him to play with his wand mousie, but he ignored that, too. I didn't ignore it. I pounced it right in front of him, but he didn't mind. He just wanted some petting from Mom. I played with Da Bird for a little while longer after that, then got tired of the game.

Karen Jo: I am really beginning to think that extended play is just something that FeLV kitties don't do. Herman only plays for two or three minutes at a time and Emma stops after five or six minutes. Changing toys doesn't make any difference.

Emma: I wish Mom would go back to the old food. My favorites are both gone. I loved the Purina Kitten Chow and the Fancy Feast Filet Mignon. Now all the dry food I eat is the Purina One. Thank goodness for Stinky Goodness and Medley.

Karen Jo: Why won't you try the Now weight control food?

Emma: I ate all the Filet Mignon off the top of it, but I am just not interested in it. I nibble at the Now kitten food a little.

Karen Jo: I will keep an eye on your weight. If you start to lose, I will consider getting you some Filet Mignon and put it up on the window sill for you, where Herman won't get at it.

Emma: I am trying out being a lap kitty again. I was well on my way to turning into a lap kitty when Mom started putting me in her lap to put those icky drops in my ears. That put me off her lap for quite a while. A few days ago, she was sitting in her rocking chair and I jumped up in her lap and stayed that as long as she let me, which wasn't very long.

Karen Jo: I am sorry, but I had to go to the litter box room. I put it off as long as I could, but I was ready to get up to go when you jumped in my lap.

Emma: Humans, hmmpf! Always disturbing us kitties just when we get really comfortable.

Caturday

2011-05-21T00:57:00.000-06:00

I am napping on the floor. We didn't get any sunspots today or open windows. We are both a bit bummed out by it. I tried out the new diet dry food. It wasn't too bad. I ate quite a bit of it.

Emma: I usually nap on the big pillow, but today I just napped on this soft throw that Mom put on the table for us. Herman says it was here when he moved in. I haven't tried the new food yet. Oh, I sampled the kitten food, but I don't like it as much as I liked the old kitten food. I am just eating the Purina One dry, along with the Stinky Goodness and Medley. Every time I hear Mom putting new dry food in a bowl, I come running, sniff the new stuff, then look at Mom reprovingly.

Karen Jo: It almost feels like winter again. It actually snowed yesterday. It was too warm (in the 40s) for it to stick, but it came down. Herman seems to like the grain free food OK, but Emma doesn't even want to taste the weight control food. I don't know what she is going to do when the Purina One runs out.

Emma: I like to scratch both vertically and horizontally. I mostly like to scratch on the couch in the living room, but I also scratch on the easy chair in the living room and the couch in my room. Herman's platform has material on it almost like the material on the couch, but I won't scratch on it. Mom keeps trying to get me to scratch where she wants me to, but I won't do it. My new scratcher has the same material on it around the edges and the base, but I won't scratch on it, either.

Karen Jo: I will keep on trying. Luckily, you have small claws and they don't seem to be doing much damage. All the furniture is quite old, so I don't really care all that much.

I actually played with Da Bird for a little bit tonight. I still don't see what makes Emma so crazy about it, but it is kind of fun to bat around.

Emma: I played with it for a long time tonight. It's my very favorite toy. I think Mom may have to get a new bird for it soon. I have pulled out all but two of the feathers and those two are looking pretty scraggly.

Karen Jo: I will get a new bird for Da Bird the next time I am at the pet supply store, or when the feathers finally give out. I wouldn't want you to miss out on play time with your favorite toy. You kitties have been coming to bed kind of late the last few nights.

You have been going to bed earlier. I came in at my usual time and you were already asleep, so I missed out on my petting time.

Karen Jo: Sorry about that. I had a lot of work to do yesterday and I got so tired that I needed to go to bed.

Emma: You made me miss out of Femme Friday. Pout.

Karen Jo: If it's all right with Herman, I can let you have Sunday.

I don't mind.

New Food

2011-05-19T00:48:00.000-06:00

I have reclaimed my platform. Emma was up here in this exact spot just a minute ago. Mom went to get the camera and by the time she got back, I was up here and Emma was in her favorite chair. We finally got about an hour of open windows yesterday. That's why we both wanted up here.

Emma: Herman chased me off the platform, so I came back to my chair. It is in the cross breeze from the living room window to the kitchen window. I am still scratching on the furniture and Herman interrupted my scratching for a treat lesson. Mom saw me scratching on the couch again and picked me up and put me on the base of the scratching post and moved my paws in a scratching motion and offered me a treat. Herman butted in, trying to get the treat. We whapped at each other and I got him on the paw, but then I jumped back up on the couch and did my scratching there.

Karen Jo: I put the treat back in the bag. I certainly wasn't going to give it to Herman and I couldn't give it to Emma after she scratched the couch again without giving her the wrong idea.

Mom went through with her threat to get us new healthy food. We had almost finished the Fancy Feast Filet Mignon, so Mom put the new stuff in that bowl and put the rest of the Fancy Feast on top of it. We have eaten up almost every morsel of the Fancy Feast and now just the new stuff is left in the bowl. We haven't tried it yet. Now we are eating the Purina One.

Karen Jo: Go ahead and enjoy your Purina One while you can. When it runs out, you will have only grain free dry food. You are eating some of the grain free kitten food, so I know that it can't taste all that bad to you. The new food has turkey, salmon and duck in it.

I guess we will try it eventually, but you not only got grain free food, you got the weight control version. Diet food, yuck!

Karen Jo: You don't know that it's yuck; you haven't even tried it yet. You might even like it.

I just hope that you aren't planning on messing with our Stinky Goodness or Medley.

Karen Jo: Not for a long time yet. I will give the grain free a couple of months at least to see if that change is enough to get the extra weight off you. If you would play more, it might go faster.

I play enough. I chase Emma and Emma chases me. I just don't see the fun in jumping around after Da Bird like Emma does.

Emma: Da Bird is the most fun. When Mom gets home, I can hardly wait for play time.

Mancat Monday

2011-05-16T00:46:00.001-06:00

Do you like our new header? Sammy and Andy and Shelly's Mom made it for us. Thank you so much.

This is my new favorite early afternoon nap spot. My hammick in the sunspot is too hot now, especially since we don't get any fresh air.

Karen Jo: I want to open the windows, Herman. I do open them for at least a while whenever the temperature gets up to 60. They stayed closed today because it stayed in the 50s and that's just too cold for open windows.

You put the last of the Fancy Feast Filet Mignon in out dish today. So when does the new stuff appear?

Karen Jo: I will find your new food on Tuesday.

That's days away. What if we run out?

Karen Jo: You have plenty of other food. You have your new kitten kibble, your Purina One and your Green Pea and Duck along with your Stinky Goodness and Medley.

But I have always had four choices of dry food.

Karen Jo: Not always. You only had three until I got the Green Pea and Duck for you. If you must have four choices, there is some of the I/D kibble left.

Thanks, but no thanks. I wouldn't eat that stuff before, remember?

Karen Jo: I remember that you ate it up when it was new, but got tired of it very quickly.

I hope the new stuff is at least decent tasting. I know you want the best for me, but this lose weight thing is icky. I wish I could just sent off the extra pounds to the kitties who want them.

Emma is getting sort of feisty with me. You were brushing me today by the chair that she likes best and when I rolled over to let you brush my tummy, she reached down a paw like she was going to whap me.

Karen Jo: She was only teasing you. Her paw couldn't reach you.

I know, but it ruined the nice brushing mood. I couldn't lie there and let you brush me with that going on. She sat in my place to wait for the Medley this morning, too. I had to make do with the Stinky Goodness.

Karen Jo: She didn't eat all the Medley, just most of it. You got to finish it. Emma chased you down the hall again tonight.

Yeah, she did. I like that part of her getting feisty. Playing chase with her is lots of fun.

Bad Mom

2011-05-15T01:49:00.000-06:00

Here I am in the stroller, all ready to go to the vet's. Mom has been really bad. She hasn't blogged or visited in nearly a week.

Karen Jo: I know. I have been really busy and/or tired. I will try to do much better.

I didn't go to the vet's on Tuesday after all.

Karen Jo: It was beautiful Tuesday morning and I went for my mammogram (all normal) and walked home and enjoyed it very much. By the time I fixed and ate lunch, the wind had blown in some clouds and it got really nasty. I did manage to get to the vet's to pick up your medicine and weigh the stroller, but I didn't enjoy it at all. Thursday was pretty nice, though.

Off I went to the vet's on Thursday afternoon. I didn't enjoy it at all. I meowed all the way there and all the way home. I even tapped at the little window in the back with my paw to let Mom know that I wanted out of that contraption.

Karen Jo: I didn't much enjoy the results. You actually gained a pound. On the way home Tuesday, I picked up a new bag of healthy kitten kibble, confidant that you had lost weight and you had actually gained. I found it hard to believe. You are more active and jumping up on things again, which you weren't doing when you first gained the extra two pounds. I, and two of my friends, who also live with cats, think that you have converted some of the fat to muscle, which explains the gain, yet improved jumping ability. You get to keep the kitten kibble, but I am changing your other kibble to healthier versions, as you run out of what you have now. We will see what that does.

That healthy kitten kibble doesn't taste as good as the Kitten Chow.

Emma: I agree. We aren't eating as much of the new stuff.

Karen Jo: It's Now kitten kibble and it has no grains or gluten in it, so it's better for you. I think it's a good thing that you aren't eating as much of it. I am going to see it Now makes a kibble for overweight kitties and use that to replace your other dry food. You get to keep the Green Pea and Duck, though.

Big deal. Neither one of us eats much of the Green Pea and Duck. What if we don't like the food for overweight kitties?

Karen Jo: Then you won't eat much of it and maybe you will lose those pounds. If you do eat it, it's better for you than what you are eating now, so maybe you will lose weight. We all win, either way.

That doesn't sound like much of a win to me.

Emma: Not to me, either. I don't have to lose weight. Why do I have to suffer because Herman is a fatty?

Karen Jo: Because there is no place I could feed you that Herman couldn't get to, except the high window sill and I can't see the food staying there without getting knocked off and making a mess. I guess I should monitor your weight as well, to make sure that you don't start losing weight.

Can't we keep the Fancy Feast Filet Mignon dry food? You said that it doesn't have much bad stuff in it.

Karen Jo: No. I want the weight to come off. After you lose the three pounds that you need to lose, maybe you can have it back.

You are not only a bad blogger, you are getting mean.

Emma: I am enjoying the view of the bird feeder from the big pillow on the table in the living room. This has become my favorite place in the early afternoon. Lots of birds show up just after Mom puts out new food and water. I even nap up here. We have been getting a little fresh air through the windows, but not much.

Karen Jo: I am sad about that, too. I also want the windows open, but it is just too cold still.

Mancat Monday

2011-05-09T00:53:00.000-06:00

I am just being a good kitty, watching Mom crawl around on the floor with the camera, trying to get good pictures of us. Mom, you didn't do a Mother's Day post, so we could wish you a Happy Mother's Day. It's all we could give you, because we don't have any green papers and aren't allowed to leave the house, anyway.

Karen Jo: You gave me a much better Mother's Day gift than you know. Neither of you was being a cranky kitty today. There was lots of playing, with chase and tag being the main games. Last night you both came to bed with me and let me pet each of you with one hand, with no jealousy. Herman, you even let me weigh you without any fuss. The best present of all it that it looks like you have lost a pound. I would like to take you to the vet's and use their scale to make it official on Tuesday.

I don't want to go to the vet's.

Karen Jo: It will just be a nice ride in the stroller, into the vet's, up on the scale, and home again. I will take the stroller in empty earlier, so I can subtract that weight.

I still don't want to go.

Karen Jo: If you have lost a pound, then you get to keep your kitten dry food, which you like. If you haven't lost that pound, I will have to stop giving it to you.

Hmmm, a trip to the vet's doesn't sound so bad now. That was a nice game we played tonight.

Karen Jo: I enjoyed it, too. I know that you don't enjoy Da Bird nearly as much as Emma does, so after I played Da Bird with her for a while, I got out your mousie wand toy and moved it back and forth between you and Emma. Both of you took turns catching it. Oddly enough, Emma got tired of the game before you did. You are usually the first one to stop playing.

I think Emma got hungry or thirsty. She headed into the kitchen. We are almost out of Stinky Goodness.

Karen Jo: Not any more. I brought you home 48 cans tonight.

When are you going to start eating something good for lunch again?

Karen Jo: As soon as I find something that I want to cook. It's about time for chicken again, unless some good beef is on special.

It sounds good to me, as long as you don't cook pot roast.

Cranky Caturday

2011-05-07T01:33:00.001-06:00

I like to sort of hide behind the new scratcher, so Emma can't see me watching her. It's easier to ambush her this way.

Emma: I just finished playing with the Wooly Bully and now I am relaxing a bit.

Karen Jo: I think both of you need to relax a bit more. You have both been very cranky kitties this week. What has been bothering you so much?

I want more open windows. The house smells stale, but you hardly ever open the windows.

Karen Jo: It has still been windy and cold. I did open up a few windows for an hour or two before I went to work today.

Emma: I want more food. You feed us breakfast early, but then we don't get any more until you are nearly ready to leave for work and you don't come home and feed us again for hours and hours.

Karen Jo: You don't need any more food. Herman is already too fat and you are getting a little pudgy tummy. There is plenty of dry food available all the time. If Herman doesn't start losing some weight soon, I may have to cut down on the dry food.

Herman and Emma: Nooo!

Karen Jo: Now what is bothering you about each other? Herman, the other night I was playing ball with you while I was waving Da Bird for Emma. Everything seemed to be going so well, but you stopped playing ball and soon pounced Emma, making her squeal and hide.

When she is lying on her back and waving her paws around, sometimes I just can't help but want to pounce her. Besides, when you play with me I want you to only play with me and not play with Emma at the same time.

Karen Jo: Emma, you were especially grouchy yesterday. I was doing the laundry and I knew that both of you were near my feet, so I shuffled my foot instead of taking a step, but I pinched Herman's toe anyway. Herman yelled and both of you ran as fast as you could to the living room. I started petting Herman to apologize for hurting him and you started making angry noises and hissing at him. I had to move to the couch to calm you down, then go back to Herman to make sure that he wasn't hurt. What was that all about?

Emma: When we ran to the living room, Herman was chasing me as hard as he could. He scared me.

I wasn't chasing you. I was trying to get away from Mom's clumsy feet.

Karen Jo: Later, it was furmination time. Emma, you let me give you a light going over before you started biting the furminator so that I couldn't continue. Herman, you were more cooperative, but just barely. I know that you would rather just be brushed, but the brush won't keep the mats away. I started to go under your chin and you let out a yell and scratched me. Emma, you jumped up on your carrier, then pounced on Herman's head, which caused quite a ruckus.

I had a mat under my chin and I didn't want it getting caught in the furminator. I didn't really hurt you much.

Emma: Herman gave out an attack cry and I was trying to protect you, Mom.

Karen Jo: I appreciate the thought, Emma, but I really don't need protecting from Herman. I understand about the mat, Herman. I am glad that you let me get it with the scissors. It's great that you aren't so afraid of the scissors now. Both of you seemed to be in much better moods tonight, so maybe we won't have such grumpy kitties now.

Tattletale Tuxie Tuesday

2011-05-03T00:04:00.000-06:00

Here's my tummy shot for the contest that the OKcats are having.

Emma: And here's mine. I have tales to tell. Last night Mom was bad. She didn't give us our play time and she forgot Herman's pill. Then she didn't even blog for us. She made Herman miss Mancat Monday.

Karen Jo: I apologize. It snowed all day yesterday, which kind of depressed me. I know that we need all the moisture we can get, but I am sooo tired of being cold. Things were hectic at work. By the time I got home I was tired and cold and I wanted to watch the news. Important things happened.

Emma: More important than Herman's pill?

Karen Jo: No, I promise not to let it happen again.

I didn't mind missing my pill. Those things taste terrible.

Emma: This morning Herman hurt Mom.

I didn't mean to. I was bunny kicking her arm and forgot to keep my claws tucked in.

Karen Jo: I know that you didn't mean to hurt me, Herman. You stopped when I started saying "OW!" You hadn't played the bunny kicking game with me in a long time and you just forgot.

I could tell some stories on Emma.

Emma: Yeah? Like what?

You always scratch the furniture instead of the scratching posts and pads. If you don't stop it, Mom is going to put you in the Naughty Kitty Club. I'm in the Good Kitty Club.

Emma: Mom? Is that true?

Karen Jo: No, Emma. Just scratching the furniture isn't enough to get you into the Naughty Kitty Club.

Emma: Whew! I don't want to be in the Naughty Kitty Club. I want to be in the Good Kitty Club like Herman.

Good kitties don't scratch the furniture.

Karen Jo: That's true, but that's the only naughty thing that Emma does, so maybe she could get into the Good Kitty Club after all.

Emma: I hope so.

Remembrance Weekend

2011-05-01T01:57:00.000-06:00

Today we are remembering all our friends who have gone to the Rainbow Bridge. I will just list the ones who come to mind. I am sure there are more. Sweet Praline, Luxor, Mickey, Opus, Emil, Anastasia, Rascal, Mr. Tigger, Rocky the Gutter Cat, Mia, CatZee (who may still be alive, but she went out and never came home), Patches, Bow, Gatsbi, Fat Eric, Forest, Snickers, Dakota and all the rest whose names just aren't coming to me. We will remember you fondly.

Caturday

2011-04-30T01:37:00.000-06:00

We have totally learned to share Mom in bed. Now that we don't have any problems lying right next to each other, we can each get a petting hand at bedtime. We both love it. Other kinds of sharing don't always come so easily.

Emma: Herman was mean to me yesterday.

You were playing with my favorite toy and I wanted it.

Karen Jo: Herman, you have 12 or so of those favorite toys.

But you only get them out one at a time.

Karen Jo: You still didn't have to whap Emma over it.

You were tossing toys to Emma and she was playing with all of them for a little while, then waiting for the next one. The last one you tossed her was one of my favorite balls. She was playing and playing with it. I decided that I wanted it and I whapped her.

Emma: I hissed at you, but then I jumped up on the sofa to get away from you.

That was exactly what I wanted to happen. I got the ball and started playing with it.

Karen Jo: If you had waited for another minute or two, Emma would probably have stopped playing with the ball and you could have had it without whapping her.

But I wanted it right then. I didn't hurt her or anything.

Karen Jo: At least you mostly get along. You got Emma to play THoE with you this morning.

That was fun. I chased Emma down the hall into Mom's bedroom. Then I crouched down at the foot of the bed and started teasing Emma with my paw, waving it at her.

Emma: I crouched down at the side of the bed and started doing my wiggle-butt.

When I saw Emma was ready to pounce, I started running up the hall.

Emma: When I saw Herman running, I chased him all the way up the hall. I like it that I can chase him now sometimes and not always be the one being chased.

I had been trying to get you to chase me back for weeks. It just took you a while to catch on that chasing me back was part of the game.

Karen Jo: I love seeing Herman and Emma playing together. Emma has been so good for Herman. He has even started playing with his toys by himself again. He had stopped playing unless I played with him and even then his interest flagged quickly. Now he will sometimes spot a ball and start batting it around and chasing it. Tonight he even joined in playing with Da Bird. They weren't trying to catch it together, but I would swing it near Emma for a while and let her play with it, then I would swing it near Herman and he would play with it, too. He hasn't played with Da Bird in a long time.

More Firsts

2011-04-28T01:26:00.000-06:00

Mom put more nip on the cardboard scratcher and the turbo scratcher. I am enjoying it and watching Emma play.

Emma: Mom put out this toy for the first time since I got here. I love this nip banana. The picture is a bit blurry because I was moving so fast. I bunny kicked the banana so hard that I lost my grip on it and it went sailing across the room. Mom laughed and laughed. I looked sad, so Mom got the banana and gave it back to me.

I have decided that sleeping with Emma isn't so bad. Mom got really sleepy after dinner last night, so she lay down on the bed to watch TV. We both know that means cuddle and petting time. Emma jumped up first and got all comfy close to Mom's face. I jumped up next and made myself comfy right next to Emma.

Karen Jo: You actually cuddled up to Emma. Your shoulder was up tight against her rump. Emma murped about it a couple times, but didn't move away.

This morning was great. We finally played THoE for real. I chased Emma down the hall and when I turned around, she chased me up the hall, so I chased her down the hall again and she chased me back up the hall again. Then we took a little breather and I started to chase her down the hall again. Halfway down, she suddenly lay down and waved her paws at me. I just sat down and looked at her.

Karen Jo: It looked to me like Emma was inviting you for a bit of kitty wrestling.

It could be, but she had never done it before and I didn't know how to react.

Emma: I am having more fun here. Every day after lunch, Mom puts the toys away and gets out different ones. She tosses them toward me and I play with each one for a bit, then wait for the next one. They are all great fun. I really enjoyed chasing Herman today, too. Now that I am absolutely sure that he won't hurt me, I can enjoy playing with him more. He doesn't seem to know about kitty wrestling, but maybe I can teach him. He kept showing me that it was all right if I chased him back, but I wasn't sure about it for a long time. Maybe he feels the same way about kitty wrestling. We have each pounced each other, but it wasn't for play, except for the times that Herman just ran at me and tagged me with his paw or started to chase me. I think things are just going to get better and better.

Tuxie Tuesday

2011-04-26T00:38:00.000-06:00

Mom didn't take pictures today, so here's an old one of me that she hadn't used because it didn't turn out too well. I'm just snoozing in the living room. We got some more turkey today. I got three or four bites. I really like it. Mom says I better get my fill soon, because she is going to debone it and slice it up and put it in the freezer tomorrow. Last night Emma didn't come to bed. I got Mom all to myself until she fell asleep. I loved every minute of it.

Emma: I am relaxing in the living room, too. Mom likes this picture because my eyes show up well. I don't know why I didn't feel like going to bed with Mom and Herman last night. Maybe I got too excited by the woofies barking or something. I woke Mom up bright and early this morning for breakfast, though, then I got some petting after she went back to bed and I had eaten my breakfast. Mom laughed when she got up because I had dragged Da Bird all the way down the hall to the foot of her bed. I wanted to play some more, but I didn't get to until after she got home from work tonight.

Karen Jo: I am sorry, Emma, but I just didn't have time to play with you this morning. I have too much to do before I go to work to play.

Emma: Mom offered me some more of that turkey, but I don't really like it much. She put a couple of bites in the food dish, but I didn't eat them and neither did Herman.

I like it best right out of Mom's hand. I had fun watching Mom play Da Bird with Emma tonight. Mom tried to play ball with me first, but I wasn't interested. Watching Emma put me in a playful mood, though. I played with my mousie wand toy quite a bit after Emma was done with Da Bird.

Emma: I caught that mousie a few times myself. It isn't nearly as much fun as Da Bird. I don't know why Herman likes it better. Nothing else worth mentioning happened today, so we'll say goodnight.

Mancat Monday

2011-04-25T01:39:00.000-06:00

I just finished gorging myself on smoked turkey and decided to nap right here.

Karen Jo: I take it that you enjoyed your Easter.

Mostly, but Emma whapped me.

Karen Jo: I thought the incident was amusing.

I didn't think it was so funny. You promised us smoked turkey for Easter dinner and you came through. You chopped up a pretty big piece of turkey and put it in our spare food dish. Emma beat me to it. She was just sniffing at it, so I slowly started to push my nose toward the dish and she whapped me, right on the top of my head!

Karen Jo: How many times have you done that to her?

Two or three times, but I usually just threaten to whap her. I only whapped at her once and she dodged my paw. You were sitting in your chair and eating, so I went over to you to ask for some of your turkey.

Karen Jo: That's when you missed the funny part. After chasing you away, Emma sniffed and sniffed at the turkey, then licked it. She ate one or two bites, then decided that she would rather eat the crumbs of Medley left over from breakfast. I had to turn you around so you could see that the turkey dish was unguarded.

That Emma is silly. I ate quite a bit of the turkey, but you put out a lot. I couldn't eat it all.

Karen Jo: What was really weird to me is that when I got home from work, the two of you still hadn't finished the turkey. After all the asking and asking me for more turkey, you didn't eat that much of it when I gave it to you. I guess you prefer cat food, after all. All of that got eaten up. I noticed that you and Emma played with the toys while I was at work.

Emma played with them. I just watched her.

Karen Jo: You did that during after work playtime, too, at least until the play got interrupted.

Some really rude woofies started barking loudly.

Karen Jo: That really caught both of your attentions. Emma ran to my bedroom to get up in the high window to see what was going on and you went to the hall and started growling at each bark. I never heard you growl before.

You never saw me hear woofies barking before, either. I don't like woofies. Remember when you petted that woofy at the vet's and I wouldn't let you touch me afterward?

Karen Jo: I remember. You didn't seem to mind my neighbor's little woofy who came over that time.

She was a really little woofy and she didn't bark. I was bigger than she was, so she wasn't scary to me. I think she was scared of me.

Karen Jo: It's almost bedtime. Are you ready to curl up with Emma and me for bedtime petting?

I am ready to curl up with you. I guess I can tolerate Emma again. We seem to be making a habit of both going to bed with you for bedtime petting.

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T01:00:00.001-06:00

Mom couldn't find cat-sized bunny ears, thank goodness, so here is our Easter stuffie again. Happy Easter, everyone! We hope you all have a great time.

I am relaxing in the living room near the toys, but not playing with them.

Emma: I am playing with one of the feather toys that Herman doesn't like. I love this toy bucket with the holes in the sides. I stick my paw in and fish out the little mousies, then play with them.

My favorite room lately is the kitchen. Mom bought a whole smoked turkey and she has been sharing tiny bites with us. I thought I was going to get to help myself, but Mom caught me.

Karen Jo: I sliced off what I thought I wanted to eat, but left the turkey on the kitchen counter, in case I wanted more. I didn't think anything about it because the last time Herman tried to jump up to the sink he didn't quite make it. He had gotten too fat to jump that high. Emma wasn't showing much interest in the turkey. While I was eating, I heard a familiar thump. Herman had jumped up on the counter and was inspecting the turkey. I got him down and fed him bites until I finished. I think he wanted more than I gave him.

I did want more. I wanted the whole thing.

Karen Jo: You couldn't possibly eat that much turkey. Today you quit after six bites.

Emma: I want more turkey. I hardly ever get any.

Karen Jo: That's because you aren't patient enough to wait for your bites. I give you one bite, then you rush off somewhere else. You have to learn to sit and wait, like Herman does.

Emma: I still want more turkey.

I do, too.

Karen Jo: I am having Easter dinner for lunch before I go to work. I will make sure that you get lots of bites of turkey. I think I will cut some up for you and put it in the extra food dish.

Emma: Herman will hog it all, like he did with the tuna juice. He drank up every drop of it, except for the one lick I got before he crowded me out with that big head of his.

Karen Jo: I will make sure that you get some, Emma. I have noticed that Herman has learned that if he positions his head directly above the food dish, you can't get your head in.

Emma: At least he isn't being mean to me any more.

Karen Jo: I noticed that both of you are getting better at sharing. The two of you slept within inches of each other last night, all night, with Emma sharing my pillow and Herman curled up against my chest. When I woke up in the early light to go to the litter box room, the two of you realized how close you were to each other and traded a couple of paw swats, but nobody moved and nobody made any threatening noises. Both of you were still on the bed when I got back and you both got your early morning petting. Tonight, Herman just watched Emma play with Da Bird. I tried to get him to play again, but he wasn't interested until I got out his favorite wand toy and he played a bit with it and some more with a ball.

Emma: I don't hiss at Herman any more.

Karen Jo: I noticed and I really appreciate it.

So do I. That hissing was getting really old. I like to watch Emma play. She plays a whole lot more that I ever did, but she's more that a year younger than I was when Mom brought me home. I am playing more than I used to since Emma moved in. I still think that ambushing her in the hall and chasing her around the living room is more fun than batting a ball around.

Caturday

2011-04-23T01:10:00.000-06:00

I am in the kitchen, waiting to be fed.

Emma: I am in the living room. playing.

Mom really meant to take part in House of Horrors week, but then she started feeling bad again with her allergies and didn't get any of it done. We have been going along as usual, except for the time I jumped Emma when Mom was playing with her.

Karen Jo: What was up with that, anyway? I was flying Da Bird for Emma and I was flying it over your head, too. You could have joined in at any time. Instead, you suddenly pounced on Emma, pummeled her a bit, then left. Emma let out a high-pitched eeeee! but didn't really yell for help. I couldn't tell if you were playing or being a bit mean. I think you were being a bit mean.

I got a bit jealous of all the attention you were giving Emma, so I stopped the game. I let you play with her tonight.

Karen Jo: It was a one time thing, but the next time I flew Da Bird for Emma, she kept looking to see if you were watching. When she spotted you, she stopped playing. Luckily, she seems to have forgotten all about it now.

I am just playing with her now. I grabbed her when she was running down the hall, but didn't hit her. She just turned around and ran the other way.

Emma: That didn't scare me. I knew you were just playing. I think it's fun when you chase me. I think it's great that Mom keeps the toy baskets on the floor. I am picking out my own toys to play with now. Mom saw me pull out a soft ball and chase it all over the living room.

Karen Jo: I love to see you playing with the toys. What's really wonderful is that you like the feather toys that Herman shows no interest in at all. Now all the toys are getting played with by somecat.

I am not playing much with the toys. I would rather play with Emma. We are still working out what's fun for us. I love hiding and waiting for her to come by so I can jump out at her. We are both on the bed with Mom most nights and mornings now. Mom has fun getting into a position where she can pay attention to both of us at the same time.

Mancat Monday

2011-04-18T00:56:00.000-06:00

Mom didn't take a picture of me today, so here's a blast from the past. Mom really has to get her picture taking together. She forgets a lot. Luckily, she often has extras, but not today. Emma and I are getting really used to each other.

Karen Jo: I'll say you are. When I woke up early this morning to go to the litter box room, both of you were in bed with me. Your back paws were almost touching. I wish I had had my camera handy.

That was Emma's idea. She got in bed with me. I was just where I was when we went to sleep.

Karen Jo: You are confusing Emma about the food dishes. Sometimes you let her share and sometimes you don't.

It all depends on how much I like what is in the dish. If I really want it, I don't want her sharing until I am finished. Otherwise, she is welcome to share while I am eating.

Karen Jo: You seem to like to watch her play.

She's fun to watch. She really goes after Da Bird. While you are at work, she drags it under the corner table to play with it by herself.

Karen Jo: It's Mancat Monday, but we are talking about Emma. What have you been up to lately?

Just my usual. I eat, sleep, take care of business and play some. I like to hide and peek out at Emma, like I am going to pounce her when she goes by. It makes her nervous and she runs by. Sometimes I chase her. We both like that. I like to get my bedtime petting.

Karen Jo: I have noticed that some of your fur is trying to mat again. You even have a tiny mat near your elbow. I am going to have to snip that out.

You will have to be fast. I hate scissors.

Karen Jo: You don't seem to mind so much if I pet you a lot first.

You better pet me a whole lot first if you are coming near me with scissors. I would love the attention. That reminds me that I love to scratch for a treat while Emma is watching. She always runs to scratch on the furniture and doesn't get a treat. That makes me laugh. That stuff you bought to spray where she scratches to make her stop scratching there doesn't seem to be working.

Karen Jo: I haven't noticed her avoiding any of the places I have sprayed. In fact, she seems to find the smell interesting.

Score another one for the kitties. I think Emma is going to scratch on the furniture forever.

Sunday, Fun Day

2011-04-17T00:42:00.000-06:00

I am watching Emma play with Squeaky Mouse.

Emma: I am playing with Squeaky Mouse. I had never seen this toy before. First Mom tossed out a ball from a toy basket and I batted and chased it until it went into a corner. Mom got it out again, but I had lost interest. The she tossed out this fevver-butt mousie and it squeaked. I pounced on it and played and played with it. Mom tossed out some other toys for Herman, but he would rather watch me play than play himself sometimes. Mom hasn't cleaned up the nip from the carpet yet and I roll in it every day, then run around like crazy and play and play. Mom wanted to play with me with Da Bird tonight, but she couldn't find it at first. I had dragged it off the couch under the corner table to play with it by myself. When she found it, I played and played with it. Herman just watched.

Karen Jo: Herman got into the playing when I got out his favorite wand toy -- the mousie. It was fun pulling it by Herman and watching him play with it, then pulling it past Emma and watching her play with it.

Emma: Herman was mean to me tonight.

I was not. I just threatened to whap you when you stuck your nose in my Medley dish while I was eating.

Emma: But you let me share the last time I stuck my nose in the Medley dish.

I didn't feel like sharing tonight. You got your own food.

Emma: Mom did put some good Stinky Goodness in my dish in my room and I ate it all up. You didn't even finish your Medley.

I left some for you. I just didn't want you trying to eat it while I was eating. I wanted to eat as much as I wanted without your help.

Emma: I beat you to bed last night and got some bedtime petting.

You were smart enough to switch to the rocking chair when I came to bed. I got Mom for the rest of the night.

Emma: I got her this morning. I got her up for breakfast, then got some more petting time before she got up to stay.

I got a little morning petting, too. I was cuddled up behind her knees while you were getting petted.

Karen Jo: Getting up around two cats is getting to be a bit of a challenge. I really enjoy it, despite the occasional awkwardness. Emma, you are taking your early afternoon nap between the bed and the bookshelves every day now.

Emma: I like it there. It's relatively dark and quiet and Herman won't bother me there.

Karen Jo: Herman doesn't bother you anywhere while you are napping that I have seen.

Emma: It just feels snug and safe.

I like to take my afternoon nap in the middle of the living room floor or on my ham-mick. Emma doesn't bother me while I am napping at all.

Femme Friday

2011-04-15T00:01:00.000-06:00

Hi, it's me, Emma, with my very own post. Mom's allergies have been giving her fits lately and that's why we haven't been blogging. She did go out Tuesday and get a new scratcher. She set it up in the living room, then came and got me before she put the nip on it. I enjoyed the nip, but didn't scratch on it. Herman also enjoyed the nip and he didn't scratch on it, either. In the photo, we are both just chilling and enjoying the nip. Mom figured that we were well contented and went off to do whatever it is she does. About three minutes later, she came hurrying back.

Karen Jo: I heard a loud RAWNR and came to see what was the matter. Herman was sitting halfway between the scratcher and the easy chair, facing the chair and looking as innocent as he could, and Emma was underneath the easy chair trying to look as if she was just relaxing. I don't know what happened, but Herman had been playing peek-a-paw with Emma. He was hiding behind part of the scratcher and reaching his paw around the corner toward Emma. However, the only other time I heard a sound like that it came from Emma as she pounced Herman. Whatever it was, it has blown over and they are still both interested in the new scratcher. Herman has scratched on it, but not Emma. She is just interested in the nip.

The nip is the best part of it.

Karen Jo: Speaking of nip, who did this?

Um, Herman?

Karen Jo: I don't think so. Herman played with that syringe toy for a year and nothing like that ever happened. You are the one who has been playing with it lately.

It just smelled so good. We had quite a nip party today. Mom left the nip on the carpet and emptied the rest of it on the new scratcher. She brought me a new nip pillow today when she went out. I bit it and bit it, but nothing happened.

Karen Jo: It is made out of heavy duty canvas. You soon lost interest in it and Herman used it to take a nap on. Both of you were nipped out most of the day. It makes Herman sleepy, but you were tearing around the house like your tail was on fire. You really went for Da Bird, too.

Da Bird is lots of fun. I am really glad that I figured out what cat toys are for. I got lots of petting this morning before Mom got up. Herman and I have a deal. He gets Mom when she goes to bed and I get her in the morning. I worried Mom yesterday. I hid between the bed and the bookshelves on the wall from right after she got up until she went to work. I didn't even come out for lunch. I just wanted some quiet time.

Karen Jo: You did have me worried. I was afraid that you were in pain or something was wrong. When I got home from work, you were acting normally again, though.

Today was furmination day and I got furminated for the first time. At least Mom tried to furminate me. I was more interested in grabbing her hand and bunny kicking her.

Karen Jo: I got some furminating done on you. You tolerate the brush better. You are doing some Spring shedding, but nothing like what Herman is doing. Of course, his fur is a lot thicker than yours.

I'm excited. I got invited to join The Tuxedo Gang and Mom said that I could. I will be seeing you there soon.

Mancat Monday

2011-04-11T01:18:00.000-06:00

My toy basket is a great place to give myself chin scritches. I am also claiming it as mine. Emma does the same thing. I am getting my nightly petting sessions almost every night now. Last night Emma beat me to bed and was lying next to Mom's face on the pillow when I came to bed. I walked right up to her and sniffed her tail. She did not hiss at me, so I settled down in my favorite spot next to Mom's chest. Mom stopped petting Emma and petted me for a little, then went back to petting Emma. Then she moved her other hand, so she could pet both me and Emma. Then Emma got all wiggly, like she always does, so that Mom had a hard time petting her, as she kept moving around. After just a little while, Emma jumped over to the rocking chair and I had Mom all to myself. I snuggled in really close to Mom and lay on my side, so Mom could pet my chest just where I like it best. I got petted for a really long time until Mom told me she was too sleepy to continue and then we went to sleep. It was just like it was before Emma moved in. I stayed in bed with Mom all night.

Karen Jo: I am really glad that things are working out between the two of you. Emma is the one who wakes me up early for breakfast now, then she comes back to bed for petting, but never stays very long. Then Herman gets some morning petting and I go back to sleep until time to get up.

I didn't chase Emma around much this morning, but I made up for it after Mom got home. First we ate, with Emma eating up most of the Stinky Goodness, then I chased her all around for a while. It's fun. I guess we are playing THoE, but Emma never chases me back. I got treats for scratching on my scratcher and my platform, but Emma didn't get any. She sees me scratching and getting a treat, then she jumps up on the couch or the armchair and starts scratching. Mom lifted her off the couch and put her on the base of the scratching post and moved her paws in a scratching motion, but Emma never gets it. I think it's funny. It only took me one day to figure out how to get treats for scratching on my platform.

Karen Jo: You were an only cat and knew that the platform was for you from the beginning. Maybe Emma is more distracted from her scratching lessons by your presence, or maybe it's because the places where she is supposed to scratch smell so strongly of you. She has never been on your platform that I have seen. That's why I am going to get her a new scratcher.

Playful Sunday

2011-04-10T00:51:00.000-06:00

We are both hanging out by one of the toy baskets, but at different times. Today was cold, very windy and rainy. For some reason, it brought out the playfulness in us. Emma woke Mom up really early for breakfast, so by the time Mom got up for real, after some petting for both of us, we were ready to rumble. By the time Mom got dressed, I had chased Emma up and down the hall three or four times. While Mom was cooking her lunch, we were running all around the living room. We were running around so much that Mom didn't get a chance to brush either of us.

Emma: Mom got me my own brush and I get brushed now, too, when Mom can catch me. I don't like it very much, but I tolerate it for a while.

Karen Jo: I almost didn't get a chance to give Herman his Prednisol. He would much rather play with Emma than let me put it in his ear. By the time I went to work, both kitties were calmed down. Herman was all stretched out on the floor and Emma was up on the big pillow on the table, watching the rain come down.

When Mom got home from work, we demanded to be fed, ate, then started up the chase games again. I chased Emma into the kitchen really fast, then slid across the floor, trying to turn when she dodged under the kitchen table. Somehow, she can turn on the linoleum much better than I can.

Emma: I am a lot lighter than you are, so I don't slide as much. I hid under the kitchen table until Herman got tired of waiting for me to come out. When he went into the living room and lay down to relax, I ran right by his nose and the chase was on again.

Karen Jo: Emma really does run by Herman, really close to him, to get him to chase her. She enjoys the game as much as he does. The toys were all scattered around from where I left them when I went to work. I don't know if they are playing with them, or just running over them and kicking them by accident. At least I know that they aren't just sleeping the whole time I am gone. Herman has his old spot back when I go to bed at night. Emma seems to prefer the rocking chair. She joins me early in the morning, gets me up for breakfast, then comes to bed again for petting. Sometimes Herman jumps up for early morning petting, too, and sometimes he doesn't. When both of them are there, one usually gets on one side of me and the other on the other side. I lie on my back and pet both of them at the same time. There have been no more spats. I have seen Herman in pounce position, watching Emma, so many times, but he never actually pounces her. He just runs out and chases her. I hope to see kitty wrestling some time, but with the huge size difference between them, it may never happen.

Caturday

2011-04-09T00:04:00.000-06:00

I'm just chillaxing on my ham-mick. Emma still hasn't discovered how comfy it is, thank goodness. Mom had a major allergy attack yesterday and that's why she didn't blog. I can't seem to convince her that she needs to blog no matter how she feels. Emma and I had another first tonight. Mom opened a can of my very favorite Medley. Emma ran up to Mom as soon as she opened it and started meowing for it. I got into guard position where the dish goes. Mom put the dish down and I started eating it. Emma wanted some so badly that she started eating out of the dish at the same time. I let her. We both ate out of the same dish at the same time without any hissing or whapping.

Karen Jo: I enjoyed that. Both of you really like that salmon and egg souffle. Simba wants to know what Herman's Medley is. It is Fancy Feast Elegant Medleys. Herman and Emma both really like it.

Emma: I am hanging out in the living room with Herman. Both of us spend a lot of time in here now. Mom moved the little scratching post, which I never use, and the Turbo scratcher, which I also never use, back into the living room from my room.

Karen Jo: You definitely prefer scratching on the furniture to any scratcher in the house. Lots of people and cats have suggested that I put sticky tape on the furniture where Emma likes to scratch. The problem is that Emma likes to scratch all over all the furniture. There would be sticky tape everywhere. I need to get up to the pet supply store and get Emma a scratcher of her very own. Maybe that will work.

Emma: Herman has been hogging the bed lately.

Karen Jo: There is plenty of room for both of you. It's not my fault that you seem to prefer taking turns these nights. I lay on my back and pet both of you, one on each side, early this morning. You took off after a little bit, though.

Emma: You know that I have trouble keeping still while I am awake. I wanted to check to see if there was any breakfast left.

Thursday Twosome

2011-04-07T02:04:00.000-06:00

Mom likes this picture for two reasons: it shows how we have learned to eat together and you can clearly see the size difference between me and Emma. Mom hasn't blogged for nearly a week.

Karen Jo: There has been a lot going on in my life lately and I just have been to tired to blog.

Emma: There has been a lot going on in our lives, too.

Karen Jo: Yes, there has. Herman jumped you last Saturday.

Emma: He was mean to me. I was just getting petted and he grabbed me with his forepaws and threatened to bite my head when you finished.

Karen Jo: Herman was always the one who got petted in the bathroom before you came. He just got a little jealous. When are you finally going to stop hissing at Herman?

Emma: When I get good and ready. I hardly ever do it any more, just when he gets too close to me and I don't feel like dealing with him.

Karen Jo: He knows that I will pet him while I am talking on the phone. You weren't close enough for me to pet and he wanted to get close to me and you hissed at him. He backed off and I couldn't pet either one of you.

At least she didn't jump me last night in bed.

Karen Jo: That was all good. I figured out how to pet both of you at the same time. It was all going very well until you decided to leave.

I suddenly discovered that her rump was touching my rump. That disturbed me and I left.

Karen Jo: You like sniffing her behind, so why would it touching you upset you?

I don't know, but it did.

Emma: I sniffed Herman's behind, too.

Karen Jo: Yes, both of you seem to get a kick out of sniffing each other's tails. At least it doesn't lead to hissing any more.

Emma: I am learning how to play with toys. The other night, Mom was rolling a ball to Herman and he was batting it back. I sat and watched. They played like that for a while, then Herman stopped playing. Mom rolled the ball to me and I batted it back a few times. It was fun. Yesterday I smelled something good in one of the toy boxes. I dug and dug and found it and dragged it out. I sniffed it and bit it and clawed it and kicked it. Then I ran around the house like my tail was on fire.

Karen Jo: You discovered Herman's nip syringe. It is stuffed with really good nip. I will leave it out for you until you get tired of it. I am so glad that you are discovering the fun of cat toys.

Emma: When can I go out in the stroller again?

Karen Jo: Some day when I am off and the wind isn't blowing so hard.

May I go, too?

Karen Jo: Yes, Herman, but not at the same time. The stroller isn't big enough for both of you at once.

Femme Friday

2011-04-01T00:04:00.000-06:00

It's me, Emma, and this is my very first post all by myself. Here I am eating. Mom laughs and says she took this picture because it is one of the few times I stay still long enough for her to get a photo. Mom was mean to me last night.

Karen Jo: I had to get a stool sample and the only way to make sure it was yours and not Herman's was to shut you up in your room with a clean litter box until you pooped. Since you tend to poop very late at night, you were shut up in there all night. I let you out again as soon as I got up and made sure that you had pooped.

Boy, was I hungry when I got out! I ate up Herman's Medley and Stinky Goodness, then headed back to my room and ate up my own Stinky Goodness. Then Herman and I relaxed a bit in the living room together while Mom did all the boring stuff she does after she gets up. Then Mom got her lunch ready and something smelled sort of good. Mom offered some to Herman first, but he decided that he didn't want it after all, so she put it in the Stinky Goodness dish. I sniffed it over really well and decided I didn't want it, either.

Karen Jo: I was having chef salad with chicken and I offered you some chicken. It had been cooked with herbs, so maybe that's what put you off.

After lunch, we had a little catnip party. Mom got out a bag of catnip and started throwing these little balls with catnip on them around the living room. That was really cool. After Herman and I had enough fun playing with the catnip balls, Mom got out the wand toys and we played. I really like Da Bird. Herman didn't play much at all, but I did. He only likes the little mousie that Mom pulls around the floor. After that Mom did some more boring stuff, thinking that I was still in the living room relaxing with Herman. Then she started looking for me and couldn't find me. I was hiding under the couch.

Karen Jo: I don't know how you knew, or maybe you were hiding from Herman, but when it came time for me to get you ready to go to the vet, I couldn't find you anywhere. I finally found you and had to drag you out from under the couch.

Mom put me in a big blue thing on wheels and we went outside. It was great. There was fresh air and lots of neat smells and things to look at. We went along and the only time I didn't really like it was when we walked by some noisy woofies. I looked up through the window in the roof to make sure that Mom was still there to protect me. Then a horrible thing happened. We ended up at the vet place.

Karen Jo: You had an appointment to check your ears. There was only good news. Your ears are fine and that bad tooth that your vet thought would have to be pulled isn't so bad. You saw Herman's vet today.

I didn't think it was so great. I got prodded and felt all over and had something stuck up where it didn't belong. I am glad you were there. I stuck my head in your stomach and you petted me until it was over. Then she took me in another room and poked around in my ears. I was glad to get out of there. We walked home and Mom went on the other side of the road past the noisy woofies, so they wouldn't bother me. I started meowing when we got home because I was so glad to be back.

Karen Jo: You sure seemed to recognize the house as soon as we turned into the driveway. I wonder if you recognized it by sight, or by the smell of Herman's fur in the yard. I throw Herman's fur from his brushing sessions out the back door for the birds to use in their nests, if they like.

I was ready for lunch when we got back. I ate most of the food again. Herman doesn't seem to mind.

Karen Jo: Herman will let you know when he minds. Like when you tried to nose in on his treat.

He threatened to smack me with his paw. Why does he get treats and I don't?

Karen Jo: Herman gets treats for scratching on his platform or on his scratcher. You always scratch on the furniture, so you don't get treats. I have tried to show you where to scratch, but you don't pay attention to me.

You gave me one treat.

Karen Jo: I had just put your paws on the platform to show you where to scratch and gave you a treat to try to give you the idea. It didn't work.

I like scratching on the furniture.

Karen Jo: All the furniture is so old and faded that I really don't mind, but you won't get any treats until you learn where you are supposed to scratch. Maybe I should get you a different kind of scratcher. I think the pet store has one of those cool-looking curvy ones.

You won't lock me up again tonight, will you?

Karen Jo: No, I won't. That was just because of the stool sample. You may sleep with me on the bed tonight. I am going to have to figure out a way to pet you and Herman at the same time, so there aren't any more attacks.

At least you know that I am not afraid of Herman any more. Maybe he is a bit afraid of me now.

Karen Jo: I wouldn't count on it. Remember how he stared you down and made you leave his Medley alone at dinner tonight?

Yes, but he still left me some. I think he's a big softie.

Karen Jo: He is, but he was an outside cat that got picked on for a while, just like you were. If you push him too far, he might fight back.

Quiet Thursday

2011-03-31T00:57:00.000-06:00

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

2011-03-28T01:08:00.000-06:00

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

2011-03-27T01:05:00.000-06:00

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

2011-03-22T00:56:00.000-06:00

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

2011-03-18T00:57:00.000-06:00

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

2011-03-17T00:54:00.000-06:00

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

2011-03-13T00:16:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-12T00:24:00.000-07:00

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.