Quiet Thursday

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mancat Monday

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sunday, Nip Day

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tuxie Tuesday

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

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

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

Emma stole my spot for sleeping with Mom, too.

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

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

Emma:  Hey, you started it!

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

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

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

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

But she ate my Medley!  My very special food!

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

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

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

I think you two girls are picking on me.

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

Fluffy Friday

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

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

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

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

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

Happy St. Patrick's Day

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

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

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

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

Easy Like Sunday Morning

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

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

Hers was closer when I got hungry.

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

I don't know why.  I won't hurt her.

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

I wish she would play with me.

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

She still hisses at me, though.

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