Super Sunday

 Bambino:  I have some great news: I'm well!

Karen Jo:  I'd say 99% well.

Bambino:  Why only 99%?

Karen Jo:  The Prince of Pounce isn't back yet, but I'm sure he will be.

Bambino:  I got a little better every day and the night before last I played with Mom's shoe laces and the sleeve of her pajamas.  Today I rassled with Julius and napped with him.  I can do my mighty leaps again and I eat up all my treats and food.  Yesterday, even the kitten food disappeared.  I say I'm all well.

Karen Jo:  You are certainly well enough not to have to go back to the vet tomorrow.

Bambino: YAY!  I want to thank everyone for purring for me.  It worked!

 Spyro:  It is Sunday and most of us are taking our Easy.  I'm in the blue bed by the heat vent, keeping warm.

 Oja:  I'm up on the tall scratcher, catching some rays.  Mean Mom says she isn't going to take any more pictures of me.

Karen Jo:  That's not what I said.  I said I wasn't going to take any more pictures of you in your cushioned chair under the kitchen table or in your chair in the computer room.  It's too dark and the pictures don't come out well.  I am going to concentrate on getting the camera out when I see you out, so there will be new pictures of you.

Oja:  Oh, that's ok then.

 Rocio:  I'm up on the big pillow in a great big sun puddle.  It's so bright I have to cover my eyes to nap.  Mom says that I've been a bad boy.  I've been annoying Oja again, once in the computer room and once in the kitchen.  She is such a lay-about that I've just been trying to get her up for some exercise, but she doesn't like it one bit.

 Horus:  The trouble with sun puddles is that they move.  When I started my nap I was right in the middle of the bigger one.  At least my tail is getting some rays.

Julius:  I'm glad that Bambino is well again.  I missed playing with him.  I'm getting my rays up on the table.  I still won't let the Lady get close to me with the clicky box.  I did let her pet me while she was giving out treats, but I run from her the rest of the time.

Settling In

 Spyro:  Today was a fun day.  Most of us were avoiding the camera in one way or another.  I was lounging under the coffee table in the living room and made Mom lie down on the floor to take my picture.  Making Mom get down on the floor is always amusing, especially watching her get up again.  Julius has turned out to be quite a little buddy.  He's already playing chase and snuggling with us mancats.

 Oja:  I don't think he's so great.  I spend a lot of time in this chair in the kitchen, where he can't sneak up on me.  I have gotten mostly over my snit and have stopped hissing and growling at the mancats.  I still hiss at Julius, though, especially when he shows an interest in my food.

 Rocio:  I was missing Austin today.  That blue collar was his and I dug it out of the drawer where Mom was keeping it, so she let me have it.  I have mostly ignored it for months, but I got it today and carried it around with me most of the day.  I guess it's having another orange cat in the house that made me think of him.

 Bambino:  I turned my face away just as Mom took my picture.  I have been having bunches of fun with Julius.  He chased me down the hall this afternoon and snuggled with me this evening just before dinner.  We even groomed each other a little.

 Horus:  I jumped just as Mom took my picture.  I like the new little dude.  He chased me down the hall, too.  We snuggled together on the couch for a little while this afternoon.

Karen Jo:  I am so happy to see Julius napping out in the open with another cat.  I think it means he is less afraid of me.  Until this afternoon, he always napped in a hidey-hole.

Julius:  I ducked my head just as the Lady took my picture.  This is as close as I will let her get to me before I run.  The other boys say I am being silly; the Lady is my Mom now and will always take care of me.  I think I trust her a little bit more now, but I won't let her touch me.  She gave me some more of those really tasty crunchies, which the others tell me are called treats.  I even figured out how to get her to give me some.  I just scratch on one of the cardboard things and I get treats.  Awesome!  I wanna eat in the kitchen with the big kitties, but that mean gray one with the curly tail hisses at me.

Rocio:  That's Oja.  Don't mind her.  She won't hurt you.  She just doesn't like newcomers.  I've been here for a year and she still hisses at me sometimes.

Bambino:  That's right.  She's harmless, just noisy and grumpy.  It was months before I managed to make friends with her.  Just remember not to pounce her and you will be fine.

Julius:  That's easy.  I don't pounce anycat.  I just half-pounce when I want to play.  Does Oja play?

Bambino:  Not much and only with Spyro and Horus and me.

Julius:  That's too bad.  I love to play.

Caturday

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rocio:  YAY!

Almost Back to Normal

 Spyro:  Mom waited until nap time to take our pictures.  That's the only time we are still.

Oja:  It's nice to feel safe enough to nap wherever I want again.  I still hiss at them a little and try to smack them with my paw if they get too close.

Karen Jo:  Oja is back to moving around the house to all her usual places again.  She was in bed with me when I woke up this morning for the first time since the Boys moved in.  I think she might want to get to know the Boys, but she has a strange way of doing it.  She will sneak up on one of them from behind and sniff the very tip end of his tail very carefully, then hiss.  The situation is looking a lot better though.  Oja has become a lap cat and will sit in my lap while I  sit on the couch and read.  I found out last night that Hissy Boy is also a lap cat.  I was checking out all three computers to make sure they were working and playing games that I hadn't played in a long time when Hissy Boy jumped up in my lap and made himself right at home.  I'm taking a lazy day today and was reading on the couch with Oja in my lap.  Hissy Boy jumped up on the couch and slowly approached until he and Oja were only two inches apart from being nose to nose.  Oja didn't hiss until he turned and moved like he was going to get in my lap, too.  Hissy Boy jumped down, walked around to my other side, jumped up on the couch and cuddled up next to my  thigh.  Oja didn't mind that.  When I look my nap pictures today, all four cats were in the living room, sleeping peacefully.

Oja:  Spyro and I had a grooming session in my bed this morning for the first time since the Boycats moved in.  I feel like playing again.  Mom got out Da Bird and Kragonfly and Spyro and the Boys were really playing.  I came running up and grabbed Da Bird right out of the air.  That surprised those Boys!

Karen Jo:  It surprised and delighted me, too.  Oja played with Da Bird for quite some time, while the Boys played with Kragonfly and Spyro watched.  Then Cool Dude came flying through the air and grabbed Da Bird.  Oja hissed at him and walked over to her ham-mick and got in.  She wasn't through playing, though.  I flipped Kragonfly over to her while the Boys played with Da Bird and she really got into it.  She lay on her back and grabbed at Kragonfly with her paws, caught it and chewed on it, then let it go for more.

Oja:  I also played with my jingle-ball and the TurboTrack.  The only thing that's really wrong now is that every other cat wants to eat my food.  I don't have to compete with the Boys for my Stinky Goodness any more, thank goodness, but Spyro will wolf his down and try to help me eat mine.  Mom usually chases him off.  Then Spyro and both Boys want to help me eat my dry food.  Spyro won't eat his dry food, only mine.

Karen Jo:  That's why I have started taking some kibble from his bowl and putting it in yours.  I have no way of stopping any of them from eating your dry food, because anywhere you can go, they can go.  Maybe you should go sample their kibble.

Oja:  Maybe.  I haven't been in my old room since the Boys took it over.

Thank You

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Togetherness Report

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Training Mom

It's been really toasty warm here (in the 80s), so I have been doing a lot of this. I had my paw over my eyes when Mom got the camera out, but I moved it before she could take the picture. Remember when I said that I couldn't get Mom to play with me at oh-dark-thirty, no matter what I did? Well, I found a way around that. I just waited until it was barely getting light and woke Mom up like I do when I want early breakfast. She got right up and started following me down the hall. Instead of running into the kitchen, I ran into the big room and attacked one of my toys. Mom came in and played with me, but she had to turn on the kitchen light to see what I was doing and where the toys were. We played until I was ready to stop, then we went into the kitchen and Mom got me early breakfast. She went back to bed while I ate. I jumped up on the bed before she got back to sleep and snuggled up next to her and meowed for her to put her arm out for me to use for a pillow and she did. Then I stuck my head in her hand for scritches and she obliged. I even persuaded her to use both hands to pet and scritch me. I shifted over on my back. Now Mom knows perfectly well that when I do this, I want my chest petted, but her hand always wanders down to tickle my furchin, which I do NOT like. I usually put the bitey on her thumb when she tickles my furchin, but my head was sooo comfy that I just kicked her with my back feet until her hand went back to my chest where it belonged. I got petted for a nice long time, until I wiggled a bit away to let Mom know that I had enough and we both went to sleep. To show my appreciation, I didn't bug her again until it was full daylight and time for second breakfast, then I actually let her sleep again until it was time for her to get up. You have to give your Mom a little reward to help the training sink in.

Karen Jo: Thank you for letting me sleep today, Herman. I appreciate it. I just can't resist tickling your furchin. I just love it that you have that little round belly. As long as it's there, I know that you aren't losing weight, as that is the first part that goes away. What did you do with your nip ball? We played with it in the almost dark, but I can't find it anywhere now.

I'm not telling. If you can't find it, you will just have to get me a new one.

Karen Jo: I just might have to do that, but it will have to wait a few days, until I have some time off. You had fun with a bug in the kitchen tonight.

Yes, I did. I love it that bugs are starting to come into the house.

Karen Jo: You only seem to notice the ones on the floor, though. There was a big fly in the kitchen this morning and you never noticed it.

I was too busy looking out the kitchen window and sniffing the smells. I also discovered that I like macaroni and cheese with hamburger.

Karen Jo: That surprised me a little. I figured that you would go for the macaroni and cheese, but you have always turned up your nose at hamburger before. However, when I gave you a little spoonful of the mixture, you ate it all up.

You never can tell what I will want to eat. I like to keep you guessing.

Merry Christmas

Zoolatry made this really nice Christmas picture for me. Isn't it great? I want to wish all my friends a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, whatever you celebrate. My Mom is slowly getting better and I hope we can get back to a more normal blogging schedule. She has to watch it, because sitting in the computer chair with her hands on the keyboard for too long gives her an an owie. I still don't get much play time, but today she found a wand toy that I actually like. It has a little mousie on the end. She looked for a new end for Da Bird, but all the store had was feathers, but then she found this one. The wand is shorter, so it doesn't bounce around as much and it isn't scary when it comes back toward me. We played with it for quite a while. She was going to buy me a drinking fountain for Christmas, but the lady in front of her bought the last one. I will get one soon.

Thanks for your suggestions that I play with Mom on the bed, but when I get up on the bed with her, all I want is cuddles. I used to get up on her right side, as that has the most room, but she had to use her owie arm to pet me and I wasn't getting as much petting as I wanted, so I persuaded her to scootch over more toward the middle of the bed, so I can get on her good side and I now get all the petting I want. I just push her hand away with my paws when I have had enough and want to snooze. I found out that I like to cuddle up to her side and rest my head on her arm and have her pet my chest and upper tummy. I didn't used to like having my tummy petted, but I like it now, as long as she doesn't get too close to my back legs. I purr and purr and purr next to her. Arms make very good pillows. I have also found out that I like to be brushed, but Mom has to brush my tummy while I am standing up. I refuse to lie down on my back and let her brush my tummy.

I eat a lot now and have gained some weight. I even have a little bitty furchin. Mom tickles it sometimes, but then I have to put the bitey on her. I never bite hard, so everything is OK. I am learning not to use my claws when I play with her hand.

Today I did something new. There were lots of birdies at the feeder and I lashed my tail and chittered at them a little. Before I have just watched them. Thank goodness Mom is well enough now to go out and fill up the feeder, so I can watch them again.

I hope that all of you get lots of play time, cuddles, petting and family time during the holidays.