Brody Holds His Own

 Brody:  Why does Mom take my picture with my shaved spot showing? I'm just hanging in there, no better, no worse.  Mom keeps giving me my medicine and I try to get away from her sometimes, especially after the first shot when I see the second stabby thing come out.  I always get treats right afterward, so I don't go too far.  I have given up on trying to avoid the stuff squirted in my mouth.

Karen Jo:  Now comes the really hard part for me.  Brody has gotten back to being almost himself again.  Now, will the new medicine whip the FIP, or will Brody stay the way he is now until it attacks him again?

 Spyro:  I didn't get my picture taken today, so this is an older shot.  I'll leave the explanation for others.
This is what Mom calls Spyro's Spytower because I am the cat up here most often.  It's a great spot for looking outside and seeing everything that goes on in the living room.

 Oja:  I am on my throne again, watching over my domain.  I still play with the turbo track sometimes.  I have been chasing Cissy again.  Mom is about to give up coming to see what is happening when Cissy screams.  No cat is ever hurting her.

 Rocio:  I am watching the spectacle of Mom crawling around on the floor trying to get good photos.  That white bottle beside me is what Mom uses when Horus pees where he shouldn't.

 Bambino:  Mom was down on the floor, so I started to crawl into the ham-mick facing her. She got all set with the camera for me to stop moving, then I turned around and showed her my butt instead.  She had to wiggle around to get my profile.

Karen Jo:  Horus was a bad boy today.

Horus:  Mom was down on the floor taking pictures.  When it was my turn, she just turns to me and shoots.  When Brody's turn came she petted him and cooed to him and coaxed him to face her, giving him lots of attention.  I couldn't stand that, so I went over to the couch, turned around to face Brody and sprayed the couch. That'll teach her to give that little brat all the attention.

Karen Jo:  Brody needs more attention now because he is sick.  Even you have been nice to him.

Horus:  I still don't like it when he gets more attention than I do.

Karen Jo:  I had to stop the photo session and clean up the mess.  Then I couldn't remember if I had taken pictures of all the cats.  That's why Spyro and Cissy have older pictures today.

 Julius: Mom is getting better at reading my body language on how close she can get with the camera.  As soon as I turned my head to look at her she froze until I looked away again.  The birds are more interesting than she is.

 Cissy:  This is the visiting toddler's table with her crayon box behind me.  She hasn't been over in a long time, which suits me just fine.  I almost got Brody to play with me last night, but he gave me a really soft hiss and I went back to grooming him instead.

Tabitha:  I am getting to like the lady.  Breakfast time this morning I came out to greet her and let her pet me.   I even stayed out when she left and came back with the black box.  I'm all blurry because I am never still.  I like the lady's foot.  I got to play with Bambino twice today for a little while.  The lady lets him in, then goes away and lets us play.  She comes back in a little while and lets him out again.  I like Bambino.

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.

Togetherness

 Spyro: Mom thinks we have been talking too much lately about which cats whap which cats, so here are some pictures of us being together.  Oja and I are having a mutual grooming session.  These seldom end in rasslin' matches any more for some reason.

Bambino:  Here I am with Jose, who wouldn't hold still for me to lick his ear.  This one ended up in a game of THoE with me chasing Jose.  Oh, and it turns out that I am NOT the smallest cat in the house any more.  I grew and now I am taller than Oja, but she still weighs more.  That's because Oja is . . .

Oja:  Watch it, Bambino!

Bambino:  The floofiest cat in the house.  Her fur is just a little bit longer than ours.

Oja:  You just missed a date with my whapping paw.

Jose:  Speaking of whapping, I got Rocio good a few times yesterday.  He was on the kitchen table and I was in the chair underneath the table and I would reach up and get him.  It was fun.  The infamous whapper gets whapped.

Rocio:  It wasn't fair.  I couldn't see you to whap you back.

Karen Jo:  We are supposed to be talking about togetherness today.

Bambino:  Oja and I get up on the big bed together at bedtime.  We don't get too close together, but we both get to be next to Mom.  It's too hot to stay snuggled up to Mom for long, though.

Rocio:  Spyro and I lie in the same ham-mick together sometimes, but it's too hot to do that except in the middle of the night now.

Jose:  Spyro and I get together to rush the screen door when Mom opens it.  I got out twice today while Mom was holding Spyro back.

Karen Jo:  That kind of togetherness I could do without.  Luckily you don't go far, just around the yard and you don't fight me when I pick you up to bring you back inside.  Don't make me have to start closing you up on the safe room every time I need to go outside for a little while.

Jose:  I don't like the sound of that.

Spyro:  It's no fun.  Mom does it to me whenever she decides to take all the trash out at the same time, which means she is in and out several times.

Fun Friday

 Spyro:  Can you tell where I am?  I'm in the cube.  Mom has never seen a kitty napping in here before.  Having the Boys move in has changed all sorts of things.  Herman, Oja and I always just ignored the cube.  The Boys showed me how to play cube wars with it and I became interested in it.  The Boys have discovered the ham-micks and one is sleeping in Oja's ham-mick right now.

Karen Jo:  Hissy Boy just doesn't fit as a nickname any more, so I am going to call him Loverboy because he loves to sit on or next to me.  He is the one in the ham-mick at present.

Oja:  At least my bed has been safe from stinky boycats so far.  I still hiss at them a little, but not much.

Karen Jo:  I think maybe Oja hisses and growls just a little less each day.  During the night, there was one point where Spyro, Oja and Loverboy were all in bed with me at the same time, though spread out from each other.  I tried some toys on elastics today instead of the wand toys and they weren't any where nearly as popular.  The toys as a whole are very popular.  At least one bucket of toys gets dumped over every day.  Loverboy loves the rattly mice to death.  Really, he rips their faces off then goes for the rest of the skin, but first he rips their tails off.  I am not complaining.  I can easily afford to get them new rattly mice.  Cool Dude loves the door hanger on an elastic on the kitchen door, especially at dawn.  I am finding a few teeny-tiny disadvantages to three boycats who get along: THoE at 0 dark-thirty every night, lots of stuff gets knocked over during the wild chases and they don't settle down in bed.  They are likely to climb all over me at any hour.  Oh, well, I am enjoying having a houseful very much.

 Karen Jo: Spyro's food is no longer safe.  Loverboy found it and was helping himself to it this morning.  It's just turnabout is fair play.  Spyro was eating the Boys' food a little earlier this morning.  Oja hisses at any cat who comes near her food bowl, if she sees him, but they still nosh on her kibble.  I ordered some Lysine treats for Spyro and Oja, as the cats from Fuzzy Tales suggested.  I was going to thank them for the information in their comments, but I got a private blog notification when I hit the link on my list.  I'll double check to make sure I have the right URL for them.


UPDATE:  I now have permission to blog about the Boys.  I will let them introduce themselves.

Austin:  I am Austin, aka Cool Dude.  I was the first one to fit in around here, but I'm still not too sure about Oja.  Spyro and I love playing THoE up and down the hall in the middle of the night.

Rocio:  My name is Rocio, pronounced Rocky-oh.  I am really glad I won't be called Hissy Boy any more.  I haven't hissed in days.  These ham-micks are great.  I actually touched Oja the day before yesterday and she had to think about it for a second before she hissed at me.  We will be friends yet.

We are available for adoption through Felines and Friends New Mexico in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  We would love to be adopted together, as we are closely bonded.  We both have Feline Leukemia, but we are very healthy otherwise.

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.

Settling In

Spyro: About every other Sunday, Mom gets out the 'nip and today was 'nip day.  Now I don't know which toy to play with next.

Oja:  Silly boys!  I stayed up here on the couch and watched them all get silly.  It's not that I don't like 'nip, but no way was I getting down there among those crazy boys to get some.

Karen Jo:  I'll remember that for next time and bring you some of your own on the couch or your chair.

Spyro:  Today has been a really fun day.  Mom has been staying up after feeding us breakfast and playing with us.

Karen Jo:  When I was working I was a night owl  because my hours were 2-10:30 PM.  Kitty playtime was   in the morning between the time I got dressed and the time I ate, then again after I got home.  Since I retired, I was keeping the same hours, only kitty playtime moved to dusk, as they were more active then.  The first morning after the boys moved in, I went back to bed after breakfast and I heard noise:  THoE, toys getting knocked around and hissing.  That last one got me up and I have been staying up after breakfast ever since.  I never knew how active kitties were early in the morning.

Spyro:  The boys and I had lots of fun.  We are all friends now, mostly.  We played chase and pounce and rasslin' and the boys had some games I had never seen before.

Karen Jo:  The boys showed Spyro how to play box wars and cube wars and under-the-sofa wars.  Spyro has been very polite about playing with the boys.  He never joins in unless he has been invited.  He will run from Cool Dude to start THoE, but he won't pounce first. Spyro has decided that jumping in the box is an invitation to play box wars, though.  I also wondered just how long he would last watching under-the-sofa wars before he couldn't resist joining in.  It turned out to be about 15 minutes.  Cool Dude saw some movement under the sofa (which has cloth flaps hanging down almost to the floor, so you can't see much) and charged under to get Hissy Boy (he thought).  He came charging right out again when he found Spyro under there instead.

Spyro:  After all that, Mom decided that it was time for different toys and she got out the kitty with the catnip shorts and put new catnip in it and she got one of the fuzzy balls out of the catnip jar.  Party time!

Karen Jo:  First I gave Hissy Boy the catnip covered fuzzy ball and he picked it up in his claw and shook catnip all over the place. Spyro pounced right on the loose catnip.  Cool Dude was looking a bit left out, so I gave him the kitty with the newly-filled catnip shorts.  Things got a bit wild and crazy.  Oja started making a sound like the beginning of a growl whenever they got really rambunctious.  I got out Da Bird to see what they would make of that.

Boys:  We like Da Bird!  We like it a lot.

Karen Jo:  Cool Dude was leaping way up in the air and catching Da Bird every time.  Hissy Boy was looking left out, so I grabbed the Kragonfly with the other hand.

Spyro:  I got tired just watching them, so I got in Herman's ham-mick.  Mom flipped the Kragonfly my way a few times, so I could play, too.

Karen Jo:  I waved the wand toys around until my arms got really tired, then I put them away, much to the disappointment of the boys.  They dragged Da Bird out again, but soon lost interest in it when it didn't fly.  Oja had gotten a bit agitated, so I sat down next to her on the couch and started petting her.

Oja:  It was high time I got some attention.  Mom gave me all her attention until that dang dryer buzzer went off.

Karen Jo:  I had started the laundry before I got involved in kitty playtime.  I went back to Oja after I took care of the laundry.  I had been getting a little concerned about Oja, as she didn't seem to be settling down very much.  In fact, Hissy Boy got too close and she ramped up to a full open-mouth hiss and a "One step nearer and I'll rip your face off" snarl.  Hissy Boy was too startled to hiss back.  I do think things are getting better, though.  Just before afternoon nap time, Oja jumped off the couch and made a tour of the house.  She checked out her favorite hidey-hole, but didn't go in.

Oja:  Those stinky boycats ruined it.  They had been in there and stank it all up.

Karen Jo:  Oja hissed softly at any boycat who looked at her, but mostly she just walked around, checking things out.  This made me feel better, because she had been staying up in her chair and on the couch in the living room, except to eat and use the litter box.  I think she is beginning to believe that the new boys won't hurt her.  It may be Tuesday before I can show you pictures of the Boycats and use their real names.  I forgot that Monday is a holiday.

Not Quite So Sad

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mom Blew It

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Back to Blogging

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Togetherness Report

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

New Ham-mick

 Spyro:  The ham-mick that Mom won in the auction arrived!  I helped Mom put it together, then I got first dibs on being in it.  If you look closely, you can see that I have catnip all over my fur.  Forty Paws is generous in packing catnip with their ham-micks.

Karen Jo:  The main reason that Spyro got first dibs is that he was on it most of the time I spent putting it together.  He loves it.

 I got to test it next.  It's great.  I love it, too.

Oja:  I don't see why the boys got so excited about the new ham-mick.  I sniffed it, then decided to use the scratcher.

Spyro:  That's because you have never been in one.  Mom has been taking us outside again.  I got to go out for a long time yesterday.  I have gotten used to my harness and don't slink along on my belly anymore.  I even run with it on, making Mom run, too, just to keep up.

Going outside is great, but Mom made me come in early.

Karen Jo:  That's because there were two cars parked in the carport and on the driveway.  You were far too interested in going under them.  With the roads being torn up around here, I often have cars parked in front of my house.  I gave my neighbor permission to park in my carport and the other car just showed up.  I can't blame them.  Parking spots in this neighborhood are at a premium.

Oja:  I found out that the boys have some pretty cool toys.  See that box with the holes in it in front of me?  It has toys in it that I can fish out.  Some of them are so cool that I carry them to my room to play with them. I have gotten used to the mancat stink on everything and now I don't mind it.

Karen Jo:  There has been no hissing or growling for a couple of days.  Spyro and Oja play THoE together, taking turns chasing each other up and down the hall.  Herman and Spyro are closer friends than ever.  I am really glad that Spyro came here to live before Oja did.  I think he is the glue that will hold our little family together.

Let Freedom Ring

 It's hard to find a place to relax in this messy living room.

Karen Jo:  I am saving some boxes for a friend who is moving, but I think I better move the boxes to the forbidden room because there is just too much clutter.

Mom went to the pet supply store yesterday and she bought harnesses for both me and Oja.  I didn't fight my harness at all.  I didn't slink along on my belly, either.

Karen Jo:  You took to your harness like you had worn one before.  That is quite possible, of course.  I didn't take any pictures of you outside because I had my hands full with both you and Spyro out at the same time.  You both got to go out together again today.

I got more outside time today than Spyro did.  Mom took me out first, thinking she could just take us out one at a time.  I refused to budge from the screen door until she went and got Spyro.  I couldn't stand his crying.

Karen Jo:  I hooked your leash to the mailbox and went inside to get Spyro.  Then you wanted to go in different directions and kept my arms stretched out almost all the time.

That was funny.  It was also funny watching Spyro slink along on his belly.  Then you took Spyro inside because all he wanted to do was loll around in the driveway and took me to the backyard.  That was awesome.  I chewed on the grass and inspected a gopher hole and walked almost the whole length of the back yard before you picked me up and took me back inside.

Spyro:  I don't have any problem finding a place to relax in the living room.  I just take Herman's ham-mick  It's not fair that Herman got more outside time than I did.  I chewed on the grass a little, too.  I slink along because I'm not used to my harness yet, but I still love going outside.  Lolling in the driveway is fun.

Karen Jo:  I will take you out first tomorrow.  I still think it would be best to take you out one at a time, so you can each do what you want.  It would be easier on my arms, too.

Oja:  I am up on my blankie on the bookshelf by the window.  I am getting more adventurous, too.

Karen Jo: You sure chased Herman off last night.

Oja:  You left the door open to come in and give me my good-night petting and Herman came in to inspect my food dish.  I charged him and he left quickly.

Karen Jo:  You came out of your room three times today, too.  I left your door open when I went to get your lunch you went into my bedroom.  You came running back for your lunch, though.

Oja:  I was hungry.  I came out again when you left the door open  to get my fresh water and scoop the litter boxes, too.  I saw you coming with my water and ran back to my room, but left again when you left.  Then there was some excitement.  Spyro sneaked in again while I was gone.

Karen Jo:  I was surprised when I came in to scoop your litter box to find Spyro in your room and you gone.  I was finished with your box before you came back.  You chased Spyro right out of your room again.  I am beginning to think that you are not afraid of Herman and Spyro, you just don't like them.

Oja:  Bingo!  You finally figured out that I will play with toys, if they are new and don't have mancat stink on them.

Karen Jo:  That's right.  I got you a tin of Yeow Stinky Sardines (catnip) yesterday and put one out and I couldn't even find it today, so I put out another one.

Karen Jo:  Now I want some advice.  I worry about Oja's quality of life.  She has been in that room by herself for a month and is just now starting to explore a bit.  I got her a harness, too, but wonder if she would even like to go outside.  I don't want to do anything that would scare her, but I also want to give her more things to do.  What do you think about seeing if Oja will accept a harness and go outside?

Spyro Goes Outside

Spyro: Oja's picture came out all black and Herman got up and walked away after Mom pushed the button on the camera, so it's just me today. See me tasting the grass?  It's mostly brown from the heat and Mom not watering it.  She really needs to get up and water it on watering days.  Today Mom picked me up and showed me the back yard.  At first I just snuck around on my belly, but after a while I got used to my harness and started to walk normally.  I explored about half of the back yard.  I rolled on the patio and chewed on grass and found some dirt to dig in and roll in.  I even found an interesting hole and stuck my paw in it, but didn't find anything.  I sniffed an ant and chased a moth that flew up when I explored a bush.  Mom let me stay about about 15 minutes.  If she had let me stay out just a little bit longer, I might even have peed outside.  The first thing I did when Mom took me back in and took off my harness was pee in the litter box.  Then I tore all around the house and meowed to be let out again.

Karen Jo:  I am surprised that you didn't find the gopher holes more interesting.  Maybe the visible holes are all old and don't smell much like gopher any more.

Why didn't you use one of my old pictures?

Karen Jo:  They show you with all your fur and your friends might find that very confusing.

I didn't have much fun today.  Spyro picked a fight with me to take over the ham-mick.  We had quite a smack down, but I finally gave up and got out of the ham-mick.  Spyro jumped in it, then decided he didn't really want it.

Karen Jo:  I think you have fun rasslin' with Spyro.  You really cried when I took Spyro outside.

It's not fair.  He gets to go outside and I don't.

Karen Jo:  The harness isn't big enough for you.  If I got you a harness, would you wear it?

I won't know until I get to try it.

Oja:  I was nice and stayed still for a picture.

Karen Jo:  I guess there wasn't enough light.  All I got was a black square.  You didn't take your Interferon again.  That's two days in a row that it got wasted because you jerked your head away at the last instant.  I hope you licked it off your fur.

Oja:  I don't like stuff squirted in my mouth.

Karen Jo:  I can't even bribe you into starting to accept it because you don't like treats.

Oja:  I played with my fish today.

Karen Jo:  I noticed, but you wouldn't come out, even though I left the door open for quite a while.

Oja:  Spyro was at the door.

Kare Jo:  You could have come out just far enough to meet him.

Oja:  I don't want to meet him.  He scares me.

Catchup Thursday

 Mom has been a really bad blogger again and there has been so much going on.  We were offline and our friends Parker and Sammy left for the Bridge and we weren't there to tell them goodbye

Karen Jo:  I feel really bad about that.  I will go by their blogs tonight and say how sad we are that they left for the Bridge.  I don't have any really good reason for not blogging.  My allergies have been acting up and I have been spending a lot of time with my friend who is having a really bad time with her mother, who has dementia.

Spyro: I think Mom finally took a picture of my face that is in focus.  Can you see the little brown smudges around my mouth?  They are not from not washing after I eat.  They are just part of my markings.  I have found out that I really like Herman's ham-mick and Herman's bed.  I have my own bed in my room, but I have never been in it.  Herman doesn't seem to mind.

Karen Jo:  I really hope that this picture is sharp enough to make your Tabby Club badge.

Spyro:  You know what?  I played and played with Herman's tail while he was eating and he just ignored me.  All he did was walk away from me when he was finished eating.  I have to pounce him now to start a rasslin' match.

And I finish the rasslin' matches.

Spyro:  What do you mean?

You are always the one who runs away and I chase you just a bit.

Karen Jo:  What I want to know is which one of you is knocking over Spyro's dry food bowl and spilling kibble on the floor.

Herman and Spyro:  We'll never tell.

I need more kibble because Spyro eats some of mine.  He never eats his own until mine is all gone.

Karen Jo:  That's why I'm not trying to stop the kibble spilling.  Herman, you are about due for a weighing.  We'll see if I have to try to find a way to keep you from getting any of Spyro's kibble.  You are also due for some shaving.  You have gotten a bad mat on your flank again.

I don't want to do either of those things.

Karen Jo:  I know you don't like to be shaved, but you will feel better once that nasty mat is gone.  I think just a little spot shaving is all you will need this time.  If I let it go much longer, you might have to have a half-lion cut again.

I guess the spot shaving is better than the half-lion.

Mancat Monday

I have been spending a lot of time in my ham-mick lately.  It's warm in the winter and cool in the  summer.  We finally got some window-whiffing time yesterday and just a little bit today.

Karen Jo:  I wanted to give you a whole day of window-whiffing today, but it has been too windy.

You have been a really bad blogger again.

Karen Jo:  Sorry, I have both been busy and feeling so overwhelmed with all that I have to do that I got down in the dumps again and didn't feel like doing much of anything.  It's like I am all full-steam ahead or just sitting on the couch reading.

At least you are back to it again.  I did get some corned beef and it was really yummy.  I got a little bite whenever Mom took a bite until it was all gone.  Mom has been trying to get a photo of a raven, so you can all see how big they are.  No way would I tangle with one of those, even if I got to go outside, which I don't.

Karen Jo:  I framed a shot through the window, but couldn't get the right perspective.  If I go out, they fly away.  Maybe one day I will just go outside with the camera and sit still, hoping they will get used to me and come where I can get a good picture.  They are still helping empty the suet feeder every day, but now the starlings and the flickers get a chance at it, too.  Yes, the flickers have shown up. There are signs of Spring everywhere now.  Some fruit trees are blooming, along with some forsythia bushes.  I saw a daffodil today.  The peonies are coming up and so are the iris.  There is only a tiny patch of snow left in the front yard. Even the beleaguered lilac bush is putting forth some leaves.  The gophers didn't manage to completely kill it after all.

I have gotten a bit friskier and am running around the house in the evenings and nights again.  I am even playing with some of my toys.  I am tossing my little mice all over the place.  I even play with Mom a little bit.  The problem is that all this activity makes me hungry and Mom is being really stingy with my food, especially at lunch time.  I had to get her up twice this morning: once at dawn for my canned food and again when it was high time she was up to refill my dry food.

Karen Jo:  You know what the vet told me about your weight and what to do about it.  I want you to be as healthy as possible.  Another sign of Spring is that you are getting little mats in your chest fur.

I don't like the way you get rid of them.  You pull on my fur until you get it out.

Karen Jo:  It isn't as bad as all that.  I separate your fur into smaller and smaller clumps until I can separate the mat out.  It only pulls a little bit at the end.

That's what you think.  I find the whole process uncomfortable.

Karen Jo:  Would you rather I let it get bad until you have to have your chest shaved again?

No!

Karen Jo:  Do you want me to use the scissors on your mats?

No!  I hate scissors.

Karen Jo:  Then stop complaining and let me brush you more.

That pulls, too.  I know, it only pulls what the brush finds some loose fur caught in the rest of the coat, but I still don't like it.  I only like it when it feels like petting.

Karen Jo:  It's so tough being you.  You still get more food than you generally eat; you have more toys than you can play with; you have a full-time live-in human servant and you get all the petting you can handle at bedtime.

Put that way, I guess I am a very lucky kitty.

Just Lying Around

Just lying around in my ham-mick again.  We got some sun this morning, then it rained.  It looks like the snow will be all gone by Christmas. Speaking of Christmas, Mom is mailing out some of her Christmas cards really late.  She just can't seem to get with the program.

Karen Jo:  I was feeling pretty good yesterday, just very tired.  I decided to lie down for a little bit around four and zonked out until six-thirty.  So much for getting a bunch of work done.

Mom is having Mexican food.  I didn't like the smell of it and didn't even ask for any.  I hear we are having chicken tomorrow and steak for Christmas Eve.  That sounds good to me.  I got lots of treats yesterday and this evening.  Mom keeps putting stuff in my stocking, so it looks like a good Christmas coming up for me.  She says she didn't get my big present ordered in time, so she is waiting until after Christmas to order it.  I wonder what it could be.

Karen Jo:  I'm not telling, but I hope you like it.

Mom put her arm out last night when she went to bed and I went to sleep on it.  I got really ticked off when she moved it.  I was so comfy.

Karen Jo:  I let it go as long as I could Herman, but my arm went to sleep and began to ache.  I finally had to move it.  You didn't have to go all the way to the foot of the bed.

You disturbed me.  I came back up again after a while and snuggled next to you again.

Karen Jo:  And I petted you until my arm got tired.  It was a really nice time.

Yesterday Mom tried balancing the Santa hat on my head without using the chin strap, but I wouldn't hold still, so it wouldn't stay on.  Mom keeps saying that there will be a photo of a kitty wearing a Santa hat for our Christmas post, but I keep saying that it won't be me.

Karen Jo:  I am going to try it on you one more time tomorrow.  If it works, fine.  If it doesn't, that's fine, too.

Mancat Monday

I really love my ham-mick.  I nap in it after lunch every day.  It was Mom who was tilted, not the floor.  Mom, you haven't been blogging for me.

Karen Jo:  I apologize.  I tried to blog last night, but Blogger wouldn't let me.  I left you Thursday to spend Thanksgiving with my brother and came back Friday.  I was too tired Friday to blog, but I did pet you the whole time I was watching a movie on TV.

That was awesome.  A two-hour petting session.  You did some good cooking today.

Karen Jo:  I got some turkey thighs and roasted them.  When they were ready, who did I find sitting in my chair at the table?

Me!  I wanted your plate.

Karen Jo:  You had to settle for bites while I ate.  You ate quite a few little bites.

Freshly cooked turkey is wonderful.  I hope we have some more.

Karen Jo:  There is enough turkey for two more days.  I will share with you.  You sure have been asking for a lot of treats.

Those catnip treats are the best.  I want a lot of them and sometimes I get a bit buzzed.  The ham-mick comes in really handy then.  Playing THoE by myself is more fun when I am buzzed, too.

Karen Jo:  You get more playful, as well.  You really get into batting your toys around.