Brody Improves

 Brody:  Thank all of you for all the purrs and everything.  They are helping.  I am resting up from my trip to the vet today.  My temperature is normal; my weight is up from 7.75 to 7.8; best of all, the fluid in my chest is going away.  I still have to take all my meds and the Amoxidrops are back.  Yuck!

Karen Jo:  Sorry, Brody, but the meds are helping you and the Amoxidrops are back because you are more vulnerable to bacterial infection now.

 Spyro:  It's a gray and rainy day.  Just right for a nap on top of the tower.  I love it up here.

 Oja:  Mom caught me nomming down on the dry food.  Orijen Six Fishes is delicious.

 Rocio:  Shall I scratch for treats, or just eat the dry food that is already out?  Treats are better, so I'll scratch.

 Bambino:  Again with the camera?  I'm with Spyro.  This is a great day for napping.

 Horus:  I just love this pillow.  I nap here lots.  I thought about spraying the dresser this morning, but changed my mind and used the litter box.  I'm a good boy, I am.

 Julius:  See all the dry cat food scattered all over the floor?  Some cat comes tearing down the hall at top speed and crashes right into the bowls.  I'm not saying any names, but she's black.

Cissy:  I wouldn't be tearing down the hall at top speed if some other kitty weren't chasing me.

Julius:  Don't look at me.  It must have been Rocio, Horus or Oja.  You made the mess, though.

Cissy:  Hmmpf!  This is my new hidey-nappy place.  I found this cushion just lying around and dragged it under the chair.  It's pretty safe here, especially when Mom is sitting in the chair.

Friendly Friday

Spyro:  Mom didn't take any photos of us today because she was "busy" again.  First the tiny two-legger came over, then she left with her friend and didn't get home until nearly dark.  Our photos are half reruns and half unused pictures.  I am up on our fairly new scratcher busy scratching for treats.  One good thing about Mom being gone is that when she got home she had half a shopping bag full of treats.  Yay!  You'll never guess what Mom has for breakfast half the time.  Crunchies!  I love them.

Karen Jo:  It's Grapenuts, Spyro, and I'm amazed that you like them better dry than when I put the milk on them.

Spyro:  You don't use real milk and I don't really like it.

Karen Jo:  It's almond milk and it's good for me.

 Oja:  I am in the safe room by the heat vent.  It's toasty warm back here, which is nice because it's been cold outside.  I know because sometimes I greet Mom at the door and the cold air comes in.  I think I have mentioned that all the food in the kitchen is mine and I choose who I will share it with.  Last night at dinner and this morning at breakfast, I decided that Julius could share the canned food.  While he was eating breakfast, I sniffed his tail from the tip to his rump and gave him my seal of approval.  He is now officially no longer an orange threat.

Karen Jo:  This is amazing.  Oja has never warmed up to a new cat this fast.  It look her a couple of weeks after she came out of the safe room to make friends with Herman and Spyro.  It took months for her to make friends with Bambino.  She did make friends with Horus fairly quickly, but it was still a matter of weeks.  Rocio has been here a year and she still doesn't like him.  Julius has only been here nine days.

Oja:  You know what Mom has for breakfast some mornings?  Solid milk.  I love it and make her share.

Karen Jo:  It's called yogurt, Oja, and you are welcome to share.

 Rocio:  I am mostly in the blue cat bed by the heat vent in the living room.  It's nice and warm here, too.  I also like to play with the toggle and string from Mom's coat that you see hanging over my head.  I wish Oja would make friends with me.  At least Spyro, Bambino and Julius like me.  And Mom, of course.  When she has yummy meat or fish for dinner I stare at her until she gives me some.  I only want a bite or two and Mom always gives me what I want.  I love to lie on Mom's legs when she goes to bed.  It's comfy and warm.

 Bambino:  I'm up on the couch watching Julius play.  That boy loves all the toys and wants to play all the time he's awake.  Sometimes he curls up with me and we groom each other.  I am glad Mom got so many treats.  We were nearly out and I scratch for them a lot.

 Horus:  There is nothing better than my favorite pillow in a sun puddle for a nap.  The tiny two-legger wore me out with Da Bird this morning.  Mom got a new bird for it and it was more exciting than usual.  The tiny two-legger even petted me.  She has learned how to do it right and it feels good.  Rocio upset Oja again this morning and I had to chase him down the hall.  That boy will never learn that he can't make friends with Oja.  She has to make friends with him.

Julius:  I still won't let Mom get too close to me with the clicky box.  Oja lets me eat in the kitchen with the big kitties now.  Yay!

Karen Jo:  But your kitten food is in the safe room.

Julius:  Let Rocio eat it.  I like the big kitty food better.  Oja doesn't hiss at me any more.  She really sniffed my tail this morning, all over.  I think she might even like me now.  You will never guess where I slept for the first part of the night last night.  The Lady went to bed and Spyro followed her and she was petting him, so I jumped up on the big bed.  The Lady ignored me and just kept petting Spyro, so I snuggled up to her leg and went to sleep.  It's very comfy and warm up there.  I think I might try it again.

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.

Nippy Sunday

Spyro: This actually happened last Sunday, but Mom didn't get around to posting about it.  Mom decided that it was time we had a nip party.  First she got out a little fuzzy ball that had been in the nip container for a few weeks and put it on the paper you see me on.  Rocio ran right up and grabbed it.  Then Mom put a generous pinch on nip on the paper and Rocio decided to roll in it.  I just lay beside the paper and watched, sure that my time would come. Sure enough, Rocio wandered off a little ways.  You can just see him in the background.  Then it was my turn.  I licked it and rolled in it and had a great time.

Rocio:  Mom serves up some great nip.  After Spyro crashed (you can just see his feet) I came back for a little more.  Then I just started staring off into space out the window.  Mom checked and there weren't any birds to watch; at least not that she could see.  Shortly after this I got the munchies and went off to chow down on Oja's crunchies.

Spryo:  I do love my nip, but it makes me sleepy.  All in all, we two had a great Sunday.  Lazy bones Oja and Austin napped through the whole nip party.

Caturday

 Oja: The vet visit went fine.  I was just weighed and got my chest felt.  I lost two pounds since December 1st!  I am down to 11.7 pounds.  The vet lady said that I should weigh 9-10 pounds, so I only have one more pound to go, then no more diet for me.  Mom decided not to stay in bed all day today after all, so we should be able to do some visiting, which we haven't been doing for such a long time.

Karen Jo:  Mom is getting thoroughly sick of bed.  I went to bed right after supper last night and got restless almost immediately.  I made myself stay there, though and got lots of rest for my ribs.  The news from my doctor was worse than I was expecting.  I fractured four, maybe five, ribs but there was only a tiny bit of displacement, so no treatment other than bed rest was necessary.  I get to have them x-rayed again in a couple of weeks.  I am going to try staying up and using the computer, but no housework and see how I do. If I start aching, it's back to bed.

Oja:  I wouldn't care if you went back to bed right now.  I love cuddling with you.

 Spyro:  Mom's been taking more pictures of us than she used to, so she will be using whatever one she likes for the post.  This is over a month old, when we had sunshine.  I scared the heck out of Oja this morning.  Since Oja has lost weight, she has been going places she didn't used to go.  I have gotten used to having the area around the computer desk pretty much to myself.  I darted behind the desk and Oja gave me the "rip your ears off" yell.  I didn't even know she was back there; she never has been before.  I came tearing out from under the desk at top speed.

Oja:  Sorry about the yell.  It's a dead end back there and I had no place to go if you decided that you wanted a rumble.  I hate feeling trapped by another cat.

 Austin: I just love all this knitted stuff.  It is sooo comfy.

Rocio:  When I say that I check out ALL the napping places, I mean it.  I don't quite fit here, but I just had to try it.

Karen Jo:  I have seen other kitties sit in that little box, but you are the very first one to nap there.  All the kitties have been having a great time.  Oja hardly hisses at any cat now.  All three boys rassle with each other and Oja rassles with Spyro.  Austin tried to start a rasslin' match with Oja this morning, but she growled at him and he backed off.  When I put Oja in her PTU, all the other kitties acted very concerned.  Rocio pulled at the bars to get her out; Spyro purred at her and Austin tried to make a game of it by playing footsie between the bars.  Oja didn't like that last move at all.  I think Rocio licked Oja's head last night, but Oja trotted away from him so quickly that I couldn't be sure.

Spyro:  I really like the computer room.  I jump up and help Mom with the computer all the time.

Karen Jo: I have discovered one tiny drawback to having a nice big computer desk with room for everything: there is also room for kitties.  My old arrangement was so crowded that only Oja could fit in my lap and there was no room on the desk at all.  Now there is room for any of the kitties to walk all around the desk and get between me and the monitor and walk on the keyboard.  I don't mind, really.  It's kind of cool to watch Spyro watch the cards when I play card games.  Oja has more room to be lap kitty while I compute and Rocio has room to be a lap kitty, too.

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.

Busy Mom

Spyro:  I love napping in Herman's bed.  It's comfy and warm and it smells like Herman.

Oja:  I have taken to napping on this blankie on the couch.  Mom often lies down on this couch to read and I like to get up on her legs when she does.

Karen Jo:  I was lonely last night.  No kitty came to sleep with me.

Spyro:  We were mad at you.  You left us in the night and didn't come home until 0-dark-thirty.

Oja:  We were starving.  Dinner was very late.

Karen Jo:  My friend took me out for a while, just to get me out of the house and to take my mind off Herman for a few hours.  It worked and I felt a little better.

Spyro:  You were up so late that I decided I better get you up for breakfast.  It was easy.  All I had to do was jump up on the bed and you were awake.  I don't know why Herman made such a fuss about how hard it was to get you up.

Karen Jo:  The only time Herman had a hard time getting me up for breakfast was when he decided to get me up before dawn.

Spyro:  I came in later to get your lazy buns out of bed and I'm almost sorry I did.  All day yesterday and all day today you have been busy, busy, busy.  I've never seen you do so much work around the house.

Karen Jo:  I have to keep busy, or the negative side of my mind tries to lay a guilt trip on me about Herman.  I know perfectly well that there is absolutely nothing to feel guilty about, but I hate the thoughts that crop up, so I just keep busy.  The same thing happened when my Mom died.

Spyro:  Late this afternoon, I finally got tired of it and tried to get you to stop playing with your papers and play with me.  I sat on your papers, so you had to slide them out from under me.  When you were writing in your little book, I put the bitey on your pen.  When that didn't stop you, I put the bitey on your little finger.  Finally, when you got up to get something, I pushed all the papers and your pen and your little book off the table.

Karen Jo:  I had let the mail pile up and I had some bills to pay and I put the order in for Herman's grave marker.  I pet you a little between opening envelopes.

Spyro:  It wasn't enough.  I wanted your undivided attention.

Karen Jo:  After I put the peas on the stove to cook for supper, I gave you all the attention you wanted, as long as it lasted, which wasn't long.

Spyro:  Oja came into the kitchen and I decided to hop down and greet her.

Karen Jo:  And chase her into the living room and play with her.

Karen Jo:  To change the subject, the Bird Channel is on Cat TV again.  It snowed just a tiny bit Saturday night, so it's safe to put out the bird seed, suet and water again.  The bears have gone into hibernation.  I put everything out yesterday, but the birds didn't find it until this afternoon.  Spyro and Oja haven't discovered the birds yet, but it won't be long.  They get a little noisy in the mornings.

Togetherness

 The sunshine was bright today.  I was hanging out in the living room, away from the other two.  When Oja first came out of her room, Spyro and I got closer to each other.  We would sit together and nap together, but not touching. Today something remarkable happened:

Spyro:  Oja let me come hang out with her in her room.  She's not so bad.  She hasn't growled at any cat today at all.  She stopped hissing at us a couple of days ago.

Karen Jo:  I don't know how long they were together like this, but I snapped the picture just in time.  Not more than a minute later, Spyro came back into the living room to see what Herman was doing.

Oja:  Spyro's not so bad.  I don't hiss any more at all and I have almost stopped growling.  I even let Herman get close to me, but I ran away when he tried to sniff my tail.  Nose-sniffing is fine, but I draw the line at tail-sniffing, at least for now.

Spyro:  I came back into the living room because I was afraid Herman would be lonely.  A couple of hours after these pictures were taken, Herman and I curled up together on the couch, using each other for pillows.

Karen Jo:  You would wait until there wasn't enough light to get a decent picture.  This is the first time that I have seen Herman and Spyro snuggling.

Spyro:  I had to do something.  You wouldn't take me outside.

Karen Jo:  I apologize.  I was expecting a very important phone call.  I even delayed my dinner until it came. I told you that I would take you out as soon as I ate, but when I finished you and Herman were snoozing so peacefully together that I didn't have the heart to wake you up to go outside.

Karen Jo:  I have a message for all of you who have my e-mail address.  My ISP had two domain names and decided to drop one.  My e-mail used the one that got dropped.  That's why I couldn't get my e-mail.  The domain name changed from vla.com to losalamos.com.  If you forget, I am still getting mail addressed to vla.com, but I don't know for how much longer.

Rain!

We almost didn't get our pictures taken today.  When Mom got up it was all cloudy and looked like rain, so she went to get her allergy shot as soon as she could.  She said it rained on her all the way home, which was great.  We haven't had rain in such a long time.  It really cooled things off and it smelled great.  Once the rain was over and the sun came out, Mom went for her camera, but she couldn't find us.

Karen Jo:  Once I had good light for photos, all of you had gone to your shady hidey-holes for a nap.  Herman was under the couch; Spyro was under a chair in the living room and Oja was in her hidey-hole under the corner table.  I waited until I was afraid that I would lose the light and decided to just take a picture of Spyro under the chair.  It looked like there was just enough light for that.

Spyro:  It's really comfy here and it stays fairly cool.

Karen Jo:  Then I decided to visit Oja and put on my sweat shirt, since it was a bit cooler, to see if she would come out for a visit, taking the camera with me.  I waited for quite a while, but finally Oja came out, yawning and stretching.  I was in the easy chair and she jumped up in my lap.

Oja:  I mostly stayed in Mom's lap, though I did smear some cat drool on her face.  I even stayed still long enough for a picture.

Karen Jo:  Looking at this picture, I wonder if you qualify for the froot-bat club.  It looks like it to me.  After my visit with Oja, I walked back to the living room and Herman had come out and was stretched out in the light, so I got a picture of him, too.

Oja:  I want to tell about my adventure today.

Karen Jo:  You did have quite an adventure.  I always leave Oja's door open while I go to get her fresh water, so I don't have to open the door while holding her water dish.

Oja:  Spyro started peeking around the door jamb as soon as Mom left.  I watched him but he didn't bother me, so I didn't hiss at him.  When Mom got back with my water, Herman was following her.  He stood in the doorway, but didn't come in, so that didn't bother me either.  In fact, I walked a little closer to him, then hissed at him.  He didn't do anything; he just stood there in the doorway, swinging his tail slowly back and forth.

Karen Jo:  That is Herman's way of expressing interest.

Oja:  I went a little closer to him and growled at him.  He meowed softly to me and that intrigued me, so I walked right up to him and we touched noses and introduced ourselves.  Then I got a little spooked and backed up and hissed and growled at him again.  This is when Mom usually closes the door.

Karen Jo:  I couldn't close the door.  You were standing right in front of it.

Oja:  I finally walked away from him and Mom left, closing the door behind her.

Karen Jo:  I am really pleased with this development.  Herman was the perfect gentlecat.  He never moved any closer to Oja, letting her decide how much contact she wanted.  Oja didn't arch her back or poof out her tail, just hissed and growled.  Oja hasn't shown any more interest in leaving her room, but this evening Herman followed me a little way into her room when I went in to tell her good night.  Oja's reaction to that was her little "I don't like this" meow, but she didn't hiss at him.  I shooed Herman out and closed the door.  I am beginning to think that things may work out after all and Oja may eventually leave her room and really join the family.

Vet Visit

 Mom snapped the pictures of me and Spyro at mid-afternoon and everyone knows that's nap time.  I keep trying to get a peek at that girl kitty in the safe room, but Mom keeps closing the door before I can get a good look.

Spyro:   I think the laundry basket is the best cat bed I have ever had.  I did get a look at the girl kitty this morning.  Mom left the door open and she poked her head out.  I saw her and she saw me, then she hissed at me.  Three times!

Karen Jo:  Sorry about the three times, Spyro.  She was in the doorway and I kept waiting for her to retreat back into the room, as Emma did, but she stood her ground.  I think that's a good sign for your future relationship with her.  I finally had to shoo her back into the room so I could close the door.

Oja: I'm not going to let any big mancat scare me into running away.  Mom was mean to me today.  She put me in a PTU, then in a metal monster and took me to the vet.  They poked me and prodded me and put something up where it didn't belong.  Then a vet lady squirted something in my mouth.  The only good thing about it was that Mom had another lady with her and they both gave me pets.  The vet lady and the vet tech both gave me pets, too. I was glad to come home.  My picture is all blurry because I won't hold still.

Karen Jo:  The picture is dark because it was taken late afternoon.  I tried to take Oja's picture in the full mid-afternoon light, but she wouldn't hold still enough for even a bad blurry picture.  The vet report is that her nose-drips have cleared up on their own.  I didn't tell you earlier because I didn't want to worry everyone unduly, but Oja also has diarrhea.  I think it is just that I am giving Oja higher quality food than she is used to.  Since Oja didn't have a temperature or any other obvious abnormalities, the vet cautiously agreed with me.  She is getting liquid metronitazale twice a day to help clear it up. She has to go back in 15 days for her boosters.  If the diarrhea doesn't clear up soon, she is going back sooner.

Occupy the Bed

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I got it, too.  I love faucet water.

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

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

Tummy Thursday

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

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

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

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

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

I think I would have preferred the mac and cheese.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Emma:  I am really glad about that.

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

New Food

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mancat Monday

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

But I have always had four choices of dry food.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Happy Valentine's Day

I was keeping the bed warm, hoping Mom would come back, but she didn't.  She got up, got dressed and went to work anyway.  At least the red and white bedspread is appropriate for Valentine's Day.  I hope you all have a great Valentine's Day with lots of love and treats.  I will get something special.  Mom brought sushi home again and she says I can have some this time.

Karen Jo:  I really wanted the smoked eel, but all they had left that wasn't spicy was California roll or tuna cream cheese roll.  I like both, but I thought you might enjoy the tuna more, so I brought that one home.  It's funny.  I haven't had sushi for months, but now I am craving it and had some last week and now I'm having it two days in a row.  I am thinking I might have it once a week.  It's pretty healthy, especially if I buy the brown rice ones and I like it.

I am in favor of that, I think.  Since I haven't had any yet, I don't know if I approve of it or not.  Will you give me lots of love and treats today?

Karen Jo:  Of course, Herman.  I will give you all the treats you want after I get home from work and I will pet you as long as I can at bedtime.  Just remember that I eventually have to go to sleep.

If you napped like I do, you wouldn't need so much sleep at night.

Karen Jo:  That's true, but I have to go to work to bring home the green papers for your food, treats and litter.  Not to mention paying the bills for the heat and water.  If you want to keep the life to which you have become so accustomed, you have to let me sleep at night.

I have been pretty good about that.  I haven't gotten you up at oh-dark-thirty for breakfast more than once a week lately.

Karen Jo:  I appreciate that.  Lots of mornings you don't get me up at all.  You are content to wait until I have to get up to use the human litter box.

I am almost out of Stinky Goodness.

Karen Jo:  I noticed.  I will bring you home a couple of the twelve can boxes tomorrow.  It is already on my shopping list.  Is there anything else you want?

I haven't gotten any new toys since Christmas.

Karen Jo:  You scarcely play with the ones you have now.  Besides, you already have one of every kind they have at the stores in town.  I did get you a new toy bucket, so I don't have to put them in your cube any more.  Now you will have two toy buckets and I can move the toys from one to the other as I get them out for you to play with and put them away again.

I played with my Christmas star flashy ball this morning.  I haven't seen my nip ball in ages.

Karen Jo:  I tossed it into your cube the last time I vacuumed.  It's still in there somewhere.  I will find it eventually, as I get the other toys out.

I don't get enough nip.

Karen Jo:  I put new nip on your scratchers every month.  I feed you at least some nip treats every day.  Ask your friends if they think I should put new nip on the scratchers more often.  If they think so, then I will do it.  I really don't know how long it lasts.

OK, gang, let's have some opinions.  I think I should get new nip every week; Mom thinks once a month is enough.  How often do you get new nip?

Mancat Monday

Mom likes to get up close and take my picture when I am lying like this.  She loves the way my whiskers show up.  She wishes my eyes would show up better, but I am almost always faced away from the sunlight.  I use my scratchers all the time now and Mom even gives me treats for it sometimes.  I didn't eat quite as much today, but I made up for it at treat time.  I got my Interferon again this morning.  I love my Interferon.  I start meowing for it as soon as I see Mom pick up the oral syringe.  I miss it on my off weeks.  Mom nearly forgot it this morning, but she finally remembered, but not until after she had given me my cheese.  I should get my Interferon first, then the cheese.  It started out as a treat for taking my Interferon, but I like my Interferon so much that I don't need a treat for taking it, but don't tell her that.

Karen Jo:  I tried and tried to get you to play with me while you were lying there, looking bored, but you wouldn't.

I only play when I feel like it.  I will let you know when I want to play.  I don't want to be brushed any more.

Karen Jo:  I know you are resisting it now, walking away from me and going behind your platform where I can't reach you.  You used to love it.

It pulls sometimes and turns me into electric cat.

Karen Jo: I think it is pulling because you fur is beginning to get tangled because you haven't been letting me brush you enough.  The air is very dry and that is what turns you into electric cat when I do get to brush you some.  If you don't let me brush you, you will get mats again.

I don't care.  I don't like being electric cat.

Karen Jo:  I have seen an ad for something called a mat cutter.  I might buy one, just in case.  If it works, it will save you a spot shaving if you do get mats again.

Well, I certainly don't want to get shaved again. At least you are using my old brush most of the time now and not the Furminator.

Karen Jo:  You aren't shedding now, so I am just trying the Furminator on you once a week.  I am thinking it doesn't feel as good to you as your old brush.  At least you let me brush you a bit more when I use your old brush.  It helps, but it didn't stop the mats last year. We will just have to see what happens.

Yup.  I bet you are thinking that if I groomed myself more I wouldn't have as many mat problems.

Karen Jo:  Yup, but at least you don't get hairballs.