Cats On My Keyboard

One of the joys you will have when fostering kittens

2011-11-06T18:41:00.000-06:00

Creepy kittens

2011-10-31T18:10:00.000-05:00

I don't know about you, but I don't often think about playing in the toilet, even when it is clean.

Marshmallow and Meeka don't share my sensibilities, however.

Marlowe

2011-10-30T17:12:00.000-05:00

Monty likes to watch the World Series

2011-10-27T18:03:00.003-05:00

Juniper

2011-10-27T17:23:00.000-05:00

Juniper is a senior declawed female that I accepted into my unofficial rescue because her owner was moving, couldn't take this nice cat along, and was going to euthanize her. I couldn't let that happen! Juniper has a lot of life and love left in her soft grey self.

This pretty girl turned sixteen on October 20, is front declawed, has good litterbox habits and is tolerant of other cats. She only asks for a little attention and food every day and spends much of her time curled up on a little wicker rocking chair. Her room has become the hang-out of second choice for some of my cats, the first being my office.

She pretty successfully ignores the Coven of Harpies (all the females except Samantha); thinks kittens are worth a quick sniff or two; and accepts the fact that she shares the house with some very annoying dogs.

While she is doing just fine in my home, I think she would love to be in a less chaotic household, one with a human who didn't have to split her attention amongst so many others. She's an undemanding girl and for now is happy with the random half-hours I can spend with her and a book.

Caught in the Act

2011-10-25T15:42:00.001-05:00

Isis rifles through my purse while Cleopatra watches to see what goodies she finds.

Cricket

2011-10-23T17:59:00.000-05:00

Miss Meeka

2011-10-21T06:00:00.003-05:00

Meeka will be available for adoption next week. Her spay surgery is scheduled for October 25 and she will be ready to go to her forever home a few days after that.

Meeka is three months old. She and her sister Molly were about six weeks old when I pulled them out of an impound at the very end of August. Meeka was so very vocal about her dissatisfaction with their cage at the impound that I just had to take both little girls out and home with me.

Molly and Meeka in the impound

Meeka is not quite so vocal anymore, having decided to put her considerable energy into playing. She will hop across the floor on her tiptoes in pursuit of another kitten, always when I don't have my camera at hand. In her quiet moments, she curls up with my adult cats.

Meeka loves to be held and she loves to ride on shoulders. She has an adorable pink nose. She has petite white feet with clean little pink pads on the bottom. She has a healthy appetite, is tidy, clean and curious. Just a perfect little cat.

Play It Again, Monty

2011-10-20T06:32:00.000-05:00

Little Monty really can pound the ivories. Since he's so small, he has to stand on his back legs to see the sheet music. Piano playing is one of the many talents exhibited by my blended family of foster kittens. Monty is a little over two months old and will be ready for adoption in a month or two.

Today's title is my parody of a misquote from the great movie Casablanca. I cribbed the following from a Wikipedia page, List of Misquotations.

One of the lines most closely associated with this film, "Play it again, Sam", is a misquotation.[30][31] When Ilsa first enters the Café Americain, she spots Sam and asks him to "Play it once, Sam, for old times' sake." When he feigns ignorance, she responds, "Play it, Sam. Play 'As Time Goes By'." Later that night, alone with Sam, Rick says, "You played it for her and you can play it for me," and "If she can stand it, I can! Play it!" The incorrect phrase was later used by Woody Allen as the title of his film Play It Again, Sam about a man who is a huge fan of Casablanca.

Here we are with our great-great-great-great-great-great grandmother!

2011-10-19T18:29:00.000-05:00

Samantha (tortie), Meeka (grey and white), Molly (grey tabby)

Samantha is nineteen; Meeka and Molly are about three months old. They aren't Samantha's physical offspring, but I was looking at this picture wondering how many generations apart these cats are, in cat time, of course. Nineteen? More than that? Would it be like me curling up next to one of my ancestors from a hundred years ago? I'm getting kind of creeped out.

The cat cluster grows

2011-10-14T11:03:00.002-05:00

Now Big Kitty, who is timid and nervous about kittens, has joined Meeka and Samantha on The Yellow Chair. This is just not good. Not good at all. Meeka is not supposed to be fitting in with the resident cats so very well.

Meanwhile, the other kittens, with the exception of tiny Monty, make quick forays to the upstairs but most of the time are perfectly contented to hang together in the basement. Monty looks up the steep staircase and decides it is too much trouble to climb. Give him another week or two, I say, and he will be up here with the rest of 'em.

Dear Little Meeka

2011-10-12T15:15:00.000-05:00

Dear Meeka,

I don't think you understand. You are a foster kitten. That means you are staying with us until you are ready for your forever family to come and get you. Then you go away and forget all about me, even though I will never forget you.

You are not going to stay here forever, even if you get along famously with the resident cats and even if you are so. darn. cute.

With much love,

Your foster mom

Samantha likes kittens; Meeka likes Samantha.

An aeriel view of kitten mealtime

2011-09-28T11:58:00.002-05:00

Clockwise from top left: Marshmallow, Marlower, Meeka, Molly and Monty

An Exceedingly Rare Quiet Marshmallow Moment

2011-09-19T10:25:00.005-05:00

This seven week old boy almost never is still. He must sleep sometime, but I've only seen it once.

Marshamallow has clear blue eyes and fur that is tinged with caramel highlights. Depsite his whirling-dervish ways, he loves being held, and cries for attention when he is not wrestling with another kitten or doing zoomies around the room. Marshmallow would like a home with a cat playmate or two and humans who will offer plenty of lap time.

He will be neutered when he weighs three pounds and will be ready to go to his forever home after that. He's only about two pounds now, so he will probably not be up for adoption for another two-three weeks.

I thought I was so careful...

2011-09-18T12:13:00.000-05:00

The pantry closet seemed such a good place to hide a grocery bag full of this year's dried catnip. Somehow the door was left open and two intrepid explorers found their way in. I don't believe they shared the news of their good fortune with their feline housemates.

Cleopatra

Juliet

Marshmallow and Marlowe: Hide-and-Seek

2011-09-16T15:00:00.000-05:00

A Moment With Monty

2011-09-16T10:34:00.001-05:00

My videos often have a Blair Witch Project quality to them: shaky camera, random cuts, poor lighting. Cute subjects make up for many failings, though, so enjoy this little video of Monty playing with a catnip toy that's bigger than he is.

Coming up next: Marlowe and Marshmallow play hide-and-seek.

Itty-Bitty, But Growing

2011-09-15T10:31:00.000-05:00

Little Monty is filling out. He's been gaining weight steadily. At this morning's weigh-in, he was .92 pounds. On Tuesday, he was .76.

Still too small to let him run around with his kitten friends unsupervised, I bring him upstairs for special fun, like exploring the dining table.

Update on Impound Kitties: Tiny Monty Continues to Improve

2011-09-13T11:08:00.000-05:00

This little boy is still tiny and thin, but what an appetite! I think a few more days of good nutrition and cuddling will put some meat on those little bones. He loves to be held, so I carry him around the house with me and try to do some one-handed chores.

Heartache

2011-09-11T16:37:00.000-05:00

The smallest and frailest of yesterday's kittens did not make it. I went downstairs to check on them this morning and she was stretched out on the floor, on her side, and I couldn't detect any breathing. When I picked her body up, she was limp but she cried out.

I got her and the other two kittens into carriers and we went to Southview Animal Hospital in Inver Grove Heights, which is the only vet that I know of in the metro that has regular Sunday hours. She was still alive, but there wasn't anything that could bring her back and the doctor euthanized her this morning.

There was no evidence of distemper, which is good because Molly and Meeka are still unvaccinated, as well as the little one's littermates. We don't know for sure, but it seems that she died of malnutrition and/or dehydration.

Yesterday afternoon, she tried to hold her foot up to lick it and she really struggled. It was like watching a very elderly cat. Last night, after a couple of good meals and some KMR (Kitten Milk Replacement), she had improved somewhat. She was able to hold that little foot up and clean it, and she purred loudly when I held her on my lap. I fully expected to see an improved little grey kitten this morning.

I wish I had taken the kittens to the vet yesterday when I picked them up. Maybe if she had gotten fluids, she would have pulled through. Maybe if I would have fed more, held her more, she would have hung on. Maybe if I had gone to get these little ones earlier...the questions and the guilt just go round and round in my head. It just makes me so sad that this little one had to live in a cage, sick and starving and didn't get a chance to grow up and have fun, to enjoy the warmth of sun through a window, to have a special person to cuddle with. It depresses me to think of a little being coming into and leaving this life without a name so I did some internet searching and found a Native American name that means 'precious', Tehya. It's a pretty name and fits this pretty little cat.

The picture I took yesterday is the only one I took of Tehya, the only one I will ever have. I took it right before I decided to bring the kittens home with me. She is the grey kitty in the middle. I will always remember the little tan markings on her tiny white paws, the way she purred so happily in my arms last night, the little face tilted up to the sound of my voice.

Happily, Marshmallow, the Siamese mix kitten, is doing very well and appears to be a normal six-week old kitten. Little Monty, the black kitten, is very small and thin. He is not out of the woods yet, but he got fluids at the vet today and I am hopeful that he will continue to eat, and sleep, and grow. That's his job right now.

Cricket, who was the smallest and frailest of her litter of kittens, is cheering him on from the other side of the door.

Could you turn away from this?

2011-09-10T12:17:00.000-05:00

Posted from somewhere deep inside CrazyLand...

The morning started out as sanely as it can when you have three large dogs, several resident cats, three foster kittens and a partridge in a pear tree. The plan was that I would pick Ernest up from the impound in Jordan and meet up with his new parents, Anne and Matt. Impounds are depressing and overwhelming places. It didn't seem right to make two innocent parties have to experience it when they are kind and loving enough to adopt a cat based on his photo and my say-so. Ernest was happy to be let out of his cage, less happy to be ushered into my cat carrier (maybe because it is pink???), but quiet in the car. It was wonderful to see how Anne and Matt welcomed him into their lives.

Here's where I detoured into CrazyLand.

I could not walk by the dirty kennel that held these three very young and loudly crying kittens. They had been given some canned food a day or more earlier and are too young to eat the adult kibble they were given. They were hungry and dirty. Adult cats stay clean in animal control/impound pretty well because they've already learned how to groom themselves, but tiny kittens rely on their mothers to do that for them. What could I do but load them into a kennel and bring them home?

So now I have a total of six foster kittens. It's not the numbers that sent me to CrazyLand. I fostered a litter of seven kittens five years ago, and for three weeks had fourteen kittens in the house when I kitten-sat for a family of seven with my seven still in the house. It was the impulsive "I-can't-leave-you-here" rescue that makes me wonder if I have a problem.

These kittens are in Feline Rescue's foster program (thank you, Cathy, for tolerating my sudden re-descent into fostering) and will find their forever homes before they are too old -- I hope. So it's not as if they will be staying permanently, or will even cost me a nickle. It just scared me a little when I wondered, "is this how hoarding starts?"

Quick Update: Ernest has a home!

2011-09-08T22:47:00.002-05:00

Ernest will be going home on Saturday with my friend Anne Taus and her husband, Matt.

I am so happy and grateful tonight that Anne and Matt have room in their lives for this nice cat.

The Importance of Rescuing Ernest

2011-09-08T13:40:00.000-05:00

Ernest is one of the nicest cats you will ever meet. He has been in an animal control impound facility for several weeks. He would really like to get out and into either a rescue or an adoptive home.

Ernest is a polydactyl male tabby with white on his face and paws. Some people think polydactyl ('many toes') cats are good luck. If you would rescue Ernest from his prison, you would be his good luck charm, that's for sure.

He is younger; I don't think he is more than a year old, but we really don't know for sure. He was vetted a few weeks ago at the Veterinary Technician program at Minnesota School of Business so he is all ready to go.

It is really hard on a young cat who wants to be active and loving to be kept in a cage all the time.

If you are a rescue who would place this wonderful cat in a foster home, or an individual who would give him the love and attention he

deserves, please let me know. The sooner Ernest gets out of the impound and into your arms, the better it will be for all. Impound animals from this animal control in Jordan, Minnesota have no pull fee.

I can help with his transport to you. You can reach me at 612-875-1422 or celayne.jones@gmail.com. Please help me help Ernest into a better life!

Cricket and Marlowe

2011-09-07T16:06:00.000-05:00

Cricket loves Marlowe. Is fascinated by him. The first few meetings were circling punctuated by quick hisses. Now they play without physically engaging. No rolling around on the floor together...yet.
She's not much bigger than he is -- she is pretty much full grown at just under seven pounds; he is around four pounds. I think Cricket is ecstatic with a small playmate who doesn't hiss and swat her as her big sisters so readily do.

Molly the Fluffy Grey Kitten Makes Her Morning Rounds

2011-09-07T13:17:00.000-05:00

Little Molly knows that foster momma needs to get better lighting for these movies. Oh, and she could clean the floor while she's at it.

Happy Labor Day

2011-09-05T11:00:00.002-05:00

Cricket hopes you have a terrific Labor Day. She's just kicking back today and remembering all the good times she had this summer. We'll be back atcha tomorrow when the work and school week starts!

Lights! Camera! Kittens!

2011-09-04T17:50:00.000-05:00

I love the energy that foster kittens bring into my home. Alternatively gentle and demonic in their play, they are a better source of entertainment than a subscription to Netflix. And you don't have to mail anything back when you are done watching.

I've had a kitten climb through the slats of wooden window blinds. I caught one running merrily from the bathroom, unspooling a roll of toilet paper as he flew. One particularly adventuresome young boy got his head stuck in the bottom rack of the dishwasher and on a different day, the same head was stuck in an empty 12 oz. dog food can. He careened around the kitchen and dining room, three large, barking dogs following the fun until I could catch and release him from his tin prison.

In this video, Molly plays with a cool plastic cat toy while Meeka scurries about in the background. They completely ignore the dog caterwauling in the background. Daisy the German shepherd so badly wants to disrupt the playtime! (She's actually very good with kittens but she tends to scatter them until they find out she is harmless.) ((And yes, I know how badly the floor needs mopping.)) (((Ignore the nonsensical human comment at the end of the video.))) ((((I'm done with parenthetical comments now.))))

Here's Marlowe!

2011-09-02T14:19:00.000-05:00

Marlowe is another kitten I pulled out of animal control this week. He is about four months old.

He is an affectionate young cat. Watch what he does to his blanket in the video -- it's what he loves doing to people. He is in a cat carrier because we were headed to his first vet appointment when I took the movie. Not an ideal setting, but it was too cute a photo op to pass up.

He was frightened of people while he was alone in his cage at the impound. The first day I brought Marlowe home, Wednesday, he would run and hide from me when I went in his room. I used my secret friendliness weapon on him: canned Wellness cat food. Now he comes running when I open the door to the kitten room and as you see in the video, he loves to knead.

He got his first vaccinations today and also tested negative for Feline Leukemia and FIV, so in a day or two he can start meeting his foster siblings. The little foster girls, Meeka and Molly, will have to wait to meet him until they get their first set of shots on September 12, so I think his first meeting will be with Cricket. She's not a lot bigger than Marlowe and she is a terrific playmate.

Marlowe will be neutered in a couple of weeks and will be available for adoption after that through Feline Rescue in St. Paul.

Beautiful, Photogenic Isis

2011-09-01T17:06:00.003-05:00

All you have to do is bring out a camera and this pretty girl starts posing. Isis loves attention!

I'm so happy she strolled into my backyard eight years ago.

This goddess of a cat does not care much for other cats, so I was surprised when she became a playmate to my first-ever batch of foster kittens. She still tolerates Cricket, who is no longer an official kitten but doesn't know it yet.

Molly's sister Meeka

2011-09-01T11:21:00.000-05:00

Taken in the vet's office. Many more photos and videos to come.

I brought these two girls and another kitten, a timid all-black male, in unexpectedly and this week has been even more crazy and out-of-control than is my usual life. The boy has not yet told me his name.

I haz de foster kittehs

2011-08-31T22:33:00.000-05:00

Here is Molly. Two more to follow.

Protecting the treasure

2011-08-31T17:10:00.001-05:00

There's something very valuable buried under the pink bath towel. Cricket is guarding it with her life.

Meanwhile, a small brown bunny peeks out from the folds of the cloth, ready to make his escape...

It can't be morning already!

2011-08-26T09:42:00.000-05:00

I need a few more minutes of sleep - pleeeze!

Contest: we need a caption for this

2011-08-14T10:08:00.000-05:00

My imagination is completely failing me right now. Cleopatra is the black cat and the gray stripey is Cricket. Give me your best captioning work.

Just waiting for a few crumbs, please

2011-08-12T16:14:00.000-05:00

Cricket would love it if Rusty would drop a crumb her way. Rusty is a founding member of The Clean Plate Club, though, and the poor cat must wait in vain.

Having a conversation

2011-08-08T14:40:00.000-05:00

Daisy and Isis have a little chat. I think Daisy wants Isis to move and Isis is declining her offer.

This is why I couldn't make the bed this morning

2011-08-05T10:01:00.000-05:00

Lazy-bones Cricket

Toys are no fun unless they're bigger than you

2011-06-21T17:41:00.000-05:00

Introducing...Cricket!

2011-06-19T16:28:00.000-05:00

You already know her as Simone, the smallest of the s'kitten family that I fostered starting late last August. Her fellow kittens were adopted months ago. I held her out of the adoption ranks because she had chronic intestinal problems that finally resolved about a month ago. Once she was ready to go, for some reason I kept procrastinating about getting her up on Red Lake Rosie's Rescue so her special person could find her.

I think Cricket was whispering in my ear at night: it turns out that after spending so much time here, she realized that I am her special person and that she is already home.

She takes her new name from the frequent cute, high-pitched squeeks she makes when she sees me.

Ah, summer and open windows.

Take that, you German shepherds!

Yes, I do know I am gorgeous!

We welcome all kinds of critters

2011-06-07T15:45:00.000-05:00

At my house, we don't just offer a home to dogs, cats, and fish...sometimes a different creature will decide to take up residence in the yard. As long as it follows basic rules of getting along, it can stay.

Cat Tree in Hot Pink

2011-06-06T10:31:00.000-05:00

Spent a few dollars getting this cat tree re-covered. Bought it several years ago at either Petco or PetSmart. It looked like a tan, carpeted grandfather's clock, with a face on the back of the house part and two heavy ropes going down the middle, with round wood pieces at the ends. Its top had long since come off. Isis' favorite tree was sent downstairs for the use of foster kittens.

Carpet completely shredded away on the legs and puked and pooped on by the s'kittens, I was ready to throw the shabby-looking thing away. It seemed such a waste to throw a perfectly good frame away, though, both for environmental and economic reasons (my trash hauler charges extra for carting away large things and it often involves a separate truck trip and a hefty charge to the customer).

I took the old clock to Cat Purrrniture in St. Paul. They did a fantastic job, even rebuilding the missing top. I went all out, even buying a custom color, just because I could.

Don't Isis and Simone look terrific on their hot pink perch?

You can see by the mass of cat fur on the right side that it has already been well used.

Happy May Day

2011-05-01T17:22:00.000-05:00

The crown of the May King hovers uncertainly over James' head. He does not really want to be king. His negative vibes about it have repelled the ivy garland.

No Maypole this year; too cold.

Cats, not dogs, may be our best friends

2011-04-20T10:28:00.000-05:00

I need to initiate studies like this one, Cats may be the real "Man's Best Friend". I certainly have the cat population to do so.

According to the study and countering the myth of aloof beings who don't need us, cats bond with their people as social partners and not just as giant food providers.

They also make darn good Dishwasher Inspectors.

Working Cat: Chief Dishwasher Inspector Simone ensures that no dangerous stray food morsels remain in the machine after it has been run.

Definitely not breaking news

2011-03-05T12:21:00.013-06:00

but here's a family movie from when the s'kittens were babies. This was taken September 13, 2010 when they were 6-7 weeks old.

The star of this one is Scarlett.

Here she is right before she and Sabrina were adopted a month ago.

Median age: nine

2011-03-04T11:57:00.000-06:00

Simone (left) and Samantha share a late-night nosh. Simone is a kitten of under a year; Samantha has been with me since she was a five-week old homeless baby -- eighteen and a half years.

I'm delighted that Sam still has a hearty appetite. Older cats often start to lose weight. Not my girl!

So long, girls!

2011-02-07T12:15:00.001-06:00

My pretty kitties, Sabrina and Scarlett, went home with their new parents on Saturday.

They will be the only two cherished, spoiled animals in the house, so they are super-excited about their new digs!

It was hard on me to see them float out of my life in their new blue carrier. I am not really cut out for fostering, being highly sentimental and weepy at any change in my life. The kittens came to me at five or six weeks of age, skinny, undernourished, motherless. In their time in my home, they grew into healthy, outgoing, happy young cats. When I get over feeling sad about my loss - a little bit, anyway - I am gladdened by imagining the new parents' delight when they wake Sunday morning to find two cheerful gray faces waiting for them.

The couple had waited a while after losing their older cats and were now ready to start life with some lively young kittens. Bonus for me: they live near my brother and sister-in-law, and have extended an invitation to visit when I am next in the neighborhood.

So, a bittersweet couple of days for me but a wonderful new start for Scarlett and Sabrina and their new family!

Isis will miss them (Isis and Scarlett)

James will miss them (James, Sabrina, Luna's rear end)

Isis cleans Simone's ear

I don't know how much their sister Simone misses them, though. She's moved in on Isis' affection and cleaning skills. Simone's the last of the s'kittens but is not quite ready to be adopted yet. We're still working on some, er, digestive issues with her.

A Picture Seven Years in the Making

2011-01-30T16:37:00.000-06:00

Isis calmly cleans her foot.   Cleopatra watches a kitten scamper across the room, paying no attention to her sofa mate.

Why was this a moment worth catching with my trusty digital camera, and why am I commenting on it?

This is A First, that's why! These two cats, so well matched in color have pretty much stayed clear of each other for the past six years. The first year of their acquaintance was extremely unpleasant, with much vocalization and some biting and scratching.

Cleopatra has one duty that is hard-wired into her little feline soul: she must harass and in general make unwelcome any new cat who enters our home. Stalking, litter-box ambushes and the ocasional
drive-by' - running slaps at another cat - are all part of Cleo's arsenal.   She fears no cat. She boldly taunted my dad's nineteen pound male cat when they stayed with us for a couple of months. Chang, a people-loving Siamese, paid no attention when she approached him head-on and hissed in his face. He turned and walked the other way. Miss Cleo wasn't done. She followed him, got in his face again and re-hissed. Fortunately for her, Chang just wasn't a fighter, as he out-weighed her by nine or ten pounds.

Isis was just a tiny young thing when she came to live with us.   A stray living outdoors, she was exceptionally friendly to people and probably would have been completely happy in a home without other cats. At around a year old, she was not quite full grown.

Cleopatra kept Isis in the basement when I wasn't home. She must have chased her to the basement and guarded the door.    Seriously, she has some anger issues.   I kept them apart as best I could. Isis chose to spend a lot of time in the bathroom - not as bad as it sounds. I made sure she had a nice bed to curl up in.

After we moved to a new house and had more room, Cleo took the north end of the house and Isis the south. Honestly, my house is not that large but it is spread out enough for these two queens to have territories that do not intersect.

In recent months, I have noticed a thawing in this cold war. Cleopatra has been eating in the Isis-controlled territory of the kitchen rather than the office (where Cleo rules), and hasn't minded a bit when Isis would choose a plate next to hers. I've caught them sniffing one another and haven't heard a growl or seen an unpleasant snarl on a normally sweet face.

I don't know that they'll ever curl up together and have a Girls Grooming Fest, as Cleo and Samantha regularly do, but seeing them together this way, well, it just warmed my heart. Cleopatra and Isis have given peace a chance.

The Official Mascot of "Cats On My Keyboard"

2011-01-17T11:42:00.000-06:00

Simone, helping me work

Game On!

2011-01-15T10:45:00.001-06:00

Scarlett lounged on the couch, peacefully enjoying the radiant warmth of the fireplace.

An uninvited guest landed on top of her and immediately began biting at her. Sister Sabrina had arrived!

The girls fought. They bit. They kicked. They made loud yowling noises. You know how sisters can be.

Energies spent, time for a breather. Scarlett gets a final kick in.

And here is Scarlett in her typical pose.

2011-01-14T10:32:00.000-06:00

Simone does not appreciate the resident paparazza

2011-01-13T10:40:00.000-06:00

"Get those lights out of my face!!"

Inspector Sabrina Approves

2011-01-12T15:06:00.000-06:00

Dishes are clean enough. The Kitchen-Aid did its job.

Friday is National Dress Up Your Pet Day

2011-01-12T10:03:00.002-06:00

Ooooh, we can have fun with that one!

Making New Friends

2011-01-11T12:05:00.001-06:00

Here is Sassy in her new home. The older cat who didn't much care for a rival kitty...at first.

And here she is with the family Weimaraner. She looks so tiny!

One Day

2011-01-11T01:11:00.011-06:00

1:11:11 1/11/11.

One of those days that comes along every century. Does it mean anything? Perhaps.

A numerologist would do this:

1 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1+ 1+ 1+ 1+ 1+ 1 = 10. 1 + 0 = 1. Truly a 'one' day.

Meaningful or not, One Day has finally arrived. Do something today that you've always vowed to do 'one day'. Whatever you choose to do, please make sure that it harms no one.

It only took a year

2011-01-09T13:47:00.001-06:00

Samantha has been venturing out of the office again.

Luna's arrival in December, 2009 made my little torti-girl decide that the office was the only place in the house for her. Lest you feel badly that she had to make this decision, you should know that the office has a comfy over-stuffed chair, food, water and a litter box. I spend a lot of time in the room, too. Many of the cats hang out in the office because it is so cozy.

Samantha (right) with fellow torti Nimue. Big Kitty sleeps on the back of the chair.

Samantha has never enjoyed dogs very much. A dog must be slow and quiet and not sniff too vigorously for her to tolerate it. Luna is none of these things. She's a good listener, though, and will back off when I ask her to do so.

So Sammi's world has expanded again.

Copy cats

2011-01-05T16:54:00.001-06:00

I was sitting at the keyboard trying to think of what to write today when the perfect subject pounded itself into my brain.

Daisy likes to go in the bathroom and shut the door. The first time she did it, I was scared to death because she didn't come to greet me at the front door when I returned from an errand; she didn't respond to my increasingly frantic calls, either.

Expecting to find a seriously ill or even deceased puppy, I ran through the house with pounding heart. The bathroom door was closed. Hmmm...I never close doors.

"Daisy?" I whispered as I tremulously opened the door.

"Baby!!" I sighed when my girl was there, safe and happy, tail thumping on the tile floor. It was unusual for her to be so silent. She sure knows proper etiquette for 'hide 'n seek'.

Every so often, I find a closed door and Daisy is waiting inside the bathroom for me to find her. This morning, I just assumed that it was her when I heard some thumping on the closed door.

I pushed it open and two kittens flew backwards. Scarlett and Sabrina were startled but unhurt. They had been playing with the doorstop -- a fine toy: one that can take punishment but never gets lost under the couch or ends up buried in a pile of laundry.

This doorstop was in pretty good shape when we moved in five years ago. Although its springs are bent and its white plastic end-cap is missing, it still serves its purpose -- kitty plaything. It never did much for keeping the door from banging on the bathtub.

My Mini-Van

2011-01-02T16:46:00.001-06:00

Isis has many characteristics of a Turkish Van cat. Her silky medium-long fur feels fine and soft like a rabbit's fur. Despite its fineness and length, I have never had to brush knots or snarls out of her. And like a bunny, she has almost no voice. I've only heard sound come out of her mouth when she's been annoyed enough with one of the dogs to yell at it.

A Turkish Van is white with markings on its head and tail. Some color can be found on the cat's body, but breeders' standards indicate that color should cover no more than twenty per cent of the body.

What makes Isis a mini is her size, nine or ten pounds. Male Turkish Vans are about sixteen pounds, with the females running twelve to fourteen pounds. If Isis wasn't so well-fed, she would be very petite indeed. Her little body is sturdy with squarish paws.

She's outgoing with people, willing to play with dogs

and is willing to tolerate other cats, so long as they don't get in her face.

She was standoffish with my cats when she came to live with me. The first time she ever really played with other cats was when foster kittens got to be old enough to really give her a good romp, at five or six months of age. Here, she and Meri fight for control of the cat tree.

Today she loves a good snuggle with foster sister Scarlett.

Isis joined my household in October of 2003. Coming as she did from living outdoors in western Wisconsin, she avoided the front and back doors of my house for the first several months. One February night, though, she ran out when I took the garbage out. There was about a foot of snow on the ground and the feeble spotlight on the garage didn't offer enough light for me to see a mostly white cat. I never really slept that night, but would get out of bed every half hour or so to look and to call for her. At dawn, I went out to call and found her sitting on the back porch waiting for me to come let her in.

It would be a nice end to the story to say that cured her of wanting to go outside, but that is not the case. She didn't want to leave that city house again but when we moved to an acre lot in the suburbs, she got curious. I used to let her out in the fenced backyard with me -- she mostly likes to climb to the top of the arbor and survey her domain -- but I got spooked after a coyote came through the neighborhood a couple of years ago, so she hasn't gotten that opportunity since then.

Isis spends most of her time in my all-glass sun room so she can see the birds and squirrels and the occasional neighborhood cat that visits the yard. Why leave the house when you can see it all from indoors?

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T18:45:00.002-06:00

Simone woke up when I snapped this shot, but Samantha slept through the session. Snoozing is a great way to spend a freezing cold January day.

Sassy has left the building

2010-12-31T11:13:00.000-06:00

Sassy just left, chauffeured home by her new parents, Lisa and Kevin. She'll live in style with another cat and two large dogs. Thanks to Daisy, Rusty and Luna for schooling her on big dog etiquette.

Daisy and Sassy investigate the contents of a cardboard box

I'll miss The Sass, her pesky interference in my meals, her nocturnal purring visits and her joyful curious attitude.

Sabrina gets comfortable

2010-12-30T11:16:00.001-06:00

Simone samples a houseplant

2010-12-29T12:45:00.000-06:00

You'd never know she was just spayed yesterday. The instructions the clinic sent home with her said "keep pet quiet for five to seven days". Um, have you ever had a young kitten (or puppy)? Good luck to us!

Bathtub kitty

2010-12-29T12:30:00.001-06:00

Another fun place for Sabrina to hide

So far, she hasn't tried to scale the shower curtain!

The tree made it through Christmas without any animal-induced damage

2010-12-27T11:45:00.002-06:00

Silly me was worried that the s'kittens would terrorize my Christmas tree, so I let it stand for several days with just lights. When no one bothered it, I cautiously began trimming it with ornaments. Just to avoid heartache, I did not put any of my precious glass pieces up. At least half of those are remnants of my childhood, some belonged to my grandmother.

In a puzzling move, the kittens avoided the tree (good kitties) and decided to destroy the things I kept on my fireplace mantel. So no Christmas stockings this year, or string of candy cane lights or any of my little collection of statuary. Just a nice toasty resting spot. Here's Sabrina:

So my beautiful seven-foot Norway pine is sparsely populated with small wooden ornaments, and some felt ones. I even placed the pariah ornament, a stryofoam ball I stuck with sequined pins in the second grade, on the tree thinking it would be okay if they tore it up. (But oooh! the pins!)

There was no ornament theft from the tree until this morning. To be fair, this was sold as a cat toy. You can't blame a s'kitten for choosing it as a plaything.

The pariah ornament usually spends Christmas at the bottom of a cardboard box and not on the tree.

It's Boxing Day!

2010-12-26T10:04:00.002-06:00

Juliet is curious about what is in the box (nothing)

Simone

Cats in elf caps

2010-12-24T10:18:00.015-06:00

James is willing to try anything once

Surprisingly, Cleopatra does not resist when asked to wear an elf cap

Isis, however, is ashamed and tries to remove her cap

Jackpot!

2010-12-21T17:06:00.000-06:00

Three Christmas cards today, bringing my total to ten. It's a good thing I have a healthy sense of self-esteem...

Christmas Card Count: Seven

2010-12-20T12:58:00.001-06:00

This is ridiculously low, even for me. I take heart from the news from two people -- one a friend, the other a relation -- who have countless friends all over the place with whom they keep in touch have received few cards this year.

The internet is killing this tradition. The expense of cards and stamps is a luxury in a poor economy, too.

One year there were no ornaments on my Christmas tree

2010-12-19T13:27:00.002-06:00

The tree was fake but Isis' love for climbing it was genuine.

I couldn't have had a prettier ornament, actually.

That was her first Christmas with me, 2003. Here she is today, exercise session with Luna's toy interrupted.

Two Things I Don't Understand

2010-12-19T13:12:00.000-06:00

1) Why the s'kitten sisters insist on walking my fireplace mantel, pulling a light string down and knocking pictures, statues and wood carvings to the floor while leaving a real, formerly live,Christmas tree completely alone.

2) Why anyone is even considering standing in line hoping to get a seat and then sitting in the extreme cold and dark to watch a woeful Minnesota Vikings team play at the University of Minnesota's TCF Bank Field (or whatever it's called. I think it should be called Taxpayer's Field, but that's just me).

A Portrait of Cleopatra

2010-12-18T10:32:00.000-06:00

In the fall of 2009, my friend Katie Thering Berger of Kage Imagery came out to take pictures of my animals as a thank you for dog-sitting her beautiful St. Bernard, Delilah. It was a wonderful gift, because Katie is one of the best photographers around.

Here's Cleopatra. It's hard to get a good shot of a black animal because there isn't a lot of contrast. You don't always see details and shading.

Cleo isn't always the most cooperative of subjects. Bring out a camera and she turns her back on you. Katie was able to capture Cleopatra's expression perfectly.

My favorite accidentally posed photo -- ever

2010-12-17T11:06:00.000-06:00

These kittens were two of a family of seven, the first cat family I fostered in 2006. These two boys are looking for work. You can see the back ends of their brothers in the little house behind them. The only two girls in the litter are torties and not in this picture (tortoiseshell = black with orange and tan markings).

Disclosure: if you examine the Official Cats On My Keyboard archives, you will find that this picture appeared here in February, 2008. I'm just digging deep today because my new camera hasn't come from amazon.com yet, and well, this picture just makes me chuckle. So sue me.

A snug hiding place for Simone

2010-12-14T11:54:00.000-06:00

Simone discovered a special happy place between the floor lamp and the couch. There's a small table opposed to the couch that you can't see in this picture, so it really is a comfy private place for Simone to hang out when she's had enough of the cat-race.

A Helpful Hint

2010-12-12T14:14:00.000-06:00

It's a good idea NOT to drop your point-and-shoot camera when its lens is extended. The camera will always land lens-down, the lens will be jammed crookedly and it will no longer work.

This is the second camera that has met this particular sad end at my hands. I don't normally go around dropping things. I don't know why it happened to be two cameras.

I'll be getting another camera soon. I think I will stay with the Nikon CoolPix because I just recently had gotten around to learning about all its features.

Christmas Cards, or, Where Are They?

2010-12-11T12:31:00.002-06:00

Fifteen days until Christmas and I have received two cards. One of them is from a friend; the other is from the massage therapist I go to a few times a year.

Okay, okay, I admit it. I haven't been a good Christmas card sender. Some years, I send them to everyone who is still speaking to me. Other, more frequent years, I only send to people who have already sent one to me.

E-cards and Facebook have replaced good old-fashioned delivered-by-the-postman mail. The upside is that you get a lot of birthday greetings. From real friends and from people you friended because you both volunteer at the same non-profit or you both play FarmVille. So you get a lot of good wishes but they are hollow.

I like real cards that I can open and savor. I like ripping the envelope open , slipping the card out and placing it on my fireplace mantel. I like reareading the cards as I take them down to place them in my recycling bin. Yeah, it's greener to say Happy Birthday, Merry Christmas, or a Scrumptious St. Swithin's Day over the Internet but it's much less satisfying for this recipient.

I'm snowed in today; I have several boxes of Christmas cards and I have Christmas stamps. I will take some time this weekend from watching the snow fly and lazing in front of the fire to write Christmas cards and see how many guilt-responses I get!

Sabrina and Simone

2010-12-08T10:42:00.000-06:00

Sabrina, the kitten in the front of the picture, has the softest fur! She is a snuggler. When you pick her up, her purr motor starts and keeps running. Simone also enjoys a good cuddle.

Voluntary kenneling

2010-12-07T11:13:00.001-06:00

The s'kittens are so brave and so forgiving. Last Friday, Simone voluntarily took shelter in the cat carrier despite having to ride in it on a trip to the vet earlier in the day. Cries and complaints much louder than one would expect to issue from a three-pounder blasted my eardrums the whole twenty-minute way there and some of the way back.

It must not have been as bad as all that. She was able to lure sister Scarlett in for a cuddle later that evening.

Simone is the gray kitten on the left; Scarlett is the tan and gray girl on the right.

Simone with one Mr. Spock ear

2010-12-06T07:05:00.002-06:00

Cleopatra looks on with disapproval.

I always loved that, "So-and-so pictured doing something, while less-significant so-and-so 'looks on'.

Another cat-enrichment activity

2010-12-05T10:44:00.000-06:00


Isis loves to read.

Miss Scarlett at leisure

2010-12-02T11:38:00.000-06:00

I love the spots on her belly!

My Pre-Christmas Cactus

2010-12-01T07:01:00.000-06:00

The zygocactus begins to sprout buds when the days start to shorten. This one lived outside on my shady front porch until mid-October. Small pink buds were just starting to appear. The plant really budded out a couple of weeks after it came in the house. (Full disclosure: this photo was taken on November 13th, so more properly could be called a Midway Between Halloween and Thanksgiving Cactus.)

Christmas cacti can last a long time. They are difficult to kill from benign neglect. Lack of water shrivels the leaves, but once you water it will perk up pretty quickly. The cats like to nibble on the flat leaves. No one has been harmed by this, although the plant can start looking a little pitted from constant feline attention.

Just in! Sassy's Thanksgiving photo

2010-11-30T16:24:00.000-06:00

Sabrina, one smart s'kitten

2010-11-30T10:51:00.000-06:00

I'm taking a break from working the Sunday crossword...

I just can't get enough of this couple

2010-11-28T17:48:00.000-06:00

James (large, orange) and Scarlett (small, tabby)

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T12:27:00.000-06:00

We hope you enjoy your family feast. We always enjoy ours.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Photo: clockwise from top: Sassy, Simone, Sterling, Sabrina, Scarlett. Meal eaten when they were about six weeks old.

Sterling went to his new home today

2010-11-20T15:21:00.000-06:00

His new mom came to the Red Lake Rosie's Rescue cat & kitten event today to pick him up. She had applied to adopt him last week and came to my home to meet him on Wednesday. He's such a happy, confident boy that I know he is exploring his new home and loving it already.

The four girls hung out at the Wayzata Chuck & Don's store for a couple of hours after Sterling went home. We have meet and greets there every so often.

Here's Scarlett, resting after her first public appearance. She was the one I was most concerned about having a good time, but she did fine and even happily let a woman in the store hold her.

All four rode quietly in the car. Well, I heard the stray meow here and there, but nothing like it could be and has been with certain cats in the car. When I brought their carriers in to the office to release them, each hopped out and found a spot to curl up.

It's exhausting having people come up and saying how beautiful you are and wanting to hold you!

Cleopatra will be happy when the s'kittens are adopted

2010-11-19T13:43:00.000-06:00

Always my anxious girl - she is the feline version of Daisy, my highly-strung German shepherd - the presence of five unruly kittens unsettles her. She doesn't strike out at them but she has been getting in quick, loud spats with some of the other adults. Liberty, who was the crabbiest kitten I've ever known, is her particular sparring partner.

I hear it at night when all else is silent. A low rumble like a small electric motor, followed by a spitting hiss or two and then two screetching shrieks. The thunder of eight cat feet retreating in opposite directions.

It may be recreational more than anything. What else is there for them to do in these long dark nights?

Update: Sterling's adoption

2010-11-18T19:45:00.002-06:00

has been rescheduled for Saturday.

New mom had some family business to take care of this evening.

So I get the cute boy for another two days. Whee!!

Sterling is going to his forever home in a couple of hours

2010-11-18T16:54:00.000-06:00

Sigh. It's always bittersweet when a foster animal is adopted.

So happy that he's found a place to call home for the rest of his life, but so sad to see him go. I will miss his loving ways and extra-loud purr and so will Miss Isis. This morning, he hopped into bed with me and curled up under my chin just as the dark of night lifted into a gray dawn.

We went through some tough times. The first couple of months we struggled to get the kittens' digestion straightened out. It was a yucky mess for me and the poor little beasties were uncomfortable as can be.

Sterling has always been brave, and I am confident that he will have no trouble adapting to his new home. A couple of weeks after I brought the s'kittens home, I went to their room in my basement to weigh, feed and clean up after them. One by one, four kittens appeared from baskets, from in the closet and from behind a bookshelf.

"Where's number five?", I asked. I still had some trouble telling them apart. They were all tiny and gray.

Four little faces looked up at me, meowing for their breakfast.

"Where's number five?", I asked again, peering behind and under everything in the room.

No number five. Closer inspection revealed that the missing kitten was Sterling, the biggest kitten and one of two who regularly tried to escape from their pretty-nice prison. He's the kitten at three o'clock in this picture.

I went through the house, calling and calling, checking every little nook and cranny. Worried that one of my crabby adult cats had hurt him, although I hadn't heard any unpleasantness. I called Denise at Red Lake Rosie's Rescue and told her what was going on.

My panic was growing the more I talked.

I was standing in the dining room, with morning sun filtering in through the east-facing windows. I turned. There. Was. Sterling!

He'd come from no where, but now was quite pleased with himself standing between Daisy and Luna, the German shepherds. None of the three seemed particularly concerned.

I asked Sterling where he had been hiding, but he wouldn't tell me.

Enjoy your new life, little one. You'll stay in my heart forever.

Sick of them already

2010-11-17T08:09:00.001-06:00

British Prince Harry and his fiancee. It must be a slow news week, since every news outlet seems to have converted to the "all royalty, all the time" format.

Puh-leeze. This is America. We don't care.

The Great Power Outage of 2010

2010-11-15T14:33:00.003-06:00

It started with a snow storm on Friday night. As I admired the snowy beauty and started my coffee on Saturday morning, the power went out. I stood, waiting for the coffee maker and appliances to flicker back on. I waited and waited.

I called Xcel Energy. The representative told me that 1122 customers in my vicinity were without power and that they(Xcel) had no prediction as to when it would come back on, but assured me they were working on it.

A mildly fun, play-hooky kind of day turned into an evening of early candles and silence. I was still in adventure mode, so reading by flashlight was a little like getting away with something.

By 8 pm, though, the thrill had worn off. Repeated calls to Xcel Energy just got me to a recording that told how many people were still affected (70,000) and how many had been affected (180,000). There was also a snarky comment at the end to the effect of: if you are not comfortable with an extended power outage, you should look into other living arrangements.

That's great if you only have yourself to look out for. I have a houseful of animals, including five adorable kittens. A hotel or imposing on friends or family is a bit out of the question for me.

I kept the gas fireplace going. It's cheerful flame slightly mitigated the lack of electric light, computer, television or running water. (My city does not provide water service; I have a well.)

Sunday morning, I awoke with the hope of power, lovely power, hopes that were dashed when I turned the knob on my red antique lamp. Click, click, click. Nothing doing.

Grumbling my way to the kitchen, I opened cans, fed the animals, tamed my hair, threw on some clothes and drove to Caribou. The caffeine gods had not been so cruel as to close them down! I recharged my cell phone and sipped a soy latte, read my book in fabulous artificial light.

Obsessively counting the hours without the precious gift of basic services. Thirty. Thirty-five. Thirty-six. CAN YOU BELIEVE I HAVE HAD NO POWER FOR A DAY AND A HALF???!!!???

My neighbors Lorraine and Tom graciously allowed me to shower and recharge my cell phone at their house Sunday morning. That evening, we went to dinner at the Red Rooster in Long Lake. They invited me back to their house for some heavenly cheesecake and I was able to savor the dessert and the wonderful warm glow of the artificial lights until I trudged back home to to cold quiet darkness.

Once home, I am ready for bed early. Despite the gas fireplace, I am chilled. Despondent, too. How long will this go on? Once in bed, I cannot sleep but am unwilling to leave my next of two quilts and the body heat of my dogs. So, I forgo more flashlight reading and lull myself to sleep thinking mean thoughts about Xcel Energy and its crews who cannot get my power back on.

Monday morning comes and I don't want to get up and face an increasingly disordered and dirty house. I am tired of being cold and tired of being dirty. I take pity on my hungry dogs and cats, though, and go through the futile ritual of trying to turn on a lamp before getting out of bed.

I have just made myself semi-presentable and am ready to go to Caribou for a coffee when I hear some blessedly loud and recently unfamiliar noises. The refrigerator starts up. The makes the heavy thud it makes when it receives a surge of power. From my office, I hear the printer doing is whir-whir-whir as it (I imagine) shakes its ink cartridges into the ready.

Oh happy day! I have electricity, wonderful carbon-footprint leaving electricity. Tonight I will have lights, and TV if I want it. I can listen to non-iPod music and I can wash my clothes.

I put my jacket back in the closet and smile as I start a pot of coffee.

Sabrina and Scarlett: s'kitten sisters

2010-11-11T12:01:00.000-06:00

These two kittens truly are bffs and will be adopted out together. I haven't been able to get a decent, recent photo of them together, however. Here's Sabrina:

She's a snuggler who loves to be cuddled. In this picture, she looks a bit mischievous and ready to play. She and Simone are the ones who follow me around the most.

Scarlett is kitty-crushing on James, my big orange boy-cat. He's tolerant and, frankly, happy to have a feline friend. My other cats don't really care for him for reasons I don't fully understand. Maybe because every human who meets him falls in love. They're jealous!

Sassy & Simone enjoy FarmVille

2010-11-10T22:16:00.000-06:00

Hey, Sassy tried to send a fax the other day. Why not play FarmVille?

Simone bounces back

2010-11-05T12:24:00.001-05:00

Simone is the smallest of the s'kittens. When she came to me, she was under a pound. She gained weight slowly and has been consistently a pound or more lighter than the others. There's a big difference between two pounds and four pounds in the world of kittens.

Last week, we almost lost this little one. She was not eating and doing poorly. The vet thought she might have FIP or kitty parvo. There didn't seem to be much hope, but we gave her some fluids. One miracle and one week later she is thriving! Now up to 2.43 pounds, she may never catch up to the others in size, but she is healthy and active. (For comparison, Sterling is over four pounds and the other three girls are 3-1/2 to 4 pounds.)

Like Sterling, Simone has the lovely swirly markings of the classic tabby.

Oh, and I forgot to tell you that Simone used to be Simon. It's hard to tell sometimes on the itsy-bitsy cats. Oddly, I always thought 'he' had a girl personality. Yes, there's a difference.

I tried!

2010-11-04T14:55:00.002-05:00

Last spring, I enrolled in a mosaic class at the Minnetonka Center for the Arts.

I'd always been fascinated by mosaics. When I decided to stretch myself a little and try a new art form, I was excited when I saw the listing for "Introduction to Smalti Mosiacs" in the school catalog. (Smalti is a kind of Mexican glass tile.)

Two sessions later, my masterpiece is --- not done. I have all the supplies and equipment I need (tiles, cutter, glue). Although my studio is now temporary s'kitten headquarters, I can always find a tabletop and might even be able to keep cats, kittens and dogs away long enough to place a few tiles here and there.

Still, I don't know if it will ever be complete. I like working on the mosiac, but I don't love it. Spare moments that could be spent placing smalti tiles on my board are always filled by other tasks, both necessary and unnecessary. Examples: Feed s'kittens (necessary). Reorganize a bookshelf so books are grouped by spine color (unnecessassry). So go my days.

I am slightly heartened when I remember that it took me twenty-three years to finish an embroidered doily I started with my grandmother when I was twelve. Since I wasn't very good at stitching, I put it in a box; in my thirties I started needleworking and decided to finish embroidering the pink flowers that cover either end of the cloth oval.

I worked and worked. I stitched and ripped stitches out. I hemmed the edge of the doily, carefully washed the little piece. When it was all dried and ironed, I noticed a small yellowish stain in the corner. Big sigh. But at least it was finished.

Based on this timetable, I expect to complete my mosaic in about 2035.

Sterling S'kitten

2010-11-01T12:20:00.001-05:00

Here he is with his foster siblings - Cleopatra, Samantha, Big Kitty and Nimue (in the place of honor on th back of the chair). The little guy is sure comfortable in any situation.

His coloring looks different in the photo on the right -- must be the lighting -- but it is he. The steel gray in the group shot more accurately shows his true colors.

He's the snuggliest little guy. He'll come running across the room, jump up to my shoulder and purr and rub and give kitty kisses.

He's the biggest of the s'kittens at around four pounds. He loves his food and I suspect he's going to be a larger cat when he is full grown. At just three months of age, it's hard to tell but that's my guess.

Sassafras

2010-10-19T15:11:00.001-05:00

One of the five s'kittens* has made herself at home. I'm surprised Nimue, full of tortitude, was content to share her perch with Sassy.

Sassy and her sibs - Sterling, Simon, Scarlett and Sabrina - will be spayed/neutered on October 28th and ready to go to their forever homes a few days after that. Their rescue is Red Lake Rosie's Rescue. These beautiful gray tabbies were turned in on the reservation as an unwanted litter.

I'm so happy to have gotten the opportunity to help these kittens get a good start in life. We'll find wonderful homes for them.

*S'kittens are so-called because all their names begin with an 's'. Thanks to Denise Luke for her inspiration about their 'family name'.

Cleo's hobby

2010-01-18T18:00:00.000-06:00

A couple of years ago, I was thinking of finding new homes for my fish. I couldn't get the pH levels right, and the nitrates (or was it nitrites) and ammonia were out of whack, too. I lost a few fish and felt like a murderer because of my aqua-incompetence. I started a second tank and this one went better for me and for the fish. The old tank is still sitting in the garage waiting to be cleaned out and restarted, but meanwhile CatTV is on the air. Cleopatra enjoys the daily fish-tank dramas. So far no crime thrillers or sports except for swimming are shown, but she doesn't mind.

James has a pal, at long last

2010-01-11T21:18:00.000-06:00

Big orange James is the nicest cat in the world. Everyone, er, every human, loves him. He loves to be cuddled. Dogs love him. He is tolerant of a certain amount of pawing and barking. Cats? Not so much.

Since I adopted him in 2003, he has been my Lone Ranger. Whenever he approaches one of the other cats, he is hissed at or swatted. I could tell that James wanted so much to have a cat-friend and was delighted to find him with Samantha on her yellow chair one day before Christmas.

Sam is the most tolerant of my cats, accepting sassy kittens, cross-patch seniors and testosterone-motivated, although neutered male cats.

At last, James has found his friend.

The New Year

2009-12-31T19:19:00.000-06:00

I do not make New Year's Resolutions. Too contrived, so easy to break and feel like a failure.

My only real wish for tonight is that the media would stop doing "Decade in Review" features. The decade began on January 1, 2001 and will end on December 31, 2010.

I don't know about you, but when I start counting I start with a "one" and not a "zero". So please. Shut up about the decade and have a good evening if you celebrate this contrived holiday.