Fuzzy Tales

Remembering Chumley

2012-01-24T00:01:00.020-05:00

Chumley, adopted April 21, 2001 and passed January 24, 2007

It was five years ago tonight that Chumley died of a blood clot. He was my first four-legged companion as an adult, and his story is told on his own page, Angel Chumley, which many of you already have read.

If I could have only one "redo" with my fur family, it would be with him, because I really didn't know anything about cats when I adopted him. Poor Chum had to endure my many failings.

Yet he was ever forgiving, ever a gentleman, even at the end.

Chumley, I hope your spirit is at peace. And I still say, all these years later, that you weren't supposed to leave me.

-Kim

Thursday in our frozen wasteland

2012-01-19T00:01:00.020-05:00

No "garden" here, not until April.

In the meantime, it's a frozen wasteland. The mom snapped these pics after work yesterday. We ventured out for a short time--not too long, because the windchill was making it feel like minus 17 Celcius, or about 1 degree Fahrenheit. Brrrrr!

We'll all be glad when it warms up again!

Stay safe and warm (or cool, if you're in the southern hemisphere).

We're hardy, we're brave...ok, maybe not so much

2012-01-16T00:01:00.044-05:00

Kitties! Woofies! OMC, do we have winter now!

The back of our unit on Friday afternoon.

Our back space, shortly after our mom
shovelled the centre of it for us.

We won't complain; winter has been very late arriving this year. [Yay, the mom says.] But now we must have had 6 feet of snow! [The boys exaggerate, it probably wasn't anymore than 10cms, about 4 inches].

But we're hardy and brave Canadian mancats, we can take it!

Okay, that's enough hardiness and bravery!

Maybe life is better inside right now, where it's warm!

Happy Monday, everyone. Stay safe and cosy!

Hurrah for Friday!

2012-01-13T00:01:00.047-05:00

We want to wish everyone a happy Friday and weekend. We're sending purrs to All Beings in need at this time, including Milo and Alfie's dad, GJ, Ann's husband Vic, Mr. Pip, Tucker and too many others. As always, our purr badges are on our Purrs Page.

We're keeping up with everyone in Google Reader, but not commenting nearly as much, as you know. The mom's been great about turning off her laptop and playing with us more, but she's also spending a lot of time knitting those kitty blankets. We'd rather she spent all her time catering to us, but we suppose we can't begrudge her the time she's putting into her shelter donation project. She's working on blanket #7 now.

Derry on January 1st.

Nicki on January 8th: I love this wand toy!

We had an easy winter until yesterday, when we got hit with freezing rain all Wednesday night and early Thursday morning, then pouring rain and then snow. Nasty and dangerous weather, and the mom's glad she doesn't have a car.

Nicki on January 6th.

Derry on January 8th.

So take care, everyone. Stay safe and be well.

Comments are off, so that the mom doesn't have to feel guilty about not leaving comments on everyone's blog right now. LOL.

Tuesday Tales

2012-01-10T00:01:00.054-05:00

Nicki here to show you how I ended the old year -- a run-in (through our fence) with the neighbour's nasty dog on December 31st. The mom is ever so thankful for that fence, because she tells me I'm too single-minded and stubborn to know better, that the dog would tear me apart in seconds. She even called it a stupid act. It's not stupid, it's brave, kitties. Someone has to defend our home and "yard!"

See, I was just minding my own business, though I could hear the dog near the fence and see a bit of her through the cracks. I wouldn't have done anything, except she came to the corner of the fence, and well, of course I had to take action.

Things got a little tense and scary here for the mom and Derry. Actually, Derry raced back inside to safety right after this was snapped (below), because by this time I was looking to redirect my aggression toward a more obtainable subject.

Notice my bottle-brush tail! I had been in the corner, with the dog making horrible sounds of aggression, trying to get at me. I was fighting back for all I was worth, trying to get at her through the barrier. The mom was shouting and I wasn't paying any attention. She had to spray and spray and spray with the water bottle to get me away from the fence.

What? Everything's calm now, Mom, I swear.

Okay, maybe I was still riled up when the mom managed to shoo me inside where it was safe.

I'm never going to accept that I could be in any danger from that dog. Meanwhile, the neighbour's townhouse has been up for sale since November and the mom's sincerely hoping it's been sold or will sell soon. She also really hopes that any pets the new owners might have are better cared for and are not the problem that these two dogs (especially the female) are.

Relax, Mom. I'm here to protect you!

-Nicki

Godspeed, Lolo

2012-01-08T17:06:00.000-05:00

We've just read the awful news that Lolo (Lautrec) has passed to the Bridge; he was full of cancer.

http://weezdabadcats.blogspot.com/2012/01/good-bye-lolovegood-bye-my-sweet-boy.html

Please visit and leave purrs. His mom is devastated and our mom is too; Lolo was one of our mom's favourite CB kitties.

Photo copied from their blog.

Godspeed, sweet Lolo.

Comments are off.

Shelter Donation Project Update

2012-01-06T10:27:00.000-05:00

Today we thought we'd show you what the mom is working on as part of her year-long shelter donation project.

Kitty blanket #4 is done now and #5 is in progress. They're only approximately 2 ft x 2 ft, to fit in the cages, so they're easy to make.

Nicki: I give them my biscuit-making paw of approval.

It's actually an easy baby blanket or dishcloth pattern and it makes a nice border without having to add a fringe (too tedious to do that).

Cast on 5 stitches
Knit the first row
Next row: Knit 3, yo (yarn over), knit to end
Continue (k3, yo, k to end) until it's as big as you want
To decrease: k2, k2 together, yo, k2 together, knit to end
Repeat until you have 7 stitches left
Knit 2, k2 together, k2 together, knit to end (leaves 5 stitches on needle)
Cast off

The mom's mostly using soft, chunky wool because that knits up the fastest. But finding wool on sale is a challenge!

As for January's donation purchases, the mom went to Dollarama last week and came home with several things:

Of course we had to check them out and make sure they were okay to donate!

We'll try and do a project update every month or so, just to keep you all in the loop and perhaps inspire others. And if anyone has easy and inexpensive ideas for the mom, feel free to email her at keas DOT fuzzy DOT tales AT gmail DOT com.

Happy Friday and weekend, everyone!

Thanks for the Award!

2012-01-05T00:01:00.013-05:00

We received the Liebster award from two relatively new blogs: Sookie and Mr. Darcy at Kitcaboodles and also from Callie at Troublin' Times. Thank you so much, we're honoured! If you don't know them, please visit and welcome them to the Cat Blogosphere.

Liebster is a German word that means favorite or beloved. Technically the award is meant to be given to blogs with fewer than 200 followers, to bring attention to those that might be less well known. And it's supposed to be passed on to five blogs, but of course we never follow instructions. We want to pass it on to all of you who visit us (whether you leave comments or not), because you're all wonderful to us.

Checking out our back space on New Year's Day.

Brrrr! How long till Spring?!

Happy Thursday, everyone. Comments are off.

Wordless Wednesday with Derry

2012-01-04T00:01:00.003-05:00

The Mom on Monday

2012-01-02T00:01:00.040-05:00

For some reason the mom wants to write a few things today, so, since she opens our cans of stinky goodness and doles out treats (a measly two or three a day), we thought we'd better let her say her piece.

******

Gee, thanks, guys. :-)

First, we're not leaving the CB. This is a fabulous community and we've been honoured to be a part of it, are starting our third winter here.

But work takes 10 hours of each week day, including my commute, and even with Google Reader I'm struggling to keep up with all the blog posts. So I'm going to try commenting only a couple of days a week, except for purrs, special occasions, etc., or unless there's something I really want to say. I hope everyone understands, but if there are those who don't, that's okay. I can't be Super Woman, and I already don't give the boys enough of my time. Remember that hours spent blogging or on FaceBook or Twitter are hours away from immediate family and friends, fur and/or human.

As for posting, I'll continue to do that too, as I feel like it, whether that be once a week or five times.

In other words, I'm going to make a concerted effort to actually "blog without obligation."

Finally, the shelter donation project is nothing grand at all. I just would like to knit a kitty blanket every week, or at least end up with 52 by next December. Something cosy for the cats to lie on in their cages. They don't take long to do, but I don't have a lot of free hours in the day, either. I also get bored very easily with projects, so it remains to be seen whether I can do this. I also intend to commit to spending $10 per month, give or take, on treats, toys, canned food, etc. It's not a lot of money, but after twelve months I ought to have a decent package of goodies to send off.

Well, that's the intent. As I stated, I'm not great on follow-through, so maybe putting this out there will help keep me focused. (Ha.)

Thanks to you all for your continued cyber friendship and support, it's appreciated more than you ever will know.

Here's to a fabulous 2012, everyone!

Happy (Almost) New Year!

2011-12-31T03:01:00.049-05:00

We'd like to wish everyone a very happy new year!

The mom can't say that 2011 was a good year, and she'd rather not think back on it. Instead, we want to offer our wish for 2012, that the new year brings good health, Light, love and laughter to you all, that it gives us all more joy than sadness and tears.

We wish you universal peace and blessings.

We'll do our best to visit all of you over the next couple of days, before the mom heads back to work. After that, we're not sure what she'll do with this blog--she's not even sure yet. Whatever happens, we'll still be around, though likely not as active in posting and/or commenting (we already use Google Reader, but it still takes several hours a day to leave comments on everyone's posts). The mom has started a year-long shelter donation project she hopes she can follow through on--she's great at starting things, but is terrible on follow-through. But she needs less time in front of the laptop while at home, and more time working on it.

So we'll see what happens!

Happy New Year, be safe and well and kitty kisses from us.

Holiday Wrap-Up

2011-12-28T07:09:00.000-05:00

The mom's still on holiday and (bad mom!) really enjoying the time away from the computer and blog-land.

But before we're into the new year, we thought we'd do a Christmas wrap-up, no pun intended, because Santa was generous, even though he didn't bring us anything "big."

Christmas stockings

Nicki takes the lead, as usual.

Mmm, something smells enticing!

It's turning me into "demon kitty!"

This wand toy was a hit...The pompoms on the end lasted all of a few minutes, thanks to Nicki.

Derry takes an out-of-focus leap.

Another new wand toy!

Lots of treats and toys,
even some festive pipe cleaner "snakes" for Derry.

A new scratcher!

Derry claimed the catnip pad Grandma made for us
(another blanket is underneath it).

We both took turns in the new scratcher bed.

The most fun? All the tissue and wrapping paper!
It was total kitty chaos!

We're glad to have seen and read that so many of you have had a great Christmas, with lots of goodies from Santa. We'll be back with a New Year's greeting, then will see what 2012 brings with regard to blogging. The mom can't keep spending 4 to 5 hours a day trying to visit and comment on all the blogs, plus spend 7 hours in front of the computer for work, but we'll sort that out after the holidays.

Special purrs to Marg of Marg's Pets today, as her beloved BB had to go to the Bridge yesterday. If you've not visited, we know she'd appreciate the purrs. Thanks.

Take care, everyone!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T00:01:00.012-05:00

We want to take a moment to thank you all for your visits and comments every time we post, and most especially for your support through Annie's sickness and passing last winter. The mom still misses her desperately and this season is very bittersweet.

However, we hope that today finds you joy-full, no matter what your beliefs are and what you celebrate, and we wish you all universal Peace and Blessings.

Comments are off. Please just enjoy the time with your families, fur and/or human.

Note: Our posting and visiting will be sporadic at best until the new year. Take care, everyone. Be safe and well.

Friday Fun

2011-12-23T00:01:00.022-05:00

The mom was playing around in Picnik last week, so we thought we'd post her silly pics here. With apologies to angels Annie and Chumley. Well, Chumley would have been a good sport about it in real life, but we're sure Annie is giving the mom an evil glare from the Bridge.

Beloved angel Chumley

Precious angel Annie, still so very deeply missed.
You can see why she'd not be happy with the mom right now.

Nicki, trying to ignore the camera...and the silly Picnik hat.

Smoochy Boy Derry

Happy holidays, everyone.

We'll be back on the 25th with our Christmas greeting.

Thankful Thursday

2011-12-22T00:01:00.017-05:00

Derry: A heartfelt thank you to all who stopped by to wish me a happy Gotcha Day yesterday. I had a great time!

Pics snapped on the 17th. We had a dusting of s-n-o-w, but thankfully it's gone now!

I was lucky, I found my forever home and right before Christmas too. So many other kitties (and woofies) aren't so lucky and wait months or years--or aren't even allowed to live long enough to find a home. So for the love of cod, make sure your beans have you spayed/neutered, and that they check the shelters and private rescues if they want to add a fur companion to their family. (I know, I know, I'm preaching to the choir here, for the most part.)

On another note, we all want to wish you a Joyous and Blessed Yule! Today is the winter solstice in the western hemisphere, and the official start of winter. But it also means we'll start getting more daylight again, and we're definitely thankful for that!

Happy Gotcha Day, Derry!

2011-12-21T00:01:00.023-05:00

Happy 4th Gotcha Day, Smoochy Boy! I love you to pieces.

-the mom

Pics snapped from Derry's first few days with us, in 2007.

It's a busy time of year, so we're not having an official party right now, but any Being who would like to drop by is very welcome to. There's plenty to eat, LOTS of treats, TONS of toys and clean litter boxes, plus our enclosed outdoor space. It's a bit chilly outside this time of year, but not super-cold. And we have quite a few cosy blankets and napping spots too!

P.S. Thanks to Jan of Jan's Funny Farm who had done the "cut out" of Derry for something else and sent us the jpgs to use elsewhere--like in the mom's Picnik collages. :-)

Mousie Monday with Nicki

2011-12-19T00:01:00.018-05:00

Happy birthday to our grandma! We hope she has a fantastic day!

******

This is my "new" favourite mousie. It's been around for a long time, but I've recently rediscovered it and it's supplanted Mr. Black Mousie as my favourite. For the moment. (And I think I ought to get brownie points with Santa for using a big word like "supplanted.")

I can't believe any kitty can be as adorable as I am!

Hmm, what have we here?

I was moving so fast I was a bit of a blur here.

You can't escape me, Mr. Mousie!

Gotcha!

Now that I've kicked and bitten Mr. Mousie into submission,
I'm well and truly satisfied.

BTW, that fluffy thing beside me, on my right (your left)? That's a lambswool duster the mom bought on the weekend to try. She put it out for us because she thought we might find the scent appealing. She was right!

We're sending purrs and universal Light to All Beings in need.

Heavy Hearts Today

2011-12-16T00:01:00.037-05:00

We had a cute post scheduled for today, with Nicki and his "new" mousie. But our hearts are so very heavy over the Admiral's passing that we rescheduled the post for Monday the 19th.

Most, if not all of you, will have seen the terribly sad news that the Admiral flew to the Bridge yesterday. We knew she was ill, but thought that illness was being managed with meds, hadn't thought she would have to cross so soon. Please visit her mom, Carole, if you haven't already done so, to leave purrs. Thank you.

So we'll wish you a safe weekend, if not a happy one.

BTW, Derry's 4th Gotcha Day is Wednesday the 21st and we'd love it if you'd stop by, even though we're not having an official party. We do have lots of nip, treats and stinky goodness to share.

We also have a cute holiday post for Friday the 23rd that includes angels Chumley and Annie--with the mom having been a bit too silly using Picnik.

Universal Blessings, Light and Mercy to All Beings.

The Admiral Has Flown to the Bridge

2011-12-15T12:39:00.000-05:00

This is a terribly sad day around the CB, as we've just learned that the Admiral had to fly to the Bridge. We knew she was seriously ill, of course, but thought she would still have some months with her mom Carole.

Image copied from her blog

Please visit her blog and leave your purrs, we know her mom would appreciate them.

Comments are off.

Three-Word Wednesday with Derry

2011-12-14T00:01:00.016-05:00

Let me in!

[P.S. Yes, this is a recent pic, snapped on Dec. 7th.
No, we haven't any snow...yet.]

Grandma's Gifts Arrived!

2011-12-12T00:01:00.033-05:00

Our grandma's presents to us all arrived on Friday!

Nicki: I'm just checking to make sure the mom got everything out of the box.

Derry: I'm pretty sure this one's for us! [Yes, it is. --the mom]

Nicki: Are any of the other gifts for us too? [Yes, there's one more from grandma for the boys. --the mom]

We can't wait till Christmas Day!

[The mom's note: My own mom wraps everything, even a tube of toothpaste. LOL. It makes it fun to open all those practical presents, though. Thanks, Mom. Wish you could run away from home and be here with me and the grandkitties. Love and hugs.]

Helping with the Tree Part 2

2011-12-09T00:01:00.066-05:00

So on Monday we showed how we (mostly Nicki) checked out the tree box, made sure it was ~~tasty~~ intact and the tree pieces were okay.

We have a few pics leftover of us helping the mom get the tree assembled. To be honest, we weren't interested in "helping" that much this year, and we've only moved one decoration to another spot so far. The mom's amazed.

Derry checks the sturdiness of the branches.

Derry: Don't forget the top part, Mom!

Derry: Gee, I hope Santa brings us some cat grass....

Nicki adjusts the lower branches.

Nicki: You have to be firm with these artificial trees, you never know how unruly they can be!

Nicki: Just another little adjustment here...

Derry: One last check.

We got it assembled!

Now begins the really hard work of helping the mom decorate!

The finished tree. We think we did a good job!

Have a happy and safe Friday and weekend, everyone. Purrs and purrayers to All Beings in need at this time.

Wordless Wed. with Nicki: Lasers on Full to Subdue a Wild Toy!

2011-12-07T00:01:00.004-05:00

Happy Wednesday!

Tummy Tuesday with Derry

2011-12-06T00:01:00.020-05:00

Derry: The mom loves my spotted tummy, it always makes her itch to give me tummy kisses and scritches. And I admit I love having my tummy rubbed!

The mom said I was being a silly, smoochy boy.

I don't mind...I'm mancat enough to be in touch with my inner kitten!

Bonus tock shot, with my meaty thighs (human moms can think rugby player thighs).

We'd like to remind you that if you are able to do so, but haven't yet, there's still lots of time to donate to Santa Paws toy drive. One of the shelters is a dog rescue in Inverary, Ontario, which is in our area, so we think that's very cool!

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Mancat Monday: Hard at Work Again!

2011-12-05T00:01:00.033-05:00

First, a number of kitties around the CB really need our purrs and purrayers right now, including GJ, DaisyMae Maus and Dr. Tweety. Please see our Purrs Page or visit the Cat Blogosphere directly for a list of those in need.

Second, Ann of Zoolatry, who did our holiday header, also did a wonderful card for you all. It's on our Holiday Card page, please take it with our wishes for a Joyous Yule, Happy Hanukkah, and Merry Christmas.

Last weekend we helped the mom put up our little Christmas tree!

We have to make sure the pieces are all there!

Nicki: I'd better get a closer look, the tree's very important, can't have any missing or damaged branches!

Nicki: Just look what lengths I go to for quality control!

Nicki: No, I'm not eating the box, why do you ask?

Nicki: The box checks out okay! We'll post a few more pics of our hard work later this week.

A Few Words on Wednesday: Helping the Mom

2011-11-30T00:01:00.038-05:00

This is how we helped the mom change the sheets on the bed on Saturday. We think we did a great job!

See, we're almost done! Just the old comforter, then the bedspread and pillows! If any other cat moms (or dads) out there need our help, we'll be happy to teleport over.

Note: Comments are off today. There's too much going on for the mom right now, and we can't comment on all your wonderful blogs today, so we certainly don't expect you to leave comments on ours! (The mom says she'd vote for a CB comment-free day...or week. LOL.)

Have a terrific Wednesday!

Tuesday Tussle

2011-11-29T00:01:00.002-05:00

New-to-the-mom clothes (i.e. second hand bargains from Value Village) are very exciting and provide a great spot to tussle!

Oops! Getting a little too close to the mom here!

It actually was Derry who was the aggressor in this match, too, and Nicki who gave way first, taking off after this pic was snapped. Concats, Derry!

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Mancat Monday: The Santa List

2011-11-28T00:01:00.034-05:00

First, apologies for not leaving comments on all daily posts. We are reading, but the mom can't keep up right now...We could use a new mom. And today she told us she has a morning work meeting, then has to go to her physio appointment. Yadda yadda, same lame excuses. We don't want to hear it!

Anyway, just in case Santa is willing to overlook recent 3AM transgressions (by Nicki), we're putting together our Christmas wish list.

Of course we wish for benevolent things like forever homes for all the abandoned, unloved and unwanted four-legged Beings. Of course we wish for Peace and for Mercy for the suffering of All Beings. The mom, especially purrays for Mercy every day, seeing as how there seems to be so little of it in this world.

But we're talking about a selfish wish list here. You know, the fun, greedy kind of list.

So, Santa, in case you're reading this, we'd like any or all of the following:

We don't, however, want the cats in the pictures. The mom might, but we surely don't. And of course we already do have a zillion toys and several cat condos, but that doesn't matter, they're not new.

So, Santa, if we try our very best to be good from now till Christmas, will you bring us something fun? And big?

How could you possibly resist our sweet faces?

[The Mom's note: I'm pretty sure "Santa" can be persuaded to bring some Christmas gifts for the boys, but don't think they will be "big," read "expensive." LOL.]

Thankful Thursday

2011-11-24T00:01:00.045-05:00

First, a very happy Thanksgiving to those of you in the U.S. We hope you have a joyous celebration with lots of turkey and/or ham leftovers.

And if any of you would care to send us some of those leftovers, feel free. We celebrated our Thanksgiving in October, so it's a long wait till the Christmas turkey!

Second, we have a few things for which we're thankful:

Our ESS, which we actually are using quite a bit.

Our toy box (one of a few).

The cat tree in our living area and bird TV.

Our little back space...and a mom who lets us in and out almost whenever we want, when she's home.

Places to nap.

And of course we're thankful for all of you!

What we're not thankful for is the blast of winter we had yesterday, freezing rain which turned to snow. The mom snapped these around 4AM on Wednesday, before the dumping of snow. We're not sure if you can see the freezing rain that's coating the Palruf sheeting on our fence, but it was nasty out!

However, we will be thankful for the plus double-digit temps (Celcius) we're supposed to get again this weekend. Yay!

Happy Thursday, everyone. Take care and keep safe.

Wordy Wednesday: In the Doghouse

2011-11-23T00:01:00.028-05:00

Nicki here...Okay, I might ~~deliberately~~ accidentally have broken something else at 3AM last week, to get the human up and out bed. (Who needs to sleep past 3AM anyway?)

The mom had won this cute little kitty ornament in an auction, months ago, and it had been on the counter since she got it. Who leaves something like that on a counter? That's just begging to have it "played" with!

Notice it's missing an ear. I did a great job on it! Plus it's one less nicknack to dust. I thought I was being very considerate and helpful. And there's more room for holiday decorations now too! Bonus!

The mom says I'm very naughty at 3AM and she's not impressed. Sadly, I can't blame it on Derry, because that suck-up sleeps curled up next to her most nights.

I'm not getting anything for Christmas this year, am I. :-(

P.S. Join us over at the Tabby Cat Club for Whisker Wednesday!

Tuesday Tussle

2011-11-22T00:01:00.035-05:00

The mom doesn't get many pics of our tussles anymore, since they're mostly either first thing in the morning, outside in the dark, or indoors.

But she did manage to snap a few (somewhat blurry) pics Saturday afternoon, when we had a good match.

Okay, it looks like there was more posturing and circling than tussling, but it was just that the mom couldn't snap the shutter fast enough.

Derry turned his lasers on full, which helped him win the match.

Nicki was the first to ~~skulk~~ walk away this time!

And that left Derry the victor for this round!

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

P.S. The mom says don't feel sorry for us re: the dry food from yesterday's post--we get the rest of our daily food in stinky goodness, even if some of us don't really like canned (Derry).

Mancat Monday: More Please

2011-11-21T00:01:00.036-05:00

Nicki: Mom, we'd like more than our paltry 1/8 cup of kibble per day, please.

There's lots here. Surely you can be more generous!

[Mom's note: this is under the kitchen sink, a spot Nicki likes to slip into at any opportunity. Most of the kibble stored there is leftover stuff I'm feeding Toby, the outdoor cat, and any other kitty--or perhaps raccoon--that happens by.]

Maybe she's getting the hint? How much more obvious can I be?

Wanted: New mom who will ignore the struvite crystals in Derry's urine and our pH levels (and other potential health issues) and feed us unlimited dry food!

Heavy Hearts

2011-11-20T16:00:00.000-05:00

We've just read that Emma, of Herman's Hideaway, has passed to the Rainbow Bridge and our hearts hearts are heavy, especially for Karen Jo. We only found out yesterday that she wasn't feeling well. :-(

We're sure they would appreciate your purrs.

http://karenjoscats.blogspot.com/2011/11/goodbye-emma.html

Godspeed, precious Emma.

And Wendy's (LOL Spot and Wendy's 3-D cats) father-in-law passed away last week--we think they, too, would appreciate purrs of condolence.

http://wendys3-dcats.blogspot.com/2011/11/bye-bye-grampa.html

Thank you. Comments are off.

Thank You to Cat Wisom 101 and CattooDesigns

2011-11-18T00:01:00.002-05:00

Two or three weeks ago we had won a drawing at Cat Wisdom 101 for a temporary tattoo.

It arrived this week, from CattooDesign.com:

Is that pawsome or what? Gorgeous!The mom, who actually does have three permanent tattoos (but none of cats), would love to have this as a real one. She says she'll test this one out, see what it looks like, though she might have to wait till the warm weather next year before applying it -- no one would see it now.

Our thanks to both Layla at Cat Wisdom 101 and to CattooDesigns!

Happy Friday everyone. We hope you have a great weekend. We'll be doing a little of this:

And of course some of this!

A Few Words on Wednesday with Derry: Still Potted

2011-11-16T00:01:00.021-05:00

Snapped on the 13th. Derry still enjoys his favourite pot. :-)

Note: Comments are off for the day. Happy Wednesday!

Two-Tabby Tuesday

2011-11-15T00:01:00.003-05:00

Every day is tabby day in our house, since it's just us! :-P

The mom hasn't taken many pics of us so far this month, so we're really stretching (ha, no pun intended) for something to post today.

So we'll just wish you all a fantastic day and leave it at that. Oh, our mom has another "scintillating" (read mind-numbing, boring) training session today, and various appointments for the rest of the week, so we can't promise we'll be able to leave comments for everyone. We know your beans understand, though really, all these excuses are getting old! Let's just say that "Santa" had better be good to us this year, to make up for this failing!

Mad Mom Monday

2011-11-14T00:01:00.070-05:00

Kitties, Nicki here.

It's no secret I like to decorate and organize things, that I think the mom needs help in that regard.

So things like rearranging bureau drawers (this one in the guest room) are typical and the mom doesn't even blink anymore. Though for some reason she doesn't seem to like my reorganization.

This, too, is typical of my redecorating, and the mom often comes home from work to find the placemats, kitchen towels, etc., strewn about. However, I was particularly tidy this time, as you can see.

And she laughed hard at this one, because I don't normally hide my mice in her shoes--I know a lot of you do that, but I rarely do.

But I might have crossed the line with this bit of redecorating, partly because she liked that vase, even though it was inexpensive, and partly because I did this just a few minutes after 3AM yesterday morning. Well, heck, I heard her wake up, so knew it was time to get her out of bed to feed us breakfast! Besides, it's too early to be putting out holiday decorations--she should know better. [And the mom says yes, she's getting into the spirit of things early, but has only put out her silk flowers.]

She was mad at me for this one, kitties! I really can't understand why. Now she has one less thing to pack away after the holidays! Very helpful of me, I thought. (And yes, she had started to pick up the pieces, then thought to snap a pic.)

It's tough living with a human who has no appreciation for your style!

******

We want to remind you that today is the Third Annual Worldwide Moment day, a day when, at 11PM GMT (6PM EST) All Beings stop what they're doing and send love and Light out to the global community, to everyone worldwide.

More info can be found at Two Special Wires' blog.

Purrs to All Beings in need.

Remembrance Day 2011

2011-11-11T00:01:00.075-05:00

In Canada, Remembrance Day honours all Canadians who have fought in our planet's far too many wars, fought so that we could enjoy the freedoms we too-often take for granted, fought so others could have the same freedoms.

Though the first Remembrance Day (originally called Armistice Day) was held in 1919 throughout Commonwealth countries to commemorate the end of WWI, it has since encompassed the remembrance of veterans of WWII, the Korean War, and more recent "wars" as well.

A note about the poppies we wear:

"Poppies are worn as the symbol of remembrance, a reminder of the blood-red flower that still grows on the former battlefields of France and Belgium.

"In Canada, traditionally the poppies which we wear were made by disabled Veterans. They are reminders of those who died while fighting for peace: we wear them as reminders of the horrors of conflict and the preciousness of the peace they fought hard to achieve."

[http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/history/other/remember/how]

The Ode of Remembrance

They went with songs to the battle, they were young.
Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.

Lest we forget.

******

Stay safe this weekend, everyone. Purrs to All Beings in need, and wishing you all universal Blessings, Light and Joy.

Wordless Wednesday with Nicki: Where There's a Will....

2011-11-09T00:01:00.015-05:00

P.S. The mom has a workshop all morning, so apologies if we don't get to leave many comments today.

Need Help Getting Organized?

2011-11-08T00:01:00.015-05:00

We're very good at it, will be happy to teleport over and help you. We'll work for Temptations or any kibble.

Everything's neat and tidy now, thanks to our efforts! Boy, the mom would be lost without us.

On to our next job--the mom's bedroom closet!

Madcap Mancat Monday with Derry

2011-11-07T00:01:00.023-05:00

The mom says I was full of beans when she snapped these pics. She loves it when I (we) get the the zoomies, it always makes her laugh. I couldn't help it, kitties, I felt so wild in the cool, fall breeze!

She is, however, thankful that my fence-climbing abilities leave much to be desired. :-P

-Derry, a.k.a. the ~~silly~~ wild mancat

Dona Nobis Pacem

2011-11-04T00:01:00.053-04:00

Today we join with millions of Beings around the world in the 2011 BlogBlast for Peace.

Best if you biggify (enlarge) to read.

We send out our purrayers to whatever you choose to call the creative energy of the universe, whether that be Cosmic Consciousness, Goddess, God, Allah, Great Mystery, Spirit, the Source of All, and we ask for Peace, for Blessings, and for Mercy for All Beings.

Cross-cultural world peace prayers can be found at http://souledout.org/newworldreligion/worldprayers/peaceprayers.html and also at http://www.worldprayers.org/archive/index/selected_prayers/peace_and_healing_index.html.

To light a candle for Peace, you can visit www.gratefulness.org.

Universal Peace and Blessings to All Beings.

Thankful Thursday

2011-11-03T00:01:00.041-04:00

We recently co-won a fabulous card give-away on Scarlett and Melly's blog, aptly named The Adventures of Scarlett and Melly. We were very excited, of course, as that was the first time we'd won anything on the CB in our almost 2-years here, other than auction bids, at least as far as we can recall.

Anyway, we got the package on October 24th and Scarlett and Melly's human generously included some treats and toys for us--and a yummy treat for the mom.

Take a look!

Of course I (Nicki) had to check it out first!

There were yummy treats, some fun toys, catnip spray, very tasty dark chocolate-covered caramels and the beautiful cards! (BTW, the mom, who has no impulse control when it comes to sugar, ate all the caramels at once! She says she felt like cr*p the next day, with a sugar hangover, but that it was worth it.)

And look at these gorgeous cards! The mom says they're too pretty to use as cards, she's going to put them in frames and hang them somewhere.

So today we're very thankful for gorgeous Scarlett and Melly and their wonderful human, Natalie, and for co-winning the draw!

Wordless Wednesday with Silly Nicki

2011-11-02T00:01:00.001-04:00

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T00:01:00.039-04:00

Happy Halloween to all!

First, thank you so much for all the purrs for our mom--her medical appointments and tests actually turned out to be easy, now she's just waiting for some results. They must not have found anything urgent, since if it had been, she'd have heard back right away. [The mom: It's a mystery abdominal issue that's been ongoing for about five months and is frustrating me greatly, since it could be any one of about 20 things. And while we have universal health care, thank goodness, you do have to wait forever for tests to be scheduled.]

Second, the mom says she has her work projects well in hand, that she was very productive last week and was glad for the blogging break. Huh. Like we care about that human stuff?

Anyway, today's All Hallow's Eve, and we'd like to wish everyone a delightfully spooky (and candy/treat-filled) day!

If you'd like to read about the history and origins of the traditions of All Hallow's Eve, you can visit ReligousTolerance.org's page at http://www.religioustolerance.org/hallo_cu.htm

Mancats on Break

2011-10-24T00:01:00.011-04:00

We're taking a break from regular posting and visiting this week. The mom has three days of medical appointments/tests this week and a few work projects on the go. We'll be around to leave purrs and birthday/gotcha day wishes, but won't be commenting as usual.

We should be back to "normal" next week, though!

Friday Flashback

2011-10-21T00:01:00.014-04:00

From October 2007, when Nicki was a year old. Maybe he looked too tense?

He still had all his teeth then. Ha. (He had 8 removed in November 2009.)

The mom wasn't feeling well yesterday, was home from work and mostly sleeping, so we didn't get much visiting done. We hope to do a bit of catching up this weekend.

Purrs and purrayers to All Beings in need.

In Honour of Derby's Birthday: Tocks!

2011-10-20T00:01:00.065-04:00

Happy Tocktober, everyone!

In honour of Derby's birthday today, we're showing off our tocks. The mom complains that when she actually wants our tocks, we show her our faces, but when she wants our faces, we show her our tocks. So she can't win! As far as we're concerned, that just serves her right for always being after us with the flashy beast.

Derry's tocks..and everything else...on display.

Nicki's tocks, in a repeat from September when we first got the ESS.

And one from August. He's been very modest this month and the mom hasn't caught a good tock shot.

The neighbour's cat, Niko, also from August. Niko wasn't modest!

We apologize for the older pics for both Nicki and Niko; the mom's been a slacker with the camera this month. We trust this won't in any way diminish Derby's birthday celebration!

Wordless Wednesday with Derry: Going, Going, Gone

2011-10-19T00:01:00.009-04:00

Mancat Monday: Nicki's Photo Shoot

2011-10-17T00:01:00.001-04:00

I was a well-behaved mancat and let the mom take some pics of me last week. Usually I don't cooperate quite so well, so she was pleased. But I'd like to point out that I did not get treats for this, a huge failing on the mom's part. I'll be making note of this for her purrformance review this coming winter! -Nicki

Have a good Monday, everyone.

Purrs and purrayers to All Beings in need at this time.

Purrs, Purrayers and Universal Light for Parker

2011-10-16T13:35:00.000-04:00

We've read the terrible news that Parker of Perfectly Parker has cancer and will journey to the Bridge long before her beans are ready to let her go.

Thanks to Ann at Zoolatry for the graphic.

We're sending Parker and her family our purrs and purrayers and universal Light. Please visit them to offer your own purrs and purrayers.

Comments are off.

And the mom thought only Nicki went where no kitty is allowed!

2011-10-14T00:01:00.051-04:00

Okay, everyone, I know most of you get up onto high spots as part of your regular exercise routine, so this is nothing for you, but in the almost 4 years I've been here, the mom's never seen me get up onto a counter, much less spring agilely from the floor to the counter to the fridge to the top of the cluttered cabinets. And right in front of her! In fact, she thought I was too fat (!) and always would blame Nicki for things that were pushed off the tops of the cupboards during the night. (We have spare toys stored up there in that green basket.)

Too fat?! Too fat?!

Can you believe it?

Well, kitties and woofies, I sure showed her!

Yesterday morning she already had left for work, but had to come back because she forgot something. (Yep, she missed her bus and had to wait for the next one. Heh heh.) And I was feeling so good, I just ran from the living area to the kitchen area, jumped lithely onto the counter and then the fridge (bottom left of the snapshot), and from there up to the top of the cupboards. Such as they are. They've been waiting for doors--or to be replaced entirely--for almost a decade.

The mom was so surprised I thought her jaw was going to hit the floor. She didn't know whether to get her spray bottle and squirt water at me or get her camera. Of course the camera won.

I know some extra toys are stored in this basket!

See, you lowly human? I'm not too fat to get up here!

And I got back down just fine on my own, thank you. Which should teach the mom a lesson--I'm certainly not too fat and I'm not always her perfectly behaved Smoochy Boy! I'm a daring, risk-taking, agile mancat, thank you very much.

-Derry, the rugged, energetic, sometimes naughty, always irresistible, manly mancat!

P.S. We're sorry for not leaving comments on everyone's blog posts this week. We've been trying, but the mom's been pretty useless. It's a miracle she doesn't have a bout of stress-related cystitis!

Derry: Someone tell my mom to take a pill, for the love of Bast!

2011-10-13T08:12:00.000-04:00

I'm okay, everyone! Gees, just because I was in and out of the litter box a few times yesterday AM, with barely a dribble, doesn't mean the mom had to push her panic button! Sometimes a mancat just needs privacy and quiet, you know? And I can see her, watching me out of the corner of her eye every time I get near one of the litter boxes. How am I supposed to, well, go, with her tense and watchful?

She even left work at noon yesterday and came home to check on me, and I did a nice little 5cm x 5cm clump at 1PM, then another one a bit smaller during the night, and another one, 7cm x 6cm, around 5:30AM today. And I know how big they were because the paranoid mom rushes to the box after I'm done, tape measure in hand, to record the size and time of my business. Sheesh. She needs to get a life. Seriously.

So I'm fine, at least right now. And I was zooming around this morning, being sillier than usual. I even did something right in front of the mom that completely startled her--she wasn't sure whether to go for the spray bottle or her camera. She opted for her camera, but she didn't have time to download the pics, as she had to leave to catch the bus. So I'll show you tomorrow what I did--lots of you kitties already do this in front of your beans, but I never have. Heh heh. And here the mom thought it was only Nicki who got up into places he isn't supposed to be (at least in front of the mom!).

Thank you all for the continued purrs--they're much appreciated! I think the mom needs them more right now than I do. Certainly she probably could use medication! :-P

Wordless Wedneseday with Derry

2011-10-12T00:01:00.009-04:00

P.S. Derry's had a relapse with the cystitis and hasn't been able to pee this morning, in spite of being in and out of the litter box. I'll have to call the vet as soon as they open to discuss options. We'd appreciate it if you could still keep purring for him. Thank you! -Mom Kim

Nicki: Thank You!

2011-10-11T07:39:00.000-04:00

Hey, everybody, I just wanted to say thank you for all the fab birthday wishes! You helped to make the day great...and we're not going to tell my human about the little "incident" in the basement, right? She'd freak if she knew, so it's better not to meow a word, okay?

Comments are off today, just enjoy your Tuesday!

We'll do our best to visit today, but the mom says she has to go back to work and deal with "stuff" waiting here. Whatever, Mom.

P.S. Derry made it through the long weekend without needing additional pain meds and so far (knock on wood) still is peeing okay, so that's good!

Happy 5th Birthday, Nicki!

2011-10-10T00:01:00.029-04:00

We're not really sure when his birthday is, this is the day the shelter put on his papers. We figure it's close enough!

We're not having an "official" party, but please feel free to come on over and help us celebrate--there's lots of treats and nip, stinky goodness and certainly lots of kibble to use up. Plus the weather's gorgeous, and you can enjoy our little back space. The mom even cut the grass for the occasion. :-P

Smooches from me (Derry) and the mom. We love you, Nicki!

Nicki Sings His Warrior Song

2011-10-07T00:01:00.002-04:00

Nicki: Kitties! The most terrible thing happened yesterday...I was stuffed in the PTU and taken to the v-e-t for blood- and pee-stealing! Acckk! That's what I get for ~~making fun of~~ being so concerned about Derry last week, when he had to go.

But like the mighty warrior I am, I sang my song the entire way! (There's nothing to see, but do turn on your speakers...just not too high or your eardrums will pierce, even though it's only 27 seconds. --the mom)

If the video doesn't play, you can view it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXikV0aZivw

I was a good mancat, of course, and by and large the tests results came back fine. No sign of crystals, which the mom says is great. Does that mean I can have more kibble now? (No. --the mom) A couple of values were elevated, nothing untoward, though my ALT value was slightly above high normal. The v-e-t didn't seem too concerned, as other values were okay, so we're not sure the reason (can be fatty liver disease--not in this case, other liver disease, liver cancer, medication--none taken, or hyper-thyroid--not likely at my age). If anyone knows non-life-threatening reasons for slightly elevated ALT levels, please email the mom at keas DOT fuzzy DOT tales AT gmail DOT com. Otherwise the v-e-t said we'd just check it in a year. There is a nasty rumour going around that both of us need dental cleanings, but not urgently. Possibly this winter, the mom said.

BTW, the mom had the presence of mind (amazing, at her age) to get several days' worth of pain meds for Derry, just in case he relapses over our long Thanksgiving weekend, which is this weekend. She said it was better to spend the money for meds and not need them than to end up at the emergency vet.

Anyway, even though I'm a mighty warrior mancat, I'm still glad that's all over and done with. (So's the mom. --the mom)

We hope you all have a wonderful weekend, and we wish those of you in Canada a fabulous Thanksgiving!

Funky Fungi In Our Garden

2011-10-06T00:01:00.070-04:00

::Meowwww::

Happy Gardening Thursday, everyone!

We didn't think we'd be doing another gardening post this year, but yesterday afternoon the mom found some funky fungi under one of our hostas! (Yes, she was playing around with the snapshots, using Picnik.)

She was rather excited, because she has a strange fascination with fungi. We, however, didn't quite see the appeal. It's not like it was a kibble or Temptations plant/growth! She dug out the fungi and threw it away after she snapped the pic, paranoid that we might be tempted to nom on it. Puh-lease. As you can see, we weren't paying any attention to it at all.

BTW, notice how long the grass is? That would be because the mom hasn't cut the grass in at least a month. Honestly, it's impossible to get her to take care of our little garden properly. We try, truly we do, but there's only so much grass we can nom at one time. Maybe she'll get to it this long weekend (Thanksgiving weekend in Canada), with the warm, sunny and dry weather we're expecting.

So this is it for our garden now, with only two final blooms still hanging on.

It's going to be a long haul till next Spring, when we can start gardening again!

Be sure to visit Master Gardener Jonesie to see what she's been up to this past week in her garden!

P.S. For anyone who didn't see our comment on the CB yesterday, Derry's culture and sensitivity test came back negative, meaning no bacterial infection in his bladder. So no antibiotics required. Now we take it day by day and see if this was a one-off or if this will become chronic. The mom's looking into Cosequin, though it's tough to find a Canadian supplier (other than the vet). Ordering from the States usually means huge shipping charges, though.

Late in Acknowledging Two Awards

2011-10-04T00:01:00.060-04:00

We're really sorry we're so late in acknowledging two awards we had been given a week and a half or two ago. Derry's cystitis threw a monkey wrench into our intended posts.

One award was from Athena:

It's the Premio Destellos Brillantes en el Cielo Azul (Bright Flashes in the Blue Sky Award) and it asks us to indicate what we dream or wish for most in the world.

The mom's answer is Mercy for the suffering of All Beings. Our tongue-in-cheek (sort of) answer is unlimited kibble. Well, we do wish for far more important things such as that all kitties and woofies (except bona fide registered breeding ones) be spayed and neutered and that all homeless four-leggeds find loving forever homes, as we have. But our tummies think unlimited kibble would be pretty darned good right now too.

The other award was the Noteworthy Archive Award from Chancy the Gardener.

It's a wonderful reminder to have a look at the archives of some of your favourite blogs, for hidden gems. Our mom's not good in that regard, she can't even keep up with current posts. In fact, she forgets what's she's posted for us on our own blog! But a lot of great stories and photos can be overlooked that way, so if you do have a few extra minutes, take a peek!

We thank both Athena and Chancy and we'd like to pass the awards on to anyone who doesn't have them and would like them, because you're all deserving!

P.S. No results yet from Derry's culture and sensitivity test, but knock on wood and thank Bast, so far he's been okay.

We Mancats Are NOT Impressed!

2011-10-03T00:01:00.094-04:00

Derry: So just because I've had some pee problems, it means no more kibble?! (BTW I'm feeling pretty good on those pain meds, while the mom waits for the culture and sensitivity test to come back, and I've been peeing normally too, over the weekend. Paws crossed this continues--it must be all your purrs and good wishes!)

The Mom: You got it, you need to be on canned-only. Except for maybe a few kibble crunchies as a treat.

Derry: You've already reduced our paltry 1/4 - 3/8 cup per day to a mere 1/16 in the AM and 1/16 in the PM. That's barely a mouthful.

The Mom: Tough. You're lucky I didn't go cold turkey with you. And I didn't only because you're such a kibble head and I don't want to add any stress to your life right now. Besides, I'm putting a light sprinkle of FortiFlora in canned for you now, to entice you to eat more stinky goodness, and you sure do clamour at me for it. So does Nicki! (One packet for both boys, for two days, as a "seasoning." One of the tips I read on transitioning a die-hard kibble addict to canned food.)

Derry: You could put FortiFlora on the kibble.

The Mom: That would defeat the purpose. From all the reading I've done now and previously, the best thing for any cat, but especially one with urinary tract problems, is an all-canned diet. Because you get about 78% water in canned, but dry food is only 5% - 10% moisture. See the problem? You cats evolved to get moisture from your prey and you don't have a high drive to drink water separately. And it's my fault for not transitioning you to all-canned a long time ago, because I knew this years ago.

Derry: Blah, blah, blah. Who cares? I just care I'm not getting the dry I like so much.

Nicki (whining): I don't see why I have to follow along with this, just because Derry's having problems.

The Mom: Because you're in the same boat, kiddo, with urine that is over-concentrated and prone to crystals. Derry already has those struvite crystals, and you likely do too. We'll find out this week, when it's your turn at the v-e-t.

Nicki: What?

The Mom: Er, nothing, Nicki, never mind, you didn't hear anything.

Nicki: !!!

******

The Mom's note: The best, most sensible and logical info I've read has come from www.catinfo.org. (Thanks to everyone who has sent info and links, it's much appreciated.) I'd read some of this vet's articles before--one of her own cats had an almost-fatal blockage, and she has spent a lot of time researching cat nutrition, something most vets don't do at all. I encourage everyone to do their own research, not to blindly accept a vet's recommendations for treatment of urinary tract issues, especially if those recommendations involve feeding the cat in question dry, grain-filled food, prescription or otherwise. Or pumping the cat full of antibiotics when there is no bacteria present, which you cannot truly determine without a culture and sensitivity test. (If I had known about the necessity of a c&s with Annie, perhaps she still would be alive.)

I thank you all so much for your continued purrs for Derry; I hope the c&s test comes back negative and that all will be fine with him. However, if this becomes chronic, in spite of the switch to canned, I'll have to look at other treatment options, though for now I won't borrow trouble.

We LIVESTRONG 2011

2011-10-02T00:01:00.076-04:00

In 2010, Milo and Alfie and their mom, Jan, at The Cat's Meow, instigated Cat Blogosphere participation in LIVESTRONG, a global movement for support, funding, and access to care and treatment for those who have cancer.

They, along with Ann from Zoolatry, and Mom Chandra from Life from a Cat's Perspective (Samantha, Clementine and Maverick) continue again this year. (Visit the CB LiveStrong blog at http://welivestrongtoday.blogspot.com/.)

From the LIVESTRONG action web page:

Every year on October 2, we host a global day of awareness that highlights the power of community and collective action. Supporters all over the world host events aimed at bringing attention to the fight against cancer in their own communities.

We know many Beings, two-legged and four, who have had cancer or who currently are battling this disease, including our grandpa (skin cancer), Grandpa's second ex-wife (also skin cancer, twice), our human's aunt who passed away several years ago, a first cousin (successful in her battle with breast cancer), a third cousin (also breast cancer, also successful), and the family (human and non-human) of various friends, co-workers, and acquaintances. This includes far too many members of the Cat Blogosphere, human and feline, even woofie.

We can only imagine in what terrible ways this disease has touched the lives of those who have had it or who currently are battling this, and the lives of their spouses/partners and friends and family.

We offer up our purrs, purrayers, and universal Light, and ask for Mercy for All Beings, to ease their suffering.

We hope for a cure...We imagine a world cancer-free.

Derry: I'm home and seeing pink mousies

2011-09-29T13:52:00.000-04:00

I'm home now guys, with meds for the pain, but that's all until the v-e-t, who's been in surgery all morning and has appointments all afternoon, gets a chance to look at my pee test results and see what's what. The mom says the culture and sensitivity test she requested, on the off chance I have a bacterial infection, will take a few days because they have to send that to a lab in the Toronto area.

Let me tell you, I've been violated in ways that will take me years of therapy to overcome! Blood-stealing, pee-stealing, thermometers where the sun doesn't shine...Shudder. I don't want to remember.

The good thing is that with the pain meds, I really won't remember. :-P

Mind you, the mom's supposed to slowly squirt the meds into my cheek pouch, but because I fought like the wild mancat I am, most of it ended up going down my throat too quickly. She even had to sit on me, and though she's heavy, I was still squirming too much to do it properly. Am I strong or what? I hope the ladycats are impressed with that strength, especially in the face of all that trauma.

Of course now that I've been home for a hour or so, I've been in and out of the litter box and okay, I don't really feel that great. I do hope the v-e-t calls the mom later and that we can get this--whatever this is--taken care of quickly. The mom says she's not impressed with the wait, though of course I'm not the only patient at the clinic. Still...!

All your purrs are deeply appreciated; please don't stop!

Purrs for Derry Please

2011-09-28T17:54:00.000-04:00

Mom Kim here:

Derry made a small pee clump this AM, after I had cleaned one of the litter boxes, and I thought, "Uh oh." But then he went upstairs and used the box up there and I thought that perhaps he just had been interrupted--he likes quiet and privacy when he does his business.

But I came home to find several very small pee clumps (and I know it wasn't Nicki), then atypically, Derry used the litter box after eating his usual (small) serving of kibble. He made a small-for-him pee clump...then was back in the box ten minutes later making two tiny (finger nail sized) clumps.

I rushed him off to our vet, but of course his bladder was empty, so the vet couldn't get a urine sample. I'll take Derry back tomorrow AM and drop him off for the day, so they can get the urine for testing.

The "good" thing is that the vet felt it wasn't a blockage; he said that if it was a blockage, Derry's bladder would be full because he wouldn't be able to pass the urine. But because his bladder was completely empty, the vet said he didn't think it was likely to be that.

However, the greater possibility is cystitis, perhaps exacerbated by stress. In spite of the house-trashing the boys had while I was on vacation, the reality is that he was scared to death of my wonderful co-worker/cat sitter and spent the time hiding from her--she had to hunt for him to make sure he was okay. So he was very stressed while I was away.

This would have been brewing for longer, of course, but I suspect the stress of my being away has triggered this.

So Derry got a pain med dose and is home now, resting comfortably. I'll drop him off when the clinic opens tomorrow at 8:00AM and we'll go from there. I would like this to be a one-off, but of course he could develop chronic idiopathic cystitis, I know it's common and I did research on it for Annie last winter, before she passed. Which, by the way, was 32 weeks today.

I don't need to tell you all how I feel right now. I would deeply appreciate your purrs and I know Derry would too.

Thank you so much. I'm going to pour myself a shot of whiskey now, because holy cod, I sure need one.

Cat Behaviour Question for the Humans

2011-09-28T10:36:00.000-04:00

Mom Kim here.

I have a question on cat behaviour for those who are far more knowledgeable than I am. And let me just preface this by stating that I assume this is a dominance thing on Nicki's part, but I don't know why Derry goes looking for it.

So every evening, when I crawl into bed to read, Nicki usually joins me for some biscuit-making and cuddles. Derry, after a time, will come into the room, making little chirping meows, not to me, but to Nicki. Nicki will jump off the bed, the two of them will "chat," and then Nicki will grab hold of Derry's neck, like a mom cat would if scruffing, or in a move of dominance. Presumably dominance. I've never seen Nicki mount Derry, though.

After a minute or so of this, Derry will get away and then chase Nicki, like it's all a game.

I don't get it.

Sure, I get the dominance thing, but I don't understand why Derry comes chirping to Nicki for this, or why he then turns around and chases Nicki after the fact. Usually they end up tearing through the house for a few minutes afterward, playing THoE.

Any ideas on this? I'm quite curious!

Smoochy Boy Derry

Jungle cat Nicki

Toys-Day

2011-09-27T00:01:00.042-04:00

The mom finally caved and bought us a curved scratcher on Saturday--it was a good deal at PetSmart for Pet Perks members.

We had one several years ago, but lost interest in it. The mom gave it away to someone who was fostering kittens at the time. So it remains to be seen how long this new one holds our attention!

She put a little nip on it, so we sure had fun!

We even had a tussle, though most of the pics were too blurry to post.

We're still having fun with it, but it's only been a few days. By the end of the week we'll probably ignore it. Heh.

Mancat Monday with Nicki

2011-09-26T00:01:00.031-04:00

Kitties, a real mancat never gives up!

And even though it`s been almost 16 months since the mom had the Palfruf sheeting added to the fence to keep me in, I`m never going to stop trying to get over!

One day, kitties...One day.

(The mom`s note: If he ever does, I`m going to have a fit. LOL.)

Thankful Thursday

2011-09-22T00:01:00.048-04:00

In lieu of a gardening post, we're doing a Thankful Thursday post.

Today we're especially thankful for our mom. Nope, she's not perfect, we'll be the first to tell you that. She's gone long hours during the work week and is in and out on the weekends, doesn't play with us enough, spends way too much time on the computer, and certainly won't let us have as much kibble or as many treats as we want.

But all in all we have it pretty good and we know it and are thankful for it, and for her.

Not every kitty, even kitties that supposedly have homes, are so lucky. For instance, the neighbour's cat, Niko, the one who makes himself at home on our doorstep and with whom the mom cheats every day, has tape worms. Or, at least our mom's 99% sure it's tape worms; she saw a piece on his butt the night before last and Googled for info. Gross. She put a note on her neighbour's door, but she'd bet dollars to doughnuts that the woman won't bother to have Niko dewormed. (He's been catching birds and mice all summer long and eating them, so likely picked up whatever they were carrying.) She's upset about this and so are we. We certainly don't want to have any icky worms, but at least our mom would take care of us if we did.

So before you diss your humans for not doing a better job blogging or playing with you or giving you treats, please remember that not only are so many kitties homeless, but many with "homes" aren't well taken care of, either.

Please be thankful for the wonderful homes and humans you do have.

We're thankful for our comfy places to sleep.

Derry's especially thankful the mom's given up on trying to keep him out of the flower pot. :-)

And we imagine Niko, the neighbour's cat, is thankful for our mom too, because she gives him stinky goodness, treats and nip, and cuddles him and brushes him. She doesn't spend a lot of time with him, but he gets her attention every day, more than his own human bothers to do.

P.S. We loved the captions you all came up with for yesterday's pic of Derry! They made us laugh out loud...Goddess Bast knows, the mom's not creative and witty enough to come up with any of her own!

Wordless Wednesday with Derry

2011-09-21T00:01:00.011-04:00

(Biggifying is best. Anyone have a caption for this one?)

What's Wrong With These Pictures?

2011-09-20T00:01:00.031-04:00

What's wrong is that they're not of us!

They're of the store cat plus the three kittens for adoption in the new PetValu the mom stopped into, when she was in Halifax visiting her family.

The mom says she fell in love with the little tuxie, so it's just a darned good thing she didn't bring him/her home in her carry-on bag!

The store cat looks askance at the mom, probably not happy about the flashy beast. Who would be?

What a sweetie!

Pretty little calico

Here's the cute tuxie the mom fell in love with.

And...Hey, that's not a real cat!

The mom saw this on someone's front walk in Mahone Bay. Very creative, she thought!

That was all for kitty pics, though. She had her camera all the time, but didn't see any others.

Happy Tuesday, everyone. It's nice to be back--and to have our full-time servant back!

She's Home!

2011-09-17T04:47:00.000-04:00

The mom got home around 7:30PM yesterday, EDT. She had a bad feeling when she saw the terse note from an irate neighbour, taped to the door, about all the cops at our house the other night. Then, when she came in...well, everyone, let's just say it's going to take a long time for the shock to wear off--and for the house to be put to rights. She hasn't looked under the couch yet, she's too afraid to move the furniture to see what might be under or behind it all, but she did find Carl's "present" in the tub. Not much left of the curtains or couch or pillows, hairballs and peemail everywhere, shredded paper towel and tp (most in the basement, 'cause that's where she stores big packages of the stuff)...Well, you get the idea. Heh heh.

Excellent house-trashing, everyone, thank you so much for coming to it! No way will the mom leave us again--it'll take weeks, even months, just to clean up this mess! Good job, kitties and woofies!

We'll get back into a normal visiting routine just as soon as we can!

P.S. The mom says she had a great visit with her mom and step-dad, but she's glad to be home now.

P.P.S. While the mom tries to wade through the mess (she needs more garbage bags!), we're going to chill, 'cause all that trashin' was hard work!

House Trashing Party!

2011-09-12T00:01:00.073-04:00

Our mom is leaving today for the week--she has to fly to the east coast to visit our grandma and step-grandpa. So, since we're being abandoned, for the first time ever (okay, except for one night a few years ago), we're having a house trashing party!

She won't get back till late evening on the 16th, barring any travel disruptions, so make yourselves at home, everyone. Feel free to come and go as you please! We hope you'll all work your hardest to create as much havoc as possible, both inside the house and in our little garden too.

There'll be plenty of food to eat, and since we have a servant stopping by twice a day to provide food and drinks, we won't run out. And of course there's plenty of nip and tons of toys too. Let's make sure we're extra wild for the cat sitter! Heh heh!

So it's all clear to party! (And ladycats, no worries, we have lots of litter boxes in the house just for you!)

Let's really trash the house and teach our mom that she absolutely cannot leave us again, ever!

Our thanks to Ann at Zoolatry for the pawsome house-trashing graphics!

Mo Cats Day

2011-09-09T00:01:00.069-04:00

Can you believe that some rude human thought there should be a day without kitties? Ha. As if. Silly person, of course that would have the opposite effect--who doesn't get "reverse psychology?"

So in honour of Mo-Cats Day, we're going to post mo (more) pics of us taken so far this month, having fun and enjoying our back space. (Because the mom can't come up with anything else, if you want to know the truth.)

Nicki: Man, this sunshine feels good on my furs!

Derry: I'm waiting for my tummy rubs! And this time Nicki better not spoil it for me!

Nicki: Come to me, my tasty little birdie snack!

Nicki: This is lame, Mom.

Derry: No, I didn't eat something yucky, the mom caught me mid-washing.

Derry: No, I won't look at the camera, Mom!

Nicki: Mr. Stick is mine! All mine!

Nicki: I've almost got you now, Mr. Stick!

No sticks or kitty mouths were harmed while snapping this shot.

Uh, Mom....Mom! She's looking at us! Make her stop!

Billie Jean, the neighbour's second woofie, now also up at our fence. We could do with LESS of her and her brother! And yes, the mom keeps a very close eye on us and those woofies, and keeps her spray bottle with vinegar and water close by.

We hope our hodge podge of pics was okay for Mo-Cats Day! Happy Friday everyone and remember to stop by between the 12th and 16th for our House Trashing Party! We're looking forward to seeing you all!

Wordless Wednesday with Derry-Bear

2011-09-07T00:01:00.002-04:00

Tired Tuesday

2011-09-06T00:01:00.004-04:00

Hi everyone!

We had a great long weekend, even though the mom was in and out for three of the four days she was off. At least she stayed home with us yesterday.

We did a little of this:

And some of this:

And we had the neighbour's slobbery, scary woofie, Tank (his actual name) eyeing us like we're a tasty snack (that's a long story and the mom's not happy about the situation--neither are we!).

So to recoup our strength, while the mom returns to work today, we're going to spend the hours doing this:

Have a good Tuesday, everybody!

Happy Labour Day Weekend

2011-09-02T00:01:00.025-04:00

It's Labour Day weekend here in Canada, also in the U.S., we believe. So we just want to wish everyone a wonderful long weekend...and a wonderful normal weekend for those who don't have this holiday.

Our mom is off work today, she has the Salvation Army coming to pick up a slew of stuff--she's been on a tear, decluttering. It's a spring and fall thing with her. As long as she doesn't get rid of our toys or tunnels, we don't care!

And rumour has it the mom is going away soon, the week of September 12th. Our commenting will be spotty for a bit now, as she tries to finish up some work projects and runs around trying to get ready to leave us to the cat sitter's care (someone will come in twice a day). We've already planned our house trashing party (thanks in advance for the graphics, Ann), because this will be the first time the mom's left us for any length of time and we have to teach her a lesson--she can't abandon us like this!

So we'll try to do a couple of posts next week, after the holiday weekend, then we'll be hosting our party from the 12th through the 16th. We hope we'll see you for that!

Remember that Labour Day weekend means resting from your labours! We're certainly going to do just that!

Comments are off today; just have a safe and happy weekend!

Gardening Thursday

2011-09-01T00:01:00.031-04:00

::Meowwww::

Our gardening activities are pretty limited now, so we won't be doing many more gardening posts--perhaps just an occasional one.

We've just been doing a little of this...

...and this.

Some of this...

...and a lot of this!

Please do visit Master Gardener Jonesie, though, to see what she's been up to in her garden this week. She has extensive gardens to oversee, so we're sure she'll have something interesting to show us all!

Whisker Hump Wednesday

2011-08-31T00:01:00.038-04:00

We thought we'd do one more Whisker Hump Wednesday, in honour of Kismet who recently crossed to the Bridge. Sadly, we didn't know him, but we do know he had spectacular whisker humps. Neither of us has particularly prominent whisker humps, but the mom tells us that's okay, we're loved just the way we are.

Derry

Nicki

However, the neighbour's cat, Niko, does have better whisker humps! (He's sleepy and disheveled looking in this snapshot, poor guy.)

And here's a cuter shot, snapped very recently, while he was nipped out. On our nip, we might add. If you biggify you can see his gorgeous green eyes. (The mom insisted on adding that, as if our eyes aren't beautiful enough for her!)

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

P.S. This is post #600! Only another oh, two years before we make it to 1000. LOL.

Tortie Tuesday or She Wasn't "Ugly"

2011-08-30T10:54:00.000-04:00

This was Smokey (don't ask why a tortie was named "Smokey"), our grandma and step-granddad's cat. Smokey showed up at their house one day, a long, long time ago, and they took her in.

Pic snapped in Fall 2007, Smokey waiting for her mom on the bathtub at bed time

She passed oh, a few years ago now, at almost 20 years of age (estimated). Our grandma would always tell our mom that Smokey was so ugly, the ugliest cat she'd ever seen, but we think she was very pretty, a picture-purrfect tortie!

So we wanted to share this photo that our mom just found on the weekend, stuck behind some others when she was decluttering her den.

Maybe Smokey and Annie are hissing at each other at the Bridge now...Certainly they had similar purrsonalities. :-P

Mancat Monday with Derry and His "Snake"

2011-08-29T00:01:00.039-04:00

The mom snapped these way back on August 7th--she's just been slow to post a lot of the pics she's taken of us. Slacker. If we have to put up with the flashy beast, she at least should be doing her part.

The trick is to ignore the "snake," to lull it into a false sense of security. (Purple "snake" on the grass, to Derry's left.)

Pounce!

It's getting away!

Got it!

I'm not giving you up, Mr. Snake!

What's that, Mom? I'm too adorable for words? Yeah, I know...You tell me that every day!

Happy Mancat Monday!

Supposed Malware Problem Should Be Fixed

2011-08-26T09:17:00.001-04:00

Okay, this malware thing SHOULD be fixed. I went to Google Help and posted in a malware forum…The guy told me to remove Daisy from my blog roll for the time being (that's the code in question) and that seems to have done the trick, at least for me. But you have to clear your cache and history first. If anyone still has a problem with our blog, let me know, thanks. (keas.fuzzy.tales@gmail.com)

BTW, Daisy’s site was NOT hacked, but a third party site she links to WAS.

-Mom Kim

Bonus cat pics from yesterday evening:

Hurricane Irene and Malware Warnings

2011-08-26T07:30:00.001-04:00

*Comments are off*

First, we're purring for everyone in the areas that will be hit by hurricane Irene to be safe. We hope everyone has a contingency plan in place and somewhere safe to go, if you have to evacuate.

Thanks to Ann at Zoolatry for the graphic.

Second, apparently some of you are getting a dire warning of a possible malware infection on our blog/computer from Daisy's site. We just got it when we were visiting Samantha, Clementine and Maverick. (Note that this is happening when we use Google Chrome, but not when we use Firefox.) We're not sure what's going on, if that was a legitimate message from Google or not. Sometimes those messages are the viruses. However, we do want to say that we have the same full Symantec anti-virus program installed on both our home and work computers and update every day, as well as update and run Sypbot weekly. Full scans have not indicated we are infected with anything. If others are getting this message when they visit us (Spitty did), please do let us know (keas.fuzzy.tales@gmail.com). Thanks.

And third, we just want to wish everyone a safe and happy weekend. Purrs for All Beings in Need. Stay safe, everyone.

Gardening Thursday

2011-08-25T00:01:00.046-04:00

::Meowwwww::

Welcome to gardening Thursday! Remember to visit Master Gardener Jonesie today, to see what she's been up to in her own garden this week.

Our garden is quiet, dull even, now that it's late summer.

Nothing happening here, same old, same old.

The best we can do is just show you some of the flowers the mom's seen on her walks to and from work this month. They're much prettier than anything left in our garden!

We hope you have plenty of lovely blooms in your own garden. Happy Thursday!

Hat Day for Mom Judi/SAS

2011-08-24T00:01:00.068-04:00

Today we're bringing attention to Mom Judi of Sammy, Andy and Shelly's blog (SAS). She and her family are going through a particularly difficult financial time and we're encouraging everyone who is able and hasn't already done so to either make a donation (donate button on her blog), bid in the auction (Helping our Needy Friends), or, as some are doing, hold a comment-a-thon to help.

The best thing about the CB is that this truly is a caring, loving and generous on-line community. We've been the grateful recipients of help in our turn, and as much as we can, we pay that forward. No Being is an island and all that. So please help if you are able to; thank you!

Angel Annie, who was hatted by Judi

******

We just read the awful news (7:30AM EDT) that little Beignet, who was just diagnosed with vaccine-related cancer, has gone to the Bridge. He passed during surgery yesterday.

We are in utter shock and ask that you visit Mom Paula at Sweet Purrfections to leave purrs.

We're sending our purrs and universal Light to All Beings.

Comments are off for this post.

Mancat Monday with Derry

2011-08-22T00:01:00.024-04:00

Purrsonally, I think it's very mancatly to love scritches from the mom!

[Pics snapped at the same time as last Tuesday's tail and 'tocks pic!]

P.S. Did you know that it took three months after I was adopted before I let the mom touch my tummy? Obviously I got over my fear and distrust!

This Would Have Been Annie's 10th Gotcha Day

2011-08-18T00:01:00.044-04:00

Today marks Annie's 10th Gotcha Day. It seems so long ago now that I went to our local shelter that Saturday morning, no intention of adopting at that time. Of course Annie had other ideas! She was the only one in the first cat room who hung back and didn't clamour for attention--which, of course, got my attention.

The rest is history.

Yesterday marked the 26th week of her death or crossing to "somewhere," if anything really exists beyond this life. So it's a very bittersweet time. I still shed tears but am more easily able to pull myself back to the Present Moment now, with a few deep breaths. That's a blessing.

But Annie was the true blessing in my life, the light of my days.

I'll love you always, Ms. Crabby Annie Bananie.

-Kim

A picture collage by Smilebox

Whisker Hump Wednesday

2011-08-17T00:01:00.065-04:00

Even though we didn't know Kismet, who so recently peacefully journeyed to the Bridge, we wanted to participate in this Whisker Hump Wednesday.

And okay, we don't really have whisker humps, if by "humps" you mean mega-kinks in our whiskers, but we still like them!

Chumley's whiskers, snapped on September 28, 2006.

Annie showed off her sweeping whiskers in July 2009.

Nicki's got a little whisker bend on his left side, pic snapped this month.

And Derry, well, his whiskers have a gentle curve more than a hump, but the mom thinks they're long and glorious! Pic also snapped earlier this month.

We hope our whiskers will do, 'cause this is what genetics gave us and all we have to work with!

Tuesday Toes, Tail and 'Tocks

2011-08-16T00:01:00.013-04:00

Silly mom, snapping a pic like this. She should be showing off my toesies, of course, not her fat middle-aged ones. :-P

-Derry

Mancat Monday with Nicki

2011-08-15T00:01:00.010-04:00

I know I'm a cute mackerel tabby and all, but that doesn't give the mom the right to have that flashy beast in my face all the time!

Gees, mom, isn't it bad enough you take a zillion pics of us outside? Can a mancat not get any peace?

*Yawn* When is she going to go away and leave me alone?

Maybe if I close my eyes she'll get the hint.

Apparently not. Maybe I'd better spruce myself up then, since she's still aiming that stupid thing at me.

No, I'm not falling over...Whatever would give you that idea?

See? I meant to do that so I could reach just *this* spot.

Okay, I'm done...Gees, she's still clicking the shutter. Enough already!

Man, I can't even get chin scritches without the flashy beast in my face! That's undue hardship, kitties.

I give up.

-Nicki, the much put upon and much put out mancat!

Thankful Thursday

2011-08-11T00:01:00.055-04:00

In lieu of a garden post, because there's nothing new and/or exciting in our little back space right now, we're going to do a Thankful Thursday post instead.

And this week we'd like to thank Simba and Audrey of Simba's Antics for including us among the recipients of the 2011 Sunshine Award. (Yes, we know they picked the first 9 commentors on a previous post--lol--but we're still thankful!)

We're supposed to answer 10 questions, then pass the award on to 9 other bloggers. So here we go with the questions:

1. Favourite colour: Derry says purple...he likes his purple pipe cleaner "snakes" the best. Nicki says black or grey--he likes those colours for nip and furry mousies best of all.

2. Favourite animal: See the first question.

3. Favourite number: This one's tricky, as we don't really have a favourite number, unless it's in reference to treats...and then a trillion isn't enough.

4. Favourite non-alcoholic drink: Nicki says salmon juice, but Derry's not big on any meat or fish juices. Sometimes a bit of chicken juice, but not much.

5. Social media: Only blogging, no FB or Twitter. The mom says blogging alone is like having a second full-time job in terms of time needed, never mind trying to add anything else.

6. Our passion: Tussling! Heh heh. And insect-chasing and crunching.

7. Getting or giving presents: Well, both, of course!

8. Favourite pattern: This, too, is tricky, because we don't really have a favourite pattern. Unless you count stripes on our furs from sunbeams.

9. Favourite day of the week: Any day is good for us, but especially the ones where the mom is home with us--which actually doesn't happen often, between her day-hunting and weekend errands.

10. Favourite flower: Not a flower per se, but the hostas in our garden. We love to hide underneath them--they're cool and best of all, the mom can't easily find us.

As for passing this on to 9 bloggers, you know we're not going to do that, but will offer the award to anyone who would like it, because you all make our days so much "sunnier!"

Happy Thursday, everyone!

Christmas in July...A Bit Late

2011-08-10T00:01:00.064-04:00

We participated in Christmas in July this year, hosted by Purrs 'n Snorts, and our partners were Winston, Tika and Kizzy of Two Cats and a Pug (Winston is the pug, if you aren't familiar with their blog).

Luckily, we're all in Canada, so understood that there might be shipping delays due to the Canada Post strike earlier this summer.

Finally our package arrived on the 3rd, complete with a bit of Tika's fur and some interesting teeth marks. LOL.

The mom had just opened the box when Nicki's nose detected an enticing scent.

He couldn't even wait to unwrap the package first!

Must have this NOW!

One big bag for Nicki and one for Derry too! This stuff is seriously potent--primo nip!

There were yummy salmon snacks...

A cute tin with toys inside...

Those wool mice have been a huge hit! And the idea of the tin is to fill it with the nip and store the toys in there, to make them especially appealing. Cool!

Plus catnip bubbles, catnip bags (also a big hit), and stuff for the mom too--a book, magnet, some hand lotion and lip gloss! Wow!

Derry gets his turn...

Sniff, sniff...Oh, yeah...This nip is pawsome!

Getting set to bunny-kick this package into submission!

I like the catnip bubbles too!

Nicki, exhausted from the wild nip fest.

It was a crazy time in the house last Wednesday, kitties! We want to thank Winston, Tika and Kizzy (and their mom!) so much for the wonderful Christmas in July package! It was fun to both give and to receive. LOL. We hope we'll be able to participate next year too. Many thanks also to Purrs 'n Snorts for organizing this!