Today, I lost my favorite best friend. Not my human best friend, but my 4 legged best friend. Of course I have 5 other best friends that all rank number one as well. Almost every day I tell all my kitties they are my number one best friend. They give me so much on a daily basis, I figure why not flatter them and boost their ego's.
My first cat , Princess Peekaboo, aka Kitty Kitty, was a kitten rescued from the side of the road where her siblings had all been hit by cars. She was only about 4 weeks old and could not be adopted for 2 weeks yet. It just so happened I was in the pet store when she was brought in by the lady who rescued her. It must have been fate. I had to take her home! I left my name with the adoption agency to call when she was ready to come home. When they called, there were 2 other people waiting to see if I was going to show, so they could have a chance at adopting her. Boy am I glad I was by the phone that day!
She was very shy, to the point of paranoia. She was primarily Siamese. We used to call her the invisible cat. She knew if someone was coming up the walk and would growl long before the doorbell rang, and when it did, she was already running as low to the ground as possible across the floor trying to be invisible while she got away.
As she got older she developed this 'addition' to her abdomen that could only be described as two boobs. They were kind of loose, and when she stood, they hung down and kind of jiggled. However when she would run, or in her case, trot , they would swing from side to side. This was a most hilarious event to witness. Of course she would be very affronted by our raucous laughter, which would only make her run faster, and us laugh even harder. In her early years she could move with lightening speed. Probably so my sister couldn't catch her!
She was an excellent mouser. Often we would find half eaten mice in the house, always the back half, and twice had to take away a live mouse from her! Dennis likes to give the cats nicknames. Skidmark, Sushi..Kitty Kitty earned the nickname Snakebite. She would snap at your hand if you were playing too much, tickling her, or in the case of my sister Teresa, all she had to do was pet Kitty Kitty to get the 'snakebite'. Despite the nickname, she never really bit anyone, she just made sure you felt her teeth on your hand, but Teresa would sometimes get as far as a pinch.
As shy as she was around others, she was twice as affectionate to the family. Often I would wake in the middle of the night to find her cuddled up next to me. She always knew when I was upset about something, and was the first to come sit in my lap in an attempt to give some comfort. As our cat family grew over the years, she never hesitated to greet the newcomer with a hiss ,a growl, and sometimes a slap on the head, enough to establish who the real boss was, and that would be that, they were friends.
Her favorite season was Christmas, so she could climb the tree and slap the ornaments until they went smashing to the floor. It only took us one year to learn you don't put glass ornaments on the tree, or place the tree near a tile floor! She developed a real talent for gaining weight, and eventually her tree climbing days were over. After that, you could find her under the tree on the velvet skirt, leaving cat hair everywhere. speaking of leaving cat hair behind, she was the best. You would find her in the sock basket, on the laundry, in the laundry, in the closet on the shelves, and even the dinning room cushions.
She loved to mooch kitty treats from you, but was very patient to wait her turn when it came to handouts from the table, especially salmon and chicken.
One of my favorite things was to get all five kitties on the bed at once. That was the ultimate for me. I have a picture of Dennis asleep with all five cats also on the bed. This is my family picture I have posted on Face book!
She was very smart. When I was working from home, she would visit me at my desk and walk back and forth in front of the monitor. I managed to teach her to not step on my keyboard keys, but couldn't quite get her to stop at one pass in front of the monitor. If she wanted attention, she got it. She didn't earn the title 'Princess' for nothing.
One last story: We bought one of those cardboard scratchers one day, and set it out when we got home. Later we went out again. When we returned, the kitchen floor was covered in catnip! I had accidentally left my supply of catnip on the kitchen table. Dennis was convinced it was Smokie who had gotten into and scattered the catnip. I maintained it was Kitty Kitty. Neither cat was to be found. While we were cleaning up, Kitty Kitty casually walked past the kitchen literally covered in catnip, as if she had been in the sandwich sized bag with it. Mystery solved.
Although I have been richly blessed to have this princess in my life, there is a large hole in my heart tonight not having her here next to me. My other cats know there is something, or someone amiss, and are trying very hard to fill in and help dry my tears.
Of course they will succeed. You see, they are all my favorites.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Animal House? Funny Farm?
I am an animal lover. "Nuff said" according to my next door neighbor. We live in a very rural suburb of Salt Lake. There is farm property around us, and a small peacock family across the street. I admit I own 5 cats, probably soon to be 6, and I am fostering 2 kittens we found someone in the act of dumping in the street in front of our house last week. (They got away before we could get license plate numbers) I think it's posted somewhere on my face. The other day while buying local cherries, a guy walked up to me and asked if I would be interested in a kitten because he is allergic. I ran screaming in the other direction throwing the cherries I just purchased, as he checked to see if he had B.O., or maybe spinach between his teeth!
My cats are like the children I never got to have. Today they were acting like just that, children. Piper is the 3 month old that we have been fostering that will likely become a permanent part of our family. I have had her since she was 3 weeks old and required bottle feeding. She is very active and loves to play with the 2 kitten twins that are probably 5 weeks old, especially since the youngest of my other cats is about 7 years, and they don't play like kittens play anymore. Piper discovered she could slide on the floor mat by running and jumping onto it in front of the shower, and riding it to the end of the wall. She did this at least 3 times. After that, they played 'climb onto the furniture and jump off '...onto each other, the bed, the window,...me. Then there is the books and magazines sitting in a small pile at the side of my bed. I know I stacked them too many times to count, only to have them immediately explode all over the floor as one of the three took turns running out from under the bed right onto the pile! On purpose! Not to mention the 'cat fights' resulting in someone squealing one minute, only to be the bully the next.
Something set off Hunter, our lab/husky, because he just would not shut up today. He started whining, so I let him go out. Then he was barking, so I let him come back in. After the whining again he went out for the rest of the day. I am very self conscious about the dog barking too much, so in between stacking books I would go yell at the dog to shut up. It's wasn't like there were other cats in the yard, the neighbor wasn't moving his camp trailer too close , and the peacocks were not eating his food either! (they love dog food). He had plenty of food, and water (if not, he will tell us) The yard isn't scheduled to be sprayed for weeds until tomorrow. After being sprayed every month, it takes him about a week to go back onto the grass, let alone into the backyard. I have never before seen a dog lift his leg on his own leash, or stand on one of the big rocks to do his business!
Tonight, I was trying to do some computer work. Smokie it the only male cat in the house. He is my bodyguard. He will go after, and swat Hunter, (100lb's) who then cowers. Smokie decided he needed cuddle time, right on my laptop, right now. When that didn't work, he decided he needed my shoulder. This cat will ride around on your shoulder, but only the left one. If he gets on the right, he will move one paw at a time to the left. We call that a Smokie hug. But when your sitting down with a computer in your lap, all you get is a mouth full of fur! So I moved outside to my favorite double chaise lounge that Dennis built for me, (take that Pottery Barn!), nestled under the trees. I was engrossed in a quilting book, listening to music off the laptop, when all of a sudden I got blasted by a blaring honk, about the speed of a semi-truck directly in front of me! I don't climb trees, but I needed a ladder to get out of this one!
You see, Dennis not only nick-names them (Pierre, Pedro), he encourages the peacocks to eat Hunter's dog food. They actually stick their tiny pea-brained head with the 80's style "ponytail on top ", into the dog house and eat out of his dish. You may not know, but peacocks are noisy, especially during mating season, (going on for the last 3 months). They honk, yell like cats, scream like two year old's, worse than teenage girls ...noisy. If you drop something, like a board, they scream. When our car alarm got set off earlier tonight, they yelled the whole time it honked, and stopped almost the instant the alarm did. Unfortunately, now that mating season is winding down, they are starting to molt. So the beautiful long feathers they 'show' are thinning and falling out.
So while I was relaxing in the cool evening, apparently I was in his way. He got less than six feet in front of me without my noticing, and let loose! They are semi tame, and will approach, especially if food is at stake. I climbed out of the tree, and went inside to change my pants. How in the world did they know I startle easily and strongly! Someone had to tip them off! I went in ranting to Dennis about his friend Pierre or Pedro or whoever it was this week, and sent him out to put away the lounge cushions for the night. He came back inside with a hand full of the long tail feathers in his hand and said he got revenge! Now the animal lover in me was worried. Did he pull them out of the peacock by force, did he chase him down and give him a noogie? No, Dennis just went out the door and called "hey Pierre, where are you?", knowing he was likely in the doghouse (literally). The peacock startled so bad, he flustered, and did something we rarely see peacocks do...fly. They only get about 6 feet off the ground, only as high as it takes, but in his fluster to move, fly, and get away to go home and change his pants, he left behind a dozen or so feathers!
I haven't stopped laughing since.
So is it animal house, funny farm, animal farm (no that's about communism).... I'm not sure but it is wild, wacky, and a bunch of laughs.
And I love to laugh.
Nuff said.
My cats are like the children I never got to have. Today they were acting like just that, children. Piper is the 3 month old that we have been fostering that will likely become a permanent part of our family. I have had her since she was 3 weeks old and required bottle feeding. She is very active and loves to play with the 2 kitten twins that are probably 5 weeks old, especially since the youngest of my other cats is about 7 years, and they don't play like kittens play anymore. Piper discovered she could slide on the floor mat by running and jumping onto it in front of the shower, and riding it to the end of the wall. She did this at least 3 times. After that, they played 'climb onto the furniture and jump off '...onto each other, the bed, the window,...me. Then there is the books and magazines sitting in a small pile at the side of my bed. I know I stacked them too many times to count, only to have them immediately explode all over the floor as one of the three took turns running out from under the bed right onto the pile! On purpose! Not to mention the 'cat fights' resulting in someone squealing one minute, only to be the bully the next.
Something set off Hunter, our lab/husky, because he just would not shut up today. He started whining, so I let him go out. Then he was barking, so I let him come back in. After the whining again he went out for the rest of the day. I am very self conscious about the dog barking too much, so in between stacking books I would go yell at the dog to shut up. It's wasn't like there were other cats in the yard, the neighbor wasn't moving his camp trailer too close , and the peacocks were not eating his food either! (they love dog food). He had plenty of food, and water (if not, he will tell us) The yard isn't scheduled to be sprayed for weeds until tomorrow. After being sprayed every month, it takes him about a week to go back onto the grass, let alone into the backyard. I have never before seen a dog lift his leg on his own leash, or stand on one of the big rocks to do his business!
Tonight, I was trying to do some computer work. Smokie it the only male cat in the house. He is my bodyguard. He will go after, and swat Hunter, (100lb's) who then cowers. Smokie decided he needed cuddle time, right on my laptop, right now. When that didn't work, he decided he needed my shoulder. This cat will ride around on your shoulder, but only the left one. If he gets on the right, he will move one paw at a time to the left. We call that a Smokie hug. But when your sitting down with a computer in your lap, all you get is a mouth full of fur! So I moved outside to my favorite double chaise lounge that Dennis built for me, (take that Pottery Barn!), nestled under the trees. I was engrossed in a quilting book, listening to music off the laptop, when all of a sudden I got blasted by a blaring honk, about the speed of a semi-truck directly in front of me! I don't climb trees, but I needed a ladder to get out of this one!
You see, Dennis not only nick-names them (Pierre, Pedro), he encourages the peacocks to eat Hunter's dog food. They actually stick their tiny pea-brained head with the 80's style "ponytail on top ", into the dog house and eat out of his dish. You may not know, but peacocks are noisy, especially during mating season, (going on for the last 3 months). They honk, yell like cats, scream like two year old's, worse than teenage girls ...noisy. If you drop something, like a board, they scream. When our car alarm got set off earlier tonight, they yelled the whole time it honked, and stopped almost the instant the alarm did. Unfortunately, now that mating season is winding down, they are starting to molt. So the beautiful long feathers they 'show' are thinning and falling out.
So while I was relaxing in the cool evening, apparently I was in his way. He got less than six feet in front of me without my noticing, and let loose! They are semi tame, and will approach, especially if food is at stake. I climbed out of the tree, and went inside to change my pants. How in the world did they know I startle easily and strongly! Someone had to tip them off! I went in ranting to Dennis about his friend Pierre or Pedro or whoever it was this week, and sent him out to put away the lounge cushions for the night. He came back inside with a hand full of the long tail feathers in his hand and said he got revenge! Now the animal lover in me was worried. Did he pull them out of the peacock by force, did he chase him down and give him a noogie? No, Dennis just went out the door and called "hey Pierre, where are you?", knowing he was likely in the doghouse (literally). The peacock startled so bad, he flustered, and did something we rarely see peacocks do...fly. They only get about 6 feet off the ground, only as high as it takes, but in his fluster to move, fly, and get away to go home and change his pants, he left behind a dozen or so feathers!
I haven't stopped laughing since.
So is it animal house, funny farm, animal farm (no that's about communism).... I'm not sure but it is wild, wacky, and a bunch of laughs.
And I love to laugh.
Nuff said.
Monday, July 13, 2009
I'm very neurotic about keeping my kitchen clean, especially with all my cats. My husband's idea of doing the dishes is to wash off his plate in water (hot or cold), dry it off, and put it back in the cabinet. He never goes near the dishwasher, not to put dishes in, rarely to get dishes out. I tease him about not knowing what or where the dishwasher is. Yesterday, he announced he had cleaned the kitchen for me. He was trying to help because I've had a bad last couple of days. When I walked into the kitchen, there were some dishes in the dishwasher, some left out. I proceeded to lavish praise over this deed to show my graditude, and decided to include some education: "your supposed to wipe off all of the kitchen counter", "this can go in the dishwasher, but this can't ", "did you forget to put this in the dishwasher?" , "the sink looks good, but you have to clean this off too". If he was willing to try, shouldn't he do it right? That way I don't have to come back later and do it all over again. He endured this with a smile, and returned to his TV. I shook my head at the floor where I discovered all the counter crumbs.
After thinking about this, I realize he is smart. Very smart. He knows what he is doing, where the dishes go, what doesn't go in the dishwasher,and how to clean the sink, for the most part. If he plays dumb, he gets out of the work, most all the time. It's not about getting out of the work, it's about avoiding the 'education comments'. But every once in awhile, he is willing to forgo the 'lecture' just to be of some help.
I am a very lucky woman.
After thinking about this, I realize he is smart. Very smart. He knows what he is doing, where the dishes go, what doesn't go in the dishwasher,and how to clean the sink, for the most part. If he plays dumb, he gets out of the work, most all the time. It's not about getting out of the work, it's about avoiding the 'education comments'. But every once in awhile, he is willing to forgo the 'lecture' just to be of some help.
I am a very lucky woman.
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