cats – Page 29 – red paper boat

Henry

June 5, 2009November 15, 2015 Shelly

She was flopping around on the bathroom floor and being impossibly cute, so I had to take some photos.

The cone can, in theory, come off at any time now. I took it off for a few hours last Thursday night, but Henry did some vigorous licking at her incision, so I put it back on. The incision looks fine, but the skin around it is a little raw. We’ll try again tomorrow, but I’d rather err on the cautious side. And besides, it’s not like the cone is hampering her ability to get around and play, so I don’t think it’s a big deal to leave it on a few more days.

Speaking of playing, I picked up one of those bendy sticks with feathers and a tinkle bell on the end. Somehow, Polly got it down from its hiding place. She played with it for a couple of hours yesterday, and then Henry got hold of it and spent 3-4 hours playing with it. So much for it being an interactive toy! Henry even carried it into the bathroom with her, when she used the litter box, and then carried it back out again. That was $5 well spent.

Harriet is still not amused, but she’s being very good with the kittens. That may be because, so far, at least, they’re being respectful of Harriet’s personal space. I’ve been able to leave them out together while I’m at work, even. Heaven help the first cat to jump up on the bed, though. I have a feeling that Harriet may have strong opinions about that.

Pets, Photography

Kitten Update

May 31, 2009November 15, 2015 Shelly

The kittens are getting used to the dog, and the dog is (slowly) getting used to them. She’s not really cranky about the cats, but she has a serious jealous streak, and she thinks it’s her job to be The Fun Police. Both of these are problems we’re working on. For now, calm interactions are being rewarded.

They kittens were spayed on Friday and came through it fine. In fact, when I brought them home that evening, they didn’t even seem to notice that they’d just had pretty major surgery. They did start licking at their incisions, though, so I had to put The Cones of Shame on them.

They both figured out pretty quickly how to eat and drink with the cones on, which is good. The problem is that they keep getting litter in between the layers of plastic. I’m constantly having to clean their cones after they use the litter box. Not so fun, but they should be cone free in a few more days, so it’s a short-term issue.

Oh, and if you ever want a good laugh, try watching two kittens staggering around like drunken soldiers while they get used to The Cones of Shame. Apparently they forget how to walk when you first put cones on their heads. Who knew?!

Henry is turning into a total mush. She doesn’t care how I pick her up or hold her. She just purrs and purrs and purrs, as long as you’ll pet her. Polly ended up being the more outgoing of the two, which surprised me, because she seemed flightier than Henry. Probably the most surprising is that, while they play with each other and groom each other, they aren’t inseparable. They’re perfectly comfortable hanging out in different rooms.

Harriet thinks the couch should be a kitten free zone. I sympathize with her, I really do, but all good things must come to an end, and she’s just going to have to learn to share. Not today, though.

Pets, Photography

Introducing Henry and Polly

May 25, 2009November 15, 2015 Shelly

Henry (left) and Polly (right)

Polly (with Henry behind her)

I said that Henry was the more outgoing one, but as soon as I opened the bathroom door and started taking pictures, Polly came out of hiding and stuck her nose in the camera. I love both of their markings. If you look closely at Polly, she’s got orange stripes leading away from the outer corners of her eyes. Henry has cream colored back feet, which are super cute.

(Please ignore the rumpled bath mat, which they’ve pulled down from the side of the tub. Stinkers.)

Pets

An Announcement

May 24, 2009July 9, 2015 Shelly

I’ve been waffly about the whole cat search thing. Do I want an adult cat or a kitten or two kittens? If kittens, should I go for younger ones or older ones? Do I get them from the shelter or the paper or wait until they show up on the doorstep? I just don’t know. So last night, my neighbor was out on her patio. I went over to ask her if she knew of anyone who had cats or kittens needing homes. Her mom lives on a farm and has a steady stream of dumped animals, so I figured it was worth a shot.

And it was! Her mom has two six-month old littermates—a tortie and a torbie, named Polly and Molly. They’re the perfect age for me, the coloring I was hoping for, and best of all, I will only have to rename one of them, since Polly was at the top of my name list. Surely, these are Teh Kittehs of Destiny? Best of all, her mom was at her wit’s end, because she’s at her maximum capacity for cats. She had decided she’d have to take these two to the shelter, where she was afraid they’d be put to sleep. So I’m cutting out the middle man and taking two cats out of the shelter loop. This makes me very happy.

My neighbor is spending the day at her mom’s, so she’ll bring the kittens to me when she gets back tonight, at around 8pm. She was a little concerned that I might not like them, as A) they are not cute little babies and B) I’ll be taking them sight unseen. Ha! 1) I am weird, and I really do prefer young adult cats to cute little kittens. 2) I Every single cat I’ve had has been unknown to me before-hand or picked at random from the alley, so I assured her that that wasn’t an issue. About the only things that would be deal breakers would be refusal to use a litter box (they are both already litter trained, so not an issue) or extreme aggression. Also not an issue, as she said they are both very sweet natured.

So if all goes well, I shall have kittehs tonight! Photos will be forthcoming (probably not until tomorrow), as well as a final decision on Molly’s new name. Polly will obviously keep her name, but I have an aunt named Molly, so I think I’d better rename her. The kitteh, not my aunt.

Crankypantsing, Pets

The Search Is On

May 14, 2009December 1, 2015 Shelly

I’ve been trawling for a cat or kitten. I swore I wouldn’t, but I can’t help myself. There was a litter posted to Freecycle this morning. I emailed the woman, to ask how old they were. Five and a half weeks. FIVE AND A HALF WEEKS! That is way too young.

I replied, trying to be as tactful as possible, telling her that they shouldn’t be separated from their mamma until they’re at least 8 weeks old, and preferably 10-12 weeks old.

Sometimes, I just want to smack people upside the head. There are six kittens in the litter, which means that six people are going to end up with cats that weren’t properly socialized by their mother and littermates. That’s a recipe for disaster, or at the very least a giant pain in the ass.

Pets

The Search Is On

May 13, 2009July 9, 2015 Shelly

I replied, trying to be as tactful as possible, telling her that they shouldn’t be separated from their mamma until they’re at least 8 weeks old, and preferably 10-12 weeks old.

My Garden, Pets, Photography

Seedlings

May 7, 2009July 9, 2015 Shelly

My little veggie garden is sprouting! The pepper is a little bigger, because it was a seedling I got from a coworker. I’ve also got a large container of peppers I’ve sprouted from seed, but they’re only now starting to peek out of the dirt.

Pepper

Tomato

And, because I just can’t get enough of it, another gratuitous Wild Columbine shot.

I also got canna bulbs and some more primrose plants from another coworker. I put them the ground when I got home from work. I’m not holding my breath for the primroses, because they were awfully sad looking. The cannas were starting to grow shoots, though, so I think they’ll be in good shape. Assuming the grounds crew don’t mow them down again this year, that is. And if the primroses don’t make it, I’ve got some in another bed from last year, and they’re thriving. I can just move some of them around, if I ever get anything remotely like a garden plan.

Speaking of plans, with the help of some imaginary friends in the Kibology group, I think I know what I’m going to do with Pandora’s grave. Someone suggested putting a box on top of it, as a marker, which I thought was both funny and appropriate. And then someone else suggested planting catnip on her grave. I don’t want to do that, because catnip can be invasive. But! Some catnip planted in a box would be Perfection. Now, all I have to do is find an appropriate, and appropriately sized, box-like planter.

Pets, Photography

Pandora

May 3, 2009November 15, 2015 Shelly

Pandora has slowly but steadily been going downhill the past couple of years. And then, the past few months, she really started to show her age. She was sleeping almost constantly, waking only to eat. She was wobbly when she walked. There were a few times lately when her back legs would give out on her. She was in good spirits, though, and didn’t seem to be in any pain. Her appetite was good, too, so I didn’t feel like it was right to have her put to sleep.

This weekend, she seemed especially bad, though, and I knew she’d be gone soon. And she was. She died tonight, curled up next to her food bowl, the little greedyguts.

Stupid me. I knew she’d be gone soon, but I stopped and picked up more canned cat food and a new bag of cat litter this morning. I didn’t even stop to think, until I was leaving the store, that she wasn’t likely to be around long enough to need either of them.

I’m going to take tomorrow off work, so that I can bury Pandora in my flower garden. I’m sure it’s against the rules, but she was a little kitty, so I don’t think anyone will mind.

Godspeed, Pandora.

Pets, Photography