Home Again

We're home again and boy are we exhaustilated. It's time for a Caturday Napathon. That was great fun though and we really liked Miles, Sammie and Trixie. See you all at the lympics!

Torch Relay Update

Brendan has decided to go along with his kittens. He says it's a big world out there for the delicate Miss Ramona. So Miles, you'll be seeing him too.

I gots it! I gots it!

Official torch hand off at 6 A.M. EST. Look out Miles, here they come! Eric spent the night and after a breakfast of Grammi's Pot Pie, he's off back to London to finish preparing for the Games. What a nice guy! There were no leftovers at dinnertime between him and Harper. And that is a lot of cat to have on your feet all night.

He's Here!

Everybody was anxiously awaiting Eric's arrival as the hours passed. But then, he made it! And we all hung out together after a big meal of Cowboy Cookout. "He has a ACCENT!" says Ramona. We think Eric is real cool. He's British you know. So Harper an Ramona are going to bed early to be ready for their Big Adventure tomorrow. Eric is real tired so he's going to get a good nap in before he heads back across the Atlantic. It was a long trip!

Eric is Coming!

Eric is coming!! Ramona is far too nice to call him Fat Eric. The stinky goodness is waiting and Ramona is waiting at the window as Eric makes his journey across the Atlantic. I'm sure he'll be exhausted and will reat up here before heading back. And tomorrow Harper and Ramona will carry the torch to Miles in NY.

Catolympics

The torch relay begins today in Singapore with Bangles and Bombay traveling all the way to London where Fat Eric will take over and race to New Hampshire. I bet he will lose a few pounds. Then Harper and Ramona will carry on, passing the torch to Miles in New York. Good thing we have a short run because we have to be home for dinner! Keep up with the action as the countdown begins at The Catolympics Today's Carnival will be hosted by Niobium

Summer

Ah, time to write another Caturday. I wonder where I can find some inspiration? Yes, Caturday is microchipped. Actually it resides on my server ,not Blogger, so if there was ever a total Blogger crash I could rebuild it as a web site. I try to keep photos backed up too. The Tribe of Tigers congregate peacefully in the mornings to assess the day and read some cat blogs. Brendan has done Dawn Patrol and been greeted by his youngsters. It is really summer here and I have been feeling a great lack of energy. Maybe it's all the work piling up or maybe it's the landscaping going on around here. We have a vegetable garden and lots of places that need fixing up. A house and a studio and all need cleaning. Sigh. I have only gotten up to chapter seven on my book rewrites. But once I finally do get that chapter done ( it is a new one) I think the rest will go quicker. But I also have TV commercials and videos to produce this summer. And I really do want to repaint my kitchen. Harper is chortling. He makes the coolest sounds. But this morning I heard a mini tiger growl coming from under the bed and it was Ramona. She had Red Fuzzy and was being ferocious with it. For some reason the red one is the favorite. So Harper, being a nice guy, had the purple one. He is a nice guy. We are all thinking of Edsels Mom and hope the surgery goes well for her. It sounds very scary and we will keep her in our thoughts. You too, Edsel.

where have we gone?

Caturday was missing this morning.

Getting to Know You

Things are pretty busy around here and I have been kind of tired. It doesn't help that Brendan is insisting the whole crew wake up at 5 AM. ( He's retreated a bit, it was 4:45) I think he has vanquished Jakey the Barn Cat from the territory because he does seem more relaxed about it, but still, that first round of markers saying BRENDAN IS HERE, have to be laid down early. And since he has to be out for work early we are doing what any devoted cat people would do. We are going to bed early. I guess that will make us healthy, wealthy and wise, right? I usually wake up sometime in the night with Harper and Ramona purring up a storm next to me. I found out from Olof that they spend half the night doing it to him. So they are already aware of the concept of time sharing, equal purrs for equal humans. Now that we have been together for a little while (seven weeks?) we're seeing the kittens personalities come out. They are both very nice cats. Harper is a gentleman cat, a blessing, in that he doesn't seem to need to be top cat and he has a warm relationship with Brendan. They don't cuddle ( after all, they are guys) but they do communicate in an affectionate way and it is obvious Brendan has R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Brendan does seem five years younger and I bet the loving kisses he gets from Miss Ramona have something to do with it. This is a cat who has never known a female cat and Miss Ramona is, as he says, "really something." She is sweet and lively, more like Fergus than Harper is. She is playful and funny and she is also very loving to us. She decides when she needs a hug and then she comes right up and plops herself down in the spot she wants. And those eyes are just too much. Her motto is "I really care." I remember one night when Brendan sneezed from the bed room and she was off in a flash to check on him. And Harper, well, Harper is a major love bug. He will lie in my arms for as long as I can sit still during his rest times. He loves Ramona and can't stand to be apart from her. They play together and the fact that they have each other makes them secure and less needy of us. Harper's motto is " I came for the food" and he is already a chunky monkey. Olof insists he has a double chin but I really don't think so. When kittenhood ends the diet will begin. And Olof says he thinks Harper might be lazy. Go on, you can laugh. A lazy cat, yeah. But he is an amiable fellow, happy and contented and good for all of us here at Caturday.

What are little girls made of?

Sugar and spice and everything nice. We are all very tired here at Caturday. Brendan started us off at 4:45 this morning for dawn patrol, making the territory safe for little girls. The humans did video at the shelter and started editing for tv. Then Harper and Ramona went Outside on leashes and it was very exciting and scary. So everyone is cuddled up, Ramona in my arms, Harper on my knees, Brendan at my feet, us beans in our lazy chairs. TV is off, sun is down. Good night, moon.

Thank Heaven

for little girls. Purr, says Brendan. Let little girl sleep. And thank heaven for cuddly little boy cats. The Tribe of Tigers gathers at the watering hole. And Midnight Munchie Bar.

Napilation

I don't pose them, honest. I just pick up the camera and sneak a shot before they wake up.

Harper Is

Growing up to be a nice guy. Actually, he has been a nice guy from the start. On the nine hour trip from NY he sat next to me on the back seat and every once in a while he would look up at me and half close his eyes. I'm sure that I've written that here before but it was so cute. And he was so easy going about the whole thing. And he was happy when we stopped for a meal break. A cat has to be pretty cool to eat on the road and use the bathroom. Ramona came out of the crate and sat next to me too. She follows Harper's lead in a lot of things. He is sitting on my lap in front of the computer with his paws on the keyboard. Ramona is in front of the computer soaking up the heat from the fan. Brendan is next to me. He went out for Dawn Patrol, waking us at 4:40 AM. It was a beautiful morning and I should have followed him around with the camera but I needed some more sleep. Then he comes in and gets a kiss from Ramona and a respectful greeting from Harper, having made the world Safe for My Kittens. We never expected when we brought the kittens home that having a little girl would spice up Brendan's life. But just think of it, he's an old man and never had a girl in his life. "She's really something." he says. We agree.

Kitten Season

It’s Feline Friday at The Modulator Little kitty whose name I didn't get. I promised kittens and here they are. It is kitten season at the shelter. Take two, they're small. Ivan! Kenny! Elroy! Bella! Josh! Yes.mom, a cat called Josh. Do you want him? In other news, a man from Virginia was at the shelter adopting Boone for his wife back home. Boone is a big black character with a few white spots. The cool thing was the guy obviously loved cats and his wife saw Boone on Petfinder and said he was a Himalayan. Now, whether Boone is a Himalayan or just a cool looking floppy, long haired black cat, his name in a southern drawl sounded really great. You imagine.

Harper Says

Blogger is driving us a little nuts this morning, something going on with the photos. I am working on it. Yesterday I finally got the smile kitten up but it is not sizing it properly. This morning it won't display anything. I found a piece of dried up salmon with cat hairs attached to it and Ramona has stopped coughing. So I think that may have been it. I am relieved. Harper says" I'm here for the food". He ate his breakfast while his sister turned her pretty little nose up at Wellness kitten formula. There's been some runny poops lately so I have put them back on that and no more scarfing up Brendan's leftovers. But I gave in and put a spoonful of tuna on top of it and then she starting eating. But Harper of course, smelled it and made a dash for her bowl. I mean, a dash, a sprint, a 100 meter run. So I restrained him, he finished off his bowl and then when Ramona was done, he finished off hers. The Buddha Belly is in good form. I guess it will be nice to have a large cat to hug come cold winter nights.

Smile

So what do you think about this fellow?

Smile

I am having trouble getting a photo to upload this morning. I will keep trying since you do want to see this one! I swear, I did not Photoshop this photo. I have other ones of this cute little shelter kitten that look perfectly normal. He is a handsome fellow and I bet he has already been adopted. Just like this smile, the sun came out in New Hanpshire this morning to our great relief. It is a beautiful morning. Just as beautiful as the last week has been awful. Our river didn't flood, but it has in years past. Occasionally access from both ends of our road has been cut off. There is a hundred year flood plain below our house. But we are well above that. The flood plain is responsible for the great amount of privacy we enjoy here at the Caturday den. No one can build on three sides of us. We like that. Last night I dreamed that we built a beautiful new house and there was a birthday party going on there. I was looking out the windows at the view, enjoying the gorgeous house and I said to Olof. "How about we sell this house and then retire to our old one?" Goes to show you, though we would like to build a smaller, better laid out home, deep down we both love this one too much. We built it when we were twenty for ten thousand dollars. The windows were home made and we slowly replaced them with better insulated ones. We built a foundation under the house a couple of years ago. We added to the insulation and built a garage. You get the picture. I am trying to write with three cats pushing up against the computer. I spent yesterday working in the house and being amazed at the kittens. Isn't it incredible that these creatures want to be with us? Everywhere I went they wanted to be near me. I was working on the kitchen counter and they both decided to take their nap there, on the hard surface. It didn't look comfortable so I got them a round fuzzy bed and they stayed there through me cooking dinner. Fergus used to love being there keeping an eye on things. Around midnight they both want a cuddle. Harper comes right up and gets on my arm under my chin. Then Ramona arrives and she wants to be there too so I put my arm around both of them. They both purr loudly. I remember coming home with them from NY. Harper, all of seven weeks old, sat next to me on the back seat looking up at me, purring and half closing his eyes, giving him the look of a wise little old man. He had always been treated kindly by people but still what trust, he was going off into the unknown world with a person he had just met. Ramona follows his lead, so soon after she came out too and sat with us for the nine hour journey. I am marveling at watching the kittens personalities develop and watching the relationships between them, them and us and them and Brendan. Brendan is a bit of a curmudgeon as you might guess. But I watched as Ramona put her cheek to his head and let it stay there for a while softly. Then the other night Brendan came up the stairs and Ramona was walking carefully next to him, matching his every step. Her motto could very well be "I really care." Harper was right behind them. They need Brendan to show them how to be proper cats and he is fulfilling that role. Harpers motto, I'm afraid is "I'm here for the food." He is proving to be a good natured, loving and playful fellow. Respectful to Brendan, deeply attached to Ramona and loving to me. He's a sweet fellow. Ramona has eaten something she shouldn't have. I caught her chomping on a bit of carpet from the cat tree Sunday night and brought her in to the vet's Monday. They couldn't find anything, or any obstruction and she has been eating and pooping. But she has been making strange coughing sounds and I am concerned. The vet said she may have irritated her throat. I guess that is possible because she sometimes sounds like she is coughing up mucus and swallowing it down. I don't know how that works in cats. But I think I will call the vet again today because it hasn't stopped. She had said something about giving her slippery elm so I'll ask about that. I'll be off to take more shelter photos today and get some kids up on Petfinder. Kitten season is upon us so be prepared for some impossibly cute kitten photos.

Wrassling Practice Part Two

In one corner we have the petite agile and lightening quick Miss Ramona and in the other the solid heavyweight Pork Chop. Who gets the title Top Paw? Ramona leaps into the fray with a beautifully executed "Tiger Leaps to the Attack" maneuver as described in that ancient text, "Meow Do for the Fighting Feline." But Harper responds with a "Turtle Grabs Hold" He flips the Divine Miss R over in a classic "Lion Rolls and Shows Belly to Sun." However the lithe Miss R escapes his grasp with a "Tiger Leaps to Escape" move too fast for the camera to catch. But Harper responds with a quick "Shark Swims Through Water and Chomps" move. Then Harper moves in with a quick " Tiger Pulls Rabbit in Circle" move and then executes a stunning one two "Tiger Makes Fist and Chops" The action then moved to the higher position where Harper ended the game with a stunning example of "Tiger Spreads Wings and Flies to the Moon." That move brought the house down and ended the game with a standing ovation. We leave it to you to determine the winner. They are still best of friends.

Everybody Loves Ramona

A rainy Sunday morning here. The Man with the Cam took this shot as the Tribe of Tigers were hanging out after coffee and world news. We have decided that Mona Lisa's motto is "I Really Care." Brendan's is "Let All My Days be Normal" and Harper's, well Harper is a Work In Progress. He does look remarkably like a flying squirrel as Olof pointed out this morning. Caturday at the shelter went quite well. I attended the Red Cross seminar on Pet First Aid. That does not mean I would actually be able to perform CPR on a Great Dane but I did learn quite a bit about animal care. There was quite a hubbub in the cat room and they actually ran out of adoption forms at one point and were running off to print more. I know that two pairs, Phantom and Topper, and Vesper and Stormy went together, also I saw Gandolf going home and a puppy. And the big news is Shelley, the Katrina rescue was adopted by a woman who saw that great photo of her I posted on Petfinder and said any cat that looked like that had to be a character and she came and got her. If you scroll down to the post titled "Shelter Faces" Shelley is the one at the bottom, the multi-colored face with one bad eye. I don't think anyone ever thought Shelley would find a happy home so we are thrilled with the news. I'll post some photos of the day later this week and also the exciting conclusion to Harper and Ramona's Catolympic work out.

Catolympics Practice

It’s Feline Friday at The Modulator I was telling Harper and Ramona that they have been invited to perform a special exhibition, non-competitive kitten sumo wrassling game for the Catolympics. Oboy oboy! They said. We better start practicing! You always begin with a gentle handshake to let your opponent think it's going to be easy. It's the way of Miao Do the Way of the Feline Warrior. But Harper goes right for a chomp to the midsection. Ramona! Watch Out! Ramona lets out the ferocious Cry of the Tiger. Stay tuned as the action heats up for Caturday tomorrow when we continue this exciting match after a short message from our sponsor.

Gimme Six

Harper is a polydactyl. He has six toes on each front paw but is normal on the rear end, though he seems to have one extra toe, no claw, back there. We were shooting our Paw Prints show on Tuesday and Roz clipped the nails on a polydactyl cat there ( A.J.). She pointed out that you have to be sure to watch for the little extra mini claw in between two toes. Harper has those and they are sharp. I took both kittens last night and got them used to me fooling with their toes, prior to nail clipping. Ramona has regular toes, four on each foot. When we went to collect the kittens (remember the thousand miles kitten drive?) Lynn was upset that the night before she had realized Ramona was not polydactyl and she was afraid we might not want her. She didn't know us. I didn't fall for Harper because he had six toes, the toes are wicked cute but I wanted him because he looked like a real character and that's what I wanted. An individual. All cats are individuals of course. And I think all types are wonderful. But Harper is growing up to be what I hoped for, a loving and funny companion. He is a cuddler, loving to be on my arm next to me in the middle of the night. He has just learned that he can squeal to be picked up and it works. Ramona is a sweetheart and most definitely a girl. She is more dignified than Harper and more agile than him (he's our Pork Chop after all) but sometimes she too, just has to have a hug and she will come up to my chest and settle down for some petting. She is so cute with Brendan, it is obvious she admires him. She'll run up and give him a kiss. And he, the big lug, will kiss her back. It is wonderful to have two kittens who are a bonded pair. Their close relationship makes them more secure and less needy, yet they still want to be with us. I can leave them and go to work and they are happy together and yet our relationship is growing its bonds too. The kittens learn that food, comfort, affection and fun come from us and our bonds deepen. It is an amazing thing and life would be so much bleaker without it. Our shelter is having a Caturday! We have six bonded pairs available for adoption. Instant family! I have been hired to coordinate media for the shelter. It's part time but I love doing it and it's not by the hour, just get it done. So I'll be doing more writing press releases, stories, photos, keeping up the web site and doing the TV show. And whatever else we can think of. Our latest Paw Prints is a cat special so I will be sure to post a link to it when we get the Flash done.

Beach Day

On sunny days I put a blanket down where the sun shines in downstairs. Wish I could join them.

O Ramona!

Rusty and Jodi got dopted together! A couple from north of us saw their photos by me on Petfinder and drove down to get them. I'll keep taking photos because I feel really good about that. Rusty is ten and he was not doing that well at the shelter. Today we are shooting a cat special show trying to get six bonded pairs homes. And it is running on another station and people are coming in to the shelter asking for furkids they saw on the show. You can see my shelter photos by going to the link on the left which says Looking For Homes. Here at Caturday life is interesting with the kittens growing like crazy. Meal schedule is : First Breakfast 5:30 AM, Second Breakfast 9 AM, Lunch 1 PM, Dinner 5 PM and Second Dinner 9:30 PM. Brendan is still going out for Dawn Patrol, waking us at 5 AM and driving us nuts until we let him out to protect the territory from Jakey the Barn Cat. Ramona is still crazy with love for Brendan, she follows him everywhere but she is sensitive to his boundaries. Hey, he is an old bachelor, this is new for him. Her facial expressions are so cute and I will try to catch some on camera. She obviously loves the old fella. If he leaves the TV room, she gets very concerned, hops up and follows him. And Harper, he's just Harper. Funny and charming. He woke me up at 2 AM for a cuddle by sitting next to me purring so loudly I woke up. I got this telepathic message " I am the Lion King." So I guess he's the Lion King. As some of you have guessed, Ramona has that mischief in her eye. Below is the Tablecloth Game. Fergus and Silas loved this too and I would find it on the floor every morning. Around this time I figured I better remove anything breakable. That looks like fun, can I help? You can't possibly be mad at me, I'm too cute.

Tri-Noodled

Caturday will be joining the Carnival of the Cats today over at Pages Turned One of Brendan's cat blogging words and a regular around here, Tri-Noodled, means " I can't get up so you get the ice cream, I am Tri-Noodled. Zwei-Noodled means two cats on the lap and Noodled is just one. Brendan's list also includes Dawn Patrol: waking us up at 5 AM and howling until 5:45 when we will let him out to make the territory safe for.... Other Brendan expression include: Squealers and Grabbers: untrained human children Paw Over Paw: a game played with a long flexible stick Boingidy Boingidy Spenk Spenk: when a cat comes bounding along full speed Comfort Kitty Transport Mode: when we move the cat with respect, usually bundled in a soft polar fleece blanket. This is especially appreciated for winter transport from the studio to the house, but also from chair to bed. Hey, he's 16 and he has rights. Back to that TV show. Yeah, she is crazy about the big lug. He came in yesterday and she gave him a big kiss, I missed the shot but he gave her one back. This is serious. Don't you love it when they just forget about the tongue?

Sheltered Faces

A day of photography at the shelter and getting everybody on Petfinder to increase their chances of going home. For an older cat, it's not so easy. And this is kitten season. I really liked the idea from Magoo, Smudge Bella and Dolce that we have a day of remembering for the felines that have given us so much in our lives. But I think we should expand it and think about remembering all the felines who are mistreated, unloved abandoned and abused. Our shelter is having the first Caturday event next weekend to focus attention on their six bonded pairs who would love to go to a home together. I'll be shooting the TV show there tomorrow and I think it will be an all cats show. I might start making shelter cats my Caturday post every Caturday. The print edition focuses on a shelter cat needing a home. Just about all of the 21 dogs rescued from a kill shelter down south have gone to good homes. I think there was only Jessie left and when I was there a family was in the process of adopting her. So here are some of my faces. Arthur, a patient, conscious being who was rescued from Katrina and surely deserves a second chance. One of my favorites. April Gabrielle Isis She looks like a polar bear, is polydactyl and has no tail (she was born that way) Jodi And last, but certainly not least, the very strange looking Shelley. Also a Katrina rescue she is part Siamese.

Love is in the air

Miss Ramona is going a great job of wrapping the big guy around her dainty paw. He has been working out, eating well and keeping up with dawn patrol duties so the territory is safe for little kittens (especially one petite Miss) "Yeah, she warms this old guy's heart, Olof" he says when asked. "You gotta problem with that?" No, Beezer we don't. It's kind of cute to see our tough old fella getting cozy with a sweet young thing.

Lights, Camera, Action!

You have to be pretty quick with a camera around here. This ballet is not Photoshopped. I did say that Ramona has a cute little rear end. Olof uses a bounced speed light (strobe) to catch this action. He has promised me a blow by blow series of sumo wrestling. In this shot note that both of Harpers feet are actually off the ground.

I'll Protect You, Ramona!

I am having trouble with Blogger right now, it is not sizing the photos right and when I put in text in the normal mode it is all over the place. I am working on it. So, some short sentences while I try again. What mighty monster roams the vast halls of Caturday? Roaring and running, devouring everything in its path. I'll protect you, little sister! I'll vanquish the mighty beast and make the world safe again.

Life with Harper

Yes, he is the comedian of the pride. How could he not be, with those paws? Which he uses to great effect. They give him an advantage in games of Paw Over Paw. But Ramona is more agile. Remember, Harper is our little Pork Chop. He's kind of solid in the middle. They woke me up at 3 AM for a cuddle session which then became a wrestling match, grooming session. Yawn. Two is better, these two are happy, friendly and secure in their twoness. I set up the Cat Dancer last night and they played with it for four hours, breaking only for second dinner. Then I had all three cats on my lap while watching TV. When Brendan decided things were just too undignified and he got up and went to the bedroom, both kittens popped their heads up, stared after him and then ran into the bedroom to see why he left them. It is amazing how well they all get along.