Monday, November 14, 2011

mancat mama monday

Hello fellow cats!  Kit repurrting good news.  Mom wants me to thank all of you for your good wishes, purrs and purrayers.  She was in the hospital for a long time -- she had been getting better, but then she got an infection.  She has been home for about a week but hasn't been able to get on the computer.  Athena and I were so glad to see her when she got home, we missed her so much. Grandma took good care of us -- she even took us to the v-e-t for our checkups -- but it isn't the same.


We have been purring and purring on mom, helping her get better.  We curl up on her gently, purring away.  She says it is working!  Your purrs are working too.  Mom is so touched by all the messages of concern.  She told us we have wonderful furriends, and we agree!  Thank you so much.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

where's mama?

Hi kitties -- Athena here.  I'm sorry Kit and I haven't been blogging or visiting -- mama has been in the hospital!  She is still there.  Her appendix burst and she gotted peritonitis.  She was furry sick but she is getting better.  She will probably come home in a few days.  We miss her!  We haf bisitors twice a day acause Kit needs his medicine treat.  Grandma comes at night and the pet sitter comes in the morning.  We are doing okay, but we miss mama and we miss all of you!  I heard grandma on the phone wif the v-e-t -- if mama is not home by Saturday morning, grandma will take us in for our yearly visit.  I hope to talk to you more soon!

Love,

Athena

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

wordy wednesday

Hi!  Here is a picture of me enjoying my ham-mick.  We haven't touched the one that mama let grandma's cat sleep on, efun though mama washed it.


A lot of kitties wanted to know what kind of shampoo Kit is so crazy about.  It is Aveeno nourish + moisturize with wheat complex and blue lotus flower.  Catnip isn't listed on the ingredients, but it must be in there!

Monday, October 10, 2011

mancat monday

Hi fellow cats -- Kit here.  Sorry it's been so long since we posted.  Mom is having a hard time right now -- she got really sad, missing Grandpa.  She's been lying on the couch a lot.  Athena and I are laying on her and purring.    I think it's helping.


In other mom news, she changed her shampoo and I LOVE it.  I think it has catnip in it.  I sit behind her on the couch or lay on her pillow in bed and just sniff, sniff, sniff her head.  I rub my face all over her head!  She says it's a little creepy, but I don't care.  I just can't get enough of her head!

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

I'm a lady!

Guess what!  This torbie cat has been accepted into The Ladies of Autumn club!

Contact details: bessthecat@facebook.com

Here's a link to my entry!

http://bessthecat.blogspot.com/2011/10/athena.html

I am furry acited!  I haf nefur been in a club before.  Go meet my beautiful new friends!

Sunday, October 2, 2011

LiveStrong Day and new toys!



We want to start our blog by acknowledging LiveStrong Day.  Kit and I highly support this cause.  We lost our grandpa to brain cancer on June 2nd and we and mama miss him very much.  He was always so nice to us.  We hate cancer and wish it could be eradicated from the world.  We admire Lance Armstrong and all he has done with LiveStrong.

On a happier note, we got new toys!  The nice people at Kong sent us toys to test!  We love our green kickaroo so we were really happy to be approached by Kong.  We received no compensation for this -- just the wonderful toys!

First out of the box was an awesome snake teaser.  We have been playing with this like crazy.


Mama wants to name it Nagini.  I was the first one to get to play wif it -- Kit was sleeping.


It has great big eyes and feathers where the tongue would be.  Kit heard me playing and came to see what was going on.  He loves the snake and has been playing wif it ever since.  Sometimes he plays wif mama and sometimes he plays alone -- he tosses it up in the air and wrestles it to the ground.

Next came another kickaroo!  This one is for kittens, but mama said it was okay to play wif.  It's pink!


It has catnip in it and makes a crinkly sound.

Next we gotted stuffed mice!  These are also for kittens but we like them too.


They haf catnip too!  We tossed them around for a while.  Later I tooked a nap wif one.

And one more thing comed out of the box!  A laser toy.  I don't know if you can see it in this picture.


By this time I was kind of tired of playing and mama just waved it back and forth by my paws, and I kept trying to put my paw on it.

We are hafing a lot of fun wif our new toys!  Thanks Kong!

Saturday, October 1, 2011

cageless caturday

Hi!  I haf some aciting news.  A no kill, cageless shelter has opened in our county!  Kit and I were both adopted from a kill shelter.  We lived in cages and didn't haf room to run around.  The people at the shelter tooked good care of us, but our lives were on the line.  We are so glad we were adopted!  This new shelter will save so many kitties.


Back to previous page

No-kill, cageless cat shelter opens in Olde Towne Gaithersburg

By Jen Bondeson, Published: September 28

Avery and Butterscotch’s room has scratching posts, carpeted cat trees and a three-tier hammock.
Avery, 3, likes to lounge on a tree near the window, watching people pass and curling his tail.
After moving in about a month ago, the feline pair and 12 other cats have made themselves at home.
The Animal Welfare League of Montgomery County, a nonprofit, no-kill cat shelter, has moved from a 12-cage, 600-square-foot building on Bonanza Way, near Snouffer School Road, to a mostly cageless, 2,100-square-foot, two-story townhouse on Park Avenue in Olde Towne Gaithersburg.
The shelter has six rooms and four bathrooms. Most cats either share a room with up to five other felines or are free to roam living areas. If they have had trouble adjusting or do not get along with other cats, they live in one of six cages. Sick cats are housed in an isolation room upstairs.
Colorful murals of paw prints and kittens brighten the walls. Litter boxes are hidden in corners, and a box of toys and balls overflows onto the hardwood floor.
The shelter’s goal is to create a relaxed, roomy environment for as many as 30 cats and the humans who adopt them, so people can get to know the cats’ personalities in a home setting, said Pat Gagne, the volunteer adoption coordinator at the shelter. Gagne said she has seen the cats grow calmer since moving out of their 3-by-3-by-6-foot cages.
The welfare league works with the Montgomery County Humane Society and owners who no longer can care for their cats to take in “adoptable” cats — meaning no trapped or feral animals, Gagne said.
This way, cats are adopted out of the shelter more quickly, so more can be shown; the average stay is less than six months.
Since its founding in 2005, the welfare league has saved almost 600 cats. Its old shelter began operations in 2007. Its 2011 budget is $100,000, coming mostly from grants and fundraisers, said Maureen Williams, the organization’s president.
The league is the only no-kill nonprofit shelter in the county; shelters that receive state funding must take all animals that need help and therefore must euthanize, Williams said. The league’s facility is the only cage-free shelter in the county she is aware of, although there are many in other states, she said.
Fourteen cats now live in the shelter, and 17 more are in short- or long-term foster homes.
The organization has more than 160 volunteers who visit for a few hours at a time, in one of two crews: one that cleans the shelter and make sure the cats have what they need, and one enrichment crew that plays with the cats and notes their behavior. The cats have volunteer visitors three times a day every day except Sunday. Adoption hours are Wednesday nights, Saturdays and some Sundays.
In a den upstairs, people considering adoption can sit on a recliner or couch and observe and play with a cat for as long as they want, Gagne said. Most of the furniture in the house has been donated by private owners, with some by organizations.
Volunteer counselors ask adopters questions such as how often they are home, if they have children and if they want a playful cat or one that will curl up on a lap, she said. The counselors then point them to a good fit.
Sometimes, it doesn’t take long to spot a perfect match, Gagne said.
After only a half-hour Sept. 10, Lorinda Potucek of Germantown walked out with Tigger. The 6-year-old, 22-pound, black-and-brown tabby jumped on her lap as soon as she sat down, Potucek said.
“Immediately, we connected, and he just would not get out of my lap,” said Potucek, who was the first person to adopt a cat from the new shelter.
Potucek and Tigger qualified for the shelter’s Senior to Senior program, which allows people over 60 to adopt a cat that is 6 or older for a discounted rate of $75; the normal cost is $125, and pairs are $200. Each cat is spayed or neutered upon entering the shelter, has current rabies and distemper vaccinations and has been tested for feline immunodeficiency virus and feline leukemia virus.
As a grand-opening special, all cats will be $50 next month. The house’s official grand opening is Sunday.
The welfare league also offers a low-cost spay and neuter program for cats and dogs, organized discussions about animal care and a monthly pet food bank.
The organization will rent the shelter for at least five years from Mary and Gustavo Amaro, who have used the building for office space since buying it eight years ago.
When Mary Amaro, a cat lover, heard the shelter wanted to move in, she thought it was great, she said.
The couple’s real estate agent cautioned them about the dangers of cats roaming the building, but they believe the welfare league is a good cause, Amaro said. The couple lowered the monthly rent from about $2,500 to about $2,000.
Avery can scamper upstairs, over the pipe cleaners that his roommate loves to play with, then snuggle on a sofa with someone who might want to take him home.
“It is nice to have cats living in that environment — it is beautiful,” Amaro said. “They are able to look out the windows and see nature.

Monday, September 26, 2011

mancat monday

Hi fellow cats -- Kit here.


I left a surprise for mom in the bathroom during the night -- a big juicy hairball.  It was on the rug and she stepped on it!  She said a word on the bad word list.  Then she realized I had also vomited on the bed -- twice!  She was, let's say, a little peeved.  I don't know why I vomited on the bed, it just seemed like the thing to do.  Sometimes a cat just has to vomit.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Thanks Hannah and Lucy!

I gotted another award, from Hannah and Lucy!




It is called "Premio Destellos Brillantes en el Cielo Azul
(Bright Flashes in the Blue Sky Award)
and asks us to describe what we dream or wish for most in the world.

Here is my wish and hopeful dream:  That all the stray kitties can find furever homes where they are loved and cared for.

Now I am supposed to pass the award on to 5 other bloggers.  I pick


Plus anyone else who has a dream to share!  Thanks Hannah and Lucy!

Thursday, September 22, 2011

an award!

I gotted an award from Brian!

Adopt cats, we deserve it!

To me, Brian is a big inspiration -- he does so much for so many cats.  I am supposed to link to an inspirational post, but I haven't been blogging that long and I don't know what to post.  I'm going to turn it ofur to mama.

Hi kitties -- it's the mama.  This was easy for me.  This week saw the end of the Don't ask, don't tell policy in the military.  As the loving sister of a gay woman, I know a bit about how hard it can be to be a gay person in America.  To think of all the people who served our country under this policy is very inspirational to me. I am so proud of them.  Whatever your stand is on this policy, I hope you can join me in being proud of all the brave men and women in uniform who protect us every day.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

tunnel tuesday

Hi!

I finally got in the tunnel.


I'm still not a big fan.  But I did try it out!  Kit still loves it, he goes in it all the time.  Maybe I will learn to like it more, but for now I prefer my box or the new bed.  Some kitties asked how Kit and I can both fit in the new bed -- we don't, really.  One of us has to spill over.  I think mama should get us another one!

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Easy like Sunday

Hi kitties!


The weather is wonderful here, so we haf gotten lots of window whiffies!  I am also watching lots of birdie TV, but the birdies don't seem to like their new food as much as they liked the old stuff, so there are not as many around.  Fix this situation mama!

We also haf been taking lotsa naps, in the new bed and in our ham-micks.  It's a good weekend!  I hope you are hafing a good weekend too!

Saturday, September 17, 2011

new bed

We gotted a new bed!


Here I am after being rudely awakened by the flashy box.

Kit doesn't let the flashy box bother him one bit!


This was an impulse buy at Petco.  Now mama wishes she had gotten two, because sometimes we squabble over this one.  We have slept in it together a couple of times though! It's furry comfortable.  Between this and our ham-micks, we have lots of places to sleep!

Monday, September 12, 2011

mancat monday

Hi fellow cats -- Kit here.


This is an old picture, when I was skinnier.

Bad mom!  She forgot to give me my medicine treat this morning.  She got an email today from the v-e-t -- I am overdue for my physical.  She is going to wait until I was supposed to get my thyroid rechecked and get it all done at once.  She says I have had so many v-e-t visits, she wants to spare me as much as possible.  I'm on board with that plan!  I really hate the v-e-t.  I tried to bite a tech once.

Mom better not forget to give me my medicine treat tonight!  It is delicious.  Tuna flavor!

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

whisker hump wednesday


A few weeks ago Kit showed off his whisker humps to you in honor of Kismet.  If you didn't know Kismet, he was the original Big Mancat and his whisker humps were legendary. Neither Kit nor I can hope to match his humps but I wanted to show you mine in honor of the great Kismet.

Pee Ess -- Mama forgived me.  She efun let me make biscuits on her chestal area for a long time.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

trouble

I am in trouble today.

I kept waking up mama last night.  I knocked ofur her jewelry box twice and all the jewelry went all ofur the floor and made a big noise.  She hadded to get up and turn on the light and clean it up -- twice.


But the way I look at it is, it's really mama's fault for leaving the jewelry box there.  She knows I like to push things off the edges of tables!  And this is just too tempting.  It makes such a big noise!

Anyway, I'm sorry mama.  I hope we can cuddle tonight and efurrything will be forgiven.

Monday, September 5, 2011

mancat monday

Hi fellow cats -- Kit here.

We have been enjoying the long weekend with mom!  We have been doing a lot of sleeping.


I knocked over our food maze and the food went all over the floor.  I ate it up before mom could clean it up! I have been eating a lot lately.  Mom says she thinks I will do great at my next checkup.  I hope that's a long way away.

Athena and I were tussling last night.  We don't tussle very often but when we do I enjoy it.  She is bigger than I am, but I am stronger than she is so I usually win.  She started it last night but I finished it!

I hope everycat has a good holiday today.  Spend some extra time with your moms and dads!

Sunday, September 4, 2011

another prize!

Kitties!  I winned another prize!  I winned it from Freya, Teego, and Chatzi.  It's a cat food maze!

Mama puts food in the top and it falls through and we push it through the maze to the bottom where we can eat it!


It tooked us a while to figure out how to use it.  Kit tried to eat the food just by going in through the top.


I figured it out and hadded fun playing wif it!  Of course, I love anything that has to do wif food.


Thanks for our prize, Freya, Teego and Chatzi!  We are hafing fun wif it!

Friday, September 2, 2011

treats!

I gotted treats in the mail today!  I winned them by answering a question on Mousebreath.  Catnip flavored Temptations!


I gotted to haf some and they were delicious!  Kit didn't eat his so mama putted them back in the bag.  I think she should haf given them to me -- after all, they're my prize!  Thanks Mousebreath!

Thursday, September 1, 2011

sorting hat

In Harry Potter world, every September 1st young witches and wizards hop onto the Hogwarts Express and head to Hogwarts.  When they get there, the sorting hat puts them into their houses.  We're letting mama blog today, since she is a Harry Potter fanatic.


I was thinking about Hogwarts today and where my cats might be sorted if they went there.  Kit, I think, would be a Gryffindor and Athena would be a Hufflepuff.  Here is the Sorting Hat song from the first book:

You might belong in Gryffindor
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart;
You might belong in Hufflepuff,
Where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true
And unafraid of toil.

Kit is definitely brave enough to be a Gryffindor!  He is my little escape artist who loves to dart outside to explore the great outdoors.  He also is never scared during thunderstorms.  He wasn't troubled by Hurricane Irene and even last week's earthquake didn't seem to bother him!  The only thing that might keep him out of Gryffindor is the chivalry part.  Sometimes he turfs Athena out of her sleeping spots.

And sweet Athena is definitely Hufflepuff material.  She is utterly loyal -- she follows me all around the house and she sits on my lap everytime she gets the chance.  She is very patient when Kit bugs her and she definitely has a true heart -- she is a real mama's girl.  As far as toil goes -- well, cats aren't really into toil, I guess, but the determination with which she makes biscuits makes me think that this fits her as well.

So those are my Hogwarts kitties!

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

tummy tuesday


In this picture you can see where my furs didn't grow back after my ladygardenectomy.  Mama recently saw anofur cat who this happened to -- maybe it is not as uncommon as she thought.  Kit's furs are almost all grown back from where he got shaved for his ultrasound.  Mama was worried that his furs wouldn't grow back the way mine didn't, but that didn't happen.  It took some convincing for me to let mama show you this photo.  I am a little self conscious about my bald spot.  But mama says I am beautiful wif or wifout furs.

Sunday, August 28, 2011

we made it!

That was not fun, but not nearly as bad as we expected.   The worst of it was east of us.  It rained for about 20 hours and in the middle of the night the wind was so bad we couldn't sleep.  We lost power but it's back on now.  We only got about 4 inches of rain.  No flooding!  We don't haf to go live wif the woofie!

I did not go UTB -- I stayed wif mama the whole time.  When she sat, I sat on her.  When she laid down, I laid down on her.  I don't mind telling you I was skeered!

There are a lot of places wif power out, and lots of trees down, but it looks okay where we are.  The power is out in the main area of our little town.

We are all watching the birds and squirrels now, they haf come back out.  Earlier Kit and I gave each ofur a baf.


Mama is just going to stay put today, stay off the road and let the tree removal people do their job and wait for the traffic lights to come back on.  So we are hafing a cozy day togefur!

Thanks to all of you for your good wishes and purrs.  We feel like we got off pretty easy.  Other people were not so lucky and we are purring for them.

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Irene

We are all hunkering down, getting ready for the hurricane.  We are getting pretty nervous, the TV and FEMA people say it's going to be bad.  We haf water, canned food, flashlights, and batteries.  And of course mama stocked up on cat food!


We don't usually lose power during big storms acause our power lines are underground, but mama doesn't really know what to expect this time acause of flooding.  They said that the ground is already saturated so flooding is likely.  I hope water doesn't come in our house!  If that happens, we will pack up and go to mama's sister's house in West Virginia.  She has a woofie and I don't want to go there!

The storm is supposed to hit us around 6:00 tonight, get worst at 2:00 am, and last for up to 24 hours.  Yikes!  I think I will be UTB.  Wish us luck, efurryone!

Thursday, August 25, 2011

interrogation


Mama is shining a bright light in my eyes, interrogating me!  She wants me to tell her who pooped in the hallway.  I know, but I'll nefur tell.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

skeery day! And cat talk day

All of a sudden the whole apartment started shaking!  Mama said it was a 5.8 earthquake.  I went UTB and didn't come out until she got home.  She comed home early acause her office was evacuated.  There is broken stuff at her office and one broken statue at our house.  It was skeery!  I felt much better once mama got home.

The Zoolatry girls came up wif a fun idea for us to do today!  It's Cat Talk Day.  My favorite cat talk phrase is "nipped out."  I am a total nip head!

Here is a picture of me eating up some nip:


When you are nipped out, it means that you haf just eaten or inhaled some primo nip and are in a totally blissed out state.  Here is a good example.  After mama let my grandma's cat try out our hammick, she hadded to wash it.  She sprayed it wif catnip spray after she putted it back on the frame.  Kit rolled around on it -- he was totally nipped out!


I like dried nip and live nip best.  Kit likes live nip and nip spray.  However you like it, I hope you get nipped out soon!

Monday, August 22, 2011

mancat monday

Hi fellow cats -- Kit here.


Emma and Buster asked how I am doing -- if I am eating well, if I have put on any weight.  The answer to both those questions is yes!  After our long, unsuccessful grain free experiment, Mom, with the vet's blessing, switched us back to our old food (although we have new crunchies that we like better than the old stuff).  I have been eating very well!  I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism exactly two months ago and the last time I was checked, a few weeks ago, I had put on over a pound.  I should get checked again soon.  I am eating my my medicine treat twice a day, no problem.  The latest batch is tuna flavored!  It isn't a pill pocket -- it's a soft chew that tastes great!  Mom says whoever came up with it is a genius.  So, I am doing very well.  Thanks for asking!

Sunday, August 21, 2011

windows

Hi there!

The hammick is back -- grandma's big fat cat didn't break it, but he got his smell all ofur it.  Neither Kit nor I haf sat on it yet.  Mama put catnip spray on it but that didn't help.  I am going to make her wash it, I think.

We gotted some good window whiffies yesterday!  Our normal August hots are gone right now and mama has been opening the windows for us.  This means that we can smell the birdies at our feeder (and the darn introoder kitties under our bush) and smell all the good things about summer.


This was Kit trying to climb the screen to get a squirrel that climbed up the post outside our window to tease us.  Mama doesn't like it when he does this acause she's afraid he'll break the screen, but she doesn't understand the urge to stalk just gets so strong sometimes!  Here's hoping we get more window whiffies today.  Haf a good Sunday, efurrykitties!

Saturday, August 20, 2011

bad plan


I am annoyed wif mama.  See my annoyed face?

She is taking one of our hammicks away today!  My grandma has two cats and she wants to get hammicks for them, but they are really BIG cats and she is not sure if they will fit.  So my mama is going to bring ofur one of OUR hammicks for them to test out!  And get their smells all ofur it!

They better not break it wif their big butts.  I am mad!

Thursday, August 18, 2011

tunnel!

Prancer Pie guessed it last night -- we gotted a tunnel!  Actually, we gotted it a couple of weeks ago, but mama just gived it to us last weekend acause we recently gotted our hammicks and she doesn't want to spoil us.

Kit liked it right away!


I wasn't sure:


I am still hesitant about it.  But Kit adores it!  He's in there all the time.  He plays in there, he sleeps in there, he just hangs out.  He loves it!


Wednesday, August 17, 2011

whisker hump wednesday

Hi fellow cats -- Kit here.  As the mancat of the house, today's post falls to me.  Athena, mom and I were all very saddened to hear that Kismet went to the Rainbow Bridge.  We read his blog long before we started blogging and we have loved him for a long time.  He was the original mancat -- the ideal I strive for!

One of the many magnificent things about Kismet was his whisker humps.  He had the best whisker humps I've ever seen!  That's why I think it's so appropriate that today, in memory of Kismet, is Whisker Hump Wednesday.  I don't usually allow closeups with the flashy box, but in this case I made an exception.

From one side:


And from the other side:


My whisker humps are nowhere near as pawsome as Kismet's.  But I am proud to show them to you in his memory.  Run free, Kismet.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Mancat Monday

Hi fellow cats -- Kit here.


I have been reflecting on what it means to be manly.  I think that a big part of being a mancat is knowing how to keep the womenfolk happy.  Lately I have been making my mom very happy.  I have not been running outside.  I have not been yakking hardly at all.  I have been eating up my medicine treats.  And I have been eating like a rock star!  All these things make mom happy.  I am a very manly mancat, living right!

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Easy like Sunday

Hi kitties!  We are hafing an easy Sunday here after a busy Saturday yesterday.


Mama wented up to West Virginia to her sister's house to celebrate family purrthdays -- they haf 4 in August!  Since we are from Maryland, my auntie baked a 12 layer Smith Island cake.  Usually when mama goes up to West Virginia, she comes home smelling like woofie and chickhens and goats, but this time -- no chickhens!  I asked her why and she said something bad happened.  A raccoon ated all the chickhens!  No kitty efun gotted a bite!

Last night mama watched a movie and I slept on her lap.  We letted her sleep in this morning efun though our bowls were empty!  When she saw that, she said that we were furry good kitties and she appreciated us furry much.  Now she is getting ready to go see the Harry Potter movie.  I don't know why she has to go see it again, she already saw it once.  I think she should stay here wif me!  I am going to take a nap while she is gone.  My morning nap was so good, I think I need anofur one!

Friday, August 12, 2011

affectionate Friday

We don't know why, but mama has been gifing us extra pets and kisses yesterday and today!



Here is a picture of me getting scritches.  We haf been gifing mama lots of love and she has been gifing it right back to us!  We are a furry happy house lately!

Thursday, August 11, 2011

tabby thursday

Hi fellow cats -- Kit here.

Since I didn't get to have Mancat Monday because of World Cat Day, I am taking over the blog tonight.


That gray tabby that I told you about the other day has been on Mom's mind.  He was just so thin, and unlike the other cats that have come to our patio, he doesn't have a collar.  He came up to her yesterday when she was walking out to her car, and he was really friendly.  She saw him hanging around again today.  She is worried about him.  She doesn't know if he's a stray or not.  There are so many cats around our apartment complex.  I told her not to worry -- he looks like a pretty tough cat to me, the way he just sat and stared back at me.  I sure don't want her to take him home!