Eleven years ago, I wrote this about Tommy, who was still a kitten:
What I love about Tom Cullen: You know how some (well, MOST) cats will climb up on you, and then they’ll dither about as to whether they want to lay down on you, where they want to lay down on you, do they want to lay down on you, or NEXT to you? Well, not our Tom Cullen. He’s very self-assured and certain about everything he does. He jumps up on you, he lays down, he goes to sleep. No standing there looking around trying to decide what he wants to do. Gotta love the Tom Cullen.
That held true through his entire life – he was always a decisive snuggler, right up to the end. I sure do miss that wonderful boy and his brother.
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Just a reminder that Selena – Mom to Hook (formerly Puff) and Flynn (formerly Kohle) is on Instagram and posts pictures of them regularly. It’s been fun watching them grow up!
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That ‘Iva keeping an eye on me’ pic, I’m distracted by the silhouette behind her. It’s the Cat-Signal!
I wondered if anyone would notice that!
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I have a question….anyone got tips for keeping litter from migrating all over the house? I have only hardwood and tile. I do have mats under and in front of the litter boxes. I sweep DAILY!!!
Kathy from Nova Scotia said: I keep an under-the-bed size plastic storage box next to the litter box. my 2 cats are diggers and flingers so it helps keep down the mess. the open bin just gets dumped out back into the litter box. though one kitty always tries to leap over the bin.
I have chenille rugs (like these – the “runner” size) under the litter boxes that do a really good job of containing the litter (and they’re washable!) I don’t know that there’s anything that’ll take away the need for a quick sweep every morning (at least in my house), though!
Y’all have suggestions? I’d love to hear ’em!
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Ok… Has anyone checked out Jet? I just bought a 5 lb bag of Wellness Core kitten food and a 40 lb bag of Dr. Elsey’s Precious Cat litter for a grand total of $33.43 tax, title out the door. I got a better deal there than I would over at Chewy. I was shocked. Free shipping level is lower, also. I love Chewy, don’t get me wrong…but each item was cheaper and they have discounts right now and a coupon code TRIPLE15 to get an additional 15% off your first THREE orders.
The cost of the 5 lb bag is just a bit over the cost of a 2 lb bag at PetSmart. The 5 lb bag isn’t even available at PetSmart ( in store).
I’ve heard of Jet, but hadn’t checked it out. Obviously I need to. Thanks for the tip!
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“What’s going on out THERE?” wonders Raleigh.
Silly girl, in a silly position.
Isn’t she just GORGEOUS? (I’m not sure what the brown tabbies back there are doing, but I’m sure they’re up to no good.)
Charleston, concerned. About what? Who knows?
Charlotte the lapkitten.
Whatcha doin’, sneaky Chesnee?
“You followin’ me?” (Iva)
Balancing act.
I was actually trying to get a picture of Charlotte, but when I looked at the picture, the “WHAT DOON, LADY?” look on Raleigh’s face under the hammock scratcher cracked me UP.
Oh, that BELLEH.
And oh, THAT belleh!
Wahhh! He’s da BAYbee! (Charleston)
“Watchin’ you, lady. Watching. YOU.” (Iva)
“What, lady? What you want?”
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Archie gets his smug on.
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Previously
2015: Pattypan/Peanut update!
2014: “::sigh:: Another day of carrying foil balls around and growling at the other kittens. I guess I gotta do whatever pays the bills, but someday I’m going to be a SUPERSTAR.”
2013: Welcome to the Crooked Acres coffee shop!
2012: No entry.
2011: No entry.
2010: We call this “Corbie’s party box.”
2009: A Wonka movie!
2008: I have to box up the kittens to take them to be spayed and neutered.
2007: No entry.
2006: No entry.
2005: What I love about Tom Cullen.
For God’s sake, just send me Charlotte and Iva s.t.a.t.!!!
Oh, Tommy….we all miss you!!!
come get ’em while they’re fresh!
I love Charleston’s lynx ears!
How we laughed and approved the name Tom Cullen. MOON spells whatever. I sure do miss him and Sugarbutt. Gone way too soon.
Have a great weekend. Shaping up to be beautiful here. Now if only we can get the electrician to work magic and get the cooktop wired. 220, 221, whatever it takes!
The way Charlotte always has her back legs splayed, I wonder about dysplasia. I know dogs can have hip problems but can cats?
Google says it’s rare in cats and more common in purebreds. But she actually doesn’t lay like that all that often, usually it’s just a brief rest and then she’s off again.
Archie looks primed for kissin’. And I miss Tommy Boy and the Sugarbutt too!
Lordy, will you look at those little faces??! I don’t know how you do it.
LOL, the surprise smug at the end made me laugh. I would have been forced to smooch the smug right off Archie’s face.
All these tabbies (and Charlotte) are adorable but I have a sense that Charleston is going to grow up to be one handsome boy.
I bought similar rugs at Target and they’ve really worked well. Finn still digs and flings and the litter gets kind of pooled around the box, but thanks to the rugs they don’t track it out of the bathrooms very much at all.
I’m thinking about trying a litter box with higher walls (in the one bathroom where it would fit).
That is such a beautiful picture of Archie. I’m seeing colors in him I really hadn’t noticed before. And I still remember how rough and scratched he looked when he first arrived…it’s amazing what good food and love will do for a cat! 😀
Miss that sweet Tommy and Sugarbutt, too…
I think you have to keep Charlotte as a meme for Jake. They both have that Looney grin. They remind me of my Rocky. Lost to cancer at 8 yrs old. Love and miss that guy.
You are right Cheryl !!! I was just going to say that she was practicing her loon face !!!!
I called it, she has inherent looniness!
Forgot that Tom Cullen was so decisive, even as a kitten. I have a decisive girl named Georgie. And it makes me laugh when she jumps up on the bed, onto my legs, and throws herself down. She’s asleep in less than :10 seconds, and indignant if I bother her after that. Miss seeing Tommy and Sugarbutt, too.
And while I’m here, I have a litter box question for the masses. I have always had litterboxes in the basement, until one of the four cats got spooked down there and won’t use them. So now I have a litterbox upstairs, where I only have carpeted surfaces. Of course, now that there’s a litterbox upstairs, none of the other three cats will use the basement ones, so everyone’s using the one “special” box. One of the other cats (not the spooked one), will only plant her butt right at the entrance of the litterbox (it has high sides with a lower “entrance” spot)….and then she aims high. Right over the edge! Any suggestions, oh wise cat people?
My late Baal was a high aimer, too, due to complications from FUS, and I used covered litter boxes to take care of him. And I had to wash down the tops more often than the boxes. Some cats don’t like covered boxes, though. I think Robyn uses the plain tall plastic storage bins without the top, and cuts a door/entrance into the side. I think a kitty would have to actually aim their butt straight up in the air to pee over the side of one of those!! 😀
Thanks! I’ve been thinking about Robyn’s solution. I think there’s a run to Target in my weekend plans!
Actually, all my high pee-ers are gone now (sniffle), so I’m back to lower boxes. But I’d definitely suggest turning storage containers into litter boxes, paired with pee pads – the washable ones stand up to a lot of washing!
Washable pee pads. Sophie likes to squat facing in and frequently “overshoots.” I bought Sofnit 300 washable underpads from Amazon. I get the 34×36 – a pack of four for under $24. (I think these are the ones Robyn recommended in an earlier post.) They catch some litter, which I dump back in the litter box, and the pads go in the wash. I’ve had mine for a few years and they’re still going strong.
I use Nighttime Bed Mats from Walmart, and cut them in half and put them in front of the boxes, as one of my old ladies has elevator butt and ends up peeing outside the box even though she’s actually in the box. Those might help?
Charlotte is so beautiful and unusual looking. I love her color. Is she a Russian Blue? If not, do you know what her breed is?
Honestly, I have no idea – she was dumped in or near an overgrown vacant lot before she came to us, so I don’t know what her background is. I will say that, from what I’ve read, Russian Blues have bright green eyes, and hers are gold/brown. Maybe she’s a Chartreux!
I still get teary when I read old posts about Tommy or Sugarbutt or any of your lost kitties. Miss them. RIP sweet babies.
I still can’t tell those brown tabbies apart…all I know is that they are all deadly cute.
My CJ kitty just freaked out when I played the Jake’s got a baby video from 2014. LOL
And stinkerbelles looks of love for her Tommy.
It’s funny you say that about not being able to tell them apart, Olivia – when I’m posting the pictures, occasionally I have to guess who’s who, and I think “What if someone can tell that’s Raleigh and not Chesnee?!” Then I realize that if I can’t tell who the picture’s of – and I spend a lot of time with them – then chances are pretty good that y’all are pretty much going to take me at my word. 🙂
I love this product for litter.. it works really well https://www.amazon.com/Blackhole-Cat-Litter-Mat-Rectangular/dp/B00G67FD6W
I’ve never found a solution to the scattered litter. The “litter rugs” help to keep it down some. We’ve always had furious diggers so kept a dustbuster near the litter box. I don’t think you’re supposed to use them for picking up litter, but it worked for us.
My sillies don’t like to step on the rubber litter mats, so they either exit over the side or vault over the mat! Either way, they scatter litter far and wide in the process. I really just need to take the dang mats up! I keep a whisk broom and dustpan beside the boxes.
Really disappointed in Selena, those boys are reduced to sleeping in boxes rather than carpet trees, couches, laps, etc.
Oh wait, nevermind!
Seriously though, love how spoiled and smug they look.
Litter mats: I use the rubber backed bath mats. If anyone pees over the edge onto the mat, it doesn’t go through to the carpet underneath, and the loopy stuff on top holds (most of) the litter that they track out of the box.
And they’re washable! Good idea.
All of your cats are absolutely wonderful, Robyn. From the permanent residents to every incredibly cute foster mama or kitten. Like everyone else though, I have my favorites and Tommy was one of them. Maybe it’s because I have black cats of my own or maybe because Stinkerbelle was so enamored of him. It strikes me that I’m lucky in a way because I can always simply go back in your blog and see him again since that’s the way I knew him.
At any rate, I’m really not trying to be mauldlin. More than anything, I want to thank you for having shared him, Sugarbutt, and every other lovable feline who had the great luck to be at Crooked Acres with all of us. When I first found your blog a few years ago, I had so much fun playing catch-up that it was almost an abrupt shock when I realized that I had made it to the present.
Since then I have greatly enjoyed being a part of such a friendly, cat loving community. In less than a week, it will have been three years since I suddenly lost one of my little tuxies, Clive. I posted here when that happened, and the friendliness, sympathy, and understanding from everyone was indeed a comfort. I thank you again for that.
And finally, I hope that sometime during the coming year, I will have a small space where I can become a foster myself. If, or rather when this happens, it will definitely be because you’ve been an inspiration. I just wanted to let you know. Thank you for it all. 🙂 I look forward to plenty of more kitten pictures in the future, especially with my favorite “paws up, y’all!” caption.
Thank you so much, Delaney, what a wonderful comment. 🙂
(And I hope you’re able to start fostering – it is so incredibly rewarding, and the world needs more awesome fosterers!!!)