Those of you who contributed to the ChipIn for Heaven, who maxed out her credit cards to pay the vet for her beloved cat Dirty Feet, Heaven would like to say thank you.
In fact, she said:
I want you to say THANK YOU in the most MASSIVE way to all your readers who contributed…every one of them is AWESOME <3 THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU MEAN IT MEAN IT MEAN IT <3 <3 <3
Then she invited you all to Thanksgiving dinner! Really! Okay, no she didn’t. But she did say to thank you all – so thank you!!! Who has the most awesome readers? That would be me. Who are the most awesome readers on the internet? That would be you! So if you contributed, take a moment and pat yourself on the back. You are awesome. 🙂
Also, if you’re Facebook friends with Heaven, go watch this short video she made when Dirty Feet was a wee baby. It KILLS me, and I think I’ve watched it 130 times.
I think I’ve probably told y’all that in our kitchen, some of the cats like to hang out on top of the cabinets. Stinkerbelle, especially, spends a lot of time up there. Recently, we’ve had issues with Elwood or Sugarbutt getting up there and hanging out. Since Stinkerbelle’s favorite place to hang out is at the end of the cabinets as far as possible from the refrigerator, which is how the cats get up and down, she gets stuck there. She doesn’t like to go past the other cats to get to the refrigerator so she tries to intimidate them with hissing and growling and eventually screaming her hellcat scream. They’re not terribly intimidated by her, at least most of them aren’t, so it doesn’t work very well for her. One day last week she JUMPED from the top of the cabinet to the floor, which cannot possibly be good for her joints or her bones. I know for sure it’s not good for my heart, because I just about keeled over from a heart attack when I walked into the room just as she jumped.
Fred has been talking about making a second way down from there, and after I saw Stinkerbelle jump, I demanded he do it sooner rather than later.
So he put a board across the top of the doorway between the kitchen and laundry room. And he put a board across the top of the doorway between the kitchen and dining room. So Stinkerbelle – or any of the cats – could walk across either of the boards and jump onto the top of the 5-foot-high cabinet on that wall, and then onto the floor.
What happened next was something unexpected. I don’t think I’ve mentioned this before, but Jake isn’t able to jump as high as the other cats – he’s never been able to – and he’d never been on top of the cabinets. He’s only been able to watch the other cats run around up there, and chatters excitedly at them. After Fred installed the boards, he put Jake on top of the one between the kitchen and dining room, and Jake absolutely lit up. He walked around on the cabinets, and it was like a whole new world had opened up to him.
Fred considered the situation for a few minutes, and then back out to his workshop to make it so that Jake could get on top of the cabinets whenever his little heart desired. An hour later, we showed Jake the new way to get up there, and he took to it like a duck to water.
(That shelf to the left goes to just under the top of the cabinet where Stinkerbelle spends most of her time.)
Have you ever seen a happier cat?
He spends a large amount of his day in that cat bed (which is hooked to the wall so it can’t go sliding off), and loves watching us from his new favorite perch.
(Those three unfinished shelves are going to be painted white this weekend, by the way.)
I’m pushing for the next project to be a walkway around the top of the front room. Fred’s not convinced yet, though.
Buster and Rhyme: Brudderly Love.
Rhyme’s all “I LURVE my brudder!”
Buster’s apparently decided that the only way to get away from Rhyme is to do the ol’ stretch-and-roll out of the bed.
Shoulder monkey BOBBY! BRADY! asleep. I always wondered what they made hooded sweatshirts for.
Greg in the front, Cindy in the back, and Jan over there licking her lips. Oh, and someone mentioned in my comments that Jan looks like she has particularly big and pointed ears. She certainly does – they’re very pointy, and they actually turn out a little on the end.
“Greg Brady will cut you if you try to turn Dad’s den into a swinging bachelor pad. Greg Brady has dibs. Greg Brady is hip and groovy, man.”
I’m pretty sure I washed kitten feet at least 20 times yesterday. Why why OH WHY must they walk through their poop?
Kitten diarrhea is the bane of my existence. (But I have to confess, the face they make after you put medicine in their mouth to deal with what’s causing the diarrhea cracks me UP. I need to take the Flip video into the room next time I medicate them.)
Maxi demonstrates her overbite. It just adds to her charm, if you ask me.
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Previously
2009: “No! You go away! This are MY lap for snuggling in!”
2008: “Friends, Romans, countrycats, lend me your ears…”
2007: Awesome.
2006: No entry.
2005: THEY ARE HOLDING PAWS!
Oh, that’s awesome! I think my guys are packing their bags now and heading down your way. Be on the lookout for 4 rather pudgy cats from Canada, looking to crash at your place. They’re all “we don’t have climby stuff here, and frankly, that’s wrong.”.
You know, you two are just amazing. I agree with Brigitte… if my 5 daw your place, they would all be “hey lady, when you stuff us in crates for our 1200 mile move, just take us to that lady on the web, she is tooooo cool!” Heh.
Jake….it put a lump in thy throat! Thanks Fred!!!! Hugs to Jake and his new world!!!
Brigitte…you pudgy ones will have to use Jake’s new shelves! LOL. Too cute!!!
Sweet Jake – he looks so happy. Squeeee! So thrilled he gets to join in on the climbing fun. My two kitties love the top of the cabinets too.
Hi
This is OT but I just came across news of a blind kitten in need and thought you could help spread the word. The story is at http://goosestep-lion.livejournal.com/134965.html
Shakatany, I’ve added the link to today’s post, and shared it on Facebook. That poor kitten – I hope someone falls in love with him and brings him home!
Thank you. He deserves the possibility (I was going to write chance *g*) of finding a loving forever home.
Your guys are very luck and you seem to be on your way to becoming a more low key version of the cathouse.
You’ll be cutting holes in the wall so the kittys will be able to move from room to room without coming down – see http://www.thecatshouse.com for ideas.
Oh, I would SO LOVE to have something like that in our house!!!! Those people are my idols! 🙂
go jakey go!!
i WANT chance!!!!!!!
Oh yay for Fred putting up those shelves so lovely Jake can jump up too with the others! That’s just really really lovely!! And of course for sweet Stinkerbelle too!! Oh I’ll be praying that the kitties get sky walkways too….!! 🙂
Wonderful to see Buster and Rhyme – they’re both so handsome!!!
Awww the Bradys. Oh my. They’re just beautiful even if they like walking on poo!!! Take care
x
Oh, Jakey, you da man! A happy cat makes me feel all warm and fuzzy, aaww!!!!
How did I know you were planning a “catshouse” scenario? Soo, saw that coming. I, of course totally approve and want the same thing here in Oz. And a bigger house…and more cats oh, and a bigger cat bank account – just for cat stuff. The Brady’s are cheeky, cheeky monkeys! You must certainly remember to take the camera and film their “delighted” faces next time you medicate them. Won’t the tried and true remedy of mashed pumpkin help the diarrhea kids? I have discovered that Slippery Elm capsules work really well, too. You’d probably only need a third or quearted per tiny kitty. I LOVE the bookworms. Yay B & R! Have you ever heard what happened to the kittens that needed new “eye-lids”? There was a Sam in there, wasn’t there? Sammy’s
are great!
There *was* a Sam in that bunch! I don’t know who adopted him, unfortunately. Hoyt went to live in NC, and Bill is here in the area (note to self: harass his new mom for pictures!), but we haven’t gotten updates on the other four.
I’m actually giving the Bradys pumpkin in their morning snack and a couple of doses of Slippery Elm a day, but it’s not helping as much as I had hoped. The worst part of diarrhea: poop in their toes! 🙂
Aw, what kind of medication are they taking? Poor bbs. Mine left little poopy footprints all over my pillowcase…
I love the story about Jake and the cabinets. What a happy cat. Mine likes to hang out on top of cabinets too. She jumps from the floor to the counter, to the top of the fridge, and from there to the cabinets. She’d hang out IN the cabinets if we let her, but we’re afraid she’s going to knock over some dishes.
They’re on Marquise for coccidia – the vet said they were “loaded up” with coccidia, so I’m thinking it’s going to take more than one round of the medication. I have to say, despite the diarrhea, they are some happy little guys, always purring and demanding to be petted. 🙂
I always thought Jake was a happy cat, but having this new space open to him has just brought him to life. It’s really neat to see. He’s such a good boy!