In case you read yesterday’s post early, here’s the picture of Jake that I somehow failed to include. I just wanted to be sure that everyone saw it!
Jake (right) and Elwood, the day they showed up on our side stoop in 2009.
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OK…as Robyn has brought up the topic of litter feet… My 20 year old torti Cagney (her birthday’s today!) has arthritis and often as she gets out of the litter box, one of her paws lands in the wet litter. I try to clean it off whenever I see it (which she hates). Sometimes I don’t get to it before it dries and hardens. Any thoughts, other than having her wear galoshes, on how to prevent it? Or which kind/brand of litter might be the least problematical? I’ve tried both clumping and non clumping. Non-clay litter is not an option. While I prefer Tidy Cat overall, it seems to make the hardest clumps on her feet.
(Boy, if ever there was a word that looked like what it was, it’s ‘clumps’)
I had no helpful advice for Webbthistle, but maybe someone out there does? Please chime in! (There were a few suggestions in the comments that day, you can see ’em here.)
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I need some advice on dealing with bullying/aggression between my 2 tom cats. I have Sammy, who is almost 3, he was plucked out of a tree at the mall when he was about 8 weeks old and was wild for several weeks before he decided being a part-time house cat was the way to go. He has 2 older sisters and for the most part, they get along pretty well. The problem started when my aunt passed away and I brought her 2 cats, Sophie and Thomas Irvin, home with me. They are both 10+ and exclusively outdoors. Sammy used to be bullied by a neighbor’s cat and he has found out that he can bully both Sophie and Thomas Irvin. Most of the bullying is directed at Tom. We go for periods when it’s not too bad and then something seems to set Sammy off and he stalks Tom, there are physical fights and I’m concerned about Tom’s safety and well being. I can’t keep Sammy in the house, he would tear it down. Any suggestions as to how to tone down the aggression?
They have been with me since late September. I fed them at my aunt’s house every day from the time she got sick in December of 2012 until the house was sold in September of last year. They were both very skittish, it was a full 6 months before I ever actually touched Sophie. Thomas Irvin came around more quickly but he would run and hide at the slightest provocation.
Thomas Irvin.
What makes this hard is that Thomas Irvin is an outside cat and Sammy is an indoor/outdoor. If they were both indoor cats, I’d suggest trying to figure out a way to keep them separate, but that’s not really an option here.
The only thing I can think of (and I’ve been thinking all week, trying to come up with a solution) is to recommend maybe checking out Jackson Galaxy’s Spirit Essences – poke around and see if any of them fit the situation.
Readers? Chime in, please please please?
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Not sure if you’ve seen this advert from the UK… omi. Prepare for cuteness overload.
OH. SO. CUUUUUTE.
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I have a similar problem with my male cat. He will tip over any unattended container with water and he drags his water dishes around the kitchen.
Also, very recently, my long-haired female has taken to dipping her paws into the water dish (the vet thinks to see where the level is) but then when she uses the litterbox, the litter clumps like concrete onto her feet (just had to have the vet remove it yesterday).
The vet recommended I get them an extra large water bottle, the kind used in rabbit cages. I am unsure if this would be cruel or not as those bottles dispense very little in one go, and it would take forever for a cat to get its fill.
Any advice on this, dear readers?
I have honestly never heard of using a rabbit water bottle for cats! Anyone have experience with this?
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Dennis’ little face is starting to remind me of Corbie.
Dennis reminds me a lot of Baby Beans, the way he was always the quiet observer of the litter. Dennis does the same thing, but at heart he’s a sweet snugglebug, like Baby Beans.
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Speaking of discouraging cats….
I laughed (guiltily) at that!
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So the ducks haven’t made any baby ducks? Or have you been collecting the eggs?
We’ve been collecting the eggs. I have no desire to have more ducks out there – I think 4 is more than enough!
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Do the dogs swim in the pond? George looked like he might have been thinking about it to get to you….
They don’t swim in the pond, but they’ll wade around in the edge, up to their “knees”. Just enough to get muddy paws, which then of course they’ll wipe on me.
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I think I’ve been mixing up Alice Mo and Stinkerbelle in my head–like they’re one & the same calico kitty. Alice Mo loves her daddy, yo, Stinkerbelle loves her Tommy, no? (ha, I rhyme) But isn’t Stinkerbelle also crazy about Fred?
Stinkerbelle and Alice Mo both love love LOVE Fred. The difference is that Fred’s never worried that he’s going to lose his hand to Alice Mo, whereas Stinkerbelle will allow petting until she’s done allowing it, whereupon she turns around and swipes at him without warning. Stinkerbelle makes him nervous; Alice Mo does not. (Also, Alice Mo has no special connection to Tommy, which is good because I’m pretty sure Stinkerbelle would kill her in her sleep if she ever tried to snuggle with him.)
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I’m shocked that Stinkerbelle is so white, did she grow into her colors or is it because we’re seeing mostly belly and her colors are on her back?
Stinkerbelle has gotten much darker as she’s aged, her colors were very faint when we first got her.
Abigail added: The colors on Siamese and related cats (Himalayans, mixes, so on) are temperature sensitive, so kittens are very often white (kittens tend to both run warm and be kept sheltered more) and only get colors as they get bigger and large enough to have extremities. So you’ll see dark colors on the ears, tails, and toes more often than on the core of the body. In fact, if your Siamese-type cat has to get shaved for any reason during cold weather, the new hair will likely grow in dark because that part of the body is colder until the new hair grows in.
Is it wrong that now I’d like to have Stinkerbelle shaved? I mean, I wouldn’t (I value my life), but it would certainly be interesting!
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Does Angry Muppet know that Lady Gaga has stolen her look? (Angry Muppet wears it better, in my opinion.)
Angry Muppet is flattered by Lady Gaga’s attempts at emulation, but is fully aware that a true fashionista knows how to properly accessorize.
Angry Muppet and babies, 2009.
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Someone shared this video from America’s Funniest Video on Facebook. I watched it, of course, and was thrilled to see that the very last video used was one I submitted to them years and years ago.
First, the AFV video compilation:
And my original video:
That was Maddy, who had taken up sleeping on the printer. I shared a picture of her curled up, asleep, and someone said “What happens when you need to print something?” I hadn’t tried printing something while she was laying there, so I took the opportunity to set up the camera and find out.
Poor Maddy – she never slept on that printer again! (That white and black cat in the background is Spot.)
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New Simon’s Cat!
Reminds me of Alice lately – she has about 10 minutes in the morning where she’s racing around, jumping on toys, running out back, and then suddenly she’s out cold.
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Regarding the cats-playing-with-water (and making a mess), Janna mentioned in last week’s comments the idea of leaving a little standing water in the bottom of the bathtub so that cats could indulge their need for splashing about. Along that line, I’m suggesting the possibility of keeping a water bowl in the tub when you’re not actually using it. That way, if they splash water, it’ll stay in the tub, where water belongs!
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I love the feet, sticking up in the air.
And how it looks like Mariette isn’t sure why her feet are doing that.
Angelo, about to suck his toe. Little weirdo.
Dennis, watching.
Time for another round of “SEE? MY BUTT!”
Dennis’s face is KILLING me.
Angelo’s tail as a blindfold. One tail, many uses!
I love how Angelo is 100% sure that his presence on the bed is desired, and Dennis’s face tells another story.
“I did not poke him until he ran away crying. I’d NEVER.”
Dennis in my lap. Apparently I have a flavor.
Silly boy.
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Corbie, having Deep Thoughts.
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Previously
2013: “I wish I hadn’t looked.”
2012: Also, they like to bite… everything.
2011: It’s exhausting to be a wee bebbeh kitten, is what I’m saying.
2010: No entry.
2009: No entry.
2008: No entry.
2007: The chicks react to worms by grabbing one of them and then running wildly around the pen so that the other chicks think she’s got something really good and start chasing her around to get it from her.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.