Would you LOOK at that defiant little face? “I didn’t do it. You can’t prove it. Go away.”
“Lady, can I get one minute without you and that CAMERA in my face?”
Oh, that Dennis. Such a beautiful boy!
Mariette and the very rough, difficult, work-filled life.
Angelo will drape that tail over anyone!
Have I mentioned that Mariette just cannot keep her back end to herself? I made a video demonstrating her inability. My favorite part is the second section. That girl just cracks me UP.
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Challenger’s House Cats.
When I was taking these pictures, it was a windy day. Every time the wind blew, dried leaves went skittering down the sidewalk, which made the cats in the screened porch VERY excited. (The screens are pet safe and look pretty much brand new even though it’s been more than 10 years since they were installed.)
Mr. Stripey says heyyyyyy.
Another shot of the big cat room and a bunch of kitties.
This is Addison, who wishes that the lady with the loud camera would just put it down and pet him, or go AWAY.
Pumpkinhead. Isn’t he gorrrrrgeous?
Gucci. She’s pretty sure you don’t need to look at any of those other cats.
Shadow (the gray one) and Roswell. Shadow’s been with Challenger’s House for 11 years now.
AJ. Isn’t he gorgeous? He stomped out, climbed up onto the cat tree and said “You. Pet me NOW.”
Whoa, Roswell. Lay off the catnip!
Capone. Capone has ZERO use for human women. Men he’s okay with, but women? Nope. I mean, he didn’t come after me, but I also didn’t try to touch him, because I’m no dummy. I imagine that he had a bad experience with a woman (or women) in the past, and as a result he’s decided he’s finished with that gender. Poor Capone.
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Previously
2013: βIS SNACK TIME? I SMILE AT YOU. YOU GIVES ME SNACK.β
2012: “HI MAMA! I FOUND YOU!”
2011: Tom needs a home.
2010: No entry.
2009: I LOVE THESE KITTENS.
2008: No entry.
2007: I think you can imagine how very thrilled I was.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.
Oh my gosh, Mariette, you little hussy! I imagine if she had a tail it would slide along across everyone’s nose when she did that! What a little goof!
The Challenger cats are so cute!
Newt looks like he has a furry egg stuck on his tummy… He might need the next size up box!
She is such a little hussy! LOL
Mariette!! What a little butt slut!!
Well, that’s a new term that I didn’t need to know.
There are so many beautiful cats at Challenger house. I could take a few of them home with NO PROBLEM (AJ, Shadow, Pumpkinhead,Roswell,Mr. Stripey….etc)! Shadow is so beautiful…why 11 years? That just breaks my heart.
Not sure about the grumpies, but Newt definitely has the comfies.
Mariette: “Look at mah butt! It has no tail! LOOK AT IT! Did YOU take it??”
LOL
How could Shadow, with those gorgeous green eyes, not have found someone to fall in love with him in ELEVEN years? That just guts me!…although, there are far worse fates for a cat without a forever home than to be in Challenger’s House’s care for all that time. I mean, that cat room and the screened in porch look like amazing places for a cat to spend her/his days.
BTW, totally unrelated, I’ve got two brand-new filters for a Petco Automatic Water Fountain. They are rectangular charcoal filters and might fit other fountains too… maybe? They were three to a pack and I only used one before the fountain itself malfunctioned. I’d love to give the two unused ones to someone…
Well, Shadow’s a scaredy cat – some cats spend their entire lives at the shelter. A few years ago, a couple of senior cats who’d been at the shelter since they were kittens – nothing wrong with them, just no one fell in love with them – were adopted together. At least in the meantime they’re safe and warm and very well cared for. Obviously we want every cat to be in the forever home they deserve, but unfortunately that doesn’t always happen.
If no one steps up to get the filters today, I’ll post something in tomorrow’s post!
As soon as I’m financially able to have a pet again, I want to adopt an older cat (and/or dog.) I know rescues like yours take great care of their animals, but they all deserve the experience of a forever home.
Agree about Shadow….though not a bad life living at a place like Challengers.
That Mariette…hahaha
Ooh! Thank you for the pictures of the CH kitties Richard takes care of. I’ve never seen a picture of Capone and haven’t seen one of AJ until now and the last picture I’ve seen of Pumpkinhead was old. There are several cats at Challenger’s House that pretty much have spent their whole life there and likely will never go anywhere else.
I’m thinking that taking pictures at the shelter is something I want to start doing on a regular basis – it was really enjoyable (well, hanging out in the cat room always is!)
AJ was funny – he was all “You pet me NOW.”
Please find out what kind of screening is used on those Challenger House porch windows so I can get some of it. My cats are hell on screening and I need to replace my patio door screen so please find out for me if you can, Robyn. I will be ever so grateful.
Jillybean, it’s this stuff. I’m pretty sure that Home Depot and Lowe’s carry it, too!
Thank you for sending me the info on this screen. MUST GET SOME NOW!! We had a new patio door installed last year and it was no time at all and our cats had the screen destroyed. Little poop heads! Thanks again. You and your blog are a wealth of information.
A few years back, our cats had DESTROYED the screen on the back storm door, which led from the kitchen to the back (duh) yard. I couldn’t stand seeing it in tatters, so I completely removed the screen, and we just didn’t raise the window until it was replaced.
Then fate smiled on me. While I was fixing dinner, I looked up at the EXACT moment that the worst of the screen-hanging offenders took a giant leap at the door, and did the most spectacular SPLAT-SLIDE I have ever witnessed in my LIFE. The best part is that I got to see the look on her face at the moment she realized, “Oh, shit…” Still cracks me up to this day. π
Ha – that is AWESOME! π
Yep, It’s Pet Screen. We bought it either at Lowe’s or Home Depot and it’s been great. Some of the “scaredy cats” live with Richard who also live on-site at the shelter. He has a mobile home and acts as home/socializer for some scaredy cats as well as hospice and caregiver for some of the special needs/older cats.
Hugs to Richard!!!
I should have mentioned that some of them live with Richard. I thought about it but then forgot, does that count? π
Angelo and the friendliest tail in the west. He is such a love.
I wish that I had a lot of money and a huge house. Iβd bring all of those kitties home. Gucci is gorgeous. How was she not snatched up? Maybe I could help Capone with his female issues.
We think Mariette has Phantom Tail syndrome (we just made that up though we’ve seen this behavior in bobtails before). When she wants or needs validation, she rushes to someone to ‘drape’ her Phantom Tail over them. Kind of like garnering support in a way. It just looks like she’s showing off her butt… which looks quite nice, we’re sure.
I too was wondering if she might be asking others if she had a tail now.. no, how bout now? is my tail there now?? no? ok how bout now??
I figured out who Dennis reminds me of-the actor John Garfield. It is something about his face…
Does anyone have any ideas for a cat that will not leave any glass of fluid alone? She is a little over a year, and I cannot leave anything unattended without her dumping it. I am so used to having water with me everywhere, I try to remember to put up my water up, but any time I forget-she dumps it. I have never had a cat so interested in water before. I can’t even keep the automatic waterer on the table for our other cats-she would manage to dump that, even though it was full and had to be pretty heavy. We have a huge water bowl on the floor for the dogs and cats, it is a big thermos cooler, that is the one thing that has defeated her. Any ideas?
Use a water bottle with a lid that seals?
She might get over it when she realizes she can’t dump it. π
It isn’t just water, it is every single glass or cup with fluid! Maybe I need to start drinking my coffee out of a baby bottle ;)She is also remarkably strong for such a teeny, tiny cat.
Maybe a fountain bowl would be the answer if she is pulling bowls over to get the water moving.
I have no useful suggestions, but I did go ahead and add this question to today’s post! π
Hi, I just wanted to say that I started reading your blog just a few months ago, and I love it so much! I have friends who have followed your blog for years, but somehow I thought, I don’t really need to read ANOTHER kitty blog, do I?
How wrong I was. How completely, terribly wrong.
The good thing is, now I get to catch up on YEARS of kittehs thanks to the links at the end of each new post. (On weekends, I even go back and read the past years’ posts for that day, so I don’t miss anything. THAT’S how hooked I am!)
Anyway, I just wanted to thank you for bringing me kitty joy.
Hi Karen.. if you need another kitty blog, you can check out mine kittyblog.net
Thanks Connie! I’ll check it out.
Thank YOU for reading, Karen! π
Roswell and his big round eyes reminds me of a Kliban cat.
Oh, I totally see that!