How do you keep the ducks on your property. Have they tried to fly away?
The ducks are Rouen ducks, and Rouens don’t fly because they’re too heavy. These particular ducks are so attached to their current home that we can hardly get them to go out to the pond – I imagine that if they somehow managed to escape the back forty, they’d all just stand at the fence and look sadly at the coop ’til we let them back in.
I just love sweet Charlie Peppers! What color are his eyes now? They look almost turquoise in these pictures!
They are kind of turquoise-y. They’re still not at their permanent color, I don’t think, but in the meantime they’re bluish-greenish and very very pretty. Fred helped me get a picture of Charlie’s eyes yesterday. Charlie was less than thrilled by Fred holding him still so I could get the picture, but lucky for us he forgives easily.
Who is meowing in the video? Sounded like a “whatcha doin?”
I believe that that’s Everett meowing in that video. I’m not sure why he didn’t join in on the tail-smacking game because that is a game he loves a LOT.
Re: heating pads, do you use crinkle blankets? Like this one they have this crinkly layer inside that reflects kitty’s body heat back to her. My vet turned me onto them, my cat *loved* it, and no electricity involved.
Oddly enough, I just got a couple of those EXACT blankets (in blue) and a couple of these as well. They’ve been enough of a hit that I’m likely going to switch over to the blankets and put the electric bed warmers away.
In the past, the only thermal blankets I could find were in a hideous pattern that I didn’t like. Now that they’re available in different colors and patterns, I think they’re awesome!
That first picture of Bill reminded me of Oskar, a blind kitty (he made the front page of Reddit yesterday). His owners have a video of him first playing with toys:
A sillier one shows him battling a hair dryer when he’s a bit more grown:
They’re worth watching if you haven’t seen them. Couple more cute ones on their channel, including Klaus.
What a CUTIE! When I first watched the hair dryer one, I thought it was adorable, but felt like it was kind of mean. Oskar’s owner said in the comments to that video, though, that Oskar comes running when he hears the hair dryer turn on, and that the hair dryer is running on cool, not hot. I figure, hey – if Oskar’s happy, I’m happy. 🙂
I have 17 and that’s what it looks like when I feed them each day. Mine are pretty good about not getting hissy when its food time too.
Much in the way that other people use me as their “How many cats do you have?” defense (“Not nearly as many as Robyn! She’s got THIRTEEN!”), you, Renee, have become my new best friend. From now on when someone asks “How many cats do you have?”, I will immediately respond with “Not nearly as many as MY NEW BEST FRIEND RENEE. She’s got 17!”
I think it’s amazing that cats who hiss and smack at each other on a regular basis (Kara and Corbie do not care for each other at ALL) can be seen rubbing up against each other when it’s time for their snack. It’s like the prospect of food makes them temporarily insane.
Any updates on how Buster’s doing?
Buster’s still at Petsmart waiting for his forever home. I’m afraid it may be a while for him – he really isn’t crazy about other cats at all, and of course grown cats generally take longer to be adopted than kittens. And currently, adoptions seem to be practically at a standstill. This happens every so often; I’m hoping that adoptions pick up again SOON. Molly’s still the only one of the Peppers Gang who’s been adopted. What’s up with THAT?
So, how much does Alice weigh in at these days?
Alice Mo, who – let me remind you once again – the vet told us would probably not get much over 7 pounds is currently weighing in at 10 pounds, 5 ounces. Not the tiny thing we thought we were going to get, let me tell you. TOTAL SCAM.
I’m amazed at the number of cat beds you have. We USED to have a whole bunch but one of our cats is a bitch and she pees in every single one of them! I would soak the hell out of them and wash them and as soon as I put them back she would go around and pees in all of them! So my poor cats have no beds.
We’re lucky in that every once in a while a bed gets peed in, but for the most part they prefer to sleep in them, thank god.
Is it just that Patty wasn’t opening her eyes all the way, or are they really set at an angle like that? I wish I could make hand gestures on the computer because I’m not sure how to articulate what I mean. It looks like, if you drew a line under each eye heading to the nose, the lines would form a wide-angled V, instead of a more or less straight line like on most cats. It’s beautifully exotic, but I wonder if it’s just the way she was looking at you.
They really are kind of tilted, which gives her a bit of an exotic look. She sure did turn out to be a pretty girl, didn’t she?
Have you ever tried the K&H Outdoor Heated Kitty Camper? The neighborhood kitty (she’s about 2 years old and floats between neighbors – and one takes her to the vet when needed) is spending more and more time with me and sleeps on my porch a lot. Now that the temperature is dropping at night, I worry that the makeshift tent I made her on my rocking chair is inadequate. I’m thinking if I buy the camper I won’t be tempted to bring her in at night and upset Jinx and Trixie (who cry and shoot “eyes of het” at me through the windows when I sit with Stalker in my lap!).
I haven’t tried that exact outdoor house, but I’ve tried other K&H products – in fact, I have this unheated cat house, right here (which is currently unavailable at Amazon, apparently there’s a big demand for it) – and I think that they make pretty good products (I have a thermal cat bed in that house, and Newt uses it every night. Maxi uses the other house, the one with the heated bed in it, and she’s not much for sharing.)
I think that the Heated Kitty Camper would probably be a good idea for your shared kitty – it’ll keep her warm on those cold nights. Actually, it’ll probably keep her warm on those warm days, too – sometimes I go out on the porch when it’s 55+ degrees out, and Maxi comes strolling out of her heated house. Spoiled rotten kitty.
Chuckles and Miss Patty, playing on the stairs.
“WHAT YOU DOIN’, LADY?!”
Carrying the teaser up the stairs.
Watching one of the big cats.
Charlie interrupted a Jake/ Tommy lovefest the other night. They didn’t let it bother them, though.
“What kitten?”
“No kittens here!”
Corbie in a basket!
Corbie on a bed!
Corbs, beautiful Corbs!
Corbie on a stump!
And one to grow on.
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Previously
2010: Thelma & Louise.
2009: Spanky is not so impressed with the wee kittens running around.
2008: No entry.
2007: Tommy + Stinkerbelle = True Lurve.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.
I love that face Corbie makes in the first picture of his section! When my kitty looks at me like that, my heart melts.
And I am so falling in love with Patty! Too bad my almost husband doesn’t want another kitty and that you’re living so far away, otherwise I would snatch her up in no time.
Have a nice week-end!
Those pictures of Tommy and Jake with Charlie are the funniest things ever!Tommy’s face is absolutely priceless,and I imagine him talking in some kind of mafia accent,telling us there’s no kittens around.
Corbie is seriously gorgeous,and in that last pic,he kind of looks like Kara to me.Maybe that’s why the 2 don’t get along,they look too much alike?
Of course I loved the huge appetizer (the Q&As) and the meat and veg (the photos of Charlie and Patty and Tom and Jake with Charlie, but the extra helping of Corbie was a joy. Meanwhile, I’m sending good luck rays along to Buster, the Peppers, and EVERY kitty in need of a home.
I have to say – if I lived anywhere in the Southern US, I’d be snatching up Chuckles and Ms. Patty faster than you can say “Hey Lady!”.
I’ve always loved the way Simon’s Cat always gets the little cat mannerisms down pat as well. The swishing tail, the kitten paws a-wiggling while they sleep…
I WANT Charlie & Patty! They are GORGEOUS and I WANT THEM! 🙂 Sorry – temper tantrum about kittens. *ahem* 😉
Charlie looks like the love child of Tommy and Jake!!
Ok…you seem to have knowledgeable and intelligent readers…anybody out there know where I can buy…
(1) a heated water bowl…something solar that does not require being plugged in.
(2) a heated shelter…again, something that does not require being plugged in…my feral cat feeding station is in the middle of a field with no access to power.
Any suggestions would be appreciated : )
Maybe what you need is a battery powered weatherproof converter that gives you normal power in the field. Then you can just get normal outdoor pet items.
Maybe campers have that kind of stuff.
This whole post is chock full of goodness, but I think the ‘there is no kitten here, lady’ bit is the bestest!
🙂
I wish I could adopt Buster. Poor thing.
HI! I just wanted to say thanks for introducing me to those chicken herder things you were using in an older photo. I ordered a pair online (actually leaf scoops) and they work wonderfully and streamlined my whole leaf herding process this fall, and really saved by back from struggling with the rake and hands and trying to stuff the leaves into bags when half end up falling out anyway! I even ordered a pair for a neighbor/friend. So, I’m not lucky enough to have chickens to corral, but could possibly try them out on my cats in the off-season (back-back-get BACK from the door!) only kidding about the cats – the leaf scoops would terrorize them I think. Anyway, thanks again!
Too cute, the big cats “hiding” the kitten in their midst!
Now I’m convinced–I just ordered an outdoor heated kitty thingie for my girl Cleo, who prefers the great outdoors to the comfy indoors.
I used to have a kitty who showed up one day as a very tiny kitten, soaking wet and muddy so we gave him a bath and used a hair dryer set on low. He was a long haired cat and grew to love playing with the dryer stream the same way Oscar does (only Oscar is cuter and gets more involved). I’ve since learned of other people (especially with show cats) who start them out as tiny kittens (like about six weeks old) hearing and feeling a cool or just warm hair dryer and they also will beg to be “dried” even when they are not wet. I think, like the “Amazing Cat Eating Machine” (aka the vaccume cleaner) it is a combination of sound and context that scares them so badly. I’ve also met people (again show people) with Persians and other long hairs who vaccume their kittens and get them used to it, again always on low and always in a way that kitty comes to enjoy it as fun, rather than scary.