Black Widows do tend to get a bit of a bad rap! That’s not to make it sound like I wouldn’t freak out if I saw one (I would), but in general your chances of being bit by a Widow are really small. They’re one of the shyest spiders, and almost never leave their webs. In these days it’s also quite a rare feat for a healthy adult to die from a Widow bite. Kitties on the other hand… I don’t know! I would get rid of them too, just for my cats. Maybe just move them far, far away from my house.
I would add that Black Widows are shy UNLESS they’re protecting an egg sac. Fred moved a grill cover in our first house and a big, angry Black Widow came rushing out at him and made him scream like a little girl.
Who’s the bigger princess? Dandelion or Polly? Both look like they appreciate a peeled grape.
Polly is DEFINITELY the bigger princess. Dandelion would just prefer to lick you until all your skin has been removed. Polly wants to be waited on and pampered. I haven’t offered her a peeled grape… YET!
I hate spiders too..but I had to look. My friend is currently in Georgia looking for a home. She is also from CT so I have to let her know what kind of creepy, poisonous spiders & bugs she will have to contend with..we don’t have those black widows here or those other brown recluse spiders..So fill me in..
Black Widows and Brown Recluses are both pretty shy spiders and will only bite when they’re cornered. Fred used to work with someone who’d been bitten on the face by a Brown Recluse when he was napping on his couch (I imagine he turned over and landed on the spider and BLAH I JUST OOKED MYSELF OUT). They had to take skin from his buttock (I always hear that word in my mind as spoken by Forrest Gump) to replace the ROTTING FLESH on his cheek, and so forever after he’d say “My butt itches” and scratch his face.
Aside from those, I’d just stay away from the snakes (I’ve never seen a Cottonmouth, but I hear they’re aggressive) and she should be just fine!
Paul of An Engineers Guide to Cats trains his cats to wear costumes for his videos. He puts it on, gives the cat a treat, takes it off. Does that over and over and over again for weeks, lengthening the ‘on’ time each time until the cats will wear the costume. Of course, even that doesn’t always work!
LOVE Paul and TJ! It would probably only be right if I properly trained all fosters to wear hats and costumes, wouldn’t it? I bet their forever families would love to have a kitten who was trained to put up with wearing costumes!
Side note: are you gonna do another calendar this year?
I am doing the usual three calendars this year – one with our cats, one with the fosters, and one with non-cats (pigs, dogs, ducks). I’m in the process of going through and choosing pictures, and I think I should be able to get the calendars put together this weekend. Hopefully Monday I’ll be able to provide a link!
Are you familiar with Shorty & Kodi?
Yes – I love those kitties!
As for the headless squirrel, do you and Fred watch The Walking Dead? If so, sounds like someone takes after the Governor. If you saw the last scene in last night’s show, you’ll know what I’m talking about! 😀
We finally watched it, and YES, I see what you mean! Wasn’t that freaky? I have to watch about 3/4 of every episode from behind my hands because GOOD LORD, the GORE.
I just voted for Challenger’s House in the Animal Rescue Site’s latest competition. If all of your faithful readers would vote daily maybe we could do that little extra for your group. Each year I pick a different shelter, and since I’ve been following you and your sweet babies for close to a year, it’s high time I started voting for Challenger’s House, and to challenge all of your followers to do the same!
Thank you for voting for Challenger’s House! I’d love it if you guys would vote. If you click on the link above, you then need to click on the “Shelter Challenge” link on the right side, and then search for Challenger’s House (I haven’t been able to figure out a direct link yet!)
“STOP teasing me with that strap and GIVE IT!”
Snoozin’ Percy.
Princess Polly needs a kiss.
I just love Magoo’s profile. Hey, that reminds me – I was going through pictures to choose them for the calendar, and Fred was helping out and we saw this picture of Magoo:
and Fred laughed and said “God, he was SO UGLY.” Which, exCUSE me, offensive! Hmph.
“RUDE.”
Magoo and Dandelion (and Purslane over there on the left blending in with the blanket). Despite all my attempts, they reFUSE to snuggle with each other.
The Weeds girls, watching those incredibly annoying and invasive Asian Lady Beetles fly around outside the window. I’ve vacuumed up at least 400 of those things. If they didn’t come inside and stink and leave orange stains all over my curtains, they wouldn’t annoy me so much! (The cats think they’re fun to smack at, though.)
Dandelion wonders where her sisters went.
Floofin’ it.
Are you READY for the Corbs?!
I love it when he stretches his paws out in front of him like this.
Watching the birds outside with Jake.
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Previously
2011: Alice may be all grown up, but she still plays like a kitten!
2010: Please do not be jealous of my fancy photo studio.
2009: “I heard they was servin’ chocolate pudding at the Senior Center. Outta my WAY!”
2008: No entry.
2007: “Um, NO. There is NO ROOM on the platform, so move away. MOVE AWAY, I say!”
2006: No entry.
2005: Tragic.
Well, he was kinda ugly…
TO YOU I SAY “HMPH”!
😛
I would like to make a comment here about yesterday’s post….
Please do not kill lizards!!! THEY EAT BUGS!! Lizards eat all sort of bugs including roaches/palmettos etc. You want these little guys in your yard etc. If they get in my house, I just catch them and set them outside (else my kitties would kill them). SAVE LIZARDS!!!!!
I’d never kill lizards – but now that I’ve said that, it occurs to me that we really don’t see many lizards around here. I wonder if they just aren’t in this area, or if the cats keep them away. When I was in Myrtle Beach I saw a gecko and got all excited. My parents looked at me like I’d lost my mind. But they’re so CUUUUTE.
I lived in Guam for two years when I was in Elementary school, and I thought (and still think) that geckos are the neatest thing.
Gekos rock! I freaked out when I read that people in Miami step on them like bugs! Oh my!! Horrible!!! I live in Florida and I love them…especially the little green ones. I don’t understand how they can freak people out. They are not “buggy” at all!!!
I forgot how cute that Magoo was. I have a thing for ugly kittens though 🙂
Oh, you never call a baby (kitten or otherwise) ugly. In the South, you just say that they are PRECIOUS!! But Magoo was precious AND cute!
Or “so ugly that they are cute”. They all grow out of that stage anyway. Magoo is and was w-a-y cuter than many human babies! Don’t worry Magoo, Auntie G has your back!!!
I must admit, Magoo has grown into his forehead and looks very handsome now. Corb’s is kind of pretty. Bet you kiss that black stripe down his back a lot.
Beautiful pics-I can’t wait for a calendar. Ooh, maybe I can make my own with all the shots I’ve saved for screensavers. Hmmm?
Cottonmouths are nasty-we had some living in the front yard when I was little (up in CT). The babies were on the front walkway and I almost stepped on one (yes-EEK!) My Dad got the shotgun and shot the nest to smithereens and then um-“disposed of the little ones heads in a less than humane way”.
My dear friend’s dog was bitten by one this summer. Apple was a 12 lb Yorkie. The puncture marks were 3 inches apart. Precious Apple did not survive. Such a loss.
Purslane looks like an old-timey boxer in the first pic: “Put up your dukes! I always love a good scrap!”
Awwww…she does!!!!
Magoo’s baby belleh…it kills me dead…I just want to raspberry it all day!
Paws outstretched… I think that pic is the best one of Corbs YET!!! 🙂
It would probably only be right if I properly trained all fosters to wear hats and costumes, wouldn’t it?
I so totally dare you!!
OOh – Walking Dead kitten names! Meryl and Darryl and Glen and Herschel and Michonne!!! That would be so cool!
I just voted for Challenger’s House, using this link
http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces
fyi – it took me a bit to find because, well, I guess because I assumed it was in Huntsville when the challenge (heh) address actually says “Toney, AL”
It’s very cold today and I’m wishing I had me a houseful of kitten cuddle – especially that adorable wee Purslane!
If we can get everyone who reads this blog to vote every day, maybe we can make a difference. They’ll even send a reminder email every day.
The “doesn’t always work” for the Cat Engineers doesn’t… well, doesn’t always work. Or ever, for me. (Viewing the page source gave me the little color tags but no link.)