Baci Shows His Fierce Side - Mancat Monday

Dad,

I am tired of you chasing me around the backyard with the camera thingy. I know I am cute and extremely photogenic, but I came out here to run and play and chase. You continually pestering me with the snapping and clicking of the camera is scaring all the good bugs away.

So I am showing you my mean, mad, angry face. Magoo says that it works well to do this once in a awhile to remind you who is really in charge.

Da-Mancat Baci

Dolce's Story Chair: A Bridge Constructed Part II

Dad: Dolce! Are you ready for the rest of your story?
Dolce: Yes Dad. But could you speak really slowly.
Dad: Why do I have to speak really slowly?
Dolce: Because you have to go away once you are done telling me this story.
Dad: And if I talk really slowly?
Dolce: You won't go away as soon.
Dad: Dolce, Dolce, Dolce.
Dolce: Dad, Dad, Dad.
Dad: You tell Mom, Magoo, Bella, and baci that I'm going to start the last part of the story now.
Dolce: Okay.
Dad: And let Mom know that she has to give a certain Tabby from Singapore some tummy skritches.
Dolce: Won't Magoo get jealous?
Dad: Magoo will just have to learn to share when he's at you Story Chair.
Dolce: If he doesn't learn to share, can I make some Kibble money takes side bets?
Dad: No. let your furriends know I am about to start the story.
Dolce: EVFURRBODY! DAD'S STARTING THE LAST PART OF THE STORY! SO COME ON OVER!
Dad: Dolce, you are incorrigible.
Dolce: That means cute right?
Dad: Sure.

Dulcinea walked the edge of the Boundary between Heaven and Earth. She could now see the countless animals that were waiting for their human friends to cross over into Heaven. Her heart trembled at the faint cries and lonely wails she heard.

Antonius was right. She had to find a way to bridge the Boundary between Heaven and Earth for these lost animal souls. The meadow he had shown her was exactly what she wanted for those lost souls; a place for them to rest and to play and wait for their beloved Humans to join them in Heaven. She had tried to create the meadow on this side of the Boundary, but the flowers and the grass faded away as soon as she turned her attention away from them. In Heaven, Dulcinea could create whatever she wished but it would only last as long as she concentrated on it. As soon as she thought of something else, her previous constructions would disappear.

Dulcinea went back to the meadow that Antonius had shown her. She sat amongst the flowers and the grasses and the plants. She breathed the earthly perfume of the mint plants and the summer flowers. This was want she need to recreate. But this was God’s creation, as an Angel she would never be able to match this. At best it would be a poor mockery of the original. Dulcinea was crestfallen. One of her feathers dropped from her wing as her melancholy took its toll on her spirit. It slowly drifted to the ground and came to rest on a small patch of grass.

Dulcinea watched as a windblown seed from a dandelion plant landed on her fallen feather. She tried to pick up the dandelion seed but it passed through her hand once again. Frustrated, Dulcinea picked up her feather that had fallen to the ground. She suddenly drew in a surprised breath. There on her discarded feather lay the dandelion seed.

“I cannot touch you.” Dulcinea realized. “But my feathers, once fallen can.”

Dulcinea reached towards her right wing and pulled another feather out. She used this second feather as a tiny broom and she swept some dirt onto her first feather’s shimmering white surface. The dirt did not pass through. Dulcinea’s heart beamed as she discovered how to bring the essence of the meadow back to the Boundary.

Dulcinea swept as much dirt onto the feather as it seemed to be able to hold. She flew back to Heaven as quickly as she dared, for fear of the dirt blowing off her discarded feather.

Dulcinea stood at the hazy edge of the Boundary and looked hopefully at the dirt that laid on top of her wing feather. She closed her eyes and gave praise to God as she deposited the dirt on the feather onto the firmament of Heaven at her feet. The firmament swirled like smoke as the dirt from Earth struck it. Dulcinea looked down where the dirt had landed. It passed right through the swirling haze.

“It is gone.” Dulcinea observed, as her heart sank.

Dulcinea flew back to the meadow with her two feathers clutched tightly in her hands. She swept more dirt from the Meadow onto their surface and carried them back to Heaven. She looked at the two feathers with the faint traces of Earth on them. Simply dropping the Earthly matter onto the Heavenly firmament did not work, Dulcinea thought.

She reached down and laid the two feathers side by side onto the Firmament. This time the dirt did not disappear through the heavenly ground. Instead the dirt deepened and thickened and a small patch of flowers and grass sprang up. Dulcinea did not have to recreate what God had created on Earth, she simply had to give it some angelic support.

Dulcinea flew back to the meadow. She reached back and pulled two feathers from her wings and swept more Earthly matter onto them. She took them back to Heaven and laid them next to the other two feathers. Once again the dirt deepened and thickened and more flowers and grass sprang up on the tiny space. Dulcinea rejoiced at the sight of the small patch of flowers and grass. Already, several creatures at the Boundary had begun to show up, drawn by the scent of the Earth they had left behind.

Dulcinea began making trips from Heaven to Earth and back again. Each time carrying two of her feather covered in Earthy matter from the meadow. She soon had a small plot that was covered with plants and flowers and grass. It was also covered with animals that were waiting for their human masters.

Dulcinea looked at the small plot of ground she had made and the numbers of animals that mulled at the edge trying to find a spot where they could rest. She looked at her wings. She had not realized but both were thin and bloody. In her zeal to create this spot, she had pulled feathers faster than she was able to replace them. If she kept this pace, she would not have any feathers left in her wings, and once that happened, she would no longer be able to move about Heaven as an Angel. Dulcinea dropped her chin to her chest and softly cried at her failure.

Antonius saw his sister as she stood at sobbed at the edge of her tiny meadow. He hestitated but a moment as the recently winged kittens within his robed struggle to be free. Antonius smiled and took his charges to their new heavenly home. Once his work was done he returned to his sister’s side.

“Dulcinea.” Antonius said sharply. “Why have you stopped? I see that you have found a way to bring the Earthly meadow to Heaven, but it is far too small for all the creatures that need it.”

“I cannot do any more, Antonius.” Dulcinea motioned towards her tattered wings. “To do even this much is more than I can handle. I will have to wait until my wings grow back. Then I will start again.”

“Then what will you do with all this?” Antonius motioned towards the immense pile of angelic feathers.

Dulcinea looked up a saw an immense pile of angelic wing feathers. She had been so lost in her grief at failing at her True Purpose she had not seen the pile grow.

“How?” Dulcinea asked.

Before Antoinius could answer, Dulcinea watched as four Guardian Angels flew past. As they passed the great pile of feathers, they each tore a handful of their own feathers from their wings and cast them onto the pile. Dulcinea smiled as she saw a group of Cherubim also pull several of their tine feathers and add them to the pile.

“I told the Angelic Host of your True Purpose.” Antonius said. “And of the lack of wing feathers you had. Your brothers and sisters have chosen to help fulfill your True Purpose.”

Antonius reached towards his wings and was about to add his own feathers to the pile. Dulcinea reached over and stopped him.

“Your feathers have another purpose.” Dulcinea stated with a smile. “As you have provided a heavenly path to the Unwanted and Lost Ones, I will provide the path for Those Who Wait.”

Dulcinea took each and every feather in the great pile and used them to produce an earthly Meadow that stretched as far as the human eye could see across Heaven. It was a piece of Earth supported on the wings of Angels. Dulcinea looked at the meadow and the countless creatures that now moved freely in the flowers and grass. Some limped, some moved very slowly. Dulcinea knew her True Purpose had one more price.

Dulcinea took the last two feathers that she had brought from Earth and held them in front of her. Two tears fell from her eyes and landed on the feathers. The dirt began to shimmer with a multitude of colours. Dulcinea set one feather down. Unlike before, this feather did not immediately become part of the meadow. Dulcinea took the other feather a small distance away. She set it down on the firmament of Heaven. She looked at the vast meadow she had built with the help of the Angelic Host.

She felt a twinge of sorrow as she knew she would never set foot on it again. Dulcinea reached back and pulled her left wing from her back. She gasped with pain and fell to her knees. She reached back and pulled her right wing from her back. Dulcinea took her two wings and stretched them out. She laid them so that they touched the two shimmering feathers.

As the angelic wings touched the feathers, they began to arch and harden. They took on the appearance of stone. This was not earthly stone for it shimmered with the colours of the rainbow due to Dulcinea’s tears.

“Fear not Beloved Ones.” Dulcinea spoke softly to the animals playing in the vast meadow. “On the wings of angels, you shall wait without pain or discomfort for your beloved human friends. And on the wings of an angel you shall cross together into Heaven, for this is your Rainbow Bridge.”

Dolce's Story Chair: A Bridge Constructed - Part 1

Dolce: Dad!
Dad: Yes Dolce?
Dolce: Mom says that you are going away again.
Dad: Just for a little bit.
Dolce: Well, Baci and I decided that we don't want you to go.
Dad: Do you like your food and your toys?
Dolce: Yes.
Dad: Well I have to go and find a means to pay for all that.
Dolce: So you go away so that you can give us stuff.
Dad: In a manner of speaking, yes.
Dolce: So if I asked for less stuff, you would have to go away less?
Dad: Dolce, Dolce, Dolce.
Dolce: Dad, Dad, Dad.
Dad: How about we sit here in your Story Chair and I tell you another story?
Dolce: Is is more of Scooter McTabby?
Dad: I'm still working on that one. How about a story about a very famous bridge?
Dolce: Sounds kind of lame, Dad.
Dad: How about you listen to the story before you criticize it?
Dolce: I'm a cat. I criticize everything first, then decide if I like it.
Dad: You let your furriends know that we are here at your Story Chair and I will tell you a story about a very important bridge.
Dolce: Okay. EVERYBODY! MY DAD'S TELLING ANOTHER STORY! SO COME OVER TO MY STORY CHAIR!
Dad: Did you have to yell like that?
Dolce: I gots furriends all over the world. If you wants them to come over, I am going to have to yell. BACI! DAD'S TELLING A STORY!
Dad: I know that Baci is not across the world so why did you yell that time?
Dolce: Cause it's fun.

Dulcinea watched as her angelic brother, Antonius, carried a silently sleeping kabble of kittens in his robe away from the center of heaven. She watched as he took them from the birthing grounds of all the kitten souls that God had created to the dark horizon that separated Heaven from Earth. She shook her head at his self appointed task. It will bring him nothing but sorrow and pain, Dulcinea thought. Dulcinea sighed.

It had been many eons since the Great Cast Out. Things had changed on Earth. Humans now ranged across it's fertile breadth, and it was off limits to any Angel that did not have a True Purpose on its firmament. Antonius was one of those Angels who had found a True Purpose; he had chosen to take all of the kittens that were to be born from Heaven to their Earthly mothers. Dulcinea felt a most unangelic emotion, jealously, at Antonius' apparent joy at taking each kitten to Earth. Dulcinea had not yet found a True Purpose to allow her to travel between Heaven and Earth.

She was shaken from her self pity as a group of stern and fierce looking angels moved past her and half-flew, half-ran to the dark horizon. These were Guardian Angels. Another True Purpose that Dulcinea did not feel calling to her.

Dulcinea flew to the nearest edge of the dark horizon that separated Heaven from Earth. This was as far as she could go towards Earth without her own True Purpose. She watched many chosen Angels cross the boundary. She even saw Antonius cross more times than any other. He is going to wear himself out, Dulcinea thought.

As she pondered what true Purpose would let her cross the boundary between Heaven and Earth, Dulcinea thought she heard a small cry coming from the threshold of the boundary. She turned her ears towards the faint sound. It was low and soft; almost pleading in its nature. Dulcinea knew she had to find the source of that sound.

The boundary between Heaven and Earth flickered slightly and lightened to a hazy blue to her angelic eyes. There in the smokey haze was a older Ginger Tom who was favouring his right foreleg. He tried to move towards Dulcinea but something was preventing his passage. Dulcinea reached down and laid her hand apon the cat's head. She was rewarded with a deep throbbing purr and and enthusiastic stretch towards her palm. Dulcinea noticed Antonius returning from Earth.

"Antonius." Dulcinea called to her brother. "There is one of your charges here."

Antonius flew to his sister's side and regarded the old Ginger Tom.

"I remember you." Antonius smiled. "You were given to the little Calico who lived in the Inn."

"How did he get here?" Dulcinea asked.

"I do not know." Antonius replied. "Maybe he followed me when I brought back some of his unwanted brothers and sisters."

"You only bring back the unwanted ones?" Dulcinea asked increduously. "I thought you took all the kittens to Earth and brought back all the lost souls."

Antonius shook his head. "I do take all the kittens to Earth, but I only bring back those who have been forsaken by Mankind."

"What about those who have not been forsaken by humans?" Dulcinea asked.

"They wait to enter Heaven with those who loved them." Antonius responded.

"Where?" Dulcinea asked as she motioned towards the Dark Horizon. "Where do these creatures wait? In this hopeless darkness?"

"I am sorry, Dearest Dulcinea." Antonius responded. "That is not given to me to know. I wish I could help you fathom this riddle, but I have much to do."

Dulcinea looked at the smokey blue haze, the dark horizon and the Ginger Tom that seemed content to lay at her feet and play with the hem of her robe. This was not acceptable, she thought. This Ginger Tom found me by accident; How many others are roaming the boundary and waiting for their humans to join them in Heaven.

Dulcinea reached down and scratched the Ginger Tom beneath his chin. "How long have you walked this Darkening Road, beloved friend?"

The Ginger Tom simply rolled onto his back and continued to play with her hem. Dulcinea's wings straightened and fluffed as her True Purpose dawned on her. She bent down and petted the Ginger Tom once more. Dulcine assured him that she would be back. She flew to the center of Heaven with a request burning within her angelic heart.

Dulcinea sat at the edge of the boundary and played with the Ginger Tom. She had been given her True Purpose, but she did not know how to do it or what was required to fufill it. Several other animals had shown up as she sat and played with the Ginger Tom; a rabbit, a horse, a bird and several rambunctious dogs. It was obivious that there were far more creatures caught in the boundary between Heaven and Earth.

There was a sudden brightening in the dark horizon and a single human appeared at the threshold of Heaven and Earth. Ginger Tom's ears perked up and the pain in his foreleg disappeared as he raced towards the human. The human picked up Ginger Tom and nuzzled him lovingly. Dulcinea felt another pang of jealousy, for as much as Ginger Tom purred and cuddled with her, this was the being that he waited for to take him away from the Boundary and into Heaven. A voice behind Dulcinea starled her.

"I thought he would keep him." Antonius mused. "I saw the potential within him the moment the kittens were born. I'm surprised he didn't keep them all."

"Antonius." Dulcinea turned."How long have you been there?"

"Long enough to watch you play with every creature that dares to leave the darkness of the Boundary." Antonius held out his hand. "Come with me."

Antonius took Dulcinea across the Boundary to Earth. He knew what she asked of God and what his response was and he could see that she now had a True Purpose. He took her to one of his favourite spots on Earth, a vast meadow filled with flowers and grass.

"This is Earth?" Dulcinea asked.

"This is one part of Earth." Antonius responded. "It is one of my favourites."

"Why did you bring me here?"

"You asked God to let you help those creatures waiting for their humans." Antonius replied. " I wanted to show you a small part of Earth to maybe help you with your True Purpose."

"Yes." Dulcinea thought out loud. "This what the creatures waiting at the Boundary of Heaven need."

Dulcinea reached down and tried to grab a handful of the dirt and flowering plants. The soil and plants passed through her angelic fingers. Dulcinea tried again to picked up some of this earthly matter.

"You cannot touch it, Dulcinea." Antonius stated sensing his sister's frustration. "You and I are not of this plane."

"But this is what I need to bring back." Dulcinea pleaded excitedly. "This is what all those creatures need to feel at ease and at peace until their humans come to Heaven."

"I do not know how to help you." Antonius replied. "It is up to you to find a way to bridge this Earthly world with ours."


To be continued...

Dolce teaches Baci about Spring (A Wordless Wednesday Adventure)

Baci's Mancat Monday

I wanted to post with Magoo for Mancat Monday, but Magoo didn't want to share his post because he said only mouse-killing mancats were allowed to be part of his post.

Well. screw you Magoo. Hey! I'm a poet and I didn't even know it. This mancat post is only for us tree climing mancats. We're into adventure and and stuff and don't need to kill something to be a mancat.
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Magoo couldn't climb a tree if he wanted to, because his butt is too big.
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Pee Ess: I am hiding from Magoo. He heard what I said about him and he said something about introducing me to the dearly departed mouse.

Magoo's Mancat Monday

It finally feels like spring has chased away the winter blahs. Believe or not we still had pockets of snow up to two weeks ago. The four cats have been yelling at us to let them outside and enjoy the warm spring weather. Baci has finally discovered what Spring means and he heartily agrees with Dolce that it is a very wonderful thing; but that is for a another post.

Today my Soldier is truly a Mancat. We got the lawn aerated and dethatched and moved and cleaned up from all the snow mould and dead grass from the winter. We had noticed that this year due to the heavy snowfall which left a deep layer of insulating snow, we had an unwanted mouse-type visitor. Not really mouse-type, more like actual mouse.

We had a suspicion that the intruder was hiding under a small storage shed. I took it apon myself to show Magoo that he had not kept all of the intruders out of the yard. By the way, my Wife does not like discussing this, it makes her sick to her stomache that her baby boy actually dispatched another creature to the great beyond.

A couple of paw twacks and a precise placement of his mighty fangs, and Mr. Mouse was given his wings and sent on heavenly way. To be fair this is the first mouse I have ever seen Magoo relieve of his earthly burden. (I can't use the word kill because it upsets the wife, so shhh about the illingkay of the ousemay.)

So I give you our triumphant Mouse-Dispatcher, Magoo, fresh from his behavioral enrichment.

Mr. DeMille, Is It time For My Close Up?

You have seen the power of Zoom, now behold the splendor that is Macro.

Our Prime Minister has recently returned to me that portion of my Income Taxes that he was not entitled too. I decied that I needed one more lense to complete my new camera package; a 100mm F2.8 Macro lens. At 11 inches, it can reproduce life-size images or really neat stuff. I have taken some pictures of the flowers that my wife got after her surgery, some rocks outside, some stupid household items, and of course pictures of the cats.

In Monday's post, Beau Beau & Angie said... "Had to post again -- Baci looks so so stunning in that shot and has the look of an old soul. Do you think so?"

I don't think he has an old soul, but he does have a deep intelligense within his eyes that is far greater than his eight months of life. This lead me to look through some of the 1,000 pictures I have taken of the cats since I got the new camera. Did I ever tell you much I enjoy digital cameras?

The following two pictures are pretty close to life size. I can't be completely sure because neither Bella nor Dolce were very cooperative when I tried to hold their heads up next to the computer monitor.

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Bella's eyes don't so much imply an old soul, but a deeply caring and loving one. She has the biggest eyes of all of the cats. They make her seem like a kitten still.

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Dolce's eyes say Trouble, with a capital "T".

Everyone stated how terrifying Magoo looked as he patrolled his backyard. I wanted everyone to also see why we love him so much. When he is asleep. Magoo is a great big purring teddy bear.
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Note his tongue partially sticking out.


Pee Ess: I have no picture of Baci's eyes closeup because he always scrunches his face up when I get too close with the camera.

Mancat Mondays

Here is our littlest mancat, Baci, as he hides in the undergrowth awaiting the best time tp pounce on his unsuspecting sister, Dolce.
Click to biggify.And see his baby blues.
His colouring was great camouflage in the winter, but now the snow is gone, he kinda sticks out like a sore thumb. His sister Bella, on the other hand, disappears into the colour of the cedar bark chips we have in the flower/plant beds.


I have mentioned that Magoo is our Soldier. He fiercely protects his backyard from any and all unwanted interlopers. You ask me how, since he looks like a great big teddy bear of a cat. Well, the following picture should suffice as an explanation why most other cats and his Grandma are scared poopless of him.

I give you the the notorious Canadian Snow Leopard displaying his anger at his territory being invaded:

A New part of the Book of Genesis is Found

A coworker sent this to me.

Adam said, "Lord, when I was in the garden, you walked with me every day. Now I do not see you anymore. I am lonesome here and it is difficult for me to remember how much you love me."

And God said, "No problem! I will create a companion for you that will be with you forever and who will be a reflection of my love for you, so that you will love me even when you cannot see me. Regardless of how selfish or childish or unlovable you may be, this new companion will accept you as you are and will love you as I do, in spite of yourself."

And God created a new animal to be a companion for Adam. And it was a good animal.

And God was pleased. And the new animal was pleased to be with Adam and he wagged his tail.

And Adam said, "Lord, I have already named all the animals in the Kingdom and I cannot think of a name for this new animal."

And God said, "No problem. Because I have created this new animal to be a reflection of my love for you, his name will be a reflection of my own name, and you will call him DOG."

And Dog lived with Adam and was a companion to him and loved him.

And Adam was comforted.

And God was pleased.

And Dog was content and wagged his tail.

After a while, it came to pass that Adam's guardian angel came to the Lord and said, "Lord, Adam has become filled with pride. He struts and preens like a peacock and he believes he is worthy of adoration. Dog has indeed taught him that he is loved, but perhaps too well."

And God said, "No problem! I will create for him a companion who will be with him forever and who will see him as he is. The companion will remind him of his limitations, so he will know that he is not always worthy of adoration."

And God created CAT to be a companion to Adam.

And Cat would not obey Adam.

And when Adam gazed into Cat's eyes, he was reminded that he was not the supreme being.

And Adam learned humility.

And God was pleased.

And Adam was greatly improved.

And Dog was happy.

And the cat didn't give a damn one way or the other.

What's Up Wednesday

It has been a little hectic in the House the last two weeks. Work has me travelling and the wife was cleared for surgery so she has been running around the house getting everything cleaned and organized so that things don't pile up while she is recuperating. But that is enough about the underlings/ the paid help of the House.

Everycat in the House is doing well. Magoo is getting grumpier and grumpier about not being outside every moment of the day now that the snow is gone. A couple of neighborhood cats have been coming by and leaving their calling cards. This is really aggravating Magoo. We have caught him peeing where he shouldn't.

Bella is doing a lot better now that Dolce is distracted by her new brother Baci. Bella doesn't seem a stressed as she was before. She is back to sitting on my wife's lap and helping her with her makeup. She comes and says Good Morning and Good Night everyday. The number of mats in her fur have gone down drastically. I guess she does have to worry about being cannonballed by Dolce when she wasn't looking.

Dolce is being Dolce. Everything happens at 100 mph. She is has started to cuddle again and even fell asleep on my lap while the Wife and I watched movies on the weekend. She hasn't done that in months. I think it really ahs to do with having a willing and able playmate in Baci. Although Baci loves bedtime, his ears perk up when he hears Dolce calling to him. They are a very sweet twosome. I'm not calling them a couple, because I think Dolce still has a thing for Scout.

As for Baci...Well I could write a couple of pages of what a little Mancat he is becoming. His paws are huge. They are rapidly approaching Magoo's in size. In a word, he is "Snorglelicious". He loves to be picked up and cuddled. He follows you around and cries until you pet him or scoop him up from the floor. Then you get to hear his deep rumbling purr. He has tried to make friends with Magoo, but his older brother can't be bothered to train another sibling. Bella doesn't want much to do with him either, which is okay because Dolce loves him. Baci loves her right back.

In less than a week, Baci will be turning 8 months old. He is firmly caught between the goofy kitten months and the transition into a young adult cat. He is now of a size where he can reach things on tables without a lot of awkwardness or clumsiness. It is amazing to see what becomes a cat's first obsession when they suddenly realize that they can get things down that they want. For Bella and Smudge, it was Q-tips; for Dolce, it was fishing socks out of the hampers; for Magoo, well he didn't seem to care about any of that sort of thing; and for Baci, it is change that I have left on my nightstand. He gets this determined little scowl on his face and he reaches up and slowly pulls the coins off the table. He is happiest when they hit the floor and roll into the heat register. There is way more noise that way. Let me tell you, it scares the crap out of you when he does it at 3:00 AM.

It's a short spell until I am home again with my Wife and the Cats. As silly as it sounds, I am counting the sleeps.

Wordless Wednesday

Mancat Mondays

I present to you one of the few pictures of the Endangered Canadian Snow Leopard in its natural habitat:

It's hard to be believe that our little Mancat-In-Training has been with us for four whole months now. He is getting bigger and bigger.

Back in February.

Now in April.


Dolce:
I have to turn to my blogging friends to prevent a travesty of justice; a unwholesome twisting of the truth; an invasion of feline privacy. Dad says he has pictures of my snuggling with Baci and he's going to post them as part of Wordless Wednesday. I told him he can't. What will Scout say when he sees them? I have a reputation to maintain. Just remember Dad: if that finger hits the publish button, a house plant will have to die.

What to do, What to do.

There is meme out there for the 5 Reasons You Blog. Since no one sent it to me directly,(sigh!), I guess I will fill it out anyways.

1. A place to put all the stupid stories I would tell my wife about what the cats had done that day. (I do voices too.)

2. A chance to exercise my writing skills. (Believe it or not, I have thought about becoming a writer. Once I win a million dollars, and find a cure for cancer...)

3. Being able to interact with the other voices of reason and civility in the noise of the web. Politics sounds so lame when voiced through a cat. Seriously, would you elect anyone who would drop to the floor in the middle of a press conference and start licking themselves. Or if they saw a Bill they didn't like, they would just pee on it.

4. Knowledge shared is knowledge gained.

5. A virtual shoulder to cry on when times are tough and the absolute worst is a reality.


Now for an update of the household:

• It's supposed to be spring. I promised Baci this. Now we have another three inches of fricking snow. Dammit, Al Gore, You promised me Global Warming! or is it Global Cooling?Whoa. Deja Vu all over again.
• Smudge had a V-E-T visit today. He has gained a whole 0.5 of a pound. Dr. Nick says that he is extremely happy with Smudge's physical condition. There is a small sidebar. Like kidney disease in humans (I have an Aunt with kidney failure and on dialysis.), there is the risk of high blood pressure issues. Smudge is at the top of the acceptable range for a Cat, so Dr. Nick wants to start him on some meds to manage this.
• Smudge has decided that this house is not his home anymore. I brought him home to see Magoo, Bella and Dolce since Grandma was at work. Smudge knew where the water dish was and the litter boxes. But he hissed at both Bella and Dolce. Dr. Nick asked me about the new arrangements and I told him that Smudge associates me with these V-E-T visits. Dr. Nick said that we have to be careful not to just manage his disease and become caregivers only to Smudge. We have to be congnizant of the social relationship as well. That is my role now, I will bear the distrust and loathing and the unease so that Grandma can be free to show him the love and comfort he also needs. I am reminded of a line from a movie: "I will hate you for as long as I live." "I hope that it is a very long and healthy hate."
• Our dishwasher got recalled, and the dear wife used this as an excuse to replace the appliances, which Magoo has promptly sprayed after they were delivered and installed by yours truly. Anyone want a cantankerous old grey cat? Seriously, it's the cat equivalent of "Get the Frick Off My Lawn!"
• We still cannot understand how Baci, (Now referred to as a Meezer thanks to Miles and Sammie and the Girls from the Big Piney Woods), was not adopted sooner. He is a playing, cuddling, purring monster. He cries to be picked up when you get home and he starts to purr as soon as you touch him. He and Magoo are still not settled in the sleeping arrangements, but he makes sure he is in bed with us every night. Everything about him makes you want to pick him up and snuggle him.
• Also, Baci fetches toys like a dog. Don't let him know I said that. I'm sure he'll leave a gift in one of my shoes if he hears this.

If you come by and read the stories, please leave me a comment whether you liked or hated it. I'm not making you buy it, so the only way I know what you think is by how many comments they get. I would rather try and find some new storyline that captures your imagination than to keep feeding you stuff that you find boring.

Dolce's Story Chair - Antonius and Malachi Part 2

Dad: On this blog, I wrote a story about what happens to the Lonely Ones and how they made it to heaven. A while back. I came across something on the web that made me very angry to the point that I could hate someone I do not even know. In my mind they have become evil personified. Whatever good they might have pretended to do has been erased by their hypocrisy. The following story ties together two other stories I have posted here for my beloved cats,Of Memory and Loss, and Antonius and Malachi Part 1

Antonius and Malachi delivered the last of the kittens contained within their hem-frayed robes to the softly breathing calico as she laid in her sheepskin lined bed. The young cat turned her head and regarded the two faintly glowing forms that only she could see. Antonius smiled and he placed a gentle kiss on her head.
"Sleep well, young mother." Antonius gently smoothed the fur on the young cat's head. "Your babies are safe and will be here before the morn. Raise them them as you were raised. Love them as you were loved. And when it is time for them to go out amongst the world, give them the strength they will need."
The young calico blinked once and then settled her head on her paws. She could already feel the life within her stirring and longing to breathe the air of the world.
"Time to go, Malachi" Antonius' face took on a slight grim tone.
"I know, Antonius" Malachi replied, his face grew downcast. "We have brought life to those we carried and now its time to take our friends home."
"Remember." Antonius replied, "There is no greater joy than to return to the glory of heaven."
"I know." Malachi said as his little wings lifted his tiny body into the air. "But I don't seem to find the same joy as you. I don't know why. I feel joy when we bring them to Earth, but I feel sad when we return them to Heaven."
"You are attuned to the human spirit, dearest Malachi." Antonius stated. "You feel as they do. Joy at birth and Sorrow at Death."
"I wish I felt as you." Malachi stated.
"And I wish that I felt as you." Antonius smiled. "Come, we have some furriends to take home."
Malachi nodded and he followed Antonius into the ether.

Malachi looked at the final spot that Antonius lead him too. It seemed too clean and too modern by even human standards to be a place where Antonius needed to retrieve the Lonely Ones. He could hear the voices of other cats and dogs. Until now, Malachi had only followed Antonius to places where the lonely still forms of cats has laid unwanted and unclaimed in deserted and vacant spaces. This entire space felt wrong to Malachi. It felt like a place of hope but it bore the taint of desolation and loss.
"Where are we?" Malachi asked. "This place does not feel right. It feels confused. Torn between hope and fear."
"That is it's curse." Antonius replied. "This is an animal shelter. The humans within try to help those cats who have been abandoned by other humans. But, alas, they cannot save them all."
Antonius lead Malachi to a room. Malachi's small heart nearly burst at the sight that he beheld.

There in the clean sterile room were the still forms of dozens of cats; young, old, once sick or even once healthy, were piled unceremonously near a double steel door. Cheurb had never seen this number of Lonely Ones in a single place. He could not understand how they all managed to end up here. Not one of them bore sign of trauma or injury.

"What happened?" Malachi asked.

"Apathy." Antonius replied. "Indifference, Carelessness, and Thoughtlessness."

"This young boy was loved briefly by a little girl." Antonius said as he lovingly picked the long furred body of a young grey male cat. "But his humans did not bother to get him changed so that he wouldn't spray as his nature said he must. In time, they blamed him for the messes he made instead of their own carelessness, ignorance and apathy. So he ended up here."

"This little girl and her four siblings." Antonius set the little grey cat down and then exposed the still forms of five older kittens. "They were born to a cat that also had not been changed. The humans did not know what to do with them so they were abandoned here in a box during the middle of the night. No one else came to claim them or to give them a Forever Home."

Malachi turned away from Antonius and wiped his eyes on his silken robe.

"Did we not know this when we brought these to Earth?" Malachi asked as he motioned towards all the still forms. "If we knew this, why did we bring them only to face this terrible, lonely end?"

"We bring them in hope that humans will do what is right." Antonius replied as he placed wings on the last still form. "We are not given to question or change what humans do on Earth. They have been given the capacity to nuture and love. We have no power to force them to heed that nature. Come, we have one more place to go."

Antonius and Malachi stood next to a dirty rusty trash container.

"We cannot be here to find Lost Ones, Antonius." Malachi cried. "Even humans cannot be this callous."

"Malachi." Antonius placed his hand on his friend's shoulder. "I am sorry that you have to see this, but to do this task, you will be forced sometimes to see the worst of the humans' handiwork. I have tried to shield you from the worst but I felt it was time for you to see everything."

Antonius lifted the lid for the dumpster. He exposed several plastic bags tossed in amongst the other human refuse. Malachi looked on as Antonius gently lifted the body of a female cat and her kittens from the garbage bag. There were no signs of trauma on the still bodies.

Malachi's wings drooped at the sight of the still forms. They were similar to the bodies he had seen in the backroom of the Shelter. Malachi tried to withhold the tears that threatened to flow down his cheeks.

"Who?" was the only word that could escape Malachi's throat.

"Humans." Antonius stated. "Humans who hide behind the ideal of Ethics and Fairness for all living creatures. But no Human. who understands those two words, should ever be able to do this."

Malachi watched as Antonius attached wings to all the still forms in the dumpster. He tried to stop the tears that flowed down his cheeks. He found that he could not. As Malachi stood and stared at the still forms, he barely noticed the feathers as they fell from his wings and drifted to the ground.

"Malachi!" Antonius snapped sharply, "Mind your wings!"

"Antonius." Malachi dropped to his knees as the last feathers fell to the ground and his wings withered against his back. "My heart is broken. I have no more strength. I was wrong to think that as a cherubim, I could handle your task like you."

Antonius lifted his fragile friend up from the ground.

"I will take you home." Antonius said. "I should never have let you accompany me."

"No." Malachi said softly. "I do not want to go home. Take me to the Rainbow Bridge."

Antonius took Malachi back to the earthly side of the Rainbow Bridge. There were thousands of animals playing and running in the sunlit meadow. Antonius started to set Malachi down. Malachi grabbed and held Antonius' robe tightly.

"Not here." Malachi asked."Take me far enough away that I can still see the Bridge, but no one can see me."

Antonius took Malachi to the limit of human vision away from the Rainbow Bridge. He set Malachi down. Antonius fully expected Malachi's wings to grow back. Malachi stood up to his full height, which barely took him to Antonius's hip. He reached back and pulled his withered left wing from his back. He tossed it so that it was on the far side of the Rainbow Bridge as far away from the bridge as he was. Where his withered wing landed, a small cliff with two empty pools formed. Malachi took his withered right wing and he laid it down on the ground in front of him. As it touched the ground, a dry creek bed grew towards the Rainbow Bridge and the newly formed cliff and empty pools. Malachi sat down on a small rocky ledge on the Heaven side of the dry creek bed. The tears he had tried to hold in on Earth began to flow uncontrollably. Antonius watched as the creek bed began to fill, water flowed under the Rainbow Bridge and two waterfalls started to cascade over the small cliff and filled the two small pools.

"I can no longer help you Antonius." Malachi whispered through the tears that flowed down his cheeks and into the creek at his feet. "The Sense of Loss and the Memories of all those cats and kittens has shattered my heart and destroyed my wings. I am sorry that I could not bear the weight of such feelings like you. Maybe as Humans find the two Pools I have made, they will learn what a precious gift they have been given. I can only hope that they will soon realize what they squander and that they will change their ways."

Antonius left his friend's side and flew to the two pools at the base of the small waterfalls. He dipped his finger into the one pool and he felt the loss that had shattered the cherubim, Malachi's, heart. He then tasted the water from the other pool and he felt all the joyous memories that Malachi felt as he had helped Antonius bring the kittens to Earth. Antonius let a tear fall from his eye into his hand. From it, Antonius created a silver cup and a thin length of chain. Antonius fixed the chain to the first pool.

"This is the Pool of Loss." Antonius stated and then he created a second silver cup and chain from another tear. He affixed this cup to the second pool of water. "This is the Pool of Memory."

He summoned another being of Heaven and instructed it to watch over the two pools.

"These are the Pools of Loss and of Memory." Antonius instructed the creature who sat down between the two pools. "They are God's covenant to any Human that wishes to bring one of his creatures into their heart. In their dreams they shall come to this place and drink from the pools. Only those who can feel and understand what it is like to shatter an Angel's heart are worthy of such a gift."

My First Spring

Summoning my infinite powers of kitten cuteness, I have decided to take over this blog.


Mom and Dad have been talking about this thing called spring. I don't know what that is. Dolce says its a lot of fun, and that I might be allowed outside to see exactly how much fun it is. I asked her how many of these "Springs" she has seen and she said two. I don't think that makes her an expert. So I asked Bella how many springs she has seen. She hissed at me and said that a gentlecat does not ask a lady her age. So from that, I assumed more than two. I decided to ask Magoo how many springs he has seen. He said that he has seen 11 springs. He said that one was as a wee little kitten so he doesn't remember that one very well. In my mind that makes him a expert. I asked him what is the best part of spring. Magoo said that Dad will start Bar-B-Qing more since it is warmer and he doesn't have to trudge through the snow.

Magoo is very smart, because Dad Bar-B-Qued this weekend. I had to get a front row seat to see what the fuss was all about. I must say Bar-B-Que looks very tasty from this vantage point.


But since cats know that you can't always trust your eyes, I had to have a little taste of Dad's meal.

Magoo is right Bar-B-Que is fantastic. I think I will have to reserve this place at the table next time to see what else Dad has cooked up for me to sample.

This just cracked me up

I made the dear wife buy this bottle of wine this weekend for two reasons: first, the name just cracked me up, and second, the marekting is supposedly donating money to the SPCA. I don't know which one, but since we have found furriends from Singapore to Australia to the United States to the U.K. to Spain, I don't worry. Somehow someway this money will help a furriend of ours.

Maybe I will get lucky enough in my life to have a job to think of names like this for wine:

Now you might not be a wine drinker, but doesn't this bottle just say "Honey, let's invite your mother over for dinner this weekend."

Too much to say Thursday

I had to keep my mouth shut for wordless wednesday. You do not know how much that killed me to not talk about each and every picture of Baci.

There are words for ever picture that I post on this blog. Some are sad, some are happy, some will give you hope, and some with shatter your heart. After I wrote Smudge's Tail of Devoshun for Skeezix's contest and I posted some of the stories that careened around my brain, I realized that I can write things in a very sad, emotive way.

I try to write humourous things, but to me they sound contrived and stupid. My wife laughs, but then again I think she does it to humour me as she slips my credit card from my wallet.

But right now, there is a little kitten, who is dreaming of becoming a big mancat just like his older brother Magoo, curled up on the rug at my feet. What he doesn't realize is that the amount of love he generates is equal to his size times a gazillion.

I know that if I pick him up, two things will happen: he will let out a stinky kitty fart and he will start to purr. All I know is that I will brave a thousand of his noxious farts just to feel his purring cheek against mine. So in the immortal words of Obi-won Kenobi: May the Farts be with You.

I leave you with the following pictures. If it was free, right now you would be hearing the song "Everybody was Kung Fu Fighting"


This picture has nothing to do with wrassling but if you look at
Dolce's face, she looks like she has just been shut down underneath the net at a basketball game. In Baci's words: "Denied!!"

Wordless Wednesday

Mancat(s) Monday

Baci and Magoo are having a small disagreement as to what constitutes a proper Mancat.

Baci says that a Mancat needs to be athletic, strong, and have a certain aura about him that inspires awe in other cats around him. He adds that it should make the female cats swoon, even if you don't have any hoo-haas.
Baci gets some air!
So the above is Baci's idea of what a Mancat should be.

Magoo on the otherhand says that a Mancat is strictly based on size. The bigger you are the more of a Mancat you can claim to be. This is easy for Magoo to use as his yardstick since he is quite large.
Magoo shows off his girth!
The above is Magoo's evidence for what makes a Mancat. In his words: "Awe this, Baci, you little turd."

Dad's Coming Home

Dad talked to Baci on the phone last night and said that he was going to be home for more than just a weekend. I told Baci not to lie because it is not nice to get your favourite sister all excited and then dash her hopes.

Baci said he was not lying. So all I can says is Hooray!

I have already drafted the napping and cuddling schedule for the next month. I left a couple of spaces for eating and using the litterbox. Oh and I hope Dad makes a point of using the time I allocated for updating the blog to do just that. Shopping and going to movies with Mom is not a acceptable excuse.

Baci noticed that I did not give him any time with Dad on the cuddling schedule, and right now he is crying to Mom about. Even though he is getting really big, he is still such a little baby. He is getting better at the wrassling and chasing games I have been teaching him. I heard Mom tell Dad that we were actually sleeping next to each other all curled up. That is a complete fabrication. I was sleeping on the bed and Baci was sleeping on the bed. The fact that we were right next to each other and that our paws and tails might have touched is no indication that we were cuddling.

I demand that Dad produce photgraphic evidence of this supposed cuddling. Until then, I do not want my reputation being sullied about the cat blogosphere. What would my Scout say if he heard these scandalous rumours.

Purringly Yours
Dolce

Pee Ess. Dad says he has lots of pictures of Baci and he get them converted and posted as soon as possible. Both Dad and Mom say that he is living up to his name.

CatBlogger Idol

Dolce says that she has a great voice and she has decided that it is time for all the world to hear it. She saw "American Idol" and decided that there should be a Catblogger Idol.

So here is her audition tape...

"These Purrs"

These purrs are my own

Threw some meows together
The combination Mew-Mew-Mow
It's who I am, it's what I do
And I was gonna barf it up for you
Try to focus my attention
But I feel so Ta-ab-by
I need some help, some Temptations
(But they're not coming quickily)
Meow-oh!

Trying to find the catnip
Trying to lick my backside
Don't you know, don't you know, don't you know?
Waste-bin full of paper
Fevver mouses, see you later

These purrs are my own
From my heart flow
I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you
There's no other way
To better say
I love you, I love you...

Read some Derby, Skeezix and Meeps
Recited it over a Meezer beat
I'm having trouble saying what I mean
With Tabby Cats and House Panthers
I know I had some litterbox time booked
But I couldn't find a killer hook
Now you've gone & raised my dish right up
Nothing I scratch is ever good enough

These purrs are my own
From my heart flow
I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you
There's no other way
To better say
I love you, I love you!

I'm getting off my ledge
The curtains pull away
No furry coat to hide behind
My naked soul exposes
Meow-oh!.. Mew..Mew Mew.. Meow-oh!...

Trying to find the catnip
Trying to lick my backside
Waste-bin full of paper
Fevver mouses, see you later

These purrs are my own
From my heart flow
I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you

That's all I got to say,
Can't think of a better way,
And that's all I've got to say,
I love you, is that okay?

Pee Ess. Apologies to Natasha Bedingfield. But then again Dolce is a cat and she really doesn't care about copyright.

A little philosophising...

As I write this a little boy kitten is celebrating his six month birthday. How is he celebrating it? He is sound asleep on my feet while I type away on the keyboard. It boggles my mind sometime on how creatures that have no knowledge of greed, jealously or vanity can accepted us humans so easily. Then I thought about it...


Cats will purr to show happiness or to show discomfort of pain.


Although I will call myself a Christian, I have often found myself disagreeing with a lot of what the establishment has been saying or doing. But, my cats keep reassuring me that I am in line with what God says we as humans should do.

A cat will purr to show it's pleasure at being petted or brushed or cuddled. This is suspicously similar to humans who will rejoice to God when things are going their way.

A cat will purr when it is harmed or in pain or scared. This also sounds very familiar to humans when they are scared or in pain.

Who taught them this? Is this why we treat cats to be on almost the same footing as ourselves? We share the same opinion of God. If we pray or if a cat purrs, then we are trying to connect with the same God that we believe made us both. In happiness and in sorrow, we try to reach out and find strength outside of ourselves.

Personally, I think that GOd likes Cats better. Cause Cats can lick themselves.

Sorry. It's been busy in the Great White North

I just realized that it has been over two weeks since my last post. To say it has been hectic in our household would be an understatement. I have been travelling a lot with work, and when I get home the last thing my beloved wife wants is me to spend time on the cats' blog. Go Figure.

Things have been moving along in our house. Baci is growing. Both in size and spirit. I do not want to encourage people to get kittens just so they see this miracle of of evolution, divine guidance and screenplay by Laurel and Hardy, but watching a kitten grow up is truly one of the miracles that we humans can see easily. Once you learn to see the easy miracles, the harder ones become more apparent.

How to summarize the Four Furry Cats household? Let's use some old TV programs as guidance:

First off we have, Dolce loves Baci (aka Joanie loves Chaci)
Dolce and Baci have started to bond the way we hoped. She looks for him to play, and he is trying to get her to cuddle with him.

Then we have Dolce and Bella (aka Laverne and Shirley)
Dolce and Bella have a weak arrangement as to who is in charge. Dolce the outgoing, not-to-bright butterfly or Bella, the mature, always thinking responsible one who still manages to drive the local boys crazy.

Then there is Magoo...
Magoo is Dirty Harry, Macleod, Columbo and Inspector Clouseau all rapped up into one package. Ever alert to what is going on around him but totally oblivious to the effect he has on his surrounding characters.

Last but not least, there is my Smudge (aka The Shadow)
I no longer see him daily, but I sense his presense throughout this house. What lurks in the heart of this blogger? Only the Smudgie knows...
(For the rest of his update, you are going to have to visit the House Panthers)

CONTEST: Scooter McTabby's Case Files

Scooter McTabby's Case Files

Updated: January 29, 2007

Number of Open Files: 8

Money to be Donated:

• Cat Blogging Friends Fund: $16.00
• NASAP: $16.00
• SNAP: $16.00

Current Case Backlog:

• The Tale of The Unattainable Temptations (Dolce)


• The Case of the Mistaken Meezer (Magoo)


• The Secret of the Haunted Hairball (Cheysuli)


• The Mystery of the Missing Furry Mice. (Munchkin, Missy and Monte)


• The Mystery of the Nipped Nip.(Midnight)


• The Case of the Purloined Paw Print (DEBRA)


• The Case of the Menacing Meow? (Cocoa)


• The Case of the Headless Cricket (Orlando's)


• Your suggestion here!

Pee ess: Some of the suggestions have been quite violent. Remeber more Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, less Mack Bolan and Robert Ludlum.

*** Bumped to top of the blog ***

Sock Hamper Chat

Under the cover of night, two troublemaking cats meet. One to purvey wisdom and knowledge. One to learn mischief and stuff.

Baci: Ouch! Dolce!
Dolce(pouncing on Baci): Don't be such a wuss.
Baci(rolling onto his back): You play too rough!
Dolce: No, I don't.
Baci: Yes you do.
Dolce: If Dad knew what a wimp you are, he send you right back.
Baci(swatting at Dolce's outstretched paw): No, He wouldn't.
Dolce(Batting at Baci's head with her paw): Yes he would.
Baci(springing to his paws): You take that back!
Dolce: Baci's going away! Baci's going away!
Baci (pouncing on Dolce): Stop saying that!
Dolce(rolling onto her back): You play too rough!
Baci: No, I don't.
Dolce: Yes you do.
Baci: If Dad knew what a wimp you are, he send you right back.
Dolce(swatting at Baci's outstretched paw): No, He wouldn't.
Baci(Batting at Dolce's head with his paw): Yes he would.
Dolce(springing to her paws): You take that back!
Baci: Dolce's going away! Dolce's going away!
Dolce (pouts and turns away): I'm not playing anymore.
Baci: I'm sorry.
Dolce: Good. (Gives Baci a swat to the head and takes off down the hallway.)
Baci: DOLCE! (Takes off after Dolce.)

Baci (sees Dolce looking at a mesh laundry hamper): What are you doing?
Dolce: Baci. I know you are young so I am going to teach you about one of the greatest things in the house.
Baci: Is is better than Catmilk? Better than Stinky Goodness? Better than fuzzy mice? (pauses and takes a deep breath) Better than even Catnip?
Dolce: Depending on how fresh they are, they can be better than Catnip. I know it is hard to believe. But it's true.
Baci: I think you are just teasing me.
Dolce: No. I'm being totally serious. I swear on the Fuzzy Mice.
Baci (watches Dolce jump into the hamper and come out with a sock): What is that?
Dolce: This is one of Dad's socks. (she sniffs it.) And it's a good one. Mom hasn't done his wash from his last Busy Ness trip. Smell it.
Baci: Ewww! That's gross!
Dolce watches Baci as his expression changes.
Baci (sniffs the sock even more): But it's somewhat alluring. Almost intoxicating. Makes my paws all twitchy.
Dolce: Exactly. Magoo, Bella and Smudge thought I was crazy. But these socks are the bestest thing ever. You have to be careful though. Sometimes, if you wait too long, Mom makes them smell all clean and flowery.
Baci(rolling around and over the dirty sock): Why would she do such a thing? It's purrfect the way it is.
Dolce: I know, Baci. Who can figure out Beans? I don't want to scare you, but have you ever see them wash themselves? I've been here over a year and I have not seen Dad or Mom lick themselves clean once. (Dolce shivers) It's just gross, I tell you.
Dolce watches Baci play with the sock.
Dolce: No. No. No. You are doing it wrong. Let me show you.

Dolce digs another sock out of the hamper. She tosses it into the air and pounces on it. She picks it up with paws and waves and twists it in the air in front of her.


Dolce: See. You have fling it and twist it and shake it really hard.
Baci (imitates his sister): Like this.
Dolce: Yes! Just like that! Now you also have to tell the sock who's boss. Otherwise, the Socks won't play with you properly. So you have to yell at it. Like so... YEeOoWwRrOoOoOoWwRrRr! RrOoWwWwRr! MmEeEeEeEeRrRrRrOoOoOoOoWw!
Baci: Oh. yeowrowr. rowr. meerrow.
Dolce: Right idea. But your tone is off and you are being too nice to the Sock. You need to pounce and tug and growl and show the Sock that it is powerless before you. YyEeEeRrRrRrOoOoOoWwWwRr! MmEeEeEeRrRrOoOoOoOoWwWwRr!
Baci: Got it! Yeerroowr! Meerroowr!
Dolce: You're getting there. You just need to practise.
Baci (headbuting Dolce gently): You are the bestest sister ever.
Dolce: I know. (Gives Baci a swat to the head and takes off down the hallway.)
Baci: DOLCE!

Scooter McTabby's Detective Agency: Active Case File 1.2

Case No. 1: The Tale of the Unattainable Temptations (Part II)

Scooter lead Whatley and Persephone from the Sunroom to kitchen where the Lesser Pantry was located. Several of the other cats tried to follow, as they were very concerned about the missing Temptations. Scooter told the other cats to remain in the Sunroom until he and Whatley had processed the crime scene. He had heard that from the television from something called CSI. Scooter thought the Corgis would soon think twice about making fun of the cats as they watched television. Scooter paused and wondered if the Beans would worry if they knew his favourite show was Mythbusters.

Scooter looked around the base of the Lesser Pantry. He sniffed and tasted the air. There was no sign or taste of any Temptations on the floor or on the front of the Lesser Pantry doors. Scooter had a twinge that he was missing something. He looked down at his paws. That was it.

“You could never hold a magnifying glass. Scooter.” Whatley said as she moved closer so that Persephone could not hear. “You’re not a Poly-Toes.”

“If only my old friend, Harper Caturday, was here.” Scooter mused softly, “There is a cat that can hold a magnifying glass. Oh well. We shall have to use our noses, tongues, and our ears instead.”

“I don’t have to lick the floor do I?” Whatley grimaced. “Since Mom Bean has the Icks, the floor hasn’t been washed for several days.”

“As my sidekick.” Scooter instructed. ‘I do believe it is your job to process the evidence and present it to me as the Lead Investigator.”

“Well.” Whatley steeled herself and looked Scooter directly in the eye. “As the Lead Investigator, it is your job to provide your sidekick with a suitable outfit. Such as a well trimmed trench coat or such. I checked Skeezix’s Latest List For Fashionable Investigators and he said that a Trench Coat was the absolute minimum for any detective work.”

“Darn.” Scooter murmured to himself. “That will teach me to name drop during an investigation.”

Scooter looked about the base of the Lesser Pantry. Everything appeared to be ordinary. Something caught Scooter’s eye near the bottom hinge.

“Whatley.” Scooter asked his assistant for confirmation. “What is that hanging from the hinge of the Lesser Pantry?”

Whatley looked closely at the evidence that had caught Scooter’s eye.

“It’s a long piece of fur.” Whatley looked even closer. “Definitely cat and definitely long haired.”

“My Dear, Whatley.” Scooter declared. “We have just eliminated half the household. The perpetrator is one of the long haired cats.”

“Now what do we do?” Whately asked quickly. She was finding this detective assistant work very exciting.

“Now, we try to catch the thief in their own lies.” Scooter advised.

A furriend has a new blog

A long time ago, a friend asked us to take of her cat. Ceili was a lovely little girl who decided that as a person I wasn't all that bad.

Ceili

Well, Ceili's person has been reading all about the adventures of our foursome. She's laughed at Dolce's antics, and she's cried at Smudge's health problems. In the end, she was inspired to create a blog for Ceili. So please go and visit Ceili and her purrson at Vancouver's Yeowtown.

On another note, our soldier, Magoo, is showing his age. He went for a bit of a tumble on Thursday night. When he came in from outside, he had a large cut on his nose. I told my wife that probably he slipped and banged it on the deck, since the deck is quite covered with snow. She agredd that he probably had slipped. I told to check him out and see if he has hurt anything else. Well a short time later, I got another frantic call from my wife. Magoo was limping on three legs and was favouring his right paw. My wife took him into the V-E-T to get it looked at. The V-E-T said that she was sure it was just a sprain, but they could take x-rays later to verify if the anti-imflammatories did not work. My wife said to do the x-ray now as opposed to having to bring him back.

Magoo is now officially a medical wonder. The V-E-T says that she has never seen such an advanced case of osteo-arthritis in a cat. She says that his x-rays look more like a dog's. She was shocked because she said that without the x-rays she would have never assumed that Magoo was suffering since he was hiding it so well. She gave him some drugs for his arthritis and his sprain and said to let her know how they fared for him. It looks like my boy will be on some sort of pain management regime for the rest of his life. You would never know to look at him. But then again, he is my soldier, and Soldiers do not make a fuss when they are suffering.

Weekend Update

First things first:

Dad decided that I was too important to become a second class citizen on my old blog. He thought it would be a great idea to put my Sunday Smudge Update posts over on the House Panthers blog. It makes sense to me since I am not part of the Four anymore but I am still and always will be a House Panther. So come visit.

Smudge (House Panther Forever)


Dolce avoids the snowy deck.

Docle and Baci are becoming fast friends. She will still hiss at him if he comes too close when she doesn't want him to, but I saw Baci walk up to her and lick her on the forehead. Then there was the game of Chase that was held on Friday night. They took turns being the Chasee and the Chasor. We saw Dolce jump up in the air and try to spook Baci. It was quite funny to see her two feet in the air with all her paws spread out and Baci sudednly taken aback and trying to make himself as big and poofy as possible. This happened two more times. We brought Baci home in hopes that he and Dolce would play together. So far they have exceeded our expectations. There will still be some adjustments to be made, but so far there has not been one single fight.

Last night, Magoo and Baci slept on the bed within a couple feet of each other with very little growling or hissing. So there is hope on that front too.

Bella still gives Baci a fair bit of space, but then that is just her nature. She is fiercely independant. I am sure she would have been perfectly happy as a single cat.

As for Baci, he has been very busy wrapping my wife around his no-so-little paw. Then again, she has always been a sucker for a handsome man with bright blues eyes. The more we look at Baci, the more we think his Rescue Lady was trying to keep him. I remember reading one of Jasper McKittenCat's posts about Huggy Bear. At a certain point, some fosters just accept the inevitable and adopt that last forlorn kitten into their household. That has to be what Baci's Rescue Lady wanted to have happen with him. When you look into his baby blues and listen to his little cry, he just melts your heart. I find it very hard to believe that some did not want to snap him up as a kitten. If he is this cute now, he would have been an absolute heartbreaker at 8 weeks and 12 weeks.

My wife tells me that when I am not home the cats all sleep on my side of the bed. So there is some sort of community that has been re-established amongst the cats of our household. Unfortunately, I am now the unwanted interloper. I will have to say good-bye again and only be able to hear my furriends over the phone for another week. I told Baci that he shouldn't grow up anymore on me, because I didn't want to miss anymore of his kittenhood. He just gave one of his cries, started purred and then flopped over in my lap.

There is a God. I am holding proof of it right now in my lap.

Frolicking Feline Friday

Since there are no days in the English language that start with an "A" for Action, my trusty thesaurus indicated that the word "frolic" would suffice.

So I give you, Baci on "Frolicking Feline Friday".


Baci is turning into a real Man-Cat-In-Waiting. At five months, he is nearly the size of Dolce. Of course a lot of that is fur right now, but every indication is that he is going to turn into a big gund bear like his brother Magoo.

We have found out that Baci is also a Talker like his sister Dolce. It must be the Himalayan in him. He walks into a room and begins giving everyone heck. It is hard to take his wee little voice serious though. But he does love to be cuddled and his purrer is in fine shape.

The other cats have started to accept him more. Magoo stills hisses and growls, but then that's what he does best. He hisses and growls at us if we don't move fast enough for him to get comfortable on the bed or to let him out onto his deck. Bella does not know what to think of him. She hasn't been hissing at Baci, but she is still giving him a wide berth. That just leaves us with Miss Dolce.

Dolce still hisses a little bit at Baci, but it is all for show. She has let him touch noses with her several times that I have been privy to witness. Also, as I write this, Baci and her are busy chasing each other up and down the hallway. It looks like they will be very good playmates for each other. This was something we really wanted, since Dolce seemed to have too much spunk for either Bella or Magoo.

I have to go now, someone has just shown up and is demanding attention.