A Bright Sunny Day

It's hard to believe but Dolce is seven months old now. No more sleepy cuddly kitten. She is now a full blown attack anything on sight terror. She gets to go out with her brothers and sister into the garage. She is so excited, it's like she thinks she is one of the big kids now.



A Poem by Dolce:

Ants are fun,
Ants are neat,
Ant go squish
Beneath your feet.

I am stunned,
I am in awe,
I pinned an Ant
Beneath my paw.

Cat Remembrance Day

First of all this is not to belittle the sacrifices made by our men and women in the armed forces who have given their lives to protect our way of life.

I propose that we take a moment on 09/09 at 9:09am to remember those feline friends and companions who have left us. Although I know it it is a little close to 9/11, I chose this date and time in honour of the nine lives our feline friends choose to give to us, their human companions.

The profound loss I felt after hearing about Eppy, Fergus and Silas who I only knew though cat-blogging made me think. Many times co-workers and friends sometimes laugh at us and the attachment we have to our cats. If we ask for time to take care of one of our precious charges, we are dismissed or mocked.

I, for one, do not ask that they accept or understand. I have made a decision that a cat will always be part of my life. I have even "project managed" my life to determine when the last cat can cross the threshold of my home and be assured of a comfortable and safe life.

Edit:
Here is the site we can use for the Cat Remembrance Day. Nothing on it yet is sacred so anyone who wants to help, please do.

Stanley Cup Playoffs!

Stanley Cup Playoffs!

Is there a better time of year than this? For once my Dad's team, The Edmonton Oilers has made the playoffs. Even better, they are playing the Detroit Red Wings, Edsel's favourite team.

So Magoo demands that I put out a challenge to his buddy, Edsel. Time to put the kibble where your mouth is. Dad predicts Edmonton to win. He will send Edsel $25.00US to go to the Animal Shelter of his choice, plus Four Cans of Stinky Goodness to him. To cap it all off the loser has to publish a picture wearing the other team's jersey. If the Red Wings lose (I mean when), Edsel has to reciprocate.

Come on Edsel. Time to put your hoo-has on the table.

The following has nothing to do with hockey...

Being outdoors rocks...Dolce

Our Loss, Heaven's Gain

Our blogging friend,Silas, has left us. We are very, very sad today. Our thought and purrayers go out to his Mom and Dad, and to his brothers, Brendan and Harper< and his sister, Ramona.

May he find peace with his brother, Fergus.

Favourite Cat Terms

Our favourite cat terms have to be the following:

Stinky Goodness: Do you know how hard it was to ask for this stuff when you don't know the proper name?

Dingleberry: This sounds so much more defined and less gross than butt-poo.

Niptini: 'Nuff said.

My first day outside

Our dad let us outside!Yay!

Of course, I had to wear my new pink collar and had to go on the leash. But I was still outside and as any cat can tell you that is one of the bestest things ever.
I loved the sand and the patio, but I wasn't too crazy about the grass. It's still a little wet. Do you know how hard it is to get dirt stains out of white fur!


My brothers and sister were outside with me too. Magoo and Smudge behaved themselves, but Bella went for an unauthorized stroll into the neighbour's yard. Dad had to run around the house and try and coax her out from under their deck. he was not happy with Bella. Dad says that now Bella has to wear her collar like I do.

Regarding the Story Blog

There appears to be some confusion over at the story blog, The Darkening Road. I put a note in the sidebar to prompt anyone who was reading to leave me a comment.

I had also alluded that the ending was already written. Some of the readers thought that the last chapter was the end, but I want to let you know that is it not. What I was hoping for was more feedback from anyone who was reading. I sometimes worry that I focus too much on the dark, sad stuff. But I also wanted to be true to what I thought was a cat's perspective of how we as their co-dependants act.

Yes, I have written the final chapter, but I have not published it. Little One, Eppy, Bandit, Uncle Magoo and Momma Cat still have many adventures left in the House. Also BlackPatch is growing up as a Free Cat and he has many more things to learn as well.

It finally feels like Spring

The snow is gone and the grass is starting to turn green here. Soon, the furkids will be clamouring to go outside and play on the patio and the grass.

I wonder what Dolce will be like when she is allowed to run around with her leash on. That will be something I will have to get video of.

Me and My Family

This is me and my brother Smudge. He was getting a drink of water from the bowl that Mom and Dad leave in the sink for us. I started to cry at Dad so he lifted me up so that I could be in the picture. Smudge decided that he needed to lick the top of my head. I loves my Smudgie lots.


Bella was sleeping when I wanted to play. Dad interrupted me before I could pounce on her. As soon as he turned the camera off, it was Game On!


Magoo is big and I am little. This is my brother Magoo and I enjoying some sunshine in the computer room while Dad was working. I love to play with Magoo's poofy tail, but Magoo is not so crazy about it.


The sun is really starting to shine lots here now, and the snow is completely gone. The cats all yammer and cry to be let out so that they can roll on the patio and chase each other around the yard. Dolce even got to go outside for the very first time ever. She wasn't let out of my sight for a second, but she did enjoy the limited freedom while it lasted. Bella is quite fearless and she actually hopped up onto the frame-out for the fireplace. Dolce could see her from inside and she started to cry so loudly that it can only be described as yelling.

Equal Time for the Cats

When you have four cats and one blog, it sometimes hard to give all the cats equal time. Especially when one is kitten and is forever doing something funny, stupid or noteworthy. So from now on I am going to try and give each at a little time on the blog.

Magoo:

Can't you see I'm trying to sleep here in my favourite sleeping chair? Go find Smudge, I'm sure he's peeing on something he shouldn't.

Smudge:

Plhhhpht! to you Magoo. I don't pee on everything. I only pee when Dad hasn't kept my litterbox as clean as I like it, or when I'm stressed out from that other cat coming for an unannounced visit.

Bella:

I really wish Mom and Dad had kids. Then maybe they would spend their time dressing them in clothes instead of me. Although, I have to admit I look damn good in a zebra print.

Dolce:


I have a talent for getting on places that I shouldn't. The higher the better. Dad says I'm getting too big to go onto the window box, so I thought this shelf might be good. Mom says there's Pooh up here, but I don't smell anything. Can I leave a dingleberry here too?

I turned 6 months on Mar 27 and now that I'm a big girl, Dad decided that I needed to get a collar. Don't I look pretty with my new pink collar. This means I can go outside with my brothers and sister this summer. I don't know what that means, but it sure sounds exciting.

Hisses and Purrs

View this clip on Vimeo

This is from my point of view as the Dad of the Four Furry Cats.

I wish I would have had a video camera when Magoo was a kitten. So many of his crazy antics are memories that I can only share with words and static pictures. Even then the pictures do not do his wild spirit justice. The same with Smudge. I can tell you how sickly he was, but I can't break your heart with the video of him walking around the house with the bandana around his neck to cover his shaved fur. I can't show you how absolutely precious and loving Bella was as kitten and how she stood up to Magoo's bullying. For that I get a great big hiss.

But I can show you Dolce. I have shown you her antics and her playing. I am trying to get pictures of her wrestling with her sister which I think qualifies for the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Cats) championship. I have snippets of her kitten personality which I have gladly shared. For that I give myself a great big purr.

I am also very thankful that many years from now when Dolce has left us for the Rainbow Bridge, I will be able to look at those pictures and video and really remember what her spirit was like. For that same reason, I am trying to capture more of Magoo, Smudge and Bella. If they should be lost tomorrow for whatever reason, I will have some memories of them that can never be blunted or blurred by the passage of time.

PS: Dolce pulled the words "Dad", "Beautiful" and "Fun" down on the fridge. I told her I felt the same way. She is beautiful and fun too.

Some Sport Shots (or How Dolce gets the cat bed)

When you spot your sister occupying a cat bed, you should walk up to the bed nicely and ask that she vacate it, since you are tired and want to sleep in the freshly warmed bed.

Apon hearing a less than satisfactory answer, you may need to resort to more persuasive means. In other words, get in touch with your wild side...

Now that you have your sister's undivided attention, rephrase your request to share the cat bed. You never know, she might be more open to the sharing suggestion you posed earlier.

Since you have agreed to share the cat bed, all that is left is to determine who gets what portion of the cat bed. Be firm in your negotiations. Do not let your sister push you around and deny you your fair share of the bed.

Now that you have established your share of the cat bed, you can now initiate your afternoon nap. After all, trying to share a cat bed in a house that has four cats can be very tiring.

First day of spring, Bah!

The first day of spring was supposably three days ago. Well you wouldn't be able to tell that from all the snow in my yard. I asked my dad to let me out several times, and each time all I saw was that stinking snow. Now I'm a pretty big boy, but I even found the snow to be too much. It came up to my belly fur. That's just too much darn snow for a cat to handle, even one as furry as me.

Well since it's crappy outside, at least my dad is home with me. His project is over and he gets to spend some time at home. I guess he didn't take enough vacation last last year so now he has to use it up. I don't care why he's home; I'm just glad he's here. He has a whole lot of cuddles and pets to make up for all the time he was gone.

This is a note to the little turd called Dolce. Going under the blankets and getting cuddles is my thing. You need to find your own thing. This is mine. When I wanted to go under the covers a couple of nights back, I was absolutely disgusted to find Dolce all stretched out and purring in my spot under the blankets. I thought it was a figament of my imagination, but when I checked several times later she was still there. I'm starting to think that I didn't sit on her enough as a kitten.

A note from Magoo's Dad: Edsel mistakenly thought the picture above was from this spring. it is actually one from last summer. It was part of wishful thinking on Magoo's behalf.

When Dolce and Bella didn't get along

View this clip on Vimeo

When Dolce was younger, her sister and her did not get along that well. Bella was a little choked that some other thing was taking her place as the baby girl of the family. Dolce just did not know what to do about all these large cats, for other than her mother she had never been around other cats.

But Dolce was a brave little soul and nothing seemed to phase her. As much as it freaked my wife out, Dolce was a natural born climber and explorer. The funny part of this video is that Dolce didn't start out with a hiss when she wanted to stand up to the other cats. She had the most unladylike habit of spitting at the other cats. Turn up your sound volume and you will hear her spit when she first comes near Bella.

Smudge may have learned to swear under his breath from me, but i think Dolce learned to spit from my wife. She's going to kill me for saying that. That's okay, our couch is pretty comfortable and I know if I sleep on it, Smudge and Dolce will join me.

Dolce's Blogging Secrets

Dolce figures she has this blogging thing all figured out. She says its like Real Estate where the mantra is Location, Location, Location. The mantra for blogging is Cute, Cute, Cute.

She says that the only reason everyone come to visit us is because she is so cute. According to her, the only reason anyone comes to visit is to see one of her adorable baby pictures. I asked her what was going to happen when she got older and wasn't such a cute little kitten anymore. Her response was to start taking more pictures of her as a kitten. She figures that if I took enough pictures of her as a kitten, she could milk this "cute" stage for at least a year or two.

I'm starting to think she has spent too much time talking with Kukka Maria at the last two parties. On a different note, her eyes are completely healed and she looks like nothing ever happened. The last of her stitches have absorbed and the scar is nothing more than a little raised bump. Now she will start going to the same vet as the other cats.

To A Friend

We are very sad today.



A blogging friend had to say goodbye to us all. Even though he has not past away, his absence will be felt as keenly as though he has. His life now lies on a different path than ours; not a lesser path, just a different one. Good-bye Moses Kitty. We know it was not an easy decision for your parents to make and we hope that you are happy and content in your new life.

If you can, come back and tell us of your new life so that we can rejoice in your new life with you.

My new home

After reading about the new kittens on Caturday, I thought back to when we first brought Dolce home. She was a fraction of her current size and so shy about exploring her new home.

Now? She runs around like she owns the place. Respect for her brothers and sister? She jumps on top of Smudge and Bella and tries to get them to wrestle and play with her. If Bella is in a chair that she wants, She jumps up on the chair and starts nipping at Bella's ears until Bella gets ticked off and leaves. Dolce is learning so many things from her brothers and sister. Her new thing is to go underneath the bed covers at night, just like her brother Magoo. The only difference is that Magoo doesn't pur like a chainsaw. Cute at 10:00pm; Annoying at 2:30am.

Bella, at least, has returned to her pre-Dolce days. I caught her playing in the tub like she used to before Dolce showed up.

When is the best time to have a kitten?

My job and my employer luckily afford me the opportunity to work from home from time to time. As such and due to my current project, I have been able to watch Dolce grow into a precocious teenager. Also I have been able to watch her experience certain things for the first time. Today was no different...

Where we live, it is snowing right now. Actually we have had about four inches of snow fall since I woke this morning. Between her naps and her investigations of the den where I work, Dolce has become fascinated with the large snowflakes that have been blowing past the window all day. She seems to be able to pick one snowflake from the myriad of falling snowflakes and follow that one snowflake until it passes out of her view. Every once in a while, one blows towards the window and Dolce, with her kitten brain, attempts to pin it with both paws against the window. Every snowflake that falls is a source of wonder and mystery to her. Each one that touches the window can be trapped and held. To me, it is almost like seeing snow as a child for the first time. I don't remeber the first time I remember seeing snow, but I can almost remember it as I watch Dolce. Does this make winter the best time to have a kitten?

Then I remember our other three kittens. Two were spring babies; Magoo was born in March and Smudge was born in May. Bella is a summer girl as she was born in July. Magoo lived in an apartment as a kitten so he didn't get the chance to do some of the dumb kitten things that Smudge and Bella were able too. Smudge was a little too sickly to be let outside so he too remained mostly inside. But Bella...she was a Summer girl if ever there was one. I have a picture of her as a kitten running towards me on the front lawn. Grass was a new thing to her and she did not know what to make of this strange texture beneath her paws. It was warm, so there were no concerns about frozen ears or paws. Does this make spring/summer the best time to have a kitten?

I have to go now. The wind has kicked up a bit and the snow is whirling in front of the window. Dolce is beside herself trying to catch each snowflake as it lands on the window. This is the best High Definition Reality Program I have ever had the pleasure to pay for.

Dolce and Laundry Day

This is actually two different laundry days. But she was equally cute on both of them as she tried to help.

Like william, Dolce has developed a weird fascination for socks. She will steal them out of open drawers, hampers, the dryer if we are not paying attention. I think it's cute. What is not cute is when you roll over in the middle of the night and find yourself face to face with a dirty sock that kitten has pulled from the dirty laundry. The stinkier the better.

Type of Food

In yesterday's post, I showed Dolce playing with a tent we got when we purchased some Iams cat food. I had heard that Iams does some rather bad testing on animals and we had stopped buying Iams for several years. Actually the real reason we stopped buying had nothing to do with the testing. (that was just a secondary reason. we didn't even know about it at the time.) Although Magoo loved the taste of the Lamb and Rice from Iams, You could not stand to be in the same house after one of his L&R poops. The stench would make your eyes water.

We started to switch to Hill Prescriptives from our vet when we got Smudge. He had given up eating as a kitten and we credit the A/D variety for saving his life. We just started feeding him, Magoo and Alyssa the Hills Prescriptive variety. We switched to the Science Diet, because we were informed that it was just as good as the prescriptives and also half the cost.

Now when Bella arrived on the scene, we had a challenge of what to feed three cats that were spaced out over six years. Bella was still a kitten and so she need full nutrition food, but Magoo was getting older and starting to pack on the pounds. Does this sound familiar Scooby, Shaggy and Scout's Mom? We now blend three varieties, Oral Care (for their teeth), Senior hairball and Light Hairball. The vet told us at Magoo's last visit that the amount of calories in a handfull of kibble was the equivalent of several mouses, and no cat need to eat several mouses per day.

I will post a picture of Magoo to show that the light and senior have made no difference in his weight. That and the fact that he loves the Kitten food. The good thing is that Dolce likes the adult food so we know we will have very little problem transitioning her to the adult food.