My Big Adventure

Mom and Dad told me a secret today...


I'm going camping!!!

I don't know what "Camping" is but it sure sounds like fun. They said that they bought me my own bed and some toys for the trailer and that I get to ride in the truck like a big girl. I asked my Mom why I get to go and the others don't. Mom says that it is because I am still little and will adjust better to the excitement.

I have to wear my pretty collar all the time, which I do not think is such a great idea. But those are the rules, Dad says.

Magoo (coughing under his paw): Cough! Leave her there! Cough!

Dad: Did you say something Magoo?

Magoo: Nope. Not me.

PS: We are getting close to our 10,000 visitor! It might happen while we are gone so keep track and let me know in the comments who it is!

To Trixie, May You Dance Forever Amongst the Stars

The Dance
by Garth Brooks



Looking back on the memory of
The dance we shared beneath the stars above
For a moment all the world was right
How could I have known you'd ever say goodbye
And now I'm glad I didn't know
The way it all would end the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance
I could have missed the pain
But I'd of had to miss the dance
Holding you I held everything
For a moment wasn't I the king
But if I'd only known how the king would fall
Hey who's to say you know I might have changed it all
And now I'm glad I didn't know
The way it all would end the way it all would go
Our lives are better left to chance
I could have missed the pain
But I'd of had to miss the dance
Yes my life is better left to chance
I could have missed the pain
But I'd of had to miss the dance.

I didn't know how to pay my respects properly to a furriend that left us, then I read the Meezers post about Trixie dancing. The above song came back to me, and it seemed to say everything I have ever felt about short term love.

As humans we can measure our lives in quarter-centuries, given that the average human in our society lives to 75 years or 3 quarters of a century. Our feline furriends were blessed with a fraction of that. We take them into our hearts knowing that we will outlive them. We know that along with the joy and happiness they bring, they bring the understanding that someday there will be a final goodbye.

If you own a cat (or any other pet), pick them up, hold them close, and ask... May I have this dance?

And who might you be?

Yesterday, I let the cats out to enjoy some sunshine in their backyard. After about ten minutes I went to check on the rascals, since Dolce and Bella have discovered that hoping the fence is a fun thing to do. Bella was sitting at the backdoor, and was quite willing to come inside without much fuss. I found Dolce on the deck and instead of taking off as soon as I made a move to pick her, she simply allowed me to carry her into the house.

That is when I noticed or shall I say heard Smudge and Magoo talking to a new visitor in our back yard.




Both Magoo and Smudge were marrooing at her. I say her, because neither one of them made an attempt to chase her out of the yard. Magoo has shown himself to be quite willing to put the fear into any strange males that wander in our yard. Both boys just sat and talked to this young lady. As for the visitor, she laid there and actaully closed her eyes and had a bit of a nap.

She didn't take off until I opened the window directly above her to check on Magoo and Smudge. Then Magoo got really ticked off and he growled at Smudge. I swear it was like watching young men in a bar trying to pick up girls. Everything is cool until the girls leave then the accusations fly.

I could just see Magoo saying "Smudge, you are such a dork. You made her leave."

Oh the indignity of it all.

I really don't know what gets into my Mom's head sometimes. If God had wanted to me to wear clothes he wouldn't have given me so much fur.

The worst part of this whole mess, is that the shirt is blue. It makes me look like a boy! I am a furry beautiful girl cat. Not a Boy!

5 Things

Smudge was tagged by Edsel to describe the 5 weird thing he things he does. What Edsel forget is that there are four felines in this household. If one cat gets to do something then all four have to do it.

So here it goes:


Smudge
1. I have a gutter mouth. I can't seem to enter a room without going "Phhhht" at something.
2. I like to pee on stuff.
3. I barf like a supermodel.
4. I will pull the covers away from my dad's face in the middle of the night to let him know that I need to be petted.
5. I have a fetish for Q-Tips. I will even pull them out of the garbage.


Magoo
1. My water must be elevated at least four feet off the ground. (IE Bathroom sink is an excellent location.)
2. If my food or water dish is empty. I will start pushing things off the bathroom countertops until someone wakes up and fills whatever is missing. PS I don't tell them what it is.
3. I like to sleep under the covers between my Mom and Dad.
4. I have a thing for Opium. The perfume not the drug.
5. My paw, when my claws are fully extended, is the width of my Dad's hand.


Bella
1. I love Whipped Cream.
2. My meow is so quiet, the my Dad's says my lips move but they don't make a sound.
3. I like to lick my Dad's goatee right after he gets out of the shower.
4. I like to surpervise my Mom as she puts her makeup on in the morning. With stripes like mine, who better to give advise on mascara.
5. I like to hop the fence and go and torment the two cats who live behind us through their window.


Dolce
1. I like to yell at my toys. Especially at socks. They just don't seem to listen very well.
2. Whenever Dad tries to bring me in from outside, I will run like a demon to the far side of the yard.
3. I like to love-bite everybody.
4. I used to giggle in my sleep as a kitten.
5. I hate mirrors.

Since I think everyone else has been tagged, I will send out a blanket tag to anyone who has not yet participated.


Here's the rules: The player of this game starts with "5 weird things/habits about yourself ". In the end you need to choose 5 people to be tagged and list their names. The people who get tagged need to write a blog about their 5 weird things/habits, as well as state this rule clearly, then tag 5 more victims. Don't forget to leave your victim a comment that says "you're tagged!" in their comments and tell them to read your blog.

Feline Remembrance Day Update

When I was born,
I had Nine Lives:
One, I gave to my mother
Who brought me into this world;
Seven, I spent
Pursuing foolish adventures;
The Last, I lovingly entrusted to you
for safekeeping.
And to your heart you held it
Until the time came
For me to take it back.


The blog is ready. All I need now is you...

If you have a cat you want included in the Feline Remembrance Day, send the picture and the story you want told on the blog to ninelivesihad@hotmail.com .

I will load your picture and paste your story into the blog and post them in the order that I receive them. All entries will be dated 09/09/2006 at 9:09AM MDT.

The blog url is Nine Lives I Had.

I have no good ideas for the links section, so if anyone has any ideas or suggestions please post them in the comments section.

They're back!

Sorry about being away so long, but mom and dad were on vacation and Dad locked down the computer before he left. He said something about not wanting any repeats of last year's online ordering spree from Petcetra.com. It seems that in the abscence of Dad's heavy handed guidance, Smudge and Bella thought it would be a good idea to corner the market in Catnip Mousies. It turns out their command of Supply and Demand Economics is limited to: We Demand It, You Supply It.

While Mom and Dad were gone, our Grandma (Mom's mom) and our Grandpa (Dad's dad) came and looked after us. Grandpa really isn't a cat person, but we were nice to him. (IE Magoo did not bite him this time.) Grandma is a cat person and she would sit and play and talk with us. She is owned by a tortie named Cloe. She is the one Magoo bit several years ago and she had to get a tetanus shot from a doctor. She likes Magoo, but he scares her sometimes. Last year, he didn't want her to leave so he cornered her in the kitchen. Mom and Dad told her it is because of her perfume; Magoo has a thing for Opium perfume.

Smudge loves his Grandma. She said that he would follow her around the house and tried to cuddle up with her whenever she sat on the sofa. Grandma loves Smudge right back, but we are not to tell him that because he might get a swelled head.

Bella was in her own little world. She is very independent modern female cat. But she sure missed Mom and Dad.

I personally helped Grandma whenever she came over to check on us. She thinks I'm cute, but she doesn't always appreciate my assistance. But seriously, how can you check to make sure the Stinky Goodness is being shared equally between all four cats unless you are right there on the counter supervising?

Dolce

Smudge Speaks

It is my opinion that Dolce has been given too much time on the blog, so I have decided to speak up from my Cube of Deep Thoughts...


This is the chair I like to sleep on, next to the back door. Sometime Magoo will sleep on another chair next to this one. This gives us the best vantage point to go outside when our Dad decides that we go and play in the yard. Of course, to me playing means going outside and peeing on the trees. I have to time my peeing very carefully, because Magoo will pee on the trees too. He tells Dad that he doesn't but Dad knows he does.


After playing outside, I go to the bathroom to get a drink of water.


I also love to play in boxes. This is box from last year that Dad got a portable DVD player. (He says the movies on planes are so bad, he is tempted to walk out of the theatre.) Dad put some catnip and a couple of toys into this box. I played for almost an hour trying to fish the catnip mouse out of the box. Dolce came tried to play but I would not let her. This was my playtime.


Now that I have had my say, it is time for me have some more deep thoughts.


Smudge

Dolce's Scratching Tree

Sanjee of Hot(M)BC was asking Dolce about her awesome cat tree. The truth of the matter is that the tree has been handed down from Magoo to Smudge to Bella and finally to Dolce.

Magoo was not that crazy about it. He thought the dangling balls were fun, but he tried to sit on the upper ledge once with disasterous results. He was a little too big for this toy, and it dumped him onto the floor quite unceremoniously. Just think of it as a dunk tank for cats.

Smudge scratched on it very briefly. Too many dangling things. I think they spooked him.

Bella used to play on the cat tree like Dolce, but as she grew up she decided that it was too unladylike to cavort around it. She will still scratch on it though and her and Dolce will play a game of paw slaps around it from time to time.

Dolce has offically claimed the tree as her own. She will play and climb on it at least two three times a week.




As a kitten, she used it as her special spot where she could sit and watch the other cats.


This leads me to my two cents of the day. People who complain about cats scratching furniture are blaming the cat for doing what comes naturally to it. We have had four cats from kittenhood, and have had very few problems with our furniture getting scracthed up. When we got Magoo, we took him to the pet store and placed him amongst the collection of small scratching post. He sniffed several of them and finally settled on a green carpettesd teepee. That was the one we bought. He will still use it if he sees it. Of course he is far too big to fit inside anymore. We then bought him a large carpetted cat tree to satisfy his climbing and scratching instincts. As each subsequent cat came into the house, they saw the current members of the household using this cat tree. We had to use a little spray bottle correction to remind the cats what was not acceptable scratching, but our furniture has survived intact for ten years. Sure the leather sofa has a couple of scratch marks, but those are from kittens launching themselves off the couch as they played.




I think letting her use a climbing tree as a kitten gave her far too many skills. It also made her far too bold and daring for mine or my wife's tastes. Here is the little monkey on top of the roof.

Dear Dolce, Dolce (Que Sera Sera)

When I was just a wee kitty
I asked my mother, what will I be
Will I be furry, will I be cute
Here's what she said to me.



Dear Dolce, Dolce,
Whatever will be, will be
The future's not ours, to see
Dear Dolce, Dolce,
What will be, will be.

When I was young, I was adopted
I asked my human what lies ahead
Will I have cat toys, food every day
Here's what my human said.



Dear Dolce, Dolce,
Whatever will be, will be
Your future's with us, you see
Dear Dolce, Dolce,
What will be, will be.

Now I am all grown up and big
I tell my humans, come cuddle with me
Am I not playful, Am I not fun
I tell them tenderly.



Dear Human Bean,
Whatever will be, will be
The furniture's safe, you see
Dear Human Bean,
What will be, will be.

My, What big eyes you have!

Bella was once the baby of the family, but has since been usurped in that position by her little sister, Dolce. But she has something that none of our other cats have, eyes as big as saucers. It was her eyes that made her look kittenish for so long. Right up to the point when we got Dolce, Bella looked so very young and petite because of her eyes. Even now, she has to stand next to Dolce for us to think of her as a mature four year old.

As you can see, she has temporarily recieved her yard privileges back. She and Dolce got a visit in the backyard from this gentleman. I don't know if he actually came down into the yard for a visit, but I did catch him scrambling back along the fence. Magoo was in the house and was unable to protect his sisters virtue.

Grandpa is doing well!

Thanks for all the warm wishes. I just wanted to let everyone know that my Dad made it through his surgery fine. They kept him an extra day, since his appetite hadn't come back yet. For those of you who were curious, my Dad had an Admoninal Aortic Aneurysm (sp?). From what my Mom tells tell me it one more thing they gave besides blue eyes and high blood pressure.


PS. I found the black and white setting on my digital camera. I know there is not much logic in taking a black and white picture of a grey cat, but I think it makes Magoo look even more regal. Or is it grumpy?

Prayers to God

Dear God,

Please take care of my Grandpa. Guide the surgeon's hand and give him the skill to help my Grandpa.


Are you there God?
Protect my Grandpa during his surgery and bring him home to us safely.

Playing in the Backyard

It has been far too long since Dad let us at the computer. Actually, we weren't that interested, becuase it's summer here and the backyard is our favourite place area.



Dolce thinks no one can see her behind this dandelion. (As soon as I can I will try to get some video of her running around the backyard. She has two speeds, off and light-speed.)



This is Magoo's favourite sleepy spot in the backyard. He will lay here for hours in the shade, while his crazy sister is busy chasing bugs or Bella and Smudge.



Smudge wishes he had a sleepy spot where Dolce couldn't find him. Dolce loves to chase him or Bella around the backyard. Secretly, I think he enjoys it too.

If you want to know where Bella is, she is inside. It seems that she did not feel that being restricted to our backyard was acceptable and she went for a visit to our neighbors. Luckily, she picked the nice ones behind us who also have some furriends.

Farewell Sweet Tiffany

A human-made disaster has struck one of our youngest friends...



Tiffany (RB Angel)of Five Cat Flyer has been taken from us far too soon.

The cats and I will not comment on our personal feelings about what happened. No good will come from critizing or condemning now. I just want 5 Cat Style and The Flyer to know that we deeply appreciate what they have undertaken to do.

May God speed you quickly to the Rainbow Bridge
And take you without delay into his arms.

PS. Damn it! I hate for my first post in nearly a month to be a depressing one. Please pick up your kitty tonight and give her/him a loving hug and say "Tiffy ask me to give you this."

Dolce is a troublemaker

I don't have any pictures of Dolce's antics this weekend, but you have to trust me she is a troublemaker.

This weekend was the work in the yard weekend. I hadn't mowed the lawn for a while and it was quite long. We won't go into too many details about how Dandelions became the dominant perennial in our flower beds. My Wife was busy with work this weekend, so I decided to enlist my nephew and the two worked on geting all the yard work done. He is still in High School, and never says no to the opportunity to earn a couple of bucks.

My nephew met Dolce when she was a wee little kitten. She took to him instantly, but then again she is a little heart breaker. She was hesitant at first but then it seemed she suddenly remembered him and they were best friends again. Now that you have the image of two guys working hard outside, with a couple of cats running around and investigating everything we were doing.

Before Dolce was on a leash when she went out, but since we were outside the entire time, I let her go leash free. Well, she ran, and she ran, and she chased bugs, and she attacked bushes, and she ran and she jumped. Of all the activities she did, bug chasing was her favourite. My nephew laughed that she was even trying to chase after a couple of bees.

This leads us to the complaint of Dolce being a troublemaker. I don't mind her chasing bees or wasps. Sooner or later she catch one, and maybe she will get stung. If she does, I'm pretty sure that will end the lure of bee-chasing. But, damn it Dolce, don't swat at the bee flying by while I'm carrying you into the house. All that does is tick off the bee. The bee doesn't separate you from me when he gets whacked by an overeager kitten paw. Now, my nephew and I have to deal with the ticked off bee. Luckily no one got stung. Getting your dad stung by a bee is a real quick means to end your yard priviledges.

Dolce is a genius Part 2

Many months ago, when Dolce was much tinier than she is now, I bragged that Dolce was a genius. I told you how she was pulling magnetic words down on our fridge. I could only assume that she was trying to talk to me and my wife. The following is the proof of her attempts to talk to her linguistically challenged co-dependants.

So Dolce, what word do you want to share with your Dad?



Yes, my beloved little kitten, we are together. You, me, your Mom, Magoo, Smudge, and Bella are together; and together, we shall always be.

For Memorial Day in the US, and the Canadian Soldiers abroad

The Call

I heard the call upon the morn,
A clarion bell that woke me from my sleep.

On its toll I heard a voice say:
“You shall not turn nor look away from the pain and suffering of those who cannot hold against the forces of the world
For I am the voice of Freedom
And in my name you shall lift those who are fallen and oppressed.”

On the second toll, I heard a voice say:
“You shall stand in the fire of human misery
For I am the voice of Justice
And in my name, you will be a shield against those who care not what they take from the world.”

Upon the third toll, I heard another voice say:
“You shall stand with others to fight the darkness that would enslave men’s hearts
For I am the voice of Duty
And in my name, you will stand fast against the winds of doubt and fear.”

On the last toll, I heard a faint voice.
No words could be comprehended or understood.
It was a voice of loss and longing
That overshadowed all that came before.

And to this far off field,
I have answered the call of Freedom, Justice and Duty
To stand in defiance against the forces of injustice and oppression
And as my life bleeds away into this foreign soil
I hear again that final voice.

“Know me now, for I am the voice of Sacrifice
And in my name you have given up your life
To cast a light against the darkness that swallows all.
It was my call that you answered upon that morn.
To you, I sent the Others,
Not so that you would answer their call
But to understand why you answered mine.”

101st Post

Our Dad's away on something called Training, so Mom is trying to keep up with our needs. But we have so many, that we don't think she will be up to the task.

There have been some new developments that are very exciting...

The Stinky Goodness showed up! We are all very excited, but Mom said we can't have any until Dad gets home.

Dad told Magoo that he used his security clearance to find out if Edsel and him were in any trouble. The good news is that they are both in the clear, the bad news is that Kukka-Maria is not. There are some suspected incidents of her passing information to some Siamese cats.

Everyone posted things about birds that they have seen in their yard. We didn't have any pictures post, but we did see one bird on our neighbor's fence. Mom said it was a really big hawk or a falcon. Mom didn't know what type. She told Dad that she thought the wingspan was about three feet wide. Now we can't go outside! Mom says that hawks or falcons sometimes will snatch up little kittens and cats. She figures Magoo might be safe at 17 lbs, but Dolce at 6lbs would be a quick little snack. She told Dad all about this and he said Mister Tabby-Tom better be carefull or he might end up somebody's dinner to go.

And our Dad hadn't realized that his last post was his 100th. He thought it was quite exciting, us cats just shrugged our shoulders and went back to our naps.

Taking Pills Sucks

Mom and Dad were clipping my claws last week and during that indignity, Dad felt something on back of my rear leg. It was on my upper hind quarter. When they tried to see what it was, I really yelled at them. This made Mom and Dad really worried.

So Dad took me to the bad V-E-T to have it looked at. He would have gone to Magoo's V-E-T, but if it was serious and I need to be knocked out for them to help me, Dad didn't want to risk another reaction to the medication.

The problem turned out to be a large scab on my leg. There were actually two large scabs. You know what the V-E-T told my Dad...

She figures that one of my brothers or sisters must have bitten me. She asked if we cats roughhoused at all. I could have told her the answer was an unequivocal YES. Since I was still playing and jumping and running all over the house, she did not think that it was anything to worry about. But she gave my Dad some medication to help with any possible infection that might be present. She had the nerve to say that cat's teeth are very dirty. My response to her: "My teeth maybe dirty, but you dress funny. And would it kill you to do something with your hair?"

So like Shaggy, I have to take these stupid pills for a week. I'm almost done with them so I'm very happy. Mom says that I am the easiest cat she has ever had to give a pill too. Dad figures that I must have been a little sick, because after a week of taking the pills, I'm even more rambunctious than ever.