Question:Why is my geriatric cat vomiting so much? Despite using daily hair-ball remedy, he is vomiting at least two to three times a week. If I miss one day...

First, I would like to say I am thankful for creative places to snooze and cuddle.  I am also thankful that I was safe through the thunderstorm that we had today.  We don’t get them often.

I would like to take this moment to be thankful for our health. Even Georgia. She is still with us. The Woman had a conversation with a friend. Her friend was diagnosed with breast cancer a few months ago and this was their first opportunity to sit and chat.

The Woman was moved by the sincerity in what was said. As they chatted–all those things that make you wonder what could have caused this to happen, her friend said “I don’t worry about “why me” very much. I mean the first answer that always came up was why NOT me?”

We are thankful to have our lives touched by someone who has found so many positive learning experiences from something so traumatic. We can only hope that in some small way we can pass on that wisdom to others.

Bell Bottoms, Photo Credit: © Kellie CranmerMore Wordless Wednesday: Wordless Wednesday on About.com Wordless Wednesday Web Site...

Kimo and Sabi are having a house trashing party seeing they have been left alone. As I don’t have to go to the dentist until NEXT week I am all about this house trashing.

I better get cleaned up first. Don’t want to look bad while I trash a house!

My Meezer Rule this week:

Never miss out on a chance to trash someone else’s house!

So just a brief rundown of the latest activities with the boys.

This week they are definitely getting their patience tested as my 13 and 10 year old nieces liven things up around the apartment. They definitely aren’t used to that much activity around the house. But so far they seem to be handling it fine and have learned to give them a wide berth when the fooling around gets particularly vigorous.

Arthur has been having a bit of trouble with hairballs and vomiting lately. So we’re working on getting them a hair ball formula and increasing their grooming to help with that. On the food front not much has changed. The boys are still being very picky over eating wet food.

Our latest tactic involves taking away their dry food early in the afternoon and no food until its time for their wet food. This has had mixed results but on the advice from our local holistic pet store we are heating up their wet food for 10-15 seconds in the microwave before feeding it to them.

According to the pet store it mimics the heat of a fresh kill for them and they would be more likely to eat it. They have been eating more wet food than in the past but the jury is still out on whether it’s a result of their kibble being taken away and they are that hungry or if the warming up of the food helps or even if it’s a combination of both. Of course there are still some wet foods that get a brief sniff and then an instant demand for something else and perhaps a second sniff and taste after a liberal application of tuna flakes. Still we’ll keep on trying different combinations until we find what works for the boys.

Has anyone else tried this heating the food method?

The 4th of July, Independence Day in the U.S., is the most traumatic day of the year for cats. If you...

Having announced the April Cat of the Month winner, it's now time to vote for May. In the order...

This is my not so happy face with whoever bit my handsome Ping on the ankle. I will bite you if you don’t watch out!

I am also looking at Cheysuli so that if she is mean to me she is warned when I whap her. I like to whap Cheysuli.

She keeps threatening to set the Whapinator on me but so far she has not done that. Besides, I do not think Sammy will Whap me because he likes Abby who is sister to my boyfriend cat Ping!

Hello Faithful readers. After a long silence I'm here to say that in typical Avram fashion he has become lost in his work and barely has time to surface for some purrapy much less blogging. So I've decided to end the long silence and report on the fun and antics of our fur boys. So keep an eye out there will be much more to come

At first glance, the Norwegian Forest Cat may appear to be a dead ringer for the Main Coon, and it isn't surprising because both cats came from areas with harsh...

At the request of a number of readers, I've been posting updates on Butch, who was Cat of the Month in April 2007. Readers who have been following his battle...

Remember last week on Fashion Friday? Maggy at Zoolatry was wearing a hat that looked like mine. Lo and behold! She admitted that it WAS mine and she has returned it.

I feel so much better in my hat.

This is so much more fashionable when I go out and walk with friends like Tony and the Whapinator…

Want to see the original? I have it at the bottom of the main home shopping page.

Barn Kitties Rags to Riches StoryPat Hollenack had no idea of the drama that would result when her tenant told her about the stray mother cat and kittens in her...

Well once again we had cats who knew immediately where I was. Ghost and Jade came by and said:

We think you are at the cat statue outside Betsy Ross Home in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

To the best of my knowledge that is absolutely right. Latte suggested I go visit there on my way to his place and it was quite pleasant.

The Meezers knew where I was. Apparently their human lived here–does that mean Meezer Mom is really Betsy Ross? Or was that just Miles talking faster than he thinks again?

At any rate, the photo is because Sir Woody adapted the statue to suit me. I find it particularly appropriate and I’d appreciate it if you would all go thank him!

This is my 2yr old male cat named Malley. Malley has a special game he likes to play, he plays fetch with plastic bottle caps. We shoot them across the...

It's a rainy Saturday. I have nothing better to do than to occupy tables. I am Tablecat! This week's Friday Ark is over at Modulator. On Sunday, Victor Tabbycat hosts the Carnival of the Cats.

Pictures of pedigreed (aka 'purebred') cats are a good way to learn more about those breeds. These breed picture albums include photos submitted by both breeders, breed rescue people, and...

Calico cats represent the brilliant rainbow of colors in a sunny July day. Of all cat color patterns, Calicos are perhaps the loveliest with their tri-colored exuberance. Although most Calicos...

Well once again I have managed to wander off the beaten path or perhaps on to as the case may be. Can anyone help me find my way home?

You know that the most creative answer is featured as well the most correct answer! Have fun.

Need more cats?

Friday Ark

Weekend Cat Blogging

Carnival of the Cats

Bad Kitty Cats Festival of Chaos

We are very thankful this Thursday that the Woman is done paying rent on her practice. She has a place to rent starting September first and her current rent is paid through then (because she paid her last month’s rent when she moved in). Anyway she is thrilled about that.

She is actually almost too busy in August as she has her own practice and then is covering treatments for two other practitioners that month, so she is worried she won’t have any time to blog for us. She is amazed at how much work can come in all at once! Well at least she can pay for my dentistry now and no longer has to feel like she can’t do anything when auctions come up and stuff!

It’s sunny this week and we are also very thankful for that!

My Meezer Rule: It’s not just being endorsed, it’s WHO endorses you.

From the Cat Post Intelligencer:

Visiting London a couple of weeks ago, US Presidential Candidate Cheysuli met with renowned cat, Crookshanks, who’s heroics are almost chronicled in the Harry Potter books (although the main characters were the children in a one of the most blatant specist historical re-writes even in fiction).

Crookshanks, who is known to be able to smell out falsehoods and see the real character of the person he is dealing with took an immediate liking to Cheysuli and endorsed her on the spot.

This was quite a different reception from when he traveled across the Pond and met with John McCain. Crookshanks had to be forcibly removed from the country after that unfortunate meeting. No one will comment on what really happened in the meeting but McCain was in surgery for hours.

Crookshanks has yet to meet with Senator Obama but after his hearty endorsement of Cheysuli that seems rather pointless.

Momma says I am ever so photogenic. I think she is right. I think she should take more photos of me, particularly those that are up close like this one.

However, Daddy got them a Wii this weekend for their anniversary present. They are going to get the Fit part too but they found the Wii at a good price here — Daddy has been looking at them.

Momma was playing with that more than she was talking to me. Can you believe it? Instead of sitting and watching a movie, and brushing me, they were pretending to bowl in the house! I don’t care if they bowl or whatever but I want to play too and no one got me a control!

I am going to go purr for my Ping.  He has a hurt leg and may have to go to the vet. He is ever so shy so this is very scary for him.

From the Cat Post Intelligencer

A reading campaign is Cheysuli’s latest presidential proposal to be ignored by the main stream press. Yesterday the candidate announced that reading would be a priority with her.

“It’s well known that people never read. They surf online and look at pictures. Who reads? No one.

“I propose to bring back reading. Everyone will be required to read a level that allows them to understand Memoirs of a Feline Empress.

“I realize that I am an offender. When running for president, I considered other positions but I knew that presidents had only to read My Pet Goat. I thought that would be enough. However, it’s not.

“Upon graduation every American must be able to read Memoirs of a Feline Empress in Exile. If they cannot, they will not graduate.”

Many are not thrilled with this policy. “I’m not sure I want my young children reading about what Kukka-Maria is up to. That name is not allowed in our house,” stated one concerned source.

“I hate the thought of actually reading online” said another. “I mean–that, like, takes THOUGHT.”

Others were impressed by Cheysuli’s impressive educational innovation program. “It’s the best thing to happen to me ever!” wrote one fan of the proposal.

Oh, Hi, I heard you needed help with the cleaning up…

Why, hello, back again so soon? We heard there was lamb for tea…

My human amanuensis visited Kathleen this week--Kathleen being the wonderful human who feeds me when my own humans are out of town. I was a little put out by what she brought back with her, as I always am when I find out she's been consorting with foreign cats. Precious is the senior cat in the household. Here, she's about to settle into her comfy bed. Kiki is a rescued cat that Kathleen

My header was missing because I messed up renewing my domain, where the photo was hosted.
Then I tried to go back to a basic title and ended up losing my whole side bar and comments too.
I didn't think I saved the new template, but there is is just the same.
I may just start over when my domain is back up.
I'm so frustrated.

There you are, sniffing the air and enjoying the spacious new tortoise house…

And the next thing you know, you’re getting trampled underfoot by the neighbours…

well, it’s been a bit of a marathon, but we are back. Thank goodness for backups (oh, and the wayback machine).

My upgrade to Wordpress 2.5 was a spectacular failure. It managed to corrupt the database. So, felix Domesticus is broken. Please be patient while I rebuild it from the archives.

Arsinoe demonstrates that anything her mother can do, she can do better…

Sigh… There’s no hope, no hope at all. Where’s decorum when you need it?

I see that owning a cat reduces one’s risk of a stroke by over a third. So does this mean that owning ten cats reduces my risk by ten thirds?

 

 

Just because I’m skulking in the cat carrier, it doesn’t mean that you can whisk me off to the vet’s.

Ahmose and Arsinoe demonstrate that there is no such thing as “too small” when it comes to boxes. Indeed, they do so with a degree of dedication.

I mentioned the other day that one of the neighbour’s cats stole some of the steak destined for the bourguinon. Here, pictured, is the prime suspect. He is the only one unable to account for his whereabouts when the crime took place. Indeed, he is the main suspect in the broken butter dish episode yesterday, too, during which a whole slab of butter vanished.

He was nowhere to be seen today. His accomplices where all over the auction, taking whatever they could find and generally making the place their own, much to the annoyance of Honey who simply does not understand the concept of “sharing”. She made her displeasure known with a series of snarls, growls, hisses and the occasional paw swipe when one of the miscreants came within swiping range. She then stomped off in a huff and a half.

A plaintive wail from nowhere in particular became ever more intense as the afternoon wore on. Then, it occurred to one of the humans, that maybe, just maybe, it was coming from the garage and had anyone noticed that Monsieur Bourguinon had not been about today? Could it be that the two were linked? On opening the garage, it was indeed noted that the two were linked. Monsieur Bourguinon shot out and headed straight for the kitchen. “Any steak pieces going for grabs?”

Friday loves Christmas. He lives to chew on bows, pounce tissue paper and climb the tree. Over the years, I've learned a few things about living with him during the holidays. I don't put bows on packages until I'm loading them in the car. That saves a lot of embarrassing explaining to friends and family about why the bow on their gift looks like it was attacked by an angry paper shredder. When wrapping, I just give him his own sheet of tissue paper. He can amuse himself for hours and forgets that I have a stack of the crinkly paper right next to me. Ok, he doesn't forget and sometimes he gets two sheets but it avoids a sudden and unexpected pounce to the paper while I'm assembling the wrapping. Finally, I mash the hooks for the ornaments down tight and don't worry about the tree. I confess, I think it's really funny when he peaks out at me and at eight years old he's cut down on his tree time. Still, hanging out in the tree is high on his list of fun things and with an 8 month old kitten in the house, he often uses it as a kitten-free hideout.

Yesterday, I strolled in the dining room to wrap a few gifts and organize the room. Friday and the kitten, Seti, were chasing each other through the house. Friday believes he is very, very fast. He knows in his heart he could win the Kentucky Derby when the truth is he's actually quite slow. Still, he enjoys the delusion and the kitten was ruining it since the kitten actually is fast and Friday was repeated pounced. He “zipped” into the dining room with me, got tackled, again, and headed for his refuge in the branches of plastic. The tree rattled as he climbed up and settled in. I walked over and peeked in at him. He beamed at me, pleased with himself.



He was still and the tree didn't seem in danger of collapsing so I returned to my wrapping. After several minutes, he again began to wiggle around causing the branches to shake and the ornaments to bounce. He kept this up much longer than usual. Concerned he was playing with an ornament or attacking the lights I went back to the tree to check on him. He gazed at me. The look of self-congratulations replaced by concern. I stuck my hands in and tried to lift. He growled low in his throat. Can't be. I ran my fingers around him and sure enough he'd managed to wedge himself in the tree. He was firmly stuck, a strange, fluffy Christmas ornament! I couldn't help it. I laughed at him. The brilliant cat who can open doors with his paws managed to get himself stuck, again! For such a smart cat he really has a knack of getting into some unusual situations. After some finessing on my part and copious growling on his part I freed him from the tree. He doesn't seem any worse for wear but he hasn't been back in the tree since!

catcatscat humorcat comedychristmas cat

See my Christmas tree!



Wait. What's that?



It's Friday!

catcatscat humorcat comedychristmas cat

I have psychosis which Dictionary.com defines as, “any severe form of mental disorder, as schizophrenia or paranoia.” What mental disorder I have is questionable, what is certain is that whatever it may be, it's severe. How do I know I suffer from such affliction you may ask? It's simple. I put up a Christmas tree. Why did I put up a Christmas tree? Was it to celebrate one of my favorite holidays? Was it to enjoy the warm twinkling of the lights? NO! I put up a Christmas tree because I didn't think it was fair to ask my new kitten, Seti, to miss out on the joys of slapping ornaments, climbing to eye level with me or (his favorite) attacking the tree skirt and dragging it to the other side of the room. Textbook psychosis.

I first became anti-put-up-Christmas-tree when Friday was young. Christmas is Friday's favorite holiday. It contains all his favorite toys: bows, paper and, of course, trees. He decided the tree made a killer cat fort. It's an ancient fake-tree (I shudder to think what sap from a real tree would do to his thick fur. He bleeds me for brushing him; cutting little clumps of sap-soaked fur would be like voluntarily entering a torture chamber.). At least seven years ago, Friday climbed to the top of the tree for a nap. There's still a bald spot. I'll never forget walking through the living room and being possessed with the feeling that the tree was looking at me.

Once, he used the tree to hide cookies he stole from my grandfather. Who knew cats like Gingersnaps? As I prepared to put a large package behind the tree I noticed the cookie stash. There was a whole cookie, a half a cookie and a pile of suspicious crumbs. Grandpa shouldn't have fallen asleep and left his snacks unguarded around such a sneaky thief.

What have I learned from my years of living with Friday during the holidays? As I scoop the tree skirt up another time I sigh and realize I've learned nothing more than to bend the ornament hooks down really tight and pray no one chews on the light strands. Still, watching the cats play with the decorations makes me feel better about not having cable. There's nothing on more entertaining than a cat at Christmas!



catcatscat humorcat comedychristmas cat

Cats and laughter just seem to go together. Who needs TV when you've got a new kitten like I do? TV is predictable. Cats, on the other paw, are spontaneous. It seems like just when you think you've got them figured out they think of new and hilarious ways to keep us guessing. The third edition of The Laughing Cat celebrates a few of those feline antics that keep us giggling and coming back for more!


Is it laughter? Is it rage? Either way we think Samantha from Life From a Cat's Perspective is one funny cat! Look out Tigger!

Ron King presents iPod Loving Cat posted at Cat Care, Breeds and Resources Blog. Who doesn't love a little music mixed with their cat?

Rob presents Misia helps with the diet posted at Dusk and Dawn, saying, "Misia has been doing her best to help with my recent diet. If only she weren't so strict...." Chocolate lovers and compulsive snackers beware!

Abbey presents Cat & Rat Introduction posted at DSM Fish Gal. Cats and rats together? What could go wrong?

Bob O'Hara presents Why I've not been blogging much posted at Deep Thoughts and Silliness, saying, "I consider this a public service, to warn the world of what it may face."

Cheysuli presents Thankful Thursday posted at Chey's place. What sort of carnival would this be without a Meezer to help us laugh our way through?

Miss D presents A CD Spool Cat Toy and The Wonderpet Cat Tunnel posted at Prefurr.com, saying, "Mei Mei thinks the wonderpet cat tunnel is the king of toys." Now, where can I find a CD spool?

Thanks to everyone who participated! Our fourth edition will be right here November 6th. Submit your funnies via Blog Carnival by November 5th!

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The Laughing Cat carnival edition three will be here next week! Don't forget to submit your funniest cat stories, photos, poems, whatever to join in the fun! Submissions can be made via email or through the Blog Carnival submission page. They're due by Monday. Come back Tuesday to read about the funniest cats on the web!
laughing catblog carnivalcatcatscat humorcat comedy

I was bored. Always dangerous. Bored in Target (as I happened to be on that occasion) is usually a financial liability. Instead of spending bored money on myself I decided to shop for my cats. I selected this the Large Cat Jungle Gym. It looked like something the cats would enjoy and had the added bonus of lots of parts to put together so I was assured some amusement as well.

I brought it home, fired up the camera and asked who wanted to help me put it together. Friday was laying in the window watching birds. Kit stole a piece of the jungle gym and zipped down the hall to play with it. Hemmy offered to supervise.

Luckily I now have Seti who was delighted to help. Lucky, lucky me.

Seti and I got to work. He was responsible for touching each piece with his paw as I picked it up and biting the instructions. I did the rest. He took his responsibilities seriously. He was concerned about this particular note that was attached to the pop up canvas "cat house."
We took the warning seriously; it was on yellow paper after all. We opened the cat house very, very carefully and were disappointed when the best it could muster was a small stretch. We were hoping for something a touch more dramatic. We moved on.

After staring at the picture and screwing my face up into various expressions of confusion and frustration Friday took pity on me and helped. I soon made a box.

I was pretty pleased with my accomplishment. I'm no engineer. I'm a pet sitter. Luckily, I'm pretty creative so once I got the feel for the pieces I really picked up speed. I made lots of boxes.

It didn't take long to put the canvas pieces on either. Soon we had a new cat fort and Supervisor Hemmy decided to be the first in. He deemed it "fun" and soon everyone else came in for a turn.

Seti's favorite part? The dangly toy mice of course!
catcatscat humorcat comedycat toys

The September 4th edition of The Laughing Cat Carnival didn't quite make it up on time due to technical difficulties. Since you must own/borrow a computer to read this I'm certain you understand! Anyway, here it is the second edition of The Laughing Cat, late but as funny as ever!

GrrlScientist presents Jack, the Lion-Hearted Housecat posted at Living the Scientific Life. This is one of my personal all-time favs!

xco presents Bitchslapped posted at Blame It On The Voices. This reminds of me of the time my cat Kit decided to murder my father-in-law's Labrador.

xco presents Blame It On The Voices: Cat vs. Kid. Cat vs. Kid, you know who wins.

Alta presents Biscuits In The Dresser posted at Love Country Living. This family has a great story and excellent advice for what cat owners should do when they find clumps of cat hair around the house!

Jon Rochetti presents Cat Fight posted at The DC Traveler. Scroll down to watch the video of the World's Stupidest Monkey!

That concludes September's hilarity! Be back here October 2nd for more feline mayhem!

laughing catblog carnivalcatcatscat humorcat comedy

When I found the kitten, I thought the trickiest part would be integrating him into my already cozy household of 3 cats and a dog. Of course, there was also the potential that my husband would snap and murder me in a fit of cat overkill. I had no idea that simply naming him would be so difficult. What's so hard about picking out a name anyway? It turns out a lot!

Initially, I called him Smidgen. He was so little, tiny that he needed a cutsie name. Anything else would have seemed to big for him. After some nutritious food and a safe environment he grew like a weed and Smidgen suddenly seemed like it wasn't going to fit much longer. A quest for a real name began.

Friday's full name is Friday the 13th because he's a solid black cat. Since the kitten is also solid black I thought it might be fun to name him something similar, sort of a cat name theme. I racked my brain and the Internet. I looked up web sites devoted to topics on Halloween and superstitions. Nothing seemed to match his personality. It was all so sinister and he's actually quite a lover. I gave up on the theme.

The kitten is a real lover but he's fiercely brave too. I decided to explore this avenue for a while. I wondered about famous people known for similar traits. The only one I could come up with was Don Juan and I didn't like that name. Ok, fine. I turned my attention to characters known for being brave lovers. Swashbucklers! Swashbucklers are notorious for romancing women and fighting daring battles. I could see the kitten with a little bandanna on his head and patch over one eye swinging from a rope on a ship, sword in paw. That reminded me of one of my favorite movies, The Princess Bride. Giddy, I decided The Dread Pirate Roberts was the perfect name for my kitten and stubbornly insisted on calling him by his full name.

I soon got tired of trying to force six syllables out of my mouth every time I wanted to play with the kitten or stop him from climbing the side of the sofa. I'm a good talker but all those words were starting to stress me out and I couldn't think of a decent nickname so I scuttled The Dread Pirate Roberts and went back to work.

My husband and I toyed with all sorts of ideas: Bacardi, Rasputin, Burt, Barney – hey, we were getting desperate. The last straw for my husband was when I wanted to name the kitten Stevie Nicks because he makes a sound like a goat. I really wanted to call him Stevie Nicks but Brian reasoned that his meow might change as he gets older and ruin my joke. Sometimes life just isn't fair.

There was one name I kept coming back to throughout them all. Seti, like the Egyptian pharaoh. Apart from a somewhat goofy looking face the kitten is extremely sleek and long. His frame reminds me of tomb paintings of Egyptian hunting cats. The pharaoh Seti was the son of Ramses the first and the father of Ramses the Great. Under his leadership, Egypt kicked the butts of its enemies and built some really cool, big buildings. That seems like my kitten. Brave and artsy all rolled into one fur covered, black speck besides the name Seti has the added benefit of only two syllables.

So, Seti is the kitten's newest, and final, name. He doesn't answer to it yet but since it's approximately the sixth name I've given him it might take a while to catch on. Since he's only a couple of months old we've got all the time in the world.



catcatscat humorcat comedy

“You got another cat?” my dad asked in disbelief.

“I didn't mean to.” I retorted.

It was true. I didn't mean to but he was so little and lost. I knew as I stood there in the twilight watching the little black kitten pounce a piece of hay that I wasn't leaving the barn without him. He was barely bigger than my hand and the word around the barn was he'd been there for a couple of weeks. I hadn't gone riding in a month so I'd missed his arrival. He was living in the shed where we store the horse's hay. The hay bales made plenty of small hiding places that provided supreme shelter for such a small cat and he needed it. The barn teems with predators who'd love to munch a kitten: hawks, owls, stray dogs and that doesn't even mention the larger cats, opossums and raccoons who wouldn't necessarily eat him but if they attacked they'd leave him seriously wounded.

I glanced at my friend Amye. Neither of us wanted to leave him there. I lost the debate since Amye still has more cats than I do, even after the addition of the kitten. We made a make-shift cat carrier and loaded the kitten in my car. My husband was going to be murderous.

Five minutes into my trip home I decided to ease him into the news. A guitarist, my husband was at band practice for the evening. Band practice puts him in a stellar mood. It was the perfect time to drop the bomb shell. He'd have happy pheromones going to help buffer the blow, sort of like chocolate. Plus, he'd probably already had at least one beer. I dialed his cell.

“How's it going?” I asked. They had just acquired a new bass player and it was his first practice with the band.

“It's going great!” Brian practically bubbled through the phone. “We sound better than ever! He already knows how to play Circles. He learned the into even. And then we were playing...”

I cut him off. “I found a kitten.” I announced. Yep, that'll ease him into it.

“It's not coming to our house.”

“Too late, he's already in the car. We're on the interstate.” I could hear the gnashing of his teeth and imagine the complaints he's soon be lodging with his band members about how I was bringing home another cat. Lucky thing he had those pheromones.

Brian and I hung up and the kitten and I soon arrived at home. I set him up in the office where I could keep him separate from our 3 adult cats and the dog. He didn't know what to think of being indoors at first but a bowl of cat food mixed with some chicken broth made an immediate impression on him. He gulped down the food and soon was purring loudly and happily pouncing some cat toys I'd found for him. It didn't take him very long to decide that living in my house was a definite improvement over the hay barn.

After the trip to the vet revealed that he was transmittable disease free he was introduced to the adult cat population. Friday is great with kittens so he went first. The kitten stared at Friday from underneath my computer desk. Friday ignored him and instead sniffed the litter box and the kitten's food. Soon, though, he eased over to say hello. The kitten hissed. Friday jumped back, feelings hurt and went to hide under Brian's computer desk. That's my brave, fearless Friday. It took him several days to get over his hurt feelings but it wasn't long before he and the kitten were chasing each other down the hallway.

Hemmy went next. Hemmy was indifferent to the kitten and far more interested in the kitten's food. Hemmy is easily distracted by potentially edible items. Kit, on the other hand, didn't give a rip about the extra food. She was furious that after defeating the Labrador, I'd had the nerve to bring another animal into her house. She fluffed up her tail, arched her back and leaped hissing at the kitten. Fortunately, I was prepared for this reaction and I moved to back her up and calm her down; but before I could intervene, the kitten wheeled around, fluffed up his tail, arched his back and hissed right back at her. Kit didn't know what to do. Perplexed, she licked her lips and sassed out of the office annoyed and confused. I began to see how the little guy had avoided being eaten at the barn. He may have only been 2 pounds but he was 2 brave and aggressive pounds. I suspected that he was going to fit into our crazy household just fine.

So here I sit a few weeks later with a four cat household instead of a three cat household. I always said we were full, but I was wrong. Now we're full. Furthermore, I see my suspicions were correct and the kitten is fitting in nicely. He and Friday have a love-hate relationship that involves pouncing and running but includes a general politeness that prevents actual injury. Hemmy is still more interested in the food but that will probably never change and Kit has admitted a grudging respect and has decided not to murder the kitten after all. Since she feels the same about Friday and Hemmy I'm guessing that's the best we're going to get from her.

The kitten for his part is a fast learner. He's a bit of a stinker too and leaps out of nooks and crannies to pounce the older cats. Luckily, he's not only smart he's very fast and has avoided the occasional retaliation from the big kitties. For this reason, he still lives in the office when we're away. I'm not entirely sure if I'm protecting him or protecting the big cats but I'm certain that my own sanity is largely preserved by keeping him separate. The other thing I am sure of is that this little guy will give me plenty of stories to tell and recount here and that's something that I'm looking forward to very much.

catcatscat humorcat comedy

Where did the cats go? Friday looks near the shed.



Kit will look in the yard.



Hemmy looks behind the tree. Wait! Hemmy are you looking or are you rolling in the dirt?

Where are they? This week the cats are right at home where they always are but I'm sunning myself on a sandy beach in a mysterious location! I'll be back soon though with plenty of stories to tell.

Speaking of, I have some exciting cat related news to post when I get back. Hang in there and say a prayer for the pet sitter who has to face down Friday!

My in-laws went on vacation. Though they have several pets who stay at home while they travel, they decided that their 5 month old lab puppy (who's bigger than my full grown Springer Spaniel) would be better off staying at someone else's home. I offered to let him stay with us. Max is an outdoor dog and we've a fenced in yard. Our dog, Claire, doesn't love him but she only goes out to potty. How much trouble could he be?

On his own he probably wouldn't have been much trouble at all but our neighbor's escape artist Beagle showed him a few tricks and they were roaming the neighborhood the first morning. My husband and I dashed into the streets heading in opposite directions armed with cell phones and leashes. The country dog was lost in the big city. All the potential dangers spun through my brain: cars, more cars, dog-nappers. Dog-nappers! The beautiful chocolate lab pup was a friend to everyone. Anyone could have him. Visions of myself leading rescue parties through the neighborhood surfaced. We'd look in every yard. Peek into every house! I may have to break down doors, violating countless laws but I'd rescue the lost dog so help me God! I'd rescue him!

My cell phone rang abruptly ending my musings. It was my husband. Both dogs had wandered back home and were standing in the front yard. I confess, I was a touch disappointed that I wasn't going to get to kick down a door but my relief overcame that minor setback in my ongoing battle for justice and I hurried back to our house.

The dogs had pushed an old section of fence away from the ground and slipped out. I was ready to put up a privacy fence that day. Brian did some research and came back with an estimated total. Eight hundred dollars is a lot of money. We brought Max inside. How much trouble could he be?

Max isn't quite housebroken. He's a very large puppy. He left some very large puddles. No worries we decided. We hate our pink carpet anyway. He can stay in the laundry room. I moved the cat litter boxes out of the laundry room and moved Max in.

Problems solved. Except for one. Claire soon adjusted to living with another dog. Friday and Hemmy didn't mind Max too much but Kitiara-Kitiara loathed him. Max, it seemed, had committed the transgression of being canine in her presence. She simply could not tolerate such blatant dog-ness. Something would have to be done and Kit was just the cat to do it.

Kit established an anti-dog perimeter vowing to defend the feline territory from marauding puppies even if it killed the puppy. Since the perimeter was slightly larger than the house it didn't take Max long to cross the line. Kit sailed into battle! She launched all eight pounds of her tabby body at 50 pounds of puppy counting on her patented Ninja moves to avoid taking damage or catching puppy cooties. With ears plastered back and whiskers flush to her face she used a rapid firing right paw to inflict maximum damage in minimum time. Perplexed Max ran to me for help. Kit was still attached. With some trepidation I reached in and disentangled one very angry Kit from one very frightened Max. Luckily I wasn't scratched.

Max wasn't so fortunate. Distinctive scratch marks were evident in his fur right between his eyes. Kit really goes for the kill. I could tell some serious peace negotiations were in order. I put in a call to Jimmy Carter. Condolezza Rice didn't return my calls either. It was up to me.

After copious amounts of tuna and a new batch of furry mice Kit agreed to allow Max to live and even to inhabit a portion of the house. She wasn't going overboard mind you. We lived in a tense state until the happy return of my in-laws. Though they'd been traveling for the better part of a day we thought it best to take Max home that night. They were joyfully reunited with both Max and the collection of Claire's toys that Max had claimed for himself. He's a sweet dog but we were happy to have our laundry room back.

The next day dawned and with it the realization by our pets of the intruder's departure. Kit was joyous! She preened and dashed around the house looking exceedingly smug. No doubt she attributed the absence of Max to her war efforts. Reality has a way of sucking the fun out of life so I didn't disabuse her of her notions. If she thinks she's a Ninja kitty what of it? How much trouble can it be?

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Loved the first one? Ready for the next one? Don't miss out on the second edition of The Laughing Cat! Megan and the Bad Kitty Cats have agreed to host the upcoming edition. (There are a few bad kitty cats at my house, I'll tell ya!) Submit via Blog Carnival by September 3rd and dash to Bad Kitty Cats September 4th to join in the fun!

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Welcome to the first edition of The Laughing Cat. I've searched high and low for the funniest cat stories and pictures from the web and have put together a side-splitting inaugural carnival. I hope you enjoy laughing at the all too funny antics of our favorite four-legged pets - cats!

Bob from Bobbarama never lacks for laughs and he sent us one of my favorites! Here he charts the facial expressions of his cat Griz. Cat owners everywhere can testify to its accuracy!

Miss D presents RSPCA Happy Tails! posted at Prefurr.com, saying, "A happy tail of a rescued kitten!" Happy indeed but funny as well. I saw myself in this story all too clearly!

Hello Kitty Hell presents Hello Kitty Cat posted at Hello Kitty Hell, saying, "This is not what you want to do to a cat." True, it's also not what your cat wants you to do to him. And if that wasn't enough he gives us more.

Sam from Surfer Sam Online presents Purr - fectly Funny Cat Jokes. What's more appropriate than a list of silly cat jokes for The Laughing Cat? Jot a few down to make your friends groan!

Lucynda Riley presents A Cat Story. The orange Bobcat. Posted at The Crazy Cat Woman. I think this cat must be related to mine...

Sharyn presents Cat Rodeo posted at Magick Cat Cauldron. Sharyn clears up several "Why does my cat do that?" questions in this post!

Arvind Devalia of Arvind Devalia's Thoughts and Words shows us how to live dangerously!

Sally presents Living Without Meat: "The Baby Chick Says Meeeoow" posted at Living Without Meat. I posted that pic here once. A commenter though perhaps she was just waiting until they were bigger...

Last but never, ever least Bad Kitty Cat Chaos Festival presents Laughing Bukowski And Jezebel posted at Bad Kitty Cat Journal. Can you think of two carnival festivals better complemented that The Laughing Cat and Bad Kitty Cat Chaos Festival?

The second edition of The Laughing Cat will be presented September 4th so flex your typing fingers and send in your best submissions. After all, no one gets tired of laughing, especially at cats!

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Ever wanted to build a toy for your cat but find you have no tools and no talent? With my New Improved Patented Cat Toy Design you too can build a toy for your cats despite your utter lack of skills and limited resources.

Step One:

Order a large item from the Internet that will be shipped in a cardboard box. Here we've chosen a ceiling fan.

Step Two:

Remove the large item and discard.

Step Three:

Remove cat from box.

Step Four:

Fold the two small flaps in and one large flap down leaving a small square opening near the bottom. Tape the flaps in place.

Step Five:

With scissors cut several small holes, called Smacking Holes, around the sides and on the top of the box. The holes should be slightly larger than a cat's paw.

Step Six:

Add cat treats, toys and/or cat nip to the box to lure your cats in.

Step Seven:

Sit back and giggle as your cats hide in and around the box smacking each other through the small holes you cut.

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Friday possesses a Master's degree in wreaking havoc, most cats do. Yet its not just the destruction he causes with his paws that makes him noteworthy. It's his unnerving habit of destroying the things you most want to protect and his uncanny ability to reason and problem solve that make living with him akin to living with a master criminal.

Friday's kitten-hood was spent at my parent's home. In those days, my younger sister's room was full of cat tantalizing objects. There was a semi-inflated helium balloon with a long string that dangled to the floor, a large bed with plenty of cat hiding places but best of all was her inflatable chair.

Yes, an inflatable chair. Possibly one of the dumbest inventions ever inflicted on society. The makers of inflatable chairs, being oblivious to tried and true methods of furniture making, offer a product that is a) unattractive in both color and style, b) uncomfortable to sit in and c) ridiculously overpriced. Despite these shortcomings my sister liked it. In fact, she liked it so much she bought an inflatable throw pillow to go with it.

The throw pillow, which matched neither chair nor room, was silver-gray. It had a big cut out circle in the center of it allowing a view to the innermost workings of inflatable throw pillows. To add some character, the manufacturers filled the center with little Styrofoam balls that when exposed to static electricity tended to wiggle as though alive. Friday can hardly be blamed for his abject fascination with the pillow. It's really no surprise that he pounced it, puncturing the cheap, I mean, fragile, plastic with his claws and sending the pillow to an early death and an ignominious trash can burial.

After the pillow casualty my sister began keeping her bedroom door closed. She forgave Friday the pillow, but she wasn't about to lose her chair. I, too, checked her door once she told me I'd be expected to replace the chair should my cat pop it. I thought the chair a waste of money on the best of days, but it was her money. I had no intention of spending my own money on a replacement.

But Friday is no ordinary cat. No mere bedroom door can stand in the way of his evil genius. We never were quite sure if he managed to open the door himself that day or if he had someone on the inside assist him (Dad?). Either way, my sister returned home to find her door open and her chair a sad puddle of green plastic in the corner.

“FRIDAY,” her fury was palpable. My blood ran cold as I thought of the money I was going to have to shell out for another plastic chair. “Friday,” she barely got his name his name out as she was overcome with laughter. I paused. This wasn't exactly the response I'd expected. I looked in the door. My sister stood holding the deflated chair laughing too hard to explain what was so funny. She held it under my nose. There on the back were three little plastic plugs over the air valves like you would find on a pool float. All three were unplugged. All three had cat teeth marks. Nowhere on the chair itself was there so much as a tear or puncture. Friday had simply unplugged the valves and let the air out of the chair.

How did he know deflating the chair would be such a great joke? Please, if you know the answer, don't tell me. I'd rather not know. That evil genius sleeps right next to my head too often for me to be comfortable with any answer to that question. To this day he gets very excited whenever my sister visits. He thinks of her as the “cool” aunt or maybe he just remembers that she was the victim of the best joke he's ever played – so far. There's always tomorrow...

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Uh-ho! I got tagged by Miss T of prefurr.com. This is my first time being tagged as a blogger so I'm both flattered and excited and I want to do this well, but I confess it is difficult to limit it to only seven. I do my best to avoid the "norm" as often as possible. I could cheat and name each of my cats for three of my strange things but, I'm committed to doing this right, so here we go.

Seven Strange Things About Me
1) I lived in a van for a year and a half when I toured the US as an actress with a repertory theater company. While it was a chance to see the States I can't recommend it as a reliable means of income. There's really nothing quite like standing a grocery store with enough money for either shampoo or deodorant and needing both. Mom, thanks for that money you used to send. Any chance I could get some more...

2) I live in Georgia where everyone drinks sweet iced tea. I do too, but I prefer hot tea even in summer. In case you don't live any where near here I'll give you the general description of summer. It starts in April and ends in September. It's nothing for it to be in the upper 90's and the humidity so is high that breathing can be tricky. We're not slow in the south, we're just trying to slog through all the moisture.

3) I am southern but don't have a southern accent. I do really super impressions of it though. I also do a British accent (I've fooled my mother with it) and impression of friends. I'd be a hit at parties but not many people know the friends I do impressions of... I should find different friends.

4) I always take baths. Who needs a shower? I can't lounge in the shower and read a book so splish-splash it is for me.

5) I love to learn new things from friends and family. For example, my husband has taught me how to build my own computer, how to drive a stick, and how to play bass guitar. Some other things I've learned are: how to reupholster furniture, change spark plugs (thanks Dad), and simply and effectively clean a toothbrush but putting it in the dishwasher. I really wish I had a dishwasher.

6) The strangest most uncontrollable crap happens to me. Like the time I was pet sitting and the dog I was walking went after that cat, or the time Kit brought me a toy mouse that wasn't, and then there was the time the bird came down the chimney. I think I inherited this trait from my aunt. She once saw a big mangy dog walking down the street and stopped to pick it up only to realize it was someone's pet lion. She once rescued a bird with a broken wing and took it to the vet. When she got it home it was miraculously cured and flew around her house. She had to trap it in her washing machine. Stories like these make me feel better...

7) I cannot stand it when people are passive-aggressive. Just SAY it already! The world will keep spinning.

So, there you go. Seven strange things about me and barely a reference to my all-consuming passion for felines, but you guys know that one already!

Cats are funny! Sure they have a reputation for being classy, graceful creatures but anyone who's ever lived with one knows that's just a front. Cats have some of the best senses of humor around.

How to Hold a Cat Without Losing an Eye is proud to present the first edition of The Laughing Cat Carnival. I'm looking for the funniest cat stories and photos from the web.

To submit an article, email a link to howtoholdacat@yahoo.com or use the submission form at Blog Carnival. Submissions for this edition are due by 11 PM July 30th. Subsequent submissions are due by the last Monday of the month. Let me know if you'd like to host future editions!

What are you waiting for?! Hit me with your humor!

I have a confession to make. When I began How to Hold a Cat Without Losing an Eye I vowed only to tell true stories. Well, I have only told true stories but I did fib a bit in my post When Disaster Strikes Only the Strong Survive. In that post I described the death of my favorite vase (shaped like a cat) at the hands, err, paws of one of my actual cats, Kit. All that was true, where I fibbed was when I said I was successful in repairing the vase. The horrible truth is that not only were there crack lines and bits of glue on the vase, and not only was there a chunk of ear still missing, but a gigantic portion of the cat’s rear end was never successfully glued back in. See the evidence for yourself.

Why did I do it you might ask? Call it a mother’s love or a profound personality flaw, you pick. I simply could not admit that my adorable eight-pound tabby is a cold-blooded murderess. I mean, she’s simply too cute to be a killer! What jury could ever convict that face?

Besides, I’ve fixed the whole thing. No, not with superglue. I headed downtown to the district known as Artist’s Row. There’s a shop there stuffed full of these little cat vases. I had my pick. I strolled around the shop for 20 minutes trying to decide which vase was the “perfect” replacement. I settled on a color but still had to pick a size. I finally chose this little guy. If you look closely, you can see that he’s sticking his tongue out. I hope that defensive posture will warn Kit off the next time she considers hopping on the mantle.

Is it murder if I like the new one better than the old? Maybe it was a favor. Maybe, just to be safe, I’ll affix this cat to the mantle. I mean it never hurts to be prepared. You wouldn’t ride in a car without a seatbelt would you? Of course, you wouldn’t. No reason to be careless. Still, the cat vases are remarkably affordable for hand made, original pieces. Perhaps I liked the blue one more than the green after all. Maybe I’ll skip on the vase seatbelt. Sometimes change is nice!
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Last week, I spent several days at the beach. It was wonderful. Endless hours of laying in a chair on the beach reading a book, laying in a chair by the pool reading a book and at night, laying in the hot tub reading a book. All my chores and cares were left far behind me and I could relax.

Obviously, I enjoyed my trip but while I was lounging in my comfy beach chair with my book I couldn’t help but think something was missing. I shrugged it off and rolled over to tan my back. Later, after returning to the condo and showering the sand and salt off, I was relaxing with a drink before going to dinner at one of a number of seafood restaurants. While sitting on the couch, enjoying said drink, glancing at the ballgame on TV and watching the cars on the bridge over the marsh, I imagined that I saw a small shadow in the corner of my eye but when I turned to look it was nothing. When I awoke the next morning, I wondered why I slept so well. It must have been those dark curtains over the window.

Then again, perhaps I slept so well because three cats were back at home and not in the small of my back. Could that strange shadow have been my subconscious looking for one of my cats? Was the nagging feeling that something was missing the result of my reading a book unmolested by fluffy paws and head butts? Yes! I was guilty! I missed my cats.

To ease my cat sickness, I tried to imagine what it would be like to take one of them with me. Hemmy would be the obvious candidate, as riding in the car doesn’t upset him too much. It would be so nice to have a cat there to greet me when I came back in from the beach. He’d be napping in the warm sunshine by the large sliding glass doors and would rise and stretch and yawn. I could just picture him there, blinking happily up at me. I smiled to myself as I imagined the scene.

Then my smile faded. What kind of havoc would he wreck on the condo? Sure, it would be nice having him there but that expensive Berber carpet? Ha! That would be scarred the first day. I could almost see little tufts of it gutted and laying next to the new bald spot. Those lovely wooden chairs? Delightful, vacation scratching posts! And the screened-in porch?! The cat roller coaster of the whole trip! He could dangle for hours from those screens. The large, white marsh birds would look especially delicious. Visions of him dangling at eye level chattering at the birds quickly assured me that taking Hemmy on vacation wouldn’t be terribly relaxing.

So, I plan my next trip and resign myself to spending a few more days away from the cats. After all, packing the litter box, food, bowls, and arranging the car for a four hour trip with a cat makes being apart from them a bit easier to swallow. Still, that patch of warm sunshine was designed for a cat…

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