Happy New Year to All Our Friends

Have  a safe New Year's Eve, Kitties and Humans.   Wishing you the very best in 2012!

Me and my Friends Friday

I hear these guys are only out for a short while.    But we are firm and fast friends.     Till next Christmas, buddies!!

Pee Ess:  Simba almost bomited all over the "Precious Rug" on Christmas.   The humans got distracted with a phonecall and he consumed some "greenery"  he was not supposed to get into.   During gift unwrapping, he started to ............. (barfing noises) and the humans shot into action.  Simba dashed out of the Living Room and did his bomiting in the hallway, Thank COD!!    Whew, was that a close call!

One Word Wednesday

Caption?

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And we want to add how sorry we are about Sweet BB having to run off to the Rainbow Bridge.    She was with her Mom for 10 years and they were very close to each other.    Please go and leave some purrs for her Mom.

Liebster Blog Award

Scarlett and Melly, and Hannah and Lucy both nominated our blog for the Liebster Blog Award.  We have been a little slow getting to post about it with Christmas and everything.


Thanks very much for this honor, girlcat friends!   

"Liebster"  means favorite or beloved in German, and this award helps to draw attention to blogs that aren't too well known.

Here are the rules for this award:

Upon receipt of the award, one is to:

1) Link back to the blogger who gave it

2) Paste the award on the blog

3) Choose 5 blogs to pass this award to (they must have fewer than 200 followers)

4) Let the recipients know about their nomination by leaving a comment on their blogs.

Here are the five blogs we are passing the award on to:

Darling Millie

 Mom and Me, Kassey

Pikkupunapippuri

Spitty Speaks

Manx Mmnews

We hope you will enjoy participating!

Easy on Monday after Christmas

We liked Bugsy and Knuckles' idea of posting Easy on Monday this week, with Sunday being Christmas and all.      Actually, this picture was taken yesterday, but Audrey is doing the same thing today.     And, yes, the humans did remove the tag!!

And here is Simba's version:

So today we each have a favorite sleeping corner in different rooms.  

Later today Mom will try to post about our Liebster Blog Award.   She has been too slow about it with everything else going on.

Meowy Christmas

Merry Meowy Christmas to all our friends in the Blogosphere.     Peace, Love and Joy to all.  

I guess we have to exercise some of the Peace Love and Joy here because we have to SHARE this toy!  (Mom bought a Supah Kitty from Casbah kitten before they closed their shop and saved it for Christmas).   

Christmas Eve Photo Hunt - Surprise

Mom and Dad let us into the living room for a short while yesterday and look what SURPRISED us:

Mom and Dad themselves are older than dirt, but some years ago Mom collected a few of the Macy's stuffed Christmas animals and she keeps them packed away except for at Christmas.   Those are Paddington, Snoopy, Babar and the Grinch.   Also there is a cute Hallmark teddy bear and a Raggedy Andy a close friend made for our human brother (cough cough) years ago.    Audrey gave them a good sniff and stayed for a very short while for a photograph.

Wishing all our friends an excitement filled Christmas eve.   We are reading your blogs even if we don't have time for comments.

A Feline Friend on Friday

Kitties, we want to introduce you to our cousin, Katie.     She belongs to our Auntie M, who is the Mom of Flossie, who flew to the Rainbow Bridge last August.    We posted about Flossie here at that time.

For quite a while, Auntie M had no kitty, but she missed having a furry one to share her life and earlier this year she adopted Katie from a shelter.    Katie's previous owner had to give her up when she moved to a nursing home.    

Here Katie is enjoying snuggling in a fabric shopping bag!     This will be her first Christmas in her new home.   

   

Do You Believe in Santa Paws?

Kitties, we have no photographic proof.   It all happened so fast.   But this morning we were glancing out our back window when nine (yes NINE - Mom counted them!)   deer went through our back yard and quickly into the yard behind our house.     Now Mom had to check on Wikipedia just to be sure but this is what she read:

The names of Santa's reindeer are Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen,Comet, Cupid, Donder (or Donner), and Blitzen. They are based on those used in the 1823 poem A Visit from St. Nicholas, arguably the basis of reindeer's popularity as Christmas symbols, where Donner and Blitzen were originally called Dunder and Blixem respectively.

The subsequent popularity of the Christmas song Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer has led to Rudolph often joining the list.

So, my furry friends, that totals NINE reindeer!  Of COURSE Rudolph must be included!

Now we have to admit these were White Tail deer, not reindeer, but surely it cannot be a mere coincidence that 3 days before Christmas they were hurrying through our yard!   

Make of it what you wish, but tomorrow morning we are looking for a man in a red suit!    

Wordless Wednesday

Our Christmas Card

To all our friends, furry and human:

Please take a copy for your blog.     Thanks very much to Ann of Zoolatry for doing it for us.   We really like it!!!

Sunday at the Movies - Audrey and the Feeder

Kitties, you see, Audrey actually has a little PIGGY living in her tummy.  She is a total food hound and when she first came to live here,  Mom and Dad tried 2 or 3 regular meals a day, but she was still always pestering them for food.   And she would wake up very early in the mornings.  So the humans got her the same kind of automatic feeder she had at her other home and they have it dispense a small meal of dry food with some water on it at 12 noon, 10 pm and 5 am.    So when it gets anywhere near "feeder time" she lies in her beddie in the kitchen and waits for it.    On this occasion, Mom picked up the camera just before lunch and thought she would film Audrey's reaction when the feeder whirred to provide the lunch.   But here is what happened.    We think Audrey has psychic powers.   Have your sound on.

The label on top of the feeder is the instructions for our cat sitter for the one weekend the humans were willing to leave us.   It is quite complicated!

Tabby Cat Club on Friday

We have posted about waiting for Santa by our Christmas tree on the Tabby Cat Club Blog.

Farewell Sweet Admiral

Oh, kitties, we are feeling very sad today because we just got the news that our dearest sweetest friend Admiral Hestorb had to fly off to the Rainbow Bridge.      Her Mommy's heart is understandably broken.    Please go and pay a visit to her.

Admiral, fly high, fly free, be always well and happy!   One day we will meet at the Rainbow Bridge, for sure.

This is our favorite picture of Admiral, borrowed from her blog.    It shows the brilliant color of her lovely eyes, and her gorgeous creamy chin and bib.

Not at All Wordless Wednesday

Mom said she would feel guilty if she just posted a picture for me today, since she has NOT been posting every day, and has been seeming to pick days when it is simple, like Easy Sunday, Wordless Wednesday, etc.

Here is a picture of me napping next to /"on" Audrey's "snuggler" - I really don't know WHAT its name is, but it is like a sleeping bag with a stiffened opening.     Audrey has not gone in it since she moved here, though the fabric is nice and soft.   I like to partly lie ON it, like I am doing here.  I like the feeling of the soft fabric, and I enjoy the fact that the humans have put it near one of my favorite napping corners.

It has been getting much colder here, and so if we DO go on the deck, it is only for a short while before our toes start to feel cold and we come back in.   Winter is HERE, kitties!

The humans have our Christmas tree up in the living room (mostly Dad's work) and we can see it through the french doors but we have not been in there yet.    The LR is "off limits" for cats most of the time.     Mom does not want a cat to barf on the rug or the sofas in there.     And most of the "very precious items" reside in there ('cause Audrey would chuck them off anywhere else in the house as soon as she became just the slightest bit hungry, which is one hour after she has had a good meal.   She even pushes the water spray bottle off the counter in the kitchen, the one Mom uses to keep her in line occasionally.    She is telling the humans "that's what I think of your SPRAY BOTTLE!")

Easy Sunday Audrey Style

Here is another picture of Audrey taking advantage of the space between Dad's arms when he sits at the kitchen table.  The last picture showed Dad asleep with Audrey but this time Audrey is keeping Dad company while he is reading his emails on his apple iTouch.    She  will soon be fast asleep.    

Finally Friday

Kitties, Mom can't post my picture about it now, but I HAVE TO TELL YOU that yesterday my humans hauled me off to the v-e-t place!!   Oh, my, did I sing songs on the way there.  AND Dad did not warm the car up beforehand, so it was halfway there before the car was even semi warm (it was a super cold and windy day).

Here it may look like I was talking, but I was actually PANTING for a short while.   STRESS will do that to you,  kitties!

Anyhoo, I did NOT want to exit my PTU!      The v-e-t and Dad together turned the PTU on end and tried to pour me out, but I hung on for dear life inside.  The v-e-t was very kind, though, and took his time, and eventually I came out.

Even though I have lost 0.5 to 1 lb since last year, he said I look healthy and he thinks it is because of the change of feeding routines since Audrey came to live with us.     The humans discussed my vaccinations and together it was decided to keep my leukemia vaccine up to date by getting it once a year, but to let my distemper vaccine go for every 3 years, because I really hardly ever am outside.   My rabies vaccine lasts for 3 years and didn't need to be redone.

I was very very glad to come home and Audrey didn't even notice the v-e-t place smells on me.  In fact, for the first time last night she tried a couple of licks of grooming me!!    I was so surprised.

Wordless Wednesday with Audrey

Giving Mom "The Look"

Kitties, it is important to perfect the demanding look and the scathing look with the humans.     For example:

Audrey:  "Get off the computer NOW and FEED me!"

And Simba:   "Stop taking my picture and let me REST on this BLANKIE already!"

Sleepy Saturday at the Tabby Cat Club

We were very sorry to hear the news that one of the Tabby Cat Club's members, Opus, had to go to the Rainbow Bridge on Friday.     We want to dedicate our sleepy Saturday post to Opus.   Run free, dear tabbycat.

This is a copy of our Tabby Cat Club post for today here.    It is fun to see all the sleeping tabbies at the Tabby Cat club blog.    Here are two VERY sleepy pictures, one of each of us.    You can tell how tightly we are sleeping because we are curled into a ball, or at least a semi ball.   And our eyes are tight shut.

Audrey:

Simba:

Funny Photo Friday

We both like a good quick doze!   When Dad sits at the table doing things like making a shopping list, or making phonecalls, I like to snuggle in his arms and "help".     I guess dad got a little sleepy when doing that .....................

Please help in purring for our friend Ginger Jasper to get better.   He has been pretty sick and won't eat on his own. 

Some Words Wednesday

We love to go on the deck a LOT.   Before this recent warming trend, we had some cold weather, but we still persuaded Dad to take us on the deck early in the morning.     Audrey got chilly toes and climbed on Dad's lap.    She likes to do that!    You can see Dad even wrapped his feet up, it was THAT chilly!

Dad lufs us lots!

Mancat Monday

Audrey got yesterday's post all to herself (and her belly!) so I get today.   What fabulous weather we had this weekend!  It was up to 60 degrees F (that is 16 C for our overseas friends and relatives).     So we talked Dad into a few deck sessions.    If I do say so myself, I think this is a rather manly pose.   Note the ubiquitous cozy towel, because even 60 F is a little chilly on the wood.

The humans were quite busy with their church, helping out with the Advent Festival.   Lots of kids and their parents came and did fun crafts, and people made advent wreaths, decorated cards, made pretty ornaments, etc.    Now we realize Christmas is just around the corner.  YIKES!    Of course WE will do nothing unusual, but we know the humans have to go and get a tree and do cards, and all sorts of stuff like that.   And early December is always a big crush for the Mom at work.  

Happy Monday, everykitty!

Easy on Sunday, Audrey Style

Audrey is usually a tidy little sleeper, so Mom ran for the camera when she saw her snoozing away like this.   Note the curled back toes!     This is something that, I, Simba, may do on a regular basis, but not Audrey.

Have a very relaxed Sunday, everybody.   We finally got our delayed turkey dinner meal last night.  It was DEEELISCIOUS!   So we are still sleeping it off today.

Synchronized Saturday

Yes, we ARE a bit wimpy with our towels to keep our 'tocks warm.  But if Dad is willing to provide them, then why not sit on them?  

Happy Turkey Day

Look who decided to come visiting our garden on Wednesday afternoon:

We took one look at her and both thought "Fresh Hen Turkey!"
She must have heard our thoughts because she decided to make a fast exit through an opening in our back stone wall!

Wishing all United States kitties and their humans a very happy Thanksgiving.   We hope you get lots of turkey of your own to eat.

Sigh: lamo Mom.  She was supposed to set this to post tomorrow!

Our First Post at the Tabby Cat Club

Hi, kitties!    As we have told you, we joined the Tabby Cat Club.   The Club's first project is today, when we tabbies are posting about our WHISKERS!   So it is Whisker Wednesday!
If you click on this link, it will take you to the Tabby Cat Blog where you can read our post and those of the other tabby members.    Just to tease you, here is one of the pictures:

Happy Whisker Wednesday!

Easy on Sunday

Whew, it has been an exhausting week!      Dad has been doing a huge job clearing mountains of fall leaves and of course we have had to snoopervise him (NOT! - we slept!).   Anyway, just thinking about all that work Dad has done, today we have to get a good nap in.

And we have joined the TABBY CAT CLUB.   Our new badges are on our side bar, and by clicking on either badge, you can go to the club blog.     Yes, we know, Audrey is a very "dilute" tabby, but her tail in the picture just above confirms her stripeyness.   Calling all tabbies:   please join also!  Instructions are on the blog page - just email Gracie with a picture.     Some of our friends have joined already.   

Wordless Wednesday

Man Cat Monday

This picture was an out take when Mom was trying to get some 'tocks shots back in October.      It shows my tail off quite well, I think.

Admiral asked in comments how old a girl Audrey is, because she was pretty frisky playing with the leaves in the video.   Mom has back calculated and realizes Audrey is actually ELEVEN and a bit (in Mom's mind she was thinking ten).     My human sister got her in January 2001.      So she lived with her for more than ten years.      Audrey still has a lot of kitten in her.   She is older than me because I was born around January 2002.   My exact birthday is not known either but my humans got me in July 2003 and were told I was about 18 months old then.  

At 6 pm tonight (EDT) we will be trying to remember to join in the Worldwide Moment of Silence.  

PhotoHunt - Two

Here are videos of each of the TWO of us on the deck with the leaves.    There is one video Dad took of both of us but it is too big to upload.     Mom will have to try to do the YouTube thing some time, so as to be able to post longer videos.     

I also wanted to add that the auction for Margs Pets is going to be ending tomorrow.   With all the animals Marg takes care of, she has quite a lot of Vet Bills.   Marg is always very generous in helping to have auctions for other kitties.    This would be a great time to help her out and also bid on some great things.   But you will need to do so soon!   If you would like to just make a donation, that can be done through her website or through the auction site too. Click here to go to the auction site.   AUCTION 

11 11 11

Today is Veterans Day in the United States.   Huge thanks to all who have served in the past, and who are currently serving to help keep us safe.  We include thanks to all our allies: today is Remembrance Day in Canada and Armistice Day in the UK.     

Gardening Post Thursday

:::meowwww:::

Dad is home! So he let us out on the deck yesterday and we had fun sniffing everything and enjoyed the leaves before he blew them off the deck. Mom is still worried about a dangly branch but Dad still let us out.

He also took some video but Mom has to try some things to get the video uploaded. In the mean time, here are a couple of pictures of us out there.

Wordless Wednesday

Our branches

Kitties, LOOK at this pile of branches from all the tree limbs that came down in our yard! And there is another one a bit smaller too. You can tell how high the pile is by comparing to the mailbox. The pile is taller than Mom!

Our town is sending some strong men and trucks with chipper-uppers round to collect the branches and turn them into mulch. Mom was super excited because they may do our street first! So maybe by the end of today we will have a view of the street again.

*I* just want to be able to go out on the deck again. But Mom says No, not yet. There is a nasty dangly branch over the deck and she doesn't want it to come down a bash a human or a kitty. We still have much work for the tree "surgeons" to do.

Edited at 6 pm: Branches still here. I guess they weren't able to get started as soon as they hoped. Or some people called the town and said they had not had enough time to get their branches lined up at the curb. Maybe tomorrow?

Jack the Cat - Rest in Peace

Some of you may have heard the news already. Jack the Cat has gone to the Rainbow Bridge. You can read the full story on the Facebook site here

It is very very sad that all this happened to Jack due to being transported by plane. His human was moving to California and taking her two cats with her. Some will say that people should not send their cats in Cargo, but instead take them on the plane with them. However, as we have said before, currently the TSA make you take your cat OUT of his/her carrier when going through security. The same thing that happened to Jack could have happened if he had escaped from his human at security. Things need to change in how pets are handled when in cargo AND the security procedures.

Rest in Peace, sweet Jack. Be free at the Rainbow Bridge.

At least his human does not have to wonder whether he is alive and lost any more. And he died surrounded by love and caring.

PhotoHunt - LIght

We get great light through our dining room window. Especially good in the winter. This picture is from late last November. Mom is interested to see they gave me fresh nip last November. They didn't bring my nip plant inside for the winter last year, so it must have still been before frost last year.

Finally Friday

We just got our phone and internet back last night, so we are not in synch with posting for Dona Nobis Pacem today, though of course we do wish for Peace everywhere.

Things are getting more normal here, though our yard looks just dreadful - tree limbs everywhere. Yesterday a dangling branch detached from a tree in the wind and hit the roof and damaged the front gutter some, but fortunately the limb didn't hurt anybody when it came down to the ground. Another limb landed in the driveway, but again nobody was under it. It seemed to only take a mild breeze to shake these limbs free. The storm broke the tops of pretty much all the trees.

We have been doing a lot of THIS: actually though Mom doesn't have a picture, we have BOTH (me and Audrey) been on the sofa napping at the same time. That is a first!!

Yippyyay

We know it is Wordless Wednesday but we have to use some words to let our wonderfully supportive friends know that our power company came and sorted our street out last night. They took away the trees on the power lines and then strung a whole new electrical line for the street. We have lights! We have heat! Mom can make tea and coffee and toast! No phone or internet yet, but that's not so important.

Thanks to everybuddy for your lovely comments and purrs.

Still here

No electricity yet at our house. We are hunkered down for the long haul.

Here I am looking out the front door on Sunday morning. Most of the snow has melted now - there really wasn't that much. However the snow clung to the leaves and was too heavy for lots of the branches, so many of them broke. In the middle of this picture you can see our young flowering Kwanzaan cherry tree - its branches usually reach up to the sky, but the weight of the snow on them brought them all the way to the ground. Luckily they are young and flexible so none of those branches broke.

At the beginning of the snowstorm, Mom took this picture of our impatiens on the deck buried in snow. She thought it was rather pretty. That poor window box was smashed by a tree limb that came crashing down on that part of the deck railing, so it just looks like moosh now.

Added to answer a few of the comments: The deck railing held up fine. Dad built it super strong.
We don't expect power till near the end of the week.
No generator (Mom would be scared of one by herself, but wishes Dad was here and that we had one. But Dad says we would need special electrical work to have a generator connected to our heating system, which is gas, but needs electricity for the water pump).
Dad is away on a trip till next week.