An Upgrade

I liked my unicorn poop dishwasher magnet. But it fell apart numerous times during the process of being flipped. Attempting to crimp the cover to the magnet left it looking ugly and efforts to camouflage that made things worse.

At long last, tired of looking at the damage, I went Online and found a different style. The unicorn options weren’t as cute as what I’d had so I changed it up to a more practical design. There were several adorable options featuring various critters. This one fit our macabre sense of humor.

The knife is definitely dirty...
~evil grin~

Isn’t it funny that I purchased this on Black Cat Appreciation Day? Can you imagine what life would be like if felines had opposable thumbs?

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My Silly Girls

I adore how Terra's side-eye toward the camera make her look evil while her claws did not penetrate my shoulder in the slightest...

Polly has adorable "thumbs" while her
pollywogs outnumber them...

Dandelion is a huge goof that
defies this refined posture...

Do you know that still forming tadpoles are called polywogs? How perfect is that term for Polly's lesser toes?

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Polly, Don't Change

I wiped up a bit of fur off my comforter and immediately Polly acted interested. The title is what we say to her on a regular basis.

 

Do you think pets act cute on purpose? Can you spot the extra toes on her murder mitten?

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An Amazing Transformation, & One of My Cats is Next...

The spot on his pretty white skull cap is so unique...

The Girl with the Dogs is an awesome pet groomer I’ve mentioned before. A recent video featured this Alaskan Malamute. His undercoat was a disaster. By the time she finished blowing out loose fur there was enough to create a life sized model.

The change looks subtle; it was not...

It’s transfixing to watch and she says the process is almost as rewarding as the outcome. She wears what looks like a beekeeper’s hood until time for final brushing. The big baby’s whines also required her to don hearing protection and caused me to lower the TV volume.

Meanwhile I plan on transforming Dandelion. She has this super dense, almost microfiber layer that’s shedding like crazy. The stuff leaves snowdrifts on the carpet when she scratches herself. I don’t mind that so much as how it these fibers cover all textiles inside and out. When I’m sweating out in the garden and wipe my face on my sleeve… well… minor miseries commence. As soon as I can book an appointment with our pet groomer this girl is getting shaved down to her adorable pink hide.

Can you believe that huskies and malamutes are some of the whiniest drama queens? Have you seen any videos of their antics?

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The Most Recent Crisis Averted: Terra

I can’t believe an entire week has passed since my last post. I’ve been meaning to share this story as it kicked off my entire little series, so here goes.

As on many lazy afternoons I lay across my bed flipping a wand toy for Terra to chase. All of a sudden she let out an ear piercing scream. She allowed me to pick her up and put her on the mattress but struggled hard, hissing and growling.

The toy came with her and I soon saw why. Apparently she stepped on the clasp just so, opening it long enough to trap a toe. I ended up cupping her face with my left hand to keep from accidentally getting bitten.

We have played with this since, just not anymore that day...

The pain must have been excruciating. Not wanting to leave her like that for even a moment, I couldn’t reach out for help as my husband was asleep and would never hear me calling. Dandelion approached as I fought to free my girl. And finally, somehow, I did. After a mere moment Terra acted as if nothing had happened.

Do you think Dandelion was concerned or just curious? And how lucky is it that neither Terra nor I bled as a result of the melee?

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Crisis Averted, Part Two: Jezebel

All our kitties’ outdoor adventures ended after I saw what looked like rice on Jezebel’s backside. The same vet who cared for both Tilly and Luna confirmed a tapeworm infestation. Back home I vacuumed every crack and crevice of furniture and carpeting and made my decree.

I don’t know how sick she could have gotten left untreated but am grateful I got her an appointment so fast. Quite a scamp in her youth, she jumped up onto our fireplace mantel (!) numerous times. She broke a candle holder once and found the catnip bag ‘hidden’ up there on another occasion. ~rolls eyes~ We returned home from someplace or other to find the herb scattered all over the carpet and three very stoned cats. My saddest casualty was a beautiful Christmas cactus knocked down and broken to pieces.

Even when fading away she continued enjoying
many favorite lounging spots.

A focal point of our entryway destroyed, at least it landed on linoleum. She’d been found by friends a few blocks away as an older kitten and lived a long, long, easy life. Inevitably her body became frail and thin but we believe that adopting Terra and Polly invigorated her until old age overtook our sweetie. I have video of my husband hand feeding all three treats and Jezzy was very much engaged.

Why do graceful felines sometimes become the proverbial bull in a China shop? Can you guess I wouldn’t have wanted Jezebel any other way?

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Crisis Averted, Part One: Tilly

With a little more than a quarter century of pet stewardship, I’ve seen several close calls. I didn’t intend this to be a series on my silly blog, let alone a string of eulogies, but an event Thursday afternoon started me thinking. And here it is. I hope it’s not too tedious.

Tilly was especially adept at proving cats have nine lives, especially when we hadn’t yet learned not to let our cats outside. One day she got scared up a tree by a German shepherd. I didn’t realize this fact until walking onto our second story deck, noticing her high above next door, and then seeing the dog.

I quickly descended our stairs and stood on uneven ground at the base of said tree encouraging her to climb down. Holding a towel intended to cuddle and comfort her once safe on the ground, instead I watched horrified as she slipped and fell. In the blink of an eye I somehow turned the towel into a safety net and caught her without us tumbling down the slope.

Another time we were out having breakfast with my parents when an ominous feeling sent my husband racing home. He found Tilly downstairs with a deep throat slash and raced her to our veterinary clinic. Bless him, he likely saved her from bleeding out. To this day we don’t know what happened. All three had been outside the day before and came inside seeming fine, so perhaps Jezebel accidentally snagged her neck during a rough overnight wrestling bout. How even a razor sharp claw could cut through Tilly’s thick wooly coat… again, we have no clue, but something did.

Our sleepy old girl with slowly balding hindquarters...

Tilly lived until the end of 2019 and died peacefully at home before our sorrowfully planned euthanasia. What amazes us to this day is that she ran to jump into my husband’s lap the night before passing away. Our loveable goof lived to twenty plus years of age, her health only failing in the last few months.

Is it not bittersweet when a pet passes like that? And isn’t it sad that my husband never experienced this before Tilly?

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Two Furry Friends

One new green pal has potential to provide tasty tomatoes this summer. I am pleased that buds are forming already.

Their fuzzy appearance is cute while a close-up reminds
me of Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors...

This blissful perpetual kitten I filmed likes huffing catnip from a toy Halloween treat bag. It has a jingle ball inside. Twice now I’ve seen Polly momentarily get it stuck on her head.

Have you been following any of the ongoing space exploration? And on an earthly note, do you think Polly stuck her face in so far because the months old ‘nip is losing potency?

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Waylaid

With a laundered comforter, basketful of fresh sheets and pillow cases, I intended to make the bed this afternoon. But upon entering I found Dandelion tucked between the balled up comforter and one of the pillows.

What near perfect camouflage…

I adore how one paw is curled over her upturned toes...

Who could roust such a pleased and comfy critter? Doesn’t the word camouflage have one of the most awkward spellings?

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My Furry Houdini

Acclimating my plants to the outdoors (Yay!), I move them through our walkout basement onto the back patio. It’s easiest leaving the sliding glass door open in the process. Preventing our cats from getting out has an easy solution. I close the door at the top of the steps.

Left to right: pepper, cucumber, & tomato
all still have growing to do...

It didn’t quite latch one day, which I knew but wasn’t concerned. Everything locked up and plants nestled back into their little greenhouse, I headed toward the steps. The wide open door caught me by surprise. Surely my husband hadn’t woken from his nap and opened it. He would understand why I shut the door.

At the top I found Dandelion, who promptly got the zoomies while the sisters remained sound asleep. She is long legged, strong, and has big paws with claws to match, so she must have hooked the edge of the door and simply pulled.

Mischief & zoomies over;
time to nap now...

Dani certainly has done a number on the carpet outside the master bathroom. I finally laid down a wooden transition strip to both further prevent and hide the damage. When used for good, these feet are adorable.

 

It was lucky I rediscovered the thing. Even better was the perfect fit. While longer than the bathroom doorway is wide, it slid perfectly beneath our pocket door.

What is the oddest way you ever repurposed an item? Have you ever seen a pocket door?

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An Early Morning Mystery

After Dandelion joined me on the bed this morning I didn’t notice at first that she had dark brown staining behind her right ear. I can only imagine Terra or Polly swatted her ear and drew blood sometime overnight.

She ate kibble as if nothing happened...

My husband asked if I wanted to make a vet appointment. She acted her normal self, even alongside the sisters, so I didn’t see the point of stressing her. Dani later cleaned up a good portion of the stains.

The three have been doing so well. I hope this is an anomaly. At least Dandelion’s blood didn’t spatter the ceiling as happened years ago. That night she ran high onto a cat tree and swatted at her tormenters with her wounded paw. Ugh… Worse still, our beloved angel Tilly once received a mysterious slash to her neck.

We had no idea at the time, though she acted a bit uncharacteristic. My parents were visiting and the four of us went out for breakfast when my husband decided to leave and check on her. He discovered her downstairs, bleeding.

Aren’t I lucky to have married a man with great instincts and even greater compassion? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all beings who lack communications skills could express themselves?

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Pre-Vet Visit Nail Trim

Despite the side-eyed expression, she was a doll...

Kitties in Repose

These three cats make me laugh every day. I cannot imagine life without them.

Are crossed paws not the cutest?
(Dandelion)

Do you see the milk dots on her nose?
She only gets a taste, by the way...
(Polly)

Doesn’t she look contemplative?
(Terra)

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Repurposing with a very Specific Purpose

Sitting in my comfortably warm brick home electricity on and backup heating solutions in place this afternoon, I heard the most pitiable cat cries outside. I’m not aware of many strays around and our winters tend to be mild. But tonight’s forecast predicts icy wind chills as low as 15 degrees Fahrenheit below zero.

I tracked the sound and stepped onto our back patio but the yowling had stopped. Regardless I called out, willing to let the poor creature into our basement and deal with any future consequences after this weather emergency. Shivering, I stepped back through the basement sliding door and wandered in search of sheltering possibilities.

My eyes landed upon a tall litter box that our girls left untouched. I covered the unused litter with two outdoor seat cushions, overlapping them at the bottom while tucking the rest up each wider side. Scrounging two soft foam packing pieces from amidst old computer boxes, I wedged them into each narrow end.

Once complete, top latched into place, this makeshift shelter got placed near the freshest prints. I’m crossing my fingers that this might do some good. I need to plan ahead for potential future emergencies.

Those poor, cold toes...

I’d appreciate any feedback from all those heroic folks helping animals year round that might read this humble post. Please be honest if my efforts today are misguided.

Can you imagine how wild critters survive such extreme weather anomalies? Are you surprised that I wouldn’t last long trapped in an unforgiving wilderness?

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Unintended Consequences

When my very old Kindle Fire finally died I figured we could do without. E-books are accessible on my phone, after all. My guy had other ideas. We often play Scrabble on it while dining out and he didn’t want to give up that tradition.

He found a decent deal and I discovered a new addiction. Love of language and word play led me to the game Word Carnival. I refuse to either spend money on this or watch their obnoxious advertisements.

Instead I simply take my Kindle offline. At least, that is, until I’m utterly stumped. Watching an ad or two grants me ‘gems’, fifty of which give useful hints. Then I log off again to resume play.

Why I still can't upload video stumps me. Oh, well.

It’s a first world problem, isnt’ it? Does it surprise anyone that moving graphics sometimes enchant Dandelion?

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Polly the Punk

For several minutes Dandelion and Polly peacefully shared a tabletop the other day. Then I turned and found this little hooligan alone.

I like how this closeup makes the harmless
fluff ball look menacing...

Isn’t it nice that Dandelion didn’t let this stop her getting a drink? Do you think she will ever join in our younger twins’ play fights?

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My Little Baker

Terra definitely enjoys being the center of attention. My husband enjoys urging her to knead my flesh before I get out of bed. Waiting until my guy left the room a few mornings ago, she accepted his invitation.

Doesn’t she look pleased? Are you at all surprised that most of my smart phone usage involves recording our pets?

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Sweet Dreams

It’s always an endearing compliment when a pet goes into REM sleep. Dandelion went there the other evening. 

What do you think she dreamed? Have you seen the following video?

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Seriously?

When my husband showed me an image of a cat shaped gravy boat I assumed it was fake. But it’s available on Amazon.com here if you want to take a peek. I also found a YouTube video, which I advise skipping if you have a weak stomach.

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Final chance to look away.....

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Who do you think would buy this? Who would even dream up such a thing?

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My Little Helper

I was in the kitchen making a grocery list and moved away to check my spice cupboard. After taking inventory, I turned around and saw this…

Remember to get treats, Mom...

Do you think Terra really is trying to tell me something? Or is her (most likely) motive a plea for attention?

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