Special Dinner Guest



 Everyone gathers around.

 Sorry I have been away so long, things just kinda of got busy for a while. Anyways on with the story. Normally when I get home I will open 6 cans of wet food, one for each of my cats. I put one in the bedroom which is where Girl eats. She is afraid to eat with the others, over night while they sleep with me they will finish off the can. In the mornings I would place a new can in the bedroom. To keep the others away I have to open a couple of more for them. Once they walk away I let the others in for the night, so they can eat.





Waiting to be fed.

 I usually clean house the night before my last day at work, so I can come home and relax for my day off. When I do this I do not feed them until I am done, then the outside kitties get to come in and finish it off. Just recently we had to start short rations again, which means I only open 6 cans a day. So each evening they each get one can then nothing more until the next night. I always have dry and water out along with leaving the toilet lid up, which Martian prefers.



 Whats this....



 Who is this stranger??

 They had been on this schedule for about a week when my hours changed again. I also stopped on the way home which meant I got a late start cleaning. While I was waiting for the kitchen floor to dry I was on the computer. At my window was 4 of the outside cats wanting in. Feeling sorry for them I let them in, deciding I could open a few extra cans. Everybody was hungry, not yet used to the new feeding schedule.



  The crowd gathers 'round.



Still eating!

As you can see in the first couple of pictures, most got up onto the counter where I put their food trays while I mop. Once the floor dries I put down new trays (cat food boxes). You can see the outside cats eating the dry. Just as I was getting ready to put some food out someone new came up (see third pic) looking to eat. I told you they were hungry. Poor Girl must have been starved for her to brave the clowder. (On a side note I often worry that she is getting enough to eat. I will often spoil her feeding her when ever she asks by putting her in my room and closing the door so she can eat)




Trying a different can.



 Surrounded!

 You can see in the fourth pic everyone is checking out the newcomer. The next few pictures are to show how brave she was. She was determined to eat no matter what. A couple of times someone would get too close and she wood swat at them. Not used to this from her they quickly backed away. I am so proud for her. Even though she still was leery she did not give up. In the last couple of pictures you can see just how nervous she was. I tried to get a couple to show her stance, ready to flee.



Ready to run!!



That was just over a week ago, I have only fed her in my room twice sense then. I have caught her sneaking back from the food area a couple of times after getting seconds. I have had to coax her by calling her over then sitting down while she eats. Most times I will place her can away from the others and sit between her and them. She is starting to learn that the others ignore her especially when they are eating, even though she is some of the others favorite toy. Squirrel, Pretty and Mizz Purrzzy will lay in wait for her to come out of the bedroom and chase her. Not a serious attack but not for play either, more like bullies. They pick on her because she will run once they scare her they are done.



Alone at last.



I know it might be a bit mean to force her this way, but I think it is good for her. Every once in a while when I feel she is ready for the next step I will practice some tough love on her. Like when I got tired of chasing her down to feed her forcing her to only eat in the bedroom. When she came out the other night she showed me she was ready to start eating with the others. Who knows maybe in another year or so she will start playing with them. Right now though she still slinks over to the food bowls.

     

Sleepy Sunday

Once again while I have to go off to work everyone else gets to lay around the house.

                                          Squirrel looking silly.

                    Mittens and her shadow Mizz Purrzzy taking over my shoes.

                                           Mittens on the counter.

                                          Mizz Purrzzy had a ruff night.

                                         Girl content on the couch.

                                           Martian hides in the bed.

                                            Pretty in the tunnel.

                                         TJ finds a spot on the floor.

     

My Uglys



All alone.



I suppose sometime I should write a note on how I go about naming cats. Usually I will wait until the “right” name comes to me. I have not always kept with this as is evident with Girl. The one I get the most response to is Ugly. When I took her into the vet they said that she is not ugly but that she is pretty, I had to tell them that was her sister not her. Here I hope to explain how and why I came up with the name.




In her box.



Webster's Unabridged Dictionary defines ugly as 1. very unattractive; offensive to the sense of beauty, and beauty as 1. quality present that gives intense pleasure. Many things are considered ugly such as a mole. Often depicted with a hair or two growing out of it. For a while they were all the fashion called a “Beauty Mark”. Women used to put fake ones on as part of their makeup, but they had to be flat, not protrude out. Mostly though they are considered just plain ugly.



See the "mole" under her left eye?



As a boy I remember mom making me throw out my faded ugly t-shirts. Old faded clothes, paint jobs on cars & houses are considered by many to be ugly. Old pieces of junk sitting in the sun are faded, falling apart and ugly. After all who wants something that is faded out and ugly. Growing up witches were considered ugly (much unlike the modern sexy ones of today) especially at Halloween. Most often depicted in a sickly faded green color with a wart on the nose and a mole on the chin or cheek. Think Witch Hazel from Bugs Bunny, or in the Wizard of Oz. Most all witches were portrayed as ugly people in charter as well as looks with few exceptions. Lastly cats are not exactly the most favored of pets. More people fear and hate them than they do other pets, unfortunately.

Faded coloring.

So what did I learn from society while growing up? That moles along with faded items are ugly, that ugly items are unwanted, disliked. When I look at her what do I see? Faded coloring on this Calico, I see what appears as a mole under her left eye, and she is a cat. Being a long haired cat, when she first showed up she had mats in her hair, was unkempt and dirty. Over all looking unwanted and uncared for, immediately my heart went out for her. Feeling sorry for this poor rejected kitty, I soon befriended her. She and her twin Pretty were inseparable, until I started spending so much time with her. (I have sense corrected this, both are back together. Although Pretty's name was given with out much consideration.)



Faded compared to her sister.



On the surface this may seem cruel and mean, to name her ugly. By societies definition she fit the bill. I figured she was unwanted because of that. I later learned from the boy that lives next door, she was one that they were “unable to get rid of”. Which proved I was right she was unwanted.



In another box.



You need to know that in many ways I am a contrary type person. I named her ugly because society deemed her so, but I did it to throw it into the face of societies preconceived notions. “Be careful its not polite to say that” is what many say but not what they think. Well they may have deemed her ugly, but I set out to prove that really she is not. I feel a special bond with her, for being different from what is considered acceptable.



My beautiful Uglys.



I don't care what everyone else may think. She is very loving, sleeps with me every night without being called to bed, plus she rarely ventures far from my yard. Ugly is beautiful!! After all she is my Uglys, and I love her.

      

Sleepy Sunday

Spotlight this week is on Lil' Bit & Ugly. Both of them can get comfortable anywhere. Bed is anywhere close when the Sleep strikes.

                                            On the washing machine.

                                         At the door to the bathroom.

                                              On my dresser.

                                            Or on the recliner.


      
 

Black Cat Brown

As some of you may know I live in the desert southwest, southern Arizona to be more precise. This first picture is one of my back yard, it is typical of most yards around here. See all the greenery, nope it is just brown. Grass is something we hear about or see on TV. So far this year I think we have had around one half inch of rain. Dust is a big problem, no matter how much you clean you just can not get rid of it. In some parts of town it is as fine as talcum powder.

Really, she is solid black.

You might wonder what all that has to do with black and brown cats. Well as you know cats love to roll in the grass, except we have no grass near by. We have only weeds, leaves, and dust. Lots and lots and lots of dust. So what is any respectable left cat to do? Take a dust bath!

Feed me.

Last night while I was cooking dinner, Blackie came to the back door wanting in. I opened the door and this is what I found. She was all ready and eager to come in to get a bite and out of the sun. I told her I would not let her in until she cleaned her self. Poor thing I tried to help by using my hands to brush her off, to no avail.

Pest.

(I have got some help typing. The Martian climbed into my lap and is using his right paw to try to type. He alternate it with using all 4 to push my hands away from the keyboard. If I ignore him long enough he nips at my arms to get my attention)



Ashamed.



Back to the story. So not wanting to miss an opportunity I grabbed my camera and went outside to take some pics to share. While outside I met “R” the father of the woman who “owns” Blackie. We got to talking about the Martian, he did not know that I was able to tame him. So I let him out for “R” to see. Know what the first thing he did was? That's right, he took a dust bath. I did not get any pics of him though.



Let me in.



Anyways being the softie that I am, after an hour or so I let Blackie in. She went in and out a few times, before deciding to stay in for the night. She does not normally stay in very long, maybe she was just trying to butter me up. Oh well tomorrow is the day to clean house anyways. She always knows when I clean and will roll around in the leaves before wanting in. Everything sticks to her long hair.



How do I look? Did I miss a spot?



I hope you get as much of a kick out of the brown colored black cat as I did. She did such a complete job of it, only missing part of her face.

I don't care what you think, I had FUN!!
Now let me in!!

P.S. Blackie looked fairly clean this morning when I put her out before going to work.

 

Sleepy Sunday

This week is dedicated entirely to NMK's (Not My Kitties). No matter how much they beg, pester, or bother me to go outside they never go far. Most of the time they stay in my back yard, You would think that they have adopted me or something. Especially TJ who knocks on the front door when he wants in.

                               Blackie taking a bath before nap time.

                   Starting to get hot out so Blackie spends more time inside.

                                             Ugly has found a perch.

                                            Pretty not far from the door.

                                         TJ is on the fence about things.

                                                       Tunnel time.

                                                         My turn.

                             Rare pic, Lil' Bit starting to get along with Ugly.