Kitty Playpen

I have a special playpen for my cats. Most of them love to play in it by themselves or with a toy. I discovered their joy with it on day by accident. They would follow me in and jump into the tub, on day I tossed an empty TP roll in when Mittens was in the tub. This is one of her favorite toys, as it is cardboard and she can tear it up. As you can see in the picture of her she is having a good time with it.

Toys from milk jug.

Something else the cats enjoy is the top from a gallon milk jug, both the ring and the lid. I usually have a dozen under the fridge at any time. Also I created a little puck using the foil wrapper off of a Ding Dong, Mittens loves that one also.

                                    Mittens rabbit kicks TP roll.

I tried using the empty roll with some of the others but they were not that interested so one day I tossed in the puck, instant hit. Between that and the lid all the cats are entertained. I stopped using the TP rolls as I would forget and turn the water on soaking them. One day shortly after I started this I heard a loud noise coming from the bathroom, go check it out to find The Martian playing. Now when he gets board he will go in there and play by himself. The others still will not play with him, so this gives him something he can do on his own. As you can see by the photos most every one has a good time.

                                         Lil' Bit @ Play.

                                                     Lil' Bit again.

                                               Squirrel circles her prey.

                                                   She stalks it.

                                                She attacks.

                                          Oh oh the Diva noticed the camera. 

                                                Ugly has got it!

                                              Where did it go?

                                            The Martian has it on a roll.

                         The Twins checking out the racket in the tub.

Time For Loving

 I do not have a picture of this, wish I did. So just some misc pic's of them. Last night after getting out of the shower I sat on the bed to put on my socks. The Martian who always follows me out from the bathroom jumped up on to the bed to be next to me. He does this all the time, so nothing new there. After he walked behind me I laid back to give him some attention for a couple of minutes. When I sat up Squirrel was on the floor at the foot of the bed looking like she wanted to join me.

The Martian following me around the house.

So I got up put on my pants then sat back down. Now she does not usually jump up on the bed when I call her. Even though she looks like she wants to, at best when I give up and get up she will jump up. This time she did come up heading straight for my lap. So now I was petting a cat with each hand. Then Mizz Purrzzy came in wanting attention. She does not usually get on the bed with me, when she does it is just a drive by. She will jump up brush against me then back down. This time I was able to get her to stay.

Squirrel in her sink.

Mizz Purrzzy in a box.

She was at the foot of the bed laying on the edge on my right side, Squirrel was still in my lap. The Martian was on my right nuzzling against my neck and shoulder. What made this note worthy is that normally Squirrel would have jumped down when Mizz Purrzzy jumped up. Not only that, they were almost face-to-face being only about a hand width apart. Then after a couple of minutes of this, PLOP.

In bed by her self.

Lil' Bit in the recliner.

I turned to look, here came Lil' Bit walking around me to get to my left side. She is very energetic and restless so she would rub against my hand walk away then back again. Finally she settled down for some chin scratches. Now I have a cat in my lap, one in each hand rubbing my head and chin against a fourth. Can you say my hands were full. With all the NMK's (Not My Kitties) out side the only one missing was Mittens who was sound asleep in her tunnel.

Her regular night time spot.

Canon SX40 HS 12MP 35X Optical Zoom Digital Camera Black 5251B001

Tired out from play.

This was a very nice peaceful family gathering, of all most the entire group. Knowing that this would probably not happen again, I stayed there for as long as I could. Just giving each of them some love and attention. First scratching one chin, then rubbing anothers ear. This went on for about 10 minutes with the five of us. It only stopped because I had to get up. It made for a special and memorable moment. No sibling rivalries, not cat fights, no one running away, just all of them enjoying the moment. Maybe next time Mittens will join in, I can only hope.  

Early Mornings

 Each morning after I get up, straighten the bed, its bed time. When I go in to put on my shoes just before leaving the house to go to work, this is what I see. I guess they have had a busy night and are ready for bed. Probably still warm. I kinda of wonder if they will stay there all day. Mizz Purrzzy, who will not sleep with me, will take this time to lay on the bed. Same with Mittens, she is rarely on the bed. These pictures were taken over a few days time, each day roll call changed.  

Pretty, Lil' Bit cleaning her self, Mittens on right.

The Martian with Squirrel. 

Squirrel with Mizz Purrzzy who she usually avoids.

These two have gotten used to sleeping together.
Ugly in front The Martian in back.

Pretty the first one to bed each night and most mornings.
TJ on the right sometimes sleeps with me.

Two days later I had not picked up the old sheets.
The Twins were here when I got home from work.

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.

 

Dogcat

(I decided to do one long post instead of a two part)


I want to describe the behavior & characteristics of a pet I know, you tell me what kind of pet it sounds like. When I walk by he will reach out with his paws to stop me, to get my attention. He will follow me everywhere “Just like a little puppy”. Constantly behind me, if I turn around I just about step on him. Any time I am at rest he will lay his front half on me. If I am in bed he will lay across my chest, making it difficult to breathe with his weight on me. Sit down he will jump into my lap, put his paws on my solders pushing his face into mine. He will sit there and lick me if I let him. I can snap my fingers saying “Big boy, come here” and he will come running. I can guide him around by snapping my fingers. He likes to wrestle, ruff housing, and playfully biting although he does not chew on things much. Constantly wanting attention, if I sit forward with my arms on my legs he runs over and starts rubbing up under my hands. He will growl, murmurer, or grunt for attention, if I grunt back he will come running. He does not realize just how big he is, so will knock things over with his tail or by laying/rubbing up against it. So what is he a dog? Or a cat?

If you guessed a dog you were wrong, it is the Martian, a cat. So if you know anyone who wants a dog, let know. I have just the cat for them. LOL. Over all he is a good kitty, it is just that he can be a little overbearing at times. Unlike Mizz Purrzzy who is very jealous, always jumping in when I start to play with one of the others. He constantly craves attention. I don't know if it is because he is insecure after having been abandoned, and now having found a caring home and is afraid of loosing it. Maybe he is trying to show his appreciation. Might be a bit of loneliness as none of the others will have anything to do with him. They still dislike and distrust him, most of them will growl at him if he gets close.



 

Avoiding Lil' Bit!!



For being once feral, he really has turned out gentle. He does not seem to understand their dislike for him. (I think they may remember encountering him while he was still wild). Most of the time he will shy away when the get in his face. You can tell he is just trying to play, when he runs up to one of them. Some times he will join in when I get the string out. The others will usually stop playing walking away, maybe they will growl and take a swat or two at him.



 

Being ignored.



As you can see from my post, on the rarely mentioned cats, he managed to wonder his way into the topic. Each cat has different needs for attention, some just need me to lay on the floor next to them. Others need to spend some time in my lap, they all need some one on one time. Some will play in groups others just one on one with me. It is hard to get Lil' Bit to play when the Martian walks up, causing her to run away. Or when I get two or three cats chasing a string, only to have him jump in.



 

Fattening him up!



He is starting to get all the attention, with the others getting less. This has caused some confusion with him. I am constantly telling him no, go, get lost, go away, pushing him away, or chasing him off. Especially if I am training or correcting one of the others (getting them off of the bookcase, etc). It does not help either cat. I know this is not helping him with his insecurity, sometimes if I stand up quick or am walking through the house he thinks I am chasing him and will run and hide.

I do use a water bottle with the cats, I do not have to use it much anymore. Mostly it was for when the cats would pile up together in a fight. It is amazing how quickly it will break up a fight. But now Lil' Bit is very gun shy, if she hears it being used, even if she is in another room, she will run and hide. I don't want the Martian to get the same way, when I run to the kitchen, just because I have had to chase him away so much. It seems like I am constantly pushing him away due to his constant need for attention.



Pay attention to me.



He has a couple of other annoying habits I have been trying to train out of him. He is a biscuit maker, he will make enough for an entire regiment. When he first joins me in bed he will spend 3 minutes or more kneading ( I know I have timed him). To him it is serious business. Now that is not bad in general, except he will start several inches away from bare skin. Then he works his way up to my shoulder or if he is laying on the pillow next to me, the side of my face. I keep moving his paws back down and away, after a couple of times he will get upset. He will either start biting me or most times runs off thinking I am pushing him away again. Constantly pushing him away makes it hard to train him to stop as he gets confused thinking I don't want him in bed with me.



Semi peace.



Being as he was wild when I first encountered him he had little or no trust in humans. In many ways he is very gentle now. I can pick him up lay him on his back in my arms. He likes it when I rub up against him, he usually will rub his checks against my face. He will sleep with my arm around him or curled up in my lap if I let him. I think he could be an exceptionally loving cat given the right training and care. Only thing he still does not like his paws to be touched, he is unsure about belly rubs. He does not like his hind quarters messed with either. Which makes it hard to pick him up and move him just a few inches over, when I am trying to turn over in bed. He does not like to be petted past his shoulders, or on his side.

Any of the above actions upsets him, trying to move him over he will start growling and get mad. He sometimes will start biting, I have had him spend a moment gnawing on my arm. It is just a warning bite, usually it doesn't hurt much (he is not trying to hurt me, but his teeth are a bit sharp). He never breaks the skin, just enough to feel his teeth is all. I softly tell him no, or that is is OK, trying to reassure him. I will gently push his face away or scratch behind his ears to sooth him. Again constantly pushing him away throughout the day, makes it hard for him to understand. I am just trying to change his behavior not run him off. I am also trying get him used to being manhandled so to speak.



Getting some milk.



I think if the other cats would accept him more it would make it easier. Given enough time they might. After all Squirrel has learned to tolerate Mizz Purrzzy after living together for a year, she still wont play with her, but does come out more. If he would just learn to be more assured, and not constantly underfoot, I wouldn't have to keep chasing him away. Once that happens then behavior training would be more effective, he would understand that I am not trying to chase him away when I slide him over in bed. Or when I grab his front paws to move them off of my bare skin that he is kneading.



 

Checking the toys out.



I would try to find a home for him, if I thought I could find the right one. If I did though it would have to be to someone with a lot of patience and understanding. You do not need to yell or jerk you hand away when he starts to bite. He does not bite hard just a warning (He is missing his canines, both having broken off at some time) . He does not scratch, but might take a swipe at you with claws in, not out. He needs extra gentleness as he is still learning to live with humans and to trust them. He is mostly there, but he is very loving. You might even be able to teach him to play fetch. LOL



At Play.



Some times when he rubs up against my face I think he is trying to do what Mizz Purrzzy is doing when she does the same thing to Mama Mittens. She will rub the top of her head up under Mittens chin a couple of times. Then Mittens will start to bath her, licking with short strokes along the check or behind the ear. Then she will lay there letting Mittens clean her. I tried this with the Martian using my chin to mimic a tongue. He just laid down letting me continue like Mizz Purrzzy does. Maybe all he needs is a little extra mothering and comforting. It would be great if Mama Mittens would accept him as she has the others. She used to clean Squirrel all the time. I have even seen her do it to TJ and Ugly once or twice.



At rest.



Well that's my attention hog, my current problem kitty. This is just a brief description of the issues I am having with him. I am thankful though, in all it really is not that bad. Most of my problems with kitties are simple to deal with, usually easy to solve. I know many others have it worse, with sick and injured pets. My heart goes out to them and their little ones. Taking care of as many cats as I do I have had to deal with a few injuries, nothing real serious though. So I shouldn't complain too much. I have been very fortunate.

If anyone is interested in adopting the Martian leave a comment along with a way to contact you. I will get back to you, so we can discuss it. Thank you.
 
           

Sleepy Sunday

                          Pretty in the computer room.

                          Martian under the computer table.

                         Squirrel & Mittens next to me while I work.

                           Squirrel in the corner.

                       Mittens joins me while I shower.

     

Doorman

Pretty

It seems all I do some days is open and close doors for kitties. They must think I am their own personal doorman/servant/slave. Ugly will come to the door pathetically looking in until I open the door for her, then sniff at the door before walking away. Normally with in 5 minutes of having gone outside. Most of the time when she goes out she will just lay down off to the side of the door. She does the same thing at the window in the computer room, jumps up onto the sill but will not come in when I open the window.

I can go to the door, open it to let one cat in take a look in the back yard and 2 or 3 more are on their way. They seem to just be waiting for their opportunity, then they all come running in (chows on). Worse yet Pretty (Ugly's twin sister) will come in take a few bites of food. Then she will want right back out. Five to ten minutes later she will want in again, for another bite or two. Grazing through out the day.



TJ watching the others eat.



Other times I will let one of them in, look around, I will not see or hear any others so I will close the door. As soon as it is closed and I walk out of the kitchen someone else is at the door wanting in. TJ is the worst for bothering me when I am busy (he always seems to know when I am in the middle of something, sometimes I think he does it just to bug me). He will go out for 3-5 minutes then back in for 15-20 and out again, over and over and over etc. He can be insistent at wanting in too. If it is at night and I am watching TV in the front room he will “knock”. I have a large picture window about 6 foot high going from the floor up. It opens at the bottom so there is a screen on it he can reach. TJ will come up and pick at the screen (like when sharpening his claws), just a couple of pop, pop, pops to let me know he is there. He will keep doing it every couple of minutes until I let him in.

Most of the time the cats are just coming in to eat (I guess that also makes me a waiter), but sometimes they will come in for a while. Pretty will come in and play with the toys for an hour or so one toy she played with so much she broke it. It was a fuzz ball hanging from an elastic string attached to the top of the closet door. She hanged on it so much finally the plastic broke off at the top. Blackie will come in to sleep, especially if it is a hot day out. After a couple of hours cat napping she will be ready to go back out.

Usually when I am in the kitchen cooking it gets to be like Grand Central Station, what with cats coming and going. Open the door to let one out another one comes in. The same thing happens when I sit down at the computer to write. They will either pick at the screen door in the kitchen or jump up into the window and stare at me until I get up and let them in.

Not every day is like this, in fact most days are not so busy. Just yesterday and today it got to be really bad, so it was on my mind tonight when I sat down to write. I don't mind though, I know that just like kids they need a little extra love and attention. Also because of the rain I stopped feeding them outside, so now they have to come in to eat.



The Martian



Take the Martian for example, he was pretty wild when he first started showing up. I have been spending a lot of time with him and have gotten him to the point where I can pet him. Even pick him up if I need to move him, he won't let me hold him though. I have got him to the point where he spends 80% of the day inside now. When I let him out he will just lay down against the door after I close it. He is a lot calmer now after I have given him the care and attention he needed.



Tom (Thomas Cattacus)



I am a firm believer of keeping cats inside for their health and safety, all my cats are indoors only (That’s why I do not have a pet door). But besides my five my neighbor out back has 5 that they let run around unsupervised. Then there is Tom who may show up every day sometimes twice in a day. I do not know if he has another home or not but suspect that he does. That is because he may not even stop by for a week or more at a time, and he does not appear to be starving. Finally there is the Martian, who I know does not have a home. That is why I started trying to tame him. That makes 12 in all, seven of which are out door cats. So as you can see some times it can get really busy at the door.