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.

Daddy's Little Helpers

 There are 2 things I can do that will get the attention of every cat in the house. Then they come running, I don't even have to call them, they just suddenly appear. First anything having to do with food. If I bring groceries into the house they will ignore me (not all of them Lil' Bit always has to check out the shopping), but if there is cat food in the bags everyone is there. I don't know how they know it but they do. If I move a can of cat food they can hear it. Open a new bag of dry... well you can see in the photos.

Getting a new bag ready.

Can not wait for it to be put in the bowls. 

The second thing is make the bed. The can hear the movement of the sheets when I pull them off, even if I am just folding the sheets they come running. No matter how quite I try to be they still hear it, even when I can not hear anything. Then as you can see from the photos they try to help. I will toss the old sheets on the floor while I am putting the clean sheets on. Those that are over taxed from helping will use them to take a nap.  

Putting clean sheets on they make sure they are placed properly.

Mittens under the sheet.

Almost done

Just finished.

                                     

Ugly resting.

Pretty's turn for a much needed rest.

As you can see they were all very helpful.

Sleepy Sunday

How the day was spent.

Pretty & Ugly on my dresser.

Pretty and Mittens on the end table by the couch.

Lil' Bit in the recliner. 

Squirrel in the bathroom sink.

The Martian in the linen closet.

Sleepy Sunday

Once again everyone is enjoying a day of rest.

                               Lil' Bit woke up as I took the picture.

                             Finally she was able to completely relax.

                                          Blackie came in for the day.

                                        Pretty in her favorite spot.

                                  Squirrel sleeps with one eye open.

                                        Mittens is totally relaxed.

                            TJ and Pretty are not sure what to make of Mittens.

Hope you all had a nice peaceful weekend.

      

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.

     

Odds 'n' Ends



Squirrel on the counter.

 First I want to thank everyone for the comments about Squirrel. I wont tell her though because it will just go straight to her head. She already acts like a movie star. LOL

I wanted to post a movie and see how well it works. I just ran across it the other day. I took this a couple of years ago, when I first got my camera. It is just a still camera (8 megapixel), I noticed it had a film option. I tried it out to catch Girl in action. Milk is a finger food, as you can see. She eats milk with her paws (she is left pawed). That is the only thing she does that way, although once I did see her drink it like water. This was taken when she was still deathly afraid of Squirrel. If she knew Squirrel was on the bed she would have run and hid. I think if I had more light (my place is so dark inside) it would be less grainy.



Eating milk from a glass.



I want to get one with her and a tall empty glass of milk. She will delicately place her paw in the glass to get the last drops at the bottom. Or if I have a full one in the coffee table she will stand up with one paw on the table the other to eat with.



Dinner Time.



Well the kitties are not sure what is exactly going on. I think that they may be a little frustrated with me right now. I have switched them to a dry food only diet. I still have not found a job and am just about out of funds. So I had to cut back on costs, they still get their nutrients but this is cheaper. They are used to me opening 3-4 cans in the mornings when I wake up. Each morning they still gather around the food bowels expecting it.



Before, see how skinny.



The Martian used to eat 3-4 cans a day by himself. When I first started feeding him regularly he looked to be about half starved. You can see the difference in the two photos. What my cats would not eat from the cans the outside ones would finish off. I was going through 8 cans or more a day before the Martian showed up. Maybe the fat ones will get back into shape this way. If they do I might just keep them on dry food.



After, much healthier.



Pretty has started staying in nights, joining me in bed along with her twin Ugly. Both sleeping at the foot of the bed now that Martian has joined me. He sleeps with his head on my pillow, laying down after nuzzling and giving me a kiss. I will have to do a progress post on him soon, he has come a long ways.



Outside wanting in.



Mizz Purrzzy walked in a couple minutes ago meowing for me to play with her. I put her in my lap but she wont lay down or sit still. So I type a few words pet her a couple min back and forth between typing and petting. Of course this was just right after Lil' Bit jumped down. She joined me when I first started typing.

Mizz Purzzy says
Phbbt... to me.

I saved the biggest news for last. (Cat change Lil' Bit is back in my lap) Girl jumped at Lil' Bit. You know how a kitten will leap 2-3 feet to attack another one, trying to get them to play. Well night before last Girl did that, she leapt from the arm of the couch to the recliner to chase Lil' Bit. I had thought Girl had chased her before but this was the first time I actually got to see it. As usual that was the extent of her play 15-30 seconds before getting scared and stopping. Still it is a major leap forward for Girl. I told “M” and she asked if I had a heart attack when I saw it. It was so surprising and made me feel so happy and proud for Girl. I had to reward her and immediately gave her some treats.

 

Girl ignores the Martian.

Like I said just a few odds 'n' ends to update everyone on whats happening here.

  

Pretty Ugly



Sun Bathing



When two calico's showed up at the same time, I figured that they had to be related. Especially whenever you saw one the other was close by. The two of them were always together, when I would let one in the other one would follow. One was more hesitant and shy, but if her sister came in she would soon follow. I referred to them as the twins. As you can see the one has a richer more vibrant coloring of her coat. While the other cats coat looks duller almost sun faded. They played together, sunned together and walked over each other just like kittens would, inseparable.

Over time one of them would stay in longer, eventually hanging around more. I started to develop a fondness for her, being the duller looking of the two. When you look at her face she has a mark that reminded me of a mole. Some would call this a beauty mark, similar to the ones that women used to wear. Now a days moles are not considered very attractive, (usually found only on witches and such) so I named her Ugly. Being fond of her though I refer to her as “My Uglys”, we had developed a bond.



Ugly





I have been taking care of all the strays in my neighborhood, providing water and food for the last several years. I also have been getting them all spayed and neutered. Being short of funds when 3 of them showed up pregnant at the same time, I did not have much choice but to take them into the Humane Society and drop them off. My neighbor “M” helped me to pay the fees, and take them in. So I had to quickly come up with names for the other two. They shy one with the richer colored coat became “Pretty”. The third one being solid black got named “Blackie” after “Boston Blackie”. A series of 40's movies starring Chester Morris, as a jewel thief turned private eye, that I enjoy watching.



Blackie



 

We took them in on a Saturday, on the following Thursday all three showed up at my back door again, looking to get fed. That is when I found out that they belonged to a neighbor out back. Although I did not about all her cats nor exactly who she was until a couple months later when TJ got sick. Her 5 cats still come around regularly, with TJ and Ugly spending a lot of their time here.

 

For the last couple of months Ugly will sleep with me. If she has been out she will show up at night in time to go to bed. Usually she is already in (She spends 80% or more of her time in my house) she will soon join me in bed. I will look around the house before going to bed and not be able to find her. But before I can even pull the covers up she is right next to me in bed ready for sleep.

 

Pretty still comes around most every day but she just comes in to eat then right back out again. I feel somewhat sad that they seem to have broken their bond. I wonder if somehow I am to blame for it. I do try encourage her to hang around more, but it might be because so many other cats are in the house that she won't stick around longer. She still is shy around me as well as the other cats.

 

That is the story behind Pretty and Ugly.