Silent Saturday

THANK YOU!

Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their Naming Stories with us.  We really loved them!  The Mom was right (for once!), they are purry interesting!  Some were unexpectedly sad, like Abby's.  Our hearts hurt for the little girl who was forced to give up a beloved pet at the whim of her cold hearted father  (How much better for you, sweet little Abby!  People can be so mean to animals they don't like.).  Or cute and clever like MoMo and Princess Grace of Carolina.  Or they speak of love like Ernie, Wally or HannyWanny (yes, Hannah, it does).  Reading the Meezer Tails names was a stroll down memory lane. The Mom had forgotten the stories (just how typical!) until she reread them.  She laughed when she remembered little Billy SweetFeets Norton Gingersnap's wet feet!  He was so tiny when he was rescued his name could be wrapped around him many times.  And his Gotcha Story is one of her favorites!

Marg, we'd love to hear your Naming Stories.  Maybe a couple at a time...we bet you have some good ones.  Try the persimmons, the donks & goats are on to something!  They are very delicate, a little like a peach, but they need to be ripe & soft or you will really pucker!

Momo, we were really excited to hear "Mini" was one of your names!  YES!!!  It is so fitting!

So thanks to all again!  We could have read Naming Stories all night .  We hope you enjoyed them too.  Thank you for taking the time to write.  Maybe some time we'll do nicknames!  Won't that be fun??

We might only be around sporadically this weekend. The Girl is coming home from college for a long weekend.  Time to get out the flicky toys and nip!  Woo Hoo!

Thinking Thursday....

What's in a name?

The Mom has been thinking (Careful!).  She's been thinking there's lots of interesting stories behind kitty names.  So she would like to hear Naming Stories.  She thinks they could be as good as Gotcha Stories.  Here's ours:

Oui Oui:  My real name is Sweet Pea.  The Mom liked Jubilee better cause I ran and ran for 20 minutes when I first came to my home (it felt that good to be out of a cage) but she was over ruled by the Girl.  I was always happy and ready to play, and never said "No" to any play time.  So she started calling me "Yes Yes" in French (its said with a French accent, of course!).

Mica Minnie Moo:  The rescue people called her Mica.  The Mom & Girl thought it was a pretty name.  All kitties with tortie markings or calicos have had "Minnie" as part of their name in honor of the Mom's granny.  The granny called all kitties "Minnie" or "Minnie the Moocher" no matter what their real name was.  When the Mom's Mom was adopted by a tortie, the tradition started.  There's been Minnie, Minnie Pumpkin, Minnie Cooper and now Mica Minnie Moo.  Mica Minnie or Minnie Mica didn't sound right, so Moo was added to her name.

Carlos Raphael Camaro:  The Girl named him after a little boy she knew and the (Baltimore) Orioles slugger Raphael Palmeiro, but she didn't quite get the name right (she was only 5).  Famous baseball player or sports car, they're both manly!

Julie:  Real name Jewell.  She was cute, she was adorable, and the Mom needed a name quick.  The girl at the V.E.T.s spelled it with 2 L's.

That's it.  What are your naming stories?  We'd love to hear!  In a comment or a post, we'd like to know!

WAITING WEDNESDAY

Mica Minnie Moo muses.  Will the Mom ever come home from work??

Twinkle Toes Tuesday

So I have a deal with the Mom.  I can put my toes on the table when I sit in her lap, if I stay off everything else at other times.  I just LOVE this deal!  I get to put my feet on the table RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER - NO YELLING "Hey! Get down!"  And I can do whatever I want when she's not around (JUST LIKE BEFORE!).  What's not to love???

Here's some pix of me showing off my Twinkle Toes if you don't believe me.  (I wouldn't believe it without evidence either!)

Really!  What was she thinking?

MANCAT MONDAY

PRACTICING THE STINK EYE!

Mancat work is never done.  Keeping the perimeter safe, tasting food and snacks first to make sure they're safe to eat.  Finishing all the food and snacks if there's any doubt.  Serenading the ladies at any hour.  Finding new and exciting napping spots.  Its a lot of work!  A mancat needs to look manly too, and the proper stink eye can be an invaluable aid.  So practice as often as you can!

 Practice, practice, practice 

Use whenever necessary

The time will come when you'll need it!

Easy Like Sunday Morning

THE LOVEY

This is my Lovey.  My first, oldest, favoritest and best loved toy.  I've had it since I was a tiny kitten and first came to live at home.  Its as old as I am (5 years).  I never tire of playing with it.  Or sitting on it, even sleeping on it.  It was lost for a while and when I found it one day, the peoples were happy to see it too!  Now the Girl keeps it in a safe place for me.  I found the place recently and the Mom saw the Lovey in the hallway (I am not too good at picking up after myself).

I am never too tired to play with my Lovey.

The Mom bought a bunch of loveys like the real one, and while I like them a lot, they aren't the same as The Lovey.  Old friends are the best!

FORMERLY FERAL FRIDAY

(Mica Minnie Moo)
I have to talk fast cause the Lady is yammering about some award.  Its been hard to find the room to talk here at Twinkletoes.  There are so many kitties and the Lady is all Blah Blah Blah.  She could go on for weeks without a breath!  But finally!  I wanted to say I've been giving the Lady head bumps and cheek markings.  She smells much better now so I've allowed her to scratch me if shes sitting in a chair and its not too bad, it actually feels sorta good.  She hasn't tried to grab me or bake me in a pie.  I've even rolled on the floor a little.  I don't let her do it if she's standing, and maybe I never will.  I've been snuggling and head bumping at night more than I used to.  Honestly!  I surprise myself!  If it gets to be too much I still jump off the bed for a while, but I come back.

When the Lady says my name, I pretend I don't hear.  She doesn't even get an ear flick.  Maybe she'll get those cricket sounds, you know?  She told me she knew better, then one day I forgot and came over.  I really blew my cover!  I don't know what's gotten into me lately, but she better not expect me to come all the time. I may not feel like it!  I think it made her happy cause she said it was about time.  Silly bean!

The Mom wants to say thank you to all the kitties and moms who have given her advice about her stove and how to post the award, among other things.  She figured posting the award wasn't too hard, but wasn't sure how to do it.  The other day Cat Wisdom 101 gave us the award which we appreciate and feel honored to have.  There are many kind and sweet people in CB, so it was difficult to know who to pass it on to.  There are so many worthy people!  The Mom picked 2 people who have unselfishly helped kitties in need.  The first person is Marg who, without a second thought, took in Maggie & Mahoney, and would have taken on the rest of the family if it had been possible.  The second person is Lucy's Mom.  She took in Annie knowing she would require expensive surgery.  Many people would never have considered helping an animal like Annie.  There was no time for Annie, Lucy and her Mom to develop an emotional bond or even much of a relationship.  Both of these women are motivated by the bigness of their hearts and they should be an inspiration to us all.  They are to me!

Adopt A Less Adoptable Cat

Also, we have some exciting news about an award from Cat Wisdom 101 at the end of the blog!

OLDER CATS

The Mom has had many kitties over the years, and she'd like to talk about 2 of them.  They were both favorite kitties who ran to the bridge many years ago but whom she still misses.  The first one was Robbie, a happy little tabby who adopted the Mom when he was about 1 year old.  The other, Lumpy, was adopted by the Mom when he was 8 years old. The younger kitty died of leukemia when he was 7, and the older one lived until he was 18.  Her point is the age of the kitty is no indication of how long they will be with you.

September 22, 2000 was the day Lumpy passed away from kidney failure and cancer.  It took a lot to overcome him cause he was a tenacious fighter.  The Mom talked a little about him in an early blog, but this is his story.  He had a hard start in life, and many quirks later on (which also made him an undesirable cat).  The Mom's sister found him in Morgan City, Louisiana crawling out of a bayou across from where she worked.  He had been torchered and thrown from a moving car.  He was missing teeths and furs from all over his body.  He was covered with lumps (its how he got his name) and his chin was 3 times its normal size.  Whatever they did to his paws, the pads were deformed the rest of his life.  The sister had him for a few years, but couldn't keep him cause they couldn't have pets where they lived.

Lumpy knew his place in life, and no one was going to usurp it.  He gave way to no one, in particular were the battles over who was going to sit where.  If he wanted a spot, it was his.  You could sit on him, he wasn't moving.  A compromise was the best one could hope for, fortunately he liked being a lumbar pillow and would purr happily for hours behind someone's back.  He had his spot at night too - partly on the Mom's arm, head on her pillow & under the covers.  A couple of V.E.T.s said he was part Meezer.  He didn't look like one, but he was always long, thin and lean with the skinniest tail ever.

We apologize for the pix.  The Mom dug out some old ones and took new pictures of them so she could post them.

Lumpy (on the bottom) certainly didn't give way to other cats.

He wasn't going to give way to new born babies either (this is The Girl).

The Mom's sister at her baby shower (a different sister than the one who rescued him).  You see who's on the edge of the couch.

IN OTHER NEWS Cat Wisdom 101 has passed an "You are an Inspiration"  Award to us!  We are so honored!  We think purry highly of Cat Wisdom 101 for the thoughtful and insightful articles (as well as their beautiful cats). Layla does such a wonderful job!  We just can't say thank you enough!  One day, the Mom may be able to down load the award onto this site.  She's a little goofy that way.  Maybe someone knows how?

This Goes Out To...

NICKY AT MEEZER TAILS!!!!

Yesterday little Nicky complained his much bigger, fluffier orinch brother Billy smooshes him.  Well, Nicky, I feel your pain!  The Mom woke up one morning and found this at the foot of the bed.  I don't know how Mica Moo holds her tail up after that shot!  The Mom couldn't sleep after seeing it (as if we would let her).

We know your brothers think you're a pest but we think you are cute!

TWO FUR TUESDAY

There are 2 cats in this photo. Sweet little Oui Oui loves to sleep in and under things.  As much as Oui loves to crawl under things, Mica Moo likes to walk on her when she does.

Really, Mom, did you have to?  If its not Mica Moo, its you!

MYSTERY CAT THEATRE - Conclueshun

We really enjoyed the comments, and loved other kitties thoughts and reasoning.  The votes are in and by a very narrow margin, the popular candidate was sweet little Oui Oui.  However, here our suspishuns fall on Mica Minnie Moo.  First we would like to make 2 statements for the record.  One, no one will be in trouble, even if they were caught red pawed.  We've had too many kitties for that.  The Mom is really worried about someone burning their toes and isn't sure if anything can be done to keep her off.  Its a flat top stove and the burners stay hot for long time.  The other thing we'd like to say is, like so many times with kitties, the evidence is circomestandshial. So our best guess could be wrong.

Here is our reasoning, and how we eliminated kitties, in increasing order of speculayshun:

1 - Julie was in the basement.  She must be kept away from Mica when no one's home.  Its a walk out basement, with a big French Doors Kitty TV, fully carpeted and furnished.  There's even a piano, so its a fitting accommodation for a queen.  Its nice and quiet and those commoners don't pester her there - its a fav with her.

2 - Carl has never jumped on anything in his life but a bed.  Its part of the reason he earned an 8 on the fat scale.

3 - While Oui Oui will jump on things, she isn't known for whapping things off.  She could have done it, but it seems unlikely she would have knocked 4 items off the counter in just a few days when she never whapped anything down before.

4 - Its hard to know where to start with Mica Minnie Moo.  From the first she's knocked things off shelves, counters and dressers.  A few items have broken.  She's visited the kitchen counters often looking for and actually stealing food.  Her signature move is covering stuff up (like the box and the paper towel that were whapped off together).  After this series started, the Mom heard a soft "plop" in the kitchen.  She tried to take a picture, but Mica is too fast for the camera (the stinky little one on her phone). But only one kitty has toes like in the photo.

So in conclusion, we think Mica Moo was missing her cookie fix.  While cookie hunting, she whapped some stuff out of her way and tried a substitute which just didn't cut it (the tag with the plastic tie).  She tried to cover up if she could (the paper towel).  We have one thing to say to her - MICA!  DON'T RETURN TO THE SCENE OF THE CRIME!

We hope you enjoyed our Mystery Cat Theatre!

MYSTERY CAT THEATRE

Faithful followers of this blog know odd things are happening here, and the occupants of the house are acting innocent.  Too innocent.  For those of you who are just joining us, you might want to read the prior 2 blogs for important clues.  We'll wait.........ready? Ok, then.

The following story is real.  The events are real.  The photos are not staged, and the names have not been changed to protect the innocent.  Not long ago things started happening during the day while the Mom was away.  Just little things, but as they say, while the Mom's away, the cats will play.  One day she came home and found this on the kitchen floor:

The next day this was waiting for her.  The perpetrator had not only whapped items off the kitchen counter, but had tried to cover his/ her tracks:

The following day:

This was bad.  Whoever was doing this picked the tag out of a small basket of items on top of the microwave, chewed the plastic tie then threw it on the floor.  Or maybe spit it out there cause it didn't taste as good as it looked.  Small pieces of plastic were left behind on the stove.  Possibly small pieces were in someone's digestive tract.  The Mom decided NOT to investigate that.  A couple days passed, then it became personal:

Everyone's been really quiet about this and pretends its not happening.  Clearly we are dealing with a desperate character who doesn't mind possibly burnt paws if he or she can get his or her jollies.  See if YOU can help the Mom figure out who it is.  She has a really good idea!

OUI OUI:   Purry sweet, hardly ever in trouble.  Never jumped on anything until Mica Moo taught her how.  Since she learned, there's not a surface she hasn't visited.  The Mom thought she had a compromise with Oui.  She could put her front paws on the table while sitting in the Mom's lap if she stayed off things otherwise.  Not known to whap, unless Mica tries to sleep in her spot at night with the Girl.  She does have an unfortunate affinity for plastic.

MICA MINNIE MOO:  Can be sweet, in trouble at least once a day.  Being Formerly Feral, she has had to learn some house manners.  Taught Oui Oui the art of jumping.  Has been caught red pawed stealing butter, shortbread cookies, madeleines and bagels from the furry same kitchen counter.  Not known for whapping but she is purry good at covering things up.

JULIE:  Only sweet with her Mommy, if she gets in trouble, its serious.  Will become highly crabulated even with her Mommy if she's combed.  Not known for her jumping, she prefers to plow through things.  She will jump if it means the chance to attack another kitty.  An expert whapper, when she whaps, she whaps to kill. She has a deadly double pawed blow.  She sits up like a prairie dog, and goes at it furiously with both paws, breaking down barriers or stunning opponents - with her long beautiful furs waving gracefully in the wind.  Gets in trouble mostly for trying to kill Mica from under doors.

 CARLOS RAPHAEL CAMARO:  A secretive mancat who likes to spend time alone doing what????  Too busy sleeping to get into trouble.  Not really known for whapping or jumping but he's done naughty things for years without getting caught.  Only process of elimination has indicted him.

So what do YOU think?  Who gets your vote?  We would have loved for this to be interactive, but the Mom's just too dumb to do that.  She will manually count the votes then publish the results along with the identity of the real criminal tomorrow.  These are some wily kitties - DON'T GET TAKEN IN!!!!!

Shhhhhh.............. Continued

OH.  MY.  COD!!  ITS HAPPENED AGAIN!!!  First, we would like to thank all our supporters for their faith in us. Sadly, we are forced to admit one of us needs to seriously work on an alibi.  Sorry MoMo, we loved Knot Me, but he left when the Girl went away to skool.  He's already pulled one prank on her so we know where he is.  The Mom Lady is loving that he's there and not here but the Girl was NOT amused.  We all know we really aren't at fault, even if we did do it (this is NOT an admission of guilt) cause we're kitties.  We hate to use the word devious, but can you tell which of us is less than honest?

Julie is obviously too busy bathing to do it.  Being this beautiful takes time!  Lots of it.  The glamorous, big poofy tail she is always waving in everyone's face requires a lot of grooming, specially if one hates combs.  Then there's the mane, the pantaloons, etc.

Mica Minnie Moo is too busy watching TV

You can tell Oui Oui has been very busy working

Carlos has been too busy sleeping

The big reveal is tomorrow on Mystery Cat Theatre!  Find out Who Done It & What They Done!

Shhhhhh..............

Strange things have been happening here and we are all practicing our innocent faces.  Someone is doing something and the Mom is trying to figure out who it is.  We're not saying anything.  The Mom is on her own.  How could she possibly suspect these faces??

To be continued tomorrow.........

WHISKER HUMP WEDNESDAY

Julie and Carlos are half Persian, so they have unusual Whisker Humps.  Their faces are purry short and round so the humps stick out abruptly!  The humps are very flat in the front.  Although their noses are shorter than from the tip of the Mom's pinky to her first knuckle, their teeth work just fine!

 Carl shows what they look like from the top

While Julie shows what they look like from head on

TUMMY TUESDAY

Here I am, resting after an extremely hard day's work.  By now my friends know what an adept cardboard shredder I am.  I've always loved brown paper.  When I was a kitten the Girl would hold a bag open and I would leap into it from the bed 3 feet away.  When there was a shredder vacancy here, I immediately applied for the post.  Its a tough and physical  job.  As new boxes and bags come in, its my job to inspect them and make sure they are safe for the other kitties to use.  At the very least, they have to pass the tooth test.  Small puncture holes and torn edges prove the piece has been tested and received the "Small Mammal Damage Seal of Approval".  As you can see, I am in my element, surrounded by the tools of my trade and asleep with a smile on my face.

Biggify the pic to see Oui Oui's smile!

The Bestest Pillow

 Finally the bestest kitty pillow is unoccupied and all mine!

Ewww Mica, did you have to put your butt in my face?

All your licking woke me up.

What did you do to my hair?  I have a MOHAWK!

 Wait!  You don't have to leave!  It doesn't look that bad!

 Finally the bestest kitty pillow is unoccupied and all mine!