Fun Friday

We mentioned Mark Twain earlier this week, which reminded the mom of some of the fun things he did with kitties.

He taught his cats to jump up in a chair

on the command "Come Up"

and at the words "Fast Asleep" to "fall asleep".

When he told them "Wide Awake"

they would "wake up".

Pretty smart kitties!

It looks like these kittens are in training for "Come Up".

He loved playing billiards with a kitten in a corner pocket.  It brightened his day and mood.

 

One summer vacation he solved the problem of having no cats around by renting a litter of kittens.

He also enjoyed having a kitten or two in his coat pockets.

Anyone who judged a person by whether they liked cats is cool in our book!  We wonder if there were computers back then, if he would have had a blog.  He certainly had enough kitties for one!

I don't know who is standing with Mark Twain,

but they both are carrying cats and 

have kittens on their shoulders.

"When a man loves a cat, I am his friend and comrade

without further introduction."

"If man could be crossed with the cat 

it would improve the man, but would deteriorate the cat."

Finally one more thought from Mr. Twain, "A home without a cat - and a well-fed, well-petted and properly revered cat - may be a perfect home, perhaps, but how can it prove title?"  Definitely our kind of person!

Have a great weekend, dear furriends!  Purrs!

***  UPDATE  ***

For those of you collecting Blog of the Year Award stars, click here to get the art for stars 2 through 6.

We didn't know about this site yesterday when we posted about it.

Another Award!

Our great furriends Wally, Ernie & Zoey at The Island Cats gave us this new award!  We are sure everyone knows who they are, cause they are the bestest, very handsome and have been around forever.  And they have a really cool hang out ladder.  (We do wish fluffalicous Zoey wasn't so shy and purrticipated in blogging more, and that we could see more pix of Ernie's toes.  ** sigh **  But we aren't whining or complaining or anything.)

This award is the cat's pajamas because you can get it 6 times, and as the kitties you pass it along to link back, another star is added to yours until they are all lit up.  How cool is that!  And we don't have to scratch our heads trying to think of things we haven't told you already, cause you know, we blab everything right away.  Plus it looks really good saying you are a "Blog of the Year"!  Thanks guys and gal, we are so thrilled!  We are happy to do our part so you get another star.

We are going to pass this award onto the following kitties.  We hope you have fun playing along, and we don't even have to worry if you haven't gotten it before!

1 - Wendy of LOL-Spots, 3-D Cats & Dante fame
2 - Caren & Cody at Cat Chat
3 - Cole Cat at Colehauscats
4 - Haopee at My Dogs Love Me
5 - Sammy & Moosie at Animal Shelter Volunteer Life
6 - Oskar at My Daily Oskar
7 - Sparkle The Designer Cat
8 - Maxwell, Faraday & Allie at A Tonk's Tail... er, Tale...
9 - You!

Have a great time furriends!  Its the season for lighting stars and fun.  And thanks again to all the kitties at The Island Cats!  Purrs!

WHITE WOMANCAT WEDNESDAY

The mom loves posting pix of Julie looking crabulated cause Julie is so good at it.  She has such an expressive face, and a really foul mouthed vocabulary when it comes down to it.  If you heard her, you would understand.

 It also reminds the mom what another cat lover, Mark Twain, wrote about cats:  "Ignorant people think it's the noise which fighting cats make that is so aggravating, but it ain't so; its the sickening grammar they use."

On that note, here are some photos of Julie when she is in a pleasant mood.

Tuesday's Two Tummy Twofers

Oops!  Wrong Twofer!

 No wonder she's resting!

What a mess!

 We had to go back in time to find a MMM tummy shot.

Its just not her style.

***  BONUS BELLIES!  ***

Oui Oui isn't the only one who needs to rest

after making a mess. 

Hee, hee, hee.

She is not amused!

Hello, Monday!

We had a great holiday and hope you did too!  And now we are back to normal and finding the best sun puddles.

 If I stretch out just so, I can get sun on my back and my tummy.

 Sisters have taken over the bed.

Sorry, mom, you won't be making it any time soon.

Calming measures haven't restored Mica Minnie Moo's

eye brows (or butt furs, 

take our word on that one).

Carl found a less crowded place to snooze.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We have so much to be thankful for,

and we are especially thankful for our

friends who have allowed us to be part of their lives

and stop by to share ours.

Have a wonderful day enjoying

food, laughter and family.

May you have these in 

abundance always.

We wish you the best!

Oui Oui

Carlos

Julie

Mica Minnie Moo

The Girl

&

The mom

Two Timing Tuesday - Leia III

We've been talking about the mom's first cat, Leia.  If you are thinking the mom is done with this subject, you just don't know her very well!  Once she gets going, no one can shut her up!

One of the personality traits of Korats is the strong bond they develop with a favorite feline and person.  For Leia, she loved her son Attila, and except for bopping Robbie, she ignored all other felines she lived with.

For many years the mom was her favorite person and she regularly hugged her around the neck and then head bumped her, but men were her true favorites.

Leia in the snow.

She got to know her Uncle Bob, and the mom became a second class citizen.  Leia would still hug and bump her on occasions, but the number one person in her world was Uncle Bob.  He could do things to her that, if the mom tried, would mean blood on the floor.  Bob could scratch her belly, play with her tail and even dangle her upside down.  The mom gasped when she saw this!  Leia hated these things and one look at her face showed just how much, but her #1 person could do anything and get away with it.

After the mom got married, the dad became person #1.  Leia always loved getting one over on the mom and this was a good excuse to do just that.  If the mom and dad were watching TV, instead of walking up to the dad and jumping into his lap, Leia would walk past the dad, past the mom, jump up on the couch, walk across the mom then lie down in the dad's lap.  There was no doubt she was making a point of showing the mom where she preferred to lounge.  And the mom wasn't it.

A Korat who looks like Leia from the web.

Does the face say, "I'm too smart for my own good?"

If the mom was upset, like when her grandpa died, Leia would hug and head bump her, as if she was saying, "There, there, there.  It will be ok."  (This sensitivity to people's emotions is another Korat trait.)  And Leia always slept with the mom, no matter who was her favorite.

She was fussy and not just any man could be person #1.  One fellow the mom dated mentioned Leia never made a sound and wondered what her voice sounded like.  If you did something Leia didn't like, she would give a warning and if you didn't stop, she'd put an end to it her way.  So the mom scratched her belly until she said "Rhat!"  She wisely stopped.  Leia then walked past the guy and as she did, he stroked her back and tail.  When the mom saw that she yelled "NO!", but it was too late and Leia scratched him.  He wanted the mom to punish her, but the mom couldn't because she had given her warning.  It was a toss up as to which one he was madder at.  He wasn't #1 material!

Another web Korat photo.

What a cutie!

Have we bored you yet?  Ha ha!  We bet you didn't think we ramble on this long!  But now you know better - the mom is a self indulgent windbag.  Purrs, and thanks for putting up with us.

Monday Memories - Leia II

Last post we talked about the mom's first cat, Leia.  She was playful and very smart, and she didn't miss a thing.  A couple years after the mom took in Leia, a young tabby started greeting the mom after work.  Eventually he took up residence on her front porch and never left.  Finally one very cold early April evening, the mom let him in the house after the water in his bowl froze.   This was the mom's third cat, Rob Roy.

Attila & Leia

It took Leia 2 days to size Robbie up, and she knew exactly what to do to lure him in.  She was on the couch, and when Robbie came in the room, Leia started playing.  She was hopping about, reaching between the cushions and having a great time.  She made cute little chirping sounds.  This caught Robbie's attention, and the closer he came to her, the less playful Leia became.  When he was at the foot of the couch, she was sitting there, waiting for him.  Just before he jumped on the couch to join in the fun, she whapped him in the face.

How proud she was!  You could see it in her face, the way she held her tail and the way she moved.  Sadly for Robbie, he fell for this trick many times, and Leia didn't ever to seem to tire of it.  The mom was impressed that she figured this out after knowing Robbie less than 48 hours.

Sometimes the mom would take Leia & Attila visiting.  Once, they were over at the mom's parents house.  The mom was playing with Leia on the stairs.  Leia was backing up the stairs and the mom's hand was advancing towards her.  When the mom got to the top of the stairs, just her head was poking up.  She could see Leia's face change, and she could see she had an idea, but the mom didn't know what she was going to do.  So she stayed still.  Leia walked up to her then popped her in the face.

Again, how proud she was!  Her head and tail were high was she pranced away.  She really shocked the mom!

Web photo that looks like Leia.

Leia had the mom's number, too.  She would pop up from behind the couch and start playing with the mom.  The mom naturally would bend over the back of the couch to play.  When her guard was down, Leia would pop her one in the face.  Like Robbie, the mom fell for this time and again.  But Leia got so much pleasure and was so proud at having gotten the better of her, the mom didn't mind, and had to laugh at her.  What a character!

Korats, which the mom believes Leia was, are known to be very playful and intelligent.  This certainly fit Leia!

FLASHBACK FRIDAY - LEIA

The mom was so excited to find a couple photos of her first cat last week and has been looking forward to writing this post ever since.

She had recently graduated from college and was working at her first "real" job when one of her coworkers mentioned a kitten had been hanging around her neighborhood for a couple weeks.  No one knew where she came from and no one was interested in taking her in.  Was the mom interested?  She checked with her roommates (who already had a cat) and they didn't mind.  So, sight unseen, she agreed to take her in, and if she was female, her name would be Leah.

The "kitten" was a small female, about 1 year old, loaded with fleas, ear mites, round worms and with an abscess above her right eye.  She was a mess.  Oh, and she was pregnant.  No wonder no one wanted her.

Leia (blue) with her son, Attila (white)

(BTW, bad photography must be genetic, cause my mom took this pic.)

Leah, now spelled Leia at the suggestion of a college buddy who loved Greek mythology and culture, was so grateful for a home.  When the mom got home in the evening, Leia would greet her, wrap her arms around her neck and head bump her.  She snuggled, hugged and purred, followed the mom everywhere and slept on top of her.  It was like puppy love.

Leia was a very quiet cat, she could communicate her feelings without a single meow.  There were a couple things she didn't like.  One was riding in the car.  

The first time in the car, she tried to jump out the window - while the mom was driving the "Roller Coaster" section of the Washington beltway.  The mom frantically rolled the window up.  It was August, the car didn't have AC, and the mom didn't own a carrier.  Leia went to the rear window and took a dump there.  So now it was swelteringly hot and gaggingly nauseating while that fresh pile baked in the hot sun.   But Leia wasn't finished yet.  She then sat on the mom's shoulder and screeched at the top of her lungs directly into the mom's ear until she got home.  It was not a fun ride.

This set the stage for our relationship.  Leia was all sweetness when things were her way, but she let you know in no uncertain terms when she didn't like something.  She was the smartest pet the mom's had.  She had many ways of expressing herself and letting you know where you stood in her world.  She also had a great sense of humor and took pride and joy in getting one over on the mom.  Those stories coming up soon!  We hope you enjoy them.

****************

The photos above don't do justice to Leia's beauty.  The mom believes she was a Korat.  She knows they are rare, but every description she's read of them fits Leia.  So here are some Korat photos off the web that look like they could have been her.

You could look at her and see her thinking.  She was a rascal who loved to find new ways of whapping someone in the face.  The mom and Robbie were her usual targets.


This photo just melts my heart because it looks so like her.

 Korats have a heart shaped chest and face.

You can see Leia's heart face in my photos;

And she really was this shiny.

She was a busy little cat, weighing only about 7 lbs (about 3 kg).  She got into everything and played favorites.  And she went out of her way to rub your nose in it if you weren't a favorite.

A picture off the web.

Leia in the snow.

Purrs!

We hope you enjoyed reading about our special girl,

but the best stories are yet to come.

Everyone have a great weekend!

Generations

When the mom was out having her lobotomy surgery, she went through some old photos and found some of the original Minnie.

Minnie G1

The original Minnie (Generation 1) was a stray who took up residence in the Grannie's garage one Christmas.  She was one of the meanest, nastiest kitties ever to roam the face of the earth and was on the short list (of one cat) that the mom just would not have anything to do with.  She bit and scratched without warning or provocation.

Minnie G1 - mean as a junk yard dog.

Once the mom's Cape Cod Auntie was visiting and CC Auntie went into the bathroom.  Minnie followed her. CC Auntie was petting her when Minnie turned on her and gave her a horrible scratch down the entire length of her leg.  Blood was everywhere.

After that, whenever the Grannie sent something to CC Auntie, she always included a photo or two of Auntie's favorite cat.

Minnie G2 - Minnie Pumpkin

The second generation Minnie was Minnie Pumpkin.  She was born feral under a porch and grew into a sweet but very shy, reclusive girl.  She didn't handle change or strangers well and spent months hiding under the bed after she was spayed.  She loved nothing better than a good scratching and playing with Toby, who was her best bud.

Minnie G3

Anxious MMM has removed her eyebrows and some butt furs.

Third generation Minnie is Mica Minnie Moo.  We were hoping the calming treats would work for her but its a no go.  We have to re-group and try something else. She's going to have the mom removing her own eyebrows soon.

There was actually a Minnie G4.  Another tortie looking for a home at the vet's, but someone else was a day faster than we were.  She would have been Minnie Cooper.  A couple months later, we adopted a kitten named Oui Oui instead.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Carl's Inspiration

Sweet Katie Isabella gave Carl the "Bring on the Nip" Award.  Thanks, beautiful Katie!  Its always an honor to win an award, and to know you think of us.  This is Carl's first award and he's thrilled!  For this award, Carl just needs to talk about what inspires him the most.  Of course, there are nip and salmon pate, but there is one thing dear to his heart.  Long time readers may remember how he sang duets with Katie's predecessor, the lovely Admiral Hestorb.

Its hard to believe that a year ago I was singing duets with Admiral.  These days I belt out my best loved arias and all I hear is the mom screeching, "CARLOS!"  Then I have to lower my voice.  How I miss the days when Admiral and I sang as loudly as we liked and never woke HER mom!  Although we thought our giggles might wake her on a few occasions.

On enchanting, balmy summer nights we would sneak out after her mom was asleep.  We caught moths and spring peepers, roasted them like s'mores over a campfire and sang our favorite Italian arias.  Sometimes Admiral was just so silly and playful, we would have contests to see which of us could bay like woofies at the moon the longest and loudest.  She had such a wonderful sense of humor!  And how we laughed when the neighbors threw shoes at us!  Of course, we would wait until we thought they were asleep and wake them again.  We were just a couple of carefree cats having fun.

Sometimes, after the mom is finished squawking at me, I can hear Admiral soft, melodious voice singing sweetly from on high and it reminds me of Will's line, "Her voice was ever soft, gentle, and low, an excellent thing in a cat."

Carl hopes the kitties he is passing this award onto haven't already gotten it.  Its always a hard choice!  We will refrain from passing it on to any kitties at Marg's since both Mahoney and Two Two are desperately trying to learn to type so they can respond to the last awards we gave them.  Ha, ha, ha!  So Carl is awarding this to:

1 - Odin at Cat Wisdom 101
2 - Sparkyspitfire
3 - Piewhackits at Kwee Cats
4 - Kassey at Great Granny
5 - Abby at Manx Mnews

Thanks again, Katie!  And we can't wait to hear what our furriends say inspires them.  Purrs everyone!

We're Back!

We are so happy to be back in action!  We were away a little longer than the Mom thought we would be, but she is so excited because she found old photos of her first kitty while she was away, and she can't wait to tell you about her during a Flashback.

Just before we left, Sherlock from Feline Purr-spective awarded us the "Seven Things About Me" Award.  We are so excited cause we think the world of the Sherlock, Ash & Traveler.  They are the sweetest kitties, Sherlock even allowed his mom to stuff his butt in a pumpkin and take pictures.  We don't think our mom would have survived if she tried that one here.

So now we need to come up with seven things about us.  Since we blab everything as soon as it happens, its hard to come up with anything we haven't mentioned, but we will try:

R - Carl is a momma's boy.  Its true, he keeps her place warm then loves to head bump and snuggle up to her.

f - Julie sits up and waves at the mom when she wants attention.  She learned this from her older sister, Minnie Pumpkin.

Julie is a copy cat!  She learned good things could happen if you wave and look cute.

(Minnie Pumpkin)

A never-before published photo.  Yes, its that bad, but the mom just lowered her pathetically low standards.  She's been hoping for a better shot, one day.








% - Oui Oui has been really bad lately.  Even though she has slept every night of her life with either The Girl or the mom, she's been running downstairs at night to sleep in the dining room.  She takes one look at the mom at bed time and hauls butt down the stairs as fast as she can.

3 - Mica Minnie Moo, the least fussiest eater ever, doesn't like her calming treats.  They have to be hidden in an "appetizer".

c - Oui Oui, the fussiest eater alive, LOVES the calming treats and tries to steal the bag when the mom isn't looking.  In fact, she has tried to steal it out of the mom's hand when she has been looking.  The irony is just sickening.

9 - The mom bought Oui Oui vitamins with the exact same inert ingredients in the same order as the calming treats, so they should taste the same as the calming treats and she won't eat them.

M - Julie & Carl are the good kitties here.  To them, a treat is a treat.  They don't care what is inside so long as its edible.

We now have to pass this on to seven kitties.  We have been out of the loop, so we hope none of you have already gotten this award.  This is the really hard part of the award!

1 -  Scouty of Katnip Lounge
2 - Moosey of Animal Shelter Volunteer Life
3 - Mahoney at Marg's
4 - Two Two at Marg's (Sorry Marg!)
5 - Simba of Simba's Antics
6 - Katie at Glogirly
7 - Ayla of Mark's Mews

FINALLY, and certainly not least, there is another award for Carl at sweet Katie Isabella's, but that is for another day.  Thanks, sweet Katie!  You and your story is an ins-purr-ation to us all.