Inviting Platter?

Years ago, I created a centerpiece of sorts for my coffee table with a lime-green platter (the kind you would get at Pier 1 or World Trade Market) with a small basket with a flower arrangement in it.



Cash has desided that it is a great place to curl up in, by pushing the flower arrangment basket behind her.




Eventually, she has decided that she didn't like the platter on the coffee table; she decided that everything needed to be on the floor. Too funny; one wouldn't think that a platter would be the most comfortable thing to sleep in!! :D




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Catnip High!

Today, I walked into my apartment and discovered something on my carpet that looked like dirt. Did they knock over a plant? No, I scoured my kitchen/dinig bar ledge and there were no plants on this side of the home. I looked around at the few boxes that remained; did they manage to open something that they shouldn't have???

Then it suddenly dawned on me what it was -- it was catnip that Lisa had put in a bag with Cash's food, etc. before she had given it to me. I had clean forgotten that it was still in the bag. I grabbed what appears to be the remants still in the catnip bag and put that up in a tool drawer so that the remainder can be allotted to them -- say on good behavior days!?!?!????? lol...



Don't Gibson and Cash look so very innocent???? ;)




At any rate, no more catnip for them for a while!!! I did try to sweep up as much as possible, but I couldn't get it all since my vacuum had broken down while cleaning out my old apartment as I was heading out of the door.




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Why is it that when...

you have all day to sleep, no one bothers you; however, when you have a limited amount to sleep (like this morning when I got off of work at 3:15a, home at 3:30a, and had to be back at 9a) no one lets you sleep??? lol....

For the first couple of hours, I was able to get some good sound sleep, but as the sun was beginning to rise, so did the cats begin to dash throughout the apartment and wrestle each other on my bed, in the bedroom window sill, on my pillows, in the bathroom, on my personal trampoline, in the doorway, and just plain all over the house. Occasionally, they would slow down a bit and I would start to doze off -- just to be re-awakened by a "tribble"-like sound (do you remember the tribbles in Star Trek? lol) (who is Cash) or a bell-cladded cat (who is Gibson) nearby bumping into vases, doorways, or even my head. LOL!!

Despite the interruptions, I do feel well rested!!!


Later that day, after I returned home, I went straight to their food bowl, put enough food in there to keep them busy, then walked straight into my bedroom in order to get some sound sleep before needing to be back to work this evening.






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Worse than a baby...

I have been wearing a silver necklace around my neck for more than 6 years or so. (Sometimes we get in a habit of wearing certian things...)

At any rate, Cash kept getting up on my chest today, only to find her way at nibbling at my necklace. Why? I have no explanable reason other than it is something shiny, but when she does, it tickles to feel her sandpaper tongue brush against the skin of my neck while she positions her mouth to have a better grasp of my necklace in the clenches of her teeth.

Because I know that she still has her baby teeth in, I am carefull about yanking her away from the necklace; yet, when I put her down to the ground, she keeps jumping back up to the chest to get another stab at my necklace -- just like a baby who has a fascination on someone's glasses or earrings.....




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Amazingly peaceful between the romps...

What the heck do I mean romps??? lol...

Well, when you see Cash and Gibson chasing each other with lightening speed through the apartment until they collide into a box, wall, doorway, etc... that is when you hear the romp!! lol...

They are getting along great indeed. I suspect that, as the newness of each other's company wears off, they will be partners in crime in finding things to get into. In the meantime, I find it funny to wake up (after me falling asleep on the couch) to both Gibson and Cash laying side by side on me. Too bad my camera was out of arm's reach so I could have taken a classic picture.

Judging from their getting along so well, I am sure there will be more pictures to come.

In the meantime, if you are hearing the sound of romping against boxes and the like, it is likely the sounds of Gibson and Cash playing together!!



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Cash Meets Gibson!

At the time that I went to work Friday night, Cash and Gibson hadn't quite figured out that each other was there just yet because Cash ran and hid after she got into the apartment, her new surroundings. By the time I returned from work, it was a whole 'nother story.

I gave them some food in separate containers and stood watching while making sure that she was going to get her fair share since she is smaller and younger than Gibson. Gibson did try to get a bite or two in, but was thworted by my snapping of my fingers and saying "No!" simultaneously. He then did a child like behaviour of looking up at me, rolling his head, and sitting a distance away from Cash, but within eyeshot of her. It was too funny; couldn't help but to laugh as it looked just like a child rolling their eyes up at a parent when a parent reprimands them for doing something to their sibling.

I went on to bed after making sure that Cash ate and later, Cash came to give me a kiss on my forehead. I woke up, thinking it was Gibson, but it was Cash. Gibson jumped on my bed as if to be a bit jealous and I had to push them both off of the bed as they seemed to get into a little tiff.

Throughout the day, I watched them while unpacking boxes and sorting things to be organized on various shelves or sections of the apartment. They were too funny as Cash would bat on Gibson's tail as if to say, "Your it!", and the chase was on -- taking off chasing each other throughout the apartment -- on top of boxes and in between alleyways formed by the plastic stacked tubs.

Gibson is quite the ham when coming to have his pictures taken. I think he is looking for where the camera is sometimes; whereas, Cash is shy of the camera. However, she'll certainly have to overcome that as I have been raised in a camera/photo bug family where everyone had 2-5 cameras each!! Certainly, the pictures that I have taken of her don't do her justice at all; she is a beautiful kitten!!

It is amazing how two cats can get along so well in less than 24 hours of meeting one another.

Perhaps, the people involved instigating wars could take lessons from them??? That would be very interesting, indeed!!




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Does it really come down to this???

Just found this in my email today. I am not sure that this guy really meant to say this -- or, did he??? lol...













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Excitement of Anticipation!

Today, Gibson, in all the excitement of the anticipation was bouncing all over the apartment today and utilized a wooden bar stool of mine as a jungle gym. LOL....










He also came up to me and sat there, as if saying, "When is she coming???"



















Later in the day, she -- June Carter Cash ("Cash" for short) was picked up and brought home. When I met up with April, it was obvious that Cash had been well cared for. Cash has her own litter box (a fancy one where you sift the litter through), her own condo, cat food, shampoo, her favorite toy, etc., etc. We loaded this in my "Red Barron" blazer and heading back to my home from the point of rendevous in Georgetown, Texas. This is Cash during the car ride home.




Right now, Cash is exploring and getting to know her new surroundings. I am not sure if the two have actually met each other yet. I still have a lot of boxes around my place -- especially, after frantically looking for my operating system CDs to help fix my recent computer issues. Right now, I am at work; up until I had left there were no cat fights, if they have found each other. (No sounds of cat fights might be a good sign though!) I am sure I will soon discover whether the two have finally met each other soon enough!! lol...


More pictures to follow of Cash as she gets used to new surroundings....




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Anticipation of Waiting!

I had talked to Gibson last night about him getting a playmate at the house today. When I told him about it, he simply fell limp like a rag doll over the sofa pillow as if to say, "I have to wait until tomorrow???" lol...

I couldn't help but laugh as he did this. I got up to retrieve my camera and there he still remained. Too funny!!



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Gibson is Getting a Playmate!

A MySpace friend has had a need to find a home for her gray and white kitty because she is living with her fiance who has a dog, which isn't very conducive for the kitty. The fiance won out probably because he had had the dog for much longer.

Get this, though. The kitty's name is Cash, named after June Carter Cash; as such, it looks as though we are going to have a celebrity home -- a female kitty named after June Carter Cash and a male kitty named after Mel Gibson.

Maybe this will be good karma brought into the home and make me into a celebrity blogger??? No???? lol.... Well, one can hope and dream, can't they?

I will meet up with Cash's present owner on Friday. You can expect more photos to start appearing on the blog after getting Cash to her new home!! :D




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Smoke filled room alerts Gibson!

I came home this morning after working late and heated up the skillet to make me a quick grilled cheese sandwich. As the skillet was heating up, I was preparing the bread, cheese, and spices to put together. Putting the butter on the outside just before setting it into the skillet let up a bellow of smoke that I really didn't notice excepting, just over the skillet -- similar to the steam of water when it hits a hot skillet. If one sees water on the hot skillet going up in steam, one knows it is only temporary and it will soon pass.

Well, the sizzle of the butter between the hot skillet and bread let out some steamlike smoke that was just enough to set off the alarm. Just as the steam bellowed, Gibson bit my toes; then, the alarm immediately sounded. No fires, but I think my neighbors must love me since the alarms were going off at 3:30am!! :D

I immediately hit the vent button hoping the steam would move that way, but the alarm just kept going off. The trouble with the fire alarm being in my apartment it is in a ceiling that must be at least 10 foot high, maybe more. There was no way that I was going to reach the alarm.

Gibson and I headed to the patio door...then the alarm stopped. I was hoping that I wouldn't have to open the patio door b/c (1) the sound was sure to continue waking up more neighbors if it travelled through the backside of the building and (2) I didn't want to test how well the microchipped worked in Gibson. Just as soon as it stopped and I walked back to the kitchen area, the alarm would start again.

I soon decided that I would just leave the vent on and let it continue to do its thing while I shimmied into the office area and wait it out. Gibson laid on my feet.

The air is clearing up and Gibson has ventured back into the kitchen to eat some more of his food. Think I'll go turn of the vent and try to get some rest -- if I can after so much excitement this morning!! :D

As the rest of the world awakens while I head to sleep, I hope that everyone has a truly blessed and fantastic day as you step out into the morning sunshine singing, "Good Morning, Sunshine!" No????? Well, at least, here is to hoping that you embrace it with vigor and have a fabulous day!!

Gibson and I will keep the pillows warm....




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The day after the surgery...

Gibson is up and moving about and sporting his new collar with both the rabies and microchip identification tags. I had stopped at Walgreens after work to get him a red breakaway collar just in case he gets it caught on something. He has had it on all day and hasn't bothered with it much at all; in fact, I think he rather likes it because it has a tiny bell on it as well and the rabies tag clangs with the bell as well (the microchip identification tag is a soft tag and doesn't make any sounds at all).

While he isn't his usual bouncy self today, he is as good as one would expect after having surgery the day before and is getting his appetite back with all certainty. In fact, he is presently meowing for some more food, so I must go for now.

Stay tuned for more updates...



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Well, the day comes....and goes!

This morning Gibson gets a ride in his Pet Taxi in the Red Barron SUV while listening to Sheryl Crowe's "Soaking up the Sun" song, which I believe is his favorite, but Jewel's "Good Day" song is pulling a close second judging by his quiet behavior while these ladies were belting it out on the radio. He was certainly living up to his Braveheart name during the ride to Emancipet this morning.







We found the place without too much of a problem. From the outside, it didn't look much of a place; however, when we openned up the entrance door, we were overwhelmed by seeing so many dogs and cats in one place. Gibson really didn't say too much in his carrier at this point. A nice lady sat down by us and asked us all sorts of questions then took Gibson away to the back after advising us that they work on male kitties last during the day, but she will call me to let me know. He stuck out his paw to me through the pet taxi door.

Before I had left, I took a picture of this place....as well as an interesting mini-van that had a screen in the front door with a picture of a dog driving the van. It certainly brought a chuckle to me, however, I am still uneasy about this whole process. I don't know why it is bothering me so much these days; it didn't bother me so much when I had the other kitties I have had throughout the years spayed. Who knows....





In the meantime, Gibson isn't only getting neutered, he is also getting all of his shots, getting a chip in him (so if he does decide to explore and get lost like my orange tabby cat, Leo, they will be able to bring him back to me), and his claws trimmed.


More to come....in the meantime, I am catching up on some sleep!

Picked him up from the Emancipet clinic this afternoon after what seem to be for-ever of a process to get there this afternoon. What seemed to be a fairly quick route this morning was foiled by an accident on 360 near 183.

I certainly dreaded going there to pick him up, but the vets said that he was just fine; however, he might have a bit of some hallucinations for tonight from the anesthesia they gave him. On the way home this was more evident as Gibson tried to get out of the carrier by scratching on the floor of the carrier during the ride back home (which wasn't his moderus operandi this morning). They stated that he needed to be in a small bathroom where he could get into very little trouble and could be monitored. I had the perfect bathroom -- the guest bathroom (my "bluebonnet" themed bathroom. They said that he would probably sleep the majority of tonight because of the surgery, which is a very good thing since I have to work tonight.

All in all, he seems to be faring well and has acquired two tags; I now need to get him a breakaway collar for the tags (one for the rabbies vaccination...another for the microchip tag to let folks know that he does have a microchip in him). I certainly opted for the $10 fee for the microchip after my experience in losing Leo, the teenager cat, in my recent marathon move process. Now, this will work so long as people will take him to a vet office or a shelter where they can read the chip, but it is better than nothing....

Rest easy, Gibson!! :D



NOTE: The vet says that he is actually 1 years old and weighs 9 pounds. I imagine he'll weigh more than that after he starts feeling better!




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Okay, this may be a very talented cat!

This afternoon, I was drinking another drink with a straw and had set it down beside me on the floor by the couch while watching "GENERAL HOSPITAL" on tv. I reached down to take another sip and, lo and behold, my drink was (surprisingly deja vue) dribbling down my chin.

I looked at the straw and indeed it had teeth marks. I am beginning to wonder if this kitty is actually being able to drink from a straw -- or, is it just enjoying giving me a challenge to drink from my own straw???

I might have to set up a video camera on a cup and straw to truly find out the truth!! lol...






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Emancipet.org

Shhh... please don't breathe a word to Gibson, but he is about to go to the clinic with Emancipet to get neutered on Friday. I made the appointment this past Monday, I believe, but hate the thought of taking him in to be altered; however, I understand that it is for the good of community. To me, it seems like selective breeding; however, this isn't done in all communities so the populations still evolve for cats and dogs.

While Emancipet offers nominal fees (and some free clinic days) to help the affordability to all people in the community, its premise is based upon:

"Helping to control the pet population and liberate pets from euthanasia." Additionally, Dr. Ellen Jefferson created the program and based upon her experience as volunteering at some local shelters, "She learned that her abilities as a veterinarian would be used much more effectively if she could prevent unwanted animals from being born in the first place. Emancipet was founded to be a high volume spay/neuter clinic that could reach many different populations of people by being mobile. In addition to the mobility of the clinic, the low costs for surgery were an added incentive to encourage pet owners to start using the service. Since 1999, over 35,000 animals have been sterilized within the mobile hospital alone."

I know that Gibson will be far better off for having the procedure done, as well as they can give him his shots, put an identification chip in him (if lost), and trim his nails for me (since scratches on my sensitive skin can cause infections easily). It is just that it seems so final a process. In the past, I have allowed my pet female cats to at least have a chance to populate once before having the process done -- right or wrong, it seemed to be a humane thing to do. Probably has something to do with the fact that I felt cheated by only having one child due to other circumstances (ie divorce). Growing up, I had always thought I would have 3 children and one of my sisters do have 3 children, the other sister has 2 children. My brother is still waiting for "Mrs. Right" to come along. :)

At any rate, it will be liberating to know that, as a male kitty, he won't start spraying to form his territory when he starts going in heat.

Fortunately, I do have a day off today and can spend some extra time with him. Because I have to take him in early during the day tomorrow, I have to withhold food from him after midnight today. He will probably catch on that something is up when I take his food away since he has had free will at the food throughout the day since he was brought over to my home as a very skinny and hungry kitty.

PS The photo is of a kitty on the Emancipet's website. Pretty cute, huh?




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Making a few light adjustments!

Gibson, while he doesn't try to dash out the door, does love looking outdoors. Today, I found the curtain pulled down in the living room, so I reminded myself, "Choose your battles, Kat, choose your battles!!" lol...

Resolution: Pull up the blinds up off of the window sill to allow him to view the outdoors by sitting on the sill while not destroying the curtain or blinds (yes, the curtain was pulled up as well).

You have heard of child proofing your home when you have a new baby -- well, this is, indeed, cat proofing your home at its best!! lol....



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Just chillin' -- my foot!! lol...

Not only is this cat just "chillin'", he has proceeded to do so after drinking the rest of my sweet iced tea from my McDonald's cup. Can you see the teeth marks on my straw?? I had raised to drink some of the last few drops out of the cup and what was left in it dribbled down my chin and into my lap! This cat, I am learning can be a very loving cat, and then again -- lol.... I better watch out!! lol....




Just how "innocent" do you think that this cat, Gibson, really is??? He is certainly has a smirk on his face, don't you think????

:D

Who needs a tree outdoors to climb in??

Gibson was exploring new territory still. There is no telling what he will run into -- who would have thought there would be a tree indoors? Now, it is a fake tree mind you, but do you think that stopped Gibson??? No!! Not even!! lol... Here he is batting at the leaves of the tree....



Here he is actually climbing in the tree. Can you see his head popping up near the top of the tree branches???



And here decendeths!! On to more explorations.....

:D

Just chillin'

After I got home from working a late night shift, we were watching MADDOX on tv. He was leaning up against one of my backpacks and nestled by the ottoman....

Gibson's Debut

Gibson - a brown, tabby male cat was brought over to Kathryn (aka Kat) by a wonderful friend named Leslie who rescued him from a trailer where two roommates lived. One of the roommates had some cats, while another roommate had some dogs. The owner of the cats moved away, but left the cats behind. The roommate that had the dogs did the best that he could with the, now abandoned cats, but he was a dog person really. Leslie had already acquired one of the cats, to which she named him Walden. One of the cats left behind though got mauled by the dogs. Leslie was fearful that the other cat would not survive as he hid away from the dogs as best he could.






On the day that she rescued the brown, tabby male cat (approx 7-8 months old), she brought him to me and told me that he was indeed a very brave cat as he just laid on his back while Leslie drove him over to me last Thursday, July 6th. When she told me of the story, I immediately thought of the movie BRAVEHEART...and, of course, who starred in BRAVEHEART, but Mel Gibson. So, Gibson, was finally given a name other than "Meow Meow". This name is fitting too because Leslie has his brother who is named Walden, which is a very sophisticated name as well.






After allowing him to get accustomed to the new surroundings before entering him into the world of photography (you see, my family are indeed photobugs and I inherited that from them), I started taking a few photos of him on this Sunday, July 9th. Enjoy!!






Can you tell that Gibson isn't a bit camera shy -- and, seems to rather enjoy having his pictures taken????






Somehow, I think he is fitting in JUST fine at his new home. What do you think???