Tri-Noodled

Caturday will be joining the Carnival of the Cats today over at Pages Turned

One of Brendan's cat blogging words and a regular around here, Tri-Noodled, means " I can't get up so you get the ice cream, I am Tri-Noodled. Zwei-Noodled means two cats on the lap and Noodled is just one.

Brendan's list also includes

Dawn Patrol: waking us up at 5 AM and howling until 5:45 when we will let him out to make the territory safe for....



Other Brendan expression include:

Squealers and Grabbers: untrained human children
Paw Over Paw: a game played with a long flexible stick
Boingidy Boingidy Spenk Spenk: when a cat comes bounding along full speed
Comfort Kitty Transport Mode: when we move the cat with respect, usually bundled in a soft polar fleece blanket. This is especially appreciated for winter transport from the studio to the house, but also from chair to bed. Hey, he's 16 and he has rights.




Back to that TV show.




Yeah, she is crazy about the big lug. He came in yesterday and she gave him a big kiss, I missed the shot but he gave her one back. This is serious.



Don't you love it when they just forget about the tongue?

Sheltered Faces

A day of photography at the shelter and getting everybody on Petfinder to increase their chances of going home. For an older cat, it's not so easy. And this is kitten season.

I really liked the idea from Magoo, Smudge Bella and Dolce that we have a day of remembering for the felines that have given us so much in our lives. But I think we should expand it and think about remembering all the felines who are mistreated, unloved abandoned and abused. Our shelter is having the first Caturday event next weekend to focus attention on their six bonded pairs who would love to go to a home together. I'll be shooting the TV show there tomorrow and I think it will be an all cats show. I might start making shelter cats my Caturday post every Caturday. The print edition focuses on a shelter cat needing a home.

Just about all of the 21 dogs rescued from a kill shelter down south have gone to good homes. I think there was only Jessie left and when I was there a family was in the process of adopting her.

So here are some of my faces.



Arthur, a patient, conscious being who was rescued from Katrina and surely deserves a second chance. One of my favorites.



April



Gabrielle



Isis

She looks like a polar bear, is polydactyl and has no tail (she was born that way)



Jodi



And last, but certainly not least, the very strange looking Shelley. Also a Katrina rescue she is part Siamese.

Love is in the air

Miss Ramona is going a great job of wrapping the big guy around her dainty paw. He has been working out, eating well and keeping up with dawn patrol duties so the territory is safe for little kittens (especially one petite Miss)

"Yeah, she warms this old guy's heart, Olof" he says when asked. "You gotta problem with that?"

No, Beezer we don't. It's kind of cute to see our tough old fella getting cozy with a sweet young thing.

Lights, Camera, Action!

You have to be pretty quick with a camera around here. This ballet is not Photoshopped. I did say that Ramona has a cute little rear end. Olof uses a bounced speed light (strobe) to catch this action. He has promised me a blow by blow series of sumo wrestling.



In this shot note that both of Harpers feet are actually off the ground.

I'll Protect You, Ramona!

I am having trouble with Blogger right now, it is not sizing the photos right
and when I put in text in the normal mode it is all over the place.
I am working on it.
So, some short sentences while I try again.



What mighty monster roams the vast halls
of Caturday?
Roaring and running,
devouring everything in its path.

I'll protect you, little sister!
I'll vanquish the mighty beast
and make the world safe again.

Life with Harper

Yes, he is the comedian of the pride. How could he not be, with those paws?



Which he uses to great effect.



They give him an advantage in games of Paw Over Paw. But Ramona is more agile. Remember, Harper is our little Pork Chop. He's kind of solid in the middle.



They woke me up at 3 AM for a cuddle session which then became a wrestling match, grooming session. Yawn.



Two is better, these two are happy, friendly and secure in their twoness. I set up the Cat Dancer last night and they played with it for four hours, breaking only for second dinner. Then I had all three cats on my lap while watching TV. When Brendan decided things were just too undignified and he got up and went to the bedroom, both kittens popped their heads up, stared after him and then ran into the bedroom to see why he left them. It is amazing how well they all get along.

Home Again

No, I did not pose him. I came up the stairs and there he was, lounging in my lazy girl.

Driving home from Portland.

Brendan "Cool, I get to sit up front."
Ramona," Nap, why not,yawn."
Harper, " I need to use the bathroom! I can't ride in the carrier! I want to look out the window! The window is scary! Are we there yet? I want to look out the window! No, the window is scary! I want to sit up front! Are we there yet? This time I really do need to use the bathroom! Let me look out the window! Why can't I ride up front? Are we there yet?

For forty five minutes he kept it up and then he fell asleep on my lap. Ramona and Brendan slept through the drive.

Last night we were sitting in the living room with the kittens when Brendan in the bedroom sneezed three times. Ramona looked up anxiously from Olof's lap and dashed into the bedroom to check on Brendan. She is really something, I tell you. We are blessed.

We Raise a Little Heck

You may remember that this position was also Fergus's favorite place in Portland. They look angelic at the moment but that is because they just got here and it is a big strange house.

The drive to Portland went well, though Harper yelled "Are we there yet?" most of the way. (Thanks to Magoo, Smudge, Bella and Dolce for the translation).

Ramona, The Queen of Cool, slept in the car carrier with the door open. (I have come to the conclusion that she is the brains of this duo.) Harper, of course, had to be held and watch everything going by. On the way there is a turn where one way you are going to the V-E-T and the other way you are going to Portland to visit Uncle Sid. Brendan knows which is which and he sat up ....

"I really hope it's Portland and not the vet."

We made the turn.

"Good," says himself and sits back down. He was happy since his car seat was in front and he got to ride shotgun with Olof. He likes to navigate.

The kittens are having a grand time. They discovered going up the down staircase and that Uncle Sid gets to dine on Fancy Feast and they have to suffer with Wellness Kitten Formula. And yes, the crash I just heard was "the vase that was commonly thought to be Ming." No kidding. It didn't break thought. Good thing my in-laws find kitten antics amusing.

At the moment the kittens are using the couches as trampolines.

We'll be heading home today. Spring is busting out all over at Caturday so there is a lot of spring cleaning and gardening and landscaping to work on. Not to mention video projects.

Places to go, Things to do

Ramona is so pretty when she moves, she is like a tiny ballet dancer. And she does this stretch thing we haven't been able to catch on camera yet. She has a tiny rear end and it is wicked cute.

It’s Feline Friday at The Modulator



They are both tail up kids and they run around the house like wind up toys.




We are going over to Portland for the night. First visit there to the big house with two staircases and Uncle Sid. Uncle Sid won't know what's hit him.





I hope Harper doesn't yell all the way to Portland.

The Divine Miss R

Need we say more?



And her is her side kick, Pork Chop. It does make for a funny rock band, Ramona and the Pork Chop. ( As noted by Edsel/The Pooch )

This morning he ate his breakfast and then her leftovers. He is convinced that whatever is in her bowl is better than what is in his. And he has The Belly to prove it.



The light was extraordinary yesterday morning in the sunroom. Olof also used a strobe and his Canon Digital Rebel for these shots. He says he also sometimes uses a bounced speed light. Never ever use the on camera flash except for fill flash outdoors. Me, I just point and shoot and sometimes I get lucky. I guess I should try to learn this stuff.



The kittens are a great joy and comfort. They are both very affectionate and loving. Harper is sitting on me as I write and Ramona is cuddled up close. They are learning the comforts of the family rhythms. Morning, breakfast is served downstairs. Then the beans drink hot stuff and get on the machines. Then commotion as beans get up, do that really weird thing where they get wet. Then there is the day of naptime and playtime then everyone gathers in front of that picture thing and the kitten toy collection for lap sitting and games. Then the whole pride settles down together for a long sleep until it starts again. As Brendan says, Lord, let all my days be normal.



In the end, it is all about the light, isn't it?

Mona Lisa Eyes

Look how much better she is looking. She's got Mona Lisa eyes.

Silas

We want to say thank you to everyone who has sent comments, cards and emails. Silas was such a shy, unassuming guy he would be surprised to hear how much he is missed. There are some lovely tributes on other blogs and I will try to find them all and post links.

We have just felt very very tired here. Sunday we filmed at the shelter and that was comforting, being with lots of other animals and hearing that many had been adopted. I like to think that taking good photos of them and putting them on tv helps. The shelter had rescued 21 dogs scheduled for killing in Kentucky and they were rapidly being placed in good homes. This also helps to stop puppy mills, as people become more aware and adopt their animals from shelters rather than buying them from pet stores.

It was a huge shock to lose Silas the way we did. I never, ever thought that he would run out on the road so something caused him to do it. His territory was always the back yard, lately he had been spending his days by the pond, catching frogs and bringing them in unhurt into the house (one was found swimming in the water bowl). The place where he was hit was way down the driveway and up the hill. It makes no sense that he was up there. The road is above our house, we have our own little valley below it and a good border of trees between us and it. Our driveway is quite long and goes uphill, only meeting the road at the end. So for a cautious cat, there is plenty of safe space to be out. And Silas had always been a very cautious cat. Especially without Fergus, he could always be found either in the back yard or down the hill in front of the house, which is a wet forest and very safe in the daytime. So we don't know what was happening.

I don't think Silas ever accepted losing Fergus. For days after Fergus died, he would sit on the back porch looking out waiting for him to come back. It was very hard for him. I think he really loved Fergus and Fergus was the leader in everything they did, so Silas was kind of lost without him. If you imagine an unlikely friendship between the star athlete guy in high school that all the girls are crazy over and a the big, quiet, kind of awkward guy who has a killer stamp collection, well that would be Fergus and Silas.

Everyone who knows cats knows that they see and hear and sense things that are beyond us. We believe that Fergus came back and got his buddy. We started looking for Silas on Thursday and I was out in the yard when I am positive I saw a cat face under our tea house. I ran up to it and there was nothing there. I looked over the bank down to the brook believing it was Jakey the Barn Cat but there was no one there. And my mother in law dreamed that Fergus came back to get Silas.

Silas had gotten closer to accepting the kittens. There was no more hissing and a few games of Paw Over Paw were played in each other's vicinity. In time, I believe they would have been friends. But when you have had a Fergus for a best friend, maybe there is just no consolation. Silas was always a quiet guy our Mr. No Trouble to Anybody. He liked a few head pats and some chin scratches and once in a while I would wake up to find him sleeping on my stomach but he was not a lap cat and he was not a cuddler. He had his own gentle way of being part of the family. He took on the job of head Mousekeeper and did it well.

So his passing leaves us sadder and mystified and regretful. He was a truly innocent, gentle soul who didn't ask for much in this world. He leaves a big hole in this animal family and we miss him. Every creature has a part in the family psyche and his part was to be the quiet guy, asking little and giving much. We truly hope he is with Fergus again and someday we will all be together.

Here on earth, Brendan has truly accepted the kittens to an amazing extent, he has been downright parental. He brought them a mouse one night to show them how it is done and he has actually licked Ramona and lets her climb all over him and sleep next to him. We think he is sweet on her, but then, who wouldn't be. She is full of energy too and races around the house like a tornado. They are a great comfort as they are both very loving and rush to be with us and entertain us every night with their wild games. They have all the toys set up in the living room and it is wonderful to see Ramona go through all of them, playing with each. We think Fergus guided me to find them, not so much for Harper, but for Ramona, who needed us to take care of her. I will post new photos soon, that eye is wide open now and has lost the redness.

Thank you all for your kindness and comfort.

The Caturday Clan

Brothers

We are not blood brothers

We are both adopted

We grew up together

as close as can be

the games we played,

the exploring we did.

We were always distressed when apart.



I liked food a lot,

My brother loved climbing

he taught me how

he helped me down more than once.



One day my brother went on a trip and did not return,

a sadness I did not understand seeped into our house.

I heard my brother from time to time

and caught a glimpse of him now and then

but I could never catch up with him after that day.



Early one spring morning I saw him by the pond

under the tea-house.

I ran out in joy.

This time we met and greeted each other,

he was different somehow

wiser and lighter but still with that twinkle in his eye

as he challenged me to a race down the driveway.

It was still a little dark

I ran after him at full speed

he was always faster

as we got to the top of the driveway

I felt I could catch up with him

I always had more endurance,

as we crossed the road

I did catch up with him.



All of a sudden there was a tremendous LIGHT

and a ROAR.

Then my brother and I were flying

together again into the dawns early light.



Last Photo of Silas

by
Olof

My Ramona and Little Pork Chop

Here's a close up shot of Ramona's eyes/ I haven't posted one like this before because she is a lady and wouldn't want people to see her not looking her best. We have been treating her for upper respiratory, coccidia and roundworm. Today we went back to the vet. The coccidia and roundworm are gone and we have switched medication to an antibiotic just to treat the URI. It is Clavamox and the results have been spectacular. We started it last night along with some kitty vitamin formula and tonight she is bouncing off the walls with Harper. She has been wrassling with him too.

The cloudiness in her right eye is an ulcer. It could heal up and we sure hope so, because if it doesn't she could lose the eye. In which case, Olof says, we will make her a little eye patch and she will be our pirate girl. But we are hoping it will heal. She actually looks better tonight then she did this morning.



Someday I hope she will fill this bed.



Just like Brendan does.



I took this fellow along to the vet figuring he would howl if he couldn't find his sister for a few minutes and he could help console her on the trip. Hah. He howled most of the way there. The vet tech put him on the scale, held him up and exclaimed, "You're a little pork chop, aren't you!"



So Little Pork Chop he remains.

It's a Cat's Life

If I have a choice then in my next life I am coming back as one of my cats. I work all day, clean house, make dinner, empty litter boxes, go to the vet's for vitamins and medication and what do these guys do?



Play with their toys.



Nap in the sun.



Relax, take it easy. Wake up for a game of Paw over Paw in the evening.



And cuddle up to baby sister.

I ask you, how much better can it get?

Making Friends

Harper has been so funny as he tries to make friend with Brendan. One morning Brendan came in the window from his morning patrol and he greeted Harper nose to nose in a dignified way. Harper was so thrilled. " He acknowledged me! Did you see that!" Then of course he forgot himself and got too familiar and got The Paw.



But he has been treating Brendan with respect and lately has been accepted as a co-napper in the big room.



Along with Ramona who all the guys adore. But then, who wouldn't?



Harper is a week older, a lot bigger and his character is coming out. Tonight when I called him his tail went right up and he came running. I think I got myself a good companion puppy cat. We played Paw Over Paw and enticed Silas to come upstairs ( he can not resist a game) The two of them got pretty close without hissing and I am hoping that a shared interest in sports and collections will make them buds.



And of course, Harper adores Ramona.