Moo Poo Kitty!

You can always tell it's winter at our house because at least one cat has taken up residence in our bed. This year, it's Moo Poo Kitty, who has an uncanny knack for knowing when it's bedtime.

Another Year, Another Horse

We are currently in the middle of one of the biggest weeks of the year around these parts: Horse Camp Week.

MonkeyDo is such a big fan of horses that she actually pulled a squealing fangirl when she spotted Jake on Monday.


Jake

Horse Camp 2008
She definitely has her favorites.


This year, she's riding Copelan. Copelan is an former racehorse. He's kind of a big lug and definitely quirky. Like the part where he tips over when he falls asleep.


When you have an itch, you use whatever works.
On the first day of Horse Camp this year, Copelan got a little too close to the horse in front of him. She got a little ticked and reached back and kicked him. While MonkeyDo was riding him.

How rude!

Horse Camp is held at Gibson Ranch, which recently went through some turmoil. We didn't know if there would be a Horse Camp at all this year.

I love Gibson Ranch and it fits a lot of my wishes for my Big Plot o'Land Plan.

Plus it has peacocks.




And kittehs.

Mein Linker Fuss

The fact that he lived at all was something of an affront to death.

He was three months old when he came to live with us and he could fit in my cupped hands. I could have tucked him down inside my sneaker.

He was always a petite sized kitty, although maybe that was just in comparison to his goliath of a best friend.

His unique walk was described as monkey-like because of the deformity of his rear legs. He ran, he climbed, he dragged away countless items because they got stuck on his foot or to his claw. He would engage in fierce battles with a cat twice his size and just when you thought he was being too picked on, things would settle down for a while until, out of the blue, he'd fly onto the unsuspecting fat cat and proceed to whomp him right back.

Originally named Mein Linker Fuss, he became Me, Gimpy, Monserat and Dammit! by turns.

He was neurotic and compulsive, a grumpy old man from the start. Of course he fit right in.

He lived. And he was loved. His time may have been shorter than average, but how long is a life that cheats death at the start?

I don't even want to say "rest in peace", as I suspect his spirit legs are long and strong and resting will be the last thing on his mine. But I am now sitting in a coffee shop crying, so I guess that's pretty awesome.

Issac - Wordless Wednesday

The cat that adopted Neighbor.

Be sure to check out the rest of the Wordless Wednesday posts!

Diane

Thursday Night Gratitude

Pizza & Protest Signs
Lap Warming Kittehs

Portrait of a Sleeping Cat

For your amusement, here is a snap of SuperFat's preferred night time sleeping locale & position. Behind him, the wall. Under him, my pillow (yes those are gnome sheets)(like you're really surprised). My head goes in the belly region.


He really does sleep all flopped out on his back like that. On top of my head.

Unless he thinks there's something he needs to keep an eye on. Then he spends the night "on watch".

Swear.

But he's such a chicken and any little noise makes him jump.

My cat. Is Courage the Cowardly Dog.

Ha.

PS: I take it I'm not the only one that didn't make it in to the office today?

How To Save Eighty Million Lives

So we came home this afternoon and our next door neighbor (not Neighbor) came over to let SweetPea know that her cat had kittens in our shed.

Again.

Which is pretty damn funny, considering how, after her cat's second batch of kittens last year, she said that she had her scheduled for a spay but got pregnant first.

Y'all may not know this, but we took in half of her first batch of kittens last year. We took the dark ones, a friend of hers took the orange ones.

Not one of those kittens made it through the summer. Not one.

She had another batch in late summer, early fall. One of which Tatiana got in the yard.

Let me tell you, it's something else to look out into the yard and see your dog tossing about the body of an adolescent cat.

Last year, we dropped what we were doing to dig out that shed no less than three times to get at those kittens. This year, not so much. She's just going to have to wait until mom brings them kittens out.

Last year I wanted to kidnap that cat and get her ass spayed.

This year I think I'm going to have to contact the county and see if there's anything that can be done (uh... legally).

Because, no, it's not cool at all to let two unfixed cats (male and female) run loose in the neighborhood.

Superfat

Cheating on his girlfriend with a pony. Dude's got serious kink issues.

Superfat

In his favorite spot.

Mein Linker Fuss

It occurs to me that I have never properly introduced Gimpy, even though I have spoken at length about SuperFat. Allow me to rectify that.

Here is Gimpy.

And here is his gimpy.

Gimpy is also known as:

Mein linker fuss
Me
MisterMeemers
MisterMansie
Meemers

If I'm correct, he's coming up on his fourth birthday early May. We got him in July. When we got him, he could fit in my hand. We got him from an ad on craigslist. In a strange twist of fate, the family trying to find him a home included a woman I'd sat in two and a half years of German class with.

I'd also like to make clear that this kitten was the lovedest, most spoiled little kitten ever when we got him.

This cat has been blessed and fortunate a thousand times over. And we, by him.

We're going to be taking him to the vet soon to have him checked for arthritis. He's never had a problem getting around, but has always been sensitive about having his back legs handled. It seems to me that he's been a little more sensitive than normal with the recent cold, wet snap. I'd like to see what we can do for him if he is, in fact, in pain.

I'm headed back to work today y'all. Wish me them luck.

Transgender Cat?

Monkey Do: "Is You part boy and part girl?"

Me: "Uh... no."

SweetPea: "Yeah, he's a shim!"

Gratitude

Today I am thankful for....

SweetPea

MonkeyDo and MonkeySee

Teetums

Gimpy and SuperFat

Babe & her Sweet Prince (grammy and grandpa)

Rescue me!

So the Big Dog posted today about her brother's new puppy and commented "Sometimes you get the greatest dogs in rescue."

Personally, I think all rescue critters have great potential. I think there are too many people who would be surprised at what extraordinary critters can be had through rescue.

All of our critters (with the exception of whatever fish are still alive right now) were rehomed from somewhere. Including Superfat, who came direct from the city pound. In fact, Superfat was a two time loser, having been dumped, adopted, and dumped again.

I remember making the choice to pick him. There were tons of cute kittens that day. We'd gone to a couple of rescues before hitting the pound. Every time we got near his cage he stuck his big old paw out, grabbing for us. We had been looking for a girl. We had been looking for something other than grey & white like Gimpy. But that mouth, pushy cat was determined to go home with us. Once named Mittons and apparently not fed well (if at all), our You/Youmers/Superfat has an eating disorder whereby he is just not happy unless he has free access to a filled cat bowl. He pulls his water dish out into the walkway when it's empty, or climb into the tub and meow for someone to turn on the water. He loves to sleep on my head, and comes to get me when it's time to get up. Once I get up in the morning, he has some breakfast and some water, a trip to the sand box and then he curls up near me and sleeps the morning away. He's had a hard night, after all, keeping the zombies and boogeymen away. He loves to lick my hand and eat hair. He even has his own Barbie fashion doll that we tease is his girlfriend.

I couldn't imagine our house without him. He's a loyal, loving friend and I'm almost sad that two whole families missed out on a truly great catch.

But their loss is our gain!

why we don't buy the good blinds

My poor, decapitated cat.

My cat is a candy ass

We have two cats. Officially they are Me and You, but are most often referred to as Gimpy and Superfat (alternatively fatty, fatty boombalaty). They are indoor cats. Me because he is a gimp and would likely not be able to protect himself or get out of the way of oncoming traffic. You because he's a candy ass and has no street smarts what so ever. (Yes, I jest, because, as far as I'm concerned, cats are inside pets, period.) You is utterly fascinated with "outside" and has snuck his fat ass out the door on a number of occassions. He goes out the front door at a bolt, gets to the driveway and then hides under the truck. I'm convinced that's as far as he's thought ahead and he has no idea what to do next. When he goes out the back... OK, I have no idea what he does. All I know is that's dangerous, what with the giant Akita back there that probably sees the fat cat as another snuggle toy. Just like the cat sized rats she kills. I do know that he comes back covered in stickers and very very loving and snuggly. Like "omg, you cannot believe the horrors that I have seen. Please comfort me and tell me everything will be ok and I never have to leave my cosy house ever ever again."

My cat is a candy ass.

My cat has a "friend", though. The unfixed orange male cat next door, Pumpkin, who was the father of our gypsy kittens. (by the way, you have no idea how thrilled I am that the people next door own two unfixed cats that they allow to roam the neighborhood at will)

Pumpkin likes to come over and sit on the storage thingie outside our office window and visit You. I  mean, I guess that's what he's doing. I've caught him there, and SweetPea has said that he will sit there and yowl and yowl and when she pokes her head through the blinds he looks at her and yowls.

This morning Pumpkin was sitting in his spot while You was in the window. I figured this out after hearing You growl and growl. His tail was flicking angrily and he was making all these weird noises. It's possible he may not know how to growl correctly. I have no idea what his issue is. Or, for that matter, why Pumpkin keeps coming for visits when You just makes mean at him. Maybe that's fun for Pumpkin. Kind of like sometimes watching stupid politicy bullshit go down when it doesn't affect you is fun.

I'm sure that if I tossed You outside when Pumpkin was out there he'd probably pee himself with fright. Because, dude... My cat's a candy ass. He only ever fights with Me, who's a gimp.

Even though he's a big fat candy ass, he's still my cat and I love him. Now that it's gotten colder again he's started sleeping on my head. Which would work out a lot better for him if he'd quit flicking SweetPea in the face with his tail.