I didn't have a chance to get to the store today and had run out of canned cat food but I kept plenty of dry food in the dish. By night I started feeling sorry for the kitties so I cooked 3 chicken patties, two for me and one I cut up for the gang. Blackie & Hairy loved it just fine. In fact Blackie wanted more. Brownie, however, was not impressed.
I came out later to toss the paper plate on which I had presented the chicken and low & behold there was Brownie sitting in the litter box. Apparently Yesterday's News cat litter has now become today's cat bedding. LOL
Well I'm not sure what to do. I had wanted the cats to start using a litter box so they wouldn't be using the yard. In fact today there was even a dropping left by someone in the carport. Not sure by who. Brownie just looks so happy laying in the Yesterday's News so it looks like time to just give in and to start looking for a new litter that they might use in a different box.
Oh yes, I mentioned the rat. So tonight I came out to check on the kitties and there in the flower bed by the carport, laying among the Wandering Jews, was a good sized lifeless rat, fully intact. I have never seen a rat near my house in all the years since I have had a home here so it was something of a surprise. Maybe it's partly due to all the digging by the county down by the storm ditch down the road. Or perhaps it's from so many homes left abandoned thanks to the housing crisis. Who knows? It's not been that uncommon of late to see a home's entire contents dumped out into the front yard to sit there for some time. Can't help but believe that's not good for rodent abatement.
I dismissed Hairy as my hero due to being declawed. So I thanked Blackie & Brownie and thought how lucky I had been to be free of rodents before the kitties came my way. I should also recap that as I shared several weeks ago Blackie had caught a mouse but did not spare the remains. ;-)
So I'm thinking it is Brownie that I can thank for protecting the homestead today. Just sorry I didn't have any kittie treats on hand as a reward.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Sometimes Slow is Good
It's been pretty uneventful around here. Tonight I made a Tombstone pizza on my Presto Pizzazz cooker and shared some of the pepperoni with the kitties. Blackie really loves it! Hairy likes it too. And yes, I do cut it into kitty sized pieces.
On a side note I added sliced Munster cheese and it was very good. I got the idea from a cable channel show about different pizzas and one NY pizza place owner was extolling the virtue of cheese slices over shredded. Maybe it's just me but it really seemed to make the taste of all the toppings and sauce pop delightfully on my taste buds and also helped keep the sauce from drying out.
I should also point out in case you don't know that my pizza cooker is the rotating wheel kind. I had always wanted one but found them hard to find at a good price. So one day about a year ago I saw one at Wal*Mart and just bought it full price on a lark. While I do like it I think I will go with more of an oven type cooker next. The Presto is absolutely horrible with any type of self rising pizza dough and of course the whole idea in having a pizza cooker is to not have to use the kitchen oven, for obvious reasons.
Lately the kitties have taken to exploring the house across the street. This horrifies me as they tend to pull in to their yard very fast. They have numerous vehicles coming and going at all hours and even covered their entire front yard with wood chips to facilitate more parking space. Brownie seems to be getting more picky about his canned food flavors but I think it's partly because he's buffet dining around more than Blackie and Hairy who usually tend to hang out by my house most of the time, but I've caught them also wandering across the street of late. I know the people across the street used to have kitties so it could be they are sitting out food for them.
As a matter of fact the previous residents across the street used to keep a cat on a harness attached to a clothesline kind of setup. It had just about enough slack to allow it to jump to a safe spot on the porch to get away from wandering dogs. I'm divided on how I feel about this idea. Obviously some cats tend to disregard the danger of oncoming traffic and at least this setup did allow some freedom of motion. Still, since most cats are so independent by nature it just doesn't seem quite right to me.
On another note I've not pressed the point but it seems the kitties don't want to use the litter box in the carport. When I first put it out there they would use it occasionally, but they won't use it anymore. I have a coupon for Yesterday's News brand litter, which apparently is comprised of recycled newspapers, so maybe a change in litter will do the trick. It does tend to be a little frustrating trying to do yard work with cat poop hiding in the St. Augustine grass or in the flower bed.
A little while ago I had just fed the kitties and thought they were set for the night. But as I entered the house Hairy dashed through the door so fast that it caused me to stub my toe! I was caught totally off guard because she had not shown any interest in coming in tonight. I guess she wasn't taking any chances that I would tell her not now.
She saw the computer was on so she sat down by it and went through her washing ritual and then later curled up under the dining table which was just a few feet away.
I was talking to mom the other day about air fares and the impact of suddenly lower fuel costs and she said I probably couldn't go anywhere because the kitties would miss me too much. Well probably but I think I would miss them more even despite being able to see them on the home security cameras via the web. It kinda makes it worse because I can see them moping around wondering when their main meal ticket will return. LOL
On a side note I added sliced Munster cheese and it was very good. I got the idea from a cable channel show about different pizzas and one NY pizza place owner was extolling the virtue of cheese slices over shredded. Maybe it's just me but it really seemed to make the taste of all the toppings and sauce pop delightfully on my taste buds and also helped keep the sauce from drying out.
I should also point out in case you don't know that my pizza cooker is the rotating wheel kind. I had always wanted one but found them hard to find at a good price. So one day about a year ago I saw one at Wal*Mart and just bought it full price on a lark. While I do like it I think I will go with more of an oven type cooker next. The Presto is absolutely horrible with any type of self rising pizza dough and of course the whole idea in having a pizza cooker is to not have to use the kitchen oven, for obvious reasons.
Lately the kitties have taken to exploring the house across the street. This horrifies me as they tend to pull in to their yard very fast. They have numerous vehicles coming and going at all hours and even covered their entire front yard with wood chips to facilitate more parking space. Brownie seems to be getting more picky about his canned food flavors but I think it's partly because he's buffet dining around more than Blackie and Hairy who usually tend to hang out by my house most of the time, but I've caught them also wandering across the street of late. I know the people across the street used to have kitties so it could be they are sitting out food for them.
As a matter of fact the previous residents across the street used to keep a cat on a harness attached to a clothesline kind of setup. It had just about enough slack to allow it to jump to a safe spot on the porch to get away from wandering dogs. I'm divided on how I feel about this idea. Obviously some cats tend to disregard the danger of oncoming traffic and at least this setup did allow some freedom of motion. Still, since most cats are so independent by nature it just doesn't seem quite right to me.
On another note I've not pressed the point but it seems the kitties don't want to use the litter box in the carport. When I first put it out there they would use it occasionally, but they won't use it anymore. I have a coupon for Yesterday's News brand litter, which apparently is comprised of recycled newspapers, so maybe a change in litter will do the trick. It does tend to be a little frustrating trying to do yard work with cat poop hiding in the St. Augustine grass or in the flower bed.
A little while ago I had just fed the kitties and thought they were set for the night. But as I entered the house Hairy dashed through the door so fast that it caused me to stub my toe! I was caught totally off guard because she had not shown any interest in coming in tonight. I guess she wasn't taking any chances that I would tell her not now.
She saw the computer was on so she sat down by it and went through her washing ritual and then later curled up under the dining table which was just a few feet away.
I was talking to mom the other day about air fares and the impact of suddenly lower fuel costs and she said I probably couldn't go anywhere because the kitties would miss me too much. Well probably but I think I would miss them more even despite being able to see them on the home security cameras via the web. It kinda makes it worse because I can see them moping around wondering when their main meal ticket will return. LOL
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Same Old, Same Old
Nothing much new to report really. While I am excited that the the Rays and both Chicago baseball teams are in the playoffs the kitties couldn't care less, of course. You can't even get them to play with a ball, although Brownie does like to play catch the stick with me. I take a long stick (long enough so that I don't accidentally get tagged) and move it around and Brownie swipes at it and tries to knock it down.
Yesterday I got home from the store and as I was unloading groceries Brownie kept jumping in to the truck to check things out. He usually doesn't do that, but for some reason yesterday he climbed back in 3 or 4 times. He's a bit on the heavy side so I finally got tired of picking him up and just went and got some can food to give him something better to do, which I think was probably his ultimate goal anyway.
Hairy, well she is getting to where any time I open the front door she considers it a invitation to come in. It was cool when I awoke so I had opened the windows. Hairy saw me through the window and jumped up on a bench in the carport and tried to remove the screen and come in. She kept meowing and looking at me as if to say, "Hey I can't get this dumb screen off. A little help here!" Guess you had to see it to fully appreciate it. LOL
Yesterday I got home from the store and as I was unloading groceries Brownie kept jumping in to the truck to check things out. He usually doesn't do that, but for some reason yesterday he climbed back in 3 or 4 times. He's a bit on the heavy side so I finally got tired of picking him up and just went and got some can food to give him something better to do, which I think was probably his ultimate goal anyway.
Hairy, well she is getting to where any time I open the front door she considers it a invitation to come in. It was cool when I awoke so I had opened the windows. Hairy saw me through the window and jumped up on a bench in the carport and tried to remove the screen and come in. She kept meowing and looking at me as if to say, "Hey I can't get this dumb screen off. A little help here!" Guess you had to see it to fully appreciate it. LOL
Sunday, September 28, 2008
More From the Opossum
This fellow just will not give up! I'm seriously considering one of the ideas presented in my earlier hyperlink that involved a trap and a 20 mile forced relocation of the critter.
I have not been leaving much kitty food out past dark to discourage future opossum visitation to kittyland, but as you can imagine this is not very popular with the kitties. I have increased can food feedings at night because I know they will eat it all up quick but the kitties still seem quite partial to midnight nibbling. Unfortunately so does Mr. Opossum.
In fact Opossum may visit just after dusk or anytime right up to dawn. And he'll often make the rounds several times a night - just in case he missed some I guess.
I have tried to remember to bring in the food dish at evening unless there's not much in it but I'm human and sometimes I forget. Besides when I do the kitties give me mean looks like they're thinking "So what did we do wrong?" Seriously! Once or twice Brownie has taken a swipe at Blackie or Hairy during the extraction of the bowl as if it were their fault I was bringing the dish in. LOL
I tried putting the food dish up on the plastic storage boxes in the carport, knowing the cats can jump that high. Apparently so can opossum. I knew they could climb but I didn't know they could also jump. It seems they can! Or at least that high.
I fed the kitties 3 extra cans just overnight because I could see them on the security cams looking longingly at the spot where the food dish resides during the day, but this is getting sort of expensive. It might be cheaper to just go ahead and let the opossum steal a little kitty food. My worry about setting a trap is that curiosity may get the cat and not the opossum.
One side story. After the 2nd can I was resolved - no more food until dawn. But I noticed Blackie had been drinking quite a bit of water so I went out to refill the water bowl. In bolted Hairy before I knew what had hit me. She made a mad dash to the kitchen, sat in front of the cabinets, and meowed loudly while looking up at the correct cabinet door to the canned food.
Of course I gave in. As I began opening the can she was overjoyed and dancing in kitty circles. As I carried the can outside I don't know how many times she got in my way, perhaps hoping I would just give in and set the can down immediately. She followed me outside, which she almost never does voluntarily once she gets in to the house.
As I opened the door Blackie and Brownie were already seated at the dining spot and getting very excited and a trio chorus of meow, meow, meow ensued as Hairy joined in. As always, in less than 2 minutes it was all gone and they took turns licking the empty plate.
Some time afterwards I caught Mr. Opossum sneaking up but when he saw there was no food to be had he just turned sadly and slowly made his way to the house next door.
I have not been leaving much kitty food out past dark to discourage future opossum visitation to kittyland, but as you can imagine this is not very popular with the kitties. I have increased can food feedings at night because I know they will eat it all up quick but the kitties still seem quite partial to midnight nibbling. Unfortunately so does Mr. Opossum.
In fact Opossum may visit just after dusk or anytime right up to dawn. And he'll often make the rounds several times a night - just in case he missed some I guess.
I have tried to remember to bring in the food dish at evening unless there's not much in it but I'm human and sometimes I forget. Besides when I do the kitties give me mean looks like they're thinking "So what did we do wrong?" Seriously! Once or twice Brownie has taken a swipe at Blackie or Hairy during the extraction of the bowl as if it were their fault I was bringing the dish in. LOL
I tried putting the food dish up on the plastic storage boxes in the carport, knowing the cats can jump that high. Apparently so can opossum. I knew they could climb but I didn't know they could also jump. It seems they can! Or at least that high.
I fed the kitties 3 extra cans just overnight because I could see them on the security cams looking longingly at the spot where the food dish resides during the day, but this is getting sort of expensive. It might be cheaper to just go ahead and let the opossum steal a little kitty food. My worry about setting a trap is that curiosity may get the cat and not the opossum.
One side story. After the 2nd can I was resolved - no more food until dawn. But I noticed Blackie had been drinking quite a bit of water so I went out to refill the water bowl. In bolted Hairy before I knew what had hit me. She made a mad dash to the kitchen, sat in front of the cabinets, and meowed loudly while looking up at the correct cabinet door to the canned food.
Of course I gave in. As I began opening the can she was overjoyed and dancing in kitty circles. As I carried the can outside I don't know how many times she got in my way, perhaps hoping I would just give in and set the can down immediately. She followed me outside, which she almost never does voluntarily once she gets in to the house.
As I opened the door Blackie and Brownie were already seated at the dining spot and getting very excited and a trio chorus of meow, meow, meow ensued as Hairy joined in. As always, in less than 2 minutes it was all gone and they took turns licking the empty plate.
Some time afterwards I caught Mr. Opossum sneaking up but when he saw there was no food to be had he just turned sadly and slowly made his way to the house next door.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Blackie's New Life
When I first began this blog in the description I had this line in the description: "I believe it will be a while yet before I have to grapple with the sad subject of his impending departure from this world due to illness, but hopefully I will have many cat tales to impart before then so that he won't leave this earth unknown and forgotten." But things have now thankfully changed for the better! So those words are now removed.
I'm not sure if it's all the extra attention, or the extra feedings, or divine intervention but Blackie is looking better and gaining more body fat by the day. He's still an older cat of course. No idea just how old. But despite the broken paw he's got his spring back in his step again. I've also noticed he stays pretty close to my home, although he has for some reason picked up a nasty habit of visiting the house next door by going out my drive, on to the street, then back up to the drive of the neighbor's house. There are now also occasions of just sitting in the road which I think is more curiosity than a death wish, especially since one end of the road is closed now for a sewer project and there is hardly any traffic at night compared to normal. Still a bit concerning. But if I open my door he usually comes running to see me.
So for now I am just glad Blackie is feeling much better and that for another day all is well in kittyland.
I'm not sure if it's all the extra attention, or the extra feedings, or divine intervention but Blackie is looking better and gaining more body fat by the day. He's still an older cat of course. No idea just how old. But despite the broken paw he's got his spring back in his step again. I've also noticed he stays pretty close to my home, although he has for some reason picked up a nasty habit of visiting the house next door by going out my drive, on to the street, then back up to the drive of the neighbor's house. There are now also occasions of just sitting in the road which I think is more curiosity than a death wish, especially since one end of the road is closed now for a sewer project and there is hardly any traffic at night compared to normal. Still a bit concerning. But if I open my door he usually comes running to see me.
So for now I am just glad Blackie is feeling much better and that for another day all is well in kittyland.
Hairy The Houdini
I had trouble sleeping last night and kept waking about every hour so I decided to just stay up and do some work from the computer. I saw Hairy on the monitor sitting by the front door so I decided to let her come in, which she of course was eager to do. After a quick snack in the kitchen she curled up on my jeans on the floor and used my shoes for a pillow, as she often does. She laid like that for hours, occasionally looking up as I would go to the kitchen.
But when I took a bathroom break there was Hairy at the door as I exited and she was wanting to go in and have a look around. After a few mews, which are sort of faint meows, and a sad look of disappointment she realized I wasn't going to oblige her so she curled up by the door as if to take a nap. But by the time I had sat back down at my computer she was gone. Vanished! I really need to put a bell on her so I know when she's on the move.
Well I wasn't terribly worried. All the same I looked not only in all her usual spots but in every possible spot and still no Hairy. So I gave up and when back to my work. But come the next kitchen break there followed Hairy looking up at me, then up at the cabinet with the canned food, and then came another faint mew to tell me "feed the kitty." Well I was making something for myself so it seemed only fair. She won't over eat so I opened a can and gave her first shot. Later I brought the leftovers out to Blackie & Brownie who were equally grateful.
After a while I decided to watch something I had recorded on my Tivo. I love having shows available when I have time to watch and not when they happen to air. So I thought Hairy would just sit in my lap and purr as she nodded off to another nap. Not this time. First she sat with front paws on my chest, slobbering, and for some reason restless. She never did get still. Then she just started climbing up, apparently to escape me, get to the top of the recliner, and probably off to that secret hiding spot I suppose. Either way something seemed to be on her mind.
By that time I was finally getting sleepy and decided it was time for Hairy to go so I could go back to bed. She really didn't want to go. She just kept purring and resisting my efforts to rise from the chair. And as I finally made my way to the door she just looked up with one of those sad looks and gave me a mew as if to say she really didn't want to go. But she had to go because while Hairy might think she's ready for the house life the house is not ready for Hairy. Still too many things kitty could get into that could cause her harm and also no good spot for a liter box off hand.
Lately the other kitties seem to be a bit jealous of Hairy's visits. Brownie has even taken a swipe or two at her over it, but Brownie is most definitely not a house kitty anyway. He's too much of a free spirit, to put it mildly. But Blackie just looks on, as if with a longing for look. But neither he or Brownie really like me to pick them up very often so they might not be so willing to call it a night when it was time to go. But who knows. Their day for a house visit may yet come.
Harry Houdini
But when I took a bathroom break there was Hairy at the door as I exited and she was wanting to go in and have a look around. After a few mews, which are sort of faint meows, and a sad look of disappointment she realized I wasn't going to oblige her so she curled up by the door as if to take a nap. But by the time I had sat back down at my computer she was gone. Vanished! I really need to put a bell on her so I know when she's on the move.
Well I wasn't terribly worried. All the same I looked not only in all her usual spots but in every possible spot and still no Hairy. So I gave up and when back to my work. But come the next kitchen break there followed Hairy looking up at me, then up at the cabinet with the canned food, and then came another faint mew to tell me "feed the kitty." Well I was making something for myself so it seemed only fair. She won't over eat so I opened a can and gave her first shot. Later I brought the leftovers out to Blackie & Brownie who were equally grateful.
After a while I decided to watch something I had recorded on my Tivo. I love having shows available when I have time to watch and not when they happen to air. So I thought Hairy would just sit in my lap and purr as she nodded off to another nap. Not this time. First she sat with front paws on my chest, slobbering, and for some reason restless. She never did get still. Then she just started climbing up, apparently to escape me, get to the top of the recliner, and probably off to that secret hiding spot I suppose. Either way something seemed to be on her mind.
By that time I was finally getting sleepy and decided it was time for Hairy to go so I could go back to bed. She really didn't want to go. She just kept purring and resisting my efforts to rise from the chair. And as I finally made my way to the door she just looked up with one of those sad looks and gave me a mew as if to say she really didn't want to go. But she had to go because while Hairy might think she's ready for the house life the house is not ready for Hairy. Still too many things kitty could get into that could cause her harm and also no good spot for a liter box off hand.
Lately the other kitties seem to be a bit jealous of Hairy's visits. Brownie has even taken a swipe or two at her over it, but Brownie is most definitely not a house kitty anyway. He's too much of a free spirit, to put it mildly. But Blackie just looks on, as if with a longing for look. But neither he or Brownie really like me to pick them up very often so they might not be so willing to call it a night when it was time to go. But who knows. Their day for a house visit may yet come.
Harry Houdini
Sunday, September 21, 2008
About Free Sample Sites
I have included hyperlinks to some free sample websites which I visit myself and have found valuable. Just consider it a nice perk for being a friend of Blackie and his kitty friends. LOL
Why am I taking time to mention this? Quite simply because I got tired of running in to all the rip off pretend freebie sites that just want to harvest your contact info. Had I not come across a free offer or at least a nice discount coupon I would not have been aware of some of the better pet food products out there. For example all 3 kitties like The Good Life Recipe and Iams Premium Protection but I would have never tried either without some incentive to do so. The Iams offer is for a free 2.2 pound bag but Iams is sort of expensive to just buy it to try it.
On a side note, this week both Wal*Mart and Publics have a canned 4 pack of 9 Lives for $1 and it comes in at least 3 varieties. Oddly, these do not have the pull top and I had to dig up the old can opener but the kitties just love this stuff! The current one they're getting is Tuna Select with "Flakes of Real Tuna & Egg Bits" 95% Real Tuna. While this is basically a cake it is very loosely caked. I really should buy a case of this while it's on sale.
I am new to the MySavings site but it seems to take you right to the manufacturer's website for most better deals.
On the DealCatcher site at the top of the page click on Forums and then choose Free Stuff. Obviously some deals are better than others.
Start Sampling is not quite as good as it used to be and you have to be watchful about some of the offers, but overall it still deserves a mention as one resource to touch base with from time to time.
Another good site for freebies is Wal*Mart Note that the freebies do not display if you're using FireFox with Adblocker installed. Just turn off AdBlocker before you go to the page if you use it.
Another nice freebie site is for software. In the top right corner of the page is the free program of the day offer (can be anything from games to video editing software) and comes with a legit license, but no support. So install at your own risk. Giveaway of the Day
ENJOY!
Why am I taking time to mention this? Quite simply because I got tired of running in to all the rip off pretend freebie sites that just want to harvest your contact info. Had I not come across a free offer or at least a nice discount coupon I would not have been aware of some of the better pet food products out there. For example all 3 kitties like The Good Life Recipe and Iams Premium Protection but I would have never tried either without some incentive to do so. The Iams offer is for a free 2.2 pound bag but Iams is sort of expensive to just buy it to try it.
On a side note, this week both Wal*Mart and Publics have a canned 4 pack of 9 Lives for $1 and it comes in at least 3 varieties. Oddly, these do not have the pull top and I had to dig up the old can opener but the kitties just love this stuff! The current one they're getting is Tuna Select with "Flakes of Real Tuna & Egg Bits" 95% Real Tuna. While this is basically a cake it is very loosely caked. I really should buy a case of this while it's on sale.
I am new to the MySavings site but it seems to take you right to the manufacturer's website for most better deals.
On the DealCatcher site at the top of the page click on Forums and then choose Free Stuff. Obviously some deals are better than others.
Start Sampling is not quite as good as it used to be and you have to be watchful about some of the offers, but overall it still deserves a mention as one resource to touch base with from time to time.
Another good site for freebies is Wal*Mart Note that the freebies do not display if you're using FireFox with Adblocker installed. Just turn off AdBlocker before you go to the page if you use it.
Another nice freebie site is for software. In the top right corner of the page is the free program of the day offer (can be anything from games to video editing software) and comes with a legit license, but no support. So install at your own risk. Giveaway of the Day
ENJOY!
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