The Cat and The Hairspray

Visited the hairdresser today for my monthly haircut. Rarely do I use hairspray, but today she sprayed a liberal amount after styling. Didn't think much of it until...

My cat, Charlotte, enjoys sleeping on the back of the sofa in the living room. When I sit there, she likes to nuzzle in my hair. I don't know why and can't seem to stop her. She purrs and nuzzles and sometimes holds my head between her paws to keep it where she wants it.

Today when I sat down to chat with hubby, she jumped on the back of the sofa and began her usual routine. She nuzzled, rooted, purred and rubbed...peeked over my shoulder and looked at me...then went back to nuzzling. She grabbed my head with her paws and suddenly I felt teeth on the side of my head! I pulled away and she meowed at me. I leaned back and she started in again purring and nuzzling...then suddenly, she grabbed a mouthful of hair and pulled! Ouch!!!

You should have seen the look she gave me when I scolded her. And the little vixen slapped my hand when I shook my finger at her. Not sure what kind of hair spray I have in my hair, but you can bet I won't be sitting on the sofa until I wash my hair!

The Cat and The Jewelry Box

Most of you who follow my blog know about my "almost human" cat Templeton. But not sure if you all know that Templeton has trouble deciding if he's human or a dog. He LOVES to chew on things. My hubby cannot read the daily newspaper without Templeton being right up front and in his face. And if he doesn't get the attention he desires, he grabs the newspaper and shakes it like a dog taking bite size pieces and tossing them.

A couple weeks ago, one of our daughters was visiting. She and I were visiting in the family room when I realized she'd left her "expensive" designer bag on the floor next to her feet. She didn't know about Templeton's chewing habit until she caught him gnawing away on the handle! Luckily, she rescued it in time. I wasn't so lucky when I first learned of his chewing tendency. I left a new bag on the sofa and when I picked it up to leave for work, the handle fell off!! He'd chewed completely through it. Mine wasn't an expensive one, thank goodness, so I replaced it. Now I know to keep all my purses hanging on a hook inside my closet.

So, now to the story of today's post. I have a velvet covered jewelry box on my dresser. I've had it for some time, but recently decided to put it on my dresser and fill it with small and "best" quality jewelry. When I went to open it this morning I noticed a hole had been gnawed through the velvet and "teeth" marks appeared all over the top!!

I kind of wish Templeton was a dog. Then he wouldn't be jumping to the top of things to get at items to chew on...well, unless he was a dog that thought he was a cat. But, that's another story.

The Cat and the Q-Tip

My cat, Wilbur, has a fetish for Q-tips. I'm very careful to hide used ones in the bottom of the trash can beneath other debris, but he's like a bloodhound and can sniff them out of all my hiding places.

I use the Q-tips to clear makeup "goofs", especially around my eyes. Wilbur sits and stares at me, watching every move with intensity, and patiently waiting to see what I'm going to do with the treasure next. Distracting a cat with a purpose is impossible.

Yesterday, while applying makeup, I heard a noise...a rustling noise. I stopped and listened intently. The house was quiet, very quiet. The sound reminded me of the time I stayed in a cabin in Tennessee and a field mouse had found my stash of muffins. How could I have a mouse? Outside I have thirteen feral cats and inside I have three cats. No mouse would survive an attempt to break in.

I went back to applying the makeup. The noise started once again. Was it coming from the linen closet beside me where I keep all my makeup, hair, and beauty supplies? The door was cracked open. I grabbed the handle and yanked the door open!

And, there on the third shelf, where the Q-tips are housed, I found Wilbur hunkered down trying to make himself invisible with a Q-tip in his mouth!

I'm doomed.

No Way Are You Putting Me In That!!!!

Yesterday I helped a friend by taking her and her cat to their vet to get the cat's shots updated. I had taken care of Baby Kitty when my friend went out of town, but it had been a while since the cat saw me. I worried that she might be nervous and hide. If that happened, I knew we'd be in for a struggle to catch her and put her in the carrier. But, Baby Kitty came right up to me and begged for petting. She purred and kept tapping me to get more loving. Finally, I headed out to the garage to get the carrier while Baby Kitty was on my friend's lap.

The moment I opened the door and the cat saw the carrier she tried to escape. Luckily my friend kept Baby Kitty in her arms long enough for me to grab her. It's amazing how cats can use their back legs to keep from being put into a carrier. Baby Kitty used her legs to push against the sides of the cage so that I couldn't push her inside. Talk about strong! So, I decided to try putting her in feet first. Nope! There went those legs again.

Finally, I turned the carrier on end and managed to drop the cat inside and get the door locked. Baby Kitty refused to acknowledge me again until we returned home and I opened the cage to let her out. She allowed me a few apolegetic pettings before she flipped her tail in the air and walked away.

Today I'm typing with a bandaid on my finger, a remnant of my good deed for the day.

Fooling the Good Morning Cat!

My cat, Wilbur, slept with us last night. He sleeps by our feet, but he is so alert to any movements when moring draws near. I woke early to go to the bathroom and slipped back under the covers to enjoy a few more warm moments before the light of day. But, Wilbur decided it was time to wake up. He began by pawing my back and "talking" to me. I remained very still and ignored him. So he walked across me. Believe me, he's HEAVY footed!!

Next, he walked up to my hands and began to rub against them to get me to pet his soft silky fur. Difficult to do, but I did remain very still. Then he put his paw on my nose and sniffed my face. I wanted to laugh...didn't give in.

So he walked to the foot of the bed and sat there staring at me. I cracked my eyelid to see if he might be laying down. No way. He was STARING at me, daring me to move.  It was a classic standoff to see who could hold out the longest.

I waited...and waited. Then I opened one eye and he knew! He hurried forward mewing and began sniffing my nose and rubbing against my hand again. When I didn't respond he stood on me! Then he walked to the other side and RAN back across me again.

I gave up. I can never fool the good morning cat!

He's Back...Even if He Didn't Phone!

I watched the new Castle episode last night. Wow, Richard got arrested for murder! Great way to open the series. And I loved the parallel line of his daughter's relationships with her boyfriend and what was happening between Decker and him. I loved the ending action scene where he and Decker each shot someone who was going to shoot the other! They're back and the attraction is on again. Yay!!!

Also, wanted to update my readers on Chance (aka Little Gus). He had a problem with vomiting his food and they found worms in it. I know, I should have warned you not to be eating when you read the blog today. Sorry. Anyway a trip to the vet and medication was all he needed. He's home now and resting comfortably. Yay! I'm so happy that he found a forever home.

Come on, share with me! Every comment gets your name entered in my drawing. No limit to how many times your name is included, so even if you commented already once or twice this month, this will be one more additional chance that you might be the winner. So, what new programs did you watch last night? Comments? What was your favorite part of Castle last night? Did you watch Dancing with the Stars?

Cats and Prayer Shawls

I took up crocheting again after many years of abandoning yarn and needles. I've been making prayer shawls to give to friends in church who are facing surgery or hard times. The pattern works up very fast and in the few hours each day that I watch television, I manage to finish a shawl every three days.

The hardest part is keeping my cats out of the yarn. There's just something about moving yarn that fascinates them. All the pictures you see of cats tangled in yarn...they're true! Wilbur is the cat that I have to fight with most frequently. He'll sit on the floor, eyes big and round, while he watches the progress. Then, suddenly, he leaps to the sofa and with one huge paw, smacks the yarn and stops it from moving. He looks so cute and innocent that it's hard to scold him. But, when he grabs the yarn in his mouth, that's where I have to get stern. I'm working on how to write a nice accompanying tag to give with the shawls, and of course, I'll have to include how Wilbur has helped.

I'll try and take a picture of one of the completed shawls with Wilbur and post on the blog for next Saturday.

Have a nice day! Thanks for stopping by!

Cats and Warm Mattresses

A couple of years ago, we purchased a new latex foam mattress. We'd slept on a waveless water bed (prescribed by my chiropractor) for a number of years prior. The salesperson told us that most customers moving from water beds to regular beds preferred the latex foam. We tried the sleep number and the tempurpedic, and kept returning to the latex foam. What we didn't realize was how the pillow top mattress designed to deflect body heat in summer and reflect in winter (now how can an inaminate object do this?) would actually be so warm in the winter.

Crawling between the sheets, I would freeze...for about a minute. Then everywhere that my body touched, the mattress warmed around me. Nice.

My cats discovered this right away. Sometimes it's hard to remove them from the bed so that we can go to sleep. And the spots where they lay? Talk about warm!!!

Wilbur, my very fuzzy cat, has discovered that when displaced, if he looks at me long enough with his big pleading eye, can get me to raise the covers so he can slip between the sheet, too. He crawls to the bottom of the bed and snuggles around my legs. How he can stand being under all the covers like that I don't know. He's impossible to dislodge. If I want to change position, he's like an immovable tank. Sometimes he lays on his back with his legs bent and toes curled. Amazing.

But he does keep my feet nice and toasty!

Thanks for stopping by!

Oxygen and Cats...

For a month, we've been trying to find the best way to deal with hubby's oxygen hoses. We have an Oxygen Concentrator to which he attaches long plastic tubing so that he can freely roam the house without having to carry an oxygen tank. First, he had a 50 foot hose which allowed him to travel to the lower level of our home if he wanted to watch sports on the large screen tv. Since we are supposed to change the tubing every 30 day, yesterday he removed the long tube and decided to replace it with a 25 foot which gets him all around the first floor.

The first thing he noticed were multiple small puncture holes along the tubing! A close inspection revealed the truth. Our cats had chewed the tubing. I do have to hide my purses from them. Especially, Templeton and Wilbur. They love to chew off the handles of my purse. So, they evidently transferred their love of chowing down to...my husband's oxygen tubes!

So, he decided to use a second 25 foot hose for the downstairs. He accomplished this by attaching it with wall hooks to keep it from dangling. If he decides to go downstairs, he removes the headpiece from the upstairs tube, attaches it to the tubing hidden along the stairway, and he avoides a long twisting, and very  enticing cat toy (er, tube).

Very ingenious, I thought.

Until this morning, when I noticed Wilbur staring at the upstairs hose, which is on the floor and close to the wallboard. Hmmm. I picked up the tube and....ACK!!!!....teeth marks.  Sigh.

Poor hubby needs the flexibility of being able to walk around, so we can't attach the tubing. It has to be free-moving.

I guess I'll have to file down the cats' teeth.

My Cats Snooped and Found Their Christmas Presents...Again!!

In the past, I've shared stories of my cats destroying our Christmas tree each year. Would you believe this is the first year they haven't tried to climb in our tree or knock off any of the ornaments? It's a miracle. We bought a new "slimmer" tree and put it downstairs next to the fireplace. Maybe it's the slimmer design which deterred them. Not sure, but I'm happy about it.

However, they have snooped and found their Christmas presents.  *sigh*  I remember the first year we had them we purchased fuzzy red catnip toys for their stockings. On Christmas Eve, I placed the toys and some treats in each one. On Christmas day, we came downstairs to find they had pulled the toys and treats from their stockings!! They'd unwrapped the toys and were playing with them. None of the other stockings were touched. Little devils. *grin*

Every year since then, they've snooped and scoped out their presents before Christmas. I've hidden them in some pretty good spots, but they always seem to find them anyway. This year I've been so busy that I haven't even been shopping yet. However, on a trip to the store to purchase cat food, I picked out three catnip toys with feathers for our babies. I tied them, still attached to the cardboard, inside a plastic bag, and put it inside another plastic bag with my mother's present and tied that closed. I placed it in a corner of my office, planning to hide the toys later.

About an hour later, groceries unpacked and put away, I sat down to watch the end of a movie I'd taped. I heard some noises, very strange noises, and then a banging noise. I knew that sound. The cats love to bat their fuzzy mouses against the walls in the hallway while they chase them. So I settled back down...until...I saw Wilbur running into the family room with Templeton close behind. Wilbur raced between the sofa and staircase then backed up and began shaking his head back and forth like a dog. What had he gotten into?

Yep, their Christmas presents. He had one of the toys, still attached to cardboard!  I snatched it away, then found another on in the hallway and grabbed it, while racing to my office. They had literally torn a hole through two plastic bags to get their toys. **sigh** I chased them away, with much nasty meowing following, and shut the door to hide the toys until Christmas Eve. Now they are stashed in a file cabinet drawer, inside my office closet. 

Please don't tell my cats.

Have a happy day full of smiles.

The Furry Thief....

As we draw closer to the Christmas season, I've been looking at the ads for Christmas trees. Yeah, hard to believe since I'm the one who refuses to think Christmas until after Thanksgiving. But, we really need a new tree. I'd like to get a real tree because it would be much easier to withstand the torture tactics of our furry thief.

The first year we decorated our artificial tree with beautiful red and gold ornaments, our cats totally destroyed it. They dive bombed through the branches bringing down the red cardinals, the poinsettias, and the red satin balls. Once they knocked it completely down. We kept putting things back on, higher and higher, and the bottom half of the tree was bare. I was so happy to take the tree down after Christmas.

Knowing that cats love red and can see red better than most colors, I decided the next year to decorate with a light blue color. Surely, that would deter the cats. Not!

We had just finished putting the lights and garland on the tree. I'd put a beautiful bird in the top branches and hung a few of the non-breakable balls on the tree, when hubby told me dinner was ready. (Side note: we were having warmed up chili--the only thing he ever cooks!) Only a few bites into the chili, we heard a tell-tale rattle and thump. I knew. I just knew. My tree had been attacked.

Sure enough, the beautiful bird was on the floor along with several ornaments. Now how does a cat see six feet into the air, buried among branches, a bird nearly the same color as the tree?



Yet, sure enough. The damage was done. **sigh** I hadn't even finished decorating before they began to destroy. The culprit? Nowhere to be found. But wait...yes...there he is!



I don't know what we'll do for Christmas tree this year, but I'm sure it will not be without mishaps. I hope I shared a smile with you today.

Thanks for stopping by!

A Halloween "Tail"

My daughter makes the most fantastic Halloween costumes. A couple of years ago, when our cats were under a year old, she stopped by to ask for an afternoon to chat while working on a "tail" for the Big Bad Wolf disguised as Grandma. Daughter was going as Red Riding Hood, and her hubby as the disguised wolf. She purchased a piece of fake fur to make the wolf's tail. We were having a good time, and she was hand sewing the tail around some stuffing when suddenly Templeton decided to see what was going on.

That tail totally had him fascinated and he was bound and determined to take it away.

Enjoy the pics!





He sure was determined to have that tail!!!

And, here are the costumes.




I hope I shared a smile with you today. Please pass it on! It's catching, it's calorie free, and it's healthy!!

Thanks for stopping by.

Smiling is Healthy...

How can you keep from smiling when you see this picture?


My mother is a cat person...like mother, like daughter. *grin* She chose to leave her beloved cats behind when she moved in with us because they were older cats and she feared they wouldn't make the trip. I worried about her leaving them behind, and she had a lot of moments when she teared up and I'm sure she cried in private. But, our three cats have given her a lot of happiness. They've adopted her and now they spend more time with her than with us. Templeton waits patiently on her walker for her to "give him a ride" each day.

I hope I've given you a smile with my picture today. Thanks for stopping by!

Is it...Real????

I had a wonderful time in Port Clinton at The Book Exchange this Saturday. Annette Fitzgerald, owner of the bookstore, is so gracious to the authors who come in to do signings. The store is uniquely set up with lots of nooks and crannies crammed with books of every genre, both new and used. Her entire family is part of the venture. Her children made sure I had everything I needed, always checking to see if I needed something to drink or eat.

Whenever I do a signing, I always take my breathing cat (purchased from Hallmark). She is a tabby cat, curled up sleeping. Batteries make her breathe. So, people will walk by, look, decide it isn't real...and then see it breathe! Funny the different reactions. But, Annette's youngest daughter fell in love with my cat. She would stand and talk to me all the time petting the cat as if it was real. What a soft heart this young lady has.

If you ever get to Port Clinton, don't miss a chance to stop by The Book Exchange!

Thanks for stopping by!

Labor Day...Wedding Day...Egads, What's a Gal to Do?

My son is getting married on September 5th. Guess where? In our yard! We talked about having it in the back yard and then later changed it to the front yard. Now, at this point, I'm thinking we might have around 40 people. In order to pull this off, all the guests will be standing in our yard. One thing I've refused to do is spend money to rent chairs for a 10 minute service (especially since this is a third marriage for both of them). Here are the problems I foresee:

Birds--I love them, but what if a bird drops something unwanted onto a guest?

Squirrels--They're cute. Hubby hates them. What if they drop something unwanted, like a prize nut, on a guest?

Cats--Yes, known as the crazy cat lady, we have thirteen semi-feral cats to care for. They like to know what's happening. And, worse, they like to use our flower beds for their litter box. What if one drops something "stinky" just before the wedding?

Spiders--I see the webs along the bricks lining the flower garden. Creepy, I tell ya. I do not do spiders. What if one decides to pop out suddenly and I scream during a crucial part of the wedding?

Rain--What do we do in case of rain? My house does not have a room big enough to house a wedding with 40 guests.


Oh, I could go on and on, but I do have to go to work.

Cats...Intuitive Healers

Recently we moved my mother into our home. She had two furry cat babies, Maggie and Blacky. Both were elderly and Mom felt they wouldn't survive the long trip to Ohio, so she chose to leave them behind. It's hard to adopt out elderly cats, but we found a no-kill shelter and have hope that someone will open their hearts and adopt them. I know how sad she was to leave her beloved family home and her babies, but there there was no choice. She couldn't afford to keep up her home any longer. When she called with her decision, we immediately made plans to remodel and rearrange our home to accomodate her.
I'm so blessed to have her with me, and she's so much happier now with having people around her to talk to. But, I could tell how much she missed her babies. We have three cats, Charlotte, Wilbur, and Templeton (yeah, can you tell I'm a writer!). Charlotte, like most Divas, chooses the time she wants to spend with us mere humans. However, the boys are a different story. Inquisitive, and very loving, they are people cats. They sensed Mom's need for feline companionship. Wilbur sleeps with her, and when she's in her recliner watching television, he's either on the arm of the chair, in her lap, or laying on the back of the chair, swinging his big furry tail in front of her face. Templeton has been in her lap, too, but he's so much more inquisitive.
Yesterday something really cute happened. If I'd been home I would have taken a picture. He's been investigating her walker. It has a little area where you can sit things, or yourself, and a basket which she uses to keep things handy. Mom has taken over making our bed and hers. It's one thing she can do which makes her feel helpful. Anyway, yesterday Templeton jumped on the walker and was sitting on the little "chair" part. Mom got out of her chair and said, "Do you want to go for a ride? Come on, I have to make the beds." She proceeded to walk down the hall to our bedroom and Templeton just stayed on for the ride. He waited while she made that bed, then she took him into her room and, again, he just sat there watching. Finished, they both came back down the hall! Templeton now believes her walker is his domain, and quite fun, and Mom is so happy to have these furry buddies to help relieve the pain of moving.
We made a lot of changes to try and make her comfortable, but it took our cats to really lift her depression.
I love animals. Guess that's why I always include them in my books!

Outsmarting a Cat

Not an easy thing to do. When we moved my Mom here from Illinois, we were unable to catch Blacky, her seventeen year old cat. Blacky is very skittish and nervous. After Mom got her cat, Maggie, Blacky decided to make her domain the basement. She'd come out at night when Maggie would be asleep. Maggie ruled.

Consequently, poor Blacky became very antisocial...except with Mom. In order to capture Blacky, she set a trap in the kitchen. But Blacky outsmarted the trap and escaped before the door snapped shut. After that, she wouldn't go near the trap at all. We had to leave Blacky behind because we couldn't capture her. The plan had been to take her to a no-kill shelter because Mom decided neither of her cats would be able to withstand the trip due to their ages.

My cousin, who lives next door to Mom in Illinois, began a campaign to capture Blacky. Her final trick was to put a trail of food along the floor leading to the trap. Each day the food would be one step closer to the trap, then a little inside, and so on until the food was in the area where Blacky would have to step on the mechanism to set it off.

Last night...success! Blacky is now safely in a carrier with water and food in preparation for her trip to the no-kill shelter. Thank you, Lord! Mom is so relieved and so are we. The poor thing had to be so frightened. Left alone in a house suddenly with no one to care for her. I hope she fares well at the shelter, although I'm sure she won't trust anyone for a long, long time.

Thanks for stopping by!

How to Confuse A Cat

For years, I've sat in a high-backed chair in my office. My cats love to jump to the back and lay at the top of my head. Charlotte's favorite thing is to nuzzle my hair and the fall asleep with her head touching mine. Wilbur likes to run and jump to the back and take us both for a little ride before settling down and wrapping his tail around my neck. Several times he's tried this when I'm not in the chair and both go flying to the floor.

I've been wanting to get a smaller chair to use while writing. My soon to be daugher-in-law brought one to me the other night. I love it. It's not big or elaborate, but it's sooooo comfy. I still have the bigger chair at the other desk, but I only use it when I'm going to settle down and watch TV in my office.

The problem is...I've confused my cats.

They meow and look up at me with these forlorn looks. They just don't understand why they can't rest at the top of my head while I'm writing. They've tried. In fact, Charlotte sat on the skinny arm of this new chair last night and put her paws on my shoulder to reach my hair. Wilbur climbs on my lap and stares in my eyes and asks "why?" Both are very distracting to my concentration. Ocassionally they give up and move to the back of the old chair where they stare holes in the back of my head and make me very nervous.

Actually, they probably aren't confused. Cats are very smart...and vindictive. I probably should watch my back.

Thanks for stopping by!

Ouch!!!

That's all I can say after the fall last night.

The story:
The inside of the windows is finished. Yay! Before the workers left, I asked them to move my huge heavy desk back under the windows in my office. I'm so sorry that I designed this room to have the desk under the windows. I love being able to look outside, BUT...the desk is so large and I'm so short, especially my arms, that I can't reach the windows! So,in order to put the curtains back up, I had to climb on my desk. Which I did. First I stepped on my footstool--a little backstory on the footstool. I purchased it at a craft fair in Michigan about fifteen years ago. It has two solid wooden legs for the sides with cats painted on them, and a plaid cushioned "seat" area. This stool has served as a chair for children, adults, a resting spot for my weary feet, and lately as a stepping stool. Back to the story. So, I stepped up on the footstool, onto my swivel desk chair and onto the desk! Perfect. Fixed the curtains and then proceeded to step down. All went well from desk to one foot on the desk chair. Reached the other foot backwards to step on the footstool, putting most of my weight there, and heard a horrible cracking noise. The footstool collapsed, taking my body along with it. All I felt was a bump and scrape on my back and then...pain, horrid pain in my right big toe. I squirmed around but couldn't get up. The pain kept intensifying. Hubby upstairs couldn't hear me call him for help. I finally managed to look at my toe only to see blood. Lots of blood. Ugh. Hubby finally came downstairs and I got him to bring me a cold rag. Fifteen minutes later, I was able to see the damage. A huge chunk of my toe was gouged out. Managed to get it bandaged, which presents another dilemma.

I have to go to work and I can't get my foot into a shoe. It's supposed to storm today. Guess, I'll try using a flip-flop and hope that I don't get sent home for improper dress code.

As far as the cats, Wilbur entertained the workers yesterday catching flies that dared to enter the open window cavities. Templeton wasn't as freaked out. He would hide when they used the air gun, but otherwise he wandered around a bit. Charlotte hid under Mom's bed. I petted her last night, but I haven't seen her come out yet.

Will my life ever be normal again?

Thanks for stopping by.