Thursday, August 25, 2005

Mr Mom


Awww.. the babies. Right you are... meow... I had mentioned the babies in a previous post. So a little about them....

The babies, as they are referred to by Mom, came to live with us in October, last year, 2004. Someone just dropped them off on the porch and left them there... meow.. poor little things... meow. They were so small.. weighing only 4,5 and 6 ounces. There are 3 of them, 2 boys and a girl. The boys, Gizmo and Pippin, are grey tabbies and the girl, Lil Miss, is black and white. They acted like they were starved, gobbling up the canned food Mom fed them. Being so small, it was amazing they were eating food at all. They were sooo messy, getting food all over their faces and the towels Mom put down under their plates on the couch. And, being so small, they had an awful time cleaning themselves. They didn't quite know what to do since they didn't have a momma to teach them. It was a sight!! ... to say the least.

Now, I didn't want anything to do with these new little creatures that had invaded my new home. I was still getting used to the bigger cats and now to have these little rat-like critters honing in on my attention was a little much... meow.. meow. Whenever they would walk over by me, I would give them my best growl... grrrrr... and run off. They were determined little buggers, everytime I found a comfortable spot to take a nap they would come pouncing over and nuzzle up to me. This would just not do... meow... I was not their mother!!

Several days past and I realized these little furballs were not going anywhere. Mom would tell me to be nice and stop growling at them. I was feeling a little put out by it all. This, after all, was my new home, my new family. But I found that they were beginning to grow on me. They were so little, so helpless. I began keeping a watchful eye on them, making sure they didn't wander too far from their bed. The back of the couch became my perch and my watch tower. Careful not to let on that I had taken an interest in their antics, I watched from slitted eyes, pretending to be asleep. If they wandered too far, I followed, keeping my distance, yet, still mindful of any danger to them. It became clear that they would follow me, making it easy to lead them back to their bed nonchalantly, and keeping the facade of trying to get away from them...purrr... This only worked for so long and Mom caught on. My secret was out. The little fluff balls had melted my heart and I was getting attached. I became Mr Mom to these small orphan babies. Now, when they strayed too far, I chortled to them as any good mom would do and they came running, nuzzling and purring loudly as they snuggled down to sleep. Lessons were taught, grooming was learned, love was shared. I now had two new families... I am truly a blessed kitty... purrrr....

Monday, August 22, 2005

The Death of Caesar....

... the birth of Kodiak.

For a year and a half, my name was Caesar. When I came to live with Mom, she decided that name didn't suit me any longer. Over the next few days, she thought and thought, searching for the purrfect name. Now, as names go, I thought Caesar was alright. I guess she thought...new kitty, new home, new name.... meow... Talk about your identity crisis!!...meow.. meow. I became Kitty or Baby Boy, while Mom pondered what to call me. I don't remember her ever calling me Caesar once, since coming to live with her. It was a week or so before she decided on a name. In the meantime, we played and I got used to my new surroundings, still not quite sure what to think of the other kitties or my new home.

I liked playing with the feathers that were attached to a long strip of furry material. Mom would make them jump across the floor and fly back and forth in front of me. I would pounce on them and capture the prey. I would leap and fly through the air after this strange bird. It was a lot of fun. Sometimes she would hold it up, just out of reach and I would stand up on my back haunches, with both front paws waving in the air like a big bear. She would laugh and tell me how cute I was. Of course, I loved the attention and would do it on every occasion I could. This, no doubt, is how I became Kodiak, named for the bear like antic I would perform...purrr

Now that I have a new name, I thought nothing else could possibly change..... that's where I was wrong... meow ... meow ...

Sunday, August 21, 2005

New Kit on the Block


I came to live with Mom in June, 2004. For one and a half years before this time, I lived with Leah and her family. My sister Cleo was there too. Then one day, Mom and Dad came with a carrier and packed me up, put me in the car and we drove for a long time. I cried the whole way... meow... meow... They, of course, tried to comfort me, telling me it was alright. Easy for Mom to say, she hadn't just been taken from her home and put in a strange car with someone they didn't know. Well, I guess I shouldn't say I didn't know her, cause she had been to the house a couple of times and held me in the past. She was always really nice and loving. But still a stranger.... meow... meow...

After a long drive, we finally stopped. The surroundings were unfamiliar to me and I was scared. Mom told me we were home; "this is your new home", she said. I'm thinking, I don't want a new home, my old home was just fine. When we got in the house, she sat the carrier down on the floor in the living room and opened the door. I just stayed in my carrier, not moving. I was safe in there. She tried to coax me out but to no avail. I am not moving, I thought. There were other kitties there, too. But I couldn't see Cleo. Where was my sister?? I inched to the opening of the carrier sniffing all around. The other kitties were just as curious about me as I was about them, coming closer to the carrier to get a better look at the new kit on the block.

After a while, I stepped cautiously out of the carrier onto the carpet, and made a bee line to the nearest cubby hole. It just happened to be inside the TV stand, behind a cat statue. I was safe once more, hidden behind this stout protector.... purrrr.... I peered out from behind my guard as Mom kept calling to me to come out and the other cats came over to peek in at me. I gave them my most ferocious growl to tell them to Back Off!!.... grrrrrr... they must be deaf .. they didn't back off but kept peering in at me. Mom took my white ceramic friend away, still telling me everything was alright, and added a blanket to comfort me. The blanket was welcomed, I was scrunched as far back as I could get, in a corner of the cubby, and I buried myself under it...purrr.. purrr.. Mom told the cats to leave me alone and this is were I stayed for the next few hours, comforted by my new "cave".

Saturday, August 13, 2005

Rustlin' Prey


I love to slide!! .. purrr... meow ... At home, I slide across mom's wood floor in her bedroom. She has a rug on the floor beside her bed that makes the best slide. I get a running start from the laundry room and as soon as I hit the rug I go sailing across the floor. Wheeeeeeeeee!!! Of course, this irritates her. ya know she is a party pooper..... She is always coming in and straightening back the tussled rug. But that is ok, she is silly, it is hard to slide when it is all bunched up... when it is fixed, I go sailing again....meow... purrr... I'm teaching the babies, Gizmo and Missy, to slide too. They're not as good at it though. ... purrrrr... But we keep practicing and they will get good at it in no time.

The floor in the shop is purrfect for sliding. It is smooth concrete and I glide across it like it was an icy pond. Little pieces of paper become my prey, isolating one, I stalk it like it was a fat juicy mouse. Crouching down low, as if hiding from curious eyes, I slink towards my pseudo mouse. meow... I pounce!! and run off quickly, spinning out cause there is no traction. A few feet away, I stop, turn and watch intently. Ready to make my move, I jump up and run full force. I pounce again, this time sliding with my prey between my paws. Sprawled out, my fur fluffed out at my sides, mom laughs and says I look like a dust-mop. Now, these dust-mop things must be funny cause she keeps laughing at me as I dart around the floor. I pay her no mind, I am having too much fun sliding around. There are a lot of boxes to hide behind, so I take up my post, peeking cautiously around the corner. The coast is clear, again I run full force, pouncing, sliiiidddding.... oopppss, noooo braaaakes...spinnning outt as I try to avoid the cabinet coming up fast .... meowwwww.... smack! Shaking my head, I get to my feet. Mom comes running, "Kodi ... are you ok" I manage my most pitiful "mew". She scoops me up in her arms, scratching my ears and snugglin' me tight. (Not sooo tight, Mom, I need to breathe).... mew..mew.. ahhh... a little more on the left ear, please, that's it ... and under the chin ... purring loudly, I settle in for a catnap. I'll live to rustle prey another day...

Friday, August 12, 2005

Huntin' Spiders

It has been ... meow .. very warm here lately. Not ... purrr.. the usual rainy weather, Washington is famous for. Meow... meow .. In the shop where we work, the floor is nice and cool. ... purrr... I like sprawling out on it to cool off. When I get bored with that, I go on little adventures... meow.. purr... around the shop. The cabinets ... meow... are just high enough that I can squeeeezzeee myself under them. ... purr... meow.. Mom tells me to not go under them. She is such a party pooper. >^._.^<

I, of course, being a cat, do my own thing .. meow .. and wander off on a spider quest. Spying one on the wall, .. purr.. meow... I pounce over and give it a swat with my paw. .. mew.. It scampers, trying to climb out of my reach. I tap it again, and it falls, just a ways, down the wall. This is fun! ... so I give it another swat ... oooppsss ..this time it catches hold of my paw... startled I jump back. .. meeoowww... That crazy critter lands on the floor beside me and sits there for a moment, stunned. Being brave, .. purrrr.. I tap it once more, carefully though so it can't latch on again. WooooHoooo! that did the trick. Lightening fast, thinking it can out smart me, it runs for under the cabinets. Little does it know that this kitty can squeeezze under there in hot pursuit. Ha!! can't get away from me that easily. ... meow .. purr.. I suppose it is quite a sight to see my furry little hiney sticking out of the cabinets with my tail a swishing back and forth. ... meow.. Those eight legged creatures will not get the best of me. yummmm, a tasty little morsel of a snack... purrrr...

Huntin' spiders is loads of fun but is hard work....(yaaawnnnn... strreettchh) and as a cat ..meow.. I also need to get in my naps and a good tummy rub is a bonus ... purrr... purrrr... I make sure mom is at her busiest time and jump up on the desk in the middle of her papers. ... meow... she likes it when I stand in front of the computer and just look at her. I cock my head slightly to one side and start purring loudly.... as if to say... Look at me Mom... look at me!! ....purrrrrr....purrrrr... I know she likes it cause she always tells me to lie down... see, she wants me to stay up there with her. ... meow ... mew... she always asks me where I have been and tells me I have stuff in my whiskers. (well of course I have stuff in my whiskers, silly, I just dusted the underside of the cabinets) And then, she thinks she has to clean my whiskers.... meow... doesn't she know that cats are very capable of cleaning their own whiskers... mew... thank you very much. But ... meow... she insists on swiping at my face to remove the cobwebs from my long white bristles. I keep pulling away from her ... you'd think she'd get the message... but noooo ... so I turn over with my back to her and curl up for a nice snooze. This seems to do the trick .. purrr... and she goes back to her work and lets me drift off to dream of my next adventure.....

Thursday, August 11, 2005

Resident Cat

dskkom meow .aaid purrr ksao meow amvd .. a wOw! soooo, this is what mom does all day. meow. aks .. takes a little getting used to .. purr .. meow... and some coordination to operate the thing. I have been .. meow .. watching her closely.. and then made my move .. purr .. meow .. when she wasn't looking. She stepped out of the office so I am taking full advantage of it ... meow .. meow.... please be patient with me .. .. I am new to this ... stepping on these buttons isn't easy ya know... meow .. I will do my best ... meow... to get better at it.

I guess ... purr .. I should .. introduce myself.... my name's Kodiak. I am .. meow.. purr.... a mitted, seal-point ragdoll. meow... I'm the resident cat at MeowPrints... purr... which is my mom's business. mew.. mew.. I go to work with her ... purrrr... during the day. My job is to lie in front of the computer .. meow ... get my belly rubbed... purrr ... and keep her company. I also like to chase the spiders... purr.. meow.. that might venture out.

Ut ohh.. meow... I think I hear her coming. Back to looking cute... purrrrrr.....