Kitty en cabana

Kate, our darling tabby, in her kitty cabana, enjoying her day. 

Curled up cats

This and that

On a walk the other day, I came across this little new cactus bud. It was like: hi! look how cute and new I am. *snap* And pardon the blurriness.

Also on a walk, this house I like to go by has chickens free ranging in the yard! Well, hi there, chicky! *snap*

And here’s little B. (short for: Katie Bee), mowing down some wheatgrass. She loves it.

Nom, nom, nom…

Peace, love, and Tabbies,
Robin

Paws to the Grindstone

Working from home is always better with a kitty nearby. Kate is my constant companion. She's also in charge of HR, and unlike those HR folks who are all about the company, Kate is all about the employees.

Tea Cup Cozy Cat Cowl

It can get tedious just writing about information technology all day. One’s mind tends to wander a bit. Sometimes you have to just think outside the box and pull your tea cup cozy off your mug and pull it over your cat’s head, as is depicted here.

Gwyneth: Really? You’re really doing this? Then taking my picture, and blogging about it? Wasn’t that pink vest picture enough?

Such a darling tolerant one.
Oh, and Kate loves yams and kale. A lot goes on here during the day. You just wouldn’t imagine! *yawn*

Playing Nice

Some may remember my period of angst when said kitten on the right first joined the family. At first, if seemed Kate (darling Tabby on left) might EAT Gwyneth. Then, Gwynnie grew. Now, little G. antagonizes poor Katie, stalking her on a whim. While Kate holds her own, it still bugs me that the little grey varmint wields such power. But here we have a moment of sisterly peace. Ooh! I see a bird! Oh! Me, too!

And here, close, but not too close.
And here, eating like two planes in runway formation.
‘Course, if Gwyneth gets too uppity, I’ll have to show everyone the picture of her in her pink vest. Oops, too late.

Catch Up Time

Boy, does work take up a lot of time! And it’s not like I don’t have time off, I do, but I tend to collapse in a heap when it’s all said and done.
So, to catch you up... These are actually from Mary’s (my MIL) birthday in February! I decided to mix the colors up in the vase, and I like the way it looked.

I collect (well, I have three so far) German weather houses. My grandmother had one, which I now have, and I’ve added two more. They just make me think of her and her house and all the warmth that it held. This I bought from a great shop on Etsy called Becaruns. Great prices and a fun selection.  And look how cute this was packaged? Kate thinks so, too.

And here’s the new little house, unwrapped:

My friend Sherri makes Clafoutis all the time. I finally tried one, and it came out pretty good! Not like hers (she’s a great baker!), but okay. I’ll keep trying… This was Julia Child’s recipe – easy, all ingredients go into the blender.

And, now pics of the fur children. How else to end this update, right?
Saylor says, “Is it dinner time?”

And here’s little Tonya Harding, as we like to call her because of the way she dive-bombs poor, sweet Kate. Even though it wasn’t actually Tonya wielding the police baton that hit poor Nancy Kerrigan, it’s the thought that counts! She hired the hit. For this picture, we say: Cat or Otter? We are not sure.

Personally, and it’s not like I’m biased or anything, but I think the caption for Kate’s picture should read: If I were any cuter, they’d have to arrest me. (Said the ridiculously proud Catmom.) Of course, she does now bear the name of royalty. Hee hee.

Sorry I’ve been away so long! Hope you all haven’t forgotten me!
, Robin

Glamour Tabby

And you thought James Franco and Anne Hathaway were hosting the Oscars? Nope. Kate is stepping in with her glamourousness. She’s even got that red carpet, looking back over the shoulder glance down, as demonstrated in the second picture. Such a darling tabby. We love our little girl.

Miss B. (Katie Bee), Sun Lover

Katie Bee enjoying some rays, and a few moments peace before Ignat (a.k.a. Gwyneth) comes to “play” with nails drawn and fangs ready!

$410 Scratch Post

I have this idea/dream/thought that once my traditional work years are over (not exactly sure when I deem this time to be – age 65?) that I’ll open an antique store where I will find odd pieces of furniture, maybe on the side of the road even, re-do them, and make a profit. Kind of like these girls if I were even slightly this good – these girls are amazing. So, a couple months ago, hubs and I were driving to the grocery store and I saw an old wingback chair sitting in front of a house – obviously free to anyone who would haul it off. A burned out toaster was next to it. Fast forward, I have it home, I find fabric and an upholsterer, and it’s back all redone in this cool grey men’s suit-ish fabric and ready for … the cats to use it as a scratch post! Aggghhh! Okay, so there’s a sub-plot (isn’t there always?). I fully instructed the reupholster dude to take it down to the wood and replace all foam, padding, etc. before upholstering it. Well, he did, almost! He apparently used some of the old padding, which he claims was just fine. Hm? So after 4 straight days of sniffing the chair, the cats have pretty much claimed it with their claws! They love to scratch it: the front, the back, the arms, the sides – they love to scratch it! For some reason, (perhaps it’s their special scratching technique), it doesn’t leave scratch marks – it just sounds like they’re ripping it to shreds… It’s actually just sitting in the middle of the dining room until I can clear a spot for it. Oh joy. Excuse the blurry picture!

Slowly Making Friends

We don’t have pictures yet of kittens and cats kanoodling, but we have this display of tolerance on the part of our most darling Kate. This is Gwyneth in Kate’s bed – which sits right next to my computer as I work! I came home after breakfast out this morning, and see this. Oh hi. Yep, I’m in Kate’s bed. She was all splayed out sleeping without a care in the world.

 

Kate says: It’s okay, I’ll hang out in the hall because I’m grown up and have manners!

A Little Peace

We are at day 10 here at House o’ Cats ‘n Kittens and there’s been a world of change since the tiny grey devil kitten joined our household. My fear of letting Kate get to Gwyneth has been replaced with a desire for her to school the little one whenever and however she can! Now, I cheer Kate on. I don’t actually say, “git her” out loud, but ohhhh I’m thinking it. The wee gato diablo has wreaked havoc within our walls but thankfully after a full belly of breakfast kitten chow, this happens: zzzzzzzzzzzzz. And I praise the kitten goddesses on high for a little peace so I can do something besides rrrrrrrrrrrun from eet! My arms and legs look like a pin cushion.

Kate + 1

Oh, the things we do on impulse. Last weekend we went to a barn sale out in Valley Center. At the door, hanging in a gold birdcage was a tiny grey kitten. I went into overdrive. Had to have it. Giving in to these types of impulses is rarely wise. And boy am I paying the price. So, Kate basically hisses at Gwyneth (yes, Gwyneth) whenever the little varmint comes near. It’s day 4 and we still have all our limbs. If anyone has any positive stories to share on how they will soon be sharing the same bed, etc., I’d love to hear! Meanwhile, the new little one is awful cute.

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Whisker Wednesday

I was sitting in a chair in the living room editing a document the other day and caught a glimpse of the sun shining off Kate's whiskers. The camera is always nearby it seems.














And then, this.  She's saying "Oh, that's funny!"

Katie Kat Ventures Out

Alert: Cat on a harness!

So, we have/had this dilemma: Miss Kate longs to go outside. When we go out on the back deck with Saylor, she meows mournfully through the screen at us. So we started carrying her outside to sit on our laps. Then, we started walking around the yard with her in our arms. Now, this: the red rhinestone harness from IKEA! She loves it! But it's not so fun for us because she just honkers down and sniffs the dirt and just soaks in the outdoors in a very small area. She's taking it all in! It's so cute, but there's a backlash. Once we get back inside, she meows at the door for about an hour wanting to go right back out! Fortunately she only has 8 lbs. worth of kitty frame to make noise with, so it's not so overwhelming. But, we've created a little leashed monster! James is so protective of her. He says, "Maybe when she's like 6 or 8 we could try to let her off the leash." I'm not so sure I can wait that long, and though I would never leave her unattended outside ever, I'm dying to give her a little freedom. Thing is, her little feral beginnings make her a little on the flighty side. She's no calm pound kitty or specialty breed, just a little rescue from a storm drain. You can see her humble beginnings here.

Kate and Saylor - Early Evening Nap

Could they be cuter? Kate would so snuggle in, and does get quite close, but Saylor keeps a respectable distance 'lest her canine friends should see her canoodling with a kitty. Kate and Saylor - such loving sisters.

Basket o' Kate

Basket kitty snuggled upon, two, count 'em, two, vintage fabrics. I'm getting her hooked early. Before I know it, she'll have an email address and an Etsy shop.

Cats Know How to Relax

Found this on a rambling blog surf, here. I love the author Carol Shields. Her book The Stone Diaries was so great. I actually did not know she passed away, but apparently she took her step back in July '03. She wrote this snippet below, and I think it is a fine sentiment, don't you? It's especially good at times when you think maybe you're not getting enough done, or you could do better in some ways. Sometimes we just have to give ourselves a break and appreciate right where we are in the moment.

go for long walks,
indulge in hot baths,
question your assumptions,
be kind to yourself,
live for the moment,
loosen up, scream,
curse the world,
count your blessings,
just let go,
just be

-- carol shields

Calm...Calm...Crazy!

We were just having a little yogurt and granola. Like any other morning. The fur-children were peacefully enjoying the brisk breeze coming up the canyon. The sun was shining.

There was even a little inter-species snorgling. Note the extreme dog paw/cat tail close up:



And then, someone with cat whiskers decided to climb to the top of the screen as if trying to escape a Turkish prison! James extracted her (Kate) from her runway and we got this face (click on picture to enlarge it). Note: he's actually being gentle with her - it just looks like he's holding her tightly! Trust me, they rule the roost!

Katie Laughs Out Loud!

Kate, the laughing kitty! Here, she is clearly saying, "Oh Mom, you're so funny." Can you believe those looooooong whiskers!?? Such a pretty kitty.