What is a Cat?

Gentle eyes
that see so much,
paws that have
the quiet touch.

Purrs to signal
"all is well"
and show more love
than words can tell.

Graceful movements
touched with pride,
a calming presence
by our side.

A friendship
that will last and grow -
small wonder
why we love them so.
-Author Unknown

Tonight Cheryl and her family are spending their last night with their dear Nalu who is gravely ill and losing his battle to keep his kidneys functioning. As with all people who say they own a cat Cheryl is owned by her dear furry family. And as with the people in our lives our pets hold their own special place in our heart and tonight it is safe to say that there are hearts breaking as I write this.

With tears in my eyes, sympathy and empathy in my heart, I ask for prayers and thoughts sent to Cheryl's family as they transition through this difficult time. As for me, I am remembering Nalu - him watching me through the window as I approach the house and scattering as I get closer, him hiding and finally coming out for some kitty love, waiting patiently for his food, tricking me into thinking I could give him pets and slinking away. Goodbye sweet Nalu you will be missed.

Lovin' her life

Jazz loves her life right now. Her absolute favorite place is under the Christmas tree. Not only can she play with the shiny balls (a tree with toys - fantastic!) but it is quite warm and I think it makes her feel like a big, bad outdoor-type cat! She is going to be so sad when the tree comes down this weekend. Sorry Jazz! Cheryl and the kids came over today and while here Cheryl grabbed my camera and shot a few pictures of our sweet kitten! The pictures came out very nice (thanks Cheryl)!

Pretty girl

Look at our pretty girl (notice the pink collar) who was so nicely trying to blend with the decorations - not knocking them over in her attempt to be queen of the t.v.I love the pretty bulbs - wish I could keep them up all year!

more kitties

These pictures are from last weekend. Seriously these cats are so funny. Ellie May wanted in. Jazz wanted to annoy Ellie May (as the baby I think she believes annoying the others is her job and she takes it seriously). So, being the nice person I am I snapped some pics of them before letting Ellie May in and Jazz out (possibly). Ellie May, while a pain most of the time, is the best to photograph. It seems like when she sees the camera she will strike a pose at least for a bit...notice she is looking right at me. She does this regularly when we want to take her picture -she's a model! :)haha.
Of course she went right back to fighting with Jazz and insisting on being let in.

Home and Healthy

For those who didn't know Horton had a bit of a health scare this week. He went to the vet on Wed and had to spend the night. Poor thing had to have three (count 'em 3!) enemas! How awful. He has lost 8+ pounds since this summer (which is good because he has a weight issue, but kinda scary because he hasn't been feeling well).

Diagnosis as of Thursday he is okay. Not constipated anymore. He has to have monthly enemas (yuck!) and we have changed his diet. He is a senior now (old man) so the vet thinks his diet food may be to dry so we are mixing it with senior - which both the kitten and Ellie May want!

Anyway...I am sure everyone wanted to hear about Horton's health (especially the constipation part!). We are just glad to have him home and healthy!

This isn't a new picture (I'm too lazy for that right now), but it is a cute one (and Cheryl's favorite) which I think I have shared before, but it is worth another post!

WE LOVE YOU HORTON!

Heat

In an attempt to beat the heat Archer asked for his head to be shaved. This is as close as I could get w/out using an actual razor.

Ellie May trying to cool off this evening. Doesn't she look exhausted?

Lounging

Spent a little bit of time lounging in the yard. Ellie May and Jazz came out to join me. Aren't the colors just wonderful? I love how green the grass is right now.

Outdoor Kitten

It has been a month (gasp) since I blogged about any of our feline friends. I think they may be upset about that. :( So sad.

Well, Jazz or Spaz or Kitten...she doesn't know her name it is so sad- she will respond to Kitten most often, but that makes me feel like a child..such as Archer who names their stuffed animals 'Lamby' (the lamb) or 'Beary' (for the ....wait for it...bear!), okay back to the kitten. She has decided she like the outdoors. She wants to run free...just like Ellie May. She was born to be wild (or our small-town version of 'wild' which is not so 'wild' but please don't tell her that).

As our loyal blog readers and friends know Jazz (given name) came into our home about 8 months ago and life has not been the same since. She is kitten through and through. From early morning wake ups to bird stalker, to Horton harasser. She has been yearning (yes, yearning) to go outside for, well..about 8 months and we have finally just given in. Opened the backdoor and out she goes. We tried the leash thing (not her thing) and tried just keeping her in (really not her thing either). So, she goes out.

Ellie May isn't sure about that situation. I think she feels responsible, like she has to babysit (and she does babysit). The kitten (like Ellie May) doesn't wander far. She can be found within a few (maybe 20) feet of the backdoor, but if this makes her feel like a big, bad outdoor cat we are happy to oblige her. Horton likes to venture out as well, however not quite as often, and never very far. I have to say that since she (Jazz, Spaz, Kitten) has been going outside she hasn't been so obnoxious. Still a little, just not so much.

Just because...

our kitten is cute. She does not enjoy the orange pig!Happy Friday!

Adventure

A beautiful Spring day with our two indoor cats out on an adventure. Ellie May (orange) goes out all the time. She thinks she is a big, bad outdoor cat (she isn't). Horton and Kitten (Jazz, Spaz) are indoor cats. Archer has taken to "walking" Kitten, but I'm not sure how much she likes it. Horton goes outside with us sometimes. Sometimes he even walks to the end of the garage (he is tough). He also likes to lay in the sun with me while I am reading a book. Well, this was the first outdoor adventure of the year. Horton and Kitten ventured out (about 6 feet from the door) for a few (very few) minutes before scurrying back in! I am sure many more adventures are to come this year...they are so funny. They think they are big toughies when in reality they don't want the door to shut behind them.

FYI- while Horton and Kitten were on their adventure Ellie May kept a close eye on them. I think she was worried (at least that's what I would like to think). She even sat by me waiting for them to go in before she went and "did" whatever it is she does outside.

Kitty update

Jazz (aka Kitten aka Spaz) makes herself comfortable anywhere. Evidently Troy was the comfy spot this day!Archer insisted on purchasing a leash and harness for the kitten. He takes her out frequently for walks. I think she is getting more used to it. She sits and allows him to put the harness on and goes out, so I don't think it is complete torture. This picture is of her first official kitty walk.
Evidently at 3:52 Ellie May was laying on the cable box. This is one of her favorite places.
No picture of Horton today...usually he is quite a well photographed cat...We will need to catch up on missed photos of him. We love our kitties!

Boy stuff

Archer had a couple friends over today. They did "boy" stuff - played World of Warcraft, played other video games, built some legos...Boy stuff. It is fun to see boys just hanging out being boys. This is such an interesting time of life. These kids are caught in the need to be independent and grown up and their desire to remain kids. Archer, as an only child and by the sheer force of his personality, hasn't had a huge need to change and "act" older. He does, however, exhibit some of those preteen attitudes (which he has had since birth) on occassion. Mostly, though he is pretty fun loving and laid back with his own definite ideas on what should be...

More boy stuff. Alex, the cutie, came by today with his new shotgun (weeee fun) and went shootin' with Troy. Things to notice in this picture: Alex always wears 2 shirts...I think it is because if one gets dirty he can switch...I don't know; and there is a picture of Alex in this picture...he and Archer are even doing boy stuff in the pic...Great fun; and third it is sunny outside...don't know if you can tell but that light outside the door is sun! Yippee!
And last a picture of Jazz (not a boy) doing cat stuff. She is crazy.

Undressing the tree

Jazz loves the Christmas tree. The tree isn't completely decorated yet, but that doesn't keep Jazz from "helping" make things look the way she thinks they should. She likes to take the garland off the tree. She starts at the windowsill grabs it in her mouth and goes around the tree to take it off. It is sure cute, but quite a pain as well.

"Just a little bit over..."

"Here we go."

"Now that's better"

Thanks for the pictures Cheryl!

I have a blog!

Yes I do. Sorry about the lack of posts. No excuses. I just haven't done it. So here are a few pictures from the past couple weeks for you to enjoy!

Love this one. Archer is such an animal person! My two cuties!

Horton trying to do himself in on the kitchen chair.

Jazz checking out the baking supplies!

Meet Jazz

Yesterday a new member joined our family. Her name is Jazz (Archer named her) and she is 10 weeks old. She was living at our vet's and was very lonely with all of her brothers and sisters being adopted already. She joins our other kitties, Horton (age 12) and Ellie May (age 7), and our bird, Fill-up who we have had for a year.

Isn't she beautiful. She is so much fun. Plays and plays until CRASH! There isn't anything quite like a kitten.

This is how Horton felt about the whole day.

Fill Up

This is Archer and his bird Fill Up. Fill Up has become quite the family pet. Neither Troy or I wanted a bird (really), but he has been a constant source of amusement. You may wonder where the name, Fill Up, came from. Well here goes, simple story really. Archer didn't know how the name, Phillip, was spelled ~ so using those phonics he came up with a unique bird name. And really, Fill Up suits his name. He loves food. Will attack if he thinks an apple is in your hand. Watch out.