feral watching

Oliver loves his family.

At dusk each night, he eagerly waits on the front walk for one of his siblings to appear. MK and Oliver very much enjoy each other.

When MK shows up, it's a full night of play and good times, that often stretches into the morning hours before MK leaves to go back to wherever he sleeps during the daytime.

Seeing these two play brings be great joy. Some people like feeding the birds and watching them eat. I like feeding the ferals and watching them eat and play.

No question about MK's tipped status

I captured some video of Oliver and his family enjoying some early morning breakfast, using my friend Nancy's nifty little webcam setup. Sadly, I didn't heed Nancy's advice not to use the auto-focus feature, so the focus keeps annoyingly changing. Lesson learned. The webcam takes a picture every 5 seconds, so these videos are made from compiling all those still images.

I also captured video of another critter that appears lost in the yard. This critter is of the slimy, slow moving variety.

Slugs are everywhere here in the northwest, it's actually rather gross, because they are so huge. Step on one of these things in the dark and it makes a big sticky, nasty mess - yuck!

Buddy hanging with Oliver through the front screen door.

With the warmer temperatures we've been having, the indoor cats have been spending more time on the enclosed front porch. This means that Buddy gets to spend time hanging out with Oliver, his sworn enemy. Oliver has taken to napping on the concrete front step in the sun, just outside the screen door. Sometimes Buddy still goes berserk while, Oliver just ignores him and enjoys the sunbathing! Thankfully, Buddy is more often willing to put up with Oliver being nearby, just so long as he's not looking at him! 

mom

To all the mothers out there, Happy Mother's Day!

This day, I pause to give a special thanks to my mother. She has generously given me many wonderful gifts over the years. I believe my love for animals was a gift from mom. She has always had a huge love for dogs.

 Mom and Penny                       Aug 1992

My mother has never been much for cats. I believe she once got spooked by a cat as a child and hasn't had any other experiences with them since. I would love to introduce her to the many delights of cats via my clan. Sadly, 3,000 miles stand between my house and mom's, and she's not doing much traveling these days.

Mom snuggling with Tinker (her Chihuahua)   Unknown date

When I was a child, mom and I shared the same dream. We both wanted to have a huge property and all the resources needed to take in all the stray dogs and provide them everything they needed. It was a delightful dream. That was a time before I knew the amazingness of cats.

 Mom's barn loom                   circa 1992

I believe I also received my enjoyment of natural materials from mom. Mom is a weaver, she loves to weave. Her large barn loom was her favorite, but her current house is not large enough to accommodate the big barn loom, so she makes do with a few smaller ones. Back in the day, mom used to card wool and spin her own yarn which she would then weave into something amazing.

photo courtesy of nashua.patch.com

My love of orange juice, muffins, cinnamon rolls and other sweet stuff also comes from mom. I have many fond memories of hanging out with her in the mornings at various breakfast establishments around town, such as Poor Pierre's. My school started later than my older brother's so, we would head to a breakfast counter where she would order her black coffee and a sweet pastry. I always went for the orange juice and a sweet pastry.

A few other things that I learned from mom:

• When dining at a restaurant, you are not restricted to just the items listed on the menu. You can order lots of other things that may not appear on the menu.
• Asserting for oneself is a good thing. In high school, I worked at a grocery store. The store had a policy of needing two weeks advanced notice for any scheduled time off. I followed their policy and requested some time off. When the time came near, I noticed the store manager had scheduled me to work for the time I had requested off. I went out to the car to tell my mom that I had to work and therefore couldn't do whatever it was we were going to be doing on the time off. She told me to go back in there and tell them that I was not working on those days because I had followed their policy. I sheepishly did so and the manager immediately made the change on the schedule.
• There can be value in the things that other people toss out.
• Driving in the winter is scary. When the roads are covered in snow and ice, sometimes it's better just to stay home.
• Hospital snack bars and cafeterias can be very pleasant places to dine.

Thanks mom for all you have given me. I love you and wish I was able to celebrate Mother's Day with you in person. Many blessings to you.

big siamese kitty

Last Tuesday evening, I glanced out the window as I was walking by expecting to see Oliver or one of his siblings having a snack at the Dining Hall. Instead I saw a very large light brown colored animal occupying the Dining Hall. I stopped, a bit startled and took a closer look. I couldn't tell if it was a cat or some other critter. It seemed odd that Oliver and The Family were parked around the yard intently watching this critter eat their food. I grabbed a flashlight which revealed the critter was indeed a large cat with siamese coloring, who I'm calling Big Siamese Kitty (BSK).

May 8, 2012 9:52 pm

After BSK was done eating, Oliver casually escorted him out of the yard and down the alley. Two members of Oliver's Family followed a short distance behind, providing backup.

I've never seen this cat before. I don't know if he's new in town, just passing through or what his story is. I found it odd that Oliver and his siblings were scattered around the yard watching this newcomer chow in the Dining Hall. For whatever reason they didn't feel the need to interrupt his dinner before they chased him off. A few hours later, he was back having some more dinner.

A few weeks back my friend Nancy let me borrow her portable kitty-webcam system. It's a webcam connected to a laptop all rigged up together in a large weather-proof Rubbermaid container. The camera snaps a photo every 5 seconds. It's a sweet little setup. I decided this would be a good opportunity to set it up and record the comings and goings at the Dining Hall throughout the night in case BSK returned.

May 9, 2012 6:31 pm

With everything setup, all that was needed was to wait for nightfall to see if BSK would return. 

It didn't take long before I had my answer.

May 9, 2012 9:12 pm 

May 9, 2012 9:16 pm

May 9, 2012 9:19 pm

Once again, Oliver kindly escorted BSK from the yard. BSK didn't go far, he hung out under an ambulance, which is parked at the fire station, directly across from my yard. 

Can I come back for seconds?     May 9, 2012 9:42:22 pm

May 9, 2012 9:45:03 pm

Oliver approaches to have some words with BSK.

May 9, 2012 9:45:13 pm

 BSK flattens his ears and fixes his lasers on Oliver.

May 9, 2012 9:46:21 pm

After circling BSK, Oliver heads back home, lasers still activated. Mission accomplished.

Two hours later, BSK returned for more dinners!

If BSK continues coming by, I'll need to decide about TNR'ing him. BSK is a big cat, but he doesn't look like he's missed too many meals, so maybe he's lost or was dumped. Or he could be one of the ferals that my neighbor a few blocks to the north feeds and cares for, I'll check with her. 

I've tried to approach him, but he runs off every time. I'm thankful that thus far I haven't heard or seen any signs of fighting between him, Oliver and The Family. 

remembering Max

 ? - May 9, 2009

It was three years ago today that Max told us he was done fighting his kidney failure and was ready to rest. May 9, 2009 stands out as one of the most painful days of my life.

Today I want to celebrate some of the delightful things about Max by sharing a few things that are on the "Things I love about Max" list that I started in September 2008.

Things I love about Max:

• waking to find yarnball gifts beside my side of the bed
• endless tummy rubs
• gentle paw tapping as a request for attention
• yardtime
• playing with fish toy
• playing with yarnballs
• playing with string
• snuggle monster incarnate

• forever loves to be held
• water thief
• white chin and white whiskers
• soft purr
• little white patches on front paws
• silent requests for porchtime
• sleeping upside down
• nose bops

• nightly snuggles in bed
• enjoyment of being brushed
• yeowling shortly after I go to bed followed by wild yarnball play
• loves cheese, tuna, turkey, fish sticks
• jumping on the bathroom counter when I brush my teeth at night
• curiosity about bath water in tub
• rolling in the grass

• walking around with pooffy tail straight up in the air
• always would run to the door to greet me when I can home each day
• never had a problem using the litter box
• white spots on chest and tummy
• super-soft tummy furs

• frequently asking to be picked up
• long hairs between toes
• silent meows
• moth hunting
• treat corner

• diving behind couch cushions to get string
• ability to push and pull open doors
• love of watching birds
• recognition of the sound of the car
• standing up on edges of litter box when using it
• easy going temperament
• desire to be held upside down in my arms
• crazies on the loveseat
• how he found his way into Laura's heart

I love you Max and I miss you.

2012 Average Joe Cat Show

Today was the 9th annual Average Joe Cat Show. This event is a fundraiser for Purrfect Pals, my local amazing cat shelter. I love that all the cats are regular house cats! Many of them are even available for adoption. Somehow, I made it out without taking any extra kitties home. I didn't hear the tally as far as how many cats were adopted at the show but I hope many found new forever homes.

There are so many beautiful cats!

This guy took home first place in the Softest Fur in the West category

Barney took home several blue ribbons in various categories.

 He sure looks a lot like my Nahum!

Apparently Barney is a known heart stealer!

Hiding in the sock monkey bed!

Smudge, last year's winner of Most Obnoxious Cat

Smudge's not looking very obnoxious to me!

Amazing that cats can sleep with all the commotion

One of the many winners!

After collecting her prize, Lucy honors the judges by letting them each pet her.

What are all these people gathered around to see?

Adorable kittens, of course!

So cute!

The adoption room was filled with lovely kitties looking for their forever homes.

I wanted to take this one home

These little ones were hoping to go home with someone

One of the many fun things about cat shows are the vendors. The Average Joe Cat Show draws some great vendors.

Delightful custom mosaics by Gretchen Fuller - wow!

I love handmade kitty toys!

These are hand towels that fasten to the oven handle!

The Community Cat Coalition table, educating people about TNR

The Feral Cat Spay/Neuter Project always has fun T-shirts

I saved the most exciting bit for last. You might remember, back in March, I told you that I had entered a picture of Theo and Willow in the photo contest. The voting closed a day before the show and the results were announced at the show.

The photo entries are displayed around the silent auction room

Willow's picture earned Second Place

Theo won First Place in the Funniest Photo category!!!!

When we got back home, we threw a celebration party for Theo! What fun!!! Thank you everyone who voted, we could not have done this without your support!

Theo posing with his Blue Ribbon and prize winning photo

A big thank you to all the volunteers and organizers at Purrfect Pals for putting together such a wonderful event!! The Average Joe Cat Show is such a great idea for a fundraiser, I hope other cat shelters borrow this idea. The crowd at this year's show seemed smaller than last year but I hope they raised a ton of money for the kitties. And now I'm left once again looking forward to next year's show!