Friday, December 31, 2010

fun friday feline factoid - 2011 cat calendars

On 2011catcalendars.com there are 184 different cat calendars for 2011. Wall, desk, planner and lots of variations including different languages. The matching site for dog calendars only has 148 dog calendars. Does that mean that people like to view cat pictures more than dog pictures?!

Here are some of that look interesting:

Cover kitty looks like Willow!

Black & White kitties, can't go wrong!

Any calendar with an upside-down kitty
 on the cover has got to be good!

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Warriors - StarClan

¡Spoiler warning! - ¡Spoiler warning! - ¡Spoiler warning!

This blog post contains spoilers. If you are planning to read but haven't read all six of the Warriors books (ending with The Darkest Hour) you might want to skip reading this post! Consider yourself warned...

seven shots

Theo endured seven shots to the left flank from the water pistol before he relented and jumped down from the kitchen sink.

Seeing the water drip off him, I felt pity. I couldn't help but towel him off.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Theo - one year ago today

One year ago today Theo came into my life, cold, hungry and starving for affection. For this I am deeply grateful.


Theodore is from a Greek word meaning "gift of God".
Indeed, Theo has been a joyous gift.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

breaking the rules

Cuteness goes a long way in avoiding
punishment for breaking the rules.

But then again, is it really breaking the rules? One could argue that Rose is not on the counter but rather is in the basket which just happens to be on the counter.

Warriors - Death

 ¡Spoiler warning! - ¡Spoiler warning! - ¡Spoiler warning!

This blog post contains spoilers. If you are planning to read but haven't read all six of the Warriors books (ending with The Darkest Hour) you might want to skip reading this post! Consider yourself warned...

Monday, December 27, 2010

Theo's Christmas

Laura and I got to spend Christmas day over at my friend Lisa's house. Even though Theo was invited, I was a little reluctant to bring him along because I knew there would be lots of food around! But I went for it and kept a sharp eye on him the entire time.

Usually Theo is relaxed from the start and just settles right in. This time he was a little anxious for awhile, it took him a bit to get settled. Once he relaxed he went to his usual "I own this place" attitude. I haven't taken him out for quite awhile, I really need to be taking him out more often.

Watching over the food preparation in the kitchen


Working for treats


Taking a break from the work


Demanding more treats


Stealing Gromit's water


Holding paw up to avoid Gromit's water spillage zone


Grinning for the camera


Pretending to enjoy Lisa's kissing attack, Theo takes advantage of the extra height and scouts for food


The feast


Being restrained from getting the feast


The conclusion to the happy feast!


Together we successfully celebrated Christmas and a good time was had by all!

mourning Verty


In the evening of Christmas day, I learned of the passing of a fellow blogger's cat, Verty (Verty the Cat dies on Christmas Day - Feline Cafe). Even though I never met Verty in person, from the pictures posted at the Feline Cafe, he looked like a fun cat. He died way to young, only 7½ years old. Rest in peace my kitty friend.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Merry Christmas!

I don't think Nahum is enjoying having been chosen to be this year's Christmas kitty!

Max memory

Christmas 2007, Max was the Christmas kitty.

Friday, December 24, 2010

Willow

There is something about a sleeping Willow that is simply irresistible!

Fun friday feline factoid - PetCast

Did you know The Weather Channel website will create a custom PetCast for your pet? You just have to supply some information about your animal and it will tell you if your animal will be comfortable outside or not. Here is my PetCast for Nahum:

The Cat Comfort Index tells me it's not a good night for leaving Nahum outside (something I would never do anyway!) The Cat Comfort Index is explained as follows:
Many factors impact your cat's comfort level in various weather conditions, including its hair length, age, weight and size.

Using a 0-5 scale, the Cat Comfort Index estimates how comfortable your cat will be outdoors in forecasted weather conditions. This may influence whether you leave your cat outside or opt to bring him/her indoors. The scale works as follows:

4-5 paws: Most Comfortable
2-3 paws: Moderately Comfortable
0-1 paws: Uncomfortable

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Christmas lists

Favorite items from the Pets by CSN website.

Willow:



Max memory

levels of stuck

Shortly after returning home, I warmed a snack in the toaster oven. While it was warming I sat down on the couch and immediately a half-asleep Nahum wandered over and plopped down in my lap. He instantly feel back asleep. As the delicious aroma of my warmed snack made it's way to the living room, I realized I was stuck.

A few minutes later I hear the toaster click off, my snack is ready. Fifteen minutes later, Willow migrated from her spot in the sun and squeezed her way onto my lap with Nahum. Now with two lap kitties I'm even more stuck!

Now, an hour since I sat down I'm starting to realize that if my lap is big enough to accomodate two grown cats maybe I don't need the snack! My tummy might be hungry but my heart is full.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Warriors

Warriors #1: Into the Wild Fire and Ice (Warriors, Book 2) Forest of Secrets (Warriors, Book 3) Rising Storm (Warriors, Book 4) A Dangerous Path (Warriors #5) The Darkest Hour (Warriors, Book 6)
There are six books in the first Warrior series. Into the WildFire and IceForest of SecretsRising StormA Dangerous Path, and The Darkest Hour. After reading all six, I am now ready to provide a review.

I must confess, when I started reading I was worried. The initial concept seemed a bit of a leap, groups of cats working together for a common purpose - that is very hard to imagine! The basic idea seemed better suited for dogs, as they are natural pack animals. However, as I got into the story I was able to make the leap and forget that odd detail. A number of typical cat-type behaviors appeared in the stories, but I found myself expecting and hoping for more uniquely eccentric cat behaviors. Even so, the books are a great cat-based adventure.

There are four clans in the forest, ThunderClan, RiverClan, ShadowClan and WindClan. Each clan has their own territory in the forest which they fiercely protect. The clans have a strict hierarchy of command leadership: clan leader, deputy, warriors, elders, queens, apprentices and kits. In each clan there is also a medicine cat who works closely with the leader. They both share a strong spiritual connection with StarClan, the spirits of all the warrior ancestors who watch over all the clans. I really connected with the prominent themes of spirituality woven throughout the stories.

These books are filled with tension and consequentially death. Because they are written for a young adult audience, the stories comprise many young adult themes, such as struggling with feelings of inadequacy, challenges in making friends, etc. All themes which I find myself drawn to.

I really enjoyed the creativity used in the storytelling. The world of the forest is depicted through the eyes of the cats. There are two seasons, leaf-bare and green-leaf. The cats must beware the thunderpath (road) where large monsters (cars) carry twolegs (humans) in their bellies. When relaxing with each other the cats will share tongues (mutual grooming), a sign of love and friendship.

On of the aspects of the story that I really enjoyed was the importance of naming. Naming is a big deal. When a new kitten was born it is given a name, such as Ravenkit. Once the kitten is at least six moons old, it can become an apprentice and starts training to become a warrior. At the apprentice ceremony, the young cat's name changes to reflect it's new status, Ravenkit becomes Ravenpaw. When the apprentice finishes it's training another ceremony is held and the name again changes to reflects it's full warrior status. The clan leader chooses a new name for the cat that represents something true about the cat, Tigerpaw becomes Tigerclaw. If a cat goes on to be chosen as leader of the clan, it will meet with StarClan and be given nine lives, at which point it's name will be changed to end in star, such as Bluestar. Names and the giving of names are meaningful and therefore worthy of ceremony.

Over all I was impressed with the Warrior books. I had many late nights while reading these books, because I didn't want to put the book down and leave the story. One of the difficulties I had with the books was all the death. There are a lot of characters, many of which I got attached to but later had to face their deaths - that was not easy. I was also impressed by the consistency in writing styles from the four authors who chose to go by one pen name, Erin Hunter, so the books would be all together on the bookstore or library shelf (books are usually arranged by author's last name).

There is much more I want to write about these stories, however doing so without giving away the story will be a challenge in itself. I will follow up later with more posts on specific themes that impacted me from these books and each post will come with a spoiler warning!

Meanwhile it's time to start reading the next series, Warriors: The New Prophecy, the second series of Warriors books.

Monday, December 20, 2010

all you can eat nugget feast!

Theo discovered the plastic container of nuggets forgotten and unattended on the counter. He quickly sprang into action, knocking it off the counter, trusting gravity and the force of impact to work in concert to yield his prize. His plan was a success. With the sound of a crash, nuggets scattered all across the floor. Seconds later all the cats were feasting, Theo had done it again!

Sunday, December 19, 2010

invitation

This is how Nahum asks to have his belly rubbed. He flops down on the floor, rolls over and looks at me. I then drop whatever I am doing and oblige.

How do cats learn how to be so cute?!