Everyone has ambitions in their life, and aside from your own personal ones, you follow those of your children. Often however, these are a little difficult to determine. This morning I had a little inspiration as to what might be the ambitions of our cats.
Marley seems to have settled into the life of the alpha cat in our house. He has new found things to do such as playing with the others, going outside (we only recently allowed this) and, now maintaining the proper order of things in the house. He exerts his authority several ways. First, he sleeps at the foot of our bed, and although he will occasionally allow Lucky with us, he doesnt allow Powder Puff except up at the top of our bed. He feels he has the right to jump up and monitor the job I am doing in putting together the feedings. He has learned to stay out of my way when he does this now, and stays up just until he is sure that I am making HIS food, then jumps down to receive.
Im less sure what Lucky wants to do with his life. He is certainly the most outgoing of the bunch, is a bundle of energy, and has become a force of nature in the house. He still acts like an adolescent, so much so that Ive determined that Lucky's first name must be "Happygo" He certainly hasnt selected the life of a domesticated cat yet, although that will be part of his life. I could see him going away to college and joining a caternity where he would certainly be the life of the party. He is an avid hunter, but isnt a killer, and is one to be watched and envied, but Im not sure he is a born leader. I can see others following him by example, but I dont see him taking on the responsibiity of leadership. In the military he would probably be in the special forces. He might end up as a sports figure, and most likely it would be a rugby or lacrosse player. But I think we need a little more growth to see where he is going.
Powder Puff clearly has ambitions, despite being quiet and mostly meek. She also has a little of the devil in her, and is willing to play, but pretty much only on her own terms. I have noticed a few of her ways that leads me to believe that she has ambitions of becoming a super model. First, she is lean and sleek, and maintains her self with adequate rest and exercise. Second, she eats very little. She often acts very hungry but then doesnt eat a lot. She comes to the table acting ravenous but then eats just a little meat and polishes off the gravy. She wears dark eye (and nose) makeup although at her age it isnt well applied. But the thing that really set off the light bulb in my head is what she does first thing in the morning when all the cats gather in our room while I get up to get them breakfast. The boys watch attentively and prowl a little while I get dressed. But although they are all very hungry, Powder Puff walks right in and over to the scale which she immediately gets on and checks her weight. Its apparently so important to her that she stays sitting on the scale until I start walking out of the room. My assumption is that she wants to know exactly what her weight is before breakfast so that she can carefully know what to eat. I havent noticed any signs of anorexia or bulimia (thank God) except for that associated with a hair ball event, so at least it isnt to an extreme. Of course, she is the youngest, and may change her mind as she grows up - I know Im still uncertain.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
The Illusion of control
Just when you think you've made progress with domesticating your cat it seems that the tables have been turned. We've had to work with Powder Puff to stop her sharpening her claws on our nice wicker laundry basket. Its been nice to see a pretty good reduction in the times she does this. But this morning it dawned on me that all we've really done is give her another tool in the game of dominating the Hines household.
After a week or so of vacation from his alarm clock duties (I think someone showed him my note about this and he changed to show me that he wasnt so predictable) Marley has come back with a vengance. Yesterdays coup de gras was a leap directly onto my full bladder which really got my full attention even though I was pretty drowsy. Todays tactics were quite different - much less impact but repeated, I mean REPEATED runs across my body. This was a gentler way of waking up but just as annoying. Regardless, it wasnt having enough of an effect. Suddenly, there was Powder Puff, sharpening her claws again, and it had the desired effect. I told her to stop and got up to be sure.
As Im padding my way to the kitchen to start the day with my number one priority (feeding the cats) I realized that I had been suckered. Powder Puff saw that Marleys alarm clock method didnt have effect and took the matter into her own paws.
This just points out to me that much of our control of our lives is just an illusion. When you realize that your own cats are effectively gaming you, you see that you arent as independant as you thought.
After a week or so of vacation from his alarm clock duties (I think someone showed him my note about this and he changed to show me that he wasnt so predictable) Marley has come back with a vengance. Yesterdays coup de gras was a leap directly onto my full bladder which really got my full attention even though I was pretty drowsy. Todays tactics were quite different - much less impact but repeated, I mean REPEATED runs across my body. This was a gentler way of waking up but just as annoying. Regardless, it wasnt having enough of an effect. Suddenly, there was Powder Puff, sharpening her claws again, and it had the desired effect. I told her to stop and got up to be sure.
As Im padding my way to the kitchen to start the day with my number one priority (feeding the cats) I realized that I had been suckered. Powder Puff saw that Marleys alarm clock method didnt have effect and took the matter into her own paws.
This just points out to me that much of our control of our lives is just an illusion. When you realize that your own cats are effectively gaming you, you see that you arent as independant as you thought.
Monday, August 25, 2008
The Great Gecko Roundups...
For the most part its really interesting to see all the flora and fauna here in central Florida. Since we have lived here in most of the seasons, we are starting to get a better feel of things. So far, spotting an Ibis, the white bird with a long, slim curved beak still is a delight to us, as is daily sightings of pelicans and lots of other birds.
The squirrels here are thin and small, but recognizable as generally the same as the more macho ones we had in Maryland. Ive even seen mice eating the seeds from palm trees.
Geckos and other small lizards are around everywhere outside, but we value them for their contribution to insect control, and dont mind them as long as they stay outside. Weve also seen snakes and other creatures that we would just as soon not, including one tiny slim snake who took some time to find a way out of our pool. Needless to say, I check the water before swimming now.
But its the interchange of these creatures with our cats that can be a little disturbing. Youve heard of the Lucky snake episode and Powder Puff trying to get 15 feet up the coconut tree to get something as yet unidentified.
Geckos seem to be fair game though. Lucky seems to get them fairly frequently, and we have seen him with their hind legs and tail sticking out of Lucky's mouth all too often. Once, as told before we also saw him trying to spit out a gecko that had obviously bit Lucky's tongue as a method of self preservation. So far all the geckos we have seem them with have gotten away - they are clearly a temporary play thing for the cats. Lucky brings them to our glass door, and with the legs and tail sticking out of his mouth waits patiently for us to notice. When we tell him he cant bring it in the house he drops it, and every one is happy.
Now Powder Puff has done the same thing although its a little more dramatic when she does it since the dark gecko stands out against her white coat. The effect is pretty startling actually. Its hard to blame the cats, after all they are just doing what is in their nature. So far, nobody seems to be hurt. The geckos generally either get away or run away if they have been released. Once one played dead for a while but ended up moving after the crowd died down.
So we are still trying to teach the cats that the inside of the house is to remain a gecko-free environment, even if they are bored and want live playthings.
The squirrels here are thin and small, but recognizable as generally the same as the more macho ones we had in Maryland. Ive even seen mice eating the seeds from palm trees.
Geckos and other small lizards are around everywhere outside, but we value them for their contribution to insect control, and dont mind them as long as they stay outside. Weve also seen snakes and other creatures that we would just as soon not, including one tiny slim snake who took some time to find a way out of our pool. Needless to say, I check the water before swimming now.
But its the interchange of these creatures with our cats that can be a little disturbing. Youve heard of the Lucky snake episode and Powder Puff trying to get 15 feet up the coconut tree to get something as yet unidentified.
Geckos seem to be fair game though. Lucky seems to get them fairly frequently, and we have seen him with their hind legs and tail sticking out of Lucky's mouth all too often. Once, as told before we also saw him trying to spit out a gecko that had obviously bit Lucky's tongue as a method of self preservation. So far all the geckos we have seem them with have gotten away - they are clearly a temporary play thing for the cats. Lucky brings them to our glass door, and with the legs and tail sticking out of his mouth waits patiently for us to notice. When we tell him he cant bring it in the house he drops it, and every one is happy.
Now Powder Puff has done the same thing although its a little more dramatic when she does it since the dark gecko stands out against her white coat. The effect is pretty startling actually. Its hard to blame the cats, after all they are just doing what is in their nature. So far, nobody seems to be hurt. The geckos generally either get away or run away if they have been released. Once one played dead for a while but ended up moving after the crowd died down.
So we are still trying to teach the cats that the inside of the house is to remain a gecko-free environment, even if they are bored and want live playthings.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Ghost Visitations
Powder Puff on the sofa.
After we bought this house, we didnt get to move in immediately. When I would stay here before we moved in the house was dark and mostly empty. Every so often I would be quietly moving through the house and would be startled by a ghostly image just outside one of our sliding glass doors. In the instant before I figured out what it was, my adrenaline would kick in and I would often jump. Each time I could get a good laugh at myself when I realized it was Powder Puff (at that point just a stray that we would see sometimes). Something about her white coat glowing from the room light was eerie.
The scene had a little of the Ichabod Crane to it as well. Powder Puff has a black marking over her nose and part of her face. The contrast is such that for a while I thought she had been born with no nose and just a hole in her face.
She was desparate for love, but being also very fearful, so it took her a while to actually come up to us. However, once we moved in, she was around a lot and stayed just out of reach.
What a change in viewpoints. From a scary disfigured ghost to a soft, cuddly sweet girl. She is still quite jumpy which makes us think she has been abused, but she has come into her own with us.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
A Lucky Day
Today I thought it might be instructive to provide what I think is a pretty accurate description of a typical day for our cats. You will notice that there are the same activities that we all have in a standard day - tasks, appointments, personal time, etc. Because they arent people though, there seems to be quite a lack of pre planning (aside from routine events which, like eating, are important). SO here is my attempt to describe a typical day for Lucky, from his point of view:
Dark: continue prowling and sleeping as necessary
Pre-dawn: be sure Marley is doing his job of getting Dad up so he will feed us
Dawn-ish: dont go far from Dads room, and keep a wary eye so that I dont miss him getting up
ALL Sensors go to full alert for any signs of Dad getting up
Check in on Marley's efforts to get Dad up
DAD's UP!!!! Quickly let him know that we need to eat. Rub up against his legs to show him we wanna eat, ...er... I mean that we love him
Help Dad find his way to the kitchen... OH NO, why is he in that room with the lights and the fan noise? we may NEVER eat!!!
Heres Dad again, and he is going towards the kitchen!
Watch Dad as he gets the food ready. Be sure to be ready to get to any food that gets put down. Maybe I will be first !
Eat at last! Eat fast, someone might try to steal my food.
Hey, my bowl is empty, how did that happen? Check to see if there is any of Marleys food left, check to see if any of Powder Puffs food is left. YUCK! how can she eat that stuff, lemme see if I can bury it.
Time for adventure. Marley looks like he has settled down, so I think its time to pick on Powder Puff.
Surprise attack on Powder Puff, then chase her until she gets away
Surprise attack on the rug by the front door
Sprint around the house
Surprise attack on Powder Puff, chase her until she goes into her shark cage, then avoid her quick slashes if I get near.
Whats Marley doing? still loafing - charge at Marley full bore to see if he is ready to fight. He's not, so stop at the last second and pretend I wasn't doing anything.
Run around the house until Dad figures out I need to burn off energy, then adventure into the outside world when he lets me out.
[at this point I'm not sure what Lucky does. I will spot him occasionally but I think he just enjoys burning off some energy.. And there can be surprises. Within the last week he caught a small snake and did his best to avoid the snapping at him while pouncing on it, picking it up in his mouth, etc. He also was seen with a gecko in his mouth, head first, where upon the gecko must have bit him on his toungue and Lucky reacted strongly, trying to spit out a gecko attached to his tongue. Eventually he returns and settles into his routine]
Sleep soundly - repeat as necessary for the rest of the day
Wake up and attack Marley. Wrestle and bite, get away and jump back on, run from Marley then whirl around and attack. Repeat as necessary throughout the day.
Watch for opportunities to attack 1) Powder Puff 2) the front rug 3) the rug between the hall and the family room 4) Marley in any order. Repeat frequently.
Practice attack strategies - running around, climbing to the top of sofas chairs, etc, hiding under the sofa cover, etc
Watch for any time Mom or Dad go to the kitchen since they will surely feed me some more
Watch for dinner
[repeat breakfast meal time]
More wrestling, fighting and chasing with Marley and Powder Puff
More sleeping
After Mom and Dad go to bed, more sleeping and prowling.
So thats a typical day for Lucky, who at this moment is trying to hide his completely black body on the white pool deck at the intersection with a small wall as he waits for the dragonfly to get in range.
Dark: continue prowling and sleeping as necessary
Pre-dawn: be sure Marley is doing his job of getting Dad up so he will feed us
Dawn-ish: dont go far from Dads room, and keep a wary eye so that I dont miss him getting up
ALL Sensors go to full alert for any signs of Dad getting up
Check in on Marley's efforts to get Dad up
DAD's UP!!!! Quickly let him know that we need to eat. Rub up against his legs to show him we wanna eat, ...er... I mean that we love him
Help Dad find his way to the kitchen... OH NO, why is he in that room with the lights and the fan noise? we may NEVER eat!!!
Heres Dad again, and he is going towards the kitchen!
Watch Dad as he gets the food ready. Be sure to be ready to get to any food that gets put down. Maybe I will be first !
Eat at last! Eat fast, someone might try to steal my food.
Hey, my bowl is empty, how did that happen? Check to see if there is any of Marleys food left, check to see if any of Powder Puffs food is left. YUCK! how can she eat that stuff, lemme see if I can bury it.
Time for adventure. Marley looks like he has settled down, so I think its time to pick on Powder Puff.
Surprise attack on Powder Puff, then chase her until she gets away
Surprise attack on the rug by the front door
Sprint around the house
Surprise attack on Powder Puff, chase her until she goes into her shark cage, then avoid her quick slashes if I get near.
Whats Marley doing? still loafing - charge at Marley full bore to see if he is ready to fight. He's not, so stop at the last second and pretend I wasn't doing anything.
Run around the house until Dad figures out I need to burn off energy, then adventure into the outside world when he lets me out.
[at this point I'm not sure what Lucky does. I will spot him occasionally but I think he just enjoys burning off some energy.. And there can be surprises. Within the last week he caught a small snake and did his best to avoid the snapping at him while pouncing on it, picking it up in his mouth, etc. He also was seen with a gecko in his mouth, head first, where upon the gecko must have bit him on his toungue and Lucky reacted strongly, trying to spit out a gecko attached to his tongue. Eventually he returns and settles into his routine]
Sleep soundly - repeat as necessary for the rest of the day
Wake up and attack Marley. Wrestle and bite, get away and jump back on, run from Marley then whirl around and attack. Repeat as necessary throughout the day.
Watch for opportunities to attack 1) Powder Puff 2) the front rug 3) the rug between the hall and the family room 4) Marley in any order. Repeat frequently.
Practice attack strategies - running around, climbing to the top of sofas chairs, etc, hiding under the sofa cover, etc
Watch for any time Mom or Dad go to the kitchen since they will surely feed me some more
Watch for dinner
[repeat breakfast meal time]
More wrestling, fighting and chasing with Marley and Powder Puff
More sleeping
After Mom and Dad go to bed, more sleeping and prowling.
So thats a typical day for Lucky, who at this moment is trying to hide his completely black body on the white pool deck at the intersection with a small wall as he waits for the dragonfly to get in range.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Important things...
One of the first things I face everyday is caring for my loved ones. I dont include the people I love in this, because for the most part, I dont face them first thing in the morning. Of course, if I was being completely honest, what I want to talk about isnt the FIRST thing in the morning with them since they impact me before I get up, but today we will address my first moments after rising from bed.
Life used to be pretty straightforward - I had one cat to take care of, and he brought such a force of personality into my life, that I didnt really need more. He is a "Sylvester" looking black and white cat who we think left his mother before he should have, and found his way to us via a circuitous route. His name is Marley, and is the biggest and oldest of the cats.
Six months ago we moved to Florida, and our yard was the gathering place for a number of stray cats. Luckily, there was none of the problems I would envision with strays being around, and they had the advantage of keeping the pest population under control.
Over time, two of the cats adopted us, and, to make a long story short(er) we ended up taking them in, and getting them fixed, shots and registered. Both of these cats were malnourished in food and in emotional support, and they crave both. There is an all black 2 year old named Lucky, and a mostly white, blue eyed beauty named Powder Puff since that is what her fur feels like. In retrospect, the merging of the 3 cats into our household went well, but we had some adventures along the way. But now my morning ritual with them has settled into a routine.
At first, I assumed that their actions in the morning showed that they thought I am an imbecile, but that since they needed me to provide care, they were willing to work with me. For example, it seemed pretty clear that they felt I didnt know how to find the way to the kitchen, and it was incumbent upon them to help me in this significant challange to my capabilities. When I first wake up they all merge around me, trying to ensure that I am alert enough to know they are there and to get my attention. As soon as I start to move they split up, one sticks with me and the other two move towards each of the possible exits. As I move to one of the exits, the cat nearest that one heads off to provide me with something to follow, under the apparent assumption that otherwise I might get lost. The one nearest me then makes sure they have my attention by rushing past me, tangling with my feet which may trip me but regardless makes me look right at them as they run ahead, to ensure that my small brain hasnt lost focus in what direction Im going. The third cat, who seems kind of disappointed that I didnt pick their route, moves into the vacated position of the one who was with me. We proceed in this fashion, with the cycle repeating itself at every intersection where I might have a directional choice until I finally am able to locate the kitchen so they can be fed.
This is pretty much how I have thought of their perspective of our first interaction of the morning. Recently however, Ive begun to view this a little differently, and it makes the start of the day a little more buoyant.
One day it came to me that they are behaving more like groupies around a rock star. They are excited to see me when I get up, they flock around me and try to get my attention, they all want to be part of the entourage as I move around the house, and they realize that I have the power to give them something that they really want and need. They are willing to go with me no matter what route I take, and seem to be crawling all over one another to stay with me. The stopping and waiting ahead is just so they dont lose sight of me and potentially not stay near me.And the whole time they are attentive to my every action.
Thats a much better way to think of it.
Life used to be pretty straightforward - I had one cat to take care of, and he brought such a force of personality into my life, that I didnt really need more. He is a "Sylvester" looking black and white cat who we think left his mother before he should have, and found his way to us via a circuitous route. His name is Marley, and is the biggest and oldest of the cats.
Six months ago we moved to Florida, and our yard was the gathering place for a number of stray cats. Luckily, there was none of the problems I would envision with strays being around, and they had the advantage of keeping the pest population under control.
Over time, two of the cats adopted us, and, to make a long story short(er) we ended up taking them in, and getting them fixed, shots and registered. Both of these cats were malnourished in food and in emotional support, and they crave both. There is an all black 2 year old named Lucky, and a mostly white, blue eyed beauty named Powder Puff since that is what her fur feels like. In retrospect, the merging of the 3 cats into our household went well, but we had some adventures along the way. But now my morning ritual with them has settled into a routine.
At first, I assumed that their actions in the morning showed that they thought I am an imbecile, but that since they needed me to provide care, they were willing to work with me. For example, it seemed pretty clear that they felt I didnt know how to find the way to the kitchen, and it was incumbent upon them to help me in this significant challange to my capabilities. When I first wake up they all merge around me, trying to ensure that I am alert enough to know they are there and to get my attention. As soon as I start to move they split up, one sticks with me and the other two move towards each of the possible exits. As I move to one of the exits, the cat nearest that one heads off to provide me with something to follow, under the apparent assumption that otherwise I might get lost. The one nearest me then makes sure they have my attention by rushing past me, tangling with my feet which may trip me but regardless makes me look right at them as they run ahead, to ensure that my small brain hasnt lost focus in what direction Im going. The third cat, who seems kind of disappointed that I didnt pick their route, moves into the vacated position of the one who was with me. We proceed in this fashion, with the cycle repeating itself at every intersection where I might have a directional choice until I finally am able to locate the kitchen so they can be fed.
This is pretty much how I have thought of their perspective of our first interaction of the morning. Recently however, Ive begun to view this a little differently, and it makes the start of the day a little more buoyant.
One day it came to me that they are behaving more like groupies around a rock star. They are excited to see me when I get up, they flock around me and try to get my attention, they all want to be part of the entourage as I move around the house, and they realize that I have the power to give them something that they really want and need. They are willing to go with me no matter what route I take, and seem to be crawling all over one another to stay with me. The stopping and waiting ahead is just so they dont lose sight of me and potentially not stay near me.And the whole time they are attentive to my every action.
Thats a much better way to think of it.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Lucky the Snake Stalker
Today the Snake Stalker heads the news, but within just a half hour, we had several issues. First, Lucky, AKA the Snake Stalker, was in rare form. He couldnt find enough competition to turn this into a wrestlemania arena, but he tried. Marley was willing to tussle a little, but was primarily in panic mode since I hadnt fed them yet. He actually did the old movie move on Lucky where Lucky came at him, and Marley put his paw on Lucky's head to hold him off and Lucky was trying to swing at empty air since he couldnt reach. Anyway, a few light tussles werent enough today, so he started hunting Powder Puff.
Now PP doesnt like to play like that. She likes to attack from cover and run and get away - she's like the American Revolutionaries who frustrated the Brittish by fighting small skirmishes from cover then getting away. But this morning the Snake stalker was relentless. He wanted full out Marley type macho wrestling, so he kept after her until he caught her, wrestled hard until she broke away, then jumped on top of her like he does to Marley and started a full on close quarters fight. PP didnt like it, tried to fight back, hissed hard, broke away went to P&C (Paws and Claws) and HISSED at Lucky. When Lucky stood back, she jumped into the safety of what turns out to be a pretty good shark cage (under the oriental stool) and was safe. She didnt even rise to the bait when Marley got on top to look out the window and foolishly let his tail sag over the edge while it kept up its neverending end-of-tail twitch.
I decided to end it all by feeding them. Next came another surprise.
Keep in mind we have a number of (what I thought were) inviolate rules:
1. Marley will eat anything like he is starving as long as it is seafood IN GRAVY.
2. Marley must have his dry food but once there are just pieces left, wont eat anymore, even if he is still hungry (I know, when isnt he?)
3. Marley wont eat anything but seafood even if its in gravy
4. Lucky loves the dry food, and even though hes been starving, doesnt seem interested in Marleys seafood
5. Lucky will eat all his dry food, then finish Powder Puff's and go for Marleys leftover pieces
6. Lucky has a hard belly, and has gained weight but he still looks skinny
7. Powder Puff seems like she likes the dry food but just doesnt eat much.
8. Lucky will try to steal food from our plates.
So a few days ago we had chicken, and gave some pieces to Powder Puff, and sne seemed like she really liked it. We decided to give chicken wet food to her and lucky and see how it went. This morning I implemented the plan, and gave Lucky and Powder Puff each a half can of Turkey pieces in gravy. Lucky said "No thanks!" and I had to give him his dry food. Powder Puff, for the first time sat down and devoured all I gave her and started licking the empty bowl for any last bits. I hear a noise and look around and there is Marley eating the turkey IN GRAVy like there was no tomorrow. I took that from him and let PP eat more until she stopped then gave the rest to Marley. Now I have to rethink all my feeding rules.
Things have quieted down now as they deal with the effects of full bellies!
For some reason I think the food situation is funny, but in reading the above, I guess it probably isnt to anyone else. Sorry, cant be funny all the time.
Now PP doesnt like to play like that. She likes to attack from cover and run and get away - she's like the American Revolutionaries who frustrated the Brittish by fighting small skirmishes from cover then getting away. But this morning the Snake stalker was relentless. He wanted full out Marley type macho wrestling, so he kept after her until he caught her, wrestled hard until she broke away, then jumped on top of her like he does to Marley and started a full on close quarters fight. PP didnt like it, tried to fight back, hissed hard, broke away went to P&C (Paws and Claws) and HISSED at Lucky. When Lucky stood back, she jumped into the safety of what turns out to be a pretty good shark cage (under the oriental stool) and was safe. She didnt even rise to the bait when Marley got on top to look out the window and foolishly let his tail sag over the edge while it kept up its neverending end-of-tail twitch.
I decided to end it all by feeding them. Next came another surprise.
Keep in mind we have a number of (what I thought were) inviolate rules:
1. Marley will eat anything like he is starving as long as it is seafood IN GRAVY.
2. Marley must have his dry food but once there are just pieces left, wont eat anymore, even if he is still hungry (I know, when isnt he?)
3. Marley wont eat anything but seafood even if its in gravy
4. Lucky loves the dry food, and even though hes been starving, doesnt seem interested in Marleys seafood
5. Lucky will eat all his dry food, then finish Powder Puff's and go for Marleys leftover pieces
6. Lucky has a hard belly, and has gained weight but he still looks skinny
7. Powder Puff seems like she likes the dry food but just doesnt eat much.
8. Lucky will try to steal food from our plates.
So a few days ago we had chicken, and gave some pieces to Powder Puff, and sne seemed like she really liked it. We decided to give chicken wet food to her and lucky and see how it went. This morning I implemented the plan, and gave Lucky and Powder Puff each a half can of Turkey pieces in gravy. Lucky said "No thanks!" and I had to give him his dry food. Powder Puff, for the first time sat down and devoured all I gave her and started licking the empty bowl for any last bits. I hear a noise and look around and there is Marley eating the turkey IN GRAVy like there was no tomorrow. I took that from him and let PP eat more until she stopped then gave the rest to Marley. Now I have to rethink all my feeding rules.
Things have quieted down now as they deal with the effects of full bellies!
For some reason I think the food situation is funny, but in reading the above, I guess it probably isnt to anyone else. Sorry, cant be funny all the time.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
The effects of Violence on TV
Well, its clear we have to watch what we allow on tv from now on. Last night we watched "Shooter" and the 'kids' (Marley, Lucky and Powder Puff) were up half the night playing combat with each other. Minor skirmishes were even fought on our bed down by our feet. We even heard the occasional shout of a wounded soldier. It was mostly a free ranging firefight with sneak attacks, paw to paw combat, with a fierce flurry of activity followed by one of the units breaking off the fight and retreating at double time with the enemy in hot pursuit. The boys tend to be full time participants while PP just jumps in now and then and instigates something, then bows out.
Life is hell in a war zone!
Life is hell in a war zone!
Friday, August 1, 2008
Marley's Big Splash!
While Marley and Lucky are "wrestling" on the floor, I thought Id let you know the scoop on Marley's big Welcome to August Splash!
We had all three kids out while we were doing pool stuff this morning. I was showing Mom how we set up the vacuum when I noticed that Marley was in a manic frenzy - something he doesnt really do when he is outside. I saw him race across the yard and run part way up the coconut palm tree. I called to Mom and told her to watch him since it was cute. He paused for a moment on the side of the tree, then suddenly dashed down, half around the tree and ran across the yard to the pool deck. He kept going on the deck and jumped to the platform where Qwan Yin watches, but missed his footing and fell full into the pool into about 4 feet of water with a big, noisy splash.
As I started over there, I couldnt see him, but there was lots of splashing going on. Suddenly he jumped out of the water onto the platform. I checked the distance, and it was about 13 inches from the water to the platform top. with no bottom to push off, I dont know how he did it, but one second the water was splashing around and the next he was on the platform. I checked the deck next to it, and there wasnt water there - somehow he levitated 13 inches.
He was wandering around in a daze, somewhat shocked and embarrased and absolutely soaking wet. He ran from me when I tried to dry him, but later let Mom mostly dry him. After about an hour he came back in and as i said at the beginning is back to his normal activities.
We had all three kids out while we were doing pool stuff this morning. I was showing Mom how we set up the vacuum when I noticed that Marley was in a manic frenzy - something he doesnt really do when he is outside. I saw him race across the yard and run part way up the coconut palm tree. I called to Mom and told her to watch him since it was cute. He paused for a moment on the side of the tree, then suddenly dashed down, half around the tree and ran across the yard to the pool deck. He kept going on the deck and jumped to the platform where Qwan Yin watches, but missed his footing and fell full into the pool into about 4 feet of water with a big, noisy splash.
As I started over there, I couldnt see him, but there was lots of splashing going on. Suddenly he jumped out of the water onto the platform. I checked the distance, and it was about 13 inches from the water to the platform top. with no bottom to push off, I dont know how he did it, but one second the water was splashing around and the next he was on the platform. I checked the deck next to it, and there wasnt water there - somehow he levitated 13 inches.
He was wandering around in a daze, somewhat shocked and embarrased and absolutely soaking wet. He ran from me when I tried to dry him, but later let Mom mostly dry him. After about an hour he came back in and as i said at the beginning is back to his normal activities.
Team Arguments
I think Marley and Lucky might be on the other team (not that theres anything wrong with that.) Heres the argument:
For:
For:
- They like to "wrestle" together a lot
- Ive seen Lucky jump on Marleys back from behind a number of times which turns into "Wrestling"
- Our beauty Amy thinks Marley doesnt like her
- Marley saw Lucky gobbling his (Marley's) food and didnt do anything
- Marley will bat at Powder Puff if he thinks she is going to try to rub up against him
- Lucky's best friend (until now) has been a girl
- Lucky likes to watch Marley go to the bathroom (actually this doesnt count, they all like that)
- Lucky has started mimicing Marleys speech patterns (the "trills" and other calls)
- This morning, Marley was looking out the back glass door when Lucky approached from behind, gave a Marley-like trill and then gave Marley what appeared to be a quick kiss on the cheek. Marley just sat regally and looked back out the door.
- Marley used to be very "fond" of mom after a kneading session
- Marley thinks hes a person, and this could explain why he bats Powder Puff away - he is appalled at being romantically involved with a cat.
- Luckys best friend (before Marley) was a girl, and he is still friends with her (of course this could be an argument for either side)
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