Tuesday is trash day at our house. The Old Guy feeds us and then takes all the trash down to the garage and closes the doors to the house so we can't get out. He then opens one of the garage doors and puts out the trash. This year, because we celebrated Christmas early, there was a lot of stuff to put out. When he got done he walked back into the garage and pushed one of the garage door buttons. Unfortunately for him, it was the wrong one and he really opened a second garage door, leaving two open. He opened the interior doors connecting the garage to the house and went in to drink his coffee and read the paper.
After a while he wondered why no cats were bugging him like we always do when he is drinking his coffee and reading his paper. After about an hour he went to look for us. As he walked by the doors to the garage he could clearly hear sounds from outside. He went into the garage and almost croaked.
It didn't take us long to find the opening. Like the real Great Escape, we split up as soon as we were free. I went over to our neighbor Kevin's house because he has an interesting yard. Pinot wandered around aimlessly in our yard and Mein ran over to the Dump across the walk street. It was really cool. Reminded me of when I lived outside in SF. I was free . . . . well kind of free. Pretty soon I could hear the Old Guy's plaintiff yells. Next he tried shaking the crunchy jar and walking around the house. He saw me in the side yard and I knew I'd better run back into the garage. Once I got in we played chase between the two garage doors until I got tired and ran into the house. He closed the doors and heard the Pretty Lady say she could see Pinot slinking around the front yard. She opened the front door and he slunk in. He said the outdoors sucked and he needed to take a nap. Mein was missing. Finally the Old Guy saw him at the Dump taking a bath. As the Old Guy walked to him, Mein ran in a hole in the side of the Dump. Finally, the Old Guy had to go in a side door. Mein hid under a stair way and hissed. The Old Guy grabbed him and brought him back. Mein later told me he wanted to be caught but felt he should pretend he didn't want to.
We are all safe and sound in the house crunching on extra rations the Old Guy gave us. I think I may have seen a tear in his eye.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
A Bird In the House Is Worth Two In The Bush
Yesterday, Sunday, the Old Guy was down painting the ceiling in one of the rental bedrooms. He heard a chirping, a little to close than it should be, and discovered that a bird had flown into the rental. Well, being Mr. Resourceful, he opened the sliding door and chased the bird around the rental until it flew out. So how many times does this happen in a life time, or even a day? How about twice.
When the Old Guy finished, he walked up to our house and as he stood outside the door he could see me, Chow and Pinot standing on the stairs inside looking up. The Old Guy came in and we didn't move. We kept staring. He looked around and couldn't find what we were looking at so he went in to get ready for the Galxy game. Derek came over and the Old Guy told him about the staring experience and showed where we were looking. We were staring at a painting next to the entry stairs. As they stood there they heard a rustling noise. The Old Guy pulled the painting away from the wall and could see a bird behind the painting. Chow and Pinot were put in a bedroom and the doors were closed. They opened the front door all the way. No way would I try to run out. I like it here too much. Anyway, the Old Guy, who obviously isn't very smart when it comes to birds, pulled the painting back and tried to shoo the bird with a broom. Well the bird flew up into the highest sky light and hid on the ledge. The Old Guy and Derek had to leave for the game so they decided to do the bird thing after they got back. They let Chow and Pinot out.
Big mistake. When they got back from the game they started to look for the bird. The first thing they found was a huge pile of feathers on the ground floor, scattered in a big circle. Then, upstairs they found drops of blood leading towards the downstairs and lots more feathers. They never found a body even though they looked all over the house, including the Old Guy's bed. Geeeezzzz. Body? What body? Anyway, no one was real hungry that night and it's a good thing because the Old Guy was majorly pissed off.
When the Old Guy finished, he walked up to our house and as he stood outside the door he could see me, Chow and Pinot standing on the stairs inside looking up. The Old Guy came in and we didn't move. We kept staring. He looked around and couldn't find what we were looking at so he went in to get ready for the Galxy game. Derek came over and the Old Guy told him about the staring experience and showed where we were looking. We were staring at a painting next to the entry stairs. As they stood there they heard a rustling noise. The Old Guy pulled the painting away from the wall and could see a bird behind the painting. Chow and Pinot were put in a bedroom and the doors were closed. They opened the front door all the way. No way would I try to run out. I like it here too much. Anyway, the Old Guy, who obviously isn't very smart when it comes to birds, pulled the painting back and tried to shoo the bird with a broom. Well the bird flew up into the highest sky light and hid on the ledge. The Old Guy and Derek had to leave for the game so they decided to do the bird thing after they got back. They let Chow and Pinot out.
Big mistake. When they got back from the game they started to look for the bird. The first thing they found was a huge pile of feathers on the ground floor, scattered in a big circle. Then, upstairs they found drops of blood leading towards the downstairs and lots more feathers. They never found a body even though they looked all over the house, including the Old Guy's bed. Geeeezzzz. Body? What body? Anyway, no one was real hungry that night and it's a good thing because the Old Guy was majorly pissed off.
Friday, August 6, 2010
June 10, 2010, was my one year anniversary of living in Manhattan Beach. Since my arrival I have:
1. Lived in a cage in the garage;
2. Shredded the Old Guy;
3. Destroyed two Busy Kitty's;
4. Met Chow Mein and Pinot;
5. Met the Pretty Lady the second, Lulu, Nessie, Eli, Alexa, Derek, Tera (but I only allow Derek and the Old Guy to pick me up);
6. Discovered that I like to be scratched under the chin, around the neck, on top of my head, on my tummy and on my upper back;
7. Discovered that I don't like to be scratched on my lower back and I don't like my tail touched;
8. Discovered that Pinot is fun to chase and be chased by;
9. Discovered that I don't like Chow and he doesn't like me;
10. Practiced hissing at Chow;
11. Practiced growling at anyone who touched my tail;
12. Discovered that I like the food the Guy Serves;
13. Discovered that I can get the Old Guy to give me food any time of the day or night just by looking cute and meowing at him (hence I've put on a few pounds, but they look good on me);
14. Chased birds on the roof, maybe catching a few . . . or maybe not (this is not a confession and can't be used against me);
15. Used the plants as a kitty litter;
16. Beaten the crap out of Barbie's head;
17. Chased a lot of fake mousies;
18. Been brushed like a million times by the Old Guy;
19. Stayed at the Airport Pet Cottage too many times;
20. Had my picture taken a million times;
21. Discovered that I like to sleep in wicker baskets;
22. Chased my tail in the bath tub;
23. Realized that I never want to leave this place.
1. Lived in a cage in the garage;
2. Shredded the Old Guy;
3. Destroyed two Busy Kitty's;
4. Met Chow Mein and Pinot;
5. Met the Pretty Lady the second, Lulu, Nessie, Eli, Alexa, Derek, Tera (but I only allow Derek and the Old Guy to pick me up);
6. Discovered that I like to be scratched under the chin, around the neck, on top of my head, on my tummy and on my upper back;
7. Discovered that I don't like to be scratched on my lower back and I don't like my tail touched;
8. Discovered that Pinot is fun to chase and be chased by;
9. Discovered that I don't like Chow and he doesn't like me;
10. Practiced hissing at Chow;
11. Practiced growling at anyone who touched my tail;
12. Discovered that I like the food the Guy Serves;
13. Discovered that I can get the Old Guy to give me food any time of the day or night just by looking cute and meowing at him (hence I've put on a few pounds, but they look good on me);
14. Chased birds on the roof, maybe catching a few . . . or maybe not (this is not a confession and can't be used against me);
15. Used the plants as a kitty litter;
16. Beaten the crap out of Barbie's head;
17. Chased a lot of fake mousies;
18. Been brushed like a million times by the Old Guy;
19. Stayed at the Airport Pet Cottage too many times;
20. Had my picture taken a million times;
21. Discovered that I like to sleep in wicker baskets;
22. Chased my tail in the bath tub;
23. Realized that I never want to leave this place.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
The "Tail" of the Fuzzy Stuff
I'mmmmmmm baaaa'aaaaaaack. With my play load, I don't have much time to blog. But, I promise I'll try harder. This last week the Old Guy was downstairs trying to play guitar. Frankly, it sounds like a bunch of scratching and yowling to me, but Pinot likes it. Chow Mein runs out of the room whenever he picks that thing up. Anyway, while the Old Guy was playing he noticed some fuzzy stuff on the floor. Since his seeing isn't that great . . . he must be blind . . . he didn't give it much attention. That is until the Pretty Lady yelled down to him asking whether he noticed the little bird feathers upstairs in the dining room. He didn't and he still didn't take a close look at the fuzzy stuff until he finished "playing". First he noticed a lot of finger length gray things which he picked up, examined, and found to be small bird feathers. Then he piled them up. Turns out they made quite a nice sized pile. Then he turned his attention to the other gray stuff which he thought was cat fur. He found it to be little bird down. Both he and the Pretty Lady then searched the house looking for a baby-bird carcass. So far it's been three days and they haven't found it . . . ha, ha, ha.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Free at last . . . I'm free at last.
No, I haven't died. I'm just lazy. A lot has gone on in the past 2 months that I'll cover over the next few weeks, whenever I feel like it. We have spent a couple of sessions at the cat gulag, and one 3 dayer at home, alone while the old guy went skiing. Generally, life is peaceful, until last night.
It is common knowledge in the household that other animals lurk in the neighborhood. There's cats, possums, mice, bugs, you name it. There are a number of perfect viewing areas in our house, but the favorite one is downstairs, near the front door, where there is a floor to ceiling window that is actually two pieces of glass which come together at about a 45 degree angle. It's like living in an aquarium except that instead of fish going by, it's animals and people. Last night Chow was in the aquarium window looking out when two things happened in close proximity. First an unidentified animal passed by. This got Chow to pacing up and down next to the window. Then the Pretty Lady got home after visiting her mom. Chow really wanted to chase the unidentified creature which went by. The Pretty Lady was carrying a bunch of stuff in her hands. Chow, knowing she had to open the door, and seeing her hands otherwise occupied, positioned himself near the door. As the Pretty Lady opened the door he leaped at her. Now the Pretty Lady is pretty fast too. So, her hands being full, she trapped Chow between her legs and yelled for the Old Guy. Now, while the Old Guy fashions himself as quite the athlete, his speed is unmatched by Chow's determination. While the Pretty Lady had him pinned, he wiggled and made himself thin, and slithered away. Interestingly, he ran about 10 feet and turned to give a special look of satisfaction and accomplishment to the Pretty Lady. By then the Old Guy had arrived to see Chow's "B" hole toddle off down the walk street. The Old Guy went on the chase but it was too dark. Chow slipped between the houses so the Old Guy went and got a flash light. He then made a fool of himself, walking between houses yelling "Mein" and going "psss, psss, psss" which is the household universal call for just about anything, including food. Of course Chow just blew him off. The Old Guy could hear the jing, jing, jing of Chow's bell, but couldn't see him. Then, just as the Old Guy was ready to admit defeat, he saw a cat silhouette run by. He tried to follow it back to the house where he looked up at the front door. He couldn't see Chow. But he could see me through the glass straining my neck looking to the left. Then Pinot came up and he looked real interested in something too. Well, we were looking at Chow who had made a decision that being outside was not as cool as it looked and he wanted to get back in. The Old Guy figured that we were giving away Chow's position and followed our gaze to the Mein himself, who allowed the Old Guy to pick him up and throw him back in the house. All three of us spent the rest of the evening at the acquarium window wating for something else to walk by. The Old Guy? We must have tired him out because he went to bed.
It is common knowledge in the household that other animals lurk in the neighborhood. There's cats, possums, mice, bugs, you name it. There are a number of perfect viewing areas in our house, but the favorite one is downstairs, near the front door, where there is a floor to ceiling window that is actually two pieces of glass which come together at about a 45 degree angle. It's like living in an aquarium except that instead of fish going by, it's animals and people. Last night Chow was in the aquarium window looking out when two things happened in close proximity. First an unidentified animal passed by. This got Chow to pacing up and down next to the window. Then the Pretty Lady got home after visiting her mom. Chow really wanted to chase the unidentified creature which went by. The Pretty Lady was carrying a bunch of stuff in her hands. Chow, knowing she had to open the door, and seeing her hands otherwise occupied, positioned himself near the door. As the Pretty Lady opened the door he leaped at her. Now the Pretty Lady is pretty fast too. So, her hands being full, she trapped Chow between her legs and yelled for the Old Guy. Now, while the Old Guy fashions himself as quite the athlete, his speed is unmatched by Chow's determination. While the Pretty Lady had him pinned, he wiggled and made himself thin, and slithered away. Interestingly, he ran about 10 feet and turned to give a special look of satisfaction and accomplishment to the Pretty Lady. By then the Old Guy had arrived to see Chow's "B" hole toddle off down the walk street. The Old Guy went on the chase but it was too dark. Chow slipped between the houses so the Old Guy went and got a flash light. He then made a fool of himself, walking between houses yelling "Mein" and going "psss, psss, psss" which is the household universal call for just about anything, including food. Of course Chow just blew him off. The Old Guy could hear the jing, jing, jing of Chow's bell, but couldn't see him. Then, just as the Old Guy was ready to admit defeat, he saw a cat silhouette run by. He tried to follow it back to the house where he looked up at the front door. He couldn't see Chow. But he could see me through the glass straining my neck looking to the left. Then Pinot came up and he looked real interested in something too. Well, we were looking at Chow who had made a decision that being outside was not as cool as it looked and he wanted to get back in. The Old Guy figured that we were giving away Chow's position and followed our gaze to the Mein himself, who allowed the Old Guy to pick him up and throw him back in the house. All three of us spent the rest of the evening at the acquarium window wating for something else to walk by. The Old Guy? We must have tired him out because he went to bed.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Crispy Fried Cat
Wooo. What a day. We had heavy rains today and so the door to the deck/roof was closed. The Pretty Lady was freaking out because two leaks appeared in the house. She put a bucket under one near the front door. It's kind of wierd that she did that because she knows that in our house, no bucket or water container is left un-turned. So as the bucket filled, someone, I won't mention who, would start playing in the water and turn over the bucket.
However, the real big news today is that humans have really poor eyesight in the dark. This fact almost got me cooked. At about 1:45 p.m. the power went out in our house. The Old Guy came home because it went out in his office too. The Pretty Lady was really concerned because she didn't want to miss the Bachelor. I laughed because that was in 7 hours. Well, the Old Guy and Pretty Lady went out and then came back after about 2 hours. The power was still out. Then they went to dinner and came back and they said it was dark, with no lights. I write, "they said it was dark" because to me, a cat, it wasn't dark at all. So the pretty lady went and got out the earthquake stuff . . . stuff that gives out light. This is where I got into problems. The Pretty Lady put out all of these light things. Some they carried and some they set on tables. Well, these things were pretty interesting to all of us. I saw Chow stick his nose in one of them and then jump back. That really got my attention. So I jumped up on the bedstand right in the middle of 3 of the things. Next thing I know I smell something funny. I looked around and realized I was being cooked!!!!! I jumped down and ran. The Pretty Lady said she smelled cooked cat and wanted the Old Guy to chase me around in the dark to see if I was ok. So he made a half-hearted attempt, almost killing himself in the process. Then he gave up because he could hear me scurring around. At 11:00 the power came back on and the Old Guy got up to turn off the lights. I was laying on the couch and he hugged me and gave me a scratch, looking for damaged cat-parts. I told him to just scratch and stop looking but he insisted. I growled, hissed and ran away.
However, the real big news today is that humans have really poor eyesight in the dark. This fact almost got me cooked. At about 1:45 p.m. the power went out in our house. The Old Guy came home because it went out in his office too. The Pretty Lady was really concerned because she didn't want to miss the Bachelor. I laughed because that was in 7 hours. Well, the Old Guy and Pretty Lady went out and then came back after about 2 hours. The power was still out. Then they went to dinner and came back and they said it was dark, with no lights. I write, "they said it was dark" because to me, a cat, it wasn't dark at all. So the pretty lady went and got out the earthquake stuff . . . stuff that gives out light. This is where I got into problems. The Pretty Lady put out all of these light things. Some they carried and some they set on tables. Well, these things were pretty interesting to all of us. I saw Chow stick his nose in one of them and then jump back. That really got my attention. So I jumped up on the bedstand right in the middle of 3 of the things. Next thing I know I smell something funny. I looked around and realized I was being cooked!!!!! I jumped down and ran. The Pretty Lady said she smelled cooked cat and wanted the Old Guy to chase me around in the dark to see if I was ok. So he made a half-hearted attempt, almost killing himself in the process. Then he gave up because he could hear me scurring around. At 11:00 the power came back on and the Old Guy got up to turn off the lights. I was laying on the couch and he hugged me and gave me a scratch, looking for damaged cat-parts. I told him to just scratch and stop looking but he insisted. I growled, hissed and ran away.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Singing in the Rain
Although I have the highest respect for Chow's intelligence and experience, now and then he does some things I don't understand. For example, every morning he gets up at about 4:30 and runs outside onto the deck and roof of the house. I asked him why he does this and he said to check out the birds. Since winter just started there aren't any birds up at 4:30 in the morning. But he runs out there every morning just in case, I guess. Anyway, today was no exception. Unfortunately for him, it started to pour rain at about 4:40 when a really wierd thing happened. The Old Guy sprang out of bed, ran to the door leading outside and closed it. I guess he was concerned about water getting in the house. Then the Old Guy went back to bed. I thought about mentioning to him that Chow was out there checking out the non-existent birds but, hey, not my job. Pinot tried to get his attention by jumping on his chest, but I guess the Old Guy figured he just wanted a scratch.
At 6:15, the Old Guy got up and started to make the coffee. Now, when the Old Guy hits the coffee grinder button, we all come running because the next thing he is going to do, once he gets the coffee going, is feed us the coveted soft food. So he hits the button, looks around, and only I am standing in the kitchen. The Old Guy looked around and saw Pinot sitting at the door to the deck, looking out. The Old Guy went over to see what he was looking at, and there sat one wet Chow Mein, outside, meowing for mercy. The Old Guy let him in and he looked drenched. The first thing Chow did was run to the crunchy bowl and start eating. The Old Guy got a towel and toweled him off. Amazingly, the water was only on the outside of Chow's coat. I guess he has some kind of supercat fur that doesn't allow water in. I've actually seen this up close when he sticks his head under a running water faucet. The water literally bounces off his fur.
Anyway, Chow's inside, well fed and sleeping someplace. I've got to find him though because I just heard a nasty rumor. The cleaning ladies are coming today which means the Old Guy is going to try to lock us all in one of the bedrooms. Got to let Chow know ASAP. Bye!!!!
At 6:15, the Old Guy got up and started to make the coffee. Now, when the Old Guy hits the coffee grinder button, we all come running because the next thing he is going to do, once he gets the coffee going, is feed us the coveted soft food. So he hits the button, looks around, and only I am standing in the kitchen. The Old Guy looked around and saw Pinot sitting at the door to the deck, looking out. The Old Guy went over to see what he was looking at, and there sat one wet Chow Mein, outside, meowing for mercy. The Old Guy let him in and he looked drenched. The first thing Chow did was run to the crunchy bowl and start eating. The Old Guy got a towel and toweled him off. Amazingly, the water was only on the outside of Chow's coat. I guess he has some kind of supercat fur that doesn't allow water in. I've actually seen this up close when he sticks his head under a running water faucet. The water literally bounces off his fur.
Anyway, Chow's inside, well fed and sleeping someplace. I've got to find him though because I just heard a nasty rumor. The cleaning ladies are coming today which means the Old Guy is going to try to lock us all in one of the bedrooms. Got to let Chow know ASAP. Bye!!!!
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Hide and Seek
The Old Guy and Pretty Lady did the disappearing act again last week. Apparently they went skiing. Fortunately, they left us at home instead of sending us off to the cat asylum. The Old Guy cracks me up whenever he leaves for more than a day. He's really paranoid about us starving to death or dehydrating. So he leaves tons of food in big storage containers. I mean he leaves a months supply even though he's only going to be gone for a couple of days. And then there's the toilette thing. Even though he leaves dishes of water, he always leaves a toilette seat up so we can drink out of the toilette. He must be nuts. I'm not sticking my head in there. Yuck. Mein doesn't share my disgust. He says it's not half bad. Pinot hasn't tried it because he's afraid of falling in and drowning.
After they were gone a couple of days, they got home and with them were Marina and here family. As soon as they got into the house, Lulu and Nessi started chasing me around. So, I hid outside on the roof. Then the Old Guy got in the act. He was paranoid again, thinking I got out. So he looked in all the usual places: under the bed, in the closet, in the bathroom, under Derek's bed . . . After about a half an hour, Kevin realized that the Old Guy was starting to freak. He said, wow, I'm sorry, I didn't know you were looking for Minette. She's sitting outside on the deck watching you freak out all over the house. I love hide and seek . . . and freaking out the Old Guy.
After they were gone a couple of days, they got home and with them were Marina and here family. As soon as they got into the house, Lulu and Nessi started chasing me around. So, I hid outside on the roof. Then the Old Guy got in the act. He was paranoid again, thinking I got out. So he looked in all the usual places: under the bed, in the closet, in the bathroom, under Derek's bed . . . After about a half an hour, Kevin realized that the Old Guy was starting to freak. He said, wow, I'm sorry, I didn't know you were looking for Minette. She's sitting outside on the deck watching you freak out all over the house. I love hide and seek . . . and freaking out the Old Guy.
The Toilette-Man Commeth
For the last month there has been a large box sitting in the garage with a picture of a toilette on it. This morning the Old Guy pushed and pulled the big box up the stairs while muttering some not so nice words that, frankly, belong in the toilette he was pushing. Shortly after he got the toilette box up in his bedroom, a new guy came into the house. He was there to install the toilette. We adopted our typical positions on this. Pinot followed the guy all over to see what he was doing. Chow slept. I slunk around the house so low my belly was dragging across the floor. I found a few choice hiding places and popped my head out every now and then. Finally, the Old Guy had to pull Pinot back because he was interfering with the installation. Me? I was relieved when he left.
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