Running In Place

Chase at my house is a regular event in the morning. We all love to run up the stairs to the living room, make a quick left turn and then run outside on the deck. One problem I'm having is running on the living room floor. When I run up the stairs and make the left turn, my hind legs go flying out from under me sending my butt and then the rest of my body into a tail spin. I guess it's the shiny floor. I've tried everything, claws out, claws in, head up, head down . . . nothing works. Take offs are also problematic. Before I get going I tend to run in place for a second or so, sometimes falling over on my side. Personally, I prefer carpet. Makes for better clawing too even though the Old Guy yells at me when I claw the carpet.

Camping

The pretty little girls, Lulu and Nessie are staying at my house for 10 days. This evening I heard a commotion in the living room. The Old Guy kept telling Pinot to "get out of there". I had to check this out so I slid out from under the bed to see what was going on. I looked into the living room and there was a small red tent, on its side. The Old Guy was running around it yelling at Pinot. I guess Pinot had run into the tent and then thought it would be fun to jump at the sides of the tent. When he did this the tent flipped over. Of course this just encouraged Pinot to jump around more. So the tent was kind of traveling around the house with the Old Guy yelling at it. He finally got Pinot out of the tent. Then, he set it up straight. Well, I can tell you that the Old Guy and Pretty Lady wouldn't fit in that tent. Only Lulu and cats could fit in there. So, after everything calmed down, I walked over. Pinot had gone back in without the Old Guy noticing, and laid down. He took up half the tent. I walked in, sniffed around, and sat at the entrance. I think after everyone goes to bed tonight I'm going to do some camping in the living room.

Fur Flying Fiasco

I enjoy being in my house and am thankful that I live here. I love the food, I like playing chase, there's lots of interesting stuff and the Old Guy gives a great scratch. However, there are a few things that I don't like. I don't like to be touched unless I have made a request to be touched. I don't like a lot of comotion. I refuse to be told what to do.

Last night Chow and I were kind of playing. At some point I lay down and Chow pounced. Now it's not unusual for Chow and Pinot to jump on each other and growl and hiss. They are clearly playing. I guess Chow thought I was Pinot or just got carried away. At the end of his pounce, he landed right on me. I reverted to feral cat and latched on to him to give him a good what for. Well when I did that, I think he figured he could do it too. I screached, Chow screached, I growled, Chow growled and we wrestled across the living room floor. Marina was standing right there and then she screached. I think she said something like Chow Mein's killing Minette. Ha Ha. No way. I can take care of myself. The Old Guy came running and I went running under the bed with Chow following up to the edge. The Old Guy barked at Chow and he ran away downstairs. The floor was covered with clumps of fur. The Old Guy is presently examining it to try to determine whose fur it is. It seems like cat fur, once removed from the cat, all blends in together, except for white fur. Later that night the Old Guy spread catnip all over the toys and busy kitty. Chow and I took turns rolling in it and playing with Barbie's head. But he never touched me.

The Return of Frakenstein

Last night there were no humans in my house. The Pretty Ladies and little girls went to San Diego to see Alexa and the catlike creature. I didn't know where the Old Guy went until he got home this morning at about 6:30. The Pretty Lady has been complaining about his snoring and so he is finally doing something about it. He said he went for a sleep test in Torrance. I didn't know what that was so he described it to me. He said he went to this office building. They buzzed him in because no one was there at 9 p.m. He went to the third floor and there was an office with a bunch of bedrooms. After he signed in, Clinton showed him his room. It had a bed, a bed table, a lamp, a mirror, a sitting chair and other stuff that made it look like a bed room. It also had a bunch of electronic stuff and a camera in the ceiling. Interesting. He said they glued about 20 wires to him: to his feet, his legs, his head, his face, and two straps of stuff around his stomach and his chest. Before they plugged him in he went to the bathroom and got a good look at himself. He said he looked like the Frankenstein Monster right before he broke out of Dr. Frankenstein's laboratory. After he got back, Clinton plugged him in, or actually plugged all of the wires into a computer link and stuck something on one of his fingers. Then Clinton said, "have a nice sleep." Wish I could have been there to see that.

Anyway, the Old Guy said he slept pretty well and ended the sleep with a doozie of a dream. It went like this: He was riding on a Harley with a bunch of other Harley guys and girls. He said it was nothing sinister, they were just riding down a pretty straight country road. Except, his Harley had a tiny handle bar like a mountain bike, except smaller. He said it was hard to control and he was always riding on the wrong side of the country lane. Then they stopped at a farm. He said the lady who ran the farm started to show him around. The first thing she showed him was something she was very excited about. She said she had crossed a deer with a camel. They walked around the corner of the barn and she said "there", pointing. Well, the result was a large bird like creature that looked kind of like an eagle crossed with an owl. Unfortunately, he didn't get an explanation because either the dream ended or he woke up. He said try as he might, he couldn't get back in the dream grove to find out what the heck she did to get a bird from a deer crossed with a camel. Then Clinton came in at 6 a.m. and said he was done. Clinton ripped, that's the word he used, ripped, off the electrical wires which hurt because they were glued on. Then the Old Guy drove home.

We were waiting at the door for the return of Frankenstein because we were all hungry. I hope I never have a snoring issue.

My BFF

It's been a little hectic at my house these last few days. The other Pretty Lady flew in from NYC with the Pretty Little Girl and a really small Pretty Little Girl. I didn't know what to think at first. The Pretty Little Girl, Lulu, chased me around a little. Didn't really like that much. She's slowed down after a few days now. I let her get within about a foot before I run away. She giggles a lot when she gets near me. The smaller one, Nessie, giggles and screams alot. But she isn't very fast. The other Pretty Lady is my old owner in SF. She still talks to me and makes cute cat-like noises, but I don't think I'll let her touch me.

This morning everyone was gone but the Old Guy. It is a beautiful sunny day and so clear you can see Catalina. After the Old Guy got dressed I walked in the bedroom, meowed and flopped on my side. The Old Guy knows that that's my signal to scratch me. Well he gave me the best scratch ever. I guess he likes the quiet too, and he just kept scratching me and I kept purring. Wow, I just realized I'm a lucky cat, especially when it's a beautiful morning and my BFF is giving me a scratch.

A Screech in the Night

Did you ever have one of those days where you just wanted to scream as loud as you could? You know what I mean. It happens to everyone. Yesterday the Old Guy and Pretty Lady were gone all day at UCLA. We didn't get fed dinner until 9:30.

Anyway, we ate and chased and so on. But, for reasons I can't explain, I just had to let out a loud screech. I tried to hold it in, and I did a pretty good job for a while. But finally I just couldn't stand it any more. I was laying streched out on the cool floor and all of a sudden Chow walked over and sat down near me. That was it. I let out one, and only one, of my loudest screaches ever. I mean it resonated throughout the house and, since the upstairs doors are open, the neighborhood too. I don't know why but that screech really carried. The Pretty Lady sat up in bed. The Old Guy came running. I guess the fact that it was 4:00 in the morning was a factor too. He ran in, in the dark, and there I was laying on my side looking at Chow who was sitting next to me. I looked up at the Old Guy and all I could think of to say was "What?"

Feeding Time at the Zoo

Now that I live full time in the house, I'm starting to get used to the feeding routine. To summarize, we get fed soft food twice a day, and twice a day there is a feeding frenzy! The morning routine begins at about 5:00 a.m. Ha ha, the Old Guy is fast asleep at 5 a.m. But Pinot and I aren't. Pinot starts the morning by jumping up on the Old Guy's, ah well let's just say he jumps on him in a place that is sure to get his attention. Then he walks a few steps to the Old Guy's chest and starts pawing at his face. He usually gets a few scratches from the Old Guy before getting tossed off the bed. That's the signal for Pinot and I to start loud chase games. Chow, who sleeps between the Old Guy and Pretty Lady, joins in too. At 5:30 the alarm goes off, but the Old Guy doesn't get up until 6:15. While he gets dressed we surround him. Wherever he goes, we go. He starts coffee, then he looks for the cat food can. If he doesn't have any soft cat food in the house, he goes to the big stash in the garage. We follow him down and then back up. He jingles the silverware which is the signal that food is on its way. Then he pulls out 3 cat dishes. At that point in time, Pinot jumps up on the counter to help and try to poach a few bites. The Old Guy complains to him but doesn't knock him off the counter. Then he puts the three cat bowls on the floor of the kitchen: Chow on the left, Pinot on the right, and me separated by about 10 feet. When I first got to go in the house the Old Guy had to stand guard over me and my food because Chow and Pinot finish their food in like 3 bites and then start looking for more . . . usually in my direction. After about a week I learned that if I growl, hiss and swing a paw they leave my food alone. Needless to say, the Old Guy doesn't need to stand guard any more. After we finish, Pinot starts begging for dry food if the dry food bowl is empty. The Old Guy immediately fills the bowl. Like Chow, Pinot has the power.

In the evening Chow stands guard at the window. When he sees the Old Guy coming up the stair he gives the cat sign and we all come running. Thereafter, we follow the Old Guy around until he complies. After that it's bath time . . . we self bathe. Last night we helped the Old Guy build a surf board rack for Derek's room. More on that next time.