Caturday

This is my son's suggestion--having a Caturday. According to my son, I should have one post per week dedicated to cats...cat advice, stories about the cats, cat photos...well you get it. He said it was because the name of the blog was "Chile Cats" after all. 

So here's to my first Caturday post. Complete with  photos. 

"I hunted a stocking! I hunted a stocking!"

"I don't know why the humans want to invest in a paper shredder...I DO the job very well!"

"Get your own damn thingy...this one's MINE!" 

"You make a nice pillow Sis..."

"Anything that's simple enough for the humans...

"....ought to be!"

Herding Cats!

This blog comprises my own opinions and does not include any feline  opinions...or objections for that matter. Please keep that fact in mind before forging ahead.

Have you heard that expression? "It's like herding cats!" I've learned it means that something or some task is next to impossible--or at best--extremely difficult. I really don't know about that since I...ah...er...herd cats on a daily basis.  And while some days can be more trying than others, most of the time, it's not difficult to get them to head in the direction you need them to go.

Go ahead and laugh at me. But after eight years of managing ferals, combined with a lifetime of being owned by cats, I think I've got it down pretty much and pat. *grins at you* The first clue you need is to make them think it's their idea in the first place. Yeah, I know. It's easier said than achieved but that's the main concept in herding cats. However, that's true about motivating anyone into doing what you need them to do, right? Cats are not that much different. 

Ok--there are two exceptions. Every cat remembers when they were worshipped as gods. Sure that may have happened hundreds of thousands of feline generations ago, but  they remember. They also wish you and I and every other human being would remember this important piece of feline history as well. So be respectful. You don't need to bow down and worship them, but please be respectful. Basic courtesy makes them shiver with delight and gets you mousey points. (Similar to brownie points in human terms.) 

What?!?!? Think like a HUMAN!?!?! You've got to be insane! 

The second exception is that cats do not think like humans. This bears repeating. Cats will not lower themselves to think like humans. After all, they believe they are much more intelligent than we are. Their level of intelligence is not defined by mere IQ exams presented by humans. Cats have better percipience of all matters that are important (they do not count politics, religion, or world view/philosophy as important). So if you give a cat's actions human translation, you are in danger of being too simple-minded to understand their lowest level of communication. 

So with those two facts in mind, herding cats can be relatively easy. Motivation and reward works with cats. For instance, when my husband is filling up the food and water bowls for the ferals outside, his biggest concern is the indoor cats who are trying to make good on an "escape." Escape as in getting outside long enough to roll in the dirt, and for fun, have their human friends play chase. Meaning the humans chase the cat until they are ready to go back indoors.  They don't see the consequences of possibly getting into a catfight with the ferals or getting hurt or getting lost because that falls under politics, religion, and/or worldview/philosophy. Remember--those things are not important to cats at all. 

Therefore, it's up to us mere humans to understand what it will take to keep the indoor kitties separated from the feral kitties. We use motivation in the form of treat bag noise to entice them away from thinking about escaping. The reward is what comes out of the treat bag. We don't feed them their treats in a bowl because we realize we are dealing with hunters. So we toss the treat bits out and about and that allows them to "hunt them suckers down and eat them with joy!" That little bit of motivation is often enough to keep them occupied while D carries out bowls of food and fresh water for the ferals outside. 

Here's another example of herding cats--making them go where you need them to go. For the past year, Arby was terribly ill. We had her in Dr. J's office nearly every other week for nearly the past year. She was difficult to diagnose and difficult to treat. She lost weight and because she's not a large cat in the first place, losing a few ounces constantly did not bode well for her. Her coat became ragged, she lost her playfulness, and she was miserable. We contemplated euthanasia but neither D nor I nor Dr. J were ready to give up just yet. Arby is a fighter and whatever was making her sick was not taking the life out of her. 

Finally, Dr. J tried a radical therapy---a shot of antibiotic + steroid + Vitamin B12  once a week for a month to see if that would kill the bacteria in her gut that was giving her acid reflux. To top it off, we were trying daily doses of Mylanta to help curb the acid that was burning her mouth and throat. Arby HATES shots. She doesn't care who gives them, she hates them. She uses claws, fangs, and twisty moves and then more fangs and claws to let us know she's not happy about getting shots. By the time the shot is administered, more than one person is injured, reaching for bandaids and white vinegar and a thesaurus (to swear effectively and creatively).

So remembering to think like a cat, I made a deal with her. She could eat off my plate every day as long as she let me give her weekly shot and two daily doses of Mylanta. She could eat people food as much as she wanted if she worked with me and didn't cause too many injuries in dosing her. She agreed. That night I took  choice, tasty bits off my plate and placed them on a small plate for Arby. 

It worked. Within two weeks, she was responding well to this new therapy and gaining weight. Within a month, her mouth wasn't ugly red or sore. She eats a combination of people and cat foods daily. She only has to go in occasionally for shots, instead of once a week. Her coat smoothed out and is silky. 

And she's been playing again. 

Nonetheless, Arby is feline and cats do not like to be caught. So D will literally herd her into the kitchen where she lets me pick her up for her daily dose of medication.  Somedays, she makes him chase her around the house. Other days, she prefers to get this nasty tasting affair over and done with quickly and runs into the kitchen so I can dose her. The motivation is to keep herself healthy so she doesn't have to deal with Dr. J and his shots...the reward is eating people food. 

So the next time someone tells you that something is "like herding cats" remember that it's not as difficult as it's made out to be.  






 

That Easy Peaceful Feeling

I look forward to Sundays. After a specially hectic week--it was my first full week of teaching and there were problems...Yeah. Problems. Such as not being able to get connected into the online classroom to teach Wednesday night. I didn't have any problems last semester logging into the class. My husband, D and the Education Outreach boss, J were both working on my computer, trying to figure out why my computer was not able to connect.  With two computer techie/gurus working their magic on my machine, it made it hard for me to do much of anything else on it.  That issue was not resolved until late Friday morning. 

Since this was the first week for one of my graduate classes, I decided to hold a special Saturday morning review session from 8AM until noon so my students could get caught up on course material. It was actually successful, judging from the comments made by my students. It wore me out but it was worth it for my students. 

I also decided Friday that I'm pretty busy during the week--judging by this past week. If I want to eat during the week, the weekends are my only time to cook. So I grilled pork steaks on Friday; tequila-lime chicken and seared our pot roast (on the grill) on Saturday; and today, the pot roast is cooking in the crockpot. There's fresh salad and grilled veggies (D's corn, potatoes and our zucchini spears) for side dishes, along with fruit salad and grilled pineapple spears in the fridge. I won't have to cook again until Thursday afternoon. Yippee! 

Today is Sunday. The cats were gracious enough to let me sleep in until 6:45 this morning. Even Harley kept his purring down to a comfortable roar while kneading softly on me.  This was heaven. Nonetheless, it's been scorching hot here lately. I've been getting up early to water my garden out back to keep everything alive. So I dragged my sleepy butt out of bed, dressed, made coffee, fed cats, and then went out back to water. I saw these...

 Baby zucchini plants with leaves!  I'm so excited because these sprung from the seeds I planted!

 I also caught sight of this...the first green bean plant also from seed! This will go well with the wax beans I have growing as well! I'm going to have to transplant this bunch of wax beans.

 After watering the garden, I kept my promise to the girls in taking them outside in the front yard. This allows them to get outside time, allows me to work in the front beds, and allows D to sleep in without being woken up to cats crying to go outside.

 Ava, sniping in her grass nest.

 Topaz checking out hunting spots.

 Chile and Arby enjoying their morning.

Merlin and Chile greeting each other. 

Last Wednesday, I started weeding out one of the front flower beds. Then I had this brainstorm--I can plant my strawberry plants there! It meant enlarging the flower bed and changing its configuration. I started out with this on Wednesday....

 I ended up with this today...(and it's not done--just started)

While I pulled weeds (tough buggers too) and planned the front flower beds, I had an epiphany.  I realized that for the first time in years I felt better than I ever did before. This was the first time in two years since my first hospitalization I really believe I'm going to live for a while longer. I suddenly realized that I wasn't even doing the "I'm dying so I need to get this all done NOW before I go" thinking.  For the first time in a long, long time, I feel I can just stop, breathe a bit, and relax. 

I attribute this change in my attitude because I changed my eating habits. Since I learned I was allergic to food preservatives, I had to give up eating out. I also had to give eating nearly all foods that came pre-processed and in a box, can, or bag. I had to give up processed meats and vegetables.  In fact, what most people consider to be "normal eating," I've had to just quit doing--including coffee drinks, sodas, ice creams, canned soups, instant dinners, etc.

Because I changed my eating habits, my blood pressure is stabilizing and I'm able to use the lowest dose for my hypertension medication.  I'm off the cholesterol statin drugs. Other than a few sore muscles and joints, I'm feeling better--healthier--than I have in a long, long time and that goes back before I became sick enough to be hospitalized. All this because I changed my lifestyle from convenience to healthier choices. 

This year, I'm growing--or attempting to grow--some of my own foods. While the garden has become my obsession, I also realized it's been my center. Sunday mornings are a joy because I can spend time nurturing the very life force that will nurture me in return. The garden has given me what's been missing in my life--that peaceful, easy, healthy feeling. 

I'm living it. 



 

Here Come The Meow-Meows

Years ago, I had my two boys--Quinn and Shamrock who were born in the barn at the race tracked where I worked. Confusing? Back in 1986, I worked as a racehorse groom for a trainer in his barn in Ruidoso Downs, New Mexico. My then sister-in-law brought her pregnant Siamese to the barn we lived in. She gave birth to five kittens, two I ended up adopting...Quinn and Shamrock who were named after my all-time favorite race horse--O'Quinn's Shamrock. Because we lived--the cats and I--lived in a barn, I decided they needed to be leash-trained for safety's sake. That thought has stayed with me ever since when it comes to cats.

Some people have told me that cats cannot be trained to a leash, that they aren't like dogs. True that. Cats can be leashed trained easily enough. You just can't walk them like you do dogs, so word to the wise here. 

Early this morning, Ava informed me that she wanted to "GOOUTSIDENOW!" Then Topaz chimed in that she desperately needed outside time. So I readied my second cup of coffee, took our stake out outside and sunk it in the ground. Then came leash up time. First Ava--because she doesn't try to run off. At first anyway. Then Chile because she usually will calm down once she sees Ava. Finally Topaz--who hits the door ready to run, so she better be harnessed quickly. D joined us later and I was able to add Arby to the first group of outdoor time kitties. 

When taking cats outside on a leash, one must be diligent. Ava will try to escape her harness if given a half a chance or gets tangled. Chile will run for the front door if she gets spooked. Loud noises, loud boom-boxes or mufflers, and people are enough to spook cats. And there's always the one dog person who hasn't put their dog on a leash and the dog is running free. So leashing cats doesn't mean you can go back in the house and leave them be--one must be out there with them. Always. 

After the girls (except Ava) spent their time outside, we bring out Merlin and Buddy. Buddy is learning that harness and leash are not bad things. Merlin doesn't care for the harness but puts up with it for a few minutes outside. Buddy actually is adjusting well. 

When I brought Buddy back in, Harley was demanding to go outside. I explained to him he can join me but he has to wear a harness and a leash. We've put him in the harness a few times to let him get used to it but he's a typical cat. He hates things that resemble clothing. So here are his first pictures of leash training. 

 Isn't he handsome in red?

 This isn't so bad...restricting but not confining. I walked over here by myself.

 You've heard of soap on a rope? I give you Cats-on-a-Leash for an alternative. Just don't try to bathe with them. 

 Mom didn't tell me the birds would be CLOSER outside! 

On a side note, I bought a pot of calla lillies to place over Blue's spot. While Buddy and Ava watched from behind and the kittens watched me from the window above, I planted them over Blue. We still miss him.

Everybody is back inside and napping. Going outside is hard work.

Hope your weekend is going as you need it.  
 

They Are Like Children...

My husband and I spend some of our hard-earned cash on toys for the kiddos--just like any other parent does. Yes--I know our "kiddos" are four-legged rather than the typical two-legged type, but nonetheless, they're our kids. And like good parents, we try to get them decent toys to expand their education, burn off excess energy, and socialize them so they fit in with the social standards of today. That's what toys are designed to do. 


So their toy box looks like most toy boxes--jumbled and a mess. There's no rhyme or reason to their toy box. Here's an example.

And here are the kiddos, complaining they are bored and have nothing to do! 

Look at this...Gabby's being sweet to Harley. 

So like any other parent who has bored kiddos on their hands, D tries to find something for them to do. He's quite the clever man when it comes to being creative with duct tape.
So with a couple of the canned catfood flats and some duct tape, he creates a new toy for them.

 You can see Lacey and Tilly checking out the "new toy."

 When Gabby joins in, Tilly gets upset. Like any other kid. Suddenly I hear, "You have the other one--this one's ours!"

Lacey likes the tried and true forms of entertainment.

Cuddles figures out how to play with the new toy and demonstrates how to use it. 

Gabby takes charge and completes the play mission successfully. 

Those toys are OLD Mom!

More Catghans

I was able to convince Max to let me take his picture. He's scared of that THING in my face. The camera? For some reason, it scares him silly. So it takes some doing to get his picture without the Anxious/Worried/Egads--Mom is going to do something scary look. But here he is--in all his glory on his catghan!

Topaz finally came out of her closet and reluctantly agree to pose. I really don't like this new camera. Her pictures came out fuzzy. It's a point-n-shoot so everything is automatic--whether I want it to be or not. My old camera allowed me to set the F-stop and set the focus. Anyway--I chose the least fuzzy picture so you can see her catghan. 

If you're wondering about the colors, Topaz likes the pink colors. She chose the pink food dish and claimed it hers. She's bold and sassy that way. Yes, cats can distinguish between colors. 

Lacey is really wanting one of her own. In fact, she pretty much likes Max's or Merlin's catghans--especially when she can bunch them up under her head. Sweet, sweet, Lacey.

Yesterday afternoon, I hauled out some of my yarn stashes and the only who reacted to anything I have on hand was Cuddles. The yarn she attacked--meaning she liked it because she wouldn't let it go--was one labeled as Dark Fuchsia.   Yep--she seems to like the pinks too. I'm thinking they really don't care--they just want something that's soft and kneadable!

For all of you who have four-legged friends--please give them a head rub, a pet, a hug from me!

The Crazy Cat Lady

Hello...My name is Cathryn and I'm that Crazy Cat Lady down the street from you. You know the one--the one with all the cats inside and outside of the house? Yes, that would be me. Even worse, I know the entire history of each of the cats, down to their familial lines on more than half of them and how they came into being as part of MY FAMILY. I can tell you the complete medical history of each cat. I have a filing drawer dedicated to their vet bills. I can show you receipts of how much we spend in cat foods per week. 

Those are just a few of the characteristics that distinguish me from people who hoard animals. There's one more attribute that keeps me from being a hoarder. I make catghans for my fur-kids. 

*lifts a brow* And you are now thinking that I'm truly crazy, huh? Well...some people make afghans for their babies or their grand babies. And some people make afghans for their newborn family members like nieces and nephews and cousin's children and the like.  Right?  I make catghans
which are simply smaller afghans for kitties. 

 

It all started when I wanted to get back into my crocheting years ago. I was practicing on some old yarn and Ava kept laying close by me or laying on the piece.  She gravitates to aquas and soft blues and she just loved this piece that I was using as a way to get my hand back into one of the crafts I love. So I just completed it for her. She loves her afghan and gets upset if another cat uses her catghan for a curl-up and nap. 

 

And that led me to crocheting an catghan for Arby. Arby loves purples and darker blues. So this left over yarn was perfect for her. As you can see, Arby loves her 'ghan.  

Naturally, I couldn't leave out Chile. She needed a pretty catghan like her other "sisters." Chile is always sniffing the flowers in the garden or those that bloom indoors. I chose a rosey-pink and green verigated yarn for her.

Gabby loves her bright and bold catghan. She'll even share it with the Little Rascals, because she's pretty cool that way.

 Merlin is showing off his catghan, complete with a grin. He actually volunteered for this "assignment" while I had to sneak up on the others. 

I still need to get pictures of Topaz and Max with their catghans. And I was informed yesterday that the Little Rascals need their catghans made. I'm going to look through my yarn stash this week and see if anything resonates with any of them. 

And in case you're wondering, we buy acrylic fleece blankets for the feral cats. They are warmer and easier to wash. Since our feral colony changes, it was easier to use the "fleeces" (as we call them) for the wild, untamed kitties. 

What crazy things do you do for your fur-kids?  





 

Catching You Up

 

This one of my favorite pictures of Merlin. He's sleeping on my beading table, basking in the waning afternoon sun, but covering his eyes. Some days, the sun does get in your eyes. If you look closely, you can see his fangs while he smiles. He's our smiling cat. If you want to see a goofy grin, just offer him some ice-cream. Vanilla is his favorite. 

The table was mine until the cats realized it was a perfect bird-watching, napping, and ambush table. They took it over, forcing me to bargain for the space underneath to store my rolling carts for craft supplies.

This has already been a week. I'm really tired and I have one more class to teach tonight. It's my late-night class, which means I won't be coming home much before 9:30 tonight. My husband told me he would meet me at the school to drive me home, but it's only 3 blocks. I'm sticking to my guns here and walking home. I'm happy to report that I'm not as exhausted as I was last week, so I'm acclimating to the new schedule! 

Walking home gives me a chance to come down, review the class, make mental notes of what needs to be included or deleted from the next lesson. Walking home gives me a chance to relax a bit before coming home to Harley demanding neck time; Lacey needing a cuddle because I was gone so long; Ava chirping about her evening; Cuddles and Gabby showing me how fast they ran the racecourse while I was gone; and Max giving me kitty-butt because I left and allegedly didn't tell him. *grins* It's not my fault he wasn't paying attention, but in a cat's view--it's always the human's fault. 

 

Anyway, I had an uplifting experience yesterday.  Remember the Bead Party I joined?  I received my beads from my beading partner! This isn't the best picture, but I just love the package she put together for me! It's blues, purples, and blacks--my favorite colors! I can't wait to create with these wonderful beads! I've already thought about making a necklace/earring combination or a bracelet/earring combination from this collection. Thank you Elizabeth!  

I did play with my beads Sunday. I bought these mocha colored poly-clay beads from Terri a while back. They've been sitting in one of my cases since. Last week, I read an inspiring post from Kathy over at Four Dog Day about using up crafting supplies on hand.  These beads kept itching at my consciousness after I read Kathy's post. On Sunday, I dug through some of my craft supplies to see what I had that would help me use these beads. This is what I came up with--and I really like it. 

It's different and lightweight and it's casual! Best of all, it gave me a reason to use that cute pendent and the picture jasper that I just love. The stringing material came from a small ball of fingering yarn that a friend gave me a while back. It was part of a bunch of yarn she grabbed for me because it was too good of a deal to pass up. This little tiny ball of yarn wasn't going to make anything other than a cat toy but it worked perfect for this set.

So what have you been up to this week? Catch me up! 


















 

Blue

The new cat you see in the banner is our feral boy, Blue. We've decided that his picture stays up there for as long as he's with us. 

Blue was born to Frosty almost three years ago under our house. We had to bribe and beg Frosty to come home to give birth to this last litter. You see, we had taken Topaz from her (she was part of her first litter) because she was ill and wouldn't have survived. When Frosty had her second litter, one of them became ill, so we captured the whole litter. After they were treated, we found homes for all four kittens. I guess Frosty decided we were stealing her kittens from her so when we noticed she was pregnant the next time, she did not have them here at home. She had them them out and away from us. One day I tracked her to her litter and by the time I came back with the carrier, she had moved the entire litter. 

Before one of you ask--Frosty is feral. We tried to trap her for spaying for two years like good colony managers. However, every time we were ready--meaning the appointment was made or the low-cost mobile clinic was in town, she would disappear. We wouldn't see her for days. Then after we canceled the appointment or the clinic moved to other areas, she would stroll casually back in the yard...pregnant! 

When she showed up pregnant again, D and I both talked her into coming home. We promised we wouldn't take any of the kittens away from her. We explained that every one--including her would have to be speutered and vaccinated. We promised to help her raise her babies if she brought the other litter over and had this one here. 

She kept her word. We kept ours. 

 

  
She had the last 5 kittens here at home. We ended up calling them the Hooligan Five.  Blue was part of the Hooligan Five, along with his brothers Swirly, Mokey, and Fiesty and his sister Tabby. By then D and I had learned how to keep feral mothers and their litters a bit healthier by offering them kitten replacement milk. This litter was one of the healthiest born here. 

From the beginning, each one had striking and unique personalities. We figured out that Blue was pretty much the ringleader. So on New Year's Eve (2007) while we were snuggled deep in our bed, the Hooligan Five partied. The next morning I went into the back room to feed them and found a complete mess. Cat toys were dangling from the top of the venetian blinds and light fixtures. The rubber tree that had never been bothered by any of the ferals before was completely catted and torn out of its pot. My son's games and video tapes were open and strewn about. The water and food bowls were over turned. How they got the futon mattress half off the frame still remains a mystery to me. In the middle of all this was Blue...looking as innocent as the day was new. 

 

Then Blue was off-color for a couple of days. We knew he was sick. It took us a day or two to catch him so we could take him to the vet clinic. By then he was really in a bad way. I think that was the only reason we could catch him. The verdict came back: He had pneumonia and it was severe. I knew then that we weren't going to have him long in our lives. But Dr. J rolled up his sleeves and used all his medical expertise and knowledge to save him. We took him every three days for two weeks for shots of steroids, antibiotics, vitamin boosters, and anything else we thought would help. D and I ran the vaporizer in the bathroom where we kept him to help him breathe. We fed him baby food, Pedialyte, choice chicken pieces and fresh-made chicken broth. 

In the end, despite using up his fourth, fifth, and sixth lives, he lived through the illness. His lungs would be forever scarred and that would prevent us from getting him neutered. (He wouldn't have survived the surgery.) We didn't realize Blue had a time bomb ticking away slowly in his chest. 

 After gallivanting about town and charming the ladies, Blue started sticking closer and closer to home. At first we believed it was because of the changing weather. Then we noticed that he was breathing harder than normal even after D set up the vaporizer in the back room. A consultation with Dr. J and we try him on a diuretic. Getting him to take his medications has always been a challenge and we try him on everything from chicken to tuna. The diuretic works--he's breathing easier. Then he skipped one day because he's stubborn and we had run out of canned salmon. D tries him on various bits of sardines and mackerel and choice canned foods but Blue refused them all. In one day, he blows through a three day supply of the diuretic by refusing all the "special foods." We have to talk to the vet clinic to apply for more. He's a feral that's never been really handled and that means we can't simply pill him like we do the indoor cats. And we watch hopelessly as he struggles to breathe. 

The next day, Blue concedes he needs the "special food." D feeds him. We watch anxiously all day. By night time, he's breathing easier, but coming up the stairs is hard for him. 

The verdict came in last week. He's got congestive heart failure. Blue's death is imminent. It's only a matter of time. Each day becomes a day of watchfulness and hope. We hope he stays here and doesn't do the typical cat thing and run off to die. We hope we find him to bury him next to his brother Mokey. We hope we have one more day with him. We hope he dies peacefully in his sleep and not be full of pain. We hope there's more to do for him, to make him comfortable...and knowing it's not going to be enough. 

For Blue, he's happy being home and getting special treats. He is with his family. He doesn't seem to be in any pain although there's discomfort right now. They know something is wrong with him. We see them surrounding him, being with him. Where Blue was the colony protector, the colony now protects him and watches over him. Blanco, MC and Fiesty have taken to protecting him from other ferals and other strays. Swirly, Tabby, and Gypsy take turns watching over him.  Even 2-Toes, who's used to traveling as she wishes is staying home to be with Blue. Beamer and WaitAMinute are gentle with Blue, never imposing their maleness or trying to run him off in typical cat fashion. It's touching and sad at the same time.  

I know this is part of being a feral cat manager. D and I can take it when cats get hit by cars. Their deaths are quick. I realize that we can't save every cat that crosses our paths. I understand that some of the cats will be with us for short periods of time before they pass or leave. I KNOW all this--but this waiting and watching is hard...terribly hard. At the same time, I'm learning that life is part of the journey we all travel and that death is just another road of that journey.

A Fresh Start For Hope

 This morning's sunrise...

Like most mixed households, we have those who just cannot get along no matter what. There's squabbles and disagreements over the littlest of things. There are grudges that are held tightly and caressed daily--until the original emotions have been magnified a hundredfold. We even have days of name-calling and trash-talking and constant insults flying from potty mouths. The worst days are the slapping--both verbally and physically. 

Take Ava and Gabby. Both are sweet girls. Both are loving. Both have unique characteristics that make them precious to us. Until they happen to notice each other in the same room. Occupying the same square footage. Breathing the same air.

This happens daily. They don't get along. Period. End of story. 

Ava chases Gabby with the intent to kill her. I've seen Ava stalk after Gabby. After all, in Ava's mind--Gabby is the intruder. It doesn't matter that Max and the Four Rascals came AFTER Gabby.  Ava LIKES Max and the Four Rascals. She does not like Gabby. Period. End of story. 

My hypothesis (because it's not been tested or proven, it's not a theory) states that Ava doesn't like Gabby because of Merlin. Merlin befriended Gabby when she was little and comes to her defense almost all the time. He comes running from seemingly nowhere to defend and protect if Gabby screams. He is better protecting and defending Gabby and the Four Rascals than than Homeland Security.   

In turn, Gabby  is afraid of Ava. She hasn't figured out that if she fights back and defends herself, Ava will back off. Instead, she goes after Topaz. Under the guise of wanting to play with her. Uh huh--and if you believe that one, we have a never-ending spring to sell you. 

It's a vicious circle. Ava attacks Gabby. Gabby attacks Topaz. Topaz gets upset and attacks Ava. And sometimes it pulls in the other cats so every one of them are bickering, slapping, insulting, and trash talking all day long. It's enough to make cat people pull their hair out---or move just to get away from them. Reminds me of children actually.   

Then last night I saw a first. I hurried and grabbed the camera to capture this Kodak moment on the digital memory card.  

 Who's sharing Mom's computer chair with Gabby???

Why it's Miss Ava! 

 So here's to a fresh start in hope. Hope for our home in becoming peaceful. After all, if these two can share the same chair, then there's hope that our world leaders can work together. :D

Is IT Done YET?!?!?!?! The Day After...

Yesterday meant a day of giving thanks for our blessings...of feasting on delectable delights...of relaxation and family...

Yesterday meant hearing the cats ask "Is the turkey DONE yet?!?!?!"  

 Tilly giving eyeblinks in hopes that the turkey is done finally! 

In our home, my husband cooks the holiday birds.  In the seven years we've been married, he's never had a turkey come out underdone, overdone, dried out or anything else that can a person can do to ruin the centerpiece of the meal. I also need to mention that because he does the turkey so well,  it's taken a lot of the pressure off me. It also means I get to concentrate making the the side dishes. 

This year I chose do squash, mainly because it's part of my husband's heritage, and because I found some awesome recipes.  Ree Drummond over at The Pioneer Woman has simplified squash cooking and made my life easy. I got a lot of compliments from making her Butternut Squash Puree this year. At Christmas, I'll make her Sweet-Roasted Rosemary Acorn Squash Wedges.

Now because of my allergies to food preservatives, I haven't had pumpkin pie or pecan pie for three long years. My food preservative allergies include anything made with corn or soy, including high fructose corn syrups. The past three days, I've been searching online for recipes that I could modify, substitute, or adapt to my needs. Yesterday early morning, I found two of the best. I was so excited that I just scribbled down the ingredients, the amounts, and what temperature to turn the oven on. Yes I did. Took that piece of scribbled paper into the kitchen and proceeded to make pie. 

 

They came out beautifully. Thin crusts, but flaky. The pecan pie was made with maple syrup--the real stuff, not that colored-flavored stuff that's called syrup. The pumpkin was also made with maple syrup and organic half-n-half, rather than evaporated milk--which I cannot have.  I only had a sliver yesterday of each of the pies because I was also worried about the glutamate acid content. I have to watch the glutamate acid content in foods, thanks to my preservative/additive allergies. 

This morning I realized that I didn't save the two recipes to my recipe files. No I did not save those recipes. Now I have to hunt through the 'Net again, looking for those two perfect recipes. I cannot find my paper scraps with the list of ingredients. Silly me. 

Wednesday's newspaper was full of advertisements, screaming about Black Friday sales. Again, and for another year, I sit smug at my computer. I will not participate in Black Friday Mental Breakdown Shopping-Frenzy Madness. I will not get up at o'dark-thirty to stand in line at freezing-my-toucus o'clock to get a "limited supply" of anything. I will not fight crowds of people trying to obtain the same limited supply something.  I will not watch humanity at its worst in this season of when we are supposed to be sharing and giving our best to all. 

I'm liking the simplicity of giving from the heart, which means handcrafted or handmade gifts. I'm enjoying the thought behind the gifts I give and the process of making them. It soothes me to know that I can plan in advance what I want to make and give, rather than get caught up in the last minute turmoil and fury. It means I can enjoy taking my time during the holiday season. It gives me time to reflect and volunteer at the charities I support, enjoy friends and family, and brings a sense of peace to my soul. 

It means taking life the way a cat would! :D

Tryptophan cats