Cat Diaries

2009-03-06T16:17:00.000-08:00

Dear Diary, Thought I'd share this photo of the mini-cat Velcro who now lives in my house. Don't let the sweetness of her sleeping so peacefully fool you. She's more than I want to handle most of the time. There are times when I'm just sitting around, minding my own business, and she leaps from nowhere onto my back and tackles me. She has no fear, this Velcro.

About Morgan

2009-03-01T10:14:00.000-08:00

Dear Diary, I haven't said much about Morgan since her return. Mostly I try to ignore her, but there are times of late when it has become impossible. During daylight she's easy to forget. But when it is dark time and all go to our bed to sleep, there she is, right next to my Gypsy Goddess in my place. Now this is an unacceptable thing. Almost every night I have to bully my way between the Goddess and Morgan, plopping my butt on Morgan's head and pushing her out of the way. I must admit that Morgan takes the treatment rather well. She simply lifts her head and places it on my rear quarters, which she then uses as a pillow. It is rather uppity of her though, to think that her place is next to the Goddess. This place has been and always will be mine.

The Gypsy Goddess has been playing with string quite a bit lately. However, she won't let me play with her and the string. I don't see the sense of this as string is one of my favorite things. You can see in my last post what she does with the string--ties it in knots and such. My life would have so much more joy in it if she'd simply let me have the string.

My Gypsy Goddess's Crafts

2009-02-27T09:04:00.000-08:00

Dear Diary, This is the kind of stuff that my Gypsy Goddess does with her time while she is ignoring me. I guess you can just buy it from here if you want. She spends way too much time on this stuff and not enough time on me.

caringforcats

Buy Handmade

2009-02-15T19:29:00.001-08:00

I have been deep in thought for most of the day about a new name for the woman I care most about. There was some help given to me by the humans who came to share a meal with my people. My redhead friend, who by the way gave my brother a place to live and also several of my poor cousins, suggested that I call my woman "My Gypsy Woman." I kind of like that. And then the other lady who is always smiling at me and saying nice things to me and gave a home to my sister suggested I call my woman "Goddess." I like that too. And so after much thought I've decided to put the two together and call my beloved woman "My Gypsy Goddess." She is my Goddess as I depend on her for most everything. It is decided. And I thank my human friends for their help.

2009-02-15T07:53:00.000-08:00

Dear Diary, My, it has been a long time since I wrote here. I blame the short, cold days for that. Those are days I spend hunkered down near a floor heat vent. Oh how I hate to be cold. Sometime during the cold time, the number in our household grew by one. A mini cat was allowed to come in. She didn't have a name at first, but one evening when the three humans were eating the mini cat jumped up on my lady's lap. My lady grabbed her by the scruff and tried to lift her. "Gees, she sticks like velcro," my lady said. The man child piped in, "Hey, that's a good name for her." And so that's who she is--Velcro.

Speaking of my lady, she says I can't call her "my lady" any more, that I have to think up something else to call her. She's been upset for days now about it. She says her sister wrote a cat book and stole the name for herself. Now she needs a new name and I'm supposed to think it up. Right, like I'm some kind of genius wordsmith. I guess I'll just try out different things to call her for a while until I find something that sounds right. Deep thinking is not something I care to do much of. After all, I'm a cat. Napping is what I do best. That and staring at this human woman I've adopted as my own. I can't think any more for now. The day is bright outside and my poor cousins are romping around in the yard. I believe I'll join them for a bit.

2008-11-11T21:09:00.000-08:00

Dear Diary, Something has happened that has never happened before. A cat that was gone from here has come back. Morgan has returned. Cats go all the time but they never come back once they are gone. Morgan must be very, very special to have done this unusual thing. She is the same as she was before. Whenever she sees me, she pulls back her lips, shows her teeth, and makes a hissing sound. When my lady is around and hears this, she always says, "No Lucky, just let it go." Which means I am not supposed to chase the crazy black cat. I usually walk away. My lady has this affect on me--she speaks and I listen. Well, most of the time I listen. A couple of times I did chase her into the potty room and up onto the high floor near the water bowl. It's just not as fun as it used to be though.

Our number in the house is back to six--me, Mellow, SaraSue, Wild Winkie Babbette, Osiris, and Morgan. Osiris spends more time outside than any of us. Sometimes I go out, but it's not so warm outside now and I don't like to be cold. The warm air is blowing in the house again, so I spend a lot of my time sitting on the metal pieces where the warm air comes from.

2008-09-24T17:46:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary, I am truly tired of this mama cat named Dreamer. Everywhere I look, there she is. The other day I was thinking about going outside for a bit and decided to scope out the situation first. And there's this mama guarding the door with her squirts. Not only her, but Calimom and her brood too. So, going outside was out. Next best thing was to sit on my perch by the big window. But even in a place that is supposed to be my private domain was invaded by that mama. What a pain.

2008-09-05T14:58:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary, It's getting slightly less dangerous for me to go outside as the squirts get bigger. There's nothing more ferocious than a lady cat with squirts to keep track of. I still need to be careful around Calimom as her minis are the smallest and sometimes she turns into a cyclone with claws for no apparent reason. Her ferocity is selective though. She has no problem with Spock hanging out with the little squirt my lady has been calling Teacup. Heck, Spock has been using Teacup to keep himself warm and it's all fine with Calimom. She has no such fine feelings for me. If I look at one of her minis she comes at me screaming and clawing. Don't know what makes Spock so much better than me. Guess I'll still hang around the house with my lady for a while longer.

2008-08-20T07:19:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary, Be afraid. Be very afraid. There may be no end to the mini invasion. Best I spend my days in the house.

2008-08-20T06:13:00.000-07:00

Dear diary, we've had an invasion of minis. It started with Bessie showing up with three of them. Then that darned Dreamer squirted out six. Well, good news there--4 of them went cold and wouldn't warm up again. But that left two. And my stupid, stupid lady brought Dreamer and the two warm ones into the house. Not into my living quarters, but into the room I have to go through to get outside. I've adjusted though sometimes it means my lady has to carry me outside so I don't get clawed to pieces by that insane Dreamer. Not too many days ago the notoriously unfriendly J Bond showed up at the deck with three minis in tow. She's got a rather wicked attitude about any of us getting too close to her crew. In my opinion, that was more than enough minis to deal with. But no. Last night Calimom takes it into her head to show up with six. When the squealing started outside the window I knew the voices were too small to be from the minis already here. Sure enough, Calimom has carried a mess of minis from somewhere and they are scattered all over the place, a couple on the deck, a couple in the grass under the window, and one way out in the big yard. My lady heard it too. She went out with her circle of light and got the one out in the yard, then sat on the deck messing with them for a while. Course, she had to give Calimom some milk in a bowl. I'm pretty sure that's why Calimom showed up with all these critters, so she could get extra rations. She's a sly one, she is. Then, my lady got even stupider and brought one of Calimom's minis in to the Dreamer. Like we need another one of those things inside. It's chaos, pure chaos. I don't like it one bit.

----------------
Now playing: Habib Koité and Bamada - I Ka Barra (Your Work)
via FoxyTunes

2008-07-19T08:38:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary, My mind is such a jumble of things to chat about. It's been so long since I wrote that I'm exploding with thoughts. There are squirts coming out of every shadowed and overgrown spot on this place. While all of Calimom and Angel's squirts were going missing, Bessie had three stashed in the overgrowth between the barn and the creek. Two white with caramel spots and one white with black. The white with black is the boldest. It regularly comes up to feed with the outside cats now and doesn't run away when the humans walk by. The caramel spotted ones are not so brave. The one with the most caramel spots sometimes will stay when a human goes by, but the mostly white one darts away as soon as there is a hint of an imagined danger. I have not been able to get close enough to sniff them out yet.
And then there is Dreamer. My lady gave her that name when she was sick and had squirts and they all disappeared and it seemed as if Dreamer would disappear too. But she didn't disappear--she got well and fat and squirted out six mini-cats.
J-Bond and Calimom both smell as if they've squirted out mini-cats too, but I haven't seen their broods if they have. They've been secretive of late, sneaking off to the barn as soon as they finish eating. I don't like to spend time in the barn, so unless they bring them out to eat some day, I may never know about their squirts.
I like to spend time near the duck pond. The pond isn't much of a pond anymore. Mostly just goo with some wetness on top. I was sitting out there minding my own business one day not so long ago, when water started squirting out of the long green snake that was quietly resting beside me. There was nothing for me to do except jump into the muck and scramble through it as fast as I could. I did not like the smell that arose as I scampered across to the grass on the other side and when I got there, the smell and the muck was stuck to me. Wasn't long before I found my way back up to the deck where my lady found me. She picked me up by the scruff of my neck and immediately put me in the litter room sink. I put up enough protest to let her know that I didn't think this was a fun thing, but when she was done, most of the smell and muck was gone.

2008-06-09T13:48:00.001-07:00

Dear Diary, odd night last night. We'd all settled down for a good sleep when suddenly my lady began screeching and screaming at the big dog. Lights were suddenly turned on and my lady was on the floor looking under her bed. I could hear Lovey Bud under there, making some odd noises. My lady kept screaming "He popped her eye out--he popped her eye out," as she worked to get Lovey out from under the bed. When I saw Lovey there was something horribly wrong with her eye and wet red stuff was coming from her nose and mouth. My lady clung to Lovey while Mellow, SaraSue & I put our noses to the wet red stuff that was dripping on the floor. The big dog was put out of the house by my lady's man. Soon the man child was talking on the thing with the fun curly cord. My lady continued to make odd sounds I'd never heard before as she clung to Lovey, who ws now wrapped in some kind of towel. Soon, they all left, taking Lovey with them. SaraSue, Mellow, Babbette, Osiris and I found our sleeping places and went back to our rest. When my lady came back she did not have Lovey with her. I haven't seen Lovey since my lady left with her wrapped up in the towel.

This morning I was outside when the man child helped my lady get the big dog out of the barn and put him into my lady's car. Later in the day when my lady returned she did not have the big dog with her. I was happy she was back as I'd exhausted my outside adventurousness and wanted to go into the house for a nap. My lady moved rather stiffly and her face was droopy, but she held the door for me, so I guess it doesn't matter that her behavior was otherwise odd. She gave me food in the dish I share with the others. After I ate I didn't take a nap right away. Had to chase SaraSue around the house for a while. That was good for a few minutes and then the rocking chair beckoned me to curl up and take my nap. Had to rest up so I can go back outside later and see about a bird.

2008-06-06T17:07:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary, Hey, something way cool happened last night--the tree branches moved so that we can get up on Dustin's house roof and my lady's house roof. Nice little paths for us, just up the tree and over. I didn't know the trees moved, but hey, new things happen all the time.

All those little squirts I was worried about are gone now. Calimom and Angel's last one vanished when the raccoon started hanging out under the deck. Calimon started swiping at anything that moved for a while after that. Once I was just standing around on the deck, minding my own business and she started slapping me in the face. I like to take more naps in the house now and stay away from that crazy squirter. Had to go out today though to check out the trees that moved.

Calimom's & Angel's Kitten

2008-05-13T09:03:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary, Ok, I don't get it. My lady is ooooing and ahhhing over Calimom & Angel's little spotted squirt. There's only one squirt now. Don't know what happened to the ones the sick Dreamer squirted out. Well, she's not sick any more cause she got medicine and is now back outside. But the two-mom squirt is now looking like a miniature cat. Cali & Angel moved the thing out of the cat house and are now mothering under a piece of tin near the deck. I guess that's cause the little squirt is out and about and they needed more space. Well, whatever. My lady took some pictures so you could see what the little thing looks like. Go figure. It's got two moms looking out for it. When I was that size my mom was done with me and I had to go looking for a human to take care of me. Guess there's all kinds of situations in life.

2008-05-06T15:28:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary, The other day was a perfect cat-in-the-tree day. I think they were having a gathering to discuss the loud, blue birds that we have flying about. Cat Balou was up there, and Orange Julius, Iggy, Baby Biscuit, Comfort, and even limping Butch. I was not invited. Thought about going up anyway, but instead I caught one of the loud, blue birds. In a flash I was encircled by Iggy, Orange Julius, and Lovey Bud. They followed me to the chicken fence, back to the small tin building, and around the big oak while I tried to protect my catch. Finally deciding my catch might be safer on the deck, I came up around the long walkway, looking over my right shoulder constantly to watch for the pack. Big mistake. My lady saw me when I passed in front of the big window. I froze in position when she came outside and started hollering at me. But she saw me even though I wasn't moving. It was the dang blue bird's fault that I was spotted. It wouldn't keep it's foot still, but slapped my face repeatedly with it's skinny little claws. She should have taken a picture of my moment of glory, but all she cared about was getting the fidgety feathered thing out of my mouth. My lady pried my mouth open, and off flew the bird into a nearby bush. Cat Balou and I both made a dash for it, but it was gone. My lady doesn't understand what an achievement it was for me to catch that bird. I was a cat to be envied, king of the world, a one-eyed god, at least for a brief, flickering moment in time.

2008-05-02T21:38:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary, Sometimes in life ya just gotta love the one you're with. And it looks like I'm with Lovey Bud. Funny to see pics of myself when I'm sleeping. Most cats don't get that perk in life.
Well, suppose I should update you on the mini-cats and their birth mom Dreamer. Dreamer is in a cat travel box in my potty room. She's got to have medicine put in her mouth every day. Cause she's wild and will run away if my lady lets her out of the cage, she has to stay penned up for a while. Dreamer's not pleased with her situation, but oh well, she is after all an outside cat that gets to stay inside for a week or so. Her minis are doing okay. I peeked in on them and Calimom and Angel today. The three new minis and Cali's mini are all still warm and movin.'
Best of all, I still have my basket inside to sleep in, even if I have to share it with Lovey.

2008-05-01T11:37:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary, Here's the deal. Today I'm gonna talk about money, something I know nothin' about. It's all my lady's fault. She's fretting cause another one of those darn girls outside squirted out three new mini-cats and the girl that did the squirting is sick with pneumonia. My lady put her in a cage to take her to the doctor place sometime later today. The mini-cats have been moved to where the other two girl cats are playing mom to a black and white mini-cat that is crawling around now and can see. The two playing mom are Angel and Calimom. They both did their mini-cat squirting on the same night and only one of theirs stayed warm and moving. All the others got cold and didn't move, so my lady put them on the fire to warm them up. I'm kinda confused about that fire thing, cause I never do see the ones again that get put on it. It's too deep for me. I'm sure my lady knows what she is doing. Angel says she'll take the new mini-cats, but the one mini of theirs that is still moving gets its food from Cali. Angel doesn't have any food to give these new minis. Calimom has food to give, but doesn't want to give it to the new minis. I'm very tired from thinking about all this. My lady is worried there is not enough money to give to the doctor place when she takes the sick cat in. The sick cat got a name today so she could go to the doctor place. My lady says her name is Dreamer, cause here she is, almost to where she will turn cold and stop moving, and yet she is dreaming of having a family. Anyway, maybe if you'd like to shop in my lady's store she could get some more money to pay for this stupid girl cat. Makes no difference to me. Too many cats around here anyway in my opinion. Dang boy cats are always fighting, and my dad's the worst one of the boys. Dang girl cats are always squirting out more mini-cats. Doesn't matter to me what happens to the outside ones. All I care about is that my lady keeps giving us six that live in the house plenty of food to eat and baskets to sleep in. I'm done thinkin' about this stuff. It's a bright sky day and I'm gonna go lay in a bright spot and sleep.

Fishing

2008-04-21T14:03:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary, Sure do like that there are more sunny days now. Warmth is my friend. And when the air is warm, with the bright sky heating my black back, I am content. The fish seem to like the bright sky also, as they swim closer to the top of their pond. Which then allows me to partake in one of my favorite activities -- fishing. Don't know what's with the outside cats, as all they use the fish pond for is drinking. Me, I like to fish. How can a cat resist putting his paw in when one of those bright, sleek bodies comes close? I've never actually caught a fish. They move quickly, darting away before my paw touches the water. But I like trying. And I think the fish like me trying. What else do they have to do all day? When it is cold and gray outside, they don't come to the top of the water. I hadn't seen them since before the ice came. I'm glad they came back. There are so many more of them than there were before. More chance for me to catch one. Life is good when the sky is bright and fish swim near the top of the water.

2008-04-13T21:52:00.001-07:00

Dear Diary, I sure do like that the days have more light now and sometimes they have sun. When there is sun, I like to sit out near this stack of barrels and watch the birds. Lots of birds come to these barrels. I think my lady's man puts food on top to bring the birds to the barrels. I don't understand why he does that cause he never hangs out here to catch the birds, which is what I'd like to do. Sometimes a bird flies down to where I am, but I haven't caught one in a long time. The man child somehow always knows when I catch a bird and he makes me let it go. Humans simply don't know how to have fun.

The picture of Calimom was taken several days ago. She was very fat then but now she is not fat. She has moved into the blue cat house outside my house door and she has a very small thing in there with her that kind of looks like a cat. There used to be more small things, but they stopped moving and I think the humans took them away.

I visit with several of the outside cats when I leave the house. Of course, there's my dad. He's got marks all over his nose from fighting with the other big boys. I'm not too familiar with the yellow cat behind him in the picture. That guy just showed up one day and my lady calls him Fourman. The gray and white cat also behind my dad is Butch. He's got a bad hip and limps. He's not a friend to anyone except maybe Baby Biscuit. He bites her neck all the time and gets on top of her.

That white cat in the front of the next picture has been sneaking into the house. Her name is Charlie. When the humans come and go they don't always pay attention to a possible sneaky cat. Even though Babbette hisses and slaps at Charlie, Charlie keeps coming back in. It's the food she's after. Don't know why she is so skinny. She's always hungry. None of the other cats are a skinny as she is. Most of the outside cats are afraid to come into the house. They gather at the door, but don't try to get in. Don't know what made Charlie decide to break the taboo and cross the threshold. My lady lets her eat a little and then puts her back outside. Which is a very good thing. There is not room in this house for another cat to move in.

2008-04-02T06:16:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary, No more birds in the house. My lady's man took them outside and put them, cage and all, inside the big cage with the other doves. Said they made too much noise. Said they made too much mess. So now when I want to see the doves I have to sit outside with the poor cats. Speaking of the poor cats, Golden Boy has been gone for a while now. Yesterday the man child said he found him under the bridge. Said he was just laying there and that it looked as if he had been there for some time. Well, I'm not going to visit him there. Under the bridge is where the water runs and bad things happen and I don't know why Golden Boy would want to stay there. He should come back and stay with us behind the house. Maybe he's just feeling put out because he used to be the only golden cat and now there are lots of other golden cats around. Oh well, he can stay there if he wants.

The sun is shining today and I may just take a stroll outside later. I like warm, sunny days.

2008-03-29T15:22:00.001-07:00

Dear Diary, This is Babbette, the newest addition to the house. Her full name is Wild Winken Babbette. She's probably about as old as I am. She's a really confused cat. Lived most of her life outside the house and hated every minute of it. There were 3 in her litter, Winken, Blinken and Nod and their mom was Babs. Babs went missing when the three were kits but my lady made sure they had food and were cared for. Over the next few years, Nod and then Blinken left us. This is the only Babbette left. When she was outside, she was very angry. Hated every cat that crossed her path. She's nice to us in the house, though. Doesn't hiss or hit like she did outside. A couple of nights ago she found my lady's bed. Well, she knew where it was and that we all slept there, but she was afraid of it. When I say she found it, I mean she decided to claim a spot on it. She's fun to play with. Mostly she plays with Sara Sue, but sometimes I join in.

2008-03-23T22:20:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary, Well, it's official now. My lady's man came back without Morgan. He's been back days now and no Morgan. I didn't think I would miss her, but I do. No little black face hissing at me, taunting me to chase her. I've been pestering my human, hoping that she'll get the hint and get Morgan back here. But she just goes through the usual routine -- checks my food, checks my water, makes sure my potty box is clean, then she throws up her hands in frustration, not knowing that it's Morgan I want. Whatever Alabama is, it should give Morgan back. There's no one in the house for me to play with or torment. Mellow would slap me silly if I tried to go after her. Lovey Bud would simply rub up against me, butting me with her head. Sara Sue thinks it's funny if I try to challenge her. Her solution is to pounce on me. Babbette has some wicked claws and doesn't mind using them. And Osiris, well, one can't attack a hero, now can one? I find myself eating more. Can't seem to get enough food. It's the only comfort I have right now.

2008-03-19T06:09:00.001-07:00

Dear Diary, We insiders are all rather subdued. There are only six of us now. It's fairly obvious to us that Morgan Child is not coming back. The humans put her in a travel box several days ago and then my lady's man took Morgan out with him. He has not returned nor has Morgan. Mellow spent two days searching the house for her friend as she was sleeping when Morgan was put in the box. Don't understand the subdued atmosphere around here now. I mean she was a real bother. Always hissing at everyone. And for several weeks she had been hogging my night time sleeping spot next to my lady. I say good riddance. Whatever Alabama is, it can't be that bad. My lady would not have let her man go there, nor would she have let Morgan go, if it were a bad thing. My lady liked Morgan, but then she's a human and there's no accounting for a human's taste.

The photo is of me at the blogging machine. My lady left it vacant, which she's been doing more often lately. With any luck, I should be able to sneak more time writing my journals now. Somehow I've got to get her to turn that screen a bit though. It's too far away from my good eye. Well, I'm off to see what kind of trouble I can get into today. Have to locate a new cat to chase now that Morgan's out of the picture. That's the only thing about her that I'm going to miss.

2008-03-15T23:18:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary, Oh so much has been going on since last I wrote. Maybe I should start off with Babbette having her trip to the doctor. After she moved into the house, she just lay around, not doing anything. Stayed mainly on the back porch sleeping. My lady's man was terribly worried about her and finally took her to the doctor. She had medicine to take. Got it shot down her throat a couple times a day. She was none too happy about it. But after several days, she began behaving differently. She started to explore the house and prance around in a perky way. But then Sara Sue started sneezing. And she started sleeping a lot. Then she began to look like the cats outside do just before they stop moving and turn cold. My lady put her in the car and took her to the doctor. When she came home, she didn't have medicine that was squirted down her throat. My lady shoved a thin sharp thing into her twice a day. I never saw medicine like that before, but I suppose it must have been medicine because Sara Sue began to start moving around again and she didn't look like she was going to stop moving and turn cold. And soon my lady stopped sticking her with the thin sharp thing.

I truly am Lucky as none of these busy things happened to me. Mellow was the next to have something strange happen. One day she was just gone. My lady said Mellow must have gone outside and strayed off into the creek. I know what that means. The creek is where frightening things happen. Mellow was gone for many days. And then one day, she reappeared in the kitchen. No one was in the house except my lady. She did not open the door to let Mellow in. Mellow was just in the kitchen. Something magic must have happened to her. How could she be gone and then just reappear out of nowhere? Something must have taken her away and then put her back. Mellow was weird after that. Acted as if she didn't know any of us. My lady put her in the car and took her to the doctor. When she came back, there was no medicine for her. She slept a lot for a few days and then started acting almost normal again. But she has been much pushier since then. She doesn't lay by herself on the bed at night like she used to. Now she comes and lays on top of my lady, and on top of me, because I always sleep next to my lady. Sometimes she squeezes in between me and my lady. She acts as if she owns my lady now. I don't like how she is now. She gets in my way when I want to cuddle with my lady.

Then there is Morgan. She seemed just fine to me, but my lady and her man put her in the car and took her to the doctor. She was gone for quite some time with them. There was no medicine for her either when she came home. Don't know what that was all about. My lady keeps telling Morgan now that she is going to Alabama soon. I wonder what Alabama is. My lady has been holding Morgan more since she had her trip to the doctor.

It's a good thing it is warming up outside so I can get away from all these others. They take up way too much of my lady's time. At least outside I can watch birds and have some quiet time. Well, sort of quiet, considering there are a ton of other cats running around outside. Mostly they don't bother me though. I smell them on my way back into the house, but otherwise they don't mean much to me.

2008-01-30T14:43:00.000-08:00

Dear Diary, Ugly is back and it had the nerve to show up during the daylight. This one is definitely not some starving critter who wandered in because of starvation or the inability to find food. This ugly is fat, well-fed, and a thief. Looks like the big dog is going to have to go to work again. Boris doesn't hurt the big rats he goes after. He's like a big stun gun -- as soon as Boris is unleashed at the critter, he shoots out like a bullet that whizzes over the back of ugly. Ugly rolls a bit, curling up in a ball as it goes. Then my lady's man takes the critter & puts it in a barrel. Eventually, the barrel goes on a truck and is driven away. When the truck comes back the barrel is empty and ugly is gone. It never fails, though, another ugly will soon show it's face. Ugly never leaves forever.

2008-01-23T16:45:00.001-08:00

Dear Diary, A cat can't get any peace in this house. Here I am, minding my own business, studying up on how to cook a turkey, and my lady comes into the kitchen with the camera, laughing like a crazed hen. Really, if she'd cook decent meals around here, I wouldn't have to bother with learning how to do this. That canned food she feeds us lacks the proper texture of real meat. I know the humans eat real meat. A turkey would be just the right thing to fix for the seven of us felines. We out number them. Why should they be in charge. If she'd leave me alone long enough I get this task mastered so we can have a feast.

2008-01-22T12:01:00.000-08:00

Dear Diary, The weather outside had better turn warm soon as I'm quite tired of being the Cinderfella cat. It's just not right that I'm stuck getting the dishwasher going while Morgan hides out in the construction zone and primps. Don't humans have laws against cat labor? If they don't, they very well should have. And you wonder why I chase Morgan so much. Well, wouldn't you? She sits around acting like some little prissy while I do all the work. And then she has the nerve to growl at me. She deserves every chasing I give her. Matter of fact, as soon as I get done with the dishwasher, I think I'll give her another chasing. That is, if she ever gets out of that corner.

2008-01-20T04:37:00.000-08:00

Dear Diary, My human has been hogging my blogging machine lately. All the while, she's been mumbling stuff about numbers and how she hates them. Whatever numbers are, I hope she doesn't give them to me. Having fleas a few months back was bad enough.

Strange things happen when one is cooped up in the house for a long period of time. Since the big dog Boris has been without a mate, he's been becoming more friendly with Osiris. Osiris consoles him when he is feeling down and they nap together. This is part of why Osiris is my hero. Of the seven of us cats that live in the house, he is the only one who can, or dares to, hug the dog. The rest of us keep our distance. He has big teeth and just looks like something a cat should stay away from.

2007-12-22T16:26:00.000-08:00

Dear Diary, I'm still appreciating a humming house. Osiris & I had a nice visit about it the other day while sitting at the dining table pretending we were people. He agrees that a humming house is better than

silent one. He did venture out into the snow that followed the ice though and convinced me that even if the house doesn't hum, it's better than living outside all the time. SaraSue has figured out that it isn't Osiris who runs things. While Osiris and I had our chat, SaraSue slept away in one of her favorite spots -- behind my human's back. But then again, she sleeps just about any where. I did venture outside for just a few minutes yesterday and got to say hello to Two Tic. He's doing quite well -- maintaining his weight and health through this cold spell. I found a pile of cats on the deck table with little Baby Dot tucked in the middle. They were too busy staying warm to say much. Baby Dot's the littlest cat here right now. She's the kit Calimom had been feeding, but I think that's over now as I see Baby Dot eating with the older cats and running about one her own. Once in a while I see her with Cali, but most of the time she fends for herself. That was my big excitement for the past few days. I'm sure its time for me to go take another nap now.

Humming House

2007-12-18T06:58:00.000-08:00

Dear Diary, My bones are warm again. I've been sitting on the metal floor piece where the warm air comes from since yesterday afternoon when the house started humming again. Before it stopped, I never noticed the humming or that warm and long days were connected to the humming. Now I know. I want to live in a humming house with warmth and light during dark. If a house doesn't hum, it's of no use.

Cold

2007-12-16T09:48:00.001-08:00

Dear Diary, I do NOT like to be cold and I've been nothing but cold since the ice fell from the sky and the house stopped humming. I've been spending a lot of time curled up in a ball sleeping, trying to stay warm. For days there was no humming in the house at all, just a steady clicking sound from a couple of the walls. It was so quiet and the only light was what came in from outside. Dark is now so much longer than light. I don't like it. Sometimes now there is a little humming in the house and a loud noise from outside. But it is still cold. Every day has gotten colder. Today is the coldest of all. I spent a lot of time at the litter box room window today, looking out at all the white. There is white everywhere outside. I'm not leaving the house until the white is gone. I want my humming house back, where the days go on for long hours and warm air comes out of the metal pieces on the floor. I want to be warm again.

Bird Watching

2007-12-10T21:03:00.001-08:00

Dear Diary, One of my most important jobs inside the nice warm house is keeping an eye on these two white birds. They live up high where I can't reach them. That is, as long as the humans keep the chairs away from the big white box these guys sit on. One day last week, I almost made it to the top. The chair I sat on was close enough for me to leap and get my claws dug into the groove at the top of the box door. I might have made it all the way up. I'm strong. But the darn birds started to raise a ruckus and my human dashed over to me before I got to find out if I could lift myself the rest of the way up. She detached my claws from the door and set me back on the floor, moving the chair as soon as her hands were free of me. Chances are, they'll forget again sometime and that chair will be just close enough for me to jump again. It's not much fun just sitting and staring at the birds, but I can do it for hours on end. I'm willing to wait for the possibility of a joyful day.

Blood on the Snow Mystery

2007-12-10T12:31:00.001-08:00

Dear Diary, There's snow on my back stoop. And on the snow, blood. There's more blood today than there was yesterday. I don't have time to figure out where this blood comes from. My prime objective in going outside is to take care of my business and get back in as quickly as possible. In my mad dash to get off the frozen ground, there is no evidence of the source of this blood. No drips going from one place to another. Just blood. Right there on the stoop. Don't see any bloody cats. No one with a fresh wound. So it's a mystery. But it's too cold out for me to hang around and solve.

2007-12-05T08:24:00.000-08:00

Dear Diary, The humans have been changing things in the house again, moving stuff around. I've got my cat post back at my favorite window. Now I can keep a good eye (and yes, I have only one) on what goes on in the house and what goes on outside from the same spot. Gives me a feeling of authority, of kingship. I rule from this spot. Plus, I look cool. But wouldn't ya know, I missed all the action when the dog and humans caught the possums the other night. Those big rat things have been living under the deck for ages now. Can't remember when they moved in. Heard the humans talking that those possums must be the source of the fleas and they had to be gotten rid of. So, the other night when the man-child spotted one of the possums out eating, he came and told my human's man. Wasn't long before they loosed the dog, who ran out and rolled the big rat. Course, the possum did what possums do, it fainted dead away, just lay there while the man picked it up by the tail with a pair of pliers and stuck it in a big barrel. Just how stupid is that, laying there curled in a ball and let itself be picked up. The man got three of them that way. Later he drove away with the barrel with the possums inside, came back after a bit with the barrel and no possums. Lot of good it did though. Last night I saw three new possums in the yard. Looking for the food the humans put out for my relatives. Doesn't seem as if the humans will win this one.

2007-11-22T08:37:00.001-08:00

Dear Diary, So I guess the baths are going to be an on-going thing. She gave me another one. Not that I'm okay with this development. I did manage the first half of the bath with some dignity -- got through the first wetting down and green goo phase without too much trauma. But then she had to turn the water on again and force me under the faucet while she scooped water over me. It was too much. Dignity went right out the window along with any attempts at composure. Now here's the really strange part -- after it was over all I wanted to do was sit on her lap. Go figure, she puts me through this horrendous experience and all I want to do is get closer to her. What's with that? Shouldn't I be running the other way? Shouldn't I do everything in my power to avoid her? I don't understand it. All I want to do is love her more and have her cuddle me. Whatever. We all got baths, but none of the others want to love her more. Lovey Bud (photos above) just wanted to be closer to me. As if I could help. I'm just as powerless as she is. Whatever this flea thing is, I don't like it.

2007-11-16T10:56:00.000-08:00

Dear Diary, So what am I doing about this funk? I'm hanging out by the caged doves most days, lounging in a pile of leaves, where the smaller cats come to sit with me. I wonder why my human keeps these birds in a cage. I think they should be loose so I can have a shot at catching them. I'm a cat. That's my job. Catch birds. Maybe it's my human's job to cage birds.

This little kit beside me is Sally Sue. She's all that remains of BC, the magic mama. BC and the other kits vanished a while ago. Sally must not have the magic power to disappear like the rest of her family had.

2007-11-15T22:36:00.000-08:00

Dear Diary, I've been in such a funk lately. It started a couple of weeks ago when I was sitting on my human's lap, enjoying a bit of love and affection. You wouldn't think that would cause a cat to go into a funk, but that's when it started. I was stretched out on my back, soaking up the nice tummy rub, feeling warm and cozy, legs all stretched out. The rubbing was so slow and methodical, but then the rubbing changed. It became more of a searching through my thin belly hairs. Then a little bit of almost pinching. I squirmed in her arms, but she held on tight and said, "Uh oh, little guy, you've got fleas," and kept on searching around my belly. Next thing I knew she was carrying me through the house to the litter box room. She set me on the floor, then quickly shut the door. She fumbled around for some things under the counter, and then turned on the water, picked me up, and stuck me right into the wet stuff. This was a disaster. What had gotten into her. I grabbed at her arm with my front paws, pushed into the water with my back legs and fought. She had me by the skin on the back of my neck, pushing me hard down into the sink and the water. I got wetter and wetter as she splashed water up over my back and across my belly. I continued to struggle, grasping at her arm, grasping at the edge of the sink. But she was stronger than me. It was hard to keep my eyes from popping out of my head. My heart pounded as she poured green goo over my beautiful black fur and smeared it all over me. All the time she kept mumbling something about, "You're okay little guy." I was definitely not okay. I was wet, and half out of my mind with fear. I never gave up the struggle and she never gave up the grip she had on the skin at the back of my neck. She rubbed and rubbed, covering my feet, my legs, my tail, my ears, my head, everywhere on my body with that green goo. It went on for an eternity. She turned the water on again, and again forced me into it, scooping it over my body with her free hand. It felt as if the torture would never end. Then finally, the water stopped running and she began squeezing my fur. Next thing I knew I was inside a soft dry towel and in her arms again. She was still rubbing me through the towel. She must have been tired, though, because I managed to slip out of her grip and get away. The door to the litter room opened and I was free. Free from her and the torturous ordeal. But I was still wet. My wonderful fluffy fur was mostly stuck to my body or was sticking out in spikes all about. I found a chair to hide under and licked and licked and licked until I thought I couldn't lick any more. It took me the rest of the afternoon to finally dry out. I don't know why she did that to me. I adore her. I obsess about her. And she tortured me. The trauma was overwhelming. So you see, I've been in a funk for a few weeks trying to sort things out. She hasn't repeated her strange behavior other than in my dreams.

2007-10-28T23:06:00.001-07:00

Dear Diary, I knew it had to happen. Now that SaraSue is eating dry food our little inside group is getting less of the canned stuff. My human's been sneaking it outside and feeding it to that Calimom cat from the barn. Gees, Calimom isn't even nice to my human. When she goes outside to feed that crowd, Cali runs up to her and hisses. What kind of a greeting is that? I've never hissed at my person. Calimom gets special treatment. The food is put right into her mouth with a spoon. There's a ton of other cats that want canned food, too, but no, Calimom is the one who gets most of the can. And just because she's got a kitten in the barn.
It's really been a strange week as far as food goes. For 3 days my human put bowls of yellow colored milk outside. I managed to get some of it. Tasted a little funny. I saw her fixing the stuff. She used a big syringe, took some yellow gunk from a bottle and put it in the milk. The first day it was put out, we all fought to get it, but none of us were very anxious to have some the second or 3rd day. Hunger won out though, because she didn't put any dry food out like she usually does.
And 2 days ago, my human's man let Wild Winken Babbette in the house. That one's got me baffled. He's not been too fond of having any cats in the house. Babbette was looking a bit ill, but lots of the outside guys look sick off and on. She's been in for the last 2 days, staying in the mud room mostly, except when she comes into the kitchen to get food and water. And a bath. She got a bath today and so did SaraSue. They were none too happy about that. Then we all got new collars. It's enough to make a cat need extra nap time. So I'm off to get some much needed sleep. Thinking makes me so very tired.

2007-10-13T13:45:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary, I was hoping the day would never come, but it has. Little SaraSue has started to eat dry food. I suppose if you're a cat, which she is, and you watch 5 other cats eat stuff day after day, which she did, you'd eventually figure out you could eat it too -- and she did.

Why should I care? That means the canned food is going to become scarce. At least she works well for a blanket. Warmth is important to me. SaraSue's a little heavier than blankets, but she is nice and warm.

Speaking of warm, that's just what Indi wasn't two days ago. She was laying out near the driveway, by the barn, cold as could be and stiff. Not a drop of warmth left in her. My human picked her up and placed her on top of the fire pile. To warm her up, I guess. I haven't seen Indi since then.

2007-10-05T14:29:00.001-07:00

Dear Diary, I'm feeling very awake and verbal today.

Every time I see Winnie I'm amazed at how big he is. He's definitely more muscular than my dad. The two of them square off frequently, though my human steps between them when she can. That's Winnie, above, beefing up on cat food. The little cat above is Comfort. She lives on the deck. Comfort is the only offspring of J Bond's litter from this summer that lived. One can never know, but she looks like my dad. I guess I shouldn't call Comfort a her as I've never actually investigated her backside to determine sexuality. I'll have to check that out some day. Comfort mostly lives on the deck now. Used to live over by the most westerly edge of the property, close to the creek. It's a good thing Comfort has moved closer to the house now, or Comfort would have been gone forever.

2007-10-05T09:10:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary, I knew it was going to happen. That little SaraSue has got herself a collar. The man came home with it one day. Now it's official--she's a house cat. She is kinda fun to play with sometimes. She doesn't hiss and growl at me like Morgan does. And she never eats a piece of dry food. Which means she's always pestering my human for canned food. Which means I get lots of canned food and don't have to sacrifice a bite of the dry. On the other hand, however, she's stolen my special sleeping place. And she's taken to kissing up to Osiris. I've never gotten extremely personal with Osiris, so it's not like she's taking my place there. But Osiris is highly honored in this household. Much more so than I am. He is, after all, the senior member of our group. He is respected. They don't respect me, though they love me. They consider me a beloved troubler. The dynamics are changing.

2007-09-21T05:15:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary, I've been sleeping the month away and so much has been going on here with the cats. Big Tom has not shown his face in our neighborhood for at least two weeks. He's been the alpha, the granddaddy of all cats. But now he's gone away. No sign of him. Maybe he was feeling too much stress from the humans to become tame. Maybe he went after a rat in the creek and a bigger rat went after him. There's no way to know. We don't send out search parties. We don't do rescue missions. His genes run through each and every cat here. We will miss his face.

This moves my dad up a few notches on the dominance list. He and Winnie are always threatening to have it out, and maybe they do have their spats at night while I'm tucked into a nice warm bed and unaware of what's going on out there in the yard.

Moochie has also disappeared. She more or less vanished into thin air I think. The last few times I saw her she was getting thinner and thinner, and then poof, she was gone. Unlike Tom, who was full of vigor, Moochie was sickly and thin. I don't think she went out of the neighborhood at all. She just melted away until there was nothing left of her--no body, no bones, just thin air where she had been.

2007-09-01T07:32:00.001-07:00

Dear Diary, I took a nice leisurely stroll around the neighborhood this morning. Finally, it's not 100 degrees and the air is not dripping with humidity. Very pleasant, with a slight breeze. The bamboo behind the man-child's building has grown about to it's maximum height for the year. This is a nice hiding place, in the bamboo stalks. Cool, too. Soil just a bit moist where the sun can't reach to dry it out. Sometimes the chickens take my spot here, but I can tolerate a chicken now and then. Chickens may look small to you, but try standing next to them when you are eye to eye with them. They are giant birds with giant claws and a dangerous beak. It's most often wisest not to argue with a chicken. As far as giant birds go, the ducks win paws down in this neighborhood. Their feet aren't as wicked as a chicken's, but I stay clear of them to be on the safe side. I do enjoy watching them float on the pond water. I've pawed at that water and my foot goes right into it. I don't float at all. Weird the way ducks don't seem to get wet and more or less simply drift around on the water.

There's a new rooster in the yard. No tail on the thing yet and a feeble crow, but definitely a rooster. My human's man brought some smaller birds home a few weeks ago and put them in the small fence cage. I heard they are 3 baby roosters and 3 other things we've never had before. They all look like small chickens to me.

I found Osiris out and about the neighborhood also this morning. He likes to be outside.

And, of course, I had to run into Greeter. That crazy boy is always kissing up to me. Can't hardly get into the house sometimes trying to get around him. All in all, if you discount my encounter with Greeter, it was a pleasant walk on a pleasant morning.

2007-08-22T23:20:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary, My human sent two cats away yesterday. A woman who visits sometimes took our cat cage with Chucky and Maynard and drove off in her car. Today she brought the cage back without Chucky and Maynard. I don't suppose I'll ever see them again. I wonder why my human sent the cats away. I suppose if I eavesdrop on the humans' conversation I'll find out some day.

Anyway, we have some new pictures. The white cat with her nose in the camera is Lovey Bud. This is how she looks at night when she's bothering everyone and not going to sleep like she should. The other picture is me and my pals having a bite to eat. The little thing is SaraSue, who continues to encroach on my space in the house. Today I found her taking a nap on my human's bed. She's not supposed to be doing that. I thought the deal was she only got to come in for food and then had to leave right away. The orange cat is Osiris, the coolest cat in the world. Actually, he's part dog, part human and part cat. He can't make up his mind what he is most of the time. He's the only one of us that can sleep with Boris, the Siberian Husky that lives here. Guess I've never mentioned him before. Probably because he's a dog and of no consequence to me.

2007-08-17T09:45:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary, I've more or less given up chasing Morgan. Don't know what changed, but sometimes I even sleep next to her now. Must be that my human didn't approve. My latest target is Bones, who belongs to the man-child. She's afraid of me, so I chase her. I've heard the story so many times about how that cat got her name. The human family is somewhat confused about exactly what year she was born. They think it couldn't have been the first summer they were here because that time period was spent refurbishing the buildings and property so they could get a loan to purchase. That meant new roofs on the house, the bunk house and the barn; tearing the front porch, which was falling apart, off the house; stripping paint from the house and repainting; replacing all the gutters on the house; replacing 4 windows; and probably a bunch of other stuff I haven't bothered to pay attention to. Basically, they sank every penny they had into this property when it still belonged to another person. Bones must have been born the second year they were here. The heat was oppressive that year. A sickness descended upon the farm that took the kittens into its grip. For a span of time my human was finding kitten corpses every day. She was totally unprepared for this emotional and psychological trauma. She estimated that at least 100 kittens died that summer. This is not a wealthy family that I live with. They scrimp to get by for the most part. My human's man was oblivious to the trauma this was causing his woman, being adament that money was simply not there to treat a feral colony of cats. There were many harsh words, leading to my human grabbing Bones and shaking the kitten in the man's face, screaming "This poor kitten is a bag of bones. It's going to die. How can we not do anything?" My human took one of the kittens to the vet despite her man's objections, using monies she earned indexing books. This visit led to her purchasing 50 vials of distemper medicine and syringes for administering the drug. She'd never given a shot in her life, but with the help of Melissa (her niece), she managed to administer the medicine to the cats they could catch. They had to somehow track which cats had been medicated, and that is when the naming began. A list was made with descriptions and names. Some of the kittens medicated still died, but the entire operation seemed to put an end to the disease's grip. The mostly gray kitten my human had wholeheartedly believed would die, was named Bones at that time, and some strong constitution in the kitten kept her alive, though she was indeed a skeleton draped in skin. So, I suppose I should feel sorry for her and admire her strength of will to live. But I can't seem to help myself. Whenever I see her, I just have to chase her. Such is life.

2007-08-16T09:14:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary, I never should have mentioned the magical, mystical mama BC. She's been gone now for at least 2 weeks along with 3 of her kits. A little white fur ball with gray spots has been left behind, frightened and skittish and alone. No indication of what has happened to BC and her brood. I fear the worst (dinner by a wild animal) and hope the best (they've all moved to a new location). We'll never know. BC lived here all her life. Her mama birthed her in the cellar of the house and hid her there for 2 months. That's how she got her name -- BC, short for Basement Cat. She had to be physically extricated from the crawl space under the house. Never did take to humans. Lived on the outskirts near the creek bed as much as possible. Quite possible she moved the family across the creek and into the wheat fields to teach them how to hunt mice and not be reliant on humans. I stay closer to the house now when I go outside.

2007-08-14T12:48:00.000-07:00

Well, here's my Lovey Bud bothering me in my secret hiding place. I found this warm and cozy place to sleep, a little risky with all the computer cords dangling around, but warm from the electrical outlets. Lovey Bud must live up to her name and love up to any living creature she can find. Unfortunately, she found me. A snarl here, a slap there and she was soon convinced this was not her spot and she was not welcome. Doesn't she know cats have a reputation for being loners?

2007-08-07T22:50:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary, the men in the family were gone for several days, but they're back now. So glad! My human was getting cranky with me. Maybe she'll settle down now. I don't know what her problem has been. She actually snapped at me the other day when I braced my claws on her leg and stretched. I don't even get that cranky when Lovey Bud head butts me when I'm trying to get to sleep at night. Speaking of that, Lovey Bud's behavior at night is one of my pet peeves. She simply can't lay down when we go to bed. Morgan usually hides out somewhere and doesn't share my human's bed, but Osiris, Mellow and I have our spots and we settle down readily when Carol finally calls it a day. Not Lovey Bud. She kneads and kneads and paces and head butts whichever one of us happens to be in her line of site, flops down on her side, gets back up and starts all over again. Osiris leaves if Lovey starts up with him. I try to tolerate it, but if she continues to annoy me, I find a more suitable place to sleep, which means anywhere Lovey Bud isn't.

2007-07-30T12:28:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary, I'm a bit concerned about a little runt kitten birthed by Bessie. My human calls her SaraSue. The thing's a scheming little pistol. Doesn't matter who opens the deck door, in she darts. Not an iota of fear in this mere iota of a feline. She's bold. Just this morning she aligned herself with my good buddy Osiris. Osiris is the household sage. He's the wise old man of our fivesome. Look how she creeps up on Osiris, then plants herself within inches of his head. Clever. To know she can place herself just so close, but not to touch him. I suppose she thinks she'll be moving into the house full-time soon. Whatever. My human has been adament so far about putting her back out after giving her a little food. We'll have to see what happens.

2007-07-27T07:46:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary, been hanging outside with the other cats a lot lately. Didn't think I'd ever say this, but I miss the roosters crowing. It is easier to hear the blue jays now. But their sound is harsh and has no music to it. Yep. Definitely miss the roosters.

2007-07-20T13:03:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary, been laying around outside watching BC's kits play in the yard. She's been secretive about this batch of offspring. Must be feeling secure now that the war is really over. The manchild had to take out another coon to stop the killing. Farm took quite a beating in the war: lost 3 roosters, 27 hens, 10 ring-neck doves, 5 kittens. Coons lost: 2. Been peaceful now for several days. Humans beefed up fences / cages around doves and chickens; managed to catch most chickens & get them back into the coop. And BC, magic mama that she is, managed to keep her 4 babes alive through it all.

2007-07-07T00:50:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary, long night. Her man-child did it. Sad but necessary. Chicken carnage should be over. The duck this critter got last night didn't die, but it's head looks rather like hamburger. My human tried to catch the duck today to tend it's wounds. Duck ran fast and hid well. Carol will get some help tomorrow tracking it down. Let's hope the war is finished and peace will reign again.

2007-07-06T23:19:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary, I've been watching out the window tonight. My human's man-child is up on the pump house roof watching for the coon. So far this night's only visitors have been possums. Possums are neutrals in the current war, having committed no known offenses so far. Well, that's if you don't count how they look an offense. Nothing good looking about a possum. They're just plain ugly. Possums want to eat cat food. Amazing how many animals risk their lives for cat food left-overs. Chickens are staying away from the coop. They're scattered about the farm in trees -- out on the thin brances where even my relatives wouldn't venture. Ducks are locked up in their pen, a relatively secure enclosure. Hope the man-child doesn't fall asleep up there and roll off the roof.

2007-07-06T08:12:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary, the war continues. Coon has scored 2 more chickens and a big white duck. Humans possibly wounded coon, but no real evidence. July 4 humans were up most of the night taking pot shots at a very visible coon. It hurriedly limped away after the first shot, but was back 3 more times looking for food, so there is some doubt as to it's wound. Here's a possibility -- maybe there is more than one racoon. Tension is in the air. Egg production is down. None of the farm residents are safe. Some lives are at risk, some forfeit sleep. Stress is in the air.

Racoon

2007-07-03T08:06:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary, I could have told them. But no, they don't want to listen to me, a mere cat. When I chased that racoon off the other day I got in trouble. None of the other cats do anything about it...they just sit there and stare at it or hiss a bit and walk away. So when I saw it eating their food, I chased it. Melissa was outside and you'd think I'd run into the highway or something. She chased me down, grabbed me, scolded me, and put me in the house. They were picking up dead chickens before I chased it and they are still picking up dead chickens. But now they KNOW the racoon is the one killing the dumb birds. Now my human's man has a gun and we all have to be careful not to get in the line of fire because he's shot a lot of times and the coon is still running around killing. Two more dead ones in the coop this morning. They smell. Not hard to know something's dead. The humans thought the coop was safe. They beefed it up, checked the wire, looked for loose boards. Coon is smarter I guess. It's war now. No negotiations. Coon will surely die in the end. It should have stuck to eating cat food. Suppose that's what happened to Indi mom's kits. Coon food.

2007-06-19T19:04:00.001-07:00

Dear Diary, It's been a strange few days. First one of Indi mom's kittens went missing and then the next night her last kitten went missing. Now the big blue dog house is empty. None of the cats are sleeping in it. Don't know what happened. Either a kit-napping or some wild creature came into the yard. Carol was sad. Then yesterday Carol's man locked me in the barn. At first I didn't notice. Light was coming in so I just kept on exploring. There's a lot to smell in the barn. But then it got darker and darker. Everything was strange and hard and dirty. Eventually, I could hear my human calling my name, but I couldn't get out. She called and called, and then all was silent again. I don't know the barn layout at all. It's not some place I usually go. Time passed. I heard my name being called again and again. Then silence again. I was frantic to return to the house, but couldn't find a way out. All of a sudden there was a creak and the door opened. It was the man. I ran and hid. Lights flashed on. From the house I heard my name called again. But now I had to get past the guy. He saw me and called me, but I ran from him. He was the door keeper. What if he locked the door again. I waited until the guy went about his business and wasn't paying attention to me. Then I ran out the big door. I hurt my feet on something cold and hard but I kept running. Carol was no longer calling for me. What if I got stuck outside again. I remember the last time I got stuck outside at night. It was the most frightening thing that has ever happened to me. I wandered across the creek that time and into a wide field. There was howling close by and I saw teeth and lots of eyes glinting in the moonlight. The treeline seemed miles away, but I made a dash and flew up the rough trunk onto a wide branch. My night was spent in the tree. When daylight broke I had to wade through water to find my way back into the farm yard. Carol's man was there and he let me into the house. I was wet and tired. So now, with Carol no longer calling me, I feared the worst. I didn't want to stay outside all night. But then, there was her voice again, calling my name. I ran to the door and straight into the house. Carol scooped me up in her arms, but I was so into my imagined night outside that I clawed at her face. Somehow she understood and put me in my favorite sleeping place. I slept a long, long time and when Carol went to bed I made sure I had my usual place next to her. Now it's a new day and I'm ready to be trouble again.

2007-06-15T22:35:00.000-07:00

2007-06-14T07:04:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary, Carol says I've got a few screws loose. just because I sit and stare at her, chirping once in a while. She shouldn't say things like that to me. A cat's got feelings too. It's really not my fault that she doesn't understand what I'm saying. Sometime she just ignores me. That's when I have to start knocking things over to get her to understand I want something. What, she thinks I'm staring because I like the way she looks? Fat chance. I stare when I need something. Right now I want to go outside. How hard is that to figure out. I've eaten both wet and dry food; I don't want to nap; what else is there. I've got her attention now. signing off to take a walk about the yard. Maybe I'll harass a chicken or two.

2007-06-07T14:21:00.000-07:00

figured out the photo thing. here's J Bond & her litter. guess we know now if J is a Jane or a James. she was always on a secret mission, hiding from cats & humans. looks like five in that pile. she better learn to hide better from the boys.

2007-06-07T14:13:00.001-07:00

Indi mom started off with 2 white and one mostly black kid. now she has 2 dark ones. one of the little white guys didn't make it. but due to circumstances beyond her control she got to adopt. BC had her kits back in the chicken yard, got discovered by Melissa and true to BC's nature, she took off leaving one of her kits behind. Now Indi has it. Tiny little varmint. don't know where BC has her kids stashed now.
Found more of the little critters south of the barn. tried to add their pic, but can't get the photo thing to work now. well, what do you expect. I'm just a cat.

2007-06-07T13:29:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary, the wind has been blowing hard for 2 days. sticks falling out of the big oak. better to stay inside. but, hey, I'm a nice guy, so I've been doing the walk-about with Carol in the morning when she feeds my outside relatives. It's getting scary over south of the barn. so many darn kittens. everywhere you look kittens.

2007-05-31T19:05:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary, Back to my dad. I don't understand his ways. Whenever he meets one of the other big males his legs to stiff, he tips his head slightly up, holds his ears straight back and lets out a low wail. He's answered in a similar fashion. There's no backing down for either of the guys until a fight erupts or Carol walks out and intervenes. My human's not afraid of the guys. She boldly walks between them, scolding them for their behavior. But when she's not around the fur flies. My dad limped for a week the last time he tangled with one of the other males. I don't understand the purpose. Who's he out to impress? The females usually go the other way when a fight starts. And it's not like the other guys take off and leave the farm to my dad. When mating time comes around, each of the guys takes their turn. So what's the purpose?

2007-05-30T22:36:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary, Up late tonight. Wandering around trying to convince Carol to go to bed. I sleep best when I can lay my head on her cheek and put my paw around her neck. But let's not get into that. I don't want anyone thinking I'm a softy.

Spent most of the day hanging around outside. The guy to the left is my dad, Cat Balou. Handsome dude, isn't he. We don't spend much time together though. Most of his time is spent eating, chasing the gals around or looking for an argument with one of the guys. I like watching him. time for bed.

Changes

2007-05-27T06:16:00.001-07:00

Dear Diary, Ha! I got my box back. Carol moved the Indi mom and kits into the big blue dog house. She must have remembered all boxes belong to me. And to make up for

her forgetfullness, I got a new triple decker sleeper. That's my good buddy Osiris on the bottom deck. Big O. He's a very wise and astute gentleman. He knows enough not to bother me or to take anything that's mine.

Indi

2007-05-25T14:42:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary, Fiddlesticks! Went outside this morning to find a cardboard box on the deck. Love boxes so I investigated. It was already occupied. Could have coped with that. No problem chasing some cat out of a box I want. But no, Carol was right behind me saying, "Lucky, no. Leave it alone." Then I heard the squeals and saw the little rats under Indi. Great. Now we've got three more mouths to feed. If these stupid outside cats would stop shooting out little ones I could be living like a real king. There are already seven of these little things running around over by the barn. Carol really should put a stop to this kind of activity. But, knowing her, she'll be giving scrawny old Indi some of my wet food now. She thinks I don't know that she sneaks my cans out of the house and takes them to the barn babies every once in a while. Skinny Cali mom, who owns five of the little twits, is always coming to the kitchen door begging. Heck, she even ran into the house once. That was pretty funny. She ran into the house, realized she was somewhere she'd never been before, and made a dash to get back outside before the door closed behind her. Cali's got some serious mental problems, if you ask me. She wants Carol to give her special attention, but she frightened to death of humans. Go figure. If she had a clue, she'd know ya gotta make friends with the humans. Oh well, better for me that she's scared of humans. Don't need any more of these guys kissing up to my meal ticket.

May 22, 2007 mid-morning

2007-05-22T08:26:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary, It's wet outside. I'm stuck inside. Managed to get my human to put me on her lap so I can blog. I should introduce you to my human, my special human. Her name is Carol. She's been my human since I was about eight weeks old. She never came looking for me, I went looking for her. Really, it's her doing that she's my human in that she gave away my sibs. My mom loved my sibs, but she didn't care for me. I was half the size of my sibs and I guess my mom figured I wasn't worth the effort. When my sibs disappeared, mom walked away from me. Every day after my sibs went away, I made the long journey from the barn to the deck by the house. And there I sat, staring at the house, day after day. Well, I sat there until another mom from the barn came and fetched me. Dart thought that I should be her kitten. Day after day I'd go to the house and Dart would come and drag me back to the barn. The humans seemed content to let this go on until I got sick with conjuctivitis. Then Carol came to my aid. She took me into the house and kept me with her, doing what she could to nurse me. She and her man had a lot of discussion about my going to the doctor. With about 40 cats on the property they debated what was affordable. By the time I got to the doctor I'd lost the sight in my left eye. But I eventually did regain my health. Carol had been carrying me around with her everywhere for weeks and she became very attached to me. So that is how she became my human. I slept with her, I sat in her lap, she made a sling type pouch for me to sit in as she went about her business. Her neice Melissa named me Lucky. Carol named me Trouble. So now I'm called Lucky Trouble. Got to go nap. I'll write more later.

May 20, 2007

2007-05-20T16:37:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary, blah, blah, blah. ever have one of those days. nothing is right. nothing is wrong. warm and humid. bit of a breeze. lazy day. Sunday. napping here. napping there. tried to annoy my human, but she'll have none of it today. no energy to annoy Morgan, who is in hiding anyway. simply blah, blah, blah.

May 19, 2007 late morning

2007-05-19T09:33:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary, ate with outside cats this morning at the feeding trough. human friend busy working. a little cool this morning. nice day to hang around outside.

2007-05-19T09:32:00.001-07:00

Evening - later

2007-05-18T21:17:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary, Well, she went and did it. She started it with that growling. Got her cornered behind the satellite box in the tv cabinet. What a noise she was making. Which is what got me in trouble. Weighing the fun I had against the scolding I got, fun wins. My human moved me away from Morgan and hung me on my cat post.

What a day. Good food, good sleep & good fun.

Evening

2007-05-18T18:03:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary, an afternoon of sweet sleep, some wet food, some dry food, a short walk in the yard. I'm primed and ready now. If I see that Morgan I'm gonna chase her all over the place. One growl outta her is all it's gonna take. In the meantime, staring at my human friend will have to do.

2007-05-18T13:55:00.001-07:00

Ah, adventures in the grass. Hangin out under the cat table & Moochie. Gotta love farm life. And then mid-afternoon snack with Mellow, Lovey & Morgan. Big O missed out. Too bad for him. Must be nap time again.

midday

2007-05-18T09:46:00.000-07:00

Ha, can't believe it. My human actually put my food out without my asking today. Mellow, Lovey & the big O ate with me. Stupid black cat not around. Have to torture her later. Time to hang around outside now. Got a whole afternoon to kill.

later

2007-05-18T05:54:00.001-07:00

napped in mudroom

Friday, May 18, 2007

2007-05-18T03:38:00.000-07:00

Dear Diary, Morgan barfed on the floor again this morning. Stupid black cat. I'll have to torment her later.