Trips to the Vet Can Be Very Noisy

OH why do I always try to forget the yearly visit to the vet?  And why oh why am I doing this in January?  It's always cold cold cold and trying to carry 2 cats is very entertaining for the vet's office.  I just hope it's not entertaining for the people driving on Greenville Ave!  Some years, the cat's visits have been an hour apart so I only deal with one at a time, but I actually think that is more difficult for all 3 of us.

The night before the visit to the vet is when the cat cages come out of their hiding places and I put them up in the living room.  Sam likes to snoop around - Millie does but she's more clandistine about it.  So I wasn't surprised when I saw Sam in Millie's cage the morning of their dreaded visit to the vets.  But I was startled to see that he went to sleep in it.  So I made an executive decision to zip up the cage and let Millie use Sam's cage.  Millie was sleeping under the desk in the office so it was easier to get her in the cage.  I said easier not easy.  

Sam testing out Millie's cage

The vet was a different one this time; usually we see Diane and she talks to the cats.  This vet was very nice and pleasant,  and he even took time to show me Millie's bottom teeth (very very tiny and very very sharp) because I wasn't sure she had teeth between the fangs.  Believe me when I say I wasn't going to look by myself - I like all my fingers.

Sam, as usual, talked the whole way to the vet.  Millie, once she got settled in the car, was in her normal 'well, let's get this thing over with NOW' mood.  We didn't wait long in the reception area - that's a good thing because neither Millie nor Sam like Stumpy the office cat.  Stumpy likes to nap in one of the reception windows and his hair is longer but it looks like he put his paw in an electrical socket.  Usually, he greets all the pets but he was napping this morning.

Once in the exam room, Sam usually starts being loud.  A few years agao, he was so loud that he could be heard out in the reception area - and that time, he made the loudest noises while he was still in his cage.  It was funny to see him howl  because he actually lifted up his head like a coyote! 

But this time wasn't bad at all.  They were both quiet when we first put them on the exam table.  Millie was evening purring for a while.  She went first and even though she didn't want to get out of the cage, she purred until the vet used his stethoscope ( I guess vets don't warm them either) and then the howling began.  She set record speeds getting back into the cage - and I mean back into the back of the cage - and then she was quiet.  She gained a pound and a half. 

Millie & Sam behaving for a minute ....

Sam was much better this year.  He did growl and whine but not as loudly.  I wonder if the cage switch helped?  I'll have to try it again next year. 

Stumpy was still napping in the window while I checked out.  Good thing as Millie and Sam were both beginning to talk; but not loudly. 

Now back in the car and here goes Sam again.  I'd sure like to know what he is saying.  Millie gets a word in edgewise every now and again.  Once in the garage,  I rush to get them back in the house so they can escape their cages.  LOL  and boy do they take off to go hide for a while. 

I didn't see them for several hours so I left their treats in their favorite spots because I had to leave to take my dad to one of his doctors.  By the time I got home later in the afternoon, they weren't mad at me anymore.  Both climbed up on the couch to sit by me for a while. 

Moral of the Story:  Everyone needs to get their annual checkups - like it or not!

YES, It Does Snow in Texas

Texas weather - how to describe it?  It's either hot or cold.  Texas spring and fall last about 5-6 days in a good year - in a bad year, those seasons will be lucky to last 2 days.

Thus, it's no surprise that the first time I saw fall leaves floating leisurely was in Connecticut.  I started out the meeting facing the windows but after being lulled into a stupor watching the leaves fall, I moved to the other side of the conference room.  After all, I was there for meetings!  That was an interesting building, I also saw a wild turkey and a deer - they claimed there were other critters that came out on occasion but quite frankly, I'm happy to see animals in a zoo setting instead of an office setting.

Of course, after years of listening to the staff in the East complain when we took a rare 'snow' day, it was amusing to see how quickly they dispersed when a heavy snow came down and closed the office (we discovered later that they took quite a few snow days but chose not to tell anyone in Texas).  We were about the last to leave the office and were quite frankly, more than a little nervous about driving back to the hotel.  LOL, once the driver realized there wasn't any ice under the snow, we sped up and drove without any problems.  And later, after some of the staff moved to Texas, we laughed again after they complained that we didn't know how to drive in snow then promptly went out and wrecked on the ice.  It's not the snow, it's the ice UNDER the snow that causes all the problems.

So you are wondering by now how the above pertains to my Texas cats?  It's just that I think of the funny weather stories when it snows here.  And it snowed all day on Sunday.  At first, it was melting quickly but eventually piled up.  The weather station says we got 4" but I guess the first two inches must have melted.  Sam watched the snow from his perch in the office.

I wanted to go out in the back to shake the snow off the oleander as it was completely leaning over.  It's such a pretty shrub all year long - even when it isn't flowering.

So the cats, who had pretty bad cases of cabin fever, dashed out the door.   Millie ran straight to the brick border before she even noticed the snow.  Then she promptly hopped right up on the border and began the longer than usual journey to the patio swing.  Millie had to step in the snow once or twice because of plants leaning over the border but she made it. 

Millie taking the driest route to the swing.

The swing was too exposed and cold so she went underneath the oleander and tried eating some snow and grass.  She always thinks she needs to graze on any grass that is higher than the rest. 

Sam eventually got on the border and started walking but at the first plant obstruction, he decided to turn around and just perform his monitoring duties.  He does that very well. 

Sam, the outdoor monitor

I forgot Millie's location when I started knocking off the snow from the oleander so she startled me when she went dashing through the snow to the patio and straight to the back door.  She was really leaping too - it was funny - ok, well I thought it was funny anyway.  Sam, who was monitoring the outdoor activities, decided Millie had the right idea and ran to the door too.  So I let them back in the warm and toasty and dry house.

What Happens When a Cat Ignores Warnings....

Now I must say, I warned Sam several times about his new cat bed and Millie.

It took a few tries and FINALLY Sam walked across his new bed once.  After that, this is as close as he would get to it.  And that took me about 20 minutes to get to this point (and only because he was getting tired).

Not only did Sam need to claim it as his, he needed to use his new bed.  And quickly.

But did he listen?  Nooooooo.  He did not.  And just look at what happened....
















Moral of the story:  Learn to Listen  (oh gee, I'm addressing this to a male cat so why bother?)


UPDATE 1/18/2010,  Sam's new cat bed was moved to the master bathroom window ledge - this is where Millie and Sam guard over the yard.  Millie has now permanently claimed the bed as hers.  Napping in the sun is a favorite for her. 

Just Try to Make US Make New Years Resolutions!!!!

Well, it is a new year and what a great new year this is going to be!

Now it is true that I don't make new years resolutions because you can set goals any time of the year.  But it is appropriate that the kitties should learn to follow tradition right?  Wrong.   They both have a short list of resolutions but IF they listened, I sure can't tell.

For example - Leaving our Wonderful Human more room in the bed.  Well that hasn't worked out for sure.  You have to be a contortionist to get out of bed without disturbing at least 1 cat.  And they sure don't want to move when they are sleeping - and I swear they get heavier when they are sleeping.  And they let you know it by yelling a lot.  Getting back in bed can be just as interesting.

Or how about - Stop Throwing Out Litter in the Pan.  Sam gets very energetic when he's covering up his stuff in the litter box.  Sometimes I wonder if he forgets he's just digging a small hole for poop and he doesn't have to dig all the way to China to do it!  He could, should he ever want, help me dig holes for plants in the back yard (and probably faster than me with a shovel)..... but I don't think I'll be holding my breath on that one.

I Won't Pester You for Dairy Goodies - Well, I'm not sure now why I even bother to put this on their list.  Millie loves yogurt, ice cream, milk and egg nog.  Sam loves milk, yogurt and ice cream.  I swear they hear me get the milk out of the fridge and magically appear in the kitchen.  Or like Millie, she just waits until I get sleepy and just sticks her head in the glass to get hers.  LOL,  It's really funny to watch but it's irritating that I have to plot to drink milk.  When ice cream or yogurt is involved, they sit in front of me and watch the spoon waiting for the moment at the end when it might appear in front of them for their dessert. 

Poor kitties... you might think they are spoiled but really..... they are not spoiled.

They wish you a Happy New Year.  Their real wishes for me?  Requests of love:  more food, litter, play time and undisturbed naps).

Now how did this get here????

What a way to end a year.  Nachos from Chuy's.  Nothing better in my book - Sam and Millie agree with me too!

Well, really, I was thinking about Christmas and wishing Kim could have stayed longer and brought Dave with her.  She's on the east coast and TexMex deprived most of the year so we always try to make sure she gets filled up with TexMex before she goes home.  I think she was full by the time she left.

And since I needed to stop by PetSmart (Millie & Sam got a gift card for Christmas) and Chuy's just happens to be right close - well just the next parking lot over - I might as well make good use of fuel and make stops along the way back home - right???  Well, I did it anyway.  Oh my.  Good.   Downed with a coke or two (refills don't count during the holidays just as calories don't count). ahhhhhhhhh

Merry Christmas Everyone

Christmas was fun for the cats.  They got to sleep, eat and nap in a quiet house all day.  They enjoyed their Christmas presents too and thank everyone for thinking about them!~

The only Christmas trees I put up anymore are the ones small enough to go somewhere where Sam or Millie can not jump up, play with nor destroy my glass ornaments.  So only 4 little trees were put up in safe places around the living & dining room and kitchen.  LOL.  They are so funny and curious when I bring out seasonal stuff.  Sam really doesn't like the snowman that is about 2.5 ft tall and lights up.  Normally he sits in front of the fireplace but I didn't bring him out this year.  I really miss not having Christmas at my house so there's not much reason to bring everything out.  

I got their new Beastie cat collars - they have some Christmas ones and some regular ones.  But I haven't put them on either of the cats yet.  Just in case you can't tell, the collar's on top belong to Millie.  Millie is doing fine even though Sam isn't wearing a bell right now.  She just watches and looks everywhere before she jumps on anything or goes prowling around the house.  Reminds me of a stalker but that's Sam's habit - he crouches down and you'd think he was in the trenches of dark mystery thriller about to grab the worst criminal in the world.

Yep - The Mouse with a bell on his tail IS on Millie's head!

Both Millie and Sam liked the little mice with bells on their tails they received for Christmas.  But Sam liked the fish better - I guess because they are larger and he can claw them better.  Millie likes to swat the mice around and sometimes I hold them up in the air so she can swat the mouse or try to catch the bell.  They are sooo funny to watch but I still think all play mice should be bright colors so I don't have heart failure when cleaning under the furniture and spot a mouse.  That is just NOT funny.

Sam with the Fish (to the right of his cheek)

They also got a gift card so I got a little nap bed for Sam.  He doesn't have one because he likes to sleep on the floor (or the couch or on my bed or in his cradle) but recently, he's been trying to get into one of Millie's beds (yes, she has multiples - 2 in the office and 1 in the bedroom - and yes again, she sleeps and plays on my bed too).  When I'm in the office, she uses the one under the desk by my feet.  So sweet.   Anyway, I keep trying to get Sam to get on his new bed..... well... so far there hasn't been much progress although he did walk across it once.  LOL.  He'd better get busy and claim it or Millie will have another napping spot!

Sam - that's the closest he gets to his new bed

Millie under the desk snoozing

Trying to Behave Before Christmas

Just look at these little angels!!  You would never expect them to behave badly....  HA!


Millie has her favorite mouse.  I find it all over the house as she doesn't put away her toys after she's finished playing with them.

Sam is just pretending to be the king of the house... quietly.

Now here's another side of Sam - he's trying to help me put up the snowflakes on the window over the front door.    He makes lots of noises once he's at the top of the ladder.  He thinks of the ladder as another Millie Watch perch.








Millie is helping in the kitchen.  She watches to make sure the dishwasher gets loaded and unloaded and that the sink is clean.  Sometimes she waits when I open the fridge door just in case I'm getting some milk.  If she's up on the counter, I have to be careful as she tries to put a paw through the back of the door.  I sure don't want to smash a paw.   Of course I have to wipe down the counters after she's been up there and I always assume she's been there since the last time.  Sometimes I leave treats up there to see if she sneaks up there when I'm not around.  She does.  One time when my brother was over, we looked and looked all over for her and I was worried she got out in the garage.... but my brother found her in her kitchen perch sunning her tummy.

It's a good thing they are mostly really good well behaved cats all year long.

Little Cat Pleasures

It was sooo nice sitting on the couch with both cats beside me as they purred and purred and eventually put me to sleep.  And then the door bell rang.  It was the UPS man delivering Mom's Christmas present (chair for her counter that doesn't swivel and make her lose her balance).  I brought it in and decided to unbox it because Sam loves to play with boxes.

Mom's present was assembled with care - even though neither of the cats volunteered to help.  I'm assembling while Sam was investigating or napping in the box the rest of the evening.  I decided not to remove the box to the garage until the next day since Sam was having so much fun with the box and I knew Millie would play with it some as well. 

 Once the assembly was complete, Sam jumped up on the chair to claim it as his new throne - I didn't even try to tell him it wasn't staying at our house.  He used it off and on for the next few days as it enabled him to spy on Millie (as if he needed any extra help!)





So what did I find in the morning?  Styrofoam scattered all over the living room!  Now you ask, where did that come from?  Well, I forgot that Millie loves styrofoam and loves to tear it to shreds.  I heard her in the middle of the night but I thought the racket was from playing with the catnip rope thingy that hangs on one of the doors - she loves to play with that and wake me up.  So, yes, it was my own fault.  And boy is that stuff hard to clean up.  Later I even found a piece on the bed! It was on Sam's spot on my bed (yes he sleeps by me on the right side and Millie claims the whole left side of the bed) so now I'm beginning to wonder if Millie had some help or if Sam just 'happened' to walk by the mess and it clung to him.....hmmmmm.

  This doesn't show the big piece she drug out of the box and destroyed in the living room. She's not in the picture because she's like the stealth bomber - comes in quickly, unseen until it is too late - the damage is done.








Moral of the story:  Remove all styrofoam from the house IMMEDIATELY!  No matter how tired you are.... remove it!

The Tale of the Missing Early Warning Alert System

Millie has an early warning alert system that lets her know that Sam is nearby.  Sam's collar has a bell, his city tag, his Operation Kindness tag and his pet chip tag.  Altogether, they make a nice jingle but it does get kinda confusing around Christmas with so many other jingles!

Sam's collar was removed the other day as he was laying beside me and I realized his collar was getting too tight (for me not for him).  He wears a very masculine leather collar to match his personality - with a household of girls, he deserves a tiny bit of masculinity don't you think?

At any rate, I didn't want it to become so tight that it left a ring around his neck.  Millie's collar had been so tight that when I got her, she had some sore spots that were still healing from when the shelter got her.  They both love it when that area under a collar or where the collar is supposed to be is rubbed - it's like catnip!  Lots of purring.

So now Sam is collarless AND Millie's early warning alert system is gone.  She can't hear his bell to warn her when he's trying to sneak up on her.   When she's on my bed, she can just watch for his tail like she always has.  But anywhere else - well - that's another story.  Of course she can hear him under the bed as he loves to play with the occasional hanging thread (so how do those appear out of nowhere?) or play with the sideboards or just play when I spot him hiding under the bed and tickle him.   And yes, I listen for him as well.

They've done well since the early warning alert system is gone so I guess I really didn't need to get up out of bed and order him a new collar.  It has been funny to watch Millie come into the room and double and triple check all hiding places before she moves on.   It's really entertaining to see Millie on 1 side of the couch and Sam on the other side both trying to determine what the other is about to do - otherwise, how else would you know where to pounce?

He's not getting another leather collar - they are really too stiff and I was getting a dog collar anyway (BUT DON"T tell him that!).  Sam doesn't like collars except to chew on them so that's why I switched to leather collars - otherwise, he was getting a new collar every few months. Stretchy stuff is too easy to stretch and chew. Hmmm, I wonder if that's really why they make cat collars stretchy - so you have to replace them all the time?  At any rate, removing and putting on a new collar take way too much energy and stress .... for me.

Sam and Millie don't go outside this time of year as I fear the pollen and mold and other stuff they will bring back with them into the house.

And lastly, but not leastly, they are both chipped.  But not through the same place, I think that is ridiculous and I didn't realize there were so many pet chipping companies that can't use the same equipment to read the chips.  But that's another tale for another day.

Christmas Picture Fun

It's that time of year!  Oh yes it is!  Christmas photos!!

First, the disclaimer:  no cats are injured or harmed in any way - usually it's me that gets a scratch or two.

Millie was great this year.  The first attempt was using a scarf with mittens but it was really too small  and that really wouldn't work well as Millie wouldn't have been able to show off her feminine side anyway.  She just sits sooo nice and calm (for a change) and lets me exchange the rugged scarf with mittens for something with more bling.  That's my girl!

Now for Sam.  I got a weeks worth of exercise in 10-15 minutes and I still don't have a decent picture.  Well, I do have lots of pictures of tails and blurry features while he tries to get to the bell on his Santa hat.  Then he jumps down and wriggles and wiggles all over the place.  I'll have to try to the Christmas collar after my rest.  If you look close enough, you'll see Millie watching Sam be silly... I heard a snicker or 2 from her.