Photo Extra: A Cat A Day

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer (even they call it the PI) has valet on the street cat photos coming out the ears. Their cheap-to-post content, our Photo Extra to end the year.

To protect and hunt

On the other side of the country from the New York deli cats, the Los Angeles police department is bringing in unadoptable feral cats to clean up stations with rodent problems.

Photo Friday: The Real Kitty, Warmed

Though we posted a picture of Billy on the kitten warmer before, that one was a little misleading. It showed an alert, eager Billy. A few minutes later, he looked more like this.

Cozy Kitten

One small feature of the Kitten Farm West is a fireplace in the living room. Mostly we use the room for the television on the mantle, but the fireplace is a nice touch once in a while. It's especially nice because as a glass fronted gas fireplace, it's cat safe unless someone takes a nap leaning against the screen and does a slow roast.

Whitey was curled up in between the coffee table and the fireplace yesterday evening when I sat down to relax after flipping on the fireplace. I stayed around for an hour and watched some TV with the fireplace still going. When the program was over, I looked down at Whitey and realized he had recalibrated for a warmer climate, as per our cat thermometer diagram.

No pictures alas, as I woke up him up calling for the camera, but he enjoyed his evening.

Famous Photo Extra: Mountain Cats

The retirement of the current resident feline at Mount Washington Observatory gave the Boston Globe an excuse to showcase the current and former felines of the peak.

Holiday Photo Extra: Ready for presents?

Whitey says humans sleep much too late. He's been ready to open presents for hours. Meow!

Holiday Photo Extra: Santa Paws?

Billy says he's been very good this year. (He was, too. He even held still for the slow flash-free photo.) Are there kitty treats for his stocking?

Photo Weekend: Shhhhh

Whitey is napping.



Although actually you don't have to be that quiet. He's been known to sleep through Sarajevo (Bandwidth warning: video link.). And he didn't even flinch when the shutter clicked a few inches from his head.

Photo Extra: Mighty Hunters of New York City

From the NY Times, comes tales of how mighty hunters earn their keep in the delis of the city, much to the dismay of the health inspectors.

Impending tubbinesss

Both boys are a bit heavier than we would prefer. Billy comes in at 13 lbs 14.5 oz, Whitey at 14 lbs 3 oz. If the trend continues, it may be time to cut their food a bit.

And Then There was One ...

One Litter box, that is.

With low usage of the upstairs litter box (in part because we kept moving it between bathrooms), it was retired Sunday evening. Now the boys just have a litter box in the laundry room.

Which they seem to miss every other day. *sigh*

Hot (News) Flash

Whitey finally found the Big Black Kitty Warmer.

... and then promptly abandoned it.

*sigh*

Warmer Glitch

I've discovered a problem with Billly and the Big Black Kitty Warmer. Whitey used to always face out, leaving at most his paws hanging over the front. Whether because it's not in a corner anymore or it's simply Billy vs Whitey, Billy will sometimes hang his furry back over the front edge.

This can block the IR remote receiver, making volume adjustments problematic. But if it keeps Catzilla warm ...

It's Beginning to Look A Lot like Christmas

With the Kitten Farm West, we have both ~ 75% more space and a room (the library) that has a latching door that the boys can be locked out of without seriously disrupting them or us.

So this year, we're taking plunge and getting a Christmas tree for the first time since they came to run the place. A full sized artificial tree (a first for either of us), so the boys don't poison themselves with the tree water or needles, prewired with lights to reduce the dangling wires which can be attacked,and all plastic bulbs which are shatter resistant.

And of course, we have the library door in case they try mangle it anyway.

Photo Friday: Whitey's Happy Place

This was taken before Whitey's trip to the vet on Wednesday, but it could have been taken after as well. He seems to remember that the carrier brought him home from the evil vet, but forgets that it also took him there in the first place.

He looks so alert because there are birds outside the window to the right of the photo. Oh boy!

Whitey's not so excellent adventure

Whitey spent the whole day at the vet yesterday, waiting for his kidneys to produce enough urine for a useful sample. Once they finally did, it turned out that he has no active infection and no crystals in his urine. Yay!

Thus, his on-again off-again litterbox troubles are attributed to interstitial cystitis, a recurring bladder inflammation. He's been given anti-anxiety medicine, and we've been given instructions to call the vet in a month and keep a log of how he feels.

Where's Whitey?

Whitey who continues to have comfortable days and not so comfortable days, needs to go to the veterinarian today for a follow-up visit on his bladder. A half-hour before she needed to leave with him, Katherine began searching for the Spider-cat. She searched high, she searched low, but she found no Spider-cat.

As panic began to set in, she searched one final location, and found him: lounging in a cat carrier with the door open. The door was closed and kitty treats were rewarded.

Update: Katherine is back without Whitey. They had to keep him until he can give them a urine sample. So much for lounging around the house today, poor Whitey.