A police officer got a free feline upgrade on a call to handle an annoying big cat, because it turned out to be a Big Cat.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Friday, September 26, 2008
No Mouser, No Problem
Poor Billy.
Whitey has reverted to using Billy as his favorite self-propelled cat toy. I swear that there have been hot pursuits around the upstairs several days in a row now.
Zoom!
Whitey has reverted to using Billy as his favorite self-propelled cat toy. I swear that there have been hot pursuits around the upstairs several days in a row now.
Zoom!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
A New Name, a New Happiness
From The Gray Mouser's new valet ...
Mouser (now known as Kageneko, for shadow cat in Japanese) seems quite content. He is now king of the upstairs (downstairs is still a future adventure).
That sounds like our mellow friend for sure.
S.W.A.T. Cat
During The Gray Mouser's tenure, he normally ate in the Library (aka His Suite), with the door closed to prevent any prowling Catzillas from stressing him. However, closed interior doors in this house (especially with food smells behind them) generate their own demand, and reopening them can generate a feline stampede to equal Filene's Basement Running of the Brides.
With the Mouser gone, we left the library open continuously until this morning, when I closed it for an hour (in part to check smells from the heating system, newly launched for fall). Katherine and I then checked the room before breakfast, and gave it a clean bill of health. As we were leaving we agreed the boys could go back in, and as we opened the door ...
... and lo and behold Whitey was in a crouch waiting for the door open. We stepped aside, and he leaped through the door like a S.W.A.T. team. His bound landed him in the middle of the floor, and he immediately checked left and right to locate The Gray Mouser.
Whitey looked downright confused when he realized his cat toy was missing, poor kid.
He'll get over it.
With the Mouser gone, we left the library open continuously until this morning, when I closed it for an hour (in part to check smells from the heating system, newly launched for fall). Katherine and I then checked the room before breakfast, and gave it a clean bill of health. As we were leaving we agreed the boys could go back in, and as we opened the door ...
... and lo and behold Whitey was in a crouch waiting for the door open. We stepped aside, and he leaped through the door like a S.W.A.T. team. His bound landed him in the middle of the floor, and he immediately checked left and right to locate The Gray Mouser.
Whitey looked downright confused when he realized his cat toy was missing, poor kid.
He'll get over it.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Once more, With Purring
Last night I got a short update from one of The Gray Mouser's new valets.
The Gray Mouser is calmly camping out under their bed, but he doesn't seem stressed. He certainly hasn't minded when the valets come by (down?) and pet him, and he's already come out to be cuddly at least once.
All that sounds much like how he was when he moved into the Kitten Farm, so I assume he'll be fine, and slowly will work his way into the new household (more than here, where the Catzilla brothers crimped his laidback style.)
Meanwhile, the Catzilla brothers are acting like they own the Kitten Farm, which, come to think of it, was how they acted with the The Gray Mouser here. But now they are exercising even more control now, for example snuggling Katherine even closer overnight.
Life seems good all around.
The Gray Mouser is calmly camping out under their bed, but he doesn't seem stressed. He certainly hasn't minded when the valets come by (down?) and pet him, and he's already come out to be cuddly at least once.
All that sounds much like how he was when he moved into the Kitten Farm, so I assume he'll be fine, and slowly will work his way into the new household (more than here, where the Catzilla brothers crimped his laidback style.)
Meanwhile, the Catzilla brothers are acting like they own the Kitten Farm, which, come to think of it, was how they acted with the The Gray Mouser here. But now they are exercising even more control now, for example snuggling Katherine even closer overnight.
Life seems good all around.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Found Cat
The Gray Mouser moved in with his permanent valets this morning. Thus ends a major part of his story which started when we first heard him meowing outside almost exactly four months ago.
It appears that we (I and his new valets) scared him when it was time to go. He hid under the bed, and we finally gently nudged him out with a broom. He wasn't that scared though, or he didn't know that his claws could hold him firmly in place on a wall-to-wall carpet no matter what a human did. Anyway, we pried him out, and he went stoically in the carrier. But no purring (from a cat that will purr for any trivial reason at all), so he wasn't very happy.
We expect he'll be fine.
It appears that we (I and his new valets) scared him when it was time to go. He hid under the bed, and we finally gently nudged him out with a broom. He wasn't that scared though, or he didn't know that his claws could hold him firmly in place on a wall-to-wall carpet no matter what a human did. Anyway, we pried him out, and he went stoically in the carrier. But no purring (from a cat that will purr for any trivial reason at all), so he wasn't very happy.
We expect he'll be fine.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
The Long (but not Sad) Goodbye
Yesterday, I posted a link to the The Grey Mouser's help wanted ad in the previous post to a mailing list at work. A co-worker asked to meet him, and this evening she and her husband came over for the interview.
To make a long story short, The Grey Mouser will be moving in with his new valets this weekend. We have the remaining few days of this week to say goodbye.
At least he'll be moving via the MINI Cooper S of his new valets. One does have standards to maintain.
I am a little sad, but every time we see Whitey get the Mouser-as-cat-toy look in his eye, we know it's for the best.
To make a long story short, The Grey Mouser will be moving in with his new valets this weekend. We have the remaining few days of this week to say goodbye.
At least he'll be moving via the MINI Cooper S of his new valets. One does have standards to maintain.
I am a little sad, but every time we see Whitey get the Mouser-as-cat-toy look in his eye, we know it's for the best.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Photo Friday: A Place to Call His Own
The Grey Mouser needs a new home in the Seattle area.
While we've decided that The Grey Mouser can peacefully co-exist with the Catzilla brothers, we think he should join a household in which he can be the sole feline lord and master. Then, he can relax and be the incredibly social and lovable cat he is, rather than spending a portion of each day assuming defensive positions in and under our library furniture to avoid the boys' attempts to play with him.
Click on the thumbnails for larger photos.
Various succinct details:
Updated: He has a new set of valets! See the follow up post.
While we've decided that The Grey Mouser can peacefully co-exist with the Catzilla brothers, we think he should join a household in which he can be the sole feline lord and master. Then, he can relax and be the incredibly social and lovable cat he is, rather than spending a portion of each day assuming defensive positions in and under our library furniture to avoid the boys' attempts to play with him.
Click on the thumbnails for larger photos.
Various succinct details:
- He is a neutered male weighing ~ 9 pounds, and is about two years old.
- He likes most people with almost no introduction needed, and is quite mellow.
- We found him camped out under our patio table in May 2008.
- He is an indoor cat. He hated the aforementioned camping out.
- He has a clean bill of health, current shots, and has been microchipped by us.
- He can do without other cats, especially those that would bully him. We don't picture him as a dog lover, either.
- He's a long hair in the best and worst of ways -- his long silky fur is wonderful to stroke, but does need regular brushing.
- He can be vocal, chirping or sadly meowing, when he's hungry or lonely.
- He is infinitely pettable (he never gets bored).
- He likes to sleep on the bed near his human(s).
Updated: He has a new set of valets! See the follow up post.
