Who’s REALLY in charge here…?

First she wants out…

then…she wants in.
The food dish was replenished before the first turn of the door, but now two or three kernals must be added just to be sure.  Answering the ringing phone has triggered a sudden need for belly rubs, ears scratched and fur fluffed.  
All in all, the life’s lesson learned here
is 
to come back as [...]

The Chipmunks

The famous singing Chipmunks of “Witch Doctor” fame have their namesake cousins living in my backyard.  Alvin, Simon and Theodore are running around, ducking into cavities, munching on the apples dropping from the patio apple tree and dashing across the side yard to the safety of their various home bases, be it the niche in the fast crumbling wall [...]

Cat IQ Test

Our beloved Oriental Shorthair, Lily was a once-in-a-lifetime-cat.  Loving, loyal and too smart for her own good, she was determined, never giving up on anything she wanted to accomplish.  A few people could take a lesson from her, but I digress.  Ultimately she outsmarted us more times than her nine lives.  Here is a perfect example:  The top [...]

Cat Idiosyncracies

Spellling idiosyncrasies correctly on the first try is a victory over those other moments when one can’t remember the name of one’s hairdresser.  It is more than a meow-ful.  Anyhow, to the point.
Barbie LaMew has a penchant for being part of phone conversations.  She can be sound asleep, twitching as she watches a bunny in her dreams, but the [...]

Growth Spurts

  

When my daughter was a toddler, she loved French Toast for breakfast.  Part of that is probably because I love French Toast, too and the toast usually doesn’t usually fall far from the griddle (couldn’t resist).  Anyway, I could always tell when she was in a growth spurt because one piece wasn’t enough.  Every few months she would ask for a [...]

Fussy Robins

For the past two days, the robins in front of the house have been fussing to the point that it has become downright distracting.  Robins have a sharp chirp when danger or a perceived threat is in range of their nests.  Typically when I hear that chirp it means the cat has walked around to [...]

Baby Rabbits vs New Landscaping

Every morning, Barbie LaMew sits in front of the French door, peeking out the lowest glass pane into the front yard.  Her tail is twitching furiously, a sure sign that something of interest (to her) is out there, out of reach.
Curious to see what was on “Cat TV” every morning, I joined her, peeking out my [...]

Pet Names

Pet names like people names can run the gamut.  Any motive can apply–from fun or noble to functional to downright outrageous.  Even “What in the world were they thinking?”  (Remember Moon Unit?)
Many pets have come and unfortunately gone in my life.  As a child, among the more memorable ones were Flossie and Pluto, the mother and son beagles.  One [...]

Barbie Fur

Spring brings lighter coats for all of us, including our four-legged buddies.  Despite sleeping an average of 18 hours per day, Barbie LeMew has apparently been very active in her waking hours.  There is Barbie Fur everywhere.  One would think brushing her coat once a day would be sufficient, but that plan of attack is obviously flawed. 
I [...]

The Great White Hunter

Our much beloved cat, Lily, was famous for her distinctive personality and antics.  An Oriental Short Hair, she was a very pale tan color with tortoise markings.  Too smart for her own good, she was a constant source of love, amusement and occasional consternation.  Case in point:  the chipmunk. 
Lily was a fantastic hunter–hence the nickname.  There wasn’t a [...]