Crazy Cat Lady

Ok, I am just going to be the crazy cat lady you all know I am, and post all my cat pictures in one post. Fritz is the orange tabby, Marsh is the gray tabby.

 

Pictures from Christmas Season 2012

This last Christmas was a wonderful one. I had planned ahead, so all the shopping was done way ahead of time removing most of my holiday stress. A visit to the temple on the 11th was also a good way to start the holiday.

We were able to pick up the perfect tree at the lot on the corner from us at a good price, bring it home and decorate it and the house all in one evening. I think this is the cat's favorite time of year!

This year, since I was somehow ahead on my holiday to-do list, I decided to try stringing cranberries, something I have wanted to do since I was a kid. (BUCKET LIST!)

Of course I had some furry help with this project.

Each year I try to work on my photography skills and take a picture of J and I for our Christmas cards. I thought it would be neat to take one in front of our tree this year. It was also nice and cozy inside, and last year I drug J out in the cold for our picture. Problem was, the lighting stunk, the angle made the tree look small, and the cats kept getting in the way. I quickly realized it was not going to work so we took one last silly one and gave up the idea.

You can still see Marsh's tail in front of J's arm.

J was a good sport and said he would go with me over to the park and let me mess with my camera. It was actually a pretty nice day, and I got a few good shots.

These Little Things Happen

Random pictures from September and October.

Beginning of September I noticed some mold coming through our wall. I notified the apartment maintenance. It took them several days before they came to look at it and a week before they figured out that it was coming from. Another week to dry it out and fix the faucet on the outside wall, and another to put the wall back together. Between the smell, the cat having an allergic reaction and scratching himself bloody, the displaced furniture, and the constant disruption of our schedule by maintenance people, I was real glad when the whole ordeal was over.

Do you think we live near an airport? This day the contrails were not dissipating very fast. 

My little freckle lipped cat. 

Fritz was finally getting the hair back on his face. 

When he falls asleep sometimes his tongue falls out a little. It always makes me laugh.

Pictures

As the weather gets better I have had my camera out more. 

The cats like to supervise, so I end up taking pictures of them too.

The Stray Cat Adventures

We have had one stray after another hanging around our back door since we moved here. Some of them have been sweet and fun while others have been feral and bad off. The way people just abandon their animals really bothers me. Today I had to take another sick cat to the shelter. Our city has a wonderful no-kill program, the same one we got our cats from.

The sweet little fellow that has been on my patio every morning.

In the picture you cant see how bloody he is, or tell that he has a respiratory infection and is having problems breathing, but you can tell how sweet he is. I hope he gets a good home.
So here is today's story. 10am sharp, as always he is curled up on my back door mat. I put on two heavy sweatshirts and my leather gloves, just in case he goes crazy. I never tried picking him up before. I go out and pet him and the sweet thing is all too happy to have me pick him up and take him inside. Little did he know he was headed to the bathroom where I closed the door and put him in a bin. I don't want to put him in the same carrier I use for my cats because he is sick and who knows what all he has, so I decided to try an empty storage bin. He pushed the lid right off so I taped it down and loaded him in the back seat of the car. The shelter is only about 1.5 miles away, and it is a good thing. Half way there (fortunately it happened while we were at a red light) he managed to get out of the bin and ran across the dashboard and hunkered down between the windshield and the steering wheel. I couldn't see a thing so I tried to move him. He latched on to the steering wheel and would NOT let go. I can't imagine what all the people in the cars around me were thinking. It took me a full 15 seconds (felt like a long time!) to get him off. He ran around and pushed his way between my drivers seat and the door. Fearing he was headed for the dash again I stopped him with my arm and he was quite happy to be snug between my side and the door. He stayed safely there 'till we got to the shelter. But then I had a new problem. How was I going to get him inside??? I couldn't even get out of the car to go get help. I was still nervous about handling a very stressed stray armed with a full set of claws. I felt I had been lucky to not get scratched or bit. I sweet-talked him into moving to my lap where I was able to get one of my sweatshirts off and wrap it around him. He seamed pretty happy just being securely bundled up, so I made a dash for it. The place was empty except for the lady behind the counter. I told her I had a stray, and all she asked was what it was. When I said, "cat!" and that I didn't know how long he was going to stay calm, she made a run for a crate. He went in fine, and all I had to do was give her my name, the address where I found him, and sign something saying he wasn't mine, all was done.

On my drive home I as wondering, why is it that these cats always end up at my door? At first I wondered if they keep coming to me because they have spread the word and all know I will take pity on them. Then I realized that perhaps it is not that complex. Along with having two cats constantly sitting in the windows, I think I have the cat version of a billboard for strays.

Catnip and bird feeder.