(or maybe my cat has a human head.)

Insert food here please!

I ran across this lovely photo on Chiot’s Run’s flickr page. I think that Autumn harvests and cats simply belong together, besides Halloween is tomorrow and I cannot resist the prowling black cat! Make sure to check out her wonderful blog (where you will find more black cat and apple harvest goodness.)

Oooooooo a moth! Gimme, gimme, gimme!

(Please ignore my gangsta talk, don’t know what go into me this morning… If anything Aos would be more likely to channel the voice of a prepubescent zitty gamer then someone from the hood.)

I don’t think Aos is ever going to move off that new shelf…

I lost Aos yesterday and as there is a new hole in the screen I thought he had escaped. However the words of my friend Andrea came to me at the right time while I stood in the living room, “Look up!” Tall people always seem to be telling us short people that… Damned if they aren’t usually right too.

In a remotely related note, that apple tree on the shelf is my Autumn Equinox gift for Damian (when we go apple picking.) We will see how old Damian has to get before that “hiding place” stops working.

At least he thinks he is one…

I wonder what he is thinking?

Some of you may have seen this on my facebook the other day but for those who haven’t… This is Aos’ latest sleep spot.

One of the exceedingly abundant black and white cats in our neighborhood.

It has been 10 days since Windigo went missing and despite our continuing best efforts, he has not yet been found. I am starting to lose hope, though I am far from giving up. I have dreamed of him every night.

Aos has lost a little weight and he wanders around meowing and looking out the windows several times a day. He has never been a very cuddly cat but since Windigo disappeared he has spent every night on our bed. I am giving him extra attention, but I can tell he is lonely. I have also spent some time outside with him on his leash, should he get out I want him to know the area so he can come home. He also is going to get microchipped and his outdoor cat vaccines.

This was taken in June 2005, it is one of the first pictures I took after we adopted Aos and Windigo. I really miss him.

Windigo is missing. I haven’t seen him since yesterday afternoon. Michael found a cat sized hole in the insulation in the basement with cat hair around it. It might go all the way outside, I feel cold air coming through it. Aos is still here (he is a scardy cat with very little sense of adventure) and very stressed out of her brother’s disappearance.

I know it is probably standard to tell someone not to worry (or worse, he is just a cat so don’t worry) but it is driving me nuts. I will worry, but I am trying to be hopefully, which is proving difficult. Windigo has ALWAYS come when I call, in that sense he is more like a dog then a cat. That he is not coming means he is out of hearing range, which worries me even more. It was also really cold and rainy last night. He is an indoor cat and doesn’t know this neighborhood, which has a lot of dogs that seem to just wander out of their yards when they feel like it.

No matter how silly some people think it is, our animals are our babies (our “furbabies” in fact) and to not know where one is is both depressing and heart-breaking. He is not just a pet, he is not a possession, he is not a toy, he IS part of our family, and he is missing.

I wish he would come home…

Edit: For some icing on this stress cake, our van battery was dead this morning since we accidentally left the dome light on yesterday trying to figure out why the blinkers don’t work.

Your shadow puppet cannot hurt me and you are ridiculous.

The cats like to hang out on the changing table, one of the few places downstairs that us mostly safe from the grip of Damian.

Hello, I am Aos, and I approve of presents with ribbon.
Lots of ribbon.

Because a few people have asked recently. Michael and I adopted Windigo and Aos at the same time, they are brothers. They both had really bad upper respiratory infections, so bad that the shelter told us if they died in 2 weeks they would replace them for free or refund us. They survived with lots of pampering of course, but both get reoccurring viral eye infections, hence why they always seem to have runny eyes. It is worse in winter.

They don’t seem to notice too much, every once and awhile it gets particularly bad and mucus seals one of their eyes shut. They have gotten very tolerant of me cleaning their “gookies” away with a warm washcloth (Windigo more tolerant the Aos as it is worse in him.)

Aos doesn’t know what to think of the change of scenery.

(Over on Confessions of a Pagan Soccer Mom, she is having a give away if you come up with the best caption for the photo of Tanner!)

Neither cats are being terribly photogenic lately, this tickles the sophomorish part of my sense of humor though…

For the curious, Windigo has always had the kink in his tail. Supposable it is not an uncommon birth defect in Siamese, which he is part according to the vet.

…is happy.

It has been a very quiet morning. One where the overcast skies hide the sunrise. Damian fell asleep on my lap so I sat watching the silhouettes of the trees emerge from the darkness and the sky turn from black to pale gray. Snow has drifted down occasionally, almost like Winter is too lazy this morning to make a show of it. The cats are in their Winter burrowing mood, they disapprove of the cold. So does my rubber tree, it is sitting on our altar with my aloe. They are wondering where the sun went.

In February I will be sick of Winter but at the moment I am enjoying the change of season. I have be listening to the all Christmas music radio station today, I’ll admit it, I really love carols. Now that Damian is awake I’ve been sorting through Yule decorations, How is it that the lights always get tangled no matter how carefully I pack them? Damian is desperately trying to… help… me untangle them. This crawling thing is giving baby and mommy lots of exercise. My mother and grandma sent some little gifts for Damian, they are under the tree, even thought I know there are books in them, I still want to poke at them like a little kid. Must Resist.

My blender died the other day, it was a cheap one so I am honestly surprised it lasted as long as it did (four years) but all the soups and smoothies and flaxseed and fruit puree and spice mixes have finally taken their toll. It started spinning slower the other day and finally seized up and started smelling like burning rubber. As far as amusing sentiments go, I miss my blender, I used it almost every other day. No pumpkin smoothie for me today. A new one will have to wait, no way I am hitting the store today.

Speaking of food… We had a really wonderful Thanksgiving dinner with at Andrea and Pete’s yesterday. We played Scrabble, which might not seem overly exciting, but then you don’t know Andrea’s family, it was a blast. Michael and I came in last but we still feel insanely proud, I think that was one of the best games we ever had point-wise.

When Michael gets home today, he will be on vacation for a week. We don’t plan on doing much, but the time off will be nice. Last time he had a couple weeks off, it was when Damian was born. This week will probably be a little less hectic then that.

Hello!

Just a short video (I think I am starting to get the knack of uploading these.)
This squirrel has been visiting to harass the cats for a few days.

Ya, I know, you haven’t seen human-free Feline Fridays in awhile but this one was just too cute for me to pass up.

I am not sure if Windigo likes Damian so much because he is soft and moves just enough to be nice to rub against or if he actually likes Damian just because! Damian loves it though. I will have to get a video sometime.

Cleaning him or tastes like chicken?

Damian is on my breastfeeding pillow in my lap here, which is where he likes to nap when I am on the computer. Windigo decided he was all for a quick nap there too, though right after Michael snapped the picture he decided it was a little too crowded for him.

By the way, I am going to start linking most my photos (except for the photoblog) to 1024×768 copies of them for family. Just click the photo for the bigger version.

~~~

Oh! And there is a new Simon’s Cat video on YouTube:

Windigo is definitely competing for cutest pose in this shot…

His eye infection is mostly cleared up by the way. The anti-viral cream, which actually turned out to be a dietary supplement, works well. We have to keep it up though or it comes back within a couple days.

I don’t care how they flavor any cat medication by the way, my cats will never ever lick it off my finger. Does anyone’s cat take medication willingly?

Several people have asked me how the cats are dealing with the baby. They have adapted well.

Windigo was our main worry but after the initial sulking he has warmed up to Damian and even tries to cuddle occasionally. (Though he might be trying to cuddle with me as he only does it when I am holding the baby.)

As for Aos, as long as he has food, water and a clean litter box he really doesn’t care about much, or rather, pretends he doesn’t care…

(Both photos were taken on June 8th.)

Let’s see, in the past three and a half weeks I’ve given birth, got a bladder infection (remember to stay hydrated people!), the van has broken down, Damian and I have gotten thrush and now Windigo has an eye infection, it looks like Aos is getting it too.

Seriously, is financial stress part of parenthood? Why does everything seem to go expensively wrong at the same time.

The gas pump died on our van a week ago and apparently a former owner replaced the fuel line with normal hose so it has to be replaced too (since it was leaking.) $700 for that. We broke down in a parking lot on our way to my two week midwife appointment, that was fun in the blistering heat. Our friend Shannon came and picked up Damian and I though (bless her) while Michael waited for the tow truck.

Damian and I have thrush at the moment (it is basically a yeast infection in his mouth that got transfered to my breasts.) I get chronic yeast infections so it is not too surprising but it is certainly not making the nursing experience pleasant. We are treating it though and it is starting to improve. I feel guilty for giving it to him, though I know it is really not my fault. though I could cut more sugars out of my diet (which hasn’t been the best this past few weeks…) I had forgotten till now how much my physical and mental self suffers when I do not control my diet better. It is more stressful emotionally then financially. It is making Damian’s bowel movements irregular, it is hard to see him struggle. I have been wearing him in the sling most of the day so that he feels secure, it seems to be helping.

I called the vet today and explained that we really couldn’t afford to bring the cats in but that I know what is wrong with them (they get this thing about once a year, it is a reoccurring herpes eye infection. They get it when they get stressed.) I said we would bring them in if we had to though, they are part of our family after all. Luckily the vet was really understanding and though he can’t give us the antibiotic without seeing them, he can give us an anti-viral gel. Michael is picking it up after work. We have never used this treatment on them so fingers crossed that it works.

Does anyone else has this problem with any of their animals? Is there anything preventative you do for it (other then trying to keep them low stress?)

The +90F heat isn’t helping any of this. We don’t have screens so we can’t open the windows to get a breeze going (we only have AC in one room) the cats would get out if I opened them as is. I called the landlady about it today and tried to be as polite as possible. She was also understanding (I am thankful for all these small miracles) and is going to see what she can do about it.

I am wondering what will happen next and how we will get through it. I know we will, we always do, and if anything this makes Michael and my relationship stronger because it shows us how much we need each others support. I am quite an optomistic person but this is even dragging me down I guess.

This will probably be amusing to some, but when I am feeling down I love listening to Walking in Memphis to calm my mind. It is such a beautiful song. Marc Cohn has such and amazing voice. Music is a force more powerful then the darkest mood in my life.

This is a little kitten my in-laws had at their home on Memorial Day, she is about 4 weeks old. Her stray mother more or less abandoned her on their porch. I think it took every ounce of me that isn’t completely governed by maternal instinct not to bring her home…

Aos laying on one of our Ron Paul political signs.

I totally adore this rocking chair, it is one of the most comfortable pieces of furniture I have ever sat in. I hope the baby likes being in it too. I try to keep the cats off the nursery furniture but I am lenient about the chair (as long as I don’t want to sit in it.) My Aunt Vickie crocheted the beautiful rainbow baby blanket draped over it.

Who can resist sparkley kitty eyes filled with love?

(That is a statue of Hephaestus on the altar by the way.)

Windigo: Okay, she’s asleep! Now go get the shaving cream…

My kitties are being a little uncooperative regarding the camera this week, so I thought I would post a couple videos a friend sent me with Simon’s cat. They are hilarious!

There’s a cat who leads a life of danger
To everyone he meets he stays a stranger
(unless they have gooshy food…)
With every move he makes another chance he takes
Odds are he won’t live to see tomorrow
(though he does have nine lives…)

Secret agent cat, secret agent cat…

(From Two Lumps which eternally reminds me of Windigo and Aos…)

A question for cat connoisseurs…

Windigo is obsessive about cleaning not just his own fur, but also Aos’s. He will clean himself and Aos to the point of throwing up some pretty scary solid hairballs. Some of you might remember last year he got a bowel obstruction (which was passed after a couple days at the vet) it turned out to be a hair blockage of his own making.

Now the weather is warming again and he is starting the obsessive licking cycle again, the hairballs are also just beginning to start again. I brush him, but honestly no hair comes off with the cat brush. Is he pulling his fur out? He doesn’t seem to be going bald anywhere, maybe his tongue is more efficient then my brush. I use a natural hairball formula which seems to work okay when he gets it once or twice a day.

Has anyone else experience this problem with one of their cats? Could I be doing anything else? I really do not want this to turn into another $500 vet bill.

Someone I know at work sugguested that I get some cat grass from Petco, she said it would aid their digestion. Do you think it would help? Windigo and Aos are indoor cats, so they don’t any roughage from the great outdoors. (I am not against letting cats outdoors by the way, we just happen to live 20 feet from 29th Avenue which is a main road in Spokane.) Aos doesn’t get the hairballs Windigo does, however that is probably because he lets Windigo clean him instead of doing it himself…

while mom’s (and dad) away.

I went to my prenatal appointment with Michael today and forgot to shut my laptop. When I came home it appeared the kitties had been typing. If you look close enough at what it says, it appears they were looking up porno…

I am amused.

This is my sister-in-law with one of her cats, Calico, at Michael’s family Thanksgiving gathering yesterday.
I know I said I probably would pass on posting today but I have a surprising amount of energy.