Shadow Kitty Looking for a Home

Shadow is four months old now.

Doesn't he have the most beautiful face?

Shadow has long hair in his ears like a lynx. 

Can you believe the length of them?

Shadow has the most unusual looking tail.

It's white on the underside and fluffier than the rest of him.

Quite distinguished. Don't you think?

Shadow is quite the mellow personality.

I caught this picture of him yawning.

It's a little fuzzy, but I thought it was cute.

Isn't he adorable?

Shadow has a brother whose pic I will post later. It would like for them to be adopted together. 

Pinky Kitten

 This is Pinky

Isn't he a cutie?

Pinky resembles a kitty I once had as a child. See his little brother hiding beneath him?

Pinky is about 9 weeks old in these pictures

Pinky has the most unusual eyes.

Cats Home Alone!

Leaving us home alone to fend for ourselves, some would say is unconscionable. But, we were not entirely alone as Neighbor Girl and the Monk came to visit for a while each day.

Yes, that meant we didn't get to see Mom, but that was fine with me as she had taken my new little princess with her, the one that Spyder is calling Sissy. I have not deigned to give her a proper name, yet. Unkind of me? No, it must be a carefully thought out process.

I was able to get in some valuable beauty sleep and escape the ravages and energy of my little princess. Bless her young innocent heart. I miss her while she is away with Mom, but truly she is a paw full. Even with my faithful minion, Ninja and loyal young boycat, Spyder, to give her attention, it can be exhausting to play chase with her all day. I'm sure you know what I mean if you have ever had a young kitten in your home.

I have some wonderful pictures that my dear liege, Ninja, has taken of me in my various stages of repose. I'm sure you can see how well rested this royal purrsonage looks. The first is on Mom's pillow while she is away. The second is under the lamp. I stay there when it automatically illuminates. And, of course, when The Monk is here, I've got the best place in the house! He looks so happy to love me. Doesn't he?

Baby Sister and Sick Kitty

My little baby sista has a name sombuddy gave her at the shelter. Miss E asked me what's her name, but I know her means da name us kitty's is gonna call her. Since her shelther name is Angelica, we might let her keep it, since her is a angel baby. But, I likes ta call her Sista! Maybe Sister Angelica? Or Sissy?

Speakin' of names. Sissy keeps calling Miss E, Mommy. We tol her it's Miss E, but she still calls her Mommy, so me and Ninja and Queen Bambi is tryin' not to confuse Sissy, so we let's her say Mommy, cause she so happy when Mommy pik her ups, her purrs like a machine. So she can calls her Mommy if'n she wants to!

My little Sista, we think she gots a cold. Her keeps on sneezing. Miss E, I mean Mommy called da Shelter and they sed take her to da Vet free. Mommy did that and her tooks me too, cuz I was coffin.

Da nex day, I was coffin more and I dint want ta play wif Sissy no more. She wore me out. I went to hide unnerneath da sofa. Mommy and da Monk couldn't find me until they tipped the sofa upside down. I was jus so tired I dint want ta come out. Good thing they gots me out. I got so sicky yechhy. I were not eatin nothin and den I dint want ta drink no water. I lost a whole pound of weight! I is skinny enuff already, so dat not good. No wonder I felt sicks!

Then I has ta go ta da Vet, too. And dis time it weren't free. Da vet said I has Ton-sill-it-is and enfection. Da medicine da Vet gave for Miss E (I mean Mommy) ta give me dint work, and I had ta go back to da Vet. I had xrays and a shot a anti-biotics. Then dey had ta put water in a tube and put it into my skin at da back of my neck. I really dint like dat at all! Dat costed a whole lot more money. But, I is worth it!

Now I is all better!

Announcing Our New Baby Kitten!!!

I gots ta tell ya, I'm da happy cat! Can yoo guess why? Nope? Cuz I gots a baby sista!

Dat's right!

Miss E camed home wif a baby sista for me. Well, and for Bambi and Ninja, too. Though, they don't seems ta be as happy 'bout it as me.

I knowed sumpin was up when Miss E came home dat day. She comes home lotsa times wif the scents of other cats on her. Dat's cuz she goes to da shelters where we all once stayed to visit dem cats and kittens waitin' for their forever homes. We is use to her havin' dem tell-tale cat hairs stuk to her clothes. But, when she brought home my new little baby sista, we knew dere was sumpin diffrunt goin on.

First she lock us all in one room, den she puttin sump stuff in da baffroom and we hear her setting up a litter box and opening a can of cat food. How could we not figger it out?

Ninja, him jus pretend him don't know nuttin. Queen Bambi be stickin her nose up in da air and go hide in da closet and dont come down for all day, for two days. In da meantime, I is sittin right dere by da door. I can smell my new little baby sista in dere. I can hears her even tho she tryin ta be quiet.

She scared. And she cold. It was a verry cold night. Den Miss E, she lock us all in the spare room again and bring my little baby sista into her bedroom and put her carrier on da bed to keep her warm. I dint mind at all, but Ninja all grumpy and scrape him nunchuk claws at da door.

Nex morning Miss E comes in our room and forgets to close da dorr behine her and Ninja run to kitchen cuz him wants food. Miss E, she tryin' ta get Bambi outs of da closet, so I sneaks into her bedroom, jumps on da bed and sniffs my little baby sista. She not so scared, but she so lonesome. No more she is wif her other friends and she wonder why she alone. I tell her no worry. She gonna like it here.

A New Kitten

Hi! Dis is Spyder!

I was sitting on my yellow pillow taday next to Miss E, when that little cell box starts playing that loud music, "Jump, Jump" Well, I dint feel like jumping. But, Miss E shut it up by opining da lid. It was the Monk was callin' He say he found a little calico kitten at da vet office in San Carlos where he deliver da Fedex boxis of medicines for pets. I knows Miss E and the Monk been looking for a Calico a long time, ebber since I can member. I don't knows dat I want another cat in did house. We gots enuff! Ninja agree wiff me. But, Queen Bambi, she say she LOVE kitten and want one badly so she can lick and kiss it and sleep wiff it in her Boudoir. And since dis one da Monk call about is a Calico, dat mean it gotta bee a widdle girl kitten and dat mean it gonna be Queen Bambi's Princess! If dat da case, den I shood be da Prince.

Miss E call up da Vet office in San Carlos. She was gonna drive so far far to go get dat calico kitten. But, when she talk to dem, dey tell her no, she cant's adopt da calico kitten cos dat kitten has a kitty cancer, called feline leukemia. Now dat is weerd dontcha fink. Here we is working on da LIVESTRONG event for cancer, and here is dis widdle girl calico kitten and she already gots cancer when she is a baby! Dat is so sad. Now I wish I dint say she couldn't live wiff us. And Ninja say we needs ta unnderstand dat some fings were meant to be and we cant knows da whole mysteries. All dat sound mix up to me. But, Bambi say she agree.

Don't I look spiffy sittin'g on my yellow pillow? I'm doing this to get ready for LIVESTRONG event on October 2. 

Cat Philosphy

A kitten is more amusing than half the people one is obliged to live with.

~~~ Lady Sydney Morgan

Irish Novelist

Happy Birthday!

It my Birfday! I is one year old now! I o-fish-aly not a kitten no more. Now I am a grown Boy Cat! I so prowld of myself!

Ninja say He prowld of me too, that I growing up so good.

Bambi says next year I be a ManCat!

It seem so strange. Seem lyke yestidday I was just a liddle baby kitten.

Kitty Door to the World

What's behind door number one? That's what we've been wondering for quite some time now. It's mysterious bamboo covering, it's hidden fragrances faintly seeping through. This was our only nose connection to the outside world in front of the house. Of course, we have sensitive noses and smell things so much better than our human slaves companions, but when you have to filter everything through a securely fashioned bamboo screen, it is less than ideal.

We have demonstrated repeatedly, our displeasure at having this barrier between us and the real world. As you can see by the picture, I have been so disgruntled about it.

No queen should be put through this kind of deprivation. Ninja and I, in particular have done everything we could to get through to those numbskulls, er... not so psychic humans to ameliorate the problem. Spyder hasn't quite figured it all out yet, though we have attempted to describe to him what he is missing.

So, imagine our relief when The Monk and Miss E tore the bamboo screen off the front door! Of course, it is still not quite perfect. Since Ninja cut all those gigantic holes in the window screens a few months back, The Monk replaced the front door screen with "cat proof" screening. I have to admit is appears to be tough stuff based upon Ninja's not having any more interest in ripping them open.

However, after replacing the screening, The Monk also placed Plexiglas on the bottom half of our side. Foolishness if you ask me. If we really wanted to cut the screen we would just jump above the Plexiglas and have at it. But, we are civilized cats, after all. So, we respect the Plexiglas barrier, which is not glass at all. It is not at all like the aquarium glass, but more like the big jug that holds our special drinking water that doesn't come out of the faucet.

What dumbfounded us about the precautions being taken at the time was the quadruple thickness of the bamboo screen placed on the outside of the door. Ninja tried many times to get a claw into it with little success.

But after these months passing, it was enough that The Monk and Miss E decided it looked shabby. They took it down and it has made an exciting difference in our lives. Silly Spyder, he says the Dowager Queen sits out there in the sunshine by the door. I could smell no other cat. Besides, I am queen around here! We are delighted to see all the beauty outside our own front door that has been hidden from us.

I was so thrilled about it all! I was like a kitten on discovery! Once I could gather up all the front door outside smells, I ran from window to window to verify in which direction the smells derived. Ninja was ecstatic just to look out the front door. It has opened a new vista for us all.

Hopefully, now, with the weather less cold, Miss E will leave the front door open for us for longer periods of time. We have so much to teach Spyder of what all these new things mean.

Caterwaling Creature Mystery Solved

I've heard that caterwauling sound all eight years of my life and never knew what it was!

You know what I mean? It always starts quietly enough, but it pierces my ears even when it's quiet. Then it increases! When I was a kitten, I was terrified, but my Sensei and my Roshi, taught me Zen techniques to be unafraid.

But, it has always been unsettling, even to them. They used to howl and yip like any other doggs whenever that caterwauling started. At least I didn't carry on like them. Sensei told me he was only imitating the sound as it might be a wild animal in crisis. He said if he responded in like quality, maybe it would be soothed. But, It never seemed to be responding to my sensei's dogg howl "soothing" method.

I could never imagine what kind of animal it might be.  My Purrsons always seemed to ignore it. Only one time can I remember when they got excited. That was when the horrible monster came really close to the house where I was living at the time. That was the loudest I ever heard it. They all ran outside to have a look, locking us inside. Sensei and Roshi were making such a racket, I just went and hid in a closet to meditate, so I never laid eyes on it, and I have always regretted it. What a mystery it has been all this time.

It's much worse when it gets loud, and it can get really LOUD! YOOOOOWWWWW! yeroowwww! YOOOOOWWWWW!

When it is loud like that, it goes right into the yarrow of my bones, and makes my fur feel creepier than a thousand fleas!

I have been told to "be quiet" whenever I've imitated the noise. Though, I must admit I can do a pretty good imitation! I'm sure you can tell by the awesome picture of me performing the noise.

It has always baffled me what kind of creature could make such a ruckus and get away with it all the time.

I had an amazing revelation the other day when Miss E took me to the vet. I finally learned what all the fuss has been about all these years! 

It's quite awesome actually. I haven't told Bambi and Spyder about it yet. I have a feeling they wouldn't believe me. But, when Miss E posts the pictures, they will see for themselves.

The mystery has been solved!

Cats can see Apparitions

We've been having a lot of odd things happening lately.

Sometimes we see something out of the corner of our eyes. We look and nothing is there. What ever it was that we saw, has disappeared.

We know we are not imagining things. All of us can see these apparitions.
 
Spyder says that he has always seen them. He never mentioned it because he thought we all did. He said when he was very little, and first came to live with us, he thought it was another cat. He insists that she sat with him and gave him warmth when he was alone in the bathroom.

Miss E kept Spyder in the bathroom when he first arrived so that we could get used to his smell.

That was a good idea because when a new cat smell is in the house, we think of it as an intruder.

As a baby kitten, Spyder would have been scared if he were left alone with us big cats.

It's not that we've been seeing things only. Sometimes we hear another cat, or what sounds like another cat. But, it is not an outdoor kitty. Sometimes it is a faraway meow from way up high somewhere.

Occasionally, when we are all together on the bed sleeping peacefully with Miss E, we have heard a slight purring, but we have always thought it was one of us until recently when we heard the purring coming from right on top of her.

Now we smell a cat smell around the house. It is like the cat smell on the rocking chair.

None of us has ever sat on that rocking chair. It has always seemed like it was not for us to sit on, even though Miss. E has invited us to be there.

We are wondering what is going on!

Cat Fish

Saturday evening the Monk arrived with wonderful treats to eat from halfway around the world. He brought SUSHI!!! I was so happy to see him! But, I was surprised when the Monk and Miss E didn't offer me any. I thought for sure they would set a place at the table for me.

It would have been a great opportunity to use my ninja skills to invisible swipe away some sushi, but I respect the Monk and Miss E too much to do that. Plus, they never looked away. However, as a well controlled ninja did not yeow like a begging kitten. I did wander around their legs and the table legs to work up my energy powers, though.

I focused my mind pointedly into their human thought waves, and produced a very simple mantra: FEED ME! Miss E succumbed first. She began to break off morsels of her salmon, then some shiro-maguro, then some snapper, then some ebi.  It pays to be a gentleman with mind control powers. I savored every delicious mouthful.

The monk is not so easily swayed. He is very protective of his food, as any wise cat would do, and adamant that he was not going to share. I had to demonstrate one of my Tai Chi poses to impress him standing upright on my haunches while balancing my upright paws. He was much delighted with the high quality of my ability to hold the pose. His resolve soon melted. Hamachi, unagi, anago, ika, kurodai, and tamago passed over my palate. A feast fit for a fine ninja, such as myself.

Ah, Near Samadhi!

Ninja on Guard

I noticed this the other day, and saw it again tonight.

But first get the picture. Ninja has put on weight since he came to live here. He's getting a bit chunky and heavy and slow moving. He would like to play with the others' but makes half hearted attempts. They tear through the house like banshees while he has barely made one swipe towards a mouse that they have carried off with them batting it through the air like a room to room volleyball game.

Since Bambi and Spyder play so hard and so often they have bonded. Bambi is a small size girl. She will be two years old on the day before Christmas. But, she still looks like she might be about 9 months old. She has delicate short legs and tiny paws, a short tail and a sweet round face and head.

When I brought spyder home he was claimed to be 3 months old, but when I took him to the vet, Dr. Neow, can you believe his name? he said Spyder was probably only two months old based on his teeth. In this very short time he has been with us, he now is almost as tall as Bambi. He's slim, but has long legs and long tail. I have a feeling it will be a very short time and he will be bigger than them both, perhaps as large as Jeffrey, who measures 34 inches from nose to tail. I think that is close to one meter.

Due to the bonding between them, I notice that Bambi's mother instinct is active. When she was adopted, I was told she had had kittens at one point, so I think she's got some motherly behaviors developed. I played a youtube vid with live kittens mewing, and she was in her in a flash looking for them and calling them. She also calls Spyder when she can't find him. She will lay on her side sometimes as if welcoming kittens. Keli never did that unless it was hot weather. When she and Spyder play, even though they get rough, she is always the top cat in the end and determines when they will stop, and he respects that.

Ninja has been craving more attention from me, so when I come in from being out, he comes up to me for pets, along with Bambi who has always greeted first. Later this evening after the two angel babies were tired of playing and somewhere in the other room, Ninja came up on the bed nudging me for attention. I picked him up to move him into an easier position to pet him, but he made a complaining sound. In an instant I heard Bambi's collar jingling. Ninja roughly pulled out of my grasp and leaped to the headboard. By this time she was all over him. Amazing how scared he appears to be as he crouches down and growls half heartedly in defense. She realized he hadn't been anywhere near her Spyder, and looked at me, then laid down beside me and kept staring at him until he looked away.

Gypsy with a Corset

My Mama, Gypsy, told us to be good little kittens and wait for her. It was hard to be good with her gone. The last time she came back and smelled so funny. And now, Mama had to go to the vet again coz she is bleeding from her incision.

She has been chewing on her stitches. She says she can't help it. Mama is still letting us kittens nurse on her. But we think it might hurt now, even though we try to be careful. Now she is bleeding and we are worried about our Mama, Gypsy. When she came back, the vet had put a taped on "corset" around her belly.

Cat Allergy

Taking Gypsy to the vet soon to have her spayed, as the kittens are pretty much weaned.

Keli was first to wean herself. Amazing because she has always been so little and has never caught up on the size of the other kittens

Gypsy is so allergic to fleas she has eaten the fur right off her legs.