Cats & Friends, Hosted by Annwine, and the Catsters

Is there a better unit out there than LitterMaid? The first one I purchased lasted more than 5 years. But, I seem to have to purchase a new one every year. Any info out there would be greatly appreciated.

http://www.freep.com/article/20081229/FEATURES10/812290404/1007/NEWS

Oops, I read the postings and realized I never told why the room is closed off to the furries.

Molly has episodes where she thinks Callie is the enemy and will even hiss at us.

Well, she had one earlier in the month. She "hid" in the window in this room and would not come down. Hubby's tv sits in front of the window.

When she has these episodes she hisses, growls, scratches anyone who tries to get near her. This is the second episode she has had this year. The first was a trauma she had over a plastic bag that got around her neck. It frightened her so much she thought we were all the enemy for weeks.

Anyway, something set her off again and while she was in the window, she urninated on hubby's tv. Needless to say, cat urine is bad enough anywhere, but it's obviously toxic to tvs. It went down in to the vents on top of the tv and the tv just went out.

So, hubby had to get a new one. This one is a flat screen, so it's not as stable on the stand as the old one and we are afraid one of the cats may knock it over if they jump in the window. So that is why they are banned from this room.

If you notice, Ann, almost on every Profile picture the top of the persons head is chopped off, even mine. The whole picture is there on the Profile page, but for some reason who ever in TA does the signatures for our postings, doesn't know how to crop.

The best thing is to zoom in on your picture as much as you can and leave plenty of room above your head. There was lots of room above mine when I posted it for here. Keep trying and maybe you can get one where the TA guru doesn't lop off your head.

I am sad that my furries can no longer be allowed to come in this room with me. I miss their company and hear them scratching at the door wanting to come in, but we can't take a chance that hubbys new tv will get knock over if they try and jump in the window.

Poor Callie only has one good window to look outside now.

I just hope we can figure out something to protect hubby's tv where we can open up the room again. I don't like closed off rooms either.

I keep trying to update my photo but have no luck...I still keep getting either the same one with the cut-off head or none at all even tho I loaded a different one. I give up for now.

I hope all of you had a peaceful and filling Thanksgiving. I wish you the very best Merry Christmas, Happy Holiday and Happy New Year in case I don't get back here before then. I don't know about the rest of you, but I surely did enjoy NOT having to cook for either holidays. Bless my daughter's fiance for that!

Poor little 21 year-old Abby, Bobbie. Don't know why her owner got upset with your friend Karen for feeding her. How did you-all know she had a home until she showed up with the pink collar which she should have had on all along. I'm glad Abby got her last adventure too, Jeanette.

Everyone's pretty much hanging in around here...nothing too bad; nothing too good. Kids are doing great. Cats are doing good with the possible exception of Bugsy who is being his usual strange self. I think I'll have to take him in after the first of the year...IF I can get him.

Hugs to all of you!!!!!

What a heart warming story, Bobber. I agree, I think that Abby just wanted one last adventure. Sure glad she got to have it.

A couple of months ago while reading the morning paper, without so much as a by-your-leave, a stray tortie cat came in and went right to Bo's food bowl and chowed down. She was very thin and I worried about disease. I picked her up and set her outside, hoping she would find another house to eat at. Then I cleaned everything and put out fresh food.

That ended my leaving the door open because she was there at least once or twice a day. A few days passed and my neighbor, Karen came by to borrow a couple of cans of cat food. The cat had softened her heart more than mine! We talked at length on how to advertise around the area. We knew she was someone's pet since she had no feral behavior and was so friendly and loving. Karen even took her to the vet who said she was at least twelve years old.

Finally the mystery was solved when she showed up wearing a pink collar with the name of her owner, and her name, Abby. He lived 2 doors down and said the cat was 21 years old and stayed in her yard, but was acting demented these days. He was also miffed that Karen had fed her. That bit of information was added to the pile of negatives the man has collected in the biggest jerk contest!

A couple of weeks ago I noticed Abby had stopped coming around. On his morning walk my husband noticed a cross in their yard with the name Abby on it. She sure had a grand adventure at the end!

So far they are staying put in their rather generous yard. Two sides of the yard is bound by a 6' high stucco wall. With one leap, Berlioz made it to the top. Whatever he saw there so surprised him that he quickly leaped back down. They go in and out several times before coming back in to nap. The wild turkeys have not been around lately, so that danger has not been tested.

Glad to see you again, Ann!

to everyone. We are still alive and kickin', so to speak. I'm sorry I don't get here often but I don't get on my puter at all much these days. Hugs to all my old (tongue-in-cheek) friends and I think of all of you often. May end up having to do emails. Good to see you again Bobby...it's been awhile.

A Cat's Dictionary

Aquarium: interactive television for cats.

Cataclysm: any great upheaval in a cat's life.

Catatonic: a feline medicinal drink.

Caterpillar: a soft scratching post for a cat.

Cat Scan: to look for a new cat.

Dog: a cat's device for running practice.

Im-purr-sonate: to act like the cat.

Purr-ade: an organized march of cats.

Purr-adise: the garden of Cats.

Purr-amour: a cat lover.

Purr-anoia: the fear that your cat is up to something.

Purr-aphernalia: a cat's personal belongings.

Purr-ch: any favored feline napping spot.

Purr-chase: anything bought for a cat.

Purr-fume: the scent of an open can of tuna.

Purr-gatory: a houseful of kittens.

Purr-mission: a feline hunting expedition.

Purr-petual: everlasting feline love.

Purr-plex: a house with two or more cats.

Purr-son: a male kitten.

Purr-suit: the garment your shedding cat rubs against

just as you are leaving home to go to an important

meeting.

Purr-verse: a poem about a wicked kitty.

Tuner: sonar-like device in cat food that causes cats

to appear.

Yawn: a cat's honest opinion openly expressed

It's really hard when your cats are used to being in and out furries.

I had to face that situation about three years ago, when I moved from a home on three lots that was surrounded by woods, to a house on the main road of a community. There is no fence around the yard.

So, when I realized that the four furries I had would not all adapt to this, I had to make a very hard decision.

I had one furry, Sassy, who was basically a lap cat and only liked to lay in the sun. The other three were hunters. I didn't want to just bring Sassy, though in retrospect, she would have been perfectly happy being an only cat.

So, I chose the one furry among the three that was more sociable. There was a guy where I worked at the time, who lived on a ranch. He promised me that he could give the other two a good home. He said they could live in the barn, with a way to come and go with other cats he had.

So, he came and picked up the two I didn't think would ever adapt to indoors. He did tell me about a month later that they were loving it. I lost contact with him after that.

Sassy passed on to the Rainbox Bridge about two years ago, but I got a kitten for the remaining furry, Callie. Molly came to live with us and she has no urge to go outside at all.

She loves to sniff us when we come in from being out somewhere, but the outside is off limits in her mind.

Callie, though I wasn't happy about it, is let out for short periods. She will walk around the outside of the house, sniffing plants, but she doesn't go any farther than that. If she sees or hears a noise, she wants right back in.

Even in our old home, I always tried to make sure they were inside at night. Too many wild animals that they could tangle with that woud think Cats are a main course.

We had a cat-door, that went to the garage and during the day the garage door was left open when we were home. But come nightfall that came down, so they couldn't not get out.

A few times, one of the wanderers would not come when I would call them at darktime and they would wind up spending the night out of doors. I usually didn't sleep well those nights, but the next morning they were usually right there waiting to be let in to the garage to get breakfast.

I do hope your daughter will be able to work out the problems of the new home. It sounds like it is isolated enough not to be a big problem and the furries could be in and out again.

My daughter and her family just moved from their mountain retreat near Big Sur, California, to Carmel Valley. The old house was the last one on the road and no other houses could be seen so her two cats never had to worry about cars or dogs or even other cats. They were working cats, responsible to keeping down the population of mice and wood rats.

The new house is on a road, although there are only 3 houses past theirs. It is fully fenced, but they could get out. While the mice and wood rats are not a problem, there are many gophers and wild turkeys to play with. They now wear collars with tags in case they get out. They are litter-mates, about 14 months old. Berlioz is a medium haired black male and his sister, Ina May, is a tortie colored Manx. Ever since the second day, she has had her nose to the screen door, taking in the smells of her new home.

My daughter put Berlioz into a harness and took him outside to orient him. He slunk along the wall and only perked up when he came to the old sink fish pond from the old house. He was glad to get back inside. Ina May sniffed him all over and practically stamped her feet, wanting to go where he had been. Once outside, she charged all over the yard (about a third of an acre) while Berlioz cried piteously from inside.

Am not sure how they will resolve the inside-outside bit. My daughter is going to be getting job soon and will not leave them out while she is gone. It may just resolve itself.

Sometimes they panic and just take off. Gypsy got out last year and just sat watching what was going on. She never panics though.

Enjoyed your cat in the purple hat!

Thanks Ginny Ann. The purple hat was my doing. It was a Sepia photo and I thought it needed a little color.

One of the furries got outside for a few minutes last night. Callie, while I was looking down the street to see what was going on in the neighborhood slipped out on me.

She knew that it wasn't an ordinary night, because she was really sniffing around the front door and quickly decided she wanted back inside.

Today they are both taking it easy. I guess the doorbell ringing with the kiddos last night wore them out.

Jeanette - I love your cat in the purple hat.

Hello,
How are you? I saw your profile today at http:(www.thirdage.com)and feel like contacting you.I feel we may become matches(liliankuru@yahoo.com) is my contact. Kindly make a contact if you are interested, so that i can send you my picture for you to know who iam meanwhile my name is Lilian. I will appreciate it if you give a good responds.Thanks and remain blessed.
(Remember the distance,color or age does not matter but love matters alot in life)

I'm down from four furries to two myself, Bobby. I still have Callie and a new one, who is two and a half, Molly.

I wonder how I managed to keep the house fur-free when we had the four. These two shed like crazy. Then, when we had the four, they were in and out cats and I think that helped with the shedding situation.

Other than that, the two are great buds. I did get Callie a fleece lined cube last weekend and she is sleeping in there now instead on the back of the sofa with Molly. Molly is too big to get in there with her, so she lays on the rug outside the cube.

Since Callie is older, I thought the cube would feel good to her old bones this winter. We have two cat beds, but neither one of them use them. Might as well give them away, the beds that is...LOL!

Glad to see you posting here! I remember your Bo !
I'm sorry to hear about your other cats.
I only have 4 now. They are all older but the Simba!
He is my little trouble maker.

Used to post here before I had to cut back my computer time. At the time, I had 7 cats but now only have one, my 19-year old Bo. Her sister, Joni, died last year around Christmas.

Actually, Bo is my grandcat since she was my son's cat in graduate school. Our house became the place she was left while he went off to Hawaii. When he came back, he got a no-pets apartment. It was too late by then, anyway. Bo had her title of gopher Queen that could not be touched.

Today she is much more content to just go out on the back porch for a few minutes of sun time, her glory gopher days a distant memory. Interestingly, the vet said that because she ate the gophers, her teeth and gums were in great shape, unlike poor Joni, who had many teeth gone.

Betty...I'm glad to hear that Monty had as little damage as he did from Ike. Compared to what it could have been of course. Galveston really got devastated.

Angel...good to see you here. I know...GRRRRR!...same way I feel a lot of the time here. Still haven't gotten my photo sized properly but at least I'm posting now and then. One of these days....

Good luck, Jeanette, getting the "powers that be" to give us back our editing powers. They want this site to be the same as all the others and THEY don't have editing privileges, right? Glad your fuzzballs are adapting to the changes. Sometimes it takes cats awhile but usually they DO eventually adjust. Some just faster than others.

Hey, Darlene! Great to see you here. Hope you stop in now and then (like I do!) It's so nice to read the updates on your "kids." My six are still the same and are lucky they are still SIX! I've been so tempted when I go to Petsmart and look at all the kitties that need homes. Everyone just gets along so well together right now I'd hate to rock the boat. However, I have a feeling that will not last forever. None of the cats have replaced PC as Ed's couch potato curmudgeon buddy and he's been whining about wanting a dog!!!!!!

Hey, Ginnyann...good to see you here too. You and Ray and Max and Tegra... How are loving our beautiful fall weather here in northeast Ohio? We'll enjoy it while we can. Things are still growing and green and producing so I've hesitated digging up a lot of stuff that will have to go after the first frost. I just can't bring myself to pull out blooming flowers, ya know?

Now and then I take Charlie out for a walk around the house. He just loves to put his little paws up on my shoulders and ride around enjoying the sights and sounds of the great outdoors. Sometimes we'll sit in the swing in the carport for awhile. He's so good. He's the only cat I would even DARE to take outside.

Hugs to all and I'll try to get here more often. I miss our comeraderie (sp?)

Good to hear about Tegra. Glad he is such a happy cat. Where does Ray sit? My cats love to sit at the table too.Of course they would rather sit on the table.

All 4 of my cats are doing good. They are finally getting some energy now that it is cooling off.This summer has been so hot.

Hi to everyone out there. I miss all of you!

Tegra loves to sit in Ray's chair at the kitchen table. He is only spoiled. lol He and Max get along great.

Hi, Darlene. Great to see you hear. It's been kind of quiet here in CATS since the change over.

Glad that your furries are still doing good. Did Felix remember his birth mom? Knowing mine, out of sight, out of mind. LOL!

I was sad about about September too. Val is such a champion of cats. She has had to go through this so much. I know it hurts each time. Losing Sassy was pretty tramatic for me.

But Molly and Callie are doing great. Callie is getting older, but Molly keeps her spry. She misses going outside, hubby lets her out for short periods, but the hunting in the woods days are over since we live in town now.

Anyway, good to see you. Hope you bookmarked this place on your computer. It's the only way I can keep up with the places I visit here.

Hi everyone,

I came across this site by accident. Still don't know what all is here at the "new" TA. Wanted to say hello to everyone.

Still have the same "family." Sasha and Tooter are elderly but feisty ladies. Sasha is into makeup and Tooter is an environmentalist. Felix had his birth mom visit. He had gotten lost from her when he was a kitten and by the time we realized who he belonged to, he was bonded with us and she let us keep him. So she came to visit him not long ago and I took her some photos of him last week. Dylan is busy playing. He is our baby but he is our largest cat. Oliver is in and out all day. He is still scared of the TV. Robin and Libby are cuddly. Crickie gets to go out for a few hours a day. I let her in and out. She is all about adventure.

I was sad to get the note about September going to the Rainbow Bridge. Hope everyone's kitties are doing well.

That should read They got "quite" spoiled.

See, edit, delete powers that be here in TA are really needed.

The new TA is definitely a learning experience by trial and error. LOL!

I am still bugging the powers that be about an edit and delete option, but they apparently aren't listening.

Our furries are adapting to hubby going back to work. They got quiet spoiled while he was "retired" again.

Molly will come in when he is home now and just sit and stare at him. Callie will jump up in his lap and lay her head on him to get him to pet her.

I don't think they like him working. LOL!

I did post with the photo too big....disadvantage of no delete!! Sorry guys!

I was using the Ebay sizing and here that's enormous.

Have a nice Sunday, all.

Long time no see, Angel. Glad you posted.

I don't see any advets over photos. Marilyn's group birthday photo ran over the border a bit, but I don't care. < G >

You have to size to pixels no bigger than 475 on the larger size fir them to fit inside the Discussion box, just like we did before the changeover.

How's all your furries?

This s my second post! I hope this works!

I was sorry to miss your birthday Marilyn and hope it was nice! Why are they running adverts over your photo and others?

Mr Tompkins looks both wary and hopeful! Nice cat and very lucky to have found you guys!

[IMG]http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b356/angelface555/Marilyn.jpg[/IMG]

I haven't found Grandparenting, must've not bookmarked it....duh.
Dinner with family for my birthday. Only oldest grandson missing....studying, he's in college now!

http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn161/jrschwartzer/Birthdays/marilynb...

His house only had a few broken limbs from a big tree in his yard. He lives in La Marque right outside of Galveston. So his house had no problems. His business had 3 ft.of water in it so his big machine has quiet a bit of damage from the water. His other machines were small and on a table so they were safe. He had insurance on the big machine so they hopefully will replace it or at least give him enough money to buy another one. Some of the people there had nothing left so we feel he was very blessed.

Like you I was so sad to hear about Paul Newman. I did not realize he had cancer. It is so sad when some of the great actors are gone. There aren't many out there to replace them.

Marilyn,Mr.Tompkins is such a cute name for a very sweet looking cat.

Mr. Tompkins looks like a great cat, Marilyn! Good for Tony!

I hate not having a way to check out the latest posts without having to go back through everything to find responses. I think from now on I won't post a reply, just make notes of things I want to say and say them all in one new post. I was posting replies to things that had already been addressed and didn't know it.

I just read about the death of Paul Newman and was very saddened. He was an awesome actor and a great person who will always be admired by all. He has now joined all the other special celebrities that we have enjoyed and loved over the years. So many of them can never be replaced.

Mr. Tompkins looks like a very intelligent gent....< G >

Glad to see you here, Marilyn. Sure miss all the posters that used to come here.

We are having a mandatory pet photo shoot at Walgreens this weekend.

For $5.99 you get a photo of your pet and your pet gets all kinds of treats and goodies. of the $5.99, $5.00 will go to several pet organizations that Walgreens supports.

Hubby said he was going to take Fat Cat (Molly) to get her photo taken. I told him good luck. Not only would she pitch a fit getting in the carrier, she would not like having her photo taking outside, where we are setting up an Autumn theme background.

And Molly doesn't like people very much.

So, our pets won't be getting their portraits done. LOL!

Sorry, must've hit the key twice!

My Tony rescued a stray cat from out neighborhood this week. We live on Tompkins Street, so he named him Mr Tompkins!