Momma Grace & Company

Audace begs to play

2012-01-26T19:16:00.002-06:00

Audace was BEGGING to play the other night. Funny boy!

Charlotte, in New York

2012-01-17T07:19:00.000-06:00

My son and family have a beautiful little tabby named Charlotte. This morning, she greeted me by rolling around on the big ottoman that is her favorite place from which to watch everything that happens in the house! She is VERY beautiful and loving.

Charlotte made the move with the family from California to New York in 2006. She adjusts very well to changes like that ... and she has been very much involved in raising a little girl (now 10 years old) and a puppy (a Cava-Poo) who was born in 2008. She is a VERY accomplished cat, indeed.

Grace and babies --

2012-01-08T09:20:00.002-06:00

-- almost six years ago!!

Thank you, again and again, Auntie Deb and Mommie ML!

We love you!

NOW they get it!!

2012-01-05T10:19:00.001-06:00

It took a few days, but they finally get it -- who should sleep in which bed, just as I intended!

Both Audace and Ruse woke up for a minute or so ... how cooperative of them, right? They had no trouble going back to sleep, though!!

And Grace ... ahhhhh! She has her bed back ... no "boys" trying to take over!

Unappreciated presents?

2012-01-03T09:44:00.001-06:00

I bought a new fleece throw and two more of those nice soft beds like Grace's (which her boys take over periodically!), so that all could stake out their own favorites -- but nooooooooooo! They all still want Grace's. So right now, Audace has taken it over, Ruse is on top of the couch, and Grace is in my room. The two new ones are empty. I guess I'll have to take some catnip to them or something.

Here are photos from last night ~ after dinner they all like to be near each other, even though they each like to be "the Lone Ranger" during most days. Grace is on HER bed with the new fleece throw on it; Audace is in the new bed next to her; and Ruse is trying to get close, but not IN the other new bed. What a dork he can be!!

Crazy Audace on New Year's Eve

2012-01-01T09:32:00.000-06:00

... all that 'nip, you know!!

I had to turn on my flash to get these three!

Thankful Thursday?

2011-12-29T09:11:00.000-06:00

Grace seems to be thankful for a nice, calm Thursday morning.

Ruse seems to be thankful his Momma hasn't come back to her little bed ... so he can take over!

But Audace seems to be most thankful of all ... after chasing Ruse out of their Momma's bed!!

Another mind-blower!

2011-12-24T15:13:00.002-06:00

Clearly, Grace doesn't even know Audace is there!!

Waking up in a cold house!!

2011-12-23T08:46:00.000-06:00

Look what I found when I woke up in a rather cold house! No wonder I have leg cramps!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE FROM ALL OF US!!

Audace gets brave!

2011-12-23T08:33:00.000-06:00

When Grace is really zonked out, Audace can get this close to his momma!

Once she wakes up, though, and she realizes who's cozying up to her, she goes into hissing-and-spitting gear! She's about to do that here!!

Ruse (smart boy that he is!) stays far away!

How to handle a cold night!

2011-12-10T06:53:00.001-06:00

Grace joined me the other night to keep warm. Her boys must have taken over her bed, naughty boys!

Very clean ear!!

2011-12-03T06:22:00.000-06:00

Last night, I came upon this sight:

Audace's left ear should be VERY clean by now!

Then they went back to sleep and never even noticed when I left the room!

Very sad news...

2011-11-30T07:06:00.001-06:00

Our hearts break whenever we hear of anykitty who has to go through awful stuff. Purrs and prayers for Dr. Tweety and all his family.

Audace in the evening

2011-11-25T06:56:00.001-06:00

Sometimes, Audace is just soooooooooo relaxed. Not much "rattles his cage," not even the sound of the camera being turned on!

Back to sleep, big boy!

Unusual sight!

2011-11-12T06:01:00.016-06:00

Now HERE'S an unusual sight! Normally, Grace hisses and growls if Audace comes anywhere near her. He usually acts subservient and leaves. Yesterday morning, though, he waited for her to go back to sleep after breakfast before he tried to get close ... and it worked! See? She's still asleep! And he's still there!!

Ruse, though ... he's about three feet away from me!

They work very hard to make sure I'm up by 5:30 am to feed them every day ~ earlier if they can pull it off! ~ and then when they're fed and I'm fully awake, they all zonk out again!

LATER IN THE MORNING:

Uh-oh! Grace woke up and discovered Audace trying to cuddle with her. That's an absolute no-no!

Grace must be making sure he doesn't come back!

The brothers always like to cuddle and keep each other warm!!

Veterans' Day - 11-11-11

2011-11-11T06:09:00.001-06:00

We are all so thankful for all our military men and women, past and present. They have made our country what it is today ... and kept it safe for all of us.

We have had many military men and women in our family, and there'll be more in the future. In our family, we honor all military, and we're especially in awe of those who were or are on active duty!

Must be fall!!

2011-10-31T21:20:00.000-05:00

Cooler nights mean getting out the blankies and cuddling up!!

Primary reason to keep pets indoors!

2011-10-27T10:32:00.001-05:00

A cougar in our neighborhoods?

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4eC-pzkEK3Q/TV-MkXJk40I/AAAAAAAAA10/amYiqH6y6ks/s1600/cougar5.jpg

These guys won't be his appetizers!

Today is Audace's turn!

2011-10-18T13:42:00.000-05:00

Today was Audace's turn at the v-e-t! Here he is in his carrier in the car. He wasn't nearly as loud as Ruse was yesterday, but he still was an unhappy kitteh!

Claw clipping!

2011-10-18T07:01:00.000-05:00

For some reason, Grace, Audace, and Ruse aren't able to keep their claws worn off by means of all the scratchers and tile floors in this house, so I have to take them to the v-e-t for their pedicures! The photo below is of Ruse when we got to the v-e-t's office yesterday. He was NOT amused!!

Once one of the nice ladies took him out of his carrier, though, he became amazingly well behaved. Why doesn't he do that for me when I'm trying to get him into that carrier in the first place?? =)

Today is Audace's turn, and tomorrow is Grace's. They both are usually better behaved, but I'm not making any predictions. They all seem to like to make a liar out of me!

Ruse's turn!

2011-10-12T09:30:00.002-05:00

... and then it was Ruse's turn at the toys!!

Audace after breakfast!

2011-10-11T08:36:00.000-05:00

After waking me up around 5:30 or before and after gobbling down breakfast, Audace usually feels VERY frisky!! This morning he was running from one window to another, hunting down Henry Jack or Zoe ... or maybe both! Then he turned his attention to the toys, and here he is!!

Then he returned to their placemat ... as if I'm going to feed him a second breakfast! Hah!!

Beautiful boy!!

2011-10-02T04:57:00.000-05:00

We are all enormously grateful for our Anne's successful battle with cancer. We also pray for success and recovery and healing for all others who are battling this insidious disease, no matter what form it takes.

Please go here to find out how YOU can participate in this year's Livestrong Day!We Livestrong Today <~~Click here!

Lazy Sunday afternoon

2011-09-25T15:32:00.000-05:00

These guys have mastered the art of napping their afternoons away!

Ruse hunts!

2011-09-23T06:17:00.000-05:00

Usually, Ruse and Audace play together ~ hunting each other, chasing, pouncing! You know, all the normal sibling stuff! But a week or so ago, Ruse was going through all this hunting stuff by himself!

Uh-oh! Who is he hunting? Who's there??

Oh, my ... whoever it is should get ready for a surprise leap!

It was Grace! She wasn't fazed, though ~ just walking through the room to find her favorite pillow to knead!

What is that stuff outside, anyway?

2011-09-18T09:26:00.000-05:00

Here are the "boys," watching the rain ~ Audace is looking in the direction of the front door and windows; Ruse is looking out the back windows. It's a sort of juxtaposition, I guess!

We're just so happy to get rain, we could all watch it all day long!!

Lolling about!

2011-09-16T14:48:00.000-05:00

Audace and Ruse are now (almost 3 pm) stirring from their all-morning nap! My question is this: Why are they suddenly taking their morning naps here, not under a bed somewhere? I can't crochet when Audace is close by. It seems he can smell the yarn, and then he kicks into yarn-chasing gear!!

Here's the culprit in all his glory!

Recently, they've also been very busy in the garage, and I couldn't figure out why ... until I started finding dead bugs and one dead lizard in the house! Yikes!! Well, at least the critters were dead. These guys haven't the foggiest clue how to hunt successfully!

We love Mommy ML!

2011-09-02T14:16:00.002-05:00

We cannot imagine our lives as we know them if it hadn't been for Mommy ML.

Thank you, thank you, thank you ~ for all you do for cats and the CatBlogosphere.

Be safe, everyone! (UPDATED)

2011-08-26T13:33:00.002-05:00

Our hearts and purrs and prayers go out for all those in the path of Hurricane Irene, including our own family (beans and furries) who live very close to the projected path in NY. Please be safe, everyone -- and get out of the way if you can.

UPDATE (6:40 am CDT, 8/28/2011): We're in contact with our family in Scarsdale, NY, and they seem to be to the west of the path of Irene's eye. We hope and pray this continues and they are all safe and secure.

Audace, master napper!

2011-08-12T15:53:00.000-05:00

Audace usually disappears around 9 am each day and snoozes under a bed or somewhere else equally dim and hidden. This day, however, for some reason, he chose to stick around. He stayed about two or three feet away from me all morning! Made me chuckle!!

They think they're hiding!

2011-07-23T13:33:00.001-05:00

Audace and Ruse seem to have perfected the art of disappearing during most days, especially in the mornings and early afternoons. In the first two photos, Audace's back feet are giving him away. He must think it's cool under that bed, though, because he's there just about every morning after 9 am!

In the two photos below, both Audace and Ruse are snoozin' under a chair and footrest in my room. They do love these nice, cave-like places!

Ruse in summer

2011-07-07T21:19:00.000-05:00

Ruse is spending most of this summer lazing around on the couch, usually near where I am - or at least my laptop! He knows where to stay cool!!

Gotcha Day #5 - hooray!

2011-06-06T00:38:00.001-05:00

June 6, 2006, was a very happy day in this house!
You can see the photos I took that day HERE! <~~click here!!

We have our up and down days, but thankfully there are far more UPs than DOWNs!!

These guys turned 5 years old on April 15 (my arbitrary pick for their birthdate!!), and Grace turned 6 on her (equally arbitrary) birthday on June 1. Aren't they all grown up and beautiful ... err, handsome??

Ruse

Audace

Momma Grace

My li'l beauties!!!
=)

Grace is 6!!

2011-06-01T00:05:00.001-05:00

Happy birthday to our beautiful Momma Grace!!

I love you, my beautiful Grace!!
=)

Weird Sunday

2011-05-29T09:38:00.003-05:00

I can't believe it! I'm used to getting up in the morning and finding little "presents" left for me by Ruse -- fur/hairballs. Sometimes they're in the house (always on carpet, of course), but lately I've been finding them in the garage ~ much easier to clean stuff up out there!

But today! Hmph! I should have known something would be weird.

First of all, Audace let me sleep until 6:30 am ~ that alone is VERY strange. His tummy usually gets me up between 5:30 and 6:00, and he's been known to start in around 4:30 or so. Good thing he's cute!
Second, he was noisier than usual while wolfing down his breakfast.
Third ~ and this should NOT have been a surprise ~ he threw everything up within 20 minutes of when I put their breakfast out.

I hope this is it for the day!!

5 years ago...

2011-05-28T05:49:00.007-05:00

Thanks to SAS for the wonderful graphic above!
We love it! =)

~~~~~~~~~~~~

... I first saw Grace in THIS BLOG POST <~~click here!
and I was hooked!

Now look at my little beauty. She's very filled out and happy ~ and she's such a little jewel.

Her babies are also well filled out and happy. And what's also amazing is that the names Austen chose for the two who stayed with me still fit their personalities! Audace is still audacious and bold; Ruse is still sly and sneaky at times! But best of all, they all are quite loving and lots of fun!

Thank you again, Auntie Deb and Mommy ML, for making sure these little jewels stayed in our world!

Happy Birthday to Mommy ML!!

2011-05-23T09:31:00.002-05:00

... to you!

... TO YOU!!

... dear Mommy ML!

... to you ... and many more!!

Love ~ Grace & Company

Honoring Auntie Deb and Mommy ML

2011-05-14T06:12:00.004-05:00

Thanks to Maggie and Zooey and their very talented Mom for this magnificent way to tell the world that WE LOVE AUNTIE DEB AND MOMMY ML!!

These are the two ladies responsible for saving my lovely Grace and her four babies from the dreaded back room somewhere in Houston! It's been over five years, and I'm still awed by their work to save these precious bundles!

Be sure to go by their blogs and see their kitty-families, too. All are SOOOO handsome and beautiful!

Auntie Deb's THE TAYLOR CATSSSSS
and
Mommy ML's THE SHERWOOD BUNCH

Super, super, super!!

Remembrance Weekend

2011-04-29T14:45:00.003-05:00

Three Tabby Cats in Vienna ~ Kashim, Othello and Salome ~ are hosting a Weekend of Remembrance. I'm lighting a candle in remembrance of my li'l darlin's, Pluto and Indy.

Pluto was with me from October, 1991, until November, 2003. He was marvelous ~ playful and cuddly, too!

Indy was with me from April, 1991, until March, 2006. She has been my longest-lived cat so far! She was a superb hunter, and she made the move from California to Texas with ease.

Thankfully, I have my three little jewels with me: Grace and Audace and Ruse!

I love 'em!!

Boys' birthday yesterday

2011-04-16T08:13:00.003-05:00

We celebrated Audace and Ruse's birthday yesterday, for sure, but we also celebrated our lovely Grace for giving birth to her four babies and somehow managing to keep them all alive and together until they were all rescued by Auntie Deb at Mommy ML's urging: "Drive! Hurry! Gotta get 'em!!"

Our fave pastime on special birthdays is to go back into the blog and look at the fantastic photos and movies. Yesterday we focused on 2006, of course!! We also enjoyed all the "happy birthday" comments on the yarn and zzzzzzz post!! Thanks to everyone! =)

2006 <~~Click here to zip back to the magic year!!

Fun, fun, fun ... zzzzzzzzzz!

2011-04-07T13:08:00.004-05:00

This morning, as I went from my bedroom to the TV room and kitchen, Audace zipped out of my closet and raced into the rest of the rooms with a strand of yarn in his mouth. He was VERY happy! Following is a series of photos that illustrate his joy. Ruse joined him in the chase, too, but Ruse is harder to photograph when he's on the move!

I'd rewind the yarn, and they'd play again, then I'd rewind it and they'd play, and on and on. They kept this up for quite a while, surprising me.

He was all wound up in the yarn and suddenly lay down and almost went to sleep! So I took all the yarn off him - that was quite a job!

A few minutes later, I found the abandoned, mostly unwound ball of yarn in the kitchen!

And here they are, snoozing away!

They must have played with that yarn for a good 75-90 minutes. That's a long time to keep something like that up! Now they've been asleep for about 3 hours! No surprise there!!

Snoozin' spots

2011-03-19T20:51:00.003-05:00

Ruse loves this, day or night -- cuddling up to his momma.

Grace is OK with it most of the time.

Audace disappears for several hours in the middle of the day,

and here's one of his fave spots to curl up and snooze.

He wasn't pleased when I wanted to get a close-up of him!

And this is Grace's fave spot in the afternoons.

This was amazing the other evening.

She just barely tolerated having Audace this near to her!!

Body language tells everything, right?

Purrs for KC and ML

2011-03-08T06:53:00.003-06:00

Miss KC ~ the manager, premier poster, tortie extraordinaire ~ along with her Mom, ML ~ keep The Cat Blogosphere up and running each and every day for all of us.

KC is ill, and Mom ML is very worried.

Please send forth all the purrs and grrs, prayers and love you can!

Post your purrs here ~~> KC AND ML

A photo-story!

2011-03-02T18:32:00.002-06:00

Ruse tries to snuggle up with his mommy, but he doesn't fit!

"Oh, please, momma ... let me get closer to you!"

"I'll give you lots of kisses!!"

Momma Grace is looking for a rescue!

Ruse: Maybe if I put my arm around her, she'll stay and snuggle.

Grace: I need to get OUTTA HERE!

Ruse: Ahhh! This is what I wanted all along!!

Fun stuff!

2011-03-01T13:24:00.002-06:00

Just a quick note -- I can hear Audace playing with the StarChaser. If I look at him or get the camera and come back, he'll stop, so I'm just enjoying the sound (and once in a while, a peek!) while he plays!

I ordered these from Petco, and I'm very pleased with the results. Now to figure out where to get replacement light-up balls so maybe Audace will play "soccer" or something!

http://www.petco.com/product/105853/Star-Chaser-Turbo-Scratcher-Cat-Toy.aspx?CoreCat=CatSFC_Toys

Fun times!!

New Toys!!

2011-02-25T11:46:00.003-06:00

A couple of weeks ago, a wonderful box arrived! Three star chasers were in it ... oh, joy!

One was destined to go to Anne's house for her kittehs to enjoy, but the other two stayed here for Audace and Ruse to have fun with!

And a couple of videos!

Pur-fur-mance Review for 2010

2011-02-18T01:19:00.004-06:00

Hmmm! Where do we begin??

We - Grace, Audace, and Ruse - think our bean doesn't quite do us justice on this blog, even though we know that she loves us very much. Let's think of the reasons ...

She loves us --

~ She feeds us v-e-t-recommended food and keeps our weight under control so none of us ends up having to deal with diabetes or any other awful thing.

~ She buys climbing and scratching toys and furniture and lets us take over her house ... every single room!

~ She adores having us all nearby when reading, watching TV, writing at the computer, and taking snoozes, long and short!

However, she doesn't do us justice on this blog --

~ She doesn't keep the camera glued to her arm so that she could get action shots of when we are running, playing, chasing, etc. To look at this blog, we bet all our friends think all we do is sleep!

~ She's still not great at typing the words the way WE think and say them -- that's the English teacher in her, we guess. She can't help it!!

Now ... to address the criteria on this form ...

Quantity of Output: She gets about two paws; the only thing keeping her from getting two swats is that we know how much time and energy she has been spending at Princess's ... er, Anne's house in the last 10 months or so!

Quality of Output: She gets about three paws; there are still too many photos of us as we sleep, but when she does get a video of us in action, it's usually quite good!

Client Pawticipation: Among our blog, her email, and the CB, she does pretty well. This is amazing, considering everything!

Pawticipation (Part II): Here's where she really falls down, and we sincerely hope we see VAST improvement in 2011!!

Client Satisfaction: As much as she manages to post, yes, we think our friends like what they see. There just should be more of it!!

Overall Rating: Hmmm ... still thinking about this!

Princess!!

2011-02-13T08:37:00.001-06:00

Princess, Anne's youngest cat, is always unpredictable. On this particular morning, she decided it was her job to warm up grandbean Austen's jacket before he put it on and went off to school. What a considerate kitty!

Results of being rambunctious!

2011-02-11T16:59:00.004-06:00

After breakfast in the mornings, Audace and Ruse are usually VERY rambunctious - running around the whole house, chasing each other, jumping all over cat and bean furniture - just generally "full of it"!! Well, this morning, Audace knocked over one of the dining chairs, and then proceeded to look very non-chalant about it - as if he had planned it!

"See! Aren't I clever?"

PS: We got our order of Star Chasers today, and everyone loves them. We have three so there won't be any "fights" about whose is whose! The box they came in is also excellent entertainment at the moment. I'll be getting photos of all this soon, too!

Cat in the manger?

2011-01-29T09:55:00.007-06:00

From ancient Greek literature: "There was a dog lying in a manger who did not eat the grain but who nevertheless prevented the horse from being able to eat anything either." So ... is Audace acting like a dog in the manger here? Sure looks like it!! He doesn't seem to want to share those S-toys with anyone ... not even with his brother!!

Looking around ... making sure ...

Ahhhh, coast is clear ...

Nope! There's my bro ...

And sure enough ... there's Ruse, wondering why Audace isn't sharing with him!

Purrs and Prayers for Annie

2011-01-20T01:18:00.002-06:00

We are purring and purraying for Annie

at FUZZY TALES.

Please get well soon, Annie, and make your family very happy

to have you home, happy and healthy.

A VERY unusual event!

2011-01-18T19:21:00.005-06:00

After posting that Grace won't have anything to do with Audace ... won't cuddle with him or anything ... they made a liar out of me the other night. Wouldn't you know!!!

It just HAS to be that magic blankie!!

Turning up their noses!

2011-01-16T01:02:00.001-06:00

They bug me and bug me ... and then when I offer them some (chicken salad, this time), they turn up their noses! Funny little souls!!

Grace

Ruse

Huge thanks!!

2011-01-15T18:39:00.004-06:00

Thank you to everyone who posted birthday wishes last week -- and to the whole CatBlogosphere for the lovely gifts. Grace & Company had to check out the box before it was opened, as well as the wrapped gifts inside!

The card enclosed with the wrapped boxes is amazing. So perfect!

Ceramic apples and a darling little bear with his winter scarf on!

And some beautiful ceramic sea shells/dishes and tiny shells in a mesh bag. Absolutely beautiful!

Again, thanks to everyone. It was a wonderful birthday ... in fact, a wonderful birthday week!!

More snoozin'

2011-01-09T10:20:00.002-06:00

It hasn't been very warm lately, and this is how Grace and boys spend their evenings.

Grace won't cuddle up with Audace, though ... ever!

She and Ruse are most often snoozin' like this.

Audace will cuddle up with Ruse at times, but mostly he snoozes by himself. I can tell when he's REALLY tuckered out -- his head is at some angle of "upside-down"!!

I know I need to work on getting more action shots.

Gotta keep the camera out all the time instead of just some of the time!!

Happy Birthday!! =)

2011-01-03T01:31:00.003-06:00

Happy HAPPY birthday to Judi, Sammy and Andy's mom!

Celebrate, celebrate, celebrate!

We just know that Sammy

and Andy

will be giving Mom Judi all their purrs and love today.

Stop on by and wish her HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Sammy and Andy's Place <~~Click here to post birthday wishes!

Happy New Year ... and another hole in my screen!

2011-01-01T11:57:00.003-06:00

On Nov 18, 2010, I posted photos of the hole in one of my screens -- courtesy of an outside kitty and all of mine "fighting" through the window!

Click here to see the original photos ~~>THERE'S A HOLE IN MY SCREEN!

Now it's clear this has continued, even when I haven't been aware of it. Now that hole is MUCH larger and there's a second one. Arrrggggghhhhhhhh!

So Happy 2011 to all of us ... with the promise of more holes to come! I think I'll just leave that screen there and maybe the big guy will leave the others alone!!

Cats and the Roomba!

2010-12-31T07:34:00.001-06:00

For Christmas, my grandbeans and their folks gave me a Roomba ... you know, one of those little robots that are vacuums! Oh, boy! So here's a little video so you can see how each one reacts.

Did you notice who is NOT anywhere in sight? Hmmm! =)

More orange blankie

2010-12-30T09:00:00.002-06:00

Finally!

Grace and Ruse were giving each other head-baths while cuddling up on the orange blankie yesterday morning. Can you tell? Their heads were moving so fast, they are blurs, even with this very fast camera!

More blurs as they keep cleaning...

And here they are in motion! No more blurry photos!

Fuzzy orange blankie - yummm!

2010-12-26T14:39:00.003-06:00

This is the wonderful, fuzzy, soft blankie that Peggy made for Grace & Company, and you can see Audace and Ruse starting to get comfy after their evening romp and play.

Eyes are closing; winding down is happening; sleep is not far off.

And they're done ... they're out!

PS: Grace loves it, too. She just didn't happen to get there soon enough on Christmas Eve!

Precious Ruse!

2010-12-22T22:34:00.002-06:00

I caught Ruse up on the climbing toy the other day, and he looked as if he were about to tell me something wonderful. Don't we wish they could truly talk to us?

More Princess fun!

2010-11-30T15:11:00.003-06:00

Here she is this morning, looking very innocent!

Hmmm! Is she relaxing? Or planning her next trip up the center of the tree??

Funny Princess!

2010-11-29T14:15:00.002-06:00

Remember Princess Meow Meow? She's the Linehans' youngest and funniest cat! She still thinks and plays like a kitten.

Absolutely darling!

And she can take down a Christmas tree faster than we can wrap presents to put under it!!

Come on, y'all -- let's all join in and COMMENT!!

2010-11-25T07:41:00.003-06:00

Here's the link ~~> http://www.wildcatwoodscats.blogspot.com/

Let's all join in!!

Strange Thursday

2010-11-18T10:36:00.003-06:00

Grace and Ruse (under the table) were checking out the front yard this morning. Oh, wait ...

... there's a HOLE IN MY SCREEN!

Someone was "fighting" with an outdoor kitty last night, obviously, and now there's a HOLE IN MY SCREEN!!

Audace was off in another room when I discovered the HOLE IN MY SCREEN!

He's acting all casual ... he must be the fighter!

We celebrate Veterans Day!

2010-11-11T08:50:00.002-06:00

In our family, there are many veterans of the US military forces. We celebrate them and all those who have served over time. It's because of them that we can have blogs and live our lives as we wish. Celebrate Veterans Day!!

Our kitties understand this concept, too.

They love their freedom to live in safe homes.

Doughnut cats!

2010-11-06T07:08:00.001-05:00

When they're zonked, they sleep like doughnuts! Funny cats!!

A couple of videos

2010-11-04T14:13:00.002-05:00

Grace and Ruse had been playing with the 'nip ball, too, but as soon as the camera came out, they disappeared, for some reason. Audace doesn't pay attention to the camera when he's busy chasing something down!

And this guy outside kept Grace & Company's attention for a while yesterday morning -- in the rain!

All entwined

2010-10-28T21:36:00.004-05:00

Audace and Ruse were completely zonked the other afternoon.

They never seemed to notice when I took photos or when I quit!!

Grace, however, was enjoying her own new bed, happy as a kitty can be!

A wonderful visit!

2010-10-23T09:27:00.006-05:00

Yesterday, we had a wonderful visit from Auntie Deb, Mommy ML, and Daddy Charley. (Click on their names to see their own kittehs and blogs. Beautiful!) Grace & Company had such fun, discovering new toys and being admired and photographed by TWO cameras, not just one! And look at all the cute things they brought us - play cubes and stuff to chase - and a 'nip ball! Fun, fun, fun!

Grace decided to check it all out ...

... and she laid claim to the green cube which complements her beautiful furs!

And then it was time for a nap!!

This morning, all three are very tuckered out ... lotsa snoozin' going on!

Grace thinks I rudely interrupted her nap with the flashy thing!

Audace can barely keep his eyes open even though he'd like to inspect all the new toys ...

... and commandeer the 'nip ball!

We all had a wonderful time! Come back and visit us soon again. We love seeing you and posing for photos and getting pats and skritches!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Thinner?

2010-10-20T10:33:00.004-05:00

Grace & Company have been on their new diet for almost two weeks now. I don't see any difference in Audace or Ruse, but I think Grace's face is a bit thinner. Do you think so? Or is it wishful thinking on my part?? =)

Then this was a little scene I came across this morning. Ruse and Grace had been giving each other head and ear baths, and then they fell asleep, propping each other up! What a hoot!!

Ooops! Grace heard the gardeners start their machinery! Can't be snoozin' when there's snoopervising to do, you know!!

Diet time!

2010-10-07T12:13:00.004-05:00

Audace and Ruse had their annual visit to the v-e-t this morning, and ... bad news for them! Audace is a whopping 20#, and Ruse is 15# -- joining Momma Grace at 16# in the tubbiesville category!

So ... they'll be on Science Diet's r/d from now on, mostly the wet food, but with a few of the dry crunchies sprinkled on top. And no more grazing ... this will disturb Grace the most, I'm sure.

I'd rather have healthy li'l jewels, though, and so far they are quite healthy! Well, except for the weight, that is. They also had their claws clipped. They won't let me do this at home, so I take them to the v-e-t -- who had to sedate Audace to get the job done. Do you think I've spoiled them rotten? =)

Livestrong Day 2010

2010-10-02T00:04:00.002-05:00

Grace, Audace, and Ruse regularly gather together, usually with me, to practice our LIVESTRONG TOGETHER outlook on living. We purr and pray regularly for our precious Anne and for everyone else who is doing battle with cancer.

Slideshow: LiveStrong 5 - Slideshow

Confident and secure ... and funny!

2010-09-23T12:17:00.003-05:00

This is what I saw when I came into the great room last night. Funny boy! He rarely does this; Grace is more likely to be on the floor, upside down, all stretched out. It's not a very graceful pose, but it makes me feel good that he's so secure he can relax like this out in the open.

Mo cats! Hungry mo cats!!

2010-09-09T13:33:00.003-05:00

This is the scene I found when I first turned lights on in my kitchen this morning. Do you think they were trying to tell me something? Grace had been in my face (woke me up!), purring very loudly. That's how she tells me she's hungry - purring and hovering!

And then this was the mess they left behind!

Balancing act!

2010-09-07T20:48:00.004-05:00

I don't know how these cats do it -- in this case, Audace -- snoozing with head almost upside down while balancing on the top of the couch back! Amazing!!

Close-ups =)

2010-08-24T06:29:00.003-05:00

I love the close-ups I can get with this camera. I can see every separate whisker!!

Evening relaxation!

2010-08-21T12:16:00.003-05:00

Oops! Caught Grace while she was giving Ruse his evening bath! She looks rather indignant!!

Oh, well. Short memory! Back to relaxation after bathtime!!

And slowly sinking into sleep...

Ohhhhh, we're sad.

2010-08-18T08:30:00.004-05:00

We are greatly saddened by Fat Eric's passing. He was so beautiful and handsome.
We love you, Fat Eric. (<~~click for link)

And now we read that Luxor ran off to the Bridge, too? What a sad day for the cat blogosphere. =(

The CatBlogosphere <~~for news and comments.
=(

Grace's approval!

2010-08-11T15:12:00.002-05:00

Kira was modeling some of her new school clothes, and Grace gave her approval!

World Cat Day, 2010

2010-08-08T06:44:00.002-05:00

What a wonderful idea! As Ann at Zoolatry says, most of us do special things for our cats every day, but it's still very nice to have a day set aside to celebrate our little jewels!

Audace plays!

2010-07-30T20:43:00.002-05:00

This morning I took a little video of Audace since he was in a playful mood! Usually, he's like this in the evening, but today he was playful in the morning!

Enjoy!

(pee ess: This is the first movie made with the new camera. It's even in HD!!)

Our "cousins"

2010-07-29T13:22:00.001-05:00

More wonderful photos with the new camera ...

Princess Meow Meow

Kitty

Cabbie (with a summertime haircut!)

Back in business! =)

2010-07-28T07:36:00.006-05:00

Ahhh, at last! The new camera arrived late last week, and grandbean Austen was the first to try it out. He took some wonderful photos of my three little jewels.

Ruse in the kitchen

Audace in his regal position!

And my beautiful Grace.
The first photo is with the flash; the second, without. Interesting!

Well, drat! =(

2010-07-16T09:33:00.003-05:00

Camera's broken ... drat! =(

I guess I'll go camera-hunting today. Can't be without a camera too long - need to catch these guys while they're doing fun stuff, and that won't happen without a camera that does photos AND movies.

UPDATE (7/19/10): I found a great little Nikon for a very good price. I should have it by next Wednesday ... and maybe before. Then we can get back into kitty-photo-video-taking!! Hooray! =)

Foster kitties - beautiful

2010-07-09T11:37:00.005-05:00

Our grandbeans have cousins SW of Houston who foster cats and kittens for the
Houston SPCA. <~~Click here!

Their house is amazing, and the variety of foster and adopted kitties is amazing, too - in very good ways! Grace & Company were unaware, but we beans went visiting on Independence Day. We had a terrific time visiting all these wonderful little souls!

First up was a litter of five kittens who have no mama-cat. Three of them are in the photos below. They will be foster kitties here until they weigh two pounds. Then they will go back to the SPCA for hoo-ha-ectomies, shots, etc., and will be up for adoption. Aren't they beautiful?

And then there's Lucky! Here's the write-up about Lucky from the Houston SPCA's June newsletter:

A cat named "Lucky" came to The Houston SPCA with a broken pelvis and went to foster care for rest and rehabilitation. Because of the nature and location of the break, our medical team was not sure whether she would ever walk again, but everyone was willing to give her the chance. While in foster care, Lucky befriended all of the resident cats and charmed her foster mom. After 8 weeks of foster R&R, Lucky was re-examined, and the team determined that her injuries were permanent. Lucky became a "furr-ever foster" and a permanent addition to the family. They even purchased a custom made go-cart for her so she can run and play with the other kitties!

We love all the fosters and adoptees at our cousins' home. All are such fun and VERY individual!

Happy Independence Day!

2010-07-03T07:57:00.001-05:00

Have a safe and fun-filled holiday ...
from Grace's boys!

Finding the cool spots!

2010-06-25T10:14:00.003-05:00

Here's how Grace keeps cool on these hot days, even though our a/c is on 24/7. Where she's near me in the office (as in these shots) or in the TV room, she likes to be in the center of the floor where she can stretch out. And the best spots of all are always directly under a ceiling fan! Smart girl!!

Bath time!

2010-06-24T11:48:00.002-05:00

For the first time the other evening, I saw Ruse giving Audace a bath!
Gotta get that neck clean, you know!

And behind the ears ... that's important, too!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-06-16T08:55:00.002-05:00

Audace

Ruse

Beautiful new blankie!

2010-06-12T16:21:00.005-05:00

Our Aunties - ML and Deb - asked Peggy to perform her magic and create a furry blankie for Grace & Company. This beautiful blankie came in the mail on Wednesday, and you can see all three of my jewels checking it out - and the toys that came with it! The blankie is absolutely gorgeous, and the jingly toys are great fun, too!

All three have to find out what was in that box.

Ruse is checking out one of the neat-o toys!

Ruse is snuggling in. =)

Grace gets it! How nice to snuggle and stretch and snooze on this yummy blankie!

Wordy Wednesday

2010-06-09T01:43:00.005-05:00

Who's that lump under the sheet?

Oh, my goodness! It's Audace, pretending to be a lump under the sheet! Turns out, it's a good snoozin' spot!

Here's Audace in another of his fave spots for relaxing if he wants solitude. I think he's thinking about dinner!

Grace seems to be reading my mail. I wonder if she really can. Do you think she's read any of Shirley Rousseau Murphy's books? Is she a fan of Joe Grey? Hmmm!

Ruse has the cutest toes and curled-up tail. He had just finished stretching and rolling over and was just relaxing back into sleep!

Princess goes hunting!

2010-06-07T03:32:00.001-05:00

Princess, one of my daughter's cats, will play with just about anything. She is truly the eternal kitten! Here she is "helping" with the ironing - and hunting lizards at the same time. She, of course, has no clue that she is inside the glass and the lizards are outside, but that doesn't stop her!

Grace & Company's 4th Gotcha Day!

2010-06-06T01:22:00.001-05:00

Oh, how we love to celebrate this day!

On June 6, 2006, Deb and her daughters drove from Houston to my house and brought these little lovelies ~~> GOTCHA DAY PHOTOS. What a marvelous and exciting day that was - and we've had great fun with all three of these little jewels ever since!

So here they all are - separately and together - in no particular order!

Happy #5, Grace!!

2010-06-01T01:35:00.004-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO GRACE!

Go here --> MOMMA GRACE -- to find the link to the first photos I ever saw of Grace. She was less than a year old when she had her litter of four. (Somebody had robbed a cradle, huh?) Anyway, it's not hard to figure out why she caught my attention, right? =)

Here she is at age 5, trying to figure out if she wants to go into the "cave" created when this recliner's footrest was raised! She started in, but then backed out in a hurry. I have no idea what she thinks is in there!!

And here's Grace, guarding her favorite scratcher. That built-in ball and circle-track is fun. She likes the big rectangular scratchers, too, but the round scratcher is the best!

Here's to a super wonderful birthday for you, my lovely Grace! ♥

Tummy on Monday!

2010-05-31T10:38:00.003-05:00

I couldn't resist taking these. Ruse is snuggling up to my purse and wallet. I guess he knows where his bread is buttered, right? LOL!

Such a nice, soft, fuzzy tummy!

Coming up!

2010-05-25T06:05:00.003-05:00

Oh, my goodness! Grace's birthday (June 1) and Grace, Audace, and Ruse's Gotcha Day (June 6) are coming up. I need to get busy with the camera and see if I can get good photos of them ... NOT when they're sleeping (which seems to be 22 hours a day!).

Busy, busy...

Happy birthday to Auntie ML!

2010-05-23T01:00:00.002-05:00

We are wishing Auntie ML a very happy birthday today. She and Auntie Deb are our saviors, and we love them both VERY MUCH!

Love and purrs to Auntie ML.
♥ ♥ ♥

Happy birthday, Auntie Deb

2010-05-19T10:45:00.004-05:00

Happy, happy birthday to one of our two favorite people -- Auntie Deb. She and Auntie ML are our saviors!!

Love and purrs to Auntie Deb!
♥ ♥ ♥

Grace's fave activity!

2010-05-01T10:54:00.000-05:00

... or non-activity! She does love to snooze!