Help needed

Remember these ... and this? They are all very vivid in my mind ... and all the months in between. (Writeacher, from June into October; Momma Grace & Company since then)

Now here's this from ML in Houston: Tortie momma cat and kittens. What little beauties! If anyone has ideas about how to get these gorgeous little ones to a foster or a forever home, be sure to let ML know.

These moments below are some of my reasons for whatever I can do, even if it's just contributing money, to help this beautiful family.

Close ups

Box, bag, and a mess

My office is a terrible mess right now. Lots of papers on the floor that need filing, shredding, or just plain throwing out. But Audace and Ruse LOVE it when it's like this!

The box that Audace is scooting under and playing with is what my new router came in. Of course, he doesn't fit in it, but he doesn't seem to care. Then Ruse gets in the picture, and they seem to battle over the box, then a bag (now with a rather large hole in the bottom).

Here's the MOVIE of all this silliness. It's a fairly long movie (5 minutes), but quite funny in places!

Battle over the water bowl

Ruse and Audace are still really messy with the water in the water bowl. They like to play in it, and water in copious amounts ends up all over the floor. I tried a large vinyl tablecloth, folded a bit, under the water bowl, and that helped, but didn't solve the problem.

Finally, I decided to put the bowl square in the middle of the kitchen island ... since all three think it's their property anyway! At first I had a little mat under it (like what you see under the food bowl in the second photo), but they'd hook their claws into the mat and move it all around, slopping water as they went. So this is working -- water bowl in the middle of the island, no mat under it. And they've even taken to expecting ice cubes in their water periodically. I guess the cold water tastes good this time of year. I know it does to me!

Grace has had no problem adjusting to having the food bowl on the floor, where they're used to it, and the water bowl on the island. Sometimes I walk into the kitchen and find her lying on her side next to the water bowl, as if guarding it! Funny girl!!

Vet visit

Home again after the trip to the V-E-T! He is very nice and didn't force anyone to submit to anything they didn't want!!

• Audace was a complete terror -- totally uncooperative! He got his shots and that's about it. I wanted a weight on him, but he wouldn't be still!
• Ruse was a love; he just sat there and let the doctor examine him and weigh him before giving him his shots.
• Grace was so placid, she was purring! The doctor couldn't hear her heartbeat or breathing because all he heard was purring!
• Ruse is a bit over 12# and Grace is 16# -- so I'll guess that Audace is about 16#, too. They eat quite well, although Grace and Audace need more exercise, IMHO!
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

The doctor explained that V-E-Ts are now using a different kind of rabies vaccine because the previous type (the 3-year type) was causing cancer in some cats. He also explained that they need to be on some kind of med for fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes -- mostly for the mosquitoes since they are indoor-only cats and sometimes a mosquito makes it into the house. It's the mosquito that carries whatever causes heartworms in cats. I guess I'll have to look into one of those because there are times when a mosquito does get into my house, the dratted things.

All three were calmer and snoozier than usual last night. What a blessing! I was already in a snit because my Internet and television signals are completely down. I'm sure it has something to do with the switch from Time Warner Cable to Comcast that's being rammed down our throats. I'm thinking about switching to AT&T for phones and Internet and to DirecTV for television and DVR. We'll see. (I'm at Anne's right now, mooching off their wireless signal!!)

Annual visit

This afternoon, Grace and her two boys have an appointment at the V-E-T's office for their annual shots and check-ups. I'm sure they'll be VERY angry with me for a while, but -- oh, well -- it's for their own health.

Although sometimes I wonder ... since they are indoors-only kitties, why should I bother with all this? I used the flea med only once (last fall), but they were so freaked out with anyone messing with their bodies, I decided not to do that again. It's not really necessary; they don't go outside!

I'll take photos to post later. They'll be so confused, but they'll get over it.

UPDATE: Posting photos "later" turned out to mean posting them the next day! Dratted ol' Comcast, anyway!

Just normal stuff

Ruse just loves the new scratcher with all that new catnip on it!

Sometimes Audace takes over Grace's favorite spot on top of the couch - at the end where he can look all around and see everything.

Ooops! Grace DOES see something, probably someone outside walking a dog or kids on bicycles.

Our "Gotcha Day"!

Wednesday, June 6, was Grace and boys' GOTCHA DAY! We went back into the blogs to look at their photos from a year ago here and here and here. What fun, and what chaos for the first couple of weeks or so. Ruse wouldn't eat, so Austen was feeding him by hand until he got the hang of eating from the tiny dish as Audace was doing. Grace went in for "the surgery" and we tried to follow doctor's orders by keeping her separated from the babies so they wouldn't try to nurse -- and we finally gave that up! Here are their most recent photos in their favorite places and positions!!


Notice the torque!


We celebrated by getting a new scratcher and new catnip, and -- wow! -- have they been wound up and all over the place the last couple of days!

PS -- We've been so busy with all of Parker's baseball games lately (see Writeacher's Thoughts), that it took me a couple of days to get this post up!!

Audace LOVES the box!

Crazy Audace took apart the box that my new router came in and decided it was ALL HIS!! He was all over it and spent lots of time IN it, too! So fun ... what a boy!

I was gone over the weekend - to Parker's team's games in the state tourna- ment for baseball teams made up of 11 year olds. Grace, Ruse, and Audace must have really missed me, judging from their sticking to me like glue since I've been home!