Answers To Comments

Answers...  I showed Lori in the cat bed.  Well, it is actually a dog bed by size.  

Pilch said "You have room for a friend in there".  Brain said "Hello sweet Lori, you got room for two more in there".

There is a story there.  And it is about Lapis Lazuli.  Many of you know that "Laz" came here troubled from a previous home.  A rescuer offered him to me knowing that I was patient with "unwanted" cats and (being retired) could spend time healing him.

He came with "demons in his mind" due to being raised with pit bulls and grabby children.  

He was a trembling mess at first.  For weeks he hid in The Mews Room.  But he finally started trusting again.  Meanwhile, I was seeking a Tonkie because Iza had died young and I wanted another.  I found one (Lori).

Laz had been aggressive toward the other cats, but he found an attachment to young Lori.  After a couple months, they were nearly inseparable.  They ate together, napped together, played together.

Especially, they napped all day and slept all night together.  It was wonderful.

Laz was calm.  Lori was happy...  I was thrilled at their BFF relationship.

It lasted for a few months.  Then suddenly Laz started attacking Ayla and then Lori.  His demons had returned.  After a few months of stuggle, I had to release him from the demons...

So back to the bed...  Lori avoided it for a year after.  I'm sure she had memories of it, both good and bad.

A couple of months ago, I saw Lori sleeping in the bed.  I'm not sure if Laz's smell had faded or whether she found some good memories.  But she has been sleeping there at night more often lately.

Lori is not likely to share space in the bed with any of the other Mews anytime soon.  She likes Marley, but he doesn't seem to like the bed himself.

Lori has been adjusting more to Taz and Binq lately.  There are more nose-and butt-sniffings the past couple months.  They can all sit nearby without "fussies".  Things are improving.  

But I'm not sure Lori will ever share the cat bed with anyone again...

Answers To Comments

Once again, We and TBT are replying to questions and comments...

1.  We mentioned that TBT had bought some tiny pillows to attach one to the aquarium hood for Lori to rest her head on.  Right now, it is a folded dishtowel held in place by a brick.  Memories Of Eric And Flynn suggested "Maybe self adhesive velcro?"  

Well TBT checked Amazon for that stuff.  He found 30Ft x 1 Inch Hook and Loop Rolls with Adhesive, Double Rolls (1 hook, 1 loop) of Heavy Duty Self Adhesive Tape for like only $8.  Its in our cart.

2.  We got many comments about sharing and not sharing The Lap.  Suggestions were "taking turns", "Marley is senior so has rights", "first come first served", and "scheduling times", hogging The Lap", etc.  We are not good at scheduling or taking turns at much of anything.  Mostly it is "Marley is big" and while he doesnt demand much, he does get what he demands.  And TBT tends toward "first come first served".  

3.  We also posted about "refreshing old toys with Nip".  15&Meowing, The Florida Furkids, and Memories Of Eric And Flynn all suggested "marinating" toys in a big jar of Nip.  So TBT bought a large jar of Nip, chose some toys and put them in a different jar and dumped some Nip over them (shaking the toy/nip jar well) and marked the calendar for 2 weeks from now.  

He still intends to re-stuff the cigar and banana directly with Nip just to fill them up (they are kinna flat these days).  They have stitching at one end and he can cut those to refill them.  And he has fabric cement to attach small length of velcro (see item 1) to reclose them for future.  Or he can just do some simple sewing.

But "marinating and velcro" are great suggestions!

4.  TBT is grateful that other cats and Beins understand that "fur is everywhere".  We don't have "dust-bunnies" here so much as we have "fur clumps".  Somehow, all the loose furs in our house find each other and collect together in "food bowl-sized clumps".  How that happens, neither We nor TBT understand.  But he tells us that is how planets form.

BTW, he doesnt vacuum them up; he sweeps.  The floor-sweepings of our furs go into the TBTs compost bin.  So we are part of his garden.  Isn't that cool?

5.  Boxes-  Good boxes are hard to find.  Megan commented "You simply can't beat a good box Taz".  Well TBT found 2 purrfect ones!  TBT order some tomato plants from Amazon.  They arrived in great condition, but we care more about the 2 boxes.  

They were 12'x12"x12".  And the sturdiest ones he has ever seen!  TBT folded the top flaps into the box (adding some glue to hold them flat).  When he put one on the living room floor the next day, Taz was in it immediately.  The other box was in the kitchen, and Lori was in that one shortly after.  TBT hasnt processed those pics yet...

The boxes are perfect size and height to sit in (looking around) and all of us but Marley can curl up in them.  Those 2 boxes are going to be around a long time!  It's OK, Marley has his hammick (which we leave to him).  And there is one larger box in case he wants to sit in one.

And of course, there must be a picture of Us...

Answers To Comments

TBT:  Some very interesting comments recently...

The black whisker was a surprise to me.  Well, I should have expected it on black/dark cats.  But I haven't had a black cat for 50 years and I wasn't noticing loose whiskers back then.  They just got vacuumed up.  When I started collecting whiskers, all The Mews had white ones.  You really only "see" what you look for.  I wonder how many of Binq's black whiskers I just never noticed.

I mentioned Ayla was trained by her breeder to pee in the toilet, but lost the habit due to the presence of regular litter boxes for Skeeter and LC.  I don't recall Lori's breeder mentioning that and she has been here 3 years anyway, so would have lost the habit.  I wonder if she has been doing that sometimes all along and I just never noticed before.  Well, it's not like I stand around in the bathroom all that much.

About Marley and Taz size...  Marley once weighed 16+ pounds.  A couple of years ago (when he first showed signs of kidney problems), the Vet said he wanted Marley to lose 2 pounds.  He weighed about 14 late last Spring, and may weigh 13 now.  Yeah, the kidney problems are slowly getting to him even with a special diet and sub-Q injections.  But he is over 14 years now, so such things are (sadly) to be expected.

And Taz has actually lost weight.  9.2 to start and 8.5 now.  I think that is due to his increased activity outside since he arrived.  He runs around outside a lot.  More about food below...

I love seeing The Mews eating together.  Well, Marley, Taz, and Binq always do.  But sometimes Lori goes weeks wanting to eat alone.  It doesn't have to be far away.  Just out of sight of the others.  And she likes corners to eat in (harder for any other Mews to get their nose in her bowl.  Sometimes, she won't eat unless in the bedroom with the door closed.

But the meals are what I wanted to mention.  The Mews get 6 meals a day.  I read once that a feral cat needs 6 mice a day.  So I feed them a little more than  a "mouse" of canned food each meal.  Basically, they each get about 1.5 ozs  (half a Fancy Food can each, each time).  Marley gets more just because he is larger.

As I mentioned, Marley is very slowly losing weight.  Taz seems to be holding at 8.5, Binq is gaining weight (about 1 lb since she arrived).  Lori seems to have settled at 7+.

I understand about Marley losing weight gradually.  He's getter older and there are the kidney issues.  I give him all the food he will eat.  And I do the same with Taz.  He is always meowing at me in the kitchen while standing next to the food mat, so I interpret it as wanting more food.  I always give him some extra whenever the other Mews are outside.  I like plump kitties!

One weird thing about Marley's kidney care diet (Royal Canin and Hill's prescription food.  Marley doesn't really like any of the flavors.  But the other Mews love them!  Which amazes me.  I had to search about that.  The Royal Canin kidney care diet has 3 flavors, all based on pork liver.  Years ago, I read a dystopian sci-fi book where the main character said "when we were poor, we ate pig liver".  I've never eaten it, but I presume that means it isn't that great.  LOL!

But Lori, Taz, and Binq will eat it with gusto.  Maybe it is just "different".  But they get 10 flavors of regular canned food, so how different does food have to get?  

But what is a post without some pictures?

Binq's favorite toy...

Visitor - There is a smokey-color cat I see on the deck sometimes.  I note it has a collar (badly-trimmed).  I don't know if it has a home recently.  A housecat out in the dark suggests otherwise so it may be abandonded or lost..  I've tried to carefully slip a food bowl out, but it runs away.

I will try to live-trap it and bring it to some place that can check for a microchip.  If not, get a good picture of it and post it around the neighborhood and a local website.  I won't adopt it; 4 mews are almost one too many for me.  But if I could return to an owner missing it, that would be a good thing.

I had an unwanted visitor cat who stayed around for a week once before Ayla was successfully spayed.  I got a good picture.  Printed several copies and put them in ziplock bags and went to post them on street signs.  I only got to the 2nd street sign before a teen girl bicycled up and said that was hers.  He was an intact male but kept inside.  And escaped.  

She was so happy to see him again.

And then he escaped again and I got him again (he was friendly).  But that time I walked to her to her home and told the parents they needed to have him neutered or he was going to the Shelter the next time.  I volunteered to pay for it.  I don't know what they decided to do, but I never saw in my yard again.  I hope it was merely neutered.  But you do what you can...

So I hope to find the newest intruder cat has a home and that I can find it.

Answers To Comments

TBT:   I love getting comments I can answer.  So here are some From Friday and Sunday...

From Brian's Home:  "That was a darn cool new Marley throne!"  Yeah, it seems to me that all cats know what color background shows them off best.  Orange cats like Marley and Taz seem to like black or green.  Black cats like Binq seem to like red.  Beige cats like Lori know they show up well with any strong color.

From Memories Of Eric And Flynn:  "Of course Marley did! Does anyone use the hidey hole now?"  Yes.  Lori likes it and sometimes Taz gets in.  But Marley can't really fit in there anymore and Binq has shown no interest.  

From several about Lori's beard:  I have never seen that on a cat.  And I have no idea whatsoever how it exists.  But it is "precious" in the sort of cute way that something is unique and unusual.  I am constantly amazed by it.  And it is rare to get a picture showing it well.  Have any of you ever had a cat with a beard like that?

From Megan:  "Poor Marley. He tells himself that if he just concentrates hard enough the cushions will get warm".  Heated cat mats don't seem to last long.  But I'm willing to try again.  At least, if it isn't warm, it is soft.  And since the deck door faces south, he gets sunpuddles there.  Perhaps just the memory of the warmth is good for him.  And I see an obvious Christmas present arriving for him.  And even maybe sooner.  Why wait?

Thank you all for the comments (mentioned here or not).   They keep my spirits lifted and The Mews tails held high!

So a few random pictures with no particular theme...

OK, its all Lori this time.  The Mews flipped rattley mousies and she won.

Comment Tuesday

TBT:  Time to reply to a few comments...

Memories of Eric and Flynn:  I almost reached 3,000 but when Eric passed I stopped for a while, then when Flynn passed I only posted weekly.

But cheers to "almost 3000" too...  Sometimes, it gets hard to continue.

There were times when I considered stopping too.  I woke up the day of a scheduled "wellness" vet visit for Iza just before it was time to go.  She wasn't eating well.  But then I saw she had blood all over her backside.  At the same moment, the Vet called and asked why she was arriving.  I told him of the sudden problem and that I would be bringing her in immediately for more serious help.  

The Vet wasn't able to save her.  Some sort of internal hemorrhage.  I chose not to have her body investigated.

Iza was such a dear cat to me, I almost stopped then.  But there were still the other Mews.  So I continued...

Megan:  300 posts per year over such a long period is an outstanding effort on which you and TBT are to be congratulated. Please please please keep it up as readers around the globe look forward to reading each and every post. 

I and The Mews appreciate that.  The idea of international readers never occurred to us at first and still amazes us to this day.  Its not that our posts are so amazing, but that cats are beloved around most of the world and readers find us through The Cat Blogosphere.  And getting comments from international readers is sometimes very educating about language and opinions about cats.

I used Statcounter for years and it showed my visitors in various ways.  One was by nation.  I was always amazed to see where people visited from.  But the site started to fail at non-standard visitors for a year and I closed the account.

Marcia:  I love the picture of the four of you setting out in various directions so you can find a topic or a tale that TBT can use in your posts. 6,000 is a lot of times that Mews have come back with a good story to tell us. Keep it up!

The picture of The Mews getting out and looking around is very typical.  They all go sniffing around the deck before exploring the backyard.  We do have night-time visitors...

The Mews are my muses.  Without them, I would not have much to post about.  And I loved the suggestion that they bring me all the ideas for posts.  Without them, this blog wouldn't exist.  

Zoolatry:  Mmm, now "which" wrinkles could he be referring to? Just sayin'. Purr-sonally speaking, mine haven't just disappeared, they seem to keep multiplying ... not so smoothly either! And now just wondering: since the Mews had such a busy August ... what's planned as an encore for September?

Pant wrinkles.  Skinwise, I seem to be aging slowly.  A weird square inch of spider veins next to my right knee.  My knees could be better, but are actually better than 5 years ago.  I don't have those "throat

Megan:  Good to see all four eating together. Is this the new normal?

About 50/50...  Marley, Taz, and Binq always eat together at the floor mat.  Lori gets fussy sometimes though.  She is a bit odd about that.  Sometimes she just wants to go out first thing in the morning even if I offer a favorite flavor and sprinkled with powdered chicken (which normally encourages her to eat any flavor).

But then sometimes, when I am filling the bowls on the counter, she stands next to her corner of the food mat and eats with the others.  And then, other times, she wants to eat in a tight corner away from the others.  I assume she feels safest at eating food when it it hardest for the others to get at her bowl.  And sometimes, she will only eat when I carry her bowl to the bedroom, leave the light on, and close the door.  LOL!

Smudge:  Happy Birthday, Taz, you marvelous specimen of man cat!

Well that sure kept his tail high for the day!  😸

Zoolatry:  Fur shame ... kitties first, bed time cuddles first ... photos last ... c'mon TBT, prioritize! Just sayin' ....

If I didn't process pics sometimes, I wouldn't have a post that day.  Sometimes I get ahead a few days, sometimes not.  LOL!

Memories of Eric and Flynn:  A board would be good, Marley. You would have your own personal ramp

I can't wait to see the look on the face of the carpet guy when I ask for 6" wide strip of 12' outdoor carpet!

Smudge:  Ahh, to be loved! Dad says "Midnight?!" Yeah, him being awake at midnight is, like, unheard of

I have neighbors whose house is dark at 9 pm.  But if I go to bed before midnight, it is a rare event.  After 35 years of going to bed at 10 pm and getting up at 5 am, I swore I would never do that again after I retired.  I want to get up in full daylight.  😎

Thanks for all the comments...