For today, we go back to 2009 this week...
LC was still with us. She liked to sit on the bridge over the small waterflow that went to the 10' pond" (sadly, out of comission these days).
And she liked to just sit in the semi-wild back yard.
Ayla and Iza were exploring around the lawn for signs of any mousies.
They were better together outside than in those days.
TBT: No sooner did I mention last week that Taz had stopped peeing inappropriately and Lori seemed to have gotten over her "stress-diarrhea", then there were 2 episodes of both for each! Taz hit the shower curtain once (which of course dripped down on the bathmat) and then on my hand in bed later. OK, that's why I keep a "urine destroyer spray" handy.
And I should mention that Binq loves to scratch the upholstered TV chair. And she loves to knock things off desks. And I mean I can't have some documents on the table without her scattering them all over the floor. It is cute in a way, but my paper-stacking habit and Binq loving an empty table sure don't match up well. 😔
Lori is better about keeping her problem in the litterboxes, but there was a puddle just next to one a couple days ago. Sigh! I scooped out some clean litter and covered it. I'll scrape it up when it dries.
Binq always stops scratching the chair when I just push her a bit. But it never stops her from doing it again the next day.
Don't get me wrong. I have always been amazed at how well cats do in human households. It is not really their nature to be all that much domesticated. They can just leave and survive outside. Not for as long or as well, but they don't know that. So they do as well as they can inside with us. And sometimes there are problems. They don't always know the difference between inside and out.
I do sometimes wonder why some cats live inside better than others do. Most of my cats have been clean and non-destructive. They learn what to do and not do. They learn to understand some sounds we humans make ("no, down, dinnertime").
But most of my cats have not had those problems. I don't know if I was on a lucky streak before, or a bad one now. Skeeter (except in his last months of kidney failure), LC, Ayla, Iza, and Laz never exhibited "cleanliness" or destructive issues.
But now Lori, Taz, and Binq are. 😖
OK, I understand that Laz went nuts when bad previous home/dog/children memories returned to his mind. I never blamed him for that.
And Taz and Binq came from a shelter (and I have to accept there are some reasons they were surrendered there). Maybe their habits developed while they were in the Shelter and allowed to do whatever they wanted (even in the Community Room.
Lori has been accepting Taz and Binq better these days, but sometimes she acts stressed. I sure never intended to do anything to cause her stress. She sure didn't have the stress diarrhea before they arrived. So I can't blame her in any way. She can walk past them easier the past few months. And I haven't heard a fussy-fight in months. But apparently, she has hold-over issues.
But there is another possibility... We sometimes have an intruder cat in the backyard. I usually just walk out on the deck and it runs over the fence. But there is one that has become more persistent. For a month, it has been on definite Mews territory close to the house. I've even seen it on the deck.
Oddly, it doesn't want to leave the yard when I simply walk out. It a large longish-furred mostly black cat (male I assume from the size. The Mews don't really want to try to drive it away. It is a rather big cat. Even Taz comes in quickly with a poofed tail.
I've tried to approach it shaking the kibble jar. I've tried to just sit on the lawn, but it won't even consider approaching me. And when I slowly approach it, he just runs over the fence in the same direction. Which suggests he has a home, but really likes our backyard.
But that cat may be the reason Taz and Lori are again having problems. I should live trap it and bring it to my vet to see if it has a chip.
TAZ: I do love the tower of towels on the shoe rack!
And Happy St Patrick's Day to everyone who celebrates it. Marley says TBT once made his waterbowl green and he dressed up in green about as much as he could... Had Marley do it too.
BINQ: More fun with the egg...
TBT: There were nice comments about the Ayla/Iza/Marley trio.
When I was younger, I tended to have one cat at a time. I lived in apartments with other guys and they could accept one but didn't want more around. I sometimes had aa apartment by myself and had 2 (Ralph and Sport-Sport in the 70s).
Tinkerbelle came to me fin the 80s rom a sister who said she was mean. And she was. Bitten across the spine by a dog when she was a kitten, she was always sensitive to that area when stroked. She angered easily due to tha and used her claws. I learned how to raise my hand over the sensitive wound. She came with me to this place in 1986. And simply vanished one day in the 90s. I don't recall what year it was.
But I had found a duo in 92/93. Both on HalloweenDay, LOL! Those were Skeeter and LC. Skeeter for "mosquito" (he buzzed around me a lot) and LC for "Little Cow" (she was black and white). They became inseperatable.
Ayla came to me as a sort of rescue. She was too small for the breeder to as a Queen and I always did want a Siamese cat.
Skeeter died of kidney problems that year, and LC followed him over Bridge. I added Iza and Marley to the house shortly thereafter. Ayla and Iza had some fussy problems the 1st year (both wanted to be Alpha Cat), but adopting Marley settled that down in 2010.
Ayla and Iza went from this (and it wasn't play)...
To this, in a few months with Marley's calm presence..
They became the best 3 cats together I've ever had.
The current Mews show promise. Lori still doesn't exactly love Taz or Binq, but things have settled down. After 16 months, she seems resigned to accepting their presence. I've even seen a few instances of mutual grooming, head-butting, and shared time close to me in bed.
Individually, each are doing well. Marley eats his Royal Canin T and D flavors pretty well (he doesn't like the E). He doesn't go outside much these days, so I feed him when the others are out. Without "regular" food, he eats it. He is my main lapcat.
The other 3 are utterly attached to me in their own ways. Lori is always close and wants to be on my shoulder. And she stretches up my legs when I stand still.
Taz is always in whatever room I'm in. He even wants to stay in the bathroom when I take a shower. The sound of running water has bothered all previous cats, but he just sits there on the vanity. And he hasn't peed on the bed in a couple months.
Binq has become braver. She used to think the bedroom was "the other Mews' place", but has lately spent some time on the bed at night and greets me there every morning when I get up.
She still won't tolerate being picked up. The vet can't find anything wrong her belly, but she seems to be very sensitive there. And she still tends to stay on the deck. The good news about that is that she used to be extemely reluctAnt to go out on iT, now she is quite enthusiastic.
And she really surprised me last week. I heard a noise outside and opened the deck door. Both Taz and Lori ran in all poofy-tailed. There was an intruder cat at the bottom of the stairs. Yet Binq not only stood at the top and hissed, she ran down the stairs at it!
It fled. She walked into the house. Her tail was very proudly straight and upright without the least poof! You can rest assured she got lots of strokes, treats, and attention after that!
So things are looking rather assuring lately.
Some pictures from last year this week...
Today, I am thankful for the tall wooden fence around the backyard.
OK, that's an old pic before the underbrush grew back and I improved the yard a lot. But it's the best pic I have.
I built it myself. Had some fence interns to drill holes and cement in posts, but I did all the rest of it. And I had a good reason to build it.
A couple of years after I moved here, a couple walked their dog along the street. We struck up a conversation and they seemed friendly enough. Then my cat Tinkerbelle came out front. The guy immediately unleashed the dog and said "sic her". I was stunned. I wanted to beat the guy to a pulp, but Tinkerbelle's safety was more important. I ran to the tree she climbed up, kicked the dog a couple times (just enough to drive it away).
When I ran back to the front yard, the couple had vanished and I didn't see the dog around either. So I calmed Tinkerbelle enough to climb down the tree and get inside. But there were other larger and meaner dogs loose in the neighborhood.
So I decided to build the fence. My yard slopes slightly, so I decided on a 6' tall step-down fence. That means every 8' section was level at the top but a diffent height from the adjacent sections. And it was a shadow-box fence. Which means boards alternating on each side so that wind could pass through. This a clearer example of one...
Took all Summer... 400' feet of it. But it meant a place where the cats could wander, free of threats from dogs. I have always been glad I built it. Some of The Mews have been able to get on the top. All have recognized it as the border of our territory. Very infrequently, some have hopped over, but they didn't stay out for long. They knew where "safe" was. Mostly, just sat on top.
Sad but sort of funny story. The first time my parents visited after that, Dad (mechanical engineer and wood-worker) looked at the fence for a few minutes. He finally pointed to one section and said "That one isn't level". No comment about the effort to build it. No "nice work". Just a single criticism.
He was always like that. I suppose he thought that a word of approval would have discouraged me from "trying hard". Oh well, he's gone now and I'm still here. 😄
Anyway, I'm thankful for the fence. I've seen large dogs up against it barking at The Mews. But they can't get in at them, so it was worth the effort.
TBT: A few weeks old, but I hate not using pics. We had a snowstorm that was supposed to be "2 inches" and turned into about 6". So I shoveled a quick path across the deck for The Mews.
It was rather warmish in the morning, so the path was actually clear and dry later. Binq is sensible; she stayed on the path. I was surprized to see Taz walk on the snow. He usually hates that. But he likes to sit on the deck rails, so he was planning a jump. Worth the cold paws, I guess.
I used the snow-blower to clear the driveway afterwards. Love that thing! I shoveled too much snow when I was younger...
MARLEY: I love being wire-brushed. I have sightly thick fur and get mats these days. The wire-brush usually gets them out somewhat and I don't mind the pulling much. I'm kind of old, but tough.
So look at all TBT got loose from me! The pile is as high as it is wide. Typical brushing results...
TBT saves it. I don't know why. Maybe he is trying to make a new cat.
I stayed there fer several hours napping after TBT took my pic. It was actually a quiet day. Sundays are like that sometimes.
LORI: Binq got ta show off poses on Wensday, so it is MY turn...
Am I more bootiful than Binq or what? I am very certain about that.
This week in 2015, The Mews were having a day of opposites.
It started with Ayla enjoying the towel pile and stretching out her long front legs.
It was a good day for them. Different experiences and warmth at the end of it.