A Day In The Life Of The Big Thing

THE BIG THING: MORNING

The waterbed shakes slightly, a cat has jumped up. It is usually LC first. She comes over and sniffs my nose to see if I am awake. I don't know how she can tell, but it seems she can. If she does it while I am asleep, I don't know it, but I have woken up suddenly when she does it. LC likes to demand my attention then move just out of reach.

Ayla is usually asleep on my legs and Iza is usually curled up on the headboard touching my head with a paw. When I awake, they all get jealous if I don't pet them all at once. 3 cats, two hands, not possible...

So, I sit up in bed where I can reach all 3 in turns. I spread the scritchin around as best I can. LC usually leaves first. So I scritch Ayla and Iza for while. Whichever get closest gets turned over on her back for tummy rubs, They both like it, but get nervous when the other is near, I tried getting them both in my lap in bed, but they want to play then. No winning on this attempt. Eventually, they both go chase each other around the house.

So I end up catless in bed. Time to get up...

Check the bathtub for Iza poops. She is convinced it is a litterbox! I'm working on that but it is always wise to check first. I think she is not used to canned food, so I am trying to adjust her gradually. The past few days have been safe.

Out of the shower. LC is there to greet me. I don't know why she likes to greet me as soon as I come out of the shower, but she does. So I give her a few minutes of chin scritches. Ayla runs in and jumps onto the sink countertop for attention and gets some.

LC also wants attention as I dress. She jumps onto the bed and sits right behind me as I put my socks on. She's a bit weird. I sometimes drape a sock over her back and she sits down like there was an anchor on her back.

I get dressed and go out to give them breakfast. Fancy Feast of various kinds... I have to watch Iza. She will eat all of everything as fast as she can. LC and Ayla are used to nibbling, so I can't let Iza eat just everything. There is a little juggling act involved. Iza can't eat too much canned food, and LC and Ayla want to nibble, so I have to pick up the bowls and offer them later when Iza is napping.

Then I have to give LC her daily thyroid pills. I crunch it up under a spoon, then mix it with cream cheese. She still won't eat that, so I have to collect her and smear it on her teeth. She licks that off. But she knows when I crush the pill and take out the cream chese. It is usually a few times around the bed before I can get ahold of her. I sure wish I didn't have to do that! She seems to know when the cream cheese comes out; she hides. But she knows that I am safe to be around after the cream cheese, and comes up for scritches.

Tommorrow: "Afternoon", then after that "Night".

Claws Of Death

AYLA: Heh, heh, look at these claws of mousie death! I dont get them clipped cause I use the sisal rope scratcher good an not the furniture (much). So I am ready ta climb trees, run fast, and grab mousies! I can toss toys aroun in the air fer a whole minute an it never hits the floor!

Prezzies!

LC: We gotta package from Darling Millie a week ago, but The Big Thing made us wait fer it ta be opened until Iza was comfy in the house and gettin along. But he opened it taday! I sat back an watched. It is fun ta watch the kittens play all ecited like. I feel like I'm their mother more than sister. The Big Thing took the pictures this time cause it was a bit tricky; I stood on a chair an offered advice.

Here's the package. We love seeing thse cause theyre almos allus fer us! We been sniffin it fer a week cause we could tell it was kitty stuff.

Iza was first ta see the new stuff. She gotta good sniff of everythin an ran off with the catnip bag.








Ayla heard some action goin on, so she rushed in from the bedroom. She saw the buncha new stuff on one of the kitty tower platforms. She dint know Iza had taken the catnip bag away yet.

Ayla batted off all the shiny soft new mousies while TBT tossed them back up. She loved that.





Iza was really givin the catnip bag a good workout. I'll hafta check that bag out when they get tired later. I LOVE NIP!



TBT put the nip bag back with the other stuff so Iza went back and checked out the other stuff too. There are temptations, a card, 2 squiggles, 3 mousies, a box of fancy fudge (which TBT removed fer hisself "fer later") an the catnip bag. TBT says the Van Otis Swiss Fudge is "wunnerful". We cant have anny of it though.

Iza liked the new mousies a lot too. Iza an Ayla both chased them around lots.













Ayla got a chance ta sniff the nip bag, and got real ecited after doing that.







I loved this picture! Ayla an Iza both had a new mousie unner paw (an note that they chose mousies what matched their collers), but the nip bag was right between them, They werent sure what ta do. Well, Iza eventually batted the mousie around an Ayla went for the nip bag, but the camera was full by then... We gotta switch from 18 3 meg pics ta 31 2 meg pics. We keep runnin outta camera...
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I Gots Pretty Coller!

IZA: I gots pretty purpel coller. Ayla gots bloo. LC gots no coller. Big Thing says purpel make my furs look gud! I so lucky.

SNOW!

AYLA: We gots SNOW! I only saw it once afore, when I was just come here. It was weerd! But now I iz older, I seen it again! LC says it happens "sometimes".

I went out an tried ta walk on it, but yer paws sink in the stuff like its water. An it COLD! I kep shakin my paws ta get it off. It aktally sticks ta ya! Really!

When I came back in, I ate dry food fer, well, fer the longest time, cause being cold got me all hungry.

Barely a picture. The Big Thing hadda hold Iza cause she aint allowed out yet, and LC had gone out afore me. Mebbe get some more tamorrow and add them. TBT says the stuff will stay aroun a few days. I hope not, the stuff is real cold and I dont like it at all. LC called me a sissy...

She ran aroun init, scraped it aroun like litter, an even let it fall on her furs. YIKES! I hate ta say it, but she is one tough kittie!

Peace and Pictures

LC: Well, we are finally eating in peace tagether. I hadda take Ayla aside an tell her to calm down. An whapped her twice when she kep sayin she dint wanna. The Big Thing helped by not providin canned breakfast. I tole him ta do that. I could stand that better than Ayla an Iza.

So when dinner showed up, it was a lot more peaceful. Iza dint get too much, so 6 hours later, she hasnt had anny poop problems. Mebbe the dry food suits her better.

Iza an Ayla played wrasslin but they are too fast to get pictures of. But I wanned to let ya know they are playin.

Iza likes ta sleep on the top of the kitty condo. That real innerestin cause Ayla useta command that spot. I think things are gonna get innerestin here fer a while.

Iza and Ayla

LC: I have fun watchin and listenin ta their games in the baffroom. They take turns crawling between the curtains. The game is ta slink between the curtains an not let the other know where they are. If the one on the floor sees where the other is, she pounces an knocks the other inta the tub. Then they change positions.

Ayla is better at it than Iza. Ayla is much skinnier, sleeker, and an slinkier, than Iza, so she wins most of the time. But Iza has put poop mines in the tub an knows where they are. Ayla (and The Big Thing) was pretty shocked ta discover those! Ayla hadda be washed a bit when THAT was discovered!

Apparantly, Iza grew up with dry food only, and is having a little problem getting used tha canned food. The Big Thing has been cuttin back on that until she gets used ta it. She gets "invited to the bedroom" while we chow down on it, and then gets just the little bit left over til she can handle it.



It's awkward, but ya gotta let new kitties adapt ta house habits. There are bumps along the way. At least Ayla an Iza are playing tagether... I figure thats a good start. I mean, even Skeeter and I wernt "best buds" the first coupla weeks... And I had problems that needed time ta fix.

I had ear mites, eye infektions, and worms. Efrykitty hadda take medicashuns for those cause of me. But it all werked out OK eventally. So I'll give Iza some time fer her own problems...

Just fair, ya know?

Iza Speaks!

IZA: Mai furst pos. Hi, I Iza. LC tichin me werdz. Ayla help to but make jokez. Tri lern fast tho.. Lern dinnertym werd an brekfas, mai nem, an no, an downn. LC tawks ta me lotz. Helpz lotz. Lern Big Thin werds.

Sit Big Thin lap lotz. Good. Pur lotz. He nis rubs mai gud long time. Mai hapy lotz. Play pushing game with Ayla. Typin hard!

Luv all leave msgs.

LC: Iza is learnin words. but it takes a little time. She doesn't know pictures and stuff, so I am helpin her.



I think she will earn fast though, cause she is very determined and we talk a lot about Big Thing words...

Fun with Iza!

AYLA: I found a game ta play with Iza! She likes ta get on the side of the bafftub between the curtains. I saw her there an pounced her. She fell right inta the tub! MOL! We both enjoy that.

We did that 3 times last night... We played wand toys too. We took turns attackin the fevvers. Mebbe she is OK affer all!

We ran all round the house. She efen likes the kitty condo (but not as much as I do).

She is more patient attackin toys... Here she is waitin fer the yellow ball ta move.

Don't worry, The Big Thing made it move. Iza pounced right in!

On The Choosing of Names...

THE BIG THING:

I've given the name a lot of thought. I had come up with "Iza" and "Cat Ballou", a friend suggested "Midge, because New Kitty sticks close to me like Skeeter did and a midge is like a mosquito (a skeeter) in that regard. The name Heather was suggested because of her color (and I really considered that one).

There is also a matter of tone. I think it helps cats to recognize their names by tone patterns. Skeeter was Skee-ter, first syllable a high note and the the second a low note. LC is first letter a low note and second a high note. Ay-la is 2 high notes.

So I decided that New Kitty should have a name that followed the Skee-ter pattern (high to low note) pattern. Midge and Cat Ballou don't work that way. And I looked at 100's of names on a "cat name site". None really seemed to fit New Kitty.


So her name is Iza (pronounced EE-za), high note to low note... Iza Spencer to be exact. I'll think of a middle name soon, though Iza Meezer Spencer (pronounced EE-za MEE-zer) seems cute. Because of her shape and voracious appetite, I am nicknaming her "Pudge". That might even become her daily name...

If any kitty thinks of a better middle name by Jan 31st, I will send them fresh catmint, a toy, and some treats... ;)

Iza is an applehead Blue Point Meezer. I think her colors will become more pronounced in the next year.

Ayla and Iza are starting to get along. Ayla has stopped hissing and has even groomed Iza briefly, and they have chased each other around a couple of times. I think it is going to work out fine. They ate dinner right next to each other last night.

She sure loves playing with toys!

Iza loves to sit high up on my chest when I am sitting in a chair. How she stays there is beyond me. She purrs automatically on any contact with me, and follows me around from room to room. She is definitely a lapcat!

Iza eats anything! Mom Heather, the cat-breeder, says she grew up on primo dry food, so is probably experiencing taste-overload with all the canned stuff. I'll have to watch her weight, as she is already way plump for a kitten (9 months). Heather tells me she was an inside cat, but she sure is interested in getting outside with LC and Ayla. I will be keeping her inside for 2 months (until March when it is warmer and she has a complete smell-sense of where her house is). I've done that with all my cats.

More pictures of Iza tomorrow! And I will have to Photoshop Iza into the header picture soon... :)

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New Kitty and Ayla

LC: The New Kitty has been out of her room and free to roam the house. Ayla did a lot of hissing and growling, but New Kitty (I do hope The Big Thing figures out her right name soon) doesn't pay much attention. Mebbe she is useta gettin hissed at. We don't know much about her yet.

She sure did play wif all the toys inna house, and very actively. So active, in fact, that I couldnt get any clear pictures of her most of the day. I DID get a few later...

Ayla got up on the ladder ta watch (and stay outta the way) while New Kitty was chasin a big mousie all ofer the place. I tried ta get pictures wif both of them.

New Kitty loves ta attack the big fat mousie around corners.








Here ya can see the cute fur splotches on her back...








Ayla leaned down an hissed!










New Kitty got too close when she hopped thru the ladder. Ayla whapped her tail... I dont think Ayla is bein very friendly so far.




But they did eat dinner "nearby".










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New Kitty Let Loose

AYLA: Well, the little intruder was let out of her room to wander around and explore. And play wif toys. Wif MY TOYS! An there wasnt much I could do about it but hiss at her...

The Big Thing had picked me up onto his lap earlier and tole me The Rulz. She is going to be my new friend, so I arent allowed to really attack her, bite her, an I hafta let play wif my toys acause they are "our toys" now. An I hafta let her eat in peace.

POO!

Well, I AM allowed ta hiss an growl fer a few days, I can whap her tail iffen she gets too close, an I can try ta steal anny toy she is playin wif. So at least I gots some things I can do ta espress my displeasure.

TBT also explained ta me that, has a Princess, I hafta be kind ta the reglar kitties. I dint know that was how it werked! Somehow, I thought I got ta rule. Well I DID! I was really worried when TBT tole me she was almost a Queen (cause I wouldda been outranked), but that she wasn't cause of some fur splotches (whew!).

He says we will be allowed ta play hot paws and wrassle WHEN we get ta liking each other.

I get it now, cause Skeeter an LC did that and were great friends and then would groom each ofer and go nap together. Ya can whap yer friends, but not strangers. How confoosin...

Annyway, TBT gots some pictures of the little intruder he wants to show, an I gotta describe them...

She gots funny color ears an feets.












She really goes after toys...










She likes my shrews (WAH)!

















Oh, no wonder, they are the same color as her feets.







But I still get ta glare at her...

















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Surprise!

THE BIG THING:

They sure weren't expecting New Kitty as the "Super Special Surprise". New Kitty came from the same nice cat-breeder Mom Heather (who was actually kind enough to drive an hour to deliver her) who raised Ayla. So when I saw her car in the driveway, I let LC and Ayla out the back door.

It wasn't until late that evening that LC seemed to realize there was "something" in the Guest Room. I think she heard litterbox scratching...

So, later last night, I carried New Kitty out to see and be seen for a short while. LC was quite accepting and interested, but Ayla put her ears back flat and hissed! Then she started growling. New Kitty didn't react at all, just sat in my arms purring.

Poor Ayla, it occurred to me that she had never seen a strange kitty IN THE HOUSE! I carried New Kitty around and let her look and smell stuff for about 10 minutes before returning her to the Guest Room for the night (I stayed in there with her for a while).

I will bring New Kitty out longer tomorrow and take some pictures. Hopefully, Aylsa will react a little better... After all, New Kitty is here to be her fellow Meezer playmate and Partner-In-Crime. ;)

Still deciding on a name... First thought is "Iza Meezer". Ayla was named for the heroine of 'Clan of the Cave Bear' by Jean Auel, and Iza is her adopted mother. And "Iza Meezer" sounds cute. Second thought is "Cat Ballou" after the 1965 Jane Fonda movie of that title. Obviously, she's a cat. But Ballou sounds like "blue" and she IS a blue point meezer. I am still trying to think of something more unusual, like "Skeeter". Suggestions welcome...

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Be Vewy Vewy Quiet...

THE BIG THING: Don't tell LC or Ayla yet, but there is a new kitty in the house. She is staying in the Guest room (of course) with the door closed today so she can get used to the sounds and smells of her Forever Home. It has been several hours and neither LC nor Ayla have been sniffing at the door. They were both hiding when the new kitty was brought into the house.

MEET THE NEW KITTY (name to be determined later)!

- Born April 6, 2008
- Female Blue Point Applehead Siamese
- Shy but very friendly, calm, purrs easily
- Shares Ayla's Gotcha Day! Is that cool or what?





I am hoping that Ayla and New Kitty will become best friends and playmates!

More (and better) pictures when she is out and exploring her new home... :)

And yes, don't worry, Ayla and LC are getting shrimp and ham for Ayla's Gotcha Day, they just don't seem to know (yet) that the "Super Special Surprise" is a new sister meezer.

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Ayla's Gotcha Day Tomorrow

LC: Its the first annyverasary of Ayla's Gotcha Day, tommorow. All come by and wish her a good first one ahead of time so we can read them all to her on her Gotcha Day! I mean, IM even gonna be nice ta her (tomorrow, at least).

The Big Thing is cleanin the house (which we dont like much, but it IS a special ocassion). He says Ayla is gonna get a SUPER SPECIAL SURPRISE tomorrow, too (and me also, he says)! I bet it is live dead shrimpsies AND ham! We havent had shrimpsies in a while... He is even bein so nice that he is sweepin the floors instead of bringin out the loud sucky machine!



Ayla is just runnin aroun like crazy in ecitement!

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Modelin

AYLA: The Big Thing put up calenders. Two identihical kitty ones an one wif no pictures fer writing stuff on. Well I took a careful look at the kitty one, an I decided I'm as good as the professional models are! Well, I'm not Daisy or Chesuli, but I think I could be a "Kalendar Kitty".





See? I can even pose like the professionals do!

What do you think...?

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Warning, Bad Quality Photo

LC: This is what happens when The Big Thing tries ta take pictures without usin the camera tripod thingy. They get wobbly an really BAD...



(WARNIN: Dont do this at home. This bad picture was taken by an expert Being who sometimes takes really bad pictures by long experience)

An Island Among The Leafs

AYLA:

I got out ta do a little huntin today, which was nice. Now, Ive tole ya afore that I dont like walkin of dry leafs. They are weerd-crunchy and noisy an I just dont LIKE them! But they are good fer hearin mice runnin around in. Well I found a cool bare place in the middle of a big patch of leafs where I can sit all quiet-like and lissen fer mousies!

I hopped onto it from the edge of the lawn an sat there a whiles.








An here is a close up picture so ya can see me better.








Oops, I hear some scratchin sounds a few feet away. Gotta sit up better ta find out where they are comin from.



Oh mouse-droppings, I dint hear it anny after that. I guess it went down a mousie hole... Oh well, thats how it goes sometimes.

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Remembering Skeeter...

One month ago today, our dear brother Skeeter had to be helped over The Bridge. We thought it would be right to post a few photos.


























We miss ya, Skeeter...

Calm Close Sleepin

AYLA: We aren't kitty piling yet, but I am working on getting closer ta LC... A paw width each day, and mebbe I will have my paws touchin her or even a head...

Thursday 13

LC: Ayla was finally out of heat again, and she really wanted ta get outside. I did to.

But The Big Thing only opened the door a little bit. He says he was curious about how small a space we could get out through.






Even Ayla can't fit out that narrow open space.









Ayla squirmed out at 1.5 inches!









I needed a full 2". I gotta bigger head than she does.








But it was all wet. We both hided unner the BBQ cover. You can just see my paws unner the edge.





When the rain stopped, Ayla went an clawed at the door mat ta sharpen her claws.






Then she went lookin fer birdies. Left first.








Then right. But none were around. I knew that.








We met again, smiffed each other fer prey smells. Neither of us had caught or eaten anything good.





Ayla hadda check the lower stairs fer birdies...









But all she found was some grass. Well, it been a week since she had anny.







I found some too.










Ah, good grass!










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