Too Busy To Do A Real Blog Post So...

I've been too busy today to do a real post so I'm just gonna post some kitty pics.  I don't really know why I was too busy but I was just too busy being busy.  I don't know what I got accomplished, but it must have been something big because it took up my entire day.

I didn't have the heart to pack away the ho ho ho Christmas throw in the picture above because Phantom seems to enjoy napping on it.  I wish he'd been on it the other night when I spent almost an hour looking for him before I went to bed.

As always I have to lock him down in the Boy's room at night so he won't attack Ed.  I thought he was already down there but I couldn't find him.  I called him.  I walked around shaking a bag of kitty snacks attempting to lure him out of hiding.   I looked EVERYWHERE.  All over the house.  High and low, but no Phantom.

Finally, I remembered that I had seen Cadence come out from under the couch in the Boy's area.  The one that the ho ho ho Christmas throw is on top of.  But Cadence is tiny and can fit just about anywhere.  Phantom is huge!

Cadence chewed the bottom of the couch cover and made a little bed

I didn't think Phantom could squeeze his big butt under that couch, but since I was out of places to look, I tentatively reached my hand under the back of the couch and brushed up against something warm and furry.  The furry thing didn't budge.  I jerked my hand out, but put it back under and felt around.  I was pretty sure it was Phantom when I grabbed a tail.

Yes, it was Phantom's tail, but I panicked when he didn't move even though I had his tail in my hand. Was he dead?

A couple of tugs on the tail and he jumped up.  One very pissed off cat.  I guess he had been asleep and didn't hear me shaking the bag of snacks.

I was very relieved that I had found him, he was okay and he was in the Boy's area where he was suppose to be.

So I could go bed.  Phantom, however, was completely awake now and wanting a snack.  Sorry Phantom!

Ed prefers the pink snuggy.  I know this is totally unrelated to the above story, but I'm tired and I think my kitties are cute.  Even the ones that cause trouble.  Which would be most of them.

Hopefully tomorrow I will have time to do a real blog post.  Until then I'll just post some cat pictures.

Meow and Good Night!

Deputy Barney Reporting for Duty!

Photo from thelastdrivein.com

We've often wondered what goes on around the house at night with the cats after we've gone to bed.  We know that Phantom is very bad and extremely territorial, so he gets locked downstairs every night in the Boy's area which is now his area since the Boy's at school.  Cadence and Ed get free run of the house.  Sometimes in the morning Ed is hiding underneath the couch upstairs and refuses to come down even for breakfast.  He is very old and declawed and isn't much of a match for younger, hyper Cadence, but we usually don't see Cadence acting aggressively toward Ed. 

 He's sneaky that way.

We have been increasingly suspicious of Cadence's behavior toward Ed when we aren't looking and wonder what exactly happens between the two of them that makes Ed take cover under the couch on some mornings.

Last night we got a clue.

The Murph is still getting over the cold I shared with him and now has a terrible hacking cough.  It was so bad last night that he got up from bed and went to sit on the couch so he wouldn't wake me up.  During this time, he noticed Cadence circling the rooms in the house at a fairly fast pace.  It looked like he was a cat on a mission.  The Murph said it looked like he was "patrolling" the house.  He did this for a little while, just circling among the different rooms, until he seemed satisfied and left.  Then he came back an hour later and "patrolled" again.  All he needed was a doughnut and a deputy hat to make the picture complete.

Ed wanted nothing to do with this and ran upstairs and hid.

That's why this morning Cadence's new nickname is Barney Fife, named after the fictional character played by Don Knots on "The Andy Griffith" show, a sitcom from the early 1960's.  Barney was sort of a bumbling idiot who tried to do everything by the book, but constantly screwed up.

Cadence aka Barney Fife Reporting for duty!

Photo from tumblr.com

See the resemblance?

Getting Back To "Normal"

Ed

Our life has been in a little bit of an upheaval since Boo died last Wednesday.  We are slowly starting to heal and get back to normal, but it's been rough.  For one thing, we have been giving Ed, Boo's brother, a lot of extra attention.  I mean A LOT!  Holding, petting, attention, making Phantom leave him alone and trying to encourage Cadence to be more accepting of him.  Phantom has been exiled to the Boys domain for most of this time.  Usually when he goes after Ed, we spray him with water.  This week we are being proactive instead of reactive in our protection of poor Ed.

This has Phantom confused and a little isolated since the Boy left to go over to his dad's Saturday, but he will be okay.  The Boy comes home tonight.

Our sleeping routine at night has been that Phantom gets locked down in the Boys bedroom, Cadence sleeps with me and Ed and Boo slept upstairs in their "bedroom", but still have free roam of the house.  All the cats have free roam except Phantom because he's too aggressive, mainly toward Ed.

 Since Ed is now all alone and Cadence is very territorial when it comes to our bedroom and me, the Murph has been sleeping upstairs with Ed.  What was only suppose to be one night (the night Boo died) has become four nights because Ed has been very lost and grieving.

While I totally understand and empathize with poor Ed, I am going to be glad to get the Murph back.  Sorry Ed!  I have been attempting to make Cadence more accepting of Ed and therefore we would have both of them in our bedroom. (this probably won't happen.)  Cadence only tolerated Phantom in my bedroom (before we started locking him downstairs) because Phantom is 3x bigger than Cadence and he didn't have much of a choice.   However, I have seen Phantom respectfully jump off the bed when Cadence goes after him in a frenzy.  Cadence is like, "How dare that bastard jump up on MY bed!"  Then Phantom is like, " Whatever!  The floor is good!"

Besides, Cadence sleeps all night and Ed demands petting and won't stay still.  Cadence has been sleeping on my legs since he was a kitten.  We are both trained and can make it through the night this way.  I told the Murph before I moved in that this was how it was with Cadence - he sleeps with me.  The Murph didn't like cats in the bedroom at first, but then saw that Cadence is usually not that bad at night.  We usually never know he's there unless I am restless and keep waking him up. That's when he wants to be petted.

Tonight we will be back to normal.  It will be the first time Ed's been alone so we will see how he adapts.  I have already started looking on pet adoption web sites for a new little sister kitty for Ed if he still seems to be lonely in a few weeks.  Hopefully not.  We already have 3 cats.  I would like a girl kitty if we get another one though because I am outnumbered around here with all these males both the human and feline varieties.

I never realize the cat dynamics that were in place here until we lost Boo.  I always thought Phantom and Ed were the dominant personalities and that's why they didn't get along.  They were both "fighting" over territory even though Phantom wins because of his size, youth,  not to mention CLAWS!  Ed backed down early on, but was still chased by Phantom and sometimes Cadence.

Boo on the other hand, seemed so laid back and non-territorial.  Preferring his toys and a good meal to anything else.  Phantom would go after Ed and he would run.  Phantom tried that with Boo and Boo just stood there.  Phantom lunged, got all the way in Boo's face and then slunk away when Boo just sat there and looked at him without budging.  Boo never ran away.  I use to think it was because he couldn't see or hear very well.  I should have known better.

Boo was brave.  Boo protected Ed, not the other way around.  Our schedule revolved around Boo.  Boo ruled this house in his own, non aggressive, dignified way.  And the other cats respected him.  He didn't have to get aggressive to earn that respect.  Because of this seemingly unaggressive, passive behavior, he was the last one that I thought was "in charge" around here.  

Funny, I didn't even realize he was the one in charge until he was gone.

Lunch With Mom and The Cat Boy

Phantom's new spot

The Boy and I took my mom out to lunch today for a belated mother's day celebration.  We waited until today since The Boy was with his dad this weekend and I thought my mom would want to see him.   I was hoping that since The Boy has spent one entire year in college, that he would outgrow some of his unusual and embarrassing "cat" behavior.  (He identifies a little to closely with the family cats.)

No such luck.

We had barely sat down in the restaurant when The Boy starts up with his old behavior.  The cat behavior.  For the past few years, whenever we are in public, The Boy starts meowing at me loudly.  If I ignore him, which I try to do hoping he'll stop, he will then start rubbing his head on my shoulder, meowing and purring.  Very loudly.  

I have tried everything to try to make him stop.  Ignoring him is my last hope.  My mom was sitting on the other side of the table, witnessing this very unusual and embarrassing behavior.  The look on her face was exactly the same look I 've seen on other family members and friends who have been unfortunate enough to witness it.

I thought he would out grow it.  That he would mature in college.  That he would forget the behavior since he's not around our cats so much anymore or just not do it because it's too embarrassing for him.

No such luck.

Lucky for me, the restaurant was fairly empty today and there was no waitress nearby when he was performing the cat behavior.  I threatened him that if he didn't stop, I was turning him into the humane society, giving him a rabies shot,  having him declawed.  In return, he growled at me.

And bit me on the arm. 

 Oh, the look on my mom's face when he did that!  

He follows me around meowing when we are home, but why does he go overboard with it when we are in public?  He doesn't seem as bad when we are home, but maybe I just don't notice it as much because there's nobody to witness it but me and The Murph. 

I've decided to start calling him "Cat Boy" until he stops.  I've already been bitten twice by the cats this week, both the real one and the pretend one.  This house is out of control!

Phantom and Boo "bonding"

Wide loads!