Counting Coup

You know what counting coup is? It’s a Native American thing where, in the midst of battle, a warrior would touch an enemy warrior and escape unscathed. Seems like kind of a "ha, see, I could have hurt or killed you so I’m the bravest, toughest of all!" thing.
Leo has been counting coup today.. I’m pretty sure he’s up to at least 4. He sneaks around after Star and when she’s least expecting it, he rushes out, give her a bap and runs off before she knows what happened!

And he HAS to be good at it because that girl is always scanning the area for him before going where she wants to go. And he’s so quick she isn’t really getting any hissing in before he’s gone.

I watched him earlier, skulking around the edges of the room. Not a lot of hiding while most of the furniture is out of there. Star was sitting by the couch, staring at the treat box trying to decide if it was time to start bugging for something. Leo was careful to stay behind her, out of her line of sight. When he got close enough, he rushed up, patted her on the butt and ran like crazy! Star spun around, but there was no one there. She crouched and peered around the room. When she realized there was no one there, she went back to looking at the treat box. Albeit, while keeping an eye out for whatever has been poking her all day.

What’s really funny is that he does this on silent paws. You all know about his wonky claw and the one on the other foot that folds over on his main paw pad and clicks when he walks? Sneaking up on Star on carpet, I can see. But at the moment, all that’s left of carpet downstairs is a square-ish patch in the middle to keep our tootsies warm on the cement floor. That means he’s aware of the clicking of that spare claw and he’s taking pains to not let it make noise! I think he might have some warrior in his blood..

What was that? Did you hear something? I swear I felt something..

heh heh heh.. I'm the sneakiest warrior ever!

New Habit

Leo has a new habit. I’m not sure what to think about it at the moment. It’s either endearing or troublesome. Here, let me show you what has become almost a daily ritual.

Hmm, Daddy’s almost home.

From out of  nowhere, Leo rushes toward the door.

Lights! There’s lights coming!

 

They’re getting real close! It’s the big loud beast that lives here! Vroom vroom back at you!

 

Oh look, it’s that guy that mommy likes. The food dish guy! Ya know he might not be so bad...

 

Aahhhhhhh! He’s coming in! Run!!

 

Flake...

See, I think it’s adorable that he waits for Greg to come in, even though he runs at the last minute. I’m thinking he’s getting used to Greg, he even lets him pet him on occasion.

The possibly troubling part is that he doesn’t run until the door is open. I’m worried that he’s going to go the other direction one day and head outside before Greg knows what’s happening. We’re going to keep a close eye on this situation.

Still, I’m glad he’s getting along with Greg better!

Mothra!

Leo will play with anything. Everything is a toy. Except a few toys.. He shuns Star’s favorite catnip krinkle butterfly, thank goodness! She might shred him if he tried to take it and that’s no joke! He will run from the room when the tub of organic catnip is opened. Sensing a trend? And I thought all cats at least kinda liked the ‘nip.

But toys, he loves them. Bugs? The best interactive toy. Ever! Might even be better than feathers in his book. A feather, after all, will be there where he left it when he’s done playing with the bug and all that’s left is to lick his lips.

I thought the appeal of bugs was that they moved and flew and wiggled. But I think Leo disproved that the other day. The day he had an epic battle with.... Mothra!

He was checking out the bathroom upstairs, as usual. Always acting like it’s his first time there, it’s kind of funny. There is about a 6 or 7 inch space between the sink and the wall that he decided to investigate. Since it is such a small, hard to get to space, it’s probably pretty dusty. Dust does not discourage him.

When he backed out I noticed that he was holding his mouth in that odd way he has when he’s holding a bug hostage. I didn’t really want to see what it was.. but he trooped to the middle of the room and dropped it anyway.

It was a dead, desiccated, dried up, dusty old moth! Yuck! He started bapping at it, knocking it around the tiles. Then he picked it up again, chomped, and dropped it only to start bapping at it once more! Gross Leo!

Then the worst, he batted it under the edge of the jean skirt I had hanging on the doorknob! Double gross Leo! I was gonna wear that! Oh, ok, mom, he seemed to say as he batted until he got his bug back. Of course, then it was time to play again, so he batted it until it was under the skirt edge, again! And then yet again! Ugh!

He must have had enough play time, because he picked it up in his mouth and munched. Bits of it would fall out of his mouth, but he’d pick them up again and keep munching. Who knew moths were so chewy.. Are you grossed out yet? I am!

Finally he left the battle field, leaving behind a few bits and pieces of his dead old moth behind. Figures he wouldn’t clean up after himself. Gross silly boy. Bleh.


Luckily, and thankfully, I don't have any pictures of that episode! But I still have a few for today.

Last week niece 2 spent the night and brought her own cot. It's still here in the living room and the cats both think it's there just for them!

Star: It's my turn now.

Leo: Then come on down.

Star: Move first.

Leo: Nope, nope nope, not gonna do that!

Star: Grrr

Star: You can't see me..

Leo: They can't? Wow, they's blind..

Star: Would you move now, ya big lug?

Leo: Sorry, nap attack coming on!

This so snuggly, I gonna stay here alllllll day!

Oh yes, back to toys. Leo figured out that the pole toys are stored on the couch, and that he can munch and chew the feather toy and the mylar streamers on it. They're all crumpled up now.

Om nom nom nom!

Yer next, Mr. Da Bird, I will find yer fedders, I will nom them to death, I will nom every toy everywhere! Bwahahaha!

Chase and Play

I am not doing so well getting over this stupid pleurisy, and the meds are still kicking my bum. All I can seem to do is sleep and hurt. It’s about driving me crazy.

And my silly cat’s are not helping. They have been chasing each other from one end of the house to the other and back again. I don’t know if they are trying to actually play, or if they are venting their hate of each other.

Aside from the chasing, they’ve also been seen sleeping and relaxing in close proximity to each other, not touching close, but within feet of the other. I don’t know what to think.

Take this afternoon. I woke up on the couch downstairs to the sounds of running and hissing coming from upstairs. It was back and forth, then down the stairs. As they bolted across the living room I realized it was Star chasing Leo. He ducked under the steppy-chair and she stopped in front of it. They hissed at each other. Yes, even Leo hissed this time! I hollered and got Star’s attention and told her to leave him alone.

So she turns and starts to walk away and the minute her back is turned, Leo comes out from under the steppy-chair, in stalking mode, and starts to track after her. I hollered at him to stop, and she now recognizes his name, so she turned and hissed once more for good measure.

I was frustrated, but I could swear that they were almost having fun...


With half the lamps out of the living room while we are STILL working on things, my pictures are coming out dark. sigh..

But see what I mean about them lounging closer, but not together? No hissing or growling at this time.

Not long after those pictures were taken, Star left. Probably because Leo was getting playful. I got out the teaser niece 1 gave Leo for his birthday, the one with the two furry mice on the end. He was too fast to get a really clear picture unfortunately. You can see he was loving it though.

And then... as I was flipping it back and forth, from side to side of the Royal Footstool, the mice and the leather string came off and it flew under the Footstool! Leo looked at them and batted a little bit, but then he was back on the Footstool to play with the empty stick! Silly boy!

Wordless Wash-day Wednesday

 (Ok, Star's not washing, but she IS watching..)

Meow Like A Pirate!

Avast ye swabs! T’day be Meow like a Pirate day!

 

This here be Leo the Chinese Pirate puttin’ pen to paper in this here pirate log book. I be needin’ a crock o’ grog, (or tuna juice) because I be fair parched!

I been huntin’ that wily wench, the pirate queen, fer a long piece o’ time now. She’s gonna soften to me soon or I’ll be after her through all the seven seas til she falls off the ends o’ the earth! rArr!

Oh, so you be wantin’ to see what the pirate queen looks like? Feast yer eyes on this wench.

I got me own pirate poster too. I suppose you be wantin’ to peer at that as well? Yer in luck!

Shiver me timbers! How did the pirate queen Star get the drop on me? She’s taken me ship, The Cursed Catnip, and left me marooned afore I can even shout mutiny! I hope you get barnacles in yer bloomers ya scurvy sea witch!

　

(Yarg, I know I got my eye patch on the wrong eye, that one was gettin' tired!)

Pirate Queen Star here now. I be takin’ over The Cursed Catnip as well as this pirate log! Yeah, I marooned the scummy scallywag, he’s lucky I didn’t make him walk the plank. Chase me will he? Ha! I get the last laugh! Ha ha ha! And all the treasure in his captain’s quarters too!

Fair winds and following seas to all you pirates out there! Mraarr!



(I didn’t make this last one, but it’s adorable, so I’m putting it up)

Sleepy Saturday

Boy have I been out of it. Actually, I’m still out of it. All I can do is sleep it seems. Pain killers and muscle relaxers are knocking me out. I can’t focus for long either.

The cat’s are enjoying it though. Glad someone is.. They sleep on me all the time. Either they’re offering comfort or I’m the warmest place in the house now that the temperature is dropping.

I think I’ll go with the comfort though. They’ve been extra cuddly. And in the moments when I’m actually awake to appreciate it, I’m loving it.

I’m thinking I’m going to go back to sleep again now. But I do have a few pictures of kitties sleeping to go along with my sleeping all the time theme.

Sorry I’m not writing anything interesting, my brain is kinda foggy.


I know the first picture is Leo, and the last picture is Star, but boy.. I can't figure out who the middle one is! I thought it was Leo, but now I'm not so sure. Well, it's one of them!

Out of Commission

I want to write a post, but I can’t. I’m having trouble making my fingers find the correct keys even! I’ve been having some pain in my ribs for a while, and Monday night I moved wrong and sent the pain through the roof. I wound up in the ER and they said I have pleurisy. The pain from that was bad enough, but the pills they put me on are kicking my bum.

I’ve never been on muscle relaxers before and they are combined with vicodin. I have been sensitive to medication a lot in the past, so I shouldn’t have been surprised that these ones are making me woobley. I’m feeling a little disconnected from myself.

But very connected to my kitties! I don’t know if it’s because I’m kind of just laying around sleeping a lot, or if they know I’m feeling bad, but they have both been cuddly with me.

Leo spends every minute he can curled up on my shoulder and chest. Star has been laying on my when Leo isn’t. I’m really feeling the kitty love let me tell you! Maybe this will be a bonding moment for them, having to share comforting mom? I did actually have them both for a little while. Leo was on my shoulder and Star came up and curled up between my feet on the Royal footstool. Shocking huh? If I wasn’t so out of it, I’d be shocked, lol!

Anyway, here’s at least one picture of my babies, getting closer together. They were sitting there for a good long time and there was no growling or hissing. Hope this is a sign of good things to come with these two!

Anyway, I guess I'm saying that if you don't hear from us for a few days, you'll know why.

A Real Nail Biter

Leo has been getting caught in the screens a lot during bug time, as well as getting stuck on the furniture when he’s climbing up. The vet told me that as a polydactyl cat, his claws would grow faster than normal. I don’t know if he meant only the extra weird shaped claws or all of them but they do seem to get super long super fast.

I had been watching that wonky claw get longer and go into two points again and I was dreading having to cut them myself this time. I couldn’t see a trip to the vet just to clip claws. But Leo will not sit still for clipping and I cannot hold him myself and do it.

I did manage to get most of a back foot while he was sleeping one day. I was shocked that I got more than one claw to be honest with you. He HATES having his back feet touched. HATES it. I can mess with his front paws somewhat, but bring out the clippers and bye bye.

Greg has been working on getting Leo to like him, and it’s working a little. In the mornings the poor baby is so starved for attention since he’s gone literally HOURS without being pet or laying on me, that he’s actually started begging Greg to pet him before he goes to work! Shocking! Any other time of day, however, and he’s not so much enamored of Greg.

The other day, when Greg got home Leo was in a mellow mood and stayed put on the Royal Footstool where he was getting pet by me. Greg sat nearby and Leo didn’t take off. I mentioned that those claws needed to be trimmed, and soon and this looked like it might be a good time.

Greg was sort of reluctant, only because he didn’t want to set back the progress he was making with Leo. But in the end, the claws were just becoming too much of a problem and had to get snipped. I scooped Leo up and snuggled him, keeping him from running off while Greg got into position on the Royal Footstool.

Then I handed the big boy over. He tried to flip out, but Greg’s pretty good about restraining kitties for baths and clippings without hurting, but without letting go either. He soon realized he wasn’t going anywhere and stopped struggling.

I got hold of the paw with the wonky claw first and he yanked it away. He’s pretty strong, my boy is. It took me three tries to get hold and keep hold of that paw. I went for the wonky claw first, and oh my goodness! That thing is tough!

I had paid attention to how the vet trimmed it, much shorter than I had before. I had previously just taken off the tip, both tips that is. But he cut it blunt and square down to about a quarter inch. There is no real vein in this claw, which surprised me because it looks like there is.

I didn’t cut it as short as the vet had, but it’s short enough that there are not two points any more. I finished the rest of that paw with little problem. The other paw, on the same extra toe that has the wonky claw on the other foot, has the longest, curving-est claw I’ve ever seen. This one does not retract (neither does the wonky claw). It lays sideways over his big center paw pad and clicks when he walks on tile.

Deep breath.. time to move onto the back feet. I’d gotten most of one, as I said, while he was sleeping, but I had been quick and didn’t know how well I’d done. I pretty much just took the very tips off and I knew I didn’t get all the toes.

Now, Leo had been behaving fairly well up to this point. But recall I said he doesn’t like having his back feet touched? Well, my silent, never growls or hisses at Star sweet boy started grumbling at me the moment I touched the first back foot! He yanked that foot away from me and started trying to get away.

Goodness, you’d think he was my sister who says, and I quote: "There are only 2 rules to loving me...... Do NOT Touch My Feet and Do NOT Touch My Bacon! Either one is likely to bring you death!" Personally, I can understand the bacon part. It’s practically my family emblem! Can you just see it? A sizzling piece of bacon rampant on a field of blue.. little heat squigglies rising from it... But I digress.. (The previous bit is for my amazing cousins who read my blog! Love you all!)

So Leo grumbled and growled and basically carried on while I trimmed his back feet. He was being so silly! Honestly! The foot I’d previously done wasn’t good enough, as I’d suspected. I’d missed a toe and the others were barely de-pointed. So I had to put up with grumbles while I finished that.

And when I was all done, I recalled that odd extra pad with the tiny thorn looking black nail coming out of it. The one that prompted Leo’s trip to the vet for trimming that I thought was something embedded in the pad. Seriously, it does not resemble a claw at all.

So Poor Leo had to be patient while I went back to that front paw to look for the weird thing. It’s on the same paw as the wonky claw. So he’s got a weird and wonky foot! It took some doing because this tiny extra toe pad is hidden under his other extra toe pads, but I found it, and the weird claw had only grown maybe an eighth of an inch. Cool, this one was slow growing! I was not looking forward to trying to trim that one, so I’ll just continue to keep an eye on it.

All done, I took Leo back and gave him a bit of a snuggle. What he really wanted, though, was down, so I let him go. He didn’t go far, just sat a little away from us, acting indignant.

About this time Star wandered down stairs. I said to Greg that she was in serious need of a trimming too.

Greg is able to pick her up, and while she doesn’t like it, she puts up with him doing it. When I try to pick her up, she goes pointy on five of her six ends... I always wind up bleeding, even if I was doing her a favor by giving her a lift onto the bathroom sink for her drink.

He picked her up and came back over to the Royal Footstool and she turned into a sad, pathetic, humble little bumble. Getting hold of her paws, even when she’s being all sad and sticking her head under her daddy’s arm, is not an easy feat. She yanks her tootsies back from me as if they were attached to her belly and no one is allowed to move them!

I prevailed, however, and trimmed her vicious weapons of mass shredding. She may not like it, but she never fights the daddy when he’s holding her. And unlike Leo, she was silent! Isn’t that funny? She’s vocal until you try to work on her, and he’s silent until you try to work on his back feet!

But ya gotta love’em! They’s my babies.


So now it’s late and I’m tired and I’ve rambled on and on about nothing more than nail trimming.. so I’m not up to preparing very many pictures. But I can’t put none up! That’s just not me, lol.

Please enjoy this one where they actually got close, and no one was making a peep at the other!

Star: I dont like you.

Leo: I dont like you much either.

Star: I'm not leaving though.

Leo: Me either.

Star: Hrumph

Leo: heeheehee

Mo Cats Day 2!

I already posted pictures of Star and Leo in the previous post, so don't forget to scroll down!
I wanted to post pictures of my own previous kitties, but I realized that there are none on digital or scanned into my computer and with everything torn up around here, I can't get to my albums to scan anything. So I'm going to show what I already had on the computer.
I'm breaking my own rules today for the sake of Mo Cats! The first rule I'm breaking is no posting more than once a day. I wanted to get these in while it was still Mo Cats Day.

Mo Cats!

This is my mother's cat, Dopey, from when she was a pre-teen or teenager. She could dress him up, put him in baby buggies and he just didn't care.

Here I go breaking my second, and probably my most adament, paranoid, hard and fast rule.. never, ever post a picture of myself! Ever!

But, in my defense.. it IS Mo Cats day and the pictuers I'm putting up are old old old.

This is me probably 7 years or so with the a kitty I'd given to my Gramma when he was a baby. His name was Charlie and he was a great cuddler.

Charlie was indoor and outdoor and before she'd had him even a year, he'd run away. I swear I saw him near our house months later. Could he have come back 'home'? We had a new dog then, and whoever that kitty was, he didn't stay.

A year or two later, I gave my gramma another kitty. A grey kitty that I'd wanted so so much, but realized that it would be better off with her. We were feeding the kitties puppy chow at that time and her small mouth had trouble with it unlike her siblings. The puppy chow kept getting caught between her upper teeth and she would flip out trying to get it out. Poor little thing. I gave gramma a choice, but really really went on and on about Foggy's good qualities. She chose her, thankfully, and gave her a new, better name. Misty. Miss Misty Fog.

Just look at that tummy! And the brat never let me rub my face in it!

It's hard to tell from these pictures of her as a kitten, but when she grew up, she hated everyone except my gramma. She occasionally looked to my grampa for a pet or two, but she was gramma's cat and no doubt about it. Misty, by the way, was an indoor only kitty, except for the few times my grampa would take her out and sit with her on the porch swing. She never left the porch.

Another picture of me with Misty, Oh I'm just killing my rules.. I'm thinking I might have been 10 here.

 

Oh terrible.. another of me. This time as a teen with Bumper. He was a friend of my grandparents' cat but they couldn't keep him any more. They called him Bumper because he bumped his head into anything and everything when he wanted pets. Buddy bumps we call them now. We had him for years and he was a very cuddly kitty. I loved laying sideways in that overwide chair.. So did bumper.

This is Niece 1's cat, Gandolf. He was a sweetie. But as an indoor/outdoor cat, he had an unfortunate run in with a car and had to be put to sleep.

My very dear friends cat, Bubba. He's absolutly gorgeous! And another sweetie pie!

Another rule broken, showing anyone elses face. Well, I guess I broke that at the top when I showed my mom with Dopey..

This is my gramma, the most special, wonderful, loving woman in the world, now in heaven hopefully with a lap full of kitties. She's holding my mom's cat Zippy as a kitten.

What a sweet face!

More Zippy as he grew up.

Can you find the kitty?

Zippy with Beauty the black lab

Another of my parents kitties being held by my gramma. She just loved loved loved kitties! I don't remember this kitten's name.. They had several kitties before they realized that the coyotes were too active at night in their area. Moose is not allowed out after dark and that has protected him.

 I made this as a wallpaper for my mother's computer when she had this kitty. Click the picture to see it full size. Beauty and that kitty played together a lot. Beauty was a very good girl and never hurt the kitties. The kitties were not always so kind in return.. But they loved to play with her! You can see by her grey muzzle that Beauty was getting up there in age.

This was my great gramma's cat, Middy, short for Midnight for her black black spots. She was a nice warm lap cat.

My great gramma got her as an adult because her previous owners decided she didn't go with their new, million dollar, black and white house make over. They kept the black and white spaniel.. Some people have no taste..

And that's all I'm going to say about that.

Just look at the beautiful kitty!

Well, there's my Mo Cats! I hope that contributed to the stash of kitties on the internet and that whoever decided they wanted a no cats day realizes by now that cats will never go away, they own the internets! Cats Rule!
Don't forget to look at the previous post for my first Mo Cats Day post!