News From the Cat Ranch

Coming Back

2007-10-24T06:11:00.001-07:00

Poor Mommy! She had a fun little trip out of town, but all the travelling made her sicker so she has been lying around in the sun with us for days. She's almost better now, though, and has taken lots of pictures that she is going to post soon. This morning Emma got to play with her bird for an extra long time and can't wait to show you all how it's done.

We've missed everyone!

Emma, Jamie, Thomassina and Bob

Easy Like Sunday Morning

2007-10-14T14:17:00.001-07:00

Here I am lounging on the people bed. I like to twist my paws all around each other and purr loudly. Mommy thinks I'm just irresistible. Mommy has a nasty sinus infection, though, so I've been giving her lots of purrs and Emma has been licking her face to try to make it all better. She hopes to let us back on the computer more soon!

Jamie

Thomassina on Tuesday

2007-10-09T07:09:00.000-07:00

I had a very special morning this morning. I was the only cat in the bed! I like to sleep in the human bed, but I usually have to share it with Jamie and sometimes even Emma. This morning I had Mommy all to myself. As you can see, I am both dainty and very flexible so I didn't take up much room at all. Purrrrrr.........

Now I just want to know why my Mommy always keeps her camera on the bedside table by her head?

Thomassina

Easy Like Sunday Morning

2007-10-07T15:42:00.000-07:00

Our Mommy had to go away for a few days, but she sent one of her friends to spoil us - treats, cuddles, all kinds of wonderful stuff. Unfortunately, the heat continues unabated. As you can see, I have quite the winter coat going. I still sleep on my favorite window box, but I feel compelled to sprawl out more than usual so I can get the breeze from the vent down on the floor.

Even if it is hot, this is still my favorite Sunday morning nap spot. After a strenuous morning of eating and grooming (I don't stay this silky without significant effort after all), I like to just unwind for a few hours or so. Happy weekend to all!

Emma

Last Days of Summer

2007-10-02T13:06:00.000-07:00

I know it's supposedly autumn, but it's still very hot outside. My furs don't know it's still summer so I keep getting thicker and thicker which makes me feel hotter and hotter. My Mommy tries to keep me inside where she keeps the air "conditioned" (whatever that means), but I need my little yard jaunts.

I like to lie stretched out on the garden bench because then I can catch a breeze with my tummy. I also like to eat grass and look at the flowers (which I don't eat). Here are my favorites:

These are pincushion flowers and they bloom all the way through December if Mommy keeps pruning them back. This picture is from summer when they were kind of little but now they look like big pincushion shrubberies!

Bob

Easy Like Sunday Morning

2007-09-30T13:53:00.000-07:00

Here I am all snuggled up in the human bed. Since I am the smallest of all the cats (only 6 pounds), this is where I go when I want to feel extra safe. I get lots of cuddles too. I've got Mommy trained so that she will pet me even when she is sleeping!

Thomassina

Food Review Friday

2007-09-28T18:11:00.000-07:00

I've been living here for a year now, and this "regular meals every day" thing definitely agrees with me. Sometimes I even get extra treats - it's great! Now I'm not the most accomplished restaurant critic, but here are some things I've had the pleasure of tasting here at the ranch:

kibble - always good; I don't obsess over it like Thomassina but it's good stuff

tuna juice - *swoon* This is totally the nectar of the gods. Whenever it is served, I feel compelled to lick the chef with appreciation.

turkey and giblets cat food - this is one of my favorite cat food flavors..there is just something about this one that makes me think of birds...and thinking of birds reminds me of my favorite pastime of lying in the next door neighbor's yard and admiring their bird room through the window. Good memories.

any fish flavored cat food - this has just the right combination of qualities to make it totally appealing: lots of flavor and an amazing stink that just lights up the whole house!

crickets - I've tried a few of these and they are nothing to write home about.

dust bunnies - my Mommy lets these roam the house largely unmolested and I've tried a few; They really don't taste good and sometimes they make me sneeze.

Bob

PS As you can see, I am definitely a member of the clean plate club. This warrants a tuna treat, don't you think?

Lazy Day

2007-09-26T07:23:00.000-07:00

It's unnaturally hot here for fall. We're all growing our super-fluffy winter fur, but we don't have winter weather to match it yet. Mommy opened up the patio door so that we could catch a breeze and stay nice and cool, though.

It's so hot that even the squirrels did not dare come out on our deck. There may be a screen between us and the deck, but in an emergency we can still defend the house! And in the meantime, we'll just lounge here and enjoy the view...

Emma and Jamie

Peeping Jamie

2007-09-24T06:00:00.000-07:00

The world outside my window is just so fascinating. I live in the woods, and there are always evil squirrels intruding upon my domain. When they hang out on the deck, it is easy for me to keep an eye on them, but when they go into the front yard, I must take drastic measures to protect the house. So I risk my life to balance precariously on the edge of this chair and make sure no rodents get too close to the house. One would think my Mommy would give me extra treats as a reward for my vigilance, but no such luck....

Jamie

Emma and Jamie redux

2007-09-20T12:45:00.000-07:00

Here is another shot at posting our pictures:

Emma
Jamie

Bob - Cat#4

2007-09-20T12:34:00.000-07:00

My name is Bob and I am the latest and greatest cat to join the family. My Mommy was off work to fix things in the house and she found me on the back deck. I did my best to look really pitiful. Since I was very hungry and had a tumor growing on my side, this wasn't too hard.

Soon I was getting good food every day and lots of attention. This was great! I didn't like the whole "going to the vet for tumor removal and shots" part of it, but otherwise life is good. I'm a very extroverted kitty so constant human contact makes me really happy. I'm not so sure about those other cats in my house (except Emma - she's my buddy) but I like having a place to stay.

Mommy keeps saying that she's trying to find a new home for me, but I've noticed that she doesn't exactly try too hard....

Likes
regular meals
licking people
sitting on people's shoulders
Emma

Dislikes
that other male cat
that's about it - I'm very easygoing....

--------------------------------------

Bob

Thomassina - Cat#3

2007-09-11T07:01:00.000-07:00

My name is Thomassina. I am 7 years old, and I have always had a home, thank you very much. Unfortunately, my mommy and daddy moved away and decided to leave me in the house for whoever bought it. Fortunately, this turned out to be ~~a complete sucker~~....good and wonderful thing.

I used to be an outside kitty but my Mommy moved me inside right away. I had lots of fun playing on the carpet while my Mommy and her friend Margaret were trying to pull out wallpaper and paint the house. I thought I would get to be the only kitty in the house until one day when my Mommy left. When she came back, she had a truck full of stuff and - those two Other Cats.

I get along better with the rest of the herd now, but I still like to get extra special pampering sometimes. Since I am the littlest kitty, I like it when someone stands over me to watch me eat. I also like it that I get special outside privileges that the others don't. Sometimes I smirk at Emma when I am on the deck and she is behind the screen door. Life is good.

Likes

hunting

cuddling up with people

kibble and tuna juice

Dislikes

the vacuum cleaner

when Jamie wants to play chase with me - he's so big!

thunderstorms

mint

Thomassina

Jamie - Cat#2

2007-09-10T13:07:00.001-07:00

Pretty Jamie
Originally uploaded by amyatty

My big sister Emma was so lonely when she first moved in. She had no other cats to play with and she used to walk around howling all night long with boredom. Meanwhile, Emma's apartment complex was just full of lonely stray cats like me.

I was a sweet little teen kitten when they found me. The other feral cats didn't like me and so I didn't get to stay in any of their groups. When it rained, they wouldn't let me hide in the crawlspaces with them and I had to sit out on the complex picnic table and get all wet.

But then one day my Mommy took me to the vet and got me shots and got me fixed (I don't know why - I wasn't broken) and then I came home to meet Emma. Emma smacked my carrier the first time she met me, but now we're friends. The secret of friendship is this: Even though I'm younger, bigger and outweigh her by at least 6 or 7 pounds, I let Emma think she is the alpha cat - unless she's getting into food I really want!.

Likes
peach yogurt
lots of attention(I'm so cuddly!)
pastry - especially sweet ones
milk!
Dislikes
Bob, the male invader
the Broom of Death
meals being late

Jamie

Emma in the sun

2007-09-10T11:47:00.001-07:00

Emma in the sun
Originally uploaded by amyatty

My name is Emma. Aren't I adorable? I like to sleep in windows, and be anywhere that I can find the sun. Since I (at least in my own mind) am the alpha cat in this group, I go anywhere I please.

Some friends of my Mommy found me near the courthouse in Manassas in 2000. Mommy came to see me at her friend's house and couldn't resist taking me home. I've been pampered and spoiled ever since.

My Mommy insists in bringing other cat interlopers into my house, though. I like Jamie and sometimes Bob is nice but I do not like having that other calico here. I am the queen of this house and that is simply that.

Likes
cat food - treats, please!

bread

chin rubs

playing with my bird toy

Dislikes

salmon cat food makes my tummy hurt

that other calico

the injustice of receiving breakfast later than 5:45 a.m. on the weekends - how can you sleep like that when I am utterly famished!!

Emma