5th Anniversary

Devon has now lived with me for 5 years! I seems like yesterday momma Carol came into the Petsmart with this little creature wrapped in a towel. I was like what do you have Carol? She opened the towel and the cutest, smallest kitten I'd ever seen peaked out and my heart was gone. He is actually a couple of weeks older in this picture. He was affectionately known as "Bat Boy"!


I said I want him! I didn't know how to bottle feed at the time, and also had several foster cats that needed special attention, so she kept him. I checked on him daily and kept telling her I want to foster him. She said, he doesn't need a foster home, he needs a permanent home. So I decided when I had adopted out all the kittens I currently had, I'd take him. On Saturday, October 27th, 2001...Devon was mine! Here are a few first day home shots!

Devon was about 5 weeks old, but that didn't mean that he didn't need his bottle still! He was a bit spoiled, to say the least. We put down his dry food because Carol said he could eat it fine, and he just looked at it. We put down some canned food and he just looked. I said, he'll eat when he gets hungry, so we left him alone to play. Later on, we were re-heating our dinner in the microwave, and as soon as it dinged, he was in the kitchen screaming and meowing at us for his milk...he thought the 'ding' was for him! We gave in and made him a bottle. He did eventually start eating on his own. Now that he is 5, he begs for butter in the mornings and usually gets his way!

Devon was a bit sick when we got him, so to protect Smokey and my sisters cat, Dasha, I took him to the vet. He loved the vet! She gave him baby food and that sealed the deal. He tried and tried to get to go back to the vets office. He started out with a touch of a cold, hense the weepy eye in the photos. Then moved on to giardia. Then he about broke his leg and got to spend the night there! Of course there were routine kitten vaccines that he needed and dewormings. Then his neuter, which finally broke him of his love affair. (He was cryptorchid) For the first three to four months I had him, we were at the vet almost weekly...I was thankful when the affair was over!

It took several months for his fur to turn solid black, but it did eventually. He started out looking a bit rough...his fur was streaked and light, except for his head and extremities...they were dark. When the vet first saw him she said, Let me tell you something about this coat of his. He'll turn solid black before you know it...his coat is a reaction to stress, and it's turned white because of it. She said being bottle fed was stressful on a kittens body. Sure enough he turned black...he does have a white bikini and white underarms!

We'll end with a current photo of Devon. Happy 5th Anniversary of coming home to live with me Devon!

More farovite toys

Devon, although he doesn't play too often, he still has favorite activities. One of the best is riding around the neighborhood in his pet stroller. He thinks he is something else, and puffs his chest out and looks so proud! Here he is out riding... He is a bit hard to see, since he is black, but look closely, he's facing forwards...

He also likes to walk around on his harness and leash. We haven't done this as much in our current residence, but once we move we will have a good place to walk him. He'll be so happy!

He hasn't quite figured out how to climb up in trees yet, although he can climb his cat condo just fine. He'll get in this stance and then look back as if to say, 'Hey, just a little boost, if you don't mind' He probably just doesn't want to get dirt under his finger nails!

There are times that he will get into a wild mood, and go tearing through the house. He loves to spook himself, and run around with his tail puffed out. I wish I could get a good photo of the puffy tail...I'll have to work on that.

Here is a rare picture of Devon playing with...are you ready...an actual cat toy!

I'll close this post with a group shot...Devon, Mojo, and Tanner were all laying around 'helping' with dinner. I'm sure they were hoping for a little treat, but they were dissappointed...such a sad, hard life these boys lead :( Until next time...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOJO!!

Mojo is now 10 years old...double digits! He has lived with me for about 18 months or so, and is doing fabulous. He likes to 'fight' with Tanner, but I secretly think he just likes hearing Tanner squeal like a girl :) However, Saturday night I woke up to find a couple of cats at the foot of my bed...I sat up to see who it was (thinking Tanner and Devon) and found Tanner and Mojo curled up together! It was a proud moment!

For his birthday we had Sardines on Saturday night, and canned Salmon on Sunday...Fish is the new beef for Mojo! He loved and savoured every bite of food. He would go from plate to plate sampling. Then he would go and rest a bit, then come back for more. He was one happy cat!

Here are a few shots of the birthday boy...not on his actual birthday, as those are still in the camera :)

Favorite Toys and Games

I promised to dedicate this post to the favorite games of the boys, so here goes. Tanner is by far the most playful. Always demanding to play and looking at you with anticipation. I can almost hear him thinking 'she's about to sit and play with me, I just know it'. One of his favorite games is called Pokey Stick. Take one long stick, poke it under a mat or rug and out the other side...sliding it back under before he gets it! This is great fun, and hours of entertainment for him...he drove his pet sitters crazy with this game!

I know you're under there...come out!

Another fun toy is a flying octopus looking thing. It squeaks when you bounce it, and drives him crazy! His ultimate goal is to grab the toy, so he can chew the string in half. I have to put it up when we are done, or we won't have anything to play with next time. Here's a picture of the flying octopus...

Another favorite game for Tanner is simply to chase a string or the tail of a toy under my legs while I am sitting on the floor. He loves to roll around my feet and can do some crazy acrobatics!

Last game for Tanner is the purple circular tube with 4 balls inside...There are openings on the top and the sides for arms to swat the balls and make them go around. Normally, I'll get on one side and he'll get on the other, and we'll try to hit the balls past the other one! It's a loud game, but it is a lot of fun. Sometimes he cheats though, and will just keep his arm inside the tube...you have to watch him!

Here's a shot of the tube...the blue vertical pieces have been thrown away...they had 4 string toys dangling from each of them, so you can imagine what happened. Yep, they were all chewed off within a matter of a few hours...so we got rid of the blue things making the toy more compact.

Since this post is getting long, I'll post on the favorite toys of the other boys throughout the week...So long and keep playing!

Security in Schedules

The boys are definitely creatures of habit. They love their routines and don't like to vary from it too much. For example, I know when my alarm goes off in the mornings, Tanner will come running in and start talking to me, so that we can play. I also know that Smokey is a bit smarter because he will run to the bathroom, where he knows I'll head first!

I do play with them in the mornings, but it is usually after I've showered and dressed...this does a lot to explain why I can't make it to work on time most mornings...Sorry boss. Mojo has usually made it to my room for the after shower playtime too...he is really getting into playing with a string. The next post I'll focus on some of their favorite games.

Devon on the other hand is hanging out with my sister. He loves to watch her put on her makeup and then he waits patiently for his eye shadow. Sometimes he lays in the floor and whimpers if she is taking too long! Then he follows her to the kitchen and whines for his butter. He loves to eat butter in the mornings, and gets upset if he doesn't get it. No matter how strong you try to be, he can typically 'guilt' you into giving him some...how can anyone resist his face?

In the evenings, when I get home from work, we have some snuggle time. Everyone needs their kisses and a little quiet moment with mom. Then they are back to playing or sleeping or just hanging out or eating. When we are doing the dishes after dinner, they will start circling around to see if we will break down and give them canned food. This isn't an every night thing, just a couple of times a week as a special treat.

Here's Devon, Mojo, and Tanner waiting on the table for their canned food...are we having any tonight?





Smokey and Tanner enjoying some canned food







After a sufficient amount of tv, I turn everything off and head to bed. Tanner comes into the bathroom to help me get ready for bed, and also so I'll turn the faucet on for him to have a nice cool drink. Note to readers: There is a bowl of fresh water right beside the sink at all times! Then he'll run into my room and wait for me, so we can have another play session before bed. By the time I'm ready for bed, Mojo and Tanner are waiting to play, and Smokey is sitting on the nightstand waiting for me to get in the bed so he can get in his spot and read with me. Devon can either be at the foot of the bed, or in my sister's room. Or, he may still be in the den waiting for all the lights to go out so he can cry like he is lost, so I'll call for him, or better yet, go pick him up and bring him to bed. Have I mentioned that he's a nut? :)

Those are the routines they like and variations can result in any number of things, like pooping outside the box in the bathroom, getting mad and sleeping somewhere else, picking fights with the other brothers, etc... What are your routines and how do your cats react to change?

Introduction to the boys

I am new to the world of blogging so I thought I should start off by telling a bit about the 'crazy cats'. They are also affectionately known as 'my boys'. They vary in age and craziness but are all wonderful and sweet cats. They are all indoor only, neutered, and super spoiled. They are not declawed.

Smokey is the oldest. He is 10 years old. I've had him since he was about 6 weeks of age. He is the first cat I've been responsible for as an adult. His nickname is the Goose. Smokey loves to be held and give hugs. He'll wrap his arms around your neck and just purr and purr. He loves to knead his paws on my face or neck depending on how he is being held or laying. He's a sweetheart, that's for sure and I'm thankful that I chose him all those years ago!

Mojo is the next oldest. He is currently 9, but will be 10 on Sunday. He was 8 years old when he came to my house as a foster cat. He is super sweet and loves to play, now that he is feeling better. He came to us with lots of medical problems, but after a year of surgeries and tests we have figured out that he has severe environmental allergies. He's an indoor cat, but the pollen and stuff still bother him. He is currently doing the immuno therapy (or allergy) shots and they are helping to desensitize him to the allergens.

Devon is next and he is 5 years old. I've had him since he was 4 weeks old, and still needed his bottle some. He had been found in the woods when he was 10 days old, and was bottle raised. He is very people oriented and still does not believe he is a cat. He loves to wear eye shadow and a bit of hair gel, so he can have spikes. He wears bandannas and scarves and rides around the neighborhood in his stroller. He also loves to walk on a harness and leash, and has been in a wedding. I think he's the craziest of them all!

Tanner is the baby, and he is 4 years old. He was my first true bottle feeder baby, as he came to live with me when he was 13 days old. His mom was a feral cat, and she buried him in the litter box in the cage she was living. He was removed from her and placed on another nursing mom, who did an ok job, but by day 13 he wasn't thriving as much, so he was pulled off and given to me. He didn't take to the bottle like I had hoped, but after a scary first weekend he got it and never looked back. He is a definite Momma's Boy. When he was 2, he was diagnosed with Hypertrophic Obtrusive Cardiomyopathy (HOCM). He is stable at the moment, and takes a pill twice a day. We go back to the vet school in December of this year for another evaluation.

Well that's them! They are gorgeous boys, even if I am their mom.