Mancats like Tissue Paper

Tissue paper is great fun for mancats. My boys love to play with the tissue or lay with it. Devon even enjoys shredding it from time to time. When we get gifts with tissue, we try to lay it in the floor for a few days so the boys can love on it. Sometimes they will get a box of it for Christmas as their present. They don't have to know it is very inexpensive!

Smokey and the tissue paper, trying to decide what he should do with it.

Tanner lays with the paper...

Devon laying on his paper...he looks innocent enough, but he'll have it shredded in no time!

Do your kitties like tissue paper?

Flashback to Fosters

We fostered kittens for many years, and really enjoyed it at the time. Tanner started out as a bottle-fed foster. Aunties cat Pirate was a foster kitten too. Luckily we were able to adopt out tons more than we kept! I've counted before and we fostered and placed close to 200 hundred cats and kittens during our time. The most we ever had in the house was 26! Good grief that was a lot of kittens! We worked with a lot of special needs (missing legs, missing tails, sick, mal-nourished, etc...) and of course bottle feeders were our specialty. We were fortunate that Auntie and I could bring the bottle babies to our offices and care for them.

One year we ended up with a momma cat plus four kittens. WOW having a momma was great! Then we got a call about three other kittens that someone had found. We went and picked them up, they were less than a week old, and our momma took them too. We did have to supplement their feeding some, but she did all the cleaning! Here are a couple of pictures of that group, once they were large enough to come out of the kitten room and join the household. They are sunning with my boys looking on.

Devon and Tanner lay with a new toy...in the backgroud from left to right we have, Mollie, Allie, Lane, Cooper, and Cody.

Smokey just sits back and watches...he is such a sweetheart...he didn't want to go up to the window and block the view of the babies. You can see Tanner and Devon in the backgroud.

Fostering was fun and maybe one day I'll be ready once again to give it a go, but right now, my boys are enjoying the special one on one time I can give them.

Window Views

We love to look out the windows at the house. There are many to choose from, and we migrate around based on where the sun is coming from. Life is good! We see lots of wildlife, mostly birds, and some pretty flowers.


Finally a shot with all of us in it...including the cousins. Smokey is in the window on the left, Cousin Sophie is on the right. Devon is on the left of the ottoman, Cousin Pirate is on the right. Tanner is in the floor.


Cardinal eating some meal worms...He is our state bird!


Beautiful Blue bird enjoying a bath.

Pretty pink Gerbera Daisy

Not sure what this flower is called...Auntie is the green thumb in the house!

These are things we enjoy looking at during the spring and summer. What sorts of things do you have at your house?

Wordless Wednesday (Almost)

We had just moved into our very cramped, very dark apartment, while our house was being built. Devon decided he'd had enough and was ready to leave! We strolled around the complex most every night with him, just to get some fresh air. We were all so happy to finally move into our new home, four long months later!

Tanner on Tuesday

Tanner has a heart condition, Hypertrophic Obtrusive Cardiomyopathy (HOCM). He was diagnosed at the age of two, and is now 7 years old!! We are pretty successful in managing this disease with medications. He takes Atenolol and Enalipril everyday. Tanner is a champion pill taker...he can swallow two at a time!! (As long as I make a good drop at the back of the throat) He is so calm about taking them, and I just tell him to sit for his pills, and he does. We take them and that's it.

Taking pills for the pet sitter is a different story altogether! He will have no part in it. He won't even come down to see her when she is just playing because he knows its a trap! When he stayed at the PetHotel one night they had to use gloves that went up to their elbows to try and wrangle his pills into him! He just gets so nervous around others and hisses and growls...but it is really all show. Of course seeing a 17 pound cat pitching a fit is enough to make anyone a little nervous, and I think that eggs him on.

Needless to say, Tanner and I are in the process of weaning off our meds so I can go on vacation. This is a three week process to get him off the drugs. We've tried treats, playdates and other things, but he will have no part of the petsitter! This is the only safe way for me to go away, because he can't stop cold turkey on these meds. That could cause serious problems for him. So we wean, ever so slowly, and then when I get back, we wean back on. His vet school vets are in on the process, and although it isn't ideal for him, it's the best we can do.

Speaking of the best we can do...here's the best photo I got of him with his chest shaved after his heart visit in June. They have to shave him in order to do his echo. He is not real happy with his, and always requires some happy juice to calm him down! There are two small shaved squares...one is right below the paw that's in the air. It's peachy in color.

Mancats Scrapbook!

Our mom does a lot of scrapbooking and has workshops at the house. We love these because everyone gives us plenty of attention, especially when we get on their stuff and try to help! Some of them don't appreciate our help, but most don't mind at all. One lady even tries to bribe us to help her more by bringing catnip for us each time!
Here's Devon (left) and Smokey waiting to help customers pick out the perfect paper!

Smokey loves to help mom with her albums...although his favorite part is....Snuggling! This is Smokey's favorite room to snuggle in for some reason. I think he likes to show off for the other people and make sure they know who his mom (favorite) is.

Tanner gets in one the act too, although he is usually looking for the M&M's that sit on the tables!Mojo liked to help open new products and make sure everything was out of the box!

Window Views

We love spring and fall around here especially when we get to open up the windows. We have to be careful though because of Smokey's allergies, but when they are open everybody loves it!


Here's Devon, Smokey and Cousin Sophie enjoying the fresh air.

Here's Tanner and Smokey (he's standing behind Tanner) watching us work in the flower beds. They love to supervise us!

If the windows aren't open then nothing is better than a nice warm sunny bed!

Wordless Wednesday

Tasty Tuesday

I know cats should only eat their specially formulated cat food, but sometimes my boys like to try other things. They each seem to have a favorite, and how can you deny a cat joy in life?

Devon loves to lick the butter! He prefers a freshly opened container because when it is too low, he gets butter in his whiskers, and that is very undignified!

Mojo loved beef! We had to do a food trial with him to determine if that was the cause of his allergies (it wasn't) so we went without beef for 9 months! When we were given the all clear, we cooked a special pot of stew beef and gravy for him...he was so excited to be eating this again, he was shaking all over. It's nice to make them so happy.

We fostered kittens for many years...here are a few enjoying a Cheese Puff. Some were a bit spooked by it, but these three fellas loved it. Reagan is the black one, Walker is the brown tabby with white, and Sawyer is the grey one. They've all been adopted.

Somtimes yummy, warm milk is all you need! This is Velcro enjoying some KMR.

Cupcakes always hit the spot when you have a major sweet tooth like Tanner!

Or a caramel apple, as long as you don't get too much of the apple!

Plain hard food can be fun if you get enough of it...Mojo and Tanner always helped to mix the food...they liked to make sure it was all fresh for the others.

Cousin Sophie likes asparagus. She prefers it steamed and chilled!

What crazy things do you like to eat? Maybe we can get some ideas for new things to try...look forward to hearing from you!

Mancats do Laundry

People who say laundry is women's work don't know what they are talking about. We Mancats are equal opportunity cats, and feel we can do laundry with the best of them. Actually, I don't know if mom would know how to do laundry, if it weren't for us. Bless her heart, she means well, but she needs our help!

Tanner under a warm towel, so mom will remember it needs to be folded.

Devon and Tanner on the newly washed down comforter...if it doesn't have hair all over it, she doesn't think it's dirty. We just try to do our part.

Smokey taught Devon how to help mom...he's such a good big brother!

We also like to help make beds...getting the wrinkles out is major fun! Mom keeps complaining about the big lumps under the covers, but we are only trying to help get rid of the lumps. Poor woman! She'd be lost without us.

The Boys

Two Tricked Cats!!

We are not happy with mom today. Yesterday, she tricked us into those plastic boxes and before we knew it, we were at the....wait for it...VET! She knows we hate this place, but she keeps taking us there. When will she learn? Don't worry, I paid her back by peeing on my towel. It was the only thing I could think of on such short notice! I hate to admit this, I was thankful that mom had extra towels in the car, because I didn't like sitting on that once I had finished. Maybe it wasn't such a smart move afterall.

Somehow she forgot about our brother Devon, and he didn't have to go...even though he was standing right there watching us get shoved into those evil containers, laughing the whole time like he is something special! I'll bet he was lonely without us around.

Luckily the visit didn't last too long, and only one pokey for me. Smokey had to go and get bloodwork done too, so he was snatched up and taken to the back, for who knows what kind of torture. The vet lady was praising me though because I had lost almost two pounds! She mentioned something about needing a dental...I'm not sure I will like that, and will try to get out of it.

Once we were finished, mom tricked us again! Can you believe the nerve of this woman? She hauled us across town to help Auntie drop her car at the mechanics. Of course there was a wreck and we were all stuck in traffic for a while. We sang to mom so she wouldn't worry.

She said we had a couple of firsts today...we crossed something called a railroad track which we've never done before...it was a bit rough for my liking. We also visited the mechanics...that's a vet for cars. At least we don't have to spend the weekend at the vets office like Aunties car is...how horrible!

I'm on to mom now though, and I'll run if I ever see those plastic boxes again! This dental...they can just forget it! Teeth are overrated, Mojo didn't have any and he could eat fine. Maybe that would mean more canned food for me. Chicken and Liver is my favorite. I wonder if there is some in the kitchen? I think I'll go and check...TTFN!

Tanner

Almost Wordless Wednesday

Sweet Smokey Feet :)

Toysday Tuesday

My boys all love to play with different toys. Smokey has always enjoyed the toy in this video, although, he hasn't quite 'got it'. It's a very short clip, but I think you'll see what I mean. When he was a kitten, he would get in the track and run after the ball! Smokey is 13 now, and still has his frisky moments! I love this boy!

Thanks to the Island Cats for the title idea!!

Midnight Monday

Smokey would like to participate in a blog post, as he is feeling left out these days. Here's a picture of Smokey doing the Q...he entered the contest, and hopes he wins. He's a bit worried that the laser light eye show will hurt his chances. Enjoy!

Non-Furry Friends Friday

Charles is a betta fish. Devon is in love with Charles. He is the only one of the boys that seems to pay him any attention. Charles spends most of his time at my office, but for long weekends I bring him home, so Devon can enjoy him. I think Charles is tired by the time Monday rolls around and we head back to the office! Anyway, Charles is a good fish, and thought he should have a little blog time too. So without further adieu, here's Charles.

When he is at the house, I sit him on a bookshelf, so Devon can't knock him off. Normally, I have to hold Devon up while I feed him...he just sits on the floor looking at him, and will talk to him too. They have a special relationship. I need to get a picture...maybe over Labor Day weekend.

The other day while watering the flower pots outside, we found a new friend. Mr. Lizard. He sat there patiently while I snapped photos of him. And later we found him curled up in the pot asleep. The next day though he was gone, and we haven't seen him since, but it was neat while it lasted. Here is Mr. Lizard. I'm not sure what type he is...anyone know?

Blog is Satin Award

Thanks to Eric and Flynn who gave us the 'Your Blog is Satin award'.

The rules are: List 5 details (things, people, features) that make your life "satin" (translates also as "shiny" or "good"). Pass on to 5 other bloggers.

Okay here are the five things that make our life good.

1. A family that loves us, even when we are crazy!
2. Yummy food
3. A warm snuggle spot anytime we need a nap
4. Lots of birds outside to entertain us during the day
5. Great blogging friends, who understand and don't judge our crazy antics!

We would like to pass it on to (and hope to get to know you better):

1. Reese
2. The Meezers
3. Baby Patches
4. Crazy Cat Lady Carm
5. Cats in Trees
   

Thanks again to Eric and Flynn for this wonderful award!

Smokey, Devon and Tanner

Wordless Wednesday

Mancat Monday/Midnight Monday

My boys are manly cats (not) but just to show how far they have come in life, here are some before and after shots.


Tanner then...he was about 9 weeks old. I've had Tanner since he was 13 days.Tanner now - he is 7 years old now.



Smokey as a kitten...he's about 8 weeks old here. He loved to snuggle with stuffed animals :)Smokey now - he's 13 years old! He's my biggest snuggler and mama's boy!

Devon as a baby...he was spoiled rotten. Found in the woods at 10 days old, he would scream when the microwave dinged because he thought it was his bottle! He's 7 weeks or so in this photo.Devon is now seven, and will be eight in September. He's a gorgeous boy, but still has some holier than though attitude going on :)

Full Monty Contest

I found a contest that my Devon is sure to win...it's called the Full Monty! Devon lays like this all the time, although we call it 'the dead kitten pose'! He loves this pose, and loves even more when you comment on his good form. If you don't notice him right away, he'll start whimpering until you say something to him. He's a nut! Well the picture you've been waiting for...notice the curled toes, and tail. This is near perfect form!