Frenetic Felines

Smile!

2012-01-10T18:03:00.002-05:00

Cleo does not have those big round eyes you see on most cats. Her upper eyelids are somewhat flat so she looks like she is frowning. Today I saw her on her cat perch and said, "Smile, Cleo. You look so sad". Then I walked a few steps to get some coffee. I was surprised that she galloped past me crossing three rooms in a burst. She was showing me that she was happy. I was glad to see her do that and somewhat amazed that she seemed to understand me.

Arnold sez,"I'm a cat; remember that"

2011-03-02T21:16:00.007-05:00

Hey, don't bug me with that camera. I haz CLAWS.

Top View

Bottom View

Now go away. It's nap time.

Opportunists

2011-02-03T12:11:00.001-05:00

Arnold and Cleo take over their bed after the intruders get up.

Arnold the Helpful

2010-12-06T22:03:00.002-05:00

Arnold has a habit of "getting into trouble" to get my attention. He is so comical that I mostly allow it. He has taken to getting behind the PC monitor. At times he claws at papers which, thanks to my "housekeeping" skills, are plentiful.

Arnold Watches, Waits

2010-06-18T13:25:00.004-04:00

Arnold waiting on the White Cliffs of Dover for the advance of Napoleon across the English Channel.

Arnold Bags a Chipmunk!

2010-06-14T20:25:00.002-04:00

I take Arnold outside on a leash but let him go free and watch him constantly so he stays in the yard. Being a very smart cat, he sort of knows the limits. He loves to go out and just lay in wait for a chipmunk to come along.

Arnold the Helpful

2010-05-28T21:31:00.005-04:00

Arnold sez, "This tape dispenser makes a good pillow"

Peggy sez, "How can I read my pattern instructions?"

Catnappers

2010-05-25T13:47:00.002-04:00

Cleo and I like to hang out together like this.

Arnold Takes a Ride

2010-04-26T13:02:00.002-04:00

How did I get into this?

Arnold Takes a Walk

2010-04-19T20:24:00.004-04:00

Arnold likes to go out but we only take him out on a leash. Each day, we explore the yard.

Nellie Comes to Call

2010-04-04T22:03:00.004-04:00

Arnold, used to living with dogs in his previous life, made friends immediately with visiting golden retriever, Nellie.

Arnold Went to the Vet to Have His Teeth Cleaned

2010-02-06T12:50:00.001-05:00

Snowball sez, "I wuz too long under tan light!"

2010-01-10T15:39:00.001-05:00

Fervor Unsaturated

2009-08-22T17:02:00.002-04:00

Usually when we have been outside with an umbrella and bring it in to dry, we will find Fervor in his little cave.

In The Thick of It

2009-08-13T14:01:00.002-04:00

Peggy is struggling over a complex quilt with many, many fabric pieces. Arnold wants to help.

Jungle Cat

2009-05-17T21:21:00.002-04:00

Fervor gets in touch with his roots posing as a fierce jungle cat in Peggy's fern brought inside due to a frost advisory.

Breakfast Cat

2009-05-16T15:02:00.002-04:00

We call Cleo our Breakfast Cat because she likes to be up close and personal when we eat breakfast. We draw the line at other times.

Sorry Cleo, You Have to Stay Home

2009-04-23T18:12:00.001-04:00

We are on the road again (currently in Georgia). Cleo always seems to want to go along.

Sorry Fervor,...

2009-04-23T18:08:00.001-04:00

...you can't come out now because Cleo is out.

Monkey See, Monkey Do

2009-04-19T22:12:00.002-04:00

Fervor, a male cat about the same age as Arnold, used to regularly jump up on top of the curio cabinet. He has not done this for some time now. Tonight, for whatever reason, he jumped on top of the curio cabinet. Within minutes, Arnold was ready to repeat Fervor's feat. First he got on the back of Peggy's chair, bobbed and weaved to ascertain the possibilities, then he went to the top of the crow's nest structure near the window, then to the chair and finally back to the crow's nest. He checked the direction of the wind, adjusted his azimuth and elevation, bobbed and weaved judging his abilities and made a successful jump. The photo shows him reveling in his glory.

Arnold Bags a Bag

2009-04-05T12:25:00.001-04:00

Simple cat toys are best. Notice Cleo zooming by in the upper right corner sparking Peggy's laugh.

Cowboy Cat

2009-03-10T18:59:00.003-04:00

Just for grins I tied a bandana around Arnolds neck today. He made no move to remove it nor did he indicate in any way he was dissatisfied with it. Perhaps we can dress him up for Holloween.

The Privileged Class

2009-03-08T20:34:00.003-04:00

I guess these cats know who these easy chairs are for, eh?

Reluctant Warriors

2009-03-01T12:22:00.003-05:00

I took the following video last October but just now got it edited. I had to reduce 50 minutes to the 5 minutes shown here. I added a little sound effects but not much as I did not want to mask the sounds the animals were making. Arnold huffed and puffed and the mouse squeeks can be clearly heard. It looks like Cleo would like a pet and Arnold is a little unsure about how to attack the problem.

Off to Baltimore

2009-02-21T12:40:00.002-05:00

Cleo wanted to join us as we prepared to visit A in Baltimore. Then we went on to stand among the millions for President Obama's inauguration.

They were glad to see us when we returned. ZZZzz.

Watching TV

2009-01-11T13:43:00.003-05:00

Years ago we installed a cat door in our bedroom door to allow the cats some mobility while preserving a bit of privacy for us. We found that not all cats are smart enough to learn how to use it. More on that later.

When we brought Arnold and Cleo into our home we found, to our dismay, that Fervor would viciously attack Cleo. A solution that has worked reasonably well is to keep Cleo closed in our bedroom when Fervor is out. Then we separate Fervor for a time to let Cleo have the run of the house. Getting this method to work when we have visitors is quite a challenge.

Arnold quickly learned how to use the cat door but Cleo does not use it. For a while Fervor did not use it but one day he went through it and tangled with Cleo in our bedroom. Then I glued little wooden blocks on the inside of the cat door frame to allow only exits from the bedroom and thereby refuse entry to Fervor. When Fervor has the run of the house, many times he sits outside the bedroom door staring at the cat door as in the photo, above. We call it "watching TV" as he can see shadows through it. He is waiting for Cleo to come out (she never does) so he could pounce on her.

The one-way cat door allows Arnold to leave the room when he wants. Arnold is apparently a very smart cat. He can open the one-way door from the outside, pulling it toward himself, and enter the bedroom. This is great but if Fervor every learns to do that (doubtful) we will have to lock the cat door closed for all.

One last thing. The broom standing next to the door is intended to be used to separate Fervor from Cleo if they should ever engage. We have several such "cat brooms" placed around the house as defensive measures.

Arnold the Adventurous and Cleo the Cute

2009-01-04T14:20:00.009-05:00

Some recent photos:

Well, I got up here... now what?

If I take a flying leap...

... I will get where I want to be.

Ah, I found a sunny spot.

Am I cute or what?

I'm glad you agree.

Christmas Cats

2008-12-27T13:00:00.007-05:00

Fervor under the tree. Actually, he is there because he is directly next to a heat register.

Fervor.

Arnold.

Recent Photos

2008-11-16T15:24:00.010-05:00

Arnold and Cleo keeping company with Peggy.

Obviously we are not too particular about kitchen table cleanliness. They are so spoiled!

This is unusual. Cleo usually does not let Arnold invade her space.

Arnold in my formerly-dustproof digital video cabinet.

Arnold chowing down on, well, cattails.

A close-up of those chompers.

Nighttime Antics -- II

2008-11-12T21:02:00.004-05:00

You'd better get off there, mister!

Nighttime Antics -- I

2008-11-08T15:35:00.003-05:00

Arnold likes to share Peggy's pillow. She does not seem to mind.

Late Night Reading

2008-10-17T06:30:00.003-04:00

In an effort to distract Arnold from clawing at the venetian blinds at 5 AM, we put out a magazine for him to peruse. He tends to be a little tough on them but we save on electricity for the shredder.

Judging from where he stopped shredding, I'd say he was a political junkie.

Bad Cat!

2008-10-08T11:37:00.004-04:00

Arnold has an unusual habit of going on the prowl at dawn. He walks around emitting a mournful howl while trying to open cabinet doors or push aside the venetian blinds in our bedroom. We have had to take down a framed picture from above our bed because he tries to push it aside apparently thinking it is a door.

Last night he pushed on a lamp on the bed headboard and it came crashing down, luckily not on my head.

What happened next gave both Peggy and me pause. Immediately after the crash he quietly left the room like he knew he did something wrong. We are probably over anthropomorphizing but the behavior seemed unusual.

Oh, by the way, the photo shows one of our less active cats, Tom, surveying the crime scene.

Arnold Poses

2008-10-06T11:37:00.003-04:00

We often wonder what goes through a cat's mind. This photo, above, shows Arnold with a far away, thoughtful look on his face.

The below photo shows Arnold in an artistic pose. He stretches out on the floor like this a lot while we are watching TV.

Cleo and Arnold's Excellent Adventures

2008-10-06T11:05:00.007-04:00

The photo above not only finds Cleo and Arnold enjoying the "crows nest", but also shows their view of the deck. They spend a lot of time watching birds and chipmunks scurrying through their view of the outside world. We do not let them go outside but Arnold must be watched carefully because he will dart through an open door if given half a chance.

We have not had trouble with Cleo trying to sneak out and that is why what happened yesterday was such a surprise.

Cleo was apparently watching the door as Peggy opened it to go out on the deck. Just at the moment the door opened, a chipmunk darted across the opening and Cleo was out like a shot. She was not able to overtake the chipmunk but when I finally caught up with her she was looking into some nooks and crannies where the creature escaped.

We got quite a laugh out of Cleo's hunting instinct but little did we realize there was more to come.

At 4 AM this morning Peggy heard some commotion and found that Cleo was chasing a mouse in the bathroom. It apparently came in when a door was left open too long. When I got there with the camera, Cleo was more interested in just watching this little guy rather than killing him as evidenced by this eye-to-eye photo.

After I took a few photos, I got the video camera and took about 30 minutes of video. I will edit that and post the highlights here in a few days.

Social Cats

2008-07-30T11:18:00.003-04:00

Most cats we have owned in the last 10 years have headed for the hideout when children came into the house. Arnold and Cleo are different. They actually like to be around kids. Cleo is shown here with grandson Russ.

My Baby

2008-07-26T18:00:00.005-04:00

Cleo likes to be snuggled like this. Peggy says she is my baby.

She is no slouch at napping either.

Relaxed Cat

2008-07-26T17:55:00.005-04:00

Arnold really knows how to relax. He is an expert at catnapping.

Breakout!

2008-07-20T08:22:00.002-04:00

Apparently my plastic screen is no match for Fervor's determination. I will have to go to Plan B (heavier screen).

Danger Cat

2008-07-20T08:08:00.002-04:00

The integration of our "Baltimore Cats" (Arnold and Cleo) has not been without some difficulty. I thought any cat could join another group of cats and eventually be accepted. Fervor, aka "Danger Cat", has not only not accepted Cleo but he treats her like an enemy. Now Fervor is not mine. He belongs to Martha. So I am glad that Cleo's defenses are superior to Fervor's offensive methods. While Fervor has suffered a nicked ear and 2 or 3 nose nicks, Cleo looks unaffected.

I have had good results by keeping them apart. I put up a sort of screen door in the upstairs hallway and we keep Fervor in Martha's area much of the time. When we let him out we keep Cleo in our bedroom. We have gone more than a week now with only 1 minor skirmish.

Arnold and Fervor get along fine. They have been seen to touch noses and they play together occasionally.

Lending a Helping Hand

2008-07-02T17:44:00.002-04:00

Arnold was helping me inventory the seafood stores.

Fabric Fancying Felines

2008-06-08T13:47:00.008-04:00

It seems that many cats like to assist Peggy with her sewing and quilt making (See the May 21, 2008, entry). Arnold and Cleo fit that pattern (!). Arnold shows he is not afraid of the buzz of the electric scissors (above) and he keeps watch for any invading forces (below). Meanwhile, Cleo (below) gives Peggy's sewing machine a "cat scan".

All Quiet on the Western Front

2008-06-07T19:45:00.005-04:00

Arnold and Fervor have made peace with each other. They can sleep on the same sofa, as shown in the photo, above. They will sometimes touch noses. Strangely, however, they do sometimes "have words". I am not sure if it is a form of play or a power play.

Below, the photo shows Arnold taking a little time out from his birdwatching hobby.

Living with a Cat

2008-06-01T14:37:00.003-04:00

Cat people and dog people usually are two different breeds (a little play on words there). Dog people understand and accept the impact on their lives such as walking the dog, cleaning up after the dog, etc. Cat people should understand that cats are different from dogs. It is difficult to impossible to train a cat so you must accept certain intrusions. For example, we typically do not force the cats off the table unless there is food present. We do try to keep them off the counters where food is prepared but we understand that they may get up there when we are not around.

When I was in college, my friend had a cat and he tried very hard to train it to stay away from his stereo equipment. That worked as long as he was at home. One day when he opened the door to his apartment, the cat, who had been in with the stereo equipment, bolted out because she knew she should not be in there. In the process she got tangled in wires and broke her hip. He had to take her to Michigan State University to have a rather expensive operation. My memory of his experience is a powerful incentive not to try to train cats.

Bathroom Buddy

2008-05-28T16:06:00.005-04:00

Cleo and I have a morning ritual. I get up and stretch and so does Cleo. Then she follows me into the bathroom where we spend some quality time.

Sometimes, as shown in the photo, above, I have to explain that I need to trade places with her.

Bill's Cats

2008-05-27T14:02:00.001-04:00

When we adopted Arnold and Cleo, it was curious to note how similar they were to Bill's cats named Harry and Cleo:

Crows Nest

2008-05-27T13:43:00.004-04:00

After we adopted Arnold and Cleo, we had 3 cats in the house with claws. In hopes of avoiding more furniture shredding, I purchased a "crows nest" climbing structure for them. All 3 like to look out the window or snooze in one of the levels. So far, I see little or no scratching on furniture (except for Fervor who had already developed the habit). This photo shows both Fervor and Arnold enjoying it at the same time.

Introducing Arnold

2008-05-24T00:05:00.003-04:00

Along with Cleo, we adopted Arnold on April 20, 2008. Arnold is "some cat" (recall "Charlotte's Web"). His personality is precious. When he comes into the room he says, "Hi!" with a funny little semi-silent meow. He walks up to you and looks straight up at you and it makes you laugh. You give him a little pat on the head and he goes about his business. He sleeps with us most nights and helps us get up early by becoming active and vocal at sunrise!

Fervor pays little attention to him and they even seem to play together a bit. I think a good part of it owes to Arnold's good "self image". He does not (any longer) hiss or growl at Fervor.

Introducing Cleo

2008-05-23T20:27:00.002-04:00

We adopted Cleo, along with Arnold, on April 20, 2008. She is about 8 years old although she seems much younger. She only weighs 9 lbs. Cleo is sweet and delightful and follows us around like a dog. She is quite affectionate. Unfortunately she is a bit shy and that may account for the occasional confrontations with Fervor. I think Fervor would just like to get to know her but Cleo does not allow him in her “personal space”.

Introducing Fervor

2008-05-22T09:37:00.003-04:00

Fervor was rescued from an animal shelter by Martha when he was a kitten. He is about 6 years old. Fervor is a hoot. He plays with toys and sometimes runs through the house at breakneck speed (at such times Dick calls him "bullet"). While he is quite social and even tolerates being cradled like a baby, he keeps to himself a great deal.

Fervor had a run-in with a closing door in November 2006 and lost a couple inches off his tail. Recovery must have been somewhat painful and we thought his personality had changed for the worse but, given enough healing time, he got back to his old goofy self.

Remembering Savannah

2008-05-21T11:37:00.005-04:00

Savannah was put down on Monday. She was only eight years old but was genetically predisposed to being obese which undoubtedly contributed to her health issues. She was so big she was not able to clean herself which led to urinary tract infections. Since last October her left rear leg was mostly unusable which prevented her from using a litter box.

Savannah came to us as a kitten and seemed unique from the start. She was quite the character. Once I was stripping wallpaper on a wall at ceiling level when all of a sudden Savannah jumped up to grab a loose piece of paper. I had not noticed her climbing up the ladder behind me. She used to lick Peggy’s ears and lips in bed so Peggy had to envelope herself in the sheets like a burka.

Although she was Martha’s cat, she loved to help Peggy with quilting or knitting. She also loved a foot massage. That is she loved to be foot-petted by Peggy with her shoes off. Peggy called her a “footy cat”.

While she could be very lovey-dovey, she had a snarly side too. One time when Martha took her to the vet he complained that she was vicious and wouldn't examine her unless she was sedated. When Amy came to visit with her Labrador, Nina, Savannah cornered the dog in a bedroom and wouldn't let her out. Even after she had only three working legs, she still totally intimidated Nina.

Savannah had the most beautiful coloring and facial features. She was probably the prettiest cat I ever shared a house with. We will treasure the good times we had with her.