fun frisky felines: happy halloween edition

Happy Halloween, peeps!  Hope ya'll are having fun. 

The kitties and I had our own fun.

Can't you just tell that they love halloween?

fun, frisky felines*: oh say can you see...that bird over there?

Jesse and I leave the blinds open in our home during the day so that the kitties can entertain themselves by watching what's going on outside. My mom is against this because she thinks I'm teasing the kitties. I don't really see it that way. If swaying tree branches and chirping birds stimulate the kitties' minds, then I'm all for it.

However, I do think that Gracie thinks the big, clear window is a big, fat tease. Just hearing the chirping birds and watching them fly by is enough to turn on her hunting instinct. Daily, there she is, sitting on the window sill, her efforts to chase down these birds thwarted by the window glass.

Poor little Gracie gets frustrated. And when she gets frustrated, she makes the weirdest sound ever. It sounds like she's hoarse and saying 'ack, ack, ack.'

And because Gracie rarely speaks, I had to capture it on video. She makes the sound at the very beginning of the video and as I'm waiting for her to make the sound again, she just sits there and looks pretty, as she often does.



If you're wondering what Gracie is going to do for 4th of July, wonder no more. I'm sure she'll just sit on the sill, 'ack, ack, ack'-ing at the birds flying by.

Whatever you do for 4th of July, have fun but be safe. Happy Independence Day!

*yeah, I know it's not Friday.

fun, frisky, felines: another online kitty shopping addicts anonymous meeting

"Ok, let's go ahead and start the meeting. It looks like Lizzie is back again. It's so good to see you again. Let's all give her a warm welcome. Lizzie, would you like to tell us about yourself."

"Um, hi. My name is Lizzie. I live in Arlington. I've been to one of these meetings before, a while ago. I adopted two adorable kitties, Dominick and Gracie, from rescues about a year and a half ago. And it was such a great experience that I totally want to do it again, but my boyfriend says no. So I've resorted to online shopping.

I've tried to stop shopping for kitties online. I really have! But there are so many kitties out there waiting for their forever homes. And I want to adopt them all! Now that kitten season is here, all of those older kitties are getting ignored and passed over for those baby kittens and it makes me sad. Since June is Adopt-a-Cat month*, I've been going to Petfinder.com like nonstop. There are so many adorable furbabies looking for a home.

Like Giselle.

She's a precious little thing. Poor baby has a bit of a skin condition, but it's totally treatable. And her adoption fee is only $50! That's so cheap and it includes the cost of her spay and shots!

And there's Callie Sue.

She's reading the comics! How cute. Plus, she's a calico who happens to be very adaptive since she like other kitties and doggies.

Check out Bili.

I love this picture, right in the middle of her meow (actually, she kinds looks like Happy Cat). Her name means kitty in Urdu and Hindi so she's got a bit of international flavor. Plus she loves kids! Sounds like the perfect kitty for a family.

And look at Mary the Tortie.

There's something about kitties exposing their bellies that makes my heart flip. It's a sign of trust, you know. Looks like Mary is looking for a human to love and trust.

You know who gets a bad rap at shelters? Black kitties.

These are brother and sister twinsies--Flicker and Flame! I'm a proud owner of a black kitty and Dominick is the most loving, caring creature I've ever encountered and I've had lots of pets in my lifetime.

I'm not sure if I can ever get over this addiction. Even if I adopt another kitty, there will still be thousands more that need a home of their very own.

Maybe one day, people will responsibly spay and neuter their pets and there will not be any unwanted kitties in the world.

Until then...

My name is Lizzie and I am addicted to online kitty shopping."


*June really is Adopt-a-Cat month and lots of rescues are offering deals right now, like low adoption fees. Please consider opening up your heart and home to a homeless kitty. There really are so many this time of year.

All of the kitties featured in this post are available for adoption from Homeward Trails Animal Rescue. By clicking on their highlighted names, you will be directed to a profile page that tells you all the info you need in order to adopt them. Homeward Trails holds a lot of adoption events throughout the year in both DC and Northern VA. For a calendar of adoption events, go here. Homeward Trails helped us adopt our little Gracie and it was the smoothest process ever.

fun, frisky felines: economic downturn edition

As most of you know, Gracie had her little surgery this week. She was pretty much up and running and being all frisky-like the next day so she's going to be a-ok. *sigh* Moreover, she's being more affectionate than usual which gives me the impression that she's happy to be pain-free. She's been prescribed some painkillers and I know those tend to make me happy and pain-free too. As a kitty parent, I can't tell even begin to express how ecstatic this makes me.

So...about the title of this post...

A year and a half ago, Jesse and I made the decision to adopt a kitty (actually I had decided that a LONG TIME AGO...Jesse finally came around two Januaries ago). I searched and pored over petfinder.com and craigslist and individual rescue sites before finding our little Nicky (and again later to find our little Gracie). While searching through the craigslist ads in the pet section, I noticed two things: (1) an inordinate amount of listings asking for free pets and (2) an exorbitant amount of people giving their pets away because they didn't have the money to care for them.

The title of Chapter 56 in the Book of Duh is titled Pets Cost Money. Free pets will need to be spayed/neutered, taken for shots, etc. I suspect that the people posting these requests for free pets are not looking to take all of these necessary medical precautions because those procedures cost money and they are looking for handouts (in the form of a cute, cuddly kitten or puppy that will grow up to be a financially-consuming adult cat or dog). I could be wrong about the folks looking for freebies, but having been a regular reader of the pet ads at some point, a lot of the people asking for free pets eventually asked for free food, free bowls, free litter boxes, free leashes, etc.

While I understand why there would be a large number of people looking to give their pets away right now because of the state of the economy, seeing all of those ads two years ago didn't make much sense to me. I was apalled by some of the reasons people stated: "please take my pregnant dog because I never spayed her and now she has puppies and I can't afford to feed so many mouths" or "my cat needs surgery and I can't afford it so please take my cat so he can have a good life." How could people be so flippant about giving their pets away?

Before you jump into pet ownership, you must realize something first. Pet ownership is a privilege and it requires a full commitment. And by 'full' I mean that pets require an emotional, physical (dogs need walks, cats need exercise), and financial commitment. Caring for a pet is not cheap. Nicky's surgery was almost immediately succeeded by Gracie's surgery and, dude, do I really wish that we had signed up for that pet health insurance a long time ago. Jesse and I are not rich, so we had to make some sacrifices in order to pay for these surgeries. But the money we spent is far less important than the health and happiness of our furbabies.

I love my kitties. I wouldn't change a thing. I'm not complaining about the cost of caring for them at all. Adopting Nicky and Gracie was one of the best things Jesse and I have done.  With shelters and rescues bursting at the seams, I think now is the time for people to contemplate adopting. However, people need to really think things through before doing so.

There are countless homeless doggies and kitties waiting for their forever home. They are living creatures that are completely dependent on us to keep them healthy and safe. We owe it to them to make a full commitment to love them and care for them but only when we are ready to do so.

fun, frisky felines: love is...

Love is...

Waiting a whole year for an unsolicited headbutt.

Waiting a whole year for an unsolicited Eskimo kiss.

Waiting half a year to hear her first meow.

Knowing that she might not sleep on the bed at night but leaving her a space on the pillow.

Resisting the urge to rub her fuzzy belly because she doesn't like that (but it's so soft!).

Taking the time to learn that she likes to be held upright and only upright (none of this carrying-around-like-a-baby stuff).

Letting her drink water from your cup because she always wants what is yours.

Being mad at yourself when she throws up on the bed.

Taking her in for surgery on the 26th so she can stop getting sick every day.

Using all the money from the annual Anniversary Trip in order to pay for the surgery (thereby canceling said Anniversary Trip).

 

And she's worth every penny.

fun, frisky felines: hello? interwebz? iz me, GRACIE!

Hello people out there!

It iz I, Princess Gracie! My mommy hooman has left dis thing with all the buttons to play with. Hmmm...I thought it wuz for sleeping, though? Oh wellz...

My mommy hooman tells me that Iz been in teh family for a year now and she iz very happy about that. I don't know what a year iz or why it iz important. She told me during breakfast that we are celebrating by going to teh V-E-T. What iz this V-E-T? Oh wellz...

Has mommy hooman told you how cute i iz? Iz very cute. Here, see for yourself.

I iz sleeping here.

I iz sleeping here too


I iz not sleeping here. But I iz sleepy.

Dis iz my favorite sleeping place.

I iz trying to eat mommy hooman here.

I iz here, smelling catnip for first time. Iz good quality catnip.

Here I iz with my friend Bobby. He iz much better than Nicky kitteh, Bobby letz me bite him and kick him.

Ok, so nowz you know how cute I iz.

I iz going to take nap nao.

Purrs,

PRINCESS GRACIE 

fun, frisky felines: post-surgery, nicky is now even more fun and frisky

I don't know how this is even possible, but Nicky is SO much more frisky and affectionate post-surgery than pre-op. The thing is that he is already the type of kitty that craves attention, yells at you when you're not giving it to him, and climbs on top of you to force you to pet him. He's clingier now than he's ever been in the 15 months we've had him.

Granted, this is all a good sign since the vet had told us that he would probably hide from us for a day or two after surgery. Instead, Nicky's been Happy Kitty since Tuesday evening. Last night, his antics were particularly amusing.

There was the usual vigorous scratching post scratching.


And then, after a short break...


Nicky went postal on a string.


Gracie watched the craziness from a safe distance.


When I got close to access the kitty treats, Nicky dropped the string and decided to attack me (or rather, my pant leg).


Once he realized that I was going for the treats, Nicky jumped up to the top of the book shelf to get in my way


He snatched the treats from my fingers just as soon as I took 'em out of the bag.


I soon moved to the couch to give me some time to get treats for Gracie. Alas, Nicky followed me to make sure none of the treats went to her.

(the bald spot on his leg is from the surgery prep)

Poor little treat-less Gracie.


Nicky then proceeded to jump all over me in an effort to get treats. After a few seconds, I had had enough of his craziness. I sealed the bag and gave Nicky one last treat.


And when he finished eating it, he proceeded to lick my hand to get all the crumb-y treat remains






No, the friskiness didn't stop there. He ended up waking me up at 5 a.m. this morning to play. I'm sure he'll calm down once he reailzes he won't be going to that place where all the bad things happen (the vet's office) for a while.

He is gonna calm down, right?

fun, frisky felines: online kitty shopping addicts anonymous

"Ok, let's go ahead and start the meeting. It appears we have a new member of the group. Let's all give her a warm welcome. Lizzie, would you like to tell us about yourself."

"Um, hi. My name is Lizzie. I live in Arlington. I am a proud parent of two adorable kitties. And, even though I love them more than words can say, I just can't help it. I'm always on the lookout for more.

"There's just SO many kitties out there that need good homes. And I WANT TO SAVE THEM ALL!!! The DC Craigslist Pet section is like crack to me. I check it all the time. I look at all the pictures of precious kitties just hoping to be adopted and I want to rescue them so bad.

"Like this one for example:

"She's gorgeous! And she's got her little white beard. Look at that shiny black coat! She looks like she could be related to my Nicky.
To adopt her, go here.

"And there's Joe. He's a tuxedo.

"He's being taken care of by Homeward Trails which is an excellent rescue that helped us adopt our adorable Gracie.  Look at his little white paws. I just want to smooch his paw pads (after a bath, of course)
To adopt him, go here.

"And look at the face on this little orange tabby

Angelic, no?
To adopt him, go here.

"And then there's Molly who is a grey and white tuxedo:

"OH. EM. GEE. Want her...really bad.
To adopt Molly, go here.

"Check out this creamsicle kitty:

"He is totally nom-able. Look at that heart-shaped face!
To adopt him, go here.

"So yeah, I can't help but look for rescue kitties on Craigslist almost daily.  One day, I know I'll adopt again, but until then, at least I have craigslist.

"My name is Lizzie and I am addicted to shopping for kitties online."

fun, frisky felines: "the bf's back and you're gonna be in trouble"

Jesse's been gone all week and, frankly, the week has been pretty difficult, emotionally (can you believe I didn't blog about it until now?). It has been a while since he last travelled for work and I was so used to having him around all the time. And then he just leaves and...you know me and my separation anxiety.

Nicky, who also suffers from anxiety (no really, he does. I have the kitty prozac prescription to prove it), apparently picked up on mine and was a total scaredy cat this week. There has been a lot of remodeling going on in my building this week, which triggered the fire alarm our second night without Jesse. While Gracie happily waited to be placed in her carrier for the evacuation, Nicky REFUSED to come out from under the bed and gave me a panic attack.

I never left the condo that night. Lucky for us, there wasn't a fire.

Still, Nicky and I coped together. Nicky slept on Jesse's half of the bed every day and when Nicky wasn't waking me up in the a.m. with his kisses, I would wake up and catch him resting his little head on Jesse's pillow. Even Gracie joined in on the bedtime bonding, which is rare. She likes to sleep in the bathroom sink.

Anyhoo...I can't wait for Jesse to come home so I can feel complete. *sigh*

OH WAIT! This blog post is supposed to be about kitties.

Here you go:

see more Lolcats and funny pictures


This is what will happen when I pick up Jesse from the airport today.

I wish you all a love-filled weekend!


Today's blog post title is brought to you by the song, My Boyfriend's Back by the Angels

fun, frisky felines: who is this cat & what has she done with the real gracie?

Gracie is our little diva kitty, which means that she is aloof almost all the time and expects us to cater to her every desire. She only likes to be petted when she wants to be. If you pet her when she's not in the mood, she looks at you like "I hate you so much right now that I plan to kill you in your sleep." She doesn't kill us because who else would make sure she has food in her bowl or feed her treats nearly daily?

Our only purpose in Gracie's life thus far is to feed her and clean the litter box. It's fine with Jesse and me because we have Nicky. Nicky, aka The Most Perfect Kitty Ever, is an excellent balance to Gracie's aloofness since Nicky always likes to be in our business.

Except lately Gracie's been different. I'm not sure what it is to tell you the truth. She's approaching her one year anniversary with us and maybe she's finally starting to treat us like family? I don't know.

Gracie's MO has been to only be nice to us when she wants something. Lately, Gracie has been nice to us nearly all the time.

When I come home, she makes a big to-do about my presence. She greets me at the door. Then she follows me to the bedroom and just sits on the bed and waits for me to pet her and give her eskimo kisses.


And then I go to the bathroom to freshen up after a long day.

(by the way, ACT is an excellent mouthwash)

Sometimes, I do additional things in the bathroom (often involving the toilet) and Gracie still waits.


I then feed her and one would expect her to stop being so clingy after that. But no. Soon after she eats, she comes over and wraps herself around my legs and starts to purr (she is not the purring type). It's almost as if she's thanking me for feeding her.

And despite having fed her (basically giving her what she wants), she still wants to be around me. WTH. That is so not like her. She naps when her belly is full. Instead of napping, last night she watched me work out on the Wii.


I'm a little weirded out by the fact that she is so sweet and affectionate now. But she's always been a strange kitty, I guess.

For all I know, she may be trying to lower our defenses in her plot to kill us all in our sleep.

fun, frisky felines: oh how i miss my little angels!

As stated in an earlier post, things have been a little rough lately. I've been coming home late from work and I have such little energy that I haven't had time to play with my furbabies. I basically get home, pet the kitties for a bit, eat dinner and then go to sleep. A month ago, before the sh*t hit the fan of my life, I would come home from work and play with the kitties, eat dinner, play with the kitties even more and then go to sleep, usually with Nicky by my side.

Well, I'm happy to announce that I finished both of my reports yesterday and I think I found my new staff person after doing a bunch of interviews this week! Yay! As a reward to myself, I'll be leaving work early today to play with my angels (by the way, when I informed my staff about my short Friday, their reponse was, "You've been looking really tired").

Before the month from hell, I had lots of play time with the kitties, which gave me the opportunity for some really great photos.

Here's Nicky (and his trademark caught-in-the-headlights look) with his Wubba (it's a soft toy with catnip inside)


Here's Gracie, clearly exhausted from a little play time, laying on Jesse's shirt (the kitties like to sleep on things that smell like us)


At this point, Nicky comes over and wants to sleep on Jesse's shirt too.

As you can see, Gracie is not too please with Nicky's presence.

Eventually, she realizes that Nicky will keep her extra warm so she's ok with sharing with him

Aren't they cute??

Have a wonderful, stress-free weekend, peeps!

fun, frisky felines: happy adoption day, nicky!

January, 27, 2008

It may have been a chilly day in January, but all I needed was the doe-eyed look on Nicky's precious face to warm my heart.

After many months of constant pestering about adopting a kitty, Jesse finally gave in to my whims and we walked into the Animal Welfare League of Arlington. We had no idea then that we were meant to walk out of there with my our first furbaby--Dominick.

After catching my eye in his cage, we took him out for a little meet and greet. He won us over with his playfulness and constant desire to be petted (with a paw here and a head-butt there and always a little hand-nudge).

Oh yeah, and those wide, bright eyes that just beg for attention.

*sigh* It's been a lovely year. And now, a retrospective...

Nicky's file photo from AWLA (yup, this is pretty much the little face we saw looking back at us from inside the cage)


Nicky's favorite hiding spot


Nicky's favorite nap spot--the bed


Getting a treat from daddy after his first bath


Nicky and my KittyDaddy


Nicky and one of his favorite toys



Nicky getting the carrier ready for his new sis, Gracie


Nicky and Gracie finally getting along (TRUST, it took a long time to get to this point)


Nicky with his favorite scratcher (and that trademark kitty-caught-in-the-headlights look)


Nicky and his favorite position--belly up!


Nicky helping his mommy and daddy get ready for the USC/UVa game


Nicky's first Christmas with the family


Nicky and I having a little chat


Happy Adoption Day, Nicky! I hope we have many more years of purrs, meows, nips, and head butts.