My job is to hold the page down while My Margret types the slides for the power point. The fact that I’m laying on the page she needs to see is immaterial. ~ Graham Kitty
Follow the antics of our loveable crew
Category Archives: Cats
I’M BORED!!!!!
I’m bored.
I have an owie on my tummy. It doesn’t really hurt but it’s starting to itch, my Margret says it’s because my fur is starting to grow back. I hope it grows fast because my tummy is cold!
I don’t understand why I can’t do what I want to do! I can’t roughhouse with my sisters, I can’t sleep upstairs with everyone else, and I can’t go out in the pup pen with my sisters. *Humph!*
My Margret says I can do all of that again as soon as my stitches, whatever they are, come out next week, whenever that is. I just know it’s not right now, and I want it to be!
I do get to see my Greg who comes home from work in the middle of the day to let me out of my crate and play with me. When he goes back to work after our playtime, I get to stay in the house by myself, well not really by myself because Linus kitty is with me. My Margret and my Greg tell me I’m a good girl because when they come home from work at the end of the day I haven’t done anything I wasn’t supposed to. As if I would, if they only knew that I’m the one who keeps Linus under control… well,I would if he did anything.
Napping
I was a good girl! They told me so.
My sisters and I did get to have our peanut butter Kongs last night and mine tasted really good, although I couldn’t get it to stay still. Then I watched my sisters and saw they were holding their Kong with their paws so I tried that and it went much better.
I discovered last night that if I bark when I’m in my crate my Margret and sisters will come down to see if I’m ok. I like that! At midnight I got to go get a drink and run out to the pup pen. My Margret told me we weren’t going to make it a habit. I tried it again this morning at 4:00am but she didn’t come down until 5:00am I’m not sure what a habit is, maybe 5:00am is a habit?
Is it morning? Can I get up yet?
I don’t mind my crate, I have a snuggly blanket, usually at least 2 stuffies and a chewie toy in my crate to keep me company. I actually go in my crate to snuggle even when I don’t have to. That is when there’s room.
I though this was my crate!
Is there room for me?
All in all I guess it’s going ok. I mean I am feeling better and my Margret says it won’t be much longer and all will go back to normal. Now if I can just figure out what a normal is…
This is Bess, signing off for the Pups and Kitties.
*some of the photos were used in previous blog posts, but totally represent the feeling expressed in this blog. m.a.
Christmas Day and Polite Greeting
“We did it!” After years, simply years, (well at least it felt like it) of practicing polite greeting we were able to come in and join the party!
There were so many people someone was always petting us, which was just fine with us!
Bess, getting all kinds of attention Abby and Barb
The pups sitting pretty for Aunt Marge. “We just know she’s going to give us a treat!”
Belle hanging out with Jim
Bonnie having some one on one time with Aunt Marge.
Having fun with Nancy, Jim, Mike and Abby
The surprise of the day came when we heard a quiet meow and my Margret went out to the kitchen to find Mike talking to “I love living in the basement where it’s quiet” Lucy kitty. Then a short time later Lucy was back in the kitchen talking to Jim. To hear my Margret and my Greg talk about it that was awesome and huge even bigger than all of us joining the party and let me tell you that was pretty big in itself!
Mike, the Lucy whisperer
Jim also the Lucy whisperer.
We still have some practicing to do. We, especially Bess, what are you going to do she’s still pretty young, were a bit bouncy when we first met people but it didn’t last long. Then there was that time that I really needed to have some quiet time, my Margret noticed and opened the door so I could go out in our pup pen. People get pretty noisy sometimes, I didn’t know that before. All in all though we had a really fun day. That night my Margret said to my Greg, ” I bet they’ll sleep good tonight!” I wonder what gave her that idea?
Bess and Linus
Bonnie
Belle
Oh well *yawn* I’ll figure it out later. Until next time, this is Belle signing off for the Pups and Kitties.
Lucy and Bess Update
After several days of not much happening u’m I mean transitioning I decided to cuddle Lucy and stand at the doorway between the front room where Lucy likes to hang out (when she isn’t upstairs) and the living room. There is a child gate in the doorway which the pups could just about step over but they don’t seem to realize that and frankly I hope they never do.
Anyway, Lucy and I hung out in the doorway while Bess barked and barked and barked and barked and …. Lucy cuddled into me, wasn’t frightened and actually was purring. I wish I had an extra hand so I could have taken photos of Bess while she play bowed, barked to the left, barked to the right, cocked her head ect. it was quite the show. She occasionally would turn to look at her sisters for backup while they pretended they weren’t there, in fact Belle went to the kitchen to ring the “gotta go chime” so she could go outside. Needless to say that summons went unanswered. so we now had the twinkling of a wind chime mixed in with the barking.
After several minutes of this Lucy and I stepped over the child gate and into the living room. Lucy became agitated at that point so I quickly stepped back into the front room where she jumped down and ran to the back of the room. I took Bess out to the pup pen and went back to get Lucy to bring her back into the living room but Bonnie and Belle who know much better decided that they wanted to play and Lucy clearly didn’t. Back to the front room she went. After letting Bonnie and Belle out to the pup pen I went back got Lucy and brought her into the dining room. After some cuddling and soft talking she said “thank you very much but I want to go back to my space” so that’s what we did
All in all I think it went great. Lucy gave Bess the “I am the head of the 4 footed family members and you will respect me.” look and Bess is starting to understand what her sisters learned a long time ago. We will give it another try later this weekend but we are making headway!
Lucy Kitty and Barky Bess
Last night when it was time for bed I took down the child gate from the stairway door, Bess ran up with me and low and behold there was Lucy kitty sitting on the stairway ledge. Bess luckily didn’t see her and I was able to get Bess to go back downstairs. It’s amazing what a burst of energy and an excited voice will do to get a pup to obey. With Bess downstairs and the stairway door closed I scooped Lucy up and took her downstairs where I was hoping the pups were otherwise occupied. Um, yeah so I quietly opened the door and there are all three pups staring at us. Bess barked, Lucy clawed to get down and shot up the stairs with Bess in close pursuit followed by Bonnie and Belle and me saying “Leave it Bess Leave It!”
Lucy ran and hid under the bed with the pups Bess of course in the lead, running around the bed barking trying to get closer to Lucy. I managed to get the pups out of the bedroom and closed the door. I then called to Lucy, who from under the bed immediately started to tell me how she felt about all of this came out from under the bed, let me pick her up and snuggled close purring all the while. I simply held her for a few minutes, then I wrapped her up in a sweater to try once again to get her downstairs. With Bess barking I tried to explain to Greg what had been happening and he was able to get the dogs into our bedroom while I got Lucy out.
Once downstairs Lucy jumped out of my arms and ran into the front room. When I went back upstairs I told the pups it was now bedtime and time to settle down. It took a bit but they finally did.
This morning I went out to the front room where Lucy greeted me and seemed calm. The pups were out in their pen so I carried her to her spot on the desk in front of the computer but she wasn’t ready yet and went back into the front room and that’s ok. We’re taking this slow, we don’t have a choice in that because that’s how Lucy needs it to go. All in all we are making headway, Lucy isn’t nearly as upset as she would have been a few days ago. Bess even though she is barky and bouncy is listening and does “leave it” when we tell her to, well after hearing it a couple of times. So we’re getting there and that’s encouraging.
Lucy Kitty Update and Belle News
Operation convince Lucy to stay out of the basement is going pretty well. She is content in the front room when the pups are in the house and occasionally has been going upstairs to hang out on the steps. She is vocal again and enjoys telling us about her day when the pups are in their pup pen. She even kept me company yesterday while I was taking a bath. All behaviors that she used to show us so I think we are on the right track.
The best news of all, yesterday I forgot to close the door to the basement and sure enough she went down to the basement, I was sad about this and was kicking myself that I had forgotten to close the door when low and behold up she comes from the basement. We are making headway!
In Belle news I posted on the Three Pups and a Couple of Kitties Facebook Page that Bonnie and Belle had their annual vet visit and Bonnie weighed in at 63 lbs. and was healthy as could be. Belle weighed in at 76 lbs. and has the beginnings of another ear infection. We found out that dogs that have been spade tend to put on weight as they don’t use up energy dealing with those pesky hormones that none spade dogs do. So we are to cut her food intake down to help her lose the 5-10 lbs. that will help her be healthier, especially important since she has hip dysplasia, and give her back her “tuck” in her tummy.
Luckily she already eats in the dining room while Bonnie and Bess eat in the kitchen so we simply put up a child gate in the doorway between the dining room and kitchen until all three pups are finished eating. The dr. wasn’t worried about the training treats we give the pups.
The vet also told me about a study Purina did following dogs throughout their lives and it was discovered that on a scale from 1 being all bone to 9 being the fattest a dog can be, the new optimal number is 3-4 instead of 5. If a dog is slightly on the thin side they are living up to 2 years longer than the rest. Although our vet stressed instead of numbers to look for a rib cage you can feel but not see, a backbone you can feel but not see and never should you see a dog’s hip bones. The tummy tuck is when you look down on a dog’s back and it slightly tapers in by their tummy. So we are on a new quest to help our Belle retain her girlish figure.
I appreciate our veterinary clinic and our vet for taking the time to answer our questions so we can better help our pup. Oh and yep she is back on ear drops for that pesky ear infection.
That’s all for now. Have a happy Sunday everyone!
Pup and Kitty Updates
Bess and I have started our third round of obedience classes. In class we are reinforcing polite greeting, learning how to walk next to another dog and not freak out, and how to bring her focus from what’s happening around her back to me. Greg has been taking Bess on walks and she is using what she has learned in class on their walks. I call that a success.
Greg likes to give the pups a treat when he brings them in the house from the pup pen. As a result Miss Bonnie has been ringing the “gotta go ” chime and when we go to let her out she turns around and sits which is what they are to do in order to get a treat. If that wasn’t enough Belle and Bess now come running when they hear the bell so they can get a treat too. They tend to give me pouty faces because I don’t give them a treat when they come in. If you can’t beat them you might as well join them and I decided today to be consistant and am giving them treats when they come in as well. My justification besides not wanting to be the recipient of pouty faces is to use the treats as an incentive to teach Miss Bess how to be polite so she will stop pushing her sisters out of the way in her excitement over pretty much everything.
Linus and Lucy have been pretty much doing their own thing but popped in to say hi!
The pups
Hello from Linus
Boss Kitty
Lucy Kitty
Lucy Kitty
I don’t write about Lucy Kitty very often because she prefers it that way. She is the very determined matriarch of our 4 footed family who keeps everyone including her people in line but she also likes her space and her alone time. Boy, can I relate to that!
Lucy was born on our farm 13 years ago and while she was still a young kitten barely old enough to climb she climbed up to our landing windows and meowed to be let in. Fearing this tiny kitten would fall I brought her in and gently placed her back outside. This happened several times that day (did I mention she is determined? Add persistent to that list as well.) That evening during supper I asked Greg if we could please bring her in the house to join our Pete cat who was about a year old. Greg agreed and in she came.
She is a vocal kitty who will answer if you call to her, well at least most of the time. She keeps me company while I am working on the computer and insists on starting each day by gently bumping my forehead. Luce has seen many changes in her time with us. We have said good bye to several precious 4 footed family members and hello to new people, and new 4 footed family members. The people she tends to hide from but she has let her feelings be known when the 4 footed members join the family. Lucy doesn’t like change so it takes her awhile to get her head wrapped around small barky pups, who don’t stay small for long and a kitten named Linus who seems to have a mind of his own and rarely does what she says.
Below are a few pictures of Lucy tending her many tasks.
Keeping the pups in line
Doing her owl impersonation.
Lucy’s normal pose while I’m working at the computer.
Taking a Tummy Rub Break
Study Partner
Keeper of the Basket
Laundry Helper keeping those towels from floating away.
Relaxing after all of her hard work.
While Wearing My Grandma Hat…
While I was wearing my Grandma hat the past few weeks helping our daughter and her family when their new baby girl was born, the pups stayed busy. They had fun during their stay at Paws Here, the pet resort they vacation at while we are away. This was their longest stay so far and they did fine. We called and checked on them often and discovered that the thunder parties we’ve been throwing worked and they could have cared less when there was a thunderstorm. Yea! Thunder Parties I recommend them!! Now if we could just get Bess used to blow dryers…
Greg was only able to stay for part of the time due to work so on his way home he stopped to picked up the pups. They were happy to see Greg and when he called to let me know they were all back home he put me on speaker phone so I could greet them and Bess licked the phone when she heard my voice. Miss Lucy kitty waited until the next day to welcome Greg back home, preferring to stay hidden in the secret place that she goes when she doesn’t want to be found. Linus on the other hand spent the first evening home on Greg’s lap not caring that the pups were also taking turns being on Greg’s lap. Thank goodness for oversized recliners. Later that week Greg put me on speaker phone again so I could talk to Lucy and when she heard my voice she head bopped the phone like she head bops me every morning.
When I returned home yesterday afternoon after being gone for 2-1/2 weeks the pups and kitties were glad to see me. Bonnie after greeting me hid under the dining room table, when I knelt down on the floor and called to her, she came to me and buried her head in my shoulder staying that way while I gently talked to her and petted her. Later that night she did that again before curling up beside me on the couch.
Belle was just as glad to have her world back to normal and has been asking for and receiving lots of love and cuddles.
Bess grew A LOT while I was away. She is a bit bigger than her sisters now and tonight when she brought me her toy then later while watching her walk away from me she reminded of a cross between Snuffleupagus (from Sesame Street) and the dog slinky toy.
Belle, Bess and Bonnie
While at our daughter’s we were able to spend time with our granddog Patch. Patch is 2 years old and does a good job taking care of his family. When I went to leave he gently licked my arm goodbye when I gave him a goodbye love and cuddle.
Our Granddog Patch
As I write this the house is quiet, Greg has gone to bed and I am in our dining room surrounded by 3 pups and a couple of kitties all sleeping soundly.
You’re Home!
The pups usually are in the doorway of the kitchen to greet me when I come home each day from work. This past Friday after a very busy long week I saw Bonnie peeking through the window watching me walk up to the house. When I went into the house she said “Oh, you are home, Yea! You are home,(happy sigh) Okay, I’m going to go finish my supper now.” this was accompanied by a quickly wagging tail, a smiley face and leaning into the pat and cuddle from me.
Bess met me at the door too with full body very excited wiggles and licks, cue the peppy music. “You’re HOME! You’re HOME! You’re HOME! my life is complete! Ok gotta run and go eat NOW!” and she was off and running.
Before I made it up the 4 stairs from the backdoor into the kitchen Belle appeared tail wagging, eager for her greeting but she had a tired look on her face then she said, ” Boy, I’m glad you’re home! That puppy has been bouncing around all day, can’t you do something about her? It’s your turn, I’m taking a break!
Linus was lying upstairs on our bed, where he usually at this time, resting from his very busy day of being Linus and looks to me and says, “Oh, good you’re home” and goes back to sleep.
Lucy was perched on the back of the chair which is her custom and told me all about her day and what she had to do to keep Linus in line. She accompanied by a forehead bump her way of saying I love you.
What a great way to be welcomed home!
Three Pups and a Couple of Kitties 