Fall / Winter 2010

[Honeylioness]

SES_Books - 09/26/10 09:07 PM

I met my new neighbor today. A very nice young man who, with the help if his father and a couple of friends, is renovating the house next door. A house that has not had anyone living in it for about 15 years. It will be nice to have a responsible homeowner living there. He had a question about the fence on the property line and as we visited for a few minutes I found out that Onyx had already walked IN the house while they were working and introduced herself. I have already had the conversation about visitor's manners with her, AGAIN. I guess she and his dog are already great friends.


kcgaloz - 09/27/10 05:50 PM

SES[/b] sign that cat up to be a welcome wagon lady if they still do that. You can tie some cookies around Miss Personality's neck, just like a St. Bernard, and send her merrily on her way. She can warm your neighbors heart by being adorable.


SES_Books - 09/27/10 10:12 PM [/u]

I am so tired tonight. Today I stripped the bed vacuumed the mattress top then steam cleaned it with my hand held steamer (love it). then washed all of the bedding, including the new duvet cover. While everything was washing I spread out my new comforter to get rid of the feather smell and sprayed it with fabreez.e to freshen it. When I came back later with my twice monthly housekeeper to quickly make up the bed(it is so much quicker with two) whom do you suppose was stretched out on my new white satin stripe down comforter every square inch of black fur gleaming and shining? I am sure she was posing and just waiting for her personal photographer.


SES_Books - 09/28/10 02:42 PM

My contractor and his crew, including Coco (English Bulldog) their supervisor just left. I am always so entertained when Coco comes along. Onyx will sit on one side of the closed screen door and Coco will sit on the other side and press her face against the screen and whine asking Onyx to come out and play. Coco also loves water. When she finds a garden hose she will pick up the end in her mouth and carry it around until someone turns on the water. Then she will push the end around and stand on it until it sprays upward and she will be entertained "eating and biting" at the "fountain" as long as the water is on. I guess when she goes to the lake she has her own life vest so she can swim since she is so stocky and muscular she can't float and then she will paddle around as long as they will let her.


SES_Books - 09/30/10 08:26 PM

The arrival of Fall has really changed Onyx's habits. Or maybe it is the arrival of the down comforter. It is getting to the point that I physically have to carry her outside about 4PM. I know cats spend 80% of their time sleeping but she is really stretching it, and on my comforter, too!

[Honeylioness]

SES_Books - 10/16/10 09:19 PM

We have had a visitor today who is petitioning to become Onyx's little sister. She is a cute little brindle calico kitten about three months old. Onyx is not thrilled to have her on the deck, but has seemed to settle down a bit, This evening she just walked past the little one and came inside. The kitten is definitely not afraid of people and loves to be petted and scratched. She purrs so loud and violently her whole body shakes. I will feed her on the deck, but I will not let her in the house until I am sure no one is looking for a lost pet. If she does stick around for awhile i will take her to the vet to be checked out to be sure she is healthy before i let her come inside. I keep telling Onyx that she is Top Cat no matter what and that she would make an excellent big sister and would have someone to play with. However, guess who is in my lap right now purring up a storm? Trying to convince me we don't need anyone else in the house, I am sure.


teh mom - 10/16/10 10:09 PM

However, guess who is in my lap right now purring up a storm?

ses- I have this orange furball helping me type as we speak!Open-mouthed He is being awful friendly at the moment. And licking my hands trying to get me to stop typing and pet him instead! Laters, kitty is demanding attention.


Sharing the Simple Lifestyle - 10/16/10 10:24 PM

teh mom, SES_[/b], Kitties are just amazing people.


SES_Books - 10/17/10 10:18 PM

We still have a "visitor" living on and under the deck. Tomorrow I will contact the vet for an appointment as soon as possible.

Our visitor is too tiny to be named Calico. Maybe I will name her Calleigh if she stays, give her a name with some dignity and elegance to grow into. Although, right now dignity is something totally alien to her. If I take two steps onto the deck she is tripping up the steps and dashing toward me for some attention and petting. She has none of the reserve cats are known to have. Good thing I am wearing a ratty old pair of pants today--my right leg is the "on ramp" to my lap or face for a few moments then my left leg is the "off ramp." She has two speeds--fast and faster. She wants to make up to Onyx who wants nothing to do with her. Perhaps Onyx does not want to give up her "only cat" status, but she is definitely curious about this new distraction. I still won't let the little one come inside until the vet gives her the all clear, but she sure knows what "inside" is and wants to be there. Maybe tomorrow. At least I can't count her ribs and every vertebrae anymore. Wonder how long she has been out there on her own.


Sharing the Simple Lifestyle - 10/17/10 11:20 PM

SES_,[/b] She's yours. Some cats simply outwit the Resistance in order to become adopted. Sounds like you've got a serious contender for #2 cat.

shanendoah - 10/18/10 11:09 AM

SES: [/b]Just give Onyx some time. Smokey every once in a while still lets me know that he could have been perfectly fine without a puppy, but Junebug is most definitely HIS puppy.


Sheila in Cali - 10/18/10 11:12 AM

SES: [/b] My cat came after the dogs and tries to act all put out by them. But if I stop home during the day they are all napping together in a big pile. So she can act indignant all she wants- but I know the truth.


SES_Books - 10/18/10 04:16 PM

Calleigh has an appointment with the vet Wednesday afternoon. I think she considers me her personal jungle gym. If I sit or stand still for a moment she climbs up one side and down the other. My clothes may suffer a bit. She came in for a few minutes earlier today and discovered the monster that lives in the laundry room. She howls bloody murder if she has has to go past the door when the dryer is running. Onyx's growls have less volume today, although she is still not happy about this turn of events. Need ro get back to work, i am in the middle of a major paper purging.


Honeylioness - 10/19/10 02:15 PM

SES -[/b] LOL. Welcome Calleigh! And Onyx, it will be good for you to have a sister to play with when Mom is busy doing those weird things in the kitchen.


SES_Books - 10/19/10 08:13 PM

I thought infants and little ones, of any species, needed lots of naps? I think Calleigh didn't get that memo. I think she got in line twice when curiosity and activity were handed out. She is sleeping in my jacket pocket right now, the first time I have seen her sleep. Onyx is a bit more accepting. I hear an occasional hiss, but no deep voiced growling. Onyx has learned to keep her tail wrapped around herself if Calleigh is near. Calleigh is absolutely fascinated by Onyx's tail. Calleigh will even drop her little stuffed turtle at the sight of Onyx's tail. Tomorrow is the visit to the vet and I was considering how to get her there. The kitty carrier is huge compared to her, so I have decided to just pop her in my purse--there is plenty of room.


kcgaloz - 10/19/10 09:56 PM

SES [/b]Looks like I am going to have another niece-cat. Guess I'll be heading your way when it is warmer with my camera in hand to met my new niece-cat? Probably better stop with this cat or you will soon be known as "the cat lady". Don't know how you could get a more lovable cat than Onyx. Although I do love kitty purrs. It sounds like their bones are rattling when they are purring. Maybe this will be the cat that uses the kitty toys I got princess Onyx. I truly think there is a sign under you porch written in cat that says all are welcome here.


SES_Books - 10/19/10 10:32 PM

KCgal[/b]--I think the sign is next to the back gate and it says "A real sucker lives here"! And yes Calleigh loves the kitty tunnel and the little stuffed turtle and I have to hide the stick with the jiggly feathers or she drags it around behind her as though it is her "blankie" I have been holding my camera up in front of my face so she will not be camera shy. I'll try to get some shots, if she ever slows down. When she showed up I think it WAS her bones rattling together when she purred. But no longer. It is amazing how fast those sticking out bones disappear when good food appears.

[Honeylioness]

SES_Books - 10/20/10 07:38 PM

Diana--We are back from the visit with the vet. Calleigh did not baptize my purse, thank goodness, she just sat there sticking her head out looking around. She is 2.5 pounds and about 10 weeks old, younger than i thought, and in good health. She got wormed and her first shot, we go back in a month for the rest of them since she is too tiny now. Tonight she will be allowed to stay inside, now that I know she is healthy. Onyx is still not too thrilled, but not being too obnoxious about it. Last night she curled up in my arms like a baby and purred and pet my face so perhaps she will eventually forgive me.


dianartemis - 10/20/10 08:08 PM

SES - Calleigh sounds so cute and tiny. She may have just wandered from her litter and got lost. If she's got that much curiosity, it's a possibility. If you can, try to keep her acclimated to the car. Topaz's favorite thing to do is get in the car and go for a slow drive (she doesn't like go over 35 mph). I have puncture marks in front of all the windows because she's on a leash and harness and can wander from window to window. She doesn't climb on me until we get close to our destination (she only goes to the parents and the vets) and I've stopped the car.

[Honeylioness]

SES_Books - 10/21/10 05:08 PM[/u]

Taking care of a baby, even a baby cat, is exhausting! That bathroom that I had cleaned and polished and ready for a decorating magazine to photograph--no more. Now it is Calleigh's quarters over night. I hung up the bath mat, unplugged everything I could find and filled a little 10" former bread basket with a soft towel from the laundry that smelled like me and set it on the floor, not too far from the litter box in the corner. Everything was baby proofed, I thought. Several years ago KCgal gave me a pretty spindle with a cute filial on top to hold six rolls of toilet paper, this morning i found the bottom three rolls shredded, I guess that is as high as she could reach. The spindle is now setting on top of the vanity. I had forgotten how TJ would unwind a roll and curl up on the soft pile. I hope she doesn't try that when she is tall enough.

I guess the shot she got yesterday wore her out. She has been much quieter today and last night she just wanted to be held and cuddled. Right now she is curled in the cushion of the deck chair watching me do some paper work. If I step outside she is there underfoot instantly.

Onyx is mellowing somewhat, I caught them laying about 10 inches apart. Later, when Onyx stretched out and twitched her tail Calleigh instantly went into mighty huntress mode. She crouched down and wiggled her butt and crept across the deck toward a certain tail. Onyx stayed put, twitching her tail, until Calleigh had worked her way across the deck until and was about 8 inches away before standing up and hissing at Calleigh and strolling away. You can't tell me there wasn't a smug kitty smirk on Onyx's face as she left.


kcgaloz - 10/21/10 08:06 PM

SES [/b]and where are the pictures of your innocent little baby kitten destroying the bathroom? OMG bout fell out of my chair laughing. I can see you hands on hip staring, no glaring, at that sweet little innocent baby kitten. Giggle giggle giggle. You sure Onxy didn't do it and walk away in time to leave the kitten to take the blame?

[Honeylioness]

SES_Books - 10/25/10 07:43 PM[/u]


I will have to finish this post later, like after Calleigh's bedtime. I was gone today and she has yet to allow me to do anything, like typing, without her assistance.

[Honeylioness]

SES_Books - 10/29/10 11:20 AM


This past week has been a learning period for everyone in the house. I realize Calleigh's mother taught her well. She taught her that when you find a good place to be, stay there! She taught her not to cross the grass without a partner (I have seen her off the deck or patio once in a mad dash across a four foot flower bed to get to the steps). Her mother taught her to not be a fussy eater, she will happily eat whatever is put in her bowl......or Onyx's bowl......or Mom's bowl. She taught her to invite other kids to play with you. Onyx is beginning to learn how to play. Onyx has figured out the rules of "Run and Chase". "Chase and Tumble" still needs a little practice, it will get a mild grrr. "Sneak Attack" is NOT on the schedule, it will get a definite GRRR and a hiss. Calleigh was taught to take care of her toys. I happened to look under the bed and found a neat collection of a few pieces of shredded toilet paper, a bottle cap, a green felt mouse, a wad of paper, a green pen (thankfully capped), a used drier softener sheet and a foil Alka Seltzer wrapper and a small paperback book that slides really well on the carpet. Her brown stuffed turtle is an "outside" toy and kept with her collection of dead leaves and sticks on the deck. I kind of feel like I am emptying the pocket of a five-year-old boy.

Onyx is kind of baffled by Calleigh's affection for her green stuffed mouse--if you want a mouse go get a real one, they wiggle more and are more fun. Onyx has also learned to keep her tail wrapped around herself tightly when hunched down in the sun and not to tempt Calleigh--unless maybe her toes are just cold. Onyx has also learned that as soon as Calleigh is in her bread basket in the bathroom at night and the door is closed to dash to my bed for some snuggling WITHOUT interruptions.

ETA: The most important lesson Calleigh's mama taught her--When training a human show interest in EVERYTHING they do and reward them well with lots of snuggling and purring, the louder the better.


SES_Books - 10/31/10 04:46 PM[/u]

Two cats on the down comforter ,each sleeping in her own little nest, no bloodshed and minimal growling and hissing---Priceless

[Honeylioness]

SES_Books - 11/04/10 04:03 PM

Red_wagon-- my kitties all found me. I think there is a sign written in "cat" on my back gate that says "Welcome all. A real sucker lives here."

At least Onyx and Calleigh are starting to get along. Onyx gives
Calleigh a swat and stays put instead of running and cowering when Calleigh tries a sneak attack. I always make it a point to push the new kitten aside if Onyx wants to be held and cuddled. So i guess they are settling their status. Oddly enough i am noticing Onyx's handicaps more lately and can't figure if I am noticing it because Calleigh is there to compare against or if the cooler weather is making her hips stiffer. i should ask the vet when I take Calleigh back for the rest of her shots in a couple of weeks.


Sharing the Simple Lifestyle - 11/06/10 09:50 PM

SES_[/b], The kitties are going through the first of the winter cabin
crazies. I say "kitties" because Fearless seems to have decided to stay for the weekend. Good thing his RL mom is so understanding. It's just the craziest arrangement...in my wildest dreams, I never thought I'd have a part-time cat. I call Fearless my "rent-a-kitty." This ginormous black cat has it made in spades, as his RL mom is just a wonderful, loving pet owner and lives in a much finer house than this little place. Can you just believe it, LOL! Two cats who have just decided to be best friends for whatever crazy cat reason. So, I'm hosting a sleepover weekend for two elderly male cats. Weird, just weird. Even for me.


Sharing the Simple Lifestyle - 11/07/10 08:00 PM

Okay. How cats find people. Day Four and Fearless has no aspirations to leave, whatsoever. The boys were outside for an hour or so. I thought he'd wander back to RL house as the night is pleasant, not f.rigid, but no, he and Nuggie came zooming inside when I returned from visiting with the neighbors. I feel so guilty, but gosh, I just love this big gentle giant. Alas, I'm certain that RL momma does, too.


shanendoah - 11/08/10 11:23 AM

How kitties find a home: I may have shared this before, but it is one of my favorite stories. For a few short years, we were blessed to have an angel living with us. His name was Ringer. He was a big orange tabby with long hair, a fluffy cat who never fluffed. He was a stray on an indian reservation and started hanging around my grandfather's trailer.

My grandmother (who had died years before) always said she'd come back as a cat, so gf made sure to start taking care of this guy. Ringer moved in a few months later, and a few months after that, gf was diagnosed with cancer. Ringer stayed with us through gf's death, through my aunt's unexpected pregnancy, and then a move. But once we were settled in our new home, he took to wandering (and convincing neighbors kind enough to feed him that he was a stray). He stopped coming home on a regular basis, and then we didn't see him for a week straight. My mom asked around and found out that he had moved in with a little boy about a block away, who had just lost his mom to cancer. We took the family his vet records. Our angel had moved to the next person who needed him.


Sharing the Simple Lifestyle - 11/08/10 11:58 AM

shanendoah, [/b]Oh wow. That's just a great story about Ringer Cat face. If you ever get a minute, send it to C.hicken S.oup for the P.et L.over's Soul. Just copy and paste and don't worry about editing. Those are my favorite pet stories.



SES_Books - 11/13/10 03:39 PM

I got home to be greeted by Onyx at the door and Calleigh climbing the screen in impatience to go inside. I am constantly amazed by these two kitties. Such different personalities. The more I know Calleigh, the more I realize that Onyx didn't know how to play when she was a kitten.

She didn't get to play/practice at hunting, she was all about survival, not play. She has always had a quiet, serious demeanor, even if she did surf the hallway on a bath towel, and jump into piles of autumn leaves when she was a kitten. I will, however, be very glad when Calleigh gets past the chewing on everything stage. It will be nice when I am no longer treated like her personal jungle gym. Of course her favorite playtime is in Onyx's litter box where Calleigh loves to dig for buried "treasures." Onyx is currently curled up sleeping off a cold, or maybe an allergy, she went out early this morning and came home an hour or so later sneezing right and left. Maybe she is just trying to stay out of range of the spray bottle of vinegar water that Calleigh seems to attract with out even trying.


SES_Books - 11/17/10 08:44 PM[/u]

Yesterday evening I was still busy getting things put away and getting ready for today. I finally sat down to watch some TV and didn't realize how late it was until Calleigh came into the den dragging the old towel i lined the bread basket with for her to sleep on. She dropped it by my chair and curled up ready for bed. It made me get up and put her to bed and get to bed myself.

[Honeylioness]

SES_Books - 11/24/10 08:05 PM[/u]


I think I might have named Calleigh wrong. It seems all day i was telling her "out, out" of every cabinet, pantry, freezer and dishwasher. I kept thinking i should have called her "Damned Spot," at least then I would have sounded very erudite quoting Shakespeare all day long. After her long day supervising me, she is now sacked out on her back snoring on the down comforter. Which leaves me all for Onyx's comfort and attention.

[Honeylioness]

SES_Books - 12/05/10 08:56 PM[/u]


Last night I was awakened at 4 AM. I felt a kitty paw petting my face and said "Onyx it is too early to go outside". Then I woke up a bit more and realized it was a TINY paw. so I pried one eye open and realized it was Calleigh curled against my shoulder. Wait a minute, she is closed in the front bathroom. Evidently not! By this time i needed to get up to go to my bathroom, so while I was up I checked the other bathroom. Sure enough, she had worked the door open and had come to join Onyx and me for the rest of the night. I was sure I had latched her door tight but evidently not. We will see what happens tonight. I'll close the door, but if she will stay quiet when she joins us I guess I will have to admit my little girl is growing up.

[Honeylioness]

SES_Books - 12/07/10 01:24 PM[/u]

I am about to find a good home for a 4 month-old kitten. In the past few days she has discovered heights. As in it is ever so much fun to jump on and off counters, tables, shelves and any other thing that is climbable. It is driving me nuts- Onyx ,too! I wonder how parents (of any species) live through the "teenage years." The next 12 months are going to be a verrry long year.

[Honeylioness]

kcgaloz - 12/11/10 06:09 PM [/u]

Message from SES who is still going through women in red with drawls: Hi all, I feel so alone and abandoned. MSN has decided to cut me off, I guess. For some reason I can’t get past the first page, which means I can’t keep up with you all. This has been an exciting week. I think I mentioned I had to take Calleigh to the vet to have a squishy lump drained and then try to get some antibiotics down her twice a day. Maybe she swallowed as much as she smeared on me. I kept thinking of the email that made the rounds last winter “How to give a cat a pill.” At least I had the beer on the counter before I started. Between rounds of medication and starting my Christmas baking I was kept busy.

Then, last Wednesday, I realized the lump on Calleigh’s back was not getting smaller, no matter how much antibiotics she swallowed and I wore. I took her back to the vet, who agreed the lump was getting bigger, she tried and couldn’t drain it with a syringe. So Calleigh stayed for surgery the next morning. Thursday I went to bring Calleigh home and talk to the vet. I asked if things were OK now and she responded with things looked “ugly” when she got inside and couldn’t find what might have caused the problem. She told me she had already sent the “mass” to the lab for testing . That sounds ominous to me. I won’t learn anything until probably the first of the year due to the holidays.

Thursday evening I brought this dopey little kitten home. She looked so pathetic with a 5” x 5” shaved patch on her back with a 2 ½” incision all sewn up on her spine. The vet had warned me Calleigh might be a little “cranky” at first. Was that ever an understatement. She was much better by Friday evening, enough so that she tried to lick and bite the stitches off. This morning I called the vet to explain the situation she said “put a sock ‘n it.” I was thinking “how rude” but said “what?” She went on to say cut off the foot of a sock and make two little holes for her front legs. The light bulb finally flashed, “Like a little doggy sweater?” So after a quick “analysis of her colors” and a check of what was in the sock drawer, Calleigh is now the proud owner of a very fashionable tan sweater/sock which annoys her greatly. She keeps trying to back out of it. So not happening. My sympathies and admiration to all the moms out there who have to stuff little ones into sweaters on a regular basis.

Needless to say, my Christmas baking is not getting done (this may be a good thing). Any four- month-old who has just gone through surgery needs lots of snuggling and holding. I know where my priorities are.

I just got a call from my computer guru and he will be over early next week!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Honeylioness]

SES_Books - 12/18/10 10:26 PM

I thought Calleigh would have her stitches removed by now, but not until Monday morning. Today Onyx took a stand and would not back down. I dumped a load of laundry on the bed and went to start another load when I heard a terrible yowling. I ran to look and found Onyx seriously claiming the tail of one of my silky nightgowns she had pulled from the pile of laundry. No way was she going to allow Calleigh to claim even an inch. Onyx then snoozed on the bed in the pile of laundry for the rest of the afternoon. (She's in the living room now--and guess who has claimed the silky nightgown)



SES_Books - 12/20/10 03:27 PM


I took Calleigh to have her stitches removed today and there is no response from the lab yet. I really don't expect to learn anything until January. I don't quite know how to deal with a kitty that just hops in and out of the carrier and starts nuzzling everyone and purring. She will still be wearing her sweater until she grows back some more fur for protection when she and Onyx are "playing". Onyx is starting to respond when provoked, she is also starting to instigate some of the fuss and tumble.


SES_Books - 12/21/10 05:47 PM


Calleigh for her stitched removed yesterday but us still wearing her sweater for a little extra protection. I'm glad, because I saw Onyx instigate an attack on her. Finally she is not cowering under the desk chair.



SES_Books - 12/28/10 10:50 PM


I have two stoned kitties on the bed. I heard them racing up and down the hall earlier playing "chase and tumble" then suddenly they are flat out on the bed. When I went to the kitchen to refill my water bottle I found a baggie of catnip hidden under the table. This particular baggie is about three years old. I have no idea where Calleigh found it, and I am sure it was her. I'm surprised it had any smell or "juice" left in it.

[Honeylioness]

ses - « Reply #90 on Jan 3, 2011, 1:18pm »[/u]

I want to thank my sescret santa for the most perfect gift. I love the photos on the calendar--except those kittens all look so cute and innocent, I have little experience with an innocent kitten. The card made me LOL and remenber when I cleaned up the christmas cookie plate that has been in the table since just before Christmas. Several times when I refilled it i noticed a frosted sugar cookie that I had done a really poor job of applying sprinkles, they were only on one half of the cookie. As I cleared the plate i realized i have a "sprinkles theif" in the house. I had used the bigger holiday sprinkles and "someone" had caerfully pawed them off and knocked them to the floor behind the table and gathered them with her favorite toys.

[Honeylioness]

ses - Yesterday at 3:44pm


3cats--I am the one allowed to live with Calleigh and Miss Onyx and serve their needs. Yesterday was a BIG day. Calleigh has grown back enough fur that she no longer needs to wear her sweater. It looks strange to see her without it. she and Onyx are making progress in the living together in the same house issue. Every so often Calleigh will bounce up and give Onyx a "kiss" on the nose or a quick lick on the ear. It still sounds like they are killing each other at times, other times it sounds like they have invited a herd of elephants to join them when they race through the house. It is good to see Onyx playing, I sometimes wonder if she ever learned to play when she was a kitten since she had to fend for herself at such a young age even with her handicap. Especially with her handicap.

[Honeylioness]

ses - January 20, 2011 [/u]


Recently Onyx has discovered the joys of having a friend wash your face and ears and washing your friends ears. It must be relaxing and soothing. She has even started trying to wash my ears when she climbs up to cuddle. It is a weird feeling, not an action I will return.



ses - Jan 25, 2011, 7:49pm

Hugs and kisses to all of the puppies (of any age) and kitties who might need them. Calleigh goes to the doctor for her last two shots on Thursday. I just realized I never heard anything about her lab work. She has had a big growth spurt lately, she is about 3/4 the size of Onyx. I imagine I will have to plan for the cost of having her fixed in the next month or so. Last night they were leaping and frisking around in their wrestling match in such a manner that you would suspect they had a choreographer stashed in the corner. I am so glad they are getting along, most of the time. The other day I caught them curled up together and Onyx was grooming Calleigh, who was wearing the biggest grin and just leaning in to the pampering.