I just discovered a new Spanish term for a calico or tortoiseshell cat: "una gata mariposa", a butterfly cat. I knew that tortoiseshell cats were called gatas tortugas--turtle cats--but gata mariposa is even better. (Gata rather than gato because almost all torties and calicos are female ( Read more... )

This morning I woke up early and decided to do some woodworking before I started doing the work that I am, you know, paid to do. My shop is in the basement and last night I assembled and set up my Christmas present from Rita, a band saw. This probably has something to do with my eagerness to get up at 7:30 and play with wood. (I got the band saw ( Read more... )

Cleo is the most laid-back cat on the face of the planet. I mean seriously, she's not even really a cat, I'm convinced ( Read more... )

You can tell the temperature from your cat!

If your cat is curled up in a ball, it's cold. If the cat's stretched out, it's hot. The degree of feline compaction indicates the temperature. When the cat is a perfect sphere, with no head, ears, tail, or paws, it's bitter cold. When the cat is a puddle half an inch deep spread across ten square ( Read more... )

So I'm now in Costa Rica--have been since Friday, actually. Friday was...not fun...starting with getting up at 3:30AM to get to the airport by 5:00AM to catch a seven o'clock flight ( Read more... )

"Have you ever looked at your paw? I mean really looked at your paw? Wow, man...."

She is sooo wasted. *grin*

Cleo is sleeping in a drugged out puddle on my lap right now, courtesy of some good drugs from the emergency vet clinic. The vet said she is okay/will be okay, but that she most likely has pins and needles from hell and some pulled muscles. He sent her home with buphrenorphine, AKA the good drugs, a morphine-like drug that wikipedia says is used ( Read more... )

Words to my cat:

"Cleo, darling, has anyone ever told you you're fifteen years old?"

She's zooming around like a kitten on a sugar buzz.

It's pretty much settled now that we have a new cat--a new old cat. A used cat ( Read more... )

Poor Miss Tess is deathly afraid of thunder. Guess what it's doing now?

She was shivering in my arms before I was ready for bed, so I asked Rita to hold her while I got ready. Then I put her under the covers with me. Much calmer now.

On the plus side for Tessa, Cleo went to her new foster home yesterday. No more monster in the basement!