Our Boy is Home

Angel came home this morning.

Losing a pet is horrible. Losing a child must be a gazillion times worse. I lost Abbie for 2 minutes in a big, public, busy place (and it was dark) and that was horrible. I actually thought she might have been abducted so I was 1 second away from a full blown panic attack when she came back. I won't tell that story this time (but I will say I lost her without taking my eyes off her - figure that one out!).

Angel was missing approximately 36 hours. And there was a dark cloud over my life. As much as I've been looking forward to vacation, I was dreading going b/c I was worried Angel might come home while we were away.

When it got dark, I worried more about him - was he scared, did he know where he was, could he get home? It rained, and I worried again - was he scared, was he wet and cold, was he far away?

I've been looking out the kitchen window multiple times a day. We had flyers made, and we distributed them around the neighborhood yesterday. I was going to the humane society today and to the local vets. Luckily, Angel is microchipped. He won't wear a collar. He claws at it until he bleeds.

This morning, before I made breakfast for Abbie, I went out the backdoor and called for him. He wasn't there. While I was looking out over the yard, wondering if I would ever see him again, I heard a meow, and I turned and saw him running to me. He got a can of cat food before Abbie got her breakfast, but she didn't mind.

I took him to the bedroom and put him on the bed so Paul could see him too. He smiled and said, "Now I won't be in the doghouse anymore."

Angel is on my lap right now. He's being a little clingy.

Abbie news - Abbie asked me another sensitive question today. I guess she's got things on her mind. But it's normal, and it's time for her to be asking.

Breakfast of Champions

I'm totally stealing this subject from Cute Overload. I just can't help it. For those who don't understand cuteoverloadese, Kronsche = Crunch, chomp

Here is the topic: Can we just make breakfast cereal out of kitten ears already?

Here are the suggested cereal names -

Marmalade Sugar Kronsches - they're not just for breakfast

Fluffer-Bitz

Coco Kronsche (if you have black cat)

Frosted Triangle Kronche

Cute Loops

CheeriEars

Earios

Frosted Ear Flakes

In other news, Abbie has been sick for the last 2 days and missed school. She's all better now. While she was sick she made the following request, "I want the cats to come sleep on me." She requested that because we have a long history of felines that can sense sickness and will sleep on you if you're sick. It's their way of trying to make you feel better. I bet most animals have this innate sense.

In other news, an appliance repairman came today, and I had to put Angel in timeout (my bathroom) because he wouldn't leave the man alone. But he got out! Later in the day, I hollered for Abbie to check on her whereabouts. She yelled back, "I'm conducting an experiment." She had put Angel back in the bathroom and then sat outside the door to observe how he got out. She'll be writing up a lab report (just kidding).

In other news, I had one wrapped gift under the tree. The kittens unwrapped it (it was merely wrapped in tissue paper held together with wide ribbon). When I finally get around to wrapping gifts with paper, I wonder what they will do. You have to expect some shenanigans with kittens in the house. Dogs are known to open/shred gifts too. At least the kittens have not climbed the tree and caused it to fall over. Yet....

Warning *Litter Box Zone* Under Construction

Whew! I think I have the litter boxes under control now. Maybe....
I spent hours today working on a new set up. Emptying and cleaning the boxes and installing new ones with brand new litter.
First of all, the biodegradeable corn stuff isn't working out. On the surface, it was working (clumps fine, smells nice in the bag), but we've been getting whiffs of ode de poo for the last several days even though I scoop regularly. Is that sharing too much to admit to that smell being in our house?
Anyhoo, I went back to my old brand of litter, Scoop Away. I went to the pet store today and literally spent 1/2 an hour or more staring at and analyzing new litter boxes. My current set up is one covered litter box and one regular-pan-type-open litter box. There were so many options, but I finally chose a new box to replace the pan-type-open box. The new box doesn't have a high step to get in, but it does have a clear cover, and a flap on the door which supposedly helps with odor control.
And I bought a new mat for them to step on as they exit the litter box. I'm sure I could have found a cheaper and similar non-slip mat at Walmart, but I didn't want to make another stop.
Is all this worth it for 2 cute new kittens? Jury's still out, but we do love them an awful lot. I do miss the days of having an indoor/outdoor cat with no litter box to scoop (Samantha/Molly/Ellie). But the turmoil of finding out your cat has been run over (Molly), or accidentally running over your cat as you pull in the garage (a constant worry with Molly), or wondering if your cat is lost (Baby/Ellie) may be worth having indoor only cats. We shall see!

Samantha

This morning as I was watching TV...no wait, I was doing laundry and sweeping litter from the floor...I started thinking about my first cat, Samantha.
My mom thinks I got her when I was 4. She says I had not started Kindergarten yet, and I started Kindergarten right after I turned 5.
I named her Samantha Thomasina Pussycat. Samantha because my favorite show was Bewitched. Thomasina was from a cat in a Disney movie. And Pussycat was her last name. This was my first foray into naming animals, and until Little Man came along, I've always chosen real names (not Fluffy or Spot). And Baby was already named when we got her, in case you're keeping track.
Samantha was a fluffy black cat with an undertone of tortoiseshell. She had green eyes and was an indoor/outdoor cat. She was welcome inside the house, but she went outside whenever she wanted. She had no litterbox in the house. When she wanted to go out, she sat beside the door until someone saw her and opened it (we lived in a really, really small house). When she wanted inside, she pawed at the door until someone opened it. If we ever left her in the house too long, and no one was there to let her out, she would potty in the bathtub - number one down the drain and number two at the other end of the tub. Now, that may sound gross, but it was so easy to clean and sanitize the tub after her accident, and that was better than cleaning it out of carpet (my mom would have had a cow!). I always thought that that was very considerate of her to choose the bathtub. It probably only happened twice in her life anyway so she can be forgiven.
She wasn't a super cuddly cat, but she was friendly and liked to be petted, and she slept on my bed at night.
Samantha had two litters of kittens before we got her fixed. I loved those kittens - they were fluffy and cuddly and all different colors. In the summer, my mom would set up our tent in the side yard, and I would play house in the tent. I tormented those kittens by dressing them in baby doll clothes.
When I was in high school, I read Pet Cemetary by Stephen King. For awhile, I was a little scared of Samantha. The book spooked me a little bit, and sometimes, I wouldn't let her sleep with me, but I eventually got over it.
Then I went away to college and had to leave Samantha behind. She died when I was 21 or 22 so she lived about 17 years. My mom called me with the news, and she was more upset than I was. Samantha was as much the family cat as she was my cat. I guess I'm feeling a little nostalgic today. And I can't help but think about cats when I'm sweeping litter.

Cat Profiles

Name: Little Man
Describe yourself in 20 words or less: Fur like a mink coat, lovable, petite
What are your hobbies? Sleeping on Paul. Sleeping with Abbie. Batting toys down the hallway.
Favorite toy: I like balls (especially ones with bells inside) and strings.
Dislikes: When Angel sinks his fangs into my throat.
An interesting fact about me: I am much cuter than this picture portrays. I have 23 toes and 23 claws. Some people think the extra toes are ugly, but Lorrie loves them which is one reason she adopted me. I also have a powerful purring engine.
Minor Imperfection: I like the toilet too much and fell in once then Lorrie gave me a bath. {insert pouty face}

Name: Angel

Describe yourself in 20 words or less: Soft as an angel's wing, my middle name is hungry

What are your hobbies? Climbing on the kitchen counter in search of food then I get squirted. I get down then I get hungry and climb up there again. Then I get squirted and I get down. What's that smell? I better climb on the counter and see if I can steal a bite...

Favorite toy: Little Man's neck, Little Man's leg, my scratching post and the mouse that sits on top

Dislikes: Getting squirted, but I'm kind of getting used to it.

An interesting fact about me: I have beautiful blue eyes that will mesmerize you.

Minor Imperfection: Sometimes I scratch Abbie and make her cry.

Name: Misty

Who Owns Me: No one knows. I came to the Villeneuve's before Ellie died. I shared her food and slept with her in the garage. The Villeneuve's were kind enough to feed me, but they said they wouldn't keep me or name me.

An Interesting Fact About Me: Lorrie bought me a collar once, but the next day, it was gone. Either I got it off or I really do have owners that took it off me. It's a mystery!

Are They Keeping Me: Hmmm, I don't know, I just know that they've been feeding me for about 2 years. If I meow, they quickly check my bowl to see if I have food. I think I have them trained pretty well (even if I may be owned by someone else and getting meals elsewhere).

Another Mystery: I could be a boy (that has been fixed) or a girl (who has never gotten pregnant (as far as they know)). They don't know, and I've decided not to tell them. But they gave me a girl name even though they said they wouldn't name me.

Name: Baby

Interesting Fact About Me: I do not like to walk. I will walk from one room to another then I lay down again. If they play with me with a laser light (which I love), I lay there and grab it with my paws. I do not chase the laser light {shudder}. I think the vet wants me to get more exercise, but I have no interest in being a Hollywood poster girl. Take me as I am or not. I don't care!

Likes: Food, being fed on time, being petted, laying on whatever Lorrie is doing, knocking over things when I need to communicate with the humans, sleeping.

Dislikes: Diet cat food, when the kittens bite my tail

Hobbies: sneaking outside when the humans hold the door open too long then I quickly get under the car where they can't reach me

Little Known Facts About Myself: I am lucky to be owned by such super people. They take very good care of me (and I really try not to be a bother). Just don't tell them how much I like them.