My BFFs Birthday

It is my BFFs birthday. Rosie is 2 years old today!
I organized a surprise party for her. I invited two of her doggie
friends, a big grey cat called Manny and a new friend, a little black cat called
Chloe to our apartment.


Manny had brought an old chewed up tennis ball that he had found
in the garden as his gift. The two dogs brought bones and treats and Chloe brought a pretty
pink bow for Rosie.

Rosie had gone to the park earlier and when she got back, we
all yelled “Surprise!”
She was surprised and barked a very loud and happy “woof”.

We played “Catch Rosie’s Tail”, "Hide and Seek " and “How Many Treats Can I Eat”

Rosie opened her gifts and wagged her tail in thanks. Rosie’s
birthday cake was magnificent, a big pile of sardines and we put 2 candles on
top. Rosie made a wish and graciously shared the sardines with her guests.

As I am now writing, her guests have left and Rosie is
curled up in the corner, sleeping. Her new gifts tucked in between her front
paws. Once in a while her tail wags and she has a big smile on her face.

I enjoyed putting Rosie’s surprise party. Anything for my
BFF!

The Art of Negotiation

“It was the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.”

My female human had read that out loud just a few days ago.

One evening a few days ago, I was lounging, when all of a sudden, in the corner of my eye, I saw movement. I quickly turned and was just about to pounce……….. when I came face to face with a young mouse.

The look of shear terror on his little face stopped me in my tracks!

I looked at this tiny thing and realized how young he was. He could not be more than a few months old.

Feigning indifference, I started to wash myself.

“Well, little one,” I asked, “What is a mouse like you doing in my house …eh, I mean, my apartment?

“I… I…” stuttered the little mouse, shivering, “I am looking for adventure!” He blurted out.

“Adventure, huh! I can give you that” I whispered. “Do you know what a well oiled feline hunter, like myself does?

The little mouse nodded his head. “ My parents told me!”

“ So you know that the job of a feline like myself is to chase you and kill you! That is what my humans expect!”

“Oh,” said the little mouse as he rung his front paws together nervously, ”Oh”

I squinted my eyes and looked at the mouse. “See now that is adventure!”

I watched as the little mouse squirmed.

“But,” I said, as I licked my paws, “I could be convinced to make an exception.” I lifted one of my eye-brows and looked at the mouse again.

“But” I said as I rubbed my chin, “We need to plan this. My humans need to think that I’ve graduated to a mouser. You need to come out when they are home. Then I chase you and you have to pretend to be scared.

“No problem” hick-upped the mouse, “I am scared”

“Then you run away to hide. We need to do this a few times so that my humans will think I’ve done a good job and caught a few of your sort. Then after a few weeks, we do the major production. I catch you and you pretend to be dead. I’ll let you go under the cabinet. That is when you run for your life and never come back again. Then the humans will think I killed you. You are safe, and I get the title of mouser. What’ya think?”

The mouse nodded his little head.

I stuck out my paw to shake his tiny one.

“Deal! What is your name anyway?”

“Charlie, said the mouse”

A few nights later, Charlie bravely walked out onto the living room floor. My humans were very surprised and I jumped up and ran towards him. Charlie froze. “Run,” I hissed under my breath, “Run,” Charlie ran and I pretended to catch him. Poor Charlie fainted and I gently laid him on the floor under the armour. I went to check on him a few minutes later and he was gone.

We repeated this performance for a few weeks. I got a lot of praise from my humans, Charlie got his adventure and I graduated to mouser. All and all, a win –win situation.

On the last night that we were to do our performance, Charlie walked out onto the living room floor once again and I pounce on him. Then, Charlie started running as if his life depended on it. When he got to a hole in the wall, he stopped, turned around and winked at me. With a “thumbs up”, he turned and sauntered off. As per our agreement, Charlie never came back again. A win-win negotiation…………… or was it? I miss the little fella.

A day in the life of

I have to apologize to the followers of my blog. I haven’t had a chance to write anything until now. I’ve had a very busy spring, summer and fall. I was busy getting to know my canine sister.

The game “catch me if you can” never gets old. We play it everyday. We run around and try to catch each other! I get more exercise now. Now that my canine sister-Rosie is getting bigger it’s even more fun. I start with tapping her on the cheek. I sometimes get my nails caught in her long curls and then we dance around the apartment for a while.

Once I pull my nails loose, I run away and she tries to catch me. But, with my small body, I can hide under the couch, or armour where only her nose fits.

I have to admit though, she does catch me sometimes and then with her great big paw she gives me a playful tap on my head or belly. I giggle and roll around. Then I nip at her heels and we start all over again.

We have also taught each other a thing or two. That would not have happened, had we not lived together. We would not have learnt form each other. Remember we are made from a different cloth altogether. Sloppy canine- elegant feline. But I have to admit, having a canine sister is not so bad after all. Actually it can be quite useful! And, very entertaining.

Rosie has taught me to beg! I watch her and I have to admit, she is good. She stares the humans down, cocks her head, gives a paw and opens her mouth in a silly grin. She is really cut and more times than not does she gets what she wants. She also puts her paw into her empty dish and throws it upside down to tell our human that she needs water of food. I did that one time and…… it worked like a charm. My female human came running and gave me a treat while she talked to me in a soft apologetic voice! Amazing!

I’ve taught her to be a bit more finicky with her food. If it is to dry, I’ve taught her to just sit in front of her bowl and look up to our human with sad eyes. And…our female human will go get some more of her favorite food and add it to her bowl. Totally awesome!

The days are full with fun and games! Even though I still take the time to take naps and watch the birds outside.

At the end of a busy day, we both find a place to rest and relax. Once in a while, Rosie comes and gives me a big, slobbery lick up the side of my head. Ah well, she is still an uncouth puppy, but she is my uncouth puppy and my BFF.

My new BFF

It has been a few months since my birthday party. Life is great! I get to sit on the window sill and watch the action outside. More birds are fluttering around, little babies with the mama birds. It is all very exciting. I enjoy the quiet life of lounging, eating, napping and bird-watching.

Just around the time of my birthday, my humans started talking to me about a new companion. “Oh,” I thought, getting quite excited. “Another feline around the apartment. How cool is that!”

But then, my female human started to talk to me about a “Canine Sister”. What were my humans thinking? A canine? Man, they are soooo uncouth! Mind you, I have only met a few of these canines but they all seemed sloppy.

And my humans started talking about a sister! A sister? Canines are made of a different cloth altogether! We are not of the same family!

We felines are dignified, sophisticated and aloof. But canines! They have a sloppy tongue that hangs out of their months a lot. They use it for all sorts of, well, …….dog-stuff. We felines are elegant and use our tongues to wash ourselves properly and at times we could be convinced to give a “kiss” to our humans.

Then the big day came.My new canine sister arrived at my apartment. With her tongue sloppily hanging out of her mouth (what did I tell you), she wandered into my precious domain- my apartment.

I followed her around to make sure she wasn’t going to do something dog-like- not in my apartment. She just wandered and wandered.

When she sat down, finally, I had the chance to look at her. She seemed harmless enough. And that was my undoing. We ended up greeting each other nose to nose. We started playing a game of catch me if you can.

I have to tell you, having a sister-a canine isn’t so bad. We’ve been very busy playing catch me if you can, roll me over and swat the tale of the canine.

I think, I will have a canine BFF!

My Birthday Celebration

Yesterday was my Birthday! I apparently turned 1 year old!

Both my humans were wearing colourful, silly pointed hats with “Happy Birthday” written on them. They hugged me and sang Happy Birthday to me, while I sat perched on the window sill wearing a silly hat as well. I could not help but sport a goofy grin.

Birthdays seem to be a human type of special day that I find very amusing.

All and all, the humans I’ve adopted are sweet even though they are a bit eccentric at times.

They presented me with a gift, a ball that I have been playing with all day long. And, they even had a “birthday cake” for me. They brought out a bowl with a special treat of sardines. With one candle stuck right in the middle. Mmmm, sardines! My total favourite food of all time! I can get used to the tradition of the “Birthday” celebrations.

My feline friends and I sometimes gossip about our adopted humans. Some are as lucky as I am, other felines have not been so lucky with their adoption. Somewhere along the line they didn’t get the correct human. They seem to be harder to train and don’t handle my feline friends very well.

I always advise my fellow felines to go along with their humans. Especially if the humans they’ve adopted spoil them. Sometimes a cat’s got to compromise. Yes, I realize that it totally goes against the grain of our personalities but, when your adorable humans do something funny, you just play along, no matter how silly you think it is. Your humans mean well I tell my fellow felines. Humour them!

Anyway, I digress ……………………..

My birthday, when I was not interrupted by loving hugs was actually very busy. I was playing with my new colourful ball, taking naps in the sun and figuring out where I stashed my other toys.

At the end of a busy and tiring day, I went to sleep on my special chair. Dozing off, I thought back on the day’s events. With a goofy grin I thought about how my humans, quirky as they are, treated me sooooo special. My thoughts wandered back to the day I adopted them. Man, I certainly did a great job

The Snow

Happy New Year to all my friends; humans and felines alike. My attention was else where for a while. I have been absorbed in one big event over the last few weeks.

SNOW! It snowed! It is so beautiful. Wow, I really enjoy watching the snow from my window. Sitting on the warm radiator I look out and start purring as I think back to the first time I saw snow. I was very excited and leaned out of the window to try to catch the flakes.

It was so picturesque. The snow quietly covered the green grass until it was green no more. It covered the tops of the cars and the roofs of the houses. It covered the branches in the trees and the grey streets. It was magic. Everything turned white!

And then, the street lights came on, and the world started to sparkle……… like little diamonds. A cat could get used to such beauty.

The white flakes covered every surface and I could see the dark-haired squirrels and fat birds much better. Mmmmm, my eyes darted back and forth and my tail started to sweep back and forth as well; this was exhilarating. I dashed from one window to the other – my excitement grew!

Oops, there goes a plant. Because I‘m still young, my co-ordination skills are sometimes lacking.

One day, when it had snowed a lot, I told my female human how wonderful I thought it all was. She smiled and asked me if I wanted to play in it. Naïve as I was, I nodded. I could not utter a word, I was thrilled. I was going to be part of this beautiful world. She strapped me into my harness and walked me out through “The Door” for the first time.

Oh, behind “The Door” was a vast area to explore; lots of dark corners to investigate. But, I didn’t have time! I needed to get out there. In the white world where every dark squirrel, every chubby pigeon were so easy to spot. My human opened another door. I held my breath. My excitement grew………….

And then………… I was outside! In the snow! Magnificent! I was ankle deep in this white fluffy stuff. With a yelp I jumped up in the air. All four paws at once! Brrrrrrr, it was cold!! My female human giggled and picked me up.

“Ah, little guy, is it too cold for you?”

“You think?!” I glared at her, but who can stay mad at her? She has such a sweet face. Gently, I tapped her on the cheek and licked her nose.

With a grin on her face, my human brought me back inside of our apartment. With a sigh of relief, I jumped out of her arms and onto the bed and dove under the covers. It was dark and very cozy there. Purring, I realized, I was quite happy to observe the outside world from my warm place in front of the window. I like my warm radiator and cozy bed covers!

Writers' Block

Living in a modern human world, one gets to be a little bit human. There are human conditions that effect me at times. Now, as a feline writer I sometimes get something called............ "Writers' Block".

The first time it happened I was shocked and very perturbed. I thought I was going mad! What was happening? I could not focus! Was there something wrong with the computer? Maybe keyboard wasn't working properly.

Maybe I should use pen and paper......just like my ancestral feline writers who used feathers of their prey to pen their memoirs.

So, writer's block..........I could not believe it. I have so much to say, but all of a sudden I didn't know what to talk about!

This Writers' Block is actually quite an interesting phenomena. My female human, who is also a writer gets very upset. She paces back and forth muttering to herself, "Man, I've got nothing to say. Nothing to write! I've got nothing, my mind is blank." Unlike her, whose mind goes blank, my mind races, and races!

I want to talk about everything at the same time! I just can't keep up with my thoughts. So, I just calm down, look out through the window and think back to the time of my ancestors. I stare out of the window, sometimes hours on end. I can imagine my ancestors running around the streets filled with horses and buggies, male humans dressed like penguins and female humans wearing beautiful gowns and gorgeous hats with lots of feathers. My ancestors were all very busy chasing birds and squirrels.
Mmmmm, I think Puss-n-Boots was my great, great grandfather!!


All of a sudden, I get pulled back into the modern world when..........voila, a bird flutters past the window, a squirrel scampers up the tree just outside my window or a human rushes down the street. Smiling as the Cheshire cat, I frantically start to write.

I feel very happy that this "Writers' Block does not happen too often, because I've got some interesting adventures to share with you. I have become quite the expert in observing the modern humans in their natural habitat- unusual habits and all.

The Mystery of "The Door"

My humans have a routine. Everyday, they put stuff on, they call this getting dressed. Then, they put on their coats and go through……………….. "The Door".

The mystery of “The Door” intrigues me.

What is behind "The Door"? Sometimes my humans are gone for a few minutes, other times they are gone for hours and hours. What is behind "The Door"? Is it magic? Where do they disappear to when they go through "The Door"?

And even though I am very curious, I've heard the saying "Curiosity killed the cat!" And even though I have 9 lives, I am very content to wait in my warm and comfortable apartment until "The Door" opens again and my humans come through it. They are always happy to see me………... as if they missed me. Isn’t that sweet?! They call out my name and I come running, because I am so very, very happy they have come back safely through "The Door!"

What do they do? Where do they go? It is really cute when my humans go through “The Door” and they tell me I have a job. My female human always tells me to "Look after the house". As if it is going somewhere!

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

In the bathroom, there is a very interesting apparatus. It is called a mirror!
But I need to tell you about the first time I saw this........ thing.

I had noticed that my female human would stand in front of this thing a lot and for long periods of time. Naturally, this got me very curious.

So, one day when my humans were at work, I decide to figure out what was so interesting about this thing called a mirror.

Well, let me tell you, it scared the living daylights out of me! When I peeked around the corner, there was another cat! I jumped up, startled. I immediately arched my back and raised the hair on my back to show this cat who I was! I belonged to this apartment. He wasn't welcome. I had not invited him in.

Heart pounding, I crouched and very slowly, very carefully moved towards the mirror again. The moment I looked............. there he was again! The audacity of this stranger.

I narrowed my eyes.... so did he!
I arched my back...... so did he!
I hissed......he hissed back at me!
I swatted at him.............he swatted back!

This was outrageous! I sat back, swooshed my tail to give him a warning and with an angry growl, I pounced.

I hit my head on the hard surface and fell into the sink. I was a bit dazed and shook my head. I looked up and saw I had scared away the other cat!

Satisfied I had done a great job in defending my turf, I sauntered to my spot in the sun and stretch out for a nap.

Cans being opened and my .............DNA!

There is a very weird phenomenon that happens every day of my life.
Whenever my humans are in the food preparation area-kitchen- and I hear a can opened, I am compelled to run to the area, because I know that it must be for me.

But,....... often it isn't and it is a great disappointment to me. My humans always kid me and pat me on the head while they say "No little guy, this isn't for you. Not this time" And they look at each other and giggle. Now I don't mind entertaining my humans, but I've often wondered about this drive that compels me to the kitchen whenever a can is opened. Is it my curiosity? Is it the sound that the can makes? Or, is it that I'm hungry?

In the last few weeks, I've conducted some research on why this happens to me. I've spoken to a few other cats in the neighbourhood and it turns out it isn't just me. What a relief. It apparently happens to all modern cats. While basking in the sun, and after thinking long and hard, I've figured it out! It is in my DNA!

My adventure on the way to the Vet

I had an interesting experience the other day. I needed to go to the vet. A few days ago I went, for the very first time. The vet is another human who specializes in poking and prodding cats like me.

For me, the trip to the vet was quite an ordeal. It was the first time I left the safety of my new home. My female human was sweet. She put a little pillow in the box, then my toy. Then, she pushed me in. At first I was insulted, then I got a bit scared. Why did she put me in this box! Where were we going. Was I coming back. But, she kept talking to me and that was soothing for me.

She told me this is an adventure! We were going to see the vet!
She carried me around, on the streets and into the subway and onto the street again. So much noise in their world! The noise of the buses and the subway trains. Very intimidating.

And, those humans seem to always be in a hurry! Rushing about and bumping into each other. They do not seem to take the time to sniff each other or to show they friendly. As a matter of fact, they seem to show aggression and the others seem to see this as normal. It seemed to be expected. Very strange. Us cats, well, we make sure we show we are friendly towards each other or we show we cannot be intimidated.

I must say, I was happy that my female human had put me in this box. It was scary at first, but once I was settled in, I could look outside and observe the humans in the safety of this box.
Fascinating! They did not have time fore anyone until they saw my box. Then, they would stop whatever they were doing, look at me and say:: Aaahh, isn't he cute!" This of course made me feel good, because I know I am.

Once we got to the building where this vet is located, I saw other cats there and that calmed me down.
But, listening to all those cats complain about meeting this vet, I got very nervous again.

And them of course there were....... dogs! As sat in my box with my hair on end I glared at them. They didn't even seem to notice as they sat around with their tongues hanging out. So uncouth...... keep you tongue in your mouth! Really! This goes to show you how we, as cats, are so graceful and elegant; even when we go see the vet.

Puzzling Human Habits

One of my activities to entertain myself is to observe my cute humans. They have some very unusual habits and I want to tell you about them, because they are so very, very puzzling!

Let me give you some examples. I'm sure you will agree with me.

They don't use their tongues to clean themselves. The take of their "fur" off and jump into a large bowl, they call a bathtub. It must be a lot of work, and it seems very difficult to do. I use my tongue and paws to clean my fur, which of course is more mobile. I can clean myself anywhere, anytime I want.

And then, this "Brushing the Teeth". I've heard this term a few times and I've watched my humans take a stick with a little brush, put some white-stuff on it, put it in their mouth and move it back and forth. They spit and rinse with water. I smelled at the tube of white stuff. Yuck!...... it certainly doesn't smell like my yummy food!

But the most unusual habit I've observed is.......... their "litter Box"! They have a white chair where they sit on or stand in front of. Then, instead of burying with the sand they push a button and......swoosh...... it goes ..... somewhere! I don't get it! Where does it go??!!

I will keep you posted if I finally figure out where it goes. I promise.

Having fun - catching the monsters in the bed

With my adopted humans, I have a great time playing. They are sweet, when they throw a ferocious...... stinky sock across the room. It bounces on the floor and "comes alive" I leap and attack it, grab it, shake it and bring it back to them. Giggling, my humans throw it again.
I like to entertain them!

But, playing in the bed is the most fun.
Humans are very funny, they shed there "fur" when they go to their beds. Then they dive under a cover that is made of feathers-duck feathers!

Mmmmm ducks! Fluttering, quacking and squawking ducks...........but I rambling........

The bed....., that's when the fun starts. There is movement under the duck-filled covers. There are monsters under the covers! I dive, I pounce, I roll to catch those "monsters". Using my freshly sharpened claws, which I sharpen on the rug, I attack. My humans squeal in delight....... or is it pain..... I'm not sure, when I- using my sharp teeth, dig in. Their squeals and yelps are so funny, it stimulates my senses and I go for it again! Mmmmmm life is good!

The importance of taking a nap

Naps. One of my favorite times of the day. Along with watching those nervous birds, running around my place, attacking the fluffs scattered all around and finding new and mischievous things to do. There are so many things!
As humans, you must understand, naps are very important for all cats. But for me, they are a time of reflecting and relaxing. It is a time to be pensive and to perfect the technique of purring.

When I take a nap, I like to curl up on the bed and bury myself under the pillows. It is so nice a soft there. And there is a scent of my humans there. That is very comforting.

Or, I like to stretch out on the windowsill, amongst the plants in a patch of sunlight. The sun hits my turned up belly; That makes me so, so sleepy.

But the best place - ever- to have a nap is with my nose firmly placed in a running shoe, where I can sniff the ripe smell of old socks.

Yes, we take a lot of naps. Next time you see a cat taking a nap, please remember they are working on purrfecting their purring techniques so we can purr faster, deeper and more often for you.

Hi! My name is Harley!

Hi!

I want to introduce myself. My name is Harley. I am a young cat who has adopted 2 humans who are adorable. I eavesdrop on their conversations at times and they say I am charming, adorable and cute. I must say, I have to agree with them.

They love to treat me, cuddle and play with me. The funny thing is they think they have adopted me. Well, I'll have to let them think that but I know better. The place where I live is very exciting! There are lots and lots of adventures lurking in the corners.

I am new to the neighborhood and have met a few birds already. I haven't had the chance to talk to them, but they seem to be a nervous bunch. They flutter around in the grass and trees, which of course is very exciting for me.