Family Edition Friday

Brothers And Sisters

Our beautiful kittens are almost a year old. They have lived together their entire life. Contrary to what animal behaviorists say (that cats are indifferent to the notion of family), our cat family is a tightly knit one. From feedings to play time, they still stick close to each other. Below are some photos of Puddles, the calico kitten, and her baby bro, Charlie, the tuxedo kitten, engaging into adorable kitten play.

 Charlie: Puddles . . . Yo, baby sis. Wanna play?

 Charlie: I said, let's play!

Stop it, Cha-lie! Or I'm calling momma.

 Charlie: Not before I bite your leg.

 Puddles: I'm warning you, Cha-lie. Stop it!

 Puddles: I warned you! Now, I'm going to bite your  . . . Wait a minute, you don't have any!

 Puddles: Hmm . . . Now what do I do?

Twinkie: Thanks you two. That's a wrap. You can stop and get off now.

Twinkie

Mommy And Me | Kitten Update

Remember Baby Puddles?

Puddles, the calico kitten, the Cry-Baby

Should her momma call the wambulance???

As you can see, the cat family is thriving. The kittens are now 8 months old.

Twinkie

Kitten Pictures | Spay and Neuter

Remember the newborn kittens? They are five months old already. We knew that they would get spayed and neutered even before they were born. My family and I are advocates. M was a wreck. She hates taking her precious pets in to get surgery, but as much as she doesn't sleep the night before, she knows it's a good thing. As a matter of fact, originally we kept the momma cat because the person who wanted her refused to spay her. Of course, after the first few weeks of her living with us, she became part of the family and M couldn't part with her any longer. It all worked out for the best. The cat family has formed a close bond. They were even taken for their surgery together. They were also picked up together the following day.

They are still a rather united cat tribe. They function like a group. Sure, the mom occasionally hisses and even growls at her kittens, but she is also very protective and affectionate with them most of the time. She has completely accepted all of us dogs, from the largest to the naughtiest. Project cats and dogs united, copleted. We're an integrated home. Seven cats and four dogs, who would have thought! The outdoor cat enclosure helps a lot, with any crowding issues, plus all the cats absolutely love it out there. They take in the sun's rays, roll on their backs, trim their claws on actual tree trunks, and enjoy their fresh supply of cat grass that M has planted for them. Sometimes, little Pedro, the chihuahua puppy joins them out there, and that's when the laid back kittens jump up to higher levels where they cannot be reached; that's an accurate statement about most, but not all cats. Charlie, the tuxedo kitten remains Pedro's best friend. The two are inseparable and play well together. We can't wait until the kittens are over ten months old and get introduced to catnip. We wonder about the catnip effects and how the kittens will react to it.

Lil' Mama weighs 7lbs, the tuxedo kitten (Charlie, M's favorite) is 8lbs, the pointed kitten (Gigi Smudge) 7.4lbs, and the runt, the calico kitten named Puddles, weighs 6lbs.

Kitten pictures:

 Even after her spay surgery, Lil' Mama remains quite intense.

 We lucked out. While we (the dogs) don't like the deer antlers, Charlie is really fond of them.

 Puddles still spends her days lounging about looking pretty. She only gets upset when someone takes away her mirror.

The Smudge! A rather flighty almost feral kitten nobody likes to mess with.

Be kind, considerate, and responsible: Spay and neuter your pets!

Twinkie

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly | Pet Photo Contest Info

The kittens are now a little over 3 mos old. The weigh over 5lbs and sadly they are all much bigger, heavier, and faster than me, Twinkie.

The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

The Good

Puddles, the calico kitten
Puddles is mellow and sweet with vivacious outburst. She keeps to herself a lot unless she's in the mood to be petted. She's the runt of the litter, but when she gets a toy, beware; she'll growl and protect it. Most of the day, she lounges around looking beautiful.

The Bad

Charlie Chuckles (aka Trouble), the tuxedo kitten
The instigator! We probably shouldn't have changed his name from Trouble.  He is nothing but. He is unruly and obnoxious. He thinks barriers are to be ignored and rules created to be defied. He gets along with everybody in the house and loves to play ball with Frankie, the chiweenie. He is also a talker. He is this litter's shining star.

Charlie is climbing over a 6 foot barrier to get to us dogs.

The Ugly

The Smudge! (aka, Clorox), the muted tortie
Mama's girl! She is attached to her mom's hip most of the day. She's taken the semi-feral traits of her mom as well. She's hard to catch, and seems to only tolerate the rest of us. She hisses at all of us dogs and the rest of the cats. Up close, her face looks like somebody squirted her with bleach.

And their mama:
Farrah, the feral ghetto kitty

Still an amazing mother to her kittens. She's still nursing them as well. Because the kittens' adult teeth are coming in, when she nurses she often jumps up cussing and correcting them. She's really vocal. She's getting used to M who she loves to follow around. She's tiny and will not eat until her kittens are done. Even when presented with her favorite cat treats, she would rather give them to her babies.

The tribe is thriving, now I'm counting on M to protect us from the monsters that keep charging at us. Meanwhile, our home is adorned with beautiful squirt bottles strategically located in every room.

Pet Photo Contest Information

Show Us Your Booty!

It's going to be a bootylicious contest open to all pets. This time, I will kindly request that there are no human entries, pretty please. 

In the next couple of days, I will introduce you to our sponsors by posting a review about their eco friendly products.

I will post the pet photo contest rules and free giveways in detail right after that.

As always, if the topic inspires you, by all means, post about your booty and share with your furiends; I know that I was truly inspired by the Show Us Your Tongue hilarious posts. Oh, one more thing, if I get one more comment about Puddles' hiney, I'm going to have to break my rules and enter my own personal tush, and that's a threat! In any case, don't forget to take our Brown Newfie friends' brilliant advice: start doing your lunges.

Happy mooning, furiends!

Twinkie

Kitten Update | Petrified Chiweenie

I'm sure everyone's used to Frankie, the brindle chiweenie, being scared stiff frequently, but

why-oh-why is the chiweenie petrified this time???

 

 Perhaps it is because the momma cat goes from this to . . .

. . . THIS!

Or perhaps even . . .

. . . THAT!

It is true, furiends, we're under cat siege.

We are sentenced to live with seven felines!

The other day, M put the chiweenie and me in the outdoor cat enclosure for "socialization" purposes. Somebody call the humane society.

The kittens are now three months old. They are healthy, playful, curious, and mischievous.

Here are some recent kitten pictures:

Charlie Chuckles

The tuxedo kitten. The only male of the litter.

He is the leader. He is a terror in disguise, but M dotes on him. He knows about her weakness so when she calls him he comes running and screaming. I hope Charlie and M live happily ever after together.

Puddles

Our calico kitten.

She's beautiful and she knows it. She spends her days lounging around, mostly on her back, sucking at her paws. I think she's a bit "slow," if you know what I mean.

Clorox

Our muted tortie.

Clorox, aka Alley Alarm, aka Squirt is the one to watch out for. She's the wildest of the bunch. If I didn't know for a fact that she was raised here, I'd call her a feral kitten. The chiweenie and I need to be careful around her because she snaps.

As you can see, the little kittens are all growing up fast while developing their personalities. M had made an appointment with an animal behaviorist, but it was simply too expensive. In lieu of, she decided to recruit her human friends that she equips with squirt bottles and the ultrasonic pet trainer (the PetZoom) the minute they step through the door. She says instead of paying an animal behaviorist, she'd rather spend the money taking her friends to dinner as a way to thank them for helping out. Any volunteers?

We are one nutty mixed household and we wouldn't have it any other way. 

Twinkie

My Family, Mi Familia

This is my family.

It's a typical afternoon. M has locked all of us three dogs and three cats in her bedroom. She does this when she takes care of the kittens. This is no life for a dog! I admit, two of the cats were here before me, so I accept that, but what about all the others? Every new family addition makes me have to wonder about my safety. At just under four pounds, my life is not to be taken lightly. I'm a teacup chihuahua, therefore I'm fragile. 

A mixed cat and dog home is not unusual. We live in relative peace and harmony, excluding feeding times which require a lot of door locking and strategic locations. I've even gotten used to the existing cats, despite getting an occasional swat as I go by, but enough is enough mommy dearest! 

I heard that M wants to keep all of the remaining kittens and their nursing cat mom. I was hoping for a least another cat adoption, or more so I tried to reason with her. M said her decision is final. We, the dogs, don't agree with that. Our bed is already full. What's going to happen to us next? 

The nursing cat and her kittens live at the other end of the house in a room we call "the nursery". The nursery came to be only after the pregnant cat became aggressive towards us, the dogs. M keeps them separate for our safety, but it's been a little over two months now and I understand that both ends of the house are going to have to learn how to live peacefully together. I have my doubts.

The #1 reason to have doubts.

Nursing cats are overprotective of their kittens, and this one is not exception. 

Check out her face. She's one intense cat. 

A few weeks ago, she jumped and lunged at our largest dog (60lbs). I wonder if I'm next.

This little beauty, the calico kitten that goes by the name of Puddles, is another reason for me to worry.

Miss Alley, the pointed kitten.

Yet another reason to worry. I hear this one's wild!

Mr. T, aka Trouble Splitz

This tuxedo kitten's name says it all. He IS trouble.

Do not let his cute photo fool you!

We're holding a dog meeting this afternoon to come up with either an escape plan or cat and kitten training tips. If any of you have any ideas on how to go about opening the nursery door without much drama, please share your thoughts. At the end of the day I want to be able to exclaim: Venimus, vidimus, vicimus!

Twinkie

Happy Chiweenie

At last, the pressure is off Frankie, the brindle chiweenie. She is no longer the center of attention. Our family has even cut back on the pranks. All that happened overnight and she has the kittens to thank for it. Let me demonstrate with a few pictures.

This is the chiweenie's happy face.

The constantly growing calico kitten, Puddles, like her namesake, is constantly getting into trouble!

That's when she's not being lazy.

Even nursing cat mom is a handful as she's getting used to her surroundings.

The kittens are evil, as demonstrated by tuxedo kitten, Mr. Trouble Splitz.

Plust they're terribly rude!

"Who me?"

(faking innocence)

That's why the chiweenie is so laid back and happy lately.

Chiweenie joke of the day: What do you call a chiweenie that is not yet potty trained? A chiweewee! BOL

And let's not forget that today is World Cat Day! Happy cat day to all our feline furiends out there.

Have a great Sunday!

Twinkie

M vs. M

All rise for the honorable judge. Please be seated. The defense may make opening statements.

M's defense attorney: Your honor, everyone surrounding Ms. M is opposed to her keeping all of the kittens including their mom.  

Prosecution: Ehem. I would like the cons stated for the record. M has three cats already and they don't get along. She also has three dogs that occasionally get attacked by the cats. If she keeps the entire litter and their mother, M is going to end up with NINE cats. No outdoor cat enclosure is going to save her. 

Suspect #1

Name: Trouble

Age: 48 days

Color: tuxedo kitten

Race: feline

Gender: male

PROS: Trouble is special. He's the only male. He has a beauty mark and a goatee. He eats out of M's hand. He runs to greet M every time she enters the nursery. Trouble can do the splits.

Suspect #2

Name: Alley Alarm aka Allie

Age: 48 days

Color: pointed kitten

Race: feline

Gender: female

PROS: Allie is a riot. She's the wildest of the bunch and she keeps changing colors. She's got white and fawn toes. M loves a good challenge.

Suspect #3

Name: Lolita aka Loli

Age: 48 days

Color: calico

Race: feline

Gender: female

PROS: She's the baby. Loli spends her days on her back sucking on her toes. Sometimes, she rushes and attacks her siblings. M finds this behavior adorable. 

Suspect #4

Name: Teddy Smudge (did somebody mention cute kitten names?)

Age: 48 days

Color: pointed dilute calico kitten

Race: feline

Gender: female

PROS: Her name, for starters. She's also a quiet kitten that gets along with everyone. She's got a cute goatee, and amazing markings.

Suspect #5

Name: Puddles, named after you-know-who

Age: 48 days

Color: calico kitten

Race: feline

Gender: female

PROS: She is nuts over M. Puddles runs to greet M and then rubs herself all over her purring. She was the first of the kittens to purr at the human touch. She loves kitten treats. 

Suspect #6

Name: Farrah, aka Mama

Age: under a year most likely

Color: charcoal and white with beautiful markings

Race: feline

Gender: female

PROS: M bonded with Farrah the minute she arrived. Even though Farrah attacked M, rather aggressively causing quite a bit of damage, M feels Farrah was just being protective of her angels. She's worried about her the most since she may be the hardest to socialize in our multi-pet cross breed home. 

At the moment, M cannot bear the thought of breaking up this bundle of cuteness, help her do the right thing.

Defense and  Prosecution attorneys rest their case. It's up to you, the jury now. 

Twinkie