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

Kitten Update | Charlie Chuckles I

Charlie Chuckles I, aka Trouble Splitz

was born in my home on June 12th, 2010

He is called The First because . . . he did everything first out of a litter of five. The other four kittens were all females.

He was the first to paddle, get out of the nesting box, open his eyes, eat solid food, get close to us dogs, jump over the fence that was meant to protect him and the rest of his litter mates from the rest of us, to explore the entire house, and to steal M's heart. 

He got the nickname "Splitz" because he was so eager to paddle, he was doing the splits!

He remains limber to this day.

Charlie is a tuxedo kitten and is already bigger than his mom and the rest of his tribe. He is also the only cat in the house that gets along with everyone. His forte is helping M edit videos on her big screen.

Twinkie

It's Raining Cats and Dogs

So what are the cats and dogs doing inside?

I, Twinkie, the teacup chihuahua, am working on my calisthenics.

Jet, the ornery black cat, is playing with my ball.

The chiweenie is enjoying dog chews.

She is really enjoying her dog chews!

 Charlie, the tuxedo kitten, is enjoying an antler.

 Pedro, the wacky chihuahua puppy, is trying to electrocute himself again

(he's on a heated throw)

I steal the chiweenie's chew just to make her angry.

It works every time!

I pick up a marrow bone to chew on . . .

Some more calisthenics and then time for another nap.

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

Cats and Dogs in More Pictures

Back by popular demand, photos of cats and dogs engaging in greco-roman wrestling moves. Charlie Chuckles, the tuxedo kitten, Gigi Smudge, the strange looking kitten, and Pedro, the chihuahua puppy in never before seen action photos!

Kitten: "Get away from me, you little terror pup!"

Puppy: "I don't know what smaller means."

Puppy: "Tell me, what does it mean? Tell me."

Puppy (out of breath): "What do you mean I can't bite you between the legs?"

Kitten: "OMD!"

 Meanwhile, hiding in the shadows . . .

Kitten: "Let go of my thigh, you tiny dog!"

Kitten:"Boo hoo, you want your mommy now?"

Kitten: "I hope Twinkie trains this puppy asap. I'm at the end of my rope."

This concludes today's post of funny dog pictures (with a kitten at the bottom).

Some of you have been asking about the kittens' claws. None of our cats or kittens have been declawed nor will they ever be. Not only is declawing cats inhumane, their claws are their only means of protection if they accidentally venture outdoors. Cats need their claws to climb trees to escape predators and to use them as weapons. However, our kittens' claws do get trimmer regularly, and especially before the introduction of a new pack or tribe member for added safety. Most significantly, the cats and the kittens do not use their nails when play-fighting. Believe me, Twinkie Maria Conchita Rosalinda Alejandra Villanueva de la Ybarra y de Van Twinkerson, there's not a single scratch on that puppy! Frankly, I'm more concerned about the rest of us.

Twinkie

Cats and Dogs in Pictures

Pedro, the chihuahua puppy, has made himself so much at home, that we, the dogs, can't stand him. He's a chewer, a biter, and he gets us in trouble. Whenever we bite back he screams his little head off and M gets mad at us. I am secretly teaching him some manners, as his elder chihuahua, but it will take me some time. He's oh-so-cute and he gets away with murder. When M gets tired of him, she asks poor Charlie, the tuxedo kitten (now 4.5 months old) to puppy-sit. I have lots of pictures of them together. Remember, there are many cats and dogs living in our home, 7 cats and 4 dogs. I hope you enjoy, 'cause I sure don't. I've been told that everyone enjoys cute chihuahua pictures and that chihuahua puppies are adorable, but there's nothing cute about what Pedro does to his poor kitten. Some are a bit blurry, but I'm afraid I will not apologize for that. I'll just blame it on the puppy.

Funny Dog Pictures:

Chihuahua puppy fights dirty

And more dirty

Tuxedo kitten launches puppy

Typical WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) choke hold

Cussing one another out

Synchronized biteys

The kitten has had it! He's trying to talk some sense to the puppy.

They get along like cats and dogs.

The good news is that today Charlie figured out that he can climb, but Pedro can't. 

Twinkie

It's His Fault (Again)

The tiny puppy has been a major disruption. As soon as we all (cats and dogs) started recovering from the introductions with the "foster" pregnant cat and later her kittens, ta-da, tiny dog comes around and life's out of control again.

The chiweenie and I are on puppy patrol during the day,

but he still doesn't sleep through the night. 

At night, Charlie, the tuxedo kitten is in charge of puppy sitting.

The puppy only sleeps when he likes,

but that's okay because . . .

. . . at least he doubles as a pawesome hat!

( I sure hope anybody from PETA doesn't see this)

In all seriousness, this tiny two pound puppy, is a paw-full. The whole house is torn about his presence. The one who is most affected is Frankie, the chiweenie, M's barnacle dog. Frankie is torn and confused. On one paw, she is a "momma's girl" and can't stand the puppy taking up M's time, on the other, she can't resist the puppy, so she loves playing with him, when M pretends she's not looking. 

Today, puppy went for his first dog vet visit. Other than the disconcerning facts that he hasn't gained but a couple of ounces in two weeks and that the vet thinks he's a chihuahua, he checked out. He got his shots and we're all hoping he'll sleep through the night. 

Twinkie, the cranky teacup chihuahua