So it's not manly to own a cat!!

Cats are funny creatures. Like you don't know that already!

I am finding though, that many people just don't like cats. Take my brother-in-law for instance. Over the weekend he was in our home and when he saw our cat and how much both my husband and I love him, he kind of snickered and said, "Oh no, I can't believe you're a cat lover now!" He didn't have much of a chance to interact with our feline friend because, of course, Baxter didn't know him and ran under the couch and stayed there!

I asked him why and he responded by saying he just loved dogs better. They were just more manly.

Wow! Really??

My Aunt Mary just sent me a picture from the 50's of Marlon Brando and his adorable white cat that he loved dearly. You can't get more manly than Marlon Brando and he loved his cat!!! (I attach the link here so you can see the pics - http://www.vintag.es/2013/03/marlon-brando-with-his-cat-at-home.html)

Sometimes I see men walking through our development with the tiniest white fluffy dog. Does that mean they aren't manly men?? Ridiculous!

I kept my mouth shut because you just can't change anyone's mind about things, especially if they aren't open for change. And he certainly wasn't!

Well, his loss - not mine!

Mommy's away so the cat will play

About a month ago, I decided I had had enough of winter and brightened up the house with a silk flower arrangement filled with yellows, pale greens and soft pinks on a pedestal stand near the front door. I hung my spring wreath outside on the front porch, added a brand new yellow tablecloth in the dining room along with an arrangement in the center of Styrofoam eggs that I had hand painted and decorated with glitter and small flowers many years before. All this in preparation for Easter and the spring I was so desperately longing for.

It made my mood brighten and somehow, the house seemed more cheerful and expectant of good weather days ahead.

The first few days after my festive activity went unnoticed by my feline friend, Baxter. This surprised me as I know how curious cats usually are. He seemed unfazed by the addition of new items added to the home. But, of course, the only thing he could possibly get his paws on was sitting on the dining room table! The others were out of his reach, thankfully.

A few days went by and all was well. Then, on the following Saturday, my husband and I were out shopping for most of the day and didn't come home till late that evening. I didn't notice anything unusual until the following morning when I went into the dining room to open the blinds.

Little yellow and purple eggs were scattered across the room. Some were flung under the hutch and others under the server. Still others I had to hunt for as they were clear across the room and even into the living room beyond!

Ah my curious friend decided to play while Mommy was away. All week long he hadn't even so much as touched them!

Was he being spiteful??? Or just curious and bored??

If I know my little friend at all, I'd say it was probably all the above!

Love Bite

Monday night I was recovering from an epidural injection to my cervical spine (the saga continues!) and resting on the sofa with ice (of course!) along with my husband, dad and mother-in-law. Believe it or not, my 86 year old father was the one who drove me, while my mother-in-law stayed behind and cared for Baxter.
She just happened to be with us for the weekend, not because Baxter needed any babysitting.

My furry feline friend decided to get in some late night exercise and frolicked from couch to chair and even ran with lightning speed up and down the stairs all while we were trying to watch a good movie on Netflix.

He screeched and yelped and made so much noise I thought only a bigger animal could possibly be trapped in our home instead of Baxter.

He made one last leap across my tired and sore body only to make a stab at biting me before landing deftly on the wood floor next to me. Ouch!

My feline friend is such a comfort. Not. He's a spoiled little toddler cat who was probably none to happy to have been left alone with.....the MOTHER-IN-LAW!

He was probably very annoyed at me and took this opportunity to let me know it.  Gee, thanks Baxter.

My dad got quite a kick out of this strange, but sometimes loveable creature. Of course, he wasn't the one with a bit of blood on his wrist.

Love at Last

I tried to take a nap today while resting my upper back with ice, and normally Baxter would be right next to me cuddling up. He seems to like those afternoon naps as much as I do - when I can, that is.

But today, he was nowhere to be found. I searched for him knowing that cats are like that. The minute you want them, they are gone. "In how many places could he hid?", I wondered. I looked under beds and even in the bathroom sink. Yes, he sometimes like to sleep there too.

But he was nowhere to be found and I resigned to nap without his warm, furry body next to mine.

Then suddenly, a leap from out of space and there he was. My furry friend hadn't forgotten me after all.

We slept for half an hour or so and then it was over.

Later while preparing some tea, he watched me from the rug in front of the fridge, and as I turned to speak to him, he blinked. A long, slow blink that let me know he loves me. And I blinked back speaking soft love words to him to let him know, yes, I love you too!

It is amazing to me how much one could love and be loved by an animal. My Veterinarian tells me that cats are the number one pet in America now. I can understand that. They are pretty easy (compared to dogs!) to take care of after all. Yet the love they give is no less than that of dogs.

How about you? How does your cat love you?

My Little Feline Buddy - He does love me!

I have been struggling the last two weeks with a lot of upper back pain due to herniated discs.
No, don't worry, I'm not writing this for any sympathy.

Cats aren't as understanding as dogs - or rather, as sympathetic as dogs can be. I remember our dog, George, comforting me when I was sick or crying over the loss of a loved one. He would lay his large head (he weighed 80 pounds!) in my lap and look up at me with woeful, dark brown eyes and without words, would let me know he knew my pain and was loving me through it.

Not so with my furry feline friend, Baxter. He becomes impatient and demanding if our routine everyday is suddenly different. And it has been. Usually when I first wake up I give him a few treats and we play for about ten minutes or so. I run around the house with a feather toy and he just loves chasing that thing. I race up the stairs and then down the stairs and he follows me deftly until he finally catches his prey. Or I let him.

Needless to say, I haven't been able to do that lately. He has become a bit frustrated with me and the other day started to nip ever so gently, and then not so gently on my ankles. Great. So now my upper back and my ankles are in pain!

Well, yesterday morning I had had enough of his shenanigans. Truth be told, I actually felt bad my little friend wasn't being understanding and was only thinking of himself. You can see, pain was making me a bit delusional.

So, after being nipped in the ankles again, I yelled at him and decided to ignore him the rest of the day. No rubbing his favorite spot just above the nose; no speaking sweet nothings in his ear. Nothing. I feed him and that was that.

Later in the afternoon I lay down on the sofa with ice on my back listening to soft music and hoping the pain would subside, and lo and behold my furry friend leaps up on the couch and sits on top of the cushion just next to me, curls up into a ball with one paw dangling right above my head. His head was slumped low enough that we were just a breath away from each other.

Here was my buddy at last, comforting me with his presence. Just like our dog, George had done many years before.

He does love me! He is after all, just a year and a half old little boy. He needed a little discipline and I needed a little love. Yesterday, we both got just that.

My spoiled cat - but oh so adorable

Yesterday things were pretty busy around here and my favorite feline Baxter was full of high energy. Some days are like that with cats. Not sure why, that's just the way it is.

Well yesterday my beloved and endearing cat was in high energy mode. He has a small giraffe stuffed animal toy that I bought for him when he was a sickly little fluff of fur which I now find in places all around the house, and yesterday my cat was in the mood for activity and pounced on it and then tossed it around the living room attacking it and chewing it with much angst.

I couldn't help laugh at his ferocious play time, and was glad it wasn't me he decided to chew on this day.

He soon grew tired of this animal who wouldn't fight back and decided it was time to turn to flesh and bone.
Yikes! I guess that means me!!!!!!

Walking past me he lunged at my ankles and gave me a quick nip. Nothing harsh - just enough to let me know he wanted to play and I just wasn't cooperating.

But I have learned not to give in to these kinds of pleas. So I ignored the little bugger. Aren't you proud of me? I'm usually one to cave in, but I'm learning!

When he couldn't (and I wouldn't!) get what he wanted, he began to cry. Long pitiful cries that almost sounded like he was calling me Mommy!!!!

Then being the oh-so-smart and never-give-up kind of cat that he is, he tore off his collar in one last attempt to get my attention.

And then he sat there all wide-eyed and docile hoping I would notice his final pitiful plea and give in.

Which I did.  Now don't be harsh with me. I said I was learning. But who could resist this adorable, crafty feline?????

Success at last!!!!

Baxter tries to sleep with me sometimes. Thankfully, not under the covers! He'll cuddle up into a ball and lay close to  my body on my side. When he's being a quiet little boy, it is rather endearing and even keeps me warm in the winter. Lately, that's not the case. He'll sleep peacefully next to me for about an hour or so, and by this time I am sound asleep. Then, all of a sudden, he jumps up and wanders near my head (the only exposed part of me!), and starts poking me with his paw. I am not sure why he's doing this now, or for what reason. More than likely, it's hunger that motivates him. It's what usually motivates him. He would eat all day if I let him!

The only way I could seem to get him to stop this annoyance was to rush downstairs and actually feed him a bit of dry food. Not good, I know. I was giving him exactly what he wanted and perpetuating the problem. I know, I know. Bad Mommy.

So I determined that I had had enough. Enough of the pounding on my head and the waking up at all hours of the night only to rush downstairs and give in to the little bugger. Not any more. No sir.

So two weeks ago I closed my bedroom door to Baxter. And he cried, and he cried outside of it. It really broke my heart to hear him. Eventually, he'd go away only to come back again awhile later and cry some more really pitiful cries. But......I wouldn't give in. I had to teach my little guy that I wasn't going to put up with his shenanigans any longer. No sir.

Then I started to hear him jump up and try to open my door. I have the lever kind of door knob and he is a big fellow and could reach it. But try as he might, he couldn't seem to accomplish his goal. Whew! What a determined feline he was. All this nighttime activity was exhausting me!

Then last Thursday night as I lay sound asleep, curled into a ball in La-La land, I felt a large lump jump onto my bed and proceed to paw at my head!!! I awoke startled to say the least. "Could it he he had finally figured out how to open my door???? Is that possible?" I wondered to myself. "Can cats really be that smart and unrelenting?"

I wandered into the hallway thinking perhaps my husband had opened the door on his way to the bathroom. Maybe he saw how sad Baxter looked sitting outside my bedroom door and felt sorry for him. Nope. He was sound asleep. Not a chance.

I marveled at his tenacity and proceeded to run downstairs and give in to his needs again. Satisfied once more, he left me alone the rest of the night.

It was a good thing too. This time, I locked that blasted door!!!!!

He gets even with me!

I just finished trimming Baxter's front claws, and he wasn't too happy about it at all.
I am not sure why. He should be used to it by now. I've been trimming them for over a year now, and about every three weeks or so. So why should he be in such a nasty mood afterwards, is beyond me. He's a cat - that's the explanation!

My feline buddy kept trying to bite me while I was clipping away, but I learned long ago to cover my exposed arm with a heavy towel beforehand. He tried anyway.

I spoke softly to him as I usually do while trimming his claws, encouraging him and telling him what a good boy he was. Wrong. What could I have been thinking? Did I think he was like my sweet tempered dog, George, who would have let me do just about anything to him without a fight. I could even take a dog biscuit right from his mouth and he wouldn't seem to mind. I tried it once or twice just to check it, and he would just look at me with woeful eyes as if to say, "Did I do something wrong Mom?" I would always give him an extra treat just for that.

But nooooooooooooo, not this not so little guy!!!

As soon as I finished I gave him some treats and continued speaking encouraging words like, "What a good boy you are! See now that wasn't so bad, was it?"

A few minutes later I was sitting in my favorite chair reading, when all of a sudden I felt a presence right next to me. Thankfully, I had a pillow in my lap to use as a shield, because the next thing I new his ears were pulled back (you can always tell they're ready to attack when they look like this!) and he lunged at me as if to bite me. Whew! Sure glad I had that pillow to protect me.

I kept holding that pillow for protection until he scampered away. When he got tired of waiting (for the pillow to move!), he walked over to my shoes perched by the front door and attacked them! I guess he figured if he couldn't have my flesh he would have the next best thing - my shoes!

All is well again. He is laying at my feet as I type these words - docile as a lamb.

All is forgiven (eventually!) in the world of Baxter!!!!

Last week was Take Down the Decorations and Tree Day at our home. I must say, it was a rather depressing day, yet somewhat joyful as I am glad to get rid of the clutter.

Moving the tree away from the wall where it sat for just over a month, I started removing the red garland beads first. Round and round I went removing each strand actually getting dizzy from it as if I had just gotten off a Merry Go Round (which I have never liked!).


Next, I started removing the 31 year old decorative glass balls I had placed far away from Baxter's curious paws. As I turned to softly place them down, a large clap and subsequent shatter shocked me out of my somewhat impatient but organized mood.  There I saw the culprit with his front paws just hanging off the nearby lounge chair he draped across. Oops. I had forgotten the little bugger was now closer to what he had longed for these past five weeks.

I couldn't help but laugh at the curious fellow. I couldn't scold him, even though he looked at me with eyes wide with guilt. It was, after all, my fault for having moved that blasted tree to make it easier to remove everything.

Hubby ran in and grabbed him and held him tight, as I ran for the dust pan and broom hoping to catch every last bit of shard glass he could possibly hurt himself on.

Success at last! Moving the chair, I continued my quest without any other incidents.

It always amazes me just how curious cats are. I lived with a large dog for 14 years and he was never very curious. Well, maybe once in a while he would go around in circles if he saw how busy we were moving here and there and up and down the stairs to the attic where we stored all our Christmas decorations. But never, not ever, did he jump up on the tree and disturb anything. Really, he could care less.

I guess that's what makes me love my cat - always something interesting going on with him.
Who would have thought??