Author Archives: Charles Huss

What’s Behind Drawer Number One?

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Chris has always had a need to not only get inside drawers but get behind them. I cannot count how many times I had to remove a drawer because Chris has managed to get himself behind it. A recent post,  Happiness is a Dresser Drawer, is a good example of this.

The problem is caused partly by my carelessness (because I am usually, but not always, the one who opens a drawer and forgets to close it) but Chris deserves some credit too for being so incredibly flexible. I don’t know how he squeezes himself through some of the spaces he gets into.

This morning I was in the kitchen using the juicer I got for Christmas. I opened the bottom drawer then walked away briefly. When I returned, I saw that Puck was very interested in the drawer. I knew this could only mean that Chris was behind it but how could he have gotten back there with all the stuff in the drawer?

Puck looking for Bad Cat Chris

I put my hand in the drawer to confirm he was there and I felt either Chris or a very large rat. I got my camera and stuck it inside and blindly took a picture that came out surprising well.

Bad Cat Chris behind drawer

Instead of taking the drawer out I enticed him with kitty treats. “Who wants kitty treats? Chris? You want kitty treats?”

That worked. Soon I saw a paw stick out into the drawer.

Bad Cat Chris behind drawer

I took some stuff out to make it easier for him and then came his head.

Bad Cat Chris behind drawer

And then the rest of him.

Bad Cat Chris in drawer

Bad Cat Chris in drawer
Oh, the power of kitty treats.

Photo Friday: Basket Case

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I mentioned before that Puck loves getting on top of the china cabinet and lying inside a basket that is up there (see here). Chris sometimes gets up there when he sees Puck in the basket and tries to take over. Puck never gives in until the other day. I wonder what changed?

Bad Cat Chris and Puck on the China cabinet.

It’s my turn and if you refuse I will tell Mom and Dad who knocked over the Christmas tree.

Bad Cat Chris on the China cabinet.

Memories of Abbey and Tigger

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I want to start by wishing everyone a happy and prosperous new year. I hope you all have a great 2014.

About five years ago Rose and I were at a benefit for a local shelter called The Suncoast Animal League (Where I later volunteered briefly). They had cat beds for sale and since it was for a good cause we bought one that looked a little like Abbey. She took to it right away and it became her bed, even though other cats would sometimes lie in it.

Abbey and Tigger in Abbey's cat bed.

Abbey and Tigger in Abbey’s cat bed.

Abbey, Chris and Tigger in Abbey's cat bed.

Abbey’s bed could sometimes get over crowed.

Tigger had his own bed too but he was not as attached to it as Abbey was.

Chris and Tigger in thier cat beds

After we lost Abbey, her bed remained behind.

Today we put away all our Christmas decorations. I don’t know how but it seemed like we had less room than we did when I took the decorations out so I needed to make room. That is when I noticed Abbey and Tigger’s beds on the shelf. Since we moved, Chris and Puck don’t use them anymore so they ended up in the closet. Rose said I should throw them out, so I put them in a garbage bag and, as I closed the bag, the little cat face seemed to look back at me. I felt bad putting it in the trash, but I knew there was no room to store it for sentimental reasons.

“They say you die twice, one time when you stop breathing and a second time, a bit later on, when somebody says your name for the last time.” This quote is attributed to Bransky and It makes me feel like my memory of Abbey and Tigger keeps them alive and nothing else is needed.

 

 

Zzzzzzzz… Crash!

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We were awaken at 4:20 this morning by a loud noise in the living room. It wasn’t the kind of noise that wakes you up and you lie there and think, “Hmm, I wonder what that was.” This was a sit straight up in bed and yell, “Holy S%#!, What the H*#! was that?!” kind of noise.

Rose thought Puck jumped up on the china cabinet and knocked her porcelain stocking holder down… again. Unfortunately, that was not what happened. We got up to discover our Christmas tree lying on its side and Chris and Puck standing next to it like they were as surprised as we were. I don’t know who was responsible but those two tend to get frisky during the night and take turns chasing each other around the house. I’m sure one chased the other into the tree.

Christmas tree after cats knocked it over.20131230_Fallen tree_187This was not how we wanted to take down the tree. We planned on getting a plastic box or bag designed for Christmas trees since I threw away the box it came in (the glue attracts cockroaches), but yesterday was Rose’s birthday and she didn’t feel like dealing with Wal-Mart, the only store near us that would carry such an item. I didn’t blame her, Wal-Mart is always a huge hassle.

The first thing we had to do was get as much broken glass up as we could before someone cut their foot. I missed a piece that Chris found and picked it up and started chewing on it. I tried to get him to drop it but he wouldn’t so I had to pick him up and shake him until he let go. Later, when we picked up all the candy canes, we discovered many had been chewed on. I think Chris was chewing on candy canes while we were putting ornaments away. Perhaps he thought the broken glass was part of a candy cane.

If there are any readers out there that have never had children and are considering it, I would suggest you get a couple of cats first for practice.

 

Photo Friday: Christmas with Chris

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We had a great Christmas. We spent it at home with family and friends. Rose’s son, Nick, was here from Massachusetts and my son, Chris, was also here. He lives nearby but because of conflicting work schedules we don’t see each other very often. Chris, as some of you know, was not named after my son but came to us with the name.

Unfortunately Puck, who is not a fan of strangers, spent the day under the bed. Chris celebrated the holiday by greeting everyone who came into the house and by enjoying some outside time.

It started just like our last party with Chris on top of the table we set up for refreshments.
Bad Cat Chris on our table.When people started to arrive I decided to let Chris outside while I watched him from the patio.

Bad Cat Chris outsideI left the door open so he could come back inside. I really didn’t expect him to do that but after a while of watching him I got distracted and forgot he was outside. When I remembered I started outside to look for him when I saw him lying inside the patio (sorry, no picture of that).

Bad Cat Chris outsideAfter he went out the first time and after the customary grass-eating ritual, Chris went looking for trouble.

Bad Cat Chris on our barbecue grillChris has become less of an adventurer and tends to stay closer to the house now. That is a good thing but I still have to watch him because he will sometimes wander to the side of the property and crawl under the fence if I don’t stop him. This day he was happy to lie just outside the patio and roll around.

Bad Cat Chris rolling around outside.After he was tired of playing outside he came in and went from lap to lap, making sure nobody was left out. Here he is with my son.

Bad Cat Chris and Chris

Chris and Chris

I hope you all enjoyed your Christmas as much as Chris and I enjoyed ours.

Scaredy Cat

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Rose’s son flew in yesterday from up north. He is at that carefree age when loud and obnoxious is the norm. On the way home from the airport we picked up one of his friends and had two carefree young men in our house. As every parent knows, when you put two kids together the loudness does not double , it rises exponentially.

Chris was perfectly fine with it. If he was human, he would be leading the group. Actually, if Chris was human, he would have taken them on a pub crawl or something and our house would have been quiet.

Puck is very different from Chris. He does not see change as a new adventure like Chris does. Puck has a special hiding place under our bed just for that occasion when someone new comes into the house. He has managed to pull down the underside of our box spring and climb up inside of it. That is what he did when we came home with the boys.

That evening the two of them borrowed our truck and left for a few hours. That gave Puck a respite and he was able to come out of his hiding place. We then went to bed and closed the cats out of our bedroom.

When the boys came home Puck was trapped in the spare bedroom and freaked out when they came in the room. We heard a loud noise and found out the next morning it was Puck knocking things over as he made his escape. I don’t know where he went to but after we got up this morning I did a thorough search of our house and eventually found Puck under our bed. I don’t know how he got there without us seeing him but he didn’t come back out until the coast was clear.

Our cat Puck hiding under the bed.

Paw Prints

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When one has cats there are certain sacrifices that must be made. For example, we have a nice coffee table that doubles as a display case but we have to keep it covered or this happens:

Cat paw prints on our coffee table.

As I write this it occurs to me that I took this photo during the summer, which is our rainy season here in Florida. The cats would go out on our screened patio, get their feet wet and then come inside and climb over our furniture. Perhaps I will take the cover off and see what happens.

Update: I took the cover off and now have paw prints everywhere. It appears I was wrong. Imagine that.