Author Archives: Charles Huss

Chris’s Book is Free on Kindle for Two Days

Chris’s book, Bad Cat Chris: The Baddest Cat you’ll Ever Love, will be free on kindle today and tomorrow only. Amazon allows only five free days per 90 day enrollment in their KDP Select program. I already used three of those days, and since I don’t plan to re-enroll in the program, this may be the last chance to get it free. If you haven’t already picked up a copy, you can get it by clicking here.

I just want to ask everyone a big favor. Please, please, please, if you have read the book or plan on reading it, I would really appreciate a review on Amazon.

A good part of the book is taken from this blog and there is some added material as well. It is less than 30,000 words and can be read in one good sitting. Best of all, you don’t need a Kindle to read it. You can get an app for just about any device you have.

Photo Friday: Opening Doors

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Chris is great at opening doors but I am usually on the other side of the door so photo opportunities don’t come along everyday. This photo was taken as Chris was desperately trying to get out the front door. Until recently he never bothered trying to open the door to the outside but I think he realized it is just like the door that leads to our bedroom that is so easy for him to open. This door, however, is a bit more difficult. The wet, humid summer has swollen the door so much that I can barely get it open, if Chris manages to open it I will have to start calling him SuperChris.

This is a great picture for a caption. You can see mine here. Can you think of one?

The House of a Thousand Lizards

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The title may be exaggerated but lately it seems like I find the cats playing with a lizard almost everyday. Sometimes it happens more than once in a day. I can only guess that they come in under the patio door, Chris or Puck finds them, asks them nicely if they want to play, and when hearing no reply (lizards can’t talk silly) bring them into the house for fun and games. It always seems to be a group event. Apparently they think they are pack animals like wolves.

This past week I had to dislodge three lizards from either Chris or Puck and put them outside. A couple more times I was too late.

The other day I walked by the bathroom and noticed Puck in the litter box and Chris standing next to it as if he was waiting his turn. Upon further inspection I noticed that Puck had brought a lizard into the box. I was too late to save it and I am not sure if it was a ceremonial burial that I interrupted.

Hurry Puck! If they find it we will be in trouble.

I am burying it as fast as I can.

Chris’s Other Routines

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Chris bothers Rose every morning while she is in the bathroom getting ready for work. That is one routine that I have already talked about on this blog. The truth is, Chris can be a creature of habit and his behavior can be quite predictable throughout the day.

For example, almost every day when I get out of the shower I can count on Chris to be there waiting for me. I don’t even get a chance to dry myself before he is trying to climb on my shoulders. Once he is up there it is very difficult to comb my hair, shave and brush my teeth. His cue to get off is when I brush my teeth and lean over to rinse my mouth.

He is also right there looking out the window by the front door when we get home from work. When I open the door I can count on him to try to run outside. He has learned some cleaver maneuvers and is getting by me more often now.

What I really find interesting is a habit that Rose noticed recently. When we sit down to watch TV, Rose puts a pillow on her lap and Chris lies on the pillow, but before he does that, he walks over her lap to me, kneads on my stomach for ten seconds and then walks back and lies on the pillow.

He does this every time. I never noticed it before. Perhaps he comes to me as if to say, “hey, I like you too so don’t get jealous.” Maybe he is just obsessive compulsive. I don’t know.

Does anyone else have a cat with a cute or funny routine? I’d love to hear about it.

Chris’s Stolen Routine

Chris Recaptures Routine

Photo Friday: Relaxing in the Penthouse

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Getting on top of tall things like the china cabinet has always been Chris’s area of expertise. Puck usually just watched as Chris traveled the upper reaches of our home like Tarzan swinging through the vines. But he did more then watch; he learned. Now Puck is able to get on top of the china cabinet like an old pro. He even climbed inside one of Rose’s baskets one day so we decided to turn it on its side and now it is like a little penthouse with a view. It seems to be his second favorite place to be, right behind the top of the couch overlooking our living room window.

Of course, one cat can’t do something interesting without the other getting jealous and wanting to join in. So was the case this day when Chris spotted Puck in his “penthouse” and wanted to see if there was anything he could do to annoy him. In the end, Chris got bored and was off to a new adventure, leaving Puck alone to enjoy some peace and quiet.

Dad! Tell him its my turn!

I’ll wait ’till you’re done.

I can’t wait. I have things to do.

Was it something I said?

Alone at last.

Photo Friday: Happiness is a Dresser Drawer

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I’ve had a passion for photography since my youth. Part of the reason I like it so much is that it helps my memory. Some people are gifted with a great memory, I am not, so it is nice to look back at old pictures and think, “oh yeah, I remember that now.”

I also like to take pictures that are a pleasure to look at, like landscapes, wild animals and pet cats. Yes cats, because they can be so cute and funny and who doesn’t enjoy a good cat picture?

I noticed that a few blogs do “Wordless Wednesday,” which I think is a good idea, but I happen to like words too. I even have a website devoted to funny animal pictures with captions called Just Fur Laughs (don’t click yet). So instead of “Wordless Wednesday” I decided to do “Photo Friday.” This will give me an opportunity to share some photographs that I think you will enjoy and a few words to go along with them. So let’s get started.

This photo was taken after Rose had her top drawer open and Chris climbed inside. He made his way to the back and then up and over so he was behind the drawer. I had to remove the top drawer to get him out, and when I did, Puck jumped inside to see what all the fuss was about. Chris has done this before so now we are more vigilant about keeping him out of the drawers when they are open but sometimes we are not vigilant enough.

Now, can anyone think of a caption for this photo? Once you have one, click here to see what I came up with.

Who Will Watch Our Four-Legged Children?

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Last week Rose and I took a short vacation. We stayed one night in Cocoa Beach, where we met up with Rose’s Dad and his wife, then we boarded the Disney Dream for a three night cruise to the Bahamas. It was a much-needed vacation but unfortunately we couldn’t bring Chris and Puck with us. That meant we had to find a reliable cat-sitter.

I am sure people who think of their pets as animals would be comfortable with googling pet-sitters and choosing the one with the best price, or better yet, finding someone they know that will do it for free. We think of our pets as children so the process for us was more like looking for a baby-sitter.

The last place we lived, the next-door neighbor had a seventeen year old daughter who would watch our cats. She was very responsible and loved cats, especially Chris. She would not only take care of their food and litter but she would also stay and spend time with them. Since moving, she was no longer an option so we had to look elsewhere.

By pure luck, we happened to live next door to a young mother who also happens to love cats. She agreed to take care of our “children” while we were away and we were sure she would do a good job but we still planned for the worst.

My biggest worry was that Chris or Puck would get out and she would have trouble catching them. I wanted to take the cats to get micro-chipped but we just never had the time. Another worry was that something bad might happen that would cause her to not be able to come, so we bought large food and water dispensers that would hold enough food and water for at least a week. It may have sent the wrong message to the sitter that we didn’t trust her, which was not the case, but even the most responsible person can be victimized by circumstances.

Rose called her the first evening we were gone to see how the cats were doing. She then told her we would be on the cruise so she would not be able to call the next day. After the call ended, I mentioned to Rose we would still have cell coverage for another day but she didn’t want the sitter to think we were checking up on her. I said nothing but I was thinking that checking up on a sitter is perfectly normal. I don’t think any parent would not call to see if their kids are okay and having cats is just like being a parent.

In the end everything worked out very well. The cats were fine and the sitter survived. Shockingly, she even offered to watch them again if needed.

Chris the Locksmith

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I mentioned in an earlier post that we have been able to keep our bedroom door shut since moving to our new place. I also mentioned that we need to lock the door to keep him from making a lot of noise by pulling the handle down and letting it flip back up. Another reason for locking it is because he has now figured out how to open it.

A few weeks ago he opened our door in the middle of the night even though it was locked. I assumed that it was not completely shut and he was able to push it open. After last night I am not so sure.

We got home late because I picked up Rose from the airport and we were both tired when we went to bed so I forgot to lock the door. So as soon as I fell asleep Chris starts flipping the door handle, causing me to get up and lock the door. About an hour later Chris is on the bed biting my nose.

I assumed he opened the door slightly while flipping the handle and I didn’t push it shut when I locked it. I picked Chris up, put him down outside the door and pushed the door completely shut and then locked it again. This time he was staying out. At least he was staying out until 4:00 a.m. when he showed up on the bed to wake me up.

How does he do it? I know it’s a simple lock and can be defeated with a toothpick but he’s barely tall enough to reach the handle. And then there’s the whole opposable thumbs thing. I guess it is just one of those mysteries that may never be solved.

We Can Now Sleep Through The Night

When One Door Opens, Look For Chris

The Wild Side of Cats

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Over a year ago I received an email stating that one of Chris’s YouTube videos (http://youtu.be/iFnHCcrlrnI) was being considered for inclusion in a National Geographic documentary titled Wild Side of Cats. I filled out the necessary paperwork but never heard back from them so I assumed (correctly) he didn’t make the cut and made a mental note to watch for the show but then forgot about it.

I don’t watch much television but by chance I noticed that it was showing the other night so I watched it. I found it to be quite interesting. The show parallels our domestic cat’s behavior to that of wild cats. One interesting example is that purring is a method of quiet communication between mother and kittens so as not to be heard by potential predators.

Another example is that wild cats will bury their unfinished kill so that other animals can’t smell it. I often see Chris do this after I feed the cats wet food. He will eat a small amount and then scratch at the floor like he is trying to bury it. I often wondered if he was saving it for later or burying it because it tasted like poop. Now I know.

Towards the end of the show they indicated that some of the affectionate things that cats do are done for non-affectionate reasons. While some of what they say may be true some of the time, I think it is wrong to try to explain away loving gestures in a cold, scientific way.

For example, they say a cat that lies on someone’s lap does it for warmth. I say that whoever produced this show probably does not have cats. Chris can be very needy at times for affection and lies on my lap quite often. I can guarantee he is not doing it for warmth. As a matter of fact, it is hot here in Florida in the summer and the cats lie on the tile floor because it is cooler. The extra warmth Chris gets from my lap is a sacrifice that he makes for attention. In addition, when Rose and I do sit down and watch television, Rose likes to sit with a pillow on her lap and Chris will often come and lie on her pillow. No warmth there but plenty of affection.

I think all warm-blooded creatures have emotions and cats have very strong emotions. They can love you just like you love them. So the next time your cat wants to lie on your lap, be assured that he or she loves you for you and not for your body temperature.

Despite my rantings, I believe the other 99 percent of the show is very interesting and worth watching. You can find more information about it at http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/wild/episodes/wild-side-of-cats/

If you have seen the show, or even if you haven’t, let me know what you think.

The Cat’s Meow

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One of my favorite customers came to see me at work last week with a present for me. It was an electronic cat toy called “Cat’s Meow.” He said he ended up with two and since he knew I had cats thought I would have a use for it.

It took me a couple of days to get batteries but I finally got around to putting it together last weekend. It is a fairly simple concept yet it is amazing that nobody had thought of this before. The toy consists of a motor that turns an arm back and forth around a circle. At the end of the arm is a small ball and attached to that is a tail, or at least what passes as a tail. The mechanism is then covered with a round cloth so that only the tail sticks out.

I put it on the ground on the patio and as soon as I turned it on Chris and Puck both became very interested in it. I started it on fast but soon found that slow worked better. I got out my video camera and recorded them playing with it for almost ten minutes before going inside. I forgot about it an came back twenty minutes later to turn it off and saw Chris and Puck were both still there playing with the new toy.

I would give the Cat’s Meow a thumbs up for holding Chris’s attention for that long but it remains to be seen whether it can withstand the punishment of two cats. Below is a portion of the video I mentioned.