The Hard Part of Going on Vacation

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Here is a post for Throwback Thursday from almost six years ago. We were going on a week-long cruise plus an extra day to get to Port Canaveral and visit my wife’s dad. That was a long time to be away from our cats.

Charles Huss's avatarBad Cat Chris

We took out the suitcases for our upcoming vacation and, as expected, all the cats had to lie on top of them. It happens every time. I think they know what is coming and they want to make sure we know that they don’t want to be left home again.

Cats on suitcase We’re going with you.

Cat on suitcase I’m staging a sleep in until you agree to take us with you.

I hate leaving them alone for so long. We do have someone who will come in twice a day but that won’t be the same for them. Honestly, I don’t worry about the diminished attention they will get. They have each other and they can survive a week with little human attention.

What I do worry about is the unpredictable. What if the cat-sitter accidentally lets a cat out? Worse, what if something bad happens to her? What if a burglar invades our…

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Photo Friday: BC – Before Chris

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Here is a photo of Alex, his sister Abbey, and Tigger. It was taken eleven years ago tomorrow and was almost three months before Chris came and spoiled their peace.

From top to bottom: Alex, Abbey, and Tigger. Taken August 22, 2009 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

There is a similar photo taken after Chris joined the crew. You can see it on my other blog here.

We Have a Stalker

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Here is a post from almost six years ago for Throwback Thursday. We adopted Frankie earlier that year and Chris was mean to him for the first few weeks but then suddenly decided he wanted to be Frankie’s friend. Frankie was not so eager to forgive and forget.

Chris still seeks Frankie’s attention and still gets Jealous when Frankie gets on my lap but he no longer follows Frankie around the house

Charles Huss's avatarBad Cat Chris

After months of fighting, Chris is now going to the extreme in trying to be Frankie’s friend. He always seems to follow Frankie when he notices him get up to leave. He walks alongside him and pushes his head into Frankie’s. It reminds me of the scene in Jurassic Park where the Tyrannosaurus headbutts a jeep as it is running next to it. I’m afraid Frankie is ready to file a restraining order.

He also has to butt in when Frankie comes to me for attention. I’m not sure if he is jealous of me giving Frankie attention or the other way around.

Cats Chris and Frankie How can I lose this guy?

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Cats React to Newest Fort Box

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Our old Fort Box was no longer being used. I think our cats like things that are new and get bored after a while. With that in mind, I threw out the old box and enacted a short waiting period before bringing in a new one.

I actually had this box in the shed for months waiting for the right time. It is the heaviest duty box they have ever had so it should do well protecting the occupant from invaders. I also left the doors attached to reduce the chance of an attack from the side. And as usual, I cut small peepholes all around so the occupant can see if anyone is approaching.

All three cats were interested at first but Frankie’s interest was mere curiosity. Surprisingly, Floki seemed even more interested than Chris, at least at first, but they both spent time making sure their scent was on the box before Floki ventured inside.

I was surprised that Chris did not take over the box from the start but after Floki’s short inspection Chris took over possession for a good part of the afternoon.

This was six days ago and I still see Chris in the box from time to time. I have not seen Floki in it since the first time but we have found his mouse in the box on at least two occasions. I don’t think the mouse went in there on its own.

These Are Not Pussy Cats

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Here is another post from 2014 for Throwback Thursday. Back then Frankie and Chris pretty much ignored the vacuum. Nothing has changed since then except it is now Floki instead of Puck who runs and hides when the vacuum comes out. Does anyone else have a pet not bothered by the vacuum?

Charles Huss's avatarBad Cat Chris

Every time I clean the house, I can’t help being amazed at Chris and Frankie’s total lack of fear of the vacuum cleaner. I have shared videos like this in the past but, at the risk of beating a dead horse, I would like to share one more.

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Feral Cat Ear Notching

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Here is a post for Throwback Thursday that I did in 2014. It is about how feral cats are identified by an ear notch or the more noticible ear-tipping. This is one of the blogs most popular posts.

Charles Huss's avatarBad Cat Chris

We know nothing about Frankie’s back story. We adopted him at Petsmart from The Pinellas County Animal Services. The person at Petsmart did not know anything about him so we just didn’t think much about it, although I did send a Facebook message to the animal services with his reference number but, even though they have an active Facebook page, I got no response.

Our cat Frankie

I couldn’t help being perplexed, though, by the ear notch on his right ear. I have heard about ear notching before. It is the method of cutting a notch in a cat’s ear after spaying or Neutering. Sometimes it is called ear tipping when they remove about a centimeter off the tip of the ear.

Ear notched cat Ear tipped cat

Ear notching or tipping is mostly done to feral cats involved in a Trap, Neuter, Release (TNR) program. It identifies that they have been fixed so they…

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Kitten Season

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While I was at the SPCA on Friday for my shift as a cat counselor, I noticed we had more kittens than I had ever seen at one time. There were two separate rooms, normally used for isolation, dedicated to kittens as well as a couple of kittens in separate cages.

Kittens are adopted quickly so many of these are probably gone already, however, there was a room closed off that I assume had more kittens that were not ready for adoption yet, so I’m sure if you would like to adopt a kitten, now would be a good time.