Tag Archives: cat

Chris is Still a Bad Cat… Fortunately

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I started this post last night and saved it to finish this morning. Before I did I read Sammy’s post from One Spoiled Cat. In it, I got the feeling that Sammy would not be with us much longer. I was feeling bad about that when I found out that Easy from Easy Blog had suddenly died. It is a sad news day, and I hope that Easy’s parents, as well as Sammy’s parents, will be okay.

Chris has seemed to mellow out lately and has not been getting into as much trouble as usual. At first, I attributed that to his age and his weight, but I noticed he seemed to be more cautious when jumping down from the bed or whatever else he is on. He also sometimes sits while momentarily holding his paw off the ground. It got me thinking he might be developing arthritis, but at seven and a half years old, he seems too young for that.

It should go without saying that I am very concerned about Chris’s health, as well as the health of all of our cats. Between 2010 and 2013, we lost four cats: Flash, Abbey, Alex, and Tigger. Flash was less than five years old, and the other three were around eight or younger. It is terrible knowing that you have given your beloved pet only half the life that they were capable of.

Since Flash died in 2010, I have learned more and more about cat health. I learned that dry food is bad for them and started feeding them more wet food as well as raw cat food. I now make my own raw cat food that I mix with high-quality canned food, but I still give them some dry food because Chris will only eat a very small amount of wet food before giving it up to one of the other cats. I make sure to only put small amounts of dry food in the bowls so that they will long be empty when wet food time rolls around, but Chris never seems hungry enough to eat the wet food until five minutes after it’s gone, then he is “starving” in front of his empty dry food bowl, giving me that desperate look. I don’t want to starve him, so I give in and put a little dry food in his bowl.

Since Chris is now approaching the eight-year mark, it makes me nervous to see his lack of badness. While I am still worried about him, I am relieved to see him getting into trouble recently.

A few weeks ago, I pulled a box out of the closet to look for something when I heard a crash. I turned around and saw Chris on the top shelf in the closet. I then looked down and saw he had knocked a bunch of greeting cards and other stuff to the ground.

mess caused by bad cat chris

The commotion got the attention of Frankie, who soon joined him in the closet.

cats in closet

Not long after this, Chris was getting into cabinets again.

cat in cabinet

He started low, but the next time I saw him in there, he moved up a couple of shelves.

cat Chris in cabinet

Then he was in the cabinet above the refrigerator.

cat Chris in cabinet

I still worry about Chris, but at least I feel like I can worry just a little less.

One-Way Frankie

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Of our four cats, only Chris and Frankie, our two gold cats, go outside. They don’t go out very often, usually only for brief periods during the weekend.  Of the two, only Frankie needs to wear a harness and that is because he won’t stay close to home where I can watch him.

Since we moved here a year and a half ago, I have been taking Frankie for a walk, partly to see if he will find his way home. The problem is, and always has been, he usually travels in one direction until we get far away and I have to pick him up and carry him home. The video below is an example of what I go through.

I will say that a week or so after I sot this video, Frankie did manage to circle around and end up back at our house. That was a big milestone.

Photo Friday: Daredevil

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The other day Frankie was on the bathroom counter looking like he was preparing to jump to the top of the door. Rose and I both happened to be in the bathroom at the same time (which is not typical). I feared he would hurt himself but Rose said to let him try it, so I did.

He made the jump with flying colors but as soon as he landed, the door started to move. I quickly held the door still so he wouldn’t fall and asked Rose to hold it so I could get my camera. I ran into the bedroom, grabbed the camera and turned it on as I was heading back toward the bathroom.

I knew from past failures that I needed to take a quick shot first and then worry about focus and composition on the next shot. There was no next shot as he was preparing to jump down as I arrived with the camera. I did manage to capture the photo below. It’s not purfect but I think it tells the story.

cat on door

In case you are wondering, the biggest failure that comes to mind was a great picture opportunity of an osprey with the moon behind it. Instead of taking the shot, I decided to put my camera on a tripod first. By the time I set that up, the osprey flew away.

Floki’s Hidden Stash

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Every morning, my wife plays with Floki while she checks her messages, email and Facebook. She will roll up a little wad of paper and throw it. Floki will then jump off the bed, chase down the wad of paper and attack. After a little playing, he brings the paper back for more fun.

This leads to little paper balls all over the house. Yesterday I found one in the water bowl. Also yesterday I found a hidden stash of paper balls in our hallway closet. I don’t know. Perhaps he is saving them for a potential paper shortage.

paper balls stored in closet

Does anybody else have a cat that likes paper balls? How about one that plays fetch like a dog?

Bad Cat Chris for President

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This presidential election in the United States is different than every past election that I have ever witnessed. There has never been a truly great candidate, but there was always one that sucked less than the other, so at least there was a small amount of hope. Not so this year. My wife and I have been wanting to go to Germany. Perhaps this is a good time to plan a four-year visit.

But there is still hope. I started thinking that my cat would make a better president than these two… people, so I spoke with Chris and he has agreed to run as a write-in candidate.

bad-cat-chris-for-president

I know what you are thinking. Why should I vote for Chris? where does he stand on the issues. Well, I’ve compiled a list of all the important issues and where Chris stands on each of those issues:

  • bad cat chris for president ballotCapital Punishment: Chris is against it except for mice and lizards and only if he can play with them first.
  • Abortion: Chris, being an adopted child, feels everyone should have a chance to find a loving family.
  • Foreign Affairs: Chris is a natural Alpha. In our home, he took over the leadership position as soon as he entered our house as a kitten and he is certain that he can be the world’s Alpha. Any country that doesn’t fall in line will get two whacks and a hiss.
  • The Environment: Chris would like everyone to be able to go outside and eat grass without fear of toxic poisoning.
  • Race Relations: Chris thinks everyone should be treated like gold, no matter what color their fur is.
  • Taxes: Chris doesn’t know what taxes are, but he is against them.

Well, I think Chris has a good platform, and I already filled out my mail-in ballot. Since I have grown very cynical and believe all politicians are at least somewhat corrupt, I only voted for Chris and left the rest blank (except for the amendments). What about you? Can Chris count on your vote this November? If Chris wins, he promises catnip for everyone.

Love, Fight, Sleep: A Cat’s Life

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The other day, I saw Chris lying on the bed with Floki, and the two of them were washing each other. I got my camera and started recording before the affection turned to fighting. The fighting was short and, following a brief period of tension, they both fell asleep.

I’m trying to picture humans doing that. Imagine you are in bed with your spouse, being all lovey-dovey, when suddenly, a big fight erupts. Fifteen seconds later, the fight is over and, after a brief moment of tension, you fall asleep in each other’s arms. Can’t imagine it? Me either.

Here is the video I am talking about, but please forgive the quality. The camera’s auto focus was being a little crazy. Next time, I will have to use the manual setting, if I can find it.