Tuesday, October 31, 2006

McKitten-Pumpkin


This is the latest kitten addition to our family. Mom created this cat pumpkin and it is so cute. The picture doesn't really show off her curly cat tail but you can see the cute face. Mom and Dad created a bunch of cool pumpkins this year ... I hope we get a lot of visitors! Posted by Picasa

HB inspects the pumpkins


Huggy Bear was a big helper carving pumpkins. He inspected the pumpkins to make sure they were fit to be carved then sat by and supervised the carving. Posted by Picasa

Josie up on top


Josie mounted the tallest stack of boxes and perched up there watching Mom and Dad work on pumpkins.She likes to be up high and curls up and sometimes naps up there. Posted by Picasa

Snacking in the garage


Mom and Dad were carving pumpkins in the garage so they let us have several hours of garage time with them ... so much garage time that we all even took maps out there! Here I am snacking on some dead plant/weed in a flower pot while Huggy Bear explores around to the storage boxes. Posted by Picasa

Monday, October 30, 2006

"Featured Blog"

I did a Blingo search for my blog and saw that my blog is a Featured Blog on Sphere (along with Diva Kitty and Max). I'd never been to Sphere before, but it's cool to be featured!

Mom and Dad are done craving pumpkins and will begin carving pumpkins tonight. They have a lot to do (thanks to the inspiration of Martha Stewart) but if I can get their thumbs for a minute, I'll post some garage pictures, including one of Josie for Mattingly.

All you outside kitties, be careful with the trick-or-treaters running around. For some reason people are sometimes not nice to us this time of year, so keep low and in the shadows until it's all clear.

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Cute stuff

I think I know what we're getting for Christmas...

[Thanks Kerry for the fun link!]

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Cat icons

One of Dad's favorite websites is the Icon Factory. They design replacement icons for your computer so you can personalize folders. Dad likes it because he can make certain folders jump out from the rest. With Halloween coming, the good people at the Icon Factory have made a lot of neat spooky icons, some featuring cats! Their "QuickPix" icon right now is a black cat.

[Not sure what to do with these once you've downloaded them? Dad says you just have to right-click the zipped folder and click "Extract all" and OK your way through until you see a normal folder. Then, when you want to change a folder, right-click the folder you want to change, select "Properties," then the "Customize" tab, then at the bottom you will see "Change icon." Just browse to the location of the new icon and select it. These are the directions for Windows XP. Enjoy your new personalized folders!]

Monday, October 23, 2006

Cold weather coercion

The weather is starting to cool down here ... not Iowa winter cold like I've seen before, but cold enough for South Carolina. But Mom and Dad are holding out on turning on the heat. They say that South Carolina will heat right back up before getting cold for good, but I think it's a plan to get us to snuggle up with them for heat. Maggie spent all day Sunday curled up with either Mom or Dad. She even slept on Dad's lap (a first) to the point that Dad's foot went numb and he couldn't walk. It's supposed to hit the 30s tonight so they may be forced to turn the heat on so we can go back to our favorite sleeping spots and leave their bed to them.

Thursday, October 19, 2006

In the garage

Mom and Dad had been letting me go into the garage for brief visits over the past week or so. Dad will walk with me as I explore the nooks and crannies. I've found an old plant that I can eat and the concrete is cool to lay on. My old plant stand I like to sleep in is still out there (when are they bringing that back into the house?) and there are also stacks of boxes and old tables with drop cloths over them that I can go under. Last night, all four of us we released to explore the garage. It was so much fun, even though I was giving up my turf to share ... I explored a little but then laid back on the floor to show that this was old hat to me. Meanwhile, Josie and Maggie explored around the front to the far side and HB started around the backside instead. Eventually Dad started to round us up. HB and I kept trying to slip back in (I'm getting my timing down with Dad's gait coming through the door). Now I sit by the garage door and beg for Dad to let me back out there. He tries to appease me with treats, but I'm having none of it ... I want my own kitty door to the garage!

Monday, October 16, 2006

Cat in a Bottle

That's a talented cat and must be one amazing treat. But she better not eat too much while in the bottle or she may get stuck...

Sunday, October 15, 2006

Sleepy girl


Josie was all tuckered out after a busy afternoon of playing. You can see what used to be the feather-tail of one of our secret paws mice. This picture was taken after Mom unpacked all of our toys a little while back. Just look how heavy her eyelids look ... makes me want to go nap in the sink just looking at her. Posted by Picasa

Thursday, October 12, 2006

HB strikes a pose


Some days I just have no excuse for the things Huggy Bear does. I guess I've struck this same sleeping pose before, but it seems to make more sense when I do it. Gosh, he is a cute big ball of black fur, though, isn't he? Posted by Picasa

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Whose fault?

The other night Dad had to go downstairs and decided to walk in the dark. He ended up stepping on the edge of Huggy Bear's tail, leaving a clump of Huggy hair in the foyer. So whose fault is it? Is it Huggy Bear's fault for not moving since he has better night vision? Is it Dad's fault for not turning on a light and for having such big feet? Or is it the darkness' fault for being so dark?

Monday, October 09, 2006

Maggie and the shredder


Maggie has been enthralled with the shredder lately ... not so much the shredder, I guess, but the shredded bits. She'll reach in and pull out wads of paper in mouthfuls and create a small mound of shredded paper in front of the pail. Fortunately, Mom leaves the safety lock on the shredder. Posted by Picasa

The garage

Well, Dad knew I'd be first, and I was ... if only briefly. I may not be the most adventursome of the McKitten-Cats, but I have had experience with basements, so when I caught Dad with the garage door open just a little too long I took advantage and slipped in. Dad saw me as he was shutting the door (because the door bumped me) and I made it two steps into the garage (the big outside garage door was shut). When I was a kitten, I used to go into the basement with Dad and explore the boxes. Now that Dad's straightened the garage, I think he might let me explore out there some. I can't wait ... I've had the slightest of itsy bitsy steps and now that I've had my taste I just want more!

Thursday, October 05, 2006

Maggie's bath

The other day, Maggie was trying to give me a face bath, and I wanted nothing to do with it so I reared up and swatted her in the face. In response, Maggie walked around and bit me on the butt and made me yelp. At that time I got the point, laid back down and let her finish giving me a face bath. I mean, really, if it's that important to her, I guess I must have needed it.

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Putting the bite on

We all enjoy a good bite -- I think it's in our nature. When I was first given free reign after being adopted from the shelter, I walked the perimeter of the rooms finding my comfort zone. Along the wall, I found the power cord for the phone and promptly chewed through it. Mom and Dad were both amazed that I didn't kill myself then and there. My fixation with electrical wires has continued, and I'm still here and Dad's gotten good at splicing wires and using electrical tape.

Mom and Dad have learned to identify our trademark bites. While we all tend to go for cords (telephone cords, power cords, chargers...), Huggy Bear seems to like to chew corners. Lately, he's been fixated on the wooden blinds, which makes Mom very unhappy. Maggie will chew the corners of cardboard boxes and the round handles of nice paper bags. Josie, honestly, doesn't do much chewing -- maybe the occasional twist-tie. She's the "Golden Child," it seems, and apparently she does no wrong. I like to chew plastic bags. I can't get enough of that feeling when your tooth punctures the plastic ... it's the best.

I think the bite is a meaningful thing, a symbol of affection and committment, your way of putting your mark on something and saying, "this is mine." Sure, it's destructive, but we choose what to bite for a reason, and it's got to be more than just because it looks yummy. That's my theory, at least.

Sunday, October 01, 2006

HB and Josie's (belated) birthday


I'm a bad big brother ... Huggy Bear and Josie had their second birthday back on September 15 and I neglected to write about it (we celebrated with stinky goodness). They officially joined our family in November but celebrated October (and Halloween) with Mom and Dad outside before coming in with me. Look how sweet and little they were! They sure loved that jack-o-lantern. Sorry about not making them the center of attention on their birthday like I should have -- it wasn't intentional, really. Posted by Picasa