Thursday Thirteen #11 -- In the kitchen

Mom likes to cook, and she cooks some pretty remarkable things, or at least the people who visit say so. She got a cat treat cookbook for Christmas, but she hasn't had the time to try any of those recipes out on us yet. So for today's Thursday Thirteen I'm talking about being in the kitchen, since that's on of Mom's favorite places.



1. In the morning, the kitchen is a very important place to be. Dad usually fixes his lunch and breakfast at the same time. Since his fixings are all in the pantry, that means that Huggy Bear, Josie and Maggie hurry to greet him and get some treats, since those are in the pantry too.
2. The kitchen is also where we get to eat our wet food. We don't eat wet food all the time, but as a special treat. Mom and Dad always use these glass "whatever" bowls and we know the clink-clink of those bowls. (Sometimes Mom will try to use on of the bowls for something else not cat-food related and we take offense at being teased that way.)
3. When Mom is cooking, one of us must be in there to snoopervise. This is usually Maggie or Huggy Bear. They take very different snoopervising approaches...
4. ... Maggie likes to snoopervise from up high, usually choosing the top of the refrigerator...
5. ... while Huggy Bear snoopervises from down low, usually stretching out in "half moon kitty" pose in the middle of the kitchen floor.
6. Sometimes we'll walk on the kitchen counter, but this is discouraged when food is around.
7. Mom and Dad do not let us walk on the stove, even when it's cold. They get nervous when they see us exploring up there, and rightly so.
8. The kitchen also has non-food related benefits, like the big window that looks out at the tree and back yard. We all like to sit at this window and watch the action back there ... birds, squirrels, Mom and Dad doing yard work.
9. The kitchen is where we play ice cube, one of our favorite games. Although the game sometimes starts in the living room, with Dad tossing an ice cube from his glass of water, the playing field is definitely the kitchen floor.
10. Josie will play ice cube, but she prefers to lick the crushed ice from the ice maker. Mom is sure to put some finely crushed ice beside the water bowl just for Josie.
11. Although Mom has not made any cat treats yet, I hope she can find one with pineapple juice in it, because that's one of my favorite things. If Mom empties a can of crushed pineapple, she'll let me lick the juice and it is yummy,
12. Mom tried to get us to eat a banana like Pixie, but we weren't interested. But we did learn to eat from Mom and Dad's fingers like Daisy does. And that made Mom and Dad happy. And Maggie will eat Cheerios (but probably because she doesn't know they're not cat treats).
13. The kitchen also has cabinets that Huggy Bear and I know how to open, which is fun, and even if we try to lock Maggie in there she can still push the door and get out, so we're not mean, just playful. We actually play all kinds of games in the kitchen because of the big open floor space, like Chase Josie, and Pink Ball.

You see, the kitchen is a good place for so many things. I could go on and on, listing all the foods and hiding places, but I'll stop, and maybe save that for next Thursday...

Wordless Wednesday

Huggy Bear goes "river otter" (aka Full Monty)
Originally uploaded by jenianddean

Tabby Toesie Tuesday

Maggie loves to help Mom when she's at the computer. She'll snoopervise, making sure Mom keeps up with all her papers, and also helps clean the desk off so there's less clutter and more napping space.


Here, Maggie is making sure Mom's calendar doesn't fall off the desk. She's also looking to make sure we don't miss any of the many many birthdays coming up.


And of course here's Mom's favorite feature on Maggie, her creamsicle paw. Look at her little claws poking out just the tiniest bit and the little freckle on her paw pad. It's an important job keeping up with Mom's calendar. Mom would be lost without it.

Mancat Monday

I've been exploring the space above the cabinets more. Mom just found the plug to the lights up there that the former residents had installed. So now she can give me better light while I'm hanging out up there (and adds a bit of an eerie glow, too).


Looks like I should be saying "Boo!" or something!

PhotoHunt: Old-fashioned

Today's PhotoHunters theme is old-fashioned. I wanted to show off this picture Mom took of Maggie anyway, and since Mom shot it in black and white, like the old-fashioned cameras did, I thought today was a perfect day...

Fluffy Friday

I thought I would feature the one who came before. Mom scanned in some old photos of Fluffy. He was a regal gray and white tuxedo who roamed the neighborhood, and also came in when he felt like it. The side garage door was always propped open for him so he could come in, but he'd also come to the back window of the master bedroom and "ask politely" to come inside. He would even "ask politely" for some milk by nipping the back of Mom or Dad's ankle.


Mom says that this was Fluffy's spot. He would perch in the front yard and patrol the street. He was the prince of the neighborhood. Everyone knew Fluffy. The neighbor across the street would even put tuna out for him and he would lounge on her front porch in the afternoon sun.


This is one of Mom's favorite pictures of Fluffy. He would curl up in the center of the innertube and sleep. I wish we had one of those, because that looks like a great napping spot!


I guess Fluffy liked to get up on high spots too. He must have been pretty spry, because he had to jump straight up there without the help of a counter or a step stool!


This photo does concern me a little. I think Fluffy may have had a drinking problem. Just kidding... he did love a suitcase, though. But, then again, who doesn't?

He was a good cat, and did a good job of training Mom and Dad on how to properly care for us McKitten-Cats.

Thursday Thirteen #10 -- nicknames

Mom and Dad have all kinds of nicknames for us. Some days, I think we're lucky if we know who they're talking to... So for today's Thursday Thirteen, I present to you a list of some of our nicknames.

1. J-purr-McKitten-Cat
2. Jazz, Jazzy or Jazzman
3. Big Orange Cat (usually during University of Tennessee football games)
4. HB
5. Huggy Buggy Bear
6. HB McHuffelpuff
7. Jo Jo Monkey B
8. Josie Posie, or Jo Po
9. Sweet Little Girl (Josie)
10. Magna-Doodle
11. Maggie Daggy Ding Dong
12. Magaroni and Cheese
13. Sweet Baby Girl (Maggie)

There are more, so many more, but I didn't want to make this a Thursday Thirty!

Wordless Wednesday

Missing cat found in owner's suitcase

Mom saw this funny story and wanted to share it with everyone... This little kitten went for one wild ride, and luckily ended up with a good person who accidentally picked up the wrong suitcase. Wow!

Tabby (Towel) Tuesday

Maggie just has to be in the middle of everything. Just last night, Josie was enjoying some time behind the books of the bookshelf (Dad pulled a few out so she could hop up) and then Maggie tried to crowd herself in which turned in to a big, growling, chase-Josie-fest with Huggy Bear and Maggie. She's just being a playful, affectionate little sister. I try to be a little more patient with her because I know Josie isn't (maybe it's a sister-sister thing between them).

In today's picture, I was up in the linen closet when Maggie decided to come up with me and hang out. Mom feels compelled to sing the Brady Bunch song when she sees this picture. Apparently we look like two Bradys stacked on top of each other. (But of course she sings, "It's a story, of a cat named Jasper...")

Mancat and Midnight Monday

Today you get a double shot of McKitten-(Man)cats ...

Midnight Monday -- Huggy Bear


Huggy Bear was enjoying a corner nap on his Kitty Kozy on Saturday. He was very patient and sat real still for Dad to get a few pictures of him with natural light so you can see his face real good.

Mancat Monday -- Jasper


I surprised Mom the other day by claiming a spot on top of the fridge. This is not a normal perch for me, but once I got up there I did it up right. I supervised Mom in the kitchen to make sure dinner was just right (it was, of course) and really enjoyed being up high. High spots are always best...

Easy Like Sunday

Josie's favorite spot is under the guest bed. I think this became her spot the instant Mom and Dad put the bed shirt on the bed. It has become a nice cozy fort for her, and a safe place where Maggie can't quite pounce her as easy. When Mom and Dad can't find her, they know this is the first place to look. And on these cool wintry days we've been having, I can't really blame her for finding a warm, dark spot to hibernate in.

PhotoHunt: Important

Today's PhotoHunt theme is important. This was a tough one, not because I couldn't find anything, but because I had to narrow it down. You see, as cats, we understand that everything we do is important. It is important that Maggie clean Huggy Bear's face. It is important that I nap on the dirty clothes. It is important that Josie sleeps under the covers with Mom. And it is important that Huggy Bear hangs out with Mom all day long. I could go on and on -- but don't worry, I won't.

For today's photo hunt, I decided to show one of our important jobs -- keeping an eye on the squirrels. The weather has been really nasty the last few days, but the squirrels have still been out in the back yard. Mom and Dad always know, because we get very vigilant and start patrolling the back windows. Mom had even shut the blinds the other day to cut down on some of the cold air from the windows and Josie insisted that Mom open at least one of them so she could do her important job. So here it is, today's photo hunt, taken this morning, of Josie and Maggie keeping and eye on the squirrel under the magnolia tree. (The squirrel is out there, you just can't see him in the picture. Also Huggy Bear, it should be noted, is just to the left of the girls also patrolling, he just didn't fit in the frame. But he deserves credit for working, too.)

Floofy Friday

Too much floof or a very small box?
Originally uploaded by jenianddean

Do you think the box is too small or that I have too much floof?

Thursday Thirteen #9 -- Stay home

We definitely prefer to have Mom and Dad home instead of out working or shopping. We are lucky because when Dad goes to work Mom is usually still home with us, but sometimes she has to go out too. Now, we're pretty independent, and are more than capable of behaving ourselves without Mom and Dad watching over us, but we still prefer them to be home with us. And here's 13 reasons why:
1. I haven't been able to teach Maggie, Huggy Bear or even Josie to use the brush yet to brush my cheeks like Mom and Dad do.
2. Dad can reach the bowls for our wet food.
3. We've recently learned that the couch is even warmer with Mom or Dad on it.
4. Someone has to refill the food bowl.
5. We need their thumbs to help us upload pictures for the blog and Flickr.
6. They know where the feathers-on-a-stick are.
7. We like knowing where they are, even if we're not with them right now...
8. ...except for Huggy Bear, who lately must be beside Mom at all times.
9. Dad also cleans the litter box, although he has let it reach an unacceptable low level today, which he has promised to fix.
10. They sing our names to us in silly songs (which I think clearly puts them in the Crazy Cat People category).
11. When Mom and Dad are not here they put me in charge, which really cuts into my nap time.
12. Mom lets us help with crafts (well, we kind of insist) and when she's not here there's less ribbon to chase.
13. Oh, and of course, we love them and that's really why we want them to hang around instead of going to work and shopping (unless they're shopping for stuff for us).

Wordless Wednesday

Tabby Tuesday -- Maggie's portrait

Maggie was very patient the other night and posed for a new portrait.



She's so cute with just a little bit of the curious head tilt. Mom thinks Maggie is getting more white on her chin. We need to look at some older pictures and compare. She has stayed so tiny, and this pictures highlights her tiny nose, and tiny mouth, and tiny chin. As sisters go, I guess she's cute. Mom says she is, so it must be so.

Mancat Monday

Mom and Dad got a package, and we got a box! Huggy Bear showed off his true mancatliness by crushing this big box. It's been a lot of fun for Huggy Bear and Josie and Maggie to play in and on, but HB has really claimed the top of the box as his.


Mom and Dad like how his tail lays perfectly in the crease of the crushed part of the box, like that's how Huggy Bear meant it to be when he first pounced the box.


Josie likes the box, but not when Huggy Bear is on top...

Christmas gift wrapup

We get so caught up in the daily theme posts that we've not taken the time to post about the great Christmas gifts we received. That, and Mom and Dad's new camera has a giant memory card that can hold 951 pictures at the high quality setting so there's less urgency for them to transfer pictures to the computer so I can post them (I'd do it myself but I can't get the push-and-slide door to open).

Here are most of the cat gifts we got ... a cool Tick Tock Teaser toy (on the left, looks like a big wedge of Swiss cheese with a little mouse and ball inside), The Ultimate Cat Treat Cookbook and some Playmobil cats, all from Aunt Cathy and Uncle Doug, plus a Bad Cat desktop daily calendar from Aunt Jackie and the We Are The Kitties book from Chop-Chop Sue.

Here Maggie is showing Huggy Bear the Tick Tock Teaser. In front of the teaser is this really cool navy blue leather mouse with a little rattle in him. Huggy Bear likes to toss him around. Josie is also coming to investigate the Tick Tock Teaser. It took us a few minutes, but we quickly learned how to pull the velcro mouse off the pendulum. But Dad was good and put it right back on for us. The mouse makes the tassels on top shake back and forth, and theres also a red ball inside that's fun to hit.

Remember I talked about Aunt Tiffy giving up four million balls ... well here's Josie investigating the stockings before the toys were all pulled out.

And here are all the toys lined up for us to take inventory. Huggy Bear was happy to do the inspecting. It's important to check out all the toys to make sure they pass a fine approval process before play can commence.

Overall we had a great Christmas haul and we've been playing hard with all these toys since we got them. (I didn't even include the catnip candy canes or our awesome Secret Paws stuff in this, too. Just so much to be thankful for...)

PhotoHunt: Skinny

Today's PhotoHunt theme is skinny. This gave me plenty of options, what with Maggie and Josie both being skinny minnies, or the contrast of skinny Huggy Bear and less-than-skinny Huggy Bear, or even one of us "try to get the skinny" on something but in the end there was but one obvious choice -- my arch nemesis Joe Bender Cat.

Joe Bender Cat has been on the fridge for almost as long as I've been in the family. You can't really tell in this picture, but I've gotten my teeth on his face and whiskers before, and I try to put the bite on him any chance I get. He reminds me of a bug just lurking on the refrigerator door out of my reach. But watch out, Joe Bender Cat, because any time that Mom or Dad picks me up near you, I'm coming after you. He's now on the fridge in the garage, and I think with just a little creativity I may be able to climb up onto the top of the fridge and get him. Just maybe ...

Floofy Friday

Mom keeps telling me I have my winter floof, but I'm not sure what to do with it. South Carolina doesn't really get that cold in the winter. It's 63 degrees here today, but rainy. I guess I could let Maggie snuggle with me since she doesn't have much floof. Any ideas?

Seven weird things meme

We were tagged for the Seven Weird Things meme by PB&J and Grr, Midnight and Cocoa.

Here are the rules:

Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog. Share seven random and/or weird facts about yourself. Tag seven random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a notification on their blog.

1. I am very particular about treats. I only like treats when they are fresh out of a newly opened bag, or maybe in my food bowl with the dry food. I will not eat treats off the floor.
2. Josie has learned to eat treats out of Dad's fingers after seeing Daisy do it after her fashion shows. Sometimes Huggy Bear and Maggie will, but usually they just knock the treat out of Dad's grip and eat it off the floor.
3. Huggy Bear likes to lay on the vent and have the heat (in the winter) or air (in the summer) blow on him and make his fur flutter.
4. Josie likes to sleep under things... under the covers against Mom at night, and under the guest bed (now that Mom got the bed skirt on).
5. Maggie likes the foil wrappers of Hershey Kisses. She can be on the total opposite side of the house and if Dad tries super quietly to unwrap a Kiss Maggie will still hear it, identify the sound, and be at his feet by the time the chocolate is in his mouth asking for a foil ball to bat under the fridge.
6. Huggy Bear likes to knock his toys under the closed pantry door, then lay on his side reaching under the door swatting at it until Dad pulls it out, at which point is starts all over again.
7. I like to smell people's breath. It's best if it is an open mouth exhale and not a pursed lip blow. When visitors come over I get up near their faces and sniff them to make sure they pass the breath test, then they are welcome in my house. If they won't breathe on me I can't trust them.

This one has circulated quite quickly, but if you haven't been tagged and want to play, take it and run with it! Thanks guys for tagging me..

Wordless Wednesday

Cute neck curls
Originally uploaded by jenianddean

An Award!

Thanks P,B,&J for the thoughtful award. Mom always says we are big helpers. Well it's because we are big thinkers!


Here are the rules:
1. You must write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think. (No fish or bird blogs, they'll just make you hungry)

2. Acknowledge this post.

3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote.

4. Go tell your humans to fork over the treats!

Here are our nominations for the Thinking Award:

Daisy the Curly Cat

William (of Mass Destruction)

Chase

Shaggy, Scooby, and Scout

Bonnie and Victor

I nominated these cat-bloggers because of the great effort they put into their blogs, and the thoughtfulness of their posts. Thanks again Pearl, Bert and Jake! We are so humbled that you all thought of us.

Tabby Tuesday

Maggie enjoys a good nap (but really, who doesn't). This Christmas Mom and Dad bought a new blanket like Maggie's "Orange B" except this one looks right on the bed so Mom and Dad don't have to hide Maggie's blanket when we have company. This one came from Sam's and is super warm and soft and Maggie will knead dough on it, and gently rub her little face on it before curling up to nap. And once she's asleep she's in catnap heaven.



Now, Maggie is sleeping with Mom and Dad every night, and is tightly pressed up against one set of legs or the other every morning when they wake up. (I think this was the plan all along.)

Mancat Mousie Monday

Me and my mousie
Originally uploaded by jenianddean

Our Aunt Tiffy gave us about 4 million toys for Christmas. Here is Huggy Bear with his new favorite mousie. Mom says he doesn't look very Mancatish in this picture - she says he looks like a sweet pie. Come on mom, he's a big ol' mancat no matter how cute his big round eyes are.

Note from mom: Aunt Tiffy spoils the McKitten-Cats rotten. She gave them about 40 mousies and balls and a thing of catnip. Thanks Aunt Tiffy!

PhotoHunt: Delicious

Today's PhotoHunt theme is delicious. This was an easy one for us. I'd say the hardest part was narrowing down all the delicious things we like. But here goes...

Maggie thinks catnip candy canes are delicious. She drools all over them and makes them wet then gets all crazy and tries the wrestle with us.

Huggie Bear thinks Temptations are delicious ... and who can argue with that?

Josie thinks troll hair is delicious. (I think girls can be weird sometimes...)

I like greens. Mom says we should all be sure to eat our greens. This plant is delicious...

This cat grass is delicious...

And this palm tree is really delicious! I even pulled out the super-bite fangs for this one. Dee-lish!

Thursday Thirteen #8 -- 8+5

(To not shortchange one Thursday Thirteen, or push back another, we're doing a Thursday Eight+Five)...

Mom and Dad aren't fools, they know we're playing in the tree. Really, it's 90 percent Maggie in the tree, but Josie and Huggy Bear are spending their share of time under the tree resting. So today's Thursday Thirteen is thirteen pieces of evidence that we've been in the Christmas tree.



1. A Christmas ball in the middle of the living room.
2. The branches on the back side of the tree are all flattened down.
3. Strings of lights are pulled off the branches.
4. Maggie's break-away collar is hanging from a branch (last year).
5. Claw marks on the packages.
6. Black spot of fur on the tree skirt.
7. The tree is tipped and leaning into the corner.
8. Jingle, jingle, rustle, rustle, meow...

Plus Five...

Maggie has a lot of fun on and around the desk. Yesterday's Wordless Wednesday is just one example. For today's Thursday Thirteen I wanted to look back at the picture and point out Mom and Dad's favorite pieces of that picture.



9. Maggie is reaching down and grabbing the computer microphone with her claw as if she wants to talk to the cyber-world.
10. See the baby pictures on the left of the hutch? That's our friend Melanie's little girl wearing bunny ears from last Easter. She's very cute. The other picture on the hutch, the one with the star, that's the same cutie at Britney Spear's star in Hollywood. Too funny.
11. Of course, the little girl on the right, that's Gracie. Gracie is our favorite sticky person, and has been since Josie and Huggy Bear were new little kittens.
12. The picture of Gracie is being held by a paper clip dragonfly. Mom and Dad both think dragonflies are really cool, and we think bugs made out of twisted paper clips are cool, and fun to bat around and play with. Mom has dragonflies and spiders made out of paper clips. (They wish they could claim that they did it themselves, but Mom reminded me that these were made by nuns to benefit a charity, which I guess is even cooler than if Mom had done it herself.)
13. At bottom center is a little green chick in an egg. This is an Isabel Bloom sculpture from Iowa. You'll notice some of these other green-ish sculptures around in other pictures over the years. Mom has a (slowly) growing collection. They are unique to where Mom and Dad lived when they were in Iowa and Isabel Bloom trained under Grant Wood (famous for American Gothic -- you know, the painting of the farmer and his wife).

[You may notice on the link from Cat Blogosphere that I called it 9+4. That does equal 13 except I had eight on one half and five on the other, which also equals 13. I just wasn't paying attention when I first made the link.]

Wordless Wednesday

Tabby Tuxie Tuesday

Aunt Tiffy came for New Year's (this could get confusing with an Aunt Tiff and an Aunt Tish, I know Dad gets tongue-tied sometimes when they're both around), but Aunt Tiff has known Mom for 30 years and came in from Atlanta to celebrate New Year's with us. She brought us some great toys, too! Tons of toys to play with, including a great feather wand that Josie took off with after investigating it with Maggie.

You can see Josie putting the bite on the feather wand here as Maggie circus-bears to get to it too.

So many possible titles for this post, really, because we had Tuxie, Tabby, Toys, Tennessee (beat Wisconsin in the Outback Bowl -- go Vols!) and Tiffy.

We had a good start to 2008 so far. Hope everyone had a great New Year and didn't have too many fireworks near them to freak them out (pretty quiet here, thankfully). We look forward to getting back to a routine so we can start visiting everyone's blogs again and getting some good posts up. Sorry for being lax on the comments lately, but we'll be back to normal as this week wraps up.