Max and Ruby

Look at Mom with kittens Max (black) and Ruby (tabby). These are the kittens of our little friends Gracie (9) and Clara Ann (6). Mom got to love on these cuties when they went to exchange gifts. I worry that Mom may have caught kitten fever.

Meowy Christmas!

Wishing all our friends and their families a very Merry (and meowy) Christmas!

Lizard in the house

A dead belly up lizard neatly left by the shoes will get us banned from the garage. They may see this as us bringing the lizard in, but we see this as defending our house.

Secret Paws is here!

Hooray! Hooray! It's one of our favorite days! Our Secret Paws package arrived! We got a  very intriguing package from Crepes, Rocky, Niles, Mrs Peabody and Doodle from Cat in the Fridge.


Maggie was the first to investigate the box.


Being the oldest cat I have to set a good example and read the card first.


We got a tin of really cool Christmas colored balls to play with. (You'll see these again...)


And look! Cat grass! We needed this!


Huggy Bear helped me pick out a catnip mouse to play with. He was so excited that he got blurry in the picture.


But really, how could you help but not get excited with all these cool gifts!


Maggie likes to check out the box and make sure Mom and Dad got everything out.


Josie showed up a tad bit late to the opening, but she still got to pick out a ball or two to play with.


There were peppermint striped balls, and green ones, and they jingle when we bat them around.


Josie had trouble deciding.


Huggy Bear had no trouble deciding -- it's the crinkle butterfly for him.


I was partial to the heart-shaped mouse from the tin of catnip mice. I kept knocking it under the dresser so Mom and Dad would have to get up and get it for me. It's a really fun game. I highly recommend it.


And then there was the Catnip Stogie! This this is amazing! It is compressed catnip in the shape of a cigar. Maggie just couldn't contain herself. She licked it and put her stink on it so we all knew it was hers.

There were Temptation Mix-Ups too -- some of our favorites! (I know I got a picture but I don't see it right now...)

Thanks to all the cats at Cat in the Fridge for the great Secret Paws! We are having so much fun with all the awesome toys. We can't wait for the grass to grow so we can eat it.

[We made a mini version of this post on the Secret Paws site.]

Rest in peace Russell

Oh man! I just learned that our friend Russell (William's brother) went to the bridge right before Thanksgiving. We are truly heartbroken. There are few brothers with such a a great relationship as William and Russell and I know William must be missing his friend. Russell you will be dearly missed. williamthecat.blogspot.com

New box!

One of Mom's Christmas presents arrived today: a new KitchenAid stand mixer. We've figured out this online ordering business and ordered her some surprises. And best of all, look at the awesome box! Huggy Bear is in the box (a little hard to see) and Mags is peeking around the edge. I really thought she was going to pounce him but she left him alone and let him enjoy it.

Big helper

Who needs ornaments when you have a Maggie cat?

Happy Thanksgiving

Today we have so much to be thankful for. Mostly we are thankful for our Mom and Dad, and our amazing cat blogging friends. We are also thankful for a comfy couch to sit on to watch squirrels on a sunny day. I hope you all get some turkey today.

Lion in the leaves, and other animals that aren't us

I saw this article about the lion cub playing in the leaves and thought it was worth sharing. It has a bunch of really cute pictures.

Mom and Dad went to the mountains of north Georgia to the town of Dahlonega two weekends ago. They stayed with some friends up in a cabin. Mom and Dad aren't big wine drinkers, but they went to the wineries and did a few wine tastings and had a lot of fun. It was just enough of each wine for them. They must be short attention span wine drinkers.

There were animals at two of the three vineyards they visited.


This was Pepper, the cat at Three Sisters vineyard. Pepper was supposed to be sleeping on the cat bed on the floor, but she preferred to sleep in the souvenir t-shirts instead. Can you blame her? (This wine was the best, they said, although the setup was just OK.)


There were three very friendly dogs at Cavender Creek winery (two here with Mom and Dad's friend Tiffany -- not our Aunt Tiff). (Their wine was good, but their atmosphere was the best.)

Mom and Dad also went to Frogtown winery, which looked the fanciest, had good win and the best t-shirt selection, but no animals, so by my account they lose.

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Oh, and just for fun, I saw this on the Flickr blog. Obviously not us, but this is why we would never be allowed on a balcony, if we had one:

Rest In Peace GJ

I just saw that our old friend Ginger Jasper crossed the Rainbow Bridge. I always liked Ginger Jasper -- it sort of felt like having a twin cousin out there. I will miss that guy a lot. Rest in peace, dear friend.

Halloween collar

Mom and Dad were at Michael's Crafts the other day and saw a jester-style Halloween cat collar. They probably would have passed on it, but it was 60 percent off, which I guess in their minds makes it a wonderful idea to torture is with. So they brought it home, and fortunately decided to try it out on Maggie, who always seems to be the one to get the clothes and ridiculous outfits.


Here's one of the few pictures where Maggie isn't blurry because she was trying to eat the bells off the collar. She wore it for a few minutes, and even settled down a little bit. But then Dad was nice and took it off of her so she could hunt it properly. It makes a much better toy than a collar, if you ask us.

Happy Blogoversary to me!

Today is my Ninth Blogoversary! I am truly amazed that I have been blogging for nine years. I never imagined that this simple, humble little blog would sustain beyond a month or two. It started as a way for Dad to see pictures of me during the day, and to have a little fun. Well, we're still having fun, but with a lot more friends.

My first post was very simple, just a little "hello" to introduce myself. What I think really helped me keep going, even before I met other blogging cats, was Josie and Huggy Bear. Back when we were living in our apartment, right around the time I started the blog, I met Josie and Huggy Bear. They were tee-tiny kittens at the time, of course. But it helped to give me motivation to blog. Then came visits from William, and Timothy Dickens, and Ginger, (and I even learned later that Scooby, Shaggy and Scout's Mom was an early visitor even before their blog). The community just continued to grow and grow into a wonderfully supportive family. I'm so happy to be a part of the Cat Blogosphere.

My posts and visits are less frequent than they used to be, and that disappoints me that we've gotten so busy. But even if I'm not coming around as much and commenting, know that I cherish each and every one of you.

This is the first picture I posted, and still one of my favorites and my profile picture.

Just a few more of my favorite pictures of me...

My extreme close-up

Showing off my soccer goalie skills. Nothing gets past me.

My neck curls.

Of course, a kitten picture!

And this is the picture of me that you'll see in the Cats of the Cat Blogosphere calendar.

And just so they don't feel left out -- here's a rarity, all four of us in one picture!

Thanks for following me all these years, and keeping me motivated to continue to blog. I am excited to see what comes in the next nine years. I plan on being a 20-year-old blogging cat!

African Serval kitten

Mom and Dad went up to Knoxville, TN last weekend for the UT-South Carolina football game. Mom and Dad went to the University of Tennessee back in the day, and live in Columbia, SC near USC now. So they were pulling for UT and feeling bad for Mom Paula when the Vols beat the Gamecocks on a last second field goal 23-21.

On the way home, Mom and Dad took the scenic drive through the Smoky Mountains. They stopped at one of their favorite pumpkin stands along the way to get some pumpkins for the front porch, and look what they saw there:


This is one of three African Serval kittens that were by the goat petting area. They hadn't had any shots yet so no one was allowed to hold them, which is probably a good thing because I think Mom would have brought it home if she could have. Of course, that breed gets as big as a small dog, so it's a good thing Mom didn't.


This is a panoramic of the Newfound Gap that Dad took on his phone. This is where North Carolina and Tennessee meet in the Smokies. The leaves looked amazing. The white twiggy dead trees you see are the hemlocks that were killed by a non-indigenous wooly bug.


This is the view of the creek (or Little River) that goes through part of the Smokies. The shortcut they take to avoid the traffic in Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg takes them along this creek for a while.


Coming out of the National Park on the North Carolina side there is a field where a herd of about 15 elk have migrated away from the larger herd of about 300. The rack on the male here is about 50 pounds, according to the ranger Dad talked to. This was a picture on Dad's phone that was easy to upload. The good pictures are on the big camera.


This is another pretty view. This is of the Chimney Tops, the peaks on the left side.

Even though Mom and Dad were eager to get home to see us, they stopped a lot on the ride through the mountains to take in the views. It is always so pretty, especially in October.

Indexed about cats

Dad enjoys the website Indexed, which commentates on life through Venn diagrams and charts. This one about cats and lasers is funny, and fitting.

Snoopervising Mom on the deck

It was really nice today so Mom spent some time on the deck doing some research for a friend's engagement party. The windows were open and Huggy Bear was doing a little snoopervising. Dad was trying to get a picture of HB and Mom when, in classic Maggie fashion, she popped around the corner and totally photobombed the shot. Sisters...

Not exactly a cat bed

We had a monstrosity of a cabinet in our garage that we were keeping for a friend who got transferred and moved quickly. It stayed in the garage longer than expected, until a few weekends ago when they were back in town and picked it up. So while the garage is still cluttered, there's one big thing no longer there. But when it moved, the pool float that our friends the twins use ended up on the garage floor. Needless to say, I had to try it out as a cat bed.


It actually was OK, although this is one time it's probably best I am declawed in the front, since it is still inflated.

But what really makes this picture special is that I am matching Mom's original cat Fluffy from one of Mom's favorite pictures.


Here he is curled up in the inner tube for the beach. He was a pretty cool cat, from what I understand. He definitely had style. So I'm honored that I was able to do a tribute shot.

Figuring out their game

So we're starting to figure out Mom and Dad's game. You see, the temperatures are dropping a little here. Not to the frigid temps that a lot of you are used to , but cool for South Carolina. And Mom and Dad have been sleeping with the windows open. Well, we start to get cool, so we end up snuggling with Mom and Dad in bed. I feel a little manipulated, like they're making it cool so we'll snuggle more. But it's also a bit of a win-win-win -- we get open windows and fresh air, we get to snuggle, and they get to love on us. So maybe it is a bit of a trick, but the intention is good, so I won't make a fuss today.

Big helper

Mom and Dad went apple picking this past weekend. While they were washing the apples and taking inventory Josie made sure the Target bag that the apples were in didn't go anywhere. We really like to snoopervise.

Special delivery!

Look who showed up at Dad's office with our Cats of the Cat Blogosphere calendar -- Mom Paula! Talk about your special deliveries! The calendar looks amazing. I'm not wishing my days away, but 2014 will extra special with this calendar.

RIP Gracie

We headed over to William's blog today to wish his brother Russell and happy gotcha day only to find out his sister Gracie had passed away suddenly on Friday night. Apparently Gracie suffered renal failure. She was such a sweet little girl, and I always enjoyed reading about the Pee Queen. It breaks my heart. I have followed William for almost as long as I have had a blog and it just makes me so sad for his Mom, and William, Russell and Caroline. Give your people a little extra love today...

Belated Birthday!

Oh Dad is in big trouble! He got distracted with helping Mom with her play and totally forgot to do Josie and Huggy Bear's birthday celebration! Guess who is going to the pet store to get some stinky goodness today?


Here are Josie and Huggy Bear giving Dad the stink eye for not making a huge big deal about their birthday. I mean, sure it's MY blog, but someone's got to help me type. So it's no my fault...

So Josie and Huggy Bear turned nine on September 15. I really can't believe they are nine, or that we've even lived in Columbia long enough for them to be nine. Time is going by so fast! I have become a better cat because of my brother and sister. Josie joined the family first. Huggy Bear was a foster who stole the hearts of all of us with his kind nature and amazing purr. They helped me learn to cuddle and purr and eat treats, and for that I am very thankful.

We'll all be getting some extra treats for sure tonight!

(On a side note, if you are typing quickly and get off a letter, Bear becomes Brat, which he is not.)

Ahoy there! Today be Meow like a Pirate Day!

This be one of me favorite days of the year -- Meow like a Pirate Day! Me feisty little sister be a pirate cat, pictured in her "crow's nest" sans eye patch. I hope yer gettin' all kinds of good grub and booty today from yer crew.

New cat food

We are switching cat food after a discussion among some of our cat friends about why we should not be eating Hill's Science Diet. Last week we tried a small bag of Merrick Purrfect Bistro Healthy Adult Salmon cat food. We liked it, but we are also trying a few others. This week we are trying Earthborn Holistic Wild Sea Catch. Sounds good to me! Dad picked this one because of the greater percentage of protein and the L-Lysine. We'll see how it goes and report back.

The BIG tent

Mom and Dad's godchildren, aka The Twins, stayed over the other weekend. They were having some things done at their house so they spent the night so the 18-month-olds weren't "helping." One the the biggest perks to having the little ones in the house is their play tent.


You can see it looks like one of out play tents, only bigger. Josie likes to hang out in it. She's the bravest around The Twins.


She'll play in the tent, but the cars really don't so much for us. In this picture the tent was working as a barricade to keep The Twins in the kitchen (the gate is just a little short for this entry).


Maggie likes the tent too, but only after The Twins are in bed.

Proper snoopervision

Sometimes proper snoopervision is necessary. I may be 11 years old, but that doesn't mean I can't start doing new things. Lately, I've really enjoyed getting on the bar portion of the counter between the kitchen and living room and snoopervising Mom as she works in the kitchen. This is her favorite work spot, by the sink and stove where the big cutting board is. She doesn't seem to like it too much when I come over and try to sit on the cutting board (I can't figure out why). I can't remember what Mom was fixing here, but I'm pretty sure I didn't get to eat any of it. (Mom's making a funny face at me in this picture because I was staring at her.)

Surrounding Mom

Mom is laying on the living room floor watching Breaking Bad (season two). We have her surrounded -- Huggy Bear is behind her, Maggie is up by her head and I'm down by her feet. Josie is keeping watch by the edge of the room. This is the aftereffects of having their friend's twins (18 months old) overnight. (In the picture HB moved around so he could be seen.)

Josie was very brave with the kids. She even let them give her treats. HB and I would visit (HB more than me). Maggie stays clear.

Happy Black Cat Appreciation Day

Happy Black Cat Appreciation Day. We appreciate our awesome brother Huggy Bear. Hug a black cat today!

Happy Gotcha Day to me!

I normally don't make a big deal out of my Gotcha Day, but it came up in conversation yesterday so I figured I'd post about it. I don't hype it too much partly because Mom and Dad have an exact day for me, but a vague one for Josie, Huggy Bear and Maggie, and I don't want to make them feel left out. But this technically is MY blog, so here goes...


This is one of Mom's favorite pictures of me as a kitten. This was right when I came to live with Mom and Dad.


I would hide under the rocker so they always had to check before sitting in the chair.


Look how tiny I was! This was my very first portrait.


Maggie's not the only one who would unroll TP. I loved that window...


...and the sink too.


I wish I still fit in this bowl. It was so comfy!

I am very lucky to have landed with Mom and Dad. I can't believe it was 11 years ago!