Our Secret Paws!

Our Secret Paws package arrived last week, but Mom and Dad made us wait until almost Christmas was here for us to open it. At least we got to sit on the box in the meantime. Melissa and Mudpie went all out on their first Secret Paws. We were very lucky to be their cats, because they definitely spoiled us!


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This is our card from them. So cute!


And the note inside...


Huggy Bear was the first to inspect the box when we opened it. He was very excited about the Temptations Mouse treat toy.


And we got lots of treats to go in the mouse toy.


Maggie loved this little fluffy ball from the tip of nip toys.


This nip toy was my favorite! It's a lot like out old nip canes and cigars.  We all took turns with this one.

I have more pictures that I will post later but I keep dropping my internet connection so I want to get these posted before I lose it all... Thanks again Melissa and Mudpie! You did awesome!


One more... they even included some goodies for Mom and Dad! So thoughtful...

Cat Lady Box

Mom received a Cat Lady Box around Thanksgiving and I have been meaning to give it a proper review on the blog. Dad had posted a picture on Instagram about all the cool stuff that came in the box, but until it has been properly inspected by a cat it really hasn't been properly inspected.


We were super excited when we came home and found the Cat Lady Box on the front porch waiting for us. Mom and Dad quickly took it upstairs to investigate. Here is the anticipation picture ... with a few cool notes from Dorian.


The first thing that caught Mom's eye when she opened the box was this super cute cat watch! Who can resist constantly checking the time when it has a face like that?


Also, there was this great reusable shopping bag that declares "Cats are my Bag." Mom and Dad love reusable bags anyway, so you know this one will be used on the next trip to the farmers' market.


We also really loved this sparkly cat keychain. I think Mom is going to put her work keys on this keychain so she is reminded of us when she is at the office.


But one of the coolest parts of the Cat Lady Box is that we weren't forgotten, because what's a cat lady without her cats? The Cat Lady Box included a cool niptastic drumstick for us to play with ...


... and these great Cloud 9 treats too! (These are definitely fancy treats because there's French writing on the label.)

We weren't really sure what to expect from the Cat Lady Box (a lint roller to get cat hair off Mom's clothes?) but I have to say we were very excited about everything that was included. And as a bonus, there's a BOX for us to sit in!

I know it's getting close to the order deadline for Christmas, but even if you miss that deadline, a Cat Lady Box a gift that keeps giving because you can subscribe and give that special cat lady in your life prizes throughout the year. And who wouldn't want that? Visit the Cat Lady Box website for more information about how to get your box of goodies.

You know something else that's really cool, you can even shop for stuff from past boxes that you've missed, like the Cloud 9 treats, mugs, jewelry, and t-shirts (this one's my favorite). Enjoy!

[I was not paid for this review -- I just really liked it and wanted to share...]

Josie's spot under the tree

Josie loves to be under the Christmas tree. Mom was trying to get a cute picture of her when Huggy Bear walked a little too close and Josie made sure he knew that this was HER spot under the tree.

Decorating the Christmas tree

We did a lot of snoopervising today while Mom and Dad decorated the house. We were really stressed when they were working on the front porch, but we really loved helping with the tree in the living room. We especially like to make sure the tree skirt is in the right spot and nice and warm. We were so tuckered out that we fell asleep while Mom and Dad finished putting the ornaments on the tree.

Maggie on fish patrol

This is a much better picture of Maggie watching the fish. She makes sure that Dad never forgets to feed the goldfish in the morning. She sits on the chair right by the aquarium until Dad feeds George and Fin. (We need an algae eater.) They are clearly Maggie's fish.

Maggie blur

Maggie just loves watching the fish. She was being so cute so Dad tried to get a picture off her. So of course she hopped down in mid picture...

Happy 11th Blogoversary!

Eleven years of blogging -- who would have ever believed it?!? Not me! I started blogging as a young cat, just two years old, living in an apartment with Mom and Dad and that was it -- just the three of us. Shortly after I started blogging, Josie and Huggy Bear joined us, and then almost a year later Maggie completed our family. Even though I don't blog or visit as often as I used to or would like to, this community remains a very important part of who I am. I still remember when I got my first comment (William) and realized that I wasn't the only blogging cat out there. It is truly remarkable how a group of anonymous cats has turned into such a supportive group, and I am so thankful for that.


This is the first picture I posted on the blog (using Hello, I think). It's still my profile picture just because I like the tradition of it.


I used to love sleeping in the trash can on Dad's side of the bed. It really wasn't until Josie and HB came to live with us that I learned to snuggle.


It's hard to imagine Huggy Bear was ever this tiny.


This was shortly after Josie and Huggy Bear came to live with us officially (they started as fosters).


And of course here's little Maggie when she first came to live with us.


And one of the first "All Four of Us" pictures, which is rare indeed!


I don't post a lot of "cluttered countertop" pictures, but look how cute we are in the double sinks.


I've had a lot of fun meeting so many other cats through the Cat Blogosphere, and I'm looking forward to many more years of cat blogging and meeting even more friends. (See what I did there? Looking ... hehe)

Thanks for all the years of support, and for visiting and reading!

We are safe and dry

We live in Columbia, SC where a state of emergency has been declared due to heavy rainfall and flooding. If you have seen the news it is devastating here with many friends being evacuated and their homes being flooded. We are ok -- just some moisture in the garage so no playing out there right now. We are lucky to still have power and water (boil notice) but many do not have either. The images of roads getting completely washed out, buildings destroyed by floodwaters, and cars floating down and being swallowed by the water are breathtaking.

This is how we spent the day yesterday. I hope all the cats out there stayed dry and safe. Dad said Parker, the cat who patrols his parking lot at work, has a shed she can get to a few businesses down from Dad's office. Today is still raining and unfortunately the wind is picking up which worries up with the trees around us. I'll keep you posted. Thanks for the purrs.

Brawny cat

Mom and Dad didn't get a chance to put the paper towels away before Maggie made a perch out of them to watch the fish. Nothing really stops her from watching the fish, though.

Concerned kitty

Josie is a little concerned about the rain that is already started. We have flash flood watches in our area with as much as 18 inches possible this weekend. Stay safe and dry out there. I wish we could share this rain with our friends in California.

Sometimes you need to be a kitten

I may be 13 years old, but sometimes you need to act like a kitten. See this pile of randomness that I'm laying on? This stuff is some of the clutter that ended up in the console of the rental car on Mom and Dad's trek from South Carolina to Iowa for a friend's wedding. Well Dad was looking for something in the collection of stuff and the chargers and power inverter ended up on the floor. So while they were watching tv and eating dinner I decided I needed to attack the cords and try to eat them. I would watch them, and when they looked away I would pounce.

Look how innocent I look in this picture. Does it look like I could do anything wrong?

BTW, the black cord no longer worked but Dad still wouldn't let me chew on it -- something about encouraging bad behavior.

Happy birthday Josie and Huggy Bear

Happy birthday to my sister and brother! I can't believe that it has been 11 years since these two joined our family. I had been an only cat and they taught me some things about being a cat, like cuddling up with Mom and Dad, and enjoying treats. Mom and Dad have been on a long road trip out to Iowa for a wedding and they will be home just in time to celebrate. I'll post pictures later (I couldn't find one of them together like I wanted...)

On Dad's shoes

I like to sleep on Dad's shoes. Yesterday he cleaned all my hair off his shoes and put them in a duffel bag. Well, I showed him...

Black Cat Appreciation Day

Happy Black Cat Appreciation Day! This is an older picture of Huggy Bear (from 2008) but it shows his nature so well. Huggy is the perfect name. He is so affectionate. As soon as Dad is out of bed in the morning he is in Dad's spot, or snuggling up with Mom. He certainly is our lover, ready with a purr the instant he walks in the room.

Also, Happy Black Cat Appreciation Day to some of my favorite house panthers -- William and Fwankwin!

Hanging out with HB

It's not common so I needed to post this picture: Huggy Bear and me hanging out side by side. Mom and Dad were relaxing with some Netflix so we both snuggled up with them -- briefly. But it happened.

And yes, I am holding Mom's iPad in place so it doesn't go anywhere.

Maggie and George

Mom had an aquarium in her office at work from a few summers ago when they did Doctor Dolittle and there was a scene with a real live goldfish. A friend who was moving had donated two goldfish and the aquarium to the theatre since she didn't think the fish would make the trip. Mom has been working from home more so the remaining goldfish, George, and Al, the algae eater, moved to our kitchen.


We have enjoyed having some new "cat tv" to watch, especially at feeding time (well, Al just eats algae all day, but George is fun to watch). We keep thinking we want to taste the fish food but Dad keeps insisting it's not cat treats.

My new game

I have a new game. I usually use Mom's pillow to rest my head but recently I have started trying to sit on Mom's head. Literally sit on her head. I will sometimes hog the pillow a little, climb up beside her and sleep on her pillow, but the whole plant my butt right on her head is a new thing. Needless to say it's not Mom's favorite thing I do.

Speaking of games, tonight Mom and Dad came home and saw a huge frog by the garage door. Dad tried to get a picture but he was pretty quick. Josie likes to try to get frogs and lizards when they sneak into the garage, but Dad warned this one away for his own good. (Plus Dad didn't want to have Josie bringing a frog into the house or rushing in foaming at the mouth from licking the frog.)

We found heaven

Mom and Dad are down near Gulf Shores where Florida and Alabama come together visiting Mom's family. Today Mom and Dad went to Joe Patti's fish market in Pensacola. It was amazing! Just look at all that fish! I think we could spend days here and still not have our fill. Mom fixed crab cakes, shrimp, crawfish, and Monk fish for dinner. We're very jealous.

Interloper

Dad took Mom's car to work the other day and Parker the Parking Lot Cat loved it. She climbed up and napped on the roof rack for a good long time, until a dog walked through the parking lot and she snuck off the other way without being noticed.

New box

Dad got a new pair of shoes today and the cashier asked if Dad wanted the box. It seemed like a strange question in the first place, and Dad was close to saying, "Of course, I have cats," but left it with a simple yes. Josie obviously thinks Dad made the right call.

Still no AC

Well we ended up getting a window a/c unit for the master bedroom after the repair people said it may be a month "because they were very backed up." This isn't a great picture but you can see how I am enjoying the window unit, laying on my favorite scratcher with the air blowing on my belly. Fortunately things have been cooler lately (in the 90s instead of the 100s) and the repair ::should:: happen on Monday.

Rest in Peace, Gandalf

This is just too much in a short span of time -- losing another dear friend. I just learned that Gandalf from the Daily G's (Gandalf, Grayson, and Whitey) crossed the Rainbow Bridge yesterday. This, just on the heels of Q2, is just too much. I don't get to visit the blogs like I used to, but these were some of the cats I would visit regularly back when I was more active. I guess this is the side-effect of being around for a while, but that really doesn't make it any easier. So I'm just putting this out there -- two friends in a month is enough! Everyone else must stay healthy. No exceptions.

Rest in Peace, Gandalf. You will be missed...

Heat wave

So in the middle of this intense heat wave our upstairs air conditioning unit has gone out. Mom and Dad had someone come and service it several weeks ago and he replaced a part and refilled the Freon, but he didn't replace the right part. So a new compressor has been ordered but might take a week to get. Fortunately the downstairs unit is working, but is struggling to keep up, only cooling into the 80s downstairs (it's in the 90s upstairs). Mom and Dad are keeping lots of cool water for us, and more wet food than normal, to keep us cool and hydrated.

Please think cool thoughts and hopefully we'll get some rain or a lucky break from the heat.

So for Father's Day we're all hanging out in front of the fan watching tv in the living room. I hope you are staying cool and enjoying time with your cat dad today.

Happy birthday to Maggie!

Today is Maggie's 10the birthday! I can't believe that little stinker has been my sister for 10 years already. Time sure flies. We'll spend her birthday chilling around the house (like every day) and get our stinky goodness on Saturday when Mom and Dad get back from the beach where they are celebrating Mom's birthday (also today).

Rest in peace little Q2

My heart just breaks over the news of the passing of Q2. Her sister Ginger was one of our very first followers and you all are family to us now. I know she was having her struggles, and she is at peace now, but it doesn't make it any easier. Purrs to Rita and Fred, and Ginger and Mariah, and sweet Q2 at the Rainbow Bridge. We miss you already.

New box!

We got a new box! This picture is us trying to share the box, but it didn't last too long. Maggie decided to attack the flap, and I just couldn't relax with all that going on.

Lots of adventures this week

We had a lot of adventures this past week. Early in the week Maggie was chasing me and jumped on the scratcher at the top of the stairs and ended up riding it halfway down the stairs like a sled.

Huggy Bear gave Mom and Dad a scare when he was eating a treat and got a little piece stuck in the back of his mouth. He started frantically flicking his tongue trying to get it out. Dad had to do a finger sweep but that didn't help much. Eventually he settled down but it was a little nerve wracking.

Saturday night Maggie and I found a little beetle bug in the house. Not that big a deal really, but hunting slow moving bugs can be fun.

But the highlight of the week was Sunday morning. Mom and Dad had let us go play in the garage. Josie managed to catch a lizard in the garage and carried it into the house. She had it halfway in her mouth with just its two back legs and tail hanging out. Mom yelled, Dad ushered Josie back into the garage before she could release the lizard in the house. Josie dropped the lizard once she was back in the garage and the lizard slipped away. She loves to hunt lizards, but I'm not sure how she got it in her mouth like that.

Mom's helper

We like to pretend that this doesn't happen. Sometimes you just have to turn a blind eye to misbehavior.


This is Leo, a miniature Schnauzer. When Mom has shows with her theatre Leo hangs out with her some during the construction phase. He belongs to the guy who runs the space that Mom's theatre is renting right now. Leo is a funny dog, and very sweet, so we allow it.

Hiding behind the pineapple

Maggie wouldn't leave Josie alone so she his behind the pineapple. I'm not sure if that's a great hiding spot or not...

Bird watching

Huggy Bear spotted something exciting out the front window -- a bird! This female cardinal was hanging out on the roof over the front porch while the male was flitting around the tree. She was unfazed by Huggy Bear (or never even noticed him). He watched for a few minutes then got bored. At least he didn't try to go through the screen to get her.

Dirty Dad

Sweet Josie thought Dad was dirty so she was cleaning him yesterday. After a minute of so Dad realized it was starting to feel a little raw where she was licking. Later last night the raspberry showed up on his arm. It looks a little better now than it did Saturday night. The lesson here: sometimes love hurts.

Sometimes we can be gross

Mom and Dad were relaxing watching TV when Josie came in to the middle of the living room and began to narf up all the food she just ate. Huggy Bear rushed over to her like he was concerned, then started to eat her ABC food, much to Mom's disgust. Dad quickly cleaned it up before he could eat any more, but that's a tough image to burn out of your mind.

Stinky Goodness Cake

I had my Stinky Goodness birthday cake tonight. As is our tradition our cake is in the shape of our year -- my 13 looks a little messy but it tasted good. Looks like I'm getting to the age where I need two cans of food to make my number.

Thanks for the birthday wishes!

Happy Birthday to ME!

Today is my 13th birthday! 13! Wow! Where has the time gone? I know a lot of people get stressed today because it is the deadline for filing your taxes, but don't think of it as Tax Day, think of it as Jasper's Birthday (with some paperwork) because birthdays are fun and exciting and an excuse to eat cake (or Stinky Goodness).


If I have any say about it, this is how I will spend my entire day -- laying on Dad's pillow snuggling with Mom. I can't think of much better than that.

Enjoy some Stinky Goodness today. I'll be having a Stinky Goodness cake tonight and will post some pictures.

Busted watching Netflix

Mom came home from lunch and caught me lounging on the bed watching Netflix.


See ... here I am looking cute while holding the Amazon Fire Stick remote. I usually wait and watch shows with Mom and Dad, but they weren't here and I wanted to see what was going to happen. We've all Netflix cheated on someone, right?

Challenge Walk MS

I've been away from posting because Mom and Dad have been busy walking -- first training for a 3-Day, 50-Mile walk, then doing the walk. This is their third year walking in the Challenge Walk MS 3-Day 50-Mile walk. The first two years the event was in Charleston, SC. This year they walked around Savannah, Ga. It was their first time in Savannah so they were very excited to explore a new town.


Mom and Dad walk for their friend Nikki, who was diagnosed with MS about nine years ago. (Well, they started walking for her, now they walk for Nikki and so many others.) Mom got to carry the Challenge Walk flag for a mile of the walk, which really meant a lot.


They had to get up bright and early every morning, beating the sunrise each day. Here's the sunrise at Tybee Island the final day. It was a beautiful place to stay and visit.


Dad met a bunch of cats along the walk. This one was really friendly and Dad got to love on him for a minute while Mom had a blister looked at.


Dad tried to get a good picture, but this was about as good as he could get. This guy was loving the attention, and walking in circles all around Dad asking for some love. He was a mix between my orange and Maggie's tabbiness.


Charleston was more of a dog town, and while there were plenty of dogs along the walk, Savannah felt a lot more like a cat town to Mom and Dad.


There were so many wonderful sights along the walk. This is the historic lighthouse on Tybee.


This is Mom at the final mile of Day One of the walk (21.5 miles the first day). It was a beautiful walk through a canopy of trees. Mom and Dad were told this was in a scene in Forrest Gump. It is the Wormsloe State Park.


There were some zombies at one of the rest stops, too.


The zombies provided "finger food" and brains.


Mom and Dad also saw the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile!


Be careful, because you might get attacked by sharks on Tybee Island!


Dad got attacked twice!


On their way home Mom and Dad found a restaurant for us to visit (if we're ever willing to go for a long car ride).