Saturday, January 31, 2009

PhotoHunt: Furry

Today's PhotoHunt was made just for us, I think. The theme is FURRY. I could just link to our Flickr set of all us McKitten-Cats, but I should pick one...

Furry Jasper
I was all stretched out with Mom and Dad the other day and Dad was petting my chest and all my furs got pushed up around my neck and face. Admittedly, I do have a lot of furs to begin with.

Friday, January 30, 2009

Finally Friday

It's finally Friday, which means more Mom and Dad time, since Dad has a half day.

Three cats in bed
Looks like a good day to curl up in bed and hang out, even if I have to share it with my sisters.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Thoughtful Thursday

I know there is an awful winter storm coming through that might be affecting a lot of our cat friends. I hope everyone is safe and warm and has power during this bad weather. A few recommendations:

Huggy Bear in bed
Find a warm bed to curl up on, or to perch on the edge, like Huggy Bear is doing here.

Josie looking out back
If you have to check out the weather, do if through the window and not out in the snow and ice.

Jasper hiding in the bucket
Escape to somewhere tropical, like a bucket by a palm tree (in this case, in the garage).

Maggie curled up on the couch and orange blanket
Or wrap you tail around your nose to keep it warm.

Stay safe and warm everyone!

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Tabby Tuesday

The way we see it, any bag left unattended is a good place to curl up.

Maggie's bag
Maggie was the fastest to claim this bag.

Monday, January 26, 2009

How many cats can you find?

Dad took this picture of the garage to see if you could find one of us in the picture. After he looked at he, he found another one of us that he didn't even realize was there. How many of us can you find?

How many cats can you find?

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Easy Like Sunday

Looks like a good day to just snuggle in and rest.

Maggie snuggling with Jasper
I'll even tolerate my little sister coming right over and sitting almost right on top of me.

Maggie sitting on Jasper's paw
I mean, seriously, Maggie, could you get any closer? But it was sweet. I just thought she was going to sit on my head the way she was walking around to get her spot right.

Friday, January 23, 2009

Finally Friday

Yes, it's Finally Friday! What started off as a calm week turned hectic toward the end, and I haven't been able to visit that much these last few days. Aunt Tiff is coming in town this weekend, so Dad will be fixing up a few things today, and Mom is working the box office at the theatre, but hopefully I'll be commenting more soon. I wish I could visit without needing their help. That would make things a lot easier. I wanted to post a picture from CATS, but they're still on the camera. So that will be this weekend. Fortunately, the weather is starting to warm up. We should be in the 60s today!

Thursday, January 22, 2009

CATS, snow, and other stuff

Mom and Dad had a great time at CATS last night. They went with Lisa and Brian and Lisa's Aunt. Fortunately, they decided to not bring one of those big cats home. I'm not sure if we'd have had the room.

We did get a little snow the other day. Technically, it was a light dusting. That's enough to throw a Southern no-snow city into a frenzy. The air was cold enough to snow, but the ground was too warm for it to stick, which is just how we like it.

As the weather has been cooling down, we have been snuggling in bed with Mom and Dad a lot more. Over the weekend I was totally sacked out beside Mom. She said my name and touched me and I lifted my head in complete slumber. I was so tired I couldn't even open my eyes, but, with my eyes totally shut, I turned my head to her like I was trying to look, but just couldn't open my heavy eyelids. Mom said it was the cutest thing she had ever seen. I don't remember what she wanted because I just went right back to sleep.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Wordless Wednesday

Sleepy Huggy Bear

[Mom and Dad are going to go see CATS on stage tonight. They are very excited...]

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Tabby Tuesday

The weather man is predicting snow, yes SNOW, for us today, here in South Carolina. I thought by law there was no snow in South Carolina. Now of course it won't stick, seeing that it was in the 50s Monday, but it still gets everyone here excited.

Maggie resting on her blanket
In the meantime, we'll be staying snuggled in on the blankets around the house, like Maggie is doing here. This blanket is even referred to as Maggie's blanket.

Maggie under covers
See, Maggie likes to snuggle in to this blanket the most. She'll even let Mom cover her with the blanket.

Maggie hanging with Jeni
And here is Maggie multi-tasking -- she's snuggling on the blanket and snoopervising Mom at the same time. See how Mom is smiling? That's because no one is biting her laptop. (Now, I'm not the only one who tried to bite the corner. Huggy Bear tries to put his stink on it all the time, which we know is a precursor to a bite. And my bite dinked the special orange vinyl-ly/rubbery cover and not the metal, so don't be too impressed by my teeth. But I made up with Mom Monday, and we're OK now.)

Stay warm out there, and tell your beans to be safe if they have to drive in real snow, and not this pseudo-snow that we're probably going to get. Maybe instead you should just stay home and watch the inauguration safely tucked in a warm blanket.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Mancat Monday

Jasper in bed with Jeni
When Dad gets out of bed, I quickly take his spot and get loves from Mom (especially on these cold mornings). I better be extra cute this morning because I got in trouble with Mom last night -- I put the bite on her new laptop and left a tooth mark on the top. I just wanted to see what all the fuss was about. It didn't taste too good, but then again Mom isn't eating it, either.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

PhotoHunt: Hats

The PhotoHunt theme of Hats is a little bit of a challenge for us. Unlike the talented Daisy, we won't wear hats. Mom and Dad have some hats, but they don't wear them either. When Dad tries to wear his Tennessee hat, Mom usually tells him he looks like Bill Dance, and Dad's no bassmaster, so he doesn't wear the hat. (Let's face it, some people can wear hats, some can't). But we wanted to show some hats, anyway.

Maggie with the hats
Maggie was willing to model with the hats. These hats are from the schools Mom and Dad went to: the University of Tennessee and Palmer College of Chiropractic. The Palmer hat is really the only one that has seen some good wear and tear. Dad wore this one when he went to Nepal (2001), and then when he and Mom went to Fiji (2003) -- they were doing some mission work providing free chiropractic care with a group from Palmer.

Maggie telling us what she thinks about wearing a hat
Mom and Dad tried to get Maggie to pose with Mom's Tennessee hat on her head, but Maggie decided it would be more fun to try to bite the hat instead. I can't blame her. (Tennessee is actually playing Praline's Gamecocks in basketball today, which isn't as big a deal as if they were playing football, but for Praline's sake: Go Vols! hehehe)

Friday, January 16, 2009

Goodbye meep



It is with such sadness that I even have to write posts like this -- I couldn't write this earlier because I was at a loss. Poor meep, as you know, crossed the bridge on Friday. He was one of our older, early blogging friends and one of Mom and Dad's favorites. Buzzerbee and meep were such close brothers and so sweet together. We always loved how their beans took in two sick kittens (FIV+) who otherwise would have no home. Buzzerbee crossed the bridge about a year and a half ago, and I'm sure meep missed him and is reunited with him now. At least their beans have Twizzler and Bear to look out for them, but the blogosphere just feels a little smaller right now. Meep, you will be missed.

And the name is ...

...Juliette! Congratulations to Yaffa and Sebastian (and Dante, too, even if he doesn't play well with others). Please email us your snail-mail address at jenianddean [at] gmail.com so we can send you a prize.

He's a she...
She's so sweet. Jackson and Juliette are getting cozy inside, snuggling with Lisa and Brian in bed at night. They even ate some cheese grits and Jackson seems to really like Pop-Tarts (when Brian isn't paying attention).

Thanks for all the great suggestions. They were all good and fun to read.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

We have a name...

...but it won't be announced until tomorrow. Sorry. Mom is co-producing a play at the theatre and has been busy with casting all this week, so no time for the proper post that a contest winner deserves. So instead I offer you this: Dad saw this awesome natural straw catnip ball on The Animal Rescue Site just as he was about to click away. I think I need to put this at the top of my wish list.

Double the free kibble today at free kibble kat ... go play!

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Wordless Wednesday

Maggie napping on the back of the couch

[OK, not exactly wordless ... we'll be taking names still today, and hopefully presenting them to Lisa and Gracie for them to review. We'll announce if any of the names are selected on Friday, if all goes according to plan and Mom and Dad aren't out until 11:30 again tonight, like they were the last two nights. We've gotten some great suggestions. Thanks, everyone.]

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Tuxie Tuesday

Josie wants to take a bite out of the plant
Must. Eat. Plant.

[OK, she didn't eat the plant, but she was sizing it up... We're still taking name suggestions for our friend's kitten formerly named Guido who was a he but is really a she. We'll probably wrap it up tomorrow or Thursday. Thanks for all the great suggestions so far.]

Monday, January 12, 2009

Mancat Monday

Today, I present you with a philosophical conundrum:

In the box, or on the box -- a cat's philosophical conundrum
Am I in the box, or am I on top of the box? Maybe I need to ask Mr. Owl.

Our friends are still struggling with a name, so keep those great suggestions coming. They should have a decision in the next few days and we'll announce the winner. Thanks.

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Bandit gets a home, and a new name

We had a scary day Saturday. It seems Mom had a very dangerous illness: kitten fever. She went over to Lisa and Brian's house where the three kittens live and was infected with kitten fever instantly.

Bandit/Zack on the couch with Jackson
Bandit was very infectious, and concerned us greatly. Mom reportedly held this kitten until he fell asleep in her arms. You can see how he is awful cute and could give even the most immune bean kitten fever. I mean, really, look at all that floof and tuxie cuteness.

What concerned us even more was that we saw Mom and Dad leave with a very suspicious cat carrier. It was empty when it left, which is confusing, and hints that it may not be as empty when it returns.

Sure enough, this kitten was leaving Lisa and Brian's House of Tuxie Cats and headed for our street, just not our house. As it happens, Mom and Dad were on the verge of bringing Bandit home to live with us, but they started discussing the delicate balance we have with the four of us, and then Mom remembered our nice neighbors down the street whose dog recently crossed the bridge. Dad called and sent a picture and it was love at first sight (love at first email?). Well, that, and some pleading by their teenage daughter to her dad, who couldn't resist her.

Kristin with Bandit, now Zack
Here's Kristen welcoming Bandit, now renamed Zack, to the family. Look at that joyful smile. They also have a tabby named Zoey (you may remember Zoey as the cat who gave Mom and Dad a fright when she accidentally pulled out our screen one cool night, and made for a dramatic head count and cat hunt -- we all wisely stayed inside when the screen came out).

When Zack was introduced to Zoey, Zoey made some very rare hisses and growls and Zack made himself sideways and large, but otherwise paid no heed to Zoey. By the time Mom and Dad left Zoey had calmed down and was cautiously watching Zack from across the room. We think Zack and Zoey is a cute couple name for two cats. On the off chance that they don't mesh, Zack/Bandit will either move to our house, or back home to be Clara Ann's favorite kitten.

Gracie with Guido (to be renamed)
We are still taking name recommendations for the she-cat formerly called Guido (seen here with a cheesy Gracie).

Clara Ann tries to get Guido
And I know this picture is completely blurry, but I loved the action shot of Clara Ann chasing Guido. Please help them find a better name for this sweet girl kitten.

He's a she...


He's a she....
Originally uploaded by jenianddean

And our favorite sticky people (Gracie and Clara Ann) need some suggestions for a name for this super cute kitten.

When they thought she was a he, his name was Guido. But now he's a she and needs a girly name. Her litter mate who was named Julianna is now named Jackson...yep, she is actually a he. Her new sisters in the house are named Lane and Meowy.

So give us some suggestions for girly names and we will pass them on. And if they pick one of the suggestions, mom and dad will send out a small prize to the winner.

Thanks!

PhotoHunt: Aftermath

The PhotoHunters theme is Aftermath, and we've had two aftermath lately.

Jasper in the bag
First, the aftermath of opening all of Aunt Tiff's presents, I took my place in the brown paper bag that she brought the gifts in (the best present of all).

Maggie wants back in the garage
Then, the aftermath of all of Maggie's garage debacle ... and she still wants out there. There's no breaking her desire to be in the garage.

No Christmas decoration aftermath pictures, but we did help with the breaking down of the tree.

Next week's theme is Hat, which will be a tough one for us. I'll be sure to see what cute picture Daisy comes up with, though. But then January 31 is furry ... talk about an easy one for us.

Friday, January 09, 2009

Finally Friday

Maggie's sure glad it's Finally Friday, because she had one heck of a Thursday.

First, we had a plumber come by to look at our water heater. The spigot on the side of the water heater that might drip if there's a pressure buildup was dripping a lot. So of course, when the plumber went into the garage we went after him to snoopervise. At this point, really, I think we needed Harley and his toolbelt because this guy was a little off. He didn't turn off the water or drain the water heater before removing the spigot. Water went everywhere. Josie and Huggy Bear darted inside. Mom went looking for all of us to make sure we were in so she could open the big garage door and sweep the water out before anything was damaged. She couldn't find Maggie because she was trapped on the wrong side of the river running through the garage. Finally Mom found Maggie and rescued her.

Later, Maggie went up into the room where the litter box is. We have some boxes of books up there that still haven't found a home. Maggie got inside one of the boxes and curled up. So, being the funny big brother, I decided to lay down on top of that same box and trap her in. Oops... Mom to the rescue again.

Then to top things off, Mom and Dad took down the Christmas stuff during the BCS Championship game. Well, while the boxes were down, Maggie got way up high in the garage shelves. Once the boxes were put back, Dad thought we were all in and shut the door and turned off the garage light. Then he realized he didn't have Maggie. She had to commando crawl across some boxes, sometimes just using her front paws to pull herself, because she was squeezing so tight between the boxes and the ceiling. But she got down and got some extra treats. (And, to be honest, I think she liked being up there like that.)

Anyway, I think Maggie's ready for a fresh day with less excitement and more naps.

Thursday, January 08, 2009

Visiting new cat blogs

Kimo and Sabi challenged everyone to visit five new cat blogs. Well, during the week, I'd try to go to one or two to meet some new cat bloggers. I think this is a great exercise.

I visited Bhu and Goma. Sweet Praline has been telling me to go visit them, and I keep forgetting, so now with her love triangle, I figured I had to see what it was all about.

I also visited Cats ~ Goats ~ Quotes and was surprised I haven't visited them much before. I always see them around Photo Hunters, but somehow haven't been to their blog.

I also met Ms. P and Cinza from Castle Diva. They came and visited to see the kittens and I followed their link back to them. (I try to visit back to the cats who comment.)

I also met Peanut Butter and Jenny (that just makes me laugh). Peanut Butter had some really cute kitten pictures on Thursday, so you should go see them.

The there are Mishka and Milakoshka, two very cute Siberians. They are very funny.

I know I visited some more, but it was on another computer so I need to check the history.

Thanks, Kimo and Sabi, for supporting this contest. It's a great idea.

Thursday Thirteen #40: Christmas toys

Sweet Praline asked where I was in yesterday's picture. I was here:

Jasper sizes up the new balls
Aunt Tiff brought us Christmas presents when she came for New Year's Eve.

Here are thirteen Christmas presents we got:
1. The motorized feather ball from yesterday that wanders around the kitchen teasing us with feathers.
2. Spikey rattle ball.
3. Fuzzy ball.
4. Another rattle ball.
5. A fuzzy wand toy that Huggy Bear keeps carrying around.
6. More balls.
7. There were lots of balls in the package.
8. I mean a lot of them. I know the picture is blurry, but look at all the balls!
9. A Crazy Cat Woman book for Mom just so it's official.
10. Catnip mouse.
11. A fuzzy mouse.
12. A mouse with a really long tail.
13. The fuzzy ball is worth mentioning twice, because we all keep taking turns hunting it.

Josie with the new balls
Thanks Aunt Tiff for all the great toys! We love them, and even though we have the spread out all over the house, Dad hasn't stepped on any of them and broken them yet, so that's good too.

Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Tuxie Tuesday: Kitten Edition

As promised, I have super cute kitten pictures. If your Mom has a tendency to squee, look away now.

Mom and Dad and Aunt Tiff went over to Lisa and Brian's on Sunday (they are the mom and dad of the sticky girls who give us treats). Lisa and Brian live in the country and are a cat-magnet house. They seem to attract tuxedo cats, and one (Shelby) just had kittens.

Julianna
This is little Julianna. She is Gracie's new kitten, and will probably become an inside cat. Gracie keeps sneaking her inside anyway, and Julianna likes to try to slip in the garage door.

Guido and Bandit
Here are Guido and Bandit. Guido is on the left. He has a black spot on his chin (resembling a soul patch/goatee, which is his namesake). Bandit has the bandit's mask black coloring across his eyes. Brian has grown very fond of Guido. Bandit is very sweet, and purrs the instant anyone picks him up. He also likes to follow people around (and might just follow Mom and Dad home, maybe).

Julianna
Here's another Julianna picture. Isn't she a beauty? (Mom thihks she's a he, which might make him Julian.)

OK, enough kitten overload for one post...

Monday, January 05, 2009

Just a quick post...

Mom and Dad were gone all day yesterday, on a Sunday! But they were doing something good, helping a friend. But they came home smelling like kittens. Makes me a little nervous. I'll forewarn you, tomorrow's post is going to feature three very cute furballs.

Sunday, January 04, 2009

Easy Like Sunday

Jasper loves napping on a made bed
I love sleeping in a made bed ... or an un-made bed, I'm really not that picky.

Saturday, January 03, 2009

PhotoHunt: Hope

This year kicks off with a great PhotoHunt theme: Hope. I thought about trying for a "hope springs eternal" kind of picture, but decided to go with some humor instead:

Caught with Jasper fur in his paw
Huggy Bear is hoping that Mom and Dad don't catch him with a paw full of my furs. It might be tough to see, but in his left paw, you see that light colored something sticking out of his paw -- that's MINE, yes, my furs. He better HOPE he doesn't get caught, or get put in time out by Mom for playing too rough.

Oh, sure, I do HOPE everyone has an amazing 2009 ... I just don't have a picture to say it with.

Friday, January 02, 2009

Slow start to 2009

It's finally Friday, but with a holiday in the middle of the week, it feels like we had a mini-weekend. But I can still be excited about Friday. And even though Mom and Dad are working today and staying away from the house longer than they should, Aunt Tiff is here so we have company all day!

Plug him in and charge him up
I'm trying to recharge after the New Year's celebration ... Mom and Dad had friends over and stayed up later than I am allowed to say, but let's just say they needed to be plugged in all day Thursday so they could get moving again.

[We got an email from Canon and our camera should be back next week, repaired and like new, all covered by the warranty. Happy news, for sure.]