Thursday Thirteen #45: Fighting fleas

We spent quite a bit of time in the bathroom last night fighting fleas with Capstar and Frontline. This has got to be my least favorite thing to do on a Wednesday night. Here are 13 things I'd rather be doing than fighting fleas:

1. I'd rather be fighting the power.
2. Or fighting the good fight.
3. Or even fighting the Man.
4. Shoot, I'd even be OK getting pounced by Maggie.
5. Or even getting spooked when I'm in the litter box (which is never a good thing).
6. I'd be OK being put on a diet.
7. Or forced to exercise.
8. I'd even consider a new sibling (although new siblings seem to bring fleas).
9. I'd consider a move.
10. Or a collar.
11. I might even wear clothes.
12. We'll definitely forgive Mom and Dad for tormenting us with the flea treatments.
13. It just may take a day or two...

Thanks to everyone for giving their advice on the fleas. Mom and Dad have been cleaning the house and washing all our napping spots. We hope this does the trick. But enough aggravating flea talk ... here's a cute Maggie picture instead:


Maggie in the master bathroom window looking for birds.

Thursday Thirteen #44: Random 13

There are lots of random things to mention, things that often get lost in the shuffle of some of the other posts, so I'm doing 13 random things ...

1. First, and foremost, our Aunt Tiff got a nursing job! Hooray for Aunt Tiffy!
2. We're still following the Kitty Fight Club, and while the first rule of Fight Club is that you don't talk about Fight Club, I'm talking about it...
3. ... so go and vote for Sweet Praline ...
4. ... and also vote for Sanjee. The competitions are getting tougher and tougher.
5. Mom and Dad are totally geeked about the roller derby round robin three squad battle for the SC state championship. (Oh you have no idea how much fun this really is until you've been!)

6. We have a bird's nest in our fern on the front porch. Leave it for just a minute and next thing you know there's a nest with eggs.

This is the momma bird.
7. We met the new kitten down the street. He's a little gray and white tabby that has been coming over and visiting. His name is BoSox and he is Bella's little brother.
8. Bella is the orange cutie who comes over and invades our back deck.
9. Zoey, Zack's BIG sister (and I mean BIG like she waddles like an otter), caught BoSox stealing some of her Mom's attention (and crunchy food) and chased him down the street back to his house.
10. Mom and Dad have even more projects this weekend. I guess I just need to pray for rain on the weekend so we can get some proper snuggle time.
11. I know I mentioned Aunt Tiff's job, but we're so excited for her I'm mentioning it again!
12. Mom and Dad are participating in the Nielsen TV ratings, so they'll be logging their TV watching for the next week starting today...
13. ... I hope they don't get writer's cramp, because they can be TV junkies.

Thursday Thirteen #43 -- No April Fools Jokes

I decided not to do an April Fools post on Wednesday. I had some ideas, but decided not to. Here's what I could have said:
1. We're quitting the blog.
2. We're getting a kitten.
3. We're moving.
4. We're getting a dog.
5. We're sending Maggie to join the circus.
6. Mom's going to start her own theatre (she's spending enough time at Workshop right now anyway).
7. Mom's having a baby.
8. I've had enough, I'm moving across town to live with Sweet Praline.
9. Huggy Bear is going to be Dad's "office cat" and offer therapeutic purrs to the patients. (Is there an insurance code for that?)
10. We're getting jobs to earn our keep.
11. We're going to cat jail after failed a attempt to abduct Cocky, the South Carolina chicken mascot (he's really big, and I bet he'd taste good).
12. The house is being divided into a boy's floor and a girl's floor.
13. Mom and Dad won Powerball and we're going on a Catblogosphere World Tour to visit everyone.

But, alas, none of those are true, and we know how excited people can get about kittens, and moves, and babies, and quitting blogging, so we decided to just do a Wordless Wednesday post instead. But it was a very fun picture of Josie relaxing in the sun with Maggie's shadow. (I wonder if Maggie knew her shadow was visiting Josie?)

Side note (or as mom likes to say Dad's To Do List): Dad's next cat project

Thursday Thirteen #42: Grocery Day

Wednesday are usually grocery day. Mom will pick Dad up from work and they will go to Sam's, then the Fresh Market and Publix, loading up on all the necessities. Grocery Day is exciting for us. Here are thirteen good things about grocery day:

1. Maggie gets to put her stink on the apples (see yesterday's Wordless Wednesday).
2. Sometimes Maggie will try to put the bitey on the apples, too, although she has yet to actually eat one.
3. We get to play in the bags.
4. The pantry door is left open, so we can sometimes steal the treat bag or some catnip.
5. We get extra garage time because Mom and Dad unload the groceries into the wagon to bring them in from the car.
6. Sometimes we get treats or new toys.
7. If it's a good day, we get to smell a rotisserie chicken.
8. Sometimes Mom will get shrimp, too, which is one of Josie's favorites to smell (although she doesn't eat it too much).
9. It is always exciting to see what Mom has come up with for the week.
10. Sometimes Mom and Dad will get a drink at Sam's, so Huggy Bear will chew on the straws.
11. Fresh catfood!
12. It's another good reason to get on the cabinet and snoopervise.
13. The leftovers come out of the fridge to make room for the fresh food, so there are all kinds of smells and containers to examine.

This was our 42nd Thursday Thirteen. Dad contained the impulse to sneak in a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy reference while I was typing, and I'm proud of him for that. Happy Thursday!

Thursday Thirteen #41: Things we have taught Mom and Dad

It's been since Christmas that I've done a Thursday Thirteen, and I figure it's time for one. So here are thirteen things we have taught Mom and Dad.

1. Maggie has taught them that short-haired cats can be soft, and are not pokey just because their hair is short.
2. Goodness can be stinky.
3. Conversely, stinky is not always goodness.
4. There's always a new, better place for a nap.
5. And there's always time for a nap.
6. No matter how hard you try to deter us, we will do it if we want to.
7. You may not know how we got in there, but we did.
8. If a cord is dangling, it must mean you want it to be chewed.
9. The top step is actually supposed to be a cat scratcher.
10. Toilet paper is a cat toy.
11. No matter where Maggie is in the house, if you are unwrapping a Hershey's kiss, she will hear you.
12. You may think you are clean, but you actually need a bath.
13. There's a box somewhere that needs a cat asleep on it.

Thursday Thirteen #40: Christmas toys

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


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.


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.

Thursday Thirteen #39: Human food

This weekend Mom was going through some of her collection of recipes from her favorite magazines. Instead of keeping a huge stack of magazines that are mostly ads anyway, Mom cuts out the pages she needs and organizes them into three-ring binders. Mom is going to be helping a friend with food for his birthday this Spring, and wanted to get some ideas.


Maggie decided to help Mom choose some recipes. But then she decided to mark which ones she liked by putting the toothy death to them. And that's why she ended up in the air in yesterday's Wordless Wednesday picture.

But speaking of human food, here are thirteen of our favorite people foods to go after:
1. Chick-fil-A: Their slogan says Eat Mor Chikin, and I couldn't agree more. Usually Huggy Bear is very good about minding his manners when Mom and Dad are eating, but he goes a little nuts when the "Chick" is in the house.
2. Cheerios: Maggie love the honey of an O and tries to get Dad's cereal when he's eating breakfast. She even snuck and ate some of Mom's cereal when she turned away.
3. Cereal milk: The milk in the bottom of the bowl is so so good!
4. Pineapple syrup: You know the juice that the canned pineapple is in? That is the best thing ever!
5. Salt: I don't eat salt from the shaker, but I lick salty fingertips after Mom and Dad have chips.
6. Cheetos: OK, I'll he honest, I don't eat Cheetos much, but Fluffy who came before us, he was a big Cheetos fan, so it has to make the list in his honor.
7. Shrimp: Of course we like shrimp, but I think we like the thought of shrimp even more than the actual eating of the shrimp, especially Josie, who will beg and beg for shrimp, then snub it once Mom fixes her some.
8. Cheese: Huggy Bear will meez for cheese like nobody's business. I would swear he was part meezer if not for the fact that he's a big house panther. He likes Kraft cheese slices, and some of the soft cheese, like goat cheese and cream cheese.
9. Chicken: Now that's a no brainer. Mom will get the rotisserie chicken from Sam's when she needs some for a recipe quick. She gets what she needs, and then we get a treat from what's left.
10. Kaiser rolls: OK, we don't really eat rolls, but the other day Dad was eating some soup Mom had fixed and Maggie hopped up on the table, gave a sniff sniff, then licked his roll!
11. Bacon: Although we don't get it often, bacon is very good. Maybe it's better because we don't get it too often.
12. Yogurt: A while back Mom and Dad had picked up some yogurt at the store and HB would lick the container after they were done. He really seemed to like it, or at least like the challenge of licking it.
13. Ice: So maybe ice really isn't a "food" but it is one of our favorite things that comes from the fridge. It's especially fun to bat around the kitchen floor, then to leave where it will make a puddle for Mom to step in.

And just a note: We are very excited about Secret Paws!

Thursday Thirteen #38 -- Totally random

Today's Thursday Thirteen theme is "Totally random" (13 letters -- how's that for coincidence).

1. Dad has promised to use the stack of cardboard boxes in the garage to make our own scratcher like in the latest issue of ReadyMade.
2. The neighbor cat really freaked Dad out last night. He was taking the trash out and, after making sure the garage was all clear, he opened the door to get some things for the recycler. Well, coming back around the house, Dad saw a cat's tail, and he said "Jasper?" and then the cat did a cartoon run-run-run in place before darting away. Dad came inside and did another head count just in case.
3. Could you imagine if the cat had stayed in the garage without Dad noticing, then he let us in to play in the garage? Chaos!
4. Mom and Dad are finally going to spend a reasonable amount of the weekend with us ... the first time in three weekends.
5. Did you see these World Animal Day pictures? Some really cool cats and big felines.
6. Even doing random thoughts, it can still be hard to fill a T13.
7. Everyone wanted to know what Huggy Bear was looking at in yesterday's Wordless Wednesday. It was shot in the morning while Dad waited for his carpool ride. I think Bear was just enjoying a relaxing window view from his dining room table perch.
8. I wish I had a screened-in porch. Today was beautiful.
9. Why a screened-in porch and not outside. Well, the other day I heard the neighbor's cat face off with a wandering dog -- cat won, dog yelped. I just don't want that pressure.
10. Josie tried to stop Dad from going to work this morning by grabbing his leg. I think she was enjoying the pets, but I think he has to work for us to get treats.
11. Not that I wouldn't give up a few treats to have more Mom and Dad time.
12. Mom and Dad want more time in the day, but I know they'd probably just nap like I would.
13. Think it's time for a nap ... all that random thinking wore me out.

Thursday Thirteen #37 -- Reasons to purr

There are plenty of things that get my purr going, but for a while I had turned my purr off. I can't explain why. I was a purr machine as a kitten, but then for about a year or so I just didn't purr. I think I rediscovered my purr after Josie came to us. So my Thursday Thirteen is thirteen reason to purr (sort of a Thankful T13)...


1. Since Josie started me purring again, Josie is number one on my list.
2. But I would be neglectful to not say that Huggy Bear and Maggie are worth a purr, too.
3. I always purr when I get comments from all my catblog friends.
4. I get a little purry when Mom and Dad come home and call for us.
5. I really like to purr when I come into the computer room and Mom is on the computer and I can jump up on the desk and block the monitor.
6. I also purr when I get in bed and curl up on Dad's pillow and get pets.
7. Mild days with the windows open, a cool breeze and warm sunshine make me purr too.
8. And sinks... definitely sinks. Sometimes the purrs resonate from the sink and amplify downstairs so Mom and Dad can hear me purr.
9. Stinky goodness, of course.
10. Helping Mom and Dad make the bed gets my motor running too.
11. I will purr when Mom and Dad rub between the toes of my rear right paw (but not my left...).
12. And head skritches really get me to purr too.
13. Dad seems to think football makes me purr, but really it's watching football with Mom and Dad that makes me purr.

Thursday Thirteen -- 6+4+3

Here we go ... trying something different for Thursday Thirteen ... I'm six years old, Huggy Bear and Josie are four, and Maggie is three. So since six plus four plus three is thirteen, I'm going to post pictures of us, one from each year of our lives.

1. Jasper year one


2. Jasper year two


3. Jasper year three


4. Jasper year four


5. Jasper year five


6. Jasper year six


7. Josie and Huggy Bear year one


8. Josie and Huggy Bear year two




9. Josie and Huggy Bear year three




10. Josie and Huggy Bear year four




11. Maggie year one


12. Maggie year two


13. Maggie year three

Thursday Thirteen #35 -- Jasper tidbits

To continue the Week of Jasper, I thought I would do this Thursday Thirteen all about me, and share some little tidbits about me before there was Josie and Huggy Bear and Maggie. It's not that I don't like my brother and sisters, but this week is all about me.

1. I was named after the fat crook on 101 Dalmatians ... well, not actually "after" him, because I'm not a fat puppy thief, but more because Dad always thought that would make a good cat name.
2. I was adopted from a no-kill shelter in East Moline, Illinois.
3. I was born in the shelter and my mother was a Manx who was later adopted by a friend of a friend. Mom and Dad suspect my dad was Maine Coon.
4. The lady at the shelter had a rude name for me because I must have been a little mischievous but I've proven her wrong by being a super sweet mancat.
5. Although I was born in Illinois, I lived across the river in Iowa for almost two years before moving to South Carolina.
6. I went outside a few times on a leash, but didn't like the wind (first time out) or the snow (second time out). Snow?!? What were they thinking?
7. I once emptied an entire box of Kleenex tissues that was upstairs, bringing them downstairs by the mouthful to Mom and Dad. I was on a mission that day.
8. I have always liked sleeping in bowls, and will even now open a cabinet and curl up in a bowl.
9. I've always had freckles on my nose and lips, and Dad did research and found out that this is normal on orange cats.
10. I don't like riding in the car at all. Mom and Dad tried a test drive with me before we moved to South Carolina and I think I lost about a pound of fur in the car. (I don't think I'll ever be brave like Timothy when it comes to the car.)
11. When we were in Iowa Mom and Dad suspected a mouse was in the house. Although I never caught it, it was only seen once. I think it got sight of me and knew better than to come back.
12. My first day home Mom and Dad put me in the bathroom since I'd never been out in a house before. I unrolled an entire roll of toilet paper. That was fun.
13. I was the last of my litter to be adopted. I was waiting for Mom and Dad to show up. I'm just thankful that they saw the flier at the printing shop and that Mom was all "Aww.... aren't they cute? I want a kitten" and that Dad said "OK" and that they came on the day they did and saw the cutest orange kitten they'd ever seen and that that kitten was me.

Thursday Thirteen #34 -- Stroller ride

I really can't believe it's been over a month since my last Thursday Thirteen. Thursdays have turned into a bit of a catch-all day for awards and updates and giving thanks lately. But I'm back on track with the Thursday Thirteens, I think.

Maggie and Josie have been alternating going for walks with Mom and Dad. This really helps Mom and Dad stay motivated in their goal to walk more.


Here are thirteen things that Maggie and Josie have experienced during their recent walks.

1. Mom and Dad went for a walk Friday afternoon with Josie. A neighbor's dog had gotten out from the fence and came to visit Dad.
2. The dog wanted to visit Josie but Mom wouldn't let her.
3. But Josie did meet a nice neighbor lady and her two boys.
4. Then a light rain started and Josie scooted into the back of the stroller to stay dry.
5. Josie's walk was cut a little short because of the rain, but she got extra treats when she got home for getting misted on.
6. Tuesday night is the night before trash day, so Maggie got to sniff all kinds of stinky trash cans.
7. Her walk was a little longer than Josie's and she got to sniff the air on the street where a lot of dogs live.
8. Maggie hasn't seen any dogs on her walks recently.
9. She did get to see a big dummy driving way to fast up the street.
10. For walks when it gets a little dark Mom and Dad have a headlamp attached to the stroller so Maggie has some extra light.
11. Maggie likes to sniff the air on her walks and she also likes to curl up on her Kitty Kozy during her rides.
12. At first she freaked out when she was reintroduced to going for walks and Mom and Dad had to cut the walk short.
13. Maggie likes to nap in the stroller when it is in the house, and sometimes she will sleep on the top of the canopy.

Thursday Thirteen #33: Punchlines

It seems that I confused some of you with what I was sleeping on in yesterday's Wordless Wednesday. There's this old plant stand that I claimed as my own when I was a kitten. It has a wire basket-style shelf that is very cool and vented and I really like to nap in it. But it did look odd and slightly uncomfortable in the picture if you didn't know what it was. Here's another view:


This is me in the "cat stand" napping beside Huggy Bear.

I can't believe I've done 33 of these Thursday Thirteens. They are probably the most challenging of the themed posts that I do ... they really make my cat brain work. I think that's probably why I nap so much on Wednesdays.

It has been very, very hot in Columbia lately, which makes everyone even more sluggish. I think Wednesday was around 103 and today's supposed to be 101. So I'm offering for today's T13 thirteen different punchlines to this setup:

"It's hot in Columbia today."
"How hot is it?"
"It's so hot ...

1. ... the devil was seen complaining about the heat."
2. ... clocks downtown looked like they were from a Salvidor Dali painting."
3. ... Mom and Dad's excuse for not taking Maggie on a walk was valid."
4. ... I just need to nap all day."
5. ... Mom's tomato plants turned into sun-dried tomato plants."
6. ... you could fry an egg on the sidewalk. Seriously. Try it." ::rim shot::
7. ... that the neighbor's pool looks like a hot tub."
8. ... the asphalt road turned into a tar pit."
9. ... I'm desperately telling bad weather jokes that aren't even funny."
10. ... I can't even think straight."
11. ... Maggie and Huggy Bear don't even want garage time."
12. ... people are going into the steam room to cool down."
13. Oh, I give up. There's a reason why I don't tell jokes, much less try to make them up. I'm more of the set-up guy. Stay cool everyone.

Thursday Thirteen #32 -- creepy crawlies

After Tuesday's lizard adventure, I figure maybe I'd do a T13 on the creepy crawly things Mom detests the most. While most of these have not been in our house, they still deserve a place on the list, so, in no particular order...

1. Fleas -- a complete pain, and one we had to deal with when Josie, HB and Maggie came into the house.
2. "Palmetto bugs" (aka roaches) -- they are fun for us to hunt, but Mom is less than thrilled when one shows up.
3. Lizards -- OK, this guy moved to the top of the list on Tuesday. Until then, they were just a nice little distraction when she was outside in the yard.
4. Ants -- honestly, we don't even notice these, but Mom says they exist and are a pain.
5. Flies -- more good hunting, but just a pest.
6. Moths -- less of a hassle, but good sport.
7. Earwigs -- these "mini" scorpions are freaky when you find one and they point their little pincher up at you. These make for good tub hockey pucks.
8. Spiders -- more fun hunting, especially in the garage.
9. Snakes -- no love lost with the snakes. Fortunately, none have come into the house, just the one in the garage last year.
10. Mice -- never had a mouse in the house here. We had a little one in Iowa, but he got one look at me and we never saw him again!
11. Frogs -- they just freak Mom out, and she can't explain why. Sometimes we'll get one in the garage, but never in the house.
12. Birds -- OK, birds aren't creepy or crawly, but they do freak Mom out. Kind of like frogs, she can't explain it. They just do.
13. Lizards -- after Tuesday, worth mentioning twice. Yikes!

[Update: I guess this could be 13b, because I can't believe I forgot Mosquitoes. Something we don't hunt, but Mom and Dad do. They are particularly bad here in South Carolina this time of year.]

Thursday Thirteen #31: Baby it's hot outside

Before I start on my Thursday Thirteen, I want to share this great link that Yaffa and Sabastian posted the other day for a FREE sample of Greenies Pill Pocket Treats. This is perfect timing because we need to give Josie some Lysine and this may be the answer. Thanks for the great link!

In yesterday's post, Maggie was looking at all her cat hairs (and dust) floating in the air, catching the late afternoon sunlight.

Josie gets real squinty after the ointment is put in her eye, but the Flurbi is eye drops, and although she's not a big fan of getting the drops in her eye, it looks much better after she gets them in (and it has an anti-inflammatory in it, which Mom and Dad think is really going to help).

Thursday Thirteen

It has been hot hot hot down here in South Carolina. The temperatures the other day peaked above 100, and add in the humidity and it is just unpleasant. So for today's T13, I present 13 ways to stay cool...

1. Nap in the bathroom sink. The coolest, cool place to be.
2. Nap in the cat stand. It has great ventilation for my undercarriage.
3. Nap on the guest bathroom floor. Bathrooms are always cooler.
4. Nap on the air vent.
5. Nap on the cement floor in the garage. Hot in the garage, but cool on your belly.
6. Nap in the middle of the kitchen floor. Cool, plus you're in the way so you'll get pets.
7. Nap in the dark closet, preferably on the duffel bag.
8. Nap on the tile half-wall in the bathroom. Tile is always cool.
9. Nap in the downstairs hall closet ... it's near an air exchange.
10. Nap in the room with the ceiling fan on (if the ceiling fan doesn't freak you out).
11. Nap on the dryer (when it's not running).
12. Nap in the sink (it's worth mentioning twice).
13. Drink plenty of ice water. Hey, it couldn't all be napping, could it?

Josie update, award & Thursday Thirteen #30: Weight control?

Thank you all for coming and checking on Josie and wishing her well and sending her purrs. She is doing better and squinting a lot less. Although she's not all well, she is showing improvement. Mom still worries, but I think she's going to be OK.

I need to thank Sweet Praline for giving me the cool cat award. I am so glad that I was the one to introduce her to the Cat Blogosphere and that she has had so much fun doing it.

I know that I am supposed to pass this along to five other cat bloggers, and I promise that I will, but I'm a bit distracted with worrying about Josie.

And now, for the Thursday Thirteen. I heard Mom say to Dad that, after she lifted me yesterday, she thought I was feeling a little "extra floofy" and that I "may have put on some floof" which concerns me because it sure sounds like diet talk to me. So for my Thursday Thirteen, I offer thirteen weight control issues...

1. There are two big boys, and two little girls in our house. If they put us on a diet, won't that mean that the girls lose out on their good food too?
2. We all know the ladies dig the extra floof.
3. I come from big cats so I'm actually just right.
4. What, do they expect me to exercise? If Dad can't get his happy heinie out of bed in the morning to do a few minutes on the treadmill, then what do they expect out of me.
5. More cat means more to snuggle with.
6. I need this insulation for when Maggie pounces.
7. If I lose weight I won't be able to do a widebody Wednesday post.
8. I'm trying to hang with Fat Eric.
9. I don't eat treats ...
10. ... I hardly eat stinky goodness ...
11. ... what could they take away?
12. Sure, I want to be healthy. Don't we all? Maybe we need to come up with a lifestyle plan for me.
13. Or maybe it's time to redefine "normal" cat size.

Thursday Thirteen #29 -- Mom and Dad's vacation

Mom and Dad went on vacation to Ocean Isle Beach in North Carolina last week. They really don't leave us very often, so it was kind of a big deal for them and for us. So I'm dedicating my T13 to what happened with us from their vacation...

1. Most importantly, they came home.
2. They brought us nip cigars from the cat store that Sweet Praline's Mom told them to go to.
3. Josie claimed the first nip cigar.

She went right to "smoking" her nip cigar.
4. Mom and Dad also brought us some new mice to play with.
5. I got the brown mouse and Huggy Bear got the gray mouse.

But he preferred trying to get the cigar instead.
6. Dad thinks the new mice will grow on us.
7. When Tish was watching us, the pantry door didn't latch completely one night.
8. We managed to open the pantry door and plundered the toy basket.
9. Aunt Tish was on the phone with Mom and said, "Uh, oh. I goofed," as soon as she walked in and say about 30 toys and a bag of catnip scattered all over the kitchen floor.
10. We managed to skin a toy mouse that Dad had bought for my birthday.

This is the head with most of the fur and all of the tail pulled off.

Here's the tail. Huggy Bear is triumphantly carrying the tail around to all parts of the house.
11. Now that Mom and Dad are home we are sleeping on their bags before they can get them all put away.
12. Plus we're getting all kinds of extra love from Mom and Dad while they were gone.
13. We also learned that there are cats at the beach that prowl around and hunt.

This one was investigating the grill a while after Dad was done grilling on it. Unfortunately, Dad didn't leave anything behind for him because he didn't expect that kind of company. But we're sure he found some seafood.

Thursday Thirteen #28: Wordless reviewed

A lot of people were trying to figure out just what was going on in yesterday's Wordless Wednesday. Looks like a perfect Thursday Thirteen topic...

1. Huggy Bear and Josie were tiny tiny kittens still.
2. We were in the kitchen in the old apartment.
3. Huggy Bear was definitely trying to get me.
4. I'm somewhere in between playing with Huggy Bear ...
5. ... and trying to resist pouncing him.
6. I think it was more of me trying to escape, really.
7. I forgot how little they really were.
8. Josie's still pretty small, but she was tiny then.
9. And Josie had a really floofy tail.
10. I think her smallness makes her tail look even floofier.
11. Mom uploaded a bunch of kitten pictures to Flickr.
12. Including two cute pictures of the three of us napping in bed together.
13. Maggie's birthday is coming up and I think that's why Mom was uploading kitten pictures.

Thursday Thirteen #27 -- Rough start to the morning

This morning was a rough start for Mom and Dad, and here's why, in 13 parts...

1. Mom awoke at 5:40 to the sound of one of us throwing up.
2. She woke up Dad, saying, "Huggy Bear's throwing up."
3. "I think he threw up in the hall."
4. "No," waking up a little, Dad still looking for his glasses.
5. "I think he threw up on my bag!"
6. Ugh... hairball and throw up.
7. Huggy must have been startled when Mom woke up.
8. Looks like he was on the move a little, covering a good two feet. Yuck!
9. He did throw up on some junk mail -- good aim!
10. Dad cleaned it up. Then he cleaned the carpet some. It'll need some awake cleaning.
11. Then Dad thought, I'm already up, I could be productive this morning.
12. But he went back to be instead.
13. I recommend using head nudges to try to wake Mom and Dad in the future. It works for me. They've even learned to pet me in my sleep. Plus it's less mess.

Thursday Thirteen #26: 13 Messages

Mom and Dad were out of town last weekend going to a few high school graduations. Since they were away, they called to check on us. Usually, we don't answer the phone, but we will listen to the messages. Here are the 13 messages they could have (or should have) left for us.

1. "...did you hear the beep? I think that was the beep. Oh, it's recording ... Hi Jasper, Josie, Maggie and Huggy Bear. We miss you very much. We're bad, bad, bad parents for leaving you for five days but will give you lots of treats when we get back."
2. "Just driving down the road. We saw someone walking their dog at a rest stop and though about which of you would have been patient enough to make this long trip. Only Maggie, I think, so you're all probably better off at home." (Likely story. Make it look like they did us a favor.)
3. "Got to Knoxville. Uncle Doug has two big dogs that would have chased you. Be glad you are home."


4. "Gray, your cousin cat, posed for a picture, but I think it was just because he was hungry." (Not nice to talk about feeding other cats, but fortunately Aunt Tish came by and gave us love and treats.)


5. "Tommy has a pet snake!" (OK, we investigated a snake in the garage once, and it was interesting enough, but I don't know if we need to see another one.)
6. "We met Chris' dog Fenway and she's very sweet and cute." (What's with all the dogs?!?)
7. "Heading to Mississippi. This drive is long and boring. Be glad you're napping in bed. We miss you." (See how they'd throw in the "we miss you" but instead of driving home they drive further away instead?)


8. "Red Dog wore the mortar board from the graduation cake. I think she plans on graduating too." (OK, more dog talk ... at least Red Dog is cute.)


9. "Prissy is small than HB and Jasper!" (Silly little dog, really.)
10. "It's been too long ... we don't sleep as well without you!"
11. "We're packing the car and coming home." (This should have been message #2.)


12. "We just passed about 1000 military veterans on motorcycles on their way to Washington, DC. Very cool, but loud. Be glad you're napping in a cool house right now."
13. "We're turning onto our street. See you in a minute."

We did get lots of love when they got home, and lots of treats too. (And fortunately no t-shirt that says, "My parents drove all the way across the Southeast and all I got was this t-shirt.")