Snugglers

Need I say more? Felix and Lulu . . . .

Please note: Crankpants has his paw wrapped around little Lulu.

Beggars

This is an attempt to eat ice-cream in the Guerrero household, while working. Notice the strategic positioning of each gatolino, working on every angle and ready for any spill or distraction that may result in a quick lick of ice-cream.

Actually, heavy dairy like milk and ice-cream are not good for cats, who are by nature lactose intolerant. It is important if you are feeding a cat, especially a kitten, to check with the doctor.

And beware of the Black Radishes! They will dip their paw in your vanilla ice cream if you don't watch out!

The cat tree grows

This is the cat tree work in progress, see how the gatolinos can walk accross the wall and into the bowl? I will make some comfy pillows and they should REALLY like them!

So far, they all played on them, scratched the pad (the wood is covered with the stuff the cats like to scratch) and sniffed the bowl.

There is more to come! This is just the beginning of the cat wall tree project. Where would you put the next bowl? how about a shelf? Keep in mind that cats like to get higher and higher up. They are alwyas looking for the tom most point to get into.

This second picture is with Lulu in the bowl and Felix just checking it out from below.

The Bowl

If you were going to make your own cat tree or house, what would you start with? What do you think the cats would like best?

Well, Jimmy started with a big woden bowl, shaped exclusively for the body of a gatolino!

It is the first step in a long project to make his own cat tree. So do you think the cats liked the tree so far? Take a look!

Oscar and a Long Walk

This is Oscar, Maxine's friend. She met Oscar last year when we were preparing for Hurricane Rita. There was a chance Oscar was going to have to stay with us through the storm, but his plans changed. He was the first dog we ever saw Maxine play with!

Today he came over and we went to an Arbortoreum. Do you know what that is? It is a place with a lot of trees and this one has a lot of trails you can walk. We took a really long walk, even though it is VERY hot out. At least we had the shade of the trees and the cool, damp earth from yesterdays storm. Maxine and Oscar had a great time.

This picture is of a very tired Maxine after the walk.

When we got home, Maxine wouldn't play and chase Oscar until the very last possible minute, literally just before he had to go home. Then they got out there, ran and chased and lept and had fun!

As we sat outside and watched them play, I saw this BIG bug and told Oscar's owner to look at it since it was right next to her. Well, she didn't like it at all! She got up and started screaming, "Yucky bug!"

What do you think about this bug? It is called a STINK BUG.


PS: By the way, guess who did NOT like Oscars visit at all? The Black Radishes! They all raced to higher ground except Lulu and when she found herself face to face with Oscar she didn't like it one bit!

RAW

Big news today for Maxine. She has always been picky about her food but lately it is just not sitting well with her. At the recommendation of a friend of hers, Marley, that she met at My Dog and Me we went to a place called Bones 2Go. It is all raw food made for dogs and cats. For her friend Marley, it really stabalized her internal system and helped her regulate. We are hoping for the same for Max!

She eats a patty and a half in the morning and a patty and a half in the evening. The cats, Simone and Lulu only since Felix is on a special diet for his urinary tract issues, will also go RAW. They all gulped it down just fine tonight. We will see how it goes!

Darn spoiled Black Radishes and Maxine!

Oh yah, do you remember Maxine's green t-shirt? She got her nickname DUB written on the back of the T! It is so cute. She got her nails done today at the GPA (Greyhound Pets of America) and she got a green collar as well. When they did her nails, they used a machine called a dremel. She liked it much better than the nail clippers!

And while she was at the GPA, she layed a fang on a BIG greyhound. I guess she didn't like his attitude!

Catnip

Everyone woke up this morning to a huge thunderstorm. Thunder shook the house and lightening filled the sky. And did it ever pour! As we waited to start our Saturday morning chores for the rain to let up, Jimmy took out our jar of catnip. Felix doesn't seem to care for it, Simone has never shown much interest, but Lulu has never really had an opportunity to try it. As you can see from the picture, she dove right in!

Simone also got in on the catnip action, they both rolled around in it until they were covered head to toe. Lulu seemed to enjoy it the most. Do you know why cats like catnip??? It makes them LOCO! And that is exactly what Lulu did, she went loco playing with a little red mouse. Twisting, turning, jumping, rolling, batting the mouse around, throwing it up in the air.

Simone also covered herself in catnip and started playing madly as well.

Cantalope

We set out to answer the quintessential question: do cats like cantalope? We read in an article that it was a good healthy treat and since our cats will eat anything it was easy to assume the cantalope would be a welcomed, refreshing treat. Here they are all in eager anticipation as Jimmy cut up the big melon.

Do you think they wolfed it down?

NO, they didn't. They smelled it and walked away!

But you never know with the black radishes . . . tonight Felix stole a piece of eggplant right off the baking sheet! Who would've thought a cat would eat a piece of eggplant?

Morning Fun

This morning I was up early getting ready and had the company of all three cats! This is Felix's normal perch in the morning, he basically hangs out with me and meows his cranky meow all morning. What is odd is that Simone was actually there, see her on the little chair?

Lulu was there too, I couldn't get her into the picture but she was checking out the bathtub. Right under the bathtub is where Ribbons lives and so sometimes the cats scratch at the tub trying to get to her!

And finally, Felix is intrigued by all things in the bathroom. He will stare at the flushed toilet trying to figure it out. Here he is peering into the shower after I got out, I wonder what he is looking for?

The Cat Burgler Returns

Do you know why Simone is licking her chops?

Remember when I told you about Simone's burglary skills? Well this morning I woke up to the sound of rummaging around in a drawer. Of course I wanted to ignore it off and go back to sleep, but as I was about to fall asleep I realized. . . . "NO! Simone!" And dashed into the kitchen. There was one small, top drawer open a crack and then I knew what was going on. She had entered through that top drawer and squeeeezed out the back of the drawer and dropped into the lower drawer, which just so happened to have cat snacks!

BUT we have wised up over the years and now we keep our cat snacks in closed, tupperware containers. Even if she breaks in, she won't get the treats or so the theory goes. But guess what? Yep, you guessed it, the little burgler cracked open that snack safe and went to town. Snacking until her hearts content! Can you see the white layer of dust on her?????

Snuggle follow up

For the record, Lulu and Maxine have no problem chilling together on the bed or elsewhere.

Here is a picture of Lulu and Maxine sleeping butt to butt!

Aren't they cute! To think that Maxine is at least 10 times Lulu's size!!!!!

Hot Fun in the Summertime

It is the middle of the summer and it is HOT! Maxine gets too hot to go to the bark park except for early morning and late evening. You have probably seen pictures of the enclosed, outdoor Bark Park on the videos we have sent out. Maxine loves to go to the Bark Park. Its a different experience than My Dog in Me since she can run freely in a much bigger space and run a lot further than at the indoor place.

Look how hot and tired she is in this picture!

Look at all the dogs enjoying the refreshing pool in the hot Texas sun! Do you think Maxine likes to go in the water???? Max doesn't go in the water unless she is chasing a dog and the dog, in an effort to get away from Max, dodges into the pool. She may be so excited about the chase that she forgets how much she HATES to be wet!

Dinner Time at the Guerrero Animal House

For those of you who have had the pleasure of dining with us without the cats behind locked doors you are in for a real treat. These cat's attitude toward food is more like that of a dog. They are beggars and buzzards, swooping down into our meal looking for a scrap of any sort to satisfy the palet.

EXHIBIT A: See this photo? It looks like a cute picture of Simone shaking hands with Jimmy. WRONG! This is a nearly missed diversion as Simone's paw was going in for the SCOOP right into Jimmy's bowl of broccoli and potatoes! Who even knew cats liked broccoli and potatoes! Do you?

EXHIBIT B: This is a picture of my plate at dinner time with the hyenas waiting for the moment I let my guard drop and BAM they can sneak a piece of my broccoli or dip their paw into my cheese sauce. I know, RUDE CATS!

The funny thing is they were not always like this. When Felix first moved in with us he didn't even LIKE people food. He wouldnt touch it, he wanted only his designated cat food.

Then Simone came along and she had a little bit more of a rough upbrining on the streets where she really did have to scrap for a living. She was often hungry and we think it made her a little paranoid about food. So she brought that habit into the household and the habit became a hobby! Now Felix is like a feline garbage disposal - he trolls the sink and would eat everything in sight if we let him! Even little Lulu is starting to get into the game.

DON'T WORRY, if you come to visit we will put the Black Radishes behind closed doors so you can eat in peace. This is a picture of the cats getting a little dollup of cheese each - this is how they are supposed to eat, at a designated time and place, off their own plates! And whose that in the background?

All Aboard the Jimmy Train

Lulu loves to ride the Jimmy Train! She gets on Jimmy's shoulders (like this picture) while he walks around the house.

Chugga chugga chugga chugga CHOO CHOO!

It's like he is a little train for Lulu to take from the office to the kitchen and then back again.

She also has a strange habit of every day climbing up on Jimmy's shoulders while he is working and GROOMING HIM! That's right, just like one of the cats, Lulu stands up there and licks Jimmy's hair! Can you believe it?

Snugglers

Felix is definitely the crankiest cat. It is not a hidden fact but one he shouts loudly every morning, noon and night. In the morning he is cock-el-doodle-do - the first to loudly proclaim (and mostly right in our ears) that he knows it MUST be close to 6 o'clock when they usually get fed. The drag is, he is usually off by about 30 minutes! Its not just in the morning, but all throughout the day he calls out with his distinctly cranky, demanding meow,

"Mrrrgh-owe!"



So what does all this crankiness have to do with cuddling? I don't know! But Felix is also the cat most likely to curl up in your lap and definitely the most likely cat to snuggle up with another cat. He and Lulu curl up together all the time. He used to curl up with Simone when she was a wee little cat, but now she is too independent, tough minded and well, frankly, she thinks Felix is a bit of a nerd.

Take a look at these pictures. Isn't that sweet?

More Boxes

This mornings favorite spot was the Shoe Box. Simone was in it all morning - for some reason they love the feel of being contained in something. This box definitely fit the bill!

Of course Lulu couldn't let Simone enjoy her new hang out all day so mid-day she weasled her way into the box and effectively kicked Simone out! She doesn't usually just pounce on the older cats (they are still a lot bigger than her!). She usually acts cute and little, licking their heads while she slowly moves in. Eventually there really isn't the room (or patience) for it any longer and the older cats abandon their spot and let the little one have it. Sometimes, it doesn't happen without a fight! Of course I don't mean a real, mean fight. But they do have play hard and sometimes that involves some pretty good fighting techniques (as discussed in previous blog).

Here's Lulu in the box. Can you tell them apart?

Operation Stray Cat Continues

Today we finally trapped Ribbons and took her to the doctor. This is a picture of her in the trap. Jimmy lured her in with very strong smelling food called Figaro. Once she was in there, we covered her with a big towel, this keeps her calm because its dark and cozy in the cage. We took her to the clinic and guess what? They were closed!! Now what?

We had to take her to the SPCA and see what they could do. While there we met a number of other stray cats there to see the doctor. Here is a picture of a little black cat in a trap.

Do you remember me telling you awhile back that someone had taken the ribbon off from around her neck? Well, when they did that they also took her to the doctor for her shots! So Ribbons didn't need to stay very long at the SPCA, she got to go home with us and then we freed her into the back yard.

Her friend OJ was hanging around when we got back and he is a real troublemaker! He comes over and plays with Ribbons on the porch a lot so it was important to take him to the doctor too, to make sure he was healthy and safe. He went into the cage and ate the food, but didn't trigger the trap! Rats, foiled again by mr. oj the orange cat.
While we were eating our lunch we suddenly heard a SLAM! Someone had triggered the trap, but who? So we went outside to see what had happened and guess who was in the trap? Not Ribbons, not OJ (the rascal) but it was Mother Cat. She is the one who had babies about three months ago. We had a bunch of little gatolinos running around the neighborhood.

Let me see if I have any pictures of those wee little cats. I couldn't find any but here is a picture of the Mama Cat in her cage. She looks a lot like Ribbons, huh? Maybe she is Ribbons mom?

Exercise

The easiest way to keep your cats trim and healthy is to help them keep a routine exercise regimen. Felix likes to do the backstroke in the cat pool, Simone prefers kick boxing and Lulu loves to ride her bike. Check out these pictures of Lulu keeping fit. What is your favorite kind of exercise?

To the vet!

Yesterday we took all three cats to the vet for nail clipping. This is how they looked as we got ready and everyone in their cages for the adventure. It is easy to get them into the cages - you just have to throw some treats in there and they rush in and you quickly shut the door behind them. SLAM!

But the older they get the wiser they get. Felix puts up a little bit of a stink but if you plop him right in, include snacks in the mix and then get that gate shut just as fast as you can it usually works.

At the vet, there were four little kittens running around. They were curious about the three black radishes, crept up to the cages and peered in. Felix let out a loud short HISSSSSSSS. Simone did her Bruce Lee sounds followed by a long and very dramatic HISSSSSSSSS. Lulu didn't mind the little ones one bit! No hissing at all.


Lulu hasn't quite picked up on the fact that the cages usually mean a yucky car ride (they hate that part) and often end in a painful shot or something else unpleasant at the vet. As you can see, after we came home yesterday she decided condo living was for her and shacked up in this cage for her afternoon snooze.