January 28, 2011

The Difference Between Cats and Dogs

It was such a warm day that Hubby and I ate lunch outside. A few crumbs hit the deck and I called the cat to come eat them. That's when the difference between cats and dogs became crystal clear. When we called our dogs, especially when we were eating, they ran excitedly to us. When we called the cat, he didn't come. I thought he was gone, but when I walked around the corner, there he was lying in the garden.

When we fed our dogs and they didn't eat what they were given, I just had to say I was giving it to the neighbor's dog (and then I called the other dog's name) and our dogs quickly ate their food. When I took the leftovers to the cat, he sniffed them, and turned away. Telling him I was giving them to the neighbor dog doesn't faze the cat. He lets the neighbor's dog eat his food every day anyway and knows there will always be more.

When we walked up on our sleeping dogs, they were happy to see us, and jumped up to lick our hands. When we walk up on the cat in one of his favorite spots, we can tell he is displeased, both by his whiney meow and the flip of his tail.

I will say that when we drive up after being gone awhile, the cat meets us at the garage door just like the dogs did. It's because he's hungry, but still... he's there.

The main difference is that even a dumb dog can be trained to do a few things, and the best we can do with this cat is teach him where the food bowl is. A dog can be put on a leash and is good company on a walk; I dare anyone to try to put a leash on this cat.

Until next time, may you have blessings and a pet who knows you are the boss,
Marti

January 26, 2011

Score One for The Cat

He had another fight with the mean cat, but this time he wasn't beat up too badly. And, the mean cat is missing a big chunk of hair. The cat was keeping it as a souvenir I think.

Hubby borrowed a cat trap from his brother and set it up by the deck. He put a big rock on top of a can of tuna (the cat doesn't' like tuna) and the cage on top of that. The next morning, the cage and rock were turned over, the can was empty, and had teeth marks in it. I don't think the mean cat did that. Tonight we're going to put a can of mackeral in it and set up the wildlife camera.



The cat has made himself quite at home here and has taken over my favorite lawn chair. I don't think I'm getting it back any time soon.





And if you think he looks lazy in the chair....



I've never seen him eat while lying on the floor, and then I noticed he was limping. Darn mean cat.

Until next time, may you have blessings and sweet kitties,
Marti

January 19, 2011

Late Resolutions

I wasn't going to make any resolutions or goals this year, other than continuing to use up my stash. But after seeing several pictures of myself in the wildlife camera, all from the rear, and all unflattering, I decided to go on a diet. My years of dieting, or attempted dieting, have shown me that I have no will power when it comes to food. Dr. Fearmonger (not his real name), on tv, says it is a food addiction. Hogwash! It may be a habit, it may be boredom, or it may be mental, but I don't think there are any addictive properties in food.

So anyway, beginning yesterday, I'm calorie counting. This is a bit like budgeting, and that is one thing I can do, so this diet might have a chance. According to an online calorie counting website, which may or may not be reliable - it is the internet after all - I need to consume no more than 1466 calories a day. That is based on my height, weight, and activity level.

Hubby brought home pizza Monday night. One slice of Pizza Hut Pan Pizza with cheese and black olive is 370 calories. I had two slices for lunch yesterday. Talk about taking a big chunk out of my calorie allowance! Today I'm baking a turkey. No dressing, no hot rolls, just turkey and vegetables. I can see how this diet is going to get old fast.

I must say, it's easier to keep from snacking all day when the food choices are so uninteresting.

Until next time, may you have blessings and a high metabolism,
Marti

Diet, My ordinary life, Goals

January 15, 2011

Winter is Here


Two weeks ago, if you told me we would have a big snow again this winter, I wouldn't have believed you. It just doesn't snow here much, and with our record snow last year (12 inches), I didn't think we would get one flake this winter. But I would have been wrong. Last Sunday it snowed. Big, wet, fluffy flakes that covered the ground quickly. Just as I was beginning to worry about the damage that heavy snow could cause, it let up and turned into the hard, dry little flakes we are used to. Then it stayed cold for days, and the last of our snow is finally gone today. The only remainders are deformed little ice chunks that used to be snowmen.

The snow and cold weather broke down the last of the cat's reserves, and he decided to be a well-behaved house cat. Except for a couple of excursions through the house to see what was going on, he stayed on a bed of towels in the kitchen. At first, he wanted out, then in, then out, then in, and then he settled down and decided in was best.





Doesn't his foot look better? He still limps, but I can't figure out why. It looks almost healed. Also, now that he is better, he doesn't want to be picked up anymore. Just as well, because I think I'm allergic to cats. Since I've been picking him up so much and carrying him around, and now that he's been in the house so much, I've noticed that my nose runs, my eyes itch, and I have a rash on my arms and stomach.

And now a confession. I've gotten quite the swelled head reading your comments about my caring for the cat. But the fact is, he's been around here for at least three years, and I spent at least a year of that trying to run him off before I decided to just live and let live. For some reason he chose us, not the other way around. I guess he finally wore down my resistance with his mean-spirited and obnoxious charm.

Now he's like the Flintstones cat. When we put him out at night, he tries to beat us back into the house.

Until next time, may you have blessings and higher resistance,
Marti

January 06, 2011

Cat Watch

After the cat got beat up last weekend, we set up a wildlife camera to see if the bully cat would return. Meanwhile, the cat limps out of the doghouse in the morning and waits for me to come pick him up and take him into the kitchen to eat. Then I carry him to a bed in a sunny spot on the deck where he spends the morning and eventually he limps over to a sleeping spot under a bush. At dusk, he limps back to the house where we feed him and then carry him back to the dog house where he has stayed all night since he got hurt. Or so we thought. Pictures tell the story.

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Early Saturday morning, The Bully Cat roams the deck. (The camera clock is set on daylight time)

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Sunday morning, I fed The Cat and got him settled on the deck, and then we left for church.

Cat got up and checked to see if we left anything and then heads back to his bed.

We got back from church and he was right where we had left him.

After lunch, we started taking down Christmas decorations and he watched from his bed.

Pic 219, 226

We went in to rest and out came The Cat.

We came back out to put up the boxes, feed the cat, carried him to the dog house, and went in for our dinner.

The Cat came back out and checked out the deck.

After we went to bed, The Bully Cat came over.

The Cat followed him and then guarded the deck.

Monday, January 3, 2011

Hubby checked on The Cat before he left for work and said the cat was in the dog house waiting for him. Too cold for The Cat to want to leave the dog house. Later, he came to the house with Hubby and demanded some cat food.

After the sun came out, I put him on a bed on the deck and he came right back to the house.

Snoopy showed up to see if anything was left in the cat bowl. And fyi, electric fences don’t work on Trex decks.

The Cat checking out the food bowl. It’s empty so he sat by the office door meowing until he got Hubby’s attention. His foot started bleeding and I decided to take him to the vet Tuesday if I can get him in a cage.

I fed him and put him to bed in the dog house. He came back. He’s learned to hop, or skip, or something.

Hubby heard something and thought it might be The Bully Cat.

I put out a bowl of food right in front of the camera so we could see the bully cat from the front. The Cat came to check it out. I don’t know if he ate it all.



Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Early Tuesday morning, The Bully Cat showed up.

The Cat is up bright and early. He usually doesn’t get up until after daylight and when it’s warmer.

I kept the cat inside to keep an eye on his foot. So there was no food when Snoopy came.

Or Bailey

I have no idea why I am carrying The Cat or why he is letting me.

I went to the vet’s office, picked up a cat tranquilizer and a squeeze cage, and then spent the next hour trying to get the cat to eat it. Finally dissolved the pill in whipping cream and smeared it on his paws while he was cleaning them. He ate enough to get a little groggy and we dropped him into the cage. Off to the vet.

I brought him home in a Rubbermaid tub. He was tranquilized so I didn’t need a lid on it.

The vet gave him a anesthetic shot, shaved his leg, took some of the loose skin off, packed the leg with antibiotic powder, gave him an antibiotic shot, wrapped his leg, and sent us home. The leg is wrapped from toe to shoulder. While he was coming out of the anesthetic, he was on a pallet on the floor and seemed agitated so I put him on my lap and pet him until he could move enough to get down. By then, he was beginning to growl and wanted to walk. Since we didn’t have a cage, we locked him in the shed for the night to protect him from any cats who might come into the dog house.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Early Wednesday, a black and white cat came by. Haven’t seen this one before.

Then The Bully Cat checked out the deck.

This morning, the cat was really hungry and meowing loudly to be let out of the shed. I have more antibiotic I have to put on his food. The vet assured me it tastes like chicken and cats love it. Not this cat. I put it on canned food and he ate a few bites and then wanted the dry stuff. He went to the cabinet where the dry stuff is and waited. I didn’t give it to him and eventually, he got mad and went to the door, so I let him out. Then he wanted in. So I let him in. Then out. Then he went to the office door and began meowing loudly until Hubby came to the house and asked me if I had fed him yet. So I put the medicated food out with him. He finally got hungry enough to eat it. Tomorrow, I’m rubbing the stuff on his foot and letting him eat what he wants.

He doesn’t like the wrap on his leg because he can’t bend it and do his hop.

Another neighbor’s dog. The fence didn’t keep her out either. The cat was inside when this one came into the backyard and The Cat and I watched her through the window.

Now that I know a little pain won’t stop the cat from guarding the deck at night, he is locked in the shed again tonight. He would be an easy target for The Bully Cat right now.

That’s it for the critter cam pictures and update on the cat. Oh yeah, the vet told me that he needed a name for his records, so the cat now has an official name. It’s Tom, or as the prescription says, Tom ******(our last name). I have a feeling we’ll still just call him the cat.

Until next time, may you have blessings and a camera to check up on your furbaby,

Marti