About the Cat

This week Lucy has graciously donated space in her column so you can see the latest happenings in the Fox household. Check out the cat. And the bird. Who knew?

My apologies for the dark photos, clearly I don't do this for a living. These photos were taken in the laundry room. As it happens we’ve watched a few episodes of My Cat from Hell. I’ve noticed cat people cry a lot.

Anyway, we were lucky enough to score some free shelves from a client’s remodel recently and we put a few around the house so the felines could watch cat TV. For those of you who are going, ‘huh?’ Cat TV is the cat staring out the window at the goings on outside. Yeah, I had a few, ‘huh?’ moments myself. But the cats seem to love them, if constantly going up and down them and playing with each other on them is any indication.

A week or so ago we saw a bird land on the window while the cat was watching. We just laughed and forgot about it because the bird flew away immediately. Then a couple days later, we were in the living room, and heard a tapping sound on the window. The closest window is the one in the laundry room. And it’s fifteen feet up, so it’s not like the neighbor came over to knock on the window. Unless he brought a ladder. Tap-tap-tap. Silence. Tap-tap-tap. Tap. Tap. Silence.

The next thing we know, both cats and the dog are running for the laundry room. I get up and peek around the corner, and there’s the bird, tapping on the window. Of course as soon as he saw me, (I’m guessing, but the timing seemed perfect) he flew away.

The bird has done this several days in a row now. He waits for Keegan, they have their moment, and then he flies away. I’ve actually been able to set up my tripod and photograph it. I couldn’t get Fiona because she jumps right on to the window sill and smacks the glass with her paw. For obvious reasons the bird is outta there. Keegan, however, seems content to just stare at the bird from a little distance.

Over our front door, we have one of those half round windows. This morning, as I was getting ready to take Lucy outside, I hear tapping. I look up and there’s the same bird! At the front of the house, perched on the half-round looking inside.

At first it was kinda cool. Now it’s getting just the tiniest bit creepy. Anyone remember Alfred Hitchcock’s, The Birds?

Life with Lucy #4

Greetings! It’s been an interesting week around the Fox household as Lucy makes herself at home. She’s doing her best to fit in, and we love her dearly. There are just some things that have to work themselves out. Read on.

Hello, it’s me, Lucy. I don’t know who YOU are. I can’t smell you. There are no butts in my line of sight to sniff. But Mom says you are there, and I trust Mom, so I believe her.

I love my new forever home. I love almost everything about it. Except one thing. It haz cats!! Cats are evil. I’ve tried my best to make friends with both of the cats that live here. The first few days they hid under the bed. That was fine with me. I could smell them but Mom wouldn’t let me get under the bed to meet them.

Then they came out! They were sneaky. Look at this one trying to creepup to me when I’m sleeping next to Mom’s desk. Her name’s Fiona. I brought her my balls to play fetch with me, and all she does is glare at me. When she’s sitting on the kitchen chair and I walk by, she swats at my head with her paw and hisses. She’s very small. Not much bigger than a squirrel. But she’s got a big attitude.

And the other one! His name is Keegan and he’s a big guy for a cat. He hissed and swatted at me when I tried to sniff his butt. I only tried to say hello. It’s not my fault he’s rude and doesn’t sniff in return. He doesn’t run from me like Fiona does. He holds his ground and hisses. Especially in Mom’s lap. We don’t fight over being there, we just try to nudge each other out of the way for space. Mom says we have to share. I think it’s not me that needs the lesson in sharing. It’s those nasty cats.

On a good note though, I had second breakfast today. Dad got up to answer the phone and I ate his sausage and cheese omelet. It was awesome! I even licked the plate clean. It’s going to be a fun day!

Remember, it’s been years since either one of us has had a dog. So it’s the little things the catch us by surprise.

No, she didn’t get yelled at for eating the eggs. It wasn’t her fault because she hadn’t been taught yet not to eat from our plates. The issue hadn’t come up. I was at the stove, and when I turned around there she was standing on the sofa leaning onto the side table, licking the plate to a shine. She looked at me and wagged her tail. Truly, I had to turn away and laugh. How could you not?

Once breakfast was finished however, she did get lessons on not eating from our plates. And she’s fine with it. Have a great weekend everyone!

About Cats

The title is no joke. If you are a person who believes the only good use for a cat is a doorstop, you can stop reading. Otherwise, let’s continue. Shall we?

Lately I’ve become aware of some interesting feline behavior in our household. It’s well, dare I say it? Almost canine. We’ve had our cats going on seven years now. They were one year old rescue cats when we got them. The first few years, they exhibited normal cattitudes about everything.

Now, if we’re in the house, they must be in the same room with us, or they will not stop calling until they are. Much like a three year old. Or a puppy. Not only do they come when called, they respond with a particular sounding ‘meow’. Each one seems to recognize its name.

If they are about to do something they shouldn’t, like get on the counter top, we can point at them, make an “Ah-ah!” sound and they stop what they are doing, and sometimes run the other direction. Again, much like a child, or a dog.

When we have been away, and come home they are both waiting at the door, and ‘talk’ to us as we enter. I find the whole noise making thing very interesting because they never, and I mean NEVER do it to each other. It seems like the longer we have them, the more interactive and personable they become.

And I must add that none of this is motivated by basic necessities such as food, water, litter, etc. They don’t get treats because one has a very sensitive stomach. And will not tolerate any of the several we’ve tried over the years. Food and water are available twenty-four seven so we’ve never had the ‘omg, feed me or I’m going to die!’ issue.

Right now, they are both on my desk sleeping. They seem to be normal healthy cats. But they are the first ones we’ve had so I have no idea if everyone else’s cats do this or not. And that’s the crux of this post. I’ve always heard cats behave in a particular independent fashion which is why a lot of people don’t care for them. Ours don’t seem to do that anymore. Do your cats interact with you in a way that’s really not catlike?

Dirty Laundry

I grabbed a load of laundry out of the dryer, turned around to put it on the laundry table, then seeing something dark out of the corner of my eye, thought I'd left something in there.


Nope. He got in there, and out, all by himself. Fortunately, his sister came and stalled him long enough for me to take a picture.

Don't you just love animals? They make you laugh in spite of yourself.

Friday Funny

Stay warm out there. Have a great weekend!

Tuesday Treat

Here's a smile for your Tuesday. They make me grin every time.

Another Excuse

But a cute one, no? There are days I wonder why I can’t get any writing done. The moment I turn to my desk during the day, this is what I see. She must be there. Some days it’s not too bad, but if it’s a strechy day, she tends to stand and arch up in front of the screen constantly which makes it hard for me to see, and we argue. Not much though. She usually gives me the cat eye, and I sit down and be quiet. I’m a well trained person. Just ask her.

Don't Do It, Just Think About It

Doesn't he look like he's seriously considering doing it?


Why do cats like boxes so much anyway?

I'm thinking he's only in here to keep the other cat out. It's the whole dominance thing in action.