WFF Update

Thought I would give you all an update on the current WFF, World Federation of Felines, sports organization.  The boys have been working to create a new sport…it is to be half boxing and half wrestling.  It is interesting watching them develop this new sport.  There are many trials and errors to determine which moves work best together.

So far, I can give you a sketch of what it will ultimately be like.  The match starts out with the boys boxing with each other.  The face each other and sit on their hind legs and swat at each other with their paws.  Or some times, they stand and box with one paw. 

Each of them takes and gives a few blows before one of them will jump over the other’s head and make a run for it.  This is just a ploy though.  The runner will suddenly turn and face his opponent and catch him in surprise.  With ears back and tail switching with determination, the runner is ready for the full face attack.  The pursuer is caught off guard because he expects a chase.  He is faced with slowing down and preparing for a crash.

When the crash happens, they each grab for purchase on the other.  The fall over and begin to wrestle.  Here is where they practice many of their holds to see which one works best.  They also bite and scratch.  The ultimate goal is to grab a throat hold and force the other into submission.

There is a count one is declared the winner.  Then they separate and begin the process all over again.  They try this sport on all types of surfaces….the bed, the floor, the couch, the cat tree, the kitchen counter, the bathtub…  You name it, they have tried it.

It seems that surprise attack is one of the aspects that they are still working out.  How this part will work as part of a spectator sport, I am not sure.  However, the art of surprise is definitely part of the process.  A farovite place is in the bathroom behind the shower curtain.  That can be a disadvantage if one tries to push the other into the tub.  This is especially dangerous if the person happens to be in the shower and the water is running.  I think that is like counting coup for Indians. 

I am still not sure how the point system works.  I am also not sure how many matches you have to win to be declared champion.  Those details are still being worked out.  Hopefully soon, I will be able to provide a score card.

The Bigger They Are The Harder They Fall

At least that is my experience lately.  My two teenage boys…(the cats that is) certainly make a huge thud when they do their acrobatics and wrestling all over the floor.   They lay in wait one for the other.  McGyver gives up first.  Usually he will start calling Mojoe who could care less.  Mojoe will make McGyver jealous by interacting with me.  He will bring a toy to me or simply curl up in my lap and look contentedly at McGyver.  “See mom loves me best….”

They have gotten over their fear of “going bye bye” too.  Now their toys litter the floor as if they were never picked up and placed away.  Mojoe has his favorit mouse.  McGyver’s favorite is anything Mojoe is playing with.  Mojoe is more inventive.  He has this way of looking when he is thinking something through.  That head of his tips to the side.  I am sure that if he had a hand he would have his chin in the plam while he thinks through a situation.

McGyver is more the type that just gets into the middle of something and figures it out while he is working through it.  He is definitely more fearless.  However, his “devil may care” attitude can get him into trouble with his “fools rush in” mode of operation.  Somehow he always looks like he ‘meant” to do what ever turns out.

On the 4th, I had a friend over.  He has a greyhound.  We walked down to the festivities in Davidson and then came back to the apartment.  He brought Mia with him.  It is amazing how many people will talk with you if you have a dog.  “Note to self….get Ranger Dog”

Anyway, he brought Mia into the apartment.  She walked around and checked the place out.  Of course the “boys” disappeared before the door was even opened.  As the evening wore on, Mia made herself at home and stretched out on the floor.  Although she gave off a relaxed attitude, she was aware of the other furry things that lived in my apartment.

After a while, McGyver came out of the bedroom and did a cursory cruise of the living area.  He took a few sniffs, stretched out his neck to see what that “thing” was and settled down under the endtable.  Every so often, McGyver would stand up and go over to the other side of the room to see if the “thing” had moved.

To Mia’s credit, she acted like a perfect little lady.  No barking at all.  She did not even try to chase the kitties.  To McGyver’s credit, there was no hissing or slapping.  He simply checked out Mia and took up his post beside me.

It was much like the don’t ask, don’t tell policy.  Don’t ask what “it” is and don’t tell “it” I’m here.  I think both of them adopted that mode of thinking.  Mojoe, on the other hand, hid under the covers like an ostritch hiding his head in the sand.  “If I can’t see it, it can’t see me.”

The Boys

It’s been a while since I dedicated a whole entry to the boys.  Well, let me catch you up on a few things….  The boys have been especially loving lately.  I think that in their little cat minds, they are trying to curry favor with me.  After all, Jerome was here and then he was gone.  Even though they really did not want him here, it must have set their minds to wondering if they were next to go out the door and not come back.

Both McGyver and Mojoe have been picking up their toys and putting the away.  That is if “away” means that they have all ended up in the bedroom at the foot of my bed.  I don’t know if they were doing inventory to see if anything had gone missing or if they were getting their things out of the main room in case I needed to vacuum or had company over.  In either case, all of their worldly goods are piled at the foot of the bed. 

They still play with the stuff all day but when it’s lights out, it all gets brought into the bedroom.  And, they keep adding to the pile of stuff too.  They are little thieves.  I find pens, small objects of art, paperclips, magnets, plastic forks, plastic bags, q-tips, you name it.  If they can pick it up, they add it to the pile. 

One morning, I found my cell phone on the floor.  Good thing they haven’t figured out how to open it and actually make calls.  I guess they would call 1-800-i-want-catnip, or 1-800-give-me-a-treat, or maybe even one of those racy sites that speaks catonese so they could order all sorts of paraphanalia.  (Of course Mojoe would do the dialing, he seems to be the smarter of the two.  And, McGyver would do the talking because he has a bigger vocabulary.) 

Good thing they don’t have access to my bank account or my visa number!  I might come home to almost anything.

Of course they still wrestle and chase eachother.  They are getting to be pretty good at sneak attacks and hit and runs.  McGyver is always trying to lure Mojoe into a trap by calling him to “come look” at something.  But, Mojoe is not fooled on bit.  He waits McGyver out unitl McGyver gives up and just comes up and slaps him side the head.  Then the fight is on again.

Both of them are trying to look especially handsome to me.  They will call me and then when I respond, will lay down and roll over to show me how strong and handsome they are.  If one thinks the other is showing him up, then they start bringing me things.  They are especially huggy kitties but they do like to be petted and like to have their heads rubbed.  While I am here, they like to be close to me.  I am always in their sights.  That makes me feel good too.

The Language Of Love

As I write this, one of my kitties, McGyver, is lying on the desk beside my lap top.  Ever so oftern, he lets out a soft noise as if he is holding a conversation with me.  I ask him a question or I give him an answer based on the inflection of his voice.  Whether we are actually “speaking the same language” , who knows….  But, we both know the language of love.

I am not talking about “romantic love”.  I am talking about regular every day love that we feel for each other.  This language does not need words.  It is spoken with a look or a touch.  It hold reassurance from the giver to the recipient and vice versa.

For me to convey it to the boys, I pet them.  I coo to them.  I hold them close and listen to them purr.  They lean into me while they are in my lap.  They lay beside me on the couch.  Mojoe like to push me with his head on my arm to let me know he wants to be touched.  McGyver stands behind me and pokes me in the back.

Fathers, Mothers, Sisters, Brothers and Friends, sometimes even strangers.  Reach out to those around them with the same type of language.  The sermon yesterday was about Jesus and children.  He welcomed them to him as we should welcome them to us.

Teenage girls desire to have touch…it teaches them good touch from bad touch.  Studies show that about the time they need more touch….Fathers tend to be reluctant to touch them as they had when they were younger.  Or just as they want more, they get less because it is discouraged….  How sad. 

Boys need touch too.  However they get less because of being considered sissy.  So, dads and moms alike need to figure out how to give them love without making them “feel” sissy about it.

All people need touch.  We are born to crave it.  It is so sad that it is not freely given.

Security

Everything alive wants to feel safe and secure.  That was brought home to me this past week when I found an abandonded kitten at the Vet’s office.  When I came back from the post office on Wednesday, I heard and saw a tiny black kitten in the yard of the office.  I informed Karen that we had a kitten in need of help.

It took us two days but we finally caught it.  Poor things kept walking around outside crying at the top of it’s lungs.  However, when we got close to it, it would rund for fear of being hurt in some way.  On Thursday, we double teamed it and caught it. 

Poor little Jerome was covered in motor oil and was a pitiful sight.  He was given a bath and fed.  We drew some blood and sent it off to see if he had lukemia or aids.  The test came back negative.  We put him in a cat carrier and he yelled until he was hoarse.  I felt so sorry for him.

On Friday, he was given another bath and the first round of shots.  I agreed to take him home with me for the weekend.  He is still here at the time of this writing. 

On Friday night and Saturday, he continued to yell.  He would eat, sleep some, poop and yell, yell, yell.  I wasn’t sure that he would ever feel secure and safe.  He would purr when I picked him up.  He would cry when I put him down.

Today, finally, he has figured out that he is safe and secure.  He is happy to see me.  He has actually started playing.  He has finally figured out that all humans are not mean or hurtful.  He has leared to trust me and let himself feel free of fear.

My boys, well they are slowly coming around.  For the past three days, they have blamed me for bringing that little black “thing” in to the house.  They are thinking that it might be fund to play with.  They are still standoffish but are seeing that he does not pose a threat.

This little one has shown me that there is hope for all of those lost little ones.  Maybe even me….Jerome had to learn that he was safe and not to worry that he was going to be harmed again.  I need to know the same thing.  I do know.  There will be rough times.   But, there are those out there, including God, that are willing to catch me and help me if I need it.

The little one cannot stay with me.   But, I can foster him for a while…. Anyone know someone who wants a little black kitty?

A Trip To The Dentist

If you will remember, I mentioned that I needed to have a tooth crowned.  Well, three weeks ago, I went and had the prep work done for the crown.  The procedure went smoothly even though I hate needles and shots.  And, even though I metabolize the pain medicine very quickly. 

When the procedure was done, I was fitted with a temporary.  Before the afternoon was over, the temporary fell off and I went to have it recemented in. 

Then next day, the temporary fell off again.  I called the Dentist office and inquired about what I should do.  The person I spoke with stated I could come back in to get it reglued or if the pain was not bad and I could tolerate the hot and the cold, I could leave the temporary off.  I opted for that solution since I could tolerate the hot and cold.

When I got to the Dentist today to have the permanent crown placed, I found out that my gums had grown around the stub of my tooth.  In order to seat the crown, they had to “trim” away some of my gums.  So, you can imagine my dismay at being told that I would have to be numbed again.

I reiterated that I had called the office to make sure what to do about the temporary.  I asked if I had worn the temporary, would I still have to have numbness and my gums trimmed.  The answer was no.  So, all because I was given not very good information, for which no one at the office would take credit, I had to brave the needle again.

I was given a shot.  They went away and came back to start.  They fired up the laser to trim my gums.  I felt it!  It hurt!  So, guess what, another shot….and another wait.  Then the laser again.  I felt it again. 

I am sure by this time the Dentist was as frustrated as I was.  But, he wasn’t the one having to have another shot…..  Which he gave me.  Two more actually.  And I still felt some of the trimming with the laser.

After they got the crown in place, my jaw throbbed, my heat hurt and half my face was totally numb.  The numbness is just now completely wearing off.  I went to the Dentist at 3:00 PM.  So, you do the math.

Now, my jaw is aching. 

They all apologized profusely.  They tried to be a gentle as they could.  But, I sitll had to endure an hour in the chair for something that should not have taken more than 15 minutes tops.

What was my consolation?  They gave me three gift cards.  That in no way made up for what I had to go through.  But, at least they tried….

Cleptomania

Here is a question for you…Can cats be cleptomaniacs?  Why do I ask?  Well, seems that Mojoe takes anything that he can pick up that suits his fancy.  If he can carry it, it is gone.  This is funny to watch.  He checks out whatever it is and decides by trying it out whether he can pick it up or not.  Matters not what it is.  My socks, my bra, my pens.  You get the idea.  If he can move it, he needs it.

Some times, he brings it back to me.  I think he is showing it to me to say “See what I found.”  Then he gets bent out of shape if I take it from him.  It’s his and he found it.  Finders keepers and all that….

Today, my socks were the prize that he took.  I had laid them on the bed while I was dressing for church.  Before I knew it, they were gone and so was he.  I found the socks in the middle of the floor.  He had pulled them apart (I make a ball out of them when I sort them after laundry).  Each sock had been propery killed and were really, really dead.  Before I picked them up, I had watched him hold them with his mouth and kick them with his feet.  He does that really well.  I have the scratches to prove it.

Speaking of scratches, the boys are really scrapping with each other these days.  I don’t think they have learned how to “hold back” with their strength when they are play fighting.  I hear one or the other of them yowl because the other has them in a hold that hurts.  Then the play fighting gets really serious until one or the other cries “Uncle” and they go to their separate corners.

They were chasing each other earlier today.  One ran up on the couch and over me.  And, now, I have scratches on my ankle and knee where they made contact and stuck claws in for purchase.  They also ran across the cross word puzzle I was working in the Sunday paper.  There is also a big tear right down the middle.

I am hoping that they get out of the “really wild” stage soon.  But, I am afraid that it is just starting.  They are still not quited a year old. 

They are really funny to watch.  They do not seem to have any fear at this point.  Only loud noises seem to cause them to pause…then they are at it again.  I wish I had a camera to tape some of this.  It is hilarious.  The only time they are quiet is when they run out of gas and stop at opposite corners.

Oh well, I am off to look for things that Mojoe has hidden.  Thank goodness the apartment is only 600 square feet.  And, he can’t get outside!!!  I catch myself saying…”Oh, so that is where this/that got off to.”  Thankfully he hasn’t tried to help me cook yet!

I’ve been slipped a mickey…..

Why the above title?  Well, yesterday when the boys got me up, I came out of the bedroom to find that the rest of the apartment had been trashed by a big blow out that the boys had while I was sleeping.  There was disarray every where I looked.  In the bathroom, the towels were pulled down and on the floor.  The bath mat was shaped into a mound.  There was cat litter every where.  My robe was in a pile on the floor.  Meaning that they had attempted to climb the door by climbing my robe.

The living area was not much better.  My poor aloe plant had been chewed up and taken apart.  Pieces of it were strewn throughout the apartment.  Dirt was all over the window seat and the carpeted floor below.  Toys were thrown haphazardly around.  Pieces of paper had been chewed and spit out also.  Cat food was on the floor.

You get the picture.  It was like a scene from Animal House when they had a frat party.  All that was missing was the boys were not wearing bed sheets as togas.  But, come to think of it, maybe that is why the towels were on the floor.  Maybe because they don’t have thumbs, they could not fashion the towels into togas….

Both of the boys were trying to look angelic.  Neither of them would admit they had anything to do with all of the mess.  As I stated in my blog yesterday, the quiet one kept eying his brother and looking at me like “you know”….  But, I also know that the quiet ones bear watching….

Why would I think I was slipped a mickey?  Well, how could they make all of this noise and I not hear any of it?  They must have devised a way to slip me something to make me sleep through it.  How could I not hear all the thudding and thumping that must have gone on? 

I sit here this morning watching the boys run from room to room and around my island.  Their ears are back and they are serious about the chase.  When one or the other stops, they start to circle each other and one makes the “move” .  It may be a little pat on the head or it may be a full frontal assault.  Then they fall over with a thud and start to wrestle. 

When these guys fall over, there is a definite thud.  I cannot imagine what my downstairs neighbors think is going on up here.  Surely they must hear all the thudding and thumping that goes on.  Even 8lbs of cat dropped from 6ft to the floor makes a defiinite thud.  (They both like to jump from the tower onto the back of the unsuspecting passerby)  Thankfully, my neighbor has not taken to beating on the ceiling with a broomstick to have them stop!  Neither has he made a visit to ask just what is going on.

They, whoever they are, say that cats sleep 16 hours a day.  How they figured that one out, I don’t know.  How do you get the job of chief cat sleep watcher?  I could handle that job!  Wonder how much it pays.  Regardless, these boys must sleep primarily during the day when no one is here to enjoy the quiet.

Again, I believe that the boys have perfected a way to slip me a mickey to ensure that when I go to bed, I pass out.  All I drink at home is water, coffee, or lemonade.  Often, when my mug is on the end table, one or the other of them or maybe both of them will stick their face in the mug to taste the contents.  I firmly believe now that rather than tasting, they are dropping the mickey into my drink.  After they are sure that I am in a drug induced stupor, they begin their festivities for the night.

As morning dawns, they get hungry from all the running around and wrestling they have been doing.  So, they wake me up and insist that I get out of bed to feed them.  Thankfully, they have not been able to get a hold of the phone.  If they did, I am sure that the pizza delivery guy would end up at my house some time during the night.  They also have not figured out how to open the lap top or how to get on the internet.

Although, I need to watch them closely.  Recently, when I am on the computer, they will come and get in my lap or sit on the desk beside me.  I thought it was because they wanted to be close to me.  Maybe, they are trying to figure out how to operate the computer.  I may be in trouble yet!  Who knows what web sites two miscreant boys, who have the whole night, would visit.  Or what 1-900 numbers they would call if they got the phone…..

Battle of wills

There is a battle of wills going on in my little apartment.  And, I am out numbered two to one by the four legged furry things that also call this place home for the time being.  So, I am hoping my superior wit and opposible thumbs will keep me in the lead.  Yeah Right!

These guys are good.  They wait until I go to bed at night, then they throw the most outrageous parties.  I honestly expect to find one of them wearing a lamp shade when I get up to see just what is going on.  Of course, they are like the proverbial roaches….when I turn on the lights, they scamper leaving behind them a trail of debris and turned over things and things out of place.

When questioned, they both look at me with those pretty eyes and slightly bent halos and ask “Who me?”   Well, I know I don’t sleepwalk and I have never like chewing on the potted plants, awake or asleep.  So, yes, it has to be one of you!

The quiet one leans towards his brother and looks at me with that “you know” face indicating that we both “know” who the culprit is.  I am smart enough not to fall for that one.  I know that the “quiet ones” bear a lot of watching.  They look so angelic that you would not think they would do anything like the wild bash that has been going on.

Then they both start with “I told him to stop….He just wouldn’t listen”. 

I do have one “child” that is vocal.  He usually does call his brother and get him involved in reaking havoc in the house.  The silent one does his share of convincing too.  He is just more quiet about it.  I can just hear him telling his brother that if he would just “shut up”…..they could do plenty without waking me.

I have to admit, I had forgotten about what it was like to have youngns in the house.  Abbie cat was almost 13 when I gave her away….(another long story that does not need to be gotten into now…Suffice to say it had something to do with Mr. Greenhouse).  So, Abbie and I had gotten used to a more mature animal in the house.  Abbie got to where she could navigate the house and not knock one thing over or down.  These guys are in that gawky teenage where they knock over everything they touch.

Of course, this is the first time I have had two at the same time.  Two at the same time that live in the house, that is.  Just like human siblings, they egg each other on.  Each claiming to be more daring that the other. 

And, just like children, they look like angels when they sleep.

The neatest thing they have learned lately….the ability to come up and get my attention by nudging my elbow with their heads.  That means they want me to pet them, or feed them, or play with them in some way.  It definitely gets my attention.  The other, is laying on the desk while I write.  The tail wags and tickles my nose or lays across the keyboard.  Just to let me know they are there…..

The Road Taken

After a particularly long day at work yesterday, I left to come home.  I had to stop for gas.  So, I decided rather than to go back to the interstate, I would take the long way home.  I just didn’t realize how “long” it would be.  LOL…. I’m not complaining.  The drive gave me a chance to see some of the countryside and to enjoy the scenery and a cause to pause….

I decided to take 115 from Troutman to Davidson.  I was driving along, with my mind on other things.  See, I am still learning this vet stuff at work.  Just when I think I might have made it about half way, fate steps in and shows me just how much more I have to learn.  However, this time when I was called to the Principal’s office, I made it through without getting “detention”.  The whole thing went well…. I gleaned some things from the lecture I received that I could put to use.  With every opportunity, there are chances to learn if we don’t become defensive.

Anyway, I was driving along, with my mind on things from work.  I was following the person in front of me, thinking about when I would need to turn left to stay on 115 to make it to Davidson.  When the car in front of me veered left, I went with him.  It was much like you see sheep follow the leader.  It took a few minutes to realize that I had taken the “wrong” left. 

By the time I realized that I had taken the wrong left, I was on the other side of Mooresville.  I knew the road was going in the general direction of east so, I “went along for the ride”.  Before I knew it, I was out in the middle the farming community around Mooresville… It was beautiful!  The rain we have had recently had made everything especially green and verdant.  Here and there were cows and horses enjoying the early evening out in the fields before being stabled for the night.

I had no idea where the road really went since I had never been on it before.  After a while, we came to a crossroad that indicated it was highway 3 and went North/South.  I took a turn and went south in hopes of hitting another crossroad that would indicate just where Davidson was from where I was.  Still, I was enjoying the scenery and was not a bit afraid that I would not find my way home. 

Soon, I saw the name of a road that I recognized and took it heading back towards civilization.  The ride home actually took me about 45 minutes.  That is 30 minutes longer than the usual 15/20 minutes the interstate takes.  I had actually made a big square.  The time was well spent in changing my frame of mind and showing me a part of this area that I had not seen before.

The boys were busy last night.  Evidently, after I went to bed, they decided to throw a party.  When I got up this morning, things were strewn everywhere.  And, to top it off, they had been in the plants and had spread dirt and debris all over the floor.  Of course each of them was busy trying to blame the other for the mess. 

I had to get out the vacuum cleaner to get up all the stuff off the carpet.  That scared them both and they went to the bedroom to hide.  I guess that is enough punishment for their misadventure.  I have a soft heart and they know it.  Both of them have tried to make nice.

The funny of the week from work….  We sent one of our vets out to look at a mini horse that had been limping for about a week.  The owner stated that the horse seemed to have a split in its front hoof.  The vet showed up at the appropriate time.  The owner had not coralled the horse for examination.  So, they chased the horse for about 30minutes trying to subdue it in order for the vet to give it an exam.  Notice I said chased….They never caught the horse.  It has never had a halter or a rope put on it.  So, it was not in the mood to be tied up for an exam.  Guess it was not lame…. I just do not see how a mini horse could outrun three people and not get cornered.  I just wish I had been there to see the rodeo!