Mov'in On Up

It's with mixed emotions, and yes much to my surprise too, that Oliver is in the process of being "re-homed" 😢

The good news (for Oliver) is that he's going to live with Emilie.  So, although, yes, a new physical home, he's staying in the family. The bad news (for Oliver) is that there are already 3 other cats living at his new home.

He's never been around other cats, which might explain the first pic below, where he just looks miserable.

Here he is a couple days later looking better and a bit more relaxed.  Although, he's still being kept separated from the other cats.

To be honest, I thought I'd be more relieved and happier but that's not turning out to be the case, ALAS

Yes, I am ECSTATIC that I no longer have to clean hairballs and vomited cat food!  AND that I NO LONGER have a litter box to clean!  AND that I NO longer have cat hair from one end of the house to the other!

But I do miss him.  I'm pretty sure Trixie does too.  She seems a bit confused, and perhaps my imagination but seems she looks for him at times.  Tough timing too now that I am back to work and out of the house for most of the day, Trixie is now home all alone.

He had his routine and each night he could come find me just after dinner to check in and get a head rub.  Same in the mornings, both Trixie and Oliver would be there to greet me and encourage me to hurry up and get their breakfast served.

So, yeah, I kinda miss him.

BFF's

Frick and Frack!

These two get along and are fine together, perhaps even 'bonded' but Trixie is the one in charge.  Basically, she tolerates Oliver and will let him know when it crosses the line.

That being said, he is forever sitting and watching over Trixie when she's sleeping.  Sometimes playfully waiting to pounce but mostly it seems like he's concerned and keeping a close eye on her -

Wicked smaht these two, taking advantage of and lounging in the sun -

Me on the other hand, well lets just say that I am NOT a cat person AND I'm tired of searching each room in the house every morning, like hunting eggs on Easter morning, with fingers crossed hoping they're all cat vomit free, GRRR. Despise finding signs of him up on the counter, DOUBLE GRRR (if I ever catching him, OY VEY) and being unable to have house plants because he eats them, ASS!

Fairly certain that come the warmer weather, which is right around the corner, Oliver is going to become a full time outdoor cat, HOORAY!!

Pets Don't Know We Turned Clocks Back

Honestly, I do!

There are a number of reasons too but let's start with this one, which happened to me this morning -

Trixie has NO idea the clocks have been turned back.  Her internal clock is still operating on DST, so she's had me up at 4:00ish every morning this past week to let her outside to do her business.

This morning was no different, so up I got.  Well at 4:00ish it's still very much dark out.  Since my plan was to go back to bed I didn't turn on any lights, instead I simply make my way downstairs.  This hasn't been a problem in the past, however, a different story today!

As a made my way down the hallway and turned to head down the stairs I stepped in something wet and squishy!  I mean I "stepped in it" with the ball and toes of my left foot, YUCK!

Well, the no lights things went out the window, as I immediately flipped on the hallway lights and as I suspected there lay a pile of cat hair vomit, GRRR!

Instead of letting Trixie out to do her thing, then crawling back into my warm bed, I was on bended knees cleaning cat puke off the carpet, screaming and swearing like a drunken sailor!

Needless to say I was NOT and I am STILL NOT happy, nor was I able to go back to bed, as I was too jacked up.

In the midst of that event I made the decision that the cat HAS TO GO, which I am still very much adamant about even now some 10 hours later!

I'm a firm believer that the best kind of cat is a dead cat!

To The Victor Belong The Spoils!

So, I just finished mopping the floors this morning.  Since they were still wet I took a seat in the living room to give them time to dry before walking on them and put things back in place.

A couple minutes later I hear, what sounded like the cat chasing her bell ball around in the other room, so didn't give it too much thought beyond that.

However, about 5-minutes later, when I made my way into the front hall, I noticed drops of blood all over the foyer carpet!  Trixie was with me in the living rooms, so not worries it was her blood, rather I assumed it was the frick'n cat -

Then I look up and am SHOCKED to see the below, my blinds torn apart and ruined, WTF, and NOW I am livid -

So, off I go in a seek and destroy mission to find Oliver!

I see him at the top of the stairs and immediately head that way with steam shooting outta my ears, however, when I get to the top of the stairs I am further shocked at what I discover -

A dead female Sparrow lying and staining my carpet!

Although, I am still upset at the destroyed blinds, which I now need to replace, I'm kinda proud that Oliver took care of this prowler!  I've seen him attempt to catch a chipmunk that was essentially cornered and he failed, so I assumed he was special needs when it came to his hunting abilities but that has now changed!

Seems the screen was opened just enough and this sparrow thought it a good idea to venture inside. I'm fairly certain that she won't be doing this ever again 😉(as I drop her into the trash barrel)...

Urge To Kill Rising

Akin to placing a seashell against your ear to hear the ocean, you can also go outside every morning some where around 5:00AM to 5:30AM Eastern time and listen closely, it's quite possible that you can hear me screaming and cursing, as I'm either cleaning up cat puke from my carpets or scooping cat excrement from the litter box!

Who's idea was it to domesticate cats?  I'd like to dig this person up, just to be able to slap them in the face!

R O A R!

Rise and shine!

King of the ole homestead jungle (so he thinks...)

Inquiring Noses

I've gotten into the habit of letting Trixie and Oliver check out any delivery packages I receive, as well as any bags I return with from running errands.  For example, before opening any packages, I'll place them on the kitchen floor and give them some time, see above picture; same with the bags from the market, on the kitchen floor versus the counter like I used to. They both seem to enjoy it and it occupies them for a short while, hopefully breaking up the monotony for them.

Indoor Sun Bathing

These two are too funny.

They often take advantage of the warm sun pouring in through the windows. Often times competing for the sunny spots.  Regardless of who gets there first, it's clear the victor stretches' out, zonks out and enjoys the warmth, content as content can be.

Adventures of Trixie & Oliver

A couple things about these pics - 

First, please ignore how bad the linoleum looks. I know it's bad, alas!

Second, Oliver is forever sitting close to Trixie when she's sleeping.  Not sure if he's keeping guard or worried or senses something, perhaps he's simply waiting for the opportunity to jump in that bed. I like to think he's keeping a watch because he's concerned about his buddy. 

Third, ever since I pulled out the winter pet blankets and placed them in the pet beds, Trixie is forever wrestling with hers. She'll scratch at it, flip it here and there with her nose, all seemingly to arrange it to her liking and comfort.  It's comical to watch but what's even funnier is where her bad ends up when she's done.  The picture below is just one example and as you can see it's in the middle of the kitchen and she's perfectly content and napping away, HA.  I'll move it back to where my OCD wants its, even when she's in it, and I'll usually open the blanket and drape it back over her bed when she's up and she will then go at it remake her bed to her liking before settling back in.

Seems Trixie just might have picked up some of my OCD tendencies, the poor thing...

Mr. Grumpy Cat

The king on his throne!

He's just SO grumpy at times.

Just look at his puss and the glare he's giving me, what a dink!

He sleeps in the weirdest positions - 

And in the weirdest places too -

He has his favorite spots for sure but some of the spots he picks are odd and seemingly out of the blue. He's always content wherever he decides to nap. 

High And Tight!

In the infamous words of Popeye, "that's all I can stands, and I can't stands no more", so off to the groomer Oliver went this morning. Haircut, bath and nails!  I opted for the lions tail option, thinking it would make him look more intimidating but he's such a wimp and it didn't help.

I couldn't take it any longer, his hair is all over the place from top to bottom, and he's constantly throwing up hairballs, UGH!

Hoping that shaving him will help prevent the hairballs! With less hair on him, there should be less to fall out all over the house. We'll see. Let's hope so, otherwise he's going because the grooming doesn't help that he still needs a liter box...

Before -

After -

I didn't realize just how much of a crybaby he is!  He started as soon as I put him in the crate and it continued in the car and into the groomers some 20 minutes later.  SO, dramatic and worse than Trixie.

Mr. Routine

Oliver is such an odd ball!

He's such a creature of habit too.  I swear he has OCD, like me.  Seems everything he does is routine and the same day in and day out.  From the moment he opens my bedroom door in the morning, around 5ish, till he goes to bed, I can find him in specific spots throughout the day.

This picture shows him relatively new napping place.  Perhaps, because just to the left is my office where I spent most days.  I guess he wants to stay close.

I'm looking to find a local groomer that does cats.  Unfortunately, Trixie's groomer doesn't do cats.  I like to find a place that will give him a bath and a really close shave.  His frick'n hair is EVERYWHERE, I can't stand it, UGH!

Cat Turds

Admittedly, I have SO much trouble litter box scooping cat poop!

Oliver's litter box is a round dome covered type of unit.

All in all, it works well. No complaints.

Here's the issue -

The area where the liter goes is rounded.

The pooper-scooper is square.

I swear Oliver intentionally poops precisely where the square scooper can't reach.

Kind of like trying to get that one pea off your plate and onto your fork.  Or that one hair stuck to the shower wall off by tossing handfuls of water at it as it scooches every so slightly with each attempt.

Try as I may, I'm seldom successful in getting all the turds scooped in one shot, UGH!  My first impression is to use a finger to help, like skootching that one pea onto the fork, but then I remember I'm in a litter box. There's NO finger skootching of a cat turd, no way no how!

Too Fresh And Clean...

I put all the dog and cat blankets, bedding, toys, bandanas and beds in the washing machine on Thursday.  Everything is now nice and clean, and it all smells fresh too!

Here it is Sunday and Oliver, who can typically be found sleeping in the pictured crate, has yet to set one paw in it since being cleaned.  He sits and curls up on the rug just in front of the door to go in

 He did the same thing with his scratching post, which has a bed a top of it. I have the unit by a window and it's tall enough that when he's in it he can see outside and he was always in it. The unit is all covered with rug and he used to love to sleep in it but months ago when I had the rug cleaner out, I used it to also clean his scratching post and bed, and I have NOT seen him in it since.

He's such an odd ball!

BFFs

Oliver keeping an eye on a sleeping, and snoring, Trixie!

She's getting older and slowing down a bit and he seems to recognize that and seems to keep a close eye on her.

So Modest Is Oliver

Okay, so I was looking for Oliver the other afternoon, as he wasn't sleeping in his usual spot on the couch.  Now it's very possible he wasn't in his usual spot on the couch because I banished him and put some magazines in his spot.  Too much hair getting on the couch.

I checked the other spots he sometimes uses and again he wasn't there. So, I begin my search by going room to room and to my surprise I find him curled up nice and comfy on the spare bed - not that I'm any more pleased that his hair will now be all over the bed, alas.

However, the absolute funniest thing is that he is curled up against his own self image pillow!  I did NOT place him there and this was NOT a staged picture, no sir.  Plus you can tell he's content there and that I woke him from his nap.

What a ham bone he is!

Bargain Succulents

Trixie and Oliver both approve of my Lowe's bargain find.

It was marked down so low I just couldn't refuse.

I've since separated the plants into three individual pots, and so far so good, they seems to be doing just fine.

The good news too is that Oliver hasn't bothered with them.  He's notorious for chewing and eating on my plants, such a bad boy.

The Life of Riley

Trixie dog and Oliver cat sure do live a stress free life; No worries in the world.

I can only assume these are comfortable positions, as I often see these two in similar and weird positions quite often.

I love Trixie.  She's been my confidant and saving grace this past year!

Oliver I tolerate.  He's really a good cat, however, I do NOT like a) any aspect of his litter box and b) his throwing up, which is almost always on the carpet!  Why not the linoleum, UGH!

All I can say is it's a good thing these two can't talk, yikes!

I Hope This Works!

Trying something new here, a raised, slow feeder bowl for cats

Getting SO SO tired of cleaning up cat vomit all the time!

Did some research and seems cats often eat their food too fast, which introduces too much air into their stomachs and sometime they can also ingesting hair.  This combination makes the cats queasy thus causing them to puke.  It always surprises me at just how much unchewed food comes back up supporting the theory of them eating too fast.

Anyway, this new bowl is supposed to address these issues.  It's raised which puts the cat's mouth at a better position in relation to its stomach and helps the cat swallow more easily, it also reduces neck burden and with the raised "fins" at the bottom of the bowl, the cat needs to navigate to get the food, which slows them down and the quick eating.

It will be a worthwhile investment if it works, fingers crossed!!

Enjoying The Rays

And some call them dumb animals.

Trixie and Oliver, my work-at-home companions, taking advantage of the nice sunny day and relaxing in the warmth of the rays pouring into the livingroom.  It funny how quickly they notice it and stretch out in it.