Our presence required

Mom is so proud of us that we're going to be on display in her class tonight. I love all this new attention, even if I can't understand a thing they're saying (it's a Russian class). Excuse me, I need to streeeeeeeeeeeetch luxuriously and see if my fur is shiney enough for company.

Toothy trials

I've been defanged...well, at least one of them has been removed. My teeth have never been the greatest. Probably because I had less-than-adequate care before I went to the shelter and Mom and Dad adopted me.

So, at the last usual degrading health check-up, Mom made an appointment to have my teeth cleaned (I hate that!) Come to find out three of my teeth were rotten and had to be pulled, so they knocked me out (I hate that even more!) and took out two molars and my left front fang.

It wasn't a wonderful experience. At first I didn't know what to do with my tongue with out the fang to hold it in, so I walked around with it hanging out a little - embarrassing. Mom though it was cute though. Then I was being pilled twice a day on a regular basis. My parents are lucky that I'm not a psycho/fighter like Sweetie or they'd be scarred for life right now. My mouth does feel better though and I can bite Meadow harder when she bugs me, so it's all good.

Invasion of the food snatchers

Heaven preserve me....there CAN'T be two of them!!!

Let me take a breath and I'll explain. There's a new little tortie cat in the house. She showed up a couple of weeks ago and wouldn't leave, so Mom and Dad took her in. A revolting development if ever there was one.

But that's not all. Sweetie (Dad named her - real original) acts like the house is hers and that she's just condescending to let stay here. Like Meadow and me weren't here first! She also hisses a lot and tries to pick on me, when she's not picking on Meadow (HA!). She's also a thief - if Mom or Dad don't feed her first, she'll steal food out of my bowl! Fortunately, Mom's wise to her, so she feeds Sweetie first and then feeds us.

In other words...this pipsqeak must be a half-sister to Meadow. Help. At least they both have someone else to chase around. Lately, I've been able to stay out of the way, by sitting in Mom's new rocking chair. For some reason they don't bother me when I'm on it.

Excuse me, I have to go ask Mom for reassurance that I'm her best kitty! She has been giving me a lot of attention lately, probably because she knows that I'm a sensitive soul. Stay tuned for updates....

The politics of cat toys, or Bubba and Dubya get airborn

Okay, I not a follower of human political news. But one of my mom's friends gave Meadow and me a couple of catnip toys for Christmas. They're shaped like Presidents GW Bush and Bill Clinton. They are marvelously fun to toss up in the air and bat down. I've been having a rollicking good time with them for two months now. Now Mom and Dad keep watching to see if I have preference for either. So far, I just choose one depending on how easy it is to reach from where I'm currently standing, sitting, lying, etc.

Humans have such a complicated existance. I'm glad we cats don't have political issues - we just chase each other around and whomever gets to the food bowl first, wins.

Confessions of an annual coat blower

Okay, I admit, I didn't keep up my part of the bargain. I blew my coat again this summer. Problem was, I couldn't seem to stop. I have these weird 'socks' on my legs now, where the fur is gone. So sure enough, I was caught, wrestled into the dreaded carrier, and driven to the vet today. I had some yucky tests done and shot - oh do I hate shots!

Oddly enough....I don't itch so much anymore. The vet says that nothing else seems to be wrong other than some allergy. Hmph. I could have told them that. And the socks...well, why not think of it as a fashion statement? But, oh noooo, I have to be poked, prodded, scraped and pierced instead.

Hope the shot works. I'm tired of all these wrestling matches.

Good news though - I love the holidays! Mom and Dad have four whole weeks off to spoil me and Meadow. Can't wait to start slavishly rubbing ankles and attacking my cat tree for Mom's entertainment. I think she brought some new toys home for us too - there's a very interesting smelling package under the Christmas tree. I could use some new fuzzy mice. Mine are getting dirty and worn out.

Happy Holidays!

The good, the bad and the just plain dirty!

It has been a long time since my diary was updated. Soooo much has happened since last time! Mom brought home some really fascinating fish from her office over the Christmas break. She calls them 'bettas' and they were really pretty! Talk about fun! I chased them around and around the bowls on her desk every day!!! Then one time I knocked a bowl off, trying to get at the little finned tidbit. Boy, did I catch it for that! I also figured out how to peel the tape off of the bowl lids - wasn't too hard to figure out - and went fishing a couple of times. Unfortunately, I wasn't very stealthy about it and Mom came running in, scolding me to cut it out. I got a bath for having wet paws - yuck!

The bad - who else but Meadow? Fatty stopped eating her food and freaked the humans out. I at least would eat the kitty treats they gave me, so I didn't lose much weight. We were both tired of the food, but hey, at least I'm not that much of a drama queen to start dropping weight just to get a change in teh menu. Meadow as usual made a huge deal out of the whole situation and was carted off to the vet, ha ha ha. We have new food now and all is well. Meadow's a blimp again. No self-restraint for her.

Now this is just plain dirty - I was chased all over the house on Monday, caught, dumped into that nasty crate and taken to that awful vet's office for a dental! I have been violated!!! They stuck needles in my arm, knocked me out and scraped all the gunk off my teeth. So what if I've never had a tooth cleaning in my life? True, my teeth are very shiny now, my gums feel better, and my breath is good, but it's the principle of the thing. Plus, they put me in a full body lock and pop nasty pills down my throat twice a day. Can you imagine??? If I didn't like my humans so much, they might be missing some skin. Still, I am getting a lot of extra pets out of the deal. That's a good trade-off.

Blowin' coat blues

Gentle readers, I am so embarrassed that I have not had the courage to write you all. The time has come to confess: My name is Carmen and I have blown my coat. I have developed some sort of allergy . I look like I have racing stripes down my sides. I hate needles as much as my Mommy does, so begged her not to have me tested/shot up with meds. Her vet said that was fine...this year. However, we have a deal - if I do this again (gasp, please no!) next summer, I get tested for allergies and no arguments.

The good news is, my fur is coming back. Mommy said something about a 'freeze' that kills off the stuff my skin doesn't like. Don't really know what a freeze is, but it's a-okay with me if it'll get me all of my lovely black coat back.

It's not easy being beautiful....

Uh, where's Russia?

My mommy came back from some place far away called Russia. She was gone for ten days (seemed like ten years). I missed her terribly - there was no one's head to rub up against. Daddy did his best, but ol' Meadow and I are a handful for one person.

Anyway, she's back and all is well. I wonder, where is this Russia place and do they have cats there? Mommy said she thought probably so, even though all the pets that she saw were dogs - blech!

Happy One Year Anniversary!

Dear Diary, I've been in this house one year. I'm happy here. My mom just brought me a pair of enticing new mousie toys to bat across the kitchen floor (the kitchen floor is great for that, wish all the floors were). I get more back scratches and belly rubs here then I did at that other place I lived. I've discovered that the back of my mom's head is great for rubbing up against when she's sitting on the couch. She thinks I'm adoreable when I do that. The only drawback is annoying ol' Meadow, but lately she hasn't been too bad to play with. Still she can be a poop. Give me another year and I'll sort her out but good!

My mom's going somewhere called "Russia." I wonder where it is and if there are cats there? Hope she doesn't stay too long and doesn't bring back anymore roommates for me. Meadow's enough for anybody.

Head rubbing - When you care enough to give the very best!

Aaaaaaah! I love rubbing up against the back of my Mom's head when she's sitting on the couch. Her hair is really silky and tastes pretty good too! Besides, she thinks it's cute when I walk along the back of the couch and rub. She likes it so much she'll rub my ears and chin and call me a 'pretty girl.' Sometimes I'll pause, lay down and lean my hip against her neck. She rests her cheek on my side and scratches my back. Prrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Fat ol' Meadow can't do this. Ha! Her gut 'n butt are too big!!!