I'm still here....

Mom finally apologized to me for not helping me write any diaries! I tried to do it myself, but it's really hard when my feet are big and puffy and hit too many keys at once. No one can read what I write, MOL!
Anyway, as I write this Mom is trying to upload another video. This time, I was innocently playing with a bone (notice I did not say DOG bone!), and that little Riley Red-head took offense and stole MY bone!
Problem is, Mom's big computer is broken and at the shop and she is using her laptop. Not only is it really SLOW, but it doesn't connect to our iffy internet really well. She tried FOUR times last night and nothing happened. Right now it IS loading, but we will see how it comes out.
Because Mom is a dog person, she is putting it on Riley's page, BUT...Catster is good and they will post it on MY page, too! They put MY video on Toto's page so they BETTER put that one on MY page!!!
Well, gotta go now, I am helping Mom clean. I just buried myself in a pile of sheets she was trying to put in the washing machine. I almost got washed myself, MOL!!!!

I'm BORED.....

Well, I finally decided there was no way, no how Mom was going to slip up anymore and let me outside. And, she has decided I can enjoy the Summer kitchen all I want to, which means that is no fun anymore, either. It was only fun when it was off limits, MOL!
Now that she has moved the air conditioner into the bedroom I can have my watch chair back so that is now boring, too. And, she has stopped putting flowers on the desk cuz I kept plucking them, MOL.
Soo, I needed some excitement in my life. Well, ask and you shall receive!!!
Yesterday Mom was taking the dogs down to the lab pen. She usually goes thru the kitchen but decided to go out the Summer kitchen this time, forgetting I was out there dozing at the door.
Well, there is this one dog here, Jones, a Frenchie, and he HATES cats!!! He is old, and when he was young Mom didn't have any cats in the house so when he would go over to the kennel he would try to grab the wild cats on the porch. Mom wasn't too smart so she taught him to do his show stance by telling him, "look, a kitty!!!" It worked GREAT and he got his championship really fast cuz he would look so animated when she would say that to him.
Jones stays in the kennel in the Winter but in the Summer he stays here. He has his own pen with an indoor/outdoor doggy door. I stay FAR away from that pen!!! You get where I am going with this, huh?
Sure enough, Mom was taking Jones and Hilda and Lola, all Frenchies, out and she took them out MY way. Jones rushed up to me, but since I am a friendly fellow and ALL the other dogs are nice to me, I stayed dozing on the floor. Would you believe he rushed up to me and GRABBED me??? He tried to SHAKE ME, even. Mom yelled really LOUD, and he dropped me, but then Lola and Hilda got in on the chase. Of course, Mom was still yelling and I was hissing and spitting but I managed to climb up onto the dryer. After I made sure they couldn't jump that high, I thumbed my nose at them, MOL!!!
When we went back in the house Mom checked me out but, of course, I was fine. I didn't even have any spit on me cuz I was sooo fast and skillful at getting away from Jones.
So, what did Mom do??? She set me on the floor and while I was sitting there, she ROLLED her chair RIGHT OVER MY TAIL!!!!! I yowlled and would have swatted her if I could have reached up that high with my tail stuck under the chair. As it was, I lost some of my beautiful, long, silky tail hair, but... I am fine and didn't get any broken bones or anything like Beanie did when she did that to him, MOL!!!
Gee, I am looking forward to some boring days so I can rest up!!!

Night visitors...

Mom has a big feeder on the porch for the two wild cats. Once during the Winter she was going over to work and when she opened the door she came face to face with the BIGGEST, HUGEST raccoon she has ever seen. She didn't know who was more shocked...her or the raccoon... she carefully closed the door and watched it climb up over the porch rail and head under the porch.
There had been a thaw, but there was a huge snowstorm so she figured he was out and got lost and hungry.
A few weeks ago all the dogs started barking and when Mom woke up she heard banging and crashing on the porch, and she heard those wild cats growling but something else was growling, too. Mom has had a big neighbor dog try to eat the food before (AND, the cats, too!) so she rushed out to see. She flipped on the porch light this time and there was that HUGE raccoon again.
Mom used to hunt coons with some plott hounds years and years and years ago so she has seen plenty of coons and this one is HUGE!!! I say it'a all that good, grain free cat food, no doubt!
Anyway this coon was snarling and growling at the cats cuz apparently they did not want him eating their food. After chasing him away TWICE, Mom got smart finally and brought the food in for the night.
Since then, she has forgotten the food a few times and there has been a small, "normal sized" coon out there.
Tonight Mom was extra tired because of staying up late with Georgie last night so she went to bed while the sun was still shining. Of course she fell instantly to sleep and of course, she forgot the cat food!!!
We all just woke her up and she heard banging and scraping out on the porch. She went out, snapped on the light, opened the door and was headed out to rescue the food when she decided to look first. Good thing she looked.
Out dragging the cat feeder around was the cutest, whitest little skunk she has ever seen! When Mom opened the door it armed itself, but kept trying to drag the feeder off the porch, all the while with its tail raised high!
Mom said she had to wait about five minutes for it to finally decided to abandon the food and find the one set of porch rails that was wide enough for it to fit thru.
Mom says it must be a baby one cuz there was another one the same size hit in the road a few nights ago. She said this skunk was all white except the center stripe down it's back was black. She said it had the longest, shinest hair she ever saw. She wanted to take a photo but was afraid it would spray our porch when the flash went off.
I watched the whole thing out my watch window... and I was chirping encouragement to the skunk, hehehe!!!

A feline friend request...

One of the girls that works for Mom has a nice kitty named Sophie. Well, her daughter just joined catster and I decided she needs way more friends than just me!!! Soo, here is the link to her page: http://www.catster.com/cats/1190364. My Mom is too dumb to figure how to make a clicky link, or to obstenate to remember where the directions are, whatever! Sophie is a very nice kitty and Mom grooms her once in a while. Mom says she is the nicest of all the female cats she has to groom, MOL!
Sooo, if you feel so inclined, please drop her a feline friend request and a welcome to Catster.
I am in big trouble today... Mom was noticing the Summer kitchen was getting a bit smelly. Well, today she decided a:, she was going to find out why and b;, she was going to find out why I have to keep running out there.
She was looking all around, silly woman stores all her camping gear out there, including sleeping bags, sheets, comforters and all that nice, soft cloth stuff. You see where I am going with this????? NOT THE SMOKEY CAT!!!!
Nope, she finally checked some dog mats she has in an old expen out there. BINGO... she found my ALTERNATE litter box, MOL!!! Actually, I suggested she might want to consider putting a litter box in that expen... AND, not putting those dog crate mats in there, hehehe! To me, it feels MUCH MORE like I am going out in the great outdoors when I go out there. Otherwise, I have to use the indoor place and it's over in a corner in the bedroom. Mom may not notice, but I personally think it is way, way too smelly to sleep in there if I have to use the box!!!
Mom says that is the worst problem about not letting me go outdoors, she wants to have her cake and eat it too. Hey, not a good analogy when talking about litter boxes, MOL!!!

Another Diary Pick... YESSERIE!!!!

Hey, Momsie told me I was a diary pick today as she was grabbing me out of the Summer kitchen. She slid me right back into the house, MEANIE, and left for work!
I forgot to tell you, last night I inadvertantly LOCKED MYSELF right into MY CRATE!!! I was messing around in there while Mom and Susie and the dogs were watching TV... I was keeping Beanie out so I just pushed the door shut. Well, unbeknownst to me, the silly latch slide right into the lock position. I just curled up and took a nap.
Hours later everyone was in bed and Mom was wondering where in the world Smokey was. She got up, looked in the Summer kitchen, looked in the bathroom, in the dog room, and even in Susie's room. Then, she even looked outdoors although she KNEW I wasn't out there.
FINALLY, after she walked by me in that cage FOUR or FIVE times, she reached down and opened the gate and out I sprang!!!
Then, she had the nerve to tell me it was MY FAULT cuz I could have meowed or something to get her attention. OKAAAY...
Hey, thanks for all your messages and gifts. Without anyone to READ my diary entries, I could never be picked as a CDP!!!!

Keeping Mom on her toes...

Yesterday I decided that Mom was getting a bit complacent about making sure I didn't escape to the great outdoors... anyone ever notice how they call it the GREAT outdoors?? There is a reason for that, it IS great!
I decided I would spend the day alerting her to the fact that I CAN escape if I should want to, hehehe!
First thing when she got up I zoomed into the dog room instead of zoomed over for my breakfast. Mom was awake, I guess, cuz she didn't blink an eye as she picked me up and put me in a crate. Test 1 winner is MOM!
Later she came home to let the little guys out into the pen off the shed. I played cool cat and was lying on the living room floor. Just as the dogs got to the door I raced out, zoomed across the Summer kitchen and managed to dart out the door before Mom could close it.
Test 2 winner is Smokey!!!!!!
But, there was a little miscalulation... I got out there and raced up the first tree I saw. Sadly, it wasn't a tree, it was the post for the clothes line that used to be there and I was stuck at the top. Mom just walked over and plucked me off the top of the post. Drats!
That evening I perched myself up on the microwave, right beside the kitchen door. Mom came along and let the dogs out, she didn't even see me, mol! I zoomed out.
Test 3 winner is Smokey!!!
But, again, there was an issue. Mom was letting out the Frenchies. Everyone knows that Frenchies don't do cats! I was so shocked to find myself out with them that I was frozen on the porch. Mom came out and picked me up. Booooo.
Sooo, in spite of my winning two out of three, I LOST my escape to the great outdoors.
I'll give it a few days and try again. I learn from my mistakes!!!

My rescuer speaks!

Hey, everyone, today Mom sent a link to my pages to the lovely lady that brought me here. She hasn't seen me since, but she has had a few pictures here and there.
She joined Catster and just wrote a lovely comment on one of my older photos... I copied it and pasted it here for you so you don't have to search all my photos:

"What a beautiful cat he has turned out to be... I am so happy to see him enjoying life... I am so glad I was able to bring him to you....I just love the pictures of him... Thankyou again for taking him and getting him off the streets...."

Mom said the thanks are all to her, IF she didn't bring me here Mom would have NEVER gotten me and that would stink!!! Mom says I am EXACTLY what she hoped I would be, but she can not believe how much MORE than she expected I am. Mom grew up on a farm with lots and lots of cats, that's where her first Smokey was, and she has dealt with cats (and dogs) all her adult life and has never had a cat like me that could live with the dogs and be so happy and calm with them. Without Sue, she would STILL be living a catless life, except for the outside wild ones!!!
Yeah, Mom. I KNOW I am special... where are my extra treats now????

Catster diary pick??? YAHOO!

Mom just told me I was a diary pick for today. NEAT! I am so happy that happened cuz I am getting pretty bored staying in this house all the time!
Now I have lots of comments to read and lots of nice gifts coming my way!
Did you know those dogs don't even miss me when I am not down in the lab pen with them? Well, most of them don't but I do think Harvey misses me.
Speaking of poor Harvey, he has to go to the vets and get his eye removed on Friday. Poor dog has all kinds of problems, I am sure glad I am a cat!!! I will be especially nice to him when he gets home and I won't chase him off the bed at least until he is all healed. I might even let him lion my lion bed, if he wants to. It's always right up on the big bed down at the foot of it... he might enjoy it cuz you can see everything from up there. Oh gee, he won't be able to see everything, me bad!
Today Crystal showed me how to move the regular dog beds. Why might I want to do that, you ask??? Well, this is a very, very old house with a dirt cellar. Dirt cellars are normally only about 55 degrees year round. Ours is no exception. Soo, when it's hot the dog beds insulate the floors and then the floors are COLD under them. If you move the dog bed, you get to lie on the cold floor until it warms up, which is usually about 15 minutes or so. It is sooo nice and comfy!!!
Speaking of lying... Mom has the afternoon off today and she said she has a headache from worrying about all her sick dogs so she is going to lie on her bed in the air conditioned bedroom... think I will go help her relax, MOL!!!

Still inside...

Well, it's been quite some time since I have managed to escape to the great outdoors. Both Mom and Susie have been super viligant, and even the dogs rush out before I get a chance to go with them.
Mom did make a major mistake the other day, but, apparently, so did I, MOL! She opened the cellar door and I rushed down the stairs. She called me, I ignored her, but then she grabbed my dish and rattled it. I came rushing up the stairs, immediately, I even shut the door behind me!!! Mom was totally impressed.
She was nice to me, however. She has a new air conditioner and it was blocking my favorite window. I could sit on the corner of her desk and watch the wild cats AND the traffic and anyone that was coming into our house before, now I could see NOTHING!!
Would you believe that yesterday she moved it into our bedroom?? It's GREAT to have my window back...I spent almost all day today sitting there and making noises at the wild cats.
OH GOSH, I just spied Susie driving in... gotta go now!!

No escapes for me!

Well, Mom seems to have done a fairly good job of blocking all my exits!!! I have tried and tried and haven't managed to escape yet this week.
Every time she does something with the dogs she takes me and puts me in my crate. She has also instructed all the girls, including Susie to crate me if they come in the house. Susie crates me first thing every morning when she gets up and they leave me there until MOM goes to work. Mom is keeping the shed door shut, although she is not happy about that since the fresh air was nice, but....
The worse part is she has decided that it really isn't fair to let me go down in the lab pen since that is only making me want to be outside even more.
Soo, what's a Smokey cat to do, you ask??? I have developed the PERFECT plan of attack.
About four in the morning, while Mom is sleeping her best sleep, I have decided it is time for me to PLAY!! I collect up all my toys and put them on the bed and go to town! If that doesn't work (trust me, so far it is working quite well!) I race around under the water bed. That frame is wooden and it makes a ton of noise when I race around under there, especially if I have one of the little plastic balls with the bells in them.
I also have to rush up and give Mom some lovin' if she happens to be awake. I rub all over her face and neck, and lick her eyelids and even give her a few love bites! Then, I jump on her toes and attack them.
She has been stumbling around all day lately, rubbing her eyes and yawning tons! Serves her right, me thinks!!!