CONTEST!

Vote me a 5

Mom entered all of us in the World's Coolest Cat and Dog contest. Last year we didn't win anything. Here's to better luck!!!

New Computer!

Mom got a new computer, so I've spent the last hour playing in the box. New computers rule.

Hide-in-go-Seek

I am the luckiest kitty alive because our house has been turned into one big playground.

Each day there are new boxes of all sizes for me to climb and hide in. All the furniture keeps getting moved around too. It's like a new adventure for me to discover. I like to play Hide-in-go-Seek in the boxes and have mom try to find me. Except she cheated and put my coller with the bell on me so I'm easier to seek.

I also was playing Tag with Lucy. I hid in a box and when Lucy walked by I jumped on her!!!!! Mom also ruined this game by putting me in my carrier. She said that I was a cheater because Lucy didn't know the rules so it wasn't fair. That's not true, Lucy knew the rules. Well, she found out anyway. Right after I jumped on her head I told her she was It.

Finally the house is my own personal jungle gym. The other day I pretended the carpet was hot lava(and it was 105 outside so it kinda felt like it) and I had to get from one end to the other without stepping on it. As you can guess, mom was the party pooper once again. She stepped all over the lava to grab me and lock me in the bathroom.

I started to complain but realized the bathroom was VERY cool. After the fridge was sold, mom put a tub of ice in there and it made the whole place cozy. I took a nap next to the ice, that's my new favorite rest spot.

Mom does keep selling and donating things. We're getting all new furniture, appliances and mom got a new wardrobe. Lucy says mom's getting a new cat and getting rid of me. I think she's lying just to get back at me for the Tag incident. Lucy doesn't much like me, she's jealous of my stripe. Everybody wants to be a Zorilla.

Just to be on the safe side, every few hours I jump in mom's lap and purrr to remind her that I'm her kitty and no one elses. I'm here to stay, why else would I be getting a Lion Cut soon?

So you want to be a Zorilla?

Information about the Zorilla:
Found at http://itech.pjc.edu/sctag/zorilla/zorillawebp.htm

Name: Ictonyx striatus
Kingdom: Animalia
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora

The zorilla is also called the striped polecat. It is black with white stripes. It is commonly placed with the skunk family, but is actually related to the weasel. They have a elongated white spot on the forehead between their eyes and a white patch from above the eye to the ear and backward to make a near triangle-shaped patch. The zorilla has stripes from the top of the head to the tail. The tail is either white or white with black hairs, mixed. The zorilla can grow to about 13-15 inches, excluding tail. The tail itself is usually 8-12 inches long. They can weigh from 1.5 – 3 pounds.

The zorilla lives in Sub-Saharan Africa, except for forest and moist woodlands zone, also rare or absent in part of Somalia.

Zorillas are very patchily distributed, being scarce or absent in most heavily wooded areas. They are most common in cool, well-grazed upland grasslands in steppe country. Where they are well established they use habitual paths and appear to know their home range well.

During the day the zorilla rests in a burrow, but at night search for food. In the wild, zorillas eat insects, small mammals, reptiles, and birds. Hare are a prey animal. Zorillas have a springy, fast trot but can also stalk and pounce on prey.

The zorilla pups are born blind and immobile after a 37 day gestation. The eyes are functional at about 40 days. The litter size is 1 to 4 pups. Females mature faster that males. The pups weigh ½ ounce when they're born. They are weaned at 4 to 5 months of age. Females are fertile by 9 months. They can be out with their first litter of two to four young before they are 1 year old. Zorilla lifespan in the wild is unknown. Zorillas can live up to 13 years in captivity.

Zorilla anal scent glands are nauseating and also highly irritating to the eyes. The secretions are evolved to deter predators. When alarmed the zorilla will first raise the hair on its back and lift his tail to make itself look larger. If this does not work it will use it scent glands and spray a strong smelling fluid at its enemy. When there is conflict the subordinate zorilla will scrape their forequarters on the ground while keeping their backsides raised and ready to squirt. Their scent glands have been found to be unusually large for this size of animal.

Unfortunately, Zorillas are rarely seen because of their late-night activity. They are widespread, although localized. Zorillas adapt easily to many habitats, including human habitation.

Extra credit fact:
Zorillas are also known as the smelliest animal on earth!
Did you see the pictures of the Zorilla in my background?

Just Call Me Houdini

Mom made up a great new game. It's called, Zory Try To Stay In One Spot. Mom invented this game because she says I'm too wild and get in the way when she is trying to work.
The game has several strategies and obstacles but the goal is always the same: to escape!

One rendition works like this:
1)Mom puts a leash on me
2)I get tied to a doorknob
3)Mom goes to her desk to study
4)I twist and bend about
5)TA DA! I run into the room with mom
6)Mom yells a bad word and something about a breakaway coller
7)Now we play another rendition

1)Mom puts me in a carrier
2)"steps 3-5 above"
3)Another bad word and something about Paris Hilton carriers being for looks
4)Mom gets a safety pin and puts it on the zipper of the carrier.

I haven't figured out how to unlatch a safety pin yet. Each night I think about Harry Houdini and how I will one day be known as Zorilla the Master Feline escapologist!

I did it! I turned ONE!

This morning I awoke and felt a big bigger, stronger, and faster. My tail stood a bit more upright, my fur seems silkier, my eyes are brighter, and my whiskers a bit more elongated. Why all the changes? because today I’m officially a CAT! Not a kitten, but a CAT!. Now that I’m the great big O-N-E I’m going to take a moment to reminisce on my kittenhood of long ago.

In my whole entire 365 days on the planet earth I have lived, I have loved, and I have learned.
I’ve lived in two whole entire cities, and some day mom says I’m moving to a place called Seattle where it will be cold, gray, and rainy. Weather changes I have yet to experience, but I’m keeping my fur long in preparation.

I’ve gotten much smarter too. When I was young, many moons ago, I used to try to bite mom. She would put a long, fuzzy thing in my mouth to make me bite that. Not any more, I’m too old for that trick. That long, fuzzy thing was my tail!
Oh yeah and speaking of not falling for tricks. When I see 10 things clicking on the floor and mom says, “Zory, pounce, get em.” It’s her fingers, and she’s trying to pick me up. I haven’t fallen for that trick one single time since turning one.
The human however still falls for tricks. And she’s like 3 or 4 in cat years! When I hear here yell, “ZORILLA!” I know I’m mistakenly in trouble. Most likely for jumping on Lucy or stealing food. When this happens I know it’s time for…
Operation PURRRRRR!
Once I turn on my little engine, the human forgets whatever bad deed I’ve done.
I still haven’t fully mastered the growing thing. I’m up to maybe 11 pounds but mom says my breed can grow until age 4. People will think I’m a lion with skunk markings soon. I have learned how to manage a website and type! How many one-year-olds can do that? If only mom would figure out how to speak Feline, all would be fair.

I wanted to send rosettes and notes to all my Catster friends, but with around 2,600 of you I simply can’t. I appreciate each and every one of you and thank HQ for letting my family be on this site to begin with. Big thanks to Patches my older twin, and Fluffy my twin sans stripe, Sweety and her lovely video, Domino the purfect tux, and all the rest of Patches’ huge family, under the sea Ruben, Sophie and Benjamin who are going orange for ASPCA, Sydney and her kitties, my friend as of yesterday Copy, Diego the tux in the tree, Klemy Q-Tip, Daphne, Kailey, Zoe, happy belated birthday to Milo and your canine brother Cosmo, Nike and your twin Reebok and the rest of your family with their matching photos, Kitty Bear, Nora-CIA, Loowee, van patterned Rascal, snowboarder Ethan, two tone Stella, Lily, Cassie who taught mom how to use a leash and her brother Doogie, Simba who gave out a TON of rosettes today, Xavier, Sylvester Boo Boo Kitty, The Horns, The Fiends with their beautiful eyes, Marina, Mr. Snuggles, Tiger Lily who taught me to make links even though I keep forgetting, Muriel, Calvin, Irish, Jordan Elisabeth Jones, Toffee, Taro, Ricki, furry Rufus, Oscar, Magic, Gremlin, Bootzie and her family who we‘re all thinking about, Hattie, Kassie, Muriel, Allie, Calvin, Scooter, all my Plus friends, all my group friends…and the 474 others who I have saved in my corral.

Sorry to anyone who I missed. I’ll thank you when I turn 2!

10, 9, 8, 7...

In less than 8 hours I will be 1.
A cat, a 1-year-old cat. Never again shall I be a kitten. It's all over now.
Kittenhood has been exciting, but it's time to begin a new chapter on life. Now I'm a cat. I have 8 hours to figure out what that's all about.

Gotta Chase Shadows

BIG EXCITING NEWS!

I have it new game, mom says it's called chasing shadows. They are all over the house, on the walls, on the celing and they only come out when there's light. The problem is, I haven't caught one yet. Anyone have any advice on how to do this?

Now for some totally boring news: (in my unbiased opinion)

Lucy won Cat of the Week. She's a celebrity and it doesn't even show. She can be so plain. If I were Cat of the Week, I'd be struttin' my stuff all over the house. I'd demand the best food, toys, catnip, and keep mom up all night cryng if she didn't grant my every wish. I'd make Lucy wash my fur and wait in line to use the litter box. And I sure wouldn't have answered all the congrats letters. When you're a celebrity, you get servants to do those meaningless chores.

Finally for unrelated news.

Mom says I'm a bully and doesn't know what to so about this. She says I'm a spoiled brat and take everything for granted. To this I say, "But I have a stripe and that makes me cool."

:( Oh, sorry mom and Lucy. Congrats Lucy on Cat of the Week, and thank you mom for the new denim and lace dress. I feel very, very pretty in it. We need to get a picture to show to all my Catster pals.

My First Big Holiday

It's almost Christmas.
This is my new favorite holiday, I'm thinking it will top Thanksgiving.
It's my understanding that I will get the same great food as I did in November, and GIFTS!!!!

Mom's already gotten a bunch of gifts.
One of them is a box with my photo on it.
Not much for entertainment, but the most beautiful box ever, if I do say so myself.

Another is a ball of yarn. Only it's not a ball, the yarn is all undone and mom wears it around her neck.
I thought that was really smart of mom, to have a ball of yarn around her neck so she can play with it anytime she wants.
When she picked me up, I figured she wanted me to play with the yarn too, so I did.
And she yelled, "Don't touch my scarf!"
*humph* rude mommy. Doesn't want to share her toys.

Video Catnip

What's better than string, better than a plastic sack, better than chasing my big sister's tail, better than EVERYTHING?

Not sure? Let me tell you.

I don't know what it is exactly but what I do know is this...

Last week mom went on E Bay
She typed in "Video Catnip"
Today she turned on the TV and VCR and suddenly...
BIRDS and SQUIRRELS were living in my TV.
I was mesmerized the entire time.
I didn't even come when she called me to dinner or started petting Lucy.

Now it's off and some dumb, humans are on the TV.
B-O-R-I-N-G
What am I supposed to do now?