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<title>Nikolai's Notes</title>
<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes</link>
<description>Catster diary for the cat Nikolai (Spay & Neuter)</description>
<language>en</language>
<copyright>Copyright 2013 by Nikolai (Spay & Neuter) &amp; Catster</copyright>
<pubDate>Fri, 24 May 2013 19:46:56 PDT</pubDate>
<generator>Catster Pet-o-matic Gennie - http://www.catster.com</generator>
<ttl>360</ttl>

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		<title>Cat of the day and an importaint message for all cat lovers</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/809323</link>

				<pubdate>Thu, 20 Dec 2012 09:04:40 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/809323</guid>
		<description>Greetings, all! I'd just like to take this opportunity to let everyone know that me and every kitty  ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Greetings, all! I'd just like to take this opportunity to let everyone know that me and every kitty in my family is a rescue kitty. We each would have been PTS by the public shelter system if someone from a nokill organization hadn't intervened. It is very important to get both pet and feral cats spayed and neutered and to support efforts to reduce or eliminate killing in your local shelters. Before you say "that is impossible," you should know many communities and the entire nation of Germany have eliminated the killing of healthy animals in shelters. In some places it is illegal to put such animals to sleep. For more info on the nokill movement and how you can help, please go here. http://www.nokilladvocacycenter.org/
Assistance for low cost spay and neuter is available in most places. Just use your search engine and you will find it listed state by state or by county.
Finally, at this time of giving, please remember your local nokill shelters, fostering groups, sanctuaries, and rescues. The Humane Society of the United States and ASPCA get plenty of $, but very little of it actually goes to help animals, and these are not nokill organizations. PETA, it may surprise you to know, is NOT a nokill group. In fact, they euthanize a lot of cats and dogs and are for the euthanasia of feral cats instead of trap, neuter, return. Local groups that are run mostly or wholly by volunteers really need funds and can stretch every dollar. Fostering and adopting also, needless to say, saves lives. Breeders are unnecessary and contribute to the death-toll by taking homes from shelter cats. They do not deserve support, even if they seem very nice, they are not helping cats by what they are doing. A cat is not a "product" and none of them ask to be born.
So, I will step down from my kitty soapbox now. I just wanted all you kitty lovers to know the truth because I know you want to help kitties. Thanks for your indulgence!

It is non-stop rain where I live right now. Our play yard is closed for winter. Mommy gave us a little Christmas tree we can play with on the catio. The bathroom is filled with foster kittens, thanks to people failing to spay and neuter(shaking fist). They are very cute and only 10 weeks old. Very soon they will go to the vet to be fixed. Mom is hoping she will find all of them great, indoor-only, NW Oregon homes. 

I am told there have been a number of shocking and tragic events among the humans lately. This makes me sad, because I love humans very much. It also makes me sad, because if humans don't even value human life, what chance is there that they will come to value our little kitty lives?
I don't want to leave on a sad note, so please let me add that humans are very powerful and they can choose to end the killing of other humans and of cats. It may not be easy, but you can take little steps every day. By locking up guns, or refusing to buy them at all, by providing a "listening ear" for someone who is troubled. Tell politicians if you object to their actions, as people in other nations and your troupes are human, too. By protecting others from those who wish them harm, we can help change things. Do not feel helpless. 
Love you all and wish all the kitties and humans good health, a happy holiday season, and a better 2013. Let's make that our lucky year!
XXXOOO-Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Spring Showers</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/776434</link>

				<pubdate>Fri, 20 Apr 2012 19:52:34 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/776434</guid>
		<description>How is everyone? We aren't on here much, but it looks like the autopay monster got mommas bank accou ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ How is everyone? We aren't on here much, but it looks like the autopay monster got mommas bank account, so I guess we'd better post more.
I'm still spraying, and I got Sprite to start, too. Sprite is a black and brown tabby that has been living with us. Anyway, momma has "assmah." What does that mean? She says it means we are killing her with our pee. She washed the curtains today and moved the couch so we cannot stand on it and spray the curtains. But don't worry, we'll just spray the couch, instead. Prozac and comfort zone didn't help at all.
We still have 2 foster kitties, Randall and Squirt. It is pretty hard to find good homes, I guess. Mommy managed to adopt out the whole litter, plus the momma cat, except for these two. We all get along quite well but two fewer of us would make things easier for mom. Plus, these two are bonded more to each other than to the rest of us, which means momma can adopt them out without upsetting us. Or so she thinks. We shall see. 
Anyway...
Kitten season is here! Please spay and neuter you cats, and help other people spay and neuter their cats, and spay and neuter strays and ferals. Because there aren't enough homes. Low cost spay and neuter assistance is available in most places. 
Okay, I guess that rant helps justify the expense of this page, lol
I hope everyone is well.]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Happy Valentine's Day</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/765406</link>

				<pubdate>Tue, 14 Feb 2012 20:27:05 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/765406</guid>
		<description>The foster kitty I hated got adopted out! Yay! I'm still on prozac, though.
It is wet and cold here ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ The foster kitty I hated got adopted out! Yay! I'm still on prozac, though.
It is wet and cold here and our catyard is still too messed up to play in. 
We have some kitties here that don't have pages. There is Lilly, Sprite, Peanut, and the foster kitties, Squirt and Randall. Really on facebook more often lately than here. Plus mommy is supurr lazy.
I hope all is well with all of you!
-Niko]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Prozac for peein'</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/763271</link>

				<pubdate>Thu, 2 Feb 2012 19:57:42 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/763271</guid>
		<description>I hate the foster kitty, so I spray. Now I'm given a little chunk of pill every day. : ( Mommy is tr ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ I hate the foster kitty, so I spray. Now I'm given a little chunk of pill every day. : ( Mommy is trying to find a forever home for the kitty. She is a big Maine Coon. I hate her. Someone come take her away, please. She bit me once and gave me an abscess. I hate her. I want her gone. 
-Niko]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Our Dearly Departed and A Big Job.</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/750222</link>

				<pubdate>Sat, 19 Nov 2011 21:13:15 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/750222</guid>
		<description>So sad to read about the kitties who have passed recently in Calvin's diary. Mommy just cries and cr ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ So sad to read about the kitties who have passed recently in Calvin's diary. Mommy just cries and cries. She hopes she doesn't live to see any more of us die, but then, who will take care of us if she dies first? 
Anyway, the eldest of us is Ming, and she is only 8, so hopefully mommy will have more than another decade before she has to face that. We shall see. When you do rescue you see a lot more heartbreaking stuff. 
Speaking of rescue, mommy will be cat-sitting about 80 cats next week. It will be hard because they are kinda far away. But, she helps with them at least every other week, so she is the most experienced in caring for them, aside from their rescuer. We have never met the barnful of cats, hopefully we never do, because that would probably mean our mommy is dead and we had no where else to go! We smell those kitties on mommies clothes when she comes home from helping clean their barn sometimes. There are so many! If mommy ever has a big sanctuary for that many kitties, she will need some volunteers. It is hard to keep on top of.
We still have fosters here. Hilda, the momma cat, is no longer allowed outside the bathroom. She was giving our PTSD kitty rescue, Sprite, a bad time, and he was getting crazy and hiding. He is already a spooked cat, so mommy can't have him getting any worse. Hilda still has two of her kittens, Squirt and Randall. She likes her kittens, but hates all other cats. Mommy would like Hilda to be adopted with one of her kittens, because it seems like a happier ending for her than being alone. Also, it is very hard to find people who want an "only cat." Squirt is a cute little black kitten, and Randall is a striped Main Coon-looking kitty, like his mom. He loves to sleep on mommy's lap. Mommy says she can keep either or both of the kittens if she has to, but Hilda has to go. She can't just live in the bathroom forever, and she has had months to get used to the other cats, but never has. Mommy doesn't want to take her to a shelter, but she isn't getting any interested parties from her ads. So sad. She visits Hilda in the bathroom and pets her. She is an affectionate kitty. I hate her guts, though. She chases us and tries to hurt us!
Anyway, I think mommy will cut a tree down for us and put it in the catio. Not until the cat-sitting job is over, though. As you can imagine, that will take most of her time. 
Hope everyone is doing well. Getting cold up here in Oregon. 
xxxooo-Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Halloween and some Hopeful News</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/746427</link>

				<pubdate>Fri, 28 Oct 2011 19:57:01 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/746427</guid>
		<description>How embarrassing I got diary pick when I was transcribing mommy's rant. LOL, I guess if it convinces ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ How embarrassing I got diary pick when I was transcribing mommy's rant. LOL, I guess if it convinces one reader to spay and neuter it is worth the embarrassment. 
We are not totally back on raw yet. Mommy thought Andre's gums seemed better since we've been stuck on dry food, so mommy may start giving free choice dry plus one raw meal a day, or something like that. Maybe she should start eating our dry food, her gums suck!
Strangely, mommy has gotten about three phone calls and several e-mails about the kittens all of a sudden. One she isn't too sure about, because they want to let the kitty be indoor/outdoor, but on the bright side, they may want Hilda, who is the momma cat and less adoptable because she's an adult, and who has also lived outside. One may want two kitties, which would be great, and one is a little old lady who lives in a trailer with a small dog. And another is a young lady. Unfortunately at least two of them want a male for some reason, and there is only one male: Randall. They are all fixed so mommy isn't quite sure why some really want a male. Hopefully he will go to someone who feeds a good diet so he doesn't get U.C. So, maybe the wishes of adopters everybody has sent her way are starting to come true! Thanks, everyone!
Anyway, mommy has a bucket of pine cone she was going to make into Christmas ornaments for a fund raiser for a cat shelter. The kittens like to take them out of the bucket one at a time. They knocked her aloe vera plant down yesterday. They do lots of naughty things! LOL. We stay away from them. Usually we just hang out on the catio while they are loose in the house. Mommy lets them loose several times a day, then lures them back into the bathroom with a can of cat food.  she tries to warn us when she is going to release the hoard. 
That's all for now. I hope every kitty has a great Halloween!
-Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>She's Gonna Blow!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/745389</link>

				<pubdate>Sat, 22 Oct 2011 19:28:04 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/745389</guid>
		<description>Mommy is very stressed out today. 
Our raw food regime was interrupted at the beginning of October  ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Mommy is very stressed out today. 
Our raw food regime was interrupted at the beginning of October when the meat grinder broke. The repair place kept coming up with reasons why it wasn't ready, then today mommy went to get it, and they had closed the shop early! A 35 minute drive each way! Plus, mommy had 3 chickens thawing for us in the sink already. It took her forever to get home, for some reason. She can't afford to feed us quality wet food unless she makes it herself. It is only about $2 a lb to make it at home, if you have a good MEAT GRINDER. She has been in a grouchy mood all day. She is sweating bullets over re-homing these foster kittens and foster cat of hers. They are getting big fast, but are still so cute and adoptable. She called the place she used to foster for, even though fostering for them always turned into a very expensive fiasco, and she was stuck with one "returned" cat from them that wasn't even her foster. But, she thought if they could take the momma cat she is fostering it would be nice, as she is having to be kenneled, anyway. But they did not have a cage available for Hilda. 
Any humans out there had any luck re-homing kitties? Mommy has tried the local paper-affiliated classifieds, fliers at the vet, petfinder, craig's list, and facebook. She thought about fliers in the feed stores, but those people usually want outdoor, disposable cats. 
These kittens will be in the teenager stage in no time. It costs about $70 every 20 days to feed them. And what's worse, this being a two room shack, there simply isn't enough room for 12 adult cats. 
Mommy is just so depressed by it all. That the sweetest, most precious things in the world are discarded like trash. That people just want kitties to die. Hate them so much they want to take their very lives. Can you imagine being hated so much that people would pay to have you dead? They pay to have kitties "destroyed" in shelters like hazardous waste but so many won't pay to have kitties rescued, or to spay and neuter them. Humanity is monstrous. Sometimes mommy thinks if she starts to cry about it she will never stop. If people won't think of the cats, they should at least think of what they themselves are becoming. 
When mommy saw the video of the little girl in China being run over, again and again, and all those people taking a good, long look at the dying child, then walking away, she thought about how that's just what people do to cats. And in China, where cats are treated even worse than they are here, now a little migrant child is being treated like cats are in America. And if people keep treating cats worse and worse here, will people just walk away from run-over children soon here too? Cruelty has a numbing effect. Empathy shuts down. People become wholly self-centered. And this may serve them well in combat, but should man exist to be nothing but a killing machine? The animal most effective at adapting to and changing its own world, does nothing to help it?
Anyway, the more mommy thinks about it, the more she thinks cats are just too good for people. She knows not all people are monsters yet, but fears they get closer every day. As desperation increases so will the "kill or be killed" thinking. Already she is seeing more abandonment. She hasn't had anyone ask for help to get their cat fixed in days, not even for free. People just don't care. 
Anyway, mommy is despondent. Some kind people have tried to help her with rescue, but there are just too few kind people and they all have a huge burden and too many people who do nothing or just contribute to the problem. Most people say you should just "walk away" when you see a kitty in need of help. Yeah, just walk away, just like the people in that Chinese marketplace did! And the woman who finally stopped to help was an impoverished scavenger, who set down her own heavy burden, at risk of it being stolen, to help the dying child. : (]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>How Embarassing!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/744809</link>

				<pubdate>Tue, 18 Oct 2011 17:14:36 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/744809</guid>
		<description>The Catster robot picked me as a diary pick on the 6th and I didn't even know it, nor did I have a n ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ The Catster robot picked me as a diary pick on the 6th and I didn't even know it, nor did I have a new entry. Buddie always loved was the one who brought it to my attention.
Anyway, our meat grinder has been in the shop for 2 weeks, so we have been eating "Authority." LOL, "respect my authority!" We drink tons of water when we are on dry food. The raw diet has plenty of water in it. 
Hilda, the momma of the foster kittens, attacked Ming today, so she has to be in a kennel now. Mommy wishes she could find her and her kittens homes faster. They are all fixed and ready to go. Very cute and sweet kittens who even come when called...most of the time.
What else? Fall is here but it hasn't turned to the constant rainy and gray weather yet. That will happen soon though. Mommy loves the sun but finds it hard to enjoy right now because she caught a cold from the kittens. 
A good friend of ours even sponsored 2 kittens, giving them much needed names and mommy some much needed cat food buying funds. Do you know they each eat a whole can of food a day each? That's 6 cans. We are so jealous, 'cuz mommy is intentionally keeping us on boring dry food until the grinder is back so we will be sure to want our raw food again. She says canned food is like kitty crack, MOL. One of the kittens is now named "Minnie" and another is named "Sydney," and their names suit them well. Can you guess whose humans their kind benefactor is?
We got our class action legal notice about the Evo food we used to eat, but the password and claim number they gave us don't work. That's one sneaky trick! When mommy can breath through her nose again she will give them a call. We must have bought 20 bags of that stuff some years back, because mommy remembers getting at least 2 bags free with a punch card. 
Anyway, looking forward to having raw food again. Lilly had a quail today but most of us just don't seem to know what to do with one!
-Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>thanks!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/742134</link>

				<pubdate>Sun, 2 Oct 2011 18:39:42 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/742134</guid>
		<description>Hi, thanks everyone for the birthday wishes!
We are all well. Mommy has just had a group of fosters ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Hi, thanks everyone for the birthday wishes!
We are all well. Mommy has just had a group of fosters fixed, and is looking forward to adopting them out. They are really cute, but we are forbidden to get attached, lol.
Well, mommy is pretty underemployed still. Her only plan won't be able to go into effect until spring. But she is not alone! LOL. Anyway, we like having her home a lot. 
Better go, thanks again!
-Niko]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Going to the birds</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/725652</link>

				<pubdate>Fri, 17 Jun 2011 19:07:38 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/725652</guid>
		<description>Mommy is taking the homemade raw cat food to the next level. She got 2 laying hens for the eggs for  ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Mommy is taking the homemade raw cat food to the next level. She got 2 laying hens for the eggs for the cat food, 7 banty chickens, for hatching quail eggs, and 14 quail, for breeding for meat, and 20 broiler chicks. It is pretty crazy around here. The quail were in the bathroom last night, making crazy noises all night long. Mommy finally took their cage out to the catio at 2 in the morning. 
So far, Lilly has been the only one who knows what to do with a quail. She hasn't got her own page yet. Anyway, she was munching one like a real pro. Mommy took the breast meat out of one and tried to get the rest of us to try it. We were catfused. She says we will learn.
That's all for now.]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Camera Reccomendations?</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/722894</link>

				<pubdate>Mon, 23 May 2011 09:52:00 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/722894</guid>
		<description>Hi, don't know if anyone reads my journal anymore, it is so seldom updated. We are on facebook a lot ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Hi, don't know if anyone reads my journal anymore, it is so seldom updated. We are on facebook a lot, so message us if you want our contact info there. Too much of mommy's radical politickin on there lately, but she says things get worse for us kitties, the poorer the poor get, and the more the middle class shrinks. Cuz kitties don't get treated too well already, and we do not want to see it get worse. Alright, mommy, you just Bogart our page! Not set up really well on the lifeboat yet, because mommy isn't very good at that stuff. Concerned about changes here...mommy doesn't mind her personal writings and info on fostering and such to be used by other cat owners if it will help kitties, but she does have a big prob if any of it is used to sell products dangerous to kitties, like dusty litters and bad food. She also objects highly to the promotion of breed snobbery, and 3 sections on "breeds" on the home page is just that. Kitty racism contributing to the kitty holocaust. So, anyway, she has to weigh if staying and trying to counter bad info (hard to do with censorship) and just getting us off is the better thing to do for kitty kind and her morals. Some owners have said things she has shared have helped them with kitty problems, and that does count for something, or we'd be gone already. Anyway, maybe some kitty reading has views on all that.
So, our camera died. It was supposed to be a good camera, but had some bugs. Mommy would push the button sometimes it would just sit there, for a long time, before taking the picture. Not good with kitties. It also had a real problem with low light situations, and would compensate with an overkill flash, which ruins eyes in kitty shots, even with paper taped over the flash to soften. the red eye protection was no good, at all. So, anybody know a camera that takes shots quickly and doesn't ruin kitty eyes so much? Mommy researched the heck out of this one before getting it, but ended up with a dud, anyway!
Lots of love to those in the South experiencing tornado devastation. I just don't understand this violent weather. We hope lots of survivors are quickly found.]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Invaders!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/719183</link>

				<pubdate>Mon, 18 Apr 2011 19:27:25 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/719183</guid>
		<description>We have 3 feral kitties in a dog kennel on the catio, and a snotty tabby foster kitty who is mostly  ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ We have 3 feral kitties in a dog kennel on the catio, and a snotty tabby foster kitty who is mostly in the bathroom, but whom mommy has been letting out into the house. Too many kitties. Hissss!
Mommy is on facebook too much, so we haven't been around a lot. Hope everykitty is well. -Niko]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Mommy is seeing other cats...AGAIN!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/716074</link>

				<pubdate>Wed, 23 Mar 2011 18:18:35 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/716074</guid>
		<description>Mommy spending the night with 5 other kitties nowadays. She says most of them are very old, and 3 ar ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Mommy spending the night with 5 other kitties nowadays. She says most of them are very old, and 3 are on fluids. It makes things a bit tricky, 'cuz she was trying to have us on a raw diet. But today she was able to come home and spend some time with us and even lay down with me and make me a kitty cave like I like, and she held Lilly and let her nurse on her fuzzy robe like she likes. And we got a raw breakfast at about 11, and she will give us raw dinner before she goes to be with the other kitties. She also leaves us kibble for now, in case something keeps her and she can't be home to give us raw food. 
I hope none of those ancient kidney kitties gets sick or dies while mommy is taking care of them. That would make her really sad, and ruin her perfect record as a catsitter, to boot! I kid, mommy doesn't catsit enough to worry about her record, but she would not enjoy having someones kitty say goodbye on her watch. She told their owner to specifically forbid them to get ill or die while she is out of town. Let's hope they remember, they all need to make it to 20 years, at least! MOL
-Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Goodbye, Cousin Chia.</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/705050</link>

				<pubdate>Mon, 27 Dec 2010 12:14:06 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/705050</guid>
		<description>Grandpa decided to put cousin Chia down today. Mommy went with. Chia was a 17 or 18 years old, resem ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Grandpa decided to put cousin Chia down today. Mommy went with. Chia was a 17 or 18 years old, resembling a main coon. He'd had thyroid surgery and kidney problems. He'd stopped eating well, though mommy got him to have a little turkey last night, and his legs weren't working well. He was very dehydrated, even though he drank a lot of water. It seemed as though nothing else could be done. He was purring and mommy and grandpa were petting him while he slipped away. 
Rest in peace, poor Chia.
-Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>I did Hard Time</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/703578</link>

				<pubdate>Thu, 16 Dec 2010 15:32:20 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/703578</guid>
		<description>So since the bathroom be sinking in the mud, the bathroom door won't close, and mommy has to use a w ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ So since the bathroom be sinking in the mud, the bathroom door won't close, and mommy has to use a wire to keep the door shut when she locks Andre and Lilly in there at night so they don't keep us all up. She could fix the door, I guess she be too lazy. All she'd need is a screwdriver and chisel.She's got that stuff. Anyway, last night the wire was too loose, and Andre was banging the door around. So mommy got up and made sure they were both in there, then closed the door and tied the wire around the knob to the ladder again. And what did she find when she let those two out in the morning? I'd been locked in there with 'em, when I should have been sleeping with mommy! Well, I was very annoyed. I slept all day today on the bed to make up for it.
Mommy needs to fix that door today.
-Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Gotcha Day?</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/701945</link>

				<pubdate>Fri, 3 Dec 2010 16:20:23 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/701945</guid>
		<description>Mommy has forgotten my &quot;gotcha&quot; day. It is some time in December. Isn't she awful to forget?
-Niko ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Mommy has forgotten my "gotcha" day. It is some time in December. Isn't she awful to forget?
-Niko]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>It is Official!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/700958</link>

				<pubdate>Thu, 25 Nov 2010 11:30:22 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/700958</guid>
		<description>Andre is our new farm spokescat. He showed way more interest in the goat than any other kitty. So ch ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Andre is our new farm spokescat. He showed way more interest in the goat than any other kitty. So check out my brother Andre's page for all future wacky farm updates. He needs more friends anyhow.
I'm not a real bright kitty, so I don't know how to post links right. Here is his address.
http://www.catster.com/cats/1147692
Happy Thanksgiving, all.
-Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Bath Tub Monster</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/700855</link>

				<pubdate>Wed, 24 Nov 2010 18:52:58 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/700855</guid>
		<description>Mommy brought a big, dirty, smelly white animal with horns on its head home today, and put it in the ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Mommy brought a big, dirty, smelly white animal with horns on its head home today, and put it in the bathtub. Then she cranked the heat up high, and was making all sorts of phone calls, and draping blankets on the animal. Sometime he'd bleat, but he mostly was quiet. He didn't look like he felt really good.
I guess the cold snap really got to this little runt of a kid. Mommy thought he just needed his hooves trimmed when she saw he didn't want to join the other goats for treats, so she took him to the barn and trimmed his overgrown hooves. He was overly passive the whole time. She accidental cut too much off one hoof, which should have made him jump and yell, but he did not. So she got really worried. She offered him some pelleted goat food with molasses on it, and he didn't want it. She knew he must be at death's door, because goats love molasses and treats more than anything. She fed him a drench of corn syrup and corn oil, and stuck him in a cat carrier she happened to have in the car to take him home. She thought how embarrassing it would be if she had an accident on the icy road with a goat in a cat carrier in the trunk!  
She got him home and laid him in the tub. She offered him warm water, pellets, and alfalfa, and started making calls.
She wasn't able to follow all the advice she got as she would have liked to. She cannot spend $200 to save a $20 goat, or that money wouldn't be there if one of us kitties got sick. But, she didn't want to put the little guy down without giving him a chance, either. After a while she set up the giant dog kennel and moved him into that, because he was starting to show interest in getting up, a good sign! He is in the bathroom still, with the heater expensively blasting away, so he gets lots of visits from us kitties. Mommy goes to comfort him whenever he bleats, and checks frequently to see if he has pottied or eaten. She'll check his temp in a few hours to see if it is nearer where it should be.
Tonight shouldn't get quite as cold as last night, so hopefully the rest of the goats on the farm (he was the very smallest) will be warm enough in their hoop barn. Mommy let the two big, pushy does back in with the rest of the group so there would be a lot more body heat in the barn tonight. Hopefully they will be more comfortable that way, goats like to be crowded together, she regrets not doing that yesterday. 
Boy, I sound like Vincent used to giving a farm report! MOL. 
Mommy does hope the little fellow will get well so she can take him back to the farm in a day or two. As for Thanksgiving, fortunately that will be held at the house of 68 cats. Mommy plans to prepare her dishes at grandpas, because as much as she likes goats, she sure doesn't feel that preparing food to be shared with other people in the same house where one is convalescing is very sanitary. Goats are not as clean as kitties, they are more like dirty old farm dogs that never get baths. Yuck. 
Happy Thanksgiving, every kitty!
-Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Kittenmas and Winter Holliday Collars</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/700732</link>

				<pubdate>Tue, 23 Nov 2010 22:05:45 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/700732</guid>
		<description>Mommy is finally cutting out some fabric for collars. 
They will all made from clean, sturdy, vinta ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Mommy is finally cutting out some fabric for collars. 
They will all made from clean, sturdy, vintage cotton prints, and have a breakaway clasp, so if you get hung up, they pop off. Mommy adds a sparkle decoration to each, as well. I think she has about 14 winter patterns. There are Christmas trees and candy canes, and Santas, and hearts, and snowflakes and such. 
Anyway, kitties ask us about these now and then, but mommy has been busy with other things. But she knows kitties like collars for gifts, so she wants to make them available in time for that this year.
We'll have a picture of the winter prints up soon, in case any kitty would like to have some. Part of the sale will go to help low income Oregonians get their kitties spayed and neutered.
We were glad our friend, Minnie, came through her operation alright today. Now we are hoping she will feel good soon, and her intestines will be doing their job again, shortly. Also, we are hoping the lab finds the mass removed is not of an aggressive variety.
-Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Best Laid Plans</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/700578</link>

				<pubdate>Mon, 22 Nov 2010 20:32:01 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/700578</guid>
		<description>Mommy has an appointment to take Lilly to be fixed tomorrow in a town about 40 miles away. But it lo ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Mommy has an appointment to take Lilly to be fixed tomorrow in a town about 40 miles away. But it looks like there will be a snow storm! Mommy has been contacting all her pals in town to see who wants to visit and help her kill time while Lilly is being fixed. But she may have to cancel, after all! Oh well, she will have to wait and see. Lilly can wait to be fixed, if needed. She is only 3 lbs. 
Burrrr! Keep warm, everyone, and think of Minnie tomorrow, for she will for sure be having her operation.
-Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Good Mews, Bad Mews.</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/699785</link>

				<pubdate>Tue, 16 Nov 2010 21:39:50 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/699785</guid>
		<description>Well, mommy has had some concerns that perhaps the group she fosters for does not screen homes prope ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Well, mommy has had some concerns that perhaps the group she fosters for does not screen homes properly, but she didn't learn the information that confirmed that was the case until after Sparks and Stormy went to their new homes. So let us hope they and the other kitties she fostered are, indeed, in good homes and okay. 
It turns out there was no home check, no reference checks, no call to the adoptive owner's vet, no calls to landlords to confirm, yes, indeed, this person can have a cat. 
So, yeah...that basically means to mommy, that these kittens were SOLD, not adopted. 
And there have been painful consequences. Mommie's good friend fosters for the same group. One of her friend's kitties got adopted to a person who lost him within 5 days. This "adopter" did not report him lost to the fostering organization, as she was supposed to. She did not post fliers, or post on Craig's list lost and found, or do anything at all. A friend of hers finally reported the loss of the cat to the foster group almost 2 weeks after he was lost, and luckily, they called my friend, who started doing all the stuff you are supposed to do to find a cat. 
It turns out the adopter is pretty nuts. My friend says she would not have approved of her home if she had seen it, as it is near a heavily forested area crawling with coyotes. Mommy doesn't know about that, but is concerned that this adopter did not help at all in the search for her own cat. My mommy went over there today to try to talk the adopter into giving her something with the kittie's scent on it, so a search dog could be used. The adopter wasn't home, so mommy left her a note and looked for the kitty, to no avail. Mommy was very happy when her friend, the former foster mom of the kitty, called to say she herself had found the kitty! Needless to say, that kitty will not be returned to the adopter who violated her adoption agreement by not reporting him lost. 
Our mommy rather wishes she'd been able to meet the adoptive owner. Mommy used to work in mental health, and can usually tell if someone is too loopy or unkind or careless to be trusted with a cat. She wonders if she would have been able to tell. One thing that should have been a big red light to the group she fosters for is that there are some questions about declawing on the application, and the woman was not against that. Did the kitty claw her furniture, trying to get some scent markings in his new home, then oops, out the garage door he just happened to escape...on "accident?" Why else would she not report it? I think she let him out, because she didn't want him anymore. 
Anyway, mommy has been worried that perhaps the homes weren't being screened properly, and suspects all this could have been avoided if they were. She is not going to foster for that group anymore, or adopt Lilly out through them. She "owes" them $85 for Andre's adoption fee, her own foster, who has blindisums and a weepy eye, and is thus, unadaptable to anyone but her, and who has only cost the foster organization $40, at most. So she is annoyed at that, all the hundreds of dollars and hundreds of hours she has spent on fostering for this group, and they didn't take a few minutes to make sure her babies, who she told every day would go to good homes who could do better for them than she could, really went to the kind of homes she promised them. Mommy is so worried about them all. 
Anyway, enough complaining. Her friend's former foster is alright, he survived being a stray, once again, thank goodness.

Sorry for the poor sentence structure, mommy is tired from all this.


We are hoping Minnie and Muppet will recover from their health conditions really soon. Get well, pretty girls.

-Ming]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Ducky Delight</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/698251</link>

				<pubdate>Thu, 4 Nov 2010 13:57:02 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/698251</guid>
		<description>Mommy processed a duck today, and she gave us the heart and liver and neck. Yum! Andre drug the neck ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Mommy processed a duck today, and she gave us the heart and liver and neck. Yum! Andre drug the neck all over the floor and was being too gross playing with it instead of eating it, so mommy threw that away. Silly Andre!
-Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Last of the Fosters ADOPTED!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/697895</link>

				<pubdate>Mon, 1 Nov 2010 17:54:57 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/697895</guid>
		<description>Sparks and Stormy were adopted! The family has 2 twin 9-year-old girls. Hopefully that is old enough ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Sparks and Stormy were adopted! The family has 2 twin 9-year-old girls. Hopefully that is old enough to understand that Sparks and Stormy are special kittens who are a little more flighty and independent than other kittens. Mommy wrote that in their bio, anyway. She expects they are young enough to become more people-centric.
Yeah! May they live long, happy lives in their new home. 
Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Mommy is Home!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/697277</link>

				<pubdate>Thu, 28 Oct 2010 11:47:28 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/697277</guid>
		<description>Mommy is back from cat sitting. She did not loose any of the 68 cats, and their owner said they seem ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Mommy is back from cat sitting. She did not loose any of the 68 cats, and their owner said they seemed pretty happy.
The gray kittens (we don't call them the feral kittens anymore) are back, as they were not adopted as we'd hoped. Andre likes to lay in a heap with them. They really love each other. It is pretty cute.
Well,mommy has a lot of things she needs to do that have been accumulating while she was gone. She really needs to get some cat collars up for sale, among other things. We were also promised a duck dinner in return for being such good kitties while she was gone.
-Niko]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Guilty Mommy</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/696825</link>

				<pubdate>Sun, 24 Oct 2010 22:52:01 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/696825</guid>
		<description>So I hear mommy feels guilty...about some other cat!
Two of the 68 kitties she is taking care of ar ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ So I hear mommy feels guilty...about some other cat!
Two of the 68 kitties she is taking care of are sick. One is a 3 year old torti, with some kidney problem. Mommy has to force feed her, give her fluids, and every 3 days, an appetite stimulant. The other is a tiny gray kitten with big green eyes, named Hummel. He gets .5ml clavamox twice a day for URI. He is in a pretty small cage. Mommy has been considering off and on putting some toys in his cage, but he just sits there in his bed, and his breathing is still rapid, and she was thinking he'd either feel too sick to play, or that he'd play a bit and collapse, breathing too hard. So today mommy finally gave him some toys, and he started playing right away, just fine. Oh mommy feels so very bad, now. Thinking of that bored kitten brain, with no playmates and no toys, just sitting there watching the kitties outside his cage since Wednesday when she could have given him toys right away. It made mommy start to cry, just thinking of it. She needs to work on thinking of more than just a sick kittie's physical needs, or she is a terrible nurse. In any case, she is unlikely to forget this lesson. It would have been easy enough for her to remove a toy had the kitten become over-exerted, and well worth the risk. Besides that, if he had toys he would have started to play and mommy could have been cued in to how much better he was feeling without having to guess. Mommy sure has a lot to learn. Poor, neglected Hummel!
-Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Visitation</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/696650</link>

				<pubdate>Sat, 23 Oct 2010 18:04:04 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/696650</guid>
		<description>So mommy came by today. A good thing, because we ate all our food. She had to replace one of the 2 b ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ So mommy came by today. A good thing, because we ate all our food. She had to replace one of the 2 big bowls with a giant bowl, the kind for making cakes and stuff. She thinks we must be eating extra right now. I ran past her a couple times, but would not let her touch me, I just to make it clear how I felt. She took a nap with us, though, and by the time she left we all thought she was home for good. Then she left us again! I'm glad those 68 cats don't let her sleep, she is a bad mommy to leave us.
-Niko]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>So Far, So Good</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/696009</link>

				<pubdate>Mon, 18 Oct 2010 20:00:01 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/696009</guid>
		<description>It took mommy running around from 6 A.M. until 6 P.M., but she got the two feral kittens fixed, and  ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ It took mommy running around from 6 A.M. until 6 P.M., but she got the two feral kittens fixed, and secured another 3 in 1 vaccine for them, and went to a job interview, and was briefed on a different job she is doing for just a week, all while waiting on the kittens. Both jobs are temp jobs, but anything is better than nothing. Mommy is a little sad that the shop she applied for is selling some things that were made in China, but I guess she'll have blood on her hands like everyone else until either the PRC changes or we stop trading with them, and those are both long shots. It is sad cruelty is so profitable and far-reaching and goes unpunished. What is the matter with humans, anyway?
Anyway, they promised to contact people soon about the job, and the kittens' feline leukemia tests were negative, and they came through the operation fine, so those are all good things. 
Mommy says she got 3 good books at garage sales this weekend. One is of W.C. Fields quotes, one on is about a guy who was at Pearl Harbor during the bombing, like her own grandpa and her former grandpa in law, and one is on Eastern Oregon, where she is entertaining moving to if she can get more income, somehow, perhaps with some sort of Internet job. There are big houses with acreage there for rent, cheap, with more room for fostering cats, and room for the goats, to. We could have homemade goat cheese, mmmmm! Oh well, me and mom's pipe dream. We like it when mommy gets books, because she sits still to read them, and that means lap time! Books and kitties, her favorite things.
XXXOOO-Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>3 in 1 conundrum</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/695598</link>

				<pubdate>Fri, 15 Oct 2010 17:05:05 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/695598</guid>
		<description>The two foster kittens are due for their 3 in  1 booster. Mommy has only 1 vial of vaccine.So yester ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ The two foster kittens are due for their 3 in  1 booster. Mommy has only 1 vial of vaccine.So yesterday, she stopped at a feed store to get another. They did not have the right thing. Then she went to another store. They did not have it. So she kept on driving to a feed store she KNEW had it, because she saw it there the other day.
The only box they had expired August 10th. The lady gave it to mommy for free, and called a vet to see if it was safe to use. She told mommy she'd call her with the results when the vet called her back, because the vet was out.
That evening, the lady called and told mommy her vet said it would be safe and effective as a vaccine, still. Mommy called our vet for a second opinion, and the receptionist said he didn't advise using expired vaccines, and said they were very temperature sensitive, and that if the kitty develops whatever disease they were vaccinated for and the vet gave the vaccine, the manufacture would pay for treatment, and if you give it at home, they will not.* And bad reactions are more likely with expired vaccine. But, the vet also gives a 5 in one or some such ridiculous thing, and mommy thinks spacing vaccines out is better, there seem to be more bad reactions to the 4+ vaccines. So does he know what he is talking about? The vet also charges $15 each for vaccines. Brutal! So mommy is scared out of using the expired vaccine, and now will have to think of what to say to the nice lady who thought she was doing her a good deed by giving them to her next time she sees her. Now, she also has to figure out how to get both cats their boosters.
The group she fosters for is doing their vaccine clinic Saturday, but they are 40 minutes away, and she can't really afford to drive that far and back, especially as she has to take them 45 minutes away Monday to be tested and fixed, and drive a further 1/2 hour away to go to a job interview while she is waiting. All that is going to take a lot of gas, and she can scarcely afford it.
So, it is pretty frustrating. If someone just sold this stupid $3 vaccine she could just do it now and not worry about it.
OMC, mommy just thought of a 4th feed store she hasn't tried yet. My goodness, I guess she'll have to walk down there. It never ends! Update: Cripes, they wanted 8.95 for that shot! The other feed store was selling them for 3 something. And a very large, stupid dog was licking mommy's legs while she was waiting in line, and would not go away when she told it to, and poking her in the butt with its nose.There were 5 or 6 other people in the store, why did the dog come pester her? Cripes. 
-Nikolai

*When all those kitties got cancerous growths from defective vaccine, were their humans compensated by the manufacturer? I don't recall, though mommy met a fellow whose poor kitty was a victim. This is also why she will not vaccinate on the neck injection site.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Thanks!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/695075</link>

				<pubdate>Mon, 11 Oct 2010 17:33:12 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/695075</guid>
		<description>Oh, and thanks to everyone who sent birthday gifts! I just now noticed them and many are yummy. 
My ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Oh, and thanks to everyone who sent birthday gifts! I just now noticed them and many are yummy. 
My mommie's conscious mind has been very busy. As a matter of fact, I think she was busy filing for divorce on the 30th. She forgot my birthday! But right around the 30th she told me what a handsome, mature-looking cat I had become, and told me how much Vincent would have liked to see what a beautiful man-cat I've grown to be. Sniff, I still miss my Vincent, I guess I always will. -Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Our Heart belong to Louis</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/694628</link>

				<pubdate>Fri, 8 Oct 2010 18:24:19 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/694628</guid>
		<description>Mommy was so sorry to hear Mr. Louis Le Beau lost his long, brave battle with cancer.
He was a luck ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Mommy was so sorry to hear Mr. Louis Le Beau lost his long, brave battle with cancer.
He was a lucky boy to be among the minority who gets to have a good, loving home. He seemed to know it, and to work extra hard to fill his home with love and joy, and hang onto life with every claw. 
Mommy loves all the kitties in the world, but the orange boys hold a special place in her heart. Two of her very best childhood friends, and, dare I say, mentors, were orange boys.
Rest in peace, Louis, you were an inspiration to us all.

http://www.catster.com/cats/117581]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>More Progress Notes</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/693100</link>

				<pubdate>Mon, 27 Sep 2010 18:43:51 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/693100</guid>
		<description>Mommy is cuddling the feral kittens every day. They still hiss, but one of them licked her!
The fos ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Mommy is cuddling the feral kittens every day. They still hiss, but one of them licked her!
The foster kittens, Mars and Sputnik, are back from the adoption place! Supposedly, worms came shooting out of them Sunday. Strangely, no one called mommy about it, an no one bothered to look at their medical records that say thy were wormed with strongid, then proceed to worm them with something that works on non-roundworms. They could have wormed them right then, and let potential adopters know they have just been wormed. They are KITTENS and KITTENS GET WORMS. They have been on Advantage, but kittens get worms anyway, they just do. It is no reason not to adopt them. 
Anyway, naturally, they showed not a sign of worms under mommy's care. Perhaps the stress of the adoption place got to them.
Anyhow, all that meant more waiting around and running around for mommy. Too bad this isn't a paying job, if mommy was paid by the hour, we'd be doing alright. So,the boys are home, for us to play with, at least until Friday. 
The ferals will have to wait until they are gone to take over the bathroom. 
Mommy finally named them, Sparks and Stormy. She still leaves food out for momma feral, but has not seen her in days. 
Grandpa took Amity to the vet for her limp. The vet found nothing wrong, and thinks the nerve affected when a cat straightens its paw out may have somehow been damaged. So Amity gets .1ml of some anti-inflammatory pain med daily now. Today she was seen walking on that paw. The paw thing may be a chronic condition, but mommy sure hopes not.
Wasn't it nice of grandpa to take Amity to the vet? Mommy was too broke, and was just giving her paw massages every day.]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>Ferals in the House!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/692346</link>

				<pubdate>Wed, 22 Sep 2010 08:49:13 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/692346</guid>
		<description>It has started to get too cold at night. Used to be, you cold leave your windows open until mid Octo ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ It has started to get too cold at night. Used to be, you cold leave your windows open until mid October, but not any more. Who needs a real summer anyway? I'll tell you who. the zillion vineyards around these parts. The grapes aren't getting the heat they need. It is likely to be a poor wine year, indeed. Mommy set up a cage in the house for the feral kittens, since it is cold. They like to hiss and watch the goings on.
The grape harvest is not all that is poor. Mommy had maybe two days of work last month, and zero this month. And she is supposed to drive the foster kittens 40 minutes to an adoption even, then drive herself 40 minutes home, then drive 40 minutes a few days later to pick them up if they aren't adopted, then 40 minutes home.Then the next day, she has to drive 40 minutes to an appointment in the same area, and 40 minutes home. That is a lot of extra driving! She is just going to have to find some way to get some money before then, or it is not happening. She just can't afford it, and she is not going to start putting foster kitten expenses on her credit card! She is afraid this is the last time she will foster with this group. They are just too far away. She wanted to bring the kittens in Monday when she actually has an appointment in that area, but the woman couldn't promise her cage space, except on the weekend. Sigh.
Well, I'd better go. Keep purring for Sugar to poo out that blockage!
-Niko]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>A Sighting!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/692064</link>

				<pubdate>Mon, 20 Sep 2010 13:45:41 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/692064</guid>
		<description>So, momma feral was seen in our yard yesterday. Momma put out the live trap, and heard it bang shut  ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ So, momma feral was seen in our yard yesterday. Momma put out the live trap, and heard it bang shut at about 10 p.m. She took a peek outside. Do you know who she caught? A big, fat opossum. Momma asked him not to get confused and attack her, then let him out. She decided she'd better do her trapping in the day or next time it may be an angry raccoon, or worse, a skunk! 
So momma got  call that she may need to foster 4-8 more kittens, if no one else can be found. For the next 3 or so days while her current fosters are being treated for an eye infection, she is plum out of places to safely stash kittens. Luckily, her friend gave her this huge, modular cage set from a dog groomer. Today she unscrewed one of the compartments, and will clean it and use it for the kittens until it is safe to let them have the run of the bathroom. 
So momma has now fostered 12 kittens. She thinks she is gong to have to figure out a way to fund all this. The spays and neuters and vaccines she gets for free, but there is much driving, and it is harder to get kitty litter, decent quality food and incidental medications for free. Plus, her phone minutes are getting pretty high because there is always some cat emergency going on. So she's going to have to think of a way to fund raise. Maybe some kitties out there have ideas.
The spay and neuter group she volunteers for in addition to the fostering can now take tax deductible donations from those who specify they want their money to go to her or her friend's kitty sheltering and foster activities, so that is something. Only problem is, the group was part of a 10 year plan that has just ended, so they are not pursuing funds very hard. Unfortunately, the need for fostering and for subsidised spay and neuter has gone way up. Momma feels spay and neuter is the only real answer to kitty overpopulation, but that doesn't mean no funds should go towards the care of the cats who are being born, or that they should be considered less important. So complicated, the issues. Like with everything else, there are enough resources out there, they just stay in the top 1% of the human population instead of going where needed.
My ears are still tender. Momma is afraid to give me the excel ear meds again, as she is afraid I'm over-sensitive to them. She may just use some ear wash today. Oh, she says I need to get off the computer, she has to set up that cage. I'm so glad it isn't for me!
xxxooo-Niko]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>MIA Psycho Feral</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/691883</link>

				<pubdate>Sun, 19 Sep 2010 09:45:46 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/691883</guid>
		<description>Mommy doesn't get it. The feral momma who escaped spaying the other morning seems to have vanished.  ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Mommy doesn't get it. The feral momma who escaped spaying the other morning seems to have vanished. Formerly when the feral was roaming the catio, she certainly couldn't get out, which was why she went into ma's bedroom when the back door was open. But now, ma can't find her anywhere. She cannot find any clumps of fur indicating she squeezed out someplace. It is frustrating. Now that feral may be loose someplace! Next time, momma is going to have any ferals fixed IMMEDIATELY, even if it means she has to feed the kittens herself for a while. Mommy feels like she never does anything right. Lately, I concur.
Andre and I both had ear mites, and she washed our ears and gave us drops. But I didn't feel too hot for a few days after, mommy thinks I may be really sensitive to those drops. I didn't act in any way that would be noticeable to anyone but her, it was pretty subtle. I just didn't seem as cheerful as usual. She washed my head and ear areas with warm water as the bottle suggested in case of a bad reaction, but it still took me a few days to feel better. 
-Niko]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>Today is BAD and No Good!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/691566</link>

				<pubdate>Fri, 17 Sep 2010 09:50:04 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/691566</guid>
		<description>So, today mommy got up very early. She was going to take momma feral and the feral kittens to be fix ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ So, today mommy got up very early. She was going to take momma feral and the feral kittens to be fixed, and spend time doing errands while waiting. That meanie was also going to take our new pall, foster kitten Tanner, to Petsmart, and pick up old foster brother, Sputnik, who has developed an eye infection she needs to treat. 
Foster momma got away from her again when she went to put her in a kennel! So the spay and neuter plan went down the tubes. But she is still planning on the kitten exchange. 
But we love Tanner! Mommy is Mean!
Andre and I have ear mites. Mommy is treating us, but I'm still suffering.
She is going to give Tanner a few drops of mite meds even though his ears look clean for now so she doesn't get a whiny phone call about him developing mites in a few weeks. Being a foster parent is funny, she feels like she gets blamed for everything that goes wrong with her foster kittens, even weeks after they leave her care. Maybe she just feels forever responsible for us, or maybe she needs to do more preventative care. 
Anyhow, my miserable news gets worse. 
Louise is not doing well, he said in his journal his tests looked bad. We all love Louise and want him well.
And Nikolai, dreamboat #24, is gone. He is an especially good friend of me and my boyfriend, Andre. 
So things are sad today. It is rainy and awful, but it is supposed to be sunny this time of year. My ears are bothering me, my new little friend will be taken away, that nasty feral is loose in our catio, so mommy has blocked part of it off, and we have sick and absent friends. I'm a blue, blue kitty, in more ways than one. -Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>List of Cat Medical Help for Low income? And Foster News</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/691180</link>

				<pubdate>Tue, 14 Sep 2010 20:46:00 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/691180</guid>
		<description>Mommy dropped 3 of her fosters off yesterday, and no one has been adopted yet. The 4th is about done ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Mommy dropped 3 of her fosters off yesterday, and no one has been adopted yet. The 4th is about done with his eyeball treatment. Mommy was able to catch the feral that snuck into her room. She had to use a net. That cat literally climbed the walls. She broke mom's fan but mommy was just glad she didn't break her old mirror, or cat figurines, or hurt herself. She gave momma feral a 3 in 1 vaccine since she had her down anyway. Today she learned a neighbor has been feeding her, so that is good news, she will be returnable to that site after her spay. Still not sure if the kittens can be tamed, or if they will have to go be ferals with their ma after everyone is fixed. Mommy heard there is a mean old tom up where she found feral momma to. He also needs to be caught and fixed.
Some nice kitty put a list of resources for low income cat owners needing help with vet costs in their diary, and mommy lost it. She forgot who it was that posted it. Maybe Margo? She can't find it anyplace, and her laptop died, it was on there. 
Does anyone have a copy or remember who made that great list?
She needs to save that stuff, because right now we are apparently really teetering on the edge. Mommy can get help spaying and neutering her fosters, and the fostering group pays for most of their medical stuff, but she does end up spending at least a hundred bucks a month on her fostering activities. She is really trying not to, but sometimes spending her own money now instead of waiting for their approval and taking 3 hours to drive to their participating vet or some other place and back just seems to save time and gas. It is going to cost her either way, since the foster group can't pay for her gas. So she will buy things they may be able to give her, like food and litter and ear meds and eye drops sometimes. And it adds up and up and up. 
Hey, mommy did learn one cost cutting secret. She is going to try it really soon.
So if you are a fan of pine litters, apparently pellet stove fuel works to! Mommy just bought a bag. $2.99 instead of $9.99 for the litter. It says it is made in the U.S.A. and all real wood and no construction waste, etc. You do not want pressure treated wood or anything made with it in contact with your kitty at any time, it is treated with poisons to keep bugs out. 
So, the pellets look like the pine litter and the label was very re-assuring. We'll let you know how it performs. Momma hates clay litter, but she is broke enough she is using some that grandpa was keeping in his garage in case of spills. It is not nice! Are we getting locked up to for expressing dislike of clay litters?
So, I'm getting to like little Tanner, the last of the foster kittens. Andre, Tanner and I all laid in a pile on the couch for some time, and mommy made a video of us licking each other. She says the fostering can be really stressful, but it all seems worth it when she sees cute things like that. 
-Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>Feral and Foster Fallout</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/691029</link>

				<pubdate>Mon, 13 Sep 2010 22:30:29 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/691029</guid>
		<description>2 foster kittens were adopted, and 3 more went to the adoption center today. Only Tanner, who has an ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ 2 foster kittens were adopted, and 3 more went to the adoption center today. Only Tanner, who has an eye infection, and the feral family remain with us. 
Speaking of the feral family, feral momma somehow got out of her kennel and ended up in mommy's bedroom. So mommy needs to catch her and put her back in the kennel. Don't be surprised if ma is a cyclops tomorrow! MOL!
-Niko]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>Old Chia</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/689153</link>

				<pubdate>Wed, 1 Sep 2010 15:54:06 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/689153</guid>
		<description>Old cousin Chia may be crossing the bridge today. He is about 18 and had been diagnosed with kidney  ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Old cousin Chia may be crossing the bridge today. He is about 18 and had been diagnosed with kidney failure some time ago. He has been acting like he feels really good for a couple days, but last night he started loosing bladder control. Could be his crystals, but more likely, his body is shutting down.
Poor Chia, mommy has known him more than half her life, and they were kids together. He was a big, jolly Main Coon, saved from life on the streets. 
Come what may, let him not suffer. He is a grand old man.
Update: Chia may be getting a reprieve. The vet tested his urine to see if crystals could be the problem, otherwise, it may be his thyroid gland again.
-Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>Foster Follies and 2 Secrets.</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/688404</link>

				<pubdate>Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:20:45 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/688404</guid>
		<description>My boyfriend, Andre, put up some new pictures today. They are pretty cute.
Things have been weird.  ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ My boyfriend, Andre, put up some new pictures today. They are pretty cute.
Things have been weird. There are 6 foster kittens in the bathroom, and a momma feral and her 2 kittens in a kennel on the catio. Mommy is spending lots of time making sure boxes are emptied and food and water dishes stay full and de-worming and writing notes and weighing kittens, playing with the kittens, taking pictures of the kittens. It is lucky for us she's out of work right now, or we'd get  no attention at all! Well, that's not true, we'd still get night time attention, I guess.
Andre wants to play with the kittens, but mommy says no.
I have 2 secrets about my new boyfriend. He's flatulent, and he makes big poops in the closet and tries to bury them with mommy's shoes. The first time he did it, I got blamed, because the poo was so big!
-Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>Kitten Krazies</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/686545</link>

				<pubdate>Sun, 15 Aug 2010 10:29:43 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/686545</guid>
		<description>So, another rescuer got that momma cat, so mommy avoided facing her moral conundrum this time. Whew! ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ So, another rescuer got that momma cat, so mommy avoided facing her moral conundrum this time. Whew!
She went to a garage sale on her bike the next day, however, and what do you know, there was a lady giving away kittens, unfixed, and unvaccinated. It was also a rather trashy part of town, so mommy worried people taking the kittens may not care for them properly. One lady had already taken then returned one because her husband said "no." 
So mommy told the lady with the sale that she was a fosterer and her group could get the kittens vaccinated, fixed, examined, etc. then adopt them out to pre-screened homes. Mommy also said she'd like to pay to get the momma cat, who belonged to the ladies son, fixed. 
The woman was agreeable to all that, so mommy called the fostering agency on her cell phone while she biked home to get the car to let them know there were 6 more kittens who needed help. Oh boy, were they happy! MOL!
Luckily, the bathroom and all her equipment and a carrier had already been sanitized for the momma cat who didn't end up coming, so all that was left for her was to write her info down and a note promising a free kitty spay for the boy who owned the momma cat. and to go get the kittens.
They are really cute: two Siamese with gray markings, 2 with orange, and one tan tabby and one orange tabby. They are also pretty friendly. Mommy flea treated them right away, and will weigh and worm today. Only one problem so far. They are not at all more likely to potty in the litterbox than anyplace else! And they REALLY like to potty under the clawfoot bathtub, so mommy must lay on the floor and reach blindly under, grabbing at their poopies to clean it. Not pleasant. So despite the fact that it will cost them about 16 square feet of floor space, mommy is going to have to wall off the tub for the time being, add more litter boxes, and possibly add an alternate litter to one box. And hopefully that will get them on the right track. She can't adopt out kitties who poop everywhere, can she? Not a lot of demand for that.
Andre and I like to look at the kitten's shadows under the door.
After mommy saw the miserable mess the kittens made for her this morning, she had to go sit down for a moment. Andre decided to jump on her lap, but instead of doing so in a careful way, he just jumped half way up, and clawed her frantically to get all the way up to her lap. Boy, did she yell, and Andre left quite a scratch on her arm. He was embarrassed and sorry afterwards, and went out to the catio.
So mommy is having a rough time of things so far today. Her laptop also died, so we are on this dinosaur 'puter that is so slow you can't even watch movies. Why even own a 'puter that slow? I don't know, that is a good question! It also takes up half her desk and sounds like a lawn mower.
Please purr the litter box training will work, and fast. 
-Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>Bundles of &quot;Joy?&quot;</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/686139</link>

				<pubdate>Thu, 12 Aug 2010 09:57:53 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/686139</guid>
		<description>Mommy got a call last night saying that somebody has  preggo they have no room for, and asking if sh ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Mommy got a call last night saying that somebody has  preggo they have no room for, and asking if she would foster her and her kittens to, when they are born.
Mommy is always torn with these pregnant cat cases. In her spay and neuter work, the pet's owner gets to decide if the pregnant cat is fixed, and mommy doesn't have to. Mommy isn't against a humans right to choose, though she thinks using birth control is a responsible adult's duty.
When  pregnant kitty is fixed, the kittens kinda OD on the sedatives, she is told. But it sounds like it is kinda icky and slow when they are very far alone. It is hard to say what the momma cat feels about the whole thing. She is likely very aware she is expecting if she is far along. Mommy doesn't know how far along this kitty in question is.
So is it right to let more kittens be born into a world where thousands upon thousands are euthanized already for being "extra?" Is it fair for more homes to be taken by cute little kittens that didn't have to be born that may otherwise have gone to adults needing another chance and dooming them to euthanasia? These are hard questions for mommy.
And if momma cat rejects her babies, they will have to go to the bottle feedin' granny volunteers. Do they have too many to feed already? Would mommy have to carry the kittens with her all summer and learn to do it?
And what if something is wrong with the kittens, and they get sick and die, and $ that could have gone to saving kitties that are already here or to spay and neuter is lost when it didn't have to be. Money is a cruel consideration, but when there is so much need out there, mommy can't help but think of it.
And what if the delivery is hard on the momma cat? What if she gets really sick and is never the same? Mommy will feel terrible she didn't end the pregnancy.
So many considerations. Mommy is too torn. She expects she will defer to the judgement of her acquaintances who have much more experience in these things than her. She has never been in the situation before, so she doesn't really know.
-Niko]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>Sad News</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/685353</link>

				<pubdate>Fri, 6 Aug 2010 20:27:35 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/685353</guid>
		<description>The starving kitty mommy found a few moths ago whom her friend was trying to cure died this afternoo ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ The starving kitty mommy found a few moths ago whom her friend was trying to cure died this afternoon.
He ate a lot, over a can of food a day, and was getting his thyroid meds. Mom's friend had just started him on raw food in the hope that his body could use it better. But today he was cold and staggering around, and mom's friend took him into the yard to be in the sun. He seemed to like that, and while she was reading the paper, he slipped away.
The vet thought the problem was that since he was so thin, under 3 lbs, he dared not give him as much thyroid medicine as he wished, as it may have killed him. The poor cat just kept loosing weight, no matter how much he ate, and his organs just shut down.
Mommy wishes she'd found him before he'd gotten so thin so maybe the vet could have had better luck medicating him. Mommy assured her friend that she'd done all she could, and that she'd given the poor kitty a few happy months, at least.
He was a silky black and white cat. Someone had owned him at some time, but apparently they did not value him much. He was a sweet and gentle cat, so grateful for all kindness and affection. So sad such a creature is discarded so readily in this cruel and warped culture, where vicious dogs and brain-dead celebrities are revered and corrupt corporations are given more rights than individuals with nowhere near the accountability for misdeeds. A world where kindness and love vanishes, those urges satisfied with the purchase of some junk made by slave labor in China, or some sugary foods that make the brain feel good for a moment, or a bad T.V. show where you watch someone else's supposed emotions. So many are so disconnected and poisoned, they don't see or value that unconditional love dispenser sitting right in front of them. They will spend their money on cable T.V. so they can watch more garbage, but not on a friend who loves and needs them, and doesn't care if they stink or are fat or have terrible clothes. They may have numerous human children, a souvenir from every man whose been in their life, that frankly, the planet cannot support and there probably is no future for, in order to feel loved, but kitty is right there with love already. Why do people who can't care for a simple cat think they can raise babies with adequate attention and care anyway? That's hard to do, my mommy admits it would be way too much for her, she'd care for 100 cats more easily. I guess such people just shove McDonald's in their kid's face after the school baby sits them all day, then stick them in front of a video game for the remainder of the time and call that parenting. Yes, that is easier than scooping a litter box, mommy must admit. But what happens when people raised in such way join the adult world? I weep for the future. Anyway, enough of my Ming-like rant on the fall of Western culture and civilization.
Elan. Rest in Peace.
If he'd been treated for his condition sooner, he'd probably have had a healthier and longer life. And so it goes for so many of us, cat and human alike, but all he may have needed was a simple pill twice a day.
Rest in peace, poor Elan. This world didn't deserve you.
-Niko]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>More Fosters and My New Hobby</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/684838</link>

				<pubdate>Tue, 3 Aug 2010 10:20:35 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/684838</guid>
		<description>So, I got out for like 2 days while mommy was on vacation, and I liked it! Now I yowl and try to fin ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ So, I got out for like 2 days while mommy was on vacation, and I liked it! Now I yowl and try to find ways of escaping the catio all day long. Mommy tries to distract me with laser toy and cuddles. She says she can't put money into enclosing more yard for us right now, and there is still a murderer out there. So no out. So I yowl most pitifully all day long and refuse to enjoy the enclosed yard I do have.
There are 2 new foster kitties in the bathroom, Blackberry and Sprite. They like being petted, but slink down low as if they are avoiding it, and hide a lot as if they don't like people, yet they come out if you call them long enough. Mommy needs to get them more loving, confident and outgoing in a hurry, their kittenghoods are almost over, and they need to be adopted. She doesn't know any surefire tricks if there are any, so she is using various types of positive reenforcement, feliway, and attempting to desensitize them to the sensation of being picked up. Any trick suggestions would be totally helpful, though. There is something very phony about how they slink past her,over and over, acting like they don't want to be touched, but they obviously do. Mommy is having some luck making them stand up and arch their backs if they want to be petted instead of the slinky shy act. Anyway, she is gong to try more play therapy and some confidence building exercises today. They do crave interaction. she hopes to get them walking around the bathroom like they own the place soon. -Niko]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>I was BAD, BAD, BAD!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/684568</link>

				<pubdate>Sun, 1 Aug 2010 18:56:45 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/684568</guid>
		<description>Some time when mommy was gone, her best guess is Friday, I wormed my way out of the catio, loosing m ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Some time when mommy was gone, her best guess is Friday, I wormed my way out of the catio, loosing my collar. 
When the tall teens came to feed us, I came and stared at them, but wouldn't let them near. They didn't know who I was, because my collar was gone.
They told mommy they hadn't seen me that night. She should have called someone I know to come look, but I'd done a really good job a few days before hiding within the enclosure so well she couldn't find me, so she assumed I was just in "stranger danger" mode hiding again. On Wednesday when they reported seeing me in the house where I belonged, it actually had surprised her, because I'm a hider with strange people. Not seeing me would have been more normal.
Well, when she came home I was in the yard to greet her, and very hungry. I left some fur where I got out; a place where chicken wire overlapped itself. She really had to look for it, because it wasn't exactly a hole. I really had to squeeze! Mommy sewed the layers together. Bummer.
The sitters were apologetic for not realizing it was me in the yard and not some neighbor cat. 
Guess mommy shoulda assumed the worst and called someone. 
-Niko]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Mad. Any San Diego Catsteers?</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/683983</link>

				<pubdate>Wed, 28 Jul 2010 19:30:27 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/683983</guid>
		<description>I'm mad. Mommy ignored my whining to go out for days. She says &quot;it isn't safe, Niko, remember Vincen ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ I'm mad. Mommy ignored my whining to go out for days. She says "it isn't safe, Niko, remember Vincent?" and "there s a murderer out there." Yeah, she is trying to scare me from wanting out. But we have a big, beautiful yard totally overgrown with weeds and trees, and you bet the birdies and all sorts of bugs and things love it. I just want to go out there. Mommy says it would cost thousands to fix the fencing all around, and grandpa would probably just leave a gate hanging open so a dog could come murder us after all that. She says someday she will make a bigger safe place for us. 
Tonight she sent spies! 2 tall girls. And a 3rd spy, a tall man, we've met him before. I think he is called Egger or edger or something. I didn't want anything to do with them, but the others thought they were nice.
Mommy says the whether is almost as nice in San Diego as it is at home today. She saw a kitty tied out in a little front yard there. She hopes large, stupid, vicious dogs are not as popular in San Diego as they are at home.
Do any of our Catster friends live in San Diego? Maybe you have activity suggestions for our mommy.
-Niko]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Gettin' Stinky in Here!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/676753</link>

				<pubdate>Fri, 11 Jun 2010 21:20:43 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/676753</guid>
		<description>Mommy was working all day, with her cat rescuing friend. She didn't have to read the awful things ki ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Mommy was working all day, with her cat rescuing friend. She didn't have to read the awful things kitties have been saying were on Catster today, and neither did we. 
Ming has complained about how mommy encounters anti-cat talk all over, almost every day, and how mad it makes her that people are sick enough to pick on such inoffensive, pleasant, useful animals who mostly just want to love and be loved, or to simply be left alone. Creatures man domesticated because with the advent of agriculture and cities, mice and rats were, and still are, a threat to foodstuffs and human health. We have been mankind's friend and helper for a long time. Why are we so hated?
Now, mommy had the misfortune to work in mental health for a number of years. Something you learn working in that, if you don't already know it, is that some sick people like to hurt animals. And then they go on to hurt humans, then they finally get in "trouble." Something more needs to be done about the mean, sick people. The mental health jobs were all about keeping the sick people safe and well fed and medicated and healthy and giving them a nice, clean place to live and making sure all their "rights" were respected. What about their victims? What about protecting animals and other people from these persons? There wasn't much of that, all mommy could do was call the cops if they did something, she wasn't legally even to keep them from going right out on the street and doing whatever they wanted to whomever or whatever they wanted. She wasn't allowed to physically restrain them even if they attacked someone. I don't know, that just doesn't seem right to me. It didn't to momma either, she quit her job when the house she worked for decided to both adopt a kitty and take in someone who'd killed a kitty. She couldn't talk them out of it, so she quit so she didn't have to see what would happen as the result of such stupidity. Maybe that was not the right thing to do, maybe she should have waited 'till they got the kitty and kidnapped it. But you know what? Then SHE would be the criminal, and may not be able to get another job if they pressed charges. How messed up is that? She probably should have done it anyway.

I guess my point is that this is a very messed up, unjust, dangerous world, especially for us kitties. It is frustrating, and it is hard to know if one can make a bigger impact by fighting or by leaving. There are no easy answers. 
Mommy wants some contact info for all her pals that leave, though. Our farm has a f-book page, us kitties don't yet, but will probably soon. So any kitty who is leaving or who is going to stay and try to fight and may be kenneled because of it, we are vince price on there, with a big, white goat. Maybe we can form something better together, or at least stay in touch. 
Please purr for the 7 year old human boy who went missing from school not far from us. Children are much like us kitties in that they are easy for mean, sick people to harm, and they need such people locked away so they can't get at them. Kids are little and trusting critters like us, and too vulnerable. He needs to be found really soon, safe and sound. -Nico]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>Update on Stray Cat</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/676576</link>

				<pubdate>Thu, 10 Jun 2010 16:11:31 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/676576</guid>
		<description>The vet said the stray cat just needs some thyroid meds every day so he can get nutrition from his f ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ The vet said the stray cat just needs some thyroid meds every day so he can get nutrition from his food and not just poop it right out. Makes sense to mom, she doesn't think a cat could simply starve to death in that neighborhood, many people feed their pets outside and he could swipe some. So he is currently under the care of an expert cat rescuer, and mom needs to get some pictures of him so she can try to find the owners. No collar, no chip. Failing that, when he is well enough, he will be adopted out to a good home that can provide the care he needs. A rare happy ending (knocking on wood).
-Nico]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>A Kitty in Troubble!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/676152</link>

				<pubdate>Mon, 7 Jun 2010 22:42:51 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/676152</guid>
		<description>Mommy was on a walk today, and she stopped to say &quot;hi&quot; to a kitty in someone's driveway.
It was a m ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Mommy was on a walk today, and she stopped to say "hi" to a kitty in someone's driveway.
It was a medium haired black and white tuxedo kitty. His fur was all messed up and had bald spots, and when mommy picked him up he was almost as light as a foster kitten! Mommy knocked on the door of the house he was in front of. No one home, but she knew they didn't own him, because those were good people who wouldn't let a kitty get so sick. she was just hoping they would know whose he was. Mommy carried him home. He purred and mewed now and then, but did not try to get away.
Mommy called her friend who rescues cats to find out what to do. Her friend met her at the vet. The vet said the kitty had tiny kidneys and only weighed about 3 pounds! He was fixed, and so friendly. Surely he'd had a home at some point. Mommy gave him some canned cat food on the way to the vet. He ate it all. At the vet's he ate 3 more servings of food in the short time mom was with him there. The vet said he was negative for feline leukemia and AIDS. He said the kitty would need to be hydrated before kidney tests would mean anything. Sub Q fluids wouldn't work at this point, so the vet had to keep him to give the fluids overnight. 
Mommy went home and put found cat adds up on craig's list. She got 2 responses from folks hoping the kitty was theirs, but they weren't matches. It made mommy sad, because she is still going through this with Vincent being missing. She hopes everyone will find their kitty, and that this kitty has an owner who will read Craig's list and find him. Mommy may need to give the shelter a picture of the kitty to. So much to do, but mommy has to work tomorrow. Her rescuer friend said she had a cage the kitty could stay in to recover. That should give time to search for an owner, or find a new owner, if no one comes forward. 
Mommy hopes the kittie's kidney's aren't too bad, and that he will have a happy ending to his story. 
Happy birthday to my beloved friend, Vincent, wherever he is. -Nico]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>Quality Control! A Plea for Skilled Labor!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/675561</link>

				<pubdate>Fri, 4 Jun 2010 18:20:18 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/675561</guid>
		<description>Alright, pirate cats, computer geek cats (I'm look at you, pawsome page members), and all other skil ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Alright, pirate cats, computer geek cats (I'm look at you, pawsome page members), and all other skilled and motivated kitties, why don't we start a new kitty website? One that promotes our values and increasing awareness of issues that harm kitties, like breed snobbery, food quality issues, the lack of spay and neuter funding, the People's Republic of China's many crimes against cat kind, and the many other things this site refuses to see as problems? It could be a place where fosterers and rescuers could help each other out and find each other, and where members could vote for a BOD, or run themselves, and volunteer opportunities could be shared, and it could be altogether more philanthropic? Maybe some business kitties could help us think of a way to make it pay for itself without ruining it with poisoned product promotion, etc. Craig's list does well, we can find a way to do this, no?
My mommy doesn't know much about computers or business, but she can follow the instructions of others and do research assignments and such. A fair writer, she could contribute articles or something from time to time. She is very involved in kitty rescue and spay and neuter resources and other things that need promotion big time. She has some basic design skills and proofreading abilities. This isn't much to bring to the table, but if every kitty brings something, I know we can make a better site. Lets stop meowing to indifferent ears and create something better!
If there are any groups of kitties working on this, point them to us or us to them. Or if such a site already exists. Plenty of our humans are out of work but highly skilled. Let's put them to work for US!]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Kittens, Kittens, KITTENS!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/675127</link>

				<pubdate>Wed, 2 Jun 2010 09:54:22 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/675127</guid>
		<description>Our foster kittens have a page now, though mommy spends more time with them than on it, so there isn ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Our foster kittens have a page now, though mommy spends more time with them than on it, so there isn't much there yet.
Grandpa's dog, Pepe, was put to sleep today. He was over 15 years old and his kidnies were failing. He wasn't bad, for a dog, and mostly left us alone. He had a good life and once went up a big mountain with mommy. She will never forget what a good climber he was.
Rest in peace, Pepe, and check out the foster kittens' page under my family. xxxooo-Nicolai]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>Appologies for anything we missed.</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/673921</link>

				<pubdate>Thu, 27 May 2010 09:53:48 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/673921</guid>
		<description>Vincent is still missing and presumed dead. Mommy is pretty deeply depressed. We are not on Catster  ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Vincent is still missing and presumed dead. Mommy is pretty deeply depressed. We are not on Catster much anymore as a result. So sorry for any birthdays or other news we may have missed. We hope everyone is well. 
-Nicolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>No Foolin' Here!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/664117</link>

				<pubdate>Thu, 1 Apr 2010 18:15:08 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/664117</guid>
		<description>No one want to guess who our guest is. Maybe everyone is afraid. I will post his picture as the next ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ No one want to guess who our guest is. Maybe everyone is afraid. I will post his picture as the next one down from my main picture. He is leaving tomorrow morning. Yippee!
-Niko]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Time for the Rubber Room Guessing Game</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/663928</link>

				<pubdate>Wed, 31 Mar 2010 19:42:00 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/663928</guid>
		<description>There is a monster in the house! He cries and cries until mommy pays attention to him. He wears a di ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ There is a monster in the house! He cries and cries until mommy pays attention to him. He wears a diaper, apparently he is too good for the litter box. He eats funny things  and smells weird. He gets into everything. He unnerves me, though everyone else already ignores him. Mommy sings goofy cute songs to him and calls him silly cute names and takes lots of pictures of him. Mommy promises he will only be staying for a few days. 
Who is this strange, young visitor? Anyone know?
-Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>furr Nephew Visit, and a Health Message</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/663588</link>

				<pubdate>Tue, 30 Mar 2010 11:26:12 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/663588</guid>
		<description>Hi, all,
Mommy went to Passover at a friend's house last night, and she got to have a nice, long vi ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Hi, all,
Mommy went to Passover at a friend's house last night, and she got to have a nice, long visit with her fur nephew, Henry. She used to hold him when she was roommates with his mom, and he was just a tiny little guy. The place they lived was so terrible she wasn't sure it was fit for a cat, but Henry made it, and so did mommy and her roommate. Now Henry is almost 10. How time flies!
Mommy has a health warning for you kitties. She just heard that a kitty she met and was concerned about had to be put down because of a throat tumor. This is the second kitty she has known who was put down because the tumor wasn't found until it was too big, and the other kitty, she is ashamed to say, was a childhood cat of her own. Please ask the vet to check your throat for growths as well as they can when you get your yearly exam. And if your voice or purr changes or you start getting any strange discharge from your head-holes, what seems like a URI that won't go away, see the vet, make him look in your throat, sinuses, etc. 
Mommy's cat was well up in her teens when the tumor got her, but it was a terrible way to go. This kitty who just passed was only 13 1/2. Tumors are not a rare thing anymore, the vets pretty much need to be looking for them, and so have our owners. 
What is that, mommy? Oh no, it is about time for my yearly exam! Boooooo!
-Niko]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Shortest Entry Ever</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/662952</link>

				<pubdate>Fri, 26 Mar 2010 15:01:32 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/662952</guid>
		<description>I caught a fly today and nomed it down. -Niko ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ I caught a fly today and nomed it down. -Niko]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>That Mousie</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/660376</link>

				<pubdate>Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:34:26 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/660376</guid>
		<description>The mousie is now living somewhere in the region of the fridge. It is a really tight area, and the f ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ The mousie is now living somewhere in the region of the fridge. It is a really tight area, and the fridge was a nightmare to put in, so mommy isn't about to move it. Last night I decided to deal with the matter myself. I started to climb on the shelves near the fridge. They have all mommy's canning jars, oversized pots, blender jars, and other things that make fun clanging and pinging noises when I make them knock together. 
Mommy decided to get out of bed and help me. Oh, did I wake you, mommy? She took me off the shelf, oh no! She said that was a dumb and dangerous thing for me to do, and I could have brought boxes of canning jars down on myself. Well, you don't make a mouse omelet without breaking some eggs, mommy. 
That mousie is still up there someplace. Mommy needs to find her little no kill traps and set them. Mommy also heard of a trap that involves a 5 gallon bucket and bait balanced on fishing line across the top. Mousie tries to get the bait and slips and falls in the bucket. Maybe your humans know some good live trap techniques  and can share them. Mousie is becoming "an attractive nuisance."
-Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>Tagged!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/659820</link>

				<pubdate>Tue, 9 Mar 2010 22:37:53 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/659820</guid>
		<description>I been tagged by Nikolai Dreamboat #24 to describe my average day.
In the early morning I get some  ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ I been tagged by Nikolai Dreamboat #24 to describe my average day.
In the early morning I get some food, then go out to play. I spend the day playing outside or lounging in the kitty loft. Whenever I see mommy, I rub against her legs and want pets. I want her to pick me up and kiss me. I do this all day long. If it has been raining on me, I meow for mommy to towel me off when I come in, or jump on her lap with muddy paws. She gets the message!
In the evening, I may snuggle, wrestle, or bathe with my special pal, Vincent, depending on the mood we are in. When mommy goes to bed, I periodically visit her.I jump right  near her head. When I do this, she must lift the blankets to form a "kitty cave" for me to climb in. I like her to pet me while I'm curled up in there. After a while, I get too hot and come out. Every few hours I meow most pitifully at the back door to be let out, then a few minutes or hours later, I meow and scratch more pitifully for mommy to get up and let me in. I do this even when the catio door is open and I can go out on my own. There is no substitute for human service!
-Niko]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>Good News!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/657116</link>

				<pubdate>Tue, 23 Feb 2010 21:42:38 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/657116</guid>
		<description>I just heard the foster home I used to live in was able to adopt out some kitties who'd been waiting ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ I just heard the foster home I used to live in was able to adopt out some kitties who'd been waiting a long time for new homes. Noodles and Red, 2 of the cats mommy cat sat this summer along with 48 others or so, both got new, loving forever homes! And two feral kittens from the kitten room did to. 
Mommy will miss seeing Noodles in particular, but she just imagines how happy he must be in his new home with his new owners who love him so. His new name is Oliver! I'm so glad some kitties are still being adopted during this recession nightmare! -Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>A Sad Story</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/652241</link>

				<pubdate>Sun, 31 Jan 2010 22:41:05 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/652241</guid>
		<description>Mommy just heard that a neighbor in a nearby town lost her house and her 2 cats in a fire last night ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Mommy just heard that a neighbor in a nearby town lost her house and her 2 cats in a fire last night. It just kills mommy to hear such things. Maybe with the thousands of cats dying for no good reason everyday mommy should not be so disturbed by such a story, at least these cats got to have good lives. But mommy still awful bothered when she hers about any kitty dying. She is sad for the lady and sad for the terror and suffering those poor kitties probably experienced. The lady tried to run in and save them, but was held back by people. Maybe it was too late already. It is so sad. Mommy wishes she could think of something that she could do to help this lady. Anyone got ideas?

http://www.kgw.com/news/local/Smoke-alarm-awakens-Beaverton-woman-in-home-inferno-83203287.html

-Niko]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Not Again!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/652104</link>

				<pubdate>Sun, 31 Jan 2010 09:52:48 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/652104</guid>
		<description>Mommy got poison oak again. She cut a bunch of brush for her goats, and she didn't even think about  ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Mommy got poison oak again. She cut a bunch of brush for her goats, and she didn't even think about the poison oak because it is all dead now. But it left an invisible surprise, its oils were all over the brush mommy cut. Plus, she kissed some of her goats after they had been eating the brush! She has rashes on her temple, neck, lip, leg, back, and all over her arms. They look terrible. And this affects us because she rolls around scratching while we try to sleep on her! Anyone know a good poison oak remedy, she is making us crazy!
This should break her goat kissing habit for sure. Those kisses rightfully belong to us, anyway, though I really don't want one right now, mommy's lip looks gross! Hope that heals up before your job interview Tuesday, Ma.
-Niko]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Thoughts for Today</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/651513</link>

				<pubdate>Thu, 28 Jan 2010 11:56:32 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/651513</guid>
		<description>We are hoping Louis is doing well in his surgery, or in his recovery, if the operation is over.
We  ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ We are hoping Louis is doing well in his surgery, or in his recovery, if the operation is over.
We are hoping Arnold P. and Rocky Ann are feeling alright, and all the other sick kitties to.
We are thinking of the human, J.D. Salinger who just passed away at 91. Mommy wasn't sure he was even still alive! Can you imagine if we kitties lived that long? Mr. Salinger had become reclusive and was said to have become quite the odd duck. Humans mostly loved him for the work he did, not for his personality, which they could not have known due to his secretive lifestyle. Maybe he figured he'd be more loved if he was only known for his work, maybe he was right. 
Us kitties are a different story. Few of us do much lasting "work." Some kitties paint a little, some "work" by unrolling toilet paper, or hunting bugs, rats or mice. Some are fine warmers of lap, and some even save lives by letting people know about fires and such. But since our work and what we produce (nothing that should be picked up with bare hands, in most cases) is not considered of great importance, we get to be loved for ourselves. And each of us may have a smaller fan club than a famous author, though certainly Catster has given us all larger fan bases than we would have otherwise, we are loved for being ourselves. Our eccentricities are for the most part embraced and celebrated. 
Aren't we fortunate that way?
Rest in peace, Mr. Salinger, mommy read all of your books, and hopes you had cats in your life that made you happier and did not judge you. 
-Niko]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Help Save the Cats of L.A.</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/651385</link>

				<pubdate>Wed, 27 Jan 2010 16:24:23 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/651385</guid>
		<description>We asked Catster to post something 'bout this in their &quot;news&quot; section but no dice.

L.A. has benef ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ We asked Catster to post something 'bout this in their "news" section but no dice.

L.A. has benefited from feral cats keeping the rat population down, organically, and for free, for many years. LA is a dirty place and in that warm climate, vermin and disease may well have taken a real toll, especially among the poor, without the kitty clean up crew. 
Now the trap, fix and return programs that help keep these feral cats from horribly outgrowing their food supply has been discontinued. The results will be tragic. Please help these cats whose lives are already hard enough. This page has some suggestions on what you can do. 

http://www.alleycat.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=722&srctid=1&erid=7640497

Mommy also suggests someone there start a spay/neuter referral service, as some groups that help with spay and neuter and aren't funded by the city still exist, it will just be challenging for those in need of such services to find them now.
This address has some resources listed, but one needs to research and find out what services are still available. 

http://www.lovethatcat.com/stca.html

This is the sort of thing mommy does in her volunteer work in Oregon. Hopefully someone down in LA will do the same if this stupid decision can't be overturned. 
Thanks for your help. -Niko]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Purr For Louis LeBeau</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/651325</link>

				<pubdate>Wed, 27 Jan 2010 10:47:36 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/651325</guid>
		<description>We all know Louis is having a big operation tomorrow. Let's all purr happy, healing kitty powers his ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ We all know Louis is having a big operation tomorrow. Let's all purr happy, healing kitty powers his way. We know he will be just fine, and the doc will remove all the affected tissue and leave not a trace of tumor but just nice, healthy, normal cells, and Louis's body will respond really well to having those bad cells gone, and heal up really fast. And he will feel good and be hungry and playful and happy really quickly with those bad cells all gone and no longer taxing his body. 
We all love you, Louis. -Niko, Vince, Ming, and Amity]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Mommy's Stories</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/650487</link>

				<pubdate>Fri, 22 Jan 2010 22:32:37 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/650487</guid>
		<description>Mommy says she got her wallet back! Yippee! And her money was still in it! Yippee! And the money the ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Mommy says she got her wallet back! Yippee! And her money was still in it! Yippee! And the money they gave her earlier today must have been someone else's, so she gave it back. What a crazy ordeal! At least she won't have to go to the DMV now. 
I lose my collar sometimes, but there is never so much fuss! -Niko]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Mysterious Mystery</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/650437</link>

				<pubdate>Fri, 22 Jan 2010 17:46:07 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/650437</guid>
		<description>Mommy told me about a mysterious event that occurred today.
She lost her wallet on the train back f ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Mommy told me about a mysterious event that occurred today.
She lost her wallet on the train back from the airport Monday. It was found within a few hours and turned in to the train's lost and found. Phew. Mommy figured the cash that was in it would be gone, but accepted that as an "idiot tax" since she should not have lost it in the first place. 
So today she finally drove the 30+ miles to the lost and found place to get her wallet back. She gave them her special number and waited and waited. Lots of other humans had lost things to, and they got them back with the special number rubber banded to the item.
Mommy had to wait longer than anyone else, something was wrong. The man came out again and asked her to describe the wallet, apparently the special number wasn't enough, perhaps she wrote it down wrong. Mommy waited more. Then 2 men came out, and one had an envelope. It was her money! She didn't even expect to get that back. Then they broke the news that her wallet was lost again to her. The lost and found lost her wallet? And how did they not loose the money with it? They said the wallet could be referred to as "stolen" if she called to inquire if it had turned up yet. Now who would want mommy's stinky old worn out wallet filled with canceled cards and her I.D. and a bunch of clutter and NO MONEY other than a few coins? Wouldn't they have preferred the money? So mommy was completely confused and dumbfounded. Who would want her cashless wallet?
It just goes to show that sometimes a purrson can try to prepare themselves for an eventuality and then find when the time comes that the result is something they would not have predicted in a million years. Often us kitties have to go to the vet and our humans have time before the appointment to wonder and wonder and research different diseases and say to themselves "oh, I bet he has that, that isn't good!" Then the vet discovers the problem is something totally different. Like with Vincent, mommy didn't see his tongue was hurt, she though he may have rabies or rotting teeth or a new allergic reaction of his mouth. Then he ends up having this weird tongue injury. That is just weird. So when all you kitty mommas and daddies are worrying yourselves sick with the possibilities, remember the truth could be something totally different, so there is no point wracking your brains. The things that happen in life don't fully make sense, so just hope for the best and try to keep an open mind. It may work out better than you think, it may not. You can't be ready for everything. And if you find mommy's black fake snake skin and leopard print wallet, please send it back to her. It has a memento of a dead friend in it. xxxooo-Niko]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>DDP!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/648794</link>

				<pubdate>Thu, 14 Jan 2010 09:48:34 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/648794</guid>
		<description>Wow, I can't believe I am DDP, and all my Christmas decorations are still up!
We are still watching ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Wow, I can't believe I am DDP, and all my Christmas decorations are still up!
We are still watching the news about Haiti.
 A man on a T.V. show said some pretty cold and just awful things about Haiti and the earthquake yesterday. He even said this tragedy may be a "blessing in disguise!"  I'd like to hear him say that to a survivor who lost everything! 
I guess he says judgmental and hateful things about lots of people, but a whole nation of people who have already been victimized over and over again? Come on! Have a heart and quit blaming victims, guy! Why kick someone when they are down? Why is this guy on T.V.? 
Hard to think of how to help those folks, they need portable, self-contained hospitals and heavy equipment to dig out the survivors, helicopters, water...they pretty much need everything. 
Some things have been said about buildings not being up to code there as though this would have been a minor thing had they been, but let's face it, no code is going to ensure a building will survive a 7 point earthquake, that is a huge earthquake. I sure wish people wouldn't fixate on this "blaming the victim" kind of thinking. Maybe it helps reassure them it can't happen here, but it sure can, even if you live in a palace. And yes, the poor get the worst of it, just as they do with everything, but they live how they can afford to live and get griped at and persecuted enough, they don't ask to be poor.
Anyway, on to other news, though those in Haiti are never far from our thoughts nowadays.
Yesterday I got up on a beam somehow. Mommy didn't see how I did it, she just saw me up there and took pictures and helped me down when I was ready.
I learned a scandalous secret last night. Amity and Vincent were on the couch, and Amity licked Vincent's head! Mom tried to take a picture, but her batteries were dead. Since she has no proof, I may choose not to believe her story. I still really don't like Amity, and she still chases and picks on Ming and me. She is a brat!
-Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Haiti</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/648560</link>

				<pubdate>Wed, 13 Jan 2010 11:04:46 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/648560</guid>
		<description>Our hearts go out to all the kitties of Haiti and their human friends. Things were already so bad fo ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Our hearts go out to all the kitties of Haiti and their human friends. Things were already so bad for residents of Haiti, now this. We wish we could do something to help, especially with getting those who are trapped alive out from under the rubble. Purr they can hang in there until help gets to them. -Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Forgotten!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/644533</link>

				<pubdate>Thu, 24 Dec 2009 19:30:13 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/644533</guid>
		<description>Mom forgot my &quot;gotcha&quot; day was the 18th! I think it was because 2 of her goats gave birth on the 17t ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Mom forgot my "gotcha" day was the 18th! I think it was because 2 of her goats gave birth on the 17th. Those show-boating goats are stealing my thunder! Oh well, I'm not one to care.
Tonight mommy and I played paper wad catch, just like old times. She says I'm still her little kitten.
A sweet main coon I lived with in foster care named Zepher was killed by a car the other day. My mommy and his mommy were so sad. And my cousin, Chia, had a kidney episode. the vet gave him fluids and switched his food and he seems to be doing better, but he is about 18 years old, so you know how it is. He is a Main Coon to. Maybe a bad week to be a Main Coon. I hope everyone else is alright.
Love, Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Toilet Tank</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/641405</link>

				<pubdate>Thu, 10 Dec 2009 20:09:05 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/641405</guid>
		<description>Mommy was in the bath, and I was on the toilet watching her. For some reason the lid was open, so I  ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Mommy was in the bath, and I was on the toilet watching her. For some reason the lid was open, so I just perched on the edge. Then that stupid Amity came in. So I got an idea. I got in the toilet bowl, so I could bat at Amity and she could not get me. Brilliant! Lucky for me, the toilet functions about as poorly as everything else here so there is only a tiny bit of water, just at the bottom. I didn't get wet!
-Niko]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>I Almost Jumped In!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/636427</link>

				<pubdate>Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:15:46 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/636427</guid>
		<description>THEY drove me to it!
Tonight Ming, Vincent and Amity were all laying wayyyy too close together. I d ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ THEY drove me to it!
Tonight Ming, Vincent and Amity were all laying wayyyy too close together. I don't like that Amity, she is mean to me. Anyway, this is the first time this has happened so mommy took a bunch of pictures and was saying nice things to them. Meanwhile, I was up in the kitty loft looking down upon this scene. Mommy noticed me, FINALLY and stood up on the couch to give me some pets. Then I realized I really needed some mommy reassurance. But while I worked my way down the ladder from the kitty loft, mommy went away! I ran around looking for her, then I ran into the "little" room. Mommy was sitting in there. I jumped for her lap! I almost made it! Mommy said it was for the best that I didn't, for she was in the bath! She tried to console me with a petting, but I didn't want her to touch me with wet hands, and besides, I was embarrassed! So I just watched her in the bath. 
When she got out, Ming had moved to the computer chair, but Vincent basically had his face resting on Amity's butt! What is with that? He is MY boyfriend! Mommy tried to get me to sit next to Vincent to, but I wasn't comfortable with that scene. Not at all. So I went and ate. Gotta fill the void in my broken heart. Mommy tried to find my laser toy to distract me, but the place is a mess, she can't find it. Thanks for nothing, mommy. I'm a sad little boy. ..Update: mommy found my laser, so I feel better now.-Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Snot Party!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/634607</link>

				<pubdate>Wed, 11 Nov 2009 07:29:55 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/634607</guid>
		<description>Mommy suddenly developed a bad cold. And she was going to visit the House of Dreams, which is a no-k ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Mommy suddenly developed a bad cold. And she was going to visit the House of Dreams, which is a no-kill kitty shelter, and bring them some catnip plants for their holiday bizarre today. She is pretty sure she is too sick, though. She doesn't want to get those people who have so many cats to take care of sick, and mommy is just a big sack of contagion now. She can't control her coughing and sneezing and snot. It is pretty gross. We tried to help her by keeping her awake all night so she wouldn't choke on snot in her sleep and die. Aren't we sweet? Meanwhile, mommy is looking for a home for the family. She wanted to do better for us and rent us a proper house, but now she is looking for a park model trailer. She promises it won't be much smaller than where we live now, and she will make sure we have a secure yard to play in and stuff. Mommy says she'd always hoped that by her age she'd have her own old farmhouse in the country, all full of cats. She didn't count on how bad her and daddy are at making money consistently. Life is full of surprises, I guess. Well, she promises that if we do get out to the country there will be lots of mice and she says we cats must help out by doing a good job of catching them. And there are quail to. And we'll be able to live with our milk goats, which means mommy will be able to have them bred and get milk! We may well all be eating better if we get out to the country. Let's hope it works out, even if we do have to live in a tin can. I can taste those mice already.-Niko]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Cat-Walking on Eggshells</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/632804</link>

				<pubdate>Tue, 3 Nov 2009 12:31:55 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/632804</guid>
		<description>Things are still pretty tense here from the new cat. I growl at her, and instead of acting submissiv ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Things are still pretty tense here from the new cat. I growl at her, and instead of acting submissive and breaking eye contact with me and walking away, she switches her tail and holds her rump up in attack mode! She likes to sit on one side of the cat door and block me from going in and out. I hate it. I slink around and growl. Mommy feels terrible, because I was such a happy, care-free boy before. She hopes a bigger place to live will help. The new cat chases Vincent to. I'm not sure why he runs, he loves to fight other cats. Dad says Amity is a haunted cat. Mommy says that is silly and Amity is just a kitten who hasn't been socialized well. I have my own explanations for her behavior, but they are not nice words to use in public. 
Please purr healing vibes for mommy's favorite baby goat. Mommy has been treating her for an abscess. The goat must get well, for she will give us milk and cheese some day.
-Niko]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Nope, I don't like it.</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/632473</link>

				<pubdate>Sun, 1 Nov 2009 22:17:04 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/632473</guid>
		<description>I have decided that I don't like the new cat AT ALL. I am an easy going boy, and back at the foster  ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ I have decided that I don't like the new cat AT ALL. I am an easy going boy, and back at the foster home I was known as the kitty who got along with everyone. That was part of why mommy adopted me. But I really don't like Amity. She is socially retarded. She doesn't know to wink her eyes when she is feeling calm, she plays wayyyy too rough, and if I retreat under the couch she sits and stares at me. She doesn't understand a growl means GO AWAY. She gave my mommy a puncture wound on her finger today while she was seeming to enjoy a belly rub from her. She doesn't get that there is a difference between happy love nips and trying to take mommy's finger off. She is CLUELESS! I don't like her, I want her to go away. Mommy has had to get out the squirt bottle for when the new kitty won't leave me alone. Mommy tells me the new cat is probably younger than me, and probably was an outdoor only cat and didn't learn social niceties in her harsh and rugged life. I don't believe there is ANY excuse for her rudeness. I wish someone would adopt her and take her away. She gives me the creeps and is MEAN! And it makes mommy very sad to see me unhappy. Maybe that ear infection gave Amity brain damage in whatever region of the brain controls aggression. I hate the new cat. There, I said it. Thanks for listening, I had to vent. -Niko]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Hunting With Mommy</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/626057</link>

				<pubdate>Tue, 6 Oct 2009 10:42:56 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/626057</guid>
		<description>Mommy and I are hunters. But guess who is the better hunter?
Mommy sits at 'puter and looks for job ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Mommy and I are hunters. But guess who is the better hunter?
Mommy sits at 'puter and looks for jobs and new place to live on Craig's list. She sends many resumes. Maybe 4 a day. But no one gets back to her. And how can she get us all moved to a new place where the asthma monster won't attack Vincent and me when she has no job? She quit the job with the cat murderer long ago, she's not a good hunter if she can't find a new job by now. 
I, on the other hand, caught a mouse again last night. I kept bringing it in the house to share with poor jobless mommy. She kept putting it back outside. I gave a little growl one of the times she took it from me. Eventually she closed the catio so I couldn't get to it and she put mousie in the yard. Mommy is mean like that. She says she wishes those mice weren't so cute, and that they were not attracted to the cat litter. Mommy says next time she will get a litter that isn't wheat-based and doesn't smell like popcorn. She says she failed to think that through. Mommy is no fun, she doesn't realize what a perfect provider a wheat-scented litter box is. It feeds and entertains a kitty and gives the kitty a place to poop. What more could it do? Humans are silly, it is hard for me to feel sorry for them when they complain they don't have what they need but are so wasteful with what they have at the same time. Mind blowing. -Niko]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Why Did She take It? I Would Have Shared.</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/625604</link>

				<pubdate>Sun, 4 Oct 2009 10:46:04 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/625604</guid>
		<description>Last night mommy and daddy were out late, visiting catster cat Henry and his family. When they got h ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Last night mommy and daddy were out late, visiting catster cat Henry and his family. When they got home, mommy saw I was playing with something next to one of the bags of potatoes on the floor. Mommy has been drying potatoes from the garden in big batches, so there are always bags of potatoes on the floor right now it seems. Anyway, mommy decided to help me by lifting one of the bags, and guess what? It was a little mouse! Mommy picked it up, and it flopped on its back and had its mouth open, but didn't try to bite. Mommy isn't sure why this mouse isn't extinct if that is the best defensive maneuver his kind could come up with. So mommy let the mouse go outside of the catio. She said I need to learn not to bring them into the house from the catio, because that is what  I always do. We don't actually have mice living in the house, and mom would like to keep it that way. How boring of her, I'm always trying to seed the house with breeding pairs of mice so we have a ready supply, right inside where it it warm, mommy always says we need an emergency food supply. Mommy keeps ruining my plan, maybe I'll not draw her attention to the mouse by playing with it next time. That is hard, though, I get so excited. I was excited about the mouse all night! 

Please think healing thoughts for Sir Nikolai, who has developed sudden onset diabetes, and for Calvin and Hooch and all the other Catster cats who are not feeling well right now.
-Niko]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Today's Secret Word...</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/625387</link>

				<pubdate>Sat, 3 Oct 2009 09:25:58 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/625387</guid>
		<description>Today's secret word is &quot;commenty,&quot; because that is what mommy's e-mail box has become. Comments abou ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Today's secret word is "commenty," because that is what mommy's e-mail box has become. Comments about comments about comments. Even though we don't leave many comments and we hardly get any on our entries. 
If you don't want a lot of e-mail, don't comment on a popular kitty's diary! MOL! Hm, there must be a more efficient way of dealing with the comments. -Niko]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Thanks!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/625220</link>

				<pubdate>Fri, 2 Oct 2009 15:08:30 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/625220</guid>
		<description>Thanks to everyone who wished me a happy birthday. Karma Kitty and her family, who sent me a yummy b ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Thanks to everyone who wished me a happy birthday. Karma Kitty and her family, who sent me a yummy blue cupcake, and Sir Nikolai, who sent me a yummy pink cupcake. I don't know which is sweeter, so I think I will eat both.
Vince and I ate canned food, and I got held a lot. I love to be held. I meow at mommy to pick me up. Mommy suspects this is because I have made her scream so many times when I jump on her with my claws out and miss and sink my claws into her leg to keep myself from falling on the floor. Anyway, she knows I want to be held when I meow at her and scoops me up, so it is a good solution.
The weather has been cold and wet again. Our mommy has a really, really hard time when there is no sun. She can't bring herself to do anything. It is pretty funny. She has tried vitamins, full spectrum lights, caffeine, working out, and just going out to stare at the overcast sky and absorb what light she can. Nothing helps. It is kinda pathetic, like someone drained her batteries. The upside is, however, when she is unemployed as she is now and the weather is bad, she will sit a LOT and hold us. If only someone would cut her a check for that. 
Mommy went to the House of 50 Cats the other night. She said she got to see many of the kitties she cat sat this summer, and even some new ones. She got to see Noodles, who is such a special boy to her. He is available for adoption, but mommy worries because Vincent has so many mysterious health problems, and he and I both had asthma attacks last year, and one trip to the vet for an emergency costs so much, and if she has to use a credit card, she doesn't know when/if the money will come to pay it off. Hello, mommy? Welcome to Life in the New Economy. Just about EVERYONE lives like that, silly. If a human has a good, loving home to provide, you gotta adopt and find a way to cope with things as they come, cats die every day because no one will give them a home. Mommy is way too practical sometimes. I'd love to have Noodles to play with. He is small and orange and white and has a kinked tail and a squished face and he is really loving. Mommy says a mellow and independent female would probably be a better fit for the household if we were to consider another cat. That sounds kinda boring, though, and mommy is in love with Noodles. And mommy always says if you love someone, gender, color, etc. shouldn't matter. She should bring him home, I'll love him to. I love everyone. Mommy can be no fun sometimes. I hope she changes her mind. She said a little calico girl is for adoption to and that would probably be the better choice where Ming is concerned if we were to get another kitty. That's cool with me, bring 'em BOTH home, mommy. Maybe I can get a job and support us. Lap warming, $2 per hour. -Niko]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>One Year Old Today!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/624719</link>

				<pubdate>Wed, 30 Sep 2009 09:51:12 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/624719</guid>
		<description>Mommy has been calling me her one year old all week, trying to get used to the idea. 
I have had no ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Mommy has been calling me her one year old all week, trying to get used to the idea. 
I have had no prezzies or concats yet, not even from mommy! Will I have a party? I don't know! Mommy has to clean a pig pen today, and the house, (she thinks the pig pen will be easier to clean) dry some potatoes, make some calls, take care of the goats, get cleaned up and she has a meeting for a spay and neuter group tonight. And, it is rainy out. So how am I to get a party? Luckily, I'm a pretty laid back guy, so some canned food and lap time will do nicely. 
Gee, mom, you don't have time to update my page? Wow, when I turned one I must have stopped being cute or something. -Niko]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>I want to ride my bicycle</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/622498</link>

				<pubdate>Sun, 20 Sep 2009 23:05:26 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/622498</guid>
		<description>Mommy saw a lady with a special cat carrier on her bike the other day, and there was a kitty in it!  ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Mommy saw a lady with a special cat carrier on her bike the other day, and there was a kitty in it! Today mommy saw a man with a little dog in his bike basket. Mommy says she'd be really nervous to transport any of us with a bike, but maybe she would if she had a fancy bike trailer. We have been having good bicycle weather lately. I wish she'd give me a ride. -Niko]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>NO Kid is as Cute as Me!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/621739</link>

				<pubdate>Thu, 17 Sep 2009 18:16:14 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/621739</guid>
		<description>Mommy said she'd never ever have kids, but all of a sudden on Sunday, she got 3 of 'em! She is crazy ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Mommy said she'd never ever have kids, but all of a sudden on Sunday, she got 3 of 'em! She is crazy about them, and spends all kinds of time with them. She comes home stinking of them. I don't mind so much but... I'm the baby, I'm not even one, so it is no fair her letting anyone younger than me in the family.
Mommy says one day those kids will grow up, and give us milk, yogurt, and cheese. I can't imagine. Mommy says we should not be jealous, because the kids are cute, but will never be as cute or wonderful as cats. I can say this, we cats certainly SMELL nicer! 
Our purrs are with sweet Calvin as he prepares for that mysterious voyage we all must one day take. We purr most of all for those who will be standing on the shore, waving farewell to this precious boy. We will all try to be brave with you, Calvin, for we know you are not afraid.
-Niko]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>Kitty Storm 2009: The Aftermath</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/618408</link>

				<pubdate>Tue, 1 Sep 2009 20:39:25 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/618408</guid>
		<description>Mommy says she is having a bit of kitty withdrawal still after her time in the house of 50 cats. One ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Mommy says she is having a bit of kitty withdrawal still after her time in the house of 50 cats. One thing she doesn't miss, all those poops, pees, pukes and litter boxes! I guess those are 4 things. She is also glad to be home with us, and close to her livestock so she can check on them when she wants.
 She really misses a cat named Noodles. He is small and orange with a little white and a kinked noodle-like tail. She would adopt him if either she or daddy had a permanent job. 

Some sadness this week. The friend mommy cat-sat for rescued a kitty during her trip, and has now discovered the kitty has feline leukemia, so that kitty had to go to a special kitty sanctuary called the House of Dreams. Another friend of mommy's found a lame kitty who was starving and brought her to the vet and tried to save her...but she didn't make it. Mommy cried when she heard. Trying to rescue kitties can be such heartbreaking work.
Please purr for my friend, Sir Nikolai. He is having some strange health problems and we are hoping they are not serious. -Niko]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>Mommy is Coming Home Soon! 1000 ways to #2</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/617034</link>

				<pubdate>Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:42:46 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/617034</guid>
		<description>The owners of the house of 50 cats are on their way home, so soon we will have our mommy back.
She  ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ The owners of the house of 50 cats are on their way home, so soon we will have our mommy back.
She says she spends about 3 hours on a regular day scooping poopies, pukes and pees and cleaning them up, about 4 hours on days when boxes need total dumping and cleaning, and about 6-8 hours if she really cleans everything. When she does that, it takes 1-3 hours for the 50 cats to have things looking quite messy again.
She thinks with a few more litter boxes the number of "accidents" could be reduced drastically. But who wants more boxes when there are already 16? Mommy thinks maybe some cat doors leading to secure mini catios outside, perhaps made of salvaged iron bird cages or gates or something else decorative, would help. Maybe some sideboards, dressers, or wardrobes converted to hold kitty boxes, maybe a few of the cubby holes around there could have fans installed and hold kitty boxes. Anyway, mommy thinks catios outdoors are the best solution for cat boxes, though she is interested in other solutions and in the idea of some kind of Zen sand garden where kitties can artfully arrange their poops and humans with little rakes can scrape them out, leaving soothing lines in the sand. Art made to be destroyed. She isn't sure how to get the pee smell out of the sand, however. Oh well, we like our ordinary garden litter box just fine. We can go there and pretend we are farmers.
Boy, I'm going to see mommy! I wonder if she still missed us, with 50 cats and all that poop to scoop. -Niko]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>Electric Cat Nip Test</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/615844</link>

				<pubdate>Fri, 21 Aug 2009 22:49:24 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/615844</guid>
		<description>I saw mommy for a bit today. She said Bowa says &quot;hi.&quot; I grew up with him.
Mommy brought several spr ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ I saw mommy for a bit today. She said Bowa says "hi." I grew up with him.
Mommy brought several sprigs of the type of catnip she is going to sell over to the house of 50 cats the other day and let them all have at it. She said they didn't get crazy on the stuff, but did seem to like it, and one fluffy orange boy foster cat who has been having a hard time because his human had to give him up (hopefully temporarily) really enjoyed the cat nip a lot.  Mommy was glad it made him feel better for a while.
Things are alright here, daddy doesn't pay quite the level of attention to our needs mommy does. He let our indoor water bowl run out, although at least we had our outdoor one. I can't wait until we get our mommy servant back for good. That won't happen until Wednesday or Thursday. Can you believe it? -Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>Gigantic Noisy Monster Birds!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/615020</link>

				<pubdate>Tue, 18 Aug 2009 14:49:45 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/615020</guid>
		<description>There are 3 orange birds in the old &quot;duck tractor.&quot; They are huge, and they are LOUD. They get reall ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ There are 3 orange birds in the old "duck tractor." They are huge, and they are LOUD. They get really, really loud when I come close. Mommy says I scare them, but they are HUGE, I couldn't hurt them if I tried. 
They squawk and cluck and are driving mommy bats. She doesn't think they are happy in their new home yet. Mommy says if they don't shut up soon she'll take them to live with the goats and mule where they may be happier. Mommy can't remember ever having such loud monster birds.
Mommy says they had babies and a boyfriend where they were living, and they may be so noisy because they are trying to call to them. A giant monster bird family drama. If you want to call someone, borrow mommy's phone, dummies.
I'm starting to wish they'd shut up to. True, this is a plenty noisy neighborhood and outside our yard they probably don't seem much noisier than anything else, but mommy is not very noise tolerant, and doesn't like to contribute to the din. 
We can only wait and see. Maybe they heard about the goat farm and know they get to live there if they are noisy and it is a well-orchestrated giant monster bird plot. Bravo, monster birds, that is some keen plotting. Hope you enjoy the farm!
-Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>The House of 50 Cats</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/613628</link>

				<pubdate>Thu, 13 Aug 2009 09:19:33 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/613628</guid>
		<description>Next week mommy is house sitting 50 cats! She will be spending the nights with them in the very hous ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Next week mommy is house sitting 50 cats! She will be spending the nights with them in the very house I was fostered in! Some of them are kitties I knew, some have arrived since I left. One has diabetes, and mommy will have to give him a shot after his breakfast every day. One is a tiny calico kitten with a bad eye. Mommy will need to put ointment on the eye every day. Mommy is surprised that's all the medicating that needs to be done for 50 cats! But it will get complicated, don't worry about that. Some kitties can go out, others can't. One needs to be carried to the litter box because she is shy, and another has a bladder problem. Mommy needs to remember to ask if she's on any meds for that.
Some kitties only can have certain foods, some steal from other cats. There are lots of hidden litter boxes to clean and sneaky ferals that hide around the house, mommy will have to track them down to feed them or they may be too scared to come out and eat.
There will be a lot of poopies and pee-pees and barfies around the house to clean up, probably even more than they normally have because the regular humans won't be home and they don't know my mommy well. There will also be a lot of playing and morning snuggles.
What about OUR morning snuggles? Daddy will be home while mommy cat sits, but he is boring. He won't wake up to snuggle. Mommy says we aren't to worry, she probably won't get much sleep, so it will be like when she worked grave shift, and she'll snuggle and nap with us when she gets home. Yippee!
Mommy wonders what to bring. She is planning what cat nanny gear to pack already. Some Comfort Zone, No Mark, maybe some cat nip, and latex gloves. Hmm, I bet she needs other things.
If your human was watching 50 cats, what would you tell them to bring?
-Niko]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>Tiny Droppings in the Box</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/613053</link>

				<pubdate>Tue, 11 Aug 2009 08:45:18 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/613053</guid>
		<description>There are some tiny droppings in one of my litter boxes! The round box with low sides. Whatever made ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ There are some tiny droppings in one of my litter boxes! The round box with low sides. Whatever made them didn't bury them. Mommy says they look like mouse droppings! Why would a mouse use MY litter box? That seems pretty stupid. Mommy says the litter is made from corn cobs, and maybe that is attracting mice. But could they possibly be getting any nutrition from it? And could it possibly be worth the risky trip onto the catio? I don't know, but I plan to watch that box until mommy finds another brand of litter she likes. Awful nice of the mice to make themselves so available, especially when there is a ton of fruit, veggies and seeds they could have in the relative safety of the garden. -Niko]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Flutter Flutter, Who has Butter?</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/610995</link>

				<pubdate>Mon, 3 Aug 2009 09:20:50 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/610995</guid>
		<description>The other day there was this big yellow thing flying in the air. It landed on a box, and pow! I got  ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ The other day there was this big yellow thing flying in the air. It landed on a box, and pow! I got it! Then mommy came and took it away! She said it was a swallow tail butterfly, and I should not have pounced on it. I ripped its wing, but it was able to fly away when mommy let it go. Mommy said maybe it could still go lay its eggs. I sorry, I didn't know there were forbidden bugs. The swallowtails must be like the humming birds and off limits. Well, I can live with that. There are still plenty of flies to eat, and mommy says I can kill all the cabbage moths I want! -Niko]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>Look What I  Got You! I Wrapped it Myself!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/608776</link>

				<pubdate>Sun, 26 Jul 2009 12:39:36 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/608776</guid>
		<description>The other day mommy and daddy noticed something stinky. Then mommy lifted up the throw that was sort ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ The other day mommy and daddy noticed something stinky. Then mommy lifted up the throw that was sort of wadded up on the couch. Can you guess what she found? It was a giant poop, all folded up in the throw. Mommy started laughing, because the turd was wrapped so carefully in the throw, like a special gift, and because dad ran out of the house like a chicken when he saw what it was. Maybe he was afraid he'd have to help clean it up. As if he'd ever! Mommy flushed the turd down the toilet, and took the throw to the laundry, and scrubbed the couch with soap and water. Luckily the offending object had been wrapped so carefully in the throw it didn't actually touch the couch, but mommy thought stink molecules had gotten in there anyway. 
I'm not about to confess to being the one who made the turd, but I am the resident soiler of cloth items. 
-Niko]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>Down on the Farm</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/601411</link>

				<pubdate>Tue, 30 Jun 2009 08:02:47 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/601411</guid>
		<description>I've decided that I'm a rooster. I crow and crow every morning between 4:15 and 4:25. I feel that is ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ I've decided that I'm a rooster. I crow and crow every morning between 4:15 and 4:25. I feel that is when everyone should get up. Sometimes I pounce on mommy and crow right in her ear. When she is lucky, she can shut me up by making a little cave under the covers and luring me in there for a nap. Often this doesn't work. Sometimes I do get her up,  other times she just lays in bed with the insomnia I've triggered. Every once in a while she gets really lucky and manages to fall back to sleep until 7. Lazy mommy.
Our computer still has worms, mommy can't seem to dig them out.
Mommy says in not too long we will have some chickens and ducks here, and some goats outside of town. I don't now if I'll ever see the goats. Maybe later if one is born that needs bottle feeding mommy will bring it home for a few weeks, and I'll get to see it.  Daddy says no goats in the house, but before daddy moved in mommy even kept an opossum in the house for a few weeks because it was sick. Mommy says our house is a wreck, and there is nothing a goat could do to it time hasn't already done or started to do. However, if we end up with a kid in the house, it will have to stay in a kennel or wear diapers, because poops and pees in the house are something mommy won't permit. Well, that and spraying, sharpening claws on the couch, dead or dying birds and mice, and dogs. But that last one is for our comfort and happieness. Mommy is pretty strict!
Anyway, better go. We are purring Hooch gets well. We are all confused and frustrated that the vets can't get to the bottom of his problem and fix it, and are hoping his body snaps back into shape and his organs start behaving.
Sorry for the misspellings. The worm killed our spellcheck.
Hope everyone is having a good summer. -Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>My Mouse Club</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/598009</link>

				<pubdate>Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:19:23 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/598009</guid>
		<description>I had a dead mouse, and I was playing and playing with it. Then Vincent came to play with it, then M ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ I had a dead mouse, and I was playing and playing with it. Then Vincent came to play with it, then Ming came to watch us play with it. then mommy couldn't find the mouse. Did I bring it in the house, or did someone eat it? I'll never tell. -Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Planting</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/596282</link>

				<pubdate>Sat, 13 Jun 2009 13:56:50 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/596282</guid>
		<description>Whenever mommy lets me out of the catio, the first thing I do is go to the little garden. I dig a bi ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Whenever mommy lets me out of the catio, the first thing I do is go to the little garden. I dig a big hole, and pee pee pee. Mommy says it is kinda gross, but she also told me she has planted pees and leaks there. I never saw her do that, but I figure if it is good enough for her pees and leaks, it is good enough for mine! -Niko]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Old School!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/593813</link>

				<pubdate>Thu, 4 Jun 2009 08:50:00 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/593813</guid>
		<description>Mommy has noticed I love to roll around on cardboard. Back when she was little, there was a fad call ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Mommy has noticed I love to roll around on cardboard. Back when she was little, there was a fad called "break dancing" where people would spin around on cardboard on their backs and such. Every once in a while the fad comes  back for 5 minutes or so, but never as strong or for as long as it was popular back then. 
Well, I enjoy it, I can spin and roll on that cardboard pretty good, although mommy hasn't seen me do a head spin yet. Now I need a beat box and I'll be set. Oh, and maybe a time machine, and a headband and parachute pants. -Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>and mommy took it away!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/592508</link>

				<pubdate>Sat, 30 May 2009 14:09:57 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/592508</guid>
		<description>I had a little mouse. I would bat him, and he'd run and hide under something. It was fun. I didn't h ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ I had a little mouse. I would bat him, and he'd run and hide under something. It was fun. I didn't hurt him. Mommy said he was scared, and she picked him up and put him outside of the catio. I think he likes me and he'll just come back in again. -Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>My First Mouse</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/590229</link>

				<pubdate>Fri, 22 May 2009 00:17:42 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/590229</guid>
		<description>I got a mouse today! Yippee! Mom was grossed out. She doesn't mind kitties eating mice so much, but  ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ I got a mouse today! Yippee! Mom was grossed out. She doesn't mind kitties eating mice so much, but doesn't like it when we play with them. She thinks it is gross.
I has a good time playing under supervision in the yard today to. 
-Niko]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Buzzy Busy Bees!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/589511</link>

				<pubdate>Tue, 19 May 2009 10:50:38 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/589511</guid>
		<description>Mommy has been so busy, in our garden and away at some place called the &quot;community garden.&quot;  She say ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Mommy has been so busy, in our garden and away at some place called the "community garden."  She says there are kitties there to, and that is good because they will help keep starlings and gophers and wild bunnies from destroying the garden. At least mommy hopes so. 
I've been busy to. It was 90 degrees yesterday, and mommy had the door open a lot. Some flies got in. I love to play with flies and catch them in my little paws and eat them. Mommy says eating them could give me worms, but I don't care. 
I have gotten to go outside for many supervised outings. If I get out of mommy's sight she calls and looks for me until she finds me. She says I need to work on my "here kitty-kitties." 
Last night it rained, and today it is cloudy. Maybe mommy will get some indoor work done for a change.

We are thinking of a Pearl Harbor vet (not the kind who takes your temp) who is very sick in the hospital right now. All the Pearl Harbor vets mommy knows are either gone or going soon, mommy hopes someone got their stories down right first. Mommy's gramp was there to, mommy wishes she'd written his stories down word  per word, but he didn't like to talk about it much, it was a terrible memory for him. People need to document their histories, even if they are bad, so others will know and  learn. Maybe some of your humans will record the stories of a vet for a Memorial day activity.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Dirty, Dirty, Unspeakably Dirty Deeds.</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/587825</link>

				<pubdate>Wed, 13 May 2009 12:31:04 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/587825</guid>
		<description>Mommy is enjoying her first week of unemployment. Today she decided to do the laundry dad piled up o ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Mommy is enjoying her first week of unemployment. Today she decided to do the laundry dad piled up over the week. No, don't move that mommy! I said. Too late, the you-know-what had hit the fan, and the mommy.  She found my new poo stash! She thought she smelt something as she picked up the clothes, and a poo fell on her leg. She screamed so loud! Apparently now ANY pile of clothing is my target. At least, any pile of DAD's clothing. Mommy found at least 3 poops in the pile. She almost threw up. I stood next to her as she tried to pick up the mess and "helped" by making digging motions in the carpet. She dumped the poo in the toilet, and washed away as much as she could, then she took the first load (snicker) of clothes away to be washed. Now she just has to wait until she can run it again, then she has 2 more loads to doubble wash. Guess she knows what she'll be doing all day. 
I like the litter boxes and they are frequently emptied, although the grown-ups poo outside, so I pretty much have 2 boxes to myself. Mommy suspects the initial laundry pooping incident when dad plied clothes where my litter box had been set the association between a good place to poo and dad's clothes in my mind. 
Mommy is disappointed, but at least the laundry place is within walking distance. So she can have a much needed drink and watch a bad movie between washes. She is watching "Cannonball Run." She's already seen "Kitty With Runs." MOL!
Sorry mommy, at least you don't have to go to work tonight and do laundry there to.
-Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title></title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/587258</link>

				<pubdate>Mon, 11 May 2009 11:43:25 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/587258</guid>
		<description>Mommy has been letting me have some well supervised off leash outdoor time lately in the yard. It is ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Mommy has been letting me have some well supervised off leash outdoor time lately in the yard. It is fun. I like sniffing flowers and watching birds, but bugs are my favorite things, paws down. I play and play with them. 
The following news may be upsetting to some kitties.

Mommy had to quit her job the other day, she said that the new resident in the home she worked at had killed a cat before! She just couldn't stand to serve such a person, and worries they may even do it again. Mommy thinks there are prisons and mental hospitals for good reason and such people should be kept in them until they die, but many humans think everything can be blamed on "illness" that can be "controlled" with pills and talking. Maybe because there is money in that for the drug companies. Mommy thinks that you can't "treat" those who have no empathy or conscience and thinking you can is dangerous. Anyway, she isn't supposed to talk about this stuff much, for some reason. Funny how criminals have more rights than anyone else, it seems. Mommy was really sad she had to quit for a while, but we cheered her up, and now she has gardening to keep her busy. She is glad to be out of there.
I don't understand why someone would hurt a cat.
I feel the world is very safe for me and all kitties, I'm not afraid of anything, but mommy tries to explain dangers to me. She says I must never leave the yard and must not expect strange cats, dogs or people to play nice with me. I must be wary and careful. But I just love everyone and everything, I don't think anyone would ever hurt me. Mommy says it is a tough world for my people, kitty kind, and she can't change that and can only try to protect the few cats she can and help spay and neuter all she can. Lots of other humans try to protect and help us to, but there are too many kitties to protect and way too many mean and irresponsible people. I don't understand all that. I think Ming does, she is the oldest and most wary of us. I'm a lover, though, and oblivious to danger. Vincent knows there is danger, but thinks himself able to take it all on. 
I guess there is a lot that goes on in the world that I don't understand, and don't want to understand. 
-Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Outside!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/579698</link>

				<pubdate>Thu, 16 Apr 2009 03:37:26 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/579698</guid>
		<description>I got to be outside with mommy today. Mommy put me in my harness while she re-potted tomato plants.  ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ I got to be outside with mommy today. Mommy put me in my harness while she re-potted tomato plants. I talked to bugs and tried to catch them with my paws. I'd catch them, alright, but when I moved my paw to look at them, they fly away! I am always filled with wonder and bliss and so happy to be outside.
I'm a good boy on my harness. I quietly entertain myself, but if my leash gets caught on something I call to mommy and she comes and fixes it. 
It took a long time for mommy to re-pot all those plants and stick them in the greenhouse, which is good for me because it meant more time outside. I gave her a start, however. She was in the greenhouse watering, and I had a hairball attack. She couldn't hear me wheezing at first, then she ran out and took me out of my harness. I purr and purr when she takes that thing off! I'm alright but mommy freaks whenever any of us seems to be having a hairball fit. Mommy put me back in the house while she finished with the plants, and I ate. 
-Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Magic Mantle!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/577592</link>

				<pubdate>Wed, 8 Apr 2009 22:28:35 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/577592</guid>
		<description>We noticed a funny scratching sound coming from the fireplace mantle last night, and tonight, it mad ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ We noticed a funny scratching sound coming from the fireplace mantle last night, and tonight, it made squeaking sounds!
Boy, I wish I could get in there! The mantle is hollow and made of wood. Some part of the fireplace other than the chimney must have a hole that goes outside, because something is living in the mantle! And no one can get to it. Mommy says some years ago a big rat got in the mantle and decided to live there! He had a special tunnel from the mantle to the outside, and since the crawlspace under the house is too shallow for a human, no one could plug up his way in. Eventually, he made a hole in the mantle itself so he could get in the house! Mommy saw him, and the kitties saw him to. No one was fast enough to get him. Mommy tried to trap him with a glue pad and a mean snap trap to, but although she blocked off the bookshelf near the mantle with cardboard so kitties wouldn't get up there near the hole and where she put the traps, Moppet jumped up there! She didn't get hurt, but she got the glue pad stuck to her foot and was really scared, and mommy decided the snap trap was simply too dangerous to ever use, even in a place where she thought kitties couldn't get it. You know us kitties, no matter what pains a human goes through to keep us out of something, we find a way. Mommy didn't really want to kill the rat, either. She just wanted him to stay out. So mommy thought about what to do, and she decided to plug up the hole with expanding insulation foam and bits of broken glass. That way the rat decides it isn't worth cutting his hands to dig through. It worked! The rat gave up getting in the house, and eventually left the mantle to. 
But now there is a new one. If it really wants to, it can chew through the wooden mantle in a new spot and come into the house! I so hope it does, I want to play with it. Mommy, needless to say, doesn't. I wonder why the rat doesn't use the cat door. Maybe because it smells like cats. Anyway, maybe mommy will tear out the mantle and find the hole to the outside and plug it up with expanding foam insulation and broken glass some day so the rats don't come again. She isn't looking forward to that chore, however, because there must be old rat's nests in there. Then, there is the matter of putting the mantle together again, which could be easy or hard, depending on what she finds inside. She isn't exactly sure how it goes together. She says she hopes the rat decided to leave the mantle on its own. I think maybe it isn't a rat, but the Easter bunny. -Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Fun Outside!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/577060</link>

				<pubdate>Tue, 7 Apr 2009 09:20:20 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/577060</guid>
		<description>Mommy has been letting me outside on a harness lately when it is nice. She has these funny pet plant ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Mommy has been letting me outside on a harness lately when it is nice. She has these funny pet plants that live in the house, when it is nice she takes them out to. She says she needs to harden them off. I decided to help her make them tough and hard, and rolled on them. "Eeee!" She yelled. That scared me. She decided I was done being out for the day. But the next day was even more fun. I figured out how to unwrap my leash by backtracking when I go around something. Mommy was impressed. She says in psychology they tell people only monkeys and humans can do that. Maybe it depends on how wrapped up the leash is around something. Mommy always watches me on the leash, she doesn't leave me alone on it ever. A small, smelly dog came to say "hi." I was really brave, I've seen him from the catio. I swatted him like the other cats do, but I wasn't afraid. He didn't want to play and went away. The other kitties played with me, though, and I found bugs to talk to.
I have a slide show of my day yesterday up now. Yippee! But it made my background go away. Boo! Mommy will figure it out. She got a couple good ones, although her camera is terrible and slow and doesn't like to focus. That thing made in China, Mom? It isn't supposed to be, but probably is. 
Mommy's favorite picture of me is the new #1 on my page. It isn't the best picture, she just thinks it shows my purrsonality and is most representative of my usual behavior of being a snugly little baby, and she likes my smile in it to. I was smiling because she took that harness off to hold me! The humans need to get back to work on cat-proofing the yard so I don't have to wear it. Isn't dad a carpenter or something? What is the hold up? Spring is here! -Niko]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>6 Months Old!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/574572</link>

				<pubdate>Mon, 30 Mar 2009 16:34:16 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/574572</guid>
		<description>I'm half a year old now! Mommy says that's a BIG boy! I'm still a cuddly love bug, I still love &quot;fet ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ I'm half a year old now! Mommy says that's a BIG boy! I'm still a cuddly love bug, I still love "fetch" and wrestling with my brother. Mommy hopes I never change.
Yesterday it was nice out, so mommy put my in my harness and took me out. Then Vincent and Ming wanted out to. Vincent kept playing with my harness. He is funny. I talk to bugs when I see them, but they never have anything interesting to say. 
I hope mommy finishes securing the yard soon so I can go out without the harness, but she says she really likes that she has one cat who is willing to walk on a leash. I'm a pretty laid back guy, though, it takes a lot to get me mad. XXXOOO-Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Unfair!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/573433</link>

				<pubdate>Thu, 26 Mar 2009 17:59:13 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/573433</guid>
		<description>Ming, Vincent and mommy were all in the yard playing. Mommy was especially playing with Ming, it loo ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Ming, Vincent and mommy were all in the yard playing. Mommy was especially playing with Ming, it looked fun! I climbed up the walls of the catio, asking to be let out. Mommy said she would if she could find my harness, but she misplaced it. Waaaah! No fair! I cried very sadly. Mommy needs to find that harness. : ( -Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Spelling it Out</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/572588</link>

				<pubdate>Mon, 23 Mar 2009 18:45:51 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/572588</guid>
		<description>I had a funny spell on Friday. Not a magical spell, but a fainting spell. Here is what happened. Mom ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ I had a funny spell on Friday. Not a magical spell, but a fainting spell. Here is what happened. Mommy was going through dusty old boxes from the loft. She says she wants to clean the storage loft out so it can be a nice kitty play area instead of people junk storage. While she was sorting, she played rubber band fetch with me. Then she found a laser pointer, and I really liked that! Mommy found some old pictures of Moppet and many other kitties and of the land she wants to buy for a kitty sanctuary in the boxes. She's keeping those. She got rid of lots of junk, though! 2 big boxes.
 Later, I was just relaxing in front of the heater. Suddenly I stuck out my little tongue and panted, then I flopped on my side. Ming and mommy were very alarmed. Mommy put her ear to my side, she tells me my heart was racing and my breath was rapid and shallow. She didn't know what to do, so she just sat with me until I recovered. The whole thing lasted maybe 2 minutes, but it was scary. Afterwards, I seemed fine and it was all mommy could do to keep me from racing around the house. Mommy made some phone calls and had a nervous weekend.
Today mommy came in, and I didn't even have time to say hello before she scooped me up and stuck me in the carrying box. She took me to the vet, and there was a lot of waiting. Then I was examined. The vet said my heart and lungs sound fine. It will be hard for him to tell if I have kitty asthma, but he gave mommy and Rx for a bronchiodialator to try next time if it ever happens again. Mommy took me home, and we all got chicken! Yeah! 
Mommy wonders if the dusty old boxes caused my attack. Another good reason to get them out of our play loft, if so. XXXOOO-Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>I Went Out!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/571097</link>

				<pubdate>Wed, 18 Mar 2009 14:50:52 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/571097</guid>
		<description>It is all pretty and sunny out, so mommy put a harness on me and we went out! I've escaped and been  ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ It is all pretty and sunny out, so mommy put a harness on me and we went out! I've escaped and been out before a couple times, but mommy says that's bad because I'm too little and the yard isn't totally cat proof yet. Too little? I'm bigger than Ming and SHE gets to go out, though she seldom does. Anyway, something about being too impulsive. I put on a great show of pretending everything was new to me. I "talked" to some gnats, and tried to catch a sleepy honey bee. Then I played with Ming and Vince a bit. Vincent led me places where my leash would get wrapped up, but mommy wouldn't take it off. Nice try, Vince. The camera got all full pretty quick. I was quite good on my leash, until Vince and Ming started to run. I wanted to run to! I almost yanked mommy's shoulder out! MOL!
Mommy didn't sleep enough before her shift last night, so she is so tired she can hardly keep her eyes open. Otherwise I would have gotten to be out longer. If she didn't have to work tonight, she'd take me out longer anyway. She wants to be in the sun to. Darn! Maybe we'll all go have a nice nap together at least. 
Get well and feel better wishes to Hooch and Sammy and Zack and all the other sick kitties out there. Love, Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
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	<item>
		<title>Doorway to Oblivion</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/570064</link>

				<pubdate>Sun, 15 Mar 2009 13:35:42 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/570064</guid>
		<description>I tried to get mommy up for fetch, I dropped a pony tail holder on her face at about 3 in the mornin ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ I tried to get mommy up for fetch, I dropped a pony tail holder on her face at about 3 in the morning and she took it away. Later this morning I had zoomies. I ran out through my cat door, then in again, over and over again. The door was slapping and slamming loudly, then, guess what? The whole cat door in its frame popped out, and was stuck around my middle! It has been observed that I have become a bit plump, but hardly plump enough to justify that! I was scared! I ran across the room, and smashed into the food and water dishes. Water was all over, but the crash freed me of the door. Then mommy got up, I guess all this was very loud. I was outside, and the other kitties had gotten up to go outside through our new door hole to. Mommy made sure I was alright, then went back to bed, because it was early. Maybe the door game is bad! What else was there to do? 
-Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>A Tired Mommy</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/568969</link>

				<pubdate>Wed, 11 Mar 2009 19:00:07 PDT</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/568969</guid>
		<description>Hi, I've been a busy boy, but not writing much. 
Mommy got a cold at her night job, and together, t ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Hi, I've been a busy boy, but not writing much. 
Mommy got a cold at her night job, and together, the night job and cold wiped her out. It didn't help that last night she had allergies to! How does she know she had allergies to? She was around a doggy and her eyes got red and the cold symptoms got worse and cold meds stopped helping. I'm glad I'm not allergic to anything. She took allergy pills when she got home at 7am, then she went to sleep until 6pm. She was fun to lay on all day. For a while, Ming meowed for pettings from her right hand and I meowed for them from her left. She is very obedient to us, even when she is asleep! She gave us clumsy sleep pets. 
After she finally got up, she played fetch with me. She threw the ponytail holder poorly, but I played with her for a while anyway. Then, I jumped on the counter and intentionally knocked down the jar of treats.Normally she wouldn't reward this behavior, but she is so sleepy she opened the jar and gave Ming and I some treats. 
Mommy has to work one more grave shift this week. I will miss her, but look forward to her sleeping all day again. -Vince]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Vet Visit!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/566377</link>

				<pubdate>Tue, 3 Mar 2009 12:28:06 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/566377</guid>
		<description>Mommy took me to the vet today for shots. I weigh 9 pounds now! That is 2 lbs more than my big siste ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Mommy took me to the vet today for shots. I weigh 9 pounds now! That is 2 lbs more than my big sister, Ming! Funny thing is, mummy didn't know this so she put me in the little carrier and Ming in the big one. Ming has lots of fluff, so she looks bigger. Plus, she hates to be picked up, so mommy seldom gets to "weigh" her in that way. I still have at least 6 lbs to gain to be as big as Vincent. Mommy says I'll probably be growing for another 6 months or so. 
I got a rabies shot and a feline leukemia shot. Ouch! I was a very good boy, however!

Hooch is still feeling very bad and has barfies a lot. I wonder if they can give him medicine for his barfies. In Oregon they let some humans use controversial plants to control their barfies, but a doc has to say it is okay. Mommy says sick people and kitties need all the options possible, because it is not fun to feel terrible all the time. I would hope there is something kitties can take for barfies as well, but maybe the kitties barf that back up to! Maybe it would need to be a liquid or an inject-able so that wouldn't happen. We are so concerned about him, feeling barfie is miserable. Mommy says she prefers being in pain to feeling barfie, it is so miserable to feel barfie. I hope he can find something to eat he can keep down, and that they get to the root of his troubble quickly. From his diary he seems to feel barfiest in the morning.
I'm told Sammy is still not well either. I don't know if or when his meds will start keeping the fluid in his chest down, but I hope they work soon. 
It is terrible so many kitties are feeling poorly. Our get well wishes go out to them. -Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Rainy day fun!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/564567</link>

				<pubdate>Wed, 25 Feb 2009 21:33:43 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/564567</guid>
		<description>I had fun today. Mommy came home early in the morning. I poked my head out the cat door to say &quot;Hi.&quot; ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ I had fun today. Mommy came home early in the morning. I poked my head out the cat door to say "Hi." She took a bath then slept and slept. We slept on her. Then she got up and played with us. Then she slept again and we slept on her more. Then she got up to hold and play with us more! I like it, she is like a big, bald kitty; sleep and play, sleep and play. Nice of her to rearrange her sleeping habits just for us. 
She wanted to go to the gym before work, but Vincent sat on her lap. He does that so seldom now, mommy can't stand to miss a moment of holding him when he does, so she stayed. Yippee! If she ends up dying of a heart attack from her cat-like lifestyle, at least she'll be remembered as a #1 kitty mommy! -Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Real Monster</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/561838</link>

				<pubdate>Tue, 17 Feb 2009 15:38:44 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/561838</guid>
		<description>Mommy says a little kitten about my age just died of FIP. I don't understand. Kittens are strong and ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Mommy says a little kitten about my age just died of FIP. I don't understand. Kittens are strong and active, how can they die? Mommy says it is a very bad disease that likes to kill you even more if you are a kitten. What? That is messed up! I've never heard anything so terrible. And this kitten had a brother, just like I do, who loved to play with him and who is all alone now and who hopefully won't develop FIP to. Cripes, this is awful, mommy is scarring the poo out of me. Mommy says she is scared to, and she'll never stop being scared of FIP. She says the vaccine is no good and dangerous, so don't get it. Being an indoor kitty won't eliminate the risk. Not much you can do about this monster. Poor Charlie, poor Merlin. All we can do is send them our love, and let their human know there was nothing they could have done. I go cry now. -Nikolai
http://www.catster.com/cats/957189]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Thankies!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/559982</link>

				<pubdate>Thu, 12 Feb 2009 17:25:07 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/559982</guid>
		<description>Karma kitty who was a pick with me sent me a big, sloppy, human kiss! My favorite kind! Mercy sent m ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Karma kitty who was a pick with me sent me a big, sloppy, human kiss! My favorite kind! Mercy sent me a Purrty red ribbon, and 
The Family of Reno (Angel) PAWS, Paisan ^PAWS^, Buddy ^PAWS^, Chase ^PAWS^, Sasha ^PAWS^, Dylan ^PAWS^, Emma ^PAWS^, Eva ^PAWS^, Missy ^PAWS^, Olivia ^PAWS^, Whiskers ^PAWS^, Molly ^PAWS^, Heidi ^PAWS^ and Raven ^PAWS^ sent me a blue one.

I got a big heart from my fellow rescued/foster kitties, The Family of Freddie (Adopted!!!), Eddie (Adopted!!!), Nala (Aka Stephanie Adopted), Max (Aka Elton Adopted!), Calli (aka Abby Adopted!), Sake (aka Charli Adopted!), Domo (aka JR Adopted!), Sala (aka Pepper Adopted!), Tabitha (Adopted!), Oliver (aka Nibbles Adopted!!), Dillon (Adopted!!), Tibbs (aka Tidbit Adopted!!!), Chili (Adopted!!!), Daisy (Adopted!!!), Kismet (aka Zippy Adopted!!!), Keiko (aka Spunky Adopted!!!), Charlie (aka Dinky Adopted!!!), Pixie (Adopted!!!), Milo (aka Noah Adopted!), Twinkle (Adopted!!!), Dottie (aka Spirit Adopted!!!), Muffin (Angel Baby) *PAWS*, Milisin (aka Mindy Adopted!!!), Buster (aka Hunter Adopted!!!) and Tyler (Adopted!!!)

I got another big human kiss from The Family of Samoa, Calvin, Violet, Gleek, Spunky, Sugar and Newman and Hooch gave me a gold star! 
Thanks, everyone! I had fun, even though mommy slept through half my day! MOL! -Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Diary of the Day!  It is True about Poo!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/559925</link>

				<pubdate>Thu, 12 Feb 2009 14:13:16 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/559925</guid>
		<description>Newman was right, I talked about my poopie accident and got Diary of the Day! I guess poo is a hot t ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Newman was right, I talked about my poopie accident and got Diary of the Day! I guess poo is a hot topic! Thanks for publicising my shame, I think! MOL!
Opus wrote me, and my friend, Nikolai, wrote me to.
Mommy didn't turn on the computer until now. She sleeps all day like a kitty when she works at night. When she got home at 7 am we all came out of the bedroom to greet her. It was really cold and icy and frosty this morning, so Ming didn't wait on the catio for her. We are all so glad when she gets home, especially me, because she has been home with me most of the time since I arrived and I'm used to that.
Mommy says I should remind people who are wondering what to get the cats or the cat lovers in their lives for Valentine's Day that donations to no kill cat shelters and to spay and neuter assistance organizations make great gifts, much better than stuffed animals or toys made in China. What better way to show your love than by saving a precious kitty life? Who needs more "stuff?"
Ok, I've done what she asked. Now I'm going to wrestle with MY Valentine, Vincent. XXXOOO-Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Poo Pile!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/559623</link>

				<pubdate>Wed, 11 Feb 2009 16:13:43 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/559623</guid>
		<description>Dad made a big pile of soft fabric right in the spot in the bathroom where my litter box used to be. ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Dad made a big pile of soft fabric right in the spot in the bathroom where my litter box used to be. How nice! An extra soft place for me to potty! I wasn't sure how to bury it, so I just pulled more of the fabric over it. Mommy went to wash my laundry pile so I could poo in it again. "Ahhhh!" She yelled when she smelt my poopie. Well, what did you expect it to smell like, mommy? She scrape off the poopie best she could, but she still need to wash it all about 400 times. She has to wait, there is clothes in the washer already! Eeeew! Mommy's not happy, she needs to take a nap so she can work tonight, not clean up daddy's messes. She does blame daddy, not me. She says it pretty stupid to leave something like that where a kitty box used to be. Hmmm...I wonder why daddy doesn't have to clean the poopie clothes instead since it is his fault. Funny how mommy is always the one to deal with poopies, pukies, pee-pees, hairballs, plus all the human messes. She gotta go clean all night at work, then come clean up after daddy and us. That isn't right, is it? Humans are funny, if you are a girl human, you've gotta be a house servant AND have a job. Mommy think if that's how it has to be, everybody best pick up after themselves and help her out. I discussed this with Vincent and Ming. We will try to help not make messes. I already pick up after myself if  it is a pony tail holder we are talking about, MOL! I try not to poop in clothes pile again, but let's hope daddy doesn't do something stupid like leave one right where my box went! It is confusing! -Niko
P.S. Mommy decided she is going to leave the poopie clothes outside and tell daddy to wash them. Maybe that way he'll remember not to tempt me with piles of laundry where I used to poop. You go, mommy, gotta housebreak him.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Growin' Up!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/558324</link>

				<pubdate>Sun, 8 Feb 2009 13:25:35 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/558324</guid>
		<description>Mommy noticed my baby teeth seem to be gone! She wanted to keep them, but she thinks I ate 'em. 
Th ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Mommy noticed my baby teeth seem to be gone! She wanted to keep them, but she thinks I ate 'em. 
This morning mommy was so lazy. She says on her days off she needs to stay up until at least 2 a.m. so she can deal with her grave shifts better. But this means she sleeps in really late! Vincent and I tried to wake her up. Vincent ran back and forth across her, and I jumped up beside her with a pony tail holder for her to throw for me. She pulled the blankets over her head. So we wrestled on top of her, and raced back and forth over and over and raced across the house. She swung the bedroom door shut while we were doing that! Locked out! Then she was in bed until like noon. -Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Dirty Day!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/558092</link>

				<pubdate>Sat, 7 Feb 2009 17:59:46 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/558092</guid>
		<description>I've been a filthy little boy today!
This morning I rolled in the litter box, and although I didn't ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ I've been a filthy little boy today!
This morning I rolled in the litter box, and although I didn't look dirty (mommy keeps the poopies cleaned out pretty well) I stunk so much dad almost threw up when I jumped on him.
Mommy gave me a sponge bath.
Later dad insisted I be let out for supervised play in the yard, mommy was working in the garden, and she said dad would have to watch me. I hung out with Vincent and Ming for a while, but then I went behind the house and jumped in the slimy koi pond. Mommy decided dad wasn't supervising me too well at that point, and put me in the house to dry off. Luckily the pond is drained so there is only a little water in there.
Later, dad accidentally let me out somehow, much to mommy's dismay. I ran under the house. I wouldn't come out when dad called, so mommy took a board off the other side of the house, and I crawled out to her. 
Mommy isn't too happy with dad's "watching" of me. He may "watch," but he doesn't keep me out of troubble. -Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>A Special Visit</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/554854</link>

				<pubdate>Thu, 29 Jan 2009 17:06:10 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/554854</guid>
		<description>Last night I played rubber band fetch for a long time. It was fun, only a rubber band is a little ha ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Last night I played rubber band fetch for a long time. It was fun, only a rubber band is a little harder for me to see than a paper ball, so sometimes I'd have troubble finding the darn thing! My favorite things to fetch with are milk rings, rubber bands, pony tail holders, paper balls, and I even tried with a canning jar ring once. It was heavy! Mommy thought it was very funny, as was the noise it made when I drug it on the floor.
Today I had a visitor. The lady who fostered my siblings and I. She played fetch with me and I let her pet me. She gave me a shot to, but from what Vincent says and what I recall about the scary vet, I was lucky to get my vaccination at home and not to have to go there. Vincent decided to be brave and come into the room while she was there, and we demonstrated our wrestling for her. Then she had to go, because some kitties were waiting in her car. I went out to the catio and waved "goodbye" to her. She is helping a bunch of feral kitties from the coast now. Some are orange and have extra toes. They need a lot of patience, because they are afraid of people still.
Mommy tells me to remind everyone to spay and neuter, over 2754 kitties were euthanized at the pound just in our county last year, and every one was as unique and precious a little character, as worthy of a home and love and a long life as you and I. So spread the word about spay and neuter and make adoption the only option, because that just shouldn't happen to kitties, we all should have a home. I'm sure glad Ido! -Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Snow Again!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/554017</link>

				<pubdate>Tue, 27 Jan 2009 15:38:50 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/554017</guid>
		<description>It was snowing again today! Mommy let Vincent out, and I snuck out to and we ran in the snow! Mommy  ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ It was snowing again today! Mommy let Vincent out, and I snuck out to and we ran in the snow! Mommy quickly caught me and I struggled mightily. "Brother, help, she's got  me!" I yelled, but Vincent was off in the snow enjoying himself. Drat, back in the catio. Mommy says I'm too little for the yard. Vincent would have looked out for me, though. Mommy's a drag sometimes. 
In other news, I really like shoulder perching now, and robe-nests. 
-Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Gritty Kitty's Keyboard Capers</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/552514</link>

				<pubdate>Fri, 23 Jan 2009 15:17:21 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/552514</guid>
		<description>It has been driving mommy nuts. Short drive, she should have  walked. Anyway, the &quot;L&quot; kept refusing  ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ It has been driving mommy nuts. Short drive, she should have  walked. Anyway, the "L" kept refusing to be typed. Mommy took the key off, and what did she find lodged under it? Kitty litter! She shook that grain out, but more fell out, and some moved. Now the space bar is acting up some. She says we should wash our paws before we Catster, but gee, mommy, we don't like that! I guess she'll have to vacuum the keyboard! MOL! -Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Brought to you by the letter &quot;K&quot;</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/551044</link>

				<pubdate>Mon, 19 Jan 2009 15:18:18 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/551044</guid>
		<description>Today mommy has been in and out, running dishwasher, running vacuum monster, carrying big baskets an ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Today mommy has been in and out, running dishwasher, running vacuum monster, carrying big baskets and boxes. She says it is messy in here and time to clean up. But we like it messy!
She was playing radio on the computer to help drown out the neighbor dogs.  The computer radio is called "Pandora" or something like that. It is supposed to be able to pick songs you like according to your tastes, but it started playing something I didn't like. Mom was away, so I jumped on the computer and shut "Pandora" up! Then I decided to google something. I googed the letter "K" then opened the Wikipedia page on "K" and read it. Fascinating! I Wonder if all letters are this interesting. Some of my favorite words start with "K."  Kitty, Kitten, Kuddle, Klaw, Kute. What's that, mommy? They do to start with "K," sound them out! 
-Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Tardy to the DDP Party</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/550522</link>

				<pubdate>Sun, 18 Jan 2009 09:50:45 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/550522</guid>
		<description>Mommy was gone until like 10 last night, so I didn't know I won DDP until then! Thanks, everyone! Di ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Mommy was gone until like 10 last night, so I didn't know I won DDP until then! Thanks, everyone! Diary gal, The family of ~Romeo~, ~Calamity~, ~Calia~, Henry  for the beanie, Hooch, for the ribbon, and The family of Lexi ^PAWS^, Duke ^PAWS^, Reno (Angel) PAWS, Paisan ^PAWS^ and more for the shrimp, and Buddy, Always Loved for the note.
I've been trying to make friends with sister, Ming, more. Mommy says I'm not doing it right. I'm supposed to enchant and intrigue her by playing in front of her until she wants to join in. I just don't have the patience, so I chase her. I am not mean and don't bite and scratch her like Vincent does, however. 
Mommy is raising my intelligence rating again, because I haven't done anything bone head like falling in the bath lately. Knock on wood.
Better go, I'm hungry! Love, Niko]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>New Video Up!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/549091</link>

				<pubdate>Tue, 13 Jan 2009 20:56:10 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/549091</guid>
		<description>Mommy got a movie up, and I am the star! I'm on there paying fetch! Not sure what Vincent thinks of  ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Mommy got a movie up, and I am the star! I'm on there paying fetch! Not sure what Vincent thinks of it, though. Enjoy! -Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>New Fetching News!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/549011</link>

				<pubdate>Tue, 13 Jan 2009 17:05:19 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/549011</guid>
		<description>I discovered milk rings work well for fetch to. Mommy plans on trying to get a video of me fetching. ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ I discovered milk rings work well for fetch to. Mommy plans on trying to get a video of me fetching. I'm also developing two darker grey stripes right down my back. Love, Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>I'm a Very Fetching Young Man!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/548287</link>

				<pubdate>Sun, 11 Jan 2009 15:27:08 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/548287</guid>
		<description>I have always enjoyed wads of paper, but today mommy and daddy discovered I like to retrieve them. I ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ I have always enjoyed wads of paper, but today mommy and daddy discovered I like to retrieve them. I don't know how this will affect my intelligence rating, as one could make a good argument that asking someone to throw a thing away then running off to bring it back is pretty silly. Mommy thinks almost everything I do is pure genius, however.
Daddy was laying on the couch, and I brought my paper wad over and was playing on the back of the couch with it. Then it would fall off and I'd pick it up and jump back on the couch. Then I started dropping it on daddy. Get a clue, bub! Finally, mommy suggested I may want him to throw the ball, so he did. Zoom! I rushed off to get the ball, and brought it back to him. He'd throw it far! Sometimes I'd cheat and bring back another wad. Where was I finding them? We played fetch for quite some time. Mommy tried to get me to play it with her from her computer chair. She was jealous because I wouldn't play it with her. But later she went to lay down and I brought the paper wad to her! She threw it and I fetched it back several times. Then she teased me with the wad, holding it in front of me. I'd purr really loud in anticipation until she threw it. Then she played a game where she hid the ball in her fist, then opened her hand to let me see, then closed it up again. Then she asked me where it was when her fist was closed, and I touched her fist. She can't fool me! 
I like wadded up tea bag packages or instant cider wrappers best, but will use receipts or tissues or cellophane. Mommy may need to get a lidded trash can, she thinks this is where I get my "wads," then I stash them various places for later use. -Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Cliff Hanger!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/547944</link>

				<pubdate>Sat, 10 Jan 2009 13:24:16 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/547944</guid>
		<description>Yesterday I had another first! I went into the loft all by myself! There are a lot of boxes and thin ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Yesterday I had another first! I went into the loft all by myself! There are a lot of boxes and things up there. I saw mommy cooking in the kitchenette below. I never saw her from above before. Mommy has almost as much grey hair as I do! MOL! I decided to get down to her. I climbed on a cabinet, and grabbed the edge with my claw to lower myself down. Oops, nothing else to grab! I flailed a bit, knocking a plastic thingy down. Then mommy noticed me, hanging from one claw over her head! She cupped my butt in her hand and I let go of the cabinet when I knew she had me. I wasn't scared, though! 
-Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Danger, Falling Intelligence Rating!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/546806</link>

				<pubdate>Tue, 6 Jan 2009 20:01:04 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/546806</guid>
		<description>I've had a couple partial falls into the tub, but today I fell all the way in the tub while dad was  ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ I've had a couple partial falls into the tub, but today I fell all the way in the tub while dad was bathing. He dried me a little with a towel and made me stay locked in the bathroom with the heater on until I was dryer. A few hours later, Mommy was filling the tub, and splash! I jumped in. I'd hopped out by the time she ran in, it didn't take me long! Mommy ran cold water over me in the sink, because the tub was hot. My skin was not red and I didn't yowl, so mommy doesn't think I got burned. It was hot, though, and no fun. Mommy hopes that is the last bath I will take! 
Love, Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Oh, What Fun!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/545926</link>

				<pubdate>Sun, 4 Jan 2009 13:10:41 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/545926</guid>
		<description>What fun it was being a DDP. I got some new friends, and Romeo and Kujo sent me snowie gifts.
Last  ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ What fun it was being a DDP. I got some new friends, and Romeo and Kujo sent me snowie gifts.
Last night was a gas! I found a new toy called a "milk ring." You can wear it as a bracelet, bat it around, or carry it in your teeth. Last night I also discovered you can bat it against a shoe box and make a drum. Mum came out to see what that noise was. 
At about 4, Vincent made an importaint discovery. There was a new, unopened bag of cat food. He tried hard to open it, but the package was really stiff. Mommy came out, and suddenly all 3 of us swarmed her, even though the food bowl was full, we wanted the NEW stuff! So she gave in and put some in the bowl. Not bad. We found about a hundred other ways to keep mommy up. She wanted to get up at 9, but when the alarm went off she'd only had about 3 hours sleep, so she slept in until 11 or so! Mommy says it isn't all our fault, she had a touch of insomnia to. I must say, the service is pretty good in a tiny house like this, because if you make a peep anywhere in it, you are sure to be heard! 
Ming chased me this morning! I'm told she used to have a bunny and played chase and wrestling games with her. Maybe I'll get to be her new "bunny." That would be so fun!
Two of my siblings got adopted. Yeah! Two others have a cold still and had to go back to foster care. I still sneeze a bit to. It takes a while for that to stop.
Better go. Love, Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>DDP again!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/545723</link>

				<pubdate>Sat, 3 Jan 2009 20:48:28 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/545723</guid>
		<description>I was DDP again today with some pawsome cats. 
Jillia, Mighty Moe, Romeo, and Kujo. It was from Kuj ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ I was DDP again today with some pawsome cats. 
Jillia, Mighty Moe, Romeo, and Kujo. It was from Kujo's diary I learned I was a DDP! Thanks, diary girl.
And Buddy and Kujo concatulated me. Thanks, guys!

Well, at about two this morning Vincent and I started playing with our little Christmas tree, so mommy decided to take it down today. She also made a big mess cleaning out the file cabinet and throwing away all the old papers. I liked playing in those papers on the floor! 
I got to eat some bits of chicken with Vincent. It was good! 
Mommy tells me she went by Petsmart in Cedar Hills to see how my siblings were doing last night. She thought she recognised one little face, but most of the other kitties were big kitties she didn't know. There was a big, long haired dilute calico who was so pretty, and a lovely long haired grey kitty, and some sleek black kitties,orange tigers and some grey kitties with white bibs who all matched. So many lovely kitties! I hope they all get homes. I also hope my siblings got good homes and nice new siblings like I did. I love living with Vincent and Ming. 
Have a good weekend every kitty! -Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Graduating!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/545272</link>

				<pubdate>Fri, 2 Jan 2009 15:38:57 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/545272</guid>
		<description>Mommy has moved my litter box from the bathroom to the catio, just like the big cats! Now I'll just  ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Mommy has moved my litter box from the bathroom to the catio, just like the big cats! Now I'll just have to remember not to use the bathroom floor where it sat. Mommy is going to try to keep that door closed so I don't forget.
I'm getting bigger! Mommy tries to take lots of pictures, but she says none capture how truly cute I am.
I hear some of my littermates are out of foster care and up for adoption. I hope they will be as happy as I am. I hear they were scared to be moved to the adoption center.
I've developed a fondness for licking mommy's nose. She doesn't seem to enjoy it. She says my breath smells and my tounge hurts her skin. Mommy, frankly you NEED exfoliating. I'm just helping you with that.
I like to get in the bathroom sink. I lick the drain. Maybe that's where my bad breath comes from. Sometimes mommy turns the water on a bit so I can drink.
I like to lay on the keyboard;'67. I typed that last word myself! Maybe I won't need a typist soon.  I'm not supposed to lay on the keyboard, however.
Well, that's all for now. 
Love, Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Hiccups!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/543760</link>

				<pubdate>Mon, 29 Dec 2008 22:23:28 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/543760</guid>
		<description>I have hiccups! Mommy doesn't know why. She's never heard of a kitty having them before. Oh no, now  ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ I have hiccups! Mommy doesn't know why. She's never heard of a kitty having them before. Oh no, now mommy just hiccoughed! We are having them together! Look out, they are contagious. -Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Thanks!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/543529</link>

				<pubdate>Mon, 29 Dec 2008 11:02:28 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/543529</guid>
		<description>Thanks, Samoa for the concats on my daily diary pick, and Baby G for the snowman! 
Mommy and daddy  ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Thanks, Samoa for the concats on my daily diary pick, and Baby G for the snowman! 
Mommy and daddy drove about 100 miles yesterday, and do you know what? They say there is more snow here than anyplace they drove! It is fairly safe to drive here now though, just big piles of snow all over. Let's hope it is done snowing for this winter, I want to see some of that sun everyone talks about. Have a great day! -Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>A Daily Diary Pick!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/543192</link>

				<pubdate>Sun, 28 Dec 2008 11:16:57 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/543192</guid>
		<description>I think this is my first time being a daily diary pick! I wouldn't have known if Samoa hadn't told m ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ I think this is my first time being a daily diary pick! I wouldn't have known if Samoa hadn't told me. Thanks, Diary gal!
I'm allowed to sleep on the big bed with the humans and big kitties now! Only last night, Ming wasn't feeling well (she seems to have my cold, oops) so the humans thought I should sleep in my "studio apartment" again so she wouldn't be disturbed. I was okay with it at first, but whenever I heard someone moving around I'd meow to be let out. Mommy finally let me join them again early in the morning. Hopefully Ming will feel better tonight so I won't be locked up in the bathroom again, I like sleeping in a little cave under the covers up near mommy's face. I purr and purr. 
And I don't cause too much troubble at night, I mostly knock over food bowls and wrestle loudly with Vincent. If that wakes Ming or anyone else, it isn't intentional.
Mommy is actually impressed by how Ming and Vincent have accepted me. She doesn't know if it the feliway diffuser or if I'm just a perfect fit or a little of both. She has never had a kitten her other cats liked so much so quickly. I'm just such a good boy, I'm irresistible!
I like to run in and out the cat door to the catio and back, zoom, zoom, zoom! And the plastic flap on the door swings like mad! Smack, smack, smack!
Mommy decided I'm big enough for a collar, so she gave me one she made. It is purple with swirlies and flowers and butterflies and a little pink glitter heart. I know it sounds kinda girlie, but it looks good, so who cares. I'm not a picky boy, I enjoy everything anyone gives me for the most part, I'm an easy going boy. 
Our snow is melting! I was just starting to think that's what the world always looks like. What a relief. 

XXXOOO- Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Team Take Down!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/541946</link>

				<pubdate>Wed, 24 Dec 2008 17:32:23 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/541946</guid>
		<description>Ming and I were on the bed. Mommy came in and laid down to pet us. I climbed on her neck, and Ming g ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Ming and I were on the bed. Mommy came in and laid down to pet us. I climbed on her neck, and Ming got on her stomach. She won't dare get up now! We kept her down until she fell asleep for a few minutes. 
It isn't all that pleasant for mommy, however, I take lots of miscalculated leaps trying to get onto her lap, then try to arrest my fall  and climb back up with my claws. Mommy is hoping I'll learn not to do that soon, her legs are all clawed up.  I'm just having depth perception and paw-eye coordination problems!
-Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>We are Two Wild and Crazy Guys!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/541409</link>

				<pubdate>Tue, 23 Dec 2008 12:05:34 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/541409</guid>
		<description>The big boy cat likes me! When we combine forces, we become Vinolai. We wrestle and he licks me and  ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ The big boy cat likes me! When we combine forces, we become Vinolai. We wrestle and he licks me and we nap snuggled up...mommy thinks it is super cute. The black girl cat likes to sit close by and watch. Did you buy a ticket, honey? She used to be nervous around me, but now she'll go to sleep within a few feet of me.
I got yelled at today! Mommy was eating a sandwich. She said it was jam and almond butter, and I wouldn't like it. But I took a flying leap at it anyway, what does she know 'bout what I like? Oops, I miscalculated the leap and had to scratch wildly to gain hold of something. Mommy screamed! I Scratched her leg and hand all up trying to catch myself. She said, "this has got to stop." Well, maybe you have got to share so I don't have to jump on you!
I got in troubble again later. There is a special tiny door the big cats use, I went out it. There is a catio, and during the day, its door is open. I went out that. White everywhere, hard and cold, but bright and pretty with lots of new smells. The white stuff was hard to walk in, so I followed the edge of the house. Mommy was yelling my name in the house, not aware I was out. Suddenly, she popped her head around the corner and yelled "Nikolai!" She sounded scared. She got a string to lure me, but I'd had enough already, so I came back to her on my own. I was shivering when she brought me in the house. She turned up the heater in the bathroom and shut me in there to warm up. I don't know why big brother Vincent likes to go out there so much, it is interesting, but so cold and bleak. Is it always that way? It is a good thing there are houses, or we'd all freeze. 
Love, Nikolai]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Sexy Santa?</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/540070</link>

				<pubdate>Fri, 19 Dec 2008 19:34:56 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/540070</guid>
		<description>Here is what parenting.com had to say about my likely new name. New mommy...I guess I'll just start  ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ Here is what parenting.com had to say about my likely new name. New mommy...I guess I'll just start calling her mommy, thought it was funny.

Nikolai 
Russian, "Victorious people" 

Nikolai is a sexier version of Nicholas -- perfect for a handsome Russian ballet dancer or a hunky ice-hockey player. 


So St. Nicholas should have gone with St. Nikolai, all the ladies would have been after him.
I'm not sure I'm allowed to be sexy, but I'd probably like ice hockey. I batted a wad of tape I found (tore from the cat door) all over the slippery floor near the fridge. I also skidded across mommy's plate today, she was having duck jambalaya and I just had to try it. She said it was too salty for me. I put my foot right in the butter on her bread.
I saw the pretty black cat today. Mommy tried to grab me, but I got close to her. She hissed at me before mommy scooped me up and put me in the bathroom. She says we gotta stay in different rooms for a while. I'm so bored in here!  I want some kitty to play with! When will I be victorious?]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>Calling Me Names!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/539950</link>

				<pubdate>Fri, 19 Dec 2008 12:12:06 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/539950</guid>
		<description>What a difference a day makes! I must have been a little groggy from my vaccines yesterday, today I' ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ What a difference a day makes! I must have been a little groggy from my vaccines yesterday, today I'm climbing the walls!
Today new mommy and dad were in the big room with me. The other kitties weren't around, and new mommy spent like an hour calling me names. Names from Greek mythology, old time actors, lots of catsterer suggestions, characters from Shakespeare, Star Trek, you name it! Some names new mommy liked a lot, but when she said them to me, I did nothing. Favorite authors, new mommy kind of liked "Huxley," but I didn't respond to it. Then they came to Russian literature. New mommy liked many of those names, but when she said a certain one, I finally looked right at her. "Nikolai." She said a bunch more names, some of which she didn't like just to see if it was a fluke, then called "Nikolai" again. I looked at her again. So maybe my name will be "Nikolai."
Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone. New mommy says it was helpful having so many names to say to me so I could "pick" the right one.
I have a slide show up of me and my foster family now. If anyone in Northwestern Oregon is thinking about adopting, I believe all the others are still available, although you'll need to wait a bit for the younger ones, like Trevor.]]></content:encoded>
	</item>
	

	<item>
		<title>New Home!</title>
		<link>http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/539615</link>

				<pubdate>Thu, 18 Dec 2008 11:35:54 PST</pubdate>
		<author>Nikolai (Spay &amp; Neuter) ~ writing at catster.com</author>
		<category></category>		
		<guid ispermalink="true">http://www.catster.com/cats/932693/diary/Nikolais_notes/539615</guid>
		<description>A weird lady who would visit us in the kitten room took me away last night! She had some man with he ...</description>

		<content:encoded><![CDATA[ A weird lady who would visit us in the kitten room took me away last night! She had some man with her. They played with us for like an hour, then put me in a carrier after I ate some tuna with foster brother, Trevor. I was in the carrier in a noisy machine for a long, long time. Then I was released into a little room. It is much smaller than the kitten room, but I have it all to myself. My own littler box, a fun scratching post, a box with toys, a little "bedroom" under the sink, my own food and water bowls, my own bed with new mom's shirt in it, or I can stretch out on the bathmat if I like.
New mom visited me several times during the night and morning. I purr and purr when she comes in. Sometimes we play, sometimes she holds me. Sometimes she makes a flashy thing go off in my face.
Sometimes when I'm alone I cry. It is odd being alone for the first time in my life. But I never cry long.
I wonder what my name will be? It was "Boo-boo," but new mom says she calls her other cats that sometimes and also had a foster parrot she'd called Boo Radley. She says I need a unique name, and she's hoping one will come as she gets to know me.
Better go, the man has entered my chamber, time for love. -?]]></content:encoded>
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