Kittens!

Felix Checking out Lily

Lily with Kittens

Felix Grabbing a Snack

Now a Bath

Come Back Here!

The kittens are four weeks old now, and very mobile.  Mom Geo is doing great with them.  Lily says they tickle, and she was thrilled (almost as much as me) to have a chance to play with them for a few minutes.  Most of the time they’re baby-gated in the bathroom area, but they’ll be climbing out of there soon!

They all have kitten names, which may change when they go to their new homes.  But for now, there’s Felix (sherbert and vanilla), Midnight (all black – did you guess?!), Tina (for her vigorous vocalization), Moses and Nacho, (both ginger tabbies).

Love of Cats

Big Cat

Wild Kitten

Sis and Me

Cousins and Cats

I’ve loved cats as long as I can remember.  They’re soft, they purr, they play with you, they’re fun to chase, and a challenge to catch.  They even keep the premises free of rodents, when they feel like it. 

I got my first cat when I was 2 1/2 years old, a grey tabby that attacked me from behind every tree in the avocado orchard.  I remember chasing her over the picnic tables in a park, laughing all the way.

Louise was our nanny cat – she raised both our daughters, then when they could fend for themselves she went to her reward.  Now we have a very snarly cat that never wants to be held, barely ever purrs, and has selective memory regarding the location of the litterbox.  She does like laps, will chase with the best of them, and gives me five with either paw - when she’s in the mood.

Now my daugher has five adorable new kittens…

Big Weekend

90th Birthday Gathering

Grandpa & Lily

Geo and her Kittens

It’s been a full and wonderful weekend.  We celebrated my father’s 90th birthday on Saturday – family gathered from across the country and our guest of honor was the life of the party!  The only improvement comment I heard was it should have been longer. 

Right in the middle of the the pre-celebration festivities, our daughter’s cat Geo gave birth to 5 kittens!  Three males and two females; one black, one brindle, two ginger tabbies, one ginger/white - absolutely adorable.  Tho a young kitty mother, she’s doing well and has settled them in the lower drawer of a dresser in the master bedroom.

Christmas Cat

Snoozin’ under the Christmas Tree

Chloe Nappin’

Nappin’ Some More

Christmas was more exhausting for some of us than others – and then there are those that nap 22 hours out of 24!  We had a wonderful day with family – and thought often of those of you not nearby.  Hope you all had a great time, in the spirit of the holiday!

Best Birthday Presents

Home Inspection

Checking Out the View

Lily and Geo

Last week we made a visit to one of the two best birthday presents a mom could have – new homes for her daughters! Both of ours this month moved into their first houses within a week and a half of each other, on opposite sides of the country. Seen above are photos of the East Coast edition, only a few miles south of us. We’re so pleased – grandchildren nearby!

As I mention in the captions for the pix, Geo (short for Georgie the Magnificient, or Geo Cache – take your pick) fits right in. Such a sweet kitty!

I had a chance to see the West Coast version prior to closing, while I was out there last month. Very nice! And in typical California style, there was fresh ripe fruit growing in the back yard – grapes, apricots and nectarines. Reports are that Zeek, their panther-wanna-be, has settled in. You may remember him from earlier posts – he spent February with us as wedding preparations were underway.

Sadly, on a recent regular vet visit, he was diagnosed with Feline HIV (see http://www.animalhealthchannel.com/fiv/index.shtml for more info), but is holding his own. He’s always roamed widely and fought whenever he got the chance. Those days are gone now, as he’s become an inside cat, so as not to infect others.

Zeek, The Alpha Cat

       

Long time readers may remember Zeek from my earlier blog, Are We There Yet?  Around Thanksgiving of 2005 he took a six week walk about thru southern South Carolina, (see Wednesday, November 30, 2005 and January 2, 2006 entries). 

But the cat came back, thanks to help from the staff of a pet friendly hotel.  And now he’s awaiting the Great Journey to Cali.  Which is how he comes to be in residence with us, terrorizing the local feline population and particularly our own representative, Chloe the Snarly.  Who has been snarling vociferously since Zeekie made his appearence.  They’ve reached an accomodation – Chloe hides in the top of the closet when she’s inside, and stays outside as much as possible; Zeek lolls about whereever he feels like.

Waiting for Santa

Lily and Eli look like they’re enthralled by the Christmas tree.  What you can’t see in the photo is the snarly cat, Chloe, who was ensconced among the presents on the other side of the tree.  I don’t know what amazed me more – that she didn’t run off, or that the two of them didn’t climb under the tree after her!  I think their cat, LB, must have trained them in proper etiquette for a settled feline.

We had a good visit with their family and daughter Debra and fiance David!  So good to have everyone together.  Later we walked them out to their cars thru a very mild evening (62 degrees!) beneath a full moon. Magical.