It was a dark and stormy night...

It feels like Halloween, doesn't it? I'm sitting on my throne (not in the bathroom, silly - up on the fleece blanket on the dresser) and all I can hear is the wind whipping around. The trees are creaking, leaves are flying everywhere, and I can hear the wind rush into our fireplace. It's an exceptionally good night to be an indoor kitty.

Of course, I don't know what it looks like outside because Heather closed all the blinds, but if I could see outside, this is what I would imagine - a dark and spooky. What a perfect way to usher in Halloween!

(Photo taken from Eddie Soloway's website. Eddie, I don't know who you are but you sure know how to capture a spooky looking evening!)

Who wants dinner-o?

Aah, dinner-o, one of my favorite meals of the day! And tonight was a special treat! Where do I begin?

Heather chose not to feed us before she left for yoga. We knew she'd be back after dinnertime but she decided that feeding us on time wasn't a priority. So we waited. And waited. And the next thing you know it's 7:45 and Heather's just coming home. And with groceries in her hand to boot. OK, it was bad enough she left us to go to yoga, but then she went shopping afterwards. Sheesh!

Heather raced in the door and fed us pretty quickly. Scruffers and I were too busy having our nightly feeding frenzy contest to be mad at her. Then Scruffers made Heather take his bowl upstairs (like every freakin' night) so he could finish dinner in peace. So far, all's normal.

Heather sits down at the diniing room table to eat her dinner and that's when the fun begins. Scruffers comes back downstairs and sits in front of my tunnel and begins retching. As he and Heather are facing each other. Imagine: Heather sitting at the table with a bite of food in her mouth watching Scruffers retch and regurgitate his dinner all over my tunnel and all over the living room carpet. She was horrified. Then to top it off, Scruffers had to wipe his mouth off on the tunnel to get the last bit of saliva and slop that was hanging from his lips. Ugh! I swear Heather turned green.

She tried to finish dinner and calmly waited for Scruffers to eat the slop off the floor and from inside the tunnel before she started cleaning. It definitely wasn't her night.

Maybe next time you'll feed us before yoga, eh?

We're thinking of you, Cynthia

Our kitty friend Cynthia goes in for surgery today for a double mastectomy. Yikes! I know Cynthia from my young days - she and Dave raised me from the time I was born till I was old enough to come live with Craig and Heather. She also took great care of me last Christmas.

Scruffers fell in love with Cynthia the moment he met her. While he was still nervous about being touched outside of his safety zone (Heather's office) he one day met Cynthia at the front door and proceeded to jump into her lap and purr while she gave him a full body rub. Here he is (left) keeping Cynthia from getting beyond the front entry way.

Get well soon, Cynthia! We both miss you!

Shtinky Puddin' must be so upset!

Did you see the news? Shtinky Puddin' - don't look; it's not pretty. It's time for you to save the tigers!

Experts: Tigers fast dying out despite campaigns

The world's tiger population is declining fast despite efforts to save them, and new strategies are urgently needed to keep the species from dying out, international wildlife experts said Tuesday.

An estimated 3,500 to 4,000 tigers now roam the world's forests, down from the more than 100,000 estimated at the beginning of the 20th century. All the remaining tigers are in Asia.

Taken from an article by BINAJ GURUBACHARYA - Associated Press Writer

BINSAR BAKKARA / AP: A newborn Sumatran tiger cub is seen near the paws of its mother at a zoo in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. There are thought to be only around 250 Sumatran tigers left in the wild.

Welcome to the Rainy Season

It looks like my days of going outside on the leash are over for now. Fall is here and so is the rain. And the gray. Heather was excited for the beginning of the fall rainy season but who knows why. She said she was sick of training but the good weather made her want to continue training so she wanted the good weather to hurry up and go away. Uh, can't you just take a break from training when the weather's nice? Guess not. Maybe that's why you got injured, Miss "I can't take a day off and miss a day of the best summer we've had in forever."

OK, so I live with a weird-o. Two of them. Craig was ready for the rain too because he's sick of being on the road and hiking all the time for his next book project. And talk about injured! Mister "I'll just take more painkiller so I can continue researching this backpacking book." Why can't you guys just see the sunny weather and enjoy it from inside like I do? Take a long nap in the sun, watch the reflection of the sun hitting my name tag and chase it around the living room until I find a bug to stalk.

I like sunny days. Why anyone would wish for this wet, gloomy weather is beyond me. Hot chocolate season, puleaze! Kitties can't have chocolate. The only thing to look forward to is the return of the tundra and trumpeter swans and the snow geese.Thank goodness I do live inside, though, 'cause those things are HUGE.

Happy Thanksgiving to Canadians and Scruffy Gray

I talked with Scruffy Gray this morning and he told me he wanted to celebrate a late Canadian Thanksgiving since it's too early to celebrate it here. "Why?" I asked him and here's what he had to say.

Scruffers: "The weather is turning cold and rainy and every time I look outside I remember how miserable I was last year. Living outside in the cold, the pouring rain, fending for myself, with no one to care for me. And here I am, inside a warm, dry house, with a soft fleece bed to nap on, a new kitty friend (that's you, Giuseppe Gattino!), great humans who love me, and two delicious meals served to me every day. I am forever grateful that I was rescued and given another chance at life."

Wow. Sometimes I'm so busy playing, napping, getting petted and making sure I get fed on time that I forget how lucky I am. Thanks for the reminder, Scruffers!

Leave Us Alone

That's right, I don't want to be bugged today. I still feel sub-optimal after yesterday's visit to the vet. What did I get? Two shots, a blood draw and an oral injection? Something like that. All I know is that it was a terrifying experience. Sure, yeah, the vet's a great woman - she even knew that I preferred to ride on her right shoulder! But still, who wants to go to the doc and be treated like a pin cushion?

And afterwards I came home and had the shivers all day and later threw up my dinner. I'm still trying to sleep it off. I hope I feel better soon.

Then, to top it off, Craig left for who knows where so he can't take care of me. AND Scruffy was super stressed out for who-knows-what reason (who really knows what goes on in that odd little head of his?) and he regurgitated his breakfast and his dinner.

What's the difference between regurgitation and vomiting, you ask? Well, for us kitties, the difference lies in whether we can still eat it again. Scruffy ate his mess on the carpet and I just stared at mine with mild interest (though I was far more interested in watching Heather scrub the carpet clean).

Lump

What could the lump be in the couch? Could it be Giuseppe singing a classic song from the Presidents of the United States of America?

Or could it be Giuseppe hiding from the world?

I would guess option B if I were you. Especially 'cause that song is funny only if you hear it once in a blue moon. But afterwards you'll find it in your head for weeks and that always annoys me. Who wants a dumb song like that floating around in their head for weeks on end? Not me. I'd rather find myself singing "Peaches".

Now, where was I? Oh yeah, why I'm hiding. Everybody needs a time out once in a while and today's my day. Today we find out of Virginia stays with us for another week or if she is able to go home. The anticipation is killing me. I think I'll hide till I find out.

There's something about that hat

I don't know what it is but I can't stay away from Craig's Green Trails hat. Craig will come back from a hiking trip and set his hat on top of his backpack and the next thing you know the scent lures me in. I sniff the air and all I can smell is his awesome hat.

I have to check it out. First I walk over to casually inspect his backpack. Then I see the hat, waiting for me. I jump up and stealthily grab the hat! I inhale deeply and the aroma overpowers me. I take the hat with my teeth and drop it on the living room floor. Then I rub my head all over it. And roll around on it. And the next thing you know I've been rolling and sniffing for long enough that Heather and Craig are standing over me, laughing. I gulp and try to regain my composure. How could I look so silly? I try to ignore that hat but there's something about it that tickles my nose.

(Photo: Giuseppe Gattino enjoying the Green Trails hat.)

Don't Bug Me!

You know what I love about fall? OK, besides the fact that Craig and Heather are actually home on weekends...



What I really love about fall is that the bugs are trying to move indoors. And I love tasty bugs! They're almost as good as tuna treats.


That's right, funny-looking, big, flying bug - I'll get you. I'll watch you fly in circles around the light and I'll make make funny little chirping noises at you while I wait for you to tire out. And as soon as you get to my jumping level - smack! I'll bat you around over and over until my stomach growls and then I'll have you as a snack. I can't wait!


(Giuseppe Gattino spots a funny-looking big flying bug in the house.)

Dueling Naps

You've got to love Friday afternoons. They're purrrfect days to nap!

The contest is on - ready, set, nap! Whoever gets up last wins!

(Photo: Giuseppe Gattino and Scruffy Gray take over the living room.)