Heading to the weekend

If you haven't joined in our giveaway please feel free to do so

 

Well, they say porridge is good for your heart

 

  and having a pet to stroke is good for your blood pressure

 so, I'm hoping that is us set up for the day and that you are having a good Friday too.

Cat blogger hug day, a return and a giveaway

I loved Hug your Cat Day yesterday and it was the impetus I needed to restart my posting over here in honour of all the wonderful cat bloggers and cat lovers who deliver the hugs!

If you read my other blog as well you'll know both went quiet. I just lost heart for blogging as I've been struggling with pain and immobility because of my knee. Things have improved and although, I am still very limited in what I can do that needs me to stand or walk, I'm working hard to get back to normal. I've been reading your posts and occasionally leaving comments but these have been all rather sporadic for which I apologise. Magic and Red have been wonderful in trying to purr me better.

 This degree of proximity has never happened before, or since. Magic normally refuses to tolerate Red in her personal space but she just pretended he wasn't there so that they could both be close to me.

It was only last year that I came out of my blogging chrysalis with the help of the lovely cat bloggers Jacqueline and Hannah and Lucy's Mum who found my blog, reached out and introduced me to the wonderful world of the Cat Blogosphere. This was a revelation. Blogging has been a fabulous window on the world, quite literally, as I have been stuck at home through illness or injury for significant portions of the last year. I absolutely adore the beautiful header generously created by Ann at Zoolatry which I couldn't be any more delighted with. I want to list all the wonderful bloggers I read or who come to visit here but I don't want to inadvertently miss someone out and offend them.

 

So in honour of all of this Magic, Red and myself got into a little huddle to discuss how we might mark our return to cat blogging and to thank you. Strangely there were no smacky paws or hissing but I think this might just have been another temporary cessation of hostilities given the gravity of the discussion! We decided that a giveaway was ideal as were delighted with being winners over at Glogirly's recently which cheered us up immensely so we thought we'd share the love.

What would we giveaway though....? Initially, we thought we'd give a gift to our feline friends but realised the lucky winner might actually be a woofie or a human who likes our blog but doesn't have a cat and we wanted to be very inclusive. So it was decided that 'we', that'll be me then as there is a distinct lack of opposable thumbs on my two furry co-conspirators, would giveaway a piece of handmade jewellery.

I swithered and dithered as I've never made for someone I don't know. Then as I was rooting about in my bead box trying to decide what to make I came across some new Yankee Tarts and the colours really inspired me.

So the giveaway will be a stretchy bracelet and scented wax tart for three lovely readers who leave me a comment to let me know they wish to be in the draw.

 

Although I've made up the bracelets I will check with the winners so that the wrist size can be tailored to themselves or someone they plan to gift it to.

If you do have a cat there is a fair chance there might be a mousie, mousie sneaked into the parcel as well. This is more to forewarn you in case you get startled by a furry critter falling out unexpectedly!

This is open to all our readers who leave us a comment to let us know they'd like to be in the draw. There are no restrictions on where you live as I will post anywhere but please make sure you leave me a way of contacting you if you win. I will draw the names at noon BST on Sunday the 8th of June.

Good luck and thank you so much for being such wonderful people.

Saturday Photohunt - Amber



Red is wishing all of his buddies a lovely, fun and relaxing Saturday. He also thinks he qualifies as  the Saturday photohunt on account of his fur and his glorious eyes. He say's he's also very modest, too!

 

Normal Service to be Resumed

Sorry for the break in service but hopefully back on form again. For the cats it is Stonehenge Time. This is when monolithic features land in the hallway filled with rocks of cat litter and usually some treats. This is actually a tiny delivery compared to the big ones as this is only a top up of the silica litter I augment the SmartCat all-in-ones with as both cats use the same box. Sorry for the fuzzy quality of the pics, I'm blaming the lighting, distance and action-nature of the shots!

Boss Lady as usual is first up to snoopervise the delivery.

Then feartie Red comes out of hiding once the danger of meeting the delivery man is well past

 Goodies were definitely unearthed from the boxes as we had lots of loyalty points to use this time as well

 This is one of the toys with valerian and I mis-read the packet and spent a good half a day laughing at the idea of it being called Baldi-Hairs before it was pointed out it said Baldi-Maus - definitely lost in translation!

I'd read the reviews that there was a noticeable odour from valerian but yee gads it really STINKS! Over ripe cheesy feet stench is the closest to it.   

 

 Red, had a sniff

Tucked it under his chin 

 Then had a little roll on it. However, he seems to be able to take it or leave it. He gives it a little bat as he passes but it seems not to be a major delight for him. I'm not surprised as he is not that affected by catnip either.

Magic on the other hand goes into full blown glazedness and raptures with it and the worst bit is she seems to want to thank me by coming up and rubbing her super smelly valerian scented fur on my cheek- gah!

 

I have a little video clip of her rolling about but it was taking ages to upload even a quarter and it is not that exciting as it is just her lolling over it which I know you can easily imagine 

 

Happy Tuesday to everyone!

3D Television

A fuzzy shot to start with so I'm sorry about that, but the opportunity to snap Magic and Red with the big dog was too much. Only afterwards did I realise the subtitles were hilariously apt.

 Are they looking for Delgado?

  Red.....he's behind you!

....and just so that we are all in agreement, we are NOT going to mention that we were watching Beverly Hills Chihuahua over Christmas.......thank you, kindly!

Sweet snooze spot

This nice soft beanbag is a favourite of Magic's to rest her poor arthritic joints and have a cosy coorie up on the back of the sofa.

Her love of the squidgy cushion she purloined is what inspired the accidental polystyrene beads over order so that I could make her lovely soft overlay cushions for her favourite places. Unfortunately, I got it very wrong in terms of how much beady filling is required in a cushion and I managed to create a...rock! It is pretty but has all the give of steel so I've been using it to perch my laptop on when on my knee.

I tried again and half filled another cushion which is not great either and is certainly not going to do much for Magic's little joints. I think I need to make them with the stretchy material I have and keep experimenting with the filling volume.

 

Update: the 'rock' seems to be getting slightly softer the more I use it for my laptop and knee exercises so I think there may be a bit of a bedding in period with beanbags when they are used. It is still not what you'd call comfortable and Magic ignores it but there may be a slim hope yet, even if my fledgling career a cat cushion maker is doomed.

Evading the flashy box

Seriously, no pictures. I'm shy, my floof is a mess, I don't want to be recognised, I'm off duty......

 Oh, ok just one shot as I can't take a selfie due to the whole lack of opposable thumbs we cats suffer

Two little words

Two little words guaranteed to strike fear into a cat owner's heart......

What exactly was wrong with the OLD recipe....!

Grow Your Blog - Pepsi Max Addict

I'm joining in with the Grow your Blog meet and greet event at 2 Bags Full. A warm welcome everyone who pops by and I am looking forward to visiting as many of the 500 bloggers taking part in this event as possible.

I have two blogs; this is my cat blog and other one called Gone Beading is where I record my craft adventures, ramblings and thoughts. When I was creating the cat blog back in 2009 I was struggling to think of a title, saw my glass of the Pepsi beside me, and thought 'that'll do'. Very unoriginal way to create a title but there we go!

We live in Scotland and I wanted to record how the humans and resident house princess cat adapted to having Red, a tiny ball of the softest ginger and white fluff, enter our lives, and to see if I could actually set up and maintain a blog

Magic was 6yrs old when the demon boy below arrived much to her disgust

 Red, a few weeks after he arrived, he's sitting on note cube which shows you how tiny he still is.

Magic, a very regal lady is continually affronted by Red's playfulness and disrespectful behaviour so always tries to sit as far away from him as possible

 Red grew up tall and gorgeous with a fluffy chest wig just crying out for a big gold medallion and enormous big soft paws that he allows his loved ones to massage

 He also does a very cute line in sleepy poses which I love taking full advantage of

I found I enjoyed blogging so I kept quietly recording their lives and some of my own thoughts. In 2013 I was contacted by two fabulous cat bloggers, Hannah and Lucy's Mum and Jacqueline, and they introduced me to the Cat Blogosphere which opened up a whole new world of lovely bloggers.

Blogging is such a sociable and fun activity and it is a privilege to engage with fellow bloggers across the world who share their own lives, stories, knowledge and skills. It is lovely to read their posts and a delight when they leave comments on my own.

My ultra gorgeous new header was designed by the wonderful Ann at Zoolatry and I could not be more delighted with it.  I have only ever had basic ones that came as part of the blogger template and I feel very swish and sophisticated wearing my best new image for this event. What is especially lovely is that she has really captured the essence of both cats.

Thank you for visiting and please feel free to leave me a comment if you would like to let me know you've been.

Sweet Magic

Sweet Magical girly with her lovely wise, caring green eyes. I love that she communicates with her eyes and enjoys holding eye contact when we are talking and sitting together.

Mancat Monday and a question

Can something so soft and floofy with nerves of pure candyfloss still qualify for Mancat Monday?

Itchy, twitchy floppy ear but too lazy to give it a scratch

So, what do you want to chat about?

Ps. That is Magic's rump behind, but just to be clear - they are not in eye contact and not a hair is touching so all hostilities are suspended even though it would take only one paw or tail flick for an outbreak of growly hisses from the dark lady.

 

Keep taking the tablets

Magic is on seraquin for her knee joints. She thinks these are so delicious as you hold it out between finger and thumb she very delicately wraps her paw round your little finger and softly guides your hand towards her mouth. It is a tender, lovely little moment twice each day. As soon as I say 'tabby babs' (ok, not the coolest phrase!) she belts into the room and sits there with love in her eyes in anticipation of her special treat followed by a few whiskas pockets for afters. Red is treated the same tho' he just gets the pockets.

As Magic is so good with this, if friends are over when she needs her tablet I'll offer them the opportunity to give it to her if I think it is something they might enjoy doing. Those who have never had a cat usually accept right away and ask how to do it. Afterward they often feel they have the Dr Doolittle touch and maybe missed their vocation as a vet. Those who have, or have had, a cat they've ever tried to medicate look at me in undisguised wide-eyed horror and hiss 'whaaat.....noooo!' clearly traumatised by their past experiences.

Yesterday a friend enjoyed the ritual of the tablet. Later I was thinking about my old cat, the one called Cat. For many years she was on a fifth of a tiny 15mg phenobarbitone tablet and I was just thinking about some of the times we had just getting the tablet into her and how we used to handle her differently.

When Cat came into our lives she was too young to eat by herself, she'd go to the plate and nose around but couldn't quite manage to eat so for the first fortnight I bottle fed her. I used a baby bottle, tucked her in like a baby and gently squeezed the teat to drip the milk into the side of her mouth. This worked well until I had some evening shifts and I would come home to the smell of fermenting milk, my Mum and Sister both high as kites and a hungry kitty with a milk crust round its entire chest and neck. Basically between the two of them they could not get any milk into Cat, yet within minutes I had her fed and keeled over to sleep with a satisfied full tummy. From her earliest days I obviously became the alpha or mummy cat too.

Over the years there were numerous 'procedures' that somehow became my job as I could handle Cat allegedly or more like no one else fancied doing it. Like the time she had some weird thing hanging from her back end and it turned out she'd been eating the crimson fringes off of the back of the chesterfield sofa. I was volunteered to remove it while my Dad fled the room, my Mum and Sis watched in horror and the cat was bewildered and had that look they do when the vet takes their temp. Something similar happened years later with the sub-cuticular suture that was supposed to dissolve after her partial thyroidectomy. Somehow she got a hold of the top knot and her little chest kept wrinkling and lifting as she hung onto the knot with her teeth and tugged. Guess who was volunteered to remove her long suture....oh, yes, cue looks of horror again though this time Cat was cross eyed trying to see what I was up to at such close quarters. To this day I can still recall her look and it makes me laugh. The care of nail clipping, bathing, bowels and bladder also fell to me and I even have experience of administering an enema to a cat - it's just like for a human except you have to chase and hold down your intended victim!

When Cat became epileptic and went onto the phenobarb I gave her the tablet fragment. This involved tucking her in like a baby again, jaws open, flick tablet to the back so that it cant be spat out, close mouth and wait till swallowed. She loathed this but on the flip side with me she realised when I meant something it was going to happen. This was all fine until I had to go to Ireland for a work placement as part of a course and in the course of discussing it Mum stopped dead and said I there was no way I could go as, get this....."how are we supposed to manage Cat's tablet". Eh, same way I do maybe...? Mum and Sis actually discussed taking Cat to the vet's twice a day while I was away! So over the weeks while I was studying for my exams, as the only cat wrangler in our house I had to train my Mum to administer the tablet.

Cat totally took advantage of the opportunity to play up and my mum was so nervous of hurting her that she'd accidentally nip the cats lip as she tried to open her mouth or not hold her firmly enough so that she could wriggle or escape. She also didn't always flick the tablet back far enough and spent ages rubbing the cats windpipe as she thought this would make her swallow while the cat kept the tablet in then spat it out. Great fun! Eventually, détente was achieved and finally one other person could medicate the cat besides me.

Though many of these skirmishes took place between Cat and me over the years I always won though sometimes it was only after a couple of rounds before the submission. I was a novice cat owner and just did what I thought or knew was in her best interests as I loved her completely. In looking back, although she had quite a diva-ish temperament and with me she knew the line not to cross. There was a strong mutual trust as she always sought me out when she was ever ill needed assistance with something as I could pick up on her behaviour and similarly if I was ill she refused to leave my side until I recovered. Truly she made me the cat owner I am today and I learned much from her as we muddled along.

So, as someone who has spent many years cat wrangling while trying to administer a fragment of a tablet it is lovely to be able just to announce that it is tablet time and have the cat actually help you get it into her mouth. It is also nice to let friends share in this sweet time.

Saturday Photohunt - DOOR

Normally I read other bloggers who participate in the Saturday photohunt but I haven't joined in intentionally. Last week the Stunning Keisha pointed out that one of my pictures had an AQUA blanket as this had been the photohunt word.

Today, or just a few minutes ago, by sheer coincidence I had without even realising joined in again on my other blog. Today's word is DOOR and I posted about how I had finally just completed a craft project for my own bathroom door which is pictured below.

It was inspired by a sign in my favourite little restaurant Two Fat Ladies in Glasgow and I thought it was just so witty and fun. It is made from two dinky little Jean Paul Gaultier perfume bottles in a box frame.

If you are itching to have one of these too feel free to pop over to Gone Beading as I've documented how I did it there.

Not quite an Orient Express mystery...

I am so relieved I have just solved a mystery regarding my darling little Magic. For the past month or so she has been shrieking at me intermittently. It is a horrible, high pitched, teeth on edge kind of scream unlike any she has made before. She does it particularly when I have my back to her when I come out of the shower and if she is in the kitchen with me but also sometimes if she is just sitting near me.

When I ask her what it is, she looks at me so intently as though she wants to tell me something, and even stretches a paw out, before doing it again. Magic is not a vocal cat with me preferring long lingering eye contact or touch. She is only vocal when hissing and growling at Red or after a cattery stay where she 'adopts' an accent. We usually just ignore her new voice and lavish praise on her when she is quiet and it settles; though the time she adopted a Siamese yam seemed particularly prolonged.

I'll admit I've been worried and have considered a vet visit as I couldn't fathom out what it was that was causing this. I was worried she had a pain. However, she can climb wherever she puts her mind to, has no eating or toileting issues and I cannot elicit any pain along her body. So, the mystery remains as to why she is still making these sharp screams which make me wince as well.

In the absence of any other evidence I am forced to conclude it might be attention seeking but I am with them night and day and they get tons of attention. However, this morning the mystery was solved while I was sitting on a train.

We live very near a train station but they are electric trains and super quiet though if you listen you can hear them stopping, some beeping and snatches of the odd announcement. When I was on the train this morning I heard the high toned beep, beep, beep at each stop which indicates that the door open button can be pressed.....and do you know what?....it sounded very familiar as each 'beep' is at exactly the same tone and of the same duration as my little Magic's screech. She is not in pain, she is attention seeking and she has adopted a new accent courtesy of Scot Rail.

Cosy cats

The weather here has been windy and rainy but we are missing the truly awful weather some folk are having here and in America so our hearts go out to you and hope you are safe. Both cats are taking full advantage of the hibernation potential that comes from us being holed up at home.

Thank you to everyone who has wished me well with my knee problem. It is a much slower recovery than I'd hoped but I'm planning to arrange some private physio appointment next week as the local health board (who like to pretend they actually give a damn) appointment is not for another four weeks which will be six weeks post-op and have missed the boat I suspect and I am not willing to jeopardise my return to decent mobility.

Both cats essentially eat, have a little half-hearted joust, use their litter boxes then decide where their next sleep will occur. Magic, as usual, has taken on the role of chief protector and has been practically glued to me overnight as well as taking her shift during the day to see that I am ok.

The other nice thing is that the Christmas tree, which is coming down tomorrow, has actually remained upright the whole time- result!

 This is Joy the angel I made for the top of the tree as I couldn't find the decorations box. The only reason she doesn't have features is that I am hopeless at them and she'd have ended up looking somewhat 'glaikit'*

 The bean bag is still a great favourite

  as is the chair at the dining table that I used for crafting

all cuddled up and cosy

 Sleepy boy on the radiator bed on top of the shredded stool that has been scheduled for renovation since the old cat died circa 2002! I do have plans and the materials for it now, honestly!

 

*Glaikit - Old Scottish word meaning silly, stupid, senseless, clueless, thick etc. Excellent word to use as both a descriptor or as an insult i.e. "He just stood there looking glaikit" or "What have you knocked over now you glaikit numptie".