Bookmark!

I have no problem studying my Bible while Shadow is around. Look, a handy bookmark!

Sentry Cat

Darwin on post on the foot of my bed looking down the hallway. He's watching and waiting  for Shadow to make a try for coming into my bedroom. Obviously with Darwin lying there like that Shadow will not be getting in no time soon......

My, Have We Grown

I was looking at Shadow and Darwin yesterday and marveling at their growth.  I brought both home about four months ago and my have they changed.

Even though they were already adult cats both benefited from regular meals and loving care. Shadow benefited a wee too much and needs to go on a diet. .. I shall cross that desert at another time.

Darwin is no longer frightful and shy except when it comes to mealtimes. That I just don't understand yet.

Shadow has toned down his aggressive behavior somewhat. He knows there's a fly swatter with his name on it.

There's no progress during mealtimes though. I still have to be the lunchroom monitor because Shadow has picked up this new habit. Growling while he eats.

He literally sounds like an idling Harley Davidson hawg in my kitchen. I don't know if it's meant to intimidate Darwin ir not but when I hear it I yell at Shadow to stop.

The last few times I did that Shadow fled the kitchen leaving his half finished fiid behind. You'd never guess what happened next. Darwin calmly eased over and finished off the rest of Shadow's abandoned meal. A minute later Shadow comes flying back in to an empty bowl and looks at me pleadingly.

My answer? Bad behavior equals no food.

Hopefully Shadow has now learned what it's like to be on the receiving end of having all of his food eaten.  Knowing him it may take a few more of these incidents to get the message across....

My late Mom used to have a saying: Hard head equals soft behind. In Shadows case its: Hard head equals empty stomach.....

=^^=
Dawn Skyy

Hummus or Not to Hummus

I make it a personal practice to feed my furbabies first before I eat. Why? To avoid scenes like the one below. Apparently both Shadow and Darwin like Human vittles too. But Hummas and Falafel?

By the way Shadow loves the Jalapeno and Cilantro Hummus!  He licked about a half a teaspoon from my finger. Darwin backed off.

I guess it was too spicy for him.....

=^^=
Dawn Skyy

Bad Ole Brush

That bad old brush has nothing on me. I've got teeth, fangs, and sharp claws. Says Darwin

Kitty WWF

I just don't know about my cats. I love them dearly but I think they are both nuts.

Case in point.

Darwin and Shadow were hanging out with me on my bed. They both took a snooze, woke up and started grooming each other. Next thing I know Darwin ponces upon Shadow's neck and grabs him with his teeth and starts biting. It must've hurt because Shadow starts yeowling, then hissing. Next thing i know, there was a knock down and dragout on my bed. I snapped a towel and yelled at them to "Get out!",  and they both fled to continue their scuffle elsewhere. I slammef my bedroom door closed in order to have a few minutes peace and quiet.....

Darwin usually comes back and meows (sqeaks) at my foor to be let in after they've finished fighting. Shadow skulks about and creeps back in if Darwin lets him....

Lately Darwin has taken to stationing himself at the foot of my bed like a sentry. While lying there Darwin can see and hear Shadow when he sneaks up the hallway to my bedroom. If Shadow sees him "on post" he won't come in. If Darwin choses to allow him access, or is not there he'll come in...

I feel like one of those National Geograohic narrators describing the lioness as she takes her cubs down to the local watering hole....

=^^=
Dawn Skyy

PS  WWF stands for Worldwide Wrestling Federation.

No More Mat

Well, Darwin no longer has mattted fur on his back.

Yesterday while he was eatting I started scratching his back.  I noted that he was too busy chowing down to take a swipe at me with his claws or bite.

So, on a whim I grabbed a scissor and gently cut the mat off. Now Darwin has a bald sport on his back where the mat used to be. But it will grow back.

If Darwin had let me groom him, he wouldn't have the problem in the first place.

I might use feeding time to give him a couple of soft strokes with the brush so he'll get used to being touched and groomed. That's Darwin's real problem. He's been ferral so long he's not used to and doesn't like to be touched. That can be overcome....

=^^=
Dawn Skyy

Mister Matted Fur

I have a wee bit of a problem.  Like Spiral, Darwin tends to get matted fur on his back.

When Spiral had them I either brushed or combed them out, which he really enjoyed. If they were really bad I would take a scissor and cut the matted fur off.

However, Darwin due to his formerly ferral living conditions, doesn't allow me to touch him that much. Ever once in a while I'm able to sneak in a pat or a scratch. But any prolonged touching and Darwin will either respond with a bite or scratch.

So you can imagine what happened when I tried brushing the mat out. Yes, he bit and scratched at the brush and me multiple times. I did manage to use the scissor and cut a tiny portion off. But Darwin bit that too. I'm currently waiting for my chance to do another sneak attack on him to get the rest of it.

Which makes me wonder if Darwin will ever learn to trust me enough to touch him with out trying to bite or scratch me. I guess three months is not long enough to tell yet. Perhaps this time next year, eh?

Now, if he'd only bite and scratch Shadow like that when it comes to his food......

=^^=
Dawn Skyy

Old Habits

It is said that old habits die a hard death. I'm beginning to believe this is true when it applies to Shadow and Darwin.

After three months of living with me Shadow still sucks his food up like a shop vac. I've never seen a cat eat so fast without choking. After he finishes Shadow immediately goes after Darwin's food. And it doesn't matter if I'm standing right there to deter him. Shadow will take a chance on getting a swat from a fly swatter in order to steal a mouthful of food and dash out of the kitchen. 

The strange thing is, Darwin would be in the middle of chowin down, but he'll step back and let Shadow raid his dish! Agggggghhh! It's so frustrating! If Darwin would rise up and give Shadow a coupla good whacks he would stop the nonsense.  But he won't.....

Sigh......

Darwin has his quirks too. He keeps missing the litter box. I think I've got it down to a science though. I believe if the litter boxes is too full he will use the floor. Which not an option for me cuz I get to clean it up. Which is not enjoyable.

When I bought the two litter boxes I originally intended Shadow to use one and Darwin to use the other.  But you know cats. Shadow immediately put his scat in both which I believe turned Darwin off. That's why he started using the floor because he didn't want to share. Cats are extremely territorial like that, you know.

Darwin's learning but slips up.  I have a third llitterbox and I'm considering setting it up to see what happens.

This is a definite change from the well behaved kitties I used to have.  Shadow and Darwin are rogues compared to Biscuit and Spiral.

I should buy them both pirate costumes .....

=▲▲=
Dawn Skyy

Bad Puddy Tats

Just like Tweety Bird says my cats have been bad pusses. I dont know who has misbehaved more. Darwin or Shadow, all I know that they both got swats on their kitty bums for being naughty.

Darwin, for deliberately taking a poo on the livingroom floor. He's been very good at using the litterbox, considering that he was once feral. However, every once in a while he likes to leave me an unpleasant surprise.....

He also pulled a fast one on me one afternoon. I was brushing my teeth and spied him coming into the bathroom to use the litterbox, but he didn't stay long. Next thing I knew he was behind me in a corner. I finished, turned around was greeted with a puddle of wee on the floor!  What, the litterbox was not good enough for you, Darwin?

Shadow? He's back to his old habit of hogging food. Up until this week he was good about eating his food and leaving the area. I still have to supervise mealtimes unless I give them dry kibble. This week even though I wad standing right over and watching them, Shadow  risked growling and dived for Darwin's bowl to steal a mouthful of food then dashed off with his fat self.

Needless to say, the fly swatter was busy this week.....

=^^=
Dawn Skyy 

The Dreaded Black Hair in The Sink Mystery

So I've been wondering to myself, "Where is all of this black hair in the bathroom face basin coming from?"

Well, yesterday evening sfter I'd come home from my jog I found out. Apparently Shadow loves to curl his fat body up on it like it's a nest ... And of course he detested me taking his picture. He doesn't know it yet but one of the requirements for living with me is to be on 24/7/365 call to take plenty of photos.

=^^=
Dawn Skyy

Gzuntheight!

With the passing of Labor Day (the first Monday in September) Summer is officially over and Fall has fallen.

For me the change of seasons means marathon sneezing sessions because I'm allegic to something or other.  I'm past fifty and my doctor has stopped short of telling me that I should live in a bubble....

Well yesterday I had one of my sneezing sessions and Sir Darwin happened to be hanging out with me. I noted that everytime I sneezed Darwin would meow.

With him he really doesn't know how to meow yet. He's been practicing with Shadow when its time to sing/yeowl for their supper. He's getting better but in the meantime he still squeaks instead of doing an official cat's meow.

So I noticed.....

Me:  Achoo!

Darwin:  Meow!

Me:  Achoo!

Darwin:  Meow!

This went on for a good ten times untill I finally figured out that Darwin was telling "gzuntheight".......

I guess next he'll hand me the tissue dispensor.......

=^^=
Dawn Skyy

Yarn Buddies

Nothing catches a cat's attention faster than a ball of yarn. Well... let me rephrase that...  a skein of yarn.

I decided to embark upon a little crochet project. I bought a new cellphone (a Samsung 3) last Saturday and its way too big for a holster, so I decided to make a little pouch for it.

So I selected a skein of yarn from my stash and found my crochet needle box and settled in to start. I totally forgot about my felines until they tried to take over and abscond with my supplies!

Good grief! Is nothing safe in this house? I guess not....

=^^=
Dawn Skyy

Darwin's Binky

Darwin's new toy (or "Binky") is actually a plush dog bone. No feathery thingys on a stick for him! He's just too rough and would rip the thing apart in seconds! Darwin needed somthing he can "Hug And Bite", and I got sick of being "it".

So I went to my local Rite Aid and saw these dog toys on sale for a buck each. I bought two, opened the seam on one, stuffed a bit of catnip into it, and stitched it back up. I gave it to Darwin and he did the typical things catnip addled cats do. He sniffed and licked and rolled, and most importantly, bit it and clawed it. 

Binky has been his official diversion from biting moi. So anytime he's in the mood to play and bite somthing or someone (not Shadow), I wave Binky at him and he grabs it and goes to town! 

I'm not saying he doesn't get me every once in a while. He also loves to grab and chomp on my bright pink imitation Croc clogs, while my feet are in them!  But, that's another story and another photo for another post. 
=^^=
Dawn Skyy

The Royal Beat Down!

Remember not two months ago I had complained that Shadow was intimidating Darwin?  Poor Darwin had come into my home and didn't know what to expect.  He certainly didn't expect to be bullied by Shadow who happened to have already lived at my apartment for just a one WEEK! 

In that week's time Shadow had decided that my pad was going to be HIS stomping ground and belong to no other but Him! So when Darwin showed up, he was treated like a serf! He had not right to anything!  No food, no litterbox, no hanging out with human mommy...... nothing! 

Well, the tables have officially turned! For the past few days I've watch Darwin literally beat Shadows butt down into the mat! Remember how I complained that Shadow used to constantly "mount" Darwin as a feline show of dominance?  Well Darwin has been doing that to Shadow! In the feline version of "whatsoever you do to others shall be done unto you". Shadow gloried in the fact that he was the top cat in the house. Now the tables have been turned!

Its even has gotten to the point where Shadow must seek Darwin's permission to sleep with me, if Darwin says no, by fighting and throwing him out, then the answer is "no".

Shadow has been forced to retreat to the FLOOR (gasp!) or finds another place to sleep, toilet lid, tub, kitchen floor....

If only Darwin will fight for his share of food during feeding time..........

I should wait for it, because I know it's eventually coming, right?

Okay, I wait.........

Dawn Skyy

Personal Contact Cat

Darwin wouldn't have it any other way. He will not sleep next to me unless one of his pawsies is resting on my leg. I don't know if he does that to make sure I'm still there, or just likes personal contact while he sleeps.

I shouldn't find this strange, after having a cat who insisted upon stretching out on my chest and cuddling like a baby when we slept. That was my Spiral during his last 3 months of life.

So, I guess Darwin's no different.

Dawn Skyy

A New Trend

I've noticed a new trend with Darwin while he's hanging out with me on my bed.  Latelly he's been challenging Shadow, fighting him then either chasing him out, or tossing out, period.  Funny, I thought Shadow was the official Top Cat in this house.

I guess not, anymore.

Dawn Skyy

A Great Mystery Solved

When I got home from work yesterday morning I was met by a welcoming committee of one cat. Just Shadow. I was immediately on alert because Darwin always met me at the door like an enthusiastic dog. Yet he was nowhere to be found.

I put aside my groceries,  and went to my bedroom to put down my purse, knapsack and jacket. All the while I was calling him. It must have been the tenth time I called him when Darwin showed up. When I turned to the kitchen, both cats ran ahead of me, leaping over each other. I wasn't gonna feed them just yet, because I had groceries to put away. I just happened to look in the night snack bowl and noted it was almost empty. That was a good thing, right?

I put up the groceries and noted the litter needed to be changed. I like to do this before the cats eat so they have fresh litter to poo and pee in after eating. I changed the box in the bathroom and was on my way to change the one in the living room when I slipped in a pool of cat puke, and nearly broke my face.

"I wonder who did this? "  I thought, as I cleaned it up.

I went finally back to the kitchen to feed them both. I  divided a can of wet food between them. I put the food down and as usual Shadow went at his portion with his usual gusto (a feline version of a shop vac). Darwin, he just sat there and looked at me pitiful.

"Eat, Darwin." I told him.

Sometimes I have to encourage him to eat because he gets distracted. This time, instead of eatting, he strolled right out of the kitchen!  I caught him, brought him back and sat him before his bowl. He walked away again.

Aha! I had my culprit!  Obviously, Darwin was the pig who ate all of the dry kibble, then sicked it all up in the living room. Now he had no appetite. And that was also why Darwin had originally hidden from me, he knew what he had done (casting up accounts upon the parlor floor) was wrong. Poor baby!

Not to mention, Shadow was overjoyed because he got two portions that morning!

I hope Darwin learned his lesson. As for me, I'm gonna have to rethink the midnight munchie bowl idea.  I've never had this problem with my cats in the past.

Sad, both of my cats are greedy pigs..........

::Face palm::

Dawn Skyy

Lick a Drip Cat

I was wondering why my cats haven't been drinking water from their water bowl. My previous cats, Biscuit and Spiral used to lick drips from the tub faucet. But those two used to like water also.

I had no clue my new cats were like this until I witnessed this a few minutes ago. Good thing I had my cellphone handy......

Dawn Skyy

Stopwatch Cats

I really find some way to resolve Shadow and Darwin's mealtime issues. It has gotten to the point that I know that when I put both bowls of food down, Shadow will finish his portion in less than a minute then immediately go after Darwin's. I don't even meed a stopwatch to time him.

If I'm not there to stop there to stop Shadow, he will either shoulder Darwin away from his food dish and take over, or stick one of his paws into the bowl and scoop a portion out, or he will snatch up a portion with his mouth and dash off to consume his ill-gotten booty.

Late at night before I go to sleep, or go to work, I fill a bowl with dry kibble to tide them over till I get back home the next day. Last week I put the bowl down and I had to look for something in the fridge. While there I kept hearing the bowl scrape back and forward across the kitchen floor.

I look up and Shadow is using one of his paws to pull the bowl away from Darwin. Not to be out done, Darwin used his paw to pull it back to himself. A food bowl tug of war!  When I shouted for them to stop, they both looked at me..... you know that look cats give you when you catch them in the act.....

The I'm not doin'nuthin' Mom, look.

What am I gonna do with these two furry miscreants?

Dawn Skyy