Shedding Season

Right now, my cats are shedding like CRAZY. I can brush them, and as soon as I am done, if I pet them, I am covered in fur. If I kiss them, like I am prone to do, I have fur sticking to my face and going up my nose.

 Oh, I love my boys. If only there was a solution.

 Oh wait! There is. Cat vacumning! Take a look here...

 

This cat is very cute and LOVES the vacumn.   If only my cats would go for that.  Tiger and Motor, will not let me anywhere near them when the vacumn comes out.

 Well it looks like a good solution, but not for The Very Best Cats.  I guess I am just going to have to continue to live like them, all covered in fur.

Mystery Cat

Walked into my studio the other day, just to find this. What a great silhouette, I thought. Let me go get my camera.

But the question was, who could that be?

Oh wait, we need to do a little cleaning before the mystery could be revealed.

Maybe it is not a cat at all, but a rabbit. Look at those ears. Could it be?

It's my Motor! Mystery revealed.  It was a cat after all.

And one of the two, Very Best Cats.

A Visit to the Vet

I don't know who it is more traumatic for, me or my cats, when we have to go to the vet.  Last weekend, I needed to take Motor in for his annual shots.  I am always a little late taking both cats in because I know they do not like to go.  And I do not like to take them either.  So I procrastinate. 

Both Tiger and Motor need their shots for the year, but I decided I would try to get Motor there first.

Motor

These are the things I learned last weekend in regards to going to the vet...
 
Rule number one - always get carrier out of the attic the day before having to use it.  As soon as the attic door opens, Motor is in there, and then he is off exploring.  Forget about trying to get him out of there in any timely fashion.  It won't happen.

Rule number two - if you do get him out of there before he wants to get out himself, he knows something is amiss.  So he is on hyper alert for anything unusual, such as the cat carrier being open on the bed.

Rule number three - forget about trying to get him in the carrier easily.  Won't happen.  While trying to force him in the carrier, he was able to back himself out, and give me a couple of good scratches on the neck in the process.

Rule number four - just forget it for the day.  You will be happier, in the long run.  He is definitely happier in the short run.

Unfortunately for Tiger, seeing and hearing Motor's distress, he decided to check out what was going on and got right up to the open carrier's door.  We were then able to get him inside without too much fuss.

Tiger

So onto the vet's we went, with Tiger yowling all the way.  Nothing I could do would calm him down.  But fortunately for us, the vet tech, Robin, was quick and took good care of Tiger.  We were in and out of the office in 5 minutes.  The ride home was a lot quieter and more relaxed.

I absolutely dislike causing my animals any distress.  So taking them to the vet's office is a major event at our house.  It almost makes me ill.  Talk about overly sensitive. That's me when it comes to animals.

So next weekend I get to try to take Motor again.  Please, wish me luck.  I need it.     

Be Kind to Animals

This is a vintage advertisement I saw somewhere on the web that I really liked and just wanted to share. Hope you like it too. 

There's No Place Like Home

I agree with Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz, "there's no place like home."  That is how I feel after a short trip with my husband last weekend to Oregon.  I am just a homebody at heart.  After all, that is where all my furry folk reside.

We were only away for 5 days, but in that time, I still missed Tiger, Motor and Jack tremendously.  They are family.  They are by my side everyday.  Even more so now that I work at home.  That's one of the things I really like best about being home is that I get to share my life more with my pets.

 The first part of our trip to Oregon was for business for my husband in Eugene.  Over the weekend, though, we did get to visit my step-son and his fiance, and their friends in Portland.  That was a lot of fun.  I like Portland.  We went to the Portland craft and food fair that they do on the weekends.  Many, many talented artisans to see.

The second day we went to the Oregon Zoo.   I know zoos are controversial, but I do like to visit them.  My sons visiting friends came with us too.  They are friends he has had since grade school and they are very nice, funny, fun people to be around.   The weather was great for walking around and we had a very nice time there.

The cheetah.

Two tigers.

And a polar bear, swimming by me.  I spent a lot of time watching and photographing him.  

 

 All in all, it was a good trip.

Jack got to be a dog with other dogs while we were away.  He stayed with his sitter and groomer, Joyce.   He doesn't get much of a chance to hang out and play with other dogs.  I'm not sure of he likes it or not.  Usually when he comes home, he seems exhausted, and just sleeps and sleeps.  Joyce's home is a lot more active than ours.

 And Tiger and Motor were taken care of by a very good friend of mine.  They were well taken care of.  She stops by everyday to make sure they have food and water and a clean litter box.  And plays with them when she can.  Other than the incident the first day when my friend set off our home alarm and didn't know how to turn it off, things were pretty quiet for the kitties.  When I saw them, they were a bit standoffish, but warmed up to pets and loving very quickly.

Tiger is on the left.

I know you have to leave you house to experience new and different places, but most of all, I like being home.  And I am glad I like where I live.  There really is no place like home. 

Welcome Spring

We have been having some very beautiful spring weather these last 2 days. Sun, sun, sun. And actually warm in the morning, until the afternoon winds pick up. Of course, warm in Northern CA is temperatures in the 60's.

Motor has decided to make the most out of the sunny day. Here he is, soaking in the warmth in our kitchen window.

Those odd looking plants are his "grasses." I grow them especially for Motor.  He likes to nibble on them every now and then.   One of his specialties. 

Humboldt Bay Live Eagle Camera

Over the weekend, I went to the kick off of a local birding event called Godwit Days.  Godwit Days is a week long, yearly event, for people to learn about the wildlife, especially birds, that we have here on the northern coast of CA.   Birders come from all over the US and other countries to attend workshops and field trips.  But the weekend was the beginning of the event and they had lots of information available, as well as art inspired by nature, and live birds of prey that have been injured in the past, that were rescued, and are now shown and used for educational purposes.  It was so fun.  It was at this event, that I learned about this live eagle cam.


Streaming video by Ustream

This is a live stream camera videoing an eagle that is sitting on eggs, that are going to hatch any time now. She is atop a redwood tree on Northern CA.  I have been watching her since saturday.  You can see her male partner fly back to the nest, bringing more nesting materials, and checking on the eggs too.  This is fascinating!!! I hope you enjoy this as much as I am.  

Come back and check through out the day to see if any of her eggs have hatched. It should be anytime now.