The List

I plan to have cats in my life forever.  I would like to bring more into the house RIGHT NOW, but alas, The Hubby is not swayed.  With Chuck's health issues, and both Chuck and Angel being over thirteen years old, plus the outside cats...well, the man just cannot envision it.  I CAN, and I keep a small notebook on the table, where I write down any name that pops up that could be a great cat name someday.  Of course, every cat is an individual, and sometimes their 'real' name just appears in one's head when you first meet.  So this list is simply a starting point, and I hope to begin using it in the future.

To be fair, The Hubby is in charge of pilling the cats, clipping nails, washing all cat dishes, and wrangling them into PTUs for vet transport, while I have the 'easy' jobs of feeding them, keeping up the stock of food and medicines/vitamins, ALL veterinary appointments, all litter box maintenance, and keeping the house supplied with cardboard boxes, cat beds, scratchers, toys, etc.  In addition, I go outside in fair or foul weather, to make sure The 'O' Cats are doing okay.  But he is home all day, as a retired person, while I flit off five days a week to work in the coal mines.  So, according to him, he LIVES with the cats more than I do.  (I also clean up more hairballs and spit-ups than he does, but he won't admit to that...shhhh, don't tell him that I told you!)

Kittens!

My co-worker adopted two litter-mate kittens a couple of weeks ago; a boy and a girl.  They have not yet revealed their real and true names to her, so when we are on a break, we talk about names.  She already has two adult cats and two doggies, and she is slowly integrating the babies into that menagerie.  She is a little concerned that the adult cats are not taking to the kittens well, but the dogs just love the little, bouncy fur-balls.  She knows it takes time sometimes, and I advised her to visit The Way of Cats blog to read about cat personality and integration of a multi-cat household.  Lots and LOTS of good stuff there!

Patty O'Malley is better; the bumps on his skin are going away.  The bumps were the result of scratching and are not ticks like I thought, so hopefully he'll be bug-free for awhile.  Mia is very skittish after I gave her the spot-on treatment; she runs away if I lift my arm.  Must have scared her, so I will work to restore her trust in me.

No word yet from the people a few blocks over, with cats living under their front porch.  Don't want to appear to be stalking, but I do drive or walk by a couple of times a day.  Guess you'd say I'm compulsive...?  Maybe it's because they are all black and black-and-white, just like Chucky and Angel.

Have a wonderful weekend, all!  Some of us have Monday off for Memorial Day, to remember our fallen heroes.  It is the tenth anniversary of the passing of my father also, so there is a lot of feelings flying around as we work on the Cat Hotel, pull weeds, and hit the sales at the mall.  My father did not like animals, emotions that he never really explained to us.  Every one of his children (and most of his grandchildren!) have dogs and cats, however.  Chucky and Angel were in utero when he passed; Angel is named for him.  

Will always love you, Puba!