Yum!

Yum!
Originally uploaded by fbruehl

Snoopy is watching as her dinner is being dished up. She's obviously looking forward to this!

This is as close as they get

Close Encounter
Originally uploaded by fbruehl

Snoopy will come and sit at this corner and sometimes Sakaura will come into the same vicinity, but they are both there thinking about being fed - not bonding.

I've been sort of worried that Snoopy was ill since on Monday she had little interest in eating. She is such a chow hound that any variance causes me a bit of alarm.

But today I was chopping up some ham and I felt a cat "swirling" around my legs. I assumed it was Sakaura until I heard some very loud purring and looked down to find Snoopy standing there begging for a handout. For her to come all the way into the kitchen is a very big step. That corner where she is sitting in the picture is usually as far as she will come out into the open.

And speaking of the ham, later on Sakaura came and I offered her a bite of ham. They both loved it. Sakaura is a picky eater - even of "human food" but she does like ham.

Merry Christmas from Snoopy

Merry Christmas from Snoopy
Originally uploaded by fbruehl

A year ago today you were a very sick cat, Miss Snoopy. But you were on the mend, and we were so happy to have you back home.

A lot has changed for you, and you've adapted pretty well. Merry Christmas and hope you celebrate many more with us (in spite of the fact that you will be eating your Christmas dinner at the boarding kennel).

Merry Christmas from Sakaura

Merry Christmas from Sakaura
Originally uploaded by fbruehl

Little does she know that she will be spending her first Christmas with us NOT with us. Of course, it is just another day to her, but I feel semi-guilty shipping her off to the Cat "SPA" for her holiday.

We will send along some of her Fancy Feast favorites, so hope she's not too mad when we return.

Worth 1000 Words

DSC02484.JPG
Originally uploaded by fbruehl

At least in her own mind, she has the power.

The spot where she is lying belongs to Snoopy, but Sakaura had claimed it lately. This does not please Snoopy but it's not worth a fight.

So Sakaura Mae (as I've nicknamed her) is here leering as Snoopy is glowering at her from the love seat.

Oh, and the other cat is nicknamed Snoopy Delia - not sure where that came from, but they both respond to those names.

Sakaura on her turf

Sakaura on her turf
Originally uploaded by fbruehl

In the spirit of fairness, Saki should get a post, too.

Saki is a very "needy" cat. So I am not sure if my diagnosis of her being an Alpha Cat is totally correct. I have a lot of reading to do.

She is a very picky eater. She knows what she likes and what she doesn't and she refuses to eat anything that she does not approve of. Don mixed an entire bag of EXPENSIVE "Serengeti" cat food in with a bunch of "cat junk food" (Meow Mix, etc.). She can pick all around the Serengeti - she does now want a "healthy diet" and you can not make her eat one.

Snoopy the Dominant Cat

Snoopy the Dominant Cat
Originally uploaded by fbruehl

I am not really sure that is true. I did order a book this week that I hope will help diffuse some of the ever present turf wars around here.

I think that both my cats are Alpha cats and that is part of the reason they don't get along.

It is much better and Snoopy is 100% more out in the open than she was even 6 months ago. BUT she still wants to stay in her bedroom most of the time. So I guess Sakaura is sort of winning the war.

Making history!

Making history!
Originally uploaded by fbruehl

Snoopy did not vote BUT if she had, I'm sure she'd have gone for Obama!

Her hair has really grown out. I am not sure how long since her last haircut and I am hoping she will not get so tangled as to need another haircut soon. Since she's not on the insulin, and supposedly "cured" of her diabetes, it does not seem she has as much of a bad coat problem as she did back then. She still does not like to be brushed though.

She and Sakaura still do not love each other, but they are a bit more tolerant. Snoopy will come out and sit by the kitchen wall waiting to be fed. Sakaura will come and STARE at her - a bit of hissing but so far no scratching and clawing.

Scarey Cat

Scarey Cat
Originally uploaded by fbruehl

What big eyes you have!

Sakaura is the boss cat. She goes where ever she pleases!

She seems to want to taunt poor Snoopy by acting like most favored cat. But Snoopy does not fall for that. As long as she has food, she could care less about being favored!

Snoopy, Oct 26

Snoopy, Oct 26
Originally uploaded by fbruehl

Time for a progress report, I suppose.

First, Snoopy's hair has mostly grown back. It is not really as matted as it used to be - maybe her "miracle cure" from diabetes cured her bad skin condition, too.

She's a bit more comfortable around the house, but still does not like the other cat - ONE.BIT. At least they do not fight, so all is good.

Frisky

Frisky
Originally uploaded by fbruehl

My next door neighbor, Robin, has a geriatric cat, named Friskie. Don and I laugh at this since she really is anything but.

She's a crotchety old cat, who seems to prefer women to men. I suppose that is no surprise since she lives with all females.

It was surprising to me that she moved here and is an indoor/outdoor cat who never seemed to realize she was not at home. I'd have freaked out that my cat would have tried to return back to my previous residence.

Robin says she refuses to stay indoors all the time, so she lets her out and then back in again. She's the queen cat of the neighborhood. Several cats try to come around but she lets them know who's the boss!

Cat Miracle Diet

Most diets fail because we are still thinking and eating like people. For those us who have never had any success dieting, now there is the new Cat Miracle Diet!

Most cats are long and lean (or tiny and petite). The Cat Miracle Diet will help you achieve the same lean, svelte figure. Just follow this diet for 4 days and you'll find that you not only look and feel better, but you will have a whole new outlook on what constitutes food. Good Luck!

DAY ONE

Breakfast: Open can of expensive gourmet cat food. Any flavor as long as it costs more than .75 per can -- and place 1/4 cup on your plate. Eat 1 bite of food; look around room disdainfully. Knock the rest on the floor. Stare at the wall for awhile before stalking off into the other room.

Lunch: Four blades of grass and one lizard tail. Throw it back up on the cleanest carpet in your house.

Dinner: Catch a moth and play with it until it is almost dead. Eat one wing. Leave the rest to die.

Bedtime snack: Steal one green bean from your people's plate. Bat it around the floor until it goes under the refrigerator. Steal one small piece of chicken and eat half of it. Leave the other half on the sofa. Throw out the remaining gourmet cat food from the can you opened this morning.

DAY TWO

Breakfast: Picking up the remaining chicken bite from the sofa. Knock it onto the carpet and bat it under the television set. Chew on the corner of the newspaper as your person tries to read it.

Lunch: Break into the fresh French bread bought for the dinner party on Saturday. Lick the top of it all over. Take one bite out of the middle of the loaf.

Afternoon snack: Catch a large beetle and bring it into the house. Play toss and catch with it until it is mushy and half dead. Allow it to escape under the bed.

Dinner: Open a fresh can of dark-colored gourmet cat food -- tuna or beef works well. Eat it voraciously. Walk from your kitchen to the edge of the living room rug. Promptly throw up on the rug. Step into it as you leave. Track footprints across the entire room.

DAY THREE

Breakfast: Drink part of the milk from your people's cereal bowl when no one is looking. Splatter part of it on the closest polished aluminum appliance you canfind.

Lunch: Catch a small bird and bring it into the house. Play with it on top of the down-filled comforter. Make sure the bird is seriously injured but not dead before you abandon it for someone else to have to deal with.

Dinner: Beg and cry until you are given some ice cream or milk in a bowl of your own. Take three licks/laps, and then turn the bowl over on the floor.

FINAL DAY

Breakfast: Eat 6 bugs, any type, being sure to leave a collection of legs, wings, and antennae on the bathroom floor. Drink lots of water. Throw the bugs and all the water up on your people's pillow.

Lunch: Remove the chicken skin from last night's chicken-to-go leftovers your people placed in the trash can. Drag the skin across the floor several times. Chew on it in a corner and then abandon.

Dinner: Open another can of expensive gourmet cat food. Select a flavor that is especially runny, like Chicken and Giblets in Gravy. Lick off all the gravy and leave the actual meat to dry and get hard.

Snoopy for the cure!

Snoopy for the cure!
Originally uploaded by fbruehl

Playing with Picnik and since I could not get rid of her red eye, I thought I'd let her go pink.

We have had some serious spats lately. Sakaura does not like the fact that Snoopy has gotten a bit braver and she makes sure she puts her in her place from time to time.

I gave her claws a good trim this morning. She has an unfair advantage over poor clawless Snoopy.

Mexican Standoff!

Mexican Standoff!
Originally uploaded by fbruehl

Why did Snoopy get so brave as to come out into Sakaura's territory? She is not one bit happy to have her sitting there staring at her.

Don and I are laughing at the big deal we have made of Snoopy walking two or three steps when she used to freely roam the house like she owned it.

I do believe that she is getting much braver though and this is with NO medication.

The best part of waking up

The best part of waking up
Originally uploaded by fbruehl

This week we have seen more progress in cat behavior than we have in the past 9 months. Snoopy has actually begun to come out of her "safe spots" and into the open. This is most always related to eating, but that is okay. Seems she will do anything for food.

Yesterday she actually left the bathroom where she eats dinner and on her own walked into the living room and got up on the sofa where Don normally brings her physically every day. He says it confirms to him that she really likes that spot and the growling she does when he carries her there is only related to the fact that she does not like to be picked up. Whatever!

She and Sakaura still do not kiss and groom each other but they have had a few very close encounters in the past few days with no fighting.

Baby steps!

Playful Snoopy

Playful Snoopy
Originally uploaded by fbruehl

She's become so much more alert and she is actually venturing out of some of her hiding places lately. I think that the trip to the boarding kennel the first week in September had a positive effect on Madame Snoopy.

Here she's sitting in her spot on the sofa waiting for Don to flip a cat toy over for her to chase. She's off her valium. And a trip to the vet last week to check her blood sugar shows she still does not need the insulin.

She's an old cat and shows signs of the old age, but all in all, she is improving. It's been a long road!

Sakarua in her cave

Sakarua in her cave
Originally uploaded by fbruehl

Sakaura has full claws and so far we've managed to keep her from shredding the furniture. I recently purchased this carpet covered "tunnel" that she jumps on top of to sharpen her claws, and sometimes she get inside it to play with the little mouse that dangles from the top.

She's a playful cat. I guess we got so used to our geriatric Snoopy that we are easily amused by a cat playing with toys again.

On a positive note, we've seen a bit on improvement in Snoopy's independence since we brought both cats to the boarding kennel last weekend. She has actually ventured into the kitchen on occasion and she has begun going up and down the stairs totally on her own to use her litterbox. Previously, Don would carry her (like an invalid -- or a princess).

Cat's are not best friends, but there is much more tolerance it seems.

Snoopy on a Sunday morning

Snoopy on a Sunday morning
Originally uploaded by fbruehl

The valium really does help make Snoopy a very mellow cat. Except for some up close and personal encounters with the "evil Sakaura", she spends most of her days lounging on the sofa or in "her bedroom".

She's gotten brave enough to make a few trips downstairs that are not initiated by Don. Once she's done with the litter box, she has a cat condo that she perches on top of and feels safe from "the monster".

A lot of her hair has grown back. I am trying to keep her brushed to put off the inevitable haircut. Her hair seems to have thinned a lot in spots. She is getting to be a really geriatric cat, I guess.

Sakaura sits up!

Sakaura sits up!
Originally uploaded by fbruehl

She thinks she is so human and she looks human at times, as well. The other day she got up on the sofa and was sitting there watching tv in this pose. The look on her face when I got the camera was priceless.

She is not a nice cat, but she is so darn cute that she can get by with being such a terror!

Snoopy goes outdoors, too

Snoopy on the deck
Originally uploaded by fbruehl

Not bby choice, of course. But I was glad to get a photo of her without the dreaded flash and the flaming eyes.

Don carries her around like she's an invalid. I guess she really is - at least mentally. She is afraid of her own shadow since we have had the invader Sakaura come into the picture.

This afternoon Sakaura decided she wanted to sleep on the sofa and jumped right up into Snoopy's face. I think she didn't realize that Snoopy was there because she cautiously backed off - after a couple of not so friendly hisses. No screeching or screaming or slapping - progress!

Serious Sakaura

Serious Sakaura
Originally uploaded by fbruehl

She is seriously pretty!

This was taken while Don had her sitting outside on the deck rail. I am not comfortable with her being outdoors, since we know nothing of her background and I'd hate for her to escape and run away.

She obviously has had encounters with bad weather given her fear of thunder and lightening, so I wonder if she was at one time an outdoor cat.

At any rate, I do not like her having too much freedom! She does very well as indoor only cat, despite the fact that she has claws. She's been great about not clawing carpets and furniture.

She's a good cat!

dumpr.net

Art Museum by dumpr.net

Sakaura

Sakaura
Originally uploaded by fbruehl

She spends most of her time hiding from the sound of the daily thunder. Snoopy does not seem to even notice. It makes me wonder if Sakaura had some experience in her life that caused her to cringe and run and hide during stormy weather.

I feel so badly for her. She is becoming a recluse just like Snoopy. We are good to her and we love her, but I am sad that she is all alone with no other cat companionship.

But what do I know. I felt the same way about Snoopy and she really wishes I'd just kept to my own business and let her be "the only cat".

Bye bye Manny!

Bye bye Manny!
Originally uploaded by fbruehl

He was good while he lasted, but his attitude lately has brought the entire team down. It's time to say bye bye!

Snoopy was asleep in her usual spot this morning but was way too awake when I grabbed the camera. Her eyes pick up the light in such an evil way.

Her hair is growing back, so she does not look as much like an alien monster (or an o'possum).

Hungry Lion

Hungry Lion
Originally uploaded by fbruehl
Actually, you could say this was the world's largest hairball! I took this picture on the Harvard campus, and it is a cat, although an ancient one, with a bird's nest in its mouth.

We also got a picture of a stone age saber toothed cat (just the bones), at the Harvard Museum of Natural Science.

It was a fun day for us, and I assume the girls at home had fun laying around and sleeping with no human annoyances.

Notes from my morning email

Flo -

It was a very nice morning for walking again. Sakaura greeted me at the door. When I stepped in, she stepped out. Luckily I could grab her before she made the next move. Wheeeeewww!!! We can't really trust her.

No joke!
So she is not liking the food she's getting - that she has previously liked, and she wants to run away from home. Fat chance!

Boring!

Boring!
Originally uploaded by fbruehl

So Sakaura's beau came calling and this is his reaction. A huge yawn!

She had to run and jump up on the glass pretending she was all vicious and ready to fight.

He knew he was safe, and is showing her how boring she is LOL!

From my inbox ...

Flo -

What an amazing sight! When I got back from my walk I found the two cats sleeping together on Snoopy's bed. Snoopy near the pillows and Sakaura near the foot of the bed! I didn't touch them! It is really humid this morning (although the same as it has been for a while). Have a good day!

Love,
Don

So I asked him to take a picture and believe it or not -- he did!

How much is that kitty in the window

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

The evil step-sister!

Sakaura
Originally uploaded by fbruehl

Yesterday Don put Snoopy down in the doorway of "her room" where she normally will walk over and either get up on the bed or go into her tent. He said that out of nowhere there came a blur of a cat and all sorts of screeching and hissing ensued. Sakaura was on the attack.

Poor Snoopy ran under the bed to hide. She was not too traumatized though because when dinner time came she made her way to her food bowl without assistance.

I'd wished these two would be friends, but I don't think that will happen. I do hope that at some point Snoopy will turn around and attack Sakaura to take some of the wind out of her sails! She thinks she is invincible.

Does she ever move?

Snoopy
Originally uploaded by fbruehl

Only occasionally! Yesterday she had a very traumatic encounter with the "other cat" in the hallway.

She is generally happy to sleep on this blanket o the sofa. Right now she is there - bathing herself. As you can see her hair is growing back out - so she looks more like a normal cat. She till has the remnants of the tuft on the end of her tail.

She has come a long way in the past 7 months. She is still testing good as far as her blood sugar goes - so no insulin. Her weight is pretty steady - around 13 pounds, down from her high of over 18 pounds. Don thinks the weight loss is keeping the diabetes at bay - that may be true.

Christian, the lion

This is so touching and it is a TRUE story. Read more about it here.

Baby steps!

Today Snoopy actually ventured out by herself twice. Once she went down the stairs to the litter box - I think that is her first "solo trip" in months - probably 6 months. Don usually takes her down there a couple of times a day. Then she later walked from the living room into the bathroom where we feed her - again Don normally carries her. So we are making a wee bit of progress.

She always sleeps here and it's where Don reads the paper - sometimes the headlines are so appropriate.



Sakaura has a little "playhouse" where she likes to hang out. Here is a picture of her peeking out of one of the portholes.


And this is actually a big yawn - scary looking though, isn't it!

This is Charley (from MSN)

This Is Charley

After the advertisement, of course.
Stick around, it's worth it!

Snoopy & the Sox - Basket cases!

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Caturday!

This morning we went walking and when we got around to our lake, I spotted one of our moocher cats. He looked like he was fishing! Too bad the picture is so fuzzy.


Our two cats are as lazy as ever. Here is Snoopy sleeping on what she has deemed "her" bed.



Sakaura has taken over "my" bed!



There is still no friendship growing between these two. That is okay - they both know their own spaces. Sakaura tries to get into Snoopy's space, but she is afraid to push too much. So she (Snoopy) spends a lot of time in "her" bedroom, while Sakaura goes pretty much where she pleases - except into Snoopy's room.

Little Known Feline Ailments

I have been chuckling here reading this list of Little Known Feline Ailments.

Sakaura definitely has a case of

IRRITABLE BOWL SYNDROME

Symptoms:

The cat seems discontent with what is in the foodbowl. In multicat households this is manifested by cats going from one bowl to another in search of something more enticing. Afflicted cats may also follow the owner to cupboards and demand to investigate every opened can or packet in the hope of a better meal. In severe cases, cats show excessive interest when the owner opens a can of baked beans.

Treatment

An ever-changing selection of gourmet meals is the cat's preferred solution. This entails enrolment on cookery courses and animal nutrition courses. Alternatively, offer a buffet selection of both canned and dry kitty foods purchased in small
packages while advising it that its ancestors had to make do with nothing but mouse. Explain that Big Sid, the local feral with the appetite and table manners of a furry bulldozer, will be joining the cat at meal times. Most modern cats will opt for the buffet rather than risk losing it to Big Sid.

Snoopy, on the other hand, displays autistic behaviours. Not that all cats don't do this to some extent - she is just a bit over the edge. It is okay though. We know her routine and Don is getting to be very good at "reading her mind" so we can anticipate what she wants when she wants it. Don's son, Greg, is autistic - he and Snoopy would get along except Greg is as much afraid of cats as Snoopy is of strangers. Can't win!

All's quiet

Cats are co-existing.



Saki has a new tent.



And Snoopy is full of Valium.

She's just relaxed. She is fine and seems in control. They just hate each other.

Cats in the "hood"

This morning we walked and ran into three of the neighborhood cats who posed for photographs - well not really - but I got the pictures anyway.


This guy did a pretty good job of hiding in the grass. He was trying to catch a chipmunk. He became distracted by us walking by and the chipmunk was able to run quickly across the road and escape (for today at least!)



We've encountered and petted the cat above before. He's very friendly. When he was younger Don used to fear he'd follow us too closely to the highway.


This cat was just a kitten last year and he did try to follow us home. Today he was interested in pouncing on something in the grass.

Weeks of progress down the drain

So this morning Don thought he should put Snoopy directly down into Sakaura's face. WRONG! Sakaura hissed and screamed - Snoopy hissed and growled, and dug her claws into Don's bare arm as she was twisting and turning and try to figure out how to escape. Poor kitty - her heart was beating out of her chest - but she finally caught her breathe and relaxed.

I can not convince him that they will NOT EVER be friends - he needs to just let them be.

She's in there

We had an incident the night before last that was a bit strange. Sakaura screeched loudly two or three times during the night. When we woke, Snoopy was nowhere to be found. Don looked everywhere - except an obvious spot, of course. She was sitting on the sofa where he normally brings her after she eats her meals.

I must assume that sometimes during the night she decided to go to the bathroom or go over to the "people bathroom" where her food is to get a bite to eat and ran into Sakaura. She has a few "safe places" - and the sofa is one of those. So she must have figured a way to get there to spend the rest of the night.

They just are not going to get along - but Snoopy is at least getting to be a wee bit more independent. I'm not sure if this is progress - it certainly is not what we would expect after almost 6 months.

Exotic Origins

We went shopping at BJ's and picked up an empty box to load the odds and ends in. We always look for a box the cats will like and this one was a hit. I am not sure of the exotic origins for this mysterious "shelter cat" - but she does love boxes.

Snoopy is too unsettled still to even consider sitting in a box.

Food finds

Sakaura is the pickiest eater ever. This morning I tried a can of "cheaper" food that I thought I remembered her liking and was I ever right. she loved it. Snoopy liked it as well, but then Snoopy likes everything.

So I know we can't feed them this all the time, but it is a nice alternative to the Fancy Feast since it is a large can we can split and it costs the same as one of the smaller cans, so literally half price dining.



"Friskies^® Flaked with Tuna & Egg in Sauce"

I have some other non-Fancy Feast cat food flavors that she will eat - most of them involve tuna of some sort.