<<Bad human! She’s forgotten that we’re more important than work and hasn’t posted in over a week. We’re giving her one more chance before we send her out to the dog house.>>
(c) Copyright 2018, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Photos from Fotolia.com
This is a perfect example of what the camera sees that the eye does not. When the human walked by and saw Caesar and Mac sitting in a small patch of sunlight, she thought it cute and grabbed the camera. 
Only after she took the photo did she realize that it looked like the Emperor Kitty was glowing. As the human became aware of the effect, she walked closer and took more photos, which made the Big Guy a bit nervous. <<What’s she going to do — pet my paws?>> 
Caesar Tiger Bear got off easy and only had to endure a few photos. Meanwhile, Mac was her usual nonplused self. Maybe this is more proof that cats are aliens sent here to spy on the lower-lifeform humans.
(c) Copyright 2018, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Photos my own.
We’ve been enjoying a glorious break in the heat and humidity since Tuesday and the meows have been a lot more active and sociable. The human has had many daily visits while she pounds away on the keyboard in her office. This afternoon the Tiger Boys paid her a visit, headbutting her legs and winding around the chair base. Of course, the fact that the human provides brushings and snacks during these visits doesn’t discourage more of them.
(c) Copyright 2018, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Photos my own.
The human made the cardinal sin of dolling out soft food this week that was chunky. These kitties have texture issues with chunky foods, even when they are served slathered in gravy, so the 2-legged has to mash up the chunks to get them smooth like a pate. However, being a silly human, she wasn’t as focused on the mashing part as she should have been and she left some chunks. (It’s hard to be super focused on creating a perfect pate when being assailed by Pepe, who is convinced he’s speeding up food prep by trying to get on the counter and at the food and nutrients she’s adding, and while the others sit around and sound off about just how slowly the human is moving.) 
Because there were chunks, the Pepster dragged them out of the bowl and deposited them (and the gravy they were drenched in) on the kitchen floor. Just what the human needed: to have to pick up that mess and wash that section of the floor before she started work.
(c) Copyright 2018, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Photos my own.
Apparently, the first box has been thoroughly searched and the desired toy was nowhere to be seen. Now the second box is seeing some action. Note the interesting toy scatter. If the human only knew what someone was searching for, she’d pull it out. However, the 4-leggeds are mum on the topic. Perhaps it’s time for the human to clean out the boxes to simplify the search a bit.
(c) Copyright 2018, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Photos my own.
Need we say more? (And how did that blanket get out of the kitty bed?)
(c) Copyright 2018, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Photos my own.
In this house, some kitties really take their responsibilities very seriously. 
For instance, Pepe is very determined to make sure the human does a good job stripping and then remaking the bed. 
If the Pepster thinks the human has made any errors, he quickly lets her know. 
One way he tells is by leaping and sliding across the bed and then attacking the sheets. If there is a pile of wrinkles where he lands, then the sheets weren’t pulled tightly enough. 
Another favorite technique is to roll back and forth over the fabric and see what happens. 
<<It’s unfortunate that the human isn’t more focused on quality control herself because a poorly-made bed can lead to bedsores. However, what can you really expect from a 2-legged?>>
(c) Copyright 2018, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Photos my own.
Caesar’s dedication to grooming the other kitties knows no bound (or boundaries)…and the Merkitty is just fine with that, thank you very much! 
(c) Copyright 2018, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Photos my own.
Missy Mao has been enjoying exclusive use of the green soft-sided cat carrier. 
Even when it’s hot, she can be found stretched out inside. 
She loves sticking her little head out the wide “window” in the back and smirking. She’s such a Merkitty!
(c) Copyright 2018, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Photos my own.
It’s been so miserably hot that the human has been carrying around a series of gel ice packs to stay cool. Pepe got into the action the other day. 
He, his brother Corky, and Macaroni all tolerate the human gently stroking the ice pack along their sides, although it seems to scare both of the Tiger Boys. Pepe also doesn’t mind curling up with the ice pack along his flank. Good to know there’s a way to cool down the kitties too.
(c) Copyright 2018, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Photos my own.
We’ve had lots of grueling heat this summer…with short breaks that are unusually cool. Fireball seems to hate the heat even more than the human does and disappears for 20 hours at a time. Where he goes and where he sleeps is unknown, but when the temps get back down to reasonable late at night, he pops up on the bed to visit the 2-legged and his brothers and sister.
(c) Copyright 2018, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Photos my own.
It’s nice to see Caesar getting groomed by the other kitties since he spends so much time and effort grooming the other four. 
The Mer gave him a few licks on the forehead just for good measure. Of course, Caesar had groomed the little minx for 10 minutes beforehand. 
No matter, he got a bit of loving and seemed to enjoy it. They both stretched out side-by-side. Meanwhile, the human couldn’t make her bed. <<Harrumph!>>
(c) Copyright 2018, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Photos my own.
<<That human has got to get her priorities straight! She’s working too much again and not saving time to update you all on our antics. We almost sent her to the doghouse again, but it’s been so hot that we decided to be merciful…at least long enough to see if she will respond appropriately.>>
(c) Copyright 2018, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Photo from Fotolia.com.
This is Caesar. He’s on watcher patrol. That means he’s sitting in the human’s office staring at her. Occasionally he walks over and head-butts her legs or stands up and puts his big Caesar paws on the edge of her desk. He’s already had a brushing and a freeze-dried raw meat snack. However, he hopes he can encourage her to cough up some additional food if he just practices eyeball juju hard enough.
(c) Copyright 2018, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Photos my own.
<<Quick, the human is coming. Don’t let her get too close in this heat. She’ll definitely want to pet you…and perhaps she’ll also want to pick you up and hug you. It’s way too hot for affection.>> 
<<If you pretend you don’t see her, perhaps she’ll be fooled into thinking she doesn’t see you. Nope, that didn’t work. Time to plan an escape.>> 
<<Fortunately, she’s way too big to climb into the bay window. However, it’s just perfect for a kitty like me. You really have to stay alert in this house lest you get human kisses and fingerprints on your fur.>>
(c) Copyright 2018, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Photos my own.
<<It smells interesting. And now it smells like me. That makes it MY box!>> 
<<It’s just big enough to fit my head and shoulders. What a perfect cat cave! Once in a while, the human does something right.>>
(c) Copyright 2018, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Photos my own.
Mac and Caesar were laying in opposite directions as if working to cross-purposes. Of course, it wasn’t long before a big Caesar paw was holding Mac still while the Emperor gave her a bath.
(c) Copyright 2018, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Photos my own.
It’s been ridiculously hot (95-97 F/35-36 C) for many days. Of course, a few days before that it was unseasonably cold (68 F/20 C). The weather’s been crazily alternating between too cold and too hot for weeks. And in between it rains…a lot. 
And it’s always very muggy once the temperature starts to climb. 
The meows lie around like little rags looking as miserable as the human feels. 
You’d think they’d spend their time downstairs where it’s at least 15 degrees cooler, but not so. And at night, they cuddle right up against the hot human. Since they’re shedding like crazy despite daily brushing, all that excess fur gets stuck to the human’s skin. <<Yuck! I love you guys, but can’t you move just an inch away from my side?>> The human should be happy they want to be close to her. 
Of course, when the human walks upstairs to check on the meows, she gets the hairy eyebrow from Caesar. <<Don’t you dare touch my fur in this heat or I’ll be forced to stop being the nice guy!>> 
The human takes pity on the hot cat and leaves him alone…except for the annoying camera that is. 
A kitty has to expect a little bit of attention in this house…especially when he looks so cute.
(c) Copyright 2018, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Photos my own.
That top kitty-toy box remains the focus of at least one of the meows. The human has rearranged the toys to bring the ones on the bottom up to the top of that box and vice versa. Still, whatever toy someone is looking for must remain elusive. This is what met the human the other morning. Looks like someone got a bit frustrated, doesn’t it?
(c) Copyright 2018, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Photos my own.
Living with Carnivores 