Happy 1st Anniversary Tiger Babies

A year ago today, the tiger kitties who would be named Mumtaz Mahal (Taz Bird, on left above) and Shah Jahan (Shahja, on right above) and were finally coaxed deeply enough into the kitchen that the human was able to close the door before they came running back. The human had been trying for weeks to capture them, as she’s already scheduled physical exams and initial shots for both cats, plus a blood test to make sure they were FeLV-free so she could start the process of introducing them to the other cats. It’s not that the 2-legged wanted more cats, but that she worried the kittens, who’d spent 6 months living on her deck and being fed several times a day, wouldn’t be able to survive on their own in winter.

The kittens passed their health checks with flying colors and were slowly introduced to the rest of the kindle. After spaying and neutering in January, great hilarity ensued as the tiger babies were very active at night and got into one thing after another after another. Fireball took the young cats under his care and taught them how to be proper adult cats and proper tigers.

Unfortunately, we lost Shahja in early June. It’s been almost 6 months and we haven’t recovered him, although we’ve had several false alerts. Hopefully, he’s since found a nice family who feeds and cares for the little guy. We still pray he will be found, scanned, and returned to us safe and whole. Until then, happy anniversary tiger babies!

(c) Copyright 2023, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Image my own.

Taz’ Very-Bad, Awful Week

Back in early January, poor little Mumtaz (left) was having a grand time running around like a manic inside the house, which turns out to be loads more fun than the (formerly great) outdoors. Taz Bird was chasing her biological brother and main squeeze, Shah Jahan (right), as well as Corky and Fireball, often tackling the bigger males and knocking them to the ground. (She’s a force of nature when she gets wound up.) And at 4 am one morning, she started making noises that — to the evil human’s ears — sounded like she was in heat…weeks ahead of time and weeks before her spaying surgery was scheduled. Worse, she had her butt in the air and the still-intact Shahjah was sauntering down the hallway with a grin on his face. When Taz went to relieve herself in the litterbox in the guest bedroom, the very bad human pulled the door shut and trapped her. That was early Sunday morning.

On Monday morning, the evil human brought her to the vet to get her second distemper shot and learned that they could squeeze little Mumtaz in on Wednesday for her spay surgery, so back to the locked bedroom went a very angry Taz. When Wednesday came, off to the vet she went again. When she woke up, fur was missing from her belly and she felt awful. Back to kitty prison once again she went. Worse, she had to have painkiller administered several times/day by the evil human, which did not endear the 2-legged to Miss Fierceness.

When one cat is locked up in the bedroom, the other cats have a sweet habit of bringing toy mice upstairs from the toy boxes and leaving them lined up outside the door. Taz was a prisoner for more than a week, so over that time a lot of little mice were deposited beside the door for her. It’s the kitty equivalent of get well cards and balloons or flowers.

When she was finally freed, off she went. Since then, she doesn’t let the evil human get too close. Clearly, that 2-legged creature is not to be trusted under any circumstances.

(c) Copyright 2023, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Images my own.

Happy 11th Anniversary Mac & Fireball

Eleven years ago this afternoon, Caesar, Macaroni, and Fireball crossed the threshold into this house for the first time. (Thank you Kim!) While we lost dear Caesar a year and a half ago, Mac still rules the roost and Fireball has transformed from the little kitty brother who followed Caesar around and mimicked everything he did to now mentoring the Tiger Babies and teaching them how to be proper cats (and proper tigers). When not bossing around the 2-legged or other 4-leggeds, Mac and Fireball are still the best of cuddle buddies. Happy anniversary kitties!

(c) Copyright 2023, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Images my own.

Oh Human, What have You Done?

(c) Copyright 2022, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Images my own.

Happy 10th Anniversary Trio

A decade ago this afternoon, Caesar, Macaroni, and Fireball made the journey from their foster mom’s home to the new human’s. The poor kitties were so skittish at first, but eventually they figured out the two-legged was a big pushover and they could easily boss her around, which they’ve done ever since. While the trio is now a duo (with Caesar’s unexpected passing last October), Mac and Fireball are still a cuddle pair. Happy anniversary kitties!

(c) Copyright 2022, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Images my own.

Krang Drives to the Vet

It was time for Krang, the Penta Pack’s new cousin, to go to the vet for a checkup. Fortunately, the young Sphynx is multi-talented and offered to drive.

 

 

(c) Copyright 2019, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Photo courtesy of M. Ray.

Mutant Teenage Ninja Turtle

Juno has a new “brother” named Krang, which means that the Penta Pack members have a new cousin. Krang is a young Sphynx and is named after the enemy of the Mutant Teenage Ninja Turtles, which is appropriate since he’s pink, wrinkly, and a youngster with lots of energy.  Juno is super fluffy and Krang is hairless so between them both they probably have an average cat’s amount of fur. Fortunately, Princess Junipurr is taking good care of her younger charge and showing him the ropes of catdom (which is to say that she’s teaching him how to manipulate his human “pets” aka captors).

 

(c) Copyright 2018, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Photo courtesy of M. Ray.

 

Auntie Human Meets the Fluffernutter

<<Who is this? I haven’t met that human before.>><<Is she seriously putting her stuff on MY floor?>>
<<Who exactly invited this human anyway?>>
<<Should have known. My own human did. I suppose that means I can’t jump on her while she does yoga tonight.>>

 

(c) Copyright 2017, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Photos my own.

Happy 2nd Anniversary Duo!

(The human was unable to post this update on March 9th because power and internet were knocked out for a significant portion of her state during storms last week. This is day 6 with no internet and no estimate on when it will be back online. Harumph!)

Last Friday was the second anniversary of Corky’s and Pepe’s arrival. And today marks the second anniversary of the Duo’s former human caretaker moving across country to start a new life of her own. We all miss her!While those first few weeks were pretty rough for all involved, both members of the Duo have settled in very nicely and become proper members of the kitty colony.

Pepe has replaced Mac as the official household greeter and class clown.  Corky has replaced Fireball as the source of continuous chatter and complaints.  Such a lucky human to her these five kitty pals!

 

(c) Copyright 2017, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Photos my own.

Happy 1st Anniversary Duo!

And today is the first anniversary of the arrival of the duo last year.  Hard to believe that after 20 years being neighbors, my friend / their human has been gone for roughly 12 months. Moving in with the trio has completely shifted the dynamic between Pepe and Corky. Pepe used to rule the roost and poor Corky cowered under the bed or under furniture, as only the big guy was allowed to get human attention.  But Pepe has mellowed a great deal and seems to really enjoy interacting with the other cats and getting into mischief with the Merkitty. And Corky, who used to be so timid and meek, has turned into a force to be reckoned with when he doesn’t get his way.  He’s warmed up a bit to the other cats. While he still doesn’t like sharing a kitty bed with anyone, he and Fireball hunt together in the scary basement. The human sees them almost daily sitting high up on shelves butt-to-butt watching to see if any mice dare scamper past in the 160+ year old hand-laid stone basement. So happy anniversary duo!  This is also the anniversary of the start of the penta pack.

 

(c) Copyright 2016, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Photos my own.

Happy 4th Anniversary, Trio!

Hard to believe, but today is the 4th anniversary of the arrival of Caesar, Fireball, and Macaroni to this house. Those first few weeks were heartbreaking, as every time the human came for a visit in their room, they hid under the furniture no matter how hard she tried to coax them out with treats, a brush, and toys. However, once they got brave and started coming over to investigate this strange 2-legged with whom they were forced to live, they slowly warmed up to her and eventually even came to love her. That’s why she gets pillow pals, the skin nearly licked off her fingers, cuffs when she misbehaves, and rows of toy mice left at her office door. Such a lucky human!

Thanks Kim for making the ultimate sacrifice that any foster mom can make!

 

(c) Copyright 2016, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Photos my own.

Bed Snatcher

Mac and Corky were occupying the 2 kitty bed next to the human the other morning. Fireball and Pepe were lying on the mamma-fur blanket, and Caesar was climbing around the human and her pillow looking for pets.  Once he was happy, he sauntered off and climbed into the kitty bed occupied by Mac, who normally happily moves over and accepts a bedmate, but not this time.  She got up and came over and draped herself across the human. Once she’d gotten the required number of hugs and pets and kisses, she sauntered off and climbed into the other kitty bed with Corky. You can tell from the look he’s giving how well that went over!  Just like Mac, he quickly got up and left the bed entirely. You’d think an alien lifeform had just invaded his home. Then again, she is the plesiosaurus so maybe an alien DID invade his home.

 

(c) Copyright 2016, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Photos my own.

The City Kitties get a New Country Cousin

Meet Juniper.  Her new human, the niece of this human, calls her Juno for short, although Juni-Purr seems more fitting. (Who wants to be named after the cuckolded wife of the Greek pantheon’s worst philanderer even if he is the head honcho? (Projection!))

Juniper is a former shelter kitty and seems to love her new human and her new home. Welcome to the family, little fluff ball!  Wishing you a very long, happy and healthy life.

 

(c) Copyright 2015, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Photos by M. Ray.

Cranky Corky

Our little grey mouse has continued to be an exceptionally vocal and cranky creature in the morning. He definitely wants the human up serving food with sunrise. Maybe he suffers from low-blood sugar.  If he gets no action from the drowsy human, he leaps on whichever kitty is closest to him and bites that cat in the neck all while carrying on verbal chastisement of the lazy 2-legged who is playing with the snooze button on her alarm clock.  The only problem is, Cranky Corky is still rather rotund and the human has been admonished by the vet to take some poundage off him. Clearly, the little guy thinks that’s a really awful idea.

(c) Copyright 2015, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Photos my own.

There is Still Food in this Kitchen and I want it NOW!

Pepe just happens to have a splash of black down the center of his face that’s about 4x the width of his actual nose. It makes his proboscis look huge, and that’s symbolically fitting as he walks around sniffing the air during meals trying to discern if there is any extra food out that he hasn’t eaten.  If he finds any, he’ll do almost anything to get to it and snarf it down.

He has an endearing habit of climbing up the side of the human’s leg when she’s sitting down to eat a meal. She’s supposed to put down whatever she’s doing and grab a pinch of her food for him to sniff. Fortunately, nothing she eats is appealing to a discerning kitty palate. Would that the same could be said about cat food.

In the last month, Fireball has taken to eating meals by himself upstairs. The two biggest foodaholics, Corky and Pepe, literally bulldoze out of the way any cat that is between them and a food bowl, and that seems to have intimidated the little Red Comet.  Because he’s shy to begin with and skinnier than he should be, it’s important that he gets food — and plenty of it.  The human makes up plates for the rest of the crew, then tries to sneak a bowl upstairs for the little guy.  If she isn’t smart enough to do that while everyone is in the midst of the initial grab & gobble, then Pepe and his nose walk around sniffing at food left on the counter, table, or even the stove. (The human has learned not to leave FB’s food in any of those spots and step out of the room for even 2 minutes, as when she returns the food is gone.) And if she delays at all, both Pepe and Corky follow her upstairs and try to eat Fireball’s food even before he can eat it himself.  Meanwhile, there is still food downstairs that no one is eating.  Argh, cats!

 

(c) Copyright 2015, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Photos my own.

Where’s Waldo?

The silly human walked into the bedroom the other day and found all 5 cats within a few feet of each other. Just 9 weeks on, the Penta Pack has settled in nicely, thank heavens.  Of course, each group has taught the other its worst habits, but I guess that’s a small price to pay for something approaching domestic tranquility.

 

(c) Copyright 2015, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Photos my own.

The Day Thief Strikes!

Either the night thief is no longer strictly nocturnal, or he has an understudy who is working his/her magic on a diurnal clock.

The other night the silly human climbed the stairs to the second level on the way to dispense evening snacks and get ready for sleep. Lo and behold, as she came around the corner, she found the upstairs crunchy container with the locking lid laying sideways on the floor, lid open, and a great many Game Bird crunchies gone.

Of course, no one is taking responsibility for the crime (impromptu party).  However, when the human came downstairs next morning to dispense breakfast and snacks, she found the paper bag in which she stores recyclables (until it’s time to empty them in the big recycle bin outside) knocked over on its side. Of course, that’s where kitty-food cans go after they’re emptied and washed out in the sink.

There has been a great deal of other thieving going on as well. All sorts of things that had been on the table or counter in the kitchen have been found on the floor: metal jar lids, big cork jar stoppers, half of a whole-wheat roll that fell into a bowl of water in the sink during slicing and was remanded to the compost pail, and a decorative pin that was in between being sorted and recycled.  And this morning the human found a seriously large chunk of old fiberglass insulation (which must have been brought up from the basement) laying on a rug in the upstairs hall. Clearly, nothing small and reasonably lightweight can be left untended. Perhaps this will teach the lazy human to be more diligent about finishing cleaning tasks.

 

(c) Copyright 2015, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Photos my own.

It’s (NOT) Nice to Share

My name is Pepe and I don’t like to share. The human reminds me about old TV ads when she was young about it being nice to share.  Such lies and propaganda!

I admit that sometimes my reluctance to accommodate others gets the better of me. I push them a bit too far and then they get mad at me.

I used to do it all the time to my little brother. It was fun to see how far I could push him before he “snapped” and knocked me to the floor. That’s a bit alarming, actually, because he’s smaller and lighter than I am.  He’s quiet and mousy most of the time, but when he gets upset, he’s a force to be reckoned with, meaning I have to be careful not too push too far too fast.  Sometimes I could get away with tormenting him for days on end, but sometimes it only took a few minutes before he’d go off. He needs to learn better boundaries!

I’m still learning what I can get away with the new people (cats) who own this house and the human. They’ve been nice but they definitely let me know from time to time that they were here FIRST. I’m slowly exploring everyone’s boundaries, but in the mean time I still love messing with my little brother.

Take last night.  He likes to get in bed early with the human and lay near her.  I come strolling up on the bed and first thing I do is I wedge myself between him and her. Then I start stretching and wiggling around until one or both of them move over a bit. That gives me a wider opening, so I stretch out bigger. I roll over and poke at the human and she doesn’t like that, especially when I poke her in the face.  It’s not like my paws aren’t clean! Eventually, I push my brother toward one edge of the bed and the human toward the other until I control most the upper half of the bed.  Then I roll onto my back and dangle my paws and feel good about myself.  That makes him feel even more insecure and curl up tighter in a little ball. Sometimes he makes these little squeaky noises — his version of complaining. It’s pretty pathetic actually. He’s SO passive aggressive.

Last night, after I’d executed these moves just perfectly, I decided to mess with his head a little more, so I rolled on my side and wrapped my paw around him as though we were best buds. I even laid my head on his back.  Then he wasn’t sure if he should be mad at me or start liking me again.  And the human couldn’t really scold me for pushing Corky away or being mean.

Of course, not to be outplayed, the human did pull out that nasty camera and start snapping away. What a bright light it has in the dark!  Still, I had both of them just where I wanted them — under my control!  Haaaa hhhhhhaaaaa haaaa!

I’m Pepe the Magnificant. Fear me!

 

(c) Copyright 2015, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Photos my own.

Cat Fishers

Corky and Pepe have discovered morning play time.  Corky is now as crazed at chasing the laser pointer as Fireball is, and both have become big fans of the fishing pole, Caesar’s favorite toy.  Here they are enjoying a little hunting action the other morning.

(c) Copyright 2015, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Photos my own.

Big Boys’ Bed

Here are Pepe (left) and Caesar (right) lying side-by-side on the bed.

And here is the Care Bear leaning over to begin grooming the Pepster.

Pepe definitely approves! Awww!  Maybe he’ll rethink his stance on other cats.

 

(c) Copyright 2015, PeggyMalnati. All rights reserved. Photos my own.