Casper and the Vacuum Part II

Hi Kids, I don't know if you recall last Mancat Monday mum told you about my new grooming experience with the vacuum but we didn't have any pictures.  Well, the next time mum was cleaning she had the camera in her pocket just in case I wanted a suction brushing.  Now there is photographic evidence!!!   Here I am on the bed in the spare room looking out the window while mum vacuums my furs.  She says the pics aren't that great because it was a little difficult to aim the camera with one hand and vacuum me gently with the other hand but I think you'll get the idea :-)

Behold....

Note from mum: it's a little hard to tell from the pictures, but Casper was doing happy paws while I was vacuuming him...just amazing!!!

Friday Fun with Friends

So boys what do we think...

Northern Cardinal or Summer Tanager???

Gosh it's a tough call!

Wordy Woofie Wednesday

You're my best friend Kip

and I just love hanging out with you

I love you too Rio

Picky Mancat Monday

Does anyone remember this picture?   It was taken back in April when we were attempting to find a wet food that everyone liked.  The cats were very interested in the food trials and gathered in the kitchen for each taste test.  After going through several different brands of premium grain free cat foods we finally landed on a flavour they would all eat.  I thought it would be smooth sailing after that...

However, some interesting patterns have developed since then.  No longer can I set down five bowls of food and have five cats dine together, nope, now everyone has their preferred eating spots and I have to run around the house at mealtime delivering room service.

Casper likes to eat in the sunroom either on top of the wardrobe, where he can usually be found sleeping, or on the cat tree.  In all fairness I don't mind ferrying his food to him because he is deaf and cannot hear the clattering of dishes which brings the other boys running to the kitchen at mealtime.

Ben will arrive in the kitchen with the boys to make sure food is being served up then dash into the dining room and wait on the table where he likes to take his meals (although sometimes he won't be bothered to get off our bed and come downstairs in which case I have to carry his food up to him).

Archie also likes to eat in the dining room but on the sideboard

Sweet Jimmy keeps things simple for me and takes his dinner on the kitchen floor beside the stove.

and Kipper, who never met a food he didn't like eats on the kitchen island which is directly behind where I prepare the food.  From this vantage point he can monitor every morsel that is served up and meow encouragement to me if necessary.

Does anyone else have such picky mancats?!?!

Formerly Feral Friday with Kip

Hi all, I have something really fun to show you today.  I recently had Kip's portrait drawn by a wildly talented artist named Jo from Studio Legohead who hails from across the pond.  I read about Jo's work a few weeks ago on Catsparella and contacted her immediately!  We chatted via email about what kind of illustration I was hoping for, then I sent her a little bio about Kip, several pictures and links to blog posts which had featured him.

This is the photo she chose to work from,

 and THIS is the fabulousness she created.........  

Doesn't Kip just look great?!?!  I think she captured not only his likeness but his gentle manner also.  I am so completely thrilled with the outcome, I cannot thank Jo enough!!!!

When the portrait has arrived and I've framed it, I will post again to show all of you the finished effect :-)

Weird Wednesday

Hey kids check out this video.  Jimmy has a very odd way of drinking water, sometimes he laps normally but sometimes he does this instead...

Isn't that wild how he dips his paw in then licks the water off his pads?  Are there any other kitties out there who like to drink this way?!?!

Mancat Monday

Be sure to write it clearly mum or nobody will believe you because there aren't any pictures.  Okay Casper I'll do my best. 

Casper checks my post

On Sunday when I was vacuuming in the bedroom, Casper came in to see me.  The vacuum has never bothered him because being a deaf cat, he cannot hear the loud noise.

don't forget to write how brave I was

Casper has always enjoyed a good brushing, both the zoom groom and the furminator are fine with him.  So I wondered if he would like being vacuumed too.  I had the round brush attachment on the hose because I was cleaning under the bed when Casper approached me.  I started stroking Casper's back with the nozzle and he LOVED it.  He stood for several minutes while I did the top of his back, head and sides :-)

Casper snuggles up to tell me how much he liked the new brush

I wish I had pictures!!!  It seems that in future I will have to do the vacuuming with a camera in my pocket in case Casper is amenable to another suction grooming :-)

Friday Flashback

Hey kids, this is our 400th post and to celebrate I thought we'd flashback to when Ben was a baby.  This was about a year before I started my blog so you probably won't have seen these shots before...

one of my favourites

There were so many pictures I could hardly choose, Casper and Ben were always stuck together like glue it was the cutest thing :-)

Ben was so tiny

Whatever Casper did, Ben did.

lasers x2

They were world-class snugglers.

Who shared everything.

Casper looked after Ben so well.

"don't worry it's just the vacuum cleaner, it can't hurt you"

Ben wanted to be just like his brother.

"There's room for me too Casper"

Casper told Ben many things.

whisper, whisper, whisper

Taught him about life.

Helped him make discoveries.

"sometimes toys hide under the carper edges"

Encouraged him.

"well done Ben!!!"

It was a wonderful time

For both boys :-)

Wishful Wednesday

Wouldn't it be an amazing world if it rained cat treats?!?!  I can just imagine the storm clouds gathering and the thunder clap, then the skies open up and every flavour of Temptations rains down... Wow, kitty Nirvana!!!

Jimmy's perfect world

but no yellowfin tuna ok?  Blech....

Two tenor tuesday?

O sole mio!!!

Casper belts it out while Jimmy hums quietly in the background :-)

Formerly Feral Friday

Hi kids, Kip here.  I'm on mum's lap while she and dad are watching a dvd.  Mum is trying to concentrate on the movie but as she says "I'm just too gorgeous to ignore!"

Mum gives the best scratches behind the ears.

Sometimes I like to be alone to contemplate life,

and remember what it was like outside in the big world.

but when mum shuts the door I leave all that behind,

which is A-okay with me :-)

Thankful Thursday

Hey kids, today we are sending out a big thank you to Bel-Rea for recognizing our little blog as one of the Top 25 Cat Blogs of 2012

We are thrilled and honoured to be chosen alongside such fantastic bloggers...just take a look at the list:

• Modern Cat http://www.moderncat.net
• Daisy the Curly Cat http://daisythecurlycat.blogspot.com/
• Cat Man Do http://catexpert.blogspot.com/
• The Conscious Cat http://consciouscat.net/
• Love Meow http://lovemeow.com/
• Covered in Cat Hair http://www.coveredincathair.com/
• Thoughts Fur Paws http://thoughtsfurpaws.com/
• Floppy Cats http://www.floppycats.com/
• House Cat Confidential http://housecatconfidential.blogspot.com/
• Alasandra: The Cats and a Dog http://alasandra2003.blogspot.com/
• Way of Cats http://www.wayofcats.com/blog/
• Glogirly http://www.glogirly.com/
• Friends of Felines’ Rescue Center http://friendsoffelines.blogspot.com/
• Whiskers and Leo Pet Care http://whiskersandleo.com/blog/
• Romeo the Cat http://www.romeothecat.com/
• Pawesome http://www.pawesome.net/
• Mod Cat Love http://modcatlove.com/
• Forever Foster http://foreverfoster.blogspot.com/
• Sparkle http://www.sparklecat.com/
• Mouse Breath http://mousebreath.com/
• Cat Fact Files http://www.catfactfiles.com/
• Have Cat http://ihavecat.com/
• Cat’s Cats http://catscats-catrina.blogspot.com/
• The Cat Post Intelligencer http://www.mysiamese.com/
• Paper Bag and String http://www.anndziemianowicz.com/

Congratulations to everyone!!!

Weird Wednesday

I know we've talked before about Jimmy's unusual tail, how is curls and twists and he likes to wear it in a bun sometimes...it is more like a primate tail than a cat's tail.

Well, I present you with some further photographic evidence...

Here are Ben and Jimmy sitting on the back perch catching some good window wiffies...note Ben on the left and his normal tail position wrapped around his body.

Now look at Jimmy with his crazy prehensile lemur tail curled around the perch holding on!

Here is the super extreme close up...look away kitties if it's too much for you.  Are there any others out there with tail issues???

Tuesday Twosome

It's Casper and Ben, the two elder statescats of the household.

It's been a while since I've seen them have a cuddle together.

They were inseparable when Ben was a youngster.

Even though they are mature mancats now, they're still pals :-)