Wordless Wednesday - Heinz and the lions

There was a nature documentary on TV the other evening and Heinz was absolutely mesmerised by the lions. He was sitting on the arm of the sofa and kept leaning further and further forward until he nearly fell off.

Photo hunters - drink

This is Nar, our little Tonkinese girl, who has a curious habit of only ever drinking her water along the very edges of the bowl.

Light-hearted afternoon chuckle

Excerpts from a dog's daily diary:
8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:00 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing
12:00 pm - Lunch! My favorite thing!
1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 pm - Milk Bones! My favorite thing!
7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

Excerpts from a cat's daily diary:
Day 683 of my captivity: My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength. The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the floor.

Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a "good little hunter" I am. The audacity!

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of "allergies." I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow -- but at the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released - and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded! The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicate with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe....... For now...

I can't take credit for this, I have seen different versions of it, but found this particular one on Amber's blog.

Love Thursday - from a small kitten to a big cat

In the last few weeks I have really embraced the whole blogging thing, and it has been incredibly inspirational reading other peoples blogs. Recently it seems many of the ones I frequently visit have been on the subject of smiling and happiness. Encouraged by Nutter's notes I have been happyingUP! every day this week, writing down my top three "happinesses" from each day. This has been a wonderful experience, since it has helped me to pay more attention to the small moments of happiness that occur every day, like walking past a cookie stall and getting hit by a wave of freshly baked cookies. So often I forget that this very moment will never return again, so why am I wasting it?

I've enjoyed reading Sognatrice's Love Thursdays for several weeks now (the original idea came from Chookooloonks). And Dreamer girl recently wrote a wonderful list of things that made her smile that day. It doesn't have to be terribly important things, it's just about enjoying life and valuing what we have. And noticing it.

My first entry to Love Thursday is the photo above of our cat Heinz when he was only eight weeks old and he still lived with his brothers and sisters. Whenever I look at this photo I get flooded by a feeling of absolute love from head to toe, I just adore him so. He's almost two years old now, and a big handsome cat, in fact I'm convinced he's the most beautiful cat there ever was. Don't you agree?


Heinz the heart-breaker

Playing fetch and other games

Nar is our very own stunt cat, regularly putting on aerobatic displays that make us wonder if it’s actually worth paying the TV license when we have access to such fine entertainment in our very own home. She’s capable of changing direction in mid-air yet always lands with the grace of a ballerina. She has favourite games that transform her from the most affectionate lap cat into a mini tiger; stalking and pouncing. She particularly adores a furry spider attached to a fishing rod. Whenever she manages to catch it she growls and hisses and drags it into a corner where she pretends to devour it. It’s hilarious to watch.

But her all-time favourite are these little foam balls. She actually taught us to play fetch; she simply started retrieving off her own bat. It’s the perfect way for a lazy human to exhaust an over-active cat. Just sit down on the floor and throw the ball and because it’s so soft it can ricochet against anything; windows, walls, furniture. Beckham eat your heart out, here is one player that can play all positions – at the same time.

Initially Heinz would just sit on the sidelines and watch, seemingly uninterested. But recently he’s decided that maybe it’s not such a boring game after all. However, he’s not interested in the foam balls. Instead he wants to fetch his childhood collar.

He’s endearingly attached to a little velvet collar we bought for him when he was just 10 weeks old. It was impossible to tell him apart from his two brothers when he was little, so once we had selected our kittens Heinz was adorned with the collar until he and Nar moved in with us. It’s been his favourite toy ever since. Almost nothing else will do, which can be quite stressful at times, because it has a tendency to disappear under the fridge.

The Christmas Cat

The christmas tree is in place, and after helplessly watching it topple a few times (Heinz climbed straight to the top as soon as it was in place, just like last year), it has now been secured with string and should hopefully survive the holidays. He seems to have lost interest in climbing it anyway. Unfortunately he though chewing the branches would be as good for him as eating grass, but after spending a few hours last night cleaning up after him where he’d been sick we are now certainly sure (and hope that he is too) that pine needles are not good for cats and seems to irritate the stomach and mouth (not surprising when you think about it, those needles are pretty prickly and the essential oil must be quite strong). He lost his appetite for a while and didn’t want dinner or much breakfast, which is very unusual for him, but apart from that he didn’t seem at all unwell so we were not too worried, and now he’s eating normally again. And he seems to have given up on this rather abrasive snack.

As is often the case, Nar is much more cautious when it comes to exploring new things, and whilst she also seemed possessed by the Christmas spirit as we were putting up the tree; launching at anything that moved from underneath the branches, she has wisely left the climbing and sampling of the tree to Heinz. Smart girl.

And now the house is peaceful, and so I sit here, with Nar on my lap and Heinz on the radiator behind me, watching the tree, listening to Christmas carols and it feels just like Christmas, the only thing missing is snow.