Introducing Bandit

This is the newest addition to my family, Bandit. Poor little guy had a rough start. When I found him on September 11th 2011, Bandit was 5 months old, malnourished, full of fleas, covered in car grease and he had a pretty severe burn on his nose. The vet thought he probably rubbed up against a car muffler, face first. Luckily, lots of love and some very special burn cream did the trick, and his nose healed pretty quickly.

I don’t know who is luckier…Bandit, who found his way to a great home, or me. I believe everything happens for a reason. Bandit needed a home, Luna needed a buddy, and I need them both. Now I’ve got the two best cats in the world!

Well Hello Old Friends!

Well hello old friends! As you may have noticed I’ve been MIA for the past 9 months. This was due in part to the fact that I’ve been so busy (I finished my thesis and graduated with my Master’s Degree) and also due to my feelings about my blog. I’m new to this blog business and had been feeling like my blog was a little pathetic compared to everyone else’s. Today I read a wonderful and inspiring post on my sister’s brilliant blog “Freutcake“, which spoke to me. She wrote about how blogging isn’t a competition, but an opportunity to share what you love with the world. Why hadn’t I accepted that earlier?

Now I’m back to blogging and I’m doing it for me. There are so many fabulous bloggers out there with so many great things to say, and I am happy to read their posts and leave comments… but I’m just as happy to write my own posts that may never receive comments. I do it because its fun.

I feel liberated!

So much has happened in these past 9 months. I’m so sad to say that only a couple short months after my post about my neighbor’s cat Marley, poor Marley passed away. He had been very sick for over a month and his mom decided it was just too cruel to keep him alive while he was suffering. He is missed.

Some happy news though…in September, a sweet little tuxedo kitten appeared in my yard. I caught him and tried to find his home without any luck. I decided to foster him while trying to find a family to take him but in the mean time, he and Luna were becoming attached. As the weeks passed “Bandit” got bigger and bigger and I continued to take care of him; getting him his vaccinations, taking him to get neutered, and wouldn’t you know it I got attached to him too! Well I’m sure you guessed it, Bandit is now a member of the family. He is now nine and a half months old and looks like a black and white panther! Luna loves playing big sis and it’s obvious he is thrilled to have all the love, affection and FOOD he could ever want! We all got lucky this time.

I’m glad to be back. I can’t promise a post every week but I’ll do my best to keep them coming when I can, and stay tuned for updates on Luna and Bandit!

Happy Earth Day!

Happy Earth Day everyone! It seems like the perfect day to tend my garden. My roses are blooming, the bees are buzzing in the clover, and I’m feeling very green. I try to be environmentally conscious throughout the year (reusable grocery bags, wash clothes with cold water when possible, brita filter instead of plastic water bottles, I don’t even own a car!) but on Earth Day I always want to do more.

What about Luna? Well unfortunately, my Earth conscious attitude has not been passed on to her. Every chance she gets, Luna wastes as much toilet paper as possible. No, she doesn’t use the toilet like some cats are trained to do. Luna HATES the toilet paper. Its as if the toilet paper is her nemesis, and she must kill it! I often come into the bathroom to find the murdered paper strewn across the floor and the roll full of scratches and bite marks. Bad Luna! I grab the squirt bottle and give her a quick spray. She always runs off and I’m left cleaning up half a roll of shredded tp.

This Earth is all we have. If we don’t do what we can to save it, there won’t be an Earth to save. This Earth Day, do what you can to go green, and make those habits last throughout the year.

Now to convince the cat!

“People let me tell you ’bout my best friend!”

Those who know Luna also know about her best friend “Baby Bear”. Baby Bear was introduced to Luna when she was just a few months old, and they have been inseparable since! Luna carries him around by his left arm even though he is almost as big as her. When it’s cold in the house, Baby Bear can be found next to the heater.  He also has been found next to the food bowl, next to the litter box, on the dining room table, and under the bed covers. It isn’t hard to determine where Luna has been when I’m gone, because I just have to find her Baby Bear. Sometimes Luna likes to tackle him and play really rough…she even smacks him across the room, but if you pick him up and give him any attention, Luna runs over and starts licking him and snuggling like she is protecting her baby. Baby Bear even accompanies Luna to the vet for moral support. They really are best friends!

 

The Dreaded Trip to the Vet

Today, Luna and I had to make the dreaded trip to the vet. Nothing is wrong luckily, but she had to get her annual exam and vaccinations. What a fiasco! Trying to get her into her kitty carrier is truly like a wrestling match between cat and human.  After about 3o minutes of chasing, scruffing, scratches and cat hair flying all over the place I was finally able to get her all tucked in.

Then at the vet, she got a thorough exam (for which she was a perfect angel) and three shots during which she had a minor freak out and came out of the room trembling and shedding like crazy. My poor baby! I felt so bad for her.

When we got home she hesitantly poked her head out of the carrier, realized she was safe and bolted for one of her hiding spots behind the curtain in the breakfast nook window. I managed to lure her out with her favorite “kiss kiss treats” but didn’t require kisses to get one. She seemed to calm down after that but was still avoiding me and looking at me with distrust. Finally after hours of avoidance, she decided to come snuggle.

Hooray! I am forgiven!

 

On The Catwalk

No, not a post about modeling. I am one of those people who take their cat on walks. Yes, Luna has her very own harness and leash, and loves going out for walks in our yard. I think it might just be her favorite part of the day. We do this every day and she gets very rascally if we can’t go out for any reason.

Here is a play by play of her typical outdoors time:

***       Make a beeline for her favorite bush.       ***

***       Spend 5 minutes sniffing favorite bush.       ***

***       Sit under big tree for 10 minutes.       ***

***       Watch birds in tree with fascination.       ***

***       Chatter at birds because she can’t get to them.       ***

***       Go back to the bush and sniff for another 5 minutes.       ***

***       Swat at gnats.       ***

***       Roll in the grass.       ***

***       Nibble the grass.       ***

***       Play tag with the neighbors little dogs.      ***

***       Nibble more grass.***

***       Ooh a bee!      ***

***       Try to eat the bee before I grab her and run inside.       ***

Luna sure is one fun little kitty!

 

 



Cozy Kitty

This Christmas season, I bought a cozy sweater for my kitty Luna. I was mostly drawn to the sweater because it was the perfect shade of blue to compliment her eyes. I never intended to be one of those owners who dresses their cat, but as you know, things do not always go as planned!