COMPANY CAME, SAW, AND PLAYED WITH ME

Doc is only 2 months old, but he's already a handful for his handler. He'll be living inside the gift shop until he's about four months old, then he'll move outdoors.











The nieces, Val and Maddi pose with a carved bear dressed for St. Patrick's Day at Bearizona.







I've been so lazy since all our company left that I haven't posted lately. Let me tell you, I had a blast entertaining everyone. First, Julie from North Dakota visited me, and I remembered that she was the one who talked my people into taking me in when I was freezing in the RV park because my former owners had abandoned me. I snuggled up close to her in bed thinking she might take me to see Dixie, the big old doggie I fell in love with in the park, and Roger.

Then my people's nieces came to visit, and I fell in love with them. Maddi, the 9-year old played with me constantly. We played with feathers and balls and squeaky toys. I did flips, rolls, and climbed atop my kitty condo so I could commune with her eyeball to eyeball. I'm in love (sigh).

The folks were gone lots, and I heard about the 2-month old bear cub that they visited at Bearizona named Doc. Supposedly, he looked a lot like me except for his long snout. Just about my size, too. I would have loved to see him and his little playmate. He made funny noises and fussed about being taken out of his incubator, then climbed all over his playmate and fussed when he was put back. A picture of him is above. What I wouldn't have given to have a romp with him, but I hear he had long claws. I wouldn't have wanted to make him mad!

The folks also went to the Grand Canyon, but it wasn't ideal weather and was packed with people because of spring break. I wouldn't have cared for the cool air up there, or the crowds.

Of course while company was here, everyone went out to eat -- lots. That was no fun for me since they came home reeking of good food, but I did love all the attention when they got home.

My auntie and uncle from California also came to visit--the ones with the big house. Of course, I loved seeing them but they didn't stay long enough, then my people's friends from Washington came down. Luckily, they came when the weather turned cold and damp so they would feel right at home. They don't care for warm sunshine like we usually have.

I have a feeling this joint won't be quite so lively after hot weather blows in. People always think it's really hot here in the summertime, but it's not bad. Only for a month, maybe, until the monsoons blow through in the afternoons and cool it down. I'm happy to stay put for now and enjoy the weather but the folks are threatening to take me to Arkansas sometime this summer. Now it really does get hot and sticky there. At least, we never have sticky here.

Till next time, purr-r-r-r.

All dressed up in my Christmas finery to help decorate the tree. Here I'm checking to see how it looks.

A New Year, but the Same Old Me Being Me

My goodness, has it been a couple of months or more since I posted? I've been busy being me.

I made two trips to California on Thanksgiving weekend then again on the following weekend. My human aunties were having health issues and one of my human uncles was just recuperating, so I went there to cheer them up. Got to stay in a bustling hotel in Los Angeles for a few days while my people spent time at the hospital. I wish they would have showed me how to call room service! I could have used some nice smelly food while they were off visiting and eating. Yeah, I could smell it on their breaths when they came back to the hotel. They had been stuffing their faces again, and all they had to offer me was my canned and dry food. Oh well, I've never turned food down except when I was sick, so I happily ate what they gave me.

Traffic was horrendous in LA! All the cussing--I had to cover my delicate little ears. At least I could get wa-a-a--y in the back of our van and hide in my crate.

Then when we got home, it was time to put up the Christmas tree. I loved it, and I even helped decorate. My she-person unrolled ribbon to wrap around the tree and I kept the roller in my paws while she switched sides to decorate. That was so much fun. And then I had fun hiding under the tree and jumping out whenever my people walked by (LOL). Okay, I don't really laugh, I just run and romp gleefully whenever I manage to startle them.

Things sure slowed down after Christmas. It got really cold at night, and there was a coating of ice on my fish pond, so I can't even enjoy looking at that anymore. The fish are sleeping beneath the ice, I guess, although one had disappeared when we got back from CA. Don't know where it went. We still have three, I guess, although who knows since they're hiding out under the ice?

The weather has returned to Arizona gorgeous, but the nights are still cold. B-r-r-r-r. I like to lie by the patio door at night and watch the comings and goings of the night visitors. We had a big fat squirrel running back and forth for awhile, but he seems to have moved on. My he-p. put some nuts out, but apparently sir-squirrel had never seen nuts in the shell because he just ignored them. But then, he was fat enough already. Or should I say, pleasantly plump like me?

Happy New Year's to all my friends. We're expecting lots of visitors this spring, so I'll keep busy entertaining them. Even the sweet lady who rescued me for my people when I was running loose in the RV park is coming to see me. Yippee! I can't wait to show her how much I've grown.

HALLOWEEN AGAIN, AND I'M STILL ALIVE!

Here it is near the end of October, with Halloween only a few days away. My she-p is giving me that come-hither look, like she wants to do something disgusting to me to celebrate the day. I've seen that little tiny orange crown of pumpkins she brought home from a party, and I suspect it's for me since it's about the right size for my head. If she manages to get it settled atop my handsome brow and gets a picture of it, I'll post it here. Don't hold your breath, though. I'm quicker that she is, and twice as clever. And always glad to report I'm still alive!

Two of my fish have died, but the others are turning into giant fish. That's four that still swim the little pond and keep me entertained. There are two orange ones, a blue and orange one and a white one with a gray back. Don't know what they are, but they're some kind of fish, and they sure look tasty.

Not much goin' on around here these days. We were taking a trip to Utah, but guess that's on hold for now since I haven't seen any bags packed and waiting by the door. Oh well. Guess I'll have to content myself to staying home for awhile. It's not so bad, though, because sometimes we have company that comes and pats my head and massages my lovely back. U-m-m-m. It feels so good to be a much-loved (and admired) pussycat.

Gotta' go now. Nap time - purr-r-r-r.

DODGING FALLING PEOPLE

Let me tell you, it has been fun times at the OK Corral lately! And frankly, just as scary. My she-person has been sort of out of it because of some medication she was on. My he-p had to help her walk, that's how bad she was. She finally got a little better, then one day decided to take a flying leap across the floor, then slid into a piece of furniture head-first. Believe me, I scooted out of sight. I didn't know if she was aiming for me or not, but I wasn't taking any chances. My precious little furry body is much too valuable to have broken by the likes of her landing on top of me.

Then her face turned a sickly yellow and both eyes got black. I couldn't even look at her. Looked like a raccoon running loose in my house.

Things are finally getting back to normal, although her eyes still don't look right.

My fish pond has been a source of contentment for me because I can climb up in a window where I'm safe from falling she-ps. My fish are growing, all six of them, and they're so much fun to watch as they swim around, chasing each other. When my he-p goes out to feed them, they now rush up to meet him instead of hiding out until he's gone. I don't guess they've spotted me yet. I could give them a good scare if I walked up to the edge of the pond, but then I'm too scared of water to go near. I'll keep watching from the safety of my window, thank you.

One night we looked out and saw some kind of animal skulking around the edge of the pond, but I scared it away. Kind of looked like a hungry little kitty, but who knows. It was dark. If any animal gets to catch those fish, I want it to be me-me-me.

Gotta run now. The Direct TV guy is here and I need to supervise.

Purr-r-r-r.

LIFE IN THE FAST LANE IN SMALL TOWN, AZ

Another fine day here in the Southwest. This morning when my she-person got up, I was lying by my he-person on the couch soaking up his adoration. She didn't even speak to me as she waltzed into the living room; she just went straight to the kitchen to get some breakfast. Well, I was having none of that! I ran as fast as I could to get to the kitchen before she did so I could be greeted properly.

She bent down to pet me, then I quickly scrambled to finish my leftover food from last night so she would have to feed me, too, before she left the kitchen. Listen, I've learned that in this household, you have to meet opportunity head-on. Crash into it, if you have to!

Last week, or maybe it was the week before, my human auntie and uncle from California came over to visit. I love having visitors. They reminded me of the green plants at their house, and I realized my she-person had brought in a green plant home a couple of weeks ago. It wasn't real, but hey, I could pretend it was. So, even though I had tasted it before and found it to be lacking in reality, I made it a regular habit to sneak up on it and try to chew the silk and plastic leaves just so my auntie would notice me. Some of the leaves look like grass, but they're really not that tasty. Shucks, everyone just fussed at me and chased me away.

I love having company. Just a few minutes ago I was snoozing under the bed when I heard a knock on the door. I was out from under that bed and into the living room before my he-person, who was sitting nearby, could get there. I am not intentionally skipping any chances to be admired by anyone who might be packing treats or pats on the head.

I'm looking forward to taking another trip soon. Don't know yet if we're heading west or north, but I can't wait. I fell in love with hotel living on our last trip because I had new territory to explore almost every day. I don't know how those homebody kitties can stand being cooped up in one place all the time. I gotta' roam! Maybe I'll even get to go see my aunties and uncles in California again. They're so much fun! I think they and my people used to be a wild bunch, but they're all pretty tame now. I wouldn't mention it out loud, but it might have something to do with age...

I'm not getting any younger, either, so guess I'd better go get some beauty rest. It never hurts, even though I'm beautiful in spite of everything.

Home at last!

I have my eye on my California auntie's house plant. As soon as my people leave the room, I plan to mow it down. Notice the gleam in my eye!

After arriving at home, I quickly settled into my regular routine. However, my people decided I needed more stimulation, so my he-p rushed out and bought three Koi fish to put in my pond along with the surviving two gold fish (well, one is black). The little bitty orange one fell in love with one of the big Koi fish and wouldn't leave it alone! Boy did I have a great time watching them chase around the pond.

Then my people went out and bought some plants to put in the pond. It's a whole new world out there now, and the fish swim around and under the plants. What fun it is to watch them and pretend I'm stalking them. Too bad I can't get out there to try my hand at fishing, but if that pump and fountain was to come on while I was at the edge, I'd be into the next county before my people could blink their eyes. That fountain startles me even if I'm only lying on the window sill looking out. Inky does not like water! Maybe my she-p will post some pictures of the pond when she gets flowers planted around it. She planted some, but they didn't survive the heat for even 24 hours.

I've located all my toys now and have dragged every one of them into the middle of the floor where I can find them easily. I was kinda pooped for the first few days after we got home, like my people, but I can't wait to go on another traveling adventure. This trip was just too fast to suit me or my she-p, but that's the way it had to be. They couldn't even stop off to visit friends and show me off because we had to hurry and get back home. I do love being shown off, and always make sure everyone notices me whether they want to or not. Heck, I'm so handsome, how can they resist me. I even won my grandma over a little bit.

My she-p wasn't able to post the picture of me on my California auntie and uncle's hearth with the previous post, so sorry it wasn't there. Here it is, a little late but still me. Ain't it wondrous how pictures capture me in all my splendor?

Traveling is fun!

This is going to be a long post since I've been traveling again, and didn't take time to write while I was on the road. This time we went by car. Not as comfy, but much faster than the motorhome. First we stopped off at my human uncle and auntie's home in Southern California, where I tried my best to mow down houseplants. Above is a photo of me pretending to enjoy lying on the hearth of their fireplace, but if you look you'll see that I've got my eye on a big, green, yummy plant. My auntie, uncle and people are a little smarter than the average fool, so they kept a close eye on me while I pretended to be content to just lie there. (Oops, my she-p hasn't been able to import the photo yet. She'll try later.)

Leaving there on a Saturday morning, we headed northwest to hook up with I-5, but first we went over some mountains that had me wailing for a few minutes. As we approached Bakersfield, my she-p spotted the big red barn she had seen the last time we went through, when my he-p pretended to not hear her say "stop!" This time she was driving, so she swung in and jumped out to buy some fresh produce. Nothing looked tempting to me, so I crawled back in my crate and went back to sleep.

Our first night was spent in Sacramento. Not too much to recommend it as far as I was concerned. My people stepped out to get some breakfast, but before they left, my he-p told me if I wanted to go with them when they got back, I needed to be waiting by the door. Well, I surprised him. I was sitting in my crate when they got back, rarin' to go, thank you very much!

I raised a ruckus again when we went over the Siskiyou Mountains in No. CA and So. Oregon. Something about those downhill curves upsets my system. I don't get sick, but I just don't like them!

We stayed the next night in Albany, OR. Nice hotel, but we were anxious to get on the road the next morning for the rest of our trip. We finally arrived around noon the next day, and that night I got to see the beautiful human nieces. They are so sweet. The oldest is graduating from high school in a couple of days, so that's why we're there. It was cold and raining the entire time we were there, but I stayed in the hotel room and was nice and cozy. Meanwhile, my people wore coats to keep warm and to try and stay dry. And complained, loudly and constantly.

After heading to a restaurant on Thursday morning to meet the nieces, we left there headed to Eastern WA. We arrived there sometime in the afternoon. I slept most of the way, so what do I know about the trip. My she-p stopped once to buy some more produce (cherries, this time), but otherwise, we were just plowing along. It was still raining on and off, even after we got to Spokane. Yuck. I might have been born in this type of climate (I mean, who knows where I was born?) but I do love the sunshine and warm weather in Arizona!

We stayed in Spokane for two-and-one-half days while my people took my he-p's mother shopping and out to eat at her favorite places. The hotel was super, so I was quite comfy staying there while my people did their running around. Mom is 93 and in assisted living now, but she even came to visit me in the hotel. I don't think that was her idea, exactly, but like me, she went where my people took her. When she headed to the bathroom, I promptly accompanied her. I don't think she ever had a cat follow her around. She's not an animal fan! But she did laugh at me and my antics. Hey, I'm amusing. What can I say?

On Sunday morning, we headed east through Montana, then turned south on I-15 through Idaho and Utah. I love Montana, but Idaho wasn't my favorite scenery until we reached Pocatello, where it gets hilly (but not too) and green. We quickly covered Idaho, except that we had to slow down to 45 through every danged town because of construction. Thank goodness there aren't too many towns in that part of the country. We spent the night in Idaho Falls in a motel. This was definitely not my favorite place. It was right across from the falls, but because it was centrally located, it was busy and noisy. And old! We had a kitchen, but I'm not sure it served any purpose since my she-p didn't cook up any treats there. We had stayed in La Quinta Inns up until that night, so I was slightly spoiled by their new, really nice rooms.

We headed down to So. UT the next day, and finally reached Kanab, Utah. This place is gorgeous, and we stayed at a historic lodge--Parry Lodge. It's where the movie stars stayed when they were in the area filming the western picture shows during the 30s to the 70s. The lodge was wonderful. We stayed in the Ray Milland cottage. We found out that in August, Kanab hosts a Western Legends festival,. A lot of old stars show up, and some of their children come if their famous parent is no longer living. Sounds like fun, but we don't know if we can get a room or an RV site since it's only a couple of months away. Maybe next year...

The next morning after breakfast, my people headed out to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. This is a wonderful place that rescues abused and abandoned companion animals. They have a section for horses, bunnies, donkeys, cats, dogs, and various other animals. They rehabilitated Michael Vick's pit bulls that had been used for fighting, adopting the success story dogs out to new, loving families. Some were too injured emotionally and physically to ever be safe in a family home.

Best Friends has lots of volunteers who show up for awhile and help care for the animals in addition to a large, loving staff. They even let children over five volunteer to help with things like feeding, petting, walking, etc. My people want to go back and take the entire tour and maybe volunteer for a few days. There are even a couple of full hook-up RV sites located within the sanctuary, but they are often reserved far in advance. There are also a few RV parks in town and around the area, since this is within a short drive of several National Parks.

Check out Best Friends website at www.bestfriends.org to find out all the amazing things they do. My people joined so they can get the magazine to keep up with what's going on there. They also receive discounts on the RV sites and cabins that are rented out to visitors.

When we left Kanab my people weren't sure if we would be able to make it home without taking a long detour through Grand Canyon National Park because of fires raging outside Flagstaff. We were lucky because the road reopened right before we got there. However, there were still little fires spurting in the woods right beside the road. Let me tell you, that scared me too death. As soon as I smelled that smoke, I started carrying on like someone was choking me. I was choking on the smoke. I was trying to tell my people to get the heck out of there, but they just kept driving until we got through the burning area. Whoo-o-o. What a relief it was to breath fresh air again. We managed to get home by mid-afternoon.

What fun to see my home again and find all my toys just where I had left them. I had some resting up to do, but you can read about my antics once I reached home in the next post. Purr-r-r-r.

Trouble on the home front

Around here, I'm in hot water one minute and loved to pieces the next. My people aren't to blame. Let's just say I have attitude! I just love thinking up new ways to stir up some excitement.

On Friday after my people came home from shopping, they found me with one eye closed, and I was dashing around like something was after me. They called the vet to get an appointment since my eye was obviously bothering me. It's probably that pesky chronic infection that crops up about once a year, so they loaded me up into my carrier and into the car I went. Oh joy! When they opened the door to get me out in the vet's parking lot, there I calmly sat with both eyes wide open as if nothing in the world was bothering me.

My he-person went ahead and got my carrier out of the car and started into the vet's office. Meanwhile, my she-p. asked him to sit down on a bench outside the door for a minute so she could check my eye again. I looked up with the most wide-eyed innocent look I could give. Yep, everything looked fine, so she went inside and canceled the appointment. Yippee!!! Saved from a fate worse than getting squirted with a water hose!

By the time I got home, I was holding my eye closed and acting weird again. Since I licked my plate clean at feeding time they knew I couldn't be sick, so they decided to wait until the next day to see what transpired. Well, they should have realized that the sight of that vet's parking lot had given me only a temporary miraculous cure. Since it was temporary, it was over as soon as I got safely home. Now my eye hurt like heck again. Too late to call the vet back. My people hunted up the bottle of eye drops from last time and saw the date had expired, so next day they went into the vet's office and bought another bottle. Dang!

I've been getting held tight and strangled four times a day ever since while they struggle to get a couple of drops into my eye. The first couple of times I gave my giant-size panther roar to try to scare them, but they just ignored it and kept hanging on. I can't seem to faze them with my worst behavior and loudest squall like I can the vet, so now I've pretty much accepted my fate and get treated regularly. It does take two of them to hold me down--proving I'm still the big, tough macho panther-kitty I've always been. And I'm much better, thank you. Not happy when I'm being treated, but my eye is better.

And by the way, last visit to the vet I found out there's a big warning label on my chart because of my macho attitude. YES -- I'm dangerous! Don't mess with Inky!

By the way, my he-person finally bought six goldfish for my pond and I have loved watching them outside the window, but one-by-one they've died. One was getting really big, but a great big lizard got into the pond and my he-p. thinks it may have eaten that one. Maybe it killed the other ones, too. I don't know--do lizards eat goldfish? The fish may be getting over- or under-fed too, since the food directions are written in French, and my people are lucky to read basic English. They may need to buy a book on goldfish before they replace the fish so maybe they'll know what they're doing. Or maybe talk to someone who knows something about fish! My people only know how to eat them. Not goldfish--silly--just big fish.

Meanwhile, I'm still looking for those fish, but mostly I'm sleeping in the corner between the big window and the patio door so I can quickly get up to see the pond if I hear anything going on there.

Gotta go now. It's nap time again. Purr-r-r-r.

Missed A Vet Appointment by the Hair on My Chinny-chin-chin

Here it is, April . . . spring. Yippee! The doors and windows have been open so I can look outside and smell the sweet air, and watch and listen to the birdies. They have certainly been busy lately. And my he-person hooked up the little fountain and pond pump just outside my favorite window. It like to have scared me to death the first time I heard the pump come on, but now I just look outside cautiously before jumping up on the window sill. Don't want no surprises sneaking up on me!

My people have been out looking for fish to put in the little pond so I will have some more excitement than normal. Not that anything is ever normal around here!

I was supposed to go have x-rays and get blood drawn on Tuesday, but my people decided since it wasn't anything that would actually help me, they canceled. The vet was going to gas me to put me under since I'm such a big, scary threat to her staff, so my people were a little bit concerned about having me sedated just to see where my innards stand. Hey, they're still there--that's all I need to know--and they all seem to be working okay right now. I eat like the pig I am, and I even try to finagle more food from my people, and on most days I play like a maniac. That's all I care about. I chase my fat rat that squeaks plus a dozen other things, plus run back and forth trying to get my people to chase me. That's so much fun!

I'm bright-eyed and bushy-tailed (oops, I guess I'm not exactly bushy-tailed since my tail is only about an inch long and none too bushy). Still, I'm as full of spunk as ever.

The wind is blowing here again, so I guess that means my doors and windows will stay closed. My she-person has hay fever, and gets to sneezing and coughing when too much pollen blows inside. Now that scares m, since it always startles me when she sets into doing it. And I guess they are going out to eat again since I don't see any activity in the kitchen, nor do I smell anything that resembles food. Oh well, I'll just snooze until they're ready to leave, then I'll demand my supper. Okay, they're not likely to forget, but I do love to carry on just to make sure I get fed before they step out the door, even if they're just going to the laundry room.

A sweet kitty like me can never be too careful about making sure I receive plenty of things like food--and treats! Purr-r-r-r.

Surviving life in the 'burbs

Hey y'all. It's a gorgeous day, so I'm relaxing in the sun. It's been a little dreary for the last few days. My people drove up to Sedona a few days ago to pick up a new mattress and got caught in real, falling from the sky snow. Then they proceeded to move things around in the house to replace the mattress. Since it was their mattress that was being replaced, they stood the old one up by the front door while they put the new one in. I promptly climbed to the top and explored around the arched window above the door. Wow--who knew there was a window up there. I wish they would leave the mattress there so I could climb up anytime I want and catch some rays.

Meanwhile, they had to air up the new mattress, which meant that it made some very unusual noises. I don't go under the bed anymore because of the strange noises I've heard there. It might be something wild that will get me. However, as soon as the bed was made, I did promptly lie on top of it and take a long snooze. I'm a good mattress tester, and I pronounce it very comfy.

They then moved their mattress into the guest bedroom after they moved the old one out of there. Seems that when our visitor came with the kitty, it got scared and dug a hole through the bottom of the box springs so it could hide. Hey, I can sympathize with that. After all, I was waiting outside its door, ready to scare the heck out of it.

I had my own scare in the middle of the night just after the new mattress went into the master bedroom. I was heading for my box in the bathroom, but the door was slightly ajar and so I had to sneak up on it and peek under to make sure nothing would grab me from the other side. Then I suddenly heard scratching behind me and I jumped straight up in the air. I whirled around and my she-person was laughing her head off. She had seen me sneaking up on the door and decided to scratch the mattress, which nearly skeered me to death.

A sweet little kitty like me doesn't deserve such behavior from the people who are supposed to protect me. However, I got my revenge later that night when I begged treats off my she-person, then cried to my he-person so he would think I hadn't had them yet. Yep, you guessed it. I got double treats that night. I have my ways of getting revenge. And I want to get really big and strong on treats so I can intimidate the vet when I go back again.

I'll have to practice my scary squall, too, so I can make believers of everyone in the vet's office. They want to stretch me out and take pictures of my innards, and that does not please me. And they want to draw blood. I don't know what they do with it, but I would like to keep it, thank you very much. Don't come at me with any needles cause I'm a big and strong and scary panther.

Time to get back to my nap. Life is mostly good.....purr-r-r-r.

Christmas Tree and Wintry Weather

Geesh, who knew I would take such a long vacation from posting. It wasn't intentional on my part. You'll have to take it up with my people, who are supposed to keep me on schedule and do my typing. Obviously, they've been negligent lately! In fact, I thought I posted after Christmas, but obviously I was wrong. So here's to bring you up to date.

Christmas was a big to-do since we're in a house. Who knew it meant bringing a tree into the living room and decorating it? That was some surprise! My he-person carried a huge box in and proceeded to open it up and lift tree parts out. I thought trees came in one piece from out-of-doors and smelled like fresh air. A quick taste of a needle told me this wasn't my kind of tree, but it would do for relaxing under.

I immediately claimed my spot under the tree and spent most of my time there throughout the holidays admiring the lights. I was interested in the decorations they were putting on, but other than sniff a couple, I didn't mess with them. I would have liked to climb the tree, but since it didn't smell natural I decided against it. Still, I bit off needles occasionally to test them just to make sure I wasn't mistaken the first and second and third time about them being real. Nope--they still tasted like plastic.

My people had a couple of parties and I was eager to be in the middle so that the guests could all admire my beauty. Who better to provide entertainment than me? Then there was quite a slowdown following the holidays.

One wintry day we woke up and found white stuff floating down from the sky. It actually coated some of the tree limbs and lay about an inch deep on the ground. What a wondrous sight, especially here in the Arizona desert. My people decided maybe I would like to go out in it. I guess they were wrong! They opened the patio door and I made a beeline for it, then I heard raindrops. Yikes! I skidded to a stop, and within an hour, all the beautiful white stuff was gone. Bummer.

I'm still fat and sassy and still get cortisone pills every other day. I love them! Of course, my people think I don't know they're inside those delicious pill pockets, but I know. I just play along and eat those "treats" so fast that I don't taste the pills. I have to go to the vet every 3 months for check-ups, but the last time, the vet carried me back out to my people after a short time and told them I wasn't in the mood for an exam that day. Hey, maybe I have finally made a believer out of her when I roar like a lion. And believe me, that's one thing I do very well!

I'm kinda looking forward to a trip this spring to the Great Northwest. Been there, done that, but maybe there will be some surprises this time. I will get to see my people's sweet nieces, so I know I'll get some extra attention from them. I'll have to be on my best behavior, though.

Until next time. . .purr-r-r-r.

Thanksgiving Hangover

Well, either I've been eating too much and got those post-thanksgiving blahs or I've been eating too much and my girth is expanding. Either way, I'm getting awfully clumsy. Today I was sitting just inside the bedroom door when I turned suddenly and took a flying leap, like I always do, and banged my head into the door jamb. Ouch! That's gonna give me some kinda headache!

Yesterday, my people heard strange sounds coming from somewhere inside the house, so my she-person checked the front bedroom, bathroom, laundry room and kitchen to see what could be causing so much racket. Nothing. As she walked away she could still hear something that sounded like dishes rattling, so she checked the kitchen again, then the bathroom. Okay, she doesn't keep dishes in the bathroom, but she thought someone might be under the vanity clinking bottles together. Still nothing. So just as she heads back to the living room again, she definitely hears a cabinet door slamming.

Yep, it was me. I had managed to get inside some lower cabinets and spent time exploring. Hence, the noise of dishes rattling. I checked between and behind every dish and appliance because this was all new real estate to me. I had previously proven that I could get into the corner pantry where my food and treats are kept, so they now keep a stool shoved up against the door to keep me out. That's okay. I'll still explore the other cabinets because I'm betting they don't have enough stools to block them all, plus they won't be wanting to trip over a bunch of stools every time they walk into the kitchen.

One thing about me. I'm not your average fool! I can figure out things if I really want to. We had a visiting kitty as a guest last week, and it knows how to open drawers. They came home and it had gone into the closet and opened a drawer in a chest so it could explore the contents. Unfortunately, I wasn't in the room with it to see how it did it because it didn't like me. It hissed and spit at me, so we were kept separated while it was here.

At home, its people say it opens drawers and pulls everything out whenever they leave the house. I'm not about to try that, even if I knew how, because I'm liable to be put somewhere unpleasant when they go out to keep me out of trouble. Still, I would like to know how it's done just in case I want to create some havoc around here someday.

It's time to go take a nap. I feel an immense headache coming on, plus I need my beauty sleep. I have my own special place to collapse, which is in the guest room. A glider rocker suits my body just fine, and it's tucked away into a quiet corner where I can sleep the day away until I hear the can opener or the microwave telling me it's feasting time again.

Nothing interferes with my feeding time or I set up a squall that will wake the neighbors and the dead!

Thanksgiving Is the Day to Pig-Out

As you may know, when I don't post it means I've been busy or my people have been busy. Well, they've been busy, and guess what, they even had a couple of parties. I'm sure they were in my honor because I had so much fun -- especially during the first one.

At first, I was locked in the laundry room where I could hear all the fun and smell the food, but in spite of sticking my feet under the kitchen door and squalling at the top of my lungs, I was mostly ignored. Then I heard the magic words, "Why don't you let Inky in?" and I knew my time to shine had come.

I loved all the pets and hugs, and believe me, I begged for my share of them.

Today it's Thanksgiving and I'm spending my day all alone because my people have gone to eat. I'm not sure why I have to spend the day all by myself? I see that my people left me some dry food, which I think is supposed to last me all day. Meanwhile, you can bet they will pig out big time.

That's okay, though. I know how to get into the cabinet where my food is kept. My people didn't think I knew such things, but I gave myself away when I got into a cabinet and was rattling dishes around. My people went looking all over that end of the house to see what was making noise, and couldn't figure it out until they heard the cabinet door slam as I walked out.

Too bad I'm so smart. Now if they don't discover locks for the cabinet doors, I've got it made. I also know where my pill pockets are hidden, and it's just a matter of time until I learn how to climb up on the cabinets and get to the top shelves!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Spooky Time of Year

It's almost Halloween and I'm scared to step outside. My sleek black body might look too tempting to someone wanting to attach a tail to me and turn me into a Halloween kitty. My she-person has already mentioned doing something like that and sticking me up in a window. I am not a Halloween kitty; I'm a perfectly handsome furbaby whose only purpose in life is for getting pets and hugs! I'm also not ashamed to admit that getting kissed is okay, too.

My people bought home some costume stuff that they're planning on dressing up in to attend a party. I hope they're not planning on leaving me at home by myself! I would love to see the looks my she-person gets in that dayglow green hair, and my he-person in his devil mask. Boy do they think they're scary. Ooo-o-o-h.

It's been pretty okay here for awhile. I got some yummy treats from the vet and I guess my people slip my pills inside them. Anyway, somehow, I'm getting pills that are making me hungry again. The treats are terrific! The first batch came home in a plastic baggie, which I found and devoured. Oops! Well, they're better than food, and I was hungry after not eating for a few days.

A new wingback chair was delivered to our house and I found out right away that it's just my size. I jumped up in it and stretched out on my back. Uhm-m-m, how comfy it is. My people keep eyeballing it like they want to take it away from me, but they better not try it. I'm back to my fighting weight and I'll make mincemeat out of anyone who even threatens to move in on my territory.

Happy Halloween, everyone . . .

The Ups & Downs of Being Inky

This has been a week with lots of ups and downs. First of all, I got sicker than a junkyard dog that's been eating rotten raw fish, so I went to the Vet. Okay, so that was probably the worst of it since everyone knows I don't like thermometers! I got a shot to stop my upchucking and some fluid to rehydrate my ravaged body. Still I wouldn't eat, so four days later I was back at the Vet. This time I had lost all my fight, so they X-rayed me and gave me some blood tests. They also gave me a pill, which went down before I could stop it.

Got home and ate something immediately. Wow! What was in that pill? Let's just say that now my appetite is HUGE and I'm back to my old self. I do have some health issues now, but since I'm responding to the pills so well, that should keep me feeling pretty good. And the pills -- how the heck are they getting those things into me? Apparently, they're hidden in fish or chicken flavored pill pockets, and I gobble them down so fast that I don't know I've had them. At first they tried a pill popper, which didn't work very well since I kicked and clawed to prevent that pill from going down my throat. Don't mess with me!

The real shock this past week was finding out I'm much older than anyone thought. Here everyone thought I was just a juvenile, and now we know I'm at least seven, maybe eight or nine years old. Now how am I supposed to act? Can I still be my cute, playful self without anyone thinking I'm acting too childish? Oh, who cares . . .

My adventures have included exploring the garage since things have been moved around for the garage sale, and chasing a grasshopper all over the patio. What fun that was! Bugs were created for kitty enjoyment. I might be older than anyone thought but I'm not willing to act my age yet!

Life goes on in my new "hood"

Time flies when you're having fun! Or something like that. I just noticed my she-p hasn't posted anything on my site lately, so she's obviously having way too much fun, or she's gotten lazy.

My people's friends are starting to trickle back into town, so things are picking up around here. Even though I don't get out to the RV Park much anymore, they're constantly going out there for some reason. And some of their friends have come to see us in our new home. I love it. I get to show off how much weight I've lost since the last time they saw me. Sometimes I put on a show for them and roll around on my back so they can admire me from every angle. And sometimes I quietly observe them if I don't know them well. My people never trust me when I'm in my observing mode. It keeps them on their toes wondering what I might do next. I've been known to jump up on the dining table after they've cleaned it, but before they set it to eat. Boy does that get their attention. I have to run for my life!

Mostly I just lie on top of the coffee table and keep an eye on everything. I especially love jumping on it just after my she-p has cleaned the glass. Then I can leave fresh little paw tracks all over it.

The evenings are cool and the doors are always left open so I can lie in front of them and watch for lizards and other kitties. The other night a big grasshopper managed to get in, and boy did I have a romp trying to catch it. Just as I would get near, it would jump all the way across the room and I would have to hunt for it again. My people finally scooped it up and took it outside because they were afraid I would catch it and hurt it. Hey, I just wanted some entertainment. It certainly provided some exercise for me for a while.

Last night my people were putting up new curtains, but first my she-p had to press them. Boy did I have a ball crawling all around inside them while she was ironing. I could see through them, so I would bat at her legs. She would try to chase me out, but that just gave me a chance to become tangled up in them. I love doing anything that will annoy my people because I love to be chased. I don't know which is more fun - chasing something else or being chased. Oh well, I'll take whatever I can get.

Until next time, meow . . .

Trippin' in California Again

Well I've been to California again, and again, no sight of Mickey and Minnie. I mean, that's why I get so excited about going there. Oh I love seeing my human aunties and uncles, but I would truly love a good romp with M & M at Disneyland.

I was kept closed off in the bedroom part of the time because someone has to follow me around all the time to make sure I don't devour all the houseplants. Hey, poison schmoison, what's it to me when I spot the green stuff? At home my people buy me green grass to nibble on whenever I want, but they forgot to take that with us to CA. Next time folks, don't forget my grass!

We had some excitement on the way home but I managed to snooze through most of it. We stopped at my people's favorite watering hole on Highway 60 this side of Quartzsite, and my he-p ran in to buy a couple of chocolate malts since they couldn't leave me in the hot car to go in and eat a real meal. And don't kid me -- they were just as happy to slurp down malts as they would have been to eat real food!

When he came out of the restaurant he noticed one of the tires had gone down, so he started rummaging through the trunk to find his spare and a jack. Lucky for him (and me), three or four men came out and walked over to see what was going on. One grabbed the spare tire (which was really a full-size new one that he-p had bought and had mounted for just such an emergency) and another grabbed the jack and started hiking the back end of the car up. Yes, I wondered why my crate was suddenly rising, but a quick look outside told me all was well. In no time they had the old tire off and the new one on, which was wonderful since it was about 95 degrees outside.

So that's what humans mean by Good Samaritans. Those people had just finished their meal and had other places to go (I heard one of them mention Las Vegas), but they stopped and helped a poor old coot like my he-p. Maybe they saw my poor little pitiful face through the window, too. They were really nice to help! I hope they had good luck in Vegas! Meanwhile, I hope my he-p doesn't read this since I just called him an old coot!

When we got home, my he-p pulled into the garage and let me out of the car. Now what? Although I was downright delirious to be out of that car, I had been in the garage one time on my own, so I didn't know which way to turn. Finally my she-p opened the door to the laundry room and I slowly crept inside to make sure some other cat hadn't moved in on my territory while I was away. Nope -- everything was the same. My grass was still sitting where I had last grazed, although a little wilted since it hadn't had any water for a few days. My toys were still in place except for the fat rat and mouse that had accompanied me to CA.

Next day, I snoozed all day long to rest up from the trip. Hey, it's hard on a sweet little boy like me to travel in the backseat of a car when it's bouncing over potholes and being slung around corners. It's a wonder I didn't upchuck all over the upholstery. Mr. California Governor: you need to fix them roads!

Anyway, we all had a good time in California, as usual, but I can't wait for all my human buddies to come over and visit me here so I don't have to nearly lose my lunch on those California roads. I can show them some good times here, too. Come to think of it, I usually stay home while my people show them a good time, but I can act cute and precious in front of them when they're here. I promise I'll be on my best behavior.

Oh, by the way. See if you can't give Mickey and Minnie a ride over when you come.

New Home, and sleek new body to go with it!

Goodness gracious, it's been a long time since I last posted. A lot has happened since then and I've been busy, busy, busy! Let's see, where do I start?

First of all, I got moved into my new home and quickly settled down to my more or less usual routine. I watch the hummingbirds outside the window and I love looking out the front door when it is open, but I haven't tried to go out there yet. I've found me a new favorite place to sleep, which is up on a shelf in the closet. And I've discovered new mischief to get into. Oh, and I've lost about a pound since we moved because of all the running back and forth to see what my people are doing. It takes a lot of calories to keep up with my people in this house, unlike the motorhome. There I could lie in one spot and pretty much keep an eye on them anywhere inside.

The first thing I discovered here is that I can open cabinet doors, especially the one where my food and treats are kept. I beat my she-person there every time it's feeding time, and if she forgets to feed me, I climb up on a stool by that cabinet to give my pitiful cry and remind her. I always know one of my people will eventually come waddling into the kitchen to fix their own snack, so I wait more or less patiently until they do. The stool is the one they've taken to pushing against that cabinet door so I can't open it and help myself.

Last weekend, my human auntie and uncle came over from California, and boy was that fun. But boy was it sad when they left. I sat by the open door and gave my most mournful cry for more than thirty minutes after they left. I love having all the attention that comes with having more people around! In fact, I eat it up!

Speaking of eating, it's getting close to supper time so I had better take a quick nap before I have to walk all the way into the kitchen to eat. Walking can wear a skinny little fellow like me out. Okay, not so skinny, but definitely trimmer than before.

Until next time, purr-r-r-r.

Two Good Eyes Just In Time to Explore My New Home

Hey y'all, my eye is finally all better. Yippee! And on the trip home from my last vet visit, we stopped off at an empty house so I could explore it.

What's this? I got to roam through the entire house, although I mostly slunk along the walls from one room to the next. I did check everything out, though, except for looking out the doors. I wasn't sure what might be hiding out there, waiting to attack me if I crept up to the door. Let me tell you, it was comforting to crawl back in my pet carrier after exploring, even though I usually fight going in there! But then I'm usually getting in to go to the vet, and this time I knew I had already been there. Surely my people wouldn't haul me back again on the same day.

Apparently this house is going to be my new home. There was not much furniture inside, certainly nothing I recognized. There was a bed that I could actually crawl under, so that might become my favorite new hiding place when we move in. I do like to crawl under the bed at my California auntie and uncle's house, then reach out and bat my paw at people when they walk by. What fun that is, especially since they can't get under the bed to catch me. That's my kind of place! And I saw a dresser with drawer pulls in the new house that I can play with in the middle of the night. Heck, maybe I'll get lucky and someone will leave a drawer open so I can crawl inside and curl up and go to sleep. Just don't shut me inside and forget about me, please!

I've seen packed boxes leaving the motorhome, and I think they must be ending up in the garage of the new house, because I saw lots of them there. I hope this doesn't mean I won't get to travel at all anymore. My people promise we'll still go RVing. I've gotten used to seeing the sights and would miss it if I never got to see anything new.

I didn't hear any roosters or geese at the new house, like my people said I would. I'm not sure whether that's something I will like or not, especially since they'll be on the other side of a tall wall and I won't be able to see them. I've heard and seen plenty of fat, waddling geese, but a rooster will be something else. What, exactly, do they sound like? I wonder if I can get over the wall and chase it? Probably I'll be too chicken to try it. Oops, is that what my people call a pun?

I can't wait to see what surprises might await me when we finally move a few weeks from now. Anyway, life goes on here in the 'hood'. The sun is shining, it's nice and cool, and it's time for my kitty nap. Wake me when something exciting happens. Purr-r-r-r.