Sunday, November 16, 2008

The other cat, Shadow




We occasionally house-sit for friends in Kona, Hawaii. Take care of the dog and cat, fix stuff around the house, do a little yard work. Their cat, Bandit, is not a people cat, will swat you, or hiss if you try to pet him, altho he has mellowed some in recent years. When we came home in July 1999, we said we would never have a cat. Besides, I'm somewhat allergic. The next morning, this pathetic, starved, injured kitten crawled out from under our car. My wife said we had to take it to the pound. I said nobody would adopt it in such bad condition. Sooo, she went from a carpeted box on the front porch, to the vet to be neutered, to the garage, to confinement in the laundry room when it turned cooler. Now, Shadow sleeps on the foot of the bed, and I use Nasonex to keep my nose clear. I never knew anyone could get so attached to a cat. If my doctor said get rid of the cat, I'd have to get another doctor. She is ten years old now, and still a joy to have around. We keep her in at night because of all the critters-coyotes, bobcats, raccoons, and the occasional bear or mountain lion. Joey is fated to be an indoor cat; they live longer and stay cleaner. Joey has not figured out how to purr without drooling. He sings, loudly, for his dinner. To hear him, you would think he had not eaten for days.

Thursday, November 13, 2008




BIG Joey! Gee, they don't stay kittens long.
He won't be seven months old for another week! We weighed him today at 9 lbs, 9 ozs. Anybody know how long cats keep growing? He's almost quadrupled in weight since we brought him home. His purr-manent appetite is amazing. When he is awake, he makes the Energizer Bunny look like a snail. More to come...

Introducing Joey, the wonder cat.

Joey, the wonder cat, earned that label due to the perpetual look of surprise on his face. He is of undetermined ancestry, rescued from the local pound as a three month old kitten. We figured (or perhaps more accurately, I figured) he would be good company for Shadow, our other cat. Shadow is a ten year old neutered female who arrived at our house in very bad shape, starved, one foot broken, full of ear mites, and a crooked head. More on Shadow later.
I am a firm believer that you do not pick a cat; they pick you. Joey climbed up the side of his cage and reach thru with one outstretched paw to snag my pants leg, his meow plainly saying "Please get me out of here, NOW." So we did.
Joey is almost three months old in this picture, and 2 lbs. 7 oz. The white "bib" made this picture come out pretty well. He has been in foster care since birth, so he is sociable, almost litter box trained, and eats huge amounts of food for such a little cat.