Halloween The Cat

Missing Halloween

2010-03-25T18:40:00.001-07:00

We see that there are still visitors to Halloween's blog. We still miss her very much. We were very comforted by the messages of love and caring from across the world that were sent to us. Several donations were made to cat rescue organizations in Halloween's name by CB members and also by the vet's office where she received care for so many years. These acts of kindness in her name were so touching. All kitties should be so lucky as to end up in a CB home.

Halloween visits me - her Food Lady - in my dreams still. Even while she was alive, during troubled times, she was with me in my dreams, protecting me and caring for me. Of course, she did the same in person. She was a one of a kind kitty.

A few weeks after we lost Halloween, we adopted a 4 year old mancat from Maddie's Adoption Center at the San Francisco SPCA. His name is Jackpot. We hope you will visit his blog too and read about his adventures on the side of Bernal Hill (but indoors!) in San Francisco.

Farewell, My Friends

2010-01-30T10:33:00.000-08:00

Dear Friends,

Halloween went to the Rainbow Bridge this morning. She was home with us for two days. On Thursday and Friday, she was very quiet, and did not seem to be in pain. She ate a tiny bit of baby food - thanks for that advice - and some vanilla ice cream. But that was it. She wouldn't drink any water. She went to the back door several times, so we took her out on the deck and into the back yard where she could see her trees and garden, the domain over which she presided, for 17-1/2 very happy years. She looked at all of it with great interest and also threw one last despising glance at Slinky. Slinky the Interloper Cat responded by coming and sitting on the back deck yesterday morning. I don't know if he was trying to be supportive in Halloween's last hours, or scheming about his future plans!

I slept on the couch with her these last several nights, where she was on her heaty pad. Last night, I woke up and found her under the kitchen table. That's her safe place - where she went when she did not want to be bothered. This morning she got very sick and cried when I picked her up. She cried several more times and that was it. The vet came to our house and put Halloween to sleep while we petted her and talked to her. We are so very, very sad.

We want to thank all of the wonderful people and kitties who sent us purrs and prayers this last week. We read them all to Halloween. It meant so much to us to know that you all shared our love, concern and sorrow. Halloween was a very sweet kitty, and she was particularly devoted to me, her Food Lady. I still remember the day I saw her feral mama push her away when she tried to eat along with her feral littermates. From then on, she was ours. She loved me very much and comforted me and the Food Dude many times over the years. She was the best companion imaginable.

I want to thank every single one of you for the love and kindness we've found on the CB. What a remarkable group of people and cats!

A special thanks to these cats and their people, for all your friendship and kindness since we started posting:

Thanks to Beezer and Milton for being such good friends to me, and especially helping the Tech Dunce Food Lady to figure out how to actually do the linkie thingie - even though it took several years for her to figure it out! The kitties waved to each other across the hills of San Francisco, and their mama beans were able to spend time together and became friends.

Thanks to the cats of the North Woods in Canada, Wisconsin, Michigan and upstate New York, whose pictures of their places in the woods reminded the Food Lady of the places where she grew up. You have all been great and kind friends, and always there with kind words and support. We cannot thank you enough. These kitties and beans would be: Mickey, Georgia and Tillie, Goldie, Shade and Banshee, the Island Cats, Zippy, Sadie and Speedy, and the Meezers and Billy Sweetfeets.

Thanks to the Ohio kitties who also were such good CB friends, and gave helpful advice and support on many occasions: Parker and Family, and Mr. Hendrix.

Thanks to the grate Jeter Harris and his mom for coming to visit us and bringing flat Jeter across the continent. The evening with all the CB folks was wonderful, and meeting Jeter's mom was wonderful too. Thanks for all the love and good wishes.

And last but certainly not least, thanks to Skeezix and my love, Rocky the Gutter Cat, and their Food Lady and Mr. Tasty Face (who is indeed very tasty!) because without them, Halloween wouldn't have had a blog to begin with. They have given us lots of help and advice, and shoulders to cry on in these last few days.

Thanks to all the folks and kitties who make the CB work every day. You've sent emails, made badges for the blogs, kept the kitties up to date about Halloween's progress, and have been so helpful and kind.

We will keep track of you and stop in to say hello from time to time.

One final note: Amazingly, I've noticed a feral calico in the neighborhood recently. She just walked up on the deck to take a look at Halloween's nip plant. She's VERY PREGNANT! Hmmmm......

We loved Halloween so much. Thanks for making her life and our lives better.

Halloween's Food Lady and Food Dude

I'm Home from the Hospital

2010-01-28T19:14:00.001-08:00

I came home from the hospital today - Thursday afternoon. I'm afraid the news from the vet is not good. My blood work is worse today than yesterday. I have liver failure. I am not eating or drinking. I did lick some vanilla ice cream off the Food Lady's fingers tonight, but I cried when they tried to give me some roast chicken. I am not hungry.

I am sitting on my heaty pad and getting lots of love and adoration from my People. They told me about all of your good wishes for me. Thank you.

The Food Lady is putting Lourdes water on me every hour and asking St. Bernadette and St. Francis to help heal me.

The vet says we will know by tomorrow if I have improved. If not, I will be resting, surrounded by all the love I could possibly want. Thank you for being such good friends to me and making my life such a happy one as we all got to know each other. And if I do have to go to the Bridge, please look out for my People, because they will be very, very sad, and they won't have me around to tell them what to do every day.

Purrs and paws to you all, especially my special Gutter Cat, Rocky.

Please Purr for Halloween

2010-01-25T15:10:00.000-08:00

Today is not a good day. I had to get some blood taken last Saturday. The V-E-T called the Food Lady at work today and said I had to come in right away and have a sonogram taken. The vet thinks that I might have a tumor on my liver. He says that would be a very bad thing for a kitty who is 17-1/2 years old. The Food Lady and Food Dude came home and took this picture of me. I have been very quiet these last few days, and not eating much. They have been concerned about me so when the vet called they became even more worried.

Then they put me in here. I am trying to figure out how to get out. I have to stay at the vet for a few hours. Will you please send me purrs so that I can come home from the vet right away and not have to go back? I am pretty scared too. I wouldn't let go of the Food Lady at the vet's office and yowled big time when the tech came to take me away.

Update: The Vet called. He did not find a tumor with the sonogram but there might be a tiny one that is not visible. There are several other issues he thinks could be happening: something wrong with her prancreas or gall bladder. It is all quite serious. Halloween will have a short surgery tomorrow so some biopsies can be done. She will have to stay overnight at the Vet tonight. She has never slept anywhere except her own home and bed (well, except when she roamed on moon lit nights, chasing mice and cats when she was young) for every one of her 17-1/2 years. There's a big empty spot on her heaty pad and silence where her tortie voice reminded us to tend to her needs. We are really worried. Please send all the healing love and thoughts that you possibly can.

Too Many Requirements

2010-01-17T18:56:00.001-08:00

I'm a little bit upset. Today I heard the Food Dude talking to the Food Lady and he said that I have Too Many Requirements! What in the heck does that mean??? He said that after the Food Lady had just given me some stinky goodness. You see, I have trained the Food Lady to heat up my stinky goodness to just the right temperature and put it in my bowl. Then the Food Lady brings it to me, presents the bowl of food to me to smell, and for my approval, before she puts it down in my dining location. I have to smell it and then lick my lips so she knows if I have approved the meal. Is this an unfair requirement? I don't think so!

Here I am sending a telepathic message to the Food Dude, expressing my displeasure. I must check the cat box and see if he has cleaned it lately. I think I will leave him a message there!

Here is a new friend the Food Lady received as a Christmas present from one of her oldest friends. When they were teenagers, they used to drive on back roads in Michigan in her friend's old Bug. In the summertime, these critters would stand in the road at night and get hypnotized by the car headlights. They were not very smart. The possums entertained the Food Lady and her best friend many times on those summer nights. So this possum now lives with us.

The possum is trying to make friends. GET OFF THE HEATY PAD, POSSUM!

Tell me, do you think I have too many requirements?

Also, apologies to all my friends. The Food Lady's busy at work and has been sick and not able to get around to post on your blogs lately. But she is keeping up with everyone!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T01:48:00.000-08:00

Happy new year to all my friends! I am busy sleeping on the heaty pad. That's where I spend most of my time during the cold days in San Francisco.

Happy new year from the bandits who showed up on my deck a couple of nights ago. One of them stopped to pose for this picture.

What Cat Is This?

2009-12-25T22:36:00.000-08:00

This cat showed up tonight during the beans' festivities. Do any of you know him?

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays to All

2009-12-22T18:49:00.000-08:00

Here is my Christmas tree. My Secret Paws gift is under it. Can you see it? There will be lots of beans here on Christmas Day, so I will probably be hiding downstairs. But I love to look at my tree when it is dark inside and the lights are on. It is very pretty. Plus, I can plan my late night whapping sessions!

This is me on my heaty pad. It is under the blanket. It has been very cold here so I have been curled up on the blankie and pad all the time. I am very happy, except when someone tries to put their legs next to me on the heaty pad and then I wake up and have lots to say. You know who you are, Food Dude!

Happy Holidays to all my friends. It was wonderful getting to meet some flat cats this year. The People were also really happy to meet the CB folks in person. You're a great group of kitties and people. Thank you for being our pals.

My Secret Paws Arrived!

2009-12-20T22:02:00.001-08:00

I was sitting at my great snoopervising spot, keeping an eye out for the man in blue shorts. And guess what? He brought me this pretty red Christmas package! I was very excited. As you can see, there was something inside that got my attention.

These are the great presents that were inside! I am inspecting them very closely.

Guess what I found? NIP!!!! Ummmmm. There are also chasing balls, feathers, mice, and a GIANT MOUSIE. I know I will have lots of fun with these gifts for a long time to come.

I liked my presents so much that my People went out and got a Christmas tree for them. My Secret Paws came all the way from Virginia from my new friend, Sly ! THANK YOU VERY MUCH, SLY!!!! Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays to all!

Secret Paws!

2009-12-17T21:40:00.001-08:00

Oops! The Tech Dunce Food Lady took a picture of the package we sent to our Secret Paws friends, but the batteries in the camera died. So we can't show you the picture! Sorry! I am excited to know if the kitties who get the package like the presents. Here's the tag from Skittles instead.

Happy holidays to all kitties and their people. I have been sitting on my heaty pad and that's about it.

A Kitty Conundrum

2009-12-08T23:21:00.001-08:00

It is really cold right now in San Francisco. Slinky the interloper cat from next door has been left outside by his people. A couple of days ago, my Food Lady left them a note saying Slinky was trying to find shelter in one of our back yard statues. Today it was really, really cold and they left Slinky outside all day while they were at work. Should we call the animal cops?

Sleepy Sunday

2009-11-28T23:27:00.000-08:00

I'm sleeping off all the turkey I've been eating the last few days. What about you?

There's A Bird in My House!

2009-11-25T21:23:00.001-08:00

The people think I am napping but actually I am listening to them talk about The Bird. They have been talking about it all day. They say they are going to cook The Bird soon. So I am listening so I can be sure to be around when it is done! MMMM!

The Food Lady cooked some other stuff today. This is a pecan tart.

She also made this pumpkin pie. No canned pie filling for her! She baked the whole thing herself.

I hope you all have a Happy Bird Day! We are all very thankful for the good kitties and friends in the Cat Blogosphere. And we're thankful for our homes, families, and all the other blessings we enjoy. Give your kitties a big pet and your family and friends a big hug. Tomorrow is never promised.

Meet Peanut and Blizzard from Castro Valley

2009-11-13T22:54:00.001-08:00

Here's a picture of my new pals, Peanut and Blizzard. They came from the Castro Valley pound and went to live with a friend and co-worker of my Food Lady. They live right near Skeezix. I thought you might like to say hello.

A Kitty Needs Lots of Love

2009-11-10T16:21:00.000-08:00

I turned 17 years old this summer. Up until a few years ago, I used to spend lots of time outdoors in the back yard. There are big trees to climb, birds to chase (and be chased by!), cats who visit and try to taste my nip, mice and garden snakes to catch, sunny spots for warm naps, snoopervising locations, roofs to explore, and people to snoopervise. When I was younger, I would stay out all night sometimes and the People would get mad. I guess they did not understand that I was protecting them from the raccoons and coyotes and bad neighbors!

These days, I go out a little bit. I still chase interloper cats from my nip plant. I chase Slinky back next door every once in a while. But most of the time, I like to sit in my snoopervising spot on the big chair in the front room, where I watch the people and animals go up and down the block. I am a good watch cat. This is also a good, warm snoozing location.

Today there was an article in the San Francisco Chronicle about behavior signs that your cat might be sick. The Food Lady was very worried about me after she read it. I was pretty perky this afternoon and even played cat toy for a while. I also ate a bunch of stinky goodness and dry food. Anyway, this is my typical daily activity log:

35% sleep - the people wear me out. I used to sleep with them at night all the time but sometimes I sleep in a warm spot on the couch at night. They move around too much!

20% cat adoration - People snuggle time. The People need so much attention! I have to sit in their laps and keep them warm every night. I think they would freeze without me!

25% Food critic and commentator - Well, I am a tortie and I have lots of tortietude when it comes to what I eat! After a bunch of helpful hints from you readers and cats, the people now put my food bowl next to the dinner table and put some of what they are eating (at least that is what they tell me!) in with my cat food. I like that very much! I seem to be eating a bit more and I also complain a bit less about not being thrown the entire leftover roasted chicken from the dinner table.

10% Private time, curled up in a ball. The people get worried about this and think I am having tummy or thyroid troubles (a life long issue) when I do this. Sometimes, I just want to be left alone.

10% Tortie Comment Hour. I have a lot to say. I walk around and say it. I complain about where the people are sitting on the chairs and couches. I complain about the number of crunchy foods in my bowl. I complain about the animals that walked by the house today. The Food Lady and I have long discussions during Tortie Comment Hour but the Food Dude, even after all these years, remains clueless about HalloweenSpeak.

Anyway, I have my ups and downs. I have a very sensitive thyroid. I'm not the wild cat I used to be. But the other day, I jumped up on the roof and ran around. This is a big jump so it made the Food Lady happy. My people give me lots of love but they pay attention to all my little quirks. I'm glad they do. I don't know what we would do without each other.

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-30T22:17:00.000-07:00

I say this every year at this time: I don't need no stinking costume, because I AM HALLOWEEN THE CAT!

Rocky the Gutter Cat Sent Me a Card!

2009-10-29T21:11:00.000-07:00

Here it is - Rocky the Gutter Cat and me, together at last! I love him. I'm never moving from this spot, ever again.

Beezer Has Gone to the Rainbow Bridge

2009-10-24T18:55:00.001-07:00

My dear friend Beezer has gone to the Rainbow Bridge. He died Friday night, at home, with his beloved mombean. Beezer has been a great friend to me and to my People. He sent his Mombean over to help my TechDunce Food Lady figure out how to make my blog work. He waved at me from across town. He told me to beware of the vicious, loud garbage trucks that roam San Francisco. But most important of all, he loved his mombean and she loved him. She is very sad and feels that this just hasn't hit her yet. Please visit Beezer's blog and send as much love and as many purrs as you can to Beezer on his journey to the Bridge and to his mom as she misses her ginger guy. We love you, Beezer and mombean!

Another Report About the Flat Cat Party

2009-10-20T21:36:00.001-07:00

Here's a picture of me with some of our flat friends at the party for Jeter's mom after she walked 60 miles to save the boobies. I was very happy to meet them! All of the cat people were very nice. I even let a couple of people pet me before I went downstairs.

This is me sitting on my Food Lady the day after the party. She needed a big nap so I kept her company. She told me that she licked Mr. Tasty Face to see if Skeezix was telling the truth about him! Luckily Mr. Tasty Face was indeed tasty and also a good sport because he laughed when she did it. Luckily my Food Dude also has a sense of humor because he laughed too. Just in case you're wondering, the Food Lady has never licked me.

We had a big storm the other day. It made my cat grass sort of crazy looking. I thought you might like to see it.

Please be sure to stop by Beezer's blog. He has made his last post as he is very, very sick. His mombean is extremely sad. They need all the purrs they can get.

PURRS NEEDED!! PURRS NEEDED!!

2009-10-12T17:53:00.000-07:00

My dear friend Beezer is very, very sick! His mom just called the Food Lady and said that the vet said he might have kitty cancer or something just as bad. Beezer has been at the kitty hospital all day and is now home with his mom, resting in her arms and purring. Please send Beezer and his mom as many purrs as you can. He might have to go the Bridge soon.

Beezer's mom was here for the celebration for Roberta's Long Walk. She has been a big help to me with my blog. She's very sad and worried about Beezer but does not want him to suffer.

So please send them both lots of love and purrs.

What a Night!

2009-10-05T01:01:00.001-07:00

It was quite an evening with all the people, flat cats, and chicken. I sat on my snoopervising spot for a while but then I ran and hid. You will have to find out from other beans and cats about the events of the evening because I was too freaked out to stick around.

Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?

2009-10-03T20:21:00.001-07:00

I am so excited! Tomorrow Jeter's mom http://jeterharris.blogspot.com/ finishes her 60 mile walk raising money with other boobie ladies to stop breast cancer. What an accomplishment! I have invited her to my house so I can concatulate Roberta and give her lots of puurrrrrrrrrrsssssssss. She will be the guest of honor at my dinner! And she's bringing Flat Jeter to meet me, and my beans, and a bunch of other flat cats and not flat beans.

Here's the list. But since Roberta is the Queen of this event, the flat cats and not flat beans will have to be our subjects for the evening.

Skeezix http://www.skeezixthecat.com/scratchingpost/ is coming (well, Flat Skeez is coming) and he's bringing the Food Lady and Mr. Tasty Face! Maybe they will bring me a lock of hair from Rocky's coat!

Flat Kimo and Flat Sabi http://catbanter.blogspot.com/ are coming! And they are bringing their beans and the Famous Blurpy Girl!

Beezer's mom http://beezersong.blogspot.com/ is coming! Beezer has to stay home and snoopervise their place though. We'll miss Beezer.

Guido the Italian Cat is coming http://theguidogazette.blogspot.com/. Well, it might be Flat Guido too. But his mom bean will be her for sure.

And there are other important beans and flats, even someone from Across the Pond! The beans say it is a very big pond. I think there are some of the most important people in the known universe who will be here to celebrate Roberta's amazing accomplishment.

But I know why they are really coming. To Adore Queen Halloween. That's as it should be. I've got the welcome mat out and I'll be snoopervising all the arrivals. We'll report back about the festivities after they are over.

I'm Waiting at the Front Gate For the Booby Ladies

2009-10-02T08:54:00.001-07:00

I am waiting at my front gate to see if the booby saving ladies - and Jeter's mom - walk by my house. They are walking 60 miles all over San Francisco and Marin County to raise money for breast cancer research. I'd be very excited if they walked by. If they do, I will give them a loud dose of TortieTude to help them on their way. Yay Roberta! Yay Flat Jeter! Yay Booby Saving Ladies! Yay Chicken on Sunday with the booby saving ladies! I'm also waiting for that.

Getting Lots of Beauty Sleep

2009-09-30T17:46:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. I am getting lots of beauty rest because many subjects are coming to adore me. Oh, the Food Lady says they are guests, not subjects. Well, I'll decide if they are guests or subjects of Queen Halloween after they arrive! I'm hoping that Rocky the Gutter cat http://www.rockytheguttercat.com/ shows up and surprises me.

Jeter's Mom is Coming to Visit!

2009-09-24T21:59:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of the great Jeter Harris's http://jeterharris.blogspot.com/ mombean. She is coming to San Francisco to walk 60 miles to help the Susan G. Komen Foundation in its work against breast cancer. My people have convinced Jeter to let his mom bean come over and have a glass of water and maybe a piece of toast after she finishes her walk cause she might be thirsty and hungry. Actually, the People said there might be a few cat ladies (and men) and a few of my flat blogosphere friends too! How about some not flat chicken??? Anyway, we are looking forward to supporting Jete's mom and all of the walkers. And we're looking forward to all the flat cats and not flat beans who might come to visit.

Thanks to the Kitties and Beans

2009-09-22T21:50:00.001-07:00

Thanks to all the kitties and beans for making my People behave. Here I am waiting for the Food Dude to throw me a piece of chicken. I need lots of attention. I also need my People to respond to all my commands. Thanks to all of your comments, I am now in total control of this household. Whining, pawing, grumbling - whatever I do - I get my way. I may be a geezer cat, but I rule in this household! Thanks to all of you!

Food Lady Needs Advice

2009-09-17T19:33:00.000-07:00

This post is for the Beans. I'm Halloween's Food Lady and I need some advice and any insights you can give me.

My beautiful Halloween is 17 years old. She was a feral who showed up here as a kitten with her mom and littermates. She's been an indoor - outdoor cat her entire life. We have lived in the same place all of these years. Halloween is a dainty tortie who has always slept with us. I am her person.

A year after Halloween came to live here, another stray adopted us - or rather adopted my husband. Onyx was a black cat with attitude to spare. Onyx didn't like the fact that Halloween was here already, and he tried to be the alpha cat. Well, in Onyx's mind, he was the alpha cat. Onyx was like Sammy and Miles. He was always whapping, engaging in disapproved activities, and being a wild cat. He was very entertaining, but also mean to Halloween. Anyway, my husband started feeding Onyx when we ate dinner. Onyx would sit next to my husband and start whining for his dinner treats. Halloween pretty much ignored the dinner table situation. She'd beg for a bite every once in a while, but she behaved as though begging at the table was beneath her.

We had to put Onyx down a few years ago - very sad for all of us. Halloween was sad for about a minute. She had the house to herself again and that was a good thing. But after a while, she took up Onyx's post next to hubby at the dinner table and began begging for food scraps. She's a tortie so she can be very demanding. This surprised us.

About 6 months ago, she became even more insistent - or perhaps more clingy. She started trying to climb up me with her claws as I sat at my computer and had breakfast. She has always liked to have "cat adoration" time in the morning and at night. I thought that's what she was trying to do. But then when we eat sometimes, she puts her paws on my legs and acts like she wants to jump up - or get me to give her food from my plate - as we are having dinner. Onyx never did this.

Believe me, we feed her. She's been to the vet regularly. She's a barfo kitty and gets meds for it. Does she just want more attention, more little food treats, or what? I don't want to spray her with water. That seems mean at this late date - as she just put her paws on me to jump up!

What do you all think?

My Incredibly Exciting Cat Life

2009-09-11T20:11:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. There's just so much happening around here! I've been hanging out on the back deck, keeping track of Slinky the Cat from Next Door. He doesn't come over very much any more. I've been chasing him away. Ever since my People told the Next Door People that Slinky was hungry and they had been feeding him, he has stayed over in his yard more. Hopefully they are feeding him more and taking better care of him.

I've also been watching the hummingbirds and butterflies all around my yard.

And I've been keeping an eye on the sun to make sure it comes up and goes down every day.

Inside the house, I have been playing with my mousies. This is the green one. There are several more. I have killed them all many times. I especially like to whap them around the hardwood floor, and then jump up and down on them and stun them into submission. These mousies are easier to catch than the outdoor mousies! I think this one is playing dead. What do you think?

This is my belladonna tree. It blooms all the time. It is very pretty. The birdies like to sit in it. So does Mr. Squirrel. I watch it grow.

As usual, I've been keeping an eye on the People. The Food Lady made this the other day. She calls it Almond Torte. She took it to a friend's house one night for dinner because he says he is addicted to it. I dunno. There's no chicken in it so this food seems worthless to me.

Clingy Cat

2009-09-04T12:54:00.001-07:00

Sometimes I am a clingy cat. Here you see me trying to climb up the front of the Food Lady with my claws. I do this when she hasn't paid enough attention to me. Lately I have tried doing it when she is having dinner. For some reason, she gets the MAD sound in her voice and says, "Get DOWN, Halloween. Bad cat!" Why can't I see what's on the plate and have a few bites? I'd rather have my food on a plate instead of thrown on the floor. The indignities I must endure!

A Feast

2009-08-22T21:21:00.001-07:00

Smells like there's going to be a good cat feast tonight! I am waiting at my spot for it to happen.

The people went to the farmer's market and came back with these flowers.

Later on, the Food Dude made this tomato salad. He even picked the orange tomatoes from the front of the house. The people are always talking about their tomato plants!

Best of all, the Food Lady made this Chicken!!!! As you can see, the pig is giving his enthusiastic approval behind the chicken. Ahhh, chicken. I ate many bites of this chicken tonight. I am a lucky cat. There will be more later.

The people also ate this. It is called homemade peach crisp. The peaches also came from the farmer's market. The people liked this a lot. Who cares about peaches - more chicken!!!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-08-19T12:11:00.001-07:00

San Francisco

2009-08-15T21:03:00.001-07:00

Here is a tiny pic of the view of San Francisco from the hill behind my house. I hope you enjoy it. You will need great eyes or a magnifying glass to see all the details. The Tech Dunce tried to biggify the picture, and as usual, failed. Blame her.

Visit to the Groomer!

2009-08-06T20:59:00.000-07:00

I'm staying at the bottom of the stairs right now. As you can see, I am using my laser eyes to get my point across.

I stayed here for a while tonight. The People kept saying I was filled with mats. I don't know what they were talking about. All I do know is that I was forced into the cat carrying box and put in the car. I hate the box and I hate the car even more. I thought I was going to the V E T.

Nope. They took me to this lady who cleaned me up and combed my coat so it is very smooth, silky, and easy to comb. It feels much better. But don't tell my People because I am going to make them feel guilty for putting me in the box for as long as I can. That's why I'm hangin' at the bottom of the stairs. They tried to pet me but I ran down here. When they started walking down the stairs, I ran under a bed. I let them take these pictures so they would remember how angry I am about this whole situation.

Later on, the stinky goodness and treats I got were quite good!

Bandit Visitors & Cat Furniture

2009-07-25T19:57:00.001-07:00

Here are some visitors I just had on the back deck tonight! They tried to come in the cat door. I think they were trying to steal my stinky goodness! The People shut the door but the bandits stuck around to have their pictures taken. They are not very smart bandits, are they?

Here I am, sitting on the best piece of cat furniture in the house. The People went away for a long time and they left me with some person who was supposed to take care of me. I am still mad! They will pay for going away for a long time.

The person who stayed here did not understand cat adoration. He did not know how to play with the cat toys correctly. He did not know how to heat up my stinky goodness to just the right temperature. He did not understand cat talk. Arrgh.

Since the People came home, I have been sitting on this piece of cat furniture every chance I get. If the Food Dude sits anywhere else, I complain long and loudly until he is in the cat furniture position. What else could he possibly be doing that is more important?

As for the Food Lady, when she sits at the computer too long, I get up on my back legs and put my front paws on her, and jump up on her lap. First I see if she is working on the blog for me, or checking the other cat blogs. Obviously, she has not been keeping up with these tasks. So I sit on her and make her pay attention to me. She says I am very "clingy". Ha. The Food Lady hasn't seen clingy yet!

So, I'm re-training the People. What have all of you been doing? Concatulations to Mr. Hendrix http://mrhendrixthekitty.blogspot.com/ and his People for their new arrival!

What Is Michigan????

2009-06-30T16:39:00.001-07:00

I am just wondering - what is a Michigan? Or is it Mishagun? The people are talking about it all the time these days. Last year they talked about it and they said funny words like "Yooper" and "U - P" and "Markette" and "Kal - a - ma - zoo". What is a superior lake? Or a michigan lake? I don't know. None of these words sounded like "cat treats". Can anyone help?

Last year after they said these words they left me with someone else. Not acceptable!!!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-06-24T08:20:00.001-07:00

Summer Saturday

2009-06-06T12:27:00.001-07:00

Hi kitties and people. I haven't been posting much because the Food Dude and Food Lady have been sick. They made the cough-cough-cough sound. They slept in bed alot. They put little thingies in their mouths and said, "I have a fever!" They ate special Mexican chicken noodle soup, made by the Food Dude, called Fideos. I sat on them and kept them warm. The Food Lady had to go to the hospital because she got so sick, but she came home and took little pills that made her feel better. Since they were feeling better this morning, they went to the farmer's market and bought some things.

They brought home these pretty sunflowers.

And they brought home blueberries and blackberries. The Food Lady made a blueberry crisp. Here it is, just out of the oven. The pig and bunny look like they are going to jump right into the crisp and eat it up all up, don't they? I'm waiting to see what they brought home for me!

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

2009-06-02T20:46:00.001-07:00

Biggify me (please!).

My Baby Picture

2009-05-18T20:43:00.001-07:00

Well, the tech dunce Food Lady found this picture of me when I first came to live with her, the Food Dude and Ryan who found me. Can you tell which kitten is me? This is way back in 1992! The Food Lady can't figure out how to biggify the picture so you can see me in all of my adorable kitty glory. I'm in there. So is my sister August, who lives two doors away. My feral mama kitty is in there, and so is my brother Psycho. One littermate is missing - Harley. He must have been around somewhere else in the yard. We are sitting on the back deck. We used to have contests to see which one of us could climb up the highest on the screen door. August usually won. I was the smallest kitten and that is why I came to live here. Mama kitty was very sick when she brought us to live in the back yard.

Here is a picture of Ryan Who Found Me. He was just 5 years old when he woke up one morning, looked outside and yelled, "Look at all the kitties!!" He is older now. He is sitting with his friend Savina. Savina loves cats too. Savina is visiting all the way from Bulgaria. She came to San Francisco just to visit me, but she seems to spend most of her time with Ryan. I don't know why!

My mama kitty picked a good place for me to live.

Cat Alert!!!

2009-05-12T19:29:00.001-07:00

Here is my new catnip plant. My people put it in the front yard and protected it so it would get really big and healthy before they gave it to me. Isn't it great? But what is not so great is that since it went up on the back deck, there has been a general cat alert in the neighborhood and all the other cats are coming over to sample it! I have to protect my catnip from interlopers. Have any of you been over to try some of my nip?

Here I am catching one of the neighbor cats who tried to munch on my nip! As you can see, I am staring him down and making sure he knows this is MY nip. Even though I will be 18 years old this summer, I am still very fast with the paw of death.

This was the first visitor to my nip plant. He is the cat I am staring down. I thought it was Rocky the Gutter cat teleporting over to have a nip party, but if it was, he got his colors sort of mixed up while teleporting. This cat has the nerve to sit right on the little sub-roof of my back deck. As you can see, he has been hypnotized by me and is mesmerized by my nip plant!

And of course, Slinky the Grey Cat from next door is trying to get my nip plant. She thinks she is fooling me by hiding in my fountain, but I can see her from the deck. Sometimes Slinky is not very bright.

My day job is now Nip Plant Protector and Consumer. It is a good job. When I don't fall asleep....

A Bad Situation

2009-05-05T20:52:00.000-07:00

Something is terribly wrong with my food bowl. I am very distressed that it is so empty. Could this be cat abuse?

My stinky goodness bowl is still almost empty. What should I do?

Bowl still in critical condition. Considering options. Claws may be involved.

Haha! Staring at an empty food bowl always makes the People behave! Cat treats - gooooodddd!

Why Life Is Grand

2009-04-24T21:20:00.000-07:00

Life is grand because I have a catnip plant growing on my deck and I can chomp on it whenever I want.

Life is grand because I can sit on my back deck and see the sun set over the Golden Gate Bridge when there is no fog. Sorry - you can't see it in this photo.

Life is grand because I have so many comfy places to sit and sleep in my house - where I am Queen of Everything.

And life is really grand because my pals at the Cats of the Wildcat Woods http://wildcatwoodscats.blogspot.com/ gave me this award. Thank you so much for thinking of me!

I pass this award along to the next five cats, who must list their 5 reasons that life is grand, and give it to 5 more kitties:

1. Tiger Lily in the land of aliens - http://thetigerlilypad2.blogspot.com/

2. Us 4 Gatos - http://whatloknows.blogspot.com/

3. The Island Cats - http://www.island-cats.com/

4. Beezer Song - http://beezersong.blogspot.com/

5. Faz the Cat - http://fazakerly.blogspot.com/

Kitty City Gazette Story About Me!!!!!

2009-04-22T19:59:00.001-07:00

Hey, the Kitty City Gazette http://www.thekittycitygazette.com/ has a story about me! Take a look! You have to scroll down a bit, but there I am! Thanks Kitty City Gazette!

Kitty City Gazette Award!

2009-04-19T21:53:00.001-07:00

Thanks to the Kitty City Gazette for loving my site! http://www.thekittycitygazette.com/

My Spring Garden

2009-04-14T21:19:00.000-07:00

Here's some spring flowers from the farmer's market. They keep me company in the house next to my snoopervising spot.

These are birds that I can't chase! They are called birds of paradise. They live in my yard too.

Here's some greens growing in my back yard. The people eat them when they get bigger.

These are pretty flowers growing in my back yard.

These are pretty green lilies in my yard. They are good to hide behind.

Here I am making sure that the garden was planted properly.

And here's my fountain and some more pics of my garden flowers.

Mr. Squirrel, My Best Friend

2009-04-08T19:30:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture of Mr. Grey Squirrel. There is a Mr. Grey Squirrel living in my back yard. He is very fast, so it is hard to get a picture of him. But he looks just like this!

This is my palm tree. The palm has a bit of a dematological problem right now, so the tree doctor visits him. Mr. Squirrel likes to run around in the palm fronds. When there are little dates growing on the tree, sometimes he throws them at my people when they are sitting on the back deck. I find this very funny!

Here is my big incense cedar tree. Mr. Squirrel likes to run around in the cedar tree too. There's a fence next to the cedar tree. I like to sit on the fence because I can see into the other cats' yards, and also look for mice and birds.

Here is a closer picture of the fence. The other day I saw Mr. Squirrel do something amazing. Apparently, he likes to sit on the fence too. And he has decided to join in the fight to protect the back yard from encroachment by Slinky the Grey Cat from next door. Slinky was on the big fence, and Mr. Squirrel was on the smaller fence. Slinky started to step down to walk on the lower fence. Mr. Squirrel ran after Slinky and made her go back in her yard! Right on, Mr. Squirrel. I have never seen a squirrel chase a cat before. I was very impressed! Now you know why Mr. Squirrel is my new best friend. He never bothers me. We have a peaceful co-existence.

Here I am checking out my newly de-Slinkified back yard! Keep up the good work, Mr. Squirrel!

My Award and Cat or Computer?

2009-04-04T23:04:00.000-07:00

Thank you to Pinky and Ash at http://finefelines.wordpress.com/ for giving me the Kreative Blogger award. I have to say 6 things that I like. I like:

-Rocky the Gutter Cat

-catnip

-snuggling with my People

-my snoopervising perch in the front window

-sitting on the Food Dude's legs while he watches tv

-roast chicken

The other picture shows the Food Dude paying attention to the computer when he could be paying attention to me. What an insult!

I Reclaimed My Back Yard!

2009-03-29T21:02:00.001-07:00

Yay! As the top picture shows, Slinky the Cat is now sleeping on the steps of her house, right where she belongs. I chased her back there over and over this week, as the weather got nicer. She finally got the idea that she should stay there. You can see me by my big cedar tree where I like to sharpen my claws and climb. I can also roll in my grass with joy and abandon. Yes, my yard is mine again!

I Hate the VET!

2009-03-27T21:05:00.001-07:00

I had to go to the V-E-T yesterday. I did not like it. I yowled all the way there and back. The Food Dude tricked me to get me into the cat box. Then I came home and this is where I am now - just leave me alone on the couch in my snuggly spot!

Wordy Wednesday Challenge

2009-03-25T19:55:00.001-07:00

Thanks to the great folks and cats at Zoolatry for giving me my own picture and word - comforting! I am a good comfort cat. I hope all of you are too!

Easy Like Sunday Morning

2009-03-21T21:19:00.000-07:00

I've been busy chasing Slinky the Grey Cat out of my yard. I've also been chasing cat toys around the house. I'm sleeping in today!

Springtime in San Francisco

2009-03-17T21:08:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. I'm sleeping but my garden is blooming! See some of my pretty flowers. I hope you like them.

ROCKY THE GUTTER CAT VISITS MY HOUSE!!!!

2009-03-14T19:09:00.000-07:00

Rocky!!! Rocky, is that you eating out of that bowl in my back yard?? My heart is beating a mile a minute. I have a warm comfy snuggling spot all set up for you and nip on the back deck. Come back soon, and tell me before you come so I can get ready!

Slinky The Grey Cat's Still Here & Food Dude Recovery Report

2009-03-06T20:54:00.000-08:00

Well, here's Slinky the Grey Cat. Still here. I found the food dish where she is being fed in MY backyard. She's always at the back door, whining to come in. Nope. No way.

We discovered that Slinky's owners now have a bird in their house. We can see it flying around when they are not home. So I guess they've decided Slinky can live outside because they have that bird flying around inside. That is not very nice! I do not like Slinky but he has a house of his own and his people should take care of him. I guess they got tired of him and got a bird. But if that bird is flying around the house all day, well I guess there's quite a bit of clean up to do later on.

Also, the Food Dude had serious surgery last week and was in the hospital for 5 days. That's a follow up to the problems he had over the last year, when so many cats and people purred for him. The surgery was a success but Food Dude also retired from a job he had for 25 years - public defender - a couple of days before the surgery. He's home being cared for by Food Lady, and by me! Here you can see me keeping him warm and making a funny face for him so he can laugh. When Food Dude needs extra love, we read the comments you all sent to him earlier in the year when he was very sick.

Make a funny face for someone or cat you love so that they know how you feel!

Animals in My Back Yard - Why? UPDATED

2009-02-20T08:18:00.001-08:00

There's been a lot of animals in the back yard lately. The Food Lady tells me it is because all the animals want to come and say hello to me and be my friend. I'm not so sure. I think they are trying to come in the cat door and eat my food. Here's a list of animals in the yard in the last couple of weeks.

1. Slinky the Grey Cat - Slinky lives next door. He is still trying to move in. I think he has quit living next door and has taken up residence under the storage shed out back. He is always in my back yard now and waits at one of the back doors to try to sneak in ALL THE TIME. He is ruining my enjoyment of my own back yard.

2. Squirrel: There's a big grey squirrel in my back yard too. He lives in my palm tree and likes to eat the baby dates that grow there. Sometimes he throws them at my people when they are on the deck. That is sort of funny!

3. Raccoon: He is a big round guy who looks like he spends his entire existence in front of a lunch counter with endless plates of food to eat. He hangs out on the back deck at night sometimes. I watch him from inside the house. He's waiting for someone to leave the cat door open after dusk so he can try my cat food.

4. The Tuxie Cat who looks like Rocky, my boyfriend: There's a tuxie cat who comes to visit sometimes. He is very cute. When he is a few back yards away, I always think it is Rocky comin' over for some lovin', but when he gets close to me, he runs away. That way I know it is not Rocky.

5. The Tabby Cat with the White Face: I caught the tabby cat on my deck chasing some birds the other day. I also saw him on my fence trying to catch the squirrel.

6. The Giant Tortie Cat: There was a giant tortie cat on my fence chasing the tabby cat the other day. I had never seen her before. She was sort of scary.

7. The Big Black Cat: There's a big black cat who hangs out on the fences too. He looks exactly like my brother Onyx, who went to the Bridge. Onyx and I did not get along at all, so when I see the Big Black Cat, I stay inside.

If you look really hard, you can see two of the cats in my back yard right now! There they are. Tell me if you see them. Biggifying the picture helps. The squirrel was there just a minute ago, but he ran away too fast to get his picture. I think he's mad because the Food Lady had some guys give the palm tree a big hair cut yesterday.

Why are all these animals in my yard? I don't go outside as much now because I like having my yard to myself and these animals seem to be taking over. What should I do?

Me and My Nip and My Pals

2009-02-17T20:13:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone. Actually, it has been raining really hard in San Francisco. But just before the rain, it was sunny and I was able to enjoy my nip plant. And my deck pals - Frog and Armadillo. As you can see, the nip is primo and my pals protect the nip plant from interlopers.

Incredible ShamWow Eating Cat!

2009-02-06T08:02:00.001-08:00

Here is my new House Panther friend. He lives near Sacramento, California. I call him ShamMeow! His Food Lady made a big roast beef the other day. And the good beef juices ran down the platter and onto the shamwow. The shamwow was just sitting there waiting for some smart cat to eat it. And ShamMeow did. As you can see, ShamMeow is no worse for this adventure. But the shamwow suffered serious damage. ShamMeow suggests that other cats simply jump up on the counter and eat the unattended roast. The shamwow is a tad bit tough on the digestive system.

Easy Like Sunday Morning

2009-02-01T10:23:00.000-08:00

Ahhh. This is a good, toasty, soft napping spot. Hopefully the Food Dude will not be yelling alot and waking me up today!

The People have started calling the Grey Cat "Slinky". She is always slinkin' around my yard and deck. But she seems to stay down in the back yard somewhere these days, so I am happy about that. She doesn't try to come inside any more. I think the Food Dude visits her in the morning. I'm happy as long as she keeps her distance and doesn't try to come in and eat my food.

Back to sleep....

Please Help Us With Interloper Kitty!

2009-01-16T23:09:00.000-08:00

Dear Kitties and People of the Catblogosphere,

My People and I need your advice. If you look at my sidebar, you will see a picture of the Grey Cat. It says she likes to eat my grass. Now I know why she eats my grass. She is very, very hungry. She is trying to come in my house and this is a one cat house - ME. Here she is in my back yard a couple of days ago.

The Grey Cat lives next door with the Pink People. I have written about them before. I am 17 years old, and came to live with my People when I was a stray kitten. Since that time, the Pink People (because they have a stairway that is pink) have had lots of animals. They have had 4 cats. The first cat they had was Onyx. Soon after they got Onyx, he jumped over the fence, sat in my Food Dude's lap and never left. Against my protests, Onyx moved in. He just wouldn't leave. The Pink People told us a few years later that they had brought him home from the shelter.

Then the Pink People got George the Cat. George started coming over to visit too. He liked my cat food and nip. George also liked the Food Lady very much. George got a little sister kitten. The little kitten started coming over to visit and eat our food and visit the Food Lady. This seemed very strange. Yes the Food Lady is a cat person but this did not seem right. Then some of the Pink People moved away and took George and the Kitten with them. A few years later, we heard that they had run away.

The Grey Cat has been with the Pink People for a few years. She sits in my yard and eats my grass. I sort of ignored her. She would rub against the Food Lady and act like she wanted to be friends, and then she would hiss at the Food Lady and raise her claws to her. She did not seem very sociable.

A few days ago, my Food Lady gave the Grey Cat some food because she seemed hungry. The Grey Cat ate the food as though she was starving. The Food Lady tried to pet her a little afterwards and the Grey Cat was still clawy. Tonight she came back for more food.

I don't want a new cat in the house. But I also don't want a kitty to starve. The kitty seems unsocialized even though she has a home. It seems odd that 4 cats the neighbors have owned have tried to move in here.

What should we do? Should my People keep feeding her? I chased her out of my yard today. Please tell us what you think.

My New Tricks!

2008-12-30T20:33:00.001-08:00

Since the Christmas tree went up in my favorite snoopervising spot, I have found a new location to keep track of the people and animals on the block. I just paw my way through these pesky things in front of the other snoopervising window and sit there so I can keep watch. I like this spot. I go there when the people are out snoopervising during the day. But they caught me in the act unexpectedly. That's what they get for taking away my primo spot!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

2008-12-23T18:18:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas to all my kitty friends and their people in the cat blogosphere! What wonderful friends you have been to me and my people. You make us laugh, and cry, and really glad to be a part of this community. We are especially grateful for all of the purring and praying, and all of the good thoughts you sent us through the internet and the man in blue shorts when the Food Dude was in the hospital this year.

The world is a better place when we care for each other, sight unseen, in such a trusting way. All of you certainly prove this to be true.

Let us hope for a warm home, food to sustain, and love, for all the animals and people across the planet.

Champ's Tummy - Christmas Gift for Tripper

2008-12-18T23:07:00.000-08:00

Okay, Tripper, here's a pic of Champ's tummy. I'm posting this in the hopes you leave Rocky alone for the rest of the holiday season!

Champ and Tripper - Separated at Birth?

2008-12-18T19:23:00.000-08:00

Say hello to Champ. He lives in Castro Valley, California, right near Tripper The Stray Cat -http://tabbytrip.blogspot.com/. Champ was adopted by his people 3 years ago. Don't they look like brothers?

Our Award and Catnip!

2008-11-11T17:38:00.000-08:00

Sometime ago we received an award from Team Tabby at http://teamtabby.blogspot.com/

It is the Premio Dardos Award, as you can see above. Thank you very, very much Team Tabby. We are really proud of this award and apologize for taking so long to post it. Here's kitty head butts and purrs to all of you from me.

"With the Premium Dardos, recognize the values that each blogger shows each day in commitment to transmit cultural values, ethical, literary, personal etc. that, in short, demonstrate their creativity by alive thinking that remains intact from their letters and words."

This label implies two rules: the first, link the blog to which he/she received the award. The second - pick blogs to deliver the prize." We would like to hand it on to:

Beezer Song http://beezersong.blogspot.com/ (Oops, hey Beezer's mombean, the FL needs a phone call refresher on the linkie thingie!)

The other picture of me and my catnip plant. I looooovvvve the catnip plant. I like to sit in it. I like to smother it. I like to eat its leaves and then run around the yard. The rains are starting to come though, so the catnip plant will soon be gone. I just wanted to show it to you before it went away for the winter.

One last exciting note: a raccoon got into the house a few weeks ago, but the Food Dude helped him back out with lots of yelling and noise-making. The raccoon ran into my back yard and started rolling around on my grass, like it was his personal playground. The Food Dude threw a plastic garbage can lid (small, very light, no harm intended) to try to scare the raccoon away. Raccoon decided FD had thrown him a toy and proceeded to play with it! The people put some bad smelling stuff in the yard that Raccoon does not like so he hasn't been back for a while. Good!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-10-31T15:44:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween kitties! It's my special day! Everyone is saying my name! This is my pumpkin. He tried to eat my catnip, but I ran over and ate it first. You can see me chewing it. The pumpkin is also sitting next to my catnip plant. He better not take a bite of it or I will have to show him the paw of death!

Later tonight the wee ones will show up at my front door and say "Happy Halloween!" I will be waiting for cat treats. I have been waiting for cat treats for the wee ones at the front door for 17 years. The Food Lady tells me she will give me special treats tonight because it's my special time. I am waiting....

Gifts from Uno the Cat!

2008-09-26T22:35:00.000-07:00

Here are some presents that came in the mail from Uno the Cat! Uno belongs to the Food Lady's best friend, who lives back east. When the Food Lady goes to visit her friend, she says, "Here Uno, come here Uno." But Uno runs away. The Friend says Uno doesn't like to be smothered by Food Lady. Anyway, Uno and Best Friend made presents for the Food Lady and me and sent them to us! You can see kitties on all the stuff. There's a kitty apron with strings for me to chase and a towel with kitties so the Food Lady remembers that cats rule. We have a picture of Uno so you can see him soon.

FOOD LADY DISAPPEARED!

2008-09-17T20:23:00.000-07:00

Last week, the Food Dude and Food Lady took me to the V-E-T. I yowled over and over again. I made all the people and pets stare at me. Then I yowled some more. I got poked. I yowled. Then I crawled back in the cat jail and came home. I ran outside and yowled some more.

The next day, the Food Dude packed up the people jail with wheels. He put food in it and blankets, and then he put the Food Lady in there! And he took her away. The Food Dude left his niece here. Hrrmphh. I sat on their bed and yowled at the niece. She tried to pet me but I ran under the bed. I avoided her as much as possible. I was worried about the Food Lady.

The Food Dude brought the Food Lady home four days later. I was mad at both of them, but especially the Food Dude. I went outside and stayed out late. The next day I went outside. I could hear the Food Lady calling for me, "Halloween. Halloween cat." She whistled. She shook the treat bag. She said, "Halloween, come inside. Come on Weenie!" She thought I was way up on the hill. Haha. I was hiding in the shrubs in the garden! She called for hours and hours and I was right there, laughing at her. Now she knows how I feel when she goes away!

But I am still mad at the Food Dude for taking her away. When I see him, I run downstairs and hide under the bed. Or I yowl at him. Or I run over to the Food Lady and snuggle with her. He put me in the kitty jail and he put the Food Lady in the people jail and took her away. I might have to whap him now that he is snoring in front of the t.v. That will teach him!

Neighborhood Snoopervisor

2008-08-29T15:51:00.000-07:00

Here's my favorite perch these last few days and evenings. It has been very hot in the city. I like it when the windows are open and I can keep track of what all the people and animals on my block are doing. There is also a wild string on the side of the window that I have to whap into obedience when the wind blows too!

I'm Chillin'

2008-08-23T22:17:00.000-07:00

I've been doing lots of napping between ribbon whapping sessions. Also there is a rooster in the neighborhood who wakes me up too early, so I need extra naps. Also I am yowling right now because the Food Dude is not set up for me to lie down on him correctly. Should I whap him?

My Favorite Toy

2008-08-15T20:41:00.000-07:00

Here I am on my deck. You can see my new toy in front of me. It is called Ribbon. I love to whap the Ribbon whenever I can. I am waiting for the Food Lady to pick up the Ribbon so I can whap it. Hurry up, Food Lady!

Purrs Needed and We Had a Visitor

2008-08-10T13:59:00.000-07:00

Sweet Violette, a much loved child, lost her life today. Please send every purr and prayer possible to Violette and her family. That is what we are doing.

Surprise! Beezer teleported over and brought his Expert Tech Person to help my Tech Dunce Food Lady. The Tech Expert was a mighty expert indeed. Thank God someone helped her. This blog was the technological equivalent (and that phrase assumes alot) of the ocean bottom of the entire cat blogosphere.

Food Dude Follies

2008-08-07T17:45:00.000-07:00

The Food Dude has gone away for a few days. He likes to climb and camp in places like this. Why would he want to do that when he has me?

The Food Lady is much smarter. She lets the Food Dude climb these places and bring the pictures home for her so she can laugh at them. She says the Food Dude might run into my giant cousins called Mountain Lion. Just in case he does, I sneaked a bag of catnip in his back pack pouch. This way my cousin will be able to find him!

The Food Lady told me she is having an important meeting with another member of the Catblogosphere soon! I'm hoping she will learn how to make my blog better. But since she is such a Tech Dunce, we'll see.

The Food Lady Was Very Bad

2008-07-29T16:00:00.001-07:00

The Food Lady was very, very bad. She went away again, for four whole days. I was very upset. I yowled at the Food Dude. I woke him up by doing somersaults on him in the middle of the night because she wasn't in bed too. I refused the pill I have to take every day. And I complained constantly.

When the Food Lady came back, she told me she visited an old friend who had two brand new kitties. They came from the pound. Her friend saved them. One of the little kitties is named Blaze. He looks like Skeezix but he has a blaze on his forehead. Blaze was very sick and needed to go to the hospital. I was mad that the Food Lady went away and visited more kitties! But when I heard that Blaze was sick and needed some extra People purrs, I decided it was ok. But only for a few hours! Blaze went to the V E T and is doing fine now.

Anyway, I was so mad at the Food Lady that I made her fall asleep on the couch so I could sit on her so she couldn't leave again. See? It worked. She stayed on the couch for a long time and made me nice and toasty!

Mr. Hendrix tagged me for a meme. It is the 4 things about me meme. By the way, Mr. Hendrix is a bit sicky right now, so please stop by his blog and send him some love and healing purrs. You can find him at http://mrhendrixthekitty.blogspot.com/. (PS - Would some kind kitty or person please email my tech dunce Food Lady and tell her how to do the thingie where she puts your blog name in the linkie instead of the actual linkie. I have concluded she is the biggest tech dunce in the entire cat universe. You can write her at my email address: HalloweenTheCat@gmail.com

4 Jobs I've Had

Vermin catcher - I am an expert.
Professional Complainer - This has something to do with being a tortie.
Comfort Cat - This is my favorite job.
Neighborhood Snoopervisor - I like to keep track of all the people and animals on the block as they walk by.

4 Movies I Could Watch Over and Over

Thomasina
Whatever the People are watching.

4 Places I've Lived

In the back yard after I was first born.
Right here in Bernal Heights.
That's it.

4 TV Shows I Love

San Francisco Giants baseball. I get to sit on the Food Dude while he yells at the tv.
Law and Order - That's when I sit on the Food Lady.
Perry Mason re-runs. Then I get to go back and forth between both my People.
Animal Cops. I love the Animal Cops because they save kitties who are in distress.

4 Places I've Vacationed

I don't go on vacation. I have to protect my home and my People!

4 of My Favorite Foods

Chicken
Tuna & tuna juice
Beef
Pork
And basically whatever the Food Dude is eating

4 Sites I Visit Daily

Catblogosphere
SFGate.com
My blog
Google

4 Places I Would Rather Be Right Now

Snuggling with Rocky the Gutter Cat
Sitting on the Food Dude
Eating a big bowl of chicken
Chasing my feather toy which the Food Lady broke this week

I tag any other kitty who has not done this meme yet!

You might also want to visit Grr, Midnight&Cocoa because they had an earthquake today!

My People Are Under Control

2008-07-19T22:13:00.000-07:00

Well, it took a week, but I finally have my people under control. Here is the Food Dude, sleeping under me after I made him behave. It has been like this since they got back. Re-training People is hard. I am bushed!

Thanks for all the suggestions from my friends about asserting cat authority. You were a big help.

Paws, Halloween

My People Are Home

2008-07-13T11:30:00.001-07:00

My People came home last night. They were gone for two weeks. They visited the Great Lakes. And they came home with this picture of another cat! His name is Hobbs. They say he is my cousin cat who lives in Milwaukee. What an insult! They stay away for two weeks and visit another cat. Hobbs apparently smelled my catnip on the Food Lady's shoes and rolled against them. I will give the shoes a special treatment when no one is looking!

I am an angry cat. I got very mad at the People when they got home last night. I yelled at them all night long and wouldn't let them go to sleep until they provided sufficient cat adoration. Now I am just sitting outside the back door and won't come inside in order to punish the People. Plus, just now I looked in my stinky goodness bowl and the contents are unacceptable. Things have fallen to a new low around here. I have my work cut out for me. Gotta go - time to yowl. And maybe scratch too!

Where's My Cat Butler?

2008-06-26T20:22:00.000-07:00

Here I am, waiting at the back door for my cat butler! Yes, a cat door is open and available for use, but why scrunch down and mess up my beautiful coat when there are cat butlers walking around in the house, awaiting my every command. I just stand here and stare at the people, and send telepathic messages to them wherever they are inside the house. I make them look at the back deck and see that the door needs to be opened for me.

I put this post up on my blog so that the G-lady who is coming to be cat butler for the next two weeks remembers who is boss around here. I hope she likes the same television shows that I do!

The weather here is really rotten right now. There's a thousand wildfires burning around northern California. Going outside is like inhaling a campfire. The smoke makes me cough. All the more reason for the cat butler to let me in right away!

Oh No! People Vacation!

2008-06-24T16:27:00.000-07:00

There's no picture of me for this post because I have gone into hiding. My People are leaving for a vacation. They are going to the Mitten State, but first have to fly into Shytown. They promised to wave to Cheeto and Rosie for me. After the Mitten State, they are going to the state where zippy, sadie and speedy live. They promised to wave to them for me too!

The Food Lady and the Food Dude, and Ryan, are my People. I asked them to send Ryan home from college to stay with me, but he is too busy working (maybe so he can send me temptations!) so he can't stay here. Hmmm.

One time when they went away, the person who promised to stay here only came for a few days. When the Food Lady came home, she found me crying under her bed. Even if I am not fond of other people, at least one or two should stay here and fulfill all of my tortietude demands. I can ignore them the rest of the time.

They told me the G-lady is going to stay here. I actually tolerate the G-lady. She is tortie friendly. She lets me sleep on her. She gives me temptations and is a good door butler, as I often don't care to use the cat door but insist that the people door be opened for me instead. The G-lady is nice about that. So maybe I will live. But the People will pay when they return!

Tummy Shot!

2008-06-14T20:11:00.000-07:00

This is a special picture for my favorite mancat, Rocky the Gutter Cat. How do you like my "come hither" look?

Tortie Tricks

2008-06-05T19:19:00.000-07:00

Hello kitties and people. Here is a picture of me doing something extraordinary. When the Food Dude was in the hospital, I jumped up on the eating table to look for him in case he was hiding there. I never jumped up on this table before - in almost 17 years! That is why the Food Lady ran over and took my picture. I tried to get away before she could catch me, but she was too fast.

The good news is that the Food Dude is feeling much better. He went back to work this week. He is sure that all the good wishes from the cat blogosphere and my comfort cat duties were what healed him. Thanks to all of you from all of us.

Hugs Weekend!

2008-05-23T16:16:00.001-07:00

Hi kitties and people! Here I am, sitting on my back deck, taking a break from snuggling with the still recouperating Food Dude. I sit under this chair so that the dive bombing bluebirds can't get to me.

We were very sad to read that Bonnie went to the bridge. She is a special friend of the Meezers. The Meezers and Billy and their people thought it would be a good weekend to give hugs to each other in honor of Bonnie and what a caring community the Cat Blogosphere is. We're joining in. Here's a hug to all of you for being there, for sending caring posts, purrs, and thoughts, and for being so compassionate. And sometimes really funny when we need it.

This is just the time to go around and say thanks and hugs to all who supported us.

We are proud to be part of the CB.

News and An Award

2008-05-17T21:34:00.000-07:00

Okay, this is really awful. I cannot remember who gave me the award the Food Lady saved. We have been so busy dealing with visitors and then the Food Dude's illness that we lost track of the award. Thank you kitties and people who gave us this award. And please forgive out bad memories.

Thanks to the zoolatry people for the pic of me purring for the Food Dude. We appreciate it very much.

There are bad city doggies barking away tonight in a neighbor's back yard. I hope they are ok. The Food Dude is a bit better but he needs my constant attention. I have been trying to share my Temptations but he doesn't like them. Maybe I will have to offer the stinky goodness next.

What do you all think would make him feel better?

Comfort Cat At Work

2008-05-11T09:43:00.001-07:00

As you can see, I am hard at work making sure the Food Dude gets enough rest as he recovers from his illness. I have special powers that make him fall asleep. And then I fall asleep too! We are having lots of cat naps together. It is going to take a couple of months, but I will make sure he gets better.

The Food Dude and Food Lady asked me to tell you that they were both very touched by the outpurring of kindness from the CB after I mentioned that the Food Dude was ill. You really helped raise the Food Dude's spirits.

We will be getting around to writing thank you posts in all of your blogs in the next week. We've fallen behind in posting some great awards I've been given, a meme that I must post, and also a badge that the great folks at zoolatry gave me for the blog. We'll get to them!

FOOD DUDE IS HOME!!!!!!

2008-05-07T08:17:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all the kitties and their people who purred for my Food Dude. He was very sick, and has a long recovery in front of him. But we are all sure that the purrs helped him get out of the hospital.

The cat blogosphere is sure full of wonderful kitties and people. We are very grateful for your caring posts and purrs.

As you can see, the Food Dude came home and fell asleep. I ran right over and jumped up on him, and sat on his legs, my favorite place. I am going to be a comfort cat for quite a while!

HELP! Food Dude Needs Purrs!!!

2008-05-05T13:11:00.001-07:00

Dear Cats and Their People:

Here is a picture of me in my back yard. I was out there looking for the Food Dude. He has not been around for a few days, so I thought maybe he was trying to play with me by hiding in the back yard. I did not find him.

Then the Food Lady told me that he is in the hospital and is very sick with something bad in his tummy! He has been there for a week! No wonder I was missing him so much. He is my favorite person to sit on when the People watch television. He is nice and toasty, and gives good ear scratches. But best of all, he gives me good food treats when he is in the kitchen. I have been standing by the fridge waiting for him to open it and give me a treat, but he was missing.

Now I know where he is and I am very worried about him. I think lots of purrs would really help him get better. So please send purrs to Food Dude in San Francisco.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-04-29T20:34:00.001-07:00

I've Been Snoopervising

2008-04-20T18:11:00.001-07:00

I've been very busy snoopervising things around here lately. It's spring and there are birds on the deck. I have to tell them how to behave. Also, there are these other birds in one of the photos. They are called birds of paradise. Any cat can catch them as they stay still most of the time. They only move in the wind. So if cats are looking for some easy fun, come on over to my place!!

I also snoopervised the planting of tomato starts. You can see a few of them in the pictures. They will not be any good unless I told the people what to do. We'll have an update about the tomato plants as they grow.

Now I am sleeping. But I will put up the award the Cat Realm gave me and I will get to the Meme from Muffinmindi!

Birdies

2008-04-04T16:43:00.000-07:00

BIRDIES -- a poem by Halloween the Cat

Birdies, birdies on my deck
Birdies, birdies, what the heck!
Birdies, birdies dive bomb me
Birdies, birdies, mmmmmmm, tasty!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The bluebirds are back for the spring. The bird on the wire up on the hill behind my house better send this message along to his bluebird pals, cause they are in trouble.

Also, apologies for not visiting all of your blogs for the last month. The visitors kept the Food Lady very busy. I've ordered her to catch up this weekend.

Watching Wednesday

2008-04-01T20:35:00.000-07:00

March was a long month with a lot of people visitors. Cat adoration time suffered. Here I am watching and waiting for the people to catch up on cat adoration time!

Visiting Relatives Update

2008-03-25T19:14:00.000-07:00

Well, the Food Lady's cousin, his wife and 3 (!!!!!!!!) children arrived a few days ago. I got really worried when they brought out the big treat bag for the people - it was filled with stuff the Food Lady and Food Dude, and Ryan who found me, like. They got especially excited about these little things called "homemade Reese's cups". I don't know why. Those things are made of chocolate, and I know chocolate is poisonous. I guess they won't eat them but are just acting like they like the treats to be nice to the relatives.

Of course, the treat bag did NOT have anything for me in it! Hmmph. Pfft.

But then the cousin's wife and the children found the Temptations. And they gave them to me!! Yipee! They will be here for a few more days so maybe they will give me the entire bag when the Food Lady and Food Dude are out of the house. They also played feather toy with me, and they knew exactly what to do.

They were nice enough that I allowed two of the children to pick me up when I was sitting on my chair. As you can see, the picking up and petting time was just about over as this picture was taken. Time for me to run away so they will feed me more Temptations in order to convince me to allow more petting sessions. Biggify the pic and you can see the expression on my face better.

But the children obviously think I am THE BEST CAT IN THE UNIVERSE. This is obvious by the smiles on their faces. They have cats at home, but I am better. Their cats do not have a blog!

I am not giving out the names of these children. They are MINE!!!! These visitors turned out to be a lot of fun. The people have all been laughing a lot. I think that is a good sign.

Springtime Saturday

2008-03-21T19:19:00.001-07:00

Hi kitties and kitty people. And buns! It is almost Easter.

The Food Lady apologizes for neglecting the blog and my visits to all of your blogs. We have had non stop guests at our house since the end of February. This cuts into my cat adoration time, and I do not like it. Plus the guests sit on my chair in front of the window. Yeah, I can still sit on the pillow on my special spot, but I do not like to share with anyone else. They try to win me over by playing feather toy with me, but they are miserable failures at it. Pfft. Guests = bad. Plus, they do not bring cat treats. They only bring people treats!!! Stupid guests.

Tomorrow the Food Lady's cousin is coming from Virginia with his wife and three children. I hope they are bringing cat treats!!!!!

Here are some pictures of me on my deck and in my garden. And some of my flowers. It is pretty in the back yard now. I guess I will hide out here if it is warm and the guests are intolerable - and forget cat treats.

Happy Easter!

Springtime Saturday

2008-03-08T14:19:00.000-08:00

Hi cats and beans! It is a beautiful Saturday in San Francisco. Here are pics of the flowers in front of my house. And then you can see me in my window. It is my favorite perch during warm times. I can snoopervise my people, tell the flowers how to grow (and the tomatoes later on), keep track of the other cats and dogs, and give a loud cat alert if someone walks up the stairs to my house. I am a very good watch cat!

The people had some friends here last week. They are having a big blizzard where they live right now - in Kentucky. We made this post so they can remember their fun trip to San Francisco and have some nice spring flowers to enjoy. It'll be a while til they see theirs!

I HAVE A PEN PAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-03-03T18:41:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness! I got mail today!!!! I have never, ever gotten a package in the mail before! Here is a pic of me and my precious package. It came from another country!!!!!! I am not sure what to do with it.

As you can see, I had some help opening the package. Inside the package were treats and toys from my pal Mickey. http://mickeytheblackcat.blogspot.com/

Mickey is a geezer cat just like me and he has a sister, Georgia, who is a tortie just like me! We like to trade stories about where we live. Mickey lives in the a very pretty place by a lake.

I ate the Temptations and whapped the toys! I read Mickey's card. This has to be one of the best days of my whole life. Thank you Mickey and your beans for sending me this care package!

Once again, please pardon the Tech Dunce who managed to put the photos up in backwards order. What can I say? Maybe I need to whap her!

Tulips & Tortie Tuesday

2008-02-26T07:37:00.000-08:00

I'm a sleeping tortie right now! The storms have ended and spring flowers are popping up. I saw a daffodil in my back yard when I ran outside early this morning. Here's some nice tulips that my people brought home from the Farmer's Market (hey Beezer - they go to Alemany - in case you wondered) on Saturday.

Sleepy Stormy Sunday

2008-02-24T11:30:00.001-08:00

Yes, it is very stormy outside today. I am nice and toasty in my Irish blanket! I'll get up when I hear someone fiddling with my food dish or the rustling of the Temptations package!

Wordless Wednesday

2008-02-20T17:44:00.000-08:00

San Francisco Sunday

2008-02-17T21:07:00.000-08:00

Here's what it looks like from the top of the hill where I live. That's the San Francisco skyline you see. And you also see a nice birdie who was on top of the hill today. Maybe he will fly down and visit me in my back yard.

It was a pretty day. When the sun came up, I played "cat alert". That's when the people should get out of bed and do as I say. I jumped on the bed. I pushed my head under their hands. I meowed really loud. I ran to the back door to be let outside. When the Food Lady drowsily opened the door, I ran away and laughed. I'm the boss!

Formerly Feral Happy Housecat

2008-02-07T20:13:00.000-08:00

I was a feral kitten. Sometimes I still act wild and crazy. But right now, I really like this spot on the comfy cushion in front of the sunny window, right next to the feather toy. That way, if the feather toy misbehaves, I can whap it and make it behave!

Cat Boxes Galore!!! And My Nicknames....

2008-02-01T14:50:00.000-08:00

It is early February in San Francisco. This is a view of the area in front of my house. This area gets a lot of sun. That must be why the people put all these great cat circles out for me. The mulch is nice and toasty when the sun has been out. And I use the circles for anything I want! Let your imagination run wild - or even not so wild. I don't know why the Food Dude yells at me when I squat in the circles. I do wish those green things would go away. The Food Dude yells, "Get off the tulips, Weenie!!!" Which brings me to the next part of this blog entry.

I was tagged by the Zoo, http://cole200.blogspot.com/ for the nickname meme. I am Halloween because am black and orange. But I get called these other names too:

They call me Weenie. Totally undignified. Unacceptable. Beneath me.

They call me HalloweenCat. A more formal name, befitting my station in life. This is ok.

They call me Queen of the Cats. That is more like it!

They call me Whiny. That's when I use my annoyed voice, when the people aren't behaving and fulfilling my every wish.

They call me Barfola. I don't like this one either but it does fit sometimes. To all the cats who offered fine and kind advice about curing my barfolaness, I take tasty meds every night for this. The V-E-T has been monitoring my barfiness my whole life.

Time to go look in our neighbor's - the Pink People's - back yard and see if the pit bull is there...

Sleepy Sunday

2008-01-27T12:56:00.001-08:00

It is sleepy Sunday around here. Usually I sleep, the people sleep and drink that rancid stuff that drips on top of the stove, and they put their faces in front of those crinkly things with lots of words on them. That's pretty much the score today as the weather is grey and sprinkly.

But here's a picture to bring some color into the day. It's ME, ME, ME and a painting of this lady artist called Freda Kahlo. The painter is from San Francisco. Sometimes I sit on the couch in front of the picture so people can admire ME, just like the painting! Why admire a painting when you can engage in cat adoration????

I have been tagged by the House of Mostly Black Cats. http://catsnmom.blogspot.com/ The Hotties have just had some very bad news about some good friends, so be sure to stop by and send them some love.

I have to tell you seven strange things about me.

1. My NOMS special friend is Garden Snake. Garden Snake lives in the garden every summer. He is very exciting. I like to watch him slither around the plants. Sometimes I bring him inside to play, but the people always put him back outside.

2. I am a scaredy cat. You'd think I'd be all scary myself with this name, but it works sort of the opposite with me. Loud noises, yelling, trucks, you name it, I'm scared of it.

3. I pretty much hate cat toys.

4. I am a barfola cat. Pretty much several times a week. The people are annoyed by that.

5. I like to watch reruns of Perry Mason with my people. They have the same job as Perry Mason and won't shut up about it, except when the tv is on. It is the only relief I get from their constant people yapping!

6. I am only interested in whapping pen tops. I have never learned how to whap all the stuff the rest of you cats whap. Do I need professional help?

7. I like to Food Dude's used socks.

I tag Mickey in the wilds of Canada: http://mickeytheblackcat.blogspot.com/.

What Would You Do If You Could Get Away With It?

2008-01-24T15:58:00.000-08:00

I've been tagged by my pal Mr. Hendrix, who is named for a very important cultural icon. You can find Mr. Hendrix here: http://mrhendrixthekitty.blogspot.com/

Mr. Hendrix's meme is this: What 3 things would you do that you've never done before that you would do if you knew you wouldn't get caught or suffer the consequences?

The first thing I would do is chase the coyote who lives up the block a little bit farther away! Here is a picture of him taken by a neighbor a few months ago. It is winter now and I think he would like a nice, cute geezer cat for breakfast or maybe a snack.

Another thing I would do if there were no consequences is give a big cat kiss to Lady, my cousin. She belongs to Auntie Estelle, the most wonderful animal lover (even if it is dogs!) in the world. Auntie Estelle saved Lady from being euthanized, after 2 other families took Lady back to the pound because she was too much for them. Auntie Estelle worked her special magic on Lady and she is sort of well behaved now. Lady would have hundreds of ideas about how to respond to this post! As you see, Lady has a great big smile now because she ended up with the best person in the universe.

One other thing I would do if I wouldn't get caught is put a bunch of anti pit bull medicine in my back yard - where it is raining now - to make sure the Pink People's new dog doesn't come over and eat me up!

Go on over to http://www.petspics.blogspot.com/ and see their site, as Mr. Hendrix ordained.

I tag the Zoo Crew http://mkandthecrew.blogspot.com/

and Tripper the Psycho Stray Cat http://tabbytrip.blogspot.com/

and also Lady the Dog.