Got all of your ducks in a row?

Long time no blog! Sorry about that!!! I was away for Thanksgiving and then I went to Disney World for an entire week. I left Gobo and Mokey with my parents while I was away, and they seemed to have a good time. My parents have a much larger house than I do, so they have plenty of room to explore and hide.

Anyway, while visiting my parents, I went to use the restroom one day. What did I find in the bathroom (other than a toilet, sink, bathtub and other bathroom items)??? GOBO...in the bathtub....with some rubber duckies! Of course I immediately grabbed my camera to catch a picture because it was too cute to ignore. While taking some pictures, Mokey jumped in too! So, I had Gobo, Mokey and some ducks...all in the bathtub. Too funny!

Gobo's got all of his ducks in a row

Gobo fantasizes about swimming in the sea with his duckies
Mokey joins Gobo and the duckies for a swim!

Oooh yeah...that's the spot!

Growing up with dogs, I didn't really know or understand how to "pet" a cat. All of my dogs were big dogs (collies, golden retrievers, etc.), so they'd just roll over on their backs and you could just scratch those bellies like crazy. The dogs would LOVE that!!! You obviously can't be so rough on a cat...cats are much smaller than my big dogs, and much more sensitive to touch.

It didn't take me long to find "the spots" on my kitties. Both cats actually have the same spots --- under the chin and behind the ear/on top of the head. Once you start scratching there, they purr like motor boats! What I love is that when I'm scratching their ears, they will nuzzle up to me and basically direct my hand to where they want to be pet/scratched.

Together Again!

Gobo came back home last Thursday...hooray! I didn't know if he and Mokey would recognize each other, so I put Mokey in her kitty carrier, let Gobo in the house, and let him sniff her. He sniffed her for maybe 2 seconds, then walked away. Mokey was so sad, so I immediately let her out of her carrier. I was worried that they wouldn't remember each other, but they seemed to be back to their old selves almost immediately. Once Mokey was out of her carrier, she found Gobo, and he started cleaning her. Then they chased each other around the house a bit. Gobo growled and hissed at her a few times when she was annoying him, but that's all.

Last night, I was lying in my bed and Gobo was at my feet...Mokey jumped up on the bed, and I thought Gobo would swat her away. He didn't! He started cleaning her, and then they cuddled up together! It was SO cute!!!! Of course, I had my camera right next to my bed, so I got some really cute shots of the two of them:

Gobo really gets a hold of Mokey to clean her up

Mokey seems to love the attention from Gobo

Look at that! They are cuddling!!!

So happy....

Mokey seems to be in complete euphoria

Mokey's Modeling

Since Gobo had some "glamour shots," I figured Mokey should have some of her own. Actually, I was quite excited because I found my camera that I thought I had lost way back in May!!!

I was at the mall Memorial Day Weekend and couldn't find my camera when I got back home. I usually keep my camera in my purse, so I assumed I had dropped it somewhere in the mall. I went back to the mall and retraced all of my steps, but to no avail. My camera was gone and I was really bummed (this was a brand new camera that I had JUST gotten as a gift in March!). WELL, I pulled out my electric blanket the other day (it's a fleece electric blanket...so nice and cozy on a cold night!) because it was starting to get chilly, and my camera was folded up in the bag with my blanket!!! That's why I hadn't found it...I had put my electric blanket away for the summer and must have accidentally wrapped my camera up with it!

So, I decided to take some pictures with my new found camera (all of Mokey since Gobo is still at my parents' house - no worries...he'll be back tomorrow or Friday! Yay!):

Cuteness in the carry case

I have so many issues when it comes to taking my pets to the vet. I feel so bad taking them there (even though my vet is the sweetest person). Both Mokey and Gobo are not too fond of car rides, and neither of them like being "trapped" in their kitty carrier. It's funny because I had heard that cats normally like being enclosed in small spaces...I guess my cats only like being enclosed in small spaces that they choose to put themselves in. They don't like when I put them there! Gobo is worse than Mokey, but who knows how Mokey will be now that she probably associates the carry case with going to the vet to have surgery!

Here is why I feel so bad putting Mokey in her carry case:

Gobo hates when I put him in the carry case, but he seems to go in their on his own all of the time! What's up with that?!

My New Cuddle Kitty...

Mokey had her "womanhood" taken away almost 2 weeks ago (it will be 2 weeks as of this Thursday). In order for her to recover more easily, I sent Gobo to my parents' house for 2 weeks. I am going to take her back to the vet this Wednesday, so they can remove her stitches, but she seems to be healing so well. I was worried that I would take her back home, and she'd be totally out of it....sleepy, sick and depressed. Wow...was I wrong! Quite the opposite actually. She is more cuddly than EVER and she is purring like a machine gun!!! She has slept in my arms ever since she got back from the vet and it's SO cute.

I don't know if she's more cuddly now because Gobo isn't around to compete for attention with her...or if she was traumatized by the overnight vet experience...or if having her spayed just calmed her and changed her personality a bit. I guess I'll have to see how she is when Gobo comes back this week (either Thursday or Friday). I'm hoping I don't have to go through the whole "introduction" thing again. I hope they remember each other and are happy to see each other! Two weeks seems like such a long time! I was told that if cats are separated for a month, they won't remember each other the next time they are reunited. It was so hard to get Gobo used to Mokey...I really don't want to have to deal with that again.

So, here are some pictures of Mokey, the cuddle kitty:

Huge scare...

I had the most horrible night last night. I stayed home from work because I wasn’t feeling well, and decided that I’d go to the gym to do Pilates at 4:30pm (to get rid of all of my achiness in my body). I got home from work and was greeted at the door by Mokey, as usual. A minute later there was a knock at my door. I opened it up and it was my next door neighbor. He said, “I found your little black and white kitten at my front door…your front door must not have been closed all the way, so I put him back in your apartment and closed the door.” I then realized that Gobo was missing! I searched my whole house from top to bottom. I kept shaking the treats (he usually comes sprinting to me when I do that), but he wasn’t coming. I went into complete panic mode. I called my boyfriend in tears and he said, “I’ll be over as quickly as possible.” I called the police to let them know my cat was missing, and to call me if anyone found him. 3 neighbors were walking their dogs and overheard me (and saw me sobbing), so they calmed me down, grabbed their flashlights, and started searching with me. They told me not to worry…the one girl’s cat got away once, and came back 1 day later. I was like ONE DAY?! I can’t wait that long!!! So, we all went searching through the woods behind my place. I have SO many cuts on my legs b/c there are a million thorn bushes back there – ow! My boyfriend came over with HUGE, bright flashlights that he had just gone out and bought. They told me it should be easier to find a cat at night b/c their eyes will glow. We searched from 6:30pm – 8:45pm (what nice neighbors!!!), but didn’t find him. I was a complete wreck. Another neighbor came out because he had leant my boyfriend another HUGE flashlight, but then realized that his 2 cats were missing!!! How weird is that?! He had left the porch door open, and somehow they knocked down the screen door and got out! So, we were all looking for our cats!!! I finally decided to give up and search again this morning, but my boyfriend said he’d keep searching. My neighbor (who lives downstairs and in the back of the condo complex) was on his back porch and said, “What does your cat look like?” I was like, “Did you see him?!?!” He said, “No…I just want to keep my eye out for him.” As I was describing Gobo to him, I looked by the back steps and saw him sitting there!!!! I was like “Oh my God!!!!!!! GOBO!!!!” I went up to him and he just meowed a sweet little meow, and I scooped him up and sobbed uncontrollably. He nuzzled his head into my arms and I brought him back inside. He had a bunch of dirt all around his neck, but that was all. He wasn’t hurt and he was pretty clean for having been out and about all of that time. I found him around 9pm. I had looked under those stairs before and he wasn’t there….so he must have been in the woods and had come to the stairs when he heard me calling him over and over, and shaking his treats. I can’t even begin to describe how happy I was to find him!!! I’m still shaking a little from the thought of losing my Gobo…he’s like my baby. I woke up at around 4am and he was curled up in my arms, purring SO loudly. I just snuggled with him and fell back asleep…and woke up at 6:30am and he was in the same exact place! I love Gobo so much!!! I need to install a screen door in the front of my house…other neighbors have it…I just have to install it myself! My boyfriend said it’s easy, so I will probably do that in the next week or so.

America's Next Top Cat

Gobo seems to really enjoy watching TV. It's always interesting to be watching one of my shows and notice a large cat shadow cast upon the screen....yes, that's what it looks like...Gobo's silouette in my TV show. The other spot he seems to enjoy is the spot on top of my DVR....I'm assuming that is because of the heat it generates. He has such a beautiful silouette, so I really don't mind it too much. The only time it's annoying is when he actually blocks the show I'm watching (which you would think would be difficult to do with a 32in flat screen TV...nope...Gobo manages to do it).

Climbing to New Heights

So, remember when I said that Gobo and Mokey are always in the exact same place when I come home and open up the front door? Gobo is on the dining room table to my left and Mokey is right in front of me. WELL, last night was a little bit different. I got home from work and opened up my door, expecting to see Gobo and Mokey in their usual spots. Mokey was standing right in front of me as usual, but Gobo was not on the dining room table. I was surprised that he wasn't there, but then I was even more surprised when I looked up and saw where he was sitting!!! Gobo managed to climb up to what is probably the highest spot in my apartment!!!! I was wondering how the heck he was able to do that, so I waited for him to climb down...and of course, I took pictures of it all:

How did Gobo get up there?!

Is he ever going to be able to get down?

He seems perfectly content up there

Contemplating which route he'll take down...

Starting out on top of the kitchen cabinets...

Jumping down to the refridgerator...

Jumping down off the fridge onto the countertop...

Traveling to the stove...

Looking down...

"This is a piece of cake! Why were you worried that I wouldn't get down?!"

The Monday Stretch

Sigh...it's Monday. Weekends fly by so quickly, and weekdays just drag. The worst part is waking up and realizing it's Monday and you have to get out of your warm, cozy bed and go to work. Friday can never seem to arrive fast enough!

Well, since it's Monday, I figured everyone would be pretty sleepy right about now (The Monday Post-Lunch Food Coma). So, it's time for a nice stretch...

Zzzzzz....

Shhhh!!! It's "sleepy time" with Mokey....

And Gobo finds his own "sleepy time" as well...

A "Cat Person"

I've always grown up with dogs. Nobody in my family has ever had a cat. When I was born we had a mutt named Laddie, next we had a sable collie named Prince, next we had a tri-color collie named Shadow, and our last dog was a golden/lab mix named Teddy. My parents didn't get a dog after Teddy because his death was too difficult for them...he was with us for 14 years and became a huge part of our family. By that time I was living on my own anyway...so I always grew up in my parents' house with a dog. Also, my uncle/aunt have always had dogs (german shepards and golden retrievers) and my brother and his family have a dog (golden retriever). My grandfather, who passed the same time as my dog, Teddy, also had dogs...his border collie, Buddy, outlived him.

So, I was the first in the family to get a cat. I really would have liked to have gotten a dog, but not only did the apartment I was living in at the time not allow dogs, but I also have such a crazy busy schedule that I knew I wouldn't be able to properly care for a dog. I work from 8:30am-5pm Monday-Friday, I go to the gym 3-5 times per week after work, and I do a lot of community theater (usually have rehearsals from 7pm - 9/10pmish on weekdays, and sometimes on weekends). I also like to be able to pick up and go away whenever I want to...and that's really difficult to do with a dog. Even though I couldn't have a dog, I knew I wanted a cuddly pet to keep me company. So, I decided to get a cat!

I wanted a dog-like cat since I was so used to having dogs...and I really didn't want a cat who would ignore me. I was getting a cat for companionship, so the last thing I wanted was a snooty, anti-social cat. A friend of mine had a Maine Coon mix and said Maine coons are known to be a lot more friendly and cuddly than other cats. So, that's exactly what I got (the full story about my adoption is one of the first blog entries I wrote, so you can go back to see that story if you'd like). Gobo is great, and he is definitely the snuggly, loving pet that I wanted. The problem now is that I've become a "Cat Person." I don't think I've reached the "Crazy Cat Lady" stage, but I'm definitely a "Cat Person." How do I know that I am a "Cat Person" now? Well, just read on...

Reasons I know I'm now a "Cat Person":

1. I carry pictures of my cats with me, and tell stories about them to anyone who will listen....as if they were my children
2. My checks have "Cute Kittens" on them
3. My address labels have "Cute Kittens" on them
4. I have a "365 Days of Kittens" Wall Calendar and a Page-a-Day calendar called "Bad Cats"
5. I write a blog that is devoted solely to my cats
6. One cat sleeps on my head and one sleeps on my stomach...and I LOVE it!
7. I went to a Cat Expo with a friend of mine
8. My condo is filled with cat toys, cat beds, and cat trees
9. I go to "Yahoo Answers" and answer "Cat" questions all of the time
10. I miss my cats when I'm at work
11. I miss my cats when I'm on vacation
12. I would never date a guy who was either highly allergic to cats or just didn't like them
13. I get defensive when people say mean things about cats
14. I cry when I see a stray cat that got hit by a car on the side of the road
15. In my old apartment, I fed and pet the neighborhood strays, found some of them homes, and even named them
16. I tell anyone who has a cat about "World's Best Cat Litter" (seriously the BEST cat litter I've ever used)
17. I look at "Cute Kitten" websites and think to myself, "My cats are SO much cuter than these stupid cats!"
18. I've submitted pictures of my kitties to "Cute Overload" and "The Daily Kitten," and am upset that neither of them have chosen my photos yet!!!
19. When my cats do something cute, I think to myself, "If only I had a camera on me right now..."
20. My computer background image is a picture of my cats

In the Window...

One of my favorite things is coming home from work, and being greeted by my kitties. They both have their "spot" by the front doorway. I walk into my place and Gobo is sitting to my left, on the dining room table, while Mokey is standing right in front of me. I usually pet both of them on the head a bit (and Mokey chirps), and then they follow me into my bedroom. A friend of mine kitty-sat for me recently. It was funny because he said, "Gobo and Mokey were so cute...Gobo was sitting on the dining room table, and Mokey was right in front of the door when I came in!" haha! It seems to be their "assigned spots." In Psych class we used to discuss how humans are territorial...we put a bookbag on a chair so that nobody will take our spot. Usually, once you've found your "spot," you expect people to know that it's YOUR spot and they'd better not take it! I find that I do that in the gym too...I have my favorite elliptical, and when someone else is on it, I get all upset. How dare they use MY elliptical! Well, I guess cats do the same thing...they have their "spot." Their spot on my bed (Gobo is on my head, Mokey is at my feet or on my lap), their spot in my window (Gobo is in the master bedroom window and Mokey is in the 2nd bedroom window), their spot in the bathroom, and their spot when I come into the house.

Here are some pictures of Mokey and Gobo in their "spots":

Mokey's "spot" in the window (can you see her??)

Gobo's "spot" in the window (can you see him??)

Gobo's "spot" on my head

Mokey's "spot" in her hut

Gobo's "spot" on the bathroom sink

Mokey's "spot" on the bathroom floor