The Merry Rosette - Blog

Where have we been?

11/30/2021

One casualty of the pandemic seems to be my ability to blog. My work life has gotten far more active and sitting in front of the computer longer, and writing, just isn't happening at this time.

There is, however, so much cat life going on. Siada, Layla and Malik are doing amazingly and are loving country life. They have much more fun in WV and there are so many cats outside to watch!

Yes, the Furrals are doing well, and I am still chronicling their story as we work to get them all spayed and neutered. So far we have fixed 13 cats and homed 15 kittens (and one of those adults as well). It is exhausting, but will be very worth it.

I DO have a Facebook Page for sharing their adventures - The Furral Report. We hope you can join us there from time to time. If you would like to contribute to the Furral Fund (money goes to spay, neuter and vaccinate both clowders), there is a GoFundMe that is currently running. Hopefully we can keep the momentum going and be in the glorious position to have No Stinky Kittens this summer!

They love the sun

2/24/2021

As delighted as I am by the warmer weather and sunshine, the Furrals are even happier! I got an affectionate greeting from Orange Boi, Daddy Cat and Miss Gimpy when I took a brief break and sat with them on the porch at lunch. Daddy Cat and Orange Boi get so excited about "people time" that they rub all over each other as much as they rub on me!

On the Furral Front

2/15/2021

There are improvements in the relations between the Front Porch 5 (they sound like one of the BigMan's gangster movies that way) and Spatz. On Saturday, they were all waiting politely for me together when I went to feed them.

Even more amazing though, is that when Orange Boi walked past Spatz and Spatz started doing that flapping thing with his cheeks that they do at each other when they start the testosterone-induced posturing. (I have no clue what it really is supposed to be, but it looks completely ridiculous. The cheeks kinda puff out and the lips flap and it makes this little noise and clearly they have NO clue how dumb it actually looks nor the fact that it actually impresses no one. I swear Gimpy rolls her eyes when they start that.)

So Spatz is making silly faces and....

Orange Boi gave him a big old affectionate headbutt. Spatz had no idea how to react (and I am not even sure OB realized who he had just booped because he is not the brightest of the lot) and just stopped with the stupidity and started begging for breakfast and trying to trip and kill me with the rest of the gang.

Sunday was even better, because Spatz was still in his Hole and Tiny Face went looking for hime when he did not come to eat! When he finally made it onto the porch she rubbed up against him, gave him a gentle headbutt and shared a plate of breakfast with him. I think she chose him as her Valentine.

COVID Cuts

2/14/2021

You know those moments you just WISH you had a camera handy but didn't? That was today.

Today was the day it was time to give each other COVID haircuts in the kitchen. My hair was particularly bad and driving me nuts, and it was months overdue.

Siada was so excited about the whole thing and supervised the process. She really is a fearless little girl. She didn't care a bit about the noise of the clippers, the globs of hair falling on her, or even me accidentally launching the clippers across the room once.

When we were done she hopped up on the chair and screamed that she was next. SCREAMED at us that she wanted to play too.

So papa put the longest guard on the clippers and “cut” her hair.* She sat there so prim and proper and was just loving it. (Meanwhile Layla and Malik were in hiding somewhere because OMG SCARY.)

*No feline hairs were actually cut today, but don’t let her know that. She thinks her new do is smashing.

Time Flies (MALIK IS THREE!)

2/13/2021

How is this little guy THREE already? It seems like just a few days ago I fell in love with the short, fat tail in his baby picture, and just days later we raced to Ohio to bring him home.

He really is special. He is a little like Nimar in someways, but really is unique. He is stubborn and strong, but I can carry him around like a baby. He is the first in bed with me every night and needs me to tell him he is a good boy every day when it is time for him to eat breakfast. He loves to sit on his Papa's chest and watch movies at night and has made Layla Squashin' a sport. My little Puddin' just fills my heart right up.

So for his birthday today we had shrimp for dinner (Malik got four whole shrimp of his own). And we had some presents so the kittons could play new games.

This was the photo that made me melt. (Photo credit to OIC SPots)

The first gift was a Snuffle Mat! Malik loves toys he can engage with on his own (while the girls prefer to play fetch with the people). He has a treat ball that he enjoys and he spends time every day wadding up rugs or towels around his toys so I thought this would be a fun option. The mat is made of felt (there are also fleece ones but Malik eats fleece so....) and you put treats down in the leaves and the cat needs to root around to find them. It was an immediate hit with all three of them.

Eventually Malik gets frustrated though, and picks it up, flips it over and shakes it out. lol

The other item I got is a little rotating toy that you can suction cup to a flat surface. Malik loves to reach in the dishwasher while I am loading it and spin the Spinny-Thing, so I thought this would be something that interested him.

I was right. He loves it. It is definitely a Supervision Only toy (as so many are), because I do think he could bit it in half if he really wanted to.

Batting the Spinny-Thing is fun, but trying to carry you "kill" is apparently a bit more of a challenge.

Furral Fights

2/10/2021

I was delighted that there was a pause in the fights between Orange Boi and Spatz for a bit, and that Spatz was even eating meals with the others peace. But yesterday when I went out to feed I noticed blood drops by the water dish and across the porch. The Furrals were all there waiting for me, but no Spatz. The porch was quite last night, so whatever trouble there was had to happen further down the hill or at the neighbors.

I called, because sometimes Spatz is still in The Hole when I go to feed.

Nothing. No meowing. No Spatz.

I went to check The Hole (which he has officially made his home as there is a rubbermade tote I converted to a cat shelter many years ago). He was curled up in the house but would not come out. I am guessing he was injured but there was no way that I am reaching into a cramped space and dragging out a wounded cat. He made little noises at me but refused to budge. I left food and water and had to go back to the house to get to work.

For once Orange Boi wasn't all bloddy and mangled from fighting, so I am sure that the throw-down happened elsewhere. I know that there are a couple of BIG toms down the hill and I have heard a lady in heat calling in the night several times, so Spatz might be making trouble for himself trying to find a mate.

When I checked later in the day, he had eating some. What was interesting though, is that Tiny Face has gone to check on him a few times as well. I saw her quite near The Hole, just watching him from a distance. Maybe she was planning his demise for being loquacious, but I will tell myself she was checking on the fuzzy dude who eats at the far end of the porch with her.

I look forward to getting him fixed and hope that will end the roaming (and the front porch brawls as well). He does seem to be determined to spread his genes while he can. Last summer Tiny Face had a long haired black kitten, while Mommy Cat had a black kitten with white whiskers. This fall Gimpy had a short haired tux with whit whiskers. I think I know what his favorite hobby might me.

Little wildcats

2/6/2021

When your instincts are telling you to catch a gazelle and drag it up into a tree top, but all you can manage is dragging the cat bed into the bed...

I know little guy, I have those days too.

The truce is temporarily on hold

2/5/2021

We had several days of peace (not peace and quite, mind you, as Spatz never shuts up, but we did have relative peace in terms of the Porch Wars). But that was broken today by the fact that Spatz entered Mommy Cat's hunting turf (under the camper) and she called out the big guns (Orange Boi) to back up her claim. The explosion on the tarmac was epic and there is still enough fur strewn around out there to construct another meatball head feline.

I broke it up, and then tended to the newest cut on Orange Boi's head. Friends had recommended Vetericyn for treating wounds on cats, but when I went to Tractor Supply they were out. I stood there for a good 20 minutes reading bottles because a number of the products there were safe on pretty much every animal except cats. Eventually I settled on MicrocynAH and have been pretty pleased with it. It is a gel formula so it actually hangs around the wound area instead of running directly off. There is no discernible smell (at least to me), and it clearly doesn't burn or sting because OB has let me spray it on some pretty hideous gashes so far.

Now I just need to keep him and Spatz from killing each other until the weather here sorts itself out and I can get The Enemy fixed. Most days we have peace, but some days these idiot meatball boys will be boys.

"I am Orange Boi and I am soaking wet because I got in a massive brawl with Spatz in the one puddle that is in the back drive. The human lady had to come spray goo on my bloody head and she told me I am a dumbass. Miss Gimpy said she is correct in that."

And the outpour of love continues

1/31/2021

The Furrals would like to welcome y’all to the open house for the new L’Hôtel Annie and Chez Amy!!! It is a nice (if chilly), sunny day for the official grand opening! Thank you so very much to both Annie and Amy for their kindness in providing homes for the rest of the crew!!!

OB checking out the new digs!

Daddy and OB getting all the lovin!

I FINALLY got a good pic of someone in one of the houses! Here Daddy Cat is enjoying the deluxe heated condo!

Daddy Cat belly, because he is just so feral.

Gimpy is beyond happy to have warm sun and a full belly after being abandoned.

Mommy Cat keeps watch. She finally decided that L'Hôtel Annie as her permanent napping spot.

Ah, Tiny Face, the feralest of Furrals, she is just not sure about any of this at all, except the food part. She likes that but please practice proper social distancing!

The bigger pain in the neck?

1/30/2021

I should keep points... which set of felines, the Kittons or the Furrals will make me go totally gray first?

This morning started with one point to the outside crew.

At least the idiots outside held off till 6am before the banshee wails of the meatball fight started. I went out to break them up, and it was actually so light from the recent full moon that I didnt need a flashlight, and no ice on the ground was a bonus. I chased the interloper (Spatz) off the porch. Put food in his Hole and started to walk Orange Boi back to the porch.

But this dumbass wanted to roll around on the pavement purring as loud as possible instead. I told him it was too cold for this. He wallowed. I told him he needed to get back in his little house. He wiggled around. I told him he had no functioning brain cells. He squeaked at me.

I picked him up and carried him back to bed.

Then I went back to bed.

40 minutes later we got to repeat the entire process!|

And again, back to bed.

8:41 (which is about normal feeding time), I hear them again. WTF. So I go out to feed because that always brings peace to the porch.

Back to bed.

9:39 and I hear the wails again. ARE YOU KIDDING ME!

I go out there again and this time Orange Boi is facing off on the opposite side of the porch with Moochi. I have seen the meatball head cow cat up here twice in the last few days (a rare thing), and wondered when there would be an incident. Moochie is one of Mommy Cat’s first babies. He lives under the neighbor’s shed but has maybe decided that the easy living on the porch would be to his taste.

Sorry dude, we are full up and you need to go back down the hill where I still plan to eventually catch your butt and have you debuted at some point.

Then when I finally ended up getting up for good, Layla earned a point for the House Kittons.

10:30am and I am still trying to drink that first cup of coffee and Dingaling Layla was on the shelf over the fridge wallering around. I told her three times to stop all the wiggling or she would fall.

I walked away, clutching my hot, invigorating beverage.

Crash.

Dingaling Layla was splayed out (Superman style) sideways between the fridge and the wall, wedged in tightly but every so slowly sliding down to the floor.

I was able to get an arm under her and push her back up to the top of the fridge and eventually onto it.
I haven't even finish my first cup of coffee yet!