Catitude

Posted on March 7, 2014March 7, 2014 by Dusty Roads

When someone is not a “cat” person it’s hard to make them believe that cats have facial expressions and experience emotions. To avoid “sibling rivalry” or jealousy I try to give each of my cats plenty of attention. Now that I work from home you’d think that would be easy. (Not!) I almost think it’s worse.

Let me give you an example. It was a peaceful morning. I was cleaning out my email inbox and the cats all seemed to be snoozing in various places. I got up to get a cup of tea and spotted Buddy on the big green cat tree. Usually he sleeps on my bed in the morning. I paused on my way into the kitchen to give him a pat and tell him it was nice to see him in the living room with the rest of us.

At that point I got the feeling of being watched. Yup, Rocky who had been snoozing under the heat lamp was glaring at me. If looks could kill I’d have been cat food.

I left Buddy and went over to offer a pat to Rocky who eagerly accepted my attention but that aroused Smokey who was sleeping on the cat tree above Rocky. His little paw snaked out to tap me on the shoulder. Ok, a few minutes of attention there…no harm, no foul.

I returned to the kitchen and picked up my tea. Back at the computer I had company. Rocky wasn’t done with his demands for attention. (What had I started?)

More petting and cuddling and Rocky hopped down. I thought he was satisfied and was going back to his sunlamp to sleep but I was wrong. He started circling the base of the big cat tree where Buddy was relaxing. He was fixated on Buddy. I knew any second now he was going to start the assault right up the side of the tree.

Time to intervene. More Petting all around. My quick run to the kitchen had disrupted my routine for 45 minutes and Rocky was still going. He’s annoyed and jealous and letting me know it. Every time I turn my back he gets into something. That’s his way of demanding attention.I guess I’ll just have to wait him out like a child having a tantrum.

So tell me again how cats don’t have emotions???

Photo of the Week – 8

Posted on February 26, 2014February 26, 2014 by Dusty Roads

The week 8 tallies are in. The Photo of the Week with the most hits, likes, shares and/or comments is Rocky’s Portrait with a total of 27 points.

To order prints click here: http://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com/p161572686/h4b5eb96#h4b5eb96

The Frenchman Orleans

Posted on February 22, 2014February 22, 2014 by Dusty Roads | 2 Comments

Leaving Kansas City to stew for a bit, the next state with an exchange is Louisiana. Now I think if I want to go to Louisiana that I should plan that for the winter or it will be hot and humid! When I talked about visiting Louisiana I mentioned New Orleans and low and behold that’s where the exchange is!

Sure enough the 1 timeshare exchange is in the Frenchman Orleans. The web site describes it as ” Bridging the French Quarter and the Faubourg Marigny, the Frenchmen Hotel is located on Frenchmen near everything: nightspots, hip cafes, and some of the world’s finest restaurants. Just steps away, you’ll find exquisite shopping, museums, and a bunch of excitement! The Frenchmen Hotel is truly the place to start and end your days of French Quarter discovery!”

That sounds exciting! But then the web site goes on to say they are undergoing renovations. 🙁

I can think of a few friends that wold love to be in New Orleans during the Mardi Gras so I’m pretty sure I’ll have company on that visit.

If I/ we can tear ourselves away from the partying I’d like to visit the Audubon Aquarium of the Americas. The Aquarium is located on the edge of the French Quarter, facing the mighty Mississippi River at the foot of Canal St.

Not far away Audubon has a Butterfly Garden. Those are always great places to visit.

New Orleans also has a Zoo and I always try to visit zoos when I travel. I even visited the Zoo in Hawaii!

Of course I’d have to visit the swamps and bayou and there seems to be a ton of tours to chose from. There are City Tours, Swamp Tours, Cemetery Tours, Ghost Tours and plantation Tours. I want to do them all!

I’ve missed Mardi Gras this year but many of the comments on various travel sites downplay Mardi Gras and recommend Springtime around May.

Something to think about.

Buddy’s Annual Physical

Posted on February 13, 2014February 13, 2014 by Dusty Roads | 2 Comments

Can it really be a year since Buddy came to stay with me?

Must be. Vet records don’t lie. So out came the carrier and to my surprise , in went Buddy. No coaxing, no teasing no stuffing. He just walked right in. We are off to a great start!

Carrier goes into the car. During the short drive to the vet I only heard one soft mew. I could see Buddy’s face pressed against the slats facing me but he didn’t seem agitated.

The wait in the office was short and wonder of wonders, the vet tech we had was Diane, our pet sitter so someone Buddy knew well. It just keeps getting better and better.

I opened the carrier door and Mr. Bud strolled out like he owned the place. Very confident. Unfortunately that didn’t last long. As soon as Diane started to clip his nails he turned into “Hell Cat”! I’ve seen Buddy in a bad mood but never anything like that! I told Diane to forget about a nail trim. No point in upsetting him or getting her scratched or bit because he was trying both. She then managed to get him onto the cat scale, basically a glorified baby scale. 16+ lbs. not quite 17. He’s a big boy!

We set Buddy loose and let him roam the exam room to calm down. Diane went to get the Vet who soon arrived with another technician in tow. Buddy seemed to be on his good behavior at first but then scooted under the exam table and wouldn’t come out. I volunteered to sacrifice myself to get him and sacrifice I did. Blood flew and it wasn’t the cat’s. I’d have been a good candidate for Jackson Galaxy’s My Cat From Hell, a show on animal planet. So much for being a “Cat Whisperer”.

They wrapped Buddy in a towel and the tech had on leather gloves that went to her elbows for protection.

They let me wash off my blood in the sink but there were no bandages so I watched from the sidelines with paper towels on my scratches.

As expected I was told to put Buddy on a diet (Fat Chance pun intended) and we laughed about how hard it is to lose weight. Buddy got his rabies shot and distemper drops and was pronounced healthy and whole. (More than I can say for me)

I was embarrassed. In all my years of owning cats I have never had one misbehave so badly. Diane told me not to worry about it. After all, I found Buddy and who knows how much handling he had before I rescued him.

Back home Buddy headed to the food bowls first (A Stress eater?) then to me. He sniffed my arm, now covered with Band-Aids and gave me a series of kitty kisses. I guess I’ve been forgiven. The sweet cat that I know was back and that devilish one was long gone… at least for another year.