There’s Something Funny Going On

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

It’s been awhile since I paid a visit to the odd and strange going’s on in the news. I confess, I had a long, tough day and my mind would not function hence my desperate search for something to write about.

So a check to my favorite “odd” site did not disappoint. The first story that caught my eye is about a bicycle theft. This just proves that thieves are not smart.

Thief steals pricey electric bike, then accidentally calls owner for help on how to recharge it.

Would you like to know the “rest of the story”? The owner ultimately got the bike back. For more details click here: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/oddnews/thief-steals-pricey-electric-bike–then-accidentally-calls-owner-for-help-on-how-to-recharge-it-212029453.html

Remember I said before a trip I always start to hear about the place I’m going. Well May is right around the corner and I’ll be heading to Tennessee . So here’s another Tennessee Headline for you : Tennessee man breaks into civil rights museum, then falls asleep.I wonder if that Tennessee moonshine or the “sippin’ whiskey” had anything to do with it. The museum is in Memphis and I don’t expect to be in that area of Tennessee.

Let’s see what else I can find…. This one is right up my alley..cat that is.

Indiana cat missing 5 years reunited with owner

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) — A cat that went missing five years ago has been reunited with its owner in Indiana thanks to an implanted microchip.

WOWO-AM and WANE-TV report the 10-year-old cat named Charlie showed up at Fort Wayne Animal Care and Control on Monday. Workers there scanned the cat and discovered Charlie had a microchip that identified Virginia Fryback of Fort Wayne as his owner.

Fryback says Charlie disappeared from her home five years ago and she thought she’d never see him again. She thanks the veterinarian who convinced her to get a microchip when Charlie was a kitten

The last headline is for all the hungry people …

Extra crispy: French fry truck burns in Maine

WATERVILLE, Maine (AP) — Bring on the ketchup: A tractor-trailer carrying 40,000 pounds of french fries caught fire in a Wal-Mart parking lot in the Maine city of Waterville.

At least with Walmart right there ketchup would be in good supply.

Well my friends, it isn’t a pretty post but it keeps my “string” unbroken. I hope you got a chuckle out of some of these stories.

Cat Prodigy

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

I live with a cat prodigy. It’s not easy. In the beginning it meant baby safe locks on all the cabinets unless I wanted to come home to find him sleeping on the dinner plates.

Then he learned to open the tri-fold closet doors. I couldn’t find a lock for those so a stool blocks the doors from opening now.

I come home to the TV flickering away when I know I turned it off before I went out and the ceiling fan…well, lets just say he even knows how to adjust the speed. I watched him with the remote just last night. After he got the fan up to medium he went back , nosed it around and with a very deliberate paw, pressed the button for the lights, switched his tail and walked away.

He’s been typing for years. It’s how he earned the title of “Editor -in- chief”.

Editor in Chief

Today he discovered a new trick. He took a selfie with my cell phone. I watched him do it!

Usually he hates my phone. He’s always trying to chew on it but this time he moved it around with his paw and managed to unlock the screen. Next thing I knew the flash went off. After that he lost interest.

I checked the camera function and there it was… his very own “selfie”.

He’s a scary cat… Sometimes I think he’s smarter than me. What will he figure out next?

Dazed and Confused

Posted on April 3, 2014April 3, 2014 by Dusty Roads

As I mentioned recently Smokey is in his senior years. He is 17 as close as we can figure.

We’ve had a few health scares in recent years as he tries to age gracefully but his newest issue is upsetting the whole household.

We think, that’s the vet and me, that he may be getting a little senile. It started a couple of months ago. At first it was only occasionally at night, always after I’d gone to bed (of course). I’d be awakened by this horrible caterwauling. I’d get up only to find Smokey in the bathroom, sometimes in the tub, crying at the top of his lungs. I don’t know if he liked the way the tile amplified the sound or what but he wouldn’t “snap out of it” until I touched him. Then he’d seem to refocus on me and start purring. Over the course of the past few months these episodes have become more frequent and no longer confined to the nighttime. On the good side, a word from me will now snap him out of it instead of having to physically touch him.

After a complete physical the vet confirmed that there was no medical reason for this behavior so we concluded it was Feline Alzheimer, not uncommon in senior cats.

Since this behavior has sprouted Smokey actually seems happier. He wanders around the house purring at the top of his little lungs. He doesn’t seem to mind Buddy any more. (That had been a bit uneasy) and he seems to have more confidence.

Maybe that increased confidence is what started Smokey competing with Rocky for the spot under the heat lamp. Maybe he gets cold easier since he’s lost weight and is the “old man”. I don’t know, so although Rocky doesn’t like it , we’re dealing with it. Rocky frets and paces but doesn’t force Smokey down. If Smokey stays there too long Rocky just gives up and takes the other cat tree or occasionally takes Smokey’s old perch. The point is, they seem to have worked it out.

But now, just this past week, Smokey has decided to take on Buddy.

Why this is strange is because cats are by nature territorial, even if the territory extends no further than the end of the couch. Each of the cats has a “spot” they call their own. Rocky’s was under the heat lamp, Smokey’s was one level up and the top spot or “crows nest” was empty. When we got Buddy he simply went to the empty spot and made it his own. For the past year that’s been the hierarchy and there’s been no conflict.

A couple of nights ago I went to my “spot” at the end of the couch and Buddy was there! That was a surprise.

Usually none of the cats sleep in my seat. It’s like they respect it as mine. Then it occurred to me that a few days before I’d almost sat on Smokey because he’d curled up there and his gray fur blended with the gray couch. So I started looking for Smokey and there he was … in Buddy’s spot in the crow’s nest!

I patted Buddy and told him not to worry, Smokey would give it back soon. Then I sat down on the bench where I had a small throw for the cats and got out the cat nip. Buddy moved over immediately. About 15 minutes later Smokey moved down to his normal perch and all was back in order.

This morning I heard hissing and the blinds rattling and Smokey was back up in the crow’s nest. Buddy had climbed the cat tree to try to get in and Smokey was under siege. Even weighing 7 lbs less than Buddy and with no claws, Smokey won the day. Buddy moved down to the middle perch where Smokey usually relaxes.

Not too long after his victory Smokey gave up top spot and wandered over to the food bowl. Buddy didn’t miss his chance to reclaim his “spot” of choice. Smokey seemed to have forgotten all about it.

I can see life will be interesting as Smokey’s condition advances and disrupts the balances among the 3 cats.

Photo of the Week ~ 12

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

The week 12 tallies are in. The Photo of the Week with the most hits, likes, shares and/or comments is Smokey at 17 with a total of 31 points.

To order prints click here: http://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com/p161572686/h14e80fb2#h14e80fb2

Health Check ~ Smokey

Posted on March 23, 2014March 23, 2014 by Dusty Roads

It’s hard to believe that my Mr. Cranky Pants aka Smokey is 17 years old. The average age for a house cat is 13. Of course as you get older things stop working like they did when you were a kitten.

And so it is with Mr. Smokeymon. I always said he was like a little laid back Jamaican “mon”. He was always so calm and purrfectly friendly but as we know, with age comes “Crankiness” and Smokey has shown himself to be a bit more short tempered than in his younger days. Hisses are more common toward his roomies but he still likes me, his human. In fact he has become very possessive of me.

He is the cat that has to be in the same room at all times. He has begun to get a little senile and when he finds himself separated loud yowls disturb the peace until I can either get to him or get his attention. Then they stop immediately and turn to loud , rumbling purrs.

His annual check-up rolled around this week. He’s lost weight. At one time he was a rolly poly 13.5 lbs. but over the last couple of years he’s steadily lost weight (Wish I could say the same for me) until he’s now down to 10 lbs. 10 oz. Even so he can still make the other 2 cats in the house “toe the line”.

Because of the weight loss and our past scare with possible renal failure we ran blood panels. On the renal side he’s stable, very little change there. The vet also checked his thyroid, all the numbers were within normal range. Finally they took his blood pressure and found that to be fine too. For a very senior cat he is doing well.