Tag Archives: cats

Banner King of Chaos, Director of Illumination & Head of Printer Operations

Posted on by

 

Banner the ornage cat reves up with a cup of Joe before planning his daily does of chaos

The Internet Is Full of Cute Cats… But None Like Mine

The internet is overflowing with adorable felines.

There are the upside‑down cuddlers, Doug the 1‑der Cat and his lobster alter‑ego, the Business Cats, and the Canadian trio — Pudding, Onyx, and Olive — who run the Oreo Cat empire. Milo and Poppy (the black cat who never blinks) always deliver drama, and Maisie is the newest chaos intern in that household. Walter the Wizard Cat casts spells daily. If you displease him you will be sent to the VOID.

And then there are Kurt and Gary — the emotional support duo of the entire internet. Kurt, with his soulful eyes and “I’ve seen things” expression, radiates the energy of a cat who has read your diary and still loves you. Gary, meanwhile, is pure serotonin in whisker form — the kind of cat who could fix a bad day just by existing. Together they’re the quiet heartbeat of Cat Internet, the ones you check on like old friends.

I love them all.
But none of them — none — get into the kind of nonsense Banner does.

Banner’s Resume: Director of Illumination

You may recall Banner’s 3 a.m. hobby: turning on the bathroom light.
Not with a paw tap.
Not with a gentle nudge.
No — with bite marks in the switch.

Every light switch in this house is now in protective custody behind child‑proof covers. Banner considers this a personal challenge.

Nanaki, the orange upside‑down kitty, might give him a run for his money — Nanaki recently learned to turn on the oven.

Meet Nanki and his long suffering hooman

Banner hasn’t figured that out yet, but he does enjoy warming his behind on mine whenever it’s on. So we’re… halfway there.

And Now: Head of Printer Operations

But here’s where Banner truly sets himself apart.

Banner has decided the printer is his personal chaos button, and he is committed to pressing it at every opportunity.

This cat has exactly two modes:

  1. Sleeping like a Victorian child in a painting
  2. Causing administrative disasters

He’s not trying to print anything.
He’s summoning the Paper Spirits.
In his little cat brain, the logic is simple:

“I push this button, and the house makes snow.”

Incident #1: The Paper Blizzard

The first time he found the print button, I got one blank page.
Not ideal, but survivable.

When I returned home later, the entire paper tray was empty. Pages were scattered across the floor like confetti after a parade. The culprit? Snoozing peacefully in the bedroom, pretending innocence.

Incident #2: The Full Diagnostic Suite

A couple days of peace passed.
Then Banner apparently thought:

“I haven’t caused any chaos lately.”

I heard the printer whir to life.
There he was — sitting smugly on top of it like a tiny furry CEO.

I expected another blank page.
Nope.

He triggered a full diagnostic.

Four pages of printer diagnostics.
A full‑color test page.
And then — because he’s thorough — a one‑page printer report.

At this point, the printer needs a warning label:

“Not cat‑proof. Not even a little.”

Banner’s IT Career Begins

This cat isn’t playing anymore. He has:

  • Initiated a system audit
  • Run a diagnostic suite
  • Possibly applied for a job in IT

Honestly, the printer should automatically stamp each page:

“Triggered by: Banner the Menace.”

Emergency Protocol: Power Button

That was the last straw.
I turned off the power button.

They say most cats never figure out power buttons — they’re too flush, too boring, and they don’t make satisfying noises. Banner prefers the chaos buttons: the ones that beep, whirr, and spit out paper like a Vegas slot machine.

But on my printer, all the buttons are flush… and he’s already mastered those. I may not be safe unless I unplug the machine entirely.

Banner’s Troubleshooting Sequence

If he tries again, I fully expect him to follow the classic cat IT protocol:

  1. Stare at printer
  2. Tap it once
  3. Tap it harder
  4. Sit on it
  5. Yell at it
  6. Walk away like he never cared

He may not have been able to change the lightbulb for me, but he can run my printer like an IT pro.

The Printer’s Future Looks Grim

Who knows what he’ll get into next — especially once he borrows the orange cat brain cell again. Whatever he thinks of next, I just hope it doesn’t involve electricity, diagnostics, or anything with a paper tray.

Banner and his old printer before it bit the dust. I wonder if it got clogged with orange cat hair?

 

Banner, My Little Helper

Posted on by

 

Banner the cat gets ready to start his day with a cup of Joe.

A Day in the Life (With Cats, of Course)

My days are pretty full. A “typical” day — if such a thing exists — might include some housework. Believe it or not, I love cleaning my kitchen. I spend so much time in there that making it sparkle feels like restoring my natural habitat.

Then come the smaller chores: taking out the trash, scooping the kitty litter, doing laundry. Somewhere in there I carve out an hour or two with my resident lap cat, Balboa, to read a chapter or two from whatever book currently has its claws in me.

And of course, I always make time to write. Sometimes it’s a full post, sometimes it’s just a snippet to be polished later. In between all that, I pay bills, run errands, and do the weekly grocery run.

This post contains support‑the‑blog links. If you choose to purchase through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting Around Dusty Roads — it truly helps keep this little corner of the internet going.

The Chores I Don’t Love

What I do not enjoy are those little unplanned chores — the ones that ambush you. The smoke alarm starts chirping at 3 a.m. because the battery is dying. The toilet won’t stop running because it needs a new flapper (yes, I replace those too).

But the absolute worst offender?

Changing a light bulb.

The moment I drag out my ladder, all those ridiculous light‑bulb jokes start running through my head.
How many software engineers does it take to screw in a light bulb? None — it’s a hardware problem.
You know the type. How many have you heard?

My Ongoing Feud With the Ladder

So why does such a simple task bother me? One word: ladder. I can trip over my own feet with both of them firmly on the ground. When I use my step stool to reach the top shelf in the kitchen, I hold my breath. It’s only one step, but still…

The older I get, the more convinced I am that the ladder is out to get me. I even upgraded — tossed the old wooden one and bought a heavy‑duty rubber model that could probably support a small elephant. It’s sturdy, reliable, and still absolutely terrifies me.

Enter Banner: Supervisor of All Heights

But not my little helper.

Banner is fascinated. The moment I lock the ladder open, he’s right under my feet. Hmmm… could this be part of why I fear falling? Once the ladder is set, I’m ready to climb — in theory. In reality, I suddenly discover dozens of “urgent” tasks at ground level. Procrastination is an art form, and I am a master.

Banner, however, is not. He inspects each step with great seriousness, climbing all the way to the top. Once there, he surveys the kitchen like a tiny orange foreman. It is now his personal domain, and he is the supervisor of all that happens here. If only he had hands and opposable thumbs.

The Light Bulb Gets Changed… Just Not by Me

Did the light bulb get changed?
Yes. Yes, it did — but not by me or Banner.

My much younger, very kind neighbor came to rescue the old lady in distress. In minutes, the old bulbs were out, the new ones were in, and the crisis was over. As he stepped off the ladder he said, “Nice ladder — where’d you get that? And can I pet the cat?”

And just like that, the job was done.

Kitty Shenanigans: The Continuing Saga of Life With Two Cats

Posted on by

 

Cat Wrestling to start the day off right. What more can be in store for me?

The Morning Mayhem Begins

What a morning. My two tiny terrors have been in rare form. Usually the day starts the same way: breakfast for both kitties, followed by a full‑speed race around the condo. I try not to be in my recliner when this happens, because it’s one of the main sections of their racetrack. They’re just as likely to launch off my head — leaving tufts of my gray hair behind — as they are to springboard off the back of the chair. It’s truly a dangerous place to sit once they’re wound up.

The Post‑Race “Recovery” Phase

After that comes the recovery phase. Once they’ve burned off that first burst of morning energy, they each find a spot for a quick nap while they wait for me to clean the litter box. They supervise this process closely. As soon as I finish, they each reclaim a box — I’ll spare you the explanation. Then they get their morning treats, and normally I get a little peace to write, read, or even sneak in a nap of my own.

Balboa, Agent of Desktop Chaos

But today? Today they rewrote the script.

It started with Balboa. As soon as he finished breakfast, he came over to my desk to “see what I was doing.” He stretched out across the desktop, looking perfectly relaxed. That was just to lull me into a false sense of security. The moment I moved my hand from mouse to keyboard, a paw shot out like lightning. He grabbed for the mouse. I grabbed back. My typing came to a halt. Balboa was not deterred. His paw moved from mouse to keyboard, and the next thing I knew, I had a whole blog post of kitty gibberish.

This back‑and‑forth went on for a while. I was getting nothing done, and Balboa was delighted with himself. Fortunately, he has a short attention span and eventually wandered off to find some other form of mischief.

Banner vs. The Fitbit: A Rivalry for the Ages

Enter Banner.

My Fitbit was on the charger — and somehow, Banner knew. My Fitbit is his nemesis. He tries to chew it off my arm, he finds it when I hide it in the medicine cabinet during my shower, and no matter which charging station I use, he senses it. He has some sort of sixth sense for wearable technology.

Thus began my efforts to distract a determined agent of chaos. Banner has a much longer attention span than Balboa, and this was turning into a full morning of distraction. Cat 1, Hooman 0. The Fitbit barely survived.

Eventually, I gave up trying to charge it and put it back on my wrist. Banner gave me a tail flip — the feline equivalent of a rude gesture — followed by a disgusted look before wandering off, muttering under his breath the whole way.

Temporary Peace… Probably

Back to my work… I hope.

I quietly snuck the Fitbit back onto the charger. Both cats finally settled down for their morning nap/recharge cycle. And now I wait, wondering what they’ll dream up next.

Tiger Panther box war

Living with cats is like living with tiny, furry project managers — always supervising, never helpful, and absolutely convinced the world revolves around their schedule.

Banner and Balboa would like you to know this post contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a small commission — which they insist should go toward treats, toys, or whatever they’ve decided to knock off the counter next.

 

Introducing MeoWant-A Cat Centric Partnership

Posted on by | 2 Comments

MeoWant Joins the Family

I got invited to be an affiliate for Meowant, a company that leans into the techy side of cat care — think automated litter boxes, smart cleaning systems, a sleek pet fountain, air purifiers, and a grooming kit. If you’re someone who loves automation and gadgets that make pet care easier, they’ve got a surprisingly robust lineup. Check out the full line up here

A must have litter box for your cat. Makes cleanup a breeze

Around here, we’re still using our trusty old fountain (it has a few good years left in it), and automated litter boxes aren’t the best match for Banner’s… creative output style. But plenty of cat households swear by automated setups, and Meowant has several options for people who like their pet gear on the high‑tech side.

For now, I’m giving them a cozy little spot in Dusty’s Picks — a soft hello while we see where the partnership goes and whether their catalog grows into something that fits our home even better down the line. In the meantime thier web page has lots of cute cat pictures. Check it out here.

 

National Cat Lady Day: I Was Born Ready

Posted on by

 

Long live the Cat Ladies. Endorsed by the Feline Nap Authority.

 National Cat Lady Day

Today is National Cat Lady Day, which is really just a polite way of saying “the cats were already in charge, but now it’s official.”

Banner and Balboa have graciously allowed me to observe the holiday by:

  • Providing snacks on demand
  • Serving as a heated lap accessory
  • Accepting that every chair is a cat chair
  • And remembering that I am merely the staff

If you, too, have ever canceled plans because a cat fell asleep on you, congratulations — you’re celebrating correctly.

Long live the Cat Ladies.
Endorsed by the Feline Nap Authority.