Pretty in Red

One chair, one blanket, two happy cats.

Mew reports a few technical difficulties...

Much better!

Buttons

Une fois n'est pas coutume, there is a new feline guest on the blog: our "cousin" Buttons, who was adopted a couple of months ago by my French friend Nathalie, along with her sister Bettle. These two have turned from shy ladies into beautiful, happy, playful cats, and also jumping/backflip champions!


They are not easy to photograph, as they get easily scared - unlike my monkey crew who won't budge unless you shake a box of dry food! Beetle is a black cat, which makes her especially complicated... so for now, you will have to settle with Buttons' photoshoot!

Never come between a cat and his grass...

Buttons likes to pose... a slightly melancholy air...

She has a really nice view from her balcony!

2010

Happy New Year everyone!

I just realize it's been a couple of months since my last posts, even though I have a billion pictures to share... ahhh what can I say, I'm lazy... and the longer I indulge, the worse it gets!

But the kitties have been adamant that I should show the world how adorable, hilarious and annoying they can be... so I'm back :)

Let's get started with crappy quality pictures of unhappy cats. We spent a week in Texas for Christmas, and the kitties did NOT approve. Not one bit. They thought if they camped on our luggage then we wouldn't get to leave... of course that didn't work.

The Motherload

Today Isis batted one of her mousies under the stove, and couldn't get it back. After much pitiful meowing and staring at me with big Disney eyes, she finally convinced me to go get something to get her mousie back.

Oh boy. Did I find a treasure!
After scooping a few times with the Da Bird wand, I retrieved no less than six toy mice, a sharpie marker, a few paperclips and packing peanuts, and enough hair to make a new kitten!

Now the mystery of the disappearing-toys-never-to-be-found-under-the-couch is solved:

Please vote for those rescues!

Here in the United States, the big bank Chase is going to give away a lot of money to small charities, and they have set up a facebook application with which you can vote for your favorite charity, to try and help them get some much-needed $$$.

Of course, the kitties and I are supporting our two favorite animal rescues!
There is Kitten Rescue, which helps so many unwanted cats and kittens of Los Angeles find loving homes each year...

And the Mutt Scouts, a wonderful dog rescue based in Los Angeles. The Mutt Scouts take in even the broken and sick dogs who need extensive medical treatment... the dogs that have lost their faith in the human race and have to be nursed back to health and trust. The victims of human neglect and cruelty. These people REALLY make a huge difference in the life of so many dogs, please help them get a donation from Chase so they can help even more!

Here is the link, you can only vote once for each charity, but you have a total of 20 votes available, so if you have your own favorite charities, you can help them too :) unfortunately, I think this voting thing is available only on facebook, where you have to become a fan and set up their application (you can delete it when you're done).

Wicket says "pwetty pweeease?!"

Mutt Scouts:
http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/1302594

Kitten Rescue:
http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/1223343

Please spread the word, and thank you so much for helping!

Virginie and the furries

And links to the rescue groups' websites :
http://www.kittenrescue.org/
http://themuttscouts.wordpress.com/

HO HO HO!

Today, I would like you to look straight in the eye of Happiness:

Yes, it finally happened... The cats have been spared all this time, but this year I couldn't take it any longer: I had to get them a Santa Paws hat and costume!

Oh , the joy in little furry hearts!

The cheerfulness! The holiday spirit!


Cas really are such naturally graceful animals...

Coming next, the costume!

Stuffing the Kitties!

So today is the day where everyone is supposed to be thankful, and eat until they explode. The humans felt very grateful today at Casa Nini, but didn't do much eating, being far from their families and all that.

However, to compensate, we stuffed the cats silly! They get raw food a few times a week (should be more, if Mom wasn't in such a rush all the time... ahem), and one of their favorite meals EVER is game hen. You know, those tiny chickens that you buy whole and frozen at the store? Yeah, they LOVE it. Raw, with skin, bones and all. Yums.

Tonight for dinner they devoured a pretty big one, all by themselves, in one setting. All that was left was the back (too much bone) and the wings (they don't like those). Everything else was munched diligently by happy kitty teeth! And you would think that after such a meal they would want to pass out to digest... NOPES! They want to PLAY PLAY PLAY, and have been rocketbutting around the apartment for the past thirty minutes :D

Disclaimer: Do not, EVER, feed COOKED bones to your cats (or dogs)! Cooking makes bones really hard and splintery, and they break into shards that can be extremely dangerous for your pet - the risk of perforation of the stomach, oesophagus or intestines is very high.
Uncooked poultry or rabbit bones, on the other hand, are very soft and easy to chew for a cat used to eating raw. Mine only leave a few dry pieces of bone when they are done - the yummy cartilage is what they like best!

I present you... kitty-stuffing in pictures - true Turkey Day style!

Chewie always gets a drumstick, it's her favorite thing to eat. She LOVES bones, and will not come ask for seconds until her bone is all munched up and there's only a few splinters left. Tonight she took it to the other end of the kitchen, to make sure it was safe. You never know who might want to steal your chicken leg!

Mew is usually very quiet and waits silently while dinner is prepared, but she was so excited about the raw meat that she kept purring, chirping and meowing in my ear all the while I was cutting the bird up. She head bumped my hand a few times, which didn't really help me finish faster... she had seconds AND thirds tonight. Yummers!

Wicket got a drumstick too, and was purring to himself as he ate... there was NOTHING left on his plate after five minutes! He too got seconds and thirds, and tried to drag the carcass off the plate to get some more... he's got the Thanksgiving stuffing spirit down pat.

Isis is a little more dainty than the others... she likes to eat the ribs and the cartilage on the bird's chest. She picks it up delicately and then CHOMPCHOMPCHOMP... it's gone.

Note that all cats eat with their eyes closed, and with those contented expressions on their faces... it's so much fun to see them eat and purr and enjoy their meal so much.

I'm very thankful for many things this year, and particularly for my four furry friends. I'm thankful that they are in good health, always silly, always getting in trouble, always making me laugh, always cuddling with me when I'm all doom-and-gloom... Happy Thanksgiving to y'all! Hug your messy beasts for me :)

Weird and Wonderful

Am I the only one to be amazed that flamingos make such beautiful models?

Their serpentine necks, stilt legs, gorgeous colors and gracious poses... And also their weird, slightly creepy eyes and beaks, and the stink, lord, the stink! Nothing gracious about it!

I do love taking pictures of them though.

Toe Fluff

I wuvs it!

Back in the loop!

We're back! It's been a long time, we know, but we've been so busy... what have we been up to, you may ask? Well... there's a lot to be done in this house.


Keeping an eye on the treat bag...

The Cat Who Stares at Spoons

Snoopervising from a safe place...

Trying out new boxes and checking them for comfort...

Keeping an eye on the birds...

Checking in on the plants...

What an exhausting job... but someone has to do it!