Musings on a Small Life

Happy Mancat Monday, featuring the neighbourhood mooches, Jake and George. Below: Jake as I was checking my mailbox...being his usual goofy self! Of course he followed me back to my unit for treats. Below: George being his usual moochy self! My week vacation has come and gone and I'm in the middle of catching up on email and tackling the more "urgent" things first. Drinking no-no coffee (because of the GERD) and trying to get my sluggish brain in gear. I had only one day trip, though that's one more than I managed at the beginning of July! Just to visit friends for the day, catch up in person. Below: One of her neighbourhood mooches, very demanding. (Also very congested there, with a bad URI, poor baby. I'll refrain from commenting on what I think about his human "caretaker".) Sadly, there was another great loss in the Cat Blogosphere this weekend, (so many losses this year, both human and non-human). Beloved Katie of  katieisabella.blogspot.com/ . Sendi...

I don't actually know George's "sibling's" name ("siblings" from different parents), and the little tuxie might actually be a ladycat. H/she is very skittish, unlike George the Moochiest Cat Ever, so it was a bonus to be able to snap a pic of him/her last week. (I had tossed out Temptations, though they're not as food-motivated as George.)     George's pic was snapped this morning. He'd already had two rounds of treats and was looking for a third (not a chance). He's very hard to photograph because he comes too close, too quickly, but I lucked out today.   Jake's been around too, was here this morning when George was on round #2, but I didn't get a pic of him. 🤷   Have a good week, everyone, and take care. I'm on staycation next week, so I think this week will feel long !   

I met Jasper at Lake Ontario Park yesterday, a gloriously sunny morning for a change. He's a two-year old barn "adoptee," and his humans trained him to harness when he was a kitten. Don't be fooled by his intense expression; he was the sweetest boy, came trotting right over to say hi as soon as I stopped. I couldn't get a good pic of him because he really wouldn't hold still long enough, between rubbing against my legs and being eager to explore. He was totally chill about all the dogs being walked (the sunshine brought everyone out!) Seeing him totally made my day!

Jake is another mancat in our complex with a home. I hadn't seen him in a few weeks, but he showed up not long after I got home from errands yesterday. He got half a can of Fancy Feast and some Greenies, for his troubles. 😻 He hung out for a while then wandered off to make his rounds. He's more standoffish than George, not as much of a mooch either. I saw a lovely charcoal grey cat sporting a pink collar last week, sitting at the end of a driveway and watching a young brown tabby (that might or might not have a home) roll around on the ground in front of her, wanting to be friends. I really wish people would keep their fur babies inside, we live adjacent to a two major city thoroughfares, but ultimately it's not my business. 🫤 Anyway, any kitty is welcome to come for FF and treats, if they so desire. 😻🙂

I found out last week that George is 8 now. His mom told me last week that George was only supposed to be temporary, a favour for a relative, but she couldn't let him go. (I think an overseas move was involved in all of this.) So it all worked out well in the end.  He's starting to chunk out a bit, and I don't think it's all due to the incoming winter coat. (Kim whistles nonchalantly.)  Happy Monday!

I had a couple of new catnip toys tucked away and I dug one out last Thursday evening just to see if George would enjoy it. He did, at least for a few minutes! I think he's more treat-motivated than nip-motivated, but I'll pick up a package of organic nip the next time I'm in a local pet supplies shop getting his Greenies. Happy Monday!

George this morning, on his SECOND visit for treats. 😸     Right now I have three electrical guys here and the tiling/installer fellow doing the grouting. It's kind of hard to focus on work at the moment! I spent almost a solid 11 hours yesterday (Sunday) patching, sanding, painting, painting and painting, but I finished the living room and did two coats in the hall closet too. I reclaimed my couch at last (!) and even got the curtain panels and sheers up (double rod in the living room). That took FOREVER, as I had to fiddle, fiddle and fiddle again, up and down, up and down, up and down on the step ladder.    Pic from Friday... So close !    Have a calm day, everyone! (I'm scattered and "crazy" enough right now!)

The first is Stewie, whom I didn't even recognize, the store cat at one of the Pet Valu locations. I had stopped in yesterday to get Leonard's treats, saw this fellow and thought it was a new store cat. Stewie has lost a LOT of weight and looks great! (Intentional, not because he has a medical issue.) He was keeping his distance from a woman and her dog. The second mancat is Leonard, obviously, from this morning. He's such a sweet boy. What a mooch!   As for the kitchen, it's coming along. The cabinets are in, the door pulls are all on, and the fridge and stove have been moved back into place. I spent Friday evening and both Saturday and Sunday afternoons organizing my most-used items, which did require a run to Dollarama for storage bins. I still have quite a few things to find a home for, things I rarely use but don't want to donate (wine glasses, glass cookware, etc.)   The pics are from Friday when the installer was still here, before the fridge and stove were p...

A few pics from my visit with friends: Their rescued stray, Miss Kitty (of course now Queen of the Home) and Willy (or Snowball, as friend R calls him). Willy does have a home, though he prefers the food and attention at R & C's house. Miss Kitty Willy/Snowball Have a great day!

I was visiting my aunt (Mom's younger sister) in Cardinal this weekend. She had moved back to Ontario from Halifax after Mom passed, as she has a daughter and granddaughters in the area. We had stopped in and visited with this middle daughter yesterday, a cousin I hadn't seen (and didn't remember other than name only) in almost 50 years. The daughter/my cousin lives further out in the country with her partner on a couple of acres of gorgeous property, backing onto a farmer's fields. (It's beautiful, I'd never leave if I were there.) Anyway, they have two cats, Tigger and Oscar. Oscar was in hiding the entire time, but Tigger was quite sociable and happy to pose for the camera. He knows how handsome he is! They also have a dog, Onyx, who is a real sook! She couldn't get enough scritches and cuddles. The four-legged fur therapy was wonderful! I'm off very early tomorrow morning to visit friends, will take my camera in case the weather clears (cold and rain...

I posted a bad cell snapshot of this cutie, whose name is Leonard, at the end of a vacation post: https://keaslife.blogspot.com/2023/06/vacation-day-4-in-stanley-park-part-2.html At the time I wasn't sure if he had a home or had been abandoned. I've since learned his name, obviously, and that yes, he does have a home in one of the units on our street. Pics from early July. He's very friendly, but oh, he's full of mischief too! He discovered the robin nest outside my door, and while he didn't get any of the babies (he would not have been able to get just one of them if he could have accessed the nest, which I highly doubt, given its location among the dense branches), he sure did create a real ruckus for them all. The parents were hollering at him and dive-bombing him repeatedly one morning, as I was heading out for errands. I lured him away a few times before I had to catch the bus, and when I finally left, he had parked himself under the shrub by my door, the brat....

Derry was out in the garden yesterday, meowing up a storm. From his tone, I knew there was another cat on the other side of the fence, so I popped out with my camera to see who was hanging about. I've seen him before, fairly recently, and believe him to be someone's indoor/outdoor cat. He was wary and wouldn't approach, but didn't run away when I crouched down by the corner of my garage and talked to him. (I had my zoom camera, as he was at the other end of the walkway, by the back of my fence, probably about 30 feet away.) I seldom know whether Derry wants to meet a particular roaming cat, or if he's upset by their presence. Well, I do know he dislikes Carla, who has been around a long time, but I don't know about the others that come and go with their people. Anyway, other than Derry's "monologue," this fellow didn't seem to cause too much of a ruckus.  :-) Take care, all; I hope the week goes well.

Crispy hostas make good pillows, apparently.

The feral cat has been waiting for me for the past couple of mornings, from his vantage point of underneath a nearby parked car. He alternately squeaks and hisses at me, but he doesn't go too far, having quickly come to understand that I have his breakfast. (I had to zoom in with the phone for the snap below.) He's got something stuck in his tail and there's a small patch of something else stuck to his fur (looks like a surface thing, not a skin issue) on his right haunch. Poor little man. I've seen him only in the mornings, would be happy to feed him supper too, if he came by and I saw him. When he finishes eating he heads off in a specific direction, so I guess he has his territory. As a bittersweet contrast, here's MY mancat late yesterday. He was pretty clingy all Saturday, but had settled down a bit by Sunday. ****** I'm just waiting for the guys to show up, they should be here around 8 AM. I think they'll only be sanding and mudding the drywall patches...