The new meds

So Esme got a new prescription, and it's not a pill this time.
"It used to be capsules, but now it's a kind of oily liquid. Cats really like it. It smells like vanilla, and probably tastes like it, too. See? She's licking her lips."

Yeah, she's licking her lips, but don't ask what she's doing before the stuff finally hits her mouth. She tosses her head like a horse and Mom has to put the death grip on her. For a cat who is so easy going about a pill that tastes disgusting (Mom speaks from own experience), she's amazingly NOT easy going about that other stuff (that Mom says is not so bad, again from own experience - it's the new IN to share meds with your cats, didn't you know ... nah, no worries, they don't actually share, but they actually do take the same kinds of meds).

The funny thing is that every self-respecting cat would try to avoid taking that stuff at all by hiding underneath the bed, in a corner that is hard to get to, or run, run, run until the weakly human is worn out (it doesn't take long).
Not Esme. She runs a few steps and then turns around and lets Mom grab her. She stays on the bed when Mom comes into the room pretending to let the shades down.
Mom says she's cute, lovely and her sweet girly. I say my sister needs some serious cat training.

Take today for example. Mom came in and wasn't fast enough. Esme looked at her and there she was underneath the bed. Well done, sis! The old lady went down on the floor looking for her. Smart little Esme was on the other side of the bed. It takes hours until the old lady is up again and ready to go to the other side, no problem for a cat to run.
What did Esme do, however? Sit down, you won't believe this. When Mom said "Oh sweetie, you know we have to do it. I don't like it any more than you do", sweetie came crawling towards her!!! Until Mom could grab her and put her on the bed. What the ... I was shocked. Three tosses of the head and twenty seconds later Esme was free to go ... licking her lips.
And thirty seconds later she was snuggling up to Mom. And five minutes later they were at the desk together, actually Esme was on the desk, and they were sitting there, Mom's cheek against Esme's forehead, in silence. They are an odd couple.

Ok, so I might be a bit jealous. I just got to hear "Oh Pon, stop that now!!!" Mom's pushing it while it's still the old year and she doesn't have to pay each time she says it ...

Kitty cats

My my, aren't we a handsome lot?
This is the collage Mom and her sister are using for a card to send to one of their vets who moved away. They didn't get the chance to say goodbye themselves, so they let us do it.
Much better than using pictures of themselves, don't you think?

P.S. Mom said she'd make one resolution for the new year, by the way. She wants to ban the words "Stop that now" from her vocabulary. I wonder if we can make a deal that each time she says it she has to give me a treat or something. I'm quite I'd be rich!

The many tasks of a feline supervisor

I watch the house.
I watch Mom.
I clean up after one of us felines puking, at least I try. Mom says more than once it was me leading her to the right spot because she heard me cleaning.
I keep Meffi fit (Mom told me to say that she thinks me attacking Meffi to catch her attention is NOT fitness training, but what does she know?).
I keep Greebo fit, we are on the same wrestling team.
I provide uniform wear for all the furniture in the house by changing sleeping spots a lot.
I'm the official opera singer.
I keep Mom company at the computer and help her typing ("And deleting!!" Oh, shut up, Mom, go write your own blog post.).
I officially greet all visitors to the house.

I'm just adorable.

There is so much more of course, but today I got a new task.
I'm supposed to keep Mom fit now, it seems. I just wonder what she'll look like after a while if her left arm is all muscular because I prefer her left shoulder to hang onto and her left arm to lie on. As of today I'm the offical weight. Yup, you read that right.
We started our first weight lifting training today. She didn't really expect to leave her arm alone just because it was going up and down, did she??

The bunny room

Mom says people have always asked or laughed about the bunny room. She told me about the first bunnies they had, Wurstel (which means something like "little sausage", but she says it was just because he was such a little baby when they took him home from the zoo to raise him) and Krümel (which means "crumb"). It's a pity that she hasn't scanned any pictures of them yet.
Well, even back then the room was called the bunny room. There have always been bunnies around, some were shy, some were a bit mean, some older, some younger ... and then as you know there is my pal Buster.

It's sad, but I have to tell you that Buster is in jail. An innocent victim. First he has been evicted this morning from his nice big room where he was allowed to roam free and even had access to the rest of the place if he only was ready to cross the step. His home was rudely taken away, his food and water bowls, his toys, his bag of hay ... and then even the ground.
So when he was still wondering what had happened to his world, he was picked up and taken away to jail.
She didn't even give him a little metal cup to bang the bars with. She didn't give him his hut because she thought he would climb it and jump out - back into FREEDOM!
Ok, it's not all that bad. Mom didn't put the roof on, that's why she left the hut out, and he got apple and carrot today and his two favorite toys and a brandnew wood carrot to gnaw on. He could look a lot less happy, then again I have visiting rights whenever I want to jump in and I took advantage of that about two minutes after he had moved.
As you can tell, he has already settled in quite good (droppings on the floor, wood shavings in his hair) ....

Now you may want to know why Mr Buster has been locked up (no lock, Mom actually wired the door to the cage because she didn't want to screw it on - in a turquoise green wire from her stash!).
His room is getting a makeover. When I asked Mom why I didn't get my own room, she not only told me that I was using all the rooms anyway, but that the bunny room had been neglected makeoverwise (quite sure that's not a word) for too long.

I'll be sure to show you a picture of the new digs once it's finished.

My little sister

Mom keeps telling me that Esme is adorable. You know something?
She is.

Rainy days

Hey hey, long time no see. What's new with you?
Nothing much new around here, the place is still a mess. Next week Buster will have to move temporarily and - don't tell him yet - he will have to be locked up. That's going to be a hard one because he's not used to that anymore. His room will be re-done and we can't have him run around between paint cans and ladders, can we? Even more so because he's the "Bunny of No Fear" and has to stick his nose into everything.
By the way, I didn't share this picture here on the blog yet, did I? My pal and I, we make a great couple.

The gerbils already moved to a new home, and although we were not much interested in them in the old place, it's much more fun watching them now. There hasn't changed much, and still they seem to be more active. I only wonder why Mom keeps telling me "Animal lovers don't knock on the glass". Huh? She must have seen my look because she explained that's what it says in the aquarium of the Stuttgart zoo. Now the gerbils seem to care even a bit which is almost annoying. Shouldn't they run in fear instead of staring us in the eye?

Now let's get to the rainy days, though. It's this month's JAC blog ring theme, and I'm sorry to say that Mom totally forgot it. She isn't good with dates these days, must be the age.
We don't really mind rainy days here, after all we are inside cats (sometimes I think so is Mom on the weekend, she practically has to be pushed out of that door). Then again we all don't really mind water at all. Esme has been known to drink bath water before (with natural oil in it), I have known to jump in the bath tub before, Meffi likes to sleep next to the kitchen sink, and Greebo is probably just too lazy to even care.

Sometimes Mom leaves the window open if the rain comes from the right side and can't get through the window, then we sit on the sill and watch it.
Fall is over, however. We are heading into winter big time, and now we watch snowflakes ... and listen to Mom ranting about snow. Funny, she likes rain, but she hates snow with a vengeance.
Humans, huh?

Want to know what the other JAC people think about rain? Check it out!
N Valentine Studio
Cat's Wire

And if you were good and read all of this, here's a little treat, Esme and I on our rag rugs. Doesn't that look like a perfect solution for a rainy day? ;-)

Who's crazy here?

Just overheard in the crazy cat lady's house while being cuddled to the brink of death.
"Oooooh, you are so sweet and so soft and so ponder-y!!!!!"

Yeah, Mom. And you are so nutty and so crazy!!!!!

Bless their little black hearts ...

This is a quote from one of Mom's favorite Hallowee'en stories. She wrote about it in this month's Jewelry Artisans Community blog ring.
Don't expect Hallowe'en items from me. Esme and I ARE Hallowe'en symbols. Can you imagine that day with black cats? Of course you can't.

For years Mom has told me she'd love to dress up as a witch and "wear" me on her shoulder. Right ... she knows she'd stand no chance telling Esme that. My little sister is not a shoulder cat. And I'm not one that would sit there without digging my claws in. I doubt Mom would be very happy about that.

I'm glad she doesn't have any illusions about dressing us up. That would be funny and very ridiculous. Pretty painful for her, too.
Take a look however at what I found on her computer ...

She is so in trouble. She wants demons eyes? That she can have ... the next time she wakes up in the middle of the night and finds me sitting on her chest glaring at her!!

What do the other JAC members have to say about Hallowe'en? Take a look!

Islandgirl's Insights
N Valentine Studio
And of course Mom ... Cat's Wire

And now I want to ask all cat owners, especially those who have black cats at home, something for Hallowe'en. Please don't let your cats roam around outside that night. It's better for them and for your peace of mind as well.

The yellow ball

In April Mom wrote a post about Esme and her yellow ball which was her favorite toy at that time. The little yellow knobbly ball has come back with a vengeance over the last few days. I think Esme is in training for some Cat Olympics, I just wonder why they didn't invite me?

Yes, I admit it, I am a bit dazzled by this development and so is Mom. Not long and she will start shaking and getting a tic in her eyelid when she hears that familiar thunk thunk telling us the ball is in action again.

Why it has to be the yellow one? No one knows. All I can say is that when it hid under the bed for a few hours, its orange pal jumped in and got fetched exactly twice before it was forgotten again. Don't even ask about the neglected blue one.
Yeah, right. I said "fetched". Greebo and I do it from time to time, but we have become rather lazy in that regard lately. Now Esme is getting really good at it. If fetching is a good thing for a cat, that is. The jury is still out on that.

Can you believe that she even brings that thing and drops it on Mom's desk? In April there was not getting a photo proof of that, but today - after many, many, many pathetic shots - you'll get it exclusively on my blog!

Uh-oh, there's the thunk thunk again ........

Summer? Fall?

Mom had a crazy idea. Every month her jewelry forum, the Jewelry Artisans Community, has a blog carnival which means a bunch of people are writing about one subject.
This month the subject is the transition from summer to fall and she asked me for my opinion about that.

We are all inside cats which means we mostly experience seasons through the open windows, the scent in the air, the clothes Mom is wearing and we shed our hair on, the fact if the heater is turned on or off.

What's most important however is that Mom likes to put a blanket over her legs when sitting at the computer, but not in summer. I lovingly call that my hammock. I don't like it on her lap without the blanket, she's all bumpy and uncomfortable to lie on, at least when she's working at the computer. The hammock is perfect and I love that it's back now!

I would ask what the other three think about it, but they are all fast asleep - preparing for hibernation already maybe?

Do you want to know what the others have to say about fall?
Cat's Wire (that's Mom, I'll put her first to suck up on her a bit more)
N Valentine Studio
Jewelry Art by Dawn
Violetmoon's Corner

The Queen is holding court

Do you think my lovely lady found a new admirer? What's going on here?? It almost looks as if this tiger dude is trying to hold paws with my love??
Somehow I have the feeling I am required to creep up to her and beg for mercy or something. I'm surprised Mom didn't edit a crown or at least a tiara into this picture, Meffi sure looks like she should be wearing one.
Oops, Mom is getting that sparkle in her eyes. I hope she remembers that Meffi doesn't take kindly to people trying to put anything on her ...

What's in a name?

Or to be a bit more precise - what's in a nickname?
Last night Mom and I enjoyed a brushing session. I was half on her shoulder, half on her arm, and she brushed away. It felt really, really good. Unfortunately Mom had to disturb the bliss of getting pampered by talking to me. There are times when you just have to shut up, thank you very much.
I know, I know. I'm very talkative myself. Ok, very, very. It's why Mom thinks I have Siamese genes. That and the fact that both my sister and I sometimes look a little cross-eyed, Esme more often than I, when she's concentrating on something in particular.

How am I supposed to let everything go and just bask in the sensation of the brush in my fur, the repetitive stroking if I have to hear something like this??

"You are my cuddly bear, Stibber." Stibber? Really? My name is Ponder Stibbons and I have been named after a very reputable wizard. It's ok to call me Mr Ponder, Mr Stibbons or "Oh Almighty Cat Who Rules My Life And Whose Humble Slave I'll be Forever". But Stibber? If you think that is bad, just wait.

PonPon, Ponsel (argh), Ponder Ponsonby, Mr Ponsonby (Mom says she has no idea where that name comes from), Ponce, Ponderus ... and more rarely, but it can happen, Stibb or Stibbs. These are only the ones derived from my real name. Nerve bag (which is supposed to mean I'm unnerving), dung beetle, dung toad and other choice names depending on the situation are common as well, but also nauseating names that I can't even translate like "Schnuppelchen", made up weird names (yesterday she said I'm an old "kruggel", what the heck is that supposed to be??) or all kind of "bear" names (as mentioned up there). Gee, lady, I'm a grown panther, not a baby kitten.

Of course I'm not the only one who has to suffer.
Let's hear the names for Greebo who is named after a tough and independent witch cat (ignore his baby looks, he has pulled one or the other stunt in the olden days and is still good for surprises today). Greeb or The Greeb, Greebie, Gribber (can you see the pattern? Stibber, Gribber - so pathetic), Greebinski, Gribbs, GreebGreeb, the Greebmeister, Gribski and he also gets called "baby" a LOT.

What about Esme? Or should I say Essy (a name Mom's sister hates deeply because it reminds her of Essig, the German word for vinegar), Es (which is also the German word for "it"), EsEs, Esmita, Esmita Mita (huh??), Lady Es/Essy/Esme, Esselchen (something like little Essy) and of course Mädelchen = little girl and things like that.

Last but not least here are Meffi's names. You know Meffi is a nickname already, her real name is Mephista, but there's more. MeffMeff, Meffel, Muffel, Muffer, MeeeeffMeeeeff, the Queen, the Lady, and all the others.

It's a shame and this is open protest. I don't have much hope, though. I guess we are just too adorable for Mom's little brain and she keeps blowing a circuit when she sees it which then results in irrational actions and speech.

Black Cats Appreciation Day

Go ahead. Appreciate us all you can, but we need a nap. It's hard work being adorable all the time.
(Which is why he has been spending almost all day like this today!! "Mom")

Esme prefers to not even be seen.

Rag rugs

The other day Mom got out the rag rugs for us. The old carpet had had to go and because she's concerned about our delicate little furry selfs, she thought we needed some more bedding. I wonder when she'll find a Flokati somewhere.

That's pretty funny because we like our "Sea of Boxes", but hey, if it makes her feel better.
It's not as if we don't use them at all. I don't have a picture of Greebo at hand, but here's my queen smartly camouflaged in stripes on stripes (believe me, Mom actually didn't see her the other day and did a great jump off her chair when Meffi suddenly moved).

And here am I, working hard as always. I wish I had a rag rug all in black.

As harmless as rag rugs may seem however is it a little known fact that they often serve as hideouts for dangerous and terrifying creatures.
See for yourself. One moment just a colorful home accessory ....

..... the next moment you face the ice cold killer vampire witch cat!!!

Here comes the bride ...

... and she's just a little shy. Not that I see any need for that, doesn't she look gorgeous?

 

I do think however that the people who were responsible for the veil should have attached it more carefully.

I want to believe

Sasquatch, Nessie, Bigfoot, Yeti, The Beast of Bodmin Moor, Jersey Devil, Chupacabra, aliens... you name the cryptid, monster or extraterrestial and Mom believes in it.
Of course I know that humans are not as smart as us felines, but whenever I try to explain to her that she shouldn't be so gullible for everything, she just laughs and tells me "I want to believe". Well, did she bring Nessie home from Scotland when she was there on vacation? After she kept telling me that she would be the one to see her if she could only go to Loch Ness?

The other day she topped herself, however. She showed me the following pictures as proof for a cryptid living in our very own house ...

I guess that proves it.
The mysterious monster in our house is my very own sister Esme walking across what we call "The Sea of Boxes" here!

Pink???? Pink!!!!

I'm a totally manly man. Everyone knows that. Just look at me. M-A-N. MAN!

 So the following talk should never have taken place.

"There you go. Brandnew litterboxes."
"Pink????"
"They have three colors, but you get what's next on the pile, so pink, yes."
"Pink????"
"Now what's the problem? Would you have preferred the light blue or the kiwi green?"
"We used to have a decent dark blue and burgundy red with grey. Decent's the word. Do I look like a pink kind of guy to you? Don't sigh at me, answer my question."
"Actually I think it looks great with your black fur. Not that I intend to take pictures of you in your litterbox ... which you should be very grateful for."
"Making fun of me does NOT make this better. You are walking on very thin ice."
"Are you threatening me?"
"Could be."
"So what do you have in mind. You don't think of boycotting the boxes, do you?"
"I am not going to tell you. Just expect whatever whenever."
"You know I am the hand that's feeding you, right?"
"You know I am the claw that could get you in your sleep, right? You'd make for a fine meal for a few days."
"Says the cat who is super picky about his food."
"I have priorities. My male pride is one of them."
"Ok, maybe I'll get a box just for you. I saw a nice one at the shop. Dark blue."
"Why are you giggling? What's going on in your small human mind now?"
"Well, the blue has glitter in it."

That was when I turned around to go and shred something. I can only take so much.

Don't touch!

"Ponder, stop that!" "Greebo, will you please stop?" "Don't you dare destroying my boxes!" "Nooo, it's enough now." "I'm going to sell you, I swear." "What's wrong with you today??" "If you scratch the books in that box, you are going out the window in a second, Mister."
And so on and on and on ....

Why is the crazy lady always yelling at Greebo and me?
"Excuse me, but I'm not yelling at the girls because they don't go after the boxes, they are happy to lie on top." "Yeah, sure, 'cos they are boring. There is stuff in there, interesting stuff. I just know it, it's waiting for me to discover it." "Don't be silly. You know all of that stuff, you have been hanging out in my shelves and cabinets often and long enough." "Not in the nature section, I haven't." "Nature is not even packed up yet. You didn't give the Peanuts books so much as a glance when they were still piled on your cat tower, now you constantly try to get in there and I do not like scratched covers, do you hear me? Do you??" "Nag, nag, nag ... all you can do lately is nag. Yesterday you were all over Meffi and me for some harmless ..." "See, I'm not just yelling at Greebo and you. And some harmless hissing and screeching, not even talking about your banshee act in the empty room??" "Great acoustics, I swear." "We don't do midnight concerts here, Mister Opera Singer. Not if there are people trying to sleep one floor down. Not if I am trying to sleep next door." "WE don't. I do." "No, you don't. And stay away from my glasses. You are crazy. What's the fun in biting my glasses. I'll be lost if these break as well. Wait, is that what you want? Get the human out of the picture? You do know about that opposable thumb thing, don't you?" "You are getting paranoid, lady. Here, let me give you a nose kiss." "Oh man, you always know how to do it, eh? Come here, crazy boy, mmm, you are so nice and soft. Of course you are not plotting against me."

Hehe.
And please don't try to tell me humans are not weird.

CSI: Göppingen

It seemed to be an ordinary day in the little Swabian town. People went to work, came from work, went to sleep or got up, got something to eat and lived their ordinary little lives, more or less.
None of the unsuspecting passers-by could have known what would happen in one of their town's ordinary little streets.

Nothing was ordinary about this crime. It was committed in complete silence. It was committed without scruples by a criminal as cold as ice. Someone who knew his job. Someone who let nothing stop him. He came, he hit, he left.

Shortly after the CSI squad appeared on the scene. Only a very trained observer would have noticed the tiny moment of shock they experience when being confronted with the crime scene.
The case is in the paws of Mr. P. Stibbons now who refused to give us an interview at this point of the investigation.

We only got a short statement from Mr. Stibbons' assistant, Ms. M.Ephista, who told us that the possibility of it being an insider job is not ruled out at the moment.

The Jungle Queen

Two blog posts in one day, I know that's hard to believe. This is definitely the day of the girls however. Adorable? Of course. Dangerous? You bet. You don't believe me?
Meet the Queen of the Jungle waiting for the unsuspecting prey. Too bad a paparazza kept the prey away, well, bad for the mighty tiger called Mephista (Meffi would sound much too harmless here), good for me who is now able to once more show you the love of my life.
Honestly, who could resist that gorgeous lady?

The Dell box

Mom didn't think this box was interesting at all, flat and boring as it is, but what do humans know?
Often when she is sitting at the computer now, she hears a noise and with all the packed boxes around that Greebo so likes to use as scratching posts, her instinct kicks in and she yells "Stop it!!" Then she turns around and apologizes to whatever cat just took its seat in the "boring" box.

Usually it's Esme. She loves that thing, can you tell?
She can hold hands with her wooden buddy and tell him about her day, maybe her wishes and dreams and how much the food has been sucking again in this house lately (don't let her sweet little belly distract you from the fact that she's very much malnourished, starving, neglected and has to work so much around here).
I can imagine her saying "You are so lucky, my friend. You don't need food. You don't need snuggles and love at 3 in the morning. It's not easy for a kitty like me."

And sometimes, if I have been really good to her, she lets me sit in there, too. (Yeah, so I AM an attention whore and have problems to blog without including a picture of my gorgeousness! Deal with it!)

Ninja without outfit

He might not wear all black, but I'd still watch out if I were Mom.

ALL boxes are MY boxes

It's funny. Usually if there's a box with content around, Greebo is the first one to have a closer look. He is feeling a little under the weather at the moment however, so maybe that's the reason why I got first dibs on this one. It's filled up with books, you remember I told you there's packing going on. This box has a sticker saying "Tierparkbücher", zoo books. You know I love books and often sleep behind them in closets that I open although it gets me stern looks (yeah, as if Greebo and Esme don't do it, too). This is a lousy video. Mom knows that when she gets up I usually stop doing whatever I'm doing right now, especially if she holds a camera. I love that disappointed "oh maaaaan" sound, hehe. So once again she took this from the next room, zooming in. Forgive her, she's old and her hands are not that steady anymore. Don't listen to her saying the light was bad, too. She's good at cheap excuses. You'll get the idea, though.

We are alive ...

... and as adorable as ever.
There are weird things going on in the house however, packing, decluttering. Boxes are involved, closets are open, interesting things are lying around. You will understand that I have to supervise all of this, so time to blog has been scarce in a while.
Here you see me in one of the boxes. Mom keeps telling me that a. it is too small for me (is she saying I put on weight??), b. I'm not two bottles of wine (what is she trying to tell me with that one?), c. I'm a silly boy (excuse me, I hope I didn't hear that right!).
I think the dark green suits me.

The others are fine, too. Today we had chicken for dinner. Mom is doing everything to make Meffi eat (she's the tiny one here) and usually that means we all get lucky. Another reason for me to love that little tigress.
I had had a meal before, but it didn't really fill me up.
Mom is thinking that she's a murderer now because she pointed the daddy long legs out to me. It's not as if she hadn't seen me eat spiders before. I think she really felt sorry for him, I say, hey, it's nature and be glad I don't try to eat Buster or Keaton.

Now I'll retreat to the window sill for a while before I go to sleep. The window is open and a little whiff of fresh air is coming in which is a good thing. Maybe I see some bats or a witch on a broomstick.
See you around!

Don't hate me because I'm beautiful

All I wanted to do was have a little nap in the sun.
I wasn't prepared for "yeah, give it to me, baby" or "put up the chin just a tad" and so on. In the end I had to leave because that special paparazza wouldn't stop. It's her fault you are being spammed with pictures now. Which are gorgeous of course.

2012

Weird things have been happening in Pondertown, I already told you about some of them. Big changes are lying ahead of us.

I should have known, there have been strange signs. I'm not an augur, I don't read the innards of small critters - mostly because Mom won't let me visit the gerbils (even if I was allowed to supervise the cage cleaning today) eye to innards - but seriously, in all of my seven years on Earth this is something I haven't seen before.
Not that it lasted for long, but long enough for Mom to grab her camera and save the memory for future generations.

Meffi and Greebo underneath the desk, side by side, furs touching. I think I'll better surf the internet for some good spaceship offers now!!