Monday, November 30, 2015

Orijen Cat Treats


PERCY:  Here I am posing with a bag of cat treats.  I'm waiting patiently for Jan to open the bag for me.  Jan, you are going to open the bag, aren't you?


CYNDI:  Cat treats?  Are they anything I would eat?  If so, I want some too.

PERCY:  They're Orijen Cat Treats. They're freeze-dried, made with cage-free chicken, turkey and wild-caught flounder. 


RUSTY:  Eh?  Did I hear the word treats?  Just give me a few seconds to finish waking up.  I was dreaming about chasing a salmon upriver.  Whatever made me think I could swim?

PERCY:  These don't have any salmon.  Just boneless chicken, boneless turkey, chicken liver, turkey liver, and boneless flounder. 


MICAH:  Oh, they taste good.   Please toss a handful or two over here, Jan.  It will save you from walking across the room again.


MICAH:  Well, phooey!  I asked for seconds and Jan walked off with the bag so Taylor can taste them too.

CYNDI:  Jan does remember that Taylor is only visiting, doesn't she?  If Taylor gets fat, she won't fit under the bed any more!

PERCY:  I don't believe Taylor would get fat on a few of these.
    Made from 100% meat and nothing else!
    Freeze-dried to lock in flavor and nutrition.
    Low calorie and carbohydrate free.

RUSTY:  I guess this means they're good for us.  Jan likes us to eat as healthy as possible. I wish I could turn my nose up at them just to confound her, but they're good and I want my share.

PERCY:  These are the Original Orijen Cat Treats.  They also have Tundra, Regional Red, Ranch Raised Lamb and Alberta Wild Boar flavors.

We received a free bag of Orijen Cat Treats from Chewy.com to taste test but we were not paid for this review.  Any opinions expressed are strictly our own.

Friday, November 27, 2015

FFHT Turkey Thief


MARCUS:  Oh, what are those?  They look like turkeys with the feathers still attached.

RUSTY:  They are.  Wild turkeys.  I wonder where Jan took this picture?

CYNDI:  In wild turkey country, obviously.

MERCI:  And that would be where?

MICAH:  Don't they have a state named after them?

BUDDY:  No.  You must be thinking of Tennessee, but they're famous for their Wild Turkey bourbon, not wild turkeys.

PERCY:  And you would know that how?

BUDDY:  I did a web search for wild turkeys.

SAM:  I sure would like to catch those wild turkeys.  There are five.  One for each of us and the cats could split the fifth.  The fifth wild turkey, not a fifth of bourbon.

MARCUS:  Have any of you ever caught a wild turkey before?  Did you eat it all or spit out the feathers?

RUSTY:  None of us have ever gone wild turkey hunting.  That's a good question.  The turkey Jan brought home for Thanksgiving was bald and smelled heavenly in the oven.

MERCI:  I wish we could have had some of it.

MICAH:  Oh, it tasted better than it smelled in the oven.

PERCY:  How do you know that?

MICAH:  I had some.

CYNDI:  Jan gave you some and we didn't get any?  How did you rate?

MICAH:  I didn't "rate".  I helped myself.  It was cooling on the stovetop and ... well, you know how I like to nap there when it's cold and Jan isn't around.

BUDDY:  And you just helped yourself? 

MICAH:  Well, there it was under my nose, so, yes, I helped myself.

SAM:  And you didn't share?

MICAH:  I didn't want to call attention to what I was doing.  So after I ate all that turkey I could handle, I jumped down and napped in the big chair.  It was a great Thanksgiving.

**********

BUDDY:  Evidently when we write one of these monthly Fractured Fryday Hairy Tails posts, we will have to put a disclaimer on it so you will know it's greatly exaggerated.

SAM:  This week we had to use the phrase "after I ate all that turkey".

CYNDI:  Yes, Micah DID eat a good bit of Jan's chicken cooling on the stove recently but she did not buy and roast a turkey for Thanksgiving.  We haven't had a working oven for over a year.

PERCY:  So this time Micah is innocent.  But next post he could very well be guilty!  So don't be fooled.  Strange things do happen around here but this wasn't one of them.

MICAH:  We actually had ham yesterday.  Thank you, Mr. Mark (for whom Marcus was named), for providing the ham and telling Jan she had to share with us.

MERCI:  But the entire post is not a "furry tail".  Jan did take the picture of the wild turkeys. 




Fractured Fryday Hairy Tails blog hop is hosted by Murphy and Stanley, the handsome mini goldendoodles.

It's also time for the weekly Friday Pet Parade blog hop hosted by Rascal and Roscoe.  It is co-hosted by Bionic Basil, Barking From the Bayou and Love is being owned by a husky.

Thursday, November 26, 2015

Thanksgiving 2015

Today is Thanksgiving in the United States and we would like to wish everyone a heart overflowing with gratitude. For various reasons, many humans will be alone today, so we pray you will have an extra measure of uplifting peace mixed with contentment.  We have each other, so we won't be alone.


What are you thankful for?  For one thing, we are thankful for you!


Pepi Smart Dog's Thankful Thursday blog hop is most appropriate for today, so we will hop on over as soon as we can get online.

And it's also Thoughtless Thursday hosted by Ruckus the Eskie and co-hosts Love is being owned by a Husky and M.K Clinton.

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Kanga Boo Boosters


PERCY:  Hey, guys, look what I found on top of Marcus's private dining car.  I think these are for you canines.

BUDDY:  Then what are you doing with them?  You're not a canine.

PERCY:  I'm guarding them so Jan doesn't eat any before she gives you guys some.


SAM:  Okay, here she is ready to pass out treats.  What are these, Percy?

PERCY:  According to the package, they are Boo Boo's Best Boosters, dehydrated raw treats and food toppers for dogs for supplemental or intermittent feeding.  And they're not for human consumption, so Jan had better not eat any of your treats.   


MARCUS:  They smell good.  What are they made from?

PERCY:   They're called KangaBoo, made from  kangaroo, fruits and vegetables.

SAM:  For real, made from kangaroo?

PERCY:  Yes.  The ingredients are wild Australian kangaroo, bison heart, bison fat, organic zucchini, green beans, pumpkin puree, papaya, blueberries, organic virgin coconut oil and Vitamin E. 


MERCI:  Hey, that's quite a list of healthy foods.  No wonder Buddy grabbed one from Jan's fingers so fast he nearly took her fingers with the treat.

SAM:  I think we'd all lick out bowls clean if Jan dropped some of these on our food.

PERCY:  There are no grains, wheat, corn, soy, gluten, artificial ingredients or preservatives.  And they have wild or grass-fed meats raised without hormones or antibiotics.  Do you guys think I could have one?  They sure smell good.


BUDDY:  Hey, where did Jan go with the treats?  I was going to suggest Jan feed us an extra meal today and top it with the KangaBoo.  


MERCI:  Boo Boo's Best sent us a bag of treats and a bag of ... air?  Well, actually, they probably sent Jan the green tote bag.  We don't generally tote anything.  That's why we have Jan.

MARCUS:  They also have Mighty Mussels and Renewing Rabbit flavors, with Glorious Goat and Bountiful Bison coming soon.   We all loved the KangaBoo treats and food topper.  Jan loved that they are healthy for us.

We were provided with a bag of KangaBoos, but we were not compensated for this review. Any opinions expressed are purely our own. 

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Blue Mini Bars


BUDDY:  That smells yummy.  Are you offering that to me or planning to eat it yourself, Jan?   


PERCY:  It's a dog biscuit, Buddy.  According to the package, that is a natural mini dog biscuit called Blue mini Bars by Blue Buffalo. These are blueberry and yogurt.


SAM:  Are they really made from oatmeal, flaxseed, barley, blueberry, carrots and yogurt - natural ingredients, ingredients Jan doesn't mind giving us in treats?


MARCUS:  The Blue mini Bars also come in Apples & Yogurt, Chicken & Cheddar, and Banana & Yogurt. 


We canines give these treats four paws up.

We were not compensated for this review.  Chewy.com did provide us with a package to taste.  Any opinions expressed are entirely our own.

Sunday, November 22, 2015

Dog Thief and Cat Burglar

SAM:  Buddy's birthday was Friday and we had a quiet celebration.  Well, it was quiet until Marcus started singing Happy Birthday in that high tenor that sounds more like a soprano yelp he has.

BUDDY:  Saturday morning I got this lovely birthday card from WeBeesSiameezers. Thanks, Pipo and Minko.  And thanks to all who took the time to leave a comment or send an email. 


RUSTY:  Buddy had a good birthday.  Jan had a stressful day.  It was one of those anything that can go wrong did days.   For example ...

MERCI:  So he couldn't steal any more bowls of cat food, Jan blocked Marcus's access to the food bowl with a dishpan blockade on the dryer and a small cooler on the stool.  Because of that blockade, Micah and Percy accidentally bumped into one another and got into a knock-down drag-out, things flying, kitchen heater pilot light snuffing battle.

CYNDI:  Late that afternoon Jan heard strange sounds coming from the kitchen.  Marcus came to sit beside her.  He was licking his mouth.  Jan checked the cat food bowl.  Every crumb was gone and the bowl was damp.

PERCY:  Jan put Marcus in a time out in his crate.  She still can't figure out how he accessed the food blockaded into a corner (against a wall) on the dryer.

MICAH:  After a while she put the dogs outside.  Marcus came inside trying to get Merci or Sam to wrestle, which he isn't supposed to do in the house.  Not that he pays attention.

RUSTY:  Jan yelled, "Marcus, do you want to go back in your crate?"  Marcus stopped dead.  He looked at her, looked at the crate, looked at Jan and walked into his crate.  Wow, déjà vu.  We can remember posting the same event a while back.  Guess Marcus recognizes when Jan has had e-n-o-u-g-h!

MARCUS:  That was not an admission of guilt or wrongdoing.  I had merely decided I wanted to have dinner in my private dining car; however, Jan said she wasn't a waitress and my dinner was later served in the kitchen.


Friday, November 20, 2015

Happy Birthday, Buddy


RUSTY:  I forget, what time are we supposed to get together today?

MARCUS:  In about an hour, I think.  Why don't we ask Buddy?

CYNDI:  We can't ask Buddy.  He has no idea.

MERCI:  Oh, that's right.  But I think we were supposed to gather in the kitchen fifteen minutes ago.

SAM:  Uh-oh, I hope Buddy hasn't wandered into the kitchen and spoiled our surprise.

MICAH:  Let's go!  We want to share the moment with him.

PERCY: I want to share the cake!


CYNDI:  We're glad to have you for a big brother, Buddy.

SAM:  Happy 11th Birthday!

PERCY:  Jan didn't have time to make new graphics so we are re-using the ones from 2011, but since many of you haven't seen them, we will consider them new.


Join the Friday Pet Parade blog hop hosted by Rascal and Roscoe.  It is co-hosted by Bionic Basil, Barking From the Bayou and Love is being owned by a husky.

Thursday, November 19, 2015

Smiling on Tuesday


MERCI'  I thought I would show you my new bed.

RUSTY:  That looks comfortable, but why are we staring at your back?

MARCUS:  Aren't you supposed to face the camera and smile?


MERCI:  Only on Tuesday  This is Thursday.

CYNDI:  What's so special about Tuesday?


MERCI:  I was smiling on Tuesday but Jan didn't come by with the camera until Wednesday..

BUDDY:   That sounds about right.  She's always late.

MICAH:  Still, we would all like to see your pretty smiling face.

MERCI:  So come by next Tuesday.  It will be on display then.

PERCY:  You're usually so easy-going, Merci.  What's the problem?

MERCI:  I'm teaching Jan a lesson.  She's been taking me for granted.  Smile, Merci.  Turn around, Merci.  Where's I'm sorry I'm late, Merci?  Or here's a treat for posing, Merci?

SAM:  You know Jan is forgetful.  She probably thought it was still Tuesday when she took your picture.  She did buy you a new bed so have a warm place of your own again.   

MERCI:  You're right, Sam.  I should be thankful I have a new bed, even if Buddy does keep trying to scrunch himself up in it.  Okay, I'll turn around and smile.  Hey, where did Jan go with the camera?



Pepi Smart Dog hosts the Thankful Thursday blog hop.  (There is always something to be thankful for!)

Ruckus the Eskie, Love is being owned by a husky, and Barking from the bayou co-host the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop.

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Hanging Curtains Upside Down

RUSTY:  Jan has made little progress on winterizing the house.  Every year she tries and never gets to finish.

MERCI:  All the climbing and stretching is too much for her.  Old bones and accessories, you know.

CYNDI:  This year she is trying to replace the 18-year old drapes with new ones.  They're el cheapos from walmart, but shorter and hopefully easier to deal with.

SAM:  She has a thing about sunlight and says it should shine in the house too, so she has rebelled and is busy hanging "welcome" signs so we can have some again.

MICAH:  The funny thing is every time she manages to hitch a ride to walmart to exchange the wrong size or material for another, she has to move the ones she already hung from here to there.

PERCY:  The funniest moment was when she realized she had hung all the curtains upside down and had to rehang them - again.  She's getting faster at take down and redo.

MARCUS:  Of course I was the most helpful.  I followed her everywhere to make sure she didn't fall off the stool.  I think it was very rude of her to accuse me of being underfoot every time she tried to step off of it!

BUDDY:  But you were!  And you sure whined when she stepped on your nose while coming down the ladder after changing a light bulb.  How was she supposed to know you were underfoot? Literally underfoot.


CYNDI:  This window was a shock.  When she removed the drapes, she found one of the heavy, old windows had dropped open.

RUSTY:  It took a lot of newspapers to stuff the big hole at the top and the one in the middle between the top and bottom.

SAM:  Last weekend we froze.  Jan tried but couldn't turn on the heat.

MARCUS:  It was a  l-o-n-g cold weekend!  Monday was beautiful, though. 

MERCI:  While switching drapes in the kitchen yesterday, she found two other windows listing to the left more than usual.

BUDDY:  But help arrived at dinner time.  All three windows are now anchored.  And the two gas heaters are now on.  They were blown out with a big compressor. (Jan can only vacuum them.)

PERCY:   Wednesday the rains will come and the temperature will drop again.  We won't be cozy, not in this ancient house, but we are grateful to have a roof over our heads and a place to call home.

MICAH:  We've had a few ask how Taylor is doing.  She was coming out from under the bed more often and then Jan changed the drapes.  Taylor went into deep cover when the sunlight streamed in and only comes out after sundown now.  But don't worry.  I've been keeping her company by sleeping on the bed, eating her food, drinking her water and using her scratching post.   

Sunday, November 15, 2015

No Ratting on Marcus



PERCY:  Do you remember this photo from 2014?  Marcus had jumped on the stool to get on the dryer so he could cross over to the cabinet where our cat food bowl sat.

RUSTY:  Our bowl now sits in a corner on the dryer, which would be behind Marcus in the photo above.

MICAH:  Jan has kept something on the stool ever since so Marcus can't reach our food again.

CYNDI:  However, she is rearranging and cleaning and forgot to put anything back on the stool.

RUSTY:  We have been begging for a lot of food lately.  And making quite the mess of things on the dryer..

MICAH:  This morning our empty bowl and everything supposed to be on the dryer were on the floor.

CYNDI:  It took a while to register with Jan.  (She's been a bit forgetful, remember.)

PERCY:  But when the bowl was clean to the last crumb and needed to be refilled for the fourth time in just a few hours Friday, the cloud finally lifted and she remembered Marcus the leaping bulldog.

MARCUS:  And now my access to the cat food is blocked with a cooler on the stool. Starvation is abuse!  I can already feel my ribs. How am I going to survive without snacks?

CYNDI:  Perhaps Marcus can identify with this messy French bulldog, although in all honesty, none of us ratted on Marcus.


If the video doesn't play, click here.

Saturday, November 14, 2015

Close Your Eyes and Model


SAM:  Oh, no!  I can't believe Jan is making me model this tank.  Maybe if I close my eyes, it will disappear.  Or maybe I'll disappear.  Wait!  I shouldn't complain.  This is to keep me warm.


BUDDY:  Nope, it won't work, Sam.  Jan is determined we're going to model our new winter coats.  Thank you, Miss Pat, for the nice present.  You know how I am always cold.


SAM:  Yes, thank you, Miss Pat.  I get cold too.  Merci has a long, thick coat and Marcus is young and active, but Buddy and I can use a little help now that we're older.

BUDDY:  Jan said she wishes this covered more of me but there was a big gap in sizes and it appeared the next size up would have been way too big, so ordering this size was her idea.  It's hard to tell until you actually get to try it on.


SAM:  These photos are pencil sketches.  Can you tell my eyes are closed in this?


BUDDY:  We thought we would enter the HDR-ish and sketches in the Caturday Art blog hop, hosted by Athena.


SAM:  And we can't forget the Sepia Saturday blog hop. 


BUDDY:  It's co-hosted by Ruckus the Eskie and Earl's World.

Thursday, November 12, 2015

A Toasty Nest


MICAH:

We've had some very chilly and wet days recently and I thought I would offer some advice on how to stay warm.  Find a laundry basket with soft, warm laundry in it, climb in and curl up.

You're too big for a laundry basket?  You're out of luck!

Wait!  Maybe not.  Some humans don't have a laundry basket, so find where they toss their laundry - the floor, the closet, wherever - and make yourself a toasty nest for snoozing.

And that's my Thankful Thursday advice for the day.

Oh, since we haven't been around as much as we'd like, if anyone is wondering where we are, we have our paws full trying to keep Jan from falling off a step-stool or through a window.  She's trying to prepare the house for winter.  Old folks are a bit slow and need a lot of snoopervising.







Pepi Smart Dog hosts the Thankful Thursday blog hop.  (There is always something to be thankful for!)

Ruckus the Eskie, Love is being owned by a husky, and Barking from the bayou co-host the Thoughtless Thursday blog hop.


Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Veterans Day 2015

PERCY:  Today is Veterans Day, a day the U.S. honors the veterans of our Armed Forces. 

BUDDY:  We want to share this video of the Homeless Veteran Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Song called I'm Not Home.

MERCI:  The reason we chose this song to represent our veterans today is because so many of them have returned home with PTSD.

CYNDI:  You might know someone who is struggling to cope with traumatic memories after military service. 

MICAH:  Many of us will never know what these men and women have faced in order to protect us.

RUSTY:  Because they have served, we have freedom to go about our lives.

MARCUS:  But we should not undervalue those have returned with PTSD.

SAM:  These veterans are our relatives, our friends, our neighbors ... and some of them are among the homeless.


If the video doesn't play, click here.

Monday, November 09, 2015

Dennis, Saya and Trixie


Saya the Vampire-Hunting Vizsla

MERCI:  Last month we had a giveaway and Dennis the Vizsla from Dennis's Diary of Destruction won.

PERCY:  He won a breakaway safely collar and very generously offered to let his young sister Saya have the prize.

MICAH:  Do you suppose he could have been buttering her up so she'll protect him on future adventures?

MARCUS:  Hmmm.  Dennis gets himself into a lot of trouble and Saya the Vampire-Hunting Vizsla does sound like a heroine to the rescue. 


BUDDY:  Saya chose the color blue and sent us some photos of herself in her new collar.


RUSTY:  She said it's okay to post them.  In fact, Dennis said -

DENNIS:  hello funny farmers its dennis the vizsla dog hay shoor of korse yoo kan do a post showing how pritty saya is in her kollar!!!  altho of korse she is not as pritty as me but wel hoo is???  heer ar sum pikchers dada tuk of her owt in the yard chaysing and poynting at bugs and wotnot for yoo to chooz frum.


CYNDI:  She's a beautiful dog and it was nice of Dennis to let us post her pictures. 


DENNIS: And also a pikcher of me and trixie lukking on disaproovingly!!!  hay kid!!!  git off my lawn!!!  ha ha ok bye.

SAM:  Have you met Dennis, his siblings and friends yet?  We were striving to become more like him since he has perfect grammar, spelling and punctuation, but Jan says we should just be ourselves.

Sunday, November 08, 2015

Introducing Taylor


Percy keeping watch.

PERCY:  What was in that box Jan and Mr. Doug double-timed into the bedroom Friday morning and brought back empty?

SAM:  I don't know.  It was a rapid box in the front door into the bedroom, box out of bedroom, bedroom door closed/gated/blocked, box out the front door, and then Jan went off with Mr. Doug.

CYNDI:  Do you think Jan has read her calendar and is buying our Christmas presents early?

MERCI:  You're joking, right?  Jan always says she doesn't have any money to buy us Christmas presents.

RUSTY:  So what was in the big box?  Oh, maybe she got us some new beds.  No, she wouldn't need to lock them in the bedroom.


Percy.

PERCY:  Well, I got a whiff of something unexpected so I'll just take a quick bath for when Jan opens the door and introduces us.


Taylor.

BUDDY:  I think it's going to be a while before Jan introduces us.  This is Taylor.  Her human mom asked if Taylor could come spend the winter with us because she's not physically able to take care of her right now.  As you can see, Taylor is a bit shy.  She seems to think if Jan can't see her head she's invisible.

MARCUS:  How come you got to sleep in the bedroom Friday and Saturday nights while the rest of us were locked out?

BUDDY:  I guess I'm just better behaved than the rest of you.

MICAH:  Be honest.  You would have howled all night if Jan had closed the door in your face.   


Taylor.

CYNDI:  Taylor has been hiding under the bed for two days.  As you can see, Jan long ago tore out the bottom of the box springs because a couple of us kitties have pulled similar stunts in the past.

MERCI:  Jan invited me into the bedroom Saturday morning to find out where Taylor was hiding.  I said she's under the bed, so Jan had fun getting down on the floor to take some photos.  This is why she couldn't find Taylor.  Taylor was standing, almost invisible, on a storage box - small feet with no body or head.  Jan had to lie on the floor, prop a flash light on the box, set the camera on the floor and tilt it up to get this shot.

SAM:  Taylor didn't eat or drink anything Friday, but Saturday morning, she ate a big spoonful of canned food Jan left under the bed for her. And after Jan downloaded and prepared the photos for today's post, she checked on Taylor and Taylor ate some kibble, sniffed Jan's hand and purred.  She's back into shy mode again, so progress will be slow but at least the eating issue is resolving. 


Percy guarding door.

MARCUS:  Percy, you watched that door all day Friday, even sneaked into the room once before being evicted.  Why?

PERCY:  Because I'm top cat and I want to check her out before she gets any ideas.

Friday, November 06, 2015

You Thought Wrong!

RUSTY:  We have had an interesting week. Jan says she wants a do-over.  Can she get one?

MICAH:  I don't think so, but it doesn't hurt to ask.

BUDDY:  First, on Saturday she set the clocks ahead instead of back and had to reset them.  (Daylight Savings Baby Goats)

MERCI:  Then the phone went wonky with crossed wires and strange things happened - really strange!  (Dona Nobis Pacem)

PERCY:  And, of course, Marcus escaped serious injury when he tried to eat an empty cat food can when Jan popped outside for a "minute". (Gastrointestinal Fortitude of a Goat)

CYNDI:  And it's been raining off and on for days, so we've all been cooped up with supersonic Marcus.  (Still Raring To Go)

MARCUS:  You're making fun of me again, aren't you?  Well, I'm not the only one who has been in trouble this week!

SAM:  You're right, Marcus.  One evening Jan started to prepare dinner and decided to make a quick phone call.  When she returned to the kitchen she found this.


CYNDI:  Yes, someone opened the package of ground chuck and helped himself.  Left crumbs around the stove.

RUSTY:  He didn't even try to hide.  Just nonchalantly laid on the top of the stove to digest his "dinner".


MICAH:  Well, it was laying there in plain sight.  I thought it was intended for me. 


BUDDY:  But as Jan said in a highly audible tone, you thought wrong!

PERCY:  We have only had one interview subject in several weeks, so it appears there has been a loss of interest in the Mousebreath interviews.  But we sure enjoyed being interviewed for Bionic Basil's blog recently.


Join the Pet Parade blog hop hosted by Rascal and Roscoe.  It is co-hosted by Bionic Basil, Barking From the Bayou and Love is being owned by a husky.