Photogenic Trio

Percy: Hey, I protest! You two keep hogging the posts with your photos. It's either you guys or Marcus.  The rest of us want equal time.

Micah:  It's not our fault Rusty and I are so photogenic and pose so nicely together.

Percy:  Well, I'm photogenic and I pose nicely.

Rusty:  Ah, but not "together" as we do.

Percy:  Micah and I don't like each other so I don't think you're going to get us to pose together.

Micah:  You should try it sometime.  It's really fun to have a friend.

Percy:  Okay, I'll just go sit on the other side of Rusty and Jan can take a picture of the three of us together.  Or sort of together.

Rusty:  Oh, no, you don't!  I'm not sitting between you two.  I don't have any claws to defend myself.

Micah:  I don't blame you.  Percy likes to attack for no reason.

Percy:  Attacking you is not for no reason.  I have to defend myself.

Micah:  Are you claiming I instigate our battles?

Percy:   Well, I certainly don't.  Or rarely do.

Rusty:  I think I hear some kibble calling my name in the kitchen.  Somehow I think I will feel safer in another room.  If you will excuse me, I'll just tiptoe out of range.

Micah:  That sounds like a good idea.  I think I'll have a snack too.  If you'll just move out of the house, Percy, so I can get by you...

Rusty:  Since Percy is otherwise occupied after being pushed off Marcus' crate by an unnamed assailant, I'll go ahead and announce our interview subjects for this week are from Cuddlywumps Cat Chronicles.


Stop by Mousebreath, the ezine for cats, to read Miss Cuddlywumps, Paisley and Webster.  mousebreath.com

We are joining the Pet Parade hosted by Rascal and Rocco and co-hosted by Bionic Basil and Barking from the Bayou.

Misplaced Jan and Memorial

Micah:  Cyndi, why are you wearing that old hat? I thought you had misplaced it.

Cyndi:  I found it and it's not old, at least not as old as Jan is.  She is the one who actually misplaced it behind some shelves in the bedroom.

Micah:  Are we going to have to misplace her soon and find a new human?

Cyndi:  I think so!  I can't believe what she did to us Sunday night.

Merci: It wasn't that bad.  We didn't catch her mistake either.

Micah:  But it's not the first time she's been on the wrong day, either forgetting or causing confusion.

Merci:  Calm down.  Take a deep breath and let's discuss this rationally.  It might help you feel better.

Cyndi:  Okay.  We felines have been working ahead on the mousebreath cat interviews.  Sunday night we finished another one and it's ready to auto publish in a couple of weeks.   By then it was very late and we were all tired.

Micah:  And suddenly Jan told us we didn't have a post for the next day and we'd better hurry up and post one before she turned off the computer.  We finished our yesterday's post after midnight, set it to auto publish, and gave a sigh of relief.  Then we went to bed.

Merci:  So what is the problem?   It all worked out well.

Cyndi:  The problem is that the next afternoon it occurred to us it was only Monday, not Tuesday.

Merci:  Yes, it was.

Micah:  But we have only been publishing on Tuesday and Friday now.

Merci:  Oh, I see.  Jan convinced you to write your Tuesday post Sunday night to publish on Monday.  Yes, that is a bit odd, even for her.

Cyndi:  We did publish on Tuesday - Jan's idea of Tuesday.  That's why we're publishing again today.

Merci:  Because it's Tuesday again?

Micah:  No, because it's Wednesday, the middle of the week.  Jan blew up our regular schedule and there's an extra day that needs attention.

Merci:  I'll take your word for it.  What an odd week.  Sunday became Monday.  Monday was Tuesday.  Tuesday was lost and Wednesday we are posting off schedule.

Cyndi:  Right.

Merci:  I hope readers aren't as confused as we are! They might not come back.

Micah:  Yes, it might be time to misplace Jan.



Jan:  On Facebook Monday (yes, it was actually Monday, not Sunday or Tuesday), I realized I hadn't seen a post from my old cat-loving friend KC.  She was not a blogger but we met through my blog and her cat story site.

I went to her page and read condolences.  I didn't know any of those people but  left a comment asking what happened.   KC had a heart attack Thanksgiving night.  It's hard to believe she is gone.

This is a picture of my ex-vehicle posted on JFF after a snowstorm in 2009. KC added her cats and some text to it and sent it back as a joke.  I loved it.  She was kind, funny, adored her cats and used to post to a site she called Gentle Annie2 named after her beloved cat Annie.

KC is now with her first husband and her son.  May her husband find strength and comfort in happy memories.  I am hopeful her cats are safe and comfortable.

KC sent this in 2008 and it seems appropriate to use it here.  We will remember you that have gone before, KC!  Rest in peace, dear friend.

Merci the Cat Magnet

Percy:  I think Merci has an admirer.

Marcus:  She does? 

Percy:  Yes, the other day when Jan was playing ball with you in the dog pen, there was a tuxie cat in the next yard watching.  We thought he (or she) was watching you.

Marcus:  Everyone watches me.  Jan says I'm not only good-looking, I'm fast and agile.

Percy:  No,  while you were huffing and puffing from the exercise, the tuxie suddenly jumped up and raced along the pen and stopped at the tree, where he stood for a while staring at Merci.

Marcus:  What was Merci doing to attract a cat?

Percy:  Nothing.  She was just doing her usual, walking up the steps to get inside and when the door didn't open, she would go back down and wander around in the corner. 

Marcus: I didn't see any cat.

Percy:  You were too engrossed in the ball.  And when Jan saw the tuxie stalking Merci, she used the ball to lure you in the house so you didn't scare the cat away.

Marcus:   Are you certain the cat was only interested in Merci?

Percy:  Positive!  Before Buddy, Sam and you came along, Merci was a cat magnet.  She rescued me when I was very young.  Cameron was so attached to her, he used to wait outside to follow Merci on her walks; then when he got tired, Jan would have to carry him home.  Finally, he just moved in.  And when it was just Merci and Jan, more than one cat used to follow them part way.

Marcus:  Wow!  I didn't know that.  Did Merci wear catnip perfune to attract them?

Percy:  No, silly.  They must have sensed her gentle nature.   I'm just amazed that tuxie was so interested in getting closer to Merci that he paid no attention to you.  You're hard to ignore!

Marcus:  I must be losing my magnetism.  I need to find it again.  What should I do?

Percy:  Oh, I don't know, but you could ask Merci for her secret.

Marcus:  I didn't know Merci has a secret. 

Percy:  That's because Merci is calm and doesn't babble all the time like someone we both know.

Marcus:  We know somene that babbles?  Who is it?  I won't tell.  Come on, Percy, you can tell me.  I'm your pal.  Is it Rusty?  No, it can't be.  It must be Cyndi.  She's a girl and girls like to chatter on and on about whatever.  No, wait, I know who it is.  I think.  Is it ...?

Percy:  Sigh!

Trusty Old Blue Ball

Micah:  You look pretty intense there, Marcus.  Is the ball threatening you?

Marcus:  No, it wouldn't dare threaten me.  Can't take my eyes off it for a second, though.

Micah:  Why, would it run away if you do?

Marcus:  I was waiting for Jan to try to kick it. She's sneaky, but I'm faster than she is sneaky.

Micah:  Oh, so you were playing soccer?

Marcus:  No.  She picked it up and threw it so we played chase.

Micah:  You don't play catch?

Marcus:  Rarely.  Jan usually throws it past me so it's hard to catch.  But I am good at catching if she bounces it.

Micah:  I'm all for anything that exercises you and tires you out so you leave the rest of us alone for a few minutes.

Marcus:  Jan might have returned my red ball to Amazon (Sending Red Ball on Vacation) but I still have my trusty old blue ball with the tooth holes in it.  Oh, and by the way, the rope toy Jan accidentally threw into the tree a few months ago finally fell down into the pen.  So if this ball should happen to fall apart for no reason, I'll still have something to chase.

Micah:  So your new blue ball is now your trusty old blue ball.  Interesting.  But you do know, I hope, if this ball should happen to fall apart, it will certainly NOT be for no reason!

Marcus:  You're right.  If this ball falls apart, it will be Jan's fault.  She's awfully hard on my toys!

Percy:  Our interview this week is with Sophie, Dexter and Olive.  You can read Three Chatty Cats Chat on Mousebreath. 


We are joining the Pet Parade blog hop with hosts, Rascal and Rocco, and co-hosts  Bionic Basil, and Barking from the Bayou.