Why Is Everything Upside Down?

Today was bright and sunny with a warm breeze blowing through my open screen door!  Purrrrfect for relaxing!  I like to hang out like this, letting my paws fall where they may.  The humans look so funny from here!

Here's me, just saying HI to all my pet and human friends!

Thanks to everyone who left a comment on my birthday picture (to answer some questions, my birthday is in July, so  it was taken awhile ago...but coming up again sort of soon!  yay!).  I'm certain that you all made my human mom feel happy with my picture, and she will hang it on our wall now!  It's just like I tried to communicate to her:  I was relaxing in that picture, thinking pre-nap thoughts, relaxing in a sliver of sun ... it's one of my favorite things to do!


Speaking of my favorite things, I'm so glad we have nice weather here most of the time now!  All winter long I stay inside, because I am an indoor cat.  But now, Mom and I go outside on the porch everyday for at least a little while!  There are birds everywhere!  And fresh new scents!  Sometimes squirrels, but I chase those away and threaten them with my chatter-y teeth signal!  Today I was warning some squirrels to avoid my turf, when Mom came up behind me and tried to do the cat's chattering-teeth sound.  As if!  I looked at her in the face and said (with my eyes) "Mom, puh-leeze, just don't.  It's embarrassing."  How can I threaten these squirrels when there's a human with me acting like that?  I had to explain to her, really.  Cats, you understand.


There's talk of taking me for a real walk with a leash and a harness.  Mom gave me the harness to sniff and play with a little, and she said she read some articles about how we can learn to walk outside.  I'm not sure about this... Cats, does anyone out there walk on a leash?  The V-E-T told her that "any" cat can learn!  But we all know that the V-E-T cannot always be trusted!!  I want to go outside, but do I have to wear that?  Mom says yes, I have to wear it to be "safe."  Hmmm ... there sure ARE a lot of interesting noises and smells outside the front door, where she doesn't let me go.  I'll keep you posted on what I decide to do...    *purrs* --Dorian

Me on my Birthday

Here is a picture that my mom found when she went to print her pictures from that ghastly - long trip she recently took to a place called Hawaii.  She took this picture of me on my last birthday (number FIVE for me!) and thought it captured me looking thoughtful. She laughed when we looked back at it now, saying "There's my pensive and thoughtful adult tomcat!"  If you'll notice, my feet are perched on the spine of a book called "What's My Cat Thinking?"  You can only make out the "Cat Thinking" part, but it's still sort of humorous.  Mind you, that is a book my MOM was reading, not me!

Since my mom loves me and wanted a big, framed picture of me, she turned this one into a sepia-tinted 4 x 6 and printed it.  But a lot of her friends said that I looked either "unhappy" or "bored" or something.  I remember that I was simply lounging in the sunshine very close to a window.  I'm sure I was thinking my dreamy, pre-nap thoughts, but now I think my mom feels bad.  So what do you cats think?  Is this a good picture of me, or should we try again?  I really don't mind posing for photos; I call them my modeling shoots.  You know, we cats like to be fancy and the center of attention!   I especially like to show off a freshly-brushed coat!  *Purrs* --Dorian

You Can Call Me "Weegie"

That is what my mom has been affectionately calling me this week.  She has discovered some of my heritage after doing a lot of research and talking to other humans who live with cats.  It is an abbreviation of the word Norwegian; we have learned that I am probably half Norwegian Forest Cat, and this breed is frequently called a "weegie."  I think I like it!  .. Here is a picture of me (on the left) and a true "weegie" (right).  Wow!  There is a family resemblance, huh?

   


Norwegian Forest Cats have thick, waterproof coats of fur with two layers:  a longer, more coarse top layer, and a very fine, soft under-coat.  We have long tufts of fur between our toes and in our ears.  Finally, I know more about my family!  


No one has been able to verify it for sure, but they say that in the old days, Weegies would accompany sailors on their ships, even the Vikings!  I wouldn't mind helping out on a ship, hunting and bringing good luck and predicting the weather (all the jobs my ancestors did with the sailors); but I do NOT like water!!  My mom says I used to climb on the toilet and try to drink out of it, but then I fell in a few times and didn't like that at all!    Hmmm ... I can't imagine I would do this, even as a young kitten.  Water is gross!  It mats a cat's fur and is cold and ... just freaky!  I hope no cats had to swim back then!  None of my cat friends enjoy being in the bath tub or going in the lake with their dog friends.   I don't like to ride in the car either, but I bet a boat would be more fun!  Spending my days lounging on the deck in the warm sunlight and my nights chasing all those scurrying mice and rats!  And all the humans paying very close attention to me, because my job was so important!  I am happy thinking of my great-great-great-grandparents doing these things!


The book Mom read showed pictures of little baby Weegies.  She was squealing about how cute they looked, and she said that she wished she could have seen me when I was a baby cat.  Unfortunately, we don't have any pictures of me then, but I think I was the same, only smaller.  Then Mom came to take me to my home when I was almost a year old, but that's another story!


Some people think Weegies are also maybe ancestors of the Maine Coon breed.  The vet told Mom maybe I am part Maine Coon.  It's a mystery, I guess!  One thing is for sure; I am big and strong with a very long-haired, fluffy coat and big paws that Mom calls my Tiger Paws.  Well, speaking of my mom, I just heard her say "Here are some late-night snacks for my tiger-paw-weegie-cat!"  So I better go!  

Better Now (I THINK...)

Wow, what a week I've had here!!!  Mom and I were so busy getting re-acquainted (she sure needed a LOT of my scent-rubbing and tongue baths after bringing all those "Hawaii" smells home on her!!) that we vowed not to write our blogs or do much of anything but snuggle-up most of the time that she was home!  What a lucky cat I have been this week.


I think I am feeling less anxious about Mom leaving now.  Does that feeling ever happen to any of you cats (or dogs)?  Every now and then my mom has to leave for what she tells me is just a "long weekend" or something called "a wedding" or things like that.  They don't take very long.   I usually take my nice, relaxing, uninterrupted naps; I eat snacks at my leisure and play with my toys, and then before I know it, she is back, showering me with nose-kisses and even picking me up (she knows this is not my favorite thing, so she only does it when she REALLY is missing me!). 


So her recent trip was different.  Mom and I have NEVER been separated for TWO WEEKS before!  She said we won't ever be separated like that again either, and I'm so happy!  It was too long!  I know that I'm supposed to be a big boy, and I'm going to be 6 this summer, but still.  It was just us guys staying at the apartment, and the human taking care of me couldn't spend the night all the time, not like he was living here.  He loves me too, and loves my mom, but I still missed her.  What can I say?  I'm a Momma's Cat!  That's what she tells me!  


But as I wrote in my subject today, I am better now, I think!  At first, I never wanted to leave Mom's side ... you know, just to be SURE she wasn't packing up again or going anywhere for very long!  If she sat down on the couch, then I made sure to sit down too!  When she went to sleep at night, I slept right by her side!  I didn't want to go to my normal sleeping spots, like my House or my Penthouse (a home-made house put way up high on a desk-top for me, ha ha, the Penthouse!) or any of my cardboard boxes.  I only wanted to stay by Mom.  She said she loved how I would cuddle up by her and make a snuggle-pile (that's what she calls it if we get blankets and each other and make a pile!).  Now that I'm a big boy I don't do that kind of thing as much, but this week I did.  I'm telling you guys, it's a good idea to keep an eye on your humans and make sure they don't run away again after they have gone somewhere like "Hawaii"!


Last time I posted I got a lovely comment stating that Mom probably isn't going to leave me ever again, because she missed me too much!  That's exactly what she keeps telling me!  I'm very happy that we are in agreement about this!  Mom said she had a good time and needed to get out in the sun (winters are very cold here for the humans who don't have natural fur coats!), but now she did that.  And now it is getting warm and sunny here too!  


Last night I ventured into my "bedroom," which is the back square of my fold-up house.  I fell right asleep, and I felt very peaceful.  When I woke up, I saw that my mom had fallen asleep on the couch anyway, so I still wasn't far from her!  I'm getting better at it though.  Mom told Gramma the other day that she thinks I am okay and getting over my fear of her leaving me!  Yay!  I don't want to be a scaredy-cat!  Just want my mom to stay with me or at least bring me with!  I'll send a postcard if we go to this place called Hawaii!


P.S.  Mom had technical issues with her camera that are getting fixed right now ... When she gets it fixed, we will have lots of new pictures for me to post here!  What's a kitty-blog with no pictures, right?   Purrs everyone!