FFF Nature Friday - Snow Update by Phod

 Dear pals,

I know you are all wondering if spring is truly here and if we still have snow - but first my FFF poem.

The greatest joy of spring

better than almost anything

is drinking water from a puddle.

It is so cold to drink

it makes me think

I like it more than a cuddle.

Now onto the snow. 

Here are the upcoming guesses:

As of yesterday:

The last snow from our front yard disappeared on Easter Sunday.

This is our side yard.

So close to gone, just a little sliver

Here is the backyard:

Still a fair bit of gross snow left in the shade

Sorry Murphy, you aren't this years winner.

Do we think that will all be gone before the end of the day tomorrow for Aunty-Yam to be the winner or do one of the later guesses have the best chance at winning?

Stay tuned!

your pal, Phod

A New Pal - by Zaphod

 Dear pals,

I apologize for the amount of cat content on this blog. I am sure the ghost of Lee is going to come and haunt the Lady. 

I am mostly indifferent to the Rivers. Styx bugs me the most. He will come into the closet and look at me However, my life hasn't really changed at all since they joined the pack and they mostly leave me alone. 

Enough about them. Let's talk about my other new friend.

Lady and Man have been having some trees removed. One of the guys who is doing it brings his dog Tri with him.

Tri is a very nice girl. She is 5. I am very interested in her and want to be friends.

Tri let's be friends

Tri isn't that into me. Her man said that humans had abused her before he got her. She used to be afraid of everything. She is making progress and is cleared loved. 

In spite of her past, Tri still loves people

Lady and Man let me sniff her a bit, and then make me move on. 

It has been nice to get to know her, even if I want to know her more. 

Tomorrow I will catch you up on our snow contest! 

your pal, the friendly Phod

Wordless Wednesday - Pals

 

Trouble on a Tuesday - Styx's second adventure

On Wednesday morning, the Lady left for work very early. As Styx is interested in going outside, because he is interested in everything, Lady watched her feet carefully when she went into the garage. 

A few hours later the Man got up and Styx was no where to be found. There was no sign of him for the whole day. The Man was sure he had escaped. Lady and Man looked outside. They put food outside. They were very upset that not even 4 days later, they had lost a cat.

Sad Lady went to bed early. About an hour after falling asleep she heard the Man call "I found Styx." Turns out, the laundry room door (which has a problem) hadn't been closed properly and Mr. Styx had gotten himself in the ceiling again. It was Tigris who alerted the Man to his location. 

Styx had himself in a different spot and didn't want to come out and couldn't be reached. Man and Lady put some food out on the washer and went to bed. While they didn't like him being in the ceiling, they knew he was safe in there. 

In the morning, he hadn't come out. The Man climbed the ladder with food in hand and he came to the edge. (It had been at least 24 hours since he ate, likely longer as Lady didn't feed the Rivers before she left for work). Man was able to grab him and slowly pull him out, around all the plumbing. As soon as he was down, he started to purr. 

Getting love after the rescue

Lady and Man have been extra careful using the laundry room. They have purchased some plastic to staple up so they can use the room and not worry about him getting in the ceiling (really the litter box should be in this space).  However, their attempt at this failed and in the test, he got up a third time, so the litter box is not going in this space and they hope what they have up can slow him down if he is in the room with them. They have also ordered him a collar that will tell their phones where he is, so at least if they can't find him, they will know he is in the house. Clearly he is an adventurer.

Side note: The SPCA said Styx was 4, but Lady and Man think he may be closer to 1. They also wonder if Tigris is his mom. At any rate the Rivers meet their new vet this week and we will see what they say. 

Mischief Monday - The First Styx Adventure

 It is hard to believe, sitting where we are now, that Styx ever had problems adjusting to this house.

The first day we had the Rivers, we let them out in the laundry room. Turns out, there are two problems in the laundry room we didn't consider (as our old cats were old, and knew us). 

The first, is that the box that was built for the washer and dryer (they need to be raised in our house so the plumbing works), had an entry point at one end. While Tigris came in and out the first day, Styx did not. After 24 hours of knowing he wasn't coming out or eating or drinking, we spent the 2 hours needed to take this apart. The builders of this house had gone crazy with the screws, perhaps hoping to tile it one day. Some of the screws were stripped etc. etc. I am sure the Rivers were terrified as we took it apart (we only put 4 screws in it when we put it back and we added some wood to block the end so they couldn't get under it).

The Man taking the box apart

The good about this, is that we were able to give this area a good cleaning

The second thing, was the ceiling in the laundry room is not finished. As soon as we lifted the lid, Styx, climbed the wall and went into the ceiling. 

After a few hours, he came out to where we could see and reach him, and using a ladder the Man was able to pull him down.

Later he appeared on this ledge

After that we moved all the cat stuff to the guest room. 

Tomorrow we will tell you about his second adventure. 

Styx - the Trouble Maker

Happy Easter

 Wishing all those who celebrate, a Happy Easter!

We celebrate the cats first hat tax!

Zaphod

Styx (left) and Tigris (right)

Tigris

Styx

A Dispatch from Tigris

 Dear pals,

It has been 5 days since I came to my new home and so far, I my only complaint is that they are not just giving me softy all the time. 

I am curious but cautious. I would rather not be right near the dog, but I am not scared of him. I almost didn't end up in this house because my file said I didn't like dogs.  T

I like to be pet, and am slowly exploring the laps. 

I am the easy cat.

Next week, we will fill you all in on the havoc my brother has caused. 

your new pal, Tigris