Nature Friday - Spring, Spring, Spring - Styx and Lanie

 Hi friends, hi friends, hi friends,

It is your best buddy Styx, who would never be forgotten and Lanie too! We have been spending a lot of time by the window as it is open, open, open and spring is in the air! 

Lady snapped the following pictures for us to share with you.

A Stunning Sunset

Daffodils she planted years ago that only started coming up more recently

Trilliums - such a pretty spring flower

Thanks to Rosy and Sunny for hosting this event.

Styx and Lanie too

Lanie's Log - Happy Enough

It has been over 200 days since my imprisonment. It feels like only yesterday I was a wild cat, and here I am, living as a house cat.

While I did not appreciate my original capture, I have assimilated well. If you can't beat them join them.

Hanging out

I spend most of my day out of my room. I really like the upstairs now. I usually eat my breakfast and dinner up there. I love to play with the Wardens and Styx (I would like to play with Gris, but she says no). I also love to watch out the window, especially when it is open. While I like looking, I don't really want to go outside. 

I am even getting caught doing things I shouldn't. Can you spot me in this picture?

Life is good enough for now. I think being part of a clowder (a group of cats) helps. 

The Lady Warden's Dad gave her this:

Some would say she is already there.

Lanie, Prisoner #3

Wordless Wednesday - Watching The World Go By - Styx and Lanie

 

Tuesday's with Tigris - I am a Tiger

 Reader,

Sometimes my people forget I am 95.6% tiger. I can look cute and still be fierce.

Even fierce tigers need their beauty sleep

Lady and I were having a good play the other day, and I reminded her that like my river namesake I am fast, arrow like and swift, which are also tiger like things.  I got her really good. There was blood. 

Some of the scratches the next day. They hurt.

I didn't feel bad about it, even if it resulted in the torture of nail cutting. This is what she gets for bringing a Lanie into my kingdom.

Tigris

Mischief Monday - Traitor

 Hi friends, hi friends, hi friends,

First thank you so much for your POTP for my heart murmur.  Man picked up the meds to make me feel sleepy before my appointment in June, and he asked for meds for Cinder. Long, long, long,  time readers may remember that Cinder was one of the Lady and Man's cats a long, long, long time ago.  I can't believe the Man caused mischief by using the wrong name. We are supposed to be best, best, best, buddies!

Me and my best buddy Lady, oh I mean Man (I can say the wrong, wrong, wrong name too)

The real mischief goes to Lady. She spent time with other cats, traitor, traitor, traitor! She went to Aunt C's and saw cousins Loopy and Uber.  Fortunately, she didn't take many pictures, which suggests she does care about us more. She did snap this one of Loopy.

So poor Styxy is feeling left out and forgotten this week. It was a hard, hard, hard week.

you friend, Styxy the forgettable 

Nature Friday - Seeing Spring - with Tigris

 Reader,

I am having to do Styx's post because he is too busy looking out the window to write. To quote him he "loves, loves, loves" looking out the open window. He especially loves it when Lady had not been lazy and has actually filled the feeders. It is more interesting, and I do find myself looking out a bit more now. 

I will host, but I am not getting out of bed for it. 

Lady suggest I share the first sign of spring in flowers.  Her are some flowers Styx can't eat.

First, a boring picture of some woods, but if you look closely you can see the start of the trilliums coming out. 

Next is the spring flowers at the side of the house. 

]\

I hope you enjoyed this fairly boring nature. Before I go back to nap, thanks to Rosy and Sunny for hosting this.

Tigris

Lanie's Log - All Is Well

 It has been 198 days since my imprisonment.  I continue to enjoy what the big house has to offer. The Wardens were having drinks with the neighbours who used to feed me on the weekend, and they asked if I showed an interest in leaving. Lady Warden said, of the 3 of us, I was the least interested in a door. Callie's Man said that is because I nearly froze a few winters. There is probably some truth to this. While at first I hated being captured, as time has gone by, I see the comforts of being a cherished house cat prisoner.  Although don't let the Wardens know this. 

I am spending more and more time out, upstairs with the people. Gris and I have not found a full way to exist, but there is less hissing, so we make progress. 

Styx and I can now share the perch by an open window

Lady is seing more of this - the 3 of us close (I am the dark blob on the cahir to the left)

I can relax enough to fall asleep out in the open

I am still skittish when the people move around, I don't like when they are standing and I prefer to get pets that don't involve food when I am in my tree in my cell. Maybe I always will. Lady Warden says I am doing better than she ever imagined and even if this is as good as it gets, it is amazing. 

Lanie, prisioner #3

Wordless Wednesday - May the 4th Outtakes

 

Tuesdays With Tigris - Thank You

 Readers,

Lady has mentioned it before, but she volunteers with the Ottawa Paw Pantry. This is a local charity, that works to provide pet food to those who require assistance. Lady had 2 roles with them,  she is the driver manager (she organizes drivers to do deliveries and pick up donations) and she has recently taken the role of storage and inventory coordinator (meaning she is going through the much needed task of organizing donations etc.). With these roles, she is part of the leadership team, meaning she works closely with the board to ensure all things are running smoothly (as she works on the operations side of it all). 

At a meeting Friday night, the treasurer was sharing a story about someone who had reached out to make a donation. Long story short, Lady was able to put together (without being given a name), it was one of you, our loyal readers. She shared this with the board (then she had to share the blog to the others). It was a reminder to Lady, first and foremost, in a world that seems negative and hard, there is still a lot of love and kindness. Thank you for that. 

To this reader (who we will not name without their permission), on behalf of ourselves and the Board and Leadership team of the Ottawa Paw Pantry, thank you for your generous donation. It was appreciated more than we can ever tell you. It will help feed some hungry bellies. 

Tigris, who would love to give the new diet food to others 

Mischief Monday - May the 4th Be With You and Not Fun - by Styx

May the 4th Be With You

I guess I should be grateful she doesn't have the gold bikini

Stupid look do I 

 

Hi friends, hi friends, hi friends,

I had the worst day ever last week. It was bad, bad, bad. Ok, maybe it was not the worst day ever, I did live in a shelter, but it was one of the worst days I have had since coming to live with my people. It started normal with breakfast and love and then I was being shoved into a crate and Gris was also being shoved into her crate and we then had to sing, and sing and sing for a very long drive and we ended at the vet. I sang the ride there (25 minutes), most of the time in the clinic (45 minutes) and the ride home (another 25 minutes). Gris only joined me on the ride there. 

They had a great window at the vet where we got to see so many cars, more cars then we see in a month at our house. It was very exciting. 

The people at the vet are nice and tried to give me treats, but I was not falling for their tricks.  Gris totally was bought with this.

In good news, other than needing to lose some weight as she is close to 17 lbs, Gris is healthy. 

In not good news, first they suggested I had weight to lose (too many treats with Lanie). I am about 13.5 lbs. In bad, bad, maybe bad, we aren't sure yet, but maybe bad news, I have a grade 2-3 heart murmur.  In June, I will be going to a cardiologist because no one can tell how serious or not serious this is right now.  I don't have any symptoms. Lady and Man have never had a cat need a specialist before, so I am super, super, specials. I think my problem is my heart is too, too, too big! I love, love, love everyone and everything. My heart wants to sing, sing, sing too! 

Hanging up high while the Lady and vet chatted. We match the wall! 

I was happy to be home and unlike Gris, who did not seem bothered in any way by her ordeal, I was a bit tired and not hungry the rest of the day. I was back to my busy, loving self the next day.

I promise, promise, promise, to share my journey as we go through it. Lady said it is an adventure!

your pal, with a whispering heart, Styx

Nature Friday - We Have A Winner!

 

hi friends, hi friends, hi friends,

I am so excited, we have a winner and the snow is gone and there are so many birds and deer and squirrels outside. It may be me Styxy who is winning now that spring is here. 

Because I am the mastered of suspense, so much suspense - I am going to share some spring pictures first.

Flowers growing

Deer

More deer

Now, drum roll please - the winner of the When Will The Snow Be Gone Contest - 2026 is . . . . 

The last of the snow melted on Monday the 27th. Lady forgot to take a picture in the evening, but she remembered in the morning (she looked but if it isn't a picture of us, she likely won't remember to take it).

Congratulations, congratulations, congratulations Cecilia, and thank you, thank you to everyone who played and let me be a host. Hosting is hard work and fun, fun, fun.

Lady will help me send you an email Cecilia this weekend about a prize. 

Enjoy spring everyone!

Styxy, the host

Lanie's Log - Happy Together

 It has been 191 days since my capture. 

I hate to admit it, but it turns out, I might like being a house cat. This week, not always pictured because as soon as the phone comes out, I stop doing what I am doing, I have amused the Wardens. Some of the highlights were eating dinner upstairs; playing laser pointer with Lady Warden for 45 minutes (I like to play in the morning now too some days); taking treats from the Man Warden while he was standing; Letting the Lady Warden pet me while I was eating upstairs; having a tussle with Styx in from of the Wardens; just spending more time in the living space upstairs when they were there; coming out and leading the Wardens to my room and my tree for love. 

Apparently I have exceeded my Wardens expectations, and have been the model prisoner. 

Hanging with everyone upstairs after my dinner

Lanie, prisoner #3

Wordless Wednesday - Styx and Lanie

 

Tuesdays with Tigris - We are NOT Spoiled

 Reader,

I refuse to acknowledge I am spoiled. I believe my mental and physical well being is adequately cared for by the Lady and the Man. Sometimes barely adequately enough (my dinner was 20 minutes late and some mornings I have to wake the people up for breakfast , and I have hared something a VET). 

On Saturday, after pickleball and errands, the people returned with a new toy from "clearance" whatever that means. 

Note the amount of floor space still available behind me for toys

This one was a instance hit, with all 3 of us. 

I was the Queen of the Castle

Great spot to smack Styx from

I love the tassels and the dangling toy

The people made fun of my size on this - very rude

Even that other cat I don't like, enjoyed it

Lady and Man did a great job getting us this fun toy. Thank you clearance, for helping make this possible.

Tigris, the Great 

Mischief Monday - Do We Have Snow?

Hi friends, hi friends, hi friends,

I hope you had a weekend that was fun, fun, fun, Our weekend was lots of fun and the people were around more than usual, so that was nice. Grissie is going to tell you about something fun, fun, fun that happened, because today I must host. 

Making my serious host face while I help Lady

Today is April 27. Do we still have snow?

This was the yard at almost 2 pm yesterday. This is what is left. 

Can you believe it, there is still a little snow! It is almost May!

Sorry Sunny and Aunty-Yam - you are so close, so, so, so close, but there is still snow in the yard! 

Friday will be my last day as contest host! Will this be the first year we don't have a winner?

your pal, Styx, contest host with the most

FFF and Nature Friday - Spring and Contest - by Styx

 Hi friends, hi friends, hi friends,

It is the best day of the month. It is the last Friday which means it is both Aunty-Yam's FFF and Rosy and Sunny's Nature Friday and I love them both. They are both so fun, so fun, so fun. 

I am so excited I don't know where to begin, where should I begin? What should be first!

Lady says I need to focus, focus, focus and she said to start with the FFF part, which will capture the nature, and I can do the contest last and build suspense, like a good thriller. So to build the suspense,  here I go.

Warm sun, warm sun,

I love you.

You make me sleepy,

yes you do,

You take away the snow

You make the flowers grow,

Warm sun, warm sun,

I love you.

The end

The early flowers are starting to appear. 

Now onto the contest.

I am sad to say, that on Wednesday morning, after some more guesses, we still had this snow.

Sorry to Fay, Phenny and Nelly, Walter, and Missy Mimi. We still had snow on your guesses. So close, so close, so close. Will there still be snow by the end of today or will one of the later guesses win. I will update you on Monday.

your poet and host, Styxy