Tuesdays with Tigris - The Cosmic Crew

Because I know I am the apple in my people's eye, I will give this post to Lady to update Celeste and the Cosmic Crew.

The Cosmic Crew continues to bring us and those we share with, so much joy! We can't believe how big the babies are. They are moving around now, they are opening their eyes and they are starting to sit up. I have been able to check them out a couple times and I am guessing 2 boys and 2 girls. Time will tell if my guess is right!

Celeste is usually very tolerant of me in her space. There are times she will "charge" at me (sometimes as I enter the room) and she has given me a few gentle nips and gentle swats. To be honest, Styx has bitten me harder when I have been trying to have a lie in. I imagine how scared this poor gal is, to have been in our house for 1.5 days and then to have given birth. I am amazed how well she is doing, and now the kittens are past the age where I feel I need to worry, I am able to respect her boundaries.  I think she will be super hard to say goodbye to when it is time for her adoption. We have shared a unique time together. 

Here are a few random pictures from the past week.

Tuesdays with Tigris - Always Sleep with One Eye Opened

Readers,

Today I would like to impart a little life lesson. I believe you should always sleep with one eye open.

The advantages:

• It creeps your people out - they wonder if you are awake or asleep
• It allows you to be on the look out for the garbage cat coming too clos.
• It also allows you to keep an eye on your people and see if they are doing stupid things like bringing in more garbage cats. 

Tigris
 

Tuesdays with Tigris - Ummm, I Don't Need This Diet

Readers,

While my people were away, the children caring for me gave me too much food. Also, to make it easier on them, I was not required to just have my diet food. Now, the people have the audacity to say it is time to get serious about my weight loss. Just because I weigh more than 4 kittens, I don't see the problem. 

I argued there is no body shaming in 2026, and the Lady said, it wasn't shaming if it was true concern about my health.  Lady says, it is not about how I love, it is about my health as medical experts (who clearly got their degrees online) said I need to slim down.

So a stricter diet has begun and I am not happy about it.

Tigris

Tigris

Tuesdays with Tigris - Whatevs

 Reader,

As Styx mentioned, the people were away. It wasn't great but the neighbour kid is much more generous with her portions at dinner, so it wasn't all bad. She didn't understand the word diet.

I also had a little adventure with my pal Marv over the weekend, you can read about it HERE.

Tuesdays with Tigris - Yes and No

 Reader,

Sometimes I demand belly rubs from my Lady. I don't really want them, but I do and I don't and I do and I end up biting her.  She thinks it is funny. 

Here she is just trying to capture my eye colour

Then when I am done with her, I hide. She will only leave me alone if she can't find me.

I am also hiding because it appears the people have been approved to be a cat foster home so in August I may have to put up with more garbage cats.

Tigris

Tuesdays with Tigris - Enough

 Reader,

I really do love my Lady. She does a really good job at most of the time respecting my boundaries. I know I am beautiful and cute and I can be very distracting.

But sometimes she is a little much and I must hide.

She will never find me.

Tigris

Tuesdays with Tigris - Hunting

 Reader,

I am the best hunter in the house. I have proof.

Our house was invaded by a robot mouse. 

I bravely chased and hunted this mouse,

Until the batteries were almost dead. 

Garbage Cat hid from the mouse. 

As any good mom would do, after I had caught it again, I let my Styxy have my spoils while I gave him a little kiss.

Tigris, Robot Mouse Killing Machine

Tuesdays with Tigris - Approved

 Reader,

The Lady decided to use some of her birthday money on things to spruce up the house. One of those things was a new mat for in front of the sink. She wanted something to go with the green and was washable. She landed on this jungle theme (Lady and her animals, she may as well be a toddler).

I approve. It is a nice soft mat to relax on, away from garbage cat. 

Tigris - Queen of the Jungle

Tuesdays with Tigris - Less Than Sweet Dreams

 Reader,

I was napping beside the Lady the other day while she was reading and I started to have dreams.

At first I was just running and twitching.

Then I started to growl.

I could have been growling at garbage cat, or maybe I was growling at the new monstrosity that Lady purchased for the bathroom that is now the litter room. 

A toilet paper holder

This is a secret I will keep.

Tigris

Tuesdays with Tigris - A Helpful Lady

Reader,

I think the Lady may be a bit crazy

Lady saw on social media that a local cat rescue TRN Lapeche needed a driver to take a carload of cats 1.5 hours away to a spay and neuter clinic. So she took the day off and drove 14 cats about 150km/90 miles (one way, return that is twice the distance).

The clinic is an all spay and neuter clinic (they vaccine and microchip too and do a few other things). The rescue works to send a few car loads a month there. They first send cats from their rescue (a combination of feral from colonies who they support and rescued who have a chance of becoming house cats) and then open it up to the public, as the cost is about half of what Lady paid to get garbage cat fixed. 

Then a volunteer picks up the cats in 2 locations and drives to the clinic. The clinic is all drive through. You drive up, you give them your dog/cat and everyone comes back at the same time that day. For Lady, she dropped all the cats off at 9 and picked them up at 2:15.

When loading the cats back into the car, the guy in line behind her yelled "who's the crazy cat lady" and Lady laughed and said "cat rescue" and he said "I figured" but they both laughed.

Then Lady drove the 14 cats back tot he 2 drop off locations and home.

She was rewarded with a $50 gas card for her time.

She said it was easy. She had to make sure the crates were labeled and zip tied. She had to Tetris them all into the car. They were very good. Only 2 complained a little on the way there. The feral ones (who had been taken from the colony the night before) stunk a bit. She had to do the same thing on the way home, where no one said anything.

She is doing it again in July. She can imagine doing it a few times in the good weather. She will not be doing this in the winter as winter driving is not her scene.

I guess it is good she is helping other cats out of our house. I made sure she knew I was still in charge and could kill her in her sleep. 

Tigris, Queen of the house

Tuesdays with Tigris - Toys

 Reader,

Last week, as part of our "mental and physical" stimulation plan, Lady bought us new toys. If she were to be honest, she was thinking of garbage cat the most, because she is the one who can never stop playing. Styx and I enjoy a little play, but we are not crazy like garbage cat.

Just to show Lady that I also like toys, I played for a very, very long time with the new toy on a stick. Mind you, I refused to get out of the chair to do so.

I have been spotted playing some more as has Styx. Lady is right, garbage cat plays the most. She doesn't have an off button. 

Styx checking out the other new toys

Garbage cat having her turn

Playing is fun and all, but napping is the best.

Tigris

Tuesdays with Tigris - Forgiving

 Reader,

I have been the least impressed with garbage cat (aka Jack-O-Lanie). Her presence has not brought me joy. She caused me to change some of my habits, including going downstairs to see the Lady when she worked.

However, since the closing of the cell, the placement of my tree back where I like it, and garbage cat's ability to respect my boundaries, I am slowly starting to forgive the people.

Perhaps giving her this love will make her decide I don't need to be on a diet. 

Tigris

Tuesdays with Tigris - Sun and Boxes

 Reader,

While Prisoner #3 complains about her life in the house, I would like to complain about having a garbage cat in the house. I call her that, because the people may as well have found her in a garbage can. Stupid cat re-distribution system. 

Anyways, in spite of it all, life here in the big house is tolerable (even for those of us on diets).

There is plenty of warm sun, and places to sit in it.

There has also been an increase in boxes. 

So I guess I can't complain too much.

Tigris, Queen of the house

Tuesdays with Tigris - Another Week

 The Lady was very busy last week and was barely home. She said life is going to slow down a bit now. I had to tolerate late dinners and late breakfasts, besides the hat tax. May we be back into our routine soon.

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

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 

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 

Tuesdays with Tigris - Gift

 Last week the people celebrated 1 year of serving me. To mark this occasion, we got a new toy. 

Lady and Man thought they should get something to scratch and something to play with. They mentioned something about some of us needing exercise because she was a chunky monkey, but there is no way they could have been talking about me.

We enjoy this toy, even the little one who I dislike does too.

Tigris 

Tuesdays with Tigris - What's In A Name?

Reader,

I am not sure why they Lady gives us names, because she so rarely uses them. 

Take me for example. When I arrived one year ago I was Lilo and Lady and Man changed it to Tigris. Currently, I am most often called Gris or Grissie, which makes sense as nicknames, but it doesn't stop there. I am also Grismas, BG (big girl), GrisGris, and Miss Gris. When Lady is being formal I am Tigris Blue Buttar. Blue, for my grey colour that looks blue and Buttar after a Canadian Bull Rider and because I am round.

Tigris

Styx, who was Stitch, is Styx, Styxy, and Styximus Maximus (which Lady makes Max). He has the least names.

Styx

                  

The cat whom I don't like is Jack-O-Lanie, Lanie, Little One, Lambie, or Scoot-scoot. When Lady is being really silly she called her Little Lanie Lambie Leme (Leme is also a bull rider, Lady has a theme). 

Lanie

It has only been a year, I am sure she will come up with new names (which may be better than the little songs she makes up about us and sings).

Tigris