Kitty Yoga Tutorial

This is a special segment for you ladies who, like me, are conscious of your overall health and well-being.  Follow my routine each day and you will see noticeable results in your flexibility, core strength, and mental sharpness.  Remember, before beginning any new exercises you should consult your vet!

First, you need to lay on a flat surface and stretch as completely as possible.  

I call this my "Super-Kitty" pose.

Then, while sitting on your bum, try to touch your toes.  Stretch only as far as is comfortable!

Next, lay on your back, and roll from side to side.

This should get your spine nice and loose for the next pose. 

You will need a good place to do the next pose.  Find anywhere that is about the width of your body and that you can hang across.  I really like the back of this office chair, but the arm of the couch would also work well.  Just relax your body and let gravity do all the work!

After all that hard work, you need to find somewhere to just relax and meditate.  I prefer to use my Mommy's papers as my mat.  You could hold this position for hours if you would like.

Remember to repeat this routine daily for amazing results!  Also, I would love to hear your success stories.  Please feel free to share them in the comments.

Can I Get A Little Privacy Around Here?

So Mommy said I needed a bath today.  I don't mind baths so much, really.  I used to throw a hissy fit - complete with the hissing, scratching, climbing and crying.  But, honestly, I can't keep myself as clean as I would like to anymore and I don't like to be dirty.  Also, I kind of like the way warm water feels when Mommy pours it over my achy joints.  So bath time is actually going pretty well until HE shows up.  That Cheerio does not understand about privacy.  Actually, there are very few things that Cheerio does understand.

Cheerio was walking back and forth on the edge of the tub, checking out everything.  He wanted to know what was going on, even though he has had a bath before.  How does he not understand?  I'm knee-deep in water and bubbles because I'm taking a bath.  A bath is a private situation.  Not a spectator event!

What are you looking at, kid?

That's ok.  I'll take care of you once I get dry...

Throwback Thursday

Well, I guess I'm the only kitty around here old enough to even have a "throwback" day.  This is me at about 4 weeks old, back in April of 1998.  I knew how to strut my stuff, even at such an early age.  Sorry about the quality.  My human granny took it on a Polaroid to send to my mom to show her how much I was growing.  Mom had seen me when I was just born, but lived about 4 hours away so she didn't get to see me that much until I was ready to leave my litter.

I was in a litter of four, and our kitty mom was a black and white tuxedo cat.  I had a sister that was also a calico, though not nearly as pretty as me.  She was mostly white with just some calico places here and there.  I also had two brothers that were yellow tabbies, like Cheerio.  My human mom says she picked me right away because of my beautiful colors, and how symmetrical my face is.  She has a thing about symmetry and balance.  I think she's a little OCD...

Even though we were a litter of outside cats, granny let me come in the house and even gave me my first litter box so I would be ready to live with mommy.  This picture is of one of the many times I was strutting past the glass door, showing everyone that I was on the inside and they weren't.  Do I feel bad about it?  Not really.  I was and still am a special girl.

Cheerio is Sad

Poor Cheerio... No one wants him around.  The girls didn't want to play.  Then, the worst thing of all...  Brother put him out of his room and closed the door.  I thought brothers had to stick together.  Cheerio just wanted one more chance to be a good boy in there.  He's only been given about 394 chances, what's one more?  It's not like he was chewing things again.  Well, actually that was exactly what it was.  But why are those little cords so important anyway?  It's not like Cheerio has already destroyed three sets of ear buds, two laptop chargers and a charger for a 3DS (which was only a week old, by the way).  And it's not like the people are trying to keep me from hurting myself by taking me away from electrical cords.

Well, I'll just go somewhere by myself, if no one wants me around.  *Sniff*  Poor Cheery...

 

Hey, this spot is actually pretty comfy.  This seems like a good time for a nap.

 

What was I sad about again???

** Update 11/24/13:  I can now claim responsibility for the destruction of four sets of ear buds!

Wordless Wednesday

Chloe's Acrobatic Adventure

I'm so embarrassed. I can't believe Mommy came home and found me engaged in such foolishness...

It's all Cheerio's fault, of course.  He's always doing silly things and putting himself in silly places.  But never me.  I'm too dignified for this kind of behavior.

But that boy kept talking about how much fun and exciting it is until I finally had to try it.  I've seen him walk on the railing so many times.  Sometimes he falls, most of the time he gets down safely on his own though.  It did look like fun.  Oh well, I thought, why not give it a try?

But then Mommy came, and before I realized she was there, she saw what we were doing.  She didn't make much noise - I think she was afraid she would scare us and we would fall.  Immediately, I was so ashamed of myself for following along with Cheerio.  I was so mad at him that I decided to give him a little push...  Not a big one, just enough to let him know how I felt about the trouble he was getting me into.

Luckily for him, he was able to hold on.  Next time, he might not be so lucky.

The whole ordeal was so traumatic, that I had to go through my de-stress routine: a visit to the litter box, a few bites to eat, and then a nap in my window seat.  That Cheerio doesn't even understand when someone's upset with him.  He hopped right up with me in my special napping spot.

Oh well, I'm too tired and upset to try to explain it to him.  Maybe later...

Can Cheerio get a little credit around here?

So Cheerio is trying to be a good boy and help the maid a little, and what happens?  He gets in trouble.  Not once, but three times.  You see, the maid (the one Chloe and Daffodil call Mommy) is always fussing about having too much housework, so I figure I can help her out.  She starts putting clothes into the big white box, but gets distracted by something and walks away.  Cheerio can help!

Where do you turn this thing on?  It's around here somewhere... 

I still hadn't quite figured out how to get this thing going when the maid came back and started yelling "Cheery, get out of there!"  Of course, I didn't budge.  I never do.  She was saying things about how I could have been hurt if she didn't see me.  Really.  How in the world could this thing hurt Cheerio?  Beats me.  That's when she dragged me out (as I tried my best to hold on) and set me down on the floor.  I still didn't see how she turned that thing on, but I'll figure it out one day.

A little later, Cheerio saw another chance to help.  The maid (seems like she does everything around here) was taking dishes out of the other big white box - the one that sits in the kitchen.  Once she got everything out, it looked so big and inviting.  I was sure she cleaned it out just for me to do something with all that space and the parts that move inside.  So I hopped in and had a look around.  It was fun to slap the spinning arm in the bottom and push the wire rack back and forth.  I know it makes a noise sometimes, and I'm sure it would fun to hear it from the inside.  Just when Cheerio had almost found the "on" button - I'm pretty sure it's in the very back - the maid had to go and pull me out.  Of course, I grabbed one of the racks and pulled it out with me.  You can't take Cheerio that easily!

Then, after the maid carried the laundry upstairs to put away, she had to set it down for a few minutes.  Here was one more chance for little Cheery to prove he's a big boy.  I wasn't quite sure I could handle this job on my own, so I quickly got Chloe to help.  I showed her where the clothes were, but neither of us really knew what to do with them. 
 

 

 Two brains are better than one?

Just then, Daffy showed up.  She fusses as much as the maid does.   For some reason, she didn't think we should be sitting on clean clothes.  I told her she could help too, but she didn't want anything to do with it.  In fact, she said she was going to tell on us.  That's when I had to do it.  I slapped Daffodil on the head.  I slapped the big kitty... 




 As soon as it happened, I knew it was a bad idea.  Chloe ran away immediately.  You may not have noticed, but Cheerio's not the smartest kitty, so I sat and waited to see what would happen.  Well, let's just say Daffy was not happy.  And let's also say she's pretty strong for her age. 


After getting in trouble three times just for trying to help out, Cheerio finally decided just to give up and get some rest.  Maybe he can get some appreciation some other day...

Cheerio in his peaceful place

Introductions

Daffodil 

 The Dominant Kitty - and don't forget it!

Gender: Female

Color: Calico

DOB: 3/7/98

I don't let my advanced age and health conditions keep me from showing those other two who's in charge around here.  Even though I have laryngeal paralysis (which makes my breathing difficult), hyperthyroidism, and diabetes I will still lay the smackdown on any kitty that touches my belongings or tries to get too much attention from the humans.  Speaking of the humans, I've been with them as long as I can remember.  My people-mom picked me out from my litter when my eyes weren't even open, then took me home as soon as I was ready to leave my litter.  When I was two years old, she had my little human brother.  I didn't like him very much - he was way too noisy - but I felt obligated to watch over him.  I grew to tolerate him, and over time came to love him.  While he and mom were at school all day (mom's a teacher) I didn't have much to keep my mind or body active.  Mom kept trying to tell me that she was going to bring home siblings for me, but I didn't understand what she meant until THEY came.  As soon as that Cheerio's paws touched MY FLOOR, I wanted to eat him up.  And Chloe, she knew better than to come anywhere near me, and still does.  But Cheerio won't give up.  He has tried to rub against me, and play with me, and cuddle with me so persistently that I sometimes let him get away with it.  You know, just to throw him a bone once in a while.

Chloe

The Pretty Princess

Gender: Female

Color:  Black & White

DOB: 5/29/12?   Adopted: 12/29/12

I don't remember much of my life before Mommy rescued me from the shelter.  I was shy and scared and hanging out in the back of that cage they had me in.  I was so far back, no one seemed to notice me.  When my Mommy walked by, I came out of hiding and she saw me.  She took me out and petted me, and said I was going home with her soon.  I was so happy to know I was getting away from there.  Did you know that the food and the potty are right beside each other???  I was so appalled, I would hardly use either.  When I came to my forever home, I had my own room to hang out in for a while to get used to the house.  Mommy said there was a big kitty that I would need to watch out for, and she was right.  As soon as I started exploring the house, I found Cheerio, a little yellow boy who just wants to play all the time, and Daffy, the big calico girl who runs the house.  I've grown pretty close to Cheerio, but I still walk a wide path around Daffy.  All I really care about is being brushed and petted anyway.  I have to keep myself looking pretty.  I even let Mommy do my nails, unlike Cheerio and Daffy who fight against nail trims.  I really don't like it when the people are gone, maybe it makes me remember being left at the shelter...  Whenever they are home, I have to be right with them at all times.  I sit on top of anything Mommy is doing - her laptop, papers she is grading, laundry she is folding, whatever.  And I always go to bed with my human parents.  I wait politely while they get ready for bed, then hop up to Mommy's side as soon as I hear the "click" of her lamp and the light goes out.

Cheerio 

The Clueless Kitty

Gender: Male

Color: Yellow Tabby

DOB:  7/29/12?  Adopted: 12/29/12

Cheerio is a free kitten.  Yeah, I refer to myself in the third person.  Get used to it.  Like I said, Cheerio is a free kitten.  He doesn't belong to anyone.  He just lets these people feed him and clean up after him, but he's planing his escape.  Cheerio remembers being at the shelter, sitting in a tiny cage, clawing at everyone that passed and meowing like crazy.  For some reason, no one really went for that.  Then the maid came in (Chloe and Daffy call her mom, but I call her the maid).  She saw me and said I was so cute and that I could go to her house.  Cheerio saw this as his chance for escape!  Well, she said I had to have a little operation and couldn't go to her house just yet, but she would come back in a few days.  I still don't see what's so special about their house that I had to have that surgery!  Anyway, the maid came back to get Cheerio and he's been living with her family ever since.  They put Cheerio in his own room for a few days, which did not go well.  I would cry so much that my human brother would stay in my room for hours, maybe doing his homework or just playing with me.  When the time was finally up so I could explore the house I didn't waste any time.  I wanted to see everything at once and figure out how I was going to escape.  Everyone tells me to stay away from the big calico kitty but I don't understand why.  She loves playing with me.  Every time I go near her she tells me to "eat floor" and pushes my head down under her paw.  That's our little game.  Cheerio has made it outside quite a few times, but always gets caught by the people.  He's always on the lookout for his next chance.