Happy Halloween

Mom's doing this post early as we have a virus in the computer and will be off line for a while. We will visit you all when we get it all sorted out and fixed!

Mouse Alert!

We hear some rustling in the leaves...wonder what it is?

Ooooh, a little mouse is running in front of the screen! Where did he go? Which way did he go? I think we lost him...oh no.

Hey Al - you are looking the wrong way pal! He's over here.

We watched the little mouse for most of the day. Too bad he never came inside where we could play with him. Happy Tuesday.

For more cat stories visit Cats on Tuesday.

Don't Miss our Give - away!

To continue to celebrate Albert's 5th Gotcha Day, which was Oct 22, Mom is giving away a free year's subscription to Cat Fancy Magazine - all you have to do is to leave a comment telling us that you want in on a chance for a free cat magazine. Mom's computer has not been working so she is extending the drawing until Sunday Nov. 1 when she will randomly pick a winner. Good luck everyone.!

Fatigued Friday!

Al, our special boy - too pooped to pop today!

Two Spot crashed in a basket.

After Al's big Gotcha Day party on Thursday, we are all hung over and full of ham and pizza, ice cream and cake! We are all napping today so see ya on Saturday! Thanks for coming to party with us.

Mamacita and Rosa sleeping it off.

Joey and Yoko in their favorite spot.

Give - away!
To continue to celebrate Albert's 5th Gotcha Day, Mom is giving away a free year's subscription to Cat Fancy Magazine - all you have to do is to leave a comment telling us that you want in on a chance for a free cat magazine and on Monday October 26 she will randomly pick a winner. Good luck everyone.!

Albert's 5th Gotcha Day!

Welcome one and all to Al's 5th Gotcha Day celebration! We have quite a spread for ya'll - pizza, ham, tiny sandwiches, plus lots of cake and ice cream for dessert! Dig in and have fun!!

It has been five, sometimes long years, since Mom found Al by the side of the road when he was a tiny kitten. (Read Al's life story.) Life with a deaf cat can be challenging to say the least. Al is a very sweet, cuddly, mischievous and endearing with people but with other cats he can be unpredictable and sometimes mean. Mostly we think the bullying is just him not knowing what is being said when we growl or talk to him. He just doesn't get our verbal messages and plows right in where most cats would head for cover!

He was a tiny guy five years ago that somehow managed to get himself into the darnedest places to nap. Now he is a large handsome mancat with stunning blue eyes. We are very happy to have him in our cat family - Pop especially has a soft spot for big Al. Make sure you scroll down to the end of the post ---Mom is giving away a neat gift for cat lovers!

Take this quizz and find out how much you know about deaf cats......

What’s Your Deaf-Cat IQ?
Test your knowledge about the needs of these special kitties.
By Erika Sorocco of the Cat Channel

Owners of deaf cats need to put in a little extra time and provide some special care for their feline companions. Take this quiz to find out how much you know about deaf cats, and the simple ways that help you and kitty adjust to the handicap.
1. When approaching a deaf cat, you should:
a. Sneak up behind her
b. Pat her lightly
c. Approach her from the front
d. Run toward her

2. Cats most prone to deafness are:
a. Tabbies with green eyes
b. Black and white with yellow eyes
c. Persians with blue eyes
d. White with blue eyes

3. The best way to keep track of a deaf cat is by:
a. Keeping her on a leash
b. Confining her to one room
c. Putting a bell on her collar
d. Following her wherever she goes

4. The most effective way to train a deaf cat is by using:
a. Toys
b. Affection
c. Treats
d. Anger

5. When playing with a deaf cat, the best toys are:
a. Feathers
b. Laser pointers
c. String
d. Balls

6. Deaf cats use which one of their senses the most?
a. Smell
b. Taste
c. Touch
d. Sight

7. What type of test would have to be conducted to see whether a cat is deaf or not?
a. FIV
b. ELISA test
c. BAER test
d. FeLV

8. When introducing a deaf cat to children you should:
a. Allow the children to grab the cat roughly
b. Inform the children of the cat’s situation
c. Leave the children alone with the cat
d. Let the children tease the cat

9. A deaf cat that is suddenly awakened may:
a. Purr
b. Lick your hand
c. Meow
d. Bite or hiss

10. Cats who are deaf:
a. Should be put to sleep
b. Lead miserable lives
c. Can lead happy, healthy, normal lives
d. Are mistreated

11. The best way to awaken a deaf cat that is sleeping is by:
a. Tapping a wall or stomping your feet
b. Petting her
c. Blowing on her fur
d. Picking her up

12. When interacting with other animals, a deaf cat should:
a. Be left unsupervised
b. Not be allowed to interact with other animals
c. Be supervised
d. Interact only with other cats

13. A deaf cat should:
a. Be allowed to live outdoors
b. Be kept indoors at all times
c. Be confined to one room
d. Be allowed to roam wherever they please

14. What emotion is often mistaken for aggression in deaf cats?
a. Fear
b. Jealousy
c. Stress
d. Guilt

15. Training a deaf cat is:
a. Impossible
b. Difficult
c. Possible depending on the circumstances
d. Simple with a little dedication and repetition

16. Separation anxiety is higher in deaf cats.
a. Maybe
b. It depends on the cat
c. Not at all
d. Absolutely

17. Informal sign language:
a. Can be learned by deaf cats
b. Is only useful to deaf humans
c. Can’t be learned by deaf cats
d. Doesn’t work for cats

18. Working with a deaf cat is:
a. Easy
b. Challenging
c. In-between
d. Hard

19. Deafness:
a. Only occurs in white cats with blue eyes
b. Can happen to any cat at any age
c. Is caused by old age
d. Only occurs in female cats

20. Deaf cats are:
a. Louder than hearing cats
b. Quieter than hearing cats
c. Completely silent
d. More talkative than hearing cats



Answer Key
1. C
2. D
3. C
4. C
5. B
6. A
7. C
8. B
9. D
10. C
11. A
12. C
13. B
14. A
15. D
16. C
17. A
18. B
19. B
20. A

If you scored:
1-5 Points - Good job. Keep on studying. Don’t despair, simply pick up a few books and fill your mind with every deaf-cat fact you can find!

5-10 Points - Congrats! You’re almost there! 11-15 Points - Give yourself a pat on the back – You’re on your way to becoming a deaf-cat expert.

16-20 Points - You’re the cats meow! There’s no question about it, when it comes to deaf cats, you know it all!

Erika Sorocco is a freelance writer living in Southern California . Her work has appeared in numerous publications both nationally and internationally.





Give - away!

To celebrate Albert's special day, Mom is giving away a free year's subscription to Cat Fancy Magazine - all you have to do is so leave a comment telling us that you are interested in the magazine and on Monday October 26 she will randomly pick a winner. Good luck everyone and thanks for stopping by!

White Wordless Wednesday - Just Sunning my Toes

For more Wordless Wednesday posts from all over visit here!

Tortie Tosies Tuesday

Whose cute tosies are these? Give up?



Our senior tortie cat Chica that's who! Isn't she a beauty - toes and all? Of course being her Mom makes me a little biased!

For more Cats on Tuesday visit Gattina! Don't forget to come back on Thursday for Al's big Gotcha Day blast!

Mancat Monday

Joey loves to sleep in unusual places especially if other cats are already there. He is squished in the chair next to Mamacita and Rosa but that is fine by him! He loves being the only mancat in the house!




You are all invited to Al's Gotcha Day Party on Thursday October 22! It is his 5th Gotcha Day when Mom found him by the side of the road. We are planning a big celebration!

Witchy Minnie on Spooky Sunday!

I'm glad Mom can use the computer to dress me up - I don't like wearing clothes one bit!

Have a Spooky Sunday - the big day is drawing near!!!!

For more pet posts spooky or not visit Pet Pride!

Photo Hunt - Anything Goes

This here's a cat fight in the literal terms! Get him Minnie. Minnie's got Joey pinned to the ground! They are littermates and usually very loving with each other. This playtime got a little overheated!

For more Camera Critters visit here or to join in on the Photo Hunt for today click here.

Happy National Feral Cat Day!

Ivy while living outdoors.

The organization Alley Cat Allies is sponsoring this day to honor and help feral cats. Without the information and kindness of this group all of my cats would not be healthy, alive and safe with me today.

Many of you have heard this story before so I will make a long story short - when we bought our farmhouse in the mountains of North Carolina ten years ago, we inherited a rag tag group of mostly black cats who lived in the woods on the back property line. Some neighbors put food out for them but they were not spayed nor given any medical care.


Joey as a young feral on the well house.

My local animal shelter felt that ferals should be euthanized since they did not have quality lives without humans to care for them and interact with them. Outraged at their mentality I went online to seek a better solution. I found Alley Cat Allies and called them. They were very helpful personally and emailed me much info on how to trap, neuter and release and even how to tame the ferals.

The veterinarian in the neighborhood did the spay/neuter for the local shelter but disagreed with their train of thought. Barbara was more than willing to help me spay all the cats and did it for as little as $20 per cat! Over the years I have neutered more than 25 cats - some released back out to live their lives, others came inside to live with us. When we moved out of the high mountains last year, we took all the remaining cats with us rather than leave them behind to fend for themselves. We asked our neighbors but no one wanted the responsibility of caring for them so it was up to us.


The new cat shelter in our new home.

They are my joy and actually keep me going on days when I might not be able to get up out of bed! They give so much back in love, silliness, comfort and just being able to share my home with such regal creatures!


Lily, mother of all the white cats (my second feral group) and one of her babies.

Please help out the ferals of our country by donating money, time or skills to this or any other organization that cares for ferals, offers TNR programs and teaches others to let these wonderful cats live out their lives in health and safety while living outdoors!

Only, the cat, on Wordless Wednesday

For more Wordless Wednesday posts click here!

Rainy Cool Caturday

Hey it's me Joey and it's a cool rainy day today and we are all just hanging out....



Sharing our toys...altho Yoko does not like to let me play with her...



sitting in boxes...Mamacita is toooo big to share a box with....



And lounging on any available surface. Chica likes to drape over the sofa back - very unladylike!

Hope you all have a great day whatever you do! Visit more Camera Critters by clicking here.

Tortie Thursday

I know Tuesday is usually Tortie Day but I am feeling so much better Mom wanted to celebrate by letting me do another tortie post!



Here I am helping her blog...



This takes longer than I would have thought....



Aren't I gorgeous? I love to pose for Mom and the flashy box.



Might as well get some cleaning in...



Sooo boring...zzzzzz.

Minnie's Toes on Tuesday

Because I am a beautiful black kitty, whenever I use the litter box I come out with dusty toes! Mom thinks it's funny but I don't!

For more Cats on Tuesday visit Gattina's blog.

Mancat Monday - Woody

Uh oh Mom's got the flashy box thing out again! I don't like lots of attention drawn to me.



Mom, how many times are you gonna make that go flash?



Even being the mancat for Mancat Monday is not worth it for me to put up with this. I'm going under the chair where I am safe! By ya'll!

To see more pet photos click on Pet Pride!

Photo Hunt - Words

We are playing Photo Hunt today and the theme is words! Here is Darby keeping tabs on the local news! Such a well read kitty!!!

For more Photo Hunt posts click here. We are also taking part in Camera Critters so make sure you visit Misty Dawn's great meme!