Below are the 20 most recent journal entries recorded in Cats' Blurty:

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Wednesday, September 16th, 2009
9:34 pm	Two hour naps It's official. No matter who is in the room, if Shazz is there, she has the best lap. Which is pretty awesome for the rest of us! "Hey, no mushy stuff." The vast white tundra of Puddin'. "Zzzz." Current Mood: relaxed (Comment on this)
Wednesday, September 9th, 2009
8:51 pm	Strong, yet sensitive Boo, the ruggedly handsome hunter, has gotten his rugged head covered in cobwebs. Boo, the genius, will look pitiful until we rush to clean him up, along with much sympathy and pettings. Current Mood: pitiful (Comment on this)
Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009
11:50 pm	Puddin's New Talent We couldn't find Puddin' anywhere. Later, Shazz heard snoring and spotted a little cat head sticking out of some blankets. Yup. She bundled up all by herself. Look how pink her ears are. Must be majorly toasty in there. Current Mood: mellow (7 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, August 26th, 2009
11:20 pm	They'll workout Billy is gonna be surprised when he gets to the gym and opens his bag. Maybe Boo can take advantage of the equipment while he's there and shed an ounce or two. Current Mood: restless (Comment on this)
Wednesday, August 19th, 2009
9:24 pm	In charge "If a cat did not put a firm paw down now and then, how could his human remain possessed?" - Winifred Carriere Puddin' almost looks like she's being a pest on purpose . . . Naaah. Current Mood: satisfied (Comment on this)
Wednesday, August 12th, 2009
10:41 pm	Who's that cat? No pix of Puddin' or Boo today. Just got back from a trip to my mom's house. (Put off the trip for a month while I played feline psychiatrist.) The cats got along while we were away for 3 days and 2 nights! Huzzah! My mom no longer has a cat, but Billy's mom has adopted a stray that showed up at her doorstep one day. Here he is on her new car. He doesn't like being picked up but otherwise he's very friendly. Presenting (the unofficially named) Tom. Current Mood: content (Comment on this)
Wednesday, August 5th, 2009
8:46 pm	Normalacy It is so good to be able to have cats that get along (sort of) again! Not that they are miraculously friends or anything. They still keep an eye on each other. But now they can relax around each other. I will never take this for granted again! Current Mood: cheerful (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, July 29th, 2009
10:12 pm	Kitty crisis (Finale) Although I haven't considered myself a superstitious person, I think that this whole cat thing has made me one. I find myself hesitant to say anything positive lest I "jinx" what progress has been made. Nevertheless, things have gotten pretty much back to normal. We've made short, convenience store runs and come back to find 2 napping cats. Then we tried grocery shopping without locking either cat away. No bloody messages scrawled on the walls. Finally, we all went to the mall to have dinner AND shop. Oh, we were gone for hours! We came home to two cats yelling (at us) for attention or food or something. There were no scratches or spare parts or (even worse) hidden puddles anywhere. Glorious. And now, for your vast patience through all of this kitty soap opera and for all the kind words of encouragement, you get a free picture of Boo. I think he just woke up. No twinkly stars here. Current Mood: Still watchful (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009
11:24 pm	Good-ish vibrations (Kitty crisis, part 5) The Great Cat Reunification is moving forward with nary a hitch. On the first and second days, we allowed them to roam about for a few hours together, then separated them again. They spent together-time watching each other. The next step was to give them freedom all day, with people around. Then, we allowed them to roam freely in the house day and night, as long as someone is home. They still watch each other from far across the room. Next thrilling step, HOME ALONE. Current Mood: optimistic (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, July 15th, 2009
7:10 pm	Ruler of all she can see Hope that Puddin' isn't getting too used to having Boo locked away. We'll start the getting-them-together-slowly program at the end of this week. Meanwhile, Puddin' blissfully claims the warm laptop, and anything else in her way, as her own. Shazz learns to type with her left hand. I'll just stop taking pictures now. Current Mood: warm (Comment on this)
Thursday, July 9th, 2009
12:17 am	Look at that! Thanks for the awesome avatar, Shazz!! (Comment on this)
Wednesday, July 8th, 2009
10:16 pm	Only a little while longer (Kitty crisis, part 4) We've settled into a stable and (hopefully) temporary limbo. The cats used to come and go throughout the house as they pleased. Now there's a schedule to follow and doors they can't open. The cat personality differences are becoming pretty obvious. When Puddin' has her freedom, she spends a lot of it sleeping and relaxing. Sometimes she goes off by herself. A lot of the time, she makes sure she does her cat duty to be asleep AND in the way at the same time. Crashing out on a lap is the best! When Puddin' is locked up, she will see to it that no one forgets her. She alternates between pitiful sounds, "you-come-right-here-and-open-this-door" meows, silence (sleeping), and silence with mysterious busy noises. Perhaps she is digging an escape tunnel. Boo spends his free time with his people. He talks twice as much because he's been saving up things to say during his absence. He goes about the house, checking things out but always comes back to where people are to rub against them or sit on their feet or just to hang out. Lately he's been such a good sport that it's making me feel guilty. In the morning he'll go to my room and wait for me to close him in. He doesn't complain or yell, but waits for his turn to come out again later. When I visit him, he's glad to see me. When I go out again, he doesn't rush the door. He just watches me go. The brave Boo, waiting. Arg. Well, just a week and a half more of this, I hope. Current Mood: hopeful (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, July 2nd, 2009
12:25 am	We all survived (Kitty crisis, part 3) Cats haven't been growling under doors at each other lately, so I decided to try an experiment when everyone was away but me (and the cats, of course.) Puddin' had been out nearly all day and pretty hungry. Boo had been in my room and he was ready to see food as well. I filled their bowls with kibbles, opened my door, and waited for possible trouble. Boo rumbled out. The cats saw each other but seemed more surprised than angry. I quickly rattled their food in their bowls to distract them and handed out a treat to each cat. When I set down the bowls, both Puddin' and Boo started crunching. Afterward, they wandered around the house, acting like everything was fine but sticking close to each other. Then Boo went off to find a trash bag so he could floss and Puddin' was there. Their eyes locked. The staring began. In cat language, staring is a challenge. Puddin's tail started fuzzing out. Boo began leaning forward. Heh heh! Okay, guys, time for a break! I put Boo back into my room to cool off. I consider the experiment a success. It was tense but there was no carnage. Current Mood: pleased (4 Comments |Comment on this)
Thursday, June 25th, 2009
12:39 am	Daily grind (Kitty crisis, part 2) (Pictures next time.) We live in a little house with no dining rooms or upstairs or extra space. In order for the cats to stay sane while separated I've tried to give them equal attention. Here is the new life-schedule for the cats, more or less. Boo gets run of the house all night long. Puddin' sleeps in the main bathroom, complete with cat box, bowl-o-water, kitty kibbles, and assorted toys. When I get up, Boo waits in my room while Puddin' gets a small canned food, which she licks the gravy off of. Then Puddin' waits in another bedroom while Boo comes out to eat the gravyless canned food. Believe me, this gravy thing was their arrangement, not mine, from the time Boo came here to live. So then Boo gets to stretch out and sniff stuff, then he goes back to my room to stay for most of the day while Puddin' has run of the house. My room has the adjoining bathroom so there's plenty of cat box and water for him during the day, as well as toys and a bedroom window where squirrels frolic outside. During the day, when I'm not out of the house, I spend some time with locked-away Boo until he purrs and falls asleep. Then he sleeps for many long hours in blissful ignorance of the closed door between himself and freedom. There used to be much banging on doors whenever either of the cats had to be confined to a room, but they seem to be tolerating it a little better now. It is something we're all trying to get used to. Current Mood: hopeful (1 Comment |Comment on this)
Wednesday, June 17th, 2009
7:59 pm	Kitty crisis (part 1) Puddin' is officially suffering from Misdirected Aggression. Last night the cats were watching and growling at something outside (stray cat or raccoon). Boo must have done something to make Puddin' think the creature that she was stalking had grabbed her so she focused all of that tension and fear and aggression back to Boo. My first clue that something was wrong was the serious, screaming cat noises. Next, Boo raced down the hall at top speed into my bedroom with Puddin' close behind. I had to slam the door in her face. Half an hour later, she was still prowling outside of the door, growling. I had the bright idea of putting Boo in a carrier to protect him, and letting Puddin' into the room so that they could gradually settle down. BAD idea. Puddin' screamed and leapt onto the carrier, like a lion onto wildebeest. She was kicking and biting over and over with great strength. Very impressive. Very scary. She was in for the kill. Boo wailed and wet himself. One desperate trip to the veterinarian later and we have a plan for reconciliation. It's gonna take at least a month of keeping them separated (pretty hard to do in this little house). They can smell where each other has been, but they absolutely cannot see each other. When tensions have died down, then we gradually reintroduce them. Vet said, above all, take it sloow. Now begins the jolly new lifestyle of having confined cats, two separate feeding times, two separate cat boxes. (I prayed for patience and God sent me His patented "Let's Build Patience" kit.) I'll keep you updated. Current Mood: melancholy (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Monday, June 15th, 2009
11:09 pm	The Big "Oh Seven" Today is Puddin's seventh birthday. She is now considered "mature." We got her a deep, comfy bed. Cats like to jump into deep boxes and trash cans so this cushy version should be even better. Something tells me that Puddin' would have preferred an actual box. Never mind. Bring out the intoxicants! Cat Faeries to the rescue. Puddin' gets the red catnip chili pepper, Boo gets a green one. The party is a success! Finally, at the end of the big day, there's nothing quite like soaking in blasts of super-heated air. Happy Birthday Puddin'! Current Mood: mellow (Comment on this)
Wednesday, June 10th, 2009
9:34 pm	Frooty! Boo investigates an apple slice. It becomes his when he touches it. Cats don't have taste buds for "sweet". Boo will soon lose interest. Boo, oblivious to the ways of cats, hauls away his treasure. Current Mood: excited (2 Comments |Comment on this)
Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009
9:19 pm	Time to get new stuff "Blehhh! Needs more catnip!" Current Mood: distressed (Comment on this)
Wednesday, May 27th, 2009
11:16 pm	Survival of the warmest Back in the mists of "the day", Puddin' enjoyed sleeping on my honkin' big, warm monitor. Looks like she's managing to stay warm and keep up with technology just fine. Current Mood: satisfied (Comment on this)
Wednesday, May 20th, 2009
11:31 pm	Gotta get a zoom lens Sometimes cats are mysterious and you wonder what they're thinking. Sometimes they are kind enough to make their thoughts obvious, before they kill you. Current Mood: infuriated (Comment on this)