HIDING

The offspring of one of my people's brother are visiting, two male larval people ages 7 and 5. They move a lot and they are noisier than I am used to around here, so I have been hiding in the walk-in closet and sleeping on the white bed.

More when it is quiet here again.

those hot summer nights (and days)

Happiness is cool tile on a hot belly

everyday playday

I love playing with feathers, especially the tail feathers from the ring-necked pheasant. One of my people brings them to me after he hunts them.

I find them so tempting. Sometimes I carry one around in my mouth around the house, like a lion on the African savannah.

Where did it go? It must be under the pillow.

There it is, on the side table . . . . ATTACK!

My people have finally figured out that my favorite toys are not the ones bought at Petco. No, I prefer pheasant feathers, wadded- up tinfoil, toilet paper rolls, and plastic caps from hair products.

Action shot of me watching the toilet paper roll that my person just tossed at me.

ATTACK!

I like it when my people play rough with me. They will grab my face or my brisket. Sometimes they grab my belly and then wipe the tile floor with me as if I am a mop.

I chew and kick, but never hard. It's just play.

Eventually we've both had enough of the rough stuff and my person will scratch and rub my belly and chest just the way I like it. When I like it, my tongue comes out and 'licks the air'. Oh yah, that is just the right spot.

bird watching revisted

So, one of my endearing habits is that I consistently get up onto the kitchen counters.

My people aren't wild about this (clarification, the male person doesn't care and actually encourages it), but the counter is the way to the sink. And the sink provides a vantage point to watch the hummingbird feeder.

When the window is open, I can hear them coming. I tense and twitch when I see one. There are several individuals that visit the feeder, and there is one that is way more curious about me than the others are. It zig-zags back and forth in roughly 2 foot wide sweeps. This makes my head turn like I am watching a tennis match.

Then it is nap-time in the sink.

Sonny sunning

During the hottest part of the day, I find the window where the sun is beating through the glass. It is in these sunny spots that I sprawl out.

These last two shots are to show off my haircut that I had yesterday.

a Brazilian

Wow. A rough day today. My person finally realized that she was unable to groom me properly, especially on my rear legs. She called Aussie Mobile Pet Grooming and the next thing that you know I am in their truck getting the mats on my thighs and lower belly shaved off. The groomer referred to this as a "sanitary cut". This was a bit too close to my . . . . well you know . . for comfort. After a bath, they brushed me out and blew me dry. I finally had enough and they stopped before I was completely dry. For as distasteful as this all was for me, the groomer person is super nice and very professional. I successfully ignored my person for the remainder of the day and avoided any attempts at making nice. No photos today.

bird watching

I am strictly an indoor cat. This is better for my health and the health of the environment. There is a lot of science that shows that even well fed cats hunt. For more links to the studies and additional information on keeping cats indoors check out the American Bird Conservancy website.

I do enjoying watching birds. My people maintain several types of seed feeders, hummingbird feeders, and a bird bath in the yard. I have several windows from which to view the activity.

This is what the birds see.

Kitty Crack

My name is Santino and I am an addict. Sure, I enjoy some catnip from time to time (the kind, the good herb, the wacky weed, etc). I snort the dry stuff. I would like to try the fresh stuff sometime. Oh yeah.

But way better than the catnip are these treats. That is what my people call them anyways, treats.

They are SO good. They should not be called treats. Treats implies that they are rationed out for special occasions and in moderation. Moderation my ass. I need them all day and I need a lot of them. My people keep them in a plastic container in the kitchen. So every time anyone gets anywhere near the kitchen, I go into the happy prance and make chirpy noises. If that doesn't immediately produce a treat (or 2 or 3) then I rub up on the leg and look up adoringly. That usually does the trick. What is key is to repeat this process when every one of my people gets near the kitchen, since they don't know that the other person just gave me a treat.

Some people think that I am handsome, others laugh when they see me, and others think that I look mean. Whatever. Here is a photo of me in the bath tub.

Some people think that I look a little bit like an owl, specifically a great horned owl.

Some people think that I look a little bit like a walrus.

I want to show you how I like to position myself on the kitchen floor at anytime when my people are working in the kitchen. If they are putting dishes away or trying to cook dinner or if they are staggering into the kitchen for their first cup of coffee. This last situation is especially effective when it is still sort of dark in the house.

I hear someone in the kitchen, gotta go. It's treat-time.

I really like to play with and to drink water straight from faucet. It tastes better than what is in my water dish, even though my people bought me the kind that has a pump and constantly trickles fresh water.

Sometimes I sleep on the white bed. White shows off my fur the best.

July 7, 2010

My name is Santino now, and it has been for about 8 months. Before that, it was Smooshy but that family gave me up to a shelter due to financial hardship. My current people sometimes call me Sonny or Fuzz Head. Yeah, I pretty much run the place here.

Sometimes I sleep in the sink.

Sometimes I sleep on my back.

Some people think that I am mean and pissed off. I am not.

This is my happy face.