Behold, I live!
The last week and a half has crawled by, let me tell you. There’s just nothing on the face of this earth as boring as recovering from surgery, though thankfully I had lots on the DVR to watch to keep me entertained, but still – BO-RING.
I’m doing well – I saw the surgeon on Thursday and got the okay to start scooping the litter boxes again (Fred was thrilled!) and basically I can do anything except heavy lifting.
Naturally, I came home and immediately overdid it and had to force myself to slow down. It’s just harrrrrd when there’s so much to do, you know?
I’m hoping that in another week or so, I’ll be back to doing just about everything. Those litter boxes aren’t going to scrub themselves, y’know.
I got word back about my big camera, the one I’ve used to take thousands of pictures over the past five years, the one that a cat peed on, and I picked up and dropped on the floor a few weeks ago. It was damaged beyond repair, which doesn’t surprise me in the slightest because it sounded really, really broken when I was trying to get it to work after I’d dropped it. So we replaced it with another (newer) Sony DSLR, which arrived while I was recovering from surgery and which is currently sitting on the bookcase in the front room. I haven’t even taken it out of the box yet, but I plan to in the next few days. For the time being, I’m using my little Sony W300, which takes pictures that aren’t nearly as nice, but will do in a pinch.
It turned cold here in the last week – I know those of you who got snow over the weekend are sobbing and rending your garments at the idea that I might be chilly for a moment or two – and so I got out the electric throw for the front room. If I’m not actively using the heated throw, I turn it off, but about half the time one of the kittens runs over the control and it gets turned back on, and I’ll walk into the living room to see the throw (which sits on the recliner when I’m not using it) covered in kittens. When I am actively using it, I end up covered in at least two or three kittens. I should probably just lay it out along the couch when I’m not using it, so the maximum number of kittens can lay on it.
I need to get out the heated bed for the cat house on the front porch in the next few days, too, and while I’m at it I might as well get out the heated cat beds out to put in various places around the house.
Spanky’s not waiting for me to put out the heated cat beds, though. He made his own! (Box on top of the heat vent = pretty warm!)
The daily routine these days is like such: Fred gets up in the morning and closes my bedroom door. Then he opens the foster room door and lets the big Peppers out of their room. He goes downstairs and lets Charlie and Patty out of their room, and then the kittens all run around like the wild things they are.
When I eventually get up, I scoop the litter boxes and greet all the kittens and cats, and the kittens are allowed to stay out and race around the house all day until about 8:30, when Charlie and Patty go into their room and the big Peppers go into their room for the night and the permanent residents get a bit of peace.
Between the permanents and the fosters, there are 20 cats in this house at the moment. I’ve determined that 18 – 20 cats is the tipping point where we enter “My god, this house smells like a litter box!” territory, and we are reminded yet again just why it is that we went from 100% Cat Attract litter in the litter boxes to half Cat Attract and half Fresh Step. The Cat Attract litter is good litter (and pretty dust-free), but it does NOT hold down the litter box smells the way Fresh Step does. If Fresh Step wasn’t so incredibly, horribly dusty, that would be the only litter I use, but alas it is (dusty) so it isn’t (my only litter).
The Peppers Gang is ready for adoption, we’re just waiting for there to be room at Petsmart. And Charlie and Patty will be going for their spaying and neutering next week (I just need to make the appointment), and once that’s done, they’ll be ready to go, too.
Considering how hissy-spitty the big Peppers were when we got them, it blows my mind how super-friendly they are now. Especially…. well, I was going to say especially Molly, but it’s true for all of them.
Harlan and Everett, snuggled up for a nap.
This time of year, when you see a gathering of very interested looking kittens, it means a wasp has gotten inside. I have to step in and squoosh the wasp so they don’t get stung.
“Where’d it go?”
Charlie Peppers loves him some Everett. Everett’s all “Why meeeee?”
Miz Poo and Patty Peppers. (Miz Poo: “If I don’t look at her, there’s no kitten there…)
Definitely not blue-eyed anymore.
Harlan lets his southern roots shine through.
Charlie says “Hallo, Tom Cullen, you up for a snuggle?”
Tommy says “Hallo, little man, you just keep on moving. Tommy needs some alone time.”
“He’s TAKING up half the bed. I’d like to stretch out and nap, but there’s hardly any space for me! MOVE him!”
Pretty Molly Peppers, daydreaming.
Elwood sleeps like this a lot and it cracks me UP.
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Previously
2010: No entry.
2009: No entry.
2008: I suspect Lem.
2007: No entry.
2006: I don’t know why my mother felt that Maddy would make a good hat. Maddy did not agree.
2005: I think Miz Poo and Mister Boogers have more fun in the kitten room than the kittens do.
My little guy sleeps like that, too. I call it, “airing out his wares”….
Elwood has no shame.
Glad you’re feeling better Robyn! And glad to see all the Pepper pictures. How pretty they all are! Hope everyone has a happy and safe Halloween!
Wow! Harlan is HUGE… until I read the caption, I thought that was Corbie and Everett… he just seems so much bigger than his brudder. Glad you’re feeling better, especially because that means we are back to daily blog posts!! Thanks.
Glad you’re “back” and doing better, Robyn, you made my Monday morning a lot brighter especially with the dreary rainy day it is (NOT whining, 100% happy it is not snow)!
Take care.
Hi Robyn! Glad to see that you are on the mend and back to work. I sure hope that the Peppers get to find forever homes real soon. Any word on Buster? It saddened me to hear that he did not play well with others. Hope he finds his forever home soon as well.
Yeah! You are back. I have to admit that your blog is one of the highlights of my morning wake up routine. Not only are the kittens just CUUUUUUTE.. but when I think about how overwhelming my 4 are, I comfort myself and think about you with your… is it 13 permanent residents? My 4 are nothing compared to yours :).
We have issues with odor issues and dusty litter. Most of the litters that are the best for odors have a lot of dust. One of my cats started wheezing, so off to the vet she went…and the vet said allergy-induced asthma. I was shocked, never having heard of a cat having asthma. The only change in the house is litter. We’re trying to convert over to Feline Pine, but so far, only one of three cats has used it, and she only finally used it when it was combined with the other litter.
Glad to read you continue to be on the road to recovery! Yay and good for you!
Hugs to all your adorable fosters and permanent residents! Elwood is just too cute! He looks like he’s got a smile on his face dreaming happy dreams no doubt! Take care
x
Glad you are up and about now. I hear ya’ on the dusty litter! I think Elwood needs a snorgle…
Wooow. I’ve missed you guys so much! Ok that’s out of the way. I’m glad you are feeling well Mz Robyn. Oh, and the cats know how to work that heated blanket, trust. Please do more day to days featuring Spanky. He is the King Cat!
Oh and l am buying 1 love and hisses calendar for me and multiple crooked acres calendars. One for me and the rest for holiday gifts.