How many fish did you originally put in that pond?
Fred and I were actually talking about that the other day, and disagreed (ie, couldn’t remember) how many we’d originally put in. This is when having this blog is super convenient, because I can point to it and say “See? I was right!”
I originally posted about it in March 2012 (which is when we got the catfish), then reposted that part of the post in 2014 as a Throw Back Thursday post. You can see that post here if you’d like, but the short answer is 200. We put 100 4-6″ catfish, and 100 6-8″ catfish in that pond.
I’d say that they did a pretty good job of procreating, wouldn’t you?
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The post from 2014 is about why you decided to keep Dennis (the announcement that you WERE keeping Dennis is still one of my favorite posts!), and you mention that Fred wanted to change Dennis’s name, so you were going to try it out. Apparently, that didn’t work???
It didn’t work at ALL. I guess if you’re used to calling a cat by a certain name, it’s not so easy to just switch it up. I wish I could remember what Fred wanted to change his name to, but for the life of me I don’t recall and neither does he.
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I hope the surviving fish will thrive. And I read where Fred fell in that mess? Ugh!
Fred did slip and fall while he was scooping. He got wet about up to his waist, and as a result of that and all the guck (technical term) he got all over him, his clothes went straight into the trash.
Falling into that pond has always been a nightmarish thought to me, and it’s especially so now!
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Of all the cats that come into your life, what is it in particular that makes you and/or Fred want to keep one as a permanent resident?
You know, lately it seems that that cats we’ve kept have been kept just because we didn’t feel like we had a choice. I didn’t want to keep Dennis (but am SO glad we did!), but didn’t want to send him to the shelter, and worried that he wouldn’t react well at Petsmart, so he ended up here by default. When Archie first showed up here, it was totally my intention to foster him and have him adopted out, but by the time Archie was friendly enough to us to consider it, Fred had gotten attached, and so we kept him. At this point, I think it’s a good thing we kept Archie, not only because he really is a good boy (though I wish he didn’t hate Stefan so much), but because he hisses very easily, and he looks so stern that I think people might have been nervous about handling him.
I think that it really depends on the cat! I will have to say that if I were looking to add to the permanent residents (which we are NOT, especially since we’re planning to move back to the suburbs in the next year or two), we’d look for a cat who got along well with other cats (obviously), was friendly, and maybe had a silly personality. Having fostered Kara, Joe Bob, Alice and Dennis before we adopted them helped, because we knew what their personalities were and how they got along (or didn’t) with the other permanent residents.
The last cat we added to our permanent resident roster that we didn’t foster first or who didn’t just show up here would be Mister Boogers, way back in 2003. At that point, I was cleaning cat cages at Petsmart one morning a week, but hadn’t started fostering. I liked to go to the Challenger’s House Petfinder page and look at the available cats. I happened to see this picture:
And it made me laugh. I showed Fred, and he laughed, too. A few weeks later, we decided that the house was weird with “only” four cats (Mr. Fancypants had escaped the back yard and gone missing a few months before), so went to the shelter to meet the cats. We went through the entire shelter and while there were some great cats, we didn’t fall in love. Then Fred remembered the picture and said “Is PawPaw still here?” (PawPaw was his name then, obviously.) He was still there, and was confined to the bathroom because he had an upper respiratory infection. We went in to see him, Fred picked him up, and he waggled his half-tail and purred so hard that his cheeks puffed out, and at that moment, we knew.
(We knew the way you know about a good melon.)
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Archie seems to like the kittens. Was Archie the cat that came in the cat door and made himself at home?
Archie is the cat we spent an ENTIRE weekend trying to stop from coming inside, and then gave up. (You can read his whole story here.) He doesn’t mind the kittens and mostly ignores them (and puts up with them when they get in his face), but doesn’t seek them out or anything.
Fred said the other day that Archie is our most dog-like cat, and I have to agree with that. He really likes to follow us out to and around the back forty, and we’ve seen him hanging out in the chicken coop more than once (he doesn’t bother the chickens, and they ignore him).
Now that I’ve said that, I need to share my favorite Archie picture EVER.
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Webster and Felix love to curl up in the pagoda cat house and snooze.
Felix from above.
And Webster from above.
Both of ’em from above. Webster’s got a case of the skepticals.
Webster, spying on Alice, who has captured the feather teaser.
“Hey! Lady! Stop takin’ our picture!”
Deep Thinkin’ Webster.
Uncle Jake does not care for this business where there is a KITTEN in his BED.
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Oh dear. I don’t know what you did, but the Sheriff is NOT happy with you!
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Previously
2015: “NO, I HAZ A COMPLAINT AND MY COMPLAINT IS COMPLAINIER THAN YOURS!”
2014: Blaster keeps an eye on the ceiling fan, ’cause SOMEONE has to.
2013: Here he is with the ever-patient Tommy.
2012: No entry.
2011: “Are you sure these Declan hats are all the rage in England?”
2010: Corbett (AKA “Bad Boy”, even though he really isn’t)
2009: Guess who’s about to go off and be spayed and neutered???
2008: No entry.
2007: No entry.
2006: No entry.
2005: “What the – ?” I said to Miz Poo, who was looking more than a little freaked out.
Love the Q&A. Ok, falling into the pile of fish would NOT be nice. Poor Fred.
Everyone, HELP. If I want to be able to adopt my foster kitten, I need to get my 2 yr old TNR kitty to NOT be freaked out about him. This morning he chased her through the house (he was playing, of course as he is only 1.3 lbs of kitten). She did come back in from the Florida room pretty quickly but was a bundle of nerves and was ready to bolt at a moment’s notice. She held her ground and did really well when I integrated her into my home with 3 existing adult cats. The last time I had an older cat and added a kitten, the older cat never gave the kitten the smack down so he has chased her for 7 years and tormented her. I could never get it to stop. So, I cannot do that to my TNR girl. I still have some foster time left to get this worked out, so…what should I do??? Anyone have methods that worked for them?
best bet it to WEAR OUT the kitten. the less energy he has to chase her, the less likely he is to do it. lots and lots of play. make sure she has a “safe” place where she can get away from the kitten. and if he takes off after her and you can catch him, find something else for him to do. make sure it is SO fun that he would rather do that than chase the girl. it is all about the trade off
Yup, play. uber important. and other positive things like treats or toys to distract from inappropriate behavior (but be careful not to train them to do it to get the treat)
I think Random Felines and Connie have it covered – exhaust that little monster out, and distract him.
PS: I want a Florida room!
What is it about grey male tabbies and being doglike? Literally every one I’ve ever met has been a dog in a cat suit. (Especially my husband’s cat, Puck, who is ridiculous.)
I just adore a doglike kitty. We used to think Stefan was doglike, but no – he’s just an overgrown kitten. If only we could convince Archie to hang out around the coop and protect the chickens! But no, he prefers his life of leisure to much to be a working “dog.” 🙂
Friday Q&A, great pics, AND a When Harry Met Sally reference? It’s gonna be a good day. 🙂
I was afraid no one would catch that. 😉
the picture of Archie drinking from the chicken dish made me laugh. Daiquiri drinks the same way….paws on the dish and lean WAY over…. don’t understand it at all 🙂
seriously – Puff in the teacup (2013) – total cuteness!!!
I was horrified to realize that I cannot find my teacup ANYWHERE. I am positive I never would have tossed it, I can’t imagine where on earth I stashed it. Wahhh!!!
What???? But what if we need a cup o’ kitten to make it through the day???
I’ve been off-grid for a while… clearly TOO LONG. You’re planning on moving from Crooked Acres?!? I’ve been trying to search posts to get caught up on these circumstances but have had no luck. If it’s been discussed in previous posts, could some kind soul point me there? This is a huge decision and I feel weirdly invested in it. 🙂
I first mentioned it in this post, in response to the question about why we don’t want to get any more dogs, and answered questions about it in this post.
Oh, thank you Robyn! I’ve been a loyal follower since the earliest days (I will always treasure Spot’s declaration that I am not a whore 🙂 ) but I’ve basically missed out on all of June. I can totally understand wanting to scale back, as the idea of maintaining acreage just… boggles my mind, but it’s so odd to think of you guys back in the suburbs again!
A California blogger I follow posted about a Russian Blue they adopted from neighbors who moved to Hawaii. He is allergic to cats, but relented to his children since Russian Blues are supposed to be hypoallergenic. I come to the experts to ask if this is true. He said he is doing fine allergy wise and the cat is a wonderful family member.