*No headgear for beautiful George and Gracie?
Charlene said: Take a look at the 2009 entry. Starts off with a headgear-ed Gracie/George (can’t tell which of the goggies it is…)
That is George – and I had completely forgotten that we’d managed to get a hat on either of the dogs! Neither of them is very cooperative when it comes to hats or collars, so I can just about guarantee that Fred was right off camera – and that George only put up with that for a moment before he tossed the hat and went running off to join his sister.
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If you weren’t in Alabama, I would SNATCH up Bunnie SO FAST! I adore her markings! Is she a tabby, or something else?
She’s a torbie mix, at least according to her paper work. I have to admit that the color description of cats is pretty often just beyond me (unless they’re a brown or orange tabby, or a solid color. Hey, I know what a tuxie is, do I get bonus points for that?), so I’m glad someone else got to figure out what she was!
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Okay I know you have addressed this elsewhere, and I apologize. But. Are those litter boxes just like, those big tupperware bins from Target, with a hole cut out? Because my “high-sided” litter box is not cutting it… Fat Earl still pees over the side, onto my baseboards, which sucks.
And if so, what’d you cut the plastic with? Because the thought of trying to cut that hole scares me. But I know cats hate the covered litter boxes, or most of them anyway. Please advise. 🙂
Those litter boxes are actually litter boxes that Target sold. Apparently they don’t sell them any more (at least around here), but I have made litter boxes out of plastic buckets, so it’s very doable. I used a box cutter to cut the entrance out, and then sanded gently around the edges so they wouldn’t be too sharp. If you go slowly with the box cutter, you shouldn’t have too much of a problem.
Charlene added: Just fyi, our local Target (Leesburg, VA; zip 20175) still had them as of last month. After I saw Robyn’s here and her high recommendation of them, I went looking for them myself and bought a couple. Unfortunately, they are too tall for where my litter boxes go, but my downstairs neighbor was able to use one. The other is still in my dining room, waiting to be returned. However, if anyone wants one and can’t find it locally, I’d be willing to ship to you — though I’m not sure how well it would hold up in transit and I’d imagine the shipping costs would be rather high since it is BIG. Anyway, just putting it out there….
If anyone’s interested in making contact with Charlene, you can do so in the comments or email me and I’ll pass your email along!
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Pretty, pretty Tricki. Yesterday, I walked into the room and she did NOT run into the closet! That’s the first time that’s happened since I brought them home – and she seems to be spending the majority of her time out in the room instead of in the closet, so that’s good, too. We’re making progress with that sweet, skittish, slinky girl.
Doesn’t spend much time in the box, either – she was checking it out because a toy rolled in there.
Bunnie throws me some attitude.
Reachin’ for the toy.
Taking in some sun.
John Smith is not what you’d call an “active” cat; prone seems to be his go-to position.
Bunnie is judging me.
Paulie Walnuts, all “I know you’re in there!”
No pictures of Toto today, because he was in my lap and the camera wouldn’t focus on him!
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Meadow, curled up on my bed.
Paulie Walnuts in the sun.
Sweet, silly boy.
In the top platform of the cat tree in my room.
She’s just. So. BEAUTIFUL.
Paulie and Meadow are headed back to Petsmart this morning. I’m going to miss having their silly little selves running around the house, but I suspect that the big cats will appreciate having a break from having little ones racing around and getting all up in their faces. (And you KNOW that now I’ve said that, another three Sopranos will need to come back for a while!)
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Corbie’s looking very Grinch-like in this picture, isn’t he? Grinch-like, but still GORGEOUS.
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Previously
2012: I had to stop talking to Stripey, I was afraid he’d roll right off the top of the bookcase.
2011: If that’s not a look o’ love, I don’t know what is!
2010: Don’t cry for him, Argentina – he’ll muddle through somehow.
2009: Snuggly Cookies.
2008: No entry.
2007: No entry.
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.
awwww, that one pic where paulie’s head is sort of twisted upside down and he’s squinting at the camera reminds me of spanky. <3
Yup, Bunnie is a torbie. A torbie is basically a tortoiseshell tabby, meaning they have the tri-color on the dark background of fur instead of white (like a calico would). Torbies will have tortie patches of black and orange but then they add the element of stripes. They way it was explained to me (I believe Laurie over at Itty Bitty Kitty Committee explains it this way too) is that torbies will have stripes that change color within the same stripe… meaning that a black stripe will turn orange or vice versa. If you look at Bunnie’s chest in the photo where she is “judging”, you’ll see at least a couple of stripes that go from black to orange and back to black. Torbie, torbie, torbie (and they do have a bit of a ‘tude too).
Also a torbie? My late great Einstein and a very special Roo-bird (who inherited the torbie without the ‘tude). Bunnie reminds me very much of Ruby Roo in these pictures. If that orange spot on Bunnie’s head were bigger and more splotch-like, I’d say they could be sisters.
The real secret to telling a torbie from a tortie is to look for stripes in the black portions. The gene that suppresses tabby patterns is not effective in the orange colored sections, so both torties (that have the tabby suppressing gene) and torbies (that don’t) look the same there.
“Calico” adds the white spotting gene to the mix, but otherwise the same rules apply. Look for stripes on the black spots to tell.
At our house, we’ve “converted” a Rubbermade Storage box to a litterbox. Not the clear ones – one of the 35 gallon (dimensions are 32x20x19.6) solid colored ones that come with a latching lid (that we promptly threw away because our cats’ heads are taller than the box when they “assume the position”). We bought the largest one that would fit in the space we had for it.
These containers are made of a tough plastic, so I let hubby do the cutting. Over the years, he’s found that a set of tin snips is the easiest, safest way to cut these boxes. Handsaws and box cutters have been tried and are dangerous and lack the control to cut a nice opening – tin snips are more like using scissors 🙂 Make this opening as big as you want – just make sure the bottom sill allows enough depth for your litter plus several inches.
We’ve used these for years – and I’ve yet to find a traditional litter box that works as well. They’re less expensive than a traditional litter box and the boxes are available in much larger sizes than traditional litter boxes. The sides are deep enough the cats can’t do their business over the sides or up the wall. “Litter kicking” stays in the box (cats don’t tend to turn their backs on the entrance, so it very seldom goes out the door). And while they can look out over the sides, they still have some privacy while doing their “business”.
I do the same thing. Cheapest and best functioning litter box for my needs here.
Rubbermaid makes a shelf bin that is open on one long side. The lip is lower than I like, but no cutting is needed at all. With an elderly cat and now two kittens, a low side works better overall.
Hi! I have two of those Target litter boxes. I got them about six months ago in two different Targets, then couldn’t find any more even though I kept checking about four or five stores. Last week the Target closest to me got THREE in at once! Woot! There’s hope.
The box is Boots and Barkley’s “High-Sided Extra Large Cat Pan,” SKU 90830 20176 if you want to just call around. (This is from my old label, I’m sure it didn’t change.)
Be careful if you take the lid – make sure you really want it. It costs like $13 separately!
I’m using the tallest storage container I could find. One of my girls is a vertical pee-er, and I was fed up with the mess. Fortunately they’re in their prime, so I don’t have to worry about them getting in or out safely. When they get older, I may have to come up with a different solution, but this works for now.
u know this is mainly a cats place, but Have you seen this naughty-dogs-acts page?
Happy 2014 in advance!
http://distractify.com/fun/fails/dogs-who-are-shamelessly-proud-of-what-they-just-did/