She's Going To Spoil It For All Of Us

It pains me to say this: Miley spoiled it for all of us.

Why do I say that? Because she'll climb up into Pa's lap or the round-headed cat's lap, make herself comfortable, and doze all while getting her ears scratched or her fur stroked. To make it worse, she'll be purring the whole time. And she'll do that for hours!

As much as I'd like to do the same thing for that long, I haven't been able to. At best I can manage 15 minutes. I mean I like being in Pa's lap and being brushed and having my chin scratched and all. But I don't fit on his lap very well. It's not that I'm fat because I'm not. (She isn't, really. She is very fluffy, but she's not fat. – Hilda's Pa) I'm just bigger than Miley and I have all four legs. Being a lot smaller than the rest of is and only having three legs she fits on Pa's lap better than anyone except maybe Minnie, and Minnie isn't all that interested in sitting in his lap. ( That's true. Minnie is not a lap cat. She's a shoulder cat, not unlike Miss-Miss. - Hilda's Pa)

Just yesterday Miley spent almost 3 hours in Pa's lap and another 2 in the round-headed cat's lap! She's going to spoil them and they'll come to expect it from all of us. All we want is to be petted, brushed, and to get scratched on our ears or under our chins once a day or so. We don't need to lie down on their laps to get all of that. But because of her we're likely to get less of it unless we're in Ma or Pa's lap. Thi isn't good at all.

First, she drinks from the toilet. And now this!

Way to go, Miley....

In The Wings

Hilda's been a bit busy, helping us get things squared away for the coming winter, so she's be remiss in updating everyone on the goings on around here. I have reminded her in between her daily brushings, naps, and rousing games of Can't Catch Me! She has assured me she's been working on a few ideas for her next couple of posts so we'll have to take her at her word.

I might be able to spur her on with a few of her favorite cat treats and a session with the Furminator.

I'm Shocked!!!

I know I've covered the various members of our household once already, though I didn't go into a lot of detail (I didn't want to bore you). But I have to tell you about something I saw that shocked me to the point where I didn't know what to do.

You see, it's Miley.

We all know she grew up in a house full of dogs. That means she's better at defending herself than most of the rest of us. But I think her time with those awful dogs has also given her some really bad habits. It's this that caused my fur to go limp with shock.

It was yesterday morning just as Ma was getting up out of bed that I saw it.

Miley was drinking water....out of the toilet bowl!!

That just isn't done!! It's something DOGS do, not cats!! This is something she obviously learned from those awful dogs she lived with before she came here. None of the rest of us do that!

This whole episode upset me so much that I started shedding and needed to be brushed three or four times yesterday! It was awful!!

I'm going to have to give her a strong talking to. She has to learn that kind of behavior isn't acceptable. We. Just. Don't. Do. That. It just isn't cat-like by any means.

It's Been A Little Crazy Around Here

It's been a little bit crazy around here the past few days, let me tell you!

First, the round headed cat has changed his schedule, waking up later in the morning than he has since last spring. He also comes back in from outside earlier than he has for some time. I have no idea why he'd do that! (Our son has gone back to school, meaning he gets up later than he does when he's working at the farm. He also gets home far earlier for the same reason. - Hilda's Pa)

Second, there were strange humans in the house today, making all kinds of noise around the big metal box that gives off such wonderful heat when it's cold outside. There were banging sounds and whirring sounds, it smelled like old burnt wood, and there was really fluffy dirt in the box too. (But the dirt wasn't nearly as fluffy as me!)

Pa and the round headed cat spent a lot of time in the garage stacking pieces of trees. Pa says the pieces will help keep us warm when it gets really cold outside. I like that. There's nothing more I like to do on a cold day than lying in front of the metal box to keep warm.

All the windows have been closed for days, making it difficult to lay in the sun. I don't know why Ma an' Pa do that when it's so nice and warm outside!

At least I haven't had to worry about being brushed. It's one of my favorite things next to eating, sleeping, and getting scratched under my chin. Brushing helps my fur to be nice and fluffy and keeps me from getting too many hairballs. Ma brushes me almost every day, and sometimes Pa does too. It's nice to be fluffy!

Miley

Now that I'm back to feeling like myself again I must tell you about the latest and last addition to the list of feline residents here.

Miley is a couple of years old and when she was a kitten some nasty person threw her out the window of a moving car. She was badly hurt and had to have one of her legs taken off by the vet to save her life. Despite only having three legs she gets around pretty well though she has a tough time jumping up onto window sills, tables, dressers, and beds. Sometimes Ma or Pa have to help her get where she wants to go if it's too high for her to reach.

We know she's a tough kitty because she grew up in a house with dogs! Living in a house like that gives her some advantages, particularly when it comes to dealing with Henry. Henry can be a bit of a bully at times, but Miley will have none of that. More than once she's put him in his place, driving him off and chasing him until he finds someplace high to perch where she can't get to him.

Another thing Miley learned while growing up with dogs? She's bilingual. She speaks both cat and dog!! [I can attest to that, hearing her 'woof' when she's hungry and wants to be fed. - Hilda's Pa]

While Miley isn't fluffy like me she's still cute. She has nice eyes and likes to flop just like Minnie. But unlike Minnie I think she flops because sometimes she forgets she's missing a leg and tries to stand on it.

I had to delay posting this because it was difficult for either Ma or Pa to get any decent pictures of Miley but Pa finally managed to snap a couple of quick ones so now you'll be able to see what she looks like.

And here's another one of her poking her head out of one of what Ma an' Pa call “cat condos”:

I've Been Sick

Pa figured it would be a good idea to write a brief message to let you all know I've been sick but that I'm much better now. I am missing some fur. (No, I won't post a picture showing where. I do have my dignity. But at least it wasn't in a thoroughly embarrassing place. The places they shaved give me something Pa calls "an asymmetrical look." I'm not sure what that means, but I don't like the sound of it.)

I'll be back to writing more important stuff in a day or two.

Some News

It's apparent to anyone reading Hilda's little blog that she hasn't posted for a while. This is because she was quite under the weather. In fact, we had to take her to the emergency veterinary clinic because she was so sick.

She was severely dehydrated due to some kind of intestinal ailment that made it impossible for her to keep down any food or water for over three days. She was given IV fluids and antibiotics, had a number of x-rays taken, and received other treatments there and at her regular vet the day following her admittance to the emergency care clinic.

I am happy to report that she is now home, looking and feeling much better. We're still keeping an eye on her, monitoring her food and water intake and making sure she's comfortable.

The only complaint we've heard from her is the indignity she suffered from having to have some of her fur shaved off in order for the vet to administer her meds and IV fluids.

Somehow we think she'll get over it.

-Hilda's Pa