Back row, from left to right: Cameo, alpha cat of the household and surrogate mother to the new arrival in the basket; and Mysti, still pouting a bit about the new arrival.
In the front: Amber, the sweetest of all torties, born on March 13, 2012, and still in her kittenhood. She tears around the house night and day as if possessed.
Enjoy the video below the fold (hat tip to Amusing Bunni's Musings):
Nice. I hope you are all hunkered down and OK.
ReplyDeleteSilverfiddle,
ReplyDeleteThe D.C. area got by with minimal damage. Some have a power outage, but where Mr. AOW and I are, our outage lasted only a few minutes. Therefore, no basement flooding!
The worst of the flooding is yet to come later today and tomorrow when the Potomac River and the streams crest.
There is a mischief in cats that I have always enjoyed watching in action.
ReplyDeleteVERY cute picture. I could watch cats as they play and fight together for hours!
ReplyDeleteStay dry, Mr and Mrs AOW!
I'm sorry, AOW, but those three cats don;t look the LEAST bit scary to me.
ReplyDeleteAmber looks quizzical, if a bit anxious.
The others watchful and hopeful.
Glad your area was not too terribly damaged by "Frankenstorm."
It's always best to keep our feline friends inside. They're supposed to have twice the life expectancy of feral cats when loved and cared for by dupes like you -- and me ;-).
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Freethinker,
ReplyDeleteI agree about keeping cats inside. Harder for them to be run over that way. My last cat lived 17 years.
Be thankful you're not in Manhattan. AOW. Absolutely epic.
ReplyDeleteMassachusetts really dodged a bullet with this one. Even the standard surge areas received a lot less damage than typical.
You need a dog.
Our cats used to be indoors-outdoors cats. However, the traffic here is terrible now. In addition, we have foxes roaming around.
ReplyDeleteAnother benefit of keeping cats indoors: fewer vaccines. Some vaccines have been tied to particular cancers. We do vaccinate all three of our cats for feline distemper and for rabies. We vaccinated for rabies even before that particular vaccine became legally mandated by the local government. I recall that my father insisted that our cats be vaccinated for rabies as far back as the 1960s.
FT,
ReplyDeleteAmber always looks quizzical! Kittens think that everything is interesting beyond measure.
Mysti is glaring in the photo -- because the household has a kitten. Mysti is the most jealous cat I've ever seen.
Cameo, on the other hand, knows that she is and always will be alpha cat. Talk about a positive self-image!
Duck,
ReplyDeleteI see how awful NYC is having it!
Thank God that we're not going through that here. The temps are too low for Mr. AOW not to have any heat in the house!
As for getting a dog, I have contemplated the possibility. But I'd have to get the fence in the yard repaired first and buy a good doghouse. Mr. AOW is partial to big dogs: Australian Shepherds (Border Collies) and German Shepherds and Labrador Retrievers. But this house is so small for such breeds!
I do miss not having a dog. I grew up with dogs as companions.
Z,
ReplyDeleteSo far, there hasn't been a single cat fight here -- even with the arrival of the interloper Amber on September 13.
But playing together? There has been quite a bit of that.
Amber is hilarious. She runs around with a toy in her mouth so as to find a place to bury that toy: in the bedclothes, under the bed, behind the door, etc. She also plays a pretty good game of fetch.
I must say that Amber is the sweetest feline that we've ever had in our household. She will not use her claws on her people!
Stogie,
ReplyDelete17 years is a good life span for a cat.
I have found that once a cat reaches age 15 I have be on constant watch for medical issues. Early intervention makes a big difference in those senior years. And, of course, a good vet is imperative!
Conservatives on Fire,
ReplyDeleteCat mischief does involve the feline sense of humor. Quite something to watch!
Glad all is well for you two. Happy Halloween.
ReplyDeleteAOW, that is so true, that kittens are incredibly curious and playful, and it is very fun to watch them. Watching my young cat Missy eyeball the fish in the aquarium is hilarious -- she tries to catch them through the glass.
ReplyDeleteDuck, I agree on dogs. I have one too and would never be without one. They come closest to unconditional love as anything I have seen.
AOW, consider a small Pomeranian dog. My son in Los Angeles recently got one and she is a house dog and easily maintained.
They're all so cute... even Mysti with the laser beam eyes ;-) Amber looks very much like our tortie... little yellow paw and all.
ReplyDeleteWe're still waiting for our tortie to get along with our "new" arrival. In December it will be a year that we rescued her from the shelter and they still get into spitting and hissing fights.
AOW, are yours indoors or out.
ReplyDeleteI only bring it up because since the local cat left the neighborhood I noticed the return of a couple cardinals.
As I once said, the bird issue is my main antagonism toward cats.
My cats are indoor cats since 2009.
ReplyDeleteWhen my cats were outdoor cats, they did catch the occasional bird but not very often. Not all of my cats have been hunters. Besides, the hunters focused on the moles and the voles. No more of those tunnels!
I do have quite a bird population here. I love hearing those cardinals!
Oh so cute! They posed for the picture so nicely, ha
ReplyDeleteDebbie
Right Truth
http://www.righttruth.typepad.com
I love your kitties!! Aren't cats just beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI wish we had more than one. But we love our Ziyal.
Glad to hear all is well with both of you and you dodged the worst of it.
ReplyDeleteWhen a guy's feeling' down and out, there's nothin' like a little pussy to cheer him him up. Always works for me.
ReplyDeleteDick Wilde
I tell you what, I sure wish I could have cats again. I'm not a dog person, I'm a cat person:
ReplyDeleteDogs are for people who demand their own personal cheerleading squad.
I'm not quite that self-centered.
Dogs have owners. Cats have staff.
BZ
My wife has a cat. She must be about 12 I guess. I think she has a real name, but I've never called her anything but "Stupid Cat." If she asks to go out, I put her out. Other than that--no interaction. I do love my dog though. Nice guy, huh?
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you guys came through Sandy relatively unscathed. I lost a few trees and my kids both lost power, but nothing catastrophic. Prayers to all from NYC and New Jersey, and wherever else got it bad.
BZ,
ReplyDeleteDogs have owners. Cats have staff.
I have a t-shirt with that emblazoned on it.
Have you ever seen "Cat Prayer"?
Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray this cushy life to keep.
I pray for toys that look like mice,
And sofa cushions, soft and nice.
I pray for gourmet kitty snacks,
And someone nice to scratch my back,
For windowsills all warm and bright,
For shadows to explore at night.
I pray I'll always stay real cool
And keep the secret feline rule
To NEVER tell a human that
The world is really ruled by CATS!
Author Unknown
Average American,
ReplyDeleteNot everybody is a cat person, I guess.
Cats have always been a part of our household because they keep down the population of vermin. This old house is easily invaded by mice, but with cats around, those mice either stay away or don't last long.
Mysti is our Mighty Huntress; see THIS. She's getting older now, but still hunts.
Cameo doesn't hunt, but I think that Amber will. Amber is the huntress type.
Here's one in the "spirit" of the theme. ;)
ReplyDeleteFJ,
ReplyDeleteI love the Henri videos! Thanks.
AOW, your cats are so very pretty!
ReplyDeleteOur little torte acts much the same. She's so vocal; galloping about and 'talking' all the time. She's even ALMOST gotten our aloof Siamese to warm up to her, or at least tolerate her.
Brooke,
ReplyDeleteAmber's winning ways have won over Cameo, who is 1/4 Siamese and VERY dominant and domineering.
Cameo even shares her food with Amber! Cameo will eat most of her food, then voluntarily move away so that Amber can have the last bite. What's so funny is that Cameo watches Amber get those last bites and wears such a satisfied expression on her face.
Mysti does like Amber. But Mysti is so jealous! She's always been the jealous type.
Amber plays her own version of fetch: seek the toy, then take it to the bed, which she thinks of as her nest. It's hilarious to watch! The fetch game begins rooms away from the bedroom, but Amber's toys always end up on the bed or buried in the bed clothes.
Happy halloween and hope you aren't affected by sandy.
ReplyDeleteRWT,
ReplyDeleteThe D.C. area was virtually unscathed by Hurricane Sandy. A few short, isolated power outages and some rain -- that was about it for most of us.
The road closures from flash flooding were a bit problematic for a few days.