Two or three days a week, I have a video chat of about an hour with my father-in-law 3000 miles away in England, who is soon 95, unable to move from his chair or wheelchair without assistance and with no friends or relatives to speak to. His only real contact is us, and his carers who come in four times a day to look after his needs. Sometimes I arrange his grocery shopping for him, sometimes I order him other things he needs, but mostly we just sit and talk and he reminisces. He struggles a little with the technology, but somehow we manage.
When it's my days to talk to him, I sit on a sofa with my tea and it's become a habit for Ping Pong to sit on my lap while I chat and stroke her. When I finish talking, she goes off. On the days when I don't speak to him, and Steven has taken the call somewhere else, she'll come meowing and meowing after me to get me to go and sit there with her. In the end, usually I have to give in, and take my tea and we sit on the sofa together. She doesn't often ask for cuddles, so this is a special time for her.
On Thursday this week, I was talking to my father-in-law when I realized that my bed cover that I had washed was ready to be hung up to dry in front of the fire, to be put back on the bed that night. As this was rather urgent, I asked him to wait and said I'd be right back after I'd hung the cover up. I lifted Ping up and went and got that sorted. After a few minutes when I came back, I was met with the scene of Ping, sitting upright, very proper, in my place on the sofa, just as you see her in this photo unblinking, looking at the phone screen at my father-in-law who was looking back at her. Neither was saying a word. They were just looking at each other. The two of them looked so funny.
It was as if she felt she was taking over from me. My father-in-law said "she's been looking after me". And that's just what it seemed like. She wouldn't move on her own to give me my place, so I had to lift her aside so I could sit down. My father-in-law is not a cat person, so obviously he didn't know what to say to her. And she didn't feel the need to say anything either.
Cats. Who can fathom them?
Have a happy Caturday, everyone! If you don't celebrate, have a great day!
We need to rehome some of our kitties because my partner and I are both experiencing health challenges that are both costly and impacting our ability to adequately care for all our kitties.
I have no idea how to go about this. We have ten cats right now. In no particular order (and little alt-text, as I'll describe in the postsβI can't add more than four pics). We're in the Houston metro area, kinda near where 290 comes off 610. My partner used to know folks who did this, but not currently.
The front cats. There's a door between the kitchen and other public areas and the rest of the house. It stays closed.
Spike: He's in his late teens. He's incredibly shy and distrustful of strangers. He's a white and gray tabby, but with a white area on his back (not visable). He stays
Kitsune: I call her Kiki. She's a 13- yo calico who will accept attention from anyone, so long as you don't try to pick her up. She stays.
Freya: She likes to sleep on a cat bed in the front window. Entirely white except for tiny black dot on her nose. She used to bully Squirrel, and would be okay as an only cat or as an addition to a household, as she was an addition.I believe she was born in 2019, and littered young. Her kittens went to forever homes before I moved in. She's waving friends with both Spike and Starβthey greet each other by batting at each other for a bit. She's available by herself.
The Interns: These three were born in January, 2020, in a cat enclosure on my stepdaughter's porch. There was a fourth who didn't make it. Their mother wa TNR, and, due to quarantine they ended up staying.
Star: She was named because she's entirely black with small groups of white hairs that resemble a starfield. She is super friendly with people. She has recurring ear issues. When she's dealing with that she over-grooms, and we support her with special gooshy. She would be available with Squirrel as a pair.
Squirrel: She's a chonky bullseye brown tabby with a bobbed tail that her mother must have bitten off by accident. She is afraid of everything and everyone, though she will sometimes join Kitsune and Weasel in my lap. She is available with any of Star, Weasel, or Squeaker, or with Star and Weasel as a trio.
Weasel: She used to climb into the dishwasher and lick at the dishes when I was loading it. She's the mackerel brown tabby in the picture with Kitsune, Star, and Spike. She will use her paw to move her treats bowl away from interlopers. She has a unique raw element to her meows, and prefers being near my feet when I'm in the recliner. She's available with Squirrel or as a trio including Star.
The Backsters:
Noodle: She's a tortoimese. The photo where her eye looks like a laser captures her personality best. She was rescued at fourish months, and hid in a ramen noodle box. I am her human, and she is finally accepting attention from my partner (we moved in in February, 2020). She didn't meow or play until I adopted Fur Elise. She stays.
Fur Elise: She likes laundry and little catnip mice. If you throw one of her meeses, she'll chase it and pounce on it. She's large, and a very dark gray tabby. She stays for Noodle.
Squeaker: He's an ambassador, and would be happy with the frontsters or the backsters. We had to restrict him to the back because he needs Hill's prescription c/d urinary diet. As an accommodation, we cut the Hill's kibble with the non-prescription ProPlan urinary support kibble, and free-feed all the backsters. He's not a gooshy eater, which may be why he developed the crystals. He squeaks instead of meowing (although he yowls when he's in the carrier on the way to/from the vet). our youngest, and was born iv the summer of 2022. He's available with Squirrel or Ma Ma Ma, or by himself if he's moving in with other cats. He absolutely gets along with every cat here.
Ma Ma Ma; Her meow sounds more like she's saying, "Mah! Mah! Mah!' She's very pretty, and the pic I have is her on the top of a bookshelf, with my unshaded warm LED lamp shining up at her. Noodle and Ma Ma Ma are frenemies; if I'm petting one, the other will casually wander up and interpose herself. She is available with Squeaker or alone.
this is #deltacat watching the ongoing 1.48 #deltachat releases carefully - thanks to @adbenitez and automated store watching, this is much less stressing, just right for a cat relaxing ~#caturday
