Dashing Is Out of the Question

Considering that I have AT LEAST three feet of snow in my back yard, I thought this story was be very appropriate for this week!  

Corky was born in the late fall when the weather was still warm. As soon as he was able, he was allowed to go outside and play in the yard with his brothers and sisters. Leaves were falling off the trees. It was so much fun to jump into a pile of leaves that the family had raked because they made so much noise! Not only that, but the kittens could hide from each other. Corky looked forward to going out into the yard every day.

Then things changed. He was ready to go out, but everything looked different. What was that white stuff all over the lawn? Had something bad happened? His mom explained that this was snow. He could play in it too. It would be cold and make him wet, however. Corky wasn't sure that he wanted to do that. He finally decided that he would try it. First, one paw; then another. Before you know it, he was out running around and having a good time.

Corky remembered when the humans were enjoying something called Christmas a few months ago. Kids  watched things on TV about Santa Claus and his reindeer. Corky had liked the song about the reindeer dashing through the snow. He liked to do that too! One night a big storm blew in while everyone was sleeping. The next day when Corky went out to play, he made a decision:

Tank Goodness For Friday!!

I apologize, dear readers, for not being here the last two weeks. Back surgery was on 2/11 and much more invasive than I thought it was going to be. My younger son was here to help me, but he had to unplug my computer to plug his in so he could work from here. Didn't have a chance to let you know what was happening before he unplugged me! Hope you enjoy the story.


Pudge was a very busy cat! He was an inside/outdoor cat and loved to explore. He slept almost sixteen hours a day, so he had to make good use of the six hours that he was awake. This didn't always happen to be pleasant for the humans he lived with, but he WAS a cat, after all! Cats do what they want and humans have to get used to it. There were a variety of things that he could explore outside in his own yard as well as the neighboring yards. There were flowers, grass, and bugs to play with most of the time; when the weather was good, he also liked to go to the local coffee shop and hang out with the customers. In the winter he liked to go out and dig through the snow.

There were a lot more things to do inside which always seemed to get him into trouble. He wasn't trying to be a bad cat; it just seemed to turn out that way. He loved laundry day because the clothes smelled so good when they came out of the dryer. Why did the humans get so mad when he would lay on them? So what if they were clean. Another warm place was on the computer keyboard. Humans didn't like that either. Geez! His racing around the house at midnight also caused problems. When's a cat suppose to get their exercise?

One week it seemed like everything went wrong. One of the neighbors yelled at him and chased him out of their yard for stalking their pet Chihuahua. The mailman didn't appreciate a playful nip on the ankle. Pudge knocked over some spices on the kitchen counter when he was chasing a moth. He barfed up a hairball in a good pair of shoes. He missed the end table when he jumped from the couch and ended up hanging from the curtain. He decided that he better leave home for a while and let things calm down. So he headed for the coffee shop.

Marion Lovato is the author of Sam, the Superkitty.  Her book describes an ordinary cat changing into a superhero to protect his family from things that go bump in the night.  Available on Amazon as a paperback or Kindle edition.  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1604588667

 

The "Kitten" Bowl is About to Start!

It's a beautiful day in Santa Clara, California, and everyone is anticipating the start of the "Kitten" Bowl. There are eight contestants on each team. The goal is to see which team can get to the catnip in the end zone first. The contestants were introduced last week in this blog. If you missed that, you can check them out while you're waiting for the game to start.

Looks like we're ready. Team A gets to go first. Will they get to the catnip or will Team B be able to stop them The whistle blows and here we go!!!!

I said the whistle blows and here we go!!! Ummmm, maybe the referee will tell us what's happening because there's no activity on the field. What in the world?!!

Referee: Team A has a five yard penalty for delay of game!

Seems like there are several problems with this team. Sandy is trying to sing the National Anthem (or should I say screech the National Anthem)

Ginger ran too much in practice and is too tired to play.

Tabby couldn't find the right shoes.

Merlin decided he didn't like the moment and was going to take a nap.

Kirby was too busy smelling the flowers.

The only one who seemed to be ready was Fluffy. He was ready to receive anything he could catch.

Referee: Since Team A can't get their act together, it will be Team B's turn!!

Okay, now maybe we'll see some action. Since Team A is all over the field doing their thing, Team B should be able to go right down the field and get the catnip first. Here we go!!!!!!   Or not........

Arvin likes to eat flowers

which Fang thinks is really funny!

Rhett is sad because of Scarlett

and Whiskers is having a fit about his whiskers not looking good.

Snuggles is looking for a friend.

Sammy would rather run in the house instead of on a grassy field.

So, of course, the referee is going to give Team B a five-yard penalty also. Now what are we going to do? Morris, from Team A, is really disgusted about the whole thing.

Smarty, from Team B, seems to have all the answers, but that's not much help.

What about the quarterbacks. Which one is going to lead their team to the catnip? Guess it won't be the one for Team B. He's too busy showing off his beautiful coat!

Here comes the quarterback from Team A. Now we're talking! I know who's going to win this game!

His team piles in, they grab the catnip, and win the game! Way to go Team A!

Whew! Finally got through that one. I think the big boys had better forget the Kitten Bowl next year and leave it up to the kittens. They seem to have the energy to pull it off better. Oh, well, live and learn. Hope you enjoyed it.

Marion Lovato is the author of Sam, the Superkitty.  Her book describes an ordinary cat changing into a superhero to protect his family from things that go bump in the night.  Available on Amazon as a paperback or Kindle edition.  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1604588667

Contestants For the "Kitten" Bowl

On to the Super Bowl!!! Of course, that's for us humans to get excited about. The cats get excited about the Kitten Bowl which is really cute. They decided, however, that it shouldn't just be for the kittens. The big guys wanted in on the action also. Let's see who wants to be in grown up version of the "Kitten" Bowl.

There are only eight players on each team, but they'll play offense and defense. Okay, who's ready to play?

On Team A, we have:

Kirby-Guard

Sandy-Tackle

Morris-Tight End

Ginger=Running Back

Muffin-Quarterback (He can drive them down the field)

Tabby-Guard

Fluffy-Wide Receiver

Merlin-Tackle

Now for Team B

Champion-Quarterback

Snuggles-Tackle

Whiskers-Tight End

Arvin-Tackle

Fang-Guard

Smarty-Guard

Rhett-Wide Receiver

Sammy-Running Back

 So, how will all of this turn out? You'll have to wait until next week for the game. It should be very entertaining!

Marion Lovato is the author of Sam, the Superkitty.  Her book describes an ordinary cat changing into a superhero to protect his family from things that go bump in the night.  Available on Amazon as a paperback or Kindle edition.  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1604588667

Good Human Imitation

Oliver was his name; imitation was his game. Or, at least, he thought so! His human family thought he was pretty funny, but they didn't realize what he was trying to do. He thought about all the animals he had ever seen in books or on the TV and thought he could imitate them. He tried being a tiger, an alligator, a horse. Nothing worked. Of course, he loved birds, but he couldn't do that either.

He tried being like a tiger since they were his ancestors. But, instead of a big ROAR, the only thing that came out of his mouth was a little squeak. He couldn't scare anything with that, so he tried to be an alligator. Nope, his nose wasn't long enough. He could hop around on all fours and pretend to be a bird, but he couldn't fly. He would have loved to have been a horse, but he was too little for someone to ride. Me, oh my! What was poor Oliver to do. He didn't want to just lie around and be a typical cat.

Then, he had a brilliant idea! He had the thing he could imitate in front of him everyday! This was perfect. Why hadn't he thought of this before? Now this he could do very well.

Marion Lovato is the author of Sam, the Superkitty.  Her book describes an ordinary cat changing into a superhero to protect his family from things that go bump in the night.  Available on Amazon as a paperback or Kindle edition.  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1604588667

Are You Happy Now?

Max was a long-haired cat who lived in a very warm climate. Fortunately for him, his humans had air conditioning to keep the house cool. He was very comfortable if he didn't go outside. He drank plenty of water; his humans kept him brushed every day so the loose fur wouldn't make him hot. Sleeping about 16 hours a day, sometimes in front of a fan, helped too. Ah, yes, life was good. However, his humans were always complaining about the heat and how miserable they were! He get tired of listening to it and would roll over to go back to sleep.

Finally, the heat started to go away. Now Max would go out into the yard, lie on his back, and let the sun shine on his belly. That felt so good! Sometimes, there were leaves in the yard that he could play with or use to hide. Yes, indeed! Life was still good for Max. His humans were still complaining though! What did it take to make them happy he wondered. He thought working and playing with the leaves was fun; not his humans! They still would be unhappy about the heat sometimes.

Winter started with a blast of cold air and many inches of snow. Max would walk on the sidewalks after they were shoveled, but he couldn't go into the yard itself. That was okay with him. Now the humans were complaining about the amount of snow and how cold it was! Max had heard enough and had this to say to them:

Marion Lovato is the author of Sam, the Superkitty.  Her book describes an ordinary cat changing into a superhero to protect his family from things that go bump in the night.  Available on Amazon as a paperback or Kindle edition.  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1604588667

Christmas Day (Kitty Style)

It was a different Christmas with Mom being gone, but the boys and I made it through. I hope your Christmas Eve and Day was joyful and full of hope. Looking forward to a better year.

The day of Christmas Eve was exciting since everyone was getting ready for Santa Claus. There were last minute things to finish up with wrapping presents, cleaning house, and getting ready for the Christmas service at church. Sometimes things got a little confusing.

While I was at church, the boys were making their lists and checking them twice.

But some of them didn't want to stop and go to bed!

Finally, everyone was asleep and the house was quiet.

Christmas morning dawned bright and early with snow on the ground.

It wasn't long until everyone wanted to see their presents, but there was a minor accident to clean up first.

Once that was cleaned up, it was time to open presents.

Some were a little upset about cleaning up afterwards.

And some were a little too happy! Wonder what he got into.

And now it's time to get back to "normal", whatever that is. When you have cats, it's hard to know sometimes. Whatever that happens to be, this is a definite.........

See you in 2016!