One of my favorite things about Steve is how he is totally convinced he is a human being. He talks to us nonstop (and we talk back because, well, that is what you do when your cat talks to you- you talk back and ruffle her/his ears and let them know you understand), and if you ever sit out on the back porch, he’ll hop up on a chair next to you and relax and talk to you.
There are times when Steve and I are sitting there and it feels like Statler and Waldorf. Earlier today, Steve was lying in between the chairs while Shawn and I were sitting out back. Shawn was in the green chair, I was in the metal one, and Steve was in between us sucking up the heat from the concrete and the sun. Lily walked out to potty, and walked all over Steve. She seriously stepped on him three times, and he didn’t move.
I have no idea how I have integrated two dogs, one of which is a JRT, and two separate cats, and they all sleep in the same bed or on the same couch together. I just think it boils to having a house of plenty and my sedentary lifestyle. Regardless, I will take it.
BTW- he caught another bird today. Sorry little wren, but, you know, shit happens. I wish he had not done it, but I don’t get mad when cows eat grass or dogs potty everywhere or when geese migrate or when bears eat salmon, so it seems kind of stupid to get mad at Steve for doing what he was born to do.
Elizabelle
Looks like wren nest-making materials behind Steve’s chair.
Tell me he does not pass himself off as a bird’s Home Depot.
“Come here little bird. Great deal we got on nesting straw.” Smile.
MattR
The three baby robins on my balcony left their nest today. I actually had a chance to watch them take their first flights. I looked out to see the first one had already gone from the nest to the balcony. I spent about 20 minutes watching it build up the courage to take the plunge from the edge of the second floor balcony to the grass below. It finally did so after a snack and some encouragement from momma (or papa). The other two followed suit pretty quickly.
JCT
Our 3 cats spent the evening chirping at the big toad that comes to our back door every night . It’s hilarious, the minute it shows up they trip all over each other to go look at it. Silly cats.
The beagles could care less.
grammypat
Put a bell on him…it won’t prevent all bird/critter deaths but the noise will help to cut down on the toll.
Keith P
My cat just took a dump in the middle of my bed. Nasty, nasty, nasty. He’s been refusing to use his litter box for a couple of weeks now, but I just set out a disposable one this weekend, and he used it. So I swapped it out with his usual one, and this is what I get. I’m sleeping on the couch tonight! Well, sleeping on the loveseat in my office since the cat ruined my couch already.
Joel Hanes
The hunger of the Maine Coon is the flight of the wren
Where there are no predators, birds live on the ground,
and the dove becomes a dodo,
jl
Speaking of cats, they are smarter than I thought. One of the family oldsters is away from home in rehab after heart surgery (everything is going fine, and she will be home soon). She decided to not put up the cat but keep it at home. The housekeeper checks in several times a week and checks the food and water and plays with the cat. Not sure I would do it that way, but that is what she wants.
It was a very friendly cat before, but now when some one comes by, it is very happy and very friendly. So I was on a visit recently, took the cat’s mistress home to go through mail, check phone message, groom the cat, etc.
Somehow, the cat knew when we were getting ready to leave, and started acting pissy. It would meow, and I would meow back, and go over to pet it, but it wouldn’t come over to me, Instead it walked a few feet away out of my reach and meowed again. Then it walked behind a chair out of sight and didnt’ meow but yeeooowwwwllld!! Then came out and gave me a dagger look. After that, until the time we left it made a show of walking around with its butt towards us, like it was saying “F U, I got my own business to attend to, forget you assholes’.
Everything will be back to normal next week.
NotMax
If Steve ran the blog.
jl
@NotMax:
” If Steve ran the blog. ”
Cole’s cats are the ones who actually run the blog. Probably the secret of the blogs TOP TEN success.
Ash Can
@Keith P: Maybe a consultation with the vet is in order.
TheMightyTrowel
John Oliver’s show is growing on me. I’m particularly chuffed that they turned their attention to Tony Fucking Abbott: dumbest fucking fuck in Australia.
ETA: also worth watching, his epic rant about Net Neutrality (“the dullest two words in the English language other than ‘featuring Sting'”)
Major Major Major Major (formerly J.Ty)
@jl: Yeah the conditional there is not necessary.
So it’s a bad thing when you have to tell your boss to tell the lawyers to “get creative”, right?
mdblanche
@TheMightyTrowel:
He looks like a nice guy. The kind you want to have a beer with.
Any hope for a double dissolution?
TheMightyTrowel
@mdblanche: The cabinet are starting to go off book and a couple of righty columnists have suggested that a coup against abbott might be afoot, but no credible dd talk yet. SIGH
sm*t cl*de
Mrs Spat. Mrs Spat shows her interest in conversation.
PurpleGirl
@sm*t cl*de: Mrs. Spat is a gorgeous cat — lovely coloring and fluffy, fluffy.
eric nny
My indoor cat caught a bat last night. This is problematic.
Sayne
Great picture of the piglets. It is so strangely in focus.
Debbie(aussie)
@TheMightyTrowel:
Thanks for that:)
Loved the last bit of the Mr rabbot video ‘dickhead’, would love to shake that mans hand.
SFAW
John –
Talking back to Steve is not the problem, nor even A problem.
It’s your talking back to the voices in your head that has us worried.
Pogonip
A trifecta–all 3 critters are awake!
Is it the camera angle or did Lily get fat? (“Does this picture make my butt look big?”. “Lily, honey, everything makes your butt look big.”
I don’t think you should bell Steve. I know how I’d feel if I was fitted with a bell that rang at my slightest move, that I couldn’t remove. I wouldn’t be too happy. God created him to hunt.
Pogonip
@eric nny: If there was a bat in your house, call your doctor immediately. You may need rabies shots. Seriously. A bat bite can be so small it goes unfelt and unnoticed (this is what happened to the girl who made history by surviving rabies).
rikyrah
Steve is a huge cat. I don’t think I realized this until the video from a couple of days ago.
Any bird that comes up against him is a goner.
And, I understand why the dogs don’t mess with Steve.
Diana
I think I can remember that when you first got him Steve dis appointed you because he thought he was a cat, not a person. Evidently he’s changed his mind about that ?
Biff Longbotham
Cats definitely are hunters, so birds definitely will die. The problem isn’t with one cat killing the occasional bird or two. The wren population won’t suffer from that. The problem is millions of cats, a top predator (to birds, at least) that, thanks to humans, are represented in our country in far greater numbers than would naturally occur without our homes and our cat chow enabling their existence. John, your cat alone isn’t a problem, but all of our cats collectively (and I have two of the beasts) are a real problem for wrens, finches, etc. So, please put a bell on Steve.
kindness
Two cats????
J R in WV
Our cats are quite accustomed to living in the deep woods, and hunt successfully. But for rodents, 10 to 1 over birds.
We had a cat long ago that learned that he could play with a mouse almost forever, if he was careful with it, in the bathtub. In a way it was terrible, some mornings you would go to shower and there had been a tiny bloodbath in your space.
We took to not letting him in if we noticed he had prey in his mouth, which pissed him off quite a bit. Then one day he came in with his chin tucked back against his chest, so we didn’t notice the sparrow he had. He went right into the bathroom, hopped up and over into the tub, and released the little bird for fun and exercise – not.
Tim was so surprised when the bird flew away, leaving him alone in the tub. The look on his face was priceless. And I had to catch and release the bird!
Mnemosyne
@Keith P:
What did the vet say? If you haven’t seen the vet yet, you need to do so PRONTO. Litterbox problems are extremely serious and your kitty could be in major pain with a UTI.
slag
Put a bell on it.
slag
And slim it down.
fidelio
@Keith P: This stuff.
It has saved a cat’s life here more han once.
kindness
My cats don’t care if one or both dogs are on the bed or sofa a human is on when they want up to be petted or nestle to sleep. What they do care about is if the other cat is up there. If the other cat is up there, it has to be a cold night before they are willing to share. I wish that wasn’t the case. Previously all my cats liked each other. Not these two.
JustRuss
@eric nny: Get the bat tested for rabies immediately. You only have a couple days before it’s too dried out to test. That’s assuming the head is intact, and not….in cat.
JustRuss
@J R in WV:
I had a mighty huntress kitty who had the same thing happen, playing with a sparrow when it suddenly took flight and left. And yes, I never would have believe a cat’s face could look so dejected, it was hilarious.
Cher R
On May 9, my husband and I agreed to foster a little bulldog who needs knee and eye surgery. At the time, we didn’t know anything about her or her medical issues, which the rescue is now raising money to address. The integration with our current bulldog and our life has been challenging, and there were many times when I thought of you and your first months with Rosie. I wish I could find the post where you marveled that your lifestyle had turned Rosie from a snarling mess to a (mostly) lovely companion. I’m trying to recreate that zen in my home and I always try to remember that these things require great patience and time. I’m not sure if we’ll keep her, but given the extent of her injuries, she may be with us for some time. I do want to help her to be a lovely settled companion for whoever is lucky enough to spend his/her life with her. Thanks for your pet posts. I enjoy them.
Culture of Truth
One of my favorite things about Steve is how he is totally convinced he is a human being
No, you have convinced Steve that humans are (barely) worthy of his superior cat time and cat attention, even if you seem incapable of learning a civilized language.
Paul in KY
@Keith P: Did you have the vet look at him for the crapping in places he knows he’s not supposed to crap in?
Usually sign of some problem, that.
Paul in KY
@kindness: The late Tunch & Steve (I think)
Paul in KY
@kindness: I have had multiple cats for over 25 years & rarely has it been that they all got along. Usually they dislike each other.
WaterGirl
@Keith P: Keith, bunches of us were very clear last time you posted about this – get the cat to the vet. Right away. It appears that you haven’t done that yet. I can’t think of any good reason not to.
I doubt that your cat is an asshole – you need to take care of him.
Katherine
feed cats in the morning (early) and they will leave birds alone / that’s what works for me and dont feed them at night if they are to catch mice
LT
“but I don’t get mad when cows eat grass or dogs potty everywhere or when geese migrate or when bears eat salmon”
That’s some nutfuck trollin’ right there.
bago
Perhaps all of my favorite cats are ninjas, but the bell only works for a week or two.
Ninja. https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=402EE95E56BC2C69!13524&authkey=!AGB1nItwLBWg9uI&v=3&ithint=photo%2c.jpg