Strolling Sunday: Heimdall's Star Wars Adventure!

Heimdall writes:

I went on a grand adventure today!  Yes, I am wearing a Yoda hat with ears in that picture.  I'll explain why!

Mommy needed to go to the store to get litter for both our boxes, plus she'd gotten an e-mail from Petco that the new Star Wars toys, collars, and dress-up things were on the shelves.  They were giving away the Yoda hat to anyone who bought something from the Star Wars collection today, and Mommy thought it would look cute for us for dress-up.  I won't wear clothes, but I do like collars, harnesses, and hats!

Mommy knew I needed a new harness, because the blue mesh ones my sister and I got when we were kittens are too small for us now.  Mommy took it out to take the leash off, and I immediately begged for it.  I remembered what it was, and wanted to wear it to go into the garage or wherever I was allowed, because I knew I was allowed unusual places with the harness!  Mommy tried it on me for a laugh, and I looked very disappointed that it didn't fit anymore.  She said I could wear Tabby's harness until we got to the store and got me fitted for my new one.

I didn't like Tabby's harness.  I'm used to my walking jacket, and Tabby's harness is a loop one.  Not the same feel at all.  I wore it, but under protest.  I bit it first, then Mommy said the first loop went over my head.  I agreed to try it, so she put it on me.  I kept wanting to bite it as she was fastening it, because it looks like a giant string to me.  Another reason to get a walking jacket one!

Finally, I was harnessed.  Mommy put me into the carrier bag and I figured out how to lie down in it.  Once again, I've grown so much since I was last in it that I had to get used to it again.  Then I was put in the stroller and off we went to the bus stop!

I didn't like the bus.  I kept on squeaking to Mommy about it, but she wouldn't let me out to sit in her lap like I wanted.  Luckily, I speak softly, so I didn't disturb the other bus riders or the driver.  Everyone on the bus said what a good rider I was, and Mommy thought I was, too.  This was my first time riding the bus!  I got used to most of it after this first ride, though, and did well on the way back.

Once we were off the bus, Mommy let me out again to ride in the stroller.  I do this at home, so I knew how to sit while Mommy pushed me.  I commented on everything!  Cars, grass, trees, a big parking lot, people, wow!!!!!

Hey, there's a sidewalk!  Mommy, can I get out and rest for a few minutes?  It's hot out here, and that looks like a nice spot to relax.

Mommy let me rest here for a bit and petted me while we talked about all the things happening around us.  There were people walking in and out of a store, cars parking and leaving, and a bike going by, as well as big strollers called shopping carts.  It all was very overwhelming!

Yes, I'm giving Mommy the stink-eye!  She put three harnesses on me!  At one point, I ran away from her into the dog beds on the bottom shelf by the harnesses and she had to crawl in and get me.  I was a good boy and only ran into that shelf, instead of running anywhere else in Petco.  So many people, smells, and things happening!  Mommy said I did very well for my first time out, though.  She was quite impressed with me.  I only ran away twice:  once in the dog beds and once in the litter bags while we were getting litter.  A saleslady helped get me out and thought I was doing very well for my first time out, too.  Another customer had a dog and that's what scared me by the litter.  It was a big golden retriever, and I'd never seen a big dog up close before!  It was very good and sat when its person told it to, though.

A good Yoda do I make!

This was while we were waiting for the bus to take us back home.  I got to sit by Mommy on the bench.  I liked the ears and didn't try to taste them like I had with the string harness.  See my handsome new, green harness that matches the ears?

 Any day that ends with catnip mice is ok with me!

Yep, it's a stormtrooper mouse!

Monday Mysteries: the Garage!

 Heimdall:  See this basket?  It's the laundry basket, but it lives someplace called "the Garage".  It's not in the house!  It comes in the house sometimes, like when this picture was taken, and it brings the smelly clothes and towels out to the garage.  I like balancing on the basket, Auntie Tabby likes eating it, and Freya likes scratching on it.

Freya:  Sometimes my brother likes climbing inside it, too, and going for rides in it while Mommy or Daddy is bringing it in.  We aren't supposed to follow it into the garage, though.

Heimdall:  A few weeks ago, Erin suggested that we start going out to the garage on our harnesses.  I always want out there whenever our purrents go out there, so I was very excited about the idea of actually exploring!  My sister wasn't, so she practiced more with her harness on inside, playing with the string-leash.

Guess what?  There's something called a cement floor out there that's cold to your paws!  The laundry goes into a white box called the washer, and there's a noisy grey box called the furnace that Mommy says heats up air for the house.  I found Daddy's work boots, the laundry, Mommy's bike, and lots of other things!  So many different smells, too!

This is where Daddy chops up the wood for our fireplace!  He has a HUGE pile of it in the garage, then he brings it in using a big box.  I got to climb all over the wood pile!

Today, after I was done helping Mommy do laundry, a very funny thing happened!  When I was going inside the doorway, Starla nosed her way past me and went out into the garage, too!  She wasn't on harness, so Mommy let me go inside by myself and spent about 7 minutes walking around the garage with Starla, letting her explore a little and then guiding her back toward the door.

Starla:  I had FUN!  The garage isn't what I expected at all!  The only garage I've known was at the other place, where I slept underground on the dryer.  My washer and dryer are out in this new garage, and many other things I recognized, such as the gardening tools, but it all was confusing.  So many new smells, plus the wood out there when it should be in the yard or growing as a tree.  Then there's this thing called the garage door, which smells like it has a road on the other side of it.  Mommy finally said we had to go back inside, and I thought she was mad at me for escaping out there.  She said she wasn't mad at me, but that I had to be on harness next time.  I don't like the harness, but I might let her put it on me if it means going out there again!

Freya:  After I saw Starla come back in and she told me her adventures, I kept thinking about that other room.  I thought while playing spring, while eating, while taking a short nap, and then I decided:  I wanted to go out MYSELF!  I really did!  Now, how to tell Mommy?  I sat by the door and squeaked, then cried louder.  She came to see what I wanted, and I just looked at her and sat up very, very straight.  She asked if I wanted to go out to the garage, and I squeaked again! Yes, yes, yes!  I got harnessed and leashed, and so did my brother, then Mommy picked me up and put me on a white metal box.  Mommy picked my brother up and put him on the box too, but he jumped down into that laundry hamper to play in it.  I lay down on the box, which I was told is called a washer, and looked around excitedly.  So THIS is what the garage is!  Wow!!!  Mommy started the dryer, and it made a loud sound, but we weren't scared (at least not too much).  I got up the courage to investigate it, thinking there must be some giant mousie inside it to make that much noise.  Whatever's in there doesn't come out, though, just makes noise in the box.  Clothes come out of it, all warm and snuggly!  The box moves like it's purring, and is very nice to lay on.

Heimdall wanted to go back inside, so Mommy let him back in, but I got to stay out with her and explore some more!  I investigated all the things that my brother and Starla have just talked about, but my favorite was the woodpile.  The wood moves when you walk on it, and it's good for chewing!  I stayed out for about a half hour, and then Mommy said we'd better get back inside the house.  Now, I'm wanting to go right back out, but Mommy says we have to wait a while until another day.  But I WANT to go out there!

Therapy Cat Tales

Tabby writes:

Yesterday, I had a great visit at the nursing home! We hadn't been out for about a month because of the heat, so I was really excited to be going! I even let Mommy clip my claws yesterday morning without fussing, which is very exceptional. :)

Mommy took me to visit five people in their rooms, and three people in the hallways stopped to visit me, plus the nursing staff. I wanted tummy rubs from most of them, so we had a great time! In two of the rooms, the residents had guests, so the guests got to pet me too. They all thought it was great that I came to visit their relatives.

Just as we were leaving, a huge English Sheepdog came up. He was outside on a potty break. His mommy is a resident, and he's a Delta Society-certified therapy dog who works with Dove Lewis' AAA/AAT group (animal-assisted activities/animal-assisted therapy). He usually visits on the weeks we don't, so there's always someone furry to greet the people on Fridays, but his human brother/handler brought him yesterday to visit his mommy and the other people on the floor. Once his human brother saw me in the stroller, he brought Oddard (the sheepdog) over to see me. Mommy held me up a little, because I was kind of falling asleep already, and we sniffed each other. Oddard has a topknot because his "bangs" are way too long. His fur tickled me when he snuffed at me, and I wrinkled up my nose! But I was a good girl and let him sniff me all over, and I sniffed his long fur.

As if that wasn't enough of an adventure, on the way back we went through downtown and saw a man on a board and stretcher with a neck stabilizer! It looked like the EMT's had just put him on the board, and were checking his recall and eye movements. A few blocks later, we saw a man in a wheelchair trying to go down the curb instead of the curb-cut. He fell over, taking his chair and his groceries down with him! Mommy put the brakes on my stroller, and she and another woman ran over to see if they could help. The other woman picked up the groceries, then came to stand by my stroller so nothing would happen to me. That was so nice of her! Then another woman and a man came over and they and Mommy helped the man get his wheelchair upright. The man who came over to help asked a few questions of the man in the wheelchair to make sure he was alright, then Mommy wheeled him over to the curb-cut. She pushed me across the street when the light changed, then put the brakes on and was going to help the man get across (he had limited use of his feet, and was "walking" the chair across slowly). When she turned back, a couple who had just crossed had also turned back and the guy handed his bag to the girl and helped the man across. Thank you, God, for the kindness of people!

Little Bit had a big adventure!

Wow! I am NEVER doing THAT again! There were people working on a house down the street, putting new siding on it, and I thought I'd go over and say hi, maybe get a few of them to pet me and pay attention to me. They had the door to a big building open, so I followed them in. THEY LOCKED ME INSIDE and left! I guess they didn't see little me walk in behind them. I was in there for two days BY MYSELF! I screamed and screamed, but no one came and got me. I was very scared, and I climbed all over and got into things trying to find a way out. I had thought it was a house, but no house would be that dark or not have people in it!

Then, finally, I heard a voice that I recognized. It was the man from the green house, the one where my sister now lives as a foster kitten. I got excited and screamed very loudly. He and another man opened the door and called to me. I yelled back. The man that I knew meowed back to me, so we talked for a few minutes. I finally stepped out where he could see me. He called me by name, so I came over to him, and he scooped me up and carried me into his yard and house. I purred and purred! They had been hearing me scream, but the person who owned the "shop" (huge shed/garage) where I was trapped hadn't heard me. So the man had gone over to see if he could open the door and find whoever it was who was trapped. And they found ME and got me OUT OF THERE!

I went into the green house and told my sister Smokey about my adventure, then spent a long time eating. I was STARVED! I screamed for a bit, but the lady and the man petted me and talked to me, telling me that I was ok now. Then they let me back out into the yard. I was last seen running back home, probably to tell my momma all about my adventure too.

I went someplace!

Smokey the foster kitten here, to tell you about my great adventure last evening! I've been begging and begging to go outside, and finally Foster Mommy said I could! But she wanted to put me in the carrier to go out. I didn't want to go in there, but she said that was the only way she was letting me out, and I was going to go with her to her class. Well, I didn't know what a "class" was, but I knew I wanted to go somewhere, so I let her put me inside the carrier.

First we walked down the street. I thought ok, I've been here before, what's so great about this. We walked by where the bunnies were, and then I started really looking around. I'd never been this far down the road before! We actually crossed the road! We waited a bit, then a big scary monster came and picked us up. Foster Mommy said it's called a "bus". It spit us out after a bit, then we waited for another "bus" to come chomp us.

Waiting for the bus. I want out to explore!

Ewww! Why do humans leave cigarette butts on the sidewalk? Why do they smoke at all?
Those cars are loud, but I want to see them!

Finally we were at "class". It was a big building with carpet and lots of new people. They all spoke a funny language I didn't understand, and Foster Mommy was the leader. She says it's called "Norwegian". She let me out of the carrier, and I walked around on the table then explored the room. A couple times during class, I hopped back on the table for pets from Foster Mommy or to look at all the other people and say hi. I also took a nap on a chair for a while.




After class, I jumped up on the piano to investigate it. Then we went on the "bus" monster again, back home. I knew when we were almost home, and started to get very wiggly inside the carrier. Foster Mommy didn't let me out until we were inside, though. I went right over to the food bowl to eat, because I was hungry from all that adventuring!

P.S. Foster Mommy says she made an appointment for my spay. She says Starla and I are going in on March 4th.