Commander Cody, Clone Trooper Kitten

04/05/2024

So I've always been told that wild bunnies (at least the ones we have here in Western Washington) are pretty "fragile" in that they can die from being scared. I've always walked very carefully when there's a bunny in our yard, talking quietly so it knows a human is there and so it can choose to leave without it panicking and dropping dead from basically a heart attack. I'm not sure I believe that anymore, not when it comes to the bunnies in my yard. These aren't bunnies, they are cats with stubby fluffy tails and long ears. They have attitude.

When we had Indy, he ignored the bunnies, I think he thought they were just a funny looking cat. Because he left them alone we had a few that lived either in our yard or just outside our fence but would spend hours in our yard. They even learned that I wasn't going to go after them so as long as Indy or I stayed about 10 feet away, the bunnies would sit there, munch on the lawn, lay fully splooted or loafed in the sun. Enter Merlin. Merlin has mostly herding breeds in his dna, along with some hound. He sees bunnies as friends that want to play chase. I've tried to stop him but that's been a lesson in futility. It's sort of okay though because these bunnies TAUNT him. Ya, no, these bunnies are not the "oh no a big predator is trying to eat me" type. These are full-on catitude, let's taunt and mock the dog type. Scenario: I see Merlin at the glass sliding door looking out. I look out and see 2 bunnies munching grass, about 6 feet off the patio. I let Merlin out who carefully tries to stalk those "wascally wabbits". Merlin steps onto the patio and takes a couple of steps towards the bunnies' direction, cue the Old Western gunslinger music and roll in the tumbleweed. Bunny one breaks first and runs for the fence but slows down just before going under, as if to give Merlin a feeling of "so close". Bunny 2 is still munching his dinner, watching Merlin, keeping an eye on me spectating. Merlin changes direction and takes a few slow-motion steps. Gets about 6 feet from Bunny 2 who does not take the direct, closest route under the fence (he was about 2 feet from the fence) but no, he runs along the fence, pauses a moment to let Merlin catch up a bit and when Merlin is less than 4 feet away, he ducks under the fence but again pauses with just his bunny rump and puff ball tail on our side of the fence. I'm not sure if maybe that was a bunny version of a "moon" or a "finger" or maybe he thought he'd mule-kick Merlin in the snout but there was definitely some taunting going on. This goes on daily... thank you bunnies for providing entertainment for me and exercise for Merlin. Just keep close to our yard so the bobcats don't get you because you are no match for true catitude!

23/04/2024

Happy 1st Gotchaversary Merlin! Cody and Rocket are still not fans of his, one year later 😕

13/03/2024

Cody and Rocket are getting along much better now that Edge has moved out. Rocket had been making moves to try and climb into the heated bed on my desk for a while now (Edge moved out a few weeks ago) but Cody would glare at him and if Rocket persisted, Cody would leave and let Rocket have the bed. Yesterday, Rocket climbed in and Cody didn't bother to really wake up right away until Rocket had squished his way into the bed, on top of Cody. They stayed this way for 20 minutes or more until I got up to head upstairs to bed and neither cat dozed off during that time. Cody is still pretty leery of Rocket but Rocket hasn't made any moves to actually bully/go after Cody except for maybe trying to get him to leave this bed, or maybe he just wants to share.

16/02/2024

Happy 1st birthday, Merlin!

08/01/2024

(not a picture from my phone...) I was looking up furniture on Ikea for my son's impending move and this came up. It says it's an ottoman with storage, I see "cat bed".

GAMLEHULT Ottoman with storage, rattan, anthracite. Made of hand-woven rattan, a living material that makes each ottoman unique. You can also use it as extra seating or hidden storage under the seat.

08/01/2024

Wow, been quite a while since I last posted! Life's been pretty busy lately. Cody's human sister is engaged and his human brother is about to move out into his own place (after going to Australia for 2 weeks), so Edge will be moving out in early February. We will have to see how that changes the dynamics between Cody and Rocket and Merlin. I think Rocket will end up missing Edge the most but I'm hoping maybe Rocket will stop being such a jerk to Cody. I'd like to get another kitten/young cat to either be a playmate for Rocket (so he leaves Cody alone) or become a snuggle buddy with Cody (best case/ideal scenario would be both) but then there's Merlin to consider. Merlin wants to play with the cats but he's just a bit rude about how he goes about it. For now, the plan is to see how Cody and Rocket are without Edge in the mix, and wait on Merlin maturing. I do have several pictures on my phone from the past couple of months that I will post soon!

13/09/2023

Happy Gotcha-versary Cody, Rex, Keelie, Maze, Oatmeal, Mama Nala Se, and Fives. Time has flown so fast!

22/06/2023

Ever have one of those days where you think that instead of your pets helping you deal with stress, they are the cause of so much stress you'll gain several more gray hairs? In less than 24 hours Cody, Rocket and Merlin all put me through some stressful moments. Tuesday night Merlin vomited. No idea why and he ate what he threw up but from what I could see there was nothing but food (not even grass). About 3 hours later, Cody vomits up some liquid, I put it down to trying to hork up a hairball. About an hour later or so, after Merlin has spent about 15 minutes incessantly barking at the 3 cats that insist on being in Merlin's area, I notice that Cody won't open one eye. After I finally get the cats to go upstairs and I get Merlin quieted down, it's now after 2 am. I get Merlin settled in his crate and make a cup of tea (plain old Lipton tea-bag type) and let the tea bag cool and go find Cody. He was now opening the eye about halfway and I couldn't see any injury with a gentle widening of his eyelids but I clean both eyes with the tea bag. I finally get to bed. At 6:30 am on Wednesday (so I've been asleep for less then 4 hours), my husband wakes me to tell me that Cody has vomited in our bathroom in a couple of places. I get up to clean it up, don't notice anything in the vomit (no sign of any hairball or anything else he might have eaten that he shouldn't) and he seems fine, so I go back to bed for a bit. Merlin gets me up around 8 am.... About noon, Merlin is outside playing, has a small stick in his mouth and is rolling about on the ground. I go to him to try to get the stick and he jumps to his feet quickly to try to dodge me but he evidently gets a front paw caught in a bare spot of lawn/clump of grass and cries out as he falls and then lays on the ground whimpering a bit. I give him a few minutes and then he gets to his feet but is limping on that paw and he lays back down. I resign myself to having to pick him up and carry his nearly 40 pound self into the house. He does get up and walk in on his own after a few more minutes (and no more signs of limping). Shortly after we get back inside, my mom mentions that when she picks up Rocket he seems "fragile", very bony. I tell her I had just taken him to the vet and had him weighed as I was concerned he'd lost weight because he decided he doesn't like adult food but the vet said his weight and body condition were good (I put him back on kitten food for a few weeks and am trying a new adult food with a slower change over). Mom says she doesn't think Rocket weighs 10 pounds so I pack him into a carrier (which was a real challenge!) and took him in to the vet to be weighed. Good new is that he weighs 11 pounds and the vet tech says his shoulders just seem prominent, not "bony" and he's not bony or thin elsewhere. Five or so hours later I feed the cats and discover that Cody had not eaten all of his breakfast which is like a first for him. So, I'm now keeping a watch on Cody's eye, and his appetite (I am in the process of changing his food to a new brand and he may not like as well or maybe he's still feeling a bit p***y after vomiting 12 hours before). I'm keeping an eye on Merlin's paw to make sure it doesn't show any swelling or any more limping. I'm being even more vigilant about measuring how much food Rocket consumes and still keeping an eye on his weight. So far everyone seems to be doing okay but that whole "when it rains it pours" or "things come in threes" really kind of sucks when it's worrying about furbabies!

21/06/2023

Happy 8th Birthday Cody and his Clone Trooper siblings!

20/06/2023

Rocket's DNA results. Yes there is Maine C**n, Ragdoll, and Forest cat as well as Persian, Himalayan and smidges of quite a few others

09/06/2023

Rocket thinking the top of the pup's crate is a good place to lounge.

09/06/2023

Merlin at 16 weeks. The mat is 24" x 36" for size reference. One of Merlin's sisters had similar results for her DNA test through Wisdom. Her mama posted the last picture, an Old English Sheepdog/Lab mix puppy so maybe there is some truth to the results. Merlin may not have any Irish Wolfhound in his ancestry but he may be closer in size as an adult, than we expected!

08/06/2023

Merlin the Monster weighed 32.7 pounds at 16 weeks old. He handled riding "shotgun" in my passenger seat with his harness and restraint for automobile well and was well-behaved at the vet's impressing the tech with how gentle he was when taking treats (ya that's because they were just treats, not really good, bacon treats). I mentioned hoping he will not top 70 lbs and was told to not count on that 🙄 He is still barking at the cats and too excitable for them to want to be around. Cody is the bravest and puts up with the barking longer but he's been driven to hissing and smacking at Merlin. Rocket is interested in the pup but pretty much just gets out of Dodge when he draws Merlin's attention and Edge is rather aggressive (he will advance on the puppy while growling and lashing his tail a bit). A few times Cody has approached Merlin and allowed the pup to lick the back of his neck as long as Merlin is quiet and calm so there's hope they can be friends when Merlin matures.

26/05/2023

Since I haven't posted any pictures of Cody lately...that's a piece of Merlin's hair on his nose.

26/05/2023

To compare (why I think Merlin's dna results are another dog's LOL). These are the breeds that he looks most like and do NOT appear in his dna results (none of the listed breeds explain his coat and the shape of his head). Merlin at 8 weeks, Irish Wolfhound, Scottish Deerhound, German Wire-haired Pointer, and Airedale Terrier and Merlin at 3 months. At 8 weeks (or younger) I think Merlin bears a lot of resemblance (head shape, expression) to the GWHP but at 12 weeks I think he is starting to look more like the IW or SDH.

25/05/2023

I have to say i have lost faith in canine DNA tests. Except for the Lab and maybe pittie I do not see ANY of these in Merlin and none of these explain his wire hair, beard and eyebrows. The OESD has a beard and eyebrows but not similar to a Russell terrier, Irish Wolfhound or wire-haired pointer. Maybe they mixed up another dog's test....

21/05/2023

Merlin may act like a cat at times (such as his choice of climbing on top of the pile of pillows on the couch to sleep on and walking on the windowsill) but he continues to bark at the cats and they are not amused. Cody has approached him and almost touched noses when i had firm control over Merlin, so there's some hope they may get along once Merlin settles down but Edge is a little aggressive.

14/05/2023

My son holding 3 month old Merlin. For reference, my son is 5'11".

10/05/2023

Merlin has doubled his weight since his neuter, 4 weeks ago. At not quite 12 weeks old he weighed 20.5 lbs at his vet appt today. He was 10 lbs at 8 weeks old.

06/05/2023

Rocket had to go to the groomer's today to have some mats removed. He's got such long, silky hair on his belly (also his mane and chest hair but he hasn't had an issue with mats there) and "bloomers" that I think this may be an ongoing issue even if I did have hours a day to dedicate to carefully combing and brushing him (and if he'd put up with it for long enough) and he was very upset by the trip so I'm thinking of maybe getting some small clippers and doing frequent, quick little trims. Anyone have recommendations for easy-to-use rechargeable clippers? Groomer said to probably get one with a smaller/narrower head. I'd like one with guards so I can keep his tummy fur about an inch or so long and I think I'd prefer a plastic guard (those metal ones look scary, like I'd worry that if he jumped, he'd be able to stick himself :( )

28/04/2023

Ratties aren't just for kittehs, at least according to Merlin. He helped himself to not just one but two wratties as he walked past the cats' toy box. I rescued both after taking the pictures.

23/04/2023

I got home after midnight with Merlin. No good pictures yet as he was very rambunctious after being crated and transported for for than 50 hours. It was a rough night and hopefully he settles in and we can get him on a routine quickly. Rocket only watched him through baby gate. Cody followed him around but wouldn't let him get too close but not unexpected given the level of activity and Merlin is very "mouthy". Picture from the shelter until I can get some that don't make him look like a deranged badger

22/04/2023

Something woofy this way comes.

10/04/2023

Cross your paws for us please. Applying to adopt a canine baby brother for the mewnsters.

14/03/2023

Indy is home 😭💔. Unfortunately, to add to the grief triggered by receiving this, I was shorted a paw print (ordered 2 more in addition to one that was included with the urn for each of my kids).

11/03/2023

Thank you Chewy! This beautiful vase and dozen long-stem roses were delivered today along with a sympathy note. Besides having much lower prices on prescription food and Indy's insulin, their customer service has always been exemplary. When I called on Tuesday to ask about returning the case of prescription that was delivered on Monday, I was told to just donate it and they credited my account for the order. Because of FedEx not delivering when they were supposed to (out here, "next day" only happens if they have multiple deliveries I guess), we had at least 3 orders of insulin (2 vials per order) not be delivered in a timeframe to guarantee the insulin was "good" (needs to be kept refrigerated). Chew replaced the orders with no questions, including an extra box of syringes that were not "ruined" by the delay. I offered to pay for the second box of syringes but they told me there was no charge and to either keep them and use them (just not order them for a while) or to donate. One of the insulin delays meant that I'd run out before the replacement arrived so I'd have to buy a vial from my vet at the much higher rate and Chewy gave me a credit to offset it, even though I told them it wasn't necessary. I was donating the money I saved by buying from them, to the Misha Memorial Fund that I'd set up over 20 years ago so the customer service person INSISTED on the credit so I could donate that savings to the fund. I've only ever had positive experiences with Chewy (sad to say I can not say the same thing about my one-and-only online Petco order :( ).

07/03/2023

Indy, as you wait for us over the Rainbow Bridge, run and play with Stryder and Ronin, be kind to the kitties that want to snuggle with you and lick your ears and maybe steal your food. Be a good watchdog over the wild bunnies that know you mean them no harm. You will be in our hearts forever and always missed.

05/03/2023

Power of the paw for Cody and Rocket's doggy big brofur, Indy. He's had 2 seizures today and we are trying to get him in to the evet to see if it's too much insulin or not enough or what. He is nearly 15 now and was diagnosed with diabetes 3 years ago so there may not be much that can be done :(

01/02/2023

Rocket supervising setting up Too Many Bones for board game night.

14/12/2022

Evidently Cody and Rocket have decided that if they aren't making the "Good" list, they will compete for the #1 and #2 spots on the "Naughty" list. We put the Christmas tree (it's a pre-lit fake) in the new game room so we could close the glass door and still see the tree from the kitchen and family room but we could keep Rocket from the tree (his first Christmas).

We have to go through that room to let Indy outside. Unfortunately, Indy is slower, seems to have some confusion, and he doesn't always eat like he used to. It takes him longer to go through doors. I have had both cats dash through the door into the game room and immediately run under and behind the tree. Fine, I'm there waiting on Indy so I can keep the cats from actually climbing it, EXCEPT Cody starts eating the "needles" and I have a hard time reaching him. When I finally manage to haul him out, Rocket is scampering around the room and Indy is waiting to come in. I put Cody out of the room, close the door, grab Rocket, let Indy in. But then Indy takes too long to go through the inside doors and Cody rushes back through and under the tree, immediately trying to eat the tree. Indy repeats needing outside as often as 3 times in 30 minutes. I resort to closing Cody up in the laundry room while I'm dealing with Indy. Cody later barfs up some food and "needles" and hours later has an accident on a small rug which has "tree needles" and just a tiny couple drops of blood so I'm now on "watch" (he's eating and acting normal).

Indy has really been weird about his food. One meal it's his normal kibble with chunks of canned food. Then he will go a few meals of eating only half his normal amount or even less, then he will only eat kibble if I mix it with water and canned food. I have to hold his bowl up for him. Placing it on a box to raise it up won't work, I have to hold it and take more than half an hour of "come on Indy, a few more bites" with 50% of the time me having to hand feed him gloppy kibble and wet food (oh ya, it's fun). Cody is constantly trying to get into the dog's food so I have to put him in a room where he yells at me as only an angry Meezer can yell.

Rocket is always hungry so he yells at me to take him upstairs and give him his food. He's not overeating but he hasn't learned that he can't graze whenever he wants as I can't leave access to his food where the other 2 can get it.

When it comes time for meal prep, Cody makes a mad dash into the kitchen, leaps on the counter and is trying to get into the food, usually the dog's anytime my back is turned for 2 seconds. He knocked the dog's bowl of kibble onto the floor.... I had a plastic container of the dog's kibble on my kitchen island to take out and refill before bed and within 5 minutes of setting it down Cody had jumped up and knocked it off, hard, because he knows that a lot of times the lid on a plastic container will pop off if it hits the floor hard enough so I had to grab him and Rocket before they could eat any and try to put them in another room so I could clean up half a cup of kibble.

Multiple times a day either Cody or Rocket (most often Rocket) STOMP across my computer keyboard while I'm typing. There's plenty of space on my desk that they can literally walk from one side to the other between my keyboard and monitor and NEVER NEED to step on the keyboard but they both stomp several times and then stand with at least one paw on my keys.

Rocket rears back on his haunches, hooks both front paws over the top edge of my brand new, curved gaming monitor (it's like 32" or something and was an early Christmas gift from my husband) and then does that cat yoga thing where he's got his front paws stretched way out and the rest of his body is as low as he can go, so he's either pushing the monitor back or nearly toppling it forward. He's NEVER done this with my previous monitor, nor with my second monitor. He also claws at the screen and tries to bite the edges, again, not something he did in the past....

I have to be sure to close the bathroom door (if my bedroom door is closed I don't always close my ensuite bathroom door when I'm the only one home or awake), because Rocket will charge into the bathroom and launch himself at my chest while I'm on the toilet. He for some reason thinks this is the PERFECT time to be held. While I do love holding him and snuggles and I hate to discourage this, it's just not an ideal situation, plus he's a klutz so that launch and my trying to catch him is usually a fail and then there's the desperate attempt to claw, cling and climb...

This all, except the fake tree needle eating, vomiting and pooping, and knocking the dog's food off the counter, happens multiple times a day. I'm considering making them awards for "Naughtiest Meezer" and "Naughtiest Floofmonster" and they can stop trying to outdo each other before I start wrapping gifts.....