MAX

CATS ON TUESDAY

I present you Max. He died in January 2004 and until now I wasn't able to write about him. But he still is part of my life and and now I am ready to present him !

My son choose Max in an animal shelter. His dog had died and he was so sad that we told him he may choose a cat by his own and he came back with little Max. This was in 1988. Max was a beautiful silver tabby which someone had thrown in a field and children had picked up the little kitten and brought it to the shelter.

Little kitten Max became a giant. He was really a very big cat. At his best times he weighed around 10 to 12 kg (26 lbs)but he was not fat he had strong big bones. He was the biggest cat in the whole neighborhood. When Max jumped on your knees I can tell you you felt it ! And on your belly you then saw stars !

Max was and is the bravest cat I have ever seen. When he was older he behaved like a good old family father and took care of his little family. He raised Lisa and Arthur. He never faught with any cat, and was really that what I would call a cosy, friendly, affectionate cat.

Max took everything with phlegm. Cats, dogs, people, children nothing bothered him. When Lisa arrived as a very tiny kitten, he took her to his basket and put her against his strong torse or soft belly and warmed her up. He washed her carefully from top to bottom and Lisa took him for her mother ! She followed him everywhere and it was so cute to see the big cat with that tiny little thing. He even teached her how to wee and Lisa since today still does it the male way !

He did the same with baby Arthur, he really was a very motherly cat. Max died then after 17 years of life together and the whole family was very sad. We burried him under our willow tree in the grave where all our animals are resting. The cats honor this place every day to do what they have to do because the earth is soft and honestly for cat's eyes it could be a big litter box especially with the little fence around.

The animal family grave



Big Max





I don't have a lot of pictures of when he was a young boy because at that time there were no digital camera yet and I hated to do pictures with the old system.


Max playing with water

Daddy Max and baby Lisa

Lisa misses him very much since he is not with us anymore and has become quite a loner.

One of the last pictures. His head still looks fine but you can see his age at his body. We had to put him asleep because he started to have a lot of troubles because of his age and we didn't want to let him suffer.



My cat family before the arrival of Kim and Pookie

Now I am not sad anymore, he stays in our heart anyway and we have such a lot of nice souvenirs of him.

SUNDAY MORNING

A sunday morning looks like follows in this house !


Arthur deeply sleeping with his mouth open !


I could put everything on and around him, he doesn't move a bit




also Pookie does her sunday morning sleep but agreed to take the flowers for a picture. She is a brave model !



Only Lisa is very busy. Here she is eating breakfast for the 3rd time. I don't know where she puts all this food. She should be as big as a pig by now, but she isn't.
size of Lisa

Kim is out probably sleeping in Yanouk's dog house. I seriously think about buying her one, because the poor dog stays always outside and sleeps on the grass.

MY CATS AND CAT NIPS

I had read so much about "Cat Nips" and the reaction of the cats. They all are getting crazy for it and even I had read, one banged the whole night against a kitchen board to get her catnips. As I had to buy catfood anyway I thought I will give my little Darlings a special treat ! Proudly I came home with this :




The famous cat nip ! At least that's what I thought. I opened it and carefully put it besides Arthur, expecting that now he would jump in the air and throwing himself on the catnips. My camera was ready ! And here is the sad result !


Arthur lazyly opened one (!) eye sniffed and continued his nap. Disappointed I went to Pookie :



Same reaction ! None !

With Lisa I couldn't try because she has only one tooth left and Kim as always was outside.

I think I will have to eat the catnips myself !

CAT THURSDAY THIRTEEN

If you really love your cat(s) then :


1. You select your friends based on how well your cats like them

2. Your desire to collect cats intensify during times of stress

3. You buy more than 50 pounds of cat litter a month

4. You scoop out the litter box after each use.

5. Do you wait at the box with the scoop in your hand.

6. You think it's cute when your cat swings on the drapes or licks the butter.

7. You admit to non-cat owners how many cats you really have.

8. You sleep in the same position all night because it annoys your cats when you move.

9. You kiss your cat on the lips

10.You feed your cat tidbits from the table with your fork

11. Your cat sit at the table (or ON the table) when you eat

12. Your cat sleep on your head and you like it

13. You watch bad TV because the cat is sleeping on the remote

A CUTE WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Kim and the owner of the dog house ! While she naps inside he sits outside and watches over her, isn't that cute ?

ARTHUR AND A STRANGE BIRD

CATS ON TUESDAY

When I met my "The News" neighbor on the street, suddenly Arthur showed up from somewhere because he loves to listen when people are chatting in the street.

So he sat besides us and did nothing while my neighbor informed me about the latest news. Nobody was born or died here in the neighborhood, but the widow three houses farer moved together with the widow 6 houses farer and that of course was very interesting.

With a glance at Arthur she said, "I hope the new neighbors like cats". Her phone rang and she ran inside the house. I waited, Arthur had disappeared. My newspaper came back complaining that people hang up too soon. The phone rang again, she started for a sprint, the ringing stopped. Then suddenly somebody whistled loud and made smacking noises. I was a little perplex. Suddenly she exclaimed "the perrot of Suzy" ! and hurried inside the house. Suzy was her granddaughter.

A perrot ! I wondered, and followed her.

In the middle of the living room a big cage was sitting on the table and a beautiful big parrot was inside, balancing himself from one side to the other. In front of the cage sat Arthur and looked surprised at him.

He was used to the phone ringing, but that a bird had whistled at him, he found really strange. He sniffled at the cage. The perrot blew himself up, doubled almost his volume and screemed "go away, go away" and then smacking again he said " pussy, pussy, pussy" smack, smack.

Arthur looked confused. People had already called him pussy but a bird ?? He couldn't understand the world any more. The parrot came closer to Arthur's head and said "God save the King" (we have a King in Belgium) Arthur moved a little back, as to his knowledge he was a cat and not a king. Then he turned carefully around the cage.

The parrot followed also turning and told him "close the door" Arthur didn't want to close a door. Then the parrot said "God dammit, god dammit" and a few other ugly words which I cannot write down here.

Arthur was impressed. He put a paw against the grid, the parrot bent down and almost hit the paw, but Arthur was quicker and withdraw. Now the parrot got really in shape. He dansed and shaked, shouted, whistled and told me to go to hell. I stand there with my "News" besides me and laughed and laughed that my belly hurt. The "News" explained, that she will take care of the parrot for 2 weeks while her granddaughter was on holidays.

Meanwhile Arthur's ears were turned back because of the noise, then he jumped from the table, took a flight through the door and disappeared. Too much is too much !

When I left he asked me "Go to bed ?" barked, and then made noises like a kiss. Then I heard a lot of words or sentences he had registred and suggested me to shut up. That's what I did and left too.

Arthur will probably try to go back there again !

PS. Somebody asked me why I mostly talk about Arthur. The reason is that he is the only one who makes funny things. Lisa not anymore, Kim never did, and Pookie only sometimes while Arthur is a source of inspiration !

ARTHUR'S SLEEPING POSES

Although it's nice and sunny outside, Arthur needs to nap. After that he is fresh again for new adventures in the neighborhood. Since it's spring, he is back to his old habits and helps the people in their garden.

But today I wanted to show you some pictures of Arthur when he sleeps. I don't show you pictures of Lisa, Pookie and Kim, because they sleep like all normal cats do. With Arthur it's different. I have never seen a cat in such funny poses. He makes me laugh every day.

and if you want to see some more I had them published here on my Photo blog for Photo Pherrets.

CATS FRIDAY FEAST

Appetizer
What is your favorite kind of bread?

Bread ? Her highnesses don't eat any bread !

Soup
When was the last time you bought a new pillow?

They don't buy pillows, they squat all of them in the beds !

Salad
Approximately how many hours per week do you spend surfing the ‘net?

Exactly the same as me, as they sleep on my bed or besides the computer. That means a lot !

Main Course
What’s the highest you remember your temperature being?

I think Arthur went once to 37° which was a lot for a cat, he had an infection.

Dessert
Fill in the blanks: When Arthur sleeps, he sleeps, look here

13 WISDOMS ABOUT CATS

1. Cats never get bored they have always something to do, cleaning themselves or having a nap

2. A red fish is a companion to many people and has the advantage not to scratch at the curtains and chairs

3. You don't own a cat, the cat owns you

4. A cat is a heart in a furr coat (Brigitte Bardot)

5. Certain humans are like cats in a litter box, they do everything to hide the dirty things they have done.

6. During a fire I would rather safe a cat then a Rembrandt (Alberto Giacometti)

7. If a dog jumps on your bed he wants company, if the cat jumps on your bed, she wants the bed.

8. You have to keep one eye on your cookware and the other on your cat (spanish proverb)

9. There are two things in life to avoid worries, music and cats (Albert

10. Who owns a cat is not afraid of loneliness

11. Everybody who has lived with a cat, knows that she has an unlimited understanding for a human brain

12. If a black cat brings misfortune it depends if you are human or a mouse

13.The best model for a cat is a cat, and if possible the cat herself

ARTHUR' DISAPPEARED

CATS ON TUESDAY

Saturday when I got up I didn't see Arthur. All the others were gathered in the kitchen and expected their breakfast. I didn't really pay attention and went shopping. In the afternoon he still hadn't shown up and we got a little worried and we both thought about Arthur's vanishing in January.

At one moment Mr. Gattino wanted to go downtown and went downstairs in the garage. Suddenly he saw a white spot in his car. He took a closer look and what did he see ? A white furr ball. It was the missing Arthur. Mr. Gattino was very happy that his little darling had showed up again and shouted the good news to me upstairs, so that at least the whole neighborhood knew that Arthur was sleeping in his car.

He opened the door and called him. Arthur slept.

He touched him, but Arthur didn't even move one ear or open an eye. He slept. Mr. Gattino tried to take him out because Arthur doesn't like to drive. Arthur suddenly woke up and looked at him with anger and hissed.

Mr. Gattino stepped back. Then he tried with sweet words and with sounds like kissing the garage air, but no, Arthur stayed where he was on the driver's seat. Mr. Gattino tried again with both hands, Arthur hissed again and tried to scratch him with one paw.

Mr. Gattino was perplex, what to do now ? He tried again, but Arthur hissed again and angrily moved to the other seat but didn't intend at all to come out. Mr. Gattino at his wits end, climbed in the car and drove car and cat outside.

Arthur stood up, surprised and very upset ! He didn't like the motor noise at all ! He decided to jump on the back seat. Mr. Gattino got out and opened the trunk. Arthur looked surprised.

He had never thought that somebody would show up there. And as his curiosity about the trunk grow he climbed over the back seat into the trunk. Ah, thought Mr. Gattino, now I can get him ! But Arthur didn't agree, he found it very nice there and looked with interest at his irritated owner. But finally this one could catch him, got a paw slap on his nose, moved back while Arthur jumped down and hurried up the stairs into the kitchen and disappeared in the bedroom.

There he sat on the bed and started to wash himself peacefully and thoroughly

Mr. Gattino full of remorse to have disturbed his poor Arthur proposed him to sleep in my car and wanted to lift him up, but Arthur didn't agree at all. Now it was too late and he scratched Mr. Gattino's hand.

This time Mr. Gattino was offended. His darling cat had hissed and scratched at him ! This was more then he could bare. He went out, got in the car and went shopping to comfort himself.

Arthur settled down and washed his, with a huge black spot decorated tail. He had again been under my neighbour's car.

I am more and more convinced that Arthur had been a mechanic in his former life.

Laurie's Tuesday Cat Cartoon

IT'S HOT !

Today it is unusually warm. Mid April we have 28 °C (83.4F) and in some places it even goes over 30° (86F). The weatherman said that since the weatherforecasts exist it hasn't been so hot in April ! And in the southern countries where it should be hot it's cold !

So what does my cat family do ? Nothing. They just move like little snails from one nap place to another ! They all probably wait for the evening when it's getting a little cooler. So each place in the house is occupied for one hour or two and then everybody moves to another place.


Last napping place for Arthur on the sofa back


Last napping place for Pookie, on my bed (of course)



Lisa choose the cat basket and sleeps on a warm plaid ! (What an idea !)

and Kim squats another bed.

Sometimes I wish I would be a cat, but then in my house !