Sunday Selections #233

Sunday Selections was originally brought to us by Kim, of Frogpondsrock, as an ongoing meme where participants could post previously unused photos languishing in their files.
 
The meme is now continued by River at Drifting through life.  The rules are so simple as to be almost non-existent.  Post some photos under the title Sunday Selections and link back to River.  Clicking on any of the photos will make them embiggen.
 
Like River I usually run with a theme.  This week I am going to start with a mystery.  Hopefully someone will have an answer for me.  

Is this an insect nest, or a home for eggs?  And what type of beastie built it?  It is two or three inches long.  The strands move in the breeze.

And, because I know that insects give some people the squicks, a portrait of Jazz.  Hogging himself's part of the sofa and daring him to try and sit down.  

Jazz stretched out on the carpet - he is a big boy isn't he?

And Jewel, who is nearly as camera shy as I am, curled up tight as a ball on top of her cat cave.  She only gets into it when it is reeeeeally cold.  

 And some more not quite frozen bubbles.  They lose their irridescence, turn white and partially freeze in the temperatures we have been getting.  The weather, while not precisely balmy, hasn't been cold enough for a little while.  I am hoping for a minus eight or nine (C).  I am probably the only person hoping for a minus eight or nine.

 

A chaos of Cats

The smaller portion's recuperation continues to be slow and ugly.  So I am refusing to think about it, and will post photos of things which make me smile - in this instance cats.

This first image was sent to me today.  And is Jazz to the life.

And then an assortment of photos of Jazz n Jewel who despite their protestations live a pleasant and indulged life.  They usually go outside for half an hour or so in the morning and the rest of the time rule the household with iron paws.

Indulgence over - for the moment.

In the last week or so, earlier posts about Antarctica have been attracting a lot of interest.  Would people be interested in a revisit, or have you had enough of my obsessions for the moment?

Sunday Selections #85

Sunday Selections, was originally brought to us by Kim, of Frogpondsrock,  as an ongoing theme where participants could post previously unused photos languishing in their files. 

The theme is now continued by  River at Drifting through life.

The rules are so simple as to be almost non-existent.  Post some photos under the title Sunday Selections and link back to River.

Like River I generally like to have a theme for my Sunday Selections posts.  This week I went back in my files to a folder full of cat photos from 2009.  Still Jazz n Jewel, just younger black beasties.

In our wardrobe drat them where they had made a nest for themselves.

The Cat Pack.

If the cats and I are inside they keep a very close eye on what I am doing.  I am, for example, unable to go to the toilet without a black paw or two snaking under the door.  If I shut the door in their face the complaints are loud and long.

Similarly if I am in the garden they are very attentive.  Jewel in particular loves me planting bulbs.  She comes along behind me, digging them up and snorting the fertiliser I plant with them.  Crack cocaine for cats.  She has also been known to dig the bulb out and position her dainty black behind over the hole.

Despite being both black, they are very different.  Jewel is probably about a year older than Jazz and is half his size.  This very short video shows Jewel with her most favourite toy - an acorn shell.

Limp falls on the carpet are a relatively new trick.  The idea is for one of us to give them a belly rub.  Typically they position themselves so that one person cannot rub both bellies at once.  If Jazz feels he is missing out he attacks Jewel.  Or me.

There was never any chance that Jazz was going to fit into this box but he amused himself (and us) trying for well over half an hour.

Jazz has a fit if someone tries to put him in a bag.  Jewel climbs in of her own accord.  Both black, very different, much loved.  And shamefully indulged.

Jazz n Jewel

Kim at My Inner Chick recently asked for a post about the cats after she spotted them lurking at the bottom of the page.

It probably should be Jewel n Jazz since she joined us first but he has the more dominant personality poisonality by far.  Both cats are rescue cats and we were assessed interrogated before we were allowed to offer them a home.  Jewel had already been returned once because she was too vocal.  When we learnt that her previous owners lived in a flat and went to work leaving her shut in all day we were not at all surprised she complained.  A lot.

Jazz had been living down by the Queanbeyan River when he was captured and has an independent nature.  I have been known to complain that he is psychotic.  He certainly thinks I am lower in the pack hierarchy than he is.  Marginally above Jewel, but considerably below him.  Occasionally he challenges my Smaller Portion for the position of Top Cat, but mostly accepts the position of second in charge.  Each day he draws blood from somewhere on my person.  His preferred trick is to stretch up from the ground and hook his feet into my butt.  Then he lifts his hind legs off the ground.  He wakes me by reaching under the bed clothes and slashing.  He does neither of these things to the Smaller Portion.  Every so often he starts to 'sing' and launches himself at me.  He is not satisfied until he has bitten and scratched me, drawing blood.  Honour satisfied he wanders off purring.  Again this is something he never does to the Smaller Portion.  I have tried squirting him with water.  He gets very wet but it doesn't alter the outcome.  He will continue until I bleed.  If I leave the room he will wait until I return.  It is lucky that I have reduced sensation, and that I heal well.  It is also fortunate that he is often an exceedingly loving and cute cat.

They retained the names they came to us with, with a small exception.  Jazz was Jazzpurr because he purrs so often.  This made me feel unwell.  He is now Jazz and continues to purr loud and long.

They have very different natures and I worried that they would be unable to get along.  The first few weeks were fraught.  Jazz hid under furniture and peed himself every time he heard Jewel's bells.  Then he realised he was bigger.

Now they get on remarkably well.  They have their moments though.  Jazz will leap upon Jewel and flatten her.  She immediately swivels round, takes his ear in her mouth and bites down while shrieking 'he is hurting me' so someone will rescue her.  It works.

They teach each other things.  Jazz taught himself to open the fridge by inserting a powerful paw into the door jamb and pulling.  Jewel is not as strong.  She watched him for a bit and is now able to snout the fridge open.  We now have a child proof latch on the refrigerator to keep the cats out.

Jewel's favourite toy is an acorn shell.  We found her in the kitchen one morning having a wonderful time batting it around and picking it up in her mouth to move it to better locations.  To get that first acorn she had to cross the road, pick it up in her mouth, cross the road again, jump a wall to reach the back yard and bring it in through the back door.  All with it in her mouth.  These days we collect them for her.  Jazz also likes the acorn game, but unsurprisingly, plays rough.  When he bites down, the acorn has to be replaced.  If they bat them out of reach they will come and complain until we retrieve or replace it.

We recently bought some new computer chairs.  The Smaller Portion's is slightly softer.  Guess which one the cats have claimed.  If Jewel gets there first, Jazz will climb up with her.  He will then start to stretch and flex.  If she doesn't get the hint he will bite her.

Are their lives better for coming to live with us?  Almost certainly.
Can we imagine life without either of them?  An emphatic no.