Scratchings-and-Sniffings

The Grumpy Old Lady Has a Fit

And rightly so! Honestly, how often do I have to tell Tom and Mom that I am not happy about Snotface (that's the ferret - I finally figured out his name). He's such a busy-body!

Just the other day I was minding my own business - I routinely mind my own business, as it's the only business in the house worth minding, and...out of nowhere, that ferret shoved his nose in my belly!

OMC! (oh my cat!) What's up with that? I gave him the loudest hiss I could and even batted at his head a few times. HISS-HJISS-HISS---- BATBATBAT -- HISS-HISS-HISS... But, he KEPT nosing around from my belly to my whiskers!

The Grumpy Old Lady Climbs the Stairs

Just to make it clear - I don't do the stair thing very often. Over on Romeo the Cat's blog I shared my so effective wake-up tactic which involves getting my Mom and Tom to come down the stairs to me! (and I look just like this picture when they finally appear)

However, as you'll see when you visit Romeo's blog, I had to get creative yesterday - with his female staff member, who was visiting my Mom and Tom for some business meeting. BlogPaws stuff, they said. For three days it was, "BlogPaws this," and, "BlogPaws that," and, "Are we bringing Wabby to BlogPaws West?" (I said no but I'm not sure they were listening...I'm only going if Romeo goes.)

Meanwhile, I want to know how loud a cat has to be to get attention around here?

Do visit Romeo's blog and tell us how loud you have to be to get your staff up in the morning. Meow!

The Grumpy Old Lady Shares 10 Reasons Cats Are Better than Dogs

I hope no one took Mom's post on why dogs are better than cats, seriously. Seriously, she was joking! How could she not be joking - she lives with me!

After looking at that post, and sitting on her desk for an hour giving her the evil eye (she hates it when I do that)...I decided I should write a better post. A post setting things straight!

Here are 10 Reasons CATS are WAY better than dogs:

1. They're cats. What's better than that? Hmph!

The Grumpy Old Lady Sings Opera

Ah, if only Mom had video and audio of this...

Last night while Tom and Mom were watching that noisey box upstairs, I was sitting patiently at the bottom step giving a little, "Meow...merrow....MEROWWWW..."

I was finally done licking my chops after dinner and I wanted a little loving. I just didn't much feel like climbing all those stairs. Just as I wound up to my best, "Why isn't anyone rushing to take care of me?" wail... "MERRROOOWWWWWWW!!!!!!" an opera singer came on the noise-box...and drowned me out!

There was loud laughter upstairs so I up the volume and wailed with all my heart...and they laughed louder...and I wailed high and loud one more time... until Tom only came to the top of the stairs. "Are you taking singing lessons?" he asked me.

Honestly, what's the world coming to when our very own hoomans  think the noise-box has better singing than we can give them? (the opera singer was off-key, too...trust me, in a head-to-head, she would never be able to match my vocals!)

The Grumpy Old Ladies' Secret Life

Shhh.... Mom is out and I have the 'puter to myself! I wanted to share a little story...

Nobody knows this so keep it under your hat. Do you wear a hat? I don't. Mom better never try to put a hat on me...or any of those other clothes I see cats and dogs in. How insulting!

Anyway, when nobody is around...I like to play Vicious Vulture!!! I get up on the desk and hang over the edge and wait for unsuspecting prey! (haven't found any yet, but when I do...I plan on pouncing!!!) This is in preparation for when those ferrets return, of course!

Seriously...I'm a cat. I can wait. Forever, if I have to.

p.s. I tried to pull this off early this morning, before Mom got on the 'puter, but she caught me and moved me to the sofa and...well, it is a sofa. Purrrrr...snorrrrr.....

The Grumpy Old Lady and the Ferret

Wabby here. I have to grab the 'puter while I can. Before Mom gets online. Before...well, before the ferret gets here!

That's right. I said, "Ferret." OMG! (I learned that from Mom...not sure what it means but she only says it when she's excited, so I think it works).

The ferret is called Snotface. We have a new person here at our house, on one of the upstairs 'puters, and Snotface is her pet. I cannot understand why she would want such a silly creature for a pet, but she does.

The ferret is so annoying! So busy all the time! He keeps getting up in my face and I hissed at him and even gave him a swat the other day, but he just laughs and runs off. I'm going to go lie down in all the places he stuck his nose in yesterday, just so he knows who's boss around here!

(I'm plotting a way to get rid of him. Stay tuned. )

People of the Pack

Tom and I are members of Bissell's Pack of Pet Lovers. And proud to be so. We love being part of something bigger than we are.

Bissell, or rather, the people of the pack, will be at BlogPaws 2010 this week and we're tres' excited that we'll get to meet them, and some of the other members of the pack. (notice how Wabby is thrilled that we're writing about this - she's in her best "I can't be bothered" pose!)

I thought I'd do a quick introduction to those other members because they are truly outstanding blogs and bloggers. This is one of the reasons we are so proud to be members of the Bissell Pack of Pet Lovers - because they chose bloggers of extraordinary talent. Mind you, I have yet to meet a pet blogger without extraordinary talent, but that's just me bragging on the pet blog community.

Let's proceed -

Is It Weird to Talk to My Cat?

Generally, and I say "generally" in quotes, people think dogs are friendlier than cats. People treat their dogs like little kids or at least like intelligent beings who understand the world around them. We all know, from books like Inside of a Dog, that dogs ... don't understand very much about our lives. All they care about, and choose to understand, is what we share with them.

Cats, on the other hand, get treated like - pillows. I don't say that lightly. Some cats are cuddly and enjoy being petted or catered to. Other cats, like the resident Queen Wabby, prefer to be left alone, except when it's time to eat. Then...she's all attentive and meowy. When she's looking for food, you can actually carry on a conversation with her and I'll be darned if she doesn't act just like she knows what you're saying. She even replies as if she's having a conversation of some importance.

But mostly she's very pillow like - soft, mushy, and quiet.

The Grumpy Old Lady Gets Our Attention

Last night we had to put Wabby Wibby's bowl up out of reach. Today she is at the vet's getting her teeth cleaned. No food or water after 10 pm last night! Oh my, what a trial that was! Here's how it went:

10:30 pm: "Mom, where's my dish? It's gone. Mom, where's my dish, it's gone...MOM WHERE'S MY DISH!" In her best wailing as if she's being tortured voice.

11:30 pm: " MOM - I still can't find my dish. I'm down here...at the bottom of the stairs. Yes, I saw the light go off...but, can you please, please come down and find my bowl? PLEASE MOM!" In that whining, why is life so unfair, voice she has.

The Grumpy Old Lady Gets Her Way

Oh yes. She does. That would be me, anyway. I'm a cat, of course I get my own way! Sheesh!

Here's what I do... I wail. I wail at the top of my lungs. Mom and Tom think I'm going deaf - after all I ignore most of what they say to me - but the truth is I like wailing. I like talking out loud.

Sometimes I wail because I wonder where the dog is. Don't like him steaking up on me. (him/her - it doesn't matter, the 'dog' word is sufficient!)

Along about 6 a.m. I wail loud enough to wake the neigbors, the better to get Mom and Tom jumping out of bed. I KNOW they need to get up. And, I need my breakyfast. So, I just help things along. If they don't listen...I scratch the new walls. This new house is terrific! The walls make lots of noise when I run my claws over them!

Once I get my breakyfast, I make sure they're both up and off of the bed, and that it's made properly. I like a nicely made bed to sleep in.

And that's how I get my way. So simple...a caveman could do it!