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!

Real Life Environmental Enrichment for Cats

In case you missed it there is a fantastic article on the subject of feline environmental enrichment on the NY Times web site. So fantastic that it is the number one most e-mailed piece as of last Friday.

I find that very interesting indeed since you have to dig a bit in the Home and Garden section to find it. Seems like cat owners are very interested in this topic.

We're interested in this subject here, too, and I've written at least three posts on the topic.

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 loves...

her FURminator!

Wabby here... it's true.

I love my FURminator! I don't know why Mom was hiding it for all these years. Surely, she was...hiding it, I mean.

June is Adopt a Shelter Cat Month

Jane Brunt from CATalyst Council shares why cats are America's #1 pet. The Wabby could have done so but she's a bit miffed... we had the ferret over yesterday. No doubt she will express her unhappiness in a blog post when she stops being so mad at me!

Housecat Housecall

Purina Cat Chow's reality series involving Dr. Katrina Warren of Housecat Housecall started yesterday. Dr. Katrina will be helping guests live more connected lives with their cats. Hey, we all know how delicate and important that relationship with our cats is...my Wabby shares her thoughts about cats and how they should be treated in her Grumpy Old Lady posts, on this blog. Check out their Facebook page, too!

You can see a sneak preview of the show right here:

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. )