Our little ones dreaming of Santa Claw’s arrival…

Twas the Night Before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, especially a mouse. It may be the holidays, but this isn’t a Disney movie folks – we have seven cats – what mouse would dare stir about? Our feline children were nestled all snug in OUR bed, while visions of catnip and sardines danced in their stress-free heads!

So, as we wait for the eminent arrival of Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen, and Comet and Cupid, and  Donder and Blitzen, I just wanted to take a quick minute to check in with all of you while I still have my wits about me! The next few days at our house are going to be a bit hectic – we’re going to have lots of family visiting and are very excited about seeing everyone! Well, at least Dan and I are very excited about it – the cats will be properly offended that their routines have been disrupted with all our merriment and will most certainly take to hiding the majority of the time, despite that these are family members that they have seen numerous times. Zee and Peanut will be the social exceptions and will mingle with the crowd, Zoey will zip by and glare on occasion, Rolz will hide under the bed in the guest bedroom (he’s not always the brightest bulb), Mia and Jazz will stay on the bed in our bedroom, and Harley will magically vanish, not to been seen again until everyone is securely out the door heading home again.
 
Until tomorrow, sweet dreams dear readers…

As I mentioned in an earlier post, having seven very active and curious cats dramatically affects how one (meaning me) decorates for the Holidays if one wants to keep fragile collectible and keepsakes in tact. Having seven cats also dramatically alters how one (meaning Dan and I collectively) can come and go freely in our household. Just like when you have children, with pets there is an enormous amount of responsibility and commitment to their well-being, as they rely on us completely to take care of them and even leaving the house for a few hours requires a bit of foresight and planning. Read more

Zee’s submission picture in the “Happy Healthy Cat Photo Contest”

Everybody loves Betty White, never mind Raymond, and Zee is no exception. In fact, he is such a fan of hers, he has gone to outrageous lengths to meet her and has entered a photo of himself in the “Happy Healthy Cat Photo Contest” sponsored by the Morris Animal Foundation and judged by none other than Betty White herself.

As you know, Zee is normally a pleasant and quiet sort of cat, not wanting to directly draw attention to himself. He would prefer Zoey handle all of the PR publicity stunts for ZeeZoey Partners and his pending book, but this was just too irresistible, even for him to pass up so he is humbly asking for help from all of you.

In the spirit of the holidays and giving, if you could support his dream, that would be the perfect gift for Zee from you – it’s quick and easy and requires no driving around looking for a parking spot or standing in long lines! Just click the link to follow to  find our handsome boy and vote for him as your favorite picture and he would be ever so grateful! As you can see from his photo entry, he is quite a stunning specimen and very much worthy of the prize – cover cat on the Morris Animal Foundation magazine! Just be aware, however, our Miss Zoey has made it VERY clear to all the other cats out there, that he is off limits and property of hers!! No way will she let fame and glory go to his head! She is the star of the family and we all best not forget that!

http://wildfireapp.com/website/6/contests/67057/voteable_entries/11831663

It’s not necessarily Zee and Zoey’s fault, per se, after all, the two of them really are not much trouble (relatively speaking). However, when you add in the fact that because of them, we have an additional three very active young cats in the household – their offspring, Mia, Rolz, and Peanut, plus the existing household cat members, Jazz and Harley, we really do have trouble. And I mean A LOT of trouble. Read more

Clockwise, Old Dog Bone, Feather Toy, Kitty, Squirrel, Big Mouse, Little Mouse, Tiger, and center, Carrot

Who would have thought love literally was a battlefield, but in our household with Zee and Zoey, love indeed, is a battlefield! 

In the spirit of of love and holiday gift giving, let me share with you what that really means to Dan and I in regards to what Zee and Zoey give to us each and every night and each and every morning. I don’t know about your cats, but for us, if something happens with them once, chances are it will officially become a habit from that point forward. For Zee, that would be what we sweetly and endearingly call his “nightly homage” and for Zoey, that would be what we unenthusiastically call her “irritating and obnoxious early morning wake-up growl.” Both of them are completely devoted to their habits and take them very seriously, regardless of the weather, what day it is, or how inappropriate it may be at the time. Read more