Pet Picture Week Thread Nov.1-7 2009. Post here!

[Fizzy1]

August, that picture melted my heart.  Such sweet kitties.

[BW]

OH MY!!  August, that picture is absolutely precious. What adorable cats they are.

I have a couple of "cautionary tales."
Winifred:
August, I don't want to freak you out more, but in my condo, I had an upstairs stairwell, and there was a half wall, maybe 4 1/2 feet high, (my cats were able to jump that high with great ease, and even higher) with a wide railing abut 4 or 5 inches wide, and it was above the lower or 2 flights of steps.  There was about a 11 ft or more drop down to the first step.   My Winifred (a mellow cat)  used to sit on it, and no matter what I would do, I couldn't discourage her.  I SHOULD have bought plexiglass and put it the rest of the way up to the ceiling, or at least far enough so she couldn't get up it, plexiglass would offer no footholds. I had misguided confidence in her ability to be sensible.

well, sure nuff, one day I came out of the bedroom and as I rounded the corner, it startled her, and she toppled over the edge and fell over and down the 11 foot drop, I watched horrified as she landed on the 2nd step, slid off that and came to a standstill on the first step.  Thank goodness they were carpeted, nevertheless, it was a big fall.  She was not the same for a few days, but the vet said she was ok, and eventually, after walking gingerly, sleeping a lot, and greatly reduced activity, she started to be her old self.

That was a few years ago.  I immediately put up heavy folding screens to keep them all in the livingroom, so they couldn't access the stairway up.
I would have put a door, but the way the walls were I couldn't do it.

SOOOOO,  I thought winifred was sensible, but..... you never can tell when they might see a bug, or something that they just MUST chase.

IF you get tired of looking through the chicken wire, plexiglass high enough up so they cannot jump, would let you look through and not spoil your view.
I don't know what size pieces of plexiglass you could get there.  Maybe the chicken wire is better if it goes all the way up, don't know what it looks like.

However, I am glad you have the chicken wire all the way up because, even mellow cats do sometimes get spurts of energy, and Mooche does seem to be quite a little devil and full of energy.  She DID have her head through the bars in the photo, so she IS curious.  I am not so sure how mellow she is.  I think she has explorer in her.  
I am still recalling the photo of her opening up the high cabinet in your kitchen.  That was quite a high perch she was reaching over from.  It gave me pause when I saw that photo.

Just make sure the chicken wire is firmly attached so they can't get on the other side of it, on the railing side of it.  IF they got stuck on the wrong side, they might possibly get confused, upset, and make a dangerous decision trying to get back on the right side of it.

Do you have a screen door on that balcony?  That way you could get fresh air, and still keep them inside.  Thats what I always did in my condo.  When I went out onto the balcony, I just closed the screen behind me.    Here is my 2nd cautionary tale.

Esther Elizabeth:
My Esther Elizabeth woke me one night, she sleeps in my bedroom with me.  She was crying, I put the light on,  I looked and she had one paw stuck in the window screen, and couldn't get it out.  She was sort of hanging by one paw, half supported by one foot on a filing cabinet alongside.  She was in big  trouble.  Evidently she had seen a bug, tried to catch it by climbing up the screen, got her claw stuck and there she was!!!  I don't know how long she had been hanging there trying to get herself unstuck.

Well, I was able eventually able to disentangle her claw, but in the process, the screen came loose, tipped out, and wound up lying flat, supported by a big bush under the window.  So there I was, holding on to Esther with my right hand, still caught in the screen which was by that time, lying half on the big bush outside.  I had to lean my body out of the window, to finish disentangling her claw with the left hand, while trying not to let her body go with my right hand, and finally I was able to pull her back inside the room.  Phew!!  And it was dark out.  If I had let go of her and she had fallen into the bush, and down onto the ground, she wouldn't have known where she was, and I don't know how I would have found her out there in the dark.

Esther is a mellow cat, however, you can never bank on mellowness keeping them out of trouble.  Who would have thought, she would wind up attached to the screen and lying on top of the bush under my window!!  
Now I cannot open that window more than a crack at night.
Better safe than sorry.  You have gorgeous, sweet fuzzy babies.

[August]

Thank you very much, BW, for writing that all out.  You are all so caring.   

That photo of Mooch trying to get his treats out of the cabinet is of him standing on something that is about 5~6 feet off the ground.  He figured out he can't get the snacks that way and doesn't go there anymore.  Instead, he stands directly behind me and shouts.   

The balcony chicken wire is firmly wired from the bars to the top of my balcony, and the extra wire bends forward in a cupping position.  I have no idea how I would put up plexiglass without actually having something built.   

I'll have to go to the hardware store and see what kinds of things are available here.  Thanks for all those scary warnings and thank goodness your babies were all right.   

[BW]

August,
Well, I am old and have had some scarey experiences, by this time.  

I don't think Mooch could have hurt himself too much from that height in the kitchen, but he is full of life to be sure. And he is very clever too, isn't he.  I don't think my cats ever even consider looking in cabinets for food, just not that smart, I guess.  

Didn't mean to scare the daylights out of you. (just cautionary tales)  I know you LOVE your fuzzy babies a lot, and are taking really good care of them.  Bless you all.  They are very lucky to be living with you.

I just did wish someone had warned me before Winifred fell down, because needless to say, it scared me for weeks, looking for "symptoms" after she fell.
I am glad to hear that your chicken wire is securely attached, and it may well be the best idea of all.  You are the only one who is there and can see it all.

And aren't you LUCKY to be living in Tokyo!!!  What an exciting experience that must be.  I really envy you having that experience.

Bless you and your gorgeous bunch of fuzzies.

[bug]

Awww, August. I wish mine loved each other.

[catbird]

Behind-the-scenes look at what was really going on when I took that Thanksgiving picture that I posted in Off Topic:




Now Cameo, I know that Manx have cute little tushes, but I didn't really want yours in this picture!

[August]

BW - Thank you again, and hey, you should make it over to Tokyo for a visit!  I'll be here...!

Catbird - LOL.  Cameo is like, "Huh?  Yeah, whatever."    P.S.  My gawd, are those real vegetables?  The colors are so vibrant!

Bug - I'll have to answer you after I get some photos off my digital camera.   

[catbird]

August, yes, they are real.  A small part of my most recent share from the CSA farm of which I am a member.  All local and organic.

[tesla]

Catbird, the picture with Cameo in it is cute!  Poor Cameo was just trying to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving, too.
I'm still jealous of all the wonderful vegetables you can get ahold of, WOW!

[JustMe]

Cameo looks so sweet snoozing (does she have one eye slightly open?) My cats would be trying to eat the veggies.   

[catbird]

Actually, both eyes are open; she's just looking downward because she is licking her front leg, in preparation for a nap.

I had to make sure that Linley was asleep and Isis was in a different room, or they would have gone after the veggies, too.  I wanted to experiment with a few more shots, but then Phantom came in and started sniffing around, and I had to give up completely.

[August]

>I wish mine loved each other.

That arm in arm photo was taken on a particularly cold day. 


The usual dialogue is:

Mooch : "Chami, I LOVE you!  I will lick you and lick you and smoosh you and lick you and smooch and lick you.....until you get out of my box."

[JJ]

catbird the background on that pic - are the vines/twigs? on the fabric? That is such a great pic that looks like you posed Cameo with the colorful bounty.

[catbird]

August, those facial expressions in the most recent photo are priceless!   Mooch is very obviously the ruler of the realm there.  He may persuade with force, or with more subtle methods, but it's obvious he gets what he wants!

JJ, the twigs are not printed on the fabric.  They are actual (preserved) twigs.  The little Manx-diva obviously thought I set all that up just to provide an attractive setting for her.    She jumped right up and settled in.

[bug]

Ahhh, the persistent annoyance factor. Bones used to do this with Pip and Mia but it usually ended with all cats flying off the bed.