Snoopervisor Melly

I decided a while ago that my next computer would be a desktop, but before getting one, I thought I should probably get a desk. After searching high and low for one that was small but sturdy, I settled on one from Target. Geoff helped me assemble it and Melly kept an eye on him as he did so.

After a while, she started to get in the way, so Geoff moved the Squirt Bottle o' Discipline onto the desk in hopes that it would repel Melly.

It didn't.

Baby Otter, and a Sewing Project

One of the otters at the Seattle aquarium recently had a baby, and on Saturday, I went to visit the cuteness.


The baby, which was recently discovered to be a girl, doesn't yet know how to swim. Which is ok, since she is too buoyant to sink, and also her mom makes a great raft.

Also this weekend, Geoff's daughter and I commenced a sewing project we'd been planning, which is to make beds for the kitties at the Humane Society. It was Geoff's daughter's first experience with a sewing machine, and sewing a lot of straight lines on a forgiving fabric like fleece made this a great beginner's project.

Geoff's daughter, sewing away like a pro.

Two of the finished beds. They're purple fleece on one side and patterned fleece on the other, with two layers of batting in the middle.

Sneak Attack

Melly likes to hide on the pushed-in kitchen chairs, crouching in wait to ambush any humans or tabbies who happen by.

"Who, me? I would never sneakily attack Scarlett.

I am deeply offended by your accusation.

Hmph."

Silly Melly

Melly's peevish moods never last for long. Here she is demanding attention:

When attention was not forthcoming, Melly got a little more aggressive.

My camera cord is looking a little frayed.

Sourpuss

"As hard as this may be to believe, I'm not in the mood for pictures today."

[sulk]

Literary Kitty

A little while back, I relocated the catnip quilt to the top of the tall bookshelf in the living room. From that spot, Melly can see the whole room. She can also absorb the kids/YA books by osmosis.

"My name is Melly, but oh, please do call me Cordelia."

Grumpy Kitty

I was trying to take pictures of Scarlett while she was sleeping, but the camera shutter woke her up. She was not pleased to be awakened, but she warmed to the photo shoot eventually.

Then, she noticed that a certain scene-stealing tuxie was on the dresser, trying to, well, steal her scene.

"Hrmph. You keep that camera pointed at me, missy.

I am way cuter than that black-and-white fuzzball."

Helpful Kitties

I was doing some work at the kitchen table when Scarlett decided to help.

Then, because she realized photos were being taken of someone other than herself, Melly came and joined us. And, for extra attention, she naughtily perched on the table.

Tsk tsk.

Innocent

"No, Mom, I definitely was not rummaging through your purse and trying to eat its contents. Why on earth would I do such a thing?"

Thank you all very much for your suggestions yesterday! Last night, Melly very acrobatically chased da bird until she was thoroughly tuckered out, and she was much more agreeable after her energy was expended. So, we'll just keep up this routine of tiring evening play and see how it goes!

Polite Kitty, and a Request for Advice

We managed to survive yesterday's ice storm unscathed and were fortunate enough not to lose power. (So far, anyway - I'm typing this Thursday evening.) At any rate, the weather is supposed to be improving, and hopefully we'll be done with this icy snowy business for a while.

Moving on...

"Hi. Don't mind me.
I'm just enjoying being near you while you do your boring computer stuff."

"Ooh, is that a pen? I love pens."

"Sorry. Didn't mean to interrupt."

"I'll just go back to sitting here."

This brings me to the advice part. See the patches on the outside of Scarlett's right ear? It would seem that Melly is getting more aggressive with Scarlett, sometimes to the point of drawing blood. The cuts aren't bad, but that's beside the point: there shouldn't be any cuts at all.

I've started adding Rescue Remedy to the cats' food and water again, and I ordered a bunch of refills for the Feliway diffuser as well as some Feliway spray. I was thinking about another cat tree to add some more vertical territory to the apartment, but I don't think that's really the issue since the current cat tree doesn't get much use. Keeping the cats separate isn't an option since I live in a one-bedroom apartment where the only interior door that closes is the bathroom.

Does anyone have suggestions for other things I can try?

Editing to add this photo:

Snow Day!

Western Washington got quite a lot of snow yesterday, and by "a lot," I mean five to ten inches. I grew up in the Northeast where it was common to have a foot of snow in late October and it took several feet and whiteout conditions to cause a snow day, so I am definitely no wimp when it comes to snow. But here in Washington, there are so few plows and salt/sand trucks, not to mention a lot of hills and fluctuating temperatures (leading to melting and re-freezing), that a few inches of snow is enough to shut down the whole region.

On the plus side, I am fortunate enough to be able to work from home occasionally, so that is exactly what I did yesterday.

The cats were not sure what to make of the white stuff so they kept an eye on it until it stopped falling from the sky.

SOPA

I'm a little late to the party, but wanted to post something about SOPA because the more I read about it, the scarier it sounds.

There are two internet censorship bills that are working their way through Congress, SOPA and PIPA. If passed, these bills will have a huge effect on the internet as we know it, and not just on the big sites like Google, YouTube, Facebook, etc., but also on blogs like mine and yours. You can watch this video for a crash course:

Photobomb

I was taking pictures of Scarlett in her favorite spot when I noticed that Melly was trying to steal Scarlett's spotlight.

This is what she was doing:

Silly goose.

Scarlett and Geoff

I was taking out my contacts yesterday when I heard Geoff yell, "YEAAAGH EUUGGH AAARGGH" from the other room. Thinking that something must be horribly awry, I inquired as to the cause of his alarm. His response: "SCARLETT LICKED MY EAR!"

I'm still giggling.

Here is Geoffrey after the incident, sternly lecturing Scarlett for her transgression:

Also, Melly is not still waiting for the package. Which is good, since I had it shipped to my office. Heh.

Huzzah!

Thank you so much to Trish and the Lounge Kitties for our gift certificate to MrChewy.com! I actually checked out the site after reading Trish's review (she had me at free shipping), so I'm glad I only saved my cart instead of actually ordering.

Here is what I ordered with the certificate:

Not the most fun order, really, but I just recently stocked up on treats.

Here is Melly, keeping a lookout for the shipment:

Monsters in the Closet

After her first excursion into the closet, I keep finding Melly napping on my suitcase, or on the stacks of folded clothes. The closet is very poorly lit (I lightened the photos below), so it's hard to see Melly in there. It's really unnerving to reach into the closet in the morning to pick out my clothes, and suddenly feel something reaching back.

An Accidental Kitty Toy

I recently had to add some extra shelving to my closet (I swear, my shoes are multiplying). The zip-ties and cardboard packaging from the shelving unit were irresistible for a certain tuxie.

I wasn't fast enough with the camera to get a picture of Scarlett hanging out on the cardboard but even she enjoyed the tunnel formed by the box. I left the cardboard in the living room for a couple of extra days so both cats could play.

In the Cat House

Melly has mostly claimed the cat tree for her own, but every now and again, Scarlett gets a chance to take a brief snooze in the little house.

But Melly always comes along sooner or later to kick Scarlett out.