Quote de jour
'It is better to feed one cat than many mice."

If only that was true at my house. We have a mouse we've named Nibbles and two cats who refuse to do their mouse catching duty. Nibbles has chewed a hole into their cat food container. What self-respecting cat allows that? Have Merlin and Coco lost their killer instinct. Speaking of killing; it's not a good idea to name a creature you have intentions of killing. Nibbles refuses to enter the humane have-a-heart  trap. Snap traps are cruel. Sticky traps are the cruelest. Poison is no better and then there is the stench of decomposing rodent  behind the wall. We've resorted to the electrocution method. One step on the metal bar and it's fried mousey. It's apparently a quick, clean death, if there is such a thing. I know our outdoor feral Domino would soon make a meal of Nibbles but he refuses to come indoors.


Domino has survived another winter outdoors, barely. His greatest pleasure is snoozing in the sun, rotating between four or five favorites spots.
Merlin and Coco have spring fever and are exploring the garden at every opportunity. They however, don't recognize each other until they are within sniffing distance. Both give Domino a wide berth.



Our Cat of the week is a gorgeous feline named Opal who lives/rules in Northern California. She shares a home with two doting humans and another cat named Otis(see photo upper left with eyes closed). Opal is a queen among felines and is inordinately fond of cheese and devon cream. According to her dad, Nippy, "We got Opal in 2002 from a breeder in N. CA. It was during the World Series. The SF Giants, my team, were playing the Los Angeles Angels. The Angels' fans had a stuffed toy they called the Rally Monkey. Opal became the Rally Kitten. Unfortunately the evil simian prevailed. We don't hold it against her. She did her best. It was a big job for a 12 week old kitten.
She's 6 years old and weighs about 9 pounds. She claims to be big and fierce. We haven't tried to convince her otherwise. Her main interests are food, napping, sitting on humans or other warm spots, and being petted. When she was younger she'd wake us up to pet her. We had to hide our hands under the covers. It took a long time for her to give up. She still experiences petting frenzies with humans who are awake. She's mostly dominant over he co-cat, Otis who's a bit bigger. He denies it though. Although by breed she's a British Shorthair, she's a champion fur producer. British Shorthairs have a double coat. They are very generous with their dense undercoat and leave some wherever they go."



Cat Link of the week -Tabby's Place is a remarkable cat rescue place in New Jersey. It houses a cage-free sanctuary, adoption center, hospice and hospital all under one roof. They have a fabulous virtual tour of the facilities and some adorable kitties. http://www.tabbysplace.org

Cat Art of the Week
I spotted this quirky print in an antique shop years ago and had to have it. It's in poor condition but the writing is priceless.



There will be no Cat Saturday next week. I will be on holiday.  My cats already know I'm leaving because the suitcase is out. They are not amused. At least they haven't pissed on it, yet. Until next time, have a purrfect day.