Time to myself- by Nora

Well, I finally had some time to myself, to recuperate in peace, and have the run of the house. Mommy and Daddy went on a little trip at the end of last week/beginning of this week, and they took Dexter with them. I know they think I was sad that I could not go, but really, I was relieved to have some time to myself.

While they were gone, I spent lots of time sleeping on Daddy's side of the bed, sitting in the windows watching the birdies, and eating lots of the yummy new food Mommy bought me. It was nice and peaceful, and helped me feel back to my old self. After seeing all the ridiculous stuff my brother had to do, I am GLAD I did not go.

Once they got home, I realized I had been just a tiny bit lonely, and was happy to see them. Usually I play coy and act a little aloof, but not this time. I came downstairs and welcomed them home right away. That night, I cuddled up so close to Mommy's face she laughed and said she could not breathe. I just missed her so much!

Come the next morning, I got to really play with Dexter for the first time since my surgery. I was fun, and truth be told, I had missed him too. But don't tell him I said so.

My first vacation- By Dexter

Last weekend, Mommy and Daddy filled up bags full of stuff, loaded the car, broke down my crate, and declared we were going on vacation. I was not sure what it meant, but they seemed excited, so I figured it must be a good thing!

We rode in the car for a little while before they decided to eat lunch. Their lunch smelled so yummy, and I really wanted some, but I behaved myself as best as I could, because I did not want them to change their minds. Next thing I knew we were off again. I slept a lot in the car, and got out a couple of times to stretch my legs, and finally, we drove up to a big building. Mommy and Daddy took everything out of the car, and into the building, including me. They told me this was where we would be staying. It looked pretty cool inside, and I liked snuggling on the bed with Daddy!


After eating dinner, Daddy took me out to potty, and I decided to impress everyone by walking on a leash. Mommy was so happy! Then I went to bed. I fussed a little, because I was scared, but the excitement of the day won out and eventually I fell asleep.

We got up early the next morning, ate, and got back in the car. Mommy wanted to visit some places of something called "historical significance". The first place was called Antietam. It was really windy when we first arrived. My ears were flapping in the wind!
Antietam is the site of the bloodiest one day battle of the Civil War. We took a tour of the battlefield. Here are some pictures from the tour.

This is me and Daddy with a cannon at the welcome center.
This is me smelling flowers at the Dunker Church.
This is me sniffing out Johnny Reb in the cornfield.
Me hiking to Georgians Overlook, and walking so well on my leash I might add.
Mommy and me crossing Burnside Bridge.


We had a great time, and Mommy was so happy that I was well behaved, I got a special treat, just a little biscuit, but it was peanut butter flavored, one of my favorites!

Then we drove some more, and ended up in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. It was hard for us to do much there, because not all of it was stuff I was allowed to do, and Mommy refused to leave me. She did, however, get a picture of me planning an attack of my own, living up to my coloring of Brown.


Overall, it was a great day, but I was beat. When we got back to the room, I slept like a log!

The next day, we went hiking at Swallow Falls Park. I got to walk on a leash again, but Mommy and Daddy had to carry me for parts with steps and rough terrain. Also, they carried me out onto parts of the actual falls. They are crazy!




After that, Mommy and Daddy wanted to go to some places I was not allowed to go, so I went to the room to nap. When they got back, they had bought me some new shirts. here I am modeling one of them.
Also, my Mommy has a blogger friend, Baxter's mommy, who loves doxie stuff, so she took a picture of this doxie wine bottle stopper for her. Baxter, be sure you tell your mommy about it. If you ever go to Deep Creek look at the Bear Creek Traders!

So as you can see, this was another busy day. The next morning, we were up super early again, to pack everything up and check out. Before we left Maryland, Mommy and Daddy took me to do something called geocaching. We found the cache, and got our picture taken!
As you can see, my first vacation was busy and exciting. Mostly, I was just happy to be with Mommy and Daddy, but now, I am really happy to be home!

Approaching 4 months old

Yesterday, I took Dexter in for his final distemper shot. He now weighs 4.75 lbs! He is growing at a nice, healthy rate. We have been having some trouble with his ears, and it turns out he has an infection. Given that he had ear mites, and now an infection, it looks like we might be in for a lifetime of ear problems, according to the vet. We suspect a combination of the ear infection and the cat being secluded after surgery caused his week of naughty behavior. He has been been a little bit better behaved, but we are still having some issues with training.

He absolutely refuses to walk on a leash. He adjusted well to a collar, but the leash is another story. The websites suggested I attach a leash to him and let him run around with it, to get used to the feel. All he did was chew on it. When I try to get him to walk with it on, he firmly digs in his heels.

Another issue is potty training. With the exception of his naughtiness this week, he has been very good about not going in his crate, and letting us know when in the crate that he has to go. However, when out of the crate, he would never let us know, he would just...go. So about a month ago we attached low hanging bells to our door, and began ringing them every time he went out, in the hopes that he would make the connection, and use it to signal when he was out of the crate and needed to go. No such luck.

All in all, it is kind of frustrating, and any tips are more than welcome.

Luckily, he is so stinking cute that we can not get too frustrated with him. In fact, to celebrate his excellent behavior over the course of his distemper shots, I got him this:


His first tag! Our address and phone number is on the reverse side.

He was too small to get his rabies shot in conjunction with the third distemper, so he goes back for that in 3 weeks. Oh my handsome little guy is growing up.

Once the patient, now the nurse

I woke up in a rotten mood today, I mean cranky with a capital C. I have been having bad dreams, plus Dex has been really naughty lately. And this morning I had to wake up early to take him for his third round of shots at the vet. We get outside for him to do his business and for me to get a sample, and it is pouring rain. CRANK CRANK CRANK.

After my shower, I climb in bed, and grouse because Hubby has to leave for work (I always beg him to stay). As soon as he leaves, Nora senses that I am in this lousy mood, and climbs on the bed with me.

She immediately begins a massive dose of TLC, loving all up on me. And loving me fiercely. She is rubbing her head against my face, cuddling up on me, caressing my face with her paws, as if to say, "it's ok Mommy, I feel better now, and you will feel better too".


BEST MEDICINE EVER.

I am totally cured.

Love is....

My birthday is coming up soon, and since we were going home for the Easter holiday, my mom decided I could have my gifts early. I was most excited that the first thing I pulled from the gift bag was as sign to hang on our door. Before hanging it on the door, I had to take advantage of the photo opportunity....

Boo boo- by Nora

As you can see, I am home and feeling better, so Mommy said I could write to all you nice people and let you know how things went.

Yesterday morning, when Daddy picked me up and we headed toward the purple bag (carrier) I knew something was up. Last time I went in that bag, they poked me in the rump, and I was cross, so I figured this was not going to be any better. But I went in without too much fuss, because I did not want to hurt Daddy. Daddy is my favorite. Then Mommy drove me to the evil place, which she calls VET. I don't like VET at all. The smells are weird, the people are strange, and there are all these icky furry things in there.

So when we got to VET, they put me in a jail cell. Now, I know I can be cranky, but I am pretty sure I did not break the law! But Mommy explains that I have to see the doctor for something called surgery, and it will make me feel better in the long run. I trust Mommy on this one. But the next thing I know, Mommy is GONE, and I get very very upset. I start asking everyone where my mommy is, but apparently they do not speak the same language as I do, because they all get very scared of me. They must think I am yelling.

The next thing I know, they give me some medicine that makes me sleepy, and as I am getting drowsy, they take me out of my cell and into another room. And that is all I remember, until I wake up back in my cell, with my tummy shaved and a long boo boo on it, all glued shut. And it HURTS. Now I really am yelling, I WANT MY MOMMY. Fortunately, Mommy came to get me about an hour later. I was so scared by the time she got there, I did not realize it was her at first, and did not want to go in the purple bag. But then I remembered who she was, and got in the bag. Then Mommy called me goodkitty, and I knew everything would be ok.

Mommy took me home, and put me in the yellow room upstairs, where I like to hang out sometimes. She said she would shut the door and let me rest. Later, she and Daddy came to check on me, and I was a little upset, because I was still in pain, so I got mad at Mommy. Luckily, Mommy knew I was just cranky and did not get mad back.

Today, I am feeling better. I am still in the yellow room, and my food, water, and potty are up here too. Mommy came up early this morning and loved on me by giving my head rubs, which I loved. I told her I was sorry. Then mommy squirted some medicine in my mouth and told me to rest. She checked on me an hour later, and I told her I was lonely. So after a while she brought my brother Dexter up to see me. I did not feel like playing, but it was nice to see him, and I was really happy to have Mommy love on me some more.

She said I was doing so good that I could go ahead and write to you all to tell you I am doing ok. I am hoping I get to leave the yellow room soon, but in a way, it makes me feel kind of like a princess to have everyone waiting on me. But I know I am going to be just fine, because I am a tuff kitty!

No more "Desperate Housecats"

For weeks now, we have been suffering with Nora being in and out of heat. She had two really bad cycles of it since we got Dexter. After the second cycle ended, she has been in a perpetual state of neediness that is a little easier for us to bear. Well, for most of us, all except for Hubby.

It seems Nora is in love with Hubby, and has made it her personal mission to seduce him. She follows him around, sleeps in the bed with him, prances around his desk when he is working on the computer. In short, she is all up in his face.

Case in point:

One night, Hubby and I were sitting on the couch, and he had his arm stretched along the back of the couch. Nora slinks up, and rests her paw on his hand, no joke. A few minutes later, she moves so that she is laying on his arm. Several minutes later, she is rubbing her face against his, and meowing in his ear (whispering sweet nothings I suppose). I jokingly said, "What is this, Desperate Housecats?".


Not only does her flirtatious behavior drive Hubby crazy, it really interferes with Nora's quality of life. When in the throes of heat, she does not eat or sleep properly, all she does is writhe on the floor and caterwaul. But all that ends today.

This morning, I dropped Nora off at our vet, to have her spayed. I get to call at 2 pm to see how she did, then she will come home tomorrow. We do not want any kittens right now, and it is so much better for her health. She will calm down as well, and allow Hubby to have some personal space, because right now, she even follows him in to the bathroom. Even Mommy doesn't do that.

I scream, you scream

I went to the grocery store today. Not Super Walmart, an ACTUAL grocery store. And I finally found something I was looking for since we got Dexter. I finally found pet ice cream. Hooray!

Since it is the last night before Nora's surgery, I thought, what a better night to have a family ice cream party. I even got some Skinny Cow for Mommy and Daddy. So after dinner, I decided to get the ice cream out. First was Nora and her Cool Claws. She was totally uninterested, and I do not think she ever even licked it. I tried to rub some on her nose, and it just made her mad, so it is still sitting on the floor. She has until midnight to eat it, before her pre-op fasting starts.

Next, we gave Dexter his Frosty Paws. As expected, he totally loved it. The only problem was the cup kept scooting all around the table, so I ended up having to hold him on my lap, and put the cup in my lap too. That worked much better.
He was so enchanted with it, I was able to eat my Skinny Cow Mint Ice Cream Sandwich, without him even noticing. By the time he was done, he had peanut butter ice cream all over his little nose...
Now, Nora is hiding, and Dex has a tummy full of ice cream.

I love my life as a pet mommy.

The Adventures of Bumblemouse and Longdog

So, it seems like no matter how many awesome toys Dexter gets, or how much he loves them, he prefers his sister's kitty toys.

I guess it makes sense. They are just the right size for him. First, he claimed her red sparkle fish, then her red and green ring, then her moose, then her red mouse, but by far, his favorite cat toy is the Bumblemouse. It is a little felt mouse that also looks like a bumblebee.
As you can clearly see, put Bumblemouse next to a Nylabone, he picks the mouse...
Luckily, Nora is a very good kitty, and does not care that her brother steals all her toys. None of them have catnip in them, and she never plays with any of them, so no harm done. Her toys actually seem a little more indestructible than the ones we buy specifically for him. So far he has killed a cloth sheep (chewed out the squeaker) and destroyed a Heads-n-Tails toy, off of which he chewed and swallowed the string.

The only toy that we have gotten so far that seems to totally mesmorize him is the loofa dog which we named Longdog.

He loves to carry Longdog around, and take him into his bed to snuggle. However, I already noticed Longdog experiencing serious wear and tear, so he is taking a little vacation for a few days.

Thank goodness for Bumblemouse.

Easter- by Dexter

Happy Easter everyone, from Dexter and Nora! Cartoon is courtesy of Daddy, because he likes to draw pictures to make Mommy smile!




Today, Nora had the run of the house, as Mommy, Daddy, and Me (Dexter) traveled to Ohio to see Mommy's family. I got to meet my uncles Denny and Paul, as well as great aunts DJ and Charlotte. We all had a blast, well, all but one of us.

Grandma and Pappy have a doggie named Phoebe. The first time we met, she did not like me very much. I have grown a lot since then, and I was hoping she would want to play with me. No such luck. She was still pretty stand offish, and hid most of the time. Mommy did manage to sit us both on her lap long enough to get a picture, but you can tell Phoebe was not happy. I do not understand, I just had a bath yesterday, so I know I do not smell. Oh well, with her hiding, I was able to sneak a bite of her food, and drink her water. YUM!



When it was time to leave, Mommy and Daddy tried to put me in the crate in the car. I HATED IT!!! So I cried and finally I got to sit on Daddy's lap. Mommy says I am spoiled. I noticed my mommy has lots of pet names for me. After I eat and have a full belly, she calls me Chubbs. When I cry, like in the car, she calls me Fussy McGullicuddy, and when I am all cuddly she calls me Pup Magup. Mommy's silly names for me make me smile, but Daddy just does this weird eye roll thing....

When we finally got home, I was so excited to see my sister Nora, I ran around and around and around with her. Then I realized Mommy was going upstairs. Since it was such a busy day, I did not get to see her much, so I tried to go upstairs after her, but my legs are still too short to reach. I tried real hard too, but Mommy says I should not be trying to climb the stairs anyway.


Well, all in all I had a great first holiday with Mommy and Daddy. I got to meet new friends on Friday, including Bailey the big black doggie. He let me boss him around, it was great. I also met some of Mommy and Daddy's people friends and got to cuddle a lot. Yesterday I went to Grandma Barb's house, where I met my cousin Bella. She kind of beats me up but I let her get away with it, you know, because she is a girl and all. And then the big trip to Ohio today.

Mommy said since I was so good, I was allowed to write all you nice people about my holiday weekend, so I hope you liked it. I am pretty tired now, so I am going to lay here on Mommy's lap. I am just gonna rest my eyes for a minute.....zzzzzzzzzzzz.

Ciao Bella

Dexter had a big day today, because he got to meet his cousin Bella. She belongs to Daddy's brother's family. Her mommy is Jen, her daddy is Jon, and she has a human brother named Alex.

Dex has been around a few other doggies already, and has done well. But Bella is just two days younger than Dex, so she has the same puppy energy as him. Unfortunately, she is almost twice his weight and her legs are much longer than his, so she gets to overpower him for the most part, but he did a pretty good job of holding his own.

Bella is an adorable black pug, named after the Bella in Twilight. She was incredibly well behaved today, and was very social. She sat on the couch with me for almost 45 minutes, just relaxing. However, this sparked some jealousy from Dexter, so the puppies decided it was play time. They romped around on the floor, and when Bella would get to be too much for Dexter, he would just hide under the couch.

After a couple of hours of playing, Dexter was tuckered out and ready to come home. He fell asleep on the couch with me and Hubby, so we just put him to bed. Tomorrow, it is a trip to Ohio to see Mommy's family. Grandma and Pappy have a dog too, though last time she was scared of Dexter. Hopefully tomorrow they will play, so I can post pictures of them too.

In the mean time, enjoy the pictures of Dexter and Bella...