Nora the Explorer

I have been working on a huge home improvement project since New Year's Day.  We had pulled up the carpet in the living room, upstairs hall, and on the stairs last summer, in the hopes of refinishing the floor.  After much deliberation, we decided to redo the floors ourselves, covering them in book pages and putting varnish polyurethane on top.  It has been a lot of work, but the results have been awesome.  The upstairs hall and the stairs are done, so this week we started on the living room floor.

We moved all the furniture out of the room, and scrubbed the floor.  We have two registers in the living room, so we had to remove the covers.  I spent more than 2 days gluing the paper covering on the floor.  Yesterday, we took a day off to allow the glue to fully dry before we moved on to varnishing.  We have had to keep the dogs off of the floor completely, but Nora has been fine, and pretty much stayed away from the floor.  Until last night.

We had the dogs upstairs, watching a movie.  As the movie was wrapping up, we heard a loud metallic bang from downstairs.  I figured it was Nora just horsing around (she does that a lot at night).  When we went downstairs to take the dogs out, we could hear Nora crying, but could not find her anywhere.  We called, she cried, but she did not come out of hiding.  After listening to her crying, I made a horrifying discovery.

Nora had crawled into the ductwork of our heating system, from the uncovered vent in the living room.  I was immediately concerned that she was injured, or that we would be unable to get her out of the ductwork. We shut the furnace off and started trying to locate her.  It sounded like she was walking around, and we thought we could coax her out with food, but it did not work.  The ducts are riveted so we could not even unscrew anything to try to rescue her.  We worried and fussed for about an hour.

Finally, Hubby removed the filter in the furnace, and said he could see Nora.  She had made her way all the way into the actual furnace. We were able to remove a cover from a portion of the furnace and rescue her.  It was quite the harrowing, and heartbreaking.  As you may remember, this is not the first time Nora has tangled with a vent.

Once we got her out, and made sure she was safe and unharmed, we gave her an extra plate of food.  Nora will be contained in the basement until the floor is finished and the register covers are back in place.  And her vent investigation excursion has earned her a new nickname: Nora the Explorer.

Ready for Santa Paws!

Does anyone still read this blog?  I have been woefully absent this year, mostly because my book blog keeps me so busy.  I am hoping to achieve better balance in 2013.  In the mean time, some very cute animals want to say hello!

Happy Holidays from

Dexter

Nora

and Chloe

If that is not enough cuteness for you, view the rest of the photo set here.

Poor Kitty

Well this week we did something that we sincerely hoped to avoid.  It was probably the most difficult decision I have made regarding my pets.  Yesterday, we had Nora declawed.

When I first got Nora, she never really clawed anything, and I did not have any nice furniture to worry about, so, no harm no foul.

When Hubby and I started dating, and since we have gotten married, Nora warmed up to him better than she does most people.  However, she does get territorial sometimes, and dislikes it when Hubby is in the kitchen.  She finds him there, and swipes.  Also, she swipes when he walks up the stairs.  More than a few times, she has drawn blood.  I get frustrated when she hurts him.

Then, she started clawing our new furniture.  In less than a year, she destroyed our brand new couch.

We got to a point where the Soft Paw nail caps were no longer working, and she could not be distracted by scratching toys.

So, our choices were declaw her, or get rid of her.  And we did not want to get rid of her, so...

Tuesday, Nora came home from surgery.  She is happy and well.  No bandages, or stitches.  Her nail beds are glued closed.  She is eating, and purring, and doing well.  The only problem is trying to keep her confined to one room so she does not run down the stairs.

I know a lot of people disagree with declawing cats, and I assure you, this was not a decision I took lightly.  But in my heart I think we made the right choice.

The Great Collar Debacle

I got the brilliant idea to get Nora a collar, after all these years.  I got her a cute little pink collar with flowers on it, and a bell.  She got used to it pretty quickly, and all was right with the world.

That is, until the 4th day or so.  You can see in the photo above, that the collar was getting a little "wispy".  That is because Nora was licking and chewing on it.  So, one evening, she was in bed with me, and all the sudden she started making a noise like she was in pain.  I could not figure out what was wrong, Hubby thought she was having a seizure.  Here, she somehow got her tongue and/or teeth caught in the collar.  Needless to say, once she was freed, the collar was removed.

I have since gotten her a blue pleather like collar, it is not nearly as cute, but so far, it is much safer.

One Year Anniversary!

Today is our one year anniversary of this blog.

Looking back, Nora thinks the blog was a much better idea than the 2 dogs we acquired this year.  I disagree, all were fabulous ideas.

Thanks for reading!

Santa came back...and this is what he left today!

Meet our newest family member, Chloe.  We all just love her, well, ok, Nora is a little skeptical, but the rest of us adore her!

What could it mean?

Can you spot the tiny difference in the following two pictures?  It will require a sharp eye.

Did you find it?  What could it mean?

Stay tuned for a big announcement!

Merry Christmas!

Both the kids opened their Christmas presents this morning.  Dexter was so excited, even though he was still tired from his big day yesterday!

Nora mostly watched Daddy open her stuff for her, but once it was all out, she was pretty excited too, which is saying a lot because, well, you know, she is a cat.  Cats are usually too cool for Christmas.

All in all we are having a wonderful holiday, and the celebration will continue all through the coming week.  Stay tuned for more posts about our holidays!

Merry Christmas from Dexter, Nora, Mommy, and Daddy!

Oh Nora

I had to  run to the grocery store this morning for last minute Christmas dinner fixins.  While I was there, Hubby sent me a picture of Nora, messing with my computer.

So either she was trying to write me another love note, she was trying to email Santa Claws, or she finally decided to join eHarmony.

Holiday Hijinx

You have probably figured it out by now, that I treat our pets like our kids.  To me, they are more than just pets, they are part of the family.  And as family members, they celebrate with us.

That is why Nora and Dexter got their own stockings this year, since it is our first Christmas with Dexter.

Notice all 4 stockings are already full!  We are in full holiday mode here!

I even got the pets dressed up.  Dexter was way more into it that Nora was.  I think the pictures pretty much speak for themselves.

Ah well, they are both pretty stoked for all the upcoming excitement!  Nora even tried to open a couple of Daddy's presents.  Naughty kitty.  

I saw the following video on Facebook, and I really hope this does not end up happening with us:

Sibling Rivalry

Lately, Dex and Nora have been engaging in some sibling rivalry.  It is not entirely a bad thing.  It has really helped both of them calm down a lot, and show us a lot more affection, especially Nora.

She sees Dexter snuggling on the bed or couch with us, and sees how good behavior is rewarded with kisses and treats, so she has also become a bit of a snuggle buggle.  After Dex goes to bed for the night, Nora will climb into bed with us and cuddle away.  She has even started being nicer to Hubby, and showing him more affection.  But now, she is taking it to the next level.

Last night, we had Dex in the bed with us, watching t.v., and instead of snuggling under the duvet, he kept climbing inside of it.  You see, our duvet has a removable cover. so he would climb inside the cover, and snuggle into the soft downy duvet.  We had to keep removing him, as adorable as it was, because one little chew, and we would have feathers everywhere.  Finally, he got the point, and just snuggled underneath all the covers, between my feet.

This morning, I got up to feed Dex, and it was so cold, I decided to lay in bed and read for a bit.  When I got back into the bedroom, this is what I saw.

Yes, that is Nora.  Yes, she is inside the duvet.

This is getting a little out of hand, this sibling rivalry.

Mommy saved the night

We had a harrowing experience last night/early this morning.

It was 1 am and I was awoken from a dead sleep by the sound of what could only have been a feral animal ripping and tearing through our house.  I heard the animal running, accompanied by frenzied hisses.  The animal was moving so fast (or was so small) I could not see it.  My sleep addled brain was trying to think of what animal could be making this ruckus.  A squirrel?  A raccoon?  A snake, wait, they do not have feet, ok, um, a mongoose (cut me some slack it was 1 am).  Did that evil bat come back?  What in the name of all that was holy was going on?

I woke up Hubby, as the animal was now in our bedroom.  He did not hear or see anything, and I am sure he thought me crazy.  He got up to go tinkle, and the creature darted into the spare room.  By now, Dex is flipping out.  I creep downstairs to calm him, as Hubby investigates the spare room.  I am almost at the bottom of the steps when Hubby lets out a "Holy $#!T" and I dive onto the couch, fearful of what creature (a lorax perhaps) may be trying to eat my feet once it finishes off Hubby.  "WHAT IS IT" I cry out.  Hubby yells "It was just Nora.  But she darted out so fast it scared me.  And something is wrong.  She is growling".

Nora.  The house had been turned caddywumpus by my little ole kitty?  Impossible!

Sure enough, I creep upstairs, and she had lept out at Hubby and stopped so abruptly she left skid marks in the carpet (thankfully, they were the kind left by her nails, not her butt).

At this point she was back in our room, and hissing like a cobra.  There was no way any of us were getting back to sleep until we figured out what turned her into the spawn of Satan.

I sit on the floor and try to get a look at her.  She darts out from under the bed, into the corner, hisses, then runs back under the bed.  I get her over to the side of the bed, and calmly start talking to her.  I reach my hand out slowly, and she sniffed it, which was a good sign, so I attempt to pet her.  She responded warmly, and started to come out from under the bed.  Once she had completely emerged, I immediately saw that the problem was.

A plastic sleeve that had been used to house something, probably something I purchased, that had been secured with tape, had somehow gotten stuck to her tail.  Probably because she had gotten into a trashcan.  So all this fuss was over a 3 inch piece of plastic packaging and a 1 inch section of tape.  I removed the offender and Nora sank into my arms like she had survived a war.  I began petting her, and she started purring louder than I have ever heard her purr.  If that cat could talk, she would have said thank you, I am certain of it.

Looks like Dexter is not the only drama queen in the family.

My pets are neurotic... just like me

It has come to my attention that Dexter and Nora are more like me than I realized.  They both have nervous neurotic tendencies.  Just like Mommy.

First Dexter had major adjustment issues regarding the dining room.  To accommodate our Thanksgiving diners, we had to bring our extra table and chair set up from the basement and set it up in the dining room.  Luckily, our dining room was plenty big enough to accommodate all 10 chairs and both tables.  And when it was first up here, Dex was fine.  And then....I put the tablecloths on.  Something about those white paper tablecloths creeped Dex out so bad he would not set foot in the dining room.  The problem is, he has to walk through that room to get to the back door to go potty.  It made for 3 days of headaches.  Even after I took the tablecloths off Friday morning, he still would not go in.  Even after the extra table and chairs were gone, he still would not go in.    In fact, he would not freely walk into the dining room until the table and chairs we usually use were back in their precise locations.  Crazy dog.

And Nora, well, I think she has an inferiority complex.  She sees me cuddling with Dexter, and I think it makes her feel bad.  She was never really all that cuddly of a cat, but last night, she was all up in my business as I tried to read.  She literally licked my face the way Dexter does, for a good five minutes.  She rubbed all over my face, and literally laid in my arms.  Rest assured little girl, I love you every bit as much as I do Dexter.  Silly kitty.

At least I know they come by it honestly.

SNOOOOOORRRREEEE

Today, I spent most of the day in the living room, because I am a bit under the weather.  I did a lot of lounging on the couch with Nora and watched almost all of Season 1 of The Tudors.  And just as I was about to start another episode, I heard the loudest, most ridiculous noise coming from Dexter's crate.

SNOOOOOORRRRRREEEEE.

Yes that's right, that huge noise was coming from that tiny dog.  He was snoring his little heart out as he slept. He is more like Mommy than I care to admit.

My girl is grown up. Almost.

I think I finally understand how mothers feel when they see their kids growing up.  Especially when they get those rare moments where their almost grown up kids still want a hug, a kiss, a snuggle.

Last night, Nora gave me one of those moments.

Ever since Hubby and I moved into the house, Nora has steered clear of snuggling with us a lot.  Having so much room, and having Hubby in the bed with me every night has really changed Nora's patterns.  She will still snuggle with me on the bed during the day, or on the couch sometimes, but night time snuggles are really rare.

Lately, however, we have been bringing Dex up to the bedroom for night time snuggles.  And I think Nora has been realizing how nice these family moments can be.  So, last night, after Dexter went to bed, Hubby and I were lying in bed talking, and Nora hopped up for some family time of her own.  For about half an hour, she nuzzled, snuggled, kissed us, and purred very loudly.  It was awesome.  It made me so happy and was a wonderful end to the day.

I am glad there are times when she still wants to be my baby.

The great escape

Well, she did it again.  Nora tried to escape tonight.  Apparently, she thought I was not being prompt enough with getting her food, and she decided to strike out on her own to find dinner.

I had opened up the back door to ask Hubby a question, as he was taking out the trash.  It was pitch dark out, and in a split second, she had darted out the door.  We were running all over the yard to try to herd her back into the house, but since it was dark out, and she is black, we could not see her.  Suddenly, like a rebellious teenager, she hopped the fence and took off.

Fortunately, Hubby got her back into the house with promises of a delicious dinner.  I took her right downstairs and fed her.  Now she is romping with Dexter, like nothing ever happened.

Thanks for the scare Nora.  Don't you know Halloween is over?  Geesh.

Sneak Peak

Yesterday, we went and got Halloween costumes for Dexter and Nora.  Hubby says I am not allowed to post reveal pictures until Halloween, but I can not help but post a teaser sneak peak picture.

Is everyone getting excited?  Maybe we should host a Halloween costume party on our bloggy.  Would you come if we did?

Furry alarm clock

Nora decided 6:30 am was my wake up time today.  This is pretty much exactly how it went....

Snuggle time with the kids

Today, I have had a chance to spend quality time with both Dexter and Nora.

I got up early, and did some things around the house, then decided to lay down and read for a little bit.  I went up to our bedroom, and snuggled under the comforter.  I had only read about 5 pages when Nora jumped up on the bed.  Normally, she will just lay beside me, but today, she climbed onto my chest and laid on the book, as if to say "no more reading, pay attention to ME." Who can argue with that.

Then, after we snuggled, I came down to take Dex outside to potty.  When we came in, he was in the mood to play, so he has been running around ever since.  But for a while he wanted to sit on my lap, so I picked him up and we snuggled, and played what I call the Flirt Game.  He will give me a kiss, and then look away real shy.  Then I give him a kiss, and look away.  This goes on forever, or until Nora saunters into the room and he decides he wants to chase her, and leaps off the couch. 

It is little moments like these that I love so much.  While their needs, personalities, and types of  companionship they offer are very very different, I know that both Nora and Dex love me, and I love them to pieces.  I make sure to tell them so every day.

Little cat feet....and a hop

We keep Nora's food, water, and litterbox in our basement, so that she has a space to herself, and so that Dexter can not get into her things.  We leave the basement door open, so she can come and go as she pleases, and he will not got down the stairs, so it all works out.  For the most part.  You see, it is a basement.  In a very old house.  A house with a coal bin in it.  And try as I may, I am never going to get that basement floor clean.  Never ever ever.

Now, Nora has a tendency to like to hang out in our bathroom.  She likes to keep me company when I take baths, and she will follow anyone in there when they have to use the facilities.  And she climbs all over everything in there.  Which means, she often comes in contact with water, from either the bathtub or the sink.

So, wet paws + dirty floor = dirty paw prints all over my bathroom.

I can clean it up every day, and by the end of the day more are there.  I can only smile, knowing those little pawprints bring a blessing into my life each day.


On another note, it is Saturday, and you know what that means.....the hop!

Here's how you can join the Pet Bloggers Blog Hop celebration:

* * Link up your blog name and URL using the Linky Tool below. You only need to add you link once to be seen on all the Pet Blogger Blog Hop Linky Tools for that week.
* * Grab the Pet Bloggers Blog Hop button that our friends over on Life with Dogs made for us and include it in your Saturday Pet Bloggers Hop post so that your readers will know what is going on.
* * Follow your co-hosts listed in the first 3 slots of the Linky Tool.
* * Follow as many other blogs on the linky as you'd like
* * Take a moment to comment on the blogs telling them you're from the Saturday Pet Bloggers Hop
* * Follow back when you get a new follower through the Saturday Pet Bloggers Blog Hop

The list is new each week. The links do not carry over. Please link up with us each week you will be able to find the new links on my blog starting at 12:01 AM Eastern Time each week in case you are a party animal and want to get a head start. The link will close at 11:30pm Eastern on Monday night but you can still use the links to hop around the internet to find new anipals!