It’s Zaturday, the day we (Ziggy and Zorro) take over Mommy’s blog.
Zorro here. We have the best Mommy and Aunt Kim in the whole wide world! Look what they’re building for us!
Actually, the roof and railing were already there, but Ziggy and I weren’t allowed to go out there, because Mommy was afraid we would jump off the balcony. So they closed it all in with wire. They even tore off the old handrail and used bigger boards to give us more room to lie up there. It was still pretty crowded, though. See? My leg is hanging over the edge.
Even that was okay, but when I stood up and tried to turn around, I fell off! So Mommy and Aunt Kim made another board to go up there. This one’s a lot bigger. Look how much room Ziggy and I have now.
In the middle of our new room, Mommy and Aunt Kim built a wall with a door. Our cousins Kassie and Blackie will be staying on one side, and Ziggy and I will be on the other. Mommy and Aunt Kim are keeping us separated. That’s probably a good thing, because I’m not sure I like the other cats. Except for Ziggy. I love him, because he’s my buddy.
The room is almost done now, and we’re really enjoying it. Ziggy and I spend most of the day out there watching all the visitors. There are lots of squirrels and sometimes bunnies. Big birds come up, too. (Mommy calls them turkeys.) They sometimes spread out their tail feathers. Mommy says only the boy ones do that. Ziggy and I are both boys, but all we can do is make our tails poofy.
Sometimes deer visit, too. When they come, Ziggy and I are glad we’re up here in our room, because they’re a lot bigger than we are!
To make our new space even more fun, Mommy and Aunt Kim are going to hang two bird feeders outside. One will be on Kassie and Blackie’s side, and one will be on our side. Then we’ll be able to watch the birds up close, but not close enough for us to reach through the wire and grab one. (Although that might be fun, too. Ziggy and I are natural born hunters, but being house cats, the only hunting we get to do is if a lizard or bug gets inside, which doesn’t happen often.)
Mommy and Aunt Kim are almost done with our room. Mommy says they’re going to finish today except for staining the wood. We’re not sure what stain is, but it sounds like it might be stinky. So we’re hoping they decide not to do it. I think we need to tell them that we like our new room just the way it is.
I’m kind of glad, though, that Mommy and Daddy left us home. Their friend is here taking care of us. We like Miss Audi. She feeds us the same good kitty food that Mommy and Daddy do and gives us lots of love. She even lets us sleep with her. Having Miss Audi around is like having another Mommy.
Sometimes I like to sharpen my claws on the woodwork, too. Grandma’s window sill is a really good spot. Door jambs and baseboards work well, too. But today, Mommy put something stinky on the window sill. She’s putting it on the other woodwork, too. She calls it frankincense and thinks it smells good. But I think it stinks. She has ordered something else that she’s going to try called peppermint oil. I hope it smells better than frankincense, because she’s ruining all my favorite scratching places.
People have done studies that show having a cat around releases calming chemicals that lower stress and anxiety. Other studies have shown that a lot of people sleep better with their pets. I know that’s true, because in the wintertime, I crawl under the covers with Mommy and help keep her warm. When we’re in North Carolina, I snuggle with Grandma when she takes naps on the couch.
Our Aunt Kim has a cat that likes to get up high, too. (Aunt Kim is Mommy’s sister, so I guess that makes Kassie our cousin.) She jumps from the counter to the top of the refrigerator to the top of the cabinets and walks through all the breakable things Aunt Kim has up there. But Aunt Kim says she has never knocked anything down. I think she’s pretty talented.
When we meow, usually it means we want something, like food or attention. When Mommy is getting ready to feed us, Ziggy meows all while she’s cleaning our dishes, opening the can of kitty food and putting it in the bowls. I wait quietly. I’m more patient than Ziggy is. I know Mommy’s going to put the food down, and it doesn’t get there any faster, no matter how much Ziggy hollers. Although if Mommy or Daddy are too slow, I stand up for it.
Ziggy and I always greet Mommy and Daddy at the door when they come home. Sometimes we meow at them. Then we’re saying “welcome home” and letting them know we’re happy to see them.
I don’t know how many miles it is between Florida and North Carolina, but it seems really far, because Zorro and I are in the car all day. Zorro doesn’t mind it much. In fact, he seems to like it. He curls up in Mommy’s lap and stays there through the entire trip. I don’t know how he can be content just laying around so long. I think he’s lazy.
One place I like to be is on top of the seat back, because I can see out the window really well. When Mommy stops, I get up there to check everything out. Mommy doesn’t let me ride there, though, because she says it’s not safe.
I like Mommy’s lap, too, for short times, but Zorro always beats me to it. When Daddy is driving, I sometimes get in Mommy’s lap with Zorro. He doesn’t seem to mind, but I think it’s a little bit too crowded.
Maybe toys. Although, we have some pretty fun toys, too. There’s the red one with the scratchy thing in the middle and the ball that goes ‘round and ‘round. And the toy lizard that looks real.
We even have a kitty condo with perches to lie on, hidey holes to sleep in and posts to scratch on.
