Tag: black cats

It’s Zaturday – Happy Festival of Sleep Day!

Posted on by Carol J. Post

It’s Zaturday, the day we (Ziggy and Zorro) take over Mommy’s blog. Zorro here.

Did you know that Festival of Sleep Day was this week? You probably think I’m a really smart kitty, but I only know because Mommy told me. She said humans have that day to catch up on the sleep they lost during the Christmas season. Ziggy and I don’t really see the purpose of a day to catch up on sleep. I mean, we aren’t behind at all.

Mommy didn’t do what she was supposed to that day, though. She didn’t take a single nap. In fact, she never takes naps. We think she needs to take lessons from us. We get up in the morning, and once our bellies are full, we sit on the windowsill to watch the birds and squirrels for a little while.

Then it’s time for our first nap.

The next thing we know, we’re waking up to sounds in the kitchen, which means Mommy is getting ready to feed us lunch. After that, we take another nap. Ziggy and I never have problems falling asleep. We can sleep anywhere:

In Mommy’s duffel bag…

In the cat bed…

Snuggled with stuffed animals…

All alone…

Or with each other…

When it comes to naps, we’re not picky at all.

We hope all the kitties and puppies out there had a happy Festival of Sleep Day. We sure did!

It’s Zaturday – Wet Paint!

Posted on by Carol J. Post

It’s Zaturday, the day we (Ziggy and Zorro) take over Mommy’s blog!

Zorro here.

Our house has really been a busy place lately. Mommy decided to remodel another room. This time she tore up the living room. Fortunately, she had us stay downstairs while most of the work was going on, because it was really noisy. Ziggy and I don’t like noise, unless we’re the ones making it. Like when we run up and down the stairs when Mommy and Daddy are trying to sleep, and they say we sound like a herd of elephants. We’re not sure what elephants are. Maybe they’re like cats but bigger.

Anyhow, they finally let us come back upstairs when they were finishing the room. All while they were working, the house was a mess. Furniture was piled up in the dining room and the music room. But Ziggy and I still found a comfy place to sleep.

When Daddy finished painting the window sill, I thought it would be fun to get up there and walk around on it. When Mommy came back into the room a while later, this is what the floor looked like:

She didn’t know who did it, so first she checked Ziggy’s paws. No paint. Then she picked me up. Guess what she found. Yep, white paint on my paws. I couldn’t deny it when the evidence was right there.

Mommy scrubbed the paw prints off of the wood floor but wanted to leave them in the paint on the window sill. She said it’s like when parents have their kids put their hand prints in wet cement, and we’re sort of like her kids. Daddy didn’t think that was a good idea, but he hasn’t gotten around to sanding and repainting yet. I kind of hope he leaves my paw prints there.

Now the work is all done. We really like the new room. Ziggy and I have lots of fun chasing each other from one end to the other and sliding on the new wood floor. There’s even a fireplace. On cold days, Mommy and Daddy put a fire in there to keep us warm. Lately it’s been too warm for a fire, but we still like to hang out in there.

Well, I gotta go. It’s time to see what other trouble I can get into.

It’s Zaturday – Ziglet the Piglet

Posted on by Carol J. Post

It’s Zaturday, the day we (Ziggy and Zorro) take over Mommy’s blog!

Zorro here. Okay, I guess it’s Zunday instead of Zaturday, because Mommy’s slow! She didn’t get this put up when she was supposed to.

Recently, Ziggy and I went to the doctor. Mommy had to find a new doctor for us since we live in North Carolina now. Our old one is in Florida.

I checked out good, but Ziggy is too fat! I’m not surprised. He gobbles his food down then stares at me while I eat, hoping I’ll leave some for him. Daddy calls him Ziglet the Piglet. Now instead of calling “Kitty, kitty, kitty” when it’s time to eat, Daddy hollers, “Sooie, sooie, sooie, pig-pig-pig,” and we both come running! Mommy says it’s a pig call. I don’t care how they call us, as long as they feed us.

Every time Daddy calls Ziggy fat, Mommy says he’s just fluffy, and Daddy reminds her that that’s not what the vet says. I agree with Daddy and the vet. I think he’s getting fat, especially when he pounces on me.  He’s HEAVY! Even so, I don’t want Mommy to put Ziggy on a diet. Since we always eat together, that would mean they’d have to give me less, too. Instead, I’m helping Ziggy get more exercise by chasing him around the house and wrestling with him.

I’m glad I have Ziggy for a buddy, even if the vet says he’s fat. He helps me not to get too lonely. We hang out together in our catio…

and play with our toys together…

and take naps together…

…LOTS of naps. In fact, I think it’s time for another one!

It’s Zaturday – Merry Christmas!

Posted on by Carol J. Post

It’s Zaturday, the day we (Ziggy and Zorro) take over Mommy’s blog!

Ziggy here. Yesterday was Christmas! Christmas must be a really special day, because Mommy and Daddy did lots of cool stuff for us. The day before, they brought us to North Carolina to spend time with Aunt Kim and Grandma. We love North Carolina because we get to hang out in our catio and watch the squirrels and birds. This time, though, Mommy wouldn’t let us go out there. She said it’s too cold. I don’t know how cold it is, but there’s white stuff everywhere! The bird feeder is covered, and the stuff’s even on our bar where we like to sit.

On Christmas morning, Mommy gave us a treat of turkey baby food. It was soooo yummy! Zorro even stood up for it.

Then Mommy and Daddy gave us presents! We knew something was going on, because earlier, Mommy sat down on the floor with rolls of paper and a plastic bag with stuff in it. When I checked out what she was doing, I smelled catnip! Zorro and I both go crazy over catnip. Mommy finally had to take everything into the bedroom and close the door, because she said she couldn’t get the presents wrapped with me getting into everything.

Finally it came time to open them. Boy, was that fun! Mommy had to help us tear the paper. She said she put too much tape on it.

The first presents were furry mousies. I got a white one and Zorro got a brown one. The best part was that they were catnip mousies!

Mommy had to finally take them away from us to get us interested in the other presents. The next one had balls for us to play with. Some were fluffy and others had bells inside.

The last presents were bigger. I got a bird and Zorro got a pineapple, both full of catnip!

After opening our presents and playing with them for a while, we were totally worn out. So Zorro took a nap with Grandma…

and I curled up on the dining room chair.

Zorro and I think this was the best Christmas ever!

It’s Zaturday – Kitty Acrobats!

Posted on by Carol J. Post

It’s Zaturday, the day we (Ziggy and Zorro) take over Mommy’s blog!

Zorro here. Did you know that a cat can right itself from a fall in less than one second? Pretty amazing, huh? Here’s how we do it. Our backs are super flexible. We bend in the middle so our front half rotates different from our back half. Then we tuck our front legs and extend our back legs, so we can rotate our front half. Then we tuck our back legs and extend our front legs and that lets us rotate our back half. Some cats can do these three steps once and they’re right side up. Others have to do them two or three times. But we go through these steps lightning fast. Since we have the ability to right ourselves, we usually land uninjured. But not always. Cats can still break bones or even die in extreme falls.

A couple of weeks ago, when Mommy and Daddy were sick, I was lying beside Mommy’s feet, and all the sudden, I fell out of bed. Mommy heard a thud, so she doesn’t think I landed on my feet. I’m not sure, because it happened so fast. One second I was sound asleep, and the next I was on the floor. Mommy jumped up to make sure I was okay. I just laid there for a minute, until Mommy made me get up so she could watch me walk. Of course, I was fine. (Mommy worries too much.)

If I ever fall again, I hope it’s falling out of bed. That’s not very far, and the carpet is really soft. I love to climb, and some places I get wouldn’t be good places to fall from. Like the top of the curio cabinet in Florida, especially since the floor is tile instead of carpet.

Or up high in the catio in North Carolina:

Or on top of the upper cabinets in Grandma’s kitchen.

Ziggy doesn’t have to worry about falling, at least not from anything high. He usually doesn’t go any higher than the dining room chair or the back of the couch. He’s kind of a scaredy-cat that way. Mommy says I’m too much of a dare devil and that I make her really nervous when I jump up on high things. I don’t like to make Mommy nervous, but it’s so much fun to look down on everything from my high perch. I think I’ll keep doing it.

It’s Zaturday – The Sick House!

Posted on by Carol J. Post

It’s Zaturday, the day we (Ziggy and Zorro) take over Mommy’s blog.

Zorro here. Mommy and Daddy are sick. Ziggy and I have never seen them sick before, so we feel really sorry for them. We’re trying our best to comfort them. When Mommy lies down on the couch, we keep her company.

They’re spending a lot of time in bed, too. I thought Daddy’s feet might be cold under the covers, so I stretched out against them.

I like to get under the blankets with Mommy and Daddy, too. I’m sure that really helps to keep them warm. A lot of times I curl up against Mommy’s tummy. She says my purring helps her go to sleep. Here, I’m snuggled up between them under the covers.

Mommy said they got the sickness from the office where Mommy sometimes goes to work. Since that place made her and Daddy sick, I’m hoping that means that Mommy won’t go back there anymore. I like her writing job much better than the other one, because when she’s writing, she stays home and I get to hang out with her all day.

Mommy doesn’t know whether kitties can catch COVID, so she and Daddy are being extra careful. When they made our kitty food this week, they wore masks. They’re trying hard to not breathe on us, and Mommy won’t let me lick her face, either. That part’s not fun, because I love to give Mommy kisses on her nose.

Ziggy and I are sorry that Mommy and Daddy feel bad, and we hope they feel better soon. But it’s been nice having them home.

It’s Zaturday – Happy Thanksgiving!

Posted on by Carol J. Post

It’s Zaturday, the day we (Ziggy and Zorro) take over Mommy’s blog!

Ziggy here. Mommy said that this week was Thanksgiving. Zorro isn’t sure that he likes Thanksgiving, because Mommy and Daddy left us alone for several hours. Mommy says Thanksgiving is a time for people to think about all the things they’re thankful for.

Zorro and I have a bunch of stuff to be thankful for too. We’re thankful for a nice soft bed to sleep in.

We’re thankful for the yummy kitty food they make for us. (The other day, Mommy turned her back, and Zorro snuck up there and stole some right out of the bowl. He’s usually a good kitty, but he said he couldn’t resist fresh, homemade kitty food.)

We’re thankful that we have two fun places to stay. In Florida, Daddy’s always there, and it’s fun having him around.  There are lots of big windows we can look out. (Mommy calls them sliding glass doors.)   Our cat condo is there, too.

In North Carolina, we get to see Grandma and Aunt Kim. We have our catio there, too. We both love sitting out there and watching the birds and squirrels. But Mommy said it’s wintertime now and it might be too cold for us to use our catio when we go back at Christmastime. I think I’ll be able to handle it, though, because I have a lot of fur. See how fluffy I am?

Zorro gets cold easier than I do, so when it’s cold, he usually stays inside and snuggles under a blanket.

I’m also thankful that I have a buddy like Zorro. He’s so much fun. We chase each other all over the house. He’s also great to snuggle with.

Cats cuddling

We’re thankful for the sunshine and our toys and a bunch of other stuff. But most of all, we’re thankful for a Mommy and Daddy who love us.

It’s Zaturday – Natural-Born Hunters

Posted on by Carol J. Post

It’s Zaturday, the day we (Ziggy and Zorro) take over Mommy’s blog.

Zorro here. Cats are natural-born hunters. Even if our humans feed us really well, we can’t resist trying to catch little animals when we have the chance.

Photo by Lukas Jirovsky from FreeImages

Ziggy and I don’t get much opportunity to hunt since we’re indoor kitties, but we still have that instinct. There are lots of lizards in Florida, and they’re always hanging out on the windows or right outside the sliding glass doors. The first time Ziggy saw a lizard on the window, he almost gave himself a concussion. I think the lizard was smarter than Ziggy, because he at least knew we couldn’t go through the glass.

In North Carolina, sometimes little mice get into the house. That’s when we really go crazy. They’re round and fluffy and run really fast, which makes them so much fun to play with. But they’re a little bit too fast. I’ve only been able to catch one, and Ziggy hasn’t caught any. I’ve caught several moths, though. They don’t have much taste, but I eat them anyway. I’ll even climb the walls of the catio to catch anything that flies in.

When cats bring home their prey, humans think that we’re bringing them presents. But that’s not true. We’re trying to teach them how to hunt so they can fend for themselves. We sometimes catch lizards and mice for Mommy, but she hasn’t gotten the hang of how to hunt yet. Any time we do catch something, like when I caught that mouse, Mommy takes it away from us so she can “rescue” it and put it back outside.

We have a bird feeder outside our catio in North Carolina. Last month, we were in the catio and a bird flew in. Ziggy caught it and it started making a bunch of noise. The next thing we knew, Mommy came flying out there screaming like the house was on fire. I didn’t know what was wrong with her. Ziggy ran back into the house through the cat door, and Mommy chased him, still screaming. (She’s too big to fit through the cat door, so she had to go the long way around.)

Mommy finally tackled Ziggy in Grandma’s living room and got the bird away from him. Then Mommy and Aunt Kim put the bird in a little box and took it outside. A little while later, Aunt Kim said the bird had flown away, and Mommy was really happy. That’s totally not the way it’s supposed to be done. We’re trying hard to teach Mommy how to hunt, but she just doesn’t seem to be getting it.

I guess we’ll just have to keep working at it.

It’s Zaturday – Freedom!

Posted on by Carol J. Post

It’s Zaturday, the day we (Ziggy and Zorro) take over Mommy’s blog.

Ziggy here. Look what Mommy and Aunt Kim built for us! I wasn’t sure what it was at first. I looked at it, then looked at Mommy.

What am I supposed to do this this?

Then she told me it’s a pet door. Learning to use it was kind of tricky, but I mastered it pretty fast. Okay, so Mommy had to push me through it once or twice before I got the hang of it. But once I figured out that the little door moved so easily, I was hooked. I went out…

And came back in…

And went back out…

Zorro didn’t want anything to do with it at first. Mommy had to hold the door open for him. He’s using it on his own now, but he’s still not sure about it. He goes in and out reeeeally slow.

This is the only way in. I’ve got to do it.
Hmm. I pushed the door with my nose and it moved. A good sign!
Yay! Halfway there!
I’m in! No, wait. My tail is still out.

Zorro and I are so happy with our new pet door. Now we’re free to go between the house and our catio any time we want. Thank you, Mommy and Aunt Kim!

It’s Zaturday – Special Kitty Food!

Posted on by Carol J. Post

It’s Zaturday, the day we (Ziggy and Zorro) take over Mommy’s blog.

Zorro here. Mommy and Aunt Kim did something really special for us. They made us some cat food. I mean, look at all this good stuff they ground up—chicken breasts, roast and liver.

They made it in Aunt Kim’s kitchen. Since we stay on Grandma’s side of the house, we couldn’t see them. But we could hear them, so we knew something was going on. We waited and waited and waited.

Finally, Mommy came over with a big bowl of fresh ground chicken with liver and a tiny bit of vegetables. Oh, man, it smelled so good. I couldn’t wait for her to put some in our dishes and put them down on the floor. I even stood up for it.

For the next few minutes, all you could hear was smacking. Ziggy eats faster than I do, but he’s a pretty polite kitty. Instead of chasing me away from my dish so he can eat the rest of my dinner, he stands there and stares at me. It was a little weird at first, but now I’m used to it. I usually leave him a few scraps to clean up.

Grandma was worried about us eating raw meat, but Mommy said it’s healthy for cats, because that’s how we eat in the wild. When we catch mice, we don’t cook them before we eat them. Besides, before Mommy and Aunt Kim grind up the meat, they put it in boiling water for a couple of minutes to kill any bad stuff. They’re also going to get vitamins to put in our food, so that we’re getting everything we need.

We think Mommy and Aunt Kim must love us and our cousins a lot to spend all that time making us yummy kitty food.