National Cat Day

 In celebration of National Cat Day, 

here are the cats in my life.

This is Templeton.

He lives in the barn at my mom's house and is her cat.

I rescued him from my old neighborhood where someone wanted 

to introduce him to their pitbull.

He wasn't happy in the house, 

so he went to be the barn cat.

This is Gibbs.

He lives with me and is the most affectionate cat I've ever been around.

I can't sit or lie down without him throwing himself at me.

Literally.

He flops on me continuously until I pet him.

This is Abby.

She currently lives in my mom's barn but she's techinically my cat.

She and Gibbs are siblings.

She seriously looks like a panther in this photo.

And this little guy is the newest member Chunk.

My son named him after the character in our favorite movie The Goonies.

He lives in the house here and is just starting to get along with Gibbs.

He has made himself my son's cat and is pretty laid back for a kitten.

My husband claims he thinks he's a dog

(he rolls over for belly rubs- the cat not my husband)

Photo Challenge Fail

So, I failed my photo challenge. 

 Miserably.  

There was just no way I could keep up with the frantic rush of the Christmas season, 

the multiple illnesses the Brat Child had, 

my own health issues, 

the dog's ongoing mystery illness, 

the cat's UTI, 

normal life and all its demands,

 taking specific photos 

and blogging. 

So, here are the photos I did take:

 Ok, so I didn't take this, my sister did 

(that's her front and center with me to the left, 

my mom to the right and my daughter in the back), 

and it was taken on Thanksgiving, 

 but it was going to be my photo for "Family".

 This is Bailey getting one of her regular baths with medicated shampoo.

Since August, Bailey has had a mysterious skin issue where she looses her hair

and scratches until she has open sores which then develop into skin infections.

We are on possible diagnosis #3: food allergy. 

I now get her meds at the Pharmacy-

the name reads "Bailey J. dog of Jamie"

 This is Gibbs the cat.

Here he is shown playing dead 

waiting for an unsuspecting Vet Tech to enter the room

so he can attack them.

Seriously.

He went from love bug to rabid jaguar in 6 seconds.

After attacking the tech and me, 

he prowled the room continuously

hissing and growling and swiping at whatever got in his way.

He had a UTI, easy enough to fix with pills.

Ever try to give a rabid jaguar pills?

 This is Gibbs hiding from getting his pills.

He learned to keep the pills in the side of his mouth

so I thought they had been swallowed,

then he's spit them out in the hallway.

Now I crush them up and mix them with canned food.

So far he doesn't suspect.

 A photo from Valley View Farms in Baltimore.

It has every ornament imaginable

even some you can't imagine.

 Christmas Day and the Brat Child with one of his favorite gifts.

 A shot of one of my favorite gifts- the game Quelf.

If you want a night full of hysterical laughing,

play this game.

So those are the photos I managed to snap this month.

Will I manage to do the January Challenge?

Who knows.

I'll make an effort, but I'm not going to make it seem like a chore

or worry about getting it done.

Cat and Dog Games

 This is Templeton.

He is one of two barn cats.

I saved him from certain death when he was a kitten

(someone was going to give him to their dog as a play toy)

Templeton has attitude.

He only pays attention to you and allows you to give him attention when he feels like it.

And he enjoys messing with Bailey the chocolate lab.

 Bailey is in the background,

leash looped over a fence post while the humans take care of feeding the horse.

Templeton is perched on the log by the barn door

pretending not to notice the dog.

 But then he looks at Bailey to make sure she's watching

while Templeton rubs up against the door.

He's also been known to sit perched on the bow of the old boat,

closer but still just out of reach.

It drives Bailey bonkers.

Snow

“Cats are smarter than dogs. You can't get eight cats to pull a sled through snow.”

~Jeff Valdez quotes

The first real snow of the winter is headed our way!

The Barn Cats: Meet Gibbs

He's one of three barn cats.

  He doesn't like barn life and spends most of his time around the house.

He laid in this rocker for 4 hours during a recent party

Never moved except to meow at the party goers walking by

He'd rather spend his days being held like a baby.  

When one of our neighbors came to cut the hay field, Gibbs ran right up to the tractor and climbed in the guys lap where he sat while the neighbor and my mom discussed the goings-on.  

Lately Gibbs has been trying his hardest to sneak into cars.  

Typically cats and cars don't mix, but he's bound and determined to get in them and stay there.  

So far this week he's almost gotten rides to work and daycare.

He also enjoys the chickens- but not in the way you might think.  

He typically just hangs out with them.  

If their run is open so they can free range, Gibbs goes in to lay down in the run.  

Cat on a Hot Coop Roof

He was oh so helpful meowing directions while I was painting the chicken coop.