Cuteness in Bitty Form

A couple of Bitty pictures to display the total cuteness that is our tiniest one:

Dan was napping. So was Bitty. Apparently they both wanted to burrow.

Bitty saying hello to the camera from her favorite playground - the laundry basket.

Belly Boy

Just wanted to share the Sammy's typical resting position - belly up. And what a belly it is!

Isn't he cute?

Toy Killing Style

Here are some of our kitties showing off their various toy killing styles. Thanks Grandma Z for providing the toys! I think they like them!

Sink Ick = Kitty Fun

This weekend, Dan and I had a bit of garbage disposal related ick.

Clogged Sink

Our garbage disposal got clogged (with my tea leaves - bad me) which led us to discovering the fact that the garbage disposal leaked when it ran, and even worse when it was clogged.

Our Leaky Garbage Disposal

But, on the plus side, since we had to clean out under our sink, Cocoa had some fun with an almost-empty Swiffer duster box.

As an additional bonus, I've finally started learning how to use my new video editor so I can edit the videos my new camera records. Go leaky, clogged garbage disposal!

Because...

...I've been thinking about him a lot lately...

Nibby Balance

Kitty Cuteness

It's been a while since I posted - sorry about that! I could say it is because life has been so busy and exciting that there just hasn't been enough time to post, but that would be a lie. I actually was sick for a little bit and ended up sleeping a lot. Which doesn't lead to very exciting blogging.

But, I've finally decided to expend a little energy and share some of the cuteness the kitties have been getting up to. After all, a number of packages have come in lately and you know what that means: kitties in boxes!

Chloe in a Box... with the Covers Pulled Up

I'm not really sure how Chloe managed to do this, but I imagine it took a little bit of time. We have such talented kitties.

Currently, two of the boxes in the kitchen have managed to get their flaps folded over and then dented to make a perfect kitty hammock. That kind of box set up leads to a lot of exposed bellys.

Cocoa Lounging in the Hammock Box

Of course, don't think that other items on the floor are neglected from becoming kitty spots. Bitty has recently taken a liking to any pillows that are put in the floor.

It's a Soft, Squishy Box... or Not

Bitty is also a fan of the alert "What was THAT?" face.

Sammy isn't a big box fan. He spends most of his time sleeping on the scratch mat in the living room. This time he was just hanging out on the mat but doing it in such a way that showed of his chubby little 'tocks oh so cutely (I think).

Sammy Tocks

(And with the size of his belly, is it any wonder that he runs a little bowlegged?)

And one more of the Samster Hamster as he lays on the scratch mat, this time belly up.

Sam Belly

Also, this weekend we got a package from Grandma Z which had some toys for mama, daddy and the kitties. One of my goodies was a black cat candle holder for Halloween. It's like Happy with a full tail!

Happy Inspects the New Kitty

Sadly, once I got down to kitty level to take the picture, Cocoa barreled over, disrupting the shot and scaring off the non-ceramic scaredy cat so this is the only picture I have. But I still think it is pretty cute. Thank you, Grandma Z!

I also got some really cute video of the kitties playing with some of their new toys but I'm going to have to learn how to use my new movie editing software. So hopefully I'll be posting that later this week.

In other news, I think Cocoa needs therapy. She has become convinced that she is a kitchen appliance.

Kitchen Appliances go in the Appliance Garage... Thus I go in the Appliance Garage

I'm an appliance, yes?

No. No you are not, Cocoa. Sigh. She has also taken to cuddling with the Zojirushi hot water dispenser on my countertop. But I don't believe we have gotten a good picture of that yet. Most of the time she does realize that she shouldn't be up on the counter and gets down as soon as there is any hint of Dan or me coming into the kitchen. But sometimes we say screw the rules, that's a cute picture!

Sam Belly

Well, it has been almost a week since I posted last. But not much post-worthy has been going on. Just TB tests (negative), being a bug buffet (27 bites) and having some adorable kitties lounging everywhere.

Okay, so the kitties are post-worthy. So much so, in fact, that I wanted to share this recent Sammy picture:

Big Belly

Check out that giant belly. He's huge. Of course, he is 21 pounds. Well, 20.7, if you want to be picky about it. And he's apparently pretty proud of his belly, cause he's been showing it off a lot.

*melts*

If this doesn't make you melt into a little pile of goo, you are truly a cruel and horrid human.

This is what happens....

This is what happens when you give me too much free time, a webcam, a screen-shot program and a love-Bitty:

Chin Scrubbing

Happy Bitty and Happy Mama

Love Bitty

These are the WomBitty Ears

Cute Bitty

I love it when Bitty camps out on me. It is unusual and all the more special because of it.

(BTW, the 1 viwer(s) of my webcam broadcasting was Dan. He was in the back room while I was trying to learn how to use the darn thing. So yeah, that is marginally better than me viewing my own webcam).

Cuteness Abounds!

Well, it must be something in the water today, because all the kitties are being adorable. Of course, a trip to Costco yesterday increased the box-level of the house, so that might be a contributing factor as well. I didn't get pictures of everyone's cuteness but what I did get is post-worthy, I think.

First on our list, Gidgie. She's not a big box sitter, but it is so cute when she does because her fluff sticks out.

The Elusive Gidgie-in-a-Box

I think she looks a little ashamed for being caught box-sitting. It's a guilty pleasure, you know.

Next up is Cocoa, who doesn't look guilty for box-sitting, but almost resentful, daring is to make an issue of her greed.

Cocoa Two-Boxin' It

Yes, that is Cocoa sitting in not one but two boxes. Quite a talented little girl, isn't she?

Okay, this last one isn't Sammy in a box, but more of a kitty fort. We switched coffee tables with my parents and the kitties, especially Sammy and Chloe, are enjoying the higher shelf under the table.

A Big Kitty Fort for a Big Kitty

Doesn't Sammy just look so cute?

And speaking of a cute Sammy, I have to share this picture. I think he looks quite handsome.

Handsome Big Boy

Chloe was also remarkably cute today as she hung out in the double box-ness and a paper bag in the living room, but the pictures didn't turn out share-worthy. *pout* Oh well, at least I was able to get evidence of the cuteness some of the others today!

Nothing-ness

So, it has been a week since I last posted and I've been feeling a bit itchy lately. I want to post something, sadly (or maybe fortunately) not much is going on that is post-worthy.

So how about a short kitty update?

Ashes
The Big Girl has been doing good and bad. Good because she's not getting worse, bad because she's not been eating much the past few days. But she seems to be in good spirits and is very lovey, so that's been good. She's still hanging out in the master bathroom - it's turned into her room that she so graciously allows us to use. We have at least two bowls of food down, water, a heating pad, a kitty cube, litter... And no other kitties are allowed in. Yep, she's a happy Big Girl.

Happy
Alrighty, Happy is finally over her ringworm turned bacterial infection turned little-spot-that-OCD-kitty-kept-licking thing. Finally! It only took almost two cycles of ringworm pills, topical treatments, two antibiotic shots, a steroid shot and lots of time in the cone of shame.

Sammy
Well, we've had Sammy for 3 months now and I think he's adapting really well. Dan and I wonder if his previous family was mean to him because he doesn't always trust hands and he flinches a good bit. He's still obsessively suckling his knuckle when he dances and cuddles, but a few times he's napped while laying on my stomach, so I hold out hope that he'll end up as a decent cuddle kitty - not always having to dance and suckle when cuddled. He and Chloe still don't seem to get along - Chloe stalks him a lot - but there have been no big problems. I've got some cute pictures of him that I need to post and share. Oh, and he's also 20 pounds. He's HUGE!

The Others
Chloe, Gidget, Bitty and Cocoa are all hunky-dory, not actively requiring attention or vet visits. Just getting lots of love and being the wonderful kitties that they are.

Maybe I can get my behind in gear and post some cute kitty pictures (is there any other kind?) up here. And I still need to get a Sammy page going. Ah, so many things to do, so little drive.

Okay, I feel less post-itchy now. Mission accomplished!

Kitty-booking

So, Ashes is doing better. She's still eating, though a bit less than when she first started eating. We are still keeping an eye on her because of that. But she's walking a lot easier and has gotten a bit of her pissy back, so that's good. She's still separated from the herd in the master bathroom so we can continue to monitor closely and keep her from getting picked on.

In other news, I did some scrapbooking today.

Our New House

Yep, just a little bit past the date it actually happened - this one is for 2003. But I did a Clark Gardens page (which I didn't take a picture of because I was tired, so no posting) which is from this April, so it's a trade off.

I really need to focus more on the older pages I need to complete - gotta knock those out! Though 2007 only lacks one page now. Nine pages needed for 2006. Ten pages for 2005. And fourteen pages needed from before 2005. And I need to do a Baja California trip book (from 2005) and a Hawaii book from our trip this spring. So many pages to do! Fortunately, I find it kind of exciting, so that's good. Oh, and I have 16 more pages to do for the kitty scrapbook, including a Lion Cut page for the Big Girl. I think I'll get those pictures developed soon so I can do that one.

Very fun!

So True!

Yeah, this guy so owns a cat. Or else he has a camera in our house and sees what goes on every day.

Not a Scrapbooking Post

Lookie, for the first time in quite a while, I'm putting up a non-scrapbook-related post. This one is a kitty update post. Specifically a Big Girl update.

Ashes was not doing well last week and weekend. After a visit to the vet, some steroids, some IV fluids and some antibiotics, she started eating again yesterday morning. She's still walking around a little drunkenly, but she's no longer falling like she was before, so I'm happy.

I was really expecting her to not last to her vet appointment Monday, but now I'm hoping we'll have lots more time with her!

Even More Scraping

Wow, I'm just a scrapin' fool today, aren't I? Okay, maybe two pages does not equate to a "scrapin' fool", but still, decently productive considering most pages take me an hour or more to do.

This one is Bitty's "Page 2". So now the Bitty section in the Kitty Scrapbook is complete. Only 16 more pages (out of 42) to go before that book is done (assuming we add nor lose any more kitties between now and completion).

Just Plain Cute

Now it is time for dinner (while watching still more of LOST season one), then, if I have the inclination to continue scraping, I will do a Mudbug Madness page.

More Scraping

So, I ran out of adhesive yesterday, so Dan and I stopped by the craft store on the way home from church to pick up some more. Which means I could do more scraping today!

I ended up working on Nibby's "Page Two", which completes his section in the Kitty Scrapbook. Each kitty gets an intro page, a "page 2", and two event- or character- specific pages (Nibby's being Circus Star (balancing) and Don Juan de Nibby (yesterday's)).

Nibby's Page Two:

Cats Leave Pawprints on Your Heart

Cocoa was previously the only one with a completed section, though Gidgie and Bitty are only a "Page Two" away from having their sections complete. I don't have pictures printed out for Gidgie's page, but I do for Bitty's, so that page might be next.

Don Juan de Nibby

Did some scrapbooking, working on a page for the Kitty Scrapbook. Also seems to be continuing the grieving process by doing Nibby-related scrapbooking.

Nibby's Passing

I have been thinking about Nibby a lot this week. Yesterday I had to stop by the vet to pick up more ringworm medication and ended up thinking about sitting in the examination room as I waited to hear news about Nibby's condition, then hearing the worst news, and then holding him and saying goodbye after he was gone. So yeah, rough day yesterday. And that's even discounting the lizard-bit I stepped on in the living room, which added a whole new element of stress to the day.

Anyway, I guess this would qualify as grieving. I didn't mean to do the whole page. I was actually just organizing some pictures that I got printed out last weekend and was finding some matching paper for layout ideas. But once I got started on this one, I didn't stop until it was done.

I think it turned out really nice. Thanks to MIL-Claudia, who provided flower brads and both the background and matting papers. Cricut's Opposites Attract was used for the text and Accent Essentials for the, well, accents.

Pitter Patter

Bath Time at the Zimmermann Home (Post-Dated)

Guess what Dan and I got to do?

Bathe our kitties! Yes, all seven!

The good news is I only had blood drawn four times and Dan got away bloodletting-free (thought not unscratched).

What possessed us to do such an insane thing? What else? The vet. Apparently Happy and Ashes have ring worm. Yay. *sigh* So we got a topical spray and pills for the two of them, but were also told that we should be "aggressive" in our treatment to make sure the others didn't get it. Which includes twice weekly preventative baths.

Yeah, that's not happening. Happy and Ashes will get their two-times-a-week baths, but I think we did pretty good with everyone else just to get one bath each.

I bathed Ashes, Happy, Gidget and Cocoa while Dan got Sammy, Chloe and Bitty. There were no pictures of me bathing the kitties (1) because I'm the camera person in our family and 2) because I was not wearing protective gear like Dan was) but I did snap a couple of shots while Dan was bathing them.

An Unhappy Sammy Getting His Bath

Cocoa Wondering Why the Hidden Chloe is Screaming So

I also got video of a yowling Chloe which I'm going to have to edit and post because it's funny in a poor-pathetic-kitty way.

And while the bathing was not fun, the aftermath was sort of entertaining. All the kitties looked disgusted with the whole situation and proceeded to turn sulking while re-bathing themselves an Olympic sport.

Ashes: Must Get the Wet Off!

Chloe: I'm Not Talking To You

Chloe refused to look at me and kept her back to me the entire time I tried to take her post-bath pictures.

And Unladylike Happy

A Delicate but Disgruntled Gidgie

Bitty was especially cute and pathetic (though more annoyed than sulky - and more hiding that bathing).

Rat Bitty

I've also got a great video of her post-bath that I need to edit then will post later.

A Hedgehog-esque Cocoa

Spikey Post-Bath Sammy

Yep, so as you can imagine, everyone had so much fun.

And in theory, we need to do it again.

In theory. But in practice? Not so much.

Summer Haircut

This whole thing started because of Gidget. Last night, I found a bad mat on her back (her hair type makes her very prone to them). I cut it out and had to get pretty close to the skin to get it all. This left Gidget with a little bald spot on her back that looked, well, less than lovely. So I decided to shave her back (we do this every so often to deal with the mat issue, especially when the weather initially heats up making her shed more). Her tummy rarely gets bad mats, just her back, so that's all we ever shave with her - we give her kind of a Schnauzer cut.

I must say, Gidget did wonderful while I was shaving her. She sat down and didn't squirm or anything. Let me get a really good and clean trim on her back with no problems. Good Gidgie.

I haven't been able to get a good picture of Gidget's new haircut, but if you look closely enough in this one, you can tell that her back isn't too fluffy.

Bad picture of a shaved Gidgie

I'll see about getting a better picture later. But I do have some good pictures of something else: Ashes's haircut.

Dan and I have been talking about needing to shave the Big Girl recently since the weather is getting warmer. And since I had the clippers out for Gidgie's trim, I went ahead and did it!

The clipping begins

And the pile of fluff begins to grow

This is where she starts getting grumpy

And this is where she starts getting mad

She does not like her tail getting shaved

Daddy comes to help with the clean-up...

...and the belly trimming

And we're done!

Ta-da! The end result
(The pink spot on her side is a scar from a burn she got years ago while sitting in a window).

The resulting fluff pile - my vacuum hates me

All in all, it took only about a half hour. But then, we've had a lot of practice over the years. It used to take much, much longer. And those were the times that Big Girl would get pissy and end up pooping on us.

Really.

As a defensive mechanism, it really is quite effective. Gross, but effective.

I'm so happy we've gotten quicker. She doesn't get worked up enough to bring out the "big guns".

Ew.

Two Weeks

Amazingly, it is coming up on two weeks since we lost Nibby. Some days it feels like he's been gone for months. Other times, it feels like we just lost him yesterday.

Thankfully, the other kitties seem to be doing fine. Dan and I were worried about Chloe and Gidget as they both were very close to Nibby. Chloe spent a couple of days sleeping on the towel that was in the carrier with Nibby on his first vet trip (I'm sure it smelled like him) and Gidgie lost a little weight, but now seems to be back on track.

He was a sweet kitty, loved by everyone. Even Happy (but maybe just because she thought he'd taste good for dinner).

Amost Forgot!

I almost forgot! In addition to Sammy's video, I wanted to post a couple of cute kitty pictures.

Chloe in a box

Chloe is a very happy kitty when there is a box around. This box is courtesy of MIL - thanks Claudia. Dan was supposed to tell you we got it yesterday but I doubt he did. Fun goodies - thank you! (And Chloe was a fan, too!)

An Unlady-like Cocoa

I can't decide if Cocoa is being unladylike or if she is doing another Jabba the Hut impression. Though the more I look at the picture, the more I think she needs Bitty beside her on a chain and in a slave costume.

Okay, this last one isn't kitty related, but it's blog-worthy anyway. I got this last week, but considering it came in the day Nibby passed away, yeah, didn't really feel like posting about it.

My Tokoname Kyusu

It holds about 10 oz and I'm not even telling what it costs. But it is so pretty! And it makes a good cup of sencha, too. Yum.

Well, that takes care of the other goodies I wanted to post in additon to Sammy's video. Sammy is on my lap right now and he liked watching me edit his video.

I have to mention one more thing: the silly cat snores. Even when he is awake.

Fat kitty.

Promised Video

Here's the video I mentioned earlier today - I was able to get it quicker than I thought I would. So without further ado, Sammy's Special Dance

New Addition

I'd like to introduce you to our newest addition, Samuel.

Sammy-boy

Sammy is a 16-pounder that was abandoned at the vet about three weeks ago. He's a very sweet boy that has already earned the right to run around the house unsupervised - less than a week and he's already if not friendly with the others, hasn't had any hits put out on him.

I promised SIL I'd get a video of his little neurotic habit as soon as I can. It's pretty cute - when he dances, he suckles on the third knuckle of his right paw, like he's nursing. It is so weird but really pretty cute. I'll be stalking him with the camera to get video.

Kill Me

I spent way too much time looking at icanhascheezburger.com, which I shouldn't do because the awful spelling and general crackness of the site hurts my head like crazy. But I did find this and it cracked me up, so I'm sharing: