New Tally, updates in green
Mice: 8
Birds: 7
Lost collars: 6
Items of clothing and underwear now in the Kitty Couture Range - 14
Socks from our washing: 9
Socks stolen from neighbours' washing: 18
Pegs which came in attached to socks: 3
Beanies and gloves nicked from the neighbourhood builders and painters: 4
Foreign cat-toys: 4
Tennis-ball sized kids cuddly toys he stole: 2
Curious George toys: 1
Monday, August 20, 2007
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Bully
Conan has long been territorial of our property. Both ourselves and our neighbours across the road have observed Conan getting very firm with the other cats in the neighbourhood when they start to tread on our territory. It kinda hurts when he sees another cat coming past the back door and he digs his claws in and leaps off your lap to chase the other moggy away.
Well not only is Conan a bully on our property, I heard rather an amusing story from our neighbour about how much of a toad he is! The neighbours have a Jack Russell (I think) called Jaz and she mostly stays indoors or within a fenced boundary of their property. You let those babies off the leash when they're out for a daily walk and you'll never see them again!! It turns out that when Jaz is enjoying some outside time within the confines of her fenced home, Conan occasionally struts across the road, sits on the other side of the fence and cocks his head to the side so he can see Jaz through the gap - all this just to taunt the poor dog! She goes nuts barking and huffing away because she wants to play, but all the time Conan's just sitting and watching, amused for the dog that can't come out the other side of the fence. What a bully!! We had quite a hysterical laugh over that.
Needless to say, it's a different story when Jaz is taken out for a walk on her leash every day. You'll never see a cat move so fast to get in the cat door!
Well not only is Conan a bully on our property, I heard rather an amusing story from our neighbour about how much of a toad he is! The neighbours have a Jack Russell (I think) called Jaz and she mostly stays indoors or within a fenced boundary of their property. You let those babies off the leash when they're out for a daily walk and you'll never see them again!! It turns out that when Jaz is enjoying some outside time within the confines of her fenced home, Conan occasionally struts across the road, sits on the other side of the fence and cocks his head to the side so he can see Jaz through the gap - all this just to taunt the poor dog! She goes nuts barking and huffing away because she wants to play, but all the time Conan's just sitting and watching, amused for the dog that can't come out the other side of the fence. What a bully!! We had quite a hysterical laugh over that.
Needless to say, it's a different story when Jaz is taken out for a walk on her leash every day. You'll never see a cat move so fast to get in the cat door!
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
I had a dream last night...
Last night I had a dream that I was on a trip somewhere and my suitcase had really squeaky hinges. Argh!! Matt woke me up and said "Clare Bear, Conan's brought in another mouse, can you deal with it..." which made me realise that the squeaky hinges were actually a squeaky mouse trying to escape from Conan. MIght I add, it was the second of three mice he brought in last night. We thought three birds in a week was bad!!!
Plus I hear there was a very large spider that he brought in last night as well, one that would be about the same circumference as an espresso cup with its legs spread. Ewwwww.
But the GOOD NEWS - I always aspire to see something positive about everything, including this killing spree - is that one of the birds was saved by some quick wit and team work. PLUS he's stopped stealing socks!! For the time being anyway.
Here's the update to date:
Socks from our washing: 9
Socks stolen from neighbours' washing: 18
Pegs which came in attached to socks: 3
Beanies and gloves nicked from the neighbourhood builders and painters: 4
Foreign cat-toys: 3
Tennis-ball sized kids cuddly toys he stole: 2
Curious George toys: 1
Mice: 5
Birds: 5
Lost collars: 5
Items of clothing and underwear now in the Kitty Couture Range - 12
Plus I hear there was a very large spider that he brought in last night as well, one that would be about the same circumference as an espresso cup with its legs spread. Ewwwww.
But the GOOD NEWS - I always aspire to see something positive about everything, including this killing spree - is that one of the birds was saved by some quick wit and team work. PLUS he's stopped stealing socks!! For the time being anyway.
Here's the update to date:
Socks from our washing: 9
Socks stolen from neighbours' washing: 18
Pegs which came in attached to socks: 3
Beanies and gloves nicked from the neighbourhood builders and painters: 4
Foreign cat-toys: 3
Tennis-ball sized kids cuddly toys he stole: 2
Curious George toys: 1
Mice: 5
Birds: 5
Lost collars: 5
Items of clothing and underwear now in the Kitty Couture Range - 12
Backdate: 11 July 07: Thank God for Ellenco!!
... is all I can say. Matt and I thought Conan was up to something, or something was a little off when we got home yesterday because Conan was winking lots with his left eye. Upon closer inspection he had a lot of gooby stuff in his eye, so I did my usual mum routine and wiped that shiz away.
A couple of hours later he joined me on the bed while I was chatting to a dear friend in Melbourne, and I noticed it was still a bit goupie so I checked out his freaky second eyelids and the left one was verrrry red. Poor little poppet!! So my day of annual leave which was intended for doing 'me' stuff (aqua jogging, getting wedding photos, sorting out the garage, starting on two new sewing projects and finishing the cushion covers I desperately want to get out of my house) ended up being for Conan. I got the aqua jogging and wedding photos done, but ended up running around getting him into the vet and then that was about it! GRRR!!! Every time I get a day or a half-day, if I don't get in the car and drive to Auckland then I end up running round after one of my boys. But that's beside the point, I'm just whingeing!!
Sooo anyway $119.00 later and a booking for next week for a checkup (which will be a $46 consultation plus whatever else they charge) and Conan's got to put up with having me wrestle him and put a tiny bit of cream in his eye so he gets better. Three years ago a friend got her cat insured and I thought that it was a)precious, b)ridiculous and c)a waste of money!! However upon finding out what she'd claimed back I thought hey, surely $18 a month can't hurt. Quite the opposite actually!! Ellenco Pet Insurance for cats and dogs is a total Godsend. We can now claim up to 80% of vet costs, excluding the usual stuff you can't claim for, up to a certain limit each year which we get nowhere near. However it's just fabulous!!
So check it out if you're tempted, but we're certainly looking forward to getting ... um... whatever 80% of $119 works out to. Nice!!!
http://www.petsonthenet.co.nz/petinsurance.htm
A couple of hours later he joined me on the bed while I was chatting to a dear friend in Melbourne, and I noticed it was still a bit goupie so I checked out his freaky second eyelids and the left one was verrrry red. Poor little poppet!! So my day of annual leave which was intended for doing 'me' stuff (aqua jogging, getting wedding photos, sorting out the garage, starting on two new sewing projects and finishing the cushion covers I desperately want to get out of my house) ended up being for Conan. I got the aqua jogging and wedding photos done, but ended up running around getting him into the vet and then that was about it! GRRR!!! Every time I get a day or a half-day, if I don't get in the car and drive to Auckland then I end up running round after one of my boys. But that's beside the point, I'm just whingeing!!
Sooo anyway $119.00 later and a booking for next week for a checkup (which will be a $46 consultation plus whatever else they charge) and Conan's got to put up with having me wrestle him and put a tiny bit of cream in his eye so he gets better. Three years ago a friend got her cat insured and I thought that it was a)precious, b)ridiculous and c)a waste of money!! However upon finding out what she'd claimed back I thought hey, surely $18 a month can't hurt. Quite the opposite actually!! Ellenco Pet Insurance for cats and dogs is a total Godsend. We can now claim up to 80% of vet costs, excluding the usual stuff you can't claim for, up to a certain limit each year which we get nowhere near. However it's just fabulous!!
So check it out if you're tempted, but we're certainly looking forward to getting ... um... whatever 80% of $119 works out to. Nice!!!
http://www.petsonthenet.co.nz/petinsurance.htm
Backdate: 27 June 07: Clever Little Toad
The cat-safe rooms have now expanded to include two more rooms - the master bedroom and the main living centre.
Main living centre is basically our kitchen, dining area and family space which are all open plan. Thank God for house & contents insurance, as we've had the voiles in the lounge and family areas (fine weave sheer net curtains) replaced at a mere $100 excess charge for a few hundred dollars of damage from cat claws. So Matthew's banned Conan from that space until we get proper curtains (after 1.5 years in the house we have finally ordered them, yay!!) because if he can't see another cat through the curtains, he won't try to attack the cat through the material and the window. That's the theory anyway. Conan figured out how to wiggle the cavity sliding doors between family area and lounge enough to get a paw and arm through, then wiggle his crafty little self in, he would then proceed to hide amongst the cables hanging down behind the TV centre - he tries to either eat the cables (farrrk!!!) or sits in the centre pretending to be a DVD player. We got tired of barricading the two doors with large picture frames, so I went off to one of my favourite places, Bunnings Warehouse, and got the DIY thing going on with magnetic strips up the top of the door.
He still tries to get in there occasionally...
As for the master bedroom, Conan's been allowed in there for most of his captive life, however I had to hide a beautiful mohair blanket which was a wedding gift from my sister and her husband in the wardrobe because Conan tries to eat it. Which is a shame because it perfectly matches the duvet cover set!! BUT the latest is that Conan has found out how to throw himself against the end of the sliding door and get himself into the wardrobe!! Matthew suspected it was due to the mouse scent lingering in there that drove him wild and gave him extra energy, comparable apparently to mothers being able to lift cars off their children or something. I still shudder with disgust at having to clean up after the latest mouse episode, it was hideous. But he's lost his "trust card" (teaching term) and is banned from free access to the bedroom until further notice.
We also had to shut him out of the bedroom the other night because he was going crazy - later it became apparent why, as we woke up repeatedly to scratching noises and eventually saw a mouse running around the bedroom. It was dealt to by a very tired Matthew. that's why we have husbands :) I hate vermin!!
Latest tally, updates in green
Socks from our washing: 9
Socks stolen from neighbours' washing: 18
Pegs which came in attached to socks: 3
Beanies and gloves nicked from the neighbourhood builders and painters: 4
Foreign cat-toys: 3
Tennis-ball sized kids cuddly toys he stole: 2
Curious George toys: 1
Mice: 2 (disgusting. absolutely vile.)
Birds: evidence of 1
Lost collars: 5
Conan is now micro-chipped and has had his Cat AIDS injections, so we're not too worried about the collars anymore. He's still displaying a funny looking shaved patch from the surgery.
Main living centre is basically our kitchen, dining area and family space which are all open plan. Thank God for house & contents insurance, as we've had the voiles in the lounge and family areas (fine weave sheer net curtains) replaced at a mere $100 excess charge for a few hundred dollars of damage from cat claws. So Matthew's banned Conan from that space until we get proper curtains (after 1.5 years in the house we have finally ordered them, yay!!) because if he can't see another cat through the curtains, he won't try to attack the cat through the material and the window. That's the theory anyway. Conan figured out how to wiggle the cavity sliding doors between family area and lounge enough to get a paw and arm through, then wiggle his crafty little self in, he would then proceed to hide amongst the cables hanging down behind the TV centre - he tries to either eat the cables (farrrk!!!) or sits in the centre pretending to be a DVD player. We got tired of barricading the two doors with large picture frames, so I went off to one of my favourite places, Bunnings Warehouse, and got the DIY thing going on with magnetic strips up the top of the door.
He still tries to get in there occasionally...
As for the master bedroom, Conan's been allowed in there for most of his captive life, however I had to hide a beautiful mohair blanket which was a wedding gift from my sister and her husband in the wardrobe because Conan tries to eat it. Which is a shame because it perfectly matches the duvet cover set!! BUT the latest is that Conan has found out how to throw himself against the end of the sliding door and get himself into the wardrobe!! Matthew suspected it was due to the mouse scent lingering in there that drove him wild and gave him extra energy, comparable apparently to mothers being able to lift cars off their children or something. I still shudder with disgust at having to clean up after the latest mouse episode, it was hideous. But he's lost his "trust card" (teaching term) and is banned from free access to the bedroom until further notice.
We also had to shut him out of the bedroom the other night because he was going crazy - later it became apparent why, as we woke up repeatedly to scratching noises and eventually saw a mouse running around the bedroom. It was dealt to by a very tired Matthew. that's why we have husbands :) I hate vermin!!
Latest tally, updates in green
Socks from our washing: 9
Socks stolen from neighbours' washing: 18
Pegs which came in attached to socks: 3
Beanies and gloves nicked from the neighbourhood builders and painters: 4
Foreign cat-toys: 3
Tennis-ball sized kids cuddly toys he stole: 2
Curious George toys: 1
Mice: 2 (disgusting. absolutely vile.)
Birds: evidence of 1
Lost collars: 5
Conan is now micro-chipped and has had his Cat AIDS injections, so we're not too worried about the collars anymore. He's still displaying a funny looking shaved patch from the surgery.
Backdate: 25 June 07: Murderous Rampage #2
There are just some things in life that you appreciate: coming home busting for a wee, having your cat sitting on the stairs furiously miaowing 'hi mum, mum mum muuuum', running upstairs to your ensuite, doing your business, washing your hands, exiting the ensuite and walking downstairs to fix yourself a drink, then sitting down for five minutes. It's one of my favourite daily routines. Last Wednesday, somewhere between washing my hands and fixing a drink I came upon rather a nasty sight.
As I exited the ensuite I recoiled in horror as a beheaded... well a mostly be-bodied creature lay on my bedroom floor. To my disgust, Conan had caught a mouse and semi-devoured it, and it all slowly dawned upon me why he was miaowing so excitedly when I got home, and also why he was going nuts trying to get under the nursing chair in our bedroom the previous night.
This creature had just a tail left, and a few bulging internal organs (I'm guessing stomach, intestines, the usual bottom ones, I wasn't about to go at it with a toothpick to identify them!!) sticking out of what was left of his 'hind. Ew, ew and EW!!! So I had to gather the poor wee creature who was minus a skeleton, skin, head, feet, etc. and put him in a wee coffin (care of the pharmacy packaging). The whole time Conan the Destroyer was walking around proudly bunting my legs as if to tell me that I should be a proud mummy.
And to add insult to injury, I accidentally left our ensuite door open a crack the next day and he got hold of my superlong dusky pink knit jersey and made the too-short long sleeves even shorter. Oh great. A murderer and a kitty-couture designer all in one!
But when you wake up at 4;30am on a Sunday with a gut-ache, and your cat curls up next to your head and shoves his face under yours for a warm sleep, it really is hard to stay mad when they're so cute.
As I exited the ensuite I recoiled in horror as a beheaded... well a mostly be-bodied creature lay on my bedroom floor. To my disgust, Conan had caught a mouse and semi-devoured it, and it all slowly dawned upon me why he was miaowing so excitedly when I got home, and also why he was going nuts trying to get under the nursing chair in our bedroom the previous night.
This creature had just a tail left, and a few bulging internal organs (I'm guessing stomach, intestines, the usual bottom ones, I wasn't about to go at it with a toothpick to identify them!!) sticking out of what was left of his 'hind. Ew, ew and EW!!! So I had to gather the poor wee creature who was minus a skeleton, skin, head, feet, etc. and put him in a wee coffin (care of the pharmacy packaging). The whole time Conan the Destroyer was walking around proudly bunting my legs as if to tell me that I should be a proud mummy.
And to add insult to injury, I accidentally left our ensuite door open a crack the next day and he got hold of my superlong dusky pink knit jersey and made the too-short long sleeves even shorter. Oh great. A murderer and a kitty-couture designer all in one!
But when you wake up at 4;30am on a Sunday with a gut-ache, and your cat curls up next to your head and shoves his face under yours for a warm sleep, it really is hard to stay mad when they're so cute.
Backdate: 28 May 07: Because we just love 'em
I flew up to Auckland on Friday morning for a weekend away (calm before the storm styles) to do some shopping and relaxing with my bestie who lives up there. Plus she gave me a voucher to get my hair cut at a FUH-LASH salon!! I was so impressed by the Morgan & Morgan staff that I even told the girl who cut my hair "Okay, I trust you with my hair. If you think it'll look better with a bit more off, then I trust you to cut it." BIG STEP!!! Usually I cringe, whinge and cry if more than an inch is taken off the length. So my hair's now about the length it was last year but much presshier (prettier) and I'm even styling it. Gawd, what is the world coming to. It looks super healthy!! But she did show me how to do some tricks with GHD irons and now I WANT some!! Let's see, if I save $30 a week from my lessons and try not to spend any of that, I wonder how long it'll take me to save... Again, what is the world coming to. I swore I'd never need them 'cause my Warehouse irons 'did the trick'.
Came home last night and within minutes I hear dthe familiar call of the wild, and Conan stuck his head through the cat door and came straight for me!! Big cuddles and bunts in the face and stuff. He may as well be a dog!!
The lady who gave Conan to us is a fantastic Tonkinese cat breeder, and also an amazing landscape gardener. She's helped out my in-laws recently by looking after their property that the tenants have neglected. so when she visited them last week to settle accounts, my mother-in-law kindly told her about a few of the choice antics that the Conanator has been up to and guess what she said: "Maybe I should take him home with me for a few weeks to do some training with him."
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Really, no!!
Came home last night and within minutes I hear dthe familiar call of the wild, and Conan stuck his head through the cat door and came straight for me!! Big cuddles and bunts in the face and stuff. He may as well be a dog!!
The lady who gave Conan to us is a fantastic Tonkinese cat breeder, and also an amazing landscape gardener. She's helped out my in-laws recently by looking after their property that the tenants have neglected. so when she visited them last week to settle accounts, my mother-in-law kindly told her about a few of the choice antics that the Conanator has been up to and guess what she said: "Maybe I should take him home with me for a few weeks to do some training with him."
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Really, no!!
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