Happy Cats...

...and a happy niece. My niece Jenny came home for the weekend, so I gave her the cat treats and snuggly blanket that Criquette sent to me for the cats at Tabby's Place. Thanks Criquette! The kitties say "Meow, meow, meow - Thanks, Criquette!"


Now for an update on another happy kitty. Do you remember the stray cat Joey that has been hanging around? Well, I am 100% against having "outside" cats. I have always thought that if you're going to have a cat, it should be inside.

That said, I think I have an "outside" cat. That's what happens when you start feeding strays, I guess. He is now dependant on us, but my sister is terribly allergic to cat hair, and Emma and Tara think a cat is nothing but a a big squirrel (and they HATE squirrels) so Joey cannot come inside the house. What to do...what to do? Last winter Joey would show up a couple of times a week, so we lined an old dog house with hay & blankets for the times he would stay in the area overnight.

This year, Joey knows which side of the bread is buttered, so to speak, and I don't think he has stepped foot off the property in months. Why would he? Three meals a day. Count 'em - THREE. He's a pig! Where is he sleeping? In a castle! Well, it's really the garage, but he thinks it's a castle. He has his own cushy bed with a heating element, and a heat lamp over his bed to take the chill off. Dad even put in an outlet dedicated to Joey's use. It is just the right height for his bed's and heat lamp's electric cords. Here is Joey in all his glory:

By the way, he thinks he should be called "Joseph" now. He says it better fits his elevated station in life. Inside the house, it is a chilly 60 degrees in one zone, and 56 degrees in another. I'm huddled next to the pellet stove, which is the only place in the house where my fingers are warm enough to knit, but if you go out in the garage and put your hand on Joey's Joseph's tummy, he is as warm as a piece of toast. A piece of buttered toast. With jelly.