Category: Cats

Pawprint Keepsakes

Posted on | by cursingcats.com | 2 Comments on Pawprint Keepsakes

I’m finally painting the paw print ornaments we did last year.  I did a set for Louie and I did one for my brother-in-law’s dog.  Here’s a picture but they aren’t finished yet.  The clear coat was a disaster.  I gotta get it off, touch up paint as required and use a new coat. 

But I wanted to show them to you.  These insanely cheap kits are AWESOME:

These kits are under $10 bucks.  It’s an extremely lightweight air-dry clay.  Lighter than playdough.  You make a little paw print and it dries and boom, paw print forever! 

Now at just that, they aren’t awesome.  You can see one I have one not painted in that grouping.  The all white.  It’s fun but not attractive.  It doesn’t stand out.  And Lord knows it’s not gonna be pristine white after you wrestle a fuzzy animal’s paw on it. 

But… Look at them painted! I use an enamel model paint kit and they look like really nice ceramics.  Of course they’re light as a feather and unbreakable, but that’s great for hanging on the tree! 

Here’s the initial kit with everything I bought years ago to paint some game tokens:

Testors Enamel Paint.

I’ve done these paw prints three times now.  Back in 2020, I did Jack.  Look how big his paw is compared to Louie!  Jack is the red and green and Louie’s are the other three small ones.

I’m repainting two of Jack’s.  This red one always needed a touch up on the back where I put it down too wet and some paint stuck to the surface.  His silver one has been a little totem I sleep with sometimes.  Perfect size to hold in my palm and press a finger into his little print. 

That’s another reason I think everyone needs to do these.  It was adorable when Jack was alive.  But after he died, it was a piece of him.  A tangible piece.  The vets did an ink print and even a sand print post mortem.  But I can’t touch those.  Also, that’s creepy.  I have the good memory of making this with him. 

Speaking on that memory, I have lessons.  Listen, I don’t know if I didn’t read the directions or they weren’t there, but with Jack I just smushed out balls of clay and stuck his foot in it.  But this shit sticks to everything like crazy.  So I ended up on the floor with flour everywhere pressing his foot into flour, then clay.  It was a mess.  And they are clearly not circles. 

The kits come with one big circle, but it’s way too big.  Even for the dog print I did there in red and black. 

So for Louie’s I used a very small glass to punch it out.  And this stuff takes forever and a week to dry, so if you fuck it up, mix it around and do some more!  I did a bunch for Louie and punched out the 5 best ones and am painting the best three. 

And this time (last year), I read the directions!  Everything sticks to this shit BUT NOT WATER!  So you get their paw wet (bowl of water) then press it down.  Bam!  Then get something with a circle, get it wet and cut it out.  The dog paw is lopsided because I used a bowl and couldn’t see the print.  And he thought it would be too traumatic to do it again. Which is kinda BS cause dogs love attention.  I did Jack’s like 10 times LOL.  I think Louie made out a little better. 

Oh and the nice clean ribbon holes? A straw.  Yep.  Wet the straw and stab it.  If the clay doesn’t come out, no biggie – you can still do more. 

So yeah, last year we did Louie and BIL’s dog.  I’m finally getting around to painting them so they can go on Christmas trees.  And, like I said, touching up two of Jack’s.  That silver enamel paint is my favorite but it just doesn’t dry solid like the others.  So after two years of me rubbing it in my hand, it needed a reshine.

Of course such a small painting project will go fast!  Nope:

Why do all craft projects end up vomiting over an entire room? 

Then, you ever have a jar that is stuck shut but you will have the last word so help you god? Fucking red. 

The jar opener and pliers combo started tearing into the metal lid.  So I was like fuck it – I’m stabbing it. 

And it was bone dry.  You win this round, Testors. 

So I had to use regular red paint to be redeemed with the clear enamel finish.  Only… The finish was way too old.  I mean this kit is over a decade old so the fact that only the gloss was messed up is a great testament.  I had just used all the red.  So now I ordered more clear gloss (and red – plus a few others I was low on).  When it gets here I can try to get the gloss coat off with paint thinner.  Then, I assume, touch them up before the new gloss.  I hope not too much because I did so good writing the names and dates on the back with the black paint marker!

But yes, this year MAKE THESE.  It’s adorable now and a precious memory when they are gone.  A little paint and you’re golden!  If I like you enough, mail it to me and I’ll use my enamel paint supplies to paint them and mail the back.  (Becki, you can have your kids paint them! Then after Christmas of them hanging on the tree, you could send them my way. I could fill in the printed part (if needed) and give it a few enamel coats for permashine)

I have three for each.  One for a Christmas ornament (Jack is green on red, Louie is red on gold).  One for the living room (Jack is white on black, Louie is white on dary grey).  Plus a bonus extra (Jack is black on silver and Louie is black on blue). 

Jack’s Offerings (and Mom)

Posted on | by cursingcats.com | Leave a Comment on Jack’s Offerings (and Mom)

So tonight is All Hallows Eve, AKA Halloween. The Eve of All Hallows or All Saints Day in the Christian tradition. A time to celebrate and remember those who have passed and visit their graves.

There’s also the theory that it’s just a Christianized version of the Gaelic festival Samhain. To be fair, the church did realize that people didn’t want to give up their holidays so they made a lot of them Christian holidays; so probably true. Samhain (the end of harvest season) is a transitional festival. It marks the end of the light and the transition to the darker part of the year (when the days are shortest). Therefore, it is believed to be when the veil between this realm and the next is the thinnest. Parties are held with offerings to appease the Fairies who would fuck you up. Disguises to trick them. And places set at the table for past family members to visit.

All Hallows, or All Saints Day is tomorrow. Then All Soul’s Day on Saturday, November 2nd, wraps up the three days of Allhallowtide. There used to be 8 days, according to the Catholic tradition, but in 1955 they were like “fuck that, it’s 3.” Catholics make it up as they go along. However, some faithful still believe you earn plenary indulgences for visiting cemeteries and praying for the dead during the octave of Allhallowtide. And what is an Indulgence? No, not a Reeses pumpkin — according to the Catholic church, an Indulgence is “a way to reduce the amount of punishment one has to undergo for (forgiven) sins.” Totally makes sense.

Sorry, I got distracted. Allhallowtide, and particularly All Soul’s day also coincides with… wait for it… Día de (los) Muertos! AKA the Day of the Dead in English. And how do we celebrate this holiday? Leaving favorite treats, images, and items of our loved ones out in remembrance of them.

So basically, if the dead are gonna visit, it’s now according to multiple cultures.

So you know how some people get the warm and fuzzy feelings that their dead loved ones are with them? Yeah no, I’ve never gotten that. So WE’RE GOING ALL OUT, BITCHES.

That’s right, we have an ofrenda. No, those are not Mexican marigolds (AKA the Flower of the Dead), but I did grow these merigolds myself from seed!

Mom, I got out one of those cute heart plates I used to leave your coffee on. And the very used cutting board you gave me from that Pioneer Woman set. If you visit and know where the yellow measuring cup/dish from that set is, let us know.

I tried to get you one of those amazing apple streusel muffins you loved from Panera, but the lady said they haven’t sold those in years. The world has gone to absolute shit so I’m not surprised. I did, however, get the blueberry streusel and I’m pretty sure you’d like it too.

I grew these marigolds in my pumpkin patch! You’d have loved my pumpkin patch. And I know you are so proud of me. Have you seen my new body? Like the stomach and the boobs? I look good! You’d be amazed. Also, I’m pretty sure you’d love the art of the tattoo I’m still working on. I did the red poppies for you.

And Jack — you sweet sweet adorable biggun — my precious — my fuzzy — my spirit animal — my soulmate — WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? I’m dying here. I miss you much more than is rational. I still cry that you are gone. My snuggle buddy! Oh how I miss you. And your polka dotted belly. I fear I am forgetting you. It sounds stupid, but having a new cat — sometimes I’m afraid I will forget you and how you were. Sometimes I wonder if you were as snuggly and lap cat as I remember and then I look at photos and yep, you were always in my lap. My precious. And I remember when I came home, I’d pick you up at the door and you’d stretch out full length and stretch out your back legs as long as possible and look over at husband and purr like “yeah, she’s mine.” And what I miss the most, your good night wishes. Bedtime is when I miss you the most. You always followed me to bed and waited until I got settled to smash your paws into my breast bone and purr while I petted you and wished you goodnight. Then, when you knew I was settled and not going anywhere, you’d go downstairs and hop on the counter to see what noms were to be had. Oh we heard you, you never fooled us.

Speaking of, not only do you have your favorite banana toy — I made icing JUST FOR YOU. Husband asked why there was cream cheese and butter on the counter and I said it was for you and I’m pretty sure he thinks I’ve lost it. Half cream cheese icing, half butter cream. Your favorite. I already ate some so I know it’s delicious. Yes, I made a little extra for me to have on toast or something. And fuck it, eat the merigolds and pumpkins if you want. You’ve earned it. And the gingerbread house! It’s absolutely covered in icing. Have at it, buddy.

Seriously though, sometimes the only way I can cope with the absence is to think of you and mom sitting together sharing a biscuit or an apple streusel muffin together while you wait on me. We know she shared her breakfast with you every morning and you loved her for that. And I never minded. I thought it was adorable and sweet. Oh how you loved when mom visited. BREAKFAST! Well, here’s yalls muffin. Enjoy.

And Jack, come give me some purrs, please. Just a little snuggle.

If husband had an ask, he’d probably ask you to tell Louie to stop biting him so much. It’s kinda hilarious, but I know it hurts too cause teeth are sharp. *sigh* Louie can never replace you. Yall are nothing alike. Maybe that’s good. I don’t know.

May the scent of the merigolds and the love from my heart bring you home for just a little bit. I miss you.

Oh! One more thing! Mom, YOUR COFFEE! How can you an Jack have breakfast without coffee!? I’ve got pumpkin spice coffee too! I’ll make you a cup right now before I head off to bed. Dang, I might have to dig out the Keurig. It’s cool, it’s yalls ofrenda.

Sweet dreams and Happy Halloween. I love you.

Mom, take care of Jack for me.

UPDATE: I did add mom’s coffee after I posted this:

Bringing Joy & Passive Aggressive Teams Icons

Posted on | by cursingcats.com | 2 Comments on Bringing Joy & Passive Aggressive Teams Icons

Yall, I’m so petty, and I have NO SHAME. So, if you are blessed enough to work telework at all, you are familiar with the Zoom and Teams meetings. The little squares or circles of peoples initials. Most people don’t bother to upload a picture. If you’re REALLY lucky, someone uploads their pet as their icon.

One afternoon I ran into a girl with pink hair at work and recognized her from her icon — because pink hair. And I was like OMG! I’ve been debating what to make my icon. Like do I go professional, tattoo, or pet? Cause I do love the pets. Well, I went pet. Classic Louie with the sunglasses. That’s been my icon for months. People recognize me by it. I’ll introduce myself in person and say “I’m the cat with sunglasses!”

So I usually hop into meetings a few minutes early just so I don’t lose track of time. One meeting a while ago — we were still a few minutes from start and I joking said “oh man, we already have two cats and a dog — this is gonna be a good meeting.”

Well, asshole chimed in that he prefers people to use their faces so he knows who people are. I just joked it off that I prefer animals.

Yall, this motherfucker’s picture is a black and white selfie in sunglasses and a ball cap that had to have been taken 15-20 years ago. — Just for the full picture.

Then he’s mentioned it in two meetings since. The last time, he called me out directly. It was a meeting with nothing remotely related. I was talking about requirements and he said something like “I’ll agree if you stop using your cat for an icon” or something. IN THE MIDDLE OF A MEETING WHERE WE WERE HAVING PROFESSIONAL DISCOURSE. So, I snapped back that I’ll change mine when he shows his face as in his own icon as he’s got a hat and sunglasses on. He says he’s perfectly recognizable in his. I disagree.

So today, he has pissed me off. He does that a lot. So TODAY, since it’s OCTOBER, I changed my icon to Louie with batwings and a pumpkin (from last year). It’s Microsoft, so it will take a while to trickle down through the various apps.

Yall. What can I do for Thanksgiving and Christmas? I gotta get under his skin REAL GOOD. How can Louie reflect Thanksgiving?

It’s got to be funny and cute because normal people will find this adorable and a bright spot in their day to see my cat dressed up in the work meeting. And every time someone compliments it, it will FUCKING KILL HIM INSIDE. So we need max cuteness.

Saturday Round-Up

Posted on | by cursingcats.com | Leave a Comment on Saturday Round-Up

Let’s start this post like I started my day. With Louie’s disapproving look.

He just sat like this and stared at us while we chatted in bed before getting up. This was not the pose of him being disrupted or in movement. He’s chillin’ and appauled. He hates when I don’t get up right away. Which is always.

He doesn’t want pets — no. In fact, if I pet him, he will move further away. He wants me to get up. I need to put food in his bowl that he’s not gonna eat right now cause he’s too spoiled with his evening half a can of wet food. Then we have to go outside. He might have to come in early to poop. Otherwise, he want’s to nom some grass and barf. Then I can do my thing while he does his thing in the vicinity. As long as I’m not in bed.

Currently I’m on the laptop on the couch and he’s like just sleeping in the middle of the carpet over there. This is why he wants me out of bed.

I know everyone says get him a friend. But like, I don’t think he’d like a friend at this point. He’s a ham and demands to be the center of attention. Like if you come over to visit my house, he wants to be loved. You’re his new best friend. Because everyone must worship his soft belly. But if you visit too much, or live here, he’ll be over somewhere about 10 feet away. Another cat would probably bother him. And take away the valuable spotlight. Also, he wouldn’t be getting that expensive ass food if I had two cats. I can’t afford to worship two cats. I can lavish one cat.

Look at this adorable acorn I found!

Isn’t it cute and tiny? I haven’t found a random acorn in ages. I loved finding these when I was little. I’m gonna plant it by the giant tree stump in our front yard.

Halloween is the DEVIL

Facebook advertised these super religious trunk-or-treat decorations to me. “Ain’t no ghost but the HOLY GHOST!” That ghost one cracks me up. But hey, at least these people want to still let the kids have fun in costumes and get candy. So props. Like, I guess getting candy from strangers cars instead of houses is less Satanesque.

After typing that sentence though, isn’t this the PERFECT trap? Like a venus fly trap? Like “hey kids — we have candy — it’s Halloween, we’re just religious. Here take a full sized candy ba… **SHOVES KID IN AND CLOSES THE HATCH**

Yall don’t read that if you’re the scared that Halloween will kill your children type. Come on, at least give them this.

And if you’re the type of mom I’d be — give them this until sundown when they can hit up the neighborhoods. That’s right, rake it in, my little pumpkin. Let’s go to the rich neighborhood next. Of course you don’t have to go to school tomorrow. You’re probably gonna be barfing because you ate half that shit. Fuck what your teacher says. THIS IS HALLOWEEN, DAMMIT. It’s one goddamn day. Oh hey, do you need me to tape that back on your costume? Come here, I’ve got tape and we can plug in the glue gun if we need to. I’ve got some trim we can cover that up with. Is my hat on straight? Awesome. Yeah, I know — dads lame. Next year we’ll have to blackmail him. Maybe we could all be Marvel characters! I got him to be Tony Stark once. You gotta start working him in like August.

And here’s my Monstera!

I got it a fucking grade A grow light handing from the second floor. It’s very happy. It’s my favorite. Don’t tell the others. Like the prayer plant is my second favorite. But of course I love you too, my sweet jungle cacti! String of Bananas, we’re working on our relationship. I know, you’re doing fucking amazing. But like, you need something on top. I might get you like a topiary ball frame or something to wrap around before you trail down. I’m working on it.

Fixed It!

Posted on | by cursingcats.com | 1 Comment on Fixed It!

This week we had a wind storm come through. It was really weird. We were outside for part of it watching it. It actually created waves in the pool. It also took out a fence section. Sheared a fence section right off! The posts held sure. The section next to it was sheared on one side but didn’t come completely off because it was stuck in the ground on the bottom.

So that’s a problem. Louie now has a routine of going outside every morning which was my driving force. Also, legally, I am required to keep my pool fenced in and locked at all times. Because lawfully, it’s a death trap that attracts children and stupid people to drown. So if you drown in my unsecured pool, it’s my fault. It’s like I dug a big well and didn’t cover it up. Really, it’s a legal pain because I have to lock my fence and I can only lock it from one side. Next fence I’m upgrading to something I can unlock from either side.

The point is, I had to fix it. Fences are crazy expensive. In the current economy, wood prices are insane! INSANE! And Husband hates this fence, so no point in hiring the fix out. Plus it would cost a lot to have someone out. So I decided to fix it myself. I could totally bandaid it. The section was still held together, just not in place. So, with a few bandaids, I could stick it back up! Like fence stitches or staples. I got this.

So to Home Depot we go. I say we because K2 came for some errand hanging. Husband didn’t help. He was skeptical. I needed wood. For multiple projects. For this one, I needed 12 lengths of whatever to reattach my fence. But there was a big problem. Their saw was down. I rely on Home Depot to cut my wood to length. Not only do I not have tools, but the Sonic aint a big vehicle. I can’t shove an 8 foot board in there.

So we have a helpful associate. I explain the problem. Super nice guy. He doesn’t have anything precut in 4 foot lengths that would work. He offers to sell me a very reasonably priced circular saw and I could cut it myself in the parking lot. I wasn’t against this plan. I ask if he would help me cut it if I bought the saw. He said he couldn’t because he was working. So I ask if I can use their saw table to cut it. He wasn’t sure there was even a plug over there (there isn’t in the parking lot either), so he said hang on. And this is where he heroed out.

He went a got a circular saw. He wasn’t supposed to use it, but he’d do it. So we grabbed the wood, and I helped so we could get it knocked out as fast as possible without getting caught. I warned him one of his coworkers gave him a nasty look and he asked who. It was an old guy. He pointed to a woman within eyesight. He said that’s his manager so if she doesn’t say anything, it’s fine. Guy was amazing.

I had him write down his name so I could give him shout outs and call the store manager. He asked if I was serious. I was like yes, I’m fucking serious. I’ve worked in retail! So he wrote down his name and I slipped him some cash “for any grief he might get from his coworkers.” I left a google review WITH photo about how amazing he was by name and how thrilled I was with my Home Depot experience. It’s already got 2 likes. I’m actually a google guide because I’ve done a lot of reviews so my review gets priority showing AND the photo boosts it too. That you Travi! I also filled out a store survey AND emailed the store owner directly. I hope he gets a bonus or something.

So, with Travi’s help, I had my stitches.

Now to fix the fence. This next photo shows what needed to be repaired. One section (the red X) was completely gone. The red zig zag shows a section that had completely broken off but remained standing.

That fence section was actually surprisingly and deceptively heavy. Me and husband are out of shape, but damn. Also, it hadn’t been directly on the ground so wedging it back in between the posts was no simple task. There was a lot of donkey kicking. Like seriously, I just donkey kicked it a lot. There was also a hammer and rubber mallet involved. Then while husband held it in place, I could screw in the new bandaids.

Louie supervised:

Louie also used the new magic portal to wonder around the side yard while we shimmied the section back in place. So Husband did have to go grab him before we sealed it back off:

I’m really damn proud of myself! This thing is way more secure than it was before. I also did three stitches on the inside at the top of the three joins for extra strength.

If I paint these, you wouldn’t even notice the repairs. I asked husband to paint them but he won’t because he doesn’t care enough and he hates this fence anyway. He also wasn’t keen at first on me patching the outside of the fence because the neighbors would see it. But I’d rather the neighbors look at it than have to look at it myself. So I asked him to paint it. No go. He doesn’t care THAT MUCH.

I might paint it. I had intended to. But husbands apparently not gonna appreciate if I do or don’t so why should I? He will literally never see it anyway. It sucks when you’re so proud of yourself for something and only get a lackluster response. I’m pretty disappointed that there’s not more enthusiasm at my abilities, genius, and carry through. I saved us hundreds of dollars here. I fixed A FENCE. Within days of the fallen panel. Can I get some adoration?

Don’t get me wrong. I know husband is thankful and appreciative and thinks I’m awesome. We just don’t have the same love languages at all. He’s not big on overloading praise. His mom was more impressed than he was. Yes, I texted his family and my friends to be like LOOK! I FIXED IT! Because I need some “oh wow, you rock!” Kinda love. I’m needy. But at the same time, I think I deserve it. Come on, I FIXED IT!

The Lounge Is Open 24 Hours

Posted on | by cursingcats.com | Leave a Comment on The Lounge Is Open 24 Hours

… On a dark wooden hallway, cool wind in my hair
Warm smell of catnip rising up through the air
Up ahead in the distance, I saw a shimmering light
My head grew heavy and my sight grew dim, I had to stop for the night…

I’m not weird. You’re weird.

Childless cat ladies creeping around…

Saturday Morning in Video

Posted on | by cursingcats.com | Leave a Comment on Saturday Morning in Video

This morning started off with a strange bit. I was up pretty early as I’ve been having horrible sleep lately. I came downstairs and noticed brown blobs through the door glass. The glass very much obscures things so I thought maybe we had a storm I missed and there were a lot of branches down?

When I opened the blinds I saw — GEESE. A fuck ton of canadian geese all over my yard.

So I ran to turn off the alarm and go outside. Here’s one of three videos I took:

I herded them all across the road so they wouldn’t get hit. This is a road people speed down — thankfully it was about 7:30am. One woman stopped and encouraged me to spread my arms to get them to go faster. Since it’s been hot as fuck here, there were ton’s of people using the greenway.

One woman said she lived close to the retention pond by Publix and when she started her walk, they were there. Then another man said they’d been crossing the street back and forth and back and forth. So I figure that they were taking a leisurely Saturday morning stroll from the retention pond to Lady Ann Lake. Approximately two miles. Why would they not fly?

Another passerby in a car pulled into my driveway worried as could be because they were crossing again about a block further down the road. She suggested we herd them to the lake. I was like, they’re gonna do what they’re gonna do and they’re halfway there. I pointed out that it was daylight at least and people weren’t particularly speeding (I said this as approximately 6 cars were stopped waiting on them to cross in the Southbound lanes).

So that’s new. Never seen that in our 9 years in this house.

When I came back inside, I fed Louie. Of course, he wanted to go outside. That is our morning routine now. He wants his food but not to eat it, and then he goes to the back door so he can come outside with me while I tend my pumpkins. As you saw in a previous post, there isn’t much to tend in the pumpkins now. However, I did acquiesce his request. He looked at a beetle:

When he first goes out, he likes to lay down and get accustomed before he starts walking around. Still pretending he can’t walk in the harness hoping I’ll remove it. I did grab some wire and fix my solar lights while he explored.

Childless Cat Ladies

Posted on | by cursingcats.com | Leave a Comment on Childless Cat Ladies

Just thought I’d share.

It’s kinda catchy.

I should explain for the non-Americans or future readers.  Vance (Trumps running mate) made a comment about childless cat ladies running our country.  Apparently, we shouldn’t get the same vote weight as families.  We don’t care about the future of our country and education because we “don’t have a stake in it.”  So that’s what this is poking fun at (“there’s a crazy man with tiny hands…” LMAO)

But let me tell you, today it was 97 degrees (F) and I tried to take my cat outside but he stepped on the pavement and I was afraid it would burn his paws cause we’ve destroyed the fucking planet and it’s a hot box at the moment.  Also, I have nephews. And friends with kids.  Geez. 

Can I get a “Childless Cat Lady” tank, please?

Cat Vibes

Posted on | by cursingcats.com | 1 Comment on Cat Vibes

Apparently, today is International Cat Day. According to Wikipedia: “International Cat Day is a celebration which takes place on 8 August of every year. It was created in 2002 by the International Fund for Animal Welfare. It is a day to raise awareness for cats and learn about ways to help and protect them.”

Apparently, according to the Googles, National Cat Day is either October 29th or February 22nd. But Japan kicks our ass by celebrating on February 22, as the date resembles the words “nyan nyan nyan”(meow meow meow). And they’ve done it since 1979.

So, I am determined to get a post up today to celebrate this catfishing silky bastard, Louie:

That photo is actually from this morning before I knew it was International Cat Day! Look at Louie. That’s his first outside bug catch. We are working on harness training. So the last few days, I’ve taken him out back on the harness while I tend the pumpkins. I have to make sure the female flowers get pollinated with the proper males everyday. It’s also way too fucking hot so this has to be done first thing in the morning.

One afternoon we had Louie out and it was either too hot or he just didn’t want to be in his harness and he walked his ass all the way up the stairs to the door to go inside. This morning he had no desire to come in. So I’ve taught him the word and motion “up up” for when I’m going to pick him up. The motion I guess is because Jack was deaf for three years so we used motions to communicate. So I said “up up” and did the motion and Louie got up and backed away! HA. He was having far to much fun with his new bug friend. I was sweating like a fountain from moving vines around, but I sat and watched him and took some photos. But he couldn’t stay outside forever. I gotta go wiggle my work mouse, you know.

So for today’s cat post, we have DECOR! I’ve been making over the hallway. Basically we had to redo the floors. When they were installed and I saw the hall so clean and uncluttered — ugh, I dreaded moving our shit back in. So I finally pulled the trigger to buy cabinets and make that shit look better. Anyway, Louie has the same food setup that Jack had. One of the shelves had the bottom shelf removed and that was his food and water spot. Well, I really like this setup, so I kept it. It’s just white now and the shelf above with all his food stuff has doors to hide that. But yall, I can’t just make it that simple.

I ordered the cat food mat to use as a decoration. I hung it when I was assembling the cabinets/shelves, and I was like… we gotta run with this. It’s not a feeding station — it’s a Lounge now. K and I went thrifting for tiny picture frames. I decided the mat had an art deco vibe so I asked K what I should do and she sent the gorgeous art deco poster you see on the left. And I was feeling it. So I decided Monday was gonna be a mental health day and I’d spend my Sunday photoshopping for the cat. And that’s what I did.

I put a cat head on the gorgeous lady poster. I found a Jazz album cover and modified it a bit. Then, I slapped a cat head on that guy too and sampled the colors from the lady poster so they would match. Then I did a menu. Did I spend way way way too long on that menu? Yeah. Longer than either of the others. Maybe even longer than both combined. I needed it to be art deco, OK? And fonts are hard. Also, I wanted to be clever so I had to make his food sound fancy. Yes, that is actually what he eats. “Nuevo Nuggets” are actually Open Farm RawMix — it’s available breakfast and dinner. “Cat Cann De” is some over priced canned food and available for dinner only.

Look at these vibes though! I’m so happy with how it turned out. Oh and in that photo, that’s real catnip hung in the back. I bought him a catnip plant to encourage him outside but he gives no fucks. It’s also out of season so the plant was lanky as fuck and desperately needed a trim.

I’m also updating the litter closet. Since I was replacing the shelves, I had extra shelves. So I thought — hey, I should put one in the litter closet and actually make some use of that space. That way I can get the extra cat food out of the hall shelves and all the extra cat litter off the garage stairs.

So… I needed this cat bathroom sign from Etsy. Like NEEDED it. Holt shit, it makes me so fucking happy. It’s by Shadowfire3D on Etsy. It’s perfect. The shipping was super fast and they made me a custom name keychain as a surprise present. Go buy one.

And here’s the before and after of the inside:

Look at that storage functionality! It was a brown shelf and I painted it white to look cleaner. Cause litterboxes are dirty. I wanted it on the back wall, but the new litterbox wouldn’t fit sideways inside it. His new litterbox is bigger than his old one. Yes, he got a new litterbox because I’m insane. I got on this damn cat “cat enrichment” forum and read how EVIL lidded cat boxes are. Are they evil? No. Have any of my cats, Jack, Tabitha, or Louie had a problem with them? No. Did I feel like I had to get an open one? Yes. I mean it’s in a closet with a bathroom exhaust fan so the lid is kinda redundant anyway. That’s what I’m telling myself.

Listen, yall don’t know how judgy these insane pet people are. I posted that picture of Louie’s new lounge and someone commented about how bad it was to have a cat’s water near their food. Apparently, in nature, food near a water source would mean that water could be tainted. And that’s where I drew the god damn line. Are you fucking kidding me? Do you see how insanely over board my cat lady ass has gone? Do you see that running water fountain he has in his own fucking cat lounge? He’s got his own god damn bathroom. He’s got beds all over my house in every window he likes to sit in. And we don’t even close the blinds in two windows because he likes to sit there. SO BACK OFF. At some point, the cat has ENOUGH. This cat lives better than like 99.99999% of cats and a hell of a lot of people too. Way better. He drew the cat life lottery when he catfished me. He was like, that bitch looks like my kind of insane. Is that a cat tattoo I see? Oh she be the crazy cat lady. Let me go get on that. Oh, I also break the CARDINAL sin of cat ownership — I only have one litterbox.

Anyway…

That flower pot is the bag-of-cat-poop holder. I mean, I needed a cat poop holder and I had that pot. It makes sense.

And I printed off some cute cat pictures! I wanted to find a lot of crazy cheesy cat lady shit at the thrift store but came up empty. That “All Employees Must Wash Hands Before Returning to Work” one cracks me up! Oh and what is that blank canvas? Oh it’s gonna be one of those fun portraits of like royalty they do of your pets. But I haven’t figured out what I want Louie to be. Then I gotta photoshop him in it. I’m just going to get that printed at Staples or online and modpodge it to the canvas.

I gotta say, the litter closet makeover pleases me greatly. It’s a icky chore that I do every night. So having a fun bathroom door sign and funny art in there makes it so much nicer! Now if I can ever figure out how to wire up the fan to a motion sensor by the door…

So there you go. Happy International Cat Day, Louie. I love you. Not like Jack — but like, I’m so glad to have you. It’d be awesome if you choose to snuggle more at some point. I’m here if you want to snuggle. Like right here.

WHAT IS THIS? A school for ANTS?

Posted on | by cursingcats.com | Leave a Comment on WHAT IS THIS? A school for ANTS?

Look at this hat, yall. I’m looking for a new pool baseball cap. So I searched for “Baseball hat ponytail.” Amazons fucked up algorithm showed me a “men’s baseball cap” first (Sponsored ad, of course) and this abomination:

My scalps gonna burn right through that damn thing. AND no ponytail elastic — FAIL.

OK WAIT — before we move on — what the actual fuck is this? This one doesn’t protect your scalp or block the sun from your eyes. Why does this abomination exist?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anyway, new topic. Also, I do understand the irony in this next situation.

So did you read my last post about how life saving and amazing my new BedJet is? Well, you just got the summery. So it blows air into a cloud sheet to keep you cool under the covers. Awesome. Until…

Yeah. Four times now, I’ve woken up a sweaty mess because Louie is blocking the air vent. Is Louie doing this to be near me? Fuck no he’s not. Louie isn’t a mushy lover. He has NEVER slept on my side of the bed (on occasion when we sleep late and he’s waiting for me to get up and feed him, he’ll be on the bed — on Anthony’s foot corner). And he’s not sleeping with me — hes RIGHT on the air output.

So nearest I can figure, It’s the vibrations or noise? The only place I feel anything from the BedJet is right there at the outlet — you feel the air blowing inside the sheet and therefor against your feet so it’s kind of a waveform/vibration feeling.

If he was on either SIDE of the airjet, it wouldn’t be a problem. However, hes completely blocking any air from dispersing into the sheet. This is a problem yall.

Yeah I get it hahaha, that’s so funny.

NO IT’S NOT. I’m SWEATING. I’m hot. Today, after I took this picture, I had to get out of my PJs and put on new underwear because I was so sweaty. I had a good thing and now I don’t. How do I fix this?

I just moved the nozzle to the side of the bed in hopes that maybe that will help? I don’t think it will, but we’re gonna find out. Is there a fabric that he would find very uncomfortable? Keep in mind that covering the counters in parchment paper had zero affect on him. Like would he do it on a tarp? Is there an very offensive pointy side of the velcro fabric?

And yes, I get the irony. For over a year, I’d wish and wish that he’d want to sleep in bed with me. Now it’s NOT COOL. I didn’t even intend that pun there.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lastly, an update: Our floor is getting fixed! They’re coming to pack up our entire first floor including kitchen appliances and move it all into the garage. They’ll be here Wednesday at 8:30am. So this is great!

And terrifying. Cause this week they’ll move stuff and fix all the dry wall. Then they wont start on the floor until like next week. I think next Wednesday? Or was it the NEW floor is going in Wednesday? I don’t know. But multiple week thing. Gotta move all our shit. Living upstairs and out of the garage. For lunch and breakfast, I gotta go in the garage where my fridge is and pass workers. I’m not looking forward to this.

Also, the mold remediation with the loud fans did something to Louie. It fucked him up. He’s all jumpy and scared of noises now. So we gotta get rid of him before any of this goes down. We can’t traumatize the cat again. So K is gonna take him in Tuesday night. But it’s gonna be MORE THAN A WEEK. And I already feel so bad leaving him! And also, like how often do I visit? Like I’m lazy and I don’t wanna go visit all the time — but he IS my cat and she doesn’t live far away. So like how often is often enough to not feel guilty? You know the answer is no amount. I will feel guilty no matter what.

So I did up a huge list of shit that’s gotta be done because I am stressed. Today, I wanted to lay on the couch and be a depressed crying blob of anxiety paralysis. However, my sweet husband kept looking at my list and going “hey we can do this” — and doing a lot of it himself. Like we tidied up the garage and got a table ready with the toaster oven. We clipped Louie’s nails. We put the card table in the master bedroom and moved all the plants upstairs. Then we took a nap and I planted some plants.

Yall, this week at work is also gonna be a SHIT SHOW. A fucking huge shit show dumpster fire. It’s not good.

STRESS