Summer's Done!

Hi everyone, I don't even know what excuse to give about how little we've blogged over the summer. I can only a-paw-logise. I'm not even going to try and pin all the blame on Rachel like usual, as we have been pretty lazy too... But now it's September we thought it was about time to get you up to date on what we have been doing during August. A lot of the time we were just sitting in the sun.

This used to be Rachel's sewing basket until we found it. LOL!

Apart from that, we've mostly been watching the Olympics and Paralympics. Rachel and Pete went to loads of Olympic events, but we didn't get to go to any! Instead... we got a special scratching box:

Room for a small one?

Ding Ding, all aboard!

Although we didn't get to visit Olympic park, we did watch plenty of the coverage on our new flatscreen TV. It's much thinner than the big boxy old one, so when Mia tried to jump on top of it like we used to ALL THE TIME, it fell over and Pete said some really rude words that we'd never even heard before!! When we weren't trying to destroy hundreds of pounds worth of electrical equipment, we were cheering on the athletes:

I'm a gold meow-dal winner!

Go Mo, Go Jess, Go Team GB

Ooh, shiny shiny!

But some of us weren't QUITE so interested in the sports...

We also had a visit to the Cat Hotel again, and this time it REALLY was 4 star. We got to stay in a part that we had never been to before, we had half of a lovely chalet in the garden to ourselves, with our own verandah, and the inside bit was really big too, much bigger than normal. We could watch birdies and the resident cats all day, and stretch out in the sun, and it was just BRILLIANT!  Rachel says now that she knows these posh rooms are there, we can stay in them every time we visit. AWESOME!

So that's mostly what we've been up to. What have you been doing?

PS - Obligatory tongue shot of Mia, what a silly chops!

Snoozing...

Sorry for the gap in blogging... Rachel has been busy typing, sewing, websiting, and hanging out with her new baby niece, among other things. She also says we aren't doing anything interesting enough to warrant a blog! The CHEEK OF IT!

Wake me up when you need me!!

Festive Relaxations

Boo, the holidays are over :-( Did you have a good Christmas? We did!

We were in the cat hotel for a few days - we had so much fun that Mia didn't want to leave, she clung on with her claws when Pete tried to put her in the carrier! Then we got lots of time at home with Rach and Pete and best of all, with our Christmas present. We had been expecting a new scratching post for Christmas, as ours was looking a bit the worse for wear...

Anyone got a spirit level handy?

But clever old Rach took the wobbly bottom off (perhaps she can do the same for herself after all those Christmas chocolates...), and then flipped the whole thing over, so it's (almost) as good as new. And best of all, it still smells Just Right.

So with that problem solved, we turned to our next most pressing problem. Just how DO you get comfy while staying as close to the radiator as humanly (felinely?) possible?

Well, my butt is warm, at least...

To solve this perennial problem, I present to you the greatest invention known to catkind, and our Christmas present: the Radiator Bed! We LOVE it and have spent the last week either cuddled up in it, or waiting for it to become free so we can cuddle up in it.

I waited and waited for Mia to get out, surely she must need the loo soon...

In the end I gave up and went for a nap in the cat shelf (which has it's own specially made cat curtains) ... It's really tough being a moggie, sometimes.

*sigh*

Lounging

Well hello strangers... today's blog post is mostly instructional - we are going to be giving you some top tips on successful lounging, as we've been doing a lot of this recently...

Lounging is not just sleeping - although it does obviously include it - it's an umbrella term which also incorporates dozing, resting, loafing, sprawling and chillaxing. Here Lila's showing the rarely seen "twist" move - back legs pointing to 12 o'clock; front to 3.

You may notice that she's stretched across most of the armchair - this is a high risk strategy. If you have a couple of real softies for owners like we do, you'll be left with the whole chair as your humans squish up elsewhere. However if your buddies are more pragmatic, you'll be turfed off entirely and left in a worse situation than if you'd just squeezed along the arm to start with.

Now which location is best for lounging? You may automatically assume it's a sofa, but that's not necessarily the case - as we've just heard, there's the chance of being usurped mid-nap, and you may start falling down one of the numerous cracks between cushions. A carpeted floor is an excellent alternative, especially if it's been freshly vacuumed...

Here Mia's napping on her back. This can surprise people when they see a cat sleeping this way for the first time, but be reassured, it's very comfortable. It can look a bit exhibitionist though, especially if your fur is a little sparse around the nipples, Lila...

If you do decide to lounge on the sofa, and someone joins you, don't worry. They can usually be used to enhance your relaxation in some creative way, as Mia illustrates here.

Alternatively they may just want to join you in a catnap.

Unfortunately like all good things, a long lounging session must come end at some point. The only way to finish up, if you want to really be awake and alert for your next spell of relaxation, is a

GREAT

BIG

YAWN!!

Enjoy your lounging, kitties!! If you've got any questions about how to make the most of your downtime, just ask us in the comments. We're always happy to help fellow felines!

A Terrifying Monster

Mia here, and I'm feeling very brave. I have been battling a scary armoured monster in the garden! It was really awful but I had to protect Lila and Rachel. Of course Rachel could have beaten the monster pretty easily but she just sat there videoing me, typical!



Eventually she did remove the monster, which was good, as I was getting pretty tired of battling. So as everything was now safe and secure, I went inside and had a sleep. Zzzzz...

Real-Time Blogging: Cat-Nap

Ooh I'm very excited, these photos were taken only 5 minutes ago, and they're already on the blog!  Rachel's at home today, you see, and we do love it when this happens, because we can follow her around all day, yay!
Today it's really sunny and warm, so Lila and I went outside and showed Rachel how we like to rub our faces on the catnip and roll all around it, even though it's only tiny green stubs at the moment.  Then Lila went up the tree at the end of the garden and meowed at some magpies, who were making a right racket.  She came down covered in yellow tree pollen so Rachel got worried and wiped it off with a wet flannel, icky!  Luckily the tree is a better tree than the one on Monday, we go up and down this one all the time with no problems.
So we do love Rachel being around during the day; but after inspecting the garden, we like to nap on the big bed, and she gets a bit annoying and just can't leave us alone.  She keeps coming in and tickling our tummies and saying "ooh, who's having a little sleepy-peep?" (well, WE were, until YOU came and woke us!).  And "mmm, you're sooo soft", which is nice I guess, but a bit tiring when you're trying to sleep.  And then she gets the flashy box out and snaps at us, grrr!  Anyway since she well and truly woke me up from my 40 winks, I thought I'd show you the photos.

Lila is much better at ignoring her than I am as you can see from this shot.  But it looks like she has far too many legs!!

Oh well I guess I might as well go check on the garden again, and see if any more food has appeared in my bowl.  See you soon blog buddies!!

A Place To Rest

Urgh. The weather's been simply atrocious recently. High winds, pelting rain, it's enough to drive even the most hardened adventurer inside. I got blown over while trying to attend to the call of nature in the flowerbed, most inelegant, so have retreated back to the litter tray for now.  I know the humans are enjoying all the extra presents we're leaving for them at the moment so that's one bonus at least.
It's important to find a good, cosy place to hunker down when it's like this. Recently I've been enjoying this "Ikea" bag. It's great - roomy enough for two (not that I'd ever deign to share my chosen sleeping spot with Mia), quite insulating, and makes a good crinkly noise when you stretch.  Lovely. I highly recommend you try to obtain one too; although it may be difficult - I believe they are quite rare, and certainly extremely expensive. Only the best for us, naturellement.

Furry Bits

Bonjour, Mia here again. As for Lila “countering” my supposed immaturity (so what if I like to have fun?), well I shall counter THAT with this photo of her napping in a rather undignified pose.  She’s right by the window too!  Anyone could see her!  OMG!  I’d never have my furry bits on display like that!  (ok, I would, but not so brazenly…)
That reminds me, I haven’t checked what’s happening outside for at least 17 seconds. Must go sit on windowsill again RIGHTNOW.  Seeya!  *boing*