He's BACK!

Thank goodness! We were calling him and calling him and then we got out the *treats* that he loves in the plastic bottle, and we shook the bottle as we called, and he came trotting right up like he hadn't been making us frantic all day!

Thanks so much, everyone, for your comments! We are so happy he's home--and no, he's NOT going out on the porch unsupervised again any time soon!

COLBY IS GONE!

We are really, really worried because Colby has disappeared!

Dad fixed the hole in the screen where Houdini Colby had been escaping, and for a couple weeks now we have had no problems with escape attempts.

Last night, we let Colby out on the screened porch along with Fancy. The weather turned nice here in the last couple days, and it has been in the high seventies, going down only into the sixties at night, so the kitties have been wanting to spend a lot of time out there.

This morning, we could not find Colby. At first we thought one of the kids had let him back in along with Fancy, but they said no, and we looked for him in the house and could not find him, so back out to the screened porch we went to check--Colby had torn a new hole in the screen!
Dad, obviously, was NOT very happy about this.

Colby having escaped before, and the kids needing to go to school, I left to take them. I was sure when I came back he would be at the front door or on the windowsill, very annoyed as he had missed breakfast, and wanting to be let back in.

But he is still nowhere to be found, and now it is nearly 2:00! Cheddar is very worried about him and has been sticking close to me most of the day, purring and head butting when I call Colby and then getting worried and walking out to the edges of the porch to add his own squeaky meow to my cries.

Fancy seems unconcerned--let's hope she knows something we don't!

I'm really getting worried about Colby--even at his worst Houdini times, when he would escape from the porch, he never stayed out this long!

~Viv, Colby's Mom

Fancy Friday: Baby, It's Cold Outside!

I've been doing a lot of cuddling with Colby these days. It's not so much that I *like* him or anything, it's just that it is furry cold outside!

Colby is furry good at opening doors now--unless the beans make sure they are all locked down, he will go to the door, stand up against it on two legs, pull at the lever with his paw, and then lean on it until it opens. He did this the other night when the teen bean forgot to lock the garage door after covering the plants (plants need blankies when it is cold, too!).

The only thing he, he left the door open (Colby's good at opening the doors, not so good at closing them again!).

You should have heard the Dad bean complaining when he got up in the middle of the night to find the door open and us kitties escapin'!

Okay, yeah, it WAS in the thirties, which is apparently bean talk for "ridiculously freezing cold", but still!

Oh, and you know what?

Cheddar is really enjoyin' this weather!

Yes! Cheddar, who squeaks when he sees a squirrel and runs inside the house if it chatters at him too much, is just eatin' up the cold with his big floofy fur and his big fat tummy to keep him warm. It's just not fair!

I do have it better than Colby, though. I'm ladylike and petite, but I have pretty thick fur--Colby is skinny as a rail and all sleek--his fur doesn't keep him warm at ALL!

So, see, when I cuddle up with him, I'm really doing him a favor!

That's right.

I'm just being nice.

~Fancy, the good girl kitty

Oh Hai! It's me, Cheddar.

I would like to take issue wif certain kittehs *makes laser eyes at Colby* that have been...hold on, wot's dat phrase Mom told me? Here it is: "Impugning my character."

Ahem. It's true that, on occasion, my meow sounds a bit...squeaky. So much so that, in fact, the beans sometimes call it my "battle squeak." But dat does NOT mean I am a girly cat!

No, I am a big, strong, very-nearly Mancat. See, even "battle squeak" tells you so, because battle means fightin', right? And girls don't fight--oh, wait a minute.

Fancy fights.

Hmm.

Well, anyway, here is a pikshur of me and Colby wif a lizard dat I helped kill. Would a girly kitteh do that?

She would?

Well, it doesn't matter! I may be floofy, but I'm as masculine as dey come. Right, ladies?

um...right?

Colby's lament

I killed a bird today.

You would think the beans would be proud of me.

I'm not even a full mancat, and I killed it all by myself!

I Houdini'ed my way out of my collar and snuck right up on it.

The little bird was eating some fruit that the littlest bean spilled and Mom put out on the grass so it wouldn't go to waste.

It didn't even hear me coming.

It was furry quick--I didn't play with it or nuthin'.

And I started meowing, so they would all come and see what a good hunter I'd been.

The littlest bean heard me, and when he came I showed him where the little bird was.

They should be proud of me!

So...why is efurryone actin' so sad around here?