Archive for the ‘cats’ Category

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Tea, Surf, and Cat

November 5, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

white flowers with 5 pedals and yellow centers

We spent a pleasant evening at the Hilton with our friend, Rupert. Where we sat near the beach, drank tea, and listened to the surf. (In the spirit of full disclosure, I had hot chocolate instead of tea.)

waves and beach

If you look very closely at the horizon, you might see the ships and tankers lined up out there.

me wading in the surf

I dipped my toes in the Gulf of Oman for the first time. The sand here is dark, an almost chocolate brown. (I don’t know if that’s because of the actual composition of the sand or the occasional addition of crude oil.) The sand was soft and the water was cool.

black cat

There was even an affectionate kitty who wanted to be petted, until he discovered how good cheese cake tastes. Then his priorities changed. After he figured out cheese cake had run out, he decided that being petted was still good. He came by several times during the course of the evening.

Posted in beach, cats, Fujairah | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment »

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Cat Antics

September 11, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

It’s about time for some cat antics, don’t you think? It has been a busy and exciting two months for Oliver & Bert. Constant rearranging and unpacking of boxes meant lots of curiosity inducing movement.

two cats on top of kitchen cabinets

A recurring theme is to be as high up as one can get. Even as I write this, Bert is on top of the bookshelves in the living room.

two cats examining the new laundry machine

The arrival of the laundry machine resulted in a thorough examination, inside and out.

cat peeking out from a stack of boxes

And the boxes, oh the boxes! To be up high AND in a box, that’s the best.

cat in a cardboard box

two five foot stacks of boxes with a cat on top of each

cat wallowing on a laptop bag

Apparently, my laptop bag is made of catnip, because it inspired a great deal of excitement.

white cat sitting corner behind the refrigerator

Oliver frequently takes a respite in the corner behind the refrigerator.

white cat on top of a door with dirt on his nose

Even the door tops had to be explored and the air conditioning vents as well.

cat on top of door stretching up to look in a vent

The addition of several bookcases was a boon for the desire to be UP.

cat on top of a bookcase

And, of course, there is the daily lounging in the sunny window.

white cat laying on the window sill

Posted in cats | Tagged , | 1 Comment »

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Welcome to Oliver’s House

July 8, 2011

Posted by Oliver the Loud.

Mah-Woo, everybody! Kanga and DaddyBird are letting me guest post on their blog. So, I thought I would show you around my new home.

First, let me say that moving was TOTALLY traumatizing and I don’t ever want to do that again! Luckily, all my old stuff came along – cat toys, food dish, scratching pads, favorite napping chairs, Bert, Kanga and Daddybird, so it’s not so bad, after all.

The best, the very BEST, thing about this new place is the window sills. They are wide enough and long enough for Bert and I to lay/sleep/tussle on. Day or night this is my favorite place. You can see a lot from the 16th floor.

tabby cat sitting in a window sill

There are lots of cool tile floors to lie on. When I’ve been naughty, I run and flop down so that I look innocent.

white cat lying on tile floor amidst moving boxes

This is the room I have to share with Bert. Kanga and DaddyBird lock us up in there when they go out, and I don’t like that much. Really drives Bert crazy. But, I just curl up inside the old suitcase and take a nap until they come back.

white cat in small room with toys

My one complaint is that the sinks make it hard to get a drink.

white cat drinking out of a bathroom sink faucet

All in all, I am pretty happy.

tabby and white cats curled up together

Posted in cats, moving | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments »

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True Kitty Companions

June 23, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

white cat and tabby napping together

It’s been a while since our cats have graced our blog. We must be slipping as devoted cat people, or is that doting cat people?

Oliver is, and always will be, high maintenance, but we are lucky that they both seem to adapt well to our occasional absences. Once we return, it only takes 15-20 minutes before they relax and get back to their ol’ selves. The purring and head butting begins again. There are some lasting repercussions. Bert tends to seek more petting and lap time, as well as being more vocal. Oliver tends to yell at us for a few days a bit louder than normal. Eventually, these wear off.

However, this time, they only have a short window before the next upheaval. We will be moving next week. Hopefully, it will be a straight across move from one apartment to another in a one day shot. I suspect that once they have smelled and explored every corner, they will settle in.

Posted in cats | 3 Comments »

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Voyage, Not Particularly Bon

June 4, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

white cat sitting on top of suitcase

Oliver made his opinion about us packing baggage very clear. He did his best to get in the way and delay the inevitable.

golden decoration

We began our journey at the un-ostentatiously decorated DXB airport. The only frustration was the process required for paying an extra baggage fee for the third suitcase (because the website had stated clearly that we were allowed 2 each – LIE!). Instead of just being able to pay the person who was checking in our bags (as is done in any other airport) our boarding passes were carried to a different counter by a second person who turned it over to the staff of that counter. We then stood in line (too long) waiting for the first of the two people at this counter to match up our paperwork and ask us pointless questions. She then passed the paperwork to her coworker who actually took the money and gave us back our boarding passes. FOUR PEOPLE. Really, does it take four people to handle this transaction? No. It takes four people to delay you so that you stand in line saying, “we should have flown Emirates Airline.”

map showing a single line

We proceeded to Heathrow Airport where getting to your connecting flight is so complex it requires a map.

sign stating face direction of travel

And they give good advice.

It was not the best of trips. It was not the worst of trips. We really must stop this flying halfway around the Earth in one shot business.

Posted in cats, signs, travel adventures | Tagged , , , | Leave a Comment »

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Snappy Tom

May 12, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

I don’t think I’ve posted this picture before. If it’s a repeat, pardon me.

Our brand of kitty litter has an interesting mascot, Snappy Tom.

cartoon cat in a tux sitting on a toilet

If only our cats were such dapper dressers and so well trained.

cartoon cat in tux on toilet is now small image in corner of label

Recently, there’s been a change in labeling and Snappy Tom has been exiled to the bottom left corner of the label. I suspect that he will disappear altogether one day.

Posted in cats, oddities, products/ads | Tagged , , , | Leave a Comment »

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Istanbul Cats

January 27, 2011

Posted by Kanga.

Surely, you knew there would eventually be an “all cat” post. We are those crazy people who stop to photograph and pet stray cats wherever we go.

long haired calico with large orange and black spots

This little calico was behind chain link fence, so no petting, but she was definitely in the mood to play. She gets my vote for most beautiful, so far.

tortoise shell calico cat hiding behind a potted plant

Peek-a-boo. This one was a bit cagy. A picture was all we were going to get from her.

long haired grey tabby

We hit the jackpot outside the Hagia Sophia.

black cat

DaddyBird, cat photographer.

long haired black and white cat

a yellow and white cat curled up on a yellow cab

The longer I stood here taking pictures of this the more cats joined. There was one behind the tree I discovered later.

grey tabby

This tabby has a benefactor somewhere.

grey tabby inside the Hagia Sophia

Even the Hagia Sophia has its own cat. She was happy to get attention and pose.

orange tabby

This orange tabby hangs out in the Hagia Sophia gift shop. He holds his head to the side due to an injury. The shop staff look out for him.

grey tabby peeking through a fence

Another park and another crowd of cats who have someone feeding them.

grey and orange calico

This calico was hanging out inside the tram station to get out of the cold.

That’s not all the cats we’ve encountered, but you get the idea.

Posted in cats, Istanbul | 4 Comments »

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First Stroll in Istanbul

January 22, 2011

Posted by DaddyBird

I don’t usually get around to posting on this blog. Unfortunately I’m usually too busy writing, editing, proofreading, tweeting and configuring things elsewhere. Hopefully, I can get a few posts in while we’re here in Istanbul.

After getting settled in to our cozy room, grabbing a few things from a local market and having a bit of dinner, Kanga was wiped out. I was tired too, but just had to go out for a walk anyway. We’re only a couple of blocks away from the Blue Mosque! Why wait ’til tomorrow to see it? When I’m in a new place, I like to walk around and get the lay of the land as soon as possible anyway, so out I went.

I took some pictures while I was out. Of course some of them were of the local cats. They’re plenty of them around, which is the sign of a great city. 😀 (Lara and Terrence over at The GranTourismo Travel Blog have a cool post about the cats in Istanbul.)

An Istanbul street kitty

Took a few night-time pictures of the Blue Mosque and Aya Sofia. They certainly don’t do to the structures justice, but then, I’m not sure that any pictures can.

Aya Sofia
The Blue Mosque

Walking distances are much shorter than I expected, which is great; we’re even closer to more of the sights that I knew. So far the city is just stunning. Can’t wait to see more of it in daylight. The weather is great! Nice and cool. While I was out walking around in 10 degree Celsius weather, wearing a t-shirt and no jacket, I was asked by several if I wasn’t cold. I told them I enjoy the cold, which I certainly do. This is my kind of weather. (Well, a bit cooler and rainier would be great too!)

Firuz Aga Camii

Our friend Rupert, who has lived in Istanbul, made a number of recommendations on places to go and things to do. One suggestion was to check out the pudding shops. I found one just a few steps away from Aya Sophia. The pudding is tasty, and the food looked good too, may go back for dinner.

A Pudding Shop!

I uploaded a few of the pictures that I took this evening to a Picasa album. Here’s the link: http://picasaweb.google.com/pauliancastle/Istanbul

Go down to the end of this street and turn left and you’re at our place.
This seems to be how they say, “Don’t park in front of this building” in our neighborhood.
Kitty in the window
On a sidewalk near the Blue Mosque; I think I’ve seen these exact items on sale in Naif! 😉

More soon!

Posted in cats, Istanbul | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments »

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The Joys of Styrofoam

November 15, 2010

Posted by Kanga.

It has been a while and I am certain you have begun to wonder what my crazy cat has been up to lately.

This continues until the tray is torn up into little bits. When we are putting away groceries after shopping, we have to watch anything that is in a styrofoam package because he will snitch it and run off to play with it no matter what the contents are.

Posted in cats | 1 Comment »

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Oliver’s new bag

October 20, 2010

Posted in cats, video | 2 Comments »

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