Merry Christmas everyone!

I doubt I'll have the chance to write again before Christmas since India, Mom, and I are leaving for Grandma's on Monday afternoon (as long as the weather is ok). We are all very anxious to enjoy some peace & quiet at Grandma's house and get away from our annoying downstairs neighbours. Mom will especially need the rest because things will be very hectic and challenging for her when we return in January!

All that to say...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!! From: Mr. Fluffy, India the fish, and Mom Monique

The interesting adventures of... Mom???

First of all, I forgot to post a pic of our finished gingerbread house. You will notice that the side windows are not done. Explanation: Mom didn't make the hole in the frosting pouch big enough (note: Mom places the blame on the cheaply made pouch), so at one point when Mom was squeezing the pouch, it literally exploded in her hands! What a mess. But, it made for a good laugh (moreso on my behalf).

Mom adventure #2: She FINALLY decided to clean out her freezer (sort of..) Anyway, last summer, Mom froze a bunch of baggies with strawberries and others with bananas that she planned to use for fruit smoothies. As she was "discovering" these baggies, she got a craving and decided to make herself a banana smoothie. Only..... once she started drinking her smoothie, it had an awful taste. No bananas. It turns out that mom actually made a scallop smoothie. That's right: The frozen bag of "bananas" was actually frozen scallops. Needless to say, that ended up in the garbage. Even I didn't want to put my paw on that!

Our fish India has adjusted to his new home. He is happy.

In other news, Mom's Christmas Bird Count is quickly coming up, and she's very excited about it. Last year, she and three other ladies decided to drive around the city, but that wasn't particularly her idea of fun. This year, she is trying to head out to the country with another group so she can enjoy the scenery and more interesting birds. Better than dumpsters and Gulls! Stay tuned!

It's a gingerbread house!

...and I helped!

Here I am inspecting it....

...for a nice place to lick!!! Yup, it's Fluffy approved.

Paw-It-Forward!

It's HERE, it's HERE!!! The mailman just rang the doorbell and in came my paw-it-forward package from Yaffa, Sebastian, and Dante! THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH!!!! I love it all! It's an early Xmas here for me! Mom says it's especially cool that it came to me all the way from New York!

This is the link to their Paw-It-Forward posting:
Meemsnyc/Furry Paws

Look at all the cool stuff I got!!!


(Still half asleep from my nap, MOL!)


Mmmm, I LOVE catnip!!

Yummy!



Rolling around on the catnip toys!

AGAIN, THANK YOU SO MUCH YAFFA, SEBASTIAN AND DANTE!!

WANT TO PLAY?
Here are the guidelines for Paw It Forward:

The exchange focuses on doing an act of kindness without expecting anything in return other than that the recipient will, in their turn, pass the kindness along and 'paw it forward' in their own way. This is how it works...I am going to send something to the FIRST blog owner who wants to take part. In turn you will then post about this on your blog, link back to me, then send something to the first person who signs up to play along through your blog. There are no cost restraints, BUT don't go crazy! The little something you send can be something you made, bought, were given or found. No biggie, just a gift that will make the person smile; maybe something unique from where you live? And, remember that kindness does not have to involve money, there are untold ways to help others every single day, everywhere you go- just look around. Please post us a comment letting me know that you want to play!

Santa picture!

Here is my picture with Santa Claws! I'm pretty darn cute if I do say so myself! >^^<

Santa & Mr. Fluffy pictures.... coming soon to a blog near you!

Monique: This morning, I went out birding with my nature group. Unfortunately, I didn't get myself out of bed early enough, so I rushed to get dressed. I forgot my mitts, and the weather called for thermal attire, but I didn't get to that either! Main thing: I made it to the meeting spot on time... barely! Could have been worse though. Our president of the club (who is a professor at my university) came with me in my car, and when we got to the first spot (about 30 minutes away... driving "birdwatching" style), he realized that he forgot his binoculars!!! So I had to share mine with him. No worries because neither of us missed much! Today was a quiet day. We drove and walked in quite a few locations and found nothing. A few Starlings, Ring-billed Gulls, a House Sparrow, a lot of Crows, a Bald Eagle, oh and our grand finale.. a White-breasted Nuthatch! It was my first time seeing one, so I was a little excited. Such a beautiful bird! Anyway, it was still nice, and I got to meet a couple of new people. We came back early since it was such an uneventful morning.

Fluffy: After Mom got home from birding, it was still pretty early, so she took me to see Santa. I was such an AMAZING boy!! I didn't meow or pant once, I was so calm in the car and even made myself comfortable! I was even being curious when I was in my stroller. Like last year, I was quite the hit!! I was happy because it wasn't crowded like last year. There were only about 4 dogs, and none of them barked! As a matter of fact, one of the ladies in front of us had a doggy that was about the same size as Cousin Mabel, and she was having a great time sniffing my stroller. People were coming around wanting to see and pet me, so Mom unzipped the mesh. Of course when the people left, I was still "unzipped" and the curious doggy decided to poke her head inside. Much to Mom's surprise, we just gently sniffed each other's faces!!! Mom couldn't believe that I didn't hiss or try whipping her with my paw! She thinks the photographer should have captured that special moment! Even the lady said "Oh my goodness, that's so adorable!" So now, it was my turn to see Santa, and I was AMAZING!!! I was very cooperative this time (because I just wanted to get it over with of course!) but when I went back into Mom's arms, I didn't want her to let me go.. I didn't even want to get back into my stroller. So, she held me for a little while, then eventually I was ok to go back in. $30 later (she bought a calendar, cookbook and paid for the pictures.. going for a good cause of course - the animal shelter!) we got home, and I got treats! Mom was soooo proud of her little man! No pictures are posted yet, but we will post them as soon as we can. Stay tuned!!!

Beautiful White-breasted Nuthatch. Not the one I saw of course, but wow, what a gorgeous bird!

New addition to our little family!

Well, Mom decided to add a Siamese Fighting Fish (Betta fish) to our little family. I have to admit, it is quite cute and I'm proud to be a big brother. It doesn't do much, but it is fun to watch. We decided to name it "India"! It is a beautiful red coloured fish. Right now, it appears happy and "frolicky"!

A warm welcome to India!

That time of the year!

Hi everyone!

Guess what! Mom says that I will be getting my picture taken with Santa Claws next Sunday! I'm soooo excited. (NOT!) I didn't enjoy the experience too much last year. I mean come on, I had about 20 dogs trying to sniff me, some barking, and about a million people wanting to pet me and about 5 people kept dangling funny little things in front of me trying to get my attention and look at this thing called a "camera" aka. a box shaped thing that blinds you when they press a little button. Anyway, here are a couple pictures from last year, just to recap!

Mom says we'll go first thing in the morning. Hopefully there will be less people and dogs.

They even took a picture of me with Mom! I was so popular! MOL!

A morning with Mabel the canine!

Well, Mom took Auntie's adorable doggie (according to Mom) named Mabel out for a nice long walk this morning to one of her favourite spots. They walked for almost 2 hours! Mabel had a great time exploring and sniffing, and Mom enjoyed a bit of birding and just hanging out with the pooch! I, of course, stayed home because I didn't want Mabel to chase me! I'm sure given the opportunity, she would too. They saw Crows of course, a Woodpecker, a Blue Jay and lots of little Chickadees! They also saw a couple squirrels, and Mabel caught glimpse of a white barn cat!! According to Mom, the cat ran pretty quickly when Mabel made her presence known. I can't say I blame the feline!!

During their outing, Mom chatted with Mabel and taught her things like how the leaves change colour in the Fall and they fall on the ground, and how everything dies and looks yellow. She also taught her about different bovines and showed her some black and white cows. She also taught her about tides and how water goes up and down. Ok, good thing nobody was around because they might have thought Mom was a little silly "teaching" a dog about these things!!?? She did assure me that she wouldn't have done this if other people were around. I sure hope not!

Anyway, Mom says she had a lot of fun and hopes to do this again soon! Here are a few pics of their outing.

Mabel checking out the scenery!

Oh!! What was THAT?


Mabel kisses are the best. Hee hee...

The intended purpose of this contraption!


So beautiful...

This was interesting.. I sure wouldn't want to fall in!

Halloween and other funny anecdotes...

Here was my little costume for Halloween. Mom wasn't home, so she "decorated" me a little early. Aren't I cute?

Mom bought a collapsible drinking bowl for Auntie's dog (Mom's favourite canine) for when she takes her out for walks and hikes. As soon as I saw it, I thought it was for ME!! I think it makes a better pillow. As a matter of fact, I am still sleeping on it. Mom bought me a little catnip Clownfish, but I think this is better.

Pictures!

Mom FINALLY bought a battery charger since she lost her other one. Here are some new pics.. New bandana and bday supper!!

...and Mom is still baffled..

Well, I'm STILL pooping in the so-called "inappropriate place".. aka. our bedroom. Mom is just as baffled as ever, so she decided it was time for a vet visit. They said it could be behavioural like as in hinting to Mom that I'm lacking attention or that I don't like my litter and that's how I'm showing it. Otherwise, I'm not sick, I don't have diarrhea (I know, gross...) so it was recommended that Mom switch my litter. Mom thinks that "might" make sense because sometimes the clumping stuff gets caught in my back paws and I don't like it. I used to have the non-clumping stuff before. Mom doesn't like it because it smells more, and it has to be changed more frequently. But, Mom has to realize that it's not about her.. it's all about ME! So Mom is going to give a good scrubbing to my litterbox and try the stuff I used to use. She also decided to buy some puppy training pads and placed one where I usually poop just in case I have more "accidents". At least it won't soil the carpet and I'm sure that would make the landlord a whole lot happier. Anyway, we'll see how that goes. I will keep you posted!! Of course Mom isn't scolding me for what I'm doing, which I appreciate. She knows it's not my fault...

During Mom's vet visit, OF COURSE she bought me a new bandana! HALLOWEEN THEMED!!! I will post pics as soon as Mom charges her camera batteries!

She is making a chicken in our slow cooker at the moment. It looks like it will be really yummy too! It's the first time she tries it this way. She promised me some chicken for my bday, and here it is!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!

I'm 15 years old now! Unfortunately, Mom doesn't know the exact day I was born, but she knows it is approximately at this time. She says I am around 75-77 years in human years. I am in my 3rd year as a geriatric kitty. Mom is finding it increasingly hard, but she is thankful for every day that I am with her. She gives me all the love she can, and I know I'm loved very much! As a bday treat, Mom promised some chicken sometime in the next few days. Mmmmmmm....

Change of plans...

Well, I guess Mom and I aren't going to Grandma's after all this weekend! Unfortunately Grandma has to work the entire weekend which is no surprise because she has always been a workaholic. We never even really spent any Christmases with her until she retired, sooo Mom was not surprised to hear this. ;) That's ok, Mom and I will get to spend the entire weekend together with lots of quiet time. :) I don't like the car anyway.

Auntie Linda was incredibly kind and generous to invite Mom over with her own family. Auntie has a doggie, so I don't think I want to go. MOL... Either way, Mom promised me turkey. I will get it somehow! She doesn't break her promises!

Thanksgiving at Grandma's!

I forgot to mention in yesterday's post that next weekend is Thanksgiving here in Canada! That means Mom will be going to Grandma's, but guess what, she's taking me with her! She's going to bring my stroller too, so we'll be going for walks! (As long as the weather cooperates!) She says that Chevy (Grandma's neighbour's little dog) will probably come with us. I'm not sure how I feel about THAT. It's going to be a bit of a crazy long weekend because we're leaving right after Mom's dentist appointment on Thursday. Mom then has a conference on Friday in another city called 'Miramich' (which includes some canoing!) "Wooo hooooo!!!" says Mom. Then she has to drive back to Grandma's and she has a wedding to go to that night in yet another city, so it's going to be pretty hectic. Nonetheless, she's looking forward to it (especially the canoing!!) and Grandma can't wait to see me because it has been so long! And I can't wait for Grandma's TURKEY!!

In need of a "Kitty Penningtons"

Well, Mom saw the CUTEST Halloween costumes for animals at Walmart today. She decided to get me a Witch costume (size MEDIUM for DOGS!) Well guess what... it DOESN'T FIT!!! And that was the largest size they have, so she'll have to take it back tomorrow morning. Gee, too bad for that (sense my sarcasm?) Mom says they should come up with a "Kitty Penningtons" store because nothing ever fits me (not even stuff that is made for dogs). It annoys Mom because she even has a hard time finding clothes that fit Auntie's doggie!! Not everyone has a Chihuahua or a Teacup Poodle! And let's face it... I'm not THAT big!

Oh the places you will go...

...and oh the things you will do...

Hello my readers,

Summer is coming to an end. Only about two more weeks before the nights and mornings are chilly, frost will appear on windshields, and Mom will be starting her fifth and final year of university. She is done work now, so that means lots more time to spend with me!!! She will be away for a few days this week to visit grandma though. But, she did promise me that next week will be our "Mom and me" time.

Mom would like some advice. Since my illness, I have pooped on the floor (in the same area in the bedroom) 2-3 times. I haven't vomitted or had diarrhea, but Mom is baffled as to why I pooped outside my litterbox. She doesn't think I'm sick because I'm eating fine and I do my business on a regular basis. Does anyone out there have any ideas as to why I'm doing this? I am almost 15 years old, and maybe I'm feeling a little confused at times (but I don't pee outside my litterbox)...

I received my Xmas gift early this year!!! Mom bought me a Louis Vuitton collar!!! Talk about a stylin' kitty! >^^<>

Oh yes, and here is my new fish toy!!! It's a krinkle fish!

Unintentional birding!

Mr. Fluffy: I have been feeling much better lately now that I haven't been eating any wet food. I haven't been throwing up, but now I haven't pooped in over 2 days. Mom checked around the apartment in case I did my business elsewhere, but nothing. Mom was away though, so maybe I'll feel like going again now that she's back! The main thing is that I am doing much better. YAY!

Monique: I was at my mom's over the weekend and ended up doing a bit of unintentional birding. Yesterday, I took the neighbour's dog out for a walk, and saw two gorgeous Cedar Waxwings! Sadly, I didn't have my binoculars with me (isn't that always the way!), but they were close enough to get a good look. Sadly, I also came across a dead Sparrow on the dirt road. :(

This morning was the greatest surprise. I was eating breakfast with my aunt & uncle when my aunt noticed an interesting bird up in one of the trees. Paying no attention, I told her it was probably just a crow. My step-dad's binos were within reach, so we grabbed them and figured out that it was a Peregrine Falcon!! I thought it was a Merlin, but my aunt & uncle are experienced birders, so they knew right away. Though, they were surprised to find it in the area (in a tree!). According to my uncle, they were once on the endangered species list, but brought them back. Interesting! Now that he knows I'm a birder (and him being a university professor and a birder himself), he quizzed me all weekend on every bird we saw (including gulls!) which was actually pretty fun!

On my way home, I noticed an osprey surveying the highway from its nest.

Sick little guy

Well, I've been giving Mom a bit of a scare. For a while, I was sick of my wet food, so Mom stopped feeding it to me. She re-introduced it to me about a week ago, and I appeared to be doing fine, except the past few days. I started throwing up after eating, but then I would be fine! Only today, my tummy is feeling extra yucky because I have been pooping on the floor too (something I NEVER do!!) So Mom became very worried about me and called the vet. It is a civic holiday here, so vets are closed. Anyway, the doctor on call said that it was most likely the wet food causing my distress and to stop feeding it to me. He said that I was probably defecating on the carpet because I felt bad about throwing up (though Mom thought this sounded a bit odd..??) Anyway, she's been giving me lots of TLC today, and decided to stay home with me. She'll see what happens and if things aren't better by tomorrow morning, she'll take me to the vet. Sounds like I just have a sore tummy though, thankfully!!

Well, back to some TLC with Mom.. she's going to make me some boiled chicken with rice to help settle my tummy. Mmmmm...

Oh oh.... and I just did my business in my litterbox!!! Woo hoooo!!

Unfortunately, because of my age, this ordeal has left Mom feeling rather upset and making her realize that I can't be with her furever. She's realizing how unprepared she is for when "the time" comes.

I'll keep ya's posted on what's going on with me.

Livingroom camping!!

It has been very warm these past couple days, so our bedroom is like a furnace! We have air conditioning in our livingroom though, so Mom decided to blow up the air mattress and sleep in the livingroom. It is very comfortable (though Auntie J-J would disagree with this statement. hehe) I decided that I wanted to sleep with Mom even if my own bed was right next to her. Check out the generous amount of leg room I allowed her!!

In other news, my Auntie Linda just adopted a dog, and according to Mom, she's a real sweetheart. I'm not so sure about this, and I don't think I want to meet her, but I'm ok with Mom seeing her. She just fell in love with her at first sight. I have to admit though, she IS pretty cute, I just don't want to become her lunch!!!

Where I started off....



Where I spent most of the night...

Mom's little gentleman

Mom went to the vet this morning to buy me some more food and treats of course. And of course everytime she goes, she HAS to get me something special because I'm a perfect little gentleman. Check out my new little bandana! It has little mice eating cheese! Mom couldn't resist (and the money goes toward a good cause).

Mom's promise...

Mom made me a promise this evening. She promised me that I will remain her one and only furchild furever. She will not bring in any other cats, rats, dogs, or anything else into our home for as long as I am here. She said she wouldn't even talk about it. She does not want to cause me any sort of grief whatsoever. I think my mommy loves me - even if I tried keeping her out of the apartment for about 10 minutes when she came home from work tonight. It's bad enough that she leaves me for any amount of time let alone bringing another critter into the picture.

Old pics!!! Beginning of university life..

Monique: I found some old pictures from 2005 when I first started my university endeavor. (For the record, I'm now in my 5th and final year... at least for now, depending on what the future holds for me. :) ) Anyway, I dug up a few pictures which made me laugh (and shudder...) from my 1st year when I was living in residence. I sometimes miss the silence (I lived on the top floor which was nicknamed "the morgue" because it was poorly lit and a 24/7 quiet hours floor. Most students were Law, mature, or graduate students.) Anyway, I missed Fluffy too much, and I wanted him with me, so I only stayed in residence one year. Well, enough ramblinjg. Enjoy these HORRIBLE photos.. lol..

My first day living there. Don't I look happy. ;)

Group photo. You can barely see me, but I'm behind the guy in the middle front row wearing a cowboy hat.



A visit from some friends from my home town. Sadly, this friend has moved to the other side of the country. We had a bit too much to drink (and we didn't even hit the bars yet! haha)




Again.. my friends from home. We were buzzing... lol...

December 2005

Happy birding!

Monique: I have been dying to get around to do some birding, so I made it a point to get up with the birds (lol) and go. I woke up at 5:30am and arrived at my destination around 6:30 am. The birds were in full force and just so overwhelming because there were so many of them!!! I'm sure I stayed in the same area for at least 30 mins. It was great to see all the beautiful Warblers out. And of course I saw a bunch of Sparrows and quite a few birds I was unable to identify. I did find two particular birds that especially caught my interest and I made it a point to consult my field guide at once. One was a male Hairy Woodpecker (I think.. I was unable to classify him as anything else!) and I became especially excited when I THOUGHT I saw an Eastern Towhee, but it could have just ended up being an American Redstart. Either way, I was excited (it doesn't take much for me, lol)..

I returned to my spot this afternoon, but I didn't find anything of interest.

Anyway, I had an amazing time, even if I was alone. Nature is SO beautiful at 6:30am, and it allowed me to recharge my "me" time.

Princess Fluffy?!?!?!?!?!? MOM!!!

Hello my readers,

I know it's been a while since I've posted. Nothing much is going on right now. The weather has been poopy lately (rain, cloudy, etc) so I've mostly been sleeping. Mom is back to work full time, so there really isn't much else to do around here. Also, Mom ran out of ideas for toys (not that I would play with them anyway!!)

In other news, my Auntie and her furkids (pet rats.. which Mom is very fond of) recently moved (she used to live in our building). We both miss having her around very much, but she moved to a gorgeous house in the country and appears to be much happier there. Mom wanted her to take us with her, but I don't think there would be enough room for us. MOL.. I reminded Mom that we mustn't be selfish by wishing she was still here. She said that she will still come by to take care of me, so that makes me happy. Besides, she's not THAT far away - could be a lot worse.

Here are a few silly pics Mom took of me. The "Princess Fluffy" one is of me wearing the tiara Mom wore at her high school prom 10 years ago!