Chick Jumped

Inge had put Chick on top of the closet in the bedroom - one of Chick's favorite spots because it's nice and warm up there and (on top of that) it is the perfect place for a small cat with a Napoleon complex - a rather big personality trapped in a rather small body.

The closet is quite high and I was curious to see how the Chick was going to come down. It seemed a good camera moment, too. So I got my camera and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Chick did not come down. On the contrary, she looked like she was never going to come down again. I called Inge and she tried to lure Chick into descent by hiding low behind the door and making interesting scratching noises. Chick was obviously intrigued - but she did not move. After a while we realized we were just entertaining her. I wouldn't put it past her that she knew the show would only last as long as she stayed up there.

I gave up. We left the bedroom, I took a shower and came back after 20 minutes or so. Now Chick was suddenly ready to jump down - on my left shoulder. I managed to take three pictures of her descent. Here they are.

Change of scenery

Chick and Chucky have their favorite places: near or on top of the radiator, in bed, on a chair in the hall. Sometimes a place falls out of grace and sometimes they discover new nooks for napping.

Chucky has recently discovered one of the dog's beds as a preferred place for day dreaming. And while he is musing, this bed is a no-go area Quincy and Roeschka.

Fighting Paper

;
Chucky loves to fight a roll of paper towels of paper towels; it absobrs his sharp claws and he can shred it to pieces with all four. I tend to keep him hem away from the stuff, because I consider it to be a really bad habit of his. But it is quite a spectacle to behold and an absorbing struggle for him: Chucky against roll of paper towels makes fascinating footage.

Still, Inge sometimes lets him shred a roll or two. This time Chucky got so much into it that he fell to the floor fighting the paper towels. And that didn't stop him! This picture was taken as he was about to fall on the floor. Less than half of him is still on the table.

Cats in High Places

Both Chick and Chucky are fond of ladders, especially ladders in new places. They are happy to assist with the removal of a lamp in the attic. Climbing up is easy for them - it's going down that makes an interesting spectacle. They are remarkably agile in the descent - no falling down whatsoever.

Catch Me

Too lazy to take a walk in the gutter - back to the pergola he climbed up to get on the roof, Chucky prefers to come down another, more satisfying way.

He loves to meow while he is doing it and at first I thought he did that because he was afraid. But now I think it is a kind of mild excitement that makes him scream, and also a highly effective way to get and hold the attention of the gardener. Because the last part of the descend is a jump into loving arms.

Indeed, soon after this picture was taken (I was in the house and used my iphone camera as there was no time to get a better one) Chucky was - purr purr purr - resting on Inge's shoulder. He's a party animal.

So ready for a Spa

Chick was lying on the towel and I tucked her in. She seemed to like it - she kept purring and made no effort to leave. One happy cat!
But in the picture she seems to look a bit tired; ready for a health resort, with loving massages, aroma therapy, and sauna.

All I Want Is Some Respect

So I'm bigger, stronger, older. A fierce dog, some say, and with a hefty bark. Everyone respects me. That is all I ask for (and regular meals, of course). But do I get it from that obnoxious feline feller? Never.

What's Cooking?

Spending time in the kitchen while studying books - Chick and Chucky are mastering the art of multi-tasking. Somehow, I don't see them whipping up egg white any time soon. But they love books with ribbons - and this one has two!

Fall Has Come

Fall has come, and as long as it is just dry and windy, Chick and Chucky won't mind.
Here they are, at what might become their new home. We might move to this new, wilder place. Here they are exploring an unused sandbox on the potential new premises. As far as they are concerned, this is heaven.

My fear, though, is that they may at some point be eaten by a fox who is looking for a good lunch for herself and her children. There is an old, deserted fox den with several entrances, which means they used to live here. The chicken would attract foxes - for obvious reasons. At other places, Chucky might be killed by a car on a road. No chance of that here - but here he might be caught while wandering merrily in the corn fields. It's strange to feel worried about that - it's not my habit at all. But I've started dreaming about a fox heading off to its lair with a dead Chick between its jaws... my Chick!

All we can think of now - apart from keeping the chicken in the closed courtyard - is to get a terrier (border terrier, Jack Russell or indeed a fox terrier), to keep the foxes at bay.

To be continued...

You Are Being Watched

Inge picking blackberries is a sight not to be missed - Chucky loves how her hands search for berries, and rushes to the bushes, eager for movements and sounds.

From time to time he raises his head and keeps an eye on everything that might be going on elsewhere.

Cliffhanger

Yes, she did fall. Landed on her feet, shook 'm, licked 'm, and walked away unscathed.

Boating

Summer has not been too good this year and we didn't spend afternoons on the like. It had been six months since Chick and Chucky had spent time on a boat that was not tied to the shore.
They seemed to like it, okay. After an hour they went in to play with each other and then take an afternoon nap.

Hedgehog

Inge took this picture of a puzzled Chucky and a noctural visitor. Chick didn't even want to go near it.

Environmental Activist

Chick has a new passion: she finds trash that is lying alongside or in the ditches near the house and takes it home. If you step on a wet and slimy object in the hall, bathroom or kitchen, it is probably something Chick dragged in.

About this picture: I had picked a plastic bag out of the water and dropped it on the deck - there were some plastic Heineken glasses in the canal I also wanted to fish out. Chick recognized a golden opportunity. She jumped at the bag, picked it up and ran to the hedge for cover.

I found that bag a few hours later in the hallway.

Cat Dip

Chick kept purring, but she did pull up her hind legs when her feet touched the water. Now she is licking her toes dry - the rest didn't get wet. And no, she doesn't mind having to live with people who have such a sick sense of humor.

Stunt Cat

I didn't think he'd fall that fast - neither did he. A few minutes later, he chased his sister all over the garden, so no damage done. Perhaps he even learned a lesson...

Chucky Jumps

He hates pebbles between his toes. Chucky prefers the big jump.

We're On Strike

Kip is still here. Chick and Chucky Upset. Here they are in a box in the attic. I wouldn't be surprise if they'd go on a hunger strike.

Get ye hence, you filthy beast. Go!

We have a guest dog for the weekend: 'Kip', a Heidewachtel (read: hunting) dog, 5 years old, very active, very alert. He knows cats, but Chick and Chucky are strangers to him. When he sees them, he wants to go after them. And if you don't let him, he fixes his eyes on Chick (or Chucky) cannot be distracted by any means.

The cats are less than pleased. Here's Chick engaged in a stare-out battle of the minds.

So far, there is no real winner.

(This picture was taken with the Hipstamatic app on my iPhone. While it offers many different effects, I prefer these dramatic black and white settings)

Trailer

Chick and Chucky should have their own road movie - going someplace, traveling. I love it when they run together. It's a pity they are absolutely not open to suggestions from me - there is no directing them. All I can do is film them whenever I can, and eventually making a movie of it, editing the footage, and coming up with a storyline where they are going - well, somewhere. A saucer of milk, perhaps?

Cat Nap

Chucky loves eiderdown. He sneaks in for a nap or just sneaks in and stays there for hours.

Roof Climber

Strolling in the gutter is fine - till you see someone else is higher up. Chick wants to come to me (just because I'm higher), but the roof is too steep for her. In the end, Inge helped her climb up and I pulled her in through the window. She was purring at the top of her lungs.

A Free Ride

I am trying to take a picture of Chick as she walks away from me. But whenever she sees me, she runs towards me and the camera, so that proves to be a lot harder than it will look when I eventually succeed in taking that picture.
Today at first was no exception. There I am lying on the ground, and she sees me and heads for the lens. But then Chick got distracted by the wheelbarrow parked behind the stable and decided it was the place to be for her. At least for a while.

The Cat's Whiskers

Now that they have a second home all the way up in Friesland, Chick's whiskers are getting longer and longer. Chucky no longer cuts them off - he has better things to do, like chase butterflies, mosquito's, mice, birds, chicken, frogs, even mice. His sister's whiskers have benefited enormously.


On this picture, taken about one year ago, she still had a short, Adolf-esque mustache, kept short by Chucky when they were sleeping together. Partly out of boredom, I think, and partly because short hairs prickle more than long ones. As anyone can confirm who has ever kissed a man (or woman) with a five o'clock shadow.

Cat & Car

Chick & Chucky like cars. Whenever a visitor arrives or leaves by car, Chick and/or Chucky will jump in as soon as a car door is opened. It's a need to inspect. They don't mind driving, either (as is obvious from the banner of this blog), as long as it doesn't take too long and the driving takes place in the daytime. Driving in the dark just isn't their thing. And to drive that point home, they meow all the way.

When the traffic is easy, driving from Amsterdam to Friesland takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes, which C&C feel is a bit too long. But once we're in the car and on the motorway going north, they are released from their containers, free to roam. Usually they end up taking turns sitting on my lap.

I took this picture with my iPhone while driving.Of course I was keeping one and a half eyes on the road, which I hope accounts for the expression on my face. But when I looked at it the next day, I thought: 'the look on my face resembles my cat's. I am starting to look like Chucky.' Or he is starting to look like me. A case of owner-pet symbiosis?

Chucky & Chickens

He does think they're too big to eat, and he keeps his distance fromt the rooster. But when he feels like it, Chucky likes to scare the chickens. Chase them a bit for fun, not lunch.
But Lenie (the darker chicken on the left) is still very protective of her child, even though Hennie is now an almost grown chicken.
Lenie knows she can put herself between the cat and her child, make herself bigger and trying to look like the ferocious chicken-mother from hell she really isn't. She has done so in the past. And so Chucky leaves them alone. There are lots of other things to amuse oneself with.

Late Night Stroll

When Chick and Chucky reside in the countryside (rural Friesland, to be more exact), they like to join the dogs for the evening walk.
This is both routine and adventure. It means leaving the trusted premises and traveling along the public road, every inch of which has to be inspected. The adjoining gardens and yards have to be inspected, too, of course. This takes time. If C&C see a car, a bike, a strange dog or neighbor approach, they hide till the coast is clear.
When we finally all return to base (the kitchen), the dogs will chew on a snack and Chick and Chucky get their well-deserved saucer with milk. A perfect ending to a perfect evening.

Champion Chuck

Chuck and Chicky went to an informal cat show called Burmezenmiddag ('Burmese afternoon'). It lasted forever, and by the time it was time to hand out the Awards, they were dealing out. chick was hissing at her brother, Chuck tried to be mentally absent, and when he got the award for best castrate male cat, all he could do was hiss and groan.
This is thhe morning after, and they are both feeling better. Happily chasing butterflies in the garden. All stress forgotten.

Saved from the Cats' Claws

Chick's latest trophy: a baby duck that turns out to be alive after I've taken it out of Chick's jaws. Help!

We cannot find mother duck, and anyway, a hastily searched and found website about lost & found baby ducks warns us not to put the baby duck back. The mother is now likely to kill it. The website adds that if the baby duck doesn't die soon, its chances of survival are pretty good - IF you keep it warm and give it a shallow container with regularly refreshed water. And for heaven's sake, don't feed it bread! Hard boiled egg mixed with some toast is good. And specialty foods for baby chickens. That's not in the house though, and stores are closed by now. but an egg is no problem, and a neighbor provides some toast.

We call the baby duck Tjebbe, and put him in a cat bench, on a towel, under an infrared lamp. He is quiet, and warm, and he seems asleep now, though he opens his eyes when you come close. Chick and Chucky are oblivious of this potential prey in the house. I guess that will change if Tjebbe survives and starts making sounds. But first things first. Let's see if Tjebbe makes it through the night.

Paw-Tongue Coordination

Chucky has found yet another high place to work on some personal hygiene. When I took this picture, I was standing on a table to be a little closer to him - close enough to see that his tongue-paw coordination seems to be a little off. When the cleaning paw is on his face, his tongue still hangs out.

Irresistible

Ironing with cats in the room changes the experience. Chucky loves the clean clothes. I think he likes to be the focus of attention, too. But above all, he loves the heat from the flat iron.

Heroine

What I like about Chucky - he loves being saved.

Tree climbing

2 May 2011 Up we go again. There are birds breeding in this tree and they are screaming. It is very effective, because he responds to the screaming birds and isn't looking for nests. From one side of the tree to the other and back.

Flow

25 April 2011 - Visiting the even more rural farm. Chick manages to get on the roof and is now working her way up to the top. Two swallows get very excited, because they are breeding nearby and find a cat's present very disturbing. But Chick is not looking for nests or birds. She is running for the fun of it. She is in cat heaven.

Kangaroo

23 April 2011 - Easter. Chucky practices being a kangaroo.

Up Yonder

Chucky made it to the roof this morning. Once there, he turned a corner and disappeared from sight. After 10 minutes or so, I went to look where he was. Turns out he was chasing some birds that were sitting on a ledge. The birds were looking quite interested while Chucky approached. They knew he could never get there. Chucky jumped from one shutter to the next, and as there wasn't really enough space to turn round, he got what you'd call stuck.
The shutters are part of the windows of the mezzanine, that itself is over 4 meters (12 feet) high. Chucky was balancing almost 18 feet over a very hard surface. We decided to do a rescue operation.

Chucky didn't see the problem. The birds decided to leave when we put a ladder against the wall. Sister Chick cam to watch - always ready to be entertained.

Space, I need space

2 April 2011 - The bed is not as spacious as it looked in the store. FLTR: Quincy, Chucky, Chick, Rushka.

Mouse

This mouse, too, was already dead when I saw it.

Punky

12 February 2011 - Chicky hardcore punkbitch. Purr, purr, purr.

Tasty

29 January 2011 - You'd think I would know my cats by now, but they keep surprising me. What do they want? Food? Milk? No. They want to lick ice-cristals of a frozen table.