Tucker the Cat and the Kitty Colony

I'm a "Dug" person too, CrowMeris, so when Tucker is mellow about noises and takes everything in stride I'm impressed. He turns his focus easily but with the backhoe doing its thing I was stuck watching it while he napped through the noise.

Tucker stays on the lanai so he had to simply look longingly at all that dirt. I know he had fantasies about it. Tonight most all the kitty colony took advantage of the dirt's toilet properties. It really was a fun watch for me. I love how the cats investigate and sniff around. The birds were very interested earlier as there must have been a million seeds out their to eat.

Oh Steven, that is a hilarious story. I can't imagine being able to breath, laughing at that sight. I'm never all that enthusiastic when kitties decide to pee in places that are not approved. Tucker is my grandkitty and is going to be 18 this year. My daughter moved to a no pet zone and left him with me. There were times when he'd get disgruntled with her and pee on whatever she left on the floor. It wasn't unusual to hear, "Tucker! Why did you pee on my towel, shirt or some other item?" He's been really good since she left. He doesn't get upset with me but is a royal nag a lot of the time.

Puff sounds like he has priorities when anything offends him.

These feral kitties are great entertainment for me. They try to get close to me but at the last minute scoot away. They know I'm a pushover however and I think they like this a whole lot.

I talked to the man clearing the lot and a house will be built. Hopefully the codes prevent a two or three story home on the site. It is a pretty small lot so I'm not sure how this will all come down, VerbalBarb.

The kitties seem to adjust to just about any change so this is a relief. The builders when they come won't start until after the morning meal and must leave by 3:00 pm. The cats come early (around 5:30 am and leave before 7:00am)and don't come back for dinner until 6:00 pm. I'm sure they will be diligent house building inspectors.

I love nighttime kitty stampede Gen. I'm happy to hear "grandma" laughed instead of being disgruntled. Last night Tucker was making an unusual noise and I found him trying to get a praying mantis off the sheer curtains. He's never done this before and I was happy to know how tuned into him I am. He's a great alarm clock and I rarely sleep past 5:30 am. Sometimes if I just get up to go to the bathroom and head back to bed he puts his ears down and stomps back to his bed. I'm happy he has Chloe and the yard kitties as otherwise I'd feel obligated to get him a companion. Then I'd have two romping kitties in the night. Twenty pound kitties like yours don't sound like they are all that light on their feet.

Steven, you and Gen have brightened my day with your hilarious kitty accounts. Tucker only weighs 13 pounds so he's a lightweight I guess. I have 15 in my kitty colony and there is only one that is a bit bigger than Tucker. When I adopted the colony the kitties were a bit disheveled and underweight. However, in the past 6 months or so they've plumped up considerably. I'm sure my pampering has been a factor in this. They are so sweet and funny to watch so they give as much as they get.

In the morning I have a few waiting on the landing for me. One in particular is so adorable as it really wants to bond to me but hasn't made that step yet. This morning it waited and stayed very close to me as I took the steps to their feeding area. It was such a gift for it to give me a couple of rolls before it ran over to the feeding trays. These adorable cats are bonding to me and even though some are very fearful they do their best to let me know I'm good stuff.

Do your kitties run and howl? Tucker loves to romp and yell and I find this hilarious. It is loud but so joyous I can't complain.

Your kitty stories are always a delight, Gen. You have a couple of real characters on your hands that's for sure.

Tucker snores quite loudly at times so I know he's related to me. My daughter had the nerve to say she loved it when Tucker snored as she did not miss me quite as much when I moved to the island.

I could just imagine Snoop twirling with the fan going full blast. What an image.

You both have hilarious cats. Chloe brought a bird up onto the lanai the other day. She went right under my chair and I thought she was going to eat it there as she's done this one other time. Instead she comes out from under the chair and I see the little bird's head sticking out one side of her mouth and it's little tail out the other. She looks in all the plants, digs around in the yard debris sack and repeats the routine. I caught a hint that perhaps the bird was still alive so just kept watching her. She tried to put it down on her scratching mat but it fluttered so she grabbed it again. She then took off the lanai wandered around and almost lost it and brought it back up onto the lanai. As she was looking around for a place to stash it she was talking. It was a murfal, murfal meow sort of sound and I was cracking up. She took it back off of the lanai and set it down and it flew away. She tried to catch it but missed. She looked up at me then toward where the bird took off and flopped on her side in the gravel. That was one disappointed kitty.

I think they are the sillies of the universe, 58rose, and continually keep us laughing. I know what my kitty is thinking, "Feed me"!

Isn't it amazing how we bond to our furry friends, 58rose. One thing I love about animals is they love unconditionally and could teach us all a valuable lesson in this. Your Rosie shows her personality in the photos you take of her. I know I find her the ultimate delight.

My colony is 15 strong, YTC! I am very attached to each one. They have their buddies and especially in the evening will come over wait and yell for their buddy until it comes along. They manner in which they greet each other gives me cause to swoon. I love watching them eat with heads together and tails entwined. Now that I've had them all for a while more and more of them have connected as buddies. There is only one that is not part of the colony that is naughty. When he's around and aggressive toward the others all I have to do is go outside and he'll take off to his home under the neighbor's house. I wished he'd be nicer but he's a loner and a bit of a bully so I think he has personal issues.

Your kitty sounds divine and I do hope you get a photo so we can see L in all his glory. You and L are part of my family, don't you know?

15 furry friends never leave me bored, Gen. They are so adorable and have great personalities. I feel badly that I haven't named them but with all but 5 different enough to tell apart it has been rough to find names and know which one is which. I'm getting better all the time as only a few of the ten are short hair tabbies. I could name all the long hair "Fluffy Tail" I suppose.

They get the old "Baby, Sweetheart, honey bun, lovey" so maybe that's all the need, Gen.

Steven is right, Piletre, kitty grass is simply grass, but high quality grass. Tucker has always loved his grass so I keep a fresh batch going all of the time. If kitties have tummy trouble they like the chlorophyll the grass provides. Of course if Tucker is chowing down on the grass I know we'll have a "hurl" coming on soon. It does settle his tummy however as does Catnip. I keep an abundance of Catnip growing also. I cut it and spread it around for the kitty colony then watch them bliss out rolling in it. They do seem to get high on the stuff, with glazed over eyes and smiles on their little kitty faces. lol

Tucker goes out on the lanai and eats the Catnip when his tummy is upset. It settles him right down. Sometimes I fluff the catnip plant and he gets all happy eyed. I like this a lot.

I love watching my kitty colony play, too, mstanley. They are great entertainment. I love hearing them tell me they need more food and seem so happy when I take more out to them.

Chloe belongs to the neighbors and I met her three years ago as a kitten when I moved to this house. She was very evasive for the first couple of years yet I'd find her hanging around when I worked in the garden. One day she flopped down on my foot and that was bonding day. She owns me now. I hope that a few of the colony feel as comfortable with me one of these days but in the time being they are just alright with me as they are.

My dad was especially tender with all the farm animals. He emphasized that every animal was precious and even though we raised some for food they should have the best of life up until the moment they were killed to grace our table. I loved the mornings when the cats, dogs, chickens, pigs, cows and whatever animal we had would greet us with great gusto. People often dumped cats on our land and my dad was just fine with this as they kept the mouse population at bay. I remember early morning laughter as I held the suckle bucket for a calf and be splashed with the formula as the baby was so into having its breakfast. I'd hang with my dad while he milked the cow after feeding all the animals. We'd take the bucket of milk into the house and pore it into the separater. So, having my kitty colony is the closest I can come to this experience and it's just fine with me.

The cats were so cute this morning investigating the lot. They were climbing the Papaya trees two at a time, found some boards that allowed them to crawl under and over.

I will take more photos, mstanley as it is staying a bit lighter at night and getting lighter in the morning. I'm also allergic to cats so Tucker cannot come into my room and hang with me. Luckily the house is open and well ventilated so my allergies are held at bay. I do have issues when Tucker sits on my lap to watch movies with me but I cannot resist allowing him to do this as he loves being on a lap.

Out of the 15 cats there are only 5 that are not orange tabbies, Fada. Some are long hair and some short hair. The other 5 are two black, two calico and one white with dark tabby spots. Don't you just love having a colony of furry friends? Life is good. Thanks, Fada!

Linking your article here is just fine with me, Fada. I'm headed your way to take a look right now.

Tucker is pretty good at taking directions. He's like a kid though and will try to make a case for himself. He knows my ankle is not a toy but sometimes he forgets.

Tucker doesn't treat my daughter like he treats me. When I went back to Portland after 6 months on the island he just took up where I'd left off. I would wake my daughter in the morning before work and when I left he took over. She said she didn't mind unless it was her day off. The next time I returned it was 9 months later and that's when I moved her and Tucker to the island. He was so funny about having me there. So when he came here he knew the routine right away.

I had three feral cats in Portland that friends took over for me when I left the first time. Each time I visited they came right back to me. The last time I was there the neighbor that takes care of them asked me if I'd seen them and there they were on the porch. She yelled to her husband, "I found them, the little traitors". She did let me feed them up until the day I left, however so that was very sweet of her.

They know a sucker when they see one, Fada, but I do know plenty of men that are also suckers for kitties. Perhaps kitties just look for that gene and both sexes carry it. Tucker likes my housemate and they get along fine but he knows this man's personality so he prefers me. I'm a huge sucker for my kitties and they can wrap me around their furry little tails.

It is Aloha Friday, Angela. I've been up since 4:45 am and the colony and Tucker are content. I'm sure all of the kitties will be very interested in the house building. I think this will be a big adventure for them.

Last night they had to inspect the cleared lot. I was so amused by their antics. They do believe someone has provided the best kitty toilet in the world however. My garden is going to feel neglected.

Thanks, Tzia, my kitties keep me well entertained. I'm so happy that my 15 buddies in the colony all love each other and play together. Tucker goes out and talks to them and they answer. It's a good life, indeed.

Jonathan that's really funny and very sweet. When Tucker was in Portland he could go outside to play a bit. It cracked me up that he would go nuts to get back in if he needed to go to the bathroom. It took him at least 14 years to figure out he could pee outside. Because Chloe comes into the house if the screen door is open I shut it when Tucker is on the lanai. You should hear him gripe when he discovers he can't get in. He acts like a grumpy old man and will admonish me when I open the screen.

Tucker was in the same house for 16 years and then flew to the island. He didn't seem to mind at all and embraced his new surrounding quickly. He didn't take to his new litter box for a few days but we got him back into the routine when I changed his brand of litter. I think he really likes being warm all of the time however so that's a bonus.

The first night he was here my housemate yelled at him for sniffing his plate of food. He yelled at me saying, "Haven't you trained that cat?" Well, my daughter had always shared her food with him so this was a new thing for him. The next morning we were getting ready for the beach and my daughter remarked, "Tucker, why are you sitting in the beach bag?" Then my housemate began stuffing his junk inside the bag and asked, "Why is the beach bag wet inside". OMG I lost it laughing as Tucker got his revenge for being unfairly yelled at the night before and for my housemate for yelling at me. I tried to keep my cool but it wasn't happening for me. Tucker doesn't like it if I'm yelled at, sick or sad and will, like your kitty, stick to me like Velcro.

I've spoiled Tucker with scraps like Scrappy likes. I laugh when I give him soft food he isn't fond of as he will put his head down and his ears and stare at the bowl, then walk away all disgusted. The whole posture is good for great mirth. I know now what he likes and dislikes so he doesn't give me attitude as much any longer.

Tucker loves cheese but he likes me to sit on the lanai and feed him bits of it and often will snub it if I put it in his bowl. I do love it when my housemate is cooking meat in the kitchen and I'm on the lanai and Tucker will come out and let me know what's going on. He thinks I need to remind my friend not to ignore his needs. He'll sit by my friend and let him feed him from the table which is nice since the incident of yelling.

The first noisy monster came in early November and they didn't like this one bit. This second noisy was a different story. They kind of liked the dirt it left and the piles of rocks and debris. They especially like the boards that were on the property as they are stacked every which way so the cats can crawl under them and lay low until another kitty comes by. They were frolicking with such gusto this morning they made everything well with the world. Now that they are more accustomed to me I'll be able to get much better photos of them. I put out lots of Catnip for them this afternoon. That should be fun, too. Thanks Soovivers!