Wordless Wednesday - Dorothy, the epitome of elegance

Dorothy's flurfy pantaloons 

The fabulous face behind the pantaloons

Tuesday with Taddeo - Crazy Cat Vs. Red Ribbon

Crazy Cat vs. Red Ribbon. Hm.

Sounds a bit like Spiderman vs. Venom. We could possibly create a whole new superhero series featuring common cat nemeses! Cowardly Cat vs. Bubble Bath? Cunning Cat vs Dopey Dog? The list is endless!

Any-mew, getting back on track. Today, Taddeo turned from cat to thief when he decided to steal Mamma F's ball of red yarn from her sewing basket. 

I fink the coast is clear! The yarn is mine!

I watched on in amusement as Taddeo took down the helpless ball, and reduced it to a miserable pile of string in a matter of seconds.

My work here is done!

Then Ginger wanted a piece of the excitement!

No. Dis is MY nemesis! Get your own!

Bleh, yarn fluff on my tongue!

This nemesis is too strong.
Anyone have a white flag I can wave? 

Now that Red Ribbon has been defeated, who will Taddeo's next adversary be?

Happy Tuesday e-furry-one!

Barney the Cat vs. The Bumbling Burglar!

We all know that cats are expert hunters, climbers and escapologists, but did you know that they are secretly superheroes as well?

Meet Barney, who, in the aid of his mom K, revealed his super heroic paw-ers and put them to work!

I thinks I iz stuck.

A few years back, K was paid an unwelcome visit. Her house was broken into, and many items were stolen. One of those items was a digital camera. As one might imagine, she assumed that all of her precious belongings were lost forever.

That is, until she received a phone call from the police. To her surprise, they had found a camera, similar to the description of the one that she had lost, being sold on the black market. The thief had been smart enough to throw away the memory stick, but foolish enough to leave the hard drive intact and full of photos.

One of the photos was of…you guessed it…

Meow! Nice to meet mew!

…our hero Barney!

The police had blown up the photo of our furry hero, zoomed in on the 24 Pet Watch tag on his collar, and managed to read the most of his identification numbers. They forwarded these numbers to Pet Watch, and after conducting a North American-wide search, they were able to narrow down the possible cat/camera owner to three people.

After giving a short description of the photos on the hard drive, K was soon able to prove that she was indeed the owner of the camera, and of course, the amazing cat.


Let's hear it for Barney! Though he may be tubby and lazy, he's got the hero's blood running through his veins!

Do you have an amazing story about a cat who performed a heroic act? If so, we’d love to hear it! Meow!

Shh, don't tell anyonez about my paw-ers, ok??

(A special thanks to family friend K for sharing her special story with us!) 

Upcoming Card Series/Taddeo and Ginger's Visit

Lately, Heather's been working on a new card series which she says, to my everlasting indignation, does not feature me as the main character! This secret series is to be released in late October, and will coincide with My Friend Fluffy's first ever Card Contest. She asked for my opinion on her newest design, but feeling a bit shunned, I left the judging to Taddeo. (I've forgiven her now, but the next series better be dedicated completely to moi!)

Hmm, I likez the fact that the hoomans lets his cats sleep on his desk!

She also asked Taddeo's big sisfur Ginger for her two cents, but Ginger seemed more interested in knocking all the knickknacks off of Heather's shelf than judging her artwork. 

What? I didn't do nuffin'!

We'll be talking more about the Card Contest later on in September, but in the meantime, enjoy these other pictures we took during Taddeo and Ginger's Friday afternoon visit!

I iz stickin' to the cooold floor. How else can a cat escape the heat?

We iz practising the art of mimicking! 

Taddeo: You iz goin' down, Ginger!!

Geronimoooooo!

Ooo we needz a time out!

Taddeo: Oh noez! I killed Ginger?!
Ginger: (Tee hee hee...)

Helping Sammy, Andy and Shelly (SAS) Get Back on their Paws

Up until yesterday, Heather and I, being greenhorns in the cat blogging world, had never heard of Mom Judy and her three cats, Sammy, Andy and Shelly (or SAS as they are known!). We were incredibly saddened to find out that this lovely family is under threat of separation due to unexpected financial issues. However, we were also deeply touched by the heartfelt reaction of the cat blogging community. 

Bloggers worldwide have been donating money, holding comment-a-thons, and taking part in a charity auction, all to help the SAS family get back on their paws and feet.

Since we love making greeting cards, we thought that we'd like to help SAS out in our own special way. We have decided to donate eight of our greeting cards to the auction. If you would like to bid, please visit Marg's site Helping Our Needy Furiends and leave a comment with a bid where you see a picture of our cards. You have until August 26th to bid, so head on over to the site as soon as paw-sible!

Taddeo, guardian of the cards

The cards up for auction:

Wordless Wednesday - Taddeo's Stupendous Stretch!

Next door neighbour Taddeo shows off his yoga moves!

In closing, we would like to take a moment to commemorate a veteran to the cat blogging community, Miss Peach, a sweet Devon Rex kitty who lived to the ripe old age of 18. We sadly never met her, but she was obviously very loved and we feel that a moment of silence should be taken in her memory. We raise a cup of catnip tea to you, dear Peach.

The Muggy Mog lands in Italia

Oh. My. Cod. This mog thought he knew muggy, but he was wrong.

The three of us - Heather, her boyfriend and I - flew out this morning from a rather cool and rainy London Stansted airport. The plane ride went smoothly, I fit in a little snooze, and we even got a nice view of the snowy capped Alps as we dove down towards Turin. 

The Turin Alps

Little did we know what awaited us on the other side...

No sooner had the stewardess opened the door than a waft of sticky air filled the plane. It was nearing 40 degrees. It was scorchingly sunny. It was humid. And I shed about two tons of fur in a matter of seconds. We were wondering why we'd even come back.

Thankfully, there is more to a country than just its temperature. (Tell that to any Canadian cat, for example. He'll agree!) It is the peo-pals and the ani-pals you know that make all the difference! I mean, just look at how happy my old pal Taddeo was to see us home! 

Ciao Fluffy!! You came back to casa!!

Did you bring me a regalino from Wales? Like...Welsh catnip? Huh huh?

I wunder if I can jump though these bars?

Despite the heat, I think I'm happy to be back with my Italian furriends again. We've got a lot of mice hunting, squirrel chasing, and plant pot breaking to catch up on!

This is Fluffy signing off and wishing you all a buona sera! Meow!

From Wales to Turin - This cat is heading home!

After a full two months of unemployed bliss in Wales, Heather and I are finally returning to the north-Italian city of Turin, where we work full-time. (Heather is employed at a nursery school teaching English, and I do the house cleaning. That basically includes keeping the mice, ants and spiders out of the house, licking plates clean, and hiding under the couch when the hoover comes out!)

It's a hard knock life, but somebody's gotta do it!

One thing I am happy about is that I'll be returning to all of my amazing flatmates! There are the teenagers Taddeo and Ginger next door, Charlotte the long-haired beauty queen below, the shy Pennie two doors down, and the elusive and rather reclusive Spanish signore above! What can I say - we're an apartment full of fabulous felines! I'll introduce you to them all when the time is right.

Wales, you've been good to us, but as the old saying goes, all good things must come to an end.

Wales, the definition of natural beauty

Sunset over the Gran Madre in Turin, Italy

See you all in a couple of days, my furriends!

Heather's Two Cents: In Memoriam to Mr. Kitty

Back in 2000, sisters Bee Gee and Tchai were paid an unexpected visit by a cat none of us had ever seen before. He was a handsome fella, with long whiskers sprouting out of his slightly pug-like face, a white breast, and a watered down tabby colouring. His petite yet full and muscular figure gave us the impression that he had been well cared for, but he did not have a collar, and he had a forlorn air about him that made us wonder.

Mr. Kitty meditating. Ommmm.

Days went by, and his visits became ever more frequent, while his appearance grew more and more disheveled. We eventually came to the conclusion that he had been abandoned. To help him through the cold Canadian winter that was near approaching, we put a cat box outside with sheets of warm bedding, along with bowls full of food. Sadly, we could not take him in, not even on the days when temperatures hit -25oC, because of Bee Gee and Tchai's extremely territorial nature. 

Mr. Kitty, as we eventually came to call him for his gentlemanly like manner, survived two years with our family in this way. He would play with us in the summer, snuggle up on our laps as we drank our cups of tea outside in the autumn, and fight his way through the winter, even facing off with a massive grey bully of a tom who tried more than once to steal his food and box. 

Then one day, he failed to show up for his daily feeding. Tchai and Bee Gee couldn't have been happier, but it was one of the sadder days in our family's history. He had been less active and looking slightly worse for wear over the past couple of weeks. Not once in all the days we had known him had he skipped a meal. We knew he was gone for good. 

This post is in memoriam to one of the sweetest cats we have ever known. If circumstances had been different, we would have taken him in. However, it comforts us to know that he passed his last two years  a happy and peaceful cat surrounded by a family that adored him.

Mr. Kitty and Bee Gee observe each other through the window (Toronto, 2000)

The Dovey Inn Cat

The Dovey Inn is the principle pub in the picturesque port town of Aberdyfi. Aberdyfi itself is probably one of the most well-known seaside resorts in the UK, so it is no wonder that English holiday makers flock to The Dovey Inn as cats would to catnip. 

The Dovey Inn

In addition to being a highly frequented drinking hole, it is a restaurant, a hotel, the perfect vantage point for views over the estuary, and also home to... 

... a very old, fat and rather weatherworn cat. 

No one really knows when the cat came to live at the Dovey Inn, but he has been there for years, making his presence known by habitually dozing smack dab in the middle of the small intersection behind the inn, one of the only routes in Aberdyfi that people can use to drive up to their hillside bungalows. 

I ownz this interaction, people!

He pays no heed to cars, however, so more often than not, people have to carefully drive around him, or find another way of reaching their destination. 

As Sarah Thompson rightly said, "A cat sees no good reason why it should obey another animal, even if it does stand on two legs." Or on four wheels, in this case. 

The Dovey Cat meets Heather the Cat Lady

If you ever visit Aberdyfi, do try and spot this legendary local feline. He is the epitome of the unmoving obstinacy of which we cats are downright proud! 

Side note: The Dovey Inn is where Heather's parents met for the first time! The legend goes that it was love at first sight. =^..^=

Fluffy's Fur-st Wordless Wednesday Post!

IMPORTANT: Are any of you having problems commenting on my posts? I've been told that it has become difficult to leave comments. I am hoping that it is just Blogger having temporary issues!

Bee Gee fluffing up her new home - Kidderminster, 2008

Moseying Around Machynlleth

Machynlleth - try saying that ten times fast! Though trying to say the name may cause unwanted furballs, the town, located in the north of Wales, is actually quite charming!

"Mach", as it is colloquially called, is well known for it's Wednesday Market which has been held every week for - get this - the past 700 years! It's other claim to fame is the Royal House, the oldest standing structure from the middle ages in the town. It was used as both a prison for Dafydd Gam, who attempted to assassin the famous Welsh ruler Owain Glyndwr, as well as a hotel for Charles the first. Today, it is the home to one of the best tearooms in the county.

The Royal House - Photo courtesy of www.findsomewhere.co.uk

Our day started with a visit to this lovely tearoom. This hungry cat ordered a gourmet platter of Welsh ham, while the humans fell victim to melted cheese on homemade toast. (The term "grilled cheese" just doesn't do justice to the Royal house recipe!)

We were all amused to see that, on the wall, someone from the Middle Ages had etched a picture of a lion onto the original wooden wall. Nothing beats graffiti from the 1300's, my furriends, especially that which features a cat!

To walk off our food, we then took a trot along one of the town's side streets. It was there that I was confronted with a vision of beauty - a long-haired, brown and auburn puss with a doll-like face and gentle manner. 

Mew? Can we be friends?

Mmm head rubs! Jealous, Fluffy?

Muuu Fluffy, I got the head rubs and you didn't!

Do you like my funny faces?

Alright, enough funny. I can be serious.

I can smell... Royal House cheese on toast!!

Alas... it was not to be. She apparently already has a long-term boyfurriend in Dolgellau (another mouthful!). Will this cat ever have any luck in the love department??