Toby the Trickster!

Last night, the family went over the play a late night game of rummy with grandma at the bungalow. Sir Tobes seemed keen on joining in on the game, so we opened up an extra spot for him. However...

Pst. Grandma. Put down the ace of hearts!

...he kept on trying to cheat! Look at him here, trying to catch a furtive glance at grandma's hand!

Insulted at being called a fraudster, he sauntered off in a huff, making it perfectly clear that he found his comfy armchair much more fascinating than our game.

I don't need you people!

I shall pretend that you don't exist.

Aww, Tobes, don't be a wet blanket! After all, you reap what you sow! 

Giving a Paw to Cats Protection UK!

Howdy fur-iends! How are you all enjoying this lazy Friday afternoon? We sure are, though the weather is as dull as a bean's shopping list. Ah well, at least the flowers are looking purr-ty!

Seeing that nothing of note has really happened today, we would like to take a moment in this blog post to write about an organization we feel very passionate about - Cats Protection UK. 

You might remember that we wrote up a previous post which talked about our encounter with the good volunteers of this well known feline charity (you can find it here). Here, we'd like to discuss how we'd like to do our part!

First of all, we've made it so that 10% of all proceeds earned through our Greeting Card Universe storefront go towards Cats Protection UK. The money collected will go towards... 

1) housing cats that have been abandoned

2) helping them receive the proper care at their adoption and homing centres

3) encouraging the neutering of cats 

4) spreading information to the public about cats and their care

A kitty adopted through Cats Protection! (Courtesy of the Poole Community)

Secondly, we have set up a cute, little widget on the right hand side of our blog that gives potential donors an easy and secure way of making donations to Cats Protection UK. We have set a (hopefully!) achievable goal of $500 that must be reached by the end of 2011. 

As I mentioned in my previous blog post, you can read about Cats Protection UK in detail on their extremely informative website. You'll be amazed at what these wonderful people do for us kitties!

We hope you'll help us spread the word!!

Thankful Thursday - Having im-paw-tant neighbours!

Well, Heather and I found out that we have three very im-paw-tant neighbours today! And that is always something to be thankful for, isn't it?

The first, I'm just going to get over and done with real quick as I don't think he's all that significant. Some guy named Robert Plant, says Heather, of the group Zed Leppelin? (Or was that Led Zeppelin?) Now, if this neighbour were the kind of plant I could chew on, or perhaps even a bean who sold eatable plants, I might be a little more enthused. However, Heather insists that we make note of the fact that she and her family saw this Plant guy walking along the coastline of Aberdyfi, and that they noticed that he was walking with someone who looked a lot like Alison Krauss. Sadly, they failed to get both autograph and photograph. Typical beans!

I think he needs a cat on his shoulder.

The second and third neighbourly encounter I found much more interesting! I finally met up with some new furry friends!

Meet Tibbles, this exceedingly friendly silver tabby who lives just a minute's walk from the Tywyn shorefront. He is so sociable that he would gladly follow you all the way back to your house, if he knew that the promise of an eventual head scratch was certain!

Loooovee meeee!

Wait, why'd the head scratching stop?

Ahh, that's more like it!

On to neighbour number three! This young whipper snapper was playing games with us. He would walk towards us, then walk away, with his tail invitingly waving back in forth in the air. Then, as soon as we'd try to get closer, he'd repeat the pattern. This continued for a good five minutes until we finally decided to move on down the road. At that very moment, he flopped down and asked for a belly rub. Shall we call him the King of Coy?

Ack! Spotted by beans!

Will make a stealthy escape.

Hmm...on second thought...what if they give me luv and food?

Do I dare to ask...?

Are they still following me?

Just act nonchalant... 

What?! They left?! How rude!

I'll put the vote out to all of my humanoid and feline friends out there. Honestly, who is more exciting to have as a neighbour - some dude named Plant or these two magnificent moggies? You be the judge!

Trip to Chester in Cheshire

The Cheshire Cat is to us felines as what Elvis is to beans. As such, a trip to the town of Chester in the Cheshire county could not be passed up during our two month stay here in the UK. 

The Chester town centre

While Heather's mum and dad went off to marvel at the Roman ruins, Heather and I went on the hunt for a photo of a real life Cheshire cat. Being the county of the famous Alice in Wonderland character, we were convinced that a cat encounter was inevitable...that is, until we realized that Chester is far from your average hokey pokey town. It is a hustling bustling metropolis, packed with boutiques, cafes and restaurants - hardly the right place to meet and photograph furry friends. 

The Chester Roman Amphitheatre

However, all was not lost! We decided to settle for second best by searching for some interesting cat related products. And of these, we found quite a few. 

Our first encounter was with these lovely Moggies, an adorable series of paperweights produced by Caithness Glass! 

Far from a real Cheshire cat, but a start nonetheless!

Farther down the road, we happened upon these useful and equally adorable moggie doorstops. Wouldn't it be nice to come home to one of these little guys sitting by your front door?

Near the end of our walk around the town, we spied this splendid German-made Rollie in the window of a fashionable furniture boutique. The perfect guard for your shelf of knickknacks!

And finally, on our way home, we were tickled pink to see this Cat Crossing sign. We definitely need more of these on our streets to keep us kitties safe from those mean machines on wheels!

Located between Aberdyfi and Tywyn

So, while we didn't meet up with an actual Cheshire cat, we did pool together quite a bit of moggie material! Perhaps we'll have some better luck over the next couple of weeks!

Happy World Cat Day!

A very Happy World Cat Day to all my readers, both biped and furry! If you are participating in World Cat Day and have a cat-themed blog, have a look at the following instructions provided by Cat Blogosphere and join in on the fun!

WHEN: Monday, August 8, 2011

WHY: To Celebrate ~ Honor ~ Remember our CAT(S)

HOW: On Monday, August 8 ~ simply publish and post to your own blog any or all of the following:

• A special photo of your cat(s), your favorite photo(s) ~ old or new
• A favorite poem about cat(s) ~ written by you, or authored by others
• A post ~ a new one, or an old one ~ a favorite one purrhaps
• A cat story ~ telling why you LOVE your CAT(S)
• Artwork, cartoons, music ~ whatever your IMAGINATION and yourHEART can create that celebrates, honors and remembers why we all LOVE our Cat(s)

WHERE: And please be sure to add your blog link to The Cat Blogosphere on 8/8/11 so all can visit you on World Cat Day

LINK IS: http://www.blog.catblogosphere.com

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As our contribution, Heather and I have decided to post a few classic photos of my dear sisters, Tchai and Bee Gee, who passed away just a few years ago. We miss them both and cherish their memory in our hearts. 

Bee Gee after being woken from a dozy sleep

Tchai resting on her favourite couch

Bee Gee enjoying her first taste of freedom after travelling from Canada to Wales

Tchai taking in the sea air

"So this is where mummy went every summer for the last ten years!"

"I'm free and flubby!"

Tapirulan Illustration Contest and more!

Apologizes to everyone for the small hiatus! Life has been rather hectic ever since Heather's brother and boyfriend arrived. Our days have been choc-a-bloc with whirlwind tours to far off places, late night games of rummy over beer, wine and milk (for me!), and cat naps that carry on into the early hours of the afternoon. (To be fair, for me, lengthy naps are all part and parcel of the daily routine, but to see a house of humans sleep in until 1 p.m. is something to marvel at!)

Heather has also denied me a pawload of time on the computer as she is preparing for some kind of illustration competition that ends in September. I think she called it Tapirulan and apparently the illustration you create has to deal with the theme of 'privacy.'

Sheesh, I could tell you ALL about privacy, my friends! How about...don't stare when the cat of the house is giving himself a tongue bath? Or what about...stay out of the room when you hear your kitty shuffling around in the sand pit? Anyway, she seems to know what she is doing, and if things couldn't get any more exciting, the awards ceremony takes place in Italy of all places! Have a look below at the rough sketch Heather's got prepared so far...

To end off, here are some cuddly kitties that Heather and I managed to catch on camera over the past few days!

Kitty selling flowers to the holiday makers

A room with a "view"?

Local friend chilling out on the pavement

Heather's Newest Greeting Cards (inspired by 'you know who'!)

Up until the arrival of the brother and the boyfriend, Heather spent all of her free hours working ferociously on a number new greeting cards for Greeting Card Universe. Drawing has always been a passion of hers, but it was only recently that she decided to turn what was once solely a hobby into something lucrative. Seeing that I am the tech-savvy one in the house, she asked moi to post her new designs! She says that you can be as kind or as critical as you want - all comments are valued! (Believe me, I know, I'm her harshest critic!)

Cards will be available for purchase at the My Friend Fluffy Store Front in a week's time!

Missy Kitty steps onto the scene!

Ogling Missy from afar...

The Fluffy Family Vacation!

Me sending a card to my mummy on Mother's Day

Second version of the Mother's Day card