Keeping me company

The kids all decided to keep me company while dad was working today. It's so cute when they're all in the same spot. But I was on my laptop and they all gathered around the bed. Love these guys.

Now if only, they could clean my house.

All three kitties

It's a rare occasion to have all three kitties in the same space. Gunnar and Ozzy routinely nap together but Katie almost never hangs out with the other kids, but here they are all napping in a row.  (Possibly Katie is using the blanket as a barrier.

Love these guys.

Cuddle Fest

I don't know if all the pets just wanted the same corner of the bed or they were trying to keep each other warm. But even cuddling, Gunnar still looks a tad like the evil emperor he is.

(And clearly Katie wanted no part of this.)

2013: Year in Review

2013 apparently was a year I didn't blog very much.

The biggest thing that happened in pet news was that now we have four pets. We added a cat, Ozzy.

Ozzy adopted us. He decided he was going to live on our front porch. He camped out. I was sure we couldn't have another cat. He gave Mojo kisses when we would take him out. He was always around, meowing, rubbing against our legs. Rain or shine. Even in the middle of the night. After a month of cuteness and kisses, he wore us down. Mojo asked why the kitty couldn't come inside when it was so hot out. We gave in. Took the cat to the vet. He got a clean bill of health and the rest is history.

I was very skeptical that this would work out. Another cat! Another boy cat!?!

I shouldn't have worried. Ozzy is a joy and it was the easiest transition ever. Going from 1-2 cats was DIFFICULT. Katie pouted for a year. A year. Going from 2-3 cats—ridiculously easy. Ozzy and Gunnar became fast friends. They nap together. They bathe each other. They play. They are besties and bros and love each other so much. Seriously, I didn't know Gunnar wanted a brother so badly. And because Gunnar now has Ozzy, Gunnar really doesn't bully Katie anymore. Everyone is happier.

I should say that three is a lot of cats. There are cats everywhere at my house. They swarm when it's meal time. Cats are constantly under foot. Any more cats and it's probably crazy cat lady status for me.

And Ozzy. He went from a 9 pound kitten to a GIANT cat. He's easily 15 pounds. The vet warned us he would be big. We thought he had medium length fur when we adopted him, but not only has he filled out, so has his fur. And he's an extremely long haired cat. I've never had a cat with fur this long and luxurious before. And he gets static really badly. We get shocked when we pet the baby. Ozzy's also....obese. When we took him in, he ate like he'd never see another meal. And after 4+ months, he hasn't slowed down. He gets fed the same time every day and overeating is a problem. He eats fast, like he's in one of those televised hot dog eating contests. He eats Katie's food. He eats and eats. Now he waddles around the house and can barely fit through the baby gates. He needs desperately to diet in the New Year.

As for the other kids:

Mojo is still fabulous. He's a happy dog with a contagious smile. He likes walks and other dogs and all of his siblings. He's also very sensitive and doesn't like it when dad yells at the football games on TV. His arthritis is still not great. When he goes over to his grandparents, he tends to overdo it, running up and down their stairs and going crazy in their backyard. He needs pain pills then. He has slimmed down some. He's looking super athletic. He's gone from 73 pounds to a sporty 68.

Katie could stand to eat a little more. (Ozzy!) She's a sweet cat, who at times will demand cuddles. She often can be found sitting in her dad's lap. She's a daddy's girl. She still likes ham, so when she's looking too thin, that's what we give her. She still likes to jump on my chest 20 minutes after lights out and then demand under the blanket a few times, and then she would really like to sleep in the spot between our heads. Seriously.

Gunnar is still our evil emperor. He likes to follow me around, sleep in the bed, oversee any exercising I do. But now he has a partner in crime. Gunnar and Ozzy like to chase each other around the house. They like to play king of the mountain and wrestle at the foot of the bed, until one or both of them fall off of the bed. The wrestle often starts with licks and is the weird combination of sweet grooming and bopping each other in the face. I guess that's what brothers do.

So, we live in a house full of pet fur. And with all of the pets trying to sneak in the bed during the night, I'm not sure our bed is really big enough for two people, a large dog and three cats. My allergist isn't too happy with that....but you can't tell cats what to do.

All three kitties

All of the kitties love to play with shoelace. Sometimes they'll even all try to play together.

Life with four pets

This was actually the first night we let Ozzie out into the house. He's just one of the family.

We've been a four-pet family for about three weeks now. That means:

• More cat food. Especially when Ozzie eats about six servings worth a day
• Lots more to clean up in the litter box. It takes a little longer to clean now. And we did add a fourth litter box since you're supposed to have one more litter box that cat. I think the kitchen area is almost all litter box.
• More playing. The cats want to play more. Not necessarily with each other, but Katie demands more shoelace playtime and then all the cats join in. And Gunnar's been playing with his squeaky mouse on a string more.
• Fighting has not increased. (I'm probably jinxing myself here)
• We've been giving the cats more treats just to keep them happy.
(I should add that Gunnar KNOWS the sound of the treat bottle. He even comes running if I open a bottle of Aleve (for me.) Not the right bottle, buddy.)
• More kitties in the bed, but not necessarily more space. Gunnar and Ozzie take turns sleeping at the foot of the bed, though Ozzie's usually sleeping on the chest I keep my spare sheets in come morning.

All in all, I'd say that adding a third cat was amazingly easier than adding a second cat. It helps that Ozzie is a kitten and pretty easy going. And that Gunnar seems to have wanted a little brother/partner in crime. And I suppose Katie has resigned herself to not being an only cat, so what's more? Also, Mojo helps keep the peace around here. But there are always cats under foot in this house. Everywhere I go, there's a cat. It's kind of comical actually.

Four babies. Not sure there's room for me on the couch, but they sure love their dad. 

Year in Review

As 2012 is winding down, I was wondering what kind of year it was for the pets.

Mojo

Mojo was diagnosed with arthritis a year ago. He's been on a diet ever since. The vet said he needed to lose weight, that would help with his joint problems. We stopped feeding him treats period. No Beggin Strips or T-Bonz or anything else. He gets carrots for treats. Or ice. And sandwich meat in his food. He won't eat it plain. In September he went to the vet, and he hadn't lost a single pound. So he's been on diet food since then and looks like he's lost some weight. (Poor buddy, I'm sure it tastes horrible). There were no dog park visits for Mojo—since it's too hard on his joints. (He can't even have extra walks. It's too hard on his joints. We tried). I took him to the park a few times but he was always stiff and sore afterwards. He had maybe two playdates, and it was hard on his joints. I hate seeing him limp afterwards. He misses his friends.

But Mojo is a VERY HAPPY dog, one of the happiest I've seen. He is always smiling, begging for food, hanging out with his Gunnar cat.

Gunnar

Gunnar continues to be an evil emperor. He likes bullying Katie, playing in the dryer and bird watching through the window. He tries to get in garage all the time, too. When he's not being evil, he likes cuddles. He likes to be held like a baby and petted and rubbed all over. He purrs really big. He continues to be a very VOCAL cat.

He likes to sit in his food spot and wait for his dinner, which he expects at exactly 6 p.m.You could your watch by him (and no, he does no observe Daylight Savings Time.)  He eats his dinner and then around 7 p.m. he MEOWS up a storm at the top of the stairs and then he goes tearing around the house like a poltergeist on Red Bull for a few minutes. Then he sleeps on the bed for a few hours. Around 9 he hangs out with Mojo and Matt and that's his evening routine. I don't know what he does during the day except watch birds and play with spiders.

G also wins the kitty barf fest award. So much puke. All the time. So I switched their food from sensitive stomach to hairball control and that seems to help. (Gunnar does give Mojo a nightly bath). Also, I told Matt to stop feeding him tuna and deli meat and the barfing is quite minimal these days. And when he does barf, it's usually 5 a.m. not on the 70% of the house that's wood or tile, it's on the carpet.

Katie

Katie is a happier kitty these days. It took her a year to adjust to Gunnar. She still can't stand him, but she's not the angry depressed kitty she was. She likes to sit on Matt's lap for hours. She asks for play more. She gets along better with Mojo. I see her cuddling Mojo every now and then. Her and Gunnar sometimes occupy a space in close proximity, but I think it's more sibling spot stealing than cuddling. Still, sometimes I like to think they play fight. With all of that fighting, some of it has to be play right? Her fur isn't always sticking straight up.

Her latest thing is sleeping between our heads in the bed. She found the gap between our pillows and has deemed that her spot. And she still has her bedtime ritual, where 20 minutes after we turn the lights out, she hops in the bed (often clawing a leg or butt in the process) and then asks Matt to get under his part of the blanket. Every single night. Folks, it's not even cute anymore. I just want sleep. She just wants ritual.

So those are my crazy kids. They're great company, sweet and extremely entertaining. They make me immensely happy and I am so lucky to have all three of them.

Gunnar just came by to approve this blog post. Good thing, he can't read.

Pet Christmas 2012

The pets had a great Christmas.  I had too many pictures, so I'm experimenting with slideshows. Click the image to see a full size slideshow.

We did gifts here at the house first thing in the morning.




Then, we went to my family's Christmas.



We spent the rest of the day at Matt's family's house.

Waiting for Dad

The kids were waiting for dad to come to bed a little after midnight. They were all crowded together and very sleepy.

Katie is sleeping, Mojo is trying to keep his eyes open and Gunnar is guarding the remote.

Sleepy Mojo. Annoyed Gunnar.

Pets Year in Review

2011 was a good year for the pets. Pretty much they were spoiled beyond belief.

Mojo
Mojo is a happy dog who smiles all the time. He’s always wagging his shaggy tail. He still thinks he’s a lap dog and likes to lounge on the couch. But this plus all of those treats in his foods and after going potty means he’s packing on the pounds.

He didn’t have as many playdates at the dogpark as he might like. He did have a birthday party and several dates at Sandy Creek Park. He did get a new football, though (fun!). He and Gunnar are best good friends. They play together, nap together, groom each other. Each time they lick each other it’s still the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.

Sadly, yesterday he got diagnosed with arthritis, but if he loses some weight hopefully that will be under control.

Gunnar
Gunnar had a good year. There was lots of pushing things of table ledges and bullying of Katie. He stomped around the house like a little emperor, only switching to stealth mode when plotting an ambush. He played with a lot of boxes, straws, pipe cleaners, pieces of dog kibble, pretty much anything we didn’t want him to have. All in all, he’s a happy evil kitty, who purrs a lot and lets us carry him around like a baby.

Katie
Katie is a happier kitty. It really took her a year to get used to us having Gunnar. She talks more now and hides under the bed less. She takes naps on Matt’s lap and is a lot more affectionate. She has this really funny tick though. If she’s trying to sneak past Gunnar, she walks in slow motion like it makes her invisible.

So that was the year with the pets. There was lots of fur. Lots of cuddles. Sleeping in the bed.

Oh, and I almost forgot....

Dust bunnies
Or rather the dust elephants. We live with a horrible amount of pet fur. Tufts of it even find their way into corners of rooms the pets don't go into. Sometimes it rolls around like tumbleweeds in the Wild West. We just resigned to the fact that there is always going to be a fine layer of pet fur on the furniture and that our clothes, especially black clothing, is just going to be pet-owner chic (i.e. covered in fur).

Pets Letters to Santa

Just in case Santa reads this blog, the pets have a few Christmas requests (Some insisted it on typing it themselves, others had me type and edit as I as we went along):

Mojo thinks the bed is his. Sigh.

Deer Santa,

I is been good dawg this year. Mom says so anyway. Especially when I poop. I always poop by the road. Never by the house. Isn't that great? I'm a good watchdog too. I get up and bark at the neighbors, a stray leaf, air so the peoples think I'm guarding. Also, I have perfected my BEG face so I can get the mostest foods. My favorites are noodles, potatoes, bacon, chicken, hamburger, salad, carrots....really anything.

If you could bring me the following I will wag my tail and not bark when you come down the chimney.

1. SOCKIES—infinite supply. The stinkier the better.

2. BACON. People bacon is the best.

3. Mom to let me sleep in the bed 

4. Dogpark in my backyard. 

5. Play rings with me?

She thinks all pillows are cat beds.

Dear Santa,

I haz bin good cat thiz yeer. Gunnar iz stupid bully. Plz bring himz coal. I can eat all of hims hamz.

Mi Christmas lizt iz:

1. To be onlee cat

2. Hamz

3. Shoelace that zaps Gunnar if hims touches it

4. A litterbox with a paw scanner that no let Gunnar in.

5.  No Gunnar

Lots of goodz lap cuddlez,

Katie

Looking thoughtful. But what's he really plotting?

Dear Santa,

I've been a very good evil kitty this year. I have knocked lots of glasses off the edges of tables, knocked the hamper down the stairs a few times, even gotten into some cabinets I wasn't supposed to (though eating the fake plant was definitely a mistake). If you have any extra packing peanuts, I will be happy to take them off of your hands.

If you wish to please me, you can bring me:

1. Catnip. Enough to roll around in. 

2. Boxes to play in and ambush ankles from.

3. Another humidifier, one with fish in it. (Yum, fish!)

4. Supreme world domination

5. Appropriate length tail.

His Highness, Sir Gunnar of Wiltshire

The kids

I love any moment when all three of the kids are together. This was the only shot I got yesterday morning. Katie and Mojo were in the bed. Gunnar jumped up. This offended Katie, who promptly left. Of course the camera offends her too, so lets me get one shot and then runs away.

Writing help

I spend a lot of my evenings and weekends writing fiction. Last weekend I was doing final edits and rewrites to a chapter and the gang assembled to help me. Though if I'm being honest Gunnar hates everything I write, Mojo is a little too enthusiastic and Katie thinks I need to write more scenes with cats in them.

Thanks guys!

Sunday Morning cuteness

This is what happens most Sunday mornings. I get up early. Matt sleeps in. The kids take full advantage of the empty space in the bed. Look at them snoozing, sharing a space.

Katie's curled up by the pillow. She's the queen of soft spaces.

Mojo's at the foot of the bed, snoring away. Gunnar's curled up with Mojo. They're even holding paws. ♥

I love seeing them all together.

Post #150: A Look Back

I started Mojo & Friends (formerly Mojo & Katie's Adventures) on whim. I just wanted a place to put pet stories and photos without inundating my Facebook feed.

This blog is an account of my life and all of my pets antics. It's the silly things they did (jumping in a bath tub, hiding in a pile of shirts) that I want to remember.

My posts these days are mostly photos, with less text. But a photo is worth 1,000 and there's so much you can tell from these photos. You can watch Mojo go from a baby puppy to a LARGE dog (seriously, he's too big for all dog clothes). You can see how the dynamic changed when we brought home another cat. You can watch the cats sleep in silly places a be a little too helpful around the house.

All in all, it makes me smile. When I'm having a tough day, I can pull up a picture of the pets and instantly feel better—that's the power of Mojo's smile. I hope it makes you smile too.

I'm quite proud of this little pet blog and I hope that it can be a small joy in your life. It's certainly a joy in mine.

~Sara

(Mojo, Gunnar and Katie's mom)

Here's a progression of our family:

Step one: Sara and Matt

Step Two: Sara + Matt+ Katie

Add in a dog:

Another cat:

It's a houseful, but it sure makes me happy. 

Dinner Dangers

I love our little brood, but some times it can be dangerous to have so many pets. Case in point: Dinner. Last night I made crockpot chicken. And all three love chicken.

Gunnar uses his super kitty glaring powers to try and get some of Matt's chicken.

It started out simply enough: Gunnar glaring at Matt to get some chicken. From there Gunnar decided that he would just eat off Matt's plate.

Matt feeds Gunnar with a hungry dog looking on. 

Mojo licking his chops that chicken looks so good.

Then Mojo joined in the begging game. And Mojo is the champion of begging. Gunnar will just jump in a grab your food. He'll get on your plate or bat it from you. Mojo, however, has mastered the SAD EYES. Look at that sad intent face.

All three pets begged dad for some chicken.

Not to be outdone, even shy Katie decided she had to get in on the action. So here we have Mojo with his best sad eyes, Gunnar and Katie's climbed up in Matt's lap. All three kids, all begging for chicken. Poor Matt, I don't think he got to eat that much chicken.

Lots-O-Fur

I love any picture that has ALL of my pets in it. It's hard to get them in the same place and harder  to get them all to hold still long enough to get a shot. The best time for me to get them all together is when they're...(guess!) sleeping in the bed. Then, they're all still. Though Katie usually gets annoyed and runs off after one frame. Mojo thinks he needs to sit up when he hears the shutter and Gunnar, upon being woken up, decides he has better things to do. But they all like the bed. And they're most likely to all be in the bed, either in the morning after I'd gotten up and Matt's still in the bed or this picture was taken when I was up too late on a Saturday night. I was sitting on the floor watching DVR'd So You Think You Can Dance and they were all passed out. Mojo is a stickler for bedtimes. And like a child, if we keep him up too late, he lets us know. The cats just like to sleep in the bed.

And no they don't all sleep in the bed at night. They wouldn't all fit, though they try. Mojo tries to sleep at the foot of the bed (though I'm adamant that he no)  and some mornings I wake up and Katie is sleeping in between Matt and me. Gunnar usually chills in the kitty condo.

Weekends with the Kids

 I was hanging out with my furry trio this weekend. Notice how they surround me?

Apparently I bore Mojo. Yawn!

This trio fits so nicely in the bed. There's almost room for me.