Instruction Manual

The Lady's been muttering something about a cat manual. I don't know what that's all about, so I did a Google search. Here's what I came up with: C.A.T. Manual. I'm still not quite sure what this has to do with me, butI thought I'd share it with you.

The Lady's watching the guys hitting the yellow ball with sticks on the blue courts. You know, I like to play with a ball as much as the next cat, but even I am not interested in doing it for more than three hours at a time. In fact, even watching these guys (as you can see me doing in the picture) is making me tired. I need a nap...

Gizzy bites back!

HEY! Gizzy here! I'm not about to let the girls get all the attention. It's time somebody set the record straight about all the things -I- do around here. This place would fall apart without me. Here is a list of just some of the things I do, and here are the pictures to prove it.

I provide love and affection.

I play chess.

I guard the house.

I make sure the quilts the Lady makes are warm and comfy.

I work on the computer.

I keep my chair warm for the Lady.

I make sure the Lady's stitching is nice and straight.

Am I right? Or am I right? To me it's pretty obvious.

All this -before- the tiny terror moved in. Now I've got to keep her in line too. Honestly, it's just exhausting.

a boring evening

Ho-hum. The Lady came home late, fed us, made a steak dinner for herself, then sat down in her chair to read a book. Jasmine sat with her for a while. I was on the couch, relaxing. What a boring evening. The Lady didn't even turn on the picture box and watch the guys hit the yellow ball on the blue squares with sticks like she did last night. Last night it was all, "oh, Oh, OH!" and she was raving about some guy named Andre. I dunno who this Andre is, he wasn't here. I didn't smell him.

a catchy little song

Today I let the Lady pet me at dinnertime and ate some treats from her hand. I slept next to Gizzy for a while, then napped on the couch after dinner. I played with my new toy. As for how Jasmine's doing, well, let me tell you this little story.

She was sitting next to the Lady while the Lady was tippy-tappying on the silver lapbox. I went over to see what was going on. Jasmine practically flew off the Lady's chair and chased me under the couch, hissing, "I am not dead yet!" Then she walked back and forth in front of the couch, making sure I couldn't get out, singing it over and over, like it was a song:

"I am not dead yet
I can dance and I can sing
I am not dead yet
I can do the Highland Fling

I am not dead yet
No need to go to bed
No need to call the doctor
Cause I'm not yet dead..."

O-kay, oh-KAY, I get it.

(lyrics from Spamalot )

Napping

Gizzy and I are getting along a lot better. Today we took a nap together. Gizzy still tries to eat my stinky goodness and the Lady has to put it under the bureau so he can't get any.

You know what was really funny? This morning, Gizzy was waking the Lady so she could feed us. I wasn't bothering Gizzy, I was sitting a little ways away from him. But when the Lady started waking up, I realized I was sitting on her back!

About Jasmine ~ from the Lady

Jasmine is 13, and has been with me since she was weaned. She's always been an indoor cat. Gizzy was just under a year old when Jasmine came to live with us. She has always been my lap cat. She sits with me, and sleeps with me. She tests my milk every morning. She'll never come if I call her, but if I get a crinkly cat snacks bag out of the cabinet, she'll come running. She hunts the crickets that have the temerity to get into the apartment. She's always been shy and fearful. If you come visit, you won't see her. She tends to prefer women to men, but only because they are more softly spoken. She's never been interested in new things and the annual trip to the vet, less than 2 miles away, is always traumatic for her.

Three years ago she had a teat removed and the pathologist's report showed cancer cells. During her overnight stay at the vet she never ate, drank water or used the litterbox. She tolerated four months of follow-up checkups. At the last one, another small lump was discovered, and the vet wanted to operate. If it was "something" they wanted to remove the entire remaining string of mammary glands on that side. Since Jasmine's recovery from the original surgery was traumatic at best, I said no. I brought her home then, expecting to lose her within the year.

But she seemed fine. The little lump turned out to be nothing. Then, at her last visit in late July, the vet discovered the lesion on her eye.

Now, there isn't any way I'm going to subject her to more surgery. For one thing, as cats age, their ability to recover from anesthesia diminishes. For another, removing her eye seems to be about the worst thing I could do to her. I think the loss of her eye would be cruel. And I don't think it would extend the quality of her life. So, for Jasmine this is the end of the line. The important thing now is to maintain her quality of life and keep her pain free. If she starts bumping into things, or picking at and scratching her eye, then I'll have a big decision to make.

During the week following the July vet visit, I thought about losing Jasmine. I knew I'd get another cat -eventually- but I didn't really want to think about it.

I talked to my sister later. "Don't wait," she said, "get another cat. Jasmine is your cuddlebunny and when she goes you'll miss her very much. Having a new cat won't make that easier, but it will lighten your spirits."

"You know, that cat Millie needs a home," I said.

"Go for it."

Later that day I sent an email to Malcolm. A week later, Millie joined the family. The rest, as they say, is history.

News about Jasmine

The Lady has news from the v-e-t about Jasmine. There isn't anything they can do for her. The Lady is sad.

I am pissed. I mean, Jasmine isn't my best friend or anything, but the v-e-t fixed ME up and now I am a healthy kitty. I don't understand how they helped me but can't help her. I am upset they can't do anything for Jasmine. That really sucks.

I'd go over and give her some headbutts and purrs, but I know she'd just hiss and growl at me.

(from the Lady: Jasmine has cancer of the eye.)

New Toy and Boy

The Lady brought me this neat new toy. It bounces and rattles and it's feathery. And it's pink. It is lots of fun. As soon as she took it out of the bag I wanted it. But Jasmine went over and started playing with it!!! I tried to be patient and after Jasmine went away and I got to play with it myself.

Then another people came over. It was a Him. The Lady called him "My baby" which was pretty funny considering he is WAY bigger than she is. I played with him for a while. He was nice. Gizzy liked him a lot. I think he was Gizzy's person when Gizzy was little. It's hard to imagine Gizzy little. It's hard to imagine Him little!

Getting comfy with the big cats

I think I am getting it... The big cats don't mind me around as long as I don't pester them. Well my definition of pestering them and theirs is probably different, but I think I am learning the difference.

When the Lady left for the day Gizzy was sleeping comfortably on her bed, and I was close by. He didn't mind, and I liked being near him. Jasmine is another story, but the Lady says not to worry too much about her, that she's like that with everybody, not just me.

I am feeling very comfortable around both the cats and the Lady, although I still keep an eye out on her whenever she's around. I'm not eager for her to cut my claws again any time soon. Still, I prance around with my tail straight up, like I own the place. Heh, I'll let the big cats think they run the place, but I can run faster, jump higher and play harder than they do. Tonight I was having fun on the couch with my tail. And when I got a little tired, I lay down and rested my eyes for a little bit.

Yeah, I like it here.
(I didn't sit still enough tonight for the Lady to take a picture.)

Gizzy and Jasmine get it too!

Ha ha ha ha ha!

This morning the Lady picked up Gizzy and did to his claws what she did to mine last night. Guess what? He sat in her lap and let her do it! He didn't even move! He let her trim ALL his claws. Then she put him down, and got Jasmine and did the same thing to her! She, at least, had the decency to let the Lady know she didn't like it. But neither of them scratched the Lady and they are both way bigger than me!

Oh, and last night before bed, the lady caught me and we stood on the number box together in the litterbox room. Then she put me down and got on again by herself.

"You weigh 4-1/2 pounds Millie!"

Yeah, so? Who cares what I weigh? She gets on that thing every morning. I just don't understand this fascination about weight.

She got me!

I was following Gizzy around tonight after dinner and my little after dinner nap. He isn't very happy about it, but I like him so much I just want to rub myself all over him. Tonight he walked over to the Lady's recliner in the picture box room, reached up, stretched, scratched and then jumped up near her. Since I want to do what Gizzy does, I did the same thing. Except the Lady caught me and held me close! "It's okay, Millie, it's okay..." she kept saying, except I didn't feel the least bit okay. She got up and carried me around and then went back to the chair. She set me on my back between her legs and then used some contraption to trim the sharp bits of my claws! I tried to get loose, but she kept telling me it was okay, even though it wasn't! I wasn't happy and I know I scratched her up. But she got all my claws. She tried to tell me that now I wouldn't get stuck on anything, but that didn't make me feel any better. When she was finished, she rubbed my back and set me down gently telling me I was a good girl. No kidding I'm a good girl, I already KNOW that!

So I ran under the couch, where there just happens to be a nice soft warm blanket. A few minutes later I heard crinkling, and what do you know, both cats went running to her. Then she came to find me and stretched out on her hand to me were some really good smelling treats. I didn't hiss, I actually licked her fingers to get the good tiny bits before I started eating the treats. I ate all the treats she had for me. By that time Jasmine had come around asking for more and hissing at me. What a pest.

Anyway, here is a picture of me working on my blog. OK, I'm having a little trouble with the mouse, but can anybody tell me they never have any trouble with those? And seriously, this is just not my idea of a mouse.

Not fun

You know, I just want to have fun. I have a nice safe place to live. I have lots of food to eat (even though the Lady has to put my stinky goodness bowl under the bureau so Gizzy can't eat it), I have lots of nice windows to sit in and watch the world. I have nice soft places to sit, like the Lady's bed, and places I can go to watch the big cats (like the kitchen counters, but don't tell the Lady). I have two cats as companions, you'd think they'd be happy to see me. After all, I'm an internet celebrity.

But what do I get? Mean, mean hisses and growls. I even get big hisses and growls from Jasmine, and she tries to swat me and chase me if I try to play. Sheesh! She's big, but she can run REAL FAST if she gets mad enough, and she growls worse than Gizzy. Gizzy doesn't want to play all the time, but he isn't mean about it. Jasmine just plain doesn't want me around at ALL.

I don't want to be the number one cat. I don't want to be the number two cat. I just want to be the number three cat in a happy three cat family. I think the big cats want me to go away. But I know the Lady wants me to stay. She said so.

I purred a little when she petted me at dinner tonight. And I tried to play with her toesies. She wiggles them a lot when she talks on the noisemaker and when she tappy taps on the silver lapbox.

Oh dear, it's bedtime...

more of this petting business

Gizzy has been trying to eat my stinky goodness. Last night after I had my dinner, he came over and ate some. The Lady got mad at him and moved my food tray. But I think he ate more later because there wasn't any left by the Lady's bedtime. So she opened another package just for me. I was so hungry I started eating it before she was finished. I let her pet me on the head and ears, then she pet me on my whole back. She even scratched me near my tail. Her hand was warm. I had to look up at her a couple of times, but I did settle down to be more comfortable and she kept petting me gently. She said I was pretty and that my fur was nice and soft.

Last night I got hissed at again by both cats. I just don't understand how come they don't want to play. There are so many cool toys here. The lady even gave me some nice mousies that she dipped in kittycrack. OH, those were Fun!

This morning, when the Lady fed me, she stayed right there, and petted me some more. I had to back up and look at her a coupla times, but she didn't try to pick me up or anything, so I went back to eating and she went back to petting me on my back. I haven't purred for her yet.

Later I went running up to the sink in the litter box room where Gizzy was drinking. I do it just the way he does, by jumping on the Lady's litter box first, then to the sink. Except I can do it really really fast. Faster than Gizzy! Gizzy moved away and hissed. The Lady was standing RIGHT THERE, watching. Then she said to me, "Millie, you are bothering Gizzy. Let him have his drink in peace. He has told you to leave him alone." Yeah, but, that's no fun.

The gloves are OFF!

Oh dear.

I think I pushed Gizzy and Jasmine a bit too far. Both of them are hissing and growling at me, and they've even swatted me. It doesn't look like they are going to let me run the place after all.

(sigh)

And I actually let the Lady pet me a little tonight while I ate my dinner. I let her ger close because she was trying to keep Gizzy away from eating my stinky goodness.

What we all did in the Lady's room today

All us cats were in the Lady's room today. Here is what we were doing:
(By the way, you can click on -any- picture in my blog to biggify it.)

Gizzy was dozing on the nice comfy chair. I tried to jump up and join him, but I decided it wasn't a good idea. Jasmine was in the Lady's closet, resting and doing her beauty routine. I was under the Lady's bed. I usually spend my time under one of the recliners but the Lady had a visitor who looked a lot like the Lady. They must be related. Anyway, I decided to find another place after the second lady saw me.

Last night after the Lady went to her sleeping spot, Jasmine got next to her. Gizzy was sitting in the window, looking out. I joined him on the window, but I didn't stay very long. Both big cats tried to get me to leave, but neither wanted to move to make me, so I stayed a while.

During the night it rained. And rained and rained. There was water coming in the windows. The cat hammock got wet. Yuk. One of the nice windowsills got wet. And the Lady got up early and closed the door to her room when she went back into it, leaving Gizzy and I outside. I really really wanted to play with him, but he was still pretty tired. Because the nice window sitting spots were wet, he didn't have many places to go where he could be alone. Finally HE went under one of the recliners. Heh. Of course, I was under the other recliner because the sky was exploding and rumbling.

A warm Saturday

It was warm today, and I spent most of it snoozing in my new hiding spot under the Lady's recliner. I could hear the Lady doing something or other all over the place. I could smell funky smells and hear sounds I don't usually hear. What the heck was going on anyway? Usually she goes after breakfast and it's quiet all day until she comes back to feed us. Today she was here all day coming in, going out, making all kinds of fuss. None of it bothered me until the Rug Sucking Monster came out. Holy Moley! Why in the world did she feel the need to let that damn thing loose in here for? I thought the house was going to explode! First Jasmine came running by, and had the decency to warn me as she ran into the studio to get away from the rug sucking in the Lady's room. I ignored her, because frankly, she's been rude to me since I got here. But heavens to betsy (who's betsy?) if the darn thing didn't come in here and start bumping against the recliner. Fortunately I was able to escape before the thing sucked the recliner away.

After about three hours, and well past my regular dinnertime, I felt safe enough to come out of the other hiding spot. Of course, the Lady dumped a little kittycrack just outside my other hiding spot to encourage me. I'm not proud, I came out and had some kittycrack. Heck, I think I deserved it.

After dinner, Gizzy and I played a while. OK, I ran around him and he tried to keep me away. But we had some fun. All right -I- had some fun.

Come to think of it, the place smells different since the Lady's been busy all day. It smells ok, but a whole lot less interesting. The floor is slipperier, the counters cleaner (guess how I know that ) and my toys aren't scattered all over the house. Guess -I- have work to do now.

w00t!

Sharing kitty crack

The Lady gave us some kitty crack this morning. Here are Gizzy and I sharing some. I know he likes me, he just doesn't want to admit it. Heh.

Life at Home

I think I have been having more success in trying to play with Gizzy. Now I can get closer to him. He still hisses, but only if I get "in his face." I guess that means I shouldn't try to sniff his nose again anytime soon.

I'm also feeling more comfortable about running around the house. I don't really get as freaked out if I come around a corner and see the Lady as I did even a few days ago. I still don't let her get close, but she hasn't even been trying.

Jasmine still hisses at me whenever she sees me no matter what I'm doing.

And the Lady just reminded me that I'm doing more -walking- around the place, instead of running. She says it's a sign of being more comfortable.

Here are some more pictures of me attacking, I mean playing, with the purple feathery thingie.

(From the Lady: I have seen comments noting how alike my cats appear. Snowy white, dark black, white feet, black tails, white bellies... even some of their markings are similar. I must say it is what struck me about Millie. But Gizzy and Jasmine are not related.

Gizzy was a lot like Millie when he was a kitten. He was a stray, by the way. He came to us after crossing a very dangerous street and hanging out in our yard for two days. He 'talks' and is extremely sociable. I've yet to hear Millie do anything but hiss and growl. Actually, the day I got her from Dan and Maggie, she purred.

One final observation about Jasmine, she may have cancer. She's lost weight over the last year, and may also be losing her tolerance for the novel and different, though she's never been keen on noise or new things in the house.)

Jasmine: Protector of the Lady

Sheesh! Jasmine was mean to me this morning. After breakfast I was running around like I always do. The Lady was working on the computer and petting Jasmine. I was under the treadmill and Jasmine saw me. She hissed at me, and started to run toward me, but I ran away first (Jasmine is too big to fit under the treadmill). The Lady has moved some things so I can have what she calls "an escape route" to my special hiding place in the picture box room. Anyway, I ran there, and Jasmine went away. Then I came out.

When the Lady came to find me I was sitting on the kitchen counter! Ha ha ha!

Fascinating Gizzy

I like Gizzy. This morning, he was sitting in the window, and he was flicking his tail back and forth. I thought it was an invitation, so I ran over, jumped up, and tagged his tail! He was so surprised he JUMPED! Then he hissed.

Tonight as the Lady was having her dinner, he was sitting in the kitchen, and I walked right over to him and sniffed him on the nose! I don't know how he could have been surprised, but he was. He hissed and growled a big growl at me. It was so loud the Lady told him to keep it down!

Then afterward, he was in the sewing room, and I asked nicely if he wanted to play. He hissed some more, but stayed where he was.

I think he secretly likes me.


(From the Lady: Thanks to all the wonderful cats and 'beans' for all your support and encouragement in my quest to make Millie a real part of our family. I know I have to be patient, and yes, it sure is hard! It is such a great feeling knowing that I can depend on all your collective experience.

Right now Millie is playing with a stuffed pink mouse [thanks Beau], batting it around underneath the coffee table, in full view of both cats and me. My mom thinks she's grown since she's been here. I can't really tell, but I do think she is going to be a big girl.)

I am NOT going near the Lady...

I don't care what you say. I'm not doing it. I'm not letting her touch me. I don't care how much she plays with me, it's not gonna work. I'll get sorta close, but not that close. I batted her fingers today, and that's it. She's playing tricky. I'm smarter than that.

(from The Lady... Of course I am totally demoralized. I've read that feral kittens over 12 weeks old are rarely socialized. That's the age Millie was when Malcolm rescued her about 7 weeks ago.... Still, I am trying to be patient and not try to scare Millie by grabbing her and freaking her out. What worries me is that at some point soon I have to bring her to the vet to be spayed, and I've got to be able to get her for that. My gut says as she finds her place in the pecking order here with the big cats, she'll settle down and become more accustomed to me, but I could be completely wrong.)

New Hiding Spot

I found a great new hiding place. The big cats can't get me and the Lady can't see me AT ALL. It's easy to get into and out of and it's right in the picture box room. I can run all around the room from my new hiding place, and I can run into the studio. It's dark and safe. It's near where the Lady sits when she watches the picture box. It wiggles.

(Note from The Lady: Millie's new hiding place is under the recliner. Again, she has found a spot another cat has found before her. In the winter, Jasmine likes to rest behind the recliner, in the corner. I have placed an old fleece blanket there. It is a nice warm spot because at the base of both walls are the baseboard radiators.)

I tried to get Gizzy to play with me again tonight. He likes to WATCH me play, but he doesn't seem to want to play WITH me. And he doesn't like to wrestle. If I try, he gets all mad and hisses at me, and if he really thinks I'm bothering him, he growls. The Lady said, "Millie, I call Gizzy 'Mr Curiosity' sometimes because he likes to watch. He watches everything. He used to play like you do, but he's an older gentleman kitty now and prefers to take it easy. He doesn't even run around much." Doesn't run? What kind of a cat doesn't run?

Can you see me in this picture? I am on the back of the couch looking down on Gizzy.

Jasmine doesn't even watch. I mean, she'll watch me if she can see me from wherever she happens to be. If she's lying on the Lady's sleeping place, she will watch me play in the table room. She doesn't like it if I get too close to her. She doesn't play with me either.

Which is kinda boring.

Playing with Gizzy

I had so much fun running around the house last night! So tonight after dinner, the lady was reading in the picture box room and Gizzy was lying down near the couch. I ran near him and he didn't even move. I wanted to see what he would do. So I ran on top of the couch and looked down at him. He rolled over and sang a little song. We looked at each other. So I ran down to the floor and then ran toward him, planning to jump over him.

Oops. That was the wrong thing to do. He didn't want to play that game. He jumped up at me and me and hissed! I ran away. But now he was alert, watching me. He didn't want to play at all. I kept trying to change his mind, after all, who doesn't want to play?

Later I saw the Lady HOLDING Gizzy! He was purring as she rubbed his head. I went back to my room. When I went back to the picture room, Jasmine was sitting right next to the Lady! The Lady was petting her and Jasmine was purring. I sat on the futon and hissed at Jasmine. Jasmine stayed put.

But I have been running around the whole house having a good time. I've been sitting in the nice soft chairs and looking out all the windows. It's more fun to run around than hide.

I'm liking this house more and more.

Interesting Weekend

The Lady bought this new toy, and we played with it on Saturday. I had lots of fun with it. But I got too close to the Lady and she grabbed me. I don't know why she did that, but I fought and scratched and ran away.

This morning, after breakfast I found a new place to hide. It was such a good place she couldn't find me. I could hear her calling me, and moving all kinds of stuff around. I heard her talking to somebody... "I can't find Millie. I'm worried." She kept on moving everything around, looking underneath everything, moving chairs, grumbling and calling for me. I was mad at her, and I wasn't going to come out.

After a while I heard a new person. He helped her look. I heard doors closing. Finally I saw her looking in my new hiding place. "Found her."





















I stayed in my new hiding place all day. Nothing she or the new guy could do even tempted me to come out. They cooked, they ate, and then he left. After that, the Lady fed us all, and I came out to eat.

After dinner we played again, but I didn't get very close to her.

She left me alone to watch the picture box. But I came out of my room, and walked right past Jasmine. She hissed at me, but she didn't even try to chase me. I played under the table in the table room for a while, and both big cats were watching me. I had to go past Gizzy to get to the studio, so I did. I wanted him to go away, so I hissed at him, but he stayed where he was, and hissed back. Finally I just ran right past him. He didn't even try to chase me either. I ran under the couch and looked at him. We were pretty close. I tried to scare him away by growling, but it didn't work. He just made himself comfortable and pretended to take a little nap, but I know he was watching me. I ran all around the house, past Gizzy, past Jasmine, past the Lady. It was fun.

the Lady has a question

Millie fans and cat experts, I need your advice.

As you know, Millie has a small litter box in "her" room. Since she also uses the big cat litter box in the bathroom (right next door), I was planning to remove her personal one this weekend. She still hisses at the big cats, and they still hiss at her. She is comfortable in my presence, as long as she doesn't think I will try to touch her.

What do you think? Should I remove her litter box and make her use the one in the bathroom, or wait another week? Here's a picture of the bathroom, so you can see the setup, if that is any help.

Thanks,
-- the Lady.

OK, I got tagged...

I got tagged by Fat Eddy, Ella's Mom and Danielle.

Here are the rules: The player of this game starts with "5 weird things/habits about yourself." In the end you need to choose 5 people to be tagged and list their names. The people who get tagged need to write a blog about their 5 weird things/habits as well as state this rule clearly, then tag 5 more victims. Don't forget to leave your victim a comment that says "you're tagged!" in their comments and tell them to read your blog.

from Millie:
OK, so here are 5 weird things about me:
1. I have a titanium rod in my leg.
2. My favorite toy is a pill bottle with unpopped popcorn in it.
3. I am an internet celebrity
4. I live in a house with 1 Lady, 2 big cats, and 3 working computers.
5. I still won't let the Lady touch me.

from Gizzy:
Here are 5 weird things/habits about me:
1. I like marshmallows
2. I like to lick scotch tape. The sticky side.
3. I only eat or use the litter box when the Lady is here.
4. I like fresh water from the faucet, and I don't mind if it drips on my head first.
5. I come when you call my name.

from Jasmine:
Here are 5 weird things/habits about me:
1. I like to hunt crickets
2. I like low places like under the bed or behind the recliner.
3. I can rear up on my hind legs and stay there.
4. I am really shy; if you come to my house, you won't know I'm around.
5. No matter WHO you are, and how far away you are or how close you are, if you call my name, I am NOT coming.

So I (Millie) am gonna tag:
1. Timmy http://timothydickens.blogspot.com/
2. Frostin http://www.frostinschronicles.blogspot.com/
3. Firenze http://catmonsters.blogspot.com/
4. Meezers http://meezertails.blogspot.com/
5. Ayla http://aylathegrump.blogspot.com/

I hope I did this right.


THANKS to Beau for the terrific toys! A pink mouse! How perfect!

Something new...

Good morning kitties! I found -another- window with a nice soft spot to sit and look outside and smell the smells. From this window I can see cars and birds and big people like the Lady (even though she isn't really very big) and littler people. Ooooh, I'm gonna like sitting here...

.... Comment from The Lady: Millie has now found Jasmine's favorite window spot. (This is Jasmine at the window.) We'll see how this pans out....

Busy

Oh look, you guys all want to see what I look like. Well the Lady took this of me while I was eating.

And hey, that's the THIRD time I got tagged. Enough already! The lady wants to go to bed and I won't be able to use the computer after that. You'll just have to wait till later. The Lady works with computers all day and she says she has no interest in being connected to one at home all the time, so I gotta get her when she's in a good mood, and she's still moaning about getting to bed early.

And here's a beauty pose for you gentleman kitties... honestly the Lady's as bad as the papparazzi.

Fun! Fun! Fun!

The Lady came into my room tonight, and sat real quiet for a while. I peeked out from under the bureau. Then we played with the feather thingie. I ran around the room and she watched. I played with her fingers again, and tried to bite her toes. We had fun. I let her get close, but not too close! I sat in the big cat's hammock. I did all kindsa stuff. I had lotsa fun.

I've been tagged twice already. That's plenty. I can't even think of 5 things weird about me, let alone 10. OK, I have a titanium rod in my leg. That's pretty weird. My favorite toy is a pill bottle with unpopped popcorn kernels in it (even though I don't know what those are). I live with two big cats that act like they are afraid of me... I live in a house with one Lady, two other cats and THREE working computers... ok, that's four... hmmm... I haven't let the Lady close to me yet... but that's not weird.

Oh, the Lady just said something about "sleep" and "pumpkin time." I guess that means it's gonna get dark soon, and I can run around and show the big cats how fast I am!

sleep

The Lady was complaining this morning that she was losing sleep over me. How do you lose sleep? I can't find any of her sleep anywhere. I know she sleeps, I've seen her do it, so I don't know what she's complaining about.

In the open

This morning I was playing with my toys. I saw the Lady watching me. I still don't let her get too close. So she has to use the flashie thing and she says my eyes look like headlights... whatever a headlight is.

Tonight I was playing with a funny toy that had lots of legs and kept bouncing on the floor. It was in the doorway to the closet. It tapped, it scratched, it bounced. It came toward me, then moved away. I had to get a closer look. So very slowly I came out from my hiding place. It didn't know I was hunting it. It kept bouncing around, scratching on the floor. I got really really close, and almost touched it. It was really weird, because it was attached to the Lady. She was in the doorway. I jumped over her and ran out of the room. The big cats were on the big table in the table room, so I kept running to the other hiding spot I found in the studio. The Lady came looking for me, but I stayed where I was. Later she was watching the picture box with one of the big cats in her lap. I ran by everybody, even Gizzy, and went back to my safe place.

update from "The Lady"

Hello, Millie lovers everywhere!

Since Millie is playing right now, she's not interested in blogging. So I thought I'd take the time to fill you all in on all the goings on.

First, except for the cats, I live alone in a big three bedroom apartment. My son graduated from college two years ago and has moved out. I turned his room into a sewing room, and that's where Millie has been hanging out. One window faces south, and I've installed a cat hammock there. It's Gizzy's favorite spot. Since Gizzy's jumping ability has decreased with his age, I've set up a small stool to help him out. Millie's hiding place is in the closet, under a shelf that's about five inches off the floor. It's about 24" deep, and she hides way at the back, so she's well protected. I've set up a small litterbox under an end table, and a small eating area near the bureau, where she can easily see anybody approaching the room.

Last night, after she bolted out at the aluminum foil ball, I made a few more and tossed them around the room. I also found an empty pill bottle and put a few popcorn kernels in it. Later, while looking for Millie, I found a cat toy with a bell in it. Before bed, I checked on her, and couldn't find her anywhere. I went through the entire apartment, with a flashlight, and found her underneath the treadmill. Somehow she'd managed to go from one end of the place to the other without arousing the big cats.

This morning, while eating breakfast, Jasmine came up on the table to be near me, as she always does. Suddenly she tensed, and looked toward the sewing room. Turning around, I could see Millie lying down on the floor. I stayed where I was, trying not to look at Millie directly. She relaxed a while longer, then moved away.

She spends more time under the bureau than in the closet now. It's cooler, and she has several escape routes. Plus she can see what's coming.

When I got home from work today, I fed the big cats, as I always do, then fed her. I left the closet door open wide, and also left the door to the room open. She has to get used to the rest of us in here, looking at her and making noise. Each of the big cats will, from time to time, go into the room, locate Millie and hiss at her, turn around and leave. While I ate dinner, I could hear the toys bounce around the room. From time to time I'd turn around to look. She always seemed to know when I was watching. She'd look at me, and I'd turn back around and continue eating. She's so funny looking! She has this tiny little body on these really long legs! She kept right on playing, and eating. Later she frolicked around the room. Gizzy checked in on her, but she kept on playing.

This pleases me to no end. If she is comfortable enough to show herself, then she isn't feeling threatened. Which is pretty amazing, since she's only been here three days.

She has a good appetite and eats well. She uses her litterbox, but poops in the big cat litterbox in the bathroom! I know she's explored, because I've found things knocked off shelves. I know she's climbed up into Gizzy's hammock, because I've seen her sitting in the window from outside. And I know she explores at night, because I've heard the sounds of cats (plural) running around at night. Yes, her leg must be healed because she can run like the proverbial bat out of hell.

Obviously I'd love to hold her and pet her (and trim her claws). I'd love to get a good LOOK at her. I'd like to look at her leg to see how her fur is growing. But that will come when she is ready.

a "Thousand" Thank Yous!

Wowie kazowie!!! I just don't know what to say. I can't believe the number of cats and their people who have stopped by to express their delight in my good fortune. I am stunned at ALL of the heartfelt comments this little blog has received since it started.

I'm amazed. I was just a little homeless kitty. If I hadn't got hurt, nobody would have ever known about me. I would probably never have gotten a good home. I know this is a good home, a safe home; a home where I will be loved. I know I will get enough food, and care. I never expected to be this lucky. The Lady says if I were human, this would be like winning the lottery.

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all the wonderful cats and your people who got together to help me out. The Lady has a very close family. I think I have her beat!

Love you, all my new special friends!
--Millie

Outsmarted

Does anybody know what this is? I've never seen anything like this before. I was under the bureau last night and one of these went rolling by. It makes a funny noise on the floor as it rolls. I don't know what I was thinking, I just had to get it, so I went after it, and I caught it! Then I looked around. I was in the middle of the room!

I dunno how she did it, but the Lady got me to come out from under the bureau!

I went exploring again last night. I went around the whole house. Well, not in the Lady's room because Jasmine guards her. But I found the studio. It's messy, so there's lotsa places to hide. And I found a good one. Nobody could find me! I even made it past the big cats without them noticing. Heh!

Playing is Fun!

It was a warm day today, so I napped. But after dinner, the Lady came into the room and we played with the purple thingie again. She took some pictures. She took lotsa pictures, but since I am such a fast kitty, a lot of them were fuzzy or I had moved by the time the camera took the picture. Heh. She took so many pictures I didn't even notice. So here I am. I never came out from under the bureau.

She thought she could get me to come out. Ha! I'm smarter than that.

Exercize

Hi everybody. After playing last night with the purple thing, I was in a really good mood. After the Lady got quiet and turned the lights out, I had some fun. I explored the room I was in and found some things to play with. Then I went running around. The big cats didn't catch me this time. Heh.

Playing

One thing about hiding. It gets kinda boring. So when this purple feathery thingie started flipping around under the bureau, I had to catch it. It was fun, and I played with it for a long time. But I didn't come out from under the bureau.

Here I am!

My foster dad, Dan, took this nice picture of me, and he says I can show it off here. The Lady says all she ever sees of me is a blur as I run by. (photo by Dan Raucci)

The big cats

These are the big cats I live with, Jasmine and Gizzy. Jasmine is 13 and Gizzy is 14. The lady says that Jasmine is really shy. I think Gizzy is mad at me because my hiding place is in the same room as his favorite spot.

The lady also says that both cats don't see as well as they used to. And they're not as fast as they used to be. Maybe now that I am here they will get more exercise so they can go faster.

My new home!

I like my box. My box with my pink blanket is my home. It's been my home since those terrible things happened to me. Today my home went someplace. I dunno where, but my home was moving. I slept. When it stopped, I waited for a while. Then my box opened and this lady picked me up. I tried to get a better look around by climbing to her shoulder. Apparently this was not a good idea, because I was put back in my box. The box moved again. For a long time this time. Then the moving stopped and the lady was carrying the box.

"We're home, Millie." Another home?

She put it down and took me out of the box and put me in another box with a door with holes in it. I could look around. A big cat came near the box and started sniffing. I hissed at him and he hissed back. His name is Gizzy. He told me he is the Number One Cat. Then he left. The lady opened the door to the new box, then she left. I was in a nice room, all by myself. I got out of the new box and looked for a place to hide. I found a good place under a bureau.
She came back and took my favorite pink blanket and put it in the closet, under a shelf near the floor. It's a space just big enough for me, and I went there as soon as she left.

I was alone, but I was safe. After a while the lady came back and put some food and water nearby. I was hungry so I ate it all. She came in to look at me. I stayed in the back of the closet. When she left there was more food. I ate more. I was alone in the room, so after I while I went exploring. There was a nice window, so I jumped up and looked out the window for a while. I could see outside and smell the smells. It was good.

Later I used the litter box and looked around. The lady had left the door open this time. There is another cat, I know because I can smell her, but she hasn't come to introduce herself. I went exploring. I found the big cats' litter box, and I was checking it out, but the lady came by and I ran back to my place. I think I'm gonna like it here. This home is already better than my box.