The Problem with Flat Screen TVs

Kevin is mad (that's probably why he lays behind the TV and glares at us from underneath it).

Comic via Mashable.

Unlikely Relief

Over the long weekend, we spent lots of time on the water with family and friends. And for me, that usually means coming home with a ridiculous amount of bug bites. Last weekend was no exception.

I couldn’t sleep for two nights because of the awful itching, so last night at 2 a.m. I was Googling home remedies for treating bug bites. From the way Kevin was pawing my face, I assume he was mad about the cell phone light and just wanted to go back to sleep. His opinion didn’t count right then, so I kept searching.

People suggested all kinds of crazy things – anything from mediocre-working OTC products to insane things like soaking yourself in bleach or ammonia (seriously?). A remedy that consistently was mentioned as a good itch reliever was mouthwash… that or Preparation H, but I had mouthwash on hand.

So Kevin and I made our way to the bathroom. While he explored the inside of the cupboard, I was wiping Listerine-soaked cotton balls all over my feet, legs and arms. That’s normal, right?

It didn’t seem to help right away, so I got a drink of water and headed back to bed. Kevin had already claimed my pillow as his own. When I moved him off, he expressed his dissatisfaction by kneading my stomach and making it his new bed. Awesome.

By the time I moved Kevin again, the mouthwash miracle had begun. The itch was gone! I was so happy to finally get some rest, and so was Kevin. He and I went happily back to bed… sharing my pillow.  

Kitty Tank

I need one. Bad.

You, too? Get it here.

Image via.

Cone of Shame

Kevin has been home from the vet since Wednesday and is recovering well. He had to wear a cone to keep him from licking his freshly declawed paws. He was pretty unhappy about it (if you can't tell by his angry face). Jeff and I couldn't help but think of the movie Up when Doug the dog wore a cone and said "I do not like the cone of shame." We kept saying that to Kevin - he was not amused.

His cone came off yesterday and he's getting back to normal. So far he limps a little, but I'm sure he's just sore. The best part is that he's been quiet, and has been sleeping through the night!

Because he's been so quiet, we don't always know where he is. This morning I didn't know he was sleeping under my clothes in the closet. When I grabbed my boots from out of there, it scared Kevin awake and he tore out of the closet -scaring me half to death. We weren't expecting each other to say the least. The scare was worth it though. A quiet cat makes me happy.

Poor Little Kevin

Kevin is going to the vet today to have, what I would assume is a terrible procedure. That's right, folks, he's getting neutered today. He cries, whines, and screams for the stray female outside, and we've finally had enough. We're taking his front claws while he's there, too. Sorry, Kev.

We put it off because he never had any behavioral problems before, but since the day he ran away, got a taste of the wild and met his stray friend, he's been excessively meowing and making crazy loud mating calls. We've just finally had enough of never sleeping, and we miss peace and quiet in the house. We needed to get this done, especially with the holidays coming up and family staying with us - I'd feel terrible if he kept them awake, too.

We get to pick him up Wednesday. I hope he's not mad at us. I'm really excited about getting a full nights sleep though. I've forgotten what it felt like.

Keep 'lil Kev in your prayers.

Kevin the Runaway

If you haven’t noticed by now, I’m fairly attached to my cat, Kevin. Here's the story of him sneaking out the front door while a friend was leaving.

Jeff and I didn’t notice him gone right away, but when we heard a screeching noise and saw cat eyes in the backyard, we started looking for him in the house. When we confirmed the strange cat in the trees was ours, we put on our shoes and grabbed our flashlights (it was 1 a.m.), and headed to the tall brush in the back.

After searching for awhile, we spotted his glowing eyes and tried to get a hold of him. The way we were pointing at him with our flashlights, the poor guy must’ve thought we were aliens trying to abduct him. Needless to say, he was scared of us aliens and tried to run away. The most hilarious thing I’ve ever seen came next.

Being a cat, he was too short to run through the brush and still be able to see, he leaped and bounded his way away from us. Seriously people, he looked like a kangaroo hopping through there. Jeff and I about died. He eventually came to a stop, hid from us for a good 10 minutes, then let out his crazy cat squeal allowing us to locate him again. Jeff carried him back inside and gave him a bath to help get some of the burs out of his fur. We picked them out for days.

He’s home safe now, doing his normal Kevin things …

Sitting around, being cute ...

Sleeping in his pillow most of the day ...

Laying on Jeff while he sleeps ...

Watching TV ...

Wishing he could go back outside ...

More sleeping (this time on his back) ...

 And, making sure he has the nightstand all to himself.

Reaching New Heights

Lately Kevin has discovered heights far beyond the floor and couch. I wasn't happy when he started getting up on the kitchen counters (he thought he was being sneaky, but the noise he made moving plates, silverware, or whatever else was left out, wasn't exactly stealthy). But now, he's figured out how to get from the floor, to the counter, to the top of the fridge, to the top of the kitchen cupboards! Also, he gets on top of the storage cupboard in the living room (Urgh!).

The tops of my cupboards are decorated with lots of antiques, thrift store finds and other treasures, and Kevin is making a mess of them. I just keep spraying him with water when I catch him up there, then I put things back where they belong. I'm about to start setting glue traps for him to get stuck in – maybe then he'll understand. Too cruel? Try having a cat destroy everything, then let's talk.

And now for a little game of "What's the Difference."

Good thing I put everything back where it was ...

A Little Off

When we first brought Kevin home from my parents' farm, he seemed fat and healthy. He was so fluffy in fact, we weren’t sure if he was male or female for awhile (ridiculous, I know). After about a month, Jeff came home from work and Kevin could barely walk − Jeff immediately took him to the vet. His head was so crooked he practically was upside down. He had a hard time staying upright, and if he got up on the bed or couch, we had to help him back to the floor. Jumping down was quite the feat.

A billion tests, one kitty surgery and $600 later (eeps!), Kevin was on the road to recovery. Turns out he had ear mites from the farm − they led to ruptured ear drums which explained his extreme lack of balance. Also, since his equilibrium was so off, he had a hard time keeping food down. He lost about three pounds and was rail thin. The only thing he would eat was a freshly opened can of tuna. Emphasis on the fresh. As hard as we tried to give him the other half of the can later, he was not to be fooled. Fresh. Only.

Looking back, now that he’s recovered (and well-fattened from Fancy Feast), I’m glad we spent the money to heal him. He’s been a good addition to our family. When guests come over they still notice his slight tilt and say he looks like he has a question. He’s probably just wondering if they have food.

Here’s a video I took of him trying to get down from the bed while he was still off balance. Don’t worry − he has no trouble jumping anywhere now. Stay tuned for more on that.

Meet Kevin

It has almost been a year since we brought our cat, Kevin, home with us. He’s nothing special, just a grey tabby from the farm, but we’ve grown pretty fond of him.

We constantly catch him on the countertops, on the end tables, or in the cupboards (yep, he opens them up and climbs right in), but the best place (or the worst) so far has been in our vents. Not only did he figure out how to get the vent covers up from the floor, but he decided to crawl down in the air ducts and travel from room to room. Once we confirmed how he was getting into our bedroom, even when the door was closed, my husband screwed the vent covers down. Kevin mourned over them for days. There must’ve been something wonderful in there – I still catch him pawing at them.

Recently he started licking away the butter from the covered butter dish, which now I’m forced to store in the cupboard or risk losing another entire stick 

Lately he meows all. night. long. and makes tons of noise while having late-night shenanigans. Maybe it’s God’s way of preparing us to have crying babies someday. We already take turns getting up in the middle of the night to shut him up take care of him. Maybe he needs a girlfriend. We'll see.





He sleeps ALL DAY (which explains his middle-of-the-night adventures).





He has an infatuation with the wash machine and dryer.