Posted by terrepruitt on September 7, 2018
I know I just posted a picture of Teagan LAST Friday, but I was going through some pictures and I found this one. WOW! Now you know why we changed her name from Smokey to Teagan. This was taken in February 2016. So, I guess I do have some good photos of her, just not as many as I have of her sister. And this one – in 2016 – was an anomaly. She wasn’t fond of getting her picture taken. She is getting more used to it now, as I stated last week.
Here is Teagan again for the Friday Photo.
Posted in Cats, Friday Photo, Teagan and Nessa | Tagged: beautiful girl, black cat, formerly known as, Friday Photo, shiny coat, silky cat, Smokey, Teagan | 8 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on July 9, 2018
I can’t remember why exactly . . . I think it was because when we adopted Teagan (Smokey) and Nessa (Esmeralda) The Dancing Cat used pellet litter . . . . so I started researching litter. I liked the litter that we used when we first got Spot, but Costco stopped selling it LONG ago and we had switched to Arm & Hammer. I liked it. It clumped well and it — the unscented kind — did a good job of keeping the smell in check . . . at least with Spot. But I got very tired of the dust. I share a room with the litter box and just regular dust is hard to deal with, but add cat litter dust on top of that and I just was tired of it. My research revealed that Dr. Elsey’s Ultra Litter was pretty much dust free. Of course, that was the old formula . . . according to the reviews. Seems like about the time I was thinking about buying it they switched their formula/litter and loyal customers were upset because the dust free litter now had dust. I decided to try it anyway because there were a few reviews that said it was good. Well, I think it is a lot less dusty than the litter we used to buy. It might be more dusty than it was at one time, but it is still less dusty so we use it. And the cats had no trouble at all adjusting from pellets to one litter the the next. They are such good girls. This story is all leading to #Orangeinside.
The last litter bag we opened had an orange collar inside. (Ha! That is not what #Orangeinside is about. 🙂 ) I picked up the package and read “Share a photo with #Orangeinside on Instagram for a chance to win a year supply of Dr. Elsey’s Ultra cat litter.*” And I said to my husband, “Will you do it for me? I don’t have Instagram?” And then I went on to say what a brilliant way to market. Send out an orange collar with your website on it and have people take pictures of their cats in it and post it on Instagram! I thought that was brilliant. I don’t even HAVE Instagram and I was going to do it — or have it done. I could use a free year of cat litter. Heck yeah!
But then I flipped the bag over 
and read the other side of the enclosed card. It said that less than 5% of missing indoor cats are returned home, that a cat with an orange collar is an indication of an indoor cat, a cat with an orange collar should not be outside. Ha! I hadn’t read past that because I thought that was a great idea. Now that I am reading the entire thing I understand what the white strip on the collar is. It is a space to write your phone number so someone can call you when your cat is found. This is cool. I like this program.
I also noticed once I really looked at the collar that, there is a little kitty face on the breakaway buckle and if that kitty face is facing outward the website does not show, only the spot for the owner’s number.
The thing is . . . my cats are indoor cats and they don’t wear collars. That is one reason I love indoor cats, they are unfettered by collars. I was planning on putting the bright orange collar on our black cat for a photo because I thought the orange and black would really stand out. But when I thought about it I don’t know where she was and her sister was right there. So I tried it on her. Well, I am not posting all the blurry shots I have. She wouldn’t really sit still. She was trying to get it off. I did manage to get one or two, but not of her face.
Today as I was preparing to write this post I put it on the black cat. She was in mellow mode so she just laid there and actually let me get a few photos.
When I googled Orange Collar the result was a lot of sites selling orange collars. The few articles that came up showed a year of 2015 in the summary . . . so I am thinking that this orange collar for indoor cats has been around since at least 2015. I think it is a neat idea.
Have you ever heard of the orange collar thing? Do you have an indoor cat? Does your indoor cat wear a collar? WOULD your indoor cat wear a collar?
Posted in Cats, Misc | Tagged: Arm & Hammer Litter, clay litter, Costco litter, Dr. Elsey's Litter, Dr. Elsey's Orange Inside Collar giveaway, dust free litter, Esmeralda, indoor cat program, Nessa, Nessa with Orange Inside Collar on, orange breakaway collar, orangeinside collar, pellet litter, Smokey, Teagan, Teagan with Orange Inside Collar on, the dancing cat | 6 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on August 10, 2016
Sorry, I couldn’t resist (Mews Of Change). One of my most recent posts was an “update” about our cats. It really wasn’t an update because there was nothing new to share. It was more just a report or an excuse to post cat pictures. If you are a pet owner and anything like me, you take hundreds of pictures of your pets. I mean, they are just so cute, right? “Oh, look! She’s upside down.” “Oh, look, she is pawing at the shadow of the bird.” “Oh, look! She is covering her face!” Seriously, basically anything they do, right? So, I do love to share my kitty pictures. But this time I really do have an update. A couple of weeks ago there was a post on my Facebook feed from PureWow. It was 15 Irish Baby Names That We’re Totally Going to Steal. I saw two names that interested me. My hubby has not been fond of the name Smokey for our cat, and I have not been fond of Esmeralda. It is not the names per se; it is those names for our cats. When I saw this list I thought a couple of these names fit the girls better. So John and I had been toying with the idea of changing their names.
I wasn’t sure because I feel as if 
they recognize their names. They are cats, so it is not as if they come when they are called, but they KNOW their names. So I thought it might not be nice to change them. But, they just seem to fit better. And my husband is doing a really good job of calling them by their new names. I was calling them both, trying to get them used to it. I was still unsure.
But then . . . I was put on the schedule to teach yoga at The Dancing Cat and part of the announcement includes information about us living with two cats that we adopted from The Dancing Cat. And it lists the cats’ names. So, I thought, well, if we are going to change them, we might as well do it now. We might as well let The Dancing Cat and the people that worked with Smokey and Esmeralda that we are now calling them something new. Something more fitting – at least to us.
So we are now calling Smokey Teagan, which means beautiful. She is really a beautiful cat and I call her Beautiful half the time anyway. I also like the name Teagan. She could never get a big head because she is the sweetest girl. And we are calling Esmeralda Nessa, which means ambitious and/or fierce. Now that is not a bad thing at all. She is very ambitious and I feel that she can do anything she sets her mind to. She has fierce passion. I have been looking into Nessa a bit more to find information to make me certain of the fit and I found Baby Names of Ireland.com:
“Nessa was the mother of Conchobhar (Conor) Mac Nessa, king of Ulster. A powerful and beautiful woman, ambitious for her son, she tricked her second husband, Fergus, into giving up his kingdom to his stepson, Conchobhar (Conor), for a year, but Conchobhar (Conor) ruled so wisely and so well that the people chose him to be their permanent king.”
I could totally see Esmeralda as powerful and beautiful and SMART.
So, there you have it an ACTUAL update on the cats. Some news, yet also a post where I can post more cat pictures.
If you are local and you want to come take a yoga class in the presence of cats, check out my page where there is a link to register at The Dancing Cat. You will be able to hang out with the cats after the class. So your donation includes yoga AND a cat visit.
What do you think about the new names for our cats?
Posted in Cats, Teagan and Nessa | Tagged: ambitious, Beautiful, Cats, donation to help cats, Esmeralda, fierce, Irish names for girls, Nessa, new names, Purr yoga, Smokey, Teagan, the dancing cat, Yoga | 9 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on July 4, 2016
Most of you probably know that we have cats. Right? I mean, I have posted a least once a month about them. They are so sweet. Cats really are. Cats, just like so many people, get a bad rep from the few that are not nice. But most cats are very sweet. They might not respond like dogs and come when you call them, but they are very affectionate. My last post about the cats (Our Tube Has A Tail) had videos, the one (Happy Cat Guardians) before that a bunch of photos. This brings me to the point of this post, it has been a year since we brought the cats home. Last year on Friday, July 3, 2015 we decided to adopt them. We brought them home on the Fourth of July.
Some of you may know the story . . . we had a cat that died in 2014. She was phenomenal in the sense that she was a very easy cat. She didn’t get into things, she had impeccable litter box manners . . . she was so many things the opposite of the reputation of cats. So when my hubby and I started thinking about getting a kitten, I was so torn. I mean, I totally wanted a kitten. The little mews of a kitten are enough to make anyone want one. And the antics . . . so fun. But I didn’t want to end up with one of “those” cats. The ones that give cats a bad reputation. It didn’t really occur to me to get an older cat. But once it did I thought, “How do you pick one?” So I had been looking on websites and “deciding” by looks, which is one of the worst ways, to me, to decide on an animal.
Turns out my husband’s boss had a friend who opened a cat “cafe” or cat lounge where you can go visit with cats. I love that idea and decide to volunteer there. In that same time frame they happened to get a cat that LOOKED so cute that both my hubby and I wanted her. But after a few visits, I kinda set my sights on another cat. I just needed to let my husband meet both the cat we originally saw and wanted, and this other one. I was confident that the moment he met Esmeralda and she exposed her belly for gettin’ he would be convinced she was for us. The issue was that she was considered part of a bonded pair and that means they want to adopt them out together. I really didn’t want two cats. One is enough. Two is too much. Plus I hadn’t even seen this other one. She was holed up in one of the cat spaces and wouldn’t come out.
But when another cat moved into her spot and forced her out and we finally got to see her, we decided we could deal with two cats. If you are not opposed to adopting a black cat and you ever have to choose between a black on and a not black one . . . please really consider taking the black one. Because of certain beliefs, black cats are hard to adopt out. There are some superstitions around black cats so they don’t get adopted as much.
So, it has been a year. And it was rough in the beginning — no one’s fault. We had to keep them quarantined and medicate them for the first 30 days and we felt so bad. Many of you know giving your pet medication is not easy and it is really sad when you bring a new pet home and have to put them through that. We knew that it would be over one day and the cats would be fine, but it is tough when you are going through it.
But here we are . . . a year later. And pretty much every day one of us (me to my hubby or he to me) says how much we love having our girls. They are such great cats. Very loving. Very sweet. Very entertaining.
Happy Fourth of July to you all. And Happy Home Anniversary to our girls.
Posted in Cats, Teagan and Nessa | Tagged: adopted cats, black cats, cat cafe, Cat lounge, Esmeralda, Fourth of July, Happy Cat Guardians, Home Anniversary, Smokey, The Dancing Cat San Jose | Leave a Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on June 22, 2016
Yeah, that is about it. These tubes are from our first cat, Spot. They can be connected to make a longer tube, but currently we have them separated. Esmeralda, the Tortie, loves them. One is in the dining area and one is in the living room. They are somewhat lined up and Esmeralda runs through them. She gets going very fast. She runs the length of the house making laps. One day one of the tubes was turned, but she zigged through it and then ran to the other one. I have never even tried to record it because she is very fast and I don’t think, neither me nor my iPhone could capture it. But I did record her playing with the mouse in the tube.
The mouse can be dragged around the floor in front of her for what seems like forever, but the second you touch the tube she will pounce. The two cats seem to take turns playing. One will wait patiently for the other to be done. Sometimes the one waiting will get bored and leave, but sometimes the player leaves so the “waiter” takes over. Today, Esmeralda was playing, and I caught Smokey drinking.
Then Smokey started to play, but just for a second. Then Esmeralda played for a while. The Smokey took over. Esmeralda waited but then when Smoke stopped Esmeralda just sat in her tube looking at the mouse. Then she walked away so I did too.
These are just short (1.19 minute’s tops) recordings of them playing. Just cute to watch, well, if you are me, their mom. Nothing exciting, except Esmeralda really is fast.
Also, I found these recordings on my phone. They are from Christmas 2015. My family has a big dog. I love this dog. I love big dogs. He is huge. This dog is so nice and mellow it is amazing. He is so good around everyone. On this day he was a little sad because the house was full of people and he couldn’t come in. He was excited to have some company and play with his toy. I caught him running and playing with his toy. The noise is the noise the toy is making as he squeezes it.
I love to watch pets play. They are so funny. It is so entertaining. It is also amazing how focused they get. And how joyful. Do you like to watch them?
Posted in Cats, Teagan and Nessa | Tagged: cat mouse, cat toy, cat tube, Christmas 2015, Esmeralda, fast cat, silly cat, Smokey, summer 2016, videos of cats | 12 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on October 22, 2015
It has been a little over two months since our cats have been out of confinement. You may have read that we adopted cats in July. Within a week of bringing them home I suspected ringworm, so they were locked in a room until the cultures came back. When the culture came back positive nine days later we had 30 days of pills and confinement ahead of us. Near the end of the round of medicine my husband and I were not sure we could make it. Only because by that 38th day the cats seem to be giving up. They were done with being in one room and they were done with having pills jammed down their throats. We all were done. So when they were cleared to come out we were all happy. So it has been three days over two months and they are still getting used to things. They are just beginning to really run the house, as cats do. Smokey, the black one, does not seem to like her picture taken. As soon as I point my phone at her she turns away. She will stay for a couple of shots, but after a minute she will just get up and walk away or move away. Emmy, the tortoiseshell, is a little bit more tolerant, but not much. Smokey is also very difficult to capture because of her coloring. She is pretty dark. I think of her as all black, but in the sun today she seemed to have a lot of red/chocolate in her. The sun was very bright and I could barely see what I was getting as I was just clicking and clicking. I am surprised at these shots. I thought they were nice so I wanted to share.
Of course, I took more than I have posted, but it is kind of a series of photos, so that is why I have posted so many. You can see how they are both looking at the mouse. Then Emmy looks at me. I have several of these. As I mentioned, I couldn’t really see what I was getting, I was just pressing the button. Smokey’s attention never waivers. Then you see she gets low . . .then she gets a little lower, then . . .a little pounce.
When they were brought into the shelter they weighed in at 9.8 pounds and 8.8 pounds. At the last vet check they came in at 7.44 pounds and 5.5 pounds. Using the hold ’em and weight method, Smokey is back up to 9.8. And Emmy is at 7 pounds. They are much happier and eating better. Plus they have a lot more room to run around. And boy, do they run around. They tear through the house at top speeds. I wish we had something to clock them. They get going so fast!
They are very fun. They want to play a lot. So I am constantly being interrupted to play. They are very good mousers. Smokey is very good at knowing where the mouse will be and she can catch it without having to move a lot. She has slowed down a little bit with having gone from 7.4 pounds to 9.8. Esmeralda is a flier. She is always in the air. All four paws either in a long jump or in a really high pounce. It is amazing. They both would be great hunters.
Well, I know this type of post is far and away from health, wellness, and fitness, but our cats do bring a lot of laughter and joy into our lives. I like to share.
After she got it, she had to roll around with it as cats do. Her trophy. Emmy looks unimpressed!
Show me pictures of your pet! Either e-mail them to me so I can post them, or post a link so we can see them. It is fun to share pictures of our furry family members!
Posted in Cats, Teagan and Nessa | Tagged: adopted cats, black cat, confinement, Emmy, Esmeralda, health, mouser, quarantine, ringworm, ringworm medicine, Smokey, tortoiseshell cat | 1 Comment »
Posted by terrepruitt on July 7, 2015
I have not decided to turn this blog into a cat blog. But I have been very much preoccupied with the cats. Not that they need a lot of attention. They are very mellow girls. I just LIKE giving them a lot of attention. Plus I spent a lot of time at The Dancing Cat last week so my brain is still on cats. I want to continue to talk about The Dancing Cat because having a place where you can go meet your potential pet is the greatest thing. I went there to meet a particular cat that had been posted on The Dancing Cat’s Facebook page. The second I walked in I wanted to scoop her up and run. She was so tiny and so cute, just a beautiful girl. But after watching her for a while I realized that our home would probably not be the best place for her. She is a very active cat. She is still young and might mellow out a bit, but she is still more active than we were looking for. Her being active is not a bad thing at all. And me recognizing that her level of activity is more than we want is not bad either. It is EXACTLY what a cat cafe is for. Well, one of the things. It is also there to allow people to visit with cats, but its highest purpose it to match people with pets. I didn’t want two cats. And I still don’t. I want the sister we have. They are still adjusting to their new home. It is a learning process for all of us. But so far, my hubby and I are very happy. We are enamoured with the girls. We feel extremely blessed. We are grateful to The Dancing Cat.
Since I have never had two cats, I am learning how to do it. I never know which one to pet first. And I always feel as if I have to give them equal time. Which is probably not true at all because Smokey seems to like her pets in small doses. But, as I said, we are all learning. One thing that comes with two cats is their interaction. I recorded a bit of their little bath session today. I could have stood there all day, but I only got a couple of minutes because I decided I could leave them alone. Smokey first bathed Esmeralda, then they switched.
I know for many this is not a big deal. Happens all the time. I know I will get accustomed to it, too. But for now, this just amazes me. Sister love.
The black cat is Smokey and the tortie is Esmeralda. On the way home with them in the car my husband and I decided to keep their names. She doesn’t really seem like an Esmeralda to me. I looked up the name Esmeralda and it translates to emerald. The tendency with Esmeralda is to call her Ezzy/Essy. Don’t like. She really doesn’t seem like an Ezzy to me. But as the case is with pets there always seems to be a nickname. Going along with the emerald idea, I have been calling her Emmy! When I said that my husband said, “Like the award?” And I said, “No, like short for the precious gem! An Emerald.”Ahh, we will see.
My Facebook friends have been very kind and understanding about all the pictures I have posted. I hope you understand, too.
Posted in Cats, Teagan and Nessa | Tagged: adopt a cat, cat cafe, Emerald, Esmeralda, new cat parents, sister cats, Smokey, the dancing cat | 4 Comments »
Posted by terrepruitt on July 4, 2015
I hope, for those of you that celebrate, you had a very wonderful and safe Fourth of July. I have been a bit preoccupied with family things. So I forgot about Thursday’s post as well as today’s post. But, it is good stuff, additions not subtractions. Saving lives, not losing lives. Remembering those that we were honored and blessed to have as part of our lives. Sharing the love we are bursting with. Sharing what we work hard for and the blessings we have. Just brace yourself because this might turn into a blog about cats.
There were cats, friends, food, fireworks, and lots of love. I give a shout out to my hubby who helped make it all happen and sacrificed his desires because of my needs. The cats came home to a comfortable and clean space which took me a bit to achieve. But they are home.
Thanks for reading. Thanks for understanding.
Posted in Cats, Teagan and Nessa | Tagged: Cats, Esmeralda, Fourth of July, love, Smokey, the dancing cat, The Dancing Cats, The Girls, The kitties | 8 Comments »
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