Monday, December 31, 2012

Releasing Topper

We released Topper on Friday night with all his friends around.  There to welcome him back: Greyboy, Strike, Blabby, Pegs, Punky and Lulu, Sweet Corn, and eventually Mustafa,...
 
 

 
We released Topper underneath the gazebo where I normally feed him

That's Sweet Corn, she's new, up front

I put down something yummy for Topper just outside the trap
 
But one of the kittens found it
 
That's OK, because Topper took off to reexperience freedom
  
And then he came back for a treat

Everybody has to eat - the cat with the fluffy tail in the center is Mustafa
 
and perhaps they were also there to get "a little som-ting" for themselves. 

Friday, December 28, 2012

More Pictures from Sandra's


 
 


It Keeps You Running - Trapping Topper

Topper


Does anybody remember this song by the Doobie Brothers?  It Keeps you Running?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BsTF22SPyM

I've thought about it several times when I was at the park recently.


For instance, it came to mind as I was wondering when this:

A special private meal for Strike at the top of the park, right before I leave...


Turned into this:

...a public buffet party


Topper is a sweet young male cat who I believe came from across the road, and started spending part of the day up at the top level of the park with Blabby and Greyboy. 

Topper looks like Moonpie, only with eyeliner.


Topper, upstage from the sea





Moonpie



Topper, like Moonpie, but with eyeliner


Topper befriended Blabby, which surprised me, since Blabby is an older, altered male.  Greyboy only tolerated Topper.  (Greyboy and Blabby are BFF's since kittenhood.)  I thought, "Isn't this nice for Blabby." It's like the camp song we used to sing, "Make new friends and keep the old; one is silver and the other gold." Greyboy was Blabby's gold friend, and, Topper, his new silver one.



Blabby and Greyboy, golden buddies


Before I knew it, Strike's private breakfast became a regular threesome with Blabby and Greyboy, and then I had to set a fourth place setting when Aggie joined in:

Aggie, far right and top

Then, as I made adjustments, Aggie mysteriously disappeared and Topper took his place.


It was just as I prepared every day for the new foursome, and their tastes, when a young female I call Pegs turned up under a tree with her kittens, Punky and Lulu, and smelled the soft stuff.


Pegs
Punky and Lulu needed special kitten food


I made the necessary adjustments to that and,...

King, left, Topper, right, and Blabby in background approaching


...then came King.

And then most recently a young female named Sweet Corn has joined the penthouse party.

All this happened as I was still thinking of this as Strike's special meal.

And while I was flailing in the Middle Ages trying to figure how all this changed so fast, Topper moved on and became a Tomcat.

I've noticed it's when I feel comfortable enough to utter a statement like "Topper is so sweet and he loves Blabby, and he is very repectful of Greyboy," that this is exactly when everything changes.  And change it did as Topper then became a budding bully.

Cats like to keep us running, and they like to keep us guessing.  It's in their DNA; it's in their essence.  If change is a part of life, and helps us grow, then cats are the porsches of accelerated change, and force us to grow very fast. They lead me to believe that the universe is indeed speeding up.


I went to the park late Wednesday night and trapped Topper. It was time.  He overnighted with us and went to the vet Thursday morning.

Topper came of age while I fiddled and flailed and tried to catch up

Topper before his journey to Nicosia to be altered


Working with cats?  It keeps you running.







Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Altered Cats!

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah,  and Happy Holidays to all from Altered Cats!

Reach for the stars
Warmest Wishes from Nik, Anita, Muji, Snubs (pictured above), and all the cats

Monday, December 24, 2012

Princess and Some Other Park Cats

This is some video I took at the park recently, before the recent rains started.  It's been wet and awful out for the last week. 




Baby with her baby, Princess, earlier this summer 
Here are some others from the video:


Soso

Greyboy

Strike

Punky and Lulu

Soze

Oranj, front, with Pookie

Pookie


Fluffy

Junior


Soupy
Princess is on the right in the following photograph.  On the left peeking over her shoulder is her brother, Rex.  You can purchase this photograph as a card or a print on my Fine Art America website.  I took it this summer as Princess and Rex were watching their Mother eat from the nearby brush.  They had yet to gather enough courage to come down to eat at the feeding station, but developed plenty of curiosity!  The sun was rising in the background, the dew was sparkling in the early morning light, and I could hear the sea in the background.  It's a special memory:


Sell Art Online

It's been fun and interesting to watch Princess, her three siblings, and all the summer kittens grow up and develop their unique personalities. 

Friday, December 21, 2012

Ernest Hemingway's Polydactyl Cats in the News


Ernest Hemingway loved cats - here he is with his sons Patrick and Gregory and some kittens in Cuba

Court: USDA can regulate Ernest Hemingway museum’s cats

I appreciate the government being there to protect animals when we need it, but this is an example of legalism. We should keep in mind the spirit of the law, no matter how big government grows and no matter how big countries are. I would hate to think these cats who are free now to roam the grounds will be forced into cages at night because of a misapplication of the law. 
 
One of the nice things about Cyprus is it is small and things are still personal, even when dealing with authorities.

A polydactyl descendant of Hemingway's original cat, Snowball - this cat has 26 toes!

Hemingway's writing desk with sleeping cat

A cat from Hemingway's house




The Earnest Hemingway Home and Museum in Key West, FL, USA

 
Check out the link in the above caption for some adorable pictures and information about these cuties.  There are 40-50 cats living at the Hemingway House now.
 
 
 

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Sandra's

I mentioned in the last post we started a new feeding station this past summer behind our friend Sandra's apartment building.

I thought you might like to see some of the cats from the feeding station we call "Sandra's":






 



 

 

 
 
 
 
 

 

 


These pictures were taken in the summer with a phone, so they are not so great.  The cats are looking a bit healthier now with regular meals, they have grown, and many more have found their way to the feeding station to eat.