Memorial Day Ralphie

It's been a very long week, but that's just work for me. Ralphie is continuing to thrive and charms everyone he meets. Not that he meets many people, but I'm looking forward to having his "Grandma and Grandpa" come up to visit him!

He and Tuffy enjoy their time in the bedroom together and both were a huge help in making the bed last night!

Cross your fingers, he hasn't made a mess in his kennel in 2 nights!

I thought I saw a puddy-tat

Ralphie saw his first rabbit last night, out in the field beyond the fenced in portion of the yard. This is pretty much what he looked like!

Ralphie has Cattitude

As my husband says, you never want Ralphie walking on your face because you never know where his paws have been!

Ralphie still has a little diahhrea problem which I doubt will ever truly go away. I think he poops at night when he's sleeping and doesn't realize it, because he always ends up with crap on his legs or his tail. I've GOT to get a picture of Ralphie's tail - it's like a monkey's, it's so dang long!

Ralphie definitely has cattitude. He has firmly established himself as "head of household". If only he could deduct his chicken expense from our taxes next year, we'd be good to go!

Ralph in the Grass

Remember when I said that Ralphie didn't like going outside? Well, I admit it. I was wrong. I think, since he's now become King of the Big House, he thinks it's pretty cool going outside with the big boys. And now that the weather has become nice, everyone is enjoying themselves!

Ralphie has become a real kitten

Much like Pinocchio, without all the wooden parts, Ralphie was a bit of an enigma when he lived at the Shelter. He wanted to be a real kitten, but never quite knew how to go about it. Sure, there were lots of other cats at the Shelter to hang with and food and water were always plentiful, but something seemed like it was missing.

When he came home with me, he was still that little cat that didn't quite know where he belonged in the world, but he was catching on quick. Different experiments with food, sleeping in a kennel with his personal, private litter box and lots of toys finally, FINALLY brought out the Ralphie kitten that I knew was hiding in that compact little body. No, I don't think he's gotten any bigger physically, but emotionally, he has become a powerhouse. He races out of the bedroom as fast as he can go, runs into the kitchen and waits for me to heat his food up in the microwave (as I said, ALL my animals are spoiled!), he plays with the balls on the wood floor, skittering around like a tiny little tornado. And OH, he LOVES string, rope and anything that you can pull across the rug that he can chase. I always thought Ralphie was going to be a quiet, unassuming King of the Shelter or Home, but I was wrong. So very wrong. He has taken over the house, taken over my life and taken over my heart.

Guess I'll have to buy him a cricket.

Ralphie's First Day in the Big House

He IS the King. He's already taken over JoJo's blanket!

Sunday Morning Coming Down

Okay. I admit it. Ralphie isn't a big fan of the great outdoors. Which is actually probably a good thing since he's so tiny, I'm afraid a good gust of wind would blow him clear to Kanarraville! He goes out briefly with the boys, but is more anxious to get back in the house to explore strange new worlds and new civilizations. Well, okay, he's not Captain of the Star Ship Enterprise, but he thinks he's a great explorer at any rate!
I'm going to leave the bedroom door open tomorrow to give him free reign of the house. I don't think Simba will appreciate it much, but I suspect he'll run around briefly, then go find his favorite snoozing spot and spend the rest of the day in the bedroom.
G'nite!

Friday Night Sights

Ralphie has now been part of our family for 2 weeks. Seems like there was never a day that he wasn't here.
I stopped and chatted with Chris from the Shelter today, told Ralphie's Mom that he was doing good and didn't realized, until Chris asked, that Ralphie indeed is growing hair on the back of his legs. I'll have to get pictures if he'll sit still long enough to take one!
Here is a picture of him playing with a ball though. He has discovered that he has a "play" gene in that little body of his. I was beginning to wonder!

Ralphie puttin' on the ritz

Well, okay, Ralphie wasn't putting on make-up, but he sure seemed like he wouldn't mind! I HATE having my picture taken, but Ralphie was so dang cute sitting there helping me out, that I couldn't resist.

Since we get up every weekday morning at 4:30am, there's never enough time to give Ralphie the love he thinks he deserves, so....having him sit with me while I paint my face is good time for both of us.

By the way, ground up the chicken last night, added a little oil, some cat vitamins and some digestive enzymes. Ralphie LOVES it! He had 2 bowls of the stuff this morning. No, they weren't full to the rim, but he was chowing down when I left. Keep your fingers crossed!

Chicken Soup for Ralphie

Ralphie loves chicken soup. Okay, okay, it's not really chicken soup, like from Campbells or anything. It's just cooked chicken with the stock that cooked with it. (Oh, and I put nasty giblets in there too. Afterall, I'm making this for the cats, not for me!) the more I have Ralphie around, the more I think he suffers from food allergies. Chronic diahhrea isn't something I'd wish on anyone. Especially Ralphie. It's only been a week though, but I was hoping that the Science Diet crunchies and the Fancy Feast would have helped.

I'm heading to Petco this weekend to buy some extravagent food for him - perhaps with no fillers at all. I also found a recipe in one of my natural pet books that's specific for food allergies. And I can use chicken, so half the battle has been won.

If anyone has any other ideas, I'd be more than happy to hear them!

(This is Ralphie with his brother Tuffy and sister Rolla. Talk about relaxed. Sheesh!)

Sunday is a day of rest

And for Ralphie, that is the rule. Although, I think he thinks every day is a day of rest. Since he's been here, he's been finding every place possible to lounge. There is no better reason to have Ralphie in my life, except to make me smile. Thank you Ralphie.

Laundry Day

What better helper could I have (besides Tuffy)? Ralphie is all things. He's the most curious cat I've ever met in my life! He HATES being stuck in the bedroom all the time, so while I was doing the laundry, he got to enjoy the run of the house. Of course, he doesn't like to stray too far from where the people are, but I DID see him munching on Simba's cat food a couple of times!