Awww Interlude

Thimble says thanks for the ear cleaning, Talon. And thanks for serving as a pillow, Trapper.

Model Material

For this post I'm going to take a brief break from my Christmas theme. Although I never really intended on using pop culture as a basis for any of my posts, I guess that's sort of what I'll be doing in this one.

So, who has heard of and/or seen the movie Zoolander? For those who don't know, Zoolander is a comedy that stars Ben Stiller as a male model. I haven't seen it in quite some time, but I always remember the model pose/expression that Ben Stiller's male model character deemed "Blue Steel". Blue Steel is one of those squinty-eyed, pursed-lip kind of model poses.

I bring up Zoolander and Blue Steel because I happen to know a certain kitty who has made me smile and laugh with his masterful Blue Steel skills on more occasions than I can count. And that kitty would be Trapper (you know, Thimble's sort of look-alike brother who belongs to my parents). Since Trapper's modeling skills bring me so much joy, I've decided that I want to share them with you. So, this post will be dedicated to Trapper's evolution as a male model in his nearly eight months of life thus far. Prepare yourself for some stunning good looks...

Trapper's modeling days started at a young age. Here he is in all of his infinite Blue Steel glory at roughly four weeks of age.

Not even romping with his brother Talon could distract baby Trapper from a model moment.

And even when the photographer couldn't manage a focused shot, young Trapper knew what to do.

By the time Trapper reached three months of age, he was willing to take risks for his modeling career, even climbing to the top of a scratching post for the perfect shot.

Trapper even started experimenting, such as by adding a head tilt to his Blue Steel gaze.

Even upon waking up from a nap Trapper has always been perfect model material (and even when his photographer yet again failed to get a focused shot).

Well before five months of age, Trapper had pretty much mastered it. He owned that Blue Steel look.

This is his pensive Blue Steel gaze.

By six months of age, expert Trapper was more than ready for a close-up.

As long as he doesn't get too full of himself, Trapper could make a career out of this modeling thing.

Awww Interlude

Stay toasty!

Merry two weeks until Christmas!

It's only two weeks until Christmas! That being said, I got the kitties an early Christmas gift: a cat tree!

I've been wanting to get the kitties a cat tree for quite some time now. Mainly, Trapper and Talon love to climb and will climb anything and everything in sight. Toby is a little like this also. And then there's Thimble, who is simply not like that at all. So, mainly for the boys' sake, I wanted the kitties to have somewhere safe and appropriate to climb to their little hearts' content. The rest of this story is that I found a roughly five-foot tall cat tree at a great price online. I bought it. It arrived today. I already assembled it and the kitties already love it, especially the boys.

See for yourself:

Trapper, Talon, and Toby immediately found their favorite sleeping spots on the tree. (Note the blanket on the right. This is because the kitties have displayed an affinity for bedsheets and forts, so I made part of the tree into a fort for them.)

Toby was especially proud of making himself fit in the smallest hammock.

Trapper adopted the highest point on the tree.

Talon seems to love the soft carpeting of the tree.

Thimble investigated the tree for a bit, but I had to help her onto the higher levels. With her adorably short legs and stocky build, she's just not the climber or jumper that her brothers are. That's okay, though, her cuteness makes up for any lack of athleticism.

So, what was Thimble doing while her brothers initiated the new cat tree?

Sleeping in her favorite tunnel.

And then she watched some TV.

At 21 years old and arthritic, Rosie has next to no interest in a cat tree. She much prefers the comfort of her couch.

Rosie's couch is covered in her favorite blankets, and there's a space heater in front of her couch to her keep nice and toasty.

Obviously, Evan is not able to climb up the cat tree because of his hind limb paralysis. That's okay, though, because at this time of year Evan's favorite place to be is under the Christmas tree.

I tried to get a picture of Evan playing under the Christmas tree, but when he saw me with the camera he decided he wanted a close-up.

Evan loves to redecorate under the Christmas tree, such as by dragging the tree skirt around and making it into a bed.

And last but certainly not least, there's Astrid. At first she was uncertain about her beloved kittens climbing up their cat tree, and she did not really like that she couldn't reach them once they got to the top of it. But ultimately she settled down and resorted to this:

Hanging out on the couch with Rudolph.

 Merry two weeks until Christmas!

Christmas is in the air!

I love this time of year, and I've been celebrating it by listening to Christmas music and watching sappy Hallmark Christmas movies (guilty pleasure of mine, I'll admit). In addition to the music and sappy movies, today I've also been busy wrapping gifts.

This is some of what the fruits of my labor have produced today.

More importantly, I had some furry help while wrapping gifts. Momma's boy Evan was Santa's little helper today. He may not have necessarily helped me in the most traditional sense, but that's okay. He makes an adorable little elf no matter what.

Evan geared up for all of the gift wrapping by taking a nice, long bath.

He started getting tuckered out pretty early in the gift wrapping game.

Once Evan decided that Mom had the gift wrapping under control, he decided to test out her pillows. After all, being Santa's little helper is tiresome work.

I've gotten most of my Christmas shopping done, but I'm still working on collecting gifts for all of the four-legged furballs in my life (there are a lot of them, after all). For the time being, I thought I'd give a sneak peak of one of the gifts I've selected. I got one of these for both Rosie and Thimble. Fitting for both of them, as you'll see below.

Rosie and Thimble will be eating and drinking in royal style now. (Astrid would have gotten one of these as well, if it was bigger and if she wasn't so hard on her food and water bowls.)

That's all for now. Perhaps I'll go see what sappy movie is playing now.

Awww Interlude

"Is this a good pose, Mom?"

And the verdict is in -- Evan was a very good boy for his vet visit today! He was told by his new veterinarian that he is a sweet and handsome boy. He makes his momma proud!

Check-Ins and Promises

I'm trying to get back to checking in and making more frequent posts (as in, at least once or twice a week, if not more). So far I'm not doing so well with that, but I promise I will do my best to get back to checking in more frequently!

One reason I have not been on here much lately is that this is of course an especially busy time of year, as I'm sure you all know! I love Christmas, and I love Christmas shopping, especially for my four-legged furballs. Lately, a lot of my hours after work have been spent Christmas shopping, and I've spent a lot of time in pet stores lately. Soon I will post pictures of what I have gathered so far for my furry babies' Christmas.

Also, I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! My feline furballs spent it scarfing down cans of turkey and giblets Fancy Feast, and Astrid spent it begging for and of course earning some scraps of my turkey (shame on me, although I was sure to keep her share to a safe minimum). Sadly, I was not able to get any pictures of their Thanksgiving because my camera was acting up. But I promise you, they were adorable.

In other news, Evan has a vet appointment this afternoon for his annual exam and vaccinations. It's his first trip to the vet in about a year. The last time he was examined and vaccinated he was a kitten, and much smaller. My Evan was feisty back then, and although he has made huge strides in his behavior and demeanor, I am curious how he will do now that he is older and full grown. Exams and vaccines are always difficult for him because, due to his hind limb paralysis and scoliosis, too much handling makes him uncomfortable. It will also be his first time seeing a new veterinarian. Hopefully all goes well, though! (As a side note, Evan is not the biggest fan of my camera and for whatever reason he sometimes gets stressed by the sight of it, so of course I will not be taking any pictures to share of him before or during his appointment. However, he is long past due for a photo shoot, so this weekend I will get some new shots of him and will let you know how his vet visit went.)

I apologize that this post lacks pictures! I hate to do that, but I am on break at work and currently don't have access to my furballs' digital photo albums. That being said, I intend on posting an Awww Interlude tonight and then making an additional post or two this weekend.

Until then, have a great day!