I took over 80 pictures the other night ...

... of the whole tv thing. Really I did.
This is not all of them.

You may notice, in some of the pictures, that Miss Tigger is wearing a collar and bell. This has been a long-running saga that finally ended with Miss Tigger wearing the collar only, most of the time, and sans bell. Miss Tigger's teeth-pock-marked collar bell was found the other morning, on one of the cat-post platforms, and I gave up. I have been beaten by a small furry thing that weighs no more than a butterfly.

I was once asked ...

... on the telephone, if I was white collar or blue collar (I honestly can't remember who or why). I, glanced at the shirt I was wearing and answered "pink today".
I also remember, as a tiddler at little school (5, maybe 6) playing a game where the teacher called out a job and you called out the name of the person who did that job (after much hands up in the air-ing, if you were chosen). You know the type of thing, "looks after sick people?" "Ooh, ooh, Miss, Miss, a doctor".
So teacher asked, "a man who drives people around in a car?" My arm waving was successful, "yes Morgan?"
"James" said I.

Poor Ping ...

... came in this morning with a rather large chunk of fur missing. We're not entirely sure how this came about. It may have been Small finally giving her a, well-deserved, thumping. She may have scraped it off trying to jam her head into something. There's no evidence of blood nor fur to be found.We popped a little Betadine on it, which she has managed to completely remove. A pretty good trick considering the location of the wound and the taste and staining quality of Betadine. So all we can do is let her roam the house collar free and hope the fur grows back. She isn't too upset by it, well, not by the evidence of the complete killing she gave said collar.

We spent a little time outside today ...

... because it had finally stopped raining.
Tigger was allowed out, thanks to Pingu's old harness. I have a feeling Tigger may be our first success in the walking the cat thing. She doesn't seem to mind it at all, though that may just be because she's allowed out with her hero, Pingu.
Ping's taught her to eat grass already *sigh*.

We also gave Tigger another new collar. A new, new one. The last one, not so long ago, was not a successful experiment. Not because it made her go too fast or because she wouldn't tolerate it. No, it made her neck and ruff pink. I took it off, intending to give it a soak, to get the excess colour out, and it ... disappeared ... I can't imagine what happened to it. I suspect it'll turn up, one day, when we move a heavy bit of furniture or something.

#gopingu ...

... last night I attached a pedometer to Ping's collar. For shits and giggles.
You can follow her progress on Twitter, if you've a mind, #gopingu.

My little angels ...

... being little angels.Yes, Tigger is wearing a bell, 2 nights now and on the collar it remains.

Mad dash to the vet this morning ....

... it appeared Tigger had removed a full stitch (she had) and her gizzards were escaping (they weren't). Her wound was a bit red and sore looking, which it wasn't yesterday, and the litter tray was a bit ... icky.
Full blown panic on my part, calm non-panic on the part of Mr Brown (sometimes I think he doesn't care). A call to the vet got us in right away.
She's back home feeling much better after a shot of anti-inflammatories and the start of a course of antibiotics (it's just not fair how well cats take their medicine in the surgery, not fair at all).

We were also sent home with an 'Elizabethan-type' collar. Anybody want to guess how long it took Tigger to wriggle out of that? Go on, guess.

Poor sick Tiggywee

It's remarkably difficult ....

.... to take photographs of young Tigger, when she's not being cooperative, which is pretty much any time she's not asleep.The naughty 'phase' continues unabated. In an attempt to save our own lives (she's a trip hazard) we got her a collar with a bell this afternoon, so we can at least hear her coming.Mr Brown commented on the foolishness of the colour, it's not as if we need her to be any faster. A little slower would be rather nice.I had to cut it down because she's so very, very wee, even though she's grown quite a bit.She nearly fits into hear ears now.She simply won't be still unless she wants to be. It's amazingly frustrating when you're wielding a camera.Still, I'm calling the blurry shots artistic and being done with it.Zoom, zoom, zoom!

On the hunt for collars ...

... nice collars, for cats, our furry girlcats.
Most cat collars, when you google these things or even visit a pet accoutrement emporium , are horribly vulgar contrivances, all bling and sparkle. Which I don't understand as cats are generally discrete creatures of impeccable taste. And yet this is the sort of thing I am offered when I pootle through the interwebs looking for something with a little style, a little elegance to grace the delicate furry necks of the Brown-Mouse girls. It's a little like, I assume, being the mother of a little girl and trying to buy her something not pink or princessy. Nothing would compel me to put one of these around the throat of Miss Tigger. And I'm quite convinced Miss Pingu would die of shame if forced to wear this floral tribute. Ugg.Other offerings, like these for example, are too bright and, I suspect, not genuine leather, peeled from a cow. They just don't look well made. This is slightly tempting, particularly for Miss Tigger, who's neck is so thin that no matter how dainty the collar, it just looks huge on her. But, you know, it's nylon and nylon gets ratty, quickly. Well, it does on our cats anyway. Sharp toenails are, I think, the problem. I am quite taken with these, particularly when I spotted the "Tigger in Lime" but up close it's leather is thin and the stitching is not particularly well done. The little fish bell, though, squeee.I really want something not colourful, something a little reminiscent of bridles and harnesses. Smooth, deep brown, oiled leather. Plain with the simplest of attachments. Well made. I found them of course, they are made in Montreal, Quebec. They are perfect. They are just exactly what I am looking for. They are $292 each.
EDITED TO ADD - Bugger, I've just noticed that those beautiful collars don't have the anti-strangulation bit of elastic on them. The search continues.

Last night ...

... the romping and wrestling got to be too much, we had to evict both cats from the bedroom.
To do this we chase them down the hall and then quickly shut the hall door, locking them down that end of the house. Don't feel too sorry for the little beasts, there are plenty of soft, warm places to sleep and toys aplenty.
Not enough toys, though, it would seem, for young Tigger.
Tigger has worked out how to open the tiny drawers on this odd little cabinet. I stuff bits and bobs in these drawers. Old collars, foreign coins, buttons, tassels, little baggies of beads, bits of paper marked with the names of my enemies.
Tigger opens these drawers by pulling on theh little handle dangles and fishes out the things inside. She then leaves those things all over the house, to be found with bare feet the next morning.
Of course, if the wresting in our bed isn't too bad, and we let them stay, Tigger steals Mr Brown's spare change, collar stays and cufflinks.
She's the stealiest cat we've ever had, the minx, and is now referred to as the masked bandit!