My view while working out

Herman likes to be as close to me as possible while I do my exercises on the floor. This is accompanied by lots of quacking from the new stuffed pheasant toy he is chewing on. He is also really shedding which makes no sense since it is 10 degrees out.

People herding is exhausting

Seriously.

It seems like all Herman does when there are people around is herd them. His problem is that people don't really herd too well, so instead he ends up following anyone that gets up to leave the room until they come back or stray too far from the herd. When the people multiply in number around, for instance, Christmas, it makes his job that much harder.

A near week of unsuccessful people wrangling has reduced Herms this:



Couldn't even make it to his bed (top left). Poor pup. ;-)

8 Days a Week

Perhaps you'll see a pattern here. ;)

Monday...


Tuesday...


Wednesday...


Thursday...


Friday...


Saturday...


Sunday...


Happy day!

Snow Corgi

There's got to be a snack out here. Anything tasty in here? I found a bird last time and got in trouble.

I'd better keep searching. I'm down two pounds. They are trying to starve me. I hope Art, Nonna, and Principessa get here soon to save me.

CatBerry

I think my three cats have a secret schedule they have worked out where I am under the supervision of at least one of them at all times. I picture Ori as the master scheduler with a little silver CatBerry (BlackBerry) in his paws exclaiming, "I am not taking the early shift. She is grouchy when she gets up!" "Who is going to smack at her legs while she tries to take a shower?"

I can see Herman running in saying,"Did you schedule my breakfast and dinner?" "What about a treat? I get treats in the morning before she leaves. Oh, I need a snack too!"

I think I have been working too much . . .

Ah... fleece!

Is there anything a cat enjoys more than fleece? Hobbes can't think of anything, though the fleece atop a heated mattress pad does help. ;-)

Thanksgiving Turkeys

Corgi Needlepoint

It's done! It took me a year - but it's finally finished! Now I can move on to another needlepoint project and get this one framed. This sure captures the Corgi smile.

Corgi Butts Contest

Corgi Butts is having a contest. Maybe Herman will win a custom illustration. He has his pose down already.

A Tale of Two Ragdolls...

Ragdolls are not the kind of cats that appreciate their ages and weights being advertised across the net. Odin on the left and Ori on the right are the Kings of the Collins Castle (yes, much depends on the day and Ori's mood as to who is in charge). While not the eldest of all the cats, Ori is the patriarch of the Collins residence (he's 9 -- don't tell him you know). Odin is about Boogs's age (he's 7, again... shssssh!), but he sometimes chooses to act as if he is still a kitten.

A tale of three tabby cats . . .

Photo credit: Elser-Collins Adoption Agency

Oz rescued from a ranch outside of Casper - 13 pounds, 4 years old
Boogers rescued from Atlanta Humane Society- 14 pounds, 7 years old
Hobbes rescued in Casper - 20 pounds, 10 years old

Happy Hobbes, Happy Family.

Well, it’s been two weeks and I suppose it’s time for an update on Hobbes. Mr. Large and In Charge has really made himself at home in his new digs. He has become comfortable in two rooms upstairs, and this weekend I’ll let him have access to the whole house (if he chooses). He’s still pretty intolerant of Feo the Fierce (as she is of everyone that’s not me, Les, my folks, or Boogs), but we are working on that.

He had his mats removed and was like a new kitty. He went from walking as if every step hurt (and it probably did with all his hair pulling whenever he moved – plus some of his skin was pulled up into the mats) to being… playful! Well, he didn’t really know how to play at first. He was afraid of the little wand with feathers on the end at first, but with some catnip toys he could play with on his own and a little encouragement, he’s learning and seemingly enjoying playing again.

Perhaps the best news was that he was given a clean bill of health. Well, as clean a bill as a 20.4 pound cat could get. The important thing is – NO DIABETES!!! Woo-hoo! So, it’s just a good diet and exercise (hence the cat tree in the previous post, and hopefully the day will come where he will go use the litter pans in the basement). Just his moving around so much more has already allowed him to lose about ¾ of a pound!

I think the most rewarding part of it all is seeing what great friends he and Boogs have become. I’ve known for a while Boogs has been lonely (he’d been trying to groom Feo, for crying out loud!), so I was really hoping that the two would like each other. Well, I woke up at 1:30 last night and noticed that Boogs had never joined me in bed. He always sleeps right next to me, so I was a little concerned (maybe the cat tree had him spooked or something – or so goes the thought process of my muddled mind at 1:30 in the morning). I couldn’t have been more wrong:

I wouldn’t have bothered sleeping with me and the dog, either!

Welcome home, Hobbes.

Cat tree?

Cat tree!!!

"Well, this is fun. I think. Is this how I do it?"

"Oh. Oh my. What... umph. What now?"

"You're doing it wrong. I believe it's for lounging."

"Whatever. Just don't forget who is in charge."

"Yeah. Me! Stupid cats."

Soft

Halloween Cat

Hobbes was a huge, orange, and very happy cat for Halloween. He already had the costume.

Happy Halloween!

Family Photo

Since it's blizzarding out, I thought we needed a photo of warmer times. It's hard to believe this photo was taken a couple of weeks ago. This is: Pam, my dad, me, and Al in Buffalo, Wyo. Herman is happily sitting not facing the camera while Feo is barking at my aunt who is taking the photo. At least we are all in one photo.

The cats (including Hobbes now yay!) were not available for a photo, and I don't think we could have handled all the barking and hissing anyway.

Adapting Well

The weekend seems to have been good to Hobbes. When Les and I picked him up from his previous owners he started howling just at the sight of people (and not in a good "come pet me way," either). If you read the first blog post about him you'll see that he began adapting to his new home almost immediately. Well, I think some of that initial calmness may just have been fear of a new environment, as later that evening he lashed out at me or Feo or Boogs or the air or something. Regardless, my hand was the nearest target and took the brunt of his freak out. That was the least of my worries. I just wanted Hobbes to be ok, so I took him back to the room (my office) that I have set up for him as a safe haven (kid gate to keep him separated from the other pets while still allowing them to see each other if they are curious) and let him crawl under the covers of his bed. He was very happy to do so. We checked on him off and on the rest of the evening and he seemed to be ok. I think he just got over stimulated.

Day two went very well. I woke early and went in to greet him. He immediately perked up and came out to say hello. I sat on the floor and he crawled into my lap and sat there for an hour while I read the news online, drank some coffee and scratched his chin, head, ears, back... everything but his belly (he does NOT like to have his belly scratched – just like Boogs... must be a tabby thing). Les and I spent the early afternoon running errands (including getting some pate, a new bed, and a scratching pad for Hobbes), and when we got back to my place ended up hanging out with Hobbes for another hour (lots of scratching of the chin, head, ears, back... lots of shifting from one lap to the next... LOTS of meowing). After that, Hobbes mostly hung out in his covered bed and would talk to us as we walked by, but seemed content with that. He still hadn't had any water that I could tell, and had not yet used the litter box, so I was getting a little concerned at that point.

That night as I slept I could hear him trying to get into the closet in the office every now and then (the noise from which was foreign to Feo so it would send her into a barking frenzy. Nice way to wake up in the middle of the night – twice. ;) I wasn't all that upset, though, because it meant he was becoming more comfortable with his surroundings.

Apparently, there is a switch in Hobbes's brain that works on the same wavelength as the sound my alarm makes as when it went off this morning, so did Hobbes. Meow. Meow. Me-OW. Me-OW. ME-OW! ME-OW!!! (Translation: "Come see me. I'm here. Come see me. I'm here. Come see me. I'm HERE! COME SEE ME NOW!!!!!") So I went and saw him. Imagine my surprise when I opened the door and saw this:

He was up at the door! Since he came home he would only come out with coaxing, but this morning, he was waiting right there for me when I opened up the door. :D So I spent another half-hour this morning with him on the floor, drinking coffee and reading the news online. Lots more scratching of the chin, head, ears, back... everything but... actually he even rolled over at one point and gave me his belly! (I knew better than to scratch it, but what a sign of trust!)

So, I have a call in with the vet to find out how to handle his mats and when to bring him in for a check-up and his shots. Seems like the only issues right now are of the physical nature and he really is adjusting well to his new home.

HOBBES!!!

Well, this time it isn't a new pet for a family member, it's a new pet for me! One of our friends have had several pets for a number of years. They had a cat and dog when their first child, Katie, was born almost three years ago. Since then the dog, Pearl, has passed on and they also had a second daughter, Allison, come into their lives. Well, Hobbes, the big orange patriarch, did not take well to having toddlers around and over the last couple years became less and less inclined to show himself. Recently he was relegated to the backyard, and I decided to step up and adopt him.

Hobbes is about nine years old and a VERY friendly and talkative cat. He's supremely overweight and will have to be on a diet to get that under control, but that should be straightforward enough (hopefully). Because of his weight he hasn't been able to properly groom himself so he has a lot of deep mats on his back. All that can be taken care of with some effort on my part and a trip to the vet.

Hobbes has already taken to exploring the house, though I have a room set up just for him to ease the transition. He's already met Feo the Fruitbat and Boogs the Calm. That's Booger's new nickname -- Boogs the Calm -- because when the two cats met it was under the bed. There was one or two hisses and that was it. Go figure. I was expecting and all out war. :)


Now, before you ask... no, this isn't in reaction to having to puppysit all day yesterday. I've been thinking about adopting Hobbes for, well, probably the better part of a year. It wasn't until I found out last week that he had been sent outside that I decided now was the time. Hobbes is a great cat, and deserves a warm place to sleep at night. Plus, Boogs has been getting more and more needy lately -- even tried to groom Feo once or twice (baaaaad idea). I hope Boogs and Hobbes can become close buds. :)


So, the Casper Al clan just grew by one (well, maybe I should say the Casper Al and Les clans as Les has been attached to Hobbes for some time before I met him, so I imagine it'll be hard to keep them apart), and I couldn't be happier.

Addendum: My mom just called and opened with, "Is this the Casper Adopt-a-Pet?" :p

PUPPY!!!

No, not for us. For Les's dad. I'll elaborate later when we get some better pictures. For now, the crummy cell phone pic while sitting in my lap at the office will have to suffice.

Okay... I lied. I'll elaborate now. Here's the story:

A year ago next Friday Les's sister, Brenda, and unborn nephew, Cian, were killed by a drunk driver. Her dad has since had not one, but two of his dogs die (one, Toby, of old age, though possibly poison, and the other, Sarah, was hit by a semi). The second had been with him through some pretty hard times beyond just losing his daughter (though nothing as horrible), so he was particularly heartbroken when she was killed. She was a mostly blind Australian Sheppard, and was just a sweet, sweet dog.

Well, it just so happens that today one of our colleagues brought in two puppies from litter of eight. The mother was half Australian Sheppard and half Yellow Lab; the father a full Yellow Lab. After a bit of debate we called her dad and he was going to come down and see if he wanted to adopt the male. Well, he got delayed and wasn't going to be able to make it before our colleague left town, so we ended up buying the pooch for him. Of course that means I get to puppy sit for the rest of the day at work and this afternoon until he gets to town to pick up this little angel:

Just wanted to share. Hopefully this little fella will bring some joy back into Chuck's life.

Ok... one more pic. Can I get an "Awwww!!!!"?

Yoga

HermanYoga, originally uploaded by Lesley84.

Herman will need lots of Yoga on his new diet. He doesn't think the carrots and green beans he is getting as treats will sustain him. I think he convinced my mom to slip him a few potato oles the other day while I was not looking.

Starving . . .

Herman is not too happy about his diet. I think we need an official corgis on diets blog. It seems to be a common problem after reading all the posts on Corgi Butts. Herman may need emotional support. (:

Thanks Everyone!

Thanks everyone for all your comments. They made our weekend.