Pink House Cats

Bart's Books in Ojai California

2011-12-27T00:35:00.000-08:00

Mom told us about a cool bookstore she went to that was run by a cat. At least, she thinks that the cat was running the place because he sat high up above all the people and watched them to make sure they were behaving. No, he didn't care if they were behaving; he just wanted some entertainment! After all, humans are always interesting to watch. He could be spending time reading books instead... but really, it's too much trouble.

The Pink House Cats Strike Again

2011-01-20T23:36:00.000-08:00

It finally happened. Eight months after we caught the pigeon, Mama finally found it behind the couch. She was kind of grossed out. Frodo gave it away by chasing a fly..... and then he was so fascinated by the tiny white sticks that Mama came over to investigate. When she pulled the couch away from the wall... there they were, all the dry, little bones.

We had taken bets as to how long it would take Mama to find the bird. Ping guessed a month. He was wrong. MeiMei guessed two months. She was wrong too. I guessed a year. Well, I wasn't quite right either, but I was closely than the others.

I suppose you want to know what an eight-month dead bird looks like, don't you! It's mainly just bones. In fact it's hard to know it's even a bird because the feathers decompose into dust, and in Tucson, dust is everywhere anyway.

We'll have to stuff the next bird somewhere else... perhaps behind the TV.

--Bandit, Pink House Alpha Cat

Simon's Cats

2009-10-16T01:35:00.000-07:00

Simon doesn't have enough sense to feed his cat very often. Just take a look at what happens to him! Prevent these terrible things at all costs by always keeping lots of food available for your cats. Otherwise they might get terribly hungry and start plotting against you!-- Ping

Simon's Cat on Youtube

Pipsqueak Alert

2009-09-08T02:27:00.000-07:00

I assumed I would be having a pleasant Easter by myself under my favorite guest bed. Little did I know, because I had no warning at all, Mama had invited some guests to come and stay. I do not appreciate the fact that I was not consulted. I might have overlooked the insult, but the problems started right away. Mama gave away my favorite bedroom to her sister and to a small screaming blonde child! The little thing kept giggling whenever she saw one of us and chased after us to catch us and pull on our tails. I couldn't believe it. And worse yet, Mama gave away her other bedroom to her parents. That meant that all of us plus Mama had to sleep in the living room!

That was not satisfactory. By now I have a very nice home on 8th Street where no children come to visit. Maybe I'll return to the Pink House... but on the other hand, maybe I won't!

--Phantom

Spring Is Here!

2009-03-06T01:32:00.000-08:00

Spring is here! I already got my first bird of the season. Okay, okay, I should say we. Mei Mei scared the bird in my direction and then I swooped him up. This was on Monday, the first day of the week. and the day Mama was coming home from carnivale. Imagine her pleasure when she got to the house and there was a beautiful brown present waiting for her! She was thrilled! --Ping

Lolcats R Us

2009-02-12T22:45:00.000-08:00

When Mama has time, she helps us make lolcats. We're very photogenic! We love doing lolcats because it helps show our creativity. We think Mama is planning something right now though because she has been cleaning more than usual. Just in case she forgets, I wrote this email to remind her how I feel about her trips.
--Ping

Night Games

2009-02-06T03:13:00.000-08:00

She calls to me once, knowing I won’t answer.

Silently we play the waiting game.

She knows I’m there

just as she knows I will come.

She double checks the alarm

before turning off the lights.

As I’ve observed 1,000 times,

she shifts from right to left

before deciding on a position.

Within thirty seconds she’ll be asleep.

I’ll wait another minute. Maybe two.

In the meantime, Bandit will take his place

near her head. If she’s still awake,

she shoos him off her pillow,

but by the time she wakes up,

he’ll be around her neck.

I’m not vain enough to compete

with the Alpha Cat

nor do I approve of undue contact.

When her breathing assures me

that she’s asleep, I’ll climb on the bed.

My soft paws will make light indentations

on the covers before I too

settle into a perfect position.

I’ll dream of a cat palace

where I’m the reigning monarch

and all the other cats bow to my snarls.

Bandit, secure in his position,

will dream of an unending row

of cat morsels. But the woman

will not take time to dream.

She will be so tired

that the only thing she can do is sleep.

--Phantom, 2/5/09

Captured!

2009-01-30T01:23:00.000-08:00

Even though I've already been to see the vet this year, last week the woman took me again. She thinks she's clever, but I can always tell when she's plotting against us. She tries to act casual but she can never manage it. Nevertheless, she did a better job this time than usual. Instead of taking action the night before, she left her door ajar, and I slept beside her all night with one eye open. Near morning she suddenly rose and locked us both inside the bedroom. I assumed it was Bandit's turn to visit the vet, but instead, her neighbor friend came over. I hid under the far corner of the bed to be safe, but a few minutes later, I was trapped between the two humans. Finally I felt the woman scoop me up by my neck. Within moments I was in a cage, and then worse yet, a car.

After that things became a blur. I remember being handled, but my memory fails. And then there was the woman again, and another car ride. On the way home I realized two things: I was missing two teeth, but the pain that had been haunting me for months was gone. Instead of running away for three days, as I usually do, that night I slept with the woman again, this time with both eyes closed.

--Phantom

Venetian Tarot Cards

2009-01-23T01:33:00.000-08:00

Last summer Mama joined a watercolor class. She doesn't actually know how to draw, but we could tell that she enjoyed her work. When she had to make a set of themed tarot cards, she chose the theme of Venetian cats with an attitude. The name of this tarot card is "Temperance." That's why the legs of two pigeons are sticking out of the cat's mouth! Of course, In St. Mark's Square, a few pigeons more or less won't make any difference.

We enjoy afternoons when Mama paints. She sits outside in the sun and contemplates her color schemes. Whenever she goes back in the house for more supplies, we steal the brushes and wrestle with them! --Ping

2009-01-16T01:57:00.000-08:00

Last night Mama had company. Most of the adults were too busy eating cookies and drinking limoncello to pay attention to us, but Matt was kind enough to share his boots. They're actually quite old boots, full of dirt, and not too pretty. But the laces are just right.

He thinks he's tricking me into thinking the laces are real. I know better, of course, but I like to humor him. He's actually quite patient, lying on the floor with me to test my reactions. I'm too fast for him, but I still have fun.

--Mei Mei

Death of a Red Sack

2009-01-09T02:49:00.000-08:00

Usually Mei Mei takes care of home improvements, but today I was the one who successfully completed an aesthetic endeavor. For nearly two years, I'd been keeping my eye on a red sack on the second shelf of the laundry closet. Mama had been using the small, flimsy shopping bag to keep her wrapping paper and a few ribbons, but the bag was slowly coming apart.

I knew it was a matter of time, but I grew impatient. Tonight I jumped up onto the shelf and the sack split, dumping most of the contents into the washing machine with a huge thump. Small scraps of paper floated through the air like snowflakes.

Mama came in, sure I'd hurt myself and needed to be rescued. Instead she found me on the shelf, reviewing my work and taking notes.

While she collected her various pieces of paper, I chased Bandit around the kitchen until he spilled the water bowl and got water all over the floor. What a successful evening!

It was a very good night!

--Ping

Christmas Luck

2008-12-30T02:07:00.000-08:00

Mama has been gone for a week and ever left us alone for Christmas. Luckily we're not too sentimental, and in fact, Auntie Carol came over for a nap. We'd like to complain, yet we know we are pretty lucky. Our cousins, Pelito, Niagara, and Marqui have to wear heavy collars because there's an invisible fence all around their yard. Why? Pesky neighbors who decided to be troublemakers. After all, what can we possibly hurt? Who needs those extra birds we occasionally snatch from the garden? --Bandit

Getting Started

2008-12-20T02:59:00.000-08:00

We're new at blogging. We're new at a lot of things. It took Mama a long time to shell out for high-speed Internet, but she wanted us to be able to show off our book. It's called The Secret Lives of the Pink House Cats and it's really, really good. You can read more about it at pinkhousecats.com.

I guess I should explain that I'm Bandit, the beautiful black boy on the right, but I share The Pink House with Ping, who's in the middle, and his sister Mei Mei, the calico on the left-hand side. We have two other roommates, Cosmo, who doesn't bother to come home some nights, and Phantom, who's too chicken to be in most of our photos.

I'm going to let the others blog from time to time. However, I'm the Alpha cat. Ask anyone!

--Bandit