Axl's Blog

About Me, again!

Axl — Wed, 13 Sep 2006 15:34:15 +0100

I used to be a freewheeling bachelor, as you know, all hoped up on catnip, my hair slicked back with motor oil from sleeping under cars, and my voice as scratchy as a warped record. I still have memories of the night I was dozing in a country garage when I was awakened by the overpowering stench of K9's, and could feel them around me taunting me with their slobbery goodness. Thankfully, I was whisked away down the street to what I thought was a temporary feeding house. I became a permanent dependent after a few vet visits and a clip here and a snip there, but due to hubby being severely allergic to my species, I was taken to work one day to amuse the office crowd. To my surprise I now hold a job at Chattypet. Let me tell you about my job!

I have discovered combinations of keyboard keys that create code unimaginable! I can also be a real pest when I want to be. I filled out after my tummy disorder healed, and this reduced my feeling of anxiety and pesteringness (I made up that word, do you like it?). My diet changed to a simple protein with no treats or "extras" and I am now allowed to graze as I feel hungry. I think I have hit utopia! I have a load of toys to keep me preoccupied and a soft bed which I never sleep in anymore. I pretty much leave everyone alone except for demanding an occasional hug now and then.

I'll share an office innovation that exemplifies our office values. I'll tell you about my litter box! It is the best! - a huge plastic tub - the kind people store stuff in with the lid on it. I mean, this thing is like 4' x 2'! My people cut a hole in it for me (like the size of a small cat-door at the top of the bin right under the lid), and fill the tub with like 6-8 inches deep with kkkklumpable litttter (my paw got stuck). I have the employees that I supervise, that would be the top ones [wink!], use a fry-daddy strainer to comb through it every day or so. The strainer catches a lot of stuff at once; especially the small stuff and is fast. It was also cheaper than the plastic kitty litter scoop that is sold in the pet section of the store (cheaper by like $4!). I can kick around in the tub and I have a blast covering and playing. Plus, there's no mess to clean up! It's all contained! And, if the office folks have someone important stopping by, they throw a cute cover over it and it looks like a bench!

So, now you have an idea of how I fit in well at the office. I help them bootstrap and come up with clever ideas to do the job better with less. I think the world of substitute products is really interesting from a pet's perspective. There are many ways to find good solutions to our needs without having to break the bank. I'll share more ideas as the time passes here. For now, though, tally-ho, and go make an awesome litter box!

Video

Axl — Fri, 08 Sep 2006 11:53:46 +0100

ChattyKat Turning One Out

Axl — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 13:03:52 +0100

OK, here I am! The office team calls my video: Office Kat Doing It Raver Style. All I can say is someday I'm gonna take down that mouse on the elastic string!

How I Found the Office

Axl — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 22:05:14 +0100

OK, it was a dreary gray day, and chilly at that. I was lost or maybe I knew where I was going - I'll never tell. I decided to stay the night in a garage. The lady who found me in the garage was nice, but she had some fierce, big dogs who tried to scratch the door down to get to me. She fed me and mmmmm, got some really tasty vittles for me. She also set up a litter box for me.

Her little daughter loved me. But, I wasn't scoring any points with the father (because he had allergies to cats - really bad ones) and the dogs were not on my side. So, an email was sent around the neighborhood. It was either that someone had to take me in, or I was going to be sent to the shelter.

Unfortunately, I knew my fate if the shelter had come to fruition. Like, I was sneezy, greasy, underweight, very vocal, and really wasn't the cuddley type. Compared to all the competition, I would not have gotten adopted, I know. Besides, I was black. How many black cats are there? I didn't have any particular patten to my fur or color, and it was skimpy and greasy. I had hope, though. The lady and her daughter gave me hope. They didn't want to take me to the shelter. But it started getting pretty stressful to keep me around. I suppose she could have let me go and I could roam some more, but that wasn't in the stars.

Instead, a lady across the street had had a dream about a month before about getting her first cat. She is a dog lady - I mean, nothing but dogs. And, dogs rule. Totally dogs. She was no where near being a cat person, but she later told me that in this dream, she became fond of a cat and took care of a cat that she could call her own. This lady responded to the email about me.

She took me to her house - the house full of dogs. I was to stay in the garage where there were no dogs ever in there. She set up a bed for me, and a little house that I could scratch on, and a dinky litter box (I'll have to tell you about my mega-monster litter box in another blog - wow! It is like a bathroom for kings!).

I went to the vet and got shots and antibiotics for my nose. I sneezed all the time. It was grose. I almost got the name booger. I lived in the garage from March till May. I had that place down - every nook and cranny. It was even heated, which helped during those chilly months. However, in May, the lady's husband sad that he needed the "boy cave" back and that I was interfering with his ability to tinker and play with his motocycles. I was in the "guy space" and I didn't score points with him either, given that I slept on his motocycle seat (and my feet tracked kitty litter up on his sidecar). I mean, I'm a guy, but human guys just don't seem to get me. Oh well, I am no longer 100% guy - that is, since I got neutered.

Anyway, the lady and her husband talked about me for a long time. Finally, a solution was made that I would go live at the office - an office that she just opened that month. Setting up the office for a cat was an adventure, and I'll save that for another blog as well. Since it was a pet company (Chattypet!) and ironically, because the HSUS magazine came that month with a big article on it about keeping pets in spite of being allergic to them (fortunately the lady was not allergic to me, and I am THE FIRST cat she was never allergic to!), I had everything in my favor. I become formally adopted and I loved my new space! I had carpet and bright colors and a perch under my own picture window! All of my things moved to the office and the employees bought me toys! Wow! Like a birthday party just for me, everyday!

I talked nonstop. I kept going to the vet to get help for my intestinal issues (my sinus issues went away, thank goodness!). I am still on meds today for the intestinal stuff, but hopefully that will be OK soon. Anyway, I am very happy now and I have a permanent home and I LOVE being the office mascot! I even walk on a leash, talk on the phone even when I'm not suppose to be heard, and jump up everyday to catch my mouse toy that hangs from the ceiling! No more sourpuss of a life for me, baby! I've got it made!