Free Cats

 Tomorrow is the 4th so I thought I'd label my post with a "free".   

My cats are free to be themselves here, whatever that might be.

That's freedom, not saying who has to behave how or believe what.

My cats believe I'm here to serve them, for instance.   Let them think that.   I don't see it that way.

They can be assholes, or sweeties, or a combo of both.  They can lick their butts, sit on my face, vomit a hairball---that's freedom for you.

They can eat flies or they can eat a piece of zucchini that falls from my salad plate.

They can be loving and sleep next to me or on my lap or they can be feral and scarcely be seen by me.  I don't care.  That's freedom.

Let me be me and you be you and judge not.

Anyhow, that was a lame attempt at a freedom post but here's my real post, some photos of my cats.

First off, my old old deaf girl Shady.   She likes chicken and yowls loudly for it mornings.  Right now I have no chicken.

Dear old girl.   

How about Jack?  I also call him Jackaroo.  Jack can be a jerk.   He can also be incredibly sweet.  He has it in for Gigi.

Gigi was my only cat happy to see me when I got home from camping.  She's not even technically my cat.

How about Muffy, who had 20 teeth pulled end of May?  She's been doing great ever since!

Muffy comes from same place Jack came from.  I thought she was only in late teens when she came here but when I got her fixed, I was told she was much older than I thought she was.  So I have no idea about her real age.  She came from a place where she rarely if ever got enough to eat.  Starvation flats.  

How about old Haley?   Only three of the original nine cats of her family/colony are still living, she being one of them.  Vertigo Rogue is another.   Also teensy Alexi.

And confident Smudge, from the Blue Ox colony.....trapped on Christmas Day a couple years ago.  Youngest cat here, by a long shot.   My little buddy, although she doesn't cuddle or sleep on the bed.  She does like to sit on my lap while I watch TV.   She has no trouble with the bully cats. She just smacks them back.

And last but not least......the guard dog of all guard cats---Slinko.   He's showing his age, but still Slinko!

Yesterday was hot but not hot like it will be the next few days.  On the 4th, the temp is supposed to get near 100.   Yikes.   Despite the heat yesterday, I cut up old rotted boards, unpainted, so they could go in the yard debris.   And did some other yardwork before the heat set in.  This was after my neighbor and I went over and had breakfast at the Lions outdoor 4th charity breakfast at the park.    It was fun and the food was great.  Pancakes perfect, eggs done anyway you wanted.   Two cute kids doling out coffee.  We got a plate for Eddie too, before we left.  He didn't come because he wanted to walk the dogs before he headed off on another trucker run.

I love their dogs.  If they still bark, I don't notice it.  I don't think they do.   

I ran into my other neighbor too, mowing her lawn and asked her about the tabbies and orange cats I've seen and she feeds them but doesn't know where they come from.  When I get spots, I told her we'd get them fixed.  I think there are four now, all boys, need done.  The black boy who was inside my cat yard somehow, she also sees sometimes, she said.  I already got him fixed.

Almost all my traps are out on loan, plus one of my holding cages.   I hope I can even remember where they all are, ha!   

My camp trip set me back financially.    By most standards, it was a cheap four days, with the campsite costing only $13.50 per night, because it was Forest Service and because I have a Golden Access Passport, which cuts the price for us senior citizens.   But the campsite cost, combined with paying a petsitter and gas, along with getting some things, like the canopy with mosquito netting, some batteries, I'm set back now and have to cut way back for awhile.  When you start out on my low income level, any tiny adventure is a financial big deal.  But I'm glad I went and I'll recover eventually.