King of Queens

One of my long time readers, Helen, gave me a lil nudge the other day.  She politely pointed out that its been over a month (cringe) since my last post and her cats (pictured below) were desperately waiting for another post.  Okay, maybe I added the desperately part, but nonetheless the picture worked and we can all thank Helen for this post. 

This time I have a pretty valid excuse for not posting in over a month (cringe, again).  We're moving! By October.  So for the past several weeks my house has been in total disarray with boxes everywhere.   I can not be creative in such cluttered conditions!  Not buying it?  Ok, well, there are still boxes everywhere and if I'm going to do anything after I get home from a long day at work, I'm going to sit on the couch and watch tv - err...pack. Packing leaves little time for blogging about my favorite orange fur ball. 

Manny is taking the move in stride.  I keep reminding him that he will be moving and needs to start packing his things.  He stares blankly at me when I tell him that.  Actually, so does The Husband now that I think about it. Since we started putting our possessions in cardboard boxes and shoving everything into the dinning room Manny has turned into the Move Inspector.  Every morning I find him sniffing things and walking around the room just checking things out (how he found space to walk around in is beyond me).  In fact he's sitting under the table as I write this under the same chair we find him every morning.  The Husband thinks that Manny is watching over our stuff.  I think Manny, not literate in calendar, is just making sure he is not going to be left behind come move day. As if that would happen.  If I could put him in a box marked fragile now I would, but I'm pretty sure he would hate that.

So now besides packing (I hate packing) The Husband and I are in discussions over the best way to move Manny.  The vet suggested valium.  For Manny, that is.   We also need to figure out a way to move that Godforsaken fish tank.  The vet suggested valium. For me, not the fish.  With all that to think about, I'm surprised I just don't sit on the couch and watch the Family Guy after work -- oh wait, I do. 

With that said, I'm excited to be moving.  My faster commute to work will be a dream; and I'm ready for a new adventure of sorts.  Now if only I could snap my fingers and everything would be done for me, I'd be golden.

P.S. I leave for Ireland today. Yup, I'm a glutton. Good bye disarray, hellooo Emerald Isle.

Eddie, Esme and Simone, left to right in the photo. Helen writes, "Eddie gets called Eddie Spaghetti, and Simone is Simonee Spumoni - we haven't come up with an Italian connection for Esme".  Mannicotti Biscotti loves the Italian nicknames, btw.

 

Manny Knows Best

You think I would understand that little mantra by now, but nope, can't say that I do.  I do know that if I wanna pet Manny it's best that you stick out your hand for the little orange guy to sniff and pet him ONLY where he wants to be pet.  Manny will make certain to direct your hand in the right spot by giving your hand a little brush with his head.  I know that just because Manny rolls on his back, doesn't mean that it's an open invitation to rub his furry belly.  I know that it doesn't matter if you're trying to write a long over due blog - if Manny wants to play with his mouse - we play with the mouse.  So in some aspects I know and respect the Manny Rules, but then incidences like the one below will crop up totally setting me back from being a full fledged Manny expert.  

Even something as innocuous as testing out a new can of food will wreck havoc on the household. It all started out so innocently.  It was a sunny day and I had just emerged from Penn Station on my way to the office when I spotted a well-know cat food company giving away samples of their new wet food "in a convenient pour and serve pouch".  The Husband and I scored some "real tuna dinner" pouches and thought Manny would like to try something other than Fancy Feast for dinner.  Seldom right and wrong again.  That night I decided to forgo the Fancy Feast in favor of my newly acquired free sample.  I opened the pouch and poured some into his bowl - they were right, it was convenient - however, the pouch eliminated the pop top tin can sound cats know and worship. Strike one.  Manny looked like at me like I was a crazy fool (and I was) for serving up something other than Fancy Feast.  He sniffed it, looked at me, then walked away.  Strike two.  When hunger won out, Manny came back to his bowl and gave the tuna a try.  He ate the whole thing and I thought we might have a winner - SCORE!

I came home from work the following day and was greeted by a nice pile of cat regurgitation.  Lovely as that was, I wasn't all that concerned as I cleaned up the mess.  When I went into the bathroom something in the bathtub caught my eye.  Oh. no. he. didn't.  Oh yes he did.  I called The Husband over to show him that Manny decided that the tub would be a good place for a second litter box.  Upon seeing Manny's bathtub deposits, The Husband mentioned that he better check out the (real) litter box asap.  That was a another nice surprise.  It looked like a battled was waged in that box and I felt awful.  I realized then and there that Manny's tummy had totally revolted the "real tuna dinner".  I gave Manny some extra pets that evening while apologizing over and over for being so stupid.  I also praised him for being so totally smart when he decided to grace the bathtub with his presence, instead of, oh, I don't know -- the carpet. 

Another lesson learned.  Stick to what you know or rather what your cat knows and likes.  Manny likes his Fancy Feast, so Manny will get Fancy Feast (and only The Feast) Note to self: don't pick up cat food samples on the corner of a Manhattan sidewalk.  It's not going to score me any points.

P.S. the rest of the samples we acquired by sticking out our greedy little hands are going to Manny's former shelter.  There has got to be a cat in there that will like it!

 

Manny FAQ's

Man Oh Manny! How time flies in between blog posts!! I've been so incredibly....[lazy]...about writing down Manny's antics. Actually Manny's been so incredibly lazy, hence the post-less blogs. It's so much easier to push the blame onto a cat that spends 23 hrs a day sleeping.

A few people have asked me some Manny related questions recently so I thought I'd do a little Manny question and answer session post. You all will have an opportunity to ask your questions and the end of the session via blog comments and emails. Please, hold your applause.

Here goes.

Q. Does Manny still spend most of his time in his hideout?

A. Not really. Only when the vacuum comes out, but honestly, in my house, that's not a frequent occasion. Manny much rather hang out on top of the bed laying across pillows and making himself comfortable on the Duvet.

Q. Does Manny wake you up when he's hungry?

A. Nope, I'm happy to say that he only wakes me up when he wants to be pet. He likes to poke me in the head with his paw. Over and over and over and over. In the middle of the night. During the week.

The only time he begs for food is when the fridge opens, the silverware draw opens; he hears his treat jar; when we open a cabinet; when we walk into the kitchen or when we cook chicken. Go figure.

Q. Is he still shy?

A. Not if your blonde and female. He loves girls. There are certain visitors that he gets all mushy for and will flip over and show off his belly. He purrs really loud and just totally eats up all the attention. Manny will bond with you if it's on his own terms. Just stick out your hand and he will show you where to pet.

Q. What are some of Manny's dislikes?

A. My camera in his face; loud noises; the Mets; football season; cat carriers; meat flavored fancy feast; and a messy litter box.

Q. ...and his likes?

A. Me; yoga (it might have something to do my Denise Austin yoga DVDs...); the Yankees: Fancy Feast days; sometimes The Husband; treats; and surprises that comes for him in boxes.

Q. How has Manny been getting along with the fish lately?

A. Swimmingly. Just this morning I caught him with his faced pressed against the glass undoubtedly wishing the fish a good morning.

Q. Has manny found any rogue blueberries?

A. Funny you should ask [Kevin!] I just got a good sale on some blueberries over the weekend. Maybe I will let some blueberries lose on the kitchen floor and let the mayhem begin.

Feel free to send/comment any of your Manny related questions!

More Manny can be found @ manohmanny.net

Eire

So, I think I pretty much have plans for a trip almost, sorta, kinda, just about nailed down. In a few months I should be hopefully possibly going to...IRELAND!

On one end of the spectrum, I'm beyond excited about the potential prospect of visiting Ireland for 10 days with The Husband. Ireland has been on my travel list for so long that it will be just plain awesome to actually go. However, on the opposite end of the spectrum, I'm a little more than apprehensive on what to do with Manny if and when I'm in Ireland. I know: crazy cat lady, but I'm kinda freaked out about my options. I have the best cat sitters (The Twin; his girlfriend; and my Mom) in the world, but I really would hate to impose on them for 10 or so days. That's quite a commitment and I do actually recognize the fact that my tried and true cat sitters actually have other things to do with their time instead of hanging out with Manny every single day. How many times can I ask them to drop everything and watch Manny while I get to indulge in some travel time? If they all didn't have cats of their own I would consider considering to ask them (read: bribe them) to let Manny hang out at their places, but its not an option. So, I feel like my last option is boarding my lil orange boy at the Vet's.

The thought strikes fear into my heart.

All I can picture is Manny cooped up in a cage for oh, about 100% of the time acting all depressed and/or agitated. Should he survive his extended stay at the Vet's (dramatic much?) I'm afraid he's pretty much going to hate us for the rest of our lives upon our return from the Emerald Isle. I'm not saying that the Vet wouldn't take good care of him, its just I never had to board Manny before and I have no idea what to expect.

So, blogging buddies, what can I expect? Tell me about some of your experiences with boarding a cat. Can I be all neurotic and ask the above mentioned cat sitters to please, please, please check up on him every few days? Do the cats have to stay in a cage for their entire duration? Did your cat claw you piece by piece when you came to pick him up? Will Manny eventually forgive me?

I might be able to figure out a way not impose on my cat sitting saviors and skip the potential boarding, but there may be a time when not boarding Manny is not an option, so I should know what to expect when boarding.

Do tell.

Lost and Found

I know its been a while since my last blogger post. I've been hemming and hawing about whether to post here or to continue on MSN Live Spaces. I think I'm ready to make the move. Think sticking your toe in a pool, I'm about there. Plus, do you know how hard it is to get a cat in a cat carrier in order to switch blogs? So for now, I'll be double posting on here and MSN.

[Orginally posted on Live Spaces:]

Yesterday, I lost Manny for approximately 45 minutes inside my house.

I'll just let that marinate with you all for a second or two.

Ok, here's what happened. I was just minding my own business whilst doing some spring cleaning when all hell broke lose. I made the unfortunate mistake of vacuuming under the bed (aka Manny's hideout). It's not something I do often because it sends Manny into a tail spin, but I had to do it! I have allergies! I had to get rid of the accumulating dust and fur colonizing under the bed. So, of course, the minute I dragged the vacuum into the room and moved the mattress aside to do some cleaning, Manny bolted out of the room. This has happened before - usually he just finds a temporary hideout until calm returns so I didn't think much of it.

When I finished, I decided to look for Manny and make sure he was okay. I checked all of Manny's secondary hideout locations with no signs of orange fur anywhere. At this point, I enlisted The Husband's help and we looked high and low and in between but the there was no sign of Manny. I called his name, shook his treat jar, I even pulled out the laser toy thinking he would come out to play. Nothing.

I was getting a tad panicky and started jumping to conclusions. I kept thinking he snuck out of the house, even though he hates going near the front door (vet portal). The Husband took a look for him outside while I continued the search inside. I checked closets, cabinets, shelves, behind the entertainment unit - nothing. I was on the verge of hysterics when I remembered the Power of the Fancy Feast Can.

I stood in the living room, popped open a can of feast and heard the faint jingle of his cat collar (score one for the cat collar)! Oh thank the Good Lord that Manny was inside the house, but where?! As the smell wafted to Manny's little nose, I saw him gingerly come out from behind the La-Z-boy. I swore up and down to The Husband that I looked behind the chair. Baffled, I went to pick up Manny and he scooted out of my arms and ran back into hiding, which turned out to be UNDERNEATH the La-Z-boy. How he squeezed under a lounge chair, I'll never figure out. I'm just glad I didn't decide to take a nap while he was under there! Yikes!

I gave Manny a stern talking to and treat for his troubles.

More of Manny and his archives can be found @ http://manohmanny.spaces.live.com/

manohmanny.com

Visit me @ http://www.manohmanny.net/

My current blog is on MSN, but as soon as I can coerce Manny into his cat carrier, we shall be posting over here as well (maybe even moving to Blogger permanently). Stay tuned.