KatKwery Super Bowl! - Game 2 - Oct. 20

persi & alley

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2008 KatKwery Playoffs
Round 3 - FINALS – Game 2

Topic: Your cats


If you only have one cat, change the wording from your cats to your cat!

Good luck to both of you. Todayâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s topic should be fun and interesting and one you should know well. But will you be able to use the secret words? Here we go…

1. Why do you think your cats are better than cats that other people have (come on, you know you do)?

2. What time do your cats get up (or get you up) in the morning?

3. Do your cats ever help with housework, or at least try (or get in the way)?

4. If you could magically change the color of one of your cats to any color or combination you wanted, would you do it?

5. Do you let your cats get away with things that they are not supposed to do?

6. What is the most expensive thing your cats have ever broken (or shredded)?

7. Do you ever have staring contests with your cats; that is, locking eye contact, and if so, who usually wins?

8. Does your daily routine allow you to spend as much time as you would like with your cats?

9. Do you have any particular method of getting your cats to pose for that prize winning photograph?

10. Consider this: You are wealthy. You are healthy. You live in a big mansion located on five acres of land. You do not have to hold a job. How many cats would you have that you could call your cats?
 

belongstoevie

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<--- Me now just thinking about trying to win! I'm freakin' out.
So for my own sanity, I'm rooting for you, Marianjela!



2008 KatKwery Playoffs
Round 3 - FINALS – Game 2

Topic: Your cats


If you only have one cat, change the wording from your cats to your cat!

Good luck to both of you. Todayâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s topic should be fun and interesting and one you should know well. But will you be able to use the secret words? Here we go…

1. Why do you think your cats are better than cats that other people have (come on, you know you do)?

Oh, of course I think my girl is better than every other cat!
Technically, I only have one cat, but I do have a bit of history of fosters. Since currently Sam keeps gluing himself to my chest and is making this take MUCH longer, and since weâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]re trying to get the secret word, Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll talk about both Evie and the fosters! Evie is absolutely the best kitty ever! Well, except for her social issues which she is adamantly displaying now as she swats at and nearly attacks Sam whenever he gets near her!

So, other than that, Evie is perfect! Why? She has the best little personality, sheâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s loving and cuddly, and playful and silly. She loves to cuddle in the morning before I get up, and when I first get home. And when I do get up, she tries to trip me (yeah, I think itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s cute, Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m insane!) and follows me everywhere. Then tries to steal my hair ties as I wash my face and brush my teeth, and it is a good way to start my day. I hate mornings, but when it comes to needing to get moving, Evie playing with things keeps me entertained and starts me off better than anything! And she is very talkative, which I love! We have conversations together, and she has them with her daddy, too. Isnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t that enough to melt your heart?
I really love the fact that she wakes me up in the morning, but has learned, and pretty quickly, not to wake me up too early. She knows to wait until I start stirring. On week days, my light turns itself on, and that is her cue to start the loving! On weekends, she waits until I start moving, then she comes and plasters herself to my chest, kneading my chest and licking my face. It hurts a little, but hey, some people pay big money for exfoliation!


One of my favorite things about her is that her daddy and I are her favorite people! Even when we bring her over to her grandmaâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s house, a place she is very used to and goes quite often, she never is as loving with them as she is with us!

And just to show how soft I am, of my 12 fosters so far, I have some of those that I think are better than other cats, too! Jack, Calypso, and Cronos were all so very hard to give up, and I would have kept all of them if I could have! But someone else was meant to adopt them, so I can foster more.

2. What time do your cats get up (or get you up) in the morning?

Whoops, I think I already answered this one on accident! When she was a kitten, she was very bad at waking me up at all hours of the night, most of which were way too early! Eventually, she I weaned her off actually waking me up, and she learned to wait until I either woke up on my own, or until my normal wake up time. Though since I like to sleep in late on the weekends, she knows she is ok to start cuddles once I start stirring, even if Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m not going to get up yet!

3. Do your cats ever help with housework, or at least try (or get in the way)?

Oh yes, Evie is so very helpful! When we had the “lending a helping paw†contest on TCS, I entered my favorite one, where she is helping me fix a leak in the sink! She even helped me find it, since sheâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s the one that told me about it! She LOVES to help with laundry and changing sheets! She helps by fixing the smell of them, since silly humans went and washed her scent off! She always helps me on my laptop, with my games or typing. She is “helping†keep these naughty fosters in line all the time! She makes sure they know they arenâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t welcome… She is our guard kitty and is always watching out the windows and lets me know when someone is coming- especially if “someone†is another cat or a bird or bug! Canâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t forget how she likes to “help†with cleaning the litter boxes, to! We make the foolish mistake of taking all her hard work out, so she instantly puts them back! She definitely gets in the way when I cook, too, and is very talkative about telling me what exactly I should do with the food- put it in her mouth! One of her favorite things to help with is yardwork. She loves to get outside, and if Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m out there working on it, she insists on coming out with me! She just has to be careful when I turn on the water!

4. If you could magically change the color of one of your cats to any color or combination you wanted, would you do it?

Aw, my Evie-kins is completely perfect!! Honestly, I do think calicos are my favorite- probably why I ended up with one. I tend to not play favorites based on looks alone, but I think if I did, it would be calicos. And gee, lo and behold, Evie is a calico! And she has so many physical quirks that I just utterly adore, between her poly paws and pink toes and half tail and mask and “dirty spots†that I honestly wouldnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t change a thing! Ok, well, if I could change things magically, I might, maybe change something silly, like make a little pink heart on her side or a green paw or something just for kicks! Poor evie.


5. Do you let your cats get away with things that they are not supposed to do?

Well, technically, since I (and her daddy, but whatâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s that matter??) set the rules, if I allow her to do it, then itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s allowed! Right?
She does get away with a few things that Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d rather she didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t do for a bit, until I catch her and stop her. She loves to stalk the chin, which isnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t allowed, and chew on plastic- especially my laptop, ugh!- and hiss at the fosters, but since sheâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s not supposed to do those things, we donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t let her get away with them. Oh, she also likes to eat or chew on the plants!

6. What is the most expensive thing your cats have ever broken (or shredded)?

Evie is generally pretty good, but the most expensive thing sheâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s broken is by far my $3,000 laptop!!! Well, ok, she broke it, but it still works just fine, as I am using it right now. I was using it on my lap on my bed, and she jumped up from the floor. She got her front paws on the laptop and continued on up- taking off my page up key! She it is broken, but still works, does that count? One thing she destroyed that is irreplaceable is my fault, really. When we left Japan in September, my host sister gave us a little glass “furinâ€, one of those glass bells meant to hang in the wind. Well, I was going to hang it up in our living room, and put it on the kitchen counter while I got the thumb tacks and chair ready. Of course, she had to, as I should have known, check out what I was doing. So, she promptly jumped up on the counter, and, as with my page up button, got her little paws right on it and she went up and it went down… :balwing: The thing hit the edge of my garbage can and SHATTERED on impact. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m still sad!! We had broken glass everywhere, and I spent an hour panicking and cleaning up every last shard with wet paper towels and newspapers. So far, no cut paws, and that is what matters!

7. Do you ever have staring contests with your cats; that is, locking eye contact, and if so, who usually wins?

Now youâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve asked a question that will show that I am a dog person! I do not having staring contests with Evie because I have had it drilled in my head that staring in to eyes is a dominance / challenge type of thing. The only human I do it with is my husband, even! But, we do “gaze†in to each otherâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s eyes (and by us, I mean Evie and I!) When we do that, I blink at her (yay for learning things on TCS!) slowly. She seems to enjoy the gazing, though she doesnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t do me the favor of returning the blinks… Sheâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll gaze at me for a bit, maybe 30 seconds, then she looks away. No, actually, rather than look away, she usually starts doing the head butt thing instead, and canâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t maintain eye contact at that point! So, how do you determine the winner? Since I get the head butts, I must win!
Then again, in a game like that, no one can really lose, can they?

8. Does your daily routine allow you to spend as much time as you would like with your cats?

Of course not! I work 50 hours a week, thatâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s 50 more hours Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d love to spend with her! And I feel so bad for the fosters, too, being left alone so much. Since they canâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t be left out alone with brat girl Evie, they have to be locked in the foster room alone most of the day! So that is sad. But even if I didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t work at all, I still wouldnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t! I try to bring my dogs everywhere with me, but that isnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t even really possible. Itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s much harder to bring a cat! For example, when I go to the grocery store, I can bring the dogs but leave them in the car. I canâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t bring the cats! I even bring the dogs to Petco and such places, but I canâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t bring the cats as easily! And when I do, they donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t enjoy it.
But, if I told the truth, Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m far too fickle! Where as Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d love to spend 24 / 7 with them, itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d probably also drive me crazy and Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d go stir crazy and want out again! See, just canâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t make me happy. :p

9. Do you have any particular method of getting your cats to pose for that prize winning photograph?

Surely you jest! Do you see a prize winning siggy picture??
I got one pic of her that came close, and no, that wasnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t posed, thatâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s really how lazy she is! Thereâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s a reason why I havenâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t won any contests.
Though when we want a certain picture, itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s usually something my husband and I both have to work on! Then patience, and depending on the pose, either treats, toys, or time! Thereâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s one we took of Cronos in a very classic “LOL cat†pose, jumping after his string toy, which is great! Should have won that contest, but didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t even make it in the finals! Ah well, at least I made it in the finals for this game!


10. Consider this: You are wealthy. You are healthy. You live in a big mansion located on five acres of land. You do not have to hold a job. How many cats would you have that you could call your cats?

YAY!!!
What more could I say to that consideration??
Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d have 8 kids (yeah, the planet is over populated, but weâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]re dreaming big here!!) and enough pets to really be considered a zoo!! The most Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve had now is, in a 900 sq ft home, 3 chins, 2 dogs, a cat, and a bird… So if we multiply that proportionately, oh heaven!! Though admittedly, I wouldnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t focus solely on cats. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d probably have two cats and two dogs, a bird, two chinchillas, my husbandâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s much wanted sugar gliders, a llama for my friend, some chickens to provide us with eggs, a monkey (also hubbyâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s much desired pet!), a penguin, a care taker (or group!) to make sure they are well cared for physically and emotionally, and a rescue center for animals that would otherwise die. So, in other words, my ideal situation would be that I work and live in an animal sanctuary!!
Yup, that would be my dream. And a pet cemetery for my animals and those of others… Now you have me dreaming!! Real life just doesnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t compare.
 

marianjela

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Good luck to both of you. Todayâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s topic should be fun and interesting and one you should know well. But will you be able to use the secret words? Here we go…
Ok, here we go, second to last attempt of these finals. Lets see how many SECRET (youâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]re not going to get me on that one again
) terms I can bring into play today… I will be sitting on the edge of my seat tomorrow waiting for the word results, it probably will be one of the first things I do on my laptop after I steal some time away from my preschooler, head on over to The Cat Lounge check on the results. Part of me hopes to GOODNESS that BelongsToEvie beats me, just so we can have a showdown, but the other side of me cant wait until this is over
I loved playing in this, and have had a lot of fun, but these last few days have been emotionally draining. ;-) These games are enough to drive a woman mad. I havenâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t been on TCS much lately but to play this super bowl as Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve been bitten by the crochet bug and am making my mother a blanket for Christmas. Not much time to surf when my fingers are too busy crocheting instead of typing. I have been learning to make a quilted afghan and it is utterly turning out beyond my expectations. Last year I gave her a typical quilt, this year afghan quilt. Maybe I need to move to a different medium. When I first started back to crocheting this year I thought I was going to die my hands and fingers hurt so bad. Isnt that funny? You donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t realize how “physical†it is or the muscles you use sometimes. Doesnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t help that I have carpal tunnel and I havenâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t picked up my needles since last year. So suddenly returning to it and tackling such a big project has been physically challenging for my poor hands, but it only took me seconds to get back into the swing of things. Also, Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve been trying to finish a book of mine I found when we were moving. I got it a couple years ago and almost forgot I had it. You know it will turn up in the “Guess What Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m Reading Thread†sometime soon. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve had it set in my backpack where I keep my yarn to remind myself to give my fingers a break every now and again. Finding the alone time to read it is another story. Life waits for no one. The kids always try to talk to me when Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m reading (or typing on the net) and they can never understand why I cant hear their conversations with me. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m far from deaf, but after 5 kids, I can start to tune them out at my whim! As my grandfather used to say in his oh so talkative moments – “Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m not deaf, Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m ignoring you!â€

1. Why do you think your cats are better than cats that other people have (come on, you know you do)?
Ok, honestly, I guess this silly question goes both ways. I have at times thought my cats or at least one of my cats is “better†than another personâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s cat. My husbandâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s best friend for one. His cat is just plain ornery as well as ugly.
Essentially all felines are cute in their own right, even so this one is probably repulsive in part by its behavior. Shame on me – coming from an animal lover… in spite of that, really, this cat is nasty plus it attacks my kids for no reason. Which is strange because he has three kids as well, so itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s not like itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s not used to little people. Anyway, this cat will hide in the shadows and stalk them then will pounce on the kids when they walk by. I mean full-force attack. It will grab their leg and hiss and bite the heck out of it, really sinking her teeth in and slowly flicking her tail madly about.

Aside from that, I am biased to my Roly boy. I do trust that he is the most beautiful cat moreover hardly anyone can compare to him! I guess I am partial to him. Even over my other cats. It helped that he has a wonderful laid back cuddly personality. Twix is also a gorgeous cat (we all know I continued to favor long-haired cats period) in her own peculiar style. I love her coloring. I really am partial toward classic red/orange cats, as a consequence Twix is a black and red tortie. Mufasa, our RB baby is the top cat of them all. He was a stunning grey/blue medium hair boy. I loved his fur and his polydactyl feet, this was the first cat I had to have a thumb on his paws! All that said, I have definitely seen someone elseâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s cat that I just adore. Any long haired white cat…. :melts-heart: There is a member on here that has a longer-haired flame point…
Any long-furred Van feline…. Be still my beating heart.
Of course I like short hairs as well. We had a foster, Snickers, that had the silkiest smooth short fur. It was SO silky, it felt like rabbitâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s fur. Then there is my little Whitey boy that our latest foster had. He is a longer-haired seal point. I am in love with him furthermore will be hard pressed to give him up for adoption. He is without doubt so cuddly additionally his blue eyes call to me!

Nonetheless, looks arenâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t everything. As an example of the book I am reading now, the owner has a one-eyed cat. She adopted a stray that wandered on her land completely mangy and with an infected puss-filled eye. Following a rescue trip to the vet, getting washed up, followed by plenty of time and love the cat was eventually healed, minus the loss of his one eye, entirely the same, it didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t matter to the owner, to her he was the most beautiful individual.

It reminded me of a dog we had when my husband and I were first married. He was a little pug that was given to us by some friends. They couldnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t find any other taker, so we were the lucky recipients. He was one of our greatest wind falls and our very first dog as a couple. [Who know our family would only multiply from there?] He also had a bad blind eye. Some instant before we got to adopt him he was hit by a car, consequently went blind in his one eye, regardless of his cloudy, blue, bulging eye, he was the most adorable canine to us. He did the cutest things, like scaring himself when he <farted>. Undeniably he fit right in among our growing family at the time, he was no guard dog, but you couldnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t tell him that! Anyone who entered out house got the most vicious greeting
I think he thought he could chew your leg off by licking it to pieces! Kidding aside, he really did welcome people, but he sure let us know they were there! It was a sad day when he crossed over the bridge. So there ya go… One manâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s trash is otherâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s treasure!

2. What time do your cats get up (or get you up) in the morning?
I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t know about in the morning, but they are likely to keep me awake at night. Just last night in particular, Squeaker, my medium-haired black poly girl with her many toes, was laying between my legs. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m telling the truth, I wanted to roll over but was afraid to disturb her. Ha! Hubby told me Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m insane and have issues!

They have never really woke me up in the morning. We get up pretty early anyway, and they are free-fed, as a result they donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t really have to wake us up to eat their food, be that as it may I have been woken up in the wee hours of the mornings before with them rubbing or purring in my face or kneading my chest or back, especially my poly-girl with her real thumbs! I guess she wakes me up that way more than I remembered. But really, they are pretty good. Maybe there is an exception on the weekends because we tend to sleep in later, but still, they remain pretty quiet and take our cue until someone gets up. A lot of the time they are snuggled in on our bed, despite my hubbyâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s best efforts, he insists they sleep in other places and kicks them out repeatedly, they insist otherwise… Therefore we are the ones waking them up.

I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t know if they maintain a particular agenda where they get up – if they do Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve never really noticed. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m aware they sleep a lot. Usually they stir when they hear us get up and they will come around for their morning rubs or fresh water in their dishes. One of them in particular follows me around ready for her lovins, like it was meant to be a game or something.

3. Do your cats ever help with housework, or at least try (or get in the way)?
Well of course the like to help me do the cleaning, they like to “help†me sweep the floor. I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t understand what it is, but the minute I pull out the broom they go into attack mode. Must… kill…. the… big… straw… contraption… That can be annoying sometimes. Technically theyâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]re not really helping, but you know… I get a nice pile made next they scatter it back around.
When I pull out the vacuum though, thatâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s another story.
they run for the hills when that beast comes on! Itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s every cat for itself. It reminds me, when our foster kittens get to be a certain age, I will bring them down from upstairs and put their box/nest in the living room with us for socialization and because I love watching them
When I vacuum the mom cat will always run for cover, but on the contrary has a tendency to linger close and keep an eye on her kittens laying so vulnerable in front of the noisy monster. They help me dust by walking across the mantle or across the top of the TV to show me that it is needing dusted… Now if only I could get them to help me cook!

My mom has a cat that likes to lend a hand (otherwise get in the way) doing dishes. Every time she hears the stream run, she comes running to the sink! She swats at it along with drinks from the fresh stream! She seems to enjoy playing with the water. My mom puts her hands in it forming a type of cup and sheâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll quickly lap it up.

4. If you could magically change the color of one of your cats to any color or combination you wanted, would you do it?
Hmmmm…. I already possess a black cat with a tiny bit of white, and I have an orange cat… and I have a tortoiseshell cat (not enough white to be a calico). Followed by the color-point which I carry a soft spot for. Accordingly I have my variety of colors already. I would like another dilute cat. But there could by no means be another Mufasa. The chocolate/brown mask and cream colors of the seal point are attractive. Ah… but weâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]re talking ANY color. If I could magically change them to ANY desired color or pattern… I know my daughter would wish for a pink cat – she absolutely loves that color, any shade, any hue, doesnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t matter to her – sheâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s obsessed. Funny you mention this though… when I was younger, my parents had a friend that they bowled with; she had a white poodle and the little ole lady was so eccentric she would dye her dog to match her hair all the time. If the lady was in the mood for lavender, the dog was lavender. If she was in the mood for blue – bam! Blue it was. Which is fine (I guess) when they were together, but I imagine it was a site when they were by themselves. I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t hate to think how Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d react if I seen a green haired elderly lady shopping in the grocery store. Quite shocked I imagine. I envision myself picking my mouth up off the floor
Whatâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s more, what is the impact when you see a green furred dog walking through the park! Why say what is normal? In her situation, I wonder how she would determine what color she was in the mood for? What she based her choices on…

As for a combination of colors – how about something like yellow with purple spots?! Or tri-colored calicos that are red, white and blue?


5. Do you let your cats get away with things that they are not supposed to do?
Ahh, good question, depending on my mood of the day. Am I being lazy? Or do I feel grouchy? The majority of the time I do not allow the cats up on the counter or on the kitchen table, but occasionally when I see them sneaking around on the counters or table I will turn the other cheek. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve seen them jumping up there to finish off the boysâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji] cereal (read: lactose-infused milk) in the morning, and instead of placing it on the floor where they subsequently must contend with the dogs, Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve let them be. However; as a rule, I will shoe them away instantly when I see it because I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t want them to get in the habit of it, or to try it while somebody is still eating!

What you let your cats do and what they do in reality are two separate details! We all know they are known for being stubborn creatures. I see paw prints in places they donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t belong all the time. Like scratching by the side of the furniture and walls, or climbing up your curtains or on your cupboards. That reminds me… For long time something was getting in our garbage and such. Finally I got DH to build some walls to contain it. We learned rather quickly that it wasnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t the dogs doing it. Whatever it was, was getting in from the top. I supposed it was a skunk or raccoon, but wouldnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t you know, it was the neighborâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s cats. Forget about it – letâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s not even go there shall we…

I also donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t like to let the cats sleep in the laundry baskets because they leave their fur all over my clean clothes. But the rules donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t stop them, they especially love to lay in the warm towels and sheets when they come out of the dryer. Which of course starts pushing DHâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s button! They love to butt heads, just stirring up trouble. Of course they couldnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t choose to lay in the dirty wash…

6. What is the most expensive thing your cats have ever broken (or shredded)?
Hmm… this is a tough one. I canâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t really reflect on any. Not to say they never have, because I am sure they have at some point… I realize they have had an accident and dumped a vase, jug or pot getting my dining room table all wet on more than one occasion, but luckily they have never broken. A great deal of my items are replaceable, but I do have one glass vase that is one of my favorites; I wont even put on my table or desk because I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t want to risk them breaking it. It is irreplaceable to me, if a cat jumped up and broke it I would never forgive myself. I have small children, thus I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t have very many knick knacks out. I recall cats in the past when I was younger that broke my motherâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s ceramic figurines, she kept them all over the house, in the windows, on shelves, whenever one would break she was always having to fix them herself. She must not have really cared too much I guess because to this day she keeps them out fixing them if they break again. Can you fault the cat if you put those fragile things in their playground???

Ok, we had a foster cat that scratched up and shredded the carpet in my bedroom right beside the door. I suppose that was a pretty expensive piece of damage. We never replaced it though, it was merely a minor part in the corner and not extremely noticeable, so we simply live with it. That same naughty cat also destroyed newspaper if it was left out. What a mistake, there would be paper everywhere!

7. Do you ever have staring contests with your cats; that is, locking eye contact, and if so, who usually wins?
Yes, I gaze in the catâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s eyes once or twice that turns into a staring contest of sorts a few times. I always lose, hardly ever win. Not that I do gazing contests that often, but cats are good at it. I always blink first. If the cat blinks first itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s probably because I cheated
My dog on the other hand will look away when I make an effort to hold eye contact with him for too long. He is more submissive than the cats I presume. I wonder if itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s as much of a dominance thing with cats as it is with dogs? Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve even locked eyes with the kids in staring contests.


8. Does your daily routine allow you to spend as much time as you would like with your cats?
Well, I have three resident cats (we recently adopted out the “half cat†I constantly talked in regards to before… LOL He was our potential fourth, but we finally rehomed him through the shelter this weekend). I will miss him, but I have to look at it as making room for further fosters. Anyway, we had five fosters (a mom and her four kittens) but they are currently weaned and coming of age and starting to find their furever homes now, so we are down to the mother and one of her kittens, the seal point that I am falling for. Anyway, after Josh was diagnosed with his cancer, I took a hiatus from my career and became a stay-at-home mom, the new routine has not only afforded me with extra moments with Josh and the rest of my children, but also for housework and the animals and my personal hobbies like crocheting and genealogy. Several of the cats are more open for cuddle time and playtime then others. Rolyâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s snuggle phase comes in spurts. There are days or weeks he will climb on my lap and demand his cuddles and to be petted night after night. Afterward he will go on a break of sorts where he wont come near me for a bit, up to a week or so.
Who knows… I imagine he has his on cycle or schedule of sorts. Whitey (the seal-point kitten) is the most playful and when the rest of the kittens were here I regularly found time to socialize them altogether and play with them. Not to mention that we are a large loving family, so between all of us they were getting plenty of attention. When we still had Annie, she had a preference to my hubby, he was her daddy, so she frequently seemed to go to him for her nuzzles. I guess it helps that we are a large family since thereâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s plenty of love to go around.

9. Do you have any particular method of getting your cats to pose for that prize winning photograph?
Now this question is an painless one. I answered this one before when it was asked in a KatKwiz or Katkwery I think. I had a photo shoot for the cats once when I wanted to upload each of their pictures on TCS for the cat page. My camera isnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t as high quality as some of the members on here, so I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t know about prize winning (not that it matters), yet I really liked how they came out in spite of the poor lighting I was working with at the late hour. So I guess I won anyway. I covered my hallway bench with my favorite comforter and basically placed these cats on it. The aloof things just kind of sat there. They didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t bother to move – which was easily perfect for me. I didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t need any string on a stick, da bird or catnip filled mice to attract their attention, although I considered it. I remember Roly just sat there and posed while Twix laid down. Squeaker was more of a challenge; she wasnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t as photogenic or patient, I could not get her to pay attention or stay still to save my life. I tried changing my tactic to no avail, so I ended up using an old photo of her on the arm of the chair (and I cut and cropped the background out), which sort of makes her resemble an alien with her glowing eyes. Which reminds me I probably should try and change her photo soon. I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t really like the picture that is displaying right now but I was anxious to get one up there.

Probably the hardest part regarding taking any picture of a pet is getting the flash exactly right. Well and a little cooperation never hurts. Itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s almost harder to get the light right than to catch their attention and keep them entertained. When I take pictures of the foster kittens to share with this site and of the shelters website, admittedly itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s not easy. They are squirmy and never stay put and Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve spent many hours trying to find something that works. Generally using the distraction technique with bells, toys and/or treats, using something to grab their attention, is helpful when trying to get their pic. The fact is you just got to have patience, and surely itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s ideal to have someone lending a helping hand whenever you take a pet picture! It can take a lot of tries and experimenting with their favorite toy, doing anything to get them to cooperate. I remember once, I would wait for them to pose perfectly, then I would promptly snap the picture only for it to be out of focus from them moving so much or find that I got a nice shot of their butts!

10. Consider this: You are wealthy. You are healthy. You live in a big mansion located on five acres of land. You do not have to hold a job. How many cats would you have that you could call your cats?
Am I dreaming? Am I a winner in the lottery? I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t have to work? I think Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m in heaven, somebody pinch me!


Because I am wealthy, I will assume that the five acres are fenced in with a cat fence, or else I would have it done
that way the cats can enjoy the place and play outside in the yard as well and there would be plenty of room for them to roam, play, hunt, smell and eat the [safe] plants nature intended for them. Also itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s a given that with infinite money and resources the entire house of cats would be spayed and neutered. I could have one in every color of the rainbow! I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t know if I could put a specific number on how many I could or would have. Is it possible to have just one?? I have had upwards of 15 cats in my house at one moment, I remember there were so many that I had to make a list just to count. Of course nearly all of that number was kittens, nevertheless I am the first to tell you that the biggest consideration and factor is the scent of kitty litter boxes! Of that 15 cats, 5 of them were adults (my 3 and 2 foster moms), and we provide them with 3 kitty litter boxes, one on each floor, that would need tended to on a multi-daily basis. However in my mansion, the cats would either be allowed to go outside and do their business out there, which would help reduce that problem, and I imagine I would have some hired help that could help me keep the litter boxes clean. I believe the skyâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s the limit. I could have an unlimited total amount of cats. Although the key here is you certainly have consider the quantity and quality of time you have to spend with each cat. I mean what does it matter if you have a house on 50 or 1000 acres, if you donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t have the time to play with them and pet them, you might as well be raising a colony of ferals. You have to be able to keep them social. Same principle applies if you solely have one cat… if you donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t have the time to care for him and make him the center of your attention, is he really going to be happy? Itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s probably foolish to have too many that I would call my own. So with 24 hours in a day, and 7 people in my family (8 if you count my niece who lives with us part time)…. How many cats could I comfortably have? Seven… one for every member. Or maybe 14, two per person… 12 if I exclude hubby
I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t know. I guess it probably would essentially happen. Except if you get exceedingly many someone is bound to get lost in the shuffle. I sense I would settle with a careful manageable amount of resident cats, but I would be able to open my home to additional fosters. Perhaps I could actually run my own private sanctuary. I already live in a zoo! Yeah, thatâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s it. Share the love! No wonder hubby and the kids call me the crazy cat lady.
 

marianjela

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PS - here's a future KatKwiz question for ya - did you know we are only allowed 17 images (including smilies) in a post at one time.

I just found out by accident - I had to delete 7 of mine


Now ya know. See ya'll in the morning!
 
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persi & alley

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Marianjela remained undefeated throughout the playoffs by winning game two of the finals 8-5.

Here are the words:

mine - only used by marianjela
clock - not used
vacuum - used by both
darker - not used
perfect - used by both
curtains - only used by marianjela
give - used by both
play - used by both
still - used by both
limit - only used by marianjela

CONGRATULATIONS, MARIANJELA! YOU ARE NOW 150,000 POINTS RICHER!


And congratulations to all of our players who made the finals. All of you were excellent writers which I have on good authority having just finished Stephen King's book entitled "On Writing".

It has been a long haul. We began this thing back on April 1, about the same time the baseball season began. Persi went to jail and I went to ICU which disrupted our season but I refused to die and so did our players.

I thank all of you that made KatKwery a success. I am sending each of the players in the finals a gift and 10,000 points for being such great sports.

Will there be a KatKwery next year? I do not know. This has been a lot more work than I anticipated. But let's see what happens. Meanwhile, see ya around the forums!
 

belongstoevie

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Been waiting forever to use this!!

MARIANJELA!!!!
Good job girl!


After how well you've done and the novels you wrote even before the finals and all the time and research you put in to this, you certainly deserve the win!! YAY!!!


You were great to compete against, even if a little nerve wracking
and a lot of fun playing with! Enjoy your hard earned rewards!!
 

GoldyCat

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Congratulations marianjela!

Originally Posted by Persi & Alley

I thank all of you that made KatKwery a success. I am sending each of the players in the finals a gift and 10,000 points for being such great sports.
Wow!
Thanks. I read your PM first, but with no comma in the 10000, I read it as 1,000.
I'm going to have to start giving points away instead of hoarding them.
 

marianjela

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To all the generous KatKwiz/KatKwery benefactors: Thank You for affording us such fun!


To Lee, DW and Persi & Alley: It was one heck of a 6 months!!! You put in a lot of time for us and I salute you!


To my worthy KK competitors:
My hats off to you! The friendships I formed during this contest will carry me beyond the 150,000 points! To show my appreciation, I have sent each of the Final 8 a little something to show my thanks. It was fun while it lasted. Like I promised, here's a round for everyone on me
 

catkiki

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Congrats Marianjela!!!!!!

Lee, that was a lot of fun!!! I hope it is back next year!! Marianjela needs to be able to defend her title!
 

glitch

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Congratulations guys! You did awesome!! Thanks for everything btw!!

I do hope there is a katkwery next year too!
 
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persi & alley

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Originally Posted by glitch

Congratulations guys! You did awesome!! Thanks for everything btw!!

I do hope there is a katkwery next year too!
Thanks for the comments! I am already up this morning wondering what I am going to do with myself with no KatKwery to prepare. And what is poor DW going to do with her spare time now that I am not drilling her with questions so as to come up with the secret word? Well, for those of you that remember, Styx, one of my favorite bands had a big hit called "Too much time on my hands". Of course KatKwiz will be back soon. But the kats and I are discussing having a newer version since KatKwiz has been around a couple of years and has used up about every possible conceivable question that could be asked about TCS. We will release the details soon. Perhaps there will be a KatKwiz season during the KatKwery off season but with some brand new twists, perhaps even playoffs. The kats and I have lots of time to discuss this now.
 

GoldyCat

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Originally Posted by Marianjela

To all the generous KatKwiz/KatKwery benefactors: Thank You for affording us such fun!


To Lee, DW and Persi & Alley: It was one heck of a 6 months!!! You put in a lot of time for us and I salute you!


To my worthy KK competitors:
My hats off to you! The friendships I formed during this contest will carry me beyond the 150,000 points! To show my appreciation, I have sent each of the Final 8 a little something to show my thanks. It was fun while it lasted. Like I promised, here's a round for everyone on me
Aw, thanks.
It was fun.
 

cocoa cream

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Okay, so I'm really out of the loop here...been too busy to check the forums lately, so I didn't even know who won the finals until just now!

Congratulations, Marianjela!
I am amazed to say that you are more wordy than even me...and that is quite an accomplishment!


Thanks for hosting this contest, Lee. It was a fun way to get to know more people here, and I'm still humbled that I got to participate in the playoffs! I look forward to KatKwiz getting back up and running...I'll be around, when I have time, that is!
 

natalie_ca

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Originally Posted by Persi & Alley

Will there be a KatKwery next year? I do not know. This has been a lot more work than I anticipated. But let's see what happens. Meanwhile, see ya around the forums!
Well, if you do have one I'll be donating a 100,000 points or so to it for you. I'll just keep collecting them until then.
 
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