Nicholas and the feather wand. He really wears himself and me out playing. I can move it closer so it is in right in front of my feet. When I stop he slowly saunters away and sits to see if I am going to let him have another go at it. He doesn’t show anxiety and fear, but just seems cautious for some unknown reason.
Nicholas playing with toys. This bed is his safety zone he always runs to when someone approaches him. He can approach us but we cannot approach him. He had a six foot face to face with Opie and she was a growling hissing monster. Nicholas kept advancing doing the slow motion walk. I took her away to prevent any more trauma or bloodshed.
Looks like a long road to gain trust if it is even possible. It is quite disheartening to never have touched him. He may not grow out of it. He is every energetic and enjoys playing with all the toys available as you can see in the videos. In the new video he is going funny over an old catnip carrot. He likes to drag all the toys under his bed. I found the feathers on the green ball but the ball has disappeared.
Nicholas exploring. He gets to run around on the second floor only. He is wary of people and likes to venture not too far from the bed he hides under for safety. He hides if approached but it is alright if he approaches. One must be still. Don’t know how long this will last–maybe a long time. He runs under the bed then turns and sticks his head out.
Nicholas in Quarantine. He comes out Thursday. He hides under the bed for safety and drags all his toys under if they fit. Don’t stare at his tail!
Nicholas is a male shorthair black tabby a little over one year old. Where did he come from? My daughter went looking for a new playmate for Zeke after Scooby died. She did not know at the time Zeke was going to die when she picked Nicholas out at the shelter. No one wanted him because his tail is cut off and maybe 7 inches long. She decided to adopt him but had to wait 4 weeks as he had an upper respiratory infection that had to be treated. I was out of the loop on this whole development. Zeke died with Nicolas still in treatment. We picked up Zeke’s remains and brought them home last Thursday afternoon. Little did I know Nicolas was waiting in the wings all this time. Later that afternoon my daughter went out and came back with him. I was very surprised and not too happy. I hate surprises. Fate determined Zeke was never going to meet Nicolas. When I heard the story no one wanted him because of his tail, I decided he could stay. He was named Nicholas as he was born near Christmas 2023 after St. Nicholas. We decided to keep that name. He is in quarantine to ensure the U.R.I. is cured. A few photos below but not of his tail.
At the urging of the Tabbies o Trout Towne I decided to repost my father’s valentines which he had saved. After he died I found a large collection of cards in a box he saved as a child from different holidays. Valentines were the most numerous by far. These run from 1917 to 1928 but most are from the early 1920’s. In other words 100 years old plus or minus a few years. None have envelopes. Some are postcards like the very last one, some are three D foldouts, some are cutouts which were never cut out. Some were just “ordinary”. The black and white ones are examples of what is to be found inside some of them when opened. I knew some of the relatives family friends whose names are on the cards when I was young. Some of the other valentines may be the only artifacts left behind on earth to show someone lived. If you haven’t seen them I hope you enjoy them. I looked up valentines on the web and did not see any of these but what I did see had little monetary value. Over 90 images are shown below, plus Dad on the family farm. He was the youngest of three brothers and got the hand-me-downs.
Continue reading →
Feline Café 