MANCAT MONDAY: DANTE THE EFUR-PURRESENT

And here is the efur-purresent Dante who comfurted me while his brother was away! I'd ask him "Where's Dylan?" and he would look around quizzically. Several times he would snap to attention if he heard a noise, which only purrompted me to run to the door again to check.

When Dylan returned and headed straight to his food dish, Dante was the furst to welcome him back by sticking his nose directly up Dylan's butt! He continued to sniff him all ofur while Dylan noshed. They had welcome-back head butts, too, after I sneaked in cuddles and kisses with Dylan.

So, here is the loyal and devoted brofur, Dante, on this Mancat Monday, too!

DYLAN'S HOME SWEET HOME!

Dylan is home! I slept on the couch again and heard the most wonderful yowling at the patio door at 4:40 this morning! I went to sleep hoping that I would see him first thing in the morning and it certainly was first thing!

He came home without the leash and collar -- but that's fine! I'm happy he was able to wriggle out of it, because the thought of him trailing that leash and getting tangled really worried me.

He seems none the worse for wear and was voraciously hungry! It was a joy to watch him chow down as he made the rounds of the various types of cat food I put out. And of course he wanted treats, too!

Dante seemed happy to see him as well, and was busily sniffing his butt in welcome! Domino didn't care one way or the other (but then Dylan has been known to attack her).

Anyway, the world is right again and it's a bright, sunny day! And thank you all for the purrs, prayers and pawsitive vibes that I'm sure had a big part in helping Dylan find his way home.

These pictures aren't from this morning, but they do show Dylan reuniting with Dante after a little outing, and then trying to claw his way through the screen door (but getting stuck instead)!

I'm so happy that I still have my 3-Ds furmily unit, and we look forward to sharing our future with all of you on the blogosphere! Thanks once again to efurryone out there!

Ah, don't you just love a happy ending!

DYLAN' S STILL MISSING

I just wanted to thank all of you for your support. I've had missing cats before, and one came back and one did not. I'm hopeful for Dylan though because he ran away before we could even get him in the car -- he was right in front of our house. So, he must be in the area somewhere.

However, we back on some wooded ravines that go for miles in either direction. I sure hope he didn't go back there.

We have done what we can for now, and it's just a waiting game. We put in a Lost Pet Report at our local Humane Society (there's only one), and posted flyers with his picture on all the community mailboxes around here, as well as one at the local vet's office, which is the only one that is close at all.

We've alerted neighbours to look out for him and have set out food in the front and back, as well as some socks with the scent of mama on them (I got this suggestion from a list of things to do when your pet is lost). I sat outside in the back and then the front with the other cats, too and called for him. So hopefully the smells of home will waft his way and lure him back soon.

I just hope that he hasn't gotten tangled and trapped somewhere because of the leash.
I'll post again when there's news of some sort.

Thanks once again for all the prayers and good wishes for Dylan's safe return. It really helps.

MISSING

Dylan


My precious Dylan is missing since yesterday morning around 9 a.m. We were taking him to the vet on his collar and leash when he kicked free and ran. I'm so worried because he'll be trailing the leash and it could get caught or tangled on something. He was really in a panic, too.

I feel like this is my fault and I should have used a carrier, but we are used to taking all of our kitties out on their leashes and haven't had a problem before. Dylan hates the carrier, too, and when he's on the leash I can hold him and try to calm him. Hindsight is useless at this point.

I tried to sleep on the couch and listen for him at the back patio door. I kept thinking I heard scratching noises, but there was nothing there, and he wasn't there this morning either -- and it's been raining off and on since yesterday and most of the night. I just feel sick about it.

Anyway, we could use your positive thoughts and prayers for his safe return. I'm going to put in a Missing Pet Report with our Humane Society, and Dylan has a microchip for identification. I know he would have come home on his own if he could.

I'm still hopeful I'll be able to update this post with a positive report. In the meantime, though, it's hard to carry on as usual.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY: DYLAN IN THE DRINK!

TUXY TUESDAY: DOMI-NOSE!

This is my nosy tuxy baby, Domino, getting more than a little curious about the camera. Of course, since she's the boss, it's absolutely impurrative that she check out efurrything in her realm.

Domino is also rather a mama's girl and likes to sit beside me on the front bench where we can both purruse the neighpurrhood from a singular vantage point. I call Domino my familiar, because she is indeed exactly that -- furry familiar.

In these pictures, she is trying to become even more intimate with the lens, as you can see. She starts off looking at it with some suspicion, and gradually nuzzles (or is that muzzles?) closer for a more in-depth inspection.

I love her little pink nose pressed against the camera lens, but the most hilarious of the bunch is the last, where we get a close-up view of the whiskers and hairs on her chinny-chin-chin.

There's nothing quite as nosy as a Domi-nose! And nothing cooler than Domino's chin (except maybe a "chinchilla"!).

MANCAT MONDAY: THE LION AND THE COUGAR

Here are my two mancats looking furry manly and furry catty. I have often thought that Dante resembles a proud lion (as have many of you from the comments you have left) and Dylan looks like a cougar both in colour and form.

So here are my lion and cougar in the fading evening light on the watch fur pawsible prey. The boys are best buds, too, and like to hunt togefur as well as separately.

The picture of them against the tree has that authentic feel of wildcats in their natural environment, stealthily stalking their target.

I have read that modern cats have not evolved furry far from their untamed ancestors. All of their native instincts are still intact although we have depurrived them of their need to hunt by purroviding them with all that they require to survive. The urge to hunt still comes out efurry time they bat a fevver toy, or rabbit-kick a catnip mouse.

Those of us who allow our cats access to the outdoors have likely been purresented with unwanted gifts of fureshly killed meat at one time or another. I know I've stepped on a still-warm mouse or two before running off shrieking to the dismay of the hunters!

In any event, the lion and the cougar go off gently into the night after surveilling their territory. With their bellies full, they can wait until tomorrow to begin their purrsuit again.

3-Ds GOING NATURAL!

There's nothing like cats in natural settings. Here are my 3-Ds going on nature walks amongst the grass and flowers.

Domino is visiting the neighpurr's purropurrty across the street. She always visits there and considers it part of her territory. It was difficult to get a clear picture of her because I had to zoom to the max and try to avoid focussing on the tree in the furground. She does look furry purrty there next to the flower bed, though.

Dante is roaming the wilderness that is our back yard (our lawnmower is in for repair). I actually like it kind of scraggly, and Dante adds that missing touch with his efur-purresence!

Then there's Dylan, this time marching along the bottom of the fenceline, rather than balancing on the top as he likes to do. Dylan is the ultimate nature-boy and would rather spend more time outdoors than in.

Don't you think efurrything's better "au naturel"?

FRIDAY FACE-TO-FACE-TO-FACE WITH THE 3-Ds

This is a “face-off” between Dante, Dylan and Domino. I have selected for each, one of their purrsonal-best purrtraits for efurryone to see.

I would say “the eyes have it” overall. Though each of them has green eyes, the shades and shapes of them are completely diffurent. Dante’s eyes are rather a pale, almost sagey colour, speckled with a bit of amber. He is rather intensely focused, in this picture, on an evil squirrel who is invading his territory. Dylan’s eyes are a shade darker and what I might term a light celadon green. They look like they are marbled with streaks of cream that match his fur. Dylan always has a wide-awake, surprised look on his face. He also sports just a touch of his trademark eye goo to mar the picture (no matter how often I may wipe them). Domino has a deeper, almost lime-coloured eye, which is much darker in the center. Her eyes really remind me of the marbles we used to play with as kids. Domino has that straightforward stare that is her no-nonsense hallmark.

Each of them is purrty nosy as you can tell by the alert gaze each possesses at the drop of a hat (and by their lovely pink noses, themselves).

So, in this face-to-face-to-face-off, who gets your vote? In reality, they are all winners, but in a face-off someone has to take home the purrize (TBD).

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY: DANTE'S FLOOFBUTT!

TUXY TUESDAY: DOMINO HOSTESS WITH THE MOSTEST

Here is Domino purrforming her duties as Hostess. She waits at the front of the walkway to greet guests upon their arrival, and then offurs to show them around.

If they are so inclined, she purroffurs herself fur pats and belly rubs. This is surely above and beyond her job description, but she likes to excel in anything she does.

The only thing that drives her away from her station is the ecru menace by the name of Dylan. (If you recall, Dylan was recently caught with a piece of Domino's fur dangling from his mouth.) To avoid a repeat of this travesty, Domino quickly takes her leave once the guests have been ushered to the waiting area.

Domino does a supurrlative job on a daily basis in her pawsition as Hostess with the Mostest. She's efun in the running for "Employee of the Month"!

MANCAT MONDAY: DYLAN MINDING HIS P'S (WITHOUT THE Q'S)

These are pictures taken of Dylan last summer when stone kitty still adorned the front walk. Dylan is the squirmy sort who virtually never stops moving. He twists and turns and wriggles around and usually ends up in some furry interesting pawsitions. These are what he calls his “P Purrimer”.

In this series of photos his purrpetual motion allows him to demonstrate his mastery of the Letter “P” in many of its purrmutations. He had enough to handle with all that “P-ing” and never quite got around to his “Q’s”. Dylan said that’s because he really doesn’t like questions of any sort, and minding his “Q’s” would open up that purrobability. "Besides when you mind your “Q’s” you always have to take that damn “U” into consideration, too!” says he. This makes him wonder why the saying isn’t “Mind your P’s, Q’s and U’s” instead of just your “P’s and Q’s”.

I have to tell him “in life there are just some questions that have no answer” (thereby reinfurcing his dislike for the letter “Q”, as questions without answers are even worse than the questions themselves).

Anyway, Dylan is rather philosofurcal in such matters and pawnders the purrplexities of the cosmos. He’s happy, though, “‘cause mos’” of the words he knows begin with “P” and that’s as far as he’s gone in the alfurbet!