The joy of cats

A site I like, jibjab.com has a setup where you can load your photo into animations and illustrations (think dancing elves). I did this one for Richard in honor of the fact that Libby sometimes likes to gnaw on his head for no good reason. We have long since stopped trying to figure out why Libby does anything, she has wily and mysterious aims.

This is also a fair representation of what we will endure next week as we load Sammy and Libby into cat carriers and take them to the vet for their annual checkups. Well, Sammy's not too bad. Her biggest weapon is a serious bit of silent rage and a bug eyed look of disbelief. To put Libby in a carrier, one must first assemble a first aid kit and put on armor. Oddly enough, Mary's cats are a lot better to take to the vet. Boo and Tilly go right into the carriers. Cleo goes in (she's like a dog and can often be directed) but she doesn't want to stay in. She's sort of claustrophobic. Tilly is so tiny, she's no trouble at all. And our very kind vet gives us a multi-cat discount. By the time we get to the last cat, it's almost free.

Sammy is having a cantakerous day today. Nothing is pleasing her, not us, not our offerings of table food, not the other cats who are constantly doing things to annoy her, like breathing and laying about lazily in odd spots in the house that she wants to inhabit for a few seconds. I think she woke up on the wrong side of the cat bed. Maybe she's just getting older and with that comes some grumpiness. We have various made up songs we sing to the cats (yes, we are weird). Here's the one Richard made up for angsty Sammy (sung to the tune of "Smelly Cat" from the TV show Friends:

Grumpy Cat, Grumpy Cat
Who peed in your gooshy food?
Grumpy Cat, Grumpy Cat
It's not my fault.

In the interest of silliness, here's the other cat song Richard came up with, set to the tune of Hank Williams, Jr.'s "Family Tradition":

Sammy why do you hork?
Why do you regurgitate?
Why must you throw up the food you just ate.
Stop and think it over,
put yourself in my unique position.
It may be rude to throw up your food,
but it's a Sammy tradition.