Controversial Mr. Howl Sighting!!!

So a masked cat was spotted howling while perched on top of Nick's bedroom door early one morning. Apparently he believes this to be the mythical "Mr. Howl" and took a blurry picture. I personally believe it's all just a bunch of shadows.

Lucille

Well Lucy's gone. This makes me very sad, even though it doesn't affect me much since I was cut off from seeing her ever since I was "a bad boy". Hey, I only smacked her after she smacked me many, many times... I was just trying to be nice. But that's a different story. Here's what Nick had to say about Lucy (ID: 17158):

(Nick's words:) As soon as I got Lucy home, she was an instant love bug. She was so happy living with us, she purred with excitement and begged to be petted. A complete turnaround from her nervous self at the SPCA. When exiting the room, she would follow you to the door as if to say "goodbye, hope you come back soon!". She loves treats, and can be convince to do just about anything if there is a treat involved. Even giving her medicine for her wound was relatively easy. She's such a playful girl; she took turns playing with all of her new toys, and loved interactive games with a feather or the laser pointer. She also liked to play with hands, a habbit I've tried to break her of (she'd show you her belly to entice you, adn then wrestle with your hand when you went to pet her). And every night, she slept at the foot of the bed with Rena, taking an occasional break to play or ask to be petted.

After the wound healed, we tried to introduce her to our resident cats, starting with Mojo. In the past, Mojo has been our ambassador. He's very nice, non-agressive, and not at all afraid of other cats; a perfect little gentleman. At first we just let them observe each other through a baby gate a few times a day, with plenty of treats and increased duration. Then we brought the mojo in for a quick sniff session. He was a bit aggressive with his sniffing, and Lucy wasn't appreciating it, so we ended the session quickly. The next time we let them sniff each other a little more, and it was clear that Lucy was getting very upset. She hid under the dresser and assumed her SPCA personality: a swat to anything or anyone that go near her. Over the next two weeks, we tried unsuccessfully to integrate her into the resident cats' society. She was happy and freindly, until the first sight of another cat, then she went into scared mode, and behaved similar to how she behaves at the SPCA. When the cat was removed from sight, she was fine again. We increase the duration of these sessions gradually, but to know avail; she just didn't seem to want to adjust to the other cats.

Fox, Talulah, and even Charlie (to an extent) were very good and left her alone mostly, keeping their distance. Unfortunately, Mojo developed a crush on Lucy, having to be 2 feet away from her at all times during visitation sessions. We alway knew where Lucy was hiding by finding Mojo. If Mojo was sitting by the dresser, Lucy was under the dresser. Occasionally Mojo would get too close and she'd smack him. It got to the point where she was constantly in a state of agitation and fear when around the other cats, and in particular Mojo. Finally, Mojo started to retaliate and smack her back, and even chase her. So we decided to cut him off from visiting her, and to keep her separated from the resident cats on a more permanent basis, until we returned her to the SPCA.

So Lucy is easily aggitated at Pantops because she is frightened. This behavior will disappear almost immediately once she gets adopted into a home with no other pets. If someone likes Lucy and still has doubts about her behavior after this is explained to them, emphasize she can be returned within 2 weeks for a refund. I'm sure once they get her home, all will be well.

This does not mean that Lucy must be an only cat, only that she will adjust best in a home with no pets. The adopter may decide to get a cat later, and perhaps Lucy will do just fine. Or if they have a cat already, the process of introducing them will take a minimum of 2 weeks, probably a month before Lucy feels comfortable with another cat.

and definitely no small children!!!

As promised... pictures of charlemagne. He'll do anything for attention... what a ham!

Talulah and I sleep on the luxurious balcony during the day, while we make Charlie sleep on the beat up couch.

...and Fox is afraid of heights, naturally.

Welcome

Hi! My name is Mojo, and welcome to my blog. My favorite foods are purina indoor cat chow, olives, and shortbread cookies. I also like mice, feathers, high places and the color blue. I live in Charlottesville, VA with 5 roommates in a little apartment I like to call "The Jungle". First, there's my brother Fox and sister Tahlula.






Fox is a bigger cat, tall and muscular, incredibly handsome and charismatic. He’s also a big baby. I like to boss him around and take his treats right out from under his nose. He may have gotten the size and good looks in the family, but I’ve got the gumption. I mean, for smurf's sake, the cat still has a security blanket. Never-the-less, he is quite nice and very affectionate with both us cats and the humans. The humans often go on and on about how cute he is... geesh.

Talulah is my big sister... and I don’t mean older. Ever since this one trip to the doctor's office, she’s gained a lot of weight. We tried to get her to go on a diet, but when we gave her less food, she would find ways to eat our food. After a few weeks on the diet, Fox and I lost a couple pounds, but she was still gaining. Go figure. She’s a nice girl though, very very smart, and not a sissy like Fox. With her brains and my athleticism, we can accomplish anything. It also helps that she's not afraid of anything, including strangers and The Outside... not even the monster that lives in the closet (some call it Hoover the Terrible). She really only gets upset when I try to rough-house with her too much.

Then there’s my weird step-brother Charlemagne (aka Big Boy at the SPCA). I don’t even know where to start with that guy. Just to give you an idea, his nick-name is squiggley because he makes noises like a squirrel when he jumps and he wiggles a lot, including incessant tail wagging. My theory is he got a little too much catnip as a kitten. More on him later... he's hard to get a picture of... always moving.

Nick and Rena, my Human servants, live with me as well, and are pretty swell. Nick raised us since we were teeny-tiny; he claims he could pick all three of us up in one hand. After seeing the pictures of when we first moved into the apartment, I believe it.

Also, there is rumored to be another cat living in the apartment. Unlike my sweet, mild-mannered self, this cat has been known to howl like a coyote at odd hours of the night, scale window screens, steal popcorn, and break into bags of treats and cat food. As for myself, I doubt the existence of this "Mr. Howl", but some who are more superstitious than I, believe he resides somewhere inside the apartment.