How to Survive Life with Cats

Day 2 of the May Blogger Challenge is to educate you all on something I know a lot about. 

Well, one thing is for sure...I know a lot about cats. Particularly how to survive living with them. It's an important skill to be sure! 

We have two cats. Zoe Cat (who will be 8 this year) and Gus (who will be 2).

 We love them. They are fun, funny, and sometimes even loving. 

But having two cats is not for the faint of heart. 

We have to be fully equipped with ways to protect ourselves, maintain a level of dominance, and ultimately survive life with cats. 

I know we are not the only ones living in this situation. So, I have prepared these few notes to help those who may be struggling to survive, just like us!

Meet Zoe

Meet Gus

+ Keep them happy with food. Lots and lots of food. Never let the food run out! Not only are they happier, but they’re slower to attack when they’re fat.

Notice both the tub and GIANT bag of cat food behind him!

+ Make sure you assert your dominance in some demeaning way at least once a month. We choose to do this by catching them, holding them tightly, squirting them with flea poison, and then clipping away their most powerful weapon (claws).

Forced snuggles!! (My hair is gray b/c it was Halloween and I was dressed as Rogue from X-Men earlier that night)

+ Let them enjoy some scenery with plenty of window views and keeping everything but the screen door open. This is really enjoyable for cats. But make sure they see you freely go in and out of the door multiple times while they must stay inside, again to remind them of your dominance.

Zoe Cat...looking longingly at a lizard she cannot reach

+ Always keep plenty of toys and scratching posts around for them to take out their frustrations on something other than you. If you really want them to expend their negative energy, dip a toy in cat nip and let them go nuts attacking it for a good half hour. They won’t be interested in attacking you for a while.

+ Keep small cat replicas around to make them think you have the power to shrink them and turn them to stone. 

+ Have several soft, fluffy blankets in each room. These have a way of putting cats into a trance where all they want to do is knead the blanket and take a nap.

+ If you share a bed with your kitty, make sure you move slowly and carefully during the night. Unfortunately you have already put yourself in a vulnerable state and now you are at their mercy. If they have you pinned, don’t move. No matter how cramped your legs may feel. If you need to change positions, do so around the cat. Lift your legs up and over, or scoot to the very edge of the bed. Always avoid disturbing the cats. A quick attack to your feet is too easy to not be cautious!

This rule also applies to napping!

+ Keep the litter box clean! Otherwise they will retaliate by pooping in your shower or peeing in your bed.

+ Never leave them alone for an extended period of time...

The damage when we got back from visiting family for a week and a half over Christmas/New Years in 2010
(yes, someone was supposed to be checking on them!!)

+ Tell them how cute and precious and sweet they are…even when they are giving you the death stare. It’s humiliating for them and shows that you are not afraid.

How precious!

+ Make sure they always wear a collar with a bell. This eliminates many sneak-attack possibilities and keeps them domesticated. Once the collar comes off, they start going rogue.

+ Don’t be fooled. Cats are tricky. You may think they are being sweet and cuddly when, in fact, they’re just cold and are seeking warmth. Or, perhaps they really are sweet and cuddly (it does happen!), BUT it does not mean they are good cats! Our cat Gus is the sweetest thing ever, but he is just as capable of making trouble as the far less snuggly Zoe Cat. So enjoy the snuggles, but don’t let your guard down!

+ If you can, put them in humiliating clothes...

So angry...probably b/c it didn't fit... :(

+ And perhaps most importantly, do not let them outnumber you! We have an even two-against-two system going on in our house and it just wasn’t secure enough. That’s why we are having a baby! We need someone else on our side!

Please contribute to the cause and post your own survival tips in the comments below! We have to rally together to save ourselves!

Doing What's Best

As I've previously mentioned, we have fleas. We have tried a number of things to get rid of them, many thing which probably seem like pure torture to our poor cats! We have given them baths (what an adventure!), put stuff on their necks, made them swallow things, and put them in cat carriers and made them sit outside while the house was being fogged. Since NONE of that worked, we are having the exterminator come spray the house today. Unfortunately this means the poor kitties have to go back in their carriers and be locked outside, sitting in the carport, until the man sprays and it is safe to re-enter. They don't like being in their carriers. Zoe Cat was particularly stressed this morning. She ran and hid under the bed in the guest room, inside the lining under the mattress. We had to turn the bed over and dig her out! As we drove away to work, looking at the poor babies sitting in their carriers, being left alone for approximately 6 hours, I definitely cried. Not just teary eyes...like full tears and sniffles. I had to pull myself together long enough to put my makeup on. It was rough.

They love bags! :)

Gus Gus and Zoe Cat...getting along for a minute!

Sweet snuggle kitties! :)

I was thinking about what the cats must think. They have no idea why we're doing all this to them. In their eyes, we may be punishing them, or just torturing them for fun (hopefully they don't actually have these complex thoughts!). But really we are HELPING them. We are doing what is best for them. And even though it's super unpleasant for them now, it will ultimately get rid of the fleas which are hurting them more in the long-run. But they don't know that's what we're doing, and we can't really communicate that to them. And they don't know that I was so upset that I was crying.

And all of that made me think about our own lives, and the part God plays in it. I talk a lot about God doing everything for our good and how we cannot always see it. I think this is a good portrayal of just that. We may be going through a lot in our lives. It may seem like torture. And we may be thinking...WHY is God doing this to me?? What did I do to deserve this type of treatment? But maybe he's just locking us up in a cat carrier while he gets rid of the fleas in our lives. Okay, it's a stretch when you say it like that! But seriously. Maybe what we're going through in that moment is just what has to happen to make another area better. And we are not God. We don't think like Him or do things like Him. So we may not understand. It may not make sense to us. Like the cats who can't see the bigger picture, sometimes neither can we. But I hope I can trust when things seem awful that God is still in control and has a purpose for all things in my life, and that the purpose is for my good.

And one last thought on this...is it possible God feels the way I do when he has to put us through things for our own good? Does He wish I could understand? Does He long to explain it and ease my suffering? Does He want to cry in despair even though He knows it is for the best? I don't know. But I know that He feels for us and cares for us, so I think in some way...yes. He does. And for me that is a very comforting thought.

God, I want to trust in you more. I want to accept all aspects of my life, without complaining, because I can trust that you care for me and are working all things together for my good. Thank you, God, for protecting me and caring for me, even when I am ungrateful. Even when my limited scope on the situation causes me to be angry and confused. I know you are doing what's best, and I appreciate that you do it even when it's hard...for me and maybe even for you. 

Love,
Christy

Recap in Pictures!

First of all, thank you SO much to those who have been praying for the family I shared about.  Brian is still recovering, but it's a slow process and they have set-backs nearly every day. Nothing is certain. They could still use all the prayers they can get. The prayer map literally has pins in every state of the US and every continent of the world! If you are praying outside of the US, or will be during the holidays, let me know from what country so I can share with the family. :)

Anyway, I have about 15 minutes before I need to head to my internship site to meet everyone. Next semester will be BUSY...what else is new? So I figured I would toss in a bunch of pictures from the past several weeks instead of talking about it all in depth. Sorry! Oh, and there is a severe lack of pictures of me. :( Oh well, here goes! :)

We made some "gingerbread" creations with friends.
Houses? No! International landmarks, please! :)
That's Big Ben, The Great Wall of China, and the Pyramids of Giza. 

Pyramid! :)

We had Scott's family at our house for Thanksgiving and we had lots of bonfires! :)

We celebrated my 26th birthday. That's my delicious Rainbow Chip cake he's making there. YUM!

We went to the beach for sunset. Too bad the sun set on the opposite side of the beach! haha! It was crazy windy!

Went to Fort Pulaski with some friends

Scott surprised me with this on my birthday, after already giving me two presents over the weekend. :)

We decorated for Christmas

Our friends and their amazing baby at the beach. :)

And we painted our sunroom...Gus helped... :)

WWell, I better run! I hope everyone is enjoying the season! I for one and so excited about Christmas and have been thoroughly enjoying having our house decorated, listening to Christmas music, and attending parties. :) Can't wait to see all my family in just a little over a week!

Merry Christmas!

~Christy~

Good Stuff

After yesterday's really sad post, I feel the need to write a post about happy things. Because there are still happy things, and for that I am thankful.

• I'm happy that this weekend I get to see my besties and celebrate with one of them as she prepares to move to The Netherlands to marry the love of her life. 
• I'm happy that my house smells like autumn (via Bath & Body Works wallflowers. Currently enjoying Spiced Cinnamon Pumpkin & Autumn)...even if the weather outside has reverted back to gross heat. 
• I'm happy that I got new glasses that I really like and actually think look good on me! 

• Remember how a couple days ago I said I stopped weighing myself b/c I kept gaining weight? Well, I weighed myself today and in the past 2 weeks I've lost 5 pounds!!! Oh yeah! :) I'm not really sure why b/c I don't think I've worked out at all in that time! I have been trying to eat better, but I'm certainly not eating perfect. I think a lot of it is just how my body weight fluctuates throughout my cycle. BUT it still makes me happy, nonetheless! :)

I don't know how much different I look. But I felt thinner that day.
I'm back down to 151 pounds.
This is about how much I weighed after my last 10 pound loss back in April.
So now all that work hasn't been deminished, thankfully. And it's time to keep going!

• I'm happy about new shoes. I got 2 new pair from Rack Room a couple weeks ago, and I got a new pair from a local consignment shop today. These are the only ones I have a picture of: 

• I'm happy that my kitties are finally starting to get along a little better, and will both snuggle with me at the same time. (Forgive the unattractive sleeping picture!)

• I'm happy that my counseling sessions are going well so far, and I actually feel like I'm benefiting people, not just meeting school requirements.
• I'm happy that this is my 102nd blog post! I realized while writing the sad post that the one before was my 100th! If I had realized it ahead of time I would have made it a little more special. Oh, well!
• And I'm happy that YOU are reading my blog! :) I'm excited that I have gained several new followers in the past month or so. I'm still miles behind most of you in that area, but I just have to remind myself that this blog is not about getting followers, it's about my life and my walk with God. Any who wish to share in that are more than welcome. But even still, I'm super thankful that you are willing to share in it! :)

Happy Friday, Bloggers! What are YOU happy about today? 

~Christy~

Labor Day Weekend

Kitties helping us pack! :) 

Delicious dinner
Honey crusted chicken breast, shredded sweet carrots, edamame, and red wine

Celebrate Freedom Atlanta Concert Festival with my sister & Scott

Celebrate Freedom Atlanta

The Newsboys...notice how they're all IN THE AIR?? It was an amazing concert!
I wasn't able to capture the drummer, but his entire stand went up in the air, turned sideways,
and spun around WHILE HE PLAYED!
Crazy!

Went to the Braves game with my sister, Scott, and our friends April & Waring

And the Braves won! :)

Visited our adorable niece Kyli

Isn't she precious??

And this is Kyli's little sister Keirra...also adorable! :)

I had an AMAZING long weekend! 

It was great spending so much time with my sister.

And it was really fun being in Atlanta with our friends April & Waring.

They are from South GA so they think of Atlanta as a vacation spot...

whereas we think of it as a second home.

And of course I always cherish the times I get to spend with my niece. 

She is SO fabulous! :)

Hope you all had a nice, long weekend also! 

Do anything exciting??

~Christy~