Get Your Motor Running

Perhaps no other aspect of felines is more unexplainable and powerful than...THE PURR. While its mechanism still eludes scientists to this day, it has great power over those who hear it. Take our sweet Maggie for example. What was the first thing about her that made us take her home? Her purring on my lap. What can make my heart melt when I come near her? Oh, yes, my freinds, that same sweet sound. My personal theory is that the purr is on some hypnotic frequency that causes mind-control in humans. Any way it works, it sure lends some job security for our little one.

Besides being oh-so-sweet to hear, Maggie's purr is also quite hilarious. We in the Jennings' household call it her lie-detector. See, the purr can't be faked or hidden. What does this mean? That we know exactly when Maggie is happy, whether she wants us to know or not. Here are some examples of when she purrs, despite herself:

-when one of us walks in the room
-when we pet her, even if she play-bites (we know the truth)
-when she's hunting (kinda gives herself away, I know)
-when we give her food
-when she finds a fun place to hide (under a tent, rug, etc.)
-when she's perfectly content (this is what a cat's life is about after all, isn't it?)

So this "tell" of Maggie's got me to thinking - what would it be like if we as humans had an uncontrollable noise that came from us whenever we were happy? I can image walking down the hall in Jr. High and passing that guy I liked, only to be horrified by a loud purr coming from me. Or perhaps I would give myself away rather embarassingly when the theme song to American Idol comes on. Well, I guess I can be thankful I'm not a cat. But I sure am glad Maggie purrs for me...

Here's a video of Maggie's happy, purring moments. Go ahead, turn your volume up, and get happy...

A Merry Maggie Christmas

Enjoy some video of Maggie enjoying Christmas!

Catching Up

Find out the latest about your favorite squirrel-colored cat!

Current Age: 1 year (Happy Birthday Maggie!)

Current Weight: 10 lbs ( we got her at 4lbs)

Favorite Sport: Hunting bungee mouse from her tent

Enemies: Rugs, vacuums, tissue paper, table legs, lizards, her tail

Guilty Pleasure: buckwheat pancakes

Aspirations: to be an outdoor cat

Most Exciting Moment: climbing neighbor's tree and being rescued at 10 o'clock at night

Best napping place: brown computer chair next to window

Current injuries: bruises from hitting armoire while doing a back flip

Can't resist: a tent (or going under any blanket that could possibly be a tent)

Going as for Halloween: a black cat with highlights

Favorite Wii game: biting the controller cords during Mario Cart

Hurricane Hi-jinks

One Hurricane + four people + two teenage kittens + fourteen hundred square feet = two crazy days! Doubtless the major news stations have covered many angles of Hurricane Ike and its repercussions, but what CNN and even our beloved KBTX have failed to inform you of is the toll this storm has taken on kittens. So, as inquiring minds want to know, I will give you our perspective: Weathering the Storm with Kittens.

Thursday afternoon, our friends the Jordan's, who live in a low-lying area of Houston, were mandatorily evacuated from their home. Seeking refuge in the ever-popular community of College Station, they gave us a call seeking shelter. They were quick to make sure it was ok they could bring along their cat, Cacao. In almost the same breath, we were sure to mention that we had also gotten a kitten recently. Thus ensued the hi-jinks.

I wish I could say that Maggie was a good host to her new friend, but that would not be truthful, and as your source of news on the subject, I must stick to the facts. Suffice it to say, we have learned that cats can make many sounds of intimidation: hissing, low growling, high-pitched moaning, and "the snort." Maggie has obviously not learned to share as she continually followed Cacao around, cornered her, then lept at her whenever she tried to make a move. We finally just kept them separated, as the "just give them time together/parent trap" method of girl bonding didn't work.

Here is Cacao on top of the kitchen cabinets - trying to escape either the storm or Maggie, we don't know. She needed a "fireman" to come rescue her!

Here are some older pictures of Maggie, involved in some general teenage kitten hi-jinks. This is Maggie laying in my plant. She knows she's not supposed to be in there and that squirts of water are coming. Notice the guilty look on her face.

Here's Maggie making the most out of regular household products. I'm still finding little pieces of toilet paper around the house. Oh, and we didn't give it to her as a toy - she found it all by herself. How resourceful of her.

This is how I found Maggie one day when I came home from work. The glass object on the right is a vase that was formerly full of water and roses. Water is on counter, cat, and couch; flowers spread about. I am looking for vases with more stable bottoms.

Thanks for loving our kitten despite her teenage rebellion (or maybe because of it.) :-)

A Tail of Two Kitties

Once upon a time there was a little country kitty named Maggie. Maggie was a simple cat, born and raised in a sleepy little town in the center of Texas. Most of her days were spent uneventfully frolicking around her little home. Then one day Maggie started to notice some different things happening around her house: large black containers with wheels appeared; her water and food bowls disappeared, then her litter box; finally, she was scooped up and found herself inside another little moving house!

This moving house provided many an opportunity for exploration, though most of the time was spent under the seat, which provided great security and comfort for sleeping (for Maggie, nap time was always to be strictly observed.) After a while, the moving house stopped and Maggie found herself in a place like none other she had ever seen - she was in the city! Many a surprise awaited Maggie in this new place - new humans eager to meet her, a second floor of house to explore and most of all - her cousin Harley waiting to make her feel welcome.

Maggie's sophisticated cousin Harley was eager to show her all the fun there was to be had here. He showed her his bed, and she slept in it; he showed her his windowsill, and she climbed on it; she showed him her litter box, he used it. They were soon the best of friends. Sure, they had their scuffles, and Maggie discovered that she could make a sound like a growl, but for the most part they enjoyed just having each other around.

All too soon the week drew to a close, and Maggie once again noticed things disappearing, then was scooped up and put inside the moving house for a second time. She didn't mind it as much this time, until it stopped moving, and she heard her owners say things like, "A/C" and "broken." After that time, the moving house became very hot and windy.

Maggie was never so glad to be back in her own home again, however quaint and cozy, for it was her home and that was where she belonged.

The End - Click the image below to watch a video of Maggie in the Big City - and turn your volume up!

To see what Maggie's owners were up to while she was in Dallas, click here.

Fishing for Cats

Crikey! Life here in the College Station outback sure is exciting! This is the perfect setting to observe the felis domesticus in its natural habitat... What a specimen we have here today - this little brown girl sure is a beauty. I'll bet if we watch we can see her on the hunt. When they are interesed in something, particurlary prey, cats make a chattering or chiping noise. It is rare to capture on film, but let's wait and see...

Woo hoo! Did you see that?! This truly has been an eventful day here in the tropical jungles of the Brazos Valley. I wonder what we'll see next time...

Ok, my mind is tired of writing with an australian accent (change to Julie's voice here). The video above is of Maggie's favorite pasttime - fishing. Blake, being the engineer that he is, fashioned a cat fishing rod out of an old reel, a dowel rod and one of Maggie's feather toys. With this, we are able to cast her toy and reel it back in, with little effort on our part, but great amusement for all. Her fishing rod sits on the mantle, and it is not uncommon for Maggie several times a day to run over to the fireplace, look up and start meowing...she always wants to play! The chirping noise she makes was an interesting side effect of the fishing. I have heard other cat owners mention this noise when a cat is at the window watching a bird, but never over a toy. But our sweet feral cat just can't help herself! So, there you go, a little education to add to your entertainment. Now, some cute pictures, cause I just can't help myself.

This is Maggie climbing through the stools in our kitchen. It would be too easy to walk around the stools to her bowl - why not walk through them? On several occasions I have thought to myself, "Maggie Moo where are you?" and there she is, suspended above the ground, checking out her world (which apparantly is a jungle gym!)

This photo is Maggie sniffing some roses from our garden (really just an excuse to show off my roses!) If you have smelled these roses, you'll know how strong they are - Maggie sure got a noseful!

This one is just a cute pic of the face I can't seem to stay mad at. Even after she sneaks out of the house, attacks me in my bed and decides to use the couch for a scratching post, my heart is melted by her sheer cuteness. Could you stay mad at such a face?

You're So Vain, You Probably Think This Blog is About You

I finally got a picture of our Maggie girl in the mirror. It's a dangerous thing, passing by the mirror, so she is sure to check it out. Well, for those of you keeping tally, Maggie had a few new first's this week. She had her first "outside time" which consisted of me holding her on the patio, her hearing the dogs barking, jumping out of my arms and running back inside! She also had her first kill(s) - two mosquito hawks sealed their fate when they flew into our house last night. She successfully hunted them down and devoured them. Yikes! It was like National Geographic: Suburban Edition in my own living room. I'm glad I'm bigger than her! She also had her first overnight visitors, who were really good sports with such a crazy kitten. She was so grateful, that she showed it by playing with them in the middle of the night! Well, enough kitten talk - here is the good stuff: a video montage of Maggie attacking the scratching post. My count is: Maggie: 7, Feather Ball:1 Enjoy!