Ding Ding Crashes the Party

Ding Ding brought new meaning to the acronym BYOB this past Friday night, when she decided to show up for my annual staff party with a bird (not dead) in her mouth. She galloped into the house, clutching her trophy, only to have me chase her back out.

It was pretty gruesome, although she was very proud of herself--and not too pleased with her reception. I'm sure she must have surveyed the refreshments, and thought the table needed something with feathers.

Although I have heard that they don't necessarily solve the problem, I think I will get her a bell for her collar.

On Vacation

Ding Ding has been asked what she's been up to, and it's true it has been quite a while since I've posted on her blat.

It's been a traumatic time for cats in our household. We discovered that Ding Ding's step-sister Annie was not making use of her litter box just before we were heading to Lopez Island for a week of family togetherness.

Rather than leave Annie to do more damage, we packed her off to a kitty hotel and took Ding Ding to Lopez. Which she enjoyed, excepting for the car ride. Maybe there are cats who are good travelers, but I haven't met one yet, and Ding Ding is no exception. Upon our return we retrieved Annie, only to discover that although she had no physical issues that would cause urinary problems, she didn't regularly use her litter box at the vet's.

When I got home with Annie we left her on the back patio, an area she has enjoyed before, while discussing how to set up our house so as to limit cat problems. Next time we looked, Annie had vanished. More than a week later, we still haven't seen her. We now have a have-a-heart type trap, and we're hoping we can catch her. It's hard to believe she can have gone far, but we haven't found her yet.

Dingers does not miss Annie. They were not friends. But we feel responsible, and will keep looking. She does have a microchip--but she is mostly feral, and will not come when called or let people pick her up under most circumstances. So the outlook is not good.

More later.

Nature Red in Tooth and Claw

She looks so innocent when she's sleeping, but don't be mistaken. Ding Ding is proving to be a predator. I came home from a meeting the other night to find my husband disposing of a dead robin. Ding Ding had brought it into the kitchen, and was playing with it. He had a battle getting it away from her--she kept grabbing it, and trying to bat it around. He finally prevailed, but I'm sure she'll do it again. I wouldn't mind dead rodents (although I'd prefer them not in the house), but I do hate to see her going after birds.

Always something going on...

It's been a while since I've posted, but Dingers has been busy. She loves the outdoors, and spends a good part of her day outside unless it's really raining. I am including a picture of her in one of her favorite outside places--hiding in the grass.

The other morning I found her climbing around on the top of the 8 foot high backboard of an antique walnut bed we have. I ran to get the camera, but she got down when I left the room. I hope to get this feat documented on film, but who knows.

Water, water, everywhere

My friend Jeanne is responsible for introducing Dingers to the joys of running water. And now it seems as if there's no going back. The cat has a strong need to check out sinks and bathtubs, and she's especially interested after I've been doing dishes, or if someone has just taken a shower. But she was overjoyed to play with water that was actually running. She has spent as long as thirty minutes playing in the sink.

Jail Break

Roger was taking the trash out the other day, and Ding Ding made a break for the great outdoors. She immediately climbed our magnolia tree, and was extremely excited about all the falling petals. She got up pretty high in the tree, but had no trouble getting down on her own.

She is continuing to explore the great outdoors, a little at a time. Yesterday she went out again, and had an encounter with our neighbors' small dachshund Willy. Willy is a very yippy dog, and although he's not that much larger than Dingers, she was intimidated by his noisiness and happily retreated inside.

Looking forward: see Ding Ding enjoy running water, and watch her watching her favorite television programs.

Back By Popular Demand

Apparently the reading public is desperate for an update on Ding Ding. Well, one person (my son) asked me when I planned to post again. So here's another entry for fans of Ding Ding.

Dingers has had an exciting new experience (not yet documented on camera). She has been outside. I am still unsure about whether she should be allowed to go out on regular basis, given the tragic demise of Molly Bloom (see first post), but she is very eager. She came outside with me yesterday while I worked in the yard, and she encountered a neighboring feline, Kato. It wasn't clear how this might work out, so Roger intervened and shooed Kato away. At this point, Ding Ding seems to prefer to hide under the shrubs, but she will probably get bolder.

The picture above shows Ding Ding in a favorite place--a paper grocery bag.