How the Fish Finger obsession started….

I didn’t even know what fish fingers were. I mean I had heard people speak of such food but couldn’t make sense of it because I knew fish didn’t have fingers so I thought it was just a term you humans used for something fancy like snails, which you call escargot!!

As you know we have a lot of birds come visit and the beautiful creature I now call mine can’t help but feed anything that comes in or even near our yard and it’s not just limited to birds (which by the way she has a phobia of, so go figure!!), she has fed rats, oh yes but that’s a blog for another time…hehehehe, horses, deer and the list goes on.

Now we have these birds called swamp hens…They hang out at the dams and nest in the long reeds in the middle of the dam. It is only when they have chicks do they venture up near the house looking for food and I guess all the other birds have told them to go see the lady in the house with all the cats and she will feed you.

So noticing the swamp hens coming near the house the beautiful creature I now call mine would throw them cat biscuits that we didn’t eat. She noticed one by one the swamp hens would come up, pick up a cat biscuits then run all the way back to the dam.

We began to watch them and worked out that the family of 5 swamp hens had chicks and they were taking the cat biscuits to them.

Thinking this was a lot of effort to go to for the swamp hen’s we started taking cat biscuits, dog biscuits and bread on our afternoon walks and leave near the dam so they could easily feed their chicks.

A swamp hen nest.

The older swamp hen’s bringing a chick closer.

So one day we walked down with a bag of fish fingers, they had been put in the microwave to heat up. I followed the beautiful creature like I always do but this particular day it was like I was hypnotized…..Oh my Cat the smell coming from that plastic bag she was carrying was like nothing I had ever smelt before.

So I chased after her and nearly tripped her over. She’s pretty cluey and worked out that I wanted whatever was in that bag.

So the obsession started….Just one taste and I was hooked…YUMMO.

That afternoon we didn’t make it to the dam as I had eaten every last fish finger. Sorry Swamp hen but they are far too delicious to share.

The batter has to be taken off first because that stuff is like so bad for you……;)

So now fish fingers are on our weekly shopping list. I have to try and control myself and only have 6 a day…hehehehehe.

The Swamp hens still get food from us just not fish fingers. They have chicks at the moment and have been coming near the house for treats so we have been throwing them bread which they take back to their nest.

So my obsession with the most delicious food in the world happened by accident.

Squirt learns what it means to be a big brother…..

When the tabby boys first come along Squirt was completely fascinated by them. Not having been around kittens before I think he wasn’t sure what they were nor what he was to do with them.

As for me I had loved a kitten before and knew how hard it was to lose them and I didn’t want to go down that road again. I think that is why I was sometimes a jerk, you know all that self-preservation and stuff. Anyway before the first week was up Squirty was already playing and watching the tabby boys.

Most of the time he would just watch them and if they got too close he would close his eyes and try and hit them but I think he only did this because he didn’t have a clue what else to do.

If I was to be honest I think Squirt loved being a big brother and have someone look up to him well that was until he realised that he had to share his favourite sleeping places, toys, the beautiful creature, food. Once he realsied that, the middle-child syndrome kicked in and that’s when all the hissing started but that’s a whole other blog and we just don’t have time to discuss those issues today.

Even though he isn’t the baby anymore everyday he seems to accept that his role has changed and is ok with that. I mean who doesn’t love being a big brother.

 

The Story of the Tabby Boys.

As you have all probably heard and seen by now the tabby boys are well and truly family and their time at Critterland has been extended to f o r e v e r. The adoption papers were signed yesterday and the only thing we need to do now is to get them their very own red flanno’s to make it truly Critterland official.

What most of you don’t know is where they came from and how they happened to end up being in our care. Now this story I’m telling second-paw and I will relate it as close to how the beautiful creature I now call mine told me.

The beautiful creature I now call mine heard about a lady who loves cats and all the cats in town know this and many of them would end up at her store to have their babies, either by wandering there themselves or being dumped there. Now she kept the cats around to help with the rodent problem but the cats kept multiplying and not being able to sterilize each cat there were kittens running around everywhere.

Anyway this day the beautiful creature I now call mine wandered into this ladies store and saw this bundle of tabby goodness. They were under a tarp way out the back of the store and the mum was a stray who ran away as soon as a human got close. She knew if left there these babies would turn feral and she didn’t want that to happen so she convinced this lady to let her take the 5 and she would find a home for them. The lady agreed but wanted to keep them with their mum until they were about 6-7 weeks old.

When I saw this photo I knew why the beautiful creature I now call mine wanted to help them and I think you all know  as well.

The weeks passed but the day came when it was time to go get those little boys and bring them home. With cage in hand and food to bribe them with the beautiful creature I now call mine was delighted to see that not only were the little tigers still there but they were so friendly.

Yes there were 5 but number 5 was the one that would hide all the time, so when we went to get them he was nowhere to be found. (He is still around and is getting fed at the ladies store, he is really timid but we hope that one day we can catch him)

I heard that these 4 would chirp and trill and roll on their back for a belly scratch and within seconds of seeing the beautiful creature said they were doing just that.

This is mum cat, although still timid she wouldn’t run away anymore.

With the little monkeys in the cage, she headed home. I would like you all to be aware that I had no idea what was about to happen to my life but I think that was the plan, she can be a bit sneaky that beautiful creature of mine. She wanted to keep me in the dark.

Pic: front, Timmy at the far back is Tex and the middle right is Tommy and Teddy to your left.

This is Timmy. From day one he was the most outgoing and the one who wanted all the attention and that is why we think it is great he found a human all to himself as my beautiful creature has to be shared around with so many….

They spent the next 2 weeks in our bathroom and the spare room and I was oblivious to it. I knew there was something in the room but I figure, if I don’t see it, it doesn’t exist.

They made themselves at home and this was Teddy the very first night. They loved belly rubs and whenever the beautiful creature walked into the room he pretty much assumed the position. Even though I was ignorant to their presence I heard they were the most polite kittens and I must say they are still polite because as I became aware of them they have always been so sweet and polite.  Their mum did a good job bringing them up despite her own hardship.

Squirt on the other hand was super curious and he HAD to see what was going on……He would go in and play with them  and to be honest I don’t think he knew what they were, he had never seen kittens before so this was a real novelty for him.

At this point we had no intention of keeping any of them. I hadn’t seen them and the thought of adding to the family was well, ridiculous………

……..To be Continued….

The Red Blanket…

It all started to day I came home with the beautiful creature I now call mine. After she fed me and introduced me to everyone she came outside with this red blanket and from my understanding it used to be a Bella’s pajamas’s and sat it on the chair. I jumped straight down to curl up and go to sleep but there was just something about this red blanket that made me go all, well like a baby…….

I know I was still a baby but even to this day I still suck and paw on that red blankie. I loved it then and I still love it. You can see how little I used to be.

And how big I am now.

I can’t exactly tell you what I love about this blanket all I can tell you is that I do. Pretty much every night I will jump on the bed, look for my blanket and once I start sucking I go into a mini trance and after about 5 minutes sometimes longer, I stop, give myself a few licks then go off to sleep. If I wake during the night, to get back to sleep I will suck on it again for a few minutes as it makes me sleepy and is better than a saucer of milk to put me back to sleep.

Slinky sometimes is in bed before me and she has started to knead my blanket or she will just lay on it so I can’t have it but the beautiful creature I now call mine will always take it off Slinky and give it to me. I think Slinky only wants it because she knows it’s mine. She’s like that Slinky is.

There are times I have tried to suck on other things but they just aren’t the same and I will search for my red blanket so I can get to sleep, it’s like my security blanket.

Now the blanket is rather putrid even after a good wash and I have to admit it’s not as soft as it once was but it’s mine and there is no way I will ever get rid of it.

 

 

And sometimes, I can be a real jerk…..

What??? I hear you say. Charlie Critter a jerk!!! Yep, you heard right and I’m not afraid to admit it either. Now I’m a pretty easy going kind of guy, will try most things, I go on adventures, walk in water, ride horses and motorbikes but I can’t help be a jerk when it comes to kittens or more specifically potentially adding new family members.

I think you all remember when the beautiful creature I now call mine brought home Reggie, that feather duster with legs with the weird as weird meow and wanted me to call him my brother!As a cat he was cool. He was handsome, outgoing and an all round nice guy but did I want him as my brother? No!! And I didn’t hold my growls and hisses back and on a number of occasions I tried to runaway because I didn’t like him being at my house. OK I felt threatened that the beautiful creature I now call mine would love him more and give him more attention.

I thought I had made myself perfectly clear that I like the family just the way that it is. Squirt and I hang out and I love him like he is my own. I even love Slinky, the three of us just get on well and the dynamics are perfect, so why fix something that ain’t broke?

Then a few weeks back the beautiful creature I now call mine brought home two, not one but two kittens!!! I mean seriously! I knew they were here just to visit but I had a feeling that if she wanted them too the beautiful creature I now call mine would adopt them into the family.I had to do a double take when I first saw them because one looked a lot like Beaker and although he looked like him I knew it wasn’t because there could only ever be one Beaker.The moment they came out of the spare room to my outside world I was not happy and I let them and everyone know that I wasn’t by being a jerk and hissing and growling at them and I managed to get in a few swipes as well just to get my point across.I mean who wouldn’t be intimidated with me looking down and growling?Slinky and Squirt seemed to be totally OK with it and the dogs well they welcomed them with licks and butt sniffs like they were already family but me I kept on being a jerk.I could see the beautiful creature I now call mine enjoying the company of these little aliens, she even took them for a walk in my back pack and took them all the way down the back where Squirty and I hang out. It was like she was seeing if they could handle being in our world. They went running through the paddocks, through water and I have to admit it looked like they were having a good time because I think it was their first time outside, so I was happy for them to get to have a run around and feel the grass under their paws and the water between their claws and see what it’s like to be a real cat.Of course, I had to supervise everything and make sure they didn’t get themselves into trouble or you know get too comfortable plus it was my back pack they were traveling in so I had to make sure they didn’t wreck it..I agree they are kinda cute but they didn’t win me over and I was a total jerk the whole time they were here, so off they went.

You will be pleased to know they both got adopted and now have their own forever families which is awesome because I so didn’t want them to be a part of mine.I am sorry if you never thought I could be a jerk but there are just some things I have to stand up for and trying to mess with my family is one of them.

I like/love it just the way it is.

Downtown…..

I headed out early one Saturday morning to take Charlie on a little excursion downtown to check out some of the street art out in my town and hopefully get some photos of him near it.

So with backpack, harness and leash packed we jumped in the fun bus ( my van has its own name). Charlie will usually sit on my lap but sometimes he jumps in the back with Bonnie.

We pull up in the main street and the place is like a ghost town except for the street sweeper machine. This was the first time Charlie had ever seen or heard one so he was very much taken back by this strange machine, as you can tell by the size of his eyes.

We went for a short stroll. Charlie had to sniff and rub himself on everything before he settled into a leisurely walk.

He could still hear the street sweeper which put him on edge a little but I was so proud of him being as calm as he was.And calm enough to sit and pose for this photo.

Our next stop required a short walk so I popped him in his backpack. He does like his backpack but he seems to be outgrowing it.

Once we get to where I wanted to go I let him out.

Whenever I take Charlie out on his harness I am hyper vigilant and constantly checking the surroundings for dogs, people or anything that could potentially spook him so stepping back and getting a photo like this of him on his own out of arms reach sends my heart racing and my blood pressure up .

After our outing Charlie got home had some biscuits then slept for the rest of the day.

Wipeout……

I decided to try something new today when we took the canoe out for a paddle. I grabbed the body board and thought I would tow it behind or at least beside the canoe, hoping one of the cats (Charlie) would jump on and go for a ride.

Of course, Charlie had to test it out…..I never make the cats do anything that makes them feel uncomfortable. If they want to do it I am more than happy to take the photos. I always want them to feel safe and I never want to make them suspicious of the canoe, me or anything that we do because they have had a bad experience with it or been forced to do something they really didn’t want to do.

So I got ready in the canoe and without hesitation Charlie jumped on the body board. When I knew he was ok with it and safe I gradually eased my way out from the shore….He was totally fine with it but I kept him close to the canoe just in case he wanted to jump in.He was so fine that he managed to sit up without falling in, although I could see in his head he knew it wasn’t as secure as the canoe.So I took him for a little drag alongside the canoe and as you can see Squirty had zero interest in coming aboard the canoe or joining Charlie.We weren’t out long but I could tell Charlie was ready to jump ship as he was eyeing off the canoe. So I bought him closer but before I could lift him in he jumped off the board which of course flew from under his back feet, he grabbed my shoulder with his claws pulled me close to the water, the canoe dipped and I thought it was going to tip. I had two concerns at this point: do I keep Charlie above the water or my camera?? And of course we all know the answer-I would keep my camera out of the camera ;). Sorry Charlie but you can swim and my camera can’t.Fortunately though………Charlie was able to get enough claw into my shoulder (ouch) and haul himself in, with only his tail end getting a bit wet. He kept looking at the body board like it had tipped him off.So with a twirl tail we headed back to shore to start on clean up duty.Even though he was suspicious of the body board after his wipeout, I think he will jump straight back on it when I take him down again. I will let you know. So till next blog, hug your kitties and stay safe. 🙂

Fishing…….

Fishing rod-check. Lure-check. Canoe – check. Cats-check!!

Let’s go fishing.

I am often asked how I manage to get so many photos of the cats, well the answer is simple: I spend a lot of time with them. I not only spend time with them I will revolve my weekend and afternoons around them and what cool things or adventures we can do together. I mean they are the best people to hang out with, right??

They not only get a kick out of doing new things but I also get a kick out of it and get to take some really cool photo’s.

The canoe has been the best thing since bacon and as you saw in the last blog the cats LOVE it. I decided to add fishing to our canoe adventures.So I bought some of those gel lures and attached it to my fishing line and off to the dam we went. Now both the cats and dogs are fascinated with these lures because they look like a fish, smell like a fish and it moves so what is there not to like. I can cast out and reel it back in a hundred times and they never get sick of it.

Squirty takes fishing really seriously as you can see.

It is just another way to keep the cats stimulated.

There are little teeny, weeny fish in the dam and I brought my teeny weeny net along to see if I could scoop some up but my fishing effort failed to catch any but there is always tomorrow.

It’s not only the cats who are fascinated / obsessed with the lures but Bonnie and Bella love fishing just as much. The funny thing is, I think they are surprised when they actually catch the lure. It seems the fun is all in the hunt not the catch.

Bonnie has her eye on the prize.

And like every fishing trip, you always get a snag or two.

Hope you enjoyed our fishing adventure.

 

 

 

The Canoe

The Canoe would have to be THE favourite cat toy ever. It was always Charlie’s thing but now Squirt has gotten over his fear of the oar he jumps straight in and the both of them wait for me to take them for a paddle. Slinky, on the odd occasion will hop in but she isn’t into it as much as the boys.

For some reason Squirt was ok with the canoe but if I was to pick up the oar he would jump out. So I gradually got him used to the canoe but not using the oar and only using my hands as paddles. He still didn’t like the noise of the water but now he is totally fine with it.

This was Squirt’s first time in the canoe and I have to say he looks mighty proud of himself and is working on that pirate scowl to look the part mateys.

A typical view for me 🙂

That is, when they aren’t looking over the edge looking for fish.

Charlie really loves his canoe and every outing is new for him. I’m not sure what he was looking at here but whatever it was, it sure kept his attention.

Now this may look like a mutiny starting but in fact Charlie had just finished licking Squirts head but it makes for a great photo.

And who can forget the time we went out in the perfect storm. At least Charlie had his raincoat on but it even got a bit too wet for him…….

He  even had to find cover from the pelting rain….

Poor Squirty asking the captain permission to come aboard….As for me I was drowned and my poor camera and lens had to sit 3 days in rice to get the moisture out.

So rain or shine we canoe it.

Thanks for coming on our canoe adventures.

Next blog, we go fishing, so get your fishing rods and some sunscreen and join us.

Also, Issue 3 of the Charmed Life of Charlie Critter is now available . It is full of action shots, photography tips, loads of stories and of course heaps and heaps of photos.

http://au.blurb.com/b/7309061-the-charmed-life-of-charlie-critter

And Action…..

Most of our walks are just that, walks and very slow walks at that but some walks turn into full on action scenes with running, jumping, karate moves and crash tackles.

I manage to capture at least one or two usable shots and that is what you usually see on Charlie’s FB page and sometimes that one shot can go with a load of captions and I can spend a good two, three days thinking of just the right one to post. I kid you not!

This particular day though, I managed to capture an entire sequence of shots which played out as a full on action scene:

Game on –

Squirt accepts the Challenge…

On  like Donkey Kong….

Fancy foot work from The Squirt doesn’t impress Charlie but makes him stop in his tracks..What goes up, must come down and Charlie is ready to catch SquirtyOnly to have to hang on for the rodeo ride of a lifetime…Yee haThe Squirt brought down with a massive Charlie tackle…And I think I heard Squirt squeak out the word, ‘MERCY’ as he was pummeled into the dirt.

As you can see the boys play hard but it is always in fun and never had they had a fight or even come close to it. This is what they do and I just love these action packed walks.

So till our next walk, thanks for stopping by.  🙂