Tanner's New Year's SOTK

by Tanner

(Head House Cat)

This is me with Alfreda

A brand new year is here, so I should do another State of the Kitties Report. Here goes: We didn't have an actual Christmas tree again in 2016, but we have never had one since I came to live here. Mommy says that a decorated tree wouldn't work with me and Alfreda and Arlo because we would get too tempted and we'd put our paws where we shouldn't and she'd have to clean up the mess. She says that the Norfolk Island pine that she brought in for the winter should be an acceptable substitute, and she has put rocks and deer horns around the bottom so I can't sling dirt.

 

2016 has been an interesting year, but Mommy said she's glad it's over. She had to go in the hospital for a gallstones operation in May so Daddy had to look after all us critters for several days. Mommy's gallstones are in a bottle and they look like they would be fun to bat around, but she won't let us have them. A few months later, she had some poll lips (or something like that) removed, but the hospital didn't give them to her. I'm glad I didn't have anything removed. What was removed from me at Planned Pethood a few years ago was enough.

I spent most of the year raising my kitty Arlo that Mommy brought in the house over a year ago. He is all grown up now and is bigger than I am (see how big he is in the picture above), so I don't cat-rassle him much any more because he wins. Plus Alfreda has joined our household.

Alfreda was a little wild kitty in October when Mommy started taming her. When Mommy brought her inside,  I told Mommy I was done with raising kitties, so Arlo could raise this one. He has been trying, but little Alfreda is a handful. She jumps on me and rassles me down when I am not expecting it. Alfreda had one of her parts removed but it didn't slow her down any. She still needs to grow her hair back where they removed that part.

Arlo has taught Alfreda how to bite up paper, so they make a mess and sometimes I get blamed for it because I might take a flying leap into their paper pile. Arlo thinks he is a big celebrity because he appeared on a New Yawk literary agent's blog back in the summer.

Speaking of literary and Alfreda, Mommy got a story published in this anthology that is leaning against Alfreda:

She also self-published two books in 2016, and Arlo and I have helped promote them. Well, Alfreda helped a little with the last one.  Alfreda still needs practice in effective book promotion, though.

Arlo and Alfreda are a little bit blurry in this picture because it is hard for both of them to sit still at the same time. They are not as professional as I am.

Anyhow, you can get Mommy's books on Amazon. They are $10 each if you want the paperbacks. Just click the titles and you'll go right to Amazon: Them That Go and Miracle of the Concrete Jesus and Other Stories.

Mommy pays us in cat treats, so we are not being exploited much. If you buy Mommy's books, it will cause us to have more treats. This is a win-win situation for all of us. But be warned—the books aren't about cats.

It has been real cold lately, so some of the outside cats had to stay in with us inside cats. It has gotten crowded, especially with George inside. George is a big orange cat and he takes up a lot of room. Alfreda is sniffing his ear in the picture below.

The cat on the bottom of the coffee table is Camilla, and she is 18 years old. She mostly sleeps.

So that is about it for my State of the Kitties report. I need to go back to taking a nap.

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