Sunday, August 14, 2016

This blog is going to the dogs, Day 14

Sam, ShelfPortrait


As you know, we are in the process of packing to move to some house we haven’t found yet. We came home from looking at houses today to find Sam the Cat taking advantage of an empty shelf. As you can see, he is quite at home.


34 comments:

Lennon Faris said...

I love that they do that. I drop a notebook onto the floor, and where does a cat want to rest? on the comfy bed, or cushioned couch, or even soft carpet? No. On the notebook of course.

My guess is 2N's or Colin, bc of moving comment. But 2N's has found a house, and it's a cat, so maybe Colin?

Lisa Bodenheim said...

I'd say Colin too. What a lovely ginger-striped guy. Pets are so precious.

angie Brooksby-Arcangioli said...

Shelf portrait. I love it. I'm betting the red tabby is Colin's.

AJ Blythe said...

Sam certainly has that 'don't even think about moving me' look on his face. I love his stripes!

I too would pick Colin as the slave for Sam.

(Leaving in the morning to start the trek to conference!!!!!!!!)

CynthiaMc said...

Sam is adorable. Love the cattitude!

Sam reminds me of a cat I had in college. Punkin is the only cat I ever had that loved to travel. He'd sun himself in the back window. Any time I got my suitcase out (I traveled a lot back then) he would plop himself in it. I miss that cat.

Carolynnwith2Ns said...

NOT 2Ns.
We just crammed the contents of a 4000 sq ft house into a less than 2000 sq ft forever home. Out little mini wiener buddy adjusted well and is loving that's there more to bark at here because we actually have neighbors.

OT
Opie, good luck with your search for a new home. The whole process is stressful and the actual move was pretty intense. I had to get rid of twelve pieces of furniture and threw away stuff I have been carting around for fifty years. But no regrets. Shedding feels good. And where we land is where our little guys call home.

Carolynnwith2Ns said...

OMG so many typos and errors in my comment. Chalk it up to a laptop balanced on a cardboard box in the middle of the dining room table. At least we're on line.
Back to unpacking.

E.M. Goldsmith said...

So, Colin, have you found a home for shelf and tabby? I wish you a wonderful new home.


Melanie Sue Bowles said...

Oh... what a sweet face!

Sherry Howard said...

What a cute one on the shelf! I love how animals perch on whatever appeals to them most. Those guys can own it! Hope all of you guys are doing well. I especially hope QOTKU is happy in her new digs. I saw her post (FBmaybe?) on how that transpired and it was hilarious. It sounds like a job fit for a queen.

Barbara Etlin said...

Good luck with your move. Pets do adapt surprisingly well. When we moved out of our house over the course of a month, we parked our dog at the vet so he wouldn't be traumatized by the furniture slowly disappearing and us not being around much. After a couple of days of figuring out where the new bathroom was, he was much happier in the condo. "Yah! No stairs!"

Be sure to save a shelf for Sam in your new home.

BJ Muntain said...

It's gotta be cat-person Colin's Sam. (especially since 2Ns has already said it's not her).

Something tells me there won't be room on that shelf once it's moved. I think Sam needs a cat tree. A nice tall one, so he can sit on top and survey his kingdom, but also with a lower shelf so he can just chill. And maybe a covered piece or two for catnaps.

Unknown said...

Sam's a sweet looking tabby. Cats are the masters of finding unexpected spaces to fill (and not just in our hearts!).

Karen McCoy said...

I love orange tabbies! My cat has had lots of fun with our shelves too. And yes, I wonder if this beautiful cat belongs to Sir Colin.

Theresa said...

Oh, how I love house hunting. Envious of OP.

Sam looks very much like our still-missed George. George was a humane society adoptee with a permanently dislocated hip that only slowed him down in terms of jumping. Since ours is a literary household, he was named for Curious George.

Jennifer R. Donohue said...

I think we can extend a library world slang term here and call this a shelfie? Even if we can't, I live Sam! He's a pretty good sized cat, by the look of it.

Colin Smith said...

Yay! Sam's a star. And he knows it. :)

Yes, Sam the Cat belongs to the Smith household. And he kind of gravitates to me because, well, I have five daughters, and two other cats that are female. Sam, my son and I are well outnumbered, so we have to stick together. Mind you, Sam holds his own quite well. :)

Sam is about two years old. He is definitely the friendliest of our cats, and loves to be held. Oh, and Sam is short for Samwise, not Samuel. :)

As for the moving... as I've mentioned on my blog, it's been kind of forced upon us by our landlord wanting to sell the house we've been in for the past 13 years. He's letting us take our time to find somewhere new, and while it is fun looking at houses, it can also be frustrating. The houses we've found have a great location, but the rooms are too small, or the rooms are great but the location sucks, or there are enough bedrooms and lots of yard space, but no study and nowhere for my wife to put her punch bag (she likes to box).

Anyway, Sam thanks you for the comments, and appreciates that you all recognize what an exquisite example of the feline species he is. He's a cat, after all. ;)

Beth Carpenter said...

And here I was thinking he looked like a Samuel, a wise judge. His expression says if he chose to speak, his comment would be profound. Samwise fits too, though. He could be quite eloquent in his own simple way.

Beautiful cat. He almost glows. Good luck finding the perfect house with lots of sun puddles and high surfaces.

Donnaeve said...

Sam's the Man! (sorry Colin)

Colin, I hope you and your family find the perfect spot to rest your paws. I mean feet. Something is bound to crop up sooner or later. Are you sticking somewhat in the general vicinity of where you are now? Not sure if your job is why you are where you are? Anyway, I hope it all works out!

Studying ole Sam here, I say he looks quite disdainful of whatever is going on at the moment. The fact he's on a shelf, makes me think of that new traditional thing at Christmas - Elf on a Shelf? (I've never done this - think it has something to do with getting kids to believe in Santa) Anyway, maybe here we have Pet on a Shelf, and this is intended to make humans believe pets reign superior. I think it's a good case.

Glad to see you popping in and out 2N's!

Janet Reid said...

It's those tossed off comments that Colin makes sometimes that really make me laugh. Remember when he just tossed off "and when my wife was pushing the car?"

Here's the one from today that just begs for more detail: "and nowhere for my wife to put her punching bag (she likes to box)."

Brigid said...

It really is worth a giggle. I'm glad she uses a punching bag instead of a husband for her boxing practice!

Kitty said...

Colin, Samwise reminds me of our Groucho Marx. Years after I had to find homes for our little dog Ziggy and our beloved cat Petruschka (because our kids were severely asthmatic), I could not stand not having a cat. So I adopted Groucho, and he lived in a sheltered corner on the back porch in an insulated house DogMan made for him. We had 14 acres and a barn and kennel, so he enjoyed a great life outdoors. However, that first winter was a brutal one, so we allowed Groucho to eat in the kitchen so his food wouldn't freeze. He quickly learned as long as he ate he could stay in the kitchen. So he ate v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y. It wasn't long that he found his way to the doorway between the kitchen and front hall, and it wasn't long after that that we found him watching TV with us. The great part was the kids no longer reacted to a cat! No more outdoor living for him. Here are Groucho and DogMan living the life of Riley.

Catherine Vignolini said...

Not only does Sam serve as self-cleaning bric-a-brac, but lightly coat his tail with Pledge and I bet he'll polish those hard to reach crannies. Sam earns his tuna.

Colin Smith said...

Donna: I think Sam just likes to be above everyone, which is, I understand, a cat thing (superiority, easy to pounce on prey, etc.). But... well, Sam is not exactly the most elegant of cats, so getting down from high places isn't something he does well. It's almost as if he feels obliged to do it, just to show his feline credentials. And hope no-one's looking when he jumps (flumps) down. :)

Kitty: It does seem to be the case that some people can "get over" cat allergies through gradual exposure. I've known at least one friend of my kids who couldn't visit us without first taking allergy meds, and even then would get teary-eyed. However, he insisted on visiting despite his reaction to cats. He can now pet the cats without problem, and visits for extended periods without taking meds first. I wouldn't suggest this for all people with cat allergies, since some people are so bad-off, a few minutes' exposure can hospitalize them. But it certainly seems to work for some.

Colin Smith said...

Catherine: Ha! I don't know about Sam as a house cleaner. He'd probably lick the Pledge off his tail and throw up. :)

Colin Smith said...

Janet: I'm tempted to just leave that one out there... but, okay. Let me 'splain. No, too long. I sum up.

Back in February (I think), my wife saw an ad for a local gym that offered boxing. She thought it sounded fun, especially since they would be hitting bags, not people. They offered a freebie lesson for those interested to try it out, so she went along. It was grueling, exhausting, and she loved it. But it was also expensive. She mentioned to the people in the gym that she might get membership for her birthday in April. They generously offered her free membership until that time, and she took it.

Unfortunately we couldn't afford to give her the membership, but a kind couple in our church bought her a punch bag so she could keep up with her boxing at home. We got her a stand for the bag, and some gloves. This is probably one of the best things she has done for herself this year--in fact, for a long, long time. She has lost weight, has gained in fitness and energy, and feels a lot better about herself as a result of her boxing workouts.

So, wherever we move, there HAS to be a place for her punch bag. Otherwise, I may well be the substitute...! ;)

Anonymous said...

Colin, that's hilarious. And good for your wife for pursuing her interest in punching stuff that is not you. Your Sam is beautiful, but looks like he highly disapproves of all this moving things around nonsense. You are checking the contents of all boxes before you tape them shut, right?

Craig F said...

Jeez, talk about living in a house long enough that it develops pocket dimensions to hide your stuff and where does the comment from 6:18 go?

I can not repeat that comment because it is Sunday. Not only is it Sunday but it is the beginning of football season and nothing can drive me to drink like football season.

Colin, he would be a lovely fellow if he didn't look so put upon. He knows the only home he has ever known is going away. I think he is wondering if he should take it with aplomb or do the Cheshire Cat think and disappear.

I have had cats who have done both of those things. It is always fun looking for a disappeared cat in a supposedly empty house.

Craig F said...

Sorry but the Olympics got in the way.

Colin, good luck with your move. I hope you can find another place that lasts for thirteen years even though after that long it is so hard to move.

So many memories and so much stuff crammed into the corners. Sometimes it is easier to find a new place before packing and having a yard sale to get rid of what won't fit where you are going.

John Davis Frain said...

Colin,
I guess you'll know something's amiss whenever you come home and your picture is on the punching bag.

Excellent "shelfportrait." Can't beat that for a caption, so I won't even try.

MA Hudson said...

We have a ginger cat too, but she's an old girl and not terribly friendly (unless I'm wearing black and then she snuggles up and leaves me covered in orange hair).

Colin - Good luck with the house hunting. I assume that the last time you moved you didn't have so many opinions to take into consideration!

Joseph S. said...

Colin nice picture of a secure and satisfied cat.

(Query: Is ShelfPortrait meant to be a play on words or am I creating my own amusement?)

My cat Brigada is also 2 years old and likes high places. My writing desk is in the basement. I love my basement. It's got air conditioning ductwork and plumbing pipes running all over the place. Brigada has three or fur resting spots. One of them is on the ductwork right over my head. I keep waiting for her to dive for the kill - so far so good.

Claire Bobrow said...

Colin: I was in Seattle and somehow missed yesterday's post while staring at the Olympic mountain range looming over sparkling Puget Sound.

Samwise looks like an awesome cat with a killer sense of place. He is perfectly placed on that bookshelf. Orange tabbies are totally badass, and Samwise is a perfect name for a stalwart friend. It's so sweet that he gravitates towards you (but maybe he's seen your wife and that punching bag?!).

"...Samwise the Brave. I want to hear more about Sam."

Becky Mushko said...

My cats have always been fond of lounging on shelves—especially if they can clear more space for themselves.