Archive for the ‘Cats’ Category

Zoffy

Friday, February 14th, 2020

It was exactly a year ago today we lost our beloved cat Yossie. That was a difficult time, and the tears still flow if we spend time thinking about it. She was a big part of our lives.

But time moved on, as it does. The sad memories fade; the happy ones strengthen. And as all cat-lovers do we eventually took a new cat into our house. You already know who I’m talking about: Zoffy!

I did an update a couple of weeks after we adopted her, but that was almost a year ago and now that Zoffy has grown into an adult I thought it was time once again to feature her!

She’s all grown up now! At about 12 pounds she’s almost half-again as heavy as Emi and not too far off Yossie at her peak. As you can see Zoffy has a lot of dense fur which sometimes makes her look chubbier than she actually is (especially around her chest). She’s also got a ‘dirty mouth’ and a dark fur patch right under her jaw. Both are charm points!

Virtually every day since we adopted her she has eaten her own meals from these plastic bowls I bought from Target. We’ve settled into comfortable routine: she gets a breakfast when I do, and a ‘cat soup’ when I have my dinner. She sits and waits for both, except in the morning when she follows me around from when I get up to when I feed her. She loves her special foods! (Emi doesn’t get special food, and wouldn’t eat it anyway. She’s happy with her kibble and occasional treats.)

From a young age she adopted this pink puffy cushion as her own and she now sleeps on it every day and most nights. Her claiming this was – and is – quite adorable, since this was also Yossie’s cushion, and the two are very alike in personality.

This is most apparent in how close Zoffy and I are (much like Yossie and I were). We always know where each other is and usual what we’re both doing, and when I’m home she’s almost always very close by if not in my lap. Every weekend I usually spend hours in our library working on crafts or hobbies and she’s usually right there with me πŸ™‚

She’s got her own hobbies too of course, and still lots of ‘kitten energy’. We maintain a good pile of paper and boxes in the dining room so her and Emi can play in and amongst them!

She’s also sometimes maybe a tiny bit naughty, such as here when she got inside a recliner for a bit of carousing. There’s also been claims I can’t keep my study door open like I used to do since a fuzzy bandit might jump up on my desk and steal some figurines… but no one has ever witnessed who this bandit actually is πŸ˜‰

She’s also got a newish habit of looking out our side window. This is somewhat unusual in that no other cat has ever shown interest in this one, but almost every day I find her sitting on the chest looking out. I wonder what she watches?

She’s a wonderful cat, big in personality, charm and love. She’s not Yossie – no one will ever replace Yossie – but Zoffy filled the void and has effortlessly worked her way into our hearts. I look forward to many, many years of joy with sweet ‘little’ Zoffy πŸ™‚

Scaredy Cats

Sunday, September 29th, 2019

Time for more craft! This time, a house for our beasts:

This thing is a Target exclusive and apparently quite popular. KLS snagged the last one from our local store.

It’s a simple cardboard kit held together with double sided tape. It’s well designed and easy to make. As I did, Emi was watching attentively:

As you can see the floor (and roof) are cardboard pickers. Emi particularly loves these, so it’s not surprising she was excited.

It took maybe 10 minutes to assemble, and it didn’t take long for Emi to show interest:

But then, a challenger appears:

And then after a couple of fuzzy slaps (from both parties) Zoffy moved in:

And since then the house seems to have become hers:

This cute little abode will remain in our living room for a long time and will no doubt switch owners many times. But I wonder how long it will take for them to notice they can sit on the roof as well? πŸ™‚

Her Name

Thursday, April 18th, 2019

Some of you asked about Zoffy’s name. It’s not original; she was named after this guy:

That’s Zoffy, inhabitant of The Land Of Light, a Space Garrison Commander and leader of the Ultra Brothers. He was Ultraman’s supervisor in the original series, and only the second Ultra Soldier to appear in the very long running franchise (now 53 years and counting).

Zoffy’s a cool and enigmatic dude, but even greater than his style and accomplishments is his epic name.

I’ve been using it for years in various games, and it wasn’t until after Yossie crossed the bridge that I realized ‘Zoffy’ satisfied our cat naming convention: two syllables ending with ‘-ie’ or ‘-y’ sound.

That realization planted a seed in our minds. Weeks before we met little Zoffy I even drew and sent myself the above postcard (which alas never arrived). Even then I think we’d chosen the name of our next kitty.

And a fitting name it is, carrying with it the prestige and mystery of the M78 Nebula Space Garrison! Little Zoffy has big shoes to fill, but I think her potential is limitless πŸ™‚

Zoffy Update!

Friday, April 12th, 2019

We’ve had little Zoffy for two weeks now and she is settling in well.

About a week ago we let her out of the room she first stayed in and into the entire house. She was a bit nervous at first but in a day or so had finished exploring every conceivable nook and cranny and had claimed the house as hers.

Of course this means she’s now met Emi, and I’m happy to say that while they’re not fast friends yet, there’s no major disagreements between them. Zoffy is more nervous of Emi than vice versa though, and tries to avoid getting too close.

Zoffy is quite tall for a young cat, and one of her tricks is to stand up and look at things like a meerkat! (Yes that’s me napping on the couch…) Look at her cute stubby legs…

She loves lazing on the bed, or even sleeping in the laundry baskets…

But more than anything right now she loves playing with the myriad of toys scattered around. This includes things she shouldn’t touch (such as toys on my work desk!) so I have to keep a close eye on her to make sure she’s not getting into trouble.

She’s very active, very hungry and loves attention so never runs from a pat. The only quirk that I hope she grows out of soon is she is terrified of the TV πŸ™‚

Needless to say she’s filling a void with her cuteness and our smiles πŸ™‚

Introducing Zoffy!

Saturday, March 30th, 2019

Meet Zoffy, the newest member of our family:

Zoffy is seven months old and we adopted her from a rescue agency two days ago. She was found in a junkyard with her mum and three siblings, and rescued when she was only three weeks.

She’s very shy of course, since she suddenly has new parents and a new home. She was housed (at the rescuers home) in a basement even without windows so I’m sure she’s overwhelmed.

But she’s very interested in us, more so all the time, and seems to be becoming comfortable in the bathroom where she will ‘live’ until at least after her first vet visit.

She’s extremely cute with a soft meow and loud purr. Emi is of course insanely curious about her, and sits outside the bathroom meowing a lot. I have a feeling they’ll get along πŸ™‚

I’m sure you’ll see lots more Zoffy on here as the years go by!