My Esty Store

 Sorry that I haven't written for a while, but I've been busy setting up my Etsy Store!

Here's the link: JackiesNekoTales - Etsy Japan

It's a lot of fun making the designs. To keep the designs unique, I've been using a lot of the cat photos that I have.

For example

This photo became 

this

I then had to change it even more to put on the T-shirt.

The final product.

I know it's only August, but apparently it's time to start making things for Halloween! Some stores have already started on Christmas themes!

I really hope that my store takes off; I need a lot of money for these cats!

Poor Fluffy ended up at the vet's this morning!

Poor thing

She's allergic to the fleas. We keep putting the flea meds on her once a month, but it's not helping that much. She has scratched so much that she has open sores on her head and legs; her body is a lot better! She has some ointment for the scratches but has to go back again next week for tests; the vet was too busy today to run tests!

The other cats seem alright, but it's very hot; we are running the air conditioner almost all day. On Monday it was 40℃ where we are living! I don't want to know how much my electric bill will be!!!

I'll try to update on the cats more regularly; again, sorry for the long time between posts!

Toast Is Back

 The past few days, Toast has been coming to the door or windows.

He sits outside, crying like he's the victim, but as soon as the door or window is open, he takes off.

Today we found him in the upstairs storage space.

He was on the roof beams; there's no ceiling, so the beams are exposed, making a great balance spot for Toast.

It took David and Christopher about 30 minutes to get him down, but they succeeded.

Toast is back.

We've left him the cat carry cage for now; the other cats need to get to know him again.

Also, we have just finished giving flea meds to the other cats, so we will have to put the flea meds on Toast as well!

I'm so happy he's back!

Toast Is Still Outside

 I was away last week for about 5 days; my adult kids were here taking care of things.

I was really hoping that Toast would be back by now, but he isn't.

He comes to the windows or doors, but as soon as we open them, he runs away. We've put food and water out for him. The food and water have gone, but we don't know if he is eating and drinking it!

While I was away, David bought a trap. I thought that would solve the problem! Until I got a message saying, "Caught the wrong cat"

A black cat, but not Toast!

We keep moving the trap to where we have seen Toast, but he still isn't back!

I'm starting to worry!!

Toast

 Toast managed to get out on Saturday.

We saw him a few times since then, but he hasn't come back.

I'm getting worried, there are so many dangers out there for a housecat!

There are other very aggressive cats in the area. Plus snakes, wild hogs and massive centipedes that have a nasty sting.

Also, the people who live here use a lot of chemicals on their land and drive far too fast on the narrow, winding road.

I really hope he comes back soon!

Come back, Toast!!!

The Great Escape Artists

 When the workmen were here yesterday, we were so careful with the cats. The workmen were installing a new air conditioner, so they had the big window open so they could go in and out to fit the air conditioner. I was relieved when they left, and the window was closed and locked. The windows are like sliding doors, and even though they are heavy, the cats can open them.

After lunch, I was in my room, the only other room with air conditioning. I spent the afternoon reading! At about 4 o'clock, I went to check on the cats. They all seemed alright, but I couldn't find Mama. I looked everywhere, even in the litter boxes! After about an hour of checking everywhere twice, I realised that she had somehow gotten out, but how! 

Later in the evening, I was explaining this to David, he said that it looked like she had pushed his screen door off the rail a bit and got out that way! He had his window open but had taped the screen so it wouldn't slide, but somehow Mama managed to move it enough to get out!

Mama came back this morning.

Mama, this morning.

I think she was hungry!

Today, Toast found the same way out! I hope he comes back soon!

Stressed Cats

 Yesterday was flea medicine time!

As always, the cats ran away and hid when we were trying to do it! Then they sulked for the rest of the day!

Today we had workmen in to install a new air conditioner. Because the big window had to be opened, we moved the cats to the tatami room while the workmen were here. The cats were not happy at all!

David decided to give them a treat for lunch, a mix of canned food, which had been in the fridge overnight, so it was nice and cool (it's really hot here, 35℃ today) and dried food, with bits of chicken thrown in.

As David was mixing this up, the cats were getting very vocal!

But once they were eating, it was incredibly quiet!

I Lost Fluffy

 All of the cats have their favourite place to hang out.

Seven of the cats love to be in the dining area; the kitchen/dining area is one long room. In the cooler months, the cats would be near the windows or curled up on the sofa. Now they've taken over the table because the fan is blowing across there.

Where to eat?

Alfie stays in the tatami room. He likes being by himself or with just one other cat, either Toast or Fred.

Fluffy, however, changes her favourite place every few months!

When it was cold, she would be in the kitchen a lot. I put a small, round table in the kitchen, which is a similar height to the counter. My idea was to use that for my cookbooks or iPad, a place to have the books without them getting covered in food or being in the way. But Fluffy took that over! That became her perch! Until a couple of weeks ago!

I came into the kitchen one morning, and Fluffy wasn't in her usual place. I didn't think anything about it. After a couple of days, I realised that she was stalking me when I was cooking chicken or meat. That was unusual.  I decided to see where she was. This house isn't that big, and there aren't that many hiding places, but after two hours of searching, I was very worried. I looked under things, in things, I had moved furniture and opened cupboards, but no Fluffy.

I was worried that she had somehow gotten out or was sick and hiding somewhere. Either one of those scenarios wasn't good.

When everyone came home, I asked them to look for Fluffy.

My oldest son said she was in his room, but I had looked in there.

He said look up!

I found Fluffy balanced on the curtain rail!

Fluffy is balancing on the curtain rail.

My son said that she had been sleeping up there, but keeps falling down!

I wonder where she will go next time!

How The Cats Will Make Money

 Out of all the expenses I have, keeping the cats is one of the highest.

Because some of them have had problems with peeing, we feed them expensive food that stops crystals from forming in the urethra. At first, we thought about buying separate food, but soon realised that the cats would eat from the wrong bowl. It's just easier to feed them all the same food.

Then there are the other things that we need to buy, flea meds, cat litter and the occasional trip to the vets. Plus, replacing things that they have broken or peed on, it all adds up.

So I've been busy setting up an Etsy Shop to sell print-on-demand T-shirts inspired by my love for cats and Japan.

Here is the link JackiesNekoTales - Etsy Japan

Have a look. I hope you find something that you like!

One of the images I made

This was the original photo

Alfie

Alfie is my other grey, black and white cat.

Alfie

 Of all my cats, he is the most catish! 

He doesn't like people too much. He will endure some pets, but always on his terms. Once he's had enough, he's off!

He doesn't hang out with the other cats that much either; he will tolerate being with one other cat, but most of the time, he is by himself. At the moment, 7 of my cats are in the dining area, curled up together. Alfie and Fluffy are in the tatami room. This is normal!

He's quieter than the other cats, but if he gets upset, everyone knows it. We've had neighbourhood cats come around recently. I don't know if they are strays or if they belong to someone. But whenever they come around, my cats start fighting more, even laid back Alfie has been known to hiss and yeowl!

Just a few photos of Alfie.

In these photos, he is with Toast, the black cat or Fred, the other grey, black and white cat. He seems to get on with these two cats the best. 

The Cats Are On The Table

 I was rather surprised when I went to the dining room this afternoon. Six of my nine cats were on the table.

At first, I couldn't figure out why they usually get on the windowsill or the kitchen counter. 

I then realised that I had left the fan on, and the table was a nice and cool place to sleep on.

Today was very hot, the high was 31℃. I know that compared to Europe, it isn't that bad, but this is just the beginning of the summer.

I'm looking for some cooling treats for the cats. I'm looking for some cooling treats for me as well!

Before anyone comments on how bad it is to have the cats on the table, I know that. I tried to stop them, but that is impossible. So I disinfect and wipe the table with very hot water before we eat. It takes a lot less energy to do that than to stop the cats!

The Cats And Rain

 We are in the middle of the rainy season here in Japan. It's been raining almost nonstop most of the week. 

I've noticed that the cats are rather lethargic and fighting more than usual.

I checked online and found out that cats are also sensitive to the barometric pressure. I know that when the pressure drops, I get awful headaches and have very little energy, also I get very short-tempered. The cats are the same. 

Another thing that upsets the cats is the sound of the rain. The storms we've been having are very intense, the noise of the rain hitting the house is very loud to me, I think cats with their extra sensitive hearing must be really suffering!

I've put extra boxes around the house so that the cats can find a place to hide. I hope it helps. 

Fluffy is still up to mischief. She stole my chicken and water the other day. Yesterday she swiped the last piece of hamburger from my plate!

That's my last bit of hamburger!

Fluffy, My Water And My Chicken!

 Today's lunch was very Japanese: teriyaki chicken, rice, salad and miso soup.

Lunch.

Whenever I cook chicken, I always take the skin off and cut it into small pieces so that Fluffy can have some.

Just as our lunch is ready, the cats get fed; it's the easiest way to get them off the table, so I can give it a good clean before we eat.

Fluffy had her cat food, with the chicken on top; I was hoping that would be enough for her. 

As always, as I started to eat, Fluffy came sniffing around.

As always, she got to my glass of water before I could stop her, but that's okay; I just get another glass.

I had almost finished my lunch when my daughter sent me a text. I put my fork down, with my last piece of chicken on it, to see what my daughter had written.

Just as I picked up my phone, Fluffy snatched the chicken, with the fork, off my plate.

I couldn't believe it! 

She had eaten her lunch, drunk my water and now pinched my chicken!

The chicken is still on the fork!

Good job, she's cute!!!

The Cats have To Make Money

 I've decided that it's time for the cats to make some money!

I wish that each cat could get a job! But that's impossible, so I've decided to use this blog as an idea for T-shirts!

I've noticed a lot of cute T-shirts on Etsy and Shopify; a lot are made with Printify, a print-on-demand company. I decided to have a go. 

At the beginning of the month, I designed, with AI's help, a simple T-shirt. The design says "81 lives, endless chaos", which sums up my life with the cats. I ordered a sample, which arrived yesterday.

I was trying to show how the neck, sleeves and bottom are hemmed, so they don't fray. The material is very soft and comfortable.

Lovely T-shirt.

I never know how to stand in photos, plus my face is all blotchy and swollen from allergies. But the T-shirt looks good.

I hope to make a few more designs and start a shop on either Etsy or Shopify. 

Maybe I can make some money to pay for the cats!!!

Fred And The Oven

 I fixed the problem with the cats turning on the rice cooker. I moved the rice cooker to the edge of the counter, so there's no space for the cats to sit in front of it!

This afternoon, I was in my room, I could hear the oven beeping. It beeps when it's finished cooking; there's a timer setting on the oven. That really helps me as I tend to put things in the oven and then forget about them. Without the timer, I think I would have a lot of burnt offerings!

I couldn't figure out why the oven was beeping; I'm home alone- well, alone with nine cats! Maybe it's the resident ghost playing with the oven.

I went to investigate and found Fred leaning on the control panel of the oven!

Fred and my oven.

You can see the panel is lit up, which means that the oven is being used! Fortunately, he had only set the controls on the touch panel; to start it, you have to push a button, which I think (hope) they can't do.

I can't move the oven, and I don't want to unplug it. The best would be to keep the cats off the counter, but that doesn't seem to work!

If I Fits, I Sits

 I know cats like boxes, but surely it's too hot now to snuggle up in one?

Recently, one of the discount supermarkets I shop at hasn't had large-size plastic bags.  I try to take my own shopping bag, but sometimes I forget. The store has a stack of boxes that customers can use, so I usually get one of those, which means there are a lot of boxes hanging around the house. As soon as the box is put on the table, the cats appear; it's like magic!

Sam

I turned this box on its side to get the last few things from the bottom. I put away a couple of things, turned around to see Sam very comfortable in the box, with some vegetables!

One cat in a box I can understand; there's room for air to circulate around him so he doesn't get too hot!

But this....

Small box, big cats.

How is that comfortable? Surely they are hot! They were in there for hours!

Alfie on a box.

Poor Alfie couldn't get in the box, so he got on the one next to it!

Today Fred found his happy place.

Very contented Fred.

Like a box but not hot! This is one of the baskets I use when shopping. It got left in the dining room so Fred claimed it for his afternoon nap. I think he feels safe here, but it's not as hot as being in a box!

Fluffy And My Water

 I suffer from allergies; to manage them, I take antihistamine tablets twice a day. The medicine is great, but it dries my mouth out a lot. Because of that, I like to have some water to sip on when I'm eating. Almost every time I sit down to eat, Fluffy jumps up and tries to drink my water.

Fluffy

I don't know why she does this. There are 4 bowls of water around the house; these are refreshed every couple of hours. I tried using different bowls for Fluffy, even putting a bit of lettuce in a bowl so she could see where the water is, but she still prefers my water. I've changed the type of bowl; the ones I have are small metal bowls. I've tried plastic and have even given Fluffy an old cup to drink out of. None of that has worked; she still wants my water.

Most of the time I can stop her; yesterday, however, I was too slow!

She emptied the cup!!

A Mystery Solved

 This is my new rice cooker.

I've had it for a few months now. 

Where the yellow sticker is, that's the control panel. It's a touchscreen and is very sensitive.

Before I go to bed, I wash some rice, put it in the rice cooker, and set the timer so it's ready for me to make obento in the morning.

Some mornings, however, the rice isn't cooked, or the timer is wrong. I've gone over the manual a few times, with one of the kids helping me; my Japanese reading skills aren't that good. It looks like I'm doing everything right, so why am I having problems?

Last night at about 2 a.m., I heard a crash from the kitchen/dining area. I went to investigate and found that Christopher had tripped over the broom!

I asked Christopher what had woken him up. His bedroom is off the dining/kitchen area. He said that he could hear something beeping; he thought it was either the fridge that hadn't been closed properly or somebody's alarm clock.

When he looked round, he saw Alan on the counter, grooming himself and leaning against the rice cooker; every time he moved, he hit the control panel, changing the settings! The beeping noise was the setting being changed.

So now I know why the rice cooker settings are being changed; I just don't know what to do about it. I don't have anywhere else to put the rice cooker.

Alan

Fluffy And Toast's Midnight Adventure

 The other night, Fluffy and Toast got out.

David was leaving for work just after 11pm, he shouted to me that Fluffy and Toast were outside.

Fluffy

Toast

I went out and saw a ginger streak go by. Fluffy ran to the window to get back in, nice and easy.

Toast, however, was nowhere to be seen. Do you know how hard it is to find a black cat at night?

Our garden is completely overgrown. Also, we have a massive storage area that is undercover but has a lot of things in it- lots of hiding places. Christopher and I looked around for about an hour, but we couldn't see or hear Toast. I was a bit worried as there are wild hogs in this area; I really didn't want to meet one of those at night!

We left some food out for Toast and went to bed. 

When I got up the next day, Toast was sitting on the table, waiting for his breakfast, none the worse for his midnight adventure! I, on the other hand, have a painful ankle. I twisted it on a rock when I was out looking for Toast!

Steve

 Steve is my white cat. He's also one of my chunky cats and the best escape artist.

Steve

We moved to this house about 18 months ago. In the old house, Steve was the first cat to figure out how to open the front door!

Here he has found that the screen door in Christopher's room is easy to open; that's how they got out yesterday.

Christopher said that yesterday evening Steve opened the door to his room, wandered in slowly and went to the screen door to go out.  Christopher stopped him. The other cats were waiting to see if they could get out as well!

Today Steve has been sitting by Christopher's bedroom door crying. He really wants to go out! Maybe I should train him to walk on a leash!

I found this cute video of Steve from a few years ago.

He was completely white as a kitten; his tan marking came in later.

Another video I found is of Steve, Alan and Fred playing.

Cute!

The Great Escape

 When I go to the kitchen/dining room in the morning, I am usually greeted by this sight!

Cats on the table.

This morning, however, there were no cats on the table, under the table, on the counter, or on the sofa. The room was totally catless!

I quickly checked the other rooms but only found two of my nine cats. I looked outside and saw the other seven frolicking in the garden; they had escaped!

Knowing it was their breakfast time made it easy to get them back in. I opened the door and shook the bag of food. Six of them charged back in; just Mama cat decided that the taste of freedom was better than the taste of cat food!

I have a hidden stash of cat treats for emergencies like that. Christopher and I went out armed with the cat treats and managed to grab Mama cat.

I don't know how long they were outside, but they ate and slept; they looked exhausted! 

Fred looking very tired after his adventure.

My cats are indoor only. I thought about letting them go out, but where we lived before was between two very busy roads; I would worry about the cats being hit by a car or truck. Here the farmers use a lot of spray that I think might be poisonous to the cats. Keeping them in is hard; cleaning litter trays and trying to keep the cats entertained is hard, but for my peace of mind it's better.

I Don't Understand

 I really don't understand my cats!

They fight a lot. Especially Fred and Frodo.

Frodo

Fred

They fight each other and the other cats. I've noticed recently that Frodo has been attacking the other cats more, even Toast and Alfie, who usually don't get into fights! I have no idea why this is happening now. When we moved here just over 18 months ago, I was prepared for a lot of fights. The space is half the size we had before, but the cats settled in alright!

However, recently they have been sleeping in the same place.

Only Fluffy is missing!

Fred and Alan, who usually fight!

The other day, I walked into the dining room to this.

The cats are hanging out on the table.

Why is it sometimes they can't tolerate being in the same room, but other times they are happy to be together?

I do disinfect the table before we eat! I tried to keep them off, but it didn't work!

Does anyone understand cats, or are they a mystery?

Sorry

 On YouTube, I got a couple of comments on the video I posted yesterday, saying that it was cruel.

I'm sorry that people got upset by it. 

David wasn't being cruel at all, just playing, just for a minute. 

The kitten wasn't hurt or traumatised by this. The kitten was Sam, he is the most loving cat, always looking for cuddles.

This is Sam now.

I've seen cruelty, I've seen animals abandoned by their owners. That's how we got Mama cat!

I could be very angry at the cats as they cost me the house I was renting. I loved where we lived before, it was in a small city, I could work from home teaching English. The area was convenient, with shops and doctors just a few minutes' walk away ( I can't drive). I was given a choice: move out or get rid of the cats. I chose the cats. My life here is hard, the house is small, falling to pieces and in the middle of nowhere. I've lost most of my income and have to rely on my adult kids, not what I wanted in my 60s. 

But I love my cats, I would never be cruel to them, or allow anyone else to be cruel. 

Another Throw Back Video

 I'm working on a small project of making some of my cat photos into colouring pages, using AI, of course. I want to put together a PDF to sell on my Ko-Fi page. I don't have a timeline yet, but it's interesting to see what AI comes up with.

I'm not artistic at all, but I find colouring very relaxing. I thought other people might enjoy colouring too.

The photo

And the drawing.

To find photos, I spend time going through all the thousands of photos and videos I have on my computer. I keep finding photos and videos that I haven't seen before, or maybe I just don't remember!

Today I found this video of David being shouted at by one of the kittens, I think it's Sam, but I'm not sure.

It's kind of cute!!

Sam Again

 Recently, I haven't let Sam in my room. I have plants on my windowsill, and he keeps trying to eat them. I don't think this is very good for him or the plants!

Today, however, he was crying so pitifully outside my door that I decided that he could come in for a while. I let him in, and he went for the plants straight away! I got out a bag of fish flakes that are for the cats. You can buy similar ones for people as well, but they have more salt in them. 

I was watching Sam as I got the flakes out of the cupboard. I didn't realise that the package was open and upside down, the flakes fell out, like a small snowstorm! Sam charged across the room and started to clean up the mess.

I don't know if I caught it on video, but the flakes were going up his nose, making him sneeze, which blew the flakes further. At least one spot on my floor got cleaned!

New Video

 I've been playing around with NotebookLM. 

I'm amazed at how easy it was to make a short video from one of my posts.

Please watch it and let me know what you think!

Brushing The Cats

 The cats are shedding their winter coats like crazy.

I have to sweep and vacuum every day, sometimes twice a day.

We've been brushing the cats as much as possible. I would love to brush each cat every day, but sometimes it's hard to find them, or they are sleeping on the highest shelves.

Today, David managed to give Fred a good brush until Toast jumped up and got in the way.

After I finish posting this, I'm going to see if I can find some of the other cats to brush!

Teasing The Cats

 I don't know about other cats, but mine are very food-centred.

I keep the food in one cupboard, with cleaning supplies. Every time I open the cupboard, the cats come running; they know the sound of the cupboard opening.

I can understand that they associate the sound with food. What I don't understand is when I open a can, usually tomatoes, they come running as well. We rarely feed them wet food, so why do they associate the sound of a can opening with food? Is it some natural instinct that indoor cats have?

The other day my son started to play with the pull tab on a can of food, and this was the result.

At the end of the video, my son went down the corridor to feed them, which is why they are running away again.

Ignore the dirty floor, I sweep every morning, but by the evening it's a disaster again!

Mother's Day

 Happy Mother's Day to all cat Moms out there.

I never wanted cats. Growing up, we always had dogs. Dogs, I understand, not cats!

But when Mama cat showed up my heart melted. She was such a tiny thing, so sweet and cute. Very quiet and not at all aggressive. Even when she first came around, she would let us pick her up or stroke her.

This was before she came into the house. She would come around the yard and meow outside the window. I thought we could feed her and give her clean water, but leave her outside.

That changed when she gave birth to 4 kittens outside our window during one of the worst rainstorms I've ever experienced. We had to bring her in, or the kittens would have drowned!

Mama with her first litter

When this photo was taken, one of the kittens had been adopted.

Mama cat is the matriarch of our cat family. 

She is still very quiet, rarely fights, she lets the other cats push her away from her food, she never demands attention, but is very happy when she gets love!

So Happy Mother's Day to Mama Cat, you really changed my life!