Saturday, June 25, 2005
Elvis isn't so annoying anymore...
Hey, guys! Today's strip isn't quite as true as it used to be. Although Elvis is still a total freak about us filling his dish whenever he can see the bottom -- he gets really panicky, and I'm not sure why! -- now at least he has the courtesy to wait for us to actually get up before making a nuisance of himself.
But in the early days when I first moved in with Jer, Elvis always used to hop up on the bed at ungodly hours of the morning, meowing for us to feed him. After a couple years of yelling and pillow tossing, he's finally learned some manners!
And since he weighs more than 16 pounds, we REALLY appreciate that he takes the more subtle approach now.
Until next time!
Alpha-mom
But in the early days when I first moved in with Jer, Elvis always used to hop up on the bed at ungodly hours of the morning, meowing for us to feed him. After a couple years of yelling and pillow tossing, he's finally learned some manners!
And since he weighs more than 16 pounds, we REALLY appreciate that he takes the more subtle approach now.
Until next time!
Alpha-mom
Sunday, June 19, 2005
Comic Cross Over
Hey, all.
Just wanted to announce that Kitty Wars star, Artemis, makes her first cross-over comic appearance in The Catlins.
The Catlins is a written by my good friend, and co-webcomic conspirator, Kathy Catlin. Kathy and Artemis go back a LONG WAY in real life -- Artemis was one of Kathy's first kitty friends.
Anyway, it's super cute and I hope you all go check it out and then stay to read The Catlins, which is based on Kathy's real-life animal-family.
Until next time,
Alpha-Mom.
Just wanted to announce that Kitty Wars star, Artemis, makes her first cross-over comic appearance in The Catlins.
The Catlins is a written by my good friend, and co-webcomic conspirator, Kathy Catlin. Kathy and Artemis go back a LONG WAY in real life -- Artemis was one of Kathy's first kitty friends.
Anyway, it's super cute and I hope you all go check it out and then stay to read The Catlins, which is based on Kathy's real-life animal-family.
Until next time,
Alpha-Mom.
Monday, June 13, 2005
Barbarians in the Box
Today's strip is just how I imagined Artemis reacted when she first moved in with Elvis and Maxine and found the litter box.
Unlike most cats, Elvis and Maxine are hit and miss with burying their poop. When they were young -- the pre-Alpha-Mom days -- my husband used an open litter pan for the pair. Which they preferred, because they could stand on the edge, do their business, and run (ie: Maxine). Elvis, who weighs 16+ pounds, is always just a little bit too big for any litter pan out there. He preferred to hop out and, using one paw, bury his poop from a secure location on the ground.
It made a big mess, but we were living with it until Fancy decided that the litter box was her personal candy store...
Any pet owner who owns both a dog and a cat know this horror:
You are lovingly petting your dog, who is curled up in your arms, gazing adoringly into your eyes. Suddenly there is a rumble in their belly and they BELCH in your face. And this is when you discover -- to your HORROR -- that your darling pooch, who has been licking your cheek a moment before, has just indulged in a large helping of litter-box bon-bons...
With larger dogs you can create a barrier around a litter box that only allows a cat-sized opening. But Fancy is half the weight of Elvis. She goes where big dogs can't.
So I reinstated the covered litter box which also happily, cut down on the mess.
But it totally disrupted Elvis and Maxine's -- well, Elvis' -- burying practices.
How does poor Artemis cope with this shocking turn of events? Stayed tuned!
Until next time,
Alpha-Mom.
Unlike most cats, Elvis and Maxine are hit and miss with burying their poop. When they were young -- the pre-Alpha-Mom days -- my husband used an open litter pan for the pair. Which they preferred, because they could stand on the edge, do their business, and run (ie: Maxine). Elvis, who weighs 16+ pounds, is always just a little bit too big for any litter pan out there. He preferred to hop out and, using one paw, bury his poop from a secure location on the ground.
It made a big mess, but we were living with it until Fancy decided that the litter box was her personal candy store...
Any pet owner who owns both a dog and a cat know this horror:
You are lovingly petting your dog, who is curled up in your arms, gazing adoringly into your eyes. Suddenly there is a rumble in their belly and they BELCH in your face. And this is when you discover -- to your HORROR -- that your darling pooch, who has been licking your cheek a moment before, has just indulged in a large helping of litter-box bon-bons...
With larger dogs you can create a barrier around a litter box that only allows a cat-sized opening. But Fancy is half the weight of Elvis. She goes where big dogs can't.
So I reinstated the covered litter box which also happily, cut down on the mess.
But it totally disrupted Elvis and Maxine's -- well, Elvis' -- burying practices.
How does poor Artemis cope with this shocking turn of events? Stayed tuned!
Until next time,
Alpha-Mom.
Friday, June 10, 2005
Dominatrix
Hey, readers. Just updated the links in past blogs so that they are now accurate.
Today's strip deals with the issue of pecking order in the Kitty Wars household.
As I'm sure you other pet owners know, animal pecking order isn't just limited to who's top dog or top cat with the other dogs and cats of the house -- humans are included in this hierarchy as well. Which can sometimes cause problems when you own a dog who thinks he's the alpha, and pushes everyone else around.
Fancy isn't the alpha -- she's very subservient to her mother. But boy, she sure does think she's number two in the pack! She's constantly testing boundaries with my husband, Jeremy. She sees him more as a pack mate to play with I think, then someone who should be bossing her around.
Maxine thinks that SHE should rule the roost in our house, even though, in reality, she and Artemis are often duking it out for second-to-last-place.
But boy, does she let us know just how slighted she feels by not being top-cat from time to time. Expect some battles of wills between Alpha-Mom and Maxine in upcoming strips!
The real Maxine is much sweeter than her toon-counterpart. At this point in the strip, she hates the toon-Alpha-Mom. But in real life, she and I have bonded, and she's more my cat now in some ways then she is my husband's.
Well, that's all the random thoughts for now. Until next time!
Alpha-Mom.
Today's strip deals with the issue of pecking order in the Kitty Wars household.
As I'm sure you other pet owners know, animal pecking order isn't just limited to who's top dog or top cat with the other dogs and cats of the house -- humans are included in this hierarchy as well. Which can sometimes cause problems when you own a dog who thinks he's the alpha, and pushes everyone else around.
Fancy isn't the alpha -- she's very subservient to her mother. But boy, she sure does think she's number two in the pack! She's constantly testing boundaries with my husband, Jeremy. She sees him more as a pack mate to play with I think, then someone who should be bossing her around.
Maxine thinks that SHE should rule the roost in our house, even though, in reality, she and Artemis are often duking it out for second-to-last-place.
But boy, does she let us know just how slighted she feels by not being top-cat from time to time. Expect some battles of wills between Alpha-Mom and Maxine in upcoming strips!
The real Maxine is much sweeter than her toon-counterpart. At this point in the strip, she hates the toon-Alpha-Mom. But in real life, she and I have bonded, and she's more my cat now in some ways then she is my husband's.
Well, that's all the random thoughts for now. Until next time!
Alpha-Mom.
Friday, June 03, 2005
Of Peeing and Purses
I'm STILL mad about today's strip. One day, for some unexplained reason, Maxine peed INSIDE my leather purse.
Now, to do this, she had to jump up on top of our kitchen table, and carefully squat over the purse so that she ONLY peed inside the purse, and not on any of the surrounding areas. It was both a superior feat of kitty brains, and one of the most exasperating things she's ever done. We have no idea WHY she did this. I'm assuming she was mad at dear old Alpha-mom for something.
The other thing that I always find amusing, is that when cats are in trouble, they run off to hide, like, the human chasing them is too stupid to figure out where they are hiding. Especially in the most obvious spots, like the top shelf in the bedroom closet. I mean, come-on! That's the first place I look and the first place Maxine often runs to.
Kitties are weird.
Until next time!
Alpha-mom.
Now, to do this, she had to jump up on top of our kitchen table, and carefully squat over the purse so that she ONLY peed inside the purse, and not on any of the surrounding areas. It was both a superior feat of kitty brains, and one of the most exasperating things she's ever done. We have no idea WHY she did this. I'm assuming she was mad at dear old Alpha-mom for something.
The other thing that I always find amusing, is that when cats are in trouble, they run off to hide, like, the human chasing them is too stupid to figure out where they are hiding. Especially in the most obvious spots, like the top shelf in the bedroom closet. I mean, come-on! That's the first place I look and the first place Maxine often runs to.
Kitties are weird.
Until next time!
Alpha-mom.
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
It's a Guy Thing
Today's strip is more factual than most Kitty Wars strips.
Elvis is a very chatty boy. He meeyaps and chirps and meows at us all the time. And usually we interpret it either as a) demanding food (Alpha-Mom recently taught him to beg for a piece of cheese while making her lunch, and now he's insufferable at meal times!) or else he MUST want love.
Yeah, right.
Panel two shows Elvis playing coy, mad at his daddy for bringing three new females of different phylum (species, whatnot) into the house. But just like in real life, he always gives in to give his father a nuggle.
He only does this with Jeremy. It's their bonding thing.
Until next time,
Alpha-Mom.
Elvis is a very chatty boy. He meeyaps and chirps and meows at us all the time. And usually we interpret it either as a) demanding food (Alpha-Mom recently taught him to beg for a piece of cheese while making her lunch, and now he's insufferable at meal times!) or else he MUST want love.
Yeah, right.
Panel two shows Elvis playing coy, mad at his daddy for bringing three new females of different phylum (species, whatnot) into the house. But just like in real life, he always gives in to give his father a nuggle.
He only does this with Jeremy. It's their bonding thing.
Until next time,
Alpha-Mom.
