Paladin is in full bloom among the flax in Effieland, the garden our cat Effie and Paladin share. The garden is fenced all around with gates and locks. The top is also fenced to repel raptors.
Tag Archives: Cats
Two cats and a tiny snake
A very small baby Gopher snake (center, looks like a brown cord between Effie’s and Paladin’s paws) fended its way through Effieland yesterday. Effie, a veteran of carrying a full grown Garter snake around in her mouth, and Paladin, treating the Gopher snake as a living toy, took turns carrying the snake in their mouths and playing harmlessly with it on the ground. Eventually they freed the tiny reptile, which slithered its way to the fence. Paladin laid on top of the snake. Somehow the snake made it out of Effieland.
Filed under Animals, Animals, Nature, Gardens, Cats, Effie, Effieland, Nature, Paladin, Photos, Rural life
Effie’s tummy gives her the look of a sage
Effie appears proud of her tummy. Her wise expression appears reminiscent of Churchill.
Paladin Under the Rainbow
Paladin’s rainbow ball is a favorite toy, and he loves batting it on his favorite ball field–his tummy!
Filed under Action & Being, Cats, Home Life, Paladin, Photos
A Tale of Two Tails
Effie and Paladin stay connected in various ways, including tail formations. Both had just awakened from naps in separate chairs.
Effie and Paladin and their toys
Effie loves her catnip-stuffed turtle.
Paladin adores the crocheted rainbow ball Ellen Pilch of the popular blog 15andmeowing.com made for him.
Paladin on perch
We bought and installed this window perch for Effie before Paladin came into our lives and home. Whether Effie is kind enough to permit Paladin perch time, or whether he simply appropriated the perch, we can’t know. All I know is that he looks as adorable and as comfortable on the perch as Effie does. They typically share things quite well.
You may view Effie on the perch here.
Paladin: “Beds are for Sleeping”
Paladin keeps a lot of his toys in a cat bed. Evidently he intuited the bed’s actual purpose, removed his toys, and climbed in for a nap. I think he likes his bed as much as his toys, at least by the end of the day. On the other hand, Paladin, a tabby with thrifty Scot genes, may simply want the bed to be dual purpose, for toys and for naps.
Is Paladin a wildcat?
I heard of the Scottish wildcat and saw a photo of one that looked a lot like Paladin, at least in a reasonably familiar way. Unfortunately, he is not the perfect type. Any white in the fur of a Scottish wildcat is considered a defect. Paladin of course has white paws and tummy, so his resemblance or blood alliance is defective. Who cares? The cylindrical tail with black pointed tip is identical to the wildcat. Paladin has a gravelly voice more like a growling wildcat than like a house cat. His voice notwithstanding, Paladin is a sweet house cat, though he and Effie can get into brief, yowly, claws-out tiffs, but they never hurt each other.
Click the link below to see photos of Scottish wildcats.
Is Paladin a Scottish wildcat? Nah. He’s an American kitty. But he looks like he’s somewhere in the line.
Paladin on the Great White Clay Trail
He is amazing. I am persuaded that Paladin would be able to carry close to his own weight in his toes if he had to. Paladin has five toes on each of his front paws. Four toes is the usual, but some cats have seven.
I had just completed vacuuming our home in an hour and 20 minutes. Paladin was outside and looked with pitiable aspiration to come in. I let him in with a rag towel ready, as it was muddy outside. Paladin dodged the rag towel and hurried in. He ate a few bites of food and headed for his litter box. I scooped the one lump from the litter box, disposed of it in a plastic bag, and took it outside to the trash.
Next, Paladin made his rounds between his food in my den and Effie’s food in the dining room, which he regularly raids. The litter between his toes was everywhere. Bits of litter formed a trail from my den, across the hall to my husband’s den, then onward across the living room and into the dining room to Effie’s food.
I hauled out the vacuum again and followed the Great White Clay Trail until it was no more. I took an ibuprofen. Paladin accomplished his indoor errands. He ate his food, he ate Effie’s food, he used his litter box, and he spread kitty litter across his four-room trail.
What a clever laddie Paladin is, and with such commodious toes.
Eel Creek Chronicles 