Devil Cat's Morning Routine

Every morning Murphy does this to me. He will also do it to anyone who is visiting our kitchen and is fool hardy enough to fall for his innocent act.  So be warned!

He starts to circle my feet making these sweet little burrrr noises. He gently nudges my ankles as I go about fixing coffee in the kitchen.

He slithers around in a snakelike fashion, always the same move - kind of like a dance routine.

He looks up once or twice, making eye contact to be sure he has my attention. Notice that strange look in his eyes. I know you think it is the flash from the camera bouncing off his eyes but this is also when “Murphy the Devil Cat” starts to appear.  All sweet and innocent you think????

Then he sort of just plops down on my foot. The dance continues. Always the same maneuver. Most cat owners know this maneuver as the “scratch my belly with your foot” maneuver. But Murphy has added a new kick to it.

Be careful. Be very careful!!!! Look a little closer at that innocent face. 
 

Not so innocent looking now, is it? This is “Murphy The Devil Cat.” You have to just walk away. Do not, I repeat DO NOT give in to the urge to scratch his belly with your big toe. If you do he will bite the daylights out of it and while you are howling in pain, jumping around on one foot - he will be dashing around the house, leaping from one piece of furniture to another in pure glee!

That’s how he likes to start his morning.

The Quiet Before The Storm

Sleep while you can Murphy.  The Girls are on their way over.

This is one of Murph's favorite sleeping spots.  It's next to his pet door which faces south and gives him a sunny, but air conditiioned spot to lay in all day.  I snapped this photo a few minutes before our two granddaughters, aged 3 and 5, arrived. 

The girls always look for him.  He mysteriously disappears until after they leave.

How Murphy Became Famous

If you have ever tried to take a good photograph of a black cat - you know it can be tricky. If the cat lives in a house with dark burgundy carpet - it’s even trickier. And if the cat you are trying to photograph is Murphy - it’s just almost impossible.

Over the years I have taken lots of photos of him. Most of them were horrible. He won’t sit still, the flash bounces off his eyes (looks like a devil cat), he blends into the carpet - etc. A few photos were good enough for a family photo album, but most were just horrible.

One day I caught him sitting at our storm door, staring through the glass, watching the birds. He was really into it - making that little clicking sound cats make when they are trying to convince birds that they are just another bird. “Come here little birdy. It’s safe. I’m just another bird although I know I must look like a big, fat, black cat.”

Anyway - he sat there long enough for me to get the camera and really get things set right for a good photo. This was the result.

"Birdwatching"

Not only has this become one of my best selling prints but it convinced me that I could actually take a half way decent photo of a difficult subject. Of course the photo is manipulated - that’s just what I do to create my style of art. And this art piece has really gone to Murphy’s head. He knows he famous now. You would think he had posed for the Mona Lisa!!! Such an attitude!!! Every now and then he will honor me with another decent pose

"Black Cat - Golden Eyes"

Sometimes I have to remind myself that - after all - he is just a cat.

Cat Days of Summer

No - he’s not dead. But our eastern facing screened in porch has become his favorite spot as of late. And even though the temperature might be hitting 100 today - this is where he wants to be.

If I don’t let him out - this is where he spends most of his time. Staring out the glass door at his favorite spot. Just wishing I would open the door.

Just so he can go back to laying in his favorite spot.

Doesn’t he look like a cranky old man whose nap has been interrupted?

The Boot Story - A Cat Tale

Hi!  My name is Murphy!

 

Eric works in the construction field and wears big heavy boots that lace up past the ankles. In the evenings he usually leaves them under our kitchen table and sometimes Murphy likes to play with the laces. So it’s not unusual to find the boots knocked over or in disarray as they were one morning several years ago.

That fateful morning Eric put on the boots lacing them all the way up as usual, then stood up. Something felt a little odd about one boot. He sat down, untied the boot, took it off and straightened his sock - thinking that would fix the problem. He put the boot back on, laced it up and stood up. Darn! Something still felt a little odd.

This whole time - Murphy is just sitting there watching as though he was really interested in this strange human behavior.

Eric sat down again, took the boot off. This time he stood up and turned so the ceiling light was aimed down the boot. Then - YES - he did exactly what you know you shouldn’t do!!!! He stuck his hand in that big black hole while trying to see into the boot.

Here it is! Are you ready???? A mole, yes a mole (you know - one of those furry small rodents that tunnel through your yard) raced up his arm and took a flying leap off his shoulder onto the kitchen floor The race was on. This was exactly what Murphy had been waiting on.

It happened so fast - it took Eric a few minutes to figure out what had happened. And then he had to join the race. Eric won, disposed of the mole, took another shower and left for work.

It was just another day with Murphy.

Calendars for August

Desktop calendars for your computer.  Take your pick!

Our cat Murphy giving me the evil eye.

Shhh!  A quiet spot overlooking the lake.