My Maine coon loves getting combed. Thank goodness, because she was shedding fur all over the place, now that summer is coming. Turns out that what works the best is a cheap plastic comb that I got from who knows where. She loves this comb! Purr time, big time. After I've run out of steam scratching her under the chin with it, she does the "cat flop" belly up, and waits... and purrs... I've saved the fur I collected over the past 3 days, and set it out to take a picture, along with the comb. Crickey! She was watching, and was on the photo setup in an instant, disturbing the cloth background. But, so fascinating- it was the fur itself that really intrigued her. She sniffed and sniffed and... So, I put out the scratch pad to get the two photos at the bottom, and yes, eventually, she paid some attention to the comb. But, this cheap plastic comb really is her favorite by far of the grooming tools I've tried. I have a whole collection of "cat brushes...

This is Feets, Booglum's Maine coon polydactyl rescue cat: Direct link is here Booglum says: "Here is the baby Maine Coon Kitty, Feets, and his big huge polydactyl paws! Aww, such a baby. He is our snowstorm rescue baby. :)" I've featured Feets before, here . Love that kitty, who, btw, is somehow entered by breed as a "Mancoon" at the vets! So I've been told ;) Here's Tootsie, my Maine coon polydactyl rescue cat (click on photo for a larger image)- also on flickr with Creative Commons License. Click on the label below, "polydactyl", for more polydactyl cats.

I've learned something new about giving a cat medicine. I've read a lot about people trying to wrangle cats, or trick cats, or outwit cats, or out-maneuver cats to give them needed medication. And, something that works for one cat, won't work for another, according to my reading. So, this is FYI, fwiw! Here's the deal: Tootsie has been suffering from some kind of respiratory infection since I got her from the shelter. On my first visit to the vet, a week after I brought her home, the vet gave me some liquid antibiotics. But Tootsie was so unhappy with the vet visit, she became really evasive. And, she is one strong and wiry cat. So, I waited a few days, and then the symptoms seemed to go away. So, in the interest of comity and getting her to trust me, I didn't give her the medication. But, suddenly last week the symptoms returned, and way worse than before. I discovered that the medication, which had been in the fridge, was discolored (label said do not use...

I finally caught Tootsie on camera, doing PART of her cat yoga routine. She does this whenever she wakes up. This is just a sample! Tootsie is a rescue cat. She has turned into a whole new cat since I adopted her in January, less than two months ago. I decided to add the following picture- the online picture at the rescue site- to say two things: consider adopting a rescue cat if you can, and, Tootsie is a joy. I can't help but think that she is enjoying her new home. Click on the label "cat photography" to see more pictures of Tootsie the polydactyl Maine Coon.

I promise I will get back to posting great YouTubes of kittehs. Srsly. But right now I'm under "the I have a new cat" spell. Tootsie loves to play with plastic straws, but usually only when the lights are out. Oh yes, I can hear it, as the straws get picked up and dropped and rattled about. And then there are all the thumping noises as she bounds around. I did manage to catch her at it today, though. She picks up the straws with her polydactyl paws, and then tosses them around or executes a quick maneuver so that she can grab another part in her jaws. And then... hmmm... it all depends... so many options. Today she was on top of the bed, and dropped the captured straws onto the floor. Click on the label "cat photography" to see more pictures of Tootsie the polydactyl Maine Coon. Click on the label "polydactyl", for more polydactyl cats.

Oh, Hai! I've being taking more Tootsie photos. She was a challenging subject today. I just could not get her to play with straws the way she does when the lights are out. But, I did get her to give a "high five" to the ceiling cat. And, she hinted that she would like to have her tummy rubbed. She has quite a respectable Maine coon tail- but not yet up to "tail with a cat attached" status. Reports will continue. Click on the label "cat photography" to see more pictures of Tootsie the polydactyl Maine Coon.

Yes, she's a polydactyl. And, quite adept with those paws! More pix of Tootsie the Maine coon polydactyl here (she does yoga), here (she picks up straws with her paws), here (she's furry), and here (and she loves the feather toy).

This post is for Marion in Savannah, who has been a faithful reader and commenter from the get go. So, Marion, you wanted more pictures of Tootsie? Here they are. But, trying to photograph a cat is, well, like herding cats. You know. Tootsie loves her new feather toy. I brought the feather toy home, and she went nuts. It was near bedtime, and I hid it under the bed. She is really a good cat. Even though sometimes she may have run out of food in the early hours she doesn't get into the food bag. But, oh my, this feather toy was a totally different thing. So, in the early hours of first day of feather toy, I hear leaping about, scratching, and I feel energetic thumping all over the bed. I tried to ignore the situation. But, I finally gave in, and opened my eyes long enough to see that she had found the feather toy, and dragged it onto the bed. She was as fascinated with the string as she was with feathers. I now take the precaution of removing the feather part from the s...

Ahem, until very recently, I had contented myself with the joys of watching my "virtual" kittehs at YouTube. Had many kittehs before, but I was still suffering "kitteh grief". At the same time, there was this little niggle in the back of my mind: move on, move on. So, for quite a while, it's been brewing. I got out my camera today, and managed to take a kitteh pic before the camera battery stopped working. Kitteh is very camera shy, but not so bad on her debut. I removed the camera battery so that I could recharge it, but left the camera with kitteh, so that she could befriend it. When I snuck out, she was rubbing her face against the edges of the camera. She's got a plan... Here's my first photo of Tootsie, the polydactyl Maine coon: I found her online, via a local cat rescue charity. Uh, this was the photo they posted: And, the description was not exactly encouraging either- shy, needs patient person, etc. But, she is a purebred Maine coon, an...