A Day In The Life of Ollie

Diets Are For The Birds...

2011-03-07T15:09:00.000-08:00

All this time I just thought I was a "big-boned" cat and come to find out I am overweight! I had my yearly physical today and to my shock my vet placed me on a diet. Imagine??? A DIET!!! I had a panic attack when my vet broke the news that I will need to cut my meal portions to a third of what I normally eat. I kept thinking to myself, "This can't be happening...I must be dreaming or something!" I bit myself to see if I could wake up from this catmare, but to my dismay I realized I was fully awake...

I got home and was doing really well about the whole diet thing for about an hour when my stomach started demanding nourishment. I was dizzy with hunger and ready to climb the walls. There were only a few morsels of kibble in my bowl, so I did what any starved cat would do, I broke into the fridge! Desperate times call for desperate measures!!! I searched and I searched and all I could come up with were lousy nutritious veggies, YUCK! There wasn't even one morsel of leftover chicken or fish...I can tell I have a rough road ahead with this whole "diet" mumbo jumbo...

Cat-Safe Asbestos Hazard Advisory

2011-01-12T14:52:00.000-08:00

I would like to share with all my feline friends and their owners a Cat-Safe Asbestos Hazard Advisory that was recently brought to my attention. Asbestos fibers pose a significant health threat to both cats and their owners. Asbestos is found in thousands of homes and buildings built between 1930 and 1980. Asbestos was a commonly used building material that when damaged over time can become airborne resulting in the fatal mesothelioma cancer. Both direct and second hand exposure has been proven to cause mesothelioma. Please take proper steps to protect your cats and families. Consult a certified asbestos abatement consultant when executing any home renovations that may involve asbestos. For more information visit: www.mesothelioma.com.

Insomnicat

2011-01-03T10:51:00.000-08:00

These last few days I have been an absolute insomnicat! For the life of me I cannot seem to catnap no matter what I do, which is really beginning to ruffle my fur! I've tried everything to tire myself out- I've chased my girl Lily around the house, played with my catnip toys, scratched the couch, climbed up the curtains, and I even drank some milk, but nothing is doing the trick. Then to top it all off the lack of sleep is making me clumsy! Do you know how embarrassing it is to be a cat and not land on your paws after jumping down from a table? HELP I'm desperate to get some sleep! Any suggestions???

Botched Escape Plan

2010-07-25T20:36:00.000-07:00

I have to say I am pretty quick on my paws when it comes to seizing the opportunity to escape into the great outdoors. When I found out Cristina was bringing a rug from home over to her new office today, I thought to myself "I bet she will NEVER notice if I slip into the rug as she rolls it up!" Plus, she was in a rush to get to work so I figured she definitely wouldn't notice me slipping into the rug or so I thought...

I hid under the bed so that she wouldn't notice me and waited for her to start rolling up the rug. There was a hole just wide enough for me to squeeze into before Cristina could spot me. Once inside the rug I thought my plan had worked and I would soon be frolicking in the grass hunting down a juicy little mouse!

Cristina bent over to pick up the rug and I heard her say, "Boy this rug is a lot heavier than I remember!" What can I say? Food is my passion and I might have gained a few pounds recently, but with a little time outdoors I would surely burn it off in no time!!!

As Cristina made her way to the front door she started to loose her balance and before I knew it she was flat on her back with the rug and me on top of her! Yikes, I really got myself into trouble this time!!! At first she was stunned to find me in the rug and within those few seconds I took off like a bolt of lightening to hide in my special hiding place for I knew I was surely in for it this time!

Once Cristina calmed down I came out and gave her the wide-eyed I'm sorry look, which made her melt with the exception that there will be no treats for me tonight...

"The cat's out of the bag"

2010-06-10T21:05:00.000-07:00

Things have been absolutely crazy around my house lately! It's been so hectic that my catnaps have suffered greatly and I haven't had any spare time to post on my blog. Cristina and my Nana have been working day and night to put together their new healing center, which has made me feel a little left out...

Earlier today I saw a shopping bag with stuff for the new center on the kitchen table and thought I'd seize the opportunity to take a little trip with Cristina by slipping into it. Unfortunately she saw me right away and the "cat was out of the bag" when Cristina discovered the tip of my tail sticking out. I thought my plan was surely foiled, but to my surprise Cristina put me in my kitty carryall and took me along for a ride to the new center!

I learned that the new center is called "The Angels of Light Healing and Intuitive Center" and it's located in Norwell. I was in absolute aw when Cristina let me out of my carryall to take a tour of the new space. There are three large rooms- one for Reiki, a second room for classes and my Nana's interfaith ministry, and the third room is for Cristina's photography business. Plus there's a huge storage room that has all sorts of cattastic places to hide in! Today turned out to be filled with fun and adventure and it was nice to spend the day with my two favorite people!

Check out Cristina and I in "The Patriot Ledger"!

2010-05-04T14:15:00.000-07:00

Today was especially cattastic because Cristina and I are featured in The Patriot Ledger! A photographer came to the house last week to take our photo for a column called "Her Story," which Cristina was nominated for because she is trying to make a difference in the lives of abused animals. I hope many people see the article below and it encourages them to donate to the MSPCA!!!

The Patriot Ledger

Posted May 04, 2010 @ 01:00 PM

PRIDE AND JOY
My pride and joy is my photography business along with the blog I created, “A Day in the Life of Ollie,” to encourage people to donate to the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
PERFECT DAY
I especially enjoy spending time with family and friends, outdoor activities, shopping, dining out, reading, teaching photography classes and helping others.
LOOKING FORWARD
I am looking forward to continuing to grow my photography business. In the near future I would love to write a series of children’s books based on Ollie’s blog. I am also very excited about the nature photography classes I will be offering this summer for children and adults.
PASS IT ON
I strongly believe in the old adage “treat those as you would like to be treated” and would like to pass these words of wisdom to the younger generation. I am saddened by the increasing number of adolescents and teens who have taken their lives due to being targeted by bullies. My hope for the future is that children will learn to appreciate each other for their individuality and that laws will be passed in order to protect those who are bullied by their peers.

Birdwatching

2010-04-24T17:57:00.000-07:00

WOW, what a purrfect day for birdwatching! All day long I had a front row window seat to the bird show taking place in my backyard - talk about being a lucky cat!!! There were red breasted robins, sparrows, blue jays, cardinals, and so many others that I began to loose count! One thing I noticed in particular is those blue jays certainly are bullies and they love to beat up on the smaller birds. If I were allowed to go outside I surely would never attempt to touch a blue jay with a ten foot pole especially after what happened to the poor sap from next door!

This afternoon while I was enjoying the bird show my neighbor Tomcat decided to pay a little visit and rub in my face how he is allowed to go outside. He kept meowing to me how I'm not a real cat since I'll never have the chance to hunt birds or other small prey. I was starting to get really annoyed when all of a sudden out of nowhere two blue jays dive bombed Tomcat. I have never seen anything like it! The two jays went right for his caboose with such force that he was knocked off his paws! He ended up meowing all the way home like a little cry baby, while I roared with laughter. I have a feeling it will be a long time before Tomcat will be showing his face in my backyard again...

Mouse Surprise

2010-04-16T10:36:00.000-07:00

This morning I heard a rustling sound in my food dish and right away I went to sniff it out. To my surprise there was a little brown mouse in my food dish! When you're an indoor cat a mouse discovery is extremely rare, so I seized the opportunity to enjoy this cattastic gift that lay before me! It was a little tricky at first to catch my furry little treat, but I was finally able to corner him by the stove.

I was SO proud of myself and right away jumped on the bed to share my accomplishment with Cristina. Since she was sleeping I needed to find a way to wake her up. Then it came to me - drop the mouse directly on her face! Well, my idea did not quite elicit the response I was hoping for. Cristina's eyes widened in horror as the mouse started running all over her face. I have never seen her jump out of bed so quickly and to make matters worse the mouse got entangled in her hair! She was running around screaming while the mouse was trying so desperately to become untangled. Luckily my Nana came to the rescue and freed the mouse from Cristina's hair just in the nick of time! The downside is she put the mouse outside and it could be forever until the next mouse graces my food bowl...

What a Purrfect Day!

2010-04-11T20:30:00.000-07:00

Today was the most unbelievably purrfect day! I had the pleasure of lounging in my cat tree all day long while the warm spring breeze gently caressed my fur. The birds even sang me a lullaby while I bathed in the warm glow of the afternoon sun. I had not a care in the world as I catnapped the day away...

Lily

2010-04-10T14:22:00.000-07:00

In my eyes Lily is the most beautiful kitty in the whole entire cat world! For me it was love at first sight, but I can't exactly say the same for her...she tends to play hard to get and for some odd reason becomes really agitated when I spontaneously jump on her. Recently I tried to move on, but the lovely kitties I dated all lacked something that I just can't place my paw on. I guess I am a hopeless romantic and no other kitty will ever hold a torch to Lily! Oh well, I'll just keep trying until I wear her down! I think I might be making some progress though because today she actually let me lick the side of her face while she was eating!

What a cattastic night!!!

2010-04-08T20:56:00.000-07:00

You would not believe the cattastic evening my gal pals Tid Bit, Lily and I had tonight! After all these years of being trapped indoors we finally managed to break free into the great outdoors! Technically it wasn't my first time outside because there was that one time last year when I broke free during a storm, but that really doesn't count since a wall of cold white stuff stopped me dead in my tracks.

You must be asking yourself by now, how did these crazy cats manage to escape? Well, you see, we have been keeping a close eye on my Nana and Cristina for several months now observing their daily routines. We have especially noticed a food shopping pattern on Thursday nights. After collecting all our data we hypothesized that since their arms would be full of grocery bags when entering the house tonight there was really no way they could stop us!

As night approached Tid Bit and Lily got in position behind the front door while I peered out the window waiting to see their car pull into the driveway. As soon as I saw the first sign of headlights I locked into position behind Tid Bit and Lily. I swear it seemed like an eternity as we heard the key slowly turning the door lock free, but as soon as the door swung open we busted loose!

It took a moment for Cristina and my Nana to realize what just happened, but as soon as they did the cat and mouse game began! It was 3 against 2, and us cats were ahead of the game for quite some time. Then Cristina decided to play dirty by opening a can of food. The aroma of tuna delight filled the air and after all that running around you can build up quite an appetite! The need to sate our hunger over road the desire to be free, so unfortunately we decided to forfeit...

Between all the excitement and a belly full of tuna delight I am POOPED! Sweet dreams and please tune in tomorrow for my next adventure...

Peekaboo!

2010-04-07T14:24:00.000-07:00

As I was saying yesterday, I had the purrfect plan mapped out to avoid getting my nails trimmed today! I awoke around 6:00 this morning to get positioned in my special hiding place before anyone could spot me, for I knew there was no way Cristina would be up that early- she is not a morning person to say the least! We have a two family house where we live on one side and my Nana lives on the other side. I thought by sneaking over to my Nana's side to hide above her kitchen cabinets that I would surely never be found. See, my Nana has all sorts of nick-knacks on top of her cabinets, so I figured I would blend in purrfectly! Around 9:00 a.m. or so I heard Cristina calling for me to have my morning breakfast, but I did not move an inch. She kept trying to tempt me with food, but I wasn't born yesterday, I knew she was trying to coax me out of my hiding place!

About two hours passed and Cristina had turned the house upside down searching for me. All of a sudden I started to feel really bad because she became panic stricken thinking something happened to me. The guilt overtook me, so I let out a meow as to say "Peekaboo!" She looked up and said with a sigh of relief, "There you are Ollie Oopers!" I ended up giving in and we took a trip to the vet for my monthly nail trim, which turned out to be not so bad after all since I was rewarded with a hand full of whisker lickin' good treats!

Shhh...don't let anyone know where I am!

2010-04-06T20:10:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I'm due for my monthly nail trimming appointment, which I'll be avoiding at all costs! It's SO frustrating that every time I have my nails sharpened enough to be used as lethal weapons, they're trimmed down to useless nubs! Enough is enough and I'm taking a stand for all cats worldwide who have been robbed of their first line of defense over and over again!!! I have strategically mapped out my top secret hiding spots and there's no way anyone will be able to find me hehehehe! Wish me luck and I'll let you know if my plan works once the coast is clear...

Squirrel Palooza

2010-04-05T17:40:00.000-07:00

It's not quite often you will catch my gal pals Lily, Tid Bit and I sitting harmoniously together, but today it was squirrel palooza in our backyard! I don't know if they were there for a squirrel convention or circus, but there must have been at least 100 of them!!! We didn't know where to look first and our eyes were darting in every direction! There were squirrels chasing each other up the tree, swinging on the bird feeder, doing a tightrope act on the telephone pole wire, and there was even one temptress that kept coming up to the window to flick her tail at us. Too bad I'm not allowed to go outside or I would have given those squirrels a real run for their acorns! I'm hoping for another show tomorrow, but until then squirrels will be dancing in my head...

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T09:33:00.000-07:00

This morning I was purrusing the internet when I came across this photo of a fellow feline dressed up as a bunny and thought,"Yikes, better him than me!" This picture did make me chuckle though, so I thought I would share a good laugh with all of you! Lucky for me the Easter Bunny visited last night and hid eggs around my house filled with catnip and treats galore!!! I better get going because if I wait too long my pals Lily and Tid Bit will find all the eggs leaving me empty pawed. Happy Easter to all my dear friends!

Anyone looking for a photography assistant?

2010-04-03T09:53:00.000-07:00

Is there anyone out there looking for a photography assistant? I'm real quick on my paws and you can pay me with treats! I keep trying to go along with Cristina on her photo gigs, but she seems to like to work alone. Today I thought I would sneak into to her equipment bags, but she caught me mid-paw as I was stepping into her camera case. I can't understand why she won't take me along...just because I'm a cat doesn't mean I wouldn't make a worthy assistant. I need to find a way to prove myself...hopefully I'll have an epiphany during my afternoon catnap!

Spring has finally sprung!

2010-04-01T17:14:00.000-07:00

It was absolutely cattastic to have my long lost friend reappear in the sky today! Up until this afternoon I thought my kitty gal pals Lily, Tid Bit, and I were going to have to build the second rendition of Noah's Arc. When Cristina got home from her morning appointment she opened a few windows for us to get some fresh air. Unfortunately, every time I got myself comfy in one window Tid Bit would come along and push me out, but luckily I was able to still catch a few rays. Everyday I look forward to my afternoon sunbath and can become quite cranky if I don't have one, so you can imagine how fun I was to be around most of this week! Now that spring has finally sprung I can hardly contain myself thinking about all the sunbaths that await me this summer!!!

By the way...I overheard Cristina talking on the phone today about adding artistic pet photo packages to her repertoire of other photographic services she offers. She has an immense love for animals and has a gift for capturing beautiful images of all God's creatures. The best part is she will be donating 20% of the proceeds from her pet portrait packages to the MSPCA! If you would like to learn more contact her at 617-957-1783 or send an email to geminessphotography@comcast.net.

Click here to Give FREE Food and Care!!!

2010-03-31T20:01:00.000-07:00

Today I found out there's a website to help my four legged friends receive food and shelter for FREE!!! Simply click on the donation button when you visit The Animal Rescue Site, which you can access by clicking on my above post title and you've done your good deed for the day! It only takes a second to donate without costing you a single cent!!! I urge you to visit this site daily to help as many of my friends as possible. Another cattastic feature of The Animal Rescue Site is you get to read rescue stories of the animals you are helping and for all you shopaholics there's an online store! Any help you can offer is much appreciated :-)

"Tid Bit" (a.k.a Big Bit)

2010-03-30T13:40:00.000-07:00

I'm not quite sure why she was named "Tid Bit" because I always thought it meant something really small. Don't get me wrong she is a big beautiful kitty, but I just can't seem to rationalize the name. She never let's me get close enough to ask, so I figure she must have been a little bit of a thing in her younger years.

Tid Bit, or "Big Bit" as I like to call her, comes across as shy or skittish to those in the human world, but in the cat world she's quite the bruiser! I am often referred to as "Ollie the Fierce" because NOTHING scares me except for Tid Bit that is. Ever since Cristina took me in when I was a little nipper, Tid Bit has had it out for me. I have to move about the house with great caution since her attacks are unpredictable. Recently I was just minding my own business catching up on my favorite TV show "Desperate House Cats" and outta nowhere she launched at me as if she were out for blood. The whole entire two long years of my life flashed before my eyes, but luckily I was able to escape her wrath by the skin of my teeth! Since that day I now sleep with one eye open for I never know when she'll strike next.

Ugh...It's Monday and it's raining outside!

2010-03-29T13:18:00.000-07:00

Monday mornings and rain are the two things I hate most in this world! I am not a morning cat at all and if it is raining there's NO WAY I am stepping a paw outside!!! I have been hiding under the covers all day and after writing this post I am headed back to the warmth of my beloved blankets.

I have to admit I absolutely love the luxury of being a pampered cat and would not trade places with anyone, not even for all the treats in the world. I am free to do whatever I want whenever I want. If I want to take a snooze in the middle of the day I can without worrying about a boss telling me I can't. I even have a person for a pet! She cleans up after me, plays with me, and magically every day she makes food appear in my dish...no cat should be without a pet person.

I can no longer keep my peepers open so I'm heading back to my cuddly blankets. All of you out in the rain try to stay dry while I take an afternoon snooze...

I had an old friend for dinner tonight

2010-03-28T20:33:00.000-07:00

Recently I have been working on overriding my carnivorous tendencies and trying SO desperately to become a vegetarian. I feel pangs of guilt every time I kill a mouse or a bird, but it's a natural instinct that's very difficult to overcome. All week I have been eating that stuff called tofu and even attempting to give veggies a whirl. Whenever I have the urge to kill I pretend my catnip mouse, Squeaky, is real and take all my bottled up urges out on him, but it's just not the same...

The last couple of days have been the most challenging on my road to recovery. I even had to resort to locking myself in the windowless bathroom of my house while I went through bird and mouse withdrawal. I found myself starring out the window for hours at a time watching all the tasty birds flitting about outside, which was not at all conducive to my rehabilitation. It was a tough 48 hours, but I finally felt I had conquered my inner demons for sure when I awoke this morning!

This week an old friend named Polly moved back to the neighborhood. In the past we always needed to be friends from a distance with a pair of bars between us. See, Polly is a parrot and when I used to look at her the first thing that came to mind was food. But that was all in the past now and I was so confident I no longer needed to worry about wanting to eat her or so I thought...

Polly agreed to come over tonight for a candlelit dinner and everything was going purrfect. The conversation was stimulating and the laughs just kept coming. I don't know if it was the way the candlelight suddenly illuminated Polly's feathers or the way she looked at me, but suddenly I found myself with a mouth full of parrot. I won't go into the morbid details, but let's put it this way, the dinner did not end well...

Any kitty cuties looking for a date?

2010-03-27T18:49:00.000-07:00

I know it's short notice since it's Saturday night, but are there any kitty cuties out there looking for a single purrfect gentlecat? For the last two years I've been desperately in love with a cougar hunter named Lily, but no matter how many times I pounce on her I can't seem to win her over. The ladies out there nowadays certainly are complicated! I heard gals like spontaneity in their male counterparts, so I started finding different places to jump out of to surprise Lilly. I've hidden behind the couch, behind the door, under the bed, in a plant...you name it and I've hidden behind it. For some odd reason when I jump out and tackle her to the ground she tries to claw my eyes out. I just don't get it...can't she see what a passionate lover I am? Anyways, two years has been long enough and I am ready for true love! So if you are looking for a gentlecat who is spontaneous, charming, passionate, handsome, generous (I'll share my treats with the right kitty), and has a little extra meat on his bones then look no further- I'm your cat. You can reach me anytime, day or night, at 1-617-55-OLLIE.

It's laundry day!

2010-03-26T11:16:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but I LOVE laundry day! It's so much fun to hide in the mound of clothes Cristina is in the midst of folding and then pop out at her like a "Jack In The Box"! Today I really startled her since she had absolutely no idea I was mixed in with her laundry. I cleverly camouflaged my paw by placing it in the middle of her white socks, which was an ingenious idea on my part if I do say so myself. I waited oh so patiently for her to reach into that pile of white socks and when she did I pounced on her hand as if I were a lion taking down a gazelle. Boy did she let out a scream loud enough to wake up the entire neighborhood! I REALLY got her good this time!!!

It is possible to have too much catnip...

2010-03-25T10:06:00.000-07:00

Cristina departed early this morning for a networking event and I seized the opportunity to break into the cabinet where she stashes the good stuff- catnip! At first the cabinet door would not budge, but I persistently kept pawing at it until the latch broke free. I was a cat on a mission and NOTHING was going to stand in my way! My eyes widened as I saw the newly bought bag of catnip and I felt the excitement a child experiences on Christmas morning running feverishly through my veins. I stood on my tiptoes and was able to little by little nudge my bag of bliss off the shelf. Then the best part- tearing into the bag and rolling around in the catnip until I was covered from head-to-toe!!!! I was in a state of euphoria until all of a sudden the room began spinning...next thing I knew three hours had passed and Cristina was standing over me with a look of dismay on her face. I knew I was really in trouble now! Lucky for me she thinks I'm the cutest cat in the world, so she can never stay mad at me for more than a second!

The moral of the story is this, it is possible to have too much of a good thing and everything in life is best in moderation. I am sorry to report that I will be off the nip for a little while until I can learn to pace myself...

Allow Me to Introduce Myself

2010-03-24T20:53:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!

My name is Ollie and I will be two years old on June 6th. Cristina adopted me when I was 8 weeks old after I was abandoned at the young age of 6 weeks. I was found wandering the streets of Jamaica Plain and if it were not for the nice lady who rescued me I probably would not be here today. When Cristina adopted me I had a nasty upper respiratory infection and it took months along with numerous vet visits for her to nurse me back to health.

There are many of my four-legged friends out in the world that are not as lucky as I am and end up suffering a tragic fate. Please help my friends by either donating to the MSPCA at http://www.mspca.org/ or adding a new addition to your family. Any help you can offer would be much appreciated and makes a huge difference!