It is the Year of the Tiger Cat – Belly

Tiger Cats are the tubbiest sign on the zodiac, methodical in their purrsuit of food (especially from other cats’ plates), intelligent deep inside that they choose to hide with a somewhat goofy demeanor.  They sleep more than any other astrological sign because they are deep thinkers and imaginative players.  They rarely jump and miss, for their internal upward-motion calculator is top-notch.  Catnip can be a problem if they overindulge.  They can be possessive of items they deem to be their own (if someone else is sitting on or playing with it).  But more of a lover than a fighter.

I too am celebrating the Year of the Tiger – Cat with my favorite tiger striped blanket.  If I’m not sleeping on mama, I’m sleeping on this.

Happy New Year everyone!

Love,

Bogart

BookmAIREk Me!

I think she enjoys my company the most – well, at least I don’t see her claws that often.  Sekhmet is 13 years old, and is the only cat my mama has that came with her from NYC to the west coast.  Our “elder stateswoman” as mama says, or “Queen of Sheba” as Sekhmet thinks.

I am really intrigued with her.  She has a fantastic talking AND singing voice.  Mama says it is because she is part Siamese.  She’s quite the talker.

She’s also a drooler.  When mama pets her and she’s purring really, really hard, she starts to drool.  It’s pretty hilarious.

As you know, cats are pretty clean animals and Sekhmet is no exception.  Plus she has me around to help out.

I think she’s pretty awesome.  A mighty purr in a tiny body.  Such a pretty girl.  One of these days I’ll get her to snuggle with me…

Love,

Bogart

BookmAIREk Me!

Mmm… PIZZA.  Mama isn’t much of a cook, so because dad is sick today she had to forage in the freezer for her own lunch.  And what better – indeed, what more perfect – food is there than pizza?  Frozen if we must, but at least “improved” with some fresh tomatoes, garlic and olive oil.

That smells awfully good mama… you gonna eat all of that yourself?

Because, I mean, I COULD HELP YOU…

I know you’re not a big fan of the crust…

Seriously, I just wanna do my part TO HELP YOU…

Anything I can do… REALLY…

SCORE!

Give me your poor, your tired, your slightly-burned crusts…

I hope you appreciate this mama.  I’M DOIN’ IT FOR YOU…

After the pizza party, time to chill out with my pal Kafka.  Kafka is the short-haired orange tabby, and he is literally a furry, vibrating hot water bottle.  Purrfect on a cold day such as this.

But first I had to get Kafka’s attention.

He’s still busy showing Willie who is really king of the household.  Willie looks bigger because he’s a long-haired orange tabby, but Kafka is definitely meaty-er, and it’s fun to watch an orange-colored ball of fur roll by whenever they tussle.

Ah, my favorite spot.

Carpe Sofa (Seize the Sofa)!!!

Love,

Bogart

BookmAIREk Me!

I can’t tell ya how tickled I am these days to be watching the Kerry Blues do their thang… mama and I are really absolutely enamored of them.  And THOSE BEARDS – they make me all tingly whenever I see them, especially after roaring to the top in Stanley & Stella’s Beard Competition.

So I feel very honored (and did I mention tingly?) to receive this award from them.

The award states: “This blog invests and believes in PROXIMITY – nearness in space, time and relationships!” In other words, blogs that receive this award “are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.”

So as always, I’m probably late to the party on this one.  In the interest of spreading the love, I’m gonna try to find other dogs who haven’t already received this, many apologies if you already have…

Asta (up over)

Nottie Scottie

Lorenza

Ludo

Sally & Rufus

Deetz

The G-Dales

Scruffy, Stan & Lacie

It was TOUGH to just pick 8 other dogs to send this to – I tried hard to find those of you who hadn’t already received one – which is sometimes the toughest part.  Mama and I read so many of your blogs all the time, so we did a lot of visiting to see, but alas, sometimes mama screws up.

So I’m just sending BIG AIRE KISSES to ALL of my dog friends to cover my butt (tuck tail first!)

Love,

Bogart

BookmAIREk Me!

Mama and I decided to do something a little different this year – rather than opening all of our Christmas cards as they arrived, we thought it would be fun to open them all during the opening of the presents on Christmas morning – so we could ooh and aah over all of the cool cards that our DWB buddies sent to us from all over the world.

It was hard not to open the cards as they arrived, but mama was good about keeping them all in a nice pile while we waited for the 25th.  And it was totally worth it – we thought about you all as we opened the envelopes and the emails!!!

The kitties could not control themselves, they were totally fascinated with all of the cards.

Orange tabbies in particular seem to have an unhealthy preoccupation with card destruction.  Perhaps we should try to distract them?

This is WIllie – he is the kitty that came to live with us after his mama died.  He’s doing really well and is a part of our furry family now.

Check out this cool toy that I got – he is a rubber pig!!! – and most importantly, he SQUEAKS!!! I think I’m gonna name him Bacon…

Aw, and some good stuff to chomp on.  I was originally far more interested in the package that held these wag’n wraps, and destroyed it promptly.  I do think that Bacon and I will become best friends, however.

Hehehe – the Bogie Stogie

The kitties got something special too – a packet of Feline Greenies!!!  And so, without further ado, I introduce the furry chorus:

Sekhmet, the black Siamese girlie…

Kafka, the orange shorthaired tabby boy…

Behemoth, the grey and white “spotto gato” boy…

Willie, the long haired orange tabby boy…

And Aeon, the brown tabby girl.

Merry Christmas everydog!  Hope you all got LOTS of great presents – BIG AIRE KISSES to all of you and your families!!!

Love,

Bogart

BookmAIREk Me!

You spent this chilly day outside – after escaping from the back door, you managed to find a nice, warm spot in a little area under the house.

But a nice, tasty bowl of kibble foiled your evil plans for taking over the household from below.

And I thought us dogs were motivated by food, and able to manipulate the humans into providing it at any time… you sir, are THE KING – simply by being outside a bowl of food materialized.

I will learn from your greatness, oh strip-ed one…

Love,

Bogart

www.chezbogart.com

BookmAIREk Me!

As always, whenever a post will be featuring my feline friends, I give a big ol’ warning to all of my pup peeps.

Ready?  Lets GO…

We went to the Hawthorne Fish House because mama had been craving their yummo french fries and a Gardenburger.  She looked like she was enjoying it, and then apparently we had to “walk it off”… no clue what that means, but hey, whenever walking is involved, I’m in (but if we need to take the bus, I know how to make ‘em stop for me… WATCH THIS)…

We got a little treat for the kitties… the black girlie is Sekhmet and it looks like she approves…

Yup, Kafka also seems to think that the Meowie Wowie will be up to snuff…

That’s when Behemoth sauntered over to check out what was going on…

Sekhmet was concerned that Kafka may try to take the whole bag, run with it, hide under something, and then tear it to pieces just before he rolls his entire tubby tabby body all over it, thoroughly coating himself in catnip.  She is of course, correct…

Oh yeah, Kafka is plotting…

Sekhmet makes her play for some organic nip…

They have a short conversation (which I could not understand, being that I speak dog and uh, English, so cat is beyond my powers of understanding)…

And it seems like all will be well.  Just as long as separate bits of catnip are placed strategically around the house far away from each other.  DEAL!

Love,

Bogart

Chez Bogart

BookmAIREk Me!

If you can’t handle the felines, best to either turn away now or scroll to the bottom as the glorious orange fur will soon be flying.

Ok, everybody gone that needed to leave?  It’s just us cat lovers now.  We now return to our regularly scheduled program.

This is Kafka.  He had to go to the vet today because he had a growth under his chin.  Mama was worried as it seemed to be growing quickly.

Luckily dad was able to get Kafka into a carrier (and only lost a little bit of blood… not bad, dad) and off to the vet.  Some great news – Kafka, as you may have noticed, is a chubby tabby.  Mama likes ‘em kind of chubby and cuddly.  Especially her tabbies.  And Kafka is happy to oblige – he’s obsessed with his food, and everyone else’s as well.  Today we found out that he weighs exactly what he weighed at his last vet visit – 16 pounds – so he’s kept off a little bit of his chub.  The vet was surprised – she said that fat cats usually swing in weight – so Kafka did us proud.  Unfortunately his chin was also on the chubby side, and the vet said that it was an abscess – and that’s why it was getting so big, so fast.  She would drain it with a needle and syringe (and apparently he managed to fill up an entire syringe with the icky stuff that was inside his growth)!

You can see that he got a little shaved under his chin, and that’s the spot that the needle did it’s work.

So far so good, he’s going to get pumped with daily antibiotics and – I’m sure – treats, so here’s to hoping that he makes a speedy and full recovery.  It’s amazing that he’s never acted sick at all – I’d be milking this for some “treats and sympathy”…

Tonight there was some mail for me – a little something from the folks at Greenies!

They’re Pill Pockets treats – made to try to disguise pills when we have to take them.  I can tell you from the get-go that they just aren’t going to work.  Firstly, I don’t need to take any pills right now, and secondly, well, how hard is it to distinguish a nasty pill inside of a tasty treat?  Roll ‘em around in your mouth, spit out the pill, it’s SIMPLE.

Oh look – they also sent some for felines.  This is Sekhmet.  She was willing to take one for the team and try one, but she doesn’t need any medicine right now either.  But she’s happy to help…

Instead I got to munch on one of these Whole Meals bars.  We got them at the Pets in the Pearl event, and haven’t had a chance to try them yet.  The bag smells good…

Oh yeah, this seems like it will do the trick…

Love,

Bogart

BookmAIREk Me!

Love,

Bogart

BookmAIREk Me!

I spent much of this past week at Dale Day Care – yup, that’s Mareike’s house – hanging with my buddies. I gotta tell you, as many cool things as there are here in Los Angeles, the ONLY one I’m gonna miss is Mareike’s house. And my Dale buddies.

And even the kitties that live at the Dale house…

Love,

Bogart

BookmAIREk Me!

For all of those doggies freaked out by our feline cousins, you have been warned. There are CATS in today’s post.

And now back to our regularly scheduled program.

Sorry I haven’t written in a few days… my week has been fun as always, but this furry tabby has kind of been the star for the past few days. But I’ll get to that in a moment.

Firstly, I got a special delivery this week from Keeley!!!

Yup, the box smelled yummy so I was sure it was for meeeeeeeee!

Fantastic yummo yummo treats inside!!! THANKS KEELEY, mom couldn’t catch any photos of me actually eating them because I scarfed ‘em down super fast. They were DELICIOUS…

My kitty brother Behemoth. Guarding the succulents that dad cut from the park.

He did a thorough check to make sure that all was well because dad is going to bring them over to plant in Mareike’s garden.

This is Willie. The long-haired orange tabby from earlier in this post.

Willie arrived at our house on Tuesday. His mama, who was a good friend of my mama and dad, passed away over the weekend. She knew how much we always loved both her and Willie, so he has come to live with us. So far he’s really unsure about the whole thing (I know that he misses his mama a whole lot), and I don’t think he’s ever seen a dog before. Certainly not one as handsome as I. He’s also not really sure about the other kitties yet. I’m trying to make him feel welcome (I do love all kitties, I just can’t help myself), but he mostly hides under the bed and under my sofa. Oh, and he goes camping outside on the terrace in the Willie Tent (it’s a blue cat tent from Ikea – I’m going to try to get a picture of him in it). We all want to make him feel welcome and to know that he’s got a happy home now, any advice on things I can do to make him happy?

Love,

Bogart

BookmAIREk Me!

This is Behemoth (and dad’s foot).  Praying to the god of the heater.  Kitties like to do this, I’ve discovered, and Behemoth spends an inordinate amount of time in this prayer position.  I’m not sure if the heater hears all of his prayers, but it does keep him (and dad’s toes) warm.

Love,

Bogart

BookmAIREk Me!

This is Kafka.  He’s my little tabby brother (he’s not really little as you can see – he’s a “husky” gentleman, very interested in gastronomy).  Since it’s been raining, he’s been searching out new spots to curl up and keep warm.

I think this is a pretty cool spot – he fits kind of purrfectly!

I love my kitties – even though they kick my butt on a regular basis, they’re my best buddies and we do occasionally curl up together…

This is Kafka’s “Oh…. Yeah” face.

Love,

Bogart

BookmAIREk Me!

Mom woke up this morning and we didn’t have any cat food in the house.  Now those of you who don’t have kitties may not understand what this means, and the terror that could ensue.

My cat buddies are SERIOUS about their morning can.  They’ve just gotta have it, and if there is nothing in the house well then mom better run down to the store IMMEDIATELY to rectify the situation.  This has happened in the past, and I agree with mom that it’s best to just get the kitties what they want and no one will get hurt.

But then she had a revelation, one that literally saved the day.

The last time that dad was in Austria, he brought back two packets of Austrian cat food for the kitties… and we still had ‘em!!!

Kafka (the orange tabby) and Behemoth (the grey and white spotted guy) inspected the packages for quality control.  Kafka is the biggest cat, so it was important that he gave his OK.

Sekhmet (the all-black girlie) purred her approval…

Aeon (the brown tabby) needed little convincing to try to tear open the packet herself…

Whew – crisis averted.

I’ve spent the last few days at Mareike’s house – the gal that has my 3 favorite Dales – and it’s been a BLAST.  Supposedly we’re there because dad is working – ok, he’s doing some gardening and pulling down trees, but I’m working too – I’m doing some stick rearrangement (especially when he gets them all bundled together, I like to arrange them more to my taste), some digging (ok, I’m mostly refilling holes that he’s made but what does he know about digging holes?) and the occasional cheeseburger (mmm, cheeseburger).   No photos of course, I don’t think that dad even remembered to bring the camera over.  Ah well.

Oh, and today is MOM’S BIRTHDAY!!!  BIG AIRE KISSES for the coolest mom!!!

Love,

Bogart

BookmAIREk Me!

I am TOTALLY excited, I’m a guy who LOVES MY KITTIES!  I know that not all dogs like cats, and I am aware of the commonly-held belief that dogs and cats are enemies, but I do share my life with 4 of the little furry critters and I’ve gotta say that not only have they taught me a LOT (how to pull down the bag of treats so that Kafka – the orange tabby – can rip it open and we can all feast on cat treats) but they spend every day with me, sometimes we even sleep together.

So if ya like the felines like I do, check out:

Willow

China Cat

Love,

Bogart

BookmAIREk Me!

As always, I can take absolutely no responsibility for not updating the blog for a few days. We all know who’s fault that is. Yes she’s typing now, but I really feel that if she thinks it’s important enough to drag her butt out to work that surely it must be equally as – if not more – important to sit down to take my fuzzy dictation and update the blog. She flaunts the fact that she has those silly opposable thumbs so often, you’d think that she’d actually want to USE them occasionally…

But I digress.

This has been a fun week indeed, with dad back at home and the walks nice and long. It’s getting hot here tho, which means that I generally sleep in the middle of the day rather than frolic outside (I tell you, that asphalt gets damn hot and the humans with their shoes on really cannot appreciate how hot it can get…). So here’s a quick update – in photos:

This is my cat brother Behemoth. He’s wise beyond his years. He teaches me many things.

For instance, we mediate together…

Sometimes I do it wrong and require some remedial education… luckily he generally keeps the claws sheathed so I just get her verbal cues (and facial expressions) and I get the point.

I spent LOTS of time in the park this week, running and hiking with mom and dad. It’s pretty hot so instead of noontime in the park it’s usually 3pm-ish.

This is just behind our building, the area that we walk in all the time… it’s less smoggy than usual so you can see the hills in the background (most days you can’t)…

YOU ARE HERE

I love ya dad…

Love,

Bogart

BookmAIREk Me!

As you can see, mom is working hard on my Christmas cards for the Dogs with Blogs Xmas Card Exchange… I have her well trained, she’s shackled to the computer until they are DONE.  I noticed when I gave her a little wiggle room she just didn’t work as hard as I thought she should (but… but… but… she’d say, the printer isn’t working again!!!).  There was always an excuse.  The printer isn’t working, I’m out of paper, I’m out of ink, my fingers are bleeding, blah blah blah.

So today while I’m out getting my daily workout with my personal trainer Heidi, I’ve left Behemoth the cat in charge.  He’s going to sit there all day until mom finishes.  He has assured me that should she decide to leave the desk for any length of time (except for a few well-placed quickie pee breaks) that he will “take care of the problem”.  I’ve seen him in action before – his special pee could peel paint off the walls – so I didn’t ask what he had in mind.  I just reminded mom to “be a good girl” before I left with dad this morning.

Let’s hope she listens.

Love,

Bogart

BookmAIREk Me!

Ok, this is HILARIOUS

Love,

Bogart

BookmAIREk Me!

Today we had a huge scare!!!

Remember Aeon, the cute tabby I introduced you to that lives with us?  Well today she was jumping around our terrace and she “missed” a jump – and flew off the terrace onto the ground!!!  Mom was really really scared because Aeon had a bloody nose, and she and dad stuffed her into my old carrier (the one I arrived in – it’s waaaaay too small for me now) and took her to the vet.  She got out of the carrier onto the exam table and immediately drew blood from the vet’s hand (that’s our Aeon – mom warned him that she’s evil!).

They took x-rays of her to make sure that she wasn’t bleeding internally – and it looks like she’s gonna be okay.  She’s going to be confined in mom’s office with Sekhmet, (the only cat I haven’t introduced you to yet) and I’m sure that’s going to be interesting… guess I won’t be able to go into the office for a bit while the girls settle their “differences” and get used to being roommates…

But we’re all just really, really glad that she’s ok.  She’s a flying tigress!!!

Love,

Bogart

BookmAIREk Me!

This is Aeon.

She is another one of the cats that shares my home.

She is certifiably insane. No, I mean it. Really. Full on. Hardcore. Completely bonkers.

Mom and dad got her about 7 years ago when she was a baby – she was a movie lot kitten, and from what I hear was incredibly adorable as a little kitty. But now she’s insane. She has her own area out on our terrace that she likes – that NO ONE ELSE is allowed onto. She bites everyone except mom, and hacks away at you with her paws if you try to touch her.

Just thought I’d introduce you to her. So you can see what I have to put up with sharing my life with cats and humans…

Anyway, today started with another romp at the dog park – always a good time. Here are assorted images of some of my favorite dogs:

Tonight it was time to play everyone’s favorite Airedale game…

“No One Ever Feeds Me”

First one must look pathetically up at the owner who is eating at the table. A calm entreat for attention and oh, just a few scraps is the mood to conjure.

Then look away dramatically – think Theda Bara – pretending that no, no, you couldn’t possibly take any of the precious food away from the human when it is first offered.

Walking away – just for dramatic effect, of course – will usually get their attention.  MAKE THEM WANT TO FEED YOU.

Find a cold spot that looks uncomfortable to the humans and lay down.  Begin chewing on that nasty, bug-filled stick you insisted on dragging into the house this morning.  Chew lightly, then look up.  Repeat.

By this time, dad will not be moved but MOM WILL – and the food will magically arrive in your dish.  Mom will even let you know that it’s there (because you’re still feigning disinterest and general weakness from lack of nutrition) and encourage you to eat heartily.  Then mom will yell at dad and you may dine.

Love,
Bogart

BookmAIREk Me!