Well We're Meowin On Up, To The Purr Side.

It's another sleepy Monday morning here in Hippo-land, and I'm still recovering from a weekend without Baxter and Katie. They went to Philadelphia and left me here all alone, without even the back sliding door open to stare out at the backyard! Luckily, I've met a number of kitty friends in the backyard who run free, so we were able to coordinate a party of sorts on Saturday night here in the Hippo abode.

Animal Planet was showing Big Cat Magic, which is a show I highly recommend, as it is all about big cats, and who doesn't think big cats are magic? We gorged on chow, held races up and down the stairs, and generally had a meow-tastic time. We invited the skunk that lives in the backyard, but unlike Pepe LePew, he does not seem interested in taking a kitty lover. Maybe next time, when Katie and Baxter go to a debate tournament!

I also learned how to play around with some photos, as you might be able to tell from my gorgeous new blog header. I also made this photo, with the help of some Flickr tools:

Sometimes I think it is criminal how a-purr-ably cute I am. My playful side has been out in full force as of late as well, so you should be jealous that you haven't been playing with me and the feather toy. It has been fanCATstic.

The stairs are such a good place to continue my playing, as they give me multiple options for scratching and hanging and generally freaking Baxter out, who is not inclined to let me harm myself. I try to tell him I'm a teenager now and all grown up, but he will NOT believe me. He's so pushy sometimes.

Of course, when it comes right down to it, they'll never deny me anything, because I am too cute for words.

Out Here in the Meow, I Work For My Chow

It’s a delightful evening tonight, so says this Hippo-bear. I can hardly pull myself away from the beauty of sitting along this window and keeping watch for the skunk that has been roaming around outside. I’ve been told that there is a cartoon skunk known for being romantically inclined towards kitties, which is obviously ridiculous. The few experiences I have had with the skunky suggests that it is interested primarily in garbage. Perhaps interested only in garbage, though the items on the back porch do not really allow it to express a diversity of interests.

I was helping Baxter work on his dissertation this afternoon and purring up a storm when I realized that I could play a fantastically interesting game called “knock toys down the stairs.” At this point I have only successfully been able to do this with small catnip flavored mousies and the like, but I have big plans to roll my two story cat condo down the stairs and ride it log-rolling style.

Its weird, I had my birthday a little over a week ago, but I don’t feel especially different. I am, however officially a teenaged meowcat. I was not the Dana fan that Baxter is, but her version of “Baba O’Reilly” inspired the recent love that I have developed for The Who. I was thinking of forming a Persian kitty cover band called The Mew, but as of yet, I have spent my time playing with new toys and getting the most out of the cat days of summer.

Nonetheless, I would be pretty pawesome as a rock and roll kitty. A couple of photos should illustrate this adequately.

In the first, we see that I have the face to be on the cover of our first album, Rolling Stone, Cat Fancy, whatever.


Additionally, I am a rebel. Even though Baxter constantly reminds me that we do not play with electrical cords, I do it when he is not looking. Maybe, when Katie is looking, or when someone is looking just enough to take a picture of me and then giggle as I leap up the stairs.



Occasionally I party really hard and enjoy a bit too much catnip and I pass out right in my toy basket. Its not the bathtub or a hotel hallway, but I have freaking standards. Not to mention the nip always gives me enough of a boost to get somewhere that is at least blanket lined.



I am not a big Orgy fan or anything, but if The Mew needed to tap into the Hot Topic crowd, I think I could probably go goth for a while. I mean, I’m not gonna invest in a case of kitten eyeliner or anything, but a hint of vamp here and there can bring in the whole spikey bracelet crowd.



Finally, it doesn’t hurt anything that I can belt it out when necessary. I’m not a loud kitty, but I have the pipes for some purrific notes when I need it. GOOD NIGHT MINNEAPOLIS!! WE LOVE YOU!!



Hippo Out!

Go Hippo, It's Your Birthday, We're Going to Meow-Purr like it's Your Birthday!

I apologize for the lame birthday song reference, but it was all this pretty kitty could come up with to announce that I am, in fact, 2 years old! Despite the fact that my MySpace profile says otherwise, Saturday I turned 2 (or 14 in kitty years)! Katie and Baxter brought me some lovely presents, and I had a purr-tastic evening watching Animal Planet and gorging on Cat Chow. I don't really like any kitty food besides my be-meow-ed Purina Cat Chow, but toys are always appreciated around here. And I took in quite a haul; in fact, I got so many purr-sents that I haven't even taken them all out of the packaging, because there was just too much to play with all at one time!

First, Katie and Baxter donated some money to the PetCo animal charities on my purr-half, so I am officially a fur-lanthropist, and this makes me immensely proud. (Before anyone gets too excited, though, this purr-ty kitty would like to note that the donation was 23 cents, because PetCo has an awesome idea where you can round up your purchase to the nearest dollar and donate the rest. This is a meow-tacular idea, and all merchants should purr-ticipate, because all monetary transactions should be done in whole dollar amounts any-meows, so donation = purr-fect solution!)

Second, they got me a new stick with feather toy! I love sticks with feathers! And this one has a bell, so it is extra super fur-tacular. Here is the close-up of my toy:


And here is how much I love it!


I also got an awesome new catnip toy, because I LOVE the catnip. It is a cute fishy that rolls around on the floor with catnip inside, and although I haven't totally mastered the art of playing with this toy, it fur-scinates me.


I mean, I was totally into the whole toy thing, but the orange fishy is going to be my fur-vorite toy soon, I can just meow it.


My final toy set is these catnip mousies, which I haven't even opened because my other toys were so totally awesome. But primary colors are the new pastels, so I can only imagine the fun in store for meow.


The reason I didn't get to play with them is because I totally got distracted by this rubber band, which was not a birthday present but was thoroughly a-meow-sing to all parties involved:


Finally, Katie and I took my official 2nd birthday portrait, which I hope that you will enjoy as much as I did. Because I am beautiful.

Thanks for Making Me A Biter!

Meow! I know that it has been millions of feline-years since this pretty kitty has updated, but my audience will forgive me for a few lovely photographs, purr? Pretty purr?

Moving has really taken a lot out of the Hippo. There have been stairs to explore, the occasional spider to eat, and a whole new set of windows to look out of at all new animals in the yard. It has tired me out.

In addition, there has been the addition of new fur-niture to my purr-tastic abode, so I have had to sit on it, and occasionally claw it, just to test out my clawing abilities. Don't worry, Katie and Baxter, I won't scratch up the new couch like the last one! Meow! Luckily, my favorite part of the new couch is its meow-rific nap accomodations.

There has also been an abundance of play-time here at the Hippo Castle. See how great the couch is as a springboard?

Un-fur-tunately, sometimes my toys get away from here. The couch works as a jungle-gym in that situation, letting me work as the jungle cat that I am!
This week looks to be a busy one: I still haven't sent out my housewarming notes as I had intended; I shall have to meow up a picture that is formal enough to send, no pussy-footing around it. Katie and I had purred about taking one outside with the two of us, but my artistic kitten ways have some other ideas. I won't tell you them now, but if I know you, you may be getting such a letter soon!

I will leave you with one precious photograph of my kitten-likeness, taken by Baxter while Katie was at the World Debate Institute, which I like because it keeps me in kitten chow but keeps Katie far away where I cannot sit in her lap at all hours of the day.

~meow~

Editors Meow:

As a result of my un-purr-tunate laziness, I have decided that order needs to be installed at this meow-tastic online space. After all, how can I purr-fect my HTML skills if I never update? How will Persian kitties of the world become more active or well-recognized? How will I continue to fight for reproductive freedom and an end to rampant Persian kitty discrimination? So order it is. For now, I will be updating this fur-ociously entertaining blog every Monday, just like today. I will still send out Notify list posts, but thought everyone might like a meow's-up on the happenings around here at Adventures in Hippo Land.

P.S. (Purr Script): I am actually a lover, not a biter, but mad props to Christina Aguilera! Meow Meow Purr!

Purrs and Smooches,
Hippo