Hippo Outtakes, Take 2

My end photo actually is similar to this one, but this one went drastically awry. I don't know if it's my facial expression or what, but somehow it just didn't turn out right.

Who knew that this svelte cat could look chubby with the wrong shirt?

Hippo Cards: Outtakes

Today Katie and Baxter subjected this pretty kitty to the horrifying embarrassment of taking Christmas photos. Now, I like sending out pictures of my purr-tiful face to everyone I know as much as the next cat, but I must admit that the actual taking of the photos is not my favorite part. But since I know that my blog audience is made up of people who like to see me suffer, I thought I would present some of the most hilarious of my photos as a funny reel. Don't ever meow that I didn't give you anything.

I really wanted to eat the nativity. Perhaps that's what made one of my eyes stay shut.

All I want for Christmas is My Hippo-Meow

This Hippo is considering having a Christmas Party; would anyone like to come? This is my pretty party dress, and I would wear it to the party. I also appreciate gifts and cards, even though I am not looking forward to the ridiculousness that accompanies shooting my christmas Photo. But at least my loyal readers have that to look forward to.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Hippo

Even though it is cold outside, this Hippo-bear has been having a great time laying on the couch and sitting on a blanket with Katie and Baxter. The white blanket and white fur is especially flattering, and I would love it if more people could come visit. It's also awesome because it gives me a chance to marvel at the similarities between snow and shets and blankets and hippos. Oh, and did I mention my fleas are going away?

I Am a Hippo Caught Between Two Worlds

I am sitting mostly by the window tonight, watching the snow fall down, like soft strands of my fluffy white fur. I suppose the snow is often quite like my fur, as it covers everything and makes it somehow all seem happy and new, touched by the grace of something which may no longer be present but rings of happiness and comfort.

But in general I have moved towards sitting here, on the threshold between the kitchen and the living room and, more importantly, between cool and refreshing and warm and relaxing. I am such a kozy kitten (one who absolutely adores purr-poseful quaint misspellings), you see, that I have diverse and fascinating ways of being comfy. I contain multiples. I love the cool smooth shinyness of the kitchen floor, both for slide-based scampering and for the rush as it lightly chills my fur. At the same time, keeping my tummy pressed against the carpet makes me meow with contentment. Especially when the weather outside turns frighful, we all need a Hippo, who is, of course, so delightful.

Thankfully, Katie and Baxter have taught me a debate trick that solves this dilemma: the PURRmutation!!!

Purrs and Smooches,

Hippo

Deck the Halls with Meowing Hippos!

Katie and Baxter went to the grocery store today and got all sorts of goodies for the making of Christmas treats. As a purr-tiful persian kitten, I tend to keep myself to the persual and consumption of kitten chow, but as of recently, I have switched food in order to facilitate the emergence of my beautiful smile, which the vet says is being hidden by tartar. So far it is quite scrumptious, and so I can understand why it is that Baxter and Katie would want to make special foodstuffs for the holidays.

But what I can't understand is why they would do this by going to the grocery store rather than laying on the couch and taking a nap. They really should look into getting someone to fetch their food for them, like I have done.

Bad Hippo Santa

This is not my official Christmas photograph, but i thought that my viewers would get a kick out of the first of the outtakes, because I am an awesome Grumpy Santa Kitten. I think that I shall patent this phrase, though I can't really imagine another kitten in all the land who could play the role of the awesome Grumpy Santa Kitten better than moi. You cannot see the phrase "Santa's Little Helper" on the back, but let me assure you, there will be many a photo in the upcoming weeks to get you in the mood for the meow-riffic season.

I am a Purring Rock Star!

Did I mention that this beautiful Persian kitten was the Catster Cat of the Day last Thursday? They don’t keep a record of them, so I can’t prove it, but if you want to see the email, I might be able to be purr-vinced to forward it to you. As a result of my awesome cuteness, many people have left me treats and given me rosettes and visited this blog, so hello, new people! Strike one for smooshy faced kitties everywhere!

How Can Anyone Resist this A-Purr-Able Face?

Nothing Says Winter For Kitties Like Blankets and Shopping

This winter has just been exhausting. Even though I haven't left the house except to go the vet that one time, between the shopping and napping, I just haven't had much time to myself. I mean, I've watched some TV, and the blankets are always nice, but sometimes a kitty just needs to be, you know what I mean?

Luckily, it's Christmas season, so I've got a little time to catch up, take a snooze, and shop online for presents for all my kitty pals in the townhouse complex.

Riding in Cars With Hippos

Katie and I went to the vet on Wednesday. I did not appreciate such things, as I am generally a kitten who does not like to leave the house. I wouldn't say that I'm agoraphobic purr se, but I have totally enjoyed the ways in which I have not had to leave the house since moving to Purr-chester this July. I tried to make my concerns known in the car on the way there, and my meows were met with much fawning. As usual, the vet was incredibly nice to me (the public loves me!) and hopefully the fleas that seem to have infested my beautiful fur will be solved soon by the medicine they gave me.

Plus, Katie made me ride in my carrier (even though I had my favorite purple blanket, so it wasn't all that bad) and we all know I prefer to lay on the console and glance out at the world around me.


Purrs and Smooches,
Hippo

Hippo-dailies!

Peekaboo!

I caved and decided that if Katie and my auntie Karly could do this Holidailies thing, the Hippo-bear could too. Plus, it can be my Christmas Present to all my adoring fans out there. The thoughts I conjure for the month will probably not be as long as my normal Monday entries, but I promise there will be photographs, and that I will try to delve deep into my kitty subconscious to find many anecdotes and personal facts that you might have missed between the sumptuous white fur and cute button nose.

But for today, a little game of hide and seek; it is one of my favorites. Baxter tells me that the Rochester debaters are really into Connect 4, but I consider that beneath my tiger-like intelligence. Hiding and then pouncing is a much more useful skill.



Purrs and Smooches,

Hippo

The Many-faced Napitude of the Elusive Hippo-bear

It was a Hippolicious holiday weekend, and though I kept my feasting to chow and catnip, I am really not in significant need of tryptophan anyway. I suppose chipotle cheddar mashed potatoes would help me get a nice little kitten nap as well, or maybe they would just give me enough spice to fire a run up and down the stairs.

Irregardless, there was no shortage of kitten-like naps over this long weekend. There were as many different varieties of nappage as there were situations over the weekend. On Thursday for instance, Baxter and Katie divided their time fairly evenly between frantic kitchen antics and time on the couch. Hence I divided my time between keeping their spots warm for them:



and snuggling with Katie as she waited for rolls to rise, pie crusts to bake or cakes to cool nearby:



Those were not my only types of sleep of course, since I had to sneak in fairly quick naps (for a Hippo at least) while my friends went out to see a play:



and also got the opportunity to have day long napstravaganzas while the crazy people who keep me in chow went shopping on the day after the turkey-bird:



Anyway you slice it, Hippos love to nap and we do it very well. There is virtually no where that I cannot sleep and virtually no time I can’t enjoy it. More proof is necessary. I submit my final exhibit; even if the impromptu pile of laundry at the bottom of the stairs is only going to be there for an hour or so, I can squeeze in a couple of persian-riffic snoozes.



Alright, blogging, not surprisingly, makes me a tired Hippo. Off to look for something soft and cuddly…like me!

Purrs and Smooches,

Hippo

Meowy Purr-sgiving!

As we approach this Thanksgiving season, my Hippo-ness is aware that there is a great feast ahead. All my human friends will sit down at the table with a giant bird, some delicious mashed potatoes, and various other delights. While I might choose to take a lick of the whipped cream when no one is watching, I for the most part prefer to stick with chow.

While I understand that Thanksgiving is a gluttonous holiday for you folks, when it comes to the Hippo-bear, every day is a chance to eat to my little Persian heart is content. I admit that I am not the cleanest kitten on the planet, and I occasionally have a tendency to well, be less than perfectly contained:


You might say (I’m a meower, but I’m not the only purr…) that I could be a cleaner kitten. But, I say to you, why don’t you try to eat the delightful Country Bread Stuffing with Smoked Ham and Goat Cheese that Baxter is making this Thursday with your adorably flat Persian face smashed into the bowl. I think you’ll end up much messier and far less glorious.

Anyway, I am extremely thankful to have laps to lay on, couches to curl up on, blankets to snooze on and great friends and admirers throughout the world. I will join you all on Thursday, as deep in my chow as you are in gravy. Happy Turkey Day everyone!


Purrs and Smooches,

Hippo

Debate Hippo

So I must admit, weekends where there are debate tournaments but only one of my friends Katie or Baxter is gone are my favorite kind of debate weekends. It's not that I don't enjoy being alone, because I do. This pretty kitty likes to have time for introspection and pondering the uni-purr-se, but I also like to have a friend at my demand, should I need anything. This weekend, with Katie at home and Baxter at the Wake Forest Debate Tournament in Winston-Salem, NC, was perfect. Katie did laundry, so I got plenty of chances to dart in and out of the laundry room (which they insist on keeping locked much of the time, and which I totally do not understand, as there are cobwebs to run into and spiders to bat, not to mention large machinery to hide behind). We watched much TV, including 3 movies, and a few episodes of the View, which I heart, as I purr Rosie O'Donnell.

This weekend, though, I decided that the best thing for me to do to get to see a little more of the country would be to debate for the University of Rochester. So I started by exercizing my jaw, getting ready to read aloud.


I did some speed drills, but all they did was make my mouth tired.


Then I decided to take a break, do a little research, and gear up for much work.


After all that hard work, I thought about writing some arguments out, practicing my second affirmative constructive, but then I decided that it would be better to take a nap in my tub.

I Have a Hobby, I Maintain the World's Largest Collection of Sea Shells, Perhaps You've Seen It, I Keep it Scattered On Beaches All Over the World

Meowy meow. With Halloween in the past and the insanity of the constant buzz surrounding the question of how adorable I would be in my lobster costume behind me, I am a fairly laid back kitten until Thanksgiving time. Baxter and Katie were around all weekend, petting me, brushing me, and generally enjoying what I like to call the Hipposity of the world. There were admittedly large stretches where they had taken off to places that seemed to be either work at the debate office, a trip to the Orchestra and a Packers’ game.

So I have developed a new primary hobby, as the quote from one of my favorite comedians above indicates. (Steven Wright, by the way. One liners fit my attention span.) It is not done to the exclusion of my other hobbies, like eating chow, batting at string or playing on the stairs. My brand new hobby:



That is correct. Sitting on the back of the couch. You might be tempted to say, “Hey Hippo. How’s it goin. Lovely day isn’t it. Oh, you haven’t been to the window today to see the weather outside? You should, its lovely. Anyway, I don’t think that sitting on the back of the couch itself necessarily constitutes a hobby.” I would say this to you, however: 1) Your argument contradicts itself. I have been so busy in my hobby that I have not even made it over to the beautiful window today to look outside. 2) You obviously know little about sitting on the back of the couch. Here’s a brief rundown.

You can sit in multiple directions, to analyze the geometry of the living room, to look alternately at the stairs, the TV, the kitchen, or either the front or back door. Here is me checking out the patio.



You can wrap your tail around your face, either to curl up all like an adorable red panda or to do a Darkwing Duck impression. Darkwing Duck is a great show by the way, I have been downloading reruns. Anyway, here I am, wrapped up like a Hippo in a blanket, aka, The Hippo Burrito.



But for the most part I am still just attempting to master the most basic component of sitting on the back of the couch. Some would say it was the preliminaries, but in reality, it is like the serve is to tennis, like putting is to golf. It takes more practice than you think, but I am putting in my hours. Cuz ladies and gents, the meat and potatoes of sitting on the back of the couch, is napping. And I will leave you with one last shot as I get back to my hobby of the week.



Purrs and Smooches,

Hippo