Owner: 2 Bengal Kittens... and a Huge Maine Coon URL:http://starbuckandtorrey.blogspot.com Join Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2007 03:27:58 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: Come visit my two bengal kittens from Australia and my huge maine coon from the UK who all live with me in Hong Kong, the city of lights! Site statistics:Click here
WSPA: World Society for the Protection of Animals 2007-10-15 20:30:00 It's our 100th post!!!! I can't believe it's been 100 already! It may look long, but please read on!It'll be worth it! To mark my 100th post, I thought it would be only too fitting to bring the attention of anyone visiting to the WSPA - the WorldSociety
for the Protection
of Animals
. Little did I know until I visited their site recently, that the 4th - 10th October '07 was World Animal Week. I missed it, but I didn't miss signing in support of the Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare (UDAW) and I would love it if everyone could do the same! This is a really important declaration that would help to protect the rights of animals worldwide.Here's the WSPA blurb: It's a time when we can join forces and make that extra effort to help animals everywhere. By working together we really can reduce animal suffering worldwide and bring the end of animal cruelty that little bit closer. We can do this best of all by supporting the Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare. (UDAW
Eating Cats and Dogs: Help Stop It!!! 2007-10-15 00:22:00 .We've just been organising for Animals Asia to come into school to do their "Professor Paws" programme with our Grade 1 children and it got me thinking that I should let everyone know about how wonderful they are! Animals Asia is a Hong Kong-based charity, dedicated to ending cruelty and restoring respect for all animals in Asia.The veterinary practise I go to was also started by the same amazing woman who started Animals Asia. You may have heard of the Animals Asia Moon Bear Rescue programme that goes into China and rescues bears. So far they have rescued 500 farmed bears and are trying to end bear farming forever. That is just one of their many programmes. The main issue that they are trying to change that is of special interest to me, is they are trying to stop the practise ofEATING CATS AND DOGS!!!This is not a joke!Thankfully it doesn't happen in Hong Kong: it's illegal as we were a British colony; however, in China the practise continues. It's horrible and I can't think a
Desktop Meme from the Cat Realm 2007-10-12 00:26:00 I got tagged for this meme by Karl over at the Cat Realm! Yay!This is my desktop as it is onThursday, 12th October '07. Needless to say, it is this picture of Starbuck that caught my eye while searching for a bengal breeder. I fell in love with him and didn't imagine for a minute that he would still be available. He was and now he's mine and he's more than I could ever have hoped or dreamed of! And little did I know at the time, but I was going to be getting two! (P.S. I checked numerous countries, breeders and even breeds i.e. Savannah before deciding on my boys. It took months and months! I was amazed that I came back to the very first pics I saw! I was even on wait lists and everything before I saw him and I was immediately hooked!) P.S. I got my days mixed up and posted my T13 on Tuesday by accident! Sorry! Here are the meme rules:Upon receiving this tag, immediately perform a screen capture of your desktop.It is best that no icons be deleted before the screen capture so as to Read more:Desktop
Torrey Up Close - T13 (My First) 2007-10-08 19:21:00 The three boys were on my bed a while back and sleeping soundly. I quickly grabbed my camera and took some shots of them, trying to get some close-ups of my very shy boy, Torrey - a marbled bengal.Torrey is tricolored, meaning he has three colours that are filled with amazing 'glitter' - which doesn't show on any pictures I have except for when he was a kitten (this pic was taken of Torrey at 8 weeks).His pattern is swirly and very pretty! Lots of sparkly colour!Whoops! He woke up so I backed off until he started snoozing again!Torrey is unusual as he has rosettes starting to form within his pattern, even though he is a marbled bengal and rosettes are usually only seen in spotted bengals. The rosettes are getting more and more defined as he gets older (even though you can't see them properly in the pics!) and are now tan coloured in the centre, gold around the outside and dark brown around the gold. Very funky.But he doesn't have any rosettes on his right side, only his left!Here Read more:First
, Close
A Couple of Starbuck 2007-10-07 20:25:00 Here are two pics taken during our 'photo session' on my bed that I particularly like! More coming tomorrow as I've prepared a huge photo T13 of Torrey up close!I like these two pics of of Starbuck (although I know the second one is out of focus, I still like it!). I should probably have saved the first one for Tuesday Tummies, but ah well... I case you're wondering, Starbuck in the first pic has jumped up and grabbed a tambourine. What can be seen in this pic are the tambourine ribbons as the tambourine falls on top of him! Ha ha... it was funny to watch!"Hey! What are you looking at! I'm still a little dazed and confused from being hit on the head by a big noisy wooden thing!!!"SNEAK PREVIEW!!!....................................................And here is a preview of a post I'll post later on this week. Starbuck has figured out how to jump onto the top of my bathroom door and across to the shower curtain rod. I've got the whole escapade in detailed pics! I'll post soon! I
Evil Cat (a.k.a. "Sick of Being a Fashion Model cat!") 2007-10-04 23:31:00 Leave me alone! I'm sleeping!!!Hmm... maybe if I ignore her she'll go away!These pics were taken of Sebastian, on my bed, in the middle of what can only be described as a 'fashion shoot'! The boys had been sleeping and I thought I would get some great shots of Torrey's coat while he was sleeping (I did and will post them soon!).This shot is of Sebastian as he tells me he is sick of being a model and would like some peace and quiet!P.P.S. Remember to go and visit my friend over at 'Fate of the Animals'. She has a "Art Cat Revelation" on her blog today! She is an amazing artist and loves cats!Psst... she would really love some comments, too! Read more:Fashion
A New Blog! 2007-10-04 08:17:00 A friend of mine has just started a new blog and I thought you may all be interested in visiting! It's called 'Fate of the Animals' and it has a beautiful pic of a kitty that she saw in Cyprus!Go visit! It's fun!P.S. I can't post pics at all from home. I'm going to have to be content with words from home. How boring!Ah well, go over and check out the new blog!P.S. Please leave a COMMENT for her! It's a long post so you'll have to scroll down a way to comment. Thanks!
Top 100 Cat Sites! 2007-10-02 02:31:00 Yay!!! Look! I got into the top 100 cat sites! I've been waiting for a few weeks now and, today, I finally got in! It's a nice surprise after not being able to post for a while!I went in at 148 when I first joined up, and I've gone up everyday. I'm going to keep blogging and hopefully I'll keep going up! Yay! Read more:Sites
I can't post pics!!! 2007-10-01 00:50:00 I don't know what's wrong but I can't post any pics!!! I sometimes have this problem from home (I usually post from work). I guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow (Tuesday) to post the posts I've prepared! How annoying! No posts since Thursday! Oh well... check back tomorrow.
Chim Chim - Part 2 2007-09-26 13:13:00 So, Chim Chim is now happy with a family that has four children and a big house! But he still comes to visit from time to time when his new family are on vacation, which is fantastic as I get to see him! He's still fantastic and is maturing nicely. Anyway, the first time he came to visit, the cats were freaked. They were not ready for a visit and so it ended up with three accidents on the sofa and one or two on my housemate's bed. Not fun. So, this time he came to visit I dedicated the dining room and living room as his area, and everything behind the hall door as the cats area. Life was good! But I had to take these pics of my lovely cats trying to figure out what was on the other side of the door! They could smell him but they couldn't see him. So, they camped out by the door. These pics were taken at 2am and so the quality isn't great as I had to modify them. I just thought they were too funny!If you look carefully, you can see Chim Chim's sillouette through the door!I'll post
Pictures for Maggy and Zoey 2007-09-26 04:44:00 Yay! We got funky pictures made by Maggy and Zoey over at Zoolatry! I hope you all like them as much as we do! We think they are wonderful! Thank you, Maggy and Zoey!StarbuckTorrey Read more:Pictures
Chim Chim - Part 1 2007-09-24 03:54:00 Before getting my wonderful bengal kittens, I had decided to get a dog instead as a companion for Sebastian. I did my research and finally decided on a long haired chihuahua (spelling?). You may think strange choice, but for an apartment in Hong Kong - perfect! And they get along well with other animals and, if trained properly, do not make lots of noice. I didn't actually know if any of this was true, but, for Chinese New Year, I got a tiny, black and white chihuahua named 'Sooty'. He was beautiful! A ball of fuzz! And he didn't make a noise! Yay! I had searched all of Hong Kong for him and he was perfect!(Doesn't he look just like a toy! He loved being on his back!)Little did I know, that I am NOT, in any way, a dog person. Growing up in Hong Kong I had pets, but all small enough to fit into a cage or a tank i.e. hamsters, fish, turtles and rabbits. Even getting Sebastian had been an experiment to see whether or not I was cut out for having pets (and I never, in a million years,
Torrey Close Ups 2007-09-21 13:00:00 Trying to get close up pics of Torrey can be challenging as he doesn't like cameras! Usually pictures are from afar and then cropped and zoomed to get closer!But on this day, Torrey was more interested in playing with his mouse than avoiding the camera! So, I got a few pics - awful background (my boxes of teaching resources which I store in the dining room!), but at least I got some Torrey pics without having to do the hold zoom and crop!I still haven't mastered light and so you can't see any of his contrast or glitter. If you get up really close, he has rosettes and what looks black is actually three colours - black lined with shimmery brown and then light brown. I'll try to get some close ups so everyone can see it more clearly. Read more:Close
A Big HELLO!!! 2007-09-20 11:10:00 A big hello to everyone in the Philippines! My dad let me know that you'd be dropping by my blog and so I thought I would say a big hello! I'll have to come and visit you all soon!
Tagged Again! Not TMI Meme... 2007-09-20 00:32:00 I've been tagged again, by the black and white beauty, Willie. Yay!Ok, here goes... random, weird and fun facts...1. During my first meal in Hong Kong, I made the weirdest noises like a wild animal! I don't make those noises anymore, but it sure did make everyone stop and watch... wondering if everything was ok!2. I play with water. Love it! Especially the water fountain! My favourite is dunking toys in the water and leaving them there for later!3. I growl... a lot! Especially when carrying feather toys... It has woken everyone up wondering what the noise was! A little scary!4. I am scared of NOTHING!!! (except the vacuum and hairdryers!!)5. My favourite food is pork floss (from Thailand). This weekend I grabbed a bag and clawed my way into it! (very worrying as it is so dry it can easily make him choke!)6. I follow my people around like a dog!7. I was born in Australia and came to Hong Kong with my brother and sister when I was 12 weeks old. My sister now lives with another family i Read more:Tagged
, Again
How they got their names! 2007-09-18 19:09:00 I got tagged by Sylvester a.k.a. Sly for this meme about how my cats got their names. Here are the three stories: Torrey My breeder named him! I hadn't anticipated getting two bengals and so hadn't put any thought into 2 names. When the breeder told me she had already sent in his papers with the name Torrey, I didn't change it because I wanted him to be called the same name as on his papers. I have considered changing it to China, Echo etc., but never have. So, until I decide any different, it will stay Torrey.Starbuck Starbuck's name was given lots and lots of thought (as you can see, I get again ignored solid Internet advice and named him a 2 syllable name with an 'S' sound!). In the end it was Starbuck off Battleship Gallactica and my love for Starbuck's, combined with my love for Moby Dick that did it. SebastianI had thought and thought about what to name him and simply couldn't decide. I don't even remember what the choices were! Anyway, I went to pic him up and at the t
More On Top of Doors!!! (Mancat Monday) 2007-09-16 12:55:00 Starbuck is obsessed with doors: climbing them, jumping up onto them, scratching at the top of them and generally being as high as he can get! These photos were taken of Starbuck as he first walked past me on the dining room cupboards towards the door.He then anticipates his next move while checking out the kitchen door incase it opens and he gets to run in illegally!One more quick look to his left and then he jumps and lands on top of the dining room door."Yay! I'm up! Now I can really see what's going on below me! Especially the kitchen door!!!"After a little exploring to find a comfy place to settle...He changes his mind and gets ready to jump down! (his left ear looks really weird... who knows why!)"Ah... that was boring! On to more exciting things!" I think that Starbuck's spots will look strange in photos because of the flash: I guess it reflects off the spots giving them more light and not the dark contrast that they are in reality! I'll keep trying to hone my photography sk Read more:Monday
, Doors
Spotty Sunday 2007-09-15 23:54:00 Only one of my boys is spotty... but I do love his spots! Read more:Sunday
Just outside the shoe room 2007-09-14 13:06:00 Just as you walk into my house, there is a shoe room on the left where, guess what, all the shoes are kept! The kittens LOVE this room because it is filled with shelves that they can jump on. While I would love for them to play, the shelves have lots of holes and the boys have gotten their paws trapped a few times and so it is now and off-limit area of the house! This doesn't stop them from trying, very patiently, to get in! This is what they look like while waiting...Ok, I just noticed that these are of Starbuck outside the kitchen door and not the shoe room door. Same procedure applies: wait patiently until someone opens door and then sneak in quick while no one is watching!
Playing Around 2007-09-14 09:13:00 I was playing around with a picture of Starbuck and me and came up with this. I think it's pretty funky!
Starbuck's Spots 2007-09-12 11:56:00 Here are a couple of pics of Starbuck I like.For some reason Starbuck's spots always look less vibrant in pics than they really are (and you can never see Torrey's wonderful glitter in pics!). In reality they are dark black with edges of golden brown. On his right side they are arrow heads, but on his left side they are circular spots. All of them seem to have started to rosette, which is something I didn't expect to happen so late (he is over a year old). However, if you look at his dad, you can see where he gets them from. Fingers crossed they'll become more defined.
More of Natalie and Natia 2007-09-09 11:23:00 Here are some more of Natalie
and Natia's "Cat Visit". They had lots of fun! I really appreciated the cat toy they brought (it had feathers on it and was one of the boys' favourite!). Usually the boys are pretty suspicious of visitors, but they had a blast with the girls - they were a little over excited!They even managed to hold Starbuck for a few seconds, which is amazing considering his personality!Starbuck and Torrey both eyeing their favourite toy... "Da Bird". I hope you enjoyed yourselves, girls! Sebastian, Starbuck and Torrey enjoyed having you round for a visit!P.S. NaTia, not NaDia... right? =)
Natalie and Nadia's Visit 2007-09-05 10:58:00 In January 2007, two of my students came to visit, Natalie
(on the left) and her younger sister Nadia
(on the right). I was Natalie's class teacher in Grade 1 and 2 and she is now going into Grade 6!!! Time does fly! Anyway, here are some pictures of their "Cat Visit"!The cat's favourite toy remains the Da Bird (which I had to order specially from the US!!!). I can't believe how much they love it! The girls could only get it a little off the ground, but when I dangle it higher, they still manage to jump and grab it. Starbuck is so funny when he gets it in his mouth as he walks away with it growling something fierce!I'll post more pics of their visit later!
Around the House 2007-09-03 20:57:00 Here are a few pics of the boys around the house. They were taken in January 2007.This is Torrey. You may think he's passively looking out of my 2nd floor apartment, checking out the rain and the cars passing by.... but you'd be wrong. He's chasing Da Bird - so much more interesting that passing cars!Stalking something - although I have no idea what!In their playroom having an excited time with Da Bird. I spend so much time with them, I can hardly even consider having kids! I wouldn't have enough time for them all! (cats are sooo much better anyway!).Some more pics of the boys in their playroom. Although the boys are allowed anywhere in the house (but the kitchen, laundry room, pantry and my maid's room), they have their own special room called their 'Playroom'. This is also ideal as they can be put in their playroom when I have guests that either don't like cats or guests I know the boys won't like =) It's actually huge by Hong Kong standards (150 square feet-ish) and comes Read more:House
My First Award 2007-10-20 01:59:00 Yay! I received my first award this week from the beautiful and mystical Lux! Thank you! I'm honored! I'll keep working hard to blog often with as many pictures as possible!P.S. A couple people have asked when I'm going to put out PART 2 of the bathroom door saga: I've decided to do it as my next T13. Check back if you're interested! Read more:First
, Award
Thursday Thirteen - The Bathroom Door: PART 1 2007-10-18 03:23:00 .I was lucky enough to walk in on Starbuck trying to make his way from the bathroom door over to the showerecurtain rail and so I grabbed my camera and managed to catch the whole thing on film (well, SD card!). Here are the first 13 pictures taken on top of the door and so I thought they would make a great ThursdayThirteen
!RelaxingChecking out the bathroomTrying to walk to the very edge of the door!Taking a walkChecking out the ceiling (which needs serious repainting!)Sniffing around to see if there's anything good to eat!Hmm.... what's that? Is that a shower curtain rail over there?Hmm... contemplating whether or not to jump!Or possibly jump into the sink...Or maybe just jump back down?Decisions, decisions, decisions!Any other choices?Definitely the curtain rail! Here goes!Part 2 coming soon! The jump!
Thursday Thirteen - The Bathroom Door: PART 2 2007-10-24 19:25:00 .And the story continues! Starbuck was on top of the bathroom door, contemplating whether or not to jump! Well... he didn't! He gingerly manoevered a paw over the expanse to the wall to investigate further!Hmm... didn't like the wall...maybe theshower curtain rod? Is he going to jump? Nope... No jump.But he does commit two paws tothe rail & wonders what's on the other side!Contemplating whether or not to jump down or keep going!Shot from the side as he balances on a swinging door!Shot from underneath. Still balancing!Taking his sweet time deciding what to do!Checking out his other options!All the while, the door is actuallyswinging with his back legs on it!Yay! He commits to the shower curtain rail!Not a jump, but an acrobatic feat instead!Wow! He didn't realize there wasn'tanything on the other side and almostswings 360 degrees around the rail!Whew... he finds his balance on the showerhead.And then looks quite proud of himself!Part 3 coming next week!After the big jump turned Read more:Thursday
, Thirteen
Thursday Thirteen - The Bathroom Door: PART 3 2007-10-31 23:23:00 This is part 3 of my three part ThursdayThirteen
! I can't tell you how hards it's been to make sure I get it up each week as I've been having trouble with my Internet connection at home and at work! But I made it! I haven't been able to post anything else, but at least I've got this up each week (fingers crossed for this week!). Ok, so here it is. It all started withStarbuck on top of my bathroom door.Contemplating whether or not to jump acrossor the shower curtain rail or jump down.He did neither! He managed an acrobatic feat across!Well... sad to say,I missed his jump down from theshower curtain rail, but I didcatch him after he had made it down!At first he seemed to want to go back up the shower curtain!But soon he found other things to grab his interest!Mum had different ideas and decided to him him a hug instead!So, this week I only had 7 photos for my photo T13. So, here are a few more things I hate and love about Starbuck and his jumping.8. He loves being up high, but will
Ran out of photos! 2007-11-04 20:13:00 I can't believe it, but I ran out of photos
. Actually, as I write this it is dawning on me that I had started to blog all the photos from before the summer that I had gotten behind on and hadn't finished. Ah! So there are photos out there!Anyway, here are the four last photos in my 'TO BLOG' folder.Stealth Cat StarbuckStealth Cat TorreyAh! Da Bird! Not so stealth anymore!Ready to pounce!
Recommend Site To A Friend
