Aby-a-Day – 23 August: After the vet visit

On the way home from the vet, when we changed buses, we took a detour through our downtown shopping mall Commerce. We stopped at Systembolaget (the state-run liquor store)…

…and basically smuggled Dashiell in the store. As they say in The Paper,” “A clipboard and a confident wave will get you into any building in the world!” Which is, act like you belong there and you’re not doing anything questionable, bringing a cat into a shop is easy. Of course, I have a lot of practice with that and Jacoby.

Dash seemed really interested in the wine…that’s my boy!

After buying our wine, we stopped in at Björn’s work so his coworkers could meet Emma and Dash.

Then we went to wait for our bus home. Emma wanted to carry Dash.

She did an excellent job managing Dash in his carrier.

On the walk from the bus stop to our apartment, we tried to walk Dash the way we walk home from the stop with the other cats. He wasn’t very enthusiastic about walking. But he does like trees.

So Emma carried him instead.

We ran into a mother and a small child who were interested in our kitten. Look at Emma introducing Dash to them!

I was especially impressed at how Emma introduced Dash to the child.

If therapy cats ever become a thing in Sweden, I think Emma would be a natural.

I wish Emma lived closer to us…she and Dash make a great team.

Aby-a-Day – 22 August: Alfred the mighty hunter (Thursday Things)

Ever since Alfred found that dead bird, he has been obsessed with birds when we go outside.

Freddy’s figured out that birds are in bushes. So he rushes at every set of bushes in the område. It makes him easy to find, though. Just follow the angry chirping.

After rushing the bushes, Freddy sits and stares at the bushes, looking for birds.

The funny part is, the birds were all up in the tree behind him, watching him.

Aby-a-Day – 21 Augusti: Wordless Wednesday (Dashiell’s first outdoor adventures)

Aby-a-Day: 20 Augusti: Jackpot! (Cartoon Tuesday)

This upcoming weekend is NEMO’s seventh annual show! You may remember that I did a drawing of Marlin playing craps, because the theme of the show this year is “Lucky 7’s” with a Vegas theme.

I also made this spoof of the infamous Vegas sign for the club to use as incidental art. I don’t know if they used it, but it was fun to make.

For the cover of the program, Iris and I brainstormed other Vegas gambling motifs, and I came up with Marlin winning cat food from a slot machine. And, even better, I was able to incorporate my Vegas NEMO sign. I’m pretty proud of how it turned out; Iris said she thought it was one of my best! I wonder what the theme will be next year?

Aby-a-Day – 19 Augusti: Dashiell’s first Swedish vet visit (Medical Monday)

Last Wednesday, we had to take Dashiell to see our veterinarian in Skultorp, not because there was anything wrong with him, but because we needed a health certificate to send to the insurance company to start his health insurance. We also needed to get him his EU passport.

As he was on the ferry and the train, Dash was much happier in his carrier with the top open.

Emma sat beside him and managed him on the bus ride.

Dash rode the bus like a seasoned professional.

It’s a long trip from our apartment to the vet, and we have to change buses in central Skövde. It’s not usually a long wait, and the weather was nice. Dash seemed happy enough.

Look at this bus riding champion!

When we arrived, we were put into the same examination room all the other cats were in when we went in for our annual checkup back in June.

Like any good Abyssinian, the minute we let him loose in the room, he proceeded to explore it thoroughly.

The first thing we did was put him on the scale and weigh him.

2.85 kg (6.25 lbs). Exactly the same as Lorelai!

Emma helped the vet with Dash’s exam.

She’s definitely a natural when it comes to taking care of cats.

This actually happened by accident, but we thought it was funny: I gave Emma one of the vet’s free magnets and it jumped from her hand onto his round tag!

Waiting for the passport to be completed, Dash got sleepy and laid down on his show book. Well, he’d only been in Sweden two days after his long trip from the States, so I guess he deserves to be a little tired.

After the visit was over, we got back on the bus and headed home.

Aby-a-Day – 18 Augusti: Welcome to the family!

After all the travelling, we finally brought Dashiell home and put his carrier down in the living room. Björn did the honours of unzipping the top whilst Emma looked on.

Alfred, Izaak and Lorelai were on the scene as well, of course. And, much like when we introduced him to everyone when he was a kitten, Freddy was the first to hiss.

Emma thought that perhaps a personal introduction between Zak and Dash might be a good idea.

It wasn’t a bad idea; neither Zak or Dash hissed.

And, in fact, Zak is the one cat Dash is closest to here.

We also introduced Dash to the Trump cat toy.

Like many of us, Dash didn’t know what to do with him. Join the club, Dash!

Then Angel came to meet the newcomer, in typical Angel roundabout fashion.

She skulked around the edges of the room, and then circled around the back of the couch to get a look at Dash.

Then she lept off the sofa and ran right over Dash and out to the hallway.

That made Dash hiss!

He may be young and small, but he stands up for himself!

“Yeah, big cat! Don’t do that again!”

Aby-a-Day – 17 Augusti: Dash on the Silja Line

At long last we boarded the Silja Symphony ferry to Stockholm. First we rode the elevator to our cabin to put our luggage away and set up Dashiell’s food and litter.

Dash really seemed to enjoy the windowed lift.

This is kind of a dark photo, but you can see the shopping promenade and the cabins with overlooking windows. We stayed in one of those cabins on the way to Helsinki and it was kind of fun do have that view. They don’t have pet rooms in that block of cabins, though.

After we got our room set up, we went up to the deck to say goodbye to Helsinki.

This is what the ferry looks like from Helsinki. We happened to be at the waterfront the day before when the ferry was leaving for Sweden.

Here is me with Dash.

I posed almost the exact same way with Jacoby in 2016.

Björn posed with Dash as well.

On the aft deck, there is a little sandbox for dog owners to let their dogs go to the toilet.

I have to say, it was pretty amusingly decorated. I have seen dog toilet areas on other ferries, but none decorated like this.

Dash was not impressed.

He was more interesting in people-watching from the vantage of a deck chair.

Just then, a dog passed by on his way to the toilet. I guess we took a look at it in the nick of time.

Despite what it says on the website, the crew staff assured us that cats were allowed anywhere onboard the ship. We thought a nice refreshing beer would be nice before taking Dash back to the cabin and checking the duty-free store.

Dash was happy to sit in his carrier and watch Björn pour his beer.

Dash never even tried to get out of his carrier.

After our drinks, we took the elevator back to our cabin.

I think Dash was happy to go back to the cabin and take a nap after all the excitement of the cat show and boarding the ferry.

Ferry rides are a lot of fun. They go overnight, and some people treat it as a party. On this trip, there was what looked like a stag do going on. Not sure which guy was the groom, but my money’s on the guy in the bell bottoms.

We had seen them in the bar earlier. They were going around to people in the bar with a straw, asking if they could have a sip of their drink, taking photos of it. It was pretty funny.

There was also a new machine in the ferry’s casino – Diamond Cats! It’s a bit like Kitty Glitter except with no Somali. It was not a bad game; at least the Siamese have blue eyes on this game. But it was fun to play and I ended up winning a little, which is always nice.

Aby-a-Day – 16 Augusti: Waiting to board the ferry

After the long drive from Lempäälä to Helsinki, Björn dropped Dashiell and I off at Olympia Terminal where we waited whilst he returned our rental car.

This was Dash’s first time with a leash and harness, and he did really well.

But mostly Dash wanted to be in his carrier. Despite having been in that thing for 30 some hours on the trip to Finland from Newark, it represents safety and security to him. Which makes sense; it’s just like Jacoby’s attachment to his stroller.

He was happiest when the top was open, so he could look around.

In some of these photos, he reminds me so much of Jake. Especially the one where he’s meowing!

Björn was taking longer than expected to return from dropping off the car. I was starting to get worried that the gates would close before he got back.

I don’t know what would have happened if we missed the ferry.

Dash was a wonderfully patient little cat, which bodes well for future trips.

He also charmed the employees at the terminal. They took turns coming over to where we were to meet him.

They also were very reassuring and told me that the gates wouldn’t close until Björn came back. Whew!

Aby-a-Day – 15 Augusti: A quick visit to the cat show

On Sunday, we spent some time at the cat show in Lempäälä (near Tampere) that Russell and Carol, along with my friend Pam, were judging. Because we had to catch the ferry back to Sweden at 16:45, and it was a long drive from the show hall to the ferry terminal, we couldn’t enter Dashiell in the show – it didn’t matter, pointwise, because he’s still a kitten, and exhibitors aren’t allowed to leave until the show’s posted closing hour. But that didn’t mean we couldn’t drop by for a visit.

It was a very small show, held in a shopping mall (which was actually rather cool). One-day shows in CFA aren’t common, but they happen; however, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a show with only three rings!

My friend Anne set us up with a small pop-up tent and a litter box for Dash. While in Sweden, people mostly use the metal show cages and spectators view the cats on the same side of the cage as the exhibitors, in Finland, people use SturdiShelters and pop-up tents with a clear back, and the spectators view the cats from the back whilst the exhibitiors sit with their cats by the cages’ doors. It feels a bit strange, not really being able to interact with the people coming to see the cats except over the top of your cage.

Dash has been to shows before, so he knew what to do.

He was very interested in this one little boy who stopped to see him.

Dash wanted to make friends with the kid, but it’s hard when you’re behind plastic.

If it had been a metal cage, Dash would have reaching out to touch the boy.

I think both kitten and child were equally fascinated with each other. It was adorable.

We were only able to stay for about an hour and a half (the show, being so small, didn’t start until 11), but it was nice to hang out with Meg and Anne a little bit more. I also managed to get a photo of Anne’s stunning tattoo…isn’t it lovely?

Aby-a-Day – 14 Augusti: Wordless Wednesday (Dashiell’s Ferry Photos…and one of Jacoby)

Aby-a-Day – 13 Augusti: Remembering Jacoby in Helsinki (Cartoon Tuesday)

When we went to Aino, the Finnish restaurant in Helsinki, I noticed a sign-in book.

When we visited Helsinki with Jacoby in 2016, we ate at this restaurant.

I just thought they needed to be reminded of that event.

Aby-a-Day – 12 Augusti: The train home to Skövde (Hipstamatic Monday)

When we got back to Sweden from the ferry from Helsinki, we met up with Björn’s ex to get Emma to spend a week with us and the cats.

We got there a little ahead of them, so we had to chill out in Stockholm Centralen until they arrived.

Emma loves cats. I am sad that she doesn’t get to live with any.

If ever a girl deserved to live with a cat (or cats), it’s Emma.

Emma was amazing with Dash. I think he’s going to miss her when she goes back home.

Dash also looked out the window at the passing scenery, just like Jacoby and all the other cats who ride trains.

Finally, the train arrived in Skövde. Emma wanted to carry Dash’s carrier.

From the train station, a quick taxi ride home.

Dash was quick to feel at home in our bedroom. And after the long, long, long journey…He was finally home.

Aby-a-Day – 11 Augusti: Finally meeting Dashiell (Cinema Sunday)

As I posted yesterday, Meg, Russell and Dashiell arrived far too late for us to be able to meet them at the airport and collect Dash on Friday. So he stayed in Meg and Russell’s in the hotel near the airport.

I awoke to some smexy photos of Dash lounging in bed. Everyone slept in, and rightly so.

We had a day in Helsinki planned for Meg, Russell and Carol Fogarty, another judge, so Dash spent the day at Anne’s house.

There, he bonded with Anne’s teenaged daughter. He’s very good with kids.

After a day of walking around Helsinki, we had dinner at a great Finnish restaurant we’ve eaten at before on previous trips to Helsinki. Here’s Meg and me after dinner.

On our way back to our hotel in Tampere, we stopped by Anne’s and collected Dash. This is the grand opening of the carrier when we finally got him into our hotel room (click on the image to watch the video in another tab in Flickr).

We had a wonderfully spacious room, with places to put the food bowl, the water bowl…

…and the litter box house.

In anticipation of Dash’s arrival, my friend Molly sent him a welcome home present. It was even addressed to him.

I saved it to open when we finally were together.

He wasn’t entirely sure about it…but it will be his for the rest of his life.

Next, Dash explored our room.

And that was how we finally got Dash…

Aby-a-Day: 10 Augusti: Comedy of Errors

Yesterday was…interesting. We were supposed to meet Meg, Russell and Dashiell at Helsinki International Airport at 17:15.

That…did not happen. Their flight from Newark was delayed, and they ended up missing their connection in Frankfurt to Helsinki.

This is the photo Meg sent me when she finally got to Frankfurt.

And here is Russell with Dash (under the banana), waiting for the connecting flight.

Above is the Facebook Messenger conversation we had about meeting up and collecting Dash. FINALLY I got the bright idea to include my friend Anne, an Aby breeder who happens to live in Helsinki near the airport. We had booked a hotel in Tampere, two hours away from Helsinki, which was supposed to be the show hotel, but it got overbooked because of a German heavy metal band who were having concerts nearby. Turns out, we might have been able to cancel our “non-refundable” reservation…but, yeah. 20/20 hindsight.

But we had to drive to our hotel, so there was no way we could be at the airport to meet them and collect Dash on Friday.

So my hero friend Anne met them at the airport instead.

They landed sometime after midnight, and my friend Anne was there to meet them.

This is all of them, taken by Anne, at sometime around 1am. At this point, Dash had been in his carrier for 30-something hours.

Meanwhile, our hotel had been notified that we would be arriving with a cat, so they prepared a little gift for us: a packet of wet food in the cutest little bag.

Look how cute the print is on the bag, all little kitty faces! I just wish we had had Dash that first night.

But here he is on Meg’s bed, happy to finally be out of that carrier!

Aby-a-Day – 9 Augusti: Speaking of escape artists…(Friday Flashback)

Izaak’s escape at the show last weekend reminded me of the time Logan figured out how to open his cage at one of his first shows.

They look so similar, Logan and Zak, but they are so very different.

As much as I love my little Zakky…I do miss Logan’s grumpy old man meow.

Aby-a-Day – 8 Augusti: Two words you never want to hear at a cat show: “Cat out!” (Thursday Things)

Especially when it’s your cat.

Sunday at the show, after Izaak had been judged and we were waiting for the Nominations, Lorelai was called up for her Nomination at the same time. So Björn had Rory and I had Zak. Then I dropped my phone and it came out of its case. I needed two hands to put it back in, so I handed Zak over to Björn. Then Zak started to cough up a hairball.

I raced over to the Secretary’s table and grabbed a piece of scratch paper, and got Zak to puke on it. Björn was right next to us, so I asked him to grab Zak whilst I dealt with the barf. In the time between me letting him go and Björn grabbing him…

…he decided this space under the folded-up bleachers (the show hall’s day job is a basketball arena). And he. Would not. Come. OUT. When he doesn’t want to be caught, he is a master. They announced that a cat was loose and to close all the doors, but I was like, “Yeah, no. The doors are the least of our worries!” He’s roaming around underneath the bleachers, and he’s up for Nomination like NOW

Finally, a woman with Siamese working the Secretary’s table called to me. She saw Zak in the corner, near her stroller. They asked me if I had any food that would lure him out. I said, “No…he won’t eat anything but raw and chicken necks. Does anyone have a raw chicken neck?” Yeah, nobody did. I had grabbed Chirpy Mouse and Zak’s favourite wand toy (a fishing lure blue crab I picked up in Baltimore), so we tried those. Chirpy Mouse had no effect, but Blue Crab got his attention. I almost grabbed him…but then he backed away. He wandered around a little more, and then came back to that corner, and, with the help of Blue Crab, I was able to grab him. The judge he was up for Nomination with, Glenn Sjöbom, asked me if I was okay and patted me on the back, telling me not to worry and not feel like I needed to rush. When he actually got nominated, I held him up, and, during the applause, I said to him, “You. Do. NOT. Deserve. This!”

I repeated that when he was declared Best In Show.

I don’t have any photos of the actual events…I was too busy trying to catch the little asshole.

But here’s the punchline to the whole escapade: Just after it happened my friend Kinsey posted on Facebook that Zak’s brother, Paolo had escaped that morning and led her on a merry chase around the neighbourhood before she managed to catch him again. He wears a tracker on his collar that she can track on her mobile.

One of her friends commented that it could only happen to Kinsey, and I chimed in, “Nope, not just Kinsey. Today at the cat show, Izaak, Paolo and Keiko’s younger brother, escaped and went exploring under the bleachers!”. To which Kinsey explained, “Must be in their genes. Paolo did that at a cat show once and I was on my hands and knees under the benches trying to get him.”

They ARE full brothers, perhaps not littermate brothers, but brothers nonetheless. Kinsey’s always posting about Paolo’s adventures…and by the smug, “sorry, not sorry” look on Zak’s face, I suspect I will be, too.

Happy International Cat Day! (Abys are Everywhere)

Today, 8 August, is International Cat Day. In honour of this important day, my friend Robin sent me this video created by e-on, a Swedish electric company.

Of course I checked it for Abys.

This guy kind of looks like an Abyssinian…but then, that might just be the spacesuit.

However, THIS video, made by target=#>Whiskas UK (who, I discovered whilst in London, make a LOT of awesome commercials that are so good you almost forget they’re trying to sell you something) definitely features some Abyssinians.

Like this handsome chap, as well as the lad at the top of the page.

Happy International Cat Day!

Aby-a-Day – 7 Augusti: Wordless Wednesday (The day after tomorrow…)

Aby-a-Day – 6 Augusti: “Railroad trains are such magnificent objects, we commonly mistake them for Destiny”

The thing about going to cat shows in Sweden is, you have to travel all over the country (and also to other countries). We sometimes rent a car, but usually the rail and bus system is good enough that we don’t have to. It’s tough sometimes because the luggage for cats and humans gets heavy, and if the elevators are broken it can be a struggle.

But our new super stroller makes it a million times easier. We can put things on top of it, or inside with the cats, and it can be steered with one hand (that was a problem with the previous strollers).

And we get to see a lot of interesting things. This is Södertälje Syd station, closest to the show and our hotel. The swoopy thing is just a shelter to wait for taxis or cars to pick people up.

I just thought it was wicked cool. It could have been plain and boring, but instead they made it look interesting. I like that.

Riding the train is nice. Sometimes it can be crowded, or there can be screaming children or annoying people having FaceTime conversations. Since we have to travel in the pet compartment, sometimes we share it with dogs.

Usually the dogs are well-trained and polite, but on the trip to Södertälje, there was a Labradoodle who was not so nice. His human was seated across the aisle from us, and he was on the floor at my feet. Lorelai was chilling on Björn’s bag under the table, and Izaak was on my lap, closer to the dog. Zak’s okay with dogs, but he’s more used to small dogs. At one point the Labradoodle lunged at the cats with no warning! It even surprised the dog’s owner, it was that sudden. After that, Zak decided to sit on the table and shoot stinkeyes at the designer mutt. (I wanted to get a photo of it, but after the altercation I was afraid the woman would see me take the picture. But it looked almost exactly like this.)

Even Rory, who likes dogs, decided that sitting on the seat next to Björn was a better idea after that.

Sometimes Zak gets bored on the train and walks around. He likes to climb up the backs of the seats, too.

This is from the trip home, which was blessedly canine-deficient. Rory was fascinated by the passing scenery.

Zak also had to check it out. I love watching them crawl all over Björn…it just shows how comfortable they are riding the rails.

Aby-a-Day – 5 Augusti: Just another day at the cat show (Hipstamatic Monday)

I love doing Hipstamatic photos at cat shows.

The show we did this weekend is no exception.

From Lorelai being judged…

…to Rory being BIV, Hipstamatic casts events in a different, interesting, light.

I love this photo of the two of them with their rosettes.

And this, of Rory competing for BIV against the other blue Abys in the show. Hipstamatic turns a boring photo into art.

After a long day at the cat show, there’s still a train ride home to look forward to.

It’s a train ride made more interesting with Hipstamatic.