Aby-a-Day – 15 Mars 2020: A little time capsule (Cinema Sunday)

I am not sure where it came from, exactly, but a while ago I discovered a short little video my ex took with his iPhone. It’s just Angel being cute, kneading a blanket on the sofa in our old (tiny) apartment, with a cameo by Jacoby.

It seems to have been taken around the same time as the other photos in this post, sometime between January and March 2011.

Jake would have still been recovering from his escalator incident when these were taken; he and Angel were getting along fairly companionably, too.

Here they are on Valentine’s Day 2011. Two weeks later, Jake would be going to his first cat show…where I met my friend Meg, as it happens.

In any case, here’s the little blast from the past I found on a random jump drive. Click on the image to view it in another tab.

Aby-a-Day – 9 September: Into the woods (Part 2) (Swedish Sunday)

As you’ll remember from yesterday’s post, two years ago last August, Jacoby, Angel, Kalle and I went out for an adventure around the lake near our apartment. We found a nice place to park, and Jake couldn’t wait to get out into the forest.

We unhooked him from the stroller, and he couldn’t wait to get out and explore. Angel, on the other hand, was perfectly content to sit in the stroller.

The forest behind the lake was like a fairy tale, so lush and green, with moss-covered boulders and lots of ferns.

It was so beautiful out there.

And, naturally, the photographer in me was stunned by the way Jake’s gorgeous ruddy coat looked against the lush greenery.

Could you ask for anything more picturesque?

Jake was fascinated by the wilderness.

He and Kalle walked all over, exploring.

They made quite a pair.

I think Jake was a little frustrated by the length of his leash, however.

Who knows how far into the woods he would have gone had it not been for that cord of braided leather?

Finally, it was time to get moving again.

Jake was a little cranky at having to get back into the stroller after getting to feel like a warrior for once.

So I appeased him by letting him peruse the bird menu.

After that, we got drenched in a random thunderstorm. I managed to keep the cats relatively dry, but Kalle and I were pretty soaked. On the way back, Kalle went to investigate a pond.

Jake and Angel watched him with interest.

It was a pretty impressive pond, though.

Even though we’re living in the 20th largest city in Sweden, we still get views like we’re in the middle of nowhere.

You can see the rainfall on the pavement as we head home.

When we got close to home, Jake and Angel recognised where we were and hopped out of the stroller.

Oh, now Angel wants to explore!

Aby-a-Day – 8 September: Into the woods (Part 1) (Swedish Saturday)

These are some more photos from August 2016, a couple of months after I moved here.

One day, Kalle was home during summer vacation, and he said we should take the cats out for a walk around the small lake near our house.

So, we got the stroller out…

…and we headed towards the lake.

Jacoby and Angel seemed happy to be going out on an adventure.

The lake is not at all far from our apartment buildings.

Even so, I hadn’t been down there yet, so Kalle lead the way.

Around the lake there are signs showing the kinds of birds and other wildlife that can be found in the area. I laughingly joked that they were “cat menus.”

Jake was, perhaps, a bit more excited about going exploring than Angel was…

Around all lakes of a certain size in Sweden, live preservers are posted at the ready in case of emergency.

Even if it’s not a lake that anyone might possibly swim in on a whim, at least in summertime (and who would want to swim any other time), because look at these reeds!

Here’s the stroller for comparison.

The forest is a mix of coniferous and deciduous trees. For being so close to two apartment complexes, it’s all the more impressive.

At least, Jake and Angel were impressed.

Kalle showed me this wicked cool spot under the trees…and oh, it was awesome!

We parked the stroller and prepared to explore…what we saw will be posted tomorrow.

Aby-a-Day – 14 April: Number nine…number nine…number nine…

Today is Jacoby’s 9th birthday.

We celebrated with the usual Poesie cat food cake.

I barely got the candle lit before he started eating.

I know we all learned from Jungle Book that cats are afraid of fire..

…but that is apparently not the case when there is meat attached to that fire.

I hope he didn’t singe too many whiskers.

I had to blow out his candle, he was so eager to eat.

Um, Jake? You don’t need to open your mouth THAT wide…

Angel came to share some cat food cake.

Apparently the way-too-wide-open eating mouth thing is a general Aby trait. Chill, Angel. It’s just food.

Finally Alfred joined the party.

My three Abys, ladies and gentlemen…foodaholics!

Aby-a-Day – 10 April: A sketchy packing job (Cartoon Tuesday)

While I was at the Winners Show, I found this sketch I had done on my (then new) iPad Pro with the coordinated Apple Pencil. I am not sure where I was going with this, but it had something to do with packing to move to Sweden. I wish I had put in the conversation Angel and Jacoby are having.

Aby-a-Day – 9 April: Timing is everything (Part one) (Medical Monday)

As most of you, I think, know, I moved from my beloved Boston to Sweden in June 2016. But what I haven’t had a chance to explain yet is…

…my beloved Boston veterinary clinic, South Boston Animal Hospital, moved from East Broadway between H and I Streets (which is now, rather disconcertingly, a nail salon so fancy it calls itself a “nail bar”) to…

…Yeah. Right. In. The. Building. I. Was. LIVING. In.

It’s one of the few things I really, really miss about my life back in the US. The fact that, for 15 short, precious days, my vet’s office was in the first floor of the building I lived in. I mean, literally…all we had to do was go down the elevator, go out the front door, walk a few steps outside…and yeah. You’re at the vet. The awesome vet that you love, not the sucky one you go to because you have no options.

We were lucky enough to go there three times before we left.

The opening was supposed to be on my birthday, 1 June, but it was delayed because of…reasons. We visited on 6 June and work still wasn’t quite finished. There were caution cones all over the place.

They did have impressive wifi set up already, though!

Jacoby was eager to check everything out.

Angel was…rather less enthusiastic about exploring.

This was our fist visit to the new location before moving. Next week, come along with Jake and me to the SBAH grand opening party!

Aby-a-Day- 27 March: Logistics of feeding (Cartoon Tuesday)

These go back to when I still lived in Boston. I was brainstorming ideas about all the hoops I had to go through to feed Jacoby, Angel, Tessie and Kylie. When Kylie was a tiny kitten, we made a box with a hole only she could fit through so the adult cats wouldn’t eat the higher-calorie kitten food. We did this with Logan, too, so he could have food whenever he needed it.

This was some kind of idea about the kitten box and the menacing big cats hovering around it. I still am not sure where I was going with this.

This was an idea about the logistics of feeding. At the time, Jake and Angel lived with Tessie and Kylie. Kylie was a slow and picky eater, while Jake scarfs down his food and looks for more. He had to eat UT food, and we didn’t want him eating regular food, so he ate in the spare bedroom. Angel ate in the bedroom, because she also needs UT food, and also because Tessie would bully her and keep her from eating. Tessie and Kylie could eat together, because Tessie wouldn’t try to steal her food.

We have a similar system here in Sweden, because of eating styles and special diets. Jake doesn’t like raw and still needs UT, and he eats in the bedroom. When Alfred and Logan were kittens and ate the same food, we fed them in the Kitten Room and Angel on the cat tree. Pyret used to need eat a renal/hepatic diet, and we fed her on her chair. Angel never tried to eat Pyret’s food, so that worked. When Logan was still eating kitten food after Freddy was neutered, we fed Logan in the Sturdi Shelter and Freddy ate alone in the Kitten Room, but now that the Suprelorin has kicked in, they are back to eating the same food. Between the voracious Aby appetite and the special diets, feeding our cats is a bit like that old riddle about the farmer and the fox, goose and bag of beans!

Aby-a-Day – 19 March: Angel at the vet (Medical Monday)

The first time we took Jacoby and Angel to the vet was in September 2016. We went to introduce ourselves (which turned out to be pointless since we ended up going to the other vet in in town), to get a refill of Angel’s Amitriptyline prescription, and to get both Jake and Angel their EU Passports (about which more in an upcoming post).

Angel can be a little skittish and fearful at home, but she loves to explore when we’re at the vet.

She’s so cute when she’s curious.

Before the passport can be issued, the vet needs to scan her microchip to make certain she is really herself and not an imposter. Microchips are much more important in Europe than they are in the States. Besides being listed as the cat’s version of a social security number, they are also required for pet insurance, and every cat’s microchip is scanned when you check in at a cat show.

Yep, Angel is Angel!

Jake is happy to just chill on a chair while Angel explores.

Angel watches as Björn takes Pyret out of her carrier.

While the vet and Björn attempt to have Pyret examined, Angel checks out the floor again.

Abys are so different from other cats at the vet.

Aby-a-Day – 11 February: More cats who really know how to swing (Cinema Sunday)

Two weeks ago, I posted photos and video of Björn pushing Jacoby on a swing

Well, turns out Jake isn’t the only swinging cat in our family. About a month after that first outing, Kalle and I took both Jake and Angel out for a walk. There is this one big, flat, basket-like swing in one play area in our apartment area, so we took Jake and Angel over to it to see what they thought of it.

Angel stayed in it! That was the first hurdle.

Then Kalle started pushing.

Of course, Jake was totes fine with that.

Angel was…less fine with it. But she tried.

She really tried.

But she could only take so much swinging.

So finally she bailed from the swing.

Jake was perfectly happy to keep on swinging, though.

Happy? He loved it!

I mean, look at him!

Here’s a short video (click on the image to see it…and apologies for the non-landscape orientation; I forgot) of Jake and Angel on the swing with Kalle.

Aby-a-Day – 29 January: Slip-sliding away

On yesterday’s post, Vagabondtabby commented: “…oh my GOD.

My Loiosh will sometimes go down the slide. I’ll hafta see what he thinks of the swings…”

Well, actually…

Jacoby wasn’t so impressed with the slide. He walked down it. He was more captivated by the view from the top of it.

Angel was next to give it a go.

Kalle helped her.

She needed a little push to get started.

She wasn’t really much of a fan of the slide…Perhaps because she did it backwards.

Aby-a-Day – 14 January: Planes, Trains and Automobiles Part 2 (Swedish Sunday)

When we landed at Arlanda airport in Stockholm, it was 7:something am and I am never at my best at single-digit morning hours. Jacoby and Angel, however, were just fine.

They were, in fact, eager to get out of that crate. (Click for video) Or, at least, Jake was.

Apart from the cats, I had a lot of luggage. Since it was a one-way ticket, bought a first class ticket. It turned out to be a wise investment, since my extra bags were actually free.

We had to wait a bit for our train to Skövde, but hey, we got to see this guy.

We let Jake out on the train (Angel did NOT want to explore) and he was excited to see his new country.

To Jake, it was just another train ride.

The trip from Stockholm to Skövde is a bit over two hours, so Jake had plenty of time to bond with his new dad.

He also found time to check in on Angel.

When we got to Skövde, we needed a cab to bring us home to our apartment, because I had so much luggage, and also the cats’ crate. Luckily, we had a very friendly cab driver.

Finally, it was time to go inside.

Pyret was ready to greet us.

What happened when we came inside? Stay tuned..!

Aby-a-Day – 13 January: Planes, Trains and Automobiles Part 1 (Swedish Saturday)

You know that I flew to Sweden with the two Abyssinians, Jacoby and Angel. But I’m willing to bet you are very curious as to HOW we came here. I flew IcelandAir, which, because Iceland is an island and because of rabies concerns, requires all animal passengers fly in a specially climate controlled pet cargo hold. I know many people have misgivings about airline cargo holds, with good reason. But I have had only good experiences with cargo travel (my two Siamese, Harri and Patrick, from San Francisco to Atlanta, and then Tessie from Portland, Oregon, to Boston). It’s actually easier than travelling with a cat in-cabin, especially when you are travelling with more than one!

I started acclimatising them to the crate very early, by leaving it out for them to nap in. Tessie didn’t really need to practice, but she did anyway.

I also locked Jake and Angel in the crate for longer and longer periods to get them ready for an eight hour trip.

Although I think Angel wanted to get out.

Then, days before the big trip, we had a practical practice, I used the crate to take Jake and Angel to the vet for their pre-travel visit.

It was a perfect opportunity to practice shlepping the crate somewhere.

Ironically, my vet, South Boston Animal Hospital, changed location from a 10 minute bus ride away to…ACTUALLY IN THE BUILDING I LIVED IN on 1 June. I left for Sweden on 17 June. Sigh.

They were their usual selves at the vet, and of course, they got a clean bill of health.

Finally, the day arrived! We went to Logan Airport to start our new life.

We all went into a back room at IcelandAir and the cats were checked out, to make sure that they were who I said they were, and to make sure that nothing was being smuggled in the carrier.

The flight went without incident, apart from the souvenir shop being closed, dammit. But I was lucky enough to see Jake and Angel’s crate being loaded onto the next plane at Reykjavik.

And then, at long last, we were all reunited at Arlanda airport in Stockholm. What happened next? Tune in tomorrow, same cat time, same cat channel!

Aby-a-Day – 1 June: Wordless Wednesday (This is what happened yesterday)

Aby-a-Day – 5 May: Silhouettes in the Hall

Just another rare photo of Jacoby and Angel near each other…

I thought they looked rather elegant backlit in the hallway.

And then Angel scratched her ear…and it became a more typical Aby photo.

Aby-a-Day – 3 May: Winner, winner, chicken dinner! (Cartoon Tuesday)

1 May is the “new year” for many organisations I’ve been involved with over the years. One is the Society for Creative Anachronism, which is currently celebrating its 50th year. Another is the CFA, which starts its new show season on 1 May.

As a part of CFA’s new year’s festivities, they announce their National and Regional award winners, which include the best of the breeds and the top 25 cats in the Kitten, Championship, Premier and HHP classes. And this year there was a huge surprise: Jacoby is one of the 21st Best Cat in Premiership in the North Atlantic Region!

This was completely unexpected, as we didn’t even go to that many shows this past year…but the shows we did go to he did pretty well, apparently! And now, he will get to add some more letters to his name; he will now be GP, RW Pellburn Jacoby Stealin’ Home! And even funnier…last year our friend Linda’s Somali, Pippi was 21st Best Cat in Premiership in the North Atlantic Region last year…so they have that in common along with their costume prowess!

Aby-a-Day – 9 April: “Lunch” (Saturday Photo Hunt)

This week’s Photo Hunt subject is “Lunch.”

Jacoby and Angel are always ready for lunch.

And I do mean always. You may notice that it’s dark outside…

…well, as Ford Prefect once said, “Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so.” Or as Angel clearly believes, “Hey, it’s noon somewhere!”

Aby-a-Day – 22 March: Here comes Jakey Cottontail (Cartoon Tuesday)

So this happened. I don’t know…Easter, Abys being known as “bunny cats,” a really bad pun and a chance to draw Jacoby being goofy and Angel doing one of her patented face-pawlms.

I really wish I had the time and braincells to do real cartoons right now. I miss Photoshop so much. However, I may play with this one some more using the iPad Pro.

Aby-a-Day – 24 February: Wordless Wednesday (This just happened…)

Aby-a-Day – 8 February: Floppy grooming (Hipstamatic Monday)

Sometimes, Jacoby can be so silly.

I was on the bed, on my laptop…

…and he just came in and sat next to me.

He sat there in that elegant, majestic way that only an Aby can.

And then, also in a way that only an Aby can, he just flopped over and started rolling around on the comforter like a goof.

Then he started grooming, starting with his toes.

Then he moved to more…er…

…sensitive areas.

Like his tail.

No, really! I mean he was really working on his tail.

The entire time he was grooming himself, though, I kept hearing growling. I couldn’t figure out where it was coming from. He almost never growls.

Then, I looked behind the screen of my laptop.

And there was Angel, watching Jake groom himself, growling incessantly. Abys are weird.

Aby-a-Day – 6 February: “Now” (Saturday Photo Hunt)

This week’s Photo Hunt subject is “Now.”

This is what’s happening right now.

Yes, you are seeing correctly…Jacoby and Angel are almost sleeping together on the bed!

She’s on the blanket, and he’s under it…

…But still. For them, this is cuddling!