Raven Oak's Blog, page 18

Cat-tain’s Log: Episode 028

Raven Oak.

Cat-tain’s Log: Episode 027

Don’t Worry, Be Happy

The kitty in the first panel on the webcomic was a neighbor’s cat a long, long time ago. His name was Greyson, and he and his brother (Murphy) decided they liked us more than their owners. They were indoor/outdoor kitties and spent the majority of their time with us. They slept in our bed, ate meals at our place, curled up on the couch with us, etc. The owners weren’t keeping them vaccinated, so we had them vaccinated, treated for fleas, etc. This continued for almost a yea...

Day 171

Welcome to Day 171 of quarantine…at least for me and my partner.

That’s 5 ½ months of isolation as we haven’t left our house expect to drive the car and recharge its battery every few weeks. Not even to grocery shop. Everything is done via delivery for us.

Alone © 2020 Raven Oak

I’m one of those who’s high risk–not because of age but because I’m immunocompromised due to my Sjogren’s and asthma. As the rest of the United States (at least parts of it) relaxes their rules regarding this pandemic, I...

Cat-tain’s Log: Episode 26

HELP!

Everyday I see another friend who’s struggling with depression and/or anxiety due to Covid-19 and quarantine. In odd ways, I think our cats are too. We’re home all the time, and you’d think that our cats would be ecstatic about this, but some days, I swear they’re as worried as we are. I suspect they’re picking up on our stress and tension as animals tend to do, but I hate that our worries are impacting them.

Our kitties seem to need more snuggles as time goes on. In a typical day, all thr...

Cat-tain’s Log: Episode 025

It’s a Thin Line Between Love and Hate

Our kitties love us, don’t get me wrong, but they hate the vet. They hate going to the vet so much that they start crying the moment they’re in the cat carriers, before they’ve even left the house. Once in the vet’s office, they will do whatever they can to get back inside the carrier and escape the veterinarian. Sometimes this includes crawling into our arms in an attempt to hide beneath us. This picture, captured at the vet’s office, was of Riley as he hu...

Cat-tain’s Log: Episode 024

GRAVITY FALLS

The middle image of Malley focused on the falling puff balls is one of my favorites. He absolutely adores those balls. He used to play fetch with them, but now he prefers to play baseball with them instead. He hits them back at you and if he misses, he’ll pick it up with his paw and toss it back to you.

DiNozzo learned his love of balls from Malley. He picks them up in his mouth–the bigger and fluffier the better–and makes these muffled meow sounds as he carries them up to your fee...

Cat-tain’s Log: Episode 023

Not My Job

Back in 2004, my partner and I visited my family when they still lived in South Florida. While there, we took a guided trip through the Everglades that was half-open bus and half-boat. I’ve been closer to gators back when I lived in Gainesville as a kid, but wow did we get close! There was a gift shop at the end of the tour because of course there was, and sitting in the corner of a stuffed animal display was a stuffed sea turtle. Proceeds from its sale donated to various local rescue...

Cat-tain’s Log: Episode 022

Fight for Your Right…to Research!

Riley and Malley, being brothers, LOVE to play-fight. It almost always ends up with them bathing each other, then curling up and going to sleep, but first, the fight.

Sometimes DiNozzo wants to get involved, but Riley & Malley’s relationship is so tight-knit, he doesn’t feel he can intrude. Sometimes he does anyway, but often, he seeks me out for attention and play since he knows they would prefer him not intrude on their “bro” time. Let that be a learning lesso...

Cat-tain’s Log: Episode 021

Ah, yes. Catnip.

Riley and Malley remind me of “I love you” drunks. When they get ahold of cat-nip, they roll in it a bit and eat it, then sit and stare at the cosmos as if the universe stretches out before them in its infinite nature. On the other hand, DiNozzo is a mean drunk. When he gets ahold of catnip, he rolls and rolls and rolls and rolls in it. He wants his body covered in the stuff. He wants to smell like it and taste like it, too! If Riley and Malley approach him, he will cut a bitch ...

Cat-tain’s Log: Episode 020

I hope that it won’t end…alone

If any creatures out in the universe are watching us through this pandemic, particularly the United States, their thoughts must be a mix of “OMG, barbarians!” and “Well,..this is not going to end well.” Or perhaps they have sympathy for so many people dying alone on ventilators…

It’s difficult enough watching our world shift in ways we didn’t anticipate–mass work-from-home and businesses closing while streets are empty (or they should be). But for us to live in a 2...