Introducing Abra

So for a fairly long time I was browsing through the kitten section on Gumtree and a few times I actually took the next step to see if the kitten was available for adoption. Usually they weren't and it took a really long time to actually adopt; there are tons of kittens available for adoption but it turns out I'm quite picky about cats. 

I've had Abra for 3 months now and didn't blog about him due to the laziness aspect but also he doesn't sit still long enough to get a decent picture of him. Now, however, with my new, improved, super camera I managed to snap some decent pics.

Abra is quite possibly the 
biggest asshole cat on the
planet. I original got him as
company for Noname but I
fear Noname is suffering more
at the hands, er, paws, claws
and teeth of Abra. Abra is still little and Noname wins most of the fights but soon Abra will be big and that might not be the case anymore. I'm sorry Noname. I thought I was doing a good thing.

Abra doesn't just pick fights with Noname. My hands and feet bear the scars. At one point so did my face and neck. Abra feels the need to hide under cars outside when it's time to go inside. He's especially good at this when you're in a hurry. And lets not mention the waste product this cat produces. I swear he just waits for me to get home or to start eating before squatting down. For some bizarre reason he feels the need to announce to the world what he's about to do. Perhaps he's apologises for the stink he is about to create. Perhaps it's a "Fuck you, muthafuckers. I'm gonna stink it up in here". Who knows. 

Threats of putting him up for adoption don't work. I'm trying to sell him to cover the cost of my camera.

Photos have been edited in PS Lightroom 3 Beta 2.

Hiatus

My resolution to blog regularly has gone the same way as my resolutions to go to gym regularly, to eat more healthily, to save money, to drink less. What can I say? I'm just not good at these things? Or rather, I'm good at these things over short periods of time given that there is a suitable reward. I'm a simple creature really.

I've had plenty to say but no real motivation/time to write anything. I'm not going to write about everything that has happened over the last few weeks in detail (you're surely not that interested in my life). However, I will mention a few things I've learned:

-It's possible to have a perfectly satisfying fake date with a colleague and to leave it at that.
-I cannot go to Long Street, have one cider, and be home before midnight.
-I can have a good time with complete strangers who are male, no expectations, no pressure, dance the night away, talk about love, life and everything else, never see them again and leave it at that.
-Noname is my glue*.
-Being competent at work attracts unwanted attention.
-Johannesburg is not as awful as I once thought. In fact it's more than pleasant**.
-Drinking many Tequilas and Jagermeisters and then getting into a car that will eventually move is a bad idea.
-Tequila and Amarula shooter is surprisingly quite tasty.
-I accost talk to random strangers when drunk.
-I'm morbidly fascinated by websites dedicated to the horror that is the fake tan.



* I need to expand on this a bit. Noname is currently in hospital after I discovered a deep scratch on his chest. I overreacted and the thought of losing him really made me feel like falling apart and that I could not cope with other stressors. I've been to visit him twice now and besides the hole in his chest, he is doing really well: purring and meowing. His hospital card says that his a "bit wild", "scratches" and something about "escape". How dare they say this about my angel! Seeing Noname has really put me at ease, knowing that I'll have him back in a day and after calming down and realising he's not going to die, I just cannot picture not having him around anymore. I decided that he's the glue keeping everything from falling apart. His second name will henceforth be Gluhwein since he's a bit of a whiner as well. How I've missed that whine this weekend.


**Only certain areas, of course, like Melville and Greenside. Pictures to follow.

Introducing the "I love..." series

There are a few things that I am not ashamed to publicly admit that I love. Every week (mood dependent), I will post an entry about something I love.

This week's entry is about my adorable kitty, Noname (pronounce: Noh-Nah-Mi). Noname is no longer a kitten (I don't think he ever was!) but I still call him my kitten.


Noname was a stray living in the parking lot of my old flat block. There were quite a few strays (at least 3 of them Noname fathered). But unlike the other strays, Noname didn't shy away from humans. He would meow a response when called. And then actually approach you. So, naturally, I started feeding him. First, with expensive cold meats since that is what I had after returning from a picnic. Then later with microwaved frozen hake (man, did that reek!).

Noname is prone to following people. At first he needed a little encouragement. But I managed to get him into the lift and into my flat. He ate, he drank water and then I discovered (as did half the neighbourhood) that he is not really an inside cat. Feeling horrible about his distress about being inside I let him out again. He remained a stray.

At some point between The Netherlands and here, I decided that at the very least I needed to get him to a vet and put up for adoption. This is when i decided to call him Noname. I couldn't really think of a name for him and he wasn't going to keep him at this stage. It was a while before I could make it to the vet so I deflead him and bought some cheap catfood. At the Animal Anti-Cruelty League I was told that adoption was unlikely because of his tendency to run away and because he's already over the age of 4. He would most likely be put down. I adopted him. There was no way I could possibly let such a beautiful beast be put down. I wasn't allowed to keep pets. But I risked it and Noname was kept indoors. I was slowly being driven insane by his meowing and destruction of my blinds. This went on for over 6 months until I moved to a new place. A pet friendly townhouse complex.


Noname was almost immediately at home. I felt such joy at being able to let him out. And the best part is, he comes back. Time and time again. It's probably just for the food.

I've grown incredibly attached to Noname and cannot consider life without him right now.

His tendency to follow me has no turned into a need to be walked. He's also unique in that he comes when called. He loves ribbons, snakes and grasshoppers. He attacks the neighbours' dogs but he's not stupid and will not take on dogs 4 times his size. He can only handle dogs twice his size. He insists on always being in the same room as me (it drives me nuts). He doesn't think there is anything wrong with sleeping on my breadboard. That's, of course, when he's not taking up all the space on the couch. He's prone to destroying rugs but stopped climbing up my curtains after I threw him out of house the one time he did. His tail is broken and he has issues with having his tummy rubbed.

Noname's new friend, ahem, enemy is Salem who thinks that it's perfectly ok to walk around in Noname's house and eat Noname's food. This morning was spent trying to get Salem to understand that this is not ok. So, Salem climbed into my car. After 3 out of 4 doors were open I managed to grab Salem and returned him to his own house. Noname was to return inside as I cannot risk him attacking the neighbours' animals while I'm not there. Noname was not having any of it.

I hope there are no casaulties.