Merry Christmas!

From the Morning Scratch staff!

Why I hate Christmas photos

By Bogdan
Morning Scratch editor

Do-do-do. I'm just minding my own business. Waiting for some scratches.



Ahhhhhhhh! GET IT OFF. GET IT OFF!!!

We're sleeping more than we are reporting. But isn't that always the case?

By Morning Scratch staff

The Staff Lounge:

Bogdan: Hello, loyal readers. We're doing fine here at Morning Scratch headquarters, though with newspapers struggling at the moment, I have some calls in to Sam Zell and others to see whether we should travel to Washington and ask Congress for a bailout. (I'll drive there in my Investor's Prius.)

Sara: In other -- more important -- news, we should have our Christmas photos up soon. By Saturday if all goes as planned! I can't wait to wear my Jingle Bell Collar.

Kat 3: The Investor is now working only one full-time job in addition to her full-time home job taking care of us. That means a "usual" blogging schedule should resume shortly!

Jeff: Unless Facebook keeps taking up all the Investor's free time.

Bogdan: *Hisses* at Facebook. In the meantime, the Man and the Investor have been obsessed with this blog:
http://www.dailycoyote.net
Check it out.

Halloween and a Happy Birthday

Halloween:

Kat 3 goes all out.

Bogdan poses with his Halloween friend, Sock Kitty. He won this last year in the Cat Blogosphere Halloween Costume Contest!

Jeffrey's first Halloween all dressed up.

Sara checks out Sock Kitty.

ALSO

Kat 3 turned 5 years old Nov. 1!!

Jeff's gift to Kat 3: Sharing his snuggle.

A P.S. from the Investor: We've been away from blogging while I change jobs. (But as many of you know, I can be found on Facebook daily! - Kimo and Sabi, Bogdan is very angry with your Mom!)

Local Cat Tree Abandoned for Preferred Cat Housing: A Box

Morning Scratch staff

Cat tree euphoria wears off ....

... And the box it came in is now the favorite sleep spot.

Easy Like Sunday Morning

By Sara
Morning Scratch reporter

I'm just practicing for the next Do the Q contest.

How do you think I'm doing?

Happy Birthday to the Investor

By Kat 3 and Sara
Morning Scratch reporters

Sara: Today is our Mom's b-day! She is older than all us kitties put together.
Kat 3: That makes her pretty old.
Sara: Yup. And for her birthday, I slept by her side all night long last night.
Kat 3: For her birthday, I am demanding stinky goodness celebration!!
Sara: We dunno what the boys are doing for her birthday.
Kat 3: Maybe theys bringing the stinky goodness? I hope someone does ...

more animals

Thoughts on Thursday

By Kat 3
Morning Scratch ?ceiling cat?

Oh Hai. I's jus hangin out, tinkin. Am I be like ceiling cat?
Does dat mean I getz lotz of Cheezburgers?

Daisy, Tybalt and House Panthers seem to think it there be possibilitiez.

more animals

Wordless Wednesday

Tongue Tuesday - With Jeff

Look what I can do.

*Lap lap lap lap lap*

Easy Like Sunday Morning

Happiness is a Bogdan atop a cat tree.

Cats Obsessed with Local, Only Cat Tree

By Sara
Morning Scratch reporter

We have the most fab cat tree ever. Wait. Wait. Bogdan just hissed that I have to write like a reporter. (He never writes by his own rules, might I point out.) ......


At 8 feet tall, the Drs. Foster and Smith Super Deluxe Cat Tree is a cat's dream tree! It deserved 5 Paws Up for fun factor, and 5 Paws Up for style (take note how nicely is blends with the decor).
Next up in this newspaper's continuing efforts to turn a garage into a stylish cat habitat: beautiful wall art.
Now for photos of our Editor testing the lovely cat tree addition to our playground, I mean, our room.

Thursday Thirteen (No. 9): Why I haven't been reporting

By Bogdan
Morning Scratch editor

13 reasons I haven't been doing my reporting ...

1. Jeff is distracting. He follows me everywhere! It's hard to write or report when somecat is looking over your shoulder.
2. We got a new GIGANTIC 8-FOOT cat tree. I had to test it out -- thoroughly. That takes time.
3. I rather eat my vishus deer.
4. Jack from next door has been hanging out on my porch a lot. Therefore I must assert my position by patrolling in the window, and hissing when needed.
5. It's extremely distracting when Jeff and Kat 3 "play."
6. Have I mentioned that grandpop made me a catwalk, and that I must use it daily? It gives me great perspective for hunting! (I hunt Jeff for fun. Don't worry. He doesn't mind.)



7. Temp-tay-sons, first! Reporting, second!
8. "I forget what 8 was for."
9. It's better to sleep and eat than do anything else!
10. This is NOT a good reason, but a reason none-the-less: The typist has been busy with work and volunteer activities. Not acceptable. I should start looking for a new typist.
11. But my typist is my investor. Well, I guess I should also start looking for a new investor. And, yes, this is a reason I'm not reporting.
12. I like to do nothing. Often.
13. Because, I'm busy doing other things. Why you bugging me about this??

Bye, our friend

Our friend Daisy's sister is no longer with us. This makes us very sad. We will miss Pixie and her bananer stories. We love you, Pixie! - Morning Scratch staff

Sara's Saturday

By Sara
Morning Scratch reporter

When you are a model like me, hygiene is very impawtant.

Wordless Wednesday: North County Humane Society shelter kitties

Easy Like Sunday ...

By Bogdan and Jeff
Morning Scratch editor and reporter

Jeff: I got my snuggle back.

Bogdan: The Investor was happy about an artichoke - that she's not going to eat?!?!

Bogdan: And Sara ruined a great photo of ME! That's not "Easy Like"!

Jeff: And The Man made Tofu Devon.

In Tofu Devon (not for those on a diet; this is the vegetarian -- certainly not vegan -- version of Chicken Devon):
1 cube extra firm tofu
1 large package frozen broccoli/ or fresh farmer's market broccoli equivalent amount!
2 cans cream of broccoli soup
1.5 cups mayo (Best Foods)
2 tablespoons (about) of lemon juice
2 teaspoons curry powder (The Man wants to clarify: "I put in a lot more than that - but I love curry.")
2 cups cheddar cheese
4 pieces of white bread

Cut tofu into smallish squares, fry with vegetable oil until browned. (Set aside browned tofu while you do the rest.)
Mix the cream of broccoli soup, lemon juice, mayo and curry powder.
In a large pan, dump in the broccoli! Then add tofu. Then evenly distribute the soup mix.
Add as much cheese as you want on top; rip up bread into pieces and distribute over the top.
Cover with tin foil and bake for about an hour at 400.
For the last few minutes - take off tin foil to brown the bread.

Posting of ingredients inspired by DKM.

Sara Saturday: "I stole Jeff's snuggle" (A true tale as told by the thief)

By Sara
Morning Scratch reporter

I couldn't help it. *giggle* I just couldn't. I'm sure you all understand. ...
The snuggle was BRAND NEW! Full of fresh catnip, too!!

I know. I know. It's Jeff's. I have my own. But ....

Weeeeeeeee!

That's right, Jeff. I'm bunny-kickin' YOUR snuggle.

Whatchu gonna do about it?

OooooOoooOooooooOOoo

Addie has been found!

By Bogdan
Morning Scratch editor

It had been a week - almost to the hour - that Addie was lost in the hills of Pismo Beach. But a woman heard her cries early this afternoon, and she followed the sounds to a ravine. And there she found Addie, who had gotten herself tangled in brush. This little maltese lives to tell the tale! Dehydrated and a little skinny... but OK! Thank you so much for your purrs and prayers and keeping this little miracle dog in your thoughts.


PLEASE! Leave your happy comments on this post! I want to share them with Addie's owner! Thanks!!!

Vote the Q!

By Bogdan
Morning Scratch editor

Don't forget to vote in the Do the Q contest. Let's all honor Monty Q by voting for our favorite Q's and Full Monty's!

Sara, Kat3 and Jeff all have entries. I didn't enter because the Investor is a terrible photojournalist and is never there when the action happens.

Our Dear D-O-G Friend is Missing!

By Bogdan
Morning Scratch editor

MISSING D-O-G!
DEAR TO INVESTOR.
MANY PURRS NEEDED

D-o-g went missing Tuesday in Pismo Beach, CA.
Please send the purr power!!

We have a very sad story. Addison (Addie) was lost near Pismo Beach's Chumash Park earlier this week. She is a maltese puppy. She is the baby puppy of my Investor's co-worker (the same one Kat 3 had a meeting with in the post below). Please send the purr power!! The Investor and her co-workers have searched the hills near her office, to no avail. I know our kitty purrs can help!! Purrs. PURRS!! See the craigslist post here: http://slo.craigslist.org/laf/818844855.html.

Skeezix is the man!

By Bogdan
Morning Scratch editor

My buddy Skeezix is such a nice dude! Check out his post today on his blog. It shows off my work for the North County Humane Society newsletter ... and the feature that uses his photo! It is so gracious of Skeezix to help the little kitties at the shelter while he is a big celebrity.

Thanks, Skeezix!

Bring Your Kat 3 to Work Day

"First thing I did when I got to the office was check the calendar to see what I had to do for the day."

By Kat 3
Morning Scratch reporter

Now that Mom has a new job, I get to go to work with her sometimes. Yup! And only ME. Bogdan has a bad reputation, so he doesn't get to go. He might get fired for scratching someone. And Sara would probably hide in cabinets and mess up the files. And Jeff has stinky poo. But me? ME? I'm purrfect for the job!!

"Mom even gave me my own office space."

"Look how fast I work! I'm blurry I work so fast ... putting all the pens away ... on the floor! I'm a good office assistant."

"I got two 15-minute breaks, so it was good I brought some toys with me. I think this is a good paying job because I was getting Temptations - even on break time!"

"Later in the day I had a meeting with one of my Mom's co-workers. I had to talk to her about her closed-blinds policy."

"It took some doing, but I persuaded her to open the blinds. See? Now it's time for a nap after all that work."