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Camera Hogs

October 5th, 2011

It’s no secret that I could be the crazy cat lady, I think I’m just shy with 4 cats; 2 are indoor, 1 is a hybrid indoor/outdoor and 1 is strictly an outdoor cat. Four cats really isn’t that many, but it seems like we have way more when I’m trying to take photos. I had to laugh when looking through my carrot photos, I had more photos with a cat than without!

Cats are curious, so they think when I have my camera pointed at something it must be interesting. They make their way over and walk right in front of me. It happens so often that I tag these photos “cat in frame” in my photo organization system. Every time I see these when I’m looking for pictures I get a good chuckle. Thought I’d share them with you today, hopefully they bring a smile to your face!







I’ve quite a menagerie of pets in my lifetime including: snakes, lizards, hamsters, fish, guinea pigs, dogs, birds, monkeys, and I think even an armadillo once for a short period of time when I was really young. Cats rank at the top for me out of all the pets I’ve owned. We’ll always have cats at Chiot’s Run, especially in the garden, where they work hard at keeping chipmunks out of the strawberries and away from my crocuses.

What’s your favorite kind of pet? Have you had any unusual pets in your lifetime?

21 Comments to “Camera Hogs”
  1. daisy on October 5, 2011 at 5:37 am

    Your cat photos are precious. My boy loves cats, but unfortunately, is allergic to anything with fur. I’d love to have turtles someday that could live outside in the yard and roam free (hopefully, NOT eating everything in the garden).

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  2. louisa @ TheReallyGoodLife on October 5, 2011 at 6:05 am

    I’m a crazy cat lady too – about 90% of my photos look like yours with some nosey feline in the shot. We had four until a couple of years ago when two of the team died unexpectedly a few months apart, but the remaining two, both well into their teens, are still going strong.

    Just having two cats seems a bit … normal to me, not crazy cat lady enough, but we’ve got a good cat/dog balance at the moment so I’ll just stick to befriending every cat I meet out and about instead of bringing any more home. :)

    Reply to louisa @ TheReallyGoodLife's comment

  3. kristin @ going country on October 5, 2011 at 6:10 am

    Dogs, every time. I hate having cats indoors. An outdoor cat would be fine with me, but litter boxes totally gross me out. We have one very old cat (probably about 17) and one cat that’s only a few years old. When that younger cat is no longer with us, I don’t think we’ll ever have an indoor cat again.

    Although Cubby does love them and they have been nothing but gentle with him even when he’s not so gentle with them, so they have my grudging respect for that.

    Reply to kristin @ going country's comment

  4. kathi cookk on October 5, 2011 at 6:44 am

    We have always had one or two cats at a time. Currently we have one. I think I have more pictures of my cats than my family. Linus just seems to pose himself in hilarious comic ways that I can’t resist. My youung adult daughters must get a few picture texts a week from me with Linus as the subject, We joke that we are the crazy cat family now.The stangest pet I almost bought was a descented skunk when I was 9 years old. We had a skunk farm near us. I had a $25 deposit on it which seemed like a lot of money in the 1970’s. I then changed my mind and recevied my deposit back. Our poor mother didn’t like animals but was so tolerant of many crazy pets: chameleons, snakes,geese and chickens (as pets we did not live on a farm),assorted rodents, snakes etc .She also had a bird phobia but my brother ended up being president of our local Audubon chapter as an adult. A testiment of letting a child be who they are!

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  5. Rhonda on October 5, 2011 at 7:58 am

    I have 2 cats, one who was born on my bathroom floor almost 22 years ago (His birthday is Oct. 28) I adore Clarence. :-) He was cross eyed for a few months as a kitten while he was still getting used to focusing, so that’s why I named him that (Clarence the Cross Eyed Lion) This lil guy has been with me longer than any human has. He’s not getting along very well and I must be honest and say that every morning I’m surprised to see that he’s still with me. My other cat, Karma, was a stray cat I rescued from Coyotes. I have no idea how old she is, but she’s been with me about 10 years, still behaves like a kitten and never ever wants to go outside — EVER. If she thinks she’s going to have to go out (like a vet visit) she will flip her lid. Fortunately we have a new vet that comes to us! Now … after all that cat talk … I have to know about that Mystery Machine photo!! What’s the story behind that?

    Reply to Rhonda's comment

    • Susy on October 5, 2011 at 8:14 am

      Well, about the Mystery Machine – we live in a small gated community and each Halloween there’s a big community party. Sunday afternoon is set as the trick-or-treat day, and everyone decorates up their golf carts or vehicles and trailers for the event. This happened to be a particularly great one, their golf cart looked exactly like the mystery machine and the folks inside were dressed up as the crew. The cats thought it was as interesting as I did.

      Reply to Susy's comment

      • Chas on October 6, 2011 at 9:41 am

        I was going to ask the same thing!!! We are a Scooby Doo loving bunch around here. :)

        to Chas's comment

  6. Songbirdtiff on October 5, 2011 at 8:49 am

    ha! I can totally relate to this post. In every photo I take of my home there is at least one animal, often many more. We have 4 pets now, 2 cats, 2 dogs and this is as few as we have ever had. (we lost 3 old pets this past year). When discussing our pets, whether they go to heaven, and how it feels to have so few animals in my life I told a friend, “I don’t know how people live like this!” (without many pets). Needless say we’ll likely be acquiring a new member before long. We are hoping the shelter has a chihuahua just for us.

    We haven’t had any strange pets unless you count random lizards, frogs, snakes, and bugs I talk to when I’m outside. My grandfather, the person I most take after in my adult life, has had a great variety of strange pets. Among them was a pet squirrel who lived inside. He was sick and my grandpa gave it a good, although too short life. Right now, he’s taken in domestic rabbits that someone foolishly let loose. He has 4 of those huge pet store bunnies living in his yard which he has totally redone to protect them and give them comfy places to live. It’s such a thrill to go over there and see those bunnies frolicking. I just love that he takes such wonderful care of whatever comes his way.

    Reply to Songbirdtiff's comment

  7. goatpod2 on October 5, 2011 at 8:53 am

    We live on a farm now! We have about 23 cats, 24 goats, 1 peahen since a raccoon got our other peahen, lots of Muscovy ducks, 2 Great Pyrenees dogs, 1 lab mix dog, I think that’s it now.

    Amy

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  8. Kelly on October 5, 2011 at 8:57 am

    We have 3 indoor cats. I’ve had hampster, dog, bird, cats, bird, cats in my life and always prefer cats. We went to a shelter a few years ago, when our boys were mostly old enough to not yank tails (so we thought – thank goodness we got such tolerant cats!) intending to get 2 and came home with 3 because hubby is a big softy. After visiting a new, local hair salon that had them, I’m a little obsessed with getting “peeping birds”. I don’t know what they were, but they were *tiny*, lovely colourful and just sat in their cage in the corner, peeping. Adorable!! Unfortunately, though 1 cat is a big skitty cat, and 1 cat is a fatty-fat, 1 of our cats is a chaser (our resident fly-catcher) and the birds would be terrorized.

    Reply to Kelly's comment

  9. Allison on October 5, 2011 at 8:59 am

    Horses are my favorite! If a Mini Mule counts as unusual, then that would be my unusual pet!

    Reply to Allison's comment

    • Susy on October 5, 2011 at 2:44 pm

      Mini Mule – Oh how I love mini mules, someday I hope to have a farm with a few of them!

      Reply to Susy's comment

  10. Jennifer Fisk on October 5, 2011 at 9:08 am

    My favorites are my German Shepherds of which I’ve been known to have 4 at a time but only 2 now. I also have a Maine Coon cat who is personality plus and super affectionate and a Maine Coon mix who is not very affectionate at all. Probably my strangest pet was a single NH Red hen that I had as a child. She free ranged but came when called and was just a really cool bird.

    Reply to Jennifer Fisk's comment

  11. K.B. on October 5, 2011 at 10:02 am

    Hahaha! I have a slew of similar pics, but with dog heads in them :)

    In fact, Katy just photo-bombed my last CSA basket post.

    We had cats growing up, and Guinea pigs and hamsters and gerbils, and my brother had a pet turtle for a while, and then there was the snake I brought home…

    But it’s dogs for me now, and only dogs. I cannot fathom life without them, “ruined” pictures or not :)

    Reply to K.B.'s comment

  12. MAYBELLINE on October 5, 2011 at 10:19 am

    Dogs. But my garden kitty is pretty great too. She, at least, doesn’t destroy any plants.

    Reply to MAYBELLINE's comment

  13. Donna B. on October 5, 2011 at 10:32 am

    Oh Dexter – you ham. I love this series of photos!
    I, also, have had a multitude of different pets – the one that almost happened was a Horned Lizard. My father couldn’t bring it home with so he got me a hermit crab instead. ^^
    I have always been a cat person, but when I met my boyfriend he was allergic so I had to resort to being a dog person, so now I love both species!
    My larger baby [pushing 130lbs…] is a camera hog, he get’s REALLY excited when I’m photographing things inside. The other? She’s not really fond of the camera – every photo of her is of her face slightly blurred because she will move her head just as I take the picture! Only when she’s sleeping can I get a good photo of her…

    I do have a question concerning one of the photos – what are those all-natural “Twist” scrubbers? I don’t remember a post about those…!

    Reply to Donna B.'s comment

  14. Angela on October 5, 2011 at 12:03 pm

    Hooray for cats! We have 2 cats–a 3-year-old and a 5-mo old kitten. We like dogs too, and maybe someday there’ll be a little pup in our house. But for now, our 2 cats are good companions–and they act like typical dogs. They greet us at the door wagging their tails, follow us around, etc. They’re very sweet.:)

    Reply to Angela's comment

  15. Sincerely, Emily on October 5, 2011 at 12:48 pm

    So Funny! I posted a picture of one of our cats today! 3 cats share their house with us. They are indoor/outdoor. I am a crazy cat lady too. Love them all. All animals really, but cats are special to me.Emily

    Reply to Sincerely, Emily's comment

  16. KimH on October 5, 2011 at 4:48 pm

    Awww.. love your pics & love the kitties.. They’re probably my favorite pets along with Labrador’s. In my late 30s I became allergic to all of them. My dog (lab/chow mix) & kitty boy stayed in Texas when I moved to Ohio. :( The only pets we’ve had here are fish & a giant iguana…

    When I was a kid, we had pet racoons, dogs, cats, & horses.. I too had a cat that lived until he was in his 22nd or 23rd year. My mom finally had him put down since he couldnt walk anymore & just made a mess wherever he was. Poor kitty Lacho… He was my baby.. I got him when I was in the 7th or 8th grade.

    Later as an adult, my X & I had a wolf, several wolf hybrids, lots of different birds-Indian ring neck, red mitred conures, cockateels & one other I cant remember, gigantic rats, fish, and a few snakes too…(ewwww).

    Reply to KimH's comment

  17. SewLindaAnn on October 5, 2011 at 9:49 pm

    It was fun reading the comments here, I envy the farm living people! I’ve had Lizards (Lizzie and Razor), guinea pig (Mackie), gerbils (Tales and Gracie), and 2 dogs all at once. Sadly, only the dogs are left now and getting up in age. I had cats previously and will probably be getting one soon. When I can leave my “subdivision living” I’m hoping to have chickens.

    Reply to SewLindaAnn's comment

  18. Chase on October 6, 2011 at 1:45 am

    My favorite pet is a dog name Ali. She is really a good dog. She’s very smart, sweet, loyal, a great watch dog and love to get a massage. I love my dog Ali very much! I consider her my best paw!

    Anyway, I agree your cats are really curious and loved to get a picture. :)

    Reply to Chase's comment

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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