The Mud Cat, my seven-year-old Bengal, aka Pi, has been battling a fever and loss of appetite caused by a liver infection. This morning, for the first time in a week, he ate a few bites of canned cat food and lapped up a tiny bit of milk. Also the vet measured his temperature at just below 102 degrees F, almost normal for a cat. Previously it was 104.
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Category Archives: Pi
The Mud Cat Is Starting to Feel Better
Posted in Pi
King Tide Morning
High enough for you?
The Kitsap Sun said the last few days have seen the highest tides of the year, calling them “King Tides.” Further, it invited anyone so inclined to post tide photos on a flickr page to help the state Department of Ecology document them. Until this morning I wasn’t able to participate. The tides have reached maximum height well before sunrise, so it’s been too dark out to do much with my inexpensive digital camera. The photo included above was taken right at high tide (7:56 AM) and shows a 14.0-foot tide at the north end of Mud Bay. There was enough light for the Mud Cat to point out the water’s edge.
I’m a bit confused. In January 2010 I wrote a blog entry about perihelion tides, extreme high tides that occur when the earth is closest to the sun and the moon is also exerting maximum gravitational effect on the tidal range. For comparison the photo I posted last year shows water on the land side of the small bulkhead behind the Mud Cat. That high tide was listed as 13.8 feet. So are the tide charts incorrect or did something else like storm surge or heavy rain cause the higher water level?
Posted in Mud Bay & Rocky Point, Pi
Ask a Professional
A miracle product
Early this morning a cat-caused stain bomb exploded in my garage, effectively, I thought, ruining the finish on my Toyota Tacoma (see photo). Fortunately I know a professional auto body man who recommended a product for dealing with the mess. Not only did it easily clean the splotches of stain from my truck’s hood, fenders, and passenger door, it also removed numerous stubborn sap and tar spots.
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An Accidental Cat Perch
Nap Time
The cat perch at Treasure Island (see photo) wasn’t created by design. Maybe that’s why the cat likes it so much. It’s shady, perfect for napping, and the thick rough cedar planks do double duty as a giant scratching pad—for his claws and his back. Perched above the deck his view is both scenic and strategic. Plus he can retreat to the far corner where I can’t reach him, so he goes there when he wants to stay outside awhile longer. I don’t mind because at least I know where he is.
K’s younger brother gave us the picnic table years ago, not long after we bought the vacation place at Treasure Island. It’s a massive thing, stable as an aircraft carrier, and seemingly about as heavy if you try to move it by yourself. Every couple of years when I would seal the deck boards, it was always a major undertaking to remove the table from the work area. Last time, with the help of a large strong friend, I flipped the table up onto a corner of the railing to get it out of the way. The contented hours that the cat spends atop the table are a strong vote for leaving it there permanently. As for us, now we use a different smaller picnic table that K’s dad made.
The Return of Mud Cat
Pi in Rain
“Mud Cat” is short for Mud Bay Cat, a six-year-old Bengal who lives with me. His real name is Pi—after the young man, not the Bengal tiger, in Yann Martell’s allegory, Life of Pi—although he answers to kitty. Bengals are noisy and demanding. They are also affectionate and operate best as one-person cats. Pi was born in a cattery in Port Angeles. Other than early kittenhood, he has lived his entire life on or near Mud Bay. Last year about this time he disappeared.
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