Heat pad kat

After several windy, rainy and snowy days I was outside today to visit the kats and to take new pics of some bags in my shop and some new bags, too.

The wind was rather nasty, but in sheltered places the sun was really warm. But anyway I was dressed well enough to go on a polar expedition and I could hardly move.

The kats were sitting under their heat lamp, or sleeping or trying to beg treats from the occasional visitor.

Later in the afternoon, when the sun was shining on the new heat pad, Sayuri sat there, scratching it frantically. She obviously liked the heat on her bottom, as she also tried to dig next to the pad, without getting up.

Lateron the youngsters engaged into playing on the pad and some of the adults joined in, too.

Orlok spent some time terrorizing everyone in turn by rubbing his head onto them. When everybody made it clear that they did not like his affectionate behaviour, he stood up to have a look at whom he might have omitted.

With the sun shining for longer hours now, the more playful mood is back into the group. Möfzi is still looking rather unkempt and she answers almost every attempt at coming close by any of the males, except for Swingkat or Snoutie with loud chattering and snarling.

I made some pcitures of the playful youngsters, this time the pictures did come out rather well. So enjoy the not-so-little kats.














Left: Baby Godzilla Lesson One: How to stand up properly
Right: Baby Godzilla Lesson Two: How to cast an impressive shadow!















Baby Godzilla Lesson Three: Proudly present Snoutzilla, Möfra and Carusolon!













Left: Hey, she`s got a SHORT tail, teeheehee!
Right: Who said SHORT TAIL??









Meerkat argument clinic: He said SHORT tail! No, she did! Didn`t! DID!



















Hm, it IS a SHORT tail... well, sort of...

Snowkats in February

The latest video from yesterday, featuring our kats in the snow.

They do not seem to mind the snow, as long as it is not too wet. With yesterday`s temperatures below zero, the snow was powdery and Möfzi did not mind even to sit down in it at least for a short time.

Her constant brrpbrrping at the beginning of the video means that she is hungry and waiting for food.

As you will see, the kats are very keen on their food and follow their keeper on his heels.

Invisible meerkats

Today I visited our mob to have a look at how things are going with Möfzi and the upheaval in the mob.

When I left home, I packed my bag with a hardboiled egg for Möfzi, a new bag to be photographed, the camera and camera lenses. The weather was so fine today, I would have made a great day for pictures.

When I was almost there, I realized that I had left the memory card inside the card reader. So no pics today ;-)

Things have calmed down a little in the mob. Möfzis paw is on the mend, but her tail still looks like the moths had their share of its fur.

When I arrived, most of the kats were sunning themselves in front of the steel door to their inside enclosure. Möfzi and some of the others were inside.

After some time I managed to lure Möfzi with her boiled egg treat. She came outside and was her real self again!

When Stubby Tail tried to get something, she snarled and lunged at him and he backed down.
Stubby Tail is back to his old self, making his churring rrrtrrrt sounds and no longer aggressive.

Still there is nobody who has an active interest in taking the dominant position together with Möfzi. We will have to wait until spring, I guess.

I watched some really sweet grooming between Möfzi and Sayuri in the inside enclosure. Sayuri is still a little smaller than her littermates, but she looks more and more like a small version of her mother. And she can sit up very well now, but standing up is still a too difficult challenge for her.

Caruso and Snoutie were very curious today and I managed to touch Caruso`s head without being bitten, while she was sunning herself and oblivious of what was going on behind her back. Her fur is very soft!

Some time ago the kats got a heat pad (which is actually for piglets), which they have not been too keen on using.

Today, after the heat lamps were switched off in the outside enclosure (they have a timer which is set to about 4.30 p. m.) though, Flat Ears sat down on the pad for a while.

I think the reason, why they don`t use it is that it was installed in a place where they usually never sit. A spot on the far side of the big lookout hill might have been a wiser decision.

All the kats were very noisy today and you could hear them pretty clearly while they were rolling around under the big heat lamp.

Möfzi is no longer chased away and she will not leave, as soon as some of the other kats turn up. So this seems to be setteled now, but sadly with the loss of Jolly Roger.
We miss you, guy!

Groundhog Day - my-meerkat`s birthday!

Yesterday was my birthday and I received many many very sweet gifts. It is my first birthday where I got presents and congrats from people I do not know in person, only through the internet. So far I`ve talked to three of them on the phone.

Well, and none of this would have happened without the sweet kats!

One of the presents I received from Lil_E (you crazy little kat ;-) is so sweet, I would like to share it with you. She had this made from this artist on Dawanda.

It`s a meer-scape which can be lit from the back!