M99's Live Journal

IK Manga and Cats Again

2008-04-21T06:35:59Z

Yep, got another panel of manga done, plus a little more picspam of cats. :)

Ch'laen is back! Mostly. >D

I *finally* catch a shot of Blackjack's gorgeous eyes. More cat pics after the cut.

Greymalkin, lurking on the new cat tree. "C'mon, wiggle your fingers at me."

Saki being a bit ungraceful. His head is still on his shoulders, even though it doesn't quite look that way.

Blackjack again, looking much better now that he's had about three weeks of decent care.

And one last pic of Blackjack, after the kitty toy which has fallen down to the next level of the cat tree.

On the home front, Mom and I took a van-full of old household toxics to the Earth Day recycle facility. Between us we had about 12 cans of old paint, bug killer, weed killer, old motor oil, ancient spray cans, cleaners, solvents. Thank goodness it is now out of our houses, garage, and shed, and being properly recycled. Now I need a similar day for old PC and electronic stuff.

IK Manga

2008-04-18T14:17:24Z

Ch'laen returns, as does Spirit. :)

Up early, feeding the cat herd, cleaning litterboxes, letting them in and out of the cat-run. Blackjack is starting to look more like a slender fluffy cat and less like a bony wad of matted black fuzz. Still searching for a good home for him.

Edited to add the missing panel. Oopsie! :D

Cats and Art :)

2008-04-14T14:33:52Z

Saturday night I was working on the manga, and Rum hopped up on the drawing table and plopped himself down on top of everything. I noticed the little pose-able art-models seemed rather unhappy at the intrusion, so I grabbed the camera and took a couple quick photos. In this one they look as if they are trying to figure out how to make him leave and Rum looks as if he's totally Not Moving. XD

Herding Cats

2008-04-14T04:55:49Z

Or maybe we should call this, "Do Fence Me In"?

Here are a few pictures of my completed fence project. I bought about eight 6-foot long bamboo poles, and threaded them through the heavy brass fencing of the original pen. Then I bought 7-foot tall deer netting at the Garden Center at Fred Meyer's and followed the instructions on the "cat fence" web site. You secure the netting at top and bottom to the poles and the fencing, stretching it as taut as possible.

I think Blackjack has tried to jump out about twice, I saw the first attempt, and he can't get a good grip on the netting and pull himself up and over. So far, so good. I had a moment this afternoon where I thought he had gone over, but after searching the yard, I came back inside and he sauntered out from one of the bedrooms. It is an exercise in futility to search for a black cat in the shadows under beds and in closets.

Here he is checking out the fence and standing on the birdbath I use for their outdoor water. That is Saki giving him the eye. Blackjack is quite the athlete and is willing to climb up on stuff my own cats don't consider climbable.

So at the moment he is safe in the cat run when he wants to go out -- unless he figures out a way around the improvements. We'll see if my engineering abilities can keep up with his clever cat mind. :D

IK Manga

2008-04-13T14:06:21Z

Blackjack is looking better - Most of his mats are gone one way or another and he has been frolicking around the house in between the "cat work" of eating and sleeping. Friday night he and Grey were chasing each other from room to room. Blackjack had his tail kinked up the way kittens do with they play. :D

I'm working on fixing the cat run with the sort of extension on the top recommended by feral cat groups to keep your kitties in the run. We'll see if it works. I got the materials needed in the garden center at Fred Meyer's. *crosses fingers*

Rum is done with his antibiotics and feels very good. Saki is doing much better, too. Hooray for Pill Pockets, which means he eats his pill in a snack without a fight. He'll go back to the vet at the end of the month for tests to see how his thyroid and kidneys are doing.

IK Manga

2008-04-09T07:39:41Z

Another new bit of the manga. :)

And the cat report (kind of like the weather report, only fuzzier).

Blackjack had his (yes, definitely a neutered male) vet check today. I was afraid he'd be totally traumatized by it, since he was an unhappy kitty on the trip over, bouncing around in the cat carrier and protesting. But as soon as I got him home, he went "phew!" and calmed right down. He seems none the worse for wear.
The current summary:

No microchip (yay!)

Age between 1 and 7, has a little tartar on his teeth, but otherwise in good shape. I'm guessing he is somewhere around 2-3 years old given the fact he wants to play now that he's less starved and more rested.

Felv negative, thank Bast. Got a "well kitten" workup with first Felv shot. Will haul him back in a week or so for rabies & rest of boosters. Got to check with the vet about when/which ones. Rum will need a follow-up check about that time, so the two of them can go and I can have stereo cat-howling for the trip. 0_o

They did some dematting -- the worst of the dreadlocks are gone. They wanted to bathe him, but...
he has a type 2 heart murmur and were worried sedating him might not be good. I opted for letting them do what they could with dematting and skip the bath. The doctor wants me to bring him back for a free sonogram to see what's going on with his heart. Hopefully not too serious. In the meantime, I'll do lots of brushing. :)

Anyway, the local POPP (Pet Overpopulation Prevention) is full-up with kitties, so I'm going to foster-mom as needed. My co-worker's aunt is interested in him, so we'll see how that works out. I took a couple more photos and I'll send some pictures to the lady. My coworker thought he was so cute when she saw the photo of him rolling on the carpet she said, "If my aunt won't take him, I will!" :)

Cat Report

2008-04-07T06:39:37Z

Yep, it's time for a couple photos of the black rescue-kitty. This is him rolling happily on the kitchen mat after a full week of food, rest, and as much grooming as he could tolerate.

Black kitty is now wandering the house part of the time. He figured out how to get out of the pen today, which I kind of thought he might. He's young and athletic and has the Maine Coon habit of standing up on his hind paws to look at stuff, so he discovered he could hop up onto the windowsill and then tightrope onto the fence and over. Very clever. :D My resident feline gang has been mostly OK with this, although I think they'll be glad when he goes & they get all my attention back for themselves.

Hauled out the kitty tease early this evening and let black kitty chase and tug and skitter around. He was very happy. Then he had a 2-hour nap. He's gained a little weight, yay! Fortunately he seems to be sensible about eating and hasn't eaten to the point of getting sick. He still looks a bit shopworn in the photos, but cleaner and less desperate, if that makes any sense. I use the Zoom Groom on him, which he loves, and a dematting comb, which he tolerates till I tug one time too many, at which point he leaves my lap and tromps off. He's pulled a bunch of mats off himself, which helps, but some are going to need a scissors and for that I think I'll either need a helper or a pro groomer. I cut a couple out of his back-fur, but if I do them all he'll look totally moth-eaten. 0__o

I bought a furminator shedding tool, but it turns out you're only supposed to use it on cats/dogs with clean, non-matted coats. He gets checked by my vet Tuesday for a microchip and to make sure he's healthy. So far, I'd say he is, given the speed at which he has recovered from a rough winter of deprivation.

Another pic after the cut:

You can see here in this one how skinny he still is -- and he's gained weight since I took him in! I didn't think to weigh him that first day, but he was so light in my hands, mostly just fur and bones. He feels light still, but not *as* light and the shine is starting to come back into his fur. Heh, it looks like he has two tails in this photo because he was waving it as I clicked the shutter. I also notice he's blinking in both photos so you can't see his gold eyes. Oh well. At least he's smiling. :)

IK Manga

2008-04-04T06:34:38Z

And another panel just to move things along and ease your minds. :D

Black kitty is feeling well enough to want to play. I've given him some cat toys, which he skitters around the linoleum in between eating, sleeping, and chirruping to be let out. I'll try and call the vet tomorrow to get him checked-out. I don't see any flea-dirt on anything, so I think at least he's not harboring those. Ear mites are a worry since they are so catchy.

And Saki figured out the pill thing, darn it. So now I either have to dose him with liquid meds twice a day or try to get him to swallow a pill once a day. Argh. He is *much* less cooperative than Rum. <__< IK RPG tomorrow evening, yay! *bounces*

IK Manga

2008-04-03T05:31:08Z

Well, the warjack seems to be all right. :D

Little black kitty is starting to serenade us... he'd very much like to explore the rest of the house. Not sure how the rest of the gang would feel about that. I've been checking with co-workers, and got two nibbles who may be interested in adopting him. I'm still working on dematting him -- looks like a long project unless we punt and give him a body clip. And it's too cold yet to think about that.

IK Manga

2008-04-02T05:28:17Z

And one more panel before bedtime.

IK Manga

2008-04-02T04:18:07Z

Oh yes, it's all going swimmingly. >D Imagery much inspired by Osamu Tezuka. Thank you, sensei! <3

Forgot to give Rum his antibiotics till just now. He did *not* want to be hauled off the bed and given cold, triple-fish flavored gunk. Still, he's much better about this than Saki.

Got to go and groom Yaddo a bit more. And clean litter boxes.

IK Manga

2008-04-01T07:07:19Z

Got a bit more art done tonight around grooming and medicating a herd of cats. Grey is the only one who doesn't need meds or remedial care, but he *does* want attention so his little kitty nose isn't bent out of shape. Rum is feeling much better and is eating crunchy food as if he never had three teeth pulled. They must have been hurting him more before extraction and now that they are gone he's happier.

Saki is also feeling better -- well enough to want his share of snacks again. :)

I'm calling the rescue-kitty Blackjack for now. I'm working on his coat a little at a time morning and evening. He's been very good about it and his upper back is much improved. Of course, there's the rest of him, but I got to start somewhere, and he can't reach his back too well to self-groom.

My office mate says his wife wants a cat - on top of their two Bernese mountain dogs. We'll see. :)

IK Manga

2008-03-29T23:59:24Z

And in-between the goings-on with kitties, I got a little more art done this week for the manga.

Feral and Not-So Feral Cats

2008-03-29T23:36:00Z

I set out a trap today for a feral kitty that has been sneaking food from the outdoor gang for a couple weeks (maybe all winter, I'm just not very observant sometimes) She/he has long shaggy black hair and moves like a little ninja, so I couldn't tell whether it was a boy or girl-kitty from the fleeting glimpses I got.

So... I called the feral cat rescue folks this week and set up to trap and have him/her fixed and vetted. This afternoon Bast was kind and I got her/him. Turns out she's not a wild-born feral cat, she's wearing a collar which now hangs loosely on her skinny neck. She's dirty and matted and purrs up a storm when I pet her. Poor thing. Someone had her for a pet once and probably moved away and left her. :-(

I can't tell if she's pregnant or neutered, she's rail-thin, though, and the veterinary care will be good for her. If she's an abandoned pet, I think my local POP will help to place her in a new home. I wish I was set up for fostering, maybe after I get the house renovated, I think it will be easier to do. Right now, all I can do is set her up in the bathroom, with a litter box in the bathtub, a kennel kab with fleecy pad for a 'den', and put out food and water. She ate half a can of Friskies wet food and I've given her free-choice dried. Hopefully she won't eat herself sick.

The feral rescue is making their run to Cle Elum tomorrow at noon, so that's when I'll take her over to them and send her off for vet care. After that, we'll see. I hope my local ladies have someone available to foster her. I might be able to get a start at brushing her this evening -- she's a black angora/Maine Coon type cat like my Rum, with big orange eyes. It makes me sad to see such a pretty cat just abandoned like that. She'll be lovely with food and decent care.

Old Heroes

2008-03-22T18:46:06Z

I got tagged to do a silly meme over on DeviantArt, and it got me to try my hand at drawing a childhood hero, Black Fury, wild mustang and all-round horse hero. I read this comic way before I ever encountered Walter Farley's Black Stallion books, so to me, Black Fury is still THE black stallion of my dreams.

Black Fury is from the old Charleton comic book of the same name. The perfect wild fantasy mustang living in a 1950’s idealized Western universe where horses are smarter than humans and the bad guys (usually) miss their victims, and an untameable black stallion can solve most any problem with the proper application of hooves, teeth, or blinding speed.

This series had a number of artists, most of whom could draw horses, animals, and western scenes quite well. Even now, many years later, the images have a vibrancy and movement that I still find compelling. Alas, most of them didn't sign their work, especially their best artist. My version is a try at his style.

Black Fury was copyrighted to Charleton Comics in 1950, which is over 50 years ago. I've no idea who holds the copyright now, since Charleton is long gone, alas. I'd still be buying and reading this comic if they were still here.
---------------

On the cat front, Saki has been diagnosed with hyperactive thyroid, which may be part of beginning renal failure (kidney disease for the layman). Hobbes went that way, so I'm not exactly looking forward to things, but... right now I've got meds to give him, and he's hanging in there. Rum had a tooth infection. After a course of Clavamox, he's feeling pretty good, so next week, he'll go and get his teeth cleaned. Then hopefully he'll feel better yet.

Grey is healthy, thanks goodness, as is the outdoor crew. Phew.

Oh yeah, still working on house renovation plans. I need clones! Lots of them. 0_o

IK Manga

2008-03-15T20:39:19Z

Blaze demonstrates her skills with 'jacks. Or something. 0__o I've got to give the girl credit, she has *lots* of enthusiasm.

A new strip finished this morning around chores and looking after cats. Rum and Saki seem to be both feeling under the weather since yesterday. It's been a week since they got caught up on their shots and I'm wondering if *now* they're finally having an immune reaction? Anyway, I put a call in to the vet and I'm keeping an eye on them. They're eating and drinking, if lightly, but both of them seem to have sore muscles and want to sleep a lot and not run around. Cats, sigh. -__-

IK Manga

2008-03-12T03:33:27Z

Good grief, it's been a week since I updated?! I've been busily drawing away, and not posting, bad me! But on the good side, you get a whole page at once. :D

In no particular order I've been prepping to combine households - a project that may take a year, get the house repaired/expanded, which means working on many versions of house plans, did my and my mom's taxes, shopped some new clothes, bought spring flowers, cleaned the front porch, and attended to a herd o'cats. Not too bad for a week. Oh yeah, and worked my normal job. I think I need a clone or three!

The vet came over and did a house call - S'mores took one look at the nice ladies and ran off. Vet: "Hmm, he doesn't look at all lame now." <_< We got Sable his shots, and my indoor cats their shots, much to their annoyance. Saki and Rum will need their teeth cleaned, so I'll drag them in next week. Rum growled so much the vet didn't want to mess with his mouth, so she showed me what to look for on Saki, who was much more cooperative, and two days later I checked Rum and found he too needs dental work. Yee-hah. Current score, Vet 1, cats 3 =;=

IK Manga

2008-03-02T18:42:07Z

Aaand the plot thickens. :D

Gorgeous sunlit Sunday! Cats are running in and out of the house. I get to try and haul S'mores back to the vet tomorrow for a checkup. And I'll need to ask for more antibiotic - the second bottle looked icky, turns out the label says "refrigerate after hydrating". Ooops. I don't want to poison the kitty, so he'll have to live one day without antibiotics.

Wish us luck, today we do taxes. 0_o

IK Manga

2008-03-02T04:39:39Z

Oopsies happen. Especially when you're climbing the learning-curve with 8 to 14-ton giant robots typically armed to the teeth with weapons.

Heh-heh, Joe-sensei is getting a workout. >D

Spring is coming, my jonquils are getting flower-buds already! And the daffodils are up to 6 inches tall. Time to attack the garden soon. Or now.

IK Manga

2008-03-01T16:05:22Z

Finally got back to the drawing-board Thursday evening. Got a bit of a backlog waiting, and it will probably trickle out since I need to do mine and mom's taxes and a bunch of neglected household chores today. But still...! It's Saturday!

S'mores is bouncing around outside in the windstorm, happy and looking as if some prankster gave his right paw a ragged clip. The paw itself is now quite normal-looking and he's running around on it like nothing ever happened. I think he probably got it slammed in a door or something.

I'm on meds too, for an allergy-fueled sinus infection. If I get these, they typically happen now... some mold or something blooms in this cool environment and makes my head very unhappy for a month. -__-

IK Manga

2008-02-25T15:35:38Z

Got the next panel done last night. :)

Keeping an eye on S'mores, who turned up three-legged lame on Saturday. This morning his right front paw is swollen below the 'wrist joint'. He doesn't want to put weight on it. Given it didn't have visible punctures when I checked it Saturday, I'm thinking it have have green-stick fractured it bouncing around in spring silliness. He probably took a bad jump. I'll phone the vet and see if he needs to go in, but for a fracture they don't do much for it. Argh, cats. At least his appetite is good, so I brought him food and he ate and let me check his paw. He's sleeping in the cat kabin by the house, so if he stays around there, I should hopefully be able to get hold of him if the vet says to bring him in.

IK Manga

2008-02-23T06:39:46Z

Stayed home today sick with a sinus infection... I was wondering why I felt like I was getting bronchitis all week - lots of icky sinus drippage will do that to a body. So, I've got meds from the doctor, hung out at home, visited with my cousin and mom, drew some comics, and in general had a restful day.

Also groomed the cats. Spring is coming, I got enough fuzz off Rum to make a kitten, and almost as much from his short-haired brother Saki. Even Grey had a lot of hair coming off of him although he is always a challenge to brush. He's such a wiggle-worm. :D

IK Manga

2008-02-15T06:41:30Z

I'm sure this guy doesn't look at all familiar. :D Next panel should have an actual warjack in it!

Hands are healing, yay!! Took off all the band-aids and everything looks good and healthy. :)

Mom and I shared a Valentine's Day dinners. I bought flowers, too, and we ate Chinese takeout and had Ben and Jerry's Neapolitan Dynamite for dessert. Boy, that stuff is GOOD.

IK Manga

2008-02-13T08:41:44Z

Heh-heh, here comes the *fun* part, as Han Solo would say. :D

My hands are healing up - these space-age band-aids seem to work pretty good. At least I don't see any signs of infection or anything exciting happening -- yay!

I also figured out how to hold my cell phone up the right way so I could hear the caller. *blush* New technology... I also discovered the web browser actually works. A web browser on a bl@@dy cell phone! 0_O

Bought the 2007 version of Turbo Tax, yep it's that time again gang! Time to try and pry a refund out of the grasp of the Shrub and his minions. :D

A Visit to the Iron Kingdoms

2008-02-10T17:19:14Z

And another panel finished last night, but I was too tired to post up. While Ch'laen has been studying, Dream Spirit has been keeping herself busy as well. :)

Another howling windstorm, the 4th in as many days. The wind has pushed down two panels of the backyard fence I share with my neighbor, so that means repair work when the weather gets better. The snow is gone at this elevation, we've been getting rain off and on and the daffodils are sprouting! The birdies are also singing, I guess spring must be on the way, foul weather or not. All the mountain passes are closed, still buried in snow. The only way to get to Seattle is up the gorge to I-5. Aaand I see more wet clouds cruising in as I look out my window. Blurp!