do you miss me?

Sorry I haven’t been around the blog much lately.  I’ve been really busy with all of my grooming, cat napping, snacking, regrooming, renapping, resnacking, etc.  And when I think about all the time I’ve been spending on Grizzly’s orientation, it’s a wonder that I have time for napping at all…  I’ve had to find some creative new locations where I can snooze in peace.  But somehow Grizzly always seems to find me.  I honestly have no idea how he does it – it’s like he’s some sort of cat nap-finding savant.

training the new guy

I know I’ve been gone too long.  I’ve been so busy trying to show poor Grizzly the ropes that I haven’t had any time for blogging…  Initially I was concerned that Grizzly might not be a very effective personal assistant.  At this point, I’m concerned about him being an effective feline.  Really, what cat in their right mind steals GRAPES?

good news for the black & white & red all over

As ambassador for all creatures Black & White & Red All Over, I am thrilled to say that my human has wisely chosen a new color scheme for Grizzly.  With the black fur and his new purple Soft Claws, Grizz is looking a little like a bruise.  And just a little bit cranky.

grizzly the permanent temp?

Sigh… I just found out that my human actually adopted the foster cat. Grizzly is now a permanent fixture around here, and I think that means I’ll never have a competent personal assistant.

Don’t get me wrong, Grizzly is an OK cat. But he just doesn’t have any useful skills. His interdigital floof gets in the way of iPad typing as much as mine does. He doesn’t have any marketing experience. He clearly has the whole grooming thing wrong, and he doesn’t have the level of subservience that I expect. And he isn’t even a lovely girl cat with a big, floofy tail and beautiful eyes like these:

Yeah, I guess I’m a little glad that Grizzly doesn’t have to go back to the shelter. I just wish my human had taken my needs into consideration before making such a monumental decision…  I hope she doesn’t make a habit of bringing home every naked cat she meets on the street.

no mas no mas pantalones

Here’s proof of the Grizz’s coat progress.  I’m not normally one to comment on another boy cat’s rear end, but have to admit that Grizzly’s bum is looking pretty good these days.  Not nearly as good as mine, of course.  But a huge improvement, anyway…  Doesn’t it seem like this fostering gig should be over soon???

after

before

grizzly stows away

Pssst…  I made up my mind – I’m going to brave the albino dust bunny infestation and stick it out here in my foster home.  I’ve stowed away in a shopping bag in case Pedro or the human have any different plans for me.

pedro the cat’s incredible shrinking box

I don’t want to cause any alarm, but I seem to be stuck.

And my human’s too busy laughing to offer assistance…

pedro’s shark tank experience

I’m a fan of the show Shark Tank.  With a name like that and such a fabulous concept, what businesscat could resist?

I recently saw an old episode that featured a man with a blossoming business that was sheer genius. (I know I have your attention now, because rarely does one see the words “man” and “genius” in the same sentence here at pedrothecat.com.)  The man is Steve Gadlin and his business is I Want To Draw A Cat For You. And for a mere $9.95, Steve will do just that. Naturally, I had to borrow my human’s credit card to take Steve’s website for a little test drive. And here’s the result:

I think it’s amazing that the true essence of Pedro the Cat is obvious in such a primitive piece of art drawn by a complete stranger. Steve got everything right – the spots, the catstooth tie, and the cattitude. I think it’s absolutely amazing…

P.S. My apologies if I’ve offended Maru, whose furry rear end I’m kicking above. Steve just draws life as he sees it. Brilliant! I wonder if I can order a mural…

pedro the cat’s latest award

Most of my adoring fans already know my BFC, the ginger genius of One Spoiled Cat.  Sammy nominated me for a really special award last week, the Best Moment Award.  I am really honored to have been nominated, and Grizzly and I have been working on my acceptance speech all week.  (Really I’ve been working on the speech, and The Grizz has a been working on being my pillow.  It’s fantastic that he has such useful skills.). Unfortunately, I’m not quite ready to post my acceptance just yet.  But I wanted to make sure you all know that the acceptance and my nominations are coming soon, so anyone who would like to have this huge honor bestowed on them should send gifts.  Preferably bonito flakes. stay tuned for that exciting event later this week. And thanks and a big head bump to Sammy!!!

(Isn’t my whiskerage impressive in this photo?)

grizzly possibilities

I was fully prepared to hate Grizzly.  I mean, really, what’s not to hate about a balding interloper with absolutely no business acumen? But I have to admit that the weird little guy is starting to grow on me. And I’m starting to think that even though The Grizz is clearly not capable of filling the position of Personal Assistant to Pedro the Cat, he still might be useful…

It’s good to have a cat around for stalking and ambush practice, and Grizzly has proven himself a formidable opponent. And he has mad dust mopping skills. My human’s lack of photographic abilities means he never looks good in photos, which makes me look even better. And think of the cleanliness potential if I can harness the power of his licker… And best of all, not only is Grizzly on a special (and quite tasty) diet, his taste buds are obviously broken because he really, really prefers my awful diet kibble.

I’m not saying that I think my human should actually adopt the Grizzled Guy, but I am saying that I think it’s worth some additional thought.  And in the meantime, while his bum recovers (literally!) I’ll enjoy using him as a sparring partner.

grizzly and the albino dust bunnies

The foster human is nice enough and I guess Pedro the Cat is OK, but the albino dust bunny situation is really out of control.  Could someone please adopt me???

I needed a new coat, but this is NOT what I had in mind!

the unvarnished truth about Grizzly

Last week my loyal fans seemed to think I hadn’t given Grizzly enough time when I wrote my post about him not being a suitable candidate for the position of Personal Assistant to Pedro the Cat. I may have sugar-coated things so as not to hurt Mr. Grizzly’s sensitive feelings. So here it is – the plain, honest truth about the two real reasons why I feel Grizzly will never be able to fill those massive shoes:

1. Our human is a horrible housekeeper.

2. Our dust bunnies are albino.

Now that the cat is out of the bag, I’m sure you all understand my decision.  Soon I’ll be unveiling the creative marketing plan I’ve developed for Grizzly that I think will really showcase his strengths and help him find an adoptive family expeditiously, so my human can get back to concentrating on grooming ME.

grizzly here…

What’s a cat got to do to get some privacy for a little bath?

What is wrong with these people???

really???

pedro the cat’s epiphany

Tonight I gave Grizzly a little cat bath to straighten up his legs and back a bit. Grizzly didn’t seem afraid that I was really just preparing to eat him, and I remembered how much I enjoyed my role as Household Hygiene Manager. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not saying that I want Grizzly to stay beyond the fostering agreement. In fact, I’m actually thinking of things on a much, much larger scale. Imagine this: Pedro the Cat’s Professional Cat Wash.  You fouls ’em, Pedro towels ’em… OK, the slogan might need some work. But isn’t that a FABULOUS idea for my next career move?

Mahalo to http://green-buzz.net/photos/strange-friendships-of-animals/ for letting me use the cow-spotted goat photo without permission. (I’m guessing the photographer didn’t bother to get the permission of said cow-spotted goat, or of the little stripy rodent thing, so I don’t feel bad!)

pedro the cat has puppy dog eyes

I’m practicing my puppy-dog eyes. Think they’ll work?

I’m preparing for the tough conversation where I explain to my human that Grizzly is completely unsuitable as a personal assistant, so if she’s considering adopting him she needs to put that thought out of her mind ASAP.

Here are my major reasons for rejecting Mr. Grizz:

1. He’s a scaredy cat. During a recent thunderstorm, Grizzly spent the whole day cowering under the bed. I expect to be able to hide my eyes in my personal assistant’s fur so I can pretend I’m in my happy place during fireworks and thunderstorms. How can I do that if my personal assistant is AWOL?
2. Hygiene is absolutely essential, but Grizzly’s OCD and over-grooming doesn’t extend to his face. And when I try to help him clean up the crumbs on his chin, he acts like I’m going to eat him. And that makes me want to try to eat him, which gets me in trouble.
3. Grizzly has his own teddy bear. My human gave it to him hoping that he’ll nurse on the bear instead of himself. What kind of high powered executive cat nurses on a teddy bear???
4. Grizzly makes me look fat. When he’s too close to me, my fur puffs up like crazy, making me look like a 20-pounder. I’ll never get off the yucky diet kibble with him around.
5. For some unfathomable reason, Grizzly is not suitably awestruck in my presence. He pretends not to know of my celebrity status and general fabulosity.  Yesterday when I sat on him, instead of asking if I was comfortable, he hissed at me.  Hissed!
6. Grizzly is an excavator. A digger. It’s noisy and messy and just plain weird. Does he really think he might hit something new and exciting in that litterbox if he just keeps digging long enough???

As you can see, I’ve put considerable thought into the feasibility of keeping Grizzly as a permanent personal assistant before coming to the conclusion that he’s just not the right cat for the job. I’m sure that once his bum is fuzzy and our fostering stint is over, he’ll make the perfect pet for a loving furrever family. He does have a nice personality, and he’s not a bad-looking cat. But he really isn’t Businesscat material.

the reason for grizzly’s bare (bear?) bum

Aha! I’ve got this foster cat all figured out, and now I know the reason for his over-grooming. It’s just so we can discern some part of his body in photos. Otherwise, Grizzly’s just a fuzzy black blob with eyes. 

Good thinking, Grizzly! Maybe you should take a little off under the chin so we can see you have a head… And a bit on the front legs, too. And maybe just even out the hind legs a little…

my first meeting with grizzly

I finally met Grizzly, my new temporary personal assistant. Sort of. He actually slept through the whole encounter. But I did get to see and smell him up close for the first time.  And I have to say that I was a little surprised – aren’t grizzlies brown???

As I’m sure you all know, I’m a little bit obsessive about hygiene.  And I’ve had some trouble with compulsive grooming.  I never, ever thought I would utter these words, but here goes:  Grizzly may have gone overboard on the grooming just a bit.  And maybe if he spent less time grooming himself, we could finally get some work done.

pedro the cat’s new assistant

Well, so far the new Temporary Personal Assistant to Pedro the Cat is a complete flop. Grizzly arrived almost a week ago, and I haven’t even met him yet! And even worse, my human is spending a disturbing amount of time with him, when she could be grooming me. I understand that Grizzly is having a bad fur day (or month, maybe) but the amount of attention he’s getting is a little ridiculous. Really, how bad could it be??? I think the healthiest thing for Grizzly to do would be to immerse himself in working on a new marketing campaign for Pedro the Cat. That would certainly take his mind off of his problems…

my staff arrives

 

The temp has arrived!  I’m so glad that the humane society agreed to let us borrow Grizzly for a while.  And this is a fabulous career move for him.  What cat wouldn’t want to list, “Personal Assistant to Pedro the Cat” on their CV?

Unfortunately, Grizzly didn’t immediately get to work.  It appears that he needs to get settled in first.  I guess that’s understandable…  I can hear him purring through the bedroom door, which must mean he’s excited to meet a celebrity cat such as myself.

Fantastic news!  Grizzly accepted the position of temporary personal assistant to Pedro the Cat, and he’s ready to start training right away.  I’m very excited because I could use more adoration.  I’ll update you all very soon!