Wake Me When It's Summer

Well hello there, long time no blog eh?

Some of you may have been wondering where the Domestic Tigress has been hiding all these months since the end of the "New Zealand's Next Top Cat Model" Competition and was all the regular blogging a ploy to endear you to my feline charms in an attempt to gain votes? Well for those who have been asking these questions, I have just three words for you... "anywhere warm" and "yes".

I had planned to continue in the manner in which I had started my future modelling career, with light-hearted and candid photo shoots and witty blogs. Then winter kicked in, I got my thick winter coat which adds a few grams to my petite frame and the highlight of my day became when the sun moved around to the front of the house and warmed up my favourite snoozing spot.

The winter did have a few highlights though, I mustn't grumble. I passed my annual health check and blood test with flying colours. Now some kittehs might be scoffing at this but not those who know me. Last year I went through some health problems and became what those in the veterinary industry call a "care" cat. I was fed up with being poked and prodded basically so if anyone lay a had on me in the vet clinic I screamed at them and tried to claw their eyes out, even my mum who was a vet nurse at the time. For this year's health check we were practising at home how they would hold me at the vet clinic and on the day, thanks to mum and Dr Bex, I didn't mind at all, well not too much. Then when we got home it was Greenies over-load!

More of a highlight however, I caught my first mouse. That's right folks the Domestic Tigress has graduated to a real Tigeress now. It was a momentous occasion and I wanted everyone to know about it so with the slain beast in my mouth I ran round and round the outside of the house meowing in an attempt to attract the attention of someone who would let me inside. For unknown reasons though I was not allowed inside. Now that I have my hunter's badge I'm not sure if I'll keep up this sport, it's a lot of effort and it seems to go unrecognised in the human world.

Now the days are getting longer and the weather warmer I am feeling more inclined to get out and about a bit more so stay tuned for more adventures from this Tigress from her jungle that is suburban Auckland.

Meow for now.

The road to becoming New Zealand's Next Top Cat Model ends for this Domestic Tigress

The competition is over for most of us kittehs as 10 finalists have now been chosen and their big campaign starts to become New Zealand's Next Top Cat Model. It was six weeks of highs and... just highs actually. The competition was much more fun than we thought it would be and while I know that I am worshipped already, the challenges brought us all closer together. I think my companions realised I am more than just the fuzzy one that yells at them constantly requiring attention in the form of grooming, chatting and chasing Greenies around the lounge, I am a talented cat. I don't mind sitting and staring down the camera lens, I will come when called, put vegemite on anything and I will lick it and if you put a bowl of food in front of me, even new strange food, I will eat it. I have raised $170 for the SPCA and The Lonely Miaow and we are still aiming for our $200 target, I was top cat of the day early on and was a finalist in two out of the five challenges which was amazing and what seemed like the icing on the cake I was offered a real modelling job, this however didn't go ahead but I was still stoked to have been considered. Best of all we have met other wonderfully talented kittehs and their people (some say crazy cat people, I say people with their priorities straight).

The companions and I had mixed feelings about how we hoped the finals would end up, we knew it was a tough competition with gorgeous cats of all breeds and in our heart of hearts we wished I could be in the top 10 but in another mind we knew it would be extra hard work to become New Zealand's Next Top Cat Model and maybe we should leave it to some cats and their companions who like to take a few less cat naps than ourselves. For now the the garden fence remains my catwalk and my adoring fans still total two.

So now we are supporting the final 10 and urge everyone to vote and there is still time to sponsor me and who knows... there is always next year.

The Domestic Tigress' Top Tips To Keeping Snuggly

I probably shouldn't complain about winter, being and Aucklander and therefore avoiding single digit temperatures, but us Tigresses do have a lower chill threshold than most probably due to our origins of Africa and Asia (kudos going out to my Snow Tigress sisters in Siberia). So when the coolness sets in I have some tried and true remedies for keeping the tootsies warm.

1. Keep outside time to short but frequent visits: Request to be inside and then outside often, the short trips will mean shorter time exposed to the winter weather and the activity keeps your blood pumping.


2. Take advantage of unmade beds and clothes on the floor: If your own fur coat isn't cutting it get some extra layers on. I scored big this weekend by finding a dressing gown to sleep in.


3. Keep on eating: Just incase you're stranded in your own home by inclement conditions you need to be building up those reserves and besides a belly full of bikkies makes me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside as well as the outside.


4. Seek out artificial heat sources: Not just that wonderful box on the wall that blows warm air but check out the car bonnet or my favourite the warm waterpipe under the floorboards that leads to the bathroom.


5. Seek out natural heat sources: Your companions, while lacking the furryness of us felines sure now how to warm up in bed. On cool nights I'm content to lie on top of one of them and absorb heat through the duvet but on really cold nights it's a wet nose and whiskers in their faces to get right down under the covers.

So keep warm my friends!

What a week it's been!

Firstly can I start by saying how thrilled I was to be Top Cat of the Day last Monday. Honestly it felt like I had won the whole competition and then to find that people have been reading my blog on top of that, amazing. I celebrated that night by chasing a few Greenies around the lounge to burn off some of that excitement.

Then Tuesday night I couldn't help but draw international comparisons between myself and my beloved All Whites. None of us were really expecting that final goal, the female companion and myself were a little dozy at that stage of the game and I took flight as the male whooped for joy and danced around the lounge (strange being that he is an Englishman but his national side have given him less to cheer about than us kiwis). What a proud day for us football loving kittehs! As with my small victory on Monday, I feel like anything after this is a bonus.

Wednesday revealed challenge number 2 in New Zealand's Next Top Cat Model and I headed out to the garden to do some posing, have a look at the latest photo album on my Facebook fan page.

The weekend has been a bit of downtime for me after the highs I have experienced this week I have managed quite a bit of "me" time and done some of my favourite things, most notably sleeping, eating, snoozing and requesting in and out of the front door (they really should give me my own set of keys). It's a tough road to becoming New Zealand's Next Top Cat Model and I've got to make sure I make time for me.

All for a good cause... and a little self promotion

As you may already be aware I am in the running to become New Zealand's next top cat model. While the tigress side of me is primping and preening and getting ready for the flashing of bulbs my domestic side is so pleased to be able to give a little back to some really great charities and it's so exciting to see the tally growing.

I am now on facebook and while my female companion is really hopeless at updating her page I am getting stuck in and now have 20 people "like" me! I am being forced to explore the relms of blogging further in an attempt to get my profile out there amongst some real tech-savvy kittehs and am learning more and more by the day. I used to think a widget was that accumulation of fluff under the dining table that looks suspiciously like a dead mouse but I have been corrected.

But how far is too far? How much blogging and facebooking can I fit into my already busy schedule? I've read the guidlines/tips for becoming the next top cat model, photos, blogs and the like, but when you sleep 20 hours a day and then have to factor in a good hour or so of snoozing on top of that am I spreading myself a little thin? And Tweeting? I think I will leave that for the birds...

Vacationing Tigress Style

I have been away on a short break. The companions we on a road trip through Southland and I decided against getting my paws wet and my whiskers frosty so booked myself in to the local cat resort for a week.

I am fond of vacationing and have tried a few local spots to stay in the city and I have hit on a good one. The car journey is not too long, the suites are roomy, they have my favourite food, the staff are attentive and most importantly I am not forced to mingle with the other guests. Honestly, some of the places I have stayed at it is almost necessary to skip breakfast just to secure a cosy spot in the sun, or a perch at the window and well, you know me, I'm not a fan of skipping any meal. At this resort however each guest is allocated time during the day to roam the tops of the suites, scratch the scratch pole, chase the catnip mice for a while, all those things you want to do when on holiday and without the threat of a stranger trying to get in on the action too. But who am I kidding, getting up to all those shenanigans on holiday, I'm not a kitten anymore, instead I took the time to catch up on my taking it easy.

The staff really make the place though, they know favourite food and are not mean with the portions (though this does mean the diet starts again when I get home), they are chatty and I enjoy the banter and tell them about improvements I can see to make the place really great and they know I enjoy a good zoom groom every now and then. Really the best thing though is that I know my companions don't worry that I am not enjoying myself while on holiday, I just hope they had as much fun as I did.

A Fall From Feline

There are certain traits that go with the territory of being feline, just the word itself conjures up an image of lithe, grace and beauty. So it is always unfortunate when, during the course of being feline, we make errors in judgement that are contrary to this image. It can be, a real fall from feline...

I am by nature a home body, I enjoy the outdoors to a certain extent, one does need to feel the earth between ones paws every so often but the sun magnified through a glass pane while the room heats to sauna proportions is my idea of heaven. I enjoy the comfort that comes from knowing that my food, processed into uniformly round shapes, will be delivered at the same time and place daily. I also prefer to jibe the birds from the safety of a windowsill, as I can only imagine what damage those sharp beaks must be able to do. It was whilst attempting to taunt the aforementioned birds who reside in the neighbour's guttering that I had my feline ways shaken and was made the subject of amusement by my companions.

It was early morning, the companions were finishing their feeding and cleaning of themselves before departing for the days, I had had my hunger satiated by chicken kibble and was heading back to bed for the morning. As I walked past the bathroom door the noise from the gutter dwelling feathered ones was disturbing the morning's tranquillity so I thought I would give them something to really squawk about by showing my presence. I leapt gracefully from the floor to the bench top then lithely manoeuvred my way over the obstacles in my path from which point I would soar my way the the windowsill, however, what happened next was not a thing of beauty. At the precise moment of takeoff the flimsy film that shrouds the window was blown across my trajectory coming between me and the safety of the sill. Feline intuition took over as I lead with my front paws, weapons unsheathed, which in hindsight turned out the be my downfall as one of my barb like talons became caught in the sheer material. My back paws took out the bottles and such that adorn the bench top then ending up in the sink, getting my delicate pads wet as I tried in vain the scramble out, all the while remaining stuck in the net. I tried to disengage from my trap but it seemed the more I pulled to get free the more tightly hooked I became. It is in situations like this that you have the choice to either put up a fight and risk over-exertion or revert to that other feline trait, aloofness. So when my companions arrived at the scene, no doubt alerted by the sound of falling toiletries, they found me sitting calmly in the sink, one paw extended in the air, stuck in the net curtain.

This my be my favourite thing about being feline, the fact that no matter what situation you find yourself in, no matter how stupid you look or feel you have the ability to produce a look on your face that says "I'm okay, what's your problem?"