Crazy for Catnip

Mariah went to a garden nursery with Grammy last week and came home with catnip. I knew trouble when I saw it, shook my head, and planted it in a spot where we'd have front row seats. Chino follows me wherever I go and has been with me helping me plant everything all week, so he was first to experience real live catnip in the plant form vs stuffed in the mouse toy he's enjoyed in the past. Well, now that Mariah's hooked 'em up with the Good Stuff, I'm sure those toys will be beneath them. I will be back at the nursery later this week to buy more catnip. As you can see from Gib's photo blog we need one per cat: (I may be prejudiced, but I think you need to full screen these works of feline photographic art!)

1. Chino helped me plant the catnip and got first sniff

2. Zoom-Out so you can see what a little catnip

can do to a BIG cat

3. Rolling in it

4. Licking it, Loving it

5. OD'd on it

6. After a short drug induced nap,

Chino awakens with a renewed sense of his own importance as

The King of the Catnip

7. What's This?! Intruder Alert! Intruder Alert!

8. Diego follows his nose, takes one sniff, and flops down

"Can't we share?"

9. He tries to be cute to get a little more than

the measly paw Chino was sharing.

10. Cute definitely didn't work

11. Several swipes later, Diego leaves in a huff

12. And goes under the deck to sulk
13. Gib felt bad for him, so I yelled "Kitty Meat!" and Diego came running out

That's how he got his nickname Kitty Cow

14. Mariah came home from school and wanted Pixie to have a turn. Boy next door was helping Gib take pictures, and Pixie was not happy with the extra noise. She needed a hand to be introduced to the catnip...what a dirty hand it was too

(remember I WAS gardening during all this!)

15. Pixie was starting to jump away, then got a whiff

16. Ooooooh yeah......

17. Look at her eyes, she's starting to.....

18. GO WILD!!!!!

19. Gotta go, BUT.....I'll be back!

20. MY CHINO - Isn't he beautiful?!

Note: Artistic license was taken in the order in which the catnip-documentary photos were presented to you, our faithful blogging audience, to enhance the actual events of the story line. Those of you who nitpick these things apart, will notice that the Chino fluff, did in fact, appear much sooner than the actual fight scene.