Hippie at Home on the web

Hippie and I would like to thank everyone who joined us on today's video webcast of using Blogger! While it would have been great for Hippie to join us himself, he was napping after an exciting morning of playing in his tunnel and having treats in his puzzle feeder.

Recording Sounds with Hippie

Hippie is a very talkative cat. To prepare for running virtual programs, I've been making test recordings. I've tried a lot of different methods of recording sound. Sometimes I just use the built in microphone on my laptop or phone. But I also have headphone with a microphone and now an actual microphone that clips on to my shirt. But even with the microphones that are supposed to just pick up my voice, I can still hear him talking. He's just that loud!

Hippie's Favorite Toy - A Knitting Pattern

I kept a failed attempt at a stress ball and it's actually become Hippie’s favorite toy. I thought I would share this simple pattern for you to make your cat their very own.

Supplies:

• Medium to heavy weight yarn
• Size 8 US knitting needles
• Yarn needle
• Stuffing

Instructions:

1. Cast on 14 stitches, leaving about 6 inches of yarn hanging off the end
2. Knit 30-34 rows
3. Cast off, but cut the yarn so that there’s 2-3 feet hanging off the end of the rectangle
4. With the yarn needle, use a gather stitch with the long tail of yarn to gather the short edge. 
5. Using a whip stitch, sew together the long edges to make a tube.
6. Stuff with a stuffing of your choice.
7. Using a gather stitch, sew the top edges together then tie the two yarn tails together (any knot is fine, I used a square knot). It should end up as a pill-shaped knitted bit and two strings hanging off, one long and one short.
8. Enjoy!

Hippie on Zoom

While working from home, I do a lot of video meetings. It helps to see people's faces when you talk to them, especially when you spend a lot of time alone. Usually Hippie sleeps during video calls but sometimes he gets curious or wants attention so he joins in. Earlier this week, we were on a test call to see how a new system works and he decided to pop in for a little bit.

Mirroring

Cats like to mirror their human's behavior, from actions to emotions. For the first week I worked from home, Hippie would steal my chair whenever I got up.

After that, I decided to give him his own chair, so that he could sit with me but not bother me. Of course, I also had to give him something soft to sit on too. It has really helped Hippie to be able to be close to me and copy me, but still let me work.

Sometimes he still needs attention, so we spend time together on breaks.

Working from home with Hippie

Hippie likes to be included in working from home. He loves attention and always wants to be close to me. He follows me around the house. It took a few days for him to adjust to me being home but not constantly giving him attention. Even though it's been a couple of weeks, sometimes he still wants pets or to play during the day, so I try to give him some attention when I take breaks. Here are some pictures of him joining me:

Hippie Plays Fetch

When Hippie was younger, he used to play fetch!