Kitty Wars Blog

Kitty Wars Updated!

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha-Mom) — Thu, 4 Oct 2007 21:14:00 -0400

Sorry for the long, long interlude between posts. Life and work was keeping me from updating the strip, and it was on a serious hiatus. Then, five months ago, my husband and I welcomed our first child - a boy - into the world, and now he takes up 90% of my time.

I wish I could put the strip back on a reliable schedule, but I just can't at this time. So updates will be very random. Just know that Kitty Wars is not dead - I still have fun drawing the strip, and I;ll work on it when I can.

Thanks to everyone for faithfully checking back for updates. It really means a lot!

Alpha-Mom

OH MY GOD, AN UPDATE

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha-Mom) — Sat, 24 Jun 2006 17:06:00 -0400

Yes, it's true. Kitty Wars has updated! But still technically on hiatus from regular posting until further notice...

I blame this current toon on my marathon session of LOTR watching last night - I got through the first two extended version special DVD's before I had to pass out.

Viva Middle Earth!

Alpha-Mom.

Kitty Wars Gets a Facelift!

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha-Mom) — Tue, 23 May 2006 12:42:00 -0400

Hi, gang. If you're reading this, you've noticed that the Kitty Wars web site is in the midst of a huge facelift. And that there's been no update for much too long.

Kitty Wars is on a mini-hiatus due to my huge workload. But rest assured, I haven't abandoned the strip - I'm revamping the web site to take advantage of my free trial period of Dreamweaver - my new, MUST-HAVE program. So please excuse the dust while I slowly change over all the pages to the new template.

In other news, the Kitty Wars guestbook has become a haven for casino spam. So I'm taking it down - I'll archive the old comments, though. If you want to leave me a message, please take a moment to comment directly at the Kitty Wars Blog.

Thanks for your support!

Alpha-Mom.

Maxine is a bad kitty...

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha-Mom) — Thu, 9 Feb 2006 15:48:00 -0500

...all I have to say is that today's strip is TRUE, and I was so mad, I had to toon about it so I wouldn't KILL my CAT.

Anyone know of any good urine-be-gone products? I keep trying different ones, and they never work as well as they claim. Any miracle chemicals out there?

Alpha-Mom

We're Back!

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha-Mom) — Thu, 2 Feb 2006 00:35:00 -0500

When I opened my inbox today, I saw an e-mail with the subject line "Worried about you."

I thought for sure it was a virus, but the more I looked at it, the more I had a sneaking suspicion it was Kitty Wars related mail... So, taking a deep breath, I opened it.

Much to my relief, it wasn't a virus. Instead it was a wonderfully kind letter from a Kitty Wars fan, who was worried that my long absence to the strip was because I was ill, or something tragic had happened to me.

Boy, did I feel guilty after reading that! I'm mostly fine - nothing too big to complain about anyway. I've just been SO busy with other projects I admit I let Kitty Wars slip on the ol' agenda.

I've gotten a few e-mails from other fans trying to give me a nudge. Here's a new strip for all you guys. I've cleared some space off my plate, so I'll try to put Kitty Wars back near the top of my to-do list.

Thanks for all your loyalty, and hope this new strip makes you laugh.

This strip is all too true, and because I'm not the best housekeeper, any time I see a furry tail sticking up out of the toilet I just about go into a panic attack! But since Maxine both drinks out of - and PEES in! - the toilets in our house, I don't dare keep them closed, because then she usually picks a more unfortunate place to do her thing.

To keep more action happening between updates, if you guys have stories about your pets you'd like to share, send them to me, and I'll post them here in the blog.

Until next time,

Alpha-Mom

Holiday HELL

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha-Mom) — Fri, 2 Dec 2005 11:57:00 -0500

Hi, guys. Sorry for the SUPER long space between updates. But the holidays and other work have kept me from updating the strip. But I had to give you some kitty love, so here's a new one for you.

I recently dropped a used towel on the floor near the hamper. It was at that NEEDS LAUNDERING NOW phase, damp from the last shower, and reeking of mildew, and just generally disgusting. I've noticed that the cats seem to find towels in this disgusting state irresistable - at least, our cats do. Elvis and Artemis especially can't resist kneading them to death and then passing out on top of the moldering heap.

When I see them do it, I usually shoo them away, because, EW! They sit on my lap after laying on that. But they usually sneak back to it.

It's another feline mystery.

I'll try to update again before the holiday...but with all the extra work, holiday parties, and upcoming vacation, I'm not making any promises. Hopefully you all have a great holiday, and until next time,

Alpha-Mom.

Another funny doggy

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha-Mom) — Tue, 15 Nov 2005 15:22:00 -0500

Hey, guys. Thought I'd share this adorably

funny picture my dad sent me while you're waiting for the next installment of Kitty Wars. The holiday season is getting brutal - and I'm still swamped. I'm thinking I'll be doing all my holiday shopping online this year - too busy and grumpy to leave the house. Anyway, enjoy the photo, and I'll try to post something for you all in the next few days.

Alpha-mom.

I'm Swamped!

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha-Mom) — Wed, 19 Oct 2005 15:21:00 -0500

Because I'm swamped with projects right now, and falling horribly behind Kitty Wars, I thought I'd at least put up something different for you guys to look at until I can get the next toon up. This rainbow kitty angel piece is from a work in progress I've got going on. Hope you enjoy it.

Alpha-Mom.

Elvis' fat butt

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha-Mom) — Fri, 7 Oct 2005 15:44:00 -0500

Greetings, faithful readers. Today's strip is all about Elvis' butt. I don't understand why cats lay under stuff, with their butts hanging out. Elvis does this all the time, especially under the TV in my office. I've never understood WHY, though. Surely, if he was worried about defending himself, he'd squeeze his most private area all the way under the table, or bed, or whatever they're trying to squeeze themselves under.

Is he just lazy? Does he think that just getting his front end into a cool dark place is enough?

I'm betting that with the housecats, it's not about defense, but like burrowing under the covers, and blocking out the world. Maybe they get off on sniffing dustballs or something.

Until next time,

Alpha-mom.

Sibling rivalries

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha-Mom) — Tue, 27 Sep 2005 23:18:00 -0500

Meanwhile, as Artemis struggles with her conscience (see Strip 42), Maxine and Elvis share a brother and sister moment...

Those two used to tear after each other every morning. Up the stairs. Down the stairs. Through the house. Now that they're middle aged, the fighting is usually confined to turf tiffs on the bed before they collapse in a huff, or Fancy rushes in, barking, to break it up.

But when Artemis and Fancy first moved in with them, those two were still pretty frisky, and ran around like freaks much more than they do now.

On a side note, while this week's comic has been slow in coming, this is the 43rd comic strip so far. And I'm really happy that I've kept it going among all my other projects. Hopefully you are too. I might have to do something special to celebrate no. 50. Any suggestions?

Until next time,

Alpha-Mom

Back to our Regularly Scheduled Broadcast...

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha-Mom) — Thu, 8 Sep 2005 11:59:00 -0500

Kitty Wars has FINALLY been updated! Tell your friends. Shout it from the rooftops. But seriously, apologies for the longer-than-usual delay. And enjoy!

And, as added LOVE, I leave you with a funny photo my father just sent me via the internet. It was called: How you know you're driving too fast...

Until Next time,

Alpha-Mom

No update this week...

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha-Mom) — Tue, 23 Aug 2005 17:10:00 -0500

Because the hubby and I are going on a mini-break (we are road-tripping to D.C. to watch the Cardinals play the Nationals and visit with friends and family!) there won't be a Kitty Wars update this week.

But I'll have ye olde sketchbook with me, so hopefully I can get crackin on future strips as I while away the hours in the car.

Until next time!

Alpha-mom.

A sad day...

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha-Mom) — Wed, 20 Jul 2005 14:48:00 -0500

I'm such a HUGE TOS Trekkie... This was very sad news.

'Star Trek' Star James Doohan Dies
By BOB THOMAS, AP

LOS ANGELES (July 20) - James Doohan, the burly chief engineer of the Starship Enterprise in the original "Star Trek" TV series and motion pictures who responded to the command "Beam me up, Scotty," died early Wednesday. He was 85.

Doohan died at 5:30 a.m. at his Redmond, Wash., home with his wife of 28 years, Wende, at his side, Los Angeles agent and longtime friend Steve Stevens said. The cause of death was pneumonia and Alzheimer's disease, he said.

The Canadian-born Doohan was enjoying a busy career as a character actor when he auditioned for a role as an engineer in a new space adventure on NBC in 1966. A master of dialects from his early years in radio, he tried seven different accents.

"The producers asked me which one I preferred," Doohan recalled 30 years later. "I believed the Scot voice was the most commanding. So I told them, 'If this character is going to be an engineer, you'd better make him a Scotsman."'

The series, which starred William Shatner as Capt. James T. Kirk and Leonard Nimoy as the enigmatic Mr. Spock, attracted an enthusiastic following of science fiction fans, especially among teenagers and children, but not enough ratings power. NBC canceled it after three seasons.

When the series ended in 1969, Doohan found himself typecast as Montgomery Scott, the canny engineer with a burr in his voice. In 1973, he complained to his dentist, who advised him: "Jimmy, you're going to be Scotty long after you're dead. If I were you, I'd go with the flow."

"I took his advice," said Doohan, "and since then everything's been just lovely."

"Star Trek" continued in syndicated TV both in the United States and abroad, and its following grew larger and more dedicated. In his later years, Doohan attended 40 "Trekkie" gatherings around the country and lectured at colleges.

The huge success of George Lucas's "Star Wars" in 1977 prompted Paramount Pictures, which had produced "Star Trek" for TV, to plan a movie based on the series. The studio brought back the TV cast and hired a topflight director, Robert Wise. "Star Trek - The Motion Picture" was successful enough to spawn five sequels.

The powerfully built Doohan, a veteran of D-Day in Normandy, spoke frankly in 1998 about his employer, Paramount, and his TV commander:

"I started out in the series at basic minimum- plus 10 percent for my agent. That was added a little bit in the second year. When we finally got to our third year, Paramount told us we'd get second-year pay! That's how much they loved us."

Scotty Remembered

He accused Shatner of hogging the camera, adding: "I like Captain Kirk, but I sure don't like Bill. He's so insecure that all he can think about is himself."

James Montgomery Doohan was born March 3, 1920, in Vancouver, B.C., youngest of four children of William Doohan, a pharmacist, veterinarian and dentist, and his wife Sarah. As he wrote in his autobiography, "Beam Me Up, Scotty," his father was a drunk who made life miserable for his wife and children.

At 19, James escaped the turmoil at home by joining the Canadian army, becoming a lieutenant in artillery. He was among the Canadian forces that landed on Juno Beach on D-Day. "The sea was rough," he recalled. "We were more afraid of drowning than the Germans."

The Canadians crossed a minefield laid for tanks; the soldiers weren't heavy enough to detonate the bombs. At 11:30 that night, he was machine-gunned, taking six hits: one that took off his middle right finger (he managed to hide the missing finger on the screen), four in his leg and one in the chest. Fortunately the chest bullet was stopped by his silver cigarette case.

After the war Doohan on a whim enrolled in a drama class in Toronto. He showed promise and won a two-year scholarship to New York's famed Neighborhood Playhouse, where fellow students included Leslie Nielsen, Tony Randall and Richard Boone.

His commanding presence and booming voice brought him work as a character actor in films and television, both in Canada and the U.S. Oddly, his only other TV series besides "Star Trek" was another space adventure, "Space Command," in 1953.

Doohan's first marriage to Judy Doohan produced four children. He had two children by his second marriage to Anita Yagel. Both marriages ended in divorce. In 1974 he married Wende Braunberger, and their children were Eric, Thomas and Sarah, who was born in 2000, when Doohan was 80.

In a 1998 interview, Doohan was asked if he ever got tired of hearing the line "Beam me up, Scotty."

"I'm not tired of it at all," he replied. "Good gracious, it's been said to me for just about 31 years. It's been said to me at 70 miles an hour across four lanes on the freeway. I hear it from just about everybody. It's been fun."

Gross But True...

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha-Mom) — Thu, 7 Jul 2005 12:31:00 -0500

Today's strip is kind of gross...but it's so true.

I swear, Artemis is bulemic. Or just such an incredible pig... She sits down to gorge herself on food -- usually when I fill it up. And more times than I care to admit, less than 10 minutes after she's pigged out...

...it all comes back up again.

I'm convinced it's pure gluttony on her part, and not a sickness thing. I mean, she's a frisky, spry 14-15 year old. She's slightly fat and pretty darn happy. And she's been doing this for years.

I think it's psychological...dating back to one dreadful year right after college when it was just Artemis and I, living alone in a rented 'shack' - a garage that was converted into a one-bedroom house. It was bug infested and we were living on baked potatos and toast -- oh, and ramen when it was on sale. All I could afford at the time. Artemis got cheap-ass kitty food, but when the bag ran dry...some times I tried to tide her over with moistened bread.

I seriously don't know how either of us came out of that year overweight... LOL. Artemis was probably enhancing her bread diet by killing bugs. She's quite the little hunter, named, of course, for the virginal Greek goddess of the hunt.

Until next time,

Alpha-mom.

Elvis isn't so annoying anymore...

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha-Mom) — Sat, 25 Jun 2005 16:12:00 -0500

Hey, guys! Today's strip isn't quite as true as it used to be. Although Elvis is still a total freak about us filling his dish whenever he can see the bottom -- he gets really panicky, and I'm not sure why! -- now at least he has the courtesy to wait for us to actually get up before making a nuisance of himself.

But in the early days when I first moved in with Jer, Elvis always used to hop up on the bed at ungodly hours of the morning, meowing for us to feed him. After a couple years of yelling and pillow tossing, he's finally learned some manners!

And since he weighs more than 16 pounds, we REALLY appreciate that he takes the more subtle approach now.

Until next time!

Alpha-mom

Comic Cross Over

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha-Mom) — Sun, 19 Jun 2005 02:10:00 -0500

Hey, all.

Just wanted to announce that Kitty Wars star, Artemis, makes her first cross-over comic appearance in The Catlins.

The Catlins is a written by my good friend, and co-webcomic conspirator, Kathy Catlin. Kathy and Artemis go back a LONG WAY in real life -- Artemis was one of Kathy's first kitty friends.

Anyway, it's super cute and I hope you all go check it out and then stay to read The Catlins, which is based on Kathy's real-life animal-family.

Until next time,

Alpha-Mom.

Barbarians in the Box

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha-Mom) — Mon, 13 Jun 2005 04:12:00 -0500

Today's strip is just how I imagined Artemis reacted when she first moved in with Elvis and Maxine and found the litter box.

Unlike most cats, Elvis and Maxine are hit and miss with burying their poop. When they were young -- the pre-Alpha-Mom days -- my husband used an open litter pan for the pair. Which they preferred, because they could stand on the edge, do their business, and run (ie: Maxine). Elvis, who weighs 16+ pounds, is always just a little bit too big for any litter pan out there. He preferred to hop out and, using one paw, bury his poop from a secure location on the ground.

It made a big mess, but we were living with it until Fancy decided that the litter box was her personal candy store...

Any pet owner who owns both a dog and a cat know this horror:

You are lovingly petting your dog, who is curled up in your arms, gazing adoringly into your eyes. Suddenly there is a rumble in their belly and they BELCH in your face. And this is when you discover -- to your HORROR -- that your darling pooch, who has been licking your cheek a moment before, has just indulged in a large helping of litter-box bon-bons...

With larger dogs you can create a barrier around a litter box that only allows a cat-sized opening. But Fancy is half the weight of Elvis. She goes where big dogs can't.
So I reinstated the covered litter box which also happily, cut down on the mess.

But it totally disrupted Elvis and Maxine's -- well, Elvis' -- burying practices.

How does poor Artemis cope with this shocking turn of events? Stayed tuned!

Until next time,

Alpha-Mom.

Dominatrix

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha-Mom) — Fri, 10 Jun 2005 17:05:00 -0500

Hey, readers. Just updated the links in past blogs so that they are now accurate.

Today's strip deals with the issue of pecking order in the Kitty Wars household.

As I'm sure you other pet owners know, animal pecking order isn't just limited to who's top dog or top cat with the other dogs and cats of the house -- humans are included in this hierarchy as well. Which can sometimes cause problems when you own a dog who thinks he's the alpha, and pushes everyone else around.

Fancy isn't the alpha -- she's very subservient to her mother. But boy, she sure does think she's number two in the pack! She's constantly testing boundaries with my husband, Jeremy. She sees him more as a pack mate to play with I think, then someone who should be bossing her around.

Maxine thinks that SHE should rule the roost in our house, even though, in reality, she and Artemis are often duking it out for second-to-last-place.

But boy, does she let us know just how slighted she feels by not being top-cat from time to time. Expect some battles of wills between Alpha-Mom and Maxine in upcoming strips!

The real Maxine is much sweeter than her toon-counterpart. At this point in the strip, she hates the toon-Alpha-Mom. But in real life, she and I have bonded, and she's more my cat now in some ways then she is my husband's.

Well, that's all the random thoughts for now. Until next time!

Alpha-Mom.

Of Peeing and Purses

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha-Mom) — Fri, 3 Jun 2005 18:22:00 -0500

I'm STILL mad about today's strip. One day, for some unexplained reason, Maxine peed INSIDE my leather purse.

Now, to do this, she had to jump up on top of our kitchen table, and carefully squat over the purse so that she ONLY peed inside the purse, and not on any of the surrounding areas. It was both a superior feat of kitty brains, and one of the most exasperating things she's ever done. We have no idea WHY she did this. I'm assuming she was mad at dear old Alpha-mom for something.

The other thing that I always find amusing, is that when cats are in trouble, they run off to hide, like, the human chasing them is too stupid to figure out where they are hiding. Especially in the most obvious spots, like the top shelf in the bedroom closet. I mean, come-on! That's the first place I look and the first place Maxine often runs to.

Kitties are weird.

Until next time!

Alpha-mom.

It's a Guy Thing

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha-Mom) — Wed, 1 Jun 2005 02:21:00 -0500

Today's strip is more factual than most Kitty Wars strips.

Elvis is a very chatty boy. He meeyaps and chirps and meows at us all the time. And usually we interpret it either as a) demanding food (Alpha-Mom recently taught him to beg for a piece of cheese while making her lunch, and now he's insufferable at meal times!) or else he MUST want love.

Yeah, right.

Panel two shows Elvis playing coy, mad at his daddy for bringing three new females of different phylum (species, whatnot) into the house. But just like in real life, he always gives in to give his father a nuggle.

He only does this with Jeremy. It's their bonding thing.

Until next time,

Alpha-Mom.

Maxine's Mysterious Peeing...

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha-Mom) — Sat, 28 May 2005 03:24:00 -0500

Today's strip switches focus back to Maxine and Elvis.

In real life, whenever Maxine is upset or freaked out over something, she pees on our belongings. Usually, she does this when the litter box isn't perfectly and PRISTINELY clean. Which, having one box for three cats, is hardly ever the case (We used to have dual boxes, but they ignored the second box, so we gave that up). But she's been known to do it when the box is clean, her water and food dishes are full, and she seems, otherwise, completely happy.

It's a mystery. Is it over territory? Is it because her brother, Elvis, was picking on her too much that day? Because Artemis hissed at her? Your guess is as good as mine.

So that will probably be a recurring theme in Kitty Wars: Upset Maxine = something peed on.

You'll also probably recognize the similarity between Fancy and Artemis' speech and those cell phone commercials...which will go nameless. You might say that Maxine and Elvis' annoyed faces are probably what mine looks like when one of those commercials comes on the tube.

Until next time,

Alpha-Mom.

Homage to Lucas

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha-Mom) — Fri, 27 May 2005 04:07:00 -0500

It seems like every webcomic out there paid homage to Mr. George Lucas in the last few weeks. Today's strip is my little way of giving the great man his props.

But I didn't want to hit people over the head with it -- I'm assuming that 90 percent of the population is geeky enough to get it. If not... Think "Empire Strikes Back." Picture a swamp... A desperately earnest young man, thirsting for adventure. Excitement...

On another note, I pretty much captured the real life Fancy's spirit in panel one. That's more like who she is. A big submissive scaredy-cat -- with dangerously neurotic aggressive streaks.

Hope you enjoy!

Alpha-Mom.

Kitty Wars Blog Goes Live!

noreply@blogger.com (Alpha-Mom) — Thu, 26 May 2005 14:36:00 -0500

Welcome to the Kitty Wars Blog, home of all ramblings related to Kitty Wars.

Kitty Wars is an online webcomic by illustrator Karyn Lewis, that explores what happens when three cats and one Chihuahua find out they must live together.

I'm Karyn (a.k.a. "Alpha-Mom"). Three years ago, me, my cat, Artemis, and my Chihuahua, Fancy, moved in with my then-fiance (now husband), Jeremy, who had two cats of his own. Needless to say, it was not all domestic bliss in the house. It took a long time for our cats to establish territories and get used to each other. They're still continuing to sort it out to this day. Kitty Wars is loosely based on our real-life situation.

I hope that you will recognize your own pets in Kitty Wars. I thought I'd share some of my behind-the-scenes thoughts here in Kitty Wars blog as I create the comic. Hopefully you will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy creating it!

Alpha-Mom.