Thursday, October 31, 2013

Happy Halloween!

 Panther:  Do I scare you?  This is my best Halloween cat pose!
 Carbon:  I'd rather be cute than scary!
Freya & Heimdall:  We love you!  Happy Halloween!

Monday, October 28, 2013

TCC Halloween Costume Dress-Up Day!

We're not yet members of the Tabby Cat Club, but we noticed their dress-up day was open to everyone.  Here are our posts for this year's Halloween costumes!


Tabby and Mommy dressed up to visit the nursing home.  They're candy-corn witches, with costumes that match!


Heimdall made a great Yoda.  Hey, even his new harness matches!


Carbon even decided to play along with the Yoda dress-up game, for once!

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Sunday Summary

We've had a lot going on this week here at the PDX pride!!!  Socializing, a vet visit, hunting monsters, being afraid of Mommy's witch hat (for a Halloween party at her work), and hanging out with Daddy.  We'll let each other tell the highlights of the week.

Tigress writes:

I love my house and my inside family!  It's so nice being inside when it's wet outside, especially when it's cold.  Even when it's dry outside, I realize now that my inside family wants me to come inside to visit them at night.  I've been spending almost a third of the time in with them, especially at night, but they let me out when I want.  I even hopped up on the bed when Mommy was sleeping to let her know I wanted out one time, and another time I walked all the way to Daddy's chair when the TV was on to let him know I wanted out!  I realize that TV isn't as scary as I originally thought, but I still don't like it.  Panther and I have been getting along well.  I am worried about his eyes and ears, so I make sure to check on him every time I come in.  I'll let him tell how he's doing, though.

Panther writes:

I had to go to the vet again!  Foster Mommy and Grandpa took me this time, because Foster Daddy started a new job and was very tired after a week of training.  That's fine, because I like Grandpa.  I knew what the vet was going to check, and growled at the nurse when she took out the thermometer.  They were very nice to me, though.  I got some new medicine that's really helping me!  It's a liquid medicine, so no more drops in my eyes.  The vet said my eye infection turned into an upper-respiratory infection.

The medicine is helping me so much that I now feel like playing again!  This morning, I was running around trying to get my aunties and uncles to play with me, but they kept on growling and hissing.  That made me nervous, so I attacked them!  Mommy and Daddy yelled at me for it and stomped their feet or clapped to break up the fights.  Not fun, and certainly not playing!  I don't even know why I keep on getting into fights.  I don't want to!  Somehow, I manage to start fights, though.  I try to make up for it afterward by trying to apologize to whoever I attacked, but they don't want to accept my apologies until a few hours later.  Why not?  Inside kitty rules are very confusing!

Little Bit writes:

I tackled a monster, but it won!  No, I'm not talking about Panther, although I did fight with him and won.  I'm talking about the air monster that lives underneath the house.  It blows my fur around when I stand over the vent, and is nice and warm right now, but it makes a horrible sound when it starts up.  Since it's started to be a little colder here, the air monster has been making sounds more often.  I decided a few nights ago to fight it.  Big mistake!  It was in the middle of the night, so the house was mostly quiet, meaning I could hear the air monster start up.  I went over to its escape route and attacked!  I pulled its door open, but the door itself made such a horrible noise that I ran away!  It clanged and banged, squeaking as it came up, then banged down to the floor when I ran!  Mommy woke up and put the door back on the vent, because she didn't want anyone exploring the monster's lair.  She calls it ductwork.

Tabby writes:

I put myself to bed last night!  We were all out together for a long time, because Carbon, Starla, and I have been getting along better again.  I start getting sleepy around midnight, so I curled up with Daddy for a bit, then told him I wanted to be carried into the green room for night-night time.  He said I could go to bed myself.  I walked over to Mommy, got my good-night petting, then walked down the hall.  I hopped up onto the tote I've chosen as my bed, then yelled down the hall for Mommy to come in to tuck me in!  She came in, petted me again, kissed the top of my head, turned out the light and shut the door.  ZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!  Later on, she let Carbon in to join me when it was night-night time for him.

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Happy Birthday at the Bridge to Skylar & Lydia!

The PDX pride Mommy writes:

Happy birthday to my two half-Siamese loves!  I will never forget you two and the joy you brought to everyone's lives.  I know that your first family, the Rich family, loved you both very much and were sad to leave you.  They made sure that you were in good hands, and I feel so blessed that I was chosen as your adoptive family!  Skylar, remember how we used to garden together, you eating tomatoes and leaving pawprints in the soft dirt?  And how you would run to greet me when I came home from work, walking me to my door, talking to me the whole way?  Remember when you ran away and the neighbor girls found you, carrying you back to where I was staying at a friend's house?  I am so grateful that you chose me before your first family chose me.

Lydia, remember how you were so upset and mad at moving that you messed up the futon?  How you absolutely loved to play with your feather wand?  I will never forget the first time you woke me up by looking into my eyes and touching your nose to mine.  Or when you snuggled in my arms with your head resting under my chin and one ear around my nose while I slept.  Your daddy will always remember when he was recovering from his knee surgery and woke up to find you lying on his legs looking at him, telling him you would be there through everything and take care of him.

We love you and miss you both every day!  Thank you for the years you both spent with us.  Your legacy lives on in the happy lives of the rest of the cat family whom you knew, loved, and raised:  Tabby, Carbon, Rori, Starla, and Little Bit.  Your legacy works through them to manifest itself in the care and training of each of our other cats, whether they are part of our forever family or fosters.  It never mattered to either of you if someone was a foster or a forever; you loved them just the same:  completely, with your whole hearts.  You both took it upon yourselves to teach, love, nurture, and train the other cats, and became honorary auntie and uncle to them all.

Monday, October 21, 2013

Mini Mancat Monday Eye Repurrt

Panther writes:

My owie eye is doing better!  It's still very winky, and very weepy, but I can see better out of it.  That is, until Foster Mommy puts the drops in and everything goes watery!  Unfortunately, since it's so weepy, the dried goop covers my ear and the side of my face.  That's the side I like to sleep on, so it drips down over my fur when I sleep.  The infection also got into my other eye!  Foster Daddy says it's because I wipe my paw over both eyes to try to clean them, so I spread the infection from one to the other.  That means I have to get the drops in both eyes now!  Grrrrrrr....

On the other paw, Auntie Tigress and I are actually getting along!  She and I weren't sure about each other when she came back last week, because of her chasing me and me taking her territory when we'd seen each other last.  I told her I didn't mean to take her territory and that I've been guarding it well.  She forgave me and actually has been trying to headbutt me!  She's also been checking on me and my hurty eyes when they go watery after Foster Mommy puts the drops in.  She sniffs my face and leans against my side, then walks away.  That's her way of giving me a hug, I think!  Unless she surprises me by it, I like it.  If I'm surprised and don't know she's there before she does that, then I hiss or growl but immediately realize who it is and stop.  Foster Mommy thinks it's the cutest thing, and so does Foster Daddy (but he hasn't seen her do that yet)!

I don't like that Auntie Tigress gets to go outside during the day and I don't.  I get mad at that and cry at the door for a few minutes, then go pout in the hallway.  I understand it's because I'm still taking my medicine, but why does she get so much attention when she comes back in?  My foster purrents say it's because she's still learning what being inside means.  Ok, but it didn't take me that long to adjust!  She adjusted easier to using the box than I have, though.  I still don't cover, and I whine at the door for about 10 minutes before going in to use the box.  She covers and doesn't whine about it.  Showoff!

I did one thing that she hasn't done, though.  I snuggled with Foster Daddy on the big chair!  I was looking up at him, so Foster Mommy picked me up and put me behind his knees.  Both of them encouraged me to lie down and petted me, so I curled in that spot.  It was so comfy that I snuggled and purred almost naturally!  I didn't stay long, but they said that was good for a first try snuggling behind someone's knees!

Saturday, October 19, 2013

PhotoHunt: Zip!

Our stroller zips up to keep us safe when we need to be!  Tabby can usually ride in it without it being zipped, and Heimdall is learning to do that, but the rest of us need it zipped up if we ride in it.

Are you a photohunter?

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Therapy Cat Tales from 10/16/13

Tabby writes:

Boo!  I know it's not quite Halloween yet, but since it was our last visit before Halloween we wore our candy-corn witch costumes for visiting today!  We made a lot of people smile and giggle at H., C., on the buses, on the MAX light-rail, and walking down the sidewalk.  Mommy says I brightened a lot of lives today, so I'm glad about that!

The basket behind me on the couch is a Hello Kitty trick-or-treat pail.  We were reverse trick-or-treating today, bringing pencils to our friends instead of getting treats.  I don't usually eat treats when offered them while visiting anyway, so I liked the idea of giving my friends their Halloween treats instead.

I usually sleep on the way there and the way back, and my costume felt like a little blankie, so I was nice and toasty-warm even though it was a bit chilly outside.  I wore my harness and leash under my costume, even though I don't usually need restraining.

I visited with around 20 residents at H. today!  That's a lot more than usual.  I kept finding empty beds and rooms, though.  Many of my friends were out on a field trip for apple-tasting.  Mommy and I visited for a long time with R. and M., two of my favorite friends.  M. always loves seeing my costumes, and was even more impressed that Mommy and I were matching!  She wanted to know every detail of our costumes and where we got them (Party City).  I was feeling snuggly while visiting with R., because she has a soft office chair like we have at home.  I lay in it, paws on her hand and my head on my paws, while she petted me and scritched my ears with her other hand.  I purred up a storm, and she could feel my purring even though she couldn't hear it.  She loved seeing my costume, and was quite impressed that I wear the hat!

We got stopped by many visitors, nursing staff, and physical therapists while walking in the hallways.  A couple people asked if they could take our picture, and Mommy had one of them take this picture of us as well.  I don't have the striped orange-and-white socks, but otherwise Mommy and I completely match!

After we had visited with my friends who were in their rooms, we went back downstairs to sign out.  All of a sudden, I was looking at my missing friends!  They had just come back from their apple-tasting outing and were coming through the doors!  We went right over to visit them and I got a lot more pets.  They all got pencils from us, too.  Everyone's hands smelled of apples!

Mommy turned in our visiting sheet, then showed off her book and our costumes to our supervisors.  The publicity lady for H. even took our picture for their Facebook page!

Next, we walked over to C.  Once again, everyone loved seeing our outfits, and we were a total hit in the elevator!  We visited with my new friend P. for a long time, and she wanted to know every detail of our outfits as well.  She and Mommy talked while I took a bit of a nap in the stroller.  P. had feral cats when she lived in California, and her daughter-in-law rescues feral kittens as well.  Mommy showed her the book, and she immediately bought it, asking us to donate some extra money she had to the Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon as well!  We'll be sending that in along with a portion of the proceeds from each book we've sold so far so FCCO can help more kitties!

While we were waiting for the bus to go back home, a lady came up with her iPad and asked to take our picture!  Wow, I guess we were very popular today!  Another lady on the bus wanted to know all about my training and was very impressed that I ride so nicely in my carrier.  She and Mommy shared kitty pictures all the way from downtown Portland to Vancouver!

Happy National Feral Cat Day!!!

Yesterday, we posted about feral cats as part of our Be the Change for Animals post.  Then, we got the surprise of our lives!  Look who showed up, after being gone since mid-July!!!!!


Tigress came back!!!!!


We all crowded around the back door as soon as we heard her meowing!  Mommy let her in, and we spent about 15 minutes talking, sniffing, and bathing her.  She didn't mind us all crowding around, and was as glad to see all of us as we were to see her!  She wanted a lot of pets from Mommy, didn't mind being inside with the door closed, and made a beeline for the food plates and water bowl.  Boy, was she ever hungry!  Mommy refilled the plate twice, then picked her up by the armpits and "flew" her into the back bedroom with Starla.  Starla sniffed her all over while Tigress explored the room.  Tigress was absolutely scared of the ceiling fan, so that was turned off.  Mommy had to go to work, but left Tigress in the room with Starla while she was gone.

When Mommy and Daddy came back from work, they let Tigress and Starla out.  We all crowded around again, until Tigress made it clear that she wanted back outside.  Mommy and Daddy said no to that for tonight.  Maybe tomorrow, but we all want to make it clear to Tigress that we are still her family and she is safe with us.  Now that she's come back and is inside, we all want to keep her as safe as we can.

We all let her know about her sister's death, and our purrents talked to her about it.  She wonders why Miss Marble isn't in here, but at least now she knows what happened.  Mommy let her know about the book that she and her family are in, too!

We're hoping that she realizes she can be an inside kitty, a former feral, like our other former ferals.  Our current family has several former ferals:  Rori, Missy, foster Dare, foster kitten Panther, and former semi-feral Starla.  Over the years, we've cared for many ferals and semi-ferals.  Each is an individual who accepts our love to the extent he or she is comfortable with, and gives his or her love to us to a degree.

For more information on feral cats, see the link to Mommy's book page on our blog sidebar.  It includes many informational links and videos, as well as the link to the children's book that features Tigress and her birth family.

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

Be the Change!

Here at the PDX pride, we have many causes that are near and dear to our furry hearts.  Today is the Be the Change for Animals blog hop, and we encourage all our readers to go on over to their website and pawticipate.  Take a few minutes of your time to read and comment on your fellow bloggers' posts, see what you can do to be the change, and share your favorite posts with your followers.

So, without further ado, here are our top ways to support our favorite animal causes and charities.  Some of these cost money, but many do not.

1.  Blog about, talk about, feed, and create shelters for feral cats.  Mommy just published her children's book about this, and our friend Sparkle reviewed it as part of her post today.  Mommy's book website is linked on our sidebar and has more feral cat links.  The cats in the book are part of our feral family and our former foster family.  We currently have one semi-feral boy, Panther, whom we are fostering and continuing to socialize.

2.  Blog about, talk about, and foster abandoned cats or kittens.  Whether through a shelter network or unaffiliated, fostering is the second most important role in a stray or abandoned feline's life (the first being a forever home).  If fostering through a shelter or humane society network, many costs are reimbursed by the organization.  If fostering on your own, the costs are yours to carry.  Either way, the rewards are simply priceless as you see each cat or kitten blossom and trust humans, finally finding them forever homes of their own!  We are proud to be a foster family for two young cats right now (Dare and Panther), and have fostered for years.

3.  Walk, run, or bike for animals.  This option doesn't cost a thing other than the data plan on your smartphone.  It uses an app called CharityMiles to track your workout by GPS.  Sponsors donate money to a charity of your choice based on your workout miles, although the app tracks your time and route as well.  The animal-themed charities at this time are the ASPCA and the Nature Conservancy, although there are many non-animal-themed charities to choose from also.

4.  Catalogue birds and other wildlife as and where you see them.  This is another option that doesn't cost a thing other than your computer's internet connection or your phone's data plan, depending on which app you use.  The three apps that Mommy has installed on her phone are iNaturalist, BirdLog and Pocket Ranger.  BirdLog costs $9.99 per year, but uploads your data directly to the Audubon Society's eBird website for use by researchers all over the world.  Don't worry; it keeps your personal information safe!  iNaturalist is a free app and free website that makes it easy to take pictures and catalogue all kinds of wildlife and plant life.  However, you do need to take a picture of the organism in question when using the phone app for this one.  Pocket Ranger is a series of free phone apps for each state in the U.S.  Each app allows you to record wildlife within state parks and also takes you on guided tours.  There are challenges you can participate in as well.

5.  Volunteer with or without your pet.  Tabby and Mommy do this as an animal-assisted therapy/animal-assisted activities team.  They visit nursing homes to cheer up the residents, and also educate the public by demonstrating Tabby's feline therapy skills while riding the bus to and from their visits.  Volunteer opportunities are available in most communities throughout the world, with humane societies, rescue organizations, animal transport networks, and education organizations.  Be sure to ask around to see where your special skills could best be utilized.  Not every volunteer job is working directly with animals.  Some are in offices, as phone coordinators or phone triage personnel, donation pickup and delivery, or packing boxes for food banks that supply pet food to low-income families for their pets.

Whatever option you choose, being the change for animals ultimately benefits more than just one other being.  Being the change means that the whole world changes for that being, whether it is a human, animal, or whole community.  That being then changes others' lives, so more ripples of change and benefit are created!

Monday, October 14, 2013

Mini Mancat Monday: Panther's owie eye!

Panther writes:

I have an owie in my eye!  It really hurts!  Foster Mommy has to drop some medicine in it every 6 hours, which makes it hurt more for a few minutes then makes it feel better for a while.  Boy, does it ever sting when the drops go in!  The first few times, I didn't want to move my third eyelid for her, but then I started to notice that it helped if my eye was open more.  Now I keep my eye open enough so the drops can coat it.  I also have some oral medicine that I have no problem taking, because it makes the pain go away for a while and also makes me sleepy.  I get that one at night.

When my foster purrents took me to the vet, I cried the whole way there and back.  I hate car rides, and hate being confined to that carrier!  I told the receptionist all about it when we got to the vet, so she got us into a small room faster.  Then, I was able to get out and walk around, although I spent most of the time under Foster Mommy's chair or within petting distance of Foster Daddy.  The vet had to take me into the larger room in the back to put some stuff in my eye so she could see what was going on.  She thinks it's some kind of an infection, so we're all hoping it goes away with the normal eye medication.

But, she said I can't go outside until two weeks from now!  That's 14 days without checking out my territory!  I've never been gone from it this long since I found it.  What if another cat takes over?  I want to go out and explore, but my foster purrents say it's doctor's orders that I stay inside so they can give me my medicine when they're supposed to.  Phooey to them!  Crying at the door doesn't help, and looking sad and cute doesn't help, either.  At least I'm a good boy about using the box every time, now that I've figured it out.  I still don't cover my poop, but Uncle Heimdall hops in after me and covers it for me most of the time.

By the way, if you missed the book launch party for Three Feral Kittens, you can still check out all the links and information on the website!

Saturday, October 12, 2013

PhotoHunt: Plant


What's wrong with this plant display???  It looks like a good place for a kitty to sit, but we weren't allowed to shop with Mommy.  She was giggling crazily after seeing this, though!

Are you a photohunter?

Be sure and stop by our book launch party from 12-2 pm Pacific Time today!

Friday, October 4, 2013

You are invited to an online book launch party!


Please join us for an online book launch party!


Date:  October 12, 2013
Time:  12:00 pm to 2:00 pm Pacific Time

We will have links to information about feral cats,
videos, an author reading, a radio chat, and a regular chat.
We will also have a giveaway!

Missed the party?
The website's still available and has a lot of good links,
video, and even a free book poster!