Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Happy birthday at the Bridge to Skylar & Lydia!
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Tabby got her sponsorship!
Tabby writes:
I'm now being sponsored by Canidae, which makes the cat food Felidae! :) >^..^< I'm featured on their website, and will be doing some publicity for them. I love their food, so I was thrilled when they asked to sponsor Mommy and me in our therapy work!
I'm now being sponsored by Canidae, which makes the cat food Felidae! :) >^..^< I'm featured on their website, and will be doing some publicity for them. I love their food, so I was thrilled when they asked to sponsor Mommy and me in our therapy work!
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Halloween visit to H. on 10/19/11
Tabby writes:
I got to wear my candy-corn witch costume to H. on Wednesday! It was our last visit to H. before Halloween, so S. suggested that we both dress up in our costumes. Yep, that's right! Mommy dressed up in hers, too! She and I have matching candy corn witch costumes. :) >^..^<
We got a lot of attention on the bus and MAX train. But there was someone way more worthy of attention who was riding our first bus. There was a mobility puppy-in-training on her first bus ride ever! She was soooo well-behaved, lying down under her trainer's seat, although she got up a couple times to sniff my stroller. I just stared at her and went back to sleep, and she settled right back down. She's going to be a good service doggie for someone who needs her help!
There was another service doggie, fully trained, who got on the bus after the puppy got off. The guide dog wanted to pay more attention to me than to his person, which was a no-no. I know it's more important to pay attention to your person than other animals, but that doggie needs some more training on that. He wanted to sniff me the whole time he was on the bus, so his person had to keep him on a very short leash and hold on to his harness to make him sit down. Mommy and I felt sorry for the person! Most service doggies are more well-behaved than that around me, so I think this one just hadn't been trained around kitties originally.
On the MAX train, we sat next to a man who spoke a few words in Hungarian and one who spoke Vietnamese. Everyone was talking about words and translating them into those languages, English, and Norwegian (which Mommy knows). That was a fun conversation to listen to! I learned that mao is Vietnamese for kitty and cica is Hungarian. Norwegian is katt, and I already knew that one from Mommy.
We stopped at a store to get pencils to do reverse trick-or-treating. In normal trick-or-treating, you go around to people's houses and collect candy or other small treats. Reverse trick-or-treating is not usually done, but Mommy likes to do it to surprise friends! Instead of getting candy, she gives people something small as a treat! Since people at H. are sometimes on restricted diets, we chose to give out Halloween pencils instead of candy. :) >^..^<
H. was all decorated for Halloween! There were fake spiderwebs over the vases in the lobby, pumpkins on shelves and tables, and indian corn next to the pumpkins. It looked great! We went into the human litter box room, because Mommy needed to use it, so I sat on the couch while she did that. All the ladies who walked by were exclaiming over me, making a fuss over how cute my costume looked and how well-mannered I was. I loved all the attention and comments, and the petting, too.
S. took a couple pictures of Mommy and me together, in our outfits. Mommy's kneeling because I didn't want to be held in her arms when she was standing up, but she's got striped long stockings on and black shoes. I wore my hat for the pictures, but I don't like wearing my hat. It's got a chin strap that I don't want. I wouldn't mind it so much if it just sat on my head or ears, but I want that chin strap off. After the pictures were taken, I glared at Mommy until she took the hat off me again. S. thought I was a chicken originally, because the hat was almost over my nose! *giggles* Nope, I was a candy corn witch!
We got our pictures taken again once we got to the floor we visit. One of the nice nurses there (everyone's nice there) took our picture with her camera phone. I forget the nurse's name. That's not the one that's posted on my FB page. My friend Crystal took the picture that's on my Facebook page when we saw her after I got done visiting. :) The other one, the one that was taken while we were visiting, is of Mommy standing and holding me. I wanted to get down and walk, though, so I kept looking away from the camera. Sorry, lady who took the picture! It's just so much fun to walk down the long hallways there and see all my friends!
I visited with some of my friends, but others were sleeping or off doing other errands while we were there. I'm glad I got to visit with some of my friends, though. I went into the physical therapy room, where the bike and a mirror are. I thought the bike pedals were interesting when they moved, so I started toward them, but then I saw myself in the mirror. Wow, is that what I look like in my Halloween costume? I just had to admire myself for a few minutes, while J. and the others watched me watching myself! Then I went over to one of the ladies for pets and to look out the window. J. rolled over a small stool, and I thought it was some kind of a monster! I'm used to rolling things, but I'd never seen something that small roll before. I walked past it once it stopped moving, looking back at it to see if it still was stopped. Then I disappeared behind my stroller to hide from it! I didn't stay scared for long, once there were more people to visit, though. Mommy handed out pencils to everyone who wanted one, which they all liked. Many people thanked me for their treat, and I purred at each of them! You're welcome, everyone! Happy Halloween!
After we were done at H., we went to "my" store: Furever Pets! That's the place the Halloween party was at last year. We won't be able to go to the party there this year, because we've got things scheduled for that day already. Furever Pets has a video showing on their tv screen of last year's Halloween party, and I'm on it with my costume! A couple times, because there's one of my costume and then one of the doggie sniffing me! It was very strange to see myself on the screen. The lady there said I was famous because I had the picture on there. Really? She also said that I was the only one allowed to try out the scratching posts, because I don't scratch them. I just sit on them and admire the view.
I got a new, pink harness! I'm outgrowing my old one, and so it doesn't fit right in the shoulders anymore. The new one is very comfy, and easy to wear. Once it got on and adjusted, I started purring to let Mommy and the lady know that it was fitting properly. Then I got to wear it home!
On the way back home, we listened to stories of a cat and kitten who are being harness-trained. The mama cat slips out of the harness, but the kitten likes wearing it and keeps it on. The mama cat knows where home is and always comes back, but the kitten likes climbing trees! So it's good that the kitten is the one who likes the harness.
I got to wear my candy-corn witch costume to H. on Wednesday! It was our last visit to H. before Halloween, so S. suggested that we both dress up in our costumes. Yep, that's right! Mommy dressed up in hers, too! She and I have matching candy corn witch costumes. :) >^..^<
We got a lot of attention on the bus and MAX train. But there was someone way more worthy of attention who was riding our first bus. There was a mobility puppy-in-training on her first bus ride ever! She was soooo well-behaved, lying down under her trainer's seat, although she got up a couple times to sniff my stroller. I just stared at her and went back to sleep, and she settled right back down. She's going to be a good service doggie for someone who needs her help!
There was another service doggie, fully trained, who got on the bus after the puppy got off. The guide dog wanted to pay more attention to me than to his person, which was a no-no. I know it's more important to pay attention to your person than other animals, but that doggie needs some more training on that. He wanted to sniff me the whole time he was on the bus, so his person had to keep him on a very short leash and hold on to his harness to make him sit down. Mommy and I felt sorry for the person! Most service doggies are more well-behaved than that around me, so I think this one just hadn't been trained around kitties originally.
On the MAX train, we sat next to a man who spoke a few words in Hungarian and one who spoke Vietnamese. Everyone was talking about words and translating them into those languages, English, and Norwegian (which Mommy knows). That was a fun conversation to listen to! I learned that mao is Vietnamese for kitty and cica is Hungarian. Norwegian is katt, and I already knew that one from Mommy.
We stopped at a store to get pencils to do reverse trick-or-treating. In normal trick-or-treating, you go around to people's houses and collect candy or other small treats. Reverse trick-or-treating is not usually done, but Mommy likes to do it to surprise friends! Instead of getting candy, she gives people something small as a treat! Since people at H. are sometimes on restricted diets, we chose to give out Halloween pencils instead of candy. :) >^..^<
H. was all decorated for Halloween! There were fake spiderwebs over the vases in the lobby, pumpkins on shelves and tables, and indian corn next to the pumpkins. It looked great! We went into the human litter box room, because Mommy needed to use it, so I sat on the couch while she did that. All the ladies who walked by were exclaiming over me, making a fuss over how cute my costume looked and how well-mannered I was. I loved all the attention and comments, and the petting, too.
We got our pictures taken again once we got to the floor we visit. One of the nice nurses there (everyone's nice there) took our picture with her camera phone. I forget the nurse's name. That's not the one that's posted on my FB page. My friend Crystal took the picture that's on my Facebook page when we saw her after I got done visiting. :) The other one, the one that was taken while we were visiting, is of Mommy standing and holding me. I wanted to get down and walk, though, so I kept looking away from the camera. Sorry, lady who took the picture! It's just so much fun to walk down the long hallways there and see all my friends!
I visited with some of my friends, but others were sleeping or off doing other errands while we were there. I'm glad I got to visit with some of my friends, though. I went into the physical therapy room, where the bike and a mirror are. I thought the bike pedals were interesting when they moved, so I started toward them, but then I saw myself in the mirror. Wow, is that what I look like in my Halloween costume? I just had to admire myself for a few minutes, while J. and the others watched me watching myself! Then I went over to one of the ladies for pets and to look out the window. J. rolled over a small stool, and I thought it was some kind of a monster! I'm used to rolling things, but I'd never seen something that small roll before. I walked past it once it stopped moving, looking back at it to see if it still was stopped. Then I disappeared behind my stroller to hide from it! I didn't stay scared for long, once there were more people to visit, though. Mommy handed out pencils to everyone who wanted one, which they all liked. Many people thanked me for their treat, and I purred at each of them! You're welcome, everyone! Happy Halloween!
After we were done at H., we went to "my" store: Furever Pets! That's the place the Halloween party was at last year. We won't be able to go to the party there this year, because we've got things scheduled for that day already. Furever Pets has a video showing on their tv screen of last year's Halloween party, and I'm on it with my costume! A couple times, because there's one of my costume and then one of the doggie sniffing me! It was very strange to see myself on the screen. The lady there said I was famous because I had the picture on there. Really? She also said that I was the only one allowed to try out the scratching posts, because I don't scratch them. I just sit on them and admire the view.
I got a new, pink harness! I'm outgrowing my old one, and so it doesn't fit right in the shoulders anymore. The new one is very comfy, and easy to wear. Once it got on and adjusted, I started purring to let Mommy and the lady know that it was fitting properly. Then I got to wear it home!
On the way back home, we listened to stories of a cat and kitten who are being harness-trained. The mama cat slips out of the harness, but the kitten likes wearing it and keeps it on. The mama cat knows where home is and always comes back, but the kitten likes climbing trees! So it's good that the kitten is the one who likes the harness.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Happy National Feral Cat Day!
Happy our day! I'm proud to be a fixed, eartipped feral girl! When the lady opened the window today, I was right there waiting. I curled my tail around my paws and sat pretty, a foot from her, just like my momcat Leopard used to, and waited for the lady to put food out for us. I talked to her the whole time, telling her how happy I was, and she talked back to me. Then, I called to my daddy Tux and my sister Striped Girl and they came to get food, too. I could see my brother Hemming through the window, and he was eating from the inside plate with the inside kitties. He and I talk and play through the window a lot, but we're both happy with our separate lives. He says he may have another home soon.
Happy our day! I'm proud to be a fixed, eartipped, former feral kitten! I have a good life inside now, and hope to have a forever home soon. I'm still up for adoption, and no one else has passed my foster parents' tests for forever homes, but I'm still hopeful. Until then, I've got my foster family to play with, the humans to snuggle with, and my family to watch out the window.
Happy our day! I'm proud to be a former feral who chose to ask for help from humans. I was out on the streets by myself in an industrial area, then all of a sudden I had foster parents and foster siblings! I still bite occasionally, but I love snuggling and playing with everyone.
Happy our day! Yes, I was a feral kitten! You wouldn't know it to look at me now, because I came inside at 4 weeks old and am fully socialized thanks to my family. My mommy-auntie Lydia and my auntie Tabby took care of me and taught me, and my uncles Carbon and Skylar played with me and taught me. Mommy, Mommy Erin, and Daddy helped me grow and become Lady of the House and Big Kitty of the House. Feral kittens can make great inside kitties if you catch us when we're little enough to learn how to be inside kitties!
Happy National Feral Cat Day, everyone!
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Therapy Cat Tales from 10/05/11
Tabby writes:
I have been visiting, but haven't been writing about it because I've been busy taking care of Daddy. His back is really hurting him. Something about a crushed disc. Is that a cat toy? I have a disk that I like to play with. Is it similar? Whatever it is, it's hurting Daddy so he wants it out of his back but can't have surgery yet. I snuggle on the couch with him and purr to help him feel better.
Mommy and I went visiting to H. today. It's fall here now, after a short summer, so it's rainy again and starting to get colder. I wore my fleece raincoat that I got last year, and people on the bus liked it! I met two new bus drivers today, and one had never seen a stroller like mine before. She had to call C-Tran to see if it was approved to be on the bus, and of course they said it was. One bus rider was mean, though. She thought someone had pooped on the bus, then she covered her nose with her scarf and walked to the middle of the bus, loudly complaining. Everyone else on the buses were very, very nice to me and to Mommy, though, and some even told her about their cats! We love hearing stories about other people's kitties. Today, we heard about a litter of kittens that were born in February a few years ago, on a deck to a first-time mama cat. The cat's human saw the newborn kittens, picked all of them up, and took them inside to rub them warm and feed them. All of them survived, but some of them had brain damage. Another person told us about a kitten that his roommate almost ran over with the lawnmower! The roommate stopped the mower as soon as he saw movement, picked up the kitten, and brought it inside. The now-grown cat now freaks out at different things, but is a good cat. I'm glad people were so nice to those kittens! That makes me purr with happiness. :) >^..^<
At H. I saw my friend T. and met a friend of hers who had come to visit her. Her friend didn't stay long, because she didn't want to interrupt my visit with T., even though Mommy told her that we were only going to be visiting for a few minutes. T. was singing and talking to me, and I was lying very nicely on her walker seat, my favorite place when I visit with her. I didn't even roll off this time!
B. was delighted that I visited with her today, and gave me ear rubs while smiling the biggest smile I'd ever seen from her! S. came down from the next floor up just to see me, and said that I was the highlight of her day. I met a new lady who had fallen a few days ago and needed some extra care to heal. She had a very strange towel that I didn't like. It was rolled up and duct-taped together! Mommy said it was to help the lady's ankles. I didn't want to lie down on the bed until Mommy picked up the strange towel and let me sniff it, explaining to me what it was. Then it was fine to be on the bed. G. is another new friend who had a crocheted blanket over her. I hopped right up on that blanket and snuggled in, very relaxed, and let her pet me for a while. I could tell she loves animals, although she said she prefers dogs. She did say that I was the nicest kitty she's ever met, and that made me purr even louder and longer for her! She's one of the nicest people I've ever met, too.
One of my friends, I., wasn't there today. We go to her apartment to visit her, on another floor. When we got to her door, S. knocked but there was no answer. S. opened the door and peeked in, and I. wasn't there! Why wasn't she there? S. closed the door and I hopped out of my stroller. Walking over to the door, I put my nose right up to the crack between it and the frame and sniffed, trying to look in. I looked at Mommy, then at S., then back at the door, and sat down, very disappointed. Mommy picked me up and told me that I. was probably out on an adventure. Not fair! I wanted to visit with her! I got back in my stroller, curled up, and pouted. :(
When Mommy was signing us back out, I ran as fast as I could to catch up with and pass S. so that I could get into the office to say hi to R. I made it to the door before S. did! I can run very fast when I want to, even though I'm a big girl! I said hi to R., but I can't stay long in the office because she's allergic to me now. At least I got to see her, though!
On the bus home, we met a very nice family with three girls. I was playing peek-a-boo with the almost-2-year-old! She was funny! It started raining just as we were walking the last bit of the way to the house, but Mommy let me walk along the side of the house anyway because that part was dry. I rode the sidewalk part, though, where I usually walk. I stepped in a puddle and made wet paw prints on the sidewalk in front of the house!
I have been visiting, but haven't been writing about it because I've been busy taking care of Daddy. His back is really hurting him. Something about a crushed disc. Is that a cat toy? I have a disk that I like to play with. Is it similar? Whatever it is, it's hurting Daddy so he wants it out of his back but can't have surgery yet. I snuggle on the couch with him and purr to help him feel better.
Mommy and I went visiting to H. today. It's fall here now, after a short summer, so it's rainy again and starting to get colder. I wore my fleece raincoat that I got last year, and people on the bus liked it! I met two new bus drivers today, and one had never seen a stroller like mine before. She had to call C-Tran to see if it was approved to be on the bus, and of course they said it was. One bus rider was mean, though. She thought someone had pooped on the bus, then she covered her nose with her scarf and walked to the middle of the bus, loudly complaining. Everyone else on the buses were very, very nice to me and to Mommy, though, and some even told her about their cats! We love hearing stories about other people's kitties. Today, we heard about a litter of kittens that were born in February a few years ago, on a deck to a first-time mama cat. The cat's human saw the newborn kittens, picked all of them up, and took them inside to rub them warm and feed them. All of them survived, but some of them had brain damage. Another person told us about a kitten that his roommate almost ran over with the lawnmower! The roommate stopped the mower as soon as he saw movement, picked up the kitten, and brought it inside. The now-grown cat now freaks out at different things, but is a good cat. I'm glad people were so nice to those kittens! That makes me purr with happiness. :) >^..^<
At H. I saw my friend T. and met a friend of hers who had come to visit her. Her friend didn't stay long, because she didn't want to interrupt my visit with T., even though Mommy told her that we were only going to be visiting for a few minutes. T. was singing and talking to me, and I was lying very nicely on her walker seat, my favorite place when I visit with her. I didn't even roll off this time!
B. was delighted that I visited with her today, and gave me ear rubs while smiling the biggest smile I'd ever seen from her! S. came down from the next floor up just to see me, and said that I was the highlight of her day. I met a new lady who had fallen a few days ago and needed some extra care to heal. She had a very strange towel that I didn't like. It was rolled up and duct-taped together! Mommy said it was to help the lady's ankles. I didn't want to lie down on the bed until Mommy picked up the strange towel and let me sniff it, explaining to me what it was. Then it was fine to be on the bed. G. is another new friend who had a crocheted blanket over her. I hopped right up on that blanket and snuggled in, very relaxed, and let her pet me for a while. I could tell she loves animals, although she said she prefers dogs. She did say that I was the nicest kitty she's ever met, and that made me purr even louder and longer for her! She's one of the nicest people I've ever met, too.
One of my friends, I., wasn't there today. We go to her apartment to visit her, on another floor. When we got to her door, S. knocked but there was no answer. S. opened the door and peeked in, and I. wasn't there! Why wasn't she there? S. closed the door and I hopped out of my stroller. Walking over to the door, I put my nose right up to the crack between it and the frame and sniffed, trying to look in. I looked at Mommy, then at S., then back at the door, and sat down, very disappointed. Mommy picked me up and told me that I. was probably out on an adventure. Not fair! I wanted to visit with her! I got back in my stroller, curled up, and pouted. :(
When Mommy was signing us back out, I ran as fast as I could to catch up with and pass S. so that I could get into the office to say hi to R. I made it to the door before S. did! I can run very fast when I want to, even though I'm a big girl! I said hi to R., but I can't stay long in the office because she's allergic to me now. At least I got to see her, though!
On the bus home, we met a very nice family with three girls. I was playing peek-a-boo with the almost-2-year-old! She was funny! It started raining just as we were walking the last bit of the way to the house, but Mommy let me walk along the side of the house anyway because that part was dry. I rode the sidewalk part, though, where I usually walk. I stepped in a puddle and made wet paw prints on the sidewalk in front of the house!
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Thanks for the birthday wishes for our daddy!
Thanks for all the birthday wishes for our daddy! Every one of the comments made him smile. He's having a tough time right now because he's got a crushed disk in his lower back, so he's hurting a lot. We all curl up with him and purr, helping him to feel better. He always pets us and tells us how much we're helping him. He'll have to have surgery on his back, but that will have to be a few months from now.
Mommy's grandpa isn't doing well either right now, so she hasn't had the time to keep up our blogging. We'll blog more in a while, when we can.
Missy snuggling on the couch with Daddy