We have another angel.

Another one has left us. Panther was having trouble pooping last night (30th-31st) so I sequestered him in the bathroom for the night (of course, with the usual food/water/litter box). Scott and I were going to make an appointment for him for Saturday, because he'd been losing weight over the last year. He was about 9 1/2 years old (would've been 10 around Thanksgiving), and had been with us since he showed up at our back deck at 1 1/2 years old with pneumonia. For those who know Cai von Kugler, this is the Panth she had for a while who came back to live with us again.

I stayed up until dawn with him, hanging out with him and talking to him (along with lots of pets, of course). I finally needed to get at least some sleep, so I went to bed. I was asleep for around an hour and a half, and when I woke up he had passed away. He was cross-ways in the tub, and Scott said it looked like he might've had a seizure and passed soon after I went to bed. I think he waited until I wasn't hovering.

The other cats knew what had happened, because they were all surrounding me when I got up. Sherbet, his littermate brother, is upset, totally understandable! When Scott got home, he buried Panth next to Heimdall underneath the pine tree. We have a single yellow rose blooming this year on the bush under that tree, and that's where most of our angel furkids are buried.

 Panther

Nov. 2012 - Aug. 31, 2022

A Gotcha Day anniversary, a Bridge Day anniversary, and a new angel

The PDX pride mama here.  This post is not one that I wanted to ever write.  I'll start with the good thing.  Today is Freya's & Heimdall's 12th Gotcha Day anniversary!  After Skylar went to the Bridge 12 years ago (that was on the 23rd), I was looking at kittens online at Salem Friends of Felines and saw Heimdall's picture.  I showed it to Scott, then he saw that Heimdall had a sister.  We knew then that they had been sent to us by Skylar & Lydia, because they looked so much like them.  Freya & Heimdall were 3 1/2 months old when we got them.

Now, the sad news.  Only Freya is here to celebrate.  Heimdall went to the Bridge on the 23rd, so he now shares a Bridge Day date with Skylar.  In April, Heimdall came down with a really bad double ear infection.  We took him to a vet we hadn't used before (mistake #1) instead of our regular vet because we couldn't get in to our regular vet in a decent amount of time.  The other vet diagnosed his double ear infection, gave us medication (actually four different ones) and we were told that he had a "mass" in his right ear that would continue to grow and had ruptured his eardrum.  Mistake #2, because the "mass" was actually an ear polyp which ended up shrinking back down without damaging the eardrum.  We were told that he would have chronic ear infections, a head tilt, and awkward gait for the rest of his life.

Because of this (mis)diagnosis, we didn't get him rechecked more than once after that initial visit (mistake #3).  He started going downhill fast the last three weeks.  He was very lethargic, had given up, and wasn't interested in food (although he was still eating, just more because he thought he should rather than because he felt he needed to eat).  He shakily climbed up onto the futon to snuggle with his daddy the last couple days of his life.  He wasn't grooming himself at all, even when he fell down in the litter box, since we took him in to that vet in April, and he started to resent me trying to clean him up.  He had litter caked in-between his toes that he didn't take care of, so his daddy and I had to.  We made the appointment to put him to sleep.

At his appointment (with our regular vet), we were told that his eardrums were intact, his ear canals had a lot of debris in them but that the vet could see the eardrums which didn't look damaged at all.  The vet said there were small polyps (probably what the other vet had called a mass) that were not impeding the ear canal at all.  However, because his sinus infection had blown all out of proportion due to being untreated (because we had thought the symptoms were from ruptured eardrums and the mass), his poor body was so weakened that he would've had a long, uphill battle to regain his health.  I made the decision to not put him through that and to put him to sleep instead.  I held him while the vet gave him his shots.  He growled at the vet and stuck his tongue out when the vet put his paws back onto my lap, but then he put his head down on my hand like he loved to do and was gone.

We brought his body back, opened the box, and let the others say their goodbyes.  Freya curled up in the box lid, so we had one dead tuxie twin in one side of the box and one live tuxie twin in the other.  She's kind of lost without him, since they have never been apart since they were littermates.  I had to lift her out of the lid twice so that I could hand the box with Heimdall's body to his daddy.  He buried him by the roses under the cedar tree in the backyard, near where Carbon and Rori are buried.

I just finished writing an e-mail to the other vet, telling them what happened.  So many mistakes on their part and on our part.  We feel so guilty for letting our boy down by not taking him for a second opinion.  We should've done more for him.  He should be here to celebrate today with his sister.

Heimdall with his favorite toy, a fishy potato chip clip

Heimdall Skylar

March 24, 2010 to July 23, 2022

Happy Birthday to the Twins!

 

 

 

 

It's Freya's (top) & Heimdall's (side) 11th birthday today!  We're celebrating with snuggles, games of red dot, and playing chase.  We're also going to get canned food for dinner!

A Very Special Gotcha Day Anniversary!

 

Rainbow writes:

Hi, everyone!!!  I'm glad to meet all of you!  Mommy didn't introduce me when I first came to live here, but I've been here a whole year now!  What a year it's been, too.  I'm so glad to have found my forever family.  Daddy took the picture above, because I am awesome!

This picture was from March 5, 2020, the day I was adopted.  I look a little out-of-it because I had just woken up and was also still recovering from my spay the day before.  I'd also just moved to the Oregon Humane Society from Bonnie Hays Animal Shelter.

*takes a deep breath to slow down a little*

Ok, I'll back up a bit.  I was born in September 2019 somewhere in Oregon, probably in Washington County somewhere.  Things are blurry until someone brought me to Bonnie Hays Small Animal Shelter in January or February of 2020.  I had a really bad upper respiratory infection and had to be in isolation for a long time.  Once I finally recovered from that, due to the awesome care I got there, I was transferred to the Oregon Humane Society.  I wasn't around other cats there, either, because I was only there for a day before finding my forever home!

The night before I was adopted, Mommy and Daddy were looking at kitty pictures on the OHS website.  They had picked out a senior cat with some special needs so they made plans to go meet him, but they were also looking at all the profiles to see who else was there in case their first choice wasn't right for them.  They saw my picture, and it said that I wasn't yet available and my adoption fee was more than the senior cat's one was because I was still a kitten.

Well, the senior cat needed to be in a home that was a lot calmer than here.  He wouldn't have done well in a home with other cats, especially not ones that can get as rowdy as we like to be!  After looking at all the kitties in the public adoption area, Mommy went to the display with pictures of other adoptable kitties.  There I was, and this time it said I was adoptable!  Daddy has always wanted another calico, since he had one when he was younger and loved her so much.  Mommy didn't have to do much convincing to get him to say yes to adopting me!  They went to a meeting room and the person brought me in.  At first, I wanted to stay around him, because I knew him and didn't know these two strangers who were in the room with us and who were trying to reach out their hands to me.  I finally went over to them and got petted, so I claimed them (as you can see from the picture above)!  That's Mommy that I'm claiming, and Daddy got claimed, too, and I was purring so much because I knew I had people of my very own!

I will share other photos of my adventures this last year, but it's almost time for my treat of wet food for my special day!  I'm going to share with everyone else, especially with my bestie, Shadow, who is only a little older than I am.  Oh, and I'm the "big kitty" (alpha cat) here now, despite being the youngest!  Panther told me I could be, once I learned how to be, and he says I've learned well enough.  I think I'm still kind of in training, though, because I know there's a lot more to learn!

*paw waves*

Oh, and I forgot to say that my name now is the same as it was at both shelters.  It totally fits with my coloring and with my journey, because Mommy and Daddy are sure that aunties Tabby, Rori, and Starla sent me to all the right places to find this home!

End of an era and many sads

We lost Tabby in September, Rori in November, and Starla in December.  This scrapbook page was made by Mommy using scrapbooking supplies from The Cherry On Top.

Shadow:  Uncle Panther, I has a sads.  I has many sads.
Panther:  Me, too, Shadow.  It's not just a kitten feeling.  We big cats have it, too.  Anytime we have to say goodbye to a family member, it's hard, and especially this past year.  We had to say goodbye to the three oldest.
Shadow:  But why?  Why did they have to run off to the Bridge?  I only just got here, and only just met them, and now not only Auntie Tabby but Auntie Rori and Auntie Starla are gone, too!
Panther:  Because no one lives forever, little one.  Not even aunties and uncles, or mommies or daddies.  We all will someday run off to the Bridge, too, but hopefully not for a long time.
Shadow:  I know they didn't feel well.  Is that why?  Were they all sickies?
Panther:  Yes, Shadow, they were all sick.  Rori and her sister Little Bit, who went to the Bridge before you came to live with us, both had seizures and Rori's were getting a lot worse.  She was so weak that she could barely move around, yet somehow she kept going when we thought we would have had to say goodbye to her a while ago.  I don't know how she had the strength to keep on going, but that's part of what made her such a wonderful Big Kitty.  I miss her, too.  I wish she were still here so that I didn't have to be the Big Kitty now.  Even though I'm in charge, I don't want to be.
Shadow:  Really?  But you're a great kitty to have in charge!
Panther:  Thank you.  But yes, really.  Rori was the best Big Kitty, even better than when Auntie Tigress was the outside Big Kitty.  Tigress doesn't want to be the inside Big Kitty, though.  She's done with that job now that she's inside.
Shadow:  Oh.  Was it just the shakes that Rori had that made her sickies?
Panther:  We don't know.  Not even the vet knew for sure, although they think that she had pancreatitis, too.  She had that for a while.  All we know is that Rori was very, very sick and one day she just couldn't hold on any longer.  She stopped eating and drinking, and then got so weak that she couldn't barely pull herself to the litter box.  She was begging Mommy and Daddy to help her, so they helped her to the Bridge.  She was hurting a lot.
Shadow:  I'm glad she's not hurting any more.
Panther:  Me, too.
Shadow:  But what about Auntie Starla?  She smelled bad.  She peed on the floor.
Panther:  Yes, she did.  She never really learned how to use the litter box.  Her original people were bad.
Shadow:  You mean they returned her like my first people did?
Panther:  No, even worse than you can ever imagine.  They didn't ever take care of her.  They scared and hurt her and wouldn't let her inside their house.
Shadow:  That's super-bad!
Panther:  Yes, and there's more, but I'll wait until you're a little older to tell you that.  So she never was taught to use the litter box like most indoor kitties.  She used the floor instead, although Mommy and Daddy taught her to use the floors that were easier to clean up.
Shadow:  And the tub.
Panther:  Yes, and the tub.  That was easiest to clean up!  But then she got really sick and forgot to use the easy-to-clean-up spots.  She used the new wood floors, which was a big no-no.
Shadow:  Is that why she ran off to the Bridge?
Panther:  No, not really.  Mommy cleaned up after her, and so did Daddy sometimes.  They didn't like cleaning all that up, but they knew that Starla couldn't remember to use the other places.  The reason she had to run off to the Bridge just before Christmas was that she got cancer.
Shadow:  What's that?  Whatever it is, I know it isn't a nice thing!  Mean cancer.
Panther:  Yes, it is mean.  It means she was very sick, as sick as Tabby was, but in a different way.  That's why she was so skinny.  Then, when she was too tired and sick to notice that she was peeing when she was sleeping, Mommy and Daddy knew it was time to help her to the Bridge.
Shadow:  What does Mommy mean when she keeps saying that it's the end of an era?
Panther:  Well, none of the kitties who are here now were the ones who moved here with Mommy and Daddy ten years ago.  I wasn't even born then, and neither were any of the others who are here now.
Shadow:  Not even Freya & Heimdall?  They're old, but not as old as the others!
Panther:  Not even them.  The ones who moved here were Tabby, Carbon, Skylar, Rori, Starla, and Spooky.  He looked like you and like me, but he ran off to the Bridge when he was a kitten.  Everyone else, everyone who is here now, wasn't even born then.
Shadow:  Oh.  I don't want anyone else to go away!
Panther:  I don't, either.  *licks the top of Shadow's head*

Very sad day

The PDX pride mommy writes:

I have very sad news.  Last night, we had to say goodbye to Tabby.  She was down to just under 6 lbs., had advanced dementia, and was falling off the places she chose to sleep.  Last night, she could barely get to her favorite recliner and then was very disoriented so she only stayed on her daddy's lap for a few minutes before coming in and climbing shakily onto my lap.  It was time.  We all said our goodbyes at home, then we harnessed her up for one last car ride.  She watched out the windows and knew where we were once we got to the vet, but then became disoriented again when we were carrying her into the building.  She fell asleep gently while air-kneading just before 10:30 pm, then was given the final shot and passed peacefully.  The above picture was taken while waiting for the vet to come in with the shots.  She looks worried because she was so disoriented that she didn't really know quite why I would be taking a picture of her there.

We brought her body home and buried her in the yard by her brother, Carbon.  The others got the chance to sniff her body and say goodbye once again if they wanted to.  The twins and Starla declined, but the others came over to pay their respects.  This was Shadow's first time dealing with death, and he still isn't quite sure what happened, but the others are helping him.  He gently touched her body with his paw, then lay down next to the box that held it.

Thank you for all the love you have shown our girl over the years.

Happy 14th Gotcha Day to Tabby!!!

Tabby says:

It's my 14th Gotcha Day today! I made it! I'm fading every day, but still hanging in there. I spend my days screaming, hanging out with my purrents, and watching Shadow. He's the new kitten, a new family member, and only 2 1/2 months old so he zooms around a lot. I think he looks a lot like my brother, Carbon, but he definitely smells different, so he's a bit confusing. And, yes, that's me on the top of the scratching post in this pic, and that's Carbon looking up at me. This was just after we got home to Daddy's from the cage on the front porch of the feed store in Clatskanie, OR. I was 4 weeks old and Carbon was 5 weeks old.

Yes, I did say THE NEW KITTEN!!!  Can you tell I'm excited?  Mommy and Daddy were going to wait until after I passed to get another family member, but then they thought it might do me some good to have a job to do again, in whatever time I have left.  I love him!  They went down to Salem Friends of Felines, the same shelter that Freya and Heimdall came from, also the same one that JJ's Scamper came from, originally to look at another kitten but that one had already been adopted.  They thought that Shadow looked so much like Carbon!  He loves ball toys, and he keeps on pawing the jingle ball over to me to bat back to him.  He also likes following me around the house.  We all are learning to love him, and he's so much fun to watch exploring and figuring things out.  We're all a bit happier because he's here, although everyone still is spending a lot of time trying to help me feel better by snuggling with me.

He was born on April 26, 2019, and we adopted him on July 6, 2019.  His shelter name was "Shrek," but he's not green or an ogre, so his new name is "Shadow," which suits him better!  Yes, we've had a Shadow before, the main semi-socialized feral girl at the green house in Portland.  I think she'd like that we have another Shadow who will live as an inside-only cat.  I've taught him to ask for pets like I do, and like I've taught everyone else to do!  He's so smart.  Here's a few pictures, including one of me watching him play with the Crazy Circle, and a video.  More pics to come, as both Mommy and Daddy are shutterbugs!

Tabby Update: Still Hanging in There

The PDX pride mommy here with an update. Tabby is still hanging in there, but today she has been "spacing out" most of the time. It took her a few minutes to even realize that my husband had come into the bathroom and was talking to her, then she slowly came out of it enough to start yelling at him for attention. After a few minutes, she went and lay down in the bathtub, uncharacteristic behavior for her, and has stayed there. It will be sometime this coming week.

Some of you have wondered if it is hyper-T.  We have had her thyroid levels tested over the years, and that isn't the reason, but thank you for offering helpful suggestions.  We appreciate all the concern and have been repeatedly telling Tabby that everyone loves her and we're all here for her.

Happy 14th Birthday to Tabby, and a Health Update

I used the June challenge template from The Cherry On Top, two papers and two elements from the “Because” collection by The Cherry On Top, one element and two papers from the “Optimism” collection by The Cherry On Top, one element from the “Pampered Pups Blog Train – June 2019” kit by Tootypup Scraps, and word art and paper from the “Birthday” pack by Sweet Cravings Scraps.

Happy 14th Birthday, Tabby!  Hi, everyone, it's the PDX pride mommy writing, because Tabby is currently resting.  She's having a pretty good day today, after spending the morning snuggling wrapped around my hand and arm while I slept.  She's lost a lot of weight very rapidly, and isn't getting much nutrition from her food anymore.  We think we'll have to send her off to the Bridge within a couple weeks.  She's been going downhill for most of this last year, and it's now at the point where she yells constantly because she's so confused and hungry.  We're glad for the last 14 years of knowing this sweet girl, and of being able to share her with all of you.  We will keep you updated.  Thank you for your love for Tabby!

Happy 13th Birthday to Tabby!

Tabby writes:

I can't believe I'm 13 years old today!  I'm going to spend my day napping on the top of the cat tree where Autumn likes to be, because it gets on her nerves.  This picture shows my other new napping spot, on top of the overturned crate on Mommy's bed.  Her CPAP machine lives in the crate.  I want to be snuggled on top of her head, but she won't let me because I ask her mask when I want to be petted.

Fly free, Little Bit!

The PDX pride mommy writes:

On May 19th, we put our Little Bit to sleep.  She had been unable to contain her pee and had been having "rolling pees", where she would roll and spray while biting her side or her leg.  At first we thought she had "hot spots", but then we realized it was something more serious.  This had been going on for years, but had gotten way worse the past few weeks.  Our whole family, including Mommy S., Mommy Erin, and the kids, said our goodbyes. The PDX pride daddy and I bundled Bitty up and took her to the emergency vet.  He agreed that she was most likely having a series of seizures that had been going on for years.  I held her and petted her while she drifted away.  All the cats gathered around her body when we got back to the house and said their goodbyes, then the PDX pride daddy buried her in the backyard.  She was 10 years old.  April 1, 2008 to May 19, 2018.

Remembering Carbon on his 1st Bridge Anniversary & Black Cat Appreciation Day

We've all been thinking of you so much these past few days, Carbon, with leaky eyes, fond memories, and many smiles.  How you raced around at top speed while playing, played basketball with your toys and tag with the other cats, and how you would snuggle once a day with each of your purrents.  About the bottlecaps that you stole off the counter as a kitten, your toy hoard under the couch when we moved, and your favorite battle buddy and mousie.  Your battle buddy's still around, as well as the replacement one we got you when your other one got gnawed off the wand part.  How you loved pipe cleaners, as evidenced by the top picture after your Catster Secret Santa gift from Winter.  How you were afraid of kittens until they got old enough for you to consider them the same species!  How you purred while sitting on friends' laps and sat on your stool for bites of whatever Mama Shawnee was cooking.  How you were afraid that Lydia was going to swat you (and she did) when you misbehaved as a kitten, but you realized that she was the alpha cat and loved you anyway.  How you studied things until you figured out how they worked:  automatic litter boxes that you made mountains in and then admired your own handiwork, doorknobs that you opened by yourself, the wall furnace that you body-slammed as a kitten trying to make it stop running like your daddy did.

You were one crazy cat, and we'll always remember you for that.  You were a love, when you allowed yourself to be loved on, and we'll always love you for that.  There are so many stories that will be told for decades!  It's hard to think that it's been a year already since you've been gone.  Tabby still has days when she wanders around lost, remembering you.  Most days are better for her now, but we see the look in her eyes every so often and know you're in her thoughts, as you are for us all.  You were the best black cat in the world, and it's so fitting that Black Cat Appreciation Day is your day.  We love you forever.

Happy Purrthday, Rori!!!!!!

Rori writes:

I don't feel like I'm 10 years old!  I don't feel like a kitten anymore, like I was when that picture was taken.  But I certainly don't feel like I'm 10, either.  I've slowed down a bit, and I'm chunky, so my bones creak a little.  I can still run down the hallway after my younger half-sister, Little Bit, and I still fit under Daddy's dresser.

I'm the Big Kitty of the household, the alpha cat, and everyone knows it.  Even Panther, who torments me, has to respect my position in the household.  I watch over everyone, keep everyone safe, and make sure that people are where they are supposed to be.  I love hanging out with Daddy in the chair but I sometimes sit next to Mommy when she's at her computer.

I also like to check on guests, but only after the house is totally quiet.  I don't like a lot of noise, sudden movements, or strangers.  Daddy and Mommy's friend Debbie came yesterday to visit with her cat, Henry.  I met Henry before I ventured out to check on Debbie, because he came and found me in my hiding place!  He's a sweetheart, and I don't mind having him visit at all.  After a few hours, I walked down the hallway and stood in the dining room, just staring at Debbie.  Mommy called me over, but I didn't get within range of being petted by the new person.  She's ok, and she is very nice to all of us, but it may take a few more times of her visiting for me to actually go close to her.  That's ok with her, since she and Henry have moved a few hours away from us.

It's been really hot here, so I've been staying put on a low shelf/cave during the day.  Keep cool if it's hot where you live, and you can even get your purrents to put an ice cube or two in your water bowl to play with!

Happy 7th Gotcha Day to the Twins!

Happy Gotcha Day to us!  Can you believe it's been seven years since we came to live here?  I'm glad we got a forever home together, and new names.  Freya and Heimdall are much better names than Furkins and Fonz, don't you think?  We love our home and our family, and wouldn't trade them for the world!

Thank you, friends!

The PDX pride mommy here.  Thank you, friends, for remembering Tabby & Carbon's Gotcha Day on the 15th.  We've lost so many this past year that it's been really hard, and it was Tabby's first time celebrating her Gotcha Day without her brother.  Tough on all of us.  For those of you wondering, Tabby is doing well and has been keeping up with her therapy cat visits.  Yesterday was the anniversary of Skylar's Bridge Day, so that was hard for us, for me in particular since he was my first cat and he adopted me as his person before I ever adopted him.

I'm sorry we don't post often anymore, but other responsibilities have come up that are more important than blogging.  Right now, for example, my dad is getting ready to have heart surgery.  Friends need our help, and we need theirs, so that takes time, too.

We do love each and every one of you, and your support means so much to us.  Thank you for being our friends and for reading our blog, and we hope to be posting more regularly in the near future.

Happy 12th Birthday to Tabby!

Tabby writes:

What?  You mean I'm 12 years old?  I don't feel like an old lady, but maybe I am.  I certainly am the oldest in our household!  12 doesn't really seem old to me, though.  Well, I have been grumpier than usual, and my ear has been scabbing.  Oh, that's not related to age, Mommy?  I thought it was!  I've been wanting to sleep more than usual.  Oh, and I climbed up to the bed a few nights ago to snuggle with Mommy when Daddy was at work.  I was feeling lonely.  I tried again a little while later, after I'd gotten down for a snack, but I decided to step on the metal scrollwork of the divider screen instead of directly over to the bed.  Not a good idea, because it moved and I caught a claw!  Other than that, I wasn't hurt.  It just scared me, but not enough to keep me from snuggling.

I'm going to enjoy today by snuggling, getting my ear cleaned by Little Bit, snuggling with Freya, eating, and watching our visitors.  Last night, that included our raccoon friend, who didn't know what to do with a section of orange that was given to him!  He kept looking for cat food, but all he got was the orange.  Well, he had his cat food a few hours earlier.  I guess he wanted more of a snack.

Remembering Carbon on his birthday

Happy birthday at the Bridge, dear Carbon!  We miss you and love you, and know you are taking care of Missy now, too.

Fly free, sweet Missy!

Missy, we don't know what went wrong or what exactly happened, but we know you were suffering and so we made the only decision possible.  Yesterday morning, you let the dog visiting us sniff you.  A couple hours later, we found bloody diarrhea and two solid lumps of something on the floor, with a tail trail under your daddy's dresser.  Rori went under to be with you for a little while.  Panther, Dare, and Autumn all said their goodbyes once you decided to come out of hiding, while Mommy cleaned up the floor and also cleaned you up as best she could.  You had tried, but you just didn't have the energy anymore.  Mommy sat with you and told you that it would be ok if you felt the need to leave us.  You were barely hanging on at that point.  Daddy came in and petted you for a while, then called the vet.  Our usual vet was very busy, and we knew this was an emergency, so he called the vet just down the street, too.  They were available, so Daddy put you in the carrier and he and Mommy took you to the vet.

Once there, they took you immediately into the back to stabilize you the best they could.  You were still hanging on, but barely.  The vet and vet techs were so kind to you.  They wrapped you in warm blankets and gave you fluids through an IV.  They tried to take your blood pressure, temperature, and heart rate, but the levels were not perceptible or only just perceptible.  Your heartbeat was a soft flutter.  The vet, Daddy, and Mommy knew what needed to be done, although nobody wanted to say goodbye to you this soon.  Your blood vessels were collapsing in on themselves and the vet thought that there must've been a mass on your intestines that burst.

Mommy went in the back to say goodbye.  Daddy sat and cried and Mommy cried and petted you.  You were barely conscious, and going quickly.  The vet gave you the first shot (anesthetic) and your chin immediately hit your paws.  You didn't really need the second (actual) shot, but the vet  gave it to you just to be sure.  Mommy knew you were gone already.  The vet tried to find your heartbeat but you were gone.

Mommy went to be with Daddy, and they cried for a while.  The vet brought your body in to them, and they brought you home.  Daddy dug a hole while Mommy opened the box for the rest of us to see your body.  We all knew already.  Autumn doesn't really know what death means, though, but she sniffed you and wondered why you were in a box.  She thought it was weird that you didn't respond, so she sniffed you again.  Panther sniffed you, looked you all over, touched noses with Autumn, and left the room.  Mommy brought Tabby out to see.  The others decided not to come over to sniff, because goodbyes had been said already.  Daddy opened the box and lifted your body out gently, petted it, talked to you, then set your body in the hole and covered it with dirt and a cinder block to keep raccoons away.

Your body is buried by the roses in the backyard, where we buried Miss Marble and close to where we buried Carbon.  You always loved flowers.  We will never forget you, our idiosyncratic non-feral feral who knew where to go and what to do when she needed help.  You did the first time we met you, and you did the last time we saw you alive.

Missy was between 8 and 9 years old, as near as we can figure.  She came to us at the age of approximately 2 1/2 years old and was Daddy Scott's constant companion and chief snuggler.  It took her a year to purr for him, but then she didn't stop.  She tried to climb in coat sleeves when she got petted, but would bite if she felt it was too much.  We love you, and we always will.  You are at peace now, Missy, and out of pain.

Happy Easter!!!

Happy Easter from all of us!  Tabby went to PetSmart last weekend with Mommy Erin, JJ, and Mommy.  She got her picture taken with the Easter Bunny and JJ!  Everyone at the pet store loved seeing and petting her, and she learned a lot about bunnies and other small animals during the scavenger hunt that JJ did.  She even brought back some Peeps toys shaped like bunnies for the rest of us!

The store didn't have the kitty-specific ones, so we got the ones with squeakers in them.  Panther learned how to squeak them first, by sitting on one, then Dare bunny-kicked one, scaring herself when it squeaked.  Freya tried her hardest to make another one squeak, but it wouldn't so she gave up on it.  When Daddy or Mommy (usually Daddy, though) makes one squeak, Dare jumps and the rest of us run towards the Peep!

Keep away from those Easter flowers, and have a safe and happy Easter!!!

HHHHHOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tigress writes:

I'm hhhhhhooooooooommmmmmeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I know it's not the best picture, but I wouldn't stay still!  I'm soooooooo happy to be home again!!!!!!!!!!  I dropped off the face of the earth last year and stayed away for months!!!  I haven't told anyone what happened to me yet, but I'm doing just fine.  I've put on a little weight, but that may be from it being so cold this winter.  I found lots of nice, juicy mousies whenever I wanted, although I had to hunt for them.  I love hunting, though, so that's never a problem for me.

Daddy and Mommy are trying to trap my buddy Niss this weekend to get him fixed, so there is that trap on the deck again.  I hate the trap, but it's one more reason I know I'm home, so I marked it with my scent by rubbing my cheek against it while I ate.  Daddy was watching the backyard, hoping to see Niss out there so they could call him over to get him used to the trap, and he saw me making my way through the back gate!  He couldn't tell from that distance who it was, so he told Mommy it was Niss, but she could tell when she looked out because I was in the middle of the yard by then.

I sat in the yard meowing for a while, then dove under the deck and came out with a fat, juicy mouse.  I ran off with it through the back gate, but then came back just a short while later.  I circled the yard, meowing, and both my purrents meowed back and talked with me through the windows.  I went under the deck to rest for a bit, and then slowly circled closer to the food that they'd put on the deck.  I was hungry, but I still wasn't completely sure if I was safe, or if I was dreaming and would wake up and not be here but somewhere that wasn't safe instead.  Also, it'll take me a while to get used to the other cats again because I automatically am distrustful of others until I can smell them and they can smell me, even if I can already tell they're my family.  That's how I was the last time I disappeared, too.

I ate while I talked with Mommy, and a couple of the others stuck their heads out the door to say hi.  One tried to climb up on the trap to say hi to me, but I ran off and Mommy put her back inside the house.  I came back within a few minutes, though.  Whenever Mommy would try to shut the door after talking with me, I would walk over to the middle of it and yell at her to open it again.  I didn't want her to go away!  She would open the door back up and talk with me again.  I didn't want her to reach out to pet me yet, though.

She eventually had to go take a nap, but she told me she would be back after a while.  When she came back to the door, I was ready!  I got more food, and reached out to ask her with my paw if she would pet me while I ate.  She did!  This is real!  I am home!  I got ear scritches, neck scritches, back scritches, and side scritches!  I haven't stopped making happy paws all over the deck and purring!  I even wanted her to rub my left ear like she used to when I was a kitten, and she remembered!  I gave her love bites every so often to make sure she was real and hadn't dissolved.  She and I even played a petting game like we used to, where she reaches for the top of my head, then I duck her hand and bump it with the side of my face, then play-bite (just a love-bite) and pull her hand closer to pet me.  She remembered that, too!

She has to go back all the way inside now and close the door for a while, so I'm going to stay right here and reacclimate myself, even if I do have to be by that trap.  I see Sherbet has learned how to play with Autumn, and things have moved around quite a bit in the house, but it's still mine and it's still home!  I'll probably investigate inside, but it'll probably take me a few more days to set foot in there and properly greet everyone and everything.