Bad Mommy forgot Tigress' Birthday!

Tigress writes:

I'm so embarrassed!  Mommy was bad and forgot my purrthday!  Mommy, I turned four years old on May 12th, and you're only letting everyone know now?  I've been 4 for two whole weeks now!

I've been trying to teach Little Nissy that it's ok to come inside the house.  He's still not sure about the door, but he's getting braver every day.  When we come up to eat together, I go first to make sure it's ok.  He follows, and then we both meow for food.  He's learning that the door will open but that no one will come out.  I'm very proud of him for that!  He even will eat when Autumn and Tabby stick their heads out the door, and when Mommy and Daddy have fingers to sniff.  He hasn't wanted to sniff the fingers, but he doesn't immediately back away now.  It's tough raising a kitten, even one who was half-grown by the time I adopted him!

My own mom-cat, Leopard, disappeared when I was a few months old, so I was raised by my dad-cat, Tuxie.  He and Leopard had been bringing me to our purrents' deck for a while by the time Leopard disappeared, so Tuxie asked the people for help in raising me and my siblings, Miss Marble and Hemming.  We all turned out just fine, even with all of that!  My other sibling disappeared when Leopard disappeared.  When Leopard came back, months later, my other sibling didn't come with her, so we don't know what happened there.

Hemming probably celebrated our purrthday with his adoptive mommy, and I celebrated here (because I knew it was our purrthday).  Mommy did give us special treats, so some part of her brain connected that it was a special day, even if she didn't remember what it was.  More about the treats on Friday, because I'll let one of the others tell about that.  I took my treats outside with Little Nissy when we got the treats.  It was his first time eating treats, but he loves them just as much as the rest of us!

I know my sister, Miss Marble, is smiling at us from the Rainbow Bridge.  She would love that I have someone else outside to social-eat with and to team-hunt with.

Mom-cat Leopard, Hemming, Miss Marble, and the other sibling in summer 2011.

Hemming, the other sibling, Leopard, Miss Marble, and Tigress in summer 2011.

Under!

Carbon under the blinds at our house in Portland

Squishy (one of Little Bit's kids) under the blinds, trying to imitate Uncle Carbon

Kai (one of Little Bit's kids) under a scarf at his new mommy's house just after adoption

Rori under ponies just after we moved to our current house

Starla under the big chair (with Spooky 2 up top and Skylar in the middle)

Carbon under chart paper just after we moved

Rori being a bed lump

Rori and her brother Knut as kittens at our old house, in the basket under the stroller

Rori under the table but on the chair

Miss Marble under the chair (and one of the twins on it)

Tabby:  Get off of me, Little Bit!

Heimdall checking out Tigress

Freya under the covers

Panther thinking he's hiding under the table

Tigress under a chair

Knut under a blanket at his new mommy's house

Missy under wrapping paper

Sherbet under Daddy's dresser

Miss Marble's 1st Bridge Day Anniversary

Miss Marble writes:

It was one year ago today that I left my earthly family and gained my angel wings.  I know that they still miss me terribly.  I don't know what made me not notice the car coming, or what made me try right then to cross the street, which I normally never did.  You might say I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Or was I?  Because I left for the Bridge, my sister decided that she could start to come inside.  She thought it was my territory before, so she didn't want to intrude on a place she considered to be only mine.  We shared most territory, but she didn't want to try to come inside while I was alive.  When she came back from her walkabout a couple months after I flew to the Bridge, she immediately decided inside was a good place!  Now she's almost as comfortable inside as I was!

I miss you, sissy Tigress, and I miss all of my inside family, my purrents, and all my friends.  Love to you from the Bridge!

Foster Friday and Two Honors!

Rori:  Calm down, Panther!  It's only Mommy with the flashy box again.  You'll get used to it.

Panther:  No, I won't!  I don't like it!  It's scary, even when it's not taking pictures!  *tries to get out the door behind him*

Mommy:  Panther, it's ok.  Can you please play with the catnip pillow like you were just doing?  I want to get a picture of you with your first favorite toy!

Panther:  No!  I don't wanna do that for the flashy thingy!  *turns his back on the catnip pillow*

Mommy:  Please?

Panther:  NO!

*Mommy lowers the camera.*

*Panther rolls over and starts licking the catnip pillow and bunny-kicking it.*

*Mommy starts to raise the camera again.*

Panther:  Oh, no!  Here she comes with the flashy thing again!

Rori:  Come over here, Panther.  You'll be safe by me.

*Mommy puts the camera away.*

Rori:  Before you go outside, Panther, I want to tell you something.

Panther:  What?

Rori:  You remember Miss Marble, who was outside for a while with you?

Panther:  Um, yeah?  She didn't like that I was in the backyard.  It was her territory, but she let me be there.

Rori:  Yep, that's right.  Well, she's got a very sweet memorial over on the Our Rainbow Friends blog today!  They made a gorgeous frame for one of Mommy's favorite pictures of her, with a rainbow and everything!

Panther:  Wow!

Rori:  That's not all.

*Panther's eyes widen.*

Rori:  We also had an interview with the Funny Farmers this week, and the article's posted on Mousebreath today!

Panther:  Cool!  That's great!

Rori:  Yep, it is.  All us inside forever cats are thrilled, and we mentioned you and Dare, too, as our fosters!

Panther:  Thank you, Auntie Rori!  Hey, do you think it might help me get a forever home?

Rori:  It might!  You never know.  First, you need to have more inside time with us, though.  You can start by having some dinner and then you can play some with the toys in here, including my catnip pillow.  I'll share with you.

Panther:  Thank you, Auntie Rori!  *goes over and licks her once on the hip, then goes off to eat*

The Great Meow!

The Great Meow is an event on Facebook (and off) in remembrance of all those kitties who have gone to the Bridge.  If you are on Facebook, you can find out more about it by clicking here.

Rori, our alpha cat, is MEOWING loudly for all our angel kits, as are our other cats.  You can find out more about our angels by clicking each of their names as we meow them out.

Spooky/Nyx (6-2007 to 3-26-2008)
Big-Head Kitty (feral, died in 2008 at about 2 years old)
Lydia (10-26-1999 to 10-13-2008)
Baby Chiba (died as a kitten in 2008)
Sara Kitty (died 1-5-2009 at about 18 years old)
Baby-Dot (9-1-2009 to 9-21-2009)
Baby-Tuxie (9-1-2009 to 9-22-2009)
Squishy (5-27-2009 to 11-2009)
Spooky 2 (7-2009 to 6-6-2010)
Skylar (10-26-1999 to 7-23-2010)
Grey Striped Kitty (feral, died 11-6-2010)
Miss Marble (5-12-2011 to 7-31-2013)

Miss Marble has flown to the Bridge

Miss Marble writes:

This is my last blog post.  Goodbye friends!  I will watch over every one of you from the Rainbow Bridge, and I will send down my love to you!

Last night, I snuggled with Mommy, Daddy, and my inside family, but this morning I wanted out again (as usual).  My purrents have a jingle bell necklace on the door to the other dimension (aka the front door), and I have learned to make that ring to tell them I want out.  I rang the bell this morning, so Mommy let me out, saying "See you later" as usual.  They never kept me inside against my will.  I was born feral, and they knew that I would never be happy as just an inside kitty, so they let me go outside when I wanted.

A few hours later, Daddy was getting ready to leave for an appointment.  He went out the door, looked at the road, and saw something.  It was I, lying in a pool of blood on the road.  I had been hit by a car while crossing the road.  I was killed instantly.

At the approximate time I was killed, my inside-mama-cat Freya (not my real mama cat, but she treated me as her kitten) had stopped walking for a few minutes and sat down, unfocusing on the household and focusing on something else.  Mommy thought it was very strange at the time, but she and Daddy now realize that she probably had heard me make one last cry.

Daddy collected me on a bag and buried me under my favorite cedar tree and roses, where my sister and I used to play as kittens and rest as adults.  Mommy and Daddy are hoping that my sister will come visit, but they haven't seen her since Panther took over the backyard territory.

I love you all very much, and that love transcends death.

Wordy Wednesday: Our new visitors!

Miss Marble writes:

There are two new visitors to our deck, our house, and our yard!  Tigress and I don't like them very much, because they eat our food and one of them gets pets from our family.  Our purrents say that one of them will learn to take turns with us and the other one will find a new home within the next couple months.  I certainly hope that turns out to be true!  I had to go out the door to the other dimension (aka the front door) this morning, because my door was blocked by the intruder who gets pets.  Mommy had to pick me up and put me out in the other dimension, then give me pets to let me know that it was still the same place.  No, it's not!  It's the other dimension!

 Panther writes:

Aack!  The lady took pictures of me!  I really don't like the flashy box, but learned last night that the red light means the white light will flash.  I freeze when the red light comes on, wait until after the white light flashes, then go on about my business (mainly getting pets from the lady and twirling around her while she talks to me).  I've been hanging around this new house since July 4th.  The people think that I either was dumped or ran away because of the fireworks.  I obviously know all the important things that a housecat should know, like what doors, collars, lights, people, and toys are, so I was an owned cat very recently.  I have a collar, but that is from these new people.  The tag is made especially for me, and says "Am I yours???" on one side and "If so, call xxx-xxx-xxxx" on the other.  The people named me Panther because I'm all black with gold eyes.  I'm shorthaired, and between 8 months and a year old.  I am not fixed, so if I truly am a stray or a dumped cat, that will be the first order of business (along with testing to make sure I'm free of any diseases).

I'm a very friendly boy, but I love to play, so I was showing off my ferociousness on the tomato cage!  I headbutt any hand that pets me, talk like a Siamese, and love to brush up against the people.  I'm a very strong boy, so my headbutts really push the people's hands!

If you are in the Hazel Dell/Walnut Grove area of Clark County, Washington, and know where I belong, please let the people know by commenting on this blog post.  If you are local, please share this information via blog, Facebook, etc., to help me find my home.  Thank you!

Our second new visitor is the raccoon in back.  He or she is a new kit, born about 12 weeks ago (probably), and just started coming with his mom.  His mom is one of last summer's kits, born to R.K., so the new kit is the fourth generation since we've lived in this house (three years).  He's very smart, and even likes to play with the toys JJ left behind!  The plastic saw is one of his favorites.  He'll spend a few minutes turning it over and over in his hands, trying to figure out what it is and what it does, then he'll bite it and put it down.  Daddy gave the outside cats a hotdog that had fallen on the floor inside, but the cats didn't want it.  The kit found it and figured out it was food after rolling it around for a bit!  He also likes the blue scoops from the weather station.

Public Service Announcement: Foxtails!

Miss Marble writes:

When I came inside last night, Mommy did my "burr-check", just like she does every time I come in.  She runs her hands over all my fur, including my tummy and legs, to check for tiny seeds called burrs.  They are ball-shaped, with tiny hooks, and were the inspiration for Velcro.  Well, they sure do that to my fur if I go through those plants that have burrs!  One time, Mommy got five out of me at once, and I have short fur!

I only had one last night, but then Mommy felt something that was a bump with prickles.  She made me stay put, holding me between her knees to keep me in place, while she parted my fur and looked at the bump.  She pulled something out with her claws (which she calls fingernails) and said I had a foxtail!  No, I have a kitty tail, Mommy!

She showed it to me, and I promptly tried to gently bite it out of her fingers.  I knew it was bad, no matter what it was called!  This kind of foxtail is a seed.  It has a hard point that sticks in skin, then grass-like parts that act as arrow barbs.  The point gets embedded in the skin, then the whole thing works its way in, through muscle, veins, arteries, anything that gets in its way.  Nasty things!  I'm so glad Mommy got it out of my fur before it tried to work its way under my skin.

If you have cats, dogs, or any other animal that goes outside, please be sure to check them for these nasties.  Check your own clothing, too, including socks and laces, before coming inside so you don't inadvertently track them in.  It's definitely foxtail season out there!  Click here for a picture and more information.

Happy Belated Birthdays to Tigress & Miss Marble!

Tigress says:

Hi!  I've been coming inside regularly to meow at the mommy and daddy and socialize with the inside kitties.  Carbon and I have especially been bonding, although I don't always let him sniff me as much as he'd like.  I always ask him to lick my head, though.  I don't stay inside long, just long enough to reacquaint myself with everything and everyone, and then I go back out.  Mommy's been shutting the door more when I come in, so now I know that it will open when I ask it to.  I reach up to the handle to let her know I want it to open.  I even let the little human boy pet me last week!

The humans say my sister, brother, and I are now two years old.  Wow!  That's as old as our mom was when she had us!  We turned two on Mother's Day, the 12th, but the humans were on vacation then so they couldn't help us write our blog post.  Mommy wished me a happy Mother's Day, even though my babies weren't born before I got spayed last year.  She doesn't know if I know I was a mom, but that doesn't matter to her if I know it or not.

Miss Marble says:

We're two years old?  Wow, that's old!  On our birthday, I came inside as usual at night.  Mommy has had a cold, so she's been sleeping in a big chair in the living room.  I am used to snuggling with her on the bed, so I didn't recognize that she was sleeping in the chair until Sunday.  She called me over to her, but I wasn't sure if I was allowed to sit with her.  I reached up and she told me to jump up to her.  It took me a few minutes, but I did, then settled in a circle in her lap, purring happily and cleaning her hand as she petted me.  I fell asleep in her lap and she fell asleep also.  At one point, Carbon hopped up to snuggle with us!  I was washing, so I decided to be nice and wash his tail for him.  Boy, that was not what he wanted at all!  I got slapped in the face, but he didn't have his claws out.  He got told off by Mommy and wasn't allowed to snuggle with us anymore.  I didn't know why Uncle Carbon didn't want me to wash him, but I wasn't too fazed by it because I got to stay on Mommy's lap and snuggle some more.

I fell asleep again with Mommy petting me, but had a very bad dream or was sleeping extra-hard, or something, because I did a bad thing.  I scratched Mommy's hand when she tried to pet me after resting!  I reacted instinctively and reached out with claws to bat it away, leaving a scratch.  I immediately mewed like a baby kitten to tell her I was sorry, and she forgave me right away.  She knew it was just an instinctive reaction and not something I would have done if I'd been all the way awake.  I hopped down after that and went to Mama Freya for some reassurance (aka grooming).  I'm lucky to have an inside-mama-cat, even though she's not my real mama-cat!

Miss Marble's leg is better!

Miss Marble writes:

My leg is feeling much better now!  Thank you all very much for your purrs and prayers!  I stayed inside last night and the night before, and took it easy during the day outside.  Tigress brought me fresh-caught mice to help me, so I didn't need to go hunting and could rest my leg.  I'm putting weight on it normally this afternoon.  I probably just strained it hunting or playing.

Miss Marble's leg hurts

Miss Marble writes:

My right hind leg hurts!  I don't want to put weight on it, although I can.  Tonight, I came around to the front door when the back door wouldn't open, to see if there was someone at the front door of the house.  Mommy's dad's car was in the driveway, with Mommy and her dad inside.  They saw that I was limping, so Mommy got out and tried to get me.  I ran around the house, so she went inside and got me to come in through the back door.  She checked me over for obvious tears, bites, or breaks, but she didn't find any.  She and her dad brought the groceries in, because they had just come from the store, while I cried for outside.  Then, Mommy checked me over again, because I was stretching up to the door handle while standing on both my hind legs, but I still was favoring my right leg.

I didn't like her checking my leg.  I tried biting, tried batting her away, but neither very forcefully so I didn't hurt her.  I didn't want her to hurt, but I did want her to stop bothering my leg.  She stretched it out, then checked all the muscle groups and bones that she could touch.  The back of the top part of my leg is what I reacted to the most.

She called Daddy, who told her to monitor me.  He also said if I wanted to go out that much, to let me out.  I was kept inside for a while, but then I was let back out because I was putting everyone else on edge with my screaming for outside.  My sister and I were sitting on opposite sides of the back door, screaming to be with each other.  Mommy hopes I will come inside in a little while when it's time to snuggle with her, like I've been doing almost every night since my last ordeal.

Daddy thinks it's probably a strain or a sprain, and everyone is hoping that it will feel better on its own.  I don't want to go to that vet place again, even though they were nice to me there.

Wordy Wednesday: News!

Tigress writes:

Some of you guessed that I was the one hiding under the chair (kudos to Sparkle!), on my first big adventure inside since my spay a few months ago!  Well, was it ever an adventure!  I'd met some of the inside cats before, just to sniff or touch noses, from either my spay-recovery trap or the open door.  This was my first official meeting with Dare and Scamper, though.

Dare decided that I was interesting enough to follow around the house.  Yes, you read that right!  I explored the house!  I first ate from the food plate, then had some water, with my sister's encouragement while others looked on and Mommy petted me.  Then the heater went on and Mommy asked me if it was ok if she shut the door to keep the warm air in.  She and Daddy have been\ doing that with me for a few weeks now, and I like the warmth on my fur.  It really is much warmer with the door shut.  When the heat went on, I was a little startled by the sound, but then it became interesting when I saw the blinds move over the vent.  I went to explore it, and meowed happily when I felt the wind blowing my fur!

Somebody was on something called a chair, underneath something called a table.  My sister hopped up on one of the chair things, but I was too chicken to join her.  I walked under the table, then to the computer desk.  I found a long, open place called a hallway, but didn't go down it.  I was much more interested in the living room, which was really open.  It reminded me of my deck, so I felt safer there.  There were more chairs, although these were covered in something soft, and a big chair called a couch.  I walked around until I heard Daddy snoring, then dove under the couch into the corner.  Dare followed me but let me have some space, which I was glad about since she'd been following me nose-to-tail since I walked in.  Mommy tried to get a good picture of me, but every time she got close, I moved to another place.  If she aimed the camera at the couch, I moved underneath the chair.  If she tried to crouch down to take a picture of the chair, I ran to the couch again.  I was way too quick for her!  She got a picture of Dare checking on me, though.  (See two posts back.)

After all that exploring, and the nice warmth of the heater, I was getting very sleepy.  I felt comfortable and safe under the blue chair, and I knew my sister was inside as well, so I took a nap.  I thought I would only sleep for a little while, but I slept five hours!  Mommy was so happy!  She stayed up in case I wanted out, but she didn't think I would stay in that long!  I was soooo tired.

As soon as I woke up, I started pacing and crying.  I'd forgotten for a few minutes that I'd come inside, so I was very disoriented and felt trapped.  I ran all over the place, tried to get out the door (which wasn't open right away), then tried to get out the stove!  Yep, I thought the stove was the door!  Mommy opened the door a little way, then came into the kitchen to get me.  She thought she'd herd me toward the door, but I didn't want to move from the corner.  She picked me up right under the armpits, gently but firmly, and "flew" me to the door, opening it further when we got to it.  I went right out, then she put some food outside to let me know it was ok.

Just a few minutes ago, I came in again for some food and to explore the dining room a little.  She shut the door, but let me out right away when I asked her to.  Maybe it's a Wednesday morning thing?

Fluffy Tuxie writes:

Hi!  I'm a reticent guy, but the outside girls have kept me company for a few months out here in the yard.  I've been around since just before Tigress got spayed, but hadn't come close until this last week.  I decided it's much nicer when the people know I'm here, because then they come with scoops of food for me.  Can you see me at the door waiting for my scoop while Scamper eats?

I'm longhaired, with white boots, shirtfront, stomach, and nose (except for a black splotch on my nose).  I'm about as big as Carbon, but younger.  The people think I'm about three or four years old, but I'm not telling.  I could be as young as two.

I'm getting to the point now where I only run a short distance away when the people open the door.  I run to the edge of the deck, sometimes diving but most of the time staying up, then turn and look at them.  Once they close the door, then I approach the food and eat.  However, the lady didn't close the door all the way one time last week because she was talking to me, and I approached to eat.  She put her hand within sniffing distance and held it there while I ate.  Then, I came closer at the same time as she reached down, and her fingers brushed my fur!  I pulled away, looked at her, looked at her hand, then went back to eating.  It felt kind of nice to be touched!  She touched me again, very gently, and I leaned in so she was petting the edges of my long fur.  I let her do that for about two minutes, then I had enough and walked away.  She shut the door so I could eat in peace then.

Miss Marble's all healed!

Miss Marble writes:

It has been a long two weeks!  That's how long my purrents say I've been stuck inside.  I went to the doctor yesterday for my post-surgery checkup.  I did not want to go into that box again!  I fought tooth and claw for my freedom, but Mommy scruffed me and shoved me into the carrier.  I talked and cried the whole ride there, then told the receptionist all about it while she asked me questions and listened sympathetically to my complaints.

The vet was nice, and I headbutted her stethoscope when she checked my breathing and heartbeat.  Then she turned me around so she could check if my stitches had dissolved on their own.  I didn't want her to check back there!  I remembered the last time I was in that room and what they did, at least until I was too groggy to remember.  I didn't want that to happen again!  Mommy and Daddy both reassured me that we were all going home in an hour and then I could be free again.  I only half-believed them, but they were right!  The vet said my stitches had dissolved on their own, once she and Mommy wrangled me enough to check.  I scrambled right back into that box as soon as I was let loose again, believe me!  Daddy put it right back up on the table, and in I went!  Oh, and they said I weigh 10.5 pounds now.

The vet said I was healthy enough to go back outside with my sister, so once we got back home Daddy opened the door and opened the carrier.  While the other kitties sniffed the carrier, I scooted out the door to my waiting sister.  Tigress was so happy to see me!  She sniffed me all over, gave me a few kisses, then tailed me as I went off to make sure my outside world hadn't changed much while I was away from it.  I explored under the deck, around the yard, along my favorite hunting trails, everywhere.  It was all the same, with the exception of being snowy and cold!  Snow got on my back, but I just shrugged it off.  I still have my warm, extra fur, so I'm well-insulated against the wet and cold.

Tigress went in to get some pets and visit with the inside kitties while she ate, but I wasn't going to go back in yet.  I got pets from Daddy, but I want to be outside for a while.  I know I'll trust them again, but I need to be outside for a few days again.

Thank you so much for all your purrs, prayers, and well-wishes!  They mean a lot!  Kitty kisses to everyone!

I'm free!

Miss Marble writes:

I'm free of the carrier!  Last night, when I was out on one of my supervised jailbreaks, I ran into the bathroom and peed in the box.  A few minutes later, I ran in again and pooped in the box!  Actual poop, although it was soft!  My humans were so impressed that I felt that much better, and they let me stay out of the carrier all night.  I'm very happy right now, although I really want to be outside with my sister.  We touched noses through a crack in the door last night, and again this morning, then I made sure that she got fed when Mommy woke up.  I wanted to snuggle with Mommy last night, but she said I couldn't be up on the bed yet until my poop was drier.  Everyone gave me lots of pets last night and this morning, even the little boy, but none of them would let me out even though I was reaching up to the door handle.

Miss Marble has exercise jailbreaks!

Miss Marble writes:

Yesterday I got to have three supervised jailbreaks for exercise!  After the first one, my legs were very wobbly and I had to take a long nap in the carrier.  The second one went much better, and on the third one I was walking almost normally!  I still have that mucous coming out of my rear end, though, so Mommy follows me with a wipe or a soft, dry washcloth so I don't leak everywhere.  I even got to sniff my sister and talk with her through a crack in the door on my last jailbreak!  She and I were so glad to be able to smell each other, but we wanted to greet each other properly.  Our purrents said that we can't yet, though.

I took my medicines well again, plus I was very well-behaved for my pee pad changes.  I'm eating my dry food and drinking my water.  My pee looks and smells normal, but I hate that I have a pee pad instead of a litter box or dirt.  I yell, then someone changes my pee pad and cleans me up as much as possible.  They can't do too much to my rear end, because of my stitches, but they can clean around those.

Mama Freya bopped me on the head on one of my jailbreaks, but she was nice to me on the next one.  I don't know why she bopped me on the head, but my purrents think it's because I smell of pee and medicine.  I'd just taken my medicines.  I'm glad she licked my head the next time!  Maybe she didn't realize who I was?

Miss Marble's taking the transition well.

Miss Marble writes:

My purrents say I'm taking the transition well, whatever that means.  I want out of the carrier to walk around the house, and am very vocal about my wishes, but I'm not clawing this box up trying to get out.  I did for the first hour, but not since then.

When Mommy went to pick me up at the hospital last night, the tech said I was a very good patient.  I purred at the people when they walked near my cage, at the hospital food, and was generally a good girl for them.  The tech wondered why I like being petted while I eat, though, so Mommy explained that it was a technique they used to socialize me and are using to socialize my sister.  That made total sense to the tech!

I got sent home with three medicines, and took them all this morning from Mommy while Daddy watched.  I was drinking water and peeing normally last night before the humans went to sleep.  When they woke up to check on me and give my meds, I'd peed again, had more water to drink, and had eaten most of my saucer of dry food!  Yay!

I took my medicines like a champion, even the one that made me foam at the mouth.  It has an icky taste, but then I got one after it that had a good taste so I didn't complain.  I get meds three times a day (two of them, one is twice a day) for a week, then go back to be looked at again.  I'm having watery discharge instead of poop, but the tech said that will be normal for the first couple days.  It should slowly go back to regular as my system adjusts again.

Thank you all for the continued purrs!

New Year's Wishes

First of all, happy new year!  We hope this year brings blessings to everyone.  Happy birthday yesterday to our Missy, and double happiness because Monday was her Gotcha Day anniversary!

No word yet on Watson, but we hope he either comes back on his own or has found a good new home.  We keep checking the found ads, hoping he will show up there, but no luck so far.

Now, on with the breaking news:

Miss Marble writes:

I had a very scary New Year's Day!  It was snowing on New Year's Eve, so Tigress and I had a lot of fun hopping around, playing hide-and-seek, and all the fun games that we can play in the snow.  However, I forgot how cold it can be when it gets dark and there is ice on the ground!  At the humans' bedtime on New Year's Day (around 11:30 pm), when they went to make sure we had food, only Tigress came up to the back deck.  She has been getting better and better about wanting attention from the humans, but Mommy realized her behavior was exceptional this time.  Tigress wouldn't let Mommy close the door, standing up against the door frame and placing her paw inside the door frame, not moving when Mommy started closing the door.  Mommy knelt down and Tigress touched noses with her!

My sister may have saved my life by doing that.

As Mommy and Tigress were interacting, I was slowly making my way up to the deck.  After they touched noses, I cried out as I jumped up on the deck, because I hurt.  Mommy heard me and talked to me, encouraging me to come to her.  I did, and walked inside because I knew she could help me.  Tigress immediately calmed down and started eating.  She knew I would be taken care of, now that I'd made it inside.

Mommy started petting me, then saw my behind.  It looked like a bloody mass of exposed muscle!  That's actually what it was, too.  She called for Daddy, and Mommy Erin came out to see what was going on as well.  They all got me into a carrier and rushed me off to the emergency vet.  Freya wanted to come, too, but they said she couldn't.  She wanted to lick me to take care of me, but they kept her away.

I had a prolapsed rectum, which basically meant part of my intestines were pushed out my anus.  No wonder it looked and felt the way it did!  There are many reasons why this would happen, so they're not sure why it did in my case.  I could've strained too much trying to pass something I ate, or sat on the ice and frozen, then pulled, or other things could have happened.  The main thing is, I was able to have emergency surgery on it last night, they pushed things back in where they are supposed to be, and I'm doing well in recovery at the vet now.  I will be back home this evening, with three medicines (one for my G.I. tract, a painkiller, and an antibiotic).  Thanks to CareCredit, my family was able to get me all the necessary care and support right away.  Mommy and Daddy are very grateful that is available and they qualified for it.

All the inside kitties and my sister were concerned that I didn't come home right away, but our purrents let them know what was going on and that I will be back this evening.  The inside kitties spent the night purring on or near the humans, and Tigress has been wanting many extra pets (and getting them) plus has been staying close on the deck.

Happy National Feral Cat Day!

Tigress writes:

I'm learning to eat from the inside food bowl, although I prefer to eat food on the plate rather than from the bowl.  That way, I don't have to worry about one of the inside kitties guarding the food.  I love getting pets from the mommy and the daddy, and I've touched noses with almost all the inside kitties now.  I'm not sure why, but it's warm and dry inside that house.  There's no rain in there, even when it's raining outside!

I caught sight of another kitty inside, but the humans said it was just my reflection in the door.  I went over to Rori to say hi, and the mommy closed the door!  I got scared, but I didn't freak out, just twirled around a bit.  She opened the door again and I just stared at it.  I was glad when she said that the door would open when I want it to, and they would not trap me inside for long if I want back outside.

This inside-the-house thing is very strange, but so is being petted!  Why do I purr so loudly when I'm petted, and why do scritches feel good?  I even let the other female human pet me, the one who comes on some weekends.  The little human who comes with her sat down on the floor and put his hand out, so I sniffed it and rubbed against it.  I didn't let the little human pet me yet, though.

Happy National Feral Cat Day to all ferals, semi-ferals, and former ferals!  Keep up the trap-neuter-return work and advocate for all kitties!

Love,

Tigress, Miss Marble, Rori, and Missy Kitty (our feral, semi-feral, and former ferals)

Happy Anniversary to Mommy & Daddy!

Happy 4th anniversary to our mommy and daddy!

We have been having a very exciting time here!  Last weekend, JJ spent a day and night with us.  It's very interesting having a 4 1/2-year-old here!  Tabby, Carbon, and Little Bit remembered right away who he was, even though they hadn't seen him for about a year.  Freya took a while to warm up to him, and Heimdall ran to hide in the bedroom (behind a closed door).  Missy, who's only seen him once, walked right up to him and rubbed against him for pets!

When Miss Marble came inside, she was ok until she realized that something she didn't know about was walking around and talking.  Then she made a beeline for the back door and wanted out!  Tigress wasn't sure about him, but she ended up coming a few steps in while he was watching quietly from behind Daddy in the hallway.  Later on, she got pets from Mommy through the door while JJ was watching beside Mommy.  Very brave!

Heimdall's saying he wants everyone to know he wasn't as chicken as it sounds.  He really ran to assess the situation, then came back out later after he'd had a good, long nap to think about things!  Poor Rori didn't know what to do, so she ran in circles around Daddy's chair, because JJ slept in the big bed in her room.  After he left, though, she was back up on the bed, then lay on the train tracks in the spare room (JJ's playroom, at the moment).  Rori just didn't know what JJ was, then figured out he's a human kitten.  She used to know what he was, but he's grown so much in the last year!

Remember Tabby writing about Tigress' birdie in the last post?  Well, yesterday Tigress had a baby bunny!  We've got wild bunnies around here, but none in our yard because of the ferals.  Obviously, the girls are such good huntresses that they scared them all away!  Tigress found one somewhere and brought it to show us.  We were watching through the glass, amazed, while she carried it around, let it go, ran a short distance away, then stalked it and caught it again.  Daddy got up to see what we were watching.  He went out to try to get the baby bunny away from Tigress, because he didn't want it to suffer.  She let it go and ran off, then he helped it decide where to go when it hopped away.  Daddy said the little bunny wasn't hurt at all, not even a bite mark!

Of Vishus Deer, Birdies, and Visiting

Tabby writes:

We've had a crazy week here at the PDX pride!  On Monday, Auntie Diane had back surgery at the same hospital where Daddy had his back surgery.  That meant that I could go visit her!  Mommy and Daddy took me there on Tuesday.  I snuggled right by Auntie Diane on her bed, purred, and got lots of petting.  Auntie Diane was so impressed with my visiting skills, and so were the nursing staff who came to take her for x-rays.  This was a special visit because it was for a family member and I could ride in an air-conditioned vehicle (not the bus).  My regular visiting schedule starts up again next month, when it won't be so hot out.

Miss Marble climbed a tree to go blue jay hunting on Thursday!  Yep, all the way to the top of our dead apple tree out back!  Of course, by the time she got to the top, the jay was long-gone.  Bummers.  I was watching out the kitchen window, and chattered at the jay as it flew off.  Miss Marble yelled for Mommy to come get her out of the tree, but Mommy said she could do it all by herself.  And, guess what?  She did!  She turned herself around and went back down the branch to the trunk.  By that time, Tigress had woken up.  Tigress bounded over to the tree, then put on the brakes when she realized that her sis was up there.  They talked for a few minutes, then Tigress shook her head at her crazy sister and went off to hunt her own food.  Miss Marble came the rest of the way down the tree.  Can you see her in the pics below?  I'll give you the two big pictures, then close-ups of the pictures.

Friday, Daddy looked out the back window and saw Tigress with a baby birdie in her mouth.  It was still alive, and Tig was playing with it.  She let it go, then batted it, then caught it again.  She brought it up to the deck to show Daddy, but he didn't want her playing with it up there.  He opened the door to make her drop the birdie, and in it came!  We had a baby birdie in the house!  We all were so excited, but Heimdall and Little Bit were the most excited.  They started to hunt it, stalking it as it ran around the house looking for a way out.  Daddy got down on hands and knees, trying to capture it, and finally succeeded.  He took it out to the back fence and let it go, telling it that it had better run away quickly.  It ran for a little while, then took off flying.

Yesterday, Daddy, Mommy, and I went to Goble to see how Auntie Diane was doing.  I met her mom and their new doggie, Timber.  Timber barks very loudly!  He's just a puppy, and was doing his best to guard his people from us.  Auntie Diane told him we were ok, but he didn't agree, so he got crated.  I, however, was very calm and curled up on the couch between Auntie Diane and Mommy.  Everyone was so proud of me!  After the visit with them, we went to Gramma and Grampa's.  They live in the town where I was born:  Clatskanie.  I wasn't born in their yard, but that's the same town.  I got pets from Gramma while she and Mommy talked.  Grampa and Daddy did stuff on the computer.  I saw two of their kitties:  Elizabeth and Eeyore.  Pinky was around then, too, but he didn't come out to be seen.  They are all three 12 years old!  That's really old for kitties!

When we left, it was dark.  Daddy knows to drive slower in the dark around there, because there are deer that can run onto the road.  Well, guess what happened?  Yep, a deer ran in front of the car.  He ran to the middle of the road, then just stood there.  We thought we were going to be safe and drive past him, since he was facing away from us and the other side of the road was clear.  Nope, he turned around and came toward us again.  He ran right into Daddy's side of the car!  He hit the door and the front of the car, leaving a big dent.  He also pooped on the car!  It was really scary, and I saw the whole thing because I was standing on Mommy's purse!  Can you believe that deer got back up after it hit us and ran into the woods?  We went back to Gramma and Grampa's so Grampa could check on the car.  We ended up switching the car for the truck (since Grampa owns both vehicles) and drove back home in the truck.  We were all so glad to be back home again safely!