Sherbet's Sunday and Portland Cat Blogger Meetup

Sherbet writes:

Hello, everyone.  Yes, I know it's now technically Monday, but I wanted to show pictures of myself enjoying my surroundings.  These are my new digs.  What do you think?  When the Mommy-person met with other cat bloggers last weekend, she told them about my hiding under the bed.  Mom Carole from the Colehaus Cats is very experienced with working with ferals, and had some great suggestions, so the Mommy-person and the Daddy-person rearranged my room.  The bed is gone, so no more hiding under it.  Instead, I have two choices for hiding-boxes.

I was hiding under the Daddy-person's dresser, until he discovered that I was also going to the bathroom under there.  Now it's blocked off so I can't even squeeze under.

These are my choices for box-caves.  I like the bigger one the best.  Both box-caves have towels in them for comfort (and in case I do anything in them).  Plus, my food and water are nearby.

I still get my choice of litter boxes, in the same place they were before everything changed around.  There isn't room to move one of them to another location in the house right now, so the other cats have their usual box in the bathroom that the humans are scooping even more than usual (since everyone else is using it now).  I'm using the box in the corner.

Well?  What do you think?  It will take me a while longer to get used to it, but I've already blinked in response to questions about food and water.  I've also walked over to give the closed door a few sniffs and look at the other cats through the space under the door.  They want to play paws and play tails under the door, but I'm not ready for that yet.  Thanks, Mom Carole, for giving the Mommy-person this idea!

Here are some pictures from the Portland Cat Bloggers Meetup that the Mommy-person went to.  Mom Janiss and Summer from Sparklecat, featuring Summer were participating in a cat show, so the Mommy-person, Mom Carole, and Mom Lori from the Cory Cat Blog all met them.  They walked around the cat show together, visited with Mom Janiss, met the gorgeous Summer, then went to dinner.  Summer entertained in the hotel room after dinner (and a bit before dinner).  A very fun evening!

Sleepy Summer, after a long day at the cat show!

Did someone say treats?  I heard the treat bag!

Posing with Flat Tabby, because real Tabby couldn't come along.

Dinnertime back at the hotel room while the humans talked.

What was that?  Mom Carole let Summer play with a toy.

Showing off for all of us on her favorite hotel room chair!

Two lovely ladies:  Summer and Mom Janiss.

Summer being silly with a gift from Mom Carole of the Colehaus Cats.

Go Yellow for Livestrong Day!

Our grandma and great-grandma beat cancer, but many others in our family did not.  We are thankful every day for the advances in science that allow many cancer patients the hope of remission.

In honor of those who are fighting the battle against cancer, or who have beaten it, and in memory of those who lost their lives to cancer, Freya is wearing her yellow sundress.  We also would like to remember those who lost their lives to feline cancers, including our Skylar and Lydia.

Mommy's Annual Purrrrrrformance Review!

The PDX pride writes:

First of all, thank you to Zoolatry for sending out the purrformance review form. Now, on to the good stuff!

Review of Mommy, also known as Karen Thompson.
Date: 11/08/2009
Reviewed by: Rori, Skylar, Carbon, Tabby, Starla, and the Trailer Kitties.

1. Quantity of Output
The quantity of output varies from day to day. She could do better, as most weeks we only get two or three posts. We'll give her two paws on this one.

2. Quality of Output
We're very happy with the quality of our blog! It tells the story of most of the happenings around here, including each of us inside kitties, the outside kitties (Trailer Kitties), and our fosters (now former fosters). Each of us gets a chance to meow about what's important in our lives. We'll give her four paws on this one.

3. Client Pawticipation
We get some comments on our blog, which is really good. We love reading the comments! She also just put up a Facebook page for Tabby that will chronicle just her modeling and therapy cat work. You can see that here. However, we don't get that much time to visit our friends in the Cat Blogosphere. In fact, we haven't been to see our other cat friends' blogs for over two months now! So she's been very lax on that! We'll give her two swats on this one.

4. Pawticipation (Part II)
We have been able to pawticipate in most of the Cat Blogosphere special events since we joined, and so we're very happy about that! We'll give her four paws on this one.

5. Client Satisfaction
Everyone who comments seems to like our blog. We sometimes get differing opinions, but that's part of the fun of a blog! We love to discuss things! We'll give her four paws on this one.

6. Overall Rating & Suggestions for Improvement
Mommy's overall rating is 2.8 paws. She could improve a lot by just letting us visit our friends' bloggies! We also need to post every day or almost every day.

We love you anyway, Mommy!

-- Rori, Skylar, Carbon, Tabby, Starla, Shadow, Grey Kitty, and all the rest of the PDX pride.

World Cat Day 2009

Let us all celebrate ~ World Cat Day.

Celebrate kitties in your own special way.

Those here and near, and those now above,

all the kitties so dear, all the kitties we love.

Saturday, August 8, 2009

During the last year, we've had so many cats & kittens come and go through the household, and some stay to become forever friends with us. So, this World Cat Day, we are celebrating connections: with our friends in the CB who have read, shared, and commented on the trials and tribulations of Little Bit & her kittens and the joys of every new visitor to the Trailer Kitties' food bowl; with our fosters and former fosters; and between those of us who are the resident cats.

Boo-Boo Kitty's family have all gotten homes this year except for herself (dumped in Troutdale), Little Bit (still adoptable), Squishy (still adoptable), and Little Guy (still adoptable). Smokey is doing great with her new family after moving to their new apartment a few weeks ago. Boo & Michelle are having a blast with their teenage sister and brother, and their new mom loves "the girls". Kai is traveling everywhere with his new mommy and sleeping in her purse so she won't forget to bring him along. Cloud is still getting used to his new home, but loves his new mommy so much that he climbs up into the bed to snuggle with her every night. Starla, Little Bit's cousin, is having a hard time adjusting to her new forever home with us, but she is now playing with her kitten-cousins. Everyone is either fixed or going to be fixed, so this family's story now has a happy ending. All the adoptees found homes through ads placed on Craigslist plus links to their Catster pages, and we hope that the three who need homes will find them that way too.

Our lady of the house, Lydia, left us last October, just before her 9th birthday. Our "permanent foster", Sara Princess Kitty, followed in January. Mommy wrote the hub article "Cats who have Owned Me" in honor of all of us in the household, plus the two angels.

Trailer Kitty Tux came back home in June, possums and raccoons came by and had their pictures taken, and life in the back yard continued. The ferals come and go, drop by when they need supplemental food and human semi-contact. The neighborhood cats come around and bring their friends. Moms of all species bring their babies to the porch bowl and teach them manners and how to get along well with the rest of the crowd. Mommy wrote "The Joys and Perils of a Feral Cat Caretaker" in honor of them all.

Then there are those of us who are the current inside residents: Rori, Skylar, Carbon, Tabby, and Starla. Mommy and Daddy take good care of us and we are their babies. We also care for them. Skylar snuggles with Daddy just like his sister Lydia used to. Rori is now big kitty of the household and watches out for everyone. Carbon still gets into everything, but has become a snuggle kitty, sitting with Mommy every day for at least a half hour and sometimes even sitting with Daddy. Tabby has an important job as a therapy cat for a nursing home, and models in her spare time. Starla was mentioned above, and spends most of her time underneath the dresser. She comes out to go potty and play with Little Guy & Squishy, but she has her food and water bowls under the dresser plus a ball to play with. It's a self-imposed "fortress of solitude" where she can defend herself from all comers (namely Tabby). She also sometimes comes out to snuggle with Daddy when he gets home from work.

It does our hearts and souls good to know that when we write something, it is read, and when you write something, we can read it and share in a little bit of your life as well.

Thank you all for being our friends!

A new voice for Mancat Monday

Little Bit writes about her new friend, a mancat-in-training:

Last evening, I brought a new friend by the green house, so he would know where to get yummy good food. He's about my age, and still looks like a kitten too. He's afraid of the humans in the green house, and put back his ears and crouched low when he saw them, but didn't run away far. Just ran a little ways then watched. He looks like a snowshoe kitten, or a ragdoll. The people say that he looks a lot like Rori's brother Knut looked at that age. He's white, fluffy, and has grey in a triangle on his face down to his nose and tapering up to his ears. He's very handsome.

The people in the green house put some food out, and I showed him it was alright by eating some of it, then I went inside to eat and he started eating from the porch when the door closed. He didn't stay long, only took a couple bites, but at least he knows now that they're feeding us here.

Starla's Sleepy Saturday

I want my food nnnnnNNNNOOOOOOOOWWWWWW!!!

Anyone who's ever heard a Siamese yowl knows what it sounds like around our house today. It's definitely a Mancat Monday!

Skylar writes:

I'm feeling so much better now that Starla's around. I just was lonely and depressed, and then she came to be my companion. I love my new friend! I let her snuggle with me and be right by me when I'm sitting with Dad. I go check on her and touch noses with her sometimes. I watch her and purr.

I've perked up quite a bit. My whole attitude's back to normal! I'm eating fine, drinking water occasionally (still working on that one), and am starting to assert myself again.

Yesterday, I woke Mom up with a Siamese yowl, demanding part of Dad's hotdog that he bought on the way home from work. I got some of it (of course) and chomped it right down, then got another piece. Starla got a piece as well, and the others got some bread (because they don't eat the hotdog part).

Today, Mom had bologna, and I demanded my fair share. She says it wasn't really bologna, just something that is made from tofu that seems like meat, but it tasted real! Smelled real, too, that's why I demanded it!

*licks lips*

Thankful Thursday

Smokey and Starla are thankful for:

• foster families
• caring strangers
• low-cost spay and neuter funds
• kind veterinarians and assistants
• people who donate fleece blankets to keep kitties warm in cages and on the way home
• volunteers
• new forever homes
  

To the green house lady

Outdoor Fluffy Buddy says:

I'm sorry, green house lady. I didn't mean to hiss and swat at you when you came out to feed us yesterday. I wanted to sniff your hand instead, but you reminded me of the little cat that attacked me inside. So I swatted your hand and scratched you instead. You didn't hurt me, so I know you were sorry I was attacked.

When you came out today, I let you come close. You put out your hand, and I walked by it without touching, letting you know that I was doing better and not scared anymore. I didn't hiss, didn't scratch, didn't run. I know you would never hurt me and didn't mean to scare me by having the inside cat attack. I know it was not your fault.

I trust you again. I will eat out of the food bowl and sleep under the trailer. I will watch and wait, and eventually I may try to come in again. If that little cat behaves herself.

Carbon's Easy Like Sunday Morning

Carbon says:

Now that Little Bit's safely out of the "shop" next door, I can lie in the window watching the workmen again. Yes, that's my tail sticking out. I always have my tail or some of my fur sticking out of the shade. Mommy and Daddy laugh, but it's comfortable!

We adopted a squillion

Mommy doesn't really know what the deal is with all these squillions, but since they're cute she said we could adopt one. Here's our new friend. He'll live on our sidebar.

Tuxie Tuesday

Skylar here. Mom's typing this for me, because I'm busy getting TREATS! Mom refilled the treat ball, and the others each got a turn. When they all decided they were done, I nosed it and a treat came out. So I've been nosing it and pawing it, getting all MY TREATS. Yummy!

Carbon's Fashion Friday

Two weeks ago, we told you about our favorite chair. This week, I want to share one of our favorite nap places. It's a stool that Mommy got from her Avon catalog as a demo (product #101699 "decorative stool"). It's supposed to be a gardening stool, and supposedly easy to snap together and apart. Well, Daddy had to put it together because it has a suspension bar (the one on the bottom with the holes in it) that snaps together. But once it was up, we quickly adopted it for snoozing! It's soooo comfortable! Mommy's seen some at Bi-Mart that are green canvas, but we love the bright floral print canvas of ours better. And, as you can see, it's just the right size.

Nearly-Wordless Wednesday

This is Smokey's and Little Bit's now-angel sister: Baby Chiba. She was the daughter of our feral Outdoor Fluffy Buddy, and looked exactly like him.

13 things that happened yesterday

For this week's Thursday Thirteen, we'd like to present 13 things that happened yesterday at our house (photos are Starla, SpongeBob, and the candles):

1. Mommy went to the doctor's twice. She's getting tested for things that may have caused iritis (inflammation inside her eye). She's ok, though, and over the iritis, but we'll know more when the lab results come back. It's probably just a random thing, but they want to make sure.
   
2. Daddy's dad went home from the hospital. He had a urinary tract infection and a staph infection for a week, but the antibiotics worked well enough that now he's able to be at home again.
3. Starla came inside to visit.
4. Rori hissed at Daddy when he went to lie down in the bed, because it meant she had to move.
5. Smokey treated Mommy like a big squeaky toy, chewing on her hair, climbing up her jeans to get to her belt while she was getting dressed, jumping on her, tracking her fingers for pouncing, and taking the shoelaces away while she was putting on her shoes.
6. Carbon swiped at Starla, thinking she wanted to play.
7. It snowed, but didn't stick.
8. SpongeBob came inside, with disastrous results (see our previous entry).
9. Mommy cleaned up after the disaster.
10. The power went out in the whole neighborhood.
11. Tabby chased flashlight beams and candlelight.
12. Carbon snuggled with Mommy and Daddy on the couch.
13. The power came back on, but we still had the lights off for "cozy effect" for a while and enjoyed the atmosphere.
    
    

Smokey's Wordless Wednesday

We found Bizzy!

Guess what??!!!???!!!! That's right, kitties of the blogosphere! We found Bizzy! And.........it's not a kitty, it's a TOY! No wonder our mommies and daddies like it. We tried it out, too, and it is fun, but it got boring after a while. Why do the beans play with it a lot longer than we do? Don't they get bored with it too?

Carbon's Sleepy Saturday

I was awfully tired after running around playing with Tabby, Rori, and Smokey, so I took a good, long nap on the bag of mail that needs to be shredded. It made a comfy pillow. *yawns*

Friends Friday

Skylar's best human friend is his "Mommy Erin". She lived with us for almost a year, and comes over to visit often still. He hadn't seen her for a few months because of the holidays and because her 1-year-old son threw the cell phone in the tub and she lost our number (!), but the second he heard her voice he perked right up! They spent some time snuggling and posed for photos with both Mommy's camera and Erin's camera.

Around the Cat Blogosphere, we'd like to recognize our new friends Milo & Alfie over at The Cat's Meow! They have the same office chair we do, and we mentioned them in our Fashion Friday post about it.

See other Friends Friday posts at Kiddo's page.

News from the Food Bowl

Feral Friday food bowl rollcall at the green house:

Outdoor Fluffy Buddy, Big-headed black tom kitty, orange-headed kitty, Boo-Boo, Little Bit, the raccoon, Starla, SpongeBob, Shadow, and the orange cat from down the street. Everyone came this week again, even the raccoon.

No females are in heat anymore, so the yowling has gone away for the moment. Starla and Smokey will be spayed on March 4th, and we have a vet for the big-headed black tom kitty to be neutered as well (but not a date set yet). All their "fixes" will be done through the Tom & Mom Special. Many, many thanks to organizations like these who provide low-cost spaying and neutering!