Therapy Cat Tales from 6/20/10

Tabby writes:


Yay, we got to go visiting again last week!!!  :)  >^..^<  I sooo missed seeing all my friends!  We took the bus & MAX light rail there, but Mommy said we were going to get to ride with Grandpa for going home.  I love my grandpa!  He always wears a special shirt when he comes to visit so that our fur doesn't get snagged in it, which means that he can hold us and pet us more.

We had some extra time downtown Portland, so we stopped at a store.  Mommy bought some cute Hello Kitty pajamas that were on sale, pink leopard-patterned ones!


At H., I hopped out of the stroller and walked to the office door, then turned around and lay down to wait for Mommy to finish signing us in.  That's become my new habit now!  A couple of the residents stopped to pet me, and the receptionist walked over to pick me up and hold me.  *Purrrrrrs*  Then she let me in the door, and Mommy followed with the stroller.  I walked in and said hi to S., then we got our list.  Mommy showed S. the pajamas, and S. took them to show a couple other people, who all thought they were cute too.

I strolled into the elevator this time.  On the way to the elevator, we saw R. and another lady.  The other lady was afraid of cats!  The receptionist took my leash while Mommy was showing R. the pictures of the new kittens, and I wanted to go into a room with lots of boxes on shelves.  The receptionist said it was called a mailroom and the boxes were people's mailboxes.  They looked like good sleeping spots to me!

We only had time for a short visit, because we were going over to Mommy's grandparents' house afterward to visit for a while.  It was her uncle's birthday on the 15th, so we were going to go see him and them.  I got to see three friends at H., though, and visit with one other new friend there!  The new friend, I., loved seeing me, and talked with us about her experiences growing up on a farm.  She had pet pigs and pet calves, along with the other animals!

It took a while for Grandpa to come pick us up, and I got bored waiting.  R. came by just before Grandpa came, while we were still in the lobby, and was surprised we were still sitting there.  Traffic was terrible, so it took about twice as long as Grandpa had thought it would to come get us.  I knew we'd had a short visit and not seen everyone that I normally see, so I tried to go back inside when we went to get in the car.  Mommy and Grandpa said we were leaving, so I turned my back to them and sat down facing the door to H. until they got the stroller folded and in the car.  Yes, I was pouting!

I was fine once we got going, though.  I love riding in cars!  Not buses so much, because some of the bus noises scare me, but I love cars!  I usually sit on Mommy's lap in the passenger seat and watch through the side window.  If I'm really tired, like I was on Friday, I lay down on a lap and rest.  Traffic was bad on the way back, too, so we sat a while.  At one point, we were sitting and there were people with signs on the side of the road.  Grandpa said they were asking for money.  They were looking at the people in the cars because they were bored, too, and then one of them saw me.  Grandpa's window was down, and they were on that side, so the man called to me!  I flicked my ears, but I was so tired that I just stayed put.  The man asked Grandpa and Mommy a couple of questions about me, and the lady thought it was cool that I was riding in a car so calmly.  Then it was time for our car to move again.

When we were almost to my great-grandparents' house, I suddenly perked up and looked around, sitting straight up in Mommy's lap.  What did I smell?  Was that a creek?  Wait a minute, why was the water on both sides of the road?  Grandpa told me that we were crossing over the creek.  I sniffed toward one side of it, then the other.  Nice!

At my great-grandparents', we weren't sure that I could go in right away so Mommy and I went out to the backyard first while Grandpa asked if it was ok to bring me in.  There were some lovely flowers, but I stuck my nose right in them and then sneezed!  Some blue jays were taunting me, so I was very glad to go in the house rather than be outside.  Not nice, birdies, when I can't chase you!

I walked up the steps into the house, then stopped to sniff.  A carpet!  Purrring, kneading the plush carpet with my paws/claws, total luxury!  We used to have carpet at our old house, but it was torn up.  Besides, it wasn't like this:  thick, nice-smelling, great on the paws!  I tipped over and rolled on my back on the carpet.

I walked all the way in to the living room and met my great-grandma and great-grandpa, then Mommy took my leash off so I could explore without it following me around the house.  I investigated the hallway and two of the rooms, then went back to the living room to get more pets from Great-grandma.  Great-grandpa was in a huge chair that made funny sounds when it moved, because it was all electric, so it took me a while to go over on my own to him.  I finally did, though, and he petted me and told me what a good kitty I was.  They both did.  I love them, too!  Then my great-uncle and Grandpa came in from the yard and I went right over to Great-uncle to be petted.  He sat down on the couch, so I hopped up there too.  I thought, since I'm allowed on the couch at home, that I would be allowed on the couch there, too.  Nope, I wasn't, but I was allowed to sit on Great-uncle's lap.  I really, really wanted on the white couch, though, so he had to keep putting me back on his lap.  After a couple times of that, I cooperated.

After a while, I hopped down again and went to get pets from everyone else.  Uncle D. decided to sit down on the floor so that he could pet me better, and I loved that!  He did, too!  Everyone loved my visit.  :)  >^..^<

Photo Friday: Children

Summer fun eating out with my second-cousin's kids! :)

My nieces & nephew
(above: Desiree, below: Raven, Davina, & Storm, with our cat Skylar)

Photo Friday

Thursday Road Trip!

Skylar writes:

Sorry this has taken so long to post, but we've had a busy week watching over the fosters. The little ones are learning how to use the litter box, so we've been alerting Mommy when one or more of them starts scratching in the spots they like to use. Then she picks them up and "flies" them to the litter box, where they go potty and are praised and petted.

Anyway...here's the pictures and video from our Fourth of July road trip to Long Beach, Washington, USA. It's the world's longest beach!

The road trippers were Daddy (driving), Mommy Erin (in the front seat holding on to my leash), Mommy (in the back seat), and me (laying between the driver's and the front passenger's seats. Mommy Erin is like a younger sister to our parents, and lived with us for a year. I adopted her as my second mommy, and get jealous whenever she pets the other cats. She's also the one who adopted Smokey, which most of you remember.

We stopped at Daddy's parents' house for almost two hours. They live in Clatskanie, Oregon, about halfway between here (Portland) and the coast. It was soooo hot traveling, so when we got there Mommy showed me where the food bowls were. Daddy and Mommy's nieces and nephew were there visiting from Idaho, so they pampered me and played with me. I got to eat some Fancy Feast, and the kids set out a water bowl especially for me!

Desiree

Raven (on the left), Davina (top), and Storm with me on the couch

Storm found me two black & white friends!

This train squeaks. I was ok with it, but didn't really want to be bothered to play with it. I'd much rather play with the kids!

Mommy, Daddy, and Erin left me at Grandma & Grandpa's while they continued on to the beach, or as I call it, the big litter box. I was having such a great time there, and it was so warm out. Plus, they didn't know if the fireworks would upset me too much or not. They don't at home, but out in the open might have been different. I had a wonderful time at Grandma & Grandpa's house! I got to beg for and eat mashed potatoes, got a lick of a popsicle, and watched tv on Grandma's lap. Plus, Storm and Raven walked me on my harness all around the house many times, so I got plenty of good exercise. I tried to have a bite of chocolate ice cream, but I wasn't allowed that.

I didn't get to use the litter box when I was there, though. Their cats don't have one! They use the yard, because they're inside/outside cats. Grandma & Grandpa live on a farm, so they don't have to worry too much about roads or getting lost. Because I didn't get to use the box, I had an accident on Mommy Erin's lap on the way back home. She forgave me, but it was a bit smelly for a while in the truck.

Here are some more pictures from where Daddy, Mommy, and Mommy Erin went while I was with the family.

There were many flocks of herons at the beach! Mommy talked with someone the next day who had seen 80 herons, and that is unheard of in this area. Must've been lots of good fish!

A jellyfish! Lucky I didn't go all the way to the big sandbox, because I would not want to feel the sting from one of these! Mommy Erin had her shoes off, and Mommy told her she'd better put them back on. After seeing this, she knew why!

They went into the town of Long Beach, Washington, and ate dinner there. They went to a "museum" which was more a kitschy store than anything else, then drove to the beach just north to find a spot to watch the fireworks. It was too crowded directly on Long Beach!

People come down to barbecue and hang out during the day. You can even have fires right on the beach, but you need to bring in wood because they don't let you use the driftwood there. It was very smoky because of all the fireworks, so the picture's a bit fuzzy. People can drive down onto the beach as well, so there were motorhomes and campers.

The fireworks started as soon as it got dark! The display wasn't put on by the city; it was what people had brought themselves! Mommy, Daddy, and Mommy Erin all had a great time, and thought it was a wonderful fireworks display.

Nearly-Wordless Wednesday: Grandma & Grandpa's birthdays

Mommy's grandma turned 88 yesterday, and her grandpa turns 83 next week. Here they are with their yummy chocolate cake with mint whipped cream frosting.

Grandma's big present was a book her cousin helped research, about the schools of Minnehaha County, South Dakota, where she grew up. A lot of the relatives are in the book!