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.

Skylar's three-year Bridge Day anniversary

It's been three years since Skylar became an angel.  What a lot has changed in that time!  We still miss him every single day, but treasure the memories, especially as we see Heimdall & Freya grow into their adult selves.  When Freya carries her fuzzy socks around the house, meowing to them, we're reminded of Skylar's sister Lydia doing the same thing with yarn puffballs.  When Heimdall snuggles into our arms or gets a funny look on his face and dashes around the house yowling at the top of his lungs, we laugh and remember Skylar doing the same things.

Those years with Skylar grow ever sweeter looking back.  He was the mommy's first kitty, and adopted her before she officially adopted him.  He was almost five years old at the time of his adoption, fully his adult self, but still willing to start his life over with Mommy and Daddy, his littermate, and two small kittens (Tabby and Carbon).  Between that day and the end of his life, he was honorary uncle to many foster kittens, enjoying every minute of playing tails with them and teaching them how to play.  Mommy was his person, but he adopted Mommy Erin as his second person, then Daddy as his third person and (then baby) JJ as his fourth person.  He loved to terrorize his sister Lydia, but she loved putting up with it.  It was a game between the two of them.

Even at the end, old and crochety as he was, he would come over for a snuggle and a proffered lap to sleep in.  He loved being held like a baby.  He never lost his wonderful Siamese yowl, especially when it came to food, and was the official timekeeper of the household.

We love and miss you every day, Skylar.  Thank you for sharing our lives and letting us into yours!

Happy birthday to our mommy!

Happy birthday to our mommy!  We love you, Mommy!

Thankful Thursday: Heimdall's Need to Purr

Heimdall writes:

Gramma's not feeling well.  She hasn't been to see us in a couple months, because she's taking some medicine but can't risk infection from a lot of things, including potential contamination from our litter box.  She doesn't want to take the chance, even though it's a low risk.  I miss seeing her!  I know she's not feeling well, so when I hear Mommy talking with her on the phone I sit nearby.

One time, Mommy put the phone to me so Gramma could hear me doing my two-tone motorboat purr for her.  Then I hung up the phone by pawing it!  "I love you, Gramma!  Bye!"  The last two times I've sat by Mommy when she's talking with Gramma on the phone, I've made my needs known very forcefully.  The time before last, I took one of Mommy's knuckles in my mouth to tell her I didn't want pets.  I got in trouble for it, but then I asked the phone by putting my paw on it like Tabby does to ask.  Mommy realized what I wanted, so she held the phone to me while I purred for Gramma and she talked to me.  The last time, I ME-YOWWW-ed at Mommy to give me the phone, NOWWW!!!  She did, and I purred for Gramma again.

Gramma loves my purrs and says they help her feel better.  I love my gramma!

Happy birthday to our mommy!

Happy birthday, Mommy!

She's taking care of us and Daddy now, so we wanted to say an extra-special happy birthday to our mommy.  We're going to give her lots of snuggles today!

P.S.  We want to say thanks for the purrayers for Tabby.  She wrote a post previous to this one on this bloggie, and is doing a lot better.

Happy Birthday to our Mommy!!!

Happy Birthday, Mommy!!!

Today's Mommy's birthday!  Freya's helping her celebrate by bringing her string, blue hedgehog, and blue sockie.  Rori's helping her celebrate by letting her pet.  Everyone's celebrating by giving her snuggles!  Daddy got her two Harry Potter movies, so we'll all be watching those later on today.

Mommy also got a big blue ball for her birthday.  We don't quite know why she replaced the office chair with this new ball, but she says it's good for her balance to sit on it?  We can still hop up and sit on her lap, and that's the main thing.  And...we get the old office chair as a scratching post!  Yay!

Our Wonderpurr Holidays!!!

We had a great week of Christmas parties and get-togethers!!!  First, Tabby and Mommy visited H. on Christmas Eve, then Mommy went over to be with her dad, uncle, and grandparents for the rest of the evening.  On Christmas Day, Mommy's mom came over to exchange presents, and we got a LOT of boxes and wrapping paper to play in/bite/hide/pounce in!

 Christmas tree over at Mommy's grandparents' house

Lights at Mommy's grandparents' house

 Heimdall is interested in the fire in the fireplace.

In the afternoon on Christmas Day, Erin came over to spend the rest of the day and the night with us.  She was a bit sad, so we did our best to cheer her up.  We think it worked, too!  How could she not be cheered up watching us play and petting us?  Our purrents and Erin had yummy leftovers from Christmas Eve for dinner (meatballs, gravy, and mashed potatoes) and we got the plates afterwards.  Carbon does love his mashed potatoes and gravy treat!!!

 Erin and Freya

 Erin making kissy noises at Freya

 What's that???

What is it???  What's it doing???

Then, on Monday, Daddy went over and got Erin and JJ so we could have Christmas and open gifts with them.  They spent the night, then went back the next day.

When it was bedtime for JJ, he took a bath with his new green bath salts.  Freya, who loves jumping in the bathtub when the water's running for showers, wasn't sure exactly what JJ was doing, but wanted very much to investigate it.  So she jumped on the side of the tub and looked in!  Nope, she didn't slip in.

Happy Anniversary to Mommy & Daddy!

Happy anniversary, Mommy & Daddy!!!  We love you!!!  It's their 2nd anniversary today!

Pictured from left to right:  Erin D. (Skylar's Mommy Erin), Mommy, Daddy, West (one of Daddy's work friends), Grandpa Mike (Mommy's dad), and Keon & Hannah (kids of Mommy's best high school friend).

Happy birthday to Carbon!

Carbon writes:

Do you see me in the stroller, taking a birthday snooze?  I'm now 5 years old!  :)  I'm going to enjoy my birthday with naps, playtime with Tabby, laying by the sliding glass door, playing with my favorite catnip toy, running at top speed through the house, and maybe a snuggle or two from Daddy and sitting in Mommy's lap.

It's a happy day, but also a sad one.  Daddy brought little Spooky's body home from the vet's yesterday.  He put it on a blanket on the living room floor so we could all say our goodbyes.  I had been having fun with my catnip toy, so I wasn't keen on going to see what was on the blanket.  I was more interested in the box that Daddy had brought home.  But Daddy said I couldn't jump in the box, and wanted me to look at the blanket.  I didn't quite know why.  Mommy picked me up and placed me nose-to-nose with Spooky's body.  I was kind of afraid of him while he was alive, because I don't consider kittens to be cats until they are at least a year old, for some reason.  But I sniffed because I was that close, then realized what I was sniffing!  I looked at Tabby, who was right beside me, touched noses with her, then looked at Mommy and Daddy and walked away to the other end of the house.

After everyone had sniffed and said their goodbyes, conferring with the others about it, and even Starla had come to say her goodbyes (Mommy brought her out to see and sniff), Daddy carried the body out to the backyard.  He and Mommy buried Spooky in a corner of the yard, at a spot where you can see and hear the geese in the marsh next door.  We all love to hear the geese!

When Daddy and Mommy came back in, I claimed Mommy's boots (not raining at the moment, but the yard is muddy) and slept with/on one for a couple hours.

Doggie Dash 2010

Tabby writes:

No, we don't have a dog.  However, I love to stroll and love dogs, so Mommy asked the Oregon Humane Society if we could participate in the Doggie Dash this year.  They said yes, and to our surprise said that another lady brings her cat and does the walk/run with the cat around her shoulders!  We didn't see the lady & cat this year, but heard from many people that she was there again.

So, on Saturday the stroller was packed into Mommy's mom's car, I was harnessed and ready, and water, food, and other essentials were along.  It was a beautiful day, one of the first sunny, warm days we've had since the start of the year, at a high of 74 degrees F.

There was a run, a 2 1/2 mile walk, and a 1 1/2 mile walk.  We participated in the 2 1/2 mile walk.  All three went from downtown Portland, OR, USA, along the Willamette River on the west side, then the longer walk and the run went over a bridge, along the other side of the river, and back over another bridge to the starting point.  A wonderful, scenic route, with lots of photo ops for those who chose to do so!  Everything was untimed, so you could go at your own pace.

SO MANY PEOPLE!!!  The Doggie Dash is now in its 23rd year, with major publicity, but we still were surprised at the amount of people involved.  My friend Diana and I had talked about meeting before the race started, but neither of us could find the other!  At one point, we even lost where Grandma was, and she and Mommy had to call each other on their cell phones and leave messages as to where we were, because of course it was too noisy to hear the cell phones ring!

There was a pancake breakfast before the race started.  I didn't want any, but Mommy said it was good.  At the butter & syrup table, there was even a plate of pancakes with a note that said, "Doggy Cakes"!  After she ate, we walked around to a few of the vendors.  One vendor, LexiDog Boutique, had special t-shirts for sale with "Doggie Dash" on them and the logo, so I got a pink one.  Lexi's mom, who owns and operates the store, told us the shirts stretched, and thought maybe the medium would fit me, but the large fit me best.  I wore it until we got done with the walk, then it was too hot for me to wear a shirt.

We saw a group of people stopping to take pictures along the walking route, so we asked a volunteer from the Oregon Humane Society to take one of us.  I would NOT look at the camera, though!

While we were doing the walk, or should I say Mommy was doing the walk and I was riding in my stroller, we got mixed reactions from the other people and dogs.  Some people questioned whether I should be there, two dogs didn't like me (but Mommy pulled the stroller back when she saw them react to my scent from a safe distance and kept everyone safe), but then we had others who thought that it was great that we were there.  That's the normal mix we get when we go out anywhere.  I got kisses and tongue baths from five or six dogs, nose touches, and some tried to sniff my rear end.  No reaction from me, of course, except I did hiss at one that kept on too long, but other than that I let the dogs sniff and lick away, and sniffed them back.  Mommy said I was a good girl during the whole day!  :)

Three dogs had never seen a cat before in their lives, so their owners asked if they could introduce the dogs to me and see their reaction.  Two of those dogs licked me, one touched noses with me, but one could've cared less!  It was like it was saying, "Oh, THAT'S a cat?  So???"  Looked, then sniffed the grass.  Another dog was afraid of wheels, but we ended up walking by her during a lot of the time and she didn't even flinch at the stroller or at various bikes that went by!  Her mom was so proud of her!  We were also a landmark for a couple people as we were strolling, hearing every so often:  "I'm right by/behind the cat!"  We met some therapy dogs and complimented each other on the good work that we do.  Of course, the other animal-assisted therapy team people were nonplussed about a cat working, because they know the training required for it, and their dogs ignored the fact that there was a cat in the stroller, because they knew that they weren't supposed to react.

The 2 1/2 miles took us an hour and 10 minutes.  After the walk, Grandma, Mommy, and I strolled around to all the vendors and also watched sheepdog trials.  Mommy had a border collie/Aussie shepherd/golden retriever mix when she was growing up, so she still loves to watch them "work", even if it's for show.

I was getting very warm, so Mommy took my pink shirt off me.  Mommy was going to cool me down with water and get me into the shade, and a couple people who stopped to pet me had commented on that as well, but then she saw a vendor that was selling cooling collars!  I now have a blue cooling collar made by Outward Hound, and I LOVE it!  It's got crystals in it that expand when it's soaked, so they keep the water and the cold.  It's the same system as the bandannas that are available for people.  The vendor, PetUtopia, was also selling cooling vests, but Mommy thought that would be a bit much for me.  I'm very glad they had the cooling collars, though, because they were the only ones who had anything like that for sale!  With the warm weather, we were surprised that none of the other vendors had thought about that.

I cooled right off with my new collar, and meowed at Mommy to re-soak it when it started drying out again two hours later.  I posed proudly for a few pictures that other participants took, and some that are for the official Doggie Dash photo page.  Volunteers walked around and took pictures of participants and vendors, then the pictures will go up on a website.  Prints will be available for $5 each from the Oregon Humane Society, and all proceeds will go towards the shelter programs.

At one point, I saw a welcoming patch of grass in the shade and sat up very tall in my stroller, wanting to stop so I could jump out.  Mommy stopped, and I walked into the Woodin' You booth, with its food/water bowls & pet beds.  Belly-down in the cool grass, with Mommy holding the end of my leash, I crossed my paws and closed my eyes, taking a little time out from all the activity around me.  After a few minutes, I got some visitors who sniffed and licked me, and some who petted me.  The person who was running the booth let us be in there for as long as we wanted and didn't comment on it, instead just smiled and went about helping customers.  When I was done resting for a bit, I sat up again and Mommy got a really good pic of me.  Then she picked me up and put me back in the stroller.

We went to a couple more booths, then found Grandma again and left.  We stopped for food on the way home, went to the Vancouver side of the Columbia River to a park to eat, where Mommy soaked my collar again, then went home.  All the other cats sniffed EVERYTHING all over when we got back, of course!  I was SO tired, so after some food and a litter box trip, I took a long nap!

Make Fibromyalgia Visible!

Today is National Fibromyalgia Awareness Day.  No, kitties cannot have fibromyalgia, but humans can.  Our mommy has it, and it makes her hurt sometimes.  When she's hurting, she sleeps a lot, and we curl up around her at all her sore spots, so our body heat warms her and our purring massages her sore muscles.  If your human has fibro, what do you do to help?

Happy Gotcha Day to Meeeeee!!! :)

Today's my Gotcha Day!!!! Last year at this time, I was a scared outdoor kitty who had been living in Mommy & Daddy's basement after being abandoned by their neighbors. They brought me inside, then had me spayed the next day. As soon as I was brought home from my spay, Skylar curled up with me to reassure me and keep me warm. He looked at me, looked at Daddy, looked at me again, and snuggled close to me. Daddy said to Mommy, "Well, it looks like Skylar wants to keep her!" And that was that! :)

Now, a year later, we are in a new, bigger house, and I have a little snuggle buddy of my own: the new kitten, Spooky. I'm not sure what he wants me to do, but he snuggles close to me, and sometimes right up against me. I'm ok with that, but sometimes he lowers his head and Mommy says he wants me to wash him. I don't know how to wash another kitty, never having had the opportunity before. My purrents are sure I'll learn eventually.

I love my family!

Love,

Starla.

Thankful for Silliness on Thursday

Skylar writes:

Silly, silly day! First, I didn't get my medicine on time. Mommy and Daddy said that Dr. Bob didn't want me to have it! I kept begging for it, but I didn't get it. Then, finally, I got it when I was supposed to get my next dose. They completely skipped one of my doses!

Then, while I was begging for part of Daddy's hamburger, he was teasing me! See that picture above? What doesn't belong? I'll give you the answer at the bottom of this blog entry. Daddy said it helped relieve some of the stress of my blood work results from Tuesday's vet appointment.

I have anemia (17% red blood cell count) and my creatinine levels are elevated considerably. Dr. Bob told my purrents that this may be caused by too much methimazole in my system (my medicine for hyperthyroidism), but that it doesn't usually present in that way. It also may be a sign that the hyper-T was masking kidney disease.

Mommy and Daddy are both very sad about that, even though they knew that there might be something majorly wrong (which is why they took me in to the vet in the first place). The first course of action is to decrease my meds to twice a day, which is why they wouldn't let me have one of my doses today. They're hoping that it will do the trick and help everything within a week. If not, then it's more serious than just a response to my meds.

I go back in for retesting of my blood in two weeks, regardless of if I'm feeling better by then. If it is kidney disease, I won't be doing better by then and my creatinine levels will still be elevated, Dr. Bob says. Mommy and Daddy are praying that it's not kidney disease, because if it is then they say that it will be time for me to join my sister at the Bridge, because they wouldn't want me to suffer more (and for it to show up it would need to have been diseased for some time already).

So that's why we're having a silly time right now. It's so stressful around here, we need the laughter and smiles!

Did you figure out the silliness in the picture yet?

Happy anniversary, Mommy & Daddy!

Happy 1st anniversary to our mommy & daddy!

Happy birthday, Mommy!

It's our Mommy's birthday today! :) :) :) :) :)

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.