When We Were Very Young....

Get ready for cute baby kitten pics, because this is what we looked like when we were very young!  (Yes, A.A. Milne is one of Mommy's favorite authors.)

Carbon and Tabby, Summer 2005

Tabby and Rori, Fall 2007

Tabby and Knut (Rori's brother), Fall 2007

Spooky 1, Fall 2007

Baby Chiba (Little Bit's sister), Spring 2008

Starla, Spring 2009

Smokey (Little Bit's sister), Winter 2008

Little Bit, Winter 2008

Little Bit with her boys (Squishy, Kai, Tiger, and Cloud), Spring 2009

Carbon with Little Bit's baby sisters (Boo and Michelle), Spring 2009

Baby-Tuxie, Summer 2009

Baby-Dot, Summer 2009

Spooky 2, Fall 2009

Freya and Heimdall, Summer 2010

Tigress, Summer 2011

Leopard (the feral kittens' mom), Hemming, Miss Marble, their brother, Summer 2011

Love

Rori and her brother Knut as kittens

Tabby with baby Rori

Baby Rori and Lydia

Skylar and Starla

Skylar and Lydia

Tabby and Spooky 1

Skylar and Cloud (one of Little Bit's kittens)

Rori and Little Guy (one of Little Bit's kittens)

Carbon, Rori, and Smokey (Little Bit's sister)

Spooky 2

Freya and Heimdall

Heimdall and Hemming (Tigress' brother)

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)

Remembering our family at the Rainbow Bridge

We remember today our furry family members who are waiting for us at the Rainbow Bridge.  We will always love you, and every day we miss having you walk with us in body.  We know you are and forever will walk with us in spirit!

 Skylar

Oct. 26, 1999 - July 23, 2010

Lydia

Oct. 26, 1999 - Oct. 13, 2008

 Sara Princess Kitty

1991 - Jan. 5, 2009

 Baby Chiba

April 15, 2008 - Dec. 2008

 Spooky 1/Nyx

June 2007 - March 26, 2008

 Squishy

May 27, 2009 - Nov. 2009

 Baby-Tuxie

Sept. 1, 2009 - Sept. 22, 2009

 Baby-Dot

Sept. 1, 2009 - Sept. 21, 2009

Spooky 2

July 2009 - June 6, 2010

PhotoHunt: Black

This kind of picture is rare in our household:  our three boys all sleeping, sharing the bed, at one time!

Spooky (10 months, left) and Carbon (4 1/2 years, right) are all black, and Skylar (10 years, by pillow) is a tuxedo.

PhotoHunt

Window Views: the Nighttime Version! Part 2

We have another nighttime video for our Window Views on Thursday submission this week. The tuxedo cat is coming every night to eat, and Mommy tried to get a video of him. It's dark & a little bit shaky, but if you make it full-screen you can see his white leg and side out the sliding glass door.

I love music! Music means snuggles!

Spooky writes:

Guess what?! Music playing on the computer means that Mommy has a snuggle lap for me! Tonight I was flopped on the floor of the dining room after eating, when all of a sudden I heard a song coming from the computer in the kitty tree room. I knew Mommy was in there, so I went running at top speed, came around the corner, skidded to a halt in front of the computer chair, and jumped up in her lap! Snuggles, loves, and singing, all equal a happy ME!!!!!! And a happy MOMMY!!!!!!

Oh, and a jealous Carbon kitty who spat at me as I raced by and then he went and hid under the bed, MOL. I was too focused on getting my snuggles that I didn't chase him this time.

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.

Wordless Wednesday

Therapy Cat Tales

Tabby writes:

Today we got to go visit at H. again! We haven't been for about a month, because of my being a brat to Starla (Hey, Mommy, you weren't supposed to type THAT!!!) and because of getting settled in our new house. It was a beautiful day, but a cold wind. I had my brown jacket and a fleece blankie, though, so I was ok.

We got there, went in to see the wellness directors first, but they weren't in their office. I really wanted to see them! I looked and sniffed around for them, but they weren't there. Why not? Where did they go? Mommy said we should just go up and visit with my friends, but these are my friends too and I wanted to visit with them first, so I growled low when Mommy said that and picked me up. Just then, one of the ladies came around the corner and greeted us, so I was soooo happy!!!

All three of us went up to visit with my friends. I must've visited 80% of the floor! Of course, everyone loved me. How could they not? They missed me as much as I missed them, for the ones who remembered seeing me. A lot of our people are Alzheimer's patients, so they don't always remember seeing me. Mommy told me that a lot of the people we visit are as old in human years as my "auntie" Sara Kitty was. Wow! She was 19! My human visiting friends are doing really well for being 19 kitty years old.

I love G.'s bed. It's just the right softness to knead on and lay down on, and roll over for tummy rubs. :) M. sang a song to me! It's called "Babyface", and she sang it to me while stroking my face with her fingers. I purred and purred, and pushed my nose into her hand.

After our visit, we went back to the little office and my other friend was there. S. and Mommy told her how I'd growled because they weren't there when we got there, and she laughed at that and petted me. Mommy told them about my new "nephew" Spooky, who's a floppy kitty. Mommy and Daddy say he has something called C.H. (cerebellar hypoplasia). Mommy was telling the ladies that we're training him to be a therapy cat as well. He and I won't be visiting together though, because I want to have all the petting and attention to myself and it wouldn't be fair to ask me to share it. Or for him to have to share either. He won't start his official training for a while, though, because he's not been around wheelchairs or walkers yet. S. and R. liked the idea of another visiting cat, though, so that's very cool!

Then Mommy and I went shopping and then to her class. I got canned food to eat there! Daddy came to pick us up, but I didn't want to leave (of course) so I told him that in no uncertain terms. He said I had to go back home. He held me while Mommy packed up the rest of the canned food (I wanted to eat it all instead of take it home), then I got to look at the cars going by while we drove. Did you know that cars come from behind you and go in front of you?

CH? What's that?

Spooky writes:

Mommy and Daddy both have been trying to figure out why I fall and why I'm so floppy. Today, Mommy did an internet search and they have been talking about something called CH. It doesn't sound scary. It's just letters, so why does it bother them so much?

CH, cerebellar hypoplasia, would explain my falling and flopping. It took a while, but Mommy noticed my almost-imperceptible head bobbing, which was the only thing missing from a "correct" CH diagnosis, according to what she's been reading.

Luckily, my family loves me ANYWAY, and told me that I'm theirs and that they will never leave me like my first family did. Yay!

Wordy Wednesday: Our New House!!!

We've lived in our new house for just over a week now, and are starting to get used to it and find all the fun things about it! There's a fireplace (a thing we've never seen before), lots of windows to look out, heaters in the floor in every room that we stand over and wait until the warm air blows through our fur, and a room with nothing in it! Plus something called a garage that we can't go into but Mommy and Daddy can. That's where the laundry lives.

Here's our individual takes on the move:

Rori writes:

It took me a long time to get used to the new house. At first, I was scared. When we moved, Daddy stuck me in the green crate with Uncle Carbon, who pees on everything when he travels. So I got peed on! Yuck!!!

This is how we moved to our new home. Carbon and I in one crate, and Starla in a soft carrier, then Tabby, Skylar, and Spooky on harness & leash in the front. Plus all our things. You can see our kitty tree on the left, and our scratching post.

Can you see me hiding in these two pictures? I was really scared. I didn't know what was going on! Spooky hid with me in the pony closet, but he was on the bottom shelf so he doesn't show up in the picture.
Mommy carried me out of the closet and showed me the house. I clung to her like I did when I was a kitten. She put me down in the living room and I made a beeline for the bookcase/entertainment center, hiding underneath it. I ran back into the kitty room/office after everyone was asleep. After a couple days, I ventured into the bedroom and hid in the closet there. Then, while Mommy was napping, I timidly explored the rest of the house. When she woke up from her nap, I chirped at her to follow me and showed her the house proudly! I'm now Big Kitty in a bigger house!!!

Skylar writes:

Moving again? Okay by me! I was totally unconcerned with the moving process. When it was time for us kitties to move, our purrents put my harness on and carried me out to our friends' Expedition that they let us borrow.

They had to stop at the store to get new litter boxes and some food for us, so Tabby and I waited in the driver's seat until Daddy came back. Then I sat on Daddy's lap the whole time while he drove.

Once we got there, Starla and I shared a room and the others shared another room. Tabby and Starla still need to be separated, so they figured that was best for us. Once we were all allowed out, I saw my chair had arrived so I hopped up into it and settled right down.

As long as I have my chair, I'm fine! Spooky and Starla like it, too. :)

Carbon writes:

I do not like this thing called "moving"! I peed in the carrier going over, on myself and the blanket and on Rori. :( I had no idea what was going on, and I was so scared that I was shivering and stress purring.

I hid in a teepee (no pun intended) of chart paper for a day, then started to explore the house. Mommy and Daddy were so proud of me when I made it into the living room! Now, I run all over and play with all our toys happily! I love the sliding glass door in the dining room.

Tabby writes:

Moving is fun! What an adventure! I didn't know what to think when everything started being packed up and the furniture and boxes kept disappearing.

Where did the dvd shelves go? I didn't know all our toys were hidden under here!

There were so many interesting smells and fun things to investigate! When we got put in harness, I thought maybe I was going to go visiting but then the others were put in harness and carriers so I thought maybe not. I loved the car ride, and watched out the windows most of the time. At one point, I climbed into the back and rode in the big kitty tree behind Mommy's seat, watching out the window. I rode on the sewing basket as well. Fun stuff!

I was not at all sure about this thing called a "fireplace". What did it do? Mommy said I'd find out. Then Daddy put wood in it, then flame, and it burned but it stayed caged. What was it?

No, really, what was it??? I investigate the heater vents in each room, too. I stand over them with my nose to them and wait for the warm air to fluff my fur. Then I look at Mommy.

This is our dining room. We're getting a drop-leaf table once we put some of this stuff away. I was guarding Mommy's purse.

Once the bed moved in, Skylar and I took a long nap on it. :)

Starla writes:

Moving is scary! I did it once before, and I was kind of scared that it would be the same this time, that my new purrents would abandon me. Everyone else said no, so once Daddy put me in the carrier I settled down. I rode in the back, next to Carbon & Rori's crate. Once there, I was put in the same room as Skylar, because Tabby and I still aren't getting along.

I saw the chair was there, so I ran to it and looked for my little table. It wasn't there! Why wasn't it there? It always is by this chair! Once the living room got put together, my table appeared. I spend a lot of time under it or under the big chair, but I go investigate things too. I also snuggle in bed with Mommy and Daddy. I love doing that!

Fireplaces are kind of scary, but interesting. You may need to biggify this picture to see my reaction to the fireplace, and there wasn't even anything in it!

Spooky writes:

Fun!!! I got to be on harness for the first time, and ride in a car!

Foster Mommy and Foster Daddy were so proud of me and impressed with my car-riding skills. I sat on Foster Mommy's lap the whole way and purred!

I didn't know what a fireplace or a fire was before I came here. I've only tried to climb the screen once, and that was when there wasn't anything inside. I talk to Foster Mommy and Foster Daddy about the fire, and am mesmerized by the whole thing.

I love the wide open spaces and dash from room to room. Foster Mommy throws my jingle balls down the long hallway, and I run after them happily.

Shadow writes:

I'm not quite sure what's going on. The people in the green house haven't been around as much as usual. A few days ago, they were trying to get me to eat out of this big green box, so I did. Not too bad, same food. Then yesterday, as I was letting the lady pet me and was purring for her, she took the back of my neck and lifted me up, then tried to put me in the green box! I realized I was inside it when I was halfway in, stretched out my legs, and the lady was caught off-guard. She didn't close the door quickly enough, and I scratched her on the way out. I didn't mean to scratch, and I was very gentle, but I did leave marks. I just was so scared, and ran toward the back fence.

The lady said she was sorry and said she'd be back to pet me again in a few days. I love her, and love her petting me, but I wasn't at all sure what was going on today!

Spongebob (my friend cat who lives across the street from the green house) said the people in the green house may be moving. He went inside their house yesterday, and called for their kitties to come out, but there were no other kitties inside anymore! The lady said they had all moved to their new house! She told Sponge that they want me to move with them. Maybe that's why she wanted me in that box?