Starla's SUNday!

Starla writes:

I know you don't hear from me as much as from the others, but you will be hearing me meow more now!  About three weeks ago, Mommy and Daddy made a major change happen in my life.  As long as they've known me, I've been a scaredy-kitty of the others and of changes.  I was worried when my purrents said something new was going to happen, but it turned out to be a very good thing!

They put me in the carrier and took me to the vet.  I meowed the whole way there, crying to get out, but when we got there all I wanted to do was stay in the carrier and be by my purrents.  I was a very good girl when I got my temperature taken, but Mommy had warned me about that so I was kind of ready for it.  I didn't like being made to stand on the scale, but got through that ok.

The doctor tried to take a pee sample, but I wouldn't cooperate.  He looked at the spots where I've been licking myself bald on my tummy and legs.  He wanted to get a pee sample to once again rule out any stones or infection, but Daddy was firm with him that I wasn't physically sick and tests had already been done by our other vet.  The doctor looked at my chart and agreed to give them some anti-anxiety medicine for me.

Ick!  Medicine!  I have to get rolled up in a blankie and sat on a lap like a human baby to take it, then Mommy pries open my mouth and makes me swallow the pill.  Sometimes I play hide-and-seek with it in my teeth and cheek, but she finds it and gives it to me again.  The first couple weeks, Daddy held me while Mommy gave the meds, but now I let Mommy do it all by herself.  I even came over one time to let her know that it was time for her to give it to me!

They're hoping that, eventually, I'll be as good about taking my medicine as Uncle Skylar was with taking his.  I don't know about that, because he was extremely good about his!  He let them know it was time, sat down, and did everything he was supposed to except open his mouth!

My meds are really helping me, though!  That's why today's a SUNday!  Sunny attitude, sunny day outside!  I love being this happy!  I can play without worrying that someone's going to jump me for the toy.  I can use the box or my pee pad without worrying who else has used the box recently.  I ask for more attention from my purrents and from others who visit.  I even talk to my toys as I carry them!  A few days ago, Mommy heard me talking from down the hall, and knew I was holding something in my mouth because I was muffled.  Sure enough, I came walking to her, talking all the way, with the fuzzy Christmas cape in my mouth and dangling it like a kitten!  Freya and I have an understanding about the fuzzies now, the fleece things in the house that used to belong only to her.  They are shared between us now.  Rori and I share possesion of the catnip pillow.  We trade off.  I carry that around, too!

Looking forward to more happy days!

Happy Birthday to Tabby!

Tabby writes:

It's my birthday already?  I'm not eight years old, am I?  That's how old Mommy way saying I would be today when we went visiting on Wednesday.  My friends always ask how old I am, and Mommy said, "She'll be eight on Sunday."  Two of my friends were worried about how old I might live to be, but were reassured that I just now am considered a senior cat.  Don't worry, friends!  I have a few more years of visiting left!  I'm not ready to quit that yet.  No way!

We got treats delivered two days ago in preparation for my birthday.  Well, they actually are a product sample to review, but we'll get them today.  *licks lips in anticipation*  I love my treats, and am happy to share with the others, too.  The delivery guy scared us, though.  Since we live on a busy street, the Fed-Ex people are told to deliver to our back door.  I was resting in a chair right by the door when, all of a sudden, the guy knocked loudly on it!  We didn't know there would be a delivery, and Mommy thought they would try knocking on the front first or leave the package on the front porch like the other delivery services do.  Nope!  We all ran for it, and even Mommy jumped!  We came right back to see what the package was, and I got to sit on the box first.

Therapy Cat Tales

Tabby writes:

I had a very good day today, in spite of the pouring rain.  I was very glad for my rain jacket and my umbrella, which Mommy held over my stroller so that I didn't get very wet.  Some of the drops came through, but not many.

I slept most of the way to H., except for when we boarded the MAX.  I don't like the sound the MAX makes and the vibration when it comes.  We had extra time, so we walked almost a mile instead of riding the second MAX.  It was in-between cloudbursts, so we were pretty dry for the walk.  The roses were beautiful and smelled good, but I didn't want to get close to them.  I was still waking up.

S. walked around with us for our visit.  The first person we saw on our floor was A., who just lights up whenever he sees me.  He calls me "My Kitty", and you can tell it has capitals from the way he says it!  "Hi, My Kitty," he says as he pets me and scritches my chin.  I actually got to visit with him twice, because he was downstairs later when we went down there to find someone else.

A.M. has become one of my favorite people to visit.  She always lets me sit on her lap, and doesn't care how I lie down or sit on her.  I wanted to curl up on her bed, but Mommy wouldn't let me.  I decided I would settle down against her leg, and she loved that.  She kept laughing, saying, "This old lady loves you."  Yep, I know, and I love her back!  I purred for her, kneading away, with my head on her knee and my eyes closed while she stroked my jowls.  Pure contentment!

I wanted to stay with A.M. for longer, but there were others to visit with.  We went downstairs, where the social hour was just getting over.  That's where A. was for my second visit with him.  S., B., E., and another friend were down there as well.  I got more pets and demonstrated some of my commands for them, because they hadn't seen me do any of those before.

After we were done at H., Mommy took me to a new place.  It's called C.  Someone at H. who used to live at C. told us that they might want me to visit over there, so we dropped by to see.  We walked in to the lobby and were greeted with smiles and pets for me, with questions for Mommy about me.  The people behind the desk were very nice, but I wasn't allowed to go behind the desk to make it easier for them to pet me.  They called the nurses to find out who would like a visit from me and got one reply.  When we got to the room, the lady and her daughter-in-law welcomed us in.  I got up on the lady's bed while they both petted me.  I said hi to them, then settled down against the lady's leg and side, snuggling in so that she'd know I was there.  I listened to them tell about raising baby squirrels, rescuing a kitten who growled like a tiger, and other fun kitty stories.  I love to hear about other kitty families!  The lady would like me to visit her regularly, so we'll try to do that each time after we go to H.

PhotoHunt: Grin and Happy Birthday!

Carbon writes:

Can you see me grinning?  I'm so happy, I even have my little vampire fangs sticking out!  You can see one of them if you look at my mouth above my right eye.  I'm grinning because it's my birthday!!!  I turned 8 years old today!  Mommy says that makes me a senior cat.  Wait a minute!  I don't feel old.  What are you saying, Mommy?  Oh, you're saying I'm a gentleman cat now?  Ok, I'll accept that.  I just hope I can still zoom and play when I'm this old. Daddy says I can, though.

I don't think of myself as 8 years old.  I still think of myself as a tiny kitten, like when my purrents adopted me.  I'm so glad that the family who had my mama cat took care of me when I was born and gave me to the feed store so my purrents could adopt me.  But that's a story for next month!  I'm grateful to that family, even though they don't know where I ended up and my purrents don't know who they were.  They gave me a good start in life and did what was right.  Thank you, whoever you were!

Off for a catnap now to dream of playing chase, then I'll spend the day lounging around, enjoying the company of my family, and playing with Little Bit and Dare.  They love to zoom, too!  Oh, and I'm going to share part of my birthday with our Facebook friend Spaghetti-Bob, because he and his brother are celebrating their birthdays today.  It should be fun!

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PhotoHunt: Quaggy

According to our dictionary, the most commonly used definition of "quaggy" is "marshy".  We live in a very quaggy place!  This picture is of the farm across the road from us.  We are surrounded on three sides by marsh, if you don't count the road out in front of our house.  It's a very peaceful place to live!

On another "quaggy" note, this is one of the very few years that Rose Festival Week has not been quaggy!  The Starlight Parade is tonight, and we have sunny, warm weather!  There's a saying in the Portland, OR, metro area around this time:  (looking out the window at or standing in the rain) "It must be Rose Festival!"  Not this year!  Mommy's glad of it, because her children's dance group (Sons of Norway's Grieg Lodge Leikarringen) is participating in the Junior Rose Parade on Wednesday.  It's supposed to be 83 degrees!

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Exciting Announcements and Therapy Cat Tales from 5/22/13

Tabby writes:

First, the exciting announcements!!!  *runs around chasing her tail*  The Pet Blogger Mall (PBM) is having a Sneak Peek Sale Day today!!!  It's a new online shopping venue featuring those of us who are pet bloggers and sell our creative products online.  We have a store there; look for Trace Elements Art to purchase my children's book, t-shirts featuring us, playing cards, and other great products.  Also check out the other stores for everything from blankies to greeting cards to paw-paintings from your other pet-blogging friends!  If you sell products, you can sign up for a store on the PBM as well.  All the details of the sale day and the PBM in general are on their most recent blog post.

We have had a very exciting week, which is why my blog post has been so delayed.  Sorry about that!  Mommy Erin and JJ moved into their new apartment a week and a half ago, so we had a fun time zooming around in the half-empty house, in and out of their rooms, and generally enjoying the increased space.  We moped that first night, missing them, though.  Heimdall thought they were in Mommy and Daddy's bedroom, but they weren't there.  Smokey thought they might be out in the garage, but they weren't there, either.  Mommy and Daddy said they were in their new home.  Where is that?  Can we visit them there sometime?

Then, last Sunday, Scamper and Smokey got put in carriers and taken to be with Mommy Erin and JJ.  I was very sad to see them go, but reluctantly let Scamper use my favorite carrier to travel in.  His new daddy, Mommy Erin's boyfriend, promised that he'd bring it back in good condition.  I touched noses with both Scamper and Smokey through the mesh of their carriers to say goodbye, then pouted on the bed.  It's very odd not having them here.  Dare is still here, being fostered until we find her a new forever home, because they could only take two kitties.  Mommy Erin is sad they couldn't take Dare along, too, but we promised we'd take good care of her and find her a wonderful home.

Ok, on to the Therapy Cat Tale!

Last Wednesday was very rainy!  Mommy made sure to bring my umbrella to cover my stroller where the mesh is, but I growled at the rain anyway when it came in under the umbrella a few times.  On the way to H., we listened to stories of cats who lived at a nursing home and a dog who visited there, courtesy of a former employee at said nursing home.  It was all very interesting!  However, I had to ride on the floor in my carrier because the bus driver wouldn't allow Mommy to set the carrier on the bus seat like she normally does.  I had to look at everyone's shoes rather than their faces.

After we got on the MAX, I got to ride on the seat out of my carrier.  I wanted to snuggle with Mommy because I don't like the sound of the MAX, so I stuck by her side the whole time.  She talked with three people who were quite impressed with me and my work while I rested.

We got to H. early, so we greeted a few people in the hallway then went into the ladies' restroom.  I love the brown couch there and sit on it while Mommy fixes her hair each time we come to H.  That's where a lot of my photo shoots are done, as well.  As we were going in there, we heard someone in the hallway say, "When she comes early, she takes Tabby in there and takes updated pictures of her on that brown leather sofa."  Yep, we do!  I shared some of them with you on my last edition of Therapy Cat Tales, the ones with the blue bandana.

S. went around with us for the first part of visiting, then she had to go home and R. went around with us.  Some of my regulars were sleeping, but I got to visit with quite a few of the ones who were awake plus some new friends.  M. wanted me to come up in her lap, so I did.  She had a cookie for me!  I used to get cookies from another lady, but she died.  I didn't know M. had the same cookies!  Fig Newtons are so yummy, and Mommy checked with the vet about me eating them.  I can have up to a quarter of one per visit.  I didn't get even that much, just a corner of one this time, but I ate it all up then looked around for more, licking my lips.  That got a laugh out of M.!  She promised me that next time she would give me another cookie.  Yum!

F. is a new friend.  He was excited to meet me, because he had cats when he was younger.  I got up on his lap, then wanted to get onto his bed.  He wouldn't let me!  I liked that he was petting me, but I really would've preferred being on his bed.  That's how I am with new people sometimes.  It usually takes me two or three visits to be comfortable on someone's lap.  But then, watch out, because I won't want to move!

Our last visit was with another M., who was trying to put a puzzle together.  She petted me while she worked on it, but R. and Mommy quickly realized that not all the pieces were there.  They put that one away, then sorted through the remaining puzzles to find one of the right level that seemed to have all the pieces.  All three of them worked on the new one, which had ducks and fish on it, while M. petted me with her free hand.  I was very content to lie in my stroller and listen to them talk while getting petted.

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!

PhotoHunt: Lazy (and Tabby's Doggie Dash Report)

Tabby writes:

Do I look lazy in this picture?  If so, I deserved my rest!  Mommy and I had just gotten done walking the 2.5-mile Doggie Dash!  Well, Mommy walked it and I rode in the stroller, so I guess I was lazy for that part, but it was hot out today and I got a lot of attention because I was the only kitty there.

Because of river traffic holding the bridge up just before we got there, we arrived later than expected and were unable to meet Auntie Diana, who helped make the balloon arches.  She works at the Oregon Humane Society.  Isn't it great that all these people (and more) turned out to help the animals at OHS?

K103, a local radio station, is the main sponsor of the event every year.  The man on the right is from there, the lady on the left is the director of OHS, and the others are also event sponsors.  The man was talking about all the different dog breeds he could see from the truck/stage, then said that he hadn't seen a cat yet but there usually are one or two who come.  Mommy rolled me over to the truck/stage and waited until the awards had been given, then held me up and pointed to me.  The man announced me and Mommy held me up high so that everyone could see the "intrepid cat" who had come!  He was laughing that it was like the beginning scene from The Lion King!

Mommy loves huskies, so she was very happy to see these four!  She tried to get a picture of them posing on some rocks, but it was washed-out because the sun was so bright on the river.  I stayed in my stroller most of the time, but thought that all the doggies were very interesting to sniff.  I touched noses with a few, got licked by some, but put my ears back at a couple who thought they might be able to jump into my stroller with me.  As one lady put it, I didn't want them to burst my personal-space bubble inside which I was invisible (or so I thought)!

Two of Mommy's students saw her and waved us over before the walk started, so we ended up walking most of the time with the "Bad to the Bone" team.  Kelley (in the middle with the little dog) and Julie (at the end in the vest) are in Mommy's Norwegian language class.  It was fun walking with them!  Of course, we had to stop a few times to let other people take pictures of me, since I was a novelty among the dogs, but that kind of goes with the territory.  I had doggies sniffing me out before their people knew I was there, then would hear, "Oh, there's the cat!"  Mommy just smiled and said how I am such a good girl and such a special kitty to be able to do this.  I agree, of course!

Mommy had someone take this picture of us at the finish line.  I look like I'm unhappy, but it's just because I was looking into the bright sun.  I really was sleepy and wanted to be in the shade napping, so that's when Mommy let me lie down on the park bench and rest.  When we were about to cross the finish line, a couple dog walkers were joking with Mommy:  "We'd better hurry up and cross the finish line before the cat does!"  But then those same people pointed me out to the announcer at the finish line, who announced me again!  Wow, and whew!  Glad I'm home now!

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PhotoHunt: Under

Freya says:

I love hiding under the covers when the bed is being made!  I become a bed monster, then my brother pounces on me.  :)  Mommy calls this picture my glamour shot.

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P.S.  Have you checked out Tabby's fundraising contest yet?  It's in our previous post, and supports the Oregon Humane Society.

Doggie Dash 2013: Tabby's Fundraising Challenge

Tabby is asking all her friends to purrrlease support her and the PDX pride mommy as they walk the Oregon Humane Society's Doggie Dash on May 11th.  She is challenging her fellow pet-bloggers, and the winner gets a free copy of her e-book for children!

There are two ways to win:

1.  Donate on our personal fundraising page below and leave a comment here afterward saying you donated (with the name used on the donation) so we can match it up.

OR

2.  Donate as above and leave a comment, then get your friends to do the same and comment, noting who sent them in their comment.

So, if Carbon donates x amount and that amount is the highest donated, he would get the prize.  If Starla donates y amount and gets five friends to donate z each and they all comment on this page that Starla sent them, she would get the prize even though she personally donated less than Carbon. If one of Starla's friends donates, gets others to donate, and those others credit the friend in their comments, the friend would win the prize if the amount adds up to the highest amount.

Here is the link to our fundraising page:

Doggie Dash 2013: Tabby and Karen Thompson - Doggie Dash 2013

PhotoHunt: ZOOM!!!

ZOOM goes Dare!  When she first came to live here, she wasn't sure about anyone and never stayed out in the open for long.  Now she's a confident young cat around us, and will even peek at strangers from a safe hiding spot.  She is up for adoption in the Vancouver, WA/Portland, OR, area.

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Therapy Cat Tales from 4/17/13

Tabby writes:

I celebrated Earth Day early on my visit yesterday!  The bandana I'm wearing says "Canines for Clean Water" as a reminder that everyone needs to pick up after their pets when they are out.  Please always bring a roll of poop bags with you so that you're ready to clean up after your pet, regardless of species.  Thank you!  If you are a resident of Clark County, Washington, your pet can join the campaign here.

A little girl on the bus called me a "meow-pup"!  She was about 14 months old, and can say a few words.  She thought I was a puppy, so her mommy and my mommy were correcting her.  Then she saw I was a kitty and said "kitty" while petting me.  After she was done petting me, she said "pup-pup" again and got corrected again.  Her mommy said, "What does a kitty say?"  "Meow!"  The little girl then looked at me and said, quite clearly, "meow-pup".

Mommy and I did a photo shoot at H., just an informal one, using the ladies' lounge as a backdrop.  We think the pictures turned out really well, and the staff want Mommy to send some to their publicity director to use in newsletters.  I was mugging for the camera, as you can see!  I always pose for the camera when I see one.

After the pictures, we went into the office to see R.  She wanted to see the pictures, so Mommy took out her camera and I immediately posed again.  R. laughed and looked at the shots.  I got bored, so I asked R. to pet me.  She really got a kick out of that, and had me ask her a few more times, petting me a lot each time I did so.  I love showing off!

S. went with us on our rounds for a few people, then V. took over because S. had to leave for the day.  V. told us that my friend who had talked coherently to me but not to the humans last visit had died.  We were very sad to hear that, because we were looking forward to visiting more with her.  E. was very talkative today, though, and another V. told me that I was the best company she'd had all week!  D. meowed at me again.  I always think it's so funny when people do that!  I just watch them and smile.

My best visit today was with a surprise friend.  When I went into M.'s room, Mommy noticed the name on the door.  She started smiling, let me have as much leash as I wanted, and walked in behind me.  "Hello, stranger," she said.  M. looked up, surprised, after greeting me, and said Mommy's name.  She is someone Mommy knows from her former church!  They've known each other since 2002, but hadn't seen each other for a few years since we'd moved to Vancouver and Mommy had changed churches.  They caught up with each other while I snuggled on M.'s bed behind her (but still where I could get petted occasionally).  Then, M.'s husband and son came to visit her, followed closely by M.'s pastor!  It was a good first day at H. for M.

Daddy was running errands in Portland, so he came and picked us up in the car.  I hadn't ridden in the car since the deer hit us a while ago, because it was getting repaired.  I was very nervous about getting into the car, because I remembered the deer, but Daddy reassured me that there were no deer around to run into us again.  I snuggled on Mommy's lap while Daddy drove.  I think it's very interesting that the cars take turns getting on the freeway.  Did you know they do that?  The lights give the cars turns and they wait in line.  I just figured that out today!  I sat up very tall and turned my head to indicate which car was going to go next.  Mommy and Daddy laughed and told me I was correct!

NW Pet & Companion Fair 2013

Tabby writes:

It was so cold today when we left the house!  I didn't know where we were going, and why Mommy Erin and JJ were coming with us, but I was sure it wasn't to visit my friends at H.  It was the wrong day and the wrong time!  Mommy Erin held me for part of the time, because I was shivering.  I had my jacket on, plus a fleece blanket, but it was still cold.  Mommy didn't think it would be that cold this morning, and she wished she had had another blanket for me to wrap up in.

Mommy Erin keeping me warm.

I was fine once we got the the Expo Center, though, because it was warm inside.  There were a lot of doggies waiting in line to check in, so I got sniffed and licked.  That was ok with me, though.  Mommy signed a waiver that said if I clawed anyone she would take full responsibility, although that would never happen.  I'm too well-behaved to do that!  I said hi to the lady at the check-in table, who was wearing a cat shirt.  Then we went over to another table where JJ got to throw a small sample bag of dog food at a bowl.  Why didn't they have an eating contest instead of a throwing contest?  I guess they couldn't, for humans.  Anyway, he won a pin.  Then, we got to see the fluffy black girl-cat who looks like Carbon!  She rides around on her humans' shoulders and goes to the Doggie Dash every year as well.  It was my first time meeting her, although Mommy's been introduced to her before.  Mommy Erin held me up to touch noses with her while she was on her daddy's shoulders.  We touched noses, sniffed, then I got hissed at!  I didn't take offense at her doing that, though, just gave her a puzzled look and got back into my stroller.  Mommy, Mommy Erin, and the cat's daddy all laughed and said the black cat was just jealous.

Hissy black girl-cat

Besides the black cat, there were two other cats visiting the expo with their families.  They were both young kittens, so that's great for their socialization and experience to visit places so young!  One was just over a year old and had a jacket harness like I used to use.  He was riding on his mommy's shoulder, looking behind her wide-eyed at everything.  The other kitten was only a couple months old, if that, and was an orange tabby.  She didn't know what to make of people, let alone all the doggies, sounds, and activity, so she clung to her mommy and was very interested in everything.  Her nose was going a mile a minute!

We saw a lady who recognized me from seeing me on the MAX.  That was fun to be remembered on sight!  Also, a lady at the Dove Lewis booth remembered me from when I modeled at Boutiques Unleashed, and had just been telling someone about me!  Another lady at another booth is going to buy the Kindle version of my book to read to her new baby.

We talked with a few people about therapy cat work, but mainly I snuggled in my stroller while Mommy went around to the booths collecting information and seeing what there was to see.  Mommy Erin and JJ got to hold birds, but I couldn't go in that part so Mommy didn't get to do that.  We all went to see the wild animals and saw a bobcat in a kitty tree!  That's right:  it was in housecat furniture!  One man kept looking from me to the bobcat and back like he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Bobcat (lynx) in a domestic cat tree

Mommy Erin and JJ got to hold a Patagonian Mara, also known as a cavy, and a miniature pig.  They even got their pictures taken with them!

PhotoHunt: Scrumptious

Our wedding cake was definitely scrumptious!  We got married in August 2008 and had a beautiful wedding.  The cake was a white cake with raspberry filling, frosted with real whipped cream, and decorated with cat figurines as well as the bride & groom.  Perfect for us!

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PhotoHunt: Quirky

My banana's quirky peel!  I thought this was pretty cool.  Some pictures you just have to take, regardless of how strange they seem.

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Celebrating more birthdays!

Happy 5th birthday to Erin's Smokey and our Little Bit!  Wow, can't believe these two girls are that old already.  Smokey acts older than she is, but Little Bit acts like a kitten still.  Little Bit is zooming up and down the hallway, almost running over Dare on her way around the house!  Smokey sometimes snuggles with the other cats, and sometimes plays, but most of the time she acts like a grumpy old lady, proving that you can never tell personalities only by heredity.

Remembering their sister, Baby Chiba, who went to the Bridge as a kitten.  These girls had a tough first year, being neglected by their original family.  Smokey was abandoned along with her cousin-cat Starla, whom we adopted.  Little Bit got pregnant when she had just turned 1, and had four little boy-kits.  We fostered them all and found homes for three of them.  One ended up dying of genetic complications.

Even though we love these girls, please remember it's important to spay and neuter your pets!  It's also important to spay and neuter feral cats.  Little Bit's dad was a pet cat, Smokey's dad was probably a feral, and their mom was feral-born.

From left to right on the porch:  Starla, Little Bit, Smokey.  From left to right in the back:  Outdoor Fluffy Buddy, Boo-Boo Kitty.

Smokey as a kitten

Little Bit as a kitten

Baby Chiba and Starla as kittens

Happy Easter!

We hope you all have a safe and happy Easter!

Happy birthdays to Freya & Heimdall!

Freya writes:

Today was my birthday and my brother Heimdall's birthday!  It's kind of hard to believe that we're now three years old.  Does that mean we have to act grown-up?  I sure hope not!  Even though I enjoy my role as a little mama to the semi-feral girls, I'm glad I don't have to be their real mama kitty!  Miss Marble still expects me to be her mama, and that's nice, but I'd much rather play and wrestle with her.

Heimdall writes:

But, wait, sis!  You act like my mama, too, and have since we were little!  I would miss if you didn't clean my ears and wash my face.  My "grown-up" role is to make sure that Mommy is doing ok.  Sometimes she needs a reminder to take her nap, so I tell her that it's time to sleep.  I also wake her up when her alarm goes off, although she seems to think that snuggling isn't the best way to make her get up.  What's wrong with that?  Everyone needs a good snuggle in the morning!

PhotoHunt: Flow

This fountain is in the park by where Tabby goes visiting, so she gets to watch the water flow in the summer.  Right now, it's just brick with holes in it, but in the summertime the water comes up through the pipes under the brick.  It's controlled so it varies in height from bubbling up from the brick to arcing like in the picture.  Portland has a lot of public parks with water features that people can swim in, jump through, bike through, etc.  This is one of Mommy's favorite.

Are you a photohunter?

Therapy Cat Tales

Tabby writes:

I've missed my friends at H. so much!  I almost didn't get to go today, though.  I was a bad girl this morning.  I waited on the bed until Starla came out from under the bed (where she was sleeping) and jumped on top of her, starting a cat fight.  Mommy clapped and we ran in opposite directions, so no one was hurt.  I got kicked out of the bedroom, so I was a bit pouty to start out when we left the house.

That changed when I got on the bus, because a rainstorm hit just after we boarded!  I fell asleep listening to the rain on the bus roof, nice and warm in my carrier, with my jacket over my back.  At one point, while switching between MAX light rail trains, Mommy answered questions about how to train cats to ride in strollers.  Then, I got sniffed by a nice dog whose person wanted to pet me.  She pulled her dog back, but then Mommy said I was dog-friendly, so the dog got to sniff me.  We also found someone who does trap-neuter-return work and listened to cat socialization stories.  That's always fun!

We managed to miss another huge cloudburst by just two minutes!  Mommy was almost running to get to H., because the sky darkened, the air smelled different, and the temperature dropped considerably.  I sat up in my stroller, noticing the changes, and kept looking at Mommy.  Hurry, please!  I don't want to be in the rain!  We got in the doors, then the hail started!  The wind was blowing so much that the doors thought people were wanting to come in!  The silly doors started opening and closing, but it was just the weather.

R. walked around with us today, which she hasn't done in a while.  She said I'm a miracle cat, because I made a huge difference for three people today.  I visited more people than that, but it was a major visit for those three.

A. was lying on his side taking a nap when we came in, but quickly woke up when he heard that I was there.  He invited me up on the bed with him, then scooped me up close to his chest.  "My kitty!  It's so good to have my kitty here!"  R. told him not to squish me, but I was happily purring in his arms and snuggling.  R. said she wished she had brought her camera to take a picture, because we were so cute together.

M. is from another place nearby, named C., but at H. for a short time before she goes back to C.  R. has known her for a long time, so she knew she would want to see me.  Sure enough, M. told us that having me visit her made her whole day!  I love hearing that!  Her leg didn't feel good, so it was in a cast.  I snuggled with her other leg and let her pet me.  She's going to talk with some people at C. and see if we can come visit there once in a while.  They have dog teams visit, but not cat teams yet, even though many residents have cats of their own at C.

E. was the best visit of the day!  She usually doesn't respond to the dog teams visiting, except to watch them, so R. didn't know how she would do with me.  Turns out, it was the highlight of her day, probably of her week!  She tried to get out of bed when R. told her I was there!  She almost sat up straight on her own.  She usually has choppy speech, taking her time with articulating her thoughts and not saying cohesive sentences.  However, when talking to me, she spoke in complete sentences and remembered most of the words she wanted!  She told me that she had cats when she was younger, but not for a while.  She also talked about my fur and about me snuggling on her blankets.  She tried to talk with R. and Mommy, but she couldn't say what she wanted, so she gave up and talked to me again fluently.  What an amazing experience!  We stayed a longer time with her, because I was helping her so much.

I showed R. how I play tails with P.  R. didn't know that P. could play tails, because P. has low vision, but she does just fine with that game.  I started in right away after I greeted her, and she got my tail a few times before I turned around to let her pet my head and neck.

I was really worn out by all my work today, so I crashed in the stroller in the office while waiting for Mommy to get ready to leave H.  I started snoring!  I slept most of the way home, then woke up for our last transfer and the walk home.  Mommy and I were both very glad to be inside, out of the cold wind!