Happy Birthday to Mommy! and PhotoHunt: Rest

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

Today's photo hunt theme is "rest".  We all, being cats, love to rest!  Here's a picture of Carbon resting on Mommy.

Are you a photohunter?

Scaredy Missy and scaredy humans!

Missy writes:

I almost made a break for it three times yesterday! *shudders* Grandma was not closing the door in decent time and not realizing she wasn't closing the door all the way. Daddy and Mommy both yelled at her for it, but she understood why. Daddy held me in his arms while Grandma and Mommy did fireworks in the driveway. They couldn't go any further away (like to a parking lot or some such place) due to health issues, but they could be outside the house. They felt really bad that it scared me, though. None of the others reacted badly. Most liked the lights in the sky!

Have a happy & safe Fourth!!!

 


Wow!  Happy Independence Day, America!  We're thankful that we live in this great country, where our people have so many freedoms!  That means they also have the freedom to be our purrents, and we have the freedom to live and be chosen as their fur family.

Today is very special for Mommy and her parents (our grandpurrents) every year, because before Mommy was born, she jumped around in Grandma's tummy when the big booms went off during the firework show!  She wasn't supposed to be born until September, but she was just too excited to come out to see what all that racket was about!  Her birthday's not for a little over a week, though.  So she waited a little while.  Growing up, Mommy's parents told her that story as part of the 4th of July celebration each year, and everyone still smiles about it now.  So for her, it's part and parcel of what the 4th is all about.

Enjoy the food, festivities, and fun!  Don't get too scared of the fireworks, make sure your purrents give you a safe place to be during the big booms, and keep your collar on (and keep inside) with all the excitement!

Wordless Wednesday

It's International Box Day! Yay!

We love our boxes!!!  Here are some of us in boxes from this last year:

 Missy loves to hide and then attack unsuspecting passersby!

 Dare says:  "Is this close enough to being in the box?"

We got the box from Mommy's Christmas present, and it was big enough for all of us!

From front to back:  Heimdall, Freya, Little Bit, Tabby, and Dare (on the chair)

Happy Birthday to Tabby!

Tabby writes:

Wow, you mean it's my 9th birthday?  I love my birthday!  It means I get extra treats and snuggles.  I've been doing a lot of things that I haven't had time to write about.

On May 10th, Mommy took me to the Doggie Dash again.  Other than one doggie I hissed at because it wanted to share my stroller and one that was being too aggressive, nobody bothered me.  Oh, they sniffed, wanted to play, and even cleaned my ears, but they were all very nice about it.  Here are a few pics from the day, including a table I found to relax on and a puppy that Mommy liked.

Free digital slideshow made with Smilebox

I also went visiting to H. on May 21st and C. on May 22nd.  I had a wonderful time visiting with all my friends at both places, and even got my own announcer at C.!  One of the nurses went into all the rooms to ask each resident on the floor if they wanted to visit with me, then reported back to Mommy who wanted visits and who didn't.  Mommy and I then went to see each friend who wanted to see me, and reported to the activity people who we saw and how they were when we saw them.  It was fun to have an announcer!  I'm starting to get the routine at C.  I even wanted to walk on my leash part of the way.

I had an extra-special visit with one of my friends who also was one of Mommy's friends from the church she used to attend.  I visited with Liz Norcross, the lady in the picture, at the end of May.  Mommy took this picture of us together and gave Liz a copy of it.  Liz showed it to me, but I was more interested in snuggling with her and being petted than I was in the picture, which made her giggle!  I snuggled while she petted me and talked with Mommy, whom she knew for around 10 years.  Liz passed away soon after our visit, although at the time we didn't know how close she was to passing.  I'm sure she is surrounded by her dogs and cats that she had all her life, as well as those human friends who had gone before her to Heaven.  We love you and miss you, Liz Norcross!

I'm going to have a great birthday today, running around with Little Bit, snuggling in my nest on the table (towels put there especially for me), and getting pets and snuggles from Daddy, Mommy, and Grandma.  Yay!

Happy Purrthday to our Carbon!

Carbon writes:

Oh, hi!  Um, what am I doing?  I'm watching Grandma and waiting for some yummies to be given to me for a birthday treatie.  Grandma eats the same things I like:  butterscotch pudding, jam on bread, cream cheese, ham, yogurt, and other people food treats.  There are a few things she eats that I don't like or can't have, but not many!  Whenever she is in the kitchen, she turns around to find me either sitting on this little stool or sitting on the floor looking up at her, waiting patiently for my treat.  I don't get more than just a taste, but it's enough!  Yummy!

We've been enjoying some warm weather lately, so the fans have been going.  I like to be in front of the box fan, letting the wind blow through my fur.  Last night, I wanted to play hide-and-seek and I chose to hide behind the fan!  I thought it was the best hiding place ever, and was so surprised when Mommy found me there!  What's your favorite hiding place?

I'm going to play, play, play, and get a yummy treat for my 9th birthday!

Therapy Cat Tales from 4/16/14

Tabby writes:

You know that black cat that we met at the NW Pet and Companion Fair?  The one I mentioned in my last post?  Well, today she came to H. to see what I do!  Mommy invited her and her person, Chris, to come along with us and see how we work.  The kitty's name is Blackbird!

We got to H. before Blackbird and Chris did, so Mommy told the receptionists that they would be coming.  Chris had to get a sticker nametag instead of the pin nametag that Mommy has, because it was their first time there.  Actually, it was Blackbird's first time visiting at an assisted-living facility at all!  She got down off Chris' shoulder (where she likes to ride) and checked out my carrier bag, but she didn't come over to sniff me.  Strange!  I want to be friends with her, but I'm not sure if she likes me.  We hung out on the floor while our people talked and friends stopped by to say hi and pet us.  Mommy let Chris know what the routine was and what to expect.

Then, we started off!  I really showed off for the new people!  I walked over and showed them where the door to the office was, then walked in and showed them where S.'s office was.  They got introduced to S., who is our supervisor, and she told them a little about H. and asked Chris some questions about Blackbird (who was riding on his shoulder again).

S. walked with us most of the time when we were visiting.  Blackbird's eyes got very wide when we stepped off the elevator onto our visiting floor!  I didn't flinch a bit, of course.  I know my routine very well.  I was surprised that Blackbird was nervous, but I guess I was nervous the first few times I went visiting, too.  It was so long ago (about 5 years), that I really don't remember the specifics.  Mommy and S. say I was nervous for about the first three times, though, so I guess it makes sense that Blackbird would be.  She's about the same age I was when I started actually visiting.  She's 3 1/2 years old.

There were a group of ladies talking by the couch in the hallway, so we stopped there and visited with them.  They got introduced to Blackbird, who wanted to stay on Chris' shoulder and arm but let them pet her.  After a few minutes, the ladies had to go, so we went to visit more friends.  When we went into the individual rooms, I showed Blackbird the proper way to behave.  I hopped up on laps, beds, and walked in on my own (with Mommy holding the leash, of course).  Blackbird stayed on her perch and got petted, but a couple times she got to sit with people and once she got to lie on a table.  She liked the table!

She didn't like sharing the spotlight, however.  She was counting how many pets I got and how many she got, and she started getting jealous.  She hissed at me!  At one point, she was too much of a distraction, with her hissing and Chris telling her "NO", so Mommy had them go out in the hallway to wait and watch from there until Blackbird calmed down.  After that, she went back to observing me and learning how to visit.  When she hissed, I gave her the stink-eye, because she wasn't behaving properly.  I know if I tried that, I would get taken home right away!  Blackbird will learn, but it will take her a while.

S. and Mommy agreed that it would be better if Chris and Blackbird visit separately from Mommy and me for a while.  If we do visit on the same day, we'll start at opposite ends of the hallway and each visit with the same people at different times.  That way, she'll learn how to interact with people without worrying what I'm doing.  Chris and Mommy can try to socialize us away from H., so that the residents won't get worried about Blackbird hissing at me.  They won't try to socialize us to each other at H., though, because that's not good for the residents.

All in all, Blackbird passed the test to start training for therapy cat work, but she just needs to get over her hissing.  Great job, Blackbird and Chris!

After we got done visiting, Mommy took me to Columbia Sportswear in downtown Portland.  They were having a promotion for the Doggie Dash, which is coming up next month!  Mommy got some socks for 20% off, and I got to meet some people from the Oregon Humane Society.  Oh, and I got to ride in another elevator and lots of pets from the people who work there!

Therapy Cat Tales: NW Pet and Companion Fair 2014

Tabby writes:

I'm tired!!!  I was on an adventure yesterday and part of today!  Mommy and I did a talk/demonstration at the NW Pet and Companion Fair.  Well, Mommy did the talking and I sat on a chair and in my stroller and looked cute.  Does that count?  Everyone said it did.

We took a taxi over yesterday, but today Grandma drove us.  Nice!  I got to spend time with Grandma!  The taxi was fun, too, but I took a nap most of that ride because I was in my carrier.  When I ride with Grandma, I get to be on Mommy's lap, although still on harness and leash.

Yesterday, after we checked in, we went over to the stage to see where to check in there.  We finally found the people and got everything situated, but there were doggies on stage before us so I didn't check the stage out beforehand.  The doggies were demonstrating how to do clicker-training.  They already knew how to do it, though.  They were just showing off for the people.  I didn't think they were very interesting, but some of the dogs in the audience were paying attention.

Just as we were getting ready to go on stage, a lady asked someone else if she was named Mommy's name.  Mommy overheard her, and went to meet the lady.  She turned out to be our friend from Catster, Michelle!

Michelle and her brother are Bitu's purrents, and our family has known Bitu's family on Catster for years now!  It's always so nice to meet the people who belong to our online cat friends!  Mommy Erin's sister, Anna, took this picture on Michelle's iPad.  It was nice that Anna could come, too.  We ate lunch with Anna after our presentation and walked around the expo with her for a while.  She got her face painted like a cat, even!  Mommy was going to get her face painted, too, but there was too long a line.

We also did the fashion show/costume contest.  No, I didn't win anything, but that's fine.  There were a lot of dogs participating, but I wasn't the only non-canine entrant!  For once!!!  There was a bird named Athena, who blogs on tumblr, and a pig named Periwinkle, who has a Facebook page.  Athena and I didn't mind being right near each other!  Here's a slideshow of some of the costumes from the contest.

Personalize a photo slideshow

After the fashion show, we went around to more booths.  We got a huge bag of goodies from Pet Pros.  Thank you so much for all the yummy-looking food and treats!!!  Mommy had business cards made up for me, so she handed those out to the people we met and people who came to our presentations on both days.  I met a lot of new friends!  There were even people who want to know more about training their cats to be therapy cats like I am.  Plus, a few places that want us to visit people!

If you are one of the people we met at this event, feel free to contact us using the "PDX pride" profile link near the top of the right column on this blog or the message feature on my Facebook page.

This morning, we did our presentation again.  I was better about not sitting in my stroller the whole time.  I sat on a chair at the back of the stage, so Mommy picked the chair up and put it front-and-center.  Not what I had in mind, but that was ok for a while.  Then, I decided I wanted my stroller, which was off-stage.  I headed toward it, so Mommy picked that up and put me in it, then wheeled it to the middle of the stage and talked from behind it and the chair.  Everyone thought that was funny, but I was comfortable and was showing off that I had a safe space that I was trained to be in.  That was just fine with everyone!

The black cat that we saw last year was there again this year with her person.  Guess what?  Both of them want to be a feline-assisted therapy team, too!  They are going to meet us on Wednesday for our regular visit to H. to see what we do, and hopefully will get registered to visit different places, too!  Wouldn't that be cool?  Maybe we can even open up a Portland, OR, chapter of Love on a Leash!

Feral Friday with Tigress

Tigress writes:

Hi everyone!  I know it's been a long time since I've done a Feral Friday post, but I've got some exciting news to share!  The Grandma person is an ok person!  She gives treats, foot pets, talks softly to me, doesn't chase me, and even will come let me out if I ask nicely enough!

At first, I was scared of her when she moved in a couple months ago.  The other cats love her and she'll even pet them occasionally.  I was scared of her, though.  I don't even know why, except that she was a new human.  She didn't do anything scary, but she was just there.  I didn't like being in the house with her, and would ask for out whenever I realized I was sharing the same house with her.  She tried and tried to show me she was nice, and my purrents told me I was safe and they wouldn't ever bring anyone around who would hurt me.  I believe them, but it still scared me.

I saw how nice Grandma was to the other kitties, though.  She would often pet them with her legs or with her feet, and thank them for giving her leg pets (winding around her legs) and wanting to sit with her (even though she can't have them on her lap due to being sick).  I would hear her coughing and would get wide-eyed, going to Mommy or Daddy for reassurance, but after a couple weeks I wasn't wanting out right away when I would see Grandma.  I would watch her from a chair under the dining-room table or from my comfy chair in the bedroom, then want out when she saw where I was.  I wouldn't hide from her, though, unless she was walking toward me.

One day, the twins had a birthday!  We all celebrated by having a big treat!  I didn't know what it was, but the others were very excited about it, and were milling around Grandma in the kitchen.  She got Mommy to help her open a can of something.  I hung out in the hallway and watched, wondering.  Mommy took out plates and showed Grandma how to spoon out the something onto each plate.  Then Mommy set the plates down on the floor in the dining room!

Feast time!  The others invited me to join them, but I said no because I didn't know what the treat was.  It smelled kind of good, but I wanted to watch them eat to make sure it was safe.  They told me it was something called "tuna" and it was a fish.  What fish comes out of a can?  I catch the little fish in the marsh sometimes, but they don't swim around in cans!

You can see in the picture how we social-eat.  Dare and Starla are sharing a plate, Missy's eating by herself, Panther's eating by himself, Carbon only eats by himself because he tends to be food-agressive, the twins are sharing a plate, Tabby's eating out of a can, and Little Bit's waiting her turn.  At this point, I was still in the hallway (the first picture).

Mommy brought a plate down the hallway to Rori so she could have some of the tuna treat, also.  She likes it, but she didn't want to brave the mob in the dining room any more than I did!  Grandma stayed in the kitchen and made herself something yummy with the tuna, too.  She put something else in it and mixed it up, then put it on bread for a sandwich.  Heimdall went in to see if she had some more for him, but she had mixed the remainder for her food, so he came back out and licked a can.

I finally got up the courage to go social-eat and found out the tuna was yummy!  Wow!  Do you see me over in the top left?  I'm trying to get to the plate with Freya and social-eat with her.  Dare decided to share the plate that Missy was eating from, and Little Bit got the can that Tabby had.  Tabby got another can that she and Heimdall shared.

After that tuna treat, I decided that Grandma must be an ok person.  I let her pet me once, and almost have come in the door when she's tried to let me inside.  About a week ago, I wanted out and she was the only human awake.  It was my hunting-time, around 5 or 6 in the morning.  That's when the mice and the birds are sleepy, so I can catch them more easily.  I went over to Grandma, who was in the kitchen, and wound around her legs, talking to her.  She thought I was Tabby at first, because she does the same thing when Grandma's in the kitchen.  Nope!  She looked at my paws and saw that it was I instead of Tabby!  She asked me if I wanted out, so I walked over to the door and pawed it.  She walked over and opened the door for me.  I looked at her and meowed once, then ran out like I normally do.  Thank you, Grandma person!

Since then, I've said hi to her most of the time and she's let me outside a few times more.  Today, I even went down the hall to her room to wait outside the door until she came out!  Hi, Grandma!

Happy Birthday to our Little Bit and Mommy Erin's Smokey!

Little Bit writes:

It's my birthday!  My sisters' birthdays, too!  Yay!  *runs around in excitement, playing THOE with Dare*  I'm now 6 years old!  I don't feel like I'm 6 years old.  I've still got all the energy of a kitten!  My sister, Smokey, acts like a grumpy old lady a lot of the time, but she still has the energy of a kitten when she wants to play.  She lives with Mommy Erin, so I don't get to see her since they moved out last year.  Here's a picture of her, though!

Our other littermate, Baby Chiba, is at the Bridge.  She was a kitten when she died.  We're thinking fondly of her today as well!  We don't know where our mama, Boo-Boo Kitty, is, but we remember her well!  She was a good mama to us.

Happy Birthday to Freya & Heimdall!

Wait, it's our birthday already?  How can we be four years old?  It doesn't seem like it was that long ago that we were babies.  We were born to a pet tuxedo cat, but the dad in the household didn't want us kittens.  There were four of us in the litter:  two boys and two girls.  We weren't named until we got to the shelter, and then we all got names starting with F:  Fonz (Heimdall), Furkins (Freya), Fizz, and Fink.  Our momcat stayed a pet cat to our first family.  We kittens were brought to Salem Friends of Felines in Salem, OR, where we were taken care of, checked out by a vet, and given a temporary home in the kitten room.  That's a special part of the shelter where all the kittens hang out!  It's a pretty cool room, about half the size of a typical bathroom in a human house, with shelves, cat toys, hiding boxes with cutouts to play paws in, and cat trees.  Of course, it also has litter boxes, food bowls, and water bowls.  Oh, and a window to see the humans.  Anyone who visits the shelter can go visit the kittens, and we loved it there.  We were there for a long time, though!

We plan to celebrate our 4th birthday by snuggling with Mommy and Daddy, maybe getting petted by Grandma, and playing with the rest of the family.  Oh, and possibly birdwatching, because the spring birds are starting to arrive!

In case you're wondering who is who in the picture, Freya is on the left and Heimdall is on the right.  We love our daddy's slippers!

Therapy Cat Tales from Yesterday

Tabby writes:

Hi everyone!  I'm back to visiting again!  We took a break for a couple months, because Mommy wasn't feeling well and we had Grandma moving in, but now we're back.  I'm sooooo happy!

We love overhearing conversations on the bus and MAX train when we ride.  It's fun how my presence on public transportation gets people talking about their own cats, even if it's not directly to us.  We heard one person who had always wanted an ocelot as a pet, but couldn't get a permit to own one because they are wild animals.  He got a Savannah instead, which is a domestic cat but has been bred from an African serval (wild animal) and a domestic cat.  We also heard about a long-haired black polydactyl cat that a homeless couple has.  They are trying to find a place to live and may have to give their cat up to be able to live in low-income housing.  Most low-income housing doesn't allow pets (other than emotional service animals, which need a doctor's note).  That would be sad if they had to give up their kitty!  I made them very happy by purring for them while they petted me.

We got on one MAX, but the driver told everyone that it wasn't in service, so everyone got off again.  Why did it even let us on if it wasn't going to take us anywhere?  We had to wait another half hour for the next one, because they weren't running on time.  That made us late, and I don't like to be off-schedule!  Kitties love schedules and patterns, and I'm no exception.

When we got to H., the people there were off-schedule, too!  They'd gone on a field trip for lunch to a restaurant and were just getting back, so we waited a few minutes before going up to visit them to let them settle.  I saw them going up, and said hi to one of my friends before she got in the elevator, but we waited until they were in their rooms before "officially" visiting them.  That confused me, because I could see they were going back home and wanted to follow them, but Mommy said we needed to wait.  I kept asking her with my paw when we were waiting, to let her know that I wanted to get going.

Finally, we went upstairs!  We went to see my friend A.M. the first thing, and she had the picture of her and me in a frame on her shelves!  I love her so much and always snuggle with her.  One of her friends was there, and asked her if I was the kitty she loves so much.  She just smiled and hugged me.  Purrs!

We went to see more of our regulars, and it was so great to see them again!  They missed me as much as I had missed them, and were glad to see me again.  Mommy's friend L. from her former church held me and hugged me, saying how nice a kitty I was.  I purred hard for her, too, because she's one of my favorites as well.  We met a new friend, C., who told us about her kitty.  She and her husband have a kitty they took in, but then the kitty showed up one day with a collar and tag.  It turned out to belong to their neighbors, who are backyard neighbors!  The cat doesn't like to be alone, so when its people aren't there it visits C. and her husband!  We also heard about a cat who didn't want to move when its people moved.  It was hand-raised from a kitten, but became an outside cat with the backyard and surrounding area as its territory.  When its people moved, they took it with them but didn't move far, so the kitty kept going back to its territory.  Its people made arrangements with the family who had bought the property, who agreed to adopt the cat and care for it.  It's so wonderful when that happens so the kitty can stay in its territory!  We had that happen with our feral Shadow at our old house.  We weren't able to take her with us when we moved, but we arranged with Spongebob's person that he would take care of Shadow since Sponge was best friends with her.  I also visited with someone who is going to go home in the next week but was so glad that I came to visit her.  I could tell that she wasn't feeling well in her stomach so I snuggled up really close to her on her lap right away.  She, Mommy, and R. (who takes us around to everyone) visited while I snuggled, and talked all about how we cats just know when we're needed and where.  Well, of course we do!  That's why I visit!

After we were done visiting at H., we went to C.  We don't really have a set schedule at C. yet, so the person we usually visit wasn't available to visit.  I was disappointed, but then we went to another floor and I got to visit with three ladies who work there!  That was fun, because I got to settle on the rug while Mommy talked with one of the ladies.  She was quite impressed with me, especially when I asked her to pet me, and took our contact information so that we could get a set schedule there.  Someone called the next day, but Mommy missed the call.  She'll call back and then we'll set up a definite time to go visit more people there!

If that weren't exciting enough, we came home to a big surprise!  Go to the Oregon Humane Society's Doggie Dash page at this link, scroll down to where it says "Doggie Dash Poster" and click on either size.  Tell me what you see!  We got it in postcard-flyer form in the mail, and were so surprised!  Yes, we are definitely planning on going this year.

Happy Gotcha Day Anniversary to Starla!

Starla writes:

Happy Gotcha Day Anniversary to me!  I remember the day I was gotcha'd by my forever family!  I had wintered out the ice storm in their basement and it was finally starting to be spring.  I was coming inside to visit them frequently, along with the rest of my biological family (Smokey, Little Bit, and Boo-Boo Kitty).  Smokey and I were both in heat, so my forever purrents asked the people who actually owned me (two doors down) if they could adopt us, and the people said yes.  Smokey became a foster, and was then adopted to Mommy Erin and became her forever kitty.  I was going to be a foster, but something wonderful happened!  Besides getting spayed, that is, which in itself was a wonderful thing.  Not the surgery, but the fact that I didn't have to worry about that anymore.

The wonderful thing that happened was this:

I was brought inside so that I could have my surgery the next day.  After my surgery, Skylar curled around me on the futon and looked up at our purrents, pleading with his eyes for permission to keep me.  How could they deny him this wish, when he'd lost his sister a few months before, and we'd all lost Sara Kitty a few weeks before?  Of course, they told him that he could adopt me as his kitty!  Yep, that's right!  I was adopted by another kitty!

Here we are snuggling together, just after Skylar asked Mommy and Daddy if he could keep me!

He and I were best buddies until he went to the Bridge a few years ago.  Now, my best buddies are Rori, the twins, and Panther.  I live in the bathroom (yes, I "graduated" from my isolation room due to the Prozac helping my anxiety) and have my own special cave in there under the sink cabinet.  And, guess what?  I don't even need the Prozac anymore!  I haven't taken any for the last month and a half!  I'm going to celebrate my gotcha day anniversary by going to eat with the other kitties in the dining room, venturing into the living room to use the scratcher, and greeting Grandma in the hallway when she gets up!  Grandma gave us tuna a couple days ago, and I even went out to eat it with everyone else, sharing a plate with Dare!

It's World Spay Day!

Do you have an unfixed cat?  At what age can you get your cat spayed or neutered?  What are the benefits to fixing your cat?  The purrfessionals here at the PDX pride will answer your questions!

Happy World Spay Day from all of us!

Rori here!  As the Big Kitty of the household, it is my solemn duty to inform you unspayed or unneutered cats of the blogosphere to get your acts together and schedule your fixing surgeries!  It's an important step in your independence as a cat-of-the-world to get this done!

1.  Spaying and neutering prevents unwanted and/or "surprise" litters.
2.  Spaying before the cat goes into heat for the first time greatly decreases a female cat's risk of breast cancer.  To learn more about breast cancer in cats, please visit our friend Sugar at her website:  Sugar Rub!
3.  Neutering greatly reduces a male cat's "nuisance" behavior, including spraying, yowling, and territorial marking, as well as makes the urine smell less strong.
4.  Spaying and neutering reduces the number of adult cats that are dumped, killed, and given to shelters.

I was spayed while I was in heat for the first time, which is more expensive than spaying while a cat is not in heat.  My yowling was intolerable, so that's why I was spayed while in heat.  However, this can create other health problems, such as weight gain.  I am now a very chunky girl!

Friends do not let friends go unspayed!  No, I am not having s*x with Smokey!  She went into heat for the first time, and I decided to discipline her by scruffing her.  I let her know that going unspayed is not tolerated in MY household!  She was much calmer after being spayed, and got adopted to Mama Erin soon after.

A happy, healthy, spayed Smokey!

Starla here to say how glad I am that I got spared the rigors of teen pregnancy!  My aunt had three kittens very young, and the boys were chasing me as well.  Somehow, I never got pregnant at that time, but most female kitties get pregnant their first time.  The next time I went into heat, my people had already scheduled my spay appointment through the Spay and Save program in Portland, Oregon, one of many low-cost spay and neuter programs around the country.

I was very lucky to get my spay when I did, because there were three male cats that were trying to get me pregnant.  If I hadn't had my spay, I'm sure I would have ended up a teen mama with a litter to find homes for, like my cousin Little Bit and my aunt Boo-Boo Kitty.

Hi, Little Bit here, and this is what happens when you don't get spayed!  I'm Smokey's sister, Rori's half-sister, and Starla's cousin.  My dad Spongebob (also Rori's dad) is an unfixed male who roams the neighborhood and has befriended all the ferals within a three-block radius.  His friends also included my mom, Boo-Boo Kitty, who had a litter of three.  My other sister, Baby Chiba, had a different dad and died as a kitten.  Yes, cats can get pregnant by more than one male in the same heat cycle, so the kittens in a litter can have different dads!

When I grew up, my original people didn't want my forever family to get me spayed, and so I remained intact.  My original people were not responsible pet owners!  They only decided to give me to my forever family after a tragic thing happened:

1.  My mama cat, Boo-Boo Kitty, got pregnant again and had a litter of four.
2.  I went into my first heat cycle just after my mama cat got pregnant and had a litter of four.  My kittens were born when I was five months old, just a kitten myself!  Two of my litter had the same dad as I, which is not unusual for cats.
3.  The dog my original family owned got pregnant by another of the same litter (the dog's brother, who was a neighbor) and had a litter of 10 puppies.
4.  My original people got an eviction notice because of the amount of animals in their house.
5.  They decided to take all of us kitties except two of Boo-Boo's kittens (who already had homes) to the humane society.  But after driving around to two humane societies, they were told that it was the middle of "kitten season" and the kittens would be put-to-sleep if they were surrendered.  The people didn't want that to happen.
6.  After hearing this from the second shelter they went to, they stopped by the side of the road and threw Boo-Boo Kitty out of the car, then drove away!  I still don't know what ever happened to her after that.
7.  They drove to a fast-food restaurant, rolled down the window halfway, and went inside to eat.  Mind you, this was with my two 8-week-old baby sisters, myself, and my litter of four three-week-old boys in the vehicle.  When they got back out to the vehicle, they didn't see me and drove off anyway.
8.  They went back home and brought my baby sisters over to my forever family, two houses down, and told them the story I've just told you.  My forever daddy human was so mad that he took my baby sisters inside and left my forever mommy human to talk to the lady.
9.  My mommy went to get the box with my kittens in it from the lady's vehicle and found me in there as well!  She brought all of us back home with her.
10.  My new family found homes for all of us, but only I stayed with them as part of their forever family.  Everyone else who came with me on that horrid trip found wonderful new homes!  One of my babies had a birth defect, but even he found a forever home for the few months he lived.

I went into heat again a few days after we got to our new family's home.  Yes, I was nursing my three-week-old boys at the time, and continued to nurse.  I could've gotten spayed while I was still nursing, but my people chose to wait until I'd weaned the kittens to spay me.

I'm Tigress, and I was a teen mom as well.  However, my family chose to have my kittens spay-aborted because I was a feral kitten at the time of my pregnancy.  I was spayed through a trap-neuter-return program run by the Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon, which provides low-cost or free spays and neuters, first vaccinations, and humane trap rentals.  If I hadn't had my spay, there would have been at least two and possibly as many as five more feral cats that would have needed socializing, feeding, trapping, spaying or neutering, and adoption.  I got pregnant at the age of 4 months.

Please don't wait to get spayed or neutered!  Tell your humans to schedule your surgery today!  If your humans need financial assistance, it is available in most areas of the U.S. and Canada, and in some other countries as well.  If you are a feral cat, please tell your human to visit the Alley Cat Allies website for more information.

For World Spay Day events in your area, check out the official website.

Cat-A-Lympics "Snow Day" Event!

Panther reporting from the Cat-A-Lympic stadium!  The cathletes have all gathered for the first events, and are ready to go!  The spectators are gathering on their blankies and strollers along the edges of the snowfield for the "Snow Day" event, hosted by us here at the PDX pride.  Our judge, Grandma, is taking her place at the judges' stand.

Watch your paws, kitties and doggies!  This snowfield is extra-thick, over 5 inches plus a sheet of ice.  We don't want anyfurry to get hurt on the course!

Our first competitor is Tigress.  She gracefully dances around the snowfield, skimming the top, then ends her performance by pawing together a snowball.  Wow!

If you would like to pawticipate in the "Snow Day" event, here's what you do:

1.  Grab the Cat-A-Lympics event badge at the bottom of this page.
2.  Post it on your blog somewhere with a link back to this blog post.
3.  Create a blog post with your "Snow Day" entry and link back to this blog post.  Your entry must have a pawticipant of some non-human species, snow, and be a real photo or video.  Editing for photo quality is ok, but no extreme photoshopping, please.  That would be unsportsmanlike!
4.  Leave a comment on this post letting us know you're entering the event!

We'll post the list of pawticipants here through Caturday, Feb. 22nd.  We'll post the gold, silver, and bronze winners on Sunday, Feb. 23rd.

Good luck to all pawticipants, and stay safe during the Cat-A-Lympics!

"Snow Day" event pawticipants, in order of entry:

Tigress of the PDX pride (see above)

PhotoHunt: Intri-CAT?

Are you a PhotoHunter?

News Repurrt: Feral Friday, Weather Watch, and New Visitors!

Rori writes:

See how much snow we've gotten?  It all has fallen within the last 16 hours, at the time of purring this repurrt.  We were supposed to get about 5 inches yesterday, but I think we got more than that!  I'm happy that my clowder stays inside and Tigress joins us on days like this.

Tigress writes:

I'm glad, too, Auntie Rori!  Although, I had a lot of fun squishing the snow between my paws to make little snowballs on the deck earlier, and pounced around a lot, but that's before it got as deep as it is.  And as cold as it is!  I slept under the rose bushes for a while, but then I got too much snow on me, so I moved to sleep behind the spare tire that's leaning up against the wall.  That way, I didn't get too much snow on my fur.  I much prefer sleeping inside, though!

I've wanted to stay outside a lot of the time for two reasons, and both have to do with visitors!  There's an orange kitty that's been hanging around in my territory, and I've got to show him that he's trespassing!  Daddy saw him two nights ago, but the kitty didn't stay to be seen long.  Good!  This is my house and my yard.  Daddy says I need to share for a while until they can see if the kitty needs taking care of or if it has a home.  It can't have this home, though.

The other visitor is inside, and she's actually not a true visitor.  She's moved in.  Her name's Grandma.  I've made a meowing acquaintance with her through the back door, and seen her sometimes when I've been inside, but new humans really scare me.  I always ask my purrents for out when I see her.  She tries to not scare me, but it will be a while until I get used to her.

Heimdall writes:

Oh, Tigress!  You don't need to worry about Grandma!  She's very nice and loves all of us.  She calls us her grandcats, which we are, and she makes stuff for us.  She gives us blankies she's made, and pets us with her feet (which I know you like).  She can't pet us with her hands right now because she's not feeling well, but she finds other ways to let us know she loves us.  She's moved into the room with the big bed, but Daddy sleeps on the couch and Mommy sleeps on the little bed, so you can still snuggle with them!  That's what the rest of us do.  We wish we were allowed in Grandma's room, but we can't be up on the bed or chairs or snuggle with her.  Even Carbon waits outside the room until he knows she's asleep before continuing with his evening!  Rori has let Grandma see her, and that's saying a lot!

Sad about Catster/Dogster

Sad. Very, very sad. Even though we're not on Dogster and Catster anymore, and haven't been for 3 years, the friendships forged there will last a lifetime. We met most of our FB friends there, many while running "Skylar's Restaurant". We've all shared the joys & sorrows, been there for each other during every trial possible when caring for lives of beings so dependent on us, and rejoiced in adoptions. Thankful for communities where these friendships will continue to thrive. For those on Catster & Dogster, please save your pages as soon as possible.

Happy Gotcha Day Anniversary to Missy!

Missy writes:

*Opens one eye and then both eyes in amazement*  Oh, hi, everyone!  What a nice surprise to wake up to messages on our bloggie for me!  Yes, today's my Gotcha Day anniversary.  Three years ago, Mommy and Daddy decided to adopt me!  I'd been living with them for a good part of the year by then, but that was my official adoption day.  I first came to live with them in the middle of May, 2011, after walking down the sidewalk outside Mommy's work yelling for food.  Mommy stopped her class to come find me, caught me, then she and Daddy put me in the car.  Later on, when they opened the car to get in after Mommy's class was over, I escaped and hid from them.  It took them 45 minutes to catch me again!  That time, I stayed caught.  I rode home in the space between Daddy's door and his seat while he drove, and he petted me the whole time to help me relax.

I was feral but socialized when I found my purrents, and this year they found out that I'd been spayed somewhere along the line.  I may have had a home as a kitten, or I may have found a kind human who got me spayed but couldn't keep me.  I was fed by the guys at the Franz bakery across the street from where Mommy works, and I caught my food as well.

Tomorrow's my 5th birthday, so double happiness for me!  Stay safe tonight, everyone, and out of the way of fireworks.  Tell your humans to stay safe if they're partying, too!

Happy New Year!  Here's to a great 2014!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from all of us at the PDX pride!

May your Christmas be filled with love, peace, and laughter, and may the new year be bright!

PhotoHunt: Mellow & Tabby's Therapy Cat Tales

Tabby writes:

Wednesday was a very mellow day, because the snow had melted and the weather warmed up.  We were supposed to go visiting last week, but it was down to freezing by the time we would've been coming back home.  That's too cold for me to be outside!  I'm an inside kitty, so I don't have much of a winter coat!  My fur gets a little thicker for winter and I shed, but I don't grow the very thick coat like outside kitties do.

It was really raining on Wednesday, so Mommy brought my little umbrella along and I wore my raincoat.  I was all nice and warm then!  At one point, I wanted to crawl into my carrier bag instead, while we were going from one inside place to another inside place, but Mommy put my jacket on me instead.  I had fun watching everything go by then, and didn't worry that I was not in the bag.  I had a wet head, but the rest of my fur was dry.  My jacket doesn't have a hat or a hood, but it has a collar that I curl in if I need to.  Sometimes, I end up wearing the jacket over my head and looking out an armhole!

When we got to the Lloyd Center MAX stop and got off the MAX light rail train, we got a surprise!  Some things were lined up along the street, but they didn't look familiar.  I know what most cars look like, but these were shorter than cars and they had branches sticking out from the windows!  What were those?

Mommy laughed and told me they were cars, too, and they had reindeer antlers!  There were three of them lined up, plus some people in blue shirts advertising Car2Go.  One of the people was dressed as Santa, but I didn't get my picture taken with him.  He didn't want to pose with me.  They all wanted to pet me, though, and one of them asked a ton of questions about therapy cats!  I love being an ambassador kitty for all therapy cats!

H. had a decorated Christmas tree with lighted packages around the bottom of it, plus poinsettias on all the little tables in the lobby.  There were Christmas lights in some places, too.  I didn't get my picture taken with any of it, though, because we were running late and didn't want to keep my friends waiting longer than we needed to.  I didn't wear my "Santa Baby" dress like I normally do for my December visit, but I had the mini Christmas lights blinking around my stroller handle, so everyone loved those.  We visited with a lot of ladies named M.  Well, their real names were longer than that, and not all the same name that starts with M., but I can't tell you their real names.

One lady named A.M. loves holding me on her lap and snuggling with me while she talks with Mommy.  I watched her tv while she petted me and snuggled with me (and talked).  She kept saying she wished that she had a camera to take a picture of me.  She didn't have a camera, though, not even a disposable one (which she wants to get).  Our friend S., who walks around with us at H., has a cameraphone, so Mommy asked her if she would take a picture of A.M. and me.  S. said that of course she would!  A.M. almost cried, she was so happy!  She said that was the best Christmas present in the world!  I posed on the arm of the recliner and we both looked at S. for the picture.  It turned out really cute, and I wish I could share it with everyone!  A.M. is going to find a nice frame for it and put it on her table!  *purrs*

Another of my friends, one of the M.'s, talked about a kitty she had when she was young.  Her mom didn't especially like Kate the kitty because Kate was always pregnant or nursing kittens.  At that time, they didn't spay or neuter cats.  M.'s mom didn't let Kate in the house, but would pour some milk into a bowl and set it out for her and the kittens after she milked.  I think that M.'s mom must've liked Kate more than she let on, if she fed her!  M.'s mom was Norwegian, so M. knows some Norwegian.  She and Mommy had a conversation in Norwegian about Christmas and about how Mommy knew how to speak that language!  S. was present and couldn't understand a word of it, but I was listening and could understand a bit.  I used to go to classes, and I pay attention when Mommy teaches her internet class.  She speaks some of it to us around the house, too.  Daddy understands more than he lets on, but only says a few words of it.

My friend who used to be afraid of cats and now loves me was in her room, so we had a nice visit with her.  She's another M.  She, S., and Mommy had a great conversation about traditional Christmas food and desserts.  Mommy was telling about her family and about Great-Grandma coming out west from South Dakota after Great-Grandma married Great-Grandpa.  The rest of the family on that side lives in South Dakota still, and my great-uncle sends cookie boxes back to them every year as their Christmas gift.

This picture was taken at C., where we visit after we visit H.  I get to share this picture because there's no identifying information in it.  I love how their tree looks!  You can see the lights on my stroller in this picture, too, as well as my jacket.

The elevator at C. wasn't working properly.  One side of it was broken, and it was dinnertime, so everyone was using the other side or the service elevator.  We waited and waited for it!  Finally it came, then we got to visit P.  We had a great visit, then we rode the service elevator back downstairs again.  Mommy talked with a couple staff members at C., and we might have more people to visit with next time!  There isn't a regular scheduling person for outside visitors, but the different floors have schedules so we'll be on one of those schedules.

After we got done visiting, we went downtown Portland to see the big Christmas tree in Pioneer Courthouse Square.  We found a funny thing!  This is a bronze statue of a man holding an umbrella, but look what he's wearing!  If that's not mellow, we don't know what is!

Are you a photohunter?

Snow Day and a Fundraiser Announcement

Tigress writes:

Yesterday, we all woke up to snow!  The first snowfall of the winter!  I was very glad to be inside the warm (and dry) house, but was as hyper as everyone else.  We ran up and down the hallway playing THOE (thundering herd of elephants), woke Mommy up by jumping on the bed, and chittered at the leaves the wind was blowing around in the yard.

After Mommy was fully awake, I let her know I wanted to go out to play in the snow.  I was out for a good two hours before I wanted back in!  I pounced on half-buried leaves, played in the crisp, frozen grass, and made pawprints on the deck.  I hunted for a while, but everything was staying in dens and not out to be hunted.  After it started warming up so the snow was starting to melt, I asked to be let back inside again.

Panther was so jealous!  He wanted out to play in the snow, too, but Mommy wouldn't let him.  He sniffed me all over when I came back in and told me how jealous he was!

Some of you kitties who are world travelers might know that there are two cities called Vancouver on the west coast of North America.  We live in the south Vancouver, which is Vancouver, Washington, USA.  The other Vancouver is Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and it's only about 8 hours away, almost directly north of us.  They are having the same cold weather and starting to have snow.  The kitties up there could really use some help right now, so we'd like to tell you about a fundraiser to help them.

Amy Lowry, a Vancouver, BC, graphics designer, is donating $1 for each item purchased in her Etsy store to the Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association.  VOKRA is a unique no-kill, cats-only rescue that is based around foster homes rather than a brick-and-mortar shelter building.  It was started 13 years ago and, according to the website, helped find homes for almost 2,000 cats last year!  VOKRA also has a T-N-R program.  If you would like more information about VOKRA, their website is here.  If you would like more information about the fundraiser, including some stores that carry Amy Lowry's products, her infographic is here.  Thank you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Tabby is thankful for her family, friends, those she visits, toy springs, food, water, and Mommy and Daddy.

Carbon is thankful for windows that he can look out, Mommy and Daddy, and a long hallway to run up and down.

Rori is thankful for a closet to hang out in when she wants to be by herself, snuggles with Mommy, scratcher, and her family.

Little Bit is thankful for toys, scratcher, the office chair, and Daddy.

Starla is thankful for her cave under the sink, food, medicine for her anxiety, and a family who understands her needs.

Missy is thankful for the printer to lie on, snuggles with Daddy, a warm home, and her family.

Freya is thankful for scratcher, toys, sockies, Mommy and Daddy, her brother, Tigress, and the rest of her family.

Heimdall is thankful for snuggles with Mommy, his sister, the bathtub with fresh shower water, scratcher, toys, food, water, and the rest of his family.

Dare is thankful for the couch to snuggle on, Foster Mommy and Foster Daddy, a home and foster family, toys, and food.

Panther is thankful for an inside foster home and foster family, Foster Mommy and Foster Daddy, Tigress, toys, food, water, the litter box, and health.

Tigress is thankful for the warm house, the ability to go in and out the door, food, liquid water in the house, her inside family, and Mommy and Daddy.

We are all thankful for YOU, our friends!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy 1st Birthday to Panther!!!

Panther writes:

Happy birthday?  What's a birthday?  Foster Mommy gave me (and everyone else) treats today and she and Foster Daddy are telling me I'm a year old today!  Am I really that old?  They are saying that I'm an adult now.  The other kitties tell me that I can act as silly as I want, still, though.  Good!

I'm all healed from my sinus infection now, my eyes have both cleared up, and I'm feeling a lot better.  I don't feel like fighting anymore, although I still haven't figured out the best way to ask the others to play with me.  I go up to them and swat, thinking that will get them to play, but I just get hissed at.  That's not what I want!  I have figured out how to play with Tigress, though.  She's teaching me to tilt my head first, then wait until she makes a move to play.  If I don't do that, she swats at me and hisses.  If I tilt my head first, then she does that and moves to the side, looking at me over her shoulder.  I know that it's ok to go after her, then.  Fun!

Foster Mommy hasn't been feeling well, and came back from somewhere smelling like I did when I came home from the vet.  She said she went to the doctor.  She's feeling better now, but all of us have been piled on her while she lies on the couch or the bed.  Foster Daddy is taking care of our litter box, food, and water for a few days.  Foster Mommy will be ok, though.  She says she had something called a polyp that needed to be removed.

I'm still up for adoption, so if you know of anyone who would like a sweet mancat as their very own, let us know!  My foster purrents will put my Craigslist ad back up after the new year.  They always take down foster ads during the holidays, to prevent boomerang pets.  Please, tell everyone to give promises of pets and not the actual pets as gifts, especially during the holidays.  It's too stressful for us to go to new homes when everything is different and busier!  It's best to wait until the house is calmed down and guests have left, then pick out the perfect pet with the person who is getting the gift.

Panther's Wordy Wednesday

Panther writes:

MEOWWW-OWWW-OWWW!!!!!

I had surgery on Monday night!  I am now almost 1 year old, so it was time for me to be neutered.  Foster Mommy and Foster Daddy say that it will help me not pick fights with the other kitties in the household.  Good, because I don't want to be in fights anymore!

My foster purrents took me to the vet Monday afternoon, and left me there!  I was afraid, but I had a Snoopy toy that the vet place gave me.  Foster Mommy and Foster Daddy put their smells on it before they left, so I would have something to snuggle with that smelled of home.  The vet place does that for all the patients who have to be away from our purrents for any length of time.  I even got to take my Snoopy home, but I think I may have ruined it.  More on that in a few minutes.

About 7:30 pm on Monday, the people took some of my blood and then gave me a sleepy shot.  I felt so relaxed!  I took a nap, and when I woke up I felt something was missing.  I tried to figure out what it was, but I couldn't move like I wanted to.  The people said to be calm, and they petted me while I was figuring out how to wake up.  Finally, I was able to stand.  My balance was off and I wobbled around the cage I was in.  I found the food, water, and box, and took some sips of water.  After a while more, I ate something and used the box.  Then I took another nap with my Snoopy.  The vet people talked to me and sometimes I talked back.  I tried telling them I wanted out to follow them around, but they didn't let me out.  They wouldn't tell me where my foster purrents were, either.

I was able to go home on Tuesday afternoon.  Foster Mommy and Foster Daddy came to get me about 2 pm, just after the people gave me my medicine for my respiratory infection.  I wondered where Foster Mommy was, because she's the one who usually gives me that medicine.  Then, all of a sudden, there she was, and Foster Daddy, too!  I was so glad to see them; I talked for about 3 minutes straight!  One of the people came out to talk with them about my medicines and give her report on how I did.  She said I was a very good boy, and I finally found out what had happened.  I was neutered!  No wonder it felt different back there!

On the way home, I kept looking up through the mesh of the carrier at my foster purrents, just to make sure they were really there.  It was so good to see them again!  I was glad they were taking me back home with them.  I really didn't want to stay at that vet place anymore!

All of a sudden, I felt something.  Oh, no!  I chirped at Foster Mommy, then pleaded with her with my eyes.  She said it was ok, so I peed in the carrier.  I had been holding it in for a while, trying to wait until we got home, but I just couldn't hold it anymore!  It soaked through the carrier wall and got on Foster Mommy's shoe.  She moved me a little but she and Foster Daddy said it was still ok.  They knew I wasn't trying to be bad.  Foster Daddy told me that it wouldn't hurt the floor of the truck.  I was glad to hear that!

When we got home, Foster Mommy tilted the carrier a little so that the pee would drip out onto the driveway.  I watched it intently, then looked up at her to tell her that it had drained all the way out from under me.  Then we went inside, into the bathroom.  She put the carrier on one of Starla's pee pads and opened it up.  I checked with her that it was ok to come out, then Foster Daddy guarded the bathroom door while Foster Mommy took a bunch of wipes to clean me up.  Boy, was I ever wet and stinky!  Even Starla said so, from under the sink!  Starla didn't want me to come near, so she hissed at me, but I was more interested in getting that stinky pee off myself.  I helped by licking the tip of my tail and my legs.  I was more careful with the hurting spots, but I tried to clean those, too.

After I was as clean as I could get, I went out to greet my aunties and uncles.  Pretty much everyone came to greet me.  Auntie Freya watched over me because she could tell I was hurting and had been to the vet.  Tigress came inside and I wrapped one arm around her, then licked her shoulder!  I'd missed her the most of anyone, because she came from where I came from:  outside.  She was glad to see me, too, but surprised and confused by my hug.  She put up with me doing that, though.

Besides my Clavamox for my upper respiratory infection, which I still have a bit of, I also have Metacam for the pain and swelling.  The swelling has gone down quite a bit already, but it will go down even more with that.  I go back in a few days for a recheck and to get my boosters for my vaccinations.

Dona Nobis Pacem

Today is the day set aside in the Blogosphere for the BlogBlast for Peace.  We at the PDX pride celebrate this day by reciting the Peace Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals.

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace;
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is error, the truth;
Where there is doubt, the faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled, as to console;
To be understood, as to understand;
To be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Amen.