Foster Friday: Introducing Autumn

Autumn writes:

Oh, hi!  I didn't realize there were other humans and big cats here, reading what we write!  I'm Autumn, and I've been at this place for a week now.  I'm a foster kitten.  I'm about 4 1/2 months old, and I'm a double-fanged monster!  Rawr!  No, actually I'm a sweet baby who is teething right now, because I just got my adult teeth but still have my baby teeth.  That means I like to chomp on arms and legs, but I'm always careful not to break the skin.  I have very good manners!  I even use soft paws on my foster purrents, instead of clawing (at least most of the time).

I'm also very smart!  In a week, I've learned to ask for petting and for up, just like Tabby and Heimdall do!  I also know how to hop into the stroller for a nap, and I know the best sleep spots in the house.  I also do funny kitten stuff, like try to climb onto the desk by standing in the garbage can, spilling it over in the process.  After I did that, I walked around the house with a used tissue on my back for a few minutes before I shook it off!  Foster Mommy didn't have the camera handy at the moment, though!

My other people had to give me up.  My other mommy loves me very much, but she split up with my other daddy and couldn't take me to college with her.  I couldn't stay with my other daddy, either.  My other mommy is a student of Foster Mommy's, so she called Foster Mommy and arranged to bring me to this home.  At the time, my name was Doug and my other people thought I was a little boykit.  I guess they never checked to see once I got old enough!  My foster purrents quickly changed my name once they saw I was a little girlkit.

This is why I'm now named Autumn.  My orange spot looks just like a leaf landed on my little head!  Everyone loves my colors.  There is another kitty here who looks like me and her name is Missy.  She doesn't really like me much, because she thinks I'm taking Foster Daddy away from her.  No, I'm not!  I just like sitting with him and snuggling because I spent most of my first day here in his lap being petted.

At first, I was overwhelmed by all the big kitties here.  At my other home, I was an only kitten, so this was a complete change!  I hissed at everyone, but then I realized that they were only curious.  I was curious, too!  I saw something waving around, so I crouched low in the chair and tracked it.  Suddenly, I made up my mind to grab it, so I pounced!  One of the big cats turned to look at me and jerked the waving thing away.  It was Heimdall's tail!  Now, every time I see that tail, I go play with it.  It's the best toy in the world, and the big cat attached to it, Heimdall, doesn't even mind unless I try to bite!

I also like playing with Dare, who is my size even though she's older than I am.  I like playing chase up and down the hallway with her, even though I can't leap as high as she does.  She hops to the top of the roll-top desk, and I can't get that far even with an in-between jump.  I try to get Rori to play sometimes, and she played a little with me yesterday around a box, but then she swatted at me and I got scared.  She was confused because I ran off, so she apologized to me by touching noses with me later on to tell me she was sorry.  All these big cats are two to five times my size, except for Dare and Missy.  That's big!

I like my foster home, but I would really love a home of my own.  I'm very social, smart, and friendly to humans and other cats.  I'm up-to-date on all my shots, but still need to be spayed.  My foster purrents are going to make an appointment for that next week, probably.

I'm off to explore and play!  Meow at you later!

Happy Gotcha Day Anniversary to Rori!

Rori writes:

Mommy says she may give me some nummies like I'm eating in this picture today, because it's my Gotcha Day Anniversary!  Cool!  The last time I got some wet-food nummies was when Grandma gave us some of her TOONA.  Mommy and Daddy don't eat that stuff, but they promised to give me some of a can of wet cat food.  That's just fine with me!  Yummy!

In case you missed it, the big family news was on our bloggie yesterday, about Grandma.  I'm still not used to not having her around, but things are getting better around here.  Grandpa came by last night and I actually let him see me!  Not only let him, but wanted him to follow me down the hall and into the room where my cave is!  I didn't want him to pet me, but I did want him to see where my cave is.  My purrents were so happy!  That's a big step for me, because I'm actually the shyest one of the clowder, even though I'm the Big Kitty of the House (read:  alpha cat).

It's now 7 years since I first met my forever family!  Did you know that that's how old Mama Lydia was when I first met her?  Mama Lydia was Uncle Skylar's sister, and she was Big Kitty before me.  She taught me everything about being Big Kitty in the year that I knew her.  She even let me snuggle with her!  I can't believe I'm as old as she was then!  Of course, she was sick at that point and I'm relatively healthy, so that makes a lot of difference.  The only major health problems I have are my weight and the cataract taking over my left eyeball.  Those don't stop me when I really want to do something, though, even climbing up the ladder to the bunk bed to snuggle with Mommy while she naps like I did last week, playing with my little sister Little Bit, or keeping tabs on the household.  I just keep on keeping on!

My brother was gotcha'd to be a foster kitten here at the same time I was gotcha'd, but then he was adopted out.  I got to stay!  My first human mommy was Mommy Erin, who lived with us at that time.

This is the first picture of me, right after Mommy picked me out of the middle of a spare tire in the neighbor's yard and handed me to Mommy Erin.  Mommy Erin had seen my brother and me crossing the street and ran in to tell Mommy and Daddy.  Of course, there was no question what was going to happen!

Saying Goodbye to Grandma

This is one of our favorite pictures of Grandma.  That's who the little girl was in our Wordless Wednesday post this week!  Grandma was Mommy's mommy, and she was living with us for the last 7 months.  She died of cancer on August 8th, so we're very sad about that.  There have been a lot of changes around here lately, things moving around, people coming in and out, meeting new people who are relatives whom we've never seen before, and different schedules.

Our purrents say we're a houseful of therapy cats, which is a good thing!  Having Tabby in our family has taught us all to be mindful of our purrents' emotions and behaviors, so when they first heard the news, we all offered ourselves to be petted and to purr for them.  Grandpa (Mommy's dad, who was divorced from Grandma ages ago) came over and immediately got three lap-sitters!  We've all been extremely snuggly and attentive to Mommy and Daddy and social with other people who have come by to offer help and condolences.

Heimdall was the closest to Grandma, and became her "furry doctor".  He would sneak into her room to do his rounds, walking under the desk, then around to check out underneath the hospital bed, then walk to the far wall and look up at her when she was lying in bed.  Then, most of the time, he'd go under the rocking chair and have to be caught to be taken out of the room.  If Grandma was in the rocking chair, he'd go over to her for pets.  None of us could be on Grandma's lap, because she had cancer and so her immune system was compromised by the chemo and radiation.  After she died, Heimdall went in to do his rounds and was very concerned when he didn't see her on the bed.  He hopped up onto the bed and immediately shrunk because he could tell she hadn't been there for a week.  She had been in the hospital for a few days before she died, so by the time Heimdall went into her room it had been almost two weeks since she'd last slept in her bed.  Heimdall immediately let Mommy pick him up and snuggle him, then Freya came over to lick him on the head when he was set in the hallway.  He still pulls on Grandma's door at least twice a day, hoping that she'll reappear.

Tabby is the only one of us who knew that humans could die.  She'd encountered death smells and "not there" smells, as well as ministered to dying friends on her visits, so she's been trying to help the rest of us through this.  However, without direct experience, it's hard for us to visualize one of our people being "not there".  It's a different "not there" than when fosters have been adopted.  This "not there" leaves an empty place that's sad, instead of a happy-sad one, and we don't like it.

Mommy let us smell the death smells on Grandma's things when they were retrieved from the hospital, but that only helped a little.  Human death smells, while similar, are still different enough from kitty death smells that we don't know if what we smelled really was a death smell.  Our purrents say it was, but we can't be sure.  All we know is that our third purrson is missing from our lives.

We love you, Grandma!  We miss you very much, and wish you were here to give us leg pets and hand pets, knit blankets for us, and tell us how much you love us, too.  If you were here, Heimdall would purr his best motorboat purr for you!  We know you are at the Bridge, so we will see you again.  We hope your spirit will come visit us like the spirits of our furry family members Skylar and Spooky.

Stephanie Thompson

July 20, 1948 to

August 8, 2014

Wordless Wednesday: Remembering

Panther got adopted!

Sunday, we had an exciting visitor!

 
Tabby: I'm going to miss you, Panther!
Panther: What's a forever home, Tabby?
Tabby: You'll find out very soon!  That lady who was just here wants you to come live with her and her other cat.
Panther:  Really?

Monday, she came back, and Panther was ready!

Foster Mommy says it's time to get ready for going to my new home!

Down the ladder I go!

New life, here I come!

Now where is everyone? I want to say goodbye first!

Goodbye, Tigress!  Goodbye Tabby!  Anyone in the living room to say goodbye to?

Goodbye, Foster Mommy!  Goodbye, Foster Daddy taking the picture!  Now, could you put me on the floor again, please?

New mommy Cai came over and Missy wanted to horn in on the attention!  After she realized Cai was focused on me, Missy decided to leap up to the table tray.  This is her getting ready to launch herself off to the table tray.

Hi, new mommy Cai!  I like how you pet my tummy, but I'm not sure about coming closer for attention right now.

Missy:  What do you mean, I have to move?  Didn't she bring this portable cave just for me?
Panther:  Nope, it's for me!  I'm the one leaving!  If you go, then who will snuggle with Daddy when he sleeps?
Missy:  Oh, I didn't think about that.  I don't want to leave my daddy!
Mommy:  *scruffs Missy and pulls her out, with Cai's help to keep her from holding onto the sides with her claws*
Panther:  Ok, now my turn!
Mommy:  *makes Panther get in the carrier by putting him seat-first through the door when the carrier is on-end*
Panther:  *cries*  Why did you have to put me in there like that?  I do want to go to my new home, but the car ride is a little scary and I don't like being cooped up in this carrier.  *scrabbles at the sides and door, trying to get out*
Cai:  It's ok, Panth!  I'll let you out to explore once we get home.

I have a new brofur!  His name is Beastie, and he's a fluffy white kitty.  He swatted me once to tell me that he's the alpha cat in the household, and otherwise hisses or ignores me.  Within two hours, I was snuggled at Mommy Cai's feet while she and Beastie took naps.  I actually took a nap, too, because all this excitement wore me out!  I like my new home, but it's weird not having the others here.  I looked for them and called to them, but they didn't come out of hiding so I guess it's just the three of us here at this new place called a forever home.  I like my forever home!  I've been sticking to Mommy Cai like velcro, following her from room to room and talking non-stop.  This bothers Beastie, so he's been pouting, but Mommy Cai gives him a lot of attention, too, so he feels included.  She says this is the best transition she's ever had for a new kitty!

Mommy Cai is friends with Foster Mommy on Facebook, so Foster Mommy can share updates on how I'm doing.  Everyone's sure that it won't be long until Beastie and I are great friends!  I love you all, and thank you for being friends with me!

Mommy Cai and Foster Mommy told me that I'm a very special kitty who was sent to Mommy Cai for a reason.  Mommy Cai had a black kitty "visit" her, walk down a hallway, and disappear.  That was a couple months after I got over my pneumonia and became available for adoption, so Foster Mommy told Mommy Cai about me.  Mommy Cai had another kitty, Spot, but Spottie was really sick so he needed round-the-clock care.  Mommy Cai couldn't bring a new kitty into her life (and the household) while she was providing hospice to Spot.  After Spot died, Beastie cried for him for hours on end.  While Mommy Cai and Beastie are still grieving for Spot, I hope I can help ease their grief and lonlieness.  I can also provide playtime for Beastie!

Happy 7th Purrthday to Rori!

 Rori writes:

Yay, it's my birthday!  Happy 7th birthday to me, and to my brother, Knut, also!  He lives with a friend of Mommy's, but it's his birthday, too, because we were from the same litter.  We were born in a backyard in SE Portland, Oregon.  Our mom-cat was a feral named Rachel, and my dad-cat is a pet cat named Spongebob.  He's also Little Bit's dad-cat, but her mom-cat was named Boo-Boo Kitty and Little Bit's younger than I am.

Here's a picture of Auntie Tabby helping me learn about footstools, down, and up.  Wasn't I a cute kitten?  This was taken soon after I was caught and learned about inside and humans.  I was about 5 weeks old in this picture.

Here's a picture of Auntie Tabby snuggling with my brother, Knut.  He was named Neo at the time, because he's got color points on his ears and tail.  He's also got a spot on his face, and a pink spot on one ear.

This is a silly picture of my brother, all grown up.  He's pretending to be a jedi!

I'm going to celebrate my birthday by saying hi to Grandma and letting her pet me like I did yesterday.  I may even let Mommy brush my fur!

Miss Marble's 1st Bridge Day Anniversary

Miss Marble writes:

It was one year ago today that I left my earthly family and gained my angel wings.  I know that they still miss me terribly.  I don't know what made me not notice the car coming, or what made me try right then to cross the street, which I normally never did.  You might say I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Or was I?  Because I left for the Bridge, my sister decided that she could start to come inside.  She thought it was my territory before, so she didn't want to intrude on a place she considered to be only mine.  We shared most territory, but she didn't want to try to come inside while I was alive.  When she came back from her walkabout a couple months after I flew to the Bridge, she immediately decided inside was a good place!  Now she's almost as comfortable inside as I was!

I miss you, sissy Tigress, and I miss all of my inside family, my purrents, and all my friends.  Love to you from the Bridge!

Happy Gotcha Day Annifursary to the Twins!

Hey, Sis!  Did you hear that?  It's our 4th Gotcha Day Annifursary!  Remember when we were just kittens and Mommy and Daddy came to Salem Friends of Felines to get us?  They said we looked just like Uncle Skylar and Auntie Lydia and they wanted us to be their very own kittens!  I remember being excited and scared at the same time and hiding in the back of the carrier.

What was that, Brother?  Oh, yeah.  I remember being at Salem Friends of Felines in the kitten room.  We were the oldest kittens in there, and I took over as the foster "mom" to the littlest ones who needed someone to mentor them.  You were the only one I let pretend nurse on me, though, and that was only because you're my brother.  I remember that ride to our new home.  I didn't want to leave the kitten room at all, but once we got in the car I wanted out of the carrier and kept reaching my paws through to hold onto Mommy and Daddy.

When we got home, I remember that we explored everything, with our new family trailing along behind watching what we were doing and trying to get to know us.  That was an adventure, and a fun one at that!  I'm so glad that Mommy saw your picture and Daddy saw mine, so that we found a home together, since we're littermates.  I'm glad we found this home to call our own!

Four years....

Skylar, it's now four years since you left us, and in many ways I still can't believe it. I know you visit us from time to time, along with our other angels, but it seems surreal to think that it's been this long already. Your daddy and I still smile and laugh at how similar Heimdall, the one you found for me, behaves to how you used to behave. Just yesterday, he was trying to mooch cinnamon rolls from your grandma and me after sneaking in somewhere he wasn't supposed to be. Is it any wonder we gave him your name as his middle name?
 Skylar, you came into my life chowing down on a tomato in my garden, and the night before you went to the Bridge you yowled one last time for your yummy food. Thanks for letting me be part of your life and for embracing all of us. No matter how many years it becomes, we never will forget you!

Happy 9th Gotcha Day Annifursary to Tabby & Carbon!

Tabby and Carbon:  Mommy?  Daddy?  Please tell us the story about how you adopted us!

The PDX pride mommy and daddy gather the two nine-year-olds onto their laps and begin to tell the story, petting the purring kitties as they talk.

Nine years ago, two little kittens were waiting in a wire cage on the porch of the feed store in Clatskanie, Oregon.  One was striped and swirled, and one was all black and long-haired.  The tortoiseshell was a little, 4-week-old girl and the black one was a little, 5-week-old boy.  They were from two litters that had been dropped off to be given away, and were the last ones left.  It was a hot, summer day.  The kittens had a litter box, a water bowl, and a bowl of dry food in the cage.

A man and lady drove past.  The people were going on a date to Long Beach, Washington.  The lady saw the sign on the feed store that said "Free Kittens".  All the way down to the beach and all the way back, the man kept on telling the lady, "I want a puddy.  Remind me to stop on the way back so we can look at the kittens!"  The lady was going to adopt two adult cats of her own, but the man wanted a cat or cats, too, because he loved kitties and had always had them in his life.

When the people stopped, the feed store was about to close for the day.  The lady smiled as she saw the cages for a bunny and for the kittens, because she'd had a dream years before that had that exact scene in it!  The man rushed right over to the kitten cage and scooped up the little black kitten.  The kitten crawled up his chest and curled around his neck.  The lady took the little tabby kitten out, and she snuggled right into the lady's elbow.

After a few minutes, the people traded kittens and went inside.  The clerk brought out a cardboard box with holes in it and put the kittens inside.  Once in the truck, the people opened the box to pet the kittens.  "What are you going to name them?" asked the lady.  "Tabby and Carbon," answered the man, smiling.  "A friend has two that look like these, and I helped pick them out, so these two are going to be named after them."  Tabby spent the trip looking out the window, trying to climb the man, and trying to explore.  Carbon got sick in the box and the lady cleaned it up for him.

The people stopped at a pet store to get supplies for the little ones, since the man had not planned on coming home with any furry friends!  When the box was opened at the man's house, the people lifted the kittens out and showed them where their new litter box, food, and water all were.  Carbon hopped into a smelly work boot and fell asleep!  Tabby wanted to investigate and was especially interested in the strawberry cake the lady was eating.  The lady put her on the couch, where she promptly took a nosedive into the cake!  Carbon woke up and helped the people clean Tabby up.

The people settled on the couch to watch a movie and watch the kittens play.  Some time later, they realized the house was too quiet.  Where had those kittens got to?  Not under the bed!  Not in the spare room!  Not under the couch!  How about in the dresser?  There, in the top two drawers, were the kittens, fast asleep!  They yawned and blinked at the people when the drawers were pulled out.  They had used the backs of the drawers as stair steps!

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.