When accepting this auspicious award, you must write a post bragging about it, including the name of the misguided soul who thinks you deserve such acclaim, and link back to said person so everyone knows who he or she is.Choose a minimum of 7 blogs that you find brilliant in content or design. Or improvise by including ones who have no idea who you are because you don’t have 7 friends. Show the 7 random victims’ names and links and leave a harassing comment informing them that they were prized with “Honest Weblog.” Well, there’s no prize, but they can keep the nifty icon. List at least ten honest things about yourself, as well as an Honest Photo...Then, pass it on!
10 honest things about us:
We love people food! That's why we make our purrents give it to us sometimes when they're eating, and created Chef Skylar's Open Restaurant to share people food recipes for cats (and dogs) and have fun.
We sleep 80% of the day. Well, we're cats; what do you expect us to do?
We play the other 20%. Well, most of it, anyway. Got to have time out for eating and other stuff.
My new mom and dad came and got me, and trapped me in the cat carrier. In the car, my new mom opened the carrier a little and petted me to try to calm me down, because I was holding my whole body rigid.
Once I got to my new home, they opened the carrier right by my new litter box. I explored all over the house, except the little human's room, then hid under the bed. I'll explore later, but right now I know I'm safe under here.
My new mom called Foster Mommy and told her all of this so she could update everyone.
Today I'm going to my new home! I don't really know what that means, but Foster Mommy and Foster Daddy are happy-sad about it, so I guess it's a really good thing. I'll get to bring one toy with me: a wand with a big fleece string on it, and it chirps like a bird when it gets waved around. It's my favorite toy in the whole house, so they said I could take it with me. My new purrents, Erin (Skylar's other mommy) and her boyfriend Brian, are coming to get me after 5:30 pm.
Karen writes:
Smokey's Catster page be transferred over to Erin and will continue to be updated by her.
As Mommy's realizing that she has to change her life to accommodate things she thought would just go away (but now she knows are part of her fibromyalgia), she has 13 things that affect us as well. Well, sometimes not us in particular, but the household.
The radio. Daddy likes the radio on or the tv on when he's got other noise as well, like playing a computer game on the laptop or watching another tv show online. Mommy's sensitive to noise, so the volume has to go down a bit.
Music for sleeping. Sometimes, Mommy needs to put on cd's to help her sleep. Instrumental music and classical stuff, jazz sometimes. We like to be in the bedroom while the music plays, because it calms us down as well!
Sleep times. Mommy now takes a nap after she gets up. This makes sense to us, because cats need a lot of naps during the day too. We know when it's her nap time and when it's her regular sleep time, and we make sure she is surrounded by purrs. Tabby is by her pillow, Skylar is by her side or her feet, and sometimes others of us are in the room as well. We send out delegates to be with Daddy when he sleeps, too, because he sleeps better with purrs as well. Starla's his designated sleep buddy at the moment, and Skylar goes out there when he's sure Mommy's resting well.
Alarms. Mommy sometimes turns her alarm off and then falls back asleep, forgetting she's turned the alarm off. This has happened for two days with her awake alarms for medication and for Skylar's medication. Rori and Tabby make sure she's up by coming purring up to her for pets. She wakes up to pet them, then realizes that it's time to get up.
Walking around the house. Mommy is having a little balance trouble because of her new medication (Lyrica), so we make sure to observe very closely. Sometimes she says we're too close, but we're only trying to be there if she falls so she lands on something soft.
Temperature. Mommy and Daddy were playing a game with the heat before she realized that was part of the fibro, so the game continues. All the heat pours into the bedroom, so that's good for Mommy. Daddy takes naps on the couch, and he only sleeps in the bedroom when his back isn't bugging him as much (or when they have "private" time). Sometimes it gets too warm in the bedroom for us, so we come out to the main part of the house.
Not working. Mommy doesn't work right now except for her art business, so she's home all the time with us. That's wonderful! Daddy still goes to work, and we hate to see him leave! We all wish he could stay home as well, but someone's got to earn money for our food and litter. ;)
Food. Speaking of food, Mommy is supposed to eat healthy. That means more yummy things for us to sample. Rori likes soy yogurt; Smokey will eat anything with potatoes, including jo-jos; Tabby likes to lick up the soymilk from the cereal bowl; Skylar snoopervises the cooking like any good chef would.
Brain-fog. Mommy has brain-fog, also knows as fibro-fog, which means that sometimes she doesn't remember words or loses track of her thoughts. For us, that means sometimes we have to remind her to scoop our litter box twice daily. It's not a big deal for her to forget things sometimes, so we gently remind her of what needs to be done for us and she writes notes to herself about other things.
Chores. Daddy does a lot of the chores, because it hurts Mommy to do some of them. He loads the dishwasher and takes the big loads of laundry downstairs. Then Mommy unloads the dishwasher when it's done and does the laundry, putting the small loads in the washer and dryer from the piles Daddy brought down. Daddy uses a lot of towels because he works outside for his job, so he takes a couple showers a day. It all adds up. When it's downstairs, though, then it's easy for Mommy to put in the washer.
Love and purrs. Sometimes, Mommy and Daddy get overwhelmed with all the changes and everything, so we make sure to give them extra attention. We're very good at that!
Humor. We make sure to play and do things to make Mommy and Daddy laugh every day. They also joke around a lot more now.
Hope. Seeing us figuring out new things and interacting with each other offers Mommy hope that the next day will be better. She's actually doing really well, but it's a big change.
Mommy got an e-mail today from DoveLewis that said some of the professional photographer pictures were up! They are at Beth Caldwell's Shutterfly page. We are in some of them. She got a couple shots of me on the runway, being petted by an audience member! Mommy's definitely going to order a couple photos for my scrapbook. :)
Mommy's grandma turned 88 yesterday, and her grandpa turns 83 next week. Here they are with their yummy chocolate cake with mint whipped cream frosting.
Grandma's big present was a book her cousin helped research, about the schools of Minnehaha County, South Dakota, where she grew up. A lot of the relatives are in the book!
I was on TV the night of the fashion show! FOX 12 Oregon showed the first few models on their 10:00 pm news, and I was one of them! Mommy's mom saw me!
*dancing around in happiness*
I can't find a link to it, but if I do I will definitely share it.
I'm so excited that I couldn't wait to tell everyone about my fashion show debut! Mommy brought her digital camera, so we were able to get pictures of the setting-up and some video of my part of the show!
We got there about 4:30 pm, even though we didn't need to be there until 5:30. Mommy wanted me to get accustomed to the environment before a lot of the dogs got there. It took me about 45 minutes to go from my scared spot on the couch to the floor and exploring a little. At first, I was stress-purring really hard and shaking. Mommy just let me be for a while, to let me get used to the situation on my own. Once I calmed down a bit, with her petting me, she put me down on the floor to see what I would do. I sniffed, watched one of the dogs who was there already, then jumped back up on the couch to watch as everyone started filing in.
This is the first dog to arrive, beside Lexi. Lexi is the co-owner of LexiDog, along with her human. They were helping everyone. The dog in the picture is Tucker. He really didn't seem interested in me, other than to sniff the air. In the picture, you can see all of our outfits lined up on hangers on the fence. Each one had the model's name on it, so we could easily tell whose was whose. This is Gracie the goat. She's a therapy animal with the DoveLewis Animal-Assisted Therapy & Education program. She was the surprise guest model this year.
Eowyn came in wearing a tutu! It wasn't her costume, but she loves dressing up so much that she came in an outfit.
Here is a closeup of my shirt from bentley B. It was really comfortable, and perfect for the "rocker chick" style they were going for! I just chilled in the middle of the "mini dog park" in my shirt, and let everyone love on me. All the handlers came to see me and pet me, and the dogs came over to sniff me and lick me. I got lots and lots of doggie kisses! Koda really liked me. I was the first cat he's ever seen! He sniffed me, sniffed some more, drooled a bit on me, then licked me, then sniffed some more, and then pawed me gently to see if I would play with him! Then he rolled over on his back, showing me he definitely wanted to play! I was his favorite friend there! Oliver also thought I was a good friend. He's a year and a half, and all puppy! He followed me around, and constantly wanted to sniff in my face and see what I was doing!
Next, we met the other cat team: Karen and George. So it was Karen & Tabby meeting Karen & George! We all thought that was hilarious! George spent most of his time there in a carrier, but he walked on his leash when it was his turn on the runway. First we looked at each other, sizing each other up. Then we touched noses! Immediately after touching noses, we both hissed, causing our mommies to laugh. We were fine around the dogs, but didn't want to share the spotlight with another of our own species!
We don't remember the name of this little pup, but I hung out with her for a while. She wore two outfits in the show. Mommy liked this one, so she took a couple pictures of it.
Showtime! There I am, being held by veterinarian Dr. Curtis Brandt. He and I are both in our rockstar outfits. Check out his pink-striped hair! We're just going up onto the stage here. We were the third pair to go onstage.
Mommy went upstairs to watch my part of the show. Here's a shot of the stage, right before they turned on the spotlights.
She got some video of my part, so we put that at the end of this post. When she came back downstairs, the goat was getting dressed!
There's the other cat, George, on the tv screen. They had a live feed set up, so we could watch the rest of the show from downstairs.
There were more models than that, but we couldn't get pictures of them all. There was also an intermission with an auction. It was all so fun, but I was glad when Mommy came back downstairs. Dr. Curtis had handed me to one of the volunteers, and I hugged her around the neck then lay in her arms until Mommy came for me. I hugged Mommy for a while, then sat behind her in the chair while she watched the rest of the show.
Here's the video of my part in the fashion show. The announcers are from Fox 12 Oregon.
This week's recipe is for cats. If you want to make this for St. Patrick's Day, use some green food coloring and a shamrock cookie cutter.
Kitty Treats (from Ann Clark) Note: Can be made with or without catnip Contains milk.
Combine: 1 cup whole wheat flour 1/4 cup white flour 2 Tb. wheat germ 1/3 cup powdered milk 1 tsp. catnip Gradually add: 2 eggs 1/3 cup milk 4 Tb. vegetable oil
Mix until all ingredients are well blended. Don't be afraid to use your hands. If a little too dry, add more milk. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Pat to 1/2 inch thickness on a floured board. Cut using your favorite Ann Clark Cookie Cutters. Bake 25 minutes. Allow to cool and harden. Store in tins or storage bags. Yield: 12 large shapes or 24-36 small shapes.
It's that time of year again! "Team Tabby" is once again raising money to support Cat Adoption Team (CAT). This year, instead of joining in the "Pets in the Pearl" fundraiser, they have their own: a Care-A-Thon. It's their 11th year as an organization, so we're challenging cats (and dogs) and their people to donate in 11s. Can you donate:
$11 will pay to test one cat for feline leukemia and feline aids $22 will help stock a “kitten baby bag” for a foster family $55 will neuter five male cats through our subsidized program for families in financial need $110 will vaccinate and spay two female cats to keep them healthy and prevent the birth of unwanted kittens
If you can donate anything, click on the link in the sidebar or go to my fundraising page.
If you have the "Team Tabby" picture from previous years, you can add an html link by going to the page above and clicking the "share" button.
Thanks, everyone, for your support to this great cause!
Love,
Tabby.
P.S. Tomorrow's the fashion show (Friday)...I can't wait! I've been so excited that I can't stop asking Mommy for pets!
I'm back to playing now. My tummy fur is still gone, but that's all right because Foster Mommy rubs my tummy more and makes it warm. I don't jump as high, but I've found steps to jump on to get to my favorite places. I am back to sleeping in my normal spot, and playing chase with Rori. I snuggle with Foster Mommy at night.
I'm going to my new home on the 18th of this month. My new mommy got my water and food bowls and my litter box already, and is very excited to have me come live there.
Starla says:
I've figured out I am allowed on the back of the couch. I like to snuggle with Daddy when he is sleeping, although sometimes he forgets I'm there when he rolls over. I remind him by waking up and getting down, and then he calls me back to snuggle some more. Skylar likes me and snuggles on the couch at the same time I do. Rori doesn't like me so much, but I like her. She hisses at me. Carbon scares me. I never know whether he's going to just watch me or if he's going to come jumping at me wanting to play. Tabby is a sweetheart and licks my ears. She comes to check on me if I get scared by something.
Anyone who's ever heard a Siamese yowl knows what it sounds like around our house today. It's definitely a Mancat Monday!
Skylar writes:
I'm feeling so much better now that Starla's around. I just was lonely and depressed, and then she came to be my companion. I love my new friend! I let her snuggle with me and be right by me when I'm sitting with Dad. I go check on her and touch noses with her sometimes. I watch her and purr.
I've perked up quite a bit. My whole attitude's back to normal! I'm eating fine, drinking water occasionally (still working on that one), and am starting to assert myself again.
Yesterday, I woke Mom up with a Siamese yowl, demanding part of Dad's hotdog that he bought on the way home from work. I got some of it (of course) and chomped it right down, then got another piece. Starla got a piece as well, and the others got some bread (because they don't eat the hotdog part).
Today, Mom had bologna, and I demanded my fair share. She says it wasn't really bologna, just something that is made from tofu that seems like meat, but it tasted real! Smelled real, too, that's why I demanded it!
My meeting and fitting went so well! When we first got to DoveLewis, we rode the elevator, which I don't really like but I put up with. Then, we stepped out of the elevator and saw Heather and Andy. Heather was watering plants, and said hi to us. Andy, a big black lab, came over to Mommy for pets, then went to sniff me in my stroller.
A few more people walked by when we were waiting, and I greeted them by looking at them and walking over to be petted. I also sat in the chair with Mommy, then got down and rolled over on the carpet for tummy rubs. I wanted to follow one lady into a conference room, but she wouldn't let me.
When the lady came to get us, I hopped down and walked with Mommy on my leash while she pushed the stroller. I walked partway, then wanted to go down the other hallway, so Mommy picked me up and carried me while the lady pushed the stroller.
I was fitted with a size large t-shirt. They used the ones from last summer's "Pets in the Pearl" fundraiser to do the sizes, but that's not what I'll really be wearing. When Mommy put the shirt on me, she could tell I loved the fit and fabric! I walked around the table a bit, then rolled over for tummy rubs. Everyone agreed I was being a little ham, loving all the attention (and the two cameras) focused on ME!
Then, I met the man who's going to walk with me down the runway. He learned how I like being held, and we practiced walking and showing off my outfit. He also spent some time petting me and talking with me, so that we could get comfortable working with each other.
My shirt for the fashion show will be something related to being a "rockstar chick". Dr. Brandt will be dressed in something "urban edgy New York rocker" style. Dr. Brandt's outfit will be from a shop called "Urban Edge".
The next thing...rehearsal and then the main event! The rehearsal will take place the day of, at 5:30 pm. The actual show is at 7:00 pm but doors open at 6:30.
I'm soooooo excited! Mommy gets a backstage pass, so she'll be there with me for everything except the actual runway walk. She's super-excited as well!
Today's recipe is for dog treats. No, I don't have dogs, just cats, but I used to. The cat treat recipe last week was a hit, so I will alternate for this week. This can also be made for cats.
Wheatless Tuna Biscuits • 1 cup yellow cornmeal -- *see Note • 1 cup oatmeal • 1/4 tsp. baking powder • 1 small can tuna in oil -- undrained • 1/3 cup water
Grind oatmeal in processor to make a coarse flour. Set aside in small bowl. In food processor, whirr tuna with the oil, and water then add all the rest of the ingredients. Pulse till mixture forms a ball, Pulse to knead for 2-3 minutes. Knead on floured surface till it forms a soft ball of dough. Roll out to a 1/8"-1/4" thickness. Cut into shapes. Bake on lightly greased cookie sheet , at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Cool completely.
Shadow, Starla (now inside only), Little Bit, Orange-head kitty, Big-head black tom kitty, Outdoor Fluffy Buddy, Boo-Boo Kitty, Precious (grey & brown calico from across the street who may have been abandoned), the raccoon, black tom cat who's Carbon's look-alike, SpongeBob.
Shadow's back! She's very hungry, so she may have been hiding from the construction guys. Raccoon came three consecutive days. Precious, who we hadn't seen in a few weeks, came back, and she may be pregnant.
When accepting this auspicious award, you must write a post bragging about it, including the name of the misguided soul who thinks you deserve such acclaim, and link back to said person so everyone knows who he or she is.Choose a minimum of 7 blogs that you find brilliant in content or design. Or improvise by including ones who have no idea who you are because you don’t have 7 friends. Show the 7 random victims’ names and links and leave a harassing comment informing them that they were prized with “Honest Weblog.” Well, there’s no prize, but they can keep the nifty icon. List at least ten honest things about yourself, as well as an Honest Photo...Then, pass it on!
