Therapy Cat Tales, Walk your Cat Day, and Saturday PhotoHunt: Wheel

Tabby writes:

Hi!  Happy belated Valentine's Day!  These are my "wheels", my stroller for visiting.  Since we visited a week ago Wednesday, we went with a Valentine's theme for my stroller and outfit.  I wore my "Mommy's Sweetheart" pink dress/shirt over my pink harness.  It was very comfy, especially in the wind when we were outside!  Mommy and I stopped at the Dollar Tree on the way to H. to get the decorations.  The puffy fabric hearts on the top part of my stroller are actually stickers!  Autumn attacked them the moment we got back home, and actually ripped them in half, but they looked very cute while I was visiting.  Once Mommy put them up there, I had to sniff them to investigate.  I then asked her what she'd done to my ride!  She assured me it was just temporary, so I left the hearts alone.  Mommy and S. had a good laugh over my worry, though, and so did I after I thought about it.  I kept on looking at the hearts and purring contentedly.

The red blanket is actually a hand towel, once again from the Dollar Tree.  We love shopping there!  We also got some plastic boxes that are shaped like conversation hearts, except they don't have anything written on them.  We gave them to my friends for Valentine's Day, and they loved them!  Some people were going to use them to collect coins, and others were going to use them for rings.  Some didn't know what they were going to use them for, but liked the idea.  One of my friends just found it amusing to keep opening and closing the box.  That works, too, because it's fine-motor therapy for her hands!

On the way to H., we rode the MAX light rail as usual.  While we were waiting for the train, Mommy was getting me ready and dressed.  One man took out his camera and took photos of me getting dressed, because he couldn't believe he was actually seeing that!  He asked our permission to put the pictures up on Instagram!  Wow!  Mommy doesn't have an Instagram account so we can't find the pictures, but it's really cool to think about that those are out there!

At H., my friend S. took us around with the list of people to visit.  Some were at the social hour, so we had to wait until they got back home to visit with them.  I wondered why they weren't in their rooms, but then it made sense when I saw them later.  One of the nurses stopped us to take pictures of me in my stroller (at the same time Mommy took the pic I posted here).  I love the paparazzi!  I posed for the cameraphone, and even "asked" for my picture to be taken!  See my paw?  That's how I ask for things, petting, and to ask a question of someone.  I taught myself how to do that when I was about a year old, and it's a very useful skill to have!

After our visit, Mommy took me to a pet store to get some new toys.  I found something I wanted to take home, but Mommy said we couldn't do that.  Bummer!  Does it count as a wheel, too?  It didn't roll, though, but it was fun to be in.  We did get a new crinkle ball and a big kitty straw to take home.

Walk your Dog/Cat Day is tomorrow.  Our friend Summer reminded us of that!  Are you going for a walk?  If so, please stay safe with your human!

Are you a photohunter?

Tabby's Therapy Cat Tales and Starla's Vet Visit Report

Tabby:  How are you doing today, Starla? I'm glad that you're out here on the couch with me! That's a huge improvement!

 Starla:  I'm doing a lot better, thank you! I've been eating and drinking more normally on my own, and I've used my pee pad and the tub, and even used the box a few times! Mommy and Daddy don't seem so worried, either.

Tabby:  Let me do a cursory exam. *checks ears by sniffing in both of them, checks fur and skin color and smell, and checks butt for "output" issues*

Starla:  *licks the top of Tabby's head once, quickly, in thanks*

Tabby:  You smell more normal and aren't as yellow. You don't smell as sick anymore!

Starla:  When I had my week checkup last Monday, the doctor said my blood sugar levels were normal again, my bilirubin was still high but high-normal this time, and the rest of my levels were within normal range.

Tabby:  That's such good news! How was the vet visit, in general? Any more out-of-control woofies?

Starla:  No, thankfully!  There was a woofie, but he was behaving himself in the waiting room.  The same nurse that took me back for bloodwork was there again, just ending her shift, and she saw my name on the board.  She immediately asked if she could be the one to bring me back for my bloodwork again!  She wanted to see how I was doing!  *smiles*

Tabby:  Sounds like a nice lady!  I'll let you rest now, but I wanted to see how things were going.

Starla:  Thanks, Auntie Tabby!  *curls up for another nap on the couch*

Tabby:  Now on to my therapy cat report from a week ago Wednesday:

I was so excited when Mommy said we were actually going visiting again!  I'd missed a lot of visits because she wasn't feeling well, but she's feeling better now so I get to see my friends again!  I didn't even pretend to hide or cry when leaving the house, so she knew I was super-excited to be going to H. again!  I did, however, check over my carrier bag, because it smelled of Starla, even though it had been washed since her vet visit.  I knew I wasn't going to the vet, but the wash doesn't get all the smell out for our sensitive kitty noses!

When we were going down the sidewalk toward the bus stop, we saw a blue heron in the marsh!  That's Mommy's favorite bird, and they always appear to her when she needs a little cheering up.  It was huge!  I'd never seen a bird that big before, so I perked up to watch it better!  It was so cool!

There was a little girl on the bus who didn't really want to be there.  Mommy offered to let her pet me through the carrier, and that cheered her right up.  I like humans of all ages, so that was just fine with me, too!  The little girl was just learning how to talk, but she could say "kitty".  She kept on saying it, pointing at me, and smiling to everyone.  After we got off the bus, Mommy told me how good I had been about letting the little girl pet me.

At H., we went around by ourselves, although I got to see R. when she handed us our list.  We visited seven people, plus a couple nurses and a therapist, but that was just fine.  It's never about how many people we visit; it's about the quality of visits and getting to the people who need to see me at that time.  A few of my regulars were somewhere else, so I didn't get to see them, but I probably will next time.  I wondered where they were, but Mommy told me when I stopped in front of their doors and looked at her questioningly.  One of my friends was sitting in a chair in the hallway, so I got to visit with her three times!  That's how many times we passed her, so we stopped each time because she had forgotten in the minutes inbetween that she'd already seen me that day.  That's what happens with some of my friends, actually with a lot of them.  I guess when you're as old as they are, that happens a lot.  Auntie Sara Kitty had kitty Alzheimers, so I remember how it was being around her.  Same thing with the humans.

M. was very glad to see me, because she'd missed visiting with us the last few months.  She's the one resident there who genuinely wants to know how Mommy's doing and how everyone at home is doing as well as visiting with me.  She's the one who used to be afraid of kitties until she met me!  She still second-guesses when I ask her for pets and when I rub up against her fingers with my mouth, but she only pulls back a little when I do those things instead of flinches totally away from me.  I'm so proud of the way she's gotten over her fear over the years!

A.M. held me and petted me, telling me how nice a kitty I am.  She got to feel me purr this time!  I don't always purr when I'm on a visit, but when I do it's a rumbly-purr that my friends can feel as well as hear (if their hearing is good).  A.M. can't hear me purr, but she could feel it!  I also kneaded away, because she was wearing a blankie.  She called it a lap-blanket, and it was crocheted.  It felt so good under my paws!  I never scratch when I knead, and there are blankies that Mommy can ask for if someone needs to have one on their lap for me.  I'm very careful with my claws, though!  A.M. thought it was so neat that I kneaded for her!  She was as happy about that as she was that I came to visit her!

One of the residents isn't my friend, and doesn't even like cats.  Normally we stay away from her, but she called out to us as we passed her door.  She thought maybe I was the dog, but then she asked about me when she found out I was the kitty.  We didn't go in, but Mommy talked with her through the doorway.

When we got back home, Daddy played a rousing game of red dot with us and we got canned food!  Fun and yummy!  It was a great day!

Newsflash: Starla's eating again!

Starla writes:

All of a sudden, yesterday evening, I felt my tummy rumbling in a good way!  I was hungry!  I went over to my food plate to see if there were any crunchies there, and licked up two tiny pieces.  I wasn't sure they would taste good, but I figured it was worth a try.  Then I lay back down on my beloved heat vent to rest some more.

Daddy brought out the red dot and I heard the sound of the keychain it's on, so I walked down the hallway to the dining room to watch the others play.  I tracked the dot around for a while.  When Tabby and Mommy came back from visiting (she's doing a report on that tomorrow or the next day), we all got canned food.  I came out again for that, but Mommy force-fed me my two baby spoons of it.  I had some water, then everyone played red dot some more.  I put my paw out for it a couple times!  Heimdall didn't want me so close to it, so he smacked me in the face, but I knew he didn't really mean it so I didn't react.  He jumped over Dare at one point, running after the dot!

I got fluids again last night and this morning, then I ate some more crunchies twice on my own.  Five pieces at once the last time!

Thank you so much for all your good thoughts, well-wishes, purrs, grrs, prayers and rumbles!  I can feel everyone's love and caring, and it's really helping me!  I go in for a recheck and more bloodwork tomorrow morning.

Purrs Requested for Starla!

Starla writes:

Could I please have some purrs?  I don't feel very well at all.  Mommy, Daddy, and the other kitties are very worried, and so am I.  I had to go to the vet place on Monday, and almost had to go back yesterday.  My pee is very yellow because of something called bilirubin.  My body's not producing red blood cells right now, and those I do have are bursting.  I don't want them to!  I'm very sleepy, anemic, and turning somewhat yellow.  The doctor thought maybe I have an infection and/or fatty liver disease.  She really wants to have me stay at the clinic for intubation (for feeding and fluids) and meds, but that costs too much (unfortunately).  Daddy went and got a bag of sub-q fluids for me, and now I understand why Uncle Skylar liked getting them so much!  I actually felt like walking out to the big water bowl (in the dining room) to have more water and walking back to my room (the bathroom) after I had the fluids!  I am being force-fed canned a/d food by syringe every few hours, because I'm not eating on my own and haven't been eating on my own for a couple days.

Please understand that our family is doing what we think is best for everyone.  Thank you all for your love and understanding!  We'll keep you posted.

P.S.  Mommy's been lying on our bloggie about my age and Rori's for the past few years, and only tonight realized it!  I'm 8 years old and Rori (my cousin's half-sister and the alpha of our household) is also 8 years old.  Sorry about that!

Happy Gotcha Day & Birthday to Missy!

Photo credit:  Erin Dublin

Missy writes:

"How I spent my winter vacation"

Hmm...no, that's not right.  Let me try again.

"Enjoying Christmas at my forever home"

Yep, sounds about right to me!  Yesterday was my gotcha day anniversary!  I can't believe it's been four years since Mommy and Daddy made the decision to officially adopt me!  It's actually been 4 1/2 years since I came to live here at my forever home, but I wasn't "official" for a few months until Daddy decided he couldn't part wth me.  I love my daddy!

I remember when I found my family.  It was May, and I was hungry.  There were some people who had been feeding me, but they weren't around because it was after their work time.  I went looking for someone to help me, but couldn't find anyone.  I was worried because it was starting to be evening, and there wasn't much prey in the industrial area I called home.  I lived outside, finding what shelter I could.  I walked down the sidewalk, calling out for someone, anyone, to come help me.

Mommy was teaching her class, and the whole class stopped to listen to me.  They could all hear me from inside the building!  Everyone turned to look at Mommy, and she put down the chalk she'd been using.  She all but ran out the door to look for me!  She found me and picked me up after letting me sniff her hand, then asked a few people if they knew where I belonged.  Then she asked someone to go inside the building to get Daddy.  He came out, took one look at me, and put me into the car!  I knew right then that this was the family for me!

I escaped from the car when my new purrents opened it to go home.  I'm very quick!  It took them another 45 minutes to re-catch me, because I decided to hide in the lot across the street.  They had to earn my trust enough to lure me out the side of the fence and catch me again.  I rode by Daddy the whole way home!

It took me a while to trust them completely, and about a year and a half to purr for them, but I'm so glad I chose this family!  I love my auntie, uncle, cousins, nieces, and nephews as well.  They are my play buddies, entertainment system, and companions.  For a kitty who grew up on the streets without siblings, I've come a long way!

The interloper, aka Autumn, has been taking over Daddy a lot lately, though.  I think it's fun to play with her tail as she walks by my chair, so she's not all bad.  Actually, she's a fun kitten, but she has this annoying habit of tackling when she wants to play.  I have to watch when I'm coming out of the bathroom door after using the box, because she likes to try to ambush the rest of us at that corner!  I've actually played with her a few times, and even snuggled with Daddy at the same time as she, but not often.  I do like watching her from the top of the chair or from the file cabinet!

Photo credit:  Erin Dublin

Mommy Erin, JJ, and Coriel came over last weekend and we had a wrapping paper party!  I got all the paper, and there was a lot of it!  JJ gave me every piece off his presents, and made a fort around and over me.  I played in it for a while, and then walked off with a piece of the paper still attached!  I made a big deal of shrugging it off, and everyone laughed.  Very fun!

Today's my 6th birthday, too!  Does that mean I get more wrapping paper to burrow in?  I sure hope so!

Meowy Catmas, a Therapy Cat Tale, and a Sherbet Report

Heimdall writes:

Meowy Catmas, everyfurry!  We've been having so much fun over here at the PDX pride!  Thank you to all our friends who have sent Catmas cards!  Mommy and Daddy read them to us and let us look at the wonderful piccies when we get them!  We'll send out cards, too, but it will be a few days before we get them mailed.

I've been taking care of Mommy again.  She got sick and had to go to the ER, but she's doing better now.  I try to take care of her tummy, but she says purring on it doesn't help it heal.  She lets me purr next to her tummy, though, and that helps a lot!  It's a furry important job, and that's why I got a special Christmas bandana this year!  I paraded all around the living room, showing it off to everyone.

Tabby writes:

I got a new outfit, too!  I was so excited to get it; I couldn't even sit still for the picture!  It's a black & plaid dress, and it matches Heimdall's bandana perfectly!  Mommy and I couldn't go to H. or C. this month because of Mommy's tummy, but we'll be able to go next month, and she says I can wear my new dress on those visits instead of a Christmas visit.  That's ok with me, I guess.

I did go on a very important visit at the beginning of this month, though!  I went to Mommy's church in Vancouver, WA, to entertain kids whose families participate in the Winter Hospitality Overflow (WHO) shelter program.  WHO was putting on a health fair for the participating families, who are homeless and need assistance of various kinds (housing, medical, monetary, nutrition, etc.).  The health fair had information on free medical & dental clinics, food assistance, housing assistance, and hands-on stations with basic checkups from nurses, medicine checkups, manicures, massages, and foot-washing.  For the kids, they also had gingerbread house decorating, coloring masks, and playing with toys.  I was there to entertain the kids and take some stress off the parents, plus promote healthy interactions with animals.  I was very important!

Mommy and I took a taxi to the church, because we had to be there pretty early in the morning.  The driver was the same one who took us to the pet expo last April!  He was glad to see me again, and told us how his kitty was doing.  He even let us sit up front and petted me while he was driving!  When we got to the church, the lady in charge told us what we would be doing and I got settled in.  At first I wondered what I was supposed to do, because it was a totally new environment for me.  Where were the people crowding around to see me and pet me?  Where were the beds, walkers, laps, and chairs?  Why weren't people calling me over?  What was I supposed to do in this large, open space, with only two rows of mostly-empty chairs and some long tables scattered about?

It took me a while to realize that I was supposed to just be myself, like I do at home, and not like I do on a regular visit.  I was supposed to walk around on my leash, say hi to people, ask them for pets, and hop onto chairs.  Those parts of my duties and training didn't change.  But on this visit, I could also talk a little (as long as I didn't scream), play with the toys the kids put near me, and investigate things!  I'm usually not allowed to do those things on a visit!  It was fun; more like playing with JJ than being on a visit!

The kids naturally gravitated toward me.  Two kids in particular wanted to be my assistant trainers, because Mommy told the kids I was learning how to interact with people in this new environment.  The two boys shared me nicely.  The older one pushed me in the stroller around the room and got me used to being there, then gave me a nice chair to curl up in.  He sat in another chair next to me, petting me and talking to Mommy about me.  A lady with a walker came up, and I immediately switched into my regular visiting mode.  She has an emotional assistance cat, but she can't have her with her at the hotel where they were staying.  I visited with her, her husband, and their young daughter for a while, then the second boy came to see me.  He and his sisters had met me when the first boy had, but his sisters had gotten bitten by a cat in the past so they were leery of petting me or being close to me much.  The brother wanted to be sure I wouldn't bite or scratch, but once he was convinced that I would be good, he was my very best friend for the rest of the time we were there!

The boy held onto my leash just like Mommy showed him, and we walked around the whole narthex of the church, investigating all the windowsills.  It was so much fun, and everything smelled differently than my windows at home!  At one point, I walked under a rolling table and the organizer of the event had to get Mommy's attention to have her "rescue" me.  Mommy walked right over and called me to come out, and I came right back out.  All I wanted to do was have a nice nap in a quiet space, and that looked about as inviting as anywhere else!  Mommy brought my stroller over and I got in, taking about a half-hour nap while she visited with some people who were at one of the tables.

After my nap, the little boy found us again.  He wanted to have me help him with his gingerbread house, but I couldn't.  I did play trains and cars with him and the girls, though!  I think I was a bridge at one point, but I'm not quite sure, because sometimes the cars flew over me and sometimes they went around me.  I politely sniffed them, and pushed a couple with my nose, but wasn't really interested in batting at them right then.  The boy wanted to push me around in my stroller some more, so he, Mommy, and I walked all around the church and back out into the narthex.  Those two rows of chairs were still there!  I wanted to get out of the stroller and investigate them, because they intrigued me, so I hopped out and got pets from one of the other volunteers.  I then walked over him to the next chair in line.  Mommy told my friend that I like to walk from chair to chair, so he very nicely moved all the chairs in the line so they were touching each other, like a huge train!  I happily walked about three-quarters of the length, about 10 chairs, then got tired again.  Back into my stroller I went, while the little boy and Mommy talked about the functions of my harness and leash, my stroller, and my walking jacket.  After seeing me in action and walking around with me for that long, he had a lot of good questions!  He wanted to know why I ran out of energy so quickly, where my food and water were, did I sleep in the stroller, and did I have a home.  Mommy answered that I ran out of energy faster because I am smaller, my food and water were in bowls in the closet area, I do sleep in the stroller, and I have a home in a house with Mommy, Daddy, and the other kitties.

It was an exhausting day, but very fun!  Even the two little girls who were afraid of me were happy to see me and know now that not every cat will attack them.  I'm glad I made a difference for all those kids and people!

Sherbet writes:

Hello, everyone.  I'm still inside!  At the moment, I'm under the bed again, where I've been for most of the time.  I come out to eat, drink, and use the box, but the rest of the time I stay hidden.  It's a very different life from being outside!  A couple weeks ago, Auntie Shawnee came to clean the room I'm hiding in.  Boy, was that ever a traumatic day!  All those sounds, and wondering what was going on, and then a horrible thing happened!  They moved my bed!  They actually moved it clear across to the other side of the room!  I scooted out of there so quickly I was just a blur, bounced off the wall in the hallway, and ended up on the sink counter in the bathroom!  I'm still not quite sure how I got up there!

Panther hit my seat while I was trying to see if the window would open.  It wouldn't, so I turned and hissed at my brother.  He backed off when everyone told him to, so I hopped down and started for the living room.  Panther started chasing me!  We ran into the living room at top speed, so I looked around for the highest safe spot.  Seeing a bookcase, I climbed it, but it was full of computer parts that crashed down around me!  They and I were alright, but what a commotion!  Everyone in the household came out to see what in the world was going on, and I got out of there as fast as I could.  I ran to the other side of the fireplace and hopped onto the small table next to the end of the couch.  There was a nice pillow on it that I used as a bunker, as you can see from the picture!  This is where I stayed for the next hour and a half until everyone and everything calmed down.  Mommy sat in the chair and worked on a project, Daddy fell asleep in his chair, and the other cats went about their routines.  Dare checked on me and Tabby walked over to touch noses, make friends, and lie down almost touching me!  Both of them check on me under the bed now, as does Rori.  When there are visitors in the house, Rori even comes under the bed to hide with me, and we talk!  I'll come out when I'm ready, but it may be a while.

Feral Friday: Sherbet's Big Adventure!

Sherbet writes:

Hi, everyone!  I'm Panther's brother, and I normally live outside.  I was unmercifully tricked into this metal box on Tuesday, kept inside for a day, then rode in a car somewhere.  I was drugged then rode back home in another car.  I had a big adventure, and it's still continuing!   More on that later, though....

I never came inside when Panther did, because the humans didn't know about me then.  I started coming around after Tigress came back, once Panther was already inside.  He gets so excited when he sees me, and we have the same eyes and facial structure, so we must be related somehow.  That's why the humans call us brothers.  From the humans' estimation, we're the same age:  2 years old (just barely).

On Tuesday, the box appeared in my usual eating spot on the back porch.  I saw the human lady put it out there.  She talked softly to me, but I hid under the deck until she was done arranging the box.  She put food in it, but I didn't believe it was food for me.  I waited a while, then decided to try to eat it.  I went into the box, stepped over the trip plate with my front paws, and ate what I could of the dry food.  The lady put more food out, then some tuna.  I had to put my back feet on the trip plate to get at the yummy stuff, and that's when it happened.  I jumped so high I hit my head and back on the top of the trap and it jumped, too!  I didn't like that, so I didn't jump anymore.  I froze, even when the lady brought the trap inside.  I figured the others wouldn't see me if I didn't move, but they saw me anyway.  Once I was inside, my silly brother walked right up to the trap and swatted my behind through the wires!  I guess he wanted to play, but it surprised me.  I didn't do anything, though, and he got in trouble for it.

The others circled around me, walking in a line around the trap and sniffing me.  Once they completed three or four circles each, they settled into the formation in the picture above.  From left to right, it's Freya, Panther, Carbon, Tabby, Autumn, and then Little Bit is on the tote box under the table.  Heimdall also played, but had walked off into the living room before this picture was taken.  They are all really nice kitties, and my friend Tigress from outside is also in here.  I'm glad I have someone familiar!  The human man is nice, too, as well as the lady.  The human man told me that I was safe inside this house and that no one would hurt me or fight with me.  Autumn, the kitten, guarded me and hissed at anyone who dared to come right up to the trap to try to touch noses with me!

I was offered some wet food, but I didn't eat any of it.  Carbon got mad that I got wet food and he didn't, so he lay down on top of the trap!  The humans said that's a regular thing for him to do.  It didn't bother me, except it was confusing.  I kept looking up at him, but didn't move out from under where he was.  I peed in the trap after scrambling to get out, but the lady cleaned it up because there was a towel and a garbage sack under the trap.

Auntie Cai took the lady and me over to the clinic that the Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon did and left me there!  I was such a good boy for both my car rides, and didn't make any sounds or anything!  I played teeter-totter with the trap while I was carried, though, walking from one end of it to the other.  Well, what did they expect?  I'm used to solid ground under my paws!  The people at FCCO neutered me, cleaned my ears, gave me ear mite medicine, flea medicine, and my vaccinations.  They thought I was a senior cat!  I don't know where they got that idea, but that's definitely not what I look like.  Maybe they thought my teeth were that old?  Auntie Shawnee came with the lady to pick me up again, and I played teeter-totter a little.  I was still very groggy from the anesthesia, though, so I didn't move around as much.

I spent a while longer at home in the trap, then I peed again.  The people at FCCO had put a piece of newspaper as a lining in the trap, so the lady opened the door a little to take the newspaper out.  I didn't want to let it go!  I rode the newspaper from the end of the trap almost to the door of it, then I bit the lady's finger and ran out of the trap!  To be fair, she had been holding her finger out for me to sniff, so I took that as an indication that it was something to bite.  I didn't bite hard, though, just a warning chomp.

I found this roll-top desk in the dining room and climbed it.  I stayed up there for about an hour, just watching everyone and taking in everything, trying to acclimatize to my new environment.  The man walked right up to the other end of the desk and talked softly to me, telling me no one would hurt me here, and then blinked really slowly at me to tell me he loves me.  I blinked back at him, so he blinked again.  I like it in here, so I stayed inside even when the lady offered me the open door!  After a while, I moved to the door but still didn't want to go out.  The lady started watching tv, so I cruised around the dining room and even the living room before being spooked by the magic picture box and flying down the hallway.  I found another desk in the far bedroom and hid there, hissing at a couple of the others when they came to find me.  After a while, I wandered into the next room and found a quiet spot under the big bed.

I stayed under the bed most of yesterday and will probably stay under here for today, too.  The lady put food and water in this room, but I don't trust anyone enough to go out to eat it or drink it yet.  The man and the lady have both been coming in to talk to me, and the lady looked at me from the middle of the room.  The others have been looking at me, too, but haven't really bothered me.  I'm glad that everyone's giving me space and time to get used to everyone and everything.  The lady put this odd thing called a Feliway diffuser on the wall, and that's helping to calm me down and make me feel more secure here.  I don't know whether I want to stay inside all the time, but it's a nice place to be right now, at least under this bed.

Happy Birthdays Yesterday and Happy Thanksgiving Today!

Panther is thankful that it was his birthday yesterday, and for two loving families (and hopefully the chance to go back to his forever home).

Sherbet is thankful for this nice deck and tree place where the people put out food for him, for his birthday yesterday, for his brother Panther inside, and for Auntie Tigress watching out for him.

Tabby is thankful for her visiting (even though she hasn't gone the last couple months due to other things on the schedule for Mommy), for friends, and for a loving family.

Carbon is thankful for Mommy and Daddy who take care of picking up his hairballs and missed litterbox times and still let him snuggle with them.

Little Bit is so thankful that she wasn't hurt when she fell off the mantle and bounced off the fireplace screen a few days ago.

Freya is thankful for fuzzy sockies, family, and her brother.

Heimdall is thankful for Mommy, snuggling, and his sister.

Rori is thankful for starting to get over her fear of coats and loud shoes and for family.

Autumn is thankful for a loving foster family and so many teachers and playmates.

Tigress is thankful for snuggles, a loving family, and the ability to go outside still as well as hang out inside.

Starla is thankful for her space in the bathroom and for a relatively peaceful household.

Dare is thankful for climbing spaces and snuggling.

We all are very thankful for YOU!

Foster Friday: Panther's back

Panther writes:

Long time, no meow!  I've been back at my foster home since Sunday, and it's been a confusing transition.  I growled and hissed at Mommy Cai, Foster Daddy, and Foster Mommy the first day, because I'd been on my best behavior at my home the previous few days.  I didn't want to be brought back to my foster home!  Mommy Cai explained that she wanted to give Haley some time to readjust to being with her, because Haley used to be Mommy Cai's kitty a few years ago.  Haley's a grumpy old lady!  She growled at me and hissed, and sometimes swatted, so I lay down when I saw her.  I really wanted to snuggle with Mommy Cai, though, so sometimes I would be on one side and Haley would be on the other.  Haley didn't like that at all.  I also would do things that annoyed Haley after she would growl at me.  I got along with Beastie great, though!  We'd run up and down the hallway, around through the rooms, up into the windows and down, then around again.  Mommy Cai called it "Nascar time"!  Beastie bit Mommy Cai when she came back without me.  He's since almost forgiven her.

It took me a few days to adjust, but by the second day here I was watching the other kitties from a safe distance.  I remember everyone, except there's a new kitten named Autumn.  She and I aren't sure about each other, but we've said hi.  Now I eat from the food plates at the same time as everyone else and even have reclaimed my recliner!  Last night, I sat with Foster Mommy for the first time since I've been back.  I get lonely in the middle of the night, the time I used to run around with Beastie, so I call down the hallway and Foster Mommy talks to me.  I come out to get some pets from her and usually end up on my recliner.

I like watching my brother, Sherbet, out the back window.  He looks like he's doing well, too!  He's getting neutered in a couple weeks, and then he'll be doing really well.  I wish he'd come inside so we could play, but he won't.  He's now eating while the humans watch through the windows and coming when they call him, so that's a big improvement in the time I've been away!

I want to go back to Mommy Cai's.  Everyone says that I'll get to visit there in a few weeks, for a short visit.  I'll do that a few times, then do an overnight and see how it goes.  I'll try to transition back there and see how Haley and I do with the slow reintroductions.  I hope it goes well!

Wordless Wednesday

Spay Update!

Autumn writes:

I aced my spay!  Wait, what?  That's not how it's supposed to go?  Well, what do I know?  I'm just a 7-month-old kitten!  Foster Daddy picked me up yesterday afternoon and brought me back home.  I had just woken up and eaten a little, so I was still pretty groggy at first and barely talked at all in the car.  Foster Daddy watched me closely the first few hours, and the first thing I did was climb up the ladder to the loft bed!  He watched me really closely for that, and plucked me off there pretty quickly.

Foster Daddy wondered why I didn't snuggle with him right away, but then he realized that maybe I didn't feel good enough yet to hop up into the chair with him.  Foster Mommy picked me up and lifted me into the chair, so I ended up snuggling on Foster Daddy and getting pets from both of them!  I purred through the whole thing and tried to head-butt Foster Daddy's glasses like usual, so they knew I was feeling more like myself.

Aunties Dare, Rori, and Freya keep checking on me, and sometimes Aunties Tabby and Missy do, too.  I was playing with the mesh on the carrier, because I think it's funny to be able to see through it, and Auntie Freya came over to play.  She scared me, so I hissed at her.  She got a funny look and backed off, like she couldn't quite believe I was hissing this soon!

Feral and Foster Friday: In and Saturday Spay Day

Tigress writes:

I'm in!  I'm choosing to be inside more often, and for almost all the day and the night now!  A couple weeks ago, I surprised Mommy while she was working on the computer.  She felt me ask her and thought I wanted foot pets.  Nope!  I hopped up onto the computer desk like I've seen Uncle Heimdall and Auntie Rori do, and I wanted hand pets!

C'mon, Mommy!  You take too many pictures.  I'll just take a nap while you photograph me, then maybe I'll get some hand pets.  (I eventually did get my pets.)

Autumn writes:

I'm learning a lot about "in" this week!  First, we had a fire in the fireplace, which was exciting!  And, no, I did not want to be "in" there with it.  I liked watching it, though.

Foster Mommy wore her rain boots one of the days, and I had to check them to make sure Foster Mommy's legs were still in the boots.  I pulled down the top of one, because it comes up to her knee, and there was her leg!

I stuck my head in the cupholder on Tabby's stroller, then bounced onto the bed and climbed in the pocket that hangs from the bed to hold books and a cell phone.  Foster Mommy pulled me out, but I was very cozy in there!  Next, I found some bags of treats that were hidden in a bag on a chair.  Everyone loved those, especially Uncle Carbon!  Yum!

I'm at the vet waiting for my spay today.  What's a "spay", and will I like it?  I rode in a car in a carrier today.  Auntie Cai came over and picked Foster Mommy and me up to take us there, then took Foster Mommy to work.  Foster Daddy had a doctor's appointment (not a vet one) today, so that's why just Foster Mommy went with me.  I was good in the car, but talked a lot and really wanted out so I could watch everything through the window.  I like riding in someone's arms better, but I couldn't do that this time.  Foster Mommy said I'll come back home this afternoon sometime.  The vet gave me a snuggly gingerbread stuffed toy, and I promptly lay down with it under my belly.  I'm not sure I like this "vet" place, but I was content to be carried back to the waiting area and get in my cage to wait for my turn to be spayed.  I'll get my vaccinations today, too.  I'm 7 months old now!  I'm adoptable to a good home in the Portland, OR,/Vancouver, WA, area.

We hope you like this post.  Remember, the word of the week is IN!

We haz snow!

It's the first snowfall this season, and we're all excitedly watching out the back windows as it starts sticking!!!!!!

Dona Nobis Pacem

Peace for our homes,

Peace for our hearts,

Peace for our communities,

Peace for the nations,

Peace for the world.

Bless those who work for peace,

wherever they may be and whatever they do.

Amen.

Join the BlogBlast for Peace.

Remembering Skylar & Lydia on their birthday

 Lydia

10-26-1999

to

10-13-2008

 

Skylar

10-26-1999

to

7-23-2010

Forever in our Hearts

Skylar and Lydia came into our lives in the summer of 2005, even before Tabby and Carbon did.  Skylar actually came into Mommy's life two years before that, while she was gardening.  He wandered over and started eating a cherry tomato that was on the ground!  Mommy laughed and called him over, petted him, and found out his name from his collar tag.  He lived with the Rich family, who had just moved in across the street from Mommy.  For a while after that, Skylar would garden with Mommy and walk her to and from the bus stop, greeting her as she came home from work as well.  She met the Rich family and became a kid-sitter for their daughter.  She also met Lydia, Skylar's littermate sister, who at that time was much shyer around people than Skylar was.

When their family had to move across the country and leave the kitties behind, it was decided with a lot of tearful farewells to have Mommy adopt Skylar and Lydia because, as Mrs. Rich said, "Skylar has already adopted you."  It was totally true!  Later on, Lydia adopted Daddy as her person and Skylar adopted a second person, Mommy Erin.  Lydia became the Big Kitty (alpha cat) of the household, and reigned supreme until her death, at which point she appointed Rori as the next Big Kitty.  Skylar was everyone's favorite uncle, teaching the kittens, playing tails, wrestling, and generally enjoying life.  Even as he aged and got sick, he still loved begging for food with his Siamese yowl and playing with straw wrappers and strings.

Wordy Wednesday: What have we been up to?

Carbon writes:

Your furry investigative repurrter Carbon here, with the news about the household.  First of all, there has been an unexpected lull in our repurrting.  Please pardon the interruption of the news.  It couldn't have come at a worse time, when Auntie Lydia's Bridge Day Annifursary and National Feral Cat Day were upon us!  However, our paws just aren't the best for typing on the human keyboards, and our typist was out of commission.

She's ok, though, and we put her back to work pronto!  I watched out the window for any strange goings-on, like big dogs or sewer-sucky machines while she slept on the couch for a few days straight.  Doctors Tabby and Heimdall revved their purr motors up and alternated sleeping on the couch back or behind her knees.  Nurse Dare and Aide Autumn put their purring skills and super snuggling skills to good use on her legs.  All of us made sure to supervise her walking around the house and we all were extra-good to not get underfoot.

Daddy took good care of us while Mommy was resting and recuperating.  Daddy still will need to be the one in charge of us (and our food, water, and boxes) for about 6 weeks, because Mommy had gall bladder surgery.  Mommy showed us the owies so that we would know what to avoid.  Daddy made sure to tell us exactly how he expected us to behave.  We mostly followed his expectations so far, with some kitten antics and some hairballs, but that's to be expected as well.  Mommy will sleep on the couch for at least another week, maybe longer, which is just fine with us.  More room to snuggle!

Happy Birthday to Daddy!

Missy writes:

Today's Daddy's birthday!  We're not saying how old he is, but it has a 4 in it somewhere.  We're going to make sure he has LOTS of snuggles and purrs today, especially because he's got a cold so he needs our snuggles to warm him up.  That little Autumn has been hogging Daddy lately, but today she's allowed to if she wants, I guess.  Normally, his lap is my territory.  At least she let me use the box first this morning, hmph.

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