Nermal

Nermal is an eight-year-old cat with a problem.  He lived with the Dad's family as an only cat since he was a kitten.  When the Mom and Dad got married, Nermal stayed with the Dad's Mom and Dad.  Recently, they became unable to care for him any more and he moved in with the Dad (and Mom) again, but there were three other kitties already living there.  He had never had to deal with anything like this before and he got so stressed out that he got sick.  He is better now, but he had to be isolated from the other cats again so he could get better.  He likes playing with Virgil, but he doesn't seem to care much for the other cats.  He has gotten into some real growling and hissing matches with Maggie.  Maggie has always been the alpha cat, but Nermal is bigger and older than she is and used to being the center of attention from the humans, so he is not taking to her trying to tell him to stay off her favorite spots.  The issue has yet to be resolved, but things are calmer now than they were just before Nermal got sick.  Nermal and Virgil love to play with a long plastic strip that won't break when they tug and chew at it.  Nermal also really loves his catnip mouse.

                                 Nermal is not sure just where he fits in.
                                 Virgil stepped forward and became his friend.
                                            Maggie insists she's the boss,
                                            Which throws him for a loss.
                                Nermal's trying, but it's hard to fit in.

Maggie

Maggie is three years old and the alpha cat at 4 Boys and a Lady.  She is the alpha because she was there first.  Nico and Virgil calmly accepted her rule, but Nermal doesn't know quite what to make of the situation yet.  Now Westley has joined the clan, but he seems to be fitting right in.  Maggie sometimes bullies Nico, maybe because he is such a laid-back cat.  Maggie is a real snuggle-bug with the Mom and sleeps with her every night.  She gets a bit jealous if any other cat comes up while she is snuggling with the Mom and whaps him on the head.  She will also try to take a toy away from another cat if he seems to be having a lot of fun with it.  She wants her privacy when using the litterbox and really gets upset if another cat walks into the room while she is using the box.  She likes to test out her water before drinking.  She taps the water with her paw, then licks her paw.  If the water meets her high standards, then she will drink from the bowl.

                                 Maggie is the alpha -- she is in charge.
                                 She's very feisty, but not all that large.
                                           One thing dismays her:
                                           Nermal never obeys her.
                                 He just won't admit that she is in charge.

Ariel

Something has caught Ariel's attention and she is giving her intense look.  Ariel has an interesting gotcha story.  The Mom's daughter adopted Ariel to be company for her cat, Jasmine.  However, Jasmine and Ariel did not like each other.  When the daughter went on vacation, the Mom took Ariel in to cat-sit her. Ariel said, "Cool, there's another kitty here just my age who wants to play with me.  Can I stay?"  Lemieux said, "Great, here's a kitty who wants to play with me.  Can she stay?"  Tocchet said, "Great, here's a kitty who will play with Lemieux and keep him out of my fur.  Can she stay?"  The Mom said, "Ariel and Lemieux are having so much fun together.  Can she stay?"  The daughter said, "Yes, she can stay."  Everyone was very happy.  Ariel is a good hunter and often catches lizards out in the yard.  The kitties are allowed out in the back yard under strict supervision and really enjoy it.  Ariel once found a frog in the house at way too early in the morning.  She and Lemieux had a really great time until they woke up the Mom.  The Mom caught the frog and put it back outside, then went back to bed.  Ariel and Lemieux were a bit disappointed, but they got over it.

                                      Ariel is as good as gold.
                                      She always does as she is told.
                                              She's tough when she needs it
                                              And everyone heeds it.
                                     She played with a frog who came in from the cold.

Lemieux

Lemieux's favorite position is the full monty, perfectly displayed here.  She is three years old and was adopted from Petsmart.  She helped mend the Mom's broken heart after Cheyenne went to the Bridge.  Lemieux is quite the huntress and once brought a lizard into the house by reaching through a hole in a screen.  Lemieux and Ariel had a lot of fun with it until the Mom put it back outside.  Lemieux is just a little bit bigger than Ariel, but Ariel wins most of the wrestling bouts. Lemieux, pronounced "le mew", means "the best" and she does her very best to live up to her name.

                                  Lemieux means "the best" and she certainly is.
                                  At catching lizards she is a whiz.
                                        She sits on the Mom
                                       With quiet and calm
                                 And the diginity of the princess she is.

Tocchet

Tocchet is the oldest cat at The Kitties and Mom and the only mancat.  He is also the King Cat and this is his throne.  He got very upset when his Mom moved his throne so she could clean the floor under it and meowed at her until she put it back where it belonged.  Tocchet was a mighty hunter when he was younger, but stopped hunting when he got to be 10 years old.    The Mom has lived with Tocchet since the day he was born, March 17, 1992.  She adopted a kitty she named Cheyenne, who turned out to be pregnant.  She gave birth to four kittens, but unfortunately three of them died.  The Mom decided that she just had to keep Tocchet.  He has been a joy to her ever since.  He insists on sleeping with her every night.  Tocchet loves to lounge around on his throne and watch the other two kitties, Ariel and Lemieux, play.  He also loves looking out the window and watching the many lizards who inhabit the back yard jungle.

                                         Tocchet's the King of Cats on his throne.
                                         The perch by the window is his own.
                                                 No other cat sits there;
                                                 They have learned to beware
                                         The wrath of Tocchet the King on his throne.

Tiki

Doesn't Tiki just look adorable taking a snooze?  Tiki is Riley's sister and when they first came to live in their forever home she couldn't bear to be separated from him even for a moment.  When she couldn't see him, she would cry out for him and he would come running.  She isn't quite so insistent on being with him all the time now, but she will still get to miss him sometimes and cry for him to come to her and he always does.  Tiki has an evil twin, called Evil Tiki.  Evil Tiki comes out on Tuesdays and blogs about her plot to eat the Daddy.  She has a plan to cook him on a grill and eat him all up.  I think this got started when she nibbled on his toes once and found him delicious. So far Evil Tiki hasn't gotten very far in her evil plot, but she keeps trying.  Tiki loves Riley best, but she likes Kesey, too, and sometimes naps with him.  She doesn't like being herded by Kesey as much as Riley does, though.  Evil Tiki blames Kesey for thwarting her taking delivery of a grill she had ordered to cook the Daddy on when he herded her away from the door at just the right (wrong?) time.

                               Tiki hates to be parted from Riley.
                               When they are together she has a big smiley.
                                          When they are apart
                                          She cries out her heart
                               Until, fast as he can, comes running Riley.

Nomination

My blog got nominated for another award, this time from Pet Wellbeing.  I checked out their website and it looks very interesting.  Clicking on the nomination badge in the sidebar will take you to the site.  A big thank you to whoever nominated me.  I won't know if I won until September and I don't know if there will be any voting involved, but it's fun being nominated.

Riley

This is Riley with Kesey's pink pig.  This pink pig is Kesey's favorite toy, but Kesey sometimes brings it to Riley.  Riley isn't quite sure what he is supposed to do with it, but he seems to like being near it.  Riley and Tiki are two kittens from the same litter who were born to a friend of their Mom and Dad on May 23, 2006.  The Mom and Dad had been very sad because Vincent, the cat who came before, had gone to the Bridge recently.  When Riley and Tiki were 6 1/2 weeks old, the Mom and Dad brought them home.  Riley and Tiki were a little bit scared and cried in the car for about ten minutes, then went to sleep.  When they got to the house, they were a little overwhelmed and explored just a little bit, then napped some more.  By that night, they were raring to go and made a lot of noise.  They still like to play and make noise at night.  This gets them kicked out of the bedroom, especially on weekends, but mostly they spend the night with Mom and Dad.  Riley tends to get kicked out much more often that Tiki does and sometimes Tiki starts missing Riley and gets herself kicked out to join him.  Riley is a little bit bigger than Tiki now, but not by much.  Riley loves to play with both Tiki and Kesey. Riley really loves Kesey and will give him kitty kisses all the time.  Kesey gets tired of this at times, but puts up with it.  Once, the Mom and Dad went on a vacation.  Kesey went to stay with his favorite woofie friend, Snoopy, and Riley and Tiki stayed home, being cared for by a relative.  When the Mom, Dad and Kesey came home, Riley was so glad to see Kesey that he gave him a squillion kitty kisses, while standing between Kesey and the door to the back yard.  Kesey got a little uncomfortable, because he had to go outside to take care of business.  Kesey was very good and waited for Riley to finish with his kisses.  Riley has discovered that he likes lettuce and teryaki sauce.

                                        Riley adores his woofie Kesey.
                                        He gives kitty kisses until it gets messy.
                                              Kesey disapproves,
                                              But Riley never moves
                                        Until he is done giving kisses to Kesey.

Zeke

I'm finally finishing up Tiger Lily's family with Zeke.  Zeke is mostly a mixture of Miniature Pinshcer and Rat Terrier.  He thinks he is much bigger than he really is.  He is a great watch dog and lets everyone know when an intruder crosses the yard or a strange car goes by.  He was raised from a small puppy by two cats, Pfred (who has gone to the Bridge) and Jemima.  Zeke has picked up some cat habits from them, like lying on the back of the couch or the windowsill.  He will be 12 years old on March 10th.  Zeke is the referee for the cats.  When any of the cats start hissing or yelling at each other, Zeke gets right between them and barks at them until they stop arguing.  The cats respect him and always quit fighting when he starts barking at them.  Zeke doesn't really play with the cats, but he will occasionally wave his tail at Tiger Lily or Ruckus, then turn around and bark at them if they try to bat it.  Zeke does like to romp around in the yard with Sushi.  Zeke loves his Mom best.  He knows what time she comes home for lunch and after work and asks to be let out just before then so he can greet her in the driveway.  He loves to sit in her lap, which makes Sushi jealous at times.  The two of them have been known to have quite a barking match over whose turn it is to sit in Mom's lap.  Zeke always wins these matches.  Zeke's favorite place in the whole house is the bed.  He sleeps with Mom and Dad every night, usually right under the covers.  He also spends quite a bit of the day there.  He will snuggle down under the covers.  If he starts to get too warm, he will stick his nose out, but only his nose.  His nickname is Bed Spud.

                                     Zeke just loves to snuggle in bed.
                                     He dives under the covers right over his head.
                                           When he gets hot,
                                           He sticks his nose out.
                                     Don't disturb Zeke when he's snuggled in bed.

Kesey

Kesey decided to wear his Christmas hat bandanna-style.  Kesey is a nine-year-old Akita mix who lives with two kitties, Riley and Tiki, and his Mom and Dad.  First Kesey lived with his Dad and Oldmom for the first two years of his life, then something happened and his Dad went away.  Things went all right for him at first, but then Oldmom got a sticky little person and a new man in her life and Kesey ended up being chained up in the back yard and fed really cheap dog food, which he didn't like at all and didn't eat much of.  The summer of 2006, Dad and Newmom, who Kesey knew from before, came to visit and saw how badly Kesey was being treated.  Kesey stared and stared at their car, beaming out doggie thoughts that he wanted to go home with them.  Things worked out and Kesey did go home with them.  Waiting for him there were two little kittens, who took to him immediately.  The kittens had never seen a dog before and thought of Kesey as just a big playmate.  They often all three play Thundering Herd of Elephants through the house.  There is a very interesting relationship among the three of them.  Tiki thinks of Riley as her best friend; Riley thinks of Kesey as his best friend; Kesey seems to think of the cats as his responsibility.  Kesey has taken up herding the cats lately.  He pokes them with his nose and nudges them with his body and gets them to go wherever he wants them to go.

                                          Kesey taught himself to herd cats.
                                          With nudges and pokes and gentle nose pats
                                                    He gets them to go
                                                    Over there, just so.
                                          Kesey's the champion of herding his cats.

Jemima

Jemima is a fourteen-year-old black cat who lives with Tiger Lily, Ruckus, Sushi and Zeke. She is a fairly big, solid cat, but she has a tiny meow and is usually pretty quiet. She would much rather spend quality time with the Mom than play with the other cats and dogs. She didn't even like treats until she discovered Temptations. Now she won't let her Mom go to bed until she gets her Temptations. When the Mom turns out the light in the living room, Jemima heads straight for the cabinet in the kitchen where the treats are kept and meows to the Mom to let her know that now is the time for treats. Jemima has a special way of letting the Mom and Dad know that she wants them to keep making a lap for her and petting her. She carefully hooks one claw through their pants, never hurting or breaking the skin, just a gentle reminder that she wants to be petted until she is ready for it to stop.

Jemima likes to hook one claw,
Very gently, no blood does she draw,
Through the pants or jeans
Of her favorite beans
While she sits in their lap for scritches -- AHHH!

Diamond

Diamond loves to nap on his hot water service.  It is always nice and warm.  Diamond is an eleven-year-old Russian blue cat and lives in Adelaide, South Australia.  He is a mostly indoor cat, but his Mom takes him out on his halter and lead almost every day.  He also has an outdoor enclosure that he uses quite a bit.  He loves being brushed and petted.  He frequently patrols his house, checking out all the windows for intruder kitties.  The two cats who live next door go out by themselves and often stop by Diamond's house to look in his windows.  One of the two cats, Jai, often tries to swat or pounce Diamond when he is out for his walk.  Diamond's Mom chases him away when Jai tries this.  Diamond is partial to catnip and has his own plant growing in his garden.  He also has his very own fish pond, but he doesn't try to catch the fish, though he does enjoy watching them.  There are plenty of creatures around for him to hunt, including mice, moths, butterflies and lizards. One time his Mom decided to let Diamond explore the back garden a bit wearing his harness and lead, but without her holding on.  Diamond took instant advantage of this relative freedom by climbing the trellis up onto the paling fence, to look over into the next door neighbor's yard.  Up on the fence, he was out of reach of both his Mom and the neighbor.  Diamond had his look and was on his way back to climb back down when his lead caught in the fence.  He tugged and tugged, but it was caught tight.  His Mom climbed up on a chair to try to reach him, but she couldn't get up high enough to hold him securely.  She could get his lead unclipped, though.  Once he was freed, Diamond had no trouble jumping down from the fence and going back into the house.  The lead is still caught in the fence to this day.

                                             Diamond caught his lead in the fence.
                                             He wedged it in tight, no words to mince.
                                                    His Mom got him down
                                                    With a heavy frown.
                                             Diamond's lead still hangs from the fence.

Jenny

Jenny has always  been the most feral of the Forty Paws.  She lived in a cat colony under the house of an old lady who fed them.  They also helped themselves to whatever they could find in the Taco Bell dumpster across the street.  When the old lady died, some kind people trapped the cats in the colony and tried to find them all forever homes.  Maw heard about this and went to see the cats.  She really liked Jenny, who was then three or four months old.  Maw brought Jenny home and she bonded with Bow, the only other cat in the house at that time, very quickly, but she remained skittish around Maw and Paw.  Even now, after almost fourteen years, she is still skittish around Maw and Paw.  She is so skittish and can hide so well that she has been to the vet only three or four times in her life.  She can never be found when it's time for clippy-claws and has never had her claws trimmed.  Her nickname is Velcro-Cat, because of the sound her claws make when she walks on the carpet.  If Maw or Paw walk into the room while she is eating, she will run away.  Once, a long time ago, when Bow and Jenny were inside/outside cats, Jenny was outside when Maw and Paw left for a week.  Jenny was so scared of the petsitter that she stayed outside for the entire week.  Besides Bow, Smokey is the only other cat that Jenny likes much.  They play a game in which Smokey will start to chase Jenny and Jenny runs away screaming.  Maw and Paw know it's a game, because Jenny will let Smokey see her, so they can play again.

                                   Jenny is a kitty who likes to hide.
                                   She has never been too comfortable inside.
                                           She doesn't trust beanies
                                           'Cause some were meanies.
                                   Jenny, come out!  You don't have to hide.

I am so forgetful.  Java gave the the E for Excellent Award.  Thank you so much, Java.

Sally

Sally's favorite place to nap is on newspaper on top of the trackball.  She is the smallest cat at Forty Paws, weighing in at only eight pounds, which is about half the size of the other cats.  She holds her own quite nicely, though.  She loves to wrestle with her brothers, Obi, Reno and Smokey.  If she feels that they are getting too rough, she screams at the top of her voice, poufs out her tail and runs away.  One of Sally's nicknames is Sergeant Sally, because she loves to patrol the house and the cat enclosure and give reports on what she finds by howling very loudly.  This doesn't make her too popular with Maw and Paw at 5:00 am, but it's her job and she takes it very seriously.  Sally is quite a hunter and she often brings in crickets or small lizards that she finds in the enclosure.  She often has trouble keeping her prey from the other cats, as everycat wants to see what she has caught.  Sally's right eye is slightly scarred from Feline Herpes 1, which she got from her feral mother.  She spent her first nine months in a cage in the crazy cat woman's garage, until Maw managed to rescue her, along with her brothers.  It doesn't bother her too much, but Maw has to clean the black gunk from her eye almost every day.  Sally tries to clean her eye herself, by rubbing it on all the furniture legs and the corners of the walls, leaving little black streaks everywhere for Maw to clean.  Sally likes to practice pouncing by leaping straight up in the air and coming down on nothing at all.  When Sally hears a car being driven into the garage, she cries at the garage door to be let into the garage, so she can take a nap on the warm hood of the car. Sally loves to go out into the enclosure through the cat flap, but instead of just letting the flap swing shut behind her, she lets it close gently on her tail, so it doesn't make any noise.  Maw is very grateful for this.

                             Sergeant Sally is on patrol.
                             Through the house and enclosure she will stroll.
                                             She lets out a howl
                                             And a very loud yowl
                             To let everyone know she is on patrol.

Ruckus

This is Ruckus in a rare quiet moment.  I made a couple of mistakes in my last two posts.  Zeke isn't really any bigger than Sushi; he just thinks he is.  The reason that the two dogs don't play together much is that Zeke has gotten fairly old and just doesn't want to play much any more.  I messed up Tiger Lily's gotcha story a bit, too.  I got her mixed up with Ruckus.  Tiger Lily was a present to the Dad when she was six weeks old, because the Dad was really missing a cat who went to the Bridge.  On May 27, 2007, a tiny kitten crawled through the fence in the back yard and came right up to the Dad.  The kitten followed the Dad all the way to the back door.  Of course, then the the tiny kitten had to be petted and fed and brought indoors.  The Mom and Dad figured that the kitten had been born in a nearby barn, but they never saw any sign of a momcat.  That tiny kitten was Ruckus and she was only four weeks old.  Her full name is Raisin' a Ruckus and that is what she loves to do.  Anything, anywhere is a toy for Ruckus.  She made herself right at home by snuggling up to Sushi the first day of her adoption.  Sushi thought that getting a new kitten to play with was just great.  Ruckus also made herself at home in Tiger Lily's basket.  This did not please Tiger Lily.  Neither was she pleased when Ruckus discovered her food bowl.  However it didn't take long before Tiger Lily and Ruckus were playing Thundering Herd of Elephants all over the house.  Ruckus has also discovered that the people have wonderful things to eat at the table.  She can get very insistent that the people share.  Once the Mom had a plate with whipped cream on it.  Ruckus adores whipped cream.  She climbed up in the Mom's lap to get at the whipped cream.  The Mom held the plate over her head to keep it away from Ruckus.  Ruckus climbed up on the Mom's shoulder, then tried to climb the Mom's arm.  Now that is determination.  At a later date, Ruckus got a little plate of whipped cream all to herself.  She was in kitty heaven.

                              Ruckus really loves whipped cream.
                              A plate all to herself was her dream.
                                       She jumped in Mom's lap
                                       Her plate for to whap
                              Then tried arm climbing to get the whipped cream.

Sushi

I put up two pictures of Sushi because I wanted to show you what she looks like and also include the second picture of Sushi giving Tiger Lily a lesson in how to do a full monty.  Now you know where Tiger Lily learned how to relax on her back so well.  Sushi was a pound rescue as a tiny puppy.  Now she is 14 pounds of loving dog.  She loves cats and would rather play with them than with Zeke, the other dog, probably because the cats are more her size than Zeke, who is a large dog. Sushi likes all the cats, but Tiger Lily is her special friend.  The two of them spend lots of time together, playing or just hanging out.  They snuggle up with each other for naps.  There is one thing that Sushi likes to do that Tiger Lily is happy to pass up, though.  Sushi loves to go outside for a romp in the snow with Zeke.  Because of her floofy fur, she has to have a warm bath afterwards, because she gets little snowballs stuck in her fur.

                                    Sushi loves to play with Tiger Lily.
                                    They chase each other around like silly.
                                              They could play all day
                                               In an amusing way.
                                     Life is good for Sushi and Lily.

I almost forgot.  Today is my first Blogiversary.  Since I started a year ago today, I have done 319 posts and 264 limericks.  Would you believe that when I started, I was afraid I would run out of limericks in a couple of months?  They just keep coming and I am so grateful that so many of you keep saying that you enjoy reading them.

Tiger Lily

Tiger Lily really loves to relax on her back.  She had been helping her Mom fold laundry, then decided to just take it easy.  On June 12, 2006, her Mom and Dad found a six-week-old kitten hanging around the barn, with no sign of a momcat.  They took her in and Tiger Lily soon took over the house.  She and Sushi the dog hit it off immediately.  It took a little longer with Jemima and Zeke.  Tiger Lily and Sushi are still each other's best friends, hence the linked limericks today and tomorrow.  Tiger Lily also likes playing with scrunched up paper balls and cotton swabs, which she swipes out of the bathroom.  Tiger Lily is very smart and has figured out how to open every door in the house, except one of the bathroom doors.  Because Tiger Lily likes to try to get outside, she ends up in this bathroom whenever the outside door has to be kept open for any length of time. Tiger Lily is kept inside because it's dangerous for kitties outside.  There has been a new addition to the family lately, Ruckus.  Tiger Lily wasn't so sure about her at first, especially because Ruckus started playing with Sushi.  Things are more harmonious now.

                                 Tiger Lily loves to play with Sushi.
                                 Lily wrestles her and attacks her tushie.
                                         They play Thundering Herd;
                                         Lily soars like a bird
                                 When being chased by a dog named Sushi.

Award

Jan of Jan's Funny Farm gave me this award because I help the kitties and woofies and other animals get to know each other better. Thank you, Jan.

I didn't post a limerick tonight because I had to work a lot of overtime and didn't get home until very late. With Bloggrolling being down, it's hard for me to get to the blogs I need for the information and pictures for the limericks. I do have some limericks written and I hope to be able to get one up tomorrow.

Gizmo

Gizmo has been hanging around Smeagol and Strider's house since before they began blogging in February of 2006.  After a while they noticed that she was getting rounder and she gave birth to these darling kittens which were named the Mini-Mo's.  By December 2006 they were old enough to be taken to a no-kill shelter and I am happy to report that they were all adopted.  The Mom and Dad decided that Gizmo needed to be spayed to prevent more kittens, but that was much easier said than done.  They had a really hard job catching Gizmo.  They tried a humane trap, but Gizmo was having none of it.  Gizmo had been letting the Mom pet her occasionally as she ate, so the Mom brought her out a bowl of food, then slowly got closer and began petting her.  When the Mom thought Gizmo was relaxed enough, the Mom grabbed her and put her into a crate.  They had an appointment at the vet's for her, but they had such a hard time catching her that the vet's was closed by the time they got there.  Gizmo spent the night at Grandma's, who lives closer to the vet and got her operation the next morning. After she had recovered enough, the Mom and Dad let Gizmo out again and she is still hanging around.  She seems to have no interest at all in becoming an indoor kitty.  She does like to talk to Strider through the window and the screen door.

                           Gizmo prefers not to come inside.
                           Maybe 'cause when she did she got a ride
                                        Straight to the vet,
                                        But now she's all set.
                           No more kittens for her, though she lives outside.

Strider

I love this picture of Strider.  Smeagol and Strider are feeling much better and their Mom is cautiously optimistic.  Cautiously, because they felt much better once before, then got sick again.  They have finished up their medicines, but are still on a special diet for a while.  Here's hoping that they recover fully very soon.  Strider was adopted in April of 2004.  He introduced himself in a rather unique way.  He came walking out of the woods behind the house and saw Smeagol sitting in the window.  Strider leaped up on the window screen and hung there until the Mom opened the door, then he ran off a little ways.  Being very smart, the Mom had treats with her and Strider came back for the treats and some petting, then ran off a ways again.  The Mom came back with food, because Strider was very skinny and looked hungry.  Strider came back for the food, ate and ran off again.  He kept up this eat and run for a few days, then let himself be caught.  Of course, this meant a trip to the vet, but he checked out OK and got his shots, but was mistaken for a girl kitty.  That mistake didn't persist for long, as Strider is not nearly as floofy as Brainball, who had the same problem.  Strider got his name for the way he just came walking out of the woods, which reminded the Mom and Dad of the character in Lord of the Rings.  Strider and Smeagol hissed and growled at each other for a few days, then discovered the joys of playing together.  They have been fast friends ever since.  Nobody knows for sure how old Strider is, but he shows every indication of being the same age as Smeagol, six years old.  Strider loves playing with toys and wrestling with Smeagol and playing Thundering Herd of Elephants with Smeagol.  He also loves biting his Mom's toes through the bedclothes and when she comes out of the shower.  He also likes talking to Gizmo through the window.  There is one thing that he likes to do which drives his Mom and Dad nuts.  Strider likes to dart out the door.  He has never really run away, but the possibility worries his Mom and Dad.  He once led his Mom on a merry chase.  He ran out the door and headed straight for the bad road.  His Mom was right behind him and managed to head him away from the road, but then Strider ran toward the woods.  He teased and teased his Mom by running off a ways, then letting her get close to him and running off again.  He finally let her catch him in a parking lot on the other side of the woods.  He purred in the Mom's arms all the way back to the house.  The Mom and Dad surmise that Strider used to live in a house nearby, but was abandoned and, every once in a while, he tries to find where he used to live; or he remembers living in the woods and gets the urge to visit.

                           Strider likes to take off to the trees.
                           He does it mostly his Mom to tease.
                                 He plays hide-and-seek
                                 'Til she starts to freak,
                           Then he lets her catch him and purrs to please.

Smeagol

Here are two pictures of Smeagol because I wanted to show you his shiny black fur and his golden eyes.  Smeagol was adopted on December 31, 2002.  The cat who came before had gone to the Bridge recently and his Mom and Dad were lonely.  They went to a shelter to see if there was a kitty there that they could give a home to and Smeagol reached out of his cage toward them and called to them.  That was just what they needed to see and hear.  Smeagol got his name because his eyes were very large for his size (he was just a kitten) and when he got to his new home, he spent a lot of time sneaking around very cautiously.  Smeagol is a big, almost 17 pounds, six-year-old mancat now.  He still has a tiny voice, though, until he gets to the vet.  Then he yells enough for two cats.  He really hates going to the vet and really makes the people there work to get anything done with him.  He still likes to play a lot and he and Strider spend a lot of time chasing each other and wrestling.  Playing with toys and enjoying nip are also big on his list of likes.  Smeagol and Strider haven't been feeling very good lately, so go on over to visit them and leave them a get-well message.

                               Smeagol has silky fur black as jet.
                               His eyes are large and gold as eyes get.
                                      He sneaks around
                                      Without a sound,
                               But he turns into Gollum when he goes to the vet. 

Mystery

This is a picture of Mystery in her harness from June of 2006.  She looks about the same now, though she is probably a bit bigger.  Mystery is a big green iguana and is now about five feet long from nose-tip to tail-tip.  She doesn't care much for her harness and leash, but she loves to go out in warm weather to explore and bask in the sunshine.  Mystery was a gift to her Mom from her roommate in December of 1994.  She was only six months old then and only eight inches long.  Mystery has always loved to climb.  She used to climb the drapes, but she is much too big for that now.  She would love to climb the trees in the back yard, but her Mom and Dad worry that they wouldn't be able to get her out of the tree if they ever let her climb one.  She can really hang on tight with those claws.  Mystery spends most of her time in a really nice enclosure in the basement.  Smeagol and Strider go visit her once in a while, but they don't play together.

                                    Mystery is a big green iguana.
                                    She doesn't do anything she doesn't wanna.
                                            She walks on a leash
                                            To keep the trees out of reach
                                   Or she would be up in the branches being a hunter iguana.

Award and Meme

Both Samantha and Tigger and Jan gave me this award. Thank you so much for giving me this prestigious award. Now I have to pass it on two ten other bloggers that I think have outstanding style and ability. It is so hard to choose and try to find other bloggers who haven't been given the award already. I have chosen LC, Skeeter and Ayla, Tripper, Benjamin Fuzz and Lucy Furr and all the animals of The Fluffy Tribe.

Jan also tagged me for a meme. Here are the rules:

You have to post who tagged you and link back to them and then to Petspix. Then you have to tag 3 other kitties, beans, woofies, or any other assorted animal.

What three things would you do that you have never done before, if you knew you wouldn't get caught, get in trouble, or suffer any consequences?

The thing I most want to do is something that I used to do, so it doesn't count. I really wish I could visit, post and research my next limerick all in one day. I just can't do that any more and I miss it. Now for the real ones.

1. I would take my two week vacation and transfer all my LPs and reel-to-reel tapes to CDs. I really miss a lot of that music and poetry readings. And since there are no consequences, no one would get on my case for "wasting" my vacation.

2. I would tell my boss that I don't care how busy the store is over Thanksgiving, I am taking the weekend off to go to the big Doctor Who convention. I have never been to a convention and I would really like to go.

3. I would like to take a long ride in a blimp or zeppelin. These craft have always fascinated me and it looks like so much fun.

I would like to tag Molly, Tybalt and Freddy.