Whisper

This is Whisper, also known as Grumpybutt. He used to live with Jack and Persephone, but he went to the Bridge last September. He had lovely amber eyes. He lived with someone else from the time he was a kitten until he was 11-12 years old, then his people had to find a new home for him. I don't know why. The OTW adopted him to be company for Jack, since he was just a few years older than Jack, but Whisper wasn't interested in being with other cats. He had been an only cat all his life and had a lot of trouble adapting being with another cat. When Persephone came along, he really wasn't interested in being friends. Up until just before he died of an aggressive cancer, he would growl if Jack or Persehpone got within a cat's length of him. Toward the end, he became a lot more tolerant of them, but still wouldn't let them get withing touching distance of him.  Oddly enough, he tolerated Squeak just fine.  Squeak was the only cat Whisper never
growled at.


Whisper's favorite toy was known as the Dead Dustmop. He loved it. He would cuddle with it and sleep with it and get really annoyed when Jack would lie on top of it. His other favorite toy was a mousie on a string. He would really go for it. His favorite human was the Big One. He would get up and follow the Big One to bed every night. He also liked to snuggle up next to the OTW under the covers.

                                     Whisper was on the grumpy side.
                                     Active kittens he could not abide.
                                                 He would snarl and growl
                                                 At a kitten prowl-
                                     Ing around on his couch or near his side.

Fade

This is Fade, a very ferocious kitten who was found on the street in April of 2007 by the people who adopted Squeak. She was very young, still unable to retract her claws when she was found. No one claimed her, so she found her forever home with Squeak. She was a bit hissy with the other cats, but loved to play.


This is a trick that Fade learned that makes her the envy of other cats. She actually walked on the ceiling of the cat tree. That's Squeak sitting on top of the cat tree.

Fade learned a trick worth wide renown.
She actually managed to walk upside down.
Folks would stop and stare
To see her up there,
Walking around upside down.

Squeak

I thought as long I was was doing Jack and Persephone, I might as well do a couple of other kitties who lived with them for a while. This is Squeak. Some friends of the OTW and the Big One got Squeak, then had to move, so Squeak moved in with Jack and Persephone in January of 2007 until her humans found a place to live. Luckily, the place they found was in the same apartment building as Jack and Persephone, so Squeak could come over for play dates. Unfortunately, in August 2007, Squeak's humans moved to another city, so Jack and Persephone don't see her any more. Squeak was between 2 and 2 1/2 months old when she came to stay in January and she was pretty tiny. However, she was absolutely fearless. She would pounce and rassle anycat, awake or asleep. She loved to tear around the apartment like her tail was on fire and wanted to play, play, play. She kept Jack and Persephone really busy. When she finally got tired, she liked to hop up on the computer chair, which has a sheepskin cover, and knead the fleece and suck on it until she fell asleep.

                                   Squeak was a kitten most courageous,
                                   Though the other cats thought her outrageous.
                                                  She would pounce and leap
                                                  On them in their sleep.
                                    No cat was safe from Kitten Courageous.

Persephone

Persephone is Jack's younger sister. She was adopted on December 16, 2006, when she was 8-10 months old. She and Jack took to each other right away. Oh, Persephone growled at Jack a few times, because she picked it up from Whisper, who growled at her, but Jack just ignored that and they were playing together in no time. Jack enjoys catnip every once in a while, but Persephone absolutely loves it. That's her nip banana she has in the picture. Persephone loves nip so much that she has been known to go get it herself. The OTW keeps catnip in a zipped plastic bag, which is inside a tin with a tight lid, which is in a cabinet. Persephone has been known to open the cabinet, get out the tin, open the tin and try to chew open the plastic bag. She usually gets caught before she gets the bag open, but there was one memorable occasion when she spread catnip all over the floor and rolled in it ecstatically. Persephone also enjoys a good rasslin' match with Jack and playing with toys. She has an evil twin, PersePHONY, who gets into all kinds of mischief, like jumping up on tables where cats are not allowed and playing with the OTW's strings. The OTW is a weaver and the loom seems to attract PersePHONY quite a bit. Batman is Persephone's boyfriend.

                                      Persephone is Queen of the Universe.
                                      She accepts all praise, in prose or verse.
                                              She's so black and sleek
                                              And far from meek.
                                      All hail the Queen of the Universe!

Happy Birthday, Mrs. Karate

Today is Mrs. Karate's birthday. She is Roxy, Lucky and PlusOne's Mom, Mr. Karate and Millie's Aunt and Mom Lynne's sister. I have a lot of fun reading Roxy's blog and I really enjoy reading about the Karate lessons. There is a good one here. And who could ever forget the Road Trip for Love, which took place late last October? Right now, she is refurbishing the enclosed porch to be her sewing room. This lady just never stops working. I hope she takes some time off to relax and have fun on her birthday. A very, very Happy Birthday! Have a great time with your family!

Zoey's Dad

I got a rush request for a limerick today to celebrate Zoey's Dad coming home from the hospital after his surgery. Zoey's Dad is the Me in Zoey and Me, who blog at Cat in the Bag. The surgery went perfectly and now all he has to do is come home and rest up. Zoey is going to take excellent care of him, you can be sure.

                                      Zoey's Dad needed surgery.
                                      It went as well as it could be.
                                           Now he's at home
                                           In his comfort zone,
                                       And Zoey's as pleased as she can be.
                                      

One-Eyed Jack

The Turkey Cats requested limericks for Jack and Persephone.  This is Jack wearing his Viking clothes. He is a fierce Mancat and an expert on vishus deer. I recommend that you read his paper Vishus Deer of the North. Jack lives in Alberta, Canada, halfway to the North Pole, he says. He lives with his sister, Persephone, his OTW (Opposable Thumbs Wench) and The Big One. He has lived with the OTW since the day he was born eleven years ago, as he was born in her apartment to, I think, her roommate's cat. There were four in the litter and, to keep them straight, they were given simple names to tell them apart. Jack was just known as "the other black one" (there were two black kittens and two tuxies) until he opened his eyes, or rather his eye. He then got the name One-Eyed Jack, which he keeps to this day. Jack is a very friendly fellow, which is a good thing because through the years, he has lived with 26 other furries. No, his OTW didn't have that many. Before she married The Big One, she had a series of roommates and different apartments and most of these furries belonged to the roommates. Jack is quite fond of catnip, but he doesn't get into it as much as Persephone does. Jack also enjoys playing with wand toys and chasing fake mice around the house. One of his favorite things is to watch the birds from the windows and the deck. Jack's girlfriend is KC.

                                   Jack is an expert on vishus deer.
                                   He advises all kitties to stay clear.
                                         He is also a Viking
                                         With clothes so striking
                                   That he strikes fear in all vishus deer.

                                    

New Squillion

My newest Squillion arrived on Tuesday. I got him from Beau's auction to help pay for Mom Lynne's trip to Sprout's funeral. The picture is actually of Eric, but he and the new Squillion are twins. I have decided to name my new Squillion Mu Shue, in memory of Mu Shue Pooh King Cat. He is now sitting happily in my bookcase, next to Eric.

Fracas

Fracas is the VP of Artsy Catsy and is in charge of morale building. This makes him Rocky's assistant in everything. Fracas was rescued from the engine of a pickup truck at a yard sale in 2002. He was so scared that he meowed and yelled and cried until he lost his voice for two weeks. Once he got his voice back, he decided that he needed to use it so he wouldn't lose it again. He is very vocal and talks almost all the time. He also sings quite well. I have taken a few liberties in the limerick about Fracas' activities, because he and Rocky to a lot of this:



However, when there is a lot of work to be done, you can count on Fracas.

                                  Fracas is the assistant to the CEO.
                                  He is the VP in the know.
                                        When there is work to be done
                                        He comes at a run.
                                 Fracas is a cat on the go.

Reggie

Reggie is the fourth Turkey Cat. He is the most laid-back of them, but he still gets really revved up at some things. He is very fierce when it comes to catnip mice. When he finds himself on the wrong side of a closed door, he isn't content to meow or scratch at the door or carpet. He rams it with all the might of his Mancat muscles. That generally gets very fast results. Although Reggie is very mancatly, he has a high, squeaky meow. This embarrasses him at times and he goes and hides under the couch. Reggie's favorite human is the Dad. He loves to sit with his Dad and watch football and hockey games on the TV. He absolutely loves scritches on the base of his tail. All the Turkey Cats have girlfriends, or, in Abby's case, a boyfriend. Batman and Persephone are a couple, as are Riley and Charlotte, Reggie and Cookie, and Abby and Tyler.

                                    Reggie loves a good football game;
                                    And hockey, too, he loves just the same.
                                            He sits on his Dad,
                                            Which makes them both glad,
                                   As they sit and cuddle and enjoy the game.

Award

Molly gave me this neat award some time ago, but I am just now getting around to blogging about it. This award was started by Huffle. The only rule connected with it is that the recipient pass it along to five more cool cats. I am very pleased to be considered an honorary cat. Thank you very much, Molly. I would like to pass this award on to these five cats:

Trouble: he must be pretty cool to live with three dogs and not go crazy.

Josh: I think it is very cool that he proved all the vets wrong and lived.

Veronica: she has a really cool blog.

Luxor: he is just one of the coolest cats I know.

Olive Oyl: she lives with a Mom who just won't quit with the flashy box, but keeps her cool.

Sprout's Funeral

Little Sprout's funeral is this morning at 9:00 am Eastern time. KC has come up with a great list of things that we can do to memorialize her today. I bought a violet-scented candle and am burning it now. I will light it every night until it is gone, as part of my way of remembering her. I know that I have done everything that I could do to help out, but I still feel sick at heart and helpless. I am sending all my love to Monty Q's whole family and Mom Lynne. I just don't have any more words to say.

Farewell, Maxime

Ruis' sister Maxime went to the Rainbow Bridge Thursday. She had been ill off and on for some time. She had a long and happy life, but it still really hurts to have to say goodbye. I know that Miral was waiting for her at the Bridge, ready to show her around. Emil, Anastasia and Ralph would have been nearby to greet her as well. Ruis was very fond of Maxime and is really hurting right now, so go over and offer some hugs.

                             Maxime stole softly and silently away.
                             She knew it was time to end her stay.
                                     We will miss her dearly
                                     But it helps us, nearly,
                             To know that now she is forever at play.

Farewell, Felix Unger Graves III

Dear sweet Felix went to the Bridge on Wednesday, as there was nothing more that could be done for him. He had been having diarrhea problems for about a year and was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome. Lately, he began having more problems and his Mom, Jenny, did some research on the medication he had been taking and thought that the new problems might have been side effects of his medication. Unfortunately, he turned out to have FIP and was in the terminal stages of that horrible disease. All his woman cats will miss him terribly and Jenny is heart-broken. I am sure that he will be watching over all of them from the Rainbow Bridge. I feel so sad that all of this had to happen to him in his short life, but I know that he is happy and free from pain now.

                                      Poor little Felix felt so sick.
                                      The vets didn't know why he was so ick.
                                               Now he's running free
                                               At the Bridge with glee,
                                      Nevermore to be in pain or sick.

Riley

First, there is some more bad news. Felix over at Whiskers and Purrs has been diagnosed with FIP and will probably be going to the Rainbow Bridge later today. Please go give his Mom some hugs and purrs, as she is very upset.

I'm glad I get to do a happy post before I have to do another sad one. Above you can see Riley in one of his sister Abigail's dresses. When Abigail got this brand new dress, Riley decided that he wanted to try it on. Once he was in it, he didn't want to take it off. Naturally, this upset Abigail a bit, as it was her new dress. I think they eventually got it all sorted out and Abigail got her dress back. Riley is considered the baby of the family, as he is the one who still acts the most kittenish at times. One of his favorite games is chasing the vacuum cleaner and mop around when the Mom is cleaning. He loves to find sunspots on the patio. Riley has the loudest meow of all the Turkey Cats and he is the one who announces dinner. When the Mom and Dad have finished their dinner, Riley knows that it is time for Turkey Stinky Goodness. He hops on top of the TV and meows his loudest until he hears the Mom in the kitchen getting the Stinky Goodness ready. Riley is also a very loving kitty and he gives nose bumps to show his affection.

                                  Riley wanted to try on Abigail's dress.
                                  She decided to let him, though it caused her stress.
                                          "It fits to a T!"
                                          He thought gleefully,
                                   "Though if I try to keep it, she will use duress."

Farewell, Sweet Sprout

Saturday was the last day of my vacation and I spent Saturday night lying on my bed watching videos until I fell asleep. I never turned the computer on Saturday at all. When I got back online, I was shocked and horrified to learn that Monty Q's sweet little Sprout had gone to Heaven. I was too overwhelmed to blog about it last night, so I am doing it now. I had a lot of time at work tonight to think about what I would write. I could try to put into words how sad I am that this happened, but that would take a much better writer than I am to express just how I am feeling and how sorrowful I am for Sprout's family. I could rant and rail about just how unfair life can be, but that really wouldn't do any good. I decided the best thing I could do would be to help the Cat Blogsphere spread the word about what you can do to help.

Millie's Mom Lynne is Sprout's godmother and really needs to go to the funeral, but she doesn't have enough green papers. You can donate at the Cat Blogosphere here. You can join in Beau's auction here. You can join in Grr, Midnight and Cocoa's auction here. Any funds left over will go toward Sprout's medical bills. At the same Cat Blogsphere link, you can find out how to send a scrap of fabric with your name and the names of your furries to make a wrap to wrap little Sprout in, which is a request from Sprout's Mom, Tracey. Here, you can find a link to light a candle for Sprout and find out how to send a card to Monty Q's family.

I hope that this will help any of you with that devastating "Oh, this is so sad, but what can I do?" feeling.

Abigail

I can't believe I forgot to mention that Batman is the reason that the Turkey Cats started blogging. He wanted a way to spend more time with his girlfriend Persephone and that's how the blog got started. Abigail was the first born in the litter and she has decided that makes her the boss. Any of her brothers who disagrees gets whapped. The really nice scratcher in the photo was an Easter present to the Turkey Cats from their grandparents. Abigail has decided that it is just for her and whaps her brothers when they try to use it. Abigail loves to drink from the sink, even though it gives her spikey fur on her head. She also loves to get attention from the Mom and likes to sit on her shoulder. She sometimes gets a bit upset with Batman if she thinks that the Mom is paying too much attention to him and not enough to her. Abigail seldom meows at all. She usually only meows if she feels that she is in some kind of trouble or pain. She has taken up modelling pretty dresses lately.  Her favorite toy is a boa on a stick.  She will bring it to the Mom when she wants to play.  Sometimes she will carry it all over the house, looking for someone to play with.

                                     Abigail guards the scratching post.
                                     It's one of the things that she loves most.
                                            She whaps any brother,
                                            Black, tabbly or other,
                                     Who wants to attack the scratching post.

Batman

Batman is one of the Turkey Cats. There are four of them, all from the same litter. There used to be five of them, but Rita went to the Bridge last year. Now she watches over the rest of them. They were all born on March 29, 2005 and adopted from a shelter together by the Mom and Dad. They all get along great, though there is plenty of kitty wrestling and a bit of whappage. Batman is the cat who likes to cuddle the most. He loves his Mom and likes to ride on her shoulder. He also likes to sit with her in her chair while she helps him blog. When he was a kitten, he would purr whenever someone sang him the Batman song from the TV series. His Dad has a serious comic and memorabilia collection and Batman helps him by guarding the door. His Dad lets him in the otherwise off-limits room each day, so Batman can inspect the collection and make sure that all is well. The Turkey Cats got their name because they all absolutely love turkey Stinky Goodness. When the beans have finished dinner, Riley jumps on the TV and yowls for turkey. Lately Batman has been joining in. Then they all get their turkey. Batman is very polite about it. They all four run into the kitchen for the turkey, but Batman usually sits back and waits until the others have finished eating before he eats. This means that sometimes he doesn't get much to eat. Shhh, don't tell the others, but sometimes the Mom slips Batman a little extra turkey, just to make sure that he isn't going hungry.

                                     Batman is the politest cat of all.
                                     Oh, he runs when he hears the dinner call,
                                                 But he'll sit and wait
                                                 By the dinner plate
                                     Until the others have eaten their all.

NOMS Day

My Not of My Species Special Friends are Pickles McHushpuppy and Go-Go Gadget, Miss Steffy's two guinea pigs. Unfortunately, I haven't learned much about them. They are about a year old and participated in Skeezix's Halloween contest last year. They are also very cute, but that's all I know about them. I have decided to extend my NOMS friendships to other of Miss Steffy's rodents and tell you a bit about Gerber the hedgehog.


Gerber is a domestic hedgehog and is probably a bit lonely now, as his best friend, Baby the Blonde Hedgehog, went to the Bridge recently. Gerber got his name because he absolutely loves Gerber's banana baby food. Gerber is a friendly little fellow and he loves to sit on Miss Steffy's shoulder, under her shirt. He also really enjoys getting an outing in his ball. It really rolls around well on the hardwood floors.

Gerber's a hedgehog who likes to have fun.
Across the hardwood floor he will run
All safe in his ball
Until Steffy will call,
"OK, Gerber, that's enough of a run."

Pablo

Pablo lives in West Hobart, Tasmania. He is about eight years old and really resents being referred to as an "older cat". As you can see, he is quite lively. He is an indoor/outdoor cat, but sticks close to home. He is Captain of the West Hobart Tigers, a team in the Australian Feline League. He loves Australian Rules Football and last year he ran a contest to see who could guess who would win the championship and by how many points. Daisy picked the winning team and Tripper got the closest to the number of points they won by. Pablo's favorite thing to eat is chicken and he'll take it in any form: raw, cooked, or made into cat food. Pablo's favorite game is Stringplay and his favorite type of string is a shoe lace. He highly recommends playing with shoe laces for chewability, whapability and length of play. Pablo is such a popular cat that he has his own fan club.

                                 Pablo loves to play with string.
                                 He often says it's his favorite thing.
                                       For a good shoe lace
                                       He will leave his place
                                  In the sun to have a good game of string.

George

This is George's favorite picture of himself. His attention is caught by a dragonfly. He has a pond in his garden which attracts dragonflies and they attract George, unfortunately for them. He likes to eat them. George is, in fact, a mighty hunter and catches and eats all sorts of rodents and birds. He lives with his pet human and his fellow Mancat William. George love sleeping on the bed with his female pet human, but complains that she takes up too much room. George has been studying the relationships between cats and humans and now writes a wonderful advice column for cats who are having issues with their humans. George is the only cat I have come to know who actually likes mud. He loves to squish his toes in the mud and occasionally lies down in puddles. He loves to splash around water wherever he finds it.

                                   George is a cat who gives great advice
                                   On how to train humans and make them be nice --
                                                  How to get them up
                                                  To get you your sup
                                   And other bits of useful advice.