For Auntie Deb

Auntie Deb, Mom to The Taylor Catsssss, is having back surgery today and needs us all to send her all the purrs, purrayers and healing vibes that we can. She is in terrible pain and the surgery will be very painful, as well. Please take this graphic from Zoolatry and use it on your blog to spread the word. Get well soon, Auntie Deb!

Award

Omer, who writes the Of Cats blog, gave me this award a couple of weeks ago, but I am just now getting around to posting about it. Thank you so much, Omer. I really appreciate it. I would like to pass this award on to:

The Zoo
Poppy Q
Tara
Sassy
Dragonheart and Merlin
The Cat Realm
and, though it seems a bit circular, to Omer's cats, Snow, Leo and Fairy.

D~ Ma at Cat's Eye has given me an award, too, and I hope to do that one very soon.

Farewell, Captain Nels

Captain Nelson John LaPurr, also known as Captain Nels the Cranky, set sail for the Rainbow Bridge yesterday afternoon. He was 18 years old and had been having health problems for quite a while. The Meowers from Missouri were the ones who started Meow like a Pirate Day and Captain Nels was in charge of the good ship Cat 0' Nine Tails. Nelson was a calm old cat who lived with three other cats and two dogs. We will miss him terribly and the ship won't seem the same without him.

                                      Captain Nelson John LaPurr
                                      Was the finest pirate kitty ever.
                                                     Alas, today
                                                     He sailed away,
                                       But we'll see him again where it's always fair weather.

Quest

Quest is such a pretty calico girl. She is Shy's litter sister and was adopted at the same time. While Shy is aggressive and bossy, Quest is laid back, but not exactly quiet. Quest is the most vocal of the three cats at Ginger's house (or maybe four, if Q2 stays). The Mom thinks that both Shy and Quest may have some Siamese in them, as their brother looked very Siamese. Quest can really talk up a storm, if the mood so takes her. Since Quest is so calm and laid back, Shy and Ginger like to chase her around the house. Shy even whaps her once in a while, for no apparent reason. Quest takes all this in her stride most of the time. Once in a while, she just gets fed up with the other two, then look out. All of a sudden Quest is chasing Shy or Ginger or both all around the house. Quest's favorite toy is her catnip mouse and she really enjoys it.

                                The other two cats like to chase Quest.
                                She really wishes they would give it a rest.
                                        When she's tired of the game
                                        She knows just who to blame,
                               And the other two cats go running from Quest.

Shy

Shy, also known as ShyGurl, is the one looking out the window. Ginger is on the couch. Shy and her sister Quest were feral kittens living with their mother and brother in a garden belonging to one of her Daddy's co-workers. Her Daddy adopted them when they were about 5-6 weeks old. They are 13 now. Shy got her name because she hides from humans. She will even run away from her Mom if Mom moves toward her too suddenly. When it comes to other kitties, though, Shy is anything but. She loves to chase Ginger all around the house. She chases Quest sometimes, too. Oddly enough, she doesn't seem to have chased Q2 yet, but I'll bet that is coming up. Shy has a sensitive tummy and barfs a lot. She loves to barf on the carpet under the piano. Her Mom wishes that she would barf on the kitchen floor, but Shy will actually run from the kitchen when the need to barf comes upon her.

                                       Shy likes to hide when people are near,
                                       But around other kitties she knows no fear.
                                              She'll haul off and whap them
                                              And chase them and fwap them.
                                        Her alpha cat status she holds very dear.

Meow like a Pirate

more animals

Aye, kitties, it be Meow like a Pirate Day once again. If ye be seekin' adventure on the High Seas, ye can ship aboard the Cat o' Nine Tails or the Black Furball. Eric and Flynn also be lookin' to hire on hands for their ship. Me, I be:

My pirate name is:

Red Jenny Rackham

Passion is a big part of your life, which makes sense for a pirate. You have the good fortune of having a good name, since Rackham (pronounced RACKem, not rack-ham) is one of the coolest sounding surnames for a pirate. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

I be holdin' a bit o' treasure hunt in me back yard. Some creetur took to livin' in me disused vegetable garden an' that dinna fash me a'tall, but lately it's been takin' a likin' to me lawn an' that's an eviction offense. If any o' ye pirate kitties would like to come by an' thrash the creetur, I'd be much obliged. Here's yer hint as to where to find 'em.

Thar'll be plenty o' nip rum an' tuna juice on hand, as well as Temptations and Greenies. Let's make a party o' the occasion.

                                Thar be a creetur livin' in me yard.
                                Ye can dig 'im up.  It shouldna be hard.
                                             Be not afeard to face 'im
                                             He'll run ye'll chase 'im
                                 All through the grass and out o' me yard.

Farewell, Pixie

Pixie was Daisy the Curly Cat's older sister. She lived to be 13, even though she had feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy for the last six years. She seemed to understand a bit about her condition and always took all of her medications without a fuss. Pixie had a mischievous side and would sometimes whap Daisy on the head as Daisy walked by the chair Pixie was sitting in. Daisy would sometimes get a little miffed at this, as she knew she couldn't whap Pixie back, because of her heart condition. Pixie liked her nip, but best of all she liked bananas. She always got a few bites with her breakfast. Pixie got to feeling very tired and sad in the last few days and left for the Rainbow Bridge Sunday morning. She was a sweet, fun kitty and I am going to miss her a whole lot.

                              Pixie decided it was time to leave.
                              She told little Daisy not to grieve.
                                      She wrapped a banana
                                      In her fav'rite bandana
                              And early one morning she took her leave.

Ginger

Ginger has been blogging a long time, since December 2004. She lives with her Mom and Dad and two sisters, Shy and Quest (and maybe Q2 now), in Portland, Oregon. She originally lived with a friend of her present Mom, but that friend had to give her up and asked if her present Mom knew anyone who would like a nice cat. There was a neighbor who had said repeatedly that he wanted a cat and Ginger went to live with him. However, he was not a nice cat parent. He left Ginger outside all the time and didn't feed her or give her water very often at all. Ginger used to go next door to her present Mom's place often and beg for attention. Her present Mom gave her a box with warm bedding and food and water, but didn't bring her in because she wasn't sure how Shy and Quest would take to a new cat. When the weather got cold, Ginger's Mom took pity on her and brought her inside to live with her forever. That was the start of winter 1999. The neighbor never said a word about it. Shy and Quest didn't like the new kitty much, at first, but soon got used to her. Ginger has decided that her Mom is the best human in the whole wide world and likes nothing better than to sit in Mom's lap. Ginger also really enjoys watching out the screen door and the windows. She alerts her Mom to when the racoons show up to eat the food that her Mom puts out for stray kitties. Her Mom has a Super Soaker and knows how to use it. Ginger is really good at persuading her Mom to share some of whatever she is eating at dinner time. Ginger's favorite treat is maguro, which she gets in a special dish. She is one of the very few kitties I have ever met who actually likes wearing her collar. Whenever it comes off, Ginger hooks it with her claw and takes it to her Mom, who puts it back on.

                                   Ginger likes to wear her collar.
                                   When it comes off, she doesn't holler.
                                              She hooks it with her claw
                                              And takes it to Maw,
                                    Who quickly replaces Ginger's collar.

September 11, 2001

Remembering in silence. So many memories crowding in around me.

Farewell, Roscoe

Sassy made this beautiful picture to remember Roscoe. As you can see Roscoe went to the Rainbow Bridge just short of his and Opus' thirteenth birthday. They were litter brothers and inseparable. When Roscoe got sick, Opus stayed near him and hugged him often. Roscoe had a growth in one kidney, which shut down that kidney's function and the other kidney was quite swollen. His poor little body just couldn't take the strain. The emergency vet did everything possible, but the call of the Rainbow Bridge was just too strong. Cyndi, Opus and Danilo are just devastated, so please go and give them what comfort you can. I have been reading Cat Naps in Italy for a long time and really enjoyed their adventures. I am going to miss Roscoe terribly.

                                   Roscoe was the sweetest boy.
                                   To all who met him he brought joy.
                                         Now he's gone away
                                         To the Bridge to play,
                                    And we are left to remember this darling boy.

Texas' Dare

I made a donation to the Winn Feline Foundation in honor of Texas. I am going to try to get a gadget up on my sidebar with links for Winn and The CSU Animal Cancer Center, but I am not very good at that sort of thing and it might not work out.

Award

The Cat Realm and PB&J both gave me this wonderful award on the same day. I feel very loved. Here are the rules:

1. The winner can put the logo on his/her blog
2. Link the person you received your award from
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs
4. Put links of those blogs on yours, and
5. Leave a message on the blogs that you've nominated

Passing on this award is very difficult for me because I love so many blogs. I tried to narrow it down to old friends whom I don't visit nearly often enough and who haven't received this award yet, but there are still a lot more than seven of them. I finally decided that there are ten blogs that I just have to give this award to.

1. The Big Piney Woods Cats
2. Oscar
3. Beau Beau and Angie
4. Max: I do visit him every day, but I wouldn't be blogging now if I hadn't found Max, so I can't leave him out.
5. Meep, Twizzler and Bear
6. Edsel
7. Grr, Midnight and Cocoa
8. The House of (Mostly) Black Cats
9. Victor and Nina
10. Ginger

I really want to give this award to all of you, old friends and new.

Award

The Cat Realm gave me this award and I feel very honored. Thank you, Karl, Mrs. OZ and Tintin. Here are the rules:

1) Put the logo on your blog.
2) Add a link to the person who awarded you.
3) Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4) Add links to those blogs on yours.
5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.

I would like to pass this award on to:

1. Cheysuli
2. Sweet Ariel
3. The Royal Kitties
4. Tamra Maew
5. Mickey Mantle
6. The Turkey Cats
7. Miz Allie Cat

I really think that all your blogs are brilliant, but I was trying to find blogs that I don't think have gotten this award before.

The Cat Realm and PB & J gave me another award, which I will do tomorrow.

Farewell, Lucinda

Lucinda was a member of Chicats, who have only been blogging since July, so we didn't get to know her very well before she went to the Rainbow Bridge on Wednesday. She lived with Moe and Carmela and her Mom and Dad. All three of the cats are Burmese and were all adopted from the same breeder in 2003 as adults. Lucinda was a sable brown Burmese. Lucinda was born in 1999, so she was four when she was adopted. Her kidneys stopped working right last October, but she was doing fine on her special diet until last week, when she got very sick. Nothing helped, not even sub-q fluids. Lucinda loved sitting on her Mom's shoulder, talking to her mousie and drinking out of the faucet. If you haven't already, please go give her Mom and Dad some purrs and hugs.

                                      Lucinda's kidneys let her down.
                                      Her Mom's tears wet her gown.
                                              Lucinda's free to play
                                              In the sun all day
                                      With the other kitties from all around.

Farewell, Texas

Wednesday was a sad day in the Cat Blogosphere. Besides Texas, Lucinda and Tybalt's Grandmama's and Grandpapa's woofie went to the Rainbow Bridge. I'll blog about Lucinda tomorrow. I was really hoping that it would be longer before I would need to write this post about Texas. He had been battling lymphoma and doing pretty well, but it got into his nervous system and once that happens, little can be done. He did get to spend lots and lots of great snuggle and cuddle time with his Mom and Dad before it became obvious that he needed to take that last trip to the vet and depart for the Rainbow Bridge. Please give lots of hugs, purrs and kitty kisses to his Mom and Dad, who will miss him terribly.

Texas didn't want to leave Mom and Dad,
But the Bridge was calling, and now we are sad.
Now he's running free
Through woods and through lea,
Leaping for joy and playing like mad.

Ariel and Mao's Wedding

I'm pretty late with this, but I go by the theory that it's never too late to celebrate your friends. Sweet Ariel and Chairman Mao got married on Saturday, August 30 in the Caribbean. You can see all the wedding and reception pictures here. Everything was absolutely wonderful. I wish them a long and very happy life together.

                                Ariel got married to Mao.
                                The scene was lovely as they made their vows.
                                        The reception was great.
                                        Everyone filled their plate.
                                Let's all give a toast to Ariel and Mao.

Texas

I have been thinking about Texas a lot lately. He isn't doing too well and may have to go to the Rainbow Bridge soon. I thought that if I did a limerick for him, it might cheer up his Mom and Dad and him a little bit. Texas is a big, fierce Mancat who is battling lymphoma. He came to his Mom and Dad in October of 2005 when one of his Mom's co-workers was moving and couldn't keep Texas any more. Texas moved into his new home and made himself right at home. He even made friends with the birds who were already living there. He claimed a big chip box as his very own and still has it. He has a unique way of eating his kibble. He takes a piece and drops it in his water bowl. Then he fishes the piece of kibble out of the water and eats it. Texas has become quite a snugglebug lately and is spending lots of quality time with him Mom and Dad.

                                     Texas is a cat who loves to fish.
                                     He drops some kibble in his water dish.
                                           Then he fishes it out
                                           To put in his mout'.
                                    Then he looks for another piece to fish.