Smokey

I am sure that lots of you remember the story of Dinah and her Mites, but I will tell it again for the rest of you. In July of 2007 a very pregnant tuxie showed up on the Sherwood porch. ML let her in and fixed her up a nice place in the bathroom. On July 31 she gave birth to six kittens. ML named the momcat Dinah, so naturally all the kittens became known as her Mites. Missy was not amused by this invasion, but KC was thrilled. When the Mites got big enough to play, KC would spend hours playing pawsie with them under the door. When the Mites got a bit bigger, KC was allowed inside the bathroom to romp with them. The Mites continued to grow and soon the bathroom simply wasn't big enough for them. They were allowed outside, one room at a time, to explore the rest of the house. Missy really wasn't amused by this at all and started giving all of them the Big Hissy. ML fixed up a place in a walk-in closet just for Missy to give her some alone time and some "just Mom and me" time and Missy calmed down. When the time came, all the Mites got their operations, then they were ready to go the shelter to find their forever homes. ML took all of them, along with a second batch of kittens who had shown up, to the no-kill shelter and said good-bye, then she went home and cried. The house seemed so empty with just Missy and KC that eventually ML went back to the shelter and came home with BJ, Sol and Smokey. Smokey was originally named Earl Gray, but Papa Charley changed his name to Smokey and it suits him well. Smokey has always been the major climber in the family. Sol almost keeps up with him, but Smokey is the champ. He has climbed up on cabinets, on top of doors, and up on the curtain rod. If something can possibly be gotten on top of, Smokey has been there. Smokey loves to play and cuddle with his brothers and KC and his humans.

                                Way up high loves to go Smokey.
                                Into the curtains his claws he will pokey.
                                         He climbs to the top
                                         And there he will stop
                                To survey the domain that belongs to Smokey.

Lego

On January 11th Lego had his first birthday and became a Mancat, so I thought it was time that he had his own limerick. The picture shows Lego with Arion, Michico's fiance. Lego took to Arion right away and they love to cuddle and spend time together. When Lego first came to live with Michico and Adan he developed a persistent fungus during the time he was spending in a different room from Adan, so they could get used to each other. Since the fungus was of a type that is very contagious, the separation and get used to each other period went on for several months. During this time Lego had a paper plate for a collar, so he couldn't scratch the fungus on his chin and spread it to the rest of his body. Even so, he did get it on some other spots, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been had he not worn his paper plate. When the vet finally said that the fungus was gone, Adan and Lego met face to face at last. Adan got more than he bargained for. Lego wanted to play, play, play and part of this play was biting. Adan didn't like that at all. They play together much better now, but Lego still bites occasionally. Lego is a very friendly cat and I don't think he ever met a person he doesn't like. He also loves to play with toys, especially if catnip is involved. The caption on the picture is due to the fact that Lego is getting just a little pudgy.

                                 Lego loves to snuggle with Dad.
                                 Curling up together makes them both glad.
                                               Together they play
                                               'Most every day.
                                  There's a lot of love between Lego and Dad.

Farewell, Kukai

Little Kukai was the smallest cat at Flock O' Fuzzies. He was also the oldest. The shelter said that he was one year old when he was adopted, which would have made him 12 1/2, but the vet thought that he might have been as old as 16. There was nothing in particular that the vet could find wrong with him, but he wasn't eating much and was throwing up what he did eat. He got down to four pounds, which was really skinny, even for him. His Mom decided that it was time to help him go to the Rainbow Bridge. He was a Japanese bobtail with an attitude. He thought he could beat up any cat in the house, which was particularly amusing when he took on one of the Maine Coons. Those of you who remember reading Ayla the Grump's blog will remember him as the one she called The Annoying One. He kept wanting to cuddle with her and she wanting nothing to do with him. He had a very loud voice for such a small cat, especially when it was time for breakfast. He loved warmth and found the cable box on the TV particularly appealling. He was very loving toward his humans and they will really miss him.

                                           Little Kukai got very thin.
                                           The vet didn't know what was wrong with him.
                                                    His Mom helped him leave,
                                                    Though it made her grieve.
                                           At the Bridge he can eat whatever's his whim.

Farewell, Fat Cat Muffin

This is the only picture of Muffin that ever appeared on his blog. He was a handsome fellow. His Mom Tracy has been having a rough time lately. Her Father died a couple of years ago, then her Mother died on January 2nd, and now Muffin has run off to the Rainbow Bridge. She could really use some hugs. Midi the guinea pig is still there to give her comfort, but the house must seem pretty empty now. Muffin was a little over 14 years old and had diabetes for years. He developed acute renal failure and ran off to the Bridge. It's possible that he missed his Grammy so much that he just let go. For most of his life he was a very happy cat and really got a kick out of scaring the small woofies who lived in his apartment building. He was bigger than they were. They had a nice porch and Muffin liked to sit out there and chase the lizards who came to the porch to sun themselves. He caught and ate quite a few of them.

                                   Off to the Bridge ran Fat Cat Muffin.
                                   His Mom feels like someone knocked out her stuffin'.
                                          Muffin laughs at play,
                                          Leaving Mom to say,
                                    "Till we meet again, my dear darling Muffin."

Nymphadora Tonks

Nymphadora Tonks was adopted into The Fluffy Tribe in October of 2007, after the big move from Hawaii to New Mexico. She is a rose tarantula. You can see her eye cluster at the top of her head in this photo. She has molted once and is now about the size of the palm of a hand. She loves life in her terrarium, with her rocks and logs and silk plants and water dish and especially her heat lamp. She has learned that if she climbs to the top of the terrarium, her Mom will turn on the lamp for her. She eats crickets, which she hunts and catches. She had webbed in the ends of one of her logs to make a nice private room for herself. The click of the camera annoys her and she will go hide if her Mom takes too many pictures of her at one time.

                                Nymphadora Tonks likes to eat crickets.
                                They try to hide from her in the thickets
                                           Made by the silk plants,
                                           But they find they can't.
                                 Not a one escapes when Tonks hunts crickets.

Meme

Dorothy, Gretchen's Mom, tagged me for this meme some time ago and I am just now getting around to doing it. The meme originated with Mimi Lenox of Blog Blast for Peace fame, also known as the Queen of Memes.

1. How long do you sleep each night?
About six or seven hours. Sometimes on my days off I get in eight.

2. Do you fall asleep easily?
Usually it takes me a while, sometimes up to an hour.

3. Do you fall asleep at times not in your bed?
Yes. If I am very tired, I will fall asleep in my chair watching TV or even sitting at the computer.

4. Do you listen to music or use white noise to sleep?
I am bad. I turn the TV on when I go to bed and watch until I fall asleep. I used to read in bed until I fell asleep, but now I watch TV.

5. Do you sleep through the night or get up a couple of times?
I generally sleep through the night. Sometimes I get up once.

6. Do you have trouble sleeping away from your own bed?
Yes. It takes me a long time to get to sleep in a strange bed, but once asleep, I stay asleep.

7. Do you need an alarm clock to get you up?
Yes, although if I forget to set the alarm, I wake up within half an hour of when I am supposed to.

8. Do you ever take medication to help you sleep?
No.

9. Do you/have you slept with pets?
When I lived with cats, they always slept with me. I found it very comforting.

I will tag Black Cat, Michico and Mrs. Karate.

Reggie

I just love kitten pictures, don't you? This is Reggie at three weeks old. He was born April 28, 2008 at Hairlessdreams Cattery.

Reggie is very curious and just has to check everything out. Here he is trying to figure out what is making the strange noise in the microwave.


Now he knows what was making the strange noise. He got a bite, but didn't seem to impressed with the popcorn. Reggie is the little rebel. He hates his baths and he hates being rubbed down afterward. He yells bloody murder the whole time. Reggie was adopted when Marley was one year old. Marley only hissed at him twice. The Mom and Dad tried to keep them separated for a while, so they wouldn't share any nasty germs and so they could get used to each other gradually. Marley was having none of this. He would meow and meow at the closed door between him and Reggie and try to get the door open. Mom and Dad finally just gave up and left the door to Reggie's room open. At first, Marley would pounce Reggie whenever he saw him and the Mom and Dad would separate them if they thought Reggie was getting too scared, but this didn't last long. Marley really only wanted to play and Reggie figured this out pretty quickly. Reggie also quickly figured out that he could get into small places where Marley wouldn't fit and this is what he did when he had enough kitty wrestling. Marley and Reggie really love each other. When Reggie got back from his long trip to the vet for neutering, Marley was calling out to him before he even got back into the house. Reggie started calling back and couldn't get out of the PTU fast enough.  Reggie loves to play fetch with his mousie.  He will go fetch the mousie as many times as he can get one of his humans to throw it for him.

                                     Reggie is a very curious cat.
                                     His favorite question is, "What is that?"
                                            He jumps up to see
                                            What it can be,
                                     And he's sometimes rewarded, this curious cat.
                                     

Marley

This darling Sphynx kitten is Marley when he was first adopted.

And this is Marley now. As you can see, he has retained his frootbat ears. He is 1 1/2 years old now, having been born on July 17, 2007. He came from a cattery named Barenakedkitties. I love that name. He is a tuxedo and has practically no fur at all. I don't think he even has whiskers. He is very curious, active and loving. An empty lap won't stay empty for long when Marley is around. He loves to play, especially with his beans or his brother Reggie. In warm weather, he will wake his Mom up for breakfast. In cold weather, he prefers to climb into bed with her and snuggle up to her under the covers. I wouldn't say he loves his baths, but he tolerates them very well. Sphynx have to be bathed or the oil that their skin exudes will irritate their skin and get dirt stuck to it. In kitties with fur, the oil keeps the fur healthy.

                                   Marley the Sphynx loves to cuddle.
                                   He and his Mom make a nice huddle.
                                         'Neath the covers he goes,
                                          Halfway down to her toes.
                                    They both keep warm in a loving cuddle.

Farewell, Meep

This is an old picture of Meep, but it's my favorite. He had just gotten his lion cut and he was feeling really good. Meep got a lion cut about every six months because he had very thick, long fur and it got really tangled and matted. No amount of brushing could cope with the matting and Meep didn't groom himself, for some reason. Meep didn't like the process of getting his lion cut, but he loved the result. Meep was adopted to be company for Buzzerbee, who was FIV+. Of course, Meep was FIV+, too. The virus didn't bother him much until lately. When Buzzerbee went to the Bridge in 2007, Meep got very lonely, so his Mom adopted Twizzler. Twizzler wanted to play a lot more than Meep did, so Bear was brought into the family. About three months ago, Meep was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. Just lately he also got an infection, which his weakened immune system couldn't handle. It was time for Meep to go to the Rainbow Bridge to be with Buzzerbee. I will really miss him.

                                        Heart failure was beating Meep down.
                                        To see him so weak made his Mom frown,
                                                     So she gave him wings.
                                                     Now his heart sings
                                         As Meep and Buzz turn the Bridge upside down.

Marley and Reggie

The video that inspired the limerick can be found here, but the picture above will give you an idea. Marley is the one on top and Reggie is the one on the bottom. I will write them each their own limericks when I get a better idea of their individual characters from their blog. I saw the video and got inspired and I really wanted to get in a fun limerick before any more kitties went to the Bridge. I just made it, too, because Meep is going to the Bridge today and I will write about him tomorrow. Let's get back to Marley and Reggie. They are both young Sphynx cats. It doesn't show well in the picture, but they are really fond of each other. They are both very lively and curious. They love playing together, getting into mischief together and napping together. I will tell you more about each of them when I do their individual limericks.

                                   Marley and Reggie love to box.
                                   They can knock off each other's socks.
                                             A paw to the head
                                             And one to the bread-
                                    Basket or chin, then do it again -- lots.

Farewell, PooPoo

Things are rough over at JB's Small World right now. Misty is so sick that she has her own room so she can rest and, hopefully, recover, and now PooPoo unexpectedly left for the Rainbow Bridge. PooPoo could be described as a cat with a lot of attitude. She got her name because, even as a small kitten, she pooped outside the litter box, though not really often when she was young. The older she got the more pronounced the problem became. PooPoo was really lucky to have her Mom, who tried everything there was to get PooPoo to be a nicer, happier cat. Unfortunately, nothing worked very well. PooPoo wasn't all naughty, by any means. She was a very lively, if mischievious, cat when she was young. She was very fond of her older sister, Taffy. PooPoo's problems didn't get really bad until Taffy went to the Bridge two and a half years ago. PooPoo really loved for her Mom to brush her. She would lie there and purr like mad during the brushing. PooPoo took her new catnip heart to the Bridge with her.

                                        PooPoo the cat had lovely gold eyes.
                                        What went on behind them no one could surmise.
                                                   She wasn't too nice,
                                                   But she added spice.
                                         At the Bridge she's playing Hide and Surprise.

Farewell, Bow

Bow was the Alpha kitty at Forty Paws. He had the honor of being the first kitty there and could remember being the only kitty for a while. When the others started to arrive, Bow made sure that each one of them knew who was the boss. Even when he got very old and sick, he remained the boss. Bow was just two months short of his 19th birthday when he was helped to the Rainbow Bridge. He had a variety of ailments and just lately his kidneys had started to fail. Maw and Paw made the decision to help him go to the Bridge because he could barely walk and he just wasn't having any good times any more. One of Bow's very favorite things to do was lie in the sun in the enclosure and soak up all the lovely heat.

                                       Bow was a cat of great renown.
                                       He ruled Forty Paws when he put his paw down.
                                             To the Bridge he went
                                             'Cause his strength was spent.
                                       Now he's strutting his stuff and running around.

Farewell, Russell

I wasn't able to find out a whole lot about Russell. He was six years old and was sent to the Rainbow Bridge due to complications from jaundice. Russell really liked to take it easy. He loved to nap on his beans. He even took a nap on his Mom's back while she was on the computer. He also loved to nap with his sibling kitties, often using them as a pillow and being used as a pillow. He loved to jump into the laundry basket and lounge on the dirty clothes. When his family moved, he jumped into the packing boxes, trying to make sure that he wouldn't be left behind. I am sure there was never any danger of that. His family miss him greatly.

                                        Russell was a lounging kitty.
                                        On his beans he loved to sitty.
                                               To the Bridge he had to go.
                                                He took it easy and slow.
                                         Now he's lounging on grass so pretty.

Farewell, Bandit

Bandit's Mom scooped him up from the middle of the road in 1994 and took him home. He has been there ever since. Bandit was one of those kitties who are always into everything and seem to be everywhere at once. Was there some mischief that needed doing? Bandit was there. Was there an empty lap somewhere? Bandit found it. Bandit had a heart full of love and he was eager to share it. He also had a loud voice and wasn't afraid to use it. Bandit had been having tummy troubles for several months and he lost a lot of weight. It finally got so bad that he had to be helped to the Bridge. He is sorely missed by his beans and fellow cats.

                                      Bandit was an outgoing boy.
                                      He loved everyone and was never coy.
                                            Bridge kitties beware,
                                            Now that he's there
                                       There will be no stopping this exhuberant boy.

Farewell, Aunt Bee

Here is Aunt Bee in all her glory before she got so sick. Whimpur acts as a foster Mom to cats who get put on death row in her local high kill shelter. Aunt Bee wasn't on the list, but a worker pointed her out to Whimpur and begged her to get her out of there. Whimpur couldn't refuse. Here was an 11-12 year old cat, who had clearly been dearly loved, in a cage without a clue as to what had happened to her happy home. When Aunt Bee got to Whimpur's home she was still very sad and wouldn't eat much at all. Whimpur began to worry quite a bit, as this can cause Fatty Liver Disease. Five days later, Whimpur brought home three kittens who were on death row because they had colds. Aunt Bee perked up. She began mothering the tiniest kitten, Isadora, who is the cutest little black ball of fluff I have seen in a long time, and began eating again. Unfortunately the damage had already been done. Little Isadora went to her forever home on January 1st and Aunt Bee went to the Bridge on January 2nd. She did have Fatty Liver Disease. It is as if Aunt Bee wanted to stay around long enough to see Isadora get her forever home, then she felt that her last job was done and she was ready to go to the Rainbow Bridge.

                                    Aunt Bee was a sweet old cat.
                                    She mothered Isadora, almost hugged her flat.
                                            When Isadora went
                                            To her home, Heaven sent,
                                   The Bridge called to Aunt Bee, "Come home, darling cat."

Farewell, Sen-Chan

This is Sen-Chan, looking wise and thoughtful. He was an Abyssinian and a very sweet cat. He loved to cuddle and play. He was a very good cat, never scratching the furniture and he always played nicely with Tom and Tama-Chan. He was adopted when he was three months old and when he was four months old, Tom the dog, who was three months old at the time joined the family. Sen-Chan took to Tom right away. He also welcomed Tama-Chan to the family when she joined a bit later. He was sickly as a little kitten, but he grew out of that. He did have a series of kitty colds, but nothing serious until just before the end. When he lost his appetite, he went to the vet. The tests showed that he had Feline Leukemia. The vet was writing out treatment for him when he had a massive heart attack right there and ran away to the Rainbow Bridge. He was only 16 months old, a month younger than Castor. His family are heartbroken.

                                     Feline Leukemia took Sen-Chan.
                                     He was much too young; now he is gone.
                                            He ran far away
                                            To the Bridge to play.
                                     Have lots of fun there, beloved Sen-Chan.

Farewell, Castor

I feel sad for all the kitties and woofies who go to the Rainbow Bridge, but this one really broke my heart. I remember anxiously awaiting the birth of Stella's litter and I had a limerick all ready for the occasion. I was delighted when Castor and Pollux got their own blog, though I wasn't a very frequent visitor. Castor was a very playful kitten, but started to get a bit shy and hidey shortly after his hoo-ha-ectomy. Then he started to get aggressive, just a little at first, but it got pretty bad shortly before he left for the Rainbow Bridge. The vet thinks it must have been brain cancer and it could have been growing in him for most of his much too short life. I am glad that Castor had such a wonderful forever home with his brother and his non-fur sister and his Mom and Dad. He and Pollux had wonderful times together until his illness made him too grumpy to play.

                                       There was something wrong with Castor's brain.
                                       When he wouldn't play it became plain
                                                   That the Bridge would call
                                                   Him away from us all.
                                       Now he's running and playing again.

Farewell, Baby Cakes

Welcome to my 500th post.
Yes, Baby Cakes is the full name of this most mancatly of cats. He had such gravitas and dignity that he was usually called Baby or Babe, though. Looking at all that floof, his size and those snowshoe feet, I think that he must have been a Maine Coon.
I really like this picture of Tuck holding Baby. Baby had gotten out in the snow on the porch without his harness or leash and Tuck went out to retrieve him. He still looks quite dignified, even being held like that. Baby wasn't much for playing. He didn't have any toys and he didn't whap stuff off tables or anything like that. He loved to sit on a windowsill and watch the birds. He also liked to find high perches and watch the people, too. He really loved to sit on a lap and get scritches. He was very fond of people food, but he would never do anything so undignified as beg. He would merely sit and stare until he got what he thought was his due share. Baby got a fast-growing tumor on his palate, which quickly made breathing and eating difficult. Nothing could be done to help him, so he was helped to the Bridge by his loving family. He was with them for twelve years and they really miss him.

                                        Babe was a cat with gravitas.
                                        He kept it through the very last.
                                              He climbed the ridge
                                              Which leads to the Bridge
                                        Walking with great gravitas.

Farewell, Rascals

I know that this is out of order, but Rascals asked me very politely if he could be next and he even told me his limerick right away, so I didn't have to work on it much. Rascals was Kimo and Sabi's woofie cousin. He was a weener dog and the patriarch of his family. He was quite old ad his heart was wearing out, so he just quietly went to the Rainbow Bridge.  His woofie family consists of Queenie, Cece and Tigger. He was a favorite of Josh, his bean brother. Josh is really going to miss Rascals, because he has known Rascals his whole life. Rascals was 17 and Josh is 18. Rascals and his family don't have a blog, but if you want to pass on some kind words, you can do it on Kimo and Sabi's blog. You can also see some really cute pictures of Rascals and his family, especially if you do a blog search on Rascals.

                                   Rascals got so old and slow
                                   That to the Bridge he had to go.
                                             He left behind
                                             Eyes with tears blind.
                                    At the Bridge he's seeing just how fast he can go.

Farewell, Icon Baxter Bently

I am really getting behind and I apologize. All of these farewell posts seem to be taking a bit of a toll on me. I will get them all done, though.

Icon Baxter Bentley was a very loving cat toward his humans. He seemed to more tolerate the other cats in his life than really get along with them. He had a lot of other cats in his life, because his Mom is a foster Mom and takes in foster cats and kittens on a regular basis. Icon was really never mean to the fosters, but he did whap them and growl at them if they got too close to him. Icon really loved to play with toys, but he didn't play much at all with other cats, even the ones who lived with him permanently. He got a neurological condition in his lumbar spine and it made life miserable for him in a very short time. He had to be helped to the Bridge because of pain and paralysis. I don't really know if he went gently, but I bet he was glad to go, where he could be well again.

                                     Icon just got sicker and sicker.
                                     His Mom wanted to help him quicker.
                                            Icon Baxter Bentley
                                            To the Bridge went gently.
                                      Now he runs and runs, quicker and quicker.