Farewell, Oreo

I have made a few changes to this post. I was never happy with the last line of the limerick. I fought with it for two days, then gave up and posted what I had. Then, of course, a better line came to me today. I have also added a few other cats that Oreo probably knew from his blogging days that are at the Bridge with him now.

This is a really hard farewell post for me. I started reading Oreo's blog in September of 2006, right after I discovered kitty blogging. In those days there weren't nearly as many kitties blogging. I would go to Max's blog, then go down his blogroll. I could visit all the kitties every day. I fell in love with Oreo right away. He was such a sweetie and so very funny. The notebook I write all my limericks in has Oreo's picture on the front. I have a hoodie that proclaims me a proud member of Oreo's Posse. Oreo and I became good buddies and he and his Mom, Heather, kept encouraging me to start my own blog. I didn't know what I would blog about, because I don't have a cat. Eventually, I came up with the idea of Kitty Limericks. Without Oreo and Heather encouraging me so much, this blog wouldn't exist. Oreo was the first kitty that I wrote limericks about. He got two because I couldn't decide which one I liked better. I treasure Oreo's comments, especially the one he made on my limerick for Little Pink Pig, where he said he was laughing so hard he couldn't breathe. When Oreo's blogging tapered off, then stopped, I kept hoping that he would come back some day because I missed him so much. Now he has gone to the Rainbow Bridge and I really miss him. I know that he is having a great time there and I am sure that he has met up with Buzzerbee and Meep and Larry and Bonnie Underfoot and Norton and Trixie and Ayla the Grump and all of our other friends there.

                                           Oreo went to the Bridge on a cloud.
                                           Now he's running and playing and laughing out loud.
                                                    He looks down below,
                                                    Sees us weeping so,
                                           And says, "Don't weep for me.  I'm with my old crowd."

Farewell, Charlie

I didn't know Charlie at all. The first time I visited her blog was when the Cat Blogosphere reported that she was very sick and purrayers were needed. I usually try to read up on the subject I am going to write a limerick about and give some facts, but in this case, I think all the facts I needed to know were that Charlie was very much loved by a huge number of beings and that her Mom is heart-broken. Charlie lived with her Mom for fifteen and a half years and leaves a huge hole in her Mom's life and heart. Her Mom wrote one of the most touching tributes I have ever read and you can find it here. I don't feel I can add anything to that, but I will do a little limerick.

                                       Beloved Charlie has crossed the Lake.
                                       She only paused her thirst to slake --
                                               Her youth to renew
                                               So her heart so true
                                      Could guide her to her Mom when she crosses the Lake.

Mugsy

The tuxedo cat with his paw on Melech's shoulder is Mugsy.


And here is his handsome face. Mugsy was the second cat to joing the MEOW household and he has been there since the blog started in 2007, so he is at least two years old now. Mugsy is a very loving cat. He really loves his big brother, Melech and he was the first cat to accept Madeleine into the family. He has decided that he likes being a big brother as well as being a little brother. Mugsy is the alarm clock cat. He always gets his Mom up for breakfast and he can be very insistent about it. First he meows politely. If that doesn't work, he starts pushing things off the beside table with his nose. That generally gets the Mom up. If Mom still insists that it isn't time for breakfast yet, then he jumps on the bed and gently bites his Mom on the nose. One morning things got to the nose-biting stage and his Mom got up, even though her alarm clock said it was too early. She discovered when she got to the kitchen and saw the clock there that Mugsy was right and her alarm clock was wrong. Mugsy also loves playing with the other cats. Chase and kitty wrestling are his favorite games. If Melech doesn't want to play, then he happily plays with Madeleine. He is probably playing with Mia, the newest addition, by now, too.

                                       Mugsy is a cat who loves his bro'.
                                       That paw on the shoulder is not for show.
                                                They play together
                                                In all kinds of weather.
                                       He loves his sisters, too, mo' an' mo'.

Melech

This is Melech. He is the oldest kitty at his house, being four years old. He was an only kitty for a while, then Mugsy came along. Melech and Mugsy are best buddies. Then Madeleine joined the family and Melech wasn't too thrilled, but he now at least tolerates her OK. Just recently, Mia joined the family and Melech isn't too thrilled again, but he will probably settle down in a little bit. Melech just thinks that there is too much attention being paid to other cats. As you can see, he knows how to get attention when he wants it. Melech is a clever cat and has figured out how to open drawers. He loves to open a drawer and rearrange whatever he finds in it. He is part Bengal, as you can see from the spots on his sides. He also loves to watch the birds and squirrels outside the window. The kitties at MEOW don't blog much, but I had fun reading what was there.

                                     Melech likes to watch the birds
                                     And the squirrels, those nutty nerds.
                                              He likes to chitter
                                              With his tail a-twitter,
                                     And that's how Melech watches the birds

Farewell, Molly Louise

Sweet Molly Louise was what you might call an absentee member of Whiskers and Purrs. The Mom trapped her as a stray cat who was hanging around the house with the aim of finding her a forever home. Unfortunately, she tested positive for both FIV and Feline Leukemia. The vet said that he would keep her in isolation for a period of time to allow the Mom to find her a home. That turned out to be rather difficult, but the Mom found a sanctuary for sick cats who would take her just in time. The sanctuary is called The Best Little Cat House in Pennsylvania and they take in cats who are considered unadoptable because they carry diseases. The Mom drove Molly up there three months ago and she was delighted at how great the place is. Molly was put into a cage for a short time to see how the other cats would react to her. There was no growling or hissing at all on either side, so Molly was let out of the cage and made friends with the other cats very quickly. Molly had a very loving and nice three months there. She curled up and went to sleep on April 13 and went to the Bridge with no suffering.

                                  We now say goodbye to sweet Molly Louise.
                                   She was always gentle and never a tease.
                                           She had FIV
                                           And FL, oh me.
                                 She went gently to sleep, did Molly Louise.

Awards

Elin gave me this great award some time ago. Here are the rules:

1. Give five reasons why you think life is grand.
2. Pass the award on to five more blogs.

The first one is going to be a bit difficult, as life is anything but grand around here at the moment, but I'll give it my best shot.

1. Not all of the flowers have been killed by the returning frosts, so there are a few signs of spring around.

2. My Mother survived her bout of kidney failure.

3. I found a wonderful person to look after my Mother while I am at work.

4. I have lots of nice kitty, woofy and human friends in the Blogosphere to cheer me up when I am feeling really down.

5. I have some vacation time coming up, if I can remember to put in for it.

I would like to pass this award on to:

Mr. Hendrix
Forty Paws
The Ballicus Cats
Miss Steffy
Luna

Adventures in Cat Philanthropy gave me this great award. I have already received it, but I am always very grateful to get it again. It makes me feel really good that so many people think I am creative. I won't pass it along this time, though, because I am feeling rather brain-dead tonight.

Awards

I'm back, but I think that my blogging may be even more erratic from now on. I got both of these lovely awards from Jodi. I really appreciate them. Thank you so much, Jodi.

The aims of this award:

* As a dedication for those who love blogging activity and love to encourage friendships through blogging.
* To seek the reasons why we all love blogging!
* Put the award in one post as soon as you receive it
* Don’t forget to mention the person who gives you the award.
* Answer the award’s question by writing the reason why you love blogging.
* Tag and distribute the award to as many people as you like.
* Don’t forget to notify the award receivers and put their links in your post.

I blew the third aim right out the window, but I will do better with the rest of them. I love blogging because it allows me to connect with many people I would otherwise never meet. I get so much fun out of reading about other people's lives and companion animals, that I wanted to join in, so I did. I would like to pass this award along to:

Elin, who loves to make new friends.
Roxy, who is always a good friend.
William, who is a hoot to read.
Sammy, Miles and Billy, who always give me a lift.
Missy and KC and the gang, who can teach all of us about giving and helping others.
Eduardo the Snuggle Puggle, who has so many workers, all snuggling to make others feel better.


This award doesn't seem to have any rules or aims. I would like to pass it along to Thumper and Miss Peach.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter to everyone and I hope that you Jewish kitties are having a delightful Passover. There's been a lot of stuff going on here and I've been taking a sanity break. I should be back to visiting and blogging this evening.

Too Late to Blog

Things have been really busy around here. My Mom came home from the hospital Thursday, so I had to get everything ready for her, including hiring home care, since she can't be left alone while I go to work any more. She is a bit weak and tired, but feeling pretty good. Everything will work out fine, I am sure. Thank you all again for all your purrs and prayers. I think they helped a lot. My Mother does need more care now and that leaves less time for blogging. I got a bunch of awards that I will start blogging about tomorrow, I hope. Then I'll get back to the limericks. It's past my bedtime now, so I'll stop here.

Farewell, Rabbie Burns

Mom update: She is being released from the hospital today and should be just fine.

This is a really sad one for me. I remember when Rabbie Burns was first adopted into the Fluffy Tribe three years ago. He soon acquired the nickname of Bad Bunny Burns from his habit of chewing on wires and the baseboards and anything else he could get his teeth into, including one of his Mom's books and a TurboTrack. He had great fun with the TurboTrack. I loved reading his reports. He got along quite well with the cats, except when he took over Merlin's sleeping basket when he first moved in. Merlin didn't like that too much. He was much too young to go to the Rainbow Bridge, but he got a mass of fur lodged in his digestive track and hopped off to the Bridge before the vet could operate to get it out of him. The mass shut down his digestive track completely. He will really be missed.

                                     Rabbie Burns was a bad, bad bun.
                                     When wires were to be found, he would chew every one.
                                                 To the Bridge he hopped --
                                                 He couldn't be stopped.
                                      How we will miss you, Rabbie Burns bun.

Smokey

Mom update: She continues to improve and even got out of bed for a little while today.

This beautiful cat is Smokey. She has been hanging around Tiger's house since last August. The Mom and Dad feed her and built her a snug little shelter for the winter. She and Tiger tolerate each other, but they aren't really friends. At least they have never been seen touching each other. Once or twice the Mom has left the door open for Tiger and Smokey has come into the house, looked around, and gone back outside. Maybe some day she'll decide to come in and stay. Tiger would probably be OK with that and Motor would probably like it, but K. C. probably wouldn't like it at all. Really, it's impossible to tell how the other cats would react until or unless it happens. In the meantime, Smokey shows up for meals and lounges around in the yard most of the day. She either uses her shelter or goes elsewhere at night.

                                    The cat who lives outside is Smokey.
                                    When it comes to meals, she is never pokey.
                                               She likes it outdoors,
                                               Even when it pours,
                                    But maybe some day come inside will Smokey.