Happy Thanksgiving

I want to wish all my friends a very Happy Thanksgiving. I have much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. Herman came into my life at just the right time. This was going to be a kind of lonely Thanksgiving without my parents, but now I have Herman to keep me company. My little cold has prevented me from sharing this Thanksgiving with my family, but I won't be alone. I will try to visit as many of you as possible and I will also try to get back to the limericks very soon. I slept all afternoon Wednesday and I am feeling quite a bit better now. Love to you all.

Farewell, Kimiko

I am really getting behind with these. It's been almost a month since Kimiko went to the Rainbow Bridge. Kimiko was one of the older cats in the house. Her Mom found her in a dumpster near her work with four siblings. No one knows how the kittens got in the dumpster. The momcat was hanging around the dumpster and that is what alerted the Mom to look inside. She found the five baby kittens, but could not catch the mother. She took all of them home and socialized, litterbox trained and found homes for all the rest, but kept Kimiko. Kimiko loved her Mom very much and always wanted to be near her. She also loved to hop in the laundry basket as soon as the clothes came out of the dryer. Her favorite treat was fishy flakes and her eyes would get really big when she saw them come out and get put in a bowl. She was very vocal and told her Mom all about everything. She loved to be held and cuddled in her Mom's arms. Kimiko got small cell intestinal cancer. Usually this disease is slow-acting and responds well to chemo. In Kimiko's case it was very aggressive and nothing seemed to slow it down. Kimiko had to be helped to the Rainbow Bridge not long after her diagnosis. Her family is still missing her very much.

                                    Kimiko's cancer came on fast.
                                    She tried her best, but could not last.
                                            Alas, now on Earth
                                            Of her there's a dearth.
                                   She is at the Bridge, having a blast.

Limerick Tomorrow

I will definitely start up the limericks again tomorrow. I already have one written, but I am too tired to post it tonight. I have had a busy day, as you can see on Herman's new blog. It isn't much to look at and it has my profile, but at least it's a start.

Playful Herman

I managed to get a much better picture of Herman this morning. Since I knew that the light level was high enough that the flash wouldn't go off, I got much closer to him. I know now, thanks to your kind advice, that I shouldn't be shooting toward the window, as I still am here, but I was close enough and low enough that the picture came out all right. I took this picture just after our cuddle and play session and he was still making biscuits on the carpet. He loves it when I get down on the floor with him. I think the hopping up on the bed and hopping off was him testing to see whether it was allowed and if he felt comfortable enough with me to join me. He slept on my feet for a few hours Wednesday night. I was expecting him to meow me awake for breakfast Thursday morning, but he didn't. This was probably because I noticed just before I went to bed that he had eaten almost all of his Stinky Goodness, so I gave him some more. I think one of his previous families had punished him for jumping up on the furniture because when I got up early to put out the trash bin, he was sitting on a big pillow I had put on top of some storage boxes in front of the window near the bird feeder. As soon as he noticed me, he jumped down and ran as if he had been caught doing something wrong. He is slowly learning that jumping up on the furniture in this house is allowed, though he still very rarely does it. When I went back to bed after putting out the trash and making sure that he wasn't ready for more food yet, I had just gotten settled in good when I heard a meow from the foot of the bed. I scratched on the covers and told Herman that it was OK and he joined me in bed. He came up to me and I gave him some scritches. Then the most amazing thing happened. I had my hand flat on the bed scritching his cheek when he nestled his head into the palm of my hand, closed his eyes, started purring and went to sleep. Now that is trust and love.

Herman is making great strides in the playing department. At first he would only bite and paw at his toys for a minute or two, then lose interest. After I got him the kicker toy, he started bunnykicking. Today I noticed that he is batting them around. Tomorrow I am going to try out Da Bird on him again. The first time I tried it, he just watched it for a few seconds, then walked away. The second time, I waved it around slowly, then let it stop and he walked up and sniffed the feathers for a bit before walking away. Now that he is batting toys around, maybe he will bat at it. This morning I rolled a ball for him and he chased it. That was the first time that I had seen him show any interest in the ball at all. I found one of his little mousies in the kitchen and scooted it across the floor to him. He batted it around so vigorously that he knocked it under the dishwasher. He was so disappointed when it disappeared. I got down and looked, but couldn't see it and I couldn't feel it, as far as I could reach. I think he must have knocked it over the hose and way to the back and it just might have to stay there. He meowed at me for a long time after I gave up trying to get it out. Of course, I brought him a new toy when I came home from work. It's like a miniature tennis ball with a fuzzy tail. He groomed the tail, but didn't seem much interested in the rest of it. I do notice that most of the toys change position during the night. I think Herman will be completely over his depression very soon. I got his vet papers today and they state that he just turned two in June. The shelter had told me that he was three or four. No wonder he was so depressed, going through two homes in one year and eleven months, with the second one not being much of a home at all. I wonder how long he will sleep with me tonight.

Settling In

Here is the first picture of Herman. I obviously have a LOT to learn about taking pictures of cats. He is lounging against his scratcher, which he doesn't use; he prefers the carpet. I need to find him a better one, but there aren't any available in this little town. If you biggify, you can actually see him. Sorry it's so dark. I don't understand it. The picture was taken in bright sunlight, so the flash wouldn't go off and alarm him. I'm sorry I didn't blog last night. I pooped out at 11:00 pm. Herman didn't spend the night with me Monday night, but he jumped up on the bed once, then jumped back off again. Tuesday night he jumped up three times and down again. The fourth time, it looked like he was going to stay, but the alarm went off and he ran. I had to get up early to get the bags of donations out for charity. Herman likes his breakfast early. Tuesday morning he meowed me awake at 6:00, so I got up and fed him, then went back to bed. Wednesday morning, he meowed me awake at 4:45 and I told him that it was much to early. He finally gave up. The alarm went off at six, so I dragged out the bags, then fed him, then went back to bed. I usually get up at ten. By then Herman was ready for his midmorning snack.

Monday night, Herman would only let me pet him a little bit. Maybe he wasn't sure what was going on quite yet. Tuesday, I got down on the floor with him and he let me pet him for a long time. We had three nice sessions like this, periodically interrupted by the dryer alarm, as it was laundry day. At one point, he was cuddled up right beside me, on his back, making happy feet in the air and purring. He has a rumbly, but very soft purr. I keep buying him toys. I found a fairly long tube, made of hemp and stuffed with organic catnip. When I wiggled it on the floor, he pounced on it, bit it, clawed it, rubbed his face on it and bunnykicked it good. I was so happy that tears came to my eyes. Herman hadn't played with toys in a long time because he was so sad. He certainly plays now.

Wednesday I had to go back to work and I wondered what Herman's reaction would be. He was taking his afternoon nap in his mancat cave when I left. When I came home, he soon appeared, meowing loudly, probably asking me where the heck I had been and why was his dinner so late. I was afraid that he would be feeling abandoned and maybe a bit sulky, but he was delighted to see me and we had a great play and scritch session after he ate his dinner. I got to clean up my first kitty barf. Herman is a nibbler, so he always has food out. I was getting my lunch and he was eating again and whoopsie! I think he probably just ate a bit too fast. Maybe the smells from my lunch warming up stimulated his appetite a bit too much.

I will set up Herman with his own blog soon and get back to the limericks soon, maybe tomorrow night, for the limericks, anyway. As I recollect, setting up a blog takes some time and I probably won't have much until Friday. A huge thank you to you all for welcoming Herman so warmly. I'm in love and I'm probably boring the pants off some of you with my new kitty ravings.

Welcome Home, Herman

Herman came home a little after 11:00 Monday night. The plan was to close him up in his safe room for the night to let him adjust. He was supposed to be nervous and a bit shy. Ha! I let him out of his carrier once the foster lady and I had gotten him into his room and the door shut and he came right out and rubbed up against my legs. I got him some water and he lapped some up. I got him some food and the foster lady brought out the tuna that she had lured him into the carrier with and he dug right in. Then he used his litter box and came right over to where I was sitting and rubbed up against my legs again. I started to pet him and he let me for a little while, then he gave me a little nip to let me know that he had enough for now. He is just a tiny bit nervous about letting me touch him for any length of time, but then he comes right back for more. Best of all, he has already lost the sad, droopy look that I saw in his foster home. His ears and tail both came up after only a few minutes. The cat who never plays found one of the catnip mice I scattered around on the floor for him just after I let him out of the box and mouthed it and rubbed up against it and even rolled over on his back holding it. It only lasted a minute or two, but it is behavior he has not exhibited since he was brought into the shelter last May. Herman is very talkative. After the foster lady left, I went to the door to go get a plastic bag to scoop up his litter box deposit. He came to the door with me. I asked him if he wanted to come along and he meowed at me. So I opened the door and he walked down the hall with me to get the plastic bag, with him meowing all the time. Herman is having none of this safe room business. He wanted to see the whole house right away, so I walked around with him following at first, then leading. I think Herman knows a forever home when he sees and smells one. So much for having another couple of days to finish the cleaning while Herman stayed in his room adjusting. He is adjusted already and I think he loves it. He has been rubbing his cheeks on every corner in the house. I didn't realize just how much nervous tension I have been carrying around, worried that something would go wrong until everything went right and it left. I am exhausted and going to bed very soon. I am leaving my door open, bedroom cat-ready or not, although I don't think there is anything in the room that would hurt him, just things that might break if he knocked them down and a lot of dust. I won't be at all surprised if Herman joins me in bed tonight. Both the foster lady and I are overjoyed. She gave me a big hug as she left and told me that she had almost given up hope of finding a home for Herman and that she felt sure that he had found his special home at last. I think so, too. I believe that even Herman thinks so. He sure is making himself at home.

Behind Schedule

I had some time all plotted out this morning for kitchen counter scrubbing, floor mopping, dusting and vacuuming and then things started to happen, like phone calls, and I never got any of it done. I do have time tomorrow morning, if nothing else happens, but this means that I still haven't gotten started on my room. I thought about doing some of my room tonight, but I had a really busy day at work and came home too tired to do anything but blog a bit. I can always sleep in Herman's room, if he shows signs of wanting company all night. The couch in there is a hide-a-bed. I kind of think he will want his own space tomorrow night, though, and I just might be able to get my room in shape Tuesday, my day off. I surprised myself at how quickly I got the living room and kitchen cleared of stuff that wasn't kitty friendly. I am happy, excited and nervous. I tried telling myself today that if there was anything that would make the Friends of the Shelter change their minds about letting me adopt Herman, they would have asked me about it already. I guess the only thing I have to worry about is that the foster lady said that sometimes the cat liked the person, but hated the house and would get so fractious that he or she had to be returned. I think that Herman will be so glad to get out of that room he's been in for the last few months and into a home with just himself and one person that he will just settle in nicely. I also believe that fractious cats just need some space and time and love, though there may be cases where that doesn't work. Hopefully by this time tomorrow, Herman will be settling into his new life.

Getting Ready

I have called Herman's foster lady and she suggested that she bring Herman over Monday night, so he can spend the night in his safe room and I will be there for him in the morning and all day, as I have Tuesday off. I have been busy getting ready. Herman's safe room is all set for him. The living room and kitchen are ready except for the cleaning and putting the safety locks on the cabinet where I keep the cleaning supplies and the cabinets where the good china is stored. I haven't even started on my bedroom yet and it is a total wreck. I hope I can get it in shape by the time Herman starts to think that sleeping with me might be fun. He will be spending the first few days in his safe room with the door shut. I have gotten some good advice about that. I hadn't even considered that he might be overwhelmed by the extent of the change in his life and learning one room will probably be quite enough for him to begin with. I know what I have to do and how I am going to go about it, but it seems like there is just so much of it. I am such a packrat that there is stuff everywhere. I am buying storage boxes and I think I will just throw bunches of stuff in the boxes and go through everything later, just so I can get things cleared off. I am excited, happy and very nervous. Part of me is still afraid that something will go wrong at the last minute, but that's just my nature. I am a bit of a worrywart. Wish me luck.

Herman Has a New Home!

Your purrs and pug snorts worked! The screener called me at 7:00 this morning and interviewed me over the phone. I passed with flying colors. Herman is now officially my kitty. The foster lady suggested that I give him his own room, at least to begin with, and I spent the rest of the morning working on getting it ready for him. I won't close him in, but he will have his own space to feel comfortable in. There's a nice hidey-hole for him under a corner table, an easy chair, a sofa and a spot on a shelf where he can look out the window. The foster lady and I agreed that I would pick up Herman on my next day off that I don't have any commitments, so he will be arriving early next week, possibly Tuesday. That way I can spend the whole day with him before I have to go back to work. I know what he eats and what kind of litter he likes, so I'll be picking that up for him tomorrow. I already bought some toys, a brush and some food dishes for him.

Speaking of what he eats, that leads me to a problem. Herman is currently eating Purina Kitten Chow (for the extra protein he needs), dry Friskies and Fancy Feast. Everything I read last night about FeLV and FIV says that a cat needs the best nutrition possible, high in both protein and fat, to live as long as possible. From what little I know about cat nutrition, this isn't the best diet for him. Can anyone point me to a book about caring for a cat with FeLV/FIV or a good one on cat nutrition? Herman cannot eat raw foods, because his doubly weakened immune system can't handle the bacteria that might be on it. I would be willing to cook for him, if that is the best route.

Thank all of you for your support in this and any help you can give me on tips for caring for Herman. I am thrilled that he is going to come live with me. I will be really busy until, and after, his arrival, but I will be checking in from time to time and posting updates. It may be Friday the 13th, but it is a very lucky day for both Herman and me.

Second Step Successful

Things are going well. I met the foster lady and Herman this morning. The foster lady thinks that I just might be the perfect match for Herman. Most important is that Herman likes me. The foster lady says that he is a bit shy and not very trusting of people, but he came right out to meet me. I did have a small bowl of tuna in my hands, but the foster lady says that he doesn't often come right out to meet someone. Herman let me pet his back while he ate his tuna, then he went back to his safe spot for a minute. I crouched right down and just stayed still and he came back out, sniffed my fingers and gave one of them a little lick, then rubbed his chin up against my fingers for some scritches, which I gave him. He talked to me a bit, too. He is unhappy. His tail was droopy the entire time. I so much want to give him a home and make him happy. Now I just have to get through the screening process. The foster lady said that they probably would want to know how I would take care of him, so I am off to learn as much about feline leukemia and FIV as I can.

I am finding it very hard to concentrate on limericks for some reason. Grin. I will get back to them once this is resolved and I find out whether Herman will be coming to live with me or not. Right now, I am too excited and nervous to be able to do them justice.

Excitement

My plan was to get the house in order and all cleaned up and just the way I wanted it, then get some good cat furniture, then go cat hunting. However, I saw a flyer for a cat who needs a home NOW. His name is Herman and he's 3-4 years old. His previous family really neglected him, leaving him outside, unneutered and unvaccinated. He got FeLV and HIV and terrible mats in his long gray and white fur. At present, he's in a foster home, locked up in a room by himself with little contact even with the foster lady. He took a dislike to her when she and another volunteer tried to cut out his mats themselves. He has been professionally shaved and checks out healthy except for his virii. He is sad and lonely. When I saw the flyer, something inside me said, "This kitty needs you," so I called the foster lady and left my number. This morning she called me back and was very excited that I wanted to adopt Herman. I go to meet him in the morning. If that goes well, then all I have to do is go through the screening process. I ran around this morning, putting away all the picture frames with glass in them and cleaning off the table by the window, so he will have a good view of the bird feeders. The screening process has me a bit worried. I have heard that they can be pretty strict about who they let adopt animals. I have no idea what they are looking for, except that they don't want to give an animal to someone who would abuse or neglect it. Will my really messy house count against me? Does anybody know anything about this process?

Gracie

I just love this photo of Gracie enjoying the sunshine. Gracie hasn't been blogging long, just since the end of September, so I can't tell you a whole lot about her. She lives out in the country, where the tradition is that cats live outside to keep down the rodent population. She first showed up in July, shortly after Sassy, Guy and Punkie went missing. There was an outdoor party going on and she was drawn by the food smells. Lots of people wanted to pet her and coo over her. It wasn't long before the Dad noticed that she was starving; her ribs were sticking out much too much, so he went and got her some food. The Mom was not happy about this, as she didn't want to get attached to another kitty. She was still heartsore from Sassy, Guy and Punkie. Gracie worked on her, pulling out all the cute stops and before long, a few days at the most, she won the Mom over. Gracie got named and taken to the vet to get checked out, get her shots and her microchip and to get spayed. The vet said that Gracie had to stay indoors for ten days after her surgery. Gracie was delighted. It wasn't long before Gracie was sleeping in the bed with her new Mom and Dad. Then the Mom got all sad about the ten days coming to an end and Gracie would have to go outside again. However, Gracie had been working her kitty magic on the Dad and it was decided that Gracie would be an inside cat. She couldn't be happier. She doesn't even try to walk out an open door. Gracie now has her own kitty condo and she seems to really enjoy playing with shoe strings. One of her favorite toys is a hand, especially her Dad's. Everyone enjoys the hand game very much, except when Gracie gets a little excited and bites down a little bit too hard. She has learned to back off quickly when this happens, though.

                                     Gracie knows how to get her desire.
                                     Her pitiful look sets humans on fire
                                             To serve her and feed her,
                                             To love her and need her.
                                    It's a good thing a home was her only desire.

Farewell, Beezer

Someone mentioned recently in a comment that I must hate doing these. Hate is the wrong word. It makes me sad, yes, and I wish that only very old friends had to go to the Bridge, but I also feel that it is an act of love to say farewell and that's why I do it. This one is hard to write, because I have known Beezer for a long time. Back before I had a blog, I used to read Beezer's blog all the time. Then I started blogging and time got shorter and Beezer started blogging less and I just stopped going by much at all. I hadn't been by in ages when I read on the CB that Beezer had gone to the Rainbow Bridge. It came as a shock. I did write Beezer's story and limerick, which you can find here. Beezer was with his Mom as an only cat for almost 10 years. She first saw him in a department store window the day before Thanksgiving, which is how the shelter he came from encouraged people to adopt kitties and puppies. I always loved Beezer's adoption story. He was a mellow and loving cat. He loved to sit in his Mom's lap. He got sick all of a sudden and went quickly, at home with his Mom. She is missing him terribly.

                                  It's hard to say farewell to Beezer.
                                  He wasn't really even a geezer.
                                        He got sick and left
                                        His Mama bereft.
                                  Have fun at the Bridge, dear friend Beezer.

Farewell, Shadow Lady

This was supposed to be a happy post about Shadow Lady, the only cat at Jewel Girl's house that I hadn't done a limerick for. I had written her happy limerick and chosen the picture below to go with it, then I had my tooth problems and didn't get it posted in time.

Shadow Lady was the calm, collected elder cat of the house. Nothing ever seemed to bother her and she left the rough-housing and play to the younger cats. Her idea of fun was to find a great place to nap, like a handy lap. Last summer, Jewel Girl let her out into the back yard to enjoy the sun and grass and Shadow Lady loved it. Shadow Lady was born on March 5th, 1995, as one of a litter of eight. She lived the longest of any of them. She went into a sudden decline a few days ago and the vet determined that her kidneys had failed. She went to the Rainbow Bridge on November 6th. Jewel Girl is really sad right now. Here are Shadow Lady's two limericks.

                                       Shadow Lady is a gentle cat.
                                       She seldom, if ever, has a spat.
                                               She takes her naps
                                               In convenient laps,
                                       Which is something she is very good at.

                                        We now say farewell to Shadow Lady.
                                        She's lounging around someplace shady,
                                                  With grass 'neath her toes
                                                  And not any woes.
                                        Have fun at the Bridge, dear Shadow Lady.

Farewell, Baby Pickles

I am back to feeling mostly human again, so it's back to the limericks. There are going to be three farewell posts in a row because Shadow Lady was up after Pickles, but she went to the Bridge, too, so her post won't be a happy one.

Patrick went to the Rainbow Bridge on August 4th and the Mom found Baby Pickles the very next day. She was delighted because he looked almost exactly like Patrick -- all white with some Siamese in the mix. Pickles was born deaf, but that never slowed him down. He was all over the place and having a great time with Christopher. Then in early October he had a seizure of some kind. The Mom knew just what to do and got some glucose into him and kept him warm. He seemed to come out of it just fine. Everything seemed to be going well until the Mom found that he had run off to the Rainbow Bridge very early on the morning of October 17th. She thinks that he had another seizure. There must have been something wrong with his little insides. This really tore the Mom up emotionally, but things are getting better now. There is a new little kitten in the house, Bug. She was part of a rescued feral litter and very sick. She is much better now, and the Mom is cautiously hopeful.

                                      Baby Pickles left us much too soon.
                                      He fell into a deathly swoon,
                                            And floated away
                                            To the Bridge to play.
                                      Now he runs and jumps and chases the Moon.

Dona Nobis Pacem

Thank you very much to The Meezers: Miles, Sammy, Billy and Meezermom for putting this lovely graphic together for me. I was unable to do it myself.

I really do believe that the only way we will get world peace is for all of us to treat each other better as individuals. When no one is is desperate need and we can be content with what we have, there will be no more wars. It may sound terribly naive and it may be, but that is what I believe.

Help, Please

I have been having a pretty rough time lately. Yesterday I went to the dentist to get a small cavity filled and have a sore tooth looked at. The dentist couldn't find the cavity, but the sore tooth (a molar) was cracked right through and infected. It had to be pulled and it came apart, so the dentist had to dig for the roots. I feel terrible. I am not in any real pain, just a general feeling of exhaustion and malaise. I have always had a terrible time putting my Peace Globe together and I just can't do it myself in time. Would some kind soul do it for me? Here is my globe:

Here is my picture that I always use:
Here is my limerick:

Love thy neighbor as thyself.
Covet not his goods or pelf.
Be willing to share
To show that you care,
And Peace will come, all by itself.

If some kind soul could just put them all together and e-mail me the finished product to: nyctolopsATvlaDOTcom I would be very grateful.

Aniwa Scrat

This is the look that got Aniwa her forever home. She was all alone outside, starving and cold on an October 12th, with snow flurries in the air. She saw her new Mom and gave her this look and that was all it took. Well, could you resist it? Spooky Do welcomed Aniwa into the family right away and she has never forgotten it. To this day she loves to initiate play with Spooky Do, usually by giving him a bat on the head. This leads to a spirited wrestling match, sometimes followed by a mutual grooming session. When Kin Kin showed up, Aniwa was delighted. Here was someone who loved to play as much as she did. The two of them have become fast friends. Aniwa is a small cat and Kin Kin is quickly catching up to her in size. In fact, he may be as big as she is now, though he is still a kitten. Aniwa is often the first cat to size up a new toy in the house. She was the first one to play with the new tunnel. She has a favorite spot on a high shelf which has a cloth on top of it. She loves to get up there to watch the action below and nap. Lately she has been sharing it with Kin Kin. It appears that he followed her up there one day and now he enjoys it as much as she does. When the Halloween pumpkin appeared in the house, Aniwa was all over it. She rubbed up against the stem. When the top was cut off, she inspected the inside carefully and started to play with the insides. Her Mom made sure she didn't make a mess, though. Once it was carved, she was content to just look at it.

                                                 Aniwa says, "Will you play with me?"
                                                 Spooky may say no, but Kin Kin says, "Whee!"
                                                               They wrestle and chase
                                                               All over the place.
                                                 They have such fun as they play with glee.

Farewell, Tabbygail

Tabbygail didn't have a blog, but you can read about her last sickness on the Purrs and Prayers Blog and you can read about her on her Catster page. Tabbygail was lost or abandoned in her Mom's neighborhood in January 2000 and found her way to her Mom's house. Her Mom suspects that their house has a sign, visible only to cats, which says, "Hungry cats welcome here." After feeding Tabbygail for a couple of weeks, she started to become more approachable and the humans suspected that she might be pregnant. When the weather turned really nasty in February, they brought her inside and she gave birth to four kittens, which the family also adopted. Her family thinks she was three or four years old when she was adopted. Once Tabbygail got used to her new humans, she became very affectionate and loved to be brushed. She loved to watch birds and squirrels out the window and chatter at them. She had a favorite toy leather mouse which she played with. She was really enjoying life until she developed a tumor. It was in a place which made it almost impossible to remove. Rather than risk losing her on the operating table, her family decided on an alternate treatment and Tabbygail was doing well on this treatment until she developed a complication in her lungs. This was making it very difficult for her to breathe, so her family made the difficult decision to send her on to the Rainbow Bridge on October 17th.

                                                 We now say goodbye to sweet Tabbygail.
                                                 She had a good life till her health did fail.
                                                         She went to the Bridge
                                                         Just over the ridge
                                                 To play forever, did sweet Tabbygail.