Farewell, Ziggy

One day a small kitty showed up where the family at Sheep Thrills Farm parked their cars and followed them to the house. He then parked himself on a bench and stared into the sun room through the window. Because they are nice and kind people, they set up a nice place for him in the barn and got him some food and water. They didn't bring him inside right away because they already had a houseful of cats and two dogs. Every day, Ziggy would be back on the bench, staring in the sunroom window. Finally they couldn't stand it any more and decided that they could at least fix him up a place in the basement. You can guess how long that lasted. Ziggy moved right in and became part of the family for 17 years. He absolutely loved to play fetch. He had a rabbit-fur mousie that he would bring to anyone who would sit still for a little while. He would fetch the thrown mousie for hours if the person would keep throwing it. He only stopped this game after he had a bad fall and injured his back. Ziggy was a big cat, weighing up to 26 pounds. He had a big frame to go with it and the vet said that he was in perfect health. He did develop a thyroid problem, but that was easily controlled with medication. This winter, he just didn't seem to be himself. He got one problem after another, ending up with pneumonia. He died on his heating pad with his Mom petting him. He is sorely missed.

                                          Ziggy got his new home by staring
                                          At the folks he sensed were caring.
                                               They welcomed him in
                                               To their cozy den.
                                           Now he's at the Bridge, where it's all about sharing.

Meeko

Meeko has discovered that the Blurpy's toys are a lot of fun and make good pillows, too. Meeko also likes to nap in the easy chair and on the Blurpy's blanket. She adores getting cuddles from her Mom. Rolling around on the floor is one of her favorite things to do. She is more delicate about approaching the catnip plant than her sister Kiara is. Kiara tends to overdo it and ends up asleep on the floor in no time. Meeko takes it easy and just gets a little high. Catnip bubbles are another thing altogether. The Mom got a bottle of catnip bubbles and started blowing them one day. Kiara ran away from them, but Meeko was interested. She pawed at one, then hissed at it. The Mom kept blowing bubbles and Meeko would hiss at any one that got close to her. Meeko is allowed out in the garden with Mom when Mom is gardening. One day Meeko decided to get a closer look at the birds and climbed a tree. The Mom was startled when she saw Meeko five feet up the tree. Meeko got down again OK. Meeko and Kiara certainly know all about the M-word. Their Dad is in the Air Force and they move regularly. They have lived in Texas, Colorado, Oklahoma and New Mexico. They will probably be moving to Montana soon.

                                   Meeko hissed at the catnip bubbles.
                                   Something about them caused her troubles.
                                                    She climbed up a tree
                                                    The birdies to see.
                                  And that gave her Mom her own kind of troubles.

Farewell, Floyd

This is the last of the old tributes that I will be making. I am three months behind and there is no way that I will ever catch up. I will still be making tribute posts every other post, but I am going to work from the newest back. To all of you who are being skipped, I am very sorry, but I just can't do all of them any more.

Floyd came to live with his Mom as a kitten adopted from a shelter in 1996. He was very active and quite a little terror at times. One day he decided that he really wanted some chocolate pudding. Of course, his Mom wouldn't let him have any, so he jumped into the bowl. He was unceremoniously picked up and rushed to the bathroom for a bath. He calmed down a bit as he grew and on his first birthday, he welcomed a new kitten, Kirzon into the house. Later Lola moved in and he welcomed her, too. Floyd grew into a gentle giant, much bigger than the other cats, but very gentle with them. He never quite knew how big he was and he was always trying to fit where he saw the other cats go, like into a box, but he didn't fit. Floyd was diagnosed with lymphoma last February. The treatments didn't work as well with him as they have with other cats, and he was helped to the Bridge at the end of October. He stayed gentle and loving up to the end.

                                       Floyd welcomed the kittens in.
                                       He greeted them with a lick and a grin.
                                             He got lymphoma
                                             And left his home-a.
                                       Now he's at the Bridge, welcoming kitties in.