Clementine

This is Clementine in the laundry basket.  Samantha had been sitting in it not long before.  Clementine has become a typical little sister.  Anywhere that Samantha goes, Clementine wants to go there, too. Clementine first showed up at the house on December 13, 2009.  The Mom and Dad heard a kitty meowing on the second floor patio and there she was.  The Mom took her out some food and let her in the house when it began to get really cold. Samantha was not terribly pleased about that, but there was nothing she could do about it.  The Mom and Dad asked all around the neighborhood, but nobody was missing a little orange kitten, so she stayed.  At first she was called TOK, The Orange Kitten, but she soon got her name of Clementine. She soon went to the vet and checked out as completely healthy.  The vet estimated that she was somewhere between six months and three years old. She doesn't seem to have grown much, so she is probably at least one year old. She didn't act at all feral, so she must have belonged to somebody at one time.  At first there was lots of hissing on Samantha's part, but it didn't bother Clementine and the hissing soon tapered off.  Now the two of them pounce each other and wrestle. Clementine loves to play, especially with Samantha, but Samantha isn't always willing.  Clementine also hunts bugs and investigates everything she can reach. She likes to drink water out of the bathtub.  She uses her paw to check the water temperature to see that it's not too hot, then dips her paw in the water and brings it up to her mouth.

                                                 Clemmie likes to go where Samantha was
                                                 If you ask her why, she just says, "Because . . ."
                                                           She pounces on Sam
                                                           With a jump then wham!
                                                Kitty wrestling has started with flying paws.

Farewell, Rascal

I started reading Rascal's blog when I discovered cat blogging.  I read it regularly back in the days where you could get through the entire Cat Blogosphere blog list in a few hours.  Then the Cat Blogosphere expanded exponentially and I found myself reading it less and less, trying to visit more and more blogs.  I regret that.

Rascal has a remarkable gotcha story, which you should really read in its entirety.  It starts here.  Rascal came into his new home as a tiny kitten in 2000 and started off his new life by forgetting where the litter box was and pooping on the carpet his very first day. His Dad had been a cat-hater not long ago and his Mom was afraid that Rascal's time with them was going to be very short, but his Dad laughed and said that he just needed to be shown the litter box again.  That was the start of ten wonderful years.  I wrote a short bio and limerick for Rascal which you can find here.

In February of 2008, Rascal was diagnosed with feline lymphoma and the vet gave him six months to live with chemotherapy.  Rascal was always a fighter and an mighty wrestler.  With the help of the chemo, he wrestled his lymphoma to a standstill and went into remission for two years.  Not long ago the lymphoma came back, but Rascal managed to fight it off for another five months.  He lost weight, but not his zest for life.  The morning of the day he was helped to the Rainbow Bridge, he had been out hunting mice and chipmunks.  When his Mom found him panting on the kitchen floor that afternoon, she knew what had to be done.  The lymphoma was filling his lungs with fluid and it was time to help him to the Bridge.

                                              Rascal had his good days and bad,
                                              Which made his family happy and sad.
                                                         One really bad day
                                                          He just went away
                                               To the Bridge where none of his days are bad.

Happy Fourth of July

Donkey Doodle Dandy is here to wish you a happy and safe Fourth of July.

I am planning to alternate posts between Kitty Limericks and Herman's Hideaway, as I used to before Herman got sick.  I think he is probably as well now as he is going to get.  The poop will probably just stay the way it is, but it doesn't really bother either of us, except that I have to keep giving him his Centrine to keep the poop puddles from coming back.  I am a bit undecided on what to do about the tribute posts.  There is no way I can keep up with all of the kitties who go to the Bridge.  The Cat Blogosphere has gotten so big that there are bound to be kitties going away quite often.  I am trying to decide whether it is better to do some tributes mixed in with the happy limericks, or just stick to the happy limericks.  If you would like a limerick of your own, just mention it in the comments or send me an email.  You don't have to be a kitty.  I do limericks for all our animal companions.

Kiara

That is a catnip plant that Kiara is lying next to.  Kiara really loves the nip and sometimes she overdoes it.  When her Mom had Meeko for about a year, she was worried that Meeko was lonely, so she went to an adoption fair at a pet store and found Kiara.  She liked her very much and brought Meeko into the store to meet her.  They seemed to like each other, so the Mom brought Kiara home the very next day.  That's when the trouble started.  It wasn't too bad, but Meeko liked to start a fight with Kiara to remind her who was there first.  They have calmed way down, but Meeko still occasionally pounces Kiara.  As you can see, Kiara is a very floofy tortie and she has an incredibly floofy tail.  She loves her Daddy best.  She loves to drink out of the bathroom tap and will actually race her Mom to the bathroom, so she can jump up on the sink and get her drink. Some house guests have been a little perturbed when Kiara has followed them into the bathroom and demanded a drink from the sink.  Kiara is eight years old now.

                                                Kiara really loves her nip.
                                                It sends her on a little trip
                                                    To doze and dream
                                                    Of a lovely scheme
                                               To get a lifetime supply of nip.