Dona Nobis Pacem

I almost forgot that today was the day.  Many thanks to Sanni for making my globe for me.

Myst

Writing about Gemini and Georgia reminded me of two other cats who have been neglected.  I wrote about Prince Muddy Paws last July, but never wrote about the two other cats who live with him.  This is Myst, a tiny shaded silver Persian.  Terry (the Mom) says that Myst is the smallest Persian she has ever seen.  Myst has never been the healthiest of cats and that is one of the reasons Terry adopted him.  She felt that he needed a good home, so he would be well taken care of.  Last spring he started getting one urinary tract infection after another and was acting a bit grumpy, which wasn't really like him.  Finally the vet found that he had two kidney stones, which were surgically removed last July.  It took Myst a while to recover from the surgery and a bit of an adverse reaction to the antibiotic he was on afterwards, but now he is more active than he had been in a year.  He is healthier than he has been in a long time and is feeling really good.  Myst has always had a lot of fire in his personality and it is really showing up now.  Not too long ago the neighbor's dog, who is about ten times Myst's size, got out of his yard and came over to look through the storm door.  Myst let out a screech that brought Terry and Muddy running to see what was the matter and there was Myst, threatening the life of this big dog, tail puffed up and all his fur standing out.  Myst also thinks that he should be the Alpha cat, though Dandelion fills that position, being the oldest and biggest cat in the house.  Every once in a while, Myst challenges Dandelion, but Dandelion doesn't have any trouble rolling Myst over.  Myst and Muddy chase each other all over the house and pounce on each other all the time.  Myst also loves to be brushed. Anytime he sees that Muddy is getting brushed, Myst jumps up to get in on the action. Myst's favorite place to sleep in on the computer monitor, until he gets too warm, then he claims Terry's favorite chair.  Myst will also lie or sit in front of the storm door for hours, watching the world go by.  He especially likes to watch the leaves blowing by in the fall.  Myst is a great bug hunter and will pounce on any bug that gets into the house, if Muddy doesn't spot it first.

                                         Myst is a tiny cat full of fire.
                                         To be top kitty is his desire.
                                               He's always tryin'
                                               To best Dandelion,
                                         But Dandelion always thwarts his desire.

Georgia

Georgia lives with Cheysuli and Gemini.  She is quite elderly and has a benign brain tumor.  It doesn't bother her much, but it has made her quite unsteady on her feet and unable to jump like she used to.  Her favorite napping place is on the bed and when she became unable to get up there any more, her Mom got her a nice set of stairs, covered with a sheepskin-like material, which gives her added traction, to get up to the bed again.  She spends a great deal of her time napping, but she still loves to go outside with her Mom to sniff around.  She loves the fact that she gets to eat as much as she likes whenever she likes.  She gets to eat alone much of the time, so the other cats don't bother her.  She also likes it that Gemini and Cheysuli get in trouble if they bother her, but if she decides to pick on them a bit, she gets praised for being feisty.  Life is good for Georgia and she is enjoying it.

                                      Georgia is an elderly lady.
                                      She has a brain tumor, which makes her unsteady.
                                              She has stairs so neat
                                              And soft for her feet
                                     To go up to the bed when to nap she's ready.

Gemini

Yes, Gemini, it's finally your turn.  Cheysuli let me know several days ago that Gemini was feeling left out because I hadn't written a limerick for her yet.  Gemini has been coming by every day since then to check.  Gemini is about 2 1/2 years old now.  Her Mom found her as a tiny kitten, about four weeks old, hiding in the yard, but mewing pitifully.  Her Mom had just lost two older cats and the house was feeling rather lonesome with just Georgia around.  Her Mom brought her inside and took her to the vet to check for diseases and Gemini was in good health, but very hungry and lonely.  Gemini fit right in quite quickly and soon became very fond of Georgia.  Gemini got her name as an anagram from the names of the two cats who had died just before she showed up.  It seemed an appropriate name, as she was taking the place of two cats.  Gemini loved to play with Georgia and she still hasn't gotten used to the idea that Georgia has gotten quite old now and can't play like she used to.  Gemini still gives Georgia gentle head butts, but now Georgia falls over when butted.  Gemini took to catnip quite early in life and soon began dropping her catnip mice in her water bowl.  Maybe she was making catnip tea?  Gemini has never quite gotten over her initial fear of people and will be quite shy when visitors come over. She still loves her toys and will play at every opportunity.  She lets her Mom know that she wants attention by getting between her Mom and the computer monitor.  She loves to go outside on her harness.  She got out by herself this past summer through a hole in the screen door that some visiting woofies had chewed.  Once out, her Mom thinks that she couldn't get back in, as she found some of Gemini's fur in the screen.  She was gone for a couple of days, but got found again just as she had been found the first time.  She was hiding near the fence and mewing pitifully.  The screen door has been fixed and Gemini seems content to stick with going out on her harness.

                                 Gemini is a cat who is still partly feral.
                                 She doesn't much care for wearing apparel.
                                         She wants Mom's attention,
                                         She's not shy to mention,
                                 But she's shy with strangers 'cause she's still partly feral.

                       

2007 Weblog Finalist -- Best Pet Blog

I am so excited.  I am a finalist in the 2007 Weblog Awards for best pet blog.  This is a great honor and I am just flabbergasted.  Please go and vote for me.

Smokey

This is Smokey, sleeping in his favorite position.  Smokey is the largest cat at Forty Paws, but he doesn't really throw his weight around.  He is pretty much fearless and loves to rassle with his siblings, Reno, Sally and Obi.  He will even rassle with Dorf, the only cat brave enough to try that.  He is a little naughty, in that he loves to chase Jenny, just to hear her scream.  Smokey
thinks that Jenny really likes the game and the screams are just playing.   Like Reno, Sally and Obi, Smokey was born to a mother with Feline Herpes Virus 1 and it has affected his right eye.  His right eye looks a little cross-eyed and leaks brown protein constantly.  He will wipe his eye on anything around him, including the other cats.  The brown stuff will fly from his eye whenever he shakes his head, decorating the floor and walls.  He keeps Maw busy cleaning up after him.  He hates it when she tries to wipe his eye, though he will rub the stuff off on her clothing.  He loves to be brushed, but the brown guard hairs never come off in the brush, just the white and fawn fur.  To look at the brush after his brushing, you would never guess that the fur came from him.  He loves tuna.

                                    Smokey is a Mancat, big and tough.
                                    He rassles his siblings, but doesn't get rough.
                                          He chases Jenny,
                                          Who screams like a banshee.
                                    She secretly likes it, but soon has enough.

Diamond Emerald-Eyes

Diamond Emerald-Eyes is an American a Domestic Shorthair black tabby with a diamond shaped white spot on her chest, which is how she got her name. When she lies in the sun, you can just make out the very faint stripe pattern in her fur. She got lost from her first family and was a wild kitty for a while, then got taken in by one family for a little while, then found her forever home. She lives in Florida in a swampy region, so there is lots of wildlife for her to observe. She is an indoor/outdoor kitty, but she is very street-smart and always watches out for cars. She knows to stay away from most of the wildlife as well, though she does hang around with some of the wild kitties down by the canal at times. She likes nip and has a nip mat. When she lies down on her nip mat, that is a signal to her Bean that she wants some nip. She likes to play with toy mice and nip toys. She also likes to watch TV. Since her Bean isn't much of a TV watcher, she will sometimes go next door to watch with a neighbor. Diamond loves to sit in her Bean's lap and have her Bean read to her. Among the wildlife in her area of Florida is the roof rat. These rats have found a way to get into Diamond's attic. She leaves them alone if they stay up there, but if they come downstairs, look out!

                                         Diamond's house has rats in the attic.
                                         When they come downstairs, things get dramatic.
                                                     With speed that perplexes
                                                     The rats become exes.
                                         Diamond's skill makes her Bean ecstatic.