Thankful Thursday - Vote for BCCP - Dine Out for Life

Today is Dine Out for Llife across the world - thousands of restaurants are donating up to 20% of their income to Aids organizations. Here in our city over 90 restaurants are participating. To find out who in your area is involved go to http://www.diningoutforlife.com/. Eat out for breakfast, lunch or dinner and help fight Aids!

We are thankful that our Ivy who has FIV is eleven years old and going strong! She has great energy, loves to play and is the picture of health!



And don't forget to vote today for the Creek Cat's BCCP to help feral cats! We want them to be thankful too. Visit Romeo's blog to vote - http://www.romeothecat.com/ or click on his blog in our sidebar.

Wordy Wednesday with Sweetpea

Another cat tale - this time from Sweetpea!

I first showed up at Mom's house during the winter many years ago. I was part of a feral group living outside that Mom was catching and doing TNR. I was all alone, just a tiny little kitten - I am not sure what happened to my brothers ad sisters. Big Guy took me under his protection. He was the head mancat of our group. He was a very wise, kind mancat who we all loved. Mom thought he was my mother cuz I stuck to him like glue. Boy was she surprised to find out he was the mancat!

Mom was putting food out for us but it was a very snowy cold winter. Even though we had a shelter to go inside one day we got a huge storm and we hid someplace else that was warm and big enough for all of us to fit in. Mom was so worried, especially about me cuz she didn't know where we were and didn't see any of us for several days. When we showed up again she decided to catch me and bring me inside so I would be OK during the cold winter.



She left a doggie kennel cage out next to our food station and covered it with blankets and it was all snugly. I went inside there and she shut the door. I was not happy and howled and bounced off the walls but I was caught! My buddies all ran off. They were so scared, even Big Guy.

I came inside but was so wild that the vet had to sedate me to examine me. I got all my tests done and got sent home still sleepy. The vet said to bathe me now - I had bad skin and rashes so Mom and Pop did. They washed me in the bathroom sink, holding me up out of the water since I was still sedated. I knew what was happening even tho I was sleepy so I would not go near that sink for a long time after.

Mom kept me in a small room with a window and a nice comfy bed, litter box and food. I was lonely so I let them pet me and play with me. Pretty soon I could come out to meet Yoko and Chica who were much older than me. I was used to taking care of myself and being pretty aggressive to get my food and attention with the other cats so I scared the older kitties. I was always "in their faces" as Mom says. I wore them down eventually and we all got along.



Now we have lots of kitties in the house I can play with and more my age. Some even lived outside with me long ago. We are all kinda middle age now - I am ten but still very little. I only weigh five pounds. I have long fur and a spot of white on my chest. People still think I am a kitten! I love to eat, nap and play with our toys. I get very excited sometimes and try to boss the other kitties around but they don't pay much attention to me cuz of my size!

I am very happy with my home and all my brothers and sisters. It sure beats living outside in a snowstorm!

Tummy Toesies Tabby Tuesday with Joey

Tuesday is my day cuz I am a tabby with cute toesies and.... I am a lover boy that can't get enough tummy rubs!

Mancat Monday with Only and Two Spot

We are brothers from the same litter and do everything together. It's like we are twins! Mom says Only would have been a lounge lizard if he was a bean - he has sexy brooding eyes! as for me - I am just a perky cute mancat I guess.

Yoko and Joey - Easy Like Sunday

Just relaxing today - we all had a busy week. Mom started a new job with lots of night hours and Pop wasn't here this week to help take care of us. Our schedules were all off and were were out of sorts! Glad to have Pop back home.

Happy Earth Day!

Snowball as a kitten relaxing under our lilac bush. Treasure Mother Nature and all of her creatures every day - they are all we have!

We Got a Life is Grand Award!

Rusty from Rusty's World gave us this award and we are very grateful. This is how it works with this one:

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

Here are our five reasons we think life is grand:

1. We have a great forever home with Mom and Pop that we share with all our brothers and sisters.

2. We have bird feeders at all our windows so we can watch the birds, squirrels and chipmunks all day long.

3. Mom gives up treats like Temptations and catnip and even Catsip too.

4. We have lots of toys to play with - so many that Mom rotates them so we seem to have new toys all the time. Our favorite is the Bizzy Kitty with the ball inside.

5. Mom told us we are going to get some salmon this week - an extra special treat. Yum..we can't wait!!!

Five blogs that I would like to give this award to:

Halloween at http://halloween-halloweenthecat.blogspot.com
Ramses, Isis and Tigmut'hep at http://ramsesmeow.blogspot.com/
JC at Lilacs and Cats http://jcatmom.blogspot.com/
Lucybelle at http://lucybellenyc.blogspot.com/
Luna, Luzie and Ollie at http://maine-coon-luna.blogspot.com/

(Sorry Mom's having troubles with her linkies again! Everybody's links are posted in our blog roll for easy access.))

Easy Yoga Sunday

Two Spot is showing off his yoga poses for you today - this one is the lying twist!

This is Two Spot in the star posture.

And finally the pose of tranquility.

White Wordy Wednesday - Lily

Lily wants to tell her story today!

I am the momcat for all of the white kitties plus Woody and Tabitha. I showed up at the old general store across from Mom's house one summer a few years ago with a litter of tiny black kittens and one white one. The beans at the store fed me and tried to catch my kittens. I was not happy and teached them to not go in that cage even if food was there. My black kittens disappeared - I hope they got nice homes but I never saw them again. Snowball was the only one left and he stuck to me like glue.

The store closed for the winter and we were left with no food and were very hungry. It was cold and snowy outside and our stomach grumbled empty. Someone told Mom and she started putting food out on her back deck and even made us a place to sleep safe and warm, out of the snow and wind under the house. She tried to catch me and Snowball too but we were smart and escaped. Mom firmly believes in TNR - that means trap, neuter and release! But I got pregnant again and had another liter of all white kittens this time with one tabby - Woody. I am a very good mom so they all grew up and looked good. Mom made a place for the kittens to play on the deck with a kitty condo and stuff.



Those mancats would not leave me alone and I got pregnant again - all this time poor Mom was desperately trying to catch me to stop me from having kittens. She was so nice to me but I would not go near her or let her pet me. I was afraid. Being a mom is my job so I would not go in the trap no matter what. I would pull the food to the side and pull it out with my paws.



Mom did catch Snowball first then all the others at once - Norm, Woody, Sam. Since Mom was moving to another town she could not TNR us and leave us outside cuz no one wanted to take care of us. She asked all the neighbors too and shelters. The shelters were going to put us to sleep. I didn't like the sound of that. She knew she had to take us all with her when she moved, so she put the kittens in their own special indoor space with a screen porch.



Finally I had one more litter under the house - again all white cats with one tabby who is Tabitha. These guys were real cute and by now Mom was getting friendly with me and the kittens. She caught all of us a few months later by propping open the door to the back porch and enticing us with food and toys to come in. Then she pulled the piece of wood holding the door open and we were caught! It was scary when she and Pop tried to catch us and bring us inside but now we are happy and safe and no more babies for me.

We live in a nice shelter with a screen porch and have lots of toys, treats and food. The chipmunks and birds play outside and we can watch all day. Mom and Pop spend lots of time with us and we love it. We are all friendly now except Smidge and Sam sometimes. I guess we are pretty lucky.

Tosies Tuesday with Smidge

I am very shy and run from everybody even Mom. I was always like this since I was a little tiny cat. I am not very big now. Mom says I look scared all the time like a deer in the headlights whatever that means!

Remembering Clarence

Passing On by Steve Smith

When a dog finally passes on, there is an emptiness, a place in our hearts that will never be filled again in exactly the way it was. Because no matter how many dogs we have over the years, each is unique. a friend, and when they go away, our lives are changed forever in many small ways.

A dear friend's daughter lost her woofie on Easter Sunday. He was a sweet soul who gave so much love and support to his family. Please send prayers and purrs that they heal from this loss and that Clarence is happy and healthy once more at the Bridge. I will pass any comments on to the family since they don't have a blog.

Many thanks to Ann of http://zoolatry.blogspot.com for this wonderful graphic.

Mancat Monday - Snowball

Snowball enjoys sitting on the highest shelf in the screen enclosure and relaxing. He is a very portly Mancat!

Happy Easter!

Wishing you all a peaceful and blessed Easter and springtime!

Only in his Tube

Uh oh mom's got her flashy box out again! I'm gonna hide in here.



Is she gone...nope she is still there.



Oh well, I'll smile for the box and hope I can get some R&R after. Hope you all have some fun today.

Ivy's Catnip Frenzy on Formerly Feral Friday

Mom put some good stuff on my scratch post - gonna check it out.



This is fun.



Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy...whooo hooo!

Minnie Being Silly

Minnie goes to the VET today - she has been having chronic constipation issues and we need to get to the bottom of this. Send her purrs and prayers that it is something easy to fix!

Update
The vet found all things OK with Minnie. No obvious lumps or blockages internally. Still need to wait for results of the blood test. Her litter mate Nick died of intestinal cancer so I am concerned. The vet told me to add up to 1 teaspoon of slippery elm bark powder to her food. I put 1/4 tsp in her supper and she ate it all! It is sweet so they like it. She has been fine tonight - no straining, crying and vomiting. Thank you all for your purrs and prayers.

Let's Meet Minnie

Minnie is one of my favorites if I can say I have favorites!

One of a feral litter of three black cats and one tabby,  (Joey, Leroy, who disappeared at age 6 months and Nick who went to the Bridge in 2006) she was born late fall in an old abandoned travel trailer on our neighbor's property. As kittens they all showed up in January coming out from under the trailer on sunny warmer days. I was worried they would not survive the winter but they did.

Minnie was named because she and Nick (originally named Micky) had huge ears like Minnie and Micky Mouse. Nick's name was changed after we TNR'd him and the vet nicked his ear so we would know he had been captured already. Minnie responded to her name and actually came when I called her, even while living outside.



Minnie lived outdoors for a few months with her family until Ivy  ran her off when Minnie reached maturity. I guess she was a threat to Ivy. Poor Minnie lived across the street behind the old general store and only came by for food when none of the other cats were around. She looked so pathetic sitting on the edge of the road just staring over at our house. I talked to her and petted her when she did come over but was worried she would not survive on her own or be hit by a car on a busy street.

One one particular day she was sitting out there looking pretty forlorn and my husband and I just opened the front door and called to Minnie. She came running and came right inside! That was eight years ago and she has made herself at home with us ever since.

She is a tiny slim cat only weighing 7 pounds and has velvety fur and the most beautiful shade of green eyes. Minnie gets herself into unusual predicaments. Because she is so slim she would get between the screen and glass in the porch windows when we slid them open. I didn't want her to get stuck there but she would slowly back out and be free.

Minnie and her beloved brother Joey

Minnie is very talkative and has a funny voice - raspy and scratchy. She lets you know what is going on and who is doing what. Most of her teeth are missing (from inbreeding in her colony probably) but two very large fangs are visible even with her mouth closed, giving her a vampire look!

She has IBS and had diarrhea since a kitten but as she got older and with better food that seemed to even off and she actually put on weight and had normal bowel movements. At about ten years old now, she is having constipation problems. I worry she could develop more severe bowel issues with her history of IBS.

We love her dearly and hope that she will be with us for a long time to come.

Photo Hunt - Stripes!!!

Joey has stripes on his legs, and tail.



Tabitha has lots of stripes -- all over. And spots on her belly!



Yoko has stripes mostly on her tail.

Hide and Seek

Chica loves to play hide and seek with mom. She runs and hides while mom pretends she can't find her. She is in the bath tub and lays low with just her ear tips showing.




Can you see Chica hiding behind the curtain?



Uh oh, she's not even there.... Gotchca!!! April Fooool!!!!!! (heeheehee)