Adieu Mr. Kitty (1999 - 2018)

In his window seat

We lost our handsome 18 1/2 year old ginger boy Sunday night. It was unexpected but Don and I were sitting on either side of him on the sofa talking to him and holding him when he passed.

Sleeping with utter abandon

He had hyperthyroid (on Felimazole) and odd bouts with nausea, vomiting and loose poop off and on since we had him but nothing showed in tests. I managed his symptoms with natural remedies. Then a few weeks ago his left back paw and later his front paw became swollen and sore.  All tests were inconclusive.  We will never know what took him.

Begging for food.

Mr Kitty was only with us for two years and nine months but he ensconced himself into our home and hearts like he had always been here. True to his Maine Coon background his intelligence, friendliness, playfulness, curiosity and ability to live in the now captivated us.

Mr Kitty at his first home.

 Mr Kitty grew up in a household with two human brothers, Nate and Jason and their parents, Deb and Barry. Mr. Kitty was a gift as a kitten to Nate for his tenth birthday. Mr. K was so very loved and spoiled in his home. When Barry had an organ transplant they were not allowed to keep pets so I offered to bring Mr Kitty to our house for however long he lived.  He joined us at age 16 and adjusted well for his age.

Mr Kitty and Don

Mr. K was a social guy who loved people, especially men, greeting all guests with an opportunity to give him some love. Our ginger cat loved my husband Don with a passion.  They bonded on the two day trip to our house.  Mr Kitty always had to be sitting next to or on Don.  If Don went out, Mr. Kitty was on alert for the sound of the back door and would be right there to greet Don as he came in. When Don wore his baseball cap, Mr Kitty rubbed his face against the visor purring with pleasure.

He did not care for the other cats but Mr. Kitty tolerated Sweetpea for some reason.  They could be found spooning each other on the sofa while napping,  Sweetpea was with us on the sofa on Mr. Kitty's last night.

Mr Kitty with Sweetpea on the sofa

A purrfect model for holiday photos and special occasions, wearing costumes or bow ties, Mr. Kitty tolerated the fuss.  He wanted all the attention good or bad.  He had a habit of pushing things off the coffee table with his paw if no one was paying him attention.  He was a true attention hog.

His favorite place was in the office on the window seat catching the morning sun. or on cold days in front of the heater.  His time on the back screen porch was something he cherished no matter what the weather.

In his window

On the porch with Tabitha

In front of the heater

Always curious, Mr. Kitty loved to check out the grocery bags when we came home from shopping.  Once he pulled a full loaf of bread out of a bag on the floor and ran down the hall, dragging it.  The cat toy basket was a source of fun for him.  He would pull out several toys , digging around to find one that caught his eye to play with.

If you cannot see this video, go here.

These past few months his personality was mellowing out. He was less and less active. He had a couple of good days on Friday and Saturday.  He spent time on the back porch, was treated to cooked chicken liver, and sat in all his favorite places. He enjoyed his time with Don on the sofa watching TV. We did not expect to lose him on Sunday.

In all his gorgeous glory

We wrapped him lovingly in a soft fleece blanket with is catnip flower and buried him on our land next to the others we have lost.  Rocks cover his grave with a bouquet from our holiday wreath.  I have ordered a stone for his grave site to be put there later.

This big beautiful boy with a larger than life personality left a gaping hole in our hearts. I am forever grateful we were able to have him in our lives for the time we did.  He brought us so much joy, laughter and love.  Rest well Mr. Kitty, until we meet again at the 

Rainbow Bridge.

P.S. This morning before I woke I dreamt I woke up and Mr. Kitty was sitting on the end of the bed in all his glory looking so content just like in the photo above in his window seat.  When I did get up I saw him again in my peripheral vision next to my feet in the kitchen where he always sat waiting for his breakfast..  I know in my heart he is safe and young and happy once more on the other side of the veil watching over us.

Happy Halloween!

 

Never before seen..until now...our 2016 Wildcat Woods Halloween costumes!  First is me...Countess Tabitha the Severer, known for carving her victims into tiny pieces.

Seductive Callie is dressed as a Hawaiian Hula Girl with flower lei and grass skirt. hoping to win over some handsome mancat out there.

For the ladycats is hunky Punk Rocker Mr Kitty with his spiked orange hair, leather wrist cuff and chain collar (hidden in his long sexy fur.)

And then for the cats who won't let mom dress them up and have to be tricked to get costumed... the tongue in cheek, punny and silly costumes ... 

Snowball as the suave yet laid back Buccaneer (buck-an-ear, get it?) resting on his hammick

Our Eddie Haskell cat, Only posing for the Cat's Out of the Bag costume..

And dark evil Mamacita as sinister villain BlackMail

Hope you enjoyed our line-up for this All Hallow's Eve. We will be back shortly for a combo Gotcha Day for Callie and Snowball on Nov. 2 just in time for El Dios de la Muerte.  Y'all come back!

Getting Ready for Halloween

Me

 Callie here today -You guys know how much Mom loves Halloween!  We are helping her get ready by wearing our special Halloween themed bandanas by Jodi, our IG friend.  Each one is reversible and attaches to your collar.  We don't wear collars so Mom used a ribbon.

Only models the other side of mine - spooky black with spider webs

Mr Kitty

The shop is BellaLovesAlex and features hand made kitty bandanas and bow ties for all seasons and holidays. They are purrfectly made and easy to wear.  If you are too late for this Halloween, then check out her fall and Christmas ones. Anything from this shop would make wonderful gifts fr your family and friends. Follow BellaLovesAlex on Instagram @bellalovesalex or on Facebook 

Jodi's cat Gizmo from her Etsy page with her orange bow tie.

(Mom didn't get anything for writing this - she just likes Jodi's hand made items for cats. Mom only buys American hand made!)

Tabitha wears the flip side of Mr Kitty's bandana

Mom also put up some Halloween decor at the base of our driveway.  A scary witch with a gravestone, with pumpkins and mums.Have you put any Halloween decorations up at your house?  

Our cat shelter is in the  left corner

We will be back with a special Halloween post with us in new never before seen costumes.  Before that we will remember our dear Minnie who left us last year on Oct. 29.  My Gotcha Day and Snowball's comes up right after Halloween so we should be online quite a bit for a while! Hope to see you all then!!

P.S. An update on us.  Normie was at the vet's twice this month for constipation.  It turns out the culprit was his Greenie dental treats.  Don't use those. We threw ours away. Then Sweetpea had a sore paw - her dew claw had grown in again so they had to cut all the claws way back.  We will have to keep an eye on her claws. She is doing well on her herbal thyroid and kidney meds.

Happy Independence Day America!

Mr Kitty here today wishing you all a safe and happy 4th of July.  Happy Birthday America!

As you can see some of us were subjected to Mom Cheri's attempt of dressing us up for the holiday!  Pretty minimal is what we allow! (Altho I do look like a super hero with a cape in mine. Don't I?)

I don't look too happy in this one.

It is a low key holiday for us with Sweetpea being sick this week and all.  She is feeling much better and has been eating on her own.  Baby food is her preference but Mom Cheri sneaks in good stuff too and vitamins! At least she is eating.

I want to ask a special favor of all of you.  My original  human parents in Massachusetts will be going through some serious surgery first thing on Tues morning July 5.  My mom is giving her kidney to my dad who has been on dialysis for over a year.  He had a liver transplant last year which is why I can't live with them anymore.  Both of them will be in the hospital for this week. Mom will come home over the weekend and Dad will be able to come home the week after. 

Mom Cheri is plenty worried about the both of them since she has known them for like, forever.  Keep them in your thoughts, purrs, prayers, healing vibes - whatever you do, send good energy to them this week for a purrfect outcome. I will keep you posted on them.

Thank you for being such great friends.  I never had online friends before and this is way cool!

Catching Up

It is me, Only, today. Sorry we have been AWOL since our last post in May.  The beans have been on the road, traveling - first time they have gone anywhere together in ten years. In May it was a short trip to Highlands, NC  to try out the pet sitter, then it was a wedding in VA near DC. A family thing.  And then Mom headed out to Charleston SC to visit a work friend who moved down there last year.

Pop dancing with the bride, his niece, in VA

 Another trip is coming up - to visit Mr. Kitty's humans.  His Dad B. would love it if we snuck him in the luggage but no can do. B had a liver transplant last year and now needs a kidney transplant.  Mom's oldest friend D. is giving her kidney to her husband B.  They have been thru more than most people can cope with over this past year.  That was why they could not keep Mr Kitty if you remember.  No pets allowed now after an organ transplant. The surgery is scheduled for July so Mom may go back up to help them out.

Cats always find Mom like this one did in Charleston.  He was the Inn cat.

The beans  found a great pet sitter and we like her.  She is nice and quiet and makes sure we all get our meds and lots of pets.  She grew up on a farm and has a dog and cat herself.  We will be in good hands but it may be the start of some traveling urges for the beans.  Uh oh.

Mr Kitty zonked out on  the porch.

Nothing new with us cats.  Mr. Kitty is doing fine on his thyroid meds and so is Sweetpea finally.  Snowball is holding his own with his megacolon - no issues so far.  It has been very hot lately so we are enjoying the AC in the house and the cat house cats all have fans.  Their inside room is cool like a basement on account of being built into the hillside.  Mr. Kitty juts loves to nap out on the porch in the heat - funny guy.

Mom turkey and poults - see how mom is holding her leg up?

We have a mom turkey with a bum leg who has been visiting our bird feeder.  The beans will make sure she has food and water while they are away.  The turkey had six babies but only two are left.  They are getting big, can fly a little and are starting to look like turkeys and not just fluff balls.

Mrs Raccoon

A cute raccoon has been stopping by to feed too.  Mom seems to think she may have little ones in the woods but so far no sign of them.  No bear sightings but one did bend our bird feeder pole down to the ground.  We told the pet sitter to watch out.  She will not put food out at night.

That is it for us.  After the next trip, the humans should be home for the summer and hopefully will get to blogging again.  (Unless Mom has to go back to help out Mr. Kitty's folks.) Mom does post on Facebook and on Instagram so look for us there. We miss our blog buddies and hope y'all are doing good.  With luck we will visit you all in about a week. 

It's Mr. KItty's First Gotcha Day!

Me last April.

A year ago today, Pop Don arrived home in NC with me in the car all the way from MA.  I had never taken such a long trip before and at my age too.   It has been quite a year.

On the porch where I saw the bear.

I miss my first Mom and Dad and human brothers but  things are OK here.  I had to adjust to a lot of things.  I lived in a big house with only one other kitty - my sister Squeaks who was supposed to come with me but she went to the Rainbow Bridge unexpectedly before the trip to our new home.  Now I live with lots of other cats in a smaller house.  I tolerate the cats - everyone is really OK to me but I am just not used to so many.  Anyway I prefer people and when anyone comes to visit, I am the first one to greet them.

A rare moment when I am on Mom Cheri's lap

I was able to go outdoors at my old home but this is a wild and woolly place in the mountains so I stay inside.  In my first few weeks, I saw a bear.  Thankfully I was on the screen porch.  I still growled and hissed at him.  He ran away and kept looking back at me.  I showed him!

Helping Pop Don with his snack

I love Pop Don and spend all my time on his lap or sitting next to him.  Mom Cheri is nice too but I am used to guys more.  I am a man's cat mancat!

Me and Callie waiting for nibbles

I ate dry food before but Mom Cheri doesn't feed dry food on account of the male cats getting UTI's so wet food it is.  So I have lost a little weight.  I had some dental work too and even had surgery to remove a benign thyroid tumor on my neck.  It had grown too big and made me uncomfortable.  Turns out I have hyperthyroid so I take pills for that.  I love to eat so pill pockets work great.

With my scar after surgery

Mom Cheri texts and emails photos of me every week to my first humans.  They miss me so much but they cannot have pets due to Dad having an organ transplant and being on immune suppression drugs.  He may have another organ transplant this year.  It has been rough for them but they are happy I made this transition and that I am doing well here.  They know and I know I am very loved in this new home.

I am thrilled to have met all of you and get a kick out of having my photos on the Internets!  I am kind of a star now, I guess.  That's cool.  Thanks for coming by to wish me a Happy Gotcha Day.  Please help yourself to some tunatinis, ham treats and catnip cream cheese cupcakes!  

P.S. Mom Cheri is on Instagram more these days and posts 

daily with pics of us cats and of our mountains.  Check us out @wildcatwoods

Winning Monday

Me checking out the goodies

Callie here posting today.  To quote Charlie Sheen...winning...Monday is here.  We have the winners of our blogoversary post and we are showing off our prizes for winning Ellen's blog 15 and Meowing's Valentine give-away - all handmade - a nip flavored mat to nap on, two nip toys and an eyeglass case for Mom.

Us first...the kitties were very surprised that they got a fun package in the mail from Ellen and her furry gang. I noticed the goodies right away and went over to inspect them.  The catnip toy caught my fancy and off I went, batting it all over the kitchen and living room floors.  Mom tried to get a picture but I was just a blur!

Mr. Kitty with the nip toy

Mr. Kitty pounced on the other catnip toy.  He was snockered in no time.  Rolling on the mat and even sucking the mat - have some control, boy!

Even quiet Mamacita come out from her nap nook to check out the mat. She was a bit more subdued than Mr Kitty but enjoyed it nevertheless.  Mom liked her eyeglass case too.  Thank you Ellen - we love our prizes!

Mamacita on the mat

Now for the winners of our blogoversary post - drum roll.....for Prize #1  - a cat coloring book for the human and cats toys and treats - the winner is none other than Ellen of 15 and Meowing and no this was not  fixed! Just a lucky coincidence! The question was who is our deaf cat - Al or Albert is the answer.

No one got the answer quite correct to question #2 - how many cats did we have when we first began blogging.  But Jackie and Flynn of  Our Life with Flynn (and Angel Eric) guessed the closest with 18. If you didn't know the answer, you would have had to look at all the photos on the side bar, subtracted the kitties from before, then the seven who went to the Bridge since 2009 and added two for Callie and Mr Kitty who joined us in later years - and that equals 20.  We had 20 cats when Mom started up the blog.  Years ago when people asked how many cats we had, Pop would mumble the answer - he was a bit embarrassed at first but most people we met had even more!  The prize for the question was  cat note cards, toys and treats.

And for the final question - most of our cats were formerly what? Isabel, a Google + follower, guessed wild (or feral) and was the first to guess that. The prize of a book about cats, and assorted cat treats and toys will be sent to her. 

Thank you for coming to our blogoversary and for being our friends.  Mom says she will try to post more often.  Her big 60th birthday is coming up next week - it is also the 3rd anniversary of Angel Chica's passing. I am sure we will post for that so see ya then!