Livestrong Day 10/11 - In Memory of a Special Friend

October 2, 2011 is Livestrong Day,  sponsored by Lance Armstrong's foundation.  Today is a day to help raise awareness of cancer and offer support to those who live with it daily.  Over 23 million people in the US live with cancer and my dear friend Emily was one of them.

Emily  was diagnosed with breast cancer seven years ago.She endured surgery, chemo and radiation only to have cancer return the following year in her spine.  It came back each year after that to her brain.  Emily took things in stride and resumed life as usual after each treatment.  She had two brain surgeries, plus multiple rounds of chemo and radiation.  She finally succumbed last weekend at the age of 55, leaving behind her husband and a teen age daughter.

Emily was my hero and inspiration.  No matter what she went through, she lived her life to the fullest, never complaining.  She was a talented artist, devoted mom, loving wife, sister, daughter, loyal friend, great cook, incredible interior decorator, supportive cancer center volunteer, avid animal lover, especially horses, gifted gardener, kind and dedicated special needs children's tutor, art teacher, and children's book author and illustrator. I loved to shop with her at thrift stores and antique malls. Emily was so creative that she could see endless possibilities for an ordinary object.  She expanded my mind constantly! She was the funniest person I know and kept her sense of humor thought it all.  She could make us howl hysterically with laughter, tears streaming down our faces with her hilarious stories about the minute details of everyday life from her perspective. Her special symbol was a dragonfly and she collected them in jewelry, art and crafts.  When I see a dragonfly, I always think of Emily.   The world will be a lot less brighter now that this lovely bright light has gone out.  Until we meet again Em!

I also want to honor some close family members and friends who are living with their own daily struggles - brother in law John with lung cancer, Mary Ann, Emily's friend has breast cancer now too and another friend Steve has stomach cancer that spread to his esophagus.  Many of our friends' pets also have cancer, being lovingly cared for by their guardians. Other people we  know have lost their loved ones this year to cancer. Please hold these courageous people, pets and all the others like them in your thoughts and prayers.  Let's  imagine a world without cancer and maybe one day it will be.

After Party Blues!

Mamacita and Rosa here. We would like to thank ya'll for coming to our Gotcha Day party and making it a fun celebration.  We are plumb wore out from all the festivities.  Looks like we're gonna be napping a lot for the next few days!

Don't forget that Oct 2, Sunday is Livestrong Day - wear yellow and blog yellow  to honor and remember our loved ones who have dealt with cancer.

Mamacita and Rosa's Gotcha Day!

Mamacita

We are having a big festive celebration for their sixth Gotcha Day - Sept 27 -with a Fiesta theme for our two lovely ladies Mamacita and her daughter Rosa.  Some of our cats have Spanish names on account of Pop being from Texas!

Rosa

Mamacita was a tiny little cat sneaking over to the back door of our old house, six years back to eat whatever the feral cats left.  Mom put a special dish out for her and before she knew it, Mamacita moved two tiny kittens over to the neighbor's rickety old shed.  They were wild wild wild but would come out for food.  The kittens both had URIs so Mom set a kennel cage out to catch them and their mom to bring them inside.  Rosa and her brother Manny had to have antibiotics and eye ointment for weeks. It got so they hated to see Mom and would run from her.  We can't blame them.

The three of them six years ago.

Mamacita and Rosa are our shyest cats and often don't come out when there is lots going on.  They prefer quiet.  They love to be petted and to eat (heehee you can see that from their sizes.) We lost their brother, our beloved Manny, from a very serious urinary blockage when he was two, but he is forever in our hearts.

So grab a party hat,  help yourself to the cake, yummy shrimp nachos and nip flavored margaritas!  We even have a mariachi band so let's party!!!

This is a good day to share the news...tiny kitten Cobbie was transported from South Carolina to Brother Wolf Animal Rescue foster mom successfully this weekend.  The very sweet kind lady who found Cobbie hiding all by herself in the shrubbery near a McD's drove all the way to bring her safely to our hands.  She wanted to keep her but when Cobbie tested positive for FIV, she could not not since she had other cats.  Cobbie rode very well in her carrier and will join another FIV kitten, Angelica, at her foster Mom's.  She promised to send photos of the two playing together.  Anyone want two adorable black and white kittens??? Let us know! We will be doing a post about the two of them later in hopes that we can find one forever home for both of them!

Cobbie

Angelica

Adopt a Less Adoptable Pet Week with Al

 

Al here today to talk about adopting less adoptable pets. I should know something about this cuz I am deaf. Most white blue eyed cats like me are deaf. Or if they have one blue eye and one other color eye - the blue side is deaf. It's a genetic thing. Mom knew that as soon as she set eyes on me, sitting by the road as a tiny kitten. She thinks someone threw me out of a car cuz I was all scratched up and bruised. One look at me and she knew I was deaf.

I am like any other cat but you have to be aware of my special needs. I can't go outdoors - it would be too dangerous since I can't hear cars, dogs and other things that could hurt me. Mom calls me by stomping her foot on the floor - I feel the vibrations. Or she waves to get my attention and tells me to come with hand signals. When I sleep she very gently wakes me up by blowing on my fur. Otherwise I get defensive when I wake up suddenly cuz I can't hear you coming. My Mom is hearing impaired so she understands me.

I do have some problems but they are particular to me. I like to be with my humans but not with other cats. Mom thinks I was taken from my cat mom too soon and never learned how to behave with other cats. I am very smart too and can figure things out easily. When Mom hides treats for me to find, my hearing cat brothers and sisters run all over and don't find them. I sniff the treats out and find them all! More for me I say!

I want to tell you about another less adoptable cat who needs a home or even a foster home. Her name is Cobbie and she is a tiny black and white kitten living at a vet in SC. She has FIV and no one wants her even tho she can live a long healthy life. One of my cat sisters is FIV and is 13 years old - read her story here.

Cobbie must find a place to go soon as the vet can't keep her. He needs room for sick and injured animals and has no place for Cobbie long term. We are trying to save her from being put to sleep so do consider taking her in, helping us find a no-kill shelter or foster home or at least passing the word to others. Isn't she adorable? Leave Mom a comment or email her if you have some ideas!

Cobbie on her bed!

Now it is time for me to get back to my nap! Have a super weekend! And remember - adopt less adoptable pets and you both win!

Camera Critters

Wild Wednesday - Adopt a Less Adoptable Pet Week

Sweetpea here today to talk about how great it is to adopt a less adoptable pet.  I am black and feral so I would not have much of a chance of being adopted in a shelter.  People don't like black, black and white and tortoiseshell cats as much as other cats so we get adopted last, if at all.

Mom saw me living outside with the feral group when I was just a kitten, 12 years ago, and worried about me cuz it was winter and we had lots of snow that year.  After one big snowstorm, most of us cats did not come out for days from wherever we were staying warm and when we did show up, Mom was beside herself thinking we had all froze.  She caught me that week and brought me inside.  Good thing she did - I was covered with some sort of skin mange. I was dirty and tiny.  I was also very wild and fought tooth and nail to get away from her and the vet.  They had to tranquilize me to examine me and bathe me.

When I got to my indoor home, I scared the other cats - Chica and Yoko by getting right in their faces  and wanting to do everything they were doing.  I was lonely but they didn't know what to make of me and kept away from me or growled.

It took a few months to get me so I could be handled and petted and got along with other cats but Mom never gave up on me.  She is the queen of taming ferals!  Now I love to sit next to or on Mom and especially Pop.  I will sit next to him on the sofa and just put one paw on him.  I love to snuggle and be loved.  I am still tiny - only 5 pounds but am just chock full of love and fun.  I am so happy Mom took me inside and have had a great life so far!

So please think about opening your home to a black, black and white or tortie cat or even a feral cat like me.  We have so much love to give and just want the chance to be your best buddy!  Go to Petfinders to adopt a less adoptable pet and you will both win!

We know a special cat named Tarzan who lives nearby that needs a loving home - he is a cow cat and is not even a year old but has been in several shelters already.  He is in a foster home now but needs one of his own. Check him out on his page under the header photo above.