Happy Birthday Marg!

Happy Birthday to Marg from Mr Kitty and all of us Cats of Wildcat Woods!!!

Today is the birthday of a special friend of ours and of many bloggers and critters too.  If it wasn't for Marg, of Marg's Animals blog all of her wonderful pets, past and present would not have had a chance at a good life.  No matter how many she already had, she took more in if they were in need of a home..  Each one is loved and cared for like they were the only one.

We have been one of the lucky ones to actually meet Marg and her gang.  She is lovely - warm, friendly and funny. Just like her blog.  It is quite the adventure to meet all her adorable rescues.

 

We got to meet Peepers.

We want to share some older photos of our visit with Marg way back in 2011.  We have visited her every year since except last year.  In 2011 we got to meet Peepers, her goat along with  some of her older cats and of course her wonderful dogs, Ande and Jasmine. (Sorry the photos are not great. Mom had an old point and shoot back then - only 3.2 megapixels compared with the 16 on cameras now.)

Our Pop with Ande in front and Jasmine behind.

Mister oh so many years ago.

Pop and Joe in deep conversation.

Orange Boyz on the alert.

Wishing  Marg a super wonderful day and may the year to come 

bring nothing but smiles, laughter and lots of love.

Remembering Lily

Straw Hat Day

It has been a year since our sweet Lily went to the Bridge.  Time does fly.  I still wish I knew why we had to lose her so young.  With feral cats tho - there are unknown circumstances in their origins - where did she come from, was there inbreeding and what was her environment like?  So many things could have contributed to her cancer at age 9.  I had hoped with love and good food she would live a long life. That was not meant to be.

Having a tender moment with Only

I want to share my last conversation with Lily thru an animal communicator.  When I know a cat is seriously ill, I talk to my animal communicator to find out how each cat wants this to go down.  It helps me make decisions for them. 2015 was a tough year for me - I lost my brother in law, my favorite aunt and several life long family friends along with four beloved cats.  In hindsight, what Lily told me during her session with the animal communicator was preparing me for the rest of last year. It was a very spiritual experience for me.

Snuggled on my bed

Lily shared with us that since she had done this so many times before, she had no fear of dying. She was already leaving her body off and on, traveling to the other side. I asked Lily if she wanted to be with all her offspring in the cat house but she assured me that she was already communicating with them and preferred to be with me.

Keeping watch

At the time I did not know I would shortly  lose three other cats, but Lily emphasized that she would be there to greet and welcome the others when it was their time to go to the Bridge.  Lily explained to us that she was going thru this cancer now, to help teach me about about death and dying.  To Lily, death itself, was beautiful and easy. My communicator said Lily showed her a most euphoric vision of the afterlife. 

She loved to eat

Lily was not concerned about her age - there was no time on her life line, for she  had no beginning or end. Lily knew she is not her body, that she is infinite.  

Lily also told us that she  had been with me  before in other lives, and that her work with me is not over. She would be my guardian, very available to help me understand. She told the communicator that "All is OK, there is no need for anything to be different.."

It was a hard session to hear but it did help me understand  so many things, especially when to let go. Lily asked for gentle treatment, non invasive.  When things became more difficult, she wanted me to free her from her body.  That is how it played out.  The day she left us, she was no longer able to eat and was in noticeable discomfort.

I did call on Lily's spirit many times last year - to help me know how to care for  Minnie and Georgie.And when to let them go.  In life Lily was my buddy, my companion, always nearby, ready to help.  I talked to her all the time.  I still do. I mentioned in her tribute last year, (read it here)  that she was the epitome of unconditional love, mother love.  She was and still is.  Thank you dear Lily for sharing your life and lessons with me and for still being there for me until we meet again.

The quote I used on her tribute is even more appropriate  after all I went thru last year. - here it is again.

"When animals enter our life, we start on a journey filled with adventure, learning and love.  The animals reach deep into us and change us in ways that can hardly be described.  We grow in love.  And upon their leaving, we are lost, devastated.  Over time, we explore the story and see the meaning, and stand in awe of these remarkable beings.  What an honor they give us when they walk a part of our lives with us."

-- Barbara Janelle

Lily in front with Two Spot and Only

P.S. Several of you have reached out about my health.  I went to the doctor for my vertigo and she seems to feel it is allergy related.  It still comes and goes.  When it flairs up, I cannot use the computer or watch TV.  It is best to rest.  I have never had this before so it is taking some adjustment.  It seems to be lessening as the weather warms up so I hope to be able to be back online more.  Thanks for your concern.

Wordy Wednesday

Only here reporting for Mom.  A quick post to let you know what is going on. Sweetpea is back to her normal self and using the thyroid ear cream is purrfect for her. We appreciate all the comments for  Mom's birthday/Chica's remembrance day and Darby's Gotcha Day/St Pat's. Mom has not been able to get on the computer due in part to internet issues and mostly  because of some health issues she is having.

I am sure it is nothing serious but Mom is going to the Doctor this week to check it out. We hope to be  back online soon after.  Us cats are very grateful for all of you and feel awful we have not been able to comment and visit on your blogs.  Send Mom some purrs please. Thanks, over and out......

It's St Pat's and Darby's 16th Gotcha Day!

Darby here today...St. Pat's and  Thankful Thursday to boot.  We are so very grateful for each and every one of you.  Knowing you care  helps us get through the ups and downs of life with 15 formerly feral cats!

Sweetpea with her paw

Before we get to my party - we had a serious vet visit for 17 year old Sweetpea this week.  She had not been eating and was losing weight.  It turned out to be a few things - she is hyperthyroid, had an infected tooth which was removed and she had an infected claw on her right front paw which was cleaned up.  All things have been taken care of  - she is hobbling along on a bandaged foot and sequestered in the master bedroom/bath for a week.  She needs to have shredded paper for litter until her paw heals over to keep it from getting re-infected.  Thanks so much for all the purrs for her.

Me not long after I was caught and spayed.

 Now for me - hard to believe it has been 16 years since Mom and Pop took me in.  I was living under their house in a crawlspace with a possum!  He would come out at night and I would come out during the day.  I was so feisty to other cats, protecting my territory, Mom thought I was a boy and named me the Irish male name of  Darby!  Oh well.  A lot of feral cats lived in this neighborhood and I just showed up all by myself  in the winter that year.  She figured I was born in the fall of 1999.

Early shot of me

I was tough to tame and Mom spent months working with me and an animal behaviorist to get to even pet me.  I would smack her hand with my paw.  I was scared and didn't know what was going on.  Even now I get rattled easy and can still smack the beans but they still love me.  I really bonded with mom since she spent so much time with me in the beginning.

Me at our old house.

Anyway, I am so happy to have been gotcha'd by the beans.  I have had a great life - I lived in their shop with Minnie for a few months until we all moved in one house together.  Then we all moved to where we are now  with all the white cats and I love it.  I enjoy looking out the window at goat, pony, turkey and bird TV, helping Mom on the computer, hanging out with Pop when he watches TV.  I don't even mind all my many brothers and sisters.  It sure beats living on my own outdoors.  Feral cats deserve love too!

Helping Mom

So put on some green and help yourself to the nip snacks and green munchies in honor of St Pat's and me!  Thanks for coming and for being our friends.  Happy St. Patrick's Day!

A Bittersweet Birthday

Chica in our farm house on top of the cabinets!

 Today is a big birthday for me - I turn 60!  Pretty amazing.  And it also marks three years to the day that my dear heart cat Chica passed.  She was a stinker to choose that day.  Just like a tortie, it was all about her  in life and even in death. We had an incredible bond between us and I know she would rather have had me all to herself.  Every new cat added would just make her grumble with disgust.  Since Chica was such a big part of the blog before she left and I have not posted much of her lately, let's go down memory lane to relive some of her quirks and endearing qualities with photos too.             

Chica is in the bag ready to pounce on Yoko - see her paws?

  We got Yoko for Chica as a playmate but she would have nothing to do with this tiny kitten.  I was afraid she would hurt Yoko so we kept them separated with a glass door for the first few weeks.  Poor Yoko learned to live in the shadow of her mean big sister.  One look from Chica could stop Yoko in her tracks and send her hiding.  Although to be fair, Chica mellowed out a bit in her later years and would even groom Yoko.  I never thought I would see that.

On our lanai in FL

Back in the 90s when Chica was young she earned the nickname "Queen of Mean" for her disdain of Yoko. (For those of you too young to recall...New York real estate tycoon Leona Helmsley was known as the 'Queen of Mean,' for her vicious business tendencies)

Playing with ribbons in FL

Chica was at my side all the time. Since Don, my husband is a light sleeper, he put her out of the bedroom at night but she would have none of that.  She thumped the door with her paws until he relented and opened it.  The she would settle in on the dresser - she knew enough not to get on the bed with him.  But her purr was so loud and rumbly, it would keep Don up.  He never got one up on her.  

Shortly after I found her at a strip mall in FL at about 6 months.

I had always had dogs before her (my first cat) so I treated her like a dog.  We played games - fetch, catch, hide and go seek.  She would jump to catch the kitty balls I threw to her and bring them back to me.  I would hide  out of sight from Chica and would call her to me.  She would run through the house looking behind doors, curtains until she found me and then I would say "I'm gonna get ya" and she would run to find her hidy spot.  Her favorite was in the bathtub.  I would creep up on her and could see her ear tips over the tub edge but she didn't want to give her spot away and would try to stay down.  Finally her curiosity would get the better of her and she would peek over the edge and I would yell "Gotcha" and we would start the game all over again.  Don thought we were nuts.

In later years with her balls

Chica loved the heat and would sit out on our lanai in Florida and just drape herself over the cushions on the lounge out there.  The hotter the better. She loved lizard hunting when one would accidentally find his way inside.  But snakes were another story.  She wanted nothing to do with them.Once while we were bathing her on the lanai, she spotted a snake and in her effort to get away from it, she was clawing the air with her front legs and got my nose with her claw!  Blood everywhere!  That ended that bathing session quickly.  She actually pierced my nose but I couldn't get mad at her.

When we moved from Florida to North Carolina, she was nine years old and Yoko was seven.  They both did well with the move and adapted to life in another home and climate.  We moved a lot but Chica was a trooper - as long as she was with us and our things were there,  she was home.

Just after the move to NC

Beginning with Sweetpea, Chica had to adjust to more and more cats coming to live with us. She was not as mean with them as she had been with Yoko but they knew  who was Queen in this house by her aloofness and look of distan.  She had no problem whapping them to put them in their place.  She would walk away grumbling  under her breath.  I know the others were afraid of her even as she aged.What Chica wanted Chica got - a total tortie Diva.

She ruled our lives and I loved every minute of it.  We were so very lucky to have had her for 22 years.  One of my friends always said Chica knew she had it made with us and that is why she wasn't leaving.  I know I will never experience another cat like her in this lifetime.  As mean as she could be to the other cats, with us she was tender and loving.  She was there with me and for me thru so many huge changes and events in my life.  It makes it harder to go thru this milestone birthday without her being with me.  But, I do see her in my dreams so  often.  Just last night I had one of her. I know she is still watching over me, just on the other side of the veil.  Aren't you Chica?