Monday Memories - Chica

Mom Cheri here today - It was a year ago today (on my birthday) that our dear Chica got her angel wings.  We were lucky to have had her for a three months short of 22 years.  Such a long time to have a special heart cat. Enough time has passed that memories of her bring smiles and laughter at all of her quirks and endearing personality.

She loved to go to town on the toilet paper roll in the bathroom, tearing it to shreds.  It was months into last year that my husband realized we no longer had to hide the roll of toilet paper so Chica couldn't get at it. We can put the roll on the stand like normal people now.

She was fearless - nothing fazed her, not even the vacuum cleaner!  When other cats ran in panic she just calmly looked up.  If we stuck the nozzle near her,  Chica would put her face in it!

 

She loved to play and taught the other cats to go get toys out of the basket we kept them in.  Her favorite was that suede mouse in the picture above.  Or a ball - she could jump and catch balls when we tossed them at her.

Angel Chica napping

When I am missing her too much I have Callie our newest, to comfort me.  I really think Chica had a hand in bringing her to us.  Since we moved here 6 years ago I have not had to rescue a single cat - not one crossed my path at home or work until Callie, who wandered up to me late at night when I was leaving work. (For Callie's story click here.)  What struck me then was how much she resembled  Chica from the back.  Even tho Callie is a calico, her back is a black tortie color like Chica's.  When I see Callie curled up napping, she looks just like Chica and I smile.

Callie napping

Thinking of you every day Angel Chica and remembering fondly, all of the special moments we shared. .I know you are always with us as our guardian angel.  Until we meet again.....

Thankful Thursday - A Kong Review

Callie checks out the package from Kong

A few weeks back we were asked to review a package of kitty goodies from Kong.  We are always thankful for free samples to try out.  We never seem to have enough green stuff for all our needs. Well the package arrived and we got a cardboard scratcher, tub of catnip and a package of treats.

Lily wants to try the treats.

 We opened the treats right away.  Mom had been looking for some kitty treats to replace Temptations which we love but Mom says the ingredients are not what she would like to be feeding us.  Kong Moist Treats are made from duck, chicken, cranberries and blueberries and no wheat, corn or soy or icky preservatives or colorants.  Most of us loved the Kong treats - Ivy scoffed them up so fast  we couldn't get a photo of the treats and her.  But others like Only did not care for them and left them uneaten.

Ivy licking the floor after she ate the treats.

Only did not want his Kong treats.

 The Kong scratcher on the other hand went over very well.  Two Spot went right to work on it as soon as Mom put it down.  We needed a new one for the cat house so it worked out well.

Two Spot getting a work out on the scratcher.

Our neighbor cat Jack even got to try some catnip and he gave it paws up!  So overall it is a paws up on the three items from Kong - Mom will get some Kong treats for us to eat instead of Temptations!

Jack likes the Kong catnip

Flashback Friday with Sweetpea

Me living in the bathroom till I tamed down.

 Mom has been very lazy this week and has not even done a Wordless Wednesday post - how bad is that?  So I hijacked the blog and will show some pics of me  when I first came to live in the house.  This was back in the original house in the high mountains of NC.

It was  the winter of 1999-2000 and we had just had a huge snowstorm.  All of us kitties found a nice warm place to weather it out but we were gone for a few days and our Mom-to-be was very worried about us, especially me cuz I was young and little.  When we all showed up again at the shelter/feeding station, Mom was so happy and relieved that we were all accounted for but that was when she decided to bring me inside.

Me after I was a bit friendlier - I looked better already.

I was pretty wild, my fur was matted and my skin was not in great shape.  The vet had to sedate me to examine me and told the humans to bathe me while I was out - the only chance they would have.  They did bathe me in the bathroom sink - I could see them but could not fight to stop this horrific thing from happening.  I do admit I felt so much better when I was all dried off and clean and fluffy.

Mom used lavender tea on my skin patches - I had spots of grayish rough skin all over.  Pretty soon the spots healed up and I looked super if I may say so myself.  And the rest is history!

Me, now, all growed up!

Snow and Celebrations!

Lily

Lily here today wishing you all a very Happy Valentine's Day from our house to yours!  It is a big day for us - it is Pop's 65th Birthday (yes he is THAT old!)!!!  Here he is is from a baby to his freshman year in high school.

And then...it is the human's anniversary - Mom picked this day so Pop would never forget what day their anniversary was!  They have been together for 26 years - pretty amazing.  Here they are from when they met in CT, in Germany on vacation, at Cape Cod, in FL (where they adopted Angel Chica and Angel Yoko) and then NC!

All us cats chipped in and are sending them to a great restaurant for dinner tonight - hoping they can get out and into town after all the snow we had this week. 

Looking down our driveway!

So whatever you do and where every you are, celebrate LOVE today - we leave you with this poem Mom loves by E. E. Cummings

“I carry your heart with me (I carry it in my heart)I am never without it (anywhere
I go you go,my dear; and whatever is done by only me is your doing,my darling)
I fear no fate (for you are my fate,my sweet)I want no world (for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows
(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life; which grows
higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

I carry your heart (I carry it in my heart)”

Georgie

A Friend Has Flown to the Bridge

 Sweet Gracie of  Manx Mnews blog has gone to the Rainbow Bridge, much too soon. Please do go by and leave your condolences.  Her Mom is having a hard time as she lost her beloved Abby just six months ago.

I hope this poem offers some comfort to all who have lost a beloved pet....

Death is nothing at all.
I have only slipped away to the next room.
I am I and you are you.
Whatever we were to each other,
That, we still are.

Call me by my old familiar name.
Speak to me in the easy way
which you always used.
Put no difference into your tone.
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.

Laugh as we always laughed
at the little jokes we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me. Pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household word
that it always was.
Let it be spoken without effect.
Without the trace of a shadow on it.

Life means all that it ever meant.
It is the same that it ever was.
There is absolute unbroken continuity.
Why should I be out of mind
because I am out of sight?

I am but waiting for you.
For an interval.
Somewhere. Very near.
Just around the corner.

All is well.

                                                 ~ Henry Scott Holland