Reggo
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Is it safe for a cat to eat peanut butter? Sheldon loves the stuff.
For Cat Lovers Only XVIV - Post Pics, Ask Questions, Comments, Etc.
- Thread starter Sicy
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The friendliest place on the web for anyone that follows U2.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
arw
Blue Crack Addict
my sister's cat loves it too. When I lived with them she would hop up on the kitchen counter if the PB jar was open while she would never take the time to go up there for anything else, even tuna or other fish. She only gets about the size of a pea at a time and no more. I can't remember for sure but I think we even had to put pb on her pill pockets to give her some meds that she would otherwise spit out....but that might have been the dog
I've offered it to Wesley but he's never been interested in trying it or any other people food I've offered him.
kellyahern
Blue Crack Supplier
My sister's cat loves marinara sauce.
i have a cat who likes cake (so far they've only tried lime cake) and another that likes anything sweet and vanilla: frosting, ice cream...
if i didn't have one lactose intolerant cat i'd put out vanilla milk since it'd clearly be a favourite.
if i didn't have one lactose intolerant cat i'd put out vanilla milk since it'd clearly be a favourite.
U2Fanatic4ever
Blue Crack Addict
kitties loveth the cream cheese at my house.. I give it to them when I make a bagel so they only get a small amount on my finger.
MsPurrl
Blue Crack Supplier
What a pretty little face! 
indra
ONE love, blood, life
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I used to have a cat who loved doughnuts and anything with nutmeg. I have this recipe for scones that called for nutmeg and every time I made those the cat was right there trying to "help" me.
MsPurrl
Blue Crack Supplier
Fergus loves bananas! Whenever I bring home a bag from the grocery store that has bananas in it, he has his head in the bag, looking for them.
arw
Blue Crack Addict
last night was a rare occurrence with Wesley....I was eating an apple with some caramel sauce drool: ) in a bowl and when I was finished he came over and licked the caramel. There wasn't much left since I practically licked the bowl clean first but there was enough for him to try it. But the weird thing was he kept licking the bowl until it was completely empty. He's never done anything like that before. Usually he puts his nose up in disgust when I offer him something I'm eating.
drool: ) in a bowl and when I was finished he came over and licked the caramel. There wasn't much left since I practically licked the bowl clean first but there was enough for him to try it. But the weird thing was he kept licking the bowl until it was completely empty. He's never done anything like that before. Usually he puts his nose up in disgust when I offer him something I'm eating.
arw
Blue Crack Addict
Wesley just has his entire body in a bag when we bring in groceries. We have to empty them quickly so he doesn't jump in. Silly boy
MsPurrl
Blue Crack Supplier
Very cute about Wesley and his caramel.
Reggo
Blue Crack Addict
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Found something Sheldon loves even more than peanut butter or chicken noodle soup broth. Peach yogurt. Not only did he have his little face in the bowl the whole time I was trying to eat it, after he got a taste, he acted like he does on catnip.
MsPurrl
Blue Crack Supplier
Happy Birthday, Finnula and Bronwyn!
Early morning on October 16 last year, Alex woke me up with "Come look!" The feral mama kitty who lives somewhere in the trees behind our yard had lead three tiny kittens out from under the shed in our back yard: a gray-and-white swirled
and two who were definitely of Siamese lineage. As the winter progressed and the kittens grew, one of the meezers no longer showed up; we can only hope that someone took it in. Eventually mama decided they were mature enough to fend for themselves, but they continued to sleep under the shed, with us feeding them outside. The day came when we could no longer leave them out in the frosty grass: we captured them; took them to our vet for tests, shots, and spaying; and brought them inside to join Callie and Fergus in their forever home. Since we don't know their actual birth date, we are counting September 15 as their birthday.
Early morning on October 16 last year, Alex woke me up with "Come look!" The feral mama kitty who lives somewhere in the trees behind our yard had lead three tiny kittens out from under the shed in our back yard: a gray-and-white swirled
and two who were definitely of Siamese lineage. As the winter progressed and the kittens grew, one of the meezers no longer showed up; we can only hope that someone took it in. Eventually mama decided they were mature enough to fend for themselves, but they continued to sleep under the shed, with us feeding them outside. The day came when we could no longer leave them out in the frosty grass: we captured them; took them to our vet for tests, shots, and spaying; and brought them inside to join Callie and Fergus in their forever home. Since we don't know their actual birth date, we are counting September 15 as their birthday.
kellyahern
Blue Crack Supplier
Happy Birthday!
Philisedge
Acrobat
Happy Birthday little citties
!!!
!!!
MsPurrl
Blue Crack Supplier
Thanks, y'all--I wuv them!
U2360
The Fly
- Joined
- Feb 22, 2012
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- 133
My cat is sleeping on a Pittsburgh Steelers blanket haha, one of her favourite spots. I know it's just because it's warm, but her fur matches it 
, she's black with white and a sort of caramel colour.
, she's black with white and a sort of caramel colour.
dazzledbylight
Blue Crack Supplier
cats and their human food favs!Happy Birthday to your newer cats Ms Purrl
Hello Everyone! *I hope you're all doing well!* Most of you know my Significant Other, the wonderful MsPurrl. Well, together we are cat loving crazies...and proud of it! The following is my first post here...and it is kind of long...but, quite a few of the people I've shared it with, including those who followed its genesis on Facebook, have enjoyed it. It tells the story of MsPurrl's and mines being blessed... < * > ...I hope you like it!
**** THE KITTEN CHRONICLES ****
10-15-2011 - *Surprise!* While taking a quick glance of the backyard today (while only half-way through my sleep period) I saw the Mama-Cat by our shed...with a friend. I quickly woke Jude up, "Looky! Come see!" The friend was gone...momentarily. Another came to take it's place: Mama has two new 6-8 week old kittens, a 'meezer-type...and a super-cute little girl kitty (guessing), dark markings atop, a white jacket & snow-tummy.*
10-15-2011 - Well, as I prepared to lie back down, my last look out the patio-window was of Mama-Cat sitting in the shadow of the shed, the water & food I had put out by her side, kittens playing with each other, their clumsy little bodies moving with that Old-timey Keystone Cops jerkiness...while less than fifty feet above the ground...directly over our backyard...
...the largest bird of prey I've ever seen glided with a seeming purpose. Looking at pictures after I arose again, it was clear to me what I saw was a Golden Eagle. *IT_WAS_HUGE!*
It disappeared from sight behind a large tree in our neighbor's yard. The area behind our home, with its dual railroad track and bordering tree-line, is a wilderness zone nestled among growing Urban-sprawl.
I've seen hawks many times, and have even heard coyotes yelping at night more than once.
I pray for the safety of all our Backyardiagans...becoming attached to Wildlife is a risky business for the heart, especially when it's trapped on an island, one surrounded by the treacherous Sea of Humanity.
10-15-2011 - ***KITTEN UPDATE*** As the shadows began to lengthen, Mama-Cat returned to the Shed-Area and we had a new addition to the Kitten-pile, another little 'Meezer-type, raising the total to three. Three bouncing, playfully zany babies. I'm in a quandary as to what to do: A Naturalist might advise to not do anything at all. *I can't do that much nothing...* I put out food & water, and a box with old clothing for shelter.
10-15-2011 - Night has fallen...and now, it's the time that the raccoons will come. I hope they stay in there half of the yard. *Please*
10-17-2010 - ***KITTIES IN THE NEWZ!*** Well, after a scary, scary night of multiple GIANT raccoons in the backyard and all the way up to the shed... < * > The three-kittens went underneath, and Mama-Cat stood her ground, just a few feet away from food-stealing bandits four-to-five times her weight. The 'Coons, to their credit, didn't seem to want to mess with what I'm sure was a low-growling Protectress.
Then...came TODAY: I decided to be pro-active with the "socialization". I went out armed with kitty-food, water and the Ultimate Secret Weapon... *TUNA*
I sat my lawn-chair down seven-feet from the Bunker-entrances. Mama-cat, the pretty little calico, who has given me a grand-total of TWO nose-kisses in all these years, was very hungry, ate the food, and, I believe, made her first acquaintance with the smelly dead-fish goodness... *It was love at first bite!*
And then it happened... *That Magic Moment*
As I sat there, talking sweet Cat-prano...I won her trust. Head-butts, Rubs, Accordion-Butts and Tail-Slides, mixed-in with >I like you!< Dancing, it all did commence.
*I felt like the luckiest man in the world, as the sweetest nectar of heart-medicine flowed through my aching soul.*
At first the kittens dared not an appearance. But, I tuna-lured them to the entrances...and they soon joined Mama, keeping close to her, by the shed, giving me my first up-close looks at the three, the two rough & tumble 'meezer-types, and the little white-with-greyish patches one.
*I named them...for easy referencing.*
The more adventurous 'meezer... *RAMBO*
The other 'meez with more white and jagged patching... *SPIKE*
And, the smaller, MUCH more cautious one, that I'm sure is a little girl kitty... *SHY*
Both 'meezers have a white spot on each side of their muzzle/noses, like a milk mustache. They appear to have blues eyes. I've never been a Siamese fancier in the past, but these two are adorable!
SHY is half their size, but very playful, and obviously a Mama's Girl.
I was unable to entice a close-encounter out of them. I didn't push it, as they went from always hiding from me to being out, eating and playing as I sat close by, whispering sweet nothings for their perfectly kitten-esque little ears.
Now, it's getting very cloudy, and dusk is fast approaching. *The forecast calls for The Return Of The Raccoons.* My plan is to remove all edibles, even for the kitties, hoping that a lack of sustenance will make the Coon-Tribes anticipated forage & foray short. Unfortunately, there will be enough food remnants to attract them to the shed area, as the aroma of tuna and spilled cat-food will surely be detected. *sigh*
*Last night, I was somewhat overwhelmed by the prospect of confronting the designs of Nature...*
Today...if I have to stay up all night, watching out for Mama and her much loved progeny... *I WILL!* I do a rather impressive Barking Dog impersonation (So Jude tells me!) and if need be, I will arm myself with Ice-cube missiles for the lobbing.
After that, tomorrow will see me intensifying efforts to make Human-contact with the kittens, as Jude and I have decided to try our best to catch them/find them homes.
I know there's a lot to occupy everyone's minds these days, but if you could spare a Wish-You-Luck, and send it our way... < ♥ > ...you know it would be most appreciated!
*****************
10-20-2010 - Well...it's been a day. The weather has been nothing short of tumultuous into this morning. It certainly put a crimp into my plans to hang out with the kittens...
During one break in the rains (but not the 30-40 MPH winds) shortly after Midnight, we put out some kitty-food, and Jude and I kept watch to scare off any large, aggressive food-snatchers. As soon as we put it out...here comes an opossum, making a bee-line for the food under the shed awning. I interceded, going out the seldom used patio-door (twice!) to shoo it...without shoes on. The Universe saw fit to reward me with some nice, wet, gushy shit between my toes. *YIPPEE!*
I don't know to what Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species the "substance" belonged, but my knowledge that raccoons are a Round Worm threat spurred me on to a great cleaning binge. *sigh* Ain't Life grand! At least Mama-cat & The Babies got to eat.
**********
10-28-2011 - Alright... Let's talk about... *THE KITTENS*
First, a word about the topography of our backyard. I've mentioned our shed, which is angled-out about ten-feet from our backyard patio doors. It a 10'X6' wooden shed. On BOTH longer sides, at ground level, are two tunneled out entrances leading to a world Jude & I have never seen, but what seems to be home to whatever animals wish to take shelter there.
Groundhogs rush for the shed when they so much as FEEL our gaze, rabbits seem to have found safety there, and, for the first time in our 5+ years here...we've had Mama-cat apparently birth her three kittens under there. *It was a heartwarming surprise!*
Our backyard fence is out about 50 feet from our house, and then a dense treeline thick with view-blocking foliage when it's Spring & Summer. Many Raccoons and Opossums call that area home, and are mostly seen at night. Birds are numerous; we cherish their presence, and song.
It's been a couple weeks since the three kittens, Rambo & Spike, the rough and tumble 'meezers, and the very small Shy, the white with grey patches litter-runt, captured our hearts. I had hoped to "socialize" them...but, the weather caused some problems.
A day or two after first seeing them, they disappeared during a 2-day spate of rain. I have seen the shed-tunnels completely flood before, but I checked, and they looked sound. Mama & The Kittens were gone for a few days, only to return...for a few more days. The growing phase for them was so pronounced that it seemed each day they doubled in size, at least Spike & Rambo. Shy was still noticeably smaller, but appeared healthy, and I even saw her rush out to the tree-line and shimmy up a tree for fun, as their explorations expanded out of the yard during the daytime...
...and then they were gone again. I thought this time for good. Mama continued to show up once a day for a good eat, but for several more days, one's that coincided with cold raininess, the kittens were not to be seen.
*Until today.* When I looked out the window and saw Mama-cat with what I thought was one kitten under her. It turned out to be two. Both Rambo & Spike, noticeably bigger, were hanging with Mama, but were their shy selves when I brought out some food for them. *Zoom! Under the shed!* The shadows were quickly lengthening and Mama kept an anxious eye on the tree-line, as evening brings 'coons, big, bullying 'coons. *They all got a good eat.*
It was with a touch of sadness that I noted the absence of the littlest kitty, Shy, from the group. *She was nowhere to be seen.* I can only hope that someone with room in their heart and home took her in...someone with love to spare. ♥
**************
10-29-2011 - *****BREAKING KITTEN NEWZ!*****
5:20PM - Sunny day, Mama-cat lying in the sun with a kitten or two lounging with her...and what's best....
...one of them is Shy! < ♥ >
*************
12-30-11
I woke up with a bad headache today, the kind I affectionately refer to as a "skull-splitter"...
...this one has seen fit to keep me company all the live long day. *Joy*
In the daze of my misspent youth, it was common for me to wake up with a gruesome reminder of what a "good time" I'd had the night before. I used to eat about a dozen aspirins a day, downing quite a few while lying in bed as the booze went off-shift and the hangover clocked-in. The aspirin bottle and water pitcher were always within arms-length at night, as the head throb usually woke me up before the alarm clock. *That was about as Planning Ahead as it got for me...*
I made quite a few hard-days-work a lot harder than they had to be, back then... * ...when what I seemed to be looking for in life was a way to escape my life.
Now a days, I don't go hunting for headaches like I did back then...it seems THEY find me. *It's a bummer.* I used to deserve 'em, but now... *There I go, whining again.*
*Sorry.*
I think I'm just missing Jude. She's been gone since Monday morning, leaving to attend her dear Uncle Buster's funeral, which took place Wednesday in Virgina.
*I'm downright lonely. * So, I hope you all won't mind if I talk to you some.*
Let's talk about... <*> The kittens and Mama-cat. <*>
You might recall the story of the Calico Mama-cat, who's been around for several years, (and several litters, I'm guessing) who we also suspect of being the mother of our big gold-boy, Fergus. She surprised us by having three kittens under OUR shed, in mid-Fall.
For the longest time, before the kittens, she would come into the yard to snag some of the cheap-0 cat food we put out for the raccoons. At first quite shy, she then warmed to us, meowing & hissing in equally measured excitement as we'd take out food to her.
Meow! Meow! >HISS!< * > Meow! Meow! >HISS!< It touched us. She was sooo skinny, and we cared about her.
And then one day, we noticed kittens under our shed. Cute, adorable kittens. You might remember, I named them Spike, Rambo and Shy.
Well, it's probably been over a month since I've updated you... *There HAVE been developments.*
First off...it's gotten a lot colder. So, I took one of those large plastic storage-bins, a big blue one, laid it on its side and cut an opening in it. I also threw in some old sweatpants for snuggle-bumpers. You see, the holes under the shed flood easily, and even though we suspect an alternative "Safe House" where they go sometimes, I felt moved to offer a place to shelter at night...which they do take advantage of sometimes.
Secondly... *Spike is gone.* In my heart, I suspect someone took him in. I felt he was the most beautiful of the three kittens...and...my scanning of the street which separates us for the other suspected-safe-house has not yielded any "blips" on the radar. He became MIA about a month ago. I just know someone took him in. *I just know it.* >SMILE!<
We've had a light snow or two, and quite a bit of rain. Mama-Cat and her two remaining puffy-cuties seem to come & go with the precipitation. Their appearances do give birth to conflict in my mind and heart...
*I WILL NOT CAPTURE AND SURRENDER THEM TO POSSIBLE DEATH IN A SHELTER.*
*I won't.* It would be "capture", too, as the kitten are UN-touchable, and well on their way to being feral, but I can get close to them at Feeding Time. Mama is much more friendly with the closer contact during the last few months (less HISS-ing!) AND we DO get to rub her some. *She can be quite sweet!* But I've never attempted a Pick-up. *I'm NOT that brave.*
I hope, wish and pray that someone would win their trust, open their hearts and take them in...
I've known, loved and lived with four cats in my life. Two were/are strays that I took in. When the moment comes for me to take stock of my life...these acts will be held close to my heart as proof to myself that I wasn't all bad.
There I go, talking about myself again. *You're probably bored stiff.* Please, lend me your ear...uh...eyes, for just a few moments more.
You see, I bore witness to a "moment" two nights ago. Jude has been gone...and I've had no one to share it with.
*I want to tell you about it, if you'll let me.*
I've seen the family-of-three go into the Blue Box home I've made for them several times; it sits under the overhang of the shed, protected from the windier directions of the compass. It warms me to know they're in there, sheltered & snuggled, out of the wind.
The kits seem to be more independent, as I see them leaving the yard, hunting and playing, frequently without Mama around, but they still run to her when she returns. She gives them kisses, and they act like they want to nurse...or just get warm.
I rolled the trash out to the curb late the other night, for morning pick-up, and Rambo & Shy ran into sight in our backyard sanctuary. It was my guess any food put out earlier was gone, eaten by the foraging woodland nocturnals. I went inside to get more crunchies for the hungry fuzzies...
...and upon exiting I was joined by Mama-cat, returning from parts-unknown, who jumped the fence and headed to the shed's food-bowl & shelter area with me. I was sweet-talking her, and the kits...when she hissed. It was a different kind of hiss, not so involuntary, like the ones of old.
There was a new note of purpose to it. Then, she growled. *Fiercely.* I'd never before heard that from her...
...and then the truth hit me, like some invisible gamma-ray blast from the beginning of all Natural Creation, going through me...but leaving a mark upon my heart.
*She was hissing and growling at the kittens, warning...warding them off.*
She moved away from the perplexed Rambo, only to meet Shy face-to-face...and the growling and hissing continued. It wasn't about the food...
I stood right in the middle of an event played out time and time again, down through the ages in the Circle Of Life. A Mother telling her young it was time to grow up, that, "I'm not 'your mommy' anymore."
My friends, I FELT like I was standing in the middle of the Universe. The Stars overhead looked very distant...very cold. I FELT like I was reliving the heartache in my own upbringing. *I think I shivered a little...inside.*
A tsunami wave of loneliness washed over me as I stumbled back inside...
...and I went over to my big gold boy, lying on the bed and looking out into the backyard, watching those three LIKE him, who still lived in the world HE had left behind...
...and I hugged him, and held him. I spoke to him, he who Jude and I have often asked, when seeing Mama-cat, "Is that your Mama, Fergus? Is that YOUR Mama?"
Only, this time I asked, "Was that how it was for you, Fergus?"
I hugged him a little harder. He just rumbled his big, beautiful Soul Purr...
...and the cold in my heart went away.
My headache feels a little better now... *Thanks for being here for me.*
******************
12-31-11
Jude and I saw Rambo in the backyard, quite late in the wee hours... I took some food out, but he had left.
The ground was quite squishy from a day of scattered rain showers, and as I made the rounds to food bowls, water dish and bird-feeder, the flip-flops I wore made unnatural "HERE COMES A MONSTER!" sounds. I stopped several times to listen to the voice of the wind...
...it seemed to be trying to tell me something.
The backyard, which has been such a new-life-filled gift to Jude and I the last couple of months, radiated an emptiness that made my heart ache. *There were no kitties to be seen.*
I stood, remembering how special it had been to see the wonderful love of Mama-cat, as she stood guard all those many long nights, keeping herself between the raccoons twice her size, and the holes under the shed where her babies slept. The raccoons kept their distance from the slight calico, who never once wavered. *A wise move, I'm a thinkin'.*
It seems changed, now that the kittens...aren't little kittens anymore. The wind whispered to me, and I found myself thinking of a wonderful Sci-Fi story I first read >OMG!<...thirty-five years ago. It was called, THE QUEEN OF AIR AND DARKNESS...
In it, an enchanting spell had made the lands on a distant planet a very magical place. That all came to a sudden, and sorrowful end.
The last passage had a bird-like character looking out over the plains where dancing and merriment once took place...and now only empty winds blew. Lamenting the loss, he cried aloud...
"From her breast a blossom ascended, the Summer burned it...the Song is ended."
Then he flew away into the night.
********
03-05-12
Well, Jude & I have reached one of those periods of time... < * > ...where every breath... < ♥ > ...is a little prayer.
Earlier in the day I was wracking my overly-boiled egg about how I was going to limit the number of surgical stitches I might incur. I decided on either my thick Winter gloves or our aged oven-mitts for hand protection. As totally ridiculous as it sounds *TOTALLY* I had planned to wrap my forearms in cardboard and duct-tape, up to the elbows.
I wasn't sure if any of the above would be enough, and I don't have a motorcycle helmet, but, who knows, maybe a few hundred stitches might be a facial improvement.
But in any case... <!> Tomorrow I plan to capture the kittens, Shy and Rambo. <!> Jude has decided, in her infinite wisdom... * ...and immeasurable kindness...
...that we should give them a home. *I find myself tremulous at the thought.*
First, we have to capture them. Then...to the Vets, who have been alerted, and want us to call when we have them ready for the trip. It will be tough on the staff there, as we have won trust enough to touch & rub the young ones, but not really hold them for long without getting an introduction to RAZOR SHARP claws. *They are at the crossroads of feral and socialized.*
It was after my mulling over of potential protective padding that inspiration and providence lent their helpful hands to fate...
I have several neighbors who are dog owners... * ...I decided to go knock on doors, hat-in-hand, favor-to-be-asked. *I scored a large Dog-cage, perfect for the task, at the first stop, right next door.*
Now, it's chained to the shed where the kittens were born. They have both been inside it to eat the tuna topped cheap-0 food they've come to love. Tomorrow morning, when they come to break fast...I'll close the cage-door behind them. *I expect unbridled Hell to break loose.*
We don't have a garage or suitable place to keep them overnight, or I would capture them now...
...and so it begins.
"Please God, keep them safe...just one more night." *PLEASE*
It's a prayer sure to be repeated a million times before a new day, one filled with hope, dawns.
***********
03-06-12
*And then...the phone rang.*
Well, after a restless, abbreviated, and at times fitful night of sleep, one that saw me actually dream of the two young kitties that so much of our hopes are wrapped up it...
...I awoke mentally steeled to do "The Capture". I was ready for the worst, which for me would be seeing out-of-control panic & fear on their faces as they found themselves trapped in a cage.
I looked out upon a pleasant and sun drenched morning: There they both were, playing in the treeline. I knew they'd come to get the Morning Feed. The bowls had been left in the cage overnight to increase familiarity, and with some tuna to add to the tempting, I was confident that I could get them to go in.
Rambo(of late, Rum-bo) the eager-eater, went right in. Shy was smart and cautious, as usual. The tuna did the trick. *I closed the door.*
They both panicked, and Shy climbed up the cage...but they were quiet in their distress. Doing online-research had given me a great tip. >I covered the cage with a bed-spread to conceal the outdoors.< Quite quickly, they settled down.
The half-hour trip to the Vet was very quiet. *Not a peep, OR meow.*
When we arrived...ANY joy I had from the reasonably easy capture quickly dissipated with the hard-cold-facts regarding the risks of Feline Leukemia, and the very limited options left to us if they did test Positive. The phrase "Humanely euthanize" was spoken by the Admitting Vet-tech...and a chill crept into my heart.
*ANY FUTURE PLANS...depended on the tests.* We would not endanger Callie and Fergus by bringing in FIV-Positive cats. The option to spay/neuter and release, which at first I though was viable, would endanger the other Feral Cats.
It was with a sense of true dread that it came to me that we may very well have taken these two cute, full of life & joy Kits to their deaths in a cold, sterile room, far away from the only home they would ever know.
Spay...OR Neuter. We don't even know what gender they are, something that would affect their names. They were admitted as Kitten One and Kitten Two. Any further treatment and procedures all started with those tests. *Vaccines, surgery, nail trimming...forever names...FOREVER HOME... * -OR- *...unimaginable, ghastly heartbreak.*
We left them in a darkened exam-room, still covered, in the cage. I peeked in, and they were lying together, huddled, and their eyes seemed to still have trust in them when they met mine. *Sweet, trusting babies. * Everything was all right...because they still had each other.*
The Vets said they would call later, after we returned home, with the Test results. We would proceed from there with the choices. *The Choices...* ^..^ * My Soul is weeping stress tears...
Jude and I stopped for some breakfast, and the nearby Senior Citizens Coffee Klatch, with their boisterous frivolity, helped keep our spirits up...
...I saw in Jude's eyes what I know haunted mine. "What if?"
When we got home, there was a message on the answering-machine. I asked Jude if she'd like for me to listen, and then tell her the news. She said no, go ahead...play it.
*I pushed play.* The cold, analytical voice, devoid of any warmth, filled the room... "Thank You for taking this Survey...Press ONE if you..." It played for two full minutes. *We were NOT amused.* Stoopid Robo-message!!!!
Jude went to wash her hair...and I settled in for the kind of wait where every minute takes an hour.
*And then...the phone rang.*
I felt like the guy who answers the phone at 11:59PM...in the Prison Death Row Room. "Stay? Denial?"
It was the Vet-tech. She had some shocking news. BOTH of the kitties...ARE GIRLS! *Sisters*
*And both...are perfectly healthy.*
Gotta go...can't type no mo'...somethinng in my eyezzzz...
Tank u God.
TY ♥
***********
03-06-12
I took a bucket of fresh water out to fill the bird bath on what is turning out to be a beautiful day... * ...I looked over to the shed, with the entrances to the "burrows"...and it looked starkly bare, with the bowls gone, and the blue-shelter box taken away. The absence of hope to see the kittens out there tugged at my heart. *sigh* But, a comforting memory came to me...
I was reminded of that old Andy Griffith episode, where Opie raises the orphaned baby-birds to adulthood, only to see the day come when he had to free them...and watch them fly away.
"Gee, Pa...this cage seems awfully empty now..."
"Yes, Son...but don't the trees seem nice and full."
**************
03-06-12
Well, when Jude & I took the Big Gold Boy in from the backyard, six years ago this July, we went back & forth on a proper name for him. Neither one of us really liked THE OTHER'S choice: "Chatty-cat! Thor! Julius! D'argo!
The debate might still be going on to this very day...had we not consulted a list of Celtic names... * ...and the second Jude said it aloud, we both knew that our new addition was Fergus. *It fits him so...*
Now, our thoughts turn to the two sweet little sisters over-nighting in a strange place, locked up, not coming home till Thursday, after recovering from their spaying. *I hope they're in the same cage, where they can snuggle, and hear each other's heartbeats.*
The cage marked, *Kitten One & Kitten Two*
Our conversation on names lasted about a minute... *...on Thursday we will be welcoming home...
...Bronwyn & Finnula.
Bronwyn, white with gray marbling, the sweetest face and green eyes, the former Miss Shy, who overcame her sickly beginnings to become a fearless hunter and protective sister to...
Finnula, the chubby little dark-rumped 'meezer type, with blue eyes that melt your soul, and that kind of dorky facial expression that cries out "Pick me up!" *Rambo, no mo'.*
It's such a schism...this feeling of being separated on a day that feels like a betrothal. I can't stop thinking of the little ones who used to come after dark, who chased the "Red-dot Bug" that could never be caught... * ...and the non-stop laughing for the old man behind the curtain with a laser-pointer.
At times during my life, I've tried to "project" my Inner-Being, reaching out with my heart & soul toward somewhere, for something...to someone. Now, I feel like my energy is flowing like a left-on circuit, connected to a spot ten-miles away, where Bronwyn and Finnula spend their first ever night away from home. I'm reaching out with all I have... * ...giving comfort, a gentle Spirit Caress.
*I feel you, little ones, I hope you feel me, too.*
Dream, little ones, dream sweetly.
*Dream of your new home... * ...and there you'll find love waiting.*
**********
03-07-12
The Vets phoned to say the spaying went well... * ...and that Bronwyn & Finnula were sleeping.
I've got work galore to do to get the Seclusion Room ready... * ...we want to take our time introducing them to the Big Ones.
****BREAKING NEWS****
Another Vet-call, just now. All is well, and we can pick them up tomorrow!
It is going to be wild in here with all these critters. I hope we're up to the task! As it stands, with Callie & Fergus, this is the first multi-pet household I've ever been in. *I feel like I've made some mistakes in the past... * ...but I also think I've learned from them!*
I want our home to be a wonderful place for our furry friends. I know it will be a lot of work...
*But, in this case, I think they call it a labor of love.*
I'm the kind of person who HAS to have something(s) I care about deeply, in my heart... * ...or I would cease to be the person I WANT to be.
I used to be the kind of person who didn't really have love in my life. I didn't like the person I saw in the mirror. He wasn't fooling ME... * ...he was a Heartless Monster in disguise.
God, Karma, The Fates...all gifted me with special people who knew there was a seed of good in me, one that just needed to be cared for to bloom.
*I have Jude now...and she is my Sun.* I couldn't go on living a life that has meaning without her.
I have my "children", soon to number four... *Callie*Fergus*Bronwyn*Finnula* They are the flowering blooms in the garden of my heart.
I look in that mirror now a days... * ...and I see a Human Being looking back.
*I can tell just by lookin' at him, he's the kind that loves to love. * A big sap is what he is! * I kinda like him.*
I better get busy... * ...there's work to do.
I've got to turn a cold, drafty storage room into a safe and cozy garden where little blooms of love can feel free to steal my heart. ♥
**********
*** And home they did come... * ...both Jude and I were cursed with being quite ill during this time, and there's a slight gap in the record as we did our best to welcome our newest additions...and take care of our NEAR-DEATH selves. The kits must have thought we were related to dogs, the way we barked our coughs almost non-stop. ***
03-11-12
Well...on a personal level... *I be sick and sh!t* I think we all have a clock that runs when we're ill, and after a certain amount of time *BEEP!* We feel like we should be all better.
Apparently mine is set to Pneumonia Saving Time. I took out a bucket of bird-water & bird-seed this afternoon, and it felt like I was walking on a world that was severely tilted, not unlike that Italian Cruise ship we saw askew recently. *I thought I was going to keel over.*
Jude and I, channeling our inner-Mrs. Slocombe, "ARE UNANIMOUS IN THIS!"... * ...that we are sick_*_OF BEING SICK! (I just got a HUZZAH! from the Peanut Gallery, which is badly in need of a cough lozenge!)
Luckily, right here in the midst of our ocean of shoreless suffering... * ...is a very special, magical island, one that temporarily takes away the misery whenever we go ashore...
...one that gifts us with rays of healing & joy that seem to enter our very Souls.
Now that I picture it, the nearly empty room, with a table and a couple of chairs, and little else <*> with the exception of an old wooden chifforobe, I begin to think that Jude and I have our own magical story unfolding, right here...
*The Kitties, the Love and the Wardrobe.*
Folks, even in my illness-drenched condition, entering that sparse room is to find myself in a dimension of total enchantment. The sweet trust in those tiny Beings, the way their little bodies generate purrs that reverberate and echo...it's like some kind of Soul Sound Sauna. *I've quite honestly never "felt" anything like it.*
*I'm powerless to resist the charms of two little kitties who have curled up in my heart, purring in rhythm to the beat of my soul.*
*It can be scary to love with all you've got... * ...especially when you really have no choice in the matter.*
The jaded Control Freak in me, in unison with the much scarred, Broken Hearted Victim <AND> Ghost of Smashed Dreams Past, sneers its, "You'll be sorry, I'll be right there with a mocking, 'I told you so!', some day! FOOL!!!"
There's not a week that goes by that we aren't moved by the news of some catastrophe, usually some kind of Air-Touching-Ground, Ground-Shaking-Buildings event, or the occasional Ocean-Pays-Land a dreadful visit en masse freak show...
It's easy to forget that the awesome power of Nature can show itself in other ways... * ...sweet, heart bursting ways. Things that warm you so much inside you feel like your skeleton is melting, and you get all weak & woozy.
I didn't give my heart away...it wasn't taken from me...
*It became a part of something bigger*
It all began with the touch of another Earthling, and the look in their eyes that said, "I like you, too." *They say it better than people do, like some kind of Soul Telepathy. You hear it in your heart.*
Well, my friends...I hope I haven't inspired you to thoughts of "He's barking mad!" (Ya' gotta love that Ronald Weasley!)
But, I don't care... * ...I'll make no excuses.
I'm in love!*I'm in love! * I'm in love!*I'm in love!*
...and I like it like that.
****************
03-12-12
I find this to be quite "Aww! Inspiring!" I can only imagine how many cold, cold nights these two loving kitty-sisters spent snuggled together in the dirt burrows under our shed... * ...purring each other to sleep.
The feeling I have now, in my heart, from doing something to help them be safe, warm and loved... * ...it feels like I've been touched at my core by some Cosmic, Rewarding Hand, with so much of what has troubled and saddened me...that I have carried as a burden for so long...
....has now all been lifted away.
*******************
03-26-12
It was well past midnight, in the deepest, darkest hours, where those things that live in the shadows, hiding from the light...so often find their courage to issue forth...
...that I decided to remove the barriers that separated the dimensions that exist in opposing paradigms in this, our humble abode.
One has to be very careful... * ...as you never know what WILL come through that open door. It's often the case that by the time you realize you made a terrible...HORRIBLE mistake... *IT IS TOO LATE.*
Ignoring the voice in my head that screamed out, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING! NOOOO!" I took the steps necessary to remove the last remaining obstacle...
...and then...I waited.
As quiet as it was in the house, there seemed to be a expectant "noise" in the air...a White Noise, like the tape-hiss one hears on the recording turned up to full volume...listening closely...for that Electronic Voice Phenomena to speak out from The Beyond.
*It was twelve minutes after I removed the only thing standing between me...and THEM...that I noticed the first intrusion into our world.*
From the heavily shadowed corridor...it cautiously crept forth. Very quietly...it came into sight. Then...another.
*It was Bronwyn who showed the courage to go where no kitty had gone before... * ...she inspired Finnula to do the same.*
The Big Ones, Callie & Fergus, were cut-off from front-of-the-house contact by the folding doors... * ...they slept with Jude in quiet, peaceful slumbers, unaware that the sovereign borders of their Catdom had been violated.
Even though the entire living-room beckoned...the kits ventured no further than the end of the hallway, retreating back to the familiarity of their new home of these past couple weeks, the mostly empty room that Jude & I had always in the past referred to as Room #3. An area now filled with kitty toys, and comfy places to snuggle...quiet and safe. *Now...the Kit-room.*
It has been a slow process gaining the trust of the Bronwyn and Finnula. These were Beings who were born into the wilds...as the lands beyond our backyard ARE an open home to animals, punctuated with huge rumbling trains going by with regularity. I HAVE heard coyotes yipping. I HAVE seen large birds of prey on the wing. Even the sanctuary we offered was open to larger, wilder night-creatures.
I've witnessed the kittens stalking... * ...I've seen them both dining on fresh kills. ^. .^ The Ages have gifted them with survival instincts honed to evolutionary perfection. Unlike the pampered-from-birth house-cat... * ...theirs is caution mixed in equal measure to curiosity.*
It would be unfair of us to think that in two weeks they would shed that cautious nature which has served them so well for all of their short, but eventful, lives.
*Take your sweet time, loves... * ...it will take as long as it takes... * ...to build that bridge of trust.*
Something inside tells me the reward for our patience will be a Super Nova of joy exploding into being...
...and the sweetest symphony of the soul, playing a melody of love that will sound forever in our hearts.
*****************
03-31-12
*The curious thing about kittens... * ...is kittens are curious things.*
It's been nothing short of amazing to see how the fear and hesitation have subsided, and the comfort level in the Living Room environs has increased in just a few short days. There has even been notice taken of the two-sets of folding doors that close off the kitchen we frequently go in to... "What's past those?" *Soon, Babies, soon.*
Today, when the gate was removed, Bronwyn & Finnula were out in record time...and hilarity and hijinks they did ensue. I thought they would like the softness of the carpet better than the harder tile floor of their Safe-room, and it appears to have given birth to MORE inspired wrasslin' and kamikaze toy antics.
We had some interaction between Callie and the kits...and even though she was improved in disposition, the Kit's "Are you my Mama?" approaches were rebuffed. It throws a little bit of heartache into the otherwise joyful mix...but...what can you do? The Sisters ARE Invader Organisms to those whose territory this has been for so long a time...
...it's just that you can see the look on their little faces...their Mama WAS a calico, and she WAS a caring and protective mother of the highest order...up till the time she had to draw new boundary lines. After that, they were still close, and they would rush to great her when she returned to check on them, albeit, with less regularity.
It's Fergus we have to worry about. *He is SOOO big.* When he wants to show his dominance over Callie, it's no contest. Luckily, that is a rare occurrence, and most of the time it is HE who chooses to be passive to her moodiness, as she can be a real...uh...not-nice-gal, at times. Usually her wrath manifest in chasing him out of places she's convinced sunshine is falling, even if it's the fake-type shining at night from the non-warming light bulbs.
Speaking of Fergus, and his dental surgery recovery, we had some issues with him settling down, but he seems to have gotten some rest and recovered his metabolic balance. The problem with eating had to be addressed, and we're closer to a resolution. He HATES the canned food (that I tagged as "Splut") and I can't blame him. *What is up with making cat-food that looks like something you'd grease your truck-wheels with?* *BLLECK!* It's like the manufacturers got together and declared, "Now, don't forget! We're going for UN-appetizing here!"
What the Vet suggested, and it seems to be working (Thank God!) is we moisten his hard-chow, plumping & softening it, and...he's okay with that!
Well...just one more little "learned thing" to share, and I'll call it a day!
When the Kits were still BackYardigans, the only play I was able to do with them regularly was Laser-Bug chase...and it was a riot. I did try once to make a string-type game with a longer, dried plant stem, but they were still too shy to entice.
Well, Folks... *Let me tell you about one of the greatest and most wonderful things you can experience as a Cat Lover... * ...it is introducing a young feline to that which WE call string, but what in reality is the *end-all*be-all* of Kitty playtime devices.*
It was probably a week in to the New Home Experience that it came to me that they had been stringless the entire time. *I know! <*> I KNOW!* Please, keep in mind the day we brought them home from the Vets I was diagnosed with pneumonia, and Jude was just as bad off, maybe worse. So, we were understandably "off our games".
Balls of every kind, mouse-toys, the ball-go-round-in-circle game, all these they had been gifted with...but NOT a string.
So, when my brain came back to life, I take in a nice long old tennis-shoe lace. It was Finnula who showed interest... * ...and God Bless her... * ...it was obvious she thought it was a snake.
She jumped back...she assumed huntress posture...she floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee... * ...doing this floating-yoga battle-dance that defied both the laws of gravity AND physics...
...and it was all I could do NOT to wet myself. Every fiber of my being was shaking like jell-o made of comedic bliss. You know...where your tongue protrudes a little and you hear yourself uttering those goofy-gurgling sounds babies make pre-speech. *I was certifiable.*
We do have snakes in our back yard, some a couple feet long, harmless bug-eaters that I enjoy seeing... * ... ones that Finnula apparently had had run-ins with.
Since then, both kits have learned to love the play-snake. What's really best is how it gets them used to us standing/looming in close proximity to them, play and trust building.
I've never been a parent, and I know many of you have enjoyed the process of child rearing that must have been a gift of a million moments, but, for me, this is as close as I've gotten to a New Life Experience...and I am feeling quite blessed by it all...
...it's almost indescribable for me as I witness the unfolding story of these two bright-eyed lovables, of how every new day is a blank page to be written on with the very ink of creation...in the flowing script of life.
*************
**** THE KITTEN CHRONICLES ****
10-15-2011 - *Surprise!* While taking a quick glance of the backyard today (while only half-way through my sleep period) I saw the Mama-Cat by our shed...with a friend. I quickly woke Jude up, "Looky! Come see!" The friend was gone...momentarily. Another came to take it's place: Mama has two new 6-8 week old kittens, a 'meezer-type...and a super-cute little girl kitty (guessing), dark markings atop, a white jacket & snow-tummy.*
10-15-2011 - Well, as I prepared to lie back down, my last look out the patio-window was of Mama-Cat sitting in the shadow of the shed, the water & food I had put out by her side, kittens playing with each other, their clumsy little bodies moving with that Old-timey Keystone Cops jerkiness...while less than fifty feet above the ground...directly over our backyard...
...the largest bird of prey I've ever seen glided with a seeming purpose. Looking at pictures after I arose again, it was clear to me what I saw was a Golden Eagle. *IT_WAS_HUGE!*
It disappeared from sight behind a large tree in our neighbor's yard. The area behind our home, with its dual railroad track and bordering tree-line, is a wilderness zone nestled among growing Urban-sprawl.
I've seen hawks many times, and have even heard coyotes yelping at night more than once.
I pray for the safety of all our Backyardiagans...becoming attached to Wildlife is a risky business for the heart, especially when it's trapped on an island, one surrounded by the treacherous Sea of Humanity.
10-15-2011 - ***KITTEN UPDATE*** As the shadows began to lengthen, Mama-Cat returned to the Shed-Area and we had a new addition to the Kitten-pile, another little 'Meezer-type, raising the total to three. Three bouncing, playfully zany babies. I'm in a quandary as to what to do: A Naturalist might advise to not do anything at all. *I can't do that much nothing...* I put out food & water, and a box with old clothing for shelter.
10-15-2011 - Night has fallen...and now, it's the time that the raccoons will come. I hope they stay in there half of the yard. *Please*
10-17-2010 - ***KITTIES IN THE NEWZ!*** Well, after a scary, scary night of multiple GIANT raccoons in the backyard and all the way up to the shed... < * > The three-kittens went underneath, and Mama-Cat stood her ground, just a few feet away from food-stealing bandits four-to-five times her weight. The 'Coons, to their credit, didn't seem to want to mess with what I'm sure was a low-growling Protectress.
Then...came TODAY: I decided to be pro-active with the "socialization". I went out armed with kitty-food, water and the Ultimate Secret Weapon... *TUNA*
I sat my lawn-chair down seven-feet from the Bunker-entrances. Mama-cat, the pretty little calico, who has given me a grand-total of TWO nose-kisses in all these years, was very hungry, ate the food, and, I believe, made her first acquaintance with the smelly dead-fish goodness... *It was love at first bite!*
And then it happened... *That Magic Moment*
As I sat there, talking sweet Cat-prano...I won her trust. Head-butts, Rubs, Accordion-Butts and Tail-Slides, mixed-in with >I like you!< Dancing, it all did commence.
*I felt like the luckiest man in the world, as the sweetest nectar of heart-medicine flowed through my aching soul.*
At first the kittens dared not an appearance. But, I tuna-lured them to the entrances...and they soon joined Mama, keeping close to her, by the shed, giving me my first up-close looks at the three, the two rough & tumble 'meezer-types, and the little white-with-greyish patches one.
*I named them...for easy referencing.*
The more adventurous 'meezer... *RAMBO*
The other 'meez with more white and jagged patching... *SPIKE*
And, the smaller, MUCH more cautious one, that I'm sure is a little girl kitty... *SHY*
Both 'meezers have a white spot on each side of their muzzle/noses, like a milk mustache. They appear to have blues eyes. I've never been a Siamese fancier in the past, but these two are adorable!
SHY is half their size, but very playful, and obviously a Mama's Girl.
I was unable to entice a close-encounter out of them. I didn't push it, as they went from always hiding from me to being out, eating and playing as I sat close by, whispering sweet nothings for their perfectly kitten-esque little ears.
Now, it's getting very cloudy, and dusk is fast approaching. *The forecast calls for The Return Of The Raccoons.* My plan is to remove all edibles, even for the kitties, hoping that a lack of sustenance will make the Coon-Tribes anticipated forage & foray short. Unfortunately, there will be enough food remnants to attract them to the shed area, as the aroma of tuna and spilled cat-food will surely be detected. *sigh*
*Last night, I was somewhat overwhelmed by the prospect of confronting the designs of Nature...*
Today...if I have to stay up all night, watching out for Mama and her much loved progeny... *I WILL!* I do a rather impressive Barking Dog impersonation (So Jude tells me!) and if need be, I will arm myself with Ice-cube missiles for the lobbing.
After that, tomorrow will see me intensifying efforts to make Human-contact with the kittens, as Jude and I have decided to try our best to catch them/find them homes.
I know there's a lot to occupy everyone's minds these days, but if you could spare a Wish-You-Luck, and send it our way... < ♥ > ...you know it would be most appreciated!
*****************
10-20-2010 - Well...it's been a day. The weather has been nothing short of tumultuous into this morning. It certainly put a crimp into my plans to hang out with the kittens...
During one break in the rains (but not the 30-40 MPH winds) shortly after Midnight, we put out some kitty-food, and Jude and I kept watch to scare off any large, aggressive food-snatchers. As soon as we put it out...here comes an opossum, making a bee-line for the food under the shed awning. I interceded, going out the seldom used patio-door (twice!) to shoo it...without shoes on. The Universe saw fit to reward me with some nice, wet, gushy shit between my toes. *YIPPEE!*
I don't know to what Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species the "substance" belonged, but my knowledge that raccoons are a Round Worm threat spurred me on to a great cleaning binge. *sigh* Ain't Life grand! At least Mama-cat & The Babies got to eat.
**********
10-28-2011 - Alright... Let's talk about... *THE KITTENS*
First, a word about the topography of our backyard. I've mentioned our shed, which is angled-out about ten-feet from our backyard patio doors. It a 10'X6' wooden shed. On BOTH longer sides, at ground level, are two tunneled out entrances leading to a world Jude & I have never seen, but what seems to be home to whatever animals wish to take shelter there.
Groundhogs rush for the shed when they so much as FEEL our gaze, rabbits seem to have found safety there, and, for the first time in our 5+ years here...we've had Mama-cat apparently birth her three kittens under there. *It was a heartwarming surprise!*
Our backyard fence is out about 50 feet from our house, and then a dense treeline thick with view-blocking foliage when it's Spring & Summer. Many Raccoons and Opossums call that area home, and are mostly seen at night. Birds are numerous; we cherish their presence, and song.
It's been a couple weeks since the three kittens, Rambo & Spike, the rough and tumble 'meezers, and the very small Shy, the white with grey patches litter-runt, captured our hearts. I had hoped to "socialize" them...but, the weather caused some problems.
A day or two after first seeing them, they disappeared during a 2-day spate of rain. I have seen the shed-tunnels completely flood before, but I checked, and they looked sound. Mama & The Kittens were gone for a few days, only to return...for a few more days. The growing phase for them was so pronounced that it seemed each day they doubled in size, at least Spike & Rambo. Shy was still noticeably smaller, but appeared healthy, and I even saw her rush out to the tree-line and shimmy up a tree for fun, as their explorations expanded out of the yard during the daytime...
...and then they were gone again. I thought this time for good. Mama continued to show up once a day for a good eat, but for several more days, one's that coincided with cold raininess, the kittens were not to be seen.
*Until today.* When I looked out the window and saw Mama-cat with what I thought was one kitten under her. It turned out to be two. Both Rambo & Spike, noticeably bigger, were hanging with Mama, but were their shy selves when I brought out some food for them. *Zoom! Under the shed!* The shadows were quickly lengthening and Mama kept an anxious eye on the tree-line, as evening brings 'coons, big, bullying 'coons. *They all got a good eat.*
It was with a touch of sadness that I noted the absence of the littlest kitty, Shy, from the group. *She was nowhere to be seen.* I can only hope that someone with room in their heart and home took her in...someone with love to spare. ♥
**************
10-29-2011 - *****BREAKING KITTEN NEWZ!*****
5:20PM - Sunny day, Mama-cat lying in the sun with a kitten or two lounging with her...and what's best....
...one of them is Shy! < ♥ >
*************
12-30-11
I woke up with a bad headache today, the kind I affectionately refer to as a "skull-splitter"...
...this one has seen fit to keep me company all the live long day. *Joy*
In the daze of my misspent youth, it was common for me to wake up with a gruesome reminder of what a "good time" I'd had the night before. I used to eat about a dozen aspirins a day, downing quite a few while lying in bed as the booze went off-shift and the hangover clocked-in. The aspirin bottle and water pitcher were always within arms-length at night, as the head throb usually woke me up before the alarm clock. *That was about as Planning Ahead as it got for me...*
I made quite a few hard-days-work a lot harder than they had to be, back then... * ...when what I seemed to be looking for in life was a way to escape my life.
Now a days, I don't go hunting for headaches like I did back then...it seems THEY find me. *It's a bummer.* I used to deserve 'em, but now... *There I go, whining again.*
*Sorry.*
I think I'm just missing Jude. She's been gone since Monday morning, leaving to attend her dear Uncle Buster's funeral, which took place Wednesday in Virgina.
*I'm downright lonely. * So, I hope you all won't mind if I talk to you some.*
Let's talk about... <*> The kittens and Mama-cat. <*>
You might recall the story of the Calico Mama-cat, who's been around for several years, (and several litters, I'm guessing) who we also suspect of being the mother of our big gold-boy, Fergus. She surprised us by having three kittens under OUR shed, in mid-Fall.
For the longest time, before the kittens, she would come into the yard to snag some of the cheap-0 cat food we put out for the raccoons. At first quite shy, she then warmed to us, meowing & hissing in equally measured excitement as we'd take out food to her.
Meow! Meow! >HISS!< * > Meow! Meow! >HISS!< It touched us. She was sooo skinny, and we cared about her.
And then one day, we noticed kittens under our shed. Cute, adorable kittens. You might remember, I named them Spike, Rambo and Shy.
Well, it's probably been over a month since I've updated you... *There HAVE been developments.*
First off...it's gotten a lot colder. So, I took one of those large plastic storage-bins, a big blue one, laid it on its side and cut an opening in it. I also threw in some old sweatpants for snuggle-bumpers. You see, the holes under the shed flood easily, and even though we suspect an alternative "Safe House" where they go sometimes, I felt moved to offer a place to shelter at night...which they do take advantage of sometimes.
Secondly... *Spike is gone.* In my heart, I suspect someone took him in. I felt he was the most beautiful of the three kittens...and...my scanning of the street which separates us for the other suspected-safe-house has not yielded any "blips" on the radar. He became MIA about a month ago. I just know someone took him in. *I just know it.* >SMILE!<
We've had a light snow or two, and quite a bit of rain. Mama-Cat and her two remaining puffy-cuties seem to come & go with the precipitation. Their appearances do give birth to conflict in my mind and heart...
*I WILL NOT CAPTURE AND SURRENDER THEM TO POSSIBLE DEATH IN A SHELTER.*
*I won't.* It would be "capture", too, as the kitten are UN-touchable, and well on their way to being feral, but I can get close to them at Feeding Time. Mama is much more friendly with the closer contact during the last few months (less HISS-ing!) AND we DO get to rub her some. *She can be quite sweet!* But I've never attempted a Pick-up. *I'm NOT that brave.*
I hope, wish and pray that someone would win their trust, open their hearts and take them in...
I've known, loved and lived with four cats in my life. Two were/are strays that I took in. When the moment comes for me to take stock of my life...these acts will be held close to my heart as proof to myself that I wasn't all bad.
There I go, talking about myself again. *You're probably bored stiff.* Please, lend me your ear...uh...eyes, for just a few moments more.
You see, I bore witness to a "moment" two nights ago. Jude has been gone...and I've had no one to share it with.
*I want to tell you about it, if you'll let me.*
I've seen the family-of-three go into the Blue Box home I've made for them several times; it sits under the overhang of the shed, protected from the windier directions of the compass. It warms me to know they're in there, sheltered & snuggled, out of the wind.
The kits seem to be more independent, as I see them leaving the yard, hunting and playing, frequently without Mama around, but they still run to her when she returns. She gives them kisses, and they act like they want to nurse...or just get warm.
I rolled the trash out to the curb late the other night, for morning pick-up, and Rambo & Shy ran into sight in our backyard sanctuary. It was my guess any food put out earlier was gone, eaten by the foraging woodland nocturnals. I went inside to get more crunchies for the hungry fuzzies...
...and upon exiting I was joined by Mama-cat, returning from parts-unknown, who jumped the fence and headed to the shed's food-bowl & shelter area with me. I was sweet-talking her, and the kits...when she hissed. It was a different kind of hiss, not so involuntary, like the ones of old.
There was a new note of purpose to it. Then, she growled. *Fiercely.* I'd never before heard that from her...
...and then the truth hit me, like some invisible gamma-ray blast from the beginning of all Natural Creation, going through me...but leaving a mark upon my heart.
*She was hissing and growling at the kittens, warning...warding them off.*
She moved away from the perplexed Rambo, only to meet Shy face-to-face...and the growling and hissing continued. It wasn't about the food...
I stood right in the middle of an event played out time and time again, down through the ages in the Circle Of Life. A Mother telling her young it was time to grow up, that, "I'm not 'your mommy' anymore."
My friends, I FELT like I was standing in the middle of the Universe. The Stars overhead looked very distant...very cold. I FELT like I was reliving the heartache in my own upbringing. *I think I shivered a little...inside.*
A tsunami wave of loneliness washed over me as I stumbled back inside...
...and I went over to my big gold boy, lying on the bed and looking out into the backyard, watching those three LIKE him, who still lived in the world HE had left behind...
...and I hugged him, and held him. I spoke to him, he who Jude and I have often asked, when seeing Mama-cat, "Is that your Mama, Fergus? Is that YOUR Mama?"
Only, this time I asked, "Was that how it was for you, Fergus?"
I hugged him a little harder. He just rumbled his big, beautiful Soul Purr...
...and the cold in my heart went away.
My headache feels a little better now... *Thanks for being here for me.*
******************
12-31-11
Jude and I saw Rambo in the backyard, quite late in the wee hours... I took some food out, but he had left.
The ground was quite squishy from a day of scattered rain showers, and as I made the rounds to food bowls, water dish and bird-feeder, the flip-flops I wore made unnatural "HERE COMES A MONSTER!" sounds. I stopped several times to listen to the voice of the wind...
...it seemed to be trying to tell me something.
The backyard, which has been such a new-life-filled gift to Jude and I the last couple of months, radiated an emptiness that made my heart ache. *There were no kitties to be seen.*
I stood, remembering how special it had been to see the wonderful love of Mama-cat, as she stood guard all those many long nights, keeping herself between the raccoons twice her size, and the holes under the shed where her babies slept. The raccoons kept their distance from the slight calico, who never once wavered. *A wise move, I'm a thinkin'.*
It seems changed, now that the kittens...aren't little kittens anymore. The wind whispered to me, and I found myself thinking of a wonderful Sci-Fi story I first read >OMG!<...thirty-five years ago. It was called, THE QUEEN OF AIR AND DARKNESS...
In it, an enchanting spell had made the lands on a distant planet a very magical place. That all came to a sudden, and sorrowful end.
The last passage had a bird-like character looking out over the plains where dancing and merriment once took place...and now only empty winds blew. Lamenting the loss, he cried aloud...
"From her breast a blossom ascended, the Summer burned it...the Song is ended."
Then he flew away into the night.
********
03-05-12
Well, Jude & I have reached one of those periods of time... < * > ...where every breath... < ♥ > ...is a little prayer.
Earlier in the day I was wracking my overly-boiled egg about how I was going to limit the number of surgical stitches I might incur. I decided on either my thick Winter gloves or our aged oven-mitts for hand protection. As totally ridiculous as it sounds *TOTALLY* I had planned to wrap my forearms in cardboard and duct-tape, up to the elbows.
I wasn't sure if any of the above would be enough, and I don't have a motorcycle helmet, but, who knows, maybe a few hundred stitches might be a facial improvement.
But in any case... <!> Tomorrow I plan to capture the kittens, Shy and Rambo. <!> Jude has decided, in her infinite wisdom... * ...and immeasurable kindness...
...that we should give them a home. *I find myself tremulous at the thought.*
First, we have to capture them. Then...to the Vets, who have been alerted, and want us to call when we have them ready for the trip. It will be tough on the staff there, as we have won trust enough to touch & rub the young ones, but not really hold them for long without getting an introduction to RAZOR SHARP claws. *They are at the crossroads of feral and socialized.*
It was after my mulling over of potential protective padding that inspiration and providence lent their helpful hands to fate...
I have several neighbors who are dog owners... * ...I decided to go knock on doors, hat-in-hand, favor-to-be-asked. *I scored a large Dog-cage, perfect for the task, at the first stop, right next door.*
Now, it's chained to the shed where the kittens were born. They have both been inside it to eat the tuna topped cheap-0 food they've come to love. Tomorrow morning, when they come to break fast...I'll close the cage-door behind them. *I expect unbridled Hell to break loose.*
We don't have a garage or suitable place to keep them overnight, or I would capture them now...
...and so it begins.
"Please God, keep them safe...just one more night." *PLEASE*
It's a prayer sure to be repeated a million times before a new day, one filled with hope, dawns.
***********
03-06-12
*And then...the phone rang.*
Well, after a restless, abbreviated, and at times fitful night of sleep, one that saw me actually dream of the two young kitties that so much of our hopes are wrapped up it...
...I awoke mentally steeled to do "The Capture". I was ready for the worst, which for me would be seeing out-of-control panic & fear on their faces as they found themselves trapped in a cage.
I looked out upon a pleasant and sun drenched morning: There they both were, playing in the treeline. I knew they'd come to get the Morning Feed. The bowls had been left in the cage overnight to increase familiarity, and with some tuna to add to the tempting, I was confident that I could get them to go in.
Rambo(of late, Rum-bo) the eager-eater, went right in. Shy was smart and cautious, as usual. The tuna did the trick. *I closed the door.*
They both panicked, and Shy climbed up the cage...but they were quiet in their distress. Doing online-research had given me a great tip. >I covered the cage with a bed-spread to conceal the outdoors.< Quite quickly, they settled down.
The half-hour trip to the Vet was very quiet. *Not a peep, OR meow.*
When we arrived...ANY joy I had from the reasonably easy capture quickly dissipated with the hard-cold-facts regarding the risks of Feline Leukemia, and the very limited options left to us if they did test Positive. The phrase "Humanely euthanize" was spoken by the Admitting Vet-tech...and a chill crept into my heart.
*ANY FUTURE PLANS...depended on the tests.* We would not endanger Callie and Fergus by bringing in FIV-Positive cats. The option to spay/neuter and release, which at first I though was viable, would endanger the other Feral Cats.
It was with a sense of true dread that it came to me that we may very well have taken these two cute, full of life & joy Kits to their deaths in a cold, sterile room, far away from the only home they would ever know.
Spay...OR Neuter. We don't even know what gender they are, something that would affect their names. They were admitted as Kitten One and Kitten Two. Any further treatment and procedures all started with those tests. *Vaccines, surgery, nail trimming...forever names...FOREVER HOME... * -OR- *...unimaginable, ghastly heartbreak.*
We left them in a darkened exam-room, still covered, in the cage. I peeked in, and they were lying together, huddled, and their eyes seemed to still have trust in them when they met mine. *Sweet, trusting babies. * Everything was all right...because they still had each other.*
The Vets said they would call later, after we returned home, with the Test results. We would proceed from there with the choices. *The Choices...* ^..^ * My Soul is weeping stress tears...
Jude and I stopped for some breakfast, and the nearby Senior Citizens Coffee Klatch, with their boisterous frivolity, helped keep our spirits up...
...I saw in Jude's eyes what I know haunted mine. "What if?"
When we got home, there was a message on the answering-machine. I asked Jude if she'd like for me to listen, and then tell her the news. She said no, go ahead...play it.
*I pushed play.* The cold, analytical voice, devoid of any warmth, filled the room... "Thank You for taking this Survey...Press ONE if you..." It played for two full minutes. *We were NOT amused.* Stoopid Robo-message!!!!
Jude went to wash her hair...and I settled in for the kind of wait where every minute takes an hour.
*And then...the phone rang.*
I felt like the guy who answers the phone at 11:59PM...in the Prison Death Row Room. "Stay? Denial?"
It was the Vet-tech. She had some shocking news. BOTH of the kitties...ARE GIRLS! *Sisters*
*And both...are perfectly healthy.*
Gotta go...can't type no mo'...somethinng in my eyezzzz...
Tank u God.
TY ♥
***********
03-06-12
I took a bucket of fresh water out to fill the bird bath on what is turning out to be a beautiful day... * ...I looked over to the shed, with the entrances to the "burrows"...and it looked starkly bare, with the bowls gone, and the blue-shelter box taken away. The absence of hope to see the kittens out there tugged at my heart. *sigh* But, a comforting memory came to me...
I was reminded of that old Andy Griffith episode, where Opie raises the orphaned baby-birds to adulthood, only to see the day come when he had to free them...and watch them fly away.
"Gee, Pa...this cage seems awfully empty now..."
"Yes, Son...but don't the trees seem nice and full."
**************
03-06-12
Well, when Jude & I took the Big Gold Boy in from the backyard, six years ago this July, we went back & forth on a proper name for him. Neither one of us really liked THE OTHER'S choice: "Chatty-cat! Thor! Julius! D'argo!
The debate might still be going on to this very day...had we not consulted a list of Celtic names... * ...and the second Jude said it aloud, we both knew that our new addition was Fergus. *It fits him so...*
Now, our thoughts turn to the two sweet little sisters over-nighting in a strange place, locked up, not coming home till Thursday, after recovering from their spaying. *I hope they're in the same cage, where they can snuggle, and hear each other's heartbeats.*
The cage marked, *Kitten One & Kitten Two*
Our conversation on names lasted about a minute... *...on Thursday we will be welcoming home...
...Bronwyn & Finnula.
Bronwyn, white with gray marbling, the sweetest face and green eyes, the former Miss Shy, who overcame her sickly beginnings to become a fearless hunter and protective sister to...
Finnula, the chubby little dark-rumped 'meezer type, with blue eyes that melt your soul, and that kind of dorky facial expression that cries out "Pick me up!" *Rambo, no mo'.*
It's such a schism...this feeling of being separated on a day that feels like a betrothal. I can't stop thinking of the little ones who used to come after dark, who chased the "Red-dot Bug" that could never be caught... * ...and the non-stop laughing for the old man behind the curtain with a laser-pointer.
At times during my life, I've tried to "project" my Inner-Being, reaching out with my heart & soul toward somewhere, for something...to someone. Now, I feel like my energy is flowing like a left-on circuit, connected to a spot ten-miles away, where Bronwyn and Finnula spend their first ever night away from home. I'm reaching out with all I have... * ...giving comfort, a gentle Spirit Caress.
*I feel you, little ones, I hope you feel me, too.*
Dream, little ones, dream sweetly.
*Dream of your new home... * ...and there you'll find love waiting.*
**********
03-07-12
The Vets phoned to say the spaying went well... * ...and that Bronwyn & Finnula were sleeping.
I've got work galore to do to get the Seclusion Room ready... * ...we want to take our time introducing them to the Big Ones.
****BREAKING NEWS****
Another Vet-call, just now. All is well, and we can pick them up tomorrow!
It is going to be wild in here with all these critters. I hope we're up to the task! As it stands, with Callie & Fergus, this is the first multi-pet household I've ever been in. *I feel like I've made some mistakes in the past... * ...but I also think I've learned from them!*
I want our home to be a wonderful place for our furry friends. I know it will be a lot of work...
*But, in this case, I think they call it a labor of love.*
I'm the kind of person who HAS to have something(s) I care about deeply, in my heart... * ...or I would cease to be the person I WANT to be.
I used to be the kind of person who didn't really have love in my life. I didn't like the person I saw in the mirror. He wasn't fooling ME... * ...he was a Heartless Monster in disguise.
God, Karma, The Fates...all gifted me with special people who knew there was a seed of good in me, one that just needed to be cared for to bloom.
*I have Jude now...and she is my Sun.* I couldn't go on living a life that has meaning without her.
I have my "children", soon to number four... *Callie*Fergus*Bronwyn*Finnula* They are the flowering blooms in the garden of my heart.
I look in that mirror now a days... * ...and I see a Human Being looking back.
*I can tell just by lookin' at him, he's the kind that loves to love. * A big sap is what he is! * I kinda like him.*
I better get busy... * ...there's work to do.
I've got to turn a cold, drafty storage room into a safe and cozy garden where little blooms of love can feel free to steal my heart. ♥
**********
*** And home they did come... * ...both Jude and I were cursed with being quite ill during this time, and there's a slight gap in the record as we did our best to welcome our newest additions...and take care of our NEAR-DEATH selves. The kits must have thought we were related to dogs, the way we barked our coughs almost non-stop. ***
03-11-12
Well...on a personal level... *I be sick and sh!t* I think we all have a clock that runs when we're ill, and after a certain amount of time *BEEP!* We feel like we should be all better.
Apparently mine is set to Pneumonia Saving Time. I took out a bucket of bird-water & bird-seed this afternoon, and it felt like I was walking on a world that was severely tilted, not unlike that Italian Cruise ship we saw askew recently. *I thought I was going to keel over.*
Jude and I, channeling our inner-Mrs. Slocombe, "ARE UNANIMOUS IN THIS!"... * ...that we are sick_*_OF BEING SICK! (I just got a HUZZAH! from the Peanut Gallery, which is badly in need of a cough lozenge!)
Luckily, right here in the midst of our ocean of shoreless suffering... * ...is a very special, magical island, one that temporarily takes away the misery whenever we go ashore...
...one that gifts us with rays of healing & joy that seem to enter our very Souls.
Now that I picture it, the nearly empty room, with a table and a couple of chairs, and little else <*> with the exception of an old wooden chifforobe, I begin to think that Jude and I have our own magical story unfolding, right here...
*The Kitties, the Love and the Wardrobe.*
Folks, even in my illness-drenched condition, entering that sparse room is to find myself in a dimension of total enchantment. The sweet trust in those tiny Beings, the way their little bodies generate purrs that reverberate and echo...it's like some kind of Soul Sound Sauna. *I've quite honestly never "felt" anything like it.*
*I'm powerless to resist the charms of two little kitties who have curled up in my heart, purring in rhythm to the beat of my soul.*
*It can be scary to love with all you've got... * ...especially when you really have no choice in the matter.*
The jaded Control Freak in me, in unison with the much scarred, Broken Hearted Victim <AND> Ghost of Smashed Dreams Past, sneers its, "You'll be sorry, I'll be right there with a mocking, 'I told you so!', some day! FOOL!!!"
There's not a week that goes by that we aren't moved by the news of some catastrophe, usually some kind of Air-Touching-Ground, Ground-Shaking-Buildings event, or the occasional Ocean-Pays-Land a dreadful visit en masse freak show...
It's easy to forget that the awesome power of Nature can show itself in other ways... * ...sweet, heart bursting ways. Things that warm you so much inside you feel like your skeleton is melting, and you get all weak & woozy.
I didn't give my heart away...it wasn't taken from me...
*It became a part of something bigger*
It all began with the touch of another Earthling, and the look in their eyes that said, "I like you, too." *They say it better than people do, like some kind of Soul Telepathy. You hear it in your heart.*
Well, my friends...I hope I haven't inspired you to thoughts of "He's barking mad!" (Ya' gotta love that Ronald Weasley!)
But, I don't care... * ...I'll make no excuses.
I'm in love!*I'm in love! * I'm in love!*I'm in love!*
...and I like it like that.
****************
03-12-12
I find this to be quite "Aww! Inspiring!" I can only imagine how many cold, cold nights these two loving kitty-sisters spent snuggled together in the dirt burrows under our shed... * ...purring each other to sleep.
The feeling I have now, in my heart, from doing something to help them be safe, warm and loved... * ...it feels like I've been touched at my core by some Cosmic, Rewarding Hand, with so much of what has troubled and saddened me...that I have carried as a burden for so long...
....has now all been lifted away.
*******************
03-26-12
It was well past midnight, in the deepest, darkest hours, where those things that live in the shadows, hiding from the light...so often find their courage to issue forth...
...that I decided to remove the barriers that separated the dimensions that exist in opposing paradigms in this, our humble abode.
One has to be very careful... * ...as you never know what WILL come through that open door. It's often the case that by the time you realize you made a terrible...HORRIBLE mistake... *IT IS TOO LATE.*
Ignoring the voice in my head that screamed out, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING! NOOOO!" I took the steps necessary to remove the last remaining obstacle...
...and then...I waited.
As quiet as it was in the house, there seemed to be a expectant "noise" in the air...a White Noise, like the tape-hiss one hears on the recording turned up to full volume...listening closely...for that Electronic Voice Phenomena to speak out from The Beyond.
*It was twelve minutes after I removed the only thing standing between me...and THEM...that I noticed the first intrusion into our world.*
From the heavily shadowed corridor...it cautiously crept forth. Very quietly...it came into sight. Then...another.
*It was Bronwyn who showed the courage to go where no kitty had gone before... * ...she inspired Finnula to do the same.*
The Big Ones, Callie & Fergus, were cut-off from front-of-the-house contact by the folding doors... * ...they slept with Jude in quiet, peaceful slumbers, unaware that the sovereign borders of their Catdom had been violated.
Even though the entire living-room beckoned...the kits ventured no further than the end of the hallway, retreating back to the familiarity of their new home of these past couple weeks, the mostly empty room that Jude & I had always in the past referred to as Room #3. An area now filled with kitty toys, and comfy places to snuggle...quiet and safe. *Now...the Kit-room.*
It has been a slow process gaining the trust of the Bronwyn and Finnula. These were Beings who were born into the wilds...as the lands beyond our backyard ARE an open home to animals, punctuated with huge rumbling trains going by with regularity. I HAVE heard coyotes yipping. I HAVE seen large birds of prey on the wing. Even the sanctuary we offered was open to larger, wilder night-creatures.
I've witnessed the kittens stalking... * ...I've seen them both dining on fresh kills. ^. .^ The Ages have gifted them with survival instincts honed to evolutionary perfection. Unlike the pampered-from-birth house-cat... * ...theirs is caution mixed in equal measure to curiosity.*
It would be unfair of us to think that in two weeks they would shed that cautious nature which has served them so well for all of their short, but eventful, lives.
*Take your sweet time, loves... * ...it will take as long as it takes... * ...to build that bridge of trust.*
Something inside tells me the reward for our patience will be a Super Nova of joy exploding into being...
...and the sweetest symphony of the soul, playing a melody of love that will sound forever in our hearts.
*****************
03-31-12
*The curious thing about kittens... * ...is kittens are curious things.*
It's been nothing short of amazing to see how the fear and hesitation have subsided, and the comfort level in the Living Room environs has increased in just a few short days. There has even been notice taken of the two-sets of folding doors that close off the kitchen we frequently go in to... "What's past those?" *Soon, Babies, soon.*
Today, when the gate was removed, Bronwyn & Finnula were out in record time...and hilarity and hijinks they did ensue. I thought they would like the softness of the carpet better than the harder tile floor of their Safe-room, and it appears to have given birth to MORE inspired wrasslin' and kamikaze toy antics.
We had some interaction between Callie and the kits...and even though she was improved in disposition, the Kit's "Are you my Mama?" approaches were rebuffed. It throws a little bit of heartache into the otherwise joyful mix...but...what can you do? The Sisters ARE Invader Organisms to those whose territory this has been for so long a time...
...it's just that you can see the look on their little faces...their Mama WAS a calico, and she WAS a caring and protective mother of the highest order...up till the time she had to draw new boundary lines. After that, they were still close, and they would rush to great her when she returned to check on them, albeit, with less regularity.
It's Fergus we have to worry about. *He is SOOO big.* When he wants to show his dominance over Callie, it's no contest. Luckily, that is a rare occurrence, and most of the time it is HE who chooses to be passive to her moodiness, as she can be a real...uh...not-nice-gal, at times. Usually her wrath manifest in chasing him out of places she's convinced sunshine is falling, even if it's the fake-type shining at night from the non-warming light bulbs.
Speaking of Fergus, and his dental surgery recovery, we had some issues with him settling down, but he seems to have gotten some rest and recovered his metabolic balance. The problem with eating had to be addressed, and we're closer to a resolution. He HATES the canned food (that I tagged as "Splut") and I can't blame him. *What is up with making cat-food that looks like something you'd grease your truck-wheels with?* *BLLECK!* It's like the manufacturers got together and declared, "Now, don't forget! We're going for UN-appetizing here!"
What the Vet suggested, and it seems to be working (Thank God!) is we moisten his hard-chow, plumping & softening it, and...he's okay with that!
Well...just one more little "learned thing" to share, and I'll call it a day!
When the Kits were still BackYardigans, the only play I was able to do with them regularly was Laser-Bug chase...and it was a riot. I did try once to make a string-type game with a longer, dried plant stem, but they were still too shy to entice.
Well, Folks... *Let me tell you about one of the greatest and most wonderful things you can experience as a Cat Lover... * ...it is introducing a young feline to that which WE call string, but what in reality is the *end-all*be-all* of Kitty playtime devices.*
It was probably a week in to the New Home Experience that it came to me that they had been stringless the entire time. *I know! <*> I KNOW!* Please, keep in mind the day we brought them home from the Vets I was diagnosed with pneumonia, and Jude was just as bad off, maybe worse. So, we were understandably "off our games".
Balls of every kind, mouse-toys, the ball-go-round-in-circle game, all these they had been gifted with...but NOT a string.
So, when my brain came back to life, I take in a nice long old tennis-shoe lace. It was Finnula who showed interest... * ...and God Bless her... * ...it was obvious she thought it was a snake.
She jumped back...she assumed huntress posture...she floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee... * ...doing this floating-yoga battle-dance that defied both the laws of gravity AND physics...
...and it was all I could do NOT to wet myself. Every fiber of my being was shaking like jell-o made of comedic bliss. You know...where your tongue protrudes a little and you hear yourself uttering those goofy-gurgling sounds babies make pre-speech. *I was certifiable.*
We do have snakes in our back yard, some a couple feet long, harmless bug-eaters that I enjoy seeing... * ... ones that Finnula apparently had had run-ins with.
Since then, both kits have learned to love the play-snake. What's really best is how it gets them used to us standing/looming in close proximity to them, play and trust building.
I've never been a parent, and I know many of you have enjoyed the process of child rearing that must have been a gift of a million moments, but, for me, this is as close as I've gotten to a New Life Experience...and I am feeling quite blessed by it all...
...it's almost indescribable for me as I witness the unfolding story of these two bright-eyed lovables, of how every new day is a blank page to be written on with the very ink of creation...in the flowing script of life.
*************
MsPurrl
Blue Crack Supplier
U2360
The Fly
- Joined
- Feb 22, 2012
- Messages
- 133
That's such a story! Yay for the happy ending Nature is an interesting thing. I don't know what I'd do without my kitties
Nature is an interesting thing. I don't know what I'd do without my kitties 
domo-kun
ONE love, blood, life
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2009
- Messages
- 12,580
Cat lover here , sadly don´t own one, but watching this just totally made my day!
Had to think of this thread
dumpert.nl - Killer poes valt aan
The title is ^: Killer Kitty Attacks.
http://www.dumpert.nl/mediabase/6388292/dfeb8267/killer_poes_valt_aan.html
Had to think of this thread
dumpert.nl - Killer poes valt aan
The title is ^: Killer Kitty Attacks.
http://www.dumpert.nl/mediabase/6388292/dfeb8267/killer_poes_valt_aan.html
Galeongirl
Galeonbroad
You're always welcome to come cuddle mine.
That video is pretty hilarious.
That video is pretty hilarious.
cobl04
45:33
MsPurrl
Blue Crack Supplier
It was a cold "four-cat night" - clockwise from upper left: Fergus, Callie, Bronwyn, and Finnula
Bronwyn's first try at being a lap kitty - I think she liked it!
Bronwyn's first try at being a lap kitty - I think she liked it!
kellyahern
Blue Crack Supplier
Finnula is such a pretty cat
purpleoscar
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
Vlad n U 2
Blue Crack Addict
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2008
- Messages
- 28,386
Drowningman
War Child
It was a cold "four-cat night" - clockwise from upper left: Fergus, Callie, Bronwyn, and Finnula
Great pic MsPurrl. Glad to see the entire gang is doing well.
I've been so lazy lately. must post some more Keto pics.
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