Volunteering and New Toys!

Mommy is feeling much better now, so I guess all those purrs you sent, and all the purring we kitties did on her worked! Thanks guys! Mommy says thanks too!

We didn't do too much this week, Mommy was sick for the first part of the week, and Jenn came over lots, and helped Mommy feel better. They locked us out of the bedroom though one night, and Samson was MAD! He was being really bad, and banging on the door, and being a pest. Finally they got tired of it and let us back in, but Mommy and Jenn and Lisa were NOT happy with him the next day. Samson just hates getting locked away from Mommy, even if she is just sleeping, or going to the bathroom. He gets all crazy.

Mommy worked on Wednesday and Thursday, and we missed her, since we have gotten used to her being here almost everyday. Mommy only works a few days a week in the summer, and we like it that way. We get lots more cuddles, and playtime, and love.

 We got new stuff from the fundraiser!

Today, we got left alone all morning and afternoon, but we were okay with that, since it was all for a good cause! Today was a fundraiser for the Animal Love Foundation, which is where we all come from, and who Mommy fosters for. They had a big car wash and dog wash, with handmade pet toys, a bake sale, a BBQ, and a draw! The local radio station even came to help spread the word, and play some great music!

Lisa went with Mommy to help out, and they helped out at the BBQ, taking money and getting buns ready while another volunteer did the actual grilling. They saw lots of adorable doggies, and nice people, and raised money to help pay for all the sick kittens they have right now, and spays, neuters, medical costs and of course the essential items like food, litter etc. Lots of people came, and Mommy's mother got her car washed too!

Mommy and Lisa said it was a lot of fun, though Mommy ended up with a bad sunburn. Mommy is well...PALE. People always tell her she is the palest person they have ever seen, and Mommy jokes that she is one step away from albino. Mommy wears 60spf sunscreen, but she still got burned!

 Mommy says she looks like one of these now!

The BEST part about the fundraiser though... NEW TOYS! Mommy got 5 new toys for us! Three catnip pillows, a kitty kicker, and a piggy tail. Two of the catnip pillows have cows on them, just for Lexy, but of course she shares with us too!

 Lexy models her new cow-print toys

The kitty kicker is fun! It has crinkles in it, and lots of catnip, and its the perfect size to grab on to and bunny kick like crazy! I LOVE catnip, and these toys are nice and strong, and the toys are so much fun! The piggy tail is a curly knitted "tail" with a bell on then end. We already got one from an adopt-a-thon that Lexy went to, and Mommy knew we liked it, so she got us a nice dark purple one.

 Samson checks out the new toys. Which one should he play with first?

There are lots of ways your Mommies can help out local rescue groups, and if they already don't, urge your Mommies or Daddies to volunteer as foster parents, or drivers to pick-up or take sick kitties to vets or adoption events, or even help on the websites. There are so many great volunteers out there, helping out all the kitties and doggies and other animals who need homes, and I am thankful for every single one of them! If not for them, I would have been *gulp* put to sleep, and wouldn't have my wonderful home, and Mommy, and all of you nice cats to talk to!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Feeling Better!

Well, it was much cooler on the weekend, and I am feeling much better! I am even getting my meow back!
It sounds a little funny, not my usual glorious voice, but its better than nothing!

I missed snuggling Mommy when she was gone, but the night before she left, she had her new girlfriend sleep over, so I got cuddles from both of them! And Lisa was nice and fed and played and cuddled us, and remembered to give me cat nip! She even let the bunnies out to run, and turned on our Fling-a-ma-String toy!

I am happy Mommy is back though, because she needs me! On the Sunday morning Mommy was coming home, she woke up feeling kinda yucky, and when they stopped for coffee, she REALLY started feeling bad. Its a good thing Jenn (her girlfriend) pulled the car over, cause Mommy had to puke! Now, us kitties are pretty good barfers, we can do it pretty often, between hairballs, eating cat grass, or eating too fast. But Mommy almost NEVER throws up. She says she only threw up ONCE since she was in something called grade 3, so apparently that is a very long time, like a million years or something, and it means that Mommy has to be pretty sick for her to actually barfy.

So it turns out Mommy caught a bad cold just like we had, probably from the kids where she works. Mommy works part time as a nanny, taking care of two little kids. I guess last Thursday, the little boy had a bad cold, and got his germies all over Mommy and made her sick!

So you know what that means! I have to lay on Mommy, and purr, and keep her warm and cozy, just like she did when I was sick. It is nice to make her feel better, though she keeps saying that having cat hair up her nose doesn't help her stuffy sinuses, whatever that means!

Last night Jenn came over to help Mommy feel better, and she infringed on my Mommy cuddles again when she slept over. I like having Mommy to myself, but I guess that way I can cuddle two people instead of just one! I still prefer my Mommy though, and so does Samson and Lexy. Samson really likes Jenn though, since she indulges his need for constant belly rubs. If this Jenn gets in the way of my Mommy and Monty time too much though, I may have to poop in her shoes.

So, we had a pretty boring, normal weekend, and we all feel much better, other than Mommy. I sure hope it doesn't get too hot again soon, since now that its a bit cooler and we aren't as sick, Samson and I can play and wrestle again!

I hope all you kitties who live where its hot have good ways to cool down, and have a great day!
(Sorry, no pictures today, Mommy wasn't here to take any on the weekend, and she feels to yucky to take any now!)

It's HOT!! Also, Toby Update

It is HOT here where I live!
And it's even worse because its super duper humid too! We are lucky that our apartment doesn't get direct sunlight but it's still VERY hot! Mommy and Lisa have the fans on, and keep all the doors and windows closed to keep the heat out as best they can, but that only helps a little bit.

 Mmmm the fan blowing on me feels so nice!

We haven't been able to do much at all, no wrestling, no games of Thundering Herd of Elephants, no getting into mischief at all! It's BORING. All we can do is laze around, lay on the tile or in front of the fan, or as Lexy does, lay in the sink!

 Lazy Samson on the new chair aka "The Throne"

There is another reason we are being lazy, and that is because we are all not feeling well. I feel the worst of the three of us, and I have even lost my gorgeous voice! All I can do is a funny sounding squeak, and not even a good squeak like Lexy's normal Meow. We all have sore throats, and a little cough. Mommy talked to someone from Animal Love though, and they said to just keep an eye on it, we will probably get over it in a few days, and if not, Mommy will take us to the V-E-T. I don't want to go there, but I DO want my pretty voice back s I can serenade Mommy early in the morning, and talk to her and Lisa and everyone else!

Too hot to play!

Want to know the reason Mommy was talking to Animal Love in the first place? We got GREAT news!
Toby didn't actually go in to Petsmart on Sat, he stayed at Lori's (another great foster home) all weekend, since Lori had a bunch of other kittens that needed their shots. She picked up another kitten that was near by us at the same time. We got to see him, he was fluffy and orange and little like Toby, and his name was Titan! So Toby got a fun weekend, playing with all those other kittens, and on Monday, they all went in for their shots together, and into Petsmart.  And then....

 Snuggly little Toby and me in the cat tree

.....TODAY HE GOT ADOPTED!!! Lori just called Mommy and told us that both him and Titan got homes today! Not together sadly, but good homes! We are very happy for him, and hope it is a wonderful home full of love, and he is happy there for the rest of his life!

We miss him lots, he was our special little buddy, but now I don't get ambushed from above when I walk by the couch, and Lexy is VERY happy to be able to go back in the bathroom! She can drink from her sink again, and as you can see she has reclaimed it as hers!

 Lexy loves her sink!

Well I hope you guys aren't as hot as we are! Mommy may just have to break down and buy a used air conditioner! Mommy is going away with a friend this weekend, so Lisa said she will take good care of us. We will miss Mommy of course, but if it cools down and we feel better, maybe we can get Lisa to throw us a catnip Party!

 Lexy likes the cool air from the fan blowing on her belly!

How do you kitties beat the heat? And what do you do when you feel under the weather? We have been getting lots of treats and cuddles cause we feel icky, and fresh catnip from our big plant helps too!

Have a great, COOL, Wednesday Night!

Goodbye Toby and Good Luck!

Well, it's very early on Saturday right now, and Mommy and I can't sleep, because today is the day that Toby leaves us.

We have only had him for about two and a half weeks, but it seems like he has been here forever! We all had extra special cuddles with him all Friday, except for when Mommy went to her parents home to wash her clothes for free (They charge for it in the building) and Toby had to stay in the bathroom so that he could eat his food while she was gone. Toby's food is kept in there because a certain kitty *cough* Samson *cough* would eat it all up if it was left out. And well, I admit, I take a few nibbles too. It's just so tasty!

All day on Thursday, Toby was kept in the bathroom too, since Mommy went away to her Aunt's with her family for the Canada Day celebration. Her Aunt and Uncle just bought a huge property up near cottage country, and it took about 3.5 hours just go get there. So Mommy was gone from 8am until 10:30pm, and Toby was not happy being cooped up.

 Silly Toby falls asleep in funny places!

Mommy made it a fun day though, she put dried nip all over the carpet and our cat tree, and gave me some fresh nip from the big plant Mommy has on the balcony. She also put out some toys we haven't played with in a few weeks, I love when she does that!

So our Canada Day was fun, other than Mommy being gone, and Toby being stuck in the bathroom with all his toys. What did you other Canadian kitties do?

 Kitten Karate Kick! Pow! Right in the Kisser!

Now, as promised I will tell you what happened to Mommy's old roommate Chris, and his kitty Baby.

Mommy was having problems with Chris from the start, with him not helping out with housework, never remembering to give us food or water, NEVER cleaning the litter box, and being messy in general. Now, Mommy knows she is not perfect, and that us animals are messy and stinky sometimes, but Chris never [aid any attention to Baby, and would go away for days at a time. He also hadn't told Mommy when he moved in, that he was quitting school, so he wouldn't be getting money anymore from the government, and he didn't have a job. He DID get a job at one point, but he got fired after less than 2 weeks.

Mommy kept trying to remind him to help out, and give him some time to get back on his feet, but it just wasn't working out, so she asked him to move out the next month. He also wasn't on the lease, so that wasn't a problem.

 Gorgeous Baby. We miss you pretty girl!

Now comes the sad part. When Mommy decided to let him move in, she thought it would be great, because Chris had also fostered cats for the same place Mommy fosters us. Then Mommy found out that Chris was no longer allowed to foster cats, after two cats died in his care, from something COMPLETELY preventable. Mommy won't tell me what, but she says it was purely neglect, and that made her very mad.

Mommy confronted Chris, and he said he didn't even know that was why the cats died, and didn't even notice the kitties were so very close to death until it was much too late. After Mommy talked to him, he agreed that he shouldn't have any animals since he couldn't take care of them, and had enough trouble taking care of himself. Mommy said she would keep Baby until she could find her the perfect new home, and was even going to ask if Animal Love could help find her a new home. Everything seemed okay, Chris was moving out soon, and Baby would be safe and cared for.

Then one day, while Mommy was at work, Chris and a friend of his came over, and they took Baby away without telling Mommy about it. We didn't even get to say goodbye to her, and neither did Mommy.
When Mommy got home, right away she noticed Baby was gone, and she was very very worried. She checked her email, and saw that Chris had emailed her only saying that he had taken Baby to live at his friends house. Now, this seemed to Mommy like Chris removed Baby so that he could keep her himself, even though he admitted he was in no way capable of caring for her. When Chris got home late that night, Mommy was MAD. Not only had Chris not paid rent or bills, or helped with costs for Baby, he had obviously taken her when Mommy was gone because he knew he was wrong to do it. They had a big fight, and it was scary. Mommy had asked him a few days before to leave in the next two days because he hadn't paid, and she wouldn't make him pay if he left right away, but he hadn't even started finding a place to stay yet, and he was still there. Now, Mommy knows she got extremely mad, mostly because she was so worried that Baby would end up like those poor cats that died if Chris took her back. Chris even admitted that he took her to his friends house so that he could take her back eventually, and said he knew it was purely selfish and not in Baby's best interest. He knows he shouldn't own animals, but he didn't care.

Baby, and Sam's ear

This is when it started to get scary. Mommy asked Chris to leave, as he had started to act very strange, and Mommy didn't feel safe with him there. Mommy is pretty small for a human, she is only a little over 5 feet tall, and doesn't weight much, and Chris is a BIG guy, over 6 feet tall, and close to 300 lbs. so Mommy was pretty worried. He refused to leave, and refused to give back the keys. Mommy was afraid that even if he left, he would come back while she was gone and try to hurt us, or her. After a lot of yelling, and Chris acting very very scary and strange, Mommy found out why Chris was acting so weird. He has some personal problems, that he was being treated for, but because he didn't have money, he stopped taking his treatment, even though its very dangerous to do so. He was having a crisis. Chris called the big people in the blue uniforms, making it sound like Mommy was the bad guy, and Mommy talked to them too, and Chris finally left the apartment to go wait for them, and Mommy's parents rushed over.

The people in the blue uniforms were very nice, and listened to Mommy and realized what had happened. They got the keys back from Chris, and took him to the big people vet to try and make him better. He wasn't allowed to come get his things without there being someone else there, even one of the people in the blue uniforms.

So, as you can see, it was a very scary, emotional night. Chris stayed at the big people vet for a few days, and then moved into a special place for people that need his kind of help. Mommy really hopes he gets better, but still really hopes he never takes Baby back, or gets another animal. We never heard about Baby ever again, and really hope she is okay, and happy and healthy at the house she is at, and gets lots of love from Chris' friend. Mommy liked the friend, and thinks she would be a great owner, but hopes that the friend doesn't let Chris take Baby back. I know Mommy has a lot of regrets that things turned out the way they did, but is glad that Chris finally got some help, and that Baby is safe.

 Toby and Samson. Look how big Toby is now!

Well, that was a LONG story! You can see why I didn't tell it sooner, its long and a little sad. And this morning will be sad as well, when sweet little Toby goes to the vet for his shots, and then goes to the Petsmart Adoption cages.

We all love him, and Mommy has been asking everyone she knows to adopt him or Lexy, and wishes she could keep Toby forever, since we all get along so well, but there wouldn't be room to foster as much, and Mommy is also certain that Toby will get a new forever family pretty soon, since he is so sweet, cuddly, friendly and playful! We will miss you SOOOOOOOOOOOO much Toby! We loved having you here, and will think of you and love you always!

I'm Baaaack!

Hello everycat!
I am so so sorry for such a long break between posts!
Us kitties have been very busy, and Mommy has been too!
BUT! Now Mommy is done work for most of the summer, she will only work a few days a week now! So she will have lots more time to play ad snuggle with us, and of course blog more too!
We have been keeping up with everyone, but mostly reading, and not commenting.
Here are a few things that have happened since the last post:

• There was a scary flood! The human litter box randomly decided to overflow! Luckily it was just water and nothing yucky, but it went half way down the long hall, and all the way into Mommy's room, and the other bedroom too! It was scary, and we didn't like having damp carpets fr the next few days!
• Mommy's tattoo is great! It looks real pretty, though I wanted to lick it! Her vegan all natural tattoo balm smells REALLY nice, but Mommy kept telling me NO LICKING!

 Mommy's new tattoo!

• Mommy got a new roommate! Her name is Lisa, and she loves animals too! We like to play with her, and sleep on her bed, especially Lexy! She moved in mid June and so far her and Mommy get along really well. I realize I never explained what happened to Baby, but it is something scary and sad, so I will save it for a seperate post, maybe I will write it for right after this one! 
• And the day before Lisa moved in, so did someone else....

TOBY!!

 Tiny Mr. Toby Kitten

Toby is a very very sweet little boy. Sadly, he is just a foster kitten, and he leaves on Saturday to go get his shots, and then go to the scary cage place where I was, to find his forever home. We are all very sure that Toby will get a forever family really fast since he is such a cute, sweet, and playful little fellow! We sure will miss him though!

 Passed out next to Mommy

Toby was one of a litter of kittens born to a poor Momma cat that someone dumped at a farm. The woman whose farm it was didn't know much about kitties, so she just let them live outside. The Momma cat started bringing the kittens prey she had caught, but the kittens were still very young, and a few got sick, so the lady called Animal Love Foundation, and the kittens got picked up. Toby was the very sickest, and was very very skinny. When he was found at the farm, he was trying to chew on the foot of a dead baby chipmunk! Yuck!

 "What should I pway wif next?"

After Toby was a bit better, Mommy was asked if she wanted to foster a little kitten for a while, and of course she said YES YES  YES YES! Mommy was told that the kitten was maybe 8 weeks, and was very skittish and a little scared of people. Well they were very wrong! The kitten (Who didn't have a name yet) was only just about 6 weeks old, and LOVES people!

 "I conquered da catnip ball!"

At first, Toby would only sleep all day. He played a little bit, and would follow me everywhere, prancing along behind me, but he slept a LOT, more than even a kitten should, and kittens sleep lots!
He wasn't eating, so Mommy tried mixing his wet food with kitten milk, but he wouldn't touch it. Then she tried just kitten milk, and he liked that, but it wasn't enough! Finally, Lisa and Mommy caught him stealing a bite of our big kitty food, and they thought "Hmm, maybe he just really doesn't like the wet food!" and they were right! He loves his kibbles!

Toby was EXTREMELY skinny, you could feel every single bone really well, and when you rubbed his belly, you could feel his organs! Now that he is eating though, he has padding over his bones, and a little chubby belly! He is about 8 weeks old now, and Mommy says he is starting to look more like a little cat than a skinny tiny kitten!

He can climb all the way to the very top of the cat tree! He is a little monkey!

He has almost too much energy now! He LOVES to play with us! He even got LEXY to play with him! And Lexy really doesn't like to play with other kitties. At first Sam was a little afraid of him, Lexy would hiss at him when he came near her, and I wasn't too sure about this little gray introoder following me around, taking up all Mommy and Lisa's attention, but now I really like him, and Sam and Lexy do too.

 Me grooming Toby

We all groom him, from head to toe, and he purrs so loud when we do that! He also loves Mommy and Lisa too. He loves to snuggle, and have his now chubby belly rubbed! He even went into work with Mommy, and met the kids, and was great with them. He let them hold him and pet him and play with him. He went to Mommy's friend's apartment last night, and got to see her giant fish tank with her little puffer fish in it! He said it was really fun!

 "You smell like Sticky Little People!"

Well, that sure was a LONG post for the first one back! I hope you didn't all forget about us, or miss us too much! I sure missed posting, but it was nice to have a little break!

I PROMISE to finally tell you what happened to Mommy's old roommate Chris, and his kitty Baby later, and to post LOTS more this summer!

Oh! And to all our fellow Canadians, HAPPY CANADA DAY!

One Word Wednesday: Box-tastic

A Mommy-less Weekend

Mommy is leaving us! Can you believe that? She is going away for 3 whole days!
She is leaving straight from work tomorrow, and then coming home on Monday, but if traffic is bad, she might go straight to work. Mommy works until 9 on Monday nights, so that would mean we might not see her for a long time!

Luckily, Mommy asked Emily and Shawn to come feed us, give us love, and keep us from going completely crazy from missing Mommy. I will miss Mommy a whole bunch, and I know Sam and Lexy and the rats and bunnies will too, but I know that we will have lots of fun with Emily and Shawn. Plus, as a treat, Mommy got us some cat grass!

Sam gets ready to Nom on it

Mommy is going to some place called Toronto. It's only about 2 hours away from where we live in London, Ontario. Mommy's sister lives there, and Mommy will be staying with her. Mommy's mother is also going, but she is going to something called a conference, and is staying with a cousin who lives in Toronto.

On Sunday, Mommy is getting her tattoo! We mentioned awhile back that Mommy got a camera, a tattoo, and a piercing from the Charity Auction her sister did. Well, to get the tattoo and piercing, she has to go to Toronto, and so this weekend she is finally getting the tattoo done! She can't get the hole in her nose though, because the person who does that isn't there on weekends.

Purrsonaly, I don't understand why anyone would want to put a hole in any part of them, or get something written on them forever and ever, but Mommy likes it. Mommy already has a tattoo on her left wrist, the word "Dochas" with an accent over the O, that is the Gaelic word for Hope.

 Mommy's first tattoo

This time, Mommy is getting a sort of symbol that she designed herself. Mommy is something called a Pagan, and this design has to do with that.

What Mommy's tattoo will look like

The "N's" represent Mommy's Pagan name, Nenet Nokomis. The sort of swirly thing is like a combination of the yin yang sign, the infinity sign, and is for balance. The water drop is because Mommy says she is a Scorpio and that is a water sign, whatever that means. BUT! It is also the four elements! See, the "N's" also look like mountains, for Earth, and in the other direction, they are like lightning bolts, for Fire. The Swirly thing is like wind, for Air, and the water drop is... its for Water, duh.

 The explanation all drawn out. Sorry its a bit blurry!

For the past few months Mommy has been deciding where to get it on her body, and she mostly settled on the back of her neck. Now she is rethinking that though, and wondering if it would look better on her other inner wrist. What d you all think?

Mommy even has another tattoo planned for in a few years. Mommy has a lot of big scars from the 5 back surgeries she had a few years ago. The one goes all the way down Mommy's spine, from the bottom of her neck all the way to about 2 inches above her bum. She was told that since that scar was opened up 4 times, she would have to wait a long time before getting a tattoo over it, but eventually she is getting a zipper over it! Mommy says that she told the doctor if he was going to keep opening her up, he may as well put in a zipper, so it's kind of a joke. Also, after the 4th surgery, she had 75 little staples holding it closed (ouch!) and it looked like a zipper, so her Dad took the pull off his coat and taped it to the top of her "zipper" and took a picture right before the staples came out. Mommy is very excited for that tattoo!

What do you think? Is Mommy crazy for a) leaving US a whole weekend  b) getting something written on her forever  or c) being close to doing Eeny Meeny Miney Moe to decide whether it will go on her wrist or neck.

Yeah, I think she is crazy for all three too. Have a good weekend everyone! I hope your Mommies aren't as crazy as mine!