Finding Her Best Light

Happy 19th Birthday, Miss Chloe!!!!!

"I don't believe in aging. I believe in forever altering ones aspect to the sun." ~ Virginia Woolf

The years pass so quickly and old age sneaks up on all of us; it seems like only yesterday we were starting out in school or our profession or having a child, or seeing a tiny Siamese kitten for the first time. She was the first born of a litter of six and has always played the part well. Miss Clover was "the dark one"; instead of being born white and developing the Siamese mask and tips, she arrived a medium to dark tan and simply grew darker as she aged, with the most marbled deep blue eyes. Clover was always angry at something. Chloe has always been calm and cool and collected, with a passion for grooming and making sure her sitting position is just so... front paws tightly together and tail wrapped neatly around to the front. Nothing bothers her (except for that one time at the vet when Clover threw such a hissy fit, they both got caught up in the drama) and she carries herself with dignity and reserve. This does not mean that she will take any guff off of the other cats. Chloe is now the Grand Dame of the household and commands the respect of ALL the cats... even those bossy ragdolls.

Her sister, Miss Clover, passed away almost three years ago and while Clover was ill and blind, Chloe showed her the way to the food and patiently waited for her to eat first. She groomed and curled up with her, even when Clover was cantankerous and in a foul mood. After Clover's death, Miss Chloe simply returned to the group of cats and her role as eldest diva.

Now, Miss Chloe is 19. She has aged a lot these last three years. Her dark facial mask is fading with rounded circles of light tan above her eyes. She still longs to be perfectly groomed, but does not have the energy for all the effort, nor her sister for cleaning her ears. She battles with kidney failure and refuses to eat the special diet, but she looks forward to her Fancy Feast each day and is holding her own with her weight even though she is very thin. Her eyesight is starting to go, but her hearing is acute. Arthritis has made her gait stiff and her front legs are slightly misshapen by age. She has her favorite bean bag sleeper and still enjoys snuggling with a catnip toy. Most of all, she loves to sleep... or, as here... sit in the sun.

I don't know how many more years.... or months... she has. I'm sure she will continue to live her life with the dignity she has always had and will let me know in her own way, when it is time. Until then, she will soak in all the sun she wants and eat all the Fancy Feast she wants and strike fear into the hearts of all the other cats...
what was that? Did I see a slight twinkle in that eye as she stares down Nicky? I do believe I did!

Happy Birthday Miss Chloe!

(end of post)
Friday's Ark
Weekend Cat Blogging
Camera Critters

Shadow Cat ~ Wicked Willow

Shadow cat Willow loves to find the sunbeam.

"Let us be honest; most of us rather like our cats to have a streak of wickedness. I should not feel quite easy in the company of any cat that walked around the house with a saintly expression." ~ Beverly Nichols

Willow loves to find the sunlight in shadows and hide or sit, half in and half out of light. She is a wicked cat... dominant.. bossy.. and yet angelic when she gazes up into your eyes. She barges in on any other cat who is eating or getting a pat on the head. In fact, now that they all love a little wet food in the evening, I sit and guard the old lady, Chloe as she eats. She eats slowly and Willow gulps hers down. Thank goodness I still have the clout as head honcho of their world.. all I have to do is point at Willow as she starts to sneak up on Chloe and she stops, stares and when she realizes that I will not blink.. she backs off. Of course this means I have to spend ten to fifteen minutes in the eating area simply sitting in a chair... alert at all times. It is at this time I am grateful for the Kindle.

In other news, Picasa and the usually simply "Blog This" button to send my pictures to Blogger is somehow broken... defunct... not doing what it says it is doing and generally acting all looney-toon on me. This was supposed to be a post for Shadow Shot Sunday, but the pictures I thought I uploaded simply disappeared. I see that at least two others have posted on the Picasa forum that they have the same problem.. now, if only a Google employee will see the problem and FIX IT!!!!!

It has been a group of "those" days in a row. I took Mom in for an outpatient procedure... an iron infusion, since she seems to be unable to absorb iron. She was in the middle of a flare up of gout that her primary physician didn't catch on her last labs... her uric acid was very elevated and her office did not pass on our call nor did they call back. So her nephrologist reluctantly gave her medication to decrease the uric acid but on Friday her foot was still in the stages of progression with increased swelling, pain, warmth and redness that was branching out across her foot and up her leg. This was very worrisome to me.. so when her blood pressure spiked before the iron infusion and she began having chest pain and they cancelled the procedure and wanted her to go to the ER, I was not too upset... I really wanted them to check that foot. I know her blood pressure does this when she is concerned about IV's and in pain and after I looked at her nitroglycerine pump and saw that it expired in October 2009.. well, the foot was my prime concern. I must say that Chesapeake hospital was very efficient... she didn't have to wait in the lobby when we got to the ER and they did an EKG, drew cardiac enzymes, did a chest x-ray and an ultrasound of the vessels in that leg and foot within a half an hour. There were no clots in that leg... major relief. We spent the rest of the day in the ER and then they kept her in observation overnight. Her cardiologist came to see her in observation and decided not to stress her with the stress test with her gout flared up and such. A bit of morphine IV relieved the pain in her foot and that chronic pain in her back that has been really bad lately and I brought her home on Saturday morning.

So, now I have to somehow balance a gout diet with a diabetic diet and most things are diametrically opposed... low protein, high complex carbs for gout... high protein, low carbs for diabetes. There must be a happy medium in there somewhere. The biggest problem and the biggest asset to help both the diabetes and the gout is good old H2O... water. I got 64 oz down her yesterday... and all the time she complained and fought and said she was nauseated from it and she just couldn't swallow it and... well, the foot is getting better. If anyone has ideas of how to get the required water down her every day without devoting all my time to .... "drink water", "is the glass empty yet", "we haven't gotten the required amount down yet", "do you WANT to go on dialysis?"... well, let me know.

That is why I have been out of pocket.... oh, yes.... and it froze last night... temps down to 28℉. We even got a little sleet when the rain first started and folks just north of us received almost a half an inch of snow. And here I thought spring had sprung. I sure do hope they get the Picasa blog this thing fixed and soon.

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Cats on Tuesday

Where Did You Get Your Eyes So Blue?

Swinging the blues.... Mr. Rhett

“Where did you get your eyes so blue? Out of the sky as I came through.” ~ George MacDonald

Dear Mr. Rhett with his blue eyes is the darling of women everywhere. He has had a difficult couple of years here, what with getting out and spending the night under the house during the construction of the sunroom and losing his sister, Scarlett last May. Still he is the most inquisitive cat on the planet and it still gets him into a pickle on occasion. Mr. Rhett is getting old as are we all, but he can still run faster than I can catch him. Hmm. Perhaps that says more about me than him. He has been losing weight for several years, but not so much as in this last year. He had lost two pounds since his last checkup and his fur coat was looking rank and disheveled. I could brush him and get almost as much hair as I do off the Ragdoll cats. But, he ate... he ate like he was starved to death. He would eat his wet food and the leftovers from everyone else in five minutes. So at his checkup this year they drew some blood to check his kidney function, since he is over 15 now and they checked his thyroid function. His T4 level was almost ten times the upper limits of normal, so now he is on a medicine to block the effects of the T4. A liquid, we put it in his food twice a day and he doesn't know the difference, but a difference it has made already. I believe he has gained some weight and his coat is back to being soft and lush. He does not seem as driven to constantly move and search for food.. yet, he still gobbles all he can get as fast as he can. At least he is on the right path.

Here he was swinging in the hammock with Nyssa... his blue eyes complementing the royal blue of the strings. I'm not sure if his expression is one of delight, fear or simply the desire to "be somewhere else".

(end of post)
Carmi's theme ~ "Blue"
Blue Monday

Cats On Christmas

At least on the Christmas tree.

"New Year's eve is like every other night; there is no pause in the march of the universe, no breathless moment of silence among created things that the passage of another twelve months may be noted; and yet no man has quite the same thoughts this evening that come with the coming of darkness on other nights. ~ Hamilton Wright Mabie

So, here it is... New Year's Eve, with snow still on the ground and the very first day of 50 degree temperatures in a month just ending. New Year's Day promises to be balmy with temperatures in the 60's and rain, to rinse more of the snow away... thus beheading the already sad looking snowmen. It is the last post for 2010 and time keeps on going.

Just a month ago, the Christmas spirit was in full force with excitement to drag out all the storage boxes of decorations and lights and garland. Now it is time to reverse the process and return the house to its usual state. Is it only me, but don't the rooms look empty without the nativity, the holly and ivy, the trees and lights and candles and pillows and throws? Doesn't it take several weeks to get used to the "normality" again?

New Year's has become more of a let down over the years. We used to get up at the crack of dawn to watch the Rose Parade and then it was channel surfing between the bowl games... Cotton, Orange, Rose, and Sugar. Now they go on for weeks... only one per day and with the strangest titles... Poinsettia Bowl, New Mexico Bowl, Little Caesars Bowl, Humanitarian Bowl, Insight Bowl, Pinstripe Bowl, Compass Bowl, and GoDaddy Bowl, just to name a fraction of them. Where did all these come from? More importantly... WHY?

Who can resist a rotund, but truly angelic kitty ornament?

So, this is it... another year ended, time to take stock or better yet, just keep moving.. one foot in front of the other. I always hope this year will be better than the last and in some ways they are... in others.. not so much. But it will be here in another two hours anyway.. no matter what we want. Mom still finds the ball drop in Times Square to be fun to watch so she will stay up. She still loves to stay up and watch election returns with a big bowl of popcorn too. I've decided to revert to the days when my daughter was little and I worked hard at the lab. My supreme joy was to be at home with her fed and doing homework and me in my comfy nightgown and robe and fuzzy slippers.... by 6PM. So, it will be off to bed.. perhaps with a book and definitely with the dog (Daisy is already asleep for her pre-bedtime nap). I have no interest in the glass electric ball or the millions of pounds of confetti that will really muck up the snow mounds already in New York or the inevitable firecrackers that will go off at the stroke of midnight... For me, these days... tomorrow is just another day.

I suppose I should say a word or two about the cats pictured here, since nothing so far has anything to do with cats. This Christmas, when I lovingly took out all the ornaments and remembered where I got them and how Nyssa picked some and we hung them on the tree each year and as I was doing this BY MYSELF without her here... well, I suddenly realized that we have an extraordinarily large number of "cat", "dog" and other "animal" ornaments. Almost ALL the penguin ornaments are my brother's, but the cat and dog items are ours. It is staggering... we have enough to make a "cat and dog" themed tree full of ornaments. I didn't intend to ever have this many... didn't plan to acquire such a large number.. but it has happened. So, there you have it... pictured are just a few of our Cats on Christmas (tree) selections. Tomorrow begins the dismantling and the sorting and the packing away... so one last look.

Happy New Year....

(end of post)

The Males Of The Species

"They say women talk too much. If you have worked in Congress you know that the filibuster was invented by men." ~ Clare Booth Luce

Clockwise from top left: bluebird, cardinal, goldfinch, red-bellied woodpecker... all male.

Male birds are almost always the more brilliantly colored of the two sexes. They preen and puff and show off their feathers to attract the female. If they were human, they would spend almost their whole life in front of a mirror. The male bird is supposed to help build the nest, but this particular bluebird has been falling down on the job the last two years. I've seen him take three or four pine needles into the birdhouse and leave her to do the rest.

Clockwise from top: Mr. Rhett (Babe Magnet), Sir Nicky, and Mr. Max (now departed)... again, all male.

Mr. Max had the male attitude.. he wanted to get between us and any stranger and he had a particular distrust of bicyclists and runners. He also had a certain male mechanical prowess... he could distinguish between the motors of different lawn mowers and he knew the sound of the man's mower who did Mom and Dad's yard. If we heard a mower and heard him bark.. our yard was being done. But the neighbor's mower... no. Even when the lawn guy, who lived next door, did his own yard... Max was quiet. To me the mowers all sounded the same... distinguishing a difference must be a guy thing. The cats... well, they are cats and not really out to prove themselves to anyone. However, these two males have the eyes to charm the most suspicious female... as long as the female is human. Apparently, female cats are not as susceptible to the "come hither" looks of these male casanovas as human females are. One look from these blue eyes and women melt. They develop an overwhelming desire to feed or brush or give ear scratches and head rubs to these two. How they can look so manly and pitiful at the same time is... well, another guy thing.

Clockwise from top left: Three cousins...David, Rick and Stephen.
Also known affectionately as "The Floating Heads"

Last, but definitely not least, we have three males from a family... my family. My brother, Stephen, who is currently in Japan.. and our cousins, Rick and Dave, who are renovators and woodworkers extraordinaire. David designed and drew the plans for Stephen's sunroom and they build the furniture for inside. They also did the woodworking trim inside, the trellis outside and the deck skirt. They are amazing craftsmen.

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Saturday Photo Hunt ~ "Male"

Admiring From Afar

Maggie takes center stage. Her adoring fan, Nicki, watches from afar.
(Click to enlarge)

"Nothing takes the taste out of peanut butter quite like unrequited love." ~ Charlie Brown

Miss Maggie is a DIVA. She wants what she wants, when she wants it and lets you know about it. She also makes it perfectly clear when she doesn't want something... to be brushed, to be petted, to be picked up, to be bothered by a lovesick (but fixed) boy cat who has been longing to sit with her, clean her ears, touch her head, sniff her nose... anything to be near her. Maggie will have none of it. Nicky has suffered the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.. as well as sharp claws across the nose and right crosses to the head over the years. He still makes the effort, but eventually decides it is a better idea, as well as a safer one to simply admire her from afar.... beneath the bench. Finally, a spark of intelligence from Nicky.

Carmi's theme is "black and white" this week and Nicky feels a bit "stark" here. Maggie, on the other hand, is showing her typical DIVA pose... self-confidence oozing from those eyes. She is prepping to take a trip on Friday's Ark.

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Behind The Blue Eyes Lies A Devil In Disguise

Sir Nicky... still skiddish after all these years.
(Click picture to enlarge those eyes.)

"Everything we see hides another thing, we always want to see what is hidden by what we see." ~ Rene Magritte

Our feline friends are officially getting old.... as are we. Miss Clover and Miss Scarlett have already left us, leaving their siblings a little lost and sad. The ragdolls are fast approaching the ripe old age of 13 and are slowing down; although they were never very energetic, even when young. They prefer a slow pace of life... eat, sleep, sleep, sleep, eat some more and then sleep. Nicky here is still hiding. Such a timid fellow, he hides in plain sight. He thinks no one can see him if his nose and face are almost covered, but tends to forget that 14 pound body and long bouffant tail that sticks out behind him. Right now he needs a bath. We brush and clip and get enough fur to make a sweater for a small child this time of year, but he still needs a bath. If I keep saying he needs a bath, perhaps it will magically happen.....

Early on in life, Nicky had a bath at the vet. Perhaps that scarred him for life, or perhaps his irrational fear and paranoia that hits only when he sees water is simply congenital; though I don't believe the latter as his sister Willow is perfectly horrified but perfectly behaved in her bath, simply looking with a pitiful gaze as if to say... "why are you doing this to me?" Nicholas, on the other hand, ended up with a note on his permanent record that read in large letters... "NICHOLAS DOES NOT BATHE WELL!" His bathing behavior, which I decided to take on myself and which was not one of my better ideas, has become progressively worse. Time before last, he bit me... hit a vein and wouldn't let go. I got him loose, wrapped a towel around my wrist and almost drowned him in the sink while he thrashed water all over the laundry room floor. His bath was less than satisfactory and I ended up with a hematoma from my hand to my elbow.

I bathed him again a few months ago. This time in the large master bath shower. This time with a muzzle that also blindfolded him. This time with me outside the shower... at least to get him wet. His reaction was the same. He screamed and twisted and jumped. I have never seen him jump that high... straight up and then flopping down on the floor of the shower. Then I held his muzzled head on a soft wash rag fairly tight to the floor with one hand while soaping and scrubbing him with the other, then rinsing with the hand held sprayer until the soap was gone. Only at the very end did I run a bit of a soapy rag over his head and rinse that. Then I got out of the shower as quickly as possible and let him go nuts until he calmed a bit and realized that the water was off.

The strange thing is that as soon as I wrap him in the warm towels fresh from the dryer, he goes limp and is perfectly content to be dried and air blowed and brushed and combed. He simply closes his eyes and lays there as if at the spa. Looking at these baby blues... who could believe such a demon resides inside.

Sigh... like I said... Nicky needs a bath.

(end of post)
Friday's Ark
Carmi's Weekly Theme... Blue
Carnival of the Cats...at When Cats Attack

May 22nd ~ Miss Scarlett Goes Home

Miss Scarlett (1995 - May 22, 2010)

“Grief drives men into habits of serious reflection, sharpens the understanding, and softens the heart” ~ John Adams

I knew you were going blind
But, if I kept your place arranged in the same way
You could find your way to the food and water
And to the premium sleeping site on the carpet covered cat tree.

Your favorite place was on the landing by the back door.
I put a soft bed there for your comfort but you loved the feel of the rug.
You loved to greet us at the back door, each morning
And you always helped me clean the garage
Rubbing your head on my leg
And standing up, patting my knee while I cleaned out the kitty boxes,
All the time purring and squeaking in that tiny voice.

I found you when you and your brother, Rhett, were just tiny little orphans
Donated to a school auction.
You were too young to be away from your mother, but she was dead,
Your little bellies bloated from malnutrition.
And so you came home with us.
And there you became part of the family.

Scarlett, you were Nyssa's favorite, her sleeping companion every night.
Even when she moved to her bunkbed/futon
You managed to find a way to stepwise jump from the floor to the end table
To the bed, and there
You curled up next to her and stayed... all night.
Your purring rocked her to sleep even after she outgrew the Rock-a-bye tapes
And too big to rock in my arms.

Scarlett, you were a mass of contradictions,
A roly-poly fur ball purr factory one minute
Prancing back and forth, winding to and fro to get stroked
In just the right place;
And in the next minute, running away from Willow or Clover.
You were the easy one, the one that Rhett and Willow could have fun with.
Cornered in the dining room, with both cats sitting a respectful, but obviously for you,
Intimidating distance away
You screamed, hissed and growled
The sound effects of a dozen cats in full fight
Coming from a single solitary little Siamese.
Rhett and Willow were amused.
You never were.

I thought we had overcome your previous illness
I thought you had fully regained your weight and except for your sight, you were fine.
I should have had them x-ray you in November, just in case.
I should have noticed the weight loss the last three months.
I should have made the vet appointment just a week sooner.

You didn't complain, you ate like a little pig, but the weight still came off.
I had an appointment for Monday, but on Friday you quit eating.
Then quickly, too quickly you went from bad to worse.
You couldn't walk or stand up on Saturday morning and nothing could entice you to eat.
Still you purred.
And snuggled
And tried so hard to get up.

So I knew, as I did with Max and Clover, that it was time.
Mr. Rhett gently cleaned your ears and even Chloe touched your nose with hers
Without hissing or hysterics.
Even Daisy sat quietly by your bed while I struggled with the decision.

You were so quiet on the way to the vet... except for that never ending purr.
They gently put the IV in and while I held you in my arms and stroked your little head
The vet quietly helped you sleep... a small single cry and then for the first time in hours
You fully and completely relaxed.
Your struggle over.
Your pain over.
Your blindness ended.
And that glorious purr silenced forever as my tears fell on you soft fur.
Rest in peace...sweet Scarlett.
~ srp

(end of post)
Friday's Ark ~ June 4th

My Baby's Got Blue Eyes

 

Miss Scarlett... finely tuned at fourteen
(Click to enlarge)

"An animal will always look for a person's intentions by looking them right in the eyes." ~ H. Powers

Miss Scarlett and her brother Mr. Rhett (aka Houdini) are fourteen this year. Rhett is as sharp as ever; able to dart out an open door in a fraction of a second and quick enough to evade capture unless you are able to grab at that long tail. His Siamese tail has saved him many times. Rhett never seems to learn that it is not a friendly world out there for kitties with cars and raccoons and other nasty critters in the swamp preserve behind the house. His cat curiosity always gets the best of him.

Miss Scarlett, for the most part, is physically fine. She has never gotten over her nervousness and pacing when anyone is around, but she did gain all her weight back after that bladder stone surgery and so far, no more problem in that area. I've noticed over the last year that she seemed to be running into things and being startled by objects in the middle of the room or if we moved objects out in the garage. She spends a lot of her time in the safety of a box, with her back up against a wall or door. Miss Scarlett is for all purposes blind.... no cataracts and eyes just as clear as ever.... she just cannot see. We think she sees a bit of light and shapes but not really any detail. She is able to get around her special places just fine... as long as nothing is moved.

For cats as well as humans... it really is no fun getting old.

We haven't been to Friday's Ark in some time, nor have the kitties seen their friends at the Carnival of the Cats ... this week at When Cats Attack.

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Monday Medley

Black-eyed susan, Rudbeckia hirta
Common Fleabane, Erigeron philadelphicus
(Click pictures to enlarge)

"I wish more people felt that photography was an adventure the same as life itself and felt that their individual feelings were worth expressing. To me, that makes photography more exciting." ~ Harry Callahan

Gray days give better colored pictures... less glare and fewer shadows in the way, a softer light. But these Black-eyed Susans shine and gleam on their own as if they grabbed every tiny molecule of light on this cloudy day and concentrated it into the substance of their yellow petals; enough shine to make their own shadows. Sharing the stage are the small white fleabane, with tiny yellow suns dotting the background. I can imagine laying on the ground looking up at a canopy of these wildflowers overhead, smelling the warm fresh earth and watching as they sway hypnotically back and forth in the light summer breeze. What a joy to experience nature through childlike eyes!

Nicky...the Clark Gable of Cats

"Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever . . . it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything." ~ Aaron Siskind

I have a lot of cats, I've had a lot of cats down through the years and they have all lived to a relatively old age. They go through the stages of life as we all do. Kittens play and jump and tumble an are quick, often too quick for the camera.. little blurs running around. Then suddenly, they drop... sound asleep, like babies have to take small naps in between making large noise. In young adulthood the cat is most interesting to photograph; a bit slower with more refined movement, he is interested in everything and often provides moments of comic bliss to capture on film.

Now, my cats have entered the "golden years" of life; all five are over 11 years old and no longer enticed by the latest catnip toy. They have developed sophisticated wants... a certain banana shaped catnip toy, a certain ball and mouse... all others lay dormant and untouched. Life is slow... no more fast movements, high leaps or intense curiosity... except for Mr. Rhett.. but that is a different story. Now, the cats sit for portraits, sometimes I think you could leave the shutter open for four or five seconds and they wouldn't move; the most difficult task is getting them to open their eyes for a good look at those baby blues. You wouldn't believe how many shots I get with eyes half open.

Soon, all too soon, they will pass on to be with the others who have gone before and I cannot stop time... except in pictures. So, even if the portraits tend to look the same and they sometimes show less than suave perfect fur... I still try to see that little spark behind the eye.. that shows how different each cat remains even now. And they are...unique... beautiful... friends.

Sepia Serenity... Camellia (Norfolk Botanical Garden)

"When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence." ~ Ansel Adams

Sepia or black and white photos speak of age and wisdom. Our eyes and brains interpret what we see in color... and because of this, only the monochrome pictures can reveal mysteries that our eyes miss. These shots level the playing field for the flower... a lowly, dull, looked over plant brings as much beauty as the vibrant red rose. I love the colorful camellia flowers in our botanical garden.. they give life and warmth to the winter months here in Virginia. But I also love the delicate yet strong look that this sepia shot gives.



I chose three very different pictures for three different memes today... Mellow Yellow Monday, Blue Monday and Monochrome Maniacs (Monochrome Weekly).. these sites have many more participants with gorgeous photos. Please visit them to feast your eyes.

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The Ragdolls Return

Sir Nicholas Alexander (Nicky)
(Click pictures to enlarge)

"Cats conspire to keep us at arm's length." ~ Frank Perkins

Nicky and Willow don't like the dog... Daisy loves them and she would love to play and romp and sit with them.. but all they do is hiss and spit at her. They feel that Daisy, as well as all humans are beneath them... servants. We humans are here to feed them, scoop the litter boxes, provide soft beds, fresh water and toys, and to offer up our laps and our feet as often as they deem necessary. The moment we fall down on the job, even for just a moment... they are there with voices full of complaint ... whining about how horrible it is. Never mind that these Ragdolls weigh almost twice as much as the Siamese and could stand at least one less meal a day.

These two are brother and sister... while Willow is very regal... although it is sort of a waddling type of regal... Nicky is the quintessential "scaredy cat". Nicky is afraid of everything... a true agoraphobic. Some days he seems afraid of his own shadow and yet, other days he is surprisingly bold, willing to take on his sister in a fist fight or fist slap as it is with cats. True, he seldom wins but he tries.

Lady Wilhelmenia Abigail (Willow)

Willow is still up to her old tricks... red pipe cleaners and toy mice... dip them in the water then dump them in the food bowls. So not much has changed... they are now considered elderly... they just had their 11th birthday last fall. But they are still as spry and active as ever... well, at least they are as active as they ever were... so they are not athletes... couch potatoes need love too!

Nicky and Willow both will be visiting Friday's Ark and the Carnival of the Cats hosted by Catsynth this weekend and might pop on over to Camera Critters too... they've been complaining that I don't let them get out much to socialize anymore.

(end of post)

SPH: Today I Remember

Nyssa and Max saying the last "good-bye".... October 2007

Miss Clover (July 1993 - October 2008)

"Only in the agony of parting do we look into the depths of love."
~ George Eliot

Through the years, a lot of dogs and cats were loved in our home; some came to us from friends, others were rescued from deplorable conditions in a pet shop and many simply found us on the street or on a college campus. We have lost many too... most from old age ailments, but a few from cancer and accidental mishaps. Each loss is traumatic as these creatures are loved as family members and always give more love than we can ever give them back.

Miss Clover and Max are the two most fresh on my mind so I choose to remember them today. Max was one who found me... a stray, in terrible shape, he never was able to overcome all of his inner demons left from mistreatment at the hands of humans and yet he was the most happy-go-lucky guy in his own space and he knew when to sit quietly by and just "be" with his human. He has been gone two years this November... no longer in pain or suffering from his cancer, but always remembered. This was one of the last pictures I took, Max nose to nose with Nyssa... saying their last good-byes. Max's full memorial post can be viewed here.

Miss Clover came to us with her sister, Miss Chloe as kittens. They loved each other, fought with each other and made all of us laugh. Clover had the most amazing eyes that could look into your soul or shoot daggers at the other cats. Though her eyes remained clear and cool... she lost her sight, probably due to some other aging process. Though she seemed to waste away in front of me, she was still up for giving me her usual raspy tongue lashing, even on that last day. I'm glad it was a sunny day, a day she could feel the sun on her back and the grass under her feet. She left us almost a year ago now... October 2008. Miss Clover's memorial post is here.

Both of these friends gave more love than most, both were loved deeply and both are missed terribly. Today, I remember them once again.

(end of post)

PS: I understand that there is technical difficulty at the home of the hunt so we are winging it today.

Shadow Cat - Gone With The Wind

Who is this cat...able to capture the perfect light and shadow?

It's Mr. Rhett... smooth operator... of course!
(Click pictures to enlarge)

"When naming a cat, if one's imagination is totally at a loss, start with a good encyclopedia. Look up the names of emperors, empresses, kings, and queens. Cats, particularly male cats, like very strong names which link them to majestic feats." ~ Auriel Douglas

Mr. Rhett fits his name. He is a smooth operator; he works and weasels his way out doors and in doors and onto laps... if all else fails, he simply gazes longingly until the object of his desire gives in and invites him into his/her lap. Rhett has become the most vocal of the cats... he talks almost constantly... unless asleep. Small stuffed toys, sponge balls and a ragged stuffed cloth ball are his "babies"... he carries them around and meows and meows and meows. Rhett knows what he wants and how to get it... most of the time, just like his namesake.

And if you must know... his counterpart.. Miss Scarlett.. is as capricious, cantankerous and conniving as the original as well.

Mr. Rhett is taking his show on the road to Friday's Ark and to the Carnival of the Cats, hosted this Sunday by Artsy Catsy. He is being so active this week... his human uncle is arriving Saturday... the same day Rhett wants to visit over at Camera Critters. One busy cat!

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Lady Willow: Cat In Repose

Reporter(me,whispering):"Here she is, the princess of slouch,
in a most undignified position; taking another nap in typical style."
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"Uh! Oh! The diva awakes! Those eyes, that look....
but does she move, does she respond to requests to move,
does she understand that this is a chair for my own repose?"

"No! Look,she simply makes herself more comfortable,
expanding her immense form to fill the chair completely;
then dismisses me with a wink of her eye!

"Cats were put into the world to disprove the dogma that all things were created to serve man." ~ Paul Gray

Lady Willow loves to recline in sweet repose.... anywhere she likes and does not like to be told anything contrary to what she believes true. She does not tolerate anyone... human or cat...that gets in her way. I must say, however, with humans at least she is civil about it and does not have the personality to hiss and spit and slap at my hand when disturbed. She is more bossy with the other cats and they seem to know that you never disturb a sleeping diva, if you want to keep all your fur that is. Still, that wink bothers me. What was she thinking, really?

Perhaps she was dreaming of the cats at Cats on Tuesday. Willow, are you going to join Rhett on the Friday's Ark and at the Carnival of the Cats, hosted this Sunday by Artsy Catsy? Yes? OK!

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Miss Chloe: The Grande Dame of Culture and Civility

Miss Chloe enjoys the finer things in life...an opera perhaps?
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"No tame animal has lost less of its native dignity or maintained more of its ancient reserve." ~ William Conway

Miss Chloe is almost 16 years old. She has been a faithful and loving companion since arriving in our home when she was but 8 weeks old. Always reserved, impeccably groomed and with unswerving attention to detail in her appearance and the placement of both tail and feet, she is the "Grand Dame of Culture and Civility". Even when bombarded with the chaos of wrestling kittens, the mournful meowing of a cat with questionable sanity (Rhett) and the grumpy growling of her failing aged sister...she maintains her dignity and poise.

One must always make time in one's day for a long, nap in the sun.

These days, she is very thin and walks a bit stiffly and her appetite wanes. She has a more select palate and has to be gently prodded to finish her food. She has mild kidney failure at this point but won't touch the special diet.. so she gets what she wants.. Fancy Feast Turkey and Giblets feast.. ground more finely so it will set well on her stomach. I think she misses snuggling up with her sister Clover, who passed away last October and she is more restless while in the house, walking all around the rooms and back to the door. Now she prefers the soft bean bag chair next to the heater in the garage... I think she feels safe here. And even though her legs are a bit stiff and her body aging, she still maintains that dignified air of royalty........long live Queen Chloe.

Miss Chloe gets to visit today over at Cats on Tuesday. She is old and frail, but she still likes to see the kitties she has grown to know these last few years on Friday's Ark and at the Carnival of the Cats. The carnival is hosted by No Cats Allowed this week.

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