A Long Time

Abby: Yes, it has been a very long time since we have written. TOO long. That is why I have such a grumpy face:

Abby Normal is grumpy.

However, we are very happy to report that all is well, here in the home of Abby Normal, Stygia, and Sticks! Everyone is healthy, warm, and very lazy. Okay, well, we don't LET Ms. C and Mr. R be too lazy, because we need to be fed on a very regular basis.

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Sticks: As you can see, I am an excellent guard-cat. This spot is not only the ideal place for me to survey the most important things that happen in my home, but it is also very comfy!

Toilet Cat, Sticks.

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Worm: Look at me. I am obviously the most gorgeous cat in this house. I am sleek, mysterious, and unlike Sticks, my fur is never unkempt.

Stygia, House Panther.

Happy Gotcha Day and Birthday, Stygia!

Stygia: Today is a very special day for me, because it is both my Gotcha Day and my seventh Birthday! As you can see, I am here putting my paw down early in the morning so that Ms. C will be sure to commemorate this day as she ought!

When I first came to my forever home in August of 2008, I was 2 years old, and so skinny that Ms. C and Mr. R thought they were adopting an oriental style cat. However, as you can see from the examples below, this was not the case! I was depressed and not eating, but as soon as Ms. C gave the the BLUE MOUSIE that you see me rolling with, I knew that I was loved and promptly began to eat and play the way I really wanted to do. I just wanted to know I was loved. 

Besides being my birthday and gotcha day, I hope today will be just like every day since I came to my forever home with Ms. C and Mr. R -- one in which I can roll, play, snooze, and cuddle to my heart's content! 

Abby gets a turn!

Abby: Stygia is usually the one in the window all day long. She has black fur and, snakelike, lays there and totally bakes her brains out. She is such a sun pig! I hardly ever get a turn. But today I did!

As you can see, I am enjoying myself very much. VERY MUCH! I hope all of you are having as spectacular a weekend as I am. 

Worm

Stygia: I am going to tell you a secret today, although I don't want it to be a secret any longer. I am going to tell you my True Name.

When Ms. C and Mr. R rescued me from the SPCA, there was a little card on my cage that said my name was "Bear." Ms. C says I probably got this name when I was a kitten, because I am black and you know how kittens look before their ears really develop, they have little bear-ears. But I never responded to this name, so they called me Stygia.

Mr. R invented the name Stygia, from the word "stygian" which refers to the way the river Styx looks -- black as night. This is the name on my medical records and what my people often call me. It is my given name, but it is still not my True Name.

One day a few weeks ago, Ms. C called to me (as a joke, she thought), and said, "Come here, little worm!" How did she know? I thought. I ran to her. She just called me by my True Name! She thought it was a fluke, so she moved away and said it again: "Come here, Worm!"

This was wonderful! She was calling me by the name I prefer, and so I ran over to her again.

She called Mr. R over to witness this because she just could not believe it, and wanted him to believe it. "Here, Worm!" he called to me. With a happy meow, I ran to him.

So now you know the story of how my people discovered my True Name. I prefer to be called Worm, and I respond to it by running to my people when they use it. I am training them well, and we are all happier! Ms. C thought I would never learn my name, but she was wrong; they were just using the wrong one.

PS. Our Mum thought about doing a Veteran's Day post, but so many of you have done such wonderful tributes already. We will tell you what we did today -- our Mr. R is a veteran, and we respectfully let him sleep in today without disturbing him at all! It is the best we cats could do.

Remote Report II

Abby: This picture was just taken today!  I didn't even know anyone was taking my picture  because I was dreaming.

Springy Sunday

Stygia: It's Sunday. I've decided to take it easy on this very nice, warm, spring-like afternoon. I've been spending a lot more time in my people's laps, and I think they enjoy it as much as I do! It was so warm today, Mr. R actually opened the screen door to the balcony because it was getting too warm inside the house!

Abby: I don't know how she can stay relaxed on a day like today. The sounds and scents coming in through the screen have me quite excited. I was a bit nervous at first, about approaching the smells and sounds (it's very windy outside as well), but now I just can't help running around and stopping by to investigate this exciting thing! Wow!!!


PS. We have a meme/award from Tama-Chan and Tom, and plan to tackle it tomorrow, Ms. C says we have to put on our thinking caps before we try it . . . and that's rather tough for us at the moment!

Thankful Thursday

Abby & Stygia: Ms. C just read an article in her local paper that our local animal shelter (where we both came from) closed its doors at 4pm today, almost without any notice to the public! After she relayed the information from the article to us, we are not sure how to feel about the closing of the shelter -- being embroiled in controversy and local politics is not something we cats care to involve ourselves in.

What are we thankful for? We are thankful that Ms. C and Mr. R were able to adopt us before the closing of this shelter. Yes, there are other shelters and rescues they could have adopted from, but if they'd gone elsewhere, would they have found US?! No! And of course we are very, very special cats, they're very lucky to have found us . . . not to sound ungrateful, I guess that means all four of us are thankful and lucky!

We are also thankful that some local rescue groups were able to come in and take some of the animals at short notice.

Stygia: I was scared and depressed when I moved in to my new home here, but have since really acclimated to it. I show my love to my people by rolling, sometimes repeatedly, and getting a great belly-rubbing! Right now, however, I need to get back to sitting by and meowing at Mr. R's chair, cause I know it's almost time for him to return from work and I miss him!

Abby: Do you really like him that much, or is it his scent?

Stygia: I don't just like him, I love him!

There are lots and lots of things to be thankful for . . . our cozy home, fuzzy afghans, feeding time, and most of all, friends!

YAY!

Abby & Stygia: HOORAY! Ms. C is home! Oh, please, come feed us.... and watch us wrestle!! Help us eat, and sleep.

Amazed

Stygia: For awhile now, Abby and I believed that Mr. R and Ms. C are probably the only other humans left in the world, and that was ok with us. Two cats, two people, what could be more perfect than that? But we learned today that there are Other People in the world, too. Ms. C's parents are here, and we are amazed! I am not afraid, however. It means there are four more legs to rub against!

Abby: I like to show the world how brave I am, but the truth is, I am a bit shy. I guess I was a little bit rude to Ms. C's Mom yesterday, and I hissed at her. I did it even though I kept walking over to her to check her out. I just needed to warn her that I had to sniff her first. I mean, I am not one of those cats that runs and hides as soon as they arrived, I am way too curious for that! But people need to know their place. Cats first!

They brought us a present all the way from Prince Edward Island, so now we have some new, very luxurious bowls to eat from! They are almost as adorable as we are:

Wild!!!

PS. Be sure to visit Stygia for Stygian Saturdays over at House Panthers!

Close Encounters of the Furred Kind

Stygia: Well, I spent almost all of last evening upstairs, mostly in the special cat-only chair next to Ms. C's own that you see here. I am sure you have seen a lot of pictures of Abby in the chair. As I relaxed, Abby jumped up to be in the chair and she got a surprise! She found ME in it! However, I was not to be removed from the comfy situation:


As you can see, I watched very calmly as she arrived and then left:

I had such a wonderful evening! Abby was kind and did not bother me much at all, she let me alone to stretch out my paw and keep a close eye on Ms. C. Then we all went downstairs together to bed! It could not have been more ideal.