Thankful Thursday

TBT:  Remembering past Mews... 

Young Skeeter (8 months)...  I need to see the old pictures to remember how much he was more "spotted" than "tabby".  And I picture more white.  Without seeing actual pictures, I think of him looking more like Marley.  But he was so different!

LC, old...  This was actually one of her last pictures.  The younger ones are "cute".  But this one is the memory I will always hold.  At peace with the world and showing her love of the outside world.  No indoor waterbowl for her; she loved the taste of pondwater best.  The ripples from her tongue are wonderful.  It may be the best picture I ever took.  Not that I had anything to do with composing it.  It just happened and I was lucky enough to have a camera at hand.

Young Ayla...  Maybe a year old.  As a Princess, posing "purrfectly" just came naturally to her.  I can't have just "one favorite cat", but she is "up there".  

Middle-age Iza...  Iza was a very strong-minded cat.  Fierce with mousies and intruders and fierce in the house.  But soft as a cotton candy when on my lap or under the covers in bed.

Young Laz...  Too short a life.  A year in a bad home, a calm year here with Lori and I, and then it all went back downhill suddenly in the memories his troubled mind finally couldn't escape.

[Rather much edited as I re-read my original post]

Easy Like Sunday

Some replies to Friday Flashback, and Skeeter:

Meezer's Mews said "You were so kind hearted and Skeeter was grateful to you forever more! You have many sweet memories to cherish".  

Skeeter changed my life from "a cat around the house" to "a dear cat-friend" around the house.  He changed me from "a cat" to "a specific cat" as an individual.  I would not be the person I am now without having Skeeter in my life.  Let's just say he tripped a switch  in my mind.  

Mariette VandenMunckhof-Vedder said:

"What a wonderful love story between you and Skeeter!
He was lucky you rescued him from that noisy store and bringing him home.
Sure, those changes are at times traumatic to any kitty and that might explain the hiding.
But he sure learned that his life was going to be one with LOVE."

It was indeed.  Skeeter changed my life.  I cared well enough for previous cats (because I liked having one but Skeeter was more personal).  I chose him, and that made a lot of difference.  And in a way, he chose me.  He ran to me in his cage.  The "wrong cat" would not have.

Catladymac said:  " You may not get the cat you want, but you get the cat you need." Or who needs you. Skeeter's love is still with you, carrying over to all the kitties since."

Yes, Skeeter was the cat I needed and he needed me..  I don't really know why he seemed so different, but he was.  I went from "cat-liker" to "cat-lover".   

There is such a sight difference in words, but such a great difference in attitude. 

Maybe it was him, maybe it was just the right time in my life, but he changed me.  Every cat since has been an individual one, not just "the house cat".

Skeeter, in another home, might have become a very different cat.  

But here he was..

In Memorium - Skeeter

TBT:  Skeeter's Over-The-Bridge Day was December 10th back in 2008.  I somehow lost track of the dates this past week.  So I will make up for it today, as "Mancat Monday" seems appropriate...

I remember you, my Dear Friend...

Skeeter and Flashback Friday

Something went weerd with our post yesterday.  It originally had a remembrance of Skeeter's Bridge Day at the bottom.  The space is still there, but the picture and text isnt.  So we will  do that for today...

Kitten Skeeter  arrived at his Forever Home in 1992.

He departed it December 10, 2008.

Friday Flashback

Today we go WAY BACK to 2008...

LC and Ayla got along well.

A little chasing never hurt anyone.

Skeeter would sit on the deck after dark, but not wander.  His hunting days were past, but he still enjoyed the smell of the outdoors. 

Note the door was open, so he could come in anytime.  But he also came in when called.

   ------------

TBT:   I sometimes forget how completely orange he was but for the feet and chest. 

It is good to see such old pictures again...

Flashback Friday

Today we go back to this week in 2010.  Iza was looking at Skeeter's Memorial Marker. 

She is now next to him where the plant on the right was.  It seems appropriate...

Flashback Friday

IZA:  Today on this day in 2010, I went out exploring.  The weather was decent.

I wandered along the paths.

And remembered why I came out.

I wanted to visit Skeeter (The Cat Who Came Before) and LC (who I knew for a year).

I left a few chin rubs for both...

And then sat back to look at both memorials. 

I sure hope mine is long time from now, but it is good to know we are remembered.  I asked Dad if he had letters for me.  He said no, "It will be a long time.  And don't worry about it Sweet Girl, let's go in and I'll open the treat jar".

Yay, treats!

Dad is still fighting with the new computer...

Friday Flashback

Today for Flashback Friday, we are going back to our original post.  There were no pictures.  Skeeter, LC, and TBT didn't know how then.

But since it is a new Decade and a New Year, this seemed a good choice.  Remembering "beginnings" is good, sometimes.  Enjoy the first day...

"

August 25, 2006

WE HAVE A BLOG!

The Big Thing In The House has been reading PsychoKitty for 2 times of snow and we have seen pictures of kitties all that time. Sometimes he would laugh or cry and tell us about the other kitties! He finally explained to us (after we walked on the keyboard enough times) that he was reading about the kitties we saw the pictures of. Apparently, it finally connected to The Big Thing that we wanted to try it ourselves.

We don't know how this works out, but we're always willing to give anything a try.

So, we'll start with introductions and then mention a few things about meeting The Big Thing and our kittenhoods in upcoming posts.

-----

I'm Skeeter. I'm the oldest, so I get to start first! I've seen 13 snowy times and 14 hot times. The Big Thing says I was born on July 4th, and that seems pretty important to him, so I'm SPECIAL! I'm orange with a white belly and socks and I am just the handsomest cat there ever was. I'm just a big rippling mass of muscle and I can reach up and paw The Big Thing's belt when we are both on our hind legs! I weighed 16 pound-things once, but I've slimmed down to 14 (all the better to chase those tree-rats outside). Someday, I'll catch one, too! Little sister is fun to play with, but she is mean sometimes.

-----

LC here. "Big Bother" thinks he is sooooo hot stuff, but I know better. We laid out snowy-time sticks once and he only had one more than I did! Big deal… And his precious orange and white fur? Hah, black and white is much nicer and straight-forward, and I am a very straight-forward kitty. If it smells good or it moves, I eat it! When Skeeter was fat, I was lean at 8 pound-things. I'm 10 pounds now and I can knock him right over (when he isn't looking). And when we get done playing, most of the fur-on-the-floor is his. Hah! But he is big and warm, and he is a good groomer, so I like sleeping next to him. When I am tired of being groomed, I just bite his ear (not hard, you know, but it keeps him in his place).

-----

The Big Thing is showing us pictures of ourselves, and we will be choosing some to use soon…

Next – The mystery of the names

Skeeter&LC"

An Odd Surprise

TBT here:  I had a strange day yesterday.  I got up late and had to go visit the dentist for a 6 month checkup.  Everything is fine, but there is one tiny cavity that will be filled easily in 2 weeks.  I didn't eat before the visit.  And I didn't eat after.  I did some useful work around the yard and house.  And never got hungry.

Some days are like that.  And I wouldn't be posting this here (instead of on my personal blog) but it involves Skeeter.

I updated a few programs, and one tells me about blog visitors.  Don't worry, its nothing personal.  But it suggested that I had suddenly had some 1,000+ visitors.  Well, that happened many years ago and it turned out that some weerdos had gotten into really old Skeeter&LC posts and left ads in Chinese.  Took weeks to get rid of most of them and some are unremovable.

So, to look for new ads in old ones, I scrolled down my list of old posts and AT RANDOM, I  SWEAR, I landed on December 10, 2008.  Opened it.  Skeeter's Bridge Day...

I re-read the comments to that post for an hour.  And then the posts the next days.  It was hard, but sweet at the same time.  I still miss him so much after 11 years.  Ayla, Iza, and Marley have filled my life since he and LC went OTB.

I cried again reading the comments.   And so many friends.  Most don't blog anymore or have gone OTB themselves, or have changed blog names and I've lost track.  I clicked on a lot of the names to see if they were still blogging.  Well, back a few years when the "Prove You Are A Person" security started, I got annoyed and deleted some blogs from my Feedly list.  Stupid me...  I've been trying to find some of those bloggers lately and found most were unactive.

The list of bloggers who helped me through those dark days is very long.  And I was surprised at how many of you are still blogging.  Some I thought were "newer" were there then.  It was "enlightening".

Most wrote comments of support, some wrote poems, others encouraged me to pay attention to LC and Ayla.  All was so helpful to my grieving heart.  So I wanted to take time today to say "Thank You" to those of you who were there then.  And no disrespect to newer bloggers; you just weren't there then. 

Over the years, I still sometimes cry when I think of Skeeter (and LC).  But there is less pain when I do.  When I sometimes call Marley "Skeeter", it is just an accident of memory, not a wish he could be replaced with Skeeter. 

Skeeter was the first cat I had for so long from kittenhood to death.  That was profound.  Someone commented this year (I have the world's worst memory for names) that I shouldn't think in terms of "A" heartcat and she was right.  They are ALL "heartcats" now.  I could not choose among Ayla, Iza, or Marley for "heartcat" today. 

Ayla and I struggled together through 3 spay operations before it got done right.  And she HAS to greet me in the morning at eye level on the dresser or shoe rack.  Iza is so attached to me that she cries if we are both outside and she loses track of where I am.  So I always have an ear open.  And she is distressed if she isn't in the same room.  Marley is a lot like Skeeter.  But he wants to know where I am too.  Outside, he is MANCAT, Grim Reaper of mousies.  Inside, he wants my presence.

I cherish them all.  I know that someday, they too will leave.  And they will leave a huge hole in my heart when they do.  I have trouble imagining a time when one or all are gone.  They are my constant companions.  I talk to them and they talk back.  I speak basic "cat".

I tried to imagine my life without cats in it a few days ago.  I couldn't.  There will be cats in my life until they haul me off to the crematorium.  Or the hospice or nursing home, whichever happens first.  I understand them (a brave statement to make but one I am sure of).  They are not my "pets" or my "children".  They are my housemates and my friends.  Yeah, maybe they require more care than other housemates (but you should have seen SOME I had in apartments). 

Anyway, this, I suppose, is a post of joy to The Mews.  Long may they walk with tails high, use the litterboxes. cost more in food than I spend on myself, and gladden my life every day...

BTW, I never found any "chinese ads", so I don't know what Statcounter was telling me.

10 Years

TBT here:  It seems strange that Skeeter went over the bridge 10 years ago.  It doesn't seem like it was that long ago.  I still miss him.

Protector of sisfur LC...

Such a handsome and loving cat...  He could slip under the covers at night and rest next to me without disturbing my sleep.  Happy to be close to me.

He had gorgeous fur patterns.  Spots...
He had a wonderful send-off...


And he stays in our thoughts every day in the yard...

Flashback Friday

IZA:  Well this flashback is from this week in 2010.  I like it cuz it is all about ME!

Early in the day I was outside an drank some good water from the little pond.

Then I went over and spent some time at Skeeters Memorial Spot.  I never met him (I arrived just a month after he left).  So this spot is the closest I can get to him.  Sometimes I hear whispers from him.  LC can hear him clearly cuz she lived here with him fer so long.

Then later inside, I had fun sneaking all around the house doing stuff like crawling unner the front of a chair...

An then comin out the other side.

12th Blogoversary!

TBT here:  It feels like just yesterday...  12 years...

I think I will just offer pictures of the cats here who made it possible.  Skeeter and LC were here at the start.  And had to leave too soon.
 
And it has been Ayla, Iza, and Marley since.


Thank you for liking our blog enough to keep visiting...

Mancat Monday

MARLEY:   We have all been bored with napping spots lately [TBT:  Only about 50 spots each, what a tragedy]  HEY!  TBT, this is MY post...

Annyway, before I was so rudely innerupted, we are allus on the lockout fer new spots or old spots we have forgotten.  I found a spot I had forgotten.  TBT says it is one of the original spots for Skeeter and LC.  It was originally a stand-up column with a middle with kittens ta climb around.  And when Skeeter and LC got too big for it, he beat the middle part out, removed all the sharp fasteners and made it a cave.  

Then he built Skeeter&LC's 1st cat tree around it.  Just 3 platforms up like stairs, but they loved it, and I do too.  In fact, I'm the only one who uses it.  But I had been forgetting the cave at the bottom...

I remember napping in it years ago as a kitten.  And the other day, just before I hopped up the 3 platforms to sleep on the top, I looked in the old cave for a bit and decided it looked pretty comfy.  

 

A convenient ramp/scratcher right at the front too!  I think I like this spot.  And that it was Skeeter's favrite spot makes it nice, too!  

Remembering...

This is a day of remembering...  Is it only 9 years since Skeeter went to the Bridge?  It seems like a lifetime. 

I wish cats could be cloned.  I would love to have Marley and Skeeter meet.  They would be BFFs.

I love seeing Brofurs on other blogs.  They seem so happy together.  Marley and Skeeter would be like that.

He was a handsome cat.  He had odd gorgeous fur-patterns...

He protected LC and he was a good Protector of Ayla when she was new here.

He struggled his last few weeks.  The vet said to wait.  I think that was wrong.  Struggling isn't a good thing sometimes.  He was confused, stopped eating, and I was in misery about it.  He was my first cat who died slowly and I didn't know what to do. 

I should have let him run free a month or so earlier.  But he taught me when to know to do that.  A little early is kinder than a little later...

He was a sweet cat, always smelled like baby powder.

Friends at the time set up a sending-off tribute...

And he rests here, close by the pond he spent his last day beside...

Miss you, Skeeter...

Freaky Friday

If you Beins ever notice us in the litter box not actually "doing" annything there (immediately), it is because we are thinking of ways to get into the screw-top treat jar...

Well, we cant read magazines, so we have to think of "something"!

Remembering Skeeter

It has been 8 years since Skeeter left for the Rainbow Bridge.  

Today, as on so many days,  he is in our thoughts.  But today is the special day for that...

MAY 7, 1992 TO DECEMBER 10, 2008

In Memorium

Seven years gone now...  Is it ONLY 7 years?  It seems like forever since Skeeter had to head off for The Bridge!  At least I have memories and pictures.  And I can post the pictures...

He was so tiny when he first came home...
 
But he quickly grew into a handsome mancat.

He was a good protective Big Brofur to LC.

He loved to stand up to get his treats.

 Sometimes he slept in very odd positions!

He has a permanent spot in the yard.  Its where he spent his last afternoon here.


I sure do miss you my dear friend.  But we will be together again some day...

The Mystery Celebration Is...

POSTS!

But put in better pictures...

AYLA:  It began on a quiet day in August 2006 (so Im told).  Skeeter and LC and TBT were reading the blog of Max The Psychokitty, as usual, over the past couple years.  Clicking around links there (and we dont know where ezactly), they found a button on a blog that said "FREE BLOG".  They considered it.  A lot.  Buttons can be dangerous.  They clicked the button...

And wonderment happened! A BLOG! 

It was confoosin at first.  Skeeter told me about it when I arrived an first learned to speak.  They couldn't figure out how to post at all, but managed it after some tries.  THEN couldn't get annyone to notice them.  And THEN couldnt figure out fancy stuff like posting pictures.  But The Meezers visited, then a few other cats, and Skeeter and LC figured out how to write in Bein werds a bit (it was hard at first).

They got a bit better at werds, an finally figured out pictures a little.  After a few months, they were right darn pleased with themselfs!

But Skeeter and LC were both 14 and 13 when they started, and learning new stuff when yer older is tricky.  They struggled and messed up, but allus did their best.

It was just in time fer Skeeter.  Only a year an a half later, he kinna "lost" it.  An 6 months after that he hadda go to the Bridge.  LC followed him in January 2010.

Im saying all this cuz I was there in Jan 2008 and knew Skeeter and LC both.  Skeeter was failing but still kind an protective to me just as he allus was to LC.  He was ONE great brofur!!!
Im the cat-memory around here...  Iza came along before LC left us if memory serves, and Marley 2 years later.  Skeeter and LC were, well, "Skeeter and LC".  We here now are "The Mews".  TBT renamed our blog because he (sadly) realized the blog might outlast some of us.  I helped TBT decide on THAT name and am quite proud of myself for it.  Cuz I "mew" a lot to him.

And "Mews" also means a place where animals live with humans, the noise we cats make, and a "hide-away secret place". 

So Ive been here 7 years, Iza 6, and Marley 4.  What a long strange trip we each had getting here.  I arrived as a failed Queen from a breeder cuz I was too small, Iza from the same place because her colors were wrong (well, she WAS a Tonkie), and Marley went from a shelter, to a Bein who was allergic to cats, to here.  We dont blame no Beins cuz they were all right fer their reasons.

But it was all fer the best cuz we are all of us in the RIGHT place now.  Ya cant ask fer more than that!  None of us want ta be ANNYWHERE else.  Ya unnerstand that, right?

So we have been teachin TBT ("The Big Thing", fer any of you readin this that dont know) how to care fer our every needs properly.  Fer a Bein, hes a bit quicker on the uptake than some.  I assume Skeeter and LC (and The Cats Who Came Before) had a lot ta to with that.  Purrsonally, I think we are lucky coming along in the later years after he was "reasonably" well-trained.  More to do of course, but at least not the basics.

So NOW we celebrate...

An we are gonna celebrate it WELL!  There is gonna be a BIG PAWTY!  We spent yesserday night in preperation getting ourselfs ready.

An we were all a flutter!  We hate ta admit it, but TBT had ta finally get us firmly in paw hand an help us get organized.  He IS good at helpin us.

Like see?

OK, OK, we're ready.  And HERE WE GO!!!

We have great foods and drinks and games, but that aint all, y'all!  We got some fancy foods and drinks and games!

We have a BIRDIE stuffed inna a CHICKIE, stuffed inna a DUCK, stuffed inna TURKEY!  We wanned TBT ta do beasts, but TBT said no way was he gonna try everythin from mousies ta elephants.  An the elephant-delivery guy was off on vacation annyway.  So its birdies of various sorts.

The drinks are over-the-top too (over the top of what, we arent sure but it CANT be over the top of the glasses annyway).  We got Meowgaritanips, Nipmeowgaritas, Creme de la Meowgaritanips, and probly some creme de la Nipmeogaritas somewhere.  Bet there are some Ice Cream Nips too.

Had a SalmonTurkey Whip?  No?  Try it, youll like it.

The TV has the Catsitter DVDs going, the radio out back has a CD with birdsongs (cuz we are pretty sure the reglar birdies will take the day off with ALL us cats around), an we have Evil Skwerl tails in the basement ta sniff and whap.

And there are big printed pictures taped all around the house...

LC Glamor shot...

Skeeter Glamor shot...

To remember our beginnings...

And pictures of US to remember OUR happiness here together now...

and...

and...

and...

and...

and...

and...

So from Skeeter and LC getting to 500 posts or so, we have carried it on proudly.  But humbly too.

We wouldnt have done it iffen there werent all of YOU.  You are all the reason we post.

It has been

posts.  And iffen there is another 3000, it is because of you, our friends across the Cat Blogoverse...

We have loved doing every post.  From Easy Like Sunday, Mancat Monday, Tummy Tuesday, Werdless Wensday, Garden Tour Thursday, Freaky Friday, Caturday Saturday, and all the occasional themes in between, it has been the pleasure of our times to have friends who cared to share our daily lives.  For ourselfs, for Skeeter and LC, and for all the cats-who-came-before there was a blog...

Now let the pawty BEGIN!

The games THIS TIME arent the usual ones.  There is the shrimp quest (barely cooked shrimps hidden around the house), the 150' outdoors run (from the deck to the fence and back), the deck rail jump, the outdoor ladder climb (a real ladder to the roof, BTW), the fishie tank pawing (TBT got a dozen small goldfish just for today),  the mousies in the baftub event (we've saved some just fer this), and the "up the wall event" (TBT hung a 12' carpet runner up the stair wall fer climbing).

So get into yer tunnels or whatevers and come join us!

And yeah, there are bags, boxes, and Esses...