End of an era and many sads

We lost Tabby in September, Rori in November, and Starla in December.  This scrapbook page was made by Mommy using scrapbooking supplies from The Cherry On Top.

Shadow:  Uncle Panther, I has a sads.  I has many sads.
Panther:  Me, too, Shadow.  It's not just a kitten feeling.  We big cats have it, too.  Anytime we have to say goodbye to a family member, it's hard, and especially this past year.  We had to say goodbye to the three oldest.
Shadow:  But why?  Why did they have to run off to the Bridge?  I only just got here, and only just met them, and now not only Auntie Tabby but Auntie Rori and Auntie Starla are gone, too!
Panther:  Because no one lives forever, little one.  Not even aunties and uncles, or mommies or daddies.  We all will someday run off to the Bridge, too, but hopefully not for a long time.
Shadow:  I know they didn't feel well.  Is that why?  Were they all sickies?
Panther:  Yes, Shadow, they were all sick.  Rori and her sister Little Bit, who went to the Bridge before you came to live with us, both had seizures and Rori's were getting a lot worse.  She was so weak that she could barely move around, yet somehow she kept going when we thought we would have had to say goodbye to her a while ago.  I don't know how she had the strength to keep on going, but that's part of what made her such a wonderful Big Kitty.  I miss her, too.  I wish she were still here so that I didn't have to be the Big Kitty now.  Even though I'm in charge, I don't want to be.
Shadow:  Really?  But you're a great kitty to have in charge!
Panther:  Thank you.  But yes, really.  Rori was the best Big Kitty, even better than when Auntie Tigress was the outside Big Kitty.  Tigress doesn't want to be the inside Big Kitty, though.  She's done with that job now that she's inside.
Shadow:  Oh.  Was it just the shakes that Rori had that made her sickies?
Panther:  We don't know.  Not even the vet knew for sure, although they think that she had pancreatitis, too.  She had that for a while.  All we know is that Rori was very, very sick and one day she just couldn't hold on any longer.  She stopped eating and drinking, and then got so weak that she couldn't barely pull herself to the litter box.  She was begging Mommy and Daddy to help her, so they helped her to the Bridge.  She was hurting a lot.
Shadow:  I'm glad she's not hurting any more.
Panther:  Me, too.
Shadow:  But what about Auntie Starla?  She smelled bad.  She peed on the floor.
Panther:  Yes, she did.  She never really learned how to use the litter box.  Her original people were bad.
Shadow:  You mean they returned her like my first people did?
Panther:  No, even worse than you can ever imagine.  They didn't ever take care of her.  They scared and hurt her and wouldn't let her inside their house.
Shadow:  That's super-bad!
Panther:  Yes, and there's more, but I'll wait until you're a little older to tell you that.  So she never was taught to use the litter box like most indoor kitties.  She used the floor instead, although Mommy and Daddy taught her to use the floors that were easier to clean up.
Shadow:  And the tub.
Panther:  Yes, and the tub.  That was easiest to clean up!  But then she got really sick and forgot to use the easy-to-clean-up spots.  She used the new wood floors, which was a big no-no.
Shadow:  Is that why she ran off to the Bridge?
Panther:  No, not really.  Mommy cleaned up after her, and so did Daddy sometimes.  They didn't like cleaning all that up, but they knew that Starla couldn't remember to use the other places.  The reason she had to run off to the Bridge just before Christmas was that she got cancer.
Shadow:  What's that?  Whatever it is, I know it isn't a nice thing!  Mean cancer.
Panther:  Yes, it is mean.  It means she was very sick, as sick as Tabby was, but in a different way.  That's why she was so skinny.  Then, when she was too tired and sick to notice that she was peeing when she was sleeping, Mommy and Daddy knew it was time to help her to the Bridge.
Shadow:  What does Mommy mean when she keeps saying that it's the end of an era?
Panther:  Well, none of the kitties who are here now were the ones who moved here with Mommy and Daddy ten years ago.  I wasn't even born then, and neither were any of the others who are here now.
Shadow:  Not even Freya & Heimdall?  They're old, but not as old as the others!
Panther:  Not even them.  The ones who moved here were Tabby, Carbon, Skylar, Rori, Starla, and Spooky.  He looked like you and like me, but he ran off to the Bridge when he was a kitten.  Everyone else, everyone who is here now, wasn't even born then.
Shadow:  Oh.  I don't want anyone else to go away!
Panther:  I don't, either.  *licks the top of Shadow's head*

Happy Purrthday, Rori!!!!!!

Rori writes:

I don't feel like I'm 10 years old!  I don't feel like a kitten anymore, like I was when that picture was taken.  But I certainly don't feel like I'm 10, either.  I've slowed down a bit, and I'm chunky, so my bones creak a little.  I can still run down the hallway after my younger half-sister, Little Bit, and I still fit under Daddy's dresser.

I'm the Big Kitty of the household, the alpha cat, and everyone knows it.  Even Panther, who torments me, has to respect my position in the household.  I watch over everyone, keep everyone safe, and make sure that people are where they are supposed to be.  I love hanging out with Daddy in the chair but I sometimes sit next to Mommy when she's at her computer.

I also like to check on guests, but only after the house is totally quiet.  I don't like a lot of noise, sudden movements, or strangers.  Daddy and Mommy's friend Debbie came yesterday to visit with her cat, Henry.  I met Henry before I ventured out to check on Debbie, because he came and found me in my hiding place!  He's a sweetheart, and I don't mind having him visit at all.  After a few hours, I walked down the hallway and stood in the dining room, just staring at Debbie.  Mommy called me over, but I didn't get within range of being petted by the new person.  She's ok, and she is very nice to all of us, but it may take a few more times of her visiting for me to actually go close to her.  That's ok with her, since she and Henry have moved a few hours away from us.

It's been really hot here, so I've been staying put on a low shelf/cave during the day.  Keep cool if it's hot where you live, and you can even get your purrents to put an ice cube or two in your water bowl to play with!

Feral...um...Saturday?

Sherbet writes:

*YAWNS*  Pardon me while I eat my breakfast.  I guess I slept through yesterday, because we got our Christmas present and I was too busy trying it out!  Rori and Dare love it, too, and everyone else was exploring it while Daddy was putting it together.  He bought it especially for me!  *smiles*

I was scared when I was hiding in Mommy's teaching shelf, because Panther would come and get me.  I pooped in the shelf!  It's now in another room, but I needed a hiding spot.  Daddy looked online and ordered this kitty tree!  I've never had a kitty tree before, and I didn't even know what it was for a while.  I thought it was interesting, but it smelled funny.  After a while, the smell went away almost completely.  That's when I took a chance and explored it when everyone else was sleeping.

This is my hidey-hole!  This is why Daddy bought it for me!  I can look out of here and hiss at Panther when he comes in the room, and he can't get me!  Well, he could if he tried, but he's too scared after I hiss at him and the others defend me.

It has six levels, two of which are platforms with a raised edge.  Perfect for napping spots!  Then there's my hidey-hole, and the other regular platforms, including the base.  The platforms and hidey-hole are carpeted, and the posts are wrapped with sisal.  I guess it's nice to scratch on, but I haven't tried it yet.  Rori and Dare have demonstrated it, though.  None of us have tried out the roof of the hidey-hole, but our purrents are sure that we'll get to that eventually.

The other big news is that I've been letting the humans pet me!  Mommy is able to pet my back, flank, and tail with the back of her hand.  Daddy is able to pet a whisker and get a nose-touch sometimes.  Auntie Shawnee is able to pet my tail, but she accidentally pets my feet.  I hate my feet touched!  Mommy Lana isn't able to get near me, but I watch her from the floor sometimes when she's got her door open.  I do the slow blink at everyone, because I'm pretty content all the time.

Mean Purrents!

Sherbet writes:

Auntie Rori, is this how purrents are supposed to act?  (Sherbet looks at Rori, who's sound asleep, snuggling next to him.)  Mommy, why did you and Daddy double-team me with a big blankie at 4 in the morning?  You wanted to put what on me?  Flea medicine?  I don't want them to get medicine; I want them off me.  Oh?  That's what flea medicine does?  Is that why I don't feel them crawling around my nose so much now?  Ok, I think.  I'll forgive you for putting the stuff on me, but it'll take me a while to forgive Daddy for chasing me around the room and wrapping me up in the big blankie.

Mommy writes:

This was Sherbet's first time having flea medicine put on him, and he was thoroughly traumatized, as only a true feral can get from something like this.  Rori decided to cheer him up by snuggling with him for hours; as the alpha of the household she knows that her job is to care for the others.

Happy 9th Gotcha Day to Rori!

Rori writes:

Believe it or not, I was once this small!  That's Mommy Erin with me at 4 weeks old, when I was first brought in to my forever home.  Nine years ago today, Mommy Erin came running into the house, saying "There are kittens crossing the road!  There's kittens in the neighbor's yard!"  Sure enough, my brother, Knut, and I had crossed the road by ourselves at 4 weeks old and were having a grand time playing in the tires in Dale's yard.  Mommy and Mommy Erin climbed the fence and saw us disappearing around the corner of the house.  They chased us around for a bit, and my brother ran off, but I hid in a tire.  I thought they wouldn't be able to see me there, but they saw my eyes!  Mommy picked me out of the tire, which was on its side on the ground, and handed me to Mommy Erin.  Mommy Erin brought me inside and handed me to Daddy, then both mommies went out to get my brother.

They had to entice him into a carrier by putting a can of tuna in, then shutting the door while he was munching!  After we had a bath, we snuggled together and got warm, then ate some KMR.  It wasn't our mama-cat's milk, but it was pretty good!

My brother got adopted out soon after that, after he was old enough.  I became Mommy Erin's kitten!  I especially loved sitting on her laptop keyboard after she was done using it, because it was warm!  When JJ was born, Mommy Erin asked if I could stay with Mommy and Daddy because she had her hands full caring for the new baby.  Of course, that worked out just fine, and I became a permanent member of their household, then soon became the Big Kitty (alpha cat).

Eight years and a lot of household changes later, I'm still Big Kitty and loving it!  We have two other humans staying with us temporarily, and I just now am letting both of them see me and semi-interact with me.  They still don't get to pet me, though!  I snuggle with Mommy and Daddy sometimes, and keep tabs on my auntie, uncle, half-sister, cousins, nieces, and nephews.  The only one I'm biologically related to is Little Bit.  We had the same dad, but not the same mom.  My mom-cat was a feral named Rachel, and our dad-cat was a pet cat named SpongeBob.

Happy 9th Purrthday to Rori!

Rori writes:

Wow!  I'm 9 years old?  I don't feel like I'm a senior cat!  It's hard to believe that 9 years ago today in a yard in SE Portland, OR, USA, my mom-cat gave birth to my brother Knut and me.  I think we had other littermates, too, but I'm not sure because it was so long ago and I was so young (4 weeks old) when I got adopted.  My mom-cat, Rachel, was a feral, and my dad-cat, Spongebob, was an unfixed pet.  My brother's dad remains unknown.  I only know who my dad-cat was because Little Bit and I have the same dad-cat (and so do two of Little Bit's kittens).  Little Bit and I aren't littermates, though.  I'm the older sister!

Here's a picture of my brother, Knut, hugging me in our sleep.  We had just had a bath, and are approximately 4 1/2 weeks old in that picture.

Here's Knut a few years ago, playing at being a Jedi!  His mommy, my mommy's coworker Tritia, took this picture while she was folding laundry.  Our mommies like to compare notes on how we're doing, because we still have some of the same quirks and personality traits, despite having been in separate homes since we were about two months old.

Yummy Treats!

Little Bit:  Freya, what do you have there?
Freya:  They're some new treats that we got in the mail!  The nice folks at Chewy.com sent us these new Greenies to try!
Autumn:  Fun paper, Auntie Freya, can I play?
Freya:  Yes, Autumn, but don't spill the Greenies.
Little Bit:  She can't; they're resealable.  See the top of the bag?  That keeps them from falling out and keeps them safe from kitten paws.
Autumn:  But not kitten teeth!  Can we open them yet?
Freya:  Better let Mommy give you some, rather than trying to bite the packet.  You know she doesn't like when we help ourselves, because then we tend to eat too many at once!

Rori:  They sure smell good!  What flavor are they?
Mommy:  They're tuna-flavored and salmon-flavored.  The tuna flavor is the SmartBites Hairball Control formula and the salmon flavor is the Healthy Skin and Fur formula.
Rori:  Does this mean that they'll help with my matting?
Mommy:  Yes, but you still have to let me brush the shed fur before the mats start.
Rori:  Do I get these treats afterward?  Please?
Mommy:  I can do that!

Sherbet:  Are these even food?  They taste too good to be real food?
Mommy:  They're called treats, Sherbet.  They're special, not part of your regular food.
Sherbet:  I think I like treats!

Disclaimer:  We were given the Greenies by the people at Chewy.com in exchange for a review.
  All opinions are our own and not influenced by the sponsors.

Under!

Carbon under the blinds at our house in Portland

Squishy (one of Little Bit's kids) under the blinds, trying to imitate Uncle Carbon

Kai (one of Little Bit's kids) under a scarf at his new mommy's house just after adoption

Rori under ponies just after we moved to our current house

Starla under the big chair (with Spooky 2 up top and Skylar in the middle)

Carbon under chart paper just after we moved

Rori being a bed lump

Rori and her brother Knut as kittens at our old house, in the basket under the stroller

Rori under the table but on the chair

Miss Marble under the chair (and one of the twins on it)

Tabby:  Get off of me, Little Bit!

Heimdall checking out Tigress

Freya under the covers

Panther thinking he's hiding under the table

Tigress under a chair

Knut under a blanket at his new mommy's house

Missy under wrapping paper

Sherbet under Daddy's dresser

Almost-Wordless Wednesday: Maniacs!

Carbon vs. pipe cleaners

Tabby chillaxin'

Skylar stealing Mommy Erin's jerky

Rori tackling Tabby to play (while Tabby was trying to sleep)

Squishy (one of Little Bit's kittens) falling asleep in his "flying saucer" (aka crazy circle)

Daddy put a straw wrapper on Skylar's head

Freya putting a yarn ball in Daddy's shoe

Mommy Erin playing fuzzy sockie with Freya while JJ watches

Heimdall and Freya playing with the laundry hamper

Heimdall getting the camera strap

Somebody put ribbons in the tub

Hemming (Tigress' brother) insisting that's the way into the trap

Tabby tried to play with Mommy's coffee cup sleeve

Panther sleeping upside-down

Love

Rori and her brother Knut as kittens

Tabby with baby Rori

Baby Rori and Lydia

Skylar and Starla

Skylar and Lydia

Tabby and Spooky 1

Skylar and Cloud (one of Little Bit's kittens)

Rori and Little Guy (one of Little Bit's kittens)

Carbon, Rori, and Smokey (Little Bit's sister)

Spooky 2

Freya and Heimdall

Heimdall and Hemming (Tigress' brother)