Remembering Sammi

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Donna

Lenox cat figurine "Serena"
Today would have been Sammi’s birthday. She would have been with us a little over three years and we think she’d be 13 years old. We wish we could have had many more years with her, but we are grateful for the time we had together. Sammi made us laugh, brought us joy, and taught us how to help a three-legged kitty thrive. She had her silly & playfull moments with lots of running, leaping, getting her back scratched, and begging for our food. She also had her snuggly moments cuddled beside me in bed or in her dad’s arms. When I saw this figurine I immediately thought of her – a graceful,  elegant kitty with a look of contentedness. We will remember her always.

Posted in Birthdays, Pet loss | 1 Comment

Saturday photo hunt – “Bliss”

Posted on January 21, 2012 by Donna

Blissful birdwatchingBlissful birdwatching is laying on my side on a nice warm bed while the hummingbirds come to the feeder just a few feet from my window. You can’t tell, but I’m chattering at them as they flit around.

The Saturday Photo Hunt “Bliss” theme starts here

Posted in Cat antics | 5 Comments

First person cat – book review

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Donna

First Person Cat bookFirst person cat by Jacque Heebner is about a tortie Persian named Tiffany who helps detectives solve the mystery of her mom’s murder. The story takes place in Beverly Hills, where Tiffany lives the indulged life that every cat hopes for. We know from the beginning who killed Tiffany’s mom, and we even know how it happened. But the detectives on the case need help catching the killer and Tiffany provides important clues. We get to see the world from Tiffany’s perspective as she displays her intelligence, devotion, and enchanting personality. First person cat gets 3 paws up (not 4) becuase there isn’t much mystery or suspense, but it’s a fun book to read with a charming kitty who has a fantastic personality.

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I am not a heater hog.

Posted on January 16, 2012 by Donna

Raven on heater vent

Mom thought I would enjoy being indulged by having my very own chair looking out onto the patio. I use the chair occasionally, but during winter I prefer to lay directly on the heater vent and get toasty warm air blown on me. The metal grate stays warm even when the heater is off, so I’m cozy until the heat comes on again. Since I’m big enough to cover the entire vent mom accuses me of hogging all the warm air. I don’t think of it as hogging, I just get the air first and there’s none left over for her.

Posted in Cat antics | 1 Comment

I inspired mom to buy a watercolor painting

Posted on January 15, 2012 by Donna

cat watercolor painting
When my mom was away last week, she went to an art show and was drawn to this painting. She likes that the cats aren’t too detailed, but they aren’t too abstract either. She also likes the colors and thought the cats reminded her of me and Sammi. I’m the larger black kitty and Sammi is the more dainty, colorful kitty with stripes. She thought it would be a perfect addition to our house because it’s unique just like us.  She also got to meet the man who created the painting and that’s always more interesting than buying a picture from a store. I’m glad I was able to inspire mom while she was away on her trip.

Posted in Random musings | 1 Comment

A care package for mom

Posted on January 7, 2012 by Donna

care package for momMom had to go away on a trip for 12 days, so dad helped me put together a care package for her so she wouldn’t be sad or lonely or bored while she was gone. Dad helped me make a card. It has a roadster car because she drove a long way, and a black cat waving so she always thinks of me. I made sure she had some chocolate candies because I know that’s her favorite treat. I used my allowance to get her Godiva chocolate, because I wanted to indulge her like she indulges me. Then I put in some of my favorite toys – a spongy ball and one of the new springy things I got for Christmas. With these toys she’ll have a few things to keep her from getting bored and she can have fun and get a little exercise.  I had Daddy wrap it all up and add a ribbon because ribbons are fun to play with.

Dad will take good care of me while mom is gone. Even though mom’s electric blanket won’t be on, I’ll stay warm at night because I’ll snuggle against Dad’s legs and he’s really warm. He knows exactly when to feed me and how much food I get, and he’ll keep my litterbox tidy. But most important, he’ll play with me like he always does and he’ll give me lots of extra snuggles until mom comes back.

Posted in Cat antics, Random musings | 2 Comments

Santa was very good to me

Posted on December 27, 2011 by Donna

Raven on curvy scratcher
This is what came in the big box I was playing in. It’s a gigantic cat scratcher that I can sit, lounge, and scratch on. I must have been a very good kitty this year to get this for Christmas. It’s called the PetFusion Cat Scratcher Lounge. It’s almost 3 feet long and 10 inches wide. It’s very sturdy and I feel very safe and comfy on it. I feel very indulged to have such a fancy scratcher. It’s too bad Sammi isn’t here because she would have loved this scratcher. I’ll do extra scratching in her honor!

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There’s a monster in my box

Posted on December 14, 2011 by Donna

A big box came the other day and I was allowed to play in it.
my boxSammi’s not here for me to play with anymore, so mom decided it might be fun to play with me and my box. To be honest, it was kind-of scary until I figured out it was just ”mommy monster” in my box.
my box
my box
my box
my box

Posted in Cat antics | 5 Comments

Raven cuddles and warms my heart

Posted on November 26, 2011 by Donna

RavenIt’s taken almost 3 years, but Raven finally did it. She fell asleep in my lap! When we adopted her from the SPCA, her information card described her as a cuddly lap cat, and that’s exactly what I was looking for. In the adoption room, she curled up on my lap, purred, and snoozed. So I was expecting her to do that when we got home. But when we brought her home she wasn’t super cuddly. I thought it was the stress of a new home, so I never”forced” her to snuggle with me. I figured she’d become cuddly on her own schedule. Over the years, she’s enjoyed lots of cuddles, but after a few minutes she always wanted to get down. The only time she’d snuggle with us is when we’d go to bed and she’d cozy in against our legs.

Last night, I snuggled her in a blanket and cradled her in my arms like a baby and she fell asleep for over an hour. Maybe she’s needing a little extra comfort since Sammi’s been gone. Or maybe she decided it was cozy in the blanket. Whatever the reason, it was heartwarming that she finally decided to cuddle up and sleep in my arms. And I hope she’s starting a new cuddly routine.

Posted in Cat antics | 1 Comment

An Unexpected Goodbye to Sammi

Posted on November 22, 2011 by Donna

Sammi

On November 18, 2011 we had to say goodbye to Sammi. For a few weeks we knew something “wasn’t right”. She wasn’t eating much, was losing weight, and wasn’t acting like her spunky self. We took her to the vet for a check-up, expecting to learn that she had a senior kitty disease that we would have to manage. But the vet said he was very concerned because she had developed a serious heart murmur and had became sick so quickly. We’ve been trying to figure out why she’s been having itchy skin and it was just a little over a month ago that she had an ultrasound that didn’t detect any issues. Now, a comprehensive set of blood tests showed she had blood cell cancer. There were no good treatments options that would make her better for the long-term, so we made the incredibly difficult decision to put her to sleep.

Sammi was about 13 years old and we had plans for a few more more years of fun with our spunky three-legged girl. In the three years she was with us she brought countless laughs and added energy and love to our home. She will be deeply missed and never forgotten.

As we try to adjust to not having Sammi with us, our focus is on giving Raven the attention she needs as she adjusts to the loss of her kitty sister.

Posted in Cat health, Pet loss | 4 Comments