Every time I watch this, I think about the blogosphere.
Open Thread
This post is in: Cat Blogging, Open Threads, Blogospheric Navel-Gazing
This post is in: Cat Blogging, Open Threads, Blogospheric Navel-Gazing
Every time I watch this, I think about the blogosphere.
This post is in: Cat Blogging, Open Threads, Pet Rescue
From commentor El Tiburon:
There was always a cat or two around the house when I was growing up. We seemed, for whatever reason, to gravitate to black cats. Blacky and Black Cat (very original, I know) are the two I recall the most vividly.
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The college and post-college years are not the most conducive to pet ownership, so I didn’t pursue it too much. At age 30, I was suddenly married and entering the “settling down” phase (or so I thought) of my life. So to help make my house a home, I began a cat search. Pre-Google days the local animal shelter was the only place I searched. I would venture down to the ‘pound’ every few days or so searching out a suitable selection. My only demands that the cat be friendly and black.
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The cats were kept at the back of the facility, so you had to walk past all of the dogs in their cages. It was heart breaking to hear all of those yelps and barks of all of those discarded and lost dogs.
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A few weeks in, it was looking kind of hopeless. But one day as I was scanning all of the cats, I came upon a cage at the end of the row. Inside was a small, black kitten. I walked up to the cage and stuck my hand up to it. The kitten, a female, immediately approached and the purring kicked into overdrive. That was it: love at first sight. I took her out and held her and she eagerly reciprocated all of the love and attention I was giving her.
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Going on 15-years Allie has been a great comfort and companion. She is very affectionate and scampers up to me when I arrive home. Most nights find her snuggled up next to me and during the day she is never to far away.
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I am on Wife #2 with a child, one on the way and a dog. But Allie maintains a special place in my heart and she always will. I know the cliché is old, but it is so appropriate: I didn’t so much save her as she saved me. And she does every single day.
Early Morning Open Thread: Love At First SightPost + Comments (22)
This post is in: Cat Blogging, Dog Blogging, Open Threads
From commentor Cat Hair Everywhere:
My cat Zinnia was part of a feral litter born under a bush at my former school several years ago. The custodian was watching over the litter (he loves cats too) and one day when the kittens were only two weeks old, he found the mom kitty dying. It appeared she had gotten into some kind of poison or something. He was devastated, and called the SPCA to come put her down. When I came through the office, the box of kittens was sitting next to the secretary’s desk. I grabbed the box and took it back to my classroom. The teacher next door called her husband and he brought us kitten formula and bottles. The custodian, much relieved, made the kittens a comfortable bed in the box and, with the help of my students, we bottle fed the kittens. The custodian took them home with him at night, and we traded off weekends. My principal pretended he didn’t know what we were doing, and conveniently never
visited my class during the weeks the kittens were there.
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My first and second period class was a English class for students who didn’t qualify for special education, but were reading 3-grades below level. It was kept under twenty students, but many of them were drug or alcohol babies and many had emotional and/or behavior issues. Because the class was my smallest and because it was the time when the kittens most wanted to be out of the box, I let them wander around the classroom. Several of my tough boys told me they didn’t like cats. I told them that was their loss, but they always had the option to ignore the kittens. I also warned them if they were mean to the kittens they would be in big trouble. Pretty soon, I noticed those same boys were holding their pencils under their desks, trying to lure the kittens over to play. Then I started hearing, “Mrs.! Mrs.! The kitten is sitting on my lap.”. I would tell them that they could gently put the kitten on the floor if it was bothering them, and they would reply, “Oh, that’s okay.”
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In the first two pictures, you can see Zinnia’s brother and sister, Stripe and Duchess sitting with a coupleof my ‘cat hating” boys. When the kittens were old enough, I took Zinnia, the custodian took Stripe and the other boy, and Duchess and the other girl went to loving homes. The custodian and I trapped one other feral who we thought was an sister to our kitties from a previous litter and had her spayed. She still lives at the school, and the custodian still feeds her on the patio outside the teachers’ lounge.
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Zinnia (bottom picture) is still a little shy, but she is a sweet and loving cat. She brings my husband live rats and bugs for the two of them to “play” with. I’ll never forget the time he was lying on the floor doing the crossword and Zinnie dropped a huge, live bug right on the crossword, then looked at him like, “look what I brought you!”
This post is in: Cat Blogging, Open Threads
From commentor Nikolita:
I’ve enclosed a few pictures of my cats, Cat (black and white) and Tac (white and grey). Cat (female) is 8 years old, and Tac (male) is almost 3.
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Cat is quite the prissy diva. She’s the first cat I’ve ever owned, so she’s my baby and I love her to bits, but she’s got her head stuck way too far up her own ass sometimes. Tac is forever chasing her and trying to play with her, and she just wants nothing to do with him. Once in awhile you can catch them together, like up on the dryer or on the couch at the same time, but those times are few and far in between.
This post is in: Cat Blogging, Dog Blogging
This has not been the happiest holiday weekend for some Balloon Juice correspondents…
From commentor Bklyn Sarah:
Our brave and beautiful Max died on Christmas day. He’d been failing for a while, but took a sharp turn for the worse last week. My SO stayed with him and I went to my dad’s for the holiday, but I came home early when it sounded like he was getting worse. We took him to an emergency vet hospital here in Brooklyn, and he died in my arms, very peacefully. There is a huge empty place on my bed that will never be filled. I don’t believe in god, but I believe that Max is in kitty heaven, hunting mice and playing with his best pal Louie, who left us a few years back. RIP, Maxie. You were a good cat.
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And a note from commentor GrammyPat, whose beloved Li’l Buddy got featured here a while back:
Thank you for posting about Li’l Buddy last month… the outpouring of goodwill from the BJ community were helpful and sustaining.
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He passed this morning in my/our bed and I am inconsolable with grief. I’ve been bawling all day and expect to break down into tears regularly for the next few weeks as I mourn the death of this remarkable creature. I will miss him beyond words and all reason. My life, my soul, my bed will all be a lot colder and emptier now that my Pun’ kin of these many years has finally gone.
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Nonetheless, he died as he lived: calmly, with dignity, and without drama. He simply faded away (with that tongue sticking out) and I’ve buried him in the “Hill Country” of central Texas. If there is a canine afterlife, I can only hope that he is now joyfully running at top speed on all fours, that he is surrounded by all the different foods that he could possibly want, and that he gives and receives as much love as his big ol’ heart deserves.
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RIP, Li’l Buddy. Thank you for bringing such joy to my life…You will be missed.
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(Be back soon, I’m gonna go give my guys some extra attention. And maybe a cookie, too.)
This post is in: Cat Blogging, Open Threads
Commentor Notwendy shares:
When you don’t get the meal on the table in a timely fashion: Squirrel II looks on as Boris (solid blue) “discusses” seating arrangements with Dr. Girlfriend.
The War on Christmas…Although to be fair the tree was hogging all the sunlight and was just
asking for a smack down from Boris.
Under the tree: Dr Girlfriend enjoying a snooze on her handmade kitty scratching bed.
Cat-Reindeer hybrids are not viable: An unhappy Squirrel II refuses to play any reindeer games.
Early Morning Open Thread: Holiday HelpersPost + Comments (19)
by Dennis G.| 60 Comments
This post is in: Cat Blogging, Open Threads
For most of the last 16 years I have spent my life with dogs. Specifically two rescued coonhounds who grew old with our family. Both passed away within the last year.
The plan was (and is) to adopt another dog when we felt ready. Not in our plans–or at least mine–was a cat. And yet, I now live with Logan.
Logan is an odd rescue of a cat. He was found on the street by friends in the wake of being on the losing end of a cat fight. Paw print sections of his fur had been removed. The fact that he was a de-clawed cat living on the streets of old Baltimore might have had something to do with it. Friends took him in. They searched to see if he had a home and after some months searched to find him one. My wife got a notice about him and soon we had a cat living in the house.
In many ways, Logan is a fine house mate–not as good as a dog to be sure–but still somewhat OK. I am getting use to this new reality. Logan likes to sit in our back room and watch the squirrels just beyond the glass:
Sometimes, he watches neighborhood cats and the occasional Baltimore fox or raccoon. I wish he would resist the impulse to ‘mark’ the backroom with his ‘scent’, but I fear that is just what cats do.
Do to his adoption narrative we have been reluctant to just let him have the run of the yard, especially as he just hates his collar (and the jingle of his name tag). I’ve been thinking about having him chipped just in case he gets out, but I go back and forth on that. Still, he is somewhat pathetic as he sits by the door and watches the world go by.
And that is why for Christmas he got a harness, a leash and a hat:
I guess I’m just trying to turn him into a dog. He seemed to enjoy his time beyond the door today and I have fantasies that he will walk around the block one day. Of course, this is just Christmas drinking talking.
Truth is that I know that we are just two more poor bastards locked into a dysfunctional relationship. I guess that means that Logan is now part of the family.
Merry Christmas and cheers
dengre