One Year Ago

Remember me?....we do my sweet little CoCo...we do....

BJ's Update: My Owners are Sick!

Hi! It's me, BJ, the cat!

There's something to be said for draping myself across the heat vent. This cures all (tell that to my folks, because they are both under the weather with a bug of some sort). My Dad is really sick, coughing and hacking and spewing stuff into the sink. My Mom has a sniffle and is complaining that her head is stuffled (or something like that).

I think they should both just flake out on the floor, and flop down on top of a heat vent. They'll feel much better.

I always do.

Meoooow to my fellow felines!

BJ's Update: The Day After the Big Snow

Hi! It's me, BJ, the cat!

Yesterday, our little city got the first dumping of pre-winter snow....real snow....heavy snow. You've already seen the pictures that My Mom posted. Just like Halloween, you can well imagine where I was during that event. I was in my favourite hidey spot in the basement. There was absolutely no way that I was going to be anywhere near My Mom during any of this.

I don't like snow, or any wet stuff for that matter....no way. There was no way that I was going to be going outside on the patio. Uh uh. I much preferred to watch things from inside.

Now, I do recall seeing my Mom outside, digging through the piles of snow that had fallen, so deep that they covered the tops of her boots. Her face was getting pretty red too!

At the end of the day, the snow had finally stopped (oh don't worry...it started up again today). My Mom and I cuddled in the basement and watched some TV.

Some poeple say there is no global warming. Some people say that our seasons are just changing. Whatever it is, I certainly hope that my world stays together somehow.

Meoooow to my fellow felines!

BJ's Update: A Day in My Life

Hi! It's me, BJ, the cat!
I have received some really nice comments from fellow felines and canines, and I just want to say meooooow and thanks for visiting and dropping a comment.

A few of you had asked how I typically spend my day. I can simply answer that I pretty much do the same thing every day, and that is probably quite similar to what each of you do. Sure, there might be slight variations to this, but in the end it's same poo, different litter box.

Pretty much everyday, I am up before my parents, and that is because, in the colder weather the heat comes on and I find the air vents particularly warm. It is usually at this point that my parents find it quite cool in the room (because I am soaking up all of the warm air). As soon as I see any hint of stirring from the bed, I am alert and I might give a prrrt or a purrr, just to let My Parents know that I am here and waiting for them.

My parents will get up and go to the bathroom (one of their daily rituals), and when they head for the bathroom, I am right on their heels in the hopes that somebody will give me an elevator ride up to the sink and turn on the tap so that I can fool around with the water. I can pretty much stay in the sink all day if they'd let me, but I usually end up following My Parents downstairs, because I know that breakfast is coming....and that it will soon be time for m-i-l-k-y!!!!

My Mom will head downstairs, and I am usually close by, almost tripping her on the way down. She's smart though...she knows to get out of my way..heh. Breakfast noises begin, and when I hear the lid of my food box, I know that there are fresh cookies in my bowl.....mmmmm.

Then, I wait. I wait for them to get their breakfast going, and I wait for the white measuring cup to be placed in front of my little face so that I can lap up the remnants of milk. Once that is done, I wait for their cereal bowls, again for milk remnants.

Okay, so it's a tough morning so far. Lots of action. Time for a poop and a pee, and then to burrow down in one of my comfy cozy spots in the basement. On a sunny day, I'll usually pop out of my hidey spot so that I can visit and lie in the sunshine. I might hang around the back door so that I can watch the my little feathered friends eating their seeds (little do they know that my mouth is usually going smack-smack-smack.....). If I'm really lucky, I might even get to go out on the front patio.

By the end of the day, my dinnertime approaches. More cat cookies (don't ask how I can possibly eat the same thing day in and day out, but I do, and I seem to enjoy it).

After dinner, we watch TV, and if we're in the basement, I get to cuddle up with whoever has a warm spot beside them. This is probably the best part of the day.....aside from bedtime of course.

Bedtime is when I stake my spot out on the bed, but first I have to watch to ensure that My Parents are in bed, then I make my move with the most ferocious snuggle attack that you can imagine.

To some, I might seem to live a pretty simple life. I am spoiled. I am coddled.

But mostly, I am loved, and for that I am very lucky....Meow!

BJs Update: The Trip to the Vet...The True Story..

Hi! It's me, BJ, the cat!
Well, by now you would have read my Mom's account of my trip to the vet. She tends to sugar-coat things, so I am here to tell the real story.

I had a few aches, relating to an injury that I sustained many years ago, while being accosted by a piece of duct work in the basement. There was a casualty....one of my toes had to be amputated from my left hind leg. Little did I know then, that my rambunctiousness would have me paying the piper as I got older.

Prior to this week's vet visit, my parents were staring at me, like I was going to drop dead or something. They would peer at me while I walked, or while I tried to jump up on that incredibly high bed that they have (why do 2 small people need such a BIG bed anyway???).

In any case, I guess they figured they had seen enough. My Dad hauls this little box with a cage-like front door which could be locked from the outside. I was unceremoniously dumped into the box with the door locked behind me! Hey! What is this anyway? Let me go back to my hidey place in the basement, the place that I covet, which makes me feel safe, and long to be in forever!! But no, my Dad had to go and grab me and insert me in this box, and then lock the door. By crappy!

To make matters worse, Dad got his coat on and took me out to the truck. Let me tell you, this was the ride from hell. Bumpyy? Man it was a noisy, bumpy ride. I was rolling from side to side mroooooowwwwing all the way. There was no way that I was gonna shut up, that was for sure. At least I didn't puke, pee, and poop like CoCo would have done. I am above that sort of behaviour.

The trip lasted for about 10 minutes, then Dad carried me into this strange building....a building that had a number of stupid barking d-o-g-s! Not one single cat! I felt outnumbered and definitely threatened. The only saving grace was that I was inside this locked box, and not too excited about getting out at this particular moment!!!

My name was called (How did they know my name???), and we followed this lab-coated person into an examination room (eek! no way out!!). They petted me and cooed and made all doe-eyes at me in the hopes that I would trust them (hah!). I recall them saying how cute my little pink nose was (a boy cat with a cute pink nose....how unmanly!). They checked my ears and teeth, stuck their fingers in my stomach, and then pronounced that I was fine but arthritic in one joint.

The long and short of this visit was that I am just getting old. No drugs for me, nah uh. No drugs to even get me home in that stupid truck. Oh the INDIGNITY! They stuffed me back in the %#!@$* container again and back home in the noisy, bumpy truck. I forgive them already...Meow!

These Boots are made for...uh...well, never mind!

I was going to take part in Wordless Wednesday, but instead I was drawn into another "wordless" arena....BJ the Cat had a little something to do with it.

BJ the Cat gets his daily 'bit' of milk at breakfast every day. We don't give him too much because he sometimes pukes it back up along with some of his dry food breakfast. Not a pretty sight!

Today we heard the typical "growlp-growlp-growlp" auditory warning of impending milk treat rejection. First he targeted a kitty basket. As usual, one puke is not enough for BJ. The second installment, a minute later, landed directly in Dad's shoes (BOTH OF THEM, INSIDE!!!)

After that, I broke into a fit of laughter, the kind of laughter that I typically break into when My Sweetie trips or falls or whatever. All I could hear was My Sweeties voice..."my f*&^%ng shoes...my f%^*&#g shoes".

My Sweetie had to wash his shoes out in the sink and now put them away to dry - growling all the time.

Poor BJ - He is now in his hidey spot in the basement, the place where he goes in order to get away from whatever made him puke in the first place.

Poor Sweetie - I told him to put his shoes in the cupboard but he wouldn't listen!
:-)

One Kitty Left.....Still

How do you like that for a picture of an unhappy kitty with a little yellow mousey sitting on his head? Well, he was a tad unhappy in that picture and he has been slightly unhappy lately too.

Yesterday, BJ, our only remaining kitty, went to the vet. He had been walking around favoring his right side, and we became increasingly concerned. He looked uncomfortable, and we had no idea what was going on. So we made an appointment for him. Both of us were nervous as to what they might find, but we were adamant that he would be coming home with us that evening.

The trip to the vet is always an ordeal. He constantly mroooooowed during the drive, but at least he didn't poop, pee and puke the way poor CoCo used to do.

When he got there, he became Mr. Curious, exploring every surface and corner, and then he turned on the charm for the staff. They were particularly taken with his little pink nose (so are we hee).

Now, mind you, he is 15 years old, that dreaded old age number for a cat, so we shouldn't really be too surprised that he may have ailments associated with aging, but BJ's behaviour is very much like that of a kitten sometimes. When we still had CoCo, she would, at times, appear older than BJ.

In the end, BJ came home with us and got lots of cuddles and treats. He is just an old guy who has a bit of arthritis linking back to an injury that he had a few years ago, when he got his foot caught in a crevice in the basement and had to have one of his toes amputated. When his foot got caught, he probably twisted his knee as well, hence the difficulty later in his little life. He was never quite the same after that I guess.

But at least we still have him, hopefully for quite some time.

BJ's Update

Hi! It's me, BJ! My Mom thought it would be a great idea if I did a post every now and then, and so here I am, hiding under a pile of tissue paper. I just luv tissue paper.

A little background about me. I'll be 15 years old this month. I'm just an old fart of a cat. My Mom and Dad found me in Midland, on a farm. I was advertised as a free kitten, along with my sibling. Because I was just so adorable, I was scooped up and brought home to join Muffy and Cleo. CoCo later joined the household, and we became a cat house of 4. Eeek! Muffy went to kitty heaven in 1999 and Cleo in 2000. Then it was only me and CoCo....and little did I know that she would smother my space!

Now, you know I am the Top Cat now, since the other one (CoCo) left. I don't know where she went, but now I seem to have the entire house to myself. I have My Mom's lap to sit on whenever I want it, and I don't have to be afraid of getting kicked off. I have My Dad's stomach to lie on when I go to sleep with them at night. I get to eat MY food whenever I want, without being pushed out of the way. I even go out on the patio (with someone of course) so that I can roll around and smell the air.

Now, this is not to say that CoCo was a brute, but she certainly did command her space. She just seemed to dominate everywhere.

I am so glad that My Parents have decided not to bring home another cat. I really am enjoying the spotlight.

Have a purrrrrfect Thanksgiving.....til next time....meow xx

Stray Cats

A certain post, over at Inner Dialogues, reminded me of a couple of stray kitties that My Sweetie had befriended over the years. Perhaps they befriended us. No matter. We named one of the kitties Scottie and the other Buster.

Both of these cats had been owned, at least that is what we were led to believe, and the owners had decided that they no longer fitted with the family lifestyle. So they were left behind to fend for themselves.

Scottie was the first to land on our doorstep, and would come by to visit for quite a few years. When Scottie died (we assumed), Buster started to come by.

We'd give food and water, and because they let us, they'd let us approach so they could be petted. Now, it wasn't like the cats were there all the time. Sometimes they would disappear for a few months, and them reappear one day at our front door. Sometimes, I'd be doing the dishes, and would look out and there would be a body....sitting at the door....hoping to get some food. Or I'd hear the famous Mmmmmmmrrrooooww! I knew that was our call to action.

One of the last times we saw Buster, he came to visit with sores all over his body (probably from fighting). Festering sores. One of the sores even had a branch stuck in it. We knew we had to do something. He was suffering. He even let us put him into a spare cat cage that we had. The vet said that he was in pretty bad shape, and we bid him farewell.

There is a phrase 'Cats leave paw prints on our hearts.' This is imprinted on a rock that sits on my cat shelf.

This is so true...and it doesn't matter whether it's our own cat or whether it's a passerby, because whenever I think of the cats that have have popped into our lives, my heart aches.

Scottie - November 2001


Buster - May 2004

The Aftermath - A Sequel

This is going to be a short post, mostly as a follow up the The Aftermath.

I mentioned how BJ had been gravitating to CoCo's previously inhabited spots. Well, I just had to post this most recent picture of him, relishing of course.

BJ in what was CoCo's Basket

I also managed to have one last photo of CoCo. This was taken one week ago.

CoCo...asleep on a pair of Mommy's jeans

Little did we know.

We're Hurting

CoCo
(1997 - 2007)

Today has been a sad day. It's very difficult to do this.

Too many tears. Too much ache.

The day started with our beloved Coco kitty not behaving normally. Not eating or drinking, and generally looking uncomfortable. We kept an eye on her, but she was looking as though she was in pain. My Sweetie brought her to the vet, twice actually, since they were busy on the first emergency visit. When they checked her out the second time, she had a large mass in her stomach. They said they could have operated, but a positive outcome was unlikely.

There was no option but to put her to sleep so that she would not suffer.

She was only 10 years old.

Coco, was a special kitty. I remember when we got her. We were at the PetSmart, where they had the section for adoptable cats. She was one of three Calico kitties - named Pepsi, Coke, and Sprite by the previous owners. Sprite had been adopted, and Pepsi and Coke remained. Pepsi was a very scared kitty, but Coke (later to be renamed CoCo) came to the side of the cage and rubbed and rubbed and rubbed as if to say "Love me", "Take me home".

And so we did.

When we got her home, to become the fourth of the feline family, she didn't know quite what to do, so she proceeded to find the top shelf of the nearest clothes cupboard, and gaze down upon the world beneath her, while she burrowed down in an old comfy quilt. Little did we know, that this once scared and timid kitty would blossom into the beauty that we knew her as.

She was a total lap cat. If I sat on the couch, she was sure to join within 10 seconds. Not today though. She could only manage to huddle into a more or less comfortable position on the floor.

She would always come to sleep with us. She would usually start on my side, behind my butt, and eventually would saunter over to another more inviting area. Last night was the last time she slept with us.

Over the last couple of years, she began to be more vocal. She had started to "meowp" each time we would say her name. "CoCo"...."meowp"..."CoCo"..."meowp".

Both of us are stunned and in shock at what has happened. We cannot get our heads around this one. There were no signs. She was as normal as anything prior to this.

So, as I write this, My Sweetie and I, with BJ resting on the floor beside us, are editing this to pay homage to CoCo.

She was a very special kitty to us. She was one of our kids.

We will miss her. We already do.