Kitty Quote of the Month - March

THE CAT AND THE MOON

The cat went here and there
And the moon spun round like a top
And the nearest kin of the moon,
The creeping cat, looked up
Black Minnaloushe stared at the moon,
For, wander and wail as he would,
The pure cold light in the sky
Troubled his animal blood
Minnaloushe runs in the grass
Lifting his delicate feet.
Do you dance, Minnaloushe, do you dance?
When two close kindred meet,
What better than call a dance?
Maybe the moon may learn,
Tired of that courtly fashion
A new dance turn.
Minnaloushe creeps through the grass
From moonlit place to place,
The sacred moon overhead
has taken a new phase.
Does Minnaloushe know that his pupils
Will pass from change to change,
And that from round to crescent,
From crescent to round they range?
Minnaloushe creeps through the grass
Alone, important and wise,
And lifts to the changing moon
his changing eyes.

W. B. Yeats (1865-1939)

LIfe....According to Gizmo (the continuing saga)

Nala needs to get a life. Kathy won't yell at me...she likes me more than Nala. After all, I am the first-born and I pride myself as the household mice killer. Nala needs to know her place in the pecking order. I rule!!! Till next time...

Gizmo

Nala's World (sequel to Life According to.....Nala)

Gizmo has been a real nuisance as usual. He doesn't take kindly to sharing Kathy's
bed. I like to climb up when Kathy goes to bed each night. I get kinda comfortable then...lo and behold Gizmo makes his grand entrance and plops up on the bed and, in short order, kicks me off!!! Is that rude or what???? Kathy needs to teach him some manners or I will!!! He thinks he owns the house. What nerve!!! It's got to be a male macho thing. It's time for a crash course in "Putting Gizmo in his Place 101".
Til next time.....

Nala

I have to introduce myself......I am Nala!!!

I am NOT a happy camper!!! I seem to feel this way most of the time. I was adopted from a local pet store in the summer of 2005. When I first came home, I wouldn't even let Kathy or Melissa touch me. It took almost a year before I finally warmed up to them. I still don't like to be picked up and held-- I tend to squirm around alot and get frazzled. It's possible I may have been abused as a kitten -- will never know for sure, I don't remember.

I am Gizmo..king of the household!!

Just let me sleep!!! I am "Mr. Sociable" and "Mr. Chatterbox" tabby. Nala and I have almost completely opposite personalities. You usually know when I am around...don't know when to shut up!!. Melissa and Kathy can easily pick me up and throw me over their shoulder with no problem. I loves to knead on Kathy's stomach (I now it's weird, but I sooo love to do it!!).

Life... According to Nala (Okay, people I'm finally speaking my mind!!)

I have to tell you that I love to sit and stare at Kathy. When she decides to chill out for the evening and watch TV that's when I do my "staring routine". I can see her looking at me from the corner of her eyes. I know that she thinks I am the "little demon", but I just look that way sometimes. My face is quite adorable. Gizmo hasn't figured me out yet. I always keep him guessing -- performing my little "angel/devil act". I'll be all nice, give him a few good licks then.....WHAM!!...I spring into attack mode. He doesn't even see it coming. He gets all frazzled and I end up chasing him all over the house. I absolutely love it!!!

Life....According to Gizmo (I do soooo love to talk!!)

Meow, Meow, Meow...Life's a big 'ol party....Meow, Meow, Meow. I never miss an opportunity to pester Kathy whenever she sits down at her computer. What obnoxious things do I do.. you ask???

1. Put front paws on lap, look up and continually whine until she has to pick me up
2. Walk across computer keyboard, so she can't see the screen
3. She puts me down...I whine...she picks me up..(you get the idea)
4. Make my grand entrance into kitchen with a resounding "meeeeooowww", climb up
on the "Gizmo chair" (she came up with that one...really stupid) and proceed to
whine until she talks to me and says, "Gizmo, go find Nala".

I know they love Nala better -- she hardly says anything, just stares alot. Kathy's fiance calls me "pain in the butt". I don't care. I am loving life!!!

Paw Prints - Feline Inspirations

This is a new post that I am introducing. I plan on sharing heartwarming, inspiring stories about our furry felines, but this first one is personal. If you have ever been a cat owner you probably have, at one time or another, experienced the loss of a feline companion. I acquired my first cat, Gatsby, in 1986. He was part of a mix of black and white kittens. He was a cute little white kitten and also, I believe, the runt of the litter. Gatsby was not the "sociable lap cat". You may have had cats like Gatsby. He would come to "say hi" when he felt like it. As time when on, we acquired one female black labrador retriever, Misty. In 1993 my daughter, Melissa, was born. Gatsby literally became transformed from the "unsociable lap cat" to the "hugs and kisses kitty" overnight!! He suddenly realized that he was no longer king of the household and now had to compete for attention and affection. Gatsby lived to be a ripe old age of 17 (almost 18!!)before his little lungs started to fail. My daughter and I ended up taking him to the local Pet ER early one morning and we said our final goodbyes there that day. Gatsby was my "four-legged feline child". Seeing him for the last time was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. We acquire pets knowing that someday they will leave us. I think, at first, we don't really think about our little kitten or puppy passing away one day. As time goes on, we watch them grow and make our lives brighter and happier. Then one day, we notice that they walk a little slower, lose interest in playing and eating. We may try to deny that anything is wrong, but deep down we know that their time with us is nearing its end. Gatsby lived a very long, healthy life. I still have old pictures of him that I pull out sometimes. It's been a few years since he passed away, but I still have a twinge of sadness when I look at those pictures. I wish I had one to download to my blog.