Welcome 2010!

Resolution No. XX: Blog more often!!

Happy New Year all, I have not posted in ages. I guess the loss of Domino took the wind out of my sails. But you haven't met my newest addition, Kafka, so here he is. This was taken the day I adopted him, back in October, just a few days after adopting TC. It seems they always come in pairs for some reason. Kafka was about 8 months old at the time and had been living in the streets of Washington, PA.



Kafka is a gorgeous blue point Siamese mix. He loves belly rubs and adores head-butting, which he does with great gusto. He also loves to eat, as he has put on about six pounds since moving in with us. TC is his best playmate; they are wrestling all the time. Kafka's favorite spot is the loveseat in the living room, which he stretches out to take up the whole thing.

R.I.P. Domino

Exactly three weeks to the day after I adopted TC, my beloved Domino passed away from acute kidney failure. He was 9 years old.

If you've been a follower of my blog, you know that Dommie had suffered from kidney disease about four years ago and had recovered after alternative therapy with apple cider vinegar. According to the vet, he would not have made it then, so the vinegar bought us a few more years with Dommie.

It is hard to find a photo of Domino without Peek-A-Boo. The two were inseparable. Peekie didn't have a chance to say goodbye to Dommie, as when David and I rushed him to the vet that morning, I had no idea he would not be coming home. Peekie spent two solid weeks hiding behind a pillow on the bed in the guest room and would not come out. Yes, animals do grieve. She has now returned to sleeping on top of me at night as she used to do, with Dommie under the covers in my arms. Peekie seems to want a lot more lovins than she used to, and that is understandable.

Domino was my Little Kittles, the baby abandoned at four weeks old who I bottle fed and who suckled on my arm all his life. It's funny that TC is also a suckler, also a mama's boy, and also a tuxedo kitty, and he came into my life three weeks before Dommie exited. You have to wonder.

Tomcat Cruise

I could not resist this little face when I went to PetsMart in Uniontown on August 1. I am a total sucker for tuxedo cats. The Animal Friends of Barbour County, WV, were there with about 30 kittens, and I fell in love with this little guy. He was about 12 weeks old at that time, and according to Dr. Duel, he's going to be huge (look at those feet!).

I call him Tomcat Cruise, or TC for short. Like Domino, he must have been taken from his mama too soon, because every time I give him some lovins or pet him, he immediately curls up in a ball and starts suckling on his own belly! He will sometimes do this for up t0 20 minutes, and it's loud enough to disturb my sleep, all the while purring like a locomotive and doing his pushy-paws.

TC loves little furry mousie toys, and he loves to pounce on his brothers and sisters with all four feet. They are generally not amused, but I must give Reese (the house thug) credit, he has not attacked the little one. I think he realizes he's just a baby. Maybe Reese has a heart after all.

Little TC is very attached to me and follows me everywhere. When I try to leave the house, he runs into the mudroom with me and I have to put down all my stuff, pick him up, and put him back in the house. Then he cries. If I pat my thighs, he will jump up on me (in hindsight, probably not a good idea for him to learn that since he will probably weigh over 15 pounds). He sleeps at my feet, all stretched out to his full length.

He is a very lovable addition to our family.

Baby Sweet Pea!

In the summer of 2003, as I was preparing to move out of my marriage and the house that went with it, my neighbor Brenda showed up at my door one day with tears in her eyes. When I opened the door, I noticed that she was holding the most forlorn-looking, flea-infested kitten I had ever seen. He was a tiny, black and white thing not more than six weeks old.

Brenda told me the heartbreaking story of how she came to have the little one, which she called Sweet Pea. She was at work and saw a man across the road trying to kill a litter of kittens on his porch by hitting them with a broom. Horrified, she ran over there while he was in the house and took Sweet Pea, the only kitten she could find. "My landlord won't let me have a cat," she sobbed. "Can you take him?"

Who could say no? Look at that face! I told her I would be moving in a few days, but that I would take the kitten. I know she desperately wanted to keep him, but her landlord was also my ex-husband's uncle and a real S.O.B. so I knew she wouldn't be able to.

Sweet Pea grew up into a gorgeous boy, and his name suits him. He is a real sweetheart! His nickname is Mr. Peepers, or Pee Pee for short.

He is about six months old in the ducky picture.

One of his favorite things in the world is the "Peeper Sweeper," my Oreck mini-vac that I use to sweep the cat hair from the stairs and under the furniture. All of the other cats run like hell as soon as they hear the sweeper getting plugged in, but not Pee Pee. All I have to say is "I'm getting out the Peeper Sweeper!" and he comes running. I vacuum his whole body, sucking his tail into the nozzle, and he flops over so I can vacuum his belly. The only thing he hates is when I accidently suck up an ear - it makes a really loud noise!

Sweet Pea is going to be six years old this summer, and he has been a joy to have around. I love him to death! He likes to sleep on top of my legs at night.

Brenda eventually talked her landlord into letting her have a cat, and she got Rascal. Unfortunately, she got sick last year and had to give Rascal up, but my mom took him as a companion for her Ringo. They look like twins! Rascal and Ringo will be another post.