Who's Roscoe?

I came home from work the other night and Hubby was all fired up.  He is telling me that the feral cats are back under the house.  And there was a fight.
Mischa, our Kitty was running about slightly freaked, "hiding" from the cats she heard. And if you have ever not heard a cat fight, just take my word, cats scream & make the scariest sounds. 
Our Dogs, Riley, Bandit & even little Dakota, were completely going crazy trying to locate these cats.  Riley, the Coon~hound, was focused on the bathroom heat register.
Hubby said it was all so loud.  The cats below, started to fight, and he could hear the insulation ripping from the crawl ceiling. and all Hell breaking loose,  He said Roscoe was holding his own. 
uhm, Wait a minute...
Mischa... Riley... Bandit...Dakota... those are our pets. 
But "Who is Roscoe?"
Hubby, informs me Roscoe is the HUGE black cat that was among the cats.
Wait a minute...
Me:"Honey? Are you telling me you NAMED a feral cat?  How long have you known, "Roscoe".
Hubby: I don't know, he's been hanging around. He's a big strong cat. Reminds me of Rocky in his prime {Rocky is our 19 yr old cat that passed in December}.
hmmm.
Did my Hubby really just name a stray?
You have to understand, he was raised not like me. He didn't grow up with pets. He loves our pets but I'm the animal person. I'm the rescuer.
Now, since I have been home I haven't seen "Roscoe", or any of the feral cats for that matter.  There is evidence that they have returned.  They have bent and destroyed the air vents that take them into the crawl. 
But I haven't heard a peep...or should I say...
Meow?

Rest My Dear Rocky

My Sweet Rocky has passed away.
He Blessed us with 18 of his 19-20 years. Back in 1995 I had rescued a frail kitten, named Mario, and nursing it back to health, while also tending our two older cats, Baby and Eastwood. We also had a couple of dogs and my girls were in grade school.  Add the 2 kids I baby-sat, and a Hubby... I had a houseful!
On Halloween night, Rocky, whom had been a stray for a while in the neighborhood, was a target for some naughty boys that lived next door. My Hubby, decided he'd let Rocky stay...just for Halloween in our garage for safe keeping.  Rocky was very grateful. His muscular build with large scarred jaws, curled up on a blanket, purring loudly, showing his thanks for the bowl of kitty chow & water.
I really did not think we would keep him.  He was a big ole Tom Cat! Nothing like my "housecats". He had a little "cat house" shelter on the porch. We did not let him in. I had just sold our home and didn't need the ciaos of cats becoming territorial.  However, during the home inspection, the new buyers let him in... where my dogs & existing cats had a hay-day destoring the house in an hours time!
Even so, the day we moved, I dropped Rocky & Mario off to be neutered and "spend the night" at the Vet while we got settled into the new home. The next day they joined us and found their niche and the peaking order fell into place.

The Boys sharing a snooze

He and Mario became known as, "The Boys".  They slept together, played and pretty much were always found together. 

Rocky was laid back.  He was a sweet cat. He stayed out of sight, out of the way often.  Only as he got older did he prefer to be around people more.
He had a very protective side.  When Hubby worked long hours, Rocky would perch himself by a window... growing (like a dog) at people that walked too close to our home. He was my Watch Cat. Always alerting the dogs BEFORE someone actually approached the door.

He never complained. Never tore anything up or missed the liter box.  Even on his last days, he manage to find the liter box.
His vision failed almost a year ago, followed by loss of hearing and arthritis. He always just adapted... never fusing or complaining.

The past couple of weeks have been touchy. He started a strange cry that we have never heard. But as soon as we touched him, he'd give his sweet, "Murr".  It was as if he got confused...lost. And as soon as we would get him, he'd murr and purr.  He slept a lot. He ate a lot (spoiled with canned kitten chow as it was rich in protein and easy to eat). Yesterday, he had trouble eating... then couldn't get comfortable and rest. He throw up, hard. This either twisted his tummy, intestines, or my Veterinarian, suggest it may have triggered another stroke. Rocks struggled... He couldn't straighten or walk. He quickly grew labored, and showed pain or stress. We made that difficult drive to our Vet, holding and loving him to the end. My Dear Vet, is truly a man that loves animals. He spoke so softly to my old Kitty, reminding him of funner times and spoke of his dear Buddy Mario (whom past several years ago).

It is so awful to lose a pet. They are so generous and love us so unconditionally. They live such short but impacted lives. They touch us and can teach us so much.
Even my Lovies that are with me for the shortest time, I wouldn't trade those moments and memories for anything♥

18 lives ... and counting

Cats are suppose to have 9 Lives.  We have all seen how a Cat  has managed to escape a tragedy.. falling but lands on her feet. Surviving many adventures and mishaps.  Narrowing missing death by inches..

One of my Cats fell from the 2nd floor landing feet first on tile floor some 20 feet below, without so much as a bruise (he rather jump off than allow my niece to "capture" him). He checked out fine & rather lucky from the Vet visit I rushed him too.

I have several more stories just like this one.

Rocky 1995

My Rocky came to us in 1995, a couple of nights before Halloween. Seeing how some horrid little neighbor boys killed a cat recently, my Hubby allowed this big ole Tom Cat to "hid" in our garage on Halloween to avoid abuse.  Why oh why must retched souls pick on Black Cats?  I knew we could not keep this Tom. I had just rescued poor Mario the week before & was desperately trying to save his sick little self.  And... well, we had two other Kitties as well.  How could we possibly have four cats, and two dogs???  
However, Rocky, soon won our hearts over. Especially Hubby. 
He was a survivor.  About 18 months old, and a fighter. He had thick muscular legs, one of those thick necks with big jaws, scarred and fresh battle wounds.  We would see him bravely enter a neighbors garage to fight for food.  This neighbor had 10...yep, that's right, TEN cats. Rocky would sneak in the garage and steal what he could, before getting attacked by several of her males.
Rocky loved the coolness of the sinks. We would often find his snoozing away in one. While Mario regained his strength, Rocky, who was the same age, seem to become very gentle and tentative of him.  Curiously, more interested in him, than our other cats.  We had "the Boys", as they were called neutered and de-clawed together. (yes... I now realize the cruelty in de-clawing & we never would have had it done had we known then what we know now). The boys healed together and became sweet playmates.  They always sleep together. Even as Rocky slimmed down from his Tom days, losing the big muscles, and Mario became a HUGE Fat Boy.

The Boys sharing a nap box in 2004

Rocky mourned his Buddy's death in 2007. Mario was getting sicker & sicker with a horrible cancer. He seems to care and tolerate the rest of the Fur family, but this was his Buddy.

It's thought that Rocky was born around 1993. That makes him 18 years old.  His health is ailing.  I thought we were going to lose him a couple of times.  He is senile.  He has difficulty with his joints stiffening up.  He is completely blind now. And somewhat Deaf. Some days are good. Some not so much.  He loves to eat.  Having several small meals a day of dry mixed with canned cat food (prefers Kitten food). He is able to find his litter box daily. As well as making several trips walking around the house "murring".  He will pur like crazy also.  He is strangely a Happy Cat.  Not ready to go.
He may be advancing in age, but don't tell him it's time for him to pass... he just isn't quiet ready.

Rocky 2011

Mischievous Mischa

Mischa at the neighbors

I have been allowing Mischa to go outside a bit.  She is an indoor cat for the most part.  Our neighborhood is quite safe and our home is in the center of the addition. I would worry more if it were closer to the main street or the field. She has been behaving and sticking close to home. She likes to climb the neighbor swing set, and since no one lives in this home currently, I do let her roam over. Mostly she just rolls on the patio, climbs our trees and stays within sight.
Although she does sneak off...
Today, she wandered off to a neighbors.  Technically, she was three house down, however, because of the curved road, she only cut through on yard. She slipped through the fence, and plopped down on their patio.  The neighbors must have been at work.  Their Dog was inside the house going BANANAS! I am sure she could care less that she was trespassing.  I stood outside this fenced in yard, calling her, coaxing her, as she completely ignored me. Even when I went to get some food to shake up, she ignored me.  I finally went after TUNA... That worked eventually...
Guess who got a BIG time out in Da Da Daa! THE CRATE?

The Great Escape

They made their plan.
Found the opportunity.
And off they went!
HOWEVER~
Things don't always go the way you plan.

I can't get a picture of them together... They pretend they don't like each other.

Here is the "Ring Leader".
MISCHA "PRETTY KITTY" GONZALEZ, age 6. She is a pretty, but, BAD Kitty. Very sweet and lovie, but very destructive, especially to wood door frames.





Her accomplice, the "Partner in Crime".
ISABELLE "IZZY" GONZALEZ, age (almost) 2. Don't let that gorgeous fur and sweet face fool you. She is one mean little Stinker. This is the only cat I haven't won over. (Feral cats even like me). She has quite an attitude and enjoys the pampered life.




These little kitties are indoor cats. Both were rescued and have lived luxurious lives for cats. Very spoiled indeed! We live in a neighborhood that borders fields and small wooded areas. We have had deer, foxes, coyotes and such roam the area. We also have a few feral cats that live in the area. Remember a while back I wrote about one which resided in our crawl space (I think he moved to the neighboring house's crawl.) Anyway, I do not feel safe having my pets roam the neighborhood. Let alone feel it is irresponsible.

Nevertheless~

I occasionally let the cats out supervised. I can't let them eat grass as they will throw it back up within the hour on carpet. Izzy gets spooked as she lived in an apartment most her life with Emily. The house is huge to her. The dogs and Mischa & Rocky have been an adjustment. That and Emily having to return to school without her this time. She tolerates me, likes me when I feed her. But mostly hisses and strikes out at me when I walk by. {bitch}. Mischa also seems to have an attitude since Izzy moved in. Even before. I have never had a problem with her and her crawls, but she has ruined our slider into the screened in porch, as well as the runners of my antique rocker.

This morning, Sergio got up first, and I slept in for an hour. I woke to see Mescha out on the back patio. I let her in, and asked Sergio about her being out. He was surprised, but we figured she slipped out when he went out to his Tahoe. I went about the morning business, coffee and such. I noticed Izzy wasn't begging to be feed so I went to get their food. This general brings meows and cats under foot as well as the dogs whining about not being first. No Izzy. I searched, thinking maybe she got in a closet or something. No Izzy. Finally, I checked the windows, as a couple were open letting a nice morning breeze in. That's when I spotted the cat hair in the corner of one of the screens. Sure enough... below the window, sat Izzy, not sure what to do. I ran out to her, trying to chase her back into the house at the door. She tried to go back through the window, and I ended up carrying her fat little ass, hissing and all, back in. She was thrilled to be back in.

She must have got ditched once Mischa & her got out. And was too scared to venture away from the window. Mischa on the other hand, had escaped a second time before I even discovered the window exit. While bringing in Izzy, I caught Mischa around the corner. She of course ran as it is the fun thing to do. "Watch Fatty Mom chase me around the yard!" Here she is, coming back to me from the neighbors house.
Both little Kitties are grounded.

Meow

Mischa helping me do laundry.
She thinks she should inspect this blanket before I fold. It did not pass her inspection.
She curled up and took a little cat nap to think about it before allowing me to fold.
Ghee... Being a cat wouldn't be so bad. Especially one of my cats.

OMGosh! Pixie Pets!

I just discovered this on ebay and Buddy am I ever excited! At first glance, I thought, are you kidding me? Nail polish for cats? I clicked it on so I could check it out. My daughter has a "Princess" cat that I thought Emily would get a kick out of such a product. I was wrong.

This is a super cool gadget that I wish I thought of!

It's the solution for us that do not want to put our Kitties through cruel declawing. (I hate to admit that three of my babies went through this. I feel horrible and had I know exactly what was done...I would never have done it! It was nearly twenty years ago and I am still so sorry that we did this. Sorry Baby, Mario & Dear Rocky (who is still with us).

So back to my posting...

They come in six colors and also in clear. They have different sizes (my cats are not the same size!) And they last 4-6 weeks.

GET THIS....They Also Come in DOG SIZES!!!!!

Are you excited too? Do you have DESTROYED hardwoods, door frames, and furniture? Lord have mercy! I DO!!!

For $16.99 I will receive 40 "Soft Paw Claws", adhesive, and instructions. I am waiting on Emily to pick a color for Isabelle and Isabelle and Meisha will be two styling cats!

If you want to order too, go to ebay..Pet Supplies, type in PixiePets or Soft Paw Claws.

I promise to add some pictures of my Cool Cats!

Here Kitty Kitty Kitty!

A couple of nights ago, my husband called me into the bathroom on the far side of the house.

Shh, listen! Do you hear cats?

uhmmm, OMGosh! Yes I do! They must be outside, fighting!

Sure enough, a couple of big cats seemed to be doing that territorial cry. I just shooed them away, and carried on.

We have heard them a couple of times, but I thought nothing more of it. I figured Figuro, the big orange cat that lives next door, must be trying to maintain his territory. Although, Sergio & I sometimes swear it sounds like it is right under us.

Today, I thought about it and told Sergio we should check the vents & crawl space doors to see if any cats got in. When I got home from work I found a poster taped up on our light post with the face of a cute little missing house cat. I called. They ran over. After calling Cali Cat (the female decawed house cat that got out) unsuccessfully. We (the neighbor missing the cat & his son) did manage to chase a HUGE gray cat out from under the house.

BUT that was just one cat from one crawl space. You see, my house has two crawl spaces, the second from an addition to the house. Over on the other side of the house, I have another cat under the house in the crawl. GREAT BIG, MAYBE A MAINE COON? I don't know big darn cat that has no intention of moving. Did I mention he/she is really big? I can't convince my neighbor to take this one, to replace their missing cat. They kindof thanked me, and we will continue to look. I will continue to monitor activity for Cali Cat.

So, now I am worried about this HUGE cat that has managed to get in my crawl space.

I go in. I gotta rescue it!

So in I go!

Luckily, we have the kind of crawl spaces that are dry, has a nice vapor sheet covering pea gravel, and, ahhhh, electricity with light switches!

I'm good with that. Pleased I find NO bugs, rodents, etc (well, jeez, what do I expect? This big cat has been eating something!). The cat stares at me without blinking. The cat doesn't move a muscle, yet I hear growling......

I'm in on my hands and knees trying to sweet talk this uhm, tiger? Suddenly I realize the growling & hissing is coming from my left! Opposite of Cujo Cat. FIGURO! The other neighbor's big yellow cat, and he is PISSED. I get around him realizing he is territorial over this other cat or scared shitless and trying to act tough. I get my back to the wall and try to get the cats to run out the opened crawl access door. I shoo Figuro with my big ole flashlight and he bats at it angrily instead of running FROM me, he darts toward the other corner and Cujo Cat Tiger chases him up into the rafters/ floor beams whatever they are! Now these cats are deeper under my house!

Meanwhile, above me, I can hear my dogs FREAKING out! They hear the cats, me, OUR cats, whom have decided to "talk" back at the cats under the floors, and an occasional, "Knock it off!" from Sergio, who is on a business call instead of trying to keep me from losing a limb to a Ferrel cat (actually he doesn't know I am under the house at this point, although he did here the neighbor under there!

Now, that I know Figuro is involved, I run to those neighbors to get them to help me. The teen daughter joins me under the house, and eventually her father also comes over (but not under the house~ cat allergies!)

For now, we have given it a rest. I left the door open for them to run out (not a great idea as it is cold and our bedroom (the area this situation is) has gotten chilly as well. So, I put the door back on, but it's leaning so they or at least the BIG CAT can retreat out. Figuro will come when he knows its safe and he wants back in at his house.

Lets just hope I don't wake to even more cats under there in the morning!

You Had Me At Ruff

Look at my adorable puppies!
They are snoozing in the window seat in my room. (Yes~ that is Mischa in the top picture, with her back to us, she is bird watching, ignoring the dogs).

My little, and not so little dogs make me happy. They are huge pain in the butts, stinky and costly. But bring me so much joy and love!

I have had my eye on this Dog Cushion for a while. I had hoped to find bigger ones. But, you get what you get, and don't throw a fit!

It's 24"x4". Removable quilted cover. I got it at TJ Maxx for just $13! The tag has this website for you folks without TJ Maxx if you are interested www.imjmarketinginc.com and is made by Palmilla Home Furnishings. It is so freakin' cute! Perfect for little Dakota. Both Riley & Bandit have dog beds. BUT... Bandit seems to be trying to claim this "pillow". He growled at Dakota kindof telling him to "back away! I saw it first!" Dakota did. And is now ignoring it (anything to please Bandit). Riley hasn't really noticed it. Bandit has tried to sit on it.... and started to carry it off. Hmm... I may have to work on this a bit. Maybe I can make one for Bandit that says, "Barking With Woofs", I saw that once too!

Spoiled Rotten Kitties

My cats are so spoiled. This is Mischa sitting on their "Cat House" watching a bird.

The "Cat House", obviously had a previous life as the girls Doll House. I just refused to part with it. Storing it was an issue and I thought why not let the cats have it? They always loved it, pushing Barbie's furniture out of the way, hiding out on the second floor, when it belonged in the girls play room.

The lower level is where I hid the liter box. They just go in the door, take care of business without the dogs bothering them. The second floor now contains kitty liter and scooper. The rooftop is the dining area for my two cats. They can finally not worry about the dogs eating their food. They also love to look out the window watching the birds.

This "Cat House" is in my laundry room. It is a lower level room and the cats are pretty much at ground level, feeling like they are hiding in the bush. Mischa always is found here when not looking out from the couch.

Rocky hides out under my bed until feeding time or potty time. He appreciates the storage containers on the side as he is 16 years old and doesn't do the jumps like Mischa can anymore.

I recently read in Vevay's Salad Sandwich Blog about favorite things. One of the things she mentioned was "fat cats snuggling", which prompted a comment about coming back as a comfy fat cat. Made me think about my cats, all the many cats I have had. Yeah, being one of my kitties would have been a pretty good life. I think they can't complain much.

Cats, Kitties & Grandma Kitty

I have always loved cats. I am not sure where this loved began, but I have a feeling it started with my Grandma Kitty. How cool to have a name like that. It fit her too. She was actually a Kathryn. Kit then Kitty became her name through the years. Grandma Kitty to me. She was a wonderful woman. She will always be a part of me. This picture was taken of us in a photo booth in 1978. It's a favorite and is blown up and framed in my home. Grandma Kitty also had a copy. Can you feel the love just by looking at this picture? My bond with her was incredible. At one time I thought I would name a daughter after her. Kathryn. Call her Kat. Unfortunately, as much as Sergio loved Grandma Kitty, he wasn't so crazy for this name. I am so blessed to have had her in my life.


As a child, I was told I was allergic to cats. I didn't know that I wasn't until one day when I got my hands on one. My first cat, Inky, came into my life when I was 12. From that day till today, I have always had at least one cat at a time, sometimes several. I have been blessed with many felines though the years..



I also seem to acquire several cat pieces over the years. People know I love cats, people gift cat stuff to me.
Kitty Knickknacks.
I have had a ton of cat stuff! I so appreciate it, but also, over the past 40-some years, I received plenty. Most get appreciated, then past on. Some have stayed with me. I have a few favorite pieces that I will keep forever. These are some of those golden oldies that I love.
I am done collecting kitty knickknacks.

However, I will always have a cat or two, but the pet kind.

Goodbye my sweet Mario

Anyone that loves their pet, understand what I am going through. Yesterday, after a short battle of illness, we had to say goodbye to my loving Big Guy, Mario.

To those that knew him, loved this fat lazy cat. He was at his top, a whooping 23 pounds. This heavy feline was 13 years old. He was adorable, sweet and made people smile. His fur was super soft and he had a very loud purr.

When we found him on the side of the road as a kitten, he was a frightful sight. Barely alive, starved and sick. I saw him and was relieved that my daughters did not. I prayed for the next couple of miles that someone would stop & rescue him. Then I turned the car around and went back for him. He stole my heart. This tiny little guy was so sick. My Veterinarian warned me it would be a tough fight. Mario was tougher and I was determined not to let him die. With my nursing him back to health, he soon became one of the family. He was my cat. He loved me. I think he really appreciated me as much as I appreciated him.

For the first 10 years of his life, he was very shy and stayed away from everyone, unless it was time to eat, then he'd mow you down for his dinner. He always had to get food in his bowl first. He was known for stealing not only from the other cat bowls, but from the dog bowls as well. When he turned 10, we we worried about his obesity. He breathed heavy (just like a fatty) and struggled to get around. My girls and I decided it was time for a fitness plan. Every day (nice weather days) we would carry him to the back of the yard and set him down. He would then scurry back as quick as he could to the house. His speed increased and his weight seem to decreased. He became more active and started to show more gumption as well.

His illness came about earlier this year. We decided to keep him comfortable and spoil him for long as we had. He was a happy cat even toward the end. He never complained. I will spare you the details, just knowing you do the best for your furry loved ones is enough.

The unconditional love that a pet brings is wonderful. I would never trade it to spare myself the sadness that follows when you lose the pet. He has given me and my family so much joy, laughs and memories.

I feel very fortunate to have had Mario touch our lives.

cat lady

I like cats. I always have. I was allergic to them until I was 12 years old. Then one day I got to a cat before my folks headed me off. To my amazement I didn't have any allergy reaction. Praise the Lord I'm Healed! Apparently, I wasn't allergic anymore, or maybe I never was.

I got my first cat shortly after.

Since then, I have had a few. They find their way to me. I have always had at least one, sometimes a couple at a time. I love my cats, but I am not a cat lady. I am not weird about them (I hope).

I met "Cat Lady" yesterday. I call her that because she is an eccentric old woman from California that is obsessed with her cats. She had me stop by her house to talk RE business. I should have ran when I was on the front porch & could "smell" the odor. She saw me though, and I came in. She lead me down a hall through a door. She told me she breeds rare show cats. The smell was getting stronger. I am thinking she must have 50 by the smell. She had 3 adult cats and 3 tiny kittens. She said one of the adults was a show cat that's worth is $50,000.00! OMG, I couldn't pay someone to take one of my cats let alone get paid for one. Who pays that kind of money for a cat? They were pretty, but, Gosh! It was freaky the way she'd talk about them & talk through them. I couldn't breathe in her house. My eyes started watering. Maybe I am allergic to this breed anyway! Or maybe, someone needs to clean the cat smell out! It took forever to shower that smell out of me!


I am re-thinking working with her on a home she wants me to sell for her.