Friday, September 28, 2012

Tabitha Update

 
On Wednesday night, we dropped our little Tabby-girl off at our trusty vets for her surgery on Thursday morning. We received a phone call from Dr. Veltri early Thursday afternoon ensuring us that Tabby was out of surgery and doing well and that we could bring her home after 1PM today.

Of course, as usual, we will need to keep a close eye on her for the next few days. Especially since she is such a young and active kitty. We will have to give her a completely clean litter box on a daily basis, using only shredded paper until her paws are fully healed. She has been given a pain patch which will last a couple of days. In the State of Pennsylvania (it is a Governmental regulation in the States), we must actually return the "empty" patch to the vets office for disposal. Stupid, right? Like that makes any difference at all whether we throw it away in our trash at home or they do.

It has been my experience with this type of surgery that the younger they are, the quicker they heal! We have never had a cat declawed over 1 year old ~ ever. And had Tabby been a senior cat, we most certainly would have not done it at all and somehow found a way to keep her, the other cats, and our furniture safe. As it stands, thank Goddess, we had a more viable option.

Now for a little update on Mr. Gray. He has decided to make good use of his new cathouse ...


 
 
I can't tell you how happy this makes me! Yeah! I'm doin' the happy dance I tell ya!

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

A new venue


I am still working with Mr Gray. Feeding him and caring for him everyday. This afternoon I made a special trip to Petsmart to pick up a little outside shelter for him. Somewhere where he can feel fairly safe and keep dry and somewhat warm on these nights which are getting cooler.


I originally wanted to buy him an Igloo but not at $114.00 a pop! So I ended up purchasing an outdoor dog box instead. I also placed a towel inside it which has his scent on it thinking that perhaps this will encourage him to use it. He walked up to it cautiously and looked inside of it, but would not yet venture in. Hopefully, he will use it when it rains or he gets too chilly. We placed it in back of our house mainly in an attempt to keep him away from the road as much as possible.



We would still like to find a way to bring him indoors, but until then we will do whatever we can to help take care of him. The way I see it, he deserves that much!

Thursday, September 20, 2012

After You've Made Hay

 
There is an old Pennsylvania Dutch proverb which goes, "It's no use closing the barn door after you've made hay!" So exactly WHAT does that mean? Well, basically it means that there is no point in trying to prevent something bad from happening after the damage has already been done.
 
Up until now, hubby and I have always made sure that within a week or so of taking in a cat we made an appointment to have their fronts declawed ~ no fooling around! And, until they were we did not allow them to roam around too freely to claw the crap out of our furniture, etc. For some reason, we did not do that with Tabby. In fact, she isn't scheduled to get declawed until next Thursday! I suppose it was my fault for not doing it sooner.
 
What a BIG mistake that was! Last night, we noticed that she did this to our $2,000.00 sofa set ...
 
 
I was not too thrilled to say the very least!!! Not only can we not afford to replace this piece of furniture, we can not even afford to get it reupholstered. Needless to say, I  CAN'T  WAIT  TO FINALLY  GET  HER  DECLAWED! Yup, you heard me, folks! I understand that she is simply doing what she was born to do, but there are simply certain things I will not tolerate and, in my opinion, losing her front claws is a small price to pay to have a loving, forever totally indoor existence! She is a sweet little cat, but she is also the most wild we have ever had and therefore has much to learn about being an indoor kitty no matter where she would live.
 
I think, I hope, that once she is completely acclaimated to her surroundings and the "do's" and "dont's" of living indoors she will be okay. You know, things such as not sticking your paws into the bunny cage and scaring him to half to death, and jumping up on anything and everything she happens to feel like including our stove, etc.
 
 
 
In the meantime, we will have to do some damage control to keep both she and the other cats safe and sound.
 


Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Two small additions ...

Greetings everyone! First of all, I would like to thank all of you who have participated in my "Witchy Cats Halloween Photo Contest" so far. It is really great to get to know more about other cat lovers furr babies and hear their wonderfully touching stories!

I have added two more prizes to the photo contest. They are my very own handmade small hanging Witchy Cats wreaths ...


Have a great evening everyone! Blessed be!!!

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Oops! I did it again!


As far as Mr. Gray is concerned, I may be no substitute for his little Tabitha, but he really doesn't appear to mind very much. In fact, he has bonded with me in a way I never expected from him.

The daily routine: He usually waits for me early in the morning before I leave for work in which I feed him his breakfast. Every evening around 7-7:30 he patiently waits underneath my car for me to come outside with his dinner and call to him, "Mr, Gray, Mr. Gray?" He then proceeds to run over to me and chat endlessly until I sit down on the ground next to him Indian-style. Takes a few bites of his food and then rubs up against me while purring happily and contently. There, I sit side by side with him for about a half an hour or until he gets restless and leaves to do whatever he does every night.

So you tell me, how could I NOT fall in love with this sweet little boy? Hubby can get close enough to pet him for a short time, but as soon as he sees me he runs excitedly to me! Last night, hubby said to me, "Boy, you can sure tell that he has HIS favorite! LOL!

So where do we go from here? Well, it is still pretty much up to Mr. Gray himself, but the plan is to eventually somehow get him into the house and keep him with Haley in her catio. I have no idea exactly when or how this is going to work, but I haven't given up on him by any means ...

Mr. Gray greeting me with a meow!
 
Rolling around next to me while I pet him from head to toe
 
 
 
Seriously, how could I resist such a little sweetheart? The answer: I can't!!!  ;)

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Witchy Cats Halloween Photo Contest!!!!

 
This year, I have decided to hold a "Witchy Cats Halloween Photo Contest!" I thought it might be fun to meet some of the other "Witchy Cats" out there! There will be a prize for both the winner and the runner-up for the best Halloween costume photo. It can be cute, funny, or scarey and it does not need to be very professional looking. Here is how to enter:

1) E-mail me a cute, funny, or scarey pic of your own kitty or kitties in Halloween costume at Ladycaer1964@yahoo.com.

2)Along with your pic, please include your name, the name/s of your kitty, where they are from, how old they are, and tell me just a little something about them. (Their personalities, why they are so unique, etc.)

3) You MUST be a follower of either this blog or my other blog, The Wiccan Life in order to qualify.

4) Only one pic per entry, but you may include more than one cat on your pic.

The winner will get a "Witchy Cats Wreath" ...


And the runner-up will receive a little Halloween table book,  called "Scaredy Cats" ...

 
The last day to enter the contest will be on Friday, October 5th and the winners will be announced on Saturday, October 6th! 

IMPORTANT: I will need at least 6 entries in order to make this contest actually worth it! So, come on everyone let's have some holiday fun and show off our fabulous kitties while we are at it!!!

Blessed Be All!

Monday, September 10, 2012

Keeping up with Page!



As you know, I sometimes co-write this blog with my friend and fellow cat enthusiast, Page. Page just so happens to be the son of my best friend and twin soul, Rhiannon, and one of my best Wicca students who has allowed me to be his teacher since the age of 6.

Page has been very busy these days as a full-time student at Reading Area Community College (RACC). However, he gladly took a brief break from his studies in order to help me put together this little interview for you all as to get to know more about him and what he has been up to! 


LCM:  How long have you been Wiccan and what do you like the most about it?

PG:    I've been Wiccan since I was about 5 or 6, my mom is Wiccan and I've been practicing it ever since she has. My mom grew up being raised Catholic, but found Wicca when she was in her mid 20's. We both sort of learned about Wicca together, she wasn't afraid to let me know what Wicca really was about. What I like best about Wicca is it something you can practice any time anywhere you want to and the fact that it's an original religion that is very nature based.

LCM:  What is it about cats that you love best?

PG:     I grew up always having at least one or two cats living in my house, so I've grown up to be more of a cat person. Now that we bought a dog a few years ago, I really have come to realize I'm definately a cat type person. I just think cats are smarter. I like that they are independent and keep a schedule.I also like how some cats can detect if their owner is feeling sick or sad.

LCM:  How very true! You are currently keeping very busy as a college student, so where are you attending, what are you studying, and what are your future plans?

PG:  Right now I'm attending college to become an Elementary School Reading Specialist. I'd like to get my Masters Degree after I'm done with the traditional four years, so that will add on at least two more years of college, but I'm fine with that because hopefully that will give the economy more time to get better and add jobs. Also it will give me more time to save some $$$ for my own house someday. I also work at a daycare in their school age room. Getting this job really helped me realize what it is like to be an authority figure and a role model.

LCM:   That's so great! What are your hobbies when you are not studying?

PG:   When I'm not busy studying or working, I like to hang out with my friends. I also like to read (I'm currently reading the "Hunger Games" books), draw ( I'm taking a introduction to drawing class) , play video games , take pictures, make movies on my computer, watch TV ( my favorite shows are "The Big Bang Theory", "Cake Boss", and "Modern Family"), listen to music, and play hockey.

LCM:  Sounds like fun! Do you have a particular favorite breed of cat and, if so, why?

PG:   My favorite cat breed is the American Shorthair AKA Tabby cat. I don't know why, I just like them the best. I guess because that's the type of cat I've always had.

LCM:  I really love the American Shorthair, too. I think for the most part they have the sweetest personalities! What is your favorite movie about cats and/or witches?

PG:   My favorite movie about cats would have to be almost any by Disney like "The Aristocats", "Oliver and Company," "Bolt," and "That Darn Cat," My faveorite witch type movies would have to be the "Harry Potter" movies, as a young kid I liked the Mary-Kate & Ashley Olsen movie,"Double, Double Toil & Trouble," as well as the Scooby-Doo movie "Scooby-Doo and the Witches Ghost" because those movies did their best to explain how there were bad witches who used black magic, but also good witches too, who used other sorts of magic. I also liked the tv shows "Charmed," Buffy the Vampire Slayer," and "Angel," because they also dabbed into witchcraft and showed it in a positive way.

LCM:   Is there any advice you would like to give our followers about anything at all (cats, Wicca, blogging, friendship, etc.)?

PG:    Some advise I would give followers: Don't believe that witchcraft and magic is bad like the media and other religions would like you to think. Unfortunately, society has given people a negative image of Wicca, so I personally, really don't go around telling my friends and other people that I practice it. I mostly keep it as a family thing. But even after my mom tried to explain Wicca to my Grandfather he still thinks of it as Voodoo!!! (LoL). But I do sort of think it has gotten a bit better, especially since the popularity of Harry Potter (LoL!!!) I think younger people like myself are sort of more open and curious about Wicca than ever in the last decade since books like "Harry Potter" and shows like "Charmed," came out. Luckily, I knew about Wicca before all that stuff came out, so for me Wicca is more than just some fad- type thing. But at the same time if you are curious about Wicca because of something you read or watched on TV, don't be afraid to give Wicca a try, it's never a bad thing to expose yourself to different religions so you can see what you like.

LCM:  Well said! Thank you so very much for taking the time to talk with us today and I wish you the best of luck in all your future endeavors!


Me, Page and Rhiannon

Sandy Sandy's Great Fall Giveaway!!!


For those of you who enjoy great giveaways, you are gonna LOVE this one! The beautiful artist Sandy from her blog Sandy Sandy's Web Log and her cats are having an awesome Fall Giveaway! In fact, she has added an additional treat! She has finished some gorgeous prints which you could have a chance (or two, or three) to win! So get on over there and check it out, my friends!!!

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Getting acquainted ...

So far, our other kitties are "getting to know" Tabby in their own way. Kiki is still having some issues, but the others are doing very well ...

Tabby just chillin"
 
Tabby 'n' Haley
 
Getting some kitty lovin' from dad (who BTW desperately needs a shave!)
 
Midnight says to Kiki, "Will you just STOP hissing at her!"
 
And Kiki replies, "You can't make me!"

 
 
Such is life in a cat house, eh? Happy Saturday!

Monday, September 3, 2012

Just Call Me Mr. Handsome!


We are finally beginning to see a little of Mr. Gray's personality come out. While giving him his food and cat treats at feeding time last night, he waited patiently underneath my car as usual. I slowly walked around him, placed his food dish in front of the garage door and sat down in front of him. I began to shake the bag of cat treats while he cautiously made his way over to me.

Not too long after I gave him some treats, he surprisingly allowed me to pet him. Until now, this was something that neither my hubby nor I were able to do before without him backing away from us. Then, out of nowhere, he began rubbing up against me ~ meowing a couple of times and purring!

This is a huge milestone for him and quite a relief as we were not too sure that he would ever really show us any level of trust. From what I can see, he is not a "Catch and Release" like Tabby and he is most likely still in-tact. None-the-less, we still fully intend to help him any way we can. Next step is to treat him with the Advantage II topical flea control.

Isn't he such a handsome fella?

Sunday, September 2, 2012

My Precious Boy ...

I call him my little boy, my pride and joy, my heart. I am talking about, of course, my furr baby Midnight. He is by far the most sweetest, docile, laid-back male cat we have ever had the pleasure of sharing our lives with.

Last night, he showed us just how loving a kitty he can be. While the other cats (both females) are still stewing about us bringing in yet another female into "their" home (how dare we!), Midnight is warming up to Tabby rather nicely. This is no surprise to us; however, since he has always been the little diplomat of the clan...


He is now beginning to share his toys and play with her. As you can see in the above pic, he is playing "footsie" with her from underneath the couch. I have also noticed that since we brought the scratching post back out for Tabby he has been playing with the little ball inside of it vigorously ~ having a great time while getting the excercise he is so desperately in need of ...



 
All pooped out!
 
 
 
WISHING A BLESSED SUNDAY TO ALL AND A VERY SAFE AND RELAXING LABOR DAY, TOO!!!