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Cat Forum / Cat Anecdotes / December 2007Hi there - its been a while
Hi all: I've been lurking and sending purrs for the past few months as things just got out of hand in RL between the baby, the Board of Directors work (I'm now finished) and various other family issues. O&C say "hi" and are, at this moment, doing their best decorative cushion impressions - they've been curled up in cat discs since winter started with a vengeance in November. Too old to venture Out in these deplorable conditions they tell me. They are in a tizzy over their litterbox situation as well. We're doing a basement reno and that's where all 3 of their litterboxes are. There are saws and compressors and any number of loud men down there and the boys have been at their wits end. Too cold Out but too noisy Down. We put a clean litterbox on the main floor but its just too Not In The Normal Place for them. The reno is drawing to a close and life will get back to normal for all of us. The contractor had to hear all about the kind of floor that we needed - it had to be able to be wiped clean since our cats will barf on any horizontal surface. He wanted us to have carpet (no thank you) and Berber at that (can you say scratching post?). Instead, we opted for the bright red marmoleum. It's gorgeous all on its own and the boys look stunning against the red backdrop :D Colour sample here if you're interested http://www.urbaneliving.co.uk/products.php?cat=95&pg=2 Otis saved Chester the other night through valiant yowling in the basement. I thought he was just complaining about his litterbox again but something told me to go down and see what he was on about. He was standing outside the locked furnace room door, behind which Chester was stranded. What a good boy he is - and unusual for him to actually *bring* Chester to my attention. He spends most of his time trying to prevent us from paying attention to him ... Otis has been a real comfort, as usual. Waits outside the baby's room while I feed the baby and curls up to purr on my head as soon as I'm back to bed. He's lucky I'm hyper vigilant as he actually waits right *on* the threshold and doesn't move when I open the door. He's right where my foot would land if I didn't expect him there. OT: The baby is 10 months old in two days. He's crawling now, can say "da da" pretty consistently, and learned to wave this week. He laughs when you just look at him and is a total and utter delight. The older two are helping lots, though I think Sam would like to trade in his brother to get all the attention back to him. I would too if I were him. OT: Fred's mom, former slave to Snuffy, the evil cat who held on until 19 yo, has just been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and we're all reeling. She seems so healthy and the tumour is supposedly small-ish but is wrapped around a vein so they say it is inoperable. She's such a wonderful woman and it still seems so unreal. Any purrs for a life long cat lover, Grandma Shirley, would be much appreciated. I'll sign off now. I have a new photo site http://www.flickr.com/photos/15551529@N06/ for bird and kid photos. The cats are still at: http://community.webshots.com/user/susanmandfredk Take care, Susan M Otis and Chester > Hi all: > [quoted text clipped - 58 lines] > Susan M > Otis and Chester Wonderful to hear from you. Though I'm so sorry about Shirley. We will keep her in our prayers. For some reason just in the last week I've been thinking about you and wondering how your family was doing. I figured Andrew (?name right) had got himself mobile and was keeping you on your toes. Jo > Wonderful to hear from you. Though I'm so sorry about Shirley. We will > keep her in our prayers. Thank you Jo - that is so kind of you. I will pass that along to Grandma Shirley and she will be touched. There is a picture of her with Andrew here from this summer: http://www.flickr.com/photos/15551529@N06/1971579021/in/set-72157603090576074/ She is 80 and has been so full of zip. I admire her so much. > For some reason just in the last week I've been thinking about you and > wondering how your family was doing. I figured Andrew (?name right) had got > himself mobile and was keeping you on your toes. Thank you again Jo - it's so nice to be "back" :-) Andrew (excellent memory - I have none left after rejoining the ranks of the sleep deprived) has been keeping us on our toes. Everyone told us that the third would be a real blessing and we are amazed at the magnitude of that. I think we have a different perspective on parenthood being 41 and 45 than we did at 31 and 35, especially with our own parents being ill now. I just want to hang on to every day and every minute with all my children. I have a lot more patience than I did the first time. I think that #3 is lucky to have parents at that stage in many respects. Take care, Susan M Otis and Chester > I've been lurking and sending purrs for the past few months as things > just got out of hand in RL between the baby, the Board of Directors work > (I'm now finished) and various other family issues. I was wondering were you were hiding. I was just thinking about you the other day, Tom and I went to The Crossings and it reminded me of your visit. > started with a vengeance in November. Too old to venture Out in these > deplorable conditions they tell me. Yay! Stay inside you crazy Otis! :) > stranded. What a good boy he is - and unusual for him to actually > *bring* Chester to my attention. He spends most of his time trying to > prevent us from paying attention to him ... Otis has a heart of gold, I've always said so. Even if he's a pain in the arse. :) > OT: The baby is 10 months old in two days. He's crawling now, can say > "da da" pretty consistently, and learned to wave this week. He laughs > when you just look at him and is a total and utter delight. The older We just had friends visit over thanksgiving with their 8 month old daughter and she was adorable! > two are helping lots, though I think Sam would like to trade in his > brother to get all the attention back to him. I would too if I were him. Awww... poor Sam! > wonderful woman and it still seems so unreal. Any purrs for a life long > cat lover, Grandma Shirley, would be much appreciated. Lots and lots of healing purrs. > Susan M > Otis and Chester Give scritches to both of them for me and hi to everybody else. :) Victor, just coming home from a yoga workshop that included a 30 minute seated meditation.  SignatureVictor M. Martinez Owned and operated by the Fantastic Seven (TM) Send your spam here: uce@ftc.gov Email me here: pistorLITTER@BOXaustin.rr.com >> I've been lurking and sending purrs for the past few months as things >> just got out of hand in RL between the baby, the Board of Directors [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > other day, Tom and I went to The Crossings and it reminded me of your > visit. Thanks Victor - I've been thinking of you and Tom with your mysterious scary cat barf (and in other more pleasant ways) and sending my best healing thoughts to your crew. Has Tom been doing much photography lately? Sounds like you have a good yoga practice - you must be doing so well! Does Tom do yoga and meditation too? >> started with a vengeance in November. Too old to venture Out in these >> deplorable conditions they tell me. > > Yay! Stay inside you crazy Otis! :) Until the spring ... But even this spring and summer he toned things down a lot and stuck around home most of the time. He sleeps on the cat tower in the backyard and, joy of joys for him, helps us garden when we're out. What a steadfast companion he is. >> stranded. What a good boy he is - and unusual for him to actually >> *bring* Chester to my attention. He spends most of his time trying to >> prevent us from paying attention to him ... > > Otis has a heart of gold, I've always said so. Even if he's a pain in > the arse. :) I'm actually kind of embarrassed, after he's built up this legendary reputation as Otis the Black, to say that he's almost getting kind of normal for a cat. Kind of. Just kind of. >> OT: The baby is 10 months old in two days. He's crawling now, can >> say "da da" pretty consistently, and learned to wave this week. He [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > We just had friends visit over thanksgiving with their 8 month old > daughter and she was adorable! He is ridiculously kissable and huggable. His forearms are so fat that they spill over onto his hands and they look like screw on hands. He wrinkles up his nose when he smiles and belly laughs. So funny. >> two are helping lots, though I think Sam would like to trade in his >> brother to get all the attention back to him. I would too if I were him. > > Awww... poor Sam! When we told him about Grandma Shirley being sick he said that in his heart, his love heart, he knew that in the summer when Grandma Shirley went for her cat scan that she had cancer (we hadn't discussed this with him). He has told me before that he knows that your soul remains the same when you die, its just not in your body anymore. He was 6 when he told me that. He is just an old soul - sensitive and perceptive. He will find it easier with his peers as they all get older... >> wonderful woman and it still seems so unreal. Any purrs for a life >> long cat lover, Grandma Shirley, would be much appreciated. > > Lots and lots of healing purrs. Thank you so much for that and I will tell Grandma Shirley that you've passed them along. >> Susan M >> Otis and Chester > > Give scritches to both of them for me and hi to everybody else. :) Well - I gave them a good pummeling instead - and they loved it :D > Victor, just coming home from a yoga workshop that included a 30 minute > seated meditation. Wow. You must feel so good. that's what I need to do... instead, Fred and I are watching "Knocked Up" tonight. Hmmm... Purrs for Shirley and all who love her. SignatureJoy Nothing is impossible. Some things are just less likely than others. -- Jonathan Winters > Hi all: > [quoted text clipped - 58 lines] > Susan M > Otis and Chester > Purrs for Shirley and all who love her. Thank you Joy - I will tell her that you are thinking about her. Susan M Otis and Chester > OT: Fred's mom, former slave to Snuffy, the evil cat who held on until > 19 yo, has just been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and we're all > reeling. She seems so healthy and the tumour is supposedly small-ish > but is wrapped around a vein so they say it is inoperable. She's such a > wonderful woman and it still seems so unreal. Any purrs for a life long > cat lover, Grandma Shirley, would be much appreciated. Great to have an update from you, Susan. Purrs are coming over the pond for Grandma Shirley. SignatureMarina >> OT: Fred's mom, former slave to Snuffy, the evil cat who held on >> until 19 yo, has just been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and we're [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > Great to have an update from you, Susan. Purrs are coming over the pond > for Grandma Shirley. Thank you so much Marina. I'm passing these along to Grandma Shirley. Susan M Otis and Chester >Hi all: > [quoted text clipped - 58 lines] >Susan M >Otis and Chester I has been awhile since I've read anything about Otis and Chester. I hope Grandma Shirley has a LOT of quality time left to spend with family and friends. Purrs are on the way to that end. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Life without cats would be only marginally worth living." -TC, and the unmercifully, relentlessly, sweet calico kitty, Kenzie. How you behave towards cats here below determines your status in Heaven. - Robert Heinlein Life is very difficult. Once you understand that, life becomes easier. -Buddha > I has been awhile since I've read anything about Otis and Chester. Well, they're getting pretty predictable these days, finally ;-) Lots of sleeping and eating and cuddling and a lot less running away, getting lost, and destroying personal property! > I hope Grandma Shirley has a LOT of quality time left to spend with > family and friends. > > Purrs are on the way to that end. Thank you. We hope so too. Susan M Otis and Chester >> I has been awhile since I've read anything about Otis and Chester. > Well, they're getting pretty predictable these days, finally ;-) Lots > of sleeping and eating and cuddling and a lot less running away, getting > lost, and destroying personal property! And how about letting you get a decent night's sleep? Have they calmed down enough for that, or do they (ie, Otis) still need to spend the occasional night in the basement? I love how Otis waits for you outside Andrew's bedroom when you're feeding him. I'm glad you're back too. Purrs for everyone, especially Shirley. Joyce SignatureTo send email to this address, remove the triple-X from my user name. > And how about letting you get a decent night's sleep? Have they calmed > down enough for that, or do they (ie, Otis) still need to spend the > occasional night in the basement? I love how Otis waits for you outside > Andrew's bedroom when you're feeding him. The decent night's sleep - not exactly. Otis is getting better at sleeping through merely because its cold so he likes to lay still, snuggle, and get warm. The downside is that he has to be pressed up against me at all times to stay warm so, if I roll over or get up, he insists on getting up again and repositioning himself each time. This involves the standard disagreement that we have between him trying to sleep on all my breathing holes (both nostrils and mouth) and me trying to push him away. He doesn't understand that if he suffocates me, he won't get fed in the AM. THEN, Chester has to come to bed once Otis is groggy so that Otis doesn't chase him away. Chester still does his crazy Kramer entrances, which are rather shocking, and then insists on sharing his loud rumbley joy at being on the bed for a while - kneading contentedly with sharp claws on my neck. So, between the baby getting up 4 times a night, the cats repositioning, and then Fred getting up at 6 AM to go to work, I'm a little disoriented most of the time. No, the baby shouldn't be getting up that often anymore. I'd let him cry a bit except that he's currently all stopped up and is teething and I don't like him suffering and crying. It's one thing to be mad that mom won't come and hang with you for a while but its another to have stomach and teeth pains AND not have mom come when you call. Problem is, I rather abruptly weaned him off night feedings, he ate way more solids and had way less fluid ... and got NASTY HORRIFIC constipation. So, I'm having some kind of balancing problem here to get him sleeping but pooping on a regular basis. And I'm a pushover, it seems ;-) Blah blah blah... > I'm glad you're back too. thanks :D > Purrs for everyone, especially Shirley. Thank you so much - she is very touched by her worldwide support. Susan M Otis and Chester It may not seem like it now but the day will come when you are awake and wish the baby would wake up so you could hold and rock. The night cuddles are the ones most of us remember most. >> And how about letting you get a decent night's sleep? Have they calmed >> down enough for that, or do they (ie, Otis) still need to spend the [quoted text clipped - 42 lines] > Susan M > Otis and Chester > It may not seem like it now but the day will come when you are awake and > wish the baby would wake up so you could hold and rock. The night cuddles > are the ones most of us remember most. You know - having the older kids around makes that all too clear. My eldest, now 9, is ridiculously tall, gangly, and not super cuddly. The next, now 7, is cuddly but 61 pounds of dead weight. They read, they write, they do math and ride bicycles. I never imagined the day that they'd be so independent. It makes me maudlin with the little one. Crying at each "first" knowing it will be the last "first". ... and I was voted least likely to ever have children of all my friends... Susan M Otis and Chester > THEN, Chester has to come to bed once Otis is groggy so that Otis > doesn't chase him away. Chester still does his crazy Kramer entrances, > which are rather shocking, and then insists on sharing his loud rumbley > joy at being on the bed for a while - kneading contentedly with sharp > claws on my neck. I'm sorry about your interrupted sleep, but couldn't help laughing at Otis' and Kramer's... err Chester's antics. Love that description. SignatureMarina > > THEN, Chester has to come to bed once Otis is groggy so that Otis > > doesn't chase him away. Chester still does his crazy Kramer entrances, > > which are rather shocking, and then insists on sharing his loud rumbley > > joy at being on the bed for a while - kneading contentedly with sharp > > claws on my neck. > I'm sorry about your interrupted sleep, but couldn't help laughing at > Otis' and Kramer's... err Chester's antics. Love that description. I didn't watch that show, so I'm not sure who's who. Was Kramer the guy with the bad hair? Joyce > > I'm sorry about your interrupted sleep, but couldn't help laughing at > > Otis' and Kramer's... err Chester's antics. Love that description. > > I didn't watch that show, so I'm not sure who's who. Was Kramer the > guy with the bad hair? That's right Joyce - the guy with the crazy hair who would suddenly burst into Seinfeld's room, sliding on the floor and usually having some physical comedy problem. That's my Chester. By day, delicate and precise. By night, a wild man. Susan M Otis and Chester >> THEN, Chester has to come to bed once Otis is groggy so that Otis >> doesn't chase him away. Chester still does his crazy Kramer [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > I'm sorry about your interrupted sleep, but couldn't help laughing at > Otis' and Kramer's... err Chester's antics. Love that description. ... you gotta love 'em with all their purrsonality ... despite the lack of sleep ;-) Susan M Otis and Chester > The decent night's sleep - not exactly. Otis is getting better at > sleeping through merely because its cold so he likes to lay still, [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > to push him away. He doesn't understand that if he suffocates me, he > won't get fed in the AM. Nor will you keep him warm for very long. :) Joyce > > The decent night's sleep - not exactly. Otis is getting better at > > sleeping through merely because its cold so he likes to lay still, [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Nor will you keep him warm for very long. :) It took me a minute to figure that out ... must be tired ;-) Susan M Otis and Chester > > > The decent night's sleep - not exactly. Otis is getting better at > > > sleeping through merely because its cold so he likes to lay still, [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > > > Nor will you keep him warm for very long. :) > It took me a minute to figure that out ... must be tired ;-) Or perhaps you're just a little less morbid than I am? Joyce Purrs for everyone, especially Shirley. > Susan M wrote: > Thank you so much - she is very touched by her worldwide support. > > Susan M > Otis and Chester Lots and lots of purrs and hugs from us too, Polonca and Soncek Hi Susan, it is good to see you back. You have been a very busy person. Your photographs are fantastic! Do you do them professionally? Many purrs and prayers for Grandma Shirley. SignatureCharleen Aggie Marble, Victor Velcro The Spirit of Mr. Pumpkin St. Cloud, Florida USA > Hi all: > [quoted text clipped - 58 lines] > Susan M > Otis and Chester > Hi Susan, it is good to see you back. Thank you Charleen - good to be back! >You have been a very busy person. I was saying to Fred last night that we're all *too* busy these days! I think I liked that no-Sunday-shopping and all of that.... >Your > photographs are fantastic! Do you do them professionally? Thanks! Not professionally - just scratching the surface now but enjoying it thoroughly. Got a shot of a Townsend's Solitaire yesterday, which was thrilling. Not super common around these parts and even less so at this time of year. The thrill of the stalk and the shot! My kids are growing weary of always being in front of a lens... Many purrs and > prayers for Grandma Shirley. Thank you Charleen. Susan M Otis and Chester Glad to see you back > Hi all: > [quoted text clipped - 58 lines] > Susan M > Otis and Chester > Glad to see you back Thank you Matthew. I'm glad that Phantom is feeling better. Susan M Otis and Chester >> Glad to see you back > > Thank you Matthew. I'm glad that Phantom is feeling better. > > Susan M > Otis and Chester Back to being the old pain in the butt he is ;-) >>> Glad to see you back >> [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > Back to being the old pain in the butt he is ;-) Got to love it! Wonderful. Susan M Otis and Chester Purrs on the way for Shirley Give Otis some extra scritches for a job well done on his rescue of Chester And we're sending along reno and litterbox purrs as well. I'm thinking about where to fit in another box here with my two additions, just not many places to put one in a small one bedroom, especially since the bedroom and living room are carpeted. SignatureSteve Touchstone, faithful servant of Sammy, Little Bit, Spot, Princess and Furby with loving memories of Rocky (RB) > Purrs on the way for Shirley Thank you so much for that. > Give Otis some extra scritches for a job well done on his rescue of > Chester Now that he's finished biting Chester on the neck for asking for scritches, I can give Otis *his* scritches! What a juvenile cat sometimes that Otis. > And we're sending along reno and litterbox purrs as well. Thanks - the reno purrs don't seem to be working though ;-) No one showed up AGAIN TODAY. Not that I'm annoyed or anything with them ... > I'm thinking about where to fit in another box here with my two > additions, just not many places to put one in a small one bedroom, > especially since the bedroom and living room are carpeted. Litterboxes are just *too* hard. It seems that, once they're placed, the cats never want to go anywhere else. Fred is convinced that we'll just move the litterboxes down the hall and into the furnace room once the reno is finished. Except that they've been in the same place since we've moved into the house and there is *no* *way* that the boys will adapt just like that. And there aren't very many great places to put litterboxes on the main floor that aren't actual living areas! Tough to figure out I know. Susan M Otis and Chester > OT: Fred's mom, former slave to Snuffy, the evil cat who held on > until 19 yo, has just been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > unreal. Any purrs for a life long cat lover, Grandma Shirley, would > be much appreciated. Thanks for the update. Purrs for Grandma Shirley. Signaturemonique, who spoils Oscar unmercifully pictures: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/rpca >> OT: Fred's mom, former slave to Snuffy, the evil cat who held on >> until 19 yo, has just been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > Thanks for the update. Purrs for Grandma Shirley. Thank you Monique. She was moved to tears today when I told her about everyone thinking about her here. Susan M Otis and Chester
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