Tabby Tuesday

The Face of Innocence

Three Out of Four Again?

Even the mom got a present from Chewy.com this time.

A pen for honing her posts!

Our friends at Chewy sent us a product to try.  Its Natural Balance Platefuls, the Turkey, Chicken & Duck formula in gravy.  Its grain free and contains no corn, soy, wheat, artificial flavors or colors.  Because Oui Oui has eaten duck before, we were hoping to score a purrfect four.  Did it happen?  Did the food diva cave?

The glutton twins were right on it!  No need to call THEM twice!

 I'm busy at the moment, go bother Julie.

I don't have time to talk right now, go see Carl.








So, its a two fer.  How did it go with the other two?

Oui Oui:  Well, it smells good.

MMM:  Nom, nom, nom.

I'll sniff this little piece MMM knocked off the plate. 

Oui Oui:  I don't know, it just isn't pate,

and it has sauce all over it.

MMM:  Nom, nom, nom.

MMM:  Nom, nom, nom.

Once again its a three out of four finish!  Three loved it and one, well, she lived up to her reputation.  Will we EVER have a four out of four?  Maybe next month!

Adopt a Less Adoptable Pet Week

Its Adopt a Less Adoptable Pet week and we wanted to add our two cents.  We've unknowingly adopted several less desirable cats and would like to share our experiences.

The first "less adoptable" who came into the mom's life was Robbie, a handsome silver tabby mancat.  He started greeting the mom when she came home from work and eventually took up residence on her porch.  She doesn't believe he was a stray, just a young kitty looking for a different home.  When she took him in one very cold and stormy night, his owners never responded to her efforts to find them.

So what was his undesirable trait?  He was FeLV positive.  She was heart broken when he died of leukemia a short 6 years later.  The other resident cats, Leia and Attila, never came down with the disease and both lived to 15.  In these days of testing, he might never have found a home, even though he was fun, loving and a joy to live with.

The second undesirable was Lumpy.  The mom always loved him when she visited her sister.  He was quirky in just the right ways.  So when her sister had to move and the apartment didn't allow animals, she asked the mom to take him.  His undesirable trait?  He was 10 years old!

Lumpy the Elderly.

Lumpy was a survivor who succumbed to kidney failure and cancer at 18.  That tough old bird lived with the mom longer than Robbie, who was about a year old when he came to live with us.  So you never know how long you have to enjoy a pet, regardless of their age when adopted.

The third undesirable you know well.  That's right!  Its Carl.  We're sure you sympathize with us for having to live with such a horrid cat.  The blight he has caused is astonishing!  

Carl the Menace.

In all honesty, when the mom adopted him, she thought the trouble with black cats involved possible cat-nappings around Halloween.  She's since learned the worst problem is how hard they are to photograph.  To the superstitious who really believe black cats are bad luck and won't adopt them because of it, the mom has some advice.  Buy an amulet, go have your blood let and leeches applied to your head.  That will put your humors back in balance and will help you think straight.

Mica Minnie Moo the Shy.

Its possible Mica Moo many fit into the less adoptable category.  At the root of her problems is a basic mistrust of people.  She certainly would be fearful and shy, and not "show" well.  She was far too young and on the streets far too long to act like a socialized cat.  We're sure some people would have given up on her.  Even the mom had serious doubts in the beginning, but she hated to go back on her promise to give MMM a good home.  She has been more work than all the other cats put together, but maybe one day she will be comfortable around people and react just like a normal house cat.  What a pay off that will be!

So here's to all the lovely, different animals out there!  Remember, variety is the spice of life!  Lets practice it when adopting our pets.  

Everyone have a wonderful weekend!  Stay safe and we're purring for all to have good weather.

Remember Me Thursday

Today is a day of remembrance. Although its good to remember all the unfortunate animals who never had the chance to find a home and become someone's beloved pet, what a sad day it is!

Here's to those whose time ran out before they were adopted, whose mother died before they were weaned, to those who grew up and died lonely and unloved on the streets.  A staggering 3.4 million animals are put to sleep in the US alone each year.  What a waste of life!  Think of the sweet personalities lost!  If ever there was a reason to adopt a rescue, or neuter your pets, this is it.

If you would like to light a candle in sympathy and support, please click here.  You can even leave a personal message.

There isn't a day we don't think of these animals and their plight wrings our hearts.  Our wish for the future is, one day, there won't be a need to remember them.

ANIMAL COMMUNICATION, Part II

Layla with her wise kitty, Merlin.

Hi kitties!  We are back with the second part of our interview with Layla of Cat Wisdom 101 talking to us about animal communication.  For those of you coming in late, you can start with yesterday's post here.  We pick up where we left off:

TTT:  Do you need to modify your technique if you are working with a couple animals, say two who hate each other?

LMW:  If two animals hate each other, there’s not much I can do to make them like each other.  There are countless reasons for incompatibility.  What I can help with is to figure out territorial issues, how to make the environment more comfortable and have the pet parent spend more one-on-one time with each pet.  All cats who happily co-exist have a pecking order and even a group scent.  When cats groom each other, they are exchanging the group scent deepening the bond and creating harmony.  But some pets like some humans simply will never get along or be best friends.

TTT:  That's not the best news for some of us, but we understand.  There are some beans we'd rather not live with either.  MOL!  Now seriously, how often do you need to communicate?

LMW:  It depends on the situation. Sometimes, five minutes gives me the information needed or it can be ongoing.  I suggest everyone spend at least a few minutes every day observing each pet individually and tune in and ask how they’re feeling, taking the time to receive the answer.  It’s not always right away.  You might get nothing and then a few minutes later, see a mental image of a ball going under a piece of furniture that the cat couldn’t retrieve.  Follow your hunch.  Chances are the ball is lodged under the sofa.

TTT:  Have you been talking to Oui Oui?  She loves to play and knock things under furniture!  But, how soon can you see results?

LMW:  From very quickly to never.  This is not an exact science.

TTT:  What is the best way to handle set backs or "back sliding"?

LMW:  After some insights and positive progress, backsliding can occur.  This is always subjective.  Pets never think they’re doing anything wrong.  Only humans decide that behavior they don’t like is wrong.  Keep reinforcing what is working and keep communicating.  It’s easy to feel frustrated and pass that energy to the pet.  They know you’re trying to help.  When nothing is working, do nothing.  Have nap, a bubble bath, go for walk, meditate, pray and ask for Divine guidance or from your higher self.  Nothing stays the same forever.

TTT:  It is frustrating!  MMM was doing so well, but recently she started more scratching.  Things had been so much better!  Are there any tips you’d like to share?

LMW:  Animal communication is not a substitute for proper veterinary care or diagnostics.  If your pet begins speaking to you out loud or tells you to do bad things, you may not need an animal communicator but a psychiatrist (joke).

Keep a journal noting what information was received with the date, circumstances and any corroborating facts.  This is useful to track progress and builds confidence in your intuitive abilities.  Patience!  No one masters playing the piano, yoga, or surfing overnight.   Trust the process.  Nothing kills success faster than self-doubt.  More listening, less talking.  Unplug!  You can’t multi-task, be on your phone, checking email and tune into your pet.  The one language animals and human share is love.

TTT:  We love that idea!  If someone needs more help, are you available and where can they contact you?

LMW:  My schedule is pretty full but everyone is welcome to visit www.catwisdom101.com where there is more info under the Cat Consulting tab.

TTT:  Are there any additional resources available?

LMW:  There are lots of wonderful books.  I can vouch for most on the first page of this list on Amazon.  But more importantly by simply doing and practicing with an open heart, it will get easier.  There are no rules but guidelines.  If you follow your heart and gut, you’ll be fine.    

TTT:  Thank you, Layla, for an intriguing and useful interview.  Thank you for your time and all the effort you put into answering our questions, for educating us and helping our furry loved ones.  We appreciate your care and concern for those who can't just tell us in plain words what troubles them, and for helping to make their lives a little easier.  We wish you the best in all your future endeavors!  Purrs from the bottom of our hearts.  And give all your handsome mancats some scratches for us!

We hope this interview helps some of the kitties with issues out there.  Please be sure you aren't dealing with a physical ailment first.  Purrs and good luck to everyone!

ANIMAL COMMUNICATION, Part I

Kitties, we are so happy to finally get to talk with one of the wonderful people we have met through blogging.  She is one of the first people we met and one of the nicest too.  Its Layla Morgan Wilde of Cat Wisdom 101.

Layla of Cat Wisdom 101

When Mica Moo was going through some bad times earlier this year, Layla stepped forward and offered some suggestions, rightly thinking animal communication would help her.  So many other kitties expressed an interest when we tried animal communication, we asked Layla if she would be our first ever guest, and she said yes!  We are going to get started because there is a lot of information.

TTT:  Could you tell us a little about yourself and how you became involved in animal communication?

LMW:  I'm a holistic cat behaviorist, and founder and editor of the online magazine Cat Wisdom 101.com.  Communicating with animals came naturally to me from early childhood.  I was very shy but intuitive.  Gradually I honed my skills by working as a body-centered therapist with humans and later with cats when I founded Annex Cat Rescue in 1997 in Toronto, Canada.  Communicating intuitively is natural and normal.  We've all experienced following a hunch, or sense of someone we know in trouble or about to call.

TTT:  What are the basic principles of communication? 

LMW:  Animal communication is essentially using intuition to mentally transmit information to and from an animal.  The information can be a feeling, an image or picture in your mind.  With or without words, or sometimes a sound or even a smell.  Animals are expert and way better than humans at this kind of communication, but we are all capable of doing it.  

We can all practice by observing the world around us more deeply, and being present instead of of rushing about and being distracted.  By noticing more every day details, by focusing on one thing at a time, we can tune into every animal we see, dogs being walked, a cat sitting in a window, and our own pet sitting in their favorite chair.  We can mentally say hello and ask do they want to communicate anything or how they are feeling in their body.  Animals are constantly communicating in their world and its up to us to tune in.

TTT:  Yes, we can see that focusing would really be useful in many ways.  How do you go about using it for communicating?

LMW:  It varies depending on whether I'm doing it in person and able to observe body language and clues in the environment or long distance with only a photo or name, age, breed etc.  Long distance requires a different kind of focus that comes with mediating, deep breathing and centering myself from the mental distractions of "monkey mind" jumping about.  

First I always ask permission from the animal.  Do they feel like communicating with me?  They may not want to at that moment.  If I get the green light (just a feeling) I ask how they are feeling and what they would like to share.  This is not like a telephone conversation or Dr. Doolittle.  Some pet psychics claim to work that way but I don't call myself a pet psychic, or even an animal communicator.  I see this kind of communication part of a whole conversation with the pet parent involving verifiable facts, like when was their last vet visit.  

TTT:  When the mom started working with MMM, she wanted to let MMM know she was loved, feeling that was part of her problem.  She got all comfy with MMM and imagined them being drawn together in a cocoon of love, after asking her permission, she asked for a sign from MMM signaling she heard her.  MMM touched her, although it could be any kind of sign.

LMW:  Everyone receives intuitive information a different way and every situation is different.  I try to be open and flow with it even when it may not make sense.  If I ask about how they are feeling physically, I may feel it in my body.  Earlier today I was tuning into a dog and I felt a twinge in my lower spine and sensed the dog had some trouble with mobility in the back legs from a touch of arthritis.  It turned out to be true and the woman was taking her dog to the acupuncturist next week.

I also use other techniques to flesh out more information like tarot and practical behavioral skills.  I like to end with a thanks and a "Love Cloud".  While slowly saying the words "I love you" (verbally or silently) three times, I imagine a pink Valentine heart floating like a cloud from my heart center to theirs and expanding to cover their entire auric or energy field that extends a few inches from their body.  Animals love it!

TTT:  The mom must be on time delay!  She didn't necessarily get answers right away from MMM, but they did pop into her head, usually when she was waking up, falling asleep or thinking about something else.

***************

Thank you, Layla!  Tomorrow we are going to go into some tips and more information.  We hope you found this interesting and helpful for your little furries at home.

Our Funny Farmer's Interveiw

 We get to display this on our side bar!

What a thrilling couple days it has been!  We hit 500 posts yesterday and today we are interviewed by the Funny Farmer Felines on Mousebreath!  We hope you pop on over to see what we had to say.

We can tell you those Funny Farmer Felines are really hard working and deserve a sweet nap in a lovely sunpuddle.  And a niptini or two.  They are witty, and so professional as well.  It was an honor being interviewed and working with them.

And they gave us this really cool graphic too!

If this wasn't enough excitement, we expect to have an intriguing week next week, when we have our very first ever guest.  Its Layla from Cat Wisdom 101 who will be teaching us all about Animal Communication!  Here's everyone's chance to try their hand at helping their problem furry child out.

So, until then, have a fantastic weekend.  Stay safe and have fun!  Purrs!

MEOW LIKE A PIRATE!

Ahoy me mateys!

Aye, we buckos have an excitin' announcement!

Arrr, that's right, this be our 500th post!  Ye can blow us down we done so many!  So drop anchor, grab some grub and grog, and purrhaps a saucy wench or two, then here's to being three sheets to the wind.

Dead Eye Julie be grabbin' her cutlass and invites all the scurvy fightin' dogs to join her on the poop deck for some all out mayhem and swashbucklin' fun.  While Jack Tar Carl asks all the poxy salts to meet him on the plank for a little game of chick-hen.

Cap'n Oui Oui be leadin' chanteys and Quartermaster Mica Moo is no where to be found!

Curse that hag, the mom, fer buying a cannon!

Ye best slap chains on me to hold me here, begad!

So fair winds, me hearties and God speed!  It was handsomely done, ye stoppin' by, and thank ye.

Wordless Wednesday

TortieMeezer Tuesday

I found a cool new place to hang

under the printer.

 Everything looks calm.

Looking good in this direction.

 Looks ok this way too.

Time for a little R&R.

ZZZZZZZZZZzzzzz . . . 

Speaking of Kitty Art

We are the proud owners of some real live, honest to goodness Kitty Art!  A couple weeks ago the mom bought one of Quint's (of Colehaus Cats) paintings.

 Lovely centered photo, courtesy of the mom.

We didn't think to blog about it, but we saw another kitty blogged about their painting, so we thought we'd show you ours, too.  The other painting was done in similar colors but on a dark background and we really liked it.  We are thinking it would look nice with ours as a set, so another might be in our future.

The little card that came with our painting.

How cute!

It comes with a little card and write up about the artist!  Best yet, a donation is made to help less fortunate kitties.

The Coles sent the mom a lovely email telling her how Quint starting painting, which the mom was too rude to answer.  Oh, she'll tell you how busy she is, and make all kinds of excuses about how she over extended herself saying she'd help this or that bean, and even how she couldn't blog every day last week, but it doesn't change the fact!

For those interested, but didn't know, Quint has an interesting story.  He started young, painting the bathroom mirror with toothpaste every day, then moved on to painting walls with kitty litter.  Probably used, we bet, but the Coles were too polite to say.  Or at least, WE would have used used kitty litter, just to see the mom's reaction.

Lesser people, like the mom, would have closed the bathroom door so she wouldn't have to clean the mirror every day, but the Coles gave Quint his very own paints and studio!  How cool is that?  And the rest is history.

We thought this was a sunny, happy story to share with you at the start of a new week.  So enjoy, and have a great day!

Wordless Wednesday

From Mica Minnie Moo's Kitty Art Korner: