Sweet Dreams, Carl

CARLOS "CARL" RAPHAEL CAMARO

27 June 1997 - 28 August 2015

It's with great sadness we tell you of the loss of our sweet, dapper mancat, Carl.  Although he was 18, it seemed possible he would live for a long time yet, but he was destined to come in to the world with Julie and to leave it shortly after her. 

Carl had just been to the vet's for his check up and had a full blood work up done.  No kidney disease, no liver disease, no imbalances of any kind.  Incredibly his results showed a purrfectly healthy cat, even his teeth were white and clean without tartar, a week later he was gone. 

Last Friday morning he had problems walking and was falling over, having difficulty getting to his feet, unable to eat or even look up.  Looking into his eyes, the difference in the dilation of his pupils explained what happened.  He'd had a stroke overnight.

Carl and Julie as wee ones.

One of Carl's greatest pleasures was playing.

It really didn't matter what the toy was.

All kinds of banging came from the bathroom as he chased his tail and banked off the tub.

Oui Oui wonders if Carl has lost his mind!

Nothing feels better than airing your belly after making a really big mess.

Carl loved his boxes too!

Singing was another great pleasure!

He'd slip out of the house late at night

and rendezvous with Admiral Hestorb, Katie Isabella's

predecessor and giggle when they kept Katie's mom awake at night.

You can hear him singing here.

Such a tiny little voice!

He did a lot of traveling too!

Here he is with Moosey and friends in Paris.

All packed and ready to sail the high seas to Australia

with his friends from Da Tabbies O Trout Towne.

Unlike Julie, he didn't mind being dressed up 

and enjoyed wearing his tie.

He was a pacifist and never fought with any cat,

not even a hiss when new kitties joined the family.

Running down stairs to breakfast was serious business.  So were product reviews.  Everything got a 4 paw rating and it was often was race with Julie to see who could eat the most.

Good bye, sweet boy!  So much was lost in this world when you left it, but there is the promise of seeing you again, and what a happy time that will be!  No doubt you are singing with the angels.  Til we met again!

Wake up!  It's time to eat!

Meet Punkin S. Thunderpurr

Introducing our newest family member, 

PUNKIN SWEET THUNDERPURR!

Gotcha Day 8 August 2015

Birthday 1 June 2014

Is it playtime?

I'm purring and ready to go!

While we had no intention of adopting another sibling so soon after losing our lovely Julie, the mom met this young handsome mancat in the course of her volunteer work with her local TNR group, and he was so sweet, loving and fun she hated to see him without a home.  Her home.

 

 I don't mind showing off my belly!

See!  I'm a good sport!

I'm purring while you admire it!

Look into my eyes . . . 

I'm purring while you do that too.

Excuse me while I play.

 And purr.

 Life is a happy game!

I've meet my two sisters, Oui Oui briefly until she decided she had better things to do under a table in the mom's room (aka Cat Central) and Mica Minnie Moo who has been rather grumbly but I just purr at her.  Sometimes my tail accidentally gets big but a little purring helps with that.

See the baby gates in the background?

There's 2 stacked on top of each other, 

it's really just a visual barrier since any of us could jump them,

the mom excepted who has a rough time with just one.

Today is our 4th Blogoversary, and what better way to celebrate than with the happiest of news?  We're sorry we haven't been around much for the last year, and we hope we visited everyone who left kind words at Julie's passing.  If we missed anyone, we're very sorry.  We had to visit a little at a time because it was so emotional thinking of our lost girl and it's possible we might have missed a kitty.

 

Pardon me while I get back to the important things in life.

Playing, and you know what else.

I'll see you all soon!  And remember, purring goes with everything, even polky dots.  A home of your own is a wonderful thing to have!

Rest in Peace, Julie

JEWELL, aka JULIE

June 27, 1997 - July 8, 2015

Beloved sister of  Carlos "Carl" Raphael Camaro, beloved sweetheart of Gabriel of Mewsings of Cottage Garden Cats, sisterly companion of Oui Oui, nemesis of Mica Minnie Moo, cherished family member of The Girl and the mom. 

 A little charmer from the start.

Julie was the daughter of a grand champion mother who had a wild night of hanky panky, meowgaritas and fun after slipping out the door one evening.  She inherited her mother's beauty and lovely long furs, as soft as an angel's kiss.  While she was tiny, never more than 10 lbs, she was a true dynamo and all the cats learned to respect her and her personal space.  The mom is convinced when William Shakespeare wrote "Though she be but little, she is fierce!" he had Julie in mind.

Julie didn't suffer fools, or foolishness, lightly.

This past year has been a difficult one for Julie.  She was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism and by the end of the year her kidneys were beginning to fail.  She found a balance and comfortable equilibrium through meds, subQ fluids and diet, and while she never gained back all the weight she had lost, she held her own.

Her funny antics, like sleeping with her arms in the air,

would make the mom laugh.

In the beginning of June, The Girl found a tumor on her throat which turned out to be a very large goiter.  When her blood work came back, the vet wasn't as concerned about her hyperthyroidism as he was about her kidneys.  She was in stage III kidney failure.

 She could win hearts with one glance.

Over the last week, Julie had started eating less but otherwise acting normally.  The mom, hoping it was because she had so much food to eat she wasn't as hungry as she had been, kept a close eye on it. Wednesday morning Julie wasn't sleeping in her favorite spot, the one she used if not in the bed, and didn't come in the bathroom as was her routine.  Very suspicious, the mom carried her down to the kitchen where Julie hung over the water bowl without drinking.  When given her breakfast, Julie walked back to the water bowl and sat there rather dazed.

Julie could control the entire upstairs with one well positioned roost.

The mom made her as comfortable as possible and was able to get an appointment for noon.  When time for her appointment, Julie still hadn't eaten and was lying on her padded cushion, apparently not having moved since the morning.  The vet said it was the right decision and the mom stayed with her until the end.

 Julie takes loving care of the mom 

after she was injured feeding feral cats last summer.

She will be greatly missed, Julie was always a mommy's girl.  Just hearing the mom say her name was enough reason to purr.  Fly away, sweetie, whole and beautiful.  I'm glad you didn't suffer too much or too long, though it breaks my heart not to have you with me.  Run free and easy, my love.