Monday, December 31, 2007

Kitty Love

I woke up very early this morning with pain in my knee again. Nothing new there - but I reached over and Princess was in Queenie's place next to my ear. Fluffy was on the other side of my head. Beasley was at my hip near Princess, and Queenie was near my feet there. Bugs was on the other side of my feet.

This was not a first, but pretty close! All five on the bed when I woke up.

The cats have been working really hard to make their personalities come out, lately.

Bugs is no longer just "cute" but cute with a purpose. She has an agenda. She wants to be noticed and cuddled. I changed the sheets on the bed & she had a total fit! She couldn't play with me while I made the bed - by the time I was making the bed she was long gone. She just didn't like me stripping the sheets! She growled & moaned. You could see it on her face. Afterwards, when I cuddled her & put her on the bed, the purrs were much louder than usual.

Queenie is not just Beasley's favorite and a velcro kitty, but a little girl who wants to be loved and appreciated. She is still a little afraid if I move too fast, but she's getting better. She doesn't care for the "pudgy cheek" scratch, but she puts up with it because she gets to lay on my lap as long as she wants to if she lets me give her a little of that.

The biggest change has been Princess. She is "pawing" my arm in the morning when I get on the computer. She is taking over the chair next to the computer (it has the cats' pillows on it) and so she is just below eye level. She is very proactive about cuddles in bed, but now she isn't waiting for bedtime. And when I go into the bedroom in the evenings, she no longer looks at me with that wild-eyed stare. Boy! Three solid years of this & she's finally getting it that I love her and want nothing but the best for her. I go and sit next to her and snuggle on her a little bit. Then, she gives me that "why'd you stop" look, instead of getting up and going into her hidey hole box.

Fluffy is a total snuggle bug. She waits till I put up the footrest on the chair and then jumps up. She wants to lay in a special spot where she can straddle the arm and my knee at the same time. Yes, my sore knee. She seems to understand my pain. Her fur is all matted again, but it's like she just refuses to let me trim them off or brush them out. I might be able to get 3 strokes with the brush, or isolate a mat with my fingers and grab the scissors - then she's off! If I just let her be, she sleeps like she hasn't had any sleep in days. I actually caught her stealing food this morning. She finished her bowl & went over to Beasley's bowl & picked the food up & dropped it on the floor. I stopped her & put his food back in his bowl, but she didn't like that so she left the kitchen. When I walk into the bathroom, she has to meet me at the door & go into submission pose. Head down & turned almost upside down, hiney up & leaning on the doorframe. She's asking for a cuddle, of course! A quick scratch & stroke & she's happy. She doesn't come closer or follow me in, but stays there looking longingly at me like she wants more cuddles. What a card!

Beasley has been pouting a little bit. He wants to play so badly! If I could cull him out long enough and keep his attention long enough, I think he would benefit greatly. He's been hopping up on my lap when I'm on the computer & otherwise ignoring me. He comes for cuddles a little bit, and puts his whiskers forward when he talks to me, but I can tell he's not getting understood. I can see his frustration. I understand, but there isn't anything I can do to help. He needs to ignore the girls long enough to get some quality play time. I guess I'll just keep trying. Meanwhile, he head-butts me when he comes for cuddles, so I know he still believes in me.

Yeah, the holidays & all the time I've been able to spend with the cats has really helped. They are better for it. Maybe Beasley is missing special time with mom, but he's happy the girls are with us, too. He loves them. He and Fluffy have a deal. He sleeps on one side of the chair, she gets the other side. They protect each other against the girls - Bugs and Queenie. If either of the girls come up, they get chased off - with a look, nothing else.

I look forward to more love from all of them. We are looking for a larger abode. My business activities are growing and our space together is more squeezed. I guess it's time to move on a bit. I look forward to a dishwasher, and a washer and dryer. I look forward to being able to walk through a room and not have it do double or triple duty.

Well, Happy New Year! Hope you get all the things you want. I hope you have prosperity and health. And may there be peace on earth - if only for a little while. It's been too long since there was peace.

Sunday, December 30, 2007

SBI Special Extended!

Extended till January 4th! Wow! I knew it was still going on, but I hadn't checked until just now - and it's January 4th.

That gives everyone time to get back to the office & check email, I guess.

Get your site - split the 2-4-1 with a friend or family member to reduce costs - whatever you need to do! If you are thinking of joining 5-Pillar, do it now, have your friend buy the sites in their name, you get the commission and reduce the price even more! Truly- this is an amazing special. I'm working one site of the 2 I bought now.

Go for it! You owe it to yourself.

SBI! Order Page

Thursday, December 27, 2007

Holiday Kitty Contest Winding Down

This section of the Holiday Kitty Contest is winding down. Five entries were received and voting will continue till December 31st.

Contest prizes are impressive! I got a fabulous prize from Only Natural Pet Supply and another one from Entirely Pets. I have still another coupon for $2 off wet or dry food. Pretty good! All because my suppliers (your suppliers, too!) love what happens on For the Love of Cats.

So, for the next leg of the contest, get those photos uploaded & get ready to submit your entry January 1st. Hey - if you want to submit now, go ahead! Reply to the newsletter and attach your photo. The next leg is "new years hijinx" and new Christmas/Hanuka/Kwanzaa photos from the current season.

Hope your Holidays were amazing! Mine sure were!

You Like It!

You folks sure seem to like the new Hidey Hole Beds page! They are so nice for a kitty to curl up in, to snooze, stay warm, feel safe & yet be part of the family!

If you got a new dog or puppy for Christmas, chances are that the pup has poked his or her nose into the opening & been swiped or hissed at.

Hey - it's cat turf! No dogs allowed! :)

I've been having trouble getting some books for you. I want to put up new breed picture books and books on cat breeding, but I can't seem to get the links right now. Stay tuned. They will come.

I've finally got the first of my pages done for Flea Fighters. The homepage & main lead off pages are done. The contact form is currently on the "Army" page and if you want to comment, you can do so there.

Sunday, December 23, 2007

OH Boy! What a Deal!

Special SiteSell Promotion


This is the best time of year to get a site! You can buy one for yourself & give one to your sweetie. Or to your child - or one for each child!

At the same price of one site, you get 2! This is the only time of year this happens! What a fabulous gift! A future! A life more secure!

Click on the title of this entry or the picture above, and it will take you to the "case studies" section so you can see if this might be for you - or your kids - or your spouse - or your parents......

The special expires on December 25th at midnight. That's the last possible minute of Christmas itself... Don't be a scrooge! Give your family and yourself a more secure life!

I don't expect you to buy something I don't believe in - well I'm in the middle of my own right now! I'm building a new website - and have one in reserve thanks to this deal. I have the first bits up on the internet already (having been through the process recently for a client, I was prepared for the special) and I invite you to look at the website. Any comments about what you see there you can post to the contact form on the site....

Anyway - it's www.flea-fighters.com (you will need to copy/paste)

Enjoy!

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Grieving Our Pets, Pets Grieving Pets

I was listening to the radio this morning and heard a story from our local Veterinary School and grieving our pets. There is a grief counselor/social worker who runs a grief support group at the Vet college for folks who have lost their pets. They discussed how close we get to our pets and how it's normal and natural to grieve their loss.I was glad to hear about the group. I haven't recently lost a pet, but I know how hard it is on me when I do.

The discussion included stereotypes about losing pets and how it's harder for men to grieve the loss and how they can be less tolerant of those around them. I think that it's true not just for men, but for all adults. As children, we lose a pet and a part of our world is gone forever. As adults, we've learned to live with loss and don't want to feel that poignant pain again.

Men, as a stereotype anyway, don't like to feel emotions visibly. They feel them - some are deeply affected by them. But most of the men I've known don't want to show it. The deepest loss I ever felt was for Napoleon. I don't know why that is. Oscar was much more loved and lived with me longer. Perhaps it was the times we lived and the things we lived through... Anyway, my husband was very short with me during that period of grief. He didn't stay with me very long, but the grief did. It's still in me today.

And to be brought to our knees by the loss of a pet is degrading! Come on - it's one thing to lose a parent or child - but a pet?!?! So, to hear the piece on NPR was comforting. It's nice to know that there is a study of grief over our pets. Maybe your local vet college will have a course of study in their social services curriculum.

It made me wonder, though. How can we help our pets to grieve the loss of a litter-mate? I remember when Fatty died. His litter mate - Oscar - wanted nothing to do with the empty carcass. "He" - Fatty - wasn't there. I discuss some methods that have worked for me in the past, but they may not always work. A grieving animal is not "in it's right mind" and that is true whether two- or four-legged.

A mother cat losing her litter by placement of the kittens is no less mourning their loss than if they died. She has an advantage of seeing them and saying goodbye, but not all the people taking a kitten will be good to it. She has to trust us, her caregivers, that we have chosen a good home for her offspring.

Remember to help your cat to grieve. Allow the pain and loss to show. It puts all of us on a higher plane of existence to remember, honor and love those we have lost. Two- or Four-Legged!

Thursday, December 06, 2007

Cats and Holidays

There is so much hubbub during the holidays, that sometimes we forget our pets' feelings and needs. By thinking ahead and anticipating your cats' needs, you demonstrate your love.

Read the full article:
http://www.for-the-love-of-cats.com/CatsandHolidays.html

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Holiday Kitty Contest Submissions Disappointing

To have a contest, you need folks to submit photos, right????

Well, folks aren't submitting photos. I don't know if they are too busy or what, but if I don't get photos, I can't put them up for voting.

The nice thing is that those who did enter will automatically win the prizes I've garnered to award to winners. The bad thing is that no-one will come to vote on the photos.

So, that's the dilemma. I need photo submissions!!!

http://www.for-the-love-of-cats.com/HolidayKittyContest.html

There's a link near the top of the page to submit your photo.