Happy New Year!

Lily by the tree

We hope you all had a lovely holiday.  For many of us we will be glad to see 2013 end - a bunch of kitties, woofies and peeps have been ill and too many have gone to the Rainbow Bridge.  We had planned a year in review but it would be too sad so instead we will celebrate the coming of a brand New Year with ways to bring good luck.

There are many strange and funny ways to bring good fortune to a New Year -  see how many you can do!

Callie eats round kibbles in a round dish!

1. Cakes, pastries, cookies, and round fruits like clementines are often enjoyed on New Year’s Day as their shape signifies the old year has come to a close, and the coming days hold the promise of a fresh start.

2. In Spain, when the clock strikes midnight, the people eat 12 grapes. One grape for every stroke of the clock to represent each month in the year. Each grape is said to bring good luck in the new year.(For humans only - Pets cannot eat grapes or raisins as they are toxic.)

3. Striking the walls with bread to ward off evil spirits (Ireland)   Sounds like fun! 

The whitesters snuggling in to see the New Year come.

4. In many countries, it is thought that a person can affect the luck they will have throughout the coming year by what they do on the first day of the new year. For that reason, it has become common for folks to celebrate the first few minutes of a brand new year in the company of family and friends. Kiss your significant other  to seal your relationship!

Ivy has healthy kale on her plate

5. Eating foods that are rich emerald green like kale, spinach and collards bring wealth

Darby is embarrassed to have her picture taken in her red undies!

6. Wearing red underwear, a symbol of good luck (Spain, Italy and Mexico)

7. Tradition says buttered bread placed outside the door symbolizes an absence of hunger in the household, and presumably for the year to come. (Ireland)

8.  As pigs root forward while they forage for food (as opposed to cows, who stand still, or chickens, who scratch backwards), pork in all forms (think ham!!!) is eaten hoping to embrace the challenges and adventures that await them in the coming year.

9. In Switzerland, they believe that good luck comes from letting a drop of cream land on the floor on New Year's Day. Sounds good to us...yum cream.

10. In Belgium, farmers wish their animals a Happy New Year for blessings.

 (from parade.com and english-zone.com) 

Wishing all of our dear friends and fellow bloggers a peaceful New Year filled with love, laughter, joy and everything that does a heart good! 

 

Happy Boxing Day

Two Spot

 We are so very glad they have a holiday like this.  We love boxes and celebrate Boxing Day everyday! We have white cats in boxes, black cats, stripey cats, fat cats and sleepy cats. Show us your boxes!

Minnie

Woody

Tabitha (heheh) a bit too big for her box.

Al

Meowy Chrissymouse!

Two Spot

All of us at Wildcat Woods wish our blogger friends a wondrous holiday!  We appreciate each and every one of you and hope our friendship continues into the new year.

Smidge

Callie Calico

 

Darby

Ivy

Mamacita and Rosa

Sweetpea

P.S. don't forget that Dec. 26th is Boxing Day so be ready to show off your boxes!

Model Monday with Woody

Mom did this one in November of me Woody.  She highlighted my colors to make it more dramatic.  We have been experiencing loss of Internet, depending on the weather so have not been able to post or comment regularly. We can't even pot pics on Facebook!  Boo to ATT! 

We have received so many lovely cards for the holidays both snail mail and e-cards.  Mom is trying to get them up on the blog when she can.  Thank you to all who remembered us and also those who also sent sympathy cards for Yoko. She is missed so much every day, especially this time of year.  Mom still has the sads about Yoko.  we are trying to cheer her up.

We will post for Christmas of course so do come back by when you can.  Here is one of me in front of our tree!

Thankful Thursday - Baby Doll's Trip

Today we are thankful for our Pop, for friends like Donna and Marg who do all they can to help homeless cats.


Some of you already know that Mom's friend Donna offered to adopt Marg's Baby Doll (Marg's Animals blog )  who she has fostered for over a year. Marg has tried for quite a while to find another home for Baby Doll who has been living in her spare bedroom cuz she did not get along with other cats.  If any of her outside cats got sick, Marg had no place to put them with Baby Doll in that extra room.

Well, today is the transport day and since Mom has to work, Pop is doing the actual transport to Marg in South Carolina and then back up with Baby Doll to Donna's in North Carolina, about an hour from our house.  You may remember Donna - she adopted Panther, the black cat Brian from Brian's Home worked so hard to save after almost being euthanized twice!

Donna worked wonders with Panther and he is now part of her cat family living the life of Riley as the expression goes.  We know she will do as well with Baby Doll.  She has a big house so Baby Doll will have her own room for as long as it takes to integrate her into the household - it took Panther 8 months.  We hope Baby Doll will be faster but Donna has great patience and a way with cats.

We will update this journey as it unfolds today  - stop back often for the latest news about where Pop is with baby Doll.  He left Asheville at 8 am for a two hour drive to meet up with Marg.  Stay tuned for more.....

9:45 am UPDATE - Pop has Baby Doll and Marg is on her way home.  Yay!  Marg will email us to let us know  she got home OK!   Pop will text again as he gets closer to Donna!

11:30 am UPDATE - Still waiting to hear from Marg that she got home OK!  Getting a bit concerned.

11:55 am UPDATE - Marg emailed that she was home safe and sound. Looks like Pop is running early and will be meeting Donna before 1 pm.

1 pm UPDATE - Donna now has Baby Doll and is headed to her forever home with her.  She promised to take pics as soon as she got settled so we can see her in her new home.  Marg was sad to see her go but this is a good thing. Pop is on his way back to us. It is a happy done deal!

Mancat Model Monday with Snowball

Love - Snowball loving on his Pop.

We want to thank you all for your kind words, cards and messages about our sweet Yoko. Mom is still getting back to everyone to thank them personally.

Snowball is our model today and he has been having some rough times. A few days after we lost Yoko, he became obstructed and we had to bring him to the vet for enemas.  He did real well with all the procedures and finally hours later got down to business only to become blocked again a few days later.  Back to the vet again on Friday and he got another enema plus fluids.

So far so good - he has been able to move his bowels.  It looks like we are on a protocol of chia to keep regular, special goats milk with added probiotics, lactulose to soften  and pumpkin for fiber. It is working but we will have to give him fluids every few days to help move things thru. 

Thanks so much for all the suggestions and advise from those who have been there.  We hope to have things working smoothly soon.  The vet mentioned megacolon as something that may be going on or not.  Time will tell on that one.  We appreciate all the purrs and prayers for our dear boy.

We are waaay behind on our cards so expect them for New Years!  The tree is up and with lights on it when Mom did that for Yoko but she has not had the heart to finish decorating it.  It will be a toned down quiet holiday this year.  But that is OK!

Sweet Dreams Yoko

April 1993 - December 2013

Even tho things looked like they had stabilized for Yoko this week, last night and today she was having trouble swallowing her food and water.  The tumor in her mouth was growing rapidly. Often she would gag after trying to eat.   Rather than wait until this got any worse we chose to help her to the Bridge this afternoon.

This is so hard - last year we had our Christmas card made up showing an old photo of Chica and Yoko and my husband and I, in Florida 19 years ago side by side with a photo of all four of us in 2012.  Here it is, not quite a  year later, and both dear kitties are gone along with our Joey who left on Dec 7, 2012.   I must have known somehow that it was the end of an era.

We got Yoko as a kitten at the local shelter  to keep Chica company but Chica would have none of it. Yoko was the only cat we have had since she was a kitten.  All the others came to us at six month or older. Yoko was tiny and her eyes were still blue but grew to a big ladycat of hefty size.  Her feet seemed so big but she grew into them.

She was our Buddha cat - doing everything very slowly, methodically and focused.  She ate deliberately, savoring and chewing every bite.  She even made biscuits slowly, with her eyes closed in a blissed out state of contentment.  Being with her, taught us patience - to sit, and not rush around, to be still and savor each moment.

Yoko in one of Judi-bug's hats

 Her disposition was quiet and gentle altho living with Chica picking on her so much, Yoko learned to growl menacingly if she did not want to do something.  It kept Chica at bay and as we took in more cats, Yoko mellowed out with age, even grooming the other youngsters.

She favored my husband over me.  He could get her to do anything but I would  get the growl if I tried to give her a pill, clip her claws, etc. while Don could do all that without a peep out of her.  She loved to lay on his chest with her paws on each shoulder and her body stretched out full length down his like a fur tie!

She preferred to make snug hideaways in piles of blankets, laundry or bedding.  Once I picked up a pile of dirty laundry to put in the washer and I knew she was in it even tho I couldn't see her - it was very heavy.  Sure enough she had curled up inside the clothes.

Even since she was a tiny kitten, she loved the Christmas lights on the tree - she would sit on the floor or chair next to the tree and just stare into it for long periods of time.  She enjoyed the unwrapping of gifts and would make the discarded paper another place to make a snug bed.

We buried her on our land with a bouquet of fresh pansies and the Santa hat all the kitties are wearing in this year's Christmas card - Yoko will forever be our Christmas kitty. We will see you soon at the Rainbow Bridge Yoka Doke!

Thank you all for your kind words of support thru this wild week.  I could not have done it without you.  I may take a bit of time off from blogging and Facebook but not too long. We have other kitties to tell their tales.

Thank you Ann of Zoolatry for this lovely forever badege.

Thank You from Yoko

Mom told me how many peeps and kitties are purring for me all over the world!  I am so grateful for all of you.  I had a rough day on Monday when we went to the vet. I got very upset and even pooped and threw up in my PTU on the way home!  (Sorry Mom)  Mom had to give me one the the pain meds that night. But I haven't needed them since.

Mom made me a special place on the chair in the living room so I can be snuggled  and warm to rest.  She even put the Christmas tree up and put the lights on it cuz she knows how much I love to sit and look at the lights.  I guess she will finish decorating it this weekend.  I can't wait.

I have been eating and getting around fine - yesterday I even roamed  the house a bit after I used the litter box and made biscuits on my bed.  Mom took a video of that which she will post another day.

Last night I got up on Mom and Pop's bed after I had my fluids and wanted to stay there.  I had not been back to that spot since I went to the vet.  I slept with my peeps all night and even woke Pop up at 7am like I always do.  He carries me into the kitchen and gives me a snack while he makes the coffee.  I am Pop's girl!

I am not sure how long I will be feeling OK.  You can see how the right side of my mouth is swollen from the nasty tumor.  I am just not ready to go to the Bridge yet so Mom will wait and see how I do in  the coming week. As long as I can eat and seem to be fairly comfy, I want to be here.  Please keep those purrs coming cuz I know they are helping me.  Thank you with all my heart for caring about me. Mom has been very busy caring for me but she will be by to visit you all over the weekend!

All my love,
Yoko

Model Monday with Yoko (And Purrs Please)

Dec 3 UPDATE - We have some pain meds to give Yoko if she seems uncomfortable or agitated.  We gave her some last night and she slept well.  The tumor is in her jaw bone and is growing rapidly.  She can still breathe comfortably and is eating.  I am giving her lots of anti-cancer herbs and nutrients in a bit of Catsip to help her feel comfy as long as possible.  The vet seemed to think we only had days left so we will savor each moment until it is time for her to go to the Bridge.  I know Joey and Chica are with her now and will guide her in this transition.  Thank you all so much for your kind words of support and friendship.  We lvoe you all.



Dec 2 UPDATE - not good.  It is what I suspected - a rapidly growing mass under her jaw and already pushing up under her tongue. Nothing they can do for her. I do not want her to suffer but other than the lump, she is eating well, and perky, alert etc. This will be hard to know when to let her go before she is too far along. All we can do is love her and make her comfortable until we know her time is near.  Keep us in your thoughts.


 Mom took these two shots of me for her 365 photo project one day when I was looking out the window watching bird TV.  I have to go to the V-E-T today cuz I have a lump on my lower jaw.  It came fast since I was at the V-E-T a couple of months ago and Mom is very worried.   I feel OK tho, considering my CRF and hyper thyroid.  We will let you know how it goes at the V-E-T.

Please send purrs for me and for our friend Brian from Brian's Home blog whose sister Gracie is in the hospital and all the other kitties are sick too.

Thanksgiving and Angel Joey's Gotcha Day

This is our first Thanksgiving  without our dear, funny, Angel Joey.  He was gotted on a Thanksgiving  14 years ago after getting into yet another cat fight and getting wounded - he was being attacked because he was a lover not a fighter.  Mom lured him into the back porch while Pop was cooking dinner to bring over Grandma's house.

In the middle of preparing for all the festivities the peeps had to try to coral Joey on the porch and move him to a small place in the house so he could be treated for his sores and let him learn to live inside.  He recovered and became the goodwill ambassador to all the others cats that would come to live with us.

Synchronized napping with sister Minnie

He loved everyone.  He was happiest in the middle of a pile of cats. He made Mom and Pop smile. He had huge eyes that would stare into your soul.  He was love incarnate.  We miss you Joey and think of you everyday!  We are so thankful we had your love in our lives for 13 years.  Enjoy some our favorite photos of Angel Joey.

Sharing his nip carrot with Yoko.

Never one to pass up a box.

Joey looking into the kitchen when he lived outside.

Wishing you all a day full of  love, laughter, smiles, family, making memories that remain forever. Thank you for your friendship, kindness and visits to our blog and Facebook page. We appreciate your friendship very much! Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Wildcat Woods.

Model Monday

Mom has joined an online photography group that requires posting a photograph a day for 365 days - not easy to do.  She is having fun and of course many days we are the subjects of her photos.  So on Mondays she will post her portraits of us - some are black and white, others kind of poster like, some are funny and others just cool.  Hope you like them and check back often. Today our sweet Darby is the model!

Thankful Thursday with Callie!

 

For Thankful Thursday this week we are turning the blog over to Callie, our newest member and a tiny girl.

 

Hi…boy this is all so new to me!  I guess you all know that Mom found me on 11/1 this year where she works (you can read the story here).  Anyway she has been working hard to find my previous guardian or someone who knows what may have happened to her and me.  Mom posted online on all the Lost & Found listings, and on the Facebook pages for the local vets.  She got some leads but all the phone numbers were dead ends.  Finally she wrote a note and mailed to the address of  the older lady who adopted me in 2007 (Barbara) and included our phone number.

Last night Barbara called – turns out she renamed me Toby (? Isn’t that a boy name?)  and kept me for three years but her older cat hated me and always attacked me.  Four years ago, Barbara gave me to an acquaintance, hoping that I would have a happier home life and not be attacked all the time.  Apparently the second lady who had me moved out west, far away, this past June. No one has her address or phone now.  Barbara was very upset thinking that I was left outside on my own for that long!  She still has the crabby older cat so she can't take me back.

I am fuzzy about what happened to me – I may have been living on my own outside for six months or maybe someone else took me but I don’t know who.  All I do know is that I really like it here at Wildcat Woods!  When I first got here, I slept all the time except for eating and using the litter box. I was tired and worn out.  I had my own small room and liked it.

Now I can come out if Mom and Pop are home.  The other cats leave me alone or are just curious. Sweetpea does growl at me but that is nothing compared to what I put up with before.  I can go in my room if it all gets too much.  

Mostly I want to be next to Mom or in the same room as her.  I just love her and sit and stare at her sending lots of my love her way!  I play a little bit with nip toys. I don’t think I had any toys or at least no one played with me.  I do love to eat, nap and watch the birds.  I make Mom laugh when I run from one end of the house to the other.  I am tiny – the size of Darby and Sweetpea – about five pounds.

Mom says that I came to her a lot like Angel Chica did.  I just ran up to her and let her pick me up just like Angel Chica did when she found her.  I have black tortie colors on my back so when I am curled up napping and Mom sees me, I look like Angel Chica from the back.  It makes Mom smile so I don't mind.

I am very thankful to have a good forever home like this.  I know that all the other kitties will accept me in no time and I look forward to hosting more blog posts soon!  I just wish all the homeless dogs and cats had a chance of finding a great place to live like I did!

The answers to our post about visiting Marg - Missy is the tortie, Maggie is the tabby and the darker donkey is Joe with the other being Smoke