Sunday, March 30, 2008

Good and Bad News

After all the illnesses and losses lately, there is finally some good news on two of our latest concerns.

As you undoubtedly know by now, Momo kitty is not only on the mend, but her SS did some detective work and found what poisoned her. Her vet will know after retesting her in another week or two whether she has sustained long term liver and/or kidney damage.

And the news is good on Ruis' sister Miral too. She has also rebounded.

We all have our paws crossed for a complete recovery for both of them.

Skeezix posted a very disturbing story yesterday about an "art exhibit" being canceled by the San Francisco Art Institute. How video clips about animals being bludgeoned to death can be considered art is beyond us. This is as demented as the "artist" who chained a dog to a wall so sadistic "art lovers" could watch the dog die of starvation. He has a link to the story and where you can speak your mind about this abuse posing as art.

We have been busy trying to keep one step ahead of Jan lately. She's either spring cleaning or searching for something she thinks we borrowed to play with. We'll be glad when - maybe we should say if, since she is always running behind - she finishes whatever she's doing so we can relax and hear ourselves think. That dust sucking machine is sure noisy.

If you don't hear from us for another few days, we're probably napping under the bed or in the closet. But we'll be checking on you, even if we don't get to leave a message.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Momo and Miral

There is so much bad news lately - illnesses and deaths among the cat and dog bloggers.

And now we learn our dear friend Momo kitty went missing last night and was found late this morning very ill. We're not sure about what late morning means in this instance since she lives in Sydney, Australia. But she is at the vet's and we are all waiting to hear how she is. We are very worried about her and are purring (Jan's praying) for her to be okay.

Click on her photo to go to her blog.

Update: She is toxic and is on a drip.

And as most of you already are aware, Ruis' sister Miral is not doing well. She is also toxic and is on fluids and a special medicine. She is growing weaker.

You can click on her photo to go to her blog also.

We hope both of these kitties - and all the other sick doggies and kitties - get better soon.

Monday, March 24, 2008

Merci Cat

We were recently tagged for the middle name meme and we chose Merci to represent us. Then she tagged three, including Punkin, but Punkin (being new to this) forgot to mention who tagged him. He tagged Sassy and Sassy tagged Merci. So Merci is going to do it again.

Here are the rules:
1. You have to post the rules before you give your answers.
2. You must list one fact about yourself beginning with each letter of your middle name. (If you don't have a middle name, use your maiden name or your mother's maiden name.)
3. At the end of your blog post, you need to tag one person (or blogger of another species) for each letter of your middle name. (Be sure to leave them a comment telling them they've been tagged.)

As I mentioned the other day, Jan calls me Merci Cat so I assume Cat is my middle name.

C - Chorus. I like to sing in the chorus. Whenever Buddy or Samaritan start singing, I chime in. Together, we make the neighborhood sit up and take notice. We've heard the neighbors cover their ears, but they're just missing some good harmony. (I sing soprano.)

A - Active. I make rounds to check on everyone here. Of course, the house is small, so I don't have to walk far but they are spread out - on top of the fridge, in the closet, on the bed, etc. - so I have to be careful they are all accounted for. This keeps me active.

T - Truthful. I always try to tell the truth so if the sky is ever falling and I have to announce it, everyone will believe me. (Unlike Chicken Little, if you remember that story.)

This time I think I will tag DaisyMae Mause, Juniorbabee and Josh & Jessie. Josh & Jessie can choose which one does the meme - or they can both do it.


This is a photo of me on my pillow with my little chew bone. Buddy and Samaritan each finished a large one and then they split a big baseball filled with something crunchy. Now they want mine. Can you see Samaritan's nose and paw beside me? Buddy's there too. You just can't see him.

(s) Merci Cat, the dog

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

RIP LacyLulu

We're heartbroken. We just read that LacyLulu did not make it. It was a simple surgery but any time an anesthetic is administered there is some risk and Lacy was at an age where it was more of a risk. This is hitting her mom at a bad time - she's having her own health problems. Please stop by and leave a message. Lacy Lulu Hudson

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Middle Name Meme

The other day we were tagged for the middle name meme and we promised Moki we would post it soon. And for once, we want to keep our word in the same month we gave it in. (Smile; that's a joke. We're always running behind in posting.)

Here are the rules:

1. You have to post the rules before you give your answers.

2. You must list one fact about yourself beginning with each letter of your middle name. (If you don't have a middle name, use your maiden name or your mother's maiden name.)

3. At the end of your blog post, you need to tag one person (or blogger of another species) for each letter of your middle name. (Be sure to leave them a comment telling them they've been tagged.)

Merci is the most logical one to answer this meme since Jan calls her Merci Cat a lot. (Yes, we are aware Merci is a dog. Hold on. We're turning this over to Merci for the meme.)

Here are 3 facts about me:

1) Compassionate. I'm told I have a heart toward other animals and people. When our old friend Jenny was preparing to leave us, I stayed near her and kept her company. I would have accompanied her if I could have, but that's one journey we all have to take alone.

2) Attract. I love cats and before Buddy and Samaritan, when I walked Jan by myself, cats used to follow us. Cameron would follow us on our walks before he moved in.

3) Tactful. I know lots of secrets but I don't tell them. I never - well, seldom - tattle on my brothers and sisters when I know which one did which no-no.

I get to tag 3 others. Let's see. I tag - No, Percy, I get to choose this time. Okay, I'll pick Dr. Tweety. And Chance Bond and - I have to pick a dog too. Punkin. Punkin is new to blogging and I want him to participate too.

************************
We've been reading a lot of sad news lately on some blogs.
Smudge is not doing well. He was given a blood transfusion today, but the vet has said Smudge has only a 20% chance to survive. This is not good news. We hope, after all he and his family have been through, he will make it.

*************************
We stopped by Poppy Q's and found him incensed about a guy named Yopie Alternburg who is killing any neighbors' cats that wander onto his property. This is how he repays them for allowing him to set up a flower growing business in a residential neighborhood? View the TV 3 New Zealand video. After watching that, we're incensed too!

**********************
LacyLulu and her mom are both having serious health problems. They are so good about passing on information and helping others. We missed a few days and discovered her mom was in the hospital and LacyLulu is going to the vet's for minor surgery. But at her age, it's risky to give anesthetic.

**************************
We're sorry we haven't been able to post photos and stories lately. Jan is just running so far behind it we have to post notes when we get an opportunity.

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Hodgepodge, March 16

On our behalf, Jan wrote this in an email to the Public Affairs Office of Marine Corps Base Hawaii (email address in the post URMC Responds to Video) regarding the puppy throwing video:

This incident concerns me greatly, as does any act of violence against a human or an animal. It is a well-documented fact that animal abuse and human abuse are closely entwined. What I believe is that anyone who would commit such a horrible act as was demonstrated in the video and to laugh at it is not a newcomer to violence. And I'm not referring to what he learned while at war.

*************************
We were pleasantly surprised to find Crystal's photo on Chey's blog this morning. As you know, we wholeheartedly support her for President and although she had several favorite comments of the week, she chose ours to feature today. We almost made it once before but that time intrigue won out over humor.

***********************
You might already know this site, but we just came across it. The March 12 post is sad. The blog is SaveAShelterPet and the sad story is about 3 rescued puppies with parvo. Two died and they need help to try to save the 3rd. They have some good information on parvo.

************************
We always enjoy Wildcats 3 stories, but yesterday they lost their young Fritz to a blood clot that broke loose and paralyzed him. If you haven't stopped by there, please do. It was a huge shock to lose a healthy cat so suddenly.

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

Over on Moki's blog you can watch a video of Charley, a cat with Cerebellar Hypoplasia, which is what the vet first thought Moki has. There is some good information there on cats with special needs.

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

Most of you know about Percy (The Cats Stephens' Percy, not our Percy). Skeezix the cat made him this get well graphic.


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

We're keeping our paws crossed for Smudge and Lilly Lu. We cried when we read Lilly Lu's Thursday post, but we're encouraged by today's.

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

We've been enjoying the adventures of Sassy, Momo, Opus & Roscoe, Karl, Emil, & Mrs. Oz, Ruis, Asta, Stanley, Momo & Pinot, Charlie, Socks, Scylla & Charybdis. Tomorrow, St. Patty's Day, is their last day in Ireland. Since they played Thundering Herd of Elephants up and down the Leaning Tower of Pisa's steps on their first day of the tour and collapsed the tower, we can't wait to see what other mischief they get into before they return home.

*********************
We almost forgot this. Haggis was last sighted at Fannon Dr & Old Chapel Rd, Bowie, Maryland at 5:10 PM on March 16th. That's just a few hours ago. We've got all our paws crossed.

Friday, March 14, 2008

USMC Responds to Video

Jan has been hogging the computer all day, working on updating the animal shelter files and photos, so we have only now been able to read this response from the US Marine Corps regarding the investigation of the video of the puppy being tossed off a cliff. We decided to post it here for those who haven't seen it yet. At the end is an email address where your humans can send any comments you would care to make. (Emails were being returned when we posted on this subject earlier.)

This is from the ASPCA newsletter:
On Friday, March 7, the ASPCA issued a press release urging the United States Marine Corps (USMC) to release the findings of its investigation of a video clip that appeared last week on several popular Internet sites. The grainy video shows a member of the military—seemingly a Marine—flinging a puppy across a rocky landscape. The video caused public outcry, and was featured on television news programs and covered by major news agencies, including the Associated Press. Although audio irregularities have caused some question about the video’s authenticity, the USMC has gone on record, deeming its content "deplorable" in a March 5 statement.

“The ASPCA understands and shares the outrage generated by this video,” says ASPCA President & CEO Ed Sayres. “With 66 percent of American households owning pets, we are clearly a country and a society that values the human-animal bond. It is horrifying that a member of the United States military—a body of people tasked with upholding the honor of our country—would perform such a cruel and deliberate act against a defenseless animal.”

The ASPCA also urged concerned citizens to contact the USMC to voice their outrage. Response to our release by humanitarians nationwide was enormous—and prompted communication from BGen Robert E. Milstead, Jr., Director, Marine Corps Public Affairs. “I have a dog and a cat, both rescued, so I can understand the disgust and outrage felt by those who have viewed the deplorable video of a Marine throwing a small puppy off a cliff,” writes BGen Milstead. “I can tell you that an official investigation is underway. The results of this investigation will establish the facts. Facts, not emotion, will be the basis used by these Marines' commanders in their determinations to include appropriate punishment. The actions of these Marines are clearly not consistent with that of the overwhelming majority of Marines who serve our nation with both courage and honor. Again, I understand everyone's outrage and demand for swift justice, but due process is a right afforded to all.”

If you have not already done so and wish to comment on the incident, the USMC encourages you to contact the Public Affairs Office of Marine Corps Base Hawaii (where the Marine believed to be in the video is stationed) at

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Roscoe and Awards

This is Roscoe. He is much smaller than any our cats but he pees more often than all of them together. He is the reason Jan is running so far behind today and hasn't already gotten this post up.

We were heading home after our morning walk today. Jan was behaving herself, for once. About 2 blocks ahead we saw a white van in front of our house. It was parked on the wrong side of the road at the corner, which is how we knew it was in front of our home. It looked familiar.

It backed up and turned onto the road we were walking and when it reached us, it pulled over. It was our friend Mr. Project Manager-for-dismantling-the-mill and he brought us a present. Well, it wasn't a present for us to keep, just to help. Like Barkley, this little dog was found in the mill.

We couldn't handle walking Jan while she was carrying this present, so Mr. P.M. drove the little guy home for us. Jan unhooked our leashes and went outside to get the little guy. He wasn't the least afraid of us jumping up and sniffing him, or when Jan put him on the floor. He immediately set to peeing - a drop here, a drop there, a stream there. It was a bit cold in here but we think he was nervous!

Jan called the shelter. She called the radio station so they could announce the found dog. And then she set off without us. Just clipped a leash to his collar and didn't come back for forever and a half. She walked him over our route, knocked on doors, questioned strangers, and even walked him up and down streets she's never walked us. Nobody recognized him.

So back they came and Jan sat down at the computer with his leash around her arm so he couldn't wander off and pee. An hour or two later, we announced the arrival of his owner before she was even out of her van. Jan grabbed him up and walked outside. His mom swooped up the steps, crying, "Roscoe!" They were very glad to see each other.

He'd slipped through the fence and wandered over into the mill. That's a very dangerous place for any dog. We're very glad he was found before anything happened to him.

************************
Recently Gentle Annie (you met her March 5th at Rusty & Samaritan's surprise birthday party) made us a special award, which we get to pass on. She doesn't have a blog but she does have a website. We hope you will go visit her at www.gentleannie2.com.

We would like to pass this Special Site Award on to Wildcats 3's the Cat/Dog Log. They do posts on educational subjects such as pet health and nutrition, or "Don't support animal testing," as well as fun topics.

And Felinesopher gave us the wonderful Golden Paw award, created by Ruis for: It is given to cats, dogs or any animal or human bean that have lent a special helping paw/hand to another cat, dog, animal or human bean. You may give this award to as many individuals as you want, to thank them for lending you a helping paw/hand. If you don't need it now, save it, and you can give it when needed.

We would like to hold this one for a while. We seem to have caught Jan's disease - memory loss. We can't remember any names.

********************************
As we were writing this, we popped over to see how Petey is doing and we are sorry to see he has passed away.

Smudge isn't doing well.

Amici hasn't posted since February 23rd. We sure hope his seizures have stopped!

There are so many sick kitties and doggies to remember.

Saturday, March 08, 2008

Military Animal Abuse

Most of you are undoubtedly already aware of the furor over the video of the Marine throwing a puppy off a cliff. (We are not including a link to the video.) The response to this, according to one source, has overwhelmed the email systems of several Marine offices. We're not sure whether their systems are overwhelmed or merely shut down so they don't have to deal with the mass of angry emails.

We say this because our Jan obtained four email addresses and sent out four messages. Immediately - we repeat, immediately -she received this automated response from a Brigadier General Robert E. Milstead, Jr.: I will be out of the office for the remainder of the week but will continue to monitor email on my Blackberry. For those emailing me concerning the video of a Marine mistreating a puppy, I can tell you that this video is both shocking and deplorable - these actions are contrary to the high standards we expect from our Marines. The Marine Corps has initiated an investigation; we do not tolerate this type of behavior and will take appropriate action.

Now, this didn't make a big impression because immediately - again repeat, immediately - on its heels was an undeliverable message for all four addresses, including the BGen, a General, a Colonel and the Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Public Affairs Office. Kind of hard to monitor email that's been returned to sender, we would think. But then, we're just "dumb" animals.

On the blog of Wayne Pacelle, President and CEO, of the Humane Society United States, we learned Pacelle sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates requesting support in including an "explicit prohibition" against cruelty to all animals in the UCMJ (Uniform Code of Military Justice).

"In his letter today, Pacelle urged Gates to take agency-wide steps to raise awareness of the relationship between cruelty to animals and socially maladapted behavior.

"Such instances of cruelty are objectionable in their own right, but take on special urgency as we welcome American military personnel home from the war zone,” Pacelle wrote. “While only a few incidents of this kind have come to light, we worry about the psychological stability of those who could perpetrate such vicious acts against the most vulnerable of creatures."

If your humans are interested in actively helping in this campaign, they can click on the link in the blog story (or click here to go directly to the letter page) and send a message to Judge Effron, Chief Judge for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, and ask him to to include cruelty to all animals in the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

There is a section where you can edit the letter and write your own comments.

Jan wrote this: I have viewed the video of the Marine deliberately throwing the puppy off a cliff - and laughing about it. I have viewed the video of two servicemen torturing a dog with 2 broken rear legs - and laughing about it. I have viewed the video of military hooligans tossing some type of explosive devices into - I believe it was a group of sheep at the side of the road - and laughing about it. There are undoubtedly other such videos circulating the web, as well as many acts that are not documented on a cell phone. Any act of cruelty to animals is abhorrent and should be punished.

And we agree. If you agree, ask your human to click on the link and send a letter to Judge Effron.

PS - We have been asked whether any who live outside the US can send a letter. We checked and there is a drop down menu for you to choose your country, so the answer would be yes. And it might help the animals for the judge to hear from other countries. So, to anyone from another country who signs - thanks from your furry friends at JFF and elsewhere in the United States.

Final Pepper Report

Pepper's need for help to continue medical treatment has appeared here a couple of times and we want to be sure everyone is aware that Pepper recently lost her battle. Her site is closed and the fundraising ended.

Thursday, March 06, 2008

Barkley, Chey and Misc.

Two days ago we posted that Haggis was spotted on 3/1. Last night we found an update. Haggis was last sighted at 10:00 a.m.on March 4 at Racetrack Rd and Jericho Park Rd, Bowie, MD. We hope this long search will have a happy ending shortly. A link to Haggis' site is in the sidebar.

*************************
For those of you who read Barkley's story, we thought you might like an update. We were walking Jan this morning when the Project Manager who let the trapped puppy out of the mill pulled over. She told him that Barkley has a home and he was glad to know the puppy is okay.

And then Jan had an opportunity to see Barkley this afternoon. We didn't get to go with her, but she took pictures to show us he is safe inside a large fenced enclosure and he has other dogs to run and play with. No more living inside a dangerous mill or starving for that guy. He was so glad to see her, he nipped at her sleeve and tried to leap the fence when she turned to leave. Maybe one of these days she'll take us to visit him.
*******************************
During yesterday's surprise birthday party for Rusty and Samaritan, a friend of Jan's sent her this email:

Please tell me it isn't true. I can't believe that you've decided to vote for Hillery!! And only because she's a woman and you and your animal farm are hosting your party to raise funds for the Hillery campaign. I'm flabbergasted! Discompustulated! How could you do such a thing?
Giuseppi Discombustulated


We managed to intercept the message and answer it before Jan had a chance to read it.

Dear Giuseppi Discombustulated,
We have been dispelling these rumors all day and we assure you we are not voting for Hillary. This is a blatant attack by her campaign workers to discredit our candidate. We are voting for Cheysuli. We feel she is the best candidate even though she is also Prime Minister of Italy. She can do both jobs well, we assure you. You can check out her credentials here.
Sincerely,
Chey for President Volunteers

Note: Thanks Derby and Chey for correcting us. We are sorry we called you "he," Chey. If you have been reading our journal very long, you know this is an ongoing problem with us. It's a good thing we can republish posts. On the other hand, perhaps those so mislabeled will understand how we feel when we're addressed as "Jan." This is our blog. She isn't allowed to post here!

We don't know who Jan is voting for and she isn't telling anyone, but we are loyal to our fellow furry candidate. Cheysuli for President!

**************************************
Please remember Amici. Today is his 6th day and last week he had a seizure after just 6 days. (He's been having cluster seizures.)

And Momo reminded us last night to check on Tesla. Tesla had surgery today for lumps.

Deetz is going to have a great birthday party on July 1, with big tents in the front yard for a sleepover. And lots of food. Be sure to put it on your calendar, so you won't miss it. He's pretty new to blogging and he's really looking forward to giving his first party. He was a real help at our party yesterday, refilling glasses and passing out napkins. We're glad he came.

New bloggers Josh and Jessie came by too. There were a number of new faces here yesterday.

We thought it was a terrific day and we wouldn't mind having that much company every day, but Jan said she's too old for that much excitement more than once a year. We would like to thank everyone for coming by and making the day special for all of us, not just the birthday boys Rusty & Samaritan.

We'll be writing thank you notes to all of you during the next few days. As you know, the party was planned by and the food was provided by Sassy, Momo, Asta, Opus & Roscoe, and Momo & Pinot . And thank you Mr Hendrix for bringing your electric guitar and providing entertainment.

We think we covered everything. Except a special award presented to us yesterday, but we're going to make that another post.

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

Surprise Party for 2

2nd update: LacyLulu sent Rusty and Samaritan a lovely card.


Update: Hey, everyone, our old friend Gentle Annie has arrived. She said she just had to come help us celebrate today. She doesn't have a blog but she does have a website. We hope you will all introduce yourselves and get acquainted. She brought lots of food! So dig in and help yourselves.

We hope you've all tried Asta's "small hors duvries, especially the shwimp ones which awe especially good."

And we're hoping Sassy's new friend Punkin will come by. We've all invited him and hope he isn't too shy. We can be a bit intimidating en masse, you know.
******************************
Surprise! Surprise! Surprise! Sassy, Momo, Asta, Opus & Roscoe, and Momo & Pinot are throwing Samaritan and Rusty a surprise birthday party. It all started when Jan left a comment on Momo kitty's blog about having a quiet celebration today. Whoever heard of Sassy, her sissies & bros having a quiet day?

Sassy sent out party invitations.

And balloons.

A birthday poster.

But there was more.

And Asta had his mom snap a picture of the group - including our Percy. (Guess one of us can keep a secret.)

l-r, rear:Roscoe, Momo, Sassy, Percy, Opus, and Asta. Momo is at lower left and Pinot is eyeing the - hey, he's too young to be inhaling alcohol fumes!

Now up to this part, we can understand how Jan kept this a secret. The only large item was the group of balloons, which she hid under a blanket in her car. But how did she manage to hide the rest of this stuff? (Anyone hazard a guess?)

Momo sent the guys their own computers because, "Seeing that JFF has so many animals and there is never enough computer time for all, I have decided to send these presents to Rusty and Samaritan. Hope they will help to alleviate the problem."

Percy is drooling over this little beauty here since he does most of the typing for the JFF journal, but it's Rusty's present. Maybe Rusty will share?

Guess which birthday boy this is for? That's right. Big Feet himself, otherwise known as Samaritan. Maybe now he can practice typing so he can make more journal entries.

And now, we really want to know where Jan hid all of these goodies. Buddy is a hound. He can smell a crumb drop on the other side of the road, but he swears he hadn't a clue about this stash.

Asta sent over an entire table of food.

Sassy and Momo sent tons of food. We have several platters of meatballs. There's a cheese platter and a cold meat platter around here somewhere. Buddy probably hid them behind the fridge for an afternoon snack. But there are paw foods and a huge ham for the ham lovers. Not to mention, fish and seafood platters.

We have milk for the kitties and Pinot.

And several other types of drinks for the dogs and any cats allergic to dairy.

Both Sassy and Momo sent over table settings and lots of napkins and paper plates. We have a number of kitty beds and Jan borrowed some chairs so you can relax and be comfortable. Notice, you have your choice of dog or cat dishes and napkins.









And of course, Sassy sent over a special birthday cake for each birthday boy. This is Rusty's.

And this is Samaritan's.


And she also sent two kinds of cupcakes. Don't you just love the Rusty and Samaritan decorations on the one batch?

Merci has her eye on one with a bone.


None of us have had a birthday party before, so having two in one day is extra special. But the best thing about this is having friends who went to so much trouble to make this day exceptional. Thank you Momo, Sassy, Asta, Opus & Roscoe and Momo & Pinot - and all of you who are stopping by to share it with us - for making this possible.

So come on in, grab a plate and visit a while. If we zonk out from the excitement (and all the food), we'll be back after a short snooze.

PS - Can any of you carry a tune? We need a volunteer to lead the group in singing happy birthday to the guys. No, Buddy can't do it. Baying only counts as singing if you're a hound.

Tuesday, March 04, 2008

Haggis Sighting

We just checked Haggis' page and discovered some encouraging news.

Haggis was sighted inside Collington Care located at 10450 Lottsford RD, Bowie, MD on 3/1/08.

Also FOX, NBC, and ABC gave his story coverage. You can view the Fox video here.

Many of you have Find Haggis posters and link on your blogs, as we have in our sidebar. If any others would like to add it to your blog, email us at mercyandpercy at gmail dot com and we will send you the code with the link. Unfortunately, when bloggers have copied it from our site, they get the poster without the link.

We hope Haggis will be found soon. His humans have certainly searched hard for him. We're glad they at least know he is alive.

Monday, March 03, 2008

Pepper Update

We've been asked about an update on Pepper and we've just had one.

We're sorry to tell you that Pepper lost her battle. Pepper's mom took her home and within hours Pepper had a seizure and died. We feel Pepper's mom should be the one to give you details. Pepper's site - - (3/7) was updated and has since been removed.

(s) Jan's Funny Farm

Sunday, March 02, 2008

Cotton Has Tortitude

KC invited me to join the Tough A#s Tortie Association and I accepted. Her Auntie Deb was real nice and she signed me up and posted my application as soon as I submitted it. So now I am an official member. My TATA badge is already posted in the sidebar.

This was my application:

I was surprised to receive my first email. One addressed to Cotton and not to Jan or to the Funny Farm. KC invited me to join the tough a** tortie club. What an honor. What better way to prove I am a tough tortie and to show my tortie ‘tude than by sending this photo of me wearing my official Ao4 trooper helmet.

I also have a feminine side, as captured in this photo of me in my Gizzy bed on top of the fridge, where I reign with undisputed territorial rights.


I don’t remember much about the first 4 to 6 weeks of my life. I just suddenly found myself sitting in the road early one morning with traffic slowing and moving around me. Then I spied Jan as she walked out her front door to pick up the paper from the lawn. She looked to see what the traffic problem was, saw me and just folded onto a porch step. I staggered as fast as I could to her, asking for help. But she said no. I rubbed against her and on rubbery legs tried to climb on her lap, but she wouldn’t touch me. She just kept saying, “No, not another one. I can’t take you inside. You’ll make all my cats sick.”

I told her, no, I wouldn’t do that to her, but she wouldn’t believe me. I persisted. She finally melted and carried me inside where Jenny and Grayce her two older kitties and young Crystal welcomed me with open arms. Okay, to be honest, with a lot of sniffing, suspicion, and on Jenny’s part, hissing. I didn’t know it at the time but Jan didn’t think I would live through the day and she had no money to take me to the vet.

I found this in her file about the day she found me: “Boney, buggy, tapeworms, mucous pouring from eyes & nose, breathing through mouth, terrified of me, cats, toys and everything. (Abused?) Lethargic for 2 days.” I don’t remember what she did to help me but I not only lived through the day, I will be 9 years old in June.

My favorite pastime is purring and rubbing against Jan’s arm, especially when she’s busy on the computer. I helped train the new members of the Funny Farm as they arrived. When they’re annoying, I raise one paw and yell, “Stop!” and they stop being annoying – or else.

(s) Cotton, Jan’s Funny Farm

**************************
On a different subject, we are amazed to see how quickly word has spread about Pepper. We posted about her last Thursday and the news has snowballed. A number of you have donated to her medical bills. Pepper's Jan (not our Jan) is a couple of hours away from her sick kitty and she works. Although she doesn't have a blog, Pepper does have a webpage. In case you missed it, our post on Pepper is here and you can find a link to Pepper's page there.

(s) Jan's Funny Farm

Saturday, March 01, 2008

Acatemy Awards

Thursday we posted Percy's acceptance speech and his aCATemy Award, which was presented by Skeezix the cat for Percy's role in CCSI's Christmas production. Sweet Sassy sent us this photo of Percy with a few of his castmates. Photos of the lavish award ceremony are posted at Sassy's. Be sure to stop by and view them.

l-r Trixie, Yao-lin, Sanjee, Percy, Asta, Momo and Tigger Photo by Sassy. Fashion by Ruis

Darling Millie gave Jan an award yesterday. This is our journal, but we don't mind. She did rescue all of us too. So we accepted it for her.

Millie wrote: We would like to give this award to Jan, who this week rescued a dog named Barkley, who was dumped at an old mill nearby. We think this makes Jan a Hero.

We'd - um, we mean, Jan would like to pass it on to Parker and to Daisy. They were such good sports as the final two in the wozog competition. Each requested the cat blogosphere vote for the other. And whichever won would donate the prize money to Churchill's medical fund. Parker won and followed through. Had Daisy won, she would have done the same.