Fur kids are family too

I don't know how to write this without telling a backstory.  But, that story is lengthy.  And, not one that I am capable of typing now.  So, here is a terribly condensed version.

I picked up a red merle Australian Shepherd puff ball in August 2003.  I was living in California, and my step-mother had just passed away from brain cancer.  I was in a very sad place, for a variety of reasons, and this guy brought so much love and joy into my life.  I named him Jesse James (because Jon Bon Jovi has a son named this too.)

I moved back to Texas and Jesse moved with me.  Jesse was my baby.  I've never shared a relationship with an animal like mine with Jesse James.  I had a significant other at the time.  He was an important part of Jesse's life as well. 

When I moved to Australia, leaving Jesse behind was one of the most difficult, heartbreaking decisions.  I felt like a parent abandoning her child.  The boyfriend (who was now an ex, and he was pretty heartbroken himself) had so much love for Jesse that he stepped up and took responsibility for him.  I know this person gave Jesse love, companionship, and a home that he deserved.  I am eternally grateful to him for that.  Words can't express my gratitude.

Jesse James passed away on the morning of Wednesday, the 2nd of March, 2016.  I'm shattered.  I've known for about 90 minutes.  I've been mourning his loss from my life since late 2008, but I knew he was living a happy, well-cared-for life, and that brought me comfort.  Now, I'm just mourning his loss. 

Jesse James, May 2003 - March 2016

I had just pulled up this photo for a different blog post - one of those Q&A ones - it asked about all the pets I've had - I answered including this picture and the special bond I had with this guy.

A post only a cat mother could love

Non-cat owners, this may bore you. I don't blame you. I used to be anti-cat until I was converted. 

If you've been around these parts, you probably know I have three cats. You can read more about them here.  Today, we're going to talk about Ricky..........

This is Ricky. My stepson once gave him an award..."The Cheekiest Cat Ever".  Jana has his American cat doppleganger.  Let's talk about the antics of Ricky and show you my very first cat video loaded to the internet!

Ricky...the cat who regularly looks like he is plotting something.

Ricky...the cat that is a cockroach killer (notice the leg hanging out of his mouth), but he likes to carry the half-eaten cockroach around the house and eventually, dump it somewhere to be noticed and admired.

Ricky...the cat that looks at you like this when you are talking to him about why he's on the ironing board, why he's on clean clothes, and how he needs to get down from there.

Ricky...the cat who thinks "Look woman, you didn't want me on the ironing board, and now you're telling me to get off the drying rack too?!"

 Ricky...the cat who bent many blinds in our previous rental property.

Ricky...the cat who thinks if there is food on the plate that he wants, then he should help himself to it.

Ricky...the cat who thinks if there's something in a cup that he wants to drink, he should help himself to that too.

Ricky...the cat who makes it impossible to have a nice looking Christmas tree because he climbs it, bends and breaks limbs, and throws the ornaments to the ground.

Ricky...the cat who will climb anywhere...kitchen counters, cupboards & closets & drawers, on top of stair railings.............and on top of the shower.

Ricky...the cat who decides to join me when I take a bath, and he shows off his acrobatic skills by leaping and balancing on the top of the shower.

Ricky...he's at it again.

So.......earlier this week, a tradesman had to come to the house.  My guy put the cats up in the bathroom.  Apparently, Ricky tried to show off to his kitty sister and brother by going to the top of the shower, but........check out the video.

 Ricky...the cat who purrs louder than any of the others when he decides he wants to give me cuddles.

What does your fur baby do that is cheeky/naughty/adorable?

Meet the Felines Link Up

I never owned a cat.  Cats scared me and typically hated  me.  But...my guy loves both cats and dogs, so I was willing to give an effort to see what this whole cat thing was all about.  My guy, his two kids, and I went to our nearest Animal Welfare League in November 2013 to adopt two kittens. We left with three! And they have enriched our family ever since.  I'm a total cat convert.  Yep.  Crazy Cat Lady, all the way.

They are so much like children; they all have unique personalities, and we love each of them so much.

Name:  Ricky Sparkle  

(That's right.  Sparkle.  I was already named Ricky at AWL.  My human mama says Ricky Martin is handsome and knows how to move.  My human brother, who just turned six at the time, had the honor of giving me a middle name.  That's what the kid named me, and I like it.) 

Stats:  

• Tuxedo cat
• Male
• Silky, shiny coat
• Green eyes
• Slim
• Agile
• Curious
• Mischievous

Likes:   

• Climbing through window blinds (and bending them)
• Sitting at the window and staring outside
• Chasing the other cats
• Taunting my doggie sisters through the sliding glass door
• Looking for food on the kitchen counter
• Attempting to eat the dog food (while my humans are dishing it up)
• Killing cockroaches or millipedes or spiders or whatever other little critter tries to creep in our house
• Climbing the screen doors or windows
• Sticking my paw (or head) under a flowing water faucet
• Balancing on the top rail of our stairs
• Laying on our iron board, or clean clothes, or drying rack
• Hiding in drawers
• Climbing the Christmas tree
• Yanking down Christmas tree ornaments 
• Snuggles on mama's chest
• Purring
• Meowing

Name: Ivy Lou 

Kinda like Blue Ivy but backwards, and different, so not really like that at all.  I'm not really a diva either, so my sweet name suits my sweet demeanor.  I'm not sure why the font just changed, but I'm not the smartest of the bunch (apparently, neither is my mama because she can't correct it.)  Oh well.  I'm an easy-going girl.

Stats:  

• Torti (or torty, or tortie) cat
• Female
• Medium length coat
• Greenish-gold eyes
• Bootylicious
• Flirtatious
• Affectionate

Likes: 

• Bags
• Boxes
• Catching sunrays through windows
• Taunting my doggie sisters through the sliding glass door
• Looking for attention from the men of the house
• Running from my brothers
• The heat from the satellite tv box
• Piles of clothes
• Daddy's jeans (my favorite place to lay)
• Bouncing while I run
• Rolling over when I say hello (c'mon humans, that means I want a belly scratch!)
• Chewing the tip of my tail...I know, it's weird, but it's a habit

Name: Astro Naut  

We were waiting in the AWL office for my human daddy to complete the adoption paperwork, and my human mama was bouncing around Texas-themed names.  Some suggested: Sam (after Sam Houston), Willie (after Willie Nelson), Stevie (because it could give props to Stevie Ray Vaughan and Stephen F. Austin).  The rest of the humans weren't feeling any of these.  So, mama started offering up sports teams and names.  Astro (after the Houston Astros) is the name that they all turned and said "yes" or "I like that".  Secretly, I was thinking it's the name of the dog on the Jetsons, but whatevs.  I'm orange-ish, and I'm told that's the right color for a Houston Astro.  My middle name?  Well, the human brother steps up and decides my middle name is "Naut" because "Get it? It's like astronaut!" (Yes, this conversation happened.  Plus, it works.  NASA is in Houston, and NASA has astronauts). 

Stats:  

• Ginger cat
• Male
• Greenish-gold eyes
• Loyal
• Lazy
• Affectionate 
• Intelligent
• Awarded "best Cat ever" by my human brother
• BFF to my human mama

Likes: 

• My mama
• Cat food
• Cat treats
• Breakfast
• Naps
• Dinner
• Snuggles with my mama
• Headbutts with my mama
• Belly rubs from my mama
• Hanging out with my mama while she takes a bath
• Laser pointer time with dad
• "Helping" my mama read (this may consist of laying on top of the book)
• Sleeping in the cat tree
• Sleeping next to my mama
• Sleeping on my mama

All of us get along really well.  We play with each other, cuddle each other, and pretty much all five of us (kitties with my daddy and mama) sleep in a queen size bed every night.  We are great with our 7 year old human brother who absolutely adores us.  He thinks we're "the cat's meow".  When asked why he liked us so much his response was:

"They're really, really cute, and they're part of our family." 

Well, you can't get much better than that.

Cat conversion complete.

Join our mama's link-up, so we can meet other felines in bloggerland.

An InLinkz Link-up

And, if cats aren't you're thing (I don't know why they wouldn't be), there is a Meet the Canines link-up too.  So, you can check that out here:  Meet the Canines

Meet the Canines Link Up

 

 Hi!  That's me, Dolly, in the picture below on the left side of the photo box, and me, Sally (on the right)...a couple of sisters living in Australia.  Our human mom is Erin, the main brain behind this blog, and she asked us to tell you a little bit about ourselves.  

We were born November 2013.  The human owners at the time claimed that our doggie birth mother was full-blooded Great Dane, and our doggie daddy was 1/2 Great Dane, 1/2 German Shepherd.  We don't know.  There may be some Great Dane and German Shepherd in our mix, but we are pretty sure that we are a mix of other breeds too.  We claim to be 100% mutt and we're happy with that. 

When our human mama and daddy came to look at us as puppies, they couldn't choose between the two of us, and we both went home with them.  We're pretty happy about not being separated, because we were both really nervous and timid at first.  We didn't leave each others' sides.  We're told that Dolly was named in honor of Dolly Parton because she's a strong, lovable woman.  Sally is from the song Mustang Sally, and it sounds like a good sister name to Dolly.

 

Hi, Dolly here.  My favorite things to do are jump on my mom (even though I'm not supposed to jump), eat, get bones, and sit (because it's the only command I know).  I am aware of my short-comings...that is, I'm not the most intelligent beast on the block.  But, I am playful, sweet, and my mama thinks I'm pretty.  My eyes are hazel, but I have a little bit of greyish-blue mixed into one.  Kinda suits me since I'm one mixed-up mutt.

  

 Hi, I'm Sally.  I'm a little bigger and taller than my sister.  I am stronger physically, and I have a more confidant personality too.  I know how to shake hands and sit.  I don't try to break into the house the way Dolly does (by busting open the screen door), but when the door opens, I think that means you must be inviting me in.  My mama thinks I look like a deep thinker because my brow always furrows.  My favorite things to do are to get treats, eat, wrestle, and show Dolly that I'm the boss.

 

We are the best of friends.  We like to go for walks, sun ourselves, nap, sleep, eat, wrestle, and tear up things.  Yes, we have a problem with chewing up things we shouldn't.  Anything with stuffing or that rips easily, we destroy.  Like collars.  We prefer not to wear collars, so we chew them off of each other.  

 Our human mama likes to call us the Destructive Duo.  Pillows have been destroyed. Also, four different blankets, Grand Dad's coat, our human brother's Avengers t-shirt, some random pieces of wood, a broom, and a leather love seat.  We are given bones, rawhides, and chew toys all the time.  They don't last.  They are no match for our chewing prowess.  We don't try to hide from our destructiveness.  We embrace it by, you know, laying smack down in the middle of the destruction.

 

Sometimes, we regret destroying things.  Our human parents are so nice.  They've given us lots of things to sleep on.  We've destroyed all of them.  But, when it's time to lay down, take a nap, and go to sleep, we use what's left.

Sometimes, we get to go inside.  We are so excited that we can't calm down.  We circle and circle around the house - to the kitchen, the dining room, the living rooms - and around again.  We have to be supervised because there are new things to chew inside...like rugs.  And, we like to eat the cats' food and poop.  Yep, we stick our heads inside the litter trays and eat cat poop.  This is usually the time we get kicked out of the house again.  That's okay.  We've got two big yards to run and play in.  We're a happy duo. 

We'd love to meet other canines that are as special and as loved as we are.  Join my mama's link-up, so we can hear about other crazy canines in bloggerland.

 And, if kitties are your thang, Sally and Dolly are letting their kitty brothers and kitty sister join in the fun - tune in next week - linking up April 17th

Enough about them.....

An InLinkz Link-up

Fur Kids and Families Unite: Link Up Announcement

Recently, I read a post about Eddie at foodboozeandbaggage, and I thought it was all kinds of sweet.  I told Mariah that I was going to plan a link-up of my own (giving her credit, of course).

This is NOT a sponsored post; I just love the stuff from animalhearted.com and thought I'd share

Then, the doubts crept in and my inner voice started talking.  "You've never done a link-up.  Will anyone participate?  Of course, no one will participate you big dumby because you have very few followers.  And speaking of dumb, you won't be able to figure out how to post a link-up.  That involves coding and crap."  My inner voice is not always kind. 

Screw you, inner voice.  I love my fur babies.  I know other bloggers that love their fur kids too.  I'm going to do this.  Or try, at least.

 We are going to link-up and "Meet the Canines" on Thursday, the 9th of April.

We're going to link-up and "Meet the Felines" a week later, Thursday, the 16th of April.

Are you a proud pet parent?  Are your fur babies an extension of your family?  Is your home not complete without the pitter patter of furry feet?  This link-up is for you!  Join me in sharing with others the joys of being a pet parent.

 Let's "Meet the Canines" and "Meet the Felines"!  Tell us anything and everything that you want to share about that special relationship you have with your fur kid(s).  Share pictures, stories, or allow your furry friend to run your blog for a day; however/whatever you want to share.  I encourage you to read about all the others featured in our link-up and enjoy their stories.

(Please participate.  Don't let me be that girl who invites everyone to her party and no one shows up.)