Brendan

I did not pose her.

I haven't written for a while because we thought we were going to lose Brendan right before Christmas and I didn't want everyone to be sad. He is doing just great now and we are very happy with that as a big Christmas present. Mrs. B is happy too and she keeps an eye on him. They spend most of their time together now.

We had been in Portland after Brendan recovered from the bladder infection and he stopped eating. That was a Saturday. By Monday we were very worried and took him to the vets, both of us thinking This Could Be It. We were prepared for the vet to say we have to make The Awful Decision. I was in bad shape. Olof too.

At the vets Brendan got some fluids because he was dehydrated and he got more Clavamox, a B-12 vitamin shot, an anti-nausea shot and a antacid shot. Whew. And some bland food and instructions to get some down him with a dropper. He was obviously nauseated (lip licking). And he did not look like he felt well.

We made three more trips to the vet for shots and fluids and we learned to do it ourselves. Tuesday, he ate a little. Wednesday night we heard the sound of munchies in the night and it was B. Thursday we left for Christmas (with all three felines in tow).

He started eating normally again and we were thrilled. The vet said his tests came back and there was no infection and his kidney levels were normal. Not just better than last time, but normal. And he's seventeen.

The last few days he has been very enthusiastic about every meal and obviously feeling his oats. He wants to go out and check his territory every day (we go with him) and right now he is curled up with Mrs. B in front of the heater. He is enjoying his life and companions.

When I think of how it could have been, I know it was a very good Christmas indeed. And Ramona would agree.

Fluid therapy for cats is just amazing. Don't hesitate to try it if your cat is ill and your vet recommends it.

B and Mrs. B

On a lazy morning with the sun pouring in it is nice to cuddle up together. She stands by her man. She'll give him a thorough head licking too.

Brendan is doing quite well. We are sending our purrs to Smudge and his people on the far north (farther than our far north which is currently snowless and 50 degrees out).

Hang in there Smudge, you're well loved.

Too Cute

Sometimes it is a little hard to get anything done when you have this kind of distraction. They can be just too cute. I think there is something about being a brother sister pair that does it. They will sit or stand together in exactly the same pose.

Suddenly is has turned arctic cold outside and the wind is howling. Harper is curled up next to me as we wait in the kitchen for dinnertime. Last night as the house got colder we were surrounded by feline heat seeking missiles. Brendan on his heat bed (with the reflecting pad, very popular), Ramona on top of me and Harper under the blankets. I am well used to fitting myself in between sleeping felines.

Sometimes I imagine living in a cave with my tribe. The wind howls and we cuddle together, safe from the storm.

It's as good as it gets if you ask me.

Let's Just Stay in Tonight, Dear

Let's just stay in tonight and watch a movie honey.



Whatever you say dear.




Do we always have to have your brother along?




You two are sooo mushy!

Brendan is Doing Pretty Good

The old fella is doing pretty darn good with antibiotics and MSM. The bloody urine stopped right away and he has been eating three meals a day of warm wet food. I went to two shops in Portland and bought anything good quality he hadn't tried yet and that helped perk up his appetite. We will see next week if he has gained any weight but it looks like it. He thanks all of you who sent purrs. He plans on being around for a while yet.

In other news, Ramona woke us at 5 AM growling like a tiger under the bed. She had a mouse and I haven't crawled under there yet to see if it is still there or got eaten. It may have been eaten since she has been zombie like all day. Tiger Sleeps Off Major Kill. She was not going to let Harper have it no way.

It was 64 degrees outside last night here. Very very weird. But it is supposed to come to an end tomorrow with normal temps for early December and maybe some snow. Snow would be good much as I like running around in a tee shirt in November.

Brendan and his Wife

We had to make a trip to the vets with Brendan Wednesday. He came up to the bedroom around three PM where I was reading with Ramona. Olof had just come in and Brendan went up to his new heat pad bed (which he likes a lot) and let loose a small puddle of red pee. He would never ever do this without a reason. He knew he needed the doc. So we called and got an appointment right away (one of the benefits of going to a large eight vet practice even though it is 30 minutes from the house). B had blood tests and his urine checked and we have antibiotics for him and MSM for anti-inflammatory. It is hard to tell exactly what it could be other than a bladder infection.

He has also lost weight, he is at 8.6 down from 9.7 on his last trip. We're in Portland for the holiday so I went to both pet food shops and bought a selection of things our local shop doesn't carry to try to perk up his appetite. The blood appears to have stopped and I think Brendan is taking a walk outside with Olof right now.

As far as Ramona is concerned, she and Brendan are a pair. I must have missed my invitation to the wedding but they are acting like an old married couple. Brendan has a favorite spot here, a round stool with a nice padded cover. Today Ramona claimed it and Brendan didn't say anything. But we removed her and placed her gently on the couch. Twice.

She also expects him to share his food, which he does, except that I move her away and give her her own bowl.

Just because she's a beautiful young wife doesn't mean she can run him around.

If Ramona looks a bit, well, plump in these photos that's because she was looking like a little pumpkin. We discussed it and she has gone on a diet so already looks a little sleeker. She really doesn't want to lose her girlish figure, it's just she really likes food. When I am eating she will come and watch with great interest, every little bite go from the plate to my fork to my mouth. And she looks like she's thinking "wow, she thinks that is edible! How strange!"

Dancing with the Harp

We really shouldn't let Harper watch TV. He saw Dancing with the Stars one night and now whenever he hears music he's off.

How Brendan Learned About Love

These photos are not quite in order but I think together they tell the story about how a rather curmudgedly sixteen year old cat lost his heart to a kitten. A girl kitten.



She fell for him hard. He's so big! So strong! So brave! And day by day she played her cards, moved in a little closer, until she could actually give him a kiss and not get The Paw. (she never gets The Paw now). She let him know how much she admired him and gradually she was accepted.



Brendan really is a wise old soul but even he didn't know some things. For instance that it really is best to be part of a tribe, to have other felines cuddled up next to you, to get your head thoroughly washed, to have someone come running if you sneeze, to have somebody who really cares about you and speaks your language. He's learned something new and it has added a great deal of sweetness to his old age.



When he comes in the window in the morning after Dawn Patrol Ramona comes running, gives him a kiss and walks next to him to the munchie bowl for a bit of breakfast. And the big lug will even let her get her head in his bowl with him. Truly a May December romance of the finest kind.

When We Were Very Young

Harper at five weeks


Ramona at five weeks.

Remember how little they were? We drove to pick them up when they were seven weeks old because the shelter said it would be best for their health to get them home. They were tiny. Harper sat next to me all the way home (500 miles) looking up at me with a friendly interest and a charming eye blink. We stopped and fed them every few hours.

Once home, we put them in their own room because they were so small we were afraid to let them sleep with us. I would get up and feed them in the middle of the night and they were always hungry. Ramona wasn't well for a while and her eye was bad with an ulcer but she pulled through.

Today they are nine months old and wonderful cats with sweet, childike personalities. Harper is a solid boy, about nine pounds and Ramona is a plump young lady, also about nine pounds. She has gained four pounds in the last three months. We call them the thousand milers and they are worth every mile.

Every night Harper comes running to sit on a lap (usually Olof's) and watch some TV. I generally get Brendan and Ramona together but sometimes Harper. Sometimes all three.The two kittens love both of us and no one is upset if one lap is taken, there's another available. TV time is family hour for this animal family.

Splish Splash

I was taking a bath.

The Tiger Sleeps Tonight

Miss Ramona killed a mouse this morning and growled over it like the tiger she is. I let her be figuring I'd go back and find the poor thing later but when I went to look it was gone.

This means we won't find it until it smells.

And Tiger Girl rests from her endeavours to protect the household from mighty rodents.

Caturday Morning Bath

A lazy Caturday morning starts off with the Tribe of Tigers all cuddled up together. Ramona still loves Brendan. Brendan loves Ramona. Harper loves everybpdy and vice versa. Then the action begins. We'll let Harper tell it.



I always have to clean her ears for her!



Hold still!



Can't forget my own belly.



And Sister's head. Lick lick.



And my own Paw.



Then I get my head done. Got to be clean for Caturday.

Autumn

Brendan still loves Ramona. Finally the photos went up.

I was having trouble getting photos up on Blogger and it took quite few tries to get the last four up for Bucky. He is persistent though so I finally got them to show up. If you just see missing links on these two, I'll try again later.

Our fall color show is past peak now and there is snow on the Mt. Washington. The weather has been just beautiful so we have been cleaning up the garden and the cats have been playing outside in the warm middle of the day. November will be brown and grey and muted orange but I like that season too. And then we start hoping for a good ski season.

Brendan has just headed out for patrol. We are going to the coast for the day for a beach walk and brunch.

Nights are at home for the most part with peaceful lap sitting. Summer is over but we can soaking up whatever warmth we can find as the days grow shorter. In the chilly dawn, it's a three cat cuddle.

Ramona Takes it in Stride

Autumn is here in the White Mountains and the days are already shorter. Cooler too. The kittens go out for a while and run around their garden and climb the apple tree if the weather is nice. Ramona is happy to be resting up after the Walk for the Animals. She is actually getting a little rotund and likes her chicken. But since she was so sick when she was little and so tiny, I figure it is fine for her to be a bit plump.

We look forward to snow up here. Last winter was a wash out so I hope this one will be better. You need the snow to get outside and play on. It is a peaceful time of year with a lot of editing to do in the studio.

Bucky and his gang have been posting a lot on their blog. He needs to do a blog roll too so I better help him with that.

Kitten Stack

These three are at the shelter. Aren't they too much? Wouldn't you want to take all three? Their names are Whimsey, Willow and Wisper.



This sweet kitten with a personality just as you see her, was found somewhere, hungry and scared. She is very happy to be at the shelter, cozy and safe and well fed. I'd take this one if I could.

We just finished the final touches to the shelter video. I will try to put it on the web at some point so you all can see it. Whew. Now I need to do the re-writes on my children's book and get it off to the editor who said I could send it to her when I met her last March.

Update on the Walk

No more dog photos because this is, after all, a cat blog. I added Tilly and Toby to the flag which will go on display at the shelter and I will add a photo of it with its purple ribbon given to all team members. I think our total for the team was 1750.00 which is pretty good if you ask me for a first time team. The Power Paws came in at 5.334.00 but they are experienced and well connected. Ramona wasn't at all disappointed at not winning, she likes the purple ribbon.

The whole even brought in more than 24,000. It was a lot of work but a lot of dogs had a lot of fun. It is funny to see that the dogs really enjoy all getting together. I only saw a couple of short disagreements.

Bruce, the blind pitbull from the shelter was there with his person who adopted him and it was wonderful to see how happy and relaxed he was. He couldn't see all the commotion around him but he was having a great time and Jean obviously loves him and he knows that.

I have added Tilly and Toby from MA to the flag and Gabby and Katie. I will soon be back in the photo blogging mode but I am really trying to finish up my shelter video. Olof is in Sweden and right now should be on his plane back, which he emailed to say was going to be two to three hours late. And my mom was here visiting for the last ten days or so (she actually came to see Harper, Ramona and Brendan, but I happen to be here too), so our days were full of just visiting, going out and watching movies at night. She put in a lot of hours taking on a big task that I am thrilled about, she took the huge pile of shelter news clippings and put them in the large books I had bought for that purpose.

Just in time for the Fryeburg Fair, where the shelter has a booth.

Brendan is sitting here purring, he knows his own person will be home soon. He always knows.

The little guys have a new toy. The cat door. It is open to the enclosed yard and they learned it quickly. Big excitement yesterday when a chipmunk was spied on the other side of the fence and Harper pushed his way under it. I have weighed it down and will pin it down but for now I am keeping an eye on their antics.

The Walk

Here are a few scenes from the Walk for the Animals. Hope shows off our flag, the first ever Cat Team. After the Walk the Barkin the Park took place with hundred of happy dogs playing games and in contests.

I'll find the fundraising total soon and let all know how it went!

Ramona and Her Flag

More additions
Copy Cat, Carmel, and Cinnamon
and BK

Note: I have just added to the flag
Boo ( my mom's cat)
The Divine Miss Marilyn
Bing ( from the Blog Pound)
Varuka and Violet

I will check my emails tonight and add anyone else

It’s Feline Friday at The Modulator

Here is Ramona with her flag with the names on it. Please let me know if I missed you or your cat! And if you want to be included there is still time. I see people on the list whose cat's names I don't know. Thank you for all your support!

Ramona, Harper, Brendan
Fat Eric
Sanjee
Bucky (from Conway Area Humane Society)
Beezer
Uncle Sid
Finnegan and Buddy
Mokie and Ozzie
The Meezers, Sammy and Milo
Aeriel, Allie, Buster, Dustin, Player and Lola,
The House of Mostly Black Cats
And of course,
Fiona Bun



This is Ramona's Bag. She will bring it down to the shelter and give it to the kitties there.

Thank you all!

Ramona's Online Page RamonaÂ’s Top Cats

Who Fell in the Pond?

Is that your flag sister?
It is, brother. Only a few more days!



Ramona likes her flag. I am going to add some fabric to it so I can write her team name and the names of all feline contributors that I can find. Hope will carry it in the Walk and I will shoot photos and video.

Oh yes, I was sitting in the sunroom yesterday keeping half an eye on the kittens in the yard when I heard a loud splash. I looked up and saw a drowned rat on the shore of the pond.

Yup, Miss Ramona went swimming.

I ran out and picked her up, she was soaked, and I brought her in and rubbed her down with a nice dry, fluffy towel. She gave me a big purr. I don't think she will try that maneuver again (slipping around the gate on the bridge when it is closed).

She is loving having her tree back.

In Which Ramona Gets Her Tree Back And..

She goes wading in the pond while Harper falls in.

The things we do for love. We spent yesterday reshaping the back yard for safe kitty fun. I dug up and replanted the day lilies while Olof ran the deer fencing from one side of the house to the pond and from the other side all the way to the original Secret Garden. I can put the board across the bridge and have just the house side garden open, including the well-loved apple tree. Both kittens spend most of yesterday outside and were wiped out by TV time. Next year we will expand the fencing to cover all of the back yard which will look much better. At the moment, the yard is split in half.

Yes, Ramona goes wading up to her belly and this photo is proof. And Harper did fall in, probably while reaching for a delectable frog.

The Walk for the Animals fundraising is going along quite well. I doubt we'll make five thousand but Ramona can't count (yet) so she is happy with our efforts. There are some other teams that are well connected and experienced and they will hit that number so if a lot of people turn out on Saturday, it will be a success.

Her page is RamonaÂ’s Top Cats and you can see our other team members pages or start one yourself if you want to join in. She does have a lovely flag that I will post a photo of and I am figuringg out a way to put the names on it. Hope will carry the flag on the walk and I will be shooting video and taking photos to show you all later. The Walk leaves from downtown North Conway and winds through Whittakerr Woods and then back to Schouler Park where the 9th Annual Bark in the Park will be held with games for dogs (who like that sort of thing).

She is My Sister and I Love Her

It is such a blessing that I got the idea to adopt Ramona along with Harper. He can't bear to be without her. We would have had a very unhappy boy cat on his own. When I take them out to the Secret Garden I carry them one at a time (we are going to dig up the day lilies and extend the garden so I can open the back door and let them run safely). Whatever side of it he is on without her he will start crying from and I have to run and get him. He can't handle being alone. He's a New Age Sensitive Boy Cat. Right now they are cuddled up together after a mutual face wash. Ramona can handle being alone, she's a cool little princess.

The fundraising is going along quite well I think. We may have set the bar too high thinking we could raise 5,000 but Ramona says that is fine. She is happy with what people can give. We know you all help your local shelters too. I have an idea for a flag so next week I will get materials and work on it and put every cat's (and Fiona Bun of course) name on it.

A short time after we adopted Ramona we decided that her motto was "I really care." Maybe it's those big green eyes or maybe the way she comes running to Brendan. One evening he sneezed from the bedroom and she hopped down from her perch in the living room and ran to his side to be sure he was allright. Last week, he came in one morning and she ran to him, gave him a kiss on the mouth and then laid her head against his cheek while closing her eyes. It was the sweetest gesture I have ever seen in a cat, so loving there is no way it could be anything but love. Then she gave him a couple of licks between the eyes. I swear he is doing so well at almost seventeen because of her.

To sponsor Ramona in the Walk for the Animal go to her page Ramona’s Top Cats

Ramona, Dragon Slayer

A lady in the house, a tiger in the Secret Garden.

We did not mean to be away from blogging so long! But the furious end of the 4th of Julabor Day Weekend came upon us with company from France and relations. So with music and sailing kayaking and dancing and rain and sun, the summer winds down. Now we try to finish up all the video shoots that should look like summer so there are plenty of projects to edit come winter.

A lovely morning with the young ones in the Garden. Harper was a bit stressed by our leaving for two nights and having the Kitty Sitter come by. He missed us, he is a New Age Sensitive Guy and he showed us his feelings by chomping on the fur on his belly and getting the runs. Ramona was cool, as she listened to Brendan who said that services were being provided and there was no cause for alarm. Harper was very very cuddly last night. Yesterday and today they got a good three hours of outdoor play time where both kittens waded in the pond (Miss R fell in yesterday but we won't talk about that), climbed trees, chased frogs and dug holes. I did not know that cats will dig holes like a dog but I guess that is the origin of the term "cat hole".

And Ramona caught a huge dragonfly which she was very proud of and then discovered a Big Fact.

Dragonflies Do Not Taste Good.

In other news, Arthur went home! Bucky will tell us that story later. And Ramona's Top Cats are working away. We have raised 1,050 as of this morning. We are not the top team since the Mutleys are at about 1500.00. But we're doing pretty good for a bunch of cats and a bunny. I am going to start on the flag this week and every cat's name will be on it that contributes. And if you can only contribute in spirit let us know and we will put your name on it too. Even if you are a dog.

A Peaceful Day

There is a bat living in a corner of our porch. It flew around the ceiling yesterday much to the amusement of two kittens.

"Did you see that brother?"
"You betch you sister! Let's get it!"

The bat escaped unharmed and wiggled itself into it's crevice.

The kittens then demanded loudly to go to the Secret Garden where a wonderful time was had by all.




Fundraising is going along well and Ramona is very excited about it all. We are not the top team at this time, since the Mutleys have a lot of off line donations which don't show up in the ratings but are there on their page. On line though, we are the Top Cats at 800.00 today!