Happy 24th Gotcha Day, Angel Sashi!

My first "official" adoption, 24 years ago today...

St. Catty's Day, 5 Years Ago

Officially known as the "Pi Day" storm, 5 years ago on March 14-15 our neck of the woods got dumped with 30" of snow, making it the second largest storm on record!

The cleanup continued well into St. Patrick's Day, leading us to create this cute little graphic.

I've looked at this countless times in the past 5 years, and it still cracks me up every single time. Thankfully there are no leprechauns buried in our back yard this year. In fact, Mudpie just spotted one taking a sunbath as it's nearly 60 degrees out there today!

National Burrito Day #ThrowbackThursday

Meows from Mudpie!

Today we're throwing it back to 2018 when I was caught in the act of sneaking a lick of the frozen burrito Mommy had thawing on the kitchen shelf.

In all fairness, it was Cinco de Mayo, so I was just being festive!

Are you having a burrito today in celebration? Don't overindulge though! You don't want to blow through your entire supply of toilet paper!

Flashback Friday Meets Whipped Cream Day

A quick check of the National Day Calendar shows that there's a special day to celebrate just about anything! For instance, tomorrow is National Whipped Cream Day.

It brought to mind my angel kitty Sashi (the last of two tuxies I had before torties took over my life). She LOVED canned whipped cream, specifically what we called "cow can cream" from Cabot because of the cow print design on the can.

She had a small squirt of her favorite treat pretty much on a daily basis, and on birthdays we would put a candle in it.

Confession time...I still have her last (mostly empty) can of whipped cream stored away in the back of my fridge. Some people probably think that's crazy, but I'm sure my fellow cat moms won't. 

Flashback Friday: Triple Crown Fever

For many years I said the only 2 sports achievements I needed to see in my lifetime were Kevin Harvick winning the NASCAR Cup Championship and a Triple Crown. The first took 14 years, the second took 37 years, but amazingly I got to witness both within the span of 8 months in late 2014 to mid-2015.

When American Pharoah won the Triple Crown in 2015 I collected as many newspapers as I could find and decided to gather them together on the bed with the hopes that Truffles would pose with them. She had other ideas...she instantly climbed on top of the papers and started rolling around on them. She was reveling in history as much as I was!

These actually ended up being some of the last pictures I ever took of her...one short month later she was gone.

Triple Crown fever is alive and well this year thanks to a chestnut colt named Justify. It's exciting to think that it could happen again so soon, but I'm trying not to get my hopes up. Paws crossed that I'm wrong because Justify is undefeated so far, but I don't think he looks quite as impressive as American Pharoah did.

On the NASCAR side of things, this season just couldn't be any better. My guy has already won SIX races and I AM getting my hopes up for a second championship, even though I know there's still a looooooong way to go in the season.

It sure would be amazing to celebrate a Triple Crown and a Championship in the span of a few months again!

My 1st Official Adoption ~ 20 Years Ago #TBT

It's hard to remember my life before the torties took over, but thankfully there is lots of photographic evidence!

I adopted Sashi on March 31, 1998 - 20 years ago this Saturday. She was my first little girl, the first cat in my life that came from a shelter, and the first cat I adopted on my own as an adult.

She had been given up by her family at 9 years old. I was told many people thought she was beautiful but passed her by because of her age. Week after week I went past her cage at the PetSmart adoption center until I finally realized she was waiting for me. We were blessed to have 8 wonderful years together. Her passing in 2006 tore my heart into a million pieces. She was the first cat that was truly mine, and I felt like I had lost a child.

Every now and then I spend a little time going through my collection of non-digitized photos. They bring back so many memories of those that came before.

That box was her favorite napping spot. I still have it.

Unlike my other ladycats, Sashi enjoyed playing dress up. She would let me put anything on her.

Her favorite treat was canned whipped cream. On birthdays we put a candle in it.

And nothing made her happier than a nice, warm blankie.

I have no doubt that Sashi was the first kitty waiting at the Bridge when Tara and Truffles arrived, and that they have a daily catnip klatch! I hope they all know how much they're still remembered and loved.

Throwback Thursday: Pi Day Storm Redux

Meows from Mudpie!

Last year on March 14-15 my little neck of the woods was hit by what has since been dubbed the "Pi Day" storm. We ended up with a record 30" of snow! Yesterday, Pi Day again, we had another big storm but thankfully it stopped at just over a foot this time around. (There's been a lot on the news about the series of nor'easters that have hit New England over the past 2 weeks, but here in northern Vermont we've been pretty much unscathed until this one.)

Back to last year - while digging out we made a shocking discovery in our yard. It still cracks us up every time we see it so we just had to share it again!

Mudpie Goes Psycho #TBT

Meows from Mudpie!

With Halloween right around the corner it won't be long before Mommy starts pulling out scary movies that are sure to make us hide under the covers. Her all-time favorite is Psycho (she's still in mourning that Bates Motel ended it's run) and she never fails to crack up whenever she looks at the recreation of the movie's famous shower scene that we did for Caturday Art a couple years ago. (And I can't believe what a scrawny kid I was back then!!!)

Don't worry, there were no crazy people with knives in the tub with me, but do you notice that I appear to be freaked out by something I'm looking at? I think Mommy may have been nakey at the time. (Tee hee...)

Speaking of Halloween movies, have you been following the fake movie posters our good friend Miss Cuddlywumps has been creating the past couple weeks? Cats of the Undead, Psycho Kitty, Zombie Cat, and they've all been turned into magnets and cards on Zazzle! We're purchasing each one as a 5x7 card and we're going to frame them as part of our Halloween decor!

Halloween
by MissCuddlywumps

This post contains Amazon and Zazzle affiliate links.

The Day Diana Died #TBT

Today we hope you'll allow us a departure from our regular cat coverage to share memories of a day many of us will always remember.

In all our lives there are world events that you never forget where you were and what you were doing when you heard the news. The first big news stories of my lifetime were when President Reagan was shot and the Challenger disaster, but I was really young and just remember being at home with my parents, not really grasping the gravity of what was happening. For me, the top 3 events that are as vivid in mind as the day(s) they happened are the OJ Simpson trial (I was obsessed), 9/11, and the day Princess Diana was killed in a Paris car crash - 20 years ago today.

It was a Saturday night and here on the east coast the news broke around 8PM on August 30th. I sat glued to the television with my family in shock, and then - oops, this isn't a completely cat-free post - when the news came around midnight that she had tragically passed away, I was outside in the driveway trying to break up a cat fight with my mom! After all those hours of watching and waiting the irony isn't lost on me that a cat played a role in my memories of that night.

It was now the wee hours of August 31st, a day I had circled on my calendar for months because I was scheduled to travel to Schaghticoke, New York's local fair to see Tom Wopat (The Dukes of Hazzard) in concert. As a huge fan of the show and his music, my parents agreed to the 3 hour trip as an early birthday gift.

The day was amazing - I got to meet him! - but it was still a bittersweet day and one I'll always remember as a very happy one for me personally, but a tragic day for the world.

Do you remember where you were and what you were doing when you heard the news that Princess Diana died?

Sharing Happy Memories #TBT

Meows from Mudpie!

Even though Mommy's heart still hurts, she's getting to the point in her grieving process where she's able to go through pictures of Angel Truffles and share her favorite memories with me. It makes me happy because I enjoy spending quality time with her getting to know the big sister I never met a little better.

This week we decided to go back and look at what she was doing today (April 13th) in both 2014 and 2015...and we found some fun shots!

This picture cracks me up!!! How much lazier can you get than to reach out to pull your food closer rather than get up and eat??? Four paws up, girlfriend!

Truffles must've been super tired that day because later Mommy took a picture of her showing some leg while sound asleep in her kitty lounger. Gosh, she looks just like me here, doesn't she?

A year later she was awake and Mommy got her to pose with the adorable cowboy Garfield planter she found at Tractor Supply. Who thinks the planter ever made it outside to the yard?

We hope you'll come back again tomorrow because we have an extra special review and giveaway of a piece of jewelry you can wear every day to remind you of the cherished kitty waiting for you at home...or at the Rainbow Bridge.

Truffles' Fiction Debut #TBT

Meows from Mudpie!

Every now and then I take a little time to go through old blog posts from before I came to live here, just to see what Mommy's life was like without me. (Unimaginable, I know.) I recently stumbled upon something really cool that newer readers to our blog not might know about.

Truffles was eager to see her name in print!

Three years ago this month Truffles made her fiction debut in a cozy mystery called Ghostly Paws, the first book in the Mystic Notch mystery series by Leighann Dobbs. The author had let Mommy know ahead of time that in the book there was a gang of cats that played a small role and one was a tortie that she named Truffles! It was such a surprise and great honor for Mommy and Truffles, and they loved the book as a whole too!

Ghostly Paws was just the beginning...Truffles also went on to star in A Dickens of  Murder by Joyce and Jim Lavene and Ingrid King's love letter to torties, Tortitude. All three books have a cherished place on our bookshelf.

Hey authors!!! Mudpie is a pawsome name too! Just sayin'...

Flashback Friday: Truffles' Blue Ball

Earlier this week I was going through my photo files and discovered that three years ago today, on January 27, 2014, I took one of my all-time favorite pictures of Truffles.

While Mudpie lives to play with anything and everything, Truffles had little to no play drive. It breaks my heart to realize now that most likely her heart issues left her with much less energy than a healthy cat.

The one toy that did get her motor running was this fabric-covered, plain blue ball that she received in her first Secret Paws package from Samantha and Clementine from Life from a Cat's Perspective. She played with it so much I had to take a few stitches in the fabric once, she napped with it, she simply adored it.

It means the world to me because it brought her so much happiness. It lives in her memory box now and whenever I pull it out I feel closer to her.

What have you done with the favorite toys of pets who live in your heart?

My Sweet Tuxedo Boy #TBT

Mommy here.

If you're anything like me, you can recite the Gotcha Days and Rainbow Bridge Days of each beloved pet without second thought, but dates regarding the humans in your life require a bit more brain power.

July 7th has become the most dreaded day of the year for me (the date I lost both Tara and Truffles) but for 3 years in a row in the late '90s January 8th was a date I would've been happy to banish from the calendar forever.

On that date in 1999 I lost my Uncle Bob who was like a second father to me, in 1998 an ice storm struck the northeast and we were without power and bailing water from the basement for days, and on January 8, 1997 my beautiful tuxedo boy Sebastian went to the Bridge.

20 years ago last Sunday.

He was a neighborhood cat who had been neglected by his various owners through the years, but he had a happy "senior citizenhood" with my family.

I miss you, sweet boy. I hope you've been taking care of all my little girls who've gone on to join you.

Thankful Thursday #TBT

Mommy here.

Mudpie and I spent Tuesday afternoon on the living room floor wrapping Christmas presents, both for family and our Secret Paws. Cat moms know it's not the easiest undertaking with little paws getting into everything but for me, the little bit of inconvenience is worth it.

Later that evening I was looking through pictures on my computer and discovered that 3 years ago on the exact same day I was doing the exact same thing in the exact same spot...with Truffles.

I had adopted Truffles not quite four months prior, and getting ready for her first Christmas was so exciting.

We didn't have nearly enough time together, but I am so incredibly grateful for every single moment that we shared.

Visit Brian's Home for more thankful kitties and doggies!

Is It Hot Enough For You? #ThrowbackThursday

As I type this we're suffering through our tenth 90 plus degree day of the summer. While I know that's nothing compared to the heat wave boiling other parts of the country, it's kind of newsworthy in our neck of the woods. Suffice it to say we are NOT big fans of summer here at our house.

Angel Tara had very thick fur and suffered terribly in the summer. I would brush enough fur out of her on a regular basis to make another cat but she would still lie around the house prostrate from the heat.

The following photos are a few of my favorites of Tara. I kept a small desk fan near her at all times, and one day I looked over to see her back legs straddling the fan, her little hips moving as it turned back and forth. How I wish I had videotaped it because it was absolutely priceless!!!

My, what a little exhibitionist she was!

Truffles and Chicky #TBT

It's still a struggle, but I'm trying to go through pictures of Truffles and remember the happy times, not how it ended.

Last year at this time she received a PetBox to review. One of the items in the box was a hanging scratcher in the shape of an owl. She was a horizontal scratcher so I laid it flat on the floor to see what she would do with it.

She loved it, but not as a scratcher. She used it as her own personal rug space to nap on, bathe on, toss around and wrestle with. I think he might even have been her confidant who she told her secrets to.

We named her new friend Chicky, and he now lives in her memory box.

Remembering Sashi a Decade Later #TBT

I adopted Sashi on March 31, 1998. She was my first little girl, the first cat in my life that came from a shelter, and the first cat I adopted on my own as an adult.

She had been given up by her family at 9 years old. We were told many people thought she was beautiful but passed her by because of her age. Week after week I went past her cage at the PetSmart adoption center until I finally realized she was waiting for me. We were blessed to have 8 wonderful years together. Her passing in 2006 tore my heart into a million pieces. She was the first cat that was truly mine, and I felt like I had lost a child.

It's hard to believe it will be 10 years on February 15th since Sashi went to the Bridge. Last weekend I spent some time going through bunches of non-digitized photos. It back so many memories of my precious angel.

That box was her favorite napping spot. I still have it.

Unlike my other ladycats, Sashi enjoyed playing dress up. She would let me put anything on her.

Her favorite treat was canned whipped cream. On birthdays we put a candle in it.

And nothing made her happier than a nice, warm blankie.

I have no doubt that Sashi was the first kitty waiting at the Bridge when Tara and Truffles arrived, and that they have a daily catnip klatch! I hope they all know how much they're still loved.

Remembering Truffles, 6 Months Later #ThrowbackThursday

Six months ago today, just after midnight to be exact, Truffles went to the Bridge.

I can hardly believe it's been that long already since thoughts of that horrible night are still so vivid in my mind. Yet those moments were so unforgettable that I fear 10 years from now I'll still remember them as clearly as I do today.

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

In looking through pictures that I took last year at this time, I came across some from January 11, 2015 that never got published. I had just come home from the cat show that comes to my area each January (which I'll be attending this weekend). I picked up a little gingerbread man catnip bag for her that she absolutely loved.

Many of her toys that she didn't play with much I've given to Mudpie, but this one is packed away in Truffles' memory box.

#ThrowbackThursday: The Memorial Wall

I've been looking for a way to participate in the Throwback Thursday phenomenon and haven't been sure how to do it. After all, Truffles has only been with me for 7 months and her every movement has been documented here since the day I brought her home. Tara continues to be a presence here as well, so I decided that maybe I should use Throwback Thursday as a way to blog about the previous cats in my life.

In the hallway right outside my bedroom is the little memorial wall you see above. These are the three cats that were in my life prior to Tara. She hasn't made the wall yet because I have memorials to her elsewhere in the house.

Here is a brief introduction to each. I will be posting about them more as I go through boxes and boxes of old photos.

* Patch is the yellow tabby on top (February 1, 1976-August 15, 1991) He was actually my parents' first baby, as he came into their lives a year and a half before I was born. He was abandoned as a three month old kitten on my father's family dairy farm and my future grandmother, knowing how much my Mom loved cats, asked if she'd like to take him home. Prior to Patch my Mom had been over a decade without a cat in her life! He was my constant companion growing up, laying in one corner of my bed while a stack of books sat in the other. We lost him to a brain tumor at age 15.

* Sebastian is the gray boy directly beneath Patch (1993-January 8, 1997) This little guy was a neighborhood rescue. Left behind by one neighbor when they moved, he ended up in the care of an elderly couple across the road from us. When the wife passed away, a gold digger moved in on the husband and we feared the cat was on his way out. Over a period of months we turned him into a wonderful housecat after spending the majority of his life outside. Sadly he was already in his teens by this point and we lost him way too soon to kidney disease.

* The angel in the purple "Meow" frame was my first little girl, Sashi (March 31, 1998-February 15, 2006) Sashi was also the first cat I "chose" by adopting her from a local rescue group at PetSmart. She had been given up by her family at 9 years old. We were told many people thought she was beautiful but passed her by because of her age. We had nearly 8 wonderful years together before she succumbed to stomach cancer. I'd always loved cats, but Sashi was my first cat as an adult that was truly "mine". Losing her just about killed me and I thought my heart would never heal. Then I met Tara.

So there you have it, the 3 cats that came before Tara and Truffles. They all took a part of my heart when they left and will never be forgotten.

Do you keep photos and mementos of the pets that are no longer with you?