Guest Star: Stevie Mouse

Published on August 12, 2017July 1, 2017 by Marc-André32 Comments

Hi everyone,

Today’s guest post comes from Dorothy Berry-Lound who runs an art website and you can also find her on Twitter:

There was a huge thunderstorm and I went outside to check what damage had been done. I saw what I thought was a mouse drowning in a puddle so I ran to rescue it. I realised it was a dying kitten and it had swollen, ulcerated eyes. I looked up and the outside cats were in beds in the dry under the outside stairs watching the kitten drown. It was one of their kittens and I guess they knew it was sick and left it.

I brought it in, thinking it could die in the warm and at peace. But after an hour it was clear the kitten was rallying. I decided to keep the kitten and called it Stevie Mouse, We went through all sorts of trials and problems as she was very sick and collapsed on several occasions. She couldn’t control her body temperature so I sat with her under a heat lamp in the middle of August – Italian summer, can you imagine? I was a puddle. But she survived and she can see well enough though has to live as an inside cat.

Stevie Mouse is now two years old and beautiful and the subject of many of my artistic endeavours.

She even looks after her ‘sister’ Emmy who has epilepsy and cleans her up when she has had a seizure.

Stevie Mouse has her own hashtag on Twitter #IamStevieMouse which is also the title I of a book I am writing about our life together.

If you are on Twitter you can follow me @ShannathShima

We hope you enjoyed her story.

Thanks,

Marc

Marc-André

We regularly write about all things relating to cats on our Blog Katzenworld! My partner and I are owned by three cheeky cats that get up to all kind of mischief that of course you'll also be able to find out more about on our Blog If you are interested in joining us by becoming a regular contributor / guest author do drop me a message.

Baby Criminal Bailed Out!

Published on July 23, 2017July 7, 2017 by koolkosherkitchen54 Comments

It’s a little past one o’clock in the morning, and we are coming home after a nice walk on Ocean Drive, when we hear faint squealing. Right outside the police department, across the street from our house, stands a tall, young, Latin-looking policeman, holding something so small, it can’t even be seen. Lost in his huge muscular arms, the tiny peach colored fuzzy thing is squealing like mad. It’s a baby kitten!

“Where did it come from?”

“Something was squealing in the bushes,” – says the cop, “I thought it was a possum trespassing on police property, so I was about to call the animal removal people, but I went to investigate first, and here it is – a baby kitty.”

“What are you going to do with it?”

“Well, unless someone bails it out, our rule book says we have to take it to a pound.”

We heard the “p” word! There was a momentary hesitation: how would the two big cats, siblings who grew up together, do everything together, and rule the house together, take to the baby intruder? But the alternative was too terrible to contemplate! I took her into my arms and held her like a baby. The poor thing was trembling, but as soon as she felt the warmth of my body, she calmed down and went to sleep – like a baby.

At first we didn’t know whether it was a girl or a boy, so we came up with two names. The first priority, though, was to feed the baby. When we gave her a dish with kitten food, she almost inhaled it! We have never heard a cat making sounds like that while eating. She was ravenous – she must have not had anything to eat for quite a while, poor baby!

Once she ate her full, he became playful. She still wants to be next to Mama most of the time, but she also loves playing with toys, and she is a great explorer. Now we know – it’s a girl! She is about 4 – 5 weeks old, healthy, beautiful, and full of energy. As to the older cats, it was tough the first couple of days, but now they have accepted her.

Uncle Barmalei even lets her play with his favorite toy and catch his tail! He supervises her activities, to make sure she is safe.

The little trespasser is not a criminal any more; she is our baby.

koolkosherkitchen

I am a semi-retired educator. I love to cook and I love to write. I am trying to combine these two for no other purpose but to share some of my old favorite recipes, as well as some new inventions, and to exchange food ideas and opinions. Kosher food is just like any other food - fun to create and fun to experiment with, especially if you get kids involved!

Guest Tribute: Goodnight, Sweet Prince

Published on July 1, 2017March 21, 2017 by Marc-André17 Comments

Hi everyone,

Today’s guest post comes from Living Life Forte and is a Tribute to Richard Parker. Tissues will be a necessity for this story I am afraid. 🙁:

Goodnight, Sweet Prince

Richard Parker was acting out of sorts when I visited my adopted family at Christmas. His mom was worried about his lethargy. He simply wasn’t his usual commanding self. I went in to see my buddy, and he lifted his head for few pets and gave me a purr. He looked at me through slitted eyes and nuzzled my hand. But his usual robustness was gone. This was the fellow who always gave me a purr-rumph and came quickly when I called, “Where’s my Friend?” He was the one who sat on his Stanford blanket between us when we ate spaghetti off tv trays and watched The Walking Dead. When I stayed the night on a cot in the living room, it was Parker who slept alongside me, moving up to bump my hand should I awake from a curious dream. He was his momma’s boy, but he made sure to care for me as well. And at Christmas he seemed to have simply caught a cold.

With the holidays and then rough weather, it was three weeks before I made it out to visit again. When I entered the house through the kitchen, something was different. Parker’s tuna dish was not there by the refrigerator, and his beautiful orange face did not come to greet me. I thought perhaps he was upset at my long absence. But then my friend’s husband came quickly in and said quietly, “Parker had to be put down on Friday.” The air left me. I walked into the living room where my friend sat on the couch. Her grief was visible on her face. She told me how his health had rallied after Christmas but then he fell horribly ill. A trip to the small town vet and then the state-of-the-art animal hospital yielded no answers. He was failing fast and the devastating decision had to be made. My friend had to say goodbye to her dear boy. I hugged my friend and felt the heartbreak. He was the one who cared for her when she was sad, and now he was gone.

For a few days, the other cats were subdued by Parker’s physical absence, and it would be several weeks before they came out to sit with us during our Sunday tv ritual. And last week Bubba took a seat on the couch.