Whoze blog iz dis anywayzez?!

Ella: "But Uncle Dr Tweety... isn't this mines blog?"

Our purrz fur peece

Dr Tweety: "I yam egg-sauced. Dis itty bitty squirt iz wearin' us all out! Who iz reesponsybull fur dis?"

Maximillian: "Look at the state of the house! Mommy will be outraged. That thing is a whirling dervish."

"Hmmmm... there's always "squirt" bottle training for little squirts!"

Iris: "I've tried every toy in the house and she still wants more! Who made ME the designated babysitter?"

Maximillian: "Dear Cod, please hear our prayers. Come retrieve this annoying squirt and let us have peace again. I promise I will be a good boy for the rest of my days."

Ella: "I didn't do it. I knows I didn't do it. I loves it here."

Narrator: "And so dear friends, with another bowl of kitten chow, the little squirt finally takes a much appreciated nap."

Dr Tweety: "And nonez too soon I might add!"

Who? Ella! Dats who!

I am cute.

I have spots and stripes.

I am 10 weeks old and I have a brand new home.

There are four G-I-A-N-T cats who live here. They growl and spit. But I think I will make them like me anyways!

Do you know where I am?

I left my momma and sisters and brothers yesterday and drove home in a car.

No, I am not old enough to drive yet, but a nice woman did and talked to me all the way.

I fell asleep and when I woke up, there were the four G-I-A-N-T things staring at me like they wanted to eat ME! But I like this place... and maybe the G-I-A-N-T things will learn to love me.

What do you think?????

Thank you for helping hold the light

Thank you all for your kind words, beautiful poems, and holding the light for Auntie's passage to the Bridge. We are very sad here, even though we knew it was the right thing to do. Our hearts hurt with our empty arms. Such a tiny cat made such a huge impression on our spirits and in our family. Thanks so much to the CB and to Dr Tweety's friends across the US and halfway across the globe for your various tributes to this amazing cat. We will visit when the worst of our sorrow has quieted to the soft spots we reserve for the ones who came before.

Sad, sad news. Auntie Stinkie being helped to the Bridge tonight.

Dearest friends,

Auntie Stinkie has fallen gravely ill. She is in complete and irreversible renal failure. We have made the decision that she counts on us to do and she will be helped to the Bridge tonight at 5:30 p.m. The vet will come to the house and help our dearest girl to join other legendary cats that have come before. Our hearts are breaking, but as I write this, Auntie Stinkie is thanking us for being brave enough to let her go. She is very tired and very weak.

I wanted to tell you the story of how she came to live with us, before I can’t muster any more thoughts. Some of you may have read a little bit about this before in an older post, but it helps me to focus on the incredible miracles of animal and human interaction:

In 2003, I visited my husband-to-be at his home in Oregon. He and I sat in the summer night watching the stars. Suddenly a raspy “Waah! Waah!” sounded from the dark. A very petite shadow of a cat was visible. I could see large patches of fur were missing and she was extremely thin. She looked like a stray alley cat.

My fiance said, “That’s the neighbor’s cat Stinkie. I call her my mailbox friend because she walks down to the end of the road with me while I open up the mail.” We petted her and talked with her a bit and that’s all I saw of her for a couple of months.

After I moved in, Stinkie began to visit us. She would typically run up to greet me when I got home from work with a “Waah! Waah!” She had a LOT to say. There was a dog who made her life miserable; her owners fed her food she was allergic to; no one paid her any attention. How did I know she was allergic to her food? Stinkie threw up undigested food on my car almost every day... she was communicating the only way she knew how. And she sat on the rail of the front porch, chattering nonstop. “Waah! A thousand times waah!”

That first Oregon winter was a tough one. It snowed almost 8” and Stinkie’s owners did not bring her in from the cold. Not wanting to encourage her to stay with us, we did not feed her but felt the cold was too harsh for such a short-haired kitty. We compromised by putting an electric blanket on the front deck and she gratefully curled up.

The next summer, with our doors wide open, Stinkie began her “observations.” She would walk right in our front door, climb on top of my husband’s turntable cover, and watch us. She watched us eat dinner. She watched us interact with the other cats. She watched us watch movies. The entire time, it was as if she was making up her mind to do a very big thing.

Finally, after a few months of not being able to keep her out of the house, we let her stay. Stinkie had just turned 11. She befriended my husband’s elderly cat Trixie and kept Trixie company when the two boys Dr Tweety and Maxie were unruly. When Trixie went into renal failure at 16, Stinkie sat beside her day after day. After Trixie passed, Stinkie disappeared for three days. When she returned, she was depressed. It was the only time in my life I have ever heard a cat cry. She made low moaning noises and kept close, burrowing in my lap.

Several months later, we adopted Iris and Delilah. With the household now in a state of kitty flux, “Auntie” Stinkie took charge! She assumed alpha cat position and slapped the new kitten Delilah around. She let everyone know, including Maxie and Dr Tweety, that this was her home and she was the matron in charge of all things cat.

She demanded her eggs soupy and her chicken warm. “Waah! Waah!” But her nervous chattered subsided as the year passed. She no longer felt the need to be heard. Her home was with us and no one, even her former owner, contradicted that.

Auntie Stinkie was a survivor extraordinaire. She made it through skin cancer surgery, high blood pressure, total blindness, and lived well beyond what the vets thought three years ago. She adapted to her sightless state (even though I had a much more difficult time with it because I missed her looking straight at me and asking for her eggs!). She learned to use pet stairs next to the bed. She learned to feel her way around the garden and find that sweet sunny spot on the front deck. She found renewed vigor in her love for food and actually developed a bit of a pot belly by the time she was 16.

So here we are today. One month after her 19th birthday. I didn’t want to admit it, but I noticed the decline in her health a little before that landmark birthday. Her famous appetite wasn’t what it used to be and she was losing weight. Her iconic “Waah, waah had all but disappeared. But four days ago, she still managed to find her way to that sunny spot on the front porch.

Today, she can’t, nor can she walk more than a foot or two. Her muscles are too weak in the hind legs. It’s time to give her dignity.

We will miss her so much. She was my first Oregon friend and her dad’s first mailbox friend. We know how much all of you love your own dear furry friends and how the loss of each one touches another. We are one world within a complex universe that gives us both loss and love. Somehow, we weather the grief process together.

Dr Tweety will come back later in the summer, to let you know how we’re all doing. And we will visit you to see how you are all doing. Thank you so much for being our dear friends.

The photo you see above is from yesterday, when Iris kept Auntie Stinkie company on the bed.

Tank you all!

Dear frendzez,

Tank you all fur bein' such good frendz.

Da Auntie Stinkie hadz da bestee birfday evfur cuz of you!

We knowz dats you haz givfun ups on us... & we haz not wanted to shutter da bloggy cuz it wouldz maked da dadee here so sad...

but what do we do? Da momee doez nots haz da time.

& she feelz terrybull fir deezertin' all of you & not vizzytin.

Da dadee still haz some hurdlez to go through & so doez da momeee, but when we loks oevfur da bloggospear,

many of our dearest frendz are sufferin' both finanshul & health problemz... no one, cat or been iz spared.

I do not egg-spect daat dis will makes da momee here suddenly sits up & takes notice dats we haz been negglected fur oevfur a year.

Nowz it is iz justee plain embarassin...

& yes, you must breax up dat word to makes it what it truely iz:

m.... bare... as_ _ __n!

We will alwayz comez & sneeks peeks at you all,

evfun if we doez not personally say so.

We chex da CB announce-mints to keep tabz.

Mebbe when da momee & da dadee feelz healthy & not so stressed we canz comez back into da world dats gave us so much joy.

Much peez dear frendz,

much peez & joy & good health to all!

Welcome to da partee fur da Auntie Stinkie!!!

Welcome!
Come on in & rest your pawz.
Grab a bucket of nip sprinkled poppy corn & watch da movie.
We haz lots of treetsez & lotsez & lotsez of catsez.

It's not evfurry day a kitty turnz 19
& da Auntie Stinkie iz lookin' forward to seein' all of youze.

HOORAY!! HIP HIP HOORAY!!!

TOE MASSAGES FUR EVFURRY CAT!!!

Your choice of nip tea, niptini, or nip mousiez.
Toilet paper shredding allowed!
Newspaper shredding allowed!
Ceiling walks allowed!
(Bath tub open fur kitty needz.)

Kitten room.
Hairball throwing contest!
Free barfing fevverz.

No worries about clean up.
(What's a momee for????)

Come on in!

We iz gonna haz a mooooo-vie fur Auntie Stinkie's party!

Rememberr to comez to da party dis Sunday!!

Right here on da bloggie,

from 9 am to noon (Pacific timez).

We iz gonna haz a speshul moovie,

so bring da nip sprinklulled popcorn

& help us cellybrate.

19 BIG onez!!!!!

Come one, come all. Auntie Stinkie'z B-I-G partee!

You iz invited to attend da BIG partee,

Sunday, May 8th,

9 a.m. to noon (Pacific Time)

Auntie Stinkie will host da blog & chat back.

She iz gonna haz nip fur all

& Dr Tweety's famous ton size ham.

Bring da bacon, bring da toona, bring da kittenz, bring it on!

Auntie Stinkie iz da seenor cat fur sure

Happy 19th Auntie Stinkie!!!!

Tank you all my frendz who camez oevfur to wishez me a happee birfday.

I yam gonna comez by personally dis week to see you all.

We haz an eggcitin' announcemint!

Da Auntie Stinkie iz 19 tooday!!!

In her honor, we planz a partee fur next Sunday.

I yam gonna makes an invitashun dis week so dat you can all come & cellybrate wit us.

More dee-tailz to follow!!!!

I iz 11 tooday & momee iz not doin' nuttin'

Dr Tweety: "Well frendzez, dis iz a fine pickle.

It iz my 11th birfday & we haz not been abull to blog since Januerry!

Not onlee are we reetired frum da bloggy but we missez our frendz so terrybull.

& where iz my partee?

Da momee here haz furgotten me.

On top of dat, Delilah haz a birfday dis weekend too!

Where iz our cake???

Where iz da nip?

Where iz da roasty beefs???

I tried gettin' up here ats da micro-wavez

but nuttin' waz wavin back."

"Den I tried lookin' in da cookie book to seez if dere waz

a reccy-pee dats I could uze & mebbe try bakin' breadz frum dats old nanner you see in da pic."

Delilah: "Uncle Tweet, this is a disgrace!

I'm looking under the couch right now to see if there is a cake hiding there, or perhaps a nice gift of nip...

but all I see are fur balls the size of Texas!"

"I'm searching in the sink too, just in case Mommy left any dirty bowls with icing... or some other hint of making a special birthday dinner for us, and I hate to tell you this, I see NADA!"

Dr Tweety: "Don't givez up yet poppet! I tinks I smellz sumpin' in da kitsh-hen.

Mebbe da momee tooks pity on us after all."

Dr Tweety: "Mommee???? Iz dat roasty beefs I seez???

Iz dats fur me & da poppet???

Doez we has to eats da salud too?"

Da momee: "No Tweet... you can leave the salad for us beans.

I just hope you have a terrific birthday!"

Dr Tweety: "Now momee, doez dis meenz we canz blog again too?

Roasty beefs iz one ting, but our frendz iz anudder!

I wouldz rather haz frendz den a beefs."

Da momee: "Perhaps Tweet, perhaps. I can't promise you that we can come back to blogging, but I can say that all of us here at the Fab Five love and miss your friends!"

It's da Snooze year in rear-view!

Dear frendz... I yam proud to bringz you da year in rear-view!

You may notices a theme az you looks at us Fab Five & da beenz.

Itsez been dat kinda year fur us,
but we hadz some help to gets us through from you!

Delilah: "z-z-z-z-z-z-x-x-z."
Dr Tweety: "z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z."

Maximillian: "z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-l-o-z."
Delilah: "z-z-z-z-z-z-z-l-z."

Iris: "?!"
Dr Tweety: "z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-o-h-z."

Da Momee: z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-s-n-o-r-e-s-o-m-e-m-o-r-e."
Iris: "?!"
Auntie Stinkie: "z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-f-a-r-t."

Boy Been: "z-z-z-z-z-z-z."
Girl-in-law-been: "z-z-z-z-z-z-z."
Auntie Stinkie: "z-z-z-z-z-z-z-f-a-r-t."

Auntie Stinkie: "z-z-z-z-z-y-o-u-k-n-o-w-h-a-t."
Iris: "?!"
Delilah: "z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-l-o-l."
Dr Tweety: "z-z-z-z-z-z-z."

Dr Tweety: "z-z-z-z-z-z."

Maximillian: "z-z-z-z-z-z-z-i-t-z."
Delilah: "z-z-z-z-z-z-o-o"
Dr Tweety: "z-z-z-z-z."

Dr Tweety: "z-z-z-z-z-z-z-c-h-e-e-z-e?"

Dr Tweety: "z-z-z-u-m-w-h-a-t-d-a-h-e-c-k?

Da Dadee: "Mommy! I think I know what Tweet needs!"

Dr Tweety: "nom... nom..."
Da momee: "Yup... PB&J & coffee!"

Dr Tweety: "Iz dere nip in dats dere coffeez?"

Dr Tweety: "May all of youze haz a furry Happy Snooze Year!!!"

Last minute shopping for Delilah

Delilah: "Would you look at this?
it appears that Mommy has left her wallet and credit cards out.
I think I know what to do!"

"Since all of our friends on the CB have been so true-blue, I am going to pull an "Oprah" and buy every cat a new i-Mac for Christmas!"

"It's about time us cats took control of cyber-shopping, and definitely time to take control of blogging since Mommy won't."

"Look what I found on the internet!
Green papers! You can buy green papers and have them delivered right to your door!"

"Now we can buy nip and cheese and soft beds.
Who needs Mommy?
Our friends miss us and we miss them."

"On top of that, we can all get double dinner discounts!
I also nabbed Mommy's $10 off coupon.

But here's a little something that green papers can't buy.

Ready kitties?

A one anda two anda three anda four:"

Dr Tweety, Delilah, Maximillian, Iris, and Auntie Stinkie:

"We wish you a merry Christmouse,
We wish you a merry Christmouse,
We wish you a merry Christmouse,
And a happee New Yearz!"

Glad tidings dear ones... we miss you and lovez you!

A itty bitty up-dates

Dear frendz, I haz been sadz 'cuz we haz kinda shuttered da blog.
Da Auntie bein' sickie on tops of da momee workin' two jobbiez waz too much fur da momee.


We nevfur evfur gots around to vizytin' or thankin' you fur all da wunderful purrz & well wishez fur da Auntie Stinkie.
So evfun though da dadee & da momee will be gone fur da turkey day
(dey iz dezertin' us to goez to see bean fambly) & stickin' us wit a cat-sitter, I willz givez da update:

I tooks care of da Auntie Stinkie... she iz kinda frail now & she started poopin' in places where she nevfur poopeded before!

But da momee sez she iz still da purrtee-est gurl she knowz & I yam sure dat iz true.

Da Delilah waz gettin' boreded so she decided to hangz uppy-side down.

Den da Maxi & da gurlzez tooks a nappy on da dadeez messy-age tabull.

Den cuz I waz so egg-sauced from takin' care of evfurryting when da momee waz too bizzy to tink abouts our frendz & evfun us... I tooks a nap & deecided to dream abouts what I WANTED fur turkey day:

See dat guy above? Da momee tooks hiz pic on her new second job!

She wanted to tellz you all dat purrty soon she will only haz one job again & den we can comez back to bloggin' & vizytin. Justy nots fur awhile longer. (I yam keepin my pawz crossed fur January!!!)


In da meentime, dear frendz,
HaPPy ThAnKsGivInG!!!!!!

We lovez each & evfurryone of you to itty bitty peecez.
Eats somez turkey fur moi OK?