Such cute cat pixies! Cats are awesome!


Hope Freya will be ok and that Spots will explain why he wants to be outside all the time now

Freya investigates the new bed

Attacking the mattress protector

A rare moment of Spots relaxing. He is coming in once more, but not for as long as he used to.

The adventures of Freya and Spots! Can we expect a fic from them soon?

So glad to hear that Spots is back to coming in some more. Nothing like a new bit of furniture to attract their attention I suppose?

I'm glad Spots is coming inside again. Maybe he just likes to have his options open. He looks very hugable in his relaxing spot.

Freya looks adorable stalking the folds in the mattress protector. I'm glad she decided it could stay.

Spots looks so comfy in his roost! Your house looks like a kitty dreamland with cat scratching posts, cat beds, and cat roosts everywhere!

Today the Grits family mourns the passing of Captain Bobo. He made the most of his short years with us, running daily marathons in his hamster ball and wheel and each day finding and then hiding all of the seeds. Captain Bobo is remembered as a sweet, industrious, and undemanding little creature. His pocket snuggles and whisker kisses will be missed.

Aww, I'm so glad that little Bobo and the Grits family enjoyed their time together. He was certainly adorable.

R.I.P Captain Bobo

Goodbye Bobo. At least he had a good, happy life.

I love hamsters. I used to keep, breed, and sell them. They're fun pets and can squeeze into just about anything they want to infiltrate. I'm sorry to hear that he is gone Grits.

Biggest negative to most pets is their shorter lifespans. Especially with small rodents. With pets, I just try to make sure they have enjoyable lives and are well taken care of but it is disheartening knowing that even a dog only lives 12 years or so.

Melaina in my her blanket.

I wanted it for ages and once I saw it on sale I decided to buy it. It's furry on one side and wooly on the other. Guess who fell in love with the wooly side. She kneads it and spends most of her day in it. I guess I'll have to buy myself another one >.>

She is so adorable in her kitty-cave!

Talk about a D´wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww moment!

Jacki, Melaina looks so cute and cozy! Maybe she will get you a blanket of your own some day.

The Grits family has expanded to include a bearded dragon. His name is Odahviing. We brought him home on 11-11-14. We didn’t plan for that specific date, it just worked out that way. He is a real sweetie unless you happen to be a cricket.

He’s looking very tiny in the picture. I can’t believe how much he’s grown in just a few weeks.

Jacki - The blanket that swallowed kitty sounds ever so comfy!

Grits - Woot! A dragon! And with a beard no less. I can just imagine hordes of hostile crickets being turned into dinner by the little dragon's mighty shout!

We're currently looking after my sister's pet cat, Archie at the moment. He is the prettiest kitty and I shall brook no argument on this.

https://scontent-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp...amp;oe=5554B89A

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hpho...ecb4c01dd6064ff

Archie = Pritty Kitty? No argument here.

!!!

That little guy is awesome!




My cousin's kitten is cuter

Next time I'm over there I'll have to grab a pic or two.

Archie is not liking that camera attention, lol. He is VERY cute!







Great pic, though really can't see Melaina ,lol. LOVE the blanket though!

I titled this: 3 Mutts Waiting For Breakfast:



http://i.imgur.com/ck9g9N5.jpg?1


As you see them, from Left to Right:


Cracker Jax, Dixie Belle, and Boo Bayou (or as you all have heard her called, "Boo Boo!)

Awwwwwwww, who´s a good doggie? Who´s a good doggie??

Boo Boo is the good doggie! (most of the time, or at least when she isn't chasing the cat she is),

mALX, such a nice shot of Jax, Belle and Boo Boo!

Brrr!

3 doggies out making yellow snow!

Thank you! Actually, she is called Dixie or Dixie Belle, but never Belle. That (Belle) was her mother's name. But you def got the other two right, lol.

I got the feeling Jax won't be around a whole lot longer, so wanted to immortalize him on film - haven't taken his picture in a couple years. I was mixing up their feed and looked out the window - there they were watching the window for me to be making their breakfast, so I went and got the camera instead, lol.

Couldn't get a better picture than that, with them all facing the camera. That usually never happens, I normally just see their butts (because they are facing the dogs next door to stir trouble, lol).

That's a great picture! Dogs and snow.

Oops. And I knew she was called Dixie! Darn, I must have a Disney movie on the brain or something.

EW!

Thank you! These dogs love the cold winter days and hate the summer, really strange for how short their hair is and they don't have an undercoat! In the summer you almost never see them, they get under the sheds and hide till the sun goes down, lol.

What they have is an oil coat like ducks have - that keeps them from getting wet if they swim and insulates them by nature so they run hotter than most dogs - they also have webbed feet like a duck.




Beauty and the Beast, huh?

It has been a long time since I took any pics of pets. I am sad to say that Spots vanished about six months ago. He simply stopped coming around. I think someone else adopted him, and is keeping him indoors permanently. I checked all the shelters, and they do not have him. I also spoke with the city's Animal Control, and they have a catch, spay/neuter, and release program, so even if they had picked him up, they would have released him back in the same area they found him once they saw he was already neutered.

I still left his shelter out on the porch over the winter, and another cat started coming around. She is pretty big, and is completely feral. I cannot get anywhere near her. She has been around a lot lately, and was here all last night, and all this morning, and almost all afternoon. She only just left a little while ago. Usually she just spent a morning, or an evening. But she was never here for so long. I just found out why. She just had kittens in the shelter! Or she had them somewhere else and moved them in today. But my guess is the first.

So now it looks like I won't be washing my patio door any time soon, since the shelter is right in front of it. I also cannot even open the door anymore, for fear of frightening the kittens, or mommy when she is there. I did that once by accident before the kittens, when I thought the shelter was empty. Until she bolted out and across the porch. I don't want a repeat of that, especially when she has kittens there.

Since she is a mother, I decided to call her Gaia

Gaia's little titans

Sorry to hear about Spots. I hope someone's taking good care of him. I always loved the way his coloring complemented Freya's.

Looks like the Easter Bunny left you a whole box of cats!

Oh, I'm so sorry about Spots. You were clearly very attached to search so diligently. Feral cats stay in their home zone, so you are probably right that someone has taken Spots in. Also, if the county sweeps up ferals to spay-neuter and comes across one already neutered, they will usually put it up for adoption with the tame strays.

Gaia is gorgeous, and her kittens are all very well marked! I see a bunch of spay-neutering in your future, lol.

My big dog "Bubba" (Jax) on the right in this picture had to be put down to sleep tonight. He was only seven years old, but had been having some health issues since last fall that we knew about. (he had a brain tumor).

The town has several 24 hour emergency pet clinics, but when we knew he was beyond our help I brought him to the campus veterinary hospital hoping they could perform their magic on him like they did my Rottie a decade ago. They couldn't, Jax could not be saved.

The veterinary hospital has some special large rooms set up for family to gather round their member in private, with couches and chairs and a comfy quilt for the pet they are saying goodbye to.

The walls in that room were lined with pictures of and warm messages to the pets that had spent time in there - little memorials of them in their happier times. It was really as pleasant an experience as they could make it for the pet's family.

They made a plaster cast mold of his paw print for us to keep, which I thought was especially nice.



Goodbye Jax ... we will miss you.




Jax's Stud book picture:










Jax's puppy pics:

Oh, mALX, I am so sorry. Even though it has been long years since we said good bye to the dachshund (who thought he was a rottweiler, only more stylish), I still feel the pangs. Anyone who grows up with pups knows they are with us for far too short a time... a testament to the fact that they are already well on their way to being angels--- while we poor humans have to struggle to achieve a similar level of divinity.

Bless you and all your furry companions.

I am so sorry to hear about Bubba. I know he filled a large part of your life. Seven years is not a long time, and yet you have been blessed with him for those seven years.

My condolences to you and your family (both two-legged and four).

I am so sorry to hear this terrible news. My heart goes out to you.

I am very sorry to hear of the loss of Bubba, mALX. You have my sympathies.

Aww, that's such a shame about Jax. I'm so sorry mALX.

I wanted to thank everyone for your kind words and thoughts on here. It has been hard to bring myself back here and see Jax's pictures and having to face that he isn't coming back. I got the call from the Resthaven Pet Cemetary people today, and for the first time it really felt final.

Trey, I did think of little Treydoggie before I posted that, didn't know if it would be better not to because I didn't want to bring up your own pain and memories.

I think what hit me so hard with Jax was that he was so young, and even though we knew he had that brain tumor for months beforehand and we knew the day would come - I guess we thought there would be a slow deterioration where we would have some warning signs that it was time to start making decisions.

Instead he went from running and playing and barking it up to gone in 4 hours. I guess that is why it has me in so much shock; why it hit me so hard.

I so very much appreciate everyone's caring words, thank you so very much.

No worries. Time has smoothed the edges and the memories of happy ones. The same will come to you. Nothing heals our hearts like the love of a dog.

So sorry to hear about Jax, mALX


I know what it´s like to put your pet down because of illness. It´s never easy even though you know you spare them pain and difficulties. They´re family, simple as that.


-Be happy in dog heaven, Jax

I have finally reached the point where I could come back and really thank everyone for your kindness and compassion over Bubba's passing.

In hindsight, I am really glad that up till the last four hours he was able to run around barking it up with his friends; that his decline was so rapid after that that there was no prolonged suffering for him.

We got a sympathy card from the Veterinary hospital signed by all the aides, Vets, techs, etc that worked on him - all of them came in at the end and some of them cried with us - I have to say, that even though there is no good way to go through something like this, they came as close to making it the easiest on the family of the pet of any place I could imagine.

Anyway, thank you all very much.

My thoughts are with you as well, mALX.

I must have missed the thread last month and did not realize what had happened to Bubba. Pets really are valued members of the family and it some ways they are even better than children. A human will think twice before putting their life on the line. Most pets will just do it.

It is always so hard as they have short lifespans. But how they make up for it with so much energy and love.

Freya has been helping with the laundry

Sunshine and a window, two of her favoritest things

Keeping an eye on the neighbors

I had a visit from the local hawk a few days ago as well

This is the second time I have found him on my porch

My neighbors feed the birds, so he comes looking to eat the little ones.

What wonderful shots of Freya! I've always loved her coloring. Yep, after a hard day of laundry, it is indeed tough to beat a sunny spot by the window to watch mALX the squirrels napping and hawks hunting!

Such nice pics of Freya, mALX and my cousin Steve!

Steve looks like a juvenile Cooper's Hawk. His back should go steel-grey as he gets older. I hope you get to watch him change, and he doesn't move elsewhere.

Steve is definitely young. I saw him a few months ago, and I swear he was only half the size he is now.

Thank you so much, Winter Wolf. I didn't see this on here till now, I really appreciate your kind thoughts about Jax and his canine ilk, thank you.







Freya's coat is so shiny! I love the ones of her in the windows, that is so ... "cat" to like watching the world outside (and laying in the sun too, lol).

My parakeets used to like sitting in the window looking out at the cats! (who were enjoying watching him sit in the window tweeting, lol).

Also love the one in the basket, they love to get inside things like that as if it makes them special from the other cats, lol. (like "I'm king/queen of the day, I got in this box!" )

When there is more than one cat it is hilarious to watch them do that because when the other cats try to join them it gets to be a gameplay of curled paws between them to watch, lol.

I worry about what ideas that hawk has for Freya, (or me ... er, I mean the squirrel resting on the rail) - or any other small pet in the neighborhood - although it looks like he has an injured wing, so possibly he has been grounded a bit while it heals.


These are great shots, so glad to see Freya again!


*


Steve should keep the neighborhood free of mice at least, lol.

Freya never goes outside unless I am holding her, so I am not worried about the hawk getting her. I think his wing is fine. He flew away with no problems.