Live Like A Cat

I know, I know, I only seem to post sad kitty posts these days. But guys, these are sad kitty times.

 

In 1995, 2 days after my 10th birthday, my friend's cat had kittens. I was there for the birth and watched them greedily and blindly try to find their momma's milk. We had a cat when I was very small, but before I turned 6, Oreo had contracted feline leukemia. One day my mom took him to the vet and just never brought him back. I begged to have one of these kittens and my parents said yes.

 

So, I chose one who had a white diamond on his forehead and I named him Diamondhead (like in Hawaii). Then, throgh some convoluted thinking about rare male Calicos, I named him Prophet (because I thought I was going to make bank and "phe" looked prettier than "fi". Well, he never made us any money, but boy did he enrich our lives.

 

{1995, right after we brought him home}

 

Prophet was MINE. He slept with me, kneading my armpit as we cuddled. I picked fleas off his chin and fed him tuna when no one was looking. He got older, fatter, and meaner. Then, when I was away in college, he got a fungal infection in his nose and was very sick. But he crawled away from death's door. Six years later, he had a lump on his leg that the doctor thought was cancerous, so we had one of his front legs removed. Tripod mew gets around just fine and beat death again.

 

While I was away, he became my dad's cat. My dad has been known to say, "Go find my cat, I can't sleep without him." They are best buds and I'm glad that they were able to make this connection. I love all my parent's cats, as well as my own, but any cat owner will understand that sometimes there is a deeper feeling, a connection that doesn't happen everytime.

 

Four years later and we're in the present, where my Prophet is 17 and a half years old - ancient for a cat. He's pretty sick right now though and it might be time to let him go. We'll see what the next few weeks bring. But I sincerely hope I don't lose TWO cats in 2012 or I'll just have to throw a "Life's not fair!" temper tantrum.

 

{2011}

 

Over this holiday season, this long weekend, or even this evening - take a moment to live like a cat. To live in the NOW, to enjoy the people aroound you, the food in front of you, and the love in your life.

 

In Cleo, a lovely book about a little kitty that saves a family, Helen Brown says,

 

“Guilt isn't in cat vocabulary. They never suffer remorse for eating too much, sleeping too long or hogging the warmest cushion in the house. They welcome every pleasurable moment as it unravels and savour it to the full until a butterfly or falling leaf diverts their attention. They don't waste energy counting the number of calories they've consumed or the hours they've frittered away sunbathing.

Cats don't beat themselves up about not working hard enough. They don't get up and go, they sit down and stay. For them, lethargy is an art form. From their vantage points on top of fences and window ledges, they see the treadmills of human obligations for what they are - a meaningless waste of nap time.” 

 

And send your prayers and good thoughts to my Prophet.

 



Goodbye, Beautiful Boy

Yesterday, when I woke up and saw the date - 10/10 -
I thought "Today is an auspicious day."

Boy, was I wrong.

 



Yesterday, our beautiful mew Titus was hit by a car.

 

{Feb 2010}

 

He was only three years old and he was perfect. I miss him so and my heart is broken. As my mom said, "It's a wonder I can still love with all these animal-shaped holes in my heart."

It is unhappily coincidental that I just posted this, about pet loss and why October sucks. I didn't expect to add another sad event to my list so soon.

 

{Dec 2009}

 

Titus was one of the kittens we rescued in October of 2009 and was a frequent visitor on the blog. He, along with his sister, Ruby, have brought us so much joy over these past few years. I only wish we could have had a few more.

 

 {Titus (green collar) and Ruby as kittens - Dec 2009}

 

{Ruby is on the left, Titus is on the right - May 2011}

 

{Ruby is above, Titus is below}

 

He was loved, and loving, and oh so beautiful. I don't want to share much about how he died, but I will share pictures of him and leave you with this thought:

 

"I know you're in a hurry, I know you have to get to work, I know you have a big meeting. But if you hit an animal, please stop. Please stop and find someone who can help if you can't. Please have some compassion, because that's someone else's family that you just drove away from."

Pet Loss And Why I'm Not A Halloweener

Last night, I received a very sad message from a friend who had to put down her beautiful Rottweiler. He had cancer and it was the right thing to do, but it is NEVER easy.

 

Then, this morning, I saw that Clemence from Oh the lovely things lost her mew recently.

 

The timing is impeccable because I was already thinking about loss. This time of year hits me pretty hard and I'm so sad to add another soul lost to the list. October and November are my least favorite months because of this sadness. It's not that I don't like Halloween. It's that Halloween has been tinged with darkness since 1995, when I spent it in a rocking chair in a dark living room, listening to my dad cry in the next room. And since then, the sad has piled up. Cats and dogs and people...they just don't seem to last through the season around here.

 

I just want to go home and cuddle my mews. Am I off work yet?

 

Cart-Worthy + Heart-Worthy: Kitty Toys Edition! {And a Discount Code}

{Oliver and Crash}

As you know, I have cats. Amazing cats. And because they're so amazing, I want them to have amazing toys and be stimulated so they can keep being amazing. Which is why, I have been looking for cat toys on Etsy. Here are some of my favorites!

{catnip caterpillar}

{catnip banana}

{set of 4 jingle bell balls}

{set of 3 catnip oreos}

{set of 4 non-catnip toys}

{set of 3 birds of a sweater cat toy}

{set of 3 crinkly catnip candies}

{set of 6 rainbow catnip monsters}

{set of 2 catnip macarons}

{catnip mouse - made from recycled socks!

**free shipping on a darn!socks mouse or three blind mice toy with discount code OLIVER**}

I am off to snap up some of these! let me know if you fund any other cute ones!

This Is My Life {at work}

{my workspace. at work}

Meet Spot and Snap!

My lovely friends Mike and Sarah {who recently lost their mew, Cyber} have added two sweet kitties to their family. Snap is a super cute puffball of orange fluff and Spot is a little mini-Oliver.

Meet Spot.

And Snap.

Such cuteness and love. :)

Letter To A Lost Friend

Dear Georgie-Porgie, Puddin' 'N Pie,
I miss you.

This morning when I pulled up to mom and dad's house, I saw a streak of silver shoot across the yard. My heart leapt into my throat and I craned my neck out the window, but it wasn't you. If I squinted my eyes and tilted my head, it might have looked like you, but it wasn't you.

A few weeks ago, I went to the pound with mike and sarah to look for kittens, and I found myself looking into the eyes of every silvery gray tabby I saw. One mew had blue eyes just like you and I wasn't entirely sure it wasn't you. "Are you my Georgie?" You always were a talker. But this mew didn't say anything and I knew it wasn't you.

I don't know if you left us voluntarily, if you were taken, or if you were injured. I still feel guilty about your absence because I brought the kittens home. The kittens you hated, the kittens who stole your quiet resting spots, who stole our attention, who stole your home. We never stopped loving you, Jo, but I'm so sorry if you felt superfluous. It was us, it wasn't you.

This not knowing is terrible. If we knew, we could mourn, but we're stuck in a place between hope and loss. I have an internal struggle with this whenever I think of you; do I assume that you are gone forever or do I hope that you will be on the porch chair one afternoon when I drive up? I can't wrap my head around either one completely.

I don't know which is worse, the idea that you left us voluntarily (which breaks my heart even now), or the thought of you being hurt and unable to get home. Either one makes me scream out for the other and neither makes me happy. It's been such a long time that I don't have much hope of your return, but I hope every day that you are not frightened, that you are in peace, wherever you are. That you are happy and warm and in a quiet resting spot.

I miss you. And I love you.

Love, Katie

Happy Monday!

This weekend, I was so productive!! On Friday, I had the day off work and I started cleaning my room - going through my bookshelves, cleaning the closet and rerranging furniture. I also spend a good amount of time lounging with Oliver and catching up on recorded shows. Also, I went to the gym for two hours! When I left, I could feel my butt muscles as I walked. (Which was cool then, not so cool now as I'm super sore.) Friday evening, Adam and I saw Babies. For a movie with no dialogue really, it was pretty entertaining. It was definitely funny; but not ground-breaking.

On Saturday, Amy, my mom and I participated in the Revlon Run/Walk 5K. By participated, I mean I ran...then I walked. :) It was surprisingly hot and I got sunburned (despite my sunscreen!) and my feet are blistered (my running shoes are worn-out), but it was a great race for a good cause! I'm proud that I was able to run at least half of it and that I raised $75 for cancer research and awareness efforts. Afterwards, I picked up one of these awesome tank tops:

Amy and I also decided we want to sign up for the MLB All-Star Game Charity 5K in Anaheim in July. Which, yes, sounds as appealing as a race through the Gobi Desert, but if you sign up before 5/23, it's only $25 and you get this awesome shirt. Join us! :)

When we finally got home (we took the Metro and it was a bit of a disaster), I picked up a salad from Carl's Jr (mmmm the cranberry apple walnut salads are the best) and went home to nurse my blisters. Actually, I was pretty productive then, too! I did more cleaning and organizing, then dyed my hair and proceeded to take the most awesome, relaxing shower ever. I used every mask and scrub I could find and I exfoliated and buffed and moisturized until I shone. :)

I picked up this amazing mask in Rotorua, New Zealand when I was there 2 years ago. I bought it at the Polynesian Spa after soaking in sulfur-scented hot springs. This mask has the incredibly fine and rich mud of Lake Rotorua and colostrum which, if you don't think about it too hard, isn't that gross. You can order your own here or better yet, just go visit NZ and pick some up there! :)

Saturday night, I took my sore, sweet-smelling self over to the home of my lovely friends, Kyle and Lindsay. They just got the cutest Yorkie puppy named Yoshi. Behold, Yoshi!

On Sunday, I went with Mike and Sarah to scout pet adoptions for their next mew. They found two they fell in love with at the Long Beach shelter and we'll be going back on Thursday to snatch them up! Here is a picture of those delightful mews!

Sunday evening, Adam and I went to dinner with my family for Mother's Day. We went to this great restaurant called Creme de la Crepe; they have a couple locations here in the South Bay and they're consistently amazing.

After dinner, I went home and went crazy on the house. I cleaned the kitchen, bathroom and living room. I also finished my room. So, now I have a HUGE pile of giveaway items to catalog before I take them to Goodwill (tomorrow) and a huge pile of trash bags outside my door with no one to take them to the dumpster (Jon's in Mexico). Tonight, I will clear out those piles and tackle the trunk of my car (almost as bad as my room was). I will also attempt to do homework and go to the gym tonight. Such busy-ness. But such satisfaction in cleanliness and productivity!

Also, I'm in love with these shoes :)

They're less than $20 with shipping!

Does someone want to get them for me as 

an early birthday present? I'm a size 7 in mens!

via Steals and Deals

Phone Photo Phun!

So, I recently got a new phone and have been taking pictures non-stop with a super cool app called FXCamera. It can create a fisheye lens, a polaroid effect or what they call a toy camera emulator. I'm obsessed! :) Here are some of my faves...

{ a property we're renovating - like the fresh paint job?}

{a new dress i love}

{tibetan prayer flags above the sink at cooper's house}

{cooper playing with my camera}

{child's chair at cooper's house}

{donna's memorial}

{donna's memorial}

{oliver}

{peach tree!}

{peach tree (part deux)!}

{sadie}

{mr. bird}

{tallulah}

{deli - adam's cat}

{burrow - adam's cat}

Goodbye, Cyber.

A couple months ago, I told you that my good friend Sarah's mew, Cyber, was diagnosed with cancer. After a valiant fight and even a short remission, they've made the incredibly difficult decision to put Cyber down today. She is a super mew and will be dearly missed.

:: love to Sarah and to Cyber ::

Meet My Leopard Belly Mew!

So, you probably know that I am Kate. Of Kate and Oli. But do you know who Oli is?

Why, he's Oliver! My mew. :)

I thought it was time to give credit where credit was due (we all know our pets keep us sane) so here's a fun bio all about my little monkey mew, Oliver.

I grew up in a house with lots of cats and dogs and when I moved out, I missed them a ton – even though I saw them almost daily and lived a quarter mile away. There’s nothing like falling asleep with a pet :) So, I asked and I asked and I asked my roommate/landlord/best friend Jonathan. After a year and a half, he surprised me with a trip to the SPCA to pick out a kitty!! We ended up choosing the very best kitty ever and proceeded to take millions of pictures of this teeny tiny kitty.

Oliver is the most talkative cat I have ever known. He started talking when we brought him home and never stopped. He talks if you look at him, walk into the room, walk out of the room, or even think about him. He talks in his sleep, he talks when he’s happy, angry, hungry! We have conversations with him, me by saying, “Oh really? That’s interesting,” in between his meows, Jon by trying to match his meows, which just makes him meow louder and more insistently.

The first picture is him as a baby mew while we were doing a photo shoot and playing with a long fabric toy. This shot was so cute we made it our Christmas card since it looked like he had a scarf on!

This is Oliver in bed with me – you can see he’s a little bigger, but still a baby mew. He has the most amazing coloring – with stripes on his back and spots on his belly.

This is Oliver in his rocket ship, aka the empty water bottle package on top of a monitor we were going to donate to charity. We ended up leaving those two items by the door there for months because Oliver was so happy with his rocket ship. Jon and I often wonder what we did before to pass the time, because so much of our time now is spent just watching him and laughing.

The fourth shot is of Oliver in one of his favorite places – Jon’s lap. He’s my cat, I feed him and clean his box, but oh how he loves Jon! He runs to the door and waits anxiously when he hears the garage open. As soon as Jon walks in, he walks around his feet, meowing over and over until I yell to Jon, “Just touch him, already!” The second Jon sits in his chair, Oliver jumps into his lap and curls up or stretches out, it doesn’t matter as long as he’s on Jon’s lap.

This is the mew in bed with me. He likes to sleep in the crook of your arm and if he's not touching your face in some way, he's unhappy.

A few weeks ago, I was home sick and I got to see what Oliver does all day. Which apparently is this.

(Note that he's staring at the floor, not out the window.)

And this.

(Shoes make good pillows, right?)

This last shot is of Jon and the mew pretty recently. As you can see, Oliver is a HUGE cat. He is really tall and really long and while he does have some flub, he’s also just a BIG cat. He’s extra cuddly this way anyway! :) You can see, he’s still pretty spotty and still very cuddly and still the best mew ever in general.