It's been a week . . .

It's been a week since Waldo passed and 4 years since Fred, still:

Memories echo
Through the house and its' dwellers
Of our sweet kitties

R.I.P. Waldo

Our Waldo passed away on the evening of July 31, 2009. He was a gentle "bear" of a cat who enjoyed his Daddy's head scritchies, waking his Mommy up with paw pats if she was late getting up to fix breakfast, wrestling with his brother Fargo, washing his sister's Smitty's ears, annoying his sister Cleo by his very existence, and was very interested in observing his bun brethren Bertie and Mercedes. He also leaves behind his aunt, who rescued him from the streets, and cousin cats Duncan, Spencer, Winston, and Zena. He was preceded in death by his brother Fred. Waldo has gone to join Fred in his catnip garden and will be sorely missed.

You can dress him up, but don't dare take him out

Spencer will allow things to be done to him that no self-respecting rabbit or cat would allow. He claims all experiences are worthwhile. Well, one of the cats (at least) at his house wants to indulge him and is planning to box him up and send him on a world tour to find his roots (he is part Siamese, she was going to start with Myanmar first). In the meantime, here he is modeling one of those tacky tourist t- shirts.

Still Life: Spencer and Rabbit

Our cousin Spencer is a pest. Here he may look like an angel while he's sleeping with the ceramic rabbit for company, but when he's awake he's hyperactive. It's a wonder the rabbit has survived so long in one piece. He's not allowed to visit us rabbits because we feel he'd be too interested in figuring out how we hop.

Mercedes' Stare

Mercedes' bun stare has been somewhat neutralized by shifting the setting to "cartoon", but still it is best observed indirectly, as one observes solar eclipses.

Meet the Cousins

We have four cat cousins that most of us haven't met yet, but we exchange emails and presents with them. Duncan, Spencer, Winston, and Zena are lucky enough to be indoor-only cats, but through their sliding glass door they can view the other cats, opossums, raccoons, and skunks that venture through their backyard. They can also see activities at the bird and squirrel feeders. Someday, all of us cats would like to go visit them, but the buns, Bertie and Mercedes, would rather stay home than have to fend off Spencer's attentions.

Duncan, Cat in the Hat

Spencer, Instigator

Winston, Statescat

Zena, Warrior Princess

Christmas in July (and year-round)

The other day something happened that made me feel proactive, so be prepared for something of a soapbox rant. I was at the grocery store -went there for bun vegetables- and got into a discussion with a customer service rep who had just acquired a rabbit. It was the method of acquisition that was the impetus for this post: she got the rabbit from a fellow employee who had found it in a duffel bag on the street with an evicted family's belongings on a day when the temperature was 106. Now the rabbit is safe and has a good home, but it shows that everyone who likes animals must do all they possibly can.

In this economy (ITE), everyone has limits, but here are some ways to maximize efforts to help animals, within your own personal circumstances it might just be taking care of the ones you have:


1. Know a Radko ornament collector and need to get that person a present? See if any of the ornaments listed at the Sacramento House Rabbit Society's website would fill the bill.

2. Get your furperson a new fleece mat from Palace Pet and choose a charity from the list and that charity will receive 5% of the purchase price. (I've tried the deluxe and I still have the original ones from 2004, they make great bun loafing spots and fit in carriers too--and wash up well.)

3. Look into whether or not your employer will match your charitable donations, particularly possible if they are involved in United Way campaigns.

4. Some local humane societies have their own thrift stores staffed by volunteers through donations; you could donate unwanted items, volunteer your time, or participate in the recycling of merchandise by purchasing things you need yourself or can give as gifts. For a small investment of time and money you have made a definite contribution to the well-being of your fellow creatures.

5. Finally,when you do need to shop on a larger scale, see which online businesses are a part of igive.com, so part of your purchases there will go to the charity of your choice (particularly if you do a fair amount of shopping on Amazon.com or another online retailer), patronize eBay sites run by animal nonprofits, or shop for all kinds of handmade items from etsy.com's Etsy for Animals team.

And I'm sure there are many more ways too, the furs thank you for your time and attention.

Cats are low maintenance they said

One of the arguments put forward in the discussion over whether to get a dog or a cat as a pet is that cats are lower maintenance than dogs: being more aloof and self-sufficient, they demand less of your time. Well, they might demand less of your time, but they do like to accumulate stuff, much like the proverbial dragon's horde. Here is Smitty in a corner of the living room surrounded by some of her (and the other 3 cats') possessions.

Waldo Attempts "Bun Yoga" Under the Bed

Bertie's Cat Intimidating Stare

We find it quite easy to co-exist with cats. If they have something we want, we take it--I admired the capacity of their "Kitty Latte" bowl, and now it holds bun kibbles. Like my fort? It's a rabbit fort, no cats allowed.

While the garden renovation continues

Our people are renovating the back garden for us. After rototilling the soil, they will be installing stepping stones and adding plants that we furs like. We expect a catnip plantation similar to Oliver's (above) and a vegetable garden for the buns containing carrots, parsley, and kale to name a few of their favorites. This project is taking them a long time, as they are not "outdoor" types. So Cleo might have to live with the whirlygig dragon in her room for a long time.

The Dragon keeping Cleo in her lair

Cleo in her lair

Fargo the Orange Fluff

Waldo the Wonder Cat

Smitty the Feral Lion Princess

Mercedes the Chinchilla Mix Mellow Bun

Bertie the Hyperactive Mini Rex

Cleo the Tortoiseshell Princess

It is very difficult for 6 animals, 2 house rabbits and 4 house cats to ride herd on a couple of humans and still have time for naps and recreational activities, but we manage OK most days. The Fab Furs include Cleo, the Tortoiseshell Princess; Bertie, the Mini Rex; Mercedes, the Chinchilla mix; Fargo, the orange fluff; Smitty, the Lion Princess; and Waldo, the Wonder Cat. This is our first experience with communicating with the outside world electronically and we hope to make the most of it and expand our dominion. Please feel free to leave comments (food would be nice but we understand that it does not transmit well through cables).