Well, been a very long time, and I will try to keep my update from putting you to sleep. I kinda left this board after years of being a 'regular' here. It would be great to see others pop in and get updates as well. How are all of you?

We'll start with me.....my name is Rose. I would guess it has been (possibly) 10yrs since I posted here. I am a huge animal lover and cats are pretty much my life. They are truly my best friends. That sounds pretty pathetic, as it means I do not have any human friends worthy of such an honor. Sad but always true.

I have 4 kitties. Had many more since I last posted, and I guess an update on how I went from 8 (or was it 9) to 4 is in order.

I lost 3 out of a 4 sibling bunch at too young an age. They came from a feral mom and dad, so I never knew what their gene-pool would be. Sadly, it appeared cancer was in order. Plus I was STUPID....VERY stupid, and I smoked...which IMO, inevitably shortened their lives. I am no longer a smoker, so I hope the 4 remaining have a long time with me. The 3 I lost were named Trixie, Pippa and Tiffany. This year I lost Maggie....a sudden loss, and I admit I am in the dark as to what could have been wrong with her. She just appeared very sick one day, and took to hiding. I knew it was near the end, but did not know why. Finances prevented me from being able to do more than bloodwork (which appeared ok), and I had to say goodbye to her quite suddenly. That really hurt. The vet agreed that whatever it was, it had her running a very high fever and the fact that she was hiding meant she was on her way. Not knowing why is soooo hard. To say I was crying would be putting it mildly. My mom wouldn't let me go to the vet by myself...no driving, etc. Of course I still cry to this day. It was just really hard not knowing why. I really felt like the worst mom ever. To put your kit to sleep instead of seeing if there is anything you can do for it is horribly, horribly wrong! I will carry the burden of guilt with all 4 of my babies, as I am to blame for their early trips to the bridge. I love them and will miss them always, and still cry for them on bad days. I'm very sorry Trixie, Pippa, Tiffany and Maggie. So very sorry.

Now, onto the 4 I still have. Kissie and Mimi just turned 10 this week! I had gotten them from the local shelter the day after losing 9 pets in a house fire on Dec 4, 2002. (at 9:15am...sigh...I am still unable to put that day behind me) I still have Scooter, the last of the 4 in the litter we found under the dumpster during rebuilding the house. He is brother to his sis's, the 3 I lost. Plus I have Simon, who was found IN (I suppose) my bosses car, under the hood, after hiding there, while my boss drove home one day. A 7 mile drive, a stop for gas, and 70mph....and Simon survived it. He did cry all the way, and my boss thought he just kept hearing a kitten crying, and looked around, but there was no kitten. Little booger was hanging on, under the hood. My boss knew I was a cat lover, and he knew of my losses from the fire, so he sorta played on that, knowing full well I was going to take him in. Why not, I already had 8 kittens, what's one more? I have to truly believe that these 9 kitties were destined for a terrible life, and it was God's reasoning to take my 9 pets, so I could help the lives of these 8.

So, let me tell ya a bit about each...
Mimi was, and still is, top cat around here. She is also top cat to the humans as well. She is incredibly high maintenance, as per her insistance, as she does not shut up, period. And her tone can be pretty harsh, or pathetic, depending on what she expects of us. We found this quality in her at a very young age, and new to us, hense the name Mimi...as it was all about her.

Kissie is hysterical. She is sister to my Maggie, and adopted from the shelter the day after the fire, along with Mimi. This kitty, from day one, has issues. She makes us LOL every single day. And I do mean, EVERY SINGLE DAY, and far more than once. As far as we are concerned, she hears.....'voices'. Since kittenhood, she has always been hearing, 'the voices', and they drive her crazy. She just goes flippy out of the blue, looking up and runs like a crazy cat. She is toooo funny. Plus she has a permanent smile on her face, so she is adorable as well. She is just so....stupid. LOL Anyone who has ever had a stupid pet knows that they are so dear to you. Since she just turned 10 this week, not a one of us were going to tell her that. She is 10, but she is still a KITTEN. Who wouldn't love that? She looks like a kitten and behaves like a kitten. She is perfect.

Simon...sigh, Simon, Simon, Simon. He is (and always has been, since being neutered at 4 months old) a grouchy old man..or a loving sweetheart. He talks, he talks a lot! His has a huge vocabulary. Mimi hates him, as he is a grouch to her. Scooter and Simon have this manly bond thing going on. "The Boys" of the house. He is happiest when cuddling on my chest while I watch tv. Worst thing is that he is a drooler when he feels the love. It totally grosses me out! Sorry, but drool is gross, and no cat should drool! So I am like the mother who keeps a kleenex around and wipes his face, and like a child, he gets cranky about it. Simon IS a cranky kitty. But so loving as well. Bipolar? Maybe, but it's ok....it's Simon, and he had a tough start in life, traveling such a long way under the hood of a car. He is allowed to be cranky.

Scooter....the only boykit in that litter of 4 that were found under the dumpster during rebuilding the house. He is a BIG BOY! He is, and always has been, the laziest kitty I have ever seen. Se have joked about his sleeping 23 hours a day as far back as I can remember. Due to this, he is 21 lbs of solid male cat. I know he should be on a diet, for his own health, but trying to feed him less would not be nearly enough...his problem is mostly lack of exercise. His fav toy is a laser beam, but he is even lazy with that. I must bring the laser TO HIM, as he will not go after it. I have come to accept him for who he is, and although he is huge, hid doc appts do show him to be healthy, so if I am making a mistake and not ordering him to lose the weight, I look at it as quality of life vs quantity (of how long of that life). He eats a total of 1 cup of food (dry food) a day, so I know he is not overfed.

My mom has brought a chihuaha into the house, so we have Sissie. She is 9 yrs old and has certain relationships with each cat...good and bad. But the cats sure keep her young, which is great.

Me.....I live on Long Island and I have been out of work and on permanent disability for over 3 yrs now. Damaged nerves in my back and fibromyalgia have made it impossible for me to continue working at was what a very physically demanding job. Luckily I was approved for disabilty, and I was even approved to collect my pension early, due to disability. My parents live with me, as I will be their caregiver as they need it...which right now they do not need. But my owning a home is what kept them financially able to have a roof over their heads. I am glad they are comfy in their older years. That is how it should be.

I am getting really tired from typing all this, sigh. Sorry so longwinded, and anyone who may have actually read all this, kudo's to you and thanks for listening.

In the meantime, I hope anyone out there who is actually listening, will join in and tell me all about yourself, and you furkids. Pics will come soon...I just have to upload them and see what I remember. Sorry if there are any typo's, but I just don't feel like looking for any.

Take care everyone. G'night.
Rose

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