Remembering Mamma's Mom

Mamma’s mom would have been 68 years old today!

Happy Birthday in heaven!

We miss you!

 

 

 

My Family

Important Letter to Pals

To My Dearest Pals,

Sometimes life, or rather, the actions of others, causes great emotional and physical pain. Often times the shock is unbelievable and extremely difficult to fathom. It happens though, and you are stunned and knocked down, but only temporarily.

Such things have happened recently to Mamma, the kitties, and I, and we are facing some very unfair life challenges in the coming weeks, but we will be ok. We will survive this. We will remain together. We will emerge stronger from all of this.

I apologize for being so cryptic with the details. The completely sorted mess will be revealed later. I promise you. It may not be safe or smart to talk too much publicly. Some of my closest twitter pals are aware of the details and have been the anchors of support. We thank you and ask for your continued support.

We love our pals! We know we will get through this because of all the love and support out there being sent out way. Our blogging may be slow for a while, but know we are thinking of you every day. Thank you again!

Love you lots, xoxo

Abby, Kitties, and Mamma

“Meet Me Monday:” Bug’s Story

I am pleased to introduce you to Mr. Morris “Bug” Asselin. Bug owns his mama, Rae Ann (@ragell), who happens to be one of my mamma’s best twitter pals, so I guess that makes Bug my furcousin! We have never actually met in person, but we have chatted on Skype, well, um, our moms have chatted, bol! Please forgive me ahead of time because I will probably just gush on and on about Bug and his family because they have just been the most pawsome friends to my mamma and our family. Bug is a very lucky boy and here is Bug’s story. Enjoy!

(Bug and Zoey)

 

Bug is a 5-year old male, orange and white tabby cat. He lives in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada with his mama, Rae Ann, his dada, Gary, and fursis, kitty, Zoey, age 9.

 

Somehow Bug managed to survive a cold Canadian winter outdoors as a very young kitten. Bug started out his life in a feral cat community in a neighbor of Rae Ann and Gary’s back yard before finding his way to his current indoor home in the spring of 2008.

Bug describes how he made his way into Rae Ann and Gary’s heart. Bug says, “I noticed a very nice man and woman living over the fence and decided to jump over and greet them. The nice man petted me and gave me some cat food. I loved it. So I said, “What the heck, I am going to go back tomorrow!” And I did! I eventually made each visit longer and got to play with my eventual fursis and bro. I slept on the patio furniture and never went over the fence again.”

(Zoey with Dada)

Bug continues his story, “By now it was June and my parents now had fallen in love with me, and I them. I loved playing with Kenny and Zoey too. So they asked, out of kindness to my neighbour, if they could adopt me. More like rescue! The neighbour said yes. So I was brought to the vet to get my shots and a checkup. I was sick. Because of the year outside with hardly any food or water, I had crystals. I also had frostbite on my nose and was super skinny. My new parents did not hesitate to pay the bill to get me healthy.”

(Frostbite on Bug's Nose)

Bug says there was a bit of an adjustment getting used to his new home. Bug describes it as, “I can tell you it was not fun at first. I did not like the noises in the house and I was so scared. I spent almost 3 months under the bed, only to come out to use the litter box, eat and drink. Eventually, I decided to venture downstairs to check out my new surroundings. Man, my parents liked their TV loud, I ran upstairs to hide again. But if Kenny and Zoey were okay, then hey, it couldn’t be that bad. So I just swallowed my fright and decided to become part of the family. I loved running through the house chasing after my brother and sister. I got pretty used to the cuddles with mama and dada, too.”  

(Bug with Mama)

So, you may be wondering why Bug has the nickname Bug. Well, Bug says, “I am known as The Bug because mama says I don’t know how to meow. I grunt when I want something or when I just talk. I am always bugging them in the middle of night for food and am known for giving them a claw in the face followed by a grunt to wake them up for noms! Mama just keeps a Tupperware of food in her nightstand. I got her trained!!”

(Kenny in the Middle)

When Bug moved in he had his fursis, Zoey, but he also had his furbro, Kenny. Sadly, Kenny passed away in October 2008 at age 4½ due to liver complications. So when asked how Bug and his humans saved each other, Bug says, “Mama and dada say I have come a long way since they met me. And no matter what happens, they are blessed to have me in their life. They always say that I helped them deal with the death of my bro Kenny. I am so glad I jumped over the fence!”

Many thanks to Bug and his mama, Rae Ann, for being a feature “Meet Me Monday” on my blog. Please leave a comment for Bug and his mama and dada below. If you would like to share your story, please email me at abbydawgblog@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

 

 

Throwback Thursday #5

(Martha's Vineyard, 2002)

Wordless Wednesday #5

"Meet Me Monday:" Bella's Story

 

I am pleased to introduce to you my twitter pal, Bella (@bellisimobella1). Bella is self-described as a “girly girl,” and she will tell you she is very shy until she gets to know you, and she is a sensitive girl, so I am very grateful she agreed to let me tell her story (with some encouragement from Harry. Thank you, Harry). Bella is sweet and funny, and I am sure you will enjoy learning about her life as much as I did.

 

First, some of the basics. Bella is believed to be a Staffie and Patterdale cross, but everyone originally thought she was a Rottweiler puppy. Bella has black with tan markings, but mostly you will find her wearing her favorite colors, pink, pink, and pink! Bella is 9 years and 6 months now, but she was extremely little and too young to be away from her dog mother when she was found. More about Bella’s journey in a little bit.

 

Bella lives near the woods bordering a farm near Kent and Sussex in the United Kingdom with her family. Bella lives with her Mum and Dad, dog brofurs and cat sisfurs. Bella has three dog brofurs: Charlie, a German Shepherd and Lurcher cross, also known as Grumpy because he is 14, old, achy, and well, grumpy; Woody, a Doberman and Lurcher cross, also known as Itchy because he has some medical issues and the poor boy just scratches a lot; and Rossi, a Doberman, also known as Pickle or Baby because he is young and always getting into trouble; and two cat sisfurs: Blade and Pebbles. Sounds like there is never a dull moment in Bella’s family.

 

So how did Bella find her family? Believe it or not, some bad, bad monster dumped Bella and her littermate in a black sack on the side of the highway. (Can you believe the <bad words>!!!? Sorry, this makes me extremely angry. Grrr!!! Grrr!!!) Luckily, a kind human brought the abandoned puppies to a police station. As it turned out, a friend of Bella’s Mum was at the police station reporting a robbery when that rescue person brought the stray puppies in, and that friend called Mum to come get Bella right away. (A nice police officer adopted Bella’s litter mate.)

 

Bella’s Mum drove many, many hours to go pick Bella up from the police station. Bella’s Mum and Dad were in the middle of moving at the time, so it was a bit chaotic. Understandably, Bella is terrified of black sacks and riding in the car still, after all this time. Poor Bella, was traumatized terribly so early at the beginning of her life, and she only travels in the car today, if it is an emergency.

 

After hearing how Bella was found in a sack on the side of the road with a litter mate, it was not surprising to learn that Bella was extremely scared, and tiny, and she was really too young to be away from her dog mother. (I hate to even imagine what happened to her dog mother.) Anyway, Bella was wobbly and unable to stand or walk, so Bella’s human Mum stayed with Bella day and night, 24/7, until Bella was braver and able to walk a little. Bella’s Mum even had to feed her with a syringe every couple hours for a couple of weeks, so Bella also got used to cuddles under the blankets in the human’s bed. Sounds like Bella and her Mum have an extra special bond since human Mum took the place of her dog mother so early in Bella’s life.

 

Clearly, human Mum saved Bella’s life, but Bella saved her humans’ lives, too. At the time Bella entered Mum and Dad’s lives (and a much younger Grumpy’s life), they were in the process of moving from the city to the country where they did not know anyone. Mum and Dad had also just lost their cat, OTRB, so Bella helped to keep everyone busy by not allowing them to worry about themselves or of the unknowns in their new lives.

 

Bella says her Mum was easily trained and does everything she needs. Of course, her dad was easy to wrap around her paw, and she just gives Dad “the look” and he hands over the treats. Us dogs (and I’m guessing cats, too) know how to give that “look,” bol!
 

 

As mentioned before, and by the photos, you can see Bella loves the color pink, and she says, “The world would be a better place if there were more pink.” Bella loves her twitter friends, and likes bacon sticks, the hairdryer (Really? Brave girl, I say!), Staffy knits, squeakies, boomer balls, and laying in the sun or in front of the fire.

 

Bella dislikes cucumbers, days when she feels too shy to tweet and can’t see her friends, falling out with friends, unfairness, and her brofurs destuffing her teddies. Bella also dislikes animal cruelty in any shape or form, black sacks, cars, and being cold.

 

Finally, I asked Bella if there was anything else to include and this is what she had to say, “In da past few months I’ve been getting involved wif a few more bits as I’ve been gradually coming out of my shell, and I would like to thank @SpanielHarry and @SquiggleDog for always being there for me and supporting and encouraging me and for not letting me hide in da corner. I have nevfur met either of them in da weal world but they are two of my closest bestist fwends in da whole wide world and I luvs em vewy vewy much.” See, I told you Bella was a sweet girl!



 

Bella is a very busy girl, too! Besides spending time on twitter, Bella also has a FB page with her brothers, “Bella Wivbruvfurs –Bellisimobella1” https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bella-Wivbruvfurs-Bellisimobella1/592927577389828.

Bella & Squiggle

 

Bella has a blog with her bestie, Squiggle (@SquiggleDog), “Bella & Squiggle Doggyblog” www.bellaandsquiggle.wordpress.com. Bella sometimes tests pink products for Squiggle’s shop, (@kind4k9) “Kind4K9.co.uk” http://www.kind4k9.com/.

Harry & Bella

 

Bella also has an agony aunt page on Harry’s blog, (@SpanielHarry), “Ask Bella” http://www.spanielharry.co.uk/ask-bella/.
 

 

Oh, and believe it or not, Bella has her own blog, too, “Bella’s Blog” http://bellisimobella.wordpress.com/.

Thank you to Bella and her family for sharing their story for “Meet Me Monday” on my blog. Please leave a comment for Bella below. If you would like to share your story, please email me at abbydawgblog@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

 

 

Throwback Thursday #4

(Mamma & Me, 2006)

 





Wordless Wednesday #4

“Meet Me Monday:” Baxter’s Story

                                                                     
Baxter Kashmir Schmidt (@HandsomeBaxter) is a twitter pal from Norway, Maine. Baxter lives with his human, Lynne, and her boyfriend, Damien. Baxter says of Damien, “I get mad at him because he steals my spot on the couch.” Baxter does not have any fursiblings and says, “I wish I did, but I don’t.” This is Baxter’s story.

Baxter is almost 7 years old, and is a male, Boxer/German Shepherd mix, but as Baxter says, “If you talk to the landlord, Lynne doesn’t know.” Baxter is mostly brown with one completely white paw that he says, “Lynne calls it my ‘Michael Jackson Paw’ and she has a tattoo of it on her leg.”

 

Baxter was about 9 weeks old when Lynne found him outside of a retail store in Michigan. Baxter says, “Lynne just wanted to play with a puppy, not take one home, but when I crawled into her lap, we both knew she was my person, and I was her best friend. It was love at first sight.”

Baxter says Lynne never had a “baby dog” before, so he had to “learn everything with her. I peed everywhere and pooed every time she left me alone. Plus, I had crippling separation anxiety. Things are better now.”

 

Baxter says he likes tacos (without onions), long walks (when it’s not raining), the beach (when not too close to the actual water), snuggling with Lynne (and ONLY Lynne), soccer (can fit the whole ball in his mouth), snow, sitting in laps (when least expected), nice people, and any human food that drops on the floor.

Baxter say he dislikes baths, rivers, oceans, rain, getting wet, guys and or dogs that try to come near Lynne, dogs who try to attack him, mean people, people who wear fur, toys that taste weird, dog treats that he doesn’t pick out, and bumping into things because of his 120 pound size.

 

I asked Baxter how he and his human, Lynne, saved each other. Lynne got really sick, physically and emotionally, and Baxter says he helped Lynne heal because “Every day she woke up, she gave me food, let me go outside to go potty. I kept her moving. I got her off the couch. Lynne called a friend to see if he’d take care of me after she killed herself, and he didn’t answer, so she couldn’t leave me.” After a terminated pregnancy and failed suicide attempt, Lynne took herself and Baxter to a new place where Lynne reinvented herself and they started a new life. Baxter says, “She changed her name, chopped her hair off, but I knew the truth, and I still love her.”

Baxter says that Lynne tells him, “You saved my life, it’s time for me to save yours.” Right now Lynne is working on saving Baxter’s life. April of this year Baxter started having bloody noses. It wasn’t every day, but it was occurring frequently enough for concern. After numerous tests and over $3,000 in vet bills, they still do not know what is wrong with Baxter. They do know that it is NOT cancer, so that is good. Baxter is on medication and everyone is hoping it will cure whatever is wrong with him.

If you are interested in reading more about Baxter or Lynne please see Lynne’s blog at http://thesubmissionprocess.blogspot.com/p/baxter.html. Lynne also has set up a fundraising site to help with Baxter’s medical expenses here at http://www.gofundme.com/2s950o.

Thank you to both Baxter and Lynne for sharing their story for “Meet Me Monday” on my blog. Please leave a comment for Baxter and or Lynne below. If you would like to share your story, please email me at abbydawgblog@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

Friendly Friday Reminder

It’s hot and humid out there! Complain all you want about the heat and humidity this weekend, and I am just as guilty as the next creature of being uncomfortable with the sudden jump to summer, but let me ask you this. Do you remember the miserable, snowy, cold winter?

 

 

 

Well, just in case you forgot, let me remind you. Just 16 short weeks ago we were in the middle of a blizzard and waking up to two plus feet of snow here south of Boston, MA. The pattern of weekend winter storms was just beginning. Remember?

 

 

Let’s hope the pattern of hot, humid summer weather is not beginning for us just quite yet; after all, we haven’t had much of a spring. In the meantime, stay cool and hydrated and enjoy the heat wave!

 

 

Throwback Thursday #3

(Mamma's Graduation 2007)

Wordless Wednesday #3

“Meet Me Monday:” Chewey’s Story

I am pleased to introduce you to Chewey (Chewbacca), the lovely, longtime cat companion of twitter pal, Carrie (@cat_phenom). Chewey’s mommy, Carrie, was nice enough to share their story. Actually, Carrie wrote the majority of it. I think you will enjoy reading about how they saved each other and their love story.

Chewey is a 16 year old, female, black and white, domestic short hair (DSH) feline. Chewey lives in the suburbs of Chicago with her humans: two children, mommy, and daddy, and lots of fursiblings: cat brothers Fuzzy (age 1, DLH) and Salem (age 2, DSH), puppy brother, Buddy (age 6 months, black lab) who she does not like at all, and eight hamsters. Carrie says Chewey likes her mommy, getting biscuits, eating wet food, sunbathing, looking at birds, playing with toys, and catnip. Chewey dislikes furbrothers Fuzzy, Salem, and Buddy, and everyone else, except her mommy. Sounds to me that Carrie is definitely Chewey’s person.

 

Chewey was found at an animal shelter at six weeks of age with several other kittens after being in a foster home. Chewey was not the original cat that Carrie had planned on adopting. Sadly, the original kitty was sick and unadoptable, but this ended up being fortuitous for another kitty. Since Carrie was already approved as an adopter, she had the pick of any of the other adoptable cats at the shelter. Carrie says Chewey “was perfect right from the start.”

 

Carrie tells us how she came to choose the kitten that would become her Chewey, “I saw Chewey jumping around in a cage – she was very fuzzy, had 3 little black dots on her nose (that have since fused into one dot), and was full of spunk. I knew she’d be perfect.”

Carries continues to tell us what was so special about her first interaction with Chewey, “The first time I held Chewey (Chewbacca), she looked up at me with her cute little kitten face and bit me right in between my nostrils. If you’ve ever been bitten by sharp kitten teeth right there, you’ll know how painful that is. I liked her independent kitten sassiness. She’s proven to be the alpha cat/animal in our house.” Ouchies on the kitten bite!

 

I asked Carrie if there was anything else she wanted to share about Chewey and she shared the following.

Sadly, Chewey was diagnosed with kidney disease in November 2012. She’s lived a long, very healthy life. She’s been my best friend through a lot of difficult times. One night she became very ill. She wasn’t walking, was groaning and dragging herself when she walked, and parked herself in her litter box and wouldn’t get out. I took her to the vet to find out her body temp was only 90 degrees. The vet didn’t think she was going to make it. I was heartbroken. I couldn’t stop crying. She was my best friend. I knew she was older and that this day would come one day, but I wasn’t ready. 

The vet kept her to give her IV fluids, and wrapped her in a warming blanket to elevate her body temp. He was very honest & said it wasn’t looking good, but said that he’d call me in a few hours. Long story short, she made a miraculous recovery! I give her IV fluids as needed, she’s on a special kidney diet of wet food, which she loves, and while she’s still frail and boney, she has even started jumping back up in bed with me.  

I don’t know how much longer we’ll have together, and it will still break my heart when she goes to the rainbow bridge, but I’m enjoying each moment I can with her. She’s more than just a pet or a cat… she senses things, she’s comforting, and she’s brought a great deal of joy to our lives.

My mamma went through this with one of her cats, Smuffy, the first cat I ever lived with and loved, so we can appreciate what Carrie is going through with Chewey. Many thanks to Carrie for sharing Chewey’s story and being a feature “Meet Me Monday” on my blog. Please leave a comment for Carrie and or Chewey below. If you would like to share your story, please email me at abbydawgblog@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you.