Stuff on Sunday

Rocky: Still no pictures because our new flashy thing won't be here until early next week. (I tried to scan myself, but for some reason the scanner lid wouldn't close over my slim and svelte self!)

It's a sleepy Sunday here, because on top of everything else that's happened this week, my mom got an emergency call from her daughter Tiffany in Italy late last night. Yesterday afternoon Tiffany cut her finger trying to open a walnut with a knife and had to go to the emergency room, where they closed the cut and gave her a tetanus shot. (We're getting Tiffany a nutcracker for Christmas!)

A few hours later, she had a reaction to the tetanus shot and suddenly got really sick with a dangerously high fever and terrible muscle pain all over her body. So my mom was on and off the phone with Tiffany for a long time, and then we all stayed up most of the night fussing and worrying. We tried really hard to purr a couple of degrees of Tiffany's temperature to Moki, who really needs them ... and we think it worked because Moki is feeling better today, and Tiffany's fever is down and she feels a bit better, too. Ah, the miraculous power of the purr!

Speaking of Moki, we've extended the Crazy Cat Lady raffle to help with his vet bills until tomorrow at midnight, so if you haven't bought a ticket ($2), you still have time!

Finally Friday

Rocky: I am SO glad it's finally Friday! We spent Thanksgiving Day giving thanks that nothing else has gone wrong this week!

First, you'll notice there's no picture of me in this post. That's because my human artist broke our flashy thing this week! I need to choose the winner of our Crazy Cat Lady necklace and earrings raffle for Moki, but there's no flashy thing to provide quality control! I ordered a new flashy, and as soon as it arrives I'll select a winner ... so you still have time to buy tickets.

Also, we need some purrs and purrayers for our neighbor and good friend Kay, who my mom had to rush to the hospital Tuesday. Kay has some serious 100% heart blockages and only one of them could be repaired with a stent. She might get to come home today, but has to go back to the hospital for more procedures soon. Kay is a wonderful cat and woofie lover / artist who has started to assist me with some of our beading. My mom has been spending lots of time at the hospital with her and she's very worried about our friend.

Our good friend Lois needs some purrs, too. She has been in cancer treatment for several years now and finally had to go off medical leave because her former company closed down. First she found out that her Cobra medical insurance will cost her almost $1,000 green papers a month, and she only gets $1,300 green papers a month from disability. Then the very next day, she found out that she may have metastases in her lungs. She gets Herceptin and other intravenous treatments for her bones every month that cost more than $7,000 each, and now she may have to go back on chemotherapy, too. We think this is awful that her insurance company could do this to her and we're all purring & purraying very hard for a solution, if you'd like to join us.

And my mom could use a few purrs, too. Right before the holiday my Almost Dad Jim decided he could find a better family than Artsy Catsy, and he had the nerve to tell this to my poor mom in an E MAIL! Grrrrrrrrr!! Mom says that's the least of our worries right now, but I really, really, really want to put the bitey on that guy.

My biggest wish right now is that all my blogging friends had a much better Thanksgiving week than we've had!

Carnival of the Cats #245

Carnival Barker Rocky: Ladiezzzzz and gentlemen ... step right up to see the greatest traveling cat show on earth! ....

Our first attraction is a real treat! Puddy has gone crazy at A Byootiful Life … crazy for Temptations!

Speaking of treats, there is one snazzy-looking pussycat over at Blog d’Ellisson. You don’t want to miss Her Ebon Splendor.

Behold the beauty of Tiny as art imitates life imitates art at sisu.

And Tamir at Friends Furever has become a proud member of the Gorgeous Gingers. Congratulations, Tamir!

Some seriously cute kitten blogging is happening at Bloggg ... "Come visit me NAOW!!"

Don't doodle around! Go learn all about the perfect First Dog at Katie's Kitties. The Obamas are considering a Labradoodle (or would that be an Obamadoodle?)

Then go feast your eyes on some purrfectly wonderful kittypics at Elms in the Yard ...

On Fierce Fighter Day at Manx Mnews, Abby purred a beautiful tribute song to those who came before.

China Cat also fondly remembers those Fierce Fighters who came before ...

And The Poor Mouth pays tribute to Oscar, Robyn's predecessor as alpha cat at Hope Cottages.

Eric and Flynn pay a lovely tribute to the kitties who came before and brought so much happiness into their mum's and dad's lives.

Kashim and Othello are remembering their angel brother Paul.

And Mr. Milky guest hosted Fierce Fighter Day here at Artsy Catsy.

Naughty and Luna are houseguests at the Cat Realm … and they’re asking for your vote!

It's fair weather at Texas Oasis, where Blueberry continues the Tour de Chairs and soaks up some passive solar heat.

Elsewhere, the weather outside is frightful! But Phoebe gives us an important lesson on how to be a cozy cat on a snowy day.

Samantha and Mr. Tigger are freezing over at Life from a Cat's Perspective.

At The Catboys Realm, Kashim and Othello are weathering the first snow of the year by taste-testing pumpkin bread and snuggling in bed.

And Edison settles in for an afternoon snooze at anniemiz. What a long shelf life he has! ...

Even though it's only November, Perfectly Parker and her family are already missing their deck.

Only November? That means it's holiday season! Tristan at Tabbylicious says, “Turkey Day is coming and looky! Looky! I caught me a turkey!” Go check it out and take a Turkey Trivia Quiz.

And at Cat Whisperer, Timmy (who was named for Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol) is asking, “Is it Christmas yet?”

At Willow's Cat Blog, Sadie Katie won the Halloween Dress Up your Squillion contest and had a Fun Friday opening her contest presents.

Carnival of the Cats is not only fun and games but education, too. At The Pets Central, you can learn about caring for your cats’ teeth, or what to ask before bringing home a kitten, or get info about cat care web sites or basic cat health care.

At iinfidel, Cece spent the week in some serious inspecting and more inspecting of the housepainting.

And at Mind of Mog, there are nosekisses, wordless wonders and tummies, too!

Luna is still in exile in the CatSynth FEMA Trailer, but as you can see is doing quite well ...
Read the Weekend PersePHONY Report at Jack of All Shades and Shadows ... wild human fingers are running rampant!

And don't miss the story of two lovely and lovable ferals at House of Chaos.

At StrangeRanger, the good news is that Ivy is doing well ... but Maddie is attacking the papparazzi!

Carnival Notice:

Rocky: Phew! I've been very busy getting ready for Carnival of the Cats, coming to Artsy Catsy tomorrow ...

And my human artists are no help at all. First, they gave both their computers a virus or something and they wouldn't work all day. Now they're getting ready to leave town tomorrow for my Grandpa Bob's birthday party.

So here's the deal: I may have to do this week's Carnival of the Cats in installments. If you've already sent me your post, or if you get it to me tonight, it will be included in Part 1, scheduled to be posted on time tomorrow. But if you don't send it until tomorrow, it will have to go in Part 2, to be posted after the humans return home tomorrow night.

Everything would be SO much easier without humans ... well, except for stinky goodness, Temptations, scritches, litter pan cleaning ... so, okay, I guess humans aren't all bad!

You can submit your post here, or email it to carnivalofthecats (at) gmail (dot) com.

Fierce Fighter Day

Mr. Milky: Today is Fierce Fighter Day, sponsored by Whiskers & Purrs, to honor of all those Who Came Before who fought illnesses or other struggles. Since I fought successfully against my recent struggles, Artsy Catsy asked me host Fierce Fighter Day for them.

You may remember when I first found my way to Artsy Catsy, starving and begging for food and medical care ...

But then Artsy Catsy and all my loving new friends from the Cat Blogosphere saw me through infections and surgeries and a stroke and fed me and loved me ... and here I am last night when my Artsy Catsy mom and Jim came out to kittysit me in my new furever home while my new DadStan is out of town ... Hey! Jim! I know I'm getting a little plump, but must we flaunt it?? ...

Ah, yes, snuggles are definitely in order after that disgraceful display ... There were many, many Fierce Fighters who came before at Artsy Catsy, but even though I didn't get to meet them, three of them were extra special ...

Millard was my Artsy Catsy mom's very special siamese girlkitty who lived with her for almost 23 years before she struggled two years with kidney failure and had to be helped to the Bridge in 1999 ...

And Gizmo was a rescued girlkitty who lived with my Artsy Catsy mom for 19 years before she was helped to the Bridge because of cancer in her eye and sinuses, just two weeks after Millard crossed over ...My mom is convinced it was because she missed Millard, because they loved each other so much ...And then there was Hooter, the sweetest tortie girlkitty in the world. Hooter lived with my Artsy Catsy mom for almost 20 years. She struggled with diabetes for 3 years and finally had to be helped to the Bridge in 2002 when it could no longer be controlled ...

Don't you think Hooter looks like KC?

And a special word: all of us Artsy Catsy want to honor Moki today - one of the Fiercest Fighters we've ever known. Remember, for a few more days you can help with Moki's enormous vet bills and maybe win Artsy Catsy's original Crazy Cat Lady jewelry in our Raffle to Help Moki.

Finally, we want to honor all the magnificent kitties and beans in the Cat Blogosphere who do so much to help all the Fierce Fighters win their battles. We love you all so much!!

Raffle for Moki!

Rocky: Phew! Lots of stuff is going on here. First, Callie seems better this morning, so we think your purrs & purrayers are working! The main problem she's having now is with her claws filed down, she keeps falling down when she tries to jump on the furniture. She has to stay separated from the rest of us for a few days, so she's staying in my mom's bedroom. My mom has moved her computer in there and has put chairs beside the desk, the bed, and all the other furniture so Callie can jump up safely. I'll sure be glad when I can go back in there and sleep with my mom, too!

Next, our good friend Moki is still having serious health problems and his vet bills are already more than $700, with more to come. Right now 20% of every purchase you make from Artsy Catsy's Gallery goes to Moki and Criz Cats, but we want to do more to help Moki, so we're raffling one of my mom's hand-beaded Crazy Cat Lady necklaces and earrings. We haven't put these up for sale yet, so if you win this one, you'll be the proud owner of the original Artsy Catsy Crazy Cat Lady!

You can purchase your Crazy Cat Lady raffle tickets at Artsy Catsy Gallery, and 100% of the proceeds will given to Moki.

Next, I'm getting ready to host Carnival of the Cats this Sunday ... ... but I'd like to ask a favor. My human artists are going out of town Sunday to their father's (my Grandpa Bob) 79th. birthday party, and we want to get the Carnival ready Saturday night, so if you could get your Carnival posts to me as early as possible, that would be great! You can submit your posts here.

I want to thank you so much for all your purrs & purrayers for Grandpa Bob since August. He has finished his radiation therapy for prostate cancer and came through it with no difficulties. At the end of this month he has followup tests, but he says he's positive the radiation worked and his tests results will be good, because he feels fine! YAY!

Oh, and here's what else is up: My mom is kittysitting with Mr. Milky the rest of this week while his new DadStan is out of town. She's going out to his new home twice a day to feed him and visit with him, so you'll be hearing lots from Mr. Milky the next few days! Maybe I can get him to help me with Carnival of the Cats!

Troubled Tummy Tuesday

** Scroll down for update **

Callie: If it's not one thing, it's another. First I had to keep going to the vet to get stabbed because I'm so skinny. Now I have to go back to the vet today because I have a problem with ... ((blush ... how humiliating)) my nipple. My mom noticed a lump on my tummy a few days ago and when I finally let her look at it, my nipple was all hard and black. And I guess I've been trying to fix it myself, because last night the skin around it started bleeding. What on earth does an 18-year-old ladycat need with nipples anyway? No, scritches will NOT help. I'm 18 years old, I'm skinny, my nipple is bleeding, I have to put up with Rocky and all these other cats, I have to keep going to the vet ... I'd say I have a right to be grumpy! If it weren't for the fact that I now get special high-calorie kitten food, tuna-flavored senior kitty vitamin treats, digestive enzymes and all the bean food I want ... I'd really be grumpy!

(From Callie's mom: I'm very worried about this, especially that it might be cancer. Has anyone had a similar problem with your cat?)

Update from Callie's mom: By the time we saw the vet, Callie's entire lower tummy had turned bright pink and she has 2 degrees of fever. Dr. Shew thinks she has just scratched her nipple and it's gotten infected. He gave her a shot of antibiotics, filed her claws to nubs so she can't scratch it, and is having me put cortisone cream on it, plus he gave me some Hill's Hypoallergenic Treats for cats with skin conditions. He said I should start seeing improvement after 48 hours, but if it gets any worse I'm to take her back in right away, and if it isn't significantly improved by Monday I'm to take her back in then. In the meantime, I have to keep her isolated from the other cats. But the good news is, Dr. Shew says he's confident it isn't cancer.

Callie also has a few scabby places elsewhere on her body and she's been scratching and licking obsessively. She sometimes has allergy problems this time of year, but Dr. Shew doesn't want to give her steroids 1) because she has a fever; 2) because of her age and 3) because they'll make her retain water and we won't be able to monitor her weight loss or gain.

I'm hoping that if we can get this under control, we might find out that her weight loss is just due to allergies.

Thanks to all of your for your advice and support!

Mancat Monday and Hold the Glasses

Rocky: I ask you, is this any way to treat a mancat? ...

I am a mancat of many talents, but I am NOT an eyeglass holder! After years of such mistreatment, I ordered my human artists to come up with a better way to keep track of their glasses. And I told them to make a bunch of them to put on sale so we could raise some much-needed funds for Moki and Criz. Here's what they did ...

We have unique eyeglass holders that can also be used as badge holders, or just worn as a necklace ...

We have only 13 of these and there may never be any more because the company stopped making these beautiful cat charms we used ... We also have traditional eyeglass holders ... You can see them all at the Artsy Catsy Gallery. They're on sale until Nov. 26, and 20% of all proceeds will be sent to Moki and Criz.

Easy Like Sunday - for Moki

Rocky: It may look like I'm just taking it easy ...But what I'm really doing is focusing, meditating, purring, purraying and sending positive healing thoughts to our dear friend Moki.Moki has a terrible urinary tract infection and he may not recover. We just can't let that happen, so everyone please send all your most heartfelt purrs & purrayers to Moki, Mom Crystal and Orange Boy.
And don't forget, our sale to help both Moki and Criz ends tonight at midnight so you can still get a bargain on Napkin Rings & Wine Glass Charms, Hair Bands and Keychains and help some special kitties, too. But we want to keep helping, so right now 20% of every purchase you make from Artsy Catsy will be sent to Moki and Criz ... and we're putting up some brand new things tomorrow that we think you'll love!

Hello from Mr. Milky

Mr. Milky: Hello there, my friends! I had the most wonderful day yesterday, and I'm having a great one today, too, because I get to see all of you!! Yesterday I was luxuriating in the upstairs of my new home, when I heard my new Dad Stan come home. I went downstairs to greet him ...
... and had a big surprise! Look what he brought me - my Artsy Catsy mom!!!!We hugged and squished and purred and smooched and she oohed and aahed at how wonderful I look! But just as soon as my Dad Stan sat on the couch, I assumed the position - we have our own routine now, you know ... scritches ...

... and more scritches ...

And then I have dinner ... LOTS of dinner! My Artsy Catsy mom was so pleased at how plump and healthy I'm getting.

I have a magnificent new life with Dad Stan. I have a big, beautiful house all to myself with no other pets, with big windows onto the great outdoors where I can watch birds and chipmunks and geese and all kinds of interesting things. I'm told that next Spring I can go out there with them!

But I learned a fine work ethic at Artsy Catsy, so I'm earning my keep in my new home. Dad Stan is a college professor, and every night when he sits down to grade papers, I jump right up on his lap and assist him. Yes, I'm now an academicat!
I love my new life! Dad Stan and his family and friends ADORE me, and I love them, too. But I'll never forget all of you who made it possible for me to have this new life ... so Rocky has given me permission to be a permanent Guest Blogger on his blog, and I promise you'll hear from me again soon!

Callie Update

The results of Callie's thyroid test came back yesterday in the normal range. So all of the blood studies showed Callie to be in excellent health ... but she's continuing to lose weight. I feel like my old baby is just wasting away before my eyes, even though she eats twice as much as my other cats. She has gone from 10 pounds to less than 6 pounds in the last few months.

Dr. Shew thinks the problem is that at her advanced age (18) she's just not absorbing the nutrients from her food and he says the only thing I can do is make sure she's getting high-calorie food and feed her as much as she wants.

I still haven't ruled out that the stress of having Mr. Milky here may have affected her, but that wouldn't explain why she's still losing weight. So I'm looking for advice from all of you who may have experienced something similar with one of your kitties. And maybe you could advise me about high calorie food and some vitamins or supplements I might try with her. Other than maybe being grumpier than usual, Callie seems to feel okay.

Oh, and speaking of Mr. Milky, I'm going to Stan's this afternoon to visit him, so check back tonight or tomorrow for a blog post from our Milky!

~~Mom Sharolyn

Lumpy Like Sunday Morning

Callie: I'm taking it easy until I get the results from my thyroid test tomorrow ... but there seems to be a big lump in my bed ...

Rocky: I am NOT a lump. I am the CEO ...

Put cats on your table and help kitties in need!

Rocky: I'm overturning that rule about "No cats on the table!" .....I made my human artists come up with a way to permit cats on your dinner table ... and help some kitties with their vet bills, too! We're having a special sale on our new cat charm Napkin Rings and Wine Glass Charms, and ...

20% of all proceeds will go to Criz and Moki.

I made my artists design lots of them in Thanksgiving and Christmas colors so you can adorn your holiday table with ... CATS! Here are a few examples but you can see them all at the Artsy Catsy Gallery ...

Napkin Rings ...

Wine Glass Charms ...

Hey, my fellow felines ... if our humans put these kitties on the table, they have no excuse for not letting us up there! Yum - turkey time is comin' up!!

And don't forget, our sale on Hair Bands and Kitty Keychains has been extended until November 16, with 20% of proceeds still going to Moki and Beau!

Phinally Phriday

Rocky: Phew! It's phinally Phriday and I am so totally phatigued my lips are phlapping too much to speak properly ...

It's been a week of holding special sales to help Beau, Moki and Callie ... and we've decided to extend the sale prices on keychains, hair bands, ceiling fan pulls and cat greeting cards until November 16 so we can help them even more. And later today we're adding some great new items for Thanksgiving and Christmas - kitty napkin rings and wine glass charms, so be sure to check them out this evening at Artsy Catsy's Gallery! It's a great way to let some kitties get on your holiday table!!

It's also been a week of worrying about Callie. She goes back to the vet again today at 5:30 to have her thyroid checked to see if that's why she's lost nearly 4 pounds. Callie, if I could give you some of my fats & floofs, I surely would.

Have a phantastic weekend, everykitty!

Callie Update!

Callie: Hey, I'm not getting older, I'm just getting better ... although skinnier. Good news!! Dr. Shew said my blood work shows everything is not only normal, but exceptionally good for a ladycat my age - blood sugar, kidney function, liver function etc. So tomorrow I'm supposed to go let him drain more of my blood for a thyroid test ... which is why I have this evil look on my face ...

Thank you all so much for your purrs & purrayers - they worked! Now if you wouldn't mind purring for my thyroid?

Let there be peace on Earth

and let it begin with me.

Worn Out Wednesday

Callie vet update: Callie just returned from the vet. Dr. Shew checked her thoroughly and found no gross signs of tumors, and her mouth is fine, but she's down to only 6 pounds. Dr. Shew drew blood for a geriatric blood screening - liver & kidney function etc. - a CBC and blood sugar test among others, and we'll have the results tomorrow. He suspects that she might have diabetes, since she's eating ravenously and still losing weight, but we should know something for certain tomorrow.

Thank you all so much for your purrs & purrayers - they mean so much!
~~ Sharolyn


Rocky: It was a long night last night! At 7 p.m. Callie and I settled on the couch with our human artist to watch the election results, all of us laser-eyed with excitement ... And in the middle of the night, after Callie pooped out on us, I had to beg that silly woman to go to bed and stop shouting "YES WE DID!" .. Today I'm busy giving good luck purrs to Callie, and I hope you can join me. She's going to the vet at 5:30 this evening to find out why she's losing so much weight. I'll let you know just as soon as we have any news, and we're hoping it's all good.

Kitties, Cast Your Vote!

Rocky: Since beans say it's illegal for cats to vote in the U.S., the superior species has taken matters into our own hands. Kitties, your beans can cast your vote for President HERE!

Early voting shows Obama with 51%, McCain with 36% ... but go let your voice be heard ...

Fundraiser for Beau and Moki ... and Callie, too

Monday update from Rocky: Callie is scheduled to see the vet Wednesday, so I'll update everyone as soon as we have news. Thank you all so much for your purrs & purrayers and help!

Also, kinda suddenly, Mr. Milky moved into his furever home yesterday with his new dad Stan, even before we could have a going away party for him. But I'm planning a newhousewarming party for him soon, just as soon as we get Callie taken care of. I didn't get to go along, but I hear that Mr. Milky's new home is purrfect! He has a wonderful 3-level house by a lake and beautiful gardens in a secluded area with no traffic, and a big deck and patio where he can lounge in the sun. Plus, he's now an only pet, so he gets ALL the attention from his adoring new dad Stan! My mom will have pictures for you soon ... right now she's a little sad, 'cause she misses Milky, but she knows this is for the best.
..................................................

Rocky: Our furriends Beau and Moki need some help with their vet bills. They're such loving, generous kitties that when Deb & ML's Auctions raised some money for them, they donated it to Criz to help Janice! All of us at Artsy Catsy are so honored to be a part of this kind and wonderful Cat Blogosphere family!

To be honest, we could use a little help, too. My Catministrative Assistant, Callie, needs to go to the vet and this economy thing is putting some big biteys on my human artists. Callie is 18 years old and has been losing lots of weight even though she eats all the time. Here she is just a few months ago, all plump and floofy ... But here she is today, and my human artist is getting very worried ...

So I've decided to offer some of our new Artsy Catsy products at reduced prices this week, and give 20% of the proceeds to Beau and Moki, and then get Callie a checkup. Here are some samples of what we have, and you can see them all HERE.

Kitty Charm HAIRBANDS










and KEYCHAINS for Kitty Lovers:

We hope you'll go see them all on our Gallery Blog, and if you see something you like, you'll be helping Beau and Moki and Callie, too ... and get some Christmas shopping done early!

And I tell you what ... on every order of $30 or more, I'm gonna throw in a FREE Artsy Catsy bookmark!

If you don't need keychains or hairbands, but you'd like to make a small donation to Beau, Moki and Callie, 100% of your donation will be used for their vet bills ...

~~ Thank you so much for everything you do! ~~

P.S. Don't miss the auctions the ever-wonderful Miss Peach is having to help Beau, Criz, and Callie, too ... including these adorable calico kitty pins ...