Portrait of Mu Shue

Rocky: I thought I'd share with you my human artist Suzanne's latest cat portrait, of Mu Shue Pooh King Cat, who went to the Rainbow Bridge last year. His Mama Laura commissioned the portrait so every day she can see Mu Shue watching over her from greener pastures ... You can see some of Suzanne's other portraits here, but this one is very special to us, since Mu Shue was the recipient of Artsy Catsy's very first fundraiser and a very good friend.

Also, I want to thank you all for your concern for my mom after I almost bit her hand off yesterday. Her wrist is much better this morning, no redness or swelling, thank goodness, and it is healing nicely. And I think relations have been restored between she and I ... although I was banished from her bed last night - she said she didn't want to be awakened by the Rocky bite alarm this morning!

Carnival of the Cats #259

Rocky: It's March 1, and what a perfect day for Carnival of the Cats - the first day of the month that brings us the end of winter and the beginning of Spring! It reminds me of an old song, The Circle Game ...

And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We're captive on the carousel of time

As we leave winter behind and look forward to the warmth and renewal of Spring, here's what's been going round and round in the cat blogosphere this week ....

Yes, all eyes are watching for Spring, but it's a rare stare that could compete with the powerful eyes of Hakuna at Blog d'Elisson!

Oh, but if your eyes are itchy, better learn how to Use Organic Methods to Help Heal your Pet's Allergies at Organic Family Circle.

Please send your purrs & purrayers to Mind of Mog, who this Friday had to help their their sweet Klarissa to the Rainbow Bridge ...

And Freya’s family could use your support in remembrance of their sadly missed Scampie, who went to the Bridge a year ago this week ...

Don’t miss the video, Jerusalem’s Coolest Kitties at Elms in the Yard, a tribute to all the cats who make their home on the grounds of St. Stephen's Priory (The Ecole Biblique) in Jerusalem.

Look at these innocent bystanders doing absolutely nothing wrong at Elms in the Yard.

Don’t miss the fresh air, sunshine, wet paws and a perfectly “happy ending" :-) at Perfectly Parker!

Beautiful Sanjee stakes her claim to some peace and quiet at House of the (Mostly) Black Cats.

Tristan gets down to a serious therapy session with a Really BAD Dog at Tabbylicious.

Maggie is dealing with a dilemma at Mélange … Where did all the birdies go?

But check out at Mr. Jones at AllanThinks – there’s not a single dilemma in his world!

Speaking of dilemmas, the economic downturn is on all our minds ... but at Catymology, Aloysius explains why cats can right the falling economy.

Get ready to give out some welcomes to new friends ... There’s a new “cousin” – sort of – at Momma Grace and Company.

And there's a new woofie brother, Maverick, at Life from a Cat’s Perspective.

Easy Like Sunday Afternoon brings out some handsome mancatness at iMeowza.

And at iInfidel, there's some spring cleaning going on.

The cat’s out of the bag! It’s Victor’s 4th purrthday today! (And someone else in his house has a birthday Wednesday) ...

Speaking of growing older, Loup-Garou at House of Chaos has some geezer mojo goin’ on.

Awww! Desi and Pushy display their overwhelming cuteness in days gone by at KeesKennis.

Maddie and Ivy share their cures for cold and dreary days at StrangeRanger. Never fear, warmth is on its say and Spring will soon be sprung!

And here at Artsy Catsy, we offer up a bit of Kitty Bipartanship with a heart-warming video, The Animal Odd Couple.

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Don't miss next Sunday's Carnival of the Cats,

to be hosted at Mind of Mog!

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!!

Carnival of the Cats

Welcome to the 235th Edition of

Carnival of the Cats

Rocky: Since my humans are so busy with other things, I'm doing the Carnival all by myself ... so please forgive any typoCatical errors I might make!

I want to dedicate this week's Carnival to:

- Our good friend Daisy the Curly Cat and her family, whose beloved Pixie went to the Rainbow Bridge this morning after a long, brave struggle with advanced cardiomyopathy. Farewell, sweet Pixie.

- And to all our friends in Texas and Louisiana whose lives have been disrupted by Hurricane Ike. The entire Cat Blogosphere is purring that you're safe and that your lives will soon be back to normal.

..............................................................

First up, at Om Shanti Handcrafts, Loiosh meets some orange, occasionally polydactyl kittens … then, wearing wings, takes a very interesting nap ...
Next, I think I agree with Lenny and Carl's dad over at MoneyGrubbingLawyer, who says, "Forget pet insurance; buy catnip and kibble instead!"

Whoa, hop on board! The Scratching Post's Maximum Leader is going tuna shopping!

At Nanashi, Inc., Denali and Isis are herding grasshoppers in their freshly mowed lawn.

Eric and Flynn are are also hunting in the green, green grass of their home in the UK.

At The Poor Mouth, Bebe is peering over a Robyn barricade.

What's this? Blog D'Elisson reports that Hakuna has been assimilated into the Borg Collective!

Perfectly Parker takes some new Breeze litter box systems for a trial run ... but runs into some woofie problems!

Don't miss the three faces of the beautiful Miss Abba Dabba (aka Abby) at Manx Mnews!

At Elms in the Yard, Missy exhibits the perfect technique for attracting belly rubs ...
Now, let's all go wish a Happy 17th Purrthday to Henry over at Texas Oasis!

Then rush over to My Cats and Funny Stories and watch the video of Arthur and Rosie taking over the bathtub.

You'll think you're seeing double at Sleeping Mommy -- but those look-alikes are Mo and Tommy.

At Catymology, handsome Aloysius celebrates his Gotcha Day.

Maus at Composite Drawlings wisely explains why there's no need for Chee-Tos when you have plenty of Mom-Toes!

Another great video! Watch Kismet show you just how to deal with a bug on the ceiling at Russ. Just Russ.

Oh no! Moi has a problem over at Bloggg! "Dey tuk mi feets!"

Yum! Babe and Tiny are sampling the Spring Chicken Delight at sisu.

At iInfidel, Cece the cow kitty perfects the art of wall lounging ...

... while some serious yard skulking is going on at iMeowza ...

... then it's back up on the wall again at Mind of Mog.

Jiminy Cricket! Victor Tabbycat and Nina the Torbie have a new toy - a Jug O'Bug!!

China Cat checks out some bunnies on the lawn from her cozy ham-mick ... well, that is, when Willow isn't in it!

The CatSynth kitties are exhausted and catching up on some rest … and some pats, too.

Ahh, yes. Psychic Cottage celebrates the joy of caring for grandkitties - especially when they're Bengals.

Hot(M)BC's Boni Maroni discovers that cardboard boxes don't taste like chick-hen - but they're perfect for packing up purrs to send to all our friends in Texas and Louisiana that they've stayed safe from Ike.

Finally, check out what we cats do on a hot day at Idyllic Dreams.

Don't miss next week's Carnival of the Cats
hosted by those gorgeous kitties at
Friends Furever!

Carnival of the Cats #218

Carnival Barker Rocky: Ladiezzzzz and gentlemen ... step right up to see the greatest traveling cat show on earth! For the modest price of internet access, you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll shriek in amazement at the magic and acrobatics and sheer wonder of cats across the world! .........

The Carnival's first attractions are real treats: It's a whirlwind of flying Temptations, towels, toys & toilet paper over at Missy & KC's, where the Texas Tornado (aka Faith Boo) strikes again!

And at This, That & The Other Thing, Cubby picks up where Sox left off in whapping out the Temptations hiding place. (On a serious note, their humans are having a difficult time, but Mouse is helping them take their minds off their troubles.)

Free treats! Devin kitty tests Greenies Dental Treats on Woman Tribune -- and tells you how to get a free sample!

Speaking of treats, Cece the cow kitty is waiting impatiently at iInfidel.

Now this is definitely a treat! Kashim and Othello's momma built them a great new scratching post for their balcony at The Catboys Realm.

At Life from a Cats Perspective, sometimes you have to recover from too many treats. Samantha and Mr. Tigger are recovering from Mr. T's surprise birthday/gotcha day party at M-Cats Club.

Oh, this is simply magic: A stunning photo of the actual Rainbow Bridge at Blog d’Elisson ... Oh, look! ... Who's that we see?

At Mind of Mog, the Friday Ark is NOT spam ... and Meowza drinks to that!

Now, feast your eyes upon this cuteness: Poppy, a little feral mom and her newborn baby kittens over at Cat Care, Breeds and Resources.

But This is Cyprus proves that a kitty's mom doesn't have to be a cat. Don't miss The Tale of Tessie and the Turtle.

Oh, poor Parker! She's lonely and in need of some serious scritches at Perfectly Parker.

There are kitties of all kinds in the Carnival ... and some are very busy ... At Chica & Pumuckl in Egypt, Pumuckl has assumed all entertaining and stalking duties while Chica is in quarantine ...

Estate manager Babe is busy snoopervising groundman Tuck over at sisu.

Edison has been very busy having whapping matches with Clara at anniemiz... and is sporting the scars to prove it.

Aloysius is completely occupied with trying to figure out why the humans at Catymology moved all his furniture.

Abby, Jinx & Gracie are busy waiting for the mysterious door to the forbidden room to open at Manx Mnews.

"Oh hai. In teh beginnin" ... The kitties at Meeyauw are busy presenting LOL Cat Bible: Lectionary Readings for the First Sunday after Pentecost and Ceiling Cat has the really hard job of creating the universe! ...

At Chey's Place, presidential candidate Chey is busy getting lost on the campaign trail. See if you know where she is!

That "uncooperative little cuss" Kismet is ... well, not too busy squeaking out a very quick video hello at TacJammer.

Meowza is busy rolling in the dirt over at iMeowza.

Their old friend Matilda is visiting the Ranger kitties while they're recuperating from the Snot-bonic Plague at Strange Ranger.

Mischief and Hi are involved in their exhibition of how two kitties can get along in the same condo at Your Moosey Fate.

They've been very busy at Cats with a wonderfully educational post about the African Lion.

Mr. Sebastian is preoccupied with using the laundry to demonstrate his skills as a hair relocation stylist at Furry Paws.

But not all kitties are busy. Things start to calm down a bit at Composite Drawlings where TiGrr and Peanut have called a truce and are doing an imitation of two attached meat loaves.

Luna stretches out to beat the heat -- as always, with style -- over at CatSynth.

It's all easy -- and very beautiful, too -- with Snow and Forest.

Pretty Willow is taking it gorgeously easy on her favorite chair and blanket at Willow's Cat blog.

China Cat was taking it somewhat easy ... until she was rudely interrupted by the flashy thing at China Cat's Blog ...

Jax, a rescued furbaby, is easily living the good life at Texas Oasis.

All the way over in Jerusalem, Missy enjoys peacefully gazing out the window over at Elms in the Yard.

Beautiful Bebe is a picture of purrfect contentment at The Poor Mouth.

Lovely Munchkin is luxuriating on video with some lavish mom attention at Cathouse Chat.

And finally, what would a Carnival be without goodies and games of chance? Don't miss your chance to win some wonderful signs that were donated by The Wren's Nest over at Cat Friends Helping Friends ... but you should go now because the raffle ends tomorrow, May 19! All raffle proceeds will help build up funds to help kitties in need.

Also, Auntie Deb & ML’s Auctions end in just a few hours -- tonight at midnight ET. 100% of the money goes directly to Mokie, Orange Boy & Sissy, who has kidney/liver failure.

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Don't miss the next Carnival of the Cats

Sunday, May 25

at the M-Cats Club!

Guardian CatAngels

Rocky: Our house is SO full of kitties. Besides my current Artsy Catsy staff, the spirits of all the kitties who came before are watching over my mom, and over us kitties, too. You know how sometimes we kitties stare at, or get startled by, invisible things? Well, those things are Guardian CatAngels, and they're not invisible to us!

Two of our very special Guardian CatAngels are Millard and Gizmo ...Millard, our meezer, had to be helped to the Rainbow Bridge in 1999 when her kidneys failed, after living with my mom for almost 23 years. Gizmo developed cancer after Millard passed and my mom helped her join Millard exactly two months later, at age 19.

Millard was one of a pair of identical sibling meezer girls who adopted my mom at a pet store when they were six weeks old. My beansister was a little girl at the time, and the silly thing named the two meezer sisters Millard and Fillmore! Sadly, Fillmore went to the Bridge when she was just a young girl.

Millard was a unique and brilliant kitty -- she loved to ride in the car and would take long trips with my mom to visit my beansister in college, where she would serve as the temporary dorm mascot. But my mom had to keep an eye on her because she would sneak into the neighbor's car and go to work with her! Millard would take walks with my mom and trot along beside her like a woofie. And she even taught herself to use the human litterbox!

Gizmo was a formerly feral my mom rescued. She was always just a little bit feral and didn't like other kitties much, but she adored Millard and they were inseparable. My mom says she knew that when Millard went to the Bridge, Gizmo would be lonely and would find a way to join her.

Even though I'm jealous of other kitties getting my mom's attention, I don't mind at all that she has lots of room in her heart and in our home for our Guardian CatAngels Millard and Gizmo.

We celebrated my human artist's 60th birthday this week and I, Rocky, turned 72 (in human years) last week. My human's childhood friend sent us this email, and we'd like to share it with all our cat & human friends who worry about growing older .....

13 Reasons Why Aging is a Gift

1) I am now, maybe for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be. Oh, not my body! I sometimes despair over the wrinkles, the baggy eyes, and the sagging butt. I am often taken aback by that old person who lives in my mirror (who looks like my mother!), but I don't agonize over those things for long.

2) I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon, before they experienced the great freedom that comes with aging.

3) I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face.
4) As I've aged, I've become kinder to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own best friend.
5) I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avant garde on my patio. I am entitled to a treat, to be messy, to be extravagant.

6) Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 AM and sleep until noon?

7) I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 60 & 70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love, I will.

8) I will walk the beach in a swimsuit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set. They, too, will grow older.

9) I know I am sometimes forgetful. But some of life is just as well forgotten. And I eventually remember the important things.

10) Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or when a beloved pet goes over the Rainbow Bridge? But broken hearts are what give us strength, understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

11) As I get older, it is easier to be positive. I care less about what other people think of me. I don't question myself anymore. I've earned the right to be wrong.

12) Being older has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be.
13) And I shall eat dessert (and Temptations!) every single day!

Formerly Feral Friday

Rocky is a blog hog!! You'd think this entire company is all about Rocky! Well, anybody with any sense at all knows that a company's most valuable assets are it's employees. So today the cat staff has booted Rocky's big behind off our blog so you can meet some of us other formerly ferals!

We first present Ivan, our meezer Information Technology Director, and Bitsy, our Director of Corporate Espionage:

Ivan came to Artsy Catsy from a poor excuse for a pet shop, that was closed down by city officials. He had been adopted out to a family who returned him because they said he had "distemper" and was mean and grumpy. From the day we brought him home, he has been the sweetest, most loving meezer in the world and hey, this cat knows his way around a computer!

Bitsy was adopted when she was a tiny kitty in our backyard by Ugly, a former feral who lived outside with us for several years. Ugly raised Bitsy as if he were her mother, and you can see a portrait of them here. They were inseparable, but Bitsy would allow no human contact whatsoever until Ugly passed over the Rainbow Bridge. The humans spent weeks trying to console her until she finally let them bring her inside. She had to be separated from all the other cats, until the day we brought Ivan home, and they immediately became best friends. .....

..... Next, we present Blackie Bear, another former feral who lived outside with us for two years before he decided to come inside:

Blackie Bear is a fierce former tomcat who loves humans but is still aggressive with the cat staff, so he became our Safety & Security Manager. His office is located in our upstairs art studio, where he can overlook the entire household and perform important security tasks such as checking paintbrushes for dirty bombs. .....

..... Finally, we present Oscar, our Maintenance Manx. He came from a litter of kittens found in the fireplace wood in our backyard:

The Artsy Catsy humans found furever homes for Oscar's mom and littermates, but since Oscar was the only manx in the litter, he was concerned that not everyone would appreciate him as a tailless wonder, so he decided to stay on as our maintenance guy. And he does a great job ... except when he loses his balance and falls off his chair or in the human litter pan! .....

..... So there, Rocky! You're not the only cat in the woodpile!!

Meezer Monday

I want to share with you my beautiful applehead sealpoint who crossed the Rainbow Bridge in 1999. Her name was Millard and her sister's name was Fillmore. (My daughter, at a very creative age, named them!) Sadly, we lost Fillmore when she was only 2 years old, but Millard lived with me for almost 23 precious years!

Millard was the most loving, intelligent kitty I've ever known. She knew my feelings better than I knew them myself, and catered to them. She accepted change in her life with such grace, and loved all other cats, dogs or any other creatures we brought into our home. She taught herself, completely on her own and much to my amazement, to use the human bathroom! She loved to ride in the car, loved to run errands with me and drive across country to visit my daughter in college (she stayed in the dorm.) She would also sneak out and climb into neighbors' cars to surprise them when they reached the grocery, pharmacy, office ...

There are so many memories. Millard enriched my life in so many ways for so long, and I still miss her dearly.

~~ Sharolyn

Without Mom Wednesday

I, Callie, cannot exist without my human artist mom. See how sad and lonely I am? She has been away visiting friends and their cats, many of whom lived with us before they went to their furrever homes with mom's friends.

First she left me to go visit her friend Terry, who is owned by four cats. Two of them, Rhoda Sue and Taz, lived with us a long time ago. Rhoda Sue is a calico we found yowling and homeless in an alley when she was only 3 weeks old.


Taz, a lynx point meezer, was adopted from a "breeder" when he was 6 weeks old and full of fleas and mites. He earned his name because he was a little Tazmanian Devil!

Then she left me to go visit her friend, Jim. He is owned by only one cat now, Squidler, who is the great-granddaugher of Silvie, a beautiful white angora we rescued as a homeless adult roaming the neighborhood. My mom had to take Silvie over the Rainbow Bridge last year. Squidler is a petite little tabby whose tummy looks like she's trying to be a bengal.

Oh, listen! I hear mom's Jeep now! Should I be peeved and huffy and standoffish to pay her back for leaving me? Or should I meet her at the door with purrs and headbutts? Oh, I can't help myself -- purrs and headbutts it is!