Knock Knock FUN-draiser

Knock knock! Who's there?

Rocky!

Rocky who?

Rocky-Bye-Baby in the tree top!!

Thanks to Camie's Kitties for this great FUN-draiser idea

for Lilly Lu, Mu Shue, Iris and Mama Laura!

Creation of the Cat

Rocky: There are many theories about how the cat was first created. However, since I'm such an angel, as well as a highly astute executive, I think I'm qualified to know which theory is correct. Without a doubt, it's this one, published in the book Planet Cat ... and verified by Michelangelo on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. This theory proves that cats are not just one of God's creatures .... we're very special creatures ...

The Creation of the Cat

On the first day of creation, God created the cat.

On the second day, God created man to serve the cat.

On the third day, God created all the animals of the Earth to serve as potential food for the cat.

On the fourth day, God created honest toil so that man could labor for the good of the cat.

On the fifth day, God created the sparkle ball so that the cat might or might not play with it.

On the sixth day, God created veterinary science to keep the cat healthy and the man broke.

On the seventh day, God tried to rest; but he had to scoop the litter box.

Tabbies, Toesies, Tummies, Torties etc. etc. etc.

We have everything for Tuesdays here at Artsy Catsy!

We have tabbies with tongue and toesies ....

We have tummies (lots of them!) ....We have tuxies ...

In memory and spirit, we have our beloved tortie Bridge kitty, Hooter ... But wait! There's more!

We have a whole houseful of memories and spirits of furbabies who came before ...
The lion cub my mom helped to raise ...All the stray & feral kitties we've raised ... this one is Bad Boy, and he lived for many, many years with our good friend Terry ... Our sweet ferret, Macaroni ... Our precious sugar glider, Noni ... There's lots more ... Molly McDuck, Dustbunny, etc. etc. etc., but our blog just isn't big enough. But it's only proper that we have everything ... after all, as our mom (the keeper) says at least once a day,
"It's a zoo in here!!"

Snoozy Like Sunday Morning

Rocky & Fracas: **mancat snores**.... Oscar: ** manx mancat snorzzzzz** ....
Callie: **nose-in-the-pillow snurffles** ....
Lucy: **Sweet ragdoll dreams** ....
.... zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Finally Friday with Fracas

It's Finally Friday - time to relax. You see, I'm not only the Vice President of Artsy Catsy, I'm also the youngest in the household, which makes me the heir apparent. Since some day this feline empire will be mine, it's very important for me to stay in shape and maintain my emotional and physical health. I've been doing that on Fridays with yoga postures I learned from Skittles. I'd like to share them with you ... and give you the proper Sanskrittycat terms:

I begin with the resting pose, known as the Cataquiver Comehitherslither ...

Then I move gently into the Pussayummi Rubatummi, rotating the paws slowly between tummy and nose, which keeps them in shape for whapping ...

Next comes the all-important Tabbyposa Touchanosa, a miraculous pose for preventing that telltale double chin ...

Then I move gently into the Kittapraisa Lickatailsa, ever mindful of keeping the toes pointed to the heavens ...Last, I fall easily into the final resting pose, the Fullcollapsayama Catanapsarama ...

Namaste.

13 Human Uses for Kitty Litter

Lucy, Artsy Catsy Spokesmodel: And you thought I was just a pretty face? Well, I'm now the Executive Director of our Research & Development Division, and my first project is to offer you the following 13 Human Uses for Kitty Litter. It's not just for getting your car out of the snow anymore!

1. Make flower arrangements: Put kitty litter in vases to anchor dried or artificial flowers.

2. Deodorize trash cans: Put kitty litter in the bottom of the trash bag in your wastebasket to prevent odors.

3. Create perfect dried flowers: Put a layer of kitty litter in an airtight plastic container, lay flowers over it, seal the container and set it aside for a week.

4. Deodorize shoes: Put some kitty litter in socks and put the socks in your shoes.

5. Have a facial: Smash 3 tablespoons of 100% clay litter with 3 tablespoons of water and apply to the face until dry for a clay mask like spas use to remove toxins from facial skin.

6. Prevent fires: Pour a layer of kitty litter in the bottom of your barbecue grill; this also creates a better draft for proper cooking.

7. Deodorize your refrigerator: Kitty litter works just as well as baking soda.

8. Deodorize ashtrays: Just put some kitty litter in the bottom.

9. Grow healthy plants: Use equal parts kitty litter and soil to plant flowers, vegetables and shrubs. It keeps the soil evenly moist and improves root development, and is safe for any kind of plant.

10. Clean up oil or paint spills: A 10-pound sack of kitty litter absorbs more than a gallon of liquid.

11. Prevent falls: Use kitty litter instead of salt on icy sidewalks, steps and driveways.

12. Keep storage sweet: Store clothing, linens, books, papers, camping equipment etc. with 1/2 - 1 cup of kitty litter tied up in a sock to prevent mustiness and mold.

13. Evict moles: Moles hate the smell of used kitty litter. Pour some into the entrance of one of their tunnels and watch the exodus!

Wordless & Whiskers

Happy Earth Day!

I'm thrashing on my Gizzy with joy, because my humans are back home after leaving me for three days! (Well, to be fair, they arranged for my buddy Jim to be our slave while they were gone.)

I didn't get too mad because they went to my Grandpa Bob and Grandma Vivian's 23rd Wedding Anniversary Surprise Party! Yes, tomorrow my two human artists' dad and stepmom will have been married more than half a century!

More than 150 family members gathered in the ballroom waiting to shout "Surprise! Happy Anniversary!!" when Grandma & Grandpa came in ....They were definitely suprised! Here they are with my humans' half-sister Vickie ... which I don't understand because she's always looked like a whole sister to me ....
Here are my human artists Sharolyn & Suzanne with their dad, my Grandpa Bob. They're the oldest of his nine children! He was an only child, and says he vowed to make sure none of his children would ever be lonely. I'd say he was pretty successful ... even more so because he raised a family of cat lovers - everybody wore cat furs to the surprise party! And I'd say this is an appropriate Earth Day post, since Grandpa Bob did his part to populate the Earth with cat lovers! ...
There was cake and food and a beautiful photo collage and a scrapbook of their lives together ....
And dancing ... here's Grandma & Grandpa kicking it off with an honorary first dance to the song "Stand By Me". Hey, my Grandpa still knows how to 'cut a rug'! ....
I wish I'd been there - I know a few things to do to rugs, too! Hey, everybody, if you'd like to wish my Grandpa Bob & Grandma Vivian a Happy Anniversary, you can leave a comment and I'll make sure they read them!

Also, I'd like to ask everyone to sign the petition urging the city of Brazil to leave the Rothrock cat rescue alone and let them do their important work. My mom will be attending the city hall meeting Thursday with the Rothrocks.

P.S. We're still having aftershocks - a 4.5 one yesterday morning. I think the Earth is trying to shake some sense into its humans around Earth Day!

EARTHQUAKES!

HEY, what was that?? Our whole house is shaking and lamps are falling off tables ... AGAIN!! Lucy is hiding in the closet, but my human artist explained to the rest of us that this was the second earthquake we've had this morning, the first one 5.4 magnitude, and we've had 12 aftershocks so far. It was caused by the Wabash Valley Fault, which runs under the Wabash River, just down the street from our house!

Did any of our midwest friends feel it? Are you all okay? We don't like it and want it to STOP! Here are some news reports:

MSNBC video

New York Times

National Geographic

AOL news

Now, while my whole staff is running around with dilated pupils whapping each other because they're freaked, my weirdo human is sweeping stuff off the floor, singing Carole King lyrics ...

I feel the earth move under my feet,

I feel the sky tumblin' down ... tumblin' down ... tumblin' down ...

URGENT HELP STILL NEEDED!

Yesterday I received a Best Friends email about the plight of a cat rescuer -- located 15 minutes from me, so I contacted her to offer my help. Tammy Rothrock lives in Brazil, Indiana, where she and her husband, in their home of more than 20 years, have been rescuing stray cats and providing them with safe, healthy lives. Right now they have 31 kitties in their large home, all spayed, neutered, and vaccinated, with regular vet care. Just look at some of these precious babies ...The Rothrocks are operating legally: the City of Brazil issued a kennel license to them last year, and they were in the process of organizing as a non-for-profit rescue shelter. Now the city has suddenly decided that her area isn't zoned for "business", that her kennel license isn't valid, and they've ordered her to get rid of all her cats. And they've also ordered her husband to immediately shut down the auto repair business he has operated on the property for more than 20 years!

This loving couple is using their own money to do the city's work by taking in and caring for stray animals that would otherwise be out on the streets breeding. And instead of thanking them and supporting them, the city is making Tammy get rid of the cats she loves, destroying the family business and taking away their income ... and ultimately making them give up their family home, because rather than give up their beloved cats and their rescue efforts, the Rothrocks have put their house up for sale!THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS and I ask the entire Cat Blogosphere to join forces to prevent what their city is doing to the Rothrocks. Here's what we can do:

1) First, I ask you to please read the full information and watch the news video:

Video & TV news: Rescue Shelter forced to shut down

Newspaper: The city of Brazil has gone catty

2) Then, I hope you'll join me in emailing the following city officials to protest their actions and suggest more humane solutions before their "work session" next Thursday, Apr. 24. Let them know the state you're writing from so they'll realize this is more than a local response, and please copy me at artsycatsy(at)yahoo(com) so I can compile a record of the emails for the Rothrocks. (Remember to be polite and courteous - anger could make the situation worse!):

Michele Altman, City Plan Administrator: michele@brazil.in.gov

Mayor Ann Bradshaw: ann@brazil.in.gov

Sam Glover, City Council Member: samglover@brazil.in.gov

Patricia Heffner, City Council Member: patheffner@brazil.in.gov

Karen McQueen, Clerk/Treasurer: karen@brazil.in.gov

3) You can also email a Letter to the Editor of the Brazil newspaper.

4) If anyone has any experience with this kind of situation and might have some advice for the Rothrocks, please email me at artsycatsy(at)yahoo(dot)com and I will immediately pass your info on to Tammy.

5) Finally, if you could put a link to this story, or re-post it on your blog or Catster, or anywhere else you can think of, it will help get even more emails to these people.

Thank you SO MUCH for anything you can do! This situation tears at my heart, because I could find myself in the same situation - the number of rescued cats in the Artsy Catsy household exceeds that allowed by my city's ordinances ... as may be the case for many of us in the Cat Blogosphere. As a recent Alley Cat Allies mailing said:

"Across this country, citizens are being punished for caring for stray and feral cats. These caregivers did not create the colonies of cats - they are serving their communities by humanely caring for them. But according to antiquated animal control laws and uninformed community leaders, each of these Good Samaritans deserves to be punished ... WE must change outdated animal control laws, policies and practices. WE must stop caregivers from being punished for doing the right thing."

~~ Sharolyn

Toesday Technique

Fracas: In mastering proper napping technique, it's important that

the toes be curled just so before the nap begins:

Rocky: You got it, my second-in-command!

Don't Mess with the Mancat Monday!

Knock it off, Callie! You had your turn on mom's lap!

Ahhh, yes, it's good to be the boss ...

Auction for Laura, Mu Shue, Lilly Lu & Iris

UPDATE Apr. 17: CONGRATULATIONS DERBY! You had the winning bid on the wind chime!

GOOD NEWS UPDATE, 7 pm:
Check the Cat Blogosphere ... Mu Shue, Lilly Lu and Iris are ALIVE!!!

Rocky: We're auctioning this beautiful cat wind chime to help Mama Laura rebuild her life after the fire, and also to help her find Mu Shue, Lilly Lu and Iris, who are still missing. Lilly Lu is recoving from major surgery and needs daily medication, and Mu Shue needs an inhaler twice daily and sub-Q fluids once a week, so they must be found quickly! You can read updates on the search efforts at the Cat Blogosphere.

The 30-inch wind chime is hand made from punched, hammered metals, with glass beads and a "Noah Bell". The tag says: Noah Bells are distinctive from all other bells due to the melodic, echoing tones. Each bell is completely hand made. It is the secret family formula of smelting various metals and the hand hewed clapper and the individual tuning of each bell that creates the unusual resonate sound. Shepherds prize these bells as they enable them to easily hear and find their flocks from many miles away, and they are believed to scare away evil spirits."

We hope the magical Noah Bell on the wind chime will keep Mu Shue, Lilly & Iris safe and help guide their way home!

100% of the winning bid will be given to Mama Laura; Artsy Catsy will pay for shipping.

The auction will last five days only because we have more items coming up, so leave your bid here in the comments before Wednesday, April 16 at midnight Eastern Daylight Time. (The retail price was $35.99) We'll notify the winner on Thursday.

Lots of kitties are working to help Mama Laura, so don't forget to check out other auctions & raffles at the new Auction Site and at Cat Friends Helping Friends!

EMERGENCY PURRS & PURRAYERS

Yesterday Lilly Lu, Mu Shue & Iris' Mama Laura's apartment was completely destroyed in a fire. Laura lost everything but her purse and the clothes she was wearing. She's homeless ... and she's expecting twins.

The fireman who was in her apartment said everything was charred to dust. And they only rescued humans yesterday, so there's no news yet about Lilly, Mu Shue and Iris ... and Lilly is currently recovering from surgery. There's only a slim chance that the kitties were somehow able to escape through a sliding glass door and climb down patios to safety.

Please, everyone, send your strongest purrs and purrayers for heartbroken Mama Laura that her precious kitties will be found safe and sound today, and watch for updates on the Cat Blogosphere and Lilly's blog.

Also, Cat Friends Helping Friends has posted Laura's Paypal button so people can donate directly into her Paypal account to help her rebuild her life.

Mama Laura, Lilly, Mu Shue & Iris, we love you

and are purraying so hard for your safety.

Bill Clinton, Barack Obama Summit Meetings

Rocky: It is not 'business as usual' here, because I'm involved in high-level negotiations to change the world. As a result, Artsy Catsy's hometown, Terre Haute, Indiana, has become a focal point of Campaign 2008. That is, of course, because no presidential hopeful can expect to succeed without the express approval of moi, Mr. CEO Rocky T.V. Herring.

As you know, I recently held a summit here with Hillary Clinton ...Last week Chelsea Clinton came to Terre Haute hoping to meet with me, but since I prefer to exercise my powers of purrsuasion only upon those of measurable influence, I was too involved in negotiations with Bill Clinton's and Barack Obama's people to meet with a mere former first daughter.

I'm pleased to announce that both Bill Clinton and Barack Obama are in Terre Haute to meet with me today, and I will disclose all details and photos of these important summits with my constituents tomorrow. I must go now; the 42nd President of the United States awaits ... and I really want to ask him about that inhaling thing and offer him some nip.

Go Orange for Animals!

I'VE GONE ORANGE!

Today is ASPCA Day, and animal lovers across America are going orange to commemorate 142 years since the founding of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

ASPCA President & CEO Ed Sayres says, “While we fight animal cruelty day in and day out, April, and specifically ‘ASPCA Day’ on April 10, is a great time for us to take stock of our progress, and celebrate our bond with animals.” Orange, the ASPCA’s signature color, is often identified with vibrancy and energy. “It is our hope that by identifying the combined efforts of the ASPCA and its partners with this color, the public will begin to identify “orange” with the welfare of animals all across the country,” added Sayres.

To learn more about what you can do to celebrate this special day, and to check out the festivities across the country, go to ASPCA Day!

Wordy Wednesday: Anonymous Benefactor Revealed!

Rocky: I've finished our bookkeeping for our March Fundraisers, and even though what I have to report will take some words, it's really just too wonderful for words!You see, there just aren't enough words to thank all of you, as well as our anonymous benefactor, enough. Thanks to his generosity (he did much more than just match the funds we raised) we gathered more than $760 in March to help kitties in need! $656.38 will be divided between Moki and Lilly Lu, and the rest will go to Cat Friends Helping Friends and Project H.A.M.

Because he deserves recognition for his incredible act of kindness, I purred the anonymous benefactor into letting me reveal his identity! Here's a clue ... this is the kitty who owns him ...

Recognize her? If not, here's another clue .... her name is Mycah.

Have you guessed yet? If not, here's another clue ... Mycah's bean's name is Russ.

Still haven't guessed? Okay .... *drumroll* .... go HERE!

I hope everyone will go thank our no-longer-anonymous benefactor Russ and Mycah for their amazing contribution! And I personally want to thank each and every one of the more than 20 individual kitties and beans who contributed, either through purchases or donations. You are ALL too wonderful for words!

Callie: Rocky, I'm so excited I have to give you a kiss ... and I don't even like you!

Mancat & Meme

Humph. On Friday, my human artist left us and went out of town supposedly for a day - but she just got back this morning. I swear, you can't believe anything humans tell you! Here I am begging her not to leave; obviously that didn't work ...While she was gone, Moki tagged us for the Book Meme. Since my human artist is busy trying to catch up on everything that didn't get done while she was gone -- including tallying up our March fundraisers for Moki, Lilly Lu and Project H.A.M. so we can send their checks to them -- I'm left to handle the meme myself. Well, at least I know it'll get done right!

Here are the rules:
1. Pick up the nearest book.
2. Open to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people and post a comment to Moki once you have posted it.

By the way, this meme will show you what a weirdo my human artist is. The title of the book is "The Cosmic Code: Book VI of the Earth Chronicles" and here is the excerpt:

"Therefore, Anu declared, Adapa would be initiated into the secret knowledge of the gods. He showed him the celestial expanse, "from the horizon of heaven to heaven's zenith." He would be allowed to return to Eridu safe and sound, and there would be initiated by the goddess Ninkarrak into the secrets of "the ills that were allotted to Mankind, the diseases that were wrought upon the bodies of mortals," and taught by her how to heal such ailments."

Why she persists in reading such stuff is beyond me, since I'm perfectly capable of revealing the secrets of the cosmos to her, as proven in my post Close Encounters of the Kitty Kind. And I'm sure Jack can provide any knowledge I might not have!

I'm simply too disgruntled to come up with five kitties who haven't already done the Book Meme, and I need to go snoopervise the bookkeeping, so I'm just going to tag my space pal Jack. Humph.

1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28, 29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44,45,46,47,48,49,50,51,52,

53,54,55,56,57,58,59,60,61,62,63,64,65,66,67,68,69,70,71,72,73,74,75,76,
77,78,79,80,81,82,83,84,85,86,87,88,89,90,91,92,93,94,95,96,97,98,99,100,
101,102,103,104,105,106,107,108,109,110,111,112,113,114,115,116,117,
118,119,120,121,122,123,124,125,126,127,128,129,130,131,132,133,134,
135,136,137,138,139,140,141,142,143,144,145,146,147,148,149,150,151,
152,153,154,155,156,157,158,159,160,161,162,163,164,165,166,167,168,
169,170,171,172,173,174,175,176,177,178,179,180,181,182,183,184,185,
186,187,188,189,190,191,192,193,194,195,196,197..198...199 . . . . .
It's our ...

And the winner of our 200th Post Contest is ...
Skittles the Huntress!Congratulations, Skittles ... Skittles? ... HEY, SKITTLES, WAKE UP and send me your mailing address so I can mail your prize package to you:
... along with a $10 Artsy Catsy Gift Certificate for your mom!