MERRY CHRISTMAS
AND
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
2016 has been a year of new pets and new friends. We can't wait to see and share with you more about our adventures in 2017.
About Me
- Teresa Hill
- I'm retired and a freelance writer.
Check out these books, by me and my family, available for Kindle:
A Front Porch Trilogy
Where Do Socks Go?
We Count
My Brother's Plot
I have also published two more books on kindle but am currently unable to get the links to work. They are: The One Little Pig and Who Killed Freddie Mouse? Also check out other blogs and websites by me and my family:
My Life With Cats
My Life With Dogs
Thursday, December 22, 2016
Thursday, November 24, 2016
A Season of Thankfulness--Cat Edition
It's November. Today is actually Thanksgiving! Every year when November 1st arrives, I start hearing and seeing talk of thankfulness. "What are you thankful for?" On facebook, there is a challenge to write a post every day about one thing you are thankful for. This is great! We should always be looking for what we are thankful for and acknowledging God for his gifts. Life can get so busy that we forget to do so. So when November arrives, it is nice to be reminded to look around and realize how precious our lives are.
For the purpose of this cat blog, I would like to say that I am thankful for the kitten we added to our family this year. I have already mentioned him in a previous post entitled Sliding Cat. He is Stan Lee. He is now 7 months old and while he started out crazy and wild, he has already settled down quite a bit. We suspected that he was grieving over our dog that passed away at the end of September. He is still quite subdued as we have added a puppy to our zany zoo of a household. I don't know what is going through that cat's mind as the puppy tries to spar with him and he just lays down in front of him. Our last dog didn't act that way. She just lay there as Stan cuddled up to her. Stan tries to cuddle with the pup, but the pup bites him. Stan is coming around, though. He bites back! And sometimes when the puppy gets too riled up and I step in to make him stop, Stan instigates another battle.
As you can guess, there is never a dull moment around here. I am thankful for that, too. Have a Happy Thanksgiving and remember to be thankful every day of the year.
For the purpose of this cat blog, I would like to say that I am thankful for the kitten we added to our family this year. I have already mentioned him in a previous post entitled Sliding Cat. He is Stan Lee. He is now 7 months old and while he started out crazy and wild, he has already settled down quite a bit. We suspected that he was grieving over our dog that passed away at the end of September. He is still quite subdued as we have added a puppy to our zany zoo of a household. I don't know what is going through that cat's mind as the puppy tries to spar with him and he just lays down in front of him. Our last dog didn't act that way. She just lay there as Stan cuddled up to her. Stan tries to cuddle with the pup, but the pup bites him. Stan is coming around, though. He bites back! And sometimes when the puppy gets too riled up and I step in to make him stop, Stan instigates another battle.
As you can guess, there is never a dull moment around here. I am thankful for that, too. Have a Happy Thanksgiving and remember to be thankful every day of the year.
(This was written by my daughter, Karen.)
Monday, October 31, 2016
Po
She was the ugliest kitten at the animal shelter. We had gone to the shelter to look at puppies for my husband while he was at work. I didn't like puppies. I was looking at the cats and kittens. We already had two grown cats at home, but I couldn't resist. I was there with my 2 year old son, Andrew. We saw the ugliest kitten we had ever seen. She was a scrawny, short-haired, tortoise-shelled kitten. Her colors of black, white, gray, and orange were so mixed together, she wasn't a pretty animal at all. I felt so sorry for her because I just KNEW no one would ever take her home. No one would ever take her home, except for us.
Her name at the shelter was Simone. I told Andrew her name and he tried to say it. He said, "Po." and since I didn't like the name Simone anyway, I encouraged him to keep calling her that and so she became Po. The first night that we had her, she came to me in my bed to snuggle, but I ran her off because that was one of my other cat's spot. I felt bad about it, but I couldn't very well let the new kitten take what belonged to my older girl. Po found someone else to snuggle with. She went to Andrew, who gladly welcomed her. Po never came to me again. In fact, she formed such a bond with Andrew that she didn't care for anyone else in the house. We had two more children, but Po was Andrew's. She slept with him every night and during the day, she usually slept in his bed some more.
She really developed an attitude. I said she was hateful. She would get grouchy and bite me. She went outside frequently and hunted. If any of the family called to her or petted her, she mostly tolerated it, but it was Andrew that she adored. She would purr loudly and butt her head up against his. She would nip him and he would laugh. We homeschooled our children, so he was able to spend lots of time doing his schoolwork with her by his side.
I guess that is why it was so devastating when she suddenly lost a lot of weight and began to eat cat litter. We took her to the vet and they said it was her liver. They tried everything, but she just didn't make it. My husband and I made the painful decision to have her put down before Andrew saw her get any worse. She was 12 1/2 years old. Andrew was 14. Andrew didn't take it well. He cried and cried and cried. He refused to choose a spot in the yard to bury her. He refused to walk out to the spot and see where she was buried for months. I took it pretty hard. I had tried to do what I could and had a hefty vet bill. It was difficult to see my son suffer so much. We all took it hard, even though none of us but Andrew really liked her. It was so sad.
We survived it, though. We have suffered pet losses before and we will suffer them again. You have to ask yourself if it is worth it. Is it worth the pain of the loss? I don't know how to answer that. Some people say no and refuse to have another. I can't do that. I want to do that, but I can't imagine living without my feline companions. I hope that Andrew still thinks it is worth it. But only time will tell.
Her name at the shelter was Simone. I told Andrew her name and he tried to say it. He said, "Po." and since I didn't like the name Simone anyway, I encouraged him to keep calling her that and so she became Po. The first night that we had her, she came to me in my bed to snuggle, but I ran her off because that was one of my other cat's spot. I felt bad about it, but I couldn't very well let the new kitten take what belonged to my older girl. Po found someone else to snuggle with. She went to Andrew, who gladly welcomed her. Po never came to me again. In fact, she formed such a bond with Andrew that she didn't care for anyone else in the house. We had two more children, but Po was Andrew's. She slept with him every night and during the day, she usually slept in his bed some more.
She really developed an attitude. I said she was hateful. She would get grouchy and bite me. She went outside frequently and hunted. If any of the family called to her or petted her, she mostly tolerated it, but it was Andrew that she adored. She would purr loudly and butt her head up against his. She would nip him and he would laugh. We homeschooled our children, so he was able to spend lots of time doing his schoolwork with her by his side.
I guess that is why it was so devastating when she suddenly lost a lot of weight and began to eat cat litter. We took her to the vet and they said it was her liver. They tried everything, but she just didn't make it. My husband and I made the painful decision to have her put down before Andrew saw her get any worse. She was 12 1/2 years old. Andrew was 14. Andrew didn't take it well. He cried and cried and cried. He refused to choose a spot in the yard to bury her. He refused to walk out to the spot and see where she was buried for months. I took it pretty hard. I had tried to do what I could and had a hefty vet bill. It was difficult to see my son suffer so much. We all took it hard, even though none of us but Andrew really liked her. It was so sad.
We survived it, though. We have suffered pet losses before and we will suffer them again. You have to ask yourself if it is worth it. Is it worth the pain of the loss? I don't know how to answer that. Some people say no and refuse to have another. I can't do that. I want to do that, but I can't imagine living without my feline companions. I hope that Andrew still thinks it is worth it. But only time will tell.
(This was written by my daughter, Karen.)
Friday, September 16, 2016
Sliding Cat
My new cat, Stan Lee, likes to go down the slide! Okay, I don't know if it is completely true that he LIKES it, but he does go down the slide. I've never seen a cat go down a slide before.
We got Stan Lee as a kitten in June. He was ten weeks old when we got him. At five months old now, he is already neutered and accepted by the other pets. He has a personality like no cat I have ever had before. He's crazy. He is bold. One can have many cats over their lifetime, but each and every one has its own distinct personality.
So, a few days ago, I walked out into the backyard with my son. The cats and dog followed along as usual. The kids have a tree fort out there and it is a nice shady area to go during the day. That's why my son and I went out there. Stan Lee sat directly under the front of the tree fort. I mentioned to my son that I had put Stan Lee up into the tree fort a few weeks back and he had come down the slide. It was pretty funny. I figured it was a fluke. I figured that once the cat knew how the slide worked, he would steer clear of going down it again. My son scooped up the kitty and set him in the tree house. He was about six feet up, by the way,
Stan Lee nonchalantly walked over to the slide, sat with his paws in front of him, and scooted down the slide. It was funny because he kind of used his front paws spread out in a way that made him go down slower than ordinary. He got to the bottom, jumped off, and rubbed himself against the dog. Now, our other cats would have just jumped down to the ground. That's what they do. Not Stan. He doesn't seem to be much of a jumper.
Immediately, my son scooped up Stan Lee and set him right back up in the tree fort. Stan meowed at us and walked around. Then he went to the slide, placed himself in the same position as before, and slid down the slide. When he reached the bottom, he swatted at a leaf and ran back up the slide about two feet and slid back down again. He never showed any fear or alarm about sliding. What do you think we said? "Man, we have GOT to get this on video."
Stan got off of the slide, but turned immediately and ran back up it about two feet and slid back down. Silly cat.
We left him alone to play for awhile, but the temptation became too great for me. The last time, I was the one to scoop him up and put him back up into the tree fort. Stan did not disappoint us. He took his time, of course. He is a cat. He wanted us to see who was really in charge. He came down the slide again. He seemed to enjoy it. And my son did capture it on video on his IPOD. As soon as I can get it from him, I will see about putting it on the blog.
We got Stan Lee as a kitten in June. He was ten weeks old when we got him. At five months old now, he is already neutered and accepted by the other pets. He has a personality like no cat I have ever had before. He's crazy. He is bold. One can have many cats over their lifetime, but each and every one has its own distinct personality.
So, a few days ago, I walked out into the backyard with my son. The cats and dog followed along as usual. The kids have a tree fort out there and it is a nice shady area to go during the day. That's why my son and I went out there. Stan Lee sat directly under the front of the tree fort. I mentioned to my son that I had put Stan Lee up into the tree fort a few weeks back and he had come down the slide. It was pretty funny. I figured it was a fluke. I figured that once the cat knew how the slide worked, he would steer clear of going down it again. My son scooped up the kitty and set him in the tree house. He was about six feet up, by the way,
Stan Lee nonchalantly walked over to the slide, sat with his paws in front of him, and scooted down the slide. It was funny because he kind of used his front paws spread out in a way that made him go down slower than ordinary. He got to the bottom, jumped off, and rubbed himself against the dog. Now, our other cats would have just jumped down to the ground. That's what they do. Not Stan. He doesn't seem to be much of a jumper.
Immediately, my son scooped up Stan Lee and set him right back up in the tree fort. Stan meowed at us and walked around. Then he went to the slide, placed himself in the same position as before, and slid down the slide. When he reached the bottom, he swatted at a leaf and ran back up the slide about two feet and slid back down again. He never showed any fear or alarm about sliding. What do you think we said? "Man, we have GOT to get this on video."
Stan got off of the slide, but turned immediately and ran back up it about two feet and slid back down. Silly cat.
We left him alone to play for awhile, but the temptation became too great for me. The last time, I was the one to scoop him up and put him back up into the tree fort. Stan did not disappoint us. He took his time, of course. He is a cat. He wanted us to see who was really in charge. He came down the slide again. He seemed to enjoy it. And my son did capture it on video on his IPOD. As soon as I can get it from him, I will see about putting it on the blog.
(This was written by my daughter, Karen)
Thursday, August 25, 2016
Parker in the Park (revisited 2016)
On Friday, July 27, 2012, a story was submitted on the blog. It was entitled, "Parker in the Park." I now have an update to that story. The life expectancy of a stray cat is usually between 2 to 5 years. My son was delighted to come to me the other day to tell me that Parker is still alive. With our love of cats being so strong, I could understand his excitement. I would have felt the same way if I had seen her with my own eyes.
I encourage you to go back and reread the original post. A cat deserves a long life just as much as any other of God's creatures. Parker has found a safe place in which to live. The first article was published over four years ago. It was told by a golfer that she had been spayed. I think she has outlived her life expectancy as a stray. Or, if not, it's close.
On a disc golf course away from the hectic life that man has created for himself, Parker found her home. A disc golf course where caring golfers feed her and call her their mascot. She's a stray that once got caught and spayed and released back onto the course. She's wild and allowed to run the course in the woods. No human hands ever make the attempt to catch her. She would probably scratch them severely if one tried. And as far as wild animals that live there also, she just blends in. A happy little cat that goes merrily on her way living each day in complete harmony. What a wonderful thought!
My son had left that morning earlier than usual for work. He chose to simply drive through the park to kill time before getting to work. At the disc course sitting on a nearby picnic table, he saw Parker. He figured she waited there for her morning food from a golfer. He smiled as he drove the car around the turn around in front of the table.
I am happy to be able to say that Parker lives on.
I encourage you to go back and reread the original post. A cat deserves a long life just as much as any other of God's creatures. Parker has found a safe place in which to live. The first article was published over four years ago. It was told by a golfer that she had been spayed. I think she has outlived her life expectancy as a stray. Or, if not, it's close.
On a disc golf course away from the hectic life that man has created for himself, Parker found her home. A disc golf course where caring golfers feed her and call her their mascot. She's a stray that once got caught and spayed and released back onto the course. She's wild and allowed to run the course in the woods. No human hands ever make the attempt to catch her. She would probably scratch them severely if one tried. And as far as wild animals that live there also, she just blends in. A happy little cat that goes merrily on her way living each day in complete harmony. What a wonderful thought!
My son had left that morning earlier than usual for work. He chose to simply drive through the park to kill time before getting to work. At the disc course sitting on a nearby picnic table, he saw Parker. He figured she waited there for her morning food from a golfer. He smiled as he drove the car around the turn around in front of the table.
I am happy to be able to say that Parker lives on.
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
Hidden
Early in our marriage, my husband and I were part of a group of couples that got together for a weekly Bible study at each other's houses. When it was our turn to host, I would spend the day cleaning and preparing the night's meal.
It was our week and I had worked all afternoon to prepare. Right before the guests began to arrive, I heard a scratch at the door. I knew it was one of our two cats. Boo-Boo and Marble were indoor/outdoor cats and came and went. I opened the door and Boo-Boo and Marble both ran inside. Boo-Boo immediately dropped something as she came inside. It was a mouse...and it was still alive! It ran directly to the couch and underneath it. The cats followed in hot pursuit, but they were not fast enough.
My husband had come to the door at the same time I did, and he saw the whole incident unfold. We heard a car pull up outside. I looked up at him.
"What do we do??"
He calmly replied, "We don't tell our guests."
Our guests came in and we greeted them. More guests arrived. The evening proceeded as usual, with the guests commenting on the good food. Everyone participated in the Bible study. Some of our friends commented on how friendly our feline family members were this time. The cats were hanging out right there with us. Normally, they would avoid the crowd. Three hours flew by and all of the guests said goodbye. We walked the last guests to the door and closed it behind them.
My husband and I turned to look at the couch that some of our company had sat on. We exhaled in the quiet living room. Almost instantly in that moment, the little mouse darted out from underneath the couch and Boo-Boo swiped it with her paw. She killed it and Marble was right there with her. Such an abrupt ending to our anxious night. The entire time our company had been there, we had worried about that mouse making an appearance and startling them. I don't think we ever told any of our friends about what had been hidden so close to them the entire time!
It was our week and I had worked all afternoon to prepare. Right before the guests began to arrive, I heard a scratch at the door. I knew it was one of our two cats. Boo-Boo and Marble were indoor/outdoor cats and came and went. I opened the door and Boo-Boo and Marble both ran inside. Boo-Boo immediately dropped something as she came inside. It was a mouse...and it was still alive! It ran directly to the couch and underneath it. The cats followed in hot pursuit, but they were not fast enough.
My husband had come to the door at the same time I did, and he saw the whole incident unfold. We heard a car pull up outside. I looked up at him.
"What do we do??"
He calmly replied, "We don't tell our guests."
Our guests came in and we greeted them. More guests arrived. The evening proceeded as usual, with the guests commenting on the good food. Everyone participated in the Bible study. Some of our friends commented on how friendly our feline family members were this time. The cats were hanging out right there with us. Normally, they would avoid the crowd. Three hours flew by and all of the guests said goodbye. We walked the last guests to the door and closed it behind them.
My husband and I turned to look at the couch that some of our company had sat on. We exhaled in the quiet living room. Almost instantly in that moment, the little mouse darted out from underneath the couch and Boo-Boo swiped it with her paw. She killed it and Marble was right there with her. Such an abrupt ending to our anxious night. The entire time our company had been there, we had worried about that mouse making an appearance and startling them. I don't think we ever told any of our friends about what had been hidden so close to them the entire time!
Monday, June 6, 2016
Since Starting the Cat Blog...
Since starting the Cat Blog, "My Life with Cats," there have been 83 stories and related sections added to it since 2012! Please take this time to reminisce with us the postings from 2012 all the way to the present. We will be taking this month of June off from writing, but will return with a new cat story in July! Thank you for your continued support.
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