Which Reindeer Are You

Since Percy is going to play an elf, we thought we would see which reindeer the rest of us are. (Thanks Darling Millie.)

You Are Rudolph

Sweet and shy, you tend to be happiest when you're making someone else happy. Why You're Naughty: You sometimes stick that nose where it doesn't belong Why You're Nice: Christmas would be a sad affair without you!

Which of Santa's Reindeer Are You?

He Passed His Audition

We are so proud of our Percy. We heard Sassy of Sassy's Tales was casting for her latest CCCSI production, "The Santa Case." Since there are so many of us, we decided we should pick just one to audition. Percy is the most outgoing cat among us, so we all voted for him. And he passed his audition!

He is going to play an elf (what a great choice, Sassy!), Pepper Minstix, the guardian of the secret of the location of Father Christmas's village.

Last night he had Jan racing all over the house trying to get some publicity shots for the story. Whew! Tired us out. We all slept good last night.

We wanted to post this earlier but Jan has been hogging the computer. She's been working on starting a new blog site for a small Humane Society and county animal shelter. If you're interested, you can check it out (Upson Pets blog closed.)  It's a small area and animals just aren't being adopted. Unfortunately, it's not a no-kill shelter, so everyone involved wants to help save more cats and dogs.

We hope the blogsite will be a huge success and folks who live in that area will come check out the animals online and then go to the shelter to adopt one.

We are looking forward to seeing Percy when the production opens.

(s) Jan's Funny Farm

What Soda Are You

You Are Broccoli Casserole Soda

Vegetarians taste better!

What Jones Holiday Soda Are You?

All we can say to this is ---- ewwwwwww! Who would drink this stuff? Not even Buddy!!!! Well, maybe Buddy.

Click on the link and find out what flavor you are.

Thanksgiving Feast

Many of you cats and dogs were drooling over the prospect of Thanksgiving turkey or, in some cases, ham. And most of you were indulged a bit by your human staff.

We found a video of Winston's Thanksgiving feast and we're going to post it here. Not because we advocate stuffing your felines or dogs with people food (Jan made us say that) but because the video is funny. It's kind of like a no-no of how to feed your pet. (Sigh. She made us say that too.)

Some of you may have already met Winston. He's quite a character. Here he is again.

We recommend you show this to your staff as a training video on why their pets die of kindness at a young age. (You know she made us say that. Oh, Jan, eating like this would be so much fun!)

Video is no longer available.

Kitty Limericks

We have been reading a number of lists of things cats and humans are thankful for this Thanksgiving. It is wonderful to know the spirit of thanksgiving is still alive.

But we were humbled to read the list on one particular blog.

Please stop by Kitty Limericks, read the Happy Thanksgiving list, and leave a comment.

Thanksgiving

To all kitties and woofies: Please remember to skip the turkey skin, mashed potatoes, gravy, chocolate, desserts, and apertifs. You can, however, eat a little white meat from the turkey and all the unbuttered, unseasoned cooked veggies you want.

We know you have been drooling for some time now at the thought of having your own Thanksgiving spread just like your family's. But it's your job to make sure you eat right, even if your family and staff try to entice you with foods that can cause gastric upset, diarrhea, choking, pancreatitis or any other emergency health situation. It might smell good. Might even taste yummy. But if it isn't on your list of approved safe foods, just pull the finicky act and walk away.

Remember, even though your family has your best interest at heart, they don't always understand what is best for you to eat. And when faced with temptation, it's too easy to succumb. You don't want to be sick - or, gasp, worse! - so eat smart and stay healthy.

A Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Cat Talking Video

You know I can't pass up posting this video. I have never seen the original but this one is the translation, so I assume the original one was in neither English nor Meowish. Or in Arfish, so doggies could understand it.

But here it is, in all its cuteness, brought to us by someone with a vivid and fun imagination.

Doggie Gizzies

Oh, dear, with everything going on around here the last two weeks, we never did remember to post the photos we wanted to share with you. If you remember, Millie and her mom sent us two Gizzy quilts from Poppy and her mom in New Zealand.

Jan made six kitty beds for us cats. (You can see the kitty beds here.) 3 of them are Gizzy beds. But before Jan earmarked the Gizzies for winter beds, the dogs borrowed them to pose for a picture.

This is a picture of Cyndi and Buddy "sharing" a Gizzy quilt. Cyndi is daring Buddy to kick her off her Gizzy and Buddy is growly because it's temporarily his.

And here are Buddy and Samaritan hanging over the 3 Gizzies in a row. They're big dogs and they don't fit on them like we cats do.

All in all, we get along well. But those Gizzies sure are popular around here. We're real happy to have them.

(s) Percy, Secretary to the Funny Farm Writing Club

Buddy's Leash

Last night while we were walking Jan something unexpected happened. Can anyone guess what it was?

Hint: Does anyone see anything different about Buddy's leash?

Well, fortunately, we managed to bring Jan safely home, despite the emergency. Whew! What would we do without her? Who would clean/change the cat litter? Or feed us, especially Buddy? (You already know how much he loves food!)

And what if Jan had been injured wandering around loose? We would have had to drive her to the hospital while we were all upset. Percy could have had an accident. Oh, wait, he did have an accident. Just a teeny one. But he could have had another one.

And since our brakes won't work again, Jan's car really wouldn't be safe on the road. Yes, I said the brakes won't work again. Rusty, Cameron and Samaritan have resigned from brake duty. (If you missed that adventure, you can read about it in "Farming Michael Vick Continued." We'll probably be grounded till we're fifty over that escapade! And I was only along to bail them out if they got arrested.)

But fortunately nothing happened last night. Merci, Buddy and Samaritan brought Jan safely home.

Good job!

(s) Merci

Our First Award

Poppy Q is full of nice surprises. She left us a message to come visit her blog. We did and discovered she gave us an award.



We haven't received any awards before. Well, Buddy did once. He received the Scruffy Award. Oh, and he also received the Good Behavior Award. And Merci received the Bedmaking Award. But Jan gave us those awards. It isn't quite the same as getting one from a friend. Jan's our staff and we love her, though.

Poppy Q gave us this award because we inspired Jan to take photos at the local shelter. All those cats and dogs deserve a chance, but unfortunately most of them don't make it. That makes Jan sad - and us too. Merci was adopted from the shelter. So was Rusty. Jan adopted him for Miss Mother, but she died last year. The rest of us were throwaways Jan rescued (her brother Mr. Doug saved Buddy) before we ended up at the shelter.

We're supposed to pass on this award. We don't know that many blogging kitties yet, and many of the ones we do know have already received this, so we've spent the afternoon researching so we can make a good choice. We thought of giving it to Monty Q because his singing was so popular with all the cats and dogs riding on the cross-country bus earlier this month, but we were afraid he would be offended - him being a ManCat and all.

We narrowed it down to two and voted. It was a tie vote, so we will give this award to both The Itty Bitty Kitty Committee for their wonderful work fostering orphaned baby kitties and to Little Sassy Cat because she did such a great job of giving out of work cat actors jobs on her movie CCSI during the writers strike.

Now if you are wondering how we could have a tie vote with nine residents, Crystal insisted that Jan should have a vote and since she was out frozen turkey hunting, he, as the oldest and the club president, voted as her proxy.

We've been reading the Itty Bitty Kitty Committee site for a while now. Those babies are adorable! We just met Sassy this afternoon, but we thought she did a great job on her movie script.

Jan's Funny Farm residents

Poppy's Surprise

Our new friend Poppy Q from New Zealand had another surprise for us today. You remember Poppy. She recently surprised us with a package containing the two beautiful Gizzy quilts Miss Lynne made.

We don't want to spoil her surprise, so we'll just let you go read it for yourselves. The title of today's story is ( a surprise ).

And while you're there, don't be a lurkey turkey. If you have a blogger account, say hello. <(^,^)>

(s) Jan's Funny Farm residents

Pet Toothpaste Recall

Bet you never expected to see a toothpaste recall alert on the Funny Farm. But since so many pet owners are brushing their dogs and cats teeth nowadays, we thought we would post this important warning for Pet Edge Toothpaste in our journal.

The FDA has found a poisonous chemical, diethylene glycol (DEG), in certain toothpastes imported from China. Diethylene glycol can be found in antifreeze and other solvents. It can cause headaches and illness, or in high doses, renal failure or death. (You should never allow your pet to lap up any spilled antifreeze. ) The FDA has been warning consumers for several months to avoid using tubes of toothpaste labeled as made in China.

This includes Top Performance® ProDental? Toothpaste
with Toothbrush kit 1.4 oz., Item No. TP128. It comes in :
Beef flavor: UPC 721343128151 and
Mint flavor: UPC 721343128564

If your staff should have any of this on hand, whack it into the trashcan! Protect yourself and your staff. Check the labels of your human's toothpaste and if it was imported from China, whack it into the trashcan too.

Thanks to The National Pet Foundation for the warning in their newsletter. You can sign up to receive their pet recall alerts on their website.

(s) Jan's Funny Farm residents

Musical Beds

It is that time of year when Jan makes up kitty beds and puts them throughout the house so we can play musical warm beds. She makes them out of plastic dishpans or baskets, lines them with towels, pieces of blankets, or whatever she can find that will be warm. These beds are just our size. Well, they aren’t Rusty’s size. He has to have a big rectangular clothes basket, which we like to loll about in during the day because it is deep and roomy.

Since the package arrived and we now have 3 lovely Gizzy Quilts, Jan decided to make 3 Gizzy beds and 3 not-a-Gizzy-beds.


This is Cotton posing in a Gizzy bed.





And here is Crystal.






And Cyndi.






And Cameron.



And Percy wondering how he ended up in one of the not-a-Gizzy-beds


We’re sure going to enjoy our Gizzy beds this year. Thanks to Poppy Q and her mom and Millie and her mom, we have some luxurious accommodations for the winter months.

The dogs are jealous but they have some pictures they want to share in another journal entry.

(s) The Funny Farm Felines

The Package Contains

We apologize for this story dragging into 3 parts and taking so long to post. We intended to post the photos of the package contents Monday or Tuesday but the camera Jan has been using started having seizures or something serious again, only this time it went into a coma and couldn’t be revived. Fortunately, our photos were rescued off the old card inserted into a new camera. (We want to thank Bill and the local Humane Society for help in getting these pictures posted today.)

So, now we have a question for you. What is better than a Gizzy Quilt?

Answer:The Crew guessed a Gizzy Quilt. They were sooooo close. Who could have imagined there would be two?

See how well the two new ones match the one we already had? Well, it's hard to see that with cats in the way, but they do match. Miss Lynne put a different backing on each quilt.

Here is Cyndi expressing what we feel about these wonderful gifts. Whoopee!!!!

Buddy got all excited. He thought the two were just the right size for his personal bed. He would have room to stretch.


Percy looks at Crystal and asks, "Want to trade?" "No, I'm partial to this one," Crystal answers.

Percy is peeved. "Hey, Samaritan, you get off my Gizzy Quilt! This is for cats only!"

Why did Buddy's sensitive hound nose detect the scent of cat when he sniffed the package for a bomb? Because Millie did the quality testing. We gave you a hint when we put this link to Poppy Q in yesterday's post. These beautiful Gizzy Quilts were a gift from Poppy Q and her mom. Thank you for such a lovely surprise!

And you too, Miss Lynne from Darling Millie, for picking out the colors and matching them to our first quilt. The attention to detail makes them extra special. You do beautiful work. Photos of her quilts and their happy owners are posted on Bizzy for Gizzy Quilts.

The last few days we have been wracking our brains trying to figure out why Poppy would do such a nice thing for a bunch of new friends who live halfway around the world. (Poppy lives in New Zealand, remember.)

And we think we figured out the reason. It's because of our journal entry after Hurricane Katrina, "Cameron Collects Club Dues," isn't it, Poppy? We weren't expecting a reward, but thank you anyway. (In case you accidentally sent them to the wrong address, we're not returning the quilts. We love them!)

Funny Farm Felines and Friends

The Package Opens

"Well, what's in the package?" Crystal asks before Buddy has a chance to look into the package he has just ripped open.

"Yes, what's in the package?" chorus the other Funny Farm residents.

"I knew I smelled cat in here," Buddy announces, blocking everyone's view with his big body. "And I was right. A hound's nose never lies!"

Cotton tries to squeeze between the other cats, hoping to catch a glimpse into the package. "But what is it?"

"It's ....."

Today we're so happy we just want to spend the day enjoying our surprise gift. Tomorrow we'll post photos. Meanwhile, if you really can't wait to see what is in the package, you can visit Poppy Q for a clue.

And you can see similar (you thought we were going to tell you what it is, didn't you?) at Darling Millie.

(s) The Funny Farm Felines and their jealous Canine friends

The Package

Percy finds the package on the floor first. He sniffs it, and then reaches to touch it.
"Don't touch that!" Buddy yells.

"Why? It's just a package. Jan must have dropped it here."

"But you don't know that," Buddy says, casting a suspicious eye on the package, so obviously out of place in the room. "It could be a bomb."

"A bomb?" "What do you mean, a bomb?" "Who would send us a bomb?" The Funny Farm residents congregate, half poking fun at Buddy with their questions and half frightened he might be right.

Buddy waves a reassuring paw. "Don't worry. I'm a hound. We have a highly sensitive sense of smell. I'll sniff it."
"But you don't know what a bomb smells like," Rusty protests.

Cotton agrees. "Rusty's right. You don't know what a bomb smells like."

Buddy sniffs harder. "I don't smell anything out of the ordinary."
"No, wait," he says, inhaling deeply. "I can just barely smell it through the packaging - after all, who knows how many hands this has gone through - but I do get a faint whiff of cat."

"Cat?" the others chorus. "Bombs don't smell like cat."
Buddy takes another deep whiff. "That's right, so it must be safe to turn it over." He carefully flips the package with one paw.
Merci smiles. "Oh, look, it's from Millie's mom. We know them from Darling Millie."

Cameron shakes his head. "Were we expecting a package from Millie or her mom?"

"No, but let's open it," the group cries.

Samaritan places one paw on a corner and Buddy rips the package open with his teeth to discover ......

(To be continued.)

We Don't Swim

I found these swimming cat videos on the Internet. They're cute, but I hope no one (Jan, in particular) gets the wrong idea because we are posting them here. This is not what you will find happening around the Funny Farm!

Everyone knows cats don't swim. At least normal cats don't. Normally, we are landlubbers and proud of it.

This is Jenna.



In this house, we prefer our water dripping from the tap, thank you. No floating in the tub! And no baths!! (s) Percy, Speaking for all the Funny Farm felines

Mothers

Percy tells Merci, “I was just trolling the net for pet news and came across an interesting news item I thought you might like to read, you being a girl and all. Here, you’re short. I’ll enlarge the print so you can read it.”

“Oh, what beautiful puppies,” Merci exclaims, her eyes shining. “And they’re red, like me.”

“Yes, but you’re not an Irish Setter,” Cyndi says, squinting slightly at the computer screen from her perch on the printer.

“I know I’m not an Irish Setter, and if they have 15 puppies at a time, I’m glad I’m not one. I can’t imagine trying to feed all those hungry puppies.”

Percy nods. “That’s why I thought this article so interesting. While mama Madyson was giving birth, the family’s English Setter Liliana cleaned up all the puppies and even though she wasn’t pregnant, she began to produce milk to help feed them. Now the two dogs work as a team at feeding time and all the puppies get their proper nourishment.”

“That’s sweet,” Merci sighs. “I never had any puppies but Buddy took over my den when he was 3 or 4 weeks old, and then Samaritan moved in when he was 4 months of age. Those boys always wanted to play tug or wrestle or run over me to fetch the toy first. They wore me out! So I feel I’ve done my part to help raise the younger generation of canines.”

Percy leans over and pats Merci on the top of her head. “I’m sure they appreciate you, Merci. I know I do. You rescued me when I was barely big enough to eat solid food. I can see why you wouldn’t want to have a litter of Buddys and Samaritans but I’m sure you wouldn’t mind having 15 of me running around the house.”

Merci, stunned, stares up at Percy. Cyndi begins to laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Percy asks.

“You are. We’d all go bonkers if there were 15 of you running around the house. You might not be a canine, but you, Buddy and Samaritan are like 3 peas in a pod. I think it has just occurred to Merci she has actually helped raise 3 screwballs, not just 2.”

Percy protests. “I resent being called a screwball! Just because I’m a feline rescued and raised by a canine does not mean I’m a screwball.”

Samaritan enters the living room with a mouth full of dog biscuits Crystal has tossed down to him from where Jan hid them on a porch shelf. He stops at Jan’s typing chair where Percy is seated and opens his mouth.

 

Percy reaches out and helps himself to a green one. “Thanks, Samaritan.”

Samaritan bends his neck so Merci can reach up and choose a dark brown biscuit.

Cyndi shakes her head. “Perhaps screwball was the wrong word. An animal psychologist’s windfall would be more accurate.”

To read the news story on Madyson and the puppies’ surrogate mother Liliana, click here.