Rusty is Awesome

Hi, Rusty here. I didn't write the title, Percy did.  So I'm trying to look humble today but I think I just look sleepy. I think I need a nap after I finish this post. 



Today is the 5th anniversary of Squillions Day on the Cat Blogosphere. We have several adopted Squillions - one "Missy You" each for those we have lost - Grayce, Jenny and Crystal. One "angel Crystal" and one orphan we named Viola. They are pictured individually here and reside together at the bottom of this blog, just scroll down to view them. If you haven't visited the Offishul CB VSquilions Shelter yet or would like to adopt one for your own blog, click here.

KC will still be found on the Cat Blogosphere, but KC, siblings and Mom ML and are taking a break from their Sherwood Bunch blog. They do so much work behind the scenes for the CB, auctions and helping cat bloggers. We are sending lots of good thoughts, a hug, purrs and tail wags their way.

We received the Awesome Blog award from Socks, Scylla, Artemisia & Fenris recently and would like to thank them for thinking of us. We're supposed to tell you some things about ourselves and pass it on, but Jan is impatient to get back to working on a huge photo project, so we'll have to do it another time. Thanks, SSA&F!

Cameron and Common Sense

Hi, in case you have forgotten me, I'm Cameron, the well-dressed Funny Farmer, with a fun video for you today.

These cats are obviously a bit confused over this new-fangled machine their humans call a treadmill. We've never met one but I'm sure we wouldn't have a problem figuring out what to do with it. Common sense "says" pull the plug! But these cats have an interesting method for trying to intimidate the treadmill into submission.


If the video doesn't play, click here.

Jan has been a bit under the weather or something this week and nothing has been accomplished, so it's catch-up time again and we only get a quick post.

Jan finally finished three designs for our zazzle store. We hope none of them are supposed to be any of us because we don't see the teeniest resemblance. Do you?

Percy Tattles on FFs

Is it finally my turn? Are you sure? I thought you had all forgotten about me by now. But I'm Percy and I'm still one of the Funny Farmers.

The first note of business is to let you know the farm theme photo header was made by Gracie's mom. 

We have really enjoyed reading the performance reviews around the blogosphere the past few days. At least one of you admitted being bribed with num nums, a few of you we suspect were bribed but since you didn't specifically cop to it, we'll accept your human really is perfect, and all of your reviews were interesting and entertaining.

Which reminds me, I have a story to tell on us Funny Farmers about one of the reviews. But first, we need to explain that whenever we try to search for anyone we know on Twitter, Twitter swears profusely that some cat or dog doesn't exist - even if we have the correct @name.

Saturday we read the review by Zippy, Sadie and Speedy, collectively known as the Kattonic Cats. We saw their Twitter name and went right over to follow them before we forgot about it. Our plan was to copy and paste right from their blog and send them a tweet, and then click on their link in the tweet to reach their profile page. The perfect plan. Well, you know Murphy's Law, anything that can go wrong will.

Feeling really pleased with ourselves, we sent this tweet: @kattonic cats Hey, we're reading your purr-fur-mance review and thought we better follow you now, before we forget.

We didn't notice the space in the name, so when we merrily clicked on the link in the tweet ... oh, no! We were on the profile page of a complete stranger ... and his tweets were not in English.

We tried a search for @KattonicCats and as expected, Twitter told us they don't exist. Later, Zippy, Sadie and Speedy left their correct link on our post and, you guessed it, it was the one Twitter said it couldn't find. (We're @jansfunnyfarm in case any of you are interested. We would hate for you to get lost on a strange funnyfarm.)

But meanwhile, we had sent a stranger a message that wouldn't make any sense to him. In fact, we'd love to know how "purr-fur-mance review" translates into his language. And we dearly hope "follow you now" doesn't translate as the same word as "stalk." We did send an apology in 140 words or less but with our luck it was probably as cryptic as the first.

Today we have a video of living creations that will fascinate you. Or they did us. The imaginations of some humans is amazing. We hope you enjoy it, but we do want to emphasize we don't consider them "animals," as their inventor calls them.


If the video doesn't play, click here.

And with this we have to give the typing chair and keyboard back to Jan so she can get back to designs for our Zazzle store. She has been working on something different and is posting 3 new designs today.

Love Photo Contest

This is a special post. Scroll down for our regular post.

There is a Love Photo Contest over at Bugsy & Gracie's to raise money for their large vet bills. Pet bloggers have a reputation for helping one another. We hope you will go by and check out the rules, then submit an entry.  The contest runs through the 20th.

Performance Review 2010

Hello again, this is Cotton, and it's that time of year again. A time when Jan should be on pins and needles, dancing to our every whim and generously doling out the treats she's so stingy with. I have been designated - since I am the oldest of the Funny Farmers and the most tactful - to post Jan's 2010 Purr-fur-mance Review.

This is the list we're supposed to work from.



Has she posted to our blog daily and made us famous? Hey, this is a joke question, isn't it? Jan is too lazy busy to type for us, we have to do our own. She loses points for not helping us with our posts.

Yet this does allow us a bit more freedom on what we post, so we'll give her back the points we just deducted.

Are we satisfied with Jan's creative output? Um, how can we best put this? No! If our blog depended on her, it would have died long ago. Deduct points for lack of creativity.

But we are fairly creative, it's our blog and we do our own typing. So we'll have to deduct extra points for living with a non-creative human who makes us do our own work, unlike most blogging kitties who have a slave human.to help them.

We'll give her points for giving our friends more than one way to contact us.

Jan does give us some computer time so we can enter an occasional contest or do a review. We'll give her points on this one.

But we'll take half of the points back since she's usually rushing us because she wants to hog the computer. There are 8 of us and only one of her, so how come she gets 8 shares of it and we only get one? Deduct, deduct, deduct!

If our friends are purringly pleased with what we post, it's our success, not Jan's. Sorry, Jan, you lose more points here.

Jan, we're sorry, but your overall rating in these categories is a C-.

However, we do get to make comments.

Last winter she was nursing an injured/infected toe, but she still changed our litter, fed us and did her best to walk the woofies before the nice men came by and put up a bigger dog pen so she could just open the door and let them outside. We have to give her points for reliability.

And even though she really couldn't afford it, she did buy us an area carpet when she discovered the old wood floor was splintering and Buddy's chest was in bad shape from crawling under the couch. We'll add more points for concern.

Well, she does do some nice things that help us with to be able to blog. Gives us a home, shares the computer, cleans up the vomit from the typing chair when one of us eats something we shouldn't ... And she did open our blog, so she does deserve some credit for whatever we have achieved with it. So we'll give her points for our opportunity.

We know these aren't included on the review form but we have decided to add them so we can raise Jan's score to a B.

We would make it a B+ but she truly is stingy with sharing computer time with us.

So, let's see, a B would be what ... 2 1/2 paws? Okay, Rusty says the half paw can be one of his. Even though his paws are big, he was declawed before he joined us.

And that's a wrap for Jan's Purr-fur-mance Review 2010.


Oh, and a reminder:
There is a Love Photo Contest over at Bugsy & Gracie's to raise money for their large vet bills. And now Lucky will be going to the vet too. We hope you will go by and check out the rules, then submit an entry. The contest runs through the 20th.

And after that there will be an auction. If you have anything to donate to help raise funds, contact Gracie.

Buddy Reviews Our Sign

Hi, I'm Buddy. This is my face. Do you recognize it? Well, Jan can't seem to tell my face from my butt, so I just want to make sure you all know who I am. And which end should be photographed - the handsome, debonair, soft-as-velvet FACE!

See, a nice lady from BuildASign.com offered to let us review a sign and bumper sticker. We've seen them around the blogs and we were very happy to comply. But Jan didn't have time to photoshop us individually so she cheated us and advertised some dogs and cats we don't even know. And under our name! (There are quite a number of furry graphics to work with if you don't know how or don't have the time to do your own graphics for your sign.)

Do you recognize any of the animals on the sign below? Well, neither do we. And it's all Jan's fault we're not on there. She could have uploaded our adorable faces for the sign, but she figured if there's a pointer and a Buddy impersonator - a hound sitting with his back to the camera, like the photo we used for a header for a long time - and a couple of cats, that will appease us. ** long sigh!** She has embarrassed all of us again!


As you can see that is not my handsome face in this photo. Jan, perhaps next time you take a picture you should first check to see which end is in the frame.

Oh, excuse me one second. Would I like a peanut butter biscuit? Well, sure, Jan, I'll have one. I can have two ... uh, three? **crunch, crunch, burp** Now where was I?

Oh, yes, I was telling you how much we love the sign Jan designed for us. Rusty thinks the big paw print is his. Yes, I know he's a cat, but have you seen the size of his paws? We haven't figured out how to hang it yet, but it's aluminum so it's lightweight and we should be able to hang it just about anywhere we decide to.

And we also have a nifty bumper sticker. Jan put it on the footrest to photograph it, so just ignore the brown background. At least she put our names on this. And she spelled them right too. We're so proud of her for that. **grin**

They have mesh and vinyl bumper stickers. They aren't mesh, so these must be vinyl.  :)

BuildASign.com makes bumper stickers, yard signs, cute car window clings, banners and more. You get to design your own product - everything is customizable. And as already mentioned, there are a number of animal graphics if you would prefer to use those, as well as other graphic categories to choose from. Stop by and check out the variety.


The product was provided for this review, but we were not paid to do it. Any opinions expressed are from our own experience with the product.

Cyndi Unveils Merci

Hello again. I'm Cyndi. We don't have much news. We have a post we need to do but Jan just took the photos and doesn't have the energy to do them right now. 



We love this portrait of Merci from Ann of Zoolatry. 

Jan wishes she had just a portion of the talent so many bloggers do. We need to change our header and save it for next year since Valentine's Day has passed but we'll take a moment to again mention it was made by Gracie.  At the rate Jan is moving it should be down by Christmas or New Year's. 

And, yes, she messed with the template yesterday.  She was trying to cheer herself up but the template maker doesn't cooperate for our blog like it did for the CB Auction blog.  If it loads slow, let us know. 

And we would also like to remind you there is a photo contest fundraiser going on over at Bugsy & Graccie's (not the Gracie of our header) for their vet bills.  We hope you will go by and check it out and enter.  It started yesterday and runs through February 21.Photo contests are fun. 

Sam Sends Purrs and Tail Wags

Hi, it's me again. Sam. We have a video of shame for you today. The kitties are laughing at it because it's about a trained woofie and as you all know, cats only do what they are in the mood to do.

But first, we would all like to send loving purrs and tail wags to some of our friends who had a very hard week.

Our friend Gracie was run over by a truck. Not actually, just figuratively. But she is a forgiving person and she won't only survive her wounds, she will heal. And she has retained her sense of humor. We all had a hearty laugh at her post on cooking advice. Gracie is the sweetheart who made our Valentine header and two or three others. She was also the auctioneer who ran an auction for us last year. That was when we got a small glimpse into how much time and effort goes into each auction, not to mention coordinating the payment and mailing of all the items.

KC runs the Cat Blogosphere and her mom ML does a wonderful job assisting her - juggling news, soothing occasional ruffled feathers and helping bloggers far more often than any of us know about. They picked a good time to close the CB for a few days of well-deserved rest because yesterday they had no phone or internet service. We hope it's back to stay but KC is sick again. We hope she will get well quickly.

Auntie Deb is dealing with severe back pain and numerous medical procedures for it. Jan had decades of back pain so she empathizes. Persistent pain can often make it hard to deal with even the simple stresses of life. Auntie Deb has been a help to many bloggers, including us. Her blog is on hiatus but we hope she will be able to return soon. She and Sammy & Andy's mom have started Furiends In Need to help kitties in need.

KC and Gracie have opened The Cat Blogosphere Auction Blog. It will only be temporary, until those auctions still on the current list are finished and then, as ML mentioned on her blog recently, auctions will be held on individual blogs. We all have the same aim, which is to help those in need.

We think Gracie started on the wine a bit early - we're kidding! - because she and ML asked Jan to do the template for the CB auction blog since she's had experience doing her own. Now, any of you regular readers are aware of how much "fun" Jan has had setting up a template on our blog. She is tech illiterate! Jan spent hours last Tuesday doing the template over from scratch again and again. None of the backgrounds were appropriate for a cat blog. She hated everything she put together.

But last night she got an idea. Group furry groan! We were sure we were going to be publicly humiliated since she didn't have a clue what she was doing. But if you clicked on the link above, you've already seen the new CB auction blog template, starring KC and Gracie.


Now that Jan has seen this video, she thinks we woofies should learn to fetch for her too. Yeah, that will be the day. First thing, she would get upset with whichever one of us forgot to close the refrigerator door. But she can dream if she wants to.


If the video doesn't play, click here.

Cameron Chats, Merci Wears Hat

Okay, cats & dogs & humans, I have taken over the typing chair for today and I'm going to post since none of the other Funny Farmers have stepped up to the computer yet. We can use a smile and we figure you can too, so we have a cute video for you.

But first, we're a little late with this news but Judi "hatted" Merci Wednesday. You can see Judi's graphic of our beautiful Merci in her winter walking hat on Sammy & Andy's blog. Thank you, Judi.

And also we want to let those of you who haven't already heard know that there is a photo contest coming up soon and you can to be picking out your entry so you don't miss it. The contest is to raise some funds for Bugsy and Gracie's vet bills from their recent illnesses.



The contest rules are posted on The Happy Cat Family blog. We hope you will stop by to check it out and plan to enter. Good luck.

So, now for the cute video I promised you. If you have seen this one before, it's worth another look. None of us have ever heard of a pet penguin before we first saw this video, but evidently at least one family has one.


If the video doesn't play, click here.

Rusty Shares Fire Photos

Hi, it's me again, Rusty, on my chair. Jan thinks the chair is hers but I know it's mine because it's just my size.

It's a little warmer in here at the moment. We nearly froze yesterday cause Jan was so busy working on a project, she forgot to turn the heat up - even a little - but kept going until she nearly turned into an ice cube and we had to push her into a hot shower to thaw her out. We are expecting rain mixed with snow tonight. Definitely curl-up-on-a-chair indoors weather.

Before we forget again, we'd like to thank Gracie for the lovely Valentine header she surprised us with the other day. If you notice, she even included our handsome Crystal. He's gone but not forgotten.

Buddy, Merci & Sam are about to head out to give Jan a walk. We missed it last night and again this morning, so they're going to herd her out the door before the freezing temperature and winter weather arrive. Whatever she's doing can wait!

We thought we would share some bad news with you. Not our bad news, but the local VFW's. Two weeks ago the VFW and LAVFW held their meetings in the same room, as the ladies' usual meeting room was still icy cold a couple of hours after the heat was turned on. Jan was home around 7:00 pm. The fire department was called to the VFW building at approximately 1:30 am - about the time the roof collapsed.


Yes, you guessed it. The building is a total loss. Jan took some photos a week ago and although you might not be able to tell from these photos because of their small size, when she looked through a door or window, she could look right through the building and see the trees around it. Eerie.


The good news is that they will rebuild. But it sure was a shock to hear the announcement on the news the next morning.

Hope you are all having a good day.  

Sam on Keys and Stealing

Hey, this is Sam. Do you see the smile on my face? It isn't there just for the treats you see beside me. I'm smiling at the news we read this morning.

Remember yesterday we posted on how tired we are of the Michael Vick hero worhipping hype? If you missed it, you can read it here. Go ahead. We'll wait. We want you to see the video of the Mayor of Dallas, Texas giving Vick a key to the city and then Vick and his entourage saying they don't care about the dogs when one of the media says he has one of Vick's dogs - one of the dogs that survived being fought and was eventually adopted into a real home.

Well, today we learned the Mayor of Dallas did not give Vick a key to the city. The Mayor didn't give him anything. It was the Mayor Pro Tem and he did not have the authority to give a sports idol or anyone else a key. You can read that short story here.

And we would be quite happy if that is the last Vick story we ever read.

On to a happier, more informative subject. There is a terrific post over at BlogPaws on not helping oneself to photos and stories online. Now, we're not posting this here for our blogging friends because we already know appropriating material is wrong and most if not all of us have had that happen to us at least once.

A good example is that pet blog photos can appear on one of the LOL sites with someone else's name on them and occasionally we recognize a photo. Recently, we saw this happen and when we checked out the one who posted it, we found she'd appropriated a photo of a very popular and easily recognizable blogging kitty, whom we informed, for her own ID photo. The next morning the ID photo was gone. But ... it was replaced by another stolen photo of the same blogging kitty. This time we left a message for I Can Has Cheezburger and a couple of days later that photo was gone. However ... it was now replaced by another kitty's photo that looked very familiar but we couldn't place it.

Now that is definitely a repeat offender who just doesn't get it. She might not steal from the collection plate on Sunday but she does steal, nevertheless.

The problem we bloggers have is explaining it to others, those who grab photos and posts and either repost them - with or without the owner's name, but definitely without your permission - or email them to everyone they know so they circulate around the globe "forever."

Jan is a bit fanatical on this subject because she once discovered someone was stealing every one of her posts from another blog she used to write and putting them on a forum. Not only that, but she found a number of other bloggers whose posts she recognized there too. She tried explaining that posting them there is stealing and if he wanted to share the stories, he needed to share a link instead. Then one night she finished/posted a story at 2 am. First thing the next morning, she checked the forum and her story had been copied and pasted - stolen! - before 5 am. Jan spent hours going page by page to ID every story of hers and those she recognized as stolen and reported it. A forum administrator ended up deleting all the stories, one by one.

You own the stories you write and you have the right to request they be removed if someone else uses them without your permission. If the blog or website owner refuses or ignores you, go over his head!

The BlogPaws post is Not Your Blog Post! Give it Back! We're going to bookmark it for future need. We hope you'll do the same because we'll likely forget where we bookmarked it and have to ask you for the link.

Well, Jan is impatient to get to a project so we have to sign off for the day.

Tired of Michael Vick Hype

Yep, you read that right! We're tired of hearing all the media hype about Michael Vick, including the praise that has been rolling forth from the "give the ex-dogfighting,now reformed animal loving Michael Vick the right to own a dog" HSUS. We can't stop people for idol worshipping him because he can play football, but we're not joining them. Maybe one day some die-hard fans will be able to see through the football jersey to the heart of the man they are now praising as one worthy of honor and a key to the city.

This video needs no introduction. Vick doesn't appear to care about the dogs he tortured. And we don't care about Vick!


If the video doesn't play, click here.

There are many men and women in the world who are honorable role models but they can't play football so they're real but unsung heroes. We would rather hear about them.

Our New Recliner and News

Okay, this is Percy with a bulletin for Jan: If you didn't want claw holes in your new recliner, you should have picked one that doesn't show the holes. Because, Jan, you KNOW I'm going to check it out, test it and CLIMB IT! The claw holes don't bother me, they don't bother the other Funny Farmers, so what's your problem with them?

Yes, you guessed right. We finally made a unanimous choice. We all agreed to get a recliner chair for Jan, thinking - erroneously! - that she would share it with all of us. But she only shares it with us kitties. Buddy, Merci & Sam are threatening to send back their share of the chair and let her sit on the floor with them. But we kitties don't want to let it go.


Cyndi and Sam check out the chair after it's been assembled. Jan says this is the easiest piece of furniture she's ever put together. And you know what a klutz she is!

Shhh, Sam, I wasn't going to tell everyone that Jan didn't put it together, her brother did. I was trying to be nice.  But I don't blame you for tattling since she won't share with you.  So what if you weigh more than the chair does?  One of the things Jan likes about this chair is that it is fairly lightweight and she can move it easily around the room.

Notice who claimed the biggest part of the chair? Rusty, the biggest cat. He thinks Jan put that cushion there just for him. She actually put it there to protect the chair from us. Sheeeesh, as if ....

Now this is the perfect spot for a cold winter evening. As soon as Jan sat down and threw a blanket over her legs, I made my move. The other cats cuddle too but not when Jan has a camera in her hand. If you notice, Sam is standing to the left and Buddy is looking forlorn on his bedding on the floor.  They really want to share the chair too.

This is what the chair looks like at the moment. Jan hung a blanket over the back and I did what any self-respecting cat would do - I climbed the back under the blanket. Oops, more claw holes. The pink behind the chair is a sheet over the small couch. She finally gave up on pinning that together.  I always managed to get underneath and climb the back.

So now there is a quilt hung over the chair, with the bottom end tucked through between the top and bottom cushions, and pinned in the front. It's a bit lopsided from Her Majesty who exiled the dogs from the new chair reclining in it, but this is only temporary. We've been told there's a giant towel headed this way to use to make a cover. Don't worry, I'll find a way under it. I'm a cat!

So what does Jan think of our present? She sat down in it when I started typing.  Jan, in one or two words, how would you describe this chair?

Jan: Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

Thanks, Jan. We're glad it has your snooze of approval. As your friend Pat suggested, perhaps you should just let us have the bed and you sleep in the chair.

We're sad for the family of Pablo. They have lost their special kitty and will miss him very much. You can leave a comment for his family on Pablo's blog.

Laila & Minchie lost their cousin Bonnie. Their mom was there to help her niece bring Bonnie home as well as to send her off to the bridge. They, too, are sad.

There are a number of sick cats posted on the Cat Blogosphere, including a couple of our senior gal pals, Momo and Sweet Praline.We hope they will both be okay. Thankfully, there is also a lot of good news posted on the CB too.

And Asta has a plea on her blog for her friend Oliver from the dog run. Oliver's mom will be moving to Germany and will not be allowed to take her pit bull mix because of German laws. So Oliver is in need of a new home.

Litterbox Voting

Hi, this is Cyndi. I'm standing next to an oak tree I cut down a while back for a contest. (Just kidding.) Jan hasn't had a chance to download photos from the camera yet, but we do have some news tidbits for you today.  We hope to have some photos to post tomorrow.

Hmmm, perhaps I should have chosen a different title for this. Perhaps Litterbox and Voting?  We don't actually need you to vote for or against a litterbox.  We want to tell you about a new site dedicated to cats with litterbox problems. The voting is a separate subject.

Cats can have litterbox problems for many reasons but many humans throw a kitty out or dump it at a shelter instead of trying to find the reason their feline has accidents or prefers a spot other than the box provided.
Romeo the cat wrote a post confessing his own problems and how fortunate he is to have staff that have worked with him on it. His personal story and information on his new project is posted on Romeo's blog, Confessions and New Project. (That's the post title. His blog is called Romeo the cat.) There you can read about the new site his staff started just for litterbox information.

Be sure to drop by The Happy Litterbox.com and check out the information there. Have you had a litterbox problem and your human found a solution that works for you? You can share it and might help a kitty or two remain in their home.

You can become a fan on Facebook and/or follow on Twitter - @happylitterbox

********************************

Chef the Boxerdog is asking all his old friends and about to be new friends to vote for him. You don't have to do anything except click on a star. But no sign-in and no email address required. Here, we'll let him tell you.

Hi everybodys. This is Chef. Looky - I'm in American Dog Magazine's Beautiful Eyes contest!!! Mama put me there because I have such big, slanted doe-eyes. They're very smart eyes because they get me everything I want, almost.

Click on the 5th star; I think that gets me most points. And you can vote every 24 hrs.

Here's the link: http://www.theamericandogmag.com/beautiful-eyes-contest/picture/beautiful-eyes-contest/43-chef

*******************************

The Bumpass Hounds are still seeking votes for Almost Heaven Golden Retriever Rescue. Voting is simple on that site to. They do wonderful work rescuing Golden Retrievers and even an occasional honorary GR.  It's easy to vote daily while you're at the Animal Rescue Site to click to help feed shelter animals.

Click here to vote. Choose WV from state menu and then Search. The second rescue listed should be Almost Heaven in Capon Bridge, WV. Click and then verify your vote by typing in the name of animal in the box.

Way Too Much Info

We decided to take the time to do a "public service announcement" today.  But please, if you want to share this information, share the link to this blog post and don't just grab the links out of it to send to all your FB or twitter friends. That's what has been done to a number of our posts and to be honest, that's just plain rude.

This will be a surprise to many of you who post a lot of photos online - your blog, facebook, twitter, any photo album, etc.

We had no idea some cameras and smart phones have a built in GPS that automatically tags your pictures and puts the exact location of where that photo was taken online when you post those photos. For example, the mother who posted a photo of her daughter's shoes online and tagging along with it was her home address. After you watch this, you might want to check your own posted photos.  This is waaaaaay too much information going public, especially as much of it is without the knowledge and consent of the photographer.

You can view the video here.

We don't have a smart cell phone - not even a dumb cell phone - or new camera but some of you might or will have down the line, so we'd like to make you aware this technology is around. The last thing we want our humans to do is to post such personal information online for just anyone to pick up.

For more information, visit I Can Stalk U. It will explain how to disable auto geo tagging on your phone. And be sure to click on the different tabs, such as "Why."

Excerpt from I Can Stalk U:  Now, we love Twitter and posting photos of our lunch, however, we don't feel that enough people realize what kind of data they are posting, albeit inadvertantly. By posting this information, they are allowing their movements to be recorded and analyized by anyone: from a government to a nosy neighbor. After analyzing your photos, someone could find out:

* Where you live
* Who else lives there
* Your commuting patterns
* Where you go for lunch each day
* Who you go to lunch with
* Why you and your attactive co-worker really like to visit a certain nice restaurant on a regular basis

Be aware of what you are posting. Twitter, Facebook, Picasa - we use these and they all want to publicly post where we are tweeting or posting from or where our picture was taken. We don't allow this.

Handing out your personal information like it's Halloween candy - to anyone who comes across a photo you posted - is totally unnecessary and for most of us, unwarranted . In this day and age, being circumspect could possibly save your life!

4 Kitties Need Homes Update

Today, we'd like to share information on 4 more cats in need of homes. Most of them are in Ohio but can most likely be transported. We received the information through our friend Eric of the 101 Lakemore Cat rescue adventure of a couple years ago. Although you might not be able to adopt any of them, you can pass on the link to this blog post in hopes someone who can adopt one or two will see it.

******************************************

Update Feb 7, 2011: This first lovely lady with the special need is a Maine Coon mix named Minnie. And we have just received word that she has no longer living alone in a basement and is safe in a foster home. However, she still needs a home of her own.

This lovely special needs kitty needs a new home because she is in a bad situation - living alone in a basement.

Info: Special needs kitty looking for love! This wonderful kitty needs a home. She is spayed and vaccinated. She is a little over 1 year old and need some TLC. She was born with her front legs curled in slightly. She needs a foster or forever home with someone who has a litter pan on the same floor. She cannot climb steps.

Right now she is in a basement because the husband will not allow a litter pan upstairs. Can you or do you know anyone who can help?

Please share! This kitty is in a sad situation and getting depressed. Please help to show her what love is! Thank you! Click to email.

Kitty is in PA but we will arrange transport!

Do not post on Craigslist or similar sites - Craigslist and other similar sites are a nightmare for animals and until we are able to educate people on the dangers of posting to these sites it is best not to post.


****************************************

Emergency - Owner Died and Cat Still Needs A Home!

We don't know this pretty girl's name but according to her information -

Please if you can, help this precious feline! She's approx 8-10 years old. My grandma rescued her a few years back, so that's why we are uncertain of age. She's in good health, has declawed front paws, is average size, is pretty quiet and a bit of a loner but can warm up as well. Not sure if she's a lap cat or not. She hasn't been around dogs. She's been to the vet for shots recently as well.


Contact the grandson Joe Brannan by calling 330-256-8534 and be sure to leave a message! Click here to email, but leaving a phone message is preferred.

*******************************************

Merlin

Ricky

Hello,
I'm a volunteer with Ohio Alleycat Resource (OAR) and am writing in regard to two domestic longhaired (possible MC mixes) littermates who recently lost their home of 11+ years when their owner moved and no other family members were willing to care for them. Ricky is big fellow, longhaired gray, with green eyes. Merlin is a good sized cat, too, long-haired black, with golden eyes. The boys are between 11-12 years old, neutered and front-declawed. I became aware of the situation when Ricky showed up at my front door. He and Merlin are now at the rescue and I'm trying to help spread the word about them. Both are in excellent health, confirmed by bloodwork done in Dec. Ricky also had a dental cleaning done. They've tested negative for FeLV and FIV and have had their shots updated. They get along well with other cats. While fond of each other, it's not necessary for them to be adopted together. Pics are attached, but can get better ones. Do you have any outlets for promoting them for adoption? Any help/suggestions would be appreciated.

Click to email Sr Eileen Connelly.

Help Find Ben Manning, Update

We have just read the very sad update on Ben the Rotti's blog.

Ben Manning's body has been recovered from the River Calder. Please stop by Ben the Rotti's and leave a message of comfort for the family. It doesn't matter that you don't know them. It only matters they know you care. Ben the Rotti's family is hurting too, as they are part of the same community and a 17-year-old has lost his life.

There is a young man missing in England and so far the publicity has only been local, so we are joining other bloggers around the world to put his face and information out there.

Clicking on the photo should enlarge it. For further details, visit Ben the Rotti's blog. Ben Manning is from Ben the Rotti's area.

And then please post, tweet, Facebook, whatever means available to pass on the link to Ben the Rotti's blog post where the information is being coordinated. Someone knows what happened to him.

Merci Tuesday News

By now, you might recognize me. I'm Merci, the small woofie. I'm going to be your hostess today.

You pool sharks out there are going to enjoy today's post. We have a winning chick executing a great shot. Perhaps she'll teach Jan to play so she'll be busy too busy hitting the balls off the table to hog the computer, and therefore we'll get more computer time. 


If the video doesn's play, click here.

Cloon very kindly passed the Stylish Blogger award on a couple of days ago and we don't want to forget to post it. We don't need to explain how forgetful we are, do we? As he explained it ....we believe that many things can constitute "stylish". It could be the look of your blog, the felines may be stylish or stylin', it could be your writing style or your unique style in general.

Thank you, Cloon from Clooney's Num-Num Fund blog, we appreciate that you consider us among your stylish blogging friends. We'll have to get back to you, though, on where to pass it on and the seven things you might not know about us. We're not sure but that you don't already know everything about us. Or have you all forgotten as much of it as we have?

Envy of Under One Roof blog has gone to the bridge and has been buried next to Itni.

Oh, and many thanks to all who voted for Friends of Pike County Animals through much of January.  They didn't get win the grant to build an adoption and education center but they tried. The volunteers do a great job in a county without animal control or a shelter.