Guarding Jan's Feet

Percy:  Hey, Rusty, I totally forgot tomorrow is Monday.  I don't know what to post on.  Do you have any ideas?

Rusty:  Nope.  Not a clue.

Percy:  Do you think anyone would want to know that all the early fireworks this weekend have glued Marcus to Jan's feet?

Rusty:  Nope.  No interest. Wait.  What?

Percy:  You know how sensitive Marcus is.  He's always under Jan's feet anyway, but between the recent storms and the fireworks close to home, Marcus is being a big baby.

Marcus:  Hey, have any of you seen where I left my blue ball?

Rusty:  Nope.

Marcus:  Who were you discussing when I walked in?  I think I heard the words "big baby".   Were you talking about Merci?

Percy:  Yes, we were definitely discussing Merci.  You know if we were talking about you, we would have mentioned how brave you are.

Rusty:  So brave you have been guarding Jan's feet to make sure the fireworks don't cause her to panic and run away from home!

Percy:  I take it your strategy is if she panics and tries to run, she'll trip over you?

Marcus:  Uh ... yes.  Exactly.

Rusty:  Good plan.

Percy:  And how long did it take you to come up with that solution?

Marcus:  Not long.  You know I'm a quick thinker.

Rusty:  I think it was about the second !!!BOOM!!!  Marcus, where did you disappear to?

Percy:  He's on Jan's feet.

Rusty:  There's no room between Jan and the desk.

Percy:  There is if you're a big, brave, quick-thinker like Marcus.

Rusty:  There should be time for a quick nap before the emergency.

Percy:  What emergency?

Rusty:  The one Jan's going to have when she tries to leap to her feet.

A Smile, Tear and Challenge

Hey, Rusty here with today's post.  Jan's rushing me so if I type anything in catspeak, just ask for a translation. I have a smile, a tear and a challenge for you today.  And if you think you don't need the challenge, remember our tea kettle meltdown last week.  Things happen when you're not paying attention.  Well, at least when Jan's not paying attention.

We enjoy Maru in a box videos.  This one had us laughing.  Maru didn't like his Kamakura house.  But then it was placed on his favorite chair.  And ... watch what happens. Yep, he's a typical cat.


If the video doesn't play, click here.

Graphic by KC of the CB

This is Ah Wong of A Desperate, Reluctant Housewife blog.  He was originally called "Orange."  He appeared out of nowhere on December 6, 2011 and ran into the house.  He had mange and serious health problems.  He was given a name, a home and medical care, but he died on January 22nd.  He was once someone's pet (neutered), then he was homeless, and then he was loved.  RIP, Ah Wong.


Last summer, as Hurricane Irene approached New York City and several coastal neighborhoods were evacuated, many pet owners were confronted with the issue of what to do with their pets. As a pet owner, do you have a plan for your pet if there is an emergency?

The Ad Council and the New York City Office of Emergency Management’s (OEM) Ready New York are campaigning to encourage individuals (including pet owners!) and families to Resolve to be Ready in 2012. Test yourself with Ready New York’s latest online tool, the Readiness Challenge, which takes users through a real-life emergency situation that forces them to make quick decisions at every turn. Once users have completed the scenarios, they can refer to various Ready New York resources to create an emergency plan.

We have been wanting to post on the NYC Readiness Challenge for a while but since we're not posting daily, we get a backlog and it keeps getting bumped from the list.  We don't live in NYC, however, it's a short but thought-provoking challenge, no matter where you live.  Check it out.

In an emergency, your furries depend on you, so be prepared.

Rusty, Auctions and Calendar

Rusty:  Oops, I didn't realize ... you caught me taking ... uh, hi.  I have a lot of information for you today and I was trying to look my best before I started the post.  Percy started typing without me. 

We just want to catch up on some misc. items today.  Many of you are already aware of the things we're posting but if so, a reminder won't hurt.  :)

Our friend Rusty left for the bridge yesterday. at age 19.  He had a good long life and he will certainly be missed.  Purrs and tail wags for his family.  Please visit Rusty's blog and leave a message if you haven't yet had a chance.

Graphic by KC of the CB

UPDATE - We are only posting about the following two auctions for your information.  We have nothing to do with either one..  Follow the links for either Furriends of the CB or Auntie Deb's emergency auction.  Thank you.

Cross your paws that Sammy & Andy's mom will get the new place to live next week. If you aren't aware yet, Auntie Deb is holding an emergency auction for them to help them move from a dangerous area. You can read more about it on Sammy & Andy's blog.  If you'd like to check out the auction, click here. More items will be added.

Also the Furriends of the CB auction for Derry has started and will run through the 20th of November. Stop by and bid.

The call has been out for photo submissions for the CB's 2011 calendar.  All furry friends are invited - cats, dogs, guinea pigs, hamsters, etc.  The deadline is Monday, November 15, so submit your photos.  Those that have left for the bridge can be submitted too.  We sent in one photo of each of us and one of Crystal who passed away earlier this year. If we remember correctly, there will be a special section for bridge furries.

We have one more item (that we can remember) but we think we'll save it for tomorrow.

Georgia and Friends in Need

Cotton:
Hi, I'm the senior member of the Funny Farmers, so I asked to introduce today's subjects since we have a senior dog and a senior cat to post on today.

Sadly, a breeding dog living 13 years on the end of a 2-foot chain and then being dumped on a shelter to be killed is not uncommon. But this one dog, now named Georgia, was pulled and will be headed to Maine for a totally different life in her senior years.

This is a video of Georgia's first taste of freedom.She's really enjoying it.



If the video doesn't play, click here.

We are sending lots of purrs and tail wags to two of our very ill friends.

Dr. Tweety's Auntie Stinkie is 18 1/2 years old and might have a tumor in her nasal cavity near her brain. It's risky to put older animals under an anesthetic so the vet can't check for one. She is currently on antibiotics in case it is an infection. You can visit Auntie Stinkie at Dr. Tweety & da Fab 5 blog

And Inigo's vets recommended he be PTS yesterday but his family just couldn't do it. He will see the pet cardiologist next week and if necessary, the decision will be made then. Meanwhile he is very happy to be home and enjoying the new Kritter Kondo. You can visit Inigo at the Rumblebum blog.

Those of you who know Sammy and Andy have probably heard their mom needs emergency help right now to have a place to live and to not lose the kitties. You can visit Sammy and Andy's blog but the details and donate button are at The Taylor CatSSS blog.

Jan asked to interfere with our post uh, say a few words about the problems we've been posting on about smelly Purina food, but she decided to wait so she doesn't put our readers to sleep.  Maybe we should rephrase that.  No, from our perspective it's definitely so she doesn't put you all to sleep.  But she thinks it's because we're about to click "publish."  She agreed to wait till another day to give you an update.

Factual Friday

This is Rusty. Just dropped by to let you know we have dubbed today Factual Friday. and the fact is we're taking the day off. We are several posts behind but Jan has a gigantic head and we can't ...

Cotton: Psst, Rusty, Jan does not have a gigantic head. She has a gigantic headache!

Rusty:  Oh, sorry.  Jan has a gigantic headache and she's determined to share it with all of us. We can't think when her brain is creaking and groaning.  By tomorrow her headache should be better.  If not, we'll have to lock her out back in the Romper Room while we try to catch 40 winks or write a post, depending on whether we manage to get any rest tonight.

Oh, I almost forgot. Jan posted some new collector plates and a couple of music boxes last night. You can check them out at Jan's Funny Farm Fair.


This is so frightening to us we almost can't post it. But Maxie is in serious trouble. All because he had his teeth cleaned. His esophagus was badly burned -- yeah, we're wondering how this happened too! -- and his mom has wracked up a huge vet bill -- with a different vet -- trying to save him.

Maxie is having surgery today.  Nothing has helped him and this is his last chance at survival.  Still, the vet might not be able to save him. He might have to be euthanized while under the anesthesia. Mom Laura and her twins are very attached to Maxie and are hoping for a miracle.  Please stop by his blog and support his worried family. We hate the thought he might not make it.  Who would have thought getting his teeth cleaned could bring about this horror.  Click to visit his blog.Lilly Lu, Iris and Maxie Tell All.

Have a purring and tail wagging day.

Sam and Dr Buddy's Cool

We haven't set up our 2010 calendar yet -- no snickering please -- and so we've been embarrassed yet again. We completely forgot today is Sam's 4th birthday. Yep, we just learned it the same way some of you did, on the Cat Blogosphere. Thank you, KC & ML. What would we do without you to remind us of important furry occasions.

Happy Birthday, Samaritan! We love you. Despite your size, you are sweet and you try hard to be gentle. You just don't know your own strength. We're glad you're our brother.

There are no furries appearing in today's video. Not a cat or dog, not even a gerbil. Well, there is a dog named Lou but we never even hear it bark. We think you'll enjoy it anyway.

This is about a young girl who stayed calmer in an emergency than some adults would. Talk show host Bonnie Hunt plays a 9-1-1 tape of five-year-old Savannah talking with a 9-1-1 operator when her father has chest pains and can't speak.



If the video doesn't play, click here.

As we listened, we thought of how different it would be if our 5-year-old Buddy had to take over for Jan in an emergency. He tends to bark quickly, howl often and becomes a bit discombobulated in a personal emergency.. His conversation would probably sound more like one long word, "This is Dr. Buddy. Send an ambulance immediately. Just send it north on Whatyacall it Road and look for the black tabby cat standing on a porch railing waving a white scarf. I've had a bad scare and I'm having trouble breathing and if you don't hurry, I'll go four paws up and then who will dial 9-1-1 for Jan. What? Of course I know this line is only for humans. What do you think Jan is? Oh, you want to know how she is? Uh, passed out on the floor. Is that important?

However, if you should need brain surgery, Dr. Buddy would be calm, cool and professional.

Have a good day.