Micah Shushes Kids

Shhhhh, Micah here, hiding under the bed for a very hush-hush post today.  If Jan finds out I posted her picture, I'll be in big-time trouble.

First, remember this recent picture of Cynthia holding Daphne, the two-day old baby goat? She was 2 weeks old on Friday. 

Well, Cynthia and Jan went back Thursday to see two new goats born the day before.  This is Jan holding one of them. 

There were also two newborn goats there, not even an hour old.  This is the talkative one with mama Nanny to the right..  She wasn't due till this week but guess she was jealous of all the attention the other two mothers were getting.

All five of the kids, including Daphne, were girls so they will grow up to be milk goats.

Oh, and Jan said young goats in a barn aren't much different than dogs and cats in the house.  The day-old goats were busy checking out our smell on her clothes and then we checked her out when she came home.

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Jan finished the graphics Friday night for the Furriends of the CB auction for ML . ML has done so much over the years to help many of us.  Her auction will begin tomorrow, Monday.  This is the matching badge for your sidebar or a post.  The link is -  http://furriendsofthecb.blogspot.com/

Even after the auction has begun, you can email Marg ( margaretmsa AT gmail DOT com) about any items you would like to donate.  Send her a photo of the item(s ), include a description and a suggested opening bid for each.  She also needs to know whether shipping is included, as well as whether you will ship domestic only or also international.

De-stuffers and Bed Eaters

Hey, Sam here.  Today I want to talk about bed eating.  Yes, it's a popular hobby among dogs,.  I want to teach you the difference between a pro and an amateur. 

Remember this recent photo?

Well, I'm a pro.  See, no mess.  I actually ATE some of the bed.

This is an amateur. (This dog is not one of us, he or she is from Dogshaming.)  M-e-s-s-y! 

And this is another amateur.  With that mess, Buddy will never be a pro, but he doesn't care.  For some strange reason he isn't a bed eater; he just likes to dig holes and de-stuff them. Kinda strange, if you ask me. 

And by the way, the bed I'm sitting on once looked the same as what's left of the cushion Buddy's laying on.  Yep, he de-stuffed that too.  Buddy and I still slept on what was left of it, but eventually it had the same fate as Buddy's cushion.  It went out the door one day and never returned.  Come to think of it, a lot of our stuff disappears like that.  We think Jan has a private burial ground for de-stuffies somewhere.

Maybe Buddy should do a post on how to de-stuff beds.  He could title it, How to Drive Jan Crazy! 

Don't forget Sallie's auction will start next Monday.  Email a photo of any items you'd like to donate with a brief description and a starting bid to margaretmsan AT gmail  DOT com. 

Helping Jan Clean

Hey, Rusty here

I've been having fun rolling in the dirt  and then leaving a trail of leaves behind me as I walked through the house afterward.  We've enjoyed a few rainy but warm winter days.  The weather is about to change, but I'll have fun memories to tide me over till spring. 

And you know what happens when we kitties eat grass? Yep, we hurl!  So I'm pretty proud of myself for single-handedly ... um, I mean single-pawedly keeping Jan busy cleaning up after me.  

Now that I've got Jan somewhat trained to clean up after me, I think I deserve a snooze.  Training a human is hard work!

But first, a little news.

The Furriends of the Cat Blogosphere auction blog is putting together an auction for Sallie, who recently was rushed to an emergency vet with severe complications from diabetes.  She is blind but home now.  Her mom Dawn needs some help with the high vet bills. 

The auction will begin next Monday, January 21st.  If you would have an item or two you'd like to donate to the auction, send a photo with a brief description and a suggested starting bid to Marg (be sure to convert this to the proper email format) margaretmsan AT gmail DOT com.

We finished the graphics yesterday, so feel free to grab this auction graphic for your sidebar and / or a post and help spread the news.  Thanks.

Never Forget

Even though 9-11 happened before any of us furries were born, we believe what Jan says - Never Forget 9-11. She remembers it. The shock and horror Americans felt as they watched the news, wanting to help but feeling helpless.

At the time she was a volunteer with the local Red Cross chapter and folks went by with donations. Someone designed a 9-11 t-shirt for a quick fundraiser and a local shop printed a batch. But they were so popular that they couldn't be printed fast enough.

In honor of all those who died, those who survived and those who rescued, we re-post this short video because of all the tributes we have seen, this one says the most without saying a word.


If the video doesn't play, click here.


UPdate:  Oops, we knew we forgot to include something.  Stop by George the Duck's blog to check out the garage sale for Mini's vet bill.   If you're interested in jewelry,, there is a link to Mom Robyn's store where she is having a 20% off sale, if you use the code. 

Also, an auction to help Mini opened yesterday on the Furriends of the CB auction blog.  The badge is in our sidebar.  Check it out.  If you'd like to donate something to the auction or bid or just donate a few dollars, stop by.

Merci Forgets and Remembers

Oh, dear, oh, no!  We're all very upset to find we're getting more and more forgetful.  That's Jan's department!  We've been forgetting quite a bit lately.  If we keep this up, Jan will fire us instead of the other way around.   We can't have that. 

Oh, sorry, I forgot to remind you of who I am.  Or was.  I used to be Merci, but I might have forgotten and borrowed another woofie's name.I'm pretty sure I'm who I think I am, though.  If not, let's just pretend.. 

A couple weeks ago we interviewed ex-Presidential candidate Cheysulli for Mousebreath magazine. Her human trained to use those long acupuncture needles and she gave us some interesting information.  We put it in a new post form so we wouldn't forget to add it to our own post on the interview.  However ... sigh!


To put the information in persepective, the Funny Farmer Felines asked Chey -

Your mom has worked with Acupuncture. Has she ever used it on all of you? For any particular disorder … um, illness? And, Chey, in your case, was this before or after you began to have problems with the law? In other words, what affect does acupuncture have on the feline mind? We’ve heard it can relax one, so we figure this was a sneaky method of curtailing your adventurous side before you ended up in prison for the remainder of your nine lives.

You can read Chey's answer in the interview (link above). Chey's mom (the Woman) added -

Acupuncture can help people with mood disorders like anxiety and depression. It is not, however, a pill like Prozac that just takes it away. If there are issues to be resolved, they will still need to be resolved. If a person is anxious with good reason to be anxious, the acupuncture may make them more able to deal with the anxiety but it does not change the outward situation. A really great program called Acupuncturists Without Borders works with acupuncturists who travel to disaster areas and give treatments. In Haiti, after the earthquake, they were in a tent doing ear needles with people who had lost limbs and were dying. There was a lot of screaming and crying. After the needles were in, the tent was silent. Relatives who were caring for their injured family were saying this was the first time many of them had slept since the quake. It was hugely powerful and profound, and the healing went way beyond the expectations of the practitioners.

It's a small charity that does rely on donations, so if you are so inclined, they can use your support. They've been to tornado areas, they've been to Aurora CO and many major disaster areas. The idea was born of acupuncturists wanting to find a way to help after Katrina. In addition to sending people to disaster areas, they also help acupuncturists under their non profit status set up non profit centers for veterans suffering from PTSD, where they can give away their services or serve for donations only.

So yes, acupuncture affects the mind--but in a good way.

We think any group of humans who will volunteer their time to help others is worth a mention, even on a pet blog.  And thanks Chey's mom for this information.  There might be some humans interested in trying something new for stress or depression.

Prayer request: Katie is having eye surgery for a detached retina today.  We hope the surgery goes well and is successful.

And don't forget the Furriends of the CB auction for Zoolatry is still on.  Khyra and her mom donated a transport to be dedicated to the winning bidder.  Jewelry, clothing, cat items, Peggy's blankies, 40 Paws' ham-micks. Lots of good items to check out. 

Okay, I think that's all I need to post today.  If I forgot anything, don't blame me, blame Jan.  I just know somehow it has to be her fault!  We Funny Farmers all had a good memory till we met her.

Sponsor a Leg Lap

Hey, it's me, Cameron.  I'm stealing ... um, borrowing the computer for a few minutes to do a quick post.  I have some news. 

Most of you know Khyra's mom has been doing dog transport for years.  She drives a leg (lap?  well, some human body part) to help rescued dogs travel to a new life in a Northern state.  A while back Khyra came up with the idea to donate a leg / lap to help others.  She has offered a one-time sponsorship to various woofie auctions and there have been bidding wars to be the lucky winner.  The woofie in need gets the entire donation and the winner has a lap / leg and the corresponding blog post dedicated to him / her. 

Well, Khyra the Siberian Husky / honorary cat blogger has generously put a sponsorship up for auction on Furriends of the CB auction (item #30) to help Zoolatry's Ann and Poppy Vic with overwhelming medical expenses. 

Be sure to stop by and check out the other items in the auction too.  Peggy has donated a couple of her wonderfully soft hairy blankies.  Forty Paws has donated a couple of their popular ham-micks.  There are books and jewelry and who knows what else will show up, as the list is growing daily. Ann has made so many free graphics for cat and dog (and other) bloggers over the years that every furry wants to give something back now that she has a need. 

Now we know the auction is for a kitty blogger, but woofies are welcome to bid.

So pass along the news to your friends. You just might be the sponsor of a woofie-saving leg / lap transport.  (Try and say that 3 times real fast.) 

Have a sunny Sunday. 

Hannah and Lucy Plus Zoolatry

Our special guests today are the lovely Hannah & Lucy from the United Kingdom. We asked Jan to make this special graphic before we sat down to interview them for Mousebreath.  So stop by to read Dainty and Darling Hannah & Lucy.  and meet the ladycats if you haven't already, or get to know them a little better.

We were a little late posting the interview today.  It's been a crazy week.  We haven't even had a chance to read all our email from Thursday yet.

For example, yesterday Jan didn't turn on the computer until late afternoon.  Yes, we could have pushed the buttons to turn it on ourselves, but now that we're older, we're not fond of being in the doghouse.  Well, Rusty is, but he thinks he's a dog, so we overlook this peculiarity.

Why were we computerless for umpity (or is that umpteem) hours?  Well, to start with, Jan learned a few days ago she had to be in court early as a witness.  So she got up an hour earlier, walked and fed the dogs, but didn't have the time to feed us kitties.  If we didn't have a bowl of crunchies handy, we would have all STARVED TO DEATH while she was gone.

She did get home in time to feed us a late breakfast because after sitting on a narrow, hard bench in the hallway for 62 minutes (yes, she timed it), she finally got to go in and sit down on a chair.  Less than five minutes later, everyone was excused because the defendant requested counsel.  So she'll have to repeat this too-early morning wake-up on another date when there will be attorneys present in court.  She better get up TWO hours earlier then so we cats don't DIE OF STARVATION while she's off having fun.

But even though she got home in time yesterday, did she feed us kitties a late breakfast?  No, she cleaned and "organized" the desks, then went off to lunch with friends and STUFFED HER FACE while WE STARVED! 

And when she came home, she spent the rest of the day working on graphics for Zoolatry's auction.  As you know, Poppy Vic has been very sick and went back in the hospital again Wednesday.  Ann has had to do a lot of distance traveling to and from hospitals and is deluged with extra expenses and medical bills.  So the CB is putting together an auction to try to help.  If you have anything you'd like to donate, contact ML or Marg.  Their contact info is in the Furriends of the CB auction sidebar right under this graphic -

The auction might start tomorrow. .  It will be announced on the CB.  If you'd like to help Ann and Vic now, you can use Zoolatry's Starving Artist Fund button in their sidebar.  

Jan is praying for Poppy Vic and Ann.  We're sending lots of purrs and pawhugs!

FFF on Moosey and Sammy

Good morning. While Jan slips into a cup of coffee, we're grabbing the chance to let you know Moosey & Sammy's interview with our Funny Farmer Felines has posted on Mousebreath.

You know Moosey & Sammy of the Animal Shelter Volunteer Life blog.  Their dad is Meowmeowmans.  Well, today they tell their story, so be sure to go by and check it out.   

And stop by the auction for Ms. Stella's footie fix.  She has had a couple of surgeries on her foot, including a toe amputation and she can use some help with the vet bills.  Not that we think she wants to pay the vet bills.  We believe she'd rather sue because the vet keeps putting a PINK bandage on her paw.  Um ...  maybe we shouldn't have decorated her auction in pink to match her footie?  But she looks so pretty in pink.

Incognito Buddy, GV and WV

Hey, Buddy here, incognito again because I figure some of you are going to want to throw rotten tomatoes at me before I finish this post.  But one of us had to volunteer and I drew the shortest whisker from the mug.  I'm speaking for all of us, including the other 6 cowards ... um, furries on the Funny Farm, hence the use of "we."


Today, we have a warning to share with all Google / Blogger bloggers.

We all like to add cute gadgets to our blogs, but we have to be very careful of what we post, not merely for our own safety but because we are responsible for the safety of our visitors.

For several years now, we have been coming across a number of blogs that have a popunder when we click to leave a comment.  Always before our anti virus has kept whatever site the popunder is to from loading.  The popunder will load but with a message from our antivirus the site is blocked because it's potentially dangerous.  

A couple of days ago, we came across the same problem but with a new twist.  What loaded was a popunder that was literally and visibly counting down the seconds to installing a downloading program that would not be flagged by our (or your) av because it is a legitimate program (although we'd never heard of it before) -- a downloading program that enables an easy, fast download of videos or multiple programs.  So why was it about to download and why was it "necessary" to download it at all, especially on the sly?  We can only think of one reason.

If you are wondering what's the problem if the program is harmless, remember this is done without visitors knowing it.  And just because the program itself is supposedly safe, doesn't mean anything downloaded with it would be. We have a good av, but not everyone does. And things can happen.

We try to remember to watch the bottom of our monitor screen to see what's loading and to count the new windows because of past experience, so we brought up the window, saw the counter and closed the window in time.  But most visitors would not notice the extra open window, especially since there might be a delay in opening..

We always notified the blog owner and when a particular globe widget (often two separate globes) were deleted from the sidebar, the popunders stopped.  The same thing happened last night.  The blog owner deleted the 2 globes from the blog and the problem was resolved  Any time the blog owner has refused to delete the globes, we have deleted their blog from our bookmarks.  Online safety is that important! 

Over the course of several years,  the comment popunders we've run into have all been associated with the same widget -  a spinning globe counter from Geovisite.  We hope this post will serve as a warning to those who are considering installing it or those who already have it posted on their site.  And also to remind you to be alert to what is happening as you surf the web. 


On another blog subject, as much as we'd like to do a tirade on the evil's of the Blogger word verification and why it is totally unnecessary to use it and chases off many visitors who would like to comment, we won't   But when Blogger made the mass switch to the new interface, word verification was turned on by default.  So we will admonish you to go to your own blog while NOT signed in to Google / Blogger and click on comments to check your own blog. You keep annoying your visitors and they will stop returning.

Go ahead, try to tell us you don't care your visitors are facing this kind of crap because you don't want to check out your spam options without it when they want to tell you they're sorry your Fluffercat or Roverdog died.  They not only have to love you, they have to have x-ray vision.

We just took the following off a blog comment form.  We didn't make them up. 


Or how about this one -


Okay, so we did a tirade anyway.  Sorry about that.  No, actually we're not. We're most annoyed with those who use full page comments because wv doesn't show up until after one has written a note of condolence or get well  or .... and clicked "publish comment."  And then we find we have just wasted our time.  

Oh, and Brandi reminded us of what we forgot to include.  We've checked this link several times already and our av sent a reminded this morning because if your computer is infected with the DNS Changer, your internet will be shut down on Monday..  You can find the link for various countries where you can check your computer, if you haven't already.   http://www.dcwg.org/detect/  Once you read the material, it only takes one click and a second to find out.

Just a reminder that the auction for Krasota Castle will be closing soon, so be sure to stop by Furriends of the CB and check out the items up for bids.

Jenny and Squillion Day

I don't believe I know any of you.  I'm Jenny, one of the founding Funny Farmers. I passed away in 2007 at age 17.  I never got to meet Rusty or Sam, but I hear they fit right in and help keep Jan unsteady on her feet and searching for her reading glasses.  They even helped hide Jan's slippers for an entire month and had her convinced she was losing more than a pair of slippers, if you catch my drift.

Well, as you can see, I'm not really Jenny.  I'm a Missy You VSquillion Jan and my siblings adopted in my memory a couple of years ago.  It's nice to know I'm still remembered.

I'm here to celebrate Squillion Day with Derby and Ducky. and also the Cat Bllogosphere, which as far as we know is still in exile (on Blogger) since the CB Wordpress blog was hacked Saturday.  Now Derby & Ducky and KC have real squillions but we are virtual ones JFF adopted from the VSquillion Shelter.

 

Above is the banner displayed at the bottom of this blog.   (Left to right)  Angel Crystal and then Missy You Crystal. Many of you knew my handsome brother Crystal.  Next is our sister Grayce.  We were together for 13 years, even moved cross country together, but Cotton is the only surviving furry of JFF who was privileged to meet her.. There I am to the left of Viola.  Viola was the first virtual Funny Farmer.  They adopted her from the VShelter because even a virtual squillion needs a home. 

It was nice to meet all of you.  Thank you for coming by and helping us celebrate today.  Perhaps the next time the VShelter holds an adoption, you'll consider giving a VSquillion a home.  A literal one is always nice to have but we don't know how to adopt one of them.

Here's the graphic for Jimmy's auction, if you'd like to use it for your blog.

Jan finished the graphics for Furriends of the CB auction for Jimmy of Criz Cats Sanctuary.  Marg expects to open the auction sometime today., Tuesday  Stop by and check it out.  New items will be added periodically.

Criz lost Jeremy and Jerry to the same thing Jimmy is being treated for.- FLUTD (feline lower urinary tract disease).    Mama Jessica survived it.  Jimmy has spent the last few days at the vet's and Criz hopes to have him home soon. 

Criz lives in Malaysia and helps feral cats whenever he can, plus takes care of his own furry J Family..  


We received this email yesterday and even though we weren't interested, it raised some red flags so we did a search and found a lot of bloggers are receiving this message and the consensus of opinion is it appears to be a scam. The email address is from purebloggerss, with a double ss on the end. If you receive this message and are tempted to respond, research it well before visiting. We don't want to send anyone to their site by posting the link, thus we divided up their url.

Hello, someone liked your blog at http://jansfunnyfarmfair.blogspot.com and sent you an invitation to http:// purebloggers .com . Pure Bloggers is a social-network for bloggers and companies. Need more traffic? Want to sell Bannerspace or links? Offer services at your blog? Want to get more readers? Or just share experiences with other bloggers? Get in touch with 1000s of Companies and Bloggers! http:// purebloggers .com is the right place for you. Sign up for free now and join the biggest blogger and companies network!

Rolling in Snow

Hey, Cameron here, and I have a protest!  A couple of posts ago, Percy introduced himself as the handsomest dude on the Funny Farm.  Excuse me, but who elected him? Buddy, Sam, Rusty and I don't remember any ballot, so scratch Percy off as the handsomest.  He has competition!  Tough competition.  Enough said on this subject for now.

I have a fun video for you today.  I lived outside for a while as a kitten but it was summer so I've never played in the snow.  And that's okay.  I moved in here in the fall because I didn't like living outside.  I wanted friends and family.  Well, actually I packed my bags and moved in because of Merci.  She used to drag Jan over to visit me on their walks and tell me how great the Funny Farm was.

Buddy, Merci and Sam are wimps.  They don't like to go outside in the rain, cold, heat, or snow.  Unless they have to walk Jan.  Getting her wet is fun. 

So I was kind of surprised to find that some animals actually like playing in snow.  Even a baby elephant.  Here, see for yourself.


If the video doesn't play, click here.


' Figuring out where to send an animal rescue/welfare donation, and/or deciding where to spend your valuable volunteer time may pose a difficulty for some animal-lovers… With ‘this blog’ purporting “this” about “that darn Humane Society,” and another news outlet claiming “that” about “those nut-jobs at PETA,” how in the heck are you supposed to know if a group is genuine, trust-worthy and sticking to the rules?'

The above is quoted from a post, What are reputable animal welfare organizations in the US? by Jaime Lynn Smith (of Thoughts for Paws blog) post  You might agree or disagree with her assessment, but it does pay to do some research on an organization before donating.  Just click the link to read the rest of her post.

Jaime's article is on a pet social site (not a blogging pet social site) called PetBytes.  We had an email from PetBytes a while back inviting us to sign up but we haven't been able to spend time checking them out to see what they're about.  We wondered if they're on the line of Dogster/Catster since we noticed they give points.  We wonder if any of you know anything about the site, perhaps have even joined?  Is it worthwhile joining or just reading some of the posts, such as Jaime"s?  We'd be interested to hear from our readers on this.

And don't forget to check out Coco's auction at Furriends of the CB, if you haven't already.  At least once new item has been added since yesterday.  Coco looks so cute in her fashions, Jan had some fun with the graphics.

Hope you all have a great weekend.  Jan is kicking us off the computer again.  Says she has lots to do.  Uh-huh, as if we don't! 

Funny Words, Purrs and Bum Knee

Hey, Cotton here.  Jan chopped off the top of my head in this photo but it's me.  It's been rather tense around here the past couple of weeks, so I decided it's time to have some fun.  I looked up some recent keywords used to find our blog.  

janschihwawas - We have no clue what Jan did with her chihwawas.  We weren't even aware she'd ever had any. 

sam s farm - No, this is not Sam's  farm. We're the funny farmers and we all own this virtual farm.

modkat siberian  - We didn't realize a litter box can have a nationality.

modkat peeing on lid  -  We have a modkat but there has been no peeing on lid allowed or attempted.

blinking photos of dog - What about blinking photos of cats?

logos that don't translate well  - This would be an interesting topic, but perhaps we better move on.

pets love twix - Well, we'd love Twix too but it's a chocolate candy bar and we aren't allowed to have chocolate.

funny farm cards by Hallmark - And we're not getting royalties?

goat breakaway collar  - We have posted on goats, but they climbed trees sans collars. .

Rusty is awesome- This was a popular one and Rusty's head is about 2 sizes larger now.

Clydesdale donkey  - A new breed of Clydesdale?  We have a little trouble imagining donkeys replacing the awesome Budweiser Clydesdales. 

melted kettle on stove  - Did someone else melt a kettle on the stove or has word spread about Jan's?.

missing bear poster examples - Seriously, how man times have we posted on a missing bear?  We keep ours in the closet so he'll never come up missing.

bell shaped rabies tag silencer - We remember a post about bell-shaped rabies tags, but with a silencer?  We just mentioned they didn't hold up for the 3 year life of the rabies vaccinations.  We never threatened to shoot anyone over it, with or without a silencer. 

funny sombrero - Only kind Jan wears.  She doesn't allow sad or angry sombreros in the house. 

We are thinking of Poppy Vic and Ann of Zoolatry today and tomorrow, as he undergoes a procedure called TACE to treat his cancer.

"Studies show TACE has better results, less side effects, and is easier on the patient, and safer in general.  RFA uses radioactive substances which have on occasion "spilled over" into surrounding areas (not good) ... and after RFA no hugs or close contact with anyone for several days as you're radioactive!

It is "trans aerterial chemo embolization"; they go in through arteries in the groin area; guided imagery; and inject a variety of drugs (including chemotherapeutic drugs) directly into the core of the tumors in the liver, and some of this "cocktail" of drugs is also targeted to surrounding tissue.  The cocktail serves to cut off the blood supply to the live cancer cells, in effect killing them, preventing their continued growth and spread.

He has five active tumors in the liver to be treated.  The tumors present in the lung will still require standard chemotherapy; but that will be postponed until sometime after this procedure." 

We are keeping them in our thoughts and prayers and we know you are too.

Jan has finished/posted the new auction graphics and the auction for Coco's patellar luxation surgery will begin sometime today, just as soon as Marg is finished posting the items. (That's a lot of work!)  You can grab the graphic for your sidebar to help spread the word.

Teri of Curlz and Swirlz has made a special page describing Coco's "bum knee" journey.  Stop by the Furriends of the CB Auction sometime today and check out the items as they're posted.


And now I better close or Jan will sit on me.  She's antsy and wants - says she needs the computer back.  I don't know why.  She'll just forget what she wanted it for.  But if we don't humor her, she'll forget to feed us.

Cyndi Reports

Hey, Cyndi here.  We'd all like to thank you for your words of comfort on the demise of our non-whistling whistling tea kettle.  We are still in shock and have decided to hold off on replacing it until we have recovered from the shock.  It's just too soon to think about bringing another one into our home.  :(

We had planned a different post for today, but life happens and plans get changed, so today we'll just pass on some snippets.

The CB was going to hold an auction for Baker's medical needs but he passed away Friday, so the auction will be held in his memory to help his littermates and other kitties Mary Anne of Feral Cat Behavior is helping.  Jan redecorated the auction blog and made this graphic for any who would like to put in a post or their blog sidebar.  Stop by Furriends of the CB Auction to check out the items available.  Marg is the auctioneer, so if you would like to donate an item(s), her contact information is in the sidebar of the auction blog.

Last night we read the news that sweet Maggie was helped to the bridge Saturday.  We are sad for Mitch and their humans.  You can visit and leave a message on their blog Maggie and Mitch the Airedales.

 graphic by ML of CB

We were also sad to learn Sarge Charlie passed away.  He and his wife Bee have been an inspiration to us with their positive outlook throughout his long battle with cancer.

Our friend Amber DaWeenie gave us the Pawsome Blogger Award on her and her Odder Brother Max's birthday. How neat, we got a present on their birthday.  Since we already passed it on to 3 bloggers a week ago, we will just say thank you, Amber. 

Surprise for Jan and CB Auction

 Hey, Percy here with some good news.

We Funny Farmers held a meeting and decided we all feel a twinge of guilt because we couldn't afford to get Jan a present for Christmas, and although we tried - we really tried to be good for just that one day, we didn't quite manage to.

We wanted to do something nice for her but we were stumped until my nimble paws found the perfect belated gift for Jan. She's always complaining Sam and Buddy "killed" her mattress and it's so uncomfortable for her to sleep on it any more. We find it very comfortable, but if it's a problem for her, we decided we'll see what we can do to make her happy.

While I was window shopping on the internet yesterday, I found some neat beds.

Merci and Cameron thought a nice round one would do but Cotton pointed out that we'd have to buy at least 3 or 4 for Jan since she's much taller than any of us, except Sam when he stands on his hind legs, and her bones creak when she tries to curl up in a ball like we often do when we sleep. Well, actually, it's more like they creak when she tries to uncurl from a ball.

Cyndi and Rusty suggested we get her a long mattress and bed in one. The longest is only 5' long, though. Her feet would hang over. We considered buying one long and one small but we're not sure how we're going to pay for one, so two is definitely out of the question. She could always wear a couple extra pairs of socks in the winter.

Getting Jan a new mattress bed would be the perfect solution for all of us. Jan could sleep on her new bed in the living room in front of the gas space heater and Sam, Buddy, me and whatever furries wanted to could squeeze onto her old bed.

Jan is going to be so excited when the new pet bed .... um, the new mattress bed arrives. We can order it just as soon as we figure out how to pay for it. Wonder if Jan has any money in her wallet yet? Excuse us, we need to go check.

The Furriends of The Cat Blogosphere Auction to help Mom Paula with Truffle's lady surgery has started.   If you'd like to help spread the word, grab the graphic above or from our sidebar.  Truffle blogs at Sweet Purrfections. 

Jan redecorated our blog recently and she redecorated the auction blog yesterday.  She's available to help redecorate your blog  - header and/or background - or make a graphic such as this one for Truffle for a donation to our Food & Fitness Fund.

Haunted Treasure and Auction

Hey, Rusty here. I wanted to use this photo today because it reminds me there used to be sunshine. When I've run outside this week, the sun is hiding and my feet get muddy. I don't mind the mud so much because I can wipe my paws off on Jan's t-shirt when she carries me back inside. But where's the warm sun?

Oh, guess I better get to our post for the day.

We stopped by Roo's and found the Director/Producer has a new video and upcoming project.

A Haunted Treasure Hunt is now showing at Pet Fiction Theater.  There's a video with the post.  Wonder how they did the visual lighting effects? 

Keep checking Roo's Doins and Pet Fiction Theater for more details.

The cool, wet weather this week has totally done Jan in so we're being as quiet as possible - except for Buddy occasionally leading the howling choir.   She thinks we should be doing the cooking and cleaning but we draw the line at hard labor.  We're already worn out with elderly sitting ... nursing duties.

Oh, and don't forget to stop by Furriends of the CB Auction for Beau and the Royals.

Percy Intros Fum & Gebra

Hi, Percy here with a quick update. Buddy is out of the doghouse but on probation. The weather has gotten cooler so Jan has been busy doing things she couldn't do when she was melting into a pool of sweat last week. So we popped in for a quick post.

I'd like to introduce you to Fum & Gebra, two special friends of different species. Fum is the black cat and Gebra is a barn owl. Cotton looked up barn owls and found they eat a variety of foods but are good mouse and rodent hunters and will even feast on a reptile now and then.

We might not understand the words but the song  "Deixa'm dir una cosa" by Sopa de Cabra  is pretty.


If the video doesn't play, click here.

Oh, and don't forget to visit the CB Auction for the kitties of Wee Paws Sanctuary.

Jan enjoyed making the background and header for the auction. And after she finished, she suddenly realized how to improve our own background of pink flowers. And then she complained she needs a vacation. Gees, you'd think she'd done some work or something. Whose fault is it she has to redo things so many times to figure them out? Not ours! As usual, we're completely innocent. And if necessary, we'll hire Sam to defend us.

New CB Volunteers

Retired auctioneer Gracie made this graphic which we posted on our blog early today.

Yes, the call went out through the blogosphere for a volunteer to help KC with the CB Auction Blog. Carolina of Happy Cat Family has been filling in for Gracie, who did such a fantastic job for the last year and a half.

A new auctioneer has been "hired. In fact, The CB has two new volunteers. We updated our blog post this evening and said that we'd let KC name them but KC said to go ahead and make the announcement.

Marg of Marg's Pets and Merceda of Forty Paws have graciously accepted the challenge and are already preparing to dive in and learn the ropes. Please drop by the CB and their blogs to welcome them. They will be working hard on your behalf.

And stop by the CB Auction. A lovely necklace in memory of Shell has been added. Shell's rescuer, MA, still has a large vet bill to be paid. The 2nd week of the regular auction will end tomorrow night. The 3rd week of Shell's auction will begin soon.

Cyndi with CB News

Hey, Cyndi here with a little news and a lovely video for a quiet Sunday.

KC needs help with the Cat Blogosphere Auction Blog.  The CB keeps her busy and she won't be able to continue with both jobs.  Gracie was a fantastic auctioneer for over a year but she has retired because of family commitments.  If you would like to volunteer to help KC and kitties in need, contact KC at the CB for details.

UPDATE Sunday 4/3: KC has two new volunteers for the CB Auction Blog. We won't tell you who they are. We'll let KC make the announcement.

We have a lovely video for your humans. "Dana Winner, the International Tourism Ambassador for the Mpumalanga Province, South Africa, sings "Let the Children Have a World" while students from the Trans Oranje School for the Deaf sign the lyrics."


If the video doesn't play, click here.

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.