JANUARY 2006

Sunday, January 1, 2006
Here we go again...
Okay, I am not going to the dogs (I promise). The news people are. On our news was another feel good story about yet another dog. Since this past year has been bad for so many people in so many ways, I thought I would start this year with yet another feel good story about a dog. This dog dialed 911 for its human when she fell out of her wheeled chair. Okay, now that sounds truly amazing, which it is, but here are the some facts. The dog was a trained service dog, 911 was on speed dial, and he hit the speed dial button with his nose not his paw. He was trained to do this. He also opened the door when help came. Life is full of miracles. Animals are often are part of them. Even though there haven't been cat stories lately, we help our humans every day by loving and supporting them, and just making them feel better when life gets rough. That's what I do. We are the "unsung" heroes. If you want to read the whole story, click on the above link. It'll warm your heart! Love, Beau

Monday, January 2, 2006
Eqaul time for hero cats
Thanks to William for the heads up, and confirmation on this. There IS a 911 dialing cat that helped his human also in a wheeled chair. Both situations had similar circumstances. Both the dog case and this case the human fell out of the chair. However, the cat was not a service animal like the dog was. The human had taught the cat to dial 911 (also was on speed dial). The human didn't know if it took or not, but when the time came, the cat came through! YEAAA! The cat dialed but didn't speak, like the dog did, but emergency workers came to find the human on the floor and the cat by the phone. And the cat became a hero! Don't you just love feel good stories?!

Tuesday, January 3, 2006
A cat in a DOG house???
I got into huge trouble this morning. I got into mom's new purse, started digging through it, and pulling stuff out. She was okay with that UNTIL I started acting like I was going to tear it up. She tried to pull me out of there and things turned really ugly. I was a cat on a mission and didn't want to be bothered. I kept snapping at her when she tried pulling me out. I swatted at her and left a scratch on her hand. I even gave her the bite. I was not happy about her attempts at pulling me out! When she swatted me on the butt I got even more hissy and then she threw me off the bed...several times. (I kept jumping back on.) She said I was in the dog house. How can that be? I'm a CAT! And, why am I in trouble for getting in a bag that has a leopard cat print on it? I thought it was mine! (cat print=cat's bag!) I don't understand. I'm so confused. I need a nap. Love, Beau

Thursday, January 5, 2006
Jonathan L. Seagull was here.
Even though we live in the middle of Tennessee, which is not that close to any ocean, we have SEAGULLS! Yep, you read it right...SEAGULLS. I have not actually seen them, but mom took a picture the other day, at my request, so that I can post it so everyone can see them including me. Not only that, they hang out in a BigK-mart parking lot. Nope, there's no swimming water within 15-20 minutes away. It even made the news last year. And yes, that means they hang around. Everyone thinks it's stange, but the way I see it they've got a good thing. There are 3 food eating places off that lot, plus the food place inside. Lots of people feed them AND they can choose to slum it and eat from the dumpster. I think mom doesn't take me to see them because I think of 2 things with seagulls...fish and birds (FOOD!). Speaking of mom, she wants to thank everyone praying for her and the lost purse situation. She really appreciates it! Love, Beau

Friday, January 6, 2006
SNOW!!!!!
It wasn't much, but we had our first real snow here today. It was so cool! (literally! heehee) I actually think it was called a snow shower because it was like mist or sprinkles, but it was snow not rain. I was going to have mom take a picture of it but it never snowed hard enough to really be seen in a picture. Maybe next time! It was SO pretty! Lots of tiny snow gently and quietly falling to the ground. It seemed so peaceful, and beautiful to watch. It made me sleepy watching it, especially since it was so cold outside. I spent a lot of time napping today in between snow watching! Here's to peace and beauty, and all that makes nature special! Love, Beau

Saturday, January 7, 2006
The Case of the Missing Purse
Many of you having been asking about mom's missing purse situation, so I'd thought I'd take a minute to update everyone at once. First, mom wants to thank everyone again for prayers and for caring. Nothing has been found and mom says it probably never will. However, Grandpa did drive her to get a new driver's license and she has gone to a social security place to get security. They gave her some papers saying what insurance she has, what her disability check is each month, and what her security number is. She can show these until her new cards come. Mom says she is functional again. She went by the store where they tried to use her credit card and talked to them and look around their parking lot. They checked the video tape but they never went inside, just got gas outside, which wasn't on the tape. She also drove around the area looking for stuff. Mom said she learned something important everyone needs to know: If your purse or wallet is ever stolen with identity and or credit information, you need to call the 3 credit Bureaus to put a fraud alert on your information. Any attempt at changes to your information and or someone trying to open credit will be blocked. Grandpa put this situation in good perspective: what we lost can be replaced. This is nothing but another bump in the road, and though it may be stressful it's nothing compared to what the people of the Tsunami, Asian earthquake, and the people in the 4 hurricane gulf states are experiencing. Mom and I can't argue with that! Love, Beau

Sunday, January 8, 2006
Wild man!
Last night mom let me have her old toothbrush that jiggles. She pressed a button to make it jiggle, and let me play with it on our bed. (Oh, to have oppositional thumbs!) Do you have jiggly toys? I pounced and jumped on it. I attacked it like it was something that needed killing, and I rolled around with it. Mom said I became a wild man and was all over the bed, running back and forth with it. I had so much fun playing with it! Even though mom seemed to enjoy watching me play and being happy, and I made her laugh, I'm not sure she was as thrilled with my playing as I was. After all, it was the middle of the night (again-heehee). Oh well! Thanks mom for giving me such a cool toy that also feels good when I rub up against it! Love, Beau

Monday, January 9, 2006
Carrier playtime
Today I decided to play in my carrier for a while. As you know it's somewhat roomy so I can play in it if I want. First, let me make one thing perfectly clear. I don't mind being in my carrier IF it is my decision, and IF we are NOT going to the v-e-t. I like playing in there because I can also look out through the mesh sides and front to see what's going on. I think the mesh also makes a nice scratch pad as well! Another thing is I like playing with the shiny dangly thing that mother pulls on, that goes zzzzz when she pulls on it, that closes it. And, I like being able to sit up, stick my head out, and look around...or just lay down and take a nap in a comfy, quiet place. It's a fun place SOMETIMES! Love, Beau

Tuesday, January 10, 2006
How fast can YOU go???
Today was a really yucky day so I made my own inside fun. It was all about speed: running, jumping, playing, pouncing. I was zipping through the rooms and hall, taking flying leaps on and off furniture, bouncing off the wall, seeing how high I could jump, and wrestling with mom like my tail was on fire. It was great fun but exhausting. Mom said I left her feeling tired and breathless! heehee! Of course I was ready for a nap this afternoon all that. And, I had lots of fun things to dream about! I hope your day has been fun! Love, Beau

Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Sunshine and boo-boos
Today was so nice outside, and since I cooperated with getting my leash on, I got to go outside! YEAAAA! It was a little chilly out there, but I didn't mind because I was enjoying the fresh air and sunshine. It felt really great to get to go out again. I know this will not happen much longer. Our worse weather is in the February month. I was just thankful for being out today. I guess I was a little too excited about it because I tried jumping in mom's lap when she was in the kitchen and didn't nail it like I usually do. In an effort to hang on I dug my nails into her leg. OOOPS! Mom's not mad at me because she knows I didn't mean to. She only has some little, red, sore spots. I did nail the jump the second time! Overall, I would say it's been an interesting day. I hope it has been for you too! Love, Beau

Thursday, January 12, 2006
Helpers
We had been having some technical problems with our computer so mom talked live chat this morning. We think (hopefully) that things are better now. We would like to thank Tina F. for all her help. She is the best help we have gotten from technical support. We would also like to say a big hello to Miko, her 3-year-old cat. Tina F. said we look a lot alike, so I know he must be a handsome kitty! We're hoping that he visits my blog, and yours as well, sometime. Having people to help us get through things in this world is extremely important. I don't know about you, but I can use all the help I can get! heehee (door openers, can openers, typing, etc.) So, I think it would be a great idea to give our helpers an extra headbutt today to show how much we appreciate them, even though we do that anyway! We also need to remember to always be helpful to others. (Note: Updates done on everything, including cat news on Reading Corner!) Love, Beau

Friday, January 13, 2006
Bor-iiiiing
I am very bored today. It doesn't seem like there is much to do. I guess because I've played so much this week I'm not interested in playing with the same things, or doing the same things. It's also rainy and yucky outside so I'm not interested in going out. =sigh= It just seems like the only thing to do is nap and eat. I wish I could send all of my friends tickets (plane/train/bus) to come to my place to play and we would have a big party. I would have lots of catnip and Stinky Goodness for everyone, and lots of toys. We could hve a great time playing chase and pounce! It would be like the Tidy Cats commercial where the humans are gone so the 3 live-in cats have a party. The only difference is I would be sure to KNOW when my mom might get home (even if early) so I wouldn't have to suddenly run everyone out. It would be all kinds of fun! Maybe I will do that someday! Love, Beau

Saturday, January 14, 2006
Kitty Consumer Report
As some of you may remember, about two months ago I started having to take protein paste to help build build me up some, and boost my iron level. Let me tell you something. If you EVER hear "protein paste" RUN, as fast as you can, the other direction. That stuff is yucky tasting! It is supposed to taste good, but they LIED. It doesn't. Not only that it is sticky and when it gets on my fur it takes a super long time grooming to get it off (and did I mention how BAD it taste doing it). And it gets on my fur a lot 'cause I keep trying to dodge having to take it. Why is it that a lot of things that are good for you taste bad. Shouldn't it be the other way around? I would think if was good for you they would make it taste good, like chicken, so you would WANT to eat it. I don't understand. Do you? Love, Beau

Sunday, January 15, 2006
I am???
You will never guess what mom said to me this morning! When she was getting ready to leave to go to human's church, she said for me to watch over the place because I AM THE MAN OF THE HOUSE. Reallly? That is so cool! Who knew. I guess I am more alpha than I thought I was! I need to be strutting around more! From what I know about humans, men are often the ones in charge in families. So this leaves me with a question. Does that mean I have more pull around here than I thought? If so, I demand more treats, squishy balls, and a thick cushy blanket to nap on. I also ban having chunks and yucky tasting stuff for me anywhere near my prescence. AND, I would like to have a party with all my friends any time I wish. (And may I please have the keys to the riding mahcine, credit card, and some cash!) Thank you. Love, Beau

Monday, January 16, 2006
LOTS of us!
It was mentioned the other day how many of us cat bloggers there are now. I had been noticing that, and being naturally curious (as cats are) I decided to start trying to find out HOW many of us there are. I asked mom to help me with this because I also added more blog links to my Favorite Links page. What we came up with is there is at least 60. I now have 54 links to cat blogs, and 4 dog blog links, on my Favorite Links page! WHEW! I know I don't have them all. I tried! Changing the subject, mom talked to the v-e-t this morning about all my weight being UNDER me. He told her, that just like humans, everything goes south when you get older. HAH! In other words, there's nothing really wrong with me except I'm getting older. Now mom, let's talk about YOUR drooping body parts...! heehee Love, Beau

Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Ho-hum...
I wish I could tell you it's been an exciting day. I wish I had something, ANYTHING, exciting to tell you. Unfortunately, I'm sorry but I don't. It's been raining all day and within a few hours this morning the temperature dropped 10 degrees. Mom had errand running for a short while this morning, and even if she had been home there was no way she was going to let me out on my leash in this weather. Since I don't have any siblings, there isn't anyone to play with. I just decided to be a "couch potato" today and watch TV (which can also be boring since we don't have cable). I did learn a recipe for Tiramitsu if mom ever lets me help in the kitchen! And mom wonders why I have a belly! Speaking of that, to answer a few of your comments.mom's droopy parts is a sensitive subject here too, and I didn't REALLY get to discuss them with her. That would mean I used up all my lives at once! Not happening! Oh!--I did take a flying pounce onto mom's shoulder, just for fun, in the middle of last night! heehee! Hopefully that's something exciting enough! Hope YOU had some good excitement! Love, Beau

Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Weird weather!
I know most of you won't be excited about this, but around here it's big excitement. We had a somewhat significant snowfall last night, and it actually covered the ground! It was our first ground cover of the year. Like I've said before, we usually get ice, not snow. I have to give credit to mom because she went out at 10:30 last night and took a couple of pictures, while it was still falling, so I could eventually post them. Mom even opened the door so I could see it and it looked like the inside of a snow globe. But, just to show you how weird our weather is here. Yesterday was rainy and snowy, and the temperature was in the 20's. By tomorrow it's supposed to be close to 60 again. Also, there can be major differences within a short distance. We only got 1/2 inch of snow here, but 20 minutes north of us they got 2-3 inches of snow. That's our weird weather in middle Tennessee! Love, Beau

Thursday, January 19, 2006
7 Questions
We saw these on Mia & Ghost's blog, and they saw it on Oscar's. I also thought it would be interesting for people to answer, so I decided to post them as well. (This may be one of those things that makes the rounds!)Things I want to know:1. Your name or alias.2. Your blog address if you have one.3. How long have you been reading my blog?4. Why do you keep reading? What makes you come back?5. What do we have in common?6. How are we different?7. Something I don't know about you

Friday, January 20, 2006
It's MOM's fault!
I kicked mom in the nose this morning. I really did. I confess. I didn't kick her hard, I promise. She doesn't even have a scratch from it. It was her own fault. She had it coming. She went foraging for food today, and she stupidly asked me beforehand, "I suppose YOU want some more food too?" Like, yeah. DUH!! Then she had the nerve to tell me she thought my thighs were getting fat. Someone needs to look down at their own. =ahem= THEN she had the nerve to ask me if I was going to let her finish trying to clip my nails. I HATE nail clipping! So I kangaroo kicked her in the nose. Enough said. Love, Beau

Saturday, January 21, 2006
Ultimate humiliation
Remember all the reasons mom got kicked yesterday. Well, the humiliation never ends. Mom lied. She said she doesn't give me winter baths. I got a bath today. Not only did I get soaking wet, she shampooed me...AND it smelled like a "fu-fu" female. It didn't smell like flowers like Ullrick, but it did smell like a female. I'm a guy. I do NOT want to smell like a girl. I want to smell like a male cat. Fire her. Hire a guy. A catnip or chicken scent might be nice. Not only did she soak me with water and put "fu-fu" stuff on me, she got a picture of my legs soaking wet. (I wouldn't let her get all of me.) AND, she plans to eventually put it on the website to show my skinny legs. She is so going to pay for this. I suggest she doesn't fall asleep tonight. Enough said. Love, Beau

Sunday, January 22, 2006
YUCK!!!!!
First, mom made me tell you that the day she bathed me it was an unseasonably warm 63 degree day outside, so it was warm outside, and she always makes sure it's warm inside, when she bathes me. It wasn't like she bathed me on a really cold day. (BUT she did lie when she said she never bathes me in winter. She just doesn't do it in COLD weather.) Speaking of weather today it's YUCKY!! It's been raining all day, and it's a lot colder. Cold and wet is NOT good kitty weather. Mom says it's not even good human weather. It's also supposed to rain all night and all day tomorrow. It just really makes me hissy and want to bite someone. But I think I'll take a nice long nap and build up my energy instead, so when mom wants to go to sleep...heehee (revenge for the last few days -hee hee). Hope you have sunny (SON-y) days all week! Love, Beau

Monday, January 23, 2006
I (We) got a special pressie!!!!!!!!!!
Mom and I got a super special pressie today from several of you. Mom says it's called a digit tell camera! (Oh no! Another flashy thing! heehee) It's so we can take more pictures and post them faster. Mom and I are really touched, awed, and in shock over such a special present. We thought it was going to be treats and or toys. Mom said you really sneaked that one past us! Mom keeps almost crying. We want to say a special thanks to Oreo, Robert, Heather, Timmy, Jenn, Max, Thumper and family. Momma took pictures of me rubbing myself all over it showing how much I liked it (but with a differnt camera of course). Mom says thanks too. She's busy being way emotional right now. We care about all of you a lot too and think you're all very special people. You don't know how much this means to us! THANK YOU!! Love, Beau (and mom)

Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Supervising
This afternoon Grandpa and mom worked on getting the new camera ready to use. Grandpa even took it to a Wolfe's camera place to get some extra stuff for it. He bought mom a shoulder strap and checked into additional memory cards. I didn't think it was a good idea for him to take it to a wolfe's place because they're related to dogs, and I was afraid they might do something bad to the camera if they smelled my scent on it. I also didn't know how much a wolfe would know about cameras. Anyway, the camera's okay still and while they were here working on getting it ready, I closely supervised to be sure everything was done properly. (I'm good at that.) Mom said now that we got this camera I'm supposed to be more cooperative about having my picture taken, and that I should feel guilty otherwise since you were so nice to give it to us. Yeah right, we'll see. Go take a picture of a tree, mom! Love, Beau (PS. new caption to picture below.)

Wednesday, January 25, 2006
Cats and cars
I have noticed that lately there is a lot of cats on picture box ads..from big cats to house cats.. This is especially true where a riding machine is involved. Now, I don't know about you but I don't understand this connection. It is normally a dangerous thing for us to be around riding machines. It also often involves trips to the v-e-t. I know I would be hesitant about being around one! I don't know what to think about this. Are they not so smart, or extremely brave? Are they daredevils or do they genuinely need to work for some reason? Should I feel bad for them or not? I would like to think they are extremely brave daredevils. What do you think? Love, Beau

Thursday, January 26, 2006
flashing shadow
It's been a long day. I'm tired. And I'm seeing spots. Now that mom has this new digit tell camera she is following me around everywhere all day trying to take pictures. Even Grandpa tried to get a picture while he was over here today hooking up the cable. I hardly got a nap in. I had to retreat to my box for privacy. =sigh= I'm glad it's getting dark. Maybe the attempts at picture taking are over for today. I could use the rest. I think I'll a compromise with mom. She can take a few pictures of me, but then she has to quit following me around the rest of the day. I need my space. And for the record, I did sit still for a picture or two today. Love, Beau

Friday, January 27, 2006
Not much...
(Me singing) "Nooobooody knoooows the flaaaaaashes IIIII've seeeen! Nooobooody knooows my frustraaaation." Well, actually that's not true. A lot of you know and have. Anyway, have you ever had a day when not much happened and there just wasn't that much to say? Yeah? Well, me too! Today has been one of those days. I spent a lot of time catching up on my naps. The biggest exctiement around here (outside of posing a lot) was the upstairs, little hyper dog, Kirby, had a LOT to say today because he was barking a lot. I needed Sam, China, Indy, and Madison here to interpret for me. Except I don't know if different breeds speak different languages. Maybe one of them will let me know. Oh well...I'm going to TRY posting at least one new picture a day and maybe leave the previous day's picture on as well. Hope you like them! Love, Beau

Saturday, January 28, 2006
In or out?
Decisions! It's such a nice day today that I really wanted to go outside, but being the off work day for lots of people I had trouble making up my mind whether or not I wanted to go out...if it was worth it. Mom was getting very frustrated with me. She would grab my harness to put on me and open the door, and I would run back to my tower. Then I would change my mind and scratch on the door to be let out. We went through this several times before I decided to finally go out. It was nice for a few minutes but then this older little human started petting me and I didn't know him. Mom had closed the door for a minute while she went to get the camera. When she opened the door again he was just leaving. I wasn't too happy about him petting me and the door being closed at the same time. I wanted mom to rescue me sooner. I was upset so she didn't take pictures. On a positive note, it felt very good outside and I enjoyed the fresh air. It's been a good day! Love, Beau

Sunday, January 29, 2006
Guilt
I haven't really said anything preachy or really deep lately so, with it being Sunday and all, I thought I would today. Guilt is a powerful thing. It can make you feel horrible and push you into doing all sorts of good and bad things. The other side is when you should feel guilty. Indy told me about a bad pet mom and she should feel guilty. (See his comment in Cat Talk.) I feel guilty when I scratch or bite mom real bad without meaning to, and mom said she feels bad when I run out of food, she doesn't clean my box in a timely manner, or when she feels I'm not getting adequate attention. We all feel guilty at times. The good news is we get forgiven, even that bad pet mom, and so we can let go of that guilt, even though it's hard. Mom forgives me and I forgive her so then we can use that energy for more playing and fun. God also forgives us. SO, quit feeling guilty and use that energy for something better...like going to PetSmart and or giving us lots of scritches and tummy rubs! Love, Beau

Monday, January 30, 2006
V-E-T visit
Mom and I went to see my v-e-t this morning. It was to TRY getting my nails clipped and also see about my weight loss(?). (Bad thing) Mom has been very concerned about me seeming to be very skinny yet my weight is supposedly okay. Mom says there's something definitely going on, but we don't know what. They started with trying to trim my nails and that was a BIG mistake. I wailed so loudly EVERYONE heard me, then I got loose and was all over the room. I just wanted to go home at that point so I jumped into my carrier but then they dumped me back out. So then I hid under mom's wheely chair. Everytime she moved, I moved with it. Unfortunately, I was uncovered again. But I was so upset they decided to give me some time and gave up on the nail clipping. I got my way! I jumped back in my carrier to go home. I finally let MOM hold me again (though hissy & growly). She showed the vet what she had been talking about best she could. After much talking, they still don't know what's going on, but I have to go back in a month instead of three. =sigh= I need a nap. Love, Beau

Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Chloe, the beautiful tux
I failed to mention yesterday that while I was at the v-e-t waiting to be taken to the torture room I met a beautiful tux kitty named Chloe. She looked a lot like Oreo, and she and her kittens were rescues. (YEAAA!) Chloe was younger and more soft spoken and timid. I think she was apprehensive being there. I have to apologize for acting bad toward her. She didn't deserrve that and it didn't help. I think that's why I was more hissy yesterday. I was hissy enough for the BOTH of us...to defend her honor for whatever they did to her. A gentleman defends a lady's honor you know! We liked her and her mom. I hope she visits my site and writes me. I would like to get to know her better. I also want to say hi to Smeagol (all black) and Strider (tan & white). Strider says he looks like Derby. I'm reminded of a saying mom taught me: "Make new friends, but keep the old. Some are silver. Others gold." Good advice! BY THE WAY, I have flutter balls like Oreo that mom got me several years ago at PetSmart. Mom had taken a picture of me with several weeks ago, to post, but hasn't yet. Also, I'm a contestant in Lyn's favorites sites contest so vote for ME! Love, Beau