Thursday Thirteen - Meme

Can you believe I was tagged for the "7 Random/Weird Things" meme again this week? This one is for the Meezer Brothers, Castor and Pollux! You are two adorable meezer kits!

Since I have already done the meme this week, and since it is Thursday, I thought I would make it a pictorial Thursday Thirteen! Here are 13 random and weird things me and my siblings did last year in '07. So sit back, enjoy some nip, and have fun strollerin' down memory lane.

1. Raising a paw for awareness!

2. Helping mommy pack.

3. Sending and receiving holiday cards for the first time.

4. Doing quality control on the Halloween Candy.

5. Holly and her broom practice. (Mommy is not a witch, sis!)

6. Discovering new pleasures.

7. Participating in Secret Paws for the first time!

8. Supervising holiday decorating.

9. Waiting impatiently for Sandy Paws.

10. Managing to be cute and naughty at the same time.

11. Stealing presents.

12. Posing for close-ups.

13. Finding Romance.

Wordy Wednesday

Wow! I have been popular this week! It's enough to make a prince blush. =^_^=

Thanks to the wonderful kitties Pearl, Bert, and Jake for giving me this award!

Here are the rules:

1. You must write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think.

2. Acknowledge this post.

3. Optional: Proudly display the 'Thinking Blogger Award' with a link to the post that you wrote.

4. Go tell your humans to fork over the treats!

Goodness! There are so many kitties that I love! It is hard to nominate just five, but I will give it a good try . . .

I nominate:

Pixel the Kitty

HRH Yao-Lin

The Meezers, Sammy and Miles

Samantha and Tigger

Captain Jack and Sir Dante

I was also tagged by The Zoo to do the "7 Weird Things" meme once again. Since I already did it this week, I am going to hand it over to my sisters Holly and Ivy. Here are the rules:

Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog. Share seven random and/or weird facts about yourself. Tag seven random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a notification on their blog.

Ok kitties . . . I am now handing it over to the Terrible Tortie Twins!

1) We are very territorial kitties. We do not like to even see another kitty outside our front door! When Grandmama's kitties Sebastian and Leon visit our porch, we puff up and hiss and growl. Tybalt likes seeing them, though.

2) We love doggies! Loki has gotten grumpy with us lately, but Dana still lets us love on her to our hearts' content.

3) Holly likes to drink out of the doggies' water bottles that mommy keeps in their crates. As soon as mommy lets the doggies out, she can hear Holly *lick lick lick lick* at the bottles.

4) Ivy insists that mommy leave the empty can of doggie stinky goodness in the sink every night after she feeds the doggies. Then Ivy dips her paw in the can to get any that is left. She thinks it is yummy.

5) Actually, both Holly and Ivy LOVE doggie stinky goodness!

6) Ivy chirps and trills, especially when she is being naughty. She always tells on herself. Holly rarely makes any noise, but lately she's been yowling at night . . . just when mommy gets in bed. She thinks it is fun.

7) Holly only sleeps on the bed with mommy if it is VERY cold outside. Ivy always sleeps with mommy, unless it is VERY hot.

Since I've done this several times now, I won't pass it on to any specific kitty, but if you like the idea and want to do it, consider yourself tagged!

Happy Wednesday, kitties!

PS: Vesper seems to be using the litterbox more, so keep your paws crossed!

Tuesday Tale: Vesper

Well, kitties, there was a bit of drama in our family while I was away, and I have saved the story for today.

This is my new family member, Vesper.

You may remember Holly and Ivy's Gotcha Story. Vesper's is very similar. Mommy and Grandmama and Grandpapa and Uncle Sean went to visit family the Saturday before Christmas . . . the same family that mommy adopted Holly and Ivy from. As soon as they got out of the car, they saw a little black kitty with big gold eyes standing in front of the door. The lady of the house had been feeding it for about two months, but for some reason the man of the house would not let the lady let the black kitty inside, so the kitty had been living outside, even in the cold, bad weather.

Well, you can bet that Grandmama picked that kitty up and toted it inside! Grandmama and Mommy and Uncle Sean all took turns holding her, and she snuggled up and purred and purred and purred. Then she got down and found the kitty food and ate and ate and ate. Then she got snuggled some more.

When it was time to go, everyone felt bad for the black kitty, and Grandmama could tell that Uncle Sean really wanted to take the black kitty home. Grandmama told Uncle Sean he could have her, and he picked her up and put her in the car and home they all went. Uncle Sean named her "Vesper," because he said it meant "twilight."

Vesper LOVED Uncle Sean right away . . . especially his electric blanket! She slept with him all night and spent most of her time in his room. She felt safest when she was with him. My grandparents and uncle already have two kitties, Sebastian and Leon, and a husky named Mickey. (Plus a malamute named Alyeska, but she doesn't come upstairs in the main house anymore.) Mickey adores kitties and was excited about Vesper, but Vesper wasn't used to dogs, especially big ones, and would hiss at him and run away.

Since Vesper had never really been an indoor kitty, she couldn't seem to understand the use of a litterbox. Leon and Sebastian are both indoor/outdoor kitties (unlike me and my sisters), so Grandmama thought it best to go ahead and introduce her slowly to the outdoors. She let her out to explore (and potty) in their fenced-in backyard. Vesper would creep outside and potty, then run back in right away. That is, until the day after Christmas. Grandmama let her out like she had been doing, and then Vesper disappeared.

Grandmama and Uncle Sean hoped Vesper would come back when she got hungry, but she never did. Finally, they hoped for the best. A lot of kids had been playing outside with their new toys, and they knew Vesper liked people. Maybe a child had found her and brought her home and another family had adopted her, making her an indoor kitty so she couldn't find her way back home.

Over a week passed and everyone lost hope that Vesper would return.

Never doubt miracles, kitties!

This past Sunday night, my Grandmama was in the basement when two young boys came up to her and asked "Is this your kitty?"

It was Vesper!

They explained that they had been outside playing and had heard a kitty crying in the empty house next to my grandparents. They found a way inside through a window, and found Vesper in the chimney. They rescued her and set out to find her family, and succeeded!

It is a mystery on where Vesper has been for over 11 days. She is very skinny and very, very hungry, but Grandmama is sure she would have been in much worse shape had she been trapped without food or water for almost two weeks. Regardless of where she was, our family is very happy to have her back.

Vesper is so hungry that she is eating anything. Last night she had spaghetti. You can tell that she enjoyed it . . . she even had some on her little chin!

Mancat Monday plus Meme and Award!

Pearl, Bert, and Jake tagged me for a meme! Here are the rules:

Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog. Share seven random and/or weird facts about yourself. Tag seven random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a notification on their blog.

1) I never knew I loved feathers until I received my secret paws! As you can see in my picture, it is LOVE LOVE LOVE!

2) At night I sleep next to my mommy, and most of the time I insist that she have her arm wrapped around me as we fall asleep. I like to have my head on her shoulder.

3) I love to watch television, especially cartoons. Sometimes I watch Animal Planet with interest, but most of the time I watch Cartoon Network.

4) I love to have popcorn when I watch movies with mommy, but I don't eat it. I just like to steal it out of the bowl and play with it.

5) When I am happy (like when I see mommy or visit the food bowl) I stand and knead with my paws and chirp.

6) My sisters love doggies more than I do. I put up with them, but they aren't my favorite furries to be around.

7) I love to steal mommy's sweaters and socks and suck on them. I even chew holes in them if she doesn't catch me at it in time. Grandmama looked this up on the internet and told me I'm a "wool-sucker." It means I was taken away from my kitty mommy too early.

I tag my lovely princess Samantha and her handsome brother Tigger, Ivy's crush Bendrix, Holly's fellow tortie polydactyl Georgia, my new doggie friend Asta, the interesting house panther Diamond Emerald-Eyes, and Kellie the Orange Cat, who never ceases to make my mommy laugh!

Oh! And I also got this great award from my "cousins" Captain Jack and Dante Barbossa! (My mommy helped my Auntie Cat name Dante . . . which makes him super special in my book!)

The Extraordinary Gold Star Award was created by - Storm, The Furry Fighter - and is for Bloggers who have achieved or done something special. The award celebrates beyond what is ordinary or usual.
1) Post the explanation and rules of the award and link back to the blogger who presented you with the award and repeat the reason why you received it.
2) Pass the Award on to two other Bloggers who you fink deserve it and explain why!

First off, I would like to pass this award on to Sassy, because she has gone above and beyond the call of duty with her Little Productions and CCSI! Because of her, I have met so many other interesting furries, and I have felt even more a part of the blogging community. Thanks so much, Sassy!

I would also like to give this award to Icon Baxter Bentley. Icon is a great mancat, and a role model for his newly acquired foster kits to look up to! I'm sure we all remember the hard times he has recently had to go through, but he has kept his humor the whole time. I admire his resilience and upbeat attitude towards life. This one is for you, Icon!

Friday Movie Review - Howl's Moving Castle

This week's movie review is yet another film by Hayao Miyazaki, who created the notable production company Studio Ghibli. You may remember my earlier review for "The Cat Returns," which is a must-see film for cats and their beans. While "The Cat Returns" is fun and fanciful, "Howl's Moving Castle" has a more serious tone, yet still manages to be fun.

Howl's Moving Castle (2004)

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Writers: Hayao Miyazaki (screenplay)

Diana Wynne Jones (novel)

This is probably my mommy's favorite of Miyazaki's films. Thanks to this movie, mommy discovered the incredible fantasy author, Diana Wynne Jones! If you are more into reading than viewing films, you should definitely give her novels a try. Ms. Jones combines fantasy, humor, and heart into all of her works. She is an author who is definitely worth paying attention to.

The film version differs significantly from the original novel, but both have their own charm, and the fact that Miyazaki changed the story to fit his own vision does not detract from the film in the least. In fact, both can be appreciated for their unique style and meaning. This is unusual for me to say, because I am usually picky about making sure the film version meshes with the original novel. However, Miyazaki made it work. For that alone, the film deserves a paw up.

At the beginning of the movie, we meet Sophie, an unassuming girl working in her family's hat shop. Sophie does not think much of herself, in fact, she views herself as plain and boring. On a holiday, she decides to pay a visit to her pretty younger sister who works in town in a pastry shop. On the way she has an encounter with a handsome wizard, and her adventure begins.

Sophie soon learns that the wizard she met is the infamous Howl, who is known both for living in a magical moving castle and for eating the hearts of young girls! What is even worse is that the Witch of the Waste places a curse on Sophie due to her recent meeting with Howl!

Sophie finds herself turned into an old woman, thanks to the witch's curse. Leaving home and the hat shop, she embarks on an adventure that will lead her to Howl's castle, where she will find that all is not what it seems. While trying to break her curse, Sophie learns more about herself and the world around her, and finds adventure and romance in unlikely places.

I give "Howl's Moving Castle" (both film and novel) two paws up! It combines action, adventure, fantasy, humor, and romance flawlessly, and as an added bonus the film has gorgeous animation and a beautiful musical score. Even if you are not a fan of animated films, you should give this one a try.

Thursday Thirteen - Holiday Happiness

Here are thirteen reasons why the holidays make me one happy kitty. =^_^=

1) Stockings!

2) Treats!

3) Trying New Things
(There is just enough room for two, Samantha!)

4) Climbing the Tree.

(Ivy did it lots.)

5) Snooping for Presents

6) Picking Out Your Presents

7) Playing With Presents That Belong To Someone Else

8) Demanding Tribute From Your Slaves.

9) Claiming Everything As Royal Property

10) Daring Anyone To Question Your Royal Authority

11) Stealing Presents

12) Did I Mention Stockings?

13) Helping With The Clean-Up

(NOT!)

Back at Last!

Hello Kitties! Yes, I am back at last! Mommy had to go back to work, which means I finally get to blog again. We had a great Christmas, which I will tell you more about later. Today's post belongs to Loki and Dana and their Secret Paws! They received it just in time . . . Christmas Eve! They were very excited to get it. Their Secret Paws came from Bogdan and all the kitties at the Morning Scratch . . . and I must say, they did a wonderful job shopping for doggies. Dana and Loki received peanut butter cookie treats and tennis balls and toys . . . everything was so great that they couldn't decide what they wanted to play with first. Loki and Dana want to thank Bogdan and the Morning Scratch for all the great presents. They love it all!

Here is Loki checking out the Secret Paws package. He loves getting mail!



Here is Dana coming to see what all the fuss is about. You can tell by the look in Loki's eye that he wasn't really wanting to share with her. Sometimes he thinks Dana is a bratty baby sister.

Thanks again, everyone! Between the Secret Paws and all the Holiday cards we received, it was a very special Christmas for everyone at my house! Happy New Year!