Our Spoiled Princess

Yesterday I was walking by the sofa and Princess was lying there with her usual regal look. I know you all are probably getting sick of cat photos from me but she was so cute I just had to grab the camera and post this shot.

Back In Black!

Beau with his adopted kids Ellen and Elvira.

Life Is Good

With all of the stresses of teaching I was reminded today that I have a lot to be thankful for. I woke up this morning with three cats sleeping next to me. When I got up I ran into Princess grooming herself.

Our Tommy

My tribute to Tommy.

Tommy Is At Rainbow Bridge

We are heartbroken. Our precious, wonderful alpha cat Tommy stopped eating this weekend. We took him to the vet today and they were running tests on him. He was jaundiced and his kidneys were compromised. While he was there he suddenly threw a blood clot and had a heart attack. Tommy died immediately so at least he did not suffer.

Something in the back of my mind was telling me that we might not have Tommy with us much longer. I spent a lot of time petting on him this weekend as he gradually got worse. Of course our vet was closed Sunday. In retrospect I don't think there would have been much they could have done for him. The heart attack caught the vet completely by surprise since Tommy had been rallying somewhat and moving around the cage.

We found Tommy in the road around 11 years ago. He had been hit by a car a moment before and he was trying to crawl out of the road. I jumped in front of a semi that was bearing down on him and frantically flagged it around him. We rushed Tommy to the emergency vet where they took out part of his crushed jawbone. He always had a limp afterwards but otherwise Tommy was a very happy cat. He was the most intelligent cat we had. Tommy would talk to us like a human at times and he always seemed to understand what we said to him. He had a friend, Sir Francis the bunny, who bonded to him for more than nine years until Francis' death.

We just finished burying Tommy in the front yard next to our fig tree. He loved to sit in the front window and watch the world go by so I thought it was a good spot for him. We will greatly miss you, old boy. Rest easy at the Bridge and we will see you again one day. Goodbye, our faithful top cat.

Showy Crotalaria

Here is a nasty member of the pea family we ran into today while walking. The beautiful flowers are deceiving. Showy Crotalaria leaves and seeds contain an alkaloid toxin that can cause liver failure in horses and cattle. It was originally imported into this country as a nitrogen fixing plant and ornamental. What a shame it is such a deadly beauty.

Tommy and Sir Francis Won!!

It's official. The photo I submitted of Tommy and Sir Francis (R.I.P.) will be the featured photo on the Hot Buns 2008 calender for the month of September! This is a cute calender put out by a rabbit rescue group that benefits the adoption of rabbits in a wide area. I will post details on where to get the calender when they come out. In the meantime, here is the winning photo of my old friend Sir Francis and his bonded buddy Tommy Cat.