Starring
"Tigger" "Tiffany" "Sterling"
"Pixee" "Reebok" "Sunshine" & "Tequila"
"Colonel" "Spot" "Storm" and "Freedom"


And to each one, like the song says, "I Will Always Love You"!

So how did we wind up with seven kitties? After all, we only wanted one!
Oops! Make that eight! "Wildman", as I call him, is not officially mine, instead,
he's one of the unfortunate who has to steal food to survive. So although
"Wildman" is not really part of my family, he will be part of my story.
If you love something enough, you let it go,
if it comes back, it is yours, if it doesn't, it never was.
Eight little kitties, eight unique personalities,
and eight little spots in my heart!

~~Please help stop unwanted litters!!! Spay and Neuter your pets~~

"TIGGER" (alias "Macho Man")r&t"
Reebok & Tigger relaxing on the riding mower!

"Tigger" definitely started life out on the wrong paw! You could call him abandoned, lost, thrown away, or not wanted, but one thing for sure, he was sick. Found on the side of the road at 4 weeks of age, eyes matted, runny nose, fever, coughing, skin and bones, and not a spark of life in those tiny kitten eyes, he was surely destined to die. Tigger came into our lives at a time when we were getting ready to move out of state. Things were hectic enough and now we had a very sick kitty who needed someone to make the decision whether he would live or die. Ultimately there was no decision...we would give him every opportunity, with the help of a veterinarian, to fight for his life. With the shape Tigger was in, the best prognosis we could get was 50-50. With injections completed, antibiotics in hand, we left the office holding a kitten who now depended on my family to help pull him through. Ripping through boxes, we found the heating pad and fixed him a quiet spot to heal. Hand feeding tiny amounts of food every few hours and praying was all we had left. Tigger managed to survive the 8 hour moving trip and of course he was top priority when we arrived. Within a few weeks we knew he was going to be just fine! Within a year he turned from an ugly duckling to a beautiful long haired tabby with a personality that shines! He must know he's beautiful by the way he struts around (thus the alias "Macho Man"). He's the only cat we have that has this distinctive strut. Seven years ago, a dying kitty along the road...today the top man of the group!

"TIFFANY" (alias "Tiff-Tiff")

Then came "Tiffany". Having never actually searched for a certain color kitty, we decided we would like to get a friend for Tigger. What we really wanted was a Silver Tabby, but after a year of looking we decided that was never going to happen so we gave up. Browsing through the mall one day, we came across a group of people from the local pound, hoping to adopt cats and kittens which were not long for this world. There in a cage, huddled in a corner, was a tiny black kitten shaking and terrified, with a look of wildness in her eyes that made you believe this was her defense against the cruelity she may have endured. My daughter reached in and gently picked her up hoping to let her know people were not her enemy. Although very terrified at first, she soon began to relax her body and looked like she was thinking "this isn't so bad". When it came time to put her back, she tensed up again and huddled into the corner as though we had given her hope and snatched it away. The wildness in her eyes returned which was the image we could not get out of our minds as we walked away. "Who would want a kitten so full of wildness and fear", we said to each other. And with that statement, we turned around and officially adopted "Tiffany". Upon closer examination we found her to be a "smoke" color. At first glance she looks just like any other black cat, but when you pet her hair in the opposite direction, she is a smoke gray underneath. So this was the closest we got to getting our black and gray silver tabby! Six years ago a terrified, wild eyed little ball of fur, huddled in a corner of a cage afraid of people...today one of the most lovable cats in the group!

"PIXEE" (alias "Pixee Bell")Pixee

And now for my little "Pixee Bell". As with Tigger, Pixee started life out on the wrong paw only she was not sick with a life threatening illness, but to this day, still carries the scars of physical abuse. It was on a very cold November morning when I received a phone message to look out on my back porch. There in a cardboard box was a tiny kitten about 4 weeks old, wet, shivering and very frightened. While at school, my daughter noticed a group of children huddled around a drainage pipe, throwing trash in, spitting, and in general tormenting this tiny kitten. With nowhere to run, the kitten was at the mercy of the children. My daughter immediately ran and got someone to help her get the grate off the pipe and save the kitten, then had it brought to our home knowing I would take care of it. A phone call from her, explained the situation. Pixee was immediately put on the heating pad, and fed liquids from an eyedropper every half hour. When she finally started to respond I could tell she was extremely terrified of people, and for good reason! I not only had to get her strength back, but find a way for her to trust me. Pixee was given all the love and attention a person could bestow on her, but in the end, she will never forget that horrible experience and will not trust anyone outside the immediate family. I will never forget the first time she jumped in my lap and I wrapped my coat around her and she sat still. It was on this day our "bond" was created. She is a very loving, purring, cat to the family members only, but will run at the sight of a stranger. But that's ok, I accept her for what she is and she is truly my little "Pixee Bell".

"STERLING" (alias "Feet")

All that glitters may not be gold, it may be "Sterling" silver!! After taking Pixee into our family, we thought this is it, no more kitties, not even a silver tabby. We had given up hopes anyway of finding one. Then one day while visiting the local pound, there he was!! A beautiful little silver tabby kitten sitting in a cage waiting for someone to pay attention to him. His feet kept pawing at the cage, poking through the little holes, trying his best to get our attention. Little did he know he already got our attention! My daughter and I hurried to the front desk to officially adopt him when we were told he couldn't be adopted, not yet anyway. He was a stray, just brought in and would have to spend a week at the pound to see if his owners would show up. With anxious hearts, we left our names and waited for the week to go by. Needless to say it felt like a month. I just knew at any moment I would get a phone call saying his owners showed up and claimed him. Not that I would be totally unhappy about this, after all who wouldn't want him? On the seventh day I couldn't wait any longer, so I called the pound and found out Sterling was officially ready for adoption. We raced down there and before anyone could blink an eye, he was in our arms. "Sterling" is wonderful!! His little feet have not stopped moving since that first day I saw him poking them through the cage to touch us. You pick him up, his feet move, you put him down, his feet move, he is constantly "kneading" something and he makes one heck of a back scratcher!! We'll never know if "Sterling" was thrown away or got lost, but we do know one thing, he is the one kitty we looked for and finally got and is better than gold!

stirling
Sterling playing hide and seek!

"REEBOK" (alias Re-blob)

And now to round off the "fantastic five", here's "Reebok". Of the two cats we actually went "looking" for, one was a silver tabby and the other was a cat we knew would get huge. Reebok was brought into an animal hospital, where my daughter worked, to be put on the adoption list. Kitties on this list only had so much time to be adopted and then unfortunately they were out of time, so to speak. Having assisted the doctor when he checked the mother of this kitten, my daughter knew Reebok had the potential of getting large. So when she asked me "please, please, please", how could I say no. We were saving his life, plus maybe getting the extra bonus of getting the large cat we wanted. So Reebok was adopted with a note from me saying NO MORE CATS! He has certainly lived up to our expectations. His last weigh in was at 15 pounds! He is a gray and white long haired beauty for sure and with a personality anyone could love. But I really meant it this time when I said no more cats. We would love to save them all, but know that is impossible. Our fantastic five all get along, most of the time, and so why push it. Our kitty family is now complete (so I thought!).

"TEQUILA & "SUNSHINE"

These two kitties are amazing...after a year, you would think I could tell them apart! They are so identical it's amazing. When I moved to this house a year ago, the previous owner asked me if I would mind watching her two kitties until they got settled into their new home, and of course I said "no" I wouldn't mind. After all, what's two more! There was one catch...Tequila probably would never let me get near her! "Well", I said, "we would see about that"! The kitties were extremely thin so the first thing on my agenda was to fatten them up. They were only ever fed dry food so I proceeded to spoil them with 2 extra cans of food a day. Tequila was obviously not too sure of me, the stranger, but with each day, the distance between us got closer and closer until finally one day she actually purred and rubbed up against my leg. That was all it took! A little cat food, some kind words, and letting her come to me in her own time. She is extremely lovable now just like her sister "Sunshine". They are both doing great, and by the way, the owner decided to leave them here since this is their "home". So the story ends...7 kitties...7 spots in my heart and a lot of purring! By the way, "Wildman", a kittie who may or may not have a home, knows he can always find a meal at this house! Like a ghost in the darkness, he waits for the opportunity to seize food, then runs. Every now and then, a glimpse tells me he is ok.

"STORM"Storm

Oh where oh where do I start with tiny Storm! She was born in the wild, afraid of people, very, very malnutritioned and hard to believe this little bag of bones was even alive! I first spotted her lurking under my car, this teeny lump of a kitten hiding in the shade. I would visit the construction site of the new home and spotted her 3 times. Each time when she was approached, she would run. Not being able to get close to her, I would drop some food nearby hoping she would get it after I left. A week before moving in, I had put my other kitties in crates and had them on the covered porch to get used to their new surroundings. One morning while checking on them, there was Storm! She had crawled between the wire opening of one of the crates. Now these openings are tiny, so you can imagine how skinny this kitten was! She was too weak to run away and it was obvious she was very, very sick. Her eyes were almost matted shut, she was nothing but skin over bones, and could do nothing but sit hunched up. Off to the vet we went! Lots of money later, I left with a prognosis of she will probably have to be put down, possibly has leukemia, and is extremely malnutritioned, and various other bad news. Well, as far as I was concerned, this little orphan of the storm would make it!!! No one had given her a chance yet! So on antibiotics, eye ointment, vitamins, and lots of TLC we started to weather the storm together! It took only 5 days of nurturing and this little kittie was starting to respond with a slight purr. It is now almost 3 weeks and I only wish I had a before and after picture! Little Storm loves her crate!! After all she is catered to like a little queen. She shows her appreciation by bouncing out to say hello, giving little "nips" on my finger, and rolling over and playing! It is hard to believe only 3 short weeks ago, Storm was wild! ~~UPDATE~~ Storm is now a member of the group! They are all loose and very happy in their new surroundings. Storm is purring up a "storm", loves to be played with but a little leary of being held and extremely cautious of all strange noises. I'm sure it's from being born and living wild for those few weeks. So is this it now? YES! NO MORE KITTIES!!! AND I MEAN IT!!! :)

NO MORE????? DID I SAY NO MORE??????

This next story deserves a page of it's own. Please visit two very special kitties, Roadie and Oreo, and read about their ordeal in Highway Litter...Animal Cruelty then continue to Raising Kittens with a Mother's Love and watch them grow up online!

"SPOT"...Yes, a totally wild cat can be tamed! We call him "Spot" because he is one HUGE black spot!

Today is 4/4/04 and another bond created! I pet Spot for the first time!
About 4 months ago there was an animal in my garage. I never knew exactly what it was because as soon as the door was open all that was seen was a flash of black. As time went on the flash became slower and I knew it was a ferel cat. This cat was about as wild as any I've seen. Snarling, growling, and running for it's life everytime it saw a human. I began to spend time sitting on the steps in the garage and just watching for this wild thing. As the weeks went by he became braver and braver. At first sitting just inside the door, then a few feet inside but never close enough to reach out to him. The boldest thing he began to do was venture over to the cat food dish which sits up on a table but getting there was in a round about way. He would never dream of walking past me. During the many, many weeks, I began talking to him, telling him it was ok and I could see he was getting less and less fearful of me. One day while feeding my cats their moist food I decided to try and approach him and offer him some also. To my surprise as I approached him he backed up a few steps but not running away was a big leap in our bonding. I sat the food dish down and backed up and he approached and ate but always taking glimpses over his shoulder as if something was going to attack him. A few more weeks went by and Spot was now seeming more comfortable to just sit in the garage and watch me but I didn't dare approach him or he'd flee for the outside. One night as I was handing out kitty treats Spot sat and watched and made a low mumble in his throat as if he were trying to ask for some. It was a big risk but I decided to take it. I slowly offered him a treat "in my fingers" and to my amazement, he took it! He took it but immediately backed away as if to avoid some sort of punishment or he was in fear something was going to happen. It broke my heart to see this cat so fearful of me. Several more weeks of talking to him while he was on the table eating or just sitting in the garage showed him I was in no way going to harm him. Tonight while giving the cats their moist food I decided to take another step. I would try and pet him while he was eating. After handing out all the food, I approached Spot and put his dish down and this time instead of moving away I stayed. I slowly put my hand on his head, talked to him gently and began petting him. He didn't move!!! What a big step! Now I didn't push it, a few pets was enough for me to show him these hands would never hurt him. I don't know where our bond will lead. For now it's just one slow step at a time and when Spot is ready to accept me he will let me know and I will know all the patience and understanding was worth it to show him humans aren't so bad afterall.

**UPDATE**April 4, 2007 For a long time Spot was only seen after dark, he would never venture here in the daytime. For about a month now he has started showing up in the morning! Although still somewhat skittish, he will now let me pet him and I even picked him up one time. About a week ago he showed up with the sniffles, sneezing and just not looking well so I put him on an antibiotic which he is getting twice a day. After a few days he is feeling much better. Spot is now starting to "hang out" with the other kitties a lot more and spending a lot of his time in the garage. He can come and go as he pleases and is choosing to stay. He has since been neutered and is now the most lovable cat of the bunch! Who says a feral cat can't be tamed!! It was a long haul for this cat but now he can enjoy a normal life...the way it should be.

colonelCOLONEL

Colonel is truly one beautiful and BIG cat! When my daughter moved out it was decided Colonel would stay here and enjoy the big outdoors and his friends. He was at one time a shelter cat looking for a home. He is a very sweet cat and will paw the air when he wants to be loved on. The most unusual thing about him is he won't eat "canned" food!! He prefers the crunchies! That's ok...he is one huge healthy cat and more than welcome to remain here forever. He reminds me of a toasted marshmallow...pleasingly plump and slighted toasted in color. His eyes are like two crystal clear pools...the prettiest eyes I've ever seen on a cat. Love you Colonel!!

*UPDATE* As of this writing it is with a sad heart my Tigger, Tiffany and Reebok are no longer with me

And yet another addition....................
Freedom

I WILL NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN!!!! On July 4, 2004 our family spent the evening watching fireworks. My sister and I decided to take a walk before they started and lo and behold if it's injured, lost or abandoned, it finds me! While passing a soy bean field I saw a tiny kitten pop it's head out then run across the street. Before long there were two more running and playing and almost getting hit by cars. We stood in the street stopping traffic so they could get back and forth safely. Finally I decided to try and get them. I had a feeling they were semi wild as they wouldn't approach us but using a twig to lure them into playing with it, we wound up getting all three. To make a long story short we found homes for 2 of them and I kept the third one. She has adapted extremely well to living in the house with all the dogs and she has personality plus! Being as she was found on July 4th. we named her "Freedom." Freedom eventually found a wonderful indoor home!


Oops!! "Whikser" is visiting from the other page and found a playmate!!!

Now the story is complete, take a cat nap, but don't be gone too long!

Most of us, at one time or another, have lost a dear pet.
"Rainbow Bridge" is truly a heart warming story on where our pets go when they die.

Wait till you see the LARGE cats!

Get the FACTS about spaying and neutering

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"Don't forget to close the gate, wouldn't want to lose all the kitties!"

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