My Baby Magic Had a Seizure Tonight

All 16 are probably on her bed with her (not a wise idea for horses, goats, pigs, etc.!).

You guys are right on. My friends and I laugh at the idea of me having any goats or horses because I'd want to bring everybody in for the winter!! The dogs I have no excuse for. The cats, well, there was basically a feral cat colony growing up around my brother's house. One summer we scoured the neighbors' yards and sheds and collected 5 litters of kittens. We trapped and spayed cats. I think I adopted out about 10 of the kittens. And between my brother and I we took the disabled and those that didn't get adopted - I just didn't have the heart to turn them in to an already-overburdened system. Once they're in my charge, it's hard for me to stop thinking about them as my responsibility. I know now that I'm incapable of fostering. :-)

And then, after that, I adopted a little boy who had pretty severe CH. I didn't want to bring him home alone as a kitten, so I took his sister. At some point, you spend as much timing cleaning up after everybody as lovin' on them.

Sue - I hear you about the vet bills, but haven't spent nearly that much on the cats (yet!!). Isn't it crazy that they develop a taste for the dry? As a kid, I had a cat who would only eat kibble and drink water - no treats!! I really thought that I could avoid the problem with crystals by feeding good quality food, but it's starting to look like it isn't helping for everybody. I've decided that it's the two CH kitties that have a tendency to form them, so they're the ones I'm starting on a wet diet to being with.

The record is, I think 3 dogs and 3 cats on the bed with me at once. They do tend to rotate and I sleep through that about 1/2 the time. :-)

Sally, it sounds like Heaven at your youngest's!!

I really do think it's just that I'm part animal myself. Ha!!

No, you must be part fairy!! Just think of all those animals who would not have homes if it were not for you. And I thought Rachel was a soft touch!! I envy your ability to have all those animals in the house without suffering allergies. I love my kitties and my grey cat, Cleo, slinks her way into the house on a regular basis. Its not that they dont have a heated area to sleep in the garage, it's that she is just too smart to stay there.. It will get to the point where I won't be able to tolerate her dander in here, then she'll have to go back outside. Cats on the bed? No way!! Or dogs, either, for that part. I'm too selfish about my space up there. But both my kids would sleep with a dog or cat in a heartbeat! And then wake up unable to breathe, too.

I AM fortunate. Mine are the kind of allergies that flair up after awhile away from animals, but then go away once I'm back in the fold. And I think they're totally gone now. Of course, sneezing from all the hair still happens. LOL And then there's the pththbpthth I do when I pull up the covers at night and get a mouthful of this week's hair.

I wish mine could go outside safely - they do, too. But it's those pesky coyotes . . . I'll bet your babies are in Heaven. Even if they could be in for any length of time, they'd think they wanted to be outside.

Frankly, I think kitties all just want electric doors on the houses and that's not gonna happen. hee hee.

My third kitty (the one who showed up while Steve was ill, but actually has a home on the lake) is in Seventh Heaven these days. I have an "dog-loo" in the garage and bought a doggie heating pad for it . . . so Tinker is now all toasty warm. She's come inside the house a few times when Margie and Friday were sleeping somewhere, but she hisses and leaves if one of them comes to investigate.

I'm such a sucker. But so far, I only have three pets! (Two, if I'm being honest - Tinker's not really mine!)

Oooh, Carole - I foresee some "suckerness" down the line. It can really pull you in if you don't have anyone out there to keep you in line.

Good news tonight. A couple of the scaredy cats (weren't socialized early enough in the rescue process) have ventured into the family room tonight to investigate. Funny thing is that the dogs don't scare them, it's me. :-)

You know me too well, Kathy - I know I'm in for it if I don't watch myself!!!

I'm laughing at your scaredy cats being afraid of YOU - haven't they heard that it's YOU who feeds them???!!!

That's the beauty of being a cat, I guess. What you do doesn't have to make sense to anyone else. In fact, the yoomans expect you to mystify them.

Actually, in the morning, if I slither out of bed and stay scrunched up small, we sometimes have a little petting fest, me and the scaredy cats. It's pretty funny, they'll head but me, purr, lay down and get their bellies rubbed. But the minute I become big in any way, all bets are off.

The mental image is fabulous!!!!

It is pretty silly. And the thought of me even getting "small" anymore is pretty funny. But, you know, those arms and legs can be pretty scary . . .

There must be something in the air these days. It looks like I might have acquired a new "garden accessory" too. A very lovely, sweet, super friendly hungry gray kitty found me about two weeks or so ago. He's filling back in nicely now that he's being fed regularly,and also has a cozy bed on a dry covered section of the deck. Not sure where we'll go from here or exactly what his story is, but here he is, and we're enjoying having him around and seeing him fill back in. He's quite young, but jumps at loud noises and sometimes startles when I come out the door, but he's friendly enough I think he once had a home, but has also had some bad experiences with people that still make him a little spooked. His foot pads are quite rough, so he's been outside for a while now.

I'm with Kathy- there's always at least one cat on the bed every night. I'm so used to it that I actually have a harder time getting to sleep when I'm somewhere without cats. Sharing a bed with big dogs would be a little harder for me to adjust to, though, I think.

Terrier's idea of getting on the big bed is to jump up, rub all over it, jump off onto his bed and bark. You think cats have the contract on 'nonsense' behaviour? Not on your 9 lives!

Yes the horses and goats are outside, they're in SoCal so they don't mind, but the pig goes pretty much where it wants to, it's a pot belly.LOL
We're down to two cats inside (lost 4 after they'd had good long lives) and one outside that is just a little to wild to bring in. She has a door into the garage and a heating pad, so she's content as long as she gets her petting regular.

Laurie, that's hilarious!

Oh, a good laugh first thing in the morning does it for me!! The image of kathy , getting small, down by the bed, covered with kitties.... lol! And terrier jumping up on the bed, rolling around to make it his, jumping off and barking.. what a dog!

I believe that cats have a secret communication network. Probably located inside someones basement in an underused room, complete with electronic communication equipment where they keep track of people who have room for more cats...

I have a shelf just above the China hutch - I had my 8' ladder out there to straighten things on it and my cat, Friday, decided to investigate. She knows the kitty toys are on top of the hutch and figured she could get to them from the ladder. Which she did. She'd thrown one to the floor, and had another one hanging out over the edge. She looked at me like, "What?" and didn't come down until she figured out it was treat time, then came down one rung and jumped the rest of the way. Not an easy task for an overweight cat, but she doesn't seem to know she is overweight!

And, Pixy, you are right on about the feline underground!

Well, I dont seem to know that I am overweight, either so I can relate. She is lovely! And I see what you mean about the big tv. Looks like you are making this home really yours!

I am indeed, Pixy, and with very little guilt (notice I didn't say "no" guilt, but "very little"!!!)

Can't you just picture a lovely fireplace where that TV is?

Meant to include this image. It shows the challenge of the stairwell - my DD did it from various angles and I think did a great job! We bought a little attachment at Home Depot and several extensions and she even managed to do the most difficult edges.

Love the kitty stories!

Sally, it sounds like there are lots of garage kitties around - there's whole new market for cat supplies. So does the pig wear a coat in the winter? Inquiring minds want to know . . .

Laurie, I suspect that Terrier's motive is to get you people up and moving. There are unauthorized critters to seek out and eliminate. OTH, we do get the silly barking every now and then here from Nick the Whippet (who probably has some Terrier in there way back).

Murmur, it was good of you to put the ladder up there to let your girl investigate. I'm sure she saw it as her lucky day . . .

Murmur, your DD did a great job!!! BTW, do you have a little 'x' on the wallhanging showing where you are located on the island?

lol on the cats' secret communications network. The 2 cats we have had, both just showed up on the back deck in front of the sliding door. The second one, soon after the first disappeared.

Jan, I don't have it marked, but the person who owned it before me has a red dot where his place is. It's a map of the Admiralty Inlet which has more than just Whidbey Island, but I think I will find a gold star or something to mark my spot - glad you suggested it!!!!

Just love the fur babies.
Kathy I think I had you beat a few years back, I had 3 mothers with Littlers Total of 23 kittens, the 3 momas, plus 3 more. And 4 dogs.
That was a nightmare, all the kittens ranged from new to 2 weeks.
Corky, Rat, and Sassy are all thats left. that was 9 years ago, found homes for them all. The dogs have passed on.

Nothing like uncurling from all those warm little bodies in the morning. LOL

Close, Mary, but nope - I think, at the peak, I still had you beat, but not by much!!

Hey got to try LOL
But it was a chore when they all got big enough to bounce off the walls, so to speake.
If I had your E-mail I will send you the story on this, if you have not found it. was sent to me.

Well a lot is a lot. And it was a mess for me, too. Especially driving back and forth to the city to take the mommas to the spay/neuter clinic, then pick them up and drive them back out here, and then take them back to the neighborhood where I'd caught them to release them. And buildling the kittens pens. And the laundry. And the scratches all over my legs, and, well, you know first hand!!

What a darling picture of the tiniest little deer!! Did you rescue that?

That story just stole my heart, Mary - I've received it several times and it is one of my all-time favs!

No Katie, That was a Email sent to me.
Was a catching story and so sad about the mom, but the baby, and saving it that was to cry for. they did a great job.
This was my favorite Pic

OMG! That is the most precious photograph I've ever seen! That is the most adorable creature ever! My son and I both have been enraptured for that last several minutes just staring at that little sweetheart! Don't let terrier near it! Skippy, either!

Here's a photo of the most adorable creature to visit our house lately - the famous 'Charlie' , my son's friend's little dog. We 'babysat' over the weekend. He was simply too much fun!

Wanted to give you some perspective. Here is Charlie on the chair next to Andrew. He is already almost 5 months old and hasn't grown much lately. I think this is about as big as he will get. And what a big personality!! Bigger than life, but Skippy doesn't even compute that he is another dog. Skippy is actually NICE to him, and I have never trusted Skippy with other dogs on our own property. Hey, maybe Skippy is finally getting to be mature. Aussies. Got to love them, but they do take forever to become adults. (Thats because they are so incredibly smart.)

Ah, Carole! "Very little guilt" is getting close to 'No guilt'! Just remember: Peace is yours for the asking! I see 'little guilt' as profound progress~ And the stairwell looks positively vicious. I do love your choice of wall decor, however. As a sailor, that chart is quite familiar to me.

Lovely cat Murmur, I've always had a soft spot for black cats. Very thoughtful of you to let her play with your ladder. I dump the kitty toys out of their basket every once in a while, just to give them something to do. It's probably a good thing I can't understand what they're muttering as they put them back where they belong. LOL

katie...I'll have to check on the pig coat.

Laurie... Terrier's antics sound like great fun!

What a precious puppy!!!

Melissa, I've been reading the Esther & Jerry Hicks "Law of Attraction" books and feel like I've literally found my way back to something I knew before. Doesn't mean that sadness doesn't sneak up on me sometimes, but as a rule I feel it fairly briefly, then find something uplifting (even joyful!) to think about.

I do want that little dog!!!

Excellent, carole! You go! And the right colors in your environment can make all the difference, I find. When I wanted to paint my office lavender, I put great swatches of color on all the walls, even mixing my own colors until I had just the right one. Interesting little note about that: I had the swatches of color (about 1 foot square each, and completely uneven) up on the walls for about two months and did a casual survey of all the clients who came into the office during that time. About 30 different people in all. The same color was chosen as the favorite by all but two of the clients. Each of the ones who chose a different color chose the same 'different color', each was a man, and each struggles with depression and has a really poor self-concept. The color they chose had a greyish cast to it that made me feel depressed to be around. I had asked people to describe the colors in terms of emotions - 'how does this color make you feel' - and all that. In my little survey, the words chosen to describe the final color choice were words such as peaceful, joyful, happy,, and even soothing. Words used to describe the greyish undertoned lavender were 'blah', 'not quite right', sad, and 'uncomfortable'. When asked to describe the feeling tone of the final color choice, the depressed men said it was too bright somehow, even though they agreed that the color really isn't bold. They both said they were just drawn to that color and couldn't really say why. I thought it was fascinating and it completely vindicates my habit of painting giant swatches of color on every wall and living with said swatches until I can get the right one. Since the color I finally chose was a color I mixed myself, I got to name it (i've always wanted to have a job where I got to name colors. It started way back when I was a girl and couldn't resist a new box of crayons...) I call the new color 'Lavender Moon'.

I have first dibs on the little dog, though. Really, he is such a little cutie and no trouble at all. He is even already trained to sit by the door and touch it when he wants to go outside. This is difficult for some little dogs, who seem to want to use just about anywhere as a potty. The downside is that he is so very tiny, and I am used to much bigger doggies, and so I am always worried about his safety in terms of being stepped on or falling off a chair.

"Lavender Moon!" What a delicious sounding color - and I am fascinated by the story you told of your clients and their reaction to the colors. And love that you got to satisfy a desire to name colors!!!

Very cool about "lavendar moon"
Interesting about colors and our reactions to them.

Hi there New Jersey! Welcome to the PNW.

Lavender moon sounds simply lovely. Where can we go to buy such a color, and do you get a dividend off of each gallon they sell? We moved into our house 10 years ago, and still only 2 rooms are painted. I know this is pathetic, but in the summer, I'm too busy gardening to paint and the winter I'm just plain too busy. Every once in a while I go get a huge bunch of paint sample papers from the hardware store determined to pick out some colors, but I become utterly overwhelmed by all the options and don't have a clue what to choose.

Another issue: the house was a 'lot model' manufactured home (one they had on the lot for people to tromp through deciding if they liked the floor plan) and came with the rug that was in it, a light peach color which I did not particularly like and has become worse for the wear with muddy dog paws dogs and muddy human shoes tromping all over it. Someday , I'd like to re-do the whole thing. The entire house has window valances in the peach theme as well, but every time I look up curtains in the catalogs I think about how many plants i could get for that price and just can't plunk down the dough.

My large doggie is not cute or darling by any stretch, but he loves his people. Here he is snoozing by papa's boots (on the dreadful peach carpet).

Oh, Holly, I think he's darling - especially sleeping by Papa's boots. That kind of says it all.

Hope Papa is doing okay and that you have him back home soon.

Hugs (and scritches to your babies, both fur and nonfur).

Another precious puppy!