Abby & Boo Go Visiting

Boo

Abby

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Yesterday Abby and Boo paid an afternoon visit to Miles and Sammy over at MeezerTails. Miles shared some of his deli ham with Boo. So when she got home she begged and begged for some more. So I pulled out the black forest ham I got at the deli out of the fridge and tore off a piece to give to her. Now you must understand, Boo likes to be hand fed. She is very slow to decide if she wants to eat something, so you have to coax her into it -- NOT with this ham -- she took one sniff and she had it out of my hand faster than a speeding bullet. Then she gave me her BIG Boo eye look that said, "OH BOY -- MORE PLEASE" -- so I gave her more and after a few bites I started putting it away but she gave me that look one more time and I couldn't resist so I gave her one more bite. Miles I think you have started something!

Darkness into Light

Abby in full mediation.

Driving in this morning there was a young man on a motorcycle who was driving rather aggressively. He got too close to my back bumper and then sped around me like I was standing still even though I was driving faster than the speed limit. I thought as he passed me that he was being too reckless. As I drove a little further up on this buzy commuter road I saw a traffic jam. Now traffic jams at 5AM are a little odd. So, I thought someone had car trouble. Then, I heard a siren and saw in the back rear view mirror the lights of a fire engine. So I moved out of the way. Moments later the police arrived. Then traffic was rerouted around the accident scene and there I saw lying on the pavement this young man who had been on the motorcycle moments before. He was sprawled out not moving and all I caught a glimpse of him as I drove by. The EMT touched his shoulder and got no response. Someone on their way to work -- believing that their day was just beginning -- now lying still on the concrete pavement. I pray that he was alive. I don't know the outcome. But, I was struck with how precious life is. Our cat blogging community lost a dear friend ;Trixie two days ago and this week a person who had been a fixture in my life succumbed to cancer. Life indeed is precious. Snuggle up close to your cats and tell them you love them. Tell your dearest friend, partner, or husband how much you care. You never know when it may be your last morning. So all my cat blogging friends let me tell you how precious you are to me and how much I appreciate your kindness and compassion and friendships...and Abby, Boo, Ping, Jinx and Gracie agree.

For Trixie

Beautiful Miss Trixie Mom has a story she found that she read to me, and I thought it was very special, so I wanted to dedicate it to a very dear kitty; Miss Trixie who is now with her two brothers, Norton and Raphie at the Bridge, and her Mom and Dad and her two fur brothers, Sammy and Miles. I hope you enjoy it. Please forgive that it is a lengthy story, but it is worth reading all the way through.THE LOVING ONES
The little orange boy stopped. Behind him, kitties were playing, chasing each other and wrestling in the warm sunshine. It looked like so much fun, but in front of him, through the clear stillness of the pond's water, he could see his mommy. And she was crying.He pawed at the water, trying to get at her, and whent hat didn't work, he jumped into the shallow water.All that got him was wet and Mommy's image danced awayin the ripples. "Mommy!" he cried."Is something wrong?"The little orange boy turned around. A lady was standing at the edge of the pond, her eyes sad but filled with love. The little orange boy sighed and walked out of the water."There's been a mistake," he said. "I'm not supposedto be here." He looked back at the water. It was starting to still again and his mommy's image was coming back. "I'm just a baby. Mommy said it had to be a mistake. She said I wasn't supposed to come here yet."The kind lady sighed and sat down on the grass. The little orange boy climbed into her lap. It wasn't Mommy's lap, but it was almost as good. When she started to pet him and scratch under his chin like he liked, he started to purr. He hadn't wanted to, but hecouldn't help it."I'm afraid there is no mistake. You are supposed to be here and your mommy knows it deep down in herheart," the lady said. The little orange boy sighed and laid his head on the lady's leg. "But she's so sad. It hurts me to see her cry. And daddy too.""But they knew right from the beginning this would happen.""That I was sick?" That surprised the little orange boy. No one had ever said anything and he had listened when they thought he was sleeping. All he had heardt hem talk about was how cute he was or how fast he was or how big he was getting."No, not that you were sick," the lady said. "But you see, they chose tears.""No, they didn't," the little orange boy argued. Who would choose to cry?The lady gently brushed the top of his head with a kiss. It made him feel safe and loved and warm - but he still worried about his mommy. "Let me tell you a story," the lady said.The little orange boy looked up and saw other animals gathering around. Cats - Big Boy and Snowball and Shamus and Abby and little Cleo and Robin. Merlin and Toby and Iggy and Zachary. Sweetie and Kamatte and OBie. Dogs too- Sally and Baby and Morgan and Rocky and Belle. Even a lizard named Clyde and some rats named Saffron and Becky and a hamster named Odo.They all lay down near the kind lady and looked up ather, waiting.She smiled at them and began: A long long time ago, the Loving Ones went to the Angel in Charge. They were lonesome and asked the Angel to help them.The Angel took them to a wall of windows and let them look out the first window at all sorts of things -dolls and stuffed animals and cars and toys and sporting events."Here are things you can love," the Angel said. "They will keep you from being lonesome.""Oh, thank you," the Loving Ones said. "These are just what we need.""You have chosen Pleasure," the Angel told them.But after a time the Loving Ones came back to the Angel in Charge. "Things are okay to love," they said."But they don't care that we love them."The Angel in Charge led them over to the second window. It looked out at all sorts of wild animals."Here are animals to love," he said. "They will know you love them."So the Loving Ones hurried out to care for the wild animals."You have chosen Satisfaction," the Angel said. Some of the Loving Ones worked at zoos and wild animal preserves, some just had bird feeders in their yards,but after a time they all came back to the Angel in Charge."They know we love them," they told the Angel. "Butt hey don't love us back. We want to be loved in return."So the Angel took them to the third window and showed them lots of people walking around, hurrying places."Here are people for you to love," the Angel told them.So the Loving Ones hurried off to find other people to love."You have chosen Commitment," the Angel said.But after a time a lot of Loving Ones came back to theAngel in Charge."People were okay to love," they said. "But sometimes they stopped loving us and left. They broke our hearts."The Angel just shook his head. "I cannot help you," hes aid. "You will have to be satisfied with the choices I gave you."As the Loving Ones were leaving, someone saw a window off to one side and hurried to look out. Through it,they could see puppies and kittens and dogs and cats and lizards and hamsters and ferrets. The other LovingOnes hurried over."What about these?" they asked.But the Angel just tried to shoo them away. "Those are Personal Empathy Trainers," he said. "But there's aproblem with their system operations.""Would they know that we love them?" someone asked."Yes," the Angel said."Would they love us back?" another asked."Yes," the Angel said."Will they stop loving us?" someone else asked."No," the Angel admitted. "They will love you forever.""Then these are what we want," the Loving Ones said.But the Angel was very upset. "You don't understand,"he told them. "You will have to feed these animals.""That's all right," the Loving Ones said."You will have to clean up after them and take care of them forever.""We don't care."The Loving Ones did not listen. They went down to where the Pets were and picked them up, seeing thelove in their own hearts reflected in the animals'eyes."They were not programmed right," the Angel said."We can't offer a warranty. We don't know how durablet hey are. Some of their systems malfunction very quickly, others last a long time."But the Loving Ones did not care. They were holding the warm little bodies and finding their hearts so filled with love that they thought they would burst."We will take our chances," they said."You do not understand." The Angel tried one moret ime. "They are so dependent on you that even the most well-made of them is not designed to outlive you. You are destined to suffer their loss."The Loving Ones looked at the sweetness in their arms and nodded. "That is how it should be. It is a fair trade for the love they offer."The Angel just watched them all go, shaking his head."You have chosen Tears," he whispered."So it is," the kind lady told the kitties. "And so each mommy and daddy knows. When they take a baby into their heart, they know that one day it will leave them and they will cry."The little orange boy sat up. "So why do they take us in?" he asked."Because even a moment of your love is worth years of pain later.""Oh." The little orange boy got off the lady's lap and went back to the edge of the pond. His mommy was still there, and still crying. "Will she ever stop crying?"he asked the kind lady.She nodded. "You see, the Angel felt sorry for the Loving Ones, knowing how much they would suffer. He couldn't take the tears away but he made them special."She dipped her hand into the pond and let the water trickle off her fingers. "He made them healing tears,formed from the special water here. Each tear holds bits of all the happy times of purring and petting andshared love. And the promise of love once again. As your mommy cries, she is healing. "It may take a long while, but the tears will help her feel better. In time she will be less sad and she will smile when she thinks of you. And then she will open her heart again to another little baby.""But then she will cry again one day," the little orange boy said.The lady just smiled at him as she got to her feet."No, she will love again. That is all she will think about." She picked up Big Boy and Snowball and gave them hugs, then scratched Morgan's ear just how she liked."Look," she said. "The butterflies have come. Shall we go over to play?"The other animals all ran ahead, but the little orangeboy wasn't ready to leave his mommy. "Will I ever get to be with her again?"The kind lady nodded. "You'll be in the eyes of every kitty she looks at. You'll be in the purr of every cats he pets. And late at night, when she's fast asleep,your spirit will snuggle up close to her and you both will feel at peace. One day soon, you can even send her a rainbow to tell her you're safe and waiting herefor when it's her turn to come.""I would like that," the little orange boy said and took one long look at his mommy. He saw her smile slightly through her tears and he knew she had remembered the time he almost fell into the bathtub."I love you, Mommy," he whispered. "It's okay if you cry." He glanced over at the other pets, running and playing and laughing with the butterflies. "Uh, Mommy?I gotta go play now, okay? But I'll be around, I promise."Then he turned and raced after the others.

So, Miss Trixie send your Momma a rainbow and she will know that you are thinkin of her.

SECRET PAWS!

Boo was so excited to get her box!
Then she got even more excited when she saw what was in the box! She loves feathers!
I wish I could have made a video of this. She was pushing the shrimpnip across the bed with her nose!
Checking out more from her Secret Paw JasperMcKitten!
Hurry Dad!
Ummmmmmmm.............

That was so good! I am lickin' my chops! Fank YOU Jasper & the gang! I let Ping play with my new toys.

Then Abby checked them out.

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Right now TS Ernesto passing over Cuba. Later this week it is expected to reintensify and become a Hurricane again. It will affect Florida. Please keep us in your thoughts. This should prove to be an interesting week.

3 Cats and A Hurricane

With Hurricane Season in full swing and the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina fast approaching, many memories of two seasons ago came flooding back.
The summer of 2004 brought great change and challenge. Many of us who reside in coastal areas had become complacent with the approach of hurricane season. But, for those of us in Florida and in many other coastal areas, 2004 ended all that. We have been very fortunate over the years here in Northern Florida, but we are not immune to the power of these beasts. The summer and fall of 2004 we battled one storm after another, never suffering any knock out punches but nevertheless still dealing with damage from wind and water.
Our area in Northern Florida was first visited by Bonnie. After Bonnie, Charley rolled through, but it passed by us but only one week later Frances came barreling in early on the morning of September 5th near Sewall Point, FL with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph. As the storm marched west northwest across the Peninsula it created a path of destruction. Personally it left us without power for 48 hours, but some in Jacksonville were without power for much longer. I will always remember Frances because it struck on my birthday. We were not prepared to deal with a major power outage. Foolishly we had only the bare minimum necessities for dealing with a major power outage. Part of that complacency we had been lulled into over the years. The mindset was “oh it’s only a hurricane, let’s have a party!” just not this time. I still recall the frequent emergency alerts from NOAA radio that forewarned us of imminent tornadoes. It is a terribly frightening scenario in the middle of the night with the winds howling and rains beating down and listening to trees snap off to then hear the NOAA alert sound and find out that there is a tornado touching down nearby. You run to your ‘safe room’ and pray. These alerts went off every 30 minutes for several hours. Frances spawned over 115 tornadoes as it tore a track throughout the entire southeast United States. I recall we had over 45 touch downs in our area. Boo, Ping, and Jinx had only been with us a few short weeks, and they were outdoor cats at the time. We set them up in a plastic tote outside our front entry fortifying it with a strong chair to keep it in place. Many times throughout the night I checked on them all nestled in their little bed curled up against one another not knowing or caring about the storm that swirled around them. To this day I say to myself; what were you thinking by leaving them outside. How stupid I was and how angry I am at myself for being so shortsighted with their safety. If anything were to have happened to those precious cats I would be never forgiven myself. Thankfully it did not; they were safe, dry and warm. After enduring that ordeal, one week later we were visited by Hurricane Jeanne. This time we didn’t allow the cats to be outside, they were safely tucked away in the garage. At least we were a bit more prepared the second time around; but once again we had to deal with no power for at least 48 hours.
I must say that 2004 taught us many valuable lessons about nature, never again will we be unprepared, and never will any of our cats be left outside in a plastic tote with a blanket inside. Thankfully they weren’t any worse for the wear and neither were we, and probably they were better prepared than we were. But, I don’t want to risk them EVER being outside in a storm again. Did you know that there are 50 million people who live in U.S. coastal counties from Maine to Texas that are all in the path of a future storm?
A recent study found 60 percent of people in hurricane-prone U.S. coastal areas have no hurricane plan -- which means up to a week's worth of food and water squirreled away, a kit with flashlights and other gear, and an established evacuation route to higher ground. Our kit also contains non essential items like paper products, plenty of batteries, plastic battery operated lanterns, (so they are safe for the cats), battery operated portable radio, another battery operated radio which operates with the S.A.M.E technology and also gives NOAA updates, two battery operated TV’s and two generators ,two cell phones, several blue tarps, building supplies and tools like a gas operated chain saw and of course extra gasoline. Last but certainly not least, a few weeks supply of cat food and extra litter. Hurricane Frances woke us up and Hurricane Katrina made us realize how much we would be on our own if a bad disaster struck. Our local government is informing the public that we will be on our own for an unspecific amount of time. After watching the struggles during Katrina, I can see that would be true. So for us it was time to prepare the best we could.
All of this also taught me a great lesson about what we would do with our animals if we had to evacuate. We are now totally prepared to evacuate with them or stay home and deal with the aftermath. A point many learned too late with Katrina. In many cases, the citizens of the Gulf Coast were not allowed to evacuate from the hurricane with their pets, and thousands were forced to choose between their own safety, and the safety of their beloved animals. Many endangered their own lives to take care of their pets, while thousands of pets were left behind to perish.According to a Zogby International poll done after Hurricane Katrina, 61 percent of pet owners would refuse to evacuate ahead of a disaster if they could not take their pets with them. As Hurricane Katrina unfolded, the whole country learned that nobody wants to be faced with the terrible choice of abandoning their pets or risking their own lives to stay with them. People everywhere see their pets as family members. And they treat them as such. Thankfully out of this tragedy a new understanding is at hand, Congress is one step closer to protecting the health and well-being of dogs and cats in future disasters.
On Aug. 4, just weeks before the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the U.S. Senate passed the Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act, which requires local and state disaster plans to include provisions for household pets and service animals in the event of a major disaster or emergency. A similar bill was approved by the House in May, but the House must either adopt the Senate version — which is more comprehensive — or the two bills must be reconciled before going into effect.
In addition, nearly a dozen states have enacted legislation aimed at protecting people and pets during disasters.
One of those laws is Louisiana’s SB 607, which includes requirements that people and their service animals be sheltered together and that evacuees be permitted to bring pets in carriers on public transportation as long as doing so doesn’t endanger human life. Businesses housing animals must develop evacuation plans for those animals. An identification and tracking system will help ensure that people who are separated from their animals can be easily and swiftly reunited with them.
Like the PETS Act, many of the state bills have yet to be implemented or tested. Funding, or lack thereof, could be an issue, although the Senate version of the PETS Act authorizes financial help to states to create emergency shelters for people with animals as well as essential assistance for people with pets and service animals and the animals themselves following a disaster.
Rather than waiting for it to become a federal requirement, some states and localities have already reacted to the Hurricane Katrina tragedy by designing disaster plans that include animals. Maine, New Mexico, Florida, Hawaii, Louisiana, New Hampshire and Vermont have passed state legislation including animals in disaster planning, while California, Illinois, New Jersey, and New York are now considering similar bills.
Katrina made two things clear. One is that local, state and federal emergency planning efforts must include the needs of people with pets or service animals when planning for evacuations, shelters, rescue and recovery, and tracking.

The other point made clear by Katrina is that people must have a plan for evacuating with their pets. Leaving them behind should not be an option.
It is vitally important to have a plan in place that includes your whole family. It is not wise to rely on local authorities to rescue you and your pets. It is ideal to evacuate early, know where you are going and how to get your animals out with you, and have the resources already assembled to leave your home quickly so you don’t become a victim yourself.
I know this was a long narrative, but thank you for reading it. If one person can be helped by any of this information I will feel a sense of thankfulness. Please support the PETS ACT by contacting your representative in Congress and in the Senate.

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Please stop by and visit the Friday Ark and don't forget this weekend Carnival of the Cats hosted this week by Catymology.

A Dapple of Sunlight

I love to photogragh Abby while she suns herself. The contrast of dark and light against her black and white coat is very appealing to me. The sunlight also makes her eye color change. She has golden eyes, but sometimes in the light she has blue or green eyes. She really loves to lie and soak up the rays and the warm of the sun. Every morning she gets up in the dining room chair that sits in the eastern exposure of the house and just bathes in the sunlight. You would think it would get too hot, especially with that double coat of hers, but she loves it, and will lay there for hours.

Does your kitty like the sun as much as Abby?

We Have Another Theft

There's something strange going on.
Momma uses this stuff called bare escentuals every morning. I don't know why she has to put funny stuff on her face. But she always says she has to "make up her face", I thought she had a nice face already. But, that little plastic thing was missing off of the bathroom counter this morning. I am on the case of the missing plastic case. I have a "cat" of interest in the case who I am going to call in for an intensive interview. First I have to find the evidence, it's been well hidden, but I am working round the clock to crack the case. I think my "cat" of interest is going to need a good lawyer.

I Think You're Purrfect

It may be a little hard to see unless you enlarge this photo...but there are two little black ears behind the "I Think You're Purrfect" cookie...ummmm I wonder who that could be?
A basket of kitty cookies!
Now wait... those black ears belong to ABBY! Her head was smaller than the biggest cookie.
Abby said I hope you liked the cookies DaddyBean and I sent you Momma!

Devotion

This is where Abby is each morning as I get ready for work ( I am aiming the camera straight down between my feet, her head is resting on top of my foot). Of course she is fully awake, she just looks like she is sleeping, if she hears one of the other cats come into the bathroom and they get to close she is ready and waiting to run them off. She protecting her territory!

Denim Fever

What is Ping doing? I'm rolling, rolling rolling.... Rolling...
and rolling some more...
I can't help myself. It's just so much fun to stink up my Daddy's jacket!

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Time to check out all the cats, dogs and other critters over at The Ark and drop by this weekend for Carnival of the Cats being hosted this week by Red Peonies.

The Triplets

2 years ago on a sultry day in August there was a faint sound of cats meowing. It wasn’t uncommon to hear cats in our neighborhood, so it went unnoticed. Several days later on August 17, 2004 we approached the front entry of our house to see two cats asleep in the chair which stood next to the front door. As we approached the black and white cat jumped down and dashed into the bushes. The gray tabby just sat there and as I tried to encourage his departure he simply looked at me, and now I know Jinx was begging to be fed. I was thinking he belonged to someone in the neighborhood and had simply stopped by on a very hot day to take an afternoon siesta. He simply would not go anywhere, so I told my husband to go and grab that ONE can of cat food that I had and we would feed them. As soon as I opened the can out popped the little black and white cat along with an orange tabby. How many cats were there? So began a wonderful journey. We had no pets at the time and I really didn’t know much about caring for cats; in fact I knew nothing about caring for cats. I had grown up around dogs and assumed one day I would adopt a dog. So having a cat just never occurred to me. Once we fed them they were happy to have found us. We tried to find if anyone was missing a trio of cats, but no one came forward. So they became a ready made family. Some kind person simply dropped these three beautiful cats off near our house and hoped for the best. I don’t know how they could have in good conscious opened the door to their vehicle and left them there. I shudder now to think of any of them being forced to fend for themselves out in a world that many times doesn’t take kindly to cats. The cats decided to live in our front entry and everyday I would come with a plate full of food and water for them. Where ever they were in the yard they would haul booty to me for dinner. I can vividly recall seeing Boo race across the yard her little paws seemingly never touching the ground she was moving so swiftly. Soon they discovered where I was coming from with the food so they decided to relocate to the garage. The cats whom we had named Boo (the tuxedo), Jinx (the gray tabby) and Ping (the orange tabby) started living in our garage. It was an arrangement that didn’t make much sense now that I look back on it. All the cats wanted to come into the house. My belief was that they were all formerly indoor cats, which makes it all the more puzzling why anyone would just drop them off and drive away. Someone had taken care of them for at least six months. HOW do you leave a little creature that is dependent upon you? It began to become a struggle going in and out the back door. Then Boo moved into the house. She was the purrfect house cat. I know now it was terribly callous of us to leave Ping and Jinx in the garage because they both so wanted to come in also. Then there was a day that Ping didn’t come home and we searched and searched for him and could not find him, but Ping was our adventurer. So with Jinx alone in the garaage it didn't take much to move him into the house. Ping finally came home from his big adventure in the neighborhood and he also moved in. So now we had the triplets in the house and they became more than just our pets they really became our family. I honestly have to thank those people who abandoned MY cats because they have a far better life now, and in my heart, I would really like to think, that they brought them to my neighborhood with the high hopes that some soul would take them ALL in and care for them. I wish they could know that they are all together and well cared for and deeply loved.

Tuxedos

The pictures Momma posted on me the other day made it look like I was a solid black kitty. Well, I just wanted to show everyone my tuxedo. Isn't it pretty?

~Boo

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Fanks to efurryone who stopped by and sent poodin wishes on our 1st year anniversary.
Efurryone is so phenomenal and we feel furry warm and fuzzy (wait we ARE warm and fuzzy) to have so met so many special furfriends(and cats too)!

One Year Ago Today....

Meet the Manx

This is how we began.

I started this blog because of Abby. When I adopted Abby I started a journal and every day I wrote about our adventures. Abby became the road less travelled for me, which all began when 3 little faces found our home and made it theirs 2 years ago. Boo, Ping & Jinx made me realize that I needed to search and find Abby. Of course at that point I didn't know her name, but I knew I had to find her. I searched many many months until just the moment arrived. It's true what they say -- you'll know when it's right, and so it was a year ago last June. So began my journey of life with Abby. It was a struggle to be sure. She was not as happy as I was that I found her. That took some time. She made me earn her love and devotion. A relationship forged in fire is as strong as steel. She was worth all the effort it took to win her over. She is a fiesty little plucky girl, but I wouldn't want her any other way . It amazes me how much has changed since she came. She was not going to venture outself of the bathroom I put her in the first day she came home ,then she did, she wasn't going to come out of the bedroom which she found outside of the bathroom, then she came out of that too. She wasn't going to accept any of the other cats, then she accepted Jinx & Ping. She wasn't going to venture beyond her bedroom and then all of a sudden she couldn't be contained in one room any longer. She still has rooms she doesn't feel comfortable in, but she is learning to relax in them. She also has a way to go with accepting Boo and Gracie. But she is making strides even when she takes a small steps backward. We all do when we have to learn to accept new challenges. It's harder as we age to make those changes and she is 7, but she is making a effort. My journal morphed into a blog. I knew so little about blogging, then I discovered Avrams's blog New Cat City and I was inspired by his excitement with his two new boys . That led me to a whole new world of cat blogging. IT has been a real joy to meet and share with everyone, and I look forward to the future. It has been such a joy to share all our adventures with everyone and to find a group so loving and devoted . So, we thank you for sharing your stories with ours and for making this all more of a special and wonderful journey.

Strike A Pose

Abby
Boo



Ping

Gracie

Cheysuli is looking for cats to show off all of their agility for her new yoga video. So everyone (except Jinx who only eats and sleeps) is practicing their moves.

CSI

Inspector Abby on the case. Below is the crime scene.
Exhibit 1.

The missing sock drawer.

Exhibit 2.

The first piece of incriminating evidence found 3 feet from the scene of the crime.

Exhibit 3.

The second piece of incriminating evidence found 6 feet away from the scene.

Suspect 1.

Boo the temptress.

Suspect 2.

Jinx the mild mannered.

Suspect 3.

Ping the player.

Suspect 4.

Gracie the imp.

After careful and meticulous study of the evidence and using my super secret weapon (my keen sense of smell) the guilty party (Suspect #4) was apprehended and incarcerated and sentenced to one week without treats....

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It's time to check out all the other guilty and innocent critters over at the Modulator and don't forget to drop by this weekend for our weekly dose of beautiful felines at the Carnival of the Cats this week hosted by Blog'd Ellison.