What the MEOW???!!!

Mommy is off her rocker! I guess losing me and my brother finally just pushed her over the edge. Why am I saying this? Mommy and Daddy got a PUPPY! A PUPPY! A puppy that can only be described as the size of a small pony, with REALLY sharp teeth. I guess it's a good thing I'm not there, because there is NO way I would be able to keep up with it. But, I'll give her this much, she is pretty cute...when she's sleeping! I'm pretty sure she will mellow out when she gets older. At least I hope she will! Mommy and Daddy really want another kitty, but they decided it's still too soon. I've only been an angel for 7 months, and Mommy still cries. But, Mommy knows that there are fur babies out there that need homes, and not having one has been really hard on her and Daddy. So, they decided to get a pup, and will get another kitty once Bonny(the pup's name), has settled down. Mommy has always wanted a dog and a cat, together. She thinks it's a funny and cute combination, especially when they adore one another. And that's what she's hoping for. A kitty that will love the puppy. This is actually Mommy's FIRST dog. She's had cats every single day of her entire life! Needless to say, it has been a MAJOR learning experience!
So, my sweet kitty friends, if any of you are interested, go and check out the newest addition to the family. She's such a ham!
Hope all of you are doing well. We think about each and every one of you, constantly. We love you all, BUNCHES!
head-bonks and kisses,
JoJo

Thank you, my furry friends!

Awwww....I have such good kitty friends! All of my pretty gifts, all perfectly lined up in my giftie box. THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love and treasure each and every one of them.
How have my kitty friends been? I've had to take a break from typing while my Mommy plays catch-up with life. I've flown down to see her MANY times, and each time, she SWEARS that she will post a new entry for me. But, she never does. Bad ol' Mommy. So, I'm going to take it upon myself.
As many of you already know, since I have been gone, Mommy has been chasing her wild rabbits around, trying to get in a good squeeze. But,poor Mommy can't catch them. And guess what else? A couple of weeks ago, Mommy looked out the window, and she now has two ducks! DUCKS! Okay...Mommy lives in the burbs. Not out in some fabulous farm house. THE BURBS! And here she is, with two mallards coming to visit her every single day, at LEAST 4 times a day. In fact, the female came to visit this morning, and was MOST unhappy that there was no bird seed out. Mommy forgot to get some. So, she ate the few remaining seeds that were left over from yesterday, and played in the bowl of water that Mommy put out for her and her mate. It was HYSTERICAL! The female scoops seed up on her bill, and sticks it in the bowl of water. Then she puts her entire head under water, and eats the seed that has fallen to the bottom! Mommy always wondered why they turned upside down in ponds and lakes, and mooned everyone. She knew they were eating, but she got to see it first-hand this morning...cause the bowl that the water is in is clear! You can see right through it. And that's how she saw Mrs. Duck eat. It was SO funny. She and Daddy laughed and laughed. And then, they were visited by their hummingbirds...which actually migrated to Ohio relatively early this year. Mommy was VERY excited about that. She loves her little hummingbirds. Probably because they remind her of me...wonderfully adorable, but occasionally loud and cranky.
So, as you see, Mommy has been busy taking care of her wonderful wildlife. She says it's still not at all the same as having a fur baby...but it will have to do until she is out of her mourning stage.
I hope everyone is doing wonderfully. I miss you all so much! Oh, and if anyone is interested, Mommy did a blog post on her nutty bunnies and ducks, with lots of pictures. The link is, and, it's a biggie....
http://dkmart.typepad.com/dkm-art/2011/05/pattern-rally-su bmission-and-fun-with-wildlife.html
But please, do not feel obligated to look at it. Only if you want to see what her furry critters look like.
Much love to each and every one of you. I miss you all so much. And I'll try to make Mommy be better about updating. Bad ol' Mommy!
xoxoxo Josephine the beauty queen

A little Easter wish....

I wanted to stop by and wish all of our Catster friends a VERY HAPPY EASTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you all so much for being such dear friends over the years. We cannot thank you enough.
Much love to you all, and have a wonderful Easter!
JoJo

Thank you!

Hello, sweet kitty friends! Wow, these last few days have been a whirlwind of Rainbow Bridge activity! With all of the fun catnip/sunshine parties, tuna treats, and naps...I am worn out!
I just wanted to thank each and every one of you for helping me to celebrate being DDP. Mommy was shocked! Daddy, on the other hand, said something like this..."You mean to tell me that JoJo told everyone that I offered to sleep at the foot of the bed?" Um.....yep! Of course, his comment was followed up by, "Well...the offer still stands....if that will make you happy." MOL.
Also, Mommy was reading your comments regarding the post about her dropping off my unused food to The Cat Colony. And, she wants you all to know, you were all right. She is going to give it a couple more weeks. As Mitten's Mommy said, it's hard going there on the best of days. Going there on a day when MY Mommy is sad, isn't going to make her feel any better, and will probably only result in Mommy bawling her eyes out. So, we will wait. But only for a little while...we know that the kitties there need to be loved on, and would love to have some of my yummy food. And, Mommy is going through some serious withdrawals. It's been far too long since she's squeezed on something fluffy, and it's making the wild rabbit that she feeds, uncomfortable. He keeps giving her the stink-eye every time he comes for a visit. He notices how big and round her eyes get when she sees him...and it probably doesn't make him feel any better when she says, "Oh...there's my pretty bunny. Would you like a hug? Would you like me to pick you up? Wouldn't you be so very happy if I could kiss on you, and mush my face into your fur?" Ummm....his answer is always NO. Mean ol' bunny.
Much love to you all, and thank you, again, for all of your kindness and friendship.
xo,
JoJo

Thought I would check in with my little kitty friends!

I know I have said it at LEAST a hundred times these last few weeks, but THANK YOU...again. You are all so kind and thoughtful for helping Mommy get through all of this. And, she is feeling a bit better. At least the tears don't start flowing as soon as she wakes up. Oh, and at least she gets out of bed now! Geesh...and people say cats are lazy.
My Daddy went and picked up my ashes a couple of weeks ago, and now I am resting right next to my little brother, Sheppy. Mommy chose a really pretty wood box with carved flowers all over it, naturally!, and they even did a little footie-print of my front paw, along with a little cutting of my pretty fur. Needless to say, this unleashed another torrent of tears on Mommy's part. Now her next big step is to take all of the unused cans of my kitty food, as well as 4 huge bags of dry, to The Cat Colony, and donate it. Every time Mommy went to donate food and provisions there, PRIOR to my passing, she always left in tears. This will be even harder, now that I'm gone. So many wonderful kitties in need of furever homes is so upsetting, she's afraid that she might go crazy and take every single one. But, she knows that wouldn't be a good decision. When she's ready for new kitties, Sheppy and I will give her a sign.
I think the one thing that has really been the hardest for her, is the fact that I'm not on the bed at night, sleeping with her. Mommy was injured at work, which she has written about in my earlier diary entries, and yesterday was her first course of epidurals...in her neck! YUCK!!!!!! What seemed like 5 hours, only actually took 1, but...oh....my....gosh! The pain! For all of you kitties with Mommy's that have had children, my Mommy has the UTMOST respect for them! It was horrific. But even after all of that, what pushed Mommy over the edge was coming home, crawling into bed, and not having me to snuggle with, and keep her feet warm. Daddy offered to sleep at the food of the bed, but Mommy told him that, 1. It wouldn't be the same, and 2., that would just be CREEPY! MOL.
Well, I guess that's about it for this week. Sheppy and I sure have been having TONS of fun with our kitty friends at the Bridge. I'm thinking we need to have another kitty happy hour/group nap, again. We'll set up a search party for the largest beam of sunlight we can find, in the biggest catnip field, EVER. We'll keep you all posted.
Oh, and one more thing, please keep sending good thoughts to sweet Kaci. She's been doing so well with her eating...even if her Mommy has to pick out all of the veggies in the food. MOL!
Much love to each and every one of you,
JoJo (Josephine The Beauty Queen) xoxoxox

JoJo sightings and sounds.

Hello to all of JoJo and Sheppy's catster friends. This is their Mommy, Kate. I attempted to write this at the beginning of the week, but for some reason, this week has been so much more difficult than last week. Isn't this supposed to get easier???!!! I have literally spent the past 5 days sobbing, rarely getting out of bed, and absolutely no fun to be around. Just ask my boyfriend. One thing that he and I have both noticed, however, is JoJo. We hear her, see her, feel her jump up on the bed. Is that weird? Has anyone else had phantom kitty sightings? About 4 nights ago, I was reading the pawmails that her much-loved friends on catster had sent her, and I actually HEARD her jump off of the bed, jump on the ottoman next to the bed (I still have it there. It helped her to get down, which was hard to do because of her arthritis. Sort of like stairs.), and jump down to the floor. Then I heard her walking into my office, walk behind me, and walk over to where one of her many Princess beds was located. It actually made my hair stand up on end. I was so shocked. Now, it happens pretty frequently. My boyfriend still says hi to her when he passes the hallway, because he's seen her standing there, waiting to be brushed. Does any of this make sense to anyone else? Or have I finally lost it? In a way, it makes me happy. But it also makes me miss her more. I want her here PHYSICALLY. I want to be able to squeeze on her like I used to, and to mush my face in her pretty fur that always smelled like candy. I want her to crawl under the covers, and curl up next to me with her little feet on my arm. I want to hear her screaming for me at the top of the stairs because it's time for her to be brushed. All of those things are gone now, and I don't think I'll ever get used to it.
Thank you all for your kindness these last 2 weeks. I know everyone has been through this at some point, and my heart goes out to everyone that knows exactly what I'm going through. Little JoJo took a break today to let me write this entry, but she'll be back later to update everyone.
Much love, and thank you.
Mommy Kate

A little message from up above...

Hello my kitty friends,
Well, as many of you can relate, it's been a hard week for Mommy. For those of you that have lost your best friend, you know exactly how she's feeling. I think the worst part is not having me around during the day. I was a REALLY good studio kitty. I kept Mommy company ALL DAY LONG while she would draw and paint. I kept a watchful eye on her from my throne in her office/studio. It was easier for me to get a snuggle from her if I stayed close by! Now she doesn't even want to be in there. All of my toys and goodies were in there, and now they're gone. She thinks it looks empty, and it makes her sad. She was used to looking over at me, and hearing me snore while I snoozed in the sun. Now it's so quiet, that she finds herself taking her work into the bedroom, and drawing in bed with the tv on. It's going to take a while, but I know she'll get back to her normal self.

I wanted to thank all of you for your caring words, pawmails, rosettes, and gifties. Each and every one of them touched Mommy's heart, and made her love me even more...if that is even possible. It made her love her catster friends even more, as well. Thank you for your kindness. Mommy knows that she's not the only one that is going through this. She sees all of the other bridge kitties and pups that have made the same trip that I have, and her heart goes out to their Mommy's and Daddy's. The feeling of loss is wretched, and sometimes she can't believe that she even has the energy to get out of bed, let alone do trivial things like laundry and errands. But, she's forcing herself. And little by little, her eyes are leak-free for a couple of hours a day...and will hopefully be leak-free for a little bit longer by the end of the month. The only thing she is dreading, and knowing that it will be hard, is when she goes to pick me up from the vet. She chose a really pretty floral box for me, and will put the box on the nightstand next to the bed, where my little brother is. That way, it's ALMOST like I'm sleeping in there, again.

Thank you, again, my dear friends. Your friendship means the world to us, and we will be forever grateful to each and every one of you for helping Mommy through this.

Love,
Josephine The Beauty Queen

I'm at the bridge.

Hello kitty friends. Well, it was my time. All of the fluids that Mommy had been giving me were no longer being absorbed into my system. I tinkled at least 20 times last night. Mommy kept waking up to change my tinkle pads while I was sleeping next to her in bed. Unfortunately, I just couldn't hold it anymore. My kidneys had failed me. I did manage to eat a little bit of baby food this morning, so that made Mommy feel a little better. Alot of you have asked if Mommy had thought of giving me an appetite stimulant, and the answer is yes. The vet gave her a bottle of it, and when she gave me some 3 days ago, it made me throw up. I felt horrible, and just lied down on the ground. As for my Potassium levels being low, the supplement that Mommy gave me 3 times a day actually had Potassium in it. So, the cause of my weakness was actually brought on by my system shutting down.
This morning, Mommy and Daddy drove me to the vet. She was nice enough to open her clinic on her day off, so she could help me pass. Daddy drove us there, while Mommy sat in the back seat with me, holding me and telling me that I'm the best girl in the whole wide world. She brought my pink princess bed, my catnip banana, my hedgehog toy, and the string from her pj's that I yanked out while I was playing with it one day. She also wrote me a letter, and so did Daddy. She told me that I'm her best friend, and that she loves me more than anything in the world. Her eyes have been leaky since yesterday morning, and by the time we got to the vet, they were non-stop leaky, and so were Daddy's. The vet came in and hugged and squeezed me because I'm her oldest client, and I've been going there longer than any other of her clients. I lied down on a towel, and Mommy scooped me up and held me. She got my fur all wet! The next thing I knew, I was crossing a beautiful bridge, and my little brother was on the other side, jumping up and down. He's excited because now he has someone to groom, and torment! I know my Mommy misses me, because I can see how upset she still is. Going back home was the worst part of it all. I have so many things, EVERYWHERE, that Mommy just broke down at the sight of it all. She feels like she is in a fog, and totally lost. But, she knows it was my time. She could tell by my eyes, especially this morning. She said I looked so sad. It was the only time I've ever been to the vet, and haven't been scared. Daddy said that I was so peaceful, like I knew what was going to happen, and I was ok with it. I was just so tired, and couldn't fight it anymore.
Thank you, my kitty friends, for all of your support. We couldn't have done it without you, especially Mommy. She doesn't think her grief will ever end, but I know it will. And tonight, when I'm sleeping next to her, I'll tell her I'm ok, and that I feel better than I have in years, and that my little brother and I are together, again.
Much love to you all,
Princess Josephine

It's time to say goodbye.

Hello catster friends,
Since I last wrote this morning, I have lost the use of my back legs, and cannot control my insides. Mommy has tried to help me by getting some food in me, but I am just too tired. I've been sleeping in my princess bed with tinkle pads, because I can't make it to the litter box, and my breathing is now labored. I don't mean to make you all sad by writing this. Mommy is still hoping for a miracle. She spoke to my vet this evening, and my vet said that she would be more than willing to open the clinic tomorrow for me, if need be. She is going to call Mommy when she gets back from church, and see if Mommy would still like help with my crossing. Unfortunately, my numbers were really bad a week and a half ago when I was last there, and they have apparently only gotten worse. Mommy is so upset. I have been lying next to her with my head buried into her side, just to be close to her. I know it's time, and so does Mommy. She doesn't want me to suffer, and waiting until Monday would be cruel. I try to lift my head to look at her, but I can't. I know she's there because she has been kissing on me for hours, and all I want to do is sleep. So Mommy is going to lie down next to me one last night, and pray for a peaceful crossing. Mommy's heart is broken.
Please pray for a peaceful crossing for me, and tell your bridge kitties that I'm coming to play, and to be with Shep.
Much love to you all, and I will write to you soon, once I get my beautiful pink wings.
Love,
JoJo.

Thank you, sweet kitty friends, and catster!

This is JoJo's Mommy, Kate, writing for Jo while she sleeps in her pink princess bed. I can't thank each and every one of you enough for all of the kind words and well wishes. And Catster H.Q., thank all of YOU for the honor of making Josephine DDP! I was floored when I received the email, and it couldn't have come at a better time. Jo had a really rough day yesterday, and a pretty rough day, today. She barely ate yesterday, with the exception of a few blobs of her Nutrical supplement. Her legs really started giving out on her yesterday, as well. It's heartbreaking to see a kitty that only 3 weeks ago was opening the bedroom closets, and chewing on shoelaces, turn into a kitty that can't even get up in her favorite chair, or on the bed, without me picking her up. It just happened so suddenly...sort of like it did with Sheppy. Like many of you that have had a sick pup or kitty, I always hope that when I wake up in the morning, she will have magically become well again. And every morning, I'm sad because it hasn't happened. I guess this morning everything just sort of hit me like a ton of bricks, and I bawled. Just bawled my eyes out, and I couldn't stop. The thought of losing her kills me. She has such a presence about her. This little cat literally fills this house with such a HUGE personality, much like Shep did, and without her, it wouldn't feel like a home. I have tried all of your thoughtful suggestions, and taken every bit of your advice, and now I don't know what else to do. I'm so grateful to have been able to spend so much time with her over the last 8 months. When I first injured myself at work, I was upset and complained constantly about not being able to do anything except go to Physical Therapy, and the Dr. And now I look back upon all of that time I was basically forced to stay at home, and I'm actually grateful! Maybe it was meant to be. I have literally spent the last 8 months, 24/7, with Josephine by my side. She has been stuck to me like glue every single day, and I love it. Now the thought of being by myself, without her, terrifies me. Even my boyfriend, who was NEVER a cat person prior to dating me, thought the world would end when Sheppy passed. And now, with JoJo being so sick, he's a wreck. He loves her so much. Brushes her, sings to her, kisses on her. She has him wrapped around her little paw, and the thought of her being sick, and him not being able to do anything to make it better, just kills him. Being a parent is so hard! How do people have children?!!!! ;)
Anyway, I'm so sorry for rambling, but I know I'm in good company, and you all will understand.
Again, thank you all for my sweet rosettes, pawmails, and gifties. I wish there was a way for me, and JoJo, to give each and every one of you a big hug. You are all so special to us. Thank you for making this a special day!
Love, JoJo and Mommy Kate. XO!!!!!!