11: Cool Cat

Charlie Chocolate Paws Scales of Feistiness

1. Do you make demands of your human? (If you answered Yes, give yourself 1 point.)
I did, yes. 1

2. If you make demands by doing any of the following, give yourself 1 point for each:
Persistent meowing 0
Biting 1
Smacky Paws 1
Relentless staring 1
Inappropriate behaviors (i.e., chewing on furniture, electrical cords, the oven) Getting on the counters and table. 1 Oh yes!

3. If you make demands by doing any of the following, subtract 1 point:
Headbonking 0
Rubbing and purring on your human -1

4. If you let your humans rub your belly, subtract 2 points. NO WAY!

5. If you let anyone kiss your belly, subtract 5 points. Touch my belly and you would get my fangs in your forehead! 0

6. Are you Head of your Household (HOH)? (1 point if you consider yourself HOH) Until Sandy came. 1

7. If you have kitty (or other animal) siblings, do you:
(Give yourself 1 point for each Yes)
Eat their food? 1
Demand that they groom you? 0
Chase them? 1
Stare at them relentlessly? 0
Stalk them? 1
Pounce on them? 1
Make them meow? 0
Steal their (well, *your*) toys? 0
Make them growl? 1
Make their ears go backwards? 1
Pretend to be grooming (or staring at the wall, ceiling, etc.) while actually stalking them? 0

8. Have you ever destroyed household items?
(1 point for each yes)
Furniture? 0
Clothing or shoes? 0
Kitty Toys? 0


9. Please list any other crazy things you do that are ridiculously feisty (1 point per).
1. Helped myself to treats, by locating the container and knocking it over to open it 0
2. Have come away with a mouthful of fur from each cat I live with 0
3. Pulled and ate a teabag out of the garbage 0

Total Score (Place your score/name in your Diary Title):


My Score is 11. I'm, or was, a COOL CAT! Well I already knew that!

0-5 LAIDBACK LOVEBUG: You are a lovebug. You are sweet (and probably floofy) and you go with the flow. Nothing *really* bothers you and you like everybody. You don’t even mind having a feisty sibling! You are a laidback lovebug!

6-15 COOL CAT: You are one cool cat. Smooth with a touch of mischief. You’ve got a bit of feisty in you and a bit of lovebug. Balance is good; you know how to have a good time by chasing and pouncing AND you know how to have a good time by being a mellow kitty and just hanging out. You are a cool cat!

16+ CRAZY FEISTY: You are a nut. A cheeky little monkey! Crazy, feisty, the talk of the town! Chasing kitty sisters, demanding your human feed you NOW, eating your mom’s favorite pair of shoes, turning on the oven with your freakishly strong teeth just because you can! The world is your playground and you’ll try anything once (or twice). If your human can handle the shenanigans of a CRAZY FEISTY kitty cat, all is good! If your human cannot handle the shenanigans, wait until she leaves for work to get crazy and then blame it on your sistercat when your human comes home! You are crazy feisty (and a whole lot of mischievous fun!)!

Any kitty that wants to play is invited! Feel free to tag friends to find out just how feisty your friends are!

Ghost Paws

This is so weird.
It doesn't happen every night, but at least twice a week. I go to bed, and as soon as I turn the light out and start to fall asleep, but am still somewhat awake, I seem to feel "something" jump up on the bed and walk over to me. At first, I think it's Sandy, so I either sit up and turn the light back on, or I just look over and either Sandy is lying right next to me or somewhere on the bed, or hasn't come to bed yet.
Sometimes, but not very often anymore, when I sleep over at my mom's house, I used to feel a cat jump up on the bed (but my mom doesn't have a cat. .. yet) and I just laughed and thought I was so used to one (or both) cats jumping on my bed to "kiss me/knead me goodnight", but that doesn't happen anymore. Although the first time that ever happened was when I was in the hospital for my gallbladder operation. . .but then, I was on painkillers, an IV, and I had been up for at least 20 hours!
After Squeakers left for the bridge, I had Sandy with me. She always sleeps with me. .. . Squeakers, not that much since Sandy came. So I hadn't felt any "ghost cat walking" until about a month ago.
I wonder if Squeakers is trying to tell me something. . or is just trying to tuck me in! MOL!
Or. .. maybe it's not Squeakers at all. .. maybe I'm just a crazy cat lady needing more sleep!
I never told anyone. . .and who knows, maybe Squeakers wants me to keep her secret. Besides, I know if I told my mom or my friend Jen, they'd both roll their eyes like I was some kind of nut.
Maybe I am.
Though I have read things about telepathy, even from beyond "The Bridge" and believe it is possible. Especially since I did experience a telepathic connection between me and my sweet Squeakers about two months after she left me. She showed me that she was okay, I even saw her with a friend, a sad dog that she was keeping company with. I know that she misses me even more than I miss her, but that she's okday. . and so am I.
When Sandy choses to leave this Earth. . I will be devastated, but I think I will be able to connect with her too.

On one of her earlier diary entries, about her waking me up by walking on me, Squeakers once said:

"These paws were made for walkin'
And that's just what they'll do
Every morning these paws
Are gonna walk all over you!"

Still it continues. .. except at night!

Roses from Leo, the Birthday Boy!

I finally heard from Leo, after months! *flaps wings* He sent me a star and roses! Thank you soooo much Leo! I miss you so incredibly much!
I'm glad he sent me those, because then I went on his page to see if he'd added a diary entry or. . .anything, but his Christmas pics are still up. But I saw a birthday cake rosie on his page and OOPS!! That's what I get for counting on Mommy's memory! His birthday was yesterday! So I gave him a rosie too, and begging him to come back, also wishing him a happy belated birthday.
He's probably celebrating all week anyway! Happy Birthday Leo! MWAH!

Let the Paws Be With You

From Squeakers: (whatever she says, I have an allibi!)
My Mommy went totally paw-crazy!
She thinks our pawprints are so adorable. . .yeah. . .whatever! Feet are feet, I always thought her feet were purrty scary-looking! Maybe that's why she thinks our paws are so cute?
Anyway, when I left for the Bridge, the lady gave Mommy my pawprints. . .she loved them, as soon as she baked them. Every so often she runs her fingers over my last "Paw and Testament". She used to tickle my paws. .. humans don't realize it, when they touch our paws, it tickles!
Sandy doesn't mind it too much, she just moves her paws and tail, but not out of the line of fire. I used to try to bite her to keep her paws off MY paws!
She just got some paws in the mail today. Oh she said she ordered them from the Animal Rescue Store. .. but I helped her get there just so I could send her some of my paws (Scooter & Munchie's too) She got a purple paw charm that says "Love Me, Love My Cat" and a couple paw rings and a little paw charm. . .special delivery from me, Scooter & Munchkin (with the label "the Animal Rescue Store" so it would be legit) and in return she got our paws, plus she said with that she got to give 56.0 bowls of food.
Sure. . .whatever.
Part of it is so she will leave Sandy's paws alone! Purrsonally I don't care about Sandy's paws. .. but the Bridge Kittens feel bad for the Sandmeister with her dainty witto. .. uh, dainty little paws. . .
Yeah. .. whatever.
*looks at paws* Yeah. . .I guess they're kinda cute. At least they're white, not gray and brown like Sandy's.

Happy Birthday Baby, I Miss You!

Today would've been Squeakers' 6th birthday.
Woulda, coulda, shoulda
but she should've lived to a ripe old age like Sandy
but now she is forever a kitten, cloud-hopping and chasing mice and having a great time.
I'm sure she does miss me. . .maybe not Sandy, as much, but I'm sure she does miss me, we really had a special relationship.
I've heard of dogs giving kisses, Lyndi licks me until I'm dripping with doggie slobber. .. . but I've never heard of a cat doing it. . . until Squeakers came along. At first, her tongue was so much like sandpaper, I'd let her lick, but only for a few seconds, then I'd push her away. As she got older though, her tongue seemed softer, and she kissed with more sweetness, care and love.
She did do things to annoy me, but if she didn't, she wouldn't be a cat! It was her JOB to annoy me. . . once in awhile. Now she's my little angel, up at the Rainbow Bridge, I'm sure she's a good greeter, she liked making friends. She was like a dog in that respect, she'd sniff people out to make sure they were okay, then after a minute of staring them down, she'd jump on their laps. One time a friend of a friend actually had the gall to push Squeaks off her lap! Okay, once in awhile I might've done that too, but Squeaks was just saying "Hi, I'm Squeakers, who are you? Wanna make friends?"
You could just tell in her actions that that's what she was thinking, anyway.
I'm not saying Sandy's a bad cat, she's wonderful, maybe as shy as I am, shyer, actually, much more, in fact, her former owner should've named her Bashful. But Squeakers was perfect for me. She jumped on tables, knocked over stuff, unrolled toilet paper rolls, pulled emergency cords, snuck out the door more than once. .. .
but I wouldn't have wanted her any other way!
I'm definitely looking forward to seeing her again. . . someday.

Squeakers and the Violin

On nights like tonight especially. Squeakers has been gone for almost two months, but sometimes it seems like two weeks.
I was just doing normal things, Watching an I Love Lucy marathon, tuning in from time to time to the Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet, typing for Sandy at the LLS Super Bowl party, just normal Sunday stuff, well Super Bowl Sunday stuff, since I don't care much for football I like the Puppy bowl better.
Anyway, I had Squeakers play a romantic tune on a violin from up on the Bridge, for Jacques, who was also having his Birthday Party, and his sweetie Roxanne *if you don't participate in the forums, this may sound really strange, but everything is virtual*
I remembered then how my Grandma June once gave me a card for my birthday, she likes to do gluing, so she prints out pictures and cuts them to fit into other pictures and from there she makes cards, so she made me on with me in a sexy outfit *Ha! That's a laugh!, Plus most grandmas don't think that way, or so we think* with Squeakers wearing a crown and playing the violin! I just had to find that card, it was something, you know, something you just HAVE to do. . .NOW! Well, I rearranged some things last month while I did some cleaning, and I couldn't, for the life of me remember where I put my cards! Not just that one, but I save almost everything, all Christmas cards, birthday, etc. I started looking under the bed, in closets, in drawers, twice! And for some reason, it was urgent, I just HAD to find that card! Then my aunt from Dallas called and we talked, and for some reason, while we were talking, it popped into my head where the cards where, and TADA! There they were, in a basket on my kitchen table and the first one that I saw was the one with Squeakers and the violin!
I was so happy to see it that I started to cry, well, actually I found it while I was on the phone with my aunt, so I didn't cry immediately, but after a few minutes after I got off the phone I did, then I held Squeakers' urn in my arms and just bawled.
That was so strange, because there are some days that I don't even think about her, or just for a second, there are days where I still tell stories about her to my friends, and it doesn't bother me at all. Last Saturday I spent six hours working on a scrapbook of just pictures of Squeakers and it didn't hit me at all. Just tonight.
I guess the guy who said "Mama said there'd be days like this" knew what he was talking about!
I still miss my baby!
I guess February is a hard month. Feb. 6 with be two months since she left me and Feb. 28th would've been her sixth birthday.

Many Thanks to All My Catster Friends

I am so grateful for all my friends and family for helping me get through this horrible time after my baby Squeakers went to the Bridge. For my mom for automatically sending me the money to cover the bill for the emergency vet, even though she didn't need to, and she was out of town. For my friend Jennifer (Twinkie's mom) for rushing upstairs to help me with Squeakers, for calling a friend that could drive and asking her to pick us up, for going with me, helping me fill out the forms, for giving me a hug (she's not a hugger) after I found out my Squeakers went to the Bridge, for Elizabeth, the lady that drove us, who dropped everything to rush over to pick us up, for the Animal Emergency Clinic who gave me both Squeakers ashes and her pawprints that I will always cherish. For my Grandma and Aunt Sandy (cat Sandy too!) who gave me someone to talk to after the horrible event.
But I am so grateful to have wonderful Catster friends , just as much as I am grateful to have my wonderful family, Catster members are just like family to me. I am so glad I joined Catster four years ago! I am grateful for all the kitties and their humans that sent condolence cards, especially those that sent them to Pepper, who sent them with a present for Squeakers and Sandy, cute little quilts that I know were made with a lot of love. I thank Catster HQ, or whoever chose my Squeakers as Cat of the Week last week. That really sent Squeakers off to the Bridge with a bang, and she was loved by so many, i just saw that she has 585 friends on Catster, plus all my friends and family who've met her fell in love with her almost instantly, and who couldn't? Even maintenance men, cable guys, and maybe even the Schwans guys, and my next-door neighbor and some other neighbors that've met her fell in love with her.
Anyway, I'd just like to thank all of you, and especially Pepper, Squeakers' twin, I think her mom cried harder than I did! But then, I knew that she wasn't sick anymore, even though didn't really know that she was sick to begin with. Also, thanks to Marina for sending me the beautiful candle, Truman for setting up the memorial, that was so sweet, even if I couldn't be there, darn seizures!
Thank you so much to all my Catster friends, we really are like family or close friends!
Wishing all of you a happy and healthy New Year!

A Christmas Present From Squeakers

I just talked to my mom and she asked me if I am really missing Squeakers. I said that, yes, I am missing her, but I am pretty much getting on with my life, I think my baby would want it that way.
But I said that this Christmas might feel a little "weird" or "off" because my Squeakers won't be coming to my Mom's with me like we have done for the past five years. I told her "It will be kinda like not being with you on Christmas" . She kinda avoided that subject cuz we had a huge argument on Thanksgiving and she "uninvited" me for Christmas, obviously we made up and she "reinvited" me.
But she did remind me of the time Squeakers was with me, not sure what holiday it was, maybe it wasn't even a holiday, and Squeakers would hop up on the bed between us. Above my mom's king-sized bed she has a huge wreath decoration (not Christmas wreath) with dried flowers on it. She has one in the guest bedroom too, and Squeakers loved to play with both of them. But to get to them, she had to stand "on" one of us, and get on her tippy-toes and reeeeeeeeaaaacccchhh as far as she could! She'd bang that darn wreath until I woke up and would knock her off and make her lie down or get off the bed. That's what kept me up most of the night!
Anyway, what I was trying to say is that my mom told me that while she was sitting in bed reading the paper on Sunday, she looked down and saw one of those dried flowers on her pillow. My mom said "Thank you Squeakers, I love you too!"
I guess any logical mind would think that the flower just fell off, but you never know, it could be a message from my baby, we both think it was.
What makes it kinda spooky is that when Squeakers was younger, I had a basketful of dried flowers like that, I put it on a very high dresser where Squeakers hardly ever went, but one morning I woke up and there was a dried flower (with the stem chewed) on my pillow, and that dresser wasn't next to my bed, she carried it in her mouth, and I think she put it on my pillow because cats like to boast about their "kill" so I thanked Squeakers just as my mom did on Sunday.
I think that was a message, Squeakers is saying that she's sorry we miss her so, but she's happy and young and playful again.
At least I hope it means that
This all could be coincidence, but I think not.
Merry Christmas from Squeakers!

COTW?

Did anycat see that? I am COTW! Finally! I've finally climbed that bookshelf. . . but I'm on the Bridge. . .I guess they did it just for Mommy so that she could have one last thing to remember me by. I wonder, when she's 80 years old and she's already had five more cats, will she tell the people at the old folks home about her cat Squeakers pulling the emergency cord, help making turtles and being Cat of the Day (Jan 9, 2008) and Cat of the Week on a website called Catster.
Hmmm.
Oh yeah, anycat also notice that the COTD is from Minneapolis and I'm from St. Paul? Twin Cities' cats in the spotlight! WOW!
P.S, if anycat wants to know, Mommy had to call the emergency vet to cancel the urn, they didn't answer, so she left a message. for those who don't know, Mommy accidentally, maybe, ordered an urn for me after my leaving this Earth on Saturday, but it was over $200 and since Mommy isn't working. . . oh well.
I could tell she was embarrassed, but I guess the Big Mom told her it had to be done, even if Mommy is living on her own now for over ten years, but she's not good with money anymore, she used to be. .. I guess Grandma will just have to find something else to put me in.

. . . but that doesn't mean I'm not gonna miss her. ..

Ever since Squeakers went to the Rainbow bridge I've been thinking. Of course I miss her terribly, I miss those kisses on demand, I miss her jumping up on my lap or lying on my chest so that I can hardly breathe, and the nice loud purrs and even her being naughty like jumping up on furniture she knows she's not allowed on.
But now I have only one cat. Having one cat will probably be a little easier to handle.
There won't be as much litter to scoop
Only one food and water dish
I don't have to keep an eye on Squeakers so she'll eat HER food instead of Sandy's
No more opening cans of Stinky Goodness (Fancy Feast) Sandy doesn't like it.
I won't have to buy Prescription food anymore which will save me money
Only one vet bill, although with Sandy being a senior it still might be a big one
I won't have to buy insane amounts of litter every month, just maybe one box
I won't have to keep my eyes pealed on anything wrong .. . Sandy's a good girl, so was Squeakers, but she had a naughty streak.
Maybe I can put the spray bottle away until I get a new cat

and if you think all of this makes me happy. . .you're wrong!
I miss my Squeakers! I miss her so much!
Sandy is very affectionate, but she doesn't give sweet kitty kisses, and Squeakers' mischief made it fun around here! Scooping the litterbox twice as much and buying Prescription food and worrying about her and praying for her and everything else was all a labor of love.
I loved that cat so much! I always say that Squeakers was my pal and Sandy is my lover because up until a week or two ago I would only see Sandy at night when I went to bed, but Squeakers was with me most of the time. Even when there was someone at the door, Sandy would hide and Squeakers would greet them, and everyone fell in love with her, even the maintenance men and the Schwans men and the neighbor lady played games with her under the door after I left for work. She'd cry if I came home and left again right away, she probably felt robbed because I didn't spend time with her until I came home the second time. I could hear her cries all the way down the hall. That was my baby.
I loved it when she wanted attention. If I was kneeling down to do something she'd stand on her hind legs and bat my leg or knee, sometimes she'd try to climb up my back! What a sweetheart, she had such an intent look like a little kid wanting to be picked up NOW! She loved treat times. She'd stand on her hind legs and reach for the treat, and most of the time she got it! She was very talented. She could stick her paw under the bathroom door and open it while I was in the shower. She insisted on being in the bathroom with me when I showered.
One time I was at my Mom's house, taking a bath, since I only have a shower, my mom offered and I took the opportunity. My mom and Squeakers left the room, but when she closed the door, Squeakers didn't like that, she wanted to make sure I was okay, so she meowed and meowed until my mom let her in. She came up to the tub and put her front paws on the tub and peeked over the edge, and for awhile she sat on the edge, just to make sure I wasn't drowning or something, then she wanted out of the hot bathroom! My mom was all the way downstairs, so I had to get out of the tub and let her out!
We all know the emergency cord incident, and when we were making turtles one year for Christmas, she saw us patting the caramels gently on the nuts, so she felt left out, I guess and she patted one of the caramels down! Even though it already was down. She loved water, almost too much. At my mom's she'd get on the bed, bat at the wall decoration a few times until I stopped her, then she'd step over my mom and drink her water on the nighttable! My Mom didn't like that, so we had to make sure she didn't do that again.
Once she wiggled over to the neighbor's balcony from my mom's balcony, and we had to call her name and wiggle some toys until she came back. She once snuck out of my apartment door, I guess i didn't close it tight enough, and I woke up to desperate meowings at 2 a.m, I looked around for her and saw the door was opened and I went out and grabbed her, poor baby was so scared, so I sang her our song, "My Girl", because she is and will always be. . .my girl.
There may be other cats in my life in the future, but Squeakers was very memorable. I don't think I'll ever forget her.

Rest in Peace my little girl!
From your Mommy