They say it's my Birthday!

MOL, each year on Christmas Eve Catster reminds me it's my birthday. Well, it's not really my birthday for a couple of reasons. First of all, I'm not there anymore MOL, my birthday these days is the anniversary of my passage to the Rainbow Bridge when I was reborn. Secondly, Mum didn't actually know when I was born, but she proclaimed Christmas Eve as my Birthday because that was the eve, many years ago, when Mummy brought me into her home. It was a wonderful Christmas for me, for Mummy, and for my brofur Whiskey Lee. The three of us celebrated Christmas together, and it was wonderful. Mum had only recently moved into the Hollywood apartment, so the apartment was sparsely furnished. It didn't matter, we spent most of our time on the bed together just enjoying each others company. We didn't even have a TV yet, so Mum read Christmas stories out loud to me and my new brofur Whiskey Lee. It was a wonderful night, and we won't ever furget it. Love to you all from up above, I promise to write you again on the anniversary of my passing in a couple of weeks. I hope that all of you are well.

With love from above,

Shelby

Happy Mother's Day!

I had to fly down from Heaven today because I know my Mum is always sad this time of year......for a couple reasons.

Naturally we all know that my Mum didn't actually give birth to me MOL, but nonetheless, I was hers and she was mine.

Each Spring she's reminded of when we first moved to the country house, this time of year in 2007. It was a new beginning for both of us.

Perhaps it's because of the fruit that's ripening in my orchard in the garden she made in my memory that first Spring, or even just the way the light plays in certain areas of the house this time of year. You know, a ray of light here, a ray of light there, I always followed it. The suns rays touch the bedspread this time of year, and sure thing, a cat lays there......but it isn't me, and it never will be me again.

Don't be sad Mum, I'm waiting for you!

With love from above,
furever yours,
Shelby

For Shelby, because I loved him so.....

Like a soldier you fought until the end,
this hole in my heart will never mend.

I remember you each passing day,
I love you more than words can say.

You left my world, but not my heart when your spirit
soared into the sky.
Sweet Shelby, please don't let my memories die.

Love,
Mum

Thank you all so much, and Catster HQ too!

WOW! We received word this morning that I was a DDP! I am so excited, and so is my Mum. It's my Mum's biggest fear in life, that I'll be furgotten.

Anyway, we appreiciate the comments and gifties and will be thanking you all properly later on after Mum finishes cleaning up after all the rescued and boarding furs MOL. I would also like to thank you all fur welcomng the old guy Dewey to Catster and to the Earth home. It is difficult for him because he was abandoned at 13 years old, poor fellow. His health is not the best, but we will know more later after his vet visit next week.

My Earth Grandma and Earth Uncle are coming on Monday and will visit for two days! They came to visit a few weeks before I went to the Bridge and I loved visiting with them. I even sat on the couch between them, and I don't share my affections with just anyone MOL. Poor Mum is cleaning up a storm in preparation!

Meanwhile, Mum will also be setting up an Etsy shop online soon and we will fill you in when it's done. Featured will be handmade greeting cards and mini scrapbook albums. My pet bparding facility Shelby's Eden continues to do very well. We began with a few client folders in a file tray, and we now have THREE file DRAWERS filled with client files!

Well, thank you all fur your visit to my page and to my diary! I have to get some rest now, I've been partying up a storm lately!

With love from above,
Shelby

Old man Dewey

Well, Mum finally brought the old geezer....oops...did I say "geezer"? MOL...I meant "Meezer". Anyway, she brought him down from the boarding facility (where he'd been dumped of all things) and now he's living in my Earth house so show him some love, he's not a bad sort. His name is Dewey, and he's no spring chicken if you know what I mean.

Mum says he has my features, I suppose he sort of does have my nose, but he doesn't like his nose rubbed like I did...not that I haven't seen Mum try MOL! Gotta run, lots of pawtys still happening in honor of Hazel Lucy.

With love from above,
Shelby

A legend joined us today

I woke this morning to the sound of thunder! I though to myself...Self, surely it can't be storming at the Rainbow Bridge!

Lo and behold, when I peeked out my window, I realized the sound was coming from the fluttering of wings! Winged angels fluttered everywhere the eye could see. All of Rainbow Bridge was in a tither, the buzz shook the ground like an enormous Earthquake! A legend, a Queen, the most famous in all of Catsterland was coming to join us.

The energy was everywhere, illuminating the sky like nothing I'd ever experienced in all my 9-lives on Earth, and certainly not in Heaven.

Tonight we will celebrate like never before, but first we bow our heads and pray for peace and comfort for Hazel Lucy's loving Mom.

With love from above,
Shelby

My third anniversary

Hello my furriends! I hope this day finds all of you well. On this third year anniversary of my passing to the Rainbow Bridge, I am doing well and my Rainbow Bridge family is prospering. My lovely girlfriend Santa, with whom I share my life and my home, brings me endless joy. I still grieve for Mummy as I know she still hurts even after all this time. I believe she would like to add a few words to my diary, so I leave you all to get back to my friends and family here at the Bridge.

With Love From Above,

Shelby
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To my dear friends in the Catster community,
I feel badly that I have not been here to support those of you who supported me in my time of need. I hope all of you are doing OK. It is still very painful for me to even visit Shelby’s page. I don’t feel his absence very often anymore, except when I come here and then the memories come flooding back.

I recall that awful day that he passed. As devastating as that day was, the support that came through from the whole community was so amazing. I didn’t even realize the power of the purr until much later, but I think I would have required hospitalization and sedation if I had not had the support of all of you. It was the only way I got through that terrible time.

Many things have not changed since the last anniversary. Much to the disappointment of my husband, I still refuse to go to our favorite Thai restaurant. I just can’t go in there. You may recall that it was there while having dinner that our beloved Dr M called with the news. She was frantic when she received Shelby’s latest bloodwork from the lab. It was an emergency that we get him a blood transfusion. We rushed home to get him and drove 70 miles to the emergency room in Culver City where we spent the night in the waiting room. We drove back home to take care of our dogs and then back to Culver City. It was pouring rain that whole week and we made the trip several times daily while Shelby remained there in his oxygen bubble.

I still have much trouble going into the health food store, and I go there rarely and only when my husband is with me. Even when I drive by the turn onto the country road that leads to that store, a wave of grief washes over me. It’s a feeling of intense emptiness that I can’t describe, and I feel the empty hole he left in my heart.
Those darn medications are still on the kitchen counter, and his medication schedule is still on the refrigerator. Somehow I feel that if I throw these things away, it’s like throwing his memory in the trash. I can’t do it, and probably never will.

I still have his little baby socks that Dr Meyerhoff wanted him to wear when the edema caused swelling in his little legs. I still keep his blankets tucked away, or at least the ones that were my favorites. I do use the special ceramic dishes that I bought for him, and was momentarily distressed when I dropped one in the sink the other day and broke it. I won’t use his little pottery pill dish, the one that I served him his pat of butter along with the multiple pills twice daily. LOL, I guess some things will never change.

I keep very busy these days with Shelby’s Eden and taking care of all of our own rescued animals, as well as the numerous house pets both canine and feline. The design business which we called Shelbydoodle Designs keeps me very busy as well. I am currently cranking out Valentine mini albums and cards to sell at the local market night.

Thank you all for listening. I will be visiting the memorial garden early this afternoon to visit the spot from where he left me, and to leave some flowers. I love you all!

Nancy

My Birthday today!

My goodness Mummy, how could you forget my Birthday! It was the early 1990's when Mum found me in the carrier by that dumpster in the alley. It was Christmas eve and she was on her way to work at the shelter. I was ill and was left by the dumpster in the parking lot of a vet office which was closed. Mum can't quite remember if I went home with her the same day I was found or if I lived at the shelter where she worked for a few days. Oh Mum...the memory is going MOL! Anyway, we are certain of the fact that I came to live with her on Christmas eve. It was for that reason that Christmas eve officially became my Birthday. It was the beginning of a whole new life! I even had a new name. I may not ever have told you guys the reason that I have a sort of a "girly" name. Mum actually named me "Selby" but her friend Richard kept saying "Shelby" until eventually I became known as Shelby. Mum can't imagine it any other way now.

We are sorry that we haven't had time to write in my diary, but my Earthly boarding facility Shelby's Eden keeps my Mum so busy as well as the paper crafting Shelbydoodle Designs. My Mum says that her inspirations come from me MOL, and we are doing quite well with the designs at local trade shows.

Anyway, thank you fur the Birthday and Christmas wishes and Mum will be back in a little while after the rest of todays doggies check into the facility to send Holiday wishes to our furriends. We love you all!

With love from above,

Shelby

Whew! Time flies!

My furriends, we must furgive Mummy fur neglecting my diary so badly. My boarding facility has been so super busy what with the approach of Summer and all. Last weekend I had to fly down to supervise 9 boarding dogs, and 6 boarding cats! OMC! What a conundrum!

In sad mews, my sisfur Rachael passed to the bridge. On the bright side, it was a nice homecoming fur all of us up here. Rachael was one of our "magnificent seven", the original Hollywood apartment cats. Only our brofur Ross remains on Earth from the "magnificent seven" bunch. My Mum misses and reminices about those old Hollywood days often, and Ross is all that is left of those memories now, so I know it was hard fur her.

In other mews...Mum is working very hard with one of the Earth dogs Billie Jean who recently attacked our Earth dog Friday. Mum is working hard to gain control over the Earth dog situation because she would not dream of rehoming Billie Jean, or any of the others. Long and often exhausting evening walks are part of the remedy.

Now as if that weren't enough, Mum is starting a greeting card business.....but much more about that later. It is still in the planning stages, but the pieces are falling into place. I guess she's still learning to use the die cut machine. We just know it will be another success because the new business, a sideline and complement to my boarding business will also feature my name somewhere, ...but Mum is still figuring that out. We are scheduled to attend more trade shows for the boarding business so the greeting cards will be an added extra attraction. The cards will all be cat and dog related. Anyway, we'll keep you posted on that, as there will most likely be some ecommerce as well!

Meanwhile, Mum continues to work at the shelter, up to 14 hours/week. Don't know how much longer, but she's having difficulty letting go cause she loves it there so much.

But getting back to me...cause it's MY diary, I am enjoying my life at the Bridge, and my sweet girl Santa who adds so much pleasure to my new life. Santa and I recently flew to Portugal to enjoy dinner at a lovely seafood restaurant in celebration of my Bridge brofur Whiskey-Lee's birthday. It was such fun! Many of our family and furriends from the Rainbow Bridge joined us there following our furriend Manya & Rascal's regular Sunday baking Pawty. My lovely Santa wore the most beautiful aqua dress, it was a compliment to the colors of the sea, and she was a stunning vision of loveliness. I am the luckiest cat at the Bridge!

With love from above,
Shelby

Highlights of the week

My friends, my Mum and I do lead a rather busy lifestyle MOL. On Mum's end of things, she posted a video she came across earlier as she was watching my old videos. Until she watched it she didn't know this one has her speaking to me on it. While it is a wee bit sad because I looked so awful after the November bout of IBD, she gets a chuckle or two in there when little foster brofur Brody comes through. The video makes it obvious that I liked the little buggar too.

Mum also uploaded a photo of our Shelby's Eden event at the community center last week. Silly Mum, she was supposed to have sometone take her photo at the table, but things go soooo very busy she never had a chance. This photo was taken when she was setting up. My booth was so popular, and we even had a "kitty litter" cake that drew a lot of attention to the booth. I was there watching over of course, and it was so much fun!

In other mews, I have asked my lady friend "Santa" to move in with me and share my wing of the family mansion. She will help me to redecorate and has already been cooking some fabulous meals in the kitchen for the homeless and strays we take in. I couldn't ask fur a better partner here at the Rainbow Bridge, she has added pleasure to my life here, and her presense has helped my Mum to let me go.

With much love from above,
Shelby