My Turn -- Sandy

One day I showed up at the Mama's house and scratched on the door. She opened the screen door and I ran to the attic door off the living room and began to scratch on it. Curious about what I wanted, she opened the attic door. I ran up the stairs, ran around in the attic a few minutes and came back down with a mouse in my teeth. The Mama opened the screen door again and I ran out, still clutching the mouse.

Was I a smart cat?

I hung around the Mama's house a lot after that and she let me come in sometimes and fed me regular cat food (not mice). The Mama found a furrever home for me and I lived happily a long, long time.

My Turn -- Mittens

I lived with Guess' Mama a long time ago. Actually, she was more like a foster mom to me cuz she found a good home for me with children who loved me lots. Then again, the Mama was the photographer of my kittenhood. She waited for me to do something cute and then take a picture of me. She didn't have to wait long. I was one very cute kitten as you can see.

My Turn -- Skeezix

This is Skeezix here. Thank you, Guess, for giving me space on your page and a diary space, too, to tell my story.

When I first came to live with the Mama and the Neighbor, they called me "Kitty" because they didn't want to get attached to me. I got good food and pets from both of them and a nice soft towel in a box for a bed. I had my own litter box. My bed box and litter box were carried back and forth from home to home each night. I had 4 kitties to play with and 2 moms. What more could an orphan kitty want?

The kitty doctor told them I would grow into a fine healthy kitty with the good food they gave me and the shots he gave me. And I did. I put up some "after" pictures so you can see. My fur grew and my eyes cleared up. My fat tummy soon looked normal.

I was one lucky kitty. The moms decided I needed a real name. They called me Skeezix cuz I was so lively and a bit crazy, too.

Mindy, Suki and their Mama moved away when school started. I stayed with the Neighbor, my new Mom, Bintzy and Molly.

Meet my friend Skeezix

I decided to put some of my friends on my page. These are some kitties that passed through my mama's life for a time and are now at the Rainbow Bridge with me.

Skeezix was a street orphan in New Orleans. He got lost from his MomCat somehow and wandered across a street being fixed with asphalt. He had sticky tar on his feet when he crawled up the stairs and showed up at my mama's apartment door one summer day. He was skin and bones, had lost much of his hair and had the distended stomach of malnutrition. Mama fed him, cleaned him up with a wet washcloth and made a bed for him with a box and a towel.

Skeezix was very young. Mindy and Suki took to him right away. Mama and her neighbor took turns keeping him overnight because they both had two cats and didn't want the stray kitty to settle in.

More on Skeezix tomorrow.

The Fire Rainbow

Dear Rainbow Bridge Kitties,

I found the Fire Rainbow. It's the rarest of all naturally
occurring atmospheric phenomena.

This rainbow appeared last week on the Idaho/Washington
border. (12 - 08)

The clouds must be cirrus, at least 20K in the air, with just the
right amount of ice crystals and the sun has to hit the clouds
at precisely 58 degrees.

Isn't it gorgeous?

(photo credit AP)

What I remember:

I have good memories of the time I lived with my Girl. She made a bed for me with a box and a soft blanket inside. She put it near the furnace where it was warm. I came there in November, after all. She put down bowls for my water and food. My girl brought me food from the table, meat, potatoes, gravy. Mmm, I loved gravy. She brought me milk, too.

She made me a box with sand in it for, well, you know. I was a good girl and always used the sandbox.

She would sit with me and talk to me and pet me lots. We played with big black shoestrings from the Grandpa's boots and with little wadded up balls of paper. The big ones in the family wanted me to stay in the basement, so that's where we played.

At the Rainbow Bridge

I've been at the Rainbow Bridge waiting for my Girl to come and get me for nearly 60 years. I have seen dearly loved kitties who came from homes where they were warm and fed and caressed. I have seen poor kitties who lived in the wild or in city alleys hunting for food, running from bad things and dying young.

I know and love dear Charmin as my best friend for a long, long time .

I watch Baby, Snow and Karma snuggle together at night. They're family, you know.

I met Thomas O'Malley and the kits Jimmy Dean, Benny Grunch I and Alice Giroir who came here during Katrina.

Recently there have been Louis, Bill, Navin, Amelia, Buddy, Rover, McKenna, Wally and Sydney Rose.

All these kitties are waiting for their moms and dads to come to take them over the Rainbow Bridge some day. In the meantime, we are happy and free, but we remember our families with deep fondness.