Could it be... am I becoming the ALPHA cat of the Family?

Hi Everyone!!

There's been a strange change of command at our household lately and to my dads it seems as if I'm calling the shots now!

I'm a rather low-keyed loveable kitty. Usually I will let TomTom and ^Willow^ call the shots and I just tag along for the fun. I'm what my dads call a "lovebug". I love to rub up against my dads legs whenever I can, at times practically tripping them. I grab hold of their pant legs and stretch up to them asking for nose kisses all the time! My dads lean down and I bonk my nose as they give me kisses. I love to knead their bellies, lay beside them and am very even tempered.

Within the past week or so, it seems like I want to be the boss of the house more and more. When daddy puts dry kibble down, ^Willow^ was always the first to the bowl (she really prefers kibble rather than canned, no matter how much daddy entices her.. she'll eat the canned, but LOVES dry). Now, I'm the first one to the bowl and I won't leave it until I'm good and ready. When we eat our canned food, we all get our own plates. TomTom is always the first to finish and he waits patiently until the rest of us are finished and then tries to clean our plates for us.

Now, when I'm finished.. or even if I'm not... if there's anything left on ^Willow^'s plate.. I go over and eat it! It's not that I'm eating any more than I usually do... it's just how I go about it! MOL.

There's no fighting or arguing over who's the alpha cat in our home... as ^Willow^ pretty much is... but lately, I seem to be giving her a run for her money! Somehow I think that in the long run... I ain't gonna win... not with that little stinker!

Have a happy Monday everyone!

BIG headbonks!
-Barnaby

Thank you Catster and Friends!!

Hi everyone!

Yesterday, I was a Catster DDP! Thanks to Catster for selecting me and to all my fellow furry friends who sent congrats and well-wishes!

T-Bearz and family were so kind as to make me a nice memento of my special day here... what a wonderful family!

Hooch and Kaci sent yummy summer drinks and I actually shared them with ^Willow^ and TomTom... although TomTom didn't leave much for anyone else but himself. MOL

Buddie... always loved and his sweet family sent me a congrats in email! His family knew I was DDP before I did! MOL

Thank you again everyone! We have such special furriends here on Catster. No wonder this place always makes us smile.

Headbonks!
-Barnaby

PS- ^Willow^ will be posting an update soon.. look for that! She had... ummm... well, I'll let HER tell you. :) /bonk

Thank you everyone!

I wanted to take a minute to thank EVERYONE for the messages and gifts sent to help celebrate my second birthday!

Hazel Lucy sent me a YUMMY ice cream cone
Alfie/Albie and family sent me a CROWN!
Alfie also sent me a birthday hat
BALLU sent a party hat
Kaci Sunshine sent me a delicious cupcake
Nuk/Anuk, Taag and family also sent me a cupcake
Kibbles, Francis, Yoda and family sent me a big fat STEAK
Mercedes sent me a big beach ball! (to work off the steak and cupcakes!)
Leo sent me another cupcake! (Where's the insulin!)
The Wild Texas Bunch (there's so many of them it would take all day to type! MOL) sent me another CROWN!

Tabbies with Tudes (A wonderful group of kitties) sent me many birthday emails.... thank you so much to Shadow, Little Bit, Princess and the rest of the gang!

It was a wonderful day and weekend! As you heard, all heck broke loose at our house on Saturday when daddy filled the house with mice and toys! I also got two helpings of my favorite treat "VitaKitty Chicken Breast!"

Thank you again everyone... headbonks to all the wonderful kitties and their furparents for thinking of me!

-Barnaby

How did we get the names we have?

Hiya Everyone!

My daddy was reading the forums and saw Isadora ask if people would post a diary entry on how we all got our names. I remember a few months ago someone else asking a similar question, so I searched our posts and found it. I'm reposting it here so anyone who's interested can read on how TomTom, Willow and I got our names :)
-------------------

Our dad had two cats Bernie (Bernadette) and Maggie (Margaret) who were adopted from a local shelter in 1991. Bernie crossed the bridge in January of 2007 from renal failure. My dads decided since Maggie was older and set in her ways, they would wait to adopt any new kitties and let Maggie live the rest of her days owning the house herself.

In August of 2007, a little orange and white kitty was found along a street near my dad's work. She was so small, hungry and dirty... and dad fell in love with her immediately! She needed a good life and dad couldn't see bringing her to a shelter as the first few weeks of her life were tough enough...

Dad had always talked about having three kitties in the future and naming them after one of his most favorite childhood movies... Laurel and Hardy's March of the Wooden Soldiers (he would watch it with his family every holiday season).

Thus, the beautiful little orange furbaby was named Bo Peep.

Bo Peep lived with Maggie for a few months, but it was obvious she had waaaay too much energy for 16 year old Maggie. In October of 2007, off they went to the shelter that Maggie and Bernie had been adopted 16 years earlier.

That was where they found lil ole MOI, hanging from the side of a cage with one paw... smiling like heck to be noticed. I guess my charm worked, because I was the next kitty adopted... and given the name (from March of the Wooden Soldiers) of Barnaby (the BAD guy.. can you believe it? And I'm such a lovebug!).

The three of us lived happily together and had lots of fun! In early 2008, Bo Peep started to have some medical problems... tremors, UTI's and seizures. My dads tried everything... vets, phone calls, research.. but Bo Bo got too sick too quickly and crossed the bridge before a definite diagnosis was made. It was thought she had a liver shunt. BoBo was barely a year old.

So, it was just Maggie and I.. and of course, I was too much for Maggie by herself. A few weeks after BoBo crossed, my dads again went to the shelter. Still trying to cope with the loss of Bo, they looked at kitties and decided to wait.. it wasn't time yet to adopt. On the way out the door, dad turned around and happened to catch the eye of a little kitty in a cage that was not in the cat room, but in with bunnies! Their eyes met and that was it! She look so much like Bo, but had a completely different "look" to her.

Of course, Dad didn't want to name her Bo Peep, since there can be only one... he wasn't worried about the "March" theme and decided to call this new little girl ^Willow^.

So, the house was now full again with Maggie, Willow and myself. Unfortunately, that wouldn't be for long. Dear Maggie became very ill with renal failure and finally crossed the bridge a week later.. leaving just Willow and myself.

A few weeks later, my dads decided it was time to once again visit the shelter to rescue one more kitty. Dad had always dreamt of having a silver tabby named TomTom (the third name from "March"). Although he's not silver, but a beautiful tabby, TomTom was adopted and came home with us in late August, 2008.

So there you have it! Our family is complete for now.. we're all healthy.. and although we don't all have names from March of the Wooden Soldiers, our daddies love us TONS!

Headbonks!
-Barnaby

The Ups and Downs of July

Hi Everyone!

Well, it seems like our family hasn't been keeping their Catster pages updated as well as we'd like... so, of course it's up to me to fill you in on all the goings on in our crazy household!

First of all, everyone is doing very well! ^Willow^ and TomTom are as crazy as ever. We make a great trio and are really great friends. We constantly play, groom and cuddle with each other!

My dad can't believe that on the 18th of July, I will be TWO YEARS OLD! My dad was talking to me last night and said to me, "Do you realize you've lived with FOUR cats in this house? I didn't realize it until he mentioned it. I've lived with BoBo and Maggie and now TomTom and ^Willow^. TomTom never knew Maggie and Bo, but ^Willow^ knew Maggie for a few short weeks until she passed.

There was a lot of sadness in our household last July. As many of you know, my good friend BoBo passed on July 6th. She was such a sweetheart, and we all loved her very much. She had only just turned a year old and went thru a lot of problems in her short life. My family was just heartbroken and I'm sure July 6th this year will be a very sad day.

Then next thing that happened in July was the arrival of CRAZY ^Willow^! On July 18th, my dads picked ^Willow^ up from the shelter because they thought I was just a little too energetic for dear old Maggie... and they were right! ^Willow^ quickly became a great friend of mine... and she was a sweet reminder of my dear friend Bo. We're all deeply greatful for ^Willow^... as she helped us all heal from the sadness and loss we felt.

As if that wasn't enough, Maggie became sick a couple of weeks later and crossed on July 28th from advanced kidney disease. Once again, our family had to suffer the loss of a dear loved one. Maggie was old and didn't have a lot of energy for us young ones, but she loved my daddies soooooo and showed them each and every day just how much.

So, as you can see... July is an up and down month for all of us. But!! We all have each other now... and the three of us are very healthy and happy... so we concentrate on that rather than the sadness of losing two furbabies in such a short time.

Happy Memories, Happy Kitties and our Wonderful Friends here at Catster always help make things easier.

Happy 4th of July, everyone!

Love and headbonks (of course!),
-Barnaby

Some Expression!

Hiya everyone!

Well, this past weekend was eventful for me. Saturday morning, my dads packed me up in the carrier and we headed over to Dr. Oster's office.

Now, I'm usually a VERY quiet kitty. I don't purr hardly at all and I very rarely make any noises. I was a bit vocal on the way to the vet's office and my dads were quite surprised. They laughed when I meowed because they said it didn't sound like I should sound! My meows are very high, but I think it's because I don't use my voice that much... MOL.

Anyway, we arrived at the vets and of course... the receptionist and the vet techs were all over me, saying how cute I was and how big I had gotten since last year. I still had no idea why I was there!

Well, the vet tech weighed me in.. and uh oh! I gained a bit of weight and am now over 14 pounds! My dads swore I had lost weight since the last time, but apparently, TomTom is just SO heavy, I feel less than him! I should be losing weight now, since my dads have really curtailed the amount of dry food I'm eating, plus they switched to Wellness Core which has less carbs. :)

After the weigh in and a few other checks (pulse, temp and others), the tech told my dads she'd be back in a minute with me. I'm not going into detail about what happened in the back, but needless to day, I had some glands expressed! Well, this was a new thing for me and apparently new for my dads. Maggie, Bernie and BoBo never had to have this done, but I did because I was rubbing my bum on the carpet. ;) If you want more information on what I had done, just google "Anal Gland Expression". MOL.

The tech came back a few minutes later and said "Oh, what a wonderful boy he is.. no trouble at all!" So off we were... all done! Another tech came out and said I was the sweetest and cutest kitty she's had!! I'm such a lover.. I just love everyone. :)

Well, that was my weekend event! When I got home, ^Willow^ and TomTom were like "HEY! Where did you go?"

Of course, I didn't tell them.. in case they ever have to have it done!

MOL

Lots of headbonks!
-Barnaby

I am such a LOVEBUG!

Hey hey everyone!

My dads love it when I go into "lovebug mode". I'm usually pretty affectionate, but on these days... I got CRAZY with affection!

If my dad leaves the room, I'm right next to him... in fact, I'm in FRONT of him, making him practically trip over me. I constantly go up on my hind legs, making daddy reach down and kiss my nose as I bonk him. I'll plop down on the floor in front of my dads anywhere, rolling over on my back and stretching out so they can rub my belly.

AND.. if one of my dads is not wearing socks or comes out of the shower, I immediately start biting their big toes!! Not hard or anything, but for some reason, I like to gnaw on their toes because it drives them nuts! I also love to give love bites on my dads legs. They don't hurt, but they sure can startle them... especially when I give them a nip on the back of the calf. It's mostly to grab attention so that they'll give my nose a kiss! MOL

Now, I'm not a little kitty... I'm pretty large and pack about 13 pounds of MUSCLE. ;) If one of my daddies decides to take a snooze on the couch, I'll jump on his belly and give it a good kneading... then I'll plop down on them and turn over.. that way I can cuddle for as long as I want to, and daddy has a hard time getting me off him, let alone get UP. :)

I may not purr or meow a lot, but I sure can show affection!!

Headbonks and nose kisses,
-Barnaby

What a Welcome Back!

(Bonks everyone!)

Hiya!

Wow... what a great few days it's been since our return to Catster! It's true that you never really appreciate something until you don't have it... and that sure was Catster! We've received such nice notes from fellow kitties and their furparents welcoming us back... it's really nice! Thank you from all of us!

Our dear friend
Hazel Lucy posted a big welcome back on her blog! No wonder her page is *filled* with stars, hearts and all kinds of gifts. She and her furmommy are the nicest and have such big hearts! ^Willow^, TomTom and I regularly sleep on our kitty blankies that Hazel Lucy and her furmommy made... we just LOVE them! ^Willow^ has a blast when daddy puts the knitted collar on her.. she runs all around the house trying to get at it... Tommy and I just watch and laugh!

Not only have the three of us grown in the past 6 months, but there is a new addition to our favorite bunch of furbabies from the Bayou! Louis, Emma, Benny, Pete and Charmaine have a new brother and he's a looker! Check out
Buddy Bolden! Boy Buddy... are you a lucky guy, getting in with such a wonderful family!

There's still so much to catch up on... saying hello to more friends, posting messages and getting involved in groups once again... but since I seem to be the family "spokeskitty", I thought I'd fill you all in on the great time we're having back on Catster!

A final chuckle-
I'm known around the house as the quiet guy. I don't meow much at all.. only a quiet one every once in a while. I'm slow and smooth in everything I do.. until it's time to go berzerk with my siblings and then.. I go nuts!

This morning before he left for work, Daddy was putting down a bit of dry kibble for us to munch on during the day. When I was a little kitty, I used to reach up with my paw as he was pouring the kibble in the dish and knock some on the floor so I could play with it and then eat it. I haven't done it for a while.... BUT. This morning, I reached up and knocked the whole scoop out of Daddy's hand and all the kibble went all over the floor! My ears went back and I was in heaven.. chasing all those little tasty bits all over the kitchen. In runs ^Willow^ and TomTom batting them all around as Daddy tried to scoop them up and back into the dish. He left some on the floor for us to play with...

and he thought I was turning into an "adult" cat. Meowhahahahahaha!

Purrs and headbonks!
-Barnaby

Long Time No See!

Helllooooooo Friends!

It's been such a long time since my family and I have visited, Catster! My dads have been so busy for the past few months... with real life things going on along with some computer problems... but! We're baaack!

The family is doing very well! We're all growing up so fast! It's hard to believe that ^Willow^ and TomTom will be a year old next month! I love them both dearly! We are really quite a trio these days.... chasing each other and playing like mad!

Even thought I'm a little older than them, you would never know it by how much I play with those two. I tend to stay quiet for a while until they really get going and then I jump in on the situation to make it total chaos!

Spring is here and the warmer weather is starting to arrive, so we're in the windows every day looking for our daddies to come home!

We have lots of pictures, videos and news to post, so keep an eye on the family blogs!

Lots of Love and Purrs!
-Barnaby

My new brofur!

Hey everyone!

He's HERE! Our new brother TomTom has finally arrived!

TomTom!!

He arrived last thursday evening (8-28-08) and it's been a busy time around our house since then!

When my dads first brought the carrier in the house with TomTom, they put it up in the bedroom and let ^Willow^ and I sniff around for a while. I was very hesitant to get too close to the carrier in the beginning. I stayed in the background just watching and every once in a while getting closer to the carrier and sniffing.

It took me a good day before I was ready to give TomTom much attention. The first day or so was filled with ^Willow^ being quite confrontational to TomTom... so I let her "break him in". MOL

Now... we're a GREAT threesome! TomTom is quickly becoming a very good buddy of mine.... and ^Willow^s! We chase each other all around the house, nap together and bathe each other.

The other afternoon, I was in the hallway basking in the sun from the skylight in the bathroom and ^Willow^ came over and layed next to me. I put my paw around her and started to give her a good cleaning, when TomTom ran up and climbed on my back and started cleaning my ears. I took my other paw and held him down so I could give them BOTH a bath at the same time. My dad smiled as he saw me go from one head to the other, licking the little ones all over!

It's so nice to have a full house again... I really miss my lil buddy BoBo and sister Maggie and I think of them often. I have a feeling there will be great times ahead for ^Willow^, TomTom and I.

We'll keep you posted!

Headbonks!
-Barnaby