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Who Says a Cat Has to Walk on All Fours?

In Memory of Jasmin Kung...a Friend of Kitties Everywhere

My foster mom has been very sad. A week ago today her friend Jasmin's heart stopped working on its own - all of a sudden while she was at work. I am pals with Lucy Kung, one of Jasmin's kitties, and I know that Lucy and her family are sad...and I am sad too. Then, on Wednesday, Jasmin stopped breathing and we all had to accept that she wasn't coming back and it was very hard.

Jasmin was one of our favorite people. She was a good friend to kitties everywhere....always helping them out and getting them spayed/neutered to prevent unwanted litters. She was a VERY active volunteer with an organization called ACT (Animal Coalition of Tampa) and would always help out with "SpayDay" for the kitties. ACT is opening a spay/neuter clinic and have decided to rename the kitty room to "Jasmin's Room". They are even collecting donations in her memory that will be used to help the kitties and to place a tile with Jasmin's name in the kitty room. http://www.actampa.com/

Jasmin was so passionate about kitties and did sooo much to help feral kitties, especially, that an organization called Alley Cat Allies put a memorial up on their website this weekend to honor Jasmin! (http://www.alleycat.org/) Foster mom and I think it's cool to see Jasmin on the front page of the nation's largest feral cat organization's web page.

Jasmin has been on our minds all week. She was so full of love and goodness and compassion....And she took all of that and put it into action on behalf of the kitties. She was wonderful and foster mom wanted to be just like her.

We found out this week that Jasmin's husband cannot keep all of Jasmin's 9 kitties. Jasmin had most (but not all) listed on Catster. He is going to keep 2 of the kitties, but we are very worried about the other 7! What will happen to the rest of our buddies? We are going to try to help find good homes. We know that would be of utmost importance to Jasmin, of course.

Bye, Jasmin. We will miss you, but we will never forget you. Thank you for all you did for the kitties.

-Lily

A Fur-ever Home?

A nice lady came over yesterday to meet me and Napoleon. She is interested in adopting us TOGETHER! I wasn't sure what to think at first and decided to play it safe by hiding under the couch most of the time. Napoleon filled in for me though, and pretty much showed off the whole time. Foster mom eventually brought out some canned food to lure me out. I couldn't resist that! I had a few bites and then retreated under the couch again.

The lady stayed over for awhile and eventually I decided to approach her a little and touch her with my nose. She thought I was cute and wants to take Napoleon and I home ASAP! :) This lady has two other rescue cats. One of them is named Puck and he sounds like he might be a good playmate. Before Napoleon and I are adopted by her though, she is getting Puck neutered, whatever that means. I just know that my foster mom is real picky about spaying and neutering. She talks about it all the time. I don't weigh enough to be spayed yet, but as soon as I reach 5 lbs, I'll get to be spayed and then my foster mom can stop worrying.

This Puck cat sounds pretty fun. Foster mom is going to send the dog bed that Napoleon and I sleep in to our new fur-ever home. Maybe Puck will want to nap in it too? We currently have some extra room, as long as he doesn't mind cuddling.

My 2nd piece of exciting news is the cool toy that Leigh at the Cat Care Clinic sent home with foster mom. She calls it a "laser pointer". It is a red dot that moves around real fast and I love it. Napoleon runs faster than I spend most of my time watching him run laps around the room, chasing the red dot. I even get to jump in and play every now and then. I try to catch that dot, but I never can...neither can Napoleon or any of ther other kitties. That is one fast red dot!

Our other new cool toy is a gift from Lisa at Coastal Pet Rescue. It is a "cat mat". It has all kinds of fun things on it, in addition to being soft and nice to lay on. It has places for catnip, it has a mirror, it has a ball on a string, a sqeaky thing, and parts of it make a crinkle noise when I walk on it. Napoleon is a goofball and runs underneath the mat, turning it upside down. Foster mom then has to fix it so that it is right side up again and I can enjoy it.

There's that red dot again...I've gotta run!

Mobility, Schmobility

Fortunately, Dr. L realized that splintting business just wasn't going to cut it and she excused me from the daily bandaging. I did feel kinda bad for her. She spent all that time applying like 5 layers of stuff (cotton, part of a Q-tip, more cotton, gauze, neon green stretchy stuff, and tape) and then, within an hour or so, I had it off. I couldn't help myself. All those bandages cramped my style. Maybe if the stretchy outer layer had been pink, I would have left it on a little longer.

Dr. L took an x-ray of my legs and said I have "severe congential defects". In other words, I came out looking kind of funny for no apparent reason. My bones were never broken...they are just shaped all curvy. One of my front arms is really weird. The bone that comes from my shoulder down to my elbow doesn't stop at the elbow. It actually wraps around the elbow and starts to come up the other side. So, needless to say, there is no bending of that arm back and forth. One of my back legs pivots off to the side instead of facing forward. Go figure.

Anyway, I'm not worried about it. I don't know what all the fuss is about. So I look a little different. I stand out!

I prefer to sit up on my "haunches", or hind quarters. I've been compared to a squirrel or a chipmunk in this respect. I've learned that this is a real people-pleaser. They go nuts over this little trick of mine. I am confident that this is my competitive edge over the rest of the kittens who are looking for homes. Can THEY sit up on THEIR haunches?

Dr. L says I can lead a very full life. She has just a few requirements for my new home: 1) It must be an indoor-only environment, 2) It should be carpeted (this helps me with traction), and 3) I must keep my claws (thank you very much!). I personally have one other wish for my new home....that it include my best friend and brother, Napoleon.

Napoleon is my "peep". He and I hang out together all day long. We nap together in dog's bed. (Shh...don't tell the dog...he has been wondering whatever happened to that bed of his.)

Napoleon is just my kind of play date too. He plays, but never too rough. You see, Napoleon also has a little "congenital deformity". While Napoleon almost looks normal, his two front legs are bent a little bit. I call him "Clubby". So, Napoleon knows what it's like to be a little different and he's certainly no big ol' bully. He is sweet, and gentle, and just the right amount of fun for me. He seems to sense that while I'm mostly mobile, I can't compete in the kitty fighting ring. He lets me win sometimes, just to be nice.

I've been getting around my room just great. In fact, I've been venturing into the big cat room recently too. I'm beginning to get a callous on one of my elbows, but Dr. L says that's ok. :)

Mobility, schmobility. I bet I can scoot circles around some other kitties.

p.s. -- My foster mom suggested I put in some kind of disclaimer here to explain that despite the catitude expressed in my diary, I have a very sweet and mild mannered personality. My spunk comes out in my writing when I'm spilling my innermost feelings. On the outside, however, I play the role of "sweet, quiet, little kitten" quite well.