Cat's Prayer answered (at least for this one)

Cat's Prayer

I hope I'm not asking too much, Lord;
All I want is a home of my own,
And to know when my next meal is coming
Instead of the scraps I get thrown.
I've been out in the cold for so long now,
Just coping as best as I can;
But it's not been so long I've forgotten
The touch of a soft caring hand.
I look in house windows at Christmas,
As cats doze by the fire, quite replete;
How I'd welcome a box in the kitchen,
And tasty food for me to eat.
For me there was tinsel and giftwrap,
But the fun didn't last very long.
They put me outside with the rubbish;
I still don't know what I did wrong.
I really don't want to be greedy;
At the moment I'm all skin and bone,
So would it be too much to hope for
That someone will give me a home?

Author Unknown

Jerry came to use 2 weeks ago and we didn't think he was going to survive. He has an abcessed tooth, but is too weak to have it taken care of, so he is on antibiotics. Look carefully at the first picture and you can see his backbone sticking up. When he came, he was just a skeleton with fur, but he has the will to take over. You can see the look on Chico's face because this tiny cat has taken over "his" human. You can also see just how thin Jerry is. He is still at risk, but whether he makes it or not, at least he is now warm and has a full belly. And love.

"I Understand you Run a Rescue?", the Starving Pregnant Cat On my Doorstep Asked

    One day this very pregnant and starving cat walked up to our house, saying "I understand you run a rescue here". "Not anymore,really," I told her, "but come on in and we'll get you taken care of." And in she waltzed. She was so starved that she was a rack of bones with fur on it, and that fur was breaking off. But she was darling, a real nose-breaker if you know what I mean. Put your face near hers and she rubs your nose so hard it is a wonder that she doesn't break it. I managed to get her adopted out without the adopter ever seeing her. Once her new man met her, he was in love. Her new family is picking her up for a doctor's appointment in a week, and if all goes well, she goes home very soon. As you can see, Bonnie is a pretty girl now that her coat is coming in all shiny.   
     Now we have 4 beautiful kittens up for adoption. Each has a very unique temperament, and we call them the X-men litter. These pictures are their 7 week mug shots, but they are now 8 weeks of age.

Mystique

      Mystique is a blue point though her color is still changing and she might darken up, and is showing a tendency towards torti-point toes and will probably be medium length in hair. Very outgoing and personable, she is the biggest in the litter, as well as the sweetest. She loves to drift off to sleep on her back in your arms while watching you talk. You don't have to make sense, she just loves to watch your lips move, and if you stop talking, she will lightly touch your mouth. She never uses her claws, and when she chews on your thumb, she is so very careful to keep her touch light. She is sturdy, and because of her gentleness would be suitable for a gentle child. She does have one annoying habit. She is the world's hardest kitten to photograph. I've taken dozens of pictures that show empty floor where a kitten was sitting just as I depressed the shutter. She also has a tendency to turn just as you try to take her picture. The picture above was a rarity.

      Gambit is also a girl, a bright colored little calico with medium length hair. Also very outgoing, she's a character, hyper, smart and funny. She also loves to lie in your arms, but she had to be tired first. Until then, she'd rather wrestle with your hands, feet, or even a mote of dust. She is not a sleek, put-together type of kitten. Her hair sticks out in cowlicks in all kinds of directions, just like her personality, always off in all directions, living life to the fullest. She is sweet, but can be be a little rough for young children.

     Nightcrawler is a short haired black and white kitten. He isn't as out-going as the girls, but he loves to play with your feet and hands. One of his favorite things to do is to lie snugged up against your side as you sit on the couch and wrap his paws around your arm. He also likes to do sneak attacks on your feet as you walk by. Not as gentle as Mystique, he still is usually careful not to scratch. Not really a good match with  young children.

      Wolverine has a black tabby and brown tabby face with huge eyes. As you can see in this photo, his coat shows some agouti banding as well as the tabby stripe, which is very pretty. He's the smallest, and the shy one of the litter, but that doesn't mean he isn't a little love, he just needs warm-up time before he comes to play with you. He entertains himself well, but will happily play chase and pounce just like the others. He likes to sit on the back of the couch behind your head rather than down on your lap. Better for an older child with patience, or an adult. 

Time to Top the Tree

Merry Christmas 

Whether you view Christmas as a day of prayer and meditation, a day to bask in family or a day to open presents, eat too much and watch football, have a safe and happy day.  

Now, for the unveiling of the tree-topper 

(Note: scroll down to the previous post for the description of the tree)

It's a porcelain headed kitty angel  in a flowing pink gown that sparkles and twinkles in time to the music emanating from her mouth. Her wings are made of peacock feathers.  She is holding beautiful strands of yarn and ribbon, each tied to a catnip mousy, furry mice, and origami mice.  Also attached to the ribbons are streaming  toilet paper rolls and tissue paper flowers.  Treats are tied in the middle of the strands, potato chips (sour cream and onion, per request), hickory sticks, yummy litlle dried fishys and shrimp, wee cans of tuna and duck.  

And for the crowning touch

Resting on her head

Like a golden crown

A perfect golden brown

ROASTED CHICKEN

Happy holidays to all, and special thanks to the kitties of the L&L yahoo group for their help in putting up our dream tree.

  the kitties: Amber, Bubba, Chi, Dora, Gabby, Jet,  Kiki, Onyx, Salem and Squirrel

 the dogs: Chico, Joey and Jasper

and the people: Chuck and Mary

What does a cat want in a Christmas tree?

"A decorated super scratching post with lounging limbs! Yep, a true cat's
Christmas tree."
Mary Ruth

I asked all the cats at our house, and after much discussion, they finally came back to me with a concordance.
The trunk must be thick and scratchable, with no low hanging branches to get in
the way of a good stretch. The branches themselves must be horizontal, sturdy
and wide enough as well as far enough apart for a good nap. Bubba wants some
stringy or feathery things, because I told him no plastic bags. The rest is up
to me, but I must bear in mind that accidents do happen, especially to fragile
ornaments, easily damaged crochet or toothsome goodies. 
Other suggestions, typed by human housemates of cats on a group I belong to:
 
Mary Ruth's cats Tigger, Frisky, Alice, and Mandiwant a feather on a wand toy stuck in the tree along with some sprigs of
fresh catnip,  bubble lights they can stare at, lots of feathers,  strands of cat treats, wrapping paper/boxes/bags to romp in. and beautiful, glitzy, pattable, swinging ornaments.
Tigger especially wants a  passle of "paper mouse" crumpled sheets of paper under the tree to play soccer with and talk to with his signature double meow(One of Mary Ruth's previous housemates, Scamper, would probably opt out of having a tree, after a particularly terrible Chritmas where the tree attacked him)

Lynn's cats:

Toby would want his tree covered in string. The longer the string the better. (editor:  yes, I will remind him of the danger of string, but it is his fantasy tree)

Bonnie would want her tree covered in food, food and more food, any color, shape, size food.and she would only be able to decorate the very bottom boughs as she is too heavy to climb the tree to do it justice.

Her Amelia would like balls, preferably noisy balls made from tissue paper so she can knock them off the tree and chase them. She wouldn't know what to do with it when she got it but she would have fun in her own way. She will only play with them when the other two cats are not around so that she may  maintain her illusion of dignity.

Barb's cats Sam, Lacy and Candye want a musical tree.  (editor's note: sadly Candye, one of the respondents to the query, has gone to the bridge this week,  she will be sorely missed)
 

Rose's cat  Baxxie would want peacock feathers............an entire tree made of peacock feathers would be choice number one for him.

 

Yolanda's  MagicKat is too much of a lady to tear up a Christmas tree. She would want things of beauty on the upper branches and on the bottom branches lightweight glitzy things that she could just give enough of a pat to watch them swing.

Vickie's cats  both approve of the feather toy.  Cookie would dredge up a small, recently deceased mammal  for our decorative pleasure, and Muffin would insist on a nice dark folded sweat shirt to lay on under the tree so everyone could see the lovely light colored hair he would decorate with.