Gracie and Phyllis (Gracie is the one with the shorter hair)…
Tag Archives: Cats
I go away for just a few days….
….and while I’m gone, Tuffy P. re-ups our cat population. Regular readers know that 2013 has been a disastrous year for our gang of cats. First we lost dear old Delia, who gave us 20 faithful years. Then Rossi, who suffered a stroke, and survived a year of seizures which increased in frequency and severity. Finally, we lost Jerry, who you know was the best cat you’ll ever meet. For sure it was time for a kitten, but when I called from Manistique Michigan I was surprised Tuffy brought home two. Meet Phyllis and Gracie. Phyllis is the one with the longer hair. Tuffy shot the video down in my painting studio….
Tuffy started the kittens out in a room away from the other animals and has been gradually introducing them to the house. Today, they were allowed the run of the house and they’ve been exploring everywhere. They’re both lovely kittens, playful and happy to be with people. The dogs seem fine with them. Jacques seems fine with them too. Shadow is a little stand-offish but he’s going to be OK. Jack Shadbolt is having the hardest time dealing with the new kittens and has been showing who is boss with some well-placed hisses. Hopefully, he will soon decide to be friends.
Bagged
The best cat you’ll ever meet
Our cat Jerry died today. We don’t know how old he was when he appeared in our lives, so we really don’t know how old he really was – for sure a senior. He was the best cat you’ll ever meet, but you all know that. He adopted us not long after we moved into the old Anchovy World Headquarters on Blackthorn, so he’s been with us for most of our marriage. He was starving when he first came around, panhandling. He had FIV when we got him. Some vets said his prospects were poor and that he was likely to infect the other cats. They were wrong. Sure he had health problems but he had a good run. He had a heart murmur. He had a bad skin problem, maybe related to his FIV that miraculously went away when we moved down to Long Branch. He had bad teeth and eventually no teeth.
Jerry loved bbq. I’ve never seen a cat go so crazy for bbq. He would supervise and insist on being cut in on the action. He also loved Portuguese grilled chicken with hot sauce.
Jerry was a cat of great character. Tuffy P named him Jerry because when he came to us, he had crossed eyes, and that reminded her of Jerry Lewis in The Nutty Professor.
Jerry on a stump
Best cat you’ll ever meet
The Grand Old Man of 27th Street
Jerry.
Jack and Ellie Mae
Two red cats goofing around on the deck
Here’s another video by Tuffy P, this one starring Jacques and Jack Shadbolt, our two red cats. Not a lot happens in this video until the very end when they take off after a bird (no birds were harmed in the making of this video), so if you were expecting a plot line or anything like that, you’re in for a let down.
Jacques takes us for a walk
I’m mentioned here before that our cat Jacques likes to go on walks with us. Tuffy P caught a bit of the action on video on this cold frosty morning.
Always Be Closing
Our cat Rossi died today. He had a stroke or maybe strokes about a year ago and since he’s been living with seizures that have become increasingly severe with the passing of days. He was a good cat, grumpy, independent and yet in a strange way the most affectionate of the bunch – on his own terms. I admire that.
His first name, the name we called him by when we first met him, was Always be Closing, from GlenGarry Glen Ross. We called him that because when he showed up on our porch at Blackthorn, he did everything he could to close the deal.
We realized soon enough that Always be Closing was a stupid name for a cat, so we changed it to Rossi.
Rossi
Always be Closing
RIP bud.
