Kruse Kats

Thwocking on Wordless Wednesday

2012-02-08T05:32:00.000-08:00

Summer of 2011; Parker is 1.5 years old and about 18 pounds. I weigh 12 pounds. Is this fair?

Semi thankful Thursday

2012-02-02T08:00:00.000-08:00

Well, mom is off to puerto Vallarta Mexico! Yay mom! Maybe she will come home al relaxed and will quit the smooching on our heads. (Secret-we rough up the tops of our heads so there are lots of loose cat hairs for her to inhale!). That is the good thing.

We are glad to have funny sweet neighbors who take care of us. Frank rogh houses with Parker, also know as Bob due to his ear tips. That takes pressure off me to be Parker's target. The wife is ditzy, and we try to get 2 meals out of her, but he don't try too hard cuz she brushes us.

We miss mom, and even DA DOG and Dad. we will be thankful when she is back on Saturday.

thankful thursday

2012-01-26T12:28:00.001-08:00

I am glad mom has friends. she has been driving us nuts with the holding and pettin, and she has even taken to smooching the top of our heads. So, we are very glad when she can talk to Auntie Dee and her BlogPaw friends and her professor friends.

These fine humans have given her the strength to talk to her director about rearranging the department so she no longer reports to the Man of Torture. So, things will become moe interesting for her, and maybe she won't mope around the house so much.

Thank you, Mom's Human Friends! It took all of Twitter to give her strentgh.

Auction 2&3 - TomCat's Figures

2012-01-14T17:22:00.000-08:00

TomCatSamurai has sculpted two incredible fires for our auction! To add to the mystique, we are keeping the exact figures a secret. The figures will look like one of these two. Tom says at least one is a cat and the other might be a dog! All I can say is that this is exciting!

How it works:
Bids open at $10.
Increments are $1.
Leave a comment with your name and bid.
Bidding will close at 8 pm ET Sunday January 15.
I am actioning both figures at the same time.
Your bid is for ONE of the figures.
The top 2 bids win the figures.

LATE BREAKING NEWS!
This auction will end Sunday January 22 at 8 pm ET! More time to bid, and I hope to post pictures of the figures!

">BlogHop

Auction 1 - Framed Signed Print from Boho Pets

2012-01-13T17:00:00.000-08:00

OMC OMC! We will have excitement tonight! The first item up for bid is a signed and framed print from the Boho Pet collection, @CokietheCat's mom, Kristin Dewey. *cheers rise from the stands* These prints capture our dear anipal friends and I know I would love to have one hanging in my house. You will be able to choose which print once you win the auction.

Retail value of the prize is $100.

How it works:
Bids open at $20.
Increments are $1.
Leave a comment with your name and bid.
Bidding will close at 8 pm ET Saturday January 14.

Please thank Cokie whenever you see him for donating this prize. Let's make some money! Get those Paws Ready!

Auctions for @TomCatSamurai

2012-01-12T10:39:00.000-08:00

I am so excited! I am holding my very first auction on my blog. I have taken lessons from @CheshireK, so I hope that I can remember everything he taught me.

This is the Aloha Auction benefiting @TomCatSamurai. You can read all about Tom and his situation on @PepiSmartDog's blog. We have 3 items; 1 cat and 1 dog figures made by TomCat himself and a Framed, Numbered & Signed Portrait Print by @CokietheCat, BohoPet Portaits . A cat made by Tom and an example of Cokie's portaits (Smokey8) are just fantastic!

Here’s how it works:
1. The items will be up for auction for one day. Description of the item by the artist will be posted along with pictures.
2. Bid using the comment section of the blog. It is sort of like a silent auction.
3. The highest bid before the cutoff time wins the item.
4. The winner will be notified the next day by me. Monies will be directed to my paypal account. I will transfer funds after all the auctions are over.
5. The first auction starts Friday night, Jan 13 during the pawty at 9 pm ET.

I will be monitoring comments, so tweet me or leave a comment if you have a question.

Thankful Thursday - Salt

2012-01-12T04:36:00.000-08:00

Yes, we are thankful for salt today. Of course, the geekiness will be specific - Sodium chloride, NaCl, sodium and chloride held together by an ionic bond. It is everywhere whether as aqueous solutions or a hard substance. In solution you will find it in the ocean and in our very cells.

Today's topic is crystalline NaCl.

Today it is the first real snow this season. St. Louis doesn't get a lot of snow, so folks don't always remember how to drive in snow. The first snow is THE worst.

Mom said there were folks driving 20 mph on the interstate. Now, it was maybe an inch of snow? What's up with the creepy crawly thing? That speed is dangerous, folks. Go drive surface roads if you are going to crawl.

Then there is the class of idiots comprised of SUVs, pickemup trucks, and sporty cars. These folks drive the same speed as they always do. Can we say FISHTAIL? Throw road slush which freezes all over the windshield? There was a truck weaving in and out of traffic, an accident waiting to happen. He didn't have the front end plow rigging so there probably weren't bags of sand (weight) over the wheelswhich would make the ass end of the truck even lighter and prone to sliding. Idiot.

Anyway, I digress from my topic.

The City of St. Louis does a great job on I44 in the mornings. It is with a sigh of relief once mom hits the city limits. (The County sucks at keeping I44 clean at that hour.) The interstate was clear, plowed, and it was SALTED!!!! Ah! sigh of relief.

We have had so little snow this year that MDOT is using the extra money allocated for snow removal and SALT to fix roads. Now, that is something I can get behind!

Please watch this great video about how sodium and chloride find each other! Yes, it is geekiness at it is finest!

(semi) Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-11T07:00:00.000-08:00

Everyone knows Mom is a geek, and she has passed that geek thing on to me. So, here is our post for today. (As a reminder, Au is the chemical symbol for gold.)

Thankful for Red Cats Thursday

2011-12-22T04:09:00.000-08:00

As everyone knows, Mom has a passion for red cats. It all started when she found a a wounded guy on her friend's front step. Thom Katt, Esq. protected his territory and suffered a lot of scrapes. He had a personality bigger than the heavens.
One day Thom ran into the apartment meowing a blue streak and herded her to the door. Mom had 2 kittens playing outside and there was a neighborhood tom cat was stalking the babies. She was able to save the kittens because of Thom's kitty ESP. Thom went on to monitor her friend's yard and lived to a good age. My friend did these drawings of Thom the Bomb.

One of those kittens was a cameo, or silver red, long haired girl named Amelia (Earhart). Mel was a dominant personality and had a flea allergy. She tangled with a skunk once, and got the business end of that deal. I won't described how her apartment smelled! The other kitten was a long haired black tortie, Cynda. Kitty color is carried on the female gene, so the multi-colored girls carry the red gene. Cynda was a lovely girl, great personality and taught Mom how great us tortie girls are. Cyn and Mel lived well in our house in St. Louis.

Buster, a ticked red medium hair, came to live with Mom after Mel died. Mom says Buster is the Gold Standard for cats. He had the same kitty ESP as Thom, patrolled his neighborhood, and only started to lose battles when he was 15 years old. Mom kept him inside a lot more then. Other than hairballs, the only accident he ever had was on the day Mom put him down. He looked at her and his eyes told her he was sorry for the accident and he was in pain. He had made his peace with renal failure, and Mom honored his pact.

After Cynda Died, Mom got Nelson. Nelson was a gorgeous red long hair who may have been a Norwegian Forest Cat. He had been in a cage until he was 9 months old, and had very little human handling. He learned to trust Mom and Buster took him under his wing. Buster taught Nelson how to clean his butt, how to sit upright, and several other things. Nelson was not the sharpest tool in the shed. Mom said that when he was born God asked if he wanted beauty or brains. Nelson said, "Huh?". Buster deeply mourned Nelson's passing.

I came to live with Buster after Nelson died from renal failure. Since I am a blue tortie, I also have the red gene. I am a very lucky kitty because I get the best food and petting and laps and nip and.... Buster tolerated me.

Mom decided she wanted another cat, so Rudy came to live with us. I didn't like Rudy, but Mom says that is because I didn't share well. I say, that's torti-tude, and just get over it! Rudy was a beautiful red classic tabby Maine coon cat. He was a silly guy, always doing something interesting. Maine coon breeders always joke about red boys and their lack of intelligence. Well, Rudy certainly had potential, but he did not always live up to that. Rudy was the barktender of the family, and is known as the Rainbow Bridge @RudyCKat, proprietor of Rudy's Spa. His kidney's were too small and couldn't keep up with a growing MC boy. He died from renal failure.

@ParkerSKat was chosen to live with us. He is also a red classic tabby Maine coon cat. He came to us at 12 weeks old, and immediately captured the hearts of the household. Parker is a clown, a typical boy getting into everything. Buster perked up when Parker came and seemed to get a new lease on life. Even I like Parker and developed a new growl that is reserved only for him. Parker is growing like Rudy never could, and at 1.75 years old is about 20 pounds or 9 kg.Parker is helping mom sew in the picture. Well, he is looking at her upside done through the machine. He's such a trial.

Mom says that Buster did one last thing for her. She believes that Buster gave some of his wisdom and spark to Parker when he left us. We all grieved when Buster died, but Parker seemed to develop new mannerisms that reminds Mom of Buster. Now, it could be that is Parker maturing, but she swears there is something in Parker's eyes that wasn't there before.

So, that is our red cat story. Thanks to Bast for red cat power!

Christmas Traditions - Pets

2011-12-19T06:20:00.000-08:00

Every pet in the Kruse household gets a stocking. Here are the current stockings. Mom made mine. What's up with it? She must have been having a bad day. How boring. Dad made the festive stockings for Dali and Parker.

We also get ornaments for the tree. Even after we go OTRB, our ornaments are hung with reverence.

Mom made these great stockings for Amelia and Cynda. I think I deserve better!

So far, I am the only one with an ornament. I guess someone had better get busy and find Dali and Parker an ornament. I mean, this is their second Christmas in our house! Rents!

Christmas Traditions

2011-12-18T18:25:00.000-08:00

My good friend CheskireK asked me about our Christmas traditions. Mom likes to buy cat ornaments, mainly red kitties. Not that I mind, but give us Tortie girls a break! she says we are so beautiful it is hard to capture in a miniature version. I will let her slide. Not. So, here are some of our cat ornaments.

Achievement Awards for Pawty Volunteers

2011-10-24T04:08:00.000-07:00

I will be presenting Achievement Awards at the Friday Night Anipal Academy Awards ceremonies. These awards go to volunteers who help make anipal charity pawties and donations possible. There are approximately 150 anipals that donate their time for #pawpawty, #nipclub, and other charity functions. It is incredible to me that out of the thousands of participants about 150 anipals freely give of their time and talents. These anipals are true heros in our world.

When you attend pawties, please be mindful that these volunteers are trying their best to help you have fun. Please be considerate and thank the dj's, quiz masters, and barktenders. If you have a suggestion, do it politely or on DM. Barktenders can easily miss tweets. DJ's spend hours putting together playlists for pawty themes. Requests are gladly taken when presented in a constructive manner. Quiz masters usually quiz for many hours and appreciate an encouraging word.

Without this core group of anipal volunteers, support for anipal charities might fall apart.

Please give your pawty staff a big thank you the next time you "pawty hawty".

Thankful Thursday 10-13-11

2011-10-12T17:23:00.000-07:00

Mom continues to improve! Yay!

Today I am thankful for anipals and their humans who use their art to benefit anipal rescue related activities. I would like to talk about my good friend @ConfuciousCat, CC for short. You all probably know CC as the innovator of the Sunday "Purrs for Peace". What you may not know is that his mum, Patricia Mason, is a writer. CC and Pat have joined forces for #pawpawty! Here's the scoop.

Pat has written a wonderful book written for the young adult (YA) market “Entanglements (Multiverse)” written under the name P. R. Mason. “Entanglements” is part of the fantasy genre featuring wormholes, time travel, vampires and a handsome time traveler hero. I won’t divulge any more about the plot. Let it suffice to say that “Entanglements” captivated me - I read the book straight through, skipping sleep and only stopping when I needed to nom.

Here is the best part! Pat is going to donate all proceeds for books sold Friday, October 15 to the next #pawpawty charity! So warm up those paws and get ready to help out #pawpawty meet the fundraising goal, and get a great read in the process. Amazon and B&N are offering the book for $0.99 and Smashwords for $2.99 as of this writing.

Think about something cool to stick in a Christmas stocking for your favorite young adult. Heck, mom said she has some fantasies about hero herself, so buy it for a lady friend! (Mom, you are SO embarrassing!)

You can find “Entanglements” as an ebook at these links: Amazon; Barnes and Noble; Smashwords
“Entanglements” is the featured book for the December 12 #readpawty meeting at 8 pm Eastern Time.

See you October 15 at the bookstore and at the next #pawpawty. Make sure you drop a tweet to CC and thank him for this great opportunity to help anipals! I hope we totally overwhelm him with our gratitude!

Thankful Thursday

2011-10-06T03:32:00.000-07:00

Mom's surgery was more extensive than originally hoped. She was pretty cranky for a few days since most pain Meds made her sick. We had come through all that, and she has made a remarkable recovery. We are so thankful since she is playing with us and we get lots of lap time! She has started physical therapy, so gets tired which is good since, guess what, I get MORE lap tme!

We know she is very lucky to have a good job with benefits so she can take the time to heal. We are also lucky to live in a city with teaching hospitals and an excellent reputation for health care.

We thank all anipals for the best wishes and #paw circles. I have seen the power of positive thoughts affect many recoveries, and Mom is one such case.

So, I will leave you laughing!

thankful thursday

2011-09-22T07:42:00.000-07:00

We have several things to be thankful for.
1. Mom is almost finished with the quilt so I can get lap time!
2. Mom is having shoulder surgery tomorrow, so we will get lots of cuddle time!
3. I will be thankful if Mom isn't bitchy after the surgery, but will be next week's blog!

And, I am thankful that my mom is such a nerd!

Beads R Us

2011-09-20T10:52:00.000-07:00

Quilt completion is on target! Parker has been on overtime making sure that the quilt gets done. He says that he will not be distracted nor moved during the final stages of quilt completion. We hope you like these really neat parts of the quilt. The quilt is up for auction starting Saturday, September 24 at 9 pm through sunday the 25th at 9 pm CDT.

Quilting is SO Difficult

2011-09-11T07:12:00.001-07:00

Mom is making a quilted wallhanging for Okey's Promise kickstarter challenge. We have to keep our paws and eyes on her otherwise who knows what direction she'd be off into. It is a difficult job, so I will be detailing how to snoopervise.

First of all, you have to make sure that all participants know who the snoopervisor in charge is, Me!!!! Do not for one moment think that I am sleeping. I have slits in my eyelids. I see all.

I insist that the cat help have a good bath before assuming duties.

Our duties include making sure the borders are sewn on properly.

There are many gadgets that must be checked out for maximum efficiency.

Sometimes Mom is just so exasperating! So, we call for a scritch and then stretch break.

Finally, she is at the stage where the top is done!

Before we go on to the next step, a little snooze is in order.

Stay tuned! Many more KruseKat exploits with Okey's quilt coming up! Parker dumped over beads last week. We are praying he doesn't do that this week! I think there would be lots of bad words.

Tribute to Mr. Buster Kat

2011-09-10T08:02:00.000-07:00

Mom is going to take over my blog since she needs to share about Buster.

Wanda here. I hope this posting will have some continuity, but I can't promise it. I am going to talk about THE gold standard of cats, Buster. I haven't been able to blog about his death, and I need to talk about him.

I went to look at cats at a local rescue. There was something very special about this ginger cat, something palpable in the air. Buster came home with me. That night he jumped into bed with us, purring and being a happy drooler. He knew we were now his people, and he was watching over us.

The kibble bowl always needed to be full. It was one of his insecurities. Buster would round me up and direct me to the bowls in the basement if there was only 1/4 of bowl full. It was years before he became confident enough that we always had the kibble for him.

As I said, Buster was a happy drooler. I can't tell you how many pieces of clothing he "sogged" up. I wouldn't trade that for anything. It made my heart so glad that he could show he appreciation.

I got another cat from the same rescue. Nelson was cage bound for 9 months. Buster showed him the ropes of being a cat, including how to clean butts properly. They played in the vertical blinds. Oh, what I would give to hear that again.

Buster was a menace to the rodentia population. Mice, chipmunks, moles, bunnies, and squirrels were no match for the mighty hunter. My husband who had never been around cats could not believe what a prodigious hunter Buster was. It worked out very well. Buster ate most of his prey, leaving a bit of innards in the yard. Hubby's dog wiould find the innards and role on them. The dog then needed a bath, hubby's job. I praised the cat. Talk about a circle of life!

Buster was a philosopher and understood humanese. He would listen when our cousin or myself would talk. All it took was one look from Buster, and we knew what he was thinking.

I am sorry, but I can't go on. I am crying too much.

Buster was laid to rest August 23, 2011 after losing a battle with kidney failure. He told me it was time since he peed on the carpet. He was so embarrassed - his first mistake.

I can't seem to upload these pics. sorry
Buster (head over chair) and Nelson
Buster with scape on nose after a set to with the Black Marauder
His Professional photo
Buster in our garden

Art Auction for Okey's Promise: Art for a Cause

2011-09-06T05:06:00.000-07:00

Our dear anipal, Brewski Butt, let Bztat, aka Vicki, come to Blogpaws 2011 to make a presentation about the next phase for Okey's Promise. In her kickstarter page, Vicki explains: "My hope is that this artwork will start a dialog about the combined issues of animal abuse, child abuse and domestic violence." A key issue is that this project will only be funded if at least $6,000 is pledged by Monday Sep 26, 4:02pm EDT. as of 9-6-11, $1285 have been pledged.

As you may recall, the link between domestic and animal abuse is very dear to Mom's heart. She had me contact our group of artistic anipals and we are putting together an auction of artwork. Our list so far is: jewelry by Duck'sTypist, drawings by CheshireK, a print from Bztat, a Pasikas scarf, and one of Mom's beaded wallhangings. Details are still being worked out as to when, where, how.

I hope to have pictures for you all. I promise that Parker will help mom for sure. I will say that I have left fur on it already - it is a Christmas Laurel Burch wallhanging that she plans to hand bead. Mom, you had really better glam this up, because i am falling asleep just looking at it!

Love to all,
Maggie

Printer Problems

2011-07-15T10:07:00.000-07:00

We have all had a printer problem day. Check out this lady cat's solution.

Domestic violence and animals

2011-04-13T07:05:00.000-07:00

Our anipal community is trying to help a domestic violence situation, and they family has 2 dogs. The mother and children were moved to an emergency shelter, and the dogs have found VERY temporary housing and need to be moved soon. Here is one of mariodaCat's tweets: "Temporary FOSTER home needed for 2 dogs - So. WI. See http://mariodacat.blogspot.com/ for details & pictures."

The dogs have found a home in California, but need transportation. Agin, one of mario's tweets: HELP! Dogs need @pilotsNPaws transport assistance: #WI to #CA will drop off & pick up! HELP! PLS RT! shrinkalink.com/41678 We might have to fly the dogs commercial, or form a transport "train".

Here is a link to very helpful listings regarding domestic abuse and shelters.

Mom has been very silent on this matter. She was verbally abused in her first marriage, and didn't realize what actually happened to her psyche until much later. For some reason, this situation has resurrected feelings that she thought she had counseled out of her, not to mention her situation was totally different. She has worked with Lydia's House (shelter), given much of her time, energy, and quilts while trying to understand it all. She is not trying to turn this post into a pity pot, but really trying to piece together why she has been powerless to help.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness month. Actually, every month is awareness month, or should be. thanks to all the anipals who could help. I think mom can only give money to transport the dogs. She is shedding tears for the mom and kids.

Last Auction

2011-04-11T05:23:00.000-07:00

I have the honor of having the last piece for the Art Auction for World Vets. Our fearless leaders, @CheshireK and Robin, have worked so hard keeping everyone informed and coordinated. Kudos to our artists @Boomiethecat, @whskr/@dashkitten and @Cokiethecat / @bohopets.

Please go to the link above and bid on Mom's quilt. Please?

The small wall quilt is a Kimono print from Kona Bay. Complimentary fabrics were chosen for applique elements which were stitched in gold metallic thread. The surface was heavily quilted. The picture does do justice to the main portion of the quilt. The dark rust area will be heavily stipple quilted to match the interior density (to lie flat). All machine quilting was free motion. The quilt will be bound with a contrasting fabric. The back has a suprise fabric, but I will tell you there are samuris aplenty.

Parker and I were really helping mom with this one. She said we delayed her progress, but we knew when she needed a break, mainly cuz her threads kept breaking! We are goona show you how much help we were!

Maggie on chair snoopervising Bored?

I am NOT sleeping

Nice Samuri, Mom! Doesn't look any better this way.

World Vets - I'm In!

2011-03-16T05:42:00.000-07:00

Please read FrugalDougal's post about World Vets. I couldn't begin to be as eloquent as he is. @CathyKeisha is a talented writer and gives another view of this crisis. Please read her blog as well. I am part of a blog hop for World Vets. Please visit the links at the end for other stories and items for sale.

Several anipals are joining together to offer our handicrafts for proceeds going to World Vets, @Boomiethecat, @whskr, @CheshireK, and me, MaggieTKat. Some items will be auctioned on Cheshire's blog. Other items will be for sale in our store.

All the monies for my items will go directly to World Vets. I am putting together small quilted wallhangings and notecards. My first wallhangings will be about 18" x 22".

This wallhanging that is almost ready (need to do the binding). It is made from a kimono print produced by Kona Bay. I used elements from other fabrics to add collage to the surface. I attached the collages with free motion using gold metallic Sulky thread. The quilting was done with either clear nylon or rayon thread. Email me if you want to know specifics or better colors.

Here are 2 more hallhangings that I will be doing.

Shine of Your Japan

2011-03-16T05:00:00.000-07:00

click below for Steely Dan

Bodhisattva

Songs Peeps Sing

2011-02-21T09:13:00.000-08:00

@Bztat started a trail last week that has been resounding in my brain. She asked pet owners, what song do you sing to your pet.

I am ashamed that mom does it, yes, offkey and worse than caterwauling, she has special songs for each of us. I will share her songs, and I hope you guys can share your peeps songs so you can embarrass them, too!

Rudy: A message to you, Rudy by The Specials. They do it much better.

Maggie: Peg by Steely Dan, her name song

Parker: this is so bad that even i who pretend to not like him, get so embarrassed
So you know the Parker Man (to the tune of muffin man, how juvenile mom!)

Julie Dog: Julie julie (to the tune of Louie Louie)

Dali Dog hasn't gotten her tune yet. And She respects Buster Cat, the old guy, so doesn't embarrass him. So, what's up with the rest of us? Are we chopped liver?

Please share your peeps' horrible tune!

Making an Anipal Quilt

2011-02-06T08:31:00.000-08:00

Mom made a quilt for the Anipal Times February Prize. We helped to document the process, and this is our photo essay.

Parker supervises sewing

Mom arranges the blocks

Maggie claims a patch.

Maggie and Parker discuss details of the quilting process.

Ready for borders, despite the discussion

Parker seems to have lost the discussion!

The top is quilted! Detail of the owls and back.

Stylish Blogger Award!

2011-02-02T15:12:00.000-08:00

Kruse Kats was nominated by 2 anipals, the stunning Cathy Keisha and darling Pandora, a fellow Maine coon, to recieve the Stylish blogger award. I need to tell 7 things about me. Since we got nominated twice, Parker says he wants to get the other 7 things for him.

Maggie
1. I had conjunctivitis in my left eye and is scared, but I can see fine.
2. I have 2 kinks in my tail.
3. I love black beans, olives, and canned mushrooms.
4. I let mom clip my claws without too much fuss.
5. I'd rather be on mom's lap that anywhere else in the world.
6. I secretly like Parker.
7. I am queen of the castle, torti-tude rules!

Parker
1. I am perfect. I am also big.
2. I lay on top of the undercover mouse and let it make bad noises.
3. I pester Maggie a lot just to hear her growl at me.
4. Mr. Buster is the coolest and give me life lessons.
5. I like to sit outside the shower door so mom opens it and I watch her get cold.
6. Cough drop wrappers are excellent to play with. they also keep dad busy picking up after me.
7. I am just now discovering the world outside and wish I could go out and play. Mom says we're indoor cats. poo.

Thanks to Pandy and CK for the opportunity to share with everyone!

Pep Talk in Every Wrapper

2011-01-25T08:04:00.000-08:00

Halls Vitamin C drops have platitudes on the drop wrappers. Here are a few motivational gems:

You've survived tougher

Don't give up on yourself

The show must go on. Or work.

Seize the day

Be unstoppable

Tough is your middle name.

Nothing you can't handle

Impress yourself today.

You can and you know it.

And, the ever popular, GO FOR IT!

Now that you are properly pumped, seize the day and impress yourself by going for it!

KruseKats Pet blog challenge

2011-01-11T10:32:00.000-08:00

I just saw this challenge. I hope that I am not too late.

1. When did you begin your blog?
About a year ago

2. What was your original purpose for starting a blog?
I started the blog to write down my memories of my dear cat Rudy who died December 7, 2009 on his 2nd birthday.

3. Is your current purpose the same?
I said all I could about Rudy.
If not, what’s different?
Now I talk about my other cats, life with a new dog, quilting, and other such things

If so, how do you feel you’ve met your goals?
Never really had any goals

4. Do you blog on a schedule or as the spirit moves you?
I blog when the spirit moves me or I see an interesting challenge
If the latter, do you worry about… well, whatever you might worry about (e.g. losing traffic, losing momentum)?
I blog for fun, not for readership.

5. Are you generating income from your blog?
No income and doubtful that I will unless I have to pay for my site.

6. What do you like most about blogging in general and your blog in particular?
Writing gets stuff off my chest, or a challenge gives me a creative push.

7. What do you like least?
Writing in HTML or the interfaces.

8. How do you see your blog changing/growing in 2011?
No.

Wordless Wednesday - Shoe Fashions 2011

2011-01-05T12:04:00.001-08:00

Anipal Photo Hop #16: My Job

2010-12-11T07:11:00.000-08:00

The absolutely most important job for the Kruse Kats is Quilt Inspector. We take our job very seriously. We supervise quilts in every stage of production. We approve the fabrics as they are chosen; the best fabrics are marked with fur. We help cut the fabric, making sure the yellow thing (rotary cutter) doesn't get too close. We inspect all the seams, making sure all the points of the pieces match. Other duties include sitting on the quilt tap during quilting so it doesn't fly away. After the quilts are finished, we check for threads, perfection of the binding, and just overall QC duties. When that is all done, we leave our "inspected by" mark, a bit of cat fur for luck. Mom and Dad give many of their quilts away to charities, so we need to give those a bit of special love.

the photos are: Rudy on a stack of quilts, Buster on the summer bed throw, and Maggie on the wallhanging given as a prize.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-11-17T10:27:00.001-08:00

Anipal Photo Hunt #14: MOM!

2010-11-16T17:42:00.000-08:00

OMC! You mean I have to share the spotlight with HER? Ah, she's not so bad. However, she took he pic with Parker rather than me, Maggie. Oh, well. He is her baby after all.

Check out the other blogs to see what their staff look like. And, please patronize our sponsor, Big Paw Designs.

Anipal Photo Hunt #13: From Where I Stand...

2010-11-11T02:38:00.000-08:00

Cokie's challenge this week is to share what we see everyday. So many things in KruseKat world!

St. Louis is known for the Gateway Arch. Here I am visiting the Arch.

Please let me welcome you into our home in St. Louis. We live in an 1859 farmhouse, parts are probably older than that. Hope you had fun seeing my world!

Not so Wordless Wednesday - Puppy MIlls

2010-11-10T07:20:00.000-08:00

Lawmakers aim to thwart the voters' will

(Not So) Wordless Wednesday - HEADLINE!

2010-11-03T04:41:00.000-07:00

Dogs big winners in Missouri races - MO Prop B passes

Anipal Photo Hunt #12: All Souls' Day

2010-11-02T07:18:00.000-07:00

I would like to remember 2 of our dear OTRB friends, and mom wants to remember a 3rd.

Mom's cat, Nelson, was my predecessor. We believe he was part of a kitty mill since he never sat up, only laid down, and never allowed humans to pick him up. Nelson was not the sharpest tool in the shed, fell asleep in the water bowl, and only made one noise per week. A roofer liked talking to Nelson, said he felt they were on the same plane. Mom was quite concerned for that roofer. Here he is hanging out in the yard, and trying to snooze in the middle of dog toys.

I don't have to say much about our dear friends who went OTRB the past year, Rudy and Julie Dog. Like an cat, Rudy loved to be on top of things, and this is him on top of a 7 foot amoire. Yes, he jumped there from a table. Julie's favorite toy was a tennis ball and tail toy. Squirrel tail was the best, the fox tail had too much fur. Mom loved the advert - "because everyone needs a little tail".

I would like to acknowledge our sponsor, http://www.bigpawdesigns.com/. It is wonderful to have them on board.

So, join us in remembering you OTRB friends and tell us a bit about them.

Wordless Wednesday - Gratitude Cat Rocks

2010-10-25T18:42:00.000-07:00

Gift from @TinyPearlCat. Thanks!

Anipal Photo Hunt #11 - Trick or Treat

2010-10-25T04:34:00.000-07:00

Mom made Parker and I pose in the same picture for the blog challenge this week. Mom is really getting on my nerves. Without further ado, here are the Kruse Dogs, er, Kats!

Anipal Photo Hunt #10 - How Annoying!

2010-10-20T16:55:00.000-07:00

When Mom told me there would a little red bundle of fur arriving to the house, my face plainly told what I was thinking. And, I can't put that into print, let me tell you!

Wordless Wednesday - 10 month old Maggie and her Mom

2010-10-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday - Remembering Julie on Her Birthday

2010-10-13T06:42:00.001-07:00

Anipal Photo Hunt #9 - Compromising Positions

2010-10-11T05:08:00.000-07:00

Oh, do I have a whopper for you! For all of you who think that Mr. Parker S. Kat is too cute to be bad, well this week's pic shows differently. This is Mr. Buster showing the Squirt a thing or 2 about cat fights. Look at Parker, on the floor in the submissive position. Ha! I saw it, Parker started the whole thing. Just look at Buster showing you what it means to be a proficient fighter. Yes, I (Maggie) enjoy seeing this picture way too much. A pox on little brothers!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-06T05:25:00.001-07:00

Artist: J. Ottis Adams, 1875
Hoosier Group
Image courtesy of the Ball State Art Museum, DIDO project

Mental Illness Awareness Week - by Mom

2010-10-04T07:43:00.000-07:00

"Across the country, NAMI advocates are gearing up for Mental Illness Awareness Week (MIAW) 2010, which takes place October 3-9, to educate the public about serious mental illnesses like major depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia."

One of the diseases that has impacted my family is "Dual Diagnosis of Mental Illness and Substance Abuse Disorder". Dual diagnosis is when 2 things are occurring at the same time, a mental illness such as depression or bipolar disease along with substance abuse, either alcohol and/or drugs.

A surprising number of people are affected by this disorder. The numbers below were determined in the early 1990's, and further studies have not been published.

"According to reports published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA):

•Roughly 50 percent of individuals with severe mental disorders are affected by substance abuse.
•Thirty-seven percent of alcohol abusers and 53 percent of drug abusers also have at least one serious mental illness.
•Of all people diagnosed as mentally ill, 29 percent abuse either alcohol or drugs."

Due to these concurrent diseases, it is difficult to treat. Which do you treat first? Often only one of the diseases is detected, and the other ignored. A dual approach to treating these illnesses must be taken.For example, counseling and medication for the mental illness, and programs such as AA or NA for the substance abuse. It has been shown that if a patient successfully conquers the alcohol abuse, then the mental illness is exponentially easier to treat.

This brief synopsis of the dual-disorder is just meant to remind people of the many facets of mental illness and is not meant to be a complete description of the disease. All quotes are taken from the NAMI site.

Our Family's Story
Our cousins' family has been known to suffer depression and bipolar illness. The oldest son became addicted to cocaine and alcohol and was placed in a treatment facility. I am not familiar with this facility, but I could guess that either he wasn't given meds or was noncompliant with his meds. He called one night and talked for an hour nonstop - a sure symptom of hypomania. Folks with bipolar disease often are noncompliant since they miss the "highs" of their disease.

The cousin hooked up with a girl who was on her 3rd rehab. Shortly after release, he started drinking and drugging again. Within a year after getting out of rehab, he hung himself in his apartment closet. His whole family have become hard drinkers, and have moved to New Zealand to escape.

This is just an example of the devastating issues with a dual diagnosis disease, and I am sure most families have similar ones. I just want to remind all that treatment is easy, but denial can have devastating and far reaching effects.

Anipal Photo Hunt #8 - I'm with the Band

2010-10-04T04:31:00.000-07:00

This week we're featuring Mr. Rudy for the Anipal Photo Hunt #8 - "I'm with the Band". This was his 2009 Halloween costume designed by @GeorgetheDuck. Rudy is in his full wailing glory on the alto sax. And, here is another factoid: Parker is named for Charlie Yardbird Parker, a famous alto saxman from the BeBop era. Maybe Mom just has a thing for red cats and saxes.

Wordless Wednesday - Autumn Tesselations Quilt

2010-09-29T05:36:00.001-07:00

Anipal Photo Hunt #6 - "Hey! That's Not Me!"

2010-09-27T04:55:00.000-07:00

What a fun challenge today, Cokie! My (Maggie) coloring is unusual since I'm a blue tortie. I thought and thought and then I remembered that I have always teased @SidTheCatahoula about being a tortie dog. So, here is me and my doppelganger, Sid.

9-29-10

I omitted another dear tortie dog, Butus the Dane! Please enjoy my tortie dog friends.

Wordless Wednesday - Sign on old St. Louis building

2010-09-22T06:12:00.001-07:00

30 Things About My Invisible Illness You May Not Know - by Mom

2010-09-21T07:21:00.000-07:00

Mom is taking over the blog today:

I want to thank @Wildboutbirds, Honeybell's, mom for giving me the courage to write this. this is her blog about hidden illnesses: http://honeybell-hoover.blogspot.com/ Hidden illnesses affect how we percieve things, and I believe our twitter friends know when something is wrong. We all have things to deal with, but sometimes it is hard to know what a disease is like if you have never met anyone with it. Please ask me questions about celiac disease and I will be glad to answer them to my ability.

1. The illness I live with is: celiac disease. I was undiagnosed for so long that I have other food sensitivities such as dairy and soy. Celiac disease has also impacted my thyroid function and I have hypothyroidism. Of course, depression often runs with this disease for many reasons. I am also a recovering alcoholic.
2. I was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2006.
3. But I had symptoms since I was a child.
4. The biggest adjustment I’ve had to make is figuring out how to eat in our fast paced culture.
5. Most people assume that all I have to do is not eat bread. AND the big one, that there is medication for this (medications are still in R&D).
6. The hardest part about mornings is trying to find something to eat that is not bread, wheat cereal, oatmeal, or cholesterol containing.
7. My favorite medical TV show is House mainly because he is such a curmudgeon. However, they have had an episode about celiac disease.
8. A gadget I couldn’t live without are silicone cooking utensils.
9. The hardest part about nights is depression, wondering how I can continue to cook my meals when I am elderly, wondering if the food experiment will make me sick, hating myself for being fat but not sure what I can give up to lose weight. Luckily, I have no desire to drink, so that isn’t an issue.
10. Each day I take 21 pills & vitamins.
11. Regarding alternative treatments, I would love to find one, but this is all food modification. There is no magic pill to make me better.
12. If I had to choose between an invisible illness or visible I would choose visible. People can understand a limp.
13. Regarding working and career, it is very difficult as a professional to dine out with colleagues. I have to ask the waiter in detail about food preparation, and I just sound picky. Sometimes after a contamination, I need to sleep for hours. You can’t say to your boss, I need to sleep to help my body recover from a hidden illness. People don’t get it. If you aren’t throwing up, it doesn’t exist.
14. People would be surprised to know that wheat in the forms of flour or gluten is hidden in many foods. My food also has to be produced in a wheat free environment, and most restaurant kitchens are not set up this way. When wheat is accidentally consumed, we call that contamination. Only time and strict adherence to a gluten free diet will heal.
15. The hardest thing to accept about my new reality has been to figure out that no matter how much you change yourself for the better, something will always come up and grab you in the ass to give you a reality check.
16. Something I never thought I could do with my illness is to resist cinnamon rolls.
17. The commercials about my illness- since there are no celiac disease commercials, the depression ones make me annoyed as hell.
18. Something I really miss doing since I was diagnosed is eating a sandwich whenever I want wherever I am.
19. It was really hard to have to give up cheese due to lactose intolerance.
20. A new hobby I have taken up since my diagnosis is changing the type of cookbooks that I read.
21. If I could have one day of feeling normal again I would order a fantastic meal at a 5 star place, no wine though.
22. My illness has taught me that you have to be advocate for yourself with the medical profession. If you don’t tell them in their vocabulary, they are less likely to hear you.
23. Want to know a secret? One thing people say that gets under my skin is, “Oh, you can just have a salad. That’s safe.”
24. But I love it when people find a restaurant that is gluten free friendly especially for me.
25. My favorite motto, scripture, quote that gets me through tough times is from a Steely Dan song:
Any major dude with half a heart surely will tell you my friend
Any minor world that breaks apart falls together again
When the demon is at your door
In the morning it won't be there no more
Any major dude will tell you
26. When someone is diagnosed I’d like to tell them that this disease ain’t for the faint of heart.
27. Something that has surprised me about living with an illness is people don’t care.
28. The nicest thing someone did for me when I wasn’t feeling well was the day my husband made a special trip for a white soda.
29. I’m involved with Invisible Illness Week because, well, I’m a day late, but I needed to get out my feelings.
30. The fact that you read this list makes me feel that you have taken the time to care, and that means the world to me.

Readpawty Books - October/November

2010-09-19T13:53:00.000-07:00

This post will be put on the fabulous readpawty blog that Pumpkinpaddy put together. I have chosen 2 books for #readpawty. As usual. you will chose one and we will discuss at the next meeting. I will be doing reviews of the books in the Anipal Times. I am rolling over the 3 previous books in case someone didn't get time to read them.

The first is a new novel, Murder Past Due (Cat in the Stacks Mystery) by Miranda James. A librarian has this really cool Maine Coon cat who walks on a leash. The libraian solves the murder of a well known author, Godfrey Priest. The book had 2 things that mom loves - libraries and MC's! This is so new it probably is not available available in libraries. However, Amazon has reduced priced new and used copies. Mom's copy is available for loan.

The second novel is one of the best I have ever read for facing life's trials and joys. The Art of Racing in the Rain: A Novel by Garth Stein. If you've ever wondered what your dog is thinking, Enzo is a lab terrier mix plucked from a farm rides shotgun with race car driver Denny Swift. Denny marries Eve, has a daughter, Zoë, and risks his savings and his life to make it on the professional racing circuit. Enzo, frustrated by his inability to speak and his lack of opposable thumbs, watches Denny's old racing videos, coins aphorisms that apply to both driving and life, and hopes for the day when his life as a dog will be over and he can be reborn a man.

See you at #readpawty Tues October 5th at 8 pm EDT.

Anipal photo hunt - Be the change

2010-09-19T09:26:00.000-07:00

Cokie 's photo hunt has asked us to"be the change" by publicizing unadoptable animals. Here in Missouri our laws are such that puppy mills abound. My featured anipal is a lovely little lady chihuahua who was rescued from the mills. She is fostered by our #nipclub charity, the St. Louis Senior Dog Project.

This is Tillie is a sweet little 5 lb Chihuahua who has had a very sad and hard life as a puppy breeder. She has spent her entire 7 years of life living in a very small cage in an Ozark puppymill. She is uncertain of human touch and sometimes even fearful, but she is quickly learning to trust her foster mom. Tillie will need a special family to show her lots and lots of love and attention, and to assure her that no one will ever be unkind to her again. She will do best in a quiet home with another small dog(s) for companionship, and a fenced yard is required. Tillie is current on her immunizations, she has been heartworm tested, microchipped, spayed, and has had her teeth cleaned. Her adoption fee is $175. If you would like to know more about Tillie, please e-mail lesa_davis@att.net.

Cokie's Anipal Photo Hunt - Blog Paws

2010-09-17T10:14:00.000-07:00

Mom went through her archives, and found one pic to fit this week's theme. This is Rudy toward the end of his life keeping warm on Mom's laptop. That's all we can say about it, we all get leaky eyes when we see this.

Wordless Wednesday - In Honor of Our Friend Pumpkin

2010-09-15T05:30:00.001-07:00

Anipal Photo Hunt - Where is our bed?

2010-09-08T04:47:00.000-07:00

On any given minute on any given day our beds are where we flop. Couches, tops of chairs, kitty tower, bed, you name it, we're there. On this particular day, Parker decided to share the ottoman with me. He is a snot, you know?

Parker and the Fur Toy

2010-08-30T07:25:00.000-07:00

Cokies Anipal Photo Hunt #3

Mom went to a cat show just to buy toys for Baby Parker. This is him at 3 months old. He loved the furry toy, pulled off all of it's feathers. Since Buster and I were leery of the small newcomer, we wouldn't cuddle. We think maybe the furry was sort of a substitue mom.

Now that he's 5 months old, he doesn't care for it. I guess we all have adjusted.

These are the latest pictures of Parker. enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday August 25, 2010

2010-08-25T07:53:00.001-07:00

Cokie's Blog Hop - Pawtraits

2010-08-24T04:36:00.000-07:00

This week's photo challenge from Cokie is best described in his words: "This week's Anipal Photo Hunt theme is PAWTRAITS - that is to say, portraits featuring paws!"

This is a wonderful portrait that Joan Nardozzi did of our OTRB dog, Julie. Julie would cross her paws like this all the time. It made her look like such a lady. Deep down inside, she was a hound! MOL! She always wore a sock since she had a toe removed due to cancer. So, this is doubly precious to us.

Mom adopted one of George the Duck's cousins, Ducktor Wu. Rudy couldn't figure out quite what to do with an itty bitty duck that was about the size of his paw. I am quite glad because Ducktor Wu is a good friend of mine!

Pictures from #GMCBarkNRide - Team WestATudes

2010-08-24T04:22:00.000-07:00

Riding shotgun.

The Hookalopes caught a ride and brought their own Doggy Baggage.

Lead Singer for the Westatudes, Preston. Packed and ready to go

#GMCBarkNRide Terrain Review

2010-08-23T10:48:00.000-07:00

The Terrain road very nice. There was enough room for baggage, a Westie, and 3 adults. The OnStar was very nice. I love the XM radio. Little Steven's Underground kept me awake the last 3 hours. I have recommended the vehicle to many people to purchase.

The GMC brand has been around for years, and is trusted. If you are looking for a quality vehicle, I can recommend it. Even after 9 hours, my posterior wasn't sore! I can't say that about many rides!

MOM,like Duh

2010-08-21T03:57:00.001-07:00

How can you remember asquillion clothes,food,etc., and not remember the power cord to the MacBook? Have you met my mom? So,she's at #bark world and no way to upload pics. Thank goodness for the iPad, but...

Talk about incredible. I have met many of my friends - Smokey, Cosmo,Mattie, TPD, Brutie, Edna, Boris, Dusty, Hurley, Bunny, Frugal, George, Brian, Niqqi, and many others. There were a lot of dogs in the sessions, as well as my roomies, James and Manny the ferrets.

The hookalopes are rooming with us as well. All they talk about are the Shibbering Cheetos and platform shoes. When you stop to think about it, is there any other thing to life but your passions.

Hopefully mom can charge the laptop soon and we can get some pictures up.

How to Recognize Mom

2010-08-18T16:35:00.000-07:00

Mom, Wanda, is in the cat ears peering out the top of the #GMCBarkNRide Terrain. I think you will know her! MOL

Mags

Wordless Wednesday

2010-08-18T07:56:00.001-07:00

Testing out the GMCTerrain

2010-08-18T04:49:00.000-07:00

I have so much to tell you! The Terrain is here for #GMCBarkNRide. The kind gentleman from dropped off the car. He left Dallas at 4:30 am, and got to our house at 3:30 pm, all central time. Mom took a few pictures, then put it in our garage. It fit just great! We have a lot of stuff in front of the car, so we were very happy. The Terrain went on a 7-11 run last night, and it did just fine.

This morning Mom got excited and decided to drive the Terrain to work. She evaluated a lot of features. There are little lights to show where things are, like the door handles. Nothing worse than searching for the door handle in an unfamiliar car. Cruise control is all on the left hand side of the steering wheel, about where your thumb rests, and is plainly marked. Cruise control is very important to Mom. She lived in Chicago, and still has many of the driving habits. Dad says he just looks straight ahead and won't look at the speedometer. Mom even uses cruise control in town to make sure she doesn't go over the posted speed limit.

The SUV handles very well. Mom likes a solid ride with tighter European steering. The Terrain gave a great ride and it felt like she was actually driving, not just floating along like some cars she's driven. It has a tachometer which is missing in so many new cars. Mom feels like she is back driving some Mopar car again even though she's not shifting. Don't ask - she nutso!

The back up camera! WAY COOL! The picture shows in your left 1/3 of the rear view mirror. Now, is that something or what! Dad's Prius has a monitor, and you have to switch your eyes from the monitor (camera) and rear view mirror. Mom sort of likes the Terrain's feature better, except it is small. We're calling the backup camera a tossup. The mirror also has an auto-dim feature which is outstanding.

The only thing so far is the blink makes a nice soft blink sound, but you could overlook it very easily if it doesn't turn off. Mom hates cars that keep blinking. But, Mom, let it go, just let it go.

So, anyway, she gets to work and she has forgotten her access control badge. Whoops. But, all the hassle of no badge is worth all the pleasure of being part of #GMCBarkNRide going to #BarkWorld in Atlanta August 20-22, 2010.

Cokie's Anipal Photo Hunt

2010-08-17T14:46:00.000-07:00

Cokie always has great ideas, and this is no exception. He will publish a theme every week, and we find a photo to go along with that phrase. This week's theme is "You Lookin' at Me?"

I always have perfect demeanor, but the Squirt (Parker) has no qualms about being a clown. I think his photo says it all.

Love,
Mags

#GMCBarkNRide - The Terrain

2010-08-11T16:31:00.000-07:00

Mom was SO curious about the GMC Terrain she gets to drive to #BarkWorld that she went to a local dealer to check it out, Sinclair Pontiac GMC. It was a little odd to walk into a showroom with absolutely no idea of what vehicle she was looking for, not to mention how to tell the salesman "Seriously, just looking." Well, the Terrain was in the showroom, and she was ever so grateful since temps were 100F+!!! She started looking at the Terrain, and a salesman noticed her. She explained the she won the privilege to drive a Terrain, and had several other sales folks around her while she explained the GMC program and #BarkWorld.

The salesman, Mark Wehner, was so great showing mom all the details of the vehicle. Silly mom, all she wanted to know was where the plugins are for charging devices! MOL! The SUV is a great size - big enough for cargo and small enough to give it a mid-size car feel. the Terrain has a backup camera! The camera shows stuff either on the dashboard screen or on the rear view mirror. Now, is that cool? All the controls for the vehicle are in one place, not scattered all over the interior. You can tell that the professional truck experience that GMC went into the thoughtful design of the Terrain.

Mom is even more excited to drive the vehicle now that she is a bit more familiar with it. If you are in St. Louis and want to buy a GMC Terrain, stop by Sinclair Pontiac GMC, ask for Mark Wehner, and tell him the crazy pet lady sent you.

#Readpawty has a blog!

2010-08-11T16:12:00.000-07:00

Part of our #readpawty improvements has been to add a blog and lending list. I may still talk about readpawty here, but all posts will be found at the readpawty.blogspot.com Please visit the new blog. Tell @pumpkinpuddy what a great job she has done creating the blog. I am going to have to hire her to spiffy up mine (turns and glares at Mom). Many thanks to Mario and MizzBassie for all their great suggestions.

Now, go visit the new blog! And, leave a comment!

Mags

#GMCBarkNRide

2010-08-02T17:01:00.000-07:00

For anyone who has been following the happenings for the social media conference, BarkWorldExpo, you might have heard of #GMCBarkNRide. GMC has volunteered several Terrains for us to carpool to #BarkWorld in Atlanta, GA August 20-22, 2010. I have been awarded the privilege of driving one of these! Man, this is more exciting than, um, hm, I would have to think on that one.

Mom has driven small cars since, well, let's say the Beatles were still together. She has been desperately searching the roads looking for a GMC Terrain, and she finally saw one. It is great looking vehicle, and she isn't just saying this since she "won" driving one. She's quite serious. She is looking forward to the Terrain because it looks like a big little SUV. And, there's all the stuff on board, OnStar, bluetooth, 2 DVD players, not to mention a whole host of other cool stuff.

We have been trying to tell her there is room for all of us to fit in, but she says she has to take her food (she is wheat gluten intolerant). Hmmmpf. Then she reminded us that Preston the Westie and his parents will be joining the trek. Well, maybe a dog no matter how adorable and a couple cats shouldn't be in the same vehicle together.

I guess I should introduce you to the car pool, @Preston_Speaks on Twitter, and his blog, http://www.prestonspeaks.com/. He is allowing his parents to join us, quite sporting of him don't you think?

make sure you look at the GMC link so you can see the cute SUV we will have. Did I tell you it has a backup camera? Is that the cat's pajamas, or what?

Love,
Mags and Mom

Sticky Boards

2010-07-31T15:25:00.000-07:00

Mom doesn't allow sticky boards in the house since she considers them inhumane. e.g., http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4898838_mouse-glue-traps-work.html However, we got a new pest control guy and Mom didn't think about him putting down sticky boards.

Thursday, Dad called Mom at work. He had found a sticky board in the dining room with Parker's whiskers stuck to it. So, poor Parker has only one long whisker on the left side.

We are very lucky this is all that happened. When you consider everything that could have happened to that little guy, well, Mom gets livid. Yes, we were very lucky.

The pictures are Parker with fewer whiskers, the trap, and Parker with all whiskers.

#ReadPawty August/September Picks

2010-07-20T05:12:00.000-07:00

First thing: next meeting is August 3 at 8 pm EDT.

Next, four things have come out of discussions about #readpawty.
1. Pick books sooner than the meeting so there is time to find them.
2. People get busy and having the meeting every other month is good.
3. A later time, like 8 pm EDT, allows more folks to participate.
4. Having 3 books allows good choice, and you can pick a couple if you have time.

So, here are the 3 books. Choose ONE book to read. If you have time, you can read another. ONE book is all that you need to read. All are available from Amazon, used copies as well. You may be able to find them in your library.

Julie Powell Julie and Julia
Julie & Julia is the story of Julie Powell's attempt to revitalize her marriage, restore her ambition, and save her soul by cooking all 524 recipes in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume I, in a period of 365 days.

Blaize Clement Curiosity Killed the Cat Sitter (Dixie Hemingway Mysteries, No. 1)
Clement's assured cozy debut introduces an appealing heroine, 32-year-old Dixie Hemingway, who's given up her stressful job as a sheriff's deputy in Sarasota, Fla., to become a professional pet sitter. When Dixie calls early one morning on her latest client, a silver-blue Abyssinian named Ghost, she finds a dead man face down in the cat bowl.

Gwen Cooper Homer's Odyssey
Once in nine lives, something extraordinary happens...
The last thing Gwen Cooper wanted was another cat. She already had two, not to mention a phenomenally underpaying job and a recently broken heart. Then Gwen’s veterinarian called with a story about a three-week-old eyeless kitten who’d been abandoned. It was love at first sight.

Hope to see you August 2!

It's a boy!

2010-06-18T18:02:00.000-07:00

In honor of Parker's Gotcha Day, Maggie, the #readpawty ma'am. is giveing away mini Frugal Dougal bookmarks. Leave a coment, or DM me, and we will work out a delivery!

Stay tuned for Parker pics and updates!

New Pics of Parker!!!!

2010-06-10T08:48:00.000-07:00

OMC, he is one beautiful boy. He looks like he will be a handful. Parker comes on June 19th, just in time for #pawpawty.

You can see all of his current and growing up pictures here.

What do Kitttens Need?

2010-06-09T07:22:00.000-07:00

I am pondering Parker, and what kittens need. I don't EVER remeber being that little,and neither does Mom. So, we are asking, what do I have to have for kittens?

Do kittens teethe? do I need cool teething rings? He should know how to use the box, so no problem there. do they chew on everything? How high do they jump? Can they get through baby gates? do I have to put him in a room with no fabric and cords till he grows a little?

We need kitten help!!!!

Thanks!
Love, Mags and Family

Summer #readpawty

2010-06-07T18:57:00.000-07:00

We will not meet in July. Next meeting will be Aug 3. I have 4 books listed here. Read one, some or all of them!

The Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas. 61% off new at Amazon. Available through libraries.
“Hard times in Depression-era Harveyville, Kansas, are softened by the conviviality of a weekly quilting circle called the Persian Pickle Club. Queenie Bean, the "talkingest" member of the group, narrates the novel with snappy style. Over the course of a year, during which the club experiences more sorrow than sewing, Queenie and her pals depend on one another more than ever.” Has a surprise twist ending. Maggie’s mom likes this book due to strong women.

James Herriot's Cat Stories by James Herriot
James Herriot's Dog Stories by James Herriot
Lots of copies new, used, and at libraries of these books. There are 2 editions of the dog book, and it doesn’t matter which you get.
If you have never read James Herriot, you are in for a treat. He will make you laugh, cry, and share his love for each of the animals this small town Yorkshire vet treats. MizzBassie and Maggie’s mom highly recommend. Easy reads, perfect for summer.

The Cat, The Quilt and The Corpse: A Cats in Trouble Mystery by Leann Sweeney. Copies available new, used, and maybe in libraries
“Jill's quiet life is shattered when her house is broken into and her Abyssinian, Syrah, goes missing. Jill's convinced her kitty's been catnapped. But when her cat-crime-solving leads her to a murdered body, suddenly all paws are pointing to Jill. Soon, Jill discovers that Syrah isn't the only purebred who's been stolen. Now she has to find these furry felines before they all become the prey of a cold-blooded killer-and she ends up nabbed for a crime...”
Leann is a new writer in the cat mystery genre. Mom lost her book on a trip and had to buy another one; guess that tells you something about the book!
If you have read this book, a second one in the series came out May 4, so try that one!

It is a Parker Pawpawty!

2010-06-07T18:48:00.000-07:00

Mom, today is June 10. Parker comes June 19. That is 9 days from now. She got so excited she lost a week on the last post! MOL!, and her math went mad.

@ParkerSKat will make his debut at the Pawpawty June 19-20. I wonder how he will enter a room...

10 days and Counting!

2010-06-03T08:33:00.000-07:00

Yes, Parker arrives on June 19th! His very wonderful breeders are coming to St. Louis to visit a friend, so they are bringing him with them. he is 11 weeks now and weighs 3.5 pounds (1600 g) which is bigger than most Maine Coons that age but about right for kits from the sire.

We have to get him kitten food and a kitten dish and new litter and another box. So excited!

anyone have any suggestions of what I need to get a chewing and clawing kitten? We've never had a kitten in this house! MOL! (I was 9 months old when I came.) Leave a comment!

#readpawty postponed till June 8

2010-05-31T18:44:00.000-07:00

Sorry loyal readers, but due to curmstances beyond my control, the parental units have been crazed. They need a bit more time uploading new books. And as long as we are talking about needing time, how about if we take off the month of July and get back together on Aug?

I will get it all together for #readpawty next week, June 8. We are changing the time to accomodate daylight! So we will meet at 8 pm EDT, 7 central.

don't forget to send me recommendations!

Love from your lovely librarian!

Neena Returns to Rescue

2010-05-28T18:21:00.000-07:00

After 4 weeks of tears and treats and prayers and training, we have decided that Neena needs to go back to Stray Rescue. Since we have been working closely with Stray Rescue, they know that we have been trying very hard. It is obvious that the Kruses and Neena are not a match. She needs different care and attention than we can provide. She will return to her foster parent and will be loved and looked after until another adoption can be arranged.

I am sending her beautiful polka dotted collar and leash with a care package. I have put cat fur on them so they will be lucky for the next owner. We wish you much love and understanding in your next life, Neena.

New Pic of Parker!

2010-05-24T11:45:00.000-07:00

Look at this face! His little white paws. Oh, what a crazy house we will have with Neena and Parker. All I can say is thanks to Lynne and Beth for a gorgeous baby. He comes to us at least by June 20, maybe before. Kinda like waiting for a human baby, huh? You never know.

Neena Is Reformed!!!!!

2010-05-23T17:18:00.000-07:00

The parents are oh so relieved! The trainer Stray Rescue sent got her behavior corrected and turned around in 2 hours! He showed M&D what to do. They aren't learning as fast as Neena did, but they are trying as hard as she is. I will let Dad tell his side of the story in an email to the Stray Rescue coordinator.

I do not believe the change in Neena after the 2 hours that the trainer spent with us yesterday. She has done a 180 degree turn from the dog who barked at everything. This morning I had to put her on two long downs on her side to let her know the behavior was not acceptable. This afternoon we were sitting in our side yard with several motorcycles, bicycles and walkers going by on the street and she did not bark or lunge at any of them. Two days ago she would have been at the end of her tether raising a total ruckus. This afternoon on our walk, we encountered one dog walking and one dog behind a fence (I had her in a sit position both times and she let out one bark each time which was easily stopped). We went to the grounds of the community college and she just watched the squirrels and birds play in the tree, no lunging, no barking. To say I am elated is an understatement.

Thank you for sending the trainer to help us. We were truly desperate yesterday and despondent in not knowing how to work with Neena. With his guidance, we will have the dog that we know Neena can be.

And, we got a nice gift from @morriscat, the beautiful collar and leash he won at pawpawty. We thank everyone for all their love and support. You guys have made all the difference. I might be able to deal with the dog after all! MOL!

Stray Rescue rocks! This is not your average shelter. Make sure you click on their name and check out their website.

Neena Bit the Orkin Guy

2010-05-22T04:44:00.000-07:00

I have been very quiet lately while the family adjusts to Neena. She is a sweet dog, energetic, willing to please, and quick to learn. She even understands "hiss", and that makes her OK in my book.

When you get a rescue dog, you accept that there will problems, potty issues, and so on. The unexpected part of Neena was lunging and fierce barking at walkers, bicyclists, and motorcycles. Walking is very difficult since her foster parent hadn't walked her but also because the aggressive behavior starts when she would spot someone, even 2 blocks away. Mom took her to the vet, and she wouldn't stop barking, challenging all the dogs and upsetting everyone.

The rescue shelter has been great. They have sent a trainer to our house, and the foster has come by to check on Neena. We went to a HSA-MO class on how dogs learn and had signed up for classes. Mom clicker trained her in 2 - 5 minute sessions how to touch mom's hand. However, we still had no idea how to change Neena's aggressive behaviors. Tension was building between "the parents" and they were starting to fight, a rare thing. On our vet's recommendation, Dad took Neena to a professional trainer for evaluation.

I guess at 9 months old it can be hard to determine if it is teenage rebellion or aggression. The trainer felt it was aggression, and the parents had seen enough that they felt it was probably the right call. She needs to go to doggy boot camp for 7-8 weeks, but the trainer felt she should be fine at the end. Parents called the shelter, and they agreed to send their trainers over to get another opinion.

Neena took matters into her own paws yesterday. Dad was holding her, and the Orkin man was trying to make friends. The Orkin guy loves animals and all us guys love him, except he's stinky. Anyway, Nenna bit the Orkin guy. Luckily for us, he's fine (no blood), and isn't going to press charges. Dad made tearful calls to the shelter, and 2 trainers are coming today.

Whatever is going on isn't Neena fault beacuse who knows what happened in her fist 5 months of life. We don't have adequate training for problems. She loves us and has never been aggressive to any of us, hasn't even chased me! All I know is that the parents are at a crisis point, and we aren't sure what the outcome will be.

May #ReadPawty Books

2010-05-04T06:54:00.000-07:00

The books which got the largest amount of votes, and therefore at the books for May #ReadPawty Book club are:

The Cat Who Walks Through Walls, Robert A. Heinlein. Published 1985. many used copies available or through your library.

Dickens of a Cat and Other Stories of the Cats We Love by Callie Smith Grant, Published 2007. Available new and used, and in libraries.

Enjoy your read!

May #ReadPawty

2010-05-03T15:33:00.000-07:00

We get to discuss the books we've read this month! Can everyone think about one thing that were very important to you in your book? That should give us a bunch of stuff to talk about. I'd like to try to keep discussion to one book at a time, but that will be too hard to do with us talkative anipals!

So, our homework is: bring one thing you would like to talk about regarding your book.

See you Tues, May 4 at 7 pm EDT!

Dad Has a New Dog

2010-05-03T05:10:00.000-07:00

Mom checked the Stray Rescue site for a while until she found a face she loved. She asked Dad if he was ready to see a dog, and he looked at the face. The face now has a name, Neena, and she is ours. She's about 9 months old and 30 pounds. Neena loves to lick faces and necks and hands and legs and... We are having a fun time trying to figure out her heritage. Best guesses are blue tick coon hound, blue heeler, and German short hair Pointer.

Dad is smiling and has a spring in his step. Thank you, Neena, for coming into our lives.

New Parker Pics!

2010-04-26T05:03:00.000-07:00

My new brofur is 6 weeks old. The very kind breeder sent me pictures today. She says he is the biggest kitten of their 2 litters, topping the charts at 2 pounds! What worried me is that he has no fear. OMC, what have I done to myself! So, here he is in all his red glory.

Choosing May's books list is up!

2010-04-23T10:45:00.000-07:00

I have picked 6 books. Please read the synopsis and choose 3 you would like to read. I will total the votes and pick the top 2 books. Voting will be closed May 2. No votes after deadline.

May #readpawty is 7 pm EDT May 4. I will have an agenda posted by then! Happy reading!!!!

Choosing May's book

2010-04-23T08:46:00.000-07:00

How is everyone doing with their book(s)? I am embarrassed to say this, but Mom let her library card expire, and I just yesterday got one of the books. Now I have to read really fast before #readpawty!

Since we have such a long list of books, I am going to choose 6 books. We get 3 votes to choose the ones you would like the most. We will total the votes, and the top 2 vote getters will be our May choices. You can vote in the comments or by email or by DM. My email address is finally link in the profile section!

I will choose the books, find a synopsis, and post them later. Happy reading!

Book info

2010-04-20T07:18:00.001-07:00

I was poking around trying to find some discussion questions for our books. You will find encyclopedias, blog, discussion, etc. have fun!

The Master and Margarita
http://u.penguingroup.com/static/rguides/us/master_and_margarita.html

Under the paw
http://littlecatdiaries.blogspot.com/

Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World
http://www.readinggroupguides.com/guides_D/dewey1.asp

On Basilsik Station
http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Honor_Harrington
http://wapedia.mobi/en/Honorverse

Anipal Book List Published!

2010-04-20T05:17:00.000-07:00

I have posted the compiled #readpawty booklist as of 4-19-10. Is this exciting or what! the next improvement is to alphabetize it, but it is sorted by subjects.

The list is in pages, and they are found as links/tabs above the Kruse Kats header.

I have the list in excel and pdf formats. let me know if you want those, and I will email them to you.

Any additions, please email me. If you put them on Twitter, I will accidently forget them.

More details on the next #readpawty later this week.

Introducing Parker S Kat

2010-04-15T10:45:00.000-07:00

Yes, unless unforeseen circumstances occur, I will bring home a new brother in June! We are so excited! Well, Dad is still sad, but that's ok. We love him anyway. And, Parker will perk him up!

Parker is a Maine Coon from one of the most established breeders in the US, http://calitan.net/. many thanks to Beth and Lynne! He is named after Charlie "Yardbird" Parker, a famous alto saxophonist in the BeBop era, and the S stands for sax.

These pictures are when he was 3.5 weeks old. Isn't he adorable? The gorgeous torbie beside him is his sister, and she is spoken for.

How soon is June?

April Reading List

2010-04-06T18:36:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful Anipal Book Club meeting tonight!

Here is what we decided to do:
1. Initially choose 3 books from submitted lists.
2. Each anipal picks one of the 3 books to read.
3. Reconvene in a couple weeks to see progress.
4. Schedule monthly meeting every 1st Tuesday.
5. email me with list of book suggestions

What actually happened:
We chose 4 books since we were unsure of availability of 2 of the books.

Here they are:

The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. Available from Amazon from $14 on up. May be available from library or interlibrary loan.

Under the Paw: Confessions of a Cat Man By Tom Cox. 9 used copies available on Amazon ranging from $3.24 - $39.55. I couldn’t find it in my local library

Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron. Hardback only. Lots of used books on Amazon.

On Basilisk Station (Honor Harrington #1) ...David Weber
Readily available. Also as free ebook: http://www.baen.com/library/dweber.htm

Book List 4-5-10

2010-04-05T17:01:00.001-07:00

Here is the anticipated book list as received so far:

@CheshireK

The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. One of the main characters is a cat who is part of the entourage of a "magician" who wreaks havoc in Moscow. The novel was banned for 40 years in the Soviet Union because it was an allegorical critique of the direction government and society were taking.

@HannibalCat

Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson

Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose

The Brentford Triangle by Robert Rankin

Salem's Lot by Stephen King

This Is Uncool; the 500 Greatest Singles Since Punk and Disco by Gary Mulholland

@kittehboi

Animal Planet Cats ISBN 0-7938-3771-5
Caring for Your Aging Cat ISBN 1-4027-2613-9
Godel, Escher, Bach ISBN 0-465-02656-7
The Way of Zen ISBN 0-375-70510-4
The Transmitter to God ISBN 0970073313

@pandafur

The Cat, The Quilt and the Corpse by Leann Sweeney

The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas

The Tenth Gift by Jane Johnson

@MarioDaCat

Dewey, by Vicki Myron - about Dewey The Library Cat - Real Story

The Art of Racing In The Rain, by Garth Stein (written through the eyes of his dog)

Golden Buddha, by Clive Cussler - underwater sea mysteries

Memorial Day, by Vince Flynn - CIA type of adventures

Isle of Palms, by Dorothea Benton Frank - Light romance set in the islands of So. Carolina - Charleston area.

Exact Revenge, by Tim Greene - mystery

Hidden Prey, by John Sanford - mystery

@MaggieTKat

Author Elaine Viets - current mysteries series are Dead End Job and Mystery Shopper. Elaine was a columnist for the St. Louis Post Dispatch, and is very witty. Not the best literature, but Mom has a soft spot.

The Long Goodbye, Raymond Chandler

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert Pirsig

AnipalsThat Read

2010-04-05T15:35:00.001-07:00

Where was my head? I got so excited about to cat related mysteries, that I forgot about all the other anipals! Like, duh!

So puleeze all anipals who loe to read and would like to share with the rest of us, please send your list to: maggietkat@yahoo.com

First Meeting of Book Club

2010-04-05T14:41:00.000-07:00

I decided we will have a meeting Tuesday, April 6 at 7 p.m. EDT. The hashtag is #readpawty.

Don't forget to email your book list or leave them in the comments.

Cats Who Read

2010-04-04T13:27:00.001-07:00

A few months ago @SpaCat talked about his new list, #literary-cat. Several of us would like to start a book club based on that list.

We thought that anyone who wants to participate give a list of 5 books, and at least one of those has to have cats in the book. Please email your list to me.

We can meet like the 4th Monday of every month at 7 pm ET. The date can change to accommodate most of us. I just wanted to get something written to get us started. THIS IS NOT A DATE IN STONE. WE CAN CHANGE IT!

Comments and suggestions on how to make this work are welcomed!

Now, I have to work on my list!

maggietkat@yahoo.com

Picture Contest: It's in the Bag!

2010-03-28T16:31:00.000-07:00

We have been tagged by Keisha to participate in the Photo Game. Her is Cathy Keisha's blog:
http://stunningkeisha.blogspot.com/2010/03/picture-contest-its-in-bag.html
We thought it was pretty cool, so here are the rules of the game:

Open your first photo folder.
Got to the 10th photo.
Post this photo and tell a story about it.
Tag 5 other blogs.

My picture is of Buster and Nelson. Buster is the guy with his eyes closed. He's a rescue, and is currently 13.5 years old. Mom says he's the gold standard for cats, something which I, Maggie, don't understand. The other guy is Nelson. He was also a rescue, living to about 7 years old. He died of kidney disease.

They were best buds, mom says. It wasn't a night at our house without those 2 having a fight in the vertical blinds. Nelson slept in a bowl that was quite a bunch smaller than he. Even our neighbor with macular degeneration could see the bowl was WAY too small. He fell asleep drinking water out of the bowl, but he woke up when his face hit the water. Nelson wasn't the most brilliant of cats. Mom says that when he was made, God offered him beauty or brains. Nelson said, Huh?

Keisha, thanks for nominating us! This was fun remembering Nelson stories.

I am going to nominate:
Rumblebum because he gives the best smooches ever! http://rumble-bum.blogspot.com/
Max the Quilt Cat since mom loves quilts http://www.maxthequiltcat.com/
The Breeze since, well, he's spontaneous http://kittehboi.blogspot.com/
Pandora because she's a beautiful Maine Coon http://pandafur.blogspot.com/
SirFudge Esq since he says anything he wants. http://sirfudgeesq.blogspot.com/

What Will You Teach Louis?

2010-03-21T17:11:00.000-07:00

here is a challenge for all the guys. You get to teach Louis Frenchie one thing about how to be a boy dog. All guys have things they like to do such as scratching, shaking toys, etc. So, during the puppy pawty, can you guys tweet what you will teach Louis? This is something that I am thinking about: http://twitpic.com/1a4hgm

Puppy Pawty Presents

2010-03-21T16:14:00.000-07:00

Pandy and I are really getting plans together for the Puppy Pawty March 27. We decided that we should give virtual shower presents to the cyber puppy. What you need to do is find a present, get a jpg, and put it on a program like twitpic. During the pawty, post the link for all to see. For example, this is my present: http://twitpic.com/1a41ql

We have great food and music, so we hope to see you!

Ducktor Wu is back!

2010-03-20T06:35:00.000-07:00

I lost my dear friend Ducktor Wu. Mom and I have search behind every piece of furniture that she could move. After 2 months of frantic searching, my duck waddled from underneath the sofa! He had been taking a very long nap, and Dad had poked him. Dad was cleaning up my mess- I had pulled a Rudy and knocked over mom's basket of pens and stuff. Ducktor Wu woke up in all of the cleanup.

Lesson to be learned: Create a mess to find your dear Duckie.

Ducktor is sitting on an antique matchbox with Grandpa's school slate behind him.

I need to show you my hero for finding Ducktor, my Dad! I am supervising his lunch preparations.

Puppy Pawty

2010-03-17T07:50:00.001-07:00

I am getting excited for the #puppypawty. I have been getting some games together, and it should be fun to see all repsonses. In case you haven't seen my godson, Louis, he is featured in @ladybonnessa_F avatar. Isn't he just the most gorgeous thing?

Here is the invitation, so please sign up! http://twtvite.com/vc17p4

Make sure you tell Pandy what a great she has been doing, and how pretty the invitation is.