Thursday, October 31, 2013

Mickey as Count Catula

Doesn't Mickey make a superb Dracula?

This is the last of the three Halloween costumes Ann from Zoolatry made for us. I loved them all but this one is my favorite. He looks so scary!!


I know Halloween is a dangerous time for all black kitties, especially those that are allowed outside. Thankfully, my two black boys will be safe inside. 

I do not get any trick or treaters here, so don't have to worry about little monsters disrupting their stress-free life. My cats will spend Halloween like any other day -- lounging in front of the wall heater, on their cat tree in front of the window, or on the back of the sofa. What a cushy life. Yes, I am jealous of my cats. MOL.

Have a safe, happy Halloween!


Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Rocky the Kidd

Butch Cassidy? Sundance? Billy the Kid? Jesse James? Oh sure, those are all legendary outlaws of the Wild West. But I submit -- they have nothing on this feline desperado!


Ann from Zoolatry made this Wanted poster for us. I think it fits Rocky to a T, and I just adore it.

Rocky the Kidd is the naughtiest outlaw cat on the planet, and I'm sure he actually thinks his name is "NO!" because I say it daily, multiple times.

Rocky the Kidd stops at nothing to get what he wants: food! He will open the kitchen cupboard and then stand on his hind legs on top of the coffee maker so he can get treats down from the top shelf.

Rocky the Kidd steals food off MY plate right in front of me, sometimes even off my fork as it is moving from my plate to my mouth!

But I ask you -- who could ever stay mad at that beyond-adorable face? Not I!!

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Mini-Annabelle and her Mini-Mouse


The lovely Ann from Zoolatry volunteered to make Halloween costumes for all of us kitties here at Purr Therapy. Here's mine!


 The Warden says I make the cutest Minnie she's ever seen, and for once I agree with her. I love my mini-mouse, too ... so much, in fact, that I will probably eat it. Yum! MOL.

~Love and kitty licks, Annabelle

Sunday, October 20, 2013

The Unbearable Unfairness of Life

Yesterday was a very hard day for the pet blog community, as we lost our beloved Pip. No, Pip didn’t “belong” to me, or to the pet blogging community at large; he had a loving family and furever home. But this adorable little doggie was “ours” in the sense that he openly shared his life and love with all of us, through his blog. Pip was one of the sweetest, kindest and cutest woofies I’ve ever known.


I never met Pip in person, but I adored him just the same, and the news of his passing unleashed a torrent of tears. Those who question how someone could cry over the death of a pet they’d never met, will never understand the deep bonds that pet bloggers forge with other pet lovers and their pets. It can be every bit as profoundly special as the bonds we have with our own pets. These blogging woofies and meowsters use words to bring them to life. They let us in, let us see every part of their life while sharing their joys, triumphs and sorrows with us. And when they run off to the Rainbow Bridge, the gaping hole in our heart feels much the same as it does when we lose one of our own.

Not a week goes by that we pet bloggers don’t have to say goodbye to another cherished pet. Sometimes there are more than one in a week. It reminds me of the old saying, “Life isn’t fair.” It’s a fact that no human journeys from birth to death unscathed. Tragic things happen. We deal with sorrowful circumstances as best as we can. We soldier on, because we must.


But for pet lovers, life can seem even more unfair because those we love leave us much too soon. I often wonder how it came about that animals have such infinitely shorter lifespans than humans yet they create for us such life-altering emotional experiences. We love them with every fiber of our being, despite knowing that one day, we’ll experience the soul-searing pain of losing them.

Even when we’re lucky and our pet lives to a ripe old age, it’s never long enough. Surely this is one of life’s greatest examples of unfairness, that we humans can have 80 or more good years on the planet, yet our four legged friends rarely have 20. But it speaks to our resilience and emotional capacity that we love them deeply all the same.


I will admit, there are times that I think “I hope I die before Annabelle, because I don’t know how I will ever be able to cope with that loss.” Each week that I say goodbye to yet another treasured woofie or meowster in the blogging community brings fresh pain and fresh fear of that day I know will come. And I’m not ready. I will never be ready to say goodbye to my beloved heart cat, but I can hold her close today and tell her how much I love her. I don’t know when that last “today” will come, so I have to cherish every precious moment I have with her.

As I say goodbye to the wonderful woofie Pip, I will try not to be sad and dwell on the loss, but be uplifted by the fact that knowing him made my life richer. Yes, Pip has gone too soon…as they all do. We can only love them as much as possible until that final day, and keep them close in our heart forevermore.

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

We’re Alive!! (sort of)

Oh hai my furry peeps. It’s Annabelle. Did you wonder where I disappeared to? The Warden lost her blogging mojo and she said I was not allowed to post either. She didn’t mean for us to stay away for so long, but before we knew it, several weeks had passed.


To tell the truth, I am a little worried about the Warden. She has been having a rough go of it (“life”) for awhile now, and every so often that dreaded monster we call The Big D rears its ugly head. She has to fight that awful thing with all her might, and it chases her down into a big black hole where she has to claw at the walls to get out. It’s so dark and gloomy down in that cave and she gets scared that she won’t ever get back out. I give her as much Purr Therapy as I can, but sometimes the monster is just so strong. For now, the epic battle continues.

The Warden had to put Purr Therapy on hold because it was making her sad and giving the monster more ammunition. She had met so many wonderful folks the past four years managing that other, company sponsored blog some of you know about. Well, some nice folks associated with the CWB said if she started a personal blog, they could hold one of their auctions to help her pay off the huge vet bill from when I was really sick. So she did, because that bill was making her feel really bad. She started gathering up a bunch of cat things she could put into the auction to help, and she was hopeful for the first time in a good long while. But then the auction never happened. We weren’t popular enough, apparently, for an auction.

The Warden was upset to hear that, but she knew in her heart it was true. For months she’d spent hours every day reading a gazillion other pet blogs and being genuinely interested in their kitties and doggies, but not many came ‘round to visit us. Some furriends migrated here from the other blog but then they quit reading what she wrote over there.

She was disheartened. She just couldn’t keep spending so much time on what seemed like a fruitless endeavor. So she stopped. She’s so very grateful for the dear blogging furriends she has made and maybe one day, it will be okay with her that there are just a few Purr Therapy readers.

In the meantime, I’m giving her lots of purrs and headbonks, and hoping she can send that D monster packing and get out of the cave soon. A dark, cold cave is no place for a good-hearted Warden OR for a kitty. We miss you, dear furriends.

Love and kitty licks,
Annabelle