My Furry Valentine

Love comes in many forms. It comes from those with two legs, and four.

Love from humans comes so often with conditions, yet you will never find that restriction placed upon you when an animal chooses to love you.

And make no mistake, it is their choice.

My furry earth angels came to heal with gentle purrs; they came to breathe life into my body when times are tough; they came to nurture my soul and provide an outlet for the undying love we all need to survive.

I treasure the unique bonds I have with each of my Furry Valentines, but most especially my heart cat Annabelle.

I love this sweet girl more and more with each passing day; I love this amazing, beautiful and adoring cat with all my heart and soul. I’m so blessed to have her in my life, and I treasure every day we spend together.

There will never be another that I love more than Annabelle.

A New Year's Wish from Annabelle

Oh hai my furry peeps! The Warden finally let me crack open the blog, and just in time to wish you all the happiest of new years. 2013 wasn't the best year for us, but never mind that. Since we can't change anything that's already happened, we just have to look ahead and hope that 2014 is "all that and a bag of cat treats." Well, I don't know about you, but that's what I am hoping for! MOL.

The Warden isn't the best photographer on the planet, but she loves how this close up picture of me came out. Of course, when you are as cute as I am, it's pretty hard not to take a great photo, right?

And here is Mickey, where he spends 95% of every day during the winter. He just stares wistfully out at the snow covered ground and sighs...a lot. He and the Warden are already wishing spring would just hurry its behind up and get here already, and we have a long way to go before the snow melts!

Last but certainly not least, Rocky, aka the Rock Star. He has the most nicknames of all of us, I think. Naughty McNaughterson is probably what he gets called the most, for obvious reasons. The newest one is Poodle Boy, and there's a funny story behind that name that I'll let the Warden tell ya sometime. If she's good. Which isn't likely but a cat can dream.

The Warden wanted me to be sure and tell you all that she's sorry she has been such a slacker. She has been reading blogs but not commenting very much, and one of her New Year's resolutions is to do better. That won't be hard to do since she's doing such a terrible job of it lately! She promises to try harder in 2014!

From all of us here at Purr Therapy, to all of our furriends and their Wardens...we hope you have a wonderful New Year filled with love, prosperity, good health and most importantly ... nonstop purrs.

Redefining the Meaning of “Family”

Recent events have caused me to examine what the word “family” means to me and who it describes. Traditionally one’s family is thought to be those you are related to by blood and by marriage. But that’s genealogy. After what happened this weekend, I now believe that for me, merely sharing the same blood does not give someone “family” status.

To me, family means those who uplift you, those who add joy and love to your life, those who are there for you when you need them. Family does not forsake you. Family does not beat you emotionally until you crumble, bloody and broken. Family does not kick you when you’re down. Family does not unapologetically treat you badly, and expect you to carry on the relationship as though nothing happened.

So with this new definition, I had just one family member left—my sister. She was the only one who supported me when my 87 year old mother (who I believe has advancing dementia) started treating me like she hated me this summer. The meanness inflicted by the one who brought me into this world was incredibly difficult to bear, but the complete lack of empathy of my so-called family magnified that emotional pain a thousand-fold.  At least I had my sister. Or so I thought.

This weekend, she got mad at me and for a good half hour she ripped me a new one; actually several new ones. We’ve only had one fight our entire adult life, and that was nothing compared to this. She said such demeaning, hurtful things that I wondered if she’d become possessed because I couldn’t fathom how all of that loathing could be inside her all this time and was only now coming out.

When she was done with her diatribe, she said “You know, you do have family who care about you.” I pointed to my three cats and said “I know I do. One, two, three.”  This enraged her and she stormed out. But as I looked at my precious, sweet and loving earth angels with fur, I realized it was the truth. Annabelle, Mickey and Rocky are my only family.

That does not make me sad, though. I feel so blessed to have these three family members who will always love me, who will always be there for me, who will always offer a comforting purr when I’m sick and an uplifting head-bonk when I’m sad. The human beings I’m related to by blood or marriage are not my family. Blood is just blood. It does not determine who deserves the title of family.

Our Christmas Card!!

That wonderful Ann from Zoolatry has done it again. She made us this adorable Christmas card that matches our holiday header! Isn't it lovely?

We would be honored and thrilled if you wanted to copy our card and put it on your blog with other holiday cards you receive.

We would also like to post your card on our blog! Please email it to me or post it in the comments if you prefer.

Do You Have an "Attitude of Gratitude" Every Day?

My kitties and I just wanted to wish each and every one of my dear blogging friends a very Happy Thanksgiving. We are thankful for all of the usual stuff, and then some.

My life is not perfect by any means, but I know that compared to many I am truly blessed. And I try very hard not to forget that. I think it's wonderful that Thanksgiving inspires people to be thankful for all the good things in their life. I do that too, but I also try to maintain the "attitude of gratitude" all year long.

According to the Law of Attraction, giving thanks for what you have causes more good to flow into your life. So every morning when I wake up, and every night in bed, I have a little ritual, a short period of thanks-giving where I verbally state what I give thanks for.

I always give thanks that my cats and I are safe, healthy and happy. I say this even when our health is not 100%, because I choose to focus on the positive and state how I want my life to be despite what the circumstance is. I also give thanks for a beautiful, perfect, happy, wonderful, productive day.

Having an attitude of gratitude helps to set the tone for my day, and even when things don't go smoothly it helps to maintain balance. Do I fall off the wagon and forget to be grateful, and find myself wallowing in despair when life throws the inevitable curve balls? Sure. I'm human. But my morning and evening thanks-giving ritual helps restore harmony.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day, and a blessed life.

Who Could Say No to This Face??

Oh hai, it's Annabelle today! Don't I look pretty?

Every parent thinks their own baby is the cutest one to have ever been born. No other child could possibly compete, am I right? Even an ugly baby is beautiful in the eyes of its own parent!

The same principle holds true with hoomins and their fur kids. You may not have given birth to your precious four legged baby, but in your eyes they are the cutest kitty or woofie on the planet. We know this, and we take full advantage of it. Yep, we use the fact that you are smitten with our cuteness for our own selfish benefit. As in, who could resist that adorable face when we're begging for another treat even though we've already had plenty? We know you can't!!

In my Warden's eyes, I am the cutest cat she has every laid eyes on, since the beginning of time... well, since the beginning of HER time here, which is almost the same thing. MOL. She is powerless to resist me when I want something -- cuddles, pets, brushing, treats -- I get what I want just by being cute.

She wanted me to ask you guys for a little favor, because if my charm works even a smidgeon as good on you as it does on her, there's no way you can say no! She was wondering if you might kindly put her auction link on your blog for just one day, to make sure everyone knows about it? If so, she would be very grateful, and I would too!

Auction for Annabelle: http://auctionforannabelle.blogspot.com/

How Do You Like Me Now? (Meow?)

Rocky chilling on an easy Sunday

Pet bloggers are the best kind of peeps, I think. If not "the" best, then certainly in the top five. That's been my experience, at least. I have met so many caring, kind, wonderful people since I began managing the RPO pet food blog 4 1/2 years ago and now having my own personal blog this year.

Everyone is so nice, and one of the nicest is Ann from Zoolatry, who you may remember did the Halloween photos for my three fur babies that I posted here. Ann also offered to do a custom header for my new blog, for FREE (!) and I readily accepted. I was just using one of the Blogger templates and my blog had no style, no freshness or uniqueness.

Look at it now! Isn't it purrty? She asked me what my favorite colors were (pink and purple) and took it from there. I love the new look. As an extra surprise, she even did a holiday header for me, which I'll switch to in a few days. Thanks, Ann! Your generosity and talent is much appreciated.

Another wonder blogger, Alasandra from Alasandra, the Cats and Dogs made a great graphic for me to help publicize my auction for Annabelle's vet bills. Isn't it cute? If you have kitties, doggies, kids, pet lovers and just "regular" folks (MOL) on your Christmas list, I hope you'll take a peek at the auction here.

Today I am thankful for all the good friends and lovely people I've met in the pet blogging world. You are all simply the best, and I feel blessed to know you.

Whoa! I Got Furminated!!!

Kitties! Would you just look at that humongous pile of fur! That's all from me, Annabelle, and it is ONE day's worth of Furminating.

Awhile back the Warden had a birthday (her elebenty billionth I think) and a friend gave her one of those Furminator thingys. Now you might be askin' yourself what kind of friend would give someone a crappy gift like a cat brush. But the Warden will tell you, a VERY GOOD friend! Because the friend knew it was something the Warden has been wanting for a long, long time.

Yes, it's true. The Warden is a crazy-for-cats lady. She had read that those Furminators brushed long furry cats like nobody's business, but she wouldn't buy it for herself (well, really for me) because we're kinda on a budget and besides, she already has a gazillion brushes and combs.

But here's the thing: despite using an arsenal of grooming tools on me every day, my fur has a curly undercoat and it was always getting knotted up which required the dreaded scissor attack. So the Warden wanted to see if the Furminator would help with that.

Meowza! It really does. She gets that much fur offa me EVERY DAY! And I have not gotten a mat ever since.

I like getting Furminated. But as for the Warden's twisted sense of humor, making me wear a fur hat? Not so much. Although I must say, it does look good on me don't you think?

=^..^=

Auction for Annabelle

Oh hai my furry peeps! It's me, your pal Annabelle.

I am aghast at how long it's been since the Warden or I posted to this blog. I don't know where the time has gone. One minute I'm napping in my cat bed and the next, entire weeks have disappeared!!

I have looked for them under the bed, in the closet and even where lots of other things disappear -- inside Rocky's stomach! I cannot find those weeks anywhere. <sigh>. I sure hope they don't go missing again.

Anyhoo, the Warden asked me to tell you that since her CB auction for my vet bills never happened, she decided to have one herself. Now that she sees how much work goes into an auction, she fully understands why they do not happen very often. Meowza, that took years off her life!! MOL.

We have lots of goodies in our auction. Great stuff for kitties, woofies and humans too. She thought she had more items, but some things didn't pass my strict quality control, MOL. If you have something you'd like to donate to our auction, we'd be delighted to include it. Just let us know!

We hope you will take a look at the auction, and if you see something you like, please bid. And maybe, paws crossed, the Warden will be able to pay off my bill before the New Year!! Our wonderful vet has been so very patient, but even she has limits.

Here's the auction link: http://auctionforannabelle.blogspot.com/

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

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

Our Warden is the Dumbest Human Ever!!

Oh hai, it's me Annabelle again. Now, you know I love my Warden to pieces, but sometimes I think she's just not the brightest bulb in the chandelier. Lest you think I'm being too hard on the poor Warden, allow me to tell you a funny little story.

Not long ago, the Warden was delighted to win a fancy schmancy Ipod Touch. She has an Ipod but it's only one of those tiny Shuffle thingys that doesn't even hold enough songs to lull me to sleep (if I were into Ipods, which I'm not.)

So the Warden took her new Ipod Touch out of the box all excited to try it out, but she couldn't get it to play right. She said it only played music if she held the headphone jack in with her hand. Now, I'm only a kitteh but even I know this isn't the way you're sposed to have to use an Ipod.

The Warden was upset. She contacted the people she won it from and they sent her the receipt. But it turns out all she had to do was contact the Apple peeps, who arranged for a box to be sent so she could ship it back to be repaired or replaced.

Two days after sending it off, the Ipod came back (woot! now that's service!) but the note said they couldn't "recreate the problem" and that the Ipod worked fine for the techs. So the Warden turned it on again and had the same problem as before. Uh-oh. I think I saw steam coming out of her ears.

She started to wonder if it wouldn't play because of something she was doing wrong. I was like, Warden... seriously...how hard is it to operate an Ipod? She didn't listen to me, though, and decided to take the Ipod to Radio Shack to ask them for advice. Good on ya, Warden!

She told the guy what the problem was and he asked her if she had the headphone jack pushed all the way in. She said she pushed it in as far as it would go, and that she thought pushing it in farther would break something. The guy took the Ipod from her, gave the headphone jack a nice big push and it clicked into place. Voila! Music! And you don't even have to hold the jack in with your hand!

The Warden said she's never been so embarrassed in all her elebenty billion years on earth. I ask you again...how hard is it to operate an Ipod??

Would Anyone Hire This Kitteh?

Get a job? Oh no, I am not amused!!

Hey there! It’s Annabelle again. The Warden said Labor Day was a purrrrfect time for me to quit my copious catnapping and go find a job. “What? We cats don’t work! It’s against the Cat Rulebook,” I meowed emphatically. She wasn’t impressed that I quoted that book; she said it was written by some anonymous cat which made it invalid. Pshaw!

So then she tried to appeal to my emotional side, asking me if I felt bad eating all that kibble when I didn’t contribute to the household. Um…nope! Cats eat, play, sleep and then, eat some more. That’s it!

She had the nerve to remind me that she was still crazy-short on the green papers… all because of me. You may remember that a few months ago I was really sick. I spent four days at the vets after horking all night long, then refusing every foodables under the sun and looking rather comatose. At the time, the Warden didn’t care how many green papers it took as long as I could get well and come home. So I did…and now she’s paying for it, or trying to anyway.

Yeah… I guess I do feel kind of bad about that. If I could get a job, she’d be less stressed about the bills and I’d get lots more cuddles! (I already get lots, but a kitteh can never have too many cuddles!).

I put my paws together and came up with a few jobs I could apply for.

*Chief Paper Shredder – I just love eating paper – especially the Warden’s impawtant work papers! – so I would definitely excel at this job. Paper has lots of fiber and tastes yummy, too, so this job would have benefits I could sink my teeth into.

*Seat Filler – You know how the Academy Awards hires people to sit in the celebs’ seats when they go to the loo, so the place always looks packed? I’d be a natural at this job. Every time the Warden gets up from her chair to go do something, there is a cat in it – ME!! – when she gets back.

* Office Supply Clerk – I like to keep track of all the pens, pencils, paper clips, erasers, DVDs and sticky note pads by pushing them all off the Warden’s desk…so naturally I’d be a pro at this job from the get-go.

* Treat Taste Tester – Companies that make foodables always need taste testers to make sure their product is up to snuff. I’d be pawsome at this job because I just LOVE all kinds of treats. Even if it didn’t pay much, the tasty treats would make up for it.

* Psychotherapist – I already have experience doing this job!! Heaven knows I have to (pretend to) listen while the Warden tells me all her troubles. I could do the same with anyone else, and if I came home and told the Warden, she might feel better because surely there are people out there with worse problems than hers! MOL.

***

Because every job seeker must carefully analyze their weaknesses as well as their strengths, here are a few careers I’d fail famously:

See? I ALWAYS turn my head!

* Photography Model – When the Warden aims her camera at me, I turn my head. I can’t help it! She says it's a miracle when she manages to snap a shot with me looking at the camera.

* Restaurant Critic – I’d be no good at this job because I love ALL food, so I’d never be able to criticize a darn thing.

* Walmart Greeter – You’ve got to love strangers and be friendly to be good at this job. I possess neither quality. I only love the Warden and a few choice people, that’s it. Strangers? Fuhgetaboutit!

What job(s) would you be good at?

Happy Birthday, Warden!!

Our Mom, aka The Warden, is elebentyy billion years old today. Ok, we don’t exactly know how old she is, because she says it’s a secret – and apparently it’s more closely guarded than what goes on at Area 51. Hehe.

When she woke this morning, I was curled up next to her in my favorite spot: right underneath her chin. I purred “Good morning and Happy Birthday, Momma. Last night while you were sleeping, I left your present right there on the bed where you’ll be sure to see it. It’s not as grand as the one Rocky left for you on the floor the other day, but I hope you like it.”

I don’t know why, but she wasn’t exactly over the moon about my gift!! So apparently I missed the mark. But it’s the thought that counts, right?



Our Mom is determined to have a happy day today, despite feeling kinda blue. See, her own momma has been so mean to her lately. This evil woman (remember, we don’t call her Grandma since she says we aren’t important because “we’re not human”) has been sayin the most awful things that no one should say to anyone, let alone their precious daughter.

She treats our Mom so horribly, it makes her think her own Mother wishes she’d never been born! I thought Moms were sposed to love their kids no matter what, but apparently non-Grandma didn’t get the memo. Besides, it’s not like our Mom did anything to deserve this. She’s a kind, thoughtful, loving daughter. She gave up a wonderful life in California to move here to help that nasty beast, and was told “You shouldn’t have come here for me, because I don’t need any help.”

She tells our Mom “You don’t have any friends; no one likes you because you’re not a nice person.” Wow, non-Grandma that is harsh! We know it’s not true because our Mom thinks of all of YOU as her friends even though she’s never met you in person.

Our Mom’s sister and nephew came for a visit and they’re staying over at the beast’s lair. Yesterday, non-Grandma told our Mom’s sister “If you’re going to celebrate her birthday, DON’T DO IT HERE!!” Wow again, non-Grandma – that’s harsh even for you!

Us kitties are so thankful our Mom was borned all those years ago. She grew up to be a wonderful person in spite of the beast, and then she rescued us. We love her because she loves us with every inch of her heart, and we know she’d never treat her own children the way non-Grandma treats her.

If you want to leave her a meow or a woof on this special day, I just know it would make her purr!

~Love and kitty licks,
Annabelle

The Green Bean Cat Burglar

This is my favorite time of year. It’s so nice and warm, and once in a great while the Warden lets me out of my prison cell into the exercise yard so I can feel the sun on my furrs.

Sometimes I sneak over to the garden and stalk the green beans. Those long, skinny things are quite fun to play with when they’re dangling from their mother, but even more delightful to play with once I’ve caught one!

I grab the green bean prey with my teeth and carry it back to the deck. I like to flip it into the air and try to catch it with my paws. Whee! Every good huntress knows the rule – you must play with your prey before going in for the kill!

Sometimes I will give it a bitey, but truth be told, it’s not that tasty. I can play with it for hours, though, before I get bored.

What usually happens is that the other nosy inmates see me having so much fun with my prey that they try to run off with it. But I guard my kill! No one is going to make off with my green bean.

The Warden laughs and calls me her little cat burglar. Say what? Lucky for her, she’s a pretty good gardener and there are lots of green beans to stalk and kill.

There’s plenty to share with her favorite fur child. Besides, she says that green beans are a really cheap cat toy!

Wordless Wednesday -- Weedy!

Can you see me?

Come a little closer!

Ah, here I am, chillaxing in the weeds!

On Behalf of the Warden, I Apologize!

Annabelle here. I was supposed to have a warm and fuzzy post the other day, but the Warden hijacked my blog! (Yes, Warden, it IS my blog…didn’t you get the memo?).

Anyhoo, she was incensed over an article she read and just couldn’t hold her tongue. My brofurs and I told her to let it go, that giving the story legs would only make her feel worse, not better. The Warden rarely listens to us even though she knows we are wise beyond our cat years. Duh!

The thing about the Warden is that she just really *really* loves animals. Cats, dogs, bunnies, horses, hamsters…she loves them all. She even squees over those little white mice at the pet store and threatens to buy them all before they become dinner for some pet snake. BUT she knows that if she brought them here, they’d be OUR dinner instead of the snake’s, so what’s the point?

She loves all critters, ‘cept maybe insects. She hates those earwigs that invade her garden, but she says you have to draw the line somewhere, and that insects are unlovable. IDK if that’s true, but the Warden just can’t get behind insect adoration. She can appreciate the helpfulness of good bugs like beetles, but love ‘em? That’s too much of a leap, even for a self-proclaimed animal nut like her.

The Warden says she loves all animals more than she does most people. There are some exceptions, but for the most part animals have her heart in a way that most beans just can’t. She says she was hardwired that way…came right out of her Momma’s womb an animal lover, and her feelings just got stronger every day.

Via I LOVE TO LAUGH!

She told us a story once, about watching a Western movie as a young child. There's always fighting going on in those movies. The Warden said men were dropping like flies and she didn’t flinch. Then a horse went down and she couldn’t stop bawling. That was the last time she ever watched one of those movies, fur sure.

She can’t stand to see any animal suffer. It breaks her heart even when she doesn’t know the animal…it’s as though she can feel what they feel, because they’re connected somehow. And she doesn’t really feel that same sense of connection to most humans. Does that make sense to you?

So anyway, I want to apologize if the Warden’s last post made you sad. We will get back to our regularly scheduled, happy-go-lucky blogging now!! That’s a promise.

Love and kitty licks,
Annabelle

Rocky and Belle's 10th Gotcha Day! (sort of)

Annabelle here. My *twin* brofur Rocky and I are ten years old now! The Warden doesn’t know what day in July we were born, so we get to celebrate the whole month. How cool is that? She also doesn’t remember the exact day in July that she rescued us, because a) her brain is old as dirt and b) back then, she didn’t know that kitties celebrated their Gotcha Day. She learned this from all of you wonderful pet bloggers. So now we not only celebrate our birthday in July, but our Gotcha Month, too!

I can’t imagine what the Warden must have thought when she found us, all covered in fleas and clinging to life. We were a sight, I am sure.  Those fleas were eating us alive and two of our brofurs had already died, so it was definitely our lucky day when the Warden found us in that shack. Our momma was with us, but she was sick too from the fleas, and there wasn’t enough milk to go around. When the Warden picked us up, she could see thousands of fleas crawling on our tiny little bodies! She nearly lost her lunch!!

It was so hard for the Warden to imagine that someone would arrange for the care of their plants while they went on vacation for 2 weeks, but not for teeny tiny kittens living in a flea-infested shack. Just unthinkable, she said. But there we were, (barely) living proof that idiots really do live among us. The Warden knew she had to take us away immediately, no matter what the lady would say when she got back from cavorting on an island somewhere.

It turns out the dumb lady didn’t really care what happened to us. She didn’t care that we had flea anemia and nearly died. She didn’t care that we needed round-the-clock TLC  to make sure we lived. The Warden said she’d give us back to the lady OVER HER DEAD BODY. But that threat of dying was unnecessary, because the lady didn’t care that Rocky and I were never going back to that shack. Hooray for her not caring, because that meant we could stay with the Warden furever!

And that’s where we’ve been, for ten years. We have a wonderful life, because the Warden is the best Mom ever. I don’t know how I know this…I just do. When people tell her that she spoils us, she proudly replies “Well, of course I do!” When they say, “They’re just cats!” she gives them a look that would wither the dead if they weren’t already skeletons.

As if we could ever be “just” anything. We’re her family, her fur kids, her earth angels. The Warden says we make her life worth living. I say, she does the same for us!

We Has the Sads, Because Our Grandma Hates Us!

Kitties, this may be hard to imagine, but our Warden's mom denies our existence!

Well, that may not be exactly the truth. She knows we exist, but she doesn't really care about us and never spends any time with us. Yes, she refuses to acknowledge us as her grandcats! Now, admittedly, that's more hurtful to the Warden than it is for us. But when the Warden is sad, we're sad...because she tends to dole out the treats a little less frequently when she's unhappy!!

See, it wasn't in the cards of life for our Warden to have human beans, so she adopted us kitties instead and we became her family. She calls us her "fur kids" and she does absolutely think of us like children, we're just a little bit furrier than most beans. MOL. She loves us with every part of her heart, and then some. We are more important to her than anyone or anything on earth, and we know how lucky we are to have her as our Mom. Yes, I know we like to joke that she's our Warden, but that's all for fun. We love her and she's the only Mom we have and ever want to have.

Who wouldn't love this adorable face?

Our Grandma, though, is not an animal person. She doesn't dislike cats but she's not interested in them either. But we're not just ANY cats, we're her grandcats! At least...we should be. But she says we are not -- that she only recognizes the beans as grandkids and that means no cats. How sad is that?

Recently, Grandma doled out $2,000 to each of her ten human grandkids. What did we, her grandcats, get? Zip. Zilch. Nada. Nothing. Not even a teeny tiny bag of cat treats!! Wowzer, our Mom was mad. She brought it up to Grandma and do you know what Grandma said? We don't get anything because we aren't human!!

Harumph. Our Mom thinks that is really unfair. She thinks we should have gotten a little something as a token to acknowledge how special we are to her, because in her eyes we ARE her kids whether we have two legs or four. And if we are that special to our Mom, and Grandma cares about her daughter, then she should want to honor that relationship. Do you think our Mom is right to feel slighted? We would have been happy with a bag of treats for each of  us. That's a lot less than $2,000 but it's the thought that counts. And right now, our Mom thinks our Grandma is thoughtless.

I am curious what other kitties think, and if you have a Grandma who cares about you even though you are not a bean.

Welcome to Purr Therapy!

Hi there! My name is Annabelle, and I'm one of the three kitties who'll be slaving over this blog. My brofurs Rocky and Mickey are the others, and we may even let our Warden chime in sometimes IF we feel like she has anything important to say.

This is me -- aren't I pretty? Momma says I am the cutest cat she's ever laid eyes on. It's no secret that I'm her favorite, but she loves all of us as much as any hoomin ever could. We know we won the cat lottery for sure! It wasn't her lot in life, she says, to have little two-leggers, so us kitties became her family and her kids.

She decided to name  this blog Purr Therapy because she says that's what we do: we purr, and it's her therapy. She says our purrs work miracles, that there's nothing they can't cure.

Momma likes to call us her Angels With Fur but I dunno about that -- oh, I know I am an angel but those other two...no way! 

Rocky is the naughtiest cat you could ever meet,and he tries every last bit of the Warden's patience on a daily basis. Plus, he steals food off her plate right in front of her!

Mickey's not much better; he wants what he wants, when he wants it, and she can't ever boss him around or make him do what SHE wants, cuz' that's not just how he rolls.
 

I think Momma likes me best because I'm so sweet and cuddly, and I love giving hugs and kisses and being brushed and petted all day long. She says I'm the love of her life, whatever that means.

Anyhoo, I have instructions not to make this first post go on into infinity because no one likes to spend all day reading long blog posts by cats OR hoomins. Is that so?

I hope you'll want to be my friend and follow my adventures in Purr Therapy.