Lesson learned: Don't ever try posting a four-stanza poem on Facebook status because it will get jigsawed. Therefore, here is the poem in its entirety. Happy Christmas, everyone! :)

The world is so alight with love
At this time of year
When kin and friends surround themselves
With jollity and cheer.

But gaze into the Christmas sky,
And you'll see shining bright
The love that lights the universe
And warms our hearts tonight.

This love was once upon a time
Aglow within the eyes
Of a babe beneath a star,
That beacon in the skies.

May this special kind of love
Be yours the whole year through ~
That is the Christmas wish I make
With love from me to you.

[Photo borrowed from Wallpaper Pimper.]

At the risk of adding to the Swine Flu mania, I am posting the following information just in case some kitty mommy or daddy finds it helpful:

The AVMA just released the following information:

A 13-year-old cat in Iowa developed signs of a respiratory infection after several people in the household were ill. Preliminary testing was positive for 2009 H1N1 on October 29, and the results were confirmed on November 2. This is the first report of a cat infected with H1N1. The cat has recovered from its illness.

To date, this is the first cat confirmed infected with the 2009 H1N1 virus.

Here are some tips to help keep you and your pet healthy:

* If you are sick, see your doctor.
* If your pet is showing a problem, see your veterinarian.
* It is a good idea to wash your hands before and after handling your pets. This is just good common sense.
* Do not expose your pets to other sick pets.
* Cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough, and toss your soiled tissues in a covered waste bin.
* Good preventative measures can help keep you and your pets healthy. That's good advice any time of year, but especially during flu season.

Good luck to you all as we make our way through flu season!

An old adage maintains that a picture is worth a thousand words, so today I will be substituting a few photos for a whole lot of words. These are photos taken by my friend, Tisha, when she cleaned for me a few days ago. Alas, there are none of Melly, who pretty well stays under the bed when visitors are in the house. And aren't my baby boys growing up *FAST*??? :) If you are my Facebook friend, on my profile page there, you can see all the photos Tisha took. :)

Trey

Trey again

Joey

Joey with Halloween eyes :)

Joey and Elly Fae

Elly Fae

Deuce

Chelsie

One last note: happy birthday to Tisha on November 2! :)

This is Tito Collier, the latest addition to the family of David Collier, one of my former baby boys. Well, actually, I guess David will always be my baby boy no matter how old he gets. :)

Anyway, I am using this picture ~ with his permission (thanks, David!) ~ to highlight my wish for all little animals to have happy endings. Friends repeatedly tell me that I can't save them all, but I surely wish I could. Even good intentions can't bring uniform happy endings, however ~ a fact emphasized to me when I arrived home from school yesterday to find a dead kitten on my doorstep. He was one of those born to one of the strays that hang around Elly's home and mine, and the little guy had been having some problems lately. I *planned* to start dosing him with Albon, if I could catch him. However, a killer-busy week kept postponing those best-laid plans, and look what happened. He had wrapped himself around my angel statue to take his last breaths, so I like to think he had a divine escort to the Rainbow Bridge.

I surely have learned a painful lesson about procrastination.

Ironically, today's e-mail from Petplace.com's Dr. Jon dealt with kitty lifespans:

People often ask me, "How long will my cat live?"

Recently, I saw a client with a 22-year-old cat. If I didn't know how old this cat was, I would have guessed that he was 10 years old.

Today cats live longer than ever. Just 20 years ago the life expectancy of a cat was four to six years; today they live 14 years or more.* Life expectancy in cats depends on many things, but the most important factor is whether the cat is an indoor-only cat or an outdoor cat. Life expectancy varies significantly between the two.

The life expectancy of an indoor cat is generally 12 to 18 years. Many indoor cats may live to be in their early 20s. The oldest cat in reported history was 28 years old at the time of death.

Outdoor cats generally live to be around four to five years of age. Their deaths are typically due to traumas like being hit by a car or attacked by a dog. Outdoor cats are also more susceptible to several deadly viruses that are spread by fighting or prolonged intimate contact with an infected cat.

Keep your cat healthy by feeding a high quality diet, and providing routine vaccinations and physical examinations....

I hope your cat lives a long and healthy life. That is one of the reasons why I take the time and energy to write this newsletter and why I started Petplace. My goal is to share practical information that will help keep your cat happy, healthy and alive longer!

Until next time,

Dr. Jon

Hey, Dr. Jon ~ I hope to accomplish the same goals with my blog! Happy endings for everybody! :)

With only a couple of weeks until Halloween, people are planning costumes, candy, and ~ unfortunately ~ carnage. I am one of those grumpy old people who don't like Halloween. In fact, it's my least favorite time of the year, and I am always so relieved when we are past it. People use it as an excuse for meanness while others show extreme disrespect to our blessed dead. Why would a graveyard be an evil place when loved ones are buried there, y'know?

As the mommy of two black kitties and two other almost-black kitties, I also worry about black kitties at this time of year. Many of the strays that Elly and I feed are black, and each Halloween season, I pray that they all will stay safe from those who might have other ideas for them.

Dr. Jon's recent e-mail from PetPlace.com had this advice for kitty mommies and daddies at Halloween:

With Halloween just around the corner, many cat owners are gearing up to dress themselves, their children, their dogs, their homes and sometimes even their cats in Halloween attire. Including our pets in fun festivities is like second nature to cat lovers because our cats truly are part of our family.

But when it comes to Halloween, do our cats really enjoy wearing costumes? Well, this can all depend on so many things, like their temperament and even more so, the type of costume you choose. But to be honest - most cats don't like to be dressed up. In fact, I think Halloween is one of the least favorite holidays to most cats.

To keep your cat safe this Halloween, here are some tips:

1. If your cat is an indoor-only cat, consider keeping him or her closed in one room during trick-or-treat so he or she doesn't accidentally get out of an open door.

2. If your cat is an indoor/outdoor cat, it is safest to keep your cat inside during trick-or-treat night and Halloween nights.

3. Don't force your cat to wear a costume if he or she doesn't want to. Halloween is supposed to be fun for everyone and you don't want your cat to be miserable. There are also other ways your cat can enjoy the festivities [meaning extra treats and toys!]

4. Keep your cat away from burning candles (like those in the jack-o-lantern). Their swishy tails can easily knock candles over and create house fires or cause injury to your cat.

5. Keep your cat away from candy, strings, candy wrappers and any other loose objects on the floor and tables - if cats eat these things, it could make them sick.

May you and your furry loved ones have a *safe* and happy Halloween. However, I can't help looking forward to November 1 when it's all over!

[The graphic in this post is courtesy of Art.com.]

At 6:30 this morning, I was cuddled in bed with Trey, who was purring, kneading with his paws, and sucking my finger, as he does when he is supremely content. At 7:30 as I signed surgery papers at the vet, he and Deuce were glowering at me quite unhappily.

Today is their doodle surgery, y'see. So besides getting no breakfast and being stuffed into a carrier during their primo romp time, they will be facing surgery today. I try not to feel too guilty since neutering a kitty will only prolong his life and health. However, I do have a low guilt threshold, and I can't help wondering if my baby boys will still love me when I bring them home this afternoon.

As if in response, today's e-mail from Dr. Jon linked to an article asking can pets really love? Here is the kitty part of that article. I was happy to note that my fuzzy half dozen have often displayed *ALL* the signs of affection listed! :) Now I will be hoping for some of the same signs from my baby boys later this afternoon! :)

Love of a Cat
By Dr. Nicholas Dodman

Cats are said to be independent, aloof, and not in need of company except on their terms. This is true only of some cats; certainly not all. Cats raised by people from an early age either think they are almost human, or that the human is almost a cat.

In fact, throughout a cat-person bond, the two may switch roles without realizing it. On occasion, a cat will bring home a dead or half-dead animal as a token of her love and respect (a touching, if gruesome, method of confirming the bond).

Bringing home "love offerings" of this type is a sign of attachment and belonging. There are others that require less clean up. When the bond is strong, a cat will:

# Tend to follow you around. She may not follow immediately, but after a moment or two she might casually saunter into the room where you're sitting (as if she's trying to play the whole thing down). Your cat may jump in your lap or may just find a chair nearby. Either way, she prefers to spend time with you.

# Become slightly depressed when you leave, and greet you enthusiastically upon your return. She may learn to recognize the sound of your car pulling up and run to the door, expecting your presence.

# Send subtle cat signals of affection to you throughout the day. These often take the form of classic "cat kisses" – staring at you adoringly, then squinting or slowly closing her eyes.

# Send not-so-subtle signals, such as rubbing her head upon you (marking you with her scent), and of course, purring.

# Lying on her back, with her stomach exposed. This is a sign of trust, because your cat is now in a vulnerable position. Many owners mistakenly think this is a request for a belly rub. It usually isn't.

This is a cat's affection at its most intense. They can't hold your hand, and they are not given to jumping up and kissing you. There's no difficulty to describe this sort of relationship as love.

This week I am showing you more recent pictures of my baby boys so that you can see how much they have grown. To give you something for comparison, the top three pictures are from early summer. As you can see from Picture 5 of Trey with Joey, they still have a way to go before catching up with their 20-pound brother, but they are thriving. Not bad for the little bits that came to me weighing less than a pound (Deuce) and just over a pound (Trey). :)

Here's a bonus post for you for this week because I wanted to share.

My little Deuce has an attraction to toilet paper. I spent a lot of time rerolling salvageable toilet paper and cleaning up toilet paper that he and Trey had dragged and shredded throughout the house ~ making the place look like snow had fallen indoors ~ not to mention making the boys look as if they were foaming at their mouths with the shredded TP there. Deuce was definitely the TP unroller in these cases, but Trey happily joined in the fun when the TP hit the floor.

I thought I was so clever when I installed another TP holder ~ this one higher up, out of the reach and sight of my little guy because I hang my robe over it.

So *NOW* what does he do? On three different occasions ~ so far ~ today, I have seen him with a Puff in his mouth. He is pilfering my pop-up Puffs by snatching them right from the box.

Oh for the good ol' days when he was too small to jump up onto my desk! :)

[Photo courtesy of Itchmo News for Dogs & Cats.]

Since school has begun, I have even less time and energy for something like housecleaning. And sharing a house with six furry critters only compounds the problem.

I hire a lady once a month to clean for me. She is extremely efficient and thorough, but once a month isn't really enough to keep the homestead as spic-and-span clean as I like for it to be. However, I am stretching my budget beyond its limit to afford even that.

Consequently, I have learned a few shortcuts for between Tisha's monthly visits. Many of these methods were highlighted in an e-mail I received from Dr. Jon, a vet who sends out his daily advice column through the sponsorship of PetPlace.com.

Here was his e-mail with a few comments from me, too!

When you own a cat, keeping the house clean is never easy. From all that shedding to hairballs and those occasional "accidents" every day can be a real challenge.

And the more pets you have, the more challenging the task becomes. So here are a few quick and easy tips that can help keep your house clean:

1. Avoid white furniture and accents. That goes for walls, rugs, couches and pillows. Outside cats and indoor/outdoor cats get dirty. And all cats shed. Add to that the occasional hairball or "accident" and, well, it's a bad combination all around for white furniture and accents. Continuous contact between your pet and your house will destroy these items quickly, so consider darker tones. [Vikki's Note: I knew better, but I fell in love with a *big* sunflower rug that I bought for the living room ~ the problem being that the background is *beige.* *HUGE* mistake. All my kitties but Trey have some black on them, and that fur accumulates on the rug and sticks there like glue. Only my Oreck has enough suction to pull it up, and because of my back problems, I'm not supposed to vacuum with anything but my little cordless vac. So I have to wait for Tisha ~ or run the Oreck myself and then hit the Vicodin bottle. Occasional barfy messes on this rug are that much harder to clean, too. For any kind of stain, I highly recommend OxiClean Stain Remover, found with laundry products. If OxiClean won't eradicate the stain, nothing will!]

2. Get yourself some throw rugs, pillows and furniture throws to use around the house. They're decorative and can hide problem stains. [Vikki's Note: Yep, I'm all about hiding those stains when the OxiClean is overmatched!]

3. Keep closet doors closed. Cats love to hide and nap in closets, which also means that they shed in your closets. And if they happen to have an "accident" in the closet, it may be a while before you realize it. That makes clean-up even more of an issue. [Vikki's Note: You may have to be creative if you have louvered doors as I do. My kitties can paw them open. So I installed latches on some, and put heavy, decorative doorstops in front of others.]

4. Spot clean messes quickly. Take a few minutes each day before you leave the house and before you head to bed to remove pet hairs and stains that may have collected throughout the day. I strongly suggest investing in the Swiffer Sweeper for this. It's great for quick clean-ups. This 2-In-1 Swiffer allows you to sweep and mop at the same time, cutting your cleaning time in half. It picks up 50% more dirt and hair than a broom and removes everything from dried food, vomit and pet fur to paw prints on virtually any surface in your home. So not only is it quicker, it also works better than traditional sweeping and mopping! If you own a cat, you really should own a Swiffer. This is a pet owner must-have!

Check out the Swiffer Sweeper. [Vikki's Note: As soon as I get past some financial obligations, I'll give the Swiffer Sweeper a try on that living room rug and get back to you with the results. By the way, one of these financial obligations happens October 1 when Deuce and Trey have their little operations on their doodles. Please keep us in your good thoughts! Thanks! And as Dr. Jon says...]

Happy Cleaning!

Until next time,
Dr. Jon
And Vikki, Too! :)

[Photo courtesy of Somerville Free Classifieds. Yes, I know the kitty isn't cleaning, but she is the photo for a housecleaning ad. Besides, she was too darn cute to resist!]

Bonus Kitty Comics for Labor Day! :)

Were truer words ever spoken? :)