Raise a Paw

Here is Captain Jack Raising a Paw for our chosen charity - the stray fund at Cobb Emergency Veterinary Clinic.

The reason we choose the CEVC stray fund is that this is the clinic that helped Dante when he was first found by animal control. At CEVC, any person can bring in an injured homeless or stray pet and they will treat the animal and spay/neuter them free of charge before adopting them out - or in the case of wildlife, releasing them back into the wild. Not only do they help puppies and kitties, but wildlife too. We know that they have rehabilitated countless birds, squirrels, foxes, and turtles. Any animal that the local animal control finds that is hurt or injured is always brought here for treatment before being taken to the local shelter. That treatment always includes a spay/neuter as well.

As we have said, this fund helped Dante when he was found. It paid for his medical treatment on his injuries, his neuter and even the medication that was sent home with him when Mommy and Daddy adopted him. Dante is very thankful for this help and because of this, he has done a special Raise the paw for them. Here it is!

We call it "Saturday Night Dante" - because of CEVC Dante is a healthy and happy kitty who is able to dance and shine! We also choose "Saturday Night Dante" to honor all of the vets and vet techs who work all night long helping us animals at 24 hour emergency clinics. Thank you for caring!!

Grumpy Thursday Thirteen

Jack and I were supposed to do this week's Thursday Thirteen together but he took one look at this and away he teleyported - with all of the toys too, leaving me alone with the dogs. *shudder* Now I am one grumpy kitty so the theme for this week's T13 is:

13 Things that Make Dante Grumpy!

1. We're having cold mornings and Jack and Samwise are taking over the bed.

2. Mommy gave me treats this morning and then Beaux came up and stole them!

3. I got locked out on the porch last night in the cold and all Daddy could say when he found me almost two hours later was that he didn't know I was out there. My human should always know where I am!

4. Beaux.

5. Samwise.

6. Mommy yelled at me for messing up the Christmas tree skirt when sliding on it was fun fun fun.

7. I had to share my real live dead shrimps with Jack last night.

8. Jack is a Captain but I do not have a title - not fair!

9. Jack called me an "orange beast" in this post - and that jerk had tons of straws that he had not shared!

10. Everytime I want to curl up on Mommy and Daddy and make biscuits, Jack gets jealous and has to be there too!

11. Mommy would not let me try the "Cajun Crawtator" potato chips she was eating cause she said they were too "hot." I am an orange Dante cat - I can deal with hot.

12. They do not build a fire in the fireplace every night for me to warm my furrs by.

13. Mommy said she would get everykitty who wanted one a personalized pirate badge for their blog to show that they are a part of my pirate crew but she has not done this yet. She said she is really busy but promises to get to it but never does!

Mommy: Dante, I will get them out I promise. I am very sorry that it has taken so long but I hope to get them out this weekend. Sorry kitties, I have not forgotten, hopefully you will all have your badges soon!

Should I believe her kitties? Sigh. Sometimes its hard being me....

Wordless Wednesday

"Spoiled Kitty" or "My Chair" or "Come any closer and I will shoot you with my laser eyebeams!"

Pirate Tuxie Tuesday

It is a concern always when one is a pirate. Yes, in the grand tradition of pirates throughout the ages, I have several "buried treasure chests." Most of which have escaped detection by those who would steal my pirate booty but last night, the worst happened. And it's Dante's fault too. Just look at the catastrophe!

My straws (and apparently a medicine syringe too from the last time one of us was on antibiotics)!! They were discovered! Dante had been on the desk batting Dad's cell phone around and it fell between the couch and the desk. I thought I was safe when a few days went by and no human really looked for it - until last night! Mommy called the phone, it rang, and yes, it was under the couch - where the treasure was hidden!
Look, I had not even told Dante where our straw bounty was hidden and here he is looking it over!!

I must find another hiding place. Somewhere where that orange beast can not reveal my pirate secrets!!

Mancat Monday

Real Mancats love fire!!!!

Yes, I do adore fire. This was the first weekend that it was cold enough for Mommy and Daddy to build a fire in the fireplace in our den. They placed those pillows next to the hearth so I would have a comfy place to sleep because I am such a fire cat. Fire even matches my furrs you know, so I am definately a fire cat!

Mommy is convinced that I would crawl into the fire itself if it were not for the screen they put up to block me (it's actually supposed to block embers I think) because I just adore a warm, crackling fire. And look at the classical stlye print pillow beside me. It matches my classical name so its gotta be my spot, right?? Fire good! Fire warm! Fire manly!!

Fun Friday

We were tagged for the 7 Facts Meme by two of our new friends Chancy and Chase! We have already done the 7 Facts Meme for ourselves so we're going to do this instead - For Chancy the puppies will do the 7 Facts and for Chase, we'll do 7 random facts about holiday traditions we have in our house! So to start us off, here is Samwise!

Samwise - Hi kitties! Jack and Dante said we could tell you 7 random things about us doggies so here we go!
1. Samwise - I am named for a hobbit in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy by JRR Tolkien
2. Beaux - I can catch treats in the air if you toss them to me gently.
3. Samwise - I hate being brushed (too bad I am long furred) and I hate having my nails trimmed. Aunt Susan says she has never seen an animal that hated having his toes messed with as bad as I do.
4. Beaux - I love to be brushed!
5. Samwise - My favorite food is turkey and my second favorite food is fish!
6. Beaux - I am an escape artist. Mom and Dad have had to line the bottom of the fence with chicken wire to keep me from digging out and escaping.
7. Both - We really do love kitties - they just do not like us!

So that was 7 random facts about the puppies. Hope you kitties liked learning about our dogs. Now, in honor of the holiday season, here are 7 random facts about the holiday season in our home!
1. This time of year we spend a lot of time in the den in front of the fireplace. In fact, we had our First Fire of the Season last night - a big deal in our house!
2. All of us kitties and puppies have our own stockings that hang with Mommy's and Daddy's on the mantle. Santa Paws fills them on Christmas Eve.
3. All of us kitties and puppies have our own ornaments for the tree too.
4. Daddy always lights our house up in December. Mommy says that he goes for the tackiest light display possible but Daddy loves doing it!
5. Mommy always finds Christmas cookies made especially for dogs. We admit that they are nummy and eat some ourselves.
6. Nana and Grandpa always give us kitties and puppies Christmas presents and so do Aunt Susan and Uncle Dave.
7. Mommy and Daddy always spend Christmas Eve cuddled with us in front of the fire. We love being warm and snuggly as we wait for Santa Paws.

We hope everykitty in the US had a great Thanksgiving yesterday! We got turkey and ham and even turkey in gravy Fancy Feast. Samwise ate so much turkey that he fell into a Turkey Coma - he does this every year! After that we got to hang out in front of the fire with Mommy and Daddy and stay warm and coozy!! All and all, it was a great day. And now the beans are off work until Monday so we have all weekend to be together - and we get to watch Daddy light up the house again for Christmas!!

Wordy Wednesday - Thanksgiving Style

Well kitties, tommorow is Thanksgiving for all of us ktties living in the US. Since we may not get to post tommorow what with being with family and in turkey-induced comas, we decided to do a thankful post today.

Jack: We have many things to be thankful for but Dante and I narrowed it down to 4 things each. Here are mine:

1. I am thankful for my cat tree. Santa Paws brought it last year and I love it! Mommy says I am one spoiled kitty to have my own furniture!

2. I am thankful for my futon. Okay, its really Mom and Dad's but its mine to sleep on in the den - and its right next to my cat tree too.

3. Boogie mat filled with Nip - need I say more?

4. Mostly I am thankful to have a nice warm place to sleep in a home where I know I am loved and where the food, treats and toys are plentiful.


Dante - Here are my four.

1. I am thankful for having my very own bathroom that is mine. I get to guard it, escourt my visitors in and show them the amenities, and Mommy and Daddy put warm blankets in there for me to sleep on if I choose to.

2. I have a home that I can guard! One of my favorite things to guard are the stairs leading into the den. I love having my own home to guard!

3. I am thankful for this window ledge in the den. Its wide enough that a kitty can sit on it and look out the window and runs the full length of the room on one side.

4. I am thankful that I have my own spot on Daddy's desk. It is reserved only for me and is my spot with my favorite human. I am not ashamed to admit that I am a Daddy's boy.

Altogether, we are thankful for a year of love, laughter, and mostly good health. We are thankful for good friends (especially our new cat blogosphere friends), family, and our adopted family of Aunts and Uncles. Happy Thanksgiving Everykitty!!!!

Mancat Monday - Piracy Lesson #2

For this Mancat Monday, Captain Jack will continue his lessons in Kitty Piracy. In this case, Captain Jack will demonstrate his daily workout which keeps him sharp, agile, and strong. On board the Black Furrball, these exercises would be performed using the ship's rigging. Since the Captain is currently landlocked in Georgia, he must improvise. In this case, Jack will be using his favorite office chair!

This first exercise, is called "Kitty Hanging Upside Down." As you can see, the Captain has a firm grip on the "ship" while he is hanging upside down - always prepared to attack from above. Attacking from above will allow Jack to surprise his opponents. This exercise should be done daily to keep you from getting a nasty headache when you need to be the most agile and ready to spring into attack.

The next exercise teaches one agility while handling a weapon. If you've seen any pirate films, you know that pirates will often carry knives in their mouths while climbing aboard an enemy ship. Because his Mommy will not allow the Captain to play with knives, Jack once again improvises - this time with a straw! As you can see he maintains the firm grip on the "ship" while he places the straw "knife" in his mouth, ready to attack any enemy pirates who dare stand in his way!

The very last lesson for this week, and the most important, is called attitude. When boarding an enemy ship, a good Pirate Kitty must display the most fearsome, scary, and intimidating attitude that he can. This picture shows the Captain practicing his "pirate attitude," complete with the straw knife in his mouth! Grrrrrrrr!!

That is our piracy lesson for this week. We also wanted to take this time to thank everyone for their well wishes for Daddy's family. Daddy's sister's surgery went well on Friday amd we are hopeful that she will get to come home from the hospital soon. Daddy's father is recovering at home and we are hopeful that he will quit smoking after this cardiac scare. Also, for the kitties who requested pirate badges for their blogs. We are going to work on getting them out to everyone this week. If you do want one, just leave us your pirate name and an email address in the comments and we'll get one to you!

Family Friday

As you can see by Dante's picture, there is not much sleeping going on in our household at the moment. Mostly it is because of things happening with our Daddy's family. Last night the decision was made that his sister will undergo another surgery today around noon. She has developed a post operative staph infection so they need to do another surgery to make her better. On top of all of this, Daddy's father had to have angioplasty yesterday because one of his arteries was 95% blocked and they were afraid that his heart would attack him. They kept him in the hospital overnight but will release him today. The worst part of all this is that this is going on in two states! The sister is near us but the father is an entire state away. Mommy and Daddy are thankfully staying here with us since leaving would leave his sister all alone. Please send purrs that they get better soon and that no other family member gets sick!! Thanks!!

On a lighter note, we were so happy to see so many new recruits for the Black Furrball crew! Would you kitties like to have the pirate cat picture for your blog? We were thinking we could customize it with your pirate names! It's just a rough draft, but maybe it could look something like this:

Captain Jack : Dante! I was only playing around! *blushes*
Dante: Hahahaha! Look at him blush!! What do you think Miss Boo? Do you like it?

Anyway, if anyone wants one, leave us your pirate cat name and an email and we'll send ya one!!

Thursday Thirteen - Pirate Kitty Crew Wanted

This week's Thursday Thirteen outlines the reasons that you should join the pirate kitty crew of the Black Furrball!

1. The Black Furrball sails to many interesting places with exotic forms of Nip.

2. Climbing on the rigging and sleeping in the crow's nest is a lot of fun.

3. We sail on the ocean where there is tons and tons of fish.

4. On the open ocean, there is nothing to block the warm sunbeams that we like to snooze in.

5. There are no dogs allowed on the Black Furrball (except Samwise who thinks he's a cat).

6. A eye patch makes a kitty look very cool (see Dante's pic above).

7. "Me'Arrrggggg" is really fun to say.

8. Tuna boats and Temptation boats are just ripe for plundering.

9. You could adopt a really cool pirate name like the Dread PirateCat Patches.

10. Crew member rations on the Black Furrball include lots of stinky goodness.

11. Seagulls often follow the boat and you can "play" with them.

12. You would get to hang out with all of your friends on the decks of a pirate ship.

13. You would get this really cool picture for your very own bloggie to show everyone that you are a crew member of the Black Furrball!

Wordy Wednesday - New Orleans Style

Happy Wednesday Everykitty! First, we have an update on Daddy's sister. She is still in the hospital as she is experiencing some complications. It's nothing too big, they expect to release her Thursday, but the recovery will take longer than first anticipated. If you guys could send her purrs to get better quickly, we would appreciate it!

Today, we are going to show you what our beans were doing while they left us last weekend. They took a weekend trip to New Orleans with Aunt Susan and Uncle Dave. Uncle Dave is a native New Orleanian (Aunt Susan lived in LA too - her V-E-T degree is from LSU) so they were able to stay with Aunt Dave's sister Susie in Slidell, a suburb of the city. On Saturday, they were invited to attend a huge party at Susie's house. Here's a picture they took when they first arrived.

The food they ate was wonderful and we are very jealous of what they were served- three kinds of gumbo, shrimp and grits, grilled oysters, sausages, Cochon de Lait (Mommy refused to eat this as it's suckling pig), rack of lamb (Mommy also refused to eat), chicken and vegetable kabobs and Corn Maque Choux. Susie has this party every year and its always catered by Jack, the owner of Jacques-Imo's Cafe in New Orleans. This year, two of the gumbos (a traditional chicken and sausage gumbo and a seafood gumbo) were made by John Besh - runner up on the show The Next Iron Chef. John was supposed to be there, and Daddy was really looking forward to meeting him, but he could not make it at the last minute. He sent the gumbo though and Mommy says it was delish! Here are some pics of the food that Daddy took.

The next day was absolutely gorgeous in Louisiana. Daddy woke up early and took some pictures of the bayou that is behind Susie's house. He had hoped to see the foxes and bobcats (big wild kitties) and alligators (Daisy - they are great big lizards!) that live on the property but didn't see any. Here's Mommy's favorite of the bayou pictures that he took.

After everyone woke up, they all went into New Orleans and headed for the French Quarter. They went to some place called Pat O'Brien's and had those hurricanes we heard about. Guess what! They are not scary storms but drinks - really nummy adult rum drinks according to Mommy!

They spent the day in the French Quarter and watched the sun set on the Mississippi River. Here are some pictures Mommy took.

Look what else they got while they were in the French Quarter: gourmet kitty and doggie treats!

After leaving the French Quarter, they drove through the residential sections of the city. Though Uncle Dave and Aunt Susan had been back numerous times after Hurricane Katrina, this was our beans first time back. Even after over two years, Mommy was shocked at how bad certain areas of the city looked like - like a war zone. There is also a smell of mold and decay in certain areas of the city that was not there before. Many people are still living in FEMA trailers in the front yards and entire apartment complexes are boarded up and buildings are falling down. Mommy said seeing it all made her heart hurt and seeing the water lines still on some buildings and rescuers markings of "rescued cat" or "1 dead" followed by dates was just awful. The city is coming back, but its going to take a long time to erase the damage the storm left behind.

They left the city that night and spent one more night at Dave's sister's house before driving home the next day. They arrived home Monday night and we were really happy to see them! We don't think we will let them leave again!!

They're Back and Random Meme from Mickey

First off, we want to thank everyone for their heartfelt good wishes and prayers for Daddy's sister. She is doing well and should be home by now and able to return to work next week. We have not been blogging long, and knowing that so many people already care about us is just overwhelming. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. Now on to other things!

Last night, after dark, at about 8pm Mommy says, our beans returned home from New Orleans! They were very glad that they got to go and we were kinda glad too because it meant we got spoiled by Uncle Mark. We did worry about them for a time when we heard something about having hurricanes in the French Quarter (as pirates, we know that hurricanes are not good - after all, one swept Captain Jack off of the Black Furrball) but Uncle Mark said it wasn't what we thought. Mommy says they ate excellent food and had a great time. They even brought us back some gourmet kitty treats from the French Quarter! When they get the pictures they took edited, we'll put some online for you kitties to see. Until then, we've been tagged for our very first meme!!

We’ve been tagged by Mickey for a meme. Here are the rules:
* Link to the person who tagged you and post the rules on your blog;
* Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself;
* Tag 7 random people at the end of your post & include links to their blogs;
* Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

7 Random and/or Weird Facts About Us!

1. Captain Jack - I love to play with straws so much that when I have one in my mouth, I make a weird yawling sound, almost like I am in pain. The first time I did this, Mommy was so scared because she thought I was hurt when actually I was just playing with a straw. Even now Mommy must remind herself "Oh, Jack has a straw" when she hears that meow.

2. Dante - One of my favorite things to do is to taunt Beaux through the glass on our porch door. He will be outside and I will be inside. I love to stand on my back legs and paw the glass door like mad, right in Beaux's face. This makes Beaux bark a really mean bark that usually gets him yelled at by the beans. I laugh cause he cannot get me AND because I got him in trouble!

3. Captain Jack - I love potato chips. Mommy cannot eat any without sharing or I will stand on her and stare until she gives in.

4. Dante - I love to sleep in front of the fireplace when its lit. If I could, and if Mommy and Daddy would remove the screen, I think I would sleep in the fire - so warm and toasty!

5. Captain Jack - I love water. I drink out of faucets, the water bowl and my fountain. Sometimes, I know my toys are thirsty too so I put them into the water bowl so they can drink....I just forget to take them out sometimes.

6. Dante - I only like crunchy treats. I refuse to eat moist treats like Pounce. Jack can have those - gimme the Whisker Lickins or Temptations!!

7. Both Kitties - We love to play on both sides of a door. Dante gets on one side, Captain Jack on the other, and we attack each other by using our paws under the door. It is so much fun!!

We are not sure who has not been tagged by this but Captain Jack wants to tag his special lady friend, Miss Boo. Dante would like to tag our twins Skeeter & LC.

Good News!!

Daddy's sister is okay! They were afraid that she had a strangulated hernia but turns out it was nothing so serious. They fixed the hernia and she is much better. So much better than Mommy and Daddy are considering go to New Orleans tommorow morning and meeting there friends there. Thank you so much for all of your thoughts and purrs. We are relieved that it was nothing serious at all!!

And Monty came home! Thank goodness!!!!!!!

Trip Canceled

We just got word that Daddy's sister has been rushed into emergency surgery. Their trip has been canceled.

Farewell Friday

Well, Mommy and Daddy just left to go day hunting. Daddy says he will be back later for a while but Mommy said that she will see us Monday and then squished us very hard before she left so we guess they are leaving for New Orleans right after she gets done hunting this afternoon. Last night, after Mommy packed, we helped her to write an instruction letter to our Uncle Mark - the human that will be caring for us for the next 4 days. We made her add some stuff just for us. We even used pictures to illustrate our point, because we know how clueless some humans can be. Here's some of our note.

First thing in the morning, before doing anything else, you must give Captain Jack and Dante their morning treats. Jack will jump up on the cart and meow and meow and STARE at you until you do so. Here is what Jack looks like when he wants his morning treats. He was staring at his Mommy in this picture, telepathically demanding the Temptations.

No matter what, always remember that the kitties are much cuter, smarter, sweeter, and just better than the doggies. Also remember that Dante HATES Beaux with a passion. Dante almost always considers plans to get rid of Beaux but sometimes Beaux has annoyed him to the point that Dante has had it. When this happens, Dante will stare at Beaux with the evil eye - when this happens you must put the dogs outside and placate Dante with treats and face rubbs to keep him from flying into a murderous rage. That stare looks like this:

Finally, and this is the really big one. Kitties must be obeyed at all times, no matter what!They are in charge, not you. You are simply their substitute human. If you do not follow this instruction, you will be hypnotized by Captain Jack. It is useless to resist, Jack is too good. If you see this look on Captain Jack's face, you will soon be cooking a chicken, baking a ham, harvesting the catnip, milking the cows, and anything else he wants (for an example of his power, just know that we entered Mommy into a contest dressed as a pig! And she smiled while doing so! Mwuhahahahahaha!!)

Do you kitties like our instructions? Should we add anything else? We think that we can get tons of attention and treats from Uncle Mark so we are kinda excited about it. Please know that we are thinking of you even if we are not commenting on your blogs. We need mommy's assistance for that so we shall have to wait til she gets home.

Miss Boo - please know that I am thinking of you always. I will miss seeing your lovely whiskers and will dream of your gorgeous black and white furrs until once again, I can see your beautiful face. You are in my thoughts and heart! ---Captain Jack

Anastasia’s Dare

We have accepted the dare! In order to punish Mommy for leaving us while they go off to New Orleans, we will post this picture! It is Mommy as a pig. She always calls us "Pig Kitties" when we beg for more and more treats so we made her do this - become a pig herself!

Astro Kitties

Yesterday, we watched as STS-120 landed at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Captain Jack had been invited over to watch the landing with Miss Boo (aw look, Jack is blushing again!) and Dante had to tag along. When Captain Jack saw that there was water near the Space Center, he decided to teleyport himself and Miss Boo to the decks of the Black Furrball to get a closer view. Dante, being a bratty younger brother, tagged along. Here's the picture of all three of them aboard the Black Furrball.

You will notice that by the time this picture was taken, Captain Jack had drugged Dante with Nip so that Dante would eventually fall asleep and stop annoying him and Miss Boo. Poor Dante missed the whole landing!

As most of you guessed yesterday (Miss Boo - you were the first to guess correctly! *blush*), our parents are leaving us this weekend to go to New Orleans. They are going with our Aunt Susan and Uncle Dave (Uncle Dave is originally from New Orleans so they are staying with his sister there) and are leaving Friday night after they are done day hunting. They will be back Monday night but 4 days is still a long time to be without them. Thankfully, no one is being kenneled because our Uncle Mark is coming to stay with us! Uncle Mark is Mommy's brother and he is wonderful. He loves us kitties (and even the doggies) and we bet we will get tons of treats and pets from him. We have demanded lots of treats and presents be brought back for us since we are being left behind.

Look! Captain Jack got an honorable mention in Tara's Gotcha Day Picture Contest! Woohoo! Thanks Tara!

Wordless Wednesday

Mommy and Daddy are abandoning us to to go to this city in the United States this weekend. Do you know what city the Saint Louis Cathedral is in?

Toesie Tuesday (and a little Tuxie too)

Hey everyone, Dante here! Its Toesie Tuesday and I have got some great pictures for you! If you read Jack's post yesterday, you will remember that he talked about the manly Harley Davidson blanket that Mommy and us kitties love cause it is so warm and coozy. Well, the blanket has another name besides "manly" - Mommy calls it our "biscuit-making blankie" cause a kitty just cannot help himself! You jump up on it and it makes you make the biscuits! I even have pictures to illustrate this point.

This is me, on the biscuit-making blanket. Oh it feels so good on the feet - you just have to knead and knead and knead! Here's a closeup of my toesies!

Ahhhh! We love this blanket.

Now for the funny tuxie part. Captain Jack has been acting awful strange since yesterday afternoon. He read our comments and starting blushing for some reason. He keeps grooming himself - for proof look at this picture I took when he had his eyes closed - and he keeps asking Mommy to brush his furrs!

He keeps going to this blog and staring at a certain female kitty. Everytime I try to see who it is so I can pick on him, he quickly closes the browser. I think he may be developing a crush on some kitty there!

ManCat Monday & Milk

All mancats must find the pose that makes them look the most regal and kingly and use it to claim their territory - in this case, the blanket that we love that comes out every fall and stays out til spring. It also helps that this blanket is a very manly Harley Davidson Motorcycles blanket of Daddy's that Mommy and us kitties have claimed as our own.

All mancats must also flirt by looking cute on the manly blanket in order to ensure a steady supply of scritches and treats from one's adoring human.

I have to tell you kitties what I did to Mommy this morning and I swear it was totally an accident. Last night Mommy got a big glass of milk and took it into the bedroom to drink while reading a book. She fell asleep before finishing it. Kitties, I just could not help myself this morning - I had to have some of that num num nummy milk! So I crept up to her bedside table and very gingerly stuck my front paw inside the glass to get some milk and then I would lick it off of my foot. I tried very carefully not to tip the glass over. Well, I didn't try hard enough cause I knocked the glass over - ALL OVER MOMMY! I hate to say it but that nummy cold milk woke Mommy up when it fell on her chest. She screamed and said words that no 3-year old kitty should repeat, loud enough that it woke up Daddy too. Sorry Mommy, but the milk certaintly was tasty and well, I'm a pirate, woman! What do you expect?

Formerly Feral Friday

Dante here! Since writing my Frakenkitty story, I have been thinking about how much this cat's life has changed in the last year and a half. I mean, look at how far I have come! This was me on the day Mommy and Daddy brought me home to live with the Captain and the Doggies.

Ignore that ugly couch behind me. It was a freebie from Nana and Granpa's antique business.

Didn't I look like I hurt and ached? I did trust me. Everything hurt. But look at me now!!!

I have a pirate captain for a brother and I am the First Cat on his crew. Jack even gave me the kitty pirate name "Dante Barbossa" and I think it's really cool and catchy sounding - and menancing too ! It instills fear in all catnip boat captains that hear it!! The picture shows us practicing our paw to paw combat technique for use when boarding the Temptation ship.

I have a bathroom to protect and a doggie to hang out with (I guess Samwise is okay - I tolerate him at least).

I even have a desk I can sit at and contemplate writting the first Great American Kitty Novel, just like Ernest Hemmingway (Mommy says Hemmingway loved kitties. She and Daddy went to his house in Key West and met all of the Hemmingway Cats a few years ago).

But most importantly, I have a warm soft place to sleep in a house where my humans love me. They even put this quilt here on the back of this couch because they know that I love to sleep here while Daddy is on the computer behind me. Ah! I love my humans!!