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| OUR FAMILY OF PETS |
| Smokey found me when he was 4 mos. old. He was abandoned by people who moved and left him behind. (It was definitely a great loss to them that they are not even aware of!) He used to follow the smoke from the BBQ grills around the neighborhood to get food, and that is how he got his name. He was trained by us to go bezerk for all kinds of alarms, esp. the smoke detectors. He had severe hip dysplasia, and arthritis, he was a beautiful singer, and loved to camp. Smokey has touched a lot of lives. There are many people who love him, not just the ones that fed him...He always had a story to sing, and sometimes tried to get away with a few white lies in order to get a cookie, or better yet--a sympathetic scratch on his belly. Sadly, Smokey passed on recently. I know that he is in cookie heaven, running in the sun, without any pain, singing all his songs, with plenty of ready hands to pet and rub his belly and chest. If I could say it again and again to him, I would: Thank you, Smokey, for being my best friend. Thank you for being My Good Boy. Thank you to all our friends for their support lately. Thanks to the Salem Animal Rescue League for helping me to adopt him, and to the Salem Animal Hospital for helping me to take care of him. |
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| Sparky had always been a bit grumpy about things, but became the most wonderful cuddler, and more social and attached than I ever would have expected. She is Lin's cat, who named her Sparky because as a kitten, she looked as if she had received an electric spark, her long fur sticking straight out like an electric ball of fur that just says KITTEN. When we brought Sparky home, she decided that Smokey was her mom, and used to suck on Smokey's belly trying to get some milk out of him. Obviously, this did not work! But Smokey was a good "mom" and endured numerous hickeys on his belly, and even himself took to carrying her around the house in his mouth... Sparky loved to sneak out the door, and run off. As a kitten, it was not unusual for her to sneak off for a few weeks at a time, and return "home" smelling of someone else's perfume, or a woodstove... Unfortunately, in June 2004, Sparky snuck out the side door and has not returned. We like to think that she is safe and bundled in someone's snug house, but we fear that she has since died. God, I miss this cat. We all miss her terribly and no other cat could ever replace this Queen. Sometimes, even still, I think I hear her. |
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| Smokey loved to camp and loved to go on rides because of that...he must have thought that every ride had a wonderful camp at the end of it... |
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| SMOKEY |
| Ever-gentle, right up to the end, despite all of his pain...I'm glad he got a chance to meet my new daughter... |
| Pop corn! And learning to count! His favorite evening activity: sharing popcorn with Tom--he wouldn't get up to go retrieve it though, unless there were at least ten pieces there for him... |
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| SPARKY |
| His one and only time on the couch... He would have always been welcome, but it was hard for him to climb up there, and I had a sense that he thought he was a bad boy when he was up there... That's just how he was, never thinking he was good enough for something, and always very grateful for what was given him... |
| Near his window (on the right) and with his eye on the door... He thought that was his job, to watch out and protect us... Of course, lately, he was frequently caught snoozing on the job, and that was okay with us... |
| I miss you, Smokey... |
| absolutely no regrets... Welcome Pooh, we are happy to have you with us... Tom says he's back to being "fat and sassy..." He and Sparky became friends, though when he first arrived, you never would have thought it would work out... Pooh is the perfect pal for any cat, as he is so laid back, and didn't really react to Sparky's spitting and hissing... She learned to trust him, and they used to love to play and chase each other through the house. He kept Sparky young. Pooh has a couple neurotic things leftover still from the old life, like gorging himself on food when he can see the bottom of the bowl, and drinking from water glasses uninvited. Hopefully with time he will realize that there is an bottomless supply of food for him and an endless drink of fresh water for him here. We all love him here. He's become the "Mommy" to our new additions, and has taught them such important things like how to jump on the counter and drink from the fish tank, how to chase the snake and kill it (it's fleece), and expecially, how to appear to be five times your actual body weight why snuggling at our feet in bed. He is My King, and I hope he loves me just as much as I love him. |
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| POOHBEAR |
| Neptune and Raven, the two inseparable sisters |
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| Raven and Neptune were named by Brandy and Lindsey... We got them from the Schuyler Humane Society, who reported that they were very close to being put to sleep because they could not find a home for them. They wanted to make sure that they were not separated, because they played constantly together. At the time, we were looking for 2 kittens, and so it worked out perfectly. They are a joy to have around, and I love them very much. There are days when they are my best friends, but they are into everything. They puke on cheese. I had to teach them how to use the litter box, and how to cover "it" up (don't ask--it doesn't conjure up a pretty picture). They are beautiful and sleek and gently with Dani, and are a good addition to our home. |