Bittersweet Memories with Jonesie

After mom and I read the comments from my Thanksgiving post, we had a long talk. Mom had promised me that she wouldn't show the pictures from when I was found unless I gave my permission. Those pictures make mom cry and she wanted me to control when the pictures were revealed. I said it was ok, it's important for everyone to know what happens when a kitty is abandoned. It's so easy for a human to pack up, move on and assume the cat will be ok, assume it will be able to fend for itself. Those assumptions are wrong. I could not. Most cats can't. I never did understand why I was abandoned and I wanted to give up on living I was so hurt. I was hopeless at hunting for myself because someone had fed me my whole life. I always knew where I came from. After I was rescued and I started going back outside, I'd go back to the back of the yard by the apartments and look sadly in their direction. Once my mom said, it's ok, you can go back and check. They are not there anymore. It took awhile for that to sink in for me. Slowly I came to understand that I was going to be fine.

The hardest thing for me was not looking my best. I take great pride in my furs and when I had fur missing and it was a mess, my kitty self esteem was low. My mom brushed me and told me I was beautiful even though I knew I was not. I loved that she saw my beauty through the mess. My mom intended for me to be fostered and brought back to health and then find a new family for me. In the process of caring for me, my mom fell in love with me. So did dad. They knew I was very tied to them and the garden that became my own. I have been Queen of the garden ever since.

This last picture of me is one of mom's favorites. She thinks it makes me look triumphant. I overcame so much and she is so proud of me.

So when people say to mom, your cats are so beautiful...mom says all cats are beautiful. A little love and patience is all it takes to bring out our best. And those 2 kitties that led mom and dad to me? They are completely convinced that they were my guardian angel kitties. Mom and dad know all the kitties that visit in the yard and they had never seen those 2 before. They were playing by the bushes where I was hiding and attracted attention to me. Without them I would have not made it out of the bushes. They had been in the yard for a few days or so, and then when I was safely inside, they vanished.

Thankful Thursday in the Garden with Jonesie

Happy Thanksgiving! I am thankful for so many things. I am thankful for my wonderful family that loves me. I am thankful for all of my wonderful friends. I am thankful little squirt Cory got the idea to start this blog so I could realize my dream of sharing my garden with the world. It didn't start out easy for me.

In February of 2002 when my mom and dad think I was about 2 years old, I was near the end. I was abandoned and hungry and cold and I had given up on living. I wandered from the nearby apartments and ended up in the bushes of what is now my backyard. I didn't come out on my own. There were 2 other cats playing in the yard near the bushes. That's why my mom and dad came down to look to see those other cats. Then when mom and dad were focused on the others...I came out. They tried to feed me but I didn't want to eat. They were able to catch me and bring me in the house. They were patient and I slowly started to eat again. My fur was all patchy. I decided I did want to live. Mom and dad never saw those other 2 cats again.

Once I regained my strength and my beautiful fur I wanted to go out in the yard. At the time, Maxfield and Jonathan were the Kings of the yard. They were really good to me and showed me the ropes. It took awhile for me to really understand it was mine. I was a cat with real estate. After Maxfield and Jonathan got too old and ill to go outside anymore, it was up to me to carry on their legacy. I take it very seriously. Since I started out in life with nothing, I am thankful everyday for what I have.

So when it gets a little damp outside, and the leaves are everywhere, I am thankful.

When I get to snoopervise the clearing out of the garden beds, I am thankful.

When I get to sharpen my claws on mom's leg, I am thankful.

When mom and dad do all the hard work and I get to watch and approve, I am thankful.

Mom and dad will not be cooking today, they will visit family, but they always bring back slices of turkey to share with us. And for that I am thankful. Please leave a link and tell me what's going on in your garden or if you just want to share your Thanksgiving wishes.

Wordless Wednesday

Tabby Tattletale Tuesday

I'm just hanging out. It's been "interesting" around here. With all the talk of kitties going "raw"...and I don't mean going without collars, mom had to give it a try too. Mom worries about us and whether or not we are getting the right things to eat. We are already on grain free dry food, but mom had thought about cooking for us too. Now she's thinking about skipping the cooking part.

Ellie went nutso when mom brought home some sample beef frozen raw food. Mom thawed out these little nuggets and pandemonium broke out! Little Ellie. Momma to us all. Wee little pussy cat who weighs not a breath more than 7 pounds...pushed us all aside. Rudely. She dove at the food, inhaled it...and proceeded to push us all off our plates so she could steal the food!

Secret is...::whispers:: turns out it was doggie food! Yup! Mom researched the sample online and it was woofie food that Ellie "woofed" down! woooopsss!

Mom went back to the store and got us kitty chicken raw food from "Rad" cat. It's in the refrigerator defrosting so we'll see how it goes. Maybe this time I'll get to actually eat it. Mom said we can sample all the different brands and all the different flavors to figure out what we like. She even ordered a sample of supplements that she can add to raw meat from the grocery store. As long as Ellie doesn't take my share, I'm good with it. And uh, mom...please don't serve the Thanksgiving turkey raw, ok?