BEARnard is such a manly man. He could be a centerfold in a magazine.
Mom says we are the cutest team in the world and loves how we help her in the office. Bearnard can be pretty silly at times (but of course I am the perfect lady).
Do you like getting your hairs done? We like it when it is over.
Did you ever notice how everyone wants a piece of Mom’s lap? It is hard to get any space to get comfortable. Don’t they know that she is mine and I should have priority?
Mini Cooper is so rude. She has the nerve to sit on me because she wants the whole lap to herself. Cats can be so pushy, don’t you think?
Sometimes, Bearnard doesn’t mind being close to Mini Cooper as long as she lets him stay on Mom’s lap. I don’t know about you but she looks scary to me.
I give up. I am going to go into my kennel and let Bearnard and Mini Cooper figure it out. Nite Nite – Jolie Olie
Over the years Big Tree, the giant maple in the backyard, has seen many animals. It watched the kids grow up. It shadowed many a pool party. Now it has a new group of protectors.
Jolie and Bearnard are the keepers of the watch in 2024.
Sofie & big tree 2010
Louise & big tree 2009
The Trio 2019
Sofie & big tree 2014
Lulu & big tree 2009
Squash & Louise big tree 2011
Squash E Bear 2007
Charles & big tree 2022
Nikkolette 2001
In 2023, it was Charles and Jolie.
In 2022, it was Charles, Louise, and Sofie.
In 2013, it was Louise and Sofie.
In 2012, it was Squash and Louise.
In 2011, it was just Squash.
In 2002, it was Nikki and Squash.
They have seen a lot of squirrels come and go and think about all those birds. There was a year (about 3 years ago) that the Cedar Waxwings stayed in Big Tree for a month.
Stella is going to be 13 in September. She is a wonderful cat (as long as she isn’t with other cats). She likes the dogs when they come to visit and Bearnard and her seem to have a thing going on lately.
Sadly, we just found out that Stella has Feline lymphoma. It is affecting her gut. The feline lymphatic system is a complex network of components that transport all those life-sustaining substances throughout a cat’s body and help prevent the circulation of harmful agents. Among these components are the spleen, bone marrow, and what veterinarians call “gut-associated” lymphoid tissue, which lines the surfaces of various areas of a cat’s body and prevents its exposure to infectious agents. It mostly shows up in cats around 10-12 years old.
Dr. Sims, Stella’s Vet, said a definitive diagnosis requires a biopsy of the intestinal tract. We are not going to put little Stella through that at her age and weight (7 lbs). We are treating her at home with a steroid (prednisolone) and another drug to assist with peristalsis. The x-ray shows that she has considerable thickening of the intestinal tract. We are hoping with the medication and our love and care she could continue on for many months.
Stella does not know that she has cancer and it does not appear to hurt her much (if you don’t touch her belly).
Lymphoma is the most common cancer in cats. You can learn more about it here. Hug your furbabies a little closer tonight. They are such a gift, each and every one of them.
Did you know that today was LEAP DAY? That means it only happens once every 4 years. That is strange for sure.
It all has to do with how much time it takes the Earth to complete its orbit around the Sun. It is supposed to be 365 days but it actually takes the Earth, 365.25 days. So ABOUT every 4 years, they (who are they anyway?) add a leap day. Some calendars, we use one called the Gregorian calendar, actually have a leap month.
People, like Ptolemy III in the 3rd century BC, have been trying to fix this problem forever. In 46 BCE the Julian calendar introduced a leap day every four years, but a problem with the measurement that was used led to a mounting discrepancy throughout several centuries. The Gregorian calendar reformed the concept in 1582 by eliminating leap years in the century years that weren’t exactly divisible by 400. This is why the years 1600 and 2000 were leap years but 1700, 1800, and 1900 were not. And why 2400 will be a leap year but 2100, 2200, and 2300 will not.
My goodness, these humans make things really complicated sometimes.
While the dogs were out for a walk, Mini Cooper was happily resting in the sunspot on the stairs.
But, then we came home.
And poor little Mini Cooper was rudely pushed out of her spot by the dogs.
Sometimes life is just not fair. But Mini can get up by the windows if she wants and the fluffballs can’t, so I guess it all works out in the end. Have a wonderful Wednesday!
Happy 8th Birthday, Miss Jolie Olie. You are a crazy, silly, bundle of fluff. Though you have only been with us 1-1/2 years, it seems like much longer. We love you tons!!! Stay forever sweet girl.
Noel has been gone for several weeks now. She was one of our oldest and longest cats. I was thinking about all the events and other animals she lived through in her almost 17 years. She outlived 4 dogs: Squash (2010), Sofie (2022), Louise (2022), and Charles (2023), and left us with 2, Jolie and Bearnard. She outlived her fellow felines Zackary (2010), Cuddles (2010), The Muffin Man (2012), Constance Kitty (2012), and Nine (2022), leaving us with Stella and Mini Cooper. The human children were only in middle and high school when she rescued us and now they are adults with cats of their own. She also had time with multiple Guinea Pigs, Mr. Moto, Georgia, Checkers, and maybe others.
We have been thinking about her a lot these last couple of weeks. Her not being here is very evident.
Dec 2023 – Noel telling Bearnard to get off her spot on the couch
No one really likes to talk about the loss of a beloved pet. No one tells you how much you will cry. That a companion will leave a hole in your heart way bigger than their little 10-pound body.
Oh, and then there is the guilt. Few of us are lucky enough to have our animals pass away peacefully in their sleep. So we feel guilty that we had to ‘put them down,’ or that we ‘let them die.’ Guilty that we didn’t play with them enough or didn’t pet them enough, or this, or that, or any one of a million possible things we could feel guilty for.
No one tells you that you will second guess almost everything you’ve done since they were a kitten. Did we give her the right food for her particular issues? Did she have issues? Should we have done more?
Look Mom, I brought you some birds!
The one thing I can tell you about grief and loss and the continued ebb and flow of missing Noel after being with her daily for 16 years, 10 months, and a bunch of days, is that she is burned into my memory and heart forever.
We all grieve differently, but grieve we do. So if you have ever lost a pet, or several, I offer you my heartfelt condolences. Please know that over time your sadness will lessen and your tears will flow less. And know that the best thing you can do for you, and to honor their memory, is to go on and not get lost in that sadness. For me, I go and hug my other dogs and cats and humans, and let the love that I felt for Noel translate into even deeper love for the others.
Here’s to you Queen Noel: Your memory is a blessing. “yehi zichra baruch”
Several months ago I took a dog travel crate out of the attic to take Noel to the vet. I like to use the dog crates, even though I have smaller cat crates for each of the cats (in case we ever have to evacuate), just to give them room. Anyway, the minute I got home with Noel from the vet, Jolie, who loves crates, was not happy that a cat was using her crate and she decided that this crate should stay in the living room all the time so she can keep an eye on it. So it has.
However, when Jolie was getting ready to go in the crate the other day she found a surprise. Mini Cooper, the cat dog, had taken it for her own. Slowly, Jolie backed up and went to sleep on the cat bed.
Yes, now the cat sleeps in the dog crate and the dog sleeps in the cat bed (sort of).
DogDaz Zoo 