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phesina
10-01-2006, 04:45 PM
Hello everyone,

I have been intending for quite a whlie to introduce myself and my cats in the Cats General section, since I've been following it for several months now and throwing in comments here and there lately.

I have had the Cat of the Day as my home page for a few years now.. then one day I clicked the link saying "Talk about today's cat in Pet Talk!" I started following the threads about the Cats of the Day.. Then one day I started looking at the General threads and following some of those.. (by now, this is around the holidays last year.. and I *loved* the Cat Olympics!). Lately I've occasionally made comments and responses in some of the threads. I thought it was about time I introduced myself and my kitty family.

My name is Pat Murray. My four.. no, five now! cats and I live in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, which is about 50 miles west of Detroit (and Windsor, Ontario). I work at a no-kill shelter for cats and do some petsitting on occasion too.

Peony, age 12, is a solid brown-tabby girl.

Sydney, 11, is a tuxedo boy.

Priscilla, 7, is a long-hair white-with-some-grey-splotches girl.

Poppy, 1 1/2, is a tortie girl.

and.. Elmer, 5 months old, who still officially belongs to the shelter but is here to say, is a brown tabby with white trim. He is also a Cerebellar Hypoplasia baby.

I don't have a digital camera yet ... one of these days.. Meanwhile, here is a simple web site I made in an Internet design class I took a couple of years ago: http://stu.wccnet.edu/~pmurray/MyCats/

Mitsie, who is on that site, passed on from complications from kidney disease a year ago last July. A week later a co-worker from the shelter asked me if I would take care of her foster kitten "for a week" while she went up north.. so Poppy came, and the rest is history.

I don't have pictures of Poppy or Elmer yet, but I hope to soon.

Sydney was diagnosed with a fibrosarcoma a couple of months ago. Surgery a couple of days later didn't quite get it all. He had another operation by a surgical specialist last month. Wonderful results: clean margins all around!

Priscilla is no longer the kitten, now that Poppy has come along. She (Priscilla) is still bossy. She sometimes chases the others, in particular Peony, who growls and hisses but won't just bop her one to stop this behavior. As a result, Peony spends a lot of time hiding. I wish I knew what to do about this. I hate for Peony to be intimidated and scared.

Elmer has been here about two weeks now. He gets around pretty much where he wants to, with a lot of listing back and forth and some stumbling and falling. He picks himself up and carries on. He LOVES the laser light.. he LOVES the Cat Dancer.. and he REALLLLLY LOVES the catnip! He, Sydney, and Poppy got high a few nights ago and all rolled around and bounced around even more than usual!

His body is quite long and skinny, and his legs are even longer in proportion. He walks around with them spread out to help keep his balance, looking sort of like a little colt or fawn or even giraffe (without the long neck). He also has a very loud voice and no hesitation on expressing himself. He is a very dear little boy.

I've been enjoying so much reading and seeing the pictures and movies of so many of the kitties here,.. I'm looking forward to getting to know you folks and your cats better.


Pat, Peony, Sydney, Priscilla, Poppy, and Elmer

catmandu
10-01-2006, 04:53 PM
The Found Cats and I along with Our Angels wish to welcome you officially to Pet Talk.
We are really sorry to hear about Mitsie
he was truly a wonderful Cat.
Hes an Angel now and will see you again, One Fine Day.
You certainly have a wonderful Clowder of Cats.

phesina
10-01-2006, 05:26 PM
Thank you, Gary, and the cats thank you too. Mitsie was indeed a wonderful cat. He, Mary Lou, and Phoebe are all waiting for the rest of us at the Rainbow Bridge.

Your cats are an absolute delight, and you are an inspiration to me!

Pat

kimlovescats
10-01-2006, 05:39 PM
WELCOME Pat and kitties! It's so nice to officially get to know you and your kitties! I enjoyed meeting some of them on your site, and look forward to meeting the others when it's possible!

You'll fit right in here, as many of us here are proud "foster failures"!!! :D

Kim

Freedom
10-01-2006, 06:11 PM
Hi Pat and Furry Family! Welcome to PT. I don't have a digital camera either, so my pics tend to be a bit old, that's OK. If I use a roll of 24 exposures, I get . . . 24 cat photos. And I go through 2 rolls of film per month. Some are 36 exposure; I don't bother with the 12's. So I have PLENTY!

I am also a Foster Failure. My first and only foster lasted half an hour! I was on the phone telling them, "this was a bad idea, it is not going to work . . . " And the other person started apologizing, she thought the kitty had a gentle personality. "Oh, it's not THAT! Take me OFF the foster mom list, and take HER OFF the adoption list!" Ha ha.

Sorry to hear about Mitsie. It is so hard to lose them.

Wonderful news about Syndey!

Can't wait to see photos of all your kitties!

Grace
10-01-2006, 06:20 PM
Hi there - you and I live about 12 miles apart. I'm in Dexter, with my 5 cats.

Welcome to Pet Talk!

krazyaboutkatz
10-01-2006, 06:23 PM
Hi Pat,welcome to PT!!!:D I checked out your website and your cats are gorgeous. I look forward to hearing more about them and hopefully seeing more pictures of them too.:)I'm so sorry to hear about Mitsie.:(

When I joined PT in March of 2002 I only had 3 cats. Then I lost one in Feb.2003:( and now I'm up to 6 cats. I think you'll fit right in here.:)

catfamily
10-01-2006, 06:46 PM
Hi Pat
Welcome :)
I'm sorry for the loss of your Dear Mitsie :(
Your cats are beautiful .I especially think that Priscilla is so pretty she could be a movie star.Maybe she knows that and that's why she's so bossy :D
She wants to strut her stuff.
kidding :D
I hope Peony gets at ease soon.Maybe you could keep putting Peony on the bed with you and pat her when your laying down and that may relax Peony more.
That stuff happens at my house every now and then.
It's nice to meet you and your furfamily.
Carla Mike and the cats

phesina
10-01-2006, 09:19 PM
Dear Kim, Freedom, Grace, KAK, and Carla and Mike, thank you all for your warm welcomes.

I just realized I had a typo in my message, I said Elmer "still officially belongs to the shelter but is here to say," and maybe that isn't real clear... What I meant was he's here to STAY! He is a darling, adorable kitten with the sweetest little face you can imagine.

I had already read all about Amy, so I wasn't shocked at Elmer's condition when he turned up at the shelter. I'd never heard of CH before that. I therefore already have reason to appreciate how helpful the Pet Talkers can be! And now Taccoa has joined the community too..

Kim, you live in Rhode Island? We (some of us) lived in Providence before we came to Ann Arbor 4 years ago.. and Grace, we're also "far from Fenway," because we (some of us) lived around Boston, mostly in Cambridge, for some 30 years before that... and you're not kidding you're close now..

Here are where the kitties come from:

Peony, from Los Angeles (Venice), California
Sydney, from Cambridge, Massachusetts
Priscilla, from Providence, Rhode Island
Poppy, from Ann Arbor, Michigan
A N D...
Elmer, from Dexter, Michigan!

A friend from the shelter (the Mosaic Feline Refuge in Ann Arbor), the one who asked me to "foster" (hehe) her foster kitten Poppy for a week, wants to come over and take some pictures of Poppy and Elmer with her digital camera.. so I hope I will be able to share some with you soon. I do have a JPG picture of Poppy as a baby, but it is enormous (237 KB), and I don't know if I should reduce it, and if so how to do that.

Freedom, I'm like you with the "film" camera.. I get a roll with 24 exposures, or 36 exposures, that's 24 or 36 new pictures of cats.

Carla Mike, I think you're right, Priscilla has the movie star syndrome.. her wish is everyone else's command! And I've been taking Peony to bed with me the last few nights, and she's stayed the night. I put her on the pillow next to me at first, and then a couple days ago I put a cat bed next to the pillow (because she would hog most of the pillow). The other night she was already in it waiting for me when I was ready to go to bed.

Now that Elmer is here, Priscilla is not only not the kitten any longer, she's the middle child now! And Poppy is no longer the kitten now either, and she's a little annoyed at that. They seem to be accepting his presence without much stress, though.

Thanks all for the words of sympathy for Mitsie. He had a hard time before he came to me, and he never did become really socialized, but he got much less frightened/hostile and more approachable over the years. I was glad I could at least give him a life full of food, warmth, comfort, and love.

And thanks also for the good wishes on Sydney. I was amazed. He's back in as good form as ever, waking me hours before the crack of dawn.

Looking forward to meeting more of your cats, everyone,

Pat and the gang

phesina
10-01-2006, 10:02 PM
Ooops! My mistake, I meant Freedom, you live in Rhode Island.. Kim lives in Tennessee, as I realized after I'd already sent it off. Sorry to put you in the wrong places..

Pat (blush)

catfamily
10-02-2006, 04:57 AM
That's so sweet that Peony is now waiting for you to go to bed so she can be near your head while you sleep.My BooBoo did that for 17 years.He was my soulmate kitty.I think about him all the time.It's easy to get bonded when they sleep near your head/face.
Accually...come to think of it...it's easy to get bonded when they sleep in the other room too.lol :D :D :D
A little morning humor :D

Maya & Inka's mommy
10-02-2006, 07:44 AM
http://users.pandora.be/bernardgabriels/images/Smilies%20550%20welcome_kittiesletters.gif to Pet Talk!!!

Thanks for the long intruduction!! And your cats are all beautiful!
I was happy when I saw you have a boy called Sydney, and even happier when I read he is better now! My first cat was a Sydney too: he is at the Rainbow Bridge since 2002 :(

I am owned by 4 gorgeous cats. Maya is from a shelter; she is a calico girl, almost 4 1/2 years old now.
Our Inka was found in a cornfield (very sick) and is now 4 years old. She has Celebrar Hypoplaisia, which means she has no coordonance between her 4 paws, and has a very poor balance.
Zazou comes from a shelter too! She is our longhaired tuxie girl. She is 2 now.
Little Snoopy arrived in January this year, after my husband found her on a parking lot, almost dying. She will be 1 year old somewhere in November (?)

You can read and see all about them on my web-site The Pet's House (http://users.pandora.be/bernardgabriels/)

phesina
10-02-2006, 02:57 PM
Dear Carla and Mike, Peony has been waiting for me on the cat bed next to the pillow only the one time, so far. But the other nights I've been getting her from her cat bed in the closet and bringing her to the bed, and she's stayed the night. My sympathy to you on your loss of Booboo your soulmate of 17 years.

As for being easy to get bonded "when they sleep in the other room too.lol," I was putting Sydney in the bathroom overnight because he kept waking me way earlier than I wanted.. but now that Elmer is here and has diarrhea, he gets the bathroom at night with his own little litterbox so as (hopefully) not to spread it to the other cats. So Sydney's back in my face first thing again. I'd prefer to bond with him from one room to the next!

Thanks again,
Pat, Peony, Sydney, Priscilla, Poppy, and Elmer

phesina
10-02-2006, 03:08 PM
Dear Maya,Inka,Zazou&Snoopy's Mommy, thank you for the warm welcome from you and your kids. I have seen some of the recent threads on your beautiful cats in their beautiful garden.

Your Pet's House site is wonderful... so many pictures, so much love! I signed the guestbook.

I am so sorry you lost your Sydney.. so young too, and especially, so tragically, suddenly while you were away. I would feel wracked with guilt too. Mitsie tells me he is well now and waits for you with love at the Bridge.

My Sydney has a heart murmur too, but it is a mild one which he has had all his life.

I didn't know Inka was a CH girl too. I am becoming more and more amazed by how many of these cats I'm meeting just recently.. when I'd never even heard of the condition before.

Thanks again, and love to your Girls,
Pat and the gang

Anita Cholaine
10-03-2006, 03:13 PM
Hi Pat, and welcome!
I don't have any cats myself, and I rarely post on the cat section, but it was really good to hear about your babies, they are adorable. I know it's gonna be a pleasure to see you around PT ;)

Natali

phesina
10-03-2006, 05:05 PM
Dear Anita, many thanks for your welcome. It is a pleasure to meet you.

Your doggie is beautiful.. or I just looked at your Dogster page.. are YOU the doggie, Anita? You are beautiful!

Your friends,
Elmer, Poppy, Priscilla, Sydney, Peony, and Pat