Give It a Rest, Angels! Really!

I'm just going to tell you immediately!  I'm worried about my angels!!!!  They are so busy!  They are always busy, with cleaning, washing, feeding, preparing vouchers, selling things from the shop, bringing in new cats, making volunteer schedules, taking cats to the spa!  I mean, really, it is unending!  But now with My Furry Valentine coming up on February 9, less than a month away, it is even worse than usual.  Add to that list of things the fact that they are now planning food and drink for the event, sending out invitations and requests for donations, tracking donations, making beautiful baskets for the silent auction, planning decorations!  I could go on and on!  Oh my, if they were busy before, well, I'm just worried!

And I realized something just the other day.  I have never seen one of my angels nap!  I thought that maybe it was just my very dedicated StreetCat angels who don't nap, but actually I've never seen the angels at our spa, Feline Specialities, nap either!  Is this just one more area in which my human angels are lacking?!

So I want to show my angels how this important break in the day is done!  Now here is a picture of Miss Molly, a very beautiful napper.  But beautiful or not, there are benefits to this habit!

See . . . it's easy, you just curl up and before you know it you're asleep!  Angels, you humans are in the minority if you are not nappers!  85% of mammals are polyphaisc!  That means that you monophasic angels who don't take naps during the day, who divide your day in two (sleep time and awake time) are in the minority!  And besides that, napping can be very good for you.  It's fun, sort of a mini-vacation!  Here, let me show you another example.

Now this is Donald taking a "power nap."  He has been adopted and I'm sure his great napping ability is one reason he was chosen!  Napping helps with alertness, enhances performance, and reduces mistakes and accidents.  Now if you don't happen to believe me about that, check with the National Sleep Foundation.  They'll tell you!

And now I'll show you a picture of the best napper there is at StreetCats, although I must say that writing this blog has definitely caused some issues in regard to my napping time.  This is me, Janie!

You see what a perfect curl I make!  And please don't let anyone tell you that napping is a sign of low standards, laziness or lack of ambition!  I mean I do get the blog written, don't I?!

So angels, let me catch you curled up like this from time to time.  It will be good for you!  You'll still get everything done for My Furry Valentine!  And, that reminds me, if you haven't gotten your ticket yet . . . well, do it!

The Scoop, The Skinny, Everything You Need to Know!

I told you I'd figure this out!  And I did!  They were here again last night and just as soon as I saw them gathering their chairs I put Dottie on the case!  She was the logical choice to help me figure it out.  It sure couldn't be one of the kittens . . . they get distracted from any task I give them almost immediately! And besides, Dottie hung out with the angels at their last meeting so she already had a clue about what was happening.  And after tonight?  Success!

It's a party!!!!  WE'RE HAVING A PARTY!!!!  And it's only about a month away!  The angels call it My Furry Valentine!  I think Valentine's Day has something to do with love because there are hearts and it is all about red things and flowers and candy.  I think they'll be having all of those things at the party!

I was so relieved when Dottie said we don't have to be there!  Because, I'm sorry, but hearts, candy, flowers . . . they just don't do it for us!  Now if they want to have chicken, turkey, salmon and almost any other fish, I would show up!  Let's face it, the party is not for the cats . . . well, this is so confusing, because it IS for the cats!  What I'm trying to say is that it's okay that we won't be there because we are not at all interested in being there.  But the party is specifically planned to help StreetCats have enough money to take care of US, the cats!  Now do you understand?!  I bet a bunch of you got an invitation in the mail, but if you didn't here you go.  Consider this your own personal invite!

Hee, hee!  Pretty sneaky aren't we?!  Dottie took a picture!

So this tells you everything you need to know:  the date, the time, where to go and how much it costs!  (Remember, all proceeds are for us cats!) Now I've not ever been to this event, so I'll have to take the word of the people who've been here planning this.  They say it is a very special, happy fun time!  And it is put on by my angels, all volunteers, without exception!

So finally I just want to say that you should come!  And tell everyone you know that they should come, too!  You . . . and they . . . would be just as welcome as my canned food is when they bring it to me!  Hmmm, something tells me the potential attendees (angels, all of them) might not quite be enticed by that thought.  How about each and every one of you would be just as welcome as spring is going to be in a few weeks!  And this fun, cheery, happy event will most definitely make the last weeks of winter fun!  I won't see you there, but my angels will be telling me about all of you!  I love you!

Broken Hearted!

Gosh, I'm really wondering how much longer I'm going to be able to do this blogging job.  When I gave in to Lulu and said I would do this job I had to start paying attention to everything going on around here.  And, because I'm paying attention, right now my heart is broken!  And you are probably asking, "Janie, what happened?!

This is Lizzie.  Lizzie just came to StreetCats.  Lizzie is an older girl.  She is 13!  Wow, I hope I live to be 13!  But when I'm 13 I hope my people don't decide they don't want me any more.  How can that happen?!  What was so wrong that Lizzie's owner chose a very drastic way to no longer take care of Lizzie . . . and I'm not talking about bringing her to StreetCats!  Thankfully someone intervened and here she is.  Don't you love her white chest and paws?!  She has four white paws!

So how do I mend this broken heart?!  If I can mend Lizzie's broken heart, then mine will be mended, too!  Just so you'll know, Lizzie is healthy!  She has a wonderful appetite and no behavior problems at all!  And she's sweet!  One of my angels pulled Lizzie onto her lap today and Lizzie just purred and purred and rubbed against her.  Why, why, why????

Please help me mend Lizzie's broken heart so that I can go on writing this blog without crying all the time!  And please help me mend Lizzie's broken heart so that she can live again!  She deserves to grow old in a home where she will be given a diamond collar and a little brandy in her cream.

Oh, Lizzie, don't worry sweet girl.  You are a StreetCats cat now!  My angels will take beautiful care of you from now on and you will see more sunshine like what you are seeing in this picture.  My angels will find a perfect home for you with hands that want to pet you and hearts who want to love you!  And until that happens, I love you!

Happy Holidays!

Well, here at StreetCats, we are having a very nice holiday season.  The best news is that two of us have been adopted!!!  Tully and Andy have gone to their forever homes!  And the really cool story is that Andy's home was his original forever home!!!!  Can you believe it??!!  He got lost and his family has been looking for him for a year!  They recognized him when they saw his StreetCats picture and they came to get him!  I'm so glad we've been taking such good care of him!  So we're happy for Andy, whose real name is Gus, and Tully!  I heard my angels talking and they said that these two kitties are going to be making some people very happy this Christmas!

The rest of us at StreetCats are having fun with all our toys!  And guess what?!   Santa came to see us!  He left us a hat just like his!   When we saw that hat we were so excited!  I called my friend, Vickie, the photographer, and she came and took some pictures.  

First, here's Odie.  He's trying to get the hat on his head!  Sometimes we wish we had opposable thumbs, like our angels!

And now here's Donald!  I wonder if he thinks this is cotton candy!  No, Donald, don't eat it!

No, Lokie, just because Donald's eating the hat doesn't mean it's the right thing to do!

Vickie, I think you'd better just give me the hat and I will take care of it!  No, don't put it on my head, please.  Just place it right here beside me where it will be safe.  These other cats are too rambunctious to be given the responsibility for such a special keepsake!

Happy Holidays from me, Janie, and all my friends at StreetCats!  

A THING OF BEAUTY IS A JOY FOREVER

That's a poem by John Keats.  He's really famous, you know.  I'm going to let you read just the first few lines:

A thing of beauty is a joy forever:

It's loveliness increases; it will never

Pass into nothingness; but still will keep

A lower quiet for us, and a sleep

Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing.

It's a really long poem and Mr. Keats talks about many beautiful things.  He didn't mention cats, but I think that's because these first few lines are so obviously about cats.  We cats are especially soothing to our angels and that's what this is about.  I mean even the kittens, with all their energy, bring a certain quiet health to the angels who adopt them!  I bet you didn't know that I like poetry.  And I bet you didn't even realize that I, Janie, really do a lot of thinking!  But I do!

And here is what I think.  I think when Mr. Keats wrote his poem he had in mind a kitty just like Miss Molly!  I'm going to show you a picture of this creature of beauty!  She came to us because, for whatever reason, her humans could no longer keep her.  Their particular solution to this problem was pretty drastic!  And, just like with me, the StreetCats angels saved her life.  Don't worry, she isn't sick like I was.  She is healthy enough to sometimes want to play with the kittens at StreetCats!  That's pretty neat because she is not a kitten at all.  She is 11 years old!  And she can still jump onto things!  Well, here she is!

And here is something interesting about Molly and her color.  She's white, right?  Well, she is, except that she has some black smudges on her head!  And you can see some black smudges on her paws!  Isn't that interesting?!  Here is what I've read . . . That white cats aren't really white!  Huh?!  No, really.  I don't know if this is true or not, but what I read is that white cats are a color that is being suppressed by a certain gene they have!  That sure is an interesting idea!  So . . . is Miss Molly really black and her gene to suppress her color doesn't work very well?  I think there are scientists who like to explore these possibilities, but I think I'll just call her a white cat with some black smudges!

Whatever the answer to that question, Miss Molly is a sweet, healthy older kitty who is a thing of beauty who will bring joy to any human who will adopt her and take her to her forever home.  She will bring YOU, dear human, a healthy sense of peace that is full of quiet breathing!

Bye, bye!

Midnight shenanigans!

Really didn't think I'd be doing this so soon, but here we go!  This is just a small sample of the nighttime activities at StreetCats.  You see, we cats are not only nocturnal, but we can see in the dark!  Now that is just cool if I do say so myself!  Of course I do not participate in any of these naughty activities!  I wouldn't!  It is just not my nature to be at all destructive (note to potential adopters!).  But I do observe.  And I have promised not to name any kitty names!  And oh yeah, one more thing.  Vickie, the blog photographer is not here during the night so I had to take these pictures myself.  Boy, am I ever NOT a photographer!  So I apologize!

As you can maybe tell, this is a picture of cabinets.  And when my angels leave in the evening these cabinets are shut and hooked.  So how, you ask, did the kitties get the doors open?  Well, I can only tell you that cats are determined and persistent!  And smart!!!!  And why, you ask, would cats want to open the cabinet doors?  Well, have you heard the phrase "curiosity killed the cat?"  I've never liked that phrase, but it does point out that cats are curious.  And we do not like closed doors!

   

Now here's another picture...

Now you will see in this picture that the cats have opened the lower cabinet doors, too.  When we get curious, well, we get curious!  See the towels on the floor?  Now you wonder why there are towels on the floor, right?  Well, they were dragged out of the upper cabinet and dropped to the floor!  If you think the cats were making a new bed on the floor you would be wrong!  No, they were rearranging the upper cabinet so that they could sleep in it comfortably!  We have so many beds at StreetCats!  BUT, a cabinet is always best!  Oh let's face it, you will probably never really understand . . . unless you're a cat!

Okay, one more picture and then I'll quit.  Here it is!

Now if you look closely at my poor photography, you will see that the sign on the container says Janie's food.  Well, I am Janie and that is definitely NOT me getting into the food!  Now this could even irritate me!

Here is my suggestion for keeping these crazy things from happening.  Angels, if you are reading this, please pay attention!  There is room in the big cat room for a human bed.  We would even give you as many beds of our own as you need.  Then you can take turns sleeping here with us at night!  Isn't that a great idea!  Gee, I wonder just how many kitties would sleep in the bed with you, play with your hair, purr in your ear, etc.    I bet we would bring some toys to your bed, too!  Of course if the cats went to sleep you would not be free to move lest you disturb them!  Maybe you would learn to be nocturnal, too!

Bye, bye.

Sleep Deprivation! Really!

Did you ever think that a cat could be sleep deprived????  Well, it was certainly nothing I ever thought could happen!  How did Lulu do it???  Here is my problem.  I'm nocturnal, right?  So I'm awake quite a bit at night observing what goes on around StreetCats during the wee hours of the morning.  That's just my nature.  (Someday maybe I'll tell you all about the nighttime StreetCats!)  Well, if I'm going to write a blog about my angels and all they do for us I also have to stay awake during the day because that is when they are here planning and cleaning and planning and petting us!  I know that Lulu napped all day!  I bet she had 20 naps a day!  How did she do it?!

There has been so much going on with my angels!  I still haven't figured out what that meeting was about and I'll tell you about that just as soon as I find out!  And, believe me, I'm working on that!  So here is what I DO know.  The other day my angels took a bunch of "merchandise" and went to an event called Affair of the Heart.  They sold things there!  This Saturday, 12/7, they are going to another deal called Darnaby Craft Show.  It's at a place called UMAC.  That stands for Union Multipurpose Activities Center.  It's at 6836 S. Mingo Avenue in Tulsa and is from 9:00 to 4:00 that day.  And they'll take more merchandise!  And they'll sell it!  And whatever money they make will be spent on all the cats at StreetCats!  Amazing!  Hey, I know!  If you haven't done all your Christmas shopping yet, you can come there!

And here is something else they are doing!!!!  On Sunday, 12/8 from 3:00 to 8:00, on Monday, 12/9, from 5:00 to 9:00 and on Wednesday, 12/11, from 5:00 to 9:00 some of my angels will be at the Barnes & Noble on 41st Street to wrap your gifts for you!  Now I don't know whose idea that was, but I think it's a pretty nice thing to do!  And they do it for free!  (Okay, if you want to make a donation to us kitties, you can.  And, believe me, we would appreciate it!)  There is one volunteer, Joyce Deboard, who makes really beautiful bows for this wrapping gig.  I haven't seen them because she can't make them here.  That's because the kittens would want to play with them, right?  Right!  But I hear they are beautiful!  Isn't that just so nice of her to do that?!  Joyce, please bring me one of your bows!

Oh, I'm so darn tired!  I've just got to figure out some napping time!  Should I write to Lulu and asked her for advice?  I'm yawning so much that it's even hard to eat!  Gee, I wonder if my angels are sleep deprived, too?  They sure are doing a lot!

Bye.