A New Addition

I think by now, everyone knows about Mom and Dad's adventures with Harvey. He's a troublemaker, but absolutely adorable. The one thing he's not good at is cuddling. Maybe he will learn to be a lap cat one day, but Mom and Dad missed my cuddles and needed a kitty to do that again.

For the last few weeks, they've been on a mission to find a kitty who will be both a cuddler and a friend for Harvey to pal around with and help keep him out of trouble. Well, that day has arrived!

Meet Evelyn.

Evelyn was originally named Gizmo and had lived, along with her brofur Gadget, with a foster Mom from Wayside Waifs. She is 2 months old and just as sweet as can be!

Dad fell in love with her right away.

Once the adoption was completed they hopped in the car. Evelyn seemed to like the ride!

They had to make one stop before going home. They went to PetSmart. Mom wasn't expecting to adopt a kitten, so they had to buy her some kitten food. They bought her name tag too. Like a true girl, she loved shopping!

When they got home, Evelyn sat on Dad's lap for a long time and took a nap.

Harvey wasn't too happy with this new situation, so he observed from a safe location.

Later in the evening, Mom and Evelyn went to the bedroom to watch "A League of Their Own". Mom wanted her to see where her name came from.

I'm so happy for Mom and Dad. I know that they will enjoy having a new furry family member in the home. I really hope this heals Mama's broken heart the rest of the way. She misses me every day, but has so much love to give that other kitties should benefit from it. Evelyn is a lucky girl to have been adopted by the best parents around.

Meowy Crispmouse!

I know how much Mama loves this time of year so I thought I'd share some of her favorite pet related Christmas memories.

I've told you about Rosie, Mama's kitty that lived in Wichita. He was there to greet me when I went to the Rainbow Bridge. Even though he's a tough guy, he's also a big fan of Crispmouse. He and Mama had 17 years together, so they had a lot of holiday memories.

That's a happy kitty.

Rosie's last Crispmouse.

Of course, there was her doggie, Oscar. She could barely keep him in the house after he opened his gifts!

Mama always makes sure to get something special for Gpa's dog Yaz. That dog is crazy, but lovable.

Now, Mama is kept busy by Harvey. He's broken a few decorations, but she still loves him.

Harvey and Dad hamming it up by the tiny tree.

Little Dottie never gets left out of the festivities!

I only had two Christmases with Mama, but I'll always be there in memory for her.

I hope you all have a great holiday with both two- and four-legged family members. Every moment becomes a memory! Merry Crispmouse!

Wordless Wednesday: Maybe the Mailman is a Dog Lover?

Even Cats Celebrate Repeal Day

Gratitude and Thanks

It's Thanksgiving and I'm reflecting on a challenging year that holds many things to be thankful for.

I'm thankful that things worked out the way they did when we had the fire back in February. Mama had our emergency kit, the Shawnee Police Officer carried Dottie down the stairs, and the local fire departments fought so hard, saving all the structures around our burning building.

I'm thankful for the staff at BluePearl, the emergency/specialty V-E-T in Overland Park who tried so hard to find out what was wrong with me and who cared for me so lovingly while I was there. They not only treated me kindly, but they treated Mom and Dad the same.

I'm beyond grateful that Mom and Dad made the excruciating decision to help me Over the Rainbow Bridge. I was so sick. Even though no amount of time on this earth would have been enough for us to be together, we'll have eternity together one day. I'm happy and healthy once again and I couldn't ask for more.

I'm thankful for everyone who reached out to help us this year. My Twitter family pulled together to support our family through all of the difficulties we faced. We couldn't have done it without you!

A special shout out goes to Linda @MrsKrameDog Kramer. She not only hooked Mom and Dad up with an invitation to the Q&A session before the Aerosmith concert in Kansas City, her hubby Joey Kramer signed Mom's CD AND she upgraded their seats for the show. It was the best Aerosmith show Mom and Dad had been to. My pals really pulled together on that one too!

I hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving and a happy holiday season. I'll be watching over all the festivities from my cloud and if you look up in the sky at night, you'll see my star twinkling with love.

Wordless Wednesday: Rebuilding After Disaster

Featured Furry: Andy

Mama has a new shelter love.

His name is Andy and he is 3 years old. He is very sweet and right away was climbing up on Mama to give her a hug. When he did that, Mom could feel immediately that he was very skinny. She gave him a few treats and noticed he hadn't eaten the wet food in his kennel. She got him a different kind of food and encouraged him to eat.

And eat he did!

In between eating, Mama would pick Andy up and carry him around. He loved being in her arms, carried like a baby. Mama really misses having me to cuddle, so Andy was a blessing to hold.

Andy is waiting to be retested for FIV. Since he came in as a stray, the folks at Wayside Waifs want to make sure about his health.

Andy says "Adopt me!"

Andy is a super sweet boy who would give tons of love to the family that gives him a forever home. If you're interested, go meet him at Wayside Waifs in Kansas City.

UPDATE

Andy spent a week with Mom and Dad on furlough from the shelter. He and Harvey got along great, but he and Dad just didn't connect. It was good for him to get out of his kennel for a few days, though.

Check out the video shot by Lisa Richman, Mama's favorite friend and fellow volunteer.

Wordless Wednesday: Basket Cat

Calling All Anipals

WOOT WOOT WOOT WOOT WOOT WOOT WOOT WOOT

ATTENTION ALL ANIPALS! YOUR ASSISTANCE IS NEEDED!

I am requesting tweets to be sent to the members of the rock band Aerosmith. Mom and Dad are going to see them in concert in Kansas City on Wednesday, November 14th-just over a week away. Mom is dying to get an autographed CD from them to replace the ones she lost in the fire back in February.

Many years ago, Mom and Dad went to see Aerosmith in Oklahoma City. A few days prior to the concert, Mom got a call from their fan club, AeroForce1, saying she won a meet and greet with the band right before the show. She was so excited she jumped up and down screaming like a little girl...at work!

Mom and Dad stayed at the same hotel that the band was staying at. The afternoon before the concert, Mom went for a walk around the outside of the hotel to stalk the band members get some fresh air. She actually ran into the drummer, Joey Kramer! She got him to autograph one of the CDs she was conveniently carrying around with her.

At the meet and greet, fans were instructed that they could only have one item per person autographed. Mom and Dad each took a CD. The CD that Dad took was given to Mom's niece and nephew. Mom chose to have her CD of the album "Pump" autographed because the album had actually been released on her 14th birthday.

Then the fire happened. The autographed CDs were lost.

I want to try to get the band's attention and see if they will autograph a CD for Mom to replace the lost CDs. Maybe even the album "Nine Lives"? MOL

All but one of the band members has a Twitter account. The members on Twitter are:

• Lead singer Steven Tyler is @IamStevenT
• Lead guitarist Joe Perry is @JoePerry
• Joe's wife is @BilliePerry
• Drummer Joey Kramer is @JoeyKramer
• Joey's wife is @MrsKramedog
• Bassist Tom Hamilton is @THaerosmith

I would love it if all my pals could start tweeting to the band members asking them to autograph a CD for Mama. She's already been tweeting to them (she's @BoSoxAmy) but her tweets probably get lost in the stream. If we ALL tweeted, surely they will see some of them!

Thanks for helping me out, once again, I can't do it without my anipals!

Most Popular Phrases

Mom and Dad seem to say a lot of the same things over and over to Harvey. Here are a few of the most popular, in no particular order.

• No! No! NO!
• Get DOWN from there!
• That is not a toy. Not. A. Toy!
• You'd better cool your jets.
• Are you crazy?
• Stop that!
• What is wrong with you?
• Leave it alone!

And last but not least:

• He must be your cat.

Harvey, in sleeping angel mode.

Wordless Wednesday: Happy Halloween!

Anyone Up For a House Guest?

Harvey had better straighten up and fly right! Mama is threatening to pack his bags and send him to live with someone else until he outgrows this kitten stage.

Does this innocent face look like a naughty kitty to you?

Wordless Wednesday: Why We Can't Have Nice Things

Happy Birthday, Mom

Today is Mom's birthday. I know she misses me, so I made sure to send lots of love to her today. My wish for her is to be happy and know that we'll be together again one day. It will feel like a long time to her, but for me it won't be long at all.

Happy birthday, Mama. I love you.

Wordless Wednesday: The Best Seat in the House

Daffy's Toy Box Pawty

I've told you all about my friend Daffy before. She's a pawsome pal who is having some mysterious shakes that her regular V-E-T can't diagnose. Since this seems to be a pretty serious problem, she needs to get to the specialists at Kansas State University. Of course, the trip and all the tests are going to be expensive, so Daffy's friends are doing their best to help raise the funds she needs.

Coming up this Friday there is going to be a fun pawty to help raise the rest of the money Daffy needs. It's her #ToyBoxPawty! If you haven't heard about Daffy's Toy Box, you should follow her on Twitter, @NoCrybabyDoGs, and learn about the fun things that she finds in there!

Everybody is welcome to come to the pawty and bring their favorite toy for show and tell. There will be noms and prizes. Of course, if you can spare some green papers to help Daffy, those are especially appreciated!

Remember to come by for a good time and a great cause this Friday, August 10th at 7pm Eastern.

You can get more details and RSVP here.

Rooms Full of Kitties

Many times when I feature a kitty up for adoption at Wayside Waifs I mention the "room" they are in. This might sound funny because a lot of shelters keep their adoptable cats in kennels. Wayside has some cats in kennels, but others are in "hug rooms" or "colonies".

The hug rooms and colonies are great for bonded cats who need to be together, bigger cats who need more room to move around, and even litters of kittens.

Mom has always enjoyed visiting the cats in their own rooms. It gives her time and space to do what she loves to do best when she volunteers: cuddle kitties. As a matter of fact, that's how we first met. I was in a hug room, Mom came in, sat down on the floor, and I got on her lap. I had lots of room to move around, plus I could see what was going on in the adoption area through my door.

The colony rooms are even bigger and have room for more kitties. One of these rooms, "Catfish Cove", is where "Sebastian's Circle", the donated cat wheel is. It has a chair for volunteers to sit in and has windows on three sides so people in the adoption area and in the hallway can see the kitties inside.

Right now, there are some Siamese mix kittens occupying the room. They have room to run and play like kittens need.

Another room is "Meow Mansion". It's even got a sink in it! That's something that Squirt, a young orange tabby really enjoys!

There is a counter that is perfect for lounging, too, as Lily demonstrates.

Of course, there are always soft beds to lay in, like Veronica is doing, or room to roam, like her bestie JellyBean is doing.

If you're looking to add a furry friend to your home, go to Wayside Waifs in Kansas City and spend some time in one of the rooms with the lucky kitties who get to reside there. You'll love how comfy it is for them!

Wordless Wednesday: Grandpa & Yaz at the Market