Feline Friday

HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT

Feline Friday

Grey cat is hiding in plain sight by napping atop a grey pillow.

Kizmet is not only hiding in plain sight but also participating in the Feline Friday blog hop at messymimi’s meanderings. To participate click on the Feline Friday badge.

Friendly Fill-Ins

Time again to let you know a bit more about Kitties Blue and myself by completing the weekly fill-ins. Ellen (15 And Meowing) and Lorianne (Four-Legged Furballs) host the Friendly Fill-Ins blog hop. On Thursday they each select two sentences to be filled in by hop participants, and you can find those on both blogs. Enter the hop by clicking on the graphic.

Kitties Blue let me complete all four fill-ins this week. I used teal italics to fill in.

1. My favorite character from a film, tv or book is Tilly from The No. 2 Feline Detective Agency books.

2. The one word I would use to describe myself is procrastinator.

3. If I had to give you my best piece of advice, I would tell you to be present in your life.

4. Current music will never compare with that from the 60s.

Thanks for visiting us today. We’ll see you again tomorrow with some Caturday Art.

CELEBRATING ST. GERTRUDE WITH AUDREY

Celebrating St. Gertrude

Painting of St. Gertrude of Nivelles in a garden holding and orange tabby cat with a white cat and tuxedo cat at her feet.

March 17 is not only the feast day of St. Patrick but also the feast day of another important saint. St. Gertrude of Nivelles, who lived from 621 to 659, is the patron saint of gardeners, travelers, widows, recently deceased people, the sick, the poor and the mentally ill. People call upon St. Gertrude for protection from mice, rats, fever, insanity and mental illness. But first and foremost, St. Gertrude is the patron saint of cats and cat lovers. So while you’re imbibing in a green beer or two today, give a toast to St. Gertrude.

Feline Friday

Small brown tabby cat looking out the window.

Do you think Audrey was looking in the garden for St. Gertrude? Whatever she was watching—most likely a squirrel—she definitely was engrossed.

Audrey also will be participating in the Feline Friday blog hop hosted by messymimi’s meanderings. To participate click on the Feline Friday badge.

St. Patrick’s Day

Being one-half Irish, I didn’t want to ignore St. Patrick completely. So I have convinced Cooper Murphy to come by and dance a bit of a jig for you.

Ginger tabby cat dressed as a leprechaun.

Wishing all a Happy St. Gertrude’s &
St. Patrick’s Day

p.s. Sorry Kitties Blue and I didn’t do the Friendly Fill-Ins this week. Sometimes we just can’t find the right words.

ANOTHER SUNNY DAY ON THE CATIO

Feline Friday

Grey Manx tabby cat sleeping on a perch on a catio.

Kitties Blue, including Sawyer, continue to enjoy the catio during our unseasonably warm weather. According to one of our local meteorologists, our current temperatures are about three weeks ahead of where they normally would be this time of year.

Sawyer will be participating in the Feline Friday blog hop at messymimi’s meanderings. To participate click on the Feline Friday badge.

Friendly Fill-Ins

Sawyer assisted with the fill-ins again this week. I can always count on him when I need some help. We both used teal italics for our fill-ins. Any explanatory information is in parentheses.

1. Be sure to always be kind because there are too many people who cannot be bothered.

2. Sawyer: I would never give my treats away to any of my fursibs. (Audrey, aka The Hoover, however, is always trying to steal them.)

3. I got these beautiful chakra stones healing crystals for my birthday from one of my dear friends.

4. Just because I can’t carry a tune doesn’t mean I don’t like to sing.

March 10, 2023 by Janet Blue Feline Friday Friendly Friday Fill-Ins Kitties Blue 10

THREE PEEKING CATS

Feline/Flashback Friday

Without any new photos to share with you, I dug way back into my photo archives. This photo is from October 4, 2012. It features Fiona, Lisbeth and Giulietta. I think it is a good accompaniment to this week’s Looking Back post, “Cats in High Places.” If you missed checking out that post, click on the link. I guarantee you will enjoy it.

Three cats on the stairs (grey, tuxie and long-haired grey) looking through spindles.

Lisbeth and our two angels will be participating in the Feline Friday blog hop at messymimi’s meanderings. To participate click on the Feline Friday badge.

Friendly Fill-Ins

I got some help with filling in from both Stinky and Sawyer. And even the one fill-in I did is about Sawyer. He is the most helpful of all the Kitties Blue when it comes to the Friendly Fill-ins. We all used teal italics, and additional info is in parentheses.

1. Stinky: Having adventures with Periwinkle is always super fun.

2. Sawyer: Did you know that I like treats?

3. I know how scary it is when Sawyer has a seizure all too well.

4. Sawyer: I can’t explain why I don’t like the medicine Mom and Dad put in my noms. (One of them is even tuna flavored!)

Thanks for dropping in to see us. We’ll be back again tomorrow with some Caturday Art.

March 3, 2023 by Janet Blue Feline Friday Flashback Friday Friendly Friday Fill-Ins Looking Back Sisters 11

TWO YOUNG FELINES IN THE SUN

Feline Friday

Two young felines, a tabby kitten and grey cat sitting on separate perches on a catio in the sun.

Audrey and Kizmet, who were enjoying another warm day in the sun on the catio, are joining the Feline Friday blog hop at messymimi’s meanderings. To participate click on the Feline Friday badge.

Friendly Fill-Ins

Time again to let you know a bit more about Kitties Blue and myself by completing the weekly fill-ins. Friendly Fill-Ins is a blog hop hosted by Ellen (15 And Meowing) and Lorianne (Four-Legged Furballs). On Thursday they each select two sentences to be filled in by hop participants, and you can find those on both blogs. Enter the hop by clicking on the graphic.

Amazingly, I did not need any help from Kitties Blue this week. I completed all the fill-ins myself. I used teal italics for filling in. Additional information is in parentheses.

1. An item discontinued that I want brought back is Toll House Choco Bake Pre-Melted Unsweetened Chocolate. (It was the best for making wonderfully moist chocolate cakes.)

2. I would eat apricot pie every day if I could. (Unfortunately, I don’t know anyplace outside of California where I can get it.)

3. It’s almost time for spring, and I can’t wait. (It actually seems to have arrived early! Do you see those eaves on the tree in the above photo? And if you read yesterday’s post, you know that my yard has daffodils and crocus blooming as well.)

4. The 1960s were the good old days. (Especially the music!)

Thanks for joining us again today. We’ll be back tomorrow with some Caturday Art. Hope to see you again then.

February 24, 2023 by Janet Blue Feline Friday Friendly Friday Fill-Ins 17

TABBY CATS NAMED TIGER

Feline Friday

An old photo of a tabby cat and her three tabby kittens.

Today’s felines lived a long time ago with Dad Tom and his family. This is Tiger and her three kittens. The photo is circa 1950.

My family and I also had a cat named Tiger. Our Tiger, however, was a male. He was one of nine kittens in the litter of a female cat we had in the early 50s. He was the only kitten we got to keep. My parents found homes for all the other kittens and their mom.

Tiger and her kittens are joining the Feline Friday blog hop at messymimi’s meanderings. To participate click on the Feline Friday badge.

Friendly Fill-Ins

I got help with fill-ins again this week from the same two Kitties Blue who helped me last week: Misty May and Sawyer. We all used teal italics for filling in. Any explanatory information is in parentheses.

1. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that all the snail mail valentines I sent arrived on time.

2. I am disappointed with the recent injections I had in my knees. (The pain was back within three days.)

3. Sawyer: I get excited when I hear either Mom or Dad call us for treats at 11 a.m.

4. Misty May: I didn’t believe neighbor cat would actually be bold enough to sleep on our double rocker on the front porch until I saw it for myself.

If you missed last week’s Friendly Fill-Ins post, I shared some photos of neighborhood cat and Audrey. You can see them on the post: “Hey You, Get Off Our Porch!”.

Apologies

Kitties Blue and I want to apologize to Angel Sammy and Teddy (Two Spoiled Cats) for missing Thoroughly Poetic Thursday and Brian for missing Thankful Thursday yesterday. I am having site and theme issues and spending time trying to resolve those as opposed to blogging. But the kitties and I will be here tomorrow for Caturday Art and Sunday for Sunday Selfies. Hope to see lots of you joining us here then.

February 17, 2023 by Janet Blue Feline Friday Friendly Friday Fill-Ins 10

HEY YOU, GET OFF OUR PORCH!

Feline Friday

Audrey stares down a neighborhood cat on the front porch.

This is our neighborhood cat. We have no idea where it lives or if it has a family. But as you can see, it looks healthy and well fed. It’s been coming around for a couple of years and causes lots of consternation among Kitties Blue. It especially likes to come up the steps to the catio and stand outside the screen door, which gets Cooper Murphy’s tail in twist. Audrey discovered it at the front door recently, and they had a bit of a stare down. No meoyowling was heard, as it is when Cooper’s protecting his turf.

Audrey is joining the Feline Friday blog hop at messymimi’s meanderings. To participate click on the Feline Friday badge.

Friendly Fill-Ins

I got lots of help with fill-ins again this week. In fact, I only had to complete one of the sentences myself. We all used teal italics for filling in. Explanatory information is in parentheses.

1. Misty May: I am going to sleep on Mom’s pillow again tonight like I do most nights and probably sneeze in her face.

2. Sawyer: The worst thing about my life is having seizures. (I’m thankful that I have no memory of them afterward.)

3. From my experience, living with cats is worth ~~its~~ their weight in gold.

4. Sawyer: Having to take yucky medicine does not work for me.

So that’s it for today. Thanks for joining us. We’ll be back tomorrow with some Caturday Art.

February 10, 2023 by Janet Blue Feline Friday Friendly Friday Fill-Ins Kitties Blue 13

AUDREY IS A CUTIE PIE!

Feline Friday

Tabby kitten lying on her side on the rug and staring at the camera.

Audrey is joining the Feline Friday blog hop at messymimi’s meanderings. To participate click on the Feline Friday badge.

Friendly Fill-Ins

I got lots of help with fill-ins this week. In fact, four of Kitties Blue took over entirely. They all used teal italics to complete the sentences.

1. Cooper Murphy: I enjoy making biscuits.

2. Sawyer: I can’t stop wanting and asking for treats.

3. Stinky: I need to figure out what Periwinkle and I are going to do for our next adventure before it is my turn to host.

4. Raleigh: I may not like my humans very much, but I do like living indoors and getting noms and treats.

Thanks for joining us today. We’ll be back tomorrow with some Caturday Art. Hope to see then as well.

February 3, 2023 by Janet Blue Feline Friday Friendly Friday Fill-Ins The Adventures of Stinky & Periwinkle 14

THE EXPLORER AND THE OBSERVER

Feline Friday

Two orange tabby cats on a catio - one on the table observing and one exploring empty boxes.

Raleigh is exploring boxes ready for recycling as Cooper Murphy observes. Just in case you’re thinking we deprived the gang from playing in the boxes, I can assure you that all the Kitties Blue did have the opportunity to play in many of them.

Today, Cooper Murphy and Raleigh are joining the Feline Friday blog hop. The hop has moved from our friend, Sandee’s, Comedy Plus blog to messymimi’s meanderings. To participate click on the Feline Friday badge.

Friendly Fill-Ins

I had to enlist the help of Sawyer to complete this week’s fill-ins. He’s my go-to guy when I cannot think of something to complete the sentence. We both used teal italics for our fill-ins.

1. I always forget to charge my cell phone.

2. Sawyer: I never forget to ask for treats.

3. Sawyer: Nothing makes me pout more than Mom or Dad forgetting it’s treat time.

4. It might sound outrageous, but I am very happy to be old.

Thanks for stopping by. Please join us tomorrow for some Caturday Art.

January 27, 2023 by Janet Blue Feline Friday Friendly Friday Fill-Ins Kittens Kitties Blue 13

WARMING THEIR TABBY TUMMIES

Feline Friday

Sawyer and Audrey were warming their tabby tummies atop the living room radiator yesterday morning.

Today they are joining the Feline Friday blog hop. The hop has moved from our friend, Sandee’s, Comedy Plus blog to messymimi’s meanderings. To participate click on the Feline Friday badge.

Friendly Fill-Ins

I had to enlist the help of Kitties Blue to complete this week’s fill-ins. We all used teal italics for our fill-ins. Additional information is in parentheses.

1. Everything (especially my body) makes me feel old.

2. Listening to 60’s music makes me feel young.

3. Kitties Blue: Recently, our heated floors in the kitchen and bathrooms came in very handy. (The furnace wasn’t working.)

4. I think that dwelling in the past is the most useless way to spend my time.

Thank you for visiting us today. We’ll be back tomorrow with some Caturday Art.

January 20, 2023 by Janet Blue Feline Friday Friendly Friday Fill-Ins Kitties Blue 16

YOU
For Fiona

It seems like only yesterday…
You were just a kitten.
When I saw your pleading look,
I was completely smitten.

Now at only six years old,
You are getting ready to leave,
Soon you will have your wings.
I’ve already started to grieve.

You’ve fought hard for the past year,
And I’m not ready to say good-bye.
I can’t imagine you not in my life
I am so sad…today I had to cry.

I am grateful and blessed
For my six years with you.
You’ll live in my heart forever.
You’re one of the best ever Kitties Blue.

YESTERDAY

Many yesterdays have passed since
You gained your angel wings. Today
Is six months since you left us behind
To remember and mourn. Our hearts
Continue to hurt, and we miss
You as much as the day you left.
Giulietta whined from the catio
Yesterday as I worked in the yard.
I know you put her up to it. That
Was your way of getting me to,
Allow you to join me as I
Gardened. You were there with me
In spirit. With every meow
I thought of you and how much I miss
Your sweet face and disposition.
In these past few months, many friends
Have traveled your same path in your
paw-steps. I am certain you were
Waiting to greet them with purrs and hugs.
I pray you and your friends are laughing,
Frolicking and having fun together.
Picturing that makes me smile, but
Does not lessen my sadness at your
No longer being here to snuggle
And receive our love, care and kisses.
Fiona, please do not ever forget
You are still and always will be loved.

ONE YEAR MISSING YOU

One year has passed since you flew away,
And I still think of you everyday.
I see your sweet face in my mind’s eye
And wish we’d never had to say good-bye.
It’s nice you’ve sent us kitties needing a family,
But my dearest love, we are now at capacity.
You thought it would take more than one cat
To take your place in our habitat.
We love Cooper Murphy and baby Sawyer dearly
But thinking either could replace you makes me teary.
You were one-of-a-kind and will stay in my heart
Until the day I join you and we’re no longer apart.
When once again I can hold you in my arms
And revel in all your love and feline charms.
Together with you and all who have passed.
I will spend eternity contemplating how blessed
I was to share my life with my furry children,
Each and every one of you one-in-a billion.

UNTIL

I miss you each day.
Until we meet in heaven,
The pain will remain.

ONE OF A KIND

I don’t know how to say good-bye.
I thought you were invincible; though,
You used up many of your nine lives.
You ruled us all with an iron paw;
Never took “no” for an answer
And always got your way.
If not, you’d bark to signal your
Displeasure and sometimes raise a paw.
I always joked that you were bi-polar.
When I told people you were a calico
They immediately understood what I meant.
Today was unnaturally quiet in the house.
Can a home seem empty with eight cats?
I will miss waking up at night to find you
Sitting next to me and staring at me.
I will miss you yelling at us as you did
When you wanted breakfast and dinner.
I will miss watching you lounging and snoozing
On the porch settee on a warm afternoon.
But most of all I will miss your kisses!
When kitten Sawyer befriended you,
We suspect you were imparting your
Wisdom and secrets for controlling us.
Time will tell if he was a good listener.
But whatever he may have learned,
Neither Sawyer nor any other cat
Can or will replace you in our hearts.
Lily Olivia, you were one-of-a-kind.