Roundup

2023 KITTIES BLUE ROUNDUP

Thankful Thursday

Cinco de Meow last Friday was the date of our annual Roundup. That’s when our beloved vet, Dr. Kathie Neel, comes to the house to give exams, weigh-ins, vaccinations and nail trims. The vet tech who joined her this year was Cheyenne.

Here are a couple of photo collages from the annual affair.

 

Collage with four photos of cats being examined by vet and vet tech.

 

Collage with four photos of cats being examined by vet and vet tech.

 

As with last year, Cooper Murphy was the worst behaved followed by Kizmet. It’s no fun trying to wrestle with an almost 20-pound cat. Even Misty May at four pounds was a bit of a challenge, but we couldn’t blame her. She and Sawyer had blood drawn as well.

Roundup Results

Everyone received an almost clean bill of health. We are going to try Misty May on medication again for her hyperthyroidism in the hope she’ll gain a little weight. She’ll be getting a much lower dose than previously to keep her kidneys functioning.

Sawyer’s phenobarbital levels are in the therapeutic range but at the very top of that range, so even if his seizures worsen, we cannot up his dosage.

I am extremely thankful that Cooper Murphy has maintained his weight at 19 pounds 12 ounces.

Cheyenne was quite taken with Raleigh, but when I offered him to her she declined the gift.

Dad Tom and I are thankful to have this ordeal completed for another year as are the Kitties Blue. And we are extremely grateful that Dr. Neel, who is officially retired, continues to take care of our brood.

Robins Leave Home

The three baby robins, Periwinkle and Stinky reported on during their Tuesday adventure, have all successfully left the nest. It took one of them two days longer than the others, but Dad Tom and I watched him take his maiden flight yesterday morning. When the babies’ mom came back to the nest a short time later she found it empty. We are thankful none of the wildlife predators that patrol our yard discovered the nest.

Final Thankful

Kitties Blue and I are always thankful for those of you who follow us, read our posts and have befriend us. The pet blogging community is the best!

Thankful Thursday is a blog hop hosted by Brian. If you’d like to participate, post on your blog for what you are thankful, and then click on Brian’s badge to join the hop.

 

 

NOT CUT OUT FOR THIS GIG & THANKFULS

Thoroughly Poetic Thursday

I missed writing a poem last week, so I could not let down Angel Sammy and Teddy (Two Spoiled Cats) again this week. Here’s the inspiration photo, (which I cropped a bit) with the addition of two little tabby cats, followed by my poem.

 

Men with yellow helmets and blue jackets in a yellow raft with yellow paddles and two tabby kittens.

 

My poem is totally ridiculous, but sometimes that’s just how it roles.

Not Cut Out for This Gig

We thought it would be fun to be rescue cats,
So volunteered right away when we saw the ad.
But no one mentioned water when we were hired.
If we don’t fall overboard, we’ll probably be fired
Because nothing will force us to get off this boat,
As everyone knows cats are unable to float.
We would soon become food for the fishes—
Probably as revenge for the fish in our dishes!
When we do finally get back to shore,
We’ll be resigning from this rescue corps
And heading home to do what we do best—
Curling up on our humans’ bed for a long rest.

© Janet Buickerood Blue – 05/03/2023

If you’d like to try writing some poetry, check out Two Spoiled Cats (by clicking on the poetry badge) for next week’s inspiration photo. Please read Angel Sammy’s poem when you visit. He sends it to Teddy each week from the Rainbow Bridge, and his poems are always A+ worthy!

Thankful Thursday

On Thursday, we also like to share our thankfuls with you and join Brian’s blog hop.

Dad Tom and I are so thankful that Sawyer has been eating better. When he went several days eating very little, I decided to try kitten stinky goodness. It worked. He’s been doing a great job, at almost every meal, of cleaning his bowl and getting his meds. He did have a seizure on Monday, but it had been two weeks since his last one.

Friday will be the annual round-up. Dad Tom and I are delighted that this harrowing and expensive tradition will be over for another year. Of course, we have not shared this information with the gang. We don’t want them all to try and run away from home. (If you are new to the blog and unfamiliar with the round-up, it is when our vet comes to the house for Kitties Blue annual exams and vaccinations.) I don’t expect they’ll be marking this day with a thankful next week.

Dad Tom and I have another thankful, Raleigh’s voluntary return after his seven-and-a-half hour adventure. I honestly never expected to see him again. I guess rain and hunger are big motivators, at least for him. (If you missed the posts about his escape and Kizmet’s part in it, here are the links: “National Tabby Cat Day Sunday Selfies” and “Caught in the Act!“.)

There’s been a lot of this going on since Raleigh’s break out and return. This is totally new behavior for Cooper Murphy. Do you think he has taken it upon himself to guard our latest escapee? If so, he doesn’t look particularly happy about it.

 

Large dark orange tabby cat and light orange tabby kitten in a blue chair.

 

As always, Kitties Blue and I are thankful for everyone who follows our blog, participates in our hop and offers their support and friendship.

If you’d like to participate in Brian’s blog hop, post on your blog for what you are thankful and then click on his badge to enter your link.

Have a great Thursday. We’ll be back tomorrow with some Friendly Fill-ins.

 

MISTY MAY’S SERIOUS SELFIE

Sunday Selfies: Week #402

 

Sunday Serious selfie: Head shot of tuxedo cat in red frae with pink bow and rhinestones.

 

Do you like my selfie today? I know I look really serious, but otherwise I think it’s pretty good for an old, skinny lady. Dr. Neel is trying to fatten me up a little by making Mom and Dad give me a pill everyday. I don’t like it one bit. If you missed our Roundup post, “Yearly Roundup Thankful & Poetry”, which most of you did, you don’t know that I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. That’s not really a surprise, as I will be 19 years old in a couple of months. Right now I only weigh 4.56 pounds. I may be light, but I am no lightweight. I can hold my own when it comes to any intra-species dust-ups. But that’s enough about me for today.

Update for Subscribers

As of yesterday, you should once again be receiving e-mail notifications when we post. If you are not, please let us know. Mom had to make some changes to our notification plug-in so it would work again. It now sends notifications in small batches. She knew it had to be working when she got nine notifications when we posted yesterday. She gets a notice with every batch sent. Well that is definitely over-kill but worth it, as things are working again. I am one happy kitty, as I certainly don’t want her abandoning this blog…well, at least not until after I have flown off to be reunited with our other angels.

Hopping Time

So, I have definitely rambled on quite enough. It is well past my bedtime. Please share your selfie with us and join the blog hop. My brofurs, sisfurs and I always enjoy seeing your cute faces. And it’s super easy to join. You don’t even have to post today. You can participate anytime through Thursday.

Thanks for joining us today and putting up with us during this entire post notification mess.

Happy Sunday.

Purrs & paw-pats, Misty May

 



YEARLY ROUNDUP THANKFUL & POETRY

Thankful Thursday: Yearly Roundup

yearly roundup: collage of six cats, veterinarian and vet tech examining cats.

 

Tuesday was an exciting day at the Blue residence. It was the annual roundup. If you’ve followed us for any length of time, you know that our vet comes to the house once a year for the kitties annual exams and vaccinations. Dad Tom managed to get a photo of all the Kitties Blue except Lisbeth. To compensate for her being left out, she is included in the inspiration photo for Thoroughly Poetic Thursday.

Anyhoo, the entire gang, as well as Dad Tom and I are thankful the ordeal is over for another year. We do have a few things to report.

  • Cooper was the least well behaved, which was a total shock. Usually he’s easy going and doesn’t even mind a visit to the vet’s office.
  • Sawyer was the best behaved. He didn’t squirm, hiss or make any other sound. He has an aversion to being held and usually “melts down” quickly. Dr. Neel was especially proud of him as were we.
  • Cooper Murphy’s weight is holding steady at 19 pounds. That’s a lot, but we are delighted he’s not getting any bigger.
  • Misty May’s weight is down to four pounds nine ounces. She was forced to give up some of her blood and has hyperthyroidism, which I suspected. But all of her internal organs are in great shape. We are starting her on meds in the hope that she’ll gain some weight.

Those are the highlights of the roundup. No bandaids were needed—just a lint roller at the end of the visit. Dad Tom and I are super thankful for Dr. Neel (who is officially retired) and our favorite tech, Tomika, for coming to the house again this year. We are truly blessed that Kitties Blue get this special treatment.

Additional Thankful

Kizmet has another thankful. If you read yesterday post, “I Bought My Cat an iPad,” then you already know her thankful. And if you read the post, “Mouse Game Fanatic,” you know she is addicted to the Mouse for Cats game. It had reached a point where neither Dad Tom nor I were able to use our iPads without her crawling all over them and us or trying to knock the iPads out of our hands. So, I went to Ebay and purchased a refurbished one at a super reasonable price. She and the others who enjoy the game (Misty May, Sawyer, Cooper and Calista Jo) can now play all day if they so desire.

Thankful Thursday is a blog hop hosted by Brian. To participate, post on your blog for what you are thankful. Then enter the URL on the badge below in your browser to go to Brian’s blog.

Thoroughly Poetic Thursday

Thursday is also poetry day thanks to Angel Sammy and Teddy from Two Spoiled Cats who provide an inspiration photo. As I have been doing for several weeks, I added one of the Kitties Blue to the photo. Lisbeth is sitting in front of the rocking horse, but she is not the subject of my poem.

 

Two senior citizens: one driving electric wheel chair pulling the other on a rocking horse mounted on a platform. (yearly roundup)

 

Ride ‘Em Urban Cowboy 

When you cannot walk and need to ride
Why not have some fun
With your feline sidekick at your side
Get your trusty steed and toy gun

For a gallop to a cafe or park
Find someone reliable to drive you
Before on your adventure you embark
So you don’t take a tumble and get a boo-boo

Don’t jerk your reins too hard
As your driver may get off course
And you could end in a stranger’s yard
On the ground without your horse

Some may think you’re off your rocker
At your age you deserve to do what you want
So ride ‘em urban cowboy
Without fear of embarrassment

© Janet Buickerood Blue – 04/28/2022

If you’d like to join us in writing poetry, click on the poetry badge to go to Two Spoiled Cats to find next week’s inspiration photo. Please read Angel Sammy’s poem when you visit. You won’t regret it, as he’s a terrific poet.

Thanks for joining us today.

 

ROUNDUP REPORT & DUCKS IN A ROW

Thankful Thursday

Kitties Blue, Dad Tom and I have a long list of thankfuls today. First up is the fact that we were able to have our annual Roundup last week. Kitties Blue are mostly thankful that it is over.

 

roundup

 

The Roundup was not the same for everybody. Kizmet only had a pawdicure and weigh in. Sawyer had his blood drawn (which is always very ouchy), a weigh in and a pawdicure. Everyone else got vaccines as well. Sawyer got the award for the most well behaved, and that is saying a lot!

Much good news came out of this year’s Roundup. Cooper Murphy maintained his weight at just a couple ounces over 19 pounds. Kizmet, whose intake form at the rescue said she was overweight, weighed in at 9.9 pounds, the day before her 10-month birthday.  Most maintained but a few lost weight, including Giulietta, whose weight was down more than a pound. That’s terrific news. All-in-all, everybody got A+ on their exams.

Cooper Murphy is thankful for the badge he earned at Cat Scouts just yesterday.

 

 

Lisbeth and I are thankful for those who visited and left consoling comments on her memorial post for boyfriend Charles. Cooper Murphy and I are thankful for all the Cat Scouts who attended Charles memorial there and shared so many fabulous photos and stories of their dear friend.

I am thankful for being one of five first commenters on the Tuesday Teaser at Two Spoiled Cats. It’s been several week’s since I was able to do that.

 

 

Stinky and Periwinkle are thankful that some readers returned yesterday to read about their adventure after it was postponed from Tuesday. If you didn’t see it, you missed some of Dad Tom’s terrific photos of eagles and ospreys. You can find the link to the post at the bottom of this page.

We all remain thankful for our good health as well as that of our friends and family. As always, we are thankful for all of you who visit this blog and support us.

Thankful Thursday is a blog hop hosted by Brian. if you’d like to participate, post on your blog for what you are thankful, then click on the badge below to go to Brian’s Home and link up.

Thoroughly Poetic Thursday

As I do almost every Thursday, I am joining the Two Spoiled Cats (Angel Sammy and Teddy) for their Thoroughly Poetic Thursday poetry challenge. This week’s inspiration photo and my poem are below.

 

 

My poem is a little goofy this week. It came out of me thinking of soldiers marching when I looked at this photo.

Ducks in a Row

One, two, three, four…
Waddling single file as we explore.
Five, six, seven, eight…
Enjoying nature is really great.
Nine, ten, eleven, twelve…
Into this park we delve.
Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen…
Time to take a break and preen.
Seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty…
Now hunting for bugs with bellies empty.

© Janet Buickerood Blue – 04/28/2021

If you’d like to participate in Thoroughly Poetic Thursday, click on the poetry badge and leave a link to your poem in the Comments on Teddy and Angel Sammy’s blog. You also will find next week’s inspiration photo there. And please don’t forget to read Angel Sammy’s poem. He is a marvelously talented poet.

We’ll be back tomorrow for Friday Fill-ins.

 

DESTINY & COOPER MURPHY AT THE ROUNDUP

Sparks

destiny

 

I was unfamiliar with Mark Victor Hansen. He is a 73-year-old American inspirational and motivational speaker, trainer and author. Hansen is best known as the founder and co-creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series.

Sparks is the creation of Annie from McGuffy’s Reader. Sparks began as a blog hop, created by our friend. Annie stated when she began Sparks,“I believe we are meant to be lights in this world. If we allow our light to shine, we can see where we are going. It is then that we can begin to truly see each other clearly. Together, we can light up the entire world.”

Awww Mondays

destiny

Cooper Murphy was all nonchalant before Dr. Neel and vet tech, Alexis, arrived for the annual roundup last Thursday. He turned less than cooperative when it came time for his pawticure.

I will give you the details of this year’s roundup on our Thankful Thursday post.

Cooper Murphy is participating in the Awww Mondays blog hop at Comedy Plus. If you’d like to do the same, click on the badge below.

The Adventures of Periwinkle & Stinky

 

Your favorite, fun-loving tabbies will be sharing another of their adventures tomorrow, and they will be doing it right here. They have their paws crossed that lots of you will join in the fun again tomorrow.

 

KITTIES BLUE IN THE ROUND

Caturday Art

The Kitties Blue gang all seemed extra tired yesterday after the ordeal of the Roundup on Thursday. They spent a good portion of the day napping, and several did that on top of me.

Kitties Blue

 

In the photo (from left to right) are Calista Jo, Sawyer and Kizmet. I cut the photo into a circle using piZap to eliminate myself from the photo. I added the strangely named Cupheads effect from Painnt and then used piZap to cut it into another circle.

Dad Tom thought this would make a good jigsaw puzzle, so I made one for all you puzzlers.

preview120pieceCats in a Circle

Calista Jo, Sawyer and Kizmet are participating in the Caturday Art blog hop hosted by Athena Cat Goddess Wise Kitty. If you’d like to do the same or simply view art created by other bloggers, click on Athena’s badge.

Sunday Selfies Reminder

Tomorrow Lisbeth will be here as your host to present a post to honor and remember her beloved boyfriend Charles, who received his angel wings this past Monday. She hopes you will join her on the blog hop, but even if you don’t hop, please come by to see her post and leave a comment for Charles’ family.

Thanks for joining us today. We all look forward to seeing you again tomorrow.

 

 

 

ASTRID JOINS FRIDAY BLOG HOPS AND FILL-INS

Feline/Friendship Friday

Yesterday was the annual roundup when Kitties Blue have their annual exams and vaccines. Though our wonderful vet, Dr. Neel, has officially retired, she is actually still working some. So she and vet tech, Whitney, came to the house to check out the Kitties Blue crew.

This is not our roundup report. I’ll do that another day. But I am sharing a photo of Astrid and Whitney for the blog hops at Comedy Plus and Create With Joy.

 

 

It took Dad Tom and I a very, very long time to corral Astrid and get her sequestered in the kitchen. She thought if she hid her head, she could block out the entire ordeal.

If you would like to participate in either blog hop, click on the appropriate badge(s).


Friendly Fill-Ins: Week #256

Friday again, which means it is time for those fill-ins hosted by Ellen from 15 And Meowing and Lorianne from Four-Legged Furballs. Kitties Blue bailed this week claiming these were not cat-friendly fill-ins, and I do agree, so I was on my own to complete them. As I always do, I’ve used teal italics for my fill-ins.

1. Angie’s Recipes” is a non-cat related blog I follow.

2. My favorite place to shop online for garden bulbs is White Flower Farm.

3. Working in the garden has been keeping me busy lately.

4. If I could go back in time, I would tell my younger self to not be so shy and try harder to make friends.

Ellen and Lorianne both post the sentences to be filled in on their blogs on Thursdays. Friendly Fill-Ins is a blog hop. To participate, click on the above badge.

Thanks for coming to visit us today. We’ll be back tomorrow with Caturday Art.

 

ROUNDUP 2020 REPORT, A POEM & THANKS

Thoroughly Poetic Thursday

Thursday is here, and we have a poem for you as part of the Thoroughly Poetic Thursday poetry challenge hosted by Angel Sammy and Teddy. This week’s inspiration photo is a real doozy and was fun to write about.

We are positive Sammy, who transmits his poem to Teddy from the Rainbow Bridge, wrote a terrific poem. So, after reading our poem, please visit Two Spoiled Cats by clicking on the badge at left. In addition to Angel Sammy’s poem, you can find links to other poems in the comments section.

 

What Was He Thinking?

Did this prince get carried away…
Thought he needed a castle for every day?
Or does he have a slew of wives,
Built them all the same castle not to cause strive?
How does he know in which castle to lay his head
On any particular night when he goes to bed?
Maybe the interiors are not identical,
After all that would be most sensible.
He needs to keep from getting confused,
As his wives surely would not be amused.
If he got them out of order and used a wrong name,
He might find in that home he could not remain.
Whatever the reason for so many castles.
We think everyday life would be a huge hassle.
The upkeep alone must be a vast expense.
Building a huge palace for all would make more sense.

© Janet Buickerood Blue – 4/22/2020

Thankful Thursday

Each Thursday we also post those things for which we are thankful.

Kitties Blue have the big thankful for the week. Dr. Neel came on Monday for the annual roundup, and everyone got a clean bill of health.

Sawyer had already been to the vet office for his vaccines and blood work, so he only got weighed and had his pawticure. He was a total gentleman the entire time with not a hiss or growl. On the other paw, Mau was not a fan of his pawticure and hissed at Dr. Neel.

Cooper Murphy, who is always a purrfect patient at the vet’s office, was 19 pounds and three ounces of squirming ginger tabby. But even though he wasn’t all that well behaved, he lost 13 ounces since his weigh in at 20 pounds at the last roundup. That is truly something for which Dad Tom and I are thankful.

Here are a few photos from the the annual event.






 

Sawyer is thankful for all your support. His seizures have been happening more often. He had a gran mal on Saturday and another one yesterday. He seems to bounce back each time, but it still hurts our hearts that he has to suffer with these seizures.

Finally, Dad Tom and I continue to be virus free, as are all our friends and family (as far as we know).

We pray that everyone is staying safe and not rushing to resume a pre-virus lifestyle, even if you are in a state that is planning a premature “reopening.”

Thankful Thursday is a blog hop hosted by Brian. To take part, post on your blog for what you are thankful, then click on Brian’s badge to go to his post and link up yours.

 

PANDA PLAYTIME & THANKFULS

Thoroughly Poetic Thursday

Thursday again and time to enter Teddy and Angel Sammy’s poetry challenge. I look forward to doing this every week. If you are not familiar with Thoroughly Poetic Thursday, click on the badge at the left to read more about it. In a nutshell, however, each Thursday the boys post a photo to act as inspiration for a poem to be posted the following week.

This week’s photo as well as my poem are below.

 

 

Panda playtime fun
These portly, unique creatures
Always make me smile

© Janet Buickerod Blue – 04/15/2020

I only wrote a haiku. There is nothing I can say about pandas that would mean more than looking at them. I will, however, tell you a bit about my experience with pandas.

I adore them. At one time my vanity license plate was PANDAS. (Now it is PRRFCT).

I could watch them for hours, and have at the National Zoo in D.C. back in the 80s. Dad Tom and I visited them often, and we both have taken oodles of photos of them. On a frigid and snowy day one winter, we were invited into the back of the Panda House, as no one else was at the zoo. I was two inches from Ling Ling with just a chain link fence between us. I would have loved to touch and pet her, but knew not to do so. Pandas have very powerful jaws!

My long-time dream is to visit the Panda breeding grounds in Chengdu, China. Dad Tom has been there without me. That makes me very sad and jealous, but I know there will be no trips to China for either of us in the future.

If you think you would like to try writing a poem for next week, click on the poetry badge. You’ll find next week’s inspiration photo as well as Angel Sammy’s panda poem. Each week he sends his A+ poem to Teddy from the Rainbow Bridge, and it is not to be missed.

Thankful Thursday

We also are joining the Thankful Thursday blog hop hosted by Brian.

Sawyer had a seizure on Saturday and another on Tuesday. Though these were very close together, neither was a gran mal. We cannot remember the last time he had one that wasn’t. Less severe seizures are a blessing, and Dad Tom and I are thankful and pray this might be a trend.

 

 

We also are thankful that Dr. Neel has rescheduled the roundup for this upcoming Monday. Kitties Blue do not know this and will not be given advance notice.

Finally, we remain thankful that we continue to be healthy and, to our knowledge, so do our friends and family.

To join the Thankful Thursday blog hop, post for what you are thankful on your blog, then click on the badge below to go to Brian’s and enter your link.