Bailey Boat Cat

WE HAVE HOLIDAY VISITORS!

Visitors

We were so excited yesterday to welcome our holiday visitors. Now we know that many of you, as well as most of us, head UTB, when strangers enter your house, but for these two it was totally unnecessary.

If you follow our brofur Bailey’s blog, Bailey Boat Cat, you know that he has two pals, Sharkie and Blue. You also know that he’s been teasing you lately about them going on a secret surprise adventure.

That adventure is spending the holidays with Kitties Blue. They arrived yesterday from Florida where they had been vacationing with Bailey’s pawrents, Lou and James. The humans returned to Rome, but Blue and Sharkie traveled north to visit with us. We hope they won’t mind hanging around for a little while as it is definitely not sunny and warm here in Virginia as it was in Florida.

They had a quiet day resting up from their trip, but we did have a brief meet and greet, and they checked out some of the Christmas decorations. Here are the fist photos of them meeting Fiona, Calista Jo and the holiday bears, including Pooh and Tigger under the tree. And there was even a quick foray into the tree.

Sharkie and Blue will be meeting the rest of us in the days to come as well as checking out more Christmas decorations and the catio. Weather permitting, our humans will also attempt to show them a bit of our fine city.

A Little of This & a Little of That

Mom did her shopping today for the Santa Kitty Toy Drive and will deliver the goodies tomorrow. We will tell you about the recipients of the booty and share photos next week.

We were asked to remind you that we will be having our Sunday Selfies Blog Hop this weekend. We know that Christmas is just a few days away so if you are willing, maybe you can sport your best holiday look in your photo. No pressure or requirement to do so, however.

We’ve been a bit scarce lately with regard to visiting and commenting as we are sure you’ve noticed. Please accept our apologies. The typist has been involved in all sorts of Christmasy things. We are working on catching up with all of you, but it will take a while.

We’ll be back tomorrow with some Caturday Art for Athena and Marie‘s blog hop. Hope to see you then.

Ho, ho, ho, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo

December 19, 2014 by Janet Blue Christmas 23

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY: HAPPY BIRTHDAY BAILEY

Honorary Brofur Bailey Boat Cat

So today, we are going to get slightly wordy and encourage you to visit our honorary brofur Bailey and wish him a happy third birthday. To do so, simply click on the graphic. If you get there before noon EDT, you will still have the opportunity to enter Bailey’s birthday raffle. The proceeds will benefit the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. Last year Bailey raised £100. This year his goal was £300 and at last check on Tuesday evening, Bailey had surpassed his goal with £302.90 raised. Way to go Bailey!

Thanks from Patriotic Pet Mau

Mauricio is so grateful to each of you who have “admired” him and sent him “hollers” in the Patriotic Pets Photo Contest sponsored by Just4MyPet.com. If you didn’t see him in his Independence Day stars and stripes attire and/or haven’t voted for him by giving him a “thumbs up,” please click on SnapYeti to do so. And please encourage your friends to do the same. When we last checked, Tuesday evening, Mau was in first place with 27 “thumbs up.” He is still the only cat competing against 19 woofies.

As stated previously, should we win anything, it will be part of a giveaway on our upcoming second blogoversary on July 21.

TORTIE TUESDAY: “SUMMERTIME…

and the livin’ is easy.”

“Fish are jumpin’ and the cotton is high.”* Oops, no fish or cotton here…just Calista Jo enjoying the Catio and perhaps dreaming of fish. Calista finds the best spot on the Catio on these hot and humid summertime days to be on the table. It is located directly beneath one of the ceiling fans and is the ideal spot to feel the cool breeze ruffling her belly furs. And if she needs a little pick-me-up, the catnip plant is in the pot right behind her. The nip looks a little worse for the wear after both Lisbeth and Mauricio crawled through the center of it and broke off several stems. No harm, though, as it was dried and added to their stash in the freezer.

C.J. looks a little dazed by the heat, but she merely was trying to avoid making eye contact with the pesky photographer. Whenever she gets too hot she comes in and camps out in the bedroom with the air conditioning. She may be the baby, but she’s no dummy!

Patriotic Pets Contest

Mauricio would like to thank everyone who has “admired” him and sent him “hollers” in the Patriotic Pets Photo Contest being sponsored by Just4MyPet.com. He remains the only cat in the contest, which is open for 16 more days. If you didn’t see him in his Independence Day stars and stripes attire and/or haven’t voted for him by giving him a “thumbs up,” please click on SnapYeti to do so. When we last checked, just before bedtime Monday night, Mau was in first place with 20 “thumbs up.”

If we should win anything, it will be part of a giveaway on our upcoming second blogoversary on July 21.

Brofur Bailey’s Birthday

Honorary Bailey Blue

The kitties’ honorary brofur, Bailey Boat Cat, will be celebrating his third birthday on Wednesday, July 9. He is holding a raffle with proceeds going to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution. Last year he raised £100. This year his goal is £300. When I check on Monday in the early evening, he was at 77 percent. The raffle is for a Critters life vest or one of five pawtographed copies of his book, Bailey Boat Cat: Adventures of a Feline Afloat, which we reviewed here: “Brofur Bailey Featured as Caturday Art.”

We will feature Bailey in our Wordless Wednesday post. And should we be lucky enough to win a copy of his book, it too will be part of our blogoversary giveaway, as we already have our own pawtographed copy.

* Lyrics from “Summertime” by George Gershwin.

July 8, 2014 by Janet Blue Tortie Tuesday 39

BROFUR BAILEY FEATURED AS CATURDAY ART

We are so proud of our brofur Bailey and his Mum Louise for writing this most pawsome book, Bailey Boat Cat: Adventures of a Feline Afloat. We received our very own pawtographed copy a couple of weeks ago. Though not available in hardcover in the U.S. until September 2, and scheduled to be reviewed at a later date by some of your favorite blogging kitties, we felt compelled to give Bailey a shout out.

Bailey’s book is a must read for any kitty aspiring to be a boat cat or human contemplating taking their feline on sailing adventures.

A portion of the blurb from the back cover of the book sums up its content quite well: “Alongside a gallery of his glamorous onboard poses, Bailey reveals in these pages his feline philosophies on the world afloat. Discover the importance of cubby holes, the secret to catching tasty fish, and how to execute a textbook cat overboard drill.”

Every page includes full-color photos and the book is sprinkled with tidbits called, “Whisker Wisdom.” A couple of these insights are: “To be curious on a boat is to have the world at your paws,” and “When you are hungry, eat. When you’re tired, take a nap. When you crave adventure…go sailing.”

A variety of informative lists are part of the text as well, including “Eight ways to communicate with your tongue!” and our favorite, “Five knots every boat cat should know.”

You’ll find out about those darn dingy devils, using GPS (Getting Places Safely), navigating the galley, sending a MeowDay message and a wealth of other impawtant advice.

A Nook version of the book is available at BarnesandNoble.com for $10.49, and a Kindle version is on Amazon for $8.69. But we suggest waiting for the hardcover version, which you can pre-order from the aforementioned sites for $11.96 or $12., respectively. This is a book that you want to hold in your hands and enjoy viewing often.

And please don’t forget that you can visit Bailey daily on his blog, Bailey Boat Cat, where you can read about his current adventures on Nocturne.

We thought it would be so much fun to make this review part of Athena’s Caturday Art Blog Hop. Click on the badge at the left to visit Athena and Marie to enter your own Caturday Art or view the other submissions.

Purrs and paw-pats, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo

p.s. Our other honorary Kitty Blue, the sweet and beautiful Nylablue, is ailing again and really needs all your prayers and purrs. We all know how powerful these can be in helping both kitties and humans heal. You can visit Nylablue and Sherri-Ellen’s Purrfect Pad by clicking here.

Disclaimer: We received Bailey’s book as a gift. We were not asked or expected to review the book, and the opinions expressed are totally ours alone.

May 24, 2014 by Janet Blue Book Review Caturday Art Blog Hop Honorary Kitty Blue 32

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.