Coming from a lowly birth to a feral mother in a barn, there were many new things to discover in this unusual world. Reflections were somewhat perplexing.
Snowi (from Snowflake) is a rescue kitten we adopted from the central Indiana cat rescue organization, Rescue Me RHCS. They have their adoptable pets in various pet stores such as Petco and Petsmart around Noblesville, Carmel and Indianapolis and maybe some other towns. You can also contact them directly.
As I came around the corner in Bed Bath and Beyond today I ran into Sammy (not literally)… after a surprised laugh, I asked permission to feature him on my blog. He was gracious to oblige, very well behaved, and appeared to be having a wonderful time in the lime light.
The situation is sad, I admit that, because we had to say goodbye to one of our kitties. Yet Stitches was a nut of a cat that has been the subject of poetry and art work and we can’t help but celebrate her crazy, mixed up world.
She was not extremely old, being only 13, but she had a stack of health issues that were, to put it simply, odd. This cat was on Prozac. No joke! She had so many anxieties she could barely live with herself, so it was a wonderful thing when the vet prescribed kitty Prozac for her. It fixed a lot of problems we had struggled with for years and, while still skittish, Stitches was a more mellow cat and seemed quite happy with her life.
Hyperthyroidism (and more kitty meds!) kept her at 5 lbs, yet with all the hair she looked like a 20 lb cat. It is my opinion that 1 lb was fur, and each foot, which sported 6 toes, was 1/2 a lb each. That left 2 lbs for her body.
Stitches was like a pile of leftovers God threw together. Nothing fit, with a character to match, yet she was amazingly photogenic.
Poems have been written about her as well as stories of her antics in a monthly newsletter. Stitches has also been featured in a book of children’s poetry which I illustrated.
The cat had an unbelievable sense of bad timing, which inspired a poem about a Christmas morning trek to the emergency vet clinic. It starts out as so…
Stitches my cat
Was found with a mat
In a place on her coat where the kitty cat sat.
And ends…
That’s the end of my tale,
It all ended well.
Do you want a nice kitty, I have one for sale.
So while we are saddened, we also can not help remembering and laughing over the crazy contributions she made to our lives these past 13 years. We will miss her and the stories she has inspired will be retold for years to come.
Some dogs exude a particular joy when running the agility course, while others compete for the love of their owner. Bailey has been featured in previous posts, not only because of the challenge of capturing such a fast competitor, but also because she exudes a joie de vivre that is rare to witness.
Bailey’s stats are over 5 yards a second. She seems to be airborne through most of those seconds. Without the camera, the spectator has no opportunity to even grasp the beauty of her running. It is simply a blur of fur in motion.
I am not a part of the agility scene, yet I watch her and feel a pull to be a part of her run. I want to experience that pure, clean, crisp joy that she demonstrates with each jump and stride. 
Bailey trains at Pawsitive Partners Dog Training Center on the South side of Indianapolis, Indiana, where her owner is a pre-agility instructor. She is also a member of the Greater Lafayette Kennel Club and a rescue / member of Indiana Sheltie Rescue.
Constant practice makes flight look effortless.
Bailey – an Indiana Sheltie Rescue success story.
A look, a gesture invite an intimacy despite the intrusion of the camera.
a vacation in my mind 