Yeah? So? It's A Cucumber!

Last year at this time, the internet craze was Cat Circles.

Don't remember that?  I tried it on Linken, so you can find it HERE. 

This year, right now, there is a new cat craze.

Cats and cucumbers.

People are placing a cucumber on the floor, behind their unsuspecting cat, and when the cat turns around and sees it, the cat freaks out.

No.  Really.  They completely freak out.

Watch it.

Of course I had to try it on Linken.

Do you think he flew into the air, like the others?

Watch below.

Nope.  Nothing.  At most, a WTF reaction, and then he just walked away.

You're not playing right, Linken!


Before you go trying this on your unsuspecting cat, the 'experts' are now saying that we shouldn't be doing this.

Which I, of course, did before I realized I shouldn't.

But I did make sure he was in an open space, where he couldn't hurt himself if he did jump (she rationalizes to herself).

And not only are we being mean, by intentionally trying to scare our beloved fur babies, another reason the cat may jump at the sight of the cucumber is because it possibly associates it with a snake, or other predator, according to IFLScience. 


But ... not my Linken.

No interest in Cat Circles.

Not freaked out by the cucumber.

Maybe he's a dog, and is just waiting for the right moment to tell me?

Yeah.  That's it.  He's a dog.


Or, he just is what he is ... one Badass (Chuck Norris, who?) Cat! 

K.

Cat Circle? I Don't Need No Stinkin' Cat Circle!

The new internet craze this week is Cat Circles.

Someone posted a picture to Reddit of their cat sitting in a makeshift circle on the floor, and now people all over the world are testing out this phenomenon on their unsuspecting cats.

The freaky thing is, many cats are actually sitting in these circles!

So many in fact, it now has its own sub-reddit, CatCircles.


Try it. Google 'Cats sitting in circles'.  They're out there.



Of course, I decided to try it on Linken. 

I took the belt from a robe and made a (sort of) circle on the floor, then sat with the camera, and waited.

It wasn't long before he came strolling in.

'Look at the Cat Circle for you, Linken!', I said, hoping he'd take the bait.  

WHAT?  Nobody said you can't coax the cat into the circle!

But Linken ... nope.  His reply was pretty much a disgusted, 'Cat Circle?  I don't need no stinkin' cat circle'!

And then he owned that circle by flopping next to it.

That's my boy!  

K.

Halifax Whistler 100 Walk - Uniting Strangers, Dogs And Friends

On February 13th, at 1pm almost 100 dogs and their owners, assembled at the South entrance triangle, on the Halifax Common.

The boys, Alec's friend Charles, Belle and I were five of them.


Some of you may remember me mentioning the Walk for the Whistler 100, that I attempted to organize for Halifax.

In six days.

With a kennel club event going on, that would have hundreds of dogs and owners attending.

Unexpectedly finding out I needed a PERMIT from HRM to hold the walk in the first place.

And then there was that whole Canada Games thing, that potentially had people either busy checking out the events on a Sunday afternoon, or in Florida.

We'd most likely get more people if I pushed the date back, but I wanted to coincide with what seemed to be the majority of BC walks, at the time I originally decided to have the walk.


So I went ahead with it anyway.

I figured, if it turned out it was only the boys, Belle and I who showed up, at least we would have tried.



At the beginning of the week, I contacted a childhood friend of mine, Christine Greening, owner of Bark & Fitz, Halifax.

We hadn't actually seen each other in over 20yrs, but had been keeping up with each other lately on Facebook.

I figured if anyone could help me spread the word about this, she could.

And she did.

Christine and Jenn Sinclair, retail manager of Bark & Fitz, Halifax

With only six days to get the word out, between my cold emailing media, vets, shelters, pet stores, groomers, walkers, sitters, and posting it everywhere I could think of and her network of key people in the dog community who graciously spread the word, we managed to get ...


SEVENTY FOUR+ PEOPLE!!!

Yes, I'm counting the Dude we picked up at the Oval along the way!

Seventy four people (and then some) showed up to raise awareness, honour the Whistler 100 and had a great walk with their dogs!

WooHoo!!!

WAY TO GO Halifax, Nova Scotia! I'm SO proud of us!



When the walkers and dogs first arrived, they were greeted by (my 10yr old) Adam, who not only did a great job on our sign ...



He also handed a red ribbon to each owner for their dog.

There were 100 ribbons on hand, one for each of the slain huskies.




AND ... he took almost 180 pictures in total for us that day!



Thanks so much Adam for taking them all! GREAT JOB, Hun! You ROCK!


Belle on her way to the walk.

Alec (my 14 yr old) and his friend Charles held the sign for us the whole way!

I know for a fact, some people walked who DIDN'T even HAVE a dog!

For a bunch of dogs who had never met each other (for the most part) they all seemed to know they were there for a reason and just ... got along and walked. It was GREAT!

Our efforts didn't go unnoticed ... we made the 3pm, 4pm, and 5pm CBC radio news!

As well as the CBC morning news the next day.

They also did an online article, that you can find HERE.

THANKS, CBC! Much appreciated.


As for any other type of media coverage ... before, during or after ... nothing.

Very disappointing.

Various print, radio and tv media were notified early in the week (Tuesday).

They had lots of time to promote it. They didn't. Not that anybody heard or noticed.

They obviously didn't see this as a newsworthy event, as they didn't show up on Sunday either.

Did I mention, VERY DISAPPOINTING!


Having said that, THANKS MUCH to 101.3 The Bounce for posting the event notice to their event 411 website and Frankie's and K8's blogs!

I was also told FX 101.9 would mention it on air, but didn't personally hear it. So thanks to JB if it was!

Also have to give a shout out and BIG THANK YOU to Wilsons Gas Stop in Fall River, NS, for putting our poster up in the very middle of their door for ALL to see! BAM! Thanks much for the support, Wilsons!


Unfortunately, the only reason the CBC was there, was because of strategic location planning.

From their window, they noticed the large group of owners/dogs/bows gathered almost directly in front of their building, and realized they'd better come down and see what was going on.

Interview with Paul Palmeter of CBC, Halifax.




And I know, the walkers are VERY glad they did!


Now, you regulars in my Korner ... do you REALLY think it was a fluke that I planned our walk to be at the Common, during the Canada Games, when there would be a huge crowd at the Oval?

And potential media coverage?

Uh ... NO!

We needed to be seen! We needed people to know we were standing up for animal rights.

Standing up for the 100 who were frozen dead in a pit, somewhere in BC.


This WAS a newsworthy event.

A simple search for Whistler 100 will bring up various news articles either promoting upcoming walks, or by media on hand at an event.

They're walking as far as Italy and Norway!

People care!

Laws have to and will be changed and each person that took part in the Halifax walk was an integral part in making that happen.


Thanks so much to everyone who came out!

Also, to AAOAW, and especially to my childhood friend, Christine, for helping me pull it all together.

The Halifax Whistler 100 Walk . Uniting Strangers, Dogs And Friends.


If you would like to see some of the pics, and comments on them, that were posted by the AAOAW FB group page, feel free to do so by checking out THEIR ALBUM.

If you would like to see all 117 pictures that made it out of Adam's original 180, please check out MY ALBUM.


There WILL be another walk next year. In April, on the anniversary.

Hopefully on the Common, if we can get a permit again (thanks HRM, for a no-hassle walk, btw).


Join us!

Raise awareness.

Walk and (re)connect with friends.

Maybe ... Save a dog.

We all did ...

K.

P.S. If anyone else with a camera happened to get a shot of the kid in the orange jacket, running around taking pictures, would you mind sending me a copy please? He was so busy TAKING pictures, he didn't actually get INTO any of them! Thanks! **smooches!**

Walking For The Whistler 100

Occasionally, I like to use this little Korner of the web to promote, or raise awareness for subjects that are near and dear to me.

Most likely involving kids, or people in need.

Today is another one of those days!


Perhaps you are familiar with the incident at Outdoor Adventures, Whistler.

The senseless slaughtering of the 100 sled dogs back in April, 2010.

Surprisingly, the story is really only now making the news, and getting people's attention ... http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories/20110131/bc-sled-dogs-killed-110131/



It got MY attention.

I saw it for the first time on the midnight news last Sunday, and couldn't believe what I was seeing.

I love dogs.

Always have.

Couldn't imagine my life without one.


If you're that type of person, this story hit home. Hard.

I have ALOT of opinions on the tragedy.

However, because I have, what I believe, is more important information I want to share today, I'm going to keep it simple.


1. It shouldn't have happened. Period. The laws against animal abuse/cruelty in Canada need to be changed.

Hear that, Mr Prime Minister?

We want TOUGHER LAWS! Not PTSD benefits for the killer!

No, No, NO!


2. I hold many people ultimately 'responsible' for the fate of the dogs.

Obviously the man who slaughtered them. You, sir, have a special place in hell. But I'm sure you already know that.

However, he, as well as a handful of other's who knew of the dog's impending fate ...

... COULD have picked up the phone and made an anonymous phone call to the police, media, etc, warning of the actions OAW were considering.

... COULD have been a HERO!

... COULD have ...


One call.



And of course, I have questions.

What REALLY happened to the 40-60 dogs that were supposedly 're-homed' prior to the slaughter, and why hasn't anyone come forth to say 'Hey, I have one of THOSE dogs!'

I really wish someone would.

I know alot of people are wondering what happened to them.


And more importantly, if OAW is shut down, for whatever reason, what is going to happen to the ... 200? remaining dogs?

Will THEY be re-homed?

Or joining their brothers and sister in the pit of hell in the backyard?

Let's hope not.


To raise awareness, to (hopefully) ensure the safety of the remaining dogs, and to remember those who didn't have a chance, members of the Advocates Against Outdoor Adventures Whistler are organizing Dog Walks.

Pic taken from HERE

There are (currently) 10 walks taking place throughout BC as well as in Calgary and Red Deer over the upcoming weekend, February 12 & 13, that have been announced on the

AAOAW's Facebook page.

The walks are in memory of the dogs, or Whistler 100 as they are becoming known, as well as to raise awareness for animal cruelty, and the fact the laws need to change.

By having a walk in Halifax, NS on Sunday, February 13th, we can show our support coast to coast.


So, I organized one :-)

I wouldn't say our event is a protest, by any means, but more so a peaceful dog walk, in memory and support of the dogs, and the fact they hopefully haven't died in vain.

For all those in the Halifax area, would LOVE to see you there!


Here are the specifics:


EVENT: Walk for the Whistler 100


Please join us on Sunday, February 13, 2011 for a DOG WALK around the Halifax Commons, in support and memory of the Whistler 100.

Many of us were shocked and outraged by the senseless slaughtering of the 100 Huskies at Outdoor Adventures, Whistler - http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories/20110131/bc-sled-dogs-killed-110131/

Dog owners and lovers want to show our support for these dogs, and raise awareness for animal cruelty.

And we’re doing it COAST TO COAST!


On Sunday, walks are taking place in BC, and Alberta (so far), and now with us joining in Halifax, we’ll be able to show our support for the Whistler 100 from coast to coast!


All walkers are asked to meet at the South Commons Triangle (Next to the pool on the Halifax Commons) for 12:45 pm and be ready to walk at 1pm.

We will be walking – two by two- around the perimeter of the Halifax Commons.

The walk is scheduled for one hour. This means we will most likely do more than one loop around the perimeter.

These will be organized, peaceful walks, in memory of the dogs, as well as to raise awareness for animal cruelty, and the fact the laws need to change.


Event Details!

WHEN: Sunday, February, 13, 2011 1pm – 2pm (meet at 12:45 at South Commons Triangle - next to the pool on the Halifax Commons)

WHERE: Perimeter of the Halifax Commons (on sidewalk)


Important Details:

Please be advised that leashes are mandatory. This is a walk to show positive support for the dogs, and all animal rights.

Please respect the laws and bylaws, have your dog licensed.

Please be prepared to pick up after your dog.



Join us!

Raise Awareness!

And just maybe, save a dog!


If you have any questions, they can be directed to Kim Stoodley at kimstoodley@yahoo.com

Hope to see you Sunday!

And don’t forget to bring your dog(s)!!!

If you don't have one ... borrow one!

*********************************************

I'd like all the those visiting today, to please spread the word of these walks/events, in any way you'd like :-)

Digg me, Stumble me, Tweet me ... whatever! Every little bit helps!

Thanks!

K.

A Little Paranormal Activity Perhaps?

Do you believe in ghosts?

I do.

No, I'm not like the Osment kid. I don't see dead people.

I do however, believe spirits exist.

Good and bad.

And for whatever reason, some are more forceful in making their presence known, and some people are simply more susceptible to seeing and sensing them.

Period.

That's MY belief.



The first really scary book I read, at 13, was The Amityville Horror.

Shortly after came Carrie.

That was it. From then on I was hooked on the possibilities of the 'other world.'

Please don't send me email advising me to seek psychiatric care, or a priest.

I believe what I believe, and I believe we have angels on our shoulders, and shadows in our Korners and we simply all have to learn to live together.



I have also always believed that animals are super sensitive to ... things.

Once again, I believe what I believe.


So, all this spirit talk brings me to last night.

I'm sitting in the (w)rec(ked) room, on the computer, half watching TV.

Belle was curled up on the couch.

All of a sudden, she began growling.

Not the snarling, teeth bearing growl, but a really low, slow, deep in her throat growl.

I thought she was dreaming.

She'd take a breath, then start the low rumbling again.

She did this half a dozen times, before I finally leaned back in my chair to get a better look at her face, and realized she wasn't asleep at all.


Her eyes were open and focused on the other side of the room.

In the corner of the (w)rec(ked) room, sits the 100+yr old rocking chair that was in Dad's family, and an entertainment unit.

Belle was staring from one to the other, and growling and growling ... and growling.

I looked up the stairs, thinking maybe one of the boys was on the landing. But knowing at the same time she wouldn't growl at THEM anyway.

I looked over into the dark corner. Nothing. Obviously.

Belle wasn't as convinced.

She completely ignored my 'what is it girl', and in slow motion, uncurled herself, almost one paw at a time, off the couch and slowly approached the corner.

The low growl upped a notch, as she sniffed her way along the edge of the unit, and over to the chair.

Stopping. Staring. No more growling. Just staring. Then sniffing again.

Then, all of a sudden, she looks over at me, I gave her a 'what?' and she flies across the room over to my side, giving a backwards glance to the corner, before putting her head in my lap.


I won't lie. The whole thing was a little freaky.


I stared over into the corner.

What the hell was over there?

A little paranormal activity perhaps?

Then gave my head a shake, reminded myself I didn't want to know what was over there. Could live the rest of my live very happily, should I never experience it's wonder.

There's absolutely NO Ghost Whisperer blood in this chick!

And let me say it again, I don't see dead people, nor do I ever want to!


But ... the creepiness doesn't end there, my friends ;-)


For her good guard dog spirit, I took Belle upstairs for a treat.

I came back downstairs, settled myself at the computer again, and not ten minutes later, one of the cats comes along.

The quiet one.

The one you never see.

The one you never hear.

She comes out when SHE wants to and ONLY then.


I didn't notice her at first. I wasn't looking in her direction.

I had no idea she was there, until this strangled meowing burst through the room.

At ear piercing levels.

Over, and over and over and ...


I whipped my head towards the screeching, and there was kitty. Sitting in the exact spot Belle had been growling, sniffing and staring at.

My little mute kitty, staring and screaming at me, as if I'd just taken a hacksaw to the back end of her tail.


This went on for a good couple of minutes, until I did the only thing I could, that would undoubtedly end the madness.

I walked to the laundry room, shook the cat food bag, and topped off the bowl.

The sound of the bag was enough to snap her out of it, and send her running.

She was happy, I was happy the noise had stopped.


Whatever was in the corner? I'm hoping it's happy. Happy would be good ;-)


I know many of you completely disregard the possibility of ghosts and/or paranormal activity. And that's cool. I'm all for everyone having their own beliefs, and explanations for why unexplainable things happen.


For me, I still believe we have angels on our shoulders, and shadows in the Korners.

And considering over the last 30 some years, I've experienced my own unexplainable occurrences, and the fact this isn't the first time I've seen one of my animals act this way ... I'm sticking with the animals!

Now, where did I put that Dr Doolittle movie. Time to brush up on my Dog and Cat whispering ...

K

It's The Not Knowing That's Killin' Me

For those of you who are regulars here in the Korner, you've met our cat, Puss.

We got Puss 'n Boots almost 5 years ago, shortly after the death of our 14yr old cat Shelby. And right after Shrek 2 came out. Hence, her name :-)

Baby Puss

Last week, on Wed night, a week ago today, Puss didn't come home.

I was surprised she wasn't at the back door when I went to let her in before bed.

She had spent the night outside before. Not often, maybe two or three times.

I figured she'd be there in the morning, waiting for me, meowing loudly at the back door.

The next morning, she wasn't there.

She hasn't come home in a week.

She has also done this once before. ONLY once.

Last summer, the day we left for vacation, she went on a vacation of her own for a week.

She wouldn't come for the Ex when he called her home.

But this, this is different.

She knows we're home.

For the past week, I check the back door as soon as I get home from work.

Alec checks as soon as he gets home from school.

Any time I'm in the kitchen, I'm staring out the window.

Eyes scanning for any sign of movement. A flash of calico streaking across the backyard.

I've spent an obscene amount of time, either with my face pressed to the bathroom window screen, listening for her, or standing on the deck calling 'pssss pssss psssss psssssss PUUUUSSSSSSS!!!!'

She won't come.

And I don't know why.

I don't know if she's been hit by a car;

or eaten by one of the animals who roam the woods behind the house;

or if someone took her in, thinking she was a stray.

I just don't know.

And it's the not knowing that's killin' me.

And what makes me go to the window every half hour or so.

Looking.

Waiting.

Hoping.

And taking some comfort in the fact that when she finally DOES get her ass home, she won't be knocked up like she was LAST time!!!!

K

Unlikely Friends

Up until last fall, we had two pets.

One dog. One cat.

Belle

and

Puss

And any number of other creatures would occasionally drop by.

In October, Puss had kittens.

Hours old.

One week Old.

We had planned on keeping two kittens from the litter.

Claws McPurr

and

Carley

Six months later, we still have three.

Claws, Carley & Smudge in the back.

Their favourite chair.

And Mama is still with us of course.

Sigh. I've officially become The Cat Lady.

Although they were behind closed doors, in the laundry room for the first few weeks, Belle would occasionally go in to sniff around and see what all the fuss was about :-)

The kittens have grown up, knowing Belle as simply part of the family.

Smudge and Carley still keep their distance from her, unless they feel like playing.

But Claws ...

Yeah. Not so much.

At first, he wasn't sure what to make of Belle.

'I think you missed a spot, right there.'

'MOOOOOMMMM! This big dog is in my personal SPACE again!'

But now ...

Awwww the best of friends!

'No ... really ... trust me'

OK. So we're still working on the 'No Belle, we don't EAT Claws McPurr!' thing ...

K.

Get Your Daily Chuck!

There's this blog I like to read. It's called Dooce®.

It's the life and times of a lady who's been doing this blogging thing a very long time. And she is very successful at it.

I'll leave it up to you whether or not you'd like to read her entire website, as there are a variety of sections to visit.

One area, called Daily Chuck has daily pics of her dogs Chuck and CoCo.

I'm sending you there today.

Not only are Dooce®'s pics absolutely awesome, the captions that accompany them are what keep me coming back daily to get my Chuck fix.

She likes to put things on his head. He's very patient with her.

He's forever running away from Coco. He's not always as patient with HER! LOL

If you're a dog lover, you'll love Chuck.

Check him out. Seriously. He's a pretty cool Dude ;-)

Here are a few of my recent Chuck (& Coco) favourites;

Because his ears were cold

Are you about to put something on my head?

Tastes like chicken

Someone smelled a stinky!

Mentor

Canine Christmas Card

Enjoy!

And don't forget to Get Your Daily Chuck!

K

Get Up! Cover Your Mouth and DON'T BREATHE! (or ... how my kerosene heater tried to kill me)

The other morning, I had a conversation in the kitchen with a co-worker that triggered this memory for me.

So you can thank him for this post ;-)

About 15 years ago, before we were married and had kids, my ex and I were living in the bottom half of an upper/lower flat. One of those old homes that had been chopped up into multi-housing units.

Although our place had alot of character, and I really liked it, it was still an 'old, drafty house' in some respects.

To help offset the heating costs, we picked up a second hand kerosene heater.

It worked great! Threw off some wonderful heat in whatever room we had it in.

For awhile.

One REALLY cold winter night, we set it on low in the bedroom and went to sleep around midnight.

Shortly before daybreak, our dog Minor woke the ex by standing over us on the bed, barking his fool head off.

The ex instantly realized something was seriously wrong and woke me up with 'Kim! Get Up! Cover your mouth and DON'T BREATHE!

I don't remember the exact sequence of events that happened next (my ex could probably tell you, he's got a scary memory that way), but I do remember getting up to find the house filled with a thin layer of smoke.

Black soot was spewing from the kerosene heater.

The ex's face? Covered in black ash.

Because there wasn't an actual fire, and the air was somewhat 'cleaner' outside the bedroom, we didn't feel an urgency to get out of the house.

I ran to the bathroom. He started opening windows and called the fire dept.

Yes, I suppose a SANE person would still just get out of the house ... but I'm running to the bathroom, so I can look in the mirror to see if I have black crap all over me.

Because it was such a cold night, I was wearing those onesie pj's (full length pj's minus the feet and butt flap ... not the underwear onesies we put on infants & toddlers - just to be clear. Right girls? ;-p ).

Yeah, yeah, yeah, a onesie, dork I know. Let it go.

The only reason I bring that up, is because when I got to the bathroom, I discovered that because of the pj's, the only parts of me that had been exposed - my hands and face - were black. And I mean BLACK.

My hair, covered in grime.

The whites of my eyes were glowing, and when I opened my mouth, OH YEAH, so were the teeth baby! No White Strips required!

I remember waiting outside for the firemen, taking in the clean morning air in gulps.

I remember my throat was sore and my eyes were itchy.

I remember the BIG fans the firemen set up to air out the house.

But what I remember most?

The conversation we had with one of the firemen.

He informed us the kerosene heater had 'burned rich' (whatever the hell that means) and been spewing carbon monoxide / soot into our bedroom and throughout the house for god knew how long.

Too long.

He said "If your dog hadn't woken you up when he did, you WOULDN'T have woken up"

That was a pretty powerful statement for me.

Later that morning, while cleaning black soot off the furniture, our clothes and even off the dishes in ALL the cupboards, I vowed I would NEVER own a kerosene heater again.

And I haven't.

Which brings me to my current dilemma.

The basement in my current house is always cold. ALWAYS!

So much so, I'm thinking of finally breaking down, and buying some type of small space heater.

I'll admit, I haven't even looked at them yet. Have no idea what's out there to choose from. No idea even how much they cost.

If any of you would like to throw out a suggestion or recommendation, that would be GREAT!

I can't depend on the dog this time.

I'm afraid Belle would be more concerned with getting that black shit off me and spend all her time & energy licking and not barking.

That wouldn't be cool.

Neither is almost getting killed by your kerosene heater.

Thankfully, the toaster and I have a good relationship.

But the can opener? Yeah. I'm keeping my eye on THAT one!


K.

Just Call Me Grandma!

Yesterday was a very exciting day in the Korner!

I got the kids off to school, went to work, and shortly after I arrived, I spoke to my mechanic about the grinding noise my vehicle was making, which in turn was drawing slack- jawed stares from the motorists beside me.

He told me I could bring it in right away, so I decided to do so, and work from home the rest of the day.

Karma's funny that way ya know.

I haven't mentioned about our cat Puss, and the fact she's pregnant to all of you.

Funny thing is, two nights ago I was going to do a post about the fact that she got knocked up when we got back from summer vacation.

I've never had a kitty who has had kitty's before!

Pregnant Puss!

I hadn't taken any pics of Puss while she was pregnant, but I took this pic two nights ago. Not knowing exactly when she had gotten pregnant, I wasn't sure exactly WHEN the kittens would arrive, but figured it was going to be sometime soon.

Yesterday, after dropping off the vehicle, I was home about 45 minutes. Enough time to VPN into work, and get started on something.

All of a sudden, Puss was at my feet. Meowing. Wandering around.

Puss never meows. Never. Unless you speak to her and she's answering you. But she's not a random meower.

I don't know how I knew, but I knew. The kittens were coming!

The boys and I had made a box for her in the laundry room. I had put a shower liner on the bottom, then a sheet over that, and a blanket on top of that. I just hoped she'd use it when the time came!

I had been warned that cats will have their kittens in closets, on beds they like ... I figured it was going to be a messy thing, and I didn't want kitten crap all over my shoes in the closet!

So, when the meowing and wandering started, I put Belle outside, and walked Puss into the laundry room and patted her box.

She got RIGHT IN!!!

I stayed with her. Rubbed her head. Told her what a good mama she was going to be.

About 20 minutes later, she started to push. Just like WE do LOL.

She looked at me. Meowed like "Holy CRAP! What's going on?!?!?"

Gave another push, made a sound like she was ripping a wet fart, and it was out!

And after she got all the birth crap off it ... it was pretty damned cute!!!!

Every 20 minutes or so, her stomach would give this little spasm, she'd push, meow, make fart noises, and out would pop another one :-)

She had FIVE healthy kittens in all. The first was sort of calico like mama, the next two were black, then a gold/caramel one, and finally a blackish/grey one.

Do I smell butt? Is that someone's butt? I don't want the butt ... I want the BOOB!!!

She's such a good mama! She's had her arms around them since they came out, and she hasn't stopped purring since the first one popped out.

Feeding the brood

She doesn't mind me going in to see her, and doesn't mind me petting HER, but I know enough to not touch the kittens themselves.

The boys were sorry they missed the actual event, but were beside themselves when they got home, and I was home, meeting them with a big grin at the door :-D

This will be her only litter.

It was an absolutely awesome experience watching the births, but I'm also not about to fill the world with extra kittens either.

We'll definitely be keeping one, although the boys want two LOL. The ex is taking one, so that leave 2-3 to find a loving home for. I think I can handle that :-)

I'm so proud of my girl! Did I mention what an awesome Mama she is?

And since I'm STILL grinning from ear to ear almost 24 hrs later, you can just call me ... Grandma!

K.