A Year Since...

This is the 1st picture we took of Machen.  The pic below is the last.   He was born on 10/11/23 & came to us 1/21/23.  He lived a brief, weird life.  He wasn't an easy kitten, but he was part of ours.  On 6/25/25 he took his final trip.  This was my post about that.  

 

It's seems longer than a year.  His presence was overwhelming.   It took months to get back to a pre-Machen normal.  Maybe that's a good thing.

Little cat that never quite learned his name, you were an experience & are missed.  May your next life be a joy with people who can give your more than we could.  

Remembering you,

Cya...

PS - Please be kind to strays & ferals.  They didn't ask for that life.  People did that & only people can help reduce the numbers of in-need animals.  Whether a stray is 4 legged or 2, if you can't be kind at least don't do them any harm.

Machen, Who's Machen...

 

Machen came into our lives on November 21, 2023.  He'd been left outside our home & was soon part of our life.  I've posted about him some here.  He wasn't the smartest cat.  I don't think he ever learned his name.  He was easily our most obstinate cat.   He had a lot of qualities I was hoping he'd grow out of.  That won't get to happen.  

I feel like I should've noticed more, but I didn't.  Several months before, he stopped playing as much.  I put it up to him leaving kittenhood.  Then got weird about where his food was.  He wasn't as social.  Lately he'd developed a lot bathroom issues & just seemed off.   We called the vet & made an appointment.

The vet thinks he was most likely inbred & suffering from neurological issues that would only have gotten worse.  She asked about seizures & said if he hadn't them, it was just a matter of time.  She noted his eyesight was going.   He'd had a lot of small illnesses in his short life & a serious incident that we took him to the vet for last September.   Considering all this, the vet thought it best for Machen to be put down.   When she tried to administer the final meds she couldn't find the kidney on the left side.  He may have missing a kidney & that would've been more issues sooner than later.

When it happened, Machen exhaled a final breath & was gone.  I know this was for the best, but I hate this.  He wasn't even 2 yet.  He would've been 2 on October 11, 2025.   This was the best option, but it still sucks.

Machen you will be missed.  You were loved.  May your next life be joyous & secure.  I'm so sorry if we could've done more & didn't know to.  Best journeys my grey & white cat named Machen.  May you get a name you can learn.

The 1st pic is from a day or so after he got here.  Here are his final photos.  He was only in our 583 days, just a little over 19 months.   He made quite the impact.  I was the 1st person in our home to hold him on 11/21/23 & I was the last person to hold him on 06/25/25.  I'm glad I was there for you as much as I could be.

Leaving the vet's office with an empty carrier is the worst thing about having a pet.

PS - Please be kind to strays & ferals.  They didn't ask for that life.  People did that & only people can help reduce the numbers of in-need animals.  Whether a stray is 4 legged or 2, if you can't be kind at least don't do them any harm.

Hard Yesterday, Repairs & Little Spot...

 

Yesterday wasn't easy.  I had to have repair people over to work on the freezer.  They say it's operating alright & if it stops cooling too much, the only to do is replace it.  They did manage to unclog the defrost drain.  It had frozen over.

We still have some porch & yard cats.  The grey, Chonk tom stopped showing in July.  During that time a pregnant mother cat made her to the barn with her kitten in tow.  Soon, there were 3 more kittens.  A couple months later, she was pregnant again & then disappeared.  That left us with 2 porch cats.  A loud female we call Mu after her meow.  The other is a rough looking, tuxedo tom, called Tux. 

The 4 other kittens did OK until yesterday.  We called 1, Little Spot, he was yellow with a pale spot on his shoulder.  He was friendly & would try to interact with us as much as his feral nature would let him.  He got to where he'd nose my hand before running off.   

Somehow he got hurt, maybe hit or fell from a tree.  He'd had some kind of spinal injury.  There was nothing I could do for.  I managed to catch him & take him.  Just a few months old & already gone.  I know it was the best, kindest decision I could make.  I just wish there'd been other options.  If I hadn't, he would've died in a much worse way, possibly starving & scared.  Still, he should've had a better life.  

I wish you well in your next life Little Spot. You made me smile when so little does these days.  You were a brightness in my day.   You were adored & will be missed.  Run free.

Please be kind to strays & ferals.  They didn't ask for that life.  People did that & only people can help reduce the numbers of in-need animals.  Whether a stray is 4 legged or 2, if you can't be kind at least don't do them any harm.

So long Little Spot.

Cya...

Nothing Saturday...

 

We don't have any plans for today & I'm fine with that.  It was sunny when  I woke up.  I'm running a little late, so this will be short.  We may have lost our last porch cat.  They come & go.  Most are beyond taming, without a lot of time.  We had several in the Spring, due to a neighbor who didn't take care of his cats.  We were down to a black tom.  I put a house out for him.   I can only hope he found a better home.

I wish people would take care of their animals.  I can't take in or even help all the stray cats.  It's hard to have to realize that.  I hate seeing strays & not being able to much about it. If you can't help a stray, at least try not to harm them.

Take care.

Cya...

Still Recooping & Passing Cats......

The 1st notable Summer yuck has struck.  The stress of the Suddenlink situation, the heat, the annoyance of going  out a lot.  I've also been spraying for fleas a lot.  That stuff nearly kills me no matter how I handle it.  Hopefully, by this weekend I'll feel more life myself.

We found out during the net outage the porch cat, Hazel, had died.  She'd apparently been hit by a car.   These people drive like idiots.   We tried to get Hazel to be an indoor cat.  She'd obviously been inside before.  She knew her way around. But, I think something bad had happened to her in a house.  She was never comfortable inside more than a few minutes.  Then she was at the door ready to go.  We'll miss you Hazel.  We definitely thought of you as ours.  May your next life be as bountiful & loving as any could ever be.  You deserve it. Good Journeys.

This week has sucked.

Cya...

PS. - Please be kind to strays.  You too could wind up a stray someday.  They don't need  a lot, just some food, water & love.  Do what you can.  Thank you.

Unwanted Anniversary...

This day marks a full year without our Rowan being here.   I talk about this in this entry, Rowan Had Better Places To Be.   I miss her & her sister Rhiannon.   She was possibly the most social cat I'd ever had been part of my life.  Tinkerbell is still with us & Millie, aka Camilla, is newish to the house & is only a little past 2.  She's very much still kittenish.

Rowan you were treasured & adored.  You are still in our hearts & conversations. May your next life be a joyous, loving bounty.  Thank you for our time together.

Cya...

PS - Please be kind to strays no matter how many legs they may or may not have.

Still Failing...

I'm not having a good week already.  It's raining & miserable outside.  It's some stupid holiday, non-candy oriented.   The mail isn't running & the vet is probably closed.  We're making final plans for 1 of our older cats.  I just can't bring myself to do it this time.  I don't know why.  If I was by myself, I'd have to.  I've not done well enough by this cat.  I wish they'd all gone to homes with better, calmer people who had more resources for them.  That just isn't me & it never will be.

There are a few new outdoor cats.  Only 1 will let me interact with it at all.   It's really fluffy & I can't pick it up long enough to determine gender.  I could if I worked at probably get it to move in.  I won't.  I can't do this again.  I'm + & getting older.  My roomie isn't the healthiest,  What would happen to the cat if we died?   So, I'll feed it as I can & tell how pretty he/she is.  That's not enough.

The little blue flowers in my yard are back.  They normally make me happy, but not this year.  It means Spring is really here & mowing & the like will have to begin again.  Just the though tires me out.  

I'm trying not to be that grumpy person.  But all I really want to do is just go to sleep for a long time.   I lost my last job in 98 & I started getting sick shortly after.  I have been ill for nearly 2 decades & I'm tired.  I've done very little & mostly I feel like it's all flopped.

The cat thing, indoor & out, has got to me.  They're all or were basically strays.  Little balls of fur no one wanted.  I did, but I couldn't really take of them well.  I did what I could.  But it really wasn't enough.   I get the stray thing.  Most never find safe, warm, happy homes.  Most just exist until they don't.  This world can be truly terrifying.  Most strays just want to feel secure  Be nice to them, it could be you someday.

Be kind to strays & yourselves, maybe you can do better at that than I have.

Cya..

Another One Gone...

No matter where I've lived, I've always attracted stray cats.    I can usually get them to trust me.  That hasn't been the case recently.  We've got the feral LBC (Little Black Cat), we call Hex, living on the porch.  I've talked about the LBC before.  There's been no change on that front.  I get watched through the windows, but that's as much interaction as Hex wants.

Without being able to handle them, there's a limit to what I can do for them.  I can't really deal with any medical issues unless they're so debilitated they can't move.    Then it's usually too late.  We have a couple of other cats frequenting the place.  They aren't here as often as Hex.

Until yesterday we had what we were calling Psycho-Cat or Angry Orange Cat.  He was fairly aggressive.  I only touched him once.   He didn't see me & his kitty self nearly had heart failure when I touched his back.   He'd watch me from a few feet away & that was the relationship I had with him.

That ended yesterday.  I'm not sure what happened.  I can only assume he got hit by a car.  Whatever it was, it didn't do a lot external damage.  I had to call the city to have his body removed.  If I could've handled him, I might have been able to help him more, but maybe not.

Being a stray sucks.  People think that only applies to animals, but  plenty of people are strays as well.  Most never really choose to be strays.  If they did, wherever they were, must have been pretty horrible, to make the life of a stray look preferable. 

If you can, do me a favor, be kind to strays.  No matter what the type.  A little kindness can go a long way.

Cya...

PS.  May your next life be better Orange Cat & may you get a better name.