Hi, and thanks

I want to thank all of you for the comments, compassion, and concern after losing Mary Read that way.  I'm still adjusting to not having her around.  Mary was the one who always snoopervised when I was preparing food, for kitties or for me, and I still tend to check for her before I put anything down on a counter.

On a happier note, Billy White Shoes has figured out how to get into the 'big kittie' litter box.  He seems a bit intimidated once he gets there, but he is getting more comfortable.  The litter there is several inches deep, and Billy keeps moving around digging one place after another, and seems a bit flummoxed he never seems to hit bottom with all his digging.  But eventually he finds a spot he likes.

Thanks again.

Mary Read -- what happened

I checked the collar Mary Read was wearing yesterday.  I thought the collar had a safety, quick release catch.  But it turned out that wasn't the case.  When I tried to open the collar, I couldn't pull the catch apart without manually pressing on the catch.  I don't remember where I got them anymore, but it is clear this was not a safety collar, regardless of what the packaging with the collar said.


I left the collar loose, just in case, to make it easier for her to slip out of the collar if it got caught someplace.  The collar had a loop where it folded back, for adjustments.  Mary Read caught that loop in her collar on a stub of a broken off branch.  It worked pretty much like a choke collar.  The harder she pulled, the tighter the collar squeezed onto her neck.


Once she got her collar caught like that, her only hope was to hang on to the tree until I saw her and freed her.


I didn't see her in time.


Mary, baby, I'm sorry.  I thought I was making you safer, and instead, I was dooming you.


I'm so sorry.

Mary Read is at The Bridge

I let the Pirate Girls go outside a few hours ago.  About ten minutes ago, I went to check on them.  Anne Bonny & Grace O'Malley came trotting into the house.  Mary Read didn't.


I looked around a little for her, and found her hanging, about fifteen feet up in a tree.  She had managed to get her collar caught on a stub of a limb.  She was wearing a safety collar, but for some reason the catch did not release.  I try to leave enough room for the cat to slip out of the collar regardless, but she managed to catch herself in the loop where the collar adjusts, so the collar pulled tighter, trapping her.  It looks like she turned at least three turns hanging there, trying to get free.


I just thought you might want to know.

Made it through the night, anyway

First, the good news -- the kitten made it through the night.

He is drinking, peeing, and pooping, so we know the plumbing is all connected OK.


I think he is a boy, but I am not sure.  Kittens this young are hard to tell sometimes, especially since I am not an expert on that sort of thing.


He weighs about 5-1/2 ounces (156 grams), and gained most of a half an ounce from yesterday.

I guess he is a week or two old, although that is a total guess.  He looks like the pictures of two week old kittens.  But his eyes are not open yet, and he still has part of the umbilical cord attache, both of which imply he is a week old or less.


Most of the time, I wake him up for feeding time, so I am not sure if I should let him sleep or not.


In a nutshell, the kitten is still hanging in there, and I guess we'll all just keep playing things by ear.


In other news, Grace O'Malley is in heat, and is starting to get a little desperate.  I'm trying to keep her inside.  With luck, I'll be able to take her to the VET in a week or so to get her spayed.


Anne Bonny & Mary Read are sleeping somewhere, like always.  Either they are a lot older than I thought they were, or they never learned to play.

For the Sherwood Bunch

We stole a copy of Zoolatry's image for this post; we hope no one minds.

We want to add our THANKS to ML & the Sherwood Bunch.  The Cat Blogosphere would not be the same with out you kitties and beans, if it existed at all.

ppuurrrrrrrrrss from Anne Bonny, Mary Read, and their Dad.

Merry Christmas to you all

A nice Christmas video we found a long time ago.  The Drifters* sang the song, and Joshua Held did the animation.

Go here to watch the video directly on youTube.

We don't post much anymore, but we still think about you all.

Love from Anne Bonny & Mary Read, and the angel kitties Radcliff, Allie, Luna, & Ozzie.


* There is a Drifters web site here, if you are interested, though none of the singers in the video are involved anymore.

Labor of Love

For ML and the Sherwood Bunch. Without them and the CB, we'd still be 'Two Black Kitties'.

In Honor of Meow Like A Pirate Day

Introducing Anne Bonny & Mary Read

Previously known as The Two Black Kitties.

The poll pretty much split amongst three names, with Anne Bonny & Mary Read second, and Thelma & Louise first.

There were a lot good of suggestions from the comments, and I thought about having another poll with them added, but finally decided that enough was enough. I really didn't like Thelma and Louise very much, and thought Anne Bonny and Mary Read were more interesting names, at least to me, so here are:

Anne Bonny
Mary Read

For anyone interested in more information about Anne Bonny & Mary Read the 18th Century pirates, check any of these links:
http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/pages/history/story0024.html
http://www.beaglebay.com/women_pirates.htm#Mary%20Read
http://www.beaglebay.com/women_pirates.htm#Ann%20Bonny
http://www.piratesinfo.com/biography/biography.php
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