Best Friends Sanctuary: Revisiting Thumper

A posting at Rocky the Gutter Cat's site reminded us of the kitty that we sponsored. Let's revisit our special girl. Her name is THUMPER and she can be found at Best Friends Sanctuary.
Your fur-rends,
DaisyMae Maus and the Feline Americans

Prairieland Herbs package arrived!

Mom found a link on Skeezix's blog to a neat place in Iowa called Prairieland Herbs. She ordered four catnip packs (one for us and three for gifts). The box arrived today and I got to see it first. Inside our pack is some really odiferous catnip spray, a bag of glorious dried catnip, and ... wait for it ... a BONKY BALL! It's awesome. It's 100% wool felted over a plastic jingle ball. It's great ... and it's all MINE! You can get your own at Prairieland Herbs. They ship pretty quickly, too.

Yea! My blog is back to NORMAL!

After much manipulating, I managed to get my blog fixed with little to no help from Mom (who is computer-useless). I found my original blog template and cut/pasted much of my additional sidebar content into the right places. Lunch Bellyup, my goldfish, is back swimming. My Zoom Cloud is fixed. The 9/11 tribute icon, Gorgeous Gingers animated .gif, and the House Panthers icon are back! I'm feeling MUCH better about Blogger Beta right now. Go ahead and try it out. It might work just fine for you like it did for me (after MUCHO tinkering with the html). If you've got any computer savvy, you should be able to upgrade pretty easily.

Can I get a "whoo hoo"?
DaisyMae Maus

DaisyMae's "Word of the Day": PEEP

Here's another informative vocabulary lesson to build your FELINE LEXICON ...

From DaisyMae's Feline Dictionary of Terms and Phrases, the word of the day is:

PEEP (verb) ... pee-puh ... the feline act of laying on one's belly and peering under a closed and/or locked door in order to view the person behind said door. The "peeper" sometimes puts his/her front legs under the door (if physically possible) to attract attention to the ongoing "peepage." A particularly agressive peep might include grabbing at the person's feet if the feet are within range.

see also: peeping tom(cat), noun; peeper, noun; peepage, noun
not to be confused with: peeps (homies, homeslices, peers); peepers (eyes)

Sentence example:
1. Lucky Charmz is infamous for his peeps and will often push his silicone bracelets under the bathroom door to attract attention.

Blogger Beta: The jury's still out.

If my blog looks different to you, it's because my Mom convinced me to move to the Blogger Beta. Lots of my sidebar stuff disappeared including my links to other blogs (which I thankfully still had on Blogrolling), Pumpkin's "Gorgeous Gingers" action cartoon, Puffy's "House Panthers", the fish that I adopted from Bunny Hero, and some other stuff that I liked. Sigh.

I guess that's the last time that I listen to Mom's bright ideas about "upgrading" stuff. Now I'll be working all weekend to get my blog back up to specks. Ugh. She really screwed up. If you have any suggestions about what to do about the missing stuff and why it's taking my blog so darn long to load on my own computer (I use Mom's Macintosh) ... Please let me know. Arggggghhhh!
DaisyMae Maus

What color PEEPERS do YOU have?

ˆOnly one vote is possible from a blog/email address, so multi-cat households will have to choose a single representative voter!ˆ

Jeepers, creepers ... What color are YOUR peepers?

Sample PEEPER colors:


DaisyMae Maus has dark amber peepers (as does Fudge Ripple).


This cat's peepers are heterochromic.


Cocoa Puff has light golden peepers.


Lucky Charmz has dazzling blue peepers.


Pumpkin's peepers are medium brown.


Sparky Fuzzypants has lime green peepers.

Mmmm ... Treats!

Mom went to PetSmart yesterday to buy more Sheba and came across a new Temptations treat called Dentabites. These "bites" are not to be confused with another Whiskas product called Dentabits ... Those I didn't like much. Too crunchy. I like my treats like in that old "The Farside" cartoon about the polar bears and the igloo ... "Hard on the outside with a soft center."

Anyway, Fudgie and I nearly ate the entire bag ... And if Mom leaves the pack on the counter, who knows??

The Dentabites combine two of my favorite snacks into one ... On the outside, you get a chlorophyll shell that tastes pretty much like the chicken flavor of Feline Greenies. The inside is gushy like a Temptation and kinda chicken-y, too. Yum.

Uh, oh ... I did find some disgusting info about "over eating" the Dentabites. Something about runny green poop. Yuck. I think that I'll go easy on those treats, after all. I don't think that I'll give 'em up, though.

So, if your Mom lets you come along to the cat grocery, you need to start begging for Dentabites in addition to your regular treats/snacks. This might be a good opportunity to get both instead of just one package (unless your Mom shops like ours ... she just tosses bunches into the cart because she says that gasoline is more expensive than stocking up).

Good luck!
DaisyMae Maus

Unh, uh ... No FREAKING way! Stupid quiz!

"My baloney has a first name ... " and it's this STUPID quiz. Thanks a lot, Luxor, for having this temptation on your blog. Stupid me, I took the quiz and I was as honest as I could be. What went wrong??? It must have been the question about whether I'm obsessed with food or not ... As those of you who are faithful readers of my blog know: I AM OBSESSED WITH FOOD! The smelling, the eating, the gathering (not so much the sharing). Ugh! Take the quiz yourself, if you dare. Bwack, bwaaack, bwaaaaack ... Yep, misery loves lots of company.

You Are: 50% Dog, 50% Cat

You are a nice blend of cat and dog. You're playful but not too needy. And you're friendly but careful. And while you have your moody moments, you're too happy to stay upset for long.

Are You More Cat or Dog?

2K

Today my blog reached its 2,000th hit. Yea! I couldn't be more jazzed about this milestone. It was a pretty pedestrian day as far as days go. Mom and I slept in. I had some Eukanuba kibbles and some of Fudgie's Royal Kanin "Baby Cat" ... Yes, I know, he's not a baby. He just has very few teeth and could use the extra nutrition. I like it 'cuz it's small and I don't have to chew it.

After my kibbles and a drink of water, I used both the top and the bottom litter boxes (I LOVE my litter boxes!). Mom finds it odd that we do one type of "bizness" in the upper box and a second in the bottom box. Mostly, I just don't think that the boys do a very good job of covering stuff.

I then had a second drink of water, but not out of the cat bowl ... I had ice water out of my plastic cup on the coffee table. Water is much better with ice.

A mid-morning power nap followed my morning ablutions. I like everything cleaned out and tuned up before I settle down for a nap. I took my nap in the LaZ-boy so that I could hear the hummingbirds dive-bombing the feeders on the porch.

After the nap, I had more kibbles and chased Lucky Charmz. Unfortunately, he was wise to me and thumped me on the melon ... and started chasing ME! The nerve! Of course, I made a bee line for Mom's room and jumped up on the bed where I knew he wouldn't follow. Mom's bed is really high off the ground and Charmee (who LOVES high places) doesn't tend to get up there unless she's sleeping and he wants to cuddle. Pansy boy.

The unfulfilled chase left me wanting to pummel someone, so I chose Sparky Fuzzypants. He had been sitting on Mom's lap monopolizing her. She wanted to crochet and his big butt was on the yarn, so she put him on the floor and I attacked! Mom threw a yarn ball at me ... Bwah, ha, ha!

I slunk into the computer room to take a nap under the bicycle rack. After a satisfying nap, I went to the kitchen to see about some lunch ... I was planning on carne asada ... but lunch was OVER! How could I have missed something as important as lunch? She didn't have carne asada, either. She had a burger. Bah. Not my favorite, so I didn't miss much.

I watched Mom do email and a crossword puzzle waiting for a time to get to my blog to check my hits. No deal. Mom was doing her parents' vacation photos ... Those grandparents of mine need to learn not to shake the camera. Most of the photos were blurry. Humans! Can't live with 'em, can't bury them in the litter box.

Mom went to KFC for a chicken breast and some potatoes/gravy. She generously shared with Fudgie, Charmee, and me ... Surprisingly, no one else wanted a bite. Dummies.

I finally got a chance to blog and check my hits. Two thousand big ones. Too bad they're hits and not dollars ...

DaisyMae Maus

A well-trained mom ...

I am taking ALL of the credit for training Mom to bring back kitty-bags when she goes out for meals. Sure, she orders "Fudge-friendly" food, but she brings stuff home for me because I'm her "beautiful girl".

Take yesterday, for example ... Mom and her mother went out to lunch at El Torito. Mom usually has enchiladas or some kind of combo full of gooey cheese that she likes. What did she have yesterday? Carnitas. Yep, Mom ordered pork. Now Mom really likes carnitas and might even eat most-to-all of her lunch ... in the past. But since I trained her, Mom asked for a box and carefully put the non-cilantro covered pieces into the box for us. As soon as she got home, she divvied up the booty and we feasted on carnitas. Yummy to say the least.


Today Mom went to Arby's. Did she have a roast-beast sammich like gramma? Of course not. We don't like roast-beast from Arby's, so Mom had a turkey sammich and brought home most of the turkey for us to share. Mom's purse smells like turkey and I couldn't be happier.

Since Mom's still on vacation, I wonder what lunch will be tomorrow? Maybe, if I stare at Mom's forehead really hard for the next twenty hours, Mom will pick up my "I want a carne asada torta" message and make a trip to Roberto's. I can do without the guacamole, tomatoes, and mushy torta ... maybe I can get her to just order the meat? I'll use mind-control ...

"Mom ... You are getting sleepy and will soon become succeptable to my mind-control ... Fudge, I KNOW! Lay off! I'll do the ordering. You just worry about the eating. Okay. Sleepy. Sleepy. We ... Want ... Carne ... Asada."

Mezmo the Mind Controller
aka DaisyMae Maus

Yet ANOTHER reason why Sparky Fuzzypants is weird!

I have a burning question that I'm hoping that someone in the blog-o-sphere can either answer or relate to ... This is the second year in a row that Sparky Fuzzypants has pulled all of the fur out on his belly and back inner thighs. The de-fuzzing started in May of 2005 and repeated in May of 2006. Mom would vacuum the carpet before going to bed and when we'd wake up in the morning, tufts of creamy white and caramel-colored fur would be littering the carpet. Since he's the only one with creamy white fur, all paws pointed to Sparky as the culprit.

Mom picked him over with a flea comb and then dosed all of us with Advantage. The V-E-T checked for signs of itchiness and found bupkes ... There's nothing organically wrong with Mr. Pants. Mom thought that he was sweaty, but I assured her that cats can't sweat as we have no sweat glands ...

What's up with Mr. Pants? Does he lose his mind each May? He's eight years old, why didn't he de-fuzz himself the first six years? Can sweaters be crocheted with the creamy white and caramel fur that he yanks out by the roots? I know that the boy's a little "off" by his room-temperature IQ and love of salad, but is he mental, too? Do cats sweat even though we have no biological means of secreting sweat?

My mind is boggled. A fresh perspective would be welcome. Are you a fur-yanker or do you live with one? Should Mom be looking into "lion cuts" when spring springs each year? Special shampoo? Belly toupee? Nads?

I don't get the allure of a freshly plucked belly. It's not like he needs a nice soft place for his chicks to hatch (or does he? That would explain the affinity for tweety feet, wouldn't it?).

Anyway, I thought that I'd throw that burning question out there even though San Diego is at "red flag" alert for fires this weekend. Put your thinking caps on "oh geniuses of the cat bloggin' world."
DaisyMae Maus, ponderer of bald bellies

DaisyMae's "Word of the Day": TWEETY FEET

Here's another informative vocabulary lesson to build your FELINE LEXICON ...

From DaisyMae's Feline Dictionary of Terms and Phrases, the phrase of the day is:

TWEETY FEET (noun) ... twee-tee feet ... splayed toes on the back paws resulting from tickling in the nether region (including, but not exclusively, the buns, tummy and/or tail). This condition can be self-induced, but human tickling is preferred and results in maximum "tweetage" of the feet.


see also: birdy feet

Sentence example:
1. Sparky Fuzzypants rolled onto his back displaying especially joyful "tweety feet" when Mom rubbed his belly and tickled his tail.

Another "costume" tease ...

Well, we're rapidly moving to our two thousandth hit, so here's another family member wearin' a costume to drum up some more blog-traffic. This is our annoying cousin. He's a "pound puppy" much like we were formerly homeless ... His name is Shadow and he's a Saluki-Spaniel mix with some issues (issue #1 is that he thinks that he's tiny; issue #2 is he thinks that the Mickey Mouse ears make him look sexy. Blech!). Everytime he comes to visit, Lucky Charmz taunts him until Shadow tries to taste Charmee. I sit on the back of the LaZ-Boy and make menacing hissy noises. Everyone else hides until "the dawg" is gone.

Anyway, I digress ... This is your costume tease. Shadow was Darth Vader last Hallowe'en when Mom's brother took him trick-or-treating (you'll notice that this ISN'T his Darth Vader photo ... TEASE!!). It's kind of a good gig if you can get it ... Shadow did all of the work and our uncle got to eat all of Shadow's candy. This year, Mom's gonna give dog biscuits so her brother will have to share with the "guy who did all of the work."

We've sponsored a kitty at BEST FRIENDS

A posting at Skeezix's Scratching Post (thanks, Skeezix!) made us aware of a special kitty who needs support ... So, we've sponsored her, too. Her name is THUMPER and she can be found at Best Friends Sanctuary. We're posting her photo and story here to help draw more attention. Good luck to you, Thumper. We hope that you can find a fur-ever home like we did.
Your fur-rends,
DaisyMae Maus and the Feline Americans




Thumper is a striking little inky black cat with great big eyes. Her back legs are paralyzed, so she walks with only her front paws, pulling the rest behind her. But she does this with a racer's speed! This cat is fast! In fact, it may be safe to say that Thumper doesn't consider herself handicapped in the least. She moves just about as quickly as any other cat - and doesn't seem even remotely self-conscious about her legs. She is bright and attentive, always looking about to see what people are doing and making sure she's included in the activities. There's something chipper about her. She has a very upbeat presence. She seems to think that life is fun and the world is interesting. She offers a cheerful, youthful companionship.

Thumper was born in 2000. Her paralysis was caused by a dog attack. The poor thing had her spine broken! It must have been terrifying. She'd had a family before the dog attack, but afterward, the family gave her up. She lives happily here at Best Friends, however, and therapies seem to be improving her posture and continence somewhat. Thumper would like to be adopted into a very, very well-prepared home.

Lucky Charmz is FAMOUS at "Cats In Boxes"

Since he's always hanging out in boxes, Lucky Charmz asked me to submit one of his more fetching poses for publication at the Cats In Boxes site. He got chosen for their website and we couldn't be prouder of our own little "boxboy." Way to go, Charmee!
DaisyMae Maus

You can click this link to see the exact page at Cats In Boxes ...
http://catsinboxes.com/catsinboxes/cat/77

Here's a tease, 'cuz we're halfway to 3K!

It's September 18th and we're more than halfway to our goal of 3,000 hits on the blog. As promised, I'll post some embarrassing costumed photos of the Feline Americans and me (including the humiliating "Cocoa Puff as Hula Puff" neuter-fee prize-winning photo!) if we manage 3K by Hallowe'en. Keep visiting the blog ...

Here's a taste of the impending blog-roll of costumed shots ... I call this one "Heeeeeerrrrre's DAISY!" Eat your heart out, Jack Nicholson!

DaisyMae Maus

Mom's making it up to us: Tonight we get LOAF!

Since Mom tortured us with Feline Advantage AND clippy claws, she's making LOAF for dinner and we get some. Try to get your mom/food lady (or food dude) to make some for you. It's especially good piping hot out of the oven, but we'll eat it cold or as part of a sammich (is that how it's spelled, Skeezix?).

EZ Loaf

2 eggs whisked thoroughly
2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 box (6 ounce size) of Stove Top Stuffing (chicken flavor)
1 cup water (room temperature ... like Sparky Fuzzypant's I.Q.)
1/2 cup barbecue sauce (we like Bull's Eye original), divided

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit





2. Put whisked eggs, 1/4 cup of barbecue sauce, beef, stuffing mix, and water into a bowl. Mix them with a wooden spoon until incorporated (don't over mix). Shape into a "loaf" and place inside a 13 x 9-inch baking dish (so you can easily pour off the grease as it cooks).





3. Spread the remaining barbecue sauce over the top so it will form a glaze/crust as it cooks. Bake for 1 hour or until fully cooked. Use a thermometer to check for 160 degrees F core temperature.





This LOAF makes 8 human servings or tons and tons of cat servings. Mmmm ... I can smell the LOAF already. I can't wait! Maybe I can get Lucky Charmz to pry open the oven and rescue the LOAF ...

Enjoy!
DaisyMae Maus

I was right ... CLIPPY CLAWS!!!!

Remember when I predicted that "clippy claws" was next? Well, I was right! Mom grabbed Fudgie and clipped his claws just minutes after I finished bloggin'! As soon as I pressed "publish post," Mom was by my side with the little snappy clippers to give me a mani/pedi ... Needless to say, I was neither happy nor impressed. Does she think that claws just GROW? No, of course they don't just grow ... I have to work at them. My beautifully arched talons are the result of hours of hard work on the Alpine Incline Scratcher. Anyway, we all got our claws clipped down to nubs and Fudgie even got his matted parts removed (he's ticked, albeit more comfortable). He's been doing the belly-slink all afternoon just in case some other indignity occurs. What else could there be? Hmmm ... a trip to the V-E-T would really suck. I'll bet that's what Mom's got planned next. It would be just like her to try to get all of the loose ends tied up before her vacation's over. I wish she'd pace herself, though. Afterall, this is the first official day of her three-week school holiday.
Until something else comes to mind,
DaisyMae Maus

Advantage? CATS! Uh, humans? It's a draw ...

How many full-grown humans does it take to put Advantage drops on the necks of six average-sized cats (well, five average-sized and one mega-supersized)? Let's find out ...

Last night Mom noticed that Charmee was scratching his neck a little more enthusiastically than usual, so she went to the storage room where she keeps all of our cat supplies and broke out six ampules of Feline Advantage. She did this very non-chalantly, but I still knew that something was up. When she came out of the supply area, she didn't have anything in her hands, so I figured that the coast was clear ... Until I noticed that she was removing pillows from the bed. Mom likes satin pillowcases and she now takes extra care with them since I ruined one by rubbing Feline Advantage on it ... How was I supposed to know that the chemicals in the flea control product eat huge holes in satin?? That leads me to thinking ...

Anyway, Mom moved the pillows and contacted our grandparents who were eager to help corral us. Three adults vs. six cats. Not a fair fight in my book ... It should at least be one-to-one ... We are a wiley bunch.

Mom had her strategy worked out. The package was quietly opened and the viles were at the ready. Mom spied Sparky on the back of the LaZ-Boy, Cocoa Puff was on the floor and Fudge Ripple was near the rocking chair. Mom went for Sparky (success!), grandpa was able to seize Cocoa Puff (he had some difficulty picking him up), but grandma blew it with Fudge Ripple ... Boy, for a seventeen-year-old, Fudgie is speedy and slippery. He bolted down the hallway and under the bed.

Advantage was quickly applied to Sparky and Cocoa ... Catch and release.

Grandma tried to get me, but I was too fast. I zipped down the hallway and launched myself onto Mom's bed. Mom walked up and put the grab on me. I tried to wriggle out of her arms, but no deal. I had a greasy chemical spot on my neck in no time.

Grandpa knows Pumpkin pretty well, so he went into the master-bathroom and plucked him off of the towels. Pumpkin had no idea what was transpiring in the other rooms, so he gave in without much of a struggle.

Lucky Charmz was watching all of the action from above the cabinets. He caused the feline rodeo and yet, he didn't have his Advantage! Mom and grandma solved this problem quickly. Grandma got the kitchen ladder and went up it to grab him. Mom just suggested her usual: Climb up on the countertop and prod him with the taco press or some salad tongs. Charmee likes to play with both, so it's fun for him. I wonder what the neighbors think when they see six-foot-tall Mom standing on the counter grabbing at Charmee's tail with an industrial sized pair of tongs ... ?

Last, but not least, was Fudgie. Mom had to go under the bed after him and he had really wedged himself between some boxes. Of course, Mom was victorious as she's pretty tenacious and doesn't like loose ends where we are concerned: It's "all for one and one for all," I guess.

All of us got our chemical flea control grease slicks ... Mom and the grandparents got some exercise. I wonder if clippy claws is next ... ?

DaisyMae Maus

DaisyMae's "Word of the Day": SQUAWK BOX

Here's another informative vocabulary lesson to build your FELINE LEXICON ...

From DaisyMae's Feline Dictionary of Terms and Phrases, the phrase of the day is:

SQUAWK BOX (noun) ... skwahk bahkz ... A veritable verbal litter box. The derogatory feline condition characterized by noisy, exuberant "conversation," conveying nothing seemingly important. This feline state can be compared to a similar condition found in human children termed ... in school settings ... "chatter boxes."

Adjective(s): squawky

see also: box of squawks ... The feline exhibiting the loud, talkative behavior should be described as one.

Sentence examples:
1. Sparky Fuzzypants had to sleep in the living room because he was a squawk box who couldn't be quiet!
2. Meemaw, the original squawk box, would hold conversations with dust bunnies, bugs, and catfood kibbles whenever the opportunity presented.

Oh, happy day!

Everyone in the blog-o-verse:

I have three words for y'all ...

MOM'S ...... ON ...... VACATION!!!!!

It's been nine long weeks of pre-6:00 AM wake-ups, muggy weather, and hours by ourselves. We get Mom's undivided attention for twenty-three glorious days of sleepin' in, fast food, tummy rubbin', and laziness. Bring it on!

DaisyMae Maus

Can I be in love with a litter box??

Okay ... I've got to know. Is it odd that I've fallen deeply in love with my new litter boxes? Those two litter boxes that Mom ordered from PetSmart last week arrived yesterday afternoon. Mom was disappointed that the hot-n-sexy guy in the brown panel truck didn't arrive when she was at home, but what do I care? I just wanted to try out the new box. Mom decided to hedge her bets by dumping the old litter into the garbage for today's trash collection, but keeping the old Booda boxes wrapped in a leaf bag in the backyard just in case.

Anyway, the box that the litter boxes came in was HUGE ... In fact, to quote a certain Feline Empress in Exile, the new litter boxes were "ginormous" and could hold "squillions" of treats (Big hint, Mom!). Mom unpacked the two new plastic wonders and attempted to follow the directions for assembly. I helped by getting into the litter box while she was trying to assemble it. I was assuring the accurate assembly of the boxes ... Just call me Ms. Quality Control (but don't tell the Teamsters). She filled both boxes with a canister and a half of litter each (I like plenty of scratchin' sand in my box). She stacked them in our special spot and waited. Cocoa Puff was the first to use the box ... Can you believe that his Royal Wideness fit in the box comfortably?? Me, either!!! So he used the box and Mom came trucking over to do the "tilt, sift, and remove" ... And it worked! No scooping. No touching the litter! Mom was amazed and I was in love!

If you've got any kind of pull with your humans, start begging for these boxes NOW while they're still on sale and available at PetSmart (or wherever you can find them). The stink is so much less noxious! I can even use the box after Puffy now! Whoo hoo! Long live our EZ clean boxes.

DaisyMae Maus

Remembering an Original Feline American: Percy

It's been more than a year since Percy crossed the Rainbow Bridge (July 15, 2005). Mom was looking through some photos yesterday and I suggested that she post a photo of Percy. He was one of the original four kittens. Along with their mother, Meemaw, Mom raised three of the four kittens (one was stolen and died very young). Mom told me that when Percy was a tiny boy, his fur wouldn't lay down and he looked like a Brillo pad. Mom tried washing him with conditioning pet shampoo, but only succeeded in making the fur more of a mess.

Percy's Gotcha Day was August 4, 1988, so he was born around the 4th of July. His littermates were Cookie Monster, Lacey Bunns, and the stolen kitten was Tiger. Percy was LOUD. He was known for saying, "Rrrhhhhaaaaaa" in the most obnoxious possible way (and always when it was least expected).

He had gorgeous platinum fur when he reached adulthood. Mom used to call him "Persnickety" or "Dicky-Doo" ... He was great at purring like a psycho and had a bodacious flab-skirt that he liked to have aggressively groped (the phrase, "a grab of jiggly flab," was coined with Percy in mind).

I miss you, "Doo," even though you used to taunt me and take my snacks.

DaisyMae Maus

In Honor of Laura M. Longing: We shall NEVER forget!

Laura M. Longing
Age: 35
Resident of Pearl River, NY

Laura M. (Pettus) Longing of Pearl River, New York, was an extraordinary woman. In her thirty-five years, she accomplished much and touched the lives of many. She was a loving wife and mother, an accomplished businesswoman, and a patriot. She was an Assistant Vice President for Marsh USA. Her office was on the 96th floor of the World Trade Center in the North Tower (Tower I). She managed projects in the technology information systems department. During her ten-year career, Laura worked for Marsh & McLennan Companies and their subsidiaries.

Laura graduated from Nanuet High School in 1984. While a student, she played varsity soccer and softball. After high school, Laura earned her Bachelor's Degree in Management from Pace University in 1988, and went on to earn a Master's Degree in Finance from Iona College in 1994.

In addition to being a successful businesswoman, she was the mother of William and Bryan, and a loving wife to her husband, Chris. She was the daughter of Kevin and Anne Marie Pettus, and sister to Keith and Peggy Pettus. Laura had four nieces and nephews: Rory and Grace Pettus, and Brendan and Erin O'Shea. She was the daughter-in-law of Helen Longing and sister-in-law of Dierdre Pettus, Donna O'Shea, John O'Shea, Lorraine Longing, and Anne Longing.

In her leisure time, Laura loved the outdoors. She spent much time camping, and playing golf and softball.

She touched the lives of her family, friends, and coworkers. She put the needs of others before her own. Although she lost her life in the World Trade Center tragedies of September 11, 2001, she lives on in the memories of those she loved and who loved her.

It is my privilege to honor her memory as one who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country in the name of freedom. Laura M. Longing is truly a hero.

Respectfully,
Jessica L. Jepsen, San Diego
http://daisymaemaus.blogspot.com

Congratulations, Lucky Charmz! You are 'Housecat of the Quarter'!

The Feline Americans and I compete against each other for the coveted trophy, goody bag of fabulous swag, and the honor of being named "Housecat of the Quarter." Mom holds an awards banquet for us four times each year and today was the Summer Quarter "Day of Honor": 9/9 (She also holds banquets on 3/3, 6/6, and 12/12).





Tonight's banquet menu included a succulent combination of Sheba Blue Fin Tuna paté and Fancy Feast Elegant Medleys Yellowfin Tuna with delicate greens (Mom said that it was called "Florentine"). Our beverage was Culligan filtered water with just enough ice cubes ... Yum. Deliciously decadent.




Mom keeps track of our behavior each quarter, grades us on our individual merits and general "cattiness", and then makes the announcement. Apparently, Lucky Charmz scored the highest marks for sweetness, tummy rubbing availability, litter box neatness, purring, and conversation. He lost a few points for biting, spilling beverages, and not sharing (toys, treats).





HOUSECAT OF THE QUARTER: SEPTEMBER 9, 2006
Lucky Charmz's Bio
Age: 3 years
Gotcha Day: June 20, 2003
Breed: Siamese Mix
Coloration: Bicolor (white with brown spots)
Nicknames: Audience Participation Charmz, Nippies, Mr. Charmz, Charmee, Prince Charming, Billy Bunn-Kiss, Mr. C, Mom's Blue-Eyed Wonder, Foo Phooey





Likes: Toys ... lots and lots of toys, silicone "cause" bracelets, climbing up high, spilling stuff, boxes, hoarding toys, treats, balancing on top of the front door



Pet-Peeves: Bread on the refrigerator (gets in the way of climbing), Mom on the phone

Favorite Toy: Laser beam pen ... followed by cheap elastic-lined fishing poles, the Alpine scratcher, jingle bell balls, silicone "cause" bracelets for fetching, and catnip Eeeeeks!

Favorite Nap Spot: Above the cupboards overlooking the great room, the back of the LaZ-Boy

Favorite Food: Eukanuba kibbles, Sheba grilled chicken or bluefin tuna

Favorite Treat: Temptations Seafood Medley, Feline Greenies in salmon

Skills: Mental telepathy and can tell time! He likes to participate in loading the dishwasher/oven/dryer and finding leaks (refrigerator, sink, etc.), hunts (and eats) bugs, can detect an ant invasion.


Dwells: Indoors, naturally!

The Earliest Memory: It was Mom's parents' anniversary. She had arrived home from supervising graduation. The parents were getting ready to leave when I was spotted under their SUV. I was nearly squished! They pronounced me "lucky" and a keeper. I held still when I was washed in the sink and actually seemed to like water (don't try to bathe me now ... you'll get fileted). I have blue eyes just like Mom. She called me her "Prince Charming." I can tell that I'm her favorite ... I get away with everything.

Personal comment: I love toys. I love boxes. I love naps on grandpa's lap. I love warm clothes for burrowing. I've tasted orange juice, but didn't think much of it. Mom christened her kayak the "Foo Phooey" after me.


LUCKY'S TROPHY!
In honor of his achievement, Lucky Charmz gets his name engraved on the "Housecat of the Quarter" perpetual trophy.

The 'HotQ' Bag O'Swag included:
A new pink Eeeeek! and some Whisker City catnip (From his Aunt Marisol)








A dozen "cat-fishing" toys (Lucky loves to play "cat fishin'", but he's really rough on these toys).
Mom buys them at Wal*Mart for 92¢ each and stocks up whenever she can!
Don't tell Lucky!




A BRAND NEW Alpine Scratching Post!



And a case of Sheba Feline Paté in all of his favorite flavors (but he has to share with the Feline Americans and me) ... Perhaps forcing him to share will help him to earn more points in the "sharing" category next time. Oh, wait! This may backfire! I wanna win "Housecat of the Quarter" ...

Hi Aunt Montie!

While I'm bloggin', I thought that I'd wish a "welcome" and a "happy birthday" to my Aunt Montie. She moved away about two years ago, and the Feline Americans and I really miss having her around. When she writes to Mom, she always asks about her "babies" (that's US!!!). She has two "sons" who are dogs. They are Whimpy and Tribles. We miss them, too ... But not as much as our Aunt Montie!

So .... HI AUNT MONTIE! WE LOVE YOU! WE MISS YOUR PETS! HAPPY BIRTHDAY! BIG SMOOCHES!

DaisyMae Maus and the Feline Americans

My goal ...

Well, as you can tell from my hit counter, I'm well on my way to my 1,500th hit. I figure that I should make a goal for myself to see if I can get three thousand hits on my hit counter by Hallowe'en. Do you think that I can do it? If I make my three thousandth hit before Hallowe'en, I promise to post some particularly embarrassing photos of the Feline Americans (and myself) in Hallowe'en costumes. I'll even post the INCREDIBLY humiliating photo of Cocoa Puff in the costume that won him a free neutering about nine years ago. It's hilarious!

So, tell your friends and neighbors (feline and human) to show me the love with masses of hits on my blog, and I'll give up the dirt in the form of some blackmail-worthy photos of we cats in compromising costuming.

Whaddya think?

DaisyMae Maus

If the box is rockin', don't bother knockin'!

Mom finally listened to me! I had been begging her to replace our two aging jumbo-sized Booda covered litter boxes with something more modern and hygenic. PetSmart sent Mom an email advertising some self-cleaning litter boxes from Omega Paw ... and Mom bought us two of them! The large-sized ones!! I cannot wait for them to arrive, but Mom cheaped out on the shipping. I wanted them tomorrow or the next day at the very latest. Mom selected "value shipping" so they'll be here before Hallowe'en ... I hope. Mom calls "shipping" SNAIL MAIL, but she's always excited to see the sexy guy in the tight brown shorts who drives the brown panel truck with the perky "beep, beep" when he arrives.





Does anyone else out there in the blog-o-verse use these cat box beauties? I've only ever used the Booda ones (except when I was an outside cat and had to use the flower beds ... Eeewwww!). I'm excited as they'll be faster and easier to clean. Mom can give them a quick rocking so I won't have to follow Cocoa Puff or Pumpkin into stench-ville (those two have a thing about not covering up what they've deposited) ... and, can you say "flatulating buttheads"????

I figure that Mom will do less throwing up in the middle of cleaning the boxes. Our litter will last longer and she can keep the depth at about three or four inches so my paws won't get wet/soiled. I just hope that the 9" diameter doorway is wide enough for Cocoa Puff's caboose. I may just have to get out my measuring tape and take the dimensions of Cocoa's business end. I hope that he doesn't think that I have a crush on him or something. Eeewwwww!

Anyway, I'd love some feedback on the new litter boxes ... If you have one of these and you LOVE it, please let me know in the comments ... I hope that they are as wonderful as I think they are. I looked for "reviews" on the PetSmart site, but no one had commented with a "yea or nay" ... I hope that Mom didn't make a wasteful purchase (pun intended).

'Til next post!
DaisyMae Maus

Oh, I forgot ... That horrible humidity is back! I wish that someone from Miami would take the darn stuff back with them! Humidity frizzes out my fur!

DaisyMae's "Word of the Day": WONK

Here's another informative vocabulary lesson to build your FELINE LEXICON ...

From DaisyMae's Feline Dictionary of Terms and Phrases, the phrase of the day is:

WONK (noun) ... wahnk ... Crusty brown gunk localized at the inside corners of the eyes. This phenomenon typically results after one has spent a particularly hard night of sleeping, although wonk can occur after a long nap, too. When wet, wonk is sometimes referred to as "eye boogers." In most instances, wonk is highly visible and spoils the look of otherwise attractive cats.

Adjective(s): wonky; wonkish; wonkiness

see also: wonky peepers ... The condition of having wonk in the inside corners of the eyes prior to 'wonk removal.'

Sentence examples:
1. Pumpkin refused to hold still for wonk removal until Mom put him in a headlock.
2. Sparky Fuzzypants' eyes were full of nasty, brownish wonk after a particularly restful nap.

Labor Day?

Mom was happy this afternoon when she finally got home from work. She had been to the bank. She had been to the store. She'd bought a wedding present and two giftcards for her student aides. She even went to redeem Puffy's birthday coupon at Petco (he got a sample-sized Feline Greenies as a present). Mom kept saying, "Labor Day weekend. Labor Day weekend." I'm not quite sure what that means, but I do know that "weekend" means sleeping late, extra pets, and some pizza ... I like pizza.

Since she got back from her weekend in Jet City, Mom hasn't been quite rested. She's still running on fumes. Sometimes I wish that I could stop that noisy clock on the bedside table and let her sleep for a little while longer in the morning. Charmee always gets upset when Mom gets up and disturbs the little cocoon that he's made in the covers. Apparently, this Labor Day thing means three days of cuddles instead of the usual two ... I can get behind that and Charmee will be very happy indeed.

Mom shut the front door a few minutes ago because people were walking by and staring into the house through the security door. They were admiring us ... I could hear them talking about the pretty black and white one sitting on the back of the LaZ-Boy. That's definitely me. I could understand why Mom closed the door, though ... She was mentioning "privacy" and "peeping" ... She doesn't even like it when Charmee peeps under the bathroom door and grabs at her feet when she's brushing her teeth or washing her face. She was really annoyed when he managed to pop the bathroom door open and jump into the shower with her. He can be a real nuisance. Can you believe that he did this TWICE in one week? He got really wet the second time and dried off by sitting on Mom's pillow.

Gotta go ... Mom's opening our dinner can and I think that it's grilled chicken Sheba tonight.
DaisyMae Maus