Good afternoon! How can you miss me if I don’t go away, amirite? WereBear sent this to me earlier this week because I knew we could all use a kitteh break. I’ve been following the adventures of the newest addition on her blog for couple of weeks and am happy to introduce you to Morgen Le Faye, aka Blue.
From WereBear:
Filling a Cat Gap
Sometimes, the solution to a cat problem is more cats. So we got another one.
Meet Morgen Le Faye. She does have supernatural powers. Her shelter name was Blue. We’re keeping that one, too. She is a darling three-month-old kitten in all ways; practicing her Teleportation, face-planting in her food the first day, and quickly capturing Mr WayofCats’ heart.
Which is what I hoped for. I certainly tried to pick for it.
Fortunately, he had been nursing quite a yen for a Panther. These are the sleek, elongated, all black cats. Usually with amber eyes. I warned him. He was not dissuaded. This narrowed the search.
Having lost a special girl several months ago, he was ready for another.
I feel like the character played by Lee Strasberg in The Godfather: Part II. Hyman Roth: “This is the business we’ve chosen.” Only in my case, it’s the life we’ve chosen. It has cats in it.
So when we lose a few in a short span of time, it leads to Cat Gaps.
Mr WayofCats’ condition is low lately. So he was resting in bed a lot of the time, dealing with boredom and insomnia. Watching TV helps him fall asleep but keeps me up. At such times, I sleep elsewhere. And now, wherever I go, so goes this latest configuration of our Cat Civilization.
All of them.
This was not a foreseen event. Tristan is my sidekick, but I figured Prince Lou of Good Behavior would be a candidate. He and Mr WayofCats love each other, and a ShedMonster is involved. Or Rhiannon, not even one year old yet, and demands cuddles like a Shirley Temple movie. Bud was out. Bud is currently a beanhead.
But it didn’t work. Lou missed Bud, and Rhiannon missed me. Within an hour he was catless again. He was dealing with a Cat Gap that had never come up before. Because his Heart Cat, Olwyn, was once his little shadow and devoted nurse.
I chose Morgen for that. And held my breath. Because Heart Cat is chemistry, and sometimes we don’t know. That was me and Rhiannon. Sure, she loved me, but I didn’t realize she was following me around until Mr WayofCats pointed it out.
It was true. I had been Chosen.
Over a month ago, I saw a picture of a little black girl kitten, about ten weeks old. I emailed the shelter, reserved her, and never hinted at it with Mr WayofCats. Until we got the appointment to pick her up.
Mr WayofCats was John le Carré-ing this process. He felt that his Mithrandir pick, who we had to rehome, had been ill-fated. He wanted distance and surprise.
It worked. She is a determined nose booper. Last time I saw her she gave me seven. So you can imagine how charmed Mr WayofCats is by now, having her all to himself.
I’m holding off on most of the Introductions since she’s so young and tiny. Also, I’m in the middle of a project, so I don’t have time for the kitten wrangling. Plus, it has been — quite a year. All of us need to fill the tanks, not drain them.
I learned that from cats. When they lie on their backs, with paws in the air in case the toy flies by. They are sated, but still in the game.
We draw down, then we charge up.
We all wish everyone as much charging up as they can manage.
—
Way of Cats on Patreon features my Behind the Blogs podcast. Every week there’s a free segment on one particular post.
I have a Way of Cats book on Amazon, with good reviews. Feel moved to leave me one you meant to do by now? Thanks!
I am considering renaming my Way of Cats blog to Tristan and the Teen Cats. Capture the youth market.
=======================
TaMara again. Isn’t she just the sweetest? I miss having a house Panther. For me, keep a good thought for Gabe – he did not take my latest absence well and developed a severe UTI. We seem to have it under control, but he’s still pretty quiet today. Those damn crystals are so very scary. I’m going to adjust his diet, again, and see if we can’t get him through the next trip (family reunion next month) without a scare.
Also, I know we had a great post on Champ Biden, which really gutted me, mostly because I was sleep deprived taking care of a sick cat and because I’m just a softy, but I was so taken by the fact he waited for them to return from their trip to leave. I’ve had a few who have done that for me, and it’s such a gift. A champ till the end. Okay, I’ll stop crying now…
Meanwhile – I’m sure WereBear will be around to tell you all about Blue and answer any questions.
Consider this a pet thread!
Baud
Very sweet.
Miss Bianca
Awww…
That is awwwll.
West of the Rockies
Oh, what a beauty/cutie!
SiubhanDuinne
Blue is an adorable kitten, and is going to grow up to be a stunningly handsome Panther Cat. Well chosen, WereBear!
P.S. I hope Mr. WB’s insomnia improves soon. I’m all too familiar with that TV-at-3:00-a.m. brand of sleeplessness, and I sympathise.
Chat Noir
Congrats, WearBear, on the most recent kitten adoption. She is beautiful.
TaMara, I had the scary experience of kitty UTI years ago. I changed his diet to prescription formula, per my vet’s suggestion, and Sherman lived another nine years after that. I hope Gabe heals fast!
Matt McIrvin
She looks so much like baby Luna, who grew up into a highly amusing, infuriating source of trouble, the house clown and escape artist. I think she’s a bit extra for our other kitty, Jess, who just wants to hang out or curl up in somebody’s lap mostly, but they don’t avoid one another entirely like Jess and our late Radka did.
Bex
Morgen/Blue is guaranteed Grandpa Mason-approved. He sent just the right kitty. >^..^<
laura
Tiny kiki is a beauty. I’ve got enough emotional bandwidth to bond with someone else’s cat, so I’m adding Blue to my crush on Popehat’s MURDERBALL. Pooties make life so much better. Hopefully, Amir Khalid will soon be adopted by a kitty to help fill the Bianca shaped dent in his heart.
WereBear
I wrote a post about dealing with UTI:
Dear Pammy, How can I help my cat with their urinary issues?
ALSO: correction, that first pic, labeled “Blue,” is at FOUR weeks, not ten. Just a little morsel of sass and fuzziness, but I knew she was the ONE.
WereBear
@Matt McIrvin: Oh, she’s a smart one. Most of our friends remarked on the visible mentation (as one of them called it) she shows in her face.
WereBear
The last time Amir brought it up, I think we were talking about how his last kitty chose him… and maybe that will happen again.
It’s certainly a way of knowing we have chemistry together :)
Dorothy A. Winsor
Wrong thread
sab
Dobby the demon cat is now just hanging around the living room like a normal cat, watch tv with everyone else. He flees to the basement during sports shows ( wise move, husband is a shriekiing type fan) but otherwise he just hangs around waiting for food. Meg has started enforcing which food starions and litter boxes he may use. Shadow ( formerly known as meankitty) sleeps next to him.
It’s very weird how he adjusted. Weeks of terror ( on both sides) and now it is like a switch was flipped.
WereBear
Sometimes, when cats have trouble with The New, we just hang in there… until it’s no longer New.
TaMara (HFG)
@sab: I am so glad to hear that. Hoping all your wounds healed. ?
Mary G
@sab: So glad to read this. I know the situation was scary for you.
J R in WV
New tiny kitty is beautiful ~!~ Best of luck with all the kitties.
Regarding Champ waiting for his people, hanging on til they got back. Many years ago our Annie was diagnosed with a lymphona type disease, not long before a long-arranged trip. We had a friend lined up to stay with the critters, the vet told us Annie had months to go, it was a slow-developing problem, not critical at all yet.
They were wrong. When we got back 3 weeks later, Annie was past being on her last legs. We all stayed close that night, the next morning we took her in. I had to carry her out to pee, and carry her to the car the next morning. No one’s fault, just completely unanticipated rapid decline. She definitely waited for us to get home.
So I was all teary about poor Champ waiting for his people to get home, and was glad that they made it in time.
Old Man Shadow
That is a very adorable little beasty.
Congratulations and may all the cuts you receive be painless.
Uncle Jeffy
Our fuzzy one (Ray Tat the Kitty Kitty Cat) needed subcutaneous fluid injections over the last few months of her life. Then one afternoon she got up from her curl-up spot on the family room rug, went to the back door, and scratched to get out – which she had never done (a total house cat). I knew what that meant, and picked her up and held her for a long, long time. She finally wiggled a bit asking to be put down on the floor, curled up and put her head on my foot, and peacefully passed away. My heart still breaks.
zhena gogolia
In that last picture she has the inimitable glare of my very first kitty, all-black (except for a white star on his chest) Buddy. I loved him fiercely.
MazeDancer
Congratulations on your new kitty!
Have a panther of my own. They are always glorious to behold, even if doing something silly.
WereBear
@Uncle Jeffy: What a lovely story.
Mr WereBear’s special cat passed away in his arms. As they both would have wanted. I’m glad he could give that to her.
Cameron
…and, of course, there’s this..
https://youtu.be/Ea17dnkDdAw
A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan)
@J R in WV: Not just kitties. In 1998, my mother and stepfather had a trip to Europe planned, and then he fell and couldn’t go, and I ended up going in their place. Coming home, my mother met me at the airport and drove me straight to the hospital to see LeRoy (who was unconscious). He had fallen again while I was gone and she hadn’t told me (not wanting to worry me, she said). I talked to him at the bedside, telling him I was home, and he died that night. Clearly, even unconscious, he had been waiting for me to get home so I would be there to take care of my mother after he died.
Amir Khalid
@WereBear:
I certainly hope so. Maybe some time after lockdown, if we ever get there …
A woman from anywhere (formerly Mohagan)
I had a beautiful black panther myself, named Bete Noir (after the black kitten in the Gordo comic strip). She was so sleek in her prime. Long gone now, I’m sad to say
Blue is so cute, and I love the picture of her on Mr. WereBear’s chest, doing her job. She will obviously grow up to be a gorgeous panther.
MomSense
Congratulations Werebear! I wish I could have a cat, but my dog’s prey drive is such that I couldn’t, in good conscience, bring a cat into her world.
My heart cat was a tiny feral I named Aggripina after the woman who founded Russian ballet. I witnessed that cat so many amazing feats. She has been gone for 20 years and I still think of her.
greenergood
Such a beautiful new kitteh! And also sorry to hear that my favourite cat-crush Gabe hasn’t been well. Hope improvement is imminent. But as far as furchildren lasting – my college friend Kay had a Siamese who was 23 years old. Kay went off to explore the world, Sam slept on her bed for a year, barely eating, barely shitting, barely living, but accepting pets and cuddles – and the day Kay came home, Sam loudly purred at her a few times and then crossed the rainbow bridge. They can be determined little bastards, yes?
rikyrah
Oh my?????
WereBear
@greenergood: Cats don’t get enough credit for their loving hearts.
Right now Tristan, who suffered so losing his oldest friends last year, is developing a close relationship with our two newest: both charming little girl cats.
He might be a Kitten Wrangler after all! Just one with a narrow focus :)
debbie
What a cutie!
debbie
@sab:
As they say in the noir world, “They came to an understanding.”
Enjoy the peace, but be prepared when it ends. ?
Chris T.
I didn’t squee! earlier, but this time I have to…
Squee!
Steeplejack
@WereBear:
Blue is a great addition to the family! Congrats on making a good choice for the mister.
Minor note: You should update the copyright notices on your site to include 2021.
Also, is there a way to do a one-time donation? Can that be done through Patreon? It seems like you used to have a PayPal link (although I would prefer Zelle).
Yutsano
ZOMG KITTEH!!!
Steeplejack
@laura:
I love Murderball!
Steeplejack
@sab:
Is Dobby the cat you just got from your daughter(-in-law?)? If so, that’s amazingly fast progress.
WereBear
@Steeplejack: How sweet of you to support my work :)
I do have a PayPal link:
Tip Jar!
AND
Donate to Way of Cats
which allows a credit card option through Stripe, for the PayPal avoidant.
And thanks, I’ll look into Zelle.
WereBear
@Steeplejack: Thanks, updated the copyright, too.
For years I ran the site with fund drives twice a year, even as bandwidth mounted up and things got more complicated. But in fall of 2016, that fell right off a cliff.
Something got people all upset…
Steeplejack
@WereBear:
Thanks! I couldn’t find a donation link on your site. Will kick in on PayPal.
Here’s my recent outbreak of Zelle evangelism.
WereBear
@Steeplejack: Cool. I will set something up.
WereBear
This is also a new adventure for Mr WereBear, since he is raising his new kitten mostly by himself!
I am happy to report he has learned much. Morgen is rethinking climbing the coat tree, is devoted to burying in the litter box (what a good girl!) and will instantly teleport to the feeding mat when she hears a can pop.
She stays busy.
Steeplejack
@WereBear:
FYI: Just sent some money via PayPal. When the purpose was “buying an item or service” (something like that) I paid just the donation. When I changed it to “sending money to a friend” an additional $1.75 got tacked on. Changed it back, and I assume you might pay something on your end.
Zelle is definitely worth looking into. No fees that I have seen, and near-instant transfers.
KayInMD (formerly Kay (not the front-pager))
Oh, she’s a beauty. I have a real soft spot for an all-black cat. They’re so regal! I’ve been told that lots of all-black cats are part Siamese, and get a healthy dose of intelligence from that inheritance. My Medieval was clever, goofy, and shy, but a sucker for anyone with a comb in their hand. He loved to play fetch with a paper ball, drank from the toilet (he taught my boys to close the toilet lid!), and leaped up to turn on lights and open doors. We always said he was a dog trapped in a cat’s body. I just know you’ll enjoy her.
I’m facing losing my heart cat, Loki. He chose me at a shelter 10 years ago, after we lost Medieval. I had already selected another kitten when Loki woke up and reached out of his cage to grab my shoulder. He’s a gorgeous long-haired tabby with huge, expressive eyes, and he stole my heart. After he was securely snuggled into my arms & heart, he made it clear with those eyes that I needed to look at a gray kitten in a cage in the corner. A shelter worker told us that kitten was tightly bonded to Loki, they had been fostered together almost from the beginning. Of course we adopted both.
So we’ve had these 2 extremely tightly bonded cats for 10 years, and now Loki has lymphoma. He’s been getting chemotherapy since late March, which we hoped would give him another 8 months, but he seems to be losing ground the last couple of weeks. I think we’re going to have to face life without Loki sooner rather than later. That will be very hard for us. Very. But I’m afraid it will be devastating for his pal Reilly. Reilly has never known life without Loki, and he really depends on him. I’m not sure how to introduce another cat to Reilly, whether it should be a kitten or adult, male or female, or even if we should get another cat (what am I saying?) or how soon.
Loki has an appointment with his oncologist on Tuesday. I guess I need to wait to find out what she says before I start borrowing trouble. But I know the day is coming when I need to make decisions…
Steeplejack
Seasonal note: the summer solstice is at 11:31 p.m. EDT tonight.
Kook and the Gang, “Summer Madness.”
Bonus: LeBron James Nike commercial.
WereBear
@KayInMD (formerly Kay (not the front-pager)): I’m here for you when you are ready.
It’s really rough when they have so many hearts depending on them.
And yes, I’m in favor of getting a mourning kitty another friend when the stars align. Or even sooner. Our Reverend Jim was so broken up from losing Smokepuff he wasn’t eating. So we got him a kitten, and we all felt life going on…
WereBear
Also, this was our first Petsmart supported adoption. They run the meet there, donated food and coupons, and a little care guide. And the shelter gets support.
I have a new project. People need better “So you’ve got a new cat” guides…
KayInMd (formerly Kay(not the front-pager))
@WereBear: Thanks WereBear. I adopted my boys from PetSmart, and I’ve donated food, litter, and cleaning supplies from time. to time. I appreciate the work they do!
Reilly weighs over 20 lbs (he appears to be part Maine Coon) so I’m thinking that it might be safer to get an older kitten if we go that way so he would be less likely to accidentally hurt it? Maybe that’s not something to be concerned about, or I guess something I need to be careful about regardless of size.
Anyway, I’m getting ahead of myself. But thank you for your kind words.
Elizabelle
You’re such a good writer, WereBear.
oldster
“I was so taken by the fact he waited for them to return from their trip to leave”
The oldest pet story in Western literature narrates exactly this act of faith. Only the dog recognizes Odysseus through his disguise; only he and Penelope have remained completely faithful.
“As they were speaking, a dog that had been lying asleep raised his head and pricked up his ears. This was Argos, whom Odysseus had bred before setting out for Troy, but he had never had any enjoyment from him. In the old days he used to be taken out by the young men when they went hunting wild goats, or deer, or hares, but now that his master was gone he was lying neglected on the heaps of mule and cow dung that lay in front of the stable doors till the men should come and draw it away to manure the great close; and he was full of fleas. As soon as he saw Odysseus standing there, he dropped his ears and wagged his tail, but he could not get close up to his master. When Odysseus saw the dog on the other side of the yard, he dashed a tear from his eyes without Eumaios seeing it, and said:
‘Eumaeus, what a noble dog that is over yonder on the manure heap: his build is splendid; is he as fine a fellow as he looks, or is he only one of those dogs that come begging about a table, and are kept merely for show?’
‘This dog,’ answered Eumaios, ‘belonged to him who has died in a far country. If he were what he was when Odysseus left for Troy, he would soon show you what he could do. There was not a wild beast in the forest that could get away from him when he was once on its tracks. But now he has fallen on evil times, for his master is dead and gone, and the women take no care of him. Servants never do their work when their master’s hand is no longer over them, for Zeus takes half the goodness out of a man when he makes a slave of him.’
So saying he entered the well-built mansion and made straight for the riotous pretenders in the hall. But Argos passed into the darkness of death, now that he had fulfilled his destiny of faith and seen his master once more after twenty years.“
sab
@Steeplejack: Yes he is. Three weeks from scary to normal.
Steeplejack
@sab:
Cool. Glad it worked out. I guess the next thing is to get the dog in heat fixed (after, I presume).
Matt McIrvin
@WereBear: The smart ones are a handful! Wait until she figures out how to open doors.
Tazj
So cute! She looks like fun and trouble ?