Mycroft

Sweet kitty, you would have been 13 years old yesterday. Even though you've been gone a year and a half, I still think about you every day. I was going to post a photo that showed your handsome markings, but this one always makes me smile. I love you, Mikey!

Mycroft

Happy 12th birthday, Mikey. I think about you every day and I miss you so much. I love you, sweet boy.

Mycroft, 8/4/00 - 2/10/12

Wednesday night, Mikey walked over to where I was sitting and looked up at me. I picked him up and put him on my lap. He stood there, purring, for a couple of minutes, and then he laid down. Belle and Loki, who raised Mikey from a four-month-old kitten, came over and sat at my feet. They looked at Mikey and started purring. Loki raised up, put his paws on my knee, licked Mikey's head twice and then sat back down. The three of them looked at each other and purred. I knew it was Mikey's time. At 8:30 this morning, Mikey went to sleep in my arms.

I love you, Mikey.

Stocking #2

I finished Mikey's stocking tonight. I ended up choosing the Grey Heather yarn because it has the same silvery sheen as his fur.

September

A few photos that didn't make it into the blog last month...

Happy Birthday!

My little Mycroft is 11 years old today. Happy birthday, sweet boy!

Toes Up

I knew Mikey wasn't dead because his girlfriend was sleeping peacefully off to the side. But just to be positive, I made sure he was breathing.

Mycroft

My sweet boy is 10 years old today. Happy Birthday, Mikey!

I Gotta Start Locking That Door

Duncan and I picked Reyna up from physical therapy at 4:30 and were back home by 5:00. We followed our usual routine, which included going outside to play for a little while, then coming back inside so Reyna could bark and spin and I could finish up a few little things. At 5:30, I walked into the living room from the hallway. Reyna was still spinning and Duncan was laying on his bed. And then something I never expected happened – I heard the dog door flap. That struck me as odd, since neither dog was near the dog door. When I looked towards the door, I realized a cat had come into the living room. My first thought was that one of the local semi-strays had decided to move in. Then I realized it wasn’t a stray, it was Mikey. Mikey! He’d apparently gone out while the dogs and I were gone and he’d decided it was time to come back inside. I think Reyna was just as startled as I was, which gave me time to grab her so she didn’t run after Mikey and possibly scare him back outside. He calmly (although with his tail puffed up a bit) trotted past the three of us, hopped over the baby gate, and went into the bedroom. I’m still shocked by all of this. I have no idea where he was while the dogs and I were outside playing – the dogs obviously didn’t realize he was out there, and I certainly never saw him. I’m thrilled that he decided to come back inside, since he could just as easily hopped the fence and disappeared. I think I’m going to have to start locking the dog door when the dogs and I are away.

Oh, and I did a head count after that – everyone is where they’re supposed to be. Now.

Kitty Porn

Mikey and Per’la have always been particularly close, frequently sleeping curled up next to each other, or with at least a paw or tail making a physical connection while they nap. I have several pictures of them snuggled together, as well as pictures of Per’la keeping a watchful eye on things while Mikey slept. What I walked in on last night was a bit much, though.


Mikey has clearly lost all sense of decorum.


Mikey was disturbed by the camera flash, but Per'la doesn't appear the least bit concerned about being caught in such a compromising position.

Freckle Face

I had a nice little chat with our vet this afternoon, and for once, it wasn’t about Reyna. Mikey has a brown spot on his right iris, and being the bad mother that I am, it took me quite a while to realize the brown spot was not part of the original package. Once I made that connection, I started looking through Mikey’s pictures, trying to pinpoint when it first appeared. It looks like it started in April last year, and by August it was definitely there, although not as large as it is now. After I narrowed that down, I sent the vet an email with the details, asking if I should bring Mikey in for a visit. Based on what I was about to tell the vet, he thinks its just a freckle (more scientifically known as iris melanosis). I didn’t even know cats could get freckles on their eyes. Apparently, some cats get a lot of small freckles, and other cats end up with one huge freckle that changes the color of the entire iris. But as long as the freckle stays flat, its not a problem. Here’s to flat freckles!

Mikey in 2003, not an eye freckle to be found!


Mikey today, not real impressed by my efforts to get a picture of his freckle for the vet...

Mycroft

My sweet boy is 9 years old today. Happy Birthday, Mikey!

The Sickness Spreads

For the first time in a long time, something not about Reyna....

Half the cats are sick. It started with Belle: sneezing, runny eyes, maybe some grumpiness (but with her, who can really tell?). A few days later, Loki's eyes were running more than usual, and then the sneezing started. Yesterday, Mikey started sneezing, and he's definitely grumpy. So far, the kittens are fine, and I really hope it stays that way. Its become something of a game, trying to guess which cat is sneezing just from the sound. Belle has long sneezing fits, and Loki's sneezes sound very moist. Mikey doesn't have a distinctive sneeze yet, but I'm sure he will in a day or so. Poor kitties.

In Response To Sam's Comment...

I couldn't find a soft copy of Mikey and Loki under the lamp, but I did find this one (also taken by Sam). And if it doesn't scream illicit love, I don't know what would.