Sorry, I’ve posted and experienced too much sadness in the last two weeks, and more. Two members of our immediate family, Sully and Stitch, passed away on November 14th and 20th, respectively. Sully was our male kitty, only about 6 years old and his passing was a real shock. He was an ornery, sometimes grumpy cat, but very loveable at times. We miss him very much. Stitch was the matriarch of our cat family, about 18 years old and a gorgeous long-haired kitty. Stitch was in poor health the last year or so and not very playful so her passing was not such a shock, but it’s still hard to take. Fortunately, she passed comfortably in her sleep, nestled up on the couch between Mackenzie and Christine. We miss her too.
Sully and Stitch were buried on the McCune farm just a few days apart, not immediately next to one another, but not too far apart. They sometimes played together when Stitch would tolerate Sully, but most of the time they were a short distance apart, just as they are now.
Enough of that, since today is Thanksgiving I’ll post no more sad news. Instead, I want to share what I’m most thankful for… family. And our family has two new fur babies too, Georgie and Jo. Both are named after characters from Stephen King novels… perhaps a new trend? Let me explain…
Georgie is the best-tempered cat I have ever known. 😸 She’s a little over a year old now so she still loves to play, and she’s made a habit of insisting that I hold her at least a couple of times each day, and give her kitty treats in exchange for snuggles. We captured Georgie in December 2019, she was the last of 3 kittens and 5 adult cats (Uno, Deuce, Tres, Veer and Go) that we caught as part of a TNR (Trap, Neuter and Release) effort that we started as the weather started to turn colder. Georgie’s siblings found homes at the Tama Co. Humane Shelter (and later with a family in Belle Plaine) and with Morgan, who adpoted “Lint”, a long-haired solid gray kitten that was an odd part of the short-haired tuxedo cats living next door.
Georgie was the last of the 8 cats that we caught and she managed to avoid the traps quite well. Since we were concerned for her wellbeing, as she was all alone, we decided to try and catch her without a trap, and managed to do so after she elluded us for an hour or so. She managed to get away by ducking into a storm sewer opening down the street, that’s why we named her Georgie, after the poor little boy featured in the opening of King’s story, “It”. Like “It”, she’s also a “collector”, always picking things up and carrying them away to who-knows-where. 😄
Jo, or JoJo, or Joey, or Cujo, is the new addition to the family. 🐱 Even before Stitch passed we put the word out that we might be looking for another kitty, somebody to keep Georgie company when no humans are home. Well, we received word of a farm kitten looking for a home and paid it a visit one week ago on Thursday night, November 19. Stitch passed the next evening and on Sunday, November 22nd, the kitten came to live with us. She saw the vet on Monday for an initial checkup and she’s sequestered in a spare bedroom for about 2 weeks to give her eyes and nose a chance to clear up… that process has started but she’s still got some eye goop as you can see.
Mackenzie suggested we name her “Cujo” since the farmer’s dog got hold of her in the farmyard. Also, Stephen King. 😄 The farmer was going to keep her as an indoor kitty due to the dog incident, but was overruled by her spouse. Their loss, our gain. We decided that the name could also stand for “Cute Jo”, and that stuck, along with all the other forms of the name. Jo is all kitten, but not afraid of anyone. She’s quick to snuggle up, but also loves to claw and bite when she’s in a mood to play. We are trying to teach her that toys=play while toes=snuggles, and the same for other body parts. I think she’ll come around just fine. Just wish she didn’t have to quarantine for another 10 days. 😦 But of course, it’s #2020.
That’s a wrap. Until next time… but only after I play with Georgie and give Jo another snuggle.