Taking a Break

As many of you might have guessed, dear readers, I have been having trouble keeping up this blog, mainly for time and work related reasons. For this reason, I will be taking a break from writing until I find a way to make more time for myself during the day. I am not closing down this blog by any means, as I have grown very fond of the kitty community, but I know I can no longer post as frequently as I did during the summer months.

As someone wise once said, "don't say goodbye, just say so long." That is how I feel about this blog. I wish you all the best and I hope we will meet again on My Friend Fluffy someday soon!

Monday Guest Post - Bosco's Gotcha Day!

This Monday, we have a very special guest poster - my new friend from Australia, Sarah! In this post, she lovingly tells the tale of her cat Bosco's Gotcha Day. Sarah was surprised to learn that "Bosco" actually means "forest" in Italian, since she always thought that her kitty might be part Norwegian Forest Cat! After reading Bosco's story, be sure to stop by her blog. She's a great writer and artist, and volunteers at the Cat's Legacy House!

Bosco the Cat, from Sydney, Australia

by Sarah M.

Bosco came into my life after a long stint without a cat. I hadn't had a cat since I was devastated when my cat didn't come home one day when I was 12 years old. My dad said we'd get another one "in 2 weeks" but we ended up getting a dog instead from a friend whose dog had had puppies. It was a long "2 weeks" without a cat! In fact, it was 10 years... 

I loved my dog but I always wanted a cat as well. Anyway, when I was 22 and it was time for Max (our dog) to be put to sleep, I was devastated. I stayed home while my parents took him to the vet and when they got home I announced I was getting a cat. They didn't argue. I spoke to my friend that night and she told me her aunt's sister's cat had just had kittens that needed homes and I could have one in 6 weeks. Those 6 weeks went so slowly but gave me time to prepare, think of a name and over-excite myself. The night before I was going to pick out a kitten I had eveything I needed except a name. I started looking at the back of old CDs and found a song on the back of one written by one of my favourite Aussie bands called 'Hey Bosco'. 

The next day when I arrived at the aunt's sister's house there were only 3 of 5 kittens left and there were two snuggling on the couch. I picked one of them instantly, a black and white tux kitty, but I was then told he was already taken. Then the sister said "I'll go get the one in wash basket" and out came a little ball of fluff! He looked exactly like a Bosco!

After I realised Bosco wasn't going to be a lap-cat, I thought I probably should've chosen the other cuddly kitten (who looked like Bosco but with short hair) but it didn't take me long to appreciate Bosco for his aloofness, and love those rare occasions even more, when he comes and sits next to me on the couch, or jumps on the bed to sleep at my feet, or makes his "chirp" sound and flips over on his back for a tummy rub. He is six years old now and I couldn't imagine my life without him! 

For more on Bosco and my other fur baby Oliver, visit www.thepurrdiaries.blogspot.com

Caturday Cards - Thanksgiving is on the way!

Meows, purrs, and hellos to everyone!

This Caturday, we are rather ashamed to say that we don't have any of our own cards to share! We can mainly put this down to the fact that Heather has been rehired at the nursery school. Say goodbye to those lovely 12 hour days in front of the computer! She now leaves at 7 a.m. and returns home at 8 p.m., meaning almost zero time for drawing and minimal time for commenting and blog posting. It's a hard knock life, but that's how we put food on the table and in the cat bowl. 

Anyway, all we can do is our best. Plus, this gives us the opportunity to share with you some wonderful Thanksgiving/turkey themed cards we have come across on Greeting Card Universe. Thinking about those succulent birds makes me awful hungry!

This amazing card is by the famous Corrie Kuipers! She has a style we both envy and admire! Don't you love the little sign "eat more ham"?

This card really made us giggle. I sure wouldn't want to be a turkey around this time of year! Congratulations to Chuck Ingwersen for coming up with such a neat idea.

It was the idea of a bee in a pilgram's hat that sold us on this card! Another masterpiece by Corrie Kuipers.

And of course, a cat themed Thanksgiving card is absolutely vital! This card is part of a series by Betty Matsumoto-Schuch. She makes cards for all occasions, so be sure to check out her beautiful cat artwork on GCU!

Hope every one of you had a relaxing Caturday! 

Cat News Friday - Cat hair crafts are all the rage!

Stephanie from Catsparella is into it. So, why not the rest of us?

The new fad hitting the cat world is this - making accessories out of cat hair that would have otherwise ended up all over your new furniture and clothes. The fad owes itself to the popular book entitled "Crafting with Cat hair," written by Japanese author Kaori Tsutaya.

In this book, cat lovers can learn how to make finger puppets, cat toys, picture frames, tote bags, and more. All crafts are doable in an hour's time, and are 100% eco and cat friendly!

Perhaps my favourite idea is that of making cat toys out of a cat's own hair. Cat toys fall apart easily, so from both an economical and practical point of view, it makes sense to create cat toys out of a literally inexhaustible product such as cat hair!

Would you make accessories out of your cat's hair?

Wordless Wednesday - What do you think Dorothy is saying to her tabby-liscious neighbour? ;)

Tuesday with Taddeo and Ginger - Checkin' out the shopping

Taddeo: Ginger! It's Heather, and she's LOADED down with shopping bags!

Ginger: That can only mean one thing. Treats!!

Ginger: *sniff sniff* I sense the presence of...beef...chicken...and...fresh fish!!!

Taddeo: You're leaving the shopping with US, right?!

(As you can see, Taddeo was not at all impressed when Heather told him the groceries were for our supper. Was it really necessary to stick out your tongue at us, little munchkin?)

The Results and Moggy Mewsings on Monday!

First of all, I'd like to say a big thank you to everyone who left a comment! We truly appreciated your thoughts and reflections, and after much consideration, we've decided that we agree with you - the speech bubbles should stay! 

And now...for the winner. Are you ready?

The winner of the October Card for your Cat contest is...

*the suspense is killing me*

Ginger Jasper (GJ) of the Ginger Jasper Blog! Concatulations!

He was commenter number 9, and that was just the number the random generation favoured!

I will be contacting GJ tomorrow with the details about how he can receive his free card. :-)

In the meantime, here is the latest Moggy Mewsings, entitled "Bump Bed" (as opposed to Bunk Bed...tee hee.) Hope you enjoy it!

Caturday Cards - It's Contest Time!

I'll admit that I've been waiting for this day all month! (What can I say...I just love contests!)

As with the last time that we held our Caturday Cards Contest, the rules are very simple. Just leave a comment with a well-thought-out comment and/or criticism about the card(s) we have posted. We will then randomly choose a comment using a random number generator, and the number we pick will win...

...a free My Friend Fluffy greeting card of their choice!

Last month's winner was the adorable Prancer from Prancer Pie. We wonder who this month's lucky winner will be! 

The contest will run all weekend, from 1 a.m. on Saturday to midnight on Sunday. The winner will be announced on Monday!

So, without further ado, here are the two cards we would like to share! They aren't particularly new additions to our collection, but we have received mixed reviews both about them. For instance, some people have told us that they don't like speech bubbles on cards. What are your feelings? 

Don't ask me what I did with the confiscated catnip!

Despite my reaction, this was the happiest day of my nine lives!