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 - "Two-Face" in the World of Cat, not Bat

We're all familiar with the evil villain Two-Face in the Batman series. Fans and experts on the series say that his double expression is not only the physical manifestation of his inner ugliness, but also of the good within. 

Unfortunately, the scarred, deformed side of his face is the aspect which we all notice the most. In short, his physical deformity automatically slots him into the category of "undesirable" or "bad guy."

In the real world, the same sort of discrimination almost ended the life of little "Frank and Louis," the cat with two faces.

Vets were ready to euthanize him when Marty Stevens, his current owner, saved him from his dreadful fate. Now, twelve years later, "Frank and Louis" is still going strong, taking long walks on a leash with his owner, riding in the car, and seeking affection from everyone he meets. 

Two-faced cats are born with a disease called "Janus condition." In most cases, Janus kittens hardly live more than a few days. Frank and Louis proved to be the exception to this rule, and his love for life makes his case all the more extraordinary. 

We are so happy that this special kitty was given a second chance at life. Frank and Louis' case proves to us that appearance isn't everything, and that a strong desire to live and enjoy life is enough to conquer any physical defect! 

Story and images courtesy of: CBS News

Wordless Wednesday - Taddeo and Ginger say "We wantz out!"

Tuesday with Theo and Jasmine - Pizza Party

Everyone loves a pizza party, to no exclusion of cats!

A few days ago, we attended just such a party held by our new neighbour, Marcela. She invited us first for an aperitif, which would then be followed by no less than five delicious pizzas from the local pizzeria!

The table filled with aperitifs before the arrival of our pizzas!

As soon as I started to smell the sweet perfume of anchovies wafting out of Heather's pizza box, I knew that it was going to be hard to resist my inner pilfering tendency.

Marcela's cat companion, Theo, it seems, was on the very same wavelength.

I am on the counter becaaause...(okay, think of a good excuse, quick!)

They won't notice that there's one less anchovy on the pizza, now will they?

"Innocence" is my middle name. *smacks lips*

Jasmine, Theo's sister, was slightly more artful than her brother... 

I'm white. The fridge is white. My camouflage strategy is genius!

Cursing codfish, I've been spotted! Time for plan B...

Much to our dismay, after two or three attempts on the anchovy pizza, we were unjustly sent out of the kitchen, into the bedroom. What did they expect?! We were invited to the pizza party too, mew know! 

The delicious smells of pizza continued to penetrate the crack under the bedroom door as we sat and pined for an escape route. I was starting to doubt that this was actually a pizza PARTY. It was more like a torture session!

I can't take it anymore! Even my eyes are starting to glaze over from the hunger!

And then, it happened. Heather appeared out of nowhere and gave us a fat, juicy anchovy each, plus a pat on the head for good measure.

Ahh. I suppose this is where Shakespeare would say "all's well that ends well."

Goodbye, Theo and Jasmine...until the next pizza party! 

Tuesday Travels - Trip to the Cinque Terre

Have you ever seen the film "Only You"? 

It is probably one of my favourite movies, not for the acting or the plot, but for the magnificent shots of the Italian Amalfi Coast, with its sharp cliffs that cut deep into frothy sapphire depths and steep hillside towns whose brilliantly coloured houses recall an artist's palette. 

I remember that the day after I first saw the movie, at the age of 11, I picked up an old shoebox from the basement, cut a hole in the top, and stuck a loo roll tube inside. I dubbed my shoebox the "Let's get Heather to Italy piggy bank". I'm pretty sure the shoebox only ever saw a few pennies, but the idea of one day living in Italy was firmly implanted in my mind with its creation. 

Now that I've been here for three years, the novelty of living in Italy has slightly worn off. However, there are some places that will never lose their charm for me. One of those places is the Cinque Terre National Park. 

Manarolo, the second city on the Sentiero Azzurro

You could almost call the Cinque Terre the little sister of the Amalfi Coast. It is a series of five towns on the Italian Riviera - Riomaggiore, Manarolo, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso al Mare - all of which are connected by a mountain passage called the "Sentiero Azzurro" that increases in difficulty the further you walk. 

My goals during my two day stay at the Cinque Terre were to complete the 10 km walk, eat a plate of top quality seafood, and photograph as many beautiful things as possible, with Cinque Terre cats being a number one priority, of course!

Riomaggiore on a sunny day

The first stop was Riomaggiore, the town which is linked to Manarolo by the simple "Via Dell'Amore" ("Love Walk"). It is so called because lovers leave locks inscribed with their initials on fences all the way along the path. 

While the Love Walk was easy, I found myself completely unprepared for the scorching sun. There wasn't a cat in sight either, but I didn't mind. The spectacular scenery was enough to keep me busy!

A lock on the fence (Via dell'Amore)

The next stop was Manarolo. I didn't stay long because it was nearly one o'clock and the heat was starting to overwhelm me. Besides, my Bed and Breakfast was in Corniglia, the next town along the line, and I knew that reaching Corniglia was going to be a challenge in itself. Why, you might ask? Well, Corniglia is located on a high hill, and can only be reached by foot via 368 stairs to the top! 

The stairs leading up to Corniglia. So tired!!

By that time, it was starting to get late, so I knew that it was time to grab some dinner and take in the delights of this quaint town. A mouthwatering anchovy pizza, a reddish fruit cocktail, and live jazz music in the town square were three pleasures of that evening I'll never forget!

As I trotted down to the seafront just before bedtime, I also came face to face with the first Italan cat of many that I would encounter. Here she is, giving herself a good scratch!

The first Cinque Terre kitty sighting!

At the crack of dawn the next day, I set off in the direction of Vernazza, feeling like a bona fide hiker with the world at her fingertips. This part of the walk was by far the most beautiful. Having left so early, the air was cool and sweet, and I was able to see the sun rise over the water and towns, its golden rays highlighting every nook and cranny along the coast. 

The sun rising over Corniglia

Arrival in the town of Vernazza after 1.5 hours
of cliff walking

It was well worth the hour and a half of hard walking to get to Vernazza. This town, besides being the most beautiful out of all five towns in the Cinque Terre, was overflowing with furry felines!

A shy moggie who didn't really want anything to do with tourists

A sleeping moggie. Her house overlooks the sea!

A moggie mum in the town centre. She was watching
over her kittens. They disappeared before I could take
a photo of them.

A mancat on a mission, near the Vernazza church.

A sweet moggie hoping that the door will open, and dinner will be announced!

Isn't Vernazza breathtaking? What lucky cats to live in such a place!

Sadly, I have to admit that the last leg of the journey, I completed by train. I would have walked to Riomaggiore by foot, but the sun was already too intense, and I didn't feel comfortable doing an extremely steep two hour walk on my own. I still managed to enjoy the rest of the day, however! I travelled to Porto Venere by boat, ate lobster on the sea front, and bought a beautiful painting for my mum. Before I knew it, the day was drawing to a close, and it was almost time to catch the train home. 

Snoozing moggie in Porto Venere 

A dove showing us the Porto Venere harbour 

My lobster dish! Mmm!

Porto Venere from the boat

The Cinque Terre is the first little piece of Italian coast I've been able to experience so far, and it lived up to every expectation. My dream for 2011 is to finally make it down to the Amalfi coast and follow the path which the characters in Only You followed. If it happens, you'll know about it here first! Thanks for reading!

Monday Moggy Mewsings - Shop 'Til You Drop

Cat News Friday - Hydrotherapy for Healing

Hydrotherapy is a healing method that has been used in the rehabilitation of injured dogs and humans for many years. It involves the rebuilding of weak and damaged muscle tissue in an animal, and the improvement of its overall fitness.

Cats, often considered aquaphobic, tend not to be prime targets for hydrotherapy.

That is, until Sue Wilson's little black cat Tootsie came along. 

Though you would hardly notice today, Tootsie had been victim to a hit and run. Her entire right leg had been shattered, in addition to a number of other serious injuries. Both Sue and the veterinarians she had gone to see believed that putting Tootsie down was the only humane option. 

However, Tootsie's fate had not quite been sealed. 

Vets decided that it would be worth trying hydrotherapy in a two-foot deep dog pool, as a last resort. And thank goodness they did. 

Tootsie took to the water immediately, starting out with 90 second paddles with the aid of a harness, to full 20 minute swims without any sort of aid. At the end of the month, Tootsie was back to her old self, running around in the yard and playing as if the accident was only a figment of distant memory. 

It just goes to show that not every cat is terrified of water, and not ever animal is doomed to 'quietus' after a life threatening injury. Sometimes, you just have to believe that something is possible for it to come true.

Do you have a story of a cat who overcame seemingly impossible hurdles on the road back to health? If so, please share it with us! 

All images and information courtesy of:  http://www.dailymail.co.uk.

Wordless Wednesday - "Gatto" of the Cinque Terre in Italy

Just a taster from Heather's upcoming post about her three day adventure on the breathtaking west coast of Italy (and the cats she meets there)!

Caturday Cards (on Sunday) - The Winner and New Cards

As you all know, yesterday Heather and I had a very special house call to make, and as such, Caturday Cards was bumped to today. 

It was probably for the best because just this morning, we received an email from Prancer of Prancer Pie, the winner of last week's Caturday Cards Contest. He and his mom T told us that they had received the card, and that they plan to frame it for the wall. They even included a picture of Prancer posing with the card! 

Adorable Prancer with his Christmas card

A big thanks to Prancer and the gang for sending on this photo. It lit up our day!

This week's set of cards tend to fall into the 'birthday' category, as we received a large request from a stationary shop nearby for birthday cards with ages written upon them.

I suppose when the mice start running for their little lives, it's due time for the cat to do the same. Especially if big, scary number is falling out of the sky!

Okay, so, I had my Polaroid camera with me, and I took a number of silly shots of myself, hoping that one of them would work for this card. Heather said all of them were cute, so we used the entire set!

Kind of embarrassing, but I think I might have been jamming to the Catstreet Boys in my car at the time!

This is Missy, the pretty and ultra fashionable cat lady you might have seen in our other cards, on her 21st birthday. She knows what it means to "shop 'till you drop"!

All cards can be found at My Friend Fluffy's Online Shop. (A portion from every sale goes to Cats Protection to help with the housing of abandoned cats.) 

Hope you enjoyed today's edition of Caturday Cards, and we look forward to reading your comments and criticisms! 

(In closing, we would also like to take a moment of silence to remember the tragic events of 10 years ago in New York City. I was only young when it happened, but the anguished faces of those affected by 9/11 are firmly engraved into my memory. I hope that the families of the deceased find some solace and peace on this day of mourning.)  

Caturday Visit with Giulietta

Our human neighbours, R and E, after more than a year without taking a single vacation, have decided to head down this week to Tuscany for a three day break from reality.

What a shock that must have been for sweet little Giulietta, to find her extremely lively house as empty as a cat's stomach just before breakfast!

Thankfully, Giulietta has a number of kind, caring, cat-loving neighbours who have promised to visit and keep her company during R and E's absence. This afternoon, it was our turn to visit this shy and bashful kitty, and attempt to make friends.

Ciao, sono Giulietta! 

We snuck into the house as quietly as we could, so as not to catch her by surprise. Since there was no sign of life in the house, save the dong of the old cuckoo clock, we glided silently over to the food bowl and shook is gently, announcing our arrival. 

A quick glance over the shoulder and we noticed that we were no longer alone. There was little Giulietta sitting intrigued by the living room door.

Who is you?

Thus began the game of "cat and mouse." Every time we tried to get close, bashful Giulietta would scamper away, always maintaining a good meter between her and the clicky box. 

Perhaps if I try to blend in with the decor...

If I go up high, maybe the camera can't follow me!

Nope, still there.

Aaaand on the other side of the flower pot too. Is there no escape?!

At long last, we convinced Giulietta that we were furiends and not foes. (The nibbly bits of food that we threw for her to chase probably helped substantially!) The rest of our time together was spent out on the balcony, enjoying the fresh autumn breeze and the quiet of the surrounding woods. She even let Heather pet and cuddle her for a while, which was a great step forward for the timid Giulietta! 

Modelling on the front balcony

This is one of my many comfortable beds!

Don't YOU wish you had a bed like this? (And a face as cute as mine?)

Come again soon, okays?

Hopefully, we can visit Giulietta again tomorrow, or at least once more before R and E return to Torino land.

Now, we know it's Caturday, and that we SHOULD be posting our Caturday Cards, but this story about Giulietta was just too special to pass up! As such, Caturday Cards is being shifted to Sunday for this week only. Stay tuned!