It's All About Me, Isn't It?

I is vewy confuzzeled.  I is always looking for attention and I usually gets it.  Whenever mommy is round I run to her and twy to get her to play.  Most da time she stops and plays wif me, but sometimes she doesn't and I gets mad.  I go find a good place to pout.  When mommy sees me pouting she says, "Otis, it's not all about you!"

Afta while I forgets bout pouting cuz mommy start makin fuss bout me.  She takes me to get groomed and den starts taking piccies of me again! She always chasing me round da house twying to gets me to pose for her.  She takes so many piccies dat I start to feel like a celebrity.

I mean if Oprah can has her piccie on da cover of every magazine, den I guess I can has piccies of me on my bloggy.

Since mommy keeps sending me mixed messages I thought I would make a quick post to my bloggy and ask my anipal furriends what dey thinks.  

Is it or is it not all bout me?

Where Do I Belong?

I sees lots of anipals getting adopted.  Once dey get a new fambly and forever home dey feel safe and loved.  Der new fambly does everthing to makes dem feel likes dey finally has a place where dey belong.  It such a wunderful feeling to knows dat yoo belong.  I likes dat feeling too.  My home is where I belong wif my fambly.

Mommy and me was talking bout dis da udder day.  I asked her to tell me da story of how she found me cuz I didn't remember since I was so little.  She said, "Otis, we didn't find yoo, YOO found us".  Dis confuzzeled me so she continued to splain it to me.

Mommy, daddy and my brofurs wanted to gets a pet.  Dey knew dat dey couldn't get a kitteh cuz my brofur is allergic so bad wif asthma.  Dey wanted to gets a doggie dat not makes my brofur sick.  Mommy said dey didn't knows where to get a doggie and so dey just kept talking bout it, but didn't get one.

One day, dey all four was in da car and decided to stop at a yard sale.  While dey was shopping dey heard puppies barking. (It was me mostly, cuz I barks a lot)  Da lady at da yard sale said dat she had mini poodle puppies for sale to a good home.  Mommy, daddy and my brofurs came to da back of da house and sees me playing wif my siblings.  Mommy said I was looking at her and barking to her to pick me.  She said dat she picked me up and held me and knew right den dat I belong wif her.

Because dis lady live in our neighborhood, sumtimes, we gets to see my siblings and der famblies.  It like a reunion kinda.  Mommy said she was glad bout dis cuz she didn't like separating me from my siblings.  Mommy splained dat when she was little like me, she had siblings too but got separated from dem.  She said dat she lived in foster homes and an orphanage and dat she missed her fambly.  She said she neva saw dem again and for a long time didn't knows where she belonged.  She said dat when she was nine years old she finally gots a forever home.  She always remembered her siblings and knew dat one day she would go to look for dem.  She found dem many years later and dey all see each udder now and visit, like a reunion.  Just likes me and my siblings.

Knowing where yoo belong is vewy impawtant I thinks.  It makes yoo feel loved, safe, and not alone.  Dat how I feel when I is tweeting wif my anipal furriends on Twitter.  Everbody make each udder feel likes dey belong.  Mommy and me makes sure everday dat we say pawprayers dat all anipals feel likes dey has a place where dey belong cuz one day we knows dat pawprayer gonna come true.

Furriends Forever

Recently mommy's friend Liza passed away from cancer.  It was a vewy sad time for mommy and me cuz Liza was my friend too.  When she would come to visit us we always did fun and special things togeva.  One day mommy was sitting on da sofa reading a book and I was cuddling right next to her likes I always do.  I asked her how long she was gonna be sad for.  She said she would always be a little sad because she couldn't see her friend but mostly evertime she thought bout Liza she would smile.  She said dat was always gonna happen cuz she has so many fun and happy memories of Liza dat she couldn't helps but smile.

My furriend Tez decided to go for long walk away from his house last week. All his fambly and furriends has been looking for him eva since.  I told mommy dat it made me sad cuz maybe if Tez not come home I might neva see him again.  Mommy asked me to tell her bout all da times Tez and me and our furriends did stuff togeva.  So I started to thinks bout does times.

Likes da time Tez and me and our furriends gots to pull Santa's sleigh at Christmastime.

and da time dat we all went to visit Tez in Ibiza afta Paris Shopping twip for @Petiethecat and @Pandafur Shower.

and da time dat Tez, me and da boyz started da Bad Boyz of Twitter!

and den der was my wedding wif @Tallulahsmom
Of course Tez was a groomsmancat

We all had so much fun!

When I thinks of deese times I find myself smiling and I not feel so bad.

I talked to Tez's mommy bout missing Tez.  She has bin like a mommy to me and Tez's furriends and we loves her and her whole fambly.  She decided to write a special letter to Tez's furriends and wif her purrmission I gots to put it here in my bloggie, so here it is:

My dear, lovely friends,

Well, it is now a week since we last saw Tez, and whilst I realise that this is not too long in comparison to other cats' disappearances, I  feel I owe it to you all to be honest and let you know my true feelings here.

I have had the joy of living with Tez for over sixteen years, and in that time, I have developed a very strong, almost psychic, connection with him.  I have spent a lot of time over these last few days, sitting quietly and “tuning in” to him and I have to tell you that the sense I get is that Tez has chosen this to be his time to cross the Rainbow Bridge.  I know that this is upsetting – I'm crying as I write – but in actual fact, the reason that I sense this, is very positive...I get absolutely no sense of Tez being injured, or lost, or trapped, or scared, or in any kind of danger; the only sense I get is one of deep peace and contentment. 

Let's not forget, Tez is 16 years old, which is the equivalent of an 80 year old person.  As most of you know, he had been ill a couple of weeks ago with gastroenteritis which he seemed to recover fully from, but I'm wondering if the stress of going the vets every day (and he hated going in the car), having to be force-fed and all the antibiotics & other meds he had to take actually had a more damaging effect than we realised.  At the end of the day, he wasn't used to it...previous to that, do you know how many times in 16 years we had to take Tez to the vets because he was ill?  Answer...none.  He quite literally was never, ever ill and I don't know about you, but if I get to 80 years old and never ail for anything, then I'll be more than happy.

Please don't think for a minute that we are giving up on Tez.  His dad and I will be out searching and shouting for him for a long, long time yet and I hope and pray that he'll come strutting through the door and prove me wrong here, but the special bond that we have always shared feels to be gently telling me that he knew it was his time to take himself off somewhere peaceful and drift into his forever sleep...and also reassuring me that he's very happy about it. 

The other sense I get is that Tez sees absolutely no reason why this should stop him tweeting.  Lots of anipals tweet from over the Rainbow Bridge, and whilst I am a bit reluctant just yet to add Tez to this wonderful group of furriends...because, obviously, we don't know for sure...I think that the sensible, mature and practical thing to do here, is to acknowledge that Tez has, in fact, been abducted by the most loving, friendly and intelligent aliens (!!).  Tez will be coming back very soon to tweet as himself, but rather than as a “16 year tabby boy etc” he will be “The Intergalactic Cat of Mystery” which, I think we can all agree, suits him to a tee.  More to the point, he will now be playing a stronger role in helping all anipals and their humans whenever they need it – his mission (which is why he was abducted and has been in training for the last week) is to work for the greater good of all animals, the world over.  He will be there to help, support, comfort, heal, problem-solve, trouble-shoot, or simply to lend an ear for anyone at all who needs it.  And, of course, it goes without saying, he will be hanging out with his beloved mousecateer buddies and all his other wonderful furriends, getting drunk with Leo, going to pawties, weddings, nipclub etc etc. 

If anyone is familiar with the Law of Attraction, you'll know that this states that if we want to attract something into our life, then we should act as though we already have it so, who knows, perhaps by stopping seeing Tez as “missing” this might be the very thing that brings him back into our lives – if he is still just wandering about somewhere.  And if not, well, we will still have brought him back, just in a different, better guise, and this should help us in feeling less sad and upset all the time...which Tez would definitely not want.

I do hope that I've expressed myself OK here, and that this makes sense.  TabbyTezTweets lives on in determination to have an even more pawsitive effect on the world and his many furriends.  Words could never express how grateful I am to this amazing Twitter community, and I hope that by becoming more active in helping wherever possible, Tez and I can, in some way, pay it forward.  Bethany and Mishka will be opening their own Twitter account soon, too – so we are all united and happy together again.

If anyone wants to contact me, please do feel free to DM, or mail me at jinnyibiza@gmail.com.

Sending you all our love,

Jinny & Tez

xxxxxx

Tez is my vewy special furriend and I loves him so.  I not exactly sure where he is right now and I thinks, knowing Tez, dat he is planning sum tin vewy special to supwise us wif.  

So I is gonna sit quietly now and thinks more bout how special Tez is to me and my furriends and look forward to when I is gonna see him again.  Tez, yoo is my furriend forever!

Forbidden

I can't reach!  I strain my neck, stretch my paws, stand on my back legs, wiggle my tail, and I still can't reach.

I stop, think, look around and decide to take anudder approach.

I can see it from where I is but I just can't get der.

There is a stool, but no blankie on top of it so I might slip and fall.

What if I push da table?  If I run and push real hard maybe I can knock it off da table.  Once it's off da table I can grab it and run.  Nobody is around, I just knows I can do it!  I just knows it!

Uh oh, I hear sumbody comin.  I run back to da sofa and sit like I was here all along.  It's mommy.  She's looking at me like she knows sumtin.  I look back at her wif my real innocent look.  I think she is convinced.  She leaves da room wif da laundry.  I thinks she is going upstairs.  I listen.  I wait.

Ok, dis is it.  I run all da way from da play room to da dining room and realize I can jump on da chair.  I won't fall from da chair for sure and den I can get up on da table and reach it afta all.

I run and jump up on da chair and quickly jump on da table....and......IT'S GONE!

Where did it go?  I saw mommy come in da house wif it...I knows I did, I just knows it.  I looks around.  Where did she put it?  I don't understand.  I sniff. Sniff.  Sniff. Sniff.  Nuffin!

What am I gonna do now?  I get off da table, jump to da chair and down to da floor.  I is defeated.

I had bin lickin my mowff for awhile now.  I thought dat by now I would be eating da most delicious tweat I eva had.  I could see it, smell it and thought about it for da whole morning.  I can't believe it is gone.  I thought it was for me, but maybe sumbody else in da house got it.  My brofur?  Maybe he ate it when he came home from school.  Maybe it was hooman food and I not supposed to eat dat.  But it would have bin so yummy.

I walk back to da sofa.  No, I feel too bad to sit on da sofa.  I gonna go lay down in my doggie bed.  My doggie bed makes me feel so much better.  I settle in.  Still thinking about dat delicious smelling tweat.  

My eyes is getting heavy.  I getting sleepy.

I hear sumbody coming.  It's mommy.  She says she got sumtin for me.  She calling me.

I bounce outta my doggie bed.  She is sitting on da sofa.  I jump up on da sofa.

She opens a bag.  Oh my goodness, dat smell!  It's dat smell I smelled dis morning.  Is it? Could it be? I stick my nose in da bag.  It is! It is!

Mommy said I can has a couple because I was a good boy today and was vewy well behaved!  She said she couldn't believe dat I didn't twy to jump up on da table to get da tweat.  She said she is vewy proud of me.

Shhhhh!   Mommy doesn't need to know everthing!

A New Year

I so happy when it be a new year.  I not really sure why except everbody around me gets so excited and puts on silly hats.  At least dat what dey do here at my house.  I thinks I like it so much cuz mommy puts funny hats and stuff on me all year long, it good to see da hoomans doing it too.

Da new year dats comin is 2011.  I realize dat gonna be da year I will turn six.  I gots lots of furriends dat is already six and I talk to dem to find out what it like to be dat age.  Mostly dey tell me dat it feels just like when dey was five so I don't knows what da big deal is.

Celebrations is funny things.  Hoomans celebrate all kinds of things like birfdays and new years and babies being borned and peoples getting married.  I thinks dey just like how it feels to be together close and tell happy stories.  Mommy says she loves everday because we makin new memories.  I twied to thinks bout dat cuz I not remember lots of stuff when I was a puppy but I do remember where I put my toys yesterday.  Is dat what she means?

One thing I knows is dat when der is a new year starting, hoomans thinks lots about remembering stuff dat happen in da past.  Sumtimes hoomans feel sad and thinks dat da new year gonna be different.  Dey makes all kinds of plans to change things, like how much money dey gonna has or how much weight dey gonna lose.  Sumtimes dey thinks bout da mistakes dey made in da past or dey wish dey might have done things different.

I thinks it not too good to thinks bout things in da past unless dey be good memories dat yoo made.  Mommy has a special frame on her desk and inside da frame are sum words dat might makes yoo thinks differently bout da future.  I asked mommy if I could share da words wif my furriends on dis blog and she said ok.  So here it is and I hopes it helps yoo, where eva yoo is.

Meaning is not something you stumble across, like the answer to a riddle or the prize in a treasure hunt.  Meaning is something you build into your life.  You build it out of your own past, out of your affections and loyalties, out of the experience of humankind as it is passed on to you, out of your own talent and understanding, out of the things you believe in, out of the things and people you love, out of the values for which you are willing to sacrifice something.  The ingredients are there.  You are the only one who can put them together into that unique pattern that will be your life.  Let it be a life that has dignity and meaning for you.  If it does, then the particular balance of success or failure is of less account.
~John W. Gardner


Make some new memories my furriends......HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Insurance

Lots of my furriends knows I likes my toys.  I seem to collect lots of em and dey just keep adding up and go to live in da basket in the living room.  Of course mommy is always twipping ova a toy of mine and she tells me all da time dat I should put dem away, but I forget to.  Truth be told I guess I don't really forget as much as want dem to be where I can gets dem quickly.  I leave toys all ova da place and sum places I even hide special toys I no want anyone to gets.

Da udder day I was cuddling wif mommy and we was watching da teevee.  I notice der be lots of commercials bout insurance.  Dey was talking bout how everbody should has insurance for der things dat be vewy special so if sumtin happens to dem da insurance company will replace dem. So, I was thinking dat maybe I better takes pictures of my toys and send dem to da insurance company so if I lose my toys dey can replace dem.

Dis be my halloween ball dat my girl Tallulah Belle gave me.  It sqweeks just right. *whispers* I kiss it when nobody lookin.

Dis is my favorite donut toy.  It doesn't sqweek but I likes to chew on it a lot.  Mommy says I looks like I is really eating a donut.

 

I gots dis toy last year and it has ridges in it.  It makes it really easy to catch it when daddy throws it in da air.

 Dis is yellow dog.  He gets real flat when I smoosh him.  He sqweeks really good too.

When I was preparing my insurance papers, mommy asked me what I was doing.  I splained to her bout da insurance stuff.  She said der is no insurance for lost pet toys.  I couldn't believe my ears!  "What do yoo mean? I asked.  She said dat insurance companies only insure things of value and dat my toys were not considered valuable.  She said dat she understood da toys are valuable to me and dat if I lose any of my toys she would replace dem for me.  She said I not need special insurance afta all.

I thinks us anipals ought to looks into dis for sure, but in da meantime, I is so vewy grateful to my mommy and daddy for always supplying me wif fun toys throughout da year.

It's Christmas time now and I knows dat I will prolly get more toys.  I knows dat sum anipals not has any toys.  Pwease, if yoo can, donate even a little bit to da Santa Paws Drive.  http://www.santapawsdrive.com/ cuz dey helps anipals who doesn't have anyfing at all, specially toys for Christmas.  Thanks Yoo!

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM FRESH OTIS AND HIS FAMILY!

Someone to Watch Over Me

I loves to watch mommy and daddy when dey is doing stuff.  It doesn't matter what it is.  Sumtimes dey is cleaning da house and sumtines dey is just sittin.   I notice udder peoples too.  When I gets to go out wif mommy for a walk, we always passing by udder peoples on da stweet.  Dey always say, "Hello Otis", dats cuz lots of people knows me.  Even mommy says sumtimes, "How do yoo knows dat person Otis?".  Isn't dat funny?  I knows peoples she doesn't know.  I splain to her dat it because when my brofur takes me for a walkie, I meet peoples dat he knows.  I tell her I makes lots of furrends dat she doesn't know bout.

We has lots of doggies on our stweet and I makes furriends wif dem.  Der is Coco and Baily and Charlie and Jack.  Sumtimes I meets udder doggies dat not live on my stweet.  I neva forget a face either cuz next time I sees dem, I remember.

On my stweet when da udder doggies start to bark, we all do it.  I can hear dem all.  It not matter what time of day or night, we all bark to each udder ever day.  Da udder day Jack had sumtin to say so he bark to all da rest of us on da stweet.  It was kinda late and I was sleeping so he woke me up.  It was ok tho cuz dis way we kinda watch out for one a nudder.  If der is sumtin impawtant to say, we lets each udder know what it is.  Coco told me da udder day dat he was mad cuz his mommy not let him go out to play cuz it was too late.  Baily was complaining too cuz she not happy wif her dinner.  I dunno, it was sumtin bout her mommy changing da food.  When one doggie is sick, we bark to each udder to lets dem know bout it.  I is always feeling likes we watch ova each udder.

Mommy says dat sumtimes when she wakes up from sleeping I is watching her.  She said she likes it cuz she feels like I is watching ova her and making sure she is ok.  I thinks dat what yoo do when yoo loves sumbody.  Yoo gots to makes sure dey knows dat yoo is watching out for dem.  Dat way dey always feel safe.  I has furriends dat watch out for me too.  Sum of my furriends is on Twitter but sum of dem lives in my house, like bunny.  Bunny watches out for me all da time, specially when I is sleeping.

So here is da thing.  Pwease make sure yoo watch out for udder peoples and anipals, even if yoo don't knows dem yet. Cuz if yoo do, next time dey see yoo, dey gonna remember.