ode to fat cat

Ok, just one more kitty post:

Below is a poem my dad wrote about Morgan after he disappeared...

(hahaha! he always sat on his butt like a tiny furry human)

From reading these posts you might think we are all a bunch of crazy cat people . . . . 

and well, 

you'd be right.

goodbye my blue-eyed, big-boned, cuddle-monster

Alright, it may or may not be obvious, but I have been avoiding something.  Two weeks ago when I posted my To-Do list you might have noticed a line that read "Blog Re: My Love Morgan." Well, it's about to get a little personal up in here (and very feline heavy), but here we go. . . .

I have wanted to write a post to honor the sweetest, most loving cat there ever was.  But to write about him would be to admit that he is really gone.
 

This is Morgan:

(fourth of July 2011, he always was a party animal)

He came to us when I was in High School.  We were cat-less for the first time in my life, and my Aunt was moving.  The apartment she lived in had a few strays living around it that the family had been taking care of, but they wouldn't be able to keep doing so when they moved.  So, that day we got two new family members.  Morgan and Zippy (of course Zippy turned out to be pregnant and we quickly went from 2 to 7!!).  Morgan was a good male role-model and taught the kittens to be independent, to hunt, and fight, and wander the great outdoors.

When we got him everyone joked that he was my boyfriend.  He'd follow me around, and cuddle me at night, and whine when I wouldn't give him all the attention he wanted.  And what girl wouldn't want a blond-haired, blue-eyed, muscle-bound man to call her own.

(I mean, c'mon, look at that face!)

It was hard to leave him when I went to college, but in the back of my mind I always had a plan to move back to Portland and take him for my own.  He was my chubby little baby, but on December 21st, 2011 he went outside and hasn't come back.

(cuddlin' in 2005)
We have a large coyote population in my neighborhood back in Portland.  There used to be a lot of undeveloped land, and wooded areas, but each year they build more houses and displace more of the wildlife.  Almost everyone in the neighborhood has lost a cat to the coyotes, it's all a part of the natural order, but that doesn't mean it's any less difficult to deal with.  I think the hardest part of losing a pet to any predator, is the lack of closure.  You never know for sure, there is rarely any physical evidence that they're gone.  In our neighborhood it is just assumed, if it's been a while since you've seen your cat then "the coyots got 'em" (that's literally what one neighbor told me when our cat disappeared when I was 10.)

(napping in a tray)
December 21st three of our four cats didn't come home at night.  Our cats do not miss meals, so my mom was a little worried.  The next day she called for them and Zippy and Mook (one of the kittens) came running, they were shaking and wide-eyed and hid for the rest of the day.  My parents had heard a from a neighbor that there had been a coyote wandering the streets in the day time lately, and it wasn't hard to connect the dots.  Morgan always protected the other cats, and we know that he would have done anything to keep them safe. Even though it has been 6 weeks since my parents last saw Morgan, there is still apart of me that thinks he might still be out there, but if he really is gone then at least he died a family hero.

(kitty kisses)
So, here's to you Morgan, we love you lot's and miss you tons.
I hope you're having a wonderful time up in kitty heaven, cleaning your crotch 'till your hearts content.

air drying

p.p.s. I don't care what breed of dog we get just as long as we can air dry it like this

wishful wednesdays {pups}

One thing this Lazy Lady does best is fantasize about the future.  I'm not very good at living "in the now," I'm always thinking about the next recipe we should make, or couch we should buy, or city we'll live in, or job I could have, and where we'll be in 1, 3, 5, or 15 years.  It's not really the healthy way to live, buuuut sometimes I come up with some really great futures. . . 

I've realized recently that I've gone on a little interiors kick with my Wednesday wishings, but there's more than just mudrooms and backsplashes that this girl daydreams about.  I'm talking about a loving companion, a furry four legged friend, a fluffy cuddle bug.  Yes, that's right, a little pup! Sure the man makes a very loving companion but I can't hold his face in my hands and talk baby-talk to him about belly rubs and going poopy. (Technically I could but I don't think he'd be very happy with me).

This past weekend we dog sat for our friends.  It was just for Saturday to Sunday, but it was enough to make my puppy lovin' to jump into hyper drive.  The dog we sat for is a light brown pitbull, she is a super sweet sleepy dog, and a great cuddler.  I loved having her around.

The man and I have talked about getting a dog for quite a while now, he wants a terrier, and I want a Bernese Mountain Dog . . . yeah, he wins.  I've warmed up to the idea of a tiny dog and now I'm really into it.  Apartment living definitely limits your options, and a small dog just makes more sense (as long as we can train it not to bark!!).  Growing up I had a Golden Retriever.  Her name was Winnie the Pooch and she was the BEST dog a girl could have.  Goldies are wonderful, loving dogs and one day when we have a house and a large back yard we'll have to get one, but for now here's a look at some tiny pups we're thinking about.

The man is keen on Australian Terriers.  

Here is Kika.  His dog from back home at his mom's.  This picture is of her as a puppy.  Yeah, pretty darn cute.

(This isn't Kika, I found this photo on pinterest.)

When we were looking through dog pictures online the morning man told me that this is what Kika looks like when they let her hair get all shaggy.  What a rascal!

Since looking at different breeds of terriers I've become pretty excited about both Norfolk and Norwich terriers.  They are fairly similar.  They are both the smallest of the working terriers and from what I've read they also have the softest temperaments of all the terriers.

Norfolk

Norwich

All three of these breeds are all very similar in both their looks and their attitude.  I love their squatty legs and their chubby tummies, they are all just so darn cute! And I want one now!!!

I also love the way Westies look. 

I have a hard time deciding whether I think they're cute and fun or super snooty.  I used to think the Cesar's Westie was the dog equivalent to that prissy little Fancy Feast cat.  But after looking at all these pictures I'm starting to change my mind.

All of these dogs look like fluffy stuffed animals . . . well, stuffed animals that poop and pee and make noises all the time.

Whether or not to get a dog is a hard decision.  I know too many people who rush into it, not realizing how much responsibility is involved.  And how long of a commitment it is.  I feel like so many people get pets because it's what they want at that moment, but don't think about the fact that this animal will be with them for the next 10 to 20 years of their life.  Honestly, when we do eventually get a dog, I don't think I could shell out hundreds or thousands of dollars for a pure breed when there are so many dogs in the shelters all around the city in need of a good home.  But it's much easier on the heart strings to look up breeds than it is to look at the photos on the Humane Society or PAWS.  I almost bought a cat doing that!

Some friends of ours have a little Yorkie, and they might be going on vacation in September, so I'm super excited to get in some tiny puppy practice! But for now I will wish for a pup, and spend my spare time looking up doggy photos on google images. 

How about you? Do you already have the perfect furry companion?  Are you itching to get a dog like me? Are you a cat person, and not into dogs at all?

Tell me, I want to know!

p.s. I LOVE Cats! We have four back at my home in Portland.