Aby-a-Day – April 30: Shine a little light on me (Cartoon Tuesday)

This isn’t a cartoon so much as it is a depiction of reality.

(Click cartoon to embiggen, or you can view all cartoons in Slideshow mode on Flickr.)

Aby-a-Day – April 29: Shadows (Hipstamatic Monday)

Sometimes I like to take photos of our shadows when Jacoby and I are out for a walk.

It’s a different sort of self-portrait.

An ephemeral one, to be sure, but still interesting.

One cloud, and the whole picture changes.

But what is a photograph, anyway, but a moment of light and shadow captured forever?

Aby-a-Day – April 28: Leftovers

Sometimes, I have photos left over that don’t seem to fit into a particular post. And then they sort of just…get forgotten. So here are some leftovers.

This is from last Sunday: Jacoby in what is pretty much the middle of Back Bay.

Jake is such a city cat…waiting for the train is just a walk in the Park (Street) for him.

When Jake gets home from an outing, he sprawls. Angel uses that sprawl as an opportunity to sniff him and get away with it.

Jake loves Cheetos. I had some at the CFF show and, of course, I had to share with you-know-who.

Apparently, Jake has taught himself to “heel.” This is from when Jake accompanied Kylie to the vet.

Angel tends to watch much of the goings-on from her perch on the cat tree.

Sometimes, Jake and Angel get along…at least for 1/20 of a second.

Aby-a-Day – April 27: “Zoom” (Saturday Photo Hunt)

This week’s Photo Hunt subject is “Zoom.”

Jacoby loves it when I run when he’s in his stroller. He leans forward and hangs over the edge; his body language screams, “Faster, Mom! Go faster!”

And when I do, I say, “Zoom zoom, Jake! Zoom zoom!!” I think he knows that “Zoom zoom” means we’re going into hyperdrive.

Friday Fashion Flashback: Cheddar

On yesterday’s post about Jacoby and the CFF show, Sherry commented about a cat who used to make appearances at shows in New England called Cheddar.

She said: “Seeing Jake there in the costumes like that, brought back fond memories of seeing Cheddar at CFA shows in New England. My favourite was his RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) outfit! He was such a cool cat, always on the arm of his owner Bob, who even made a support for his arm so it wouldn’t get tired from holding up Cheddar. Fond cat show memories indeed!”

Here’s Cheddar and Bob at the Seacoast Cat Show in New Hampshire back in 2007. He was 13 years old then! He was a red-point Siamese mix HHP, and he was awesome.

Aby-a-Day – April 26: National Hairball Awareness Day (Fashion Friday)

Today is National Hairball Awareness Day!

And Hauspanther, along with FURminator (the official sponsor of National Hairball Awareness Day, naturally) are here to help you celebrate!

You can download a cat moustache template PDF and create your own cat moustache.

Of course, you know I could not resist this. I printed out the ‘stache backs on cardstock, glued them to a couple of chopsticks and then stuck on some of Jacoby’s and Angel’s FURminations.

Doesn’t Jake look dashing?

Of course, when doesn’t Jake look dashing, right?

Angel was less amused.

She’s a bit of a tomboy; I thought she’d have fun with a moustache for a day.

Guess she’s more of a girl than I gave her credit for.

Don’t forget to check out FURminator’s Moustache Cats Gallery on Facebook, too!

Aby-a-Day – April 25: People’s Choice Award

Last weekend, Jacoby and I went with Meg, Cousin Taz, Cousin Louis-Fire and little Malaika Jamaica to a CFF cat show in Worcester, MA. Jake just went as the celebrity Abyssinian and show ambassador cat and wasn’t even entered in the show…

…but he managed to bring home a rosette anyway!

This show had a “Spectator’s Choice” competition where people who came to the show could vote for their favourite cat.

Each cat had a number (like Lura/Pickles, number 42, above) and people wrote that down and put it in the ballot box. Jake didn’t even have a number – people just wrote his name if they wanted to vote for him!

Jake worked hard for his ribbon, though. He spent a lot of time with the spectators.

He also went through a few costume changes.

But it was all worth it at the end of the day. The voting wasn’t even one of those hanging-chad deals – Jake won by a landslide!

Abys in Need: Ziggy in Queens

Oh, how I hate these sorts of emails, and oh, how I wish I could adopt this cutey…I got this email via the Aby Rescue list:

“I am a veterinary technician at an animal clinic in Queens, NY. I have recently become aware of Ziggy, a 3-4 year old male Blue Abyssinian. His owners are unable to care for him properly because they now have a 3rd child, and do not have the available time for his playful needs. I am hoping you can help Ziggy. He is FIV/Felv negative, up to date on vaccines, and is neutered.

I look forward to your response.

Thank you for all you do!
Stella Saliaris
718-964-3318”

Because a playful young cat playing with playful young children is out of the question, apparently.

There wasn’t an email address on this, so if you can help Ziggy, please call Stella at the number above.

Aby-a-Day – April 24: Wordless Wednesday (It’s KYLIE’S birthday, Jake!)

Aby-a-Day – April 23: Line in the sand (Cartoon Tuesday)

In light of all that has happened…

I wasn’t exactly sure if this was the right thing to say, given that we have caught the guy…but just because that part’s been resolved, we aren’t done with this. Not yet.

So I discussed it with Jen, one of the first responders Jacoby and I met on Sunday at the BAA event at the Sheraton. She liked it; she thought it was true. “Yes…” she sagreed, thoughtfully, “This isn’t finished.” So. This is for Martin, Lingzi, Krystal and Sean. This is for Boston. And, this is for Jen.

(Click cartoon to embiggen, or you can view all cartoons in Slideshow mode on Flickr.)

Aby-a-Day – April 22: Boston, you’re our home (Hipstamatic Monday)

Jacoby is a city cat, and Boston is his city.

Jake more than most cats knows his city. He goes out on its streets and he loves his hometown.

And it’s not just the famous parts of Boston, either. He’s familiar with the little back streets, too.

Don’t mess with Boston!

Aby-a-Day – April 21: Beginning to heal (Serious Sunday)

Today Jacoby and I went to an event organised by the Boston Athletic Association that provided people who were at the site of the explosions on Monday – race volunteers, medical personnel, Red Cross and military people – the opportunity to gather and talk about what they experienced.

It was an amazing day.

We met in the Sheraton with several other therapy teams.

This is Batman and his human, Robin.

This is Elle and her human, Pam.

Lily the horse and her human Marsha were also there!

Finally, Jake and I got to meet her!

We also met some wonderful people. Jen was in the volunteer tent at the finish line across from the bomb sites.

Robin was another volunteer who was right there at the finish line. Both of them told me they were cat people and they were so happy that there was a cat among the therapy animals at the event (Sparkle, I thought your human would like to know). Both Jen and Robin gave me permission to share their photos with you here on my blog. We also met Jill, a nurse who had been in the main medical tent at the finish line when it happened (and who has an awesome Snowshoe kitty named Fred), a military commander who, like me, is allergic to cats but still has them, and a Red Cross volunteer from northern New York State. I didn’t get their names, though.

After the event, Jake and I walked up Hereford to Boylston and looked at the memorial that has sprung up along the police fence that’s closing off Boylston at that end of the street.

It was incredible.

I hate that it has to be there…but it’s wonderful that it is there. Boston’s people are incredible.

Some of the things people have left are truly moving.

I left one of Jake’s cards. It’s all I really had to add to the collection of things.

There’s also a John Hancock sign that people have been writing on.

One person wrote: “YOU MESSED WITH THE WRONG CITY.” I love that.

It was hard to find a place to write anything, the sign was so full of messages.

Jake helped me find a space.

I drew a little sketch of Jake and wrote “Strollercat ❤ Boston." Silly, I know…but I didn't know what else to write.

Then we walked up Newbury Street (the next street over from Boylston) to Arlington to catch the T home. There were smaller memorials at each intersection.

This is the memorial at Newbury and Exeter, one block down from the intersection closest to the bombing site.

I’m glad we went down there today. It’s one thing to see it on TV (in fact, they're showing this very memorial on the 11:00 news as I type this right now), but it's very different to see it in person. And it's beautiful.

“Aby” is just “Baby” without the “B”

A couple of days ago, someone posted this amazing photo to one of the Abyssinian Facebook groups:

Isn’t this fabulous? I love how all the Abys, regardless of age, so thoroughly accept this baby! What a lucky little kid…and I’d just love to give this photo to all those idiots who think that they HAVE to get rid of their cat(s) just because they’re pregnant. Cats and babies are not mutually exclusive.

Of course, there may be an adjustment period in some families…

Fear not, though: Once baby Kennedy was born, Dexter fell in love with his little human sister:

Proof that cats and babies can co-exist!

Aby-a-Day – April 20: “Wither” (Saturday Photo Hunt)

This week’s Photo Hunt subject is “Wither.”

The withers on a cat, dog or horse is the ridge between the shoulder blades. It is the generally the tallest point of the body, and in horses and dogs it is the standard place to measure the animal’s height.

On Abys, the withers are conveniently marked with a dark stripe.

Abys Are Everywhere: Another mainstream Abyssinian T-shirt and celebrity humans with Abys

After last week’s post about Forever 21’s Aby T-shirt, Texas and his human pointed out that H&M has a T-Shirt with Abys on it, too.

And it is AWESOME. But try to get it from H&M…it’s only $17.99, but someone on eBay is trying to sell them for $49.99 plus shipping!

And speaking of things that are awesome…not sure how I missed random blog post from 2010 about celebrities and their Abyssinians…but check it out!

I knew about these photos of Nicolas Cage and David Bowie with Abys, but…

…I didn’t know about Carly Simon and Nicole Ritchie!

Not to mention, Viggo Mortensen! See? Abys are always in fashion.

Finnish Aby Tattoo

You may remember the gorgeous Aby tattoo I saw at the TICA show in Providence last year.

Earlier this week, my friend Sanna-Leena Santapakka posted a photo of her new tattoo to the Abyssinian Cat Club on Facebook this week. Just check this out:

She explained “Haven’t seen many tattoos with Abys on them, so I thought I should share my one. It has my boys, ruddy and fawn in it. My tattoo artist said he hasn’t ever coloured any tattoo so carefully as he did with them 😀 The tattoo artist is from Pitbull Tattoos in Oulu, Finland, and he is called Ravi-Lassi.”

Now I really want to get a tattoo of Jacoby…

Aby-a-Day – April 19: Wear Boston (Fashion Friday)

Pellburn Jacoby Stealin’ Home is wearing Boston today.

There’s a couple of Facebook groups dedicated to the Wear Boston movement, and it’s pretty cool to see all the participants’ photos. Of course, Strollercat is among them! (You may need to log into Facebook to see them, I’m afraid.) And now that they know who did it, it’s been a little crazy in Boston Metro today.

And you can help Boston, too: Local company RueLaLa is selling exclusive Honoring Boston T-shirts to raise money for MGH’s Emergency Medicine Fund. As they explain on their website: “We will donate all net proceeds from the sale of this Honoring Boston tee to the Emergency Medicine Fund at Massachusetts General Hospital, which supports the patients and families affected by the Boston Marathon tragedy. This item will be shipped to you standard with our compliments” It’s a limited time shirt, though, so if you want one you’ll have to move quickly. I’ve asked them if they make them in cat sizes, because Strollercat needs one, too! Haven’t heard back, yet…

Oh, Boston you’re my home
Oh, you’re the number one place

Aby-a-Day – April 18: Therapy isn’t just for human patients…however…

Kylie recently needed to go to Angell Memorial to have a vet check-up.

It’s nothing major; just a follow-up on some chronic congestion that we think may be Feline Herpes Virus-related.

Jacoby went along to offer moral support.

He kept her company in the examination room while Dr. Johnson discussed Kylie’s sniffles with us.

He also patrolled the waiting room.

Which is important, because there are dogs there, too. Kylie’s not as used to being around dogs as Jake is.

Speaking of therapy visits, though, you may have seen some articles in the news about therapy dogs being sent to Boston to comfort victims.

I find this rather ironic as Jake and I were not able to make our usual therapy visit to Tufts this week as the hospital is still on high alert and is closed to non-essential personnel (“Access to Tufts Medical Center will be through the Emergency Department, Biewend or the Floating Hospital crossover entrances. All other entrances will be closed. Please have your I.D. ready and be prepared to have any bags checked”). We are still waiting to hear when we might be able to visit victims along with our regular patients. And I am hoping that we can come back to visit Jake’s friends next week as usual.

However, things like the above are happening here in Boston; there are armed guards like the one above stationed not only outside Tufts Medical Center, but in various places around the city, including Post Office Square in downtown, which is near where I work.

It’s just kind of interesting that there are all these stories about therapy dogs flying in from all over the country when we locals can’t make our regular visits. However, it’s also important to note that these dogs are not certified with the same organisation that Jake and I are. They also seem to not be going into hospitals so much as they are going to the areas that are open – or partially open – to the public, such as the runners’ bag pick-up area at the finish line on Tuesday, and making impromptu independent “vists.”

Jake and I are certified with Pet Partners (formerly known as The Delta Society) and have been visiting since 2010. Pet Partners’ animal-assisted therapy program was established in 1990 to ensure that “both ends of the leash,” people as well as animals, were well-prepared to participate in animal-assisted activity and animal-assisted therapy programs. Pet Partners’ Therapy Animal Program is the only national registry that requires volunteer training and screening of animal-handler teams. They’re also the only program that accepts a wide range of species of domesticated animals; registered Pet Partners include not only dogs and cats but also guinea pigs, rabbits, domesticated rats, horses, llamas, donkeys, pot-bellied pigs, Cockatoos, African Gray Parrots, chickens and ducks. As a matter of fact, there’s a miniature horse named Lily who also visits Tufts Medical Center! (Lily also had to skip her visit this week.)

This is the letter that Pet Partners sent out to registered teams, dated 16 April:

Dear Volunteers;

We have received outpourings of concern from our therapy animal teams for the people affected by the tragedy in Boston. We share with them and all our nation the grief for those killed, concern for those injured, and for the many other people, friends and families who have been affected.

We truly appreciate offers from many of our teams to travel to the Boston area to comfort those in need. At this time, we ask that teams wait until we have coordinated efforts with local agencies and our local representatives and have determined the situations and settings in which animal-assisted interactions can best be utilized. Once these efforts are determined, we will communicate them to teams residing in the Boston area and will call on teams outside the area for additional assistance as needed.

Thank you for your concern and willingness to help,

The Staff of Pet Partners

So don’t worry…we’ll be back as soon as we can!

Aby-a-Day: April 17: Wordless Wednesday (Angel and Jake, cuddling at last!)

B Strong Boston

A message from GP Pellburn Jacoby Stealin’ Home:

I like to think of Jake as Boston’s cat…from his name, to his adventures on the transit system, to his trips to the Common…Jake is Boston’s cat.

B Strong, Boston.