Addio Febbraio

Today is the last day of the month. 2020 went by in a flash, and now 2021 is feeling that way, too.

We had a good week, and hope you did, too.

This morning, Mamma caught me on camera being impatient. Stivali is not patient.

In my defense, I was very hungry this morning. 

She laughed and laughed at me - I still bring little Verdi to her daily, and she has yet to capture that on video very well, so at least I am maintaining some dignity here. 😹

The weather this week included hail, rain, some sunshine, and some cold temperatures. Our little feral visited multiple times a day, and still would not come fully inside our home.

I do not understand why he is so stubborn. We have blankets, beds, food, fresh water, and a roof over our heads. How fortunate we are inside warm. I do not know why he refuses our generosity.

Enjoying sun puddles and eating lots of food are the things I like to do. 

Here's to a magnificent March ahead for each of you. Stay well.

Purr & Paw, 🐾

-Stivali. 

Here we stand in the no-man’s-land between winter and spring… in other words, March. Full of hope and frustration, March is tempestuous and teasing. - Julie Hage.

How does your cat love thee? Let us count the ways...

Happy Day, Dear Readers!

Did you ever wonder how us cats tell you we love you? Well, my mamma knows all the signs. First off, she tells us she loves us all of the time. I mean ...


ALL

of

the

TIME.

She is consistently telling us. Sometimes, she looks right at us, meets our eyes and closes them slowly at us. Then, we tell her we love her back by imitating that gesture.

Little Pasqua Bunny even winks at her when she winks at him. It's adorable.

Stray Cat used to head-butt mamma, and that certainly was a cat gesture for "I love you!" - neither Pasqua nor I do that to her. That shall remain special between her and our dear Stray Cat.

Remember how I told you about me carrying little Verdi to mamma? That is my way of telling her I love her and I trust her with my favorite toy. Daily I carry it to her, up and down the steps. She adores when I do this.

If you have an outdoor kitty who brings you a catch (bird, mouse, squirrel), this is the same sign of love. Giving you a present. So don't get upset, just thank your kitty for the gift and reciprocate with gratitude and an "I love you, too!".

Does your kitty knead your lap when relaxing with you? This sweet sign sometimes called "making biscuits" is a natural thing baby kitties did on their cat-mom while nursing, the action promoted milk, and therefore this sweet affection shows that your cat is content, secure, and definitely loves you!

Both Stray Cat and Pasqua greet mamma at the door every time she arrives home. I am much too lazy for this display of love and affection. If your cat greets you and shows excitement to see you return home, then, be rest-assured it means they love you! (Me NOT doing it does not mean I do not love mamma, it just means some cats are more affectionate and excitable than others.)

I rub against my mamma any chance I get to put my scent on her and steal her scent. This is the most common way I tell her I love her. I also fall asleep next to her and purr as loudly as possible. So if your cats rub up against you a lot, wants to be near you a lot, and purrs way louder than normal when they are resting near you - they are telling you they love you!

Cats do not talk to other cats with meows. They reserve meows for their humans. 😼 If you and your cat have full-blown conversations word-to-meow, then, yes they love you! 😼 Extra brownie points to you if your cat trills or chirps. That is cat talk for you are super duper.

One thing that Stray Cat did that neither Pasqua nor I do is groom mamma. We groom each other on occasion as a sign of trusted friendship, but we don't do this to mamma. I am very sure that this action, that Stray Cat did daily, multiple times a day, was a pure sign of his love for mamma.

You may be completely disgusted and feel that this would NOT be your favorite affection preference, just know that if your cat does groom you, they consider you part of their inner circle. Be extremely pleased that your cat shows love for you in this way.

How does your cat love thee? Let us count the ways...

I'll start with these ten. Add the affection you receive in the comments section below to keep the count going.

1. Eye blinks.
2. Head-bunting.
3. Gives gifts.
4. Kneads you.
5. Greets you at door.
6. Rubs oils from their facial glands onto you.
7. Super purrs.
8. Stays near you no matter what room you walk into.
9. Talks to you.
10. Grooms you.

💘💗❤♡♥♡♥❤💗💘Happy Valentine's Week, Everyone. Be kind to one another and give extra pets to pets. Even Pasqua deserves them. 😹

Purr & Paw,
-Stivali. 🐾

If you have only one smile in you give it to the people [cats] you love. —Maya Angelou.

Christmas Wishes

Hello Readers,

We hope you had a wonderful week. 

You know how I really like drinking from the faucet? Well, I found the purr-fect gift for me. Check this out: Aquapurr - an automated water spout. How cool is that? 

I think it would make a great addition to our home. Don't you? 😺

In other news, mamma is excited to share with you two new videos. She was finally able to capture in time me carrying my toy mouse, Verdi! She is overjoyed, but of course, wants to still get a better one.

Stivali Carrying Verdi, Take 1

Stivali Carrying Verdi, Take 2

Enjoy your Sunday, Everyone! 

Purr & Paw,

-Stivali.🐾

🎶It's you I like. The way you are right now, the way down deep inside you. Not the things that hide you, not your toys, they're just beside you. But it's you I like. Every part of you.♫ - Mister Fred Rogers.♬

Happy December 1st!

New month, new day, new chapter, a new page, Welcome Dear December!

December marks my official "I'm Mamma's Day" - on December 06 - the day before our Aunt Marcella's birthday.

Other special birthdays this month include: Great Aunt Anna 03, Great Uncle Nicky 05, Mrs Walter 05 (PJ's mamma), Baby Taegan Elizabeth will be 06 on the 05th, Aunt Julie's 15, Uncle Mikey 21.

Also, this month, we celebrate when we officially signed adoption papers for Pasqua Scheggiare! Cannot believe this month will mark one year! 

Mamma has yet to catch me on video carrying Verdi to her, but she did snap this photo this week of me:

She has added few videos to our YouTube channel, most recently us watching outside:  https://youtu.be/VNeiDph8T8I

Are you decorating for the holidays this weekend? Mamma did not put up a Christmas tree last year, so I think we will have to convince her to do so this year. We need ornaments to play with!

Purr & Paw,
Stivali. 🐾

Remember this December, that love weighs more than gold! - Josephine Dodge Daskam Bacon.

Pasqua is Six Months Old Today!

Happy St Patrick's Day, Readers!

We are celebrating all day long. Not just for St Patrick, the sheep herder, and patron saint of Ireland (although, he wasn't actually Irish! Interesting fun-fact!), we celebrate also today because Pasqua is now six months old!

😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸

Did you know that St Patrick's real name is believed to be Maewyn Succat, but when he became a priest he changed his name to Patrick? Look at his real name, though: Succat. Isn't that something?

😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸

Another coincidence we take note of today: when Italian-American males are named Pasqua or Pasquale, their nickname very commonly is Pat. These coincidences on the day we celebrate St Patrick and our little Pasqua Scheggiare are not accidents, and we believe they are signals from God to remind us that we are truly blessed.

😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸😸

At six months old, these are some of Pasqua's favorite things:

• treats
• my food (he prefers it over his kitten food!)
• a little grey mouse we named Grigio (not to be confused with my beloved Verdi)
• napping/sleeping
• playing peek-a-boo and fetch
• cuddling with mamma
• hiding with me when visitors come over (I am teaching him this habit to our mom's disappointment)
• sun puddling
• looking out the windows and glass doors
• hanging out with mamma when she works from home

And some of our favorite photos:

They named him "Chip" at the Cat Sanctuary where we adopted him from.

It is not safe to refill my food container in Pasqua's presence.

Playing fetch (Grigio is in Pasqua's mouth).

Enjoying the view from the sun room.

He sleeps a lot in the most adorable poses. Example 1.

Example 2 - how is that even comfortable?

Six month portrait.  Getting so big!

I offer this Irish Blessing for all of you: "May you have love that never ends, lots of money, and lots of friends. Health be yours, whatever you do, and may God send many blessings to you!"

Purr & Paw,
-Stivali.

7 months feels like a lifetime...

Mamma and I do not like knowing how much time has passed since my big brother died.
The 10-15 minutes before his death were traumatic and Mamma replays it over and over in her mind and it is debilitating.

I am trying to be more fun for her so she is not so sad.

I still don't like being held, which I know is hard for her since she was accustomed to how much my big brother liked being carried around in her arms.

Do you know he died in her arms? That was his favorite place to be.

I hope she realizes that and finds comfort in knowing he would not have wanted it any other way.
She is sad because she felt numb as he was crossing. She wasn't even petting him and was only holding him - both motionless. 
A sadness she cannot get out of her mind. 

Today is August 26. Marking 7 months. We have now been living in our new home longer than Stray Cat was alive in it. That feels depressing.

It is a warm summer day, we have the windows open and doors open; screens allow me to breathe in fresh air.  I smell lotsa smells from outside.  Smells I know Stray Cat would lift his little nose to. We are sad that he is not here to enjoy the new town, the new house, and all it has to offer us on such a warm summer day.

We wonder if he can see us from heaven. If he knows how sad we are without him here. We wonder if he realizes how much we love him still and how much we ache in his absence.  He provided both of us such joy. He was such a funny affectionate loving cat.  We miss him. We hope he knows how much we love him - and pray he realized it when he was here with us. 

I try to make mamma laugh. I bring her Verdi daily.  I hide under Stray Cat's blanket on his favorite orange chair. I try to do silly things so I can hear her laughing.  I do not cuddle with her, but I do sit near her every day.  I even go to bed next to her although I won't touch her.  Hopefully, she knows I love her, and this is how I show it. 

Where's Stivali? 

There she is! 

I am a good hider.

Cute old photo of my big brother, Stray Cat.

This is me and my big brother when I first moved in with them back in 2010.

There's a really beautiful song our friend, Lynda, told us about. It helps.  Here are some of the lyrics... and a YouTube video so you can hear it if you wanna: YouTube video

"Honey, I thought you should know, that I'm in a hurry. I've got to move up north, but it's just temporary. I really tried not to lie. But this burdens getting heavy. No, you can't come with me this time, you got your own destiny.

But Heaven's not too far away, I know someday you'll visit. And I didn't think I'd go this way, can I please have one more minute? No honey, I don't want to go, please know that I have to. I think it's time I go home. 

Yes, I can still hear your voice. Sounds just like it did. And I can still feel your hand
When it touches my skin."

Hug the ones you love tightly.

Purr & Paw,
-Stivali.

It did not feel like summer this year.

This summer went very fast.
It rained a lot so it wasn't a very nice summer.
Mamma and I were sad without Stray Cat, and rain doesn't help us very much.

One thing that helps me is Verdi. Who I wrote about previously.

Mamma tries to record me often. And I do not cooperate. I stop doing whatever she wants to record as soon as I catch her recording me. I am sneaky like that.

This is the best she can get:
Verdi & Stivali Clip

Enjoy the rest of your summer, Readers.
Purr and Paw,
-Stivali.

Introducing Topino Verdi!

I need to introduce you to my friend, Topino Verdi.  "Verdi" for short: 

 

Every day, I play with Verdi.  He is the perfect sized mouse to fit in my mouth. Each evening, I meow as he is in my mouth and carry him to Mamma. Impressive, right? My ma thinks it is pretty darn awesome that this has become an evening ritual. 

If Verdi is downstairs, I will find him and carry him upstairs.  If he is upstairs, I carry him downstairs.

Now, ma has been trying to video-tape me or at least take a decent photo of me doing this, but I don't like that idea.  However, I did want to brag about it here on Stray's blog. 😺 

Everyone always brags about how affectionate and loving Stray Cat was. How he was a complete love sponge. I know Mamma misses his affection, and having unconditional love expressed that way - but really, I must tell you, he was kind of an attention hog. 😹 Seriously, no one could give that much love - I mean, really, he was nimious. 

And, by the way, he never brought Mamma any presents. Never. 

So, this is how I am showing her MY unconditional love - I am not affectionate or mushy - but at least I bring her a present daily: a topino. 

How does your cat show their love to you? *Curious, as I may need more ideas since I certainly do not want to be held. 

Purr & Paw,

-Stivali.