Eleven Days to Halloween!

Happy Sunday, Readers,

We are eleven days from Halloween, and Pasqua and I are hopeful no one rings the door bell. That scares us more than a Halloween ghost! 👻

We see lots of jack-o-lanterns when we look outside. People carve them and place candles in them. They look so pretty.

Fall is a beautiful time of year.

Grigio does not agree, and yet does not come inside to get warm.

I wonder if you have any ideas of what to do if you can't use a knife? Like, Pasqua and I appreciate the beauty of the carved pumpkins but cannot hold a knife. 😸

Maybe you want to avoid the messy carving with all of those slippery seeds, and wet pumpkin innards, too. Here are some alternative ideas mamma had for us, but please do tell us your own alternatives to add to this list:

• Use yarn! We like playing with yarn a lot. It is easy to decorate a pumpkin using colorful yarn or even ribbon. Use the stalk as the base to wrap it from top to bottom. So pretty!
• Melt crayons and decorate the pumpkin with the liquid ink. This takes paw painting to a whole new level!
• Do you want to turn your pumpkin into a cat? Use felt to cut out the shapes needed to disguise your pumpkin into the purrfect feline. 
• Use decorative tape. A lot of hardware stores and craft shops have wide decorative tape to secure packaged gifts. What fun it is to not have to worry about glue or any pumpkin messiness when we can just wrap the pumpkin in fun tape!
• Paint. Use acrylic paint to decorate your pumpkin into whatever you want it to be. Need inspiration? Check out these cool ideas at Parents.com.

Have fun with your pumpkins, and do let us know how they turn out. 👻

Purr & Paw, 🐾
-Stivali.

When witches go riding, and black cats are seen, the moon laughs and whispers, "‘tis near Halloween". - author unknown.

The truth about cats

Stivali here.

I am usually too busy sleeping most of the day to be bothered to write this blog, so sometimes my mamma does it. Plus, I really don't want to write about how much I love my new little brother (even if I do). I was here first and let me just say, he is absolutely nothing like my big brother, Stray Cat. Stray Cat was a total mush, and very loving. He never tried to attack me the way Pasqua does. *Sigh

I also really miss how I could snuggle up against Stray Cat. Pasqua only snuggles with mamma. Which usually means, I only snuggle with mamma at bed time because Pasqua stays at her feet.  This is becoming quite the habit here at night. Pasqua at her feet, and me, happily, by her head. It is getting colder where we live, and she is not putting the heat on yet. The past two nights I slept right beside her instead of an arm's length away. I know she is very happy about that. I only do it to get warm. She really needs to put the heat on so I don't have to be so close. 😹

I look like a majestic supermodel here.🐱

Pasqua looks a bit tubby here.😺

We had a good week. Sleeping. Waiting for Grigio. Eating. Playing. Sleeping. Eating. Playing. Waiting for Grigio. 

Mamma even went to a street fair and brought us back a new toy. One shaped like a bird, but we are not fools. We know it is a toy and not real. We see real birds every day from the windows and they are too quick for us to catch - considering, ummmm, ma doesn't let us out. 😿

Did you ever wonder why cats sleep so much? If you want to read this article our mamma read to us - it is very enlightening: Why Do Cats Sleep So Much?  Apparently, one of the reasons is to conserve energy between meals. And man, do we like to eat! Speaking of eating, I am starting to feel irritated by how much we feed Grigio our food. It is OUR FOOD. Now we have asked our mother to stop with the insanity and buy specific food for Grigio so he is not eating OUR FOOD. I hope she listens to us. This is important. I am not good at sharing food. It seems very unfair to us.😿

The article also mentions that sleeping is critical for our ability to regenerate itself and stay healthy. That is enough information for me to know that I have written enough today, and it is time to fall in to a deep sleep, and have some good cat dreams!

Nap Well, Readers!

Purr & Paw, 🐾
-Stivali.

Somewhere over the rainbow, way up high, there's a land that I've heard of once in a lullaby. Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue, and the dreams that you dare to dream, really do come true. Someday I'll wish upon a star and wake up where the clouds are far behind me. Where troubles melt like lemon drops, high above the chimney tops, that's where you'll find me. Somewhere over the rainbow, blue birds fly. Birds fly over the rainbow. Why then, oh why can't I? If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow, why, oh why can't I?- Yip Harburg.

It's October!

Happy October, Everyone! 

Pasqua giving his most ferocious yawn!

Originally, October was the eighth month of the Roman calendar, hence why it starts with the Latin word for "eight" - octo. When January and February were added to the calendar, October's name remained the same despite now being the tenth month.

The leaves on the trees here have already changed to brown, orange, and yellow - and typically of fall, they are falling off the trees already. Giving Pasqua and I lots to look out from our many windows. 

If you enjoy Oktoberfests, you can thank the Crown Prince Ludwig, as the festival began because of his Royal Wedding on October 12, 1810 in Bavaria, Germany. The year after his wedding, it was decided to repeat some of the festivities for their anniversary and the Oktoberfest tradition began! 

Another festivity that occurs in October is Halloween! Mamma learned that we can have some Halloween fun, free of candy, by purchasing this haunted cat house at Target! Isn't it magnificent? How fun - it even has cat scratcher floors on both levels. We were truly disappointed that they are sold out. But be on the look out, Readers, as we may get it soon. 😼  

This week, we had daily visits from Grigio. We were very happy to see him.

Can't you tell how excited I am to greet him?

Whatever you do this weekend and week, we hope you are staying warm, and feeling grateful.

Purr & Paw, 🐾

-Stivali.

The wind outside nested in each tree, prowled the sidewalks in invisible treads like unseen cats. - Ray Bradbury.

Happy Fall, Y'all!

Crisp air and pumpkins everywhere!

Autumn began this week on September 23, and is scheduled to end on December 21st.
The third season of the year is a favorite for many, including our mamma! The transition between the summer heat to the cold winter means - windows open! Birds singing! Lots of sun puddling and and window watching.

What is your favorite thing about fall? Is it the colours of the landscape? The Thanksgiving feast you share with your loved ones? Pumpkin spice flavored goodies? It is the candy corn? Or is it all of the festivities like apple picking, hay rides, and corn mazes?

Whichever your favorite fall thing is, we hope the season is off to an amazing start for you, and that you enjoy some of your fall favorites this year with gratitude.

I work out! 

Don't forget to continue to exercise as to avoid those extra pounds winter may bring! 

Purr & Paw,
-Stivali. 🐾

Autumn shows us how beautiful it is to let things go. - Author Unknown.

What's mew with you?

Hello Friends,

Mamma went to Pennsylvania yesterday and came home smelling like other cats!

What is this all about??

She went to a CAT CAFE, can you believe this?

Now, most of you already know, our mamma once owned a beautiful cafe, and now she went to someone else's awesome establishment - and they have cats there! Cats in a cafe! Isn't that wonderful?

Mewow Cafe in Doylestown, Pennsylvania

Interior cafe seating - they serve local coffee.

They sell cat themed gift items!

Mamma fell in love with this cutie immediately.

If you are ever in Pennsylvania, you will have to check it out: Mewow Cafe

The owner has partnered with Kitty Junction and offers visitors the chance to meet adoptable kitties that need a home! Isn't that purr-fect?

Mamma even bought us each a toy from the cafe, and a really cute t-shirt for herself. 😹
The cats are in a window enclosed room separated from the cafe dining area.

How did she ever find out about this great place? Well, our lovely Aunt Jules moved over a year ago to Doylestown, Pennsylvania and she is the creator/owner/writer of "For the Love of Doylestown" - for Facebook and Instagram users, follow her @fortheloveofdoylestown to view her beautiful photographs of Doylestown and learn all about the town.

We had a good week indeed, not just because mamma bought us new toys, but because we enjoyed sun puddling, had multiple visits from Grigio, received lots of cuddles, took lots of naps, and ate lots of treats.

We do like our sun puddle time.

We sure hope your week ahead is filled with equal parts of affection and laughter.

Purr & Paw,
-Stivali.🐾

Oh, how I adore napping!

Two Days to Pasqua is ONE!

This little potato chip came in to our lives in November. He was just a wee-one, with a chirp, and the fastest run we had ever seen! He has brought us joy, laughter, along with a few kitty bites & scratches.

Mamma met him at the shelter on November 17 (he was exactly two months old):

Mamma picked him up on the 21st of November. Look how tiny he was:

He was no bigger than the palm of her hand!

In the 10 months we have been together, he has learned how to fetch, give paw, give five, jump up, and sit. He has fallen off of the bed three times, as he hasn't realized that rolling over while stretching on the edge of the bed is not a good thing.  He has taken over one thousand naps, and has snuggled with Mamma on the sofa over one hundred times. He likes to play peek-a-boo, hide-and-seek, and of course, play with string. He tries very hard to play chase with me which I do not like very much. So, I hiss.

We are so happy to celebrate in two days that he will be one year old! He is such a big boy, so funny, and so affectionate and loving. Sometimes, a little too affectionate for my taste, but Mamma seems to like it. 💗 He is teaching me that I need to be more loving, too, and that makes for a very happy home. 💗

Pasqua's One Year Favorites List:

• Favorite place to relax and window watch - the sun room.
• Favorite place to jump into - the laundry basket.
• Favorite food - soft treats. 
• Favorite toy - Grigio the grey mouse.
• Favorite game - playing with string.
• Favorite pass time - napping. 
• Favorite cat - me! 
• Favorite human - mamma! 

Please say a prayer for all (y)our friends and family who did not get a chance to celebrate a birthday this year. May all of (y)our deceased love ones be in the palm of our Savior's hands.

Have a wonderful week, Everyone!

Purr & Paw,
-Stivali. 🐾

The great thing about getting older, is that you don't lose all the other ages you've been. - Madeleine L'Engle.

Mamma's Day!

We are so excited to announce that our mamma's birthday was this week and she is healthy, happy, and one year older! 😺 We celebrate all month long - but now that August is done, we have to welcome September and say "Ciao" to the August birthday-month. 

She received the most amazing birthday card. The envelope was addressed to "Mamma". She instinctively knew that someone special made her a card from us!

A Happy Birthday wish from the cats!

And all the kiddies were represented. Me, and Kismet, and Stray Cat, and Pasqua Bunny:

And on the back, even our little feral Grigio was represented:  

Isn't this the most amazing and thoughtful card you have ever seen? 🐱 We give huge kudos, purrs, and pets to our beautiful Aunt Josie who is a talented artist and as you can plainly see - extremely creative. We love her! 😻 Thank you, Aunt Josie, for going to Hallmark for us and for making sure our mamma knew we did not forget her special day.

We hope all of you enjoy the start of your September with a celebration day of your own: a day off from your work, chores, and responsibilities. Tomorrow is Labor Day, a celebration created by the labor movement, dedicated to the achievements of American workers. May it remind all of us to have strength, to be prosperous, and respect the well-being of our country.

Thank you for all you do to make America great!

Purr & Paw,

-Stivali.

The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is to celebrate. - Oprah Winfrey.