Haiku cat

I'm not sure if I ever read (long ago!) 1931 Newbery Award winning book "for children" The Cat Who Went To Heaven by Elizabeth Coatsworth. A brief description says: "A three-colored cat brought good luck to a Japanese artist who was working on a picture for the temple, introducing animals one after another. A beautiful story, not very long."

I was thinking of re-naming the little 3 color cat first dubbed "Mac", Amigurumi, after the Japanese term for very popular, very cute, little crochet stuffed toys (I think Wikipedia or someplace gives definition--google it). That little kit seems smaller than litter of kittens born sometime afterwards; much smaller than mostly white with orange spots sibling Rosie.

After watching a rainbow in the sky for most of the day, moving across landscape with the sun, I wrote a haiku. (Also was influenced by charming book about two small Japanese dolls by Rumer Godden; one of which is named "Miss Flower".) Beautiful sights from nature made me think of little white cat with petal-colored patches that I'd thought of calling Yuki, which I think Japanese name meaning snow; also Japanese story about appreciating pattern of leaves scattered on path instead of sweeping up:

Small cat sleeps
Autumn leaves on snow
Leaps to heaven
White clouds & rainbow!

Another nice name for a tiny cat might be Haiku, the poem form only seventeen syllables long!

>^.^<

Rest in peace, Rosie

Kitten I mentioned earlier was not one of local cat family. All of the latter seemed to be fine after snow storm, with one exception: "Rose" did not survive. Just found out apparently froze to death.

Hope I can find some help to protect rest of currently homeless cats this winter which is just beginning...

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Snow Cats

After the record snowfall, I've only seen 3 of the cat colony (looking a bit bedraggled). Hope the rest of feline family are okay. There was--what I assume to be--a cat path leading to snow-buried bushes, which they may have used for shelter.

They cuddle together to try to keep warm. Safely in numbers (knock on wood): one little kitten with a house-home, left out by its lonely self FROZE to death, as owners didn't realize how cold it would get that night.

Mama's newest kitten's may be due soon (or already have arrived). When I have time, I'll post literary links that inspired names for her fall family.

Santa, all I want for Christmas is good homes for all the homeless (including furry friends!)

>^.^<

Still here, still homeless

Apparently due to heavy traffic to Olympic blogs, I could not log on to post for awhile (and was just too busy after the games as well!)

Importance of finding TRULY "good homes" is stressed at http://localrescue.com/fall04lF.pdf
Local no-kill shelter I contacted told me that most shelters in area are currently full up with homeless cats. PET PARTNERS now seems to only be able to help kitties who already have "forever homes"....

Sent letter to http://www.actorsandothers.com/ both by email and snail mail--still haven't heard back from them. Tried that first as situation is rather lengthy to explain, but may try phoning (when I have time...) to at least see if they might be able come to this area, or know of some other organization I could try for help in keeping local feral cat population from doubling every year!!

Will post if I hear any new info. Also plan to post more on books with cat characters. "Fur" instance, I used to work in atmospheric independent bookstore with resident bookstore cats. Black female was named JUSTINE, after character in Laurence Durrell's "Alexandria Quartet", who I think was likened to a panther.

Actually, I prefer humorous non-fiction books by Larry's animal-loving brother Gerald, such as My Family and Other Animals! (Too bad that bookstore--which opened about forty years ago--closed when owners retired. Wish I could find as good a home for local homeless kitties...)
>^.^<

Catch & release?

News reports such as those found when searching "Adelanto kittens drown" and "euthanize foreclosure pets" (one among many is June 25, 2008, "Abandoned homes mean abandoned pets" www.vvdailypress.com/news/pets_7143___article.html/valley_victor.html make one hesitant to contact Animal Control. (first example may be exception rather than the rule, but still...)

http://www.hesperiaanimalhospital.com/ offers alternative way to limit litters of kittens, for "minimal fee". However, since I can't catch feral cats & kittens OR take them to such a hospital, I need assistance--like loan of cages, transportation or simply information on how to at least "catch & release" feline families, if forever homes can't yet be found for them all.

Perhaps posters or flyers in areas where they go for meals might alert people feeding them (as in picture book "Six Dinner Sid" by Inga Moore http://catalog.lapl.org/cgi-bin/show?28303) that these cats need homes, healthcare, "guardians". Kind of opposite to the release into wild for loved "Christian the Lion", current sensation on YouTube.

At Christmas time, one of cats described in previous posts was killed by otherwise friendly family dogs: apparently sweet cat was so hungry & cold, it tried to seek food & shelter that dog owners provided for their pets. Hope it doesn't ever happen again. Can you help?
>^.^<

Sun, Moon, Midnight--and Dandy

In year before Flourish & Blotts were born, Mom calico had only one kitten--Dandy. At time I was reading amusing mystery novel, The Quiet Gentleman in which title character--former soldier in Napoleonic wars--returns home to England. Unlikely heroine Drusilla (both of whose parents are bookish) dismissively calls him a dandy.

Like Dandy Cat, hero is "fair" or blond. See cover from Italian edition (translated, I think means "Intrigue in the castle"). http://colby.edu/personal/l/leosborn/heyer/images/qgitalian.jpg
Formal wear for fashionable men then would include white jabot to shirt front, white gloves & stockings--just like Dandy cat has!

Year before Dandy, Mom Cat had litter of three: Midnight (mostly black with white touches), Moonlight (fluffy white--part persian/siamese?) and Sunshine (orange). For short, Middy, Moony & Sunny. Later could also be spelled Sonny, after orange cat in humorous novel Can't Wait to Get to Heaven by Fanny Flagg. I read after character in Seventh Heaven tv series brought it along for roadtrip in giant RV in final episode (still hoping there'll be tv movie sequel!)

Maybe because heavy rains caused plant growth--thus more rabbits etc. for Mama to dine on--was reason for litter of three one year, only one kitten the next. Kitties need good home with regular meals!
>^.^<

Rose & Mac, Ron & Hermione??

FLOURISH (aka Fleur de la Cour, another HP character with pale coloring) had her first litter: ROSE (mostly white with reddish spots) and MAC the bookworm (because of lines around eyes that look like earpieces of spectacles). Pair is named after characters in Eight Cousins, one of my favorite lesser-known children's novels by author of Little Women, Louisa May Alcott.
Mac grows up to be fine, outdoorsy man who admires Ralph Waldo Emerson's Essays (he was friend of Alcott family; Lou aka "Jo" roamed his library freely) in sequel Rose in Bloom.

Before Rosey or Mac was seen "face to face" with Harry Cat (and revealed to be noticeably smaller--therefore younger), and before Flourish was seen acting motherly to pair of siblings, the names Ron & Hermione (Harry Potter's best friends) were being considered for them.

If Hermione turned out to be male, name could be shortened to Herm (in honor of Herman/Hermes messenger of the Gods (you know, the FTD Florist guy with wings on his heels) the funny, "crazy" cat in Jane Langton's book The Astonishing Stereoscope, third in magical series about loveable Hall family (my fave characters are child-like Professor Uncle Freddy and little girl Georgie who longs to learn to read).

Ron, if female, could have been changed to Rhonda (which is Greek for Rose, appropriate name if Mom is Fleur, French for flower!) Reminds me also of Laura Ingalls Wilder book (On the banks of Plum Creek?) in which Ingalls family get white and red cow from Swedish family who'd named her "Reet", for Wreath of Roses. Ma changed name to simply "Spot"...
>^.^<