Emergency Letter to Santa Paws

Dear Santa Paws,
I know you are busy today on Christmas Eve but I need your help! You got letters from me, my brother Fish and our dog Annie but I don't think you got a letter from my kitten, Agatha. She is new and this is her first Christmas.
She came to be my kitten from the mean streets. She didn't have a round tummy or a good smell. She was tired and scared. Now, she has a tummy full of cat cookies and smells like I gave her a baff which I did. I love her.
She will like anything you bring her. If your sleigh is full already, take out some of my gifts and put hers in my place. Bring the gifts to my house because she lives here with me.
She looks good in every color, has bright green eyes and loves to dance.
Please Santa Paws, don't forget my Agatha.

Love from your,
Dubby

A Note from Professor Whiskers

To Whom it May Concern:

We are delighted to have Agatha enrolled at Cat School. She is a happy kitten and a good student. Agatha receives good grades in her courses: Vocalization, Dance, Pouncing, History of Cats and Snuggling. We would like to see her work on Staying Off Counters and Wearing a Collar. She works well with her peers and has many friends among her classmates. Agatha's participation in Bottle Cap Soccer and Chase the Scrunched Up Paper Ball is very good for a kitten her age.

Agatha's teacher, Miss Frisky Whiskers, sends along this comment:
"Agatha knows her name, maintains eye contact when spoken to, purrs sweetly and likes to snuggle. I enjoy Agatha as a student in my Cupcake Kittens Class."

If we may be of assistance to you, please contact us by calling the Cat School office.

Sincerely,

Professor Whiskers

Dubby's Diary

Dear Diary,
This is Dubby. Fish is grumpy and won't blog. Agatha is too young. Our dog, Annie, is busy.
Do you remember how my heart hurt when Whistle died? I had a big hurt in my chest that three dozen cat cookies couldn't fix. Everyday felt slow and sad like a day filled with hissing and head swipes.
Then, the best thing ever happened to me. I got a kitten named Agatha. She is little and has green cats and black fur. She took medicine when she first came to my house and had skinnyness which our human family doesn't allow. Now she is shiny like Fish and me and has a round tummy like....well, maybe somebody like me.
Anyway, having my own kitten makes me very happy.
My job is to help her learn cat stuff. Her job is to be my snugglebunny. And, clean my ears.
She knows how to do most stuff but sometimes she makes mistakes like jumping into the toilet when the lid was left up by that boy. Ewww.
Ooops! It's nap time. See you later, tater.
Dubby

Raindrops on Roses, Whiskers on Kittens

Dear Diary,

Things to ponder: why do humans wash themselves with water? Spit is better. Why do human laps move just when I get comfortable on them? Why do they get up when I'm comfortable? Where does my litter go when I'm through with it? Why don't humans have good fur? If humans love me as much as they say they do why don't they stay home all day? Why can't I go in Her closet?

Things to enjoy: a good scratch on upholstery, getting my head licked, finding a bug,eating cat cookies, eating breakfast, eating elevenses, eating lunch, eating mid-afternoon snack, eating dinner, eating evening snack, eating in the middle of the night, a good tummy tickle, books about jungle cats, being called "Adorable"...

What I am doing at Professor Whiskers this semester: Great Cats in Literature, Paw Swatting as Artistic Expression, The History of Napping, Bottle Cap Soccer and I'm in advanced placement (!) with Lap Sitting and String Play.

Love,
Dubby

Thank You

Dear Friends:

Thank you for your kind words about Whistle. He was the best litter-mate and brother ever. I miss him everyday.
I miss seeing him working the bathroom counter looking for Q-tips to chew.
I miss hearing him purr.
I miss watching him working the cat cookie angle because he was all cat cookies all the time.
I miss him.
Dubby wants to keep the blog going. I have things to say and so does Dubby. Maybe his entries won't be the caliber of mine but he is a nice lil fella and deserves to blog when I'm busy traveling under the turtle blanket.

Thanks again,
Fish

Whistle August 28, 2005-August 21, 2011

Whistle, a ginger cat, died today at home. He was born the day before Hurricane Katrina hit the Mississippi Gulf Coast. His mother went into premature labor and delivered her kittens in an abandoned house in the northern part of Hancock County. Whistle and his litter mate, Fish, were rescued and weaned by a kind woman. In October of 2005, Whistle and Fish went to live with a family who needed them. There, the kittens grew up with a rescue dog, Sister. Later, they were joined by Dubby, a homeless kitten.

Whistle was known for his good humor and loud purring. He was a content cat. He made his dog, Sister, his nanny and loved her. He welcomed Dubby by grooming the kitten and taking long naps curled up with him. He kept a close eye on his brother Fish and they were not separated for even a day until Fish went into the Louisiana Veterinary Hospital for a leg operation. When Fish returned, Whistle groomed all of the hospital smell and homesickness off.

Whistle loved his birthday. For his first five years, he announced his August birthday as early as December to remind his friends and blog readers of the celebration. He received gifts from all over the country.

He enjoyed eating cat cookies. He preferred Greenies Cat Treats until he discovered health food cat cookies. He believed the health food cat cookies meant he could eat several human hand fulls each day. He learned to eat from his human's hand as a kitten then began to stand on his hind legs to grab a cat cookie.

Of the memories Whistle leaves to those who loved him, we recall how when picked up, Whistle leaned against us and purred. He was a big cat of 14 lbs. and his body warmth and attention healed.

His story is told on this blog. His subscriptions to The New Yorker and Ophrah Magazines will be cancelled. His red collar will be placed in a shadow box. His memory is precious to his brothers, his dog and his people.

Whistle is survived by his littermate, Fish, his brother Dubby and his dog Annie, and his humans.

He will be buried on August 22, 2011 near his uncle, the Great Cat Rusty in the kitchen yard close to the birdfeeder.

We thank God for every memory of Whistle the Cat.

Dear World,
Life gets better and better. First, I know where She keeps the Cat Cookies! Second, We have a new bag of Cat Cookies! After I say "third", I'm stopping with the counting thing because it's awkward and confuses me. Third, I'm making great grades at Cat Film School!
I'm going on a school field trip to see "Puss 'n Boots" starring the ginger cat from "Shrek". Can't wait! We'll have water bowls and Cat Cookies in the theater!

Later Tater,
Whistle (this is MY blog but some brother named Fish changed the pass code then I got on secret double probation because of a total misunderstanding...)