Bailey taught me how to make you see a rainbow after that big rainstorm you had. I knew you would be surprised to see that yesterday, right after Joy’s birthday! That was my present to her I hope she saw it too; knowing you I am sure you made her go outside to look. The light seemed strange and it was probably hard for you to see but I knew you would see it!
So did you think of a name for my cafe? Tarzan, Cheetah and Freedom and I are all going to do this together and we did come up with a few names to run by you so see what you think: :Love Cat Cafe, Kit Kat Cafe, Le Chat Cafe, Meowy’s and Four Cool Cats Cafe. Do you like any of those ideas? Let me know. We want to make it very simple and provide food for all the many kinds of neighbors we have with or without fur and with two hands or four paws. You know how I love to eat, but Tarzie thinks he should be the chef, which would be fine with me. I am the brains behind the business and Cheetah and Freedom will run operations. All the food is free here in Hyfryd, did you know that? The dogs especially LOVE that. You can eat as much or as little you want and always feel purrrfect!
So you also saw the text that Jeannie sent you about that little kitten, who by the way, looks like YOU KNOW WHO! Yep, she sent you my twin! Remember when I was that small? haha. I am curious to see if the little one likes a dog though! I hope so! Well, you need to write me back. I miss you so much already. I heard you talking in the car about how much you miss me and that makes me feel good. It’s weird not having me sit on the keyboard while you type, isn’t it?! You are the best mommy and always will be and someday we will see each other again. Like Bailey always says, I live in your heart and in all the millions of pictures you have of all of us who live here in Hyfryd…We are never alone.
Bailey told me that she sent a letter telling you I crossed over the Bridge to Hyfryd with ease. I know letting me go was very hard but I appreciated you stopping the pain I was in. I almost made it to my 14th Birthday! Multiply that by 7 for each year for a cat and I was very old, but I never looked old, now did I? That is because you took such great care of me.
Mommy, we were so lucky to have had each other for so many years, so many days and even more moments. I know I was not the most affectionate cat to Papa, but I did love him, you have to tell him that for me okay? I think I miss your minimum of 100 kisses a day. Tarzan, Cheetah told me you kissed them constantly too. You are a big kisser.Does Joy miss herding me around? Gee, I feel sorry for the next kitty that comes along! Haha! You had better get another boy like me who can handle her like I could. She is a sweetheart that Joy, I do really miss her, but not as much as I miss you. You need to find another boy like me who will greet you on the toilet seat as you come out of the shower, so you can brush him like you did me with your personal hairbrush that I liked! You did everything for me that a cat could ever want. I lived quite the great life with you, then Bailey and Papa and then Joy too.
I also wanted to tell you that I really was grateful that even though you always had many kitties at once, you gave me my preference of being an only cat after Tarzan passed over the bridge.I was just a baby then! I know you wanted to get more kitties, but you respected the fact that I was fine as Prince of the house. You did that for me and I know how hard that was for you, so thank you.
You are the best mommy ever. I plan on writing you letters like Bailey does, okay? Since I always loved food so much I thought I could start a cafe! What do you think? I need a cool name, so you have to help me. Tarzie, Cheetah and Freedom want in on this idea too, so we are all very excited – as you can see I have only been here one week and one day and I am already feeling fine and wanting to get back to my old self! That is the good thing about crossing over the bridge here to Hyfryd. Not only is it gorgeous here, everyone feels perfectly youthful and productive. Oh and I wanted to tell you that my “den” as Bailey likes to call it, is right next to Tarzan, Cheetah and Freedom and of course, Bailey, made it very nice and comfortable for me with the best bed and food and everything the way I like it. It was really great to see our Bailey. She was so happy to see me.
At least you can know that I am okay and I can see and hear you and be in your heart always. I will help you find the right kitty just like Bailey led you to Joy. I know it’s been 36 years since you have not had a kitty, so we need to fix that as soon as you get back North. I know you need some time to grieve for me, but that will give me time to help you. Of course he will never be as handsome as me, but I will try to assist you in any way I can! I love you so much. Think of a name for the cafe for me and write me back! LOVE YOU!!!!
I can feel your kisses in my fur and always will. As I will always, always, always be your Sweet Safari Boy!
Fourteen years is a long time. Sometimes marriages or relationships cannot make it that long, but this little Sweet Safari Boy and I fell in love as soon as my neighbor Alaina handed him to me. Today with much sadness my little love went peacefully over the Rainbow Bridge to join Bailey, Tarzan, Cheetah, and Freedom in Hyfryd, where all my babies live in a magical place with fresh food, grass, air, clean water and peace. There is no pain there, no cancer – only goodness, just like the kind they bestow on the parts of the world we inhabit.
Safari was never an affectionate cat to my husband, only to me. He would let him feed him off the kitchen table because he knew he was the soft touch however. Safari at one time weighed 18 pounds. He was always a big cat and he loved to eat. When he would not eat anymore and his respiration was failing, we knew it was time. I, however, never want it to be time even though I had accepted the inevitable.
For 11 years he was an only cat and a spoiled one at that. He has always lived in two places and at one time three places at a time! He loved the sunshine here in Florida more than anything, which is good because he never dealt with winter. Bailey,a senior Border Collie we adopted when he was 11, was his first companion because he always liked dogs more than cats. I never had one cat at a time but I made the sacrifice for him because he was that special. Bailey only lived for 3-1/2 years, but six months later, Joy would enter our lives because Bailey gave me the sign.
After burying Safari in a special spot in the yard, the house seems quiet. Joy watched everything I did and seemed to understand what was going on since his illness had been taking a turn for the worse. Border Collies are very smart you see. She now has us as her only playmates. I told Safari this morning to send me a sign and I know he will. Soon we will head North for the summer and the search will begin and Joy will part of that journey as we have to make sure the two get along famously. I think our young Joy will love a frisky little kitten to romp around with when the time comes. Another part of our life will begin in as much the new kitty’s life will begin as well.
Us pet parents have it the hardest I think. We do this over and over despite how hard it is because we want to give a furry child a great life of love and happiness. I cried so hard today because I will miss his little characteristics and adorable idiosyncrasies but most of all his cuddliness and deep purr. I know Bailey was probably very excited to be reunited with Safari after four years and I am sure she will be telling me everything on her blog, http://www.baileysjournal.com.
I will see Safari again someday and it will be just like yesterday in the place where reunions have no span of time and no know no boundaries.
Safari is not ready to give up, nor does he appreciate all the squirts of natural meds going into his throat several time a day. Yet, I think he is getting used to it. Except for the Tumeric tincture he does not give me too much trouble as I tell him that he needs the stuff and please don’t spit it back at me. He listens 99 percent of the time and I don’t think I could ask for more than that. Like many cancer patients with 2 legs and not four paws, Safari does not look sick at all. He eats a lot, thankfully and Safari has always looked young. He has never really aged as some of my former fur kids. He is adorable, gorgeous, cuddly and lovable and I already think about how much I am going to miss him. I always want people and animals to live forever. I get the circle of life idea but I am not sure I am a huge fan. If I am reunited with them all at the end of the journey, then I will be okay with it. I guess that is where Faith comes in.
Two people in my life teach me about Faith, One is my dear friend Tania who is perhaps the most faithful and he led me to a place where I trust those thoughts more than ever. I do not know if she knows that she has given me that gift, but she has. As a person who is not religious but more on the spiritual side, that does not come easy. I think if you are religious by nature, the faith is innately there. The other is Dr. Victoria Summers, whom I write about in my various blogs for those who follow me on here or on social media. She is the rescue grandma of our dog, Joy. As a person with terminal cancer who was told 3 years ago she would be dead within weeks, I am more than happy to report that she is still here. She is a Dr. of naturopathic medicine and that, combined with her amazing faith and need to help dogs, strongly rises above any plans that some allopathic doctor had for her. She has work to do and her faith in dogs and matching the right dogs with the right adopters keeps her on a path of grace. Aside from that, she is another person I cannot imagine not being on the planet for me to simply dial up and talk to. Since meeting we became fast friends and I love her so much.
Safari doesn’t know he has a job but I have told him lately that he does. He is nearly 14 and it is hard for me to imagine not calling out his name to see where he is or what he doing all the time. He is my scrap booking partner, who loves to try to eat my stickers, bend papers and be part of the process. It is his hair that I get out of my keyboard all the time because he loves to be present and ON TOP of my writing as I work – literally. When you think how you share your life with someone for 14 years that is a long time. Some relationships don’t last that long! Ours has been a blissful marriage and I can say that unequivocally.
Here he comes out of the porch–probably wants some food. Time to go and tend to my Sweet Safari Boy. Or maybe he wants to add some more hair into the keyboard. It’s okay. He can do anything he wants; he always could. He has had that effect on me from the first day my neighbor Alaina put him into my arms. She knew I would love and take care of him. To her I am ever grateful. xoxox
Sometimes you make difficult decisions when it comes to being a pet parent. Your furry ones depend on you to do that for them from beginning to end. When age sets in and diseases suddenly appear out of nowhere, you fret and think and decide about quality of life. This week I came to learn that my beautiful boy who I hope will celebrate his 14th birthday in May, has cancer. A mass was found on his right side. Large and defined in the most unusual of spots – in the body wall, under his skin and behind 3 ribs, which would have to be removed if he had surgery. The surgeon, whose name was Beatrix was wonderful to work with. From Budapest, she was a young, strong and confident person whose name means “sharer of joy.” After she told me the horrible news, I told her that I knew what her name meant, but it was not working for us, sadly. While surgery could have been an option, there are many nodules on both sides of his lungs, which makes it difficult to predict if he would do okay in a surgery that would be “big,” she said. Fortunately she was a conservative surgeon, while many are not, and she was very concerned with the effect the anesthesia could have on him and his lungs during such a long surgery, let alone the recovery time. If the lungs were not involved I would have gone for it and she agreed with me. I called Dr.Larry who found the mass to begin with to see if he agreed with my decision to not pursue surgery. He did. I called my vet up north and she agreed as well. I needed a lot of confirmation and my many years spent as a Chicago reporter, innately makes me a researcher and information seeker and that was long before the word Google existed. For those of you who read my other blog, www.baileysjournal.com, you know that I went through bladder cancer with my dog, Bailey. I wrote a book about her and that was not even 4 years ago. I am not ready but I have to be. You have no other choice whether you are a parent of kids with four paws or two hands. I am not giving up, however. I contacted my dear friend, Victoria Summers. I adopted my dog from her. Again, those of you who follow yet another one of my blogs on here, www.joystail.com, know that she was the woman from whom I adopted my dog Joy. She is a natropathic doctor and has lived with cancer herself for the last three years. She has allowed many animals to live with cancer, happily extending their sweet lives. She immediately wrote me a regimen for Safari and I have already ordered everything to help shrink his mass and make him feel better, although he has no symptoms yet. I can only hope it will work. Dr.Vic is an American Indian and the founder of Indian Summers Border Collie Rescue in Minerva, Ohio and she is the most interesting person I have ever met. Her heart might not be healthy, but it is large, brave, soulful and full of love and I think that her entire being is her recipe for survival. Indians believe in spirits and so do I. Her spirit has filled my heart everyday since we first spoke 3 years ago this month. She kindly took the time to help Safari. Of course she did. She is my friend, and Safari boy is her friend too. So for any of you who have to face the aging process with your furry loved ones, all you need to do is give them the best quality of life and be ever grateful, every single day for the time you share together. Kiss often, hug plenty and never run out of I love you’s. Ever.
Next week Safari and the rest of us are off to warmer climes in Florida for the winter! Safari is the happiest there. I always said he is like his Papa in that sense! And we can leave knowing he does not have hypothyroidism! Yes he is a 13 year old senior boy but his blood work and his thyroid profile was normal after checking it twice! I am so happy for him. He is the sweetest guy around and as my sister always says, she just wants to hug him! He is very huggable even though he sometimes pretends he is not interested! So there is much to celebrate and he will be happy to get back to his porch and fenced in backyard where he can eat and then puke grass with supervision from our dog Joy and I!
When you have a senior pet you are always worried about what is coming down the health pike. At least I do but I am going to try to just live more day to day and enjoy his wonderful presence and love and squeeze and kiss him more times then he wants, cause he is my little guy. Funny I have always called him my little guy but he has never been little! He is adorable and I feel lucky to share my life with such a sweet man. He and the other one I call my husband.
Safari turned 13 early this summer.. I took him to the vet recently suspicious he may have hyperthyroidism. One test was indicative that he could be at the start of it and the other test was normal. With the information sent out to the University of Michigan Veterinary, the best in endocrinology, would think I would know for sure!
Safari has always been a big Orange Tabby and has always eaten a lot. My Tarzan who lived to age 19 had this from the time he was 8 years old and obviously lived a long and prosperous life. Because of this, I am well versed on this condition which is most common in aging cats.
So we shall see after my vet talks further with them for better interpretation. Life goes on however. Safari loves to eat anyway so nothing really is new on that front. It got me thinking however, about all our stages of life and when you have kids or animals instead, like I do there is always that marking of time that makes life seem so much more important and precious.
I have had Safari since he was just a baby. He was born at my neighbor’s and he jumped at the chance to come live with us and we have been inseparable ever since. We have lived in three places at once and he has always enjoyed life to its fullest. He came to me right when Tarzan was nearing the end of his career and after he crossed to the Rainbow Bridge, Safari was an only cat until Bailey, our first dog was adopted in 2008. She was a senior dog and with much sadness she crossed over The Rainbow Bridge in 2011 and Safari was again, an only cat for 6 months until Joy came along and while Joy is now just 4 and Safari 13, Joy is at times too playful for Safari’s taste, but it keeps him moving which is good for my senior boy.
I can never imagine life without the love of cats and dogs. It is simply who I am. I feel so lucky and blessed to be able to provide for and share my life with these beautiful people with four legs and soft fur and I think about it every day when I hold them, kiss them, feed them, walk or even clean the litter box. It is my privilege to love them and happily I get that unconditional love that not another creature on earth can share in the same manner. If you are lucky enough to share your life with pets then do it to your best ability and make every day count. Safari just came up and meowed as I type this. He always has sat on my desk while I work. We share work, love, travel experiences, and life. I would not have it any other way. I love you so, Safari. xoxo
I am a spoiled cat as you can see from the position on my mom’s lap, as we recently drove through West Virginia on the way back to our summer home in Pennsylvania. We have been doing this for many years and I just turned 12. Both my vets say I look so young for my age and I attribute it to al the good food I get to eat (and I DO love my food!) and all the love I have bestowed upon me on a daily basis.
I was born at our neighbor’s home. Alaina Z. asked my mom if she wanted a kitten and I was really hoping to get away from the many dogs and cats that were living there on their farmette at the time. My dad was in Chicago, so mom just decided to take me in without asking him – something she is kind of known for. At the time, Tarzan a dark tabby that my mom was VERY in love with was nearing the end of his life. He was almost 19! I was sort of a goofball and took right over but I really liked him. She told me that no other cat she has ever had been as feisty as Tarzie. She really, really loved him but the very first night I was in the house I laid right on her chest when she went to sleep, as if to say, yep, I like it here and I am here to stay! Well, I cannot help it because I was a kitten and my name is Safari and I am a jungle cat – mom named all her cats after things having to do to with the jungle.
I was happy to be an only cat for many years after Tarzan crossed over the Rainbow Bridge, but when we lived in Chicago (yes, we lived in three places at once for 7 years!) we had a little yard and Suri, a pretty Golden Retriever, lived on one side and Charlie, a Cocker Spaniel, lived on the other side. I would get to go out on my leash and I liked to sit by the fence near Charlie. He really liked me so I started to become fond of dogs and hoped that one day I might get to keep the company of one someday.
That day came on June 20, 2008 when Mom went to Angels for Animals to see a Border Collie/Collie mix named Bailey. Dad did not go with because he had some workers doing a project on the house so she went on a Friday night and later came home with a 7 year-old senior dog that she quickly fell in love with. I loved her too, I did not like to show TOO much affection for her, but she was always gentle and sweet with me. Border Collies love cats because they think they can just herd us around like sheep! Well, not this cat!
Bailey had a lot of health problems it turned out and crossed over the Rainbow Bridge just after a little more than 3 years. Mom has no regrets. She loved Bailey so much and took the best care of her I was with her when she died and I was very sad and started to sleep in her spot. She was a very special person. She had her own blog of course www.baileysjournal.com. Mom loved her so much that she wrote a book about her and now it’s being published. I was hoping to get another dog to live with someday, but mom and dad needed some time, so for six months we were “dogless.”
Before Bailey died, mom asked her to please send her a sign in regards to another dog. It would take a while, but sure enough, Bailey did. On May 11, 2012, Joy came to live with us. Bailey must have told mom to go to www.petfinder.com and look up Border Collies. She did and found Indian Summers Border Collie Rescue – www.indiansummers.org and that is how she found sweet Joy. Another Border Collie! YAY! She is a young one though and we like to play together. She loves to chase me around. I pretend not to like it, but it helps me to exercise which I really do NOT like to do generally speaking. I am more the relaxing guy myself! Secretly I thank Joy for moving me around a little each day! I like to play with my toys but not for as long as I used to – it gets too boring, but Joy never does!
Since writing Bailey’s Journal and then Joy’s Tail www.joystail.com she had a suggestion from Laurel, a fellow animal lover (and reader of her blogs) that I should perhaps have a go at this writing thing and I could NOT agree more. It’s about time after all I have been around the longest and have seniority!
I just had my 12th birthday like I said and I am looking forward to giving my perspective on here because we all know a cat is way smarter than a dog! Well, I do live with the smartest of all breeds, so we MIGHT be tied in the brains department. Best of all we are all tied up in the love department and today I am thankful for my mom and dad and sister on this day we honor the men in our lives. I think we should honor our parents everyday! I will be reporting back here very soon. Nice to meet you all…
Sweet Safari Boy 