Follow 5 Friday 4/24/09

Happy #followfriday everyone! I'm excited about today's featured kittys. You know, someone recently asked me what a cat could possibly have to say. Well, you will soon read, we have A LOT to say. We all have a story to tell, don't you agree?

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Our First Guest this week is my good friend @HerGraceTheCat

How did you find your forever home? (Or how did it find you?)

In August of 1998 my mama's first cat, a shiny black girl cat with green eyes named Yoyo, died of cancer at the age of 16. Mama was devastated. She missed having a cat, but couldn't bear to think of getting another one until around December. Once she decided to, she started looking for another shiny black girl cat with green eyes. What was strange, though, was that suddenly, no matter where she looked, they either didn't have any cats or there weren't any black ones. People would try to give her other types of cats, but even the ones who liked "everybody" wouldn't have anything to do with her. Finally, on January 6, 1999, she decided to go to the SPCA. She went to look at the cats and saw some little fluffy black ones. One crawled into her hands. She asked if it was a girl, but it wasn't. They found a girl for her to hold, but it jumped out of her hands. Mama felt very sad.

I'd just gotten out of 6-week quarantine after having been picked up by Animal Control near a dumpster outside a restaurant. When Mama stood up, she saw me rubbing-rubbing-rubbing up against the front of the cage. I wasn't exactly a kitten (being about 9 months old), but I was shiny and black and had green eyes, and when she opened the door I hopped into her arms. (This was the last time I willingly let anyone pick me up.) She asked if I was a girl, and they told her I was, so she adopted me!

What do you call the humans you live with?

I call them "my staff" sometimes, but they're really my mama and papa.

What do you like to do, even though it drives your human(s) crazy?

I like to be fed breakfast early in the morning, so I often have to wake up Mama and Papa, who tend to like to sleep later than I want them to. I walk on their heads (especially Papa's because he wakes up easier), lick the gooseneck lamps on their bedside tables (because I like the way it feels on my tongue and it makes a neat noise), and I hop up on the dresser and knock things off. But what always finally works is when I bang the mirror hanging over the dresser up against the wall. They're afraid I'll knock it down!

Is there anything else you would like your twitter pals to know?

My real name is Cammie. Mama was going to name me Cameron, but I let her know that that simply would not do. I have a blog where I write about black cat things at http://hergracethecat.wordpress.com.

I'm very proud that I'm 11 years old and have never had to have my teeth cleaned, and the veterinarian thinks this is amazing. I've eaten Friskies Dental Diet ever since Mama adopted me. Apparently it works!

Recommend 5 of your twitter friends to our readers:

I have to mention @rumblepurr. He and I are sort of an item right now ;-)

And @PepeBlackCat, who joined Twitter just so he could talk to me!

If I don't mention my sisfur, @ThatStripeyCat, Mama will give me a dirty look.

And then there's @Wildboutbirds (Hunkerbell) who is quite smitten with @ThatStripeyCat

@BooKittyCat is another black cat, whose people (@oddtwits) keep a list of Black Cats Who Twitter

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Next is our friend @SweetKittyrina who has been busy making many friends, even though she’s only been on twitter for a month.

How did you find your forever home? (Or how did it find you?)

Sum nicey peoples found me and my siblings in a theater basement in Hollywood after my Kitty mommy had us. They takes mommy and all of us to North Hollywood Animal Rescue and then my Mumzi

found me and took me home.

What do you call the humans you live with?

Mumzi and Dadzi or sometimes I call Dadzi Smokey Human cuz he smells like smoke and ashtray I hates that and hiss at him.

What do you like to do, even though it drives your human(s) crazy?

I LOVES to play in clean kitty box, and dig and dig and throw litter on the floor and toss it in the air and makes it gets in the bathtub and then a squeeze it between my toes so I can takes it into kitchen and jumps on Mumzi and Dadzi’s bed when they don’t make it and gets litters all in the sheets so they remembers me when every night before going to sleeps.

Is there anything else you would like your twitter pals to know?

Um I likes Nippi toys, milk jug pull of thingies and lots of NOSE TAPS

Recommend 5 of your twitter friends to our readers:

I only get five? That’s tough! TigglyWiggly, BorisKitty, Sockington, TotallyLamont, and EmmyTheCat

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Our third kitty just signed up on twitter yesterday. He’s a Missouri boy like me, so I know he’s cool. It’s TigglyWiggly

How did you find your forever home? (Or how did it find you?)

I was a stray kitty and I sees this lady move in to my favorite house to hang out. I scopes her out for a few years and seez her pet kitties so happy all da time. I hang out wit them sometimes and they shares their food. Then I got really sick and it snowing and noplace to goes so falls asleep in big snow drift. Mumzi found me and takes me to vet and was in kitty hospital for a week. I falls in love with Mumzi so stayed with her till she moves far away so now I stay with grandmumzi instead. Mumzi still visits and brings my friend Kittyrina to see me sometimes.

What do you call the humans you live with?

Grandmumzi and when her human daughter visit, she is called Mumzi.

What do you like to do, even though it drives your human(s) crazy?

I likes to go outside inside outside inside outside inside outside inside

Is there anything else you would like your twitter pals to know?

Vet thinks I'm at least 27 years old. I has no teeth and Grandmumzi makes me speshul foods to eat. I still try to hunt bunny rabbits and play with my little Kitten friend Daisy May

Recommend 5 of your twitter friends to our readers:

I don't know many Anipals on Twitter yet but I recommends by best buddy SweetKittyrina and her friends PrincessTheCat, Pandafur, TotallyLamont and BabyPatches

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Our forth cat today is my street-smart pal CarlinThecat

How did you find your forever home? (Or how did it find you?)

Well, I was born on the mean streets of Rogers Park, Chicago, IL and quickly lost my family somehow. Not sure how. Pretty sure I wouldn't have let that happen intentionally, but I was young and weak. I lived off of Things I Found On The Ground and mostly hid under a dumpster. Let me tell you, scary is when big noises happen and your roof gets lifted up from over your head, then slammed back down. I am still skittish of loud noises, and people who aren't my Boy and Girl. Rogers Park has a very Mexican population, so they speculate I am a Mexican Maine Coon. This would also explain the joy I have in playing soccer, as well as my great skill at the game. I also speak Mandarin. Because when you grow up on the streets you learn these things.

Luckily for me, this dumpster was outside of The Place Where The Girl Worked, and someone found me and brought me inside. There was a big black dog there. I bit it on its nose when it tried to say hi. She might have wanted to be friends, but I needed to show her who was boss. They fed me people food and said I couldn't stay 'cause dog would try to eat me. When people looked in to The Box I Was Put In to try to pet me I would hiss at them 2 times, then shake a paw at them and give up. Girl came into work, saw me and loved me instantly. She looked at my little 2 month old, 2 pound body with my greasy fur, blackened ears, and worms and saw my potential for greatness. I love Girl for this. Boy came to see me soon and I suckered him into my trap as well. Shortly after I was in a big metal thing that moved fast, and at a V-E-T. I got lots of shots, greasy things, poked and prodded, but didn't care. Too sick. Too tired.

Boy and Girl took me to The Place I Live Now. It used to be called 'their home' or something. They constantly give me food, water, treats, toys, love, petting, playing, fetch time and a pillow to knead at and lick. Life is much better than it was under the dumpster. Boy plays boy games with me all the time and we sit next to each other like proper boys. Girl snuggles me and I sit on her lap or lie on her. I lick her face when she holds me. Girl is my first human and I am her first cat. We are special like that. Boy has had other cats and is well trained in how to make me happy. But I am clearly his favorite of all the cats he has had. He's a very smart Boy.

What do you call the humans you live with?

Boy and Girl.

What do you like to do, even though it drives your human(s) crazy?

- Put my purple ball in my water dish, then bring it to them to play fetch.
- Spill water from my water dish EVERYWHERE.
- Kill the couch.
- Hide under the couch when Other People are around.
- Hang out directly under their feet when they're trying to do things.
- Claw at the things that are near my window ledge.

Is there anything else you would like your twitter pals to know?

- I am named after the great comedian because I also, am hilarious.
- I love to play in my water bowl, snow and be wet in general, but I hate baths.
- When Boy and Girl ABANDONED me, I created an army of dust bunnies with @Rumblepurr as my General. I also threw one hell of an open house party. #carlincarnival
- I am FeLV+, which means I can't have any other kitties live with me, unless they are as well. Maybe one day I shall get another minion. I'm not getting rid of the army just yet.
- I am almost perfectly symmetrical in my amazing tuxedo, my whiskers are so long and thick that jealous female kitties accuse me of having extensions. My eyes are a sparkling green and I have perfected the innocent face. My tail is outstanding, and as long as my body. Boy and Girl say that I look like I am wearing Little Pants on my back paws. I am a glorious and handsome cat who should be a model. I am also shockingly modest.

Recommend 5 of your twitter friends to our readers:

I think you should follow any and all tuxedo cats you see, because we are amazingly awesome, the 5 below are not tuxedo cats, but they are my favorite-ist buddies anyhow.

@Rumblepurr — because he's my General and Wingman, and is from the future.
@inigoflufflebum — because he's @Rumblepurr's brother, awesome, and has the best name ever.
@TheoTigsy — because while Theo is nice, Tigsy makes my tail stand up! mee--OOOWWW!
@Monsta_Fuzzball — because he is tiny, fun, rides Roombas, and has a new best pal.
@09Casper — because he's a bad boy, and I like friends who cause trouble.

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Or fifth guest today is a very special young fella named Adam, who is being fostered by one of the fine humans at LA’s Kitten Rescue.

How did you find your foster home with Kitten Rescue? (Or how
did it find you?)

I am only 2.5 months old, but I have already lived in 3 homes. I used
to live with a womanimal who brought me to Kitten Rescue for help.
She told Kitten Rescue volunteers that I had the runs (which I hear
was obvious because I had some remnants of my runnies on my furs).
The womanimal left me with KR and said she would come back faw me but
never did! So then I met my temporary pawster mawmy and dawdy who
said I became catstipated. They took me to the doc. Doc said I had
some sort of stricture and he prodded and poked me many times and I
even underwent surgery! Then I met my next pawster mawmy and dawdy
and that's where I was supposed to stay until I find my forever home.
Unfortunately, doc recently said I will be incontinent forever. So I
may soon be transferred to Kitten Rescue's sanctuary. And although I
will miss my kitten sister and pawster mawmy and dawdy, I will get to
make lots of new kitty friends at the sanctuary!

What do you call the humans you live with?

Pawster mawmy and dawdy

What do you like to do, even though it drives your human(s) crazy?

I like to squirms around lots when pawster mawmy and dawdy give me my
meds each morning and night.

Is there anything else you would like your twitter pals to know?

I am a very sweet little kitten with a very unfortunate situation.
Doc did not even think I would survive after examining the big bumper
on my back side. But I am strong like He-Man and I am determined to
lives a long life.

Recommend 5 of your twitter friends to our readers:

@romeothecat: He is hosting awesome Furpower fundraiser for KR.
http://www.firstgiving.com/romeothecatkr
@Furminator_Inc.: Company helping Furpower.
@FelinePine: Not sure if this is Feline Pine's official twitter, but
this is another company helping Furpower.
@BrewskieButt: Another Furpower supporter
@Petco: Hosts many Kitten Rescue adoption events

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An accidental theme to todays list is that all of these fine kittys were rescued in some form or another. Whether they were strays taken in off the street or deposited to the care of a rescue, they all were able to tell their stories today for one reason: Someone took action, and saved them. All of us are the lucky ones. To be spoiled and worshiped by humans is the life we all deserve, but don’t always get.

If you have any pull with your humans, encourage them to clean out the change in their couches and cars and consider giving it to Romeo’s Furrpower Challenge recipient Kittens Rescue or your local animal rescue. You just might help save a future twitter pal.

Follow 5 Friday is one of my favorite things to post here on CWT, and I thank all of you for taking the time to stop by!

Nosetaps and Purrs,

OscarTheCat