Welcome Titan!

I'm afraid I haven't kept up the posting on this blog as well as I should have.  It's been a very hectic year, but hopefully, even w/the holidays looming, things should slow down a bit.

I have the pleasure of introducing a new Baer Cat as well.  Titan joined us at the end of August.  Unfortunately his previous guardians were not very good guardians.  We were told that he had been through five homes in the past two years; that he was a 'handful'.  We have no idea where that notion comes from.  He is the most mild mannered cat you could ever meet.  He doesn't cause the slightest bit of trouble.  He is great w/the litter box.  I just don't get it.  The last guardian [though I hesitate to use that title w/the previous owners because they did little to protect and care for him] decided she didn't want him because he got fur all over the house.  HELLLOOOOO!!!!   Did you not notice he was wearing a fur coat when you adopted him!?!!?!?   Cats have fur.  That's just how most of them are made lady!   She didn't even know he was a male cat.  We were told he was female until he was brought here and one very quick glance told us otherwise.  HE is a gorgeous orange tabby weighing in at about seventeen pounds.  He is one solid little guy!
He reminds me quite a bit of Rondo.

Supposedly the previous owner passed Titan on because, and I quote here, "he had kittens".  I was a little stunned at first, but then they came back and cleared that up by saying the owner had gotten some kittens and no longer wanted the older cat.  [Titan is supposedly five years old, but then he was supposedly a female as well so we're taking that w/a grain of salt, lol] 

I do not understand how people just get rid of cats like they are a piece of furniture that no longer fits their decor.  An animal is a LIFETIME committment.  When will people begin to realize that?  Of course some don't even bother to make that committment to their children.  Adopting an animal is no less a committment. 

None the less, Titan has been an absolute joy to have.  Initially he warmed up to the guys, but not so much to me.  He seemed afraid of me and cried easily when I touched him, esp his side.  I believe he might have been abused or at least handled VERY roughly [most likely by a woman, the previous owner] before coming to live w/us.  I spent several weeks speaking very softly to him, making sure to just barely brush his head when he came near, and show him that I was not intending to harm him.  He began to spend his time in the room where ever I was, but still wouldn't let me touch him for a while.  It's been almost three months now and he is a momma's boy.  He lets me pick him up under most circumstances and is very affectionate.  He even hops up in my lap while I'm working now. 

As I've told Allen and Jordan, the loss of the five previous owners was our gain.  We are so lucky to have Titan in our family.  And he can rest assured that there will be no more being passed around anymore.  He is home to stay. 

A Sad Day....

It is with great sadness that I must tell of the loss of a Baer House cat.  Bistat passed away on July 31st, 2010.  It was completely unexpected. 

Out of habit, we often take a 'head count' to see who all is in the room with us, cat-wise.  Allen and I had been sitting in the living room watching Jordan pull up to the house.  As we sat talking, Jordan was doing a mental 'head count'.  He asked who was under the coffee table because you could only see little black feet and the tip of a tail.  We could eliminate Memphis because there were no white rings on the tail tip, but Ouiji and Bistat remained. 

The next thing I heard was Allen saying, "this cat is dead, Renee."   I couldn't believe my ears, There was no way that could be true.  He moved the coffee table so I could see for myself.  There he lay, still and silent.  It was immediately apparent that he had passed.  Although he is an adult, I sent Jordan out of the room while I checked anyway. It appeared he had merely laid down to rest and never woke up.

Bistat was Jordan's buddy, and vice versa.  You rarely saw one without the other.  You could see the idolization in Bistat's eyes when Jordan was around.  And Jordan often said that Bistat was THE cat!  I finally called Jordan back in and verified what he already knew.  I wrapped Bistat in a blanket and held him for a while. 

The following day, as we gathered around and said a few words, Bistat was laid to rest in the memory garden next to Chessie. 

Bistat was a very peculiar little fella.  He first came to my attention as I sat in the cat room at the local humane society.  As I filled out the paperwork to adopt Andy, Bistat was my best buddy. He was in my lap, leaning on me, purring to me, just anything that would get my attention.  It worked.  Before leaving with Andy, I inquired about Bistat, finding out he'd been there a while as well.  I couldn't get the little guy off of my mind the next couple of days.  I told Jordan about him and he began to worry as well.  He and I left on a two week trip to Canada and the east coast just about that time, but the concern followed us where ever we went. 

When we returned, we learned Allen wasn't checking on him as we'd expected.  I  made a hurried phone call to the Humane Society, fearing the worst.  Fortunately, he was still safe, but only for a short time longer.  I explained that the next day we'd be driving to Lexington to pack Jordan's apartment furnishings and bring them back for storage in Indiana while he went to Seattle for a while.  However, I stated I would be in the following day to pick up Bistat.

The next day I received a tearful phone call from the adoption rep at the humane society.  Were we coming to get Bisat?  They were taking him down to be euthanized as we spoke.  I reminded her we were out of town, but if they would hold up just 24 hours, we'd be there when they opened the next morning to pick him up.  They agreed.

Bright and early the next morning, we were on their doorstep with carrier in hand.  Jordan adopted him.  He had planned to take Bistat with him when he returned to Lexington in a few months. 

Well, as they say, 'The best laid plans of mice and men....'.  Jordan actually ended up moving into the house with a friend so Bistat stayed at Baer House.  He was a welcome addition, when we could see him that is.  Nearly his entire first year was spent hiding in my closet.  We knew just where to find him anytime we wanted to love on him.  He eventually began to come down at mealtime in order to give us sad pouty eyes so he could have whatever was on the menu for the night instead of just cat food.  But then it was back to the closet.

Only when Jordan returned from Lexington did Bistat come out regularly.  Bistat was thrilled when Jordan moved back to Indiana permanently.  He never went into the closet again.  From that point on, where Jordan was, Bistat was sure to be found. 

While Bistat is missed by all of course, the loss of his little friend has effected Jordan the most. The first few nights, when Bistat's spot next to him remained cold and empty, were the hardest.  Jordan was accustomed to the big guy piling up in bed with him.  It seems the other cats understood Jordan's distress.  For several days, they were especially attentive to him. 

The house and the other cats seem very different with Rondo and Bistat gone.  I haven't given up hope of Rondo's return, but each passing day makes his absence more noticeable. I still imagine that one day I'll open the front door to find him waiting to come back inside.  Only time will tell. 

Hopefully there will be no sad reports in the near future. But life is what it is, good and bad. 

RIP BISTAT  7-31-2010

Welcome to the Baer House Cat's Blog!

There are a total of nine cats living at Baer House.  Currently one is on a self imposed hiatus. [read that as he ran away and we've been unable to locate him].  The residents are, in order of arrival, Smidgen, Ouiji, Rondo, Andy, Bistat, Mickey, Arena, Memphis and Laker.  They are a much loved group of cats.  In fact, they are spoiled quite rotten. 

Come meet the feline family.....

Smidgen is the reigning family feline patriarch.  He has been w/the family for over 17 years.  He came to live with us when he was approximately one and one half weeks old.  He was bottle fed and hand raised.  Smidgie has brought much adventure into our lives and into our home.  There are many stories to tell after so many years.  Watch for more Smidgie stories in upcoming posts.

Ouiji is our little talker.  She's named after the Ouiji board game obviously, due to her color.  We found her wandering around outside the house.  Later it was discovered she'd been living in the crawl space under the house. She was the only cat Smidgen would allow in the house for a very long time.  She rules her area without a doubt.  But she can also be a little snuggler when she wants too.

Rondo is our missing baby.  He got out of the house on June 12th.  He has been a part of our family for many years.  He was in the humane society shelter near where I work.  I visited him often, falling in love w/him as soon as I met him.  He adoption records indicated he'd been in the shelter for twenty-two months!  He is my little soulmate kitty.  We have seen him in the neighborhood on a few occasions so I'm still hopeful he will return.  I suppose he was caged up long enough that he is ready to see the world now. 

Andy was the next one to join our family.  He was adopted from a different humane society shelter.  We were looking for a buddy for Rondo, who seemed the odd man out w/the other two.  He is our big boy, a gentle giant.  Andy is easily the largest cat in the house.  But his heart is as big as all outdoors as well.  He is our "zen" cat... always calm and serene.

                                                

Bistat was in the same room as Andy at the shelter.  When we went to pick up Andy, Bistat stole our hearts away.  We were out of town for a while and worried something would happen to him.  We were fortunate that just before that moment we adopted him.  We are so happy to have him in our family.  He is very quiet, but very sweet.  For the first year he lived with us, he pretty much stayed in the closet.  We had to go get him out to love on him.

                                                      

Mickey is our little juvenile delinquent.  We have affectionately referred to him as Mickey the Menace, the little cat w/the backpack and many more lovey titles.  He came to live w/us originally as a foster.  However, after ten minutes in the house, we knew he was meant to be a Baer cat.  He is full of energy and mischief.  Everyone loves Mickey. He is an adult cat now, but he will always be our baby.  There is just something about Mickey, everything he does just makes you smile.

                                          

Arena is our little punkin girl.  She was adopted by a neighbor who decided Arena wasn't using the litter box so she dumped her outside.  Arena is declawed.  We took her home and explained that she couldn't be outside, but the woman put her back outside again.  So Arena came to live w/us.  She is adorable and has never had a problem using the litter box.  She loves to sit in the highest places she can reach.  She is my little sweetie.  She's not much of a snuggler, but it doesn't stop me from loving on her anyway!

                                                 

Memphis is our special baby.  Her story is a long one that could have had a very sad ending.  Fortunately, I can say that her life is now very good.  As you can probably tell by the photo, Memphis is blind.  In a later posting I will give the full details of how that came to be.  But don't feel sorry for this little girl.  She has no idea that the world is any different than her.  No one has told her that she is blind.  She easily keeps up w/her siblings and then some!  Watch for a posting w/her story.

                                         

Laker is our newest addition.  When Rondo went missing, our son went to the local animal control [which has a HORRIBLY high kill rate, > 90%] He was looking for Rondo, but found Laker.  He fell in love w/this little white beauty.  We couldn't leave her in such a risky shelter.  We gladly welcomed her into our home.  We're still learning her personality but she is a sweetie.  One of her favorite things is to look at herself in the mirrors, lol.  

These are our babies.  Each one is a cherished member of our family.  This blog is their individual stories and the stories of life in our house with such precious souls!  I hope you enjoy the blog!