Natbe, a new submiter to the site, says: The first photo is my 1-year-old (at the time) cat Hobo after a dog attack by a big boxer. She was just outside my kitchen window and a woman and her very big boxer dog walked around the corner and surprised each other. The dog got incensed and grabbed her in his jaws, shook her, and would not let go. After my running outside, hearing the scuffle, seeing the woman hanging onto the leash and yelling, and my cat being shaken around like a rag doll, I got the dog to drop my cat by straddling him from behind and pulling back.

Hobo ran under the house and stayed there for 3 full days, not making a sound–I thought she had died! She finally crawled out to my amazement and relief with a sizeable limp but no gashes or swelling. This photo is a day after coming home from the hospital.

After the day in the hospital and coming out to go home, while in her carrier, this normally quiet little cat was meowing away for about a minute. Not a distressed meow, but almost like talking. She has never meowed like that since. The photo is a day after coming home from the hospital.

The 2nd photo is from a couple of months before that, so you can see how much weight she had lost. She did not have any breaks, as it turned out, and the limp slowly healed completely. Now she is almost 3 years old and much warier of dogs, even small dogs. She’s a former feral cat (see tipped right ear), and extremely loved by me.

Look at those gorgeous eyes! We’re so happy that Hobo made it through that terrible ordeal. We’re even happier that such a nice person gave Hobo a happy home. She is just beautiful! Thanks for the amazing story and submission!

P.S. Looks like little Hobo got her ear clipped just like our Vincent!

We are extremely sad to tell that Mocha, this beautiful kitty in our extended family, has passed away. She wandered away from the house and went missing for a couple of days. Although the story is sad, she was found by her owners (my in-laws) and they were able to say goodbye.

Monique, Mocha’s mom, says:

Mocha was a very loving cat and was entertaining in her own way. It is almost like she had a sense of humour. She would be lying on the bar stool and look asleep…but if you walked by, she would swat at you with her paw. I could go on and on at the funny stuff she did, all the weird places she would climb into, etc…maybe all cats are like that. But to me, she was unlike any other cat I ever had.

Mocha will be missed and loved forever.

Happy 3rd birthday to Toester, the baby of the family! He was born on the Ides of March– all too appropriate for a crazy kitty like Toester.

P.S. This is an older photo. We tried to feed Toester a donut for his special day, but he just ran away from us.

So I’m walking past the couch the other day and I see this sticking out of the back of the cushions.

I peeked over the edge of the couch and saw this.

New invention: Hot Dog Sandwich

Have you ever had visitors who you just KNOW are judging your pet-filled household? They turn their nose up at the pet hair, the litter boxes, the meowing . . . They refuse to touch your kitties when they come begging for attention. And it makes you mad. It makes you want to hold your kitties and reassure them that they’re the most important people in your life.

If you’re nodding your head in agreement, I have a solution for you: the Rules for Non-Pet Owners Who Visit and Complain About Our Pets. Post this at your front door, frame it over the mantle, send out a mass email to these people.

Here are the rules for non-pet owners visiting your house:

1. My pets live here; you don’t.

2. If you don’t want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture.

3. I like my pet(s) better than I like most people.

4. To you it’s an animal. To me, it’s an adopted child who is short, hairy, walks on all fours, and is speech-challenged.

5. Dogs and cats are better than kids. They eat less, are easier to train, usually come when called, don’t ask for money, never drive your car, don’t hang out with losers, don’t drink or smoke, and don’t worry about the latest fashions.

Cats rule!