A Little More Mimsey

Mimsey is such a love bug. She always welcomes any pets, scratches, or belly rubs and says "thanks" with a few squints.  She can't walk by without brushing up against you to say "hello."  She's highly huggable.

I'm not sure if she remembers her kitten days with us, or just remembers our recent visits, but it always seems that we feel familiar to Mimsey.







As always, we've enjoyed our time here, but we're ready to get home to see Wylla and Charlene. Even when I'm gone just a few days, I always miss my girls a ridiculous amount. I can't wait to get home and give them both a good squeeze!  

Mighty White Lion

Such a majestic creature, that Nigel Frost!

Look! It's Nigel and Mimsey!!

I'm at the folks' house for a couple of days and have been enjoying spending a little time with Mimsey and Nigel Frost.  They're happy cats, living the good life with my mom and dad.

Mimsey really does look exactly like a grown-up version of her kitten self. She still has the same boxy head and dense bunny fur. She's a love.



Nigel is as handsome as ever. He's as floofy as ever, too.  He's the most curious of the pair and is always investing with his nose and trying to slip through doors into spaces he's not supposed to go in -- like the basement or garage.





They both enjoy time with their feather wand, rolls with catnip bananas and birdwatching from their roosts in the enclosed porch.

They're such lovely cats and they continue to bring my parents joy each day!

Dogs in Glasses!

 Yes, before I started putting glasses on cats, I was putting them on dogs!





Well, one dog. That's Mandy, our beloved Cocker Spaniel -- the very first pet I ever had! I think I was in the third grade when got her. She was very tolerant, and never seems to mind TOO much when I accessorized her. Somewhere there's a photo of her sporting a pair of pink terrycloth jogging shorts and matching tube top.  The expression on her face says "REALLY?"

I will never forget the day she joined our family.  My dad came home with a box that read "Xerox" on the side and he announced he had a surprise for us. I remember trying to sound out the word "Xerox" and wondering what that might mean.  He put the box on the floor then lifted the lid to reveal the adorable, tiny puppy inside. That was probably one of the best days of my childhood. Maybe the best.

Mandy was a great dog, we had some very good years with her, and when she passed, we got a second black Cocker Spaniel named Emily.  I know I'm a bit biased, but Cocker Spaniel puppies are pretty dang cute.  Here's Emily.







I'm not 100% sure who took these photos, but most likely, it was my dad. He was usually the one with the camera back then.


I've been working on a lot of projects with my parents and haven't taken much time to take photos of Nigel and Mimsey.  Also, I didn't bring my "good" camera on this trip, and I never feel too inspired to take cat photos with my phone.

But here are a couple!

This is Mimsey's favorite napping spot and she always throws one arm over the rail. It always makes me laugh.



Nigel loves curling up in the front window.



They're such sweeties, and I sure do enjoy getting to spend some time with them. They're both affectionate and happy to receive some loving.  Nigel gives good hugs.

I'm heading back home this afternoon and can't wait to see Bean and Wylla. We've Skyped a few times, which has been great, but I'm missing their hugs! And Craig! I'm missing him, too!

I'll try to get some more Mimsey and Nigel photos before I go.  Look for those over on Instagram!


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The Frost Report

Greetings from Iowa! I'm here visiting my folks (and Nigel and Mimsey)!  The cats are doing great and still continue to bring a lot joy to my parents.

Mimsey is a total sweetheart, and though she prefers not to be picked up and hugged, loves receiving all the pets and scritches you care to give.  She says "thanks" by giving you a little squinty face when you're done. Her coat is silky and plush, and she's as gorgeous as ever!



Nigel is a love as well, and a total mama's boy. He's the super-athlete in the family and will leap wildly after feather wands and can still jump very high. I'll try to capture some of that on video before my visit it is up -- it's pretty spectacular.   As you can see, his coat is glorious and he's such a handsome fellow!




 They're buddies and are usually engaged in the same activities. They play together, nap together, and groom each other.  Their favorite thing to do is hanging out by the sliding glass door and watching the wildlife in their backyard. The bird feeders are close, so there's always a lot of activity.


Monday is a holiday, so we'll be back on Tuesday with more on these two cuties! We'll see you then! We hope you have a nice, long weekend!

Home at Last!

I was at my brother's in the Dallas/Ft Worth area for the weekend celebrating Christmas with the family. There was a lot of horrible weather in that area, but thankfully we were out of harm's way. Most of the destruction happened about an hour east of where we were, and though we got a lot of heavy rain, strong winds, hail, and big thunderstorms, we weren't too close to where the tornados touched down.

Many families weren't so lucky and our hearts go out to those who suffered loss this weekend.


With weather-related cancelations and delays, the trip home was a long one. It's good to be back. As soon as I rolled in the suitcases and put them on the bed, the girls began inspecting them. I brought home the scents of another cat and two basset hounds on my bags, which the girls were quite curious about. I noticed they've both been rubbing their faces against corners and edges of everything last night -- I think they're both feeling a little threatened by these smells and needed to mark their turf.

The "vacancy" sign is still hanging on our door and hopefully we'll see some kittens soon. Of course, it's always a good thing when there are no kittens in need of of fostering, but we do miss having them around.  I'm sure you do, too!

I just checked the forecast where my parents live, and it looks like they have a little bit of snow. Hopefully we'll be seeing a kitten or two at their house too --like these snow cats my dad crafted during previous winters.

The Most Popular Posts Part Four!

Good morning, friends. We're continuing today with our big countdown of the fifty most popular IBKC posts!  Today, we're cracking the top twenty!

#20  Two Thumbs Up! 
I think this is the earliest post to make the top fifty list, and probably the IBKC image that has been shared more than any other.  It was featured on Cute Overload, which really put us on the map.  Prior to the CO feature,  we got got maybe a hundred visitors a day, but on the day this was posted, we had 13,000 visitors.  It's the reason why many of you found our way to us.



#19 My Apologies Charlene
I'm sure she hates this post as much as I love it, but dang, Charlene, you know I had to share it. And now, I'm sharing it again, because so many of you loved this, too.  Sorry, Bean.



#18 Kitten Clown Car
Those Von Tussles just keep on coming!





#17 Four Years! Really?

When we celebrated our 4th blogiversary, we took a look back.



#16 Such a Tolerant Bean
Poor Bean! This one has been shared a squillion times. It landed on Love Meow, Cute Overload, and I Can Has Cheezburger, too.




#15 I'm Their Mother, She's My Sister, He's My Brother
It was a very exciting day when we broke this news!



#14 Better
This one one of the most challenging times in our fostering history. Wylla and Audrey's brother had passed from a virus, and we were so worried about the well-being of the girls. Fortunately, things began looking up for the girls, and we all breathed a sigh of relief.

 

#13 Pantalones De Loco x Four
They look so innocent here, but click on the link and watch the video. CRAZY PANTS!



#12 Stepping Out With Wylla Stout - Sweater Shopping!
When Wylla was wee, the poor girl got cold so easy, she wore sweaters when she stepped out. Here she is on a sweater shopping excursion.



 #11 The Saddest Day

We've been very fortunate that in these 9 years of fostering, we've only lost a few kittens.  These sad posts always come with many sweet, thoughtful, comforting words from all of you.  

 

Tomorrow will visit our top ten posts. What do you think will be number one?  Share your guesses, won't you?

Our Most Popular Posts Part Three!

Our top fifty most popular IBKC posts continues!! Here we go with the third segment!

#30 Because You Asked 
The first time we shared a photo of wee Bean on the blog sure got a lot of squees and shares.



#29 Wylla Stout Meets Nikki Sixx
Wylla met a very special kitty when visiting the vet.



#28 What Do You Do With Your Whiskers?
We always save the whiskers we find, and we asked if you did the same. There were lots of interesting comments on this post!



#27 The First of the Mussleman Men

It was love at first sight for many, when we met little Benny Mussleman!



#26 FREE BIRD! FREE BIRD! 
Walter and Ira Finch were sick little kittens and had to spend a little time in vet treatment. When they came home healthy, we all rejoiced!


#25 Are You Ready?
Perfect pink nose and button eyes! PEARLA!




#24 Who's A Big Kitty? 
This photos of Bean make me laugh so hard. Just look at her hiding behind her tiny sister at the vet! What a scaredy cat!




#23 Another Day Another Appointment
We talked about Wylla's acupuncture appointments and there were many opinions on the subject.



#22 Heartbreakin' Harlan Lovejoy
We loved those Lovejoys!



#21 It's Good To Have Friends in High Places
One of our all-time favorite adoption tales! Nigel and Mimsey Frost! Knowing now how much my folks love their kittens, makes this story even sweeter today!




We'll start into the top twenty on Monday! Are there any posts you're hoping to see?



One last thing before I wrap up this post:

Our friends at Royal Canin are having an event at the Tacoma Petsmart this Saturday (Oct 17th) from 12 to 4 PM. There will a cat and dog breed expert on hand to talk about pet nutrition and the specific needs of each breed. I'l be there too! My plan is to arrive around 1 PM.  Please come on by and say hello if you're in the neighborhood!

If you're not in our area, similar events are being held all over the country. You can visit HERE to learn more about the events and you can also download a $5 Royal Canin coupon for their breed-specific foods.

Mimsey's New Throne

When Nigel and Mimsey were tiny,  Mom bought them a cardboard bed/scratcher. It had been scratched many times and napped in for many, many hours.  It was wearing thing, very hairy, and it was time to recycle it and replace it with another.

Nigel was the one who used it the most, and when I took it out of the house and came back inside to sweep the space it once occupied, he walked over to the spot, sniffed it, looked up at me, then back at the vacant spot again and paused.  Sadness.  And then he darted off when I brought out the broom.

Mom and I went to the pet store and came home with a new scratcher/bed, a few other cat supplies and a new feather wand, too. 

We thought for sure Nigel would be excited to see a new bed, but he just gave it a sniff followed by a lackluster scratch, walked off, and then Mimsey climbed in and claimed it as her throne.

She loves napping in there and rubbing her head and ears along the corrugated edges. It's cozy and comfy and she conducts nearly all of her kitten business from this spot.  Nigel has rediscovered some old favorite napping and as far as I can tell, he seems completely happy. 

This is my last day with these dear cats and my parents.  Dad is recovering well, and though he's not 100%, he's well on his way, so I feel comfortable leaving.

Tonight I'll be heading home to Craig and the cats, and I can hardly wait to see them all! And of course tomorrow is the BIG day! The FUN begins!  As promised, another wee peek at the set.





We'll see you bright and early tomorrow!!!