Happy First Gotcha Day, Gabriel!

 

Hi everybody, it's mes, Gabriel! 

Guess what today be! Guess! Come on, guess!!! ::Bounces up and down::

Do you give up yet? Do you?

Today be MY FIRST GOTCHA DAY!!!!!!

One year ago today, me came to live with Mama and Giovanni! Me was only 10 weeks and a tiny baby then! Here me be the day Mama and I first met at my foster home. Mama gotted to meet all my siblings (we were all named after trees, which Mama thought was adorable!), and while hers kept asking about my light orange brother Cedar, hers finally listened to me—me had to practically throw myself in her bag to get her to listen—and hers chose me! Me is sure thankful my persistence paid off and Mama listened.

Me thought it would be fun to share a few photos of mes from my first year of life here in my forever home. 

Happy Third Gotcha Day, Giovanni!

 

Hi everybody, it's mes, Giovanni!

First, me wants to say thank you for all of de purrs and prayers for my belly! Mama started me on that medicine today, and hers was impressed with how cooperative me was about taking it! 

Second, do you know what today be?!?

Today be MY THIRD GOTCHA DAY!!!!

Yep, three years ago, me came to live with Mama and Tylan when me was just a tiny kitten!

Here me is at my foster home de day Mama came to visit me.

Today, me is so thankful to have a forever home, and me is thankful that my sisters, brother, and cat mama all have forever homes, too. 

Thankful Thursday

Tylan and I the day we met at his foster home in 2018.

 Hi everyone,

Yesterday would have been Angel Tylan's 7th Gotcha Day. 

He came to us after Lita went to the Rainbow Bridge in 2018. I knew he was coming home with me and Carmine even before I met him. 

He was a wonderful boy—sweet, friendly, chatty, bossy, smart, loving, loyal, outgoing, and always had to be the center of attention. Tylan never met a stranger, and everyone he met fell in love with him. He loved belly rubs, his kitty beds, his basket, where he'd spend hours each day sunbathing, Carmine, Giovanni, his people, and soft blankies. 

Despite all of the challenges he had in his life, he was truly one of the sweetest and most loving cats I've ever had the privilege of knowing. 

I am thankful we had six years together, though I wish it could have been many more. 

Tylan and Giovanni liked hanging out near each other.

In honor of Tylan, we are donating 50% of the proceeds from the sales of our anthology, Purrseverance: Inspiring Stories of Cat Resilience and Hope to Colorado Foster Feline Rescue, the rescue I adopted Giovanni and Gabriel from. The fundraiser goes from October 1–December 31, 2025.

You can buy the book on BookBaby. It is also available on Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.

We are joining Angel Brian's Thankful Thursday blog hop.

Welcome Home, Gabriel!

It's been hard keeping this a secret for an entire week! But now I can finally let the cat out of the bag.

Gabriel (Oak) the day we met.

About 2.5 weeks ago, I was looking at the kitties at Giovanni's rescue website just to see.... I honestly didn't think I was ready for another kitten. But then I saw an orangie and well.....my heart went pitter patter. 

I applied o adopt from the rescue again, but by the time my application was accepted a mere several hours later, the kitten I was inquiring about had been adopted. Well, rats! So I kept an eye on the site the following days. I saw two orange brothers and inquired about them. Again, adopted out. Next, I saw two more orange brothers and actually set up a meeting with the foster to come meet them. Woohoo! But then she told me (several hours before I was supposed to meet them) that someone had adopted them. I saw an orange and white guy who was adorable, but he was also adopted out before I heard from the foster. Rats, rats, rats! 

Then, the first kitten I'd inquired about was up for adoption again, but he had coccidia. 

I was starting to wonder if God was telling me no, no kitten, not right now. 

But I decided to take one last stab at it...and set up a meeting to meet two kittens, Cedar and Oak. Again, another pair of orange brothers. 

When I was asking their fosters about them, it seemed like Cedar was everything I was looking for - snuggly, sweet, talkative, playful, and likes other kitties. But he wasn't all that interested in me. Oak, on the other hand, kept saying, "Pick me, pick me, PICK ME!!!!" I've learned enough to know that you have to listen to the cat, so I went home and told the rescue I'd like to adopt him. 

Happy Second Gotcha Day, Giovanni!

Hi everybody!

It's mes, Giovanni! Guess what today be?!

It be my SECOND GOTCHA DAY!!!! Can yous believe it? Mama says hers can't believe it's been two years already! Hers tells mes it was like yesterday when hers broughted me home as a 10-week-old kitten. Hers likes to show off de photo she took of mes the day wes met. Here it be.

Giovanni the day I met him In June, 2023.

Mama has had lots of fun getting to know me the past two years! Some things have changed over time while others have not.

Me still loves belly rubs! Mama is convinced mes learned to love belly rubs by watching Tylan. Me didn't ask for any belly rubs at my foster home when me met Mama, but after me saw Tylan demanding them, me started demanding them, too! Now me demands Mama rub my belly numerous times a day.

Giovanni loves belly rubs and requests them numerous times each day.

Me still loves my favorite spot on de big cat tree. Me has always loved de second to highest spot on de tree. Me can sunbathe and watch out de window from there. 

Happy 6th Gotcha Day, Tylan!

Me and Tylan the day I met him in his foster home.

Today is Tylan's 6th Gotcha Day! Since we have absolutely no idea when Tylan's birthday is, today is also the day we celebrate his birthday. He might be 9 years old. We really can't pinpoint an accurate age with him as his teeth were in such bad shape when they rescued him. 

In any case, Giovanni and I are THRILLED that Tylan chose me as his human and Carmine as his new brother back in 2018!

Happy 5th Gotcha Day, Tylan!

 

Hi everyone, it's me, Tylan!

Today is my 5th Gotcha Day! Since they don't know when my birthday is (and I'm not telling), we celebrate my birthday today, too. Can you all believe it's been five years since I came to live with the Mom lady because I sure can't! 

Welcome Home, Giovanni!

Hi everyone, it's the Mom today with some news.

While I expected Carmine's death to hit Tylan, I didn't expect it to hit him as hard as it did. Tylan wasn't eating very much and spent much of his day curled up in Carmine's favorite bed. When my friend, Steve, came over, he said Tylan looked sad. The poor guy. Tylan lived with numerous cats in Thailand in his hoarding situation. Then he lived in a foster home with his friend, Mek, for about eight months or so. Then he came to live with me and Carmine. So Tylan has never not lived with at least one cat friend. He was very sad to not have any friends for company.

I went to PetFinder to see what orange male cats were in the area for adoption. Most of you probably already know how much I LOVE orangies. 

I actually didn't find many around. But I did come across a cat named Claudio. He was a tiny little boy. He was too adorable, so I stayed up later than I had planned and filled out an application for his rescue. I found two other orange cats from the same rescue I was interested in - another kitten and a five-year-old orange male with one eye. So I told the rescue I was interested in all three of the kitties.

I took this photo of Claudio in his foster home when I went to visit him last week. 

A Letter of Gratitude to Carmine on His Gotcha Day

Carmine loved being close to me and was rarely more than a few feet from me.

My Dear, Sweet, Adorable Tiny Lion,

You and I had a special bond. You were my heart cat, and I cannot imagine loving any other cat as much as I love you because our souls are so deeply connected. You brought such joy, wisdom, and love to my life. 

On what would have been your 18th Gotcha Day, I reflect on all that you brought to my life during our time together. 

Thank you for bringing so much joy and laughter to my life. When you were a kitten, you were a ball of energy and a constant source of entertainment. You used to steal socks and rolls of toilet paper. I learned quickly that I had to keep the lid on the butter container or you'd be licking it up if I turned my back for two seconds. I also learned that I had to keep an eye on our game and puzzle pieces or you'd sneak off with them while Dave and I were distracted with our activity.

As a kitten, Carmine loved stealing game and puzzle pieces. Here, he's supervising a game of Sorry.

You may have outgrown your stealing phase as you grew older, but you never ceased to bring a smile to my face. I smiled every time you bounced up to the top of the kitchen cabinets - something you loved to do even in your late teen years. 

Happy 16th Gotcha Day, Carmine!

 

Hi everyone, it's mes, Carmine!

Guess what today is? It's mines Gotcha Day! 

Sixteen years ago, the Mom visited mes in the PetSmart adoption center. Mes sensed that mes could wrap the Mom around my little orange paw, and guess what? Mes was right! 

The Mom says mes cans has my favorite breakie later. And hers is going to spend extra special Mom and Moo time with mes, too. Hers calls mes Moo cause mes likes to say, "Moooo." The Mom doesn't often sit still, but hers is going to sit still so hers can has extra time with mes today. Mes likes it when there bes a lap for mes. 

Thank yous for visiting mes on my Gotcha Day!

Happy 16th Gotcha Day, Carmine!

We love you!! 

Carmine's Tips for Getting Gotted

Hi everyone, it's mes, Carmine!

Guess what?! My Gotcha Day was on Friday! The Mom is late in helping mes get my post up, but better late than nevers, right?

Mes claimed the Mom 15 years ago when mes was a small, 14-week-old kitten. And now mes is a wise, old mancat, so....

This year, mes thought mes would offer some advice on getting gotted so all our homeless kitty pals cans find a nice home and a loving human like mes did. 

Be Adorable: If yous bes a kitty, yous already has this covered! But, it doesn't hurt to do something cute so that the humans think you bes extra adorable. Try rolling around on the floor near the humans, making a cute, "mew," or playing with the humans' shoestrings. 

Thankful Thursday: Happy Gotcha Day, Carmine!

Hi everyone!

Do you know what today is? It's a very special day.

It's Carmine's 14th Gotcha Day!!

So our thankful for today is Carmine!
Carmine is a very special mancat. You can read his adoption story here, if you don't know it. 

Little did I know just how much that little ball of orange fluff would change me and my life. 

Carmine is an incredible emotional support cat and nurse cat to those he loves. He provided both Jewel and Lita with comfort when they were ill. Once, when I was sick and stuck in bed for a week, Carmine only left my side to eat and use his litter. 

Even though he is a senior now, Carmine still has bursts of kitten energy. It's so entertaining to watch him fly around the apartment, to the top of the kitchen cabinets, meowing all the way! 

Carmine is sweet, compassionate, intuitive, wise, loving, and loyal. We are incredibly blessed to have him as part of our family! 

Our friends Pipo, Dalton, Benji, and their pecretary made Carmine this lovely card for his Gotcha Day! Thank you, dear friends! You are so sweet to think of Carmine on his special day! 

Happy 14th Gotcha Day, Carmine - and many more!

We love you!

Tylan, Angel Lita, Angel Jewel, and the Mom

Happy Gotcha Day, Carmine!

Dear Carmine,

I cannot believe it's been 13 years since you claimed me as your human as you sat in my lap in the PetSmart adoption center.  Little did I know then how much you would change my life.

Your crazy kitten antics have helped keep me sane during difficult times.  I love your loving, loyal spirit.  Your protectiveness of me and Lita helps me feel safe.  

Your loving heart is something that I admire.  Your love for Jewel was clear every time you supervised her sub-q fluid treatments and every time you poked your head into the kitty cubes to check on her.  Your love for Lita is apparent when you stay near her when she doesn't feel well.  I know she feels protected and loved by you, as she chooses to stick close to you when she feels very crummy.  Your love for me is apparent every night when you join me on my pillow for sleep, when you visit me to "help" me with my article writing, and when you watch over me when I'm not feeling well.  

You truly are one special mancat, and I m so blessed and grateful that you choose me, of all people, to be your human.  

We love you, Carmine, and hope you have many, many more Gotcha Days to celebrate with us!

Happy 13th Gotcha Day, Carmine! 

Love,
The Mom and Lita 

Happy Gotcha Day, Carmine!

Hi everyone, it's mes, Carmine!

Mes knows it has been forever since the Mom has helped us post, but today is a special day for mes, so hers put hers own writing aside to help mes post today!

TODAY IS MY GOTCHA DAY!!!

Mes and the Mom thought it would be fun to share the story of how mes got gotted!  This story is from the Mom's perspective - hers wrote about how mes got gotted for another publication once.

Here is what hers wrote:

"As I sit at my computer, my kitty, Carmine, sits a few feet away, watching me type.  He is my constant companion and best friend.  I adopted my cat through Every Creature Counts from the PetSmart Adoption Center.

In June 2005, I moved to a new apartment and I decided my kitty, Milita, needed a playmate and companion to keep her company, as I spent a lot of time in classes and at my internship (I was getting my Master's in Social Work at the time).  

A friend and I decided to check out the kitties in the adoption center at the PetSmart located near me.  I wanted a cat who was within a year or two of Milita’s age (approximately 2 years old at the time).  I have a vision problem, so immediately my friend pointed out this little orange kitten in the bottom row of cages she thought was cute.  I squatted down to look at him, and, sure enough, he was quite adorable!

Carmine: Even though mes is 12 years old nows, mes still acts like a kitten sometimes!

A PetSmart worker came into the room and asked if we needed any help.  We told her that we’d like to see the orange kitten, so she got him out for us.  The orange kitten’s name was Carmine.  I took Carmine over to a chair in the room and sat down to pet him.  I put him on my lap where he laid down and began to purr.  I fell in love with the little orange kitten right away!

Carmine had made it clear that he wanted to go home with me, so I asked my friend to help me fill out an application at the front of the store.  We gave the application to the PetSmart worker who looked it over and let us know that I would have an answer within 24 hours.  Every Creature Counts takes the time to look over every application for adoption.

The next day, I received a call that I was approved to adopt the kitten.  My friend drove me back to the PetSmart where I was able to pick Carmine up and take him home.  Before I could take him home, however, Every Creature Counts required me to sign a contract.  The contract stated that I agreed not to declaw Carmine and that if he did not work out in my home, I would bring him back to the adoption center.  The contract also stated that I could take Carmine back to Every Creature Counts if his scratching ever became an issue, as they are against declawing cats.  These terms were fine with me, as I had not planned on getting my kitten declawed anyway, as I do not agree with this practice.

In addition, the contract stated that I agree to provide all medical care, proper food, shelter, and water, to treat my kitty with kindness at all times, that I will not abandon or sell my cat, that if the kitty becomes lost, I will make every reasonable effort to find him, and if he is found by a shelter that I will retrieve him. 

Over five years ago, I decided to give a kitten a good, loving forever home.  I’ve enjoyed my companion and best friend Carmine since June 2005, and he’s enjoyed a good, loving home where he will be pampered for the rest of his life.  I am truly happy that I have had the privilege of giving such a loving, wonderful cat a great life."

This was written when Carmine was only 5 years old.  Carmine has now owned me for 12 years.  I wouldn't have it any other way!

Carmine: The Mom can't imagine how or why mes ended up at Every Creature Counts, but hers sure is glad that hers met mes that day.  Mes ams glad that hers decided to listen to mes when mes told hers to take mes home with hers!  

As many of yous might know, mes isn't a big lap cat, so the fact that mes curled right up in the Mom's lap and purred that day was mes telling hers that hers was the human mes wanted to live with.  

Happy 12th Gotcha Day, Carmine!  Milita and I are so blessed that you chose us to be your forever family.  We love you! 

Milita's Monday and a Gotcha Day

Hi everyone, it's Milita today!

Today is Carmine's Gotcha Day!  Please be sure to wish him a happy day, okay?  

You are probably wondering why I am posting on Carmine's Gotcha Day, right?  Well, to be honest, the Mom forgot today was Carmine's Gotcha Day.  She only realized it when she was looking at her Facebook memories, MOL.  Isn't that awful?!  If I were Carmine, I'd make her feel very guilty about that.

I wanted to give everyone an update about me.  

I have continued to struggle with my asthma.  I have at least one asthma attack a week still (last week, I had two).  The Mom says some of my struggles have to do with the fire we had in the building a couple of weeks ago and from the fire in Canada, but she still doesn't like me struggling so much.  The fire here was two floors above us and on the other side of the building.  Nobody was hurt, but many of our neighbors on the other side of the building got flooded from all the water they had to use to put the fire out.  In fact, there are still very noisy fans in the hallways trying to dry out the floors, and some people even have them in their apartments!  

Carmine's 10th Gotcha Day

Today is an incredibly special day.

It's Carmine's 10th Gotcha Day!

Thank you for entertaining us with your crazy antics, taking care of us when we are not well, and for being such an amazing, loving, and strong mancat!

We love you bunches, Carmine!!

Milita, Angel Jewel, and Mom Sierra