Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day

Today is Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day, a day to remember all our precious companions who have gone to the Rainbow Bridge. I have lost four of my precious babies in my adult life thus far. 

I thought it might be nice to honor each of my babies today by sharing a favorite memory of each of them with you.

Jewel: June, 1998–August 28, 2014.

When Jewel still lived with her former human, I visited her a lot. Her human liked to play a video game called Rock Band. One time he was playing it, and Jewel started walking along the back of the couch and meowing like she was trying to add vocals to the song. The song was, "Monkey Wrench" by Foo Fighters. Now, anytime I hear that song, I think of her.

Lita: July 22, 2003–September 12, 2018.

The first catnip toy I bought Lita was a little burlap sack filled with catnip. She was only two or three years old. She was so excited about the toy! She grabbed it and wrestled it all around. It only took her about 10 minutes to rip a hole in the little bag and start taking the catnip out. I made sure I bought sturdier catnip toys from then on.

Carmine: February 18, 2005–May 26, 2023.

My cherished memory of Carmine is his constant presence. He was near me when I did nearly everything in my daily life. He slept with me when I slept. He hung out with me at dinnertime to wait and see if I'd share with him. He'd curl up in his heated bed right next to me when I worked on articles and blog posts at the computer. He was a constant comforting presence to me for our nearly 18 years together.

Tylan: Oct., 2015–May 13, 2025.

The first night I brought Tylan home, I had chili for dinner. I set my bowl down and walked back into the kitchen to get my glass of Crystal Lite. My bowl was unattended for about five seconds. When I came back, I found Tylan with his head in my bowl of chili eating it. His poop smelled like chili for two days!

I miss all of my sweet babies. Each of them taught me valuable lessons and showed me incredible, unconditional love. They will never be forgotten, and their memories will live on in the hearts of everyone who loved them.

It's Our 17th Blogoversary and a Giveaway to Celebrate!

Today is our 17th blogoversary! It's hard to believe that I started this blog 17 years ago. 

When I began this blog in 2006, I was just dipping my toe into the writing waters. I had developed a chronic pain condition that year that left me unable to work a traditional job, and I was seeking a way to help support me and my kitties while I waited on the Social Security Administration to make a decision about my Disability case. 

At the time, I was writing for Associated Content (which later became Yahoo! Voices). I was researching more opportunities when I ran across people talking about blogs. A blog? What is that?! 

After reading about them, I decided, what the heck, I'll try it! So, on December 15, 2006, Fur Everywhere was born. This was our first post. 

How Emotional Support Animals Saved My Life

I've loved cats for as long as I can remember. Here I am with my friend, Mason, at a local cat shelter. 

I've always loved cats. I've always considered them good friends and fantastic listeners. I always knew I'd have a cat when I became old enough to move out and live on my own. What I didn't know is how much my cats would change me or my life.

A Rough Start

My life had a rocky start. At five months of age, I became a survivor of Shaken Baby Syndrome. From what I've been able to piece together through family members, my foster mother, and the newspaper, the violent shaking resulted in one or both of my arms being broken, a broken breastbone, damage to my optic nerve, and blood pooling in the back of my eyes. While surgeons were able to drain the blood from the back of my eyes, I was left with a degenerative eye condition called optic atrophy. Unfortunately, my vision has worsened over the span of my life thus far. While I'm very thankful for the vision I still have, I'm terrified of how much more vision I'll lose – especially when I notice my condition progressing.

I spent six weeks in the hospital where I developed meningitis and temporarily lost my ability to hear. After I was released from the hospital, I was placed into foster care for approximately six months. I was eventually returned to my parents' custody.

This event has always caused me to feel a lot of shame. I was told that I should never speak the truth about what happened to me. I was told to blame my eye condition on the meningitis instead. I was told that if I told the truth, people would think that I was a bad baby. The shame I still feel over this event is absolutely overwhelming.

As a child, I never felt I was good enough for my parents. I was always compared to my sister. I felt like she was the, “good” daughter and I was the, “bad” one. Everyone could see that we were treated differently, and many people told me about their observations when I became a young adult.

Emotions were not valued in our household. If I tried to express myself, I was either ridiculed or discounted. Even laughter and happiness seemed to be unacceptable.

My severe vision impairment was a source of tension in the home. I always felt like I was in the way. I needed to be right next to the television to see it, for instance, which annoyed some family members.

Verbal and emotional abuse were a constant presence in my life. In addition to that, I felt my parents were emotionally distant. While my father and I have a pretty decent relationship now, we had a rocky one while I was growing up. I know now that he always loved me and my sister, but I didn't feel loved by him during my childhood. My dad expresses love in a less obvious way than I needed him to. While he always said he loves me if I told him I love him, I felt disappointed that I always had to initiate that exchange.

My dad used to be a very angry person. It wasn't until he spent several years with my stepmom, Marie, that he really changed. I credit her for helping him become the person I think he was always meant to be. While I am not as close to my dad as I would like to be, we can now have civil conversations, and he tells me he loves me without me having to prompt him to say it, which makes me really happy.

A Letter to Lita on Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day

Dear Lita,

When I first met you, I thought you were annoying because you wouldn't let me pet any of your brothers or sisters. It makes me laugh now because the last word I'd use to describe you is annoying. You were a lot of things - loving, gentle, opinionated, chatty (with the "bad man"), intelligent, sweet, affectionate, a little bossy/demanding (when it came to food!), stubborn, strong, a fighter.....but you were definitely not annoying!

I think you knew before I did that we'd end up together and just wanted to make sure that I knew that you had chosen me as your forever human. What a privilege that was!

Shortly after we moved halfway across the country, you quickly became my best friend. We'd eat together, study together, listen to those horribly boring social work textbooks together, watch television together, and sleep together.  Whenever I was home, you were my little shadow. I felt so loved and special.

Happy Birthday, Jewel!

Jewel's birthday was technically yesterday, but what matters is that she knows we love her, and I know she knows this. 

Jewel would have been 21 this year! 

We hope you are having a wonderful party at the Bridge with all your friends, Jewel. Please share some of your hot dogs and catnip with Lita, okay? We love you and think of you often! 

Happy Birthday, Angel Jewel!

We love you bunches!!!!

Love,

Carmine, Tylan, and the Mom 

Happy Birthday, Jewel!

Today would have been Jewel's 20th birthday.  I have no doubt that she would still be with us, bossing us around, demanding treats, and telling Carmine to get his head out of her cube - if it hadn't been for that evil kidney disease. 

We miss you, everyday, Jewel.  You were such a blessing in our lives.  

We hope you have a most wonderful birthday today at the Bridge and that all our friends there are helping you celebrate!

Happy Birthday, sweet angel!  We love you!!

Carmine, Lita, and the Mom

A Letter to Jewel on Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day

My dear Angel Jewel,

I cannot believe it's now been three years since we had to say good-bye to you on August 28, 2014.  Making that decision with you is still the hardest thing I've ever had to do.  I think of you and miss you every single day.  I wonder how you are doing at the Rainbow Bridge and hope and pray that you are happy there while you wait for us to join you someday.  

Even though I have not seen you at our new apartment, I'm pretty sure you know where we are and have visited us.  Carmine often goes into the "phone booth" to talk with you.  Did you tell him to become a little orange treat monster?  He has taken over your job of coming over and demanding treats from me (or D when he visits).  He has taken up talking much more than he ever used to, too.  When I come home from my church meeting on Tuesday nights, Carmine will yell at me until I give him another canned food snack.  I'm sure this makes you laugh as you watch from the Bridge.

Happy Birthday, Jewel

Today would have been Jewel's 19th birthday.

I miss her everyday.  

I hope they are having a huge celebration at the Bridge today for your birthday, Jewel!

Happy Birthday, my little angel.

Happy Valentine's Day!

It's Valentine's Day - a day to stop and appreciate all the people you love.

So we wanted to make sure you all know

that we love you!

Happy Valentine's Day to all our pawesome friends!

Love,

Carmine, Milita, Angel Jewel, and Mom Sierra

Remembering Jewel

Today is not only Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day, it is the second anniversary of Jewel's journey to the Rainbow Bridge.

I only knew my little angel for 4 short years before she left us, and she only lived with me for two of those years.  I gave her everything I could in the four years I knew her, and I did my best to spoil her and give her all the love she deserved when she came to live here.  I am blessed to have been given the opportunity to care for precious Jewel, and I am so blessed that so many of you took part in her care by donating to her medical treatment during her long struggle with kidney disease.  You all helped me keep her alive and happy for a long time, and I will forever be thankful to each of you who supported us whether financially or emotionally.  All of the support and love you all showed my angel was amazing, and I will never forget it.

I have peace about Jewel's passing, but I do not have peace about her life before she came to live with us.  It makes me so incredibly sad that she was mistreated before she came to live here.  I know that this is something I cannot change, but she deserved so much more than she got in life.

On this day, I'd like to share a few of my very favorite memories of my angel with you.

Jewel's former owner would play Rock Band on his PlayStation sometimes.  One of my favorite memories of Jewel is that she was running around on the top of the couch singing along as her former owner played this game.

Purrs of Wisdom: Enlightenment, Feline Style Review and Giveaway

I love Ingrid King's blog, The Conscious Cat, and I've had the pleasure of reviewing her books, Buckley's Story: Lessons from a Feline Master Teacher and Tortitude: The BIG Book of Cats with a BIG Attitude.  Ingrid King writes beautifully, and I really love the books I've had a chance to read so far.  So when Purrs of Wisdom: Enlightenment, Feline Style showed up at my door, I was ecstatic!

Yesterday was Jewel's birthday.  She would have been 18 years old.  She was a wise cat.  Even in her short time with me, she taught me some important lessons about life and love.

One of the things she helped me learn is how to love people even when you don't like their actions.  Jewel was a very loyal cat, and she loved with her whole heart.  She also adapted to new situations very well and always accepted what was.  I know she didn't really enjoy the company of other cats, but she adapted to living with Carmine Milita very well.  She never fought with them.  She usually allowed Carmine to check on her multiple times a day without so much as a hiss.

Jewel's Journey

Tomorrow is Jewel's birthday.  She would have been 18 years old.  For today's Jewel's Journey, I thought I'd share a few different memories.

I was going through my old blog entries about Jewel and found a few memories I had forgotten.

As many of you know, Jewel was a fighter when it came to her chronic renal failure.  She was very stubborn, and I believe this stubbornness helped her live longer.  It also made for some interesting treatment sessions.

I ran across the post I did about Jewel's first subcutaneous fluid treatment at home.  I vaguely remember how interesting that whole process was.  I had a couple of friends come over to help me with her.  They pet her while I struggled to get her fluids into her.  Jewel kept trying to run off.  She kept crying, which really upset Carmine, so he started crying, too.  In the end, Jewel was so upset with the whole process, she bit my arm.  

Jewel's Journey

Next Friday is Jewel's birthday.  It would have been her 18th.  It does make me sad, but we will be having a little giveaway to celebrate the sweet, wonderful, and wise cat Jewel was.

Many of you already know that I have a severe vision impairment.  Carmine is a very smart cat.  He figured out right away that I could not see him in the dark or in low lighting.  If I get near him when there isn't much light, he will meow at me to let me know he's there so I don't accidentally step on or kick him.

Jewel was a very smart cat, too, but she never let me know where she was.  I learned pretty fast that I had to softly shuffle my feet in low lighting so I didn't accidentally kick or step on her!

Not only that, but I always had to feel for "lumps" in my covers before I sat or laid down on my bed because you never knew if Jewel would be under them.  She was such a vocal cat that it surprised me that she wouldn't tell me where she was in the dark.

Please come back next Friday to wish Angel Jewel a happy day and to enter our special giveaway!  (Yes, I know many of you will be at BlogPaws - I will give everyone a few extra days to enter.)

Jewel's Journey

When I was renting a room from Jewel's former owner, I discovered something new about Jewel.  I don't remember exactly how it came about, but I suspect I had gotten the toy out to play with Carmine or Milita, and then went into Jewel's former owner's room to visit with him and Jewel.  The toy was a pole with cloth-like strings hanging off the end.  I started moving the toy around by Jewel, and to my shock, she starting batting at it!  It turns out she really liked the toy, so I started getting it out more often to play with her.

It always made me happy to see Jewel enjoy a nice play session.

Do your cats enjoy fishing pole toys?

Jewel's Journey

I don't think I've shared this memory of Jewel before, but if I have, maybe you'll enjoy hearing it again. :)

Before I started renting a room from Jewel's former owner, I'd come visit them.  Once when I had a box of Triscuits, Jewel kept staring at me and begging for one.  I didn't think she'd like them, but I offered her one anyway.  She ate it!  I laughed and thought she probably wouldn't eat another, so I offered her another one.  She ate that one, too!

From that day on, whenever I had Triscuits, I would give her a couple.  I know human food isn't all that great for cats, so I would only give her a couple each time, but it provided us a chance to bond, and I loved seeing her enjoy a little snack.

Jewel's Journey

This photo was taken a couple of weeks before Jewel made her way to the Rainbow Bridge.  I had been to the dentist that day and because of my overwhelming anxiety when it comes to dental appointments (fillings, root canals, etc.) I had taken some medication my dentist gave me to calm my nerves.  By the time I got home, I was beyond exhausted, so I decided I'd take a little nap on the couch.

I saw Jewel wandering by the couch and decided to pick her up and give her a hug.  I didn't figure she'd stay with me very long, but I wanted to enjoy a moment with her anyway.

As you can see, she decided to make herself comfortable on my arm.  She ended up staying there for about a half an hour!  I felt quite special; she always used to lay on her former owner's arm at night when he slept.  It's just what I needed after the dreaded dentist.

Jewel's Journey

I have a lot of nicknames for my kitties.  For instance, I call Carmine: Moo (because he says, "Mooooo" sometimes when you hold him) or Carmy.  I call Milita: Lita, Tweeta (because she tweets a lot), and Bird.

Jewel also had nicknames.  One of them was Zuul - yes, the character in the Ghostbusters movie!  We thought it was cute because it rhymes with Jewel.  After she lost weight, we started calling her TGC - Tiny Gray Cat.

My friend D and I also liked to make up little rhymes about her.  We'd say, "Jewel is no fool.  She's been to school."  We would make up silly songs about her, too - and I still do this with Carmine and Lita.

Yes, we are pretty silly around here, but it's a lot of fun!

Does your cat have any nicknames?

Jewel's Journey

Do you all remember how much Jewel loved hot dogs?  Something else she loved almost as much was chicken!

When we were renting a room from her former owner, he would go to Popeyes Chicken every Tuesday to take advantage of their fried chicken special.  Jewel always got very excited about this!  As soon as he'd step in the door, Jewel would be up on the couch, nosing her way into the bag of chicken while her former owner changed out of his work clothes.  She always got to enjoy some friend chicken with her human while he watched television.

I have to admit - I was a little jealous because I can't eat fried chicken due to serious heartburn.  So I lived vicariously through Jewel; watching her enjoy her fried chicken bites made me happy!

What's your cat's favorite meat?

Jewel's Journey

Jewel was a very intelligent cat.  Not only did she talk to her former owner, she also understood commands.

Jewel loved to lay on her former owner's arm.  Whenever he laid down to watch television or play video games on the couch, she'd jump right up and settle down on his arm.

When her former owner wanted to get up, he'd say, "Jewel, it's time to get up," or, "Let's get up, Jewel."  She'd usually hop right up and get off the couch when he said this.  Sometimes he'd have to repeat it a second time, but she usually got up the first time he said it!

Does your cat respond to commands?

Happy New Year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

We hope you all have a happy, healthy, and blessed 2016!

Love,

Carmine, Milita, Angel Jewel, and Mom Sierra