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Thursday, May 3, 2012

While I Was Away....

... one of my assistants had a birthday! Now, you might think that this little milestone needn't be revisited for the blog, but you would be wrong. Firstly, what sort of self-respecting crazy cat lady would I be if I didn't? Secondly, we did a post for the other assistant's birthday, so it's only fair.

Now that we've got that cleared up, let's commence with the cute kitten photos, shall we?

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Here we are on the night he came to live with us:

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It's a cute story.

2007-2008 were tough years. During that time I experienced a lot of loss, including both a very close friend and my Mom. By the time 2009 rolled around, I was feeling a little worse for wear. Mr. Modiste wanted to do something to make me happy. Back then he was working for a small regional airline, and they sometimes shipped kittens for the SPCA. One day, he came to work and his plane was full of kittens. Most were all bundled together in group crates, but there was this one little scruffy, wire-haired, broken-tailed white-and-ginger guy in a crate all by himself. He was a frisky little thing, taking swipes at people who walked by. Something about his attitude won my Mister over.

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(Little did he know that this ragamuffin would grow up to be the quietest, sweetest, softest cat we've ever met. But I digress...)

So, he brought the little guy home and surprised me. Let me tell you - best present I have EVER received.

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Okay, I know I probably seem a little too attached to my cats. The thing is, they came into my life at a dark time and made it brighter. It might sound silly, but this little cat was sure to make me smile every day, even on bad days. He kept me company when my Mister had to be away for work. He was someone for me to take care of. I'm not even sure my Mister realizes exactly how big of a success his gift was.

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Hobbes is the kind of cat that likes to sleep on your lap, but only between the hours of 9am and 5pm. Otherwise, you'll usually find him sprawled fast asleep, belly-up. He loves to sniff anything, no matter how gross, especially your breath. He will try to cram himself into any empty box, Maru-style, and prefers to drink only from the bathroom faucet. His sole mission in life is to eat human food. When you touch him, his motor instantly turns on and he still purrs at that loud kitten volume. When he's frisky, he likes to chase wine corks and rebounds off the walls at alarming heights.

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When he made it clear that he was lonely, we adopted Johnny Cash. Then Hobbes became the kind of cat that's always trying to take care of everyone. Well, always trying to bathe everyone, anyway.

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(He still does this to Johnny Cash every day. Actually, he does this to us, too.)

He's also very handsome.

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Happy 3rd Birthday, Hobbes!

20 comments:

  1. Hobbes is a beautiful, sweet cat and I loved hearing his story. Thanks for sharing and most importantly, Happy Birthday Hobbes!

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  2. what a great story! happy birthday hobbes:)

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  3. This makes me want a cat of my own more than ever. Happy b-day little guy.

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    1. If that's not possible, I can also arrange a post to tell you all about the ways that they are naughty on a regular basis. It might make you feel grateful not to have one! LOL

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  4. How sweet! What a great little dude! Happy birthday!!

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  5. This post made me go "awwwwwwww". Happy birthday Hobbes!

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  6. Thanks for the birthday wishes, everyone!

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  7. The tongue bath pic made me put both of my fists up to my mouth and whisper "Oh my gah, so cuuuute". What is it with sewists and cats? We all have them it seems. Yours are darling creatures.

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  8. Hobbes is Adorable!!! And what a lovely story! Happiest Birthday to Hobbes! I hope he enjoys many cat treats!

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  9. Happy birthday Hobbes! So cute.

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  10. What a beautiful cat. That photo of the two of them is fabulous. I didn't know you'd had such a hard year in 07-08. I'm so sorry to hear that. But I'm happy that you have such a wonderful husband to know what things will make you happy in dark times.

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    1. Totally. He's not really a cat guy (or wasn't) and still gets annoyed with the fur and the noise on a daily basis... so the fact that he's willing to put up with that for me is pretty awesome (And, actually, despite his grumbling, he actually really likes them. Hobbes ADORES him and he won't admit it but he's totally flattered by it :D)

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  11. This was such a cute post! Hobbes reminds me of our family cat Gizmo, and Johnny Cash reminds me of our Mr. Darcy (though Gizmo is the younger one in our case). And I can really relate to your story. I lost my dad to cancer last summer. We've had our cats for a few years now and they've been the perfect companions to cheer us all up and make us laugh. I don't see them as often now that I'm in New York, but they're still wonderful friends for my mom. I actually donated to a local cat shelter last Christmas in place of a gift I would've given my dad, and it was nice to think I was giving back to our beloved feline buddies :)

    Happy birthday, Hobbes! (Gizmo also prefers water from the faucet!)

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    1. Aw, I'm sorry to hear about your Dad. Yeah, something about our relationships with pets is just so simple and uncomplicated and loving... there's something really healing in that, I think.

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  12. Awww! I didn't realize there was such a story to his arrival in your lives. The image of a plane full of kittens made me laugh. I can't imagine what the Mr. thought when he saw that! Happy Birthday to one of the sweetest kitties I've ever had the pleasure of spending time with! Happy Birthday Hobbes!

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    1. Well, "full" might be a bit of hyperbole, but I do think there were about 40 kittens on board that day, if you can believe it. (I think when the small-town shelters get a big influx of kittens, that's when they arrange a shipment to a bigger city where there's a better chance they'll all get adopted.)

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  13. What a cutie, and so handsome now too! Also, I believe your marvelous assistants qualify you for the Sewing With Cats Blog Award, created by the also-helpfully-assisted Cation Designs. Check out the award post here, and it just may inspire you to share all the naughtyness that adorableness is hiding!

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  14. SO CUTE!!! Love that soft, white kitty belly that needs to be rubbed!

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  15. Loved your story of how Hobbes came to stay (and then Johnny). He has such a lovely face... can a cat be described as "kind-looking?".

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    1. Yes, definitely. He is very kind and we always joke that he's the "worried cat" which I think is mostly just something we see in the markings on his face!

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