Time to Find a Great New Place

The time has come to find a new place to live. After months and months of headaches stemming from drains that don't work, and a refridgerator that should've been replaced eons ago and leaks water everywhere, it's time to say goodbye and find a quality, uncomplicated place with people who are willing to fix things, not blame others or try to charge for their own issues. This building is very old, as is the fridge and the drains. Never mind that there is only one entrance in and out, a huge fire hazard which is technically against the law to have. Big, fat code violation. I ignored it but since they don't keep the alleyway clear (has poison ivy growing and some sort of electrical or other type of lines hanging down from possibly electric or telephone poles, etc, taking the trash out means walking around a HUGE building. With a bad back, that is not easy..especially if you have a heavy box or bag of trash.

Landlords have tried to blame ME, and harrass me with constant nagging about my cats (they said this is an animal friendly place when I moved in but make a big deal about "cat smell" in the hallway on a frequent basis). Friends and family don't notice it, just one tenant that didnt' get along with another girl here, for no real reason, and in my opinion just likes to complain. Landlady has been always calling, trying to "instruct" me how to live. I know how to live. I've successfully lived in other places without problems for years. This woman is only a year older than me and because she has money, thinks she can tell me how to live my life, etc. It's just sickening. I tried to turn the other cheek and be nice to her but that only made her nag more. It's become an endless battle, where in my opinion she doesn't listen to what I have to say, but drowns it out with complaining about ME, then telling me how much she wants me to stay when I tell her I'm leaving. I'm sick of this twisted, power-play game and want a place free of this garbage.

So, I'm looking around. Feels good to do so. My friend is on the Board of Directors of this town and is going to help me find something, hopefully in the village. She was horrified when I told her how I was being treated. It may take some looking since in the country, rental options may not be as plentiful as in the city, but it will be worth it when I find a place. Hopefully with a porch or place to garden. I love living in the country and am making an all-out effort. A smallish house with some privacy will be best, or maybe a duplex. Peace and quiet, that's what I'm all about. No bickering, quarrelsome, rude, condescending landlords to deal with. I will interview prospective landlords as much as they interview me, kindly, of course. Life is just too short to have to deal with people who aren't nice. And so the true search begins..

Introducing My New Cat, Matisse

My new lovely kitty is here, and he looks like my cat Beau! They could be twins! Matisse is 5 years old, and really very HUGE. He is much bigger than Beau but very laid back and calm. He's settling in very nicely, enjoying his new home. Beau, on the other hand, isn't sure what to make of this new cat who's entered his territory. He alternates from hissing to being curious and watching him (from a distance). I think he's going to like him more and more as time goes by. No fights or swinging at him, just a bit of fear, but I reassure him a lot and he calms right down. When I go out, I put one or the other cat in my office with a cat box, food and water, and keep the door closed so they don't get into trouble. Then, when home, I let them mingle again.

Matisse loves to sit in the windows and watch the world go by. He's really cute about it, just makes himself at home, happily, and comes to see me when he wants to be petted or fed. Beau peeks in on him, and I can see him from where I sit in the living room, so he doesn't feel alone.

A good thing to have when introducing two cats is a Feliway/Comfort Zone diffuser. It plugs into the wall like an air freshener but has no scent, just a pheromone that calms cats. It works great on Beau, I used it on him when he was brought into my home years ago, and am using it again to keep them both feeling mellow. Matt is already mellow, so the pheromone is mostly for Beau. Breeders swear by Feliway, so it's a good product.


Beau says, "Who's this big new cat invading my house?"

Getting Ready to Adopt a New Cat

Beau in his kitty house
So much has been going on, as I work to adopt a different cat than in my last blog post. The last one was kept by the foster, who fell in love with the cat and wouldn't let him go. This time around, I found a reputable, registered rescue who doesn't play these games and they are coming with my kitty this week! His name is Matisse, a five-year old, laid-back, deaf boy. I pray that Beau loves him, I know I will. It will take a careful introduction, as with any cats. Beau loves cats but he didn't like Fluffy much, the two of them were like oil and water, but they tolerated one another. He loved my late Blackie, though. My fingers are crossed as we introduce them slowly and gently.

Other news..my teeth are having many issues. I must have the upper ones all worked on, one by one. My dentist is thinking "cha-ching!!" when he sees my mouth. It will be worth all the work in the end. There should be a law against paying big bucks for slow, painful torture. Insurance? What insurance? I had it before, and it didn't pay for much ($1000 cap on dental repairs and a cleaning, yearly..that's IT). The real work starts next month. What can you do? Nothing. Just gotta do it.

Spring has sprung. It's nice to see buds on the trees. With better weather, I am enjoying being outdoors more, love it. I'm looking for a house so I can garden, it will be nice to have a place to spread out in. It takes time..and more money. Doing more artwork is the answer to everything. At times I'm totally exhausted and need breaks, but then renewal sets in and I'm good to go again. Time to get busy with it, inspired by the lovely new kitty coming to me, and my current gorgeous boy, who also inspires me at all times. Just love him so very much :)

My soon-to-be new cat, Matisse

How to Avoid Untrustworthy Pet Rescues When Adopting a Dog or Cat

Snowman, the cat I am still trying to adopt, after a long and tiring fiasco via Lisa Creekmore and her foster, Jennifer Worthy Neal. A very upsetting experience.

Since mid March of this year, my attempt to adopt a rescued cat has been a nightmare. Not all rescues are this way, it pays to check the references and background of those you chose to do business with. Here are some tips to avoid unscrupulous, lazy or shady "rescuers". I have learned some lessons and will share with you my thoughts.

These days it's easy to find a new pet on Facebook. People like myself crosspost/share the names and faces of countless animals who sit on death row, needing to find homes, foster homes or legitemate rescuers. There are people who tell you they will gladly assist you to pull (get the animal off of death row so you can adopt it). This is well and good, but find someone to pull the animal who is reputable, complete with references for character and completed rescues. If the person cannot give them to you, move on.

Never give money to anyone who wants to pull an animal for you until services are rendered. Instead, if they are asking for payment up front for "expenses" and whine, cry and complain about their needs/job/how hard it is, run the other direction. I suggest if you do choose to donate then make sure it is when the transportation is confirmed, and only pay the service providers (veterinarian, transporter, etc). Paying the arranger who isn't reputable could leave you out money and still have no pet to show for it. Very risky, so just say no.

For best advice, contact true experts, namely 501c3 rescues, your veterinarian and owners of legitemate, well-documented rescues. It pays to be vigilant to avoid being used and abused by unreputable people. I did some searching after my so-called rescuer didn't deliver on the cat I want, and found by others who know of her that there have been problems with her in the past. Now I know. Too late. Learn from my pain.

If you find yourself unlucky enough to encounter such a person, who holds the pet over your head until they get money from you or take their sweet time doing nothing and not arranging anything, contact the authorities and others in the rescue field so they can be aware of and avoid this person. It may save an animal's life and save you wasting money. It pays to be careful.

Spring is Coming to NorthEast Ohio

After months of snow, grey skies and slush, it's so nice to see the sun out again! Slowly, Northeast Ohio is thawing out from a pretty tough winter. It's not warm yet but the pancake breakfasts are starting up here in my town, which always means Spring isn't too far away.

Normally, my parents and I have gone to West Geauga High School for our yearly trek to the pancake breakfasts there. This year we decided to go to one of the breakfasts here in downtown Burton so we chose Burton's High School. It was great! We were given not only pancakes and real maple syrup but waffles and a lot of great sausage too. We ate like pigs, of course. It's tradition, you just have to.

Nothing beats real maple syrup. Our town is full of it, and there's a maple syrup (production) cabin right in the town square. They really make it there, and even tap the nearby maple trees too. I sure missed all of this when I was in Florida for ten years. It sure feels good to be home in Ohio.

Rest in Peace, My Dear Fluffy Cat

Tonight, my dear 15 year old cat Fluffy was put to sleep. He had Cancer of the intestines, and the caring doctor and staff at Burton Veterinary Clinic assured me that nothing else could be done, to prevent or cure his illness. It was a large Cancer that must have grown quite fast, as it wasn't there when he last went for his checkup. So, tonight, I brought Fluffy in, who was shutting down internally, and the doctor said it was the humane thing to do and I agreed. I didn't want to do it, as I work hard to save pets of all kinds NOT to be put to sleep. But his quality of life was gone, his health was gone, and his body was shutting down. I didn't want him to suffer.

Fluffy was rescued from the mean streets of the near west side of Cleveland back in 1997. I'd lived in Lakewood for a short time after returning from being overseas and he would come to my door in the dead of winter, begging to come in. He smelled bad, was a tomcat-about-town and wasn't taken care of by his lowlife humans, who left him out in bitter cold temperatures all day long. So, I moved, got him fixed and de-flea'd and he has been living the housecat life of luxury ever since. He missed being outside, but adjusted to a kinder, gentler existence quite well.

So, with heavy heart I say goodbye to my dear old friend, my sweetheart boy, who travelled to Florida and back with me, my gentle old giant. He was a more reserved cat, not as outgoing or attention-seeking as my other cat Beau so I would seek him out to brush or pet him. But he knew he was loved and he loved my parents and I very much. Just last night my parents had come over, and he actually sought out my dad to see him.

Rest in peace, my dear Fluffy, you will always be in my heart and I hope that you find Blackie up there in Heaven and start fresh, well and whole. I love you with all of my heart. Your human mom, Carolyn

A New Month Begins and Happy Chinese New Year!

It's February, very cold and snowy so far! I'm busy drawing, learning my new graphics software program and drinking a whole lot of coffee from the comfort of my office. Solitude is good for producing artwork, I just hunker down and work a marathon most days, until my eyes and mind wear out. Heavy concentration makes me very tired because I put my heart and soul into what I do. After awhile, the brain starts to turn to mush..this is when it's time to rest.

Last month our products were at the gifting suite for celebrities during the Sundance Film Festival in Park City Utah! Representatives from the Indie Exhibit went and manned the booths. Here is Michael Vartan from "Alias" holding one of my calendars:



I'm planning new venues for promotion in the meantime, figuring out what items to send and which events best suit my work. Lots to figure out, so I take it in small pieces, figuring it out one part at a time.

Another issue on my "to do" list is getting my teeth fixed. Once again, major dental work is in my future. Having no dental insurance, it's extremely expensive. My dental work will probably fund the dentist's kid's college education. UGH. There's nothing like paying big bucks for pain, suffering and torture. Enough said. I had to vent, after 40 it's been all downhill for my teeth from there, so I continue the battle to get them fixed.

It won't be long now before spring comes..can't wait to see the flowers, budding trees and go to pancake breakfasts! Until then, I'm taking my parents out for a Chinese New Year celebration, complete with the dancing dragon, at a local Chinese restaurant. That will be a lot of fun. I've been to these things in the past and it was so wonderful to see the event in all its colorful and cultural glory.

Chinese Symbol for Happy Chinese New Year (恭禧發財)
Happy Chinese New Year!
How to say Happy Chinese New Year in Chinese?
The most common Chinese ways of saying Happy New Year are Gong Xi Fa Cai (Mandarin) and Gong Hey Fat Choy (Cantonese). Even though the pronunciations are a little different, both are written the same way.

A New Year at Two Purring Cats Studio

It's hard to believe it's actually January, 2011 already! After a busy and crazy holiday shopping season, it's now time for me to do a little shopping of my own for fun, take my parents out for a nice meal and then get back to work because this business doesn't run itself. Next up is the designing of a bunch of new patterns and designs for shoes, Apple iPhone and iPad cases and art posters. There are more items to design too but I just concentrate on a few styles at a time, it's easier that way.

 

A Note to Animal Lovers:

Part of being an artist and businessperson is giving back to causes I believe in, by helping to save the lives of shelter pets who desperately need homes. If you love animals, get on Facebook and "share" the many names of local and nationwide shelter animals that need help. Look up shelter names and see their photos, then re-post them..they are abondoned animals now stuck on death row, whose time is limited there. Facebook sharing has helped to get them adopted, it's very worthwhile.

The more people who see these animals, the better chance these dogs and cats have of being saved. Many times there are transport options available for bringing a pet from antother state, so ask the shelter or humane society if you see one that you want. Their little lives depend upon us. I have two rescued cats and my previous pets have been rescues too. This year, help us fight to find homes for so many who have none.

 

A Wonderful Poem Found on Facebook

Please Listen.


When I ask you to listen to me
and you start giving me advice,
you have not done what I asked.

When I ask you to listen to me
and you begin to tell me why I shouldn't feel that way,
you are trampling on my feelings.

When I ask you to listen to me
and you feel you have to do something
to solve my problem,
you have failed me, strange as that may seem.

Listen!
All I ask is that you listen.
Don't talk or do - just hear me.
Advice is cheap - 20 cents will get you both
Dear Abby and Billy Graham in the same newspaper.
And I can do for myself; I am not helpless.
Maybe discouraged and faltering, but not helpless.

When you do something for me that I can
and need to do for myself,
you contribute to my fear and inadequacy.
But when you accept as a simple fact
that I feel what I feel, no matter how irrational,
then I can stop trying to convince you
and get about this business of understanding
what's behind this irrational feeling.
And when that's clear, the answers are obvious
and I don't need advice.
Irrational feelings make sense
when we understand what's behind them.

Perhaps that's why prayer works - sometimes -
for some people, because God is mute.
and he doesn't give advice or try to fix things.
God just listens and lets you work it out for yourself.

So please listen, and just hear me.
And if you want to talk,
wait a minute for your turn,
and I will listen to you.

Author Unknown

It's Holiday Shopping Time!

Happy Holidays!

Have any animal lovers in your life? You do? Well then, here's some great gift ideas from our store for your shopping consideration :)

Colorful Rose Window Ornament by twopurringcats
View more Holiday decorating Ornaments

The Musical Symbols Travel Mug by twopurringcats
Make a promotional travel mug online with Zazzle