Gotcha Day Archives - Cats Herd You

Ashton’s Third Gotcha Day

Ashton: Can you believe that it was three years ago today that the head peep saw me in the median of the highway and stopped to pick me up? This is what I looked like then.

It’s hard to believe I was ever that small!

I didn’t feel very good at first, but I made friends with the resident cats.

And as I felt better, I got even more cute.

These days, I’m living the good life, and the feral world is something on the other side of the glass windows of our house. I’m really grateful to be here, and to be sharing my adventures with you.

Unlike Newton and Pierre, I’ve been blogging my whole life. That makes sharing my gotcha day with all of you extra-special. It’s a chance to thank you for being my friends and reading along. Love and fishes to all of you!

Happy First Gotcha Anniversary, Cousin Shep!

Some of you may remember how Cousin Shep joined the extended family a year ago, but we know that we have new readers since then. Our grandpeep had just passed away, leaving Cousin Earl alone all day while Aunt Orvis worked. Cousin Earl lost both his companion cat, Nellie, and his human in the space of six months, and now he was alone all day while Aunt Orvis was at work. It was time to find him a buddy.

That buddy came from the Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando, in the form of big, easygoing Shepherd, who we call Cousin Shep. Even from his first vet appointment, pictured here, he was totally chill.

Like any cat, he loves a good box.

And he gets really excited when the best programs come on the cat TV.

He’s always there to help when it’s time to get ready in the morning.

And most important of all, he keeps Cousin Earl company.

Happy first gotcha anniversary, Cousin Shep! We’re so glad that you’re part of our extended family.

Happy Ninth Gotcha Day, Pierre!

Once upon a time in 2005, there was a litter of cats born on a boat, under a tarp. The boat’s owner didn’t know about the kittens, and moved the trailer. By the time the boat’s owner discovered the kittens, the mother cat was nowhere to be found, and the kittens went to a local rescue group. They all got nautical names, and when they were old enough, they went to PetSmart for an adoption event.

A little gray tabby kitten, named Pier, was looking out of the cage at PetSmart and his eyes locked with the head peep’s eyes, and it was love at first sight. There hadn’t been any plans to get a kitten right now, but little Pier came home that day, and he was renamed Pierre.

He was kind of a timid little guy and spent a lot of his first week under the sofa, but quickly learned to come out for food and playtime.

(He still plays with that Christmas mouse to this day!)

And pretty soon he was hanging out on the bed like a big kid.

And of course showing off his spectacular kitten tummy.

He quickly showed a special talent for getting inside things.

Including getting into trouble.

He started to grow up, but he didn’t grow out of that tummy exhibitionism.

Or grow out of getting inside things.

Really, really inside things.

And under things, too.

He also learned to relax in front of the TV like a proper mancat.

And if you’re really lucky, he’ll flash you that tummy.

So happy ninth gotcha day, Pierre!

Thank you to all of our friends in the blgosphere for sharing it with us!

Happy Gotcha Day, Cousin Earl!

Today is Cousin Earl’s official first gotcha day. He lived with our grandpeep before she got sick, and today marks the day that he became a true “cousin” by belonging to Aunt Orvis.

Earl had a rough start in life, the victim of some kind of accident that caused him to have a foreleg amputated during kittenhood by a veterinary hospital affiliated good Samaritan rescue program before our grandpeep adopted him. Our grandpeep had a dog who ate cat toys, so Earl didn’t grow up with toys like most cats. So he didn’t have a traditional upbringing. When our grandpeep started to get sick, she moved in with our aunt, and Earl came with her.

It was Earl’s first chance to have wonderful toys, interesting scratching loungers, and even high tech gadgetry of his own.

He has lots of great cat TV to keep him occupied full of the most interesting neighborhood birds and squirrels.

And of course, all of the plush sleeping places a cat would ever want. Sometimes he even gets them to himself without having to share them with Cousin Shep!