Figgie's Blog

New Happies in my new city!

2011-12-19T09:51:00.000-08:00

Hi Kitties,

It has been quite a while since I have done my Therapy Kitty work, although Mommie and I still help our old therapy club with things. Recently we learned that I might get to visit a nursing home that is near my new house!! I am very excited and I will update you when I go on my visit.

Merry Holidays to all of you and see you in the New Year!

Love,
Figaro

Vote for our Orchard!

2011-04-17T19:29:00.000-07:00

Dear Kitties,

I have not updated my bloggy in MONTHS but I am doing great! I have been relaxisizing at home, because I do not have a place to therapy visit.

But my mommie does a lot of good works, and one group she works with is working on plans to plant an orchard. Please go and vote for our community! Go to the Edy's Fruit Bar page, click on "Plant" - "Leaders" and "Make Miracles Grow Foundation" in Chicago, IL! You do have to register, but it is a GREAT deed! You can vote once everyday!

Love and purrs,
Figgie

Things I do for love!

2010-08-27T13:07:00.000-07:00

Hi Kitties,

Here I am sitting on my new girly bedspread. It has PINK flowers! I do not mind it because it is mommie's favorite. I have not been blogging much because of, (1) no therapy work! and (2) I have been too busy relaxing, while mommie has been too busy working.

Summer is almost over!

Purrs,
Figaro

My Family and Our Golden Goat

2010-08-02T21:11:00.001-07:00

Hi Kitties,

Last week I had a great time with my cat sitter Mr. Figuero (yes, it is true!) while Mommie was away, staying on Figueroa street (yes, yes, it is true again). I am so famous. Meow!

My mommy brought us back a golden goat trophy, because she won #3 overall in a drawing contest. It is a special contest where you can draw for 20 minutes and include the logo of the company and there is a theme. Do you see the drawing? Can you spot the logo of the company in the drawing? What do you think is the theme?

We also got back lots of swag from the conference mommie was at. One cool thing is a free mousepad. My sister is sitting next to it waiting for a mouse to come and then she will pounce.

Love,

Figaro

Kitty Update

2010-07-27T12:18:00.001-07:00

Hi Kitties!

I hope you are all enjoying the kitty-days of summer.

I am doing good. Recently I got asked to be a GUEST BLOGGER on another site. Soon I am going to pick a topic and get my paws ready for some serious bloggin'!

Luuurve,
Figgie

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ME!

2010-07-22T08:41:00.000-07:00

Hi Kitties,
Welcome to my virtual birthday party. There is food, treats, catnip and games for everyone! This morning we got tons of food and catnip!
PS I am 3 years old!
Love
Figaro

Birthday Tomorrow!

2010-07-21T14:19:00.001-07:00

Hello Kitties,

Tomorrow is my BIRTHDAY! I am very excited. I am turning 3 years old. I swear, the older I get, the more fluffier gets my tail - check it out! Meowza!

My mom is out working ALL DAY today and tomorrow so all the fun will be held right here on this bloggy. There will be free food, drinks, catnip favours for all the guests.

I also wanted to share about my friends Faustine and Lux out on the West Coast. They got pet HENS! Their hens are so cool, and lay eggs. Although, the last few days they have gotten a bout of hen-o-pause and there were no eggs to be had. These hens are so cute.

Stay tuned for the birthday fun!
Figaro

My Excellent New Chair

2010-07-06T19:07:00.000-07:00

Hi Kitties,

Check out this excellent new chair we got from IKEA. It is my favorite place to sleep. So far, I have not used it for sharpening my nails... but we'll see. I've been having a great summer - lot of delicious foods, lounging around and relaxation!
Because I can't do therapy work, we are also taking this time to do some training. I am learning to go into my crate and to kiss mommie. Veronica is learning to kiss me.

Love,
Figaro

My Kitty Sitter

2010-06-27T09:27:00.000-07:00

Hi Kitties!

Yesterday my family went on a vacation and my sister and I stayed home and got to play with our kitty-sitter instead. The kitty sitter came to see us in the afternoon. He was very nice and gave us food and played with me with all my toys! Now parents are back and I am relaxing with Mommie while she finishes up some work.

Love,
Figaro

Kitty Heaven on a Friday Afternoon

2010-06-18T08:47:00.000-07:00

Hi Kitties,
Summer is here and we are peeking out the window at all of the birds out there! We have been spending a good amount of time relaxing and running around. Unfortunately I have not found a good therapy club yet so I will keep looking.
My mom showed some of our modeling photos to our family and they think I could be in a kitty calendar or a magazine! I am very proud. It is because I get bathed a lot and I am careful to properly clean my furs. Plus I have been working out!
Love,
Figaro

I weight lossed!

2010-06-15T15:20:00.000-07:00

Dear Kitties,

I am proud to announce that I have weight lossed 2 pounds in the last few months! Do you see my "after" photo? My V-E-T told us that I should try to lose some weight for my health.

You almost cannot tell because I am so fluffy. But this week I stepped on the scale and sure enough I see some improvements. I have been exercising and working out with "Da Bird" and playing a puzzle game to get snacks.

My family is so proud of me! :)

Love,

Figaro

Winner - Clean+Green Therapy Contest!

2010-06-02T10:08:00.000-07:00

Hi Kitties,

Yesterday was the end of my therapy contest and I have chosen a winner to receive a free Clean+Green product! There were many submissions, and many kitties who help their family and friends by being there for them, by helping raise moneys, by taking care of the babies in the family, by fostering kitties in need, and many other therapy activities. I am very proud of all of you!

I have chosen Prince Brutus from the Rose and the Royals family as the winner! The Rose and Royal's mom Rose had to go to the hospital for a week, and almost lost her kitty family. But thanksfully someone took care of the kitty family, and when Rose came back, HM Emily, Marigold and Prince Brutus (a great ManCat) took care of her and kept watch until she got better. Prince also spends time visiting neighbors. In addition, the Royals family has to do some cleaning because someone made special presents on the sofa.. :) You can read the full story in their comment on my last post. Congratulations, Brutus! Email me for your prize.

Have a good summer day, kitties! I am taking a long nap!

Figaro

Clean + Green! - Review and Giveaway

2010-05-25T06:34:00.000-07:00

Hi Kitties,

As many of you know, I am a therapy kitty and I also believe in therapy for the Earth. Last month, I got a sample of "Clean + Green" Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner for Kitty. Just in time, because we just moved to a new place with white carpets and got a new fancy, fancy couch and parents were a bit afraid about pet messes. We are usually very clean kitties so we do not have many messes, and we can say that this guy cleaned my sister's hairball mess from our white carpet very nicely! Both paws up! Best of all it is all-natural, eco-friendly, and pet safe. We had problems before finding a spray can that is eco-friendly and does a good job like the harsh chemicals, and this does even better. :)

Now for the giveaway - the company (who is very very nice!) is letting me host a giveaway of one product from the Clean + Green collection for kitties - there is a carpet cleaner, litterbox cleaner, floor cleaner, and more. Because I am a Therapy Cat, I decided to do the rules like this:

1- comment on my post and tell one good therapy work (anything like helping your human get through a tough situation, or going to see other humans) you have done in your 9 lives and put your bloggy link or your email.
2- on June 1, I will pick a winner. I am sure all of you have done good therapy work so it will be tough!
3- I will tell Clean + Green your contact info and you will get your giveaway prize!

Good luck everyone :)

Love,

Figaro

I am on the interwebs

2010-05-03T07:58:00.001-07:00

Hi Kitties,

My friend Marg did a nice blog entry about me on her website, check it out! http://www.margsanimals.com/blogs/index.php/margspets/

PS - we got an awesome new chair this weekend, I will post it as soon as I have pics. And my kitty shelvings are here, we will be installing them soon.

Thanks,
Fig-wig

Settling in on a mancat monday

2010-04-22T12:25:00.000-07:00

Dear Kitties,

We are all settled in our new house. Just a few more boxes to unpack and this weekend our couch came in. The couch is SO COMFY I am having some sweet dreams right now. :) So far we did not go outdoors for any exploring but we do like to look outside of the windows a lot! We did not start up any visiting yet, but I did advise my friend Nic about visiting in our hometown today - I hope she will take my place as the therapy cat in my hometown, that would be so nice!

Oh PS - stay tuned! We just got a free bottle of pet carpet cleaner, and we will be reviewing it on our site as soon as we have a carpet stain - and there will be a carpet cleaner GIVEAWAY!

PPS - StumbleIT indexed our site and I had 75 visitors yesterday! Neat!

Love,
Figgie

Our new place

2010-04-12T05:36:00.000-07:00

Hi Kitties,

We are almost all moved in our new place. There are a LOT of boxes right now for me to play in, and I like that. Also, the views are purr-fect. I can see all the cars and people moving around down below, which gives me a lot of entertainment. The granite counter-tops are perfect for relaxing on when Mommie is not looking. So far, I do not miss my visits, but I know I will soon, and as soon as we are all settled we will be ready to look for new visiting places! I just hope my mommie has time for visits.

Love,
Figaro

Nursing Home

2010-04-07T06:31:00.000-07:00

Hi Kitties,

This week I went to my last Nursing Home visit in my town and I was feeling very sad and happy at the same time. Have you felt like that before?

I was happy to see everyone again, and V. at the Nursing Home told everyone that I am a Very Good Cat who brought a lot of smiles to everyone. Then I went around and got petted. I was extra good because of the nice weather outside so I was purring and purring and let everyone pet me twice! I felt very happy. But then, one of my best friends who I talk about all the time, R.A., did not remember me anymore. I think she was not feeling very well and she had to leave early. This was the second time that she did not remember me. I am sad since she is one of my favorite friends, and I hope she is feeling better today. It is one of the most sad things at the Nursing Home when my friends are not feeling well, but I hope they still get some happies when they see me. My friend E. was there too who can't see or hear very well, and I have to be held up for her to pet me, and she was happy to pet me I think.

The boxes are all packed and we are just waiting for our Dr. Mommie to get back with the moving truck!

Love,
Figaro

We are almost ready!

2010-04-05T12:58:00.001-07:00

Hello Kitties,

Very, very soon we leaving for the big world out there. This weekend I had my very last visit at the Library, and it was raining "cats and dogs," so we did not have many readers there. Our friend L. at the library wrote a really nice flyer about our "reading to the cat" goodbye program, special just for me! I felt very sad to be leaving her and the kids at the library. I promised to come back often. Later this week I am having my last visit to one of my favorite Nursing Homes.
We spent some time packing this weekend. This is what my sister thinks about packing <-, apparently! We are almost ready to go!
Love,
Figlet

Modelling Monday

2010-03-29T19:09:00.001-07:00

Hi Kitties,

Do you like this photo of me? Yesterday, one of my mom's best friends who is a photographer came over for a photoshoot. I had to pose on my trick podium for an hour (but I did get lots of treats!) These photos are going to be used on the photography studio website and I think they are beautiful. The photography studio will open soon and I will post a link to the website then!

Love,
Figaro

Can I get some food?

2010-03-24T11:36:00.001-07:00

Hi Kitties,

My mommy works late hours sometimes, and in the evening when she gets home I make her a cute face and put my paws together to ask her for some treats. Do you see my pet mouse next to me? We have several pet mice, one is my color and one is gray, the color of my sister.

In other news, soon we will be receiving some sample Earth-Friendly kitty cleaning products (for the carpet) and I will post a review and have a give-away directly on my blog!

Love,
Figaro

Meowing some Goodbyes

2010-03-17T11:01:00.000-07:00

Hi Kitties,
Yesterday was probably my last visit at my Nursing Home. I was very sad, and everyone else was sad too that I had to say goodbye because we are moving soon. If I become a very good car-cat, I will be able to come visit sometimes from my new house, but Mommie says it might not work out with everyone's schedules and the Nursing Home is busy with many visitors. I have really enjoyed doing my visits and meeting all my friends. Most of my friends were there to see me yesterday...and I have now been visiting there every month for almost 2 years. My friends have seen me through 2 Christmas holidays, gotten 2 Valentine's from me, and seen me in 2 of my Halloween costumes. They have also celebrated my birthday with me! I really hope I will get to come back again, but if I don't, I hope that the rest of our team in my therapy group will fill in for me.
Love,
Figaro

I am philosiphizing

2010-03-11T18:15:00.001-08:00

Hello my kitty friends,

Yesterday it was nice weather so I got to go outside for a walk and I got to meet our neighbor A. A. is only 4 years old and she just got a small puppy whom she named Lulu. The puppy is smaller than me! A. liked me a lot and she even petted me. I also met some neighbors from across the way who are going to be coming to the library reading program next month to see me!

Usually I like to talk about my work, but today I am also going to talk about my mommie's work. My mommie is going to become a doctor of philosophy next week! A doctor of philosophy is not like a real doctor, but it is still pretty good! Right now I am thinking of a good philosophy. It is about kitty treats.

Love,
Figaro

My personal high-rise

2010-03-08T13:02:00.001-08:00

Hi Kitties,

I am happy to report that it looks like we found the apartment we will be moving to in the windy city. I am so excited to move, because I will be getting my own personal high rise. This is the Ikea hack from Stockholm. I am pretty sure that my mom will build it for us very soon. It will be good for relaxing in between my kitty visits.

Excited,

Figaro

The Economy

2010-02-24T09:59:00.001-08:00

Hi Kittens,

As you all might know the Economy is not doing so good right now and one of my favorite Nursing Homes has cut my hours indefinitely! They were sold to another company, and that company reduced the hours for activities. First, I changed my activity to only 30 minutes instead of one hour, and then, they cancelled my activity in January and February, and then they just called to cancel March, and when my mommie asked about April they said it is cancelled. My mommie is checking to see if I will be able to come a few times just to visit my friends room to room, and they have to check with the main office. In the meantime - I am vacationing and getting ready for our big move! We will be finding Nursing Homes in our new locale soon.

//Update update update! I am allowed to come anytime by myself for room-to-room visitation. Woo-hoo-hoo I am definitely dropping by this weekend!

Love,
Figaroon

Cuddly Cupid

2010-02-17T10:44:00.000-08:00

Hi Kitties,
Yesterday I had a great time visiting all my friends at the Nursing Home and handing out my Valentines. My favorite friends were there and I even brought my photo album to share, with photos of me as a baby, and photos of me with my family.
I will be sad when I have to move if I can't keep visiting my favorite friends. I also checked out the car seat that my mommie is working on for me, which we got from one of our friends whose puppy outgrew it, there is space enough for both my sister and I and it is going to be padded with lots of comfy blankets.
I also dropped by great-grandma's place to pick up some fresh cooked chicken for the week.
My family had dinner together and I also got yummy yummy yummy freshwater fish. Special fish we get on special order. OH yum. It was tdf.
Cuddles,
Figgie

Happy Valentines!

2010-02-15T11:20:00.000-08:00

Hi Kitties,

I almost forgot to wish everyone a happy valentines day! Here is my valentine's day card for everyone. I made it on my Macbook. I hope you like it. I have printed out several to hand out to my friends at the Nursing Home and at the Library this week and I am very excited to give them out! I did not want it to be too girly so I put green hearts instead of pink.

Purrs,

Figaro

Guest Reviews - Figarrooo Figaroo Figaroo!

2010-02-01T12:05:00.001-08:00

Hi Kitties,

Today I was asked to comment on an article about 15 Tips on Caring for Persian Cats. I feel that I may look a little bit like a Persian Cat because I am so fluffy, and it is true that I am a long-hair so some of these tips apply for me too, although I am from the shelter and my breed is not known. I will comment about some of the points.

1. Daily brushing. Yes! I am brushed a few times every week, and because my fur is not quite *that* long, it works well for me. For a persian though, brushings may be needed more often.

2. Vegetarian diets. Well, I do not believe that any cat should be on a vegetarian diet. My mommie is a big health nut and has looked up everything on cats and firmly believes that cats require a meat diet. In our case, we eat raw meat (mostly cut up chicken) and some raw food with dry food for "treats", and the Platinum Performance supplement. I love my raw chicken! Remember, if you feed cooked meat it cannot have bones in it as they splinter when cooked. Also, cooked diets require more taurine supplement. I personally enjoy my diet, because as a baby kitten I suffered tummy aches from eating mostly kibble and canned food, I think I am allergic to some of the ingredients, particularly beat pulp is not necessary. I am much more in favor of my high quality diet. My sister would probably actually enjoy being vegetarian, because she loves to share some muffins or cupcakes with mommie for breakfast, and recently has been enjoying a big of yoghurt and potato salad. All these she only gets in moderation because they are snacks, not her main food! I personally HATE that food. Oh and my mommie is vegetarian so I get all that meat to myself :)

3. Baths. Yes, we take them. Yes, I hate them! We get a bath about every month. In the article it says every week to every month. My vet said once every two weeks is the maximum or else the skin might dry out.

4. Cleaning around noses and eyes. Yes, that would be good!

5. Better kept indoors. I agree with that! I much prefer to be inside and safe, although I do go out for walks when it is nice out on my leash. Indoor kitties live longer and enjoy a happy cozy life.

As for the rest of the article, it looks pretty good! :) I am not a Persian expert, just a regular cat, so I hope if any of my readership is Persian you will enjoy the article.

PS - I am feeling a little bit famous because my mom saw an Opera this weekend in which they sang Figaroo Figaroo Figarooo! It was a piece from La Nozze di Figaro and one of my favorite Operas because I am named after it.

Love,

Figgie

Somewhere Way Up High!

2010-01-28T14:31:00.000-08:00

Hi Kitties,

Here is another great photo of me from the library.
<<--

I cannot WAIT to move to Chicago and get to live in one of those skyrockets. I mean, skyscrapers. We looked around for some apartments and the good ones come with "pet services". That will be very luxurious for me, if my mommie has to be out of town for work Veronica and I can get pampered! Mommie says she is probably going to meet friends to take care of us when she is out, but the "pet services" sounded like a great idea to us, for example I hope it includes breakfast in bed. There are also going to be granite countertops and wall to ceiling windows. I really hope the view is good, since Veronica and I will be the ones enjoying it the majority of the time since mommie will be at work.

Yesterday my mommie got interviewed by some journalists and on the TV about her thoughts on charging people for trash, which is a new ordinance in our town. We think that if people have to pay extra to have extra trash, then they will be more likely to recycle their recyclables and give their old stuff to the Goodwill instead of putting it in the garbage! This will be good therapy for the earth.

Love,

Fig-bunny

I am a little fish in a big pond.

2010-01-26T10:19:00.000-08:00

Hi Kitties,
Yesterday was an adventure! I went to my Nursing Home like normal, and this time so many people wanted to visit with me that there were people waiting outside the door to the room! I had at LEAST 30 visitors.. I was so happy. My regular friends were there, and I met a lot of new friends too. I went to everyone and got petted, and then I played with a string. At the end when people were leaving I ran around and lay down in front of their wheelchairs so they would not go! (But, my mommie took me in her arms and told me that we will be back next month). For next month - we will be going over Valentine's and I will have to come up with some nice Valentine's cards to hand out!
Love,
Figaro

Read, read, read your book

2010-01-25T08:43:00.001-08:00

Hi Kitties,

Today I am humming "row row row your boat" with the words "read read read your book". I think it is very clever. I am sitting on the old HP laptop right now and staring out the window at some snow while mommie writes down what I want to say on the new MacBook. My sister and I both take turns sitting on the laptop, because it is the perfect size plus it has a snuggly cover on it. My sister is taking a nap on the bed instead, which is funny for her because she usually does not sleep in the mornings.

This Saturday I had an excellent visit to the library. As always we had a lot of little kiddos reading to me, which I enjoyed very much! Of course, I got a lot of treats and pettings. One of my favorite friends read me a book about Barney, and I also heard a lot about felines. I have also written my own book, which is just about me, with pictures, all about my life, from when I was born to pictures of everyone in my family, which some of the kids read to me too. Everyone likes that book, especially the part about my sister Veronica. You can see the book behind me, it has a beautiful antique silver cover. I am very fancy.

Tonight I am going to see my Nursing Home friends! I hope the snow stops, because I do not like to go outside much when it is snowing!

Love,
Fig-boat

Library TO-MORROW!

2010-01-22T12:04:00.001-08:00

Kitties,

An entire paragraph about me on the library website today!

"The weather outside may be frightful, but the library will be a warm and delightful place for children to read to Figaro, the Caring Paws cat, and several therapy dogs on Saturday, January 23. They will be eagerly waiting for children to read to them. Children may bring favorite books from home or choose some in the children’s department when they arrive at the library."

I cannot wait to go tomorrow!

We also got a crate for the car for the trips to Chicago - one of the puppies on our club outgrew it and our friend J. was giving it away. It is really big and both my sister and I will fit in it. Parents are going to set it up to connect to the seat-belts in the back and pad it on the inside with warm furry blanket. We will be traveling in style!

Love,

Figaro

Moving and looking for therapy groups

2010-01-13T07:20:00.000-08:00

Hey Kitties,

I need to decide soon about what kind of therapy work I will be doing in Chicago (and also, I need to ask parents WHEN we are actually moving already). We contacted a few therapy groups out there but they were DOGS-ONLY so we have to keep looking.

Some things I will be sad to leave behind when we move... all my extended family, my nursing home friends, my library reading friends, and my pet mole G'nesha who lives in the windowsill. I think we will get another nice new windowsill in Chicago, but maybe with less birds outside. I also hope to meet lots of new people to visit! And I can come back on weekends to see my friends at the Nursing Home, since I am a good car rider.

Love,
Figgie-snuggle-butt

We love happy endings!

2010-01-11T15:49:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone,

As you know I was adopted from a shelter, and I am so happy when animals receive happy homes! I also support Spay, Neuter Release programs to control the pet population.

Today, I learned in my email that PetSmart charities has helped adopt the 4 millionth pet! Chloe is a mixed-breed puppy who was adopted in New Jersey and there is a party going on for her on the PetSmart website.

I feel very happy to be invited to this party. :)

PS - thanks all for the tips about tooth brushing. So far I have settled on some malt flavour toothpaste and a blue toothbrush with rubber duckie stickers on it. I also got some all-natural dental treats which I liked a little too much because I got through the entire bag overnight, even though my mommie thought she hid it in the cupboard.

Love,
Figgie

My pearly whites!

2010-01-08T13:33:00.000-08:00

Kitties,
I have been to the v-e-t for my teeth cleaning yesterday. Let me tell you - it was NOT fun! But I had to go because I needed clean teeth. My new v-e-t is very nice and called to check on me already today. I have been doing fine. I was drowsy when I got back because I had to have some anesthesia. My parents were very worried about taking me so we went to a very good vet, with a doctor, an anesthesiologist, and four or five students looking out for me the entire time. I am still feeling a little bit under the weather.
I have been prescribed to do teeth cleanings more often and to eat some dental treats on a regular basis. I am all for treats!
Love,
Figaro

Several things give me the happies

2009-12-29T07:48:00.000-08:00

Hi Kitties,

Yesterday, I shed one of my whiskers and my mommie found it and put it in a special box, because of the song "raindrops on roses and whiskers and kittens - these are a few of my favoooorite things!"

Happy New Years in a few days!

Love,
Figaro

Happy Magical Christmas!

2009-12-25T14:46:00.000-08:00

Dear kitties,
We wish you a Merry Christmas! Here is a photo of the Marshall Fields Christmas display in Chicago. It is very magical and I like it a lot. I have been having a good christmas vacation with my family. I love my family so much! They feed me and cuddle me and I cuddle them right back. I am so happy during the holidays to have so many loving people in my life. We did not get any presents yet because Santa Paws is coming to our place on the 27th this year. Sometimes he comes late.
I almost forgot to post about my pre-Christmas Nursing Home visit. On accident my mommie got all the dates mixed up, and so we were not on the schedule. Since I already arrived, they asked us to do some room to room visiting. I visited all my favorite friends, and then we stopped in a new friend's room, her name was M. M. was very upset about something and she was calling for someone, but as soon as we came in the room M. started cooing at me and told me I am an angel, and she forgot that she was upset! I stayed with her for about 20 minutes and she looked at me but she did not want to pet me. She told my mommie to keep me very safe and not let me run away in the big hallways of the Nursing Home, and my mommie explained that I am on my special leash. I was very glad to make someone feel better like that, and it is one of the biggest reasons I am a Therapy Cat!
Love you all, and happy happy christmas,
Figaro

Poked and Prodded

2009-12-14T10:21:00.000-08:00

Hi Kitties,
Well, this morning I had to go to the kitty doctor's office. It was time for my annual checkup and I went to a new vet this time who my mommy really liked but I have to say I am not so sure. I had to get all my shots and I had to have a thermometer to measure my temperature. It was so embarrassing! I also got some heartguard medicine for worm prevention. The only good news is I did a good, good job and did not scratch or bite anyone. Also, because I am a therapy cat I got $5 off my visit fees.
Also this weekend was the library reading program! I have a BIG accomplishment. Usually, I have a room all to myself but this time they made a mistake with scheduling so I had to be in the same room with the therapy dogs. A lot of dogs were there, and I was not scared at all! I did my usual purrs and high fives for everyone! Because it is so close to the holidays, I did not have many visitors since everyone is busy getting ready for Santa Paws.
I got ready for Santa Paws too by decorating our room with a lot of bright lights and hanging up our stocking. We also set up a menorah for good measure, and we will put shoes out our window for the elves, and expect the Father Frost to come for New Years. I hope I get a lot of good gifts to eat - since we celebrate so many of the holidays it is bound to happen! This year for the holidays we adopted a goat.
Happy Hannukah!
Love,
Figaro

Mr. Figaro's appearance requested

2009-12-10T12:23:00.000-08:00

Hi Kitties,

I have been very busy lately. Recently I got a phone call requesting my therapy cat service at another Nursing Home. The specialist thinks I will be very important. I am very hesitant to take more work though since I will be moving soon, but I am going to think about it! Also, one of my current Nursing Homes organizers called today and told my Mommie that some of my visitors ONLY come to see me and they do not like to do any other activities. She said that the families of my visitors are very surprised that they love me so much! I am very glad to bring so much happies to everyone! I can't wait to go hand out my Holiday cards to everyone next week. :)

Yesterday, it snowed. I like to watch the snow, but G-nesha has gone to hibernation (our vole). We will have to wait for G-nesha until the spring when he comes back out. I have not gone outside because it is very cold. I like to watch outside though!

Love,

Figaro

Our Pet

2009-12-01T16:02:00.000-08:00

Hi Kitties,

I want to introduce you all to G-nesha. G-nesha is our new vole who lives in our windowsill. He is very cute and we like to watch him. You will notice that G-nesha is very fat, also. I think he eats bugs and also pieces of plants that we planted last year. In the spring G-nesha ate the entire screen of the window so that had to be removed. Our cousin Missy briefly considered catching and eating G-nesha but we would not let her. The neighbor cat also tried to get G-nesha but we made a lot of hisses and we did not let him get G-nesha.

Yesterday I had a great time at the Nursing Home. I rubbed on everyone's legs and wished them Happy, Happy Thanksgiving. My favorite friend R.A. was there and she was so happy to see me. Also, my friend H. was there who can't see, she likes to reach out her arms for me and I get petted. I like all my friends very much.

Love,

Figgie

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-28T19:21:00.001-08:00

Hello My Darling Turkeys,

I wish you a happy, happy Thanksgiving! My sister and I celebrated Thanksgiving with our whole family, and on Monday I am going to my Nursing Home to spread Thanksgiving wishes over there. We got to eat a lot of Turkey, and then my mom also fed us some Tofurkey, which everyone says tastes like real Turkey but blechh we did not like it! Instead we ate real turkey with lots of gravy, and there are leftovers for the entire week. :)

Here are some things I am very, very thankful for this year:

1. Being with our family our apaa for this holiday

2. Being able to visit people and help them feel happier through my purrs and cuddles

3. Having a wonderful mommie who loves us

4. Having so many friends who follow my bloggy and leave such nice comments!

5. Having a lot of delicious foods and having a warm bed where we can sleep and purr

6. Our new pet who we named G'nesha. He is a really awesome vole who lives in our windowsill.

Love and giblets,

Figgie

Visiting the Library

2009-11-23T13:13:00.000-08:00

Hi Kitties,

This weekend I had an excellent visit to the library! My mommie made a scrapbook of my photos since I was a baby, with interesting things written about my life, and the kids at the library got to read it. They liked that very much.

Also, some funny news. My mommie has to go get s-h-o-t-s because it is a new requirement that both me and her get shots for me to visit the Nursing Home! She hates shots but she is going to have to do it, because visiting the Nursing Home is one of my favorite things.

I plan to have a lot of TURKEY this week (how about you??) !!!

Love,

Figgie Pudding

Another Fun Time at the Nursing Home

2009-11-19T15:00:00.000-08:00

Hi Kitties,

This afternoon I had a delightful visit to the Nursing Home. Only a few of my friends were there because it was snack-time. I got to be petted by a lot of my friends who were very happy to see me. I also gave a few high-fives. But I did not stay long, because the rain outside made me get a little bit anxious. My furs got a little bit wet! After I got back I did some relaxing on the floor of my pink room. I feel very relaxed!

But I have been getting better in the car. When my mommie goes to her new job, we will have to do a lot more car-travelling so I am getting used to it. I hope my sister gets her own car-seat because I do NOT want to share!

Love,

Figlet

Fluffy and Sweet

2009-11-17T15:03:00.000-08:00

Hi Kitties,

Here is a beautiful photo of me. I think I look like a mancat model. I am very fluffy and sweet.

Last week-end my mommie was visiting our friend who has a cat named Fish. Fish is like me only dark orange and he enjoys eating as much as I do!

This week we have a lineup of nursing home visits and library visits, I will keep you up to date as they come up.

Love,
Figg-o waffles

Crunchy times

2009-11-10T15:30:00.001-08:00

Haaalooo, kitties!
We spent the weekend raking the crunchy leaves in the backyard, although my sister was scared and stayed out of the way of my mischiefs.
Some news on the home front. My cousin Dasha (our parakeet) got a boyfriend. His name is Sasha and they sit around tweeting and preening each other all day. They are so cuddly it makes me want to throw up a hairball ;) (because I am a Mancat and I do not do this love kind of stuff)
Peace, Figaro

Halloween Adventures

2009-11-02T10:04:00.001-08:00

Hi Kitties,

I dressed as a ladybug for Halloween. Do you like my outfit? I think it is very cute. I went to the Nursing Home for trick-or-treating and I got a lot of treats, before my official therapy visit. I got a lot of compliments for my costume, everyone said I am very cute.

At my therapy visit, I took off my costume and got petted. I had a lot of visitors. I also had a few people with oxygen tanks. At first the oxygen tank noises were scary for me so I had to take a break and sit on my mom's lap without being petted. But then I ate some treats and felt better, so I let everyone pet me and now I am happy to say I am not afraid of oxygen tanks! They took me by surprise, that's all.

The only sad part was that my best friend R.A. did not want to pet me because she was having a bad day. She did not remember how much she loves me! I meowed and asked her to pet me, but she pet me a little bit and then went back to her room. I hope she is feeling better next time I come and she can pet me because I am her favorite.

Love,

Figaro

Nursing Home over the Weekend

2009-10-04T18:08:00.000-07:00

Hi Kitties,

This weekend I went to my Nursing Home on Saturday. It was very relaxing and I had about 15 visitors, as always there were old friends and new friends. I spent most of my time getting petted, and then ate some treats. Do you see my big treat container? I have had this treat container full of treats for a very long time. But today my treats are ALL GONE! I will ask my Mommie to buy new treats.

The weather is getting colder here, which means Halloween is coming up soon, and a lot of parties. I am going to dress up as a bumble bee again and my sister is going to be a lady bug. Do you have a costume yet?

Love,

Figaro

My pawesome sissy

2009-09-30T14:14:00.000-07:00

Hi Kitties,

On Monday I was telling my Nursing Home friends about how my older sister Veronica, always gives me a nice washing when I get back from trips. This is because I smell funny to her, since she is not a therapy cat so she does not go out to meet new people. (Really, she is so shy, she is only friendly with 3 people in the whole wide world!)

Here is a photo of us getting ready for bed. You can see my sister is just a blur because she is so busy licking me. It is very relaxing.

Love,

Figaro

Snacks for Dinner

2009-09-29T06:37:00.000-07:00

Hi Kitties,

I went on my monthly Nursing Home visit last night and I had a lot of fun, of course. I had so many snacks that I was not even hungry for dinner. Can you see the snacks by my feet on the floor? I was playing with them while everyone watched and clapped. I had a great time at the Nursing Home, we had my favorite friends like R.A. there, and 3 new people came to join the visiting group! We had about 15 people in total who wanted to pet and play with me. I purred the entire time and I did not even mind the car ride.

I want to get better used to car rides so that if we move to Chicago we can drive back home often to see all our old friends. Of course I am thinking in Chicago for the new apartment I will need an extra tall kitty condo upholstered in a fancy fabric. I will have to talk to Mommie about that.

Love,
Figaro

My relation!

2009-09-23T12:31:00.000-07:00

Hi Kitties,

Almost forgot! Here is one of my relatives who lives in Munich. His name is Boris, and he is my great grandma's sister's late husband's sister's son. He is 12 years old. He is not a therapy cat but he is very sweet. My mommy met him when she visited our relatives in Germany.

Love,

Figaro

Library Weekend

2009-09-13T20:29:00.000-07:00

Hi Kitties,

This weekend I enjoyed the library very much. At the library, kids read to me and I practice being a good listener. We only had 8 readers so everyone got to spend a lot of time with me. I listened to a story about giraffes, a story about a dog, a story

After the library, me, my mommie and our friend S. went to the flower store to pick out flowers for a party. I decided I do not like the smell of flowers, so I will not go the next time. I even got to drive the car in the parking lot, I loved it!

Love,

Figaro

I got a sleepy

2009-09-08T07:06:00.001-07:00

Hi Kitties,

This is how I am looking when my mommie comes home late late late on weekend nights. I was sleeping and waiting for her to come to bed last night, and my furs are sticking all over the place. Next time I am going with her!! I heard there is cheese and wine. I want to be a party kitty too.

Oh PS - reading at the library to the children is this coming weekend!

Love,

Figaro

Our mouse visitor

2009-09-03T13:53:00.000-07:00

Hi Kitties,

We have a small mouse living in our window well. I watch him doing activities all day long. Usually, he is eating the plants, but sometimes, he is sleeping or jumping around. He made a hole for himself that he goes to at night. Spending time with him is a lot of fun. Last week, my mom made me go outside so that I would scare him, because we do not want him to hang out too much and start digging more holes. But he did not get scared and he still comes back. My sister Veronica enjoys him also.

I am in a very loving mood right now about this mouse, he is so sweet and fun. My mommie is also in a loving mood, I think it is because the lovely weather we have been having.

Looooove,

Figaro

I am so cute I can barely stand it.

2009-08-30T20:37:00.000-07:00

Hi Kitties,

Here is a photo of me in my cat car seat taking a ride. Safety in cars is very very important, which is why I want to set a good example for all other kitties.

I do not have very many therapy activities for the next few weeks, but my mommie has been very busy with her earth therapy activities. She is going to be on the 6am morning TV again this week to talk about all of our progress in greening the community!

It has been warm out so we have been taking a lot of time out of doors.

PS - can you see my toe tufts in this photo? I am so cute I can barely stand it!

Love,
Figaro

I go the whole wide world

2009-08-27T21:03:00.000-07:00

Another Success at the Nursing Home

2009-08-18T09:00:00.001-07:00

Hi Kitties,

Last evening I went to the Nursing Home which I enjoy very much. I have not been there for one month! I did a group visit, followed by a few visits to rooms. I got to see some of my favorite people, and they were very happy to see me. I stayed for an entire hour! Everyone was very pleased. Here is a photo of us folowing behind one of our friends as we go to visit a new friend down the hall. I very much enjoyed this visit!

After the visit, we went to my great-grandparents house where I got to eat a lot of cheese and explore in the garage. That is my favorite place to explore in my great-grandparents house. After that we stopped by our friend's house to hang out for a while. His house is fun because I am ALLOWED ON THE COUNTERTOP! This is pretty unusual since I am never allowed. However, it is not as much fun as when I go on the countertop secretly when I am not allowed, not being allowed is part of the fun. :)

We have another visit coming up this week so I will be sure to update then!

Love,

Figaro

night time relaxation

2009-08-10T12:27:00.000-07:00

Hi kitties,

Look at this relaxing painting my mommie made. I think it is beautiful and it makes me think of relaxation. She made it during her vacation and brought it back for us. It helps me to look at it before going to do my therapy work.

Love,
Figaro

Gearing up for falls

2009-08-10T12:22:00.000-07:00

Hi Kitties,

Fall is coming up soon, and I am getting ready. There are going to be quite a few reading programs, and as always I will be visiting the Nursing Home. I have just been relaxing with my family.

Love,

Figaro

Thank you!

2009-07-23T09:55:00.001-07:00

Hello Kitties! Thank you for your great birthday wishes. I had a great great time last evening for my 2nd birthday. All my family came over and we had some cake and cat treats. Here is me trying some delicious treat. I got a lot of presents, some catnip, and treats, and a really cool mouse with a rattle inside, a nice card with a kitty on it from my Uncle S., and some origami mice that my Aunt V. made me. Everyone had a really great time! And birthday week continues...

Love,

Figaro

Happy Birthday to ME!!!!

2009-07-22T08:46:00.000-07:00

Hello Kitties!

Today is the day! I am 2 years old (and I am way bigger than this baby picture of me!!!) and I have been a Therapy Cat for an entire year now! Thank you for coming to visit me today. I have had a great time this year and I will be having fun for many years to come. Today we are having some organic catnip from our garden, and later on we will be playing with my catnip bubbles.

I am having troubles posting any photos right now so stay tuned for tomorrows update about how my party went with my closest family!

Love,

Figaro

It's....Birthday time!

2009-07-20T09:00:00.000-07:00

Hi Kitties,

Great meows, birthday week has finally arrived. What does this mean? Well, today is my great-grandpa's birthday. In two days is MY BIRTHDAY. And in one week it is my mommie's birthday. What am I getting? I asked for some paw-breakers. I will probably just have a family party with some of my closest friends for my birthday. I am excited and I think I will play outside with my catnip bubbles. I will be 2 years old. I have been a Therapy Cat and a ManCat for an entire year now.

This evening I will be visiting one of my favourite Nursing Homes. I hope they remember my birthday and give me some treats.

Love,

Figaro

I know u want me, u know I wantcha. Uno dos, tres, quatro!

2009-07-18T10:09:00.000-07:00

Yo, kitties!
I have been the busy of kitties this week. On Thursday, I had a Nursing Home visit but my mom did not have time to drive me around so I came to work with her. I helped set up experiments in the lab, I sat on a lot of different computer keyboards. Then I hung out in the office while there was an experiment. At the nursing home, I met a lot of my friends who enjoy talking with me. After that, we went back to the office and I got to eat a bunch of cat treats. I played with some of the co-workers. Then my grandma came and picked me up.
Do you like this photo of me singing? I am singing along with the radio to some clubbin' music. I am a very cool cat.
Peace!
Figaro

An Overall Great Time

2009-07-03T13:43:00.001-07:00

Hi Kitties,

We have been having a great time hanging with our family while our Mommie goes all around the place for work and fun. She has been around the east coast and midwest and I have not been going on any therapy visits. However, I will be going to my nursing home and libraries within the next few weeks so stay tuned!

In the meantime, take a look at the sunset painting that is in our living room. Veronica and I like to look at it and think about going outside and hunting seagulls!

Love,

Figaro

Sad kitties.

2009-06-24T09:15:00.000-07:00

Hello Kitties,
We are very, very sad because one of our family has to move very, very, very far away. I think we are going to be sad a long time.
Love,
Figaro

Camping Out

2009-06-22T12:36:00.000-07:00

Hi Kitties,
It has been very hot in our town lately. We are taking some time outside but only for an hour or so in the mornings. Do you see us pretending that we are camping with our kitty camper? I am having a great time eating some grass. Spending time outdoors is very relaxing, but if you are a kitty make sure you wear a leash so you do not get lost! Because my mommie is out of town for work the next little while I will not be going on any visitations for a few weeks. But my Aunt V. will be taking good cares of me.
Love,
Figaro

Visiting the Nursing Home

2009-06-16T11:59:00.000-07:00

Hi Kitties,

Yesterday I visited my Nursing Home. Here you can see me in my kitty carseat on the way to my job. It was a lot of fun to see my good friends, and I even met new friends. For the first part I let everyone pet me and then I walked around and finally I just lay down on the floor and relaxed. Everyone liked looking at me. I was a very good kitty and did a lot of high fives. For next time my mom is going to bring my podium and I will do some twirls, sit-ups, and double high fives, I only do those on my podium.

Also, after my AAT visit (Animal Assisted Therapy) some of the residents go to do yoga. This morning my mommie found out that it is with the same yoga instructor who teaches her class at the gym! He said we should join him for yoga sometime. I am not sure if I would be good at yoga, I do not think I would like to do some of the moves, like "downward-facing dog" or "bird of paradise". But for humans it is great for relaxation and flexibility. (PS, my mommie does the "bird of paradise" very well but I do not think she is a bird!).

My next Nursing Home visit is Thursday, I can't wait!

Love,

Figaro

Reading at the Library

2009-06-13T11:07:00.000-07:00

Hello Kitties,

This morning I went to read at the library. I had a very good time. Over 15 children came to the library to read to me and the other dogs! A lot of my friends were there, as well as new friends. I heard many stories. I usually get to hear stories about dogs, and I heard 2 of those. I also heard a story about a soccer coach. I also heard a story about what you can and can't do, for example, "can you ride a bed? no! can you ride a sled? yes!"

One of my new friends, E., read a story she wrote by herself! This was very exciting. It was about saving a dolphin. My other friend Z. read a story that her sister wrote about animals. I really liked those.

Now I am getting to the really good part. One of my very good friends brought a story that her aunt wrote. It was all about her and all the animals she is friends with. The best part is, two of the pages had photos of me! I am in a book! I was very excited. I would like more people to write stories about me.

I also handed out my bookmarks and everyone was very pleased.

Now I am just taking a short nap before I take a longer nap.

Love and purrs,

Figaro <3

My sister gives me kisses

2009-06-12T14:20:00.000-07:00

Hi Kitties,
Do you see that photo of my sister giving me kisses? My big sister loves me very much.
Tomorrow I will be going to a reading program. We also ordered some new bookmarks with my photo on them to give out to the children, I have to check for them in the human mailbox later today.
Also, this week a cat Jax tested for his therapy license with our club and passed! Jax is a black cat. He did very well. Now there are 2 of us cats in the therapy club.
And I was just informed that I am going to be featured on the website of my mom's department for "service activities". I am very pleased about that, especially because the photo they have selected to use is very, very flattering of me and my fluffiness.
Love,
Figaro

Our Dasha is home!

2009-06-09T10:22:00.000-07:00

Hi Kitties,

I know many of you are impatiently waiting for a Dasha update. She is finally at home and doing very well. She has been taking her medicine like a good little girl every morning and evening. Her stitches are healing nicely and she does not has to wear a bandage anymore, and she is going for her post-op visit tomorrow morning. Do you see how cute she is? I love my little cousin! (But I am not allowed in her room because I would probably play rough with her.)

Next weekend - the library reading program!

Love,

Figaro

An update on our sweet 'keet

2009-06-08T07:28:00.000-07:00

Hi Kitties,
Our 'keet Dashinka is doing very well. My mommie collected her from the hospital on Friday afternoon before she left for a trip, and so Dasha stayed at my grandparents' house for the weekend for her convalescence. She has to wear a little dress to keep her from picking on her stitches. She has been eating and drinking and doing very very well! She has a post-op appointment at the hospital on Wednesday and then they will take her stitches out and soon she will be ready to spend more time with Romeo in the same house.
I myself do not have any appointments for an entire week so we are just relaxing. Tonight we are going to go do some yardwork outside again. Yesterday when my mommie got back she slept for a lot of hours because over the weekend she was at a wedding making wedding flowers and dancing all night long. I slept right next to her since I love to sleep!
Love,
Figaro

Dashinka

2009-06-04T12:09:00.000-07:00

Hello kitties!
We have received some great news today. Our parakeet Dasha is doing very well and she is climbing up to her perch and doing a good job at balancing. My mommie is going to pick her up from the hospital tomorrow morning! We have prepared a hard boiled egg and some other delicious snacks for her to eat when she comes home. I am hanging out on the porch with Mommie and the other 'keet, Romeo, and waiting for her return.
Love,
Figaro

An update on our 'keet

2009-06-03T08:42:00.001-07:00

Hi Kitties,
This is just a quick update to say that our parakeet Dasha is doing well. Our doctor called and she has gone through surgery fine and she is just now waking up and is on a lot of pain medications. They think that she will be okay but she might get an infection. I am just relaxing and watching Mommie do some work, and waiting for Dasha to come home on Friday.
Love,
Figaro

A sad parakeet tale

2009-06-02T09:39:00.000-07:00

Hello kitties!

I do not think I ever told you, that we have two small parakeets at our house named Romeo and Dasha. (We used to have Romeo and Juliet, only we discovered that Juliet was a boy so then she got her name changed to Jiles, but then Jiles died suddenly a few years ago so we got Dasha for Romeo to be friends with. Dasha is still a little chick, only 3 years old.) The parakeets mother is out of town this week so we are taking care of them. But we accidentally left the parakeets outside in their cage overnight on Sunday, and our parakeet Dasha got very nervous and she got bitten by someone through the cage! She is not doing very well right now, because she has an open fracture on her wing and it is very serious. My mommie took her to the parakeet hospital and she is getting her wing amputated today. The doctor said that she will probably be okay but we are worrying all day about her. She will be back from her hospital stay on Friday.

Love,

Figaro

My sister Veronica

2009-05-28T09:13:00.000-07:00

Hi Kitties,

Tomorrow I have a visit and my older sister Veronica is going to come with me. She is very, very shy so it will be an adventure for her. We will bring our whole family out on this visit so that she will feel safe. My mommie is coming, of course, and also my mommie's parents I. and S. And also, probably my uncle S. and a few of my mommie's friends. She is going to wear her new paw-print leash that mommie got her and we will have to share my stroller. I think she will probably make a lot of hisses. Wish us luck!

Love,

Figaro

And today we play outside

2009-05-26T13:14:00.000-07:00

Hi Kitties,

This weekend was super relaxing for me. I hung out at home all the days and did a lot of sleeping. My mommie was out of town for the weekend. I was a very good boy and did not scratch on any furniture like I sometimes do. Plus, my mommie stayed at a bed & breakfast for her vacation so she brought us back a homemade breakfast sausage. It was very delicious.

This evening after mommie gets home from work we are going to work outside on the garden. We will be eating some grass (and throwing it up later).

Love, Figaro

Story Time and Mommie's Office

2009-05-22T11:03:00.000-07:00

Hi Kitties,

I had a very fun story time this morning. I got to meet a lot of very nice children and everyone petted me. I was very, very polite. I got petted by at least 5 small hands at one time! After that, we walked over to my mommie's office and she showed me off to the people she used to work with, and they kitty-sitted me while she went to a meeting about some important non-kitty things.

After that we went home. Now I am relaxing on our new IKEA bed. It is very comfortable, especially on this new soft comforter and with the sun coming in the window. I think I will relax for the entire weekend because I do not have any visits scheduled for a whole week!

Have a happy, sunny, weekend, everyone!

Love,

Figaro

Enjoying the Sunshine

2009-05-21T13:52:00.001-07:00

Hi kitties,

Today I went on another Nursing Home visit. It was very fun. This time I went to different rooms and said "hello" to a lot of people. The activities coordinator who went with us, T., said that she thinks it is very very worth it for me even if I can just make one person smile. But of course I make everyone smile! Even the people working there always stop their day to give me some pettings.
I was a little bit edgy today, I think because I've been on a visit almost every day this week. I have another visit tomorrow morning for Story Time, and then after that I have a long break to relax.
Here is something that is great for my relaxation in between visits. It is a beatiful planted window well. Since we moved we do not have a pond but these plantings are fun because they bring a lot of bees and other insects for us to watch.
Love,
Figaro

Story Time

2009-05-19T09:11:00.001-07:00

Hi Kitties,

I almost forgot to post today, about last night's visit to the Nursing Home, and this morning's visit to the Library for Story Time. I have been to that Nursing Home many times so of course I got to see all my favorite friends there. And also, some new people.

But this morning was my very first day for Story Time. It is not the same as the Reading program which is older children, this is smaller children who don't read yet. We listened to a story about a cat and had a 'show and tell' all about me. The children wanted to know what I eat and what I use my whiskers for. Then everyone petted me, of course. There were about 6 children at Story Time. My friend M. was there, who comes with her older sister to the reading program. I am going again later this week because the theme of Story Time this week is "cats." My sister Veronica got invited to go instead of me one of the days but she is too shy. I got to go in my Stroller because it was not a Delta-visit.

Love,
Figaro

A busy week ahead

2009-05-17T10:40:00.000-07:00

Hi Kitties,

I have a very busy week ahead. I am visitng the Nursing Home, plus I am visiting the Library two time for a special kitty presentation. I am looking forward to it, and also, relaxing up for the week ahead! Here is me relaxing with the laundry. The laundry likes to relax for a long time in bed before it gets folded and put in the closet.

My mommy got a grant from an international foundation of economics to do an extension on her thesis research, with all positive referree reports! I am very happy about it. It means she is home less to play with us but we get a lot of catnip. For example, after mommie's bartending gig last week she used the earnings to buy us "pawbreakers", kitty treats made up entirely of catnip! They are coming in the mail soon.

Also, yesterday we had some visitors and my sister and I were showing off our tricks. We are still very, very good.

Love,
Figaro

Green is the summer

2009-05-09T14:56:00.000-07:00

Hi Kitties,

Today was the reading program at the library! I had a great time and heard a book by Dr. Seuss. I also listened to a book about a dog, the boxcar children, the magic carpet, and the guiness book of world records. I did not get to bring my stroller today so I just sat in a chair. I did not like it so much because I do not do my tricks unless I am safe in my stroller, but for now until I get my new therapy licence registration it will be okay. I like to come to the reading program if I have a lot of treats to snack on while I listen to books!

It is getting more and more green this summer and soon we are going to be spending more time out of doors. Right now I am just taking a nap in bed with my older sister. We are listening to "The Weepies," it is our new favorite music right now.

Love,

Figaro

Opening doors and getting into cabinets

2009-05-05T09:41:00.000-07:00

Hi Kitties,

I had some fun adventures this weekend. I decided to go out for lunch instead of eating in so I learned how to open the door to my room. It is not very hard - I just have to stretch really tall and turn the handle. Then I went downstairs and had some kibble from my cousin Missy's bowl. It was pretty good. Then I went to the basement to hang out and surprised everyone. Especially my mom who was painting the basement pink.

Then I had to sit in the bathroom for a while, but I decided to leave so I opened that door too and walked around some more. I wasn't really hungry for dinner since I kept snacking on the kibble in the kitchen, that was very fun. Last night though my Mom put a new doorknob on my door. This one isn't a lever so I'm going to need my sister Veronica's help to open it...

Love,

Figaro

My Visiting Basket

2009-05-01T13:19:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

Well, I still did not resolve my kitty stroller issue. For visiting, right now I might be going in a laundry basket or in this other basket. I think it will be okay. A lot of my therapy club has been very supportive of me and we are all contacting Delta to find out about the stroller ban. I hope the problem will be resolved very soon. But for now I am happy to go in a basket, if it means I get to see all my friends at the library and at the nursing home!

Love, Figaro

My Stroller is Not Allowed!

2009-04-30T06:01:00.001-07:00

Hi Kitties,

A few days ago I found out some bad news - my stroller is not approved by Delta Society for my therapy visits. One of our club members contacted Delta as a "favor" to us to find out about it (okay, if she did not contact it would stay our secret!). Delta does not think that strollers are safe for me. I really can't visit without my stroller - how are my friends going to be able to pet me, especially at the Nursing Home? But do not worry I will still be a therapy cat. My mommie contacted all the places I visit to ask if it is okay if I visit without Delta insurance. I will remain a therapy cat but I will not have the insurance in case I break something on my visit. We also contacted a therapy animal certification program, Love on a Leash, who is going to find out if their laws are as strict. I think the stroller is the best way to visit for a cat!

I will keep you updated!

Love,

Figaro

Impromptu Visit

2009-04-27T20:47:00.000-07:00

Hi Kitties! This evening I went on an impromptu visit. My friend L. was sick and she could not go to visit the Grief Center so I went in her place. I was in a room with a lot of toys, stuffed bears and some pretend plastic food (I tried some, not good!!). I got to meet a lot of nice children who told me all about their pets. It was also raining outside so I was a little bit grumpy and I accidentally put the bitey on one of the kids. After that we went home. My mom said if I were a girl she'd swear I was having the P-M-S. I sat on my Mom's lap after we got to the parking lot, before we went in, to relax a little.

Love, Figaro

Speeding in my stroller

2009-04-26T09:58:00.000-07:00

Hi friends,
Here is a photo of me from the Nursing Home visit a week ago. I had a great time visitng a few nursing homes, and then my mommie was out of town for a while visiting her friends. She drove a long, long way and got to meet a police officer because she went too fast. I never never go too fast in my kitty stroller. She also brought back 11 more fish for my aquarium! They are very cute. But one of them just died because it swam into the filter. I wanted to eat that one but I was Not Allowed.
Today we are going to be making some brochures for our therapy club. I am going to be helping with the stickers. I do not have many visits planned for a while so I have just been relaxing! I have been sitting on my kitty tree and watching outside. In 2 weeks we are moving to our new place!
Love, Figaro

A very busy schedule

2009-04-09T15:43:00.001-07:00

Hi kitties and children,

I just made my schedule for May, and let me tell you, I am going to be so busy. Just in one week I will have two nursing home visits and two library visits. Also, some of our across the street neighbors are going to come to the reading program.

Today I went to my nursing home visit in the morning and of course saw my favorite friend R.A. She said that I am her favorite and she wants to keep me forever. Everyone was very happy to see me. I did not decide to try to hunt the birds either today, so I got to stay the whole hour. My other friend told me that she has my photo hanging up in her room, and also my sister Veronica's photo. They really like me there. Right now I am just relaxing.

Love,

Figaro

A ferocious Bag Monster - Therapy for the Earth

2009-04-07T09:15:00.000-07:00

Hi Kitties,

Today I am going to focus on another topic. Therapy for the earth. I think everyone should try very hard to reduce their use of plastic bags, because if you don't, there will be scarey Bag Monsters! Here is what I am talking about. Yesterday we had a visit from a Bag Monster and I did not like it. The Bag Monster is made of 500 plastic bags, which is the average the American uses in one year. It is very bad for the earth. I am a therapy cat and I give earth therapy too - so I am telling you not to use plastic bags anymore! Instead you should use re-usable bags at the grocery store. Do you use reusable bags? I hope so. If not, I think you should.

Now for the funny part. That Bag Monster was really my mommie! That is so funny. She gave a presentation at the City Council meeting yesterday because she is working on an ordinance to remove plastic bag use. The mayor thought it was hi-larious and she is meeting the city councilman to discuss the legislation plans. She is going to be on TV next week to explain about reducing plastic waste. I will probably watch it, even though it is going to be at 6 in the AM. But I am a kitty so I am awake then. Of course my mommie is not as famous as me yet since this is just her first time on TV without me.

Love,

Figaro

Lit up like a lightbulb!

2009-04-06T10:16:00.000-07:00

Hi Kitties,

Even though it is April it snowed today. I thought it was very strange.

But here is something else really strange - I am glowing! And just look at my fabulous tail.

Also, look at the phone I use to make important phone calls. It is pink and says Hello Kitty. I am the only boy in my family so I have pink everything - including my car seat, my blanket, and the bed sheets! That's okay though because I love my mommy and my sister.

Love,

Figaro

I love reading!

2009-04-02T12:08:00.001-07:00

Hi Kitties,

I am very very excited today. In general my house life has been a lot of excitement as you can tell. I got a special email from the library coordinator and she is doing a reading week in the summer specially about cats. I am going to be invited to come on one of the days and I will be the guest of honor! Also, because this isn't a therapy activity, my sister Veronica is invited also! But, I think she is too shy to be able to come. Her and me are like peas in a pod except for some things like therapy visiting.

Also, my club decided that we will be printing special books about our therapy animals and giving them out to the libraries and schools that we visit. Each therapy animal is going to have a special story written about him or her. I am going to start working on my story right away, and I think I will include my Poke-stats!

Love, Figaro

My Nursing Home Visit

2009-03-26T09:51:00.000-07:00

Hi Kitties,

This morning was another successful nursing home visit. I am all tuckered out now that as soon as I finish blogging I am going to go take a nappy. I saw my friend R.A. again, and my friend E. There was also another new lady there named G. She was very nice but she could not see so everyone tried to describe all my colors to her. E. was so excited to see me that she clapped and laughed out loud (she lol'ed). I also got to see the birds for a little bit who live in the nursing home. I tried to hunt them and then we had to leave.

My sister Veronica had a very fun birthday party yesterday. She got to eat a lot of tuna and got some of our favorite visitors. She says, "meow, thanks for all the birthday wishes"!

Love,

Figaro

Veronica turns 2!

2009-03-25T11:00:00.001-07:00

Hi Kitties,

Today is a very special day for us in our little family because my older sister Veronica turned 2 today! We are going to celebrate when my mommie gets home from work. She's getting a lot of treats. Here is a nice photo of her sitting on a purse. She is a very nice little lady, even if she IS my sister and we fight sometimes!

Love,

Figaro

Figaro - therapy starts at home

2009-03-24T15:12:00.000-07:00

Hi kitties,
Thanks so much for all your nice comments to me!
Yesterday I did a very important therapy cat job. My mommie had a bad migraine and I sat with her and purred until she felt better. It is very important to practice my therapy cat skills even when I am not working. Of course, after that I asked for some treats and food.
This week I will be going to my nursing home visit on Thursday, and after that I do not have many visits until April. I am enjoying the nice spring weather here by taking a lot of walks with my family!
Love,
Figaro

Our Caring Paws!

2009-03-22T08:37:00.000-07:00

Hi Kitties, Here is a story about us at the library. You can see a lot of the doggies in my club. And a lot of my friends who come to read to me. I had a very good time!
Love,
Figaro

A library visit and being famous

2009-03-21T17:18:00.000-07:00

Hi Kitties,

Today's library visit went purr-fect! I spent the day looking out the window and waiting for it to be time to go! There were 6 pet teams (I was the only cat), and at least 40 people came to read to us! Mommie and the librarian talked afterword and he said it is a good turnout for the very first program like that at the library. We were very excited since we helped organize it. I got to hear a lot of stories. My new friend E. who was very small read me some books. She read to me at least 3 times. Then I got to hear some stories from some older girls, and they also told me all about Twilight which is a very interesting book. I know because my mommie was reading it to me last night until 2 in the AM! I mostly tried to sit on the book so she would pet me instead of reading. So I got a lot of pettings. And one of my mommie's co-workers was there with his daughter. She was only 8 but she was reading to me very, very fast. She will probably become a professor too someday because she was very smart. It is too bad that my friend I. did not come because he is also part Russian like me and I wanted to tell him all about my new Russian name..but I will have to wait until next month!

Also, the TV station came to watch me again. I am going to be on the TV tonight at 11 and it will be posted online so I will have it after that. You will get to see it tomorrow I promise!

Love,

Figaro

Another Nursing Home Visit and my Russian name

2009-03-20T08:42:00.000-07:00

Hi Kitties,

I had another nursing home visit yesterday. My mommie almost FORGOT about it so good thing I made sure she checked her calendar! I had a great time as usual. A lot of people came out to pet me. One of my friends called me "Gretel" though. I think that is a girl name. But I still came to her because I got treats.

Also, I was thinking for a long time and I decided that I should have a Russian name since I am part Russian and I have been learning some Russian words. My mommie visited her friend N. who has Russian kitties and they have Russian names, so we think we should have some too. When my mommie was out of town, my grandma came to feed us and always said the Russian word "kushat" which means "eat." That's why "kushat" is my favorite Russian word. I decided my Russian name is going to be Vasilliy. I like that name because there is a poem in Russian about a cat named Vasilliy who gets to eat a lot of cream. This sounds like something I would like to do! My sister Veronica did not pick a Russian name yet but I think she might go by Vika for fun.

Here is another funny thing I did yesterday. I found a stash of moneys that my mommie uses for experiments on the desk and I decided to take it for myself. I did not get far because I got caught on my way to my cat basket. I was going to buy some fishes at the grocery store. There is some Canadian money in there too in case I escaped to Canada.

Love,

Figaro

Poke-Figaro

2009-03-16T10:00:00.001-07:00

Hi Kitties,

I usually get to hear about Pokemon stats when I go to my children's reading program. I think they are fun and some children wanted to know my stats. So I decided to tell you my own Poke-figaro stats. Here they are:
Name: Poke-figaro
Weight: 11lbs, 3 oz
Height: 2 feet 1 inch (when standing on my hind legs)
Secret weapons: deadly meow, magical scritch
Special skills: begging for food, playing fetch, giving high-fives
Weakness: leftover turkey with gravy (yummyy, see the picture of what I gotted to eat after a big party last week..)
Do you like it? I worked very hard on it while my mommy was on vacation this week-end.
Love,
Figaro

Thanks, everyone!

2009-03-05T07:26:00.000-08:00

Hi Kitties,
Thanks everyone for watching my TV interview and posting your nice comments. I am a very loved kitty and I like to have so many friends!
Today I learned that I will probably be featured in the magazine at my mommie's university next Fall. Our director also see-d me on the news and really liked it. I think it will be fun.
Also, coming up this month is our first ever reading program at the new library. I am very excited about that, and my mommy was in charge of setting up the whole thing so she has been busy.
Also, my FRIEND from our club Caring Paws got featured in a news article. He is a dog named Shadow who got awarded "Companion Animal of the Year"!. You can read about him here. He is a good role model!

Love,

Figaro

My famous nursing home visit

2009-03-03T10:51:00.001-08:00

Hello Kitties! My famous nursing home visit aired on TV yesterday. I am happy to share it with you here.

I did not get famous yet, except for people who stay up late.

2009-03-02T10:25:00.000-08:00

Hi Kitties,

Well, the news people forgot to come to my reading program. I was a little bit upset but the shooting got rescheduled for April, so I will still be famous sometime soon. Also, my Nursing Home segment aired on the news last night at 11! The news lady called my mommy and told her it will air at 6pm but it did not. But we did not watch at 11. It is going to air again tonight either at 6 or at 11 so we will tape it then and put it online for your kitty-viewing-pleasure!

However the reading program went tremendously well. I handed out some of my new spring-time-fig photos. Everyone liked it. Also, my friend took a photo of me. I did some good posing on a chair. I also wore my green bandanna. I even ran out of photos of me. I need to get my personal photographer to come take some more good photos. Probably I would like some photos with my fishes.

I also listened to a great book about a Siamese Cat who goes on adventures and pretends to be a Chihuaha. I would recommend this book to everyone. I do not remember the title though.

Love,

Figaro

My New Tricks!

2009-02-23T07:05:00.000-08:00

Hi Kitties,

I am not going on another Therapy Visit until Saturday (the TV people are coming with of course). But I wanted to write an update about all the new tricks I learned! Of course I already know high five, twirl, sit up, and come. But I also learned the double high five, and how to play patty cake with my mommy. I am pretty good at it, but a little bit slow. Recently I learned a brand new trick, how to play Fetch. I have an IKEA mouse and he is my favorite toy to play fetch with. Two of my favorite little human friends, D. and E. were at our house recently and they played fetch with me. They were very good fun. When D. and E. was over, Mommy was being busy and boring and working on some programming like always. But we had fun anyways. Here's me playing fetch.

Love,

Figaro

The TV and "Bring your Kitty to Work" day

2009-02-19T14:21:00.000-08:00

Hello kitties,

Yesterday afternoon the TV people followed me to the nursing home and took my interview and videos of me for 1 hour. I liked it and I gave a lot of high fives and even my new trick, a double-high-five! I am very pleased with myself. It was sort of like my very own reality show. Like The Bachelor, only without any hot tub scenes. There is going to be another interview in a few weeks and then the whole segment will air on TV. Because the TV was there I had almost double the number of visitors today! I was very happy and everyone petted me a lot.

After that my mommy had a Very Important meeting because she got grant moneys for a project plus 2 new projects! Here comes the fun part. I gotted to go to work with my mommy because she had no time to drop me. I stayed in her office for while she had some meetings and did important things. I was a very good kitty except I did not wanted her to work so I sat on her desk and meowed at her. You can see her office has a one way mirror for important experiments. I did not get to use it though.

Meows!

Figaro