May 12, 2009

Terror Has a New Name...And It is Mabel

I want to thank all of you out there, many of whom de-lurked to offer me support, for the outpouring of kindness and love showed me when I wrote about our cat's passing. I was honestly terrified to share something so personal, but you all helped me with your encouragement and kind sentiments. I can never thank you enough.

Meet our new kitty. Yes she’s cute and fluffy and blah, blah, blah, but she is on some sort of kitty cat-nip laced speed of the likes I’ve never seen before.

She melts our heart with her squeaky meow, she makes us smile with her soft kisses and gentle head nudges. Then, just when you think everything’s going great, BAM! she pounces on your stray hand or your exposed neck and head area leaving you with bloody stumps or a severed mole. I’m just sayin’.

Witness the beating Jeremy’s hands took at the claws of our new furry terror.

Right about now, many of you may be thinking one of two things… 1) Isn’t it a little too soon to get another cat after your other cat just passed away? or 2) Has Steenky Bee suddenly turned into one of those annoying personal blogs about cats?

The answer to those questions, my friends, are: Yes it is too soon and no…well, maybe. I might write about our cats again in the future. Sorry.

The decision for us to get another kitty came at a weak moment when I was craving the warmth of something furry on my lap. Taz, or T-Bizzle, our 13-year old cat pictured later, is only a cuddler on his terms, and by his terms, of course, I mean on my head while I’m sleeping. Meesha was my constant side-kick that followed me from room to room and would respond to me as I bounced post topics off her for this blog. She was responsible for Dance Face post, Brush With The Law post and most recently, my Airplane Terror Ride post that was published posthumously.

Last week, as I tried to get back into the swing of writing again, I queried Taz as to what appropriate blog material would be for Steenky Bee. The closest thing to input I received from him was him licking himself and walking away after I asked him if I should post about the recent fetish I’ve developed for Bear Grylls.

When Taz wasn’t licking himself or sleeping under our bed, he was giving us what I believed was his sad face. Everybody, behold Taz’s “I am sad” face.

Make no mistake people, the size of his nose is not an optical illusion. It really is THAT big.

Surely Bizzle was missing Meesha, his cat-mate, his companion for so long. I could not allow him to go on lonely with no one to lick but himself. I also could not trust his judgment when it came to deciding content for my web site. So at the end of last week, Jeremy and I found ourselves at a small farm house picking up a kitten who we named Mabel.

Once we brought her home, I strategically placed a hand-written letter for the kids that was “penned” by Meesha herself. In this letter, she declared her love for Henry and Reese and introduced them to Mabel, the newest addition to our family, hand-picked of course, by her all the way from up in kitty heaven.

Needless to say, Henry and Reese were thrilled. The next few days of their lives were filled with their gleeful squeals when they found Mabel tucked away in a warm spot between the covers or their uncontrollable laughter as they watched Mabel chase her own tail.

I was sure Taz would be thrilled as well. He was not. Not immediately anyway. Here was his, “I’m not thrilled. Not now, anyway. I’m off to pee in Jeremy’s favorite shoes to demonstrate exactly how NOT thrilled I am.”

Oddly enough, Bizzle’s “I am not thrilled” face is the exact same as his “I am sad” face. Who knew?

I’m happy to report, after repeated transfer of scents by petting both Taz and Mabel excessively and encouraging positive behavior toward each other by speaking in soft, reassuring tones as they approached one another, the two of them are getting along famously. With patience, a sincere heart and a small melt down where you physically toss both animals into the guest bathroom for them to duke it out, acclimating cats to one another can be easy.

45 comments:

Sprite's Keeper said...

She's beautiful. And Taz is a cat of many faces.

jen said...

beautiful new kitty! it's never too soon ... you do what feels right.
and the name!
i LOVE THE NAME! i once saw an episode of some show that i can't remember the name of ... and they named their baby (?) mabel because it stands for mothers always bring extra love.
and ever since then ... i wanted to name a baby mabel ... but my jeremy didn't agree.
so glad someone finally got a mabel.

Captain Dumbass said...

I think the team direction will keep your blog topics fresh too. The subtle balance of youthful tail chasing (that's what he said!) and licking yourself (leaving it be) and whatever you bring to the table should resonate well with your diverse followers.

Cameron said...

I am SO glad you said those were Jeremy's hands...I was thinking, OMG, the steenkster has man hands!!

Mama Dawg said...

I love the name of the new one. That's the name of my daughter's baby doll she's had since she was 8.

It's only too soon if it doesn't feel right and if it felt time to get a new one, then it's fine.

She's adorable!

robin said...

How freakin' cuuuuute!
Enjoy the little fuzz ball!

Peggy said...

I have to admit to not being a "cat person" but that sure is one cute kitty!

Wicked Step Mom said...

What cute little kitty of doom!!

Amo said...

You totally missed the boat on what Taz was trying to tell you. He wants you to post an entire post about his various expressions and the deep meaning behind each.

And you call yourself a cat lover.

Geez.

;)

Logical Libby said...

I think all kittens have to be cute -- so we don't realize they are deadly ninjas bent on world domination.

Pamela said...

You forged a letter from your dead kitteh to your children? That is serious. They are going to keep that letter in their special box of things they keep and one day they are going to realize that it's your handwriting, sister, and I don't think the results are going to be favorable. Moral of this story: don't screw with your kids, or you'll have to watch your back forever.

Also, I know the show that coconutty jen was talking about. It was the one with Helen Hunt and that short, curly-haired balding guy called Paul. Can't remember the name either, but it's just one more thing to wake me up in the middle of the night. Thanks for that, coconutty jen!

Unknown said...

Cute name. The two of them should be able to keep the blog fresh and not too full of tall tales about cats.

Hopefully the scratching will ease up. I would not be so cool about that.

blissfully caffeinated said...

Pamela and Jen- It was Mad About You and remember the episode where the sister brought home a cat and it turned out to be a wild puma and they were all trapped in the kitchen? Freaking hilarious. And I hope that is not what happened here, Steenky, but with those scratches you might want to get Mabel checked out. She is pretty cute though.

I got a Mother's Day card from our cat. Which I thought was strange because of the lack of opposible thumbs and the fact that no cat anywhere would care enough to make the effort to pick up a card. My husband thought it was funny, though.

Unknown said...

The show was called Mad About You Helen Hunt and Paul Risier

Casey said...

Youch, Jeremy has very purty hands but he needs to wear gloves before playing with that psycho. I love kittens but look out, they're dangerous. Congrats on the cat and the syrup. Oh, that's maple.

Dee at Pedestrian Palate said...

Good luck with the new bundle of joy. Perhaps you should add band-aids and antibiotic ointment to your registry at Kitties R Us.

Dee at Pedestrian Palate said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Leslie said...

Hey Jen - I'm so sorry to hear about your kitty. It's so hard to lose a pet, esp. when they were with you for such a long time and had seen you through so much. My dog Sammy, died last August - he was 16 and had followed me all the way through college and beyond and Good Lord - that dog had seen some CRAA-ZEE stuff! But glad to hear that you now have a new addition to the family and that tings are going well. And I'm totally with you - Bear Grylls = Yummy!

Lisa said...

What a cutie! Sometimes I miss the furry lap. Then my kids crawl in and I think "If there'd been a cat here, I would so be bleeding right now!" and I'm over it. Maybe someday. For now, I'll live vicariously through your kitty adventures.

ChurchPunkMom said...

Bear Grylls is HAWT.

Can I pet your kitty?

Jenny Grace said...

Taz is so multi-dimensional.

Anonymous said...

I am sorry to hear about your lap blanket and co-blogger.
The new kitten sure is cute. I hope that she too is an editorial wizard!

As for the Taz man...he'll clearly adjust. And tell Jeremy's hands that eventually the sharp dagger kitten claws will turn into thicker stronger vicious claws...hmm. but hopefully by then she will have calmed down...

DKC said...

She's adorable! I caved to the cat pressure last year. Although ours is sweet, she wreaking havoc on all my wood moldings. Every scratching post has failed - every piece of furniture is much more interesting.

Good luck with the cutie!

for a different kind of girl said...

Mabel is adorable...even if she looks a wee bit like a vampire kitteh (that's how I say kitty in my head, enhanced by a slight and highly indistinguishable accent). Beware if she starts to fly around the house or mopes about how she doesn't want to be a monster.

Lola said...

I've found that sometimes the only way to deal with losing a beloved pet is to get another one right away. Oh, what the hell am I talking about? I always get a new one pretty quickly. I never forget the one who passed, though, unless they were super annoying ;)

None of that explains how we ended up with a puppy on Saturday, but whatever...

Love her name, by the way!

Kingsmom said...

Glad you are finding kitty love again. We got a kitty for Easter who is now 8 weeks old. My hands and ankles resemble your husbands.

Since your blog might turn into a cat blog can you please post more about how to integrate new kitty with old cat? Our house is a constant battle of chasing and hissing. It's getting really old.

Bee said...

first I want to say what great taste you have in naming your pets (or PESTS as I call them) since I have one named Tazz with two Zs cuz he's that bad.

Second when my first doggy went missing I waited only two weeks because I needed the love and so we got Tazz so good luck.

Sent from my husband's iPhone because he's too cheap to buy me one.

Twenty Four At Heart said...

Very cute kitten. And I like warm fuzzy things in my lap too. Oops ... sorry. Totally inappropriate!

Mrsbear said...

Kittens are the cutest, it's supposed to make up for those needle-like claws they love to impale you with. I think you and the new addition will make a wonderful blogging duo, with of course a special blessing from kitty heaven. ;)

Ann Harrison said...

I've had hands like those before. Ouch!

Right now my cat is standing next to the keyboard STARING at me. Stop It!!!

Anyway...

I like Taz's nose.

JuleeSLC said...

Welcome to the family, Mabel!

Ms. Salti said...

Mabel is soo cute. Taz's looks crack me up. I read this post earlier today but didn't have time to comment... I didn't already comment, did I? Good luck with the terror!

Paige said...

Im sorry about the loss of your cat--and I totally agree that when to start anew is so personal. I spent 24 hours of the loneliest time ever after we lost our first Great Dane--the house seemed so empty--before I was on the trail of a puppy. I did not replace the first one, I just also loved a new one.

Jenni said...

Mable is mucho cute-o.

And Bear Grylls drinks elephant poop water. Really.

Jess said...

A KITTEN! OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I loves! Being a HUGE cat lover I cannot express how PROUD I am of you for getting another kitten. Nothing mends a heart (or a bad day) like a cute lil kitten! I loves! Congrats! I have to say, it was EXCITING to acclimate our three cats with Bobby's three cats...good times there! I am surprised we didn't have the cops called on us for suspected murder taking place in our home. RRRRAAAWWWWAAHHHH!

Tricia said...

I think the difference between Taz and Meesha sounds perfectly explained by the fact that Taz is a boy. Darn boys.

Your new feline writing buddy is simply snuggable, and I can't wait to see what she comes up with for posting at Steenky Bee.

The Stiletto Mom said...

I love baby kitties, scratches and all....welcome the new addition to the Steenky Family!

Happy for you...I know that was a tough loss. xo

FoN said...

Cutie pie. Sorry about your cat - losing a pet is horrible.

GreenJello said...

The best we ever got our cats to like each other was "tolerate".

Congrats on the new addition!

Bex said...

she is just like you, spunky!

i heart cat blog posts. don't worry about seeming crazy.

i love that you wrote a letter to your kids from meesha. that is soooooo sweet!

shopgirl said...

OMG! What a cutie pie!! I'm sorry - I missed your blog about your cats' passing. And you don't have to apologize for writing about your kitters on YOUR blog ever! Geez, if I didn't write abut my dogs I just don't know what I'd write about - especially now that I'm not working! And, getting a new kitty so quickly? No worries - I lasted all of SEVEN (7) days after my Roxmeister (dog of 10 years) died. I was sooooooo sad without her that I HAD to have a new palio. Meesha I'm sure, would understand.
Enjoy your new pal!!

Keely said...

Awwwww. She shall attempt to heal your hearts with her claws.

Hope everyone adjusts soon, Taz looks REALLY put out in that second pic.

Lisa @ Boondock Ramblings said...

I'm so glad you have a new kitty. Of course she'll never replace Mesha, but she'll do her best.

And at least she is cute!

You can write about cats all you want. I have three. Do you want another one actually? Because that would help me a lot. . .

krista said...

i'm totally a cat lady. i'll admit it.
so talk as much as you want about them :-)
and, yes, i feel you on the terror of the kitty.
when cheeto was a baby, she used to hide in the corner of the room and then run and attack like a mothereffing bat and sink her claws into whatever she could get a hold of. i kicked her (in a total involuntary reactive sort of way) into the wall a number of time. she never gave up, though. feisty.

Tuesday Girl said...

I LOVE the name!
we decided after our cats go to kitty heaven there will be no more cats for us.

I am sure that because of that statement our cats will live to be 25.