Black and White and Read All Over

Aaaaaannnnnnnd, we're back!

I guess you could say this blog took a little, um, catnap of sorts. I honestly never thought it would be resurrected, but we're not the type of family who can be without cats (apparently) so the tradition can now live on.

First - a quick catch up of the Farrier Felines. It is with a very sad heart that I have to tell you that Charles (bless his dignified, old soul) and Princess (with all her fantastic fussiness) have passed on to the great kitty hunting ground in the sky. It was not easy to have to leave them behind, and especially knowing we couldn't be with them in their final months. However, we trust that they received lots of love and affection, and were well cared for. They will always, always hold a special place in our hearts and memories, and are very missed.

Nimrod continues to be master of his domain, which now includes over 100 acres of rolling pasture, dense timber, and a busy barn lot. He has made friends with the farm cats, tolerates the dogs who also live on the property, and comes and goes as he pleases. At night, he sleeps inside, but can roam (and pee) wherever he wants. In short, he is living the life of his dreams.

Shane, too, has fared well. His adoptive family dotes on him as well, to the point of putting up with his almost-daily "gifts" of chipmunks, mice, voles, etc. that he brings into the house, sometimes still alive! He has grown even fatter and sassier than he was in the past, and has a new feline friend to whom he is teaching all of his tricks of the trade. He still takes his job of shredding important documents and lying on computers very seriously. It's a big job, but somebody has to do it, after all.

As a family, we moved to Guatemala in July of 2014, and have been here doing mission work ever since. Because of our busy schedules and uncertainty about how long we'd be here, we really were not planning on getting any more pets. Honest. But, you know how it goes.

It all started out with Angel, our parakeet, who was our family's Christmas present in 2014. In fall of 2015 we started having a rodent problem at our house, and our landlady INSISTED that we get a cat to protect the property from damage. It didn't take too much arm twisting, honestly, and she brought a tiny furball we named Ninja to our house one rainy night that October. In March, my husband came home from our rented parking spot with a filthy, flea-ridden, half-starved kitten. It was love at first sight, and Prince joined them family then and there.

As if that wasn't crazy enough, we decided to add one more pet to the mix - a Basset Hound named Chassy. She came to live with us about a week ago. We suspect that the kennel she was in couldn't breed her, and her neurological tic made her undesirable for breeding stock anyway. She's a drooly, lazy mess, but fits in just fine around here.

SO - we thought perhaps it was time for a new generation of Farrier Feline Files to begin. I'm hoping these new cats are able to master the keyboard (as well as the English language - they are native Spanish speakers, after all) in order to be able to carry on the tradition. Guess we'll see what they have to say. For now, it's great to be back!

 - Cleaner of the Litterboxes 

Farewell from Farrier Feline Files

Hello, all! This is Andrea - caretaker/mom/owner/enslaver/servant of the Farrier Felines (depending on which one you ask, and what type of mood he or she is in.)

I know it's been a while, but I wanted to give you an update about what's been happening with our fuzzy friends, since you've been such faithful readers for so long.

Our family is planning to move to Guatemala to do mission work and share the gospel and love of Jesus. And, as much as we'd like to, we will not be able to take our cats along.

You may recall that Nimrod had already been re-homed to a farm last summer. I am happy to report that he is loving his new domain, and is even being a fairly benevolent ruler to his new chicken, pig, cow, dog, cat, and human subjects. He has room to roam, things to sniff, a warm bed inside at night, and all the acres to pee on he could ever want! And, though I still miss his fuzzy face and ultrasoft fur, I am thrilled that he is living the life of his dreams.

Charles, who was my faithful companion since his kittenhood 14 1/2 years ago, has also found a new home. It was especially hard for me to part with him, since we'd been together so long, and since I didn't personally know his new owners. I did a lot of praying over his placement! I don't know if I'll ever see him again, though I have gotten a few updates and I know that his new companions love him very much, and are taking very good care of him. I couldn't have parted with my beloved friend otherwise. Still, these kinds of things are never easy.

The plan is for Princess to go live with my parents. I am sure she will be happy there, though it will certainly take some time for her to get used to two new feline companions, and a new doggy friend in the same home. (If she had her way, she'd be the only cat in the house. Or, perhaps, the only cat in the world.) Her 'girl' (my middle daughter) has been grieved at the idea that Princess's posts on this blog have portrayed her as mean. Allow me to set the record straight - Princess is a wonderful, kind, gentle soul, who adores giving her love to the special people in her life. She just likes doing it one person at a time. When Princess loves you, you KNOW you are loved, and I would never want anyone to take my tongue-in-cheek posts to indicate that she is anything other than a wonderful kitty and friend. She, like the others, will be very missed.

As for Shane (our resident goofball) he will be moving the farthest away - all the way to Colorado. We have friends who have enjoyed his antics and personality during their visits for many years. When they found out that he would be needing a new home, they were eager to add him to their family. And, though I will not miss his new habit of dumping over water bowls just for the fun of it (!?), I will probably miss just about everything else about him. He has truly been a source of nearly-constant amazement, amusement, bewilderment, and conversation in our household. He really is something else (though we still haven't quite figured out what)!

Anyway - I just wanted to let you know that this will be the last Farrier Feline Files post. If you'd like to learn more about our plans in Guatemala, you can feel free to check out our website - farriersoffaith.org.

Thanks for sharing in all of our Farrier Feline fun in the past. I hope you (and your pets) will continue to be blessed, safe, and happy, as I know our beloved kitties will be in their new and future homes as well.

Thanks for all the memories!

- Andrea

Setting the Record Straight

Just thought I'd pop in quickly and set a few things straight, lest readers get the wrong impression of our cats. I sometimes wonder if their posts alone aren't really a fair way to get to know them.

Shane is, to be fair, a bit on the slow side - both in intelligence and movement. But, he more than makes up for it with his larger-than-life attitude. (Which, coincidentally, matches his larger-than-life belly.) He's sweet, loveable, and definitely the funniest cat in residence. Not a day goes by that we don't find ourselves chuckling over something he's done. Or eaten. (Sorry - couldn't help myself.)

Charles, I'd say, does the best job of representing himself though his writing. He can be a little bit of a curmudgeon when he's offended or feeling tired. (He IS a Siamese, after all.) However, his general sweetness and dignity more than make up for this recent trait that's come with old age. He is a friend to all, and a perfect gentleman. I can honestly say that he's got the most agreeable and easy-going personality of any cat I've ever known.

Princess is probably the least understood of all of the Farrier Felines - by our readers, and by myself. She is reserved, and a bit on the shy side, but not nearly as mean-spirited as she makes herself out to be. Often, when I stay up late, I've even caught her playing near the bottom of the stairs in our living room. It was almost kitten-like! She's far more bark than bite, I'd say. And, though she doesn't dole out the attention all that often, she's always genuine and 100% attentive when she does. She is very loved around here, despite the fact that she makes herself sound like such a toughgal.

So, I hope you're enjoying the Farrier Feline Files, and that this post helps give you a little more insight into the personalities of our crazy cats!

 - Andrea

Annnnndd.... They're Back!

Me again - Andrea. (Or, as Princess calls me, 'the woman'.) It's been a long time since anyone's written. Sorry about that. We started this blog on a lark, and had a ton of fun with it. Somehow, however, life got busy, and "the cats" <ahem> didn't have much time to post.

I am amazed at how many people (my children included) keep telling me how much they miss the Farrier Feline Files. So, what's a girl (I mean, a group of cats) to do, but start writing again!

This evening I lined the kitties up (you can imagine what a challenging task *that* was), and gave them a stern lecture to let them know that their adoring fans are demanding more posts.

It didn't go over well with Princess. I fear there will be litterbox repercussions in the days ahead. (She has a habit of pooing right next to the box whenever she feels upset, which is her default mood.)

Charles immediately began ruminating on which subjects are ripest for discourse. He has disappeared to dig among the bookshelves. I saw him poring over an open dictionary, so I'm guessing there will be some big, new vocabulary words coming your way.

Shane got so excited at the thought of being loved and adored and getting to write again that he jumped up and down four and three-quarters times, then collapsed in an exhausted heap. I expect he won't wake up until mid-morning tomorrow. I hope his heart can handle the stress of such exertion.

Of course, Nimrod has gone to live on a farm in the country. (No. Really. I mean... he lives on my parents' farm. Honest. It's not just a euphemism.) I expect that he will have some comments to make occasionally, though his days are pretty full chasing mice, snoozing in the sunshine, eating (and throwing up) grass, and spraying every square inch of the 120 acres he now calls home.

Thank you again for your overwhelming response to our blog. Please enjoy the previous entries (to re-acquaint yourselves with the famous Farrier Felines), and I promise that you have some more posts to look forward to in the days to come.

-- Andrea

Person Post

Hey, everyone - it's me! You know, the one known as mom, the matriarch, the interloper, and the female warden (depending on which posts you've been reading). My name is Andrea. Despite the impression that the cats might give, we really are a perfectly normal, loving family - if you can call a family who would put up with four crazy cats 'normal.'

I'm a little flabbergasted at all the interest my cats' blog has generated. They got over 1,000 page views in the first month. It took me nearly six months to get that many on my own blog. Not that I'm jealous, of course. I'm just sayin'...  Anyway, because it seems that so many people are avidly reading about the ins and outs of our feline friends, I thought I'd take a moment to encourage you (the readers) to get involved. Is there something you want to know about? A question you'd like to ask? Perhaps some information you want to find out from one or all of the cats in residence?

If so, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment section below, including which Farrier feline(s) you'd like to direct them to. I'll make sure the cats read and respond to each and every one. After all - if they're going to be big shots in the blogosphere, at least I can be their manager. Right?

- Andrea