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Jonathan Rosenberg made his money on the internet. He now spends that money helping cats in need.

A few years ago Rosenberg created Tabby’s Place in honor of his family’s beloved cat who died of cancer in 1999. When he found out about Tabby’s diagnosis, he began questioning his purpose in life and whether or not he was doing enough to give back. He then resigned from his job and committed himself to creating the cat sanctuary, which offers an adoption center, a hospital and a hospice center.

As the story below points out, sometimes animals with the worst problems, can bring out the best in people.

Taco is SIX years old today!  Taco Burrito Jablonski born on July 1, 2004, in a dairy barn at Rocky Acres Farm in Warren, MA

We brought him home on August 1st (my birthday) when he was only four weeks old, and he smelled like COW POOP for at least two weeks after that

who...ME?

Very Content Cat

I do not have any kitten photos of Taco because I didn’t have a camera back then, but if you look at his head now…well that’s about how big he was when I brought him home!

Of all four cats, he is the only one that we know for sure when his birthday is, but we just celebrate all four birthdays on July 1st.  Mango is probably 10, Sumari is just about 3 and Bella is a wild guess, maybe 3 or 4.

Here is a Birthday Video, it’s not of our cats, but it’s fun anyway!

After losing his two rear paws in an unlucky encounter with a combine harvester in October, Oscar, a green-eyed black cat, has been given metallic pegs for legs.

After Oscar’s farming accident, which happened when the 2 1/2-year-old-cat was lazing in the sun in the British Channel Isles, his owners, Kate and Mike Nolan, took him to their local veterinarian. In turn, the vet referred Oscar to Dr. Noel Fitzpatrick, a neuro-orthopedic surgeon in Eashing, 35 miles southwest of London.

Together with biomedical engineering experts, Fitzpatrick gave Oscar two metal prosthetic implants that are a bit wobbly, to imitate a cat’s natural walk. But first, he covered the brown implants with black tape to match Oscar’s fur.

Fitzpatrick said he and biomedical engineers designed the artificial paws so that they would be fused to the bone and skin. “That allows this implant to work as a seesaw on the bottom of the animal’s limbs to give him an effectively normal gait.  Oscar can now run and jump about as cats should do.”

The veterinarians then inserted the peg-like implants by drilling them into Oscar’s ankle bones in his rear legs. The metal implants are attached to the bone where Oscar lost his paws and were coated with a substance that helps bone cells grow directly over them. Oscar’s own skin then grew over the end of the peg to form a natural seal to prevent infections.

“This is a pretty lucky cat,” said Dr. Mark Johnston, a veterinarian and spokesman for the British Small Animal Veterinary Association. “Giving a cat artificial limbs is a very novel solution.”

Here is a photo of Aggie, a blind cat from Mechanicsburg, PA

This is an amazing story of how a cat saved her family from possible harm by attacking an intruder, causing him to flee in fear.  CLICK HERE to read the story!

Vindication is a memorial that is dedicated to pets and pet owners that have suffered because of contaminated or poisoned pet food.

Five acres of land at Keystone Lake in Oklahoma have  been donated to all Pet Owners.  Five acres in the very center of the United States given to us; a memorial to focus on the very center of the problem.

From the 2007 melamine pet food recall alone, some estimates are as high as 300,000 U.S. and Canadian pets became sick, died, or are still fighting kidney disease. Countless thousands more pets have become sick from recalls or silent recalls of tainted pet food since.

No laws have changed, no lawsuits have been settled, none responsible have been jailed.  No one has told us how many died or remain sick; no one tells us how many continue to become sick and/or die from new recalls.  Today, we barely even know the partial truth of pet food risks.

One shattered pet family, fed up with the continued snubbing of industry and government, decided enough was enough.  Every single pet that has died or remains ill because of a pet food will be remembered; why these pets became sick and/or why they died will be remembered too.

If your Pet died or remains ill due to a pet food,
Click Here to include your Pet in Vindication

Apparently Taco somehow got outside last night.  All the cats are brought in by 4 or 5 PM, all checked in, fed and accounted for.  But last night we noticed that Taco was not making a pest of himself the way he usually does when we have friends and family over.  So I went to check on him and he was nowhere to be found.

This prompted a massive cat hunt inside and outside. Knowing he gets into strange places, we looked in everybody’s car, both neighbors’ barns (well we called and then listened for frantic meowing, that’s how it works) and even listened for meowing at the cellar door of the Wicked Witches and the Evil Brother and the Good Brother. We went to both the cemetery and the park with  flashlights. Good thing Vernon’s finest were too busy to catch us in public places after dark.  Frantic humans calling Taco till 11 PM. Nothing.  Not a sound, no Taco.  Since there was no dead cat in the streets and we had to get to bed we gave up the search.

Just as Seth was falling asleep, he got the idea that Taco was in the cellar of the Good Brother.  Even though I had already been over there a number of times listening for meowing, we got on our jackets and went back over.  I quietly lifted the bulkhead door…uh yeah, we were trespassing…Seth even more quietly opened the huge heavy inside door, and who should come skulking out…looking relieved and rather sheepish at the same time…Taco!

Another cat and deer in love, this is a cat in Harrisburg PA and his special friend:

Hi there folks, this is Yours Truly, King Taco.  It has come to my attention that this blog focuses entirely too much on how “adorable” we cats are, without much thought to proper education for cats.  I mean, if you are a Cat Lover, surely you would want your cat to be an expert in the fine art of Human Training, no?

So, with the aid of my well-trained human, I will commence this series with a most important topic: Waking Your Human.

Be aware that Waking Your Human on time, every morning, is not only your duty as a responsible Human Owner, it can be both a challenge and a pleasure.  And, as we all know, it is vitally important that our food and water bowls be filled by the prescribed time of day and attention be given to us as we demand it, even if that may be quite “early” (by silly human standards) in the day.

For starters, choose the time that is the most convenient for you, say 5 or 6 in the morning.  Of course we don’t need those silly “clock” things, our ability to “tell time” is far superior to Humans.

1) Try gently nuzzling your Human, with a few quick mews added in for effect. This may work well and get your Human up in a relatively good mood…unless she’s doing the horrible “sleeping in” thing-NOT ALLOWED, it SPOILS them.

2) Walking on your Human is quite effective, though if you get nudged off the bed repeatedly it’s time to move on to more obvious and annoying tactics.

3) If there are blinds in your Human’s room, definitely go for the pawing and clawing at the blinds effect.  This can be quite loud and should do the trick.

4) If your Human is still asleep (more likely pretending to be asleep in the hope that you’ll go away) it’s time to get serious.  Jump on every piece of furniture and look for the easiest stuff to push off onto the floor.  Your Human might be getting a bit cranky by this time.  Ignore it.  If you’re still not getting results, try swatting bigger, heavier, more breakable stuff.  Trust me, it’s a waker-upper.

5) If your Human is not panting heavily swearing under their breath at this point, there is one other option: ripping and shredding!  My very favorite is pulling the calender off the wall and shredding it to bits.  Well usually I don’t get that far, since I have accomplished my goal.

Now, if you get tossed out of the room, of course the only option is to scratch frantically at the door.  You can get other cats to aid in this and other ventures (more than one cat makes for MUCH faster results) and Mango is my scratching at the door expert.  He gets down low and claws the heck out of the bottom of the door, while I lean up over him and claw the upper part.  It works!

Mango has another trick that works well for him, clawing on the carpet right by the bed.  Mango can do it really LOUDLY and I have to give the boring old boy credit for that!

Anyway, your Human should be up and moving (albeit grouchily) towards the food bowl by this time, so take the time to show thanks by acting loveable and “happy”.  This is a good control measure, and your Human should respond well (though slowly) to some well-thought-out “cutesy” antics.  This also ensures an affable atmosphere in the home.  Remember: Humans are easily distracted, and more easily controlled.  Just purr, “chirp” and do some silly stuff and your Human will be placated and ready to do your bidding.  We are all unique and have our own little “tricks”.  Mango, for instance, does somersaults when he sees the Mommy.  He’s got her wrapped in his own little old-fart Mango way.  Experiment and use your unlimited imagination!

Wishing the cat blogosphere much success in Human Training, next topic will be “Five Ways To Sneak Outside” so watch for another post coming soon!

Yours Truly:

King Taco

I do believe a more apt description would be “eccentric”.  Web definition of eccentric: a person with an unusual or odd personality. He’s definitely odd, but he’s a cat.  Whatever.  It fits. 

Mango will switch from happy, purring kitty to slapping and nipping in a matter of nanoseconds.  The reason for the short-circuit is a mystery.  One of many.  He does not know how to emit a normal cat-type meow, he groans instead.  Maybe it’s a growl. It’s indescribable.

Mango does not like the litter box.  If I don’t let him outside when he demands to be let out (via groaning at the door) he pees by the door.  Or in the bathroom if he knows he’ll get caught squatting by the door.  Since he does not enjoy getting his delicate butt-furs wet, when there is snow on the ground he finds new and innovative places to do his business. Like on my neighbor’s porch.  Specifically, on the jacket left on the porch.  The jacket has been trashed.  My neighbor is NOT happy.

On the bright side, Mango is hopelessly, passionately, head-over-heels in love with me, and only me. He gazes at me with absolute adoration, purrs with abandon at the mere sight of me, and goofily chases after me when he’s not sleeping or peeing or doing something abominable. 

I’m thrilled that he is so smitten with me (nobody else is) but this can create some problems with the sleeping arrangements.  We have a nightly ritual: every night I put him outside my bedroom door and try to close the door before he can run back in.  For a cat who spends 90% of his time sleeping, he sure can run faster than the proverbial “greased lightening”. The process is repeated until I give in and let him sleep in my room.  On my bed.   The night goes like this: 10:00 goodnight Mango.  10:45 bath time, including vigorous licking and nibbling.  Back to sleep.  12:30, furball evacuation, usually near my head.  Definitely on the bed.  GROSS.  No I do not prefer cleaning up furballs to sleeping.  2:00, exuberant scratching session on my carpet.  5:30, I’m up, Mango is sleeping in.

No, he’s not a freak, as he’s been called by members of my family. He had a rough start in life, and I think he’s well aware that his adored mommy saved him (he was going to be “put to sleep”) and he obviously wasn’t “socialized”.  He’s adapted to the best of his ability.  That’s life with cats.  You love them despite the inconveniences, and they love you back.  I guess that’s unconditional love.

…and she’s here to stay.  We called her ‘Happy Kitty” when she first showed up, but since she is now a permanent resident, she needed a permanent name.

The other cats, even Taco (who can be quite the bully), accepted her without complaint.

See the spots?  I think she is a Bengal Cat, she  also has the long, lanky body shape.

This cat begging for money was spotted in one of the cities of Belarus. He stays on his mat with a note that reads “need money for meat and fish, bless you”.

He doesn’t leave his place and watches over the money. His owner, an elderly woman, was found nearby. She said that she had rescued the cat from the “slaughters”, but at that time she had already owned some pets and couldn’t feed them all, so she decided to let the pets earn the money for themselves.

Seriously! Do you ever feel like your cat (or dog, or other pet) knows they have done something unacceptable and cares enough about it to look or act apologetic?  Do animals have a conscience?

Taco has this habit of reaching up and hugging me when he wants attention or anything from me, he does it quite often when I’m in the kitchen working.  Since I clip his claws, it’s usually not a problem (but annoying). I haven’t had a chance to do his manicure lately so his claws have gotten awfully sharp.  Today when he did his hug/give me attention routine, it really HURT, and I yelled.  He is not used to me yelling! So he ran right out of the kitchen, but two seconds later came in slowly meowing very loudly and looking straight into my eyes.  I swear he was saying “I’m sorry, you’re not mad at me are you?”  Then he got VERY loveable.

…or weeks…or months…or forever…

Apparently we are The Chosen Ones.  What will the Wicked Witch say when she finds out we have FOUR cats? She squawked and whined about three cats! 

Cats sure are strange, the way they just decide on a family and move in, without a care in the world.    She’s obviously “fixed” and has been well-taken care of, her humans must miss her.  Wherever her home was, she won’t go back.  I let her out and a few hours later there she is on the back porch begging to come in.  I so wish that she could tell us her story.

Yes, she’s made herself right at home.  And she’s already in love with us.  And of course we’re already in love with her.  That took about 30 seconds.

So what do we do now??  She’s obviously well-taken care of and has a home, someplace.  But she’s been hanging around for the past couple of weeks and was found yesterday by The Wicked Witch of the East, who clearly was not happy to find a kitty in her dungeon…uh , I mean cellar.  So of course my son brought her in and fed her.  That’s what we do.

She even has a name, “Happy Kitty”.  No, I did not name her, this all occurred even before I got home.

This morning I let her out and encouraged her to go back to her own home.

Guess what? She’s back…

*sigh*…

1. When in doubt, nap.

2. Fur is a harmless addition to any meal, plus it adds texture.

3. It’s not a twist-tie. It’s a fantasy flying furless thingy with an amazing ability to vanish.

4. You might as well take a small bite of everything on the table, that way it’s reasonably safe from being    eaten by someone else.

5. Anything on the floor is fair game, including feet.

6. Curtains really can’t hold much excess weight.

7. The best way to get whatever you want is to act awfully cute.

8. Yes, doors DO open if you stare at them long enough.

9. You shouldn’t jump on stuff that has a slippery surface.

10. Bugs are actually quite entertaining.

11. If you’re little, it’s best not to stick your head in the refrigerator if the person closing the door is not looking directly at you.

12. Stairs are not a good place for nighttime naps.

13. If you’re in a really bad mood, a nap will take care of it.

14. Almost anything has entertainment value. Especially crinkly stuff.

15. If you want to get in bed with someone you love, just scratch on their door.  It’s irresistible.

16. Barfing is not as awful as you might think. It also adds color and texture to any carpet.

17. Be persistent. Really persistent.

18. A good nap can fix almost any problem.

19. Sometimes, inspecting someone else’s car can turn into quite an adventure.

20. A screen does not have to be a barrier between you and the Great Outdoors. With the right technique this obstacle can be removed quite easily.

21. It’s acceptable to pee in the shower or bathtub if your regular toilet is unavailable.

22. A barking pit bull is not easily distracted. Therefore, you can race right past the nose of one. They are too stupid to register the fact that you are mere inches away from them while they are barking. When they shut up, it’s a different story.

23. If possible, always take naps in a patch of sunshine.

24. You can easily wake someone up just by walking on them.

25. You can keep a pit bull barking for hours just by staring calmly at it while you’re just out of reach. You can even take a leisurely bath.

26. If it stings, don’t touch it. Especially don’t eat it.

27. When you yawn, try to remember to put your tongue back in your mouth, otherwise someone will end up taking your picture.

28. You can cheer up a crying person simply by patting them gently on the face, looking into their eyes, and saying, “mew”.

29. Don’t sweat the small stuff. Don’t sweat the big stuff either.

30. If you curl up in the lap of someone you love and look at them with adoration, it will make you both very happy.

First of all, I’m attempting to write this with the keyboard across my legs near my feet and a hefty cat purring and drooling on my lap.  The cat is BIG.  I am little.  It’s a long stretch to the keyboard. Plus, he doesn’t know if he wants to lay down or sit up or both at once.  My legs are falling asleep.

Cats need kids, and my youngest two are house-cat-dog-chinchilla-assorted little animal-sitting for their sister and new brother-in-law while they are away on their honeymoon.

Unfortunately this means that Taco is determined to give ME all his attention every single second that I am home.  And if he doesn’t GET every single second of attention back, he turns into Horrible, Yowling, Galloping, Out-of-Control Demon Cat.  This means that he is alternately destroying something, bounding across the house throwing his large self on me, reaching up and hugging me with claws and paws outstretched, sitting right in my face on the desk STARING at me, knocking stuff off every surface, or…did I mention…destroying something?

Right now he’s still sitting in my lap, but since I apparently haven’t given him my FULL attention for 10 minutes, he’s reaching up with  his adorable little gigantic paws and patting my face.  Yeah, cute. Annoying, but cute.  And he knows it.     Don’t let the innocent look fool you

I suppose this is a fairly odd topic, but I find it compelling, particularly in light of the fact that Beast, in the Wordless Wednesday photo in the previous post, seemed about to make that decision.

Beast started his life either as a stray, or neglected, nobody really knows and he’s not telling.  He was terrified of people, but finally made his way into a warm, friendly house full of cat-lovers.  These cat-lovers could not quite afford to have a cat but did their best to provide food and love.  Unfortunately Beast did not get “fixed”.    

He came to our house on a Sunday, after leaving the only real home he ever knew, and after leaving his chosen human.  Have you ever noticed that cats who have had a rough start will choose one person to love, while cats who have had a home full of loving humans will generally be quite social and willing to share their love with anyone?

Beast promptly found the tiniest most inconspicable little hole under the cellar stairs and made his way to the farthest reaches of the cellar BETWEEN THE WALLS.  This was a nice cool finished off room that seemed to be the perfect place to store a frazzled cat for a few days until his scheduled surgery.  We never saw that little hole.

Of course the logical thing to do was put out delectible food and water because everyone KNEW he would come out eventually to eat and drink.  He did not.

By Tuesday, he had not had a thing to eat or drink and we were desperate.  A friend came over and helped us remove the panelling, and with some squeezing between stinky moldy spider-infested walls I was able to pull him out and get him into a holeless room upstairs.  Good thing I’m little.  If our landlady, fondly referred to as The Wicked Witch of the West ever knew we had taken those walls apart she would have a major, broom-whacking, face-scrunching hissy fit.  I hope they look like they have not been tampered with.

Tuesday night, it was clear that Beast was dying of dehydration. He could not go for his surgery.  He absolutely refused water, milk, sardine juice, or affection.  We told him that we would not let him die.  He’d have to pick a different time for that, far into the future.  We told him that we loved him and he would have a good home.  We force-fed him drops of raw milk all night until he started drinking on his own.  He finally ate a bit the next day, had a whooping diarrhea blowout, got moved into the bathroom (easier to clean poo off the bathroom floor) and has been hiding under the tub for three weeks.

He has been eating well now for awhile, he’ll let us hold and pet him and he purrs up a storm, and he uses the litter box (yay) but the tub is his refuge.  His surgery is re-scheduled for 9/11.

I know he would have just let himself die that night, but it makes me wonder what goes on in his delicate little psyche that would allow him to just die.  I’m infinitely thankful that we got through to him and nudged him back to life.  He’s a good cat.  A bit introverted.  We now call him Emo-cat. You’ve got to have teenagers to figure that last one out.

The National Alliance to End Homelessness estimates Florida’s homeless population is about 25,000 to 65,000. 

About half of the nation’s homeless are unsheltered, and Feeding Pets of the Homeless estimates up to 24 percent of homeless people keep pets. That means as many as 162,000 pets are on the streets with their owners — about 68,000 of which are unsheltered. 

These homeless people are not only trying to take care of themselves, they are also trying to provide for the pets they love.

Dr. Anne Scholl-Mealey, a companion-animal practice owner and mother of two, has been volunteering her time and skills to care for pets of the homeless around greater Orlando for the last five years.

According to Dr. Scholl-Mealey: “When you go out and you meet these people, they really are so grateful. I wish all my paying clients would show a little bit of thankfulness,” she says. “They really are grateful someone is coming out and helping them. They almost take better care of their pets than they do themselves.”

Maybe those of us who have so much to be thankful for could offer a simple prayer of gratitude and love to this wonderful woman.

In memory of Eclair, the Bakery Cat

Somehow Eclair knew we would take care of her.  Cats know these things.

She was terrified.  Terrified of everything, even us, but she knew to beg for food, and we gave her a scoop of cream cheese, it was all we had on hand that seemed fitting for a cat.  It wasn’t long before we  brought our fancy organic cat food to share with Eclair at the bakery.

Eventually I moved into an apartment right across the street from the bakery, which Eclair immediately claimed as her property, but she wouldn’t come in or let us pet her.  She really wanted to come in but was far too scared.

One wet, freezing cold she finally did it, I held the door open so long that she couldn’t resist the warmth and in she bolted!

That’s Eclair on the left, she looks a lot like Sumari.  Eclair was so happy with us, after awhile she let us pet her, but not pick her up.  She talked to us a lot and loved the other cats too.  She had so many toes we couldn’t count them all!

One day when we were almost home, there was an accident and traffic was directed down our street.  Just as I drove into the driveway Eclair bolted across the street to greet us (she refused to stay inside for long) and the best I can remember was hearing something like a rock hitting a car and my son saying “Oh no, it’s Eclair”.  We all ran across the street and she was laying there, already dead.  I picked her up and we all cried and held her for a long time and we told her how much we loved her.  Then our neighbor let us bury her in the front yard, under a tree.

In memory of Eclair, The Bakery Cat, our cat, we love you and miss you.

I suppose SPHERICAL would be a more apt description.  Or even egg-shaped (what’s the word for that?  Ovoid??)               

Grapes are Number 1, followed closely by kiwis, cherries, plums and peaches.  Even the stray cantaloupe will be found on the floor with tell-tale nibbles here and there. 

King Taco, Lord of the Manor, has a penchant for ball-shaped food.  He senses it, knows instinctively when it has appeared in the house, and knows exactly when it has been placed on the table, and ESPECIALLY knows the very second that no human is watching said temptation.

How many grapes can one large (OK extra-large) sleepy grey cat pierce and toss on the floor in the matter of a few seconds?  How many cat-saliva coated cherries lay just out of sight under the refrigerator and baseboard heaters?  Ahh so many mysteries, so few cats to pin the blame on…