Pooie, Molly, and Rebel are the original three cats in our logo.
I received Pooie when he was an 8 week old kitten, we had the feline-human bond from the get-go which continued to grow through the years. He lived to be almost 20 years old but that still wasn't long enough. His favorite game was playing hide and seek with mom- -I would hide and he would roam around the house meowing until he found me. When he did, he would exclaim with a booming MEOW then take off and hide so I could go look for him. His favorite play toy was "mom". As he got older, he was "purrfectly" content to sit on my lap with his back facing me, leaning back against me and tilting his head up to lovingly look at me...he was a very difficult loss for me
Where's Molly?
My husband didn't like cats until he met Pooie and found out how much fun it was to be owned by a cat. After a few years, he decided he wanted one just like him, only female. Since it was nearing Christmas, I told him we didn't need another one but secretly added that to his Christmas list. I searched and searched and finally found Molly at "Save A Pet" (I WILL NOT buy from a pet store so I searched many shelters looking for a black, short hair female). His reaction that Christmas was priceless! Unfortunately, Molly was gravely ill for the first four months of her life. She was saved by our love, alot of nurturing and TLC plus a wonderful veteranarian who never gave up on her. We call her our little "miracle kitten". Because of her condition in the beginning she received around the clock attention and care. She is soooo spoiled that if she were a human kid, she would be the kind that nobody would want to be around. She is still kitten size at 10 years old (her growth stunted due to her illnesses) and she is "the little prissy princess". I taught her how to give hugs (she climbs onto our shoulder and slams her little cheek against our cheek and rubs like crazy), my husband was beside himself the first time he received a hug from his little princess. She can't meow very well (from her previous illnesses also) so she acknowledges when we talk to her by dancing on her two back feet and wiggling her little behind. It's these precious little traits that keeps me from hanging her by her itty bitty toes when she gets in her "moods" to seek out trouble! Her favorite toys are little mousies...she loves to chew their behinds off
Rebel April 15, 1999 - October 10, 2008
A few months later, we decided that Molly needed a playmate. Pooie was 14 years old and didn't have that kitten energy so it was time for a third. We found Rebel at the Knox County Humane Society shelter. My husband wanted him but after watching him for a bit, I didn't. In order to get from Point A to Point B, he just walked on top of all the little kittens at the shelter without giving it a second thought (he is no lightweight). I didn't want a kitty with that much of an "all about me" attitude. My husband picked him up and put him on the counter on his back and started rubbing his belly. Well, those little paws started kneading like crazy and that was all she wrote. His favorite toy is a cotton swab. I told my husband he had to quit giving to them him, they were everywhere! Perplexed, he said he hadn't been giving him that many. Shortly after that the mystery was solved. I saw him go into the bathroom one day, get on top of the toilet, and take one out of the container (Rebel, not my husband)
Apparently he was helping himself everytime he felt he needed one, which had to of been quite often from the trail he was leaving. He was stand-offish with me until the day I lost Pooie. From that day on, he was mommy's little boy. In the evenings while we were watching tv, he laid on his "Kitty Cot" which was placed between our two recliners. In between naps he would get up and slap one of us on the elbow letting us know it was time for attention. If we ignored him, he would jump on our lap and demand attention. Since he is 22 lbs., there is no ignoring him at that point.
On Friday morning, October 10, 2008, we woke up to find that we had lost Rebel during the night. He had passed away in the early hours of the morning from a blood clot in his heart or lungs. We've lost another sweet little soul at Black Cat Pines.
Got Milk?
After we lost Pooie from old age, we found that we liked having three kitties. We went to Knox County Humane Society in search of another black cat. I had decided previously to name our next cat "Abby" (with Rebel, we knew we couldn't get another male). Lo and behold, as soon as we walked through the door she jumped up on a bench and started coaxing us over to her. Unable to resist , I picked her up and held her for a long time. I kept wavering because she's a black & white tuxedo kitty and not a "black cat" but she was such a sweetie! My husband kept trying to get me to look at more kitties but I was having a tough time putting her down. It's hard to turn a kitty down when she has chosen you. Finally when I looked at the little paper collar she was wearing, it had the name "Abby" on it, that clinched it. Abby was a year old at the time and she had found herself a home. After we got home and from then on, she's made it quite clear that she doesn't like to be held, she loves attention but it's on her terms. What a little stinker, she knew what she was doing! Abby's favorite toy is plastic milk carton rings. Open the fridge to get milk and there's Abby. We collect them in a bowl on the counter so she can have one every morning. She's also a shadow chaser and loves her laser light or a flashlight. Abby is still a sweet little girl.
"Hi other mom!"
Meekah came to us by way of being taped up in a box and thrown by the side of a road. She was rescued by someone that found her a home but unfortunately, her "new mom", was severely allergic to her. I saw her picture on a co-workers door and it just tugged at my heart. I emailed my husband fully expecting him to say NO, but to the contrary, he said "Bring her home". It broke her "other mom's" heart to give her up, but she knew her health issues were at stake. As a result, Meekah sends her pictures and notes now and then to let her know that she's doing fine. Her favorite thing is treat time at 9:00p. Sometimes she'll appear in her "treat spot" earlier and everytime we look at her, she has the most pitiful look on her face, then she'll lick her little chops trying to make us feel sorry for her and give her treats early. The poor little thing gets way out of whack when the time changes in the Fall She has very unique markings on her including the little stinker stripe down her nose. Meekah is the very independent one, it's either her terms or nothing at all.
What do you mean nap time? I want to play!
When we lost Rebel, we were devastated. He hadn't been sick at all so it was a total shock. We have three sweet little female kitties, but I need to have a little boy. Once again I went to the Knox County Humane Society, where we had originally adopted Rebel and Abby. Upon walking into the room, I was greeted with 10 to 12 kitties crawling all over me giving love and kisses, this was THE best medicine for a broken heart! Among those kitties, was a little black sweetheart who was very insistent about making his presence known by standing up among the other kitties and meowing his little head off at me. At his first opportunity, he jumped on my shoulder and covered my face with kisses as hard as he could over and over. I didn't find a new little boy, he had found me. Benji loves to be cuddled and loved on anytime, anywhere. If he feels he's running low on attention, he'll put his paw on our legs and wave the other paw frantically until he gets attention. His favorite toy is a goofy stuffed carrot he just got for Christmas. When he's being annoying, we can just hand him a toy and he'll play with it. He'll play with pretty much anything you hand him, or he'll pick out one of his many, many toys, or pester his sisters.
Dakota June 1998 - 23 Jun 2009
Amazingly enough, we took four cats, from totally different environments, put them together, and they all get along just fine. Who would have thought?
In addition to four cats and being cat lovers, we are also dog lovers and have two, Dakota and Tyler who were were also rescues. Dakota is a Siberian Husky/Wolf mix who is 85 lbs.of sweetheart. Of course being a husky, he has LOADS of energy and he loves to sing on cue. At dinner time he slaps his paw on his bowl to make sure we know where to put his food. When he wants treats, he bats those pretty "baby blues" and whines.
Tyler is a pure bred Heinz 57 and he just adores Dakota and vice versa. Where you see one, you see the other. Tyler has tried my patience time and again by destroying everything he could in the back yard even though we kept him supplied with chew toys, bones, and handmade stuffed towel toys. At my wits end, I took him to our wonderful veteranarian, because he just wasn't right and was getting worse with age. We found that he needs to be on calming medication (I call it puppy prozac). What a difference it makes! We have about 2 acres fenced in and that's their territory to run, run, run and run they do.
Tyler
Sasha
Dakota had been diagnosed with Cushings Disease.His pain level had reached the point that we had to have him put down to end his suffering on June 23, 2009. Tyler is off medication and has turned out to be a well rounded, very loyal friend, but when we lost Dakota, he was beside himself with grief and loneliness. The search began for a new companion for Tyler and new friend for us. We knew we wanted another Siberian Husky so we took Tyler with us to a Siberian Husky rescue and we found Sasha. She is just as sweet as can be and is very, very happy in her new home. She and Tyler have become very good companions for each other.
All Black Cat Pines animals are rescues or come from homeless shelters. Knox County Humane Society in Mt. Vernon, Ohio is our favorite shelter (even though we live in a different county and it's a 45 minute drive one way). Not only do they take in and care for so many kitties, but workers and volunteers also spend time with them creating very people oriented purr-sonalities. The environment they create is unlike so many other shelters we've visited and is what keeps us coming back.
If you're looking for that special pet, or looking to donate to a good cause, please click the link above to see all they have to offer.
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