I’m first! And usually I just lurk!

What a cutie.

What a little cutie! Thank you for taking him in. I’m sure he will eventually stop using you for a teething ring!

so cute! the young babies make the cuddliest cats!

*down under FUZZ*

Awww….what a sweet kitten. Cute name, too!

AWWWW! My little baby used me for a chew toy also, until I got her a big sister to teach her manners.

looks like a little monster-has his claws already to strike!

Awww….what a sweet face. Love black kitties!

ahhhhh - how wonderful for both of you!! How could you not resist that baby face?

What a sweetie! Those eyes are just too much!

That’s my little baby! And I have since found out from my vet that Sydney is a GIRL. She was just too little when we first found her to be able to tell! And she’s still chewing me up too. She’s definitely grown some since that picture was taken. She’s growing into those enormous eyes and ears quite nicely.

He can nibble on me all he wants. What a cute little fuzz-meister!

What a cutie “girl”. So glad you were there to take her in. No kitten should ever be left behind!
And, she’ll grow out of chewing on you!
Goldie, Savannah GA

And Sydney can be a girl’s name too–how fortuitous! Oh what a beautiful little darling! I love black kitties! When you have a black kitty you have Halloween all year round! I’ve had two tuxedo kitties and three all-black kitties. My last all-black kitty lived to be over 20! My current is just six months old and has just been spayed. She’s half Siamese and looks JUST like a Black Oriental Shorthair. All the Siamese traits too, except the crying- baby meow. Dara (Thai for “Star”) is rescued also, through a lady I know on line who has saved thousands of pups and kittens.

Bless you for taking in lovely little Sydney! May you have many happy and cozy years together. Love her always!

Sydney looks like a little “bat-cat”. She is extra squishable.
Bless your kindness for giving him a home, Laura. A house does not become a “home” without a pet. Has anyone else noticed that? I guess we could get “new-agey” here and refer to chi.

CatRancher, Cathi in NC and ppearson: Thank you all for your concern. You always get me all misty with your kind words! The job update is: it stinks, but I’m just not prepared to get a better one right now (too scared?? lazy??), so I’m trying to make it as palatable as possible. Which, essentialy means, cocooning myself away in my cubicle. And, being a sociable type, that is very deadening to me. I must be very naive—it still shocks me when people are cruel to me—especially when I’ve been so good to them. Gosh, I sound like a victim, don’t I? haha. At the risk of sounding “new-agey” again, I just found out that I have the same life path number as Steve Irwin–a 6–which means we’re nurturers and kind of naive. How true. He really was a big, loving kid. Did anyone see Barbara Walters interviewing his wife last night? How heartbreaking. I was sobbing when she said she ‘lost her prince’. I love that she is continuing on with his mission. And their daughter Bindi is a joy. I’m certain she’ll carry on with her father’s legacy, as well.
By the way, if anyone is interested in finding out their life path and “attitude” numbers here is the link…very interesting….
http://numberslady.com/num.cfm

Laura, you are so lucky, but not as lucky as Sydney…:) It was meant to be. What a sweet little face.

Little fuzzy black baby!!!!!! I have a black baby too. Her name is Luna & she has extra toes. She was one in a neighborhood feral cat’s litter. Never could get ahold of momma kitty, but we snagged her little cuddly kiddos & got them all in good homes….that was 3yrs ago.

Blessings to you for saving another sweet kitty!!

awww *he is so cute* *priceless picture* i rember when my whiskers was that little they grow up so fast
~cuteness~

I like him he a real sweetie!

Found my Sydney last year. All black was only 3 weeks old when found at a campground I was visiting stuck in the motor of a motorhome that had just pulled in. Crawled under there got him out, with minor injuries (mostly burns to his pads and nose from the motor), named him Biscuit and he’s grown to be such a beautiful, healthy,handsome cat! Everyone says he look like a miniature black panther, he acts like one too at times!

Good luck with Sydney, and kudos to you for taking her in and making her part of your family. She’ll reward you for saving her with plenty of purrs and kisses!!

My Taffy didn’t bite/nibble on me that was his big brother was for. He used to climb up the back of my caftans to get to my shoulder while I was standing cooking or doing dishes. I was a human scratching post.

Yes, that’s why I named her Sydney. Because even though I felt that she was a he, we didn’t know for sure and I figured, better safe than sorry. So I picked a name that was good for either. Here’s the train of thought leading up to picking the name… now remember, it was 4am when I thought this:

She was chewing on me as usual and trying to be all vicious. I latched onto the word “vicious” and from there we went to Sid Vicious of the Sex Pistols. From Sid to Sydney.

Also, I realize after looking at this picture more that her eyes are now changing from that smokey green color to a gold or copper color. Anyone know at what age their eye color can be determined as permanent?

That’s a cute little kitty,God bless you for takeing her in your home.

Cute lil Sydney….she just loves you so much, Laura, that she’s trying to gobble you up! I have two females, Bunny (3) and Phaedra (4), that I still pay close attention to when petting…I may just get a quick nip to the hand or arm. I know it is a love-nip….but ouch!

glad you saved him i do the same thing dee

*’Information Please’
Sometimes our best friends are people we’ve never met*

When I was very young, my father had one of the first telephones in our neighborhood. I remember well, the polished old case fastened to the wall and the shiny receiver on the side of the box. I was too little to reach the telephone, but used to listen with fascination when my mother would talk to it.

Then I discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful device lived an amazing person and her name was “Information Please” and there was nothing she did not know. “Information Please” could supply anybody’s number and the correct time.
My first personal experience with this genie-in-a-bottle came one day while my mother was visiting a neighbor. Amusing myself at the tool bench in the basement. I whacked my finger with a hammer. The pain was terrible but there didn’t seem to be any reason in crying because there was no one home to give me sympathy. I walked around the house sucking my throbbing finger finally arriving at the stairway.
The telephone!
Quickly, I ran for the footstool in the parlor and held it to my ear. “Information Please,” I said into the mouthpiece just above my head. A click or two and a small clear voice spoke into my ear.

“Information.” “I hurt my finger,” I wailed into the phone. The tears came readily enough now that I had an audience.

“Isn’t your mother home?” came the question.

“Nobody’s home but me,” I blubbered.

“Are you bleeding?” the voice asked.

“No,” I replied. “I hit my finger with a hammer and it hurts.”

“Can you open your icebox?” she asked. I said I could. “Then chip off a piece of ice and hold it to your finger,” said the voice.

After that, I called “Information Please” for everything. I asked her for help with my geography and she told me where Philadelphia was. She helped me with my math. She told me that my pet chipmunk, which I had caught in the park just the day before, would eat fruit and nuts.

Then there was the time Petey, our pet canary died. I called “Information Please” and told her the sad story. She listened, then said the usual things grown ups say to soothe a child. But, I was inconsolable. I asked her, “Why is it that birds should sing so beautifully and bring joy to all families, only to end up as a heap of feathers on the bottom of a cage?”

She must have sensed my deep concern, for she said quietly, “You must remember that there are other worlds to sing in.” Somehow, I felt better.

Another day I was on the telephone. “Information Please”.

“Information,” said the now familiar voice. “How do you spell ‘fix’?” I asked.

All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. When I was nine years old, we moved across the country to Boston. I missed my friend very much, “Information Please.” I never thought of trying the tall, new shiny phone that sat on the table in the hall.

As I grew into my teens, the memories of those childhood conversations never really left me. Often, in moments of doubt and perplexity I would recall the serene sense of security I had then. I appreciated now how patient, understanding and kind she was to have spent her time on a little boy.

few years later, on my way west to college, my plane put down in Seattle. I had about half-an-hour or so between planes. I spent 15 minutes or so on the phone with my sister, who lived there now. Then, without thinking about what I was doing, I dialed my hometown operator and said, “Information Please.”

Miraculously, I heard the small, clear voice I knew so well. “Information.”
I hadn’t planned this, but I heard myself saying, “Could you please tell me how to spell ‘fix’?” There was a long pause. Then came the soft-spoken answer, “I guess your finger must be healed by now.”

I laughed, “So it’s really still you,” I said. “I wonder if you have any idea how much you meant to me during that time?”

“I wonder,” she said, “if you know how much your calls meant to me. I never had any children and I used to look forward to your calls.” I told her how often I had thought of her over the years and asked if I could call her again when I came back to visit my sister. “Please do,” she said. “Just ask for Sally.”

Three months later I was back in Seattle. A different voice answered, “Information.” I asked for Sally. “Are you a friend?” she said. “Yes, a very old friend,” I answered.

“I’m sorry to have to tell you this,” she said. “Sally had been working part time in the last few years because she was sick. She died five weeks ago.”

Before I could hang up she said, “Wait a minute. Are you Paul?”

“Yes.”

“Well, Sally left a message for you. She wrote it down in case you called when she was too sick to work. Let me read it to you.”

The note said, “Tell him I still say there are other worlds to sing in. He’ll know what I mean.”

I thanked her and hung up. I knew what Sally meant.

Never underestimate the impression you make on others. Whose life have you touched today?

Sydney is a lovely girl! Fiesty kittens are great.
She’ll grow up to be sleek and with shiny black fur like a panther!

OK, enough angst for the day! This is very funny….

*How to prepare for a new cat*

Take cold soup straight from the can and splash it across the carpet and the foot of the bed and then walk in it in the dark with your socks on.

Set up a mouse trap at the foot of the bed each night so that if you move a toe one inch while you are sleeping, you are sure to get snapped.

Cover all your best suits with cat hair. Dark suits must use white hair, and light suits must use dark hair. Also, float some hair in your first cup of coffee in the morning.

Put everything cat-toy sized into a water bowl to marinate.

Practice cutting your chicken into teeny tiny bites so that when they steal, it won’t be the whole breast.

Tip over a basket of clean laundry, and scatter clothing all over the floor.

Leave your underwear on the living room floor, because that’s where the cat will drag it anyway (especially when you have company).

Jump out of your chair shortly before the end of your favorite TV program and run to the TV shouting “No! No! Don’t chew on the electric cord!” Miss the end of the program.

Gouge the surface of the dining room table several times with an exacto knife. It’s going to get scratched anyway.

Practice searching every closet and open cabinet door before you shut it.

Knock all small items off your kitchen counter.

Chew the eraser off every pencil in the house.

Take a fork and shred the roll of toilet paper while it’s still hanging up. Pull a few sheets off and scatter them around the bathroom.

Take a staple remover and punch two holes in every scrap of paper around the house.

Get a litter tray without a lid and mix in some tootsie rolls with cat litter and then tip it over right before the company comes. Make sure your guests get to find this before you do.

Buy a mixed bag of cat toys and stuff them under the refrigerator. Practice getting up at 2:00AM and fishing them out with a ruler or broom stick.

Take a warm cuddly blanket out of the dryer and immediately wrap it around yourself. This is the feeling you will get when your new cat falls asleep on your lap.

There now, once you’ve done all these, you’ve passed the test, and are ready to take on that little furry critter!

Author Unknown

He’s so cute!!! He’s adorable and your his hero.

Sydney is adorable! In England, where I come from, originally, black cats are considered lucky. I have always had good luck with them, and I hope you will too.

Sydney is darling….. As for the chewing… My Knucklehead is 11 and still bites chins and noses, despite being soundly chastised for it…He is being affectionate, I know…but it smarts!
Also, kudos for rescueing her…. not that any of us could have resisted……

He sort of reminds me a gecko!
Little Gecko!

He does look like a Little Monster!! Ready to bite…………just in time for Halloween!!

~ j

This little SYdney is soooooooocute! I showed my friends him and they fell in love too! And so did my teacher! We love this little guy!
:) :) :)

Laura,
Please tell Sydney to stop hypnotizing me! She certainly has a commanding presence. I have an all black cat, as well. And a white one. And a tabby. So, I have contrasting cat hair on every piece of clothing I own, of course.

Sydney’s looking for his Opera Mouse!
HERE YE BE (LITTLE) MONSTERS FUZZ

Wow! I had no idea Paul Sorvino was such an animal advocate. The following link goes into detail. And, a warning, if you check out his site, it’s quite raw–but heartwarming.

http://www.partylaunch.com/partyanimals/more/index.cfm?Fuseaction=more_10894&menuval=more_10894

Aww, I found my black cat, Winston, the same way. He was alone in the backyard, about to be a doggie snack. He was and still is a feisty one.

Ah Love that lil FUZZ how cute is he!! *FUZZ*

All the love you are giving will all be returned to you by little Sydney as he grows up. I’m so glad you are an animal person, we have to watch out for the ones who can’t speak for themselves. I’m glad you were in the right spot at the right time. Congrats on your new baby! I have 5 cats and 5 dogs and I love all of them. Deb in Ne. 9/28/06

What a cutie. You can just see the “kitten” in those eyes, just waiting for something to move.

*Chompy FUZZ*

Here is a link to some hysterical “bad dog” stories a la the book Marley and Me.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06227/713483-51.stm

I took this picture after playing with her on the futon that’s in the background. She seems to be saying, “Hey! What are you doing over there on the other side of the desk instead of playing with me some more?”

Did you guys hear that a police officer and his dog were shot and killed in Lakeland, Florida today? It’s a city about 35 minutes east of Tampa. A “routine” traffic stop that ended like this. Currently, there is a massive manhunt for the thing that did this. How very sad….