love in an elevator

What a sweet faced boy!

He looks like my Petey so soft his fur feels like cool silk.
Did anyone else have a hard time accessing the site today? It took me an hour on Yahoo.

I JUST WANT TO CUDDLE HIM!!

Kittenmaster, I have been having trouble with the comments printing over one another for a long time now. I did as Dee suggestion to click on back it works for a few comments and then double prints again. It happens when there are many comments but who chooses who can comment and who cannot please get your think tank together and see if they can find a solution. Thank you very much. I love the site and don’t want to miss any of it.

Going up? FUZZ

What a cutie! Perfect name for his origins!

me likey Mr Otis:)

I LOVE HIS STRIPES !!!

Thank you for rescuing such an adorable kitten. I’m sure he’s much happier now than in a cold elevator.

Very pretty

FUZZBUTT!!!!

Now all he needs is a “Milo”!

I’m in love with Mr Otis!

Awwwww, Mr. Otis is gorgeous. Just look at those bright eyes!
*steals Mr. Otis and puts him in her backpack*

What floor please?

I always love to hear stories like this. One of my guys had been outdoors for two winters when he found me, and was suffering from entropian. One surgery (and a lot of TLC) later, and we are inseparable. I call him my office assistant; he likes to help with e-mails and paper shredding. Every day I get the sense that he is grateful, and so am I. Mr. Otis reminds me of him and I am sure he will be just as grateful; that compelled me to share the story. I think they understand.

“There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats.” Albert Schweitzer

Mr. Otis is adorable… he looks like a tiny tiger cub….

What cute little *fuzzy stripes**

The stripes! The light touches of caramel! The round round eyes! The sweetie-paws! What an adorable baby! I wanna stroke his silky fur — all day!

(I’m not a completely new commenter, I used to sign as “used to have a kitty”, but someone thought that sounded too sad, so I’ve been working on a new name. Long ago…make that long long ago, my cousins were visiting us at our farm, and I was amusing their two year old son. One of our cats came over to greet him, then another cat emerged from the hedge, and he exclaimed “Another More Gat!” We adopted the name “Mrs. Morgat” as a nickname for our wonderful momma cat. Hence my new handle, Mrs. Morgat’s Kitten.)

Such a beautiful little one! Love the markings and the kissable face. Best of luck to you, Otis and his companions!

Strange how I kept going into TDK and not able to see Otis. Had to close out and then actually type in the web url to get to see Otis.

Gorgeous fluffy fuzz! Such a serious look on such a little kitty. I felt a chinchilla fur once (local petshop has two of them) and it is amazingly soft. Your kitty’s fur must feel exquisite (extremely soft)!

Mr Otis is gorgeous. Is he being hypnotized by one of his “siblings?”
And I think Rosie (UK) has already noticed his huge FB’s!

I love his big innocent eyes and beautiful stripes. And once again a heart warming backstory.
Kudos to you for rescuing this adorable boy!

*~Otis Redding Fuzz~*

Aren’t these cool? Recycled snack food wrapper bowls…
http://www.madisyntaylor.com/products/bowls/bowls.html

What a squooshable little fluffernutter! And such pretty eyes…

For all of you dealing with the freezing cold, I thought this soup sounded great. I think it would be wonderful even without the ham.

**Minestrone Parmesan**

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup minced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
3 cups finely diced smoked ham
4 quarts beef broth, boiling
1 cup diced fresh or canned tomatoes
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
1/2 cup corn
1 cup diced raw white potatoes
1 cup cooked garbanzo beans
1 cup uncooked small pasta (macaroni or smaller)
2 cups shredded fresh spinach
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to taste

TO PREPARE:

Heat oil in a large stockpot and sauté onions, garlic, cilantro and smoked ham until onions are soft. Add boiling beef broth and simmer on medium-low heat for 20 minutes. Add tomatoes, carrots, celery, corn, potatoes and garbanzo beans all at once. Cover and barely simmer until vegetables are tender. Add pasta and spinach and cook until pasta is al dente. Season with pepper. Stir in freshly grated Parmesan cheese and serve hot.

NOTE: This hefty soup is best prepared a day ahead and reheated to serve. Make 2 batches and freeze the extra.

SERVES: 10 - 12

Mr. Otis is so cute! Love his face, those big eyes and that dark nose! I just want to hug him up. So glad you found him.

“They call me MISTER Otis!” FUZZ

**Florida Braces For Super Bowl Halftime Flush**
Jan 31, 2007 11:59 am US/Central

(CBS) MIAMI As football fans from around the world focus in on the big game taking place this Sunday, South Florida residents not attending the Super Bowl are being warned about the dreaded Halftime Flush.

90 million toilets will be flushed during the halftime. And as the nachos, bean dip and beverages abound, the day has historically become one of the busiest days for plumbers.

In fact, every year, one-in-five Americans battles a clogged toilet, often times during halftime. That’s why Miami-Dade’s sewer department is asking residents to make sure their “super” bowls are ready to handle the Halftime Flush. When 90 million people flush about 350 million gallons of water down the pipes at the same time nationwide, that’s enough water to fall over Niagara Falls for more than half an hour.

That much bathroom action can cause clogs, worsen already leaky toilets and lower water pressure.
Miami-Dade is prepared to handle the extra flushing, and officials say South Florida faces no additional peril because it is hosting the Super Bowl. The worst that could happen, they say, is a temporary loss of water pressure. To be on the safe side, people could stagger their flushing.

Some tips for keeping things flowing smoothly on Super Bowl Sunday:

Use single-ply toilet paper.

Keep a trash bin in the bathroom and tell guests not to flush paper towels or napkins.

Remove small items near the bowl that could fall in and cause a clog.

Remember these little guys?

Feb 1, 2007 1:23 am US/Central

**Puppies Have Surgery For Cleft Palates**

(CBS) HUNTINGTON, N.Y. Two puppies born with cleft palates have had their first corrective surgeries and are said to be doing well. The puppies were taken in by the Little Shelter Animal Adoption Center in Huntington, N.Y., last year, after a worker found them in a New York City shelter, unable to eat and likely to die.

The puppies, named Magic and Merlin, were three-days-old and weighed about five ounces each. Their cleft palates kept them from eating.

Veterinarian Priti Karnik, who volunteered at the Little Shelter when she was a teen-ager, has donated her surgery. She says the puppies are both receiving pain medication and are wearing medical collars so they won’t scratch their mouths. She says soon, they will be eating on their own for the first time in their lives. They have been fed through a tube.

Doctor Karnik says she will soon determine how many more surgeries will be necessary to ensure complete closure of Magic and Merlins palates.

She works for Atlantic Coast Veterinary Specialists.

I know some of you don’t like sad posts like this, but I believe that we, as animal lovers, need to be aware of these things. Making our friends and family aware of these situations, letter writing, petition signing, volunteering our time (or donating our money) to respected organizations– it’s our collective fire in the belly that can move mountains.

**How Much is that Doggie on the Menu?**

Monday, Jan. 29, 2007
By NELLY SINDAYEN/MANILA

The old Patti Page song How Much is That Doggie in the Window? takes on a different meaning in a country where dogs are sold not only to guard a sweetheart, as the song goes, or as a friend. Only last week, police intercepted a jeep full of dogs — mouths tied and bleeding to prevent them from barking or howling in protest, feet bound to prevent them running, and all l50 of them piled on top of each other — traveling in broad daylight along a main Manila highway. “These are hard times, sir,” the vehicle’s owner explained, “and this is just a job, a source of livelihood.” He claims to have purchased the pooches for between $7 and $8 in nearby Batangas province, and was transporting them to a not-so-secret slaughter house far to the north in Baguio, where dog meat is a local delicacy. As the owner of the vehicle confirmed, “We’ve been doing this since time immemorial.”

Although the 150 dogs on the jeep were saved, its driver was released and it remains unclear whether he faces any criminal charges. While eating dog meat has been banned in the Philippines since 1998, the Animal Kingdom Foundation alleges that as many as 200,000 dogs a year are slaughtered here for their meat. Last year, during a visit to Baguio — known as center of canine cuisine — President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo hosted a dinner for the Baguio City officials where she made comments that the local media deemed to have fallen well short of condemning the practice: “Dog meat keeps you warm, does it not?” the president is reported to have said to Baguio mayor Braulio Yaranon over dinner. In a transcript sent by Arroyo’s handlers in Manila’s presidential palace, Arroyo claimed her knowledge of the culinary use of dog meat was rudimentary.

Despite the 1998 law, if the claims of animal rights advocates are to be believed, more dogs than ever are being eaten in the Philippines. Once confined to the hills of the north, activists claim it is also now rampant in the far south on Mindanao island.

Dodong Nalupa, from Sultan Kudarat province in Mindanao, is a dog-meat devotee, and says he indulges his appetite for it every day. “I get so energized when I eat it,” Nalupa claims. “It is served in every carinderia [eatery].” Although restaurants don’t display it as openly since the 1998 ban, it is common enough to be served in certain areas, and is considered a common delicacy at birthdays and other fiestas. The town maintains its supply of dog meat by collecting pets from a nearby Muslim town, where keeping dogs as domestic pets is considered unclean.

Black dogs are deemed the tastiest, and are also said to counter the effects of asthma and to stimulate the libido. Dogs are often cruelly killed — feet bound, clubbed unconscious and then slaughtered with a knife. Sometimes, their blood is drained to be drunk, ostensibly for medicinal reasons. Dog skin and innards are made into an appetizer by soaking them in vinegar, garlic and ginger. But dog meat is also roasted, stewed in the sour juice of the sampaloc fruit, or served adobo style — that is, with soy sauce and vinegar.

The 1998 ban signaled a distaste in the capital Manila for the habit of eating dogs, in line with international standards. But some Filipinos are contemptuous of such concerns: “What’s the big deal about eating dogs?” asked Becky Judalena who comes from a tribe in the northern province of Ilocos that’s known for eating dog. “This is a way of life. Why impose western culture on us natives? To each his own. And to hell with the [French actress turned animal rights campaigner] Brigitte Bardots of this world.”

Ok, that one just took me out. I understand our culture is different from others around the world, but I just can’t shake the sick feeling I get hearing that it exists. I guess I am just glad that I was raised here to love and protect all animals as best I can and to have a supermarket for my food. So sad.