5 Things You Don't Know About @PuppyNumber7's Wendy Archer

You probably know Thomas @PuppyNumber7 from his pawsome pawtography work with the Anipal Wedding Planners. Now meet his mom, Wendy!

1. My real name is Wendy. Dad chose my names; his favourite story of all time was Peter Pan. My middle name is Joy, named for his only sister in a family of 5 boys. When Aunty Joy had her second daughter, it was on the day of my second birthday. Aunty Joy named her baby "Wendy Joy" as well, which at the time upset my mother a little bit.

2. I am a Trekker. I have been a trekker ever since my parents let me stay up longer than 8:00pm to watch Star Trek on TV. That was back in the black and white days, but still Star Trek's imagery and what dialogue I could understand appealed to me. I became a fan. I have struggled against liking each new Star Trek spin-off in their infancy days, being loyal to The Original Series (or "TOS, as any Trekker or Trekkie will tell you) but in time ST-TNG, DS 9, Voyager and Enterprise have earned a place in my heart and on my library shelf.

3. Following on from No. 2 above, I have an eye for William Shatner. He's the only one I would (probably) swap for Pop. I won't say any more, as Thomas is hugely embarrassed by the object of my lust (I think he calls him the "fat old man") and he will be gagging reading this.

4. I am a fossicker. I like to dig around for gems and pan for gold. In fact, I have been known to stop my car next to a likely-looking West Coast stream in the middle of an NZ summer, rip the hubcap off my car tyre with a determined gleam in my eye and sit in said stream panning for gold. The most I found in this way was a test-tube full of gold flakes. I think fossicking is in my blood - Dad & Grandpa had the bug too. My dream retirement would be driving across Australia in a big Winnebago, dogs in tow, fossicking our way from gemfield to gemfield.

5. I have a baby in heaven. Her name is Chloe Rhiannon Archer *smiles and winks at Tom's littlest one*. I wasn't supposed to be able to have children at all but just before my 40th birthday I became pregnant. I didn't know I was expecting until I was around 25 weeks. I knew I was putting on weight but I didn't consider being pregnant until I felt a tiny butterfly touch inside me. Unfortunately though Chloe's heart stopped beating when I was 32 weeks and I gave birth to her the week after. It was a roller-coaster 8 weeks but one that I wouldn't have missed for the world, even knowing the awful ending to the story. I consider myself lucky to have had a small taste of a different life - not a better life, but a different life.

Thank you, Wendy, for sharing with us.

Readers, you're welcome to leave a comment below. Then stay tuned for Special Intermew with Wendy and Thomas on May 22nd.

Herman!!!

Special Intermew with HollieCatRocks and Hollie Ferguson

It’s not often an Anipal and her mom share the same first name, but that’s the case with @HollieCatRocks and her mom, Hollie Ferguson.

7 Things You Might Not Know About HollieCatRock’s and her mom, Hollie Ferguson

1.      Hollie Ferguson is an Insurance Broker.

2.      She is also an only child.

3.      She lives in British Columbia.

4.      She loves the NFL, especially the Broncos.

5.      After @Holliecatrocks went OTRB on November 26, 2010, Hollie Ferguson continued to tweet for her, bringing her great comfort.

6.      Both Hollie's were original wedding planners with help from their pawsome friend, @Danapixie.

7.      HollieCatRocks was born feral, but after two years, decided to move in with Hollie Ferguson.

12 Things You Don't Know about MickeyShorttail's Mom, Rana

1. Mickey's mom, Rana, is a sixth generation Texan, raised in a small ranching community in West Texas. (And yes, that is a distinct part of Texas, and the distinction counts -- to Texans.)

2. She used to be a college history professor, and has what she calls a "post hole digger" degree.

3. She misses the students. She doesn't miss the politics.

4. She began writing for her local newspaper at age 12 and has been writing professionally in some capacity ever since.

5. She has visited her favorite country, Scotland, three times and claims to have seen the Loch Ness Monster. (In theory, no Scotch was consumed in the creation of this story.)

6. In high school her very generous parents let her bring home and keep 25 cats that all lived in a cattery her father built in the backyard.

7. She has never been without a cat since age 1. Her first was a black-and-white tom so small he rode home in her father's shirt pocket. She named him Jimmy.

8. She has read Gone with the Wind more than 50 times and seen the movie at least that many -- as God is her witness.

9. Before "progressive lenses," when she could see well enough to do it, she created miniature Persian rugs from counted patterns.

10. Her favorite philosophers are Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, and Whoopi Goldberg.

11. Her favorite color is red.

12. Last year she published a three-volume set of essays about her growing up years in West Texas.

Thank you for sharing all those wonderpurr secrets about you, Mickey's mom. Look for Special Feature Intermew with MickeyShorttail's Mom, Rana on March 20th.

In the meantime, you can follow @MickeyShorttail on Twitter.

Meet Dolly the Doxie

I recently met @DollytheDoxie and thought you would enjoy getting to know her and her mom better. So please say Hello, Dolly!

How old were you when you moved in with your family? Were you a rescue?

I was 3 months old when mom and dad came to pick me up at Wright-Way Rescue. They first saw me and my littermates on Petfinder.com when I was 6 weeks old but we were too sick to come home yet. The shelter had found us in poor condition at a local humane society and got us out of there so we could get better and find homes up north in the city.

Are you a breed of some sort? *curious ears*

I was listed as a Dachshund mix. Mom likes the nickname Doxie because she can’t spell the long version. She new nothing about my breed just thought I would stay small. Two and a half years later she knows now that almost all of my personality and behavior is pure Doxie. The verdict is still out on what the rest of me is. Most people think I am a purebred when they see me. I am very flattered.

Meet @NewtTheCat

Like Isaac Newton's apple, my furend @NewtTheCat fell into the life of his mom, Lisa, and became the apple of her eye. Newt has an interesting story, and I'm pleased he agreed to share it here on my blog. Please welcome Newt!

How old were you when you moved in with your family? Were you a rescue?

The shelter vet said I was three weeks old when I was rescued – a foster bottle baby.

What breed are you?

Some folks have said with my spots I might be part Egyptian Mau, but my purrents and my vets say that I’m a miracle cat. Do you know what breed is a miracle cat? Is it like an Ocicat? They have spots, too.

MEET GUIDE DOG BLISS

I recently met Bliss and thought she would be interesting to intermew. And I was right! Please welcome my new furend...@GuideDogBliss

How old were you when you moved in with your family? Were you a rescue?

I am a retired guide dog, so I moved in with my family when I started to train with mum. At that time I was 19 months.

What breed are you?

I am a Labrador cross Golden Retriever.

What inspired your hoomans to name you?

Guide dogs are named when born, so your eventual owner does not name you. Each litter born at a breeding centre has a name beginning with the same letter of the alphabet. So all my brothers and sisters have names beginning with B. The next litter born at the breeding centre would all have names beginning with C and so on.

Do you have siblings? Do you get along?

I am the only animal in the house. All my brothers and sisters were also bred to be guide dogs, but I don’t know how many of them qualified successfully.

MEET SQUEAKY & ELVIS PRESLEY!

Bad Boys!

Bad Boys!

Whatcha gonna do...

Whatcha gonna do when your meowmy comes for you....?

Claiming the COPS theme song for their own, my pals Squeaky and Elvis make getting into mischief a top priority. They're fun and funny. So please welcome the bad boys you know as @SqueakyElvis.

How old were you when you moved in with your family? Were you a rescue? 

We were 6 months old. We are rescues from Kansas. Our birth mom had us under a porch then moved us next door inside. Just yowled for the door to be opened and moved us into a closet in the back room. This house was owned by the sister of our foster mom whom brought us and a sister to Oklahoma. She kept our sister Gracie and gave us, Squeaky & Elvis, to mommy. Mommy just lost Kitty the year before and The Bandit the month before. She said no before to taking us before the Bandit died, but our names came up in random conversions so she relented and took us in. It has been a party every since.

MEET LUKA

Anipals, gather round, cuz I'm about to intermew another of my beloved furends, a real great kitteh named Luka. Please welcome @I_Am_Luka

How old were you when you moved in with your family? Were you a rescue?

No one is really sure how old I am. Mama and Uncle Rob think I was almost a year old when I adopted her on June 14, 2011 (Flag Day!). The stabbypeople all said I was older – anywhere from 3 to 10! – but now they are still saying 3-5. So the only two hoo-mons I will talk to are sticking with what they said…which make me going on 2 now.

I adopted Mama so that makes her the rescue. I lived outside the whole winter before deciding on her. Would sneak food off of Uncle Rob’s back porch, but not let either one of them near me.

What breed are you?

I am a Domestic Longhair…I look like a long haired Russian Blue. (Excuse me – that reminds me I need to groom. ::: takes time away from questions for a little grooming :::)

What inspired your hoomans to name you?

That was a big decision for Mama! She likes Oscar Wilde a lot so almost gave me that for a name. She also is addicted to “The Big Bang Theory” so tried to think of a Manhattan Project name since that’s how Sheldon named his cats when he had a clowder. She even asked @BillPrady about it on Twitter and he reminded her about that, as well as suggesting Oppenheimer. She thought that was a big name for a guy as little as I was then, so kept thinking.

Several hoo-mons told her I look like I am a Russian Blue and she’s a big fan of Russian names, so she put together a list of them and when she got to “Luka”, said “Aha!  That’s it!”

And since I am so youthful looking, my middle name is DorianGray…also a nod to Oscar.

It took her almost two whole weeks to name me!  Her friend Mildred (Freddy the dachshund lives with Mildred, but I digress) was getting mad at her…Mildred was afraid she was not going to let me adopt her!  Now I have Mama completely kitty-whipped. MOL!

Hanging Out with Lou @LiveLoveMeow

Lou: Herman!!! Long time no meow!

Herman: Hey Lou! I haven’t seen you in awhile. I bet you’ve been busy like me, keeping our Moms inspired so they can continue to keep us in the luxury we are accustomed to. So, whatcha been up to?

Lou: Well, as you know, my job is Vice Pawsident and Spokescat for LiveLoveMeow.biz That means that I wear many collars.

Herman: *Gasp!* I wear just one and it’s tight! I can’t imagine wearing more! You poor kitteh!

Lou: No, no! I mean, I am companion and muse to my Human Mom. I keep her company while she works, and give her ideas for blog posts and products to carry in our web shop and such. I also make her laugh with my antics. If I think she's been working for too long without a break, I jump in her lap, throw myself over her shoulder, and purr in her ear.

Herman: Ohhhh. Okay. Had me worried there for a moment. I hear you got a new blog!

Lou: Yes! Not only do I help speak to our anipals and Human Moms/Dads on Twitter <@livelovemeow>, but also through my blog, The Secret Life of Lou. <www.livelovemeow.biz> That’s one of my favorite parts of my job: communicating with other anipals and their Moms and Dads, and perhaps helping them when they are sad.

Herman: Yeah. I no like sad Moms and Dads either. They tend to forget da kittehs need attention and more important…lunch! You said something about a web shop. What’s that about?

Lou: Well, I help product-test the newer things being sold in the shop; from time to time I get to try out new treats, toys, or cat furniture. <www.livelovemeow.biz>

Herman: OMC! Really? You get to test-drive toys and treats and *envy ears* cat furniture? Hm. Wish my mom would open a web shop…but then she’d never have time to write. As it is she barely has time to open a can of toona.

Lou: I also am Official Watch Cat. I patrol the house and office frequently, and watch over my Human Mom. If there is anything going on that I feel Mom should know about, I make sure she knows it! Included in that Watch Cat title is being a champion bug, mouse, and lizard-catcher.

Herman: Yeah, I’m kinda a Watch Cat too, sorta. I sit next to her computer screen and watch her write, gazing soulfully…hungrily at her…sending her telepawthic messages to stop and feed me. I also watch bugs in the house. I watch them crawl across the floor. Um…. Hey! I caught a grass-snake once! *proud ears* See? Here’s pwoof:

Lou: So, Herman, let's turn this around. You know what my days and duties are like as mews to a working mom; what’s going on with you? You’ve been kinda AWOL from Twitter a lot lately, which I’m sure doesn’t make your fiancée, Belle (@Frankencat1) too happy.

Herman: Belle has been understanding, thank goodness! I’m companion and mews to my writer mom, @KimberleyKoz. I inspire her story ideas. But lately I've been up to the tippy tops of my ears keeping my mom from plunging off the deep end. She’s got a very full plate right now, seeking an agent for her recently completed novel. Plus she’s working on two more stories. Plus she’s developing a new author blog. She’s still promoting her published romantic comedy, Southern Exposure. Plus she’s dealing with my daddy traveling on business, and Buddy being old and diabetic, and Cookie being so sick wif his allergies and stuff. There’s multiple layers of stress, so its all I can do some days to support her and not fwreak out myself. *whispers* I been hitting the nip pretty heavily to stay calm.

Lou: Do you get extra treats and toys on the days your presence has been extra-helpful?

 

Herman: Well, I hang out in the office I share wif my mom. The other kitties in our house aren’t allowed in unless I approve, which I don’t always. Mom keeps kibble at her desk for me, but it’s the fire pee kibble I’m supposed to eat and I don’t like it. But…beggers can’t be choosers and so I eat it. I haz my beloved Pajama Bear toy and my chair. It’s quiet and in our house that’s a treat in itself.

Lou: Do you get to go on book tours with your writer mom? How do you travel? Do you walk on harness and leash?

Herman: I’ve never gone on tour, just done local stuff. However Mom has a couple stories in the works that have me in them as a character and she sez I can go on tour wif her then to promote. I think I be a good promoter. I haz a nice open-top cat carrier to travel in, and yes I’m on a body harness. But mostly I sit in Mom’s lap and look adorapurr. I do love to travel, though. I’ve been up to Michigan a couple times, and once to Nashville. I sit in Mom’s lap and either nap or watch for trucks. I love trucks! Big red trucks are my favorite.

Lou, thanks for stopping by my blog and for telling me all about your LiveLoveMeow.biz project. Always enjoy hanging out wif you. Yay!

Furends, if you haz a business to promote, maybe you and I could talk about it sometime.

MEET EDDIE BABY CAT

A couple weeks ago our zooming, bum-biting pal, @Eddiebabycat got stung real bad by a bee posse. Those bees were mean 'n attacked our furend Eddie who was only minding his own business...and maybe swatting at them a little. No matter! Eddie cudda died and it made us all heart sick!

But now Eddie is well again and he's here to tell you all about himself. So please welcome @Eddiebabycat! 

How old were you when you moved in with your family? Were you a rescue?

I was a year when I came to live with my family. I was at the vet as I had been beaten and I was going to be put in a shelter. My brother @Laddiecat had a Urinary Blockage and was at the same vet. We were neighbours. Laddie and I became friends and my mom fell in love with me and took me home.

What breed are you?

I am a mixed breed all black.

What inspired your hoomans to name you?

I was named Eddie as I was living on Edward Street before I moved in with my mom.