Happy Valentine’s Day from Baseball and Zooey!
We hope you have a day full of love!
And don’t forget to share the joy with your furry friends!
Tag Archives: Love
The Inspirational Marmalady
There are a lot of stories out there of animal abuse and neglect out there, and sometimes it can get rather depressing – but Baseball and Zooey think Marmalady’s story is a heart-warming reminder of strength and love.
Marmalady was found bedraggled and injured in an apartment complex parking lot. Apparently left for dead after being hit by a car, she was rescued by some kind folks who immediately took her to The Cat House on The Kings for help. Unfortunately, there they discovered that one of her front legs was so badly injured that it needed to be amputated.
Photo Credit: The Cat House on The Kings
However, her story doesn’t end there! Upon hearing of her plight, people from all over the country began donating money to provide the little orange tabby with all of the medical attention she would need to get better.
The operation was successful, and The Cat House on The Kings gave everyone daily updates on her progress from their facebook page. This bright eyed little kitten stole the hearts of thousands as she persevered and learned to walk again.
Soon it was time for Marmalady (named for the orange of her coat) to find her furr-ever home. The applications flooded in, as everyone had fallen in love with her charms. But even though Marmalady was going to be fine, she was now considered a special needs cat, which meant she needed to go to a home that could handle her needs. Luckily for Marmalady, a woman named Laura from Canada, had applied to be her mom. Laura already had a few other dogs and cats to be Marmalady’s brothers and sisters, so she knew all about how to take care of animals. Plus, she had a Catio – a screened in patio for the cats – so Marmalady could still enjoy the outdoors even though, with only three legs, she had to be an indoor-only cat now.
Photo Credit: Marmalady Lemieux
When she was finally ready to go home, Laura drove down to California, and Marmalady and her new mom made the drive back up to Canada! It took a little while for Marmalady to warm up, but luckily she had her very own bedroom to hang out in until she felt safe enough to meet her new brothers and sisters and explore the house.
Today, Marmalady loves her new home, and Laura keeps everyone posted on her progress via Facebook. Marmalady has 2,253 friends and counting! It’s amazing to see the love and support that everyone has poured out to her. She and her brothers and sisters love each other very much, and every day is a new adventure! Marmalady never lets her handicap stop her, or dampen her spirit. Now she has furr-friends from all over who post their pictures and tell her their stories. She has become an inspiration to humans and animals everywhere!
Photo Credit: Marmalady Lemieux
Wordless Wednesday
“Big Spoon and Little Spoon”
Make a Difference – and Vote Cat!
It’s time to find out for once and for all – are Cats really better than Dogs?
Baseball and Zooey are pretty sure that’s the easiest question they’ve ever been asked…
Obviously the answer is cats!
This month, Purina.com is sponsoring the great debate, Cats vs. Dogs! Who will you choose? Click here to place your vote every day between now and November 8th, 2012, and animals won’t be the only winners! For every vote, Purina will donate $1 to Pet Partners’ veteran programs, and you’ll be helping to make a difference in the lives of veterans everywhere.
Just remember…Cats rule and Dogs drool!
Global Cardboard Challenge
Last year, a story about a boy named Caine who had created an entire gaming arcade out of cardboard boxes in his father’s auto parts store went viral thanks to this video made by Nirvan Mullick:
This year, in honor of the anniversary of the Flash Mob that surprised Caine at his arcade, Caine, Nirvan, and many others got together to designate this Saturday, October 6th, a global day of play called The Cardboard Challenge. To find out how you can participate, and help foster creativity in children everywhere, check out the follow-up video below, or stop by the official website at CainesArcade.com.
Caine’s story is an amazing testament to how the support of a single person can change the life of a child.
What are you up to this weekend? Baseball and Zooey encourage you to get out there and PLAY!
Wordless Wednesday
“Too Cool for School”
Make A Difference – Pt. 3
The other day while I was learning how to knit a new stitch, Baseball and Zooey were curious. “What are you going to do with that when you’re done, Mom?” They asked. I told them I wasn’t sure.
You see, when I’m learning a new stitch, I’m not always very good at it, so I don’t like to start a new project right away – usually I practice by making a couple of squares out of leftover yarn first. Baseball and Zooey got me thinking though, what was I going to do with all of these squares when I was finished?
Then I remembered a website I found a few months ago called The Snuggle Project. “That’s it! I could turn my practice squares into Snuggles!” I told the cats.
What are Snuggles, you ask?
Well! Snuggles are small knit blankets made for shelter animals. These animals are often very scared, and have trouble attaching to humans because they’ve either been abused, or just been on their own too long without any human contact. Snuggles are a soft friend they can cuddle with that helps soothe them/calm them down when they’re stressed. Not only that, but once the animal bonds with their Snuggle, it’s much easier for them to learn how to bond with people and other animals! It also makes their transition from shelter to home easier once they are adopted, because they have something familiar and comforting to go along with them. Snuggles are so helpful, that many shelters have started requesting them! Click here to see if your local shelter is on the list.
Animals do so much for their human friends when given the chance. We have all heard the stories of heroism, and anyone who’s owned a pet knows how much love they give. It’s important that we find a way to help these animals in whatever way we can.
I certainly don’t know where I’d be without Baseball and Zooey! So, while I can’t adopt every animal that’s in a shelter, or even spare that much change for donations – I can knit! (Kind of…)
Recommended Snuggle Sizes:
14” x 14” for cats and small animals
24” x 24” for cats and small to medium dogs
36” x 36” for medium to large dogs
Are you interested in making some Snuggles?? Check out this website for more information. What do you do with your practice pieces?
Baseball and Zooey say “Happy Knitting”!
The Cat House on The Kings
Yep, it’s time to Make A Difference again!!
Do you live in California, or the Los Angeles area? Well, even if you don’t, we think you should check out this awesome shelter called The Cat House on The Kings!
They have hundreds of cats and dogs for adoption, if you’re in the area and looking for a new addition to the family.
Too far away, or already taking care of enough animals? Check out their facebook page and click the Donate Now or Sponsor a Cat buttons to help make a difference in the lives of shelter animals, and to support their cause!
Let people know that you stand for the ethical treatment of animals by supporting no-kill shelters – and help make sure there are enough homes for every animal by spaying and neutering your pets!
Also, don’t forget about the ways to make a difference we mentioned over in this post – remember freekibblekat.com? Well they’re doing their best to help out the folks at The Cat House on The Kings too! So now every time you play the trivia game, you know some of the friendly felines you’re helping :)
“The Positive Dog”
Good afternoon everyone! How was your weekend? We spent most of our time lounging in front of fans, trying to keep cool…
We also read a book that Baseball and Zooey thought I should share with you – even if it’s not about cats :P
The book is called The Positive Dog, and it was written by best-selling author Jon Gordon. A quick read, it centers around two dogs, Matt and Bubba who live in a shelter. Matt is not a very Positive Dog, and gets very sad whenever a family comes to the shelter and doesn’t adopt him :( Bubba has been there a while, and one day he decides to give Matt some advice that changes both their lives, and the shelter forever!! The advice is how to feed your positive dog.
Broken down into chapters, each of which has a easy to follow step on how to become more positive in your own life, The Positive Dog is a fantastic introductory book for parents who want to teach their children how to have a positive outlook from an early age.
Simple tips, such as taking a gratitude walk every day, learning how to tell ourselves positive stories instead of negative ones, and changing complaints into solutions, will change the way you and your child view the world around you for the better!
As Gordon says, “Create the good old days right now and believe even better days are ahead of you,” so why not start your child off on the right foot and help them develop that positivity muscle early? The talking dogs, Matt and Bubba, are heartwarming main characters, and they make the lessons in The Positive Dog easily accessible and enjoyable for young and old alike.
When you get to the end, be sure to check out his 11-day Action Plan that will help you and your family implement all of the advice into your daily lives with easy step-by-step instructions. There’s also a Positivity Pledge that I would encourage you all to check out, and maybe even post somewhere that’s easy for everyone in the family to see.
Remember: “Being positive really is a choice and feeding the positive dog inside you is one of the most important choices you can make” (Gordon). So be sure to give your child the tools, today!
Zooey and Her Real Soldier
Since I mentioned in yesterday’s post that Zooey and Her Soldier was based on a true story about my cat Zooey and my friend Doug, I decided that today would be a good day to share with you all a little history of the Actual Zooey and Her Real Soldier! I even threw in one of the pictures of the two of them that inspired the book :)
Hope you enjoy!!
When I first got Zooey, she was a very independent little kitten. She had been abandoned, and didn’t get the chance to form attachments like most kittens do. Since she was more interested in running around and playing than cuddling, we didn’t bond right away. Every time I picked her up or tried to pet her I found myself with an armful of squirming paws and fur that was trying to break free to go run amok some more :P For 3 years, I watched her grow and her personality develop – she was always friendly, curious, and following people around, (no matter what’s going on in the house, she wants to be smack dab in the middle of it!) – but she was never a lap-cat, and would shy away when anyone tried to pet or hold her.
Then one day Zooey met Doug…I’m not quite sure what happened, but she hasn’t been the same since! He became her best buddy pretty much instantly (as you can tell by the pictures!) and her attitude towards the rest of us has slowly changed as well :)
Today, Miss Moo is a TOTAL love-bug (she’s sleeping in my lap as I type this), and although she’s just as kooky and independent as ever, now when she follows you from room to room it’s so that she can hop into your lap the second you sit down!
Napping together
Playing Computer Games
Snuggling with his jacket
Some much needed lap time during HBL
Zooey and Doug on Holiday Block Leave 2012
Zooey and Her Real Soldier: Saying goodbye, headed back to Basic Training
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