01/01/2020 – Happy 2020!

Tessa © Colehauscats.com
Tessa © Colehauscats.com

Happy 2020! Boy, it sure feels odd typing that one but here it is, the year 2020. Who knew we’d be running a cat blog in 2020? What a crazy world, huh?

What better time than to recap our 2019. We apologize in advance for the length of this post. It was a wild and tough year and we expect 2020 will continue to throw us curve balls. Let’s hope we get to toss some of those right back.

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Tessa, January 2019 © Colehauscats.com
Tessa, January 2019 © Colehauscats.com

January 2019 was a lean month with Dad still looking for a job and Mom working 12 hour days; that is, when her job wasn’t sending employees home for lack of work. But we were all still together and that’s what’s important.

Pia Bean Beauty-licious © Colehauscats.com
Pia Bean Beauty-licious © Colehauscats.com

February 2019 saw ginger girls Pia and Miss Newton waxing on about Dad being at home too much while looking for a job. We had a snow day, started a Cats Who Sing post series and there were lots of shenanigans, as reported by Olivia. Mom, we think she was looking at you.

Olivia teefs © Colehauscats.com
Olivia teefs © Colehauscats.com

With March 2019 came more Cats Who Sing, a very important artist Quint interview with Mollie Hunt, some facts and fibs, blog hijacking threats and a Who-Gets-along-with-Who update. It was a very busy month, apparently.

Angel Miss Newton © Colehauscats.com
Angel Miss Newton © Colehauscats.com

More Cats Who Sing and Things on Cats rounded out April 2019 because, why not? And we were dealt another crushing blow by losing Dad’s ginger girl, Miss Newton.

Viola, May 2019 © Colehauscats.com
Viola, May 2019 © Colehauscats.com

May 2019 brought short-lived news, rumors of a pool, a clipping and a one-sided story by Quint.

Things on Quint © Colehauscats.com
Things on Quint © Colehauscats.com

There were more Things on Cats, more facts and fibs and even more singing in June 2019. Oh, and sunshine at last!

Peeky, friend of Rose Ears, July 2019 © Colehauscats.com
Peeky, friend of Rose Ears, July 2019 © Colehauscats.com

In July 2019, Mom won a book and got another one that she loves dearly, there was a square on the floor, more of reporter Olivia, a day of nothing but Pia, a moody Tessa (when isn’t she moody??) and even though we aren’t intentionally feeding raccoons, Rose Ears brought her babies for a visit. Lots of other visitors stopped off at Colehaus too. Not initially reported in trying to remain anonymous, July also saw proceeds from Quint’s paintings pay for bloodwork and spaying of a highly-in-need cat and helped shoulder the high medical vet cost of two separately injured kittens. All survived and are living happy lives.

Tessa's Art in August 2019 © Colehauscats.com
Tessa’s Art in August 2019 © Colehauscats.com

Mom ran an Art in August series throughout August 2019 because she always wanted to and because she started a new manual labor job that kicked her in the backside, leaving her little time for blog post creation. That job is still tough every single day but she’ll say it’s what she needs.

Princess Olivia © Colehauscats.com
Princess Olivia © Colehauscats.com

September 2019 included fun crinkle paper, fun mischief, the return of our Friday blog posts, early (for us) near freezing temperatures, more fun and more Colehaus visitors.

The elusive Quint Bee, October 2019 © Colehauscats.com
The elusive Quint Bee, October 2019 © Colehauscats.com

We were forced to upgrade our computer system and hard drives in October 2019 after a scheduled system update wiped out Windows 7, two hard drives and most of our files and photos from existence. What a headache that was, and still is, though to a smaller degree. Thankfully, all the Colehaus Cats exhibited patience with our ranting and hair-pulling, even Tessa and Viola who wow-ed us by eating out the same bowl at the same time! And somehow, through all that, there was time for more singing, a 6 year-old birthday, a trebuchet and a busy bee costume.

Wally Olly Porkchop © Colehauscats.com
Wally Olly Porkchop © Colehauscats.com

Taking suggestions from you, our Friends of Colehaus, we added our Amazon grocery wishlist to this blog and subtly asked for donations to help keep us and all the Colehaus Cats together. Olivia reported on seasonal changes outside and those Colehaus visitors probably go home and report on those strange indoor-only kitties reporting on them. Elsewhere, there was fun, facts and fibs, murder mittens and photo bloopers galore because that’s what November 2019 should be about.

Santa's Kitten

December 2019 unveiled our Christmas card(s), brought even more singing, LOTS of judging Mom, lint and finally, ended with a traditional Colehaus Cats post. December also brings the end of Quint’s art shop, as is necessary due to our continued financial strain. While working a very low pay job, Dad’s still hoping to find something better that pays all the bills and Mom still has her fingers crossed things will look up, because they just have to, right? Right! Thank you to all who sent us Christmas cards via snail mail (that’s our only Christmas this year and we waited until Christmas eve to open those) and a BIG THANK YOU for sticking through this and visiting us.

Goodbye 2019. Here’s to a great 2020!

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A Colehaus Cats flashback:

2018A Look Back at our 2017
2017 – No post
2016A 2015 Recap and Happy 2016!
2015 – No post
2014Happy 2014 and a 2013 Recap
2013 – No post
2012 – No post

Posted in Angels, Donation, Friends of Colehaus, Goodbyes, Holidays, Miss Newton, Olivia, OtRB, Outside Cats, Pia, Quint, Tessa, the Dad, Toys, Viola, Visitors, Yard and Garden | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

12/23/2019 – Eve of the Eve

Though we haven’t been able to afford to participate for the last couple of years, we wish to take this time to thank all our previous Secret Paws Santas because Mom is a great squirrel-er and she squirreled away much of what we received years ago. She claimed all those treats and Yeowww catnip hearts and candy cane presents might come in handy for a rainy day and as usual, she was right, making possible a nice Christmas for all the Colehaus Cats this year!

Thank you.

Santa's Kitten
Santa’s Kitten © Colehauscats.com

On this eve of Christmas eve, and as tradition here at Colehaus Cats dictates (not to be confused with the sometimes Festivus-Airing-of-the-Grievances tradition that we’re going to ignore this year), we’re remembering a very special moment of time we witnessed one December not so long ago. We hope you’ll enjoy reading it. Before we dive in, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas. May this time be wonderful and memorable to you and your loved ones, full of happiness, joy, and with all the delights of the season.

A little rhyme runs through our heads at this time of year, every year:

We wish we may,
we wish we might,
help find homes for all this night.

And one year, we saw it happen.

Back in December of 2013, while interviewing potential Niblet forever families at our local Petco, a sweet, jolly man sat upon a chair seemingly meant for him and someone handed him a kitten, one of a very large group of kittens our area had that year.

And then, something magical happened.

That kitten found a forever home that day. And the next kitten the jolly man held did too. And the next. And so on and so on throughout the day. And the senior cats brought to the event found their forever families too. These forever families, they weren’t your average “Hey, we’re at Petco and since we’re buying dog food anyway, hey, let’s adopt a kitten for Christmas, too” shoppers but a string of very vetted families who came in, independently of one another, to see cats and kittens they had been following online through the shelter and through word of mouth, and don’t you know, every one of those cats and kittens found the best of homes that day.

*happy sigh*

May we all open our hearts and homes to those who need love, not just for a day and not just at a time when it’s convenient, but for all of forever.

Thank you for reading us today and over the past year. You’ll see us again on New Year’s Day. From our home to yours, have a magical Christmas!

The folks at Colehaus Cats with Tessa, Pia Bean, Quint, Olivia, Viola and all the outside visitors.


X O X O

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A Colehaus Cats flashback:

2018 – No post
2017 – No post
2016Eve of the Eve
2015Eve of the Eve
2014 – No post
2013Festivus and the Airing of Grievances
2012 – No post

Posted in Holidays | Tagged | 12 Comments

12/20/2019 – Always the Princess

Princess Mousie Pillowhead Pia Bean © Colehauscats.com
Princess Mousie Pillowhead Pia Bean © Colehauscats.com

Princess Mousie PillowHead Pia Bean, with a Christmas message to her Prince Dexter:

Dearest D,

Please find my everlasting kisses blowing in like tiny puffs of loving treats on the eastern winds to you this Christmas season. And also, after the New Year. And Valentine’s Day, National Cat Day, summertime, International Prince and Princesses in Love Day, first and last Summer Love Day and throughout the year. I think of you always and will forever send you my love and purrs.

Your lil’ bean, Pia

P.S. Tell my Mom you will whap her, hard, if she doesn’t get these toys off my head soon. Love, Pia

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Not to horn in on Pia’s Christmas love letter to Dexter, but we just had to share this news. Back in August, Quint donated one of his summer paintings to the Chesapeake Tree of Life Pet Sanctuary in Queenstown, Maryland for their fundraiser. From Board of Director member Phyllis:

“I want to let you know that the picture (Quint) Cole painted and you sent to me was sold for $110. in a Silent Auction fundraiser for Chesapeake
Cats and Dogs.  Thank you very much for this donation.   

 We have a new black cat with green eyes in our household.  I absolutely adore Casper who is a large, docile, friendly cat.  He lays down and lets us pet his belly.  He is 18 months old. 

 Again, thank you.”

Yippee, Quint! Yippee for fundraisers! And YIPPEE for new kitties that are black and have new homes! Merry Christmas Phyllis and Casper!

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A Colehaus Cats flashback:

2018 – No post
2017Wordless Wednesday Wonder
2016 – No post
2015 – No post
2014 – No post
2013Meeting Miss Newton
2012 – No post

Posted in Pia, Toys | Tagged , | 15 Comments