Three Little Kittens

Three little kittens they lost their mittens, and they began to cry,
"Oh mother dear, we sadly fear that we have lost our mittens."
"What! Lost your mittens, you naughty kittens!
Then you shall have no pie

"Meeow, meeow, meeow, now we shall have no pie."

You've already met one half of our paw pack in the last entry,  
Three Lab Bakery. 

Now, I'd like you to meet the other half of the pack, the three little kittens, Franklin Thomas, Harley D. and  H. Davidson.  All three cats are male and were taken in as kittens who needed a good stable home.  

Frankie was adopted, along with his brother Jo-Jo, (not pictured) by KJ.  Frankie and Jo-Jo were destined for the pound because they didn't have any other place to go, and so KJ, being the animal lover that she is, made room in her heart and her home for both of them.  

Harley D. was adopted by me.  Back then, I had always told my friends that I would have a new Harley one day, but at the time it wasn't possible for me to to get a Harley I  could ride.  So, I found a loop-hole and still managed to live up to my word!   This tiny kitten in need of a home came to me in 1996 and I named him "Harley D."   He is a "softail" model (HA!) and he became the first of many more Harleys in the house... err garage... umm well, you get the picture.

Yes, cats and dogs living in harmony all under one roof... ett -hmm...most of the time.

 

As you can see, Franklin Thomas, ("Frankie Cat" on the left) and Harley D. (right)  look very much alike.   There are slight differences though.  Frankie Cat has a slimmer tail and his hair lies back, more contoured to his body, and his head and face are smaller than Harley D.'s.  Harley D. has a bushy tail and his fur is super soft and feather-like at the ends.  Harley also sports two distinctive whiskers (one of each side) that turned white as he got older.  Those whiskers really stand out and resemble a Fu Manchu mustache, it's adorably cute... err... I mean, handsome and tough looking (sorry Harley).

  

 See - they're practically TWINS!!   

(Except I couldn't get Harley to wear the little hat).  

  Harley D. and Frankie Cat are both very close in age, believing that Harley is only a few months older than Frankie.  Both cats are 15 years old but neither of them show physical signs of their age (except maybe that mustache of Harley's).  Its important to note that these two cats don't exactly get along.  Frankie and Harley can not be in the same room with one another (so much for that harmony I mentioned earlier, huh?) so in order to keep the cats from stressing out over where the other one is, at night, we give Harley his very own room so he can sleep in peace.  When these two cats do get in to it - its very hard to tell who is who during the chaos of flying fur, hissing and snarling.  We are fortunate enough to have a "warning bell" if a fight is about to break out thought...

Casey Dog is ALWAYS on the lookout for a good cat fight.  She relentlessly sounds off at the first sign of any kitty-kommotion that may be afoot.  

Casey is constantly on guard protecting her pack, err... even if it means having to sacrifice play and sleep, or both, apparently.  Way to stay on top of things Casey Dog :-)

The three little kittens they found their mittens,
And they began to cry,
"Oh mother dear, see here, see here
For we have found our mittens."
"Put on your mittens, you silly kittens
And you shall have some pie"
"Meeow, meeow, meeow,
Now let us have some pie."

Ya know, I never could understand WHY the mother cat would allow her kittens to eat pie with their mittens - that's just all sorts of crazy wrong.

But I digress...

Meet "H. Davidson".

He's also nicknamed "Stewie Cat" because he reminds me of the  character,  Stewie Griffin of Family Guy.    

 

When Davidson runs up and down the stairs like a mad kitty - which is often and very funny to witness - his paws thud just like Stewie's feet when he runs.  Oh yeah, and there's that whole "Victory shall be mine" and world dominance attitude of his, too.  Even though Davidson is only 4 1/2 years old, he is the most dominate and fearless of the three cats.  He is very daring and loves to tease Riley Pup into play.

Riley Pup 3 months old with H. Davidson Stewie Cat

  

I found Davidson when he was about three or four  weeks old.  He was believed to have been accidentally left behind by his mother cat who was possibly moving her new litter from harm.  He was found in a horse's field crying near a fence.  I could NOT resist helping this little tiny baby who needed a mama. He was smaller than the palm of my hand and slept in my shoe when I first brought him home.   I had to feed him from an eye dropper for about two weeks, then gradually mix softer more solid foods with vet bought kitten's milk to help ween him into a more stable diet.  At first he couldn't drink out of a saucer dish so I had to find something small enough to where he could get to the food and water without bathing him in it.  The only thing I had was an old glass ash tray smaller than my hand (see pic on right).   As expected, Harley was extremely jealous of the new arrival but warmed up to him after about two weeks so I felt comfortable feeding Davidson out in the open with Harley present. (Naturally Harley had to have a sampling of Davidson's food to preserve peace at first so I bought him canned (yuck) cat food to make him feel like he wasn't being left out).   

Harley D and H. Davidson 2007

They became buddies, and even though now Davidson sometimes jumps on Harley's back to make him play (whether he wants to or not, hence the name Stewie Cat), they are inseparable.  Davidson is the ONLY cat that Harley has EVER allowed near him without a fight! 

Harley D. and H. Davidson 2010

 

The three little kittens put on their mittens
And soon ate up the pie,
"Oh mother dear, we greatly fear
That we have soiled our mittens."
"What! soiled you mittens, you naughty kittens!"
Then they began to cry, "Meeow, meeow, meeow" Then they began to sigh.

What, are you kidding me??   The mama cat first TOLD the kittens that they couldn't have any pie because they lost their mittens, then the kittens found their mittens and Mama Cat told them they could now have their pie. NOW the "Mommy Dearest" cat has the audacity to complain because the kittens "soiled their mittens" while eating the pie - WTF?!?  It doesn't say ANYTHING about Mama Cat providing forks for the kittens to eat their pie with so HOW does she expect them to eat the frickin' pie WITHOUT soiling their mittens... 
AND FURTHERMORE...  
Let us assume for the sake of an argument that forks were provided to these mitten-clad kittens, how does Mama Cat expect the kittens to USE these forks - they don't have any opposable thumbs! 

  



But let's go a step further...

 What if they DID have opposable thumbs:  

They couldn't use the forks cuz Mommy Dearest Cat insists they wear mittens on their paws!   Those poor, poor things! 

Personally, if I were one of those kittens, I'd seek emancipation as early as possible.  Mommy Dearest Cat Cat is obviously impossible to please and deliberately confuses her babies into a constant state of fear and panic.  She's a psycho Meow-Mama!! 

But I digress, again.

Back to the Pack...

 And there you have it, the Paws a-Plenty Pack! 

With Casey's rules, Davidson's domination, Harley and Frankie's squabbles, Riley-pup's puppy shenanigans and Bailey, well, Bailey learning her place in all of this, we sure do have our paws, err, I mean, hands just as full as our hearts.  

 The three little kittens they washed their mittens
And hung them out to dry,
"Oh mother dear, do you not hear
That we have washed our mittens."
"What! washed your mittens, you are good kittens.  But I smell a rat close by,
"Meeow, meeow, meeow" we smell a rat close by...

Thanks for reading!  Don't forget to take the Paw Poll on the right side-bar before you leave! 

May your heart be trampled on with many paws of love!!

Giving credit where credit is due:

The Three Little Kittens Who Lost Their Mittens 
(AKA The Three Little Kittens) 
The first record we have of the rhyme is when it was printed at the end of New England author Eliza Follen's (1787-1860) New Nursery Songs for All Good Children, published in 1853. As a result she has been credited as the author, but the book claims the verses are "traditional".^[1] In 1858 R. M. Ballantyne wrote an elaboration of the poem under the title The Three Little Kittens, published as part of the Good Little Pig's Library, volume 1.^{[2]
Pictures by SIG Photography and by KJ 
Stewie Griffin character and likeness is intellectual property of Family Guy/ Fox Network}

Three Lab Bakery

The Three Lab Bakery may not have originate in our home, but sometimes when I look at our pups, I wonder if maybe it should have.  Allow me to introduce you to one-half of our pack, starring the dogs:

Casey Dog, Riley Pup and Bailey Jo, our mix of the Three Lab Bakery!

Three Lab Bakery by Ken Bailey

We have the yellow cake, err, I mean, lab, Casey Dog.  Casey is eleven years old and is a rescue puppy.  My friend, KJ, rescued her as a tiny puppy from the local Humane Society.  She rules the roost around here when the humans are out and about but graciously relinquishes her charge of the house when we are home.  With three dogs and three cats all under one roof, being the leader of our pack is a full time job and Casey is just right for the job.  She is as patient as she is protective of her pack and knows how to lay down the law and keep it laid.   
Good job Casey Dog! 

 While we don't have the 'Black Forest', YET, we do have a white lab, Riley Pup.

(Although I had a black lab when I was a child, named Chivas, who is not pictured unless I can find a old Polaroid and scan it... hmm, I just dated myself, didn't I??  Oops!).

Anyway.  Riley is also a rescue pup.  KJ and I  adopted her from a local shelter called, Recycled Rovers when she was six weeks old and we couldn't be happier.  It was love at first sight.  She is just as sweet and enjoyable as the day we brought her home.  

Riley J.'s first day at her new home. (6 weeks old)

Being almost 9 years younger than Casey, we thought Riley would help boost her spirits and keep her energetic - boy I tell ya, that is the understatement of the year.  Riley LOVES to play with her big sister, even when Big Sis doesn't feel like it.  If Riley wants to play bone with Casey, she will stick that bone right up to Casey's face and "dare" her to play and if that doesn't work, Riley will pull her tail and get her attention that way. Although Riley is skittish around other dogs, most of the time she is fearless when it comes to Casey - I am sure that is because they both know they will not hurt each other - sisterly trust, awwww!


For our chocolate piece of the pie, err... cake, err... I mean pack (oy!) I am proud to introduce to you our latest rescue, Bailey Jo.  Bailey is so new to K.J. and I  that we are still keeping her separated from the other two when we are not home.  Bailey was rescued from the streets.  She was found wandering around the school yard where K.J. teaches.  Bailey looked skinny, tired and dehydrated.  She was infested with fleas and had a touch of mange outbreak about her snout and facial features.  Being an animal lover, K.J. couldn't leave her in the sweltering heat (yes, I know its only the end of February, but its nearing 90° already,  where we live).

Bailey was taken to the vet the next day and the advertisements went out to find her owner. After talking with the vet and determining how long this one year old puppy had been on her own, we decided that if the owners DID bother to claim her - they wouldn't get her back from us without a police order due to the gross negligence on their part. 

 Welcome to the pack! 

 We named her Bailey Jo and started her treatments for all the health issues.  The vet said she has anemia due to the fleas.  The fleas are now gone and she is being treated for the anemia . She also had ear mites - which are being treated.  Finally,  she has demodectic mange (its non-contagious to other animals and humans).  Our vet, K.J and I all believe that Bailey's mange is a result of a lowered immune system due to improper nutrition and being so young.  (Mange is actually common in puppies - something I did not know until recently -  but in most cases the parasite that is common under puppy skin does not activate.  According to some websites I've been reading,  it is unknown as to what actually actives the parasite but once it does awaken, it can lower the immune system of the puppy enough to breed (spread)).  We are currently treating Bailey with well-balanced meals and Goodwinol Ointment which is less toxic than other treatments we've read.  We have had to keep her sequestered from the other two dogs until some of these health issues were under control and we could assess her mannerisms.  She is just the sweetest little thing, really.  She is well behaved with humans and isn't overly aggressive at all, even for a puppy.  She is getting along well with Casey and Riley.  Bailey still seems a tad unsure of where her place is within the pack, but she will figure it out soon enough...  or perhaps one of the other two will show her... only time will tell.

There is a lot more to tell - but I will save that for another entry.  Until then...

 May many paws trample upon you with love!