Goodbye Ripley. We will miss you.

Ripley passed away a few hours ago. He lived a long and happy life. We are all very sad.

Goodbye old friend.

Can you say no to this face?

This is a little Feral kitty that I've been feeding outside of my apartment. He is finally to a point where he trusts me enough to come to me when I call and he even sat on my lap today. He is still very scared around other people, but improves every day.
I'd really love to see him find a nice home. I think with some work he could be a very lovable little guy. He is just really scared of humans right now. He LOVES other cats though! He gets super happy and purrs when he spots my cats by the door!
I think he would be happiest in a home with another cat, but that doesn't mean that a person without one should not adopt him. I would just love to see him find a nice place to live. I know a couple neighbors have been considering taking him in, but if you know anyone who wants to be considered, please drop me a line! I would love to take him, but we already have two cats, and Ripley has lost his vision over the last year. I'm not sure how well he would do with a new cat right now.
Here is another adorable photo of the little guy chilling on the little cat bed I got for him. (It is shaped like a cat, I thought he might like it since he reacts so well to my cats.)

The strangest dream.

I just woke up. I am in the process of getting ready to go to work, but I can't get the crazy dream I had last night out of my head.

I dreamt that every stuffed animal, porcelain animal figurine, and animal shaped toy I've ever owned came to life last night and they were all following me around looking for attention and food. It was so weird. I had curio cabinets all over the house with things scratching on the doors begging to be let out.

There is no real point to this other than the fact that it was really funny and maybe even a little terrifying but it was so unusual I had to post it. I always have vivid dreams, but this one was a bit stranger than most.

Love my buddy

Maybe that is why my google bar at the top of blogger is always showing cat related links?

Lots to report, no desire to report it, so I will give you this for now:
Jon is in Europe again. He will be touring for the whole month of November.

Here are the dates for those of you who live across the pond:
Nov 3 2006 9:00P Garage Oslo, Norway
Nov 4 2006 9:00P Garage Bergen, Norway
Nov 5 2006 9:00P Debaser Stockholm, Sweden
Nov 6 2006 9:00P KB Malmo, Sweden
Nov 8 2006 9:00P Pusterviksbaren Gothenburg, Sweden
Nov 9 2006 9:00P Klubi Tampere, Finland
Nov 10 2006 9:00P Dynamo Turku, Finland
Nov 11 2006 9:00P Bar 68 Jyvaskyla, Finland
Nov 12 2006 9:00P Tavastia Club Helsinki, Finland
Nov 14 2006 8:00P Melkweg Amsterdam, Holland
Nov 15 2006 9:00P Ekko Utrecht, Holland
Nov 16 2006 9:00P De Schuit Leiden, Holland
Nov 18 2006 9:00P Trix Antwerp, Belgium
Nov 19 2006 8:00P Pop In Paris, France
Nov 21 2006 9:00P Moby Dick! Madrid, Spain
Nov 22 2006 10:00P Fabrica de Chocolate Vigo, Spain
Nov 23 2006 8:00P Teatre Lloseta Mallorca, Spain
Nov 24 2006 9:00P Sala La 2 Barcelona, Spain
Nov 25 2006 9:00P Planta Baja Granada, Spain
Nov 26 2006 7:00P El Lokel Zurich, Switzerland
Nov 27 2006 9:00P Szene Wien Vienna, Austria
Nov 28 2006 9:00P Weekender Club Innsbruck, Austria
Nov 29 2006 9:00P Gruner Jager Hamburg, Germany
Nov 30 2006 9:00P Gleis 22 Munster, Germany
Dec 1 2006 9:00P Borderline London, England
Dec 2 2006 8:00P Casa de S. & M. Mills! Somewhere
Dec 3 2006 9:00P King Tuts Glasgow, Scotland

More info at www.jonauer.com

Animals in need of our help

God, this just makes me sick.
I have pet Gerbils, Mice and Kitties at home and I could never imagine anyone wanting to hurt any of them. They are all such sweet and gentle animals. Info on how you can help is at the bottom of this re-post:

I just read this article from King5 and it's a horrible thing that happened to these animals.

$5,000 reward offered for info about pet store break-in

SEATTLE - A total of $5,000 in reward money is being offered in connection with a pet store break-in over the weekend.

The operators of the "Animal Talk" pet store and shelter say cats have been traumatized by burglars who ripped open cages, kicked the cats and stomped gerbils and mice to death.

Pasado’s Safe Haven is offering $2,500 and the Humane Society of the United States is also offering $2,500 for information about those responsible for the crime.

Early Saturday morning, thieves hacked through the front door of the store in the Roosevelt neighborhood. Volunteers arrived to find animals everywhere and dozens of dead animals on the floor.

The 44 cats that were let out of their cages fought each other and hunted the smaller animals.

“It was just devastating initially because to get to the cats and to get to the animals we were having to walk over little dead bodies,” said owner Missy Young.

Lots of help is pouring in, but much more is needed now that the full extent of the damage is becoming clearer.

A veterinarian who examined the cats on Sunday determined that seven had been brutalized.

"At least two of them had to have been drop-kicked. They have internal injuries, bruising, bleeding," said Young.

The shelter is now looking at thousands of dollars in vets bills and are in shock after realizing what the cats went through.

"What initially happened seemed like a spree, an immature and cruel act but this just goes into the realm of vicious. It's torture," said volunteer Susan Wilk.

An emerging pattern

A spokeswoman for the Humane Society of the United States said Saturday's crimes demonstrate that people who commit cruelty to animals often engage in other illegal activities.

"The suspect(s) in this case not only committed burglary but may face felony cruelty charges for intentionally killing and injuring animals," said Inga Gibson.

Gibson said studies have found that people who abuse animals are likely to escalate to violence against humans.

"The FBI has recognized the connection since the 1970's, when its analysis of the lives of serial killers suggested that most had killed or tortured animals as children," she said.

Gibson said research has also shown consistent patterns of animal cruelty among perpetrators of more common forms of violence, including child abuse, spouse abuse, and elder abuse.

"Residents should be concerned that such offenders are in their community and such crimes should be taken seriously," she said.

How you can help

Send donations to: Animal Talk Rescue C/O Animal Talk, 6514 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115.

If you have information relating to this crime, or know of someone who may have one of the stolen animals in custody, contact the Seattle Animal Shelter at (206) 386-PETS(7387) or the Seattle Police Department non-emergency line at (206) 625-5011.