My Mommy is going to Hawaii...

Countdown Clocks, Hearts Countdowns at WishAFriend.com



So, I won't be posting much while she is gone because her laptop will be off... I'm so sad... I'm not happy about my Mommy leaving me!

Thanksgiving...

Glitterfy.com - Glitter Graphics

I am thankful for my family- especially my Mommy and Auntie!

I know my Mommy will be gone for Thanksgiving so my Auntie will take care of me- I hope my Grandparents don't sneak me food because I have a sensitive heart and my Mommy will be furious!

My Favorite spot to sit...

The best spot in the house to sit is on my window seat. I love it. Sometimes me and my Mommy sit together. I sit on my window seat and she sits on the bed next to me and we just look out the window together.

When I first moved here I didn't have one, so I had to sit on the window seal to look out, which isn't very comfortable. Then for Christmas my Mommy asked for a window seat for me. Grandma came home with a cat TREE!!! It was so funny, but I didn't mind because I got a cat tree! The next day my Grandma took my Mommy to the store and my Mommy picked one out for me.

I had it for a long time and then it broke. I had to go awhile with out one, and my Mommy felt so bad. Then finally she was able to find one and bought it online! Then my Grand-paw glued it with wood glue so it was extra durable and now I get to relax on it everyday!

Look at the great view:



Me looking out:



Me with the Hummingbirds- they actually like me!

Christmas!

I can't wait for Christmas! I love it! I always run around the house when we get our Christmas tree! On Christmas morning I am the first to wake up and I run out to the living room to open the presents with my Mommy and Auntie! I love it! I defiantly take after my Mommy because she loves Christmas too!


Me opening presents on Christmas morning!

Just some photos...

My heart...

Me at the vet

I love life and I really appreciate everything life has given me, but I am sorry, I really hate the vet. The actual veterinarian is nice, but the actual place is just scary. They smell weird, they do weird things... there is just nothing that doesn't scream "traumatizing" when you step in there. This past August I went in for my check up. The vet said I looked perfect, teeth were perfect, ears, eyes, etc.

Then she listened to my heart and heard a murmur. There was a cardiologist there that day and she had him listen to my heart too (for free because I am so cute) and he heard it too. So, I had my blood tested, urine tested, and had an x-ray, but I still needed an ultra sound. So, they had my Mommy set up an appointment with the ultrasound guy. She did and about a week later I was off to the vet again, but this time my Auntie Lindsey came and she had to drive us there because my Mommy was so nervous.

So, I had to be taken to the back to get the Ultrasound- and I cried for my Mommy the whole time. Then when they looked at the ultrasound they found out I have early HCM- Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy. My Mommy started to cry and Auntie Lindsey had to ask all the questions my Mommy wanted to know. I can't stand when my Mommy gets upset. For some reason, it annoys me, but I was so stressed from the vet I didn't mind. Soon enough we went home and as soon as I got inside, I ran under my bed and cleaned off the wet spot where they put some sort of gel on me. They had tried to clean it off, but I'm a clean freak (which I obviously did not inherit from my Mommy) so I had to clean it again.

So, here is some info on HCM. I also need to go back in February and get another ultrasound to see if I need to start medication... I'll probably need to go every 6 months or so now for the rest of my life... I plan to live to be 22 human years so that's a lot of visits!



My heart


Some good websites:

http://www.manhattancats.com/Articles/Hypertrophic_Cardiomyopathy.html

http://maxshouse.com/hypertrophic_cardiomyopathy.htm

http://www.petplace.com/cats/hypertrophic-cardiomyopathy-in-cats/page1.aspx

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypertrophic_cardiomyopathy (about human HCM, but still good info)

http://cats.about.com/cs/healthissues/p/HCM.htm

Some photos of Mommy and Me...

(a pretty recent photo of Mommy and Me- maybe a month old)


Some older photos of us... I think in '05

My collar...

Since I was brought home I have always worn a collar. My Mommy got me a teal collar with little silver reflective paw prints on it. I've gone through two of them... they don't make this kind any more so I have to keep my collar nice and clean because it is my signature look.

I have two other collars I wear on special occasions- a Christmas collar and a black leather spiked one for Halloween. I also use to have a teal Swarvoski heart charm, but I didn't like it and when I tried to take it off, it got caught in my mouth with my collar wrapped around my mouth (which, it shouldn't since it has a safety clasp) and I tore part of my nail off trying to get it off!

Thankfully my Mommy found me and immediately took it off. The weird thing is, she tore off the same nail that I did that same day taking off her acrylic nails!



I like my collar, but my Auntie Lindsey doesn't- she really likes my spiked collar- so much so, that when she got Hercules she bought him a spiked collar!



Me in my Christmas collar:

Writers' Cats...

My Mommy and Me:

From 99 Lives: Cats in History, Legend and Literature by, Howard Loxton

There are few relationships more mutually satisfying than those between writers and their feline companions, for on the surface only limited demands are made on either side. As British writers Aldous Huxley and Muriel Spark both observed, a cat is perhaps ideally suited to a writer's solitary existence and, in turn, an author absorbed in his or her work makes a suitably self-contained companion for a cat. It is often felt that the presence of a cat on the desk or on the lap can help to influence a kind of meditative concentration that stimulates the powers of the imagination, creating a close bond and understanding of each other's needs between writer and pet through the long hours spent together.

A little about my breeds...

I am part Black-silver Mackerel Tabby and part Siamese...

Siamese:

Siamese have fascinated folks around the world since they were first officially exported from Thailand, or as it was known then Siam, in the late eighteen hundreds. Their sleek lines, striking color contrast, finely chiseled aristocratic heads, deep blue almond eyes, and short silky coats make them living art. Combine this beauty with acute intelligence, inquisitive personality and a loving nature and you have the essence of the Siamese cat.

This ancient breed, perhaps the oldest of all our cats, is able to communicate like no other. The Siamese voice is legendary. They speak both with their voice and with their body. They are the quintessential “people” cat, for they love to be in your lap, on your bed, at your table--and in your heart!

Breed of slender, short-haired domestic cat that originated in Thailand (Siam). The Siamese has a pale fawn or gray body with dark points on the ears, face, legs, and tail. The points may be dark brown (seal point), blue-gray (blue point), milk-chocolate brown (chocolate point), pinkish gray (lilac point), or reddish orange (red point). The head is wedge-shaped. The blue eyes are slanted and may be crossed, though crossed eyes and kinked tail are discouraged by breeders of show animals. Siamese are considered highly intelligent and are very vocal, with a distinctive yowling mew.

Black-Silver Mackerel Tabby:

The name "tabby cat" brings to mind many different things to different people. The old phrase "alley cat" may come to mind with some people: the rough-coated, scar-nosed, tattered-eared lurker of alleys and dumpsters. Tabbies are so ubiquitous that many people think of them as a breed. Not so; the tabby is a color pattern - most often stripes, but sometimes stripes and whorls, or even spots and stripes. The tabby pattern is so popular that it can be found in many pedigreed cats today, and is accepted in a number of breeds by the most popular registries.

The mackerel tabby pattern has vertical, gently curving stripes on the side of the body. The stripes are narrow, and may be continuous or broken into bars and spots on the flanks and stomach. Often, an 'M' shape appears on the forehead. Mackerels also feature a 'peppered' nose, where black spots appear along the pink tip of the nose. Mackerels are also called 'fishbone tabbies'. Mackerel is the most common tabby pattern.

Tabby cats are probably one of the most popular of cats with distinctive personalities to match their unique pattern.

Me on a sunny Fall morning when I was Four...

A survey on me...

Name: Charcole Andrew Lukas-Presley

D.O.B: May 1, 2000

Eye Color: Mint Green (they use to be yellow when I was a stray and unhealthy)

Distinct Markings: I have a spot on my upper and lower gums in the center of my front teeth and a freckle in my right eye.

Nicknames: Precious, Mew, Mew-Mew, Charky, Charcoles

Breed: Black-Silver Mackerel tabby, Siamese mix

Where do you sleep?: On my pillow with my Baby Giraffe blanket- next to my Mommy at night and depending on the weather my window seat or cat bed during the day. (If it is sunny or I want to look outside- my window seat and if it is cold I like to cuddle in my cat bed)

An unusual place you hang out: On the "office" chair in Nick's room- my Mommy hates when I sit there but I like it.

Do you like:
To get brushed: Yes!

To get your teeth brushed: No, but I haven't minded it so much latley

To get your nails trimmed: Yes

To sleep: Yes

To play with dogs: No

Cheese: Yes

Fish: Yes! Especially Salmon!

To be alone: Yes, but I also love to be with my Mommy and family


Where do you hide: Under the bed or in my carrier case

How do you tease your owner: Sometimes if the door is shut to our room and I'm not in it, I'll knock and when my Mommy opens it I run away and then when she closes it again, I'll knock and run away again when she opens it!!!



Hope you enjoyed it!

Food...

The food I eat is called Blue Buffalo. I eat the indoor cat formula. I use to eat Purina Indoor (I really liked it!) but then my Auntie found out Blue Buffalo was the best cat food so now she gets me that from her work at the pet hotel.

But, my FAVORITE food is Salmon! I love it! If I smell it cooking I run out to the kitchen and beg and beg for it! Usually my Grandpa will give me some. I just love it! I even got my very own Salmon fillet for my birthday!

A day in the life...

7:30-8:00am- I wake up and jump from the bed onto the cat tree. I like to sit here and watch both my Mommy and my food (It is in a tubberware in the closet- I can see it from my cat tree). Also during sunny mornings I like to sit on the window seal.

8:30-9:30am- my Mommy wakes up. As soon as I see her eyes open, I jump down from the cat tree and meow a "good morning" to her. Then I jump on the bed and meow and rub against her. My mommy will sit up and pet me while I continue to meow and push my head against her hand. Then she'll jump out of bed and walk toward the closet to my food. I'll follow and stretch along the bookcase and my Mommy will pet me. Then she gets me my food and while I eat she goes to the bathroom and brushes her teeth. Usually I am finished eating my breakfast by the time she gets out. I wait for her to come back, and when she does, I jump back onto my cat tree and meow at her to hurry up while she opens the curtains and puts the shade up. Then she'll put my cat seat up for me and I jump onto it immediately while she cracks the window for me to get fresh air.

Then, she leaves to make coffee or tea. Sometimes, if I am still tired, I'll go back to bed or just stay on the window seat. Sometimes, I follow her out to the kitchen and then meow at her to let me play in the inclosed patio off of the living room. (more on that later), but my favorite place to go in the mornings (if she is up) is my Auntie's room. She always has her window open and I'll go in there and crawl in her window and then relax on her bed.

10:00am- I go back in my room. I'll go to sleep.

11:00-12:00- my Mommy will usually take a shower around this time, and when she gets out and comes back in, I'll wake up and insist she pet me. I meow a lot and purr. I love her so much.

12:00- my Mommy usually gets ready for work around this time. I like to sit in her lap while she puts make up on. (she sits on her bed to do her makeup). I would sit and watch her from my pillow but she lays her makeup out on it. So, if she moves around too much I don't like to sit on her lap and then, I'll lay somewhere comfy on the bed and sleep.

12:30-2:00pm- this time is always different. Maybe one day my Mommy will go make something to eat (of course, if this is the case, I follow her to the kitchen to smell what she is making- she never gives me any of it, but I like to smell it), maybe the next she'll hang out with Auntie Lindsey or she'll read or something. So, what I do during this time depends on what's going on. More likely than not, I'm just sleeping.

2:00pm- my Mommy usually leaves for work or to take Auntie Lindsey or vise-versa. Everyday before she leave she pets me and says bye, then gives me a kiss. I know she is leaving because she'll take her keys out of her purse and stand by our door and says bye. I look at her and squint my eyes at her to tell her I love her before she leaves.

2:00-8:00pm- I sleep and stay in my room.

8:00pm- my Mommy comes home! I sit at the edge of the bed and wait for her. The second she comes home, she throws her stuff down (she is so messy! I hate it) and runs and gives me a hug and pets me. I meow and meow- I love when she comes home! I purr and rub against her. Then I just follow her around. If she sits down I run and sit on her lap.

9:00pm- depending on the day my Mommy leaves to get my Auntie if she has the car. Then I go back in my room to wait.

9:45-10:00pm- My Mommy comes back home and I wait for her at the edge of the bed again. Sometimes my Auntie will have Hercules with her and if that's the case I just stay in my room.

10:00-11:00pm- Depending on what my Mommy and Auntie are doing, I'll either sleep in my room if they are gone (not likely, but IF they are gone) or I go with them to watch TV to relax. I like to pretend I am going to someone's lap and then change my mind and go to the other person's. Or I like to run around the house and play or sit under the curtains to the sliding glass door and look outside.

11:00pm- I am tired! As soon as my Mommy or Auntie turn off the TV I run to my room and meow for food. My mommy uses the bathroom first and then comes in our room and shuts the door. If the window is still open, she'll take the window seat off and shut the curtains and stuff. I get excited because I know I am going to get fed and meow and meow. Then my Mommy will put the fan on and give me a little food. I'll eat it and then jump onto my pillow and meow and make sure I get pet. I am very loving at night and if my Mommy bearly pets me I'll crawl all over the book she is reading so she can't read it, and has to pet me. I love getting pet.

11:30pm- my Mommy will give me a kiss and turn out the light and then we go to sleep! If she wakes up at night and can't fall back asleep or just wakes up, I'll wake up too and let her pet me. Then I don't wake up again until morning!


Meow meow and there you have it!

How I got my name...

When my Mommy first met me she didn't know if I was a girl or a boy. >=/ The three days she was trying to convince her parents to let her have me she also had been thinking about what to name me. For some reason she thought I was a girl, and for some reason she thought I looked like a Martha. Thank God, my Auntie Lindsey convinced my Grandpa to let my Mommy get me and also not to name me Martha. Thank God! When they brought me home, I was obviously a boy. Then, looking at me, my Auntie Lindsey suggested Charcoal. When my Mommy looked at me, it was obvious that was my name. But, for some reason my Mommy didn't know how to spell it and so I became "Charcole". I like it though. My middle name is Andrew. And, many people don't know this, but I also took on my Dad's last name, but because of privacy issues, Publicly I only use my Mommy's last name. So, that is how I became Charcole Andrew Lukas-Presley.

My paws...

My Auntie loves my paws. I think she is obsessed.

Winter is coming...

As an indoor cat I just love winter. Everything is so cozy- just the way I like it! There are lots of blankets on the bed, my Mommy always has a blanket with her when she watches TV (so I can cuddle on it), the heater is on- I love it.

Last night I went out with my Mommy to watch TV. I just love cuddling with her on her lap!

I was especially happy because my Mommy brushed me this morning. I wish she would brush me more! I loved it. She also trimmed my claws which I don't mind. They were getting long. I have a feeling I'm going to get my teeth brushed... I don't really like my teeth brushed.

Today...

This morning I woke up so happy! Last night was the first real night I came out to the living room with Hercules there. Usually I don't like to be around him because he is so hyper. I really missed my Mommy and wanted to go to the living room so I cautiously came out. I hung around my Mommy mostly.
Then this morning when I woke up I was in a such a good mood! I really wanted lots of attention from my Mommy so I crawled all over her and she pet me! I was so happy! I also heard Grandpa saying that Herky needs to go home so I can come out so a little bit of me is happy... but, Herky is growing on me so I kind of wish he could just stay forever.
Thats all for now! Meow!

<- my Mommy and me!

My first real post...

Fremont, Ca- where I was born... I know a lot of people wonder how a stray kitten with no one ended up on the web with a loving family! Well, I must say since the day I was born I knew what I wanted, and I was determined to get it. I have the kind of determination that is rare- the kind that is so strong that I eventually will reach my goals.


Yes, I was born to a cat-mother who abandoned me and I was left to fend for myself. It was a hard life. I was born May 1st in 2000 and for the first 4 months of my life I lived in a condo complex and slept outside, left to find food for myself and lived with no affection- as well as with fleas and earmites. Luckily a person in the complex took pity on me and the other stray cats and would feed us canned food whenever he could. But, it was scary- especially at night and I was always on edge. Deep inside I knew I wasn't a feral cat at heart and I wanted more than the life I had... but I didn't know any other life so I went through the motions and did what I could to survive. All that changed one August evening...

I was walking around when suddenly a human girl was walking really fast to one of the condo's and scared me. I was very skittish being that my life was hard, and ran into a daisy bush. The girl knelt down and let me smell her hand. I looked up at her and the feeling I felt can only be described as that of knowing with her is where I belonged. She quickly pet me and started to walk into the condo. I knew I couldn't let her just leave so I took a deep breath and ran after her. It was unlike me to do that, but I did, and when she saw I followed her she laughed. She smiled when I tried to walk in the condo with her and luckily for me, she stayed outside with me. She sat down on the ground and pet me. Eventually I crawled in her lap while she pet me. No one had ever treated me with so much love and I purred until I feel asleep. By this time it turned to night. Her older sister told her she had to go inside. I knew she didn't want to leave me, but she had to go inside... I slept at the door waiting for her all night. In the morning I ran after her when she left. I couldn't believe she was gone... I was depressed for three whole days. Then as I was scurrying along the condo complex I heard her. She was calling out for me... she just called me kitty then, but I knew she was talking to me! I ran up to her, and finally she picked me up and took me home! Her home was across the street and she had made a bed for me out of a blanket. I immediately went to it and feel asleep. That moment was my favorite moment... I was completely happy.


Ever since then I have never wanted to go back outside and completly adopted my life as an indoor cat. I have never for a moment been ungrateful for the life I was given and for my Mommy. I appreciate everything and try to be the best cat I can be. I am eternally grateful to have my Mommy who I love more than life it's self. I am part siamese and everyone knows Siamese are one-person cats. I am attacted to my mom and trust her completly. I also love my other family- my sister Hannah (who is a golden reciever who is in Heaven now), my brother Harley (a golden reciever- he is my younger brother), my Auntie Lindsey, my Grandma and Grandpa. Oh yeah, and my cousin, Hercules the westie dog.


Thats all for now. Love, Charcole


Charcole Andrew Lukas
aka Charky, Mew, Mew-Mew, Precious

DOB- May 1st, 2000

Breed- Black silver mackareel tabby, Siamese

Eye color- Mint Green

Nose color- Pink

Favorite Toy- My Lion toy and I love toy mice

Special Skills- I am a good mouser-cat

Interests- Sleeping, eating, playing, getting brushed, being with my mommy

Status- I have a girlfriend named Nacho who I meet on myspace and through my Auntie.

some pics...

First Entry

Hello my name is Charcole.