Maine Coon Cats at Thayer's Historic Bed & Breakfast Annandale MN

Well, Sam-Sam has decided that living in my office undisturbed by other kitties is just fine with him. I have tried most everything to entice him and Miss Sadie and Tennessee to be friends but, they are having no part in the project.

Sam-Sam was less than a year old when he elected that he was moving in! A stray kitty that was so frightened it took about two weeks of constant coaching for him to even come out of the bushes. It still amazes me what Pet guard kitty food will do... we kept putting out this good stuff and water and he kept coming to get it... after a while, he came out to say hi when Taunia was working in the yard, then he thought a few pets would be OK and then he started to scratch on the door to get in - - that was the summer of 2006. For the next few days I kept worrying about him being outside... so instead of constantly thinking about the "what if's" ... I picked him up, told him we were going to get him fixed and he could live here. I brought him to our Vet; Sam was declawed, neutered, bathed, flea-less, mite-less and although his world got much, much smaller, content.

After a few days I introduced him to Sadie and TN, but that did not work! We had a HUGE cat fight, where TN ended up with about a 3" gash in his tummy and on antibiotics for 20 days and Sam-Sam with a few of his own wounds to heal, wrecked it for any kind of friendships to develop. Today all three kitties are purrrfectly content to be not be friends with each other. I keep hoping that will change... but for now, peace relies on Sam-Sam's world being my office and Miss Sadie Diva Cat and TN are happy with the rest of the house and, I am sure, because that the 'other' cat is locked in!

TN is our host extraordinaire and as you can see, he does not let Sam-Sam's being here prevent him from enjoying his afternoon naps in any way.

Tennessee's job is to be host kitty, and he is! As greeter, his duties are to purr and and purr and purr and to place himself so you can pet him. He also must stop by to say hello and visit (pester) you as you fill out any paper work that might need to be done. He really makes sure you are being properly entertained.

If you are sitting on one of the couches, make sure to invite Tennessee to join you, he is great at keeping you company.

Mr. Tennessee, is well-known for doing his best to convince everyone, including me, that he is an outdoor kitty and that he really goes out side all the time. What a silly cat! He knows he is a house kitty and "outside" is dangerous for him! Right out our front door is MN Hwy 55... but, if you would ask him about that, he would most likely tell you that living on a highway is really not a matter of concern... Ya, right!

Miss Sadie Diva Cat

Yes, her whiskers are that long!!

Miss Sadie Cat continues to be quite the social butterfly. She loves attention and playing with guests.

She is more than pleased to join you in your room... but, only if you are a kitty person. She is still very picky about who she lets into her circle but, when she likes you, oh, she is so very pleased to get all the attention you will give her!

You know that she really approves of you when she rolls over on her back to let you pet her tummy. Kneel down slowly, and be very gentle, that's the way she will let you pet her tummy. Just know that when she has had enough she might give you a kitty nibble which she does when she likes you a lot!

Of course, our Sadie girl is always delighted to let everyone see how very pretty her calico coat is as she struts through the living room!

Miss Sadie Diva Cat is still using the stair railings for her own personal stocks. She looks pretty funny hanging out like that.

Sadie has decided that everyone needs to be told what time breakfast is, so if you are not up at the time she thinks you need to be, she will come pounding on your door to let you know that breakfast will be served soon. I'm told she actually knocks on your door until you open it..

Another photo of Handsome Tennessee

More later, Sharon

Most recent update 11-25-09

In Loving Memory

Since I moved to Thayer's in 1993 I have had 4 kitties leave this mortal plane. I set up this area as a memorial to them.

If any of you have fond memories or stories about them that you would like to have me include; email me at slg@thayers.net let me know you want me to post your note and I'll get them on this page for you.

In Memory of Professor Herald Squeak - remembered by all as a GREAT BIG Kitty Cat, nearly 27 pounds of Maine Coon kitty, with a HUGE FLUFFY TAIL. A loving cuddle cat with a very little, tiny soft voice and a LOUD, LOUD Purr..

Professor Herald stops in from the other side - he looks like he's about two years old, handsome, healthy and that BIG boy's tail is as fluffy as ever.

A number of you have been asking to see photos of Clyde, Cocoa Bear & Kimmie, the King, Cat. These beautiful kitties also left us in the physical but, they too, continue to join us here at Thayer's, in spirit, from the other side.

Below is a photo of Cocoa Bear the funny thing about this photo is, he looks kinda small - and, until you know that the bed he is on is queen size and he is stretched out all across it. He was the biggest Maine Coon cat, about 38 pounds, I have ever seen! Great hunter, he brought me a mouse the first day he moved in with us... I just about had a coronary over that one. A beautiful friendly cuddle cat, a host that kept us all in smiles... that was my bear cat, Cocoa. He is the kitty that someone abandoned in Wisconsin and I drove 200 miles, one way, to bring home. He was about 12 years old when he died of CRF, Christmas day night in 1996.

Below is our famous Kimmie, The King, Cat. He was the kitty that taught my husband Warren to be a cat lover! Kimmie was a most exceptional, calm and quiet Siamese... unless, of course, it was breakfast time! Breakfast was when Kimmie became the King. I was there to serve him his food at exactly 8:00am, any other time would simply not do, and I if I tried to change the time, I heard about it!

Kimmie was baby Tennessee's teacher and Kimmie did everything a good teacher does for students including giving a strong critique when needed. When you meet TN you will understand why I appreciate Kimmie so much, he did a great job of training the little kitty! Kimmie also turned Tennessee onto the joys of drinking ice water... it was my friend Carol that started Kimmie on ice & water when she was working here. If Kimmie looks like a celebrity to you, he is! Kimmie, my cat, was on television as our "Murder & Mystery" cat in all our TV commercials!

I'm still looking for my photos of Clyde. Clyde came into my life because the sign on the cage he was in at the Hennepin County Humane society said "He was too much trouble" for his former owners. I didn't know it when I took him home, but Clyde was very, very sick and even though he was in pain, this big boy was a loving, generous and fine, a truly happy cat. He won over TN and Miss Sadie as fast as he had won me... it took him all of about 5 seconds to make friends. And, he smiled from the inside out.

Every day he was here, he made sure that Miss Sadie and TN were well groomed and cared for. About 3 weeks after I got Clyde, I found out that he had crystals blocking his urethra and the only way to fix the problem was to have surgery. He had emergency surgery at the University of Minnesota Veterinary Hospital, a transfusion and human transplant medications, but his body just couldn't recover... and still, everyday, when I would visit, he would say hello and give me kisses. He made sure I knew he came into my life to change it... and change my life he did. He was only in my life for 2 months, but the impact he made on my heart during that time, and still, is incredible!

Still looking for Clyde's pictures, when they surface, I'll scan them in and post them here.

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Old Kitty News from one of our flyers:

I'm thinking that if what I did with TN can assist one of your kitties to feel better than old news is good!

As of January 2006 Mr. Tennessee has fully recovered!! He had been sick for almost three two years with a chronic bladder infection. (I think it' could be the breed. Both he and Miss Sadie are Maine Coon kitties) Starting in the summer of 2003 his Veterinarian and I had been working with him to get him on a regimen of something that would help him feel better and keep him on the planet.

At first we were just using prescription medicine, but, it just wasn't helping Tennessee to be better long term. He would be fine as long as he was on the meds; but as soon as we would take him off, it would be about a week and TN was peeing blood again and we were back to the beginning.

It was a gradual shifting of solutions to find a "something" that worked for him... so, after many trials, we got him on twice a day, one Carpon (cranberry and some other stuff in pill form), No F.U.S. (a blend of cranberry and natural herbs in pill form from Petsmart), plain yogurt and amoxicillin plus about twice a week he had 15 to 18 drops of Milk thistle. Then mid -July, TN refused to take one more anything!!

In January 2005 along with the above, he was also getting a mix of a Slippery elm and filtered water solution, 100 units of Vitamin C, some wild yam root, Agrimony, 3 drops of Plantain and Rescue remedy.

I had already changed his food from Science Diet to Pet guard -he likes the "Premium Feast". I get it from "Pet food Direct", but I think you can get it at health food stores too. I changed the dry food from Science diet to Royal Canin -Special #33.

It's working! He's not peeing blood anymore, he's happy and he is back to work.

Looks like one spoonful of plain yogurt and a Carpon once every two weeks will do to keep handsome Mr. Tennessee Kitty healthy. Oh, and he now gets 20 drops of milk-thistle once a month. He hates it but, he is healthy!