On Saturday 25th March 2023
The scouts were hosting their first event of the year, after a long break (due to lockdowns etc I believe?) and we were approached by the lovely event co-ordinator ahead of time to see if we would like any leftover DVDs etc donated to us after the sale had ended.
We gratefully agreed to accept anything they could spare and went about the rest of our week waiting hopefully but not expecting too many items as obviously they would need to get as much funding for their own cause as possible.

Rather overwhelmed
As we were only expecting "maybe" a small handful of Dvds or a few books... my father drove Johnny down quickly around 12.15pm after cat duties, only for me to get a call from Johnny saying he was rather overwhelmed and could I please call him back?
To our great surprise
We were basically told once it ended that we could take anything and everything from the large hall full of items to help our cause fundraising.

Annoyingly my father isn't very "on the ball" now with our fundraising and as he gets older he tends to get more grouchy and unsupportive of us getting "freebies" for the funding (go figure?!) so he rather snappily barked at Johnny "that's enough!" after ONE small box of CD's was carted to the car and wanted to drive back up to home...

I was on the phone at this point talking to Johnny and passed what I'd heard him say onto mum who was just out of the room I was in. Like me, Johnny had immediately had the pit of our stomach go flip-flop like "oh hell, now what do we do? they are offering all this free stuff, we have limited funds now and we NEED this help... and we don't want to let them down now they are expecting us to take it." but mixed with "oh no, he's going to start a scene ranting about taking too much in front of everyone"...

Not in a position to turn down free donations.
Mum drove down to meet them at the hall in her car to help quicker (as we weren't sure what time they hall had to be vacated) and began hastily loading up boxes and bags of items. We weren't sure exactly what to head for and how much we were allowed (we aren't the type to just "expect it to be for us") so truth be told we probably left a lot more than they were hoping we would down there but after 2 car trips up in 2 cars (so 4 car loads) (and thats including dads big car don't forget!) we had a huge pile of stock now!! 

Jigsaw puzzles, Activities, BOOKS by the hundreds, DVD's, CD's, Clothing, Shoes, Records and a few other bits and bobs. Safe to say that we aren't getting into the workshop very easily right now :-D 

Photo's will be attached to this later but I'm on the wrong laptop at the moment.

THANK YOU once again to Becky Chapman and the 1st Watchfield & Shrivenham Scouts!

I'm not sure when I last wrote a blog post on here, so I'm sorry if things are a bit hit and miss with what makes sense... 

The cat cabin has been increasingly quiet the past two months since Pumpkin died and followed Beany to rainbow bridge... but Chewie just couldn't fully settle or feel happy when we struggled longer and longer to find new fur-family members for her... It may sound silly or insane to anyone who isn't at one with nature and speaks to their fur-clad family...... but Chewie really was like one of us... it's been her, Johnny and me for over a decade bringing new scared and hurting special needs cats into our cabin, our hearts and our entire lives revolving around their care...... At every step Chewchie has helped us make decisions, comforted us, told us off when we are being dumb/blind/silly and pointed us towards things that NEEDED to be done even in cases where the WHY wasn't even a thought in anyones minds for some time to come and suddenly "!HEY! - this is weird, it wouldn't have been possible if we hadn't already sorted that thing out months back.... "

I'm trying really hard to pointedly stay on track with this blog post but I'm kind of lost in over 11 years of memories right now. Only 4 hours ago at 2pm we were out in the garden preparing her eternal sleeping place and laying her to rest (alongside Pumpkin, Beany, Wolfie and one of my brothers cats from years passed) and we were both overwhelmed with "funnies" that Chewie would have said like "ouch - dad thats my headdddd" as a bit of dirt rolled into the hole quicker than meant... (that way like you could always know what Gromit was trying to say to Wallace despite his character having ZERO lines.... lol) and we both just had an oddly calm feeling like she was talking to us even as we covered her.... guiding us where to lay her flowers and even blackbirds clamly hopped up beside us (literally... 20cm away) to peer into the dirt for tasty wormies etc). It was ironically the best afternoon we've spent in the front garden... as if it were her way of saying "I can't celebrate my birthday with you in the cabin so you can spend it with me out here".. It was only as we got up and realised we'd finished... that we both suddenlybecame glum again - and I silently muttered "how do we leave you out here ... and just go back indoors?" ((thank god John didn't hear it...)) **sighs sorrowfully**

She died incredibly peacefully in my arms...in the cabin yesterday by the way. She had been wrapped in her favourite blanket despite the warm weather yesterday and staring up at me (held like a baby). She tried her absolute hardest to hold on until her 16th birthday and she missed it by just 6 hours :(. A promise was made that we would be brave for her as she'd been brave for so many years. Johnny fell asleep for a little while, as did Eggy while me and Chewie talked (she at one point looked at though she had drifted off but was still breathing then I noticed that she was using her eye to communicate, twitch for yes, pupil dilate, scrunchy face for comforting finger brush across my face please mamma.... we stayed like it for over two hours and she kept putting her paws to my face / cheek / neck to wipe my tears. At one point I couldn't stop crying and I remember thinking "oh god I'm going to panic her if I don't stop it" but I just couldn't - then as I had my eyes closed something soft brushed my chin and my lips - she'd used her energy to shuffle her shoulders upwards (like rolling over in bed you use your elbows etc to move) and pushed herself up to face me... we stared at eachother, I kind of snotty-laughed in her face and she did her little eye twinkle scrunchy face..... then laid down and again we talked for a few minutes. 
Around 5.54 Johnny woke up, I can't tell whether he woke up and then she saw him - or she woke him up TO see him...... but the rains suddenly pattered down gently on the cabin roof, I shallowed-breathed and gasped thinking in half awe and half disbelief that "no it couldn't possibly really happen? Could it..?".
[*A notion of "I've until the rain ends"... one of Chewie's favourite Dr Who episodes where Billy Shipton dies - the thought had suddenly popped into my head while talking to Chewie the day before when it had rained and I'd stared at her, giggled and said "not today my fruit"... it wasn't that day. But it did happen!]
As soon as the rains began it was like she was going in to a pre-rehersed action. Positioning herself up on her elbow leaning completely into my chest like a baby, tucking her tail and hind legs in to "ready herself"... she even began using training calm breathing techniques we'd used over the years with Eggy - she looked dreamily around the cabin as if she were taking memory snapshots to share with the others when she got to rainbow bridge.. Then the rains slowed but hadn't quite stopped - she took a few shallow breaths, motioned for Daddy (Johnny) to lean in so she could see his face... her tongue curled a little as her breathing got shorter.. She clasped my hand, Johnny flopped against my side and rubbed her fur gently then a few moments later she calmly turned her head, looked up at me again and took one last long breath in - out... she did "the running" [** all the babies that have passed naturally here do a kind of struggle canter - it's best described as them seeing everyone they've been waiting to reconnect with suddenly appear before them the opposite end of a field and they eagerly canter to be nose-rubbed, kissed, hugged and greeted by those who've gone before....]

Moments after that I'd said to Johnny - I think she... she's gone... (in between sobs I was trying to control for Chewies sake as well as Johnny and poor Eggy who'd been sat beside us the entire afternoon) but then I could feel her heart still ever so slowly beating and I rocked her gently back and forth in her blanket... she breathed a couple of tiny gurgling out-breaths and her head drooped towards me. The slight disbelief of "was that her fur moving" etc kicked in for a few moments but she'd gone. It wasn't until a few moments later we realised that we'd both noticed the rains had stopped. We'd each looked at the clock at 6.03 when Chewie stopped breathing. And each had noted that the rain stopped at that time...... My heart hurts.. I think I need to stop here for now :(

Please don't forget to share, donate or shop as we still have Eggy to care for even if stupid local rescues and groups think "We aren't suitable" for offering a home to cats?!! ((Don't get me started on that)).

We have a Patreon account now for the cats - it was supposed to help Beany, Pum, Chewie and Eggy but.. nobody signed up .. and now we have to have a long long think about the cause :'(. 

www.patreon.com/_kittyjohnson

The content below was found in another older post on the old cats website....

"News for 2016

Posted on 7:13pm Sunday 31st Jan 2016

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The following post shows pretty much the same as what our current situation is - we get so caught up in the busy day to day work and living with the cats that we often don't notice for months that something as simple as "popping up a news page" has slipped by where we were certain we'd done it already :-)

"Updating the website"

Posted on 7:06pm Sunday 31st Jan 2016

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Well, If you've made it this far you've either actually READ our blog posts (sorry if you were bored by them!) or you've found our teeny tiny note in the footer....

These coupons update regularly so please check back or message me if you want the latest offer :-)

Current offers: No expiry dates
PetSale for 3.5% off any pet goods currently in your basket.
Festivities for 19% off your entire basket.

Don't forget to check back soon for other offers! Please note this page doesn't showcase personalised coupon codes which are tailored to uniquely suit the purpose of the receiver.

About Us

Something to read if you've no knowledge of who we are, or the things we do!

Hello guys, sorry to of been quiet for so long but what with the new 3 day a week stall and having to make things to sell - THEN ontop of that spending time with the cats, safe to say i've been a biiiiit busy :). The cats are all fine at the moment generally. Eddy had a little slip and whilst washing himself managed to pull a bit too much fur out on his leg which made a tiny nick but blood went everywhere and i panicked thinking he'd been passing blood. He hadnt. (i checked!). Beany [Stitch] is currently in the TCEK house [this is what i call the main first house] and his home is being rented out to Eddy, of which he is less than pleased :). Chewie is being oddly affectionate a lot of the time now which i love because i've missed my fruiticus but also im wondering whats happened to make her so.... cutesy now. Wolfie is starting to sneeze just a little now because of the temperature changes and also he is getting very impatient at food times and insists on trying to stand on my shoulders and head to "make me go faster". Pumpy is taking a while to eat certain meals (Would say being picky but its not really that as such, she just feels bloaty after certain things). Other than his leg Eddy is having a blast usually with one of our Catnip Meesers (Handmade By Furwebs) but this past week he hasnt wanted to play much and just sleeps or washes. Ohhh And Chewies hair is almost full "PUFF" mode thanks to Eddy continuously washing her, to which she pulls the oddest faces and occassionally has to be rescued.And for some reason, even before Beany was put in the TCEK house [only since yesterday afternoon but you'd think I had forced him to walk a tight-rope for 2 weeks without rest - the way he yowls at me for hugs when I go back out], he seems oddly attached to me again, I realise this is partly his Separation Anxiety but he stares into my eyes from across the room, dives me for hugs and kisses, licks every uncovered part of my skin on my arms or legs and goes generally nuts and droolsome. For the last two nights he has had proper "uppy hugs" only to lean me backwards onto the sofa by force and curl up on my chest which he never does usually. He is more a "flop beside and snooze" kind of baby usually. This morning John mistook the hissy outbursts as aggression when he tried to take him off of me, but I explained this was him begging to stay with me and begging me not to leave again (chokes me up sometimes when he shakes and clings on so tightly and the crying noise he makes),so there's me,struggling to climb up with him on my chest and put him in the house and he tries to hold my hand with his paw spread out and lets out this low moan that sounds for all the world to me like "maaahmaa nauuuh" [mumma no]. And i close the door, apologise for ages and say I will be back in a few hours... *sniffles*.

Rainbow Bridge

 

 

Sox came to us in March 2004 as the family were moving and could only take two of their four cats with them.
We were told "both young boys" were in great health for 4yr olds, where as the two girls they were keeping were older and Special Needs. Ironically almost all of this information turned out to be inaccurate. Our vets estimated they were closer to 7/8yrs - Tigger was a girl and both too were Special Needs.(Find out more here) 
He passed to Rainbow Bridge 14th December 2012 aged aprx 16yrs.
Spending his remaining years with us brought him great comfort, through countless battles and threats of being PTS (from vets, not us!) he always bounded back to be by my side. In his final moments he was calm, content and relaxed in his home surrounded by his loved ones and companions.

 

Beary came to us in June 2006 as a stray who had been found lurking around a garden in Swindon and was reluctant to leave, much to the disapproval of the resident kitten (ironically named Tigger!).
Luckily CPL were not interested in taking her on (otherwise she would have been PTS due to age, illness and care requirements. However they were liasing with those that found her and were reluctant for us to home her due to already having a cat (Sox) but agreed on a trial basis - we never heard from them again! (find out more here)
She passed to Rainbow Bridge 10th November 2011 aged aprx 12yrs
Bou spent a good chunk of her life with us, and despite what the situation may have looked like from the outside looking in, she lived a happy, contented peaceful life well into her senior years. She passed, surrounded by loved ones in a family room at the vets. The hardest decision of my life was agreeing to allow the vets to PhTS. 

 

Tigger and Sox came together and were originally from the same litter. Tigger turned out to be a girl. They came to their previous family from RSPCA but when the family attempted to get them taken back into their care, they were told that due to their age they would most likely be PTS. (Find out more here)

Tigger passed to Rainbow Bridge 28th February 2006 aged aprx 10yrs
It's difficult to give an accurate account of how she passed as she was never a very settled baby and loved to go roaming for days / weeks at a time although you could often hear her / spot her in the garden. One day after she had began to settle down and come in nights, she just didnt come in and I "had that feeling" so frantically searched for her only to find her the next morning curled up in a planter in the greenhouse. The night she didnt come home had been a very bitter blizzard-like storm. I have always had the notion that she couldnt gather energy enough to maker her way up the last part of the gardens and sought comfort in a warm familar place only to be taken in the night. My heart aches each time i recall that she was within arms reach. 

On Saturday 12th July we marked a special anniversary by adding two new furbabies to our clan!

Harry and Edward from Leighton Buzzard joined our family.

This date marked the fifth anniversary since the passing of our sister / sister in law who was as animal mad as we are, By chance it happened to be the day we settled on for meeting to collect them from their old "staff".We then also by chance came to alter their names a little due to their personalities.

Edward - unless being naughty, is now known as Ed,Edd or Eddy(!) as this fits his personality and also was the name of one of Tracys favourite cartoon shows.

Harry - who did not seem to like being called by that name, and was quite an "experiment" as he was a challenge to get settled in with the babies, was changed to Stitch and responds to the name beautifully. He is a little terror when he wants to be a but a cute (large) ball of fluffiness when he wants to be too! But only seems to be with mummy (Kitty).

Eddy moved almost straight in with the other three residents (Chewie, Wolfie and Pumpkin) in the big house of the cabin, but Stitch is still a little nervous of close contact with these "strange furry beasties" so he has spent his nights in his own house in the cabin which seems to suit him just fine.

They all five get along surprisingly well given that the two boys have only been here since last saturday. They all come out and spend the majority of the day roaming about the cabin and playing / finding sneaky spots to hide in thinking they can avoid detection and not get caught sneaking into the food cupboard when it opens(!)

Many photographs have been taken - and I have to restrain myself from taking and uploading millions of the same thing as they are just so cute together!

- Thank you for reading this "short(?!)" update -

Pictures can be found on the facebook page!

Eggy - The Bed Warmer

Beany - The MeowMonster

update on woolpix (Wolfie) , he has an upset tummy again so keeping an eye on him. Chewie seems to have issue with back legs and is walking sort of hunkered down but is not in pain when checked over - Assuming pumpkin is her usual self , very "yappy" but not wanting hugs . Chew and Wool both had shampoos and brushings tonight (And wool actually purred and came back for more!!!)Xxx

Poorly babies tonight - John did the litterboxes and sprayed the floors as they had "accidents" outside the box and up over the edge of them. Thinking it was mostly woolberton (Wolfie) as he was very yappy and headbutty tonight as well as REALLY talkative. I find it funny that he mimicks chewies voice when ill , He never talked before - not even a squeak , but now when hes poorly he sounds like chewie or scarily , like Socky (xxxxxxxxx miss you millions pupplyxxxxx) A little blood in the mix tonight , keeping an extra close eye on them the next couple days again.

I think Wolfie was hinting for Double (W) again tonight but after finding this on the floor we didnt think that was a good idea so they each had their D's and hugs then to bed . We had to run the heater for the time we were out there , first in a while , as it seemed quite cold.

Just back in from the cabin. After having a horrible dream when I fell back to sleep this morning I was quite shook up and didn't know what to expect when I got out there.I was half expecting the cats to be gone and the cabin to be empty! Luckily the cats were okay and all were bouncing as about like loons.Pumpkin and Wolfie kept sniffing about and playing chase by the sofa. Chewie kept sniffing me and wanting tickles , kisses and strokes then running off to play. After they all insisted on having foods and meds we let Wolfie out to stop him from eating the girls food and he sat on the sofa by me having a climby hug.

He panicked when John sat beside us and started scrabbling about to climb and run so I stood up thinking he would jump down but he didn't, just settled for a hug instead!?

After tickles and chin strokes he decided to give ME a licky wash on my right side of my face then hopped into his bed. By now Pumpkin had finished her food and gone back to bed, Chewie cried so I called her up for a hug and she went floppy and stretched out on my arms like a baby :-) . After a long hug we put her in as it was getting late and she kept having a burpy tummy. As it is a little warmer today than I has been we left the thick cover off and just pulled the lighter ones down to keep them warm until tonight. Pum doesn't do hugs unless there are treats involved so she was content in her bed :-)      

whoops , havent updated this for DAYS - sorry.. We have been keeping an eye on the mouldy stuff in the inner house of the cabin. It isnt spreading but has reappeared in the same place once more since first finding it. We are very close to plucking up the courage to build the new inner house ourselves instead of buying in a prebuilt and are going to be replacing the outer/main window wiring mesh this week if weather is not too bad. Wolfie sat by the open window for a little bit today (hence why we have wire over them!!) and purred at the smells of outside :). Chewbs was naughty as obvious every time the window boards get taken down. Chomped on the wire and had to be detached from it!! Pum went hyper at the smells of outside and ran into her bed to hide!. All are having Senior wet food 3 days a week alongside their dries now. Unless one is ill(er) and then they wait until all are okay :). Have found a new type of medicine which is easier to apply and more reliable for FHV-1 so will be buying this soon. Oh and we are looking into new ways of fundraising - Would any of you be interested in helping if it were simple enough? (A search or click online etc?)

today at pm feed and play the cats were all out playing but pum was oddly brave for herself. She learned to stand and "please" on back legs while being asked does she want a treat, and then not to smack or snatch for it but to "look see wait and have " by gently headbumping my hand.

Wolf snatches it from us or pushes in to get things but pum encouraged and seemingly taught him how to do It too!

A brief account of today with the cats.

Am: The cats all three came out for a run around and play when we got out to the cabin, they did the usual roles - by that I mean each doing their own usual acts.

Chewie ran out of the house , onto the trolley and then launched at me on the sofa. Usually I am stood at the Diary unit (cupboard which the heater is on and which is tall enough for me to Comfortably stand up at and write my daily diary entries)Wolfie was not far behind her and hopped upon my leg. Pumpkin jumped out of the house , slipped effortlessly from the trolley and slunk around the corner of the sofa. They had a quick Walkabout and hug , or in pums case - a "you want to do WHAT with me?!'" and leggit!

They all decided they wanted food so jumped over each other to be first to get back into the house.Wolfie did he usual and came back out a couple of times and hearded back. Food (meds) were given and typically he finished first.To stop him trying to eat the girls food he  comes back out while they finish eating.

He often darts into his den cupboard to sit on top of Turti his turtle.But today he sat on the sofa with Johnny and nested on his legs.Chew finished her food and cried to come back out for hugs but the wind was getting up again by then and pum had already gone back to bed so we put wool back in and tucked the covers over the front of the house as normal to both keep them warm and to muffle the noises of outdoor for chewie.

pm:

Tonight when we went out it was already very windy so we didn't want to risk problems , as chew gets panicky with the weather. So we didn't let them have a play firstly but fed them some strips of chicken (cooked by mum) in turn and then once things calmed a little let them play. Wolf and Chew spent ages licking the floor for scraps that may of been dropped (there was none) but it kept them entertained.

They had dries then hugs on the sofa but gusts of wind kept shaking the wall so we put them to bed , I wrote the diary entries and then we came indoors.

Who are the current residents?

Our beautiful baby doglet :(

Pumpkin - The Snuggler

Chewie

Age : 7 or 8? [she was a friends cat , who sadly passed away so we arent sure how old Chewie is]

Arrival: June 10th 2008 How she got here: She was collected from Reading at my sister in laws house - She originally came from a close friend in Wolverhampton area.

Why she is with us: She was suffering from feline alopecia , being very sick with horrid things being brought up - and as said above , her previous owner has now passed :(

Medical Issues: Vestibular Disorder , Alopecia and Digestional Disorder , Renal disorder and Feline Eczema

Day to day attitude: She seems very excitable , bouncy and "over the top" but this is mostly due to her Balance and Hearing issues , she can get quite angry for no apparent reason but you have to learn to read the signs of her body language to know that this is because a seemingly innocent BANG of a door can cause her to think she is being attacked and fall over. Scratches and gouges a plenty on my part from saving her as she is about to topple off a unit or cat tree!

Abilities: VERY flexible , bendy , bouncy and loves to play PING PONG / Table Tennis with her bouncy ball. She is very smart behind the confused and sometimes "dopey looking" outer shell. She is also able to make audible human sounding words and sentences

Special Needs: She needs constant observation , special hair loss oil , Renal medication and specialist shampoo / soother solution for her skin as it dries out.

Coat description: mid to long length black "hairy beasty" fur. Managable with hardly any brushing although she has a fondness for holding the brush herself to brush her chin!

Breed Detail: Maine Coone , Rex Cross ...(as far as we know! She's a mixed bag of nuts ;-) )

Beary

Age : She was 17+ when she passed…
Arrival: June 5th 2006

How she got here: We had recently lost Tigger-Lou , but by chance saw an advert posted up on the board in Pets At Home – We collected her that day!  [stray wandering around Swindon's gardens!]

Why she is with us: She had been straying in a residents garden in Swindon – they had found her sleeping in the bottom of their plastic zip up “greenhouse” and would of kept her except for their small kitten did NOT want a competitor for Human time!

Medical Issues: She had apparent eye trauma when we received her , along with leg damage (not visable but she could barely walk or jump).  She was later diagnosed with Rhinotracheitis and along the way other things became apparent. Calicivirus was only finally diagnosed (although we had been prompting this for many years) the day before she was PTS. The vets unfairly blamed us for her lack of care (how little did they know). She also suffered with Renal Failure , Was allergic to most foods and was suseptible to heat problems (liked to sit in a big tub of water to cool off – really!)

Day to day attitude: She was sometimes shy and “back away” ish depending on how gunked up her eyes were and her sneezing. We felt bad for her as it was clear she was under the impression she would be punished for getting us gunked up if she sneezed on us – REALLY BOU!? I developed a saying or few along the route with beary – my favourite being “Im the kind of Mamma who wears her best clothes out to see to the cats – Do i really look like i care about a little Cat Snot and Eye Boogers?!”
Aside from that – she was always looking for affection , “If you sit – Bou will come” ….and give you a dead leg / arm! she liked to lick your top and rub her ears against you as her way of showing affection towards us.

Abilities: She was very vocal and very smart – she could do things that surprised even us (including opening springlocked doors with one paw and picking the right coloured toy / shaped item if you played brain games with her)

Special Needs: She needed daily eye cleaning but didnt like that too much – also she had a fur issue as she was an unknown breed with very long matty fur . She would have a shampoo and brush down regularly. She required L-Lysine tablets every couple days with wet food to aid her Rhino-T.

Coat description: Brown tones , beige stripes , black and tan markings (stupidly designated as British Shorthair by the vets and “tabby with fawn markings”)

Breed Detail: Felis Chaus Hybrid as discovered by doing research into her heritage , markings , distinguishing features and characteristics (plus size etc) and help from people online with breed knowledge

Beary Passed on November 10th 2011 after being suddenly overcome with weakness , lethargy and refusing to eat for one day – she was withdrawn and couldnt even sit up let alone stand – due to the shock of its sudden happening we rushed her to the vets which we dont usually do (we have found better care in home remedies which give the cats a calmer and loving rest and recovery experience), we were unfairly judged by our local vet who wouldnt believe it was literally overnight her condition had come to this – they ridiculed our capabilities and methods, even to the point where they refused to allow her even to come home for her final hours when we were pressured into having her PTS – when we finally insisted we wanted her body back to bury her ourselves , we were met with horrid comments which as you can imagine are unthinkable at any time let alone when your daughter has just been PTS.  It has been almost 2 years since bear died – Sox went not long after her which breaks my heart in more ways than imaginable however they kept eachother fighting strong side by side for over 5 years – for this i am thankful . And am honoured to have shared my life with these beautiful inteligent furbabies. Everything i do from now til the end of my cat caring days , will be in memory of not only Sox and Beary but Tigger-lou , for whom the whole history of Craft-E-Kittens wouldnt of been possible without.

Sox, the founder of the cause 

Tigger-Lou - Sneaky SnuggleHunter