Sitting in my Car

1st Message Transcription:
"Hi my name is Charlie, I'm calling about a cat named Briar. I've stopped near the beach near the Carmel river beach and looked up and he was sitting next to me in my car. Hes very healthy and happy but I'm sure he wants to go home so if you could give me a call on my cell phone 238.. and I'm supposed to be on my way to work so the sooner we can get Briar handed off the better, Thanks, bye."

What to do with Briar?

1st Message Transcription:
"Hi this is Don, I hope I read the tag right we have Briar, and we're holding him, can you call me back at 238- and we'll hang on hopefully you'll get this message and call back in a few minutes because we don't know what to do with Briar. Thank you. We're at 15th and I believe this is Carmelo. Ok, thank you."

Cat in the garage

1st Message Transcription:
"Hi Belinda, my name is John, I've got a cat Briar here, with your telephone number on it. 5minutes to 2 in the afternoon on Sunday, I live on 17th street. I'm going to keep your cat in the garage until this evening and open the door around 5:00. Give me a call if you like. 626- bye.

Junipero Serra School

1st Message Transcription:
"Hello I'm calling from Junipero Serra school at the Carmel Mission and Briar Kitty has roamed onto the campus and I have him in my 3rd grade classroom. If you could call me as soon as possible, it's now about 1:30 at 624- and ask for 3rd grade I'd appreciate that. Thank you, bye bye."
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This was the day Justine spotted him!

Wayside Inn

Briar had gone missing (again) for 2 days. He was spotted running up town with some folks around 3:00PM Sunday. Soon after that, the hailstorm hit. It's been raining and hailing pretty hard with sub-usual temperatures the last two days.

I was worried about Briar. He had never been gone for so long in extreme weather (to us, 38 degrees and hail is extreme). Maybe he was waiting out the storm somewhere under a bush, huddled and fluffed trying to keep warm.

Come to find out, Briar kitty decided to be nice and cozy at the Wayside Inn. Apparently, one of the housekeepers opened the door for room service when Briar ran out. And to think, I was worried he was freezing his tail off trying to get home when he actually decided to get a hotel and stay in town to wait out the bad weather. Little rascal has stayed in more hotels here in town than I have.

Rescue Remedy

Message from Janine:
"I don't have a story about Briar, too adorable by the way, but I had a suggestion about his soreness. My little kitty came home one day looking very sore, I gave him a few drops of Rescue Remedy (available at Cornucopia) every few hours and it really helped. Good Luck! "
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Hey Janine, thanks for the suggestion. He seems to be doing great now. He's up to his old habits again. He's gone wandering.

Briar Goes Hiking

Lizard Friend or Foe?

Briar, torturing Bluebelly."You're not going anywhere!" Are you sharing or are you saving him for dessert?

House Arrest

Briar didn't come home the night before and then was spotted at the beach early the next morning. I couldn't find him all day long. Around 6:00PM he came home and was upset when I pet his back leg or picked him up. He hissed and pawed at me in the face like he was going to scratch me, but he didn't use any claws. I guess it was more of a slap, "Hey don't pick me up, that hurts". I didn't see any blood on him. He's just moving a little slow and looks like he's sore when he tried to jump to his spot. He still has his appetite and attacks my cell phone whenever it goes off so that is a good sign. I have him on house arrest until he's strong enough to play the chasing game he loves so much... whether he is chasing people, or getting chased by dogs.

Who's cat is that?

Message from Justine:
"Hey Belinda! It's Justine! I was sooooo happy and excited when I saw Briar Kitty!!!!! I was like: "AHHHHH! OMG THATS BRIAR KITTY!" Everyone was like what, whos cat is that? I said I know that lady that owns him. Shes really nice and I told them how awesome Briar Kitty was and what he does for fun! I didnt scream and shout about Briar Kitty until we were done with class, I was thinking OMG ITS BRIAR KITTY in my mind, I wanted to SUPRISE them!!!! XD XD XD XD"
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Justine, I'm glad you and your friends got to meet him! I believe Briar wandered into their classroom.

Briar Dryer

On our morning walk, we came across another Briar. She was a person, not a cat. Our interaction was quite peculiar, it went something like this.

"Is that the famous cat?" she asked.

"Yea!" I replied.

"I heard about this cat. Have you seen his website?" She questioned.

"Yes, I have. I'm his owner, I maintain his site", I explained.

"Ooh! What's his name?" She asked.

"Briar." I replied.

"That's my name too!" She exclaimed.

We reveled in the fact that her and Briar had the same name and chatted a little bit about it. And this is the weird part.

"I'm curious, how did you decide to name him Briar?" she asked.

"Actually, my husband named him. When he was a little kitten, he used to jump in the dryer. So he said "get out of the dryer, dryer, bryer, Briar!" and that is how he got his name." I explained.

Her eyes grew wide and she excitedly told me her story, "I used to grow organic tomatoes and dry them in Santa Cruz, and my sister made me a sign that said "Briar Dryer!".

We talked a bit more and the two Briar's met and enjoyed a brief interaction. And then we were on our way.

It was really strange. My friend says that everything is connected in some way. I'm starting to believe her.

To the person Briar: Sorry if I spelled your name wrong in this post.

Chased up a tree

We were hanging out down by the point when a dog chased Briar up a cypress tree. He hung out up there for about a half hour and watched the surf and spectators. Later, he climbed down and then jumped into one of the trucks below.

I can just tell...

Hey, it's me, Briar. I've been thinking. That happens every once in a while, you know.

Anyways, I thought that you should know how most non-dysfunctional animals operate on this planet. And it generally has to do with energy. Recently, I met the nicest people. And my meeting with them made me wonder how I generally decide what is a safe situation and what is not. So here's the story...

So, I was following this bundle of positive energy down the street. At first, I had no idea what it was. But follow I must! It had an adventurous and loving spirit, one after my own heart. You know, a kindred spirit. "Oh," I thought, when I saw them, "People!"

And when I got close and made some noise, I could sense a slight shift in their energy. Fear. "Uh oh.." I was feeling like I needed to run. Now, it was my time to fear. But then, as soon as they saw that it was just me, it shifted back to a sense of curiousity, wonder, and love. "Ahhh... That's it!" My heart melted. I just had to throw myself at their feet. I knew. Just like I always do. But normally, I don't analyze a spirit so cerebrally.

Now, I wonder if that's why you humans have so much trouble with love. Maybe, your heads are too big. Your thinking gets in the way. Maybe you humans should go back to feeling the energy around you. I guess your science and things get in the way of your spirit. TTFN

The Cat That Broke My Heart

Message from Sarah:
My husband and I were having a beautiful day enjoying the Carmel Beaches on our small vacation getaway. After a long walk of enjoying the beach, we decided to walk back to the cottage we were staying at on Valley View Drive.

As we walked, I felt slightly jumpy because I heard behind me a small clanking sound that seemed to be getting closer. Not sure what it was, I turned around and was surprised to see a cat running towards us. At first I said to my husband, "Is he following us?" Then I said, "No. Cat's don't do that, especially to strangers!"

Just as I said that the cat continued towards us and at the same time another neighbor was pulling into his driveway. I said, "Oh, maybe that's his owner and he heard the car and is running toward his owner."

To my surprise, the cat continued past the neighbor's driveway, ran directly to me, and proceeded to lay down at my feet. As the cat laid at my feet, flicking his tail, the neighbor walked out of his car and asked if that was our cat. I responded, "No, We thought it might be your cat!"

I had never experienced a cat being so friendly to strangers. I had not been able to take my cats with me to the cottage we were staying. I missed my cats and felt so surprised and honored to have a beautiful cat seemingly give me such special attention.

My heart melted. I thought this cat must really like me. I stayed there on the street for a little while holding Briar close and petting his soft and handsome coat. As he gazed at me with those big adoring eyes, I could swear he was wooing me, saying, "You are everything I've ever wanted. I could love no other woman but you! Take me home with you!"

My husband seemed to fade away in the moment as this cat had me under his love spell.

I felt so cherished and valuable as we shared that timeless moment. Then just as suddenly as Briar ran into my life, he ran out. He saw a little movement in a bush and he leapt out of my arms towards the bush to sniff out whatever had caught his eye.

Now one might ask, "How did Briar break my heart?" Well, I guess he didn't really break my heart. I just felt a little silly when I checked out briarkitty.com and found out that the special attention he had given me was nothing new. Mine was not the first heart that he had stolen.

Briar made me feel like I was the only person in his world. Briar definitely is a special cat!

Sincerely,
Sarah
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Thanks for your message Sarah. Yes, he seems to bring a little joy to everyones day. I'm glad you got to meet him.

There was Briar again

1st Message Transcription:
"Hey Belinda, my name is Mike, and I'm down at the Carmel River mouth beach. Perhaps you live near here, because that's where you cat is, Briar. Um, he's adorable and now he's following us, I don't know. My cell phone number is XXX... And right now We're on a walk up from there going back towards carmel beach and he's walking along with us. Once again my cell phone is XXX maybe you're down at the lagoon".


2nd Message Transcription:
"Hey Belinda it's Mike again and it's a quarter til 12 and we got in the car and then drove back down along our walk, and there was Briar again. And now he's over by carmel point right where ocean view comes to Scenic when you come down to Stewarts cove there. I'm not going to take him because he seems like, I dunno, give a call...
Thanks, Bye."

Carmel Pine Cone Police Log

November 21, 2008 The Carmel Pine Cone 29A (Police log)Message from IEEANN:
"He is one of a kind. He seems to touch your heart when you meet him. Since I've heard about Briarkitty from another parent; my child writing about him in class (at the time they called him River); seen him follow a family and use a crosswalk like he knew what it was (a sight I will never forget). I can't help but follow his blog. A famous cat in is own right."
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IEEANN, Thanks for your message and for the pasting from the pine cone! This was from the day of the Home Again posting.

The Amiable Cat

Message from Jake:
"Briar the amiable cat joined us around the Carmel Mission and followed us home. He paused for a second amongst brush to sniff out house rats that were known to be living in the bush. After a moment of hesitation he backed off. Briar is a lover not a fighter!

We gave the owner a call just in case Briar had gone missing, but no one answered and the answering machine's message said nothing about a cat gone missing. We sent Briar on his way.

Briar is gregarious and playful. He seems to have a handle on Carmel and people. Could he be God in an alternate form? He looks at you intelligently and has a repitoire of poses as funny as Zoolander's Blue Steel. "
---------------------------------------------
Later in the afternoon, the Mission called me and said that Briar had been sighted playing in the bushes in the courtyard. I drove over there, called for him, and he ran out to greet me. He's safely been delivered home once again. I love hearing about his adventures. BTW, I don't leave a message on my phone about a missing cat because he ALWAYS goes missing.

Name that cat

Briar and I were heading out to the school for our sunset walk and Briar's new friend was sitting outside the gate, waiting for Briar to come out and play. This little black and white kitty doesn't have a collar on and I don't know who he belongs to. He followed Briar down to the school intersection and then stopped. But, he's really friendly and since he's been around, I think we should name him. I don't know what to call him though. Any ideas?

Message from Andrea

Message from Andrea:
"Hey Blinda I see your cat allllllll the time I told you he came in my hear this MY class he came in with my friend... UMMMMMMMMMM. so ...bye
P.S.hes nice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "
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Haha Andrea you sound excited! Thanks for the bus stop picture!

Pebble Beach

This morning Briar decided to try to sneak into Pebble Beach without paying. He was stopped at the gate and held for questioning. Not really, but he was held for pickup.

Spider Killer

I really don't like spiders. I prefer rats, lizards, and even snakes. Spiders just give me the heebie jeebies. Smashing them and hearing the crunch just grosses me out. The great thing is, whenever I see a spider, I just call Briar over. First he tortures it, then smashes it a couple times, and then eats it. One day, there were 4 HUUUUGE (ok maybe they were like 3/4" in diameter) garden spiders in the house, and I called each one out for him and he ate each and every one of them. I didn't have to do any of the dirty work myself! :) He just ate one in the bathroom.

Wedding Crasher

Once again, Briar goes missing. The last I heard of his wherabouts was at the school yesterday morning. I was worried.

At 2:26PM I receive a call.

"Your cat is here at the Mission Ranch. Can you come pick him up?" the man on the phone says.

"Yes, where will you be?" I ask.

"They're having a wedding here, and he's walking around the bar, and they want him out of here." he replies, "So, I'll take him to the office".

"OK, I'll be there in 2 minutes". I promptly reply.

I walk over there and arrive at the office. Briar's not there. I call the man again and say, "Hello? Where are you guys?".

I look across the parking lot and he's cradling Briar like a baby on his back.

"Your cat thinks he was invited to the wedding!" he says laughing, "He was trying to get a drink at the bar! haha"

I told him that he's known for crashing parties and thanked him for calling. As I headed home at the north end of the parking lot, another man approached me...

"Is that your cat?" He asks.

"Yep" I reply.

"That cat came in my room last night and slept under the bed!" He said.

"OOh well I was wondering where he was, I was worried cause he didn't come home". I said. "He goes all over the place."

"Well, he was in room 28 last night!" He exclaimed.

I guess Briar likes to fraternize with the-out-of-towners. Thanks again for getting him home!

Briar Sighting

A message from Mary:
"I saw Briar at *** School this morning when I dropped off my daughter. He was rolling in the dirt and letting 3 or 4 kids pet him. He sure seems to like kids."
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He loves the attention! I notice when some of the parents are walking their kids to school, he's eager to jump over the fence and join them.

Meatloaf?

A message from Isabelle:
"I was making meatloaf just now and Briar came up to the French doors at my kitchen and stood on his hind legs pawing to be let in! I had my kids go out in the garden and play with him! He is so incredibly friendly and not shy at all! What a sweetie! He must have an amazing sense of smell to know I was making meat!"
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Thanks for your message! Your meatloaf sounds yummy.

Moonlight walk

Around 4:30PM I received a phone call from my friend about a Briar sighting more than a couple blocks from my house. I drove around the area to try to find him before dark. There has been a mountain lion sighting in the area the last week, so I've been a little more "on it" about keeping him in when it gets dark. Usually if I don't keep him in around sunset, he ends up staying out a couple extra hours longer.

It was a full moon out. I had tried to sleep for a couple hours but it was so light out I was restless. It was about 12:00AM, and still no Briar or word of him. I grabbed my phone, put it near the bed. As soon as my hid hit the pillow, "Bah-ling!" my phone chimes with a new text message...

:::::: MSG RECEIVED 12:27AM ::::::
"Hi we were walking along the ocean and your sweet briar accompanied us for almost one hour! We said goodnight to her at scenic and 13th. Hope she finds home."

:::::: MSG SENT 12:28AM ::::::::::
"Is he still there?"

:::::: MSG RECEIVED 12:29AM ::::::
"Around there. As soon as we got in our car he lay down in the middle of the road!"

:::::: MSG SENT 12:31AM ::::::::::
"Thanks 4 ur msg. Ill see if i can find him. He usually comes home eventually."

:::::: MSG RECEIVED 12:32AM ::::::
"Sounds like a cat to me! All the best. :)"

I drove down to the last known location. It was pretty bright out. I called him once, "Briar Kitty", and Briar runs out of the bushes right up to my leg. He was enthusiastic and happy. He jumped right in my car (probably relieved he didn't have to walk home).

:::::: SENT 12:39AM ::::::::::::::
"Found him! Little rascal was playin in the bushes. He loves being out in the moonlight"

:::::: RECEIVED 12:40AM ::::::::::
"We love it too! Glad you found him. Pleasant dreams. Hope to see that rascal again! :)"

Thanks for helping to get Briar home safe. He always seems to be drawn to the nicest people.

He's a sweetheart

Message Transcription:
"Hi there! I'm calling about your cat. My name is Sally and I've been, I walk a lady in a wheelchair occasionally down on Scenic, and your cat still belongs to you, uh, someone was saying. Anyway, he's a sweetheart and I think, talking to some of the other neighbors, are concerned ??? I don't know if he's savy to cars or not, but im sure your aware that he's down in that area. So ??? I'm calling yo let you know he's down on the street. Call me if you want to. 236-".

Potato Bugs

I haven't seen one of these things for decades and all of a sudden these hiddeous creatures are being delivered to my living room. I didn't even think these creatures lived around here. I say creatures because these potato bugs are like monsters, worse than anything anyone could ever imagine in a horror film, only because they're REAL. Somehow Briar has mastered the skill of luring these things out of hiding.

Occasionally when I was a child, I would see one of these dead on the sidewalk or on our patio. I have never seen one alive until Briar began presenting me with all kinds of creepy crawlers. I can tolerate most of his gifts of quail and the occasional decapitated mouse, but I can't bring myself to go anywhere near these potato bugs. My dad used to tell me stories about these things, I think he was traumatized as a child. They used to find them 4-6 inches long and they would poke at them with pencils. He said one of the buggers snapped the lead tip off of one.

Briar, however, loves potato bugs. Not just to play with, but I've actually seen him crunch the head off a two incher. Good thing he ate it because I probably wouldn't have the guts to remove it myself.

Shopping at the Campbell Collection

1st Message Transcription:
"Hi this is Donna at the Campbell Collection. I don't know if you're looking for Blair or if he's just taking a walk. But he's in the store. I'm at 626... Thank you buh-bye".



2nd Message Transcription:
"Hi this is Donna again, I have Blair, um he's fine, so give me a call 626. Thanks, bye."

Briar's new friend

I was walking Briar down to the school and out runs this black and white cat eager to meet Briar. He didn't have a collar on and I have never seen him before. Briar seems to have animal friends (as well as people friends) all around town. He seems to do better with other male cats (I think the girl kitties think he's only after one thing. If they only knew he was a eunuch). I snapped some photos of them playing in the garden. Maybe Briar, new friend, and Frank will one day have a play date.

Ryan's message

"I go to *** school and we saw him today after school he is nice and every body loves him so do I"
-Ryan
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Thank you for your email Ryan. I love him too!

Briar inspires a blogger

"Started my own blog. Thanks for the inspiration"

Local "yummy BBQ sauce" maker gets inspired and starts his own blog. Bad Daddy's BBQ is his yummy sauce. If you can find it, try it, its suuuuper good.

Hey Gerry, Briar wants some tri-tip with the Bad Daddy's BBQ Deluxe sauce. I prefer the El Diablo spy-seeeeee stuff.

Home Again

Briar disappeared around 11:00Am. It was a rainy day. I was concerned because he had been out for a while. He usually stays in when it's wet outside.

Around 5:30PM I received a call from animal control. She said that he had traveled to Rio Road and she knew he was a bit far from home. She knows Briar. When I drove down there to pick him up her cart was parked out in front of the house.

"Thank you so much for calling" I said to her.

"You know, I didn't really recognize him because he didn't have his collar on, so I scanned him and your name came up. Good thing you got him that chip" she replied.

"He didn't have his collar on? Oh no, he must have lost it", I said.

She then explained that Briar had been hanging out at the house all afternoon. He was inside and that the people who lived there were really nice.

When I walked in, I met the smiling family, and the mother had a story for me.

"I came in the living room, and he was sitting here in the living room staring at my dog. So I put him out the back and shoo-ed him away. Two minutes later, he came through the cat door, and he was back in the living room, sitting right here, staring at my dog again ike he belongs here. My male cat was in the other room and was oblivous to him. Then, I put him outside again and I had to take my son to practice, and when I was on my way home, there was traffic here on Rio Road, and I looked and he was laying in the middle of the street, and cars were stopped on both sides. I didn't want him to get hurt so I picked him up and put him in the garage and called animal control".

I thanked her for keeping him safe, explained that he wanders a lot, and that he usually has a collar and tag on but must have lost it.

Thank goodness for that microchip. It was only $40 when I adopted him from the SPCA to have it implanted. Kit, our other cat disappeared, and our worst fear was that he was taken to the SPCA and euthanized. I wanted to avoid that with Briar all together so I requested to have the Home Again microchip. Now, all they need to come up with is a gps tracking device small enough for a little feline. I'll buy that.

River Cat

The kids at the school used to call him "River". With good reason!

Here is Briar at the river walking upstream.

Briar crossing the river.

He's good at distraction

"Mommy! I want Mommy", a girl screamed at the top of her lungs. "I want mommeeee!"

She was around 7 or 8 years old I think. She was holding some tissue against her mouth. She was standing in the angle of the van and the open door. Her dad had no idea what to do, he was in a panic, trying to do whatever he could to help alleviate his daughters pain.

I couldn't help but approach them and ask her what happened. She continued to cry,"aahhhh, ahhh" with her mouth open but wouldn't tell me.

"She fell and hit her mouth" her dad responded.

A few seconds later, she spotted Briar about 15 feet behind me and instantly stopped crying. Briar was walking towards us, but once the noise stopped, he picked it up a notch and started galloping. When he came within a foot of her, his tail popped up and he looked up at her soggy face. He was happy...and so she became. It was like the pain never existed in her mouth. She reached down as Briar lifted his head up for her to pet. With the remnants of tears in her eyes, a smile crept out from under her bloody tissue.

"Thank you", her dad said in relief.

I smiled and replied, "He's good at distraction".

And we were on our way.

Reunion

I was out of town for a couple days and asked my neighbors to keep an eye on him while I was gone. Funny thing is, when I asked him, he said "I'll try". This was a sincere statement, seeing the last time I asked them to watch Briar, he was around maybe 4 hours out of 4 days. He wandered off and escaped a couple times.

Being 400 miles away, I was missing Briar, wondering what that little rascal was up to. I called my neighbor to see if he was around and to let them know I would be extending my trip a day longer. He said they hadn't seen him. I was a little worried. Chris and I started talking about the funny things Briar does... how he caught his tail on fire (twice!!!) and how he flung himself into the wire net on the greenhouse and bounced 5 feet off of it like a trampoline. In the middle of the conversation, I received a call from a woman down at the point. She explained how she loved the cat, how he was loving her with his big white paws, and that she would come visit him in the near future.

I immediately phoned my neighbors to tell them about the location of the Briar spotting. Minutes later they drove out there to pick him up. Funny thing is, my neighbor had been meaning to catch up with this woman for the last couple months. In some way, he reunited them. It's kind of like when I kept telling my neighbor I would visit her office and kept putting it off (click here to read posting). Do you think this is all a coincidence or Briar really has some sort of connection with the universe and is here to bring all of humanity together?

Warm Welcome Home

On my drive home I was anxiously hoping Briar would be around. Earlier, my neighbor told me had come and gone in the AM and hadn't seen him all day. Trying not to allow for disappointment, I forced myself into thinking "he's probably fine, he's probably going to be out and about and hopefully he'll come home sometime tonight".

I arrived home around 8pm. It was pretty dark. I called for Briar only once as I loaded my shoulders with luggage. I barely could open the gate with my free finger... and SURPRISE!!! There was a little Briar waiting for me inside the gate. He sat there and looked at me in wonderment... "Where have YOU been? I've been here this WHOLE time!"

I gave him lots of pets and a special treat of tuna. He was dirty and left a dust spot on the couch so I gave him a bath. He was still super happy I was home and slept by me all night.

You think its funny?

On our walk this morning I decided to take Briar out to Stewarts point. There was a bit of a jam there; a photographer with his tripod, a woman and her dog, a couple cars, and this eccentric (or maybe egocentric) man with his dog.

This man approaches the point and his dog starts yanking on his leash, barking agressively, and tries to lunge at Briar. Keep in mind, Briar sits there calmly with a little bit of back poof, staring the dog in the eye. The man gets risen up as it takes a bit of adrenaline and strength to contain his 80+ lb dog. The other people around smile and are entertained by the novel idea that this little kitty goes on walks. I smile too.

He catches my eye in the midst of the chaos, and he says to me, "You think it's funny that my dog can kill your cat?". I say to him, "Oh he's ok, if he's threatened, he'll run away". He continues to try to pull his dog around the point as his dog is persistently worked up over Briar. The man is getting really irritated. I kind of smirk and do a small nose laugh as he says to me, "You think it's funny? All my dog has to do is take a bite out of your cat, and he's dead. My dog has killed a cat before". I bit my lip as I didn't want to upset my lovely walk and decided not to say anything. The man continued on as he was using his all his momentum to pull the dog away.

OK, so I am a little confused here. Everyone here at the point, including Briar, is mellow, well behaved, enjoying the beautiful scenery on this lovely morning. This man with the dog seemed to be the only one having trouble. He was having trouble controlling HIS dog... maybe he was angry because he has trouble controlling his life. MAYBE it's because he blames everything on everyone else, including Briar who's happily chillin' at the point. MAYBE it's because whoever owned the cat his dog killed sued him and he's still paying for damages... who knows?!?

To all of this, my initial response was to get smart with him and say... "Maybe you should train your dog not to kill cats." or "Maybe if you were a happier person, your dog wouldn't have the desire to kill things". But either way, I was happy, because I got to write something on Briar's blog about it. HAHA.

Another Letter from Lily

"Lily the dog here. I am so with you on the having fun part. I get sooooo annoyed by those signs that show a dog with a big red circle/hash mark on it (River School has one.. or two... or several). I say "Whatever dudes and dudettes!" It's my job to run wild man! So let the wind whip through my gorgeous ears..When I see one of those signs, well, I still go...I just try to hold my "dooty" so not to cause any upset.. unlike those darn Canada Geese that poop enough to fill 8 football fields. (I actually chase them away and laugh at those silly birds). Why don't they have a NO GEESE sign? huh??! I should be rewarded for my efforts..not maligned. A lot of people are just misinformed and crabby. All of them need to get a glass of wine, come to River School field (bring a blanket to avoid sitting on goose dung) and we will set you straight about what life is really about. It's about relaxing, smiling, having good grub at your disposal 24/7, running where you're not suppose to, and having humans who understand all that. You and I are lucky Briar.Yeah Baby! Lily"

Nobody wants to play!

Yeah, it's me Briar. I just needed to get my 2 cents in, ya know. So...I've noticed that my person has taken over the blog. I really meant the blog to be a journal for me. I thought that I'd write every... once a ... season? But my person is really having a good time with it. So I guess my person is entitled to some fun.

Which brings me to my topic of the season... FUN.

Have you ever noticed Frank doesn't really want to play with me? I mean, Frank, come on! Lighten up a little. He just wants to lick or wander the fence line, all serious like. I try to rile him up a little. But he swipes with claws extended and tries to bite me in the ...........

"beeeeeeeeeeep beep." Sorry, censors.

Seriously, he's kind of boring. And some of my readers have asked me, "What's up with Frank?" I was just as confused. Until recently...

I started putting it all together when I actually started reading some of my person's blog entries. I listened to some of the recordings of the "concerned" citizens. And what I'm understanding is that there are a lot of people & animals just missing out on a whole lot of fun because their toooooo serious all the time. Can't we all just let loose a little & laugh & enjoy each other's company & work out our differences & move forward in a healthy way?

So, that's my take on it all. Let's take care of each other in friendship & have fun doing it! See you on the flip side!!

Big Trucks

Briar isn't afraid of much. He's pretty fearless when it comes cars, crashing waves, big dogs, and people. But it seems the one thing that gets to him is big trucks. He really freaks out when he hears Waste Management come by. He'll run some 50 feet in the opposite direction. Do you suppose he has some horrible memory from his past? Maybe animal control came and picked him up in a big truck where they put him in jail for 2 weeks? That would definitely make me afraid of big trucks. What do you think?

Lobos Lodge

Today, Briar decided he didnt want to wait for me to walk him this morning. When I finally had my cup of coffee ready in hand, he had already been on his way.

Around 11:00AM, I received a call from the Lobos Lodge. This is about a mile from where we live. He decided to visit one of his golden retriever persons who works there. Apparently Briar follows her and her friends regularly on Scenic.

A small side note: Lobos Lodge is a pretty cool place to hang. They have a pretty garden and the people are nice.

Kitty Play II

Open House

Message Transcription:
"Hello ah, this is Jean calling you about Briar, I'm at an open house and he has come across the street to see us in the house that's on the corner of Monte Verde and Santa Lucia and um, he came runnning across the street just enough to get hit by a car, thank god you know he didn't. But I'm concerned he's just come into the open house and he's just lovin' here and uh, I don't know what to do with him. Um, I'm going to try when im done here, if I havent heard from you, Im going to walk him across the street because we're here, and he came across Santa Lucia, don't know why, because it was pretty busy traffic but he crossed the street, and I don't. ??? ... so um, you can give me a call my cell... ??"

Jumped in my car!

Message Transcription:
Hi my name is Kera, ah, you don't know me but I was taking my daughter to school at the mission this morning and I drive by the Ocean and your cat jumped in my car, I see that you live on the corner of Monte Verde and Santa Lucia, however, I live in PG and I'm not quite familiar with all of the streets in Carmel, I work in the Valley so, I was trying to get a hold of you to... if I can find Monte Verde street and Santa Lucia I'll probably take your cat and put her there, but she just literally jumped right in my car. I couldn't believe it because I'm actually allergic to cats but don't worry I love her and I'll take good care of her until I can get her home to your house. If you get this message and you can call me in this hour, my cell is 402... and its actually my daughters birthday so I'm gonna be in Carmel until ten making cupcakes..."

Guess who just marched into the kitchen?

Message Transcription:
"Oh hey, Belinda it's Leslie here on Taylor Rd, and guess who just marched into the kitchen? Briar! Which is fine, we love Briar, but he's awfully far from home. So I'm wondering if you're across the street. Um, I haven't gone over there to look. I just drove by getting Decklin from water polo. But I didn't see your car on the street but it could be in the driveway. But Briar is here, so if you can give me a call back and let me know what to do, I'm afraid to just let him out and wander back over, I don't know that he would. Um, it's 8, oh sorry, it's 7:20. And Briar's here... Thanks bye".

Two Six Three

Message Transcription:
"Ah yes, ah, we have your cat here, ah hes at two six, two six three, on Scenic, we tried to pick him up and bring him to you, but he didn't want anything to do with it, so he's currently there in that general area, wandering. So thought you would like to know".

Briar, Busted!!!

I failed to walk Briar one morning because I had an early engagement. When I came home, he wasn't around. It was a beautiful day and the waves were good so I decided to surf. I drove to 11th and started suiting up in my wetsuit. About half way through, I see two women speed walking with their dog across the intersection perpendicular to me. They pass by, and about 10 feet behind them, it was Briar happily following.

I was surprised and yelled,"Briar! Briar Kitty!".

He stopped in his tracks when he heard his name, looked directly at me for about two seconds, and then happily continued to follow them.

The lady stopped and asked, "You know that cat?"

"Yea, that's my cat!" I replied.

"He's so cute, he's been following us since Ocean Avenue!" she stated.

"Yea, I didn't walk him this morning so he decided to find someone who would".

We laughed about it and I had to chase him down a little to catch him. Half way dressed in my wetsuit, I drove him home.

After my surf, I came home and he was gone. I had no idea where he went. Around 4:00PM, Chris spotted him at 13th street playing in the bushes. He once again got delivered home.

You know, I think he KNOWS that he can go anywhere and get a ride home. I wonder if he plays the game on purpose... "I wonder how far I can get from home before my person comes to pick me up?"

Scenic and 13th

This morning, we walked Briar with his buddy Kona all the way to town for a cuppa joe and back on Scenic. Somewhere along 13th we lost track of him. I had to get to work so we left.

Around 2:30 I received a phone call that he was seen stalking a butterfly at Scenic and 13th (pretty much where we lost him). I told the lady I would be by to pick him up in 2 minutes.

When I arrived, there was a circle of people around him. One of the ladies had him by his underarms with his face all squished and he seemed quite bothered, like he just wanted to be put down. She handed him to me and said, "He's starting to get upset with me", I'm thinking, "Yea, probably because you wont put him down".

Then she proceeded to ask me, "How did he get out?"

Soooo wanting to say the smart alec remark "DUH, I let him out", I was nice and said, "I usually let him out during the day, he comes to play at the beach all the time".

She then said, "We'll believe me, from experience, if you don't keep him in, he won't make it, you're too young to know this, but he won't make it". (First of all, what does me being too young have to do with anything?). She then went in detail about coyotes and bears and dinosaurs (she might as well said dinosaurs, she was making this area sound like a big bad prehistoric wilderness) and seemed really bothered that I didn't take her same opinion. When she realized there was no convincing me, she quickly scurried off.

A visitor out of town was in the vicinity of the whole happening. It seemed she wanted to follow up the negative with some positive and reassured me, "He's a beautiful cat, I think you should just keep him in at night, that's when the bad animals come out", and then said, "You're lucky to live here." I love positive people. Thank you for that, no need to be cranky and scolding on such a beautiful day!

Lucky Cat

Thanks bro for posting!
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
my name is Ben and I'm one of Belindas Bros. My Bro and cousin and I were on our way to play some golf in Chowchilla, CA and about half way there (at Pacheco Pass) my brother thought he heard a faint "Meow" again as he thought he heard earlier. So we stopped and checked the trunk and sure enough, there was Briar. At first we were really angry but then he's just so cute, so we forgive him. We ended up playing golf in Monterey and the weather was perfect. If my bro had not heard him Briar would have cooked in the central valley heat!!! Lucky cat.

Attack Cat

Briar surprise ambushes me.

Enjoying the Sunset

Yesterday I got a call that Briar was at their house again (apparently this is the 2nd time). I wondered what the intrigue might be there.

When I arrived, I saw many things that would be appealing. The view, the iceplant hunting grounds over the rocky cliff, and... could this be a new friend? I don't know his name, but he looks like Sylvester. Either way, Briar and his new friend enjoyed the sunset together.

Briar's whole other life

Yesterday, on my morning walk with Briar around the point, I had been stopped by a number of people who had asked me, "Is that cat following you? He's always down here following people".

Many times I replied, "Briar? Yeah he's my cat!".

Everytime I said that it seemed people were surprised that he was actually with his person, me. It's funny, they know his name and call him out, "Hey there's Briar". Other people speak to him like a person, "Hi Briar!"

Apparently he has this whole other life that I don't know about.

One guy even followed us a little distance, crouched down, and snapped a photo of him with this huge photo lens.

When my dad and I were walking around the block a nice lady drove up to us and asked out her window, "Does that cat have a website?"

I replied, "Yep!"

She said, "I thought so!" and then drove off.

Please leave comments about your experience with Briar. I'd love to hear your stories (and post them).

Briar & Frank - Kitty Play

Sorry about the lame music. YouTube rejected the original sountrack I had on there from Marley.

Faint Meow

Briar didn't come home last night. I wasn't too worried because he does that sometimes. I was a little bothered because I had just washed him and I didn't want him to go get all dirty again. He's really cute when his boots are bright white.

This morning around 8:00 I heard a faint meow. It didn't sound like Briar because he doesn't meow much, and I don't really know what his meow sounds like. He only meows when something is really wrong. I kept hearing it. Over and over again. I went outside to try to find him, calling "Briar, Briar kitty". Then the meowing would stop. I'd go back inside and start working again...

"Meow, meow, meeooow!"

Like what the heck?!?! It's coming from the wall!?! So I thought about it for a second, the last I saw him was when I went to get the laundry. Usually he hangs out around the yard for a half hour to an hour before he wanders off, but he just disappeared. I thought maybe it was because he got a bath and was mad at me.

I walked around the house and opened the laundry room door. I could only crack it because the rug was caught on it. Briar's little paws were reaching out for me, just like when he was at the animal shelter... "Get me outta here!" I had to push him back to get the door open, until finally the door broke free. He was sooo happy to get out of there. Really lovey. Poor little guy, stuck in there all night. He gets stuck in a lot of places. The garage, my moms van, my brothers trunk, and now the laundry room.

Shopping at Lloyd's Shoes

Message Transcription:
"Hi Belinda, my name is Shannon and I'm calling from Lloyd's Shoes and your cat has wandered into our store so ah, we were wondering if you wanted to come by and get it or...oh it just left apparently, but its wandering around Ocean so we just wanted to give you a heads up we didn't wanna, want it to get hurt or anything. So, yeah, alright, bye."

No where to run to...

I was asked the other day, "Why are you so far away from home?" That was such a confusing question to me. I guess I don't really know what "far away" means. So can someone explain? Maybe the human who asked me was a little confused.

When I visited Chloe last week, she said, "No matter where you run, there you are." She's 14 now, and I think she just might be a little wiser than those humans.

Climb That Tree

So this is weird. Yesterday on our walk back from the beach, we came across a beautifully twisted cypress tree. Briar was ten or so feet ahead of us. I stopped and looked at the tree...

"If I were a cat, I would like to climb that tree", I said aloud.

A few seconds later, Briar backtracked, hovered around the base of the tree, climbed up to the first crotch, and then the second. We were astounded and a little freaked out at the same time. Can he read my mind?

Walking Down the Beach

Message Transcription:
"Hi Belinda, I am person who is walking on scenic and almost to Stewart and your kitty, your kitty had followed us this whole way. And I'm, we're just concerned that he might not find his way home, seeing that you're not in... ah, well, he's walking down the beach, he's walking on the road. We're concerned that he might get hit, he's a beautiful kitty, so ah, anyways... my cell phone..."

Banjo

Today while we were out for a walk, Briar got to meet Banjo's mom. Maybe someday they will have a playdate. Sorry Chloe, I think he's already moved on.

I Can't Make a Commitment

Chloe and Briar chillin' at Chloe's place.

Dear Briar,
How are you? It was so nice to meet you on Sunday. I hope we can get together again soon, for another playdate. Please, don't take this the wrong way, but I am in love with my next door neighbor, Jack. And, of course, I love you too.

Since you don't live nearby, I am hoping this arrangement won't be a problem. I would not want to choose between the two of you.

Chloe and Jack taking a break from the wagon.

Besides, he's been through a lot, with losing his leg to cancer this last year. Now wouldn't be a good time to break it off with him. Maybe you can meet Jack the next time we get together.

Love,
Chloe the Cat

Lovin' Me and the Whole Thing

Message Transcription:
"Hi Belinda, my name is Bob and it's a little after 9 on monday morning and I'm holding the most beautiful little cat, um, what a won... Briar and I am holding him and he's lovin' me and the whole thing, anyways. Ah, we're at the 2600, 26,000 block at Scenic and I am going to have to put her down or er.. it down and I don't want to. But I just wanted to let you know your cat is alive and well. And um, it's right on the beach. And I don't know where you live or who you are. My telephone number is area code 805...and I'm going to put the kitty down so you can call me if you like. Bye now."

He's Very Friendly

Message Transcription:
"Hello, uh... your cat uh followed us and we're on, we're way back, we were on Camino Real and 14th street, and he's very friendly and he's running around in the street, I don't know what to do with him. Okay, I just wanted to let you know..."

Considerate Kitty

Briar had been out all morning, I had received a few concerned citizens who had seen him playing at the beach and then panting like a dog (he has such a thick coat and it's unusually sunny and warm today, 68 degrees).

A nice lady in a Prius encountered him. Apparently she was intrigued. Briar, who follows the "happy" bubbly energy, turned his attention to her and jumped in her car for a ride. She said he hissed and spat at her dog to move to the back seat, and took shotgun next to her. We connected at the auto shop in town where we greeted eachother. She expressed her desire to me "I want to take him home with me". She drove off with a smile.

About a half hour after that, I met up with Chris and his buddy Kona where they played on the rocks at the point together. We met some nice couples who were intrigued with the cat and dog pair at the beach. One of the guys witnessed Briar explore a metal pipe and was inspired to get down on his hands and explore it himself.

I think Briar was pretty tired though. He had already been out all morning. When we got home, he gobbled up his raw food and then lay in the shade. About 10 minutes later, he barfed it up. Our other cat used to eat rabbits too big for his belly, barf it up in the house on a brand new rug, and leave it there for me to smell and clean up. Which reminds me, sometimes on our walk we come across dog poop. Briar will actually sniff it, squint his eyes in disgust, and then bury it. What a considerate little kitty.

Thank you Lily

Thanks Lily for your comment. Briar does the same crab walk when he's gettin at me. He's a tiger in a little kitty body. I wanted to post this so all of Briar's friends wouldn't miss it. It was a comment in response to the Lectured Again posting.

::::::::::::::::: Letter to Briar from Lily ::::::::::::::::

Dear Briar,

My name is Lily. I visited River School with my people before school started this year.I'm the black dog with long legs and nice ears. My mom says it's okay to go to the school because she knows I would never think of pooping there. Anyway, I was stoked to run around like usual until you arrived. I tried to show off my stuff and let you know who was boss...but boy! did that backfire! Dude...you are not easily intimidated! I tried to buzz ya a couple of times, but then when you came at me with your tail all puffy like and walking sideways like a crab, spit'n and hissing.. well, I threw in the towel. Thank god I was the only dog there that day. My reputation would have been wounded big time. Anyway, I wanted to play with my people but you wouldn't allow me to since you needed to be the "SUPER STAR" that day, climbing up the rock, following my peeps on the slide and then to show off, chasing me even though I was being respectful by giving you a MAJORLY BIG space bubble. I don't like you, but I respect you man. You're alright. Lily

Yes, it's me again...

I'm a little purrrturbed with that lady too. But I can understand her "environmental" awareness of bird habitat and their spreading of the avian flu.

Speaking of needing to be "locked up," those dogs who chased me need to stay on their side of the street. Isn't their a leash law?

Yesterday, I helped a 2nd grade class with their writing assignment. Mr.D. had the kids write about my charming good looks and tight looking socks.

Anyways, I want to thank all those people for calling over the last few weeks because it surely entertains my person and apparently over 300 other residents of this area! Check out my new picks and see you tomorrow. Brunos sounds like a good place to go.

Lectured Again

I just picked Briar up from River Beach after receiving a phone call of his wherabouts. When I arrived the lady lectured me about how I need to lock him up and that cats shouldn't be near the bird santuary. So I'm thinking... hmm, if it weren't for all these houses and people, there would be all kinds of mountain lions and bobcats hunting here, but instead all these "protected" birds need to worry about now are these little housecats that have been stripped of their wild instinct. It's obvious that there is an overpopulation of fowls in that single location, the beach is littered with seagull and geese poop. My theory is it's probably because they have no natural predators. Briar was doing nature a favor and bringing balance where there was none. (Man she would probably have me locked up if she found out I encourage quail stalking) So I said politely to her, "I'm sure there are other cats around, plus I can't keep him inside all day long, he's social, and hes supposed to be out and about". The man standing next to her said something like, "That's what my mother would say, 'you can't keep a cat in the house'." The kid with him followed with, "He comes to my school all the time!". After hearing their testimony the lady was even more perturbed and then emphasized again that he should be "locked up". Seriously, like... "locked up in JAIL?" cause that's what it sounded like. He was doing the SAME thing she was... enjoying the birds and the sunset!

Bring him back to the house

Message Transcription:
"Hi, ah yes this is Pat I happen to live on Monte Verde Street I see your cat down here by the Carmel River beach with a tag on it, ?? and I was wondering if perhaps the cat was lost and if you expected him to be out, ??? I dunno maybe i'll just bring him back to the house. Thank you... my number is 831..."

Kitty Rescue

On our way back from the beach, these two dogs escaped out of their yard and chased Briar up this cypress tree. The nice man who lives across the street saw the whole thing and offered us his ladder to rescue him. He was like 25 ft up! Thanks Chris for rescuing him.

Briar the Beach Cat

Here's some video of Briar at the beach. He LOVES the beach. There's a clip of him cornering a crabby.

Music by: Jack Johnson "Bubble Toes"

Hi Briar,

I just finished listening to your blog. OMG, you are so lucky to actually get to go to Anthropologie. I hope you finished your shopping before they put you outside.

I am confused though. I mean were you buying something for me or for your new home because they don't have men's clothes there? Perhaps, you were buying a gift for you person? I heard from my person, your person loves dropping money there. Oops, I mean shopping there.

I meditated on my last letter to you because I was upset after writing it. I realize, now, the people are actually trying to help you because they think your just a normal lost cat. They just don't understand you the way I do. Maybe someday they will read your blog and finally see who you really are.

Living Vicariously Through You,
Chloe the Cat

Briar likes to shop too!

Message Transcription:
"Hi this is Melissa calling from the Anthropologie store and your kitty seems to have walked in the door. I think you probably live around here and I'm assuming the cat will go back out. If you want to call us, um, we're gonna put him outside. The number here is 624... and we are gonna put him right ouside right now. Ok, bye bye."

The strange thing is, I was shopping there yesterday!

The Plaza

Message Transcription:
"Hi my name is Sherry I work at Carmel Plaza in the management office for the complex, we're located at Ocean and Mission. And we have a cat in our office, it was brought up to our office. It appears to be lost and has your phone number on it. If you would be so kind as to call us because we'd love to connect you with your cat. Our number is 624... my name is Sherry, it's tuesday about a quarter till 2:00. Ok we hope to hear from you soon, alright. And we're not feeding the cat we saw the note on the collar, so we're not feeding the cat. Ok thank you, bye bye."

It was nice to meet you guys at the office today. Thanks for keeping an eye on him and calling me to get him back home safely. I'm glad you guys got to meet him too! He's a joy!

Thank you!

Thank you for your email!

If your email requires a response, you should recieve an email within 48 hours.

Thanks! And have a great day!

What to do with him

Message Transcription:
"Hi Belinda, my name is Erin, and um we, picked up your cat. We were running and the cat literally followed us for about a mile. And he looks like an indoor cat and we were just kind of worried about him. So we were calling to find out what to do with him..."

Out for a walk

Message Transcription:
"Hi, uh, we're out for a walk, we're at 17th and Rio at Carmel and your cats been following us for a while, so now it looks like she's going off somewhere else. Anyways so we saw her at 7th and Rio, it's just right around the corner, oh excuse me, 17th and Rio right around the corner from Carmel River. If you're looking for her. Okay, bye bye."

Watch out Briar!

Hello Briar,
I feel terrible about what is happening to you with all the humans attempting to capture you. What is with the mayor turning you over to the police? Since, when is it a crime to explore and enjoy life The problem with humans is they are control freaks.

"Oh no, that cat should not be wandering around by himself," they claim.

Wandering is what cats do best. Well, at least free cats get to wander. I might not be free, but when I read about your adventures I feel alive.

Listen to me, humans, life is meant to be enjoyed.

Run, Briar, run!

Playback

My friend came up with a great idea and said I should put these messages up here. It's crazy how much Briar gets around... these three messages were left in approximately 3 hours. I'll try to get these up when I get them.

Briar Sighting

Message Transcription:
"Hiya... seeing here Briar your cat here on the corner of Scenic and Santa Lucia, he seems to be lost.. my number is 516..."

Terribly Lost

Message Transcription:
"We picked up your kitty and we brought it to the South East Corner of Monte Verde and Santa Lucia in front of a green and white house and put it down. I think it was terribly lost. Bye."

Concerned Citizen

Message Transcription:
"Ah yes, ah, I'm, we were takin a walk here in Carmel and we got.. ah your kitty, ah...we thought it was with someone else but we realized it was by itself. And I couldn't catch it, but I...I got it and it scratched me and got away. And your kitty right now is on the corner of Isabella and San Antonio street, ah.. right at the corner there and in the bushes here. It's about 9:30 and he's ah.. Isabella and San Antonio street. So I hope everything turns out fine. We tried to bring him but I couldn't catch him. Bye now."

The best stories will be posted on BriarKitty.com. By using this form, you agree to allow the blog authors to post your comments on the website (with moderation). Of course, bad language and bad content will be edited out. So keep it clean everyone.

Name: * Your E-mail: * Subject: * Type your message here: How did you find Briars Blog? From Briar himself Briars person A friend told me about it An article in the paper Other

The Mayor

The Mayor left me a message this morning around 9:30AM. He said Briar was block from the beach on Santa Lucia. As I'm listening to the message I'm thinking, "man I hope he doesn't kidnap him". The message continued on, "He's following people and he's in the street, so I'm going to try to catch him and take him to the police department, so when you get this message, you can pick him up there". I'm thinking, "Oh NO! Briar can't go to jail!" I called the mayor back but no answer, and I talked to the police department and they already had all the information. They told me he was last seen headed northbound on San Antonio and he wouldn't let the Mayor pick him up. (YOU GO BRIAR! Don't let them kidnap you and take you into the police department for questioning). I wasn't too worried because if he wasn't at the police department, he probably escaped.

A couple hours later, a maid from the La Playa hotel called me and told me Briar was hanging out with her. He was exploring all of the rooms with her and now he was in the "party room". I went over there to look for him and found the maid.. and a lovely sunday brunch, but no Briar. He said he left and is probably in the garden. So I made my way to the middle of the garden and called "Briar Kitty! Briar Kitty". About 10 seconds later he comes around the bush with his tail up. He explored the foilage until I took him home.

Keep my word

Around 9:30AM I got a call from a local saying they found Briar downtown near 8th street. Around 2:00PM I received another phone call, saying Briar was in their office. She said he walked in and explored the entire building. It just so happen out of all the businesses downtown, he wandered into my landlords office (also Frank's person), Intero Real Estate. I promised her I would stop by and check out her office a couple weeks ago but never made it in. Maybe that's Briar's way of making me keep my word, or maybe telling me we need to look for real estate. Either way, when I arrived he was in the corner glass window with his paws pushed up against it, the best spot in the place for people watching. Keep in mind, this is about 3/4 mile from home. That rascal. Nice office by the way ;).

Late night party

Briar never sleeps in this late. He's usually walking all over me at 6:00am to wake me up to feed him. I guess it is to be expected when he's out partying at the beach with some teenagers until 12:30am. Thanks guys for getting him home safely... if he had it his way, he wouldn't come home until the crack of dawn.

More Soccer Sightings

I floated into my old neighbor in the water today while I was surfing. He asked about Briar. He hasn't seen him for at least 4-5 months. I told him Briar likes hanging out at the school with all the kids and was even playing soccer yesterday. He then said... "Wait a second, I was volunteering there yesterday and there was a cat that came up to me and rubbed on my leg, and then he laid down in the middle of the soccer field, all the kids we're petting him" I told him.. "Yeup, that's Briar". He didn't recognize him because he got so big. Either way, the personality is the same. He said he was hoping maybe Briar remembered him and came up to him yesterday but I burst his bubble and said, "Nah, he does that to everyone". Haha I'm starting to wonder if Briar is training for the World Cup.

He found me!

I was getting pretty worried as dusk transitioned to dark. I decided to walk the neighborhood and call for Briar. I could see a sliver of the moon in the sky through the oak trees. I figured I'd go to the last place he was seen and see if I could find him... on the soccer field. I called him every 2-3 minutes. As I headed towards the soccer field through the blacktop, I called "Briar Kitty". I hear a faint jingle behind me get louder and louder... it was Briar. He didn't make any noises, he just put his tail up and rubbed on me. He must have come from the bushes at the south end of the school yard. I picked him up and couldn't help but to rub my face on his cheek and "awwww". I put him down we started our way back home.

We passed the janitor by the office and he looked at me funny... so I assumingly said... "I didnt think I would find him, but I figured I'd give it a try". He said, "That's a nice cat". I laughed..."You've seen him before?", he replied, "Yes, all the time". We said our goodbyes and I headed home as Briar followed enthusiatically by my side.

He went straight to the cat door this time and beat me inside! He gobbled up his food and is now crashed in the closet with my clothes.

School Day

Briar didn't come home last night and I haven't seen him for 26 hours now. Even Frank missed him and snuck through his cat door around 8:30pm last night. Usually he hangs out but since Briar wasn't around, he left immediatly. I should have known he was playing with his friends today. I totally forgot it was a school day. If you see him, please give me a jingle!

So you play soccer?

Dear Briar,
My name is Chloe the Cat. You don't know me, but my person is friends with your person. The reason I am writing is because my person talks about your great adventures all the time.

I am an indoor cat, therefore my adventures are limited, but I do read a lot of books. Alas, I am book smart, but not street smart, like you are. For now I will have to live my life vicariously through your stories. Thank goodness I took human language and Internet classes when my humans were away. Sometimes, I feel so disconnected from the real world, but the Internet has brought the world to my living room.

My person said you were playing soccer with a human child soccer team today. You must be very good.

I hope to meet you someday. I look forward to hearing more about your adventures from my person and the blog. By the way, I love your boots. I hope you like my picture.
Love,
Chloe the Cat

Raw Food Connection

In case you guys are wondering why I have "DO NOT FEED" on Briar's tag, it's because he's on a raw food diet. He's gets the turkey, rabbit, and chicken Aunt Jeni's Home Made Recipies. He's had the beef but it doesn't settle that well with him. I guess if you think about it, how is a little cat like him going to catch and eat a cow? It took a little while to get him used to the flavor. It's free of preservatives, salt, and flavorings. It's a more natural type of food cats would be eating if they were in the wild... whole, ground up with bones, organs, feathers and all. You can check out where I get his supply: http://www.therawconnection.com/ It's not that much more expensive than canned food or kibble, but there is refrigeration and special handling involved (handle the food as if you would a raw chicken).

Litterbox

Briar was out all night thursday night to friday morning. I left the cat door open for him but it seems he never wants to use it for coming in, just going out. I was leaving around 7:30AM friday to take my brother to the airport. As I opened my door, Briar's head shows up under the door and he snakes his way into my car. I'm thinking.. "What? You little rascal, you've been out all night you're not going anywhere". So I grabbed him out of the car, gave him some treats and left him inside. He pretty much was a lazy cat and slept around the house all day.

That night, I think he was mad at me. After I fed him, he was scratching at the front door and the cat door for a while. Involved with the movie I was watching, I started to get annoyed with the noise. I told him..."Sorry Briar, I'm not worrying about your wherabouts tonight, you're staying in". He then sat down and gave me a frustrated stare. He watched me watch TV for about 10 minutes. When he realized I wasn't going to let him out, he got up, walked a half circle around me, and stared at my face the entire time until he disappeared behind the bed. Normally, if he needs to do something, he just does it, but I swear he was mean mugging me! Like... "FINEEEE, I'll use the STUPID litterbox.... but I'm not gonna like it, and I'm going to make sure you feel guilty about it"... and sad to say...I kinda did.

At 11:00pm, my friend sent me a text message "It's 11:00PM, do you know where your child is?" I could happily reply "Yes, rolling around on my bed".

Yes, I'm Briar...

So, my person told you some stories about me. I heard. She thinks I'm going to be famous... or something. It turns out that I'm already famous, and I have all kinds of friends in the area. I really don't mind that she's writing about me. I think that some of my adventures will inspire readers. Did you know that many of my brother and sister cats are here just to do that? Inspire.

I've adopted some humans, and I'm trying to help them in many ways. Some of the humans think they're helping me. I guess on some level that's true, but I think it's mostly the other way around. You might think of me as an adventurer. And that would be true. But sometimes I feel like I'm more of a teacher.

You've seen my pictures, right? Some of my human friends have been calling me "Boots". I have some white ones. And some of the kids I know at human school call me "River". I kind of like all my nicknames. As a matter of fact, you can call me anything, as long as it's nice.

I'll post some of my adventures over the next few months. Let me know what you think. Oh, and if you've seen me around town drop me a comment.

Our Favorite Place

Somedays, if I don't take him to the beach, he goes without me.

Scenic

After my appointment this morning, I decided to cruise by the beach in my car on Scenic Road to check the waves. I get a "RESTRICTED" call on my cell phone. I pick up the call illegally without my hands-free device, and there's a lady with a foreign accent in distress...

"I zink we hove your lost cat here, he is on Zzenic Voad and 12th! He is heading...ahh... North I zink, oh, maybe vee lost heem". I reply "Oh, thank you so much for calling, I am about 10 seconds away! I'll come get him!"

So as I am approaching 12th street, I power my passenger side window down, slow to a stop and call him... "Briar! Briar Kitty!" and he pops up in the window and jumps in the passenger seat. He lays down and is panting like a dog (he does this regularly). The people are shocked and laughing at the same time. I yell out my window... "He likes the beach! Thanks again for calling! Have a nice day!". On my way home I razzled his head as he gnawed at me.

He hung out on the patio for about an hour, now he's gone again!

Dangerous

The lady who lives 2 houses from me, kidnapped him one evening around 6:00pm on the corner, 20 ft away from where we live and kept him overnight because I couln't get a hold of her after she called. I ran into her yesterday as I was walking him, she lectured me about how "he needs to be an inside cat, it's dangerous for him out there, is he neutered, racoons are dangerous, blah blah".. anyways...I KNOW she fed him too (even though it says "DO NOT FEED" on his tag). I mean, yah I can keep him inside but he will be an unhappy cat who would probably comfort his loneliness by overeating and becoming obese like the rest of americas cats. Besides, my friend says he's a violet, he needs to be social... he thrives on being in the mix of things.

Meet Frank

This is Briar's buddy Frank. He's the neighbors kitty. They met almost 2 months ago and they're good friends. They're huntin' gophers.

And to the nice people I met last night at L'Auberge Hotel, thank you for calling me. I was a little worried and thought maybe he got kidnapped again.

Meet Briar

Hello, this is the story of Briar.

We adopted him sometime inFebruary 2008. People at the shelter estimated him to be about 6 months old but no one knows for sure. His eyes still looked cloudy in a grayish-emerald shade like they weren't fully developed. How I even ended up at the shelter was another story. Our in-tact feral cat "Kit" who adopted us a few winters ago went missing. So I took a couple trips to the SPCA to see if he ended up there. We never did find Kit.

The first time I saw Briar, he was in the likeness of Kit, only cuter, and fuzzier. Kit was a gnarly 15lb cat with a huge head who would bring gifts of rabbits to my doorstep. Briar was about 4 lbs and when I walked by his cage he reached out to paw at my hair. His paws were sooo fluffly they had tuffs coming out of them. He was very playful, engaging and so gentle I questioned if he still had his claws. He would be up for adoption in 2 days if no one came to claim him, and would be put to sleep in 7 if he didn't get adopted. I went to the admin and put my name on the waiting list.

Two days later, I drove back out there to visit Briar. I took him out for about 15 minutes into the play room and shined the laser around for him. He way wanted to get that thing badly, but I think he was almost a little attention deficit with the funny smells. I'm sure that room had been pee-d all over by other animals. He climbed on all the carpet posts and played with my shoelaces. One thing I remember so clearly was a jump. He leaped from one of the carpeted posts from about three feet. He floated in the air for what seemed like many seconds, his fur followed him in perfect flow, landed on his feet so gracefully, not making a sound, like he was landing on clouds.... poof. It was so cute!

I then scheduled a date for him to be neutered and taken home.

A couple days later, I arrived at the SPCA with a cat carrier. I waited about 15 minutes and a nurse brought him out in his arms. He was really drowsy and could barely walk. The nurse told me to keep him in the carrier when I got home so he could sleep, and that he probably will be frightened and want to stay in there until the sedation wore off. I drove him home and put him in the back room. He was pawing at the wires in the carrier so decided to let him out. He immediate walked out with his head up... back feet still draggin', and explored the WHOLE house. Sweet, this was the day I brought him home.

We were trying to figure out what to call him. We've gotten a few suggestions... Marshmellow Paws, Socks, and even Boots. One day, we were doing laundry and he jumped in the dryer. "Hey rascal get out of the dryer...Dryer, Bryer, Briar". That's how he got his name.