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