"Hold a true friend with both hands"
- Nigerian proverb -
Cat friends, thank you for your support!
"...Dear Friends at Top Tropicals,
Thank you for your Photo of Saint Gertrude of Nivelles. I did not know about her. Now I can
meditate upon her to help all cats. Our pets, plants, and loved ones will help us
during this world crises. My bees and garden certainly help me.
Again, thank you for your plant advertisements, (they are an education in
themselves) and for your caring about I gatti! Saint Gertrude will help!
All best regards, auguri, di Frank La Rosa Mazza di Del Mar, California"
Mr B is saying Hi and for those asking about his GPS on his collar:
he uses Tractive for his
personal cell service. Mr B makes 2-3 miles a day, staying active and healthy.
Not bad for a 13 y.o. cat!
1. Stay calm. Remember, it's not the problem that creates the biggest
problem; it is our reaction to it.
2. Focus on positive. Do not dwell on things you can't change. The Universe
will unfold as it should, and your happy thoughts will provide the guidance.
3. Get connected with the Nature. It has all the answers. Go outside and
see the Sun, the Sky. Now it is finally the time to smell the flowers.
4. Bring simple good things in your every day life. Like a simple food
recipe, or a good movie with a happy end.
5. Connect with friends and talk only about nice things (remember 2)
6. Start a vegetable and fruit garden. Begin your sustainability with herbs at
the end of this email. We will help you step by step in our next letter.
7. Go to bed with happy thoughts. Together, we will make it.
"The best way out is always through" - Robert Frost -
March 17: Day of Saint Gertrude the Patron Saint of Cats and Gardeners
Cat Patron: Saint Gertrude of Nivelles, 626 - March 17,
659
Did you know that March 17 is not only the day of St Patrick, but also
of another Saint? Saint Gertrude of Nivelles!
Cat lovers revere Gertrude of Nivelles most of all. After all, gentle
Gertrude is the Patron Saint of Cats and Cat lovers. The idea seems to have
started in the 1980s, more than 1300 years after she lived. Some sources say the
first publication to link Gertrude and cats was a 1981 catalog, Metropolitan
Cats, put out by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Since then, the
idea that Gertrude is the patron of cats - and cat owners - has spread. She is
the Patron of Cats, the Recently Diseased, Gardeners, Travelers, Those with
Mental Illness, and Those with a Morbid Fear of Mice and Rats.
Most of us can find themselves in this list!
St Gertrude's feast day of March 17 is observed by gardeners, who regard
fine weather on that day as a sign to begin spring planting! See more info
TopTropicals Cat Club
Thank you everybody for supporting us in helping PeopleCat Community! If you would like to help, you may do so directly
from our website: 6464 Donation for Cats - TopTropicals Cat Club. Every little bit helps.
All donations will go to cat care, and you will receive appreciation
surprise presents from TopTropicals, including TopTropicals Cat Club bumper sticker. Thank you, and God
bless you and your pets!
To the folks at Top Tropicals,
This is not really a question, more of a statement of gratitude. Top
Tropicals has been my go to resource for everything tropical plant related for more
than a decade... You have always been a source of information, knowledge and
of course, beautiful plants. And now, more than ever, in these stressful
times, I find myself returning to the world of plants that I love so much.
Staying out of the public and away from friends and familiar places is hard on
many of us. I guess they are calling it "social distancing" and I understand the
sensibility of it all. So I take great comfort in spending relaxing time
with my other friends and family, my plants. The weather is getting warmer,
Spring is in the air, and I choose to not worry about things I can't change and
instead I will devote time, energy and love to my special plants. Thank you
Top Tropicals for being there for all of us gardeners and plant lovers. I look
forward to browsing your newsletters each week to see pictures of the People
Cats and to pick out my next best friend!
Sincerely, Becky M. - Woodland Hills, CA
Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Cats of the Day: Abu, Raja and their 9 lives.
"Every day is an opportunity to make a new happy ending." - Wise Man
Just a couple weeks ago you met Abu and his tiny sister Raja whose Mom died after a car accident, and Kristi rescued her two
little kittens. Who knew that the troubles were not over... yet. The kittens
looked very weak and undernourished, with lots of fleas and infected wounds...
Kristi took them to the vet and after intensive care they started to look
much better... until a few days ago Raja woke up with paralysis in her back
legs... while sores on Abu's paws didn't heal. Kristi rushed them both to the hospital again.
The vet said it all didn't look good... that symptoms looked like possible rabies or cat coronavirus! He said that chances are, the kittens wouldn't last long and he put them in 10 days quarantine.
Day and night we all at TopTropicals have been praying for the little
babies. Every day vet's updates got worse... it was hard to believe that after all the efforts to save them, they may be gone!
Then all the sudden, after 5 days in the hospital, a miracle happened. All
tests came out negative! And the kitties started getting better, fighting bad
infections under
doctor Bowers care. Raja got back on her feet. There is still a long way
to full recovery from their miserable experience of a street life, but
Something saved their lives! Doctors, prayers... or simply Kristi's BELIEVE that they WILL make it! She told them when she left them in the hospital: "You have to keep fighting, you are fighters." And they did. The Nurse said Raja hissed at her every time she walked by, but when Kristi came to pick her up and opened the cage, Raja rubbed her ears and just pressed her head in Kristi's hand.
Now they both at home, sweet home, taking medication and eating sooo
much!
"I just kept thinking after all they have been through this can't be the way their story ends!" - Kristi says.
Have happy and loooong lives, kitties! All 9 of them or whatever you have
saved!
TopTropicals Cat Club
Thank you everybody for supporting us in helping PeopleCats, especially local customers who leave donations in our Cat
jar in the office. If you would like to help Raja and Abu to pay their bill
for 5 day hospital stay under intensive care, you may do it directly from our
online store, by purchasing item 6464 Donation for Cats - TopTropicals Cat Club. Every little bit helps.
All donations will go to cat care, and you will receive appreciation
surprise presents from TopTropicals, including TopTropicals Cat Club bumper sticker. Thank you, and God
bless you and your pets!
After their live threatening experience, Raja and Abu are back home
safe and sound and eating like there is no tomorrow! Now, there IS tomorrow,
kitties, you made it!
Recently, while admiring the stunning beauty of a large flowering Brownea planted on the grounds here at Top Tropicals, I began wondering
why these most splendid of tropical flowering trees remain so rare and
obscure in South Florida. Much of our local climate seems perfectly conducive to
their cultivation...
Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Cat of the Day: King the Hobo
"Live, travel, adventure, bless, and don't be sorry." - Jack Kerouac
King, who has been famous with his ability to get in trouble, without a
doubt is the Cat of the day, week, and month. His recent adventure went
above and beyond our expectations. King decided to take a ride.
He jumped inside the truck of our supplier from Homestead, for very
innocent reason: inspect the quality of plants delivered. No questions asked, he did
his job.
Next thing we remember was the driver calling us on his way to Homestead: "Looks like I have your cat in my truck, and he is pretty happy with the ride!"
Luckily, the discovery of the Hobo happened pretty quickly, before the
truck left Ft Myers area. So King did not get all the way to Homestead as he
planned, his adventure was interrupted. He was dropped off at Edison Estate Botanical Garden. The director Eric happen
to know TopTropicals well, just visiting us a few days before for the Leap Year Celebration
event. He kept King in his office until Onika came to pick him up.
What an adventure!
Dear visitors of Top Tropical Garden Center! When leaving our Nursery,
please check your vehicles for cats! Apparently, they like to travel!
Thank you everybody for supporting us in helping PeopleCats. Every dollar you spend on TopTropicals plants is split
between plant growers and PeopleCats who help us become better people.
Q: I've been a long time customer of yours and always been very
happy with my purchases. Last year I purchased a coconut cream mango tree
from you and while it did flower and show signs of starting to fruit, they soon
fell off and I never got any fruit from the tree. This year, there are many
more little buds on the tree and much earlier in the season. I want to do
whatever possible to get as much fruit as I can and prevent these from all
falling off again. Please advise what I should do.
A: Mango flowers can be tricky and there are several factors that
may affect setting fruit and especially possible fruit drop. Here are a few
ideas that may be helpful...
Meet PeopleCats of TopTropicals. Cat of the Day: Poor Little Raja
In our last newsletter we told you about little Abu, a Baby-Purrrson that Kristi rescued from the woods where he had
been surviving along with other feral cats: his little sister and his Mom who
was badly injured in a car accident. We received messages from our customers
asking if we were able to rescue the other two cats...
For the past few days Kristi, Jamie and Onika have been trying to capture
them... The feral cats didn't want to come to humans, they were hiding away.
The ladies were able to trap Abu with a tuna can... then tried and tried again
with the other two with no luck... Even tried to call Animal control asking
for help catching the animals so we could give them medical help. We were
told that they don't trap cats! ("unless it's a cat-hating neighbor going
against a crazy cat lady" - Crazy Cat Lady's comment). The girls continued
their efforts again and again, with treats, traps and different capture
plans... day after day.
Unfortunately, the sick mother-cat did not survive and we found her
yesterday with her little baby crying over her cold body.
Kristi was able to grab the tiny kitten who was even smaller than her
brother Abu. She named her Raja - a friend of Abu. Raja said that her poor
mother's words were: "Go to that lady, my baby, she looks kind. It's my time to go
now, and you will be in good hands..."
The little Raja was in very poor shape herself, with eyes full of tears.
She was covered by fleas, and looked like passing out from anemia. Her paw was
injured and infected, and her little nose... first we just thought she was
pig-nosed! But her nose is also swollen. Kristi rushed her to the vet where
Raja got treatments and meds. She got much better the same day and finally
stopped crying. Raja finally recognized her brother Abu and cuddled with him.
Now Raja is on her way to recovery and will be sending her updates soon!
Thank you everybody for supporting us in helping PeopleCats. Every
dollar you spend on TopTropicals plants is split between plant growers and
PeopleCats who help us become better people.
Tu BiShvat is the Israeli Arbor Day, and it is often referred to by that
name in international media. Ecological organizations have adopted the
holiday to further environmental-awareness programs. The modern practices and
interpretations of Tu BiShvat often revolve around the earth and environment.
This holiday is a celebration of nature and appreciation for creating the
natural world. In Israel, Tu BiShvat is celebrated as an agricultural holiday. The
15th of Tu BiShvat was celebrated this year on February 10, 2020. This day
marked the beginning of a new year for trees. This day marks the season in
which the earliest-blooming trees emerge from their winter sleep and begin a new
fruit-bearing cycle. Often the date of Tu BiShvat is used for determining the
age of fruit baring trees and therefore establishes their birth dates.
Therefore, Tu BiShvat is the "birthday" of trees!
The traditions and customs of Tu BiShvat vary, however, the most common
include planting trees and gathering with family and friends for a meal. It
is celebrated by eating fruit, particularly the kinds that praise the bounty
of the Holy Land: grapes, figs, pomegranates, almonds, dates, olives and others. It reminds people that "a man is a tree of the
field", and reflects on the lessons we can derive from the botanical
analogue.
