Bella's Scratching Post

Jan. 15, 2007: I've decided to relocate This Day In History to Benny's page. Bella's Scratching Post will always live on, however.

Nov. 4, 2006: The photo at left shows Bella's commemorative brick on the walkway at the humane society Bella was adopted from. Coincidentally, it was installed on the exact anniversary of Bella's passing. Beside that it took almost a full year to get the brick, the shelter unfortunately got Bella's "MRROW-WOW" wrong.

Oct. 28, 2006: One of the premiere racers on The Amanxing Races was Bella, along with her partner, Douglas. Now, Douglas is teaming up with Benny and Zen, for The Amanxing Race 4: Agricultural Shock! Visit Benny for more de-tails!

Bella passed away on Oct. 28th, 2005. She was a sweet and wonderful companion. I miss her very much. -Dave

Bella was a brown, striped Manx cat who lived near downtown Chicago, Illinois with Dave, her human companion (and graphic artist).

Dave found Bella at the West Suburban Humane Society in Downers Grove in 1993. Bella, at the time named Bobbi, was alone in a cage, albeit a very nice cage, in a room filled with other cages and other hopeful cats. She'd been there off-and-on (staying with a foster parent for awhile) about six months.

Bella was very shy, and often skittish around strangers. She had a quiet, passive and timid disposition, claws front and back, a roundish face and, of course, no tail, the main characteristic of the Manx breed of cat.

Bella enjoyed sleeping - above all else - with perhaps the exception of a late night dinner of Fancy Feast Chopped Grill cat food. However, her main menu consisted of Science Diet Sensitive Skin, Nature's Choice or Iams, and Purina Cat Chow.

Another favorite time of the day was "soccer practice". Her soccer "ball" was a small, fluffy ball toy, rolled into the "soccer net" (a cardboard box with two openings cut-in). Bella did her best to block the shot. If she missed, she would fish-out the ball, sometimes tossing it right back to her "opponent" (Dave).

Bella's competitive nature was evident during the 2000 election campaign, when she made an unprecedented "run" for the Presidency of the United States. Douglas, Bella's longtime friend and fellow Chicago cat, was her vice-presidential running mate. Despite strong support from the Manx community, the feline duo's bid was unsuccessful. They declined many offers to be on the Manx Party ticket in 2004.

In early 2005, Bella's high blood pressure caused a rupturing and temporary blackening in one of Bella's eyes. With some help from the vet, Bella began to recover. However, she resisted taking her medication, which her companion did not want to force on her. Her appetite decreased somewhat, but she continued to be as loving and wonderful as she'd always been. On the morning of Oct. 28th, 2005, she passed away suddenly.

Bella's Scratching Post Web site debuted several years ago, with such features as BellaLog, Help a Manx, FeLines Literary Box, and This Day in History, along with special events like Bella's Survivor: Isle of Man and The Amanxing Race.

Bella's blog - the BellaLog - began in April 2004. Below are all the BellaLog entries through December of 2005.

Dec 31: "Bob" [later named "Benny"] -a four-year-old, furry, black Manx, is here. Formerly an outside cat (but very well-behaved) Bob is on a two-week trial period to see if he can adapt to being indoors. Happy New Year from the Scratching Post!...

Dec 20: The finale of The Amanxing Race... Happy Holidays to you (and your cat(s) from Bella's Scratching Post!..

Dec 16: New Help a Manx features Velcro... Bella's owner's quest for a new cat goes on... The white, feral Manx by Douglas' house (who's been named Ramsey) continues to thrive even in the cold weather. He's been a real chow cat, coming 'round the patio for his dinner almost every night...

Dec 13: They're goin' to Graceland, Graceland - Memphis, Tennessee: The Amanxing Race...

Dec 8: New Help a Manx features Conan... The Amanxing Race is happening in Vegas, but doesn't stay there...

Nov 29: The Amanxing Race teams dash from cans to a canal...

Nov 24: Happy Manxgiving from the Scratching Post...

Nov 22: Teams ride the rails to the Forbidden City in episode 10 of The Amanxing Race...

Nov 21: A very pretty, brown-and-white female tabby -not a Manx- walked into the humane trap early Saturday morning. But we were then very disappointed to find that local shelters and humane societies have no more capacity for strays. Eventually, however, we found room at the Anti-Cruelty Society, where she will have food and shelter. We're going to follow-up about her medical exam, and to see when she'll be put up for adoption. And the catch-a-Manx idea is being reconsidered... Help-a-Manx this week features Elso...

Nov 19: Thanks to Loki, Lacey & Pumpkin's owner/servant in Washington, DC, who donated to Help the Homeless in memory of Bella...

Nov 18: Douglas' owner set a humane trap last night in order to catch a feral Manx cat. Temperatures are dropping into the 20s, so we're hoping it will be caught in the next few days...

Nov 15: In episode 9 of The Amanxing Race, the cats face their most difficult challenge yet...

Nov 8: The Amanxing Race moves to Africa...

Nov 7: Yesterday, Manx Radio programme host Judith Ley dedicated a tune, Moments to Remember, by Keely Smith, to the memory of Bella. She responded kindly to a request submitted by Becky, Douglas' owner. Isle of Man radio can be listened to online...

Nov 6: The Scratching Post's annual guide to Manxgiving (Nov. 24th)...

Nov 5: Bella's Scratching Post will live on as, if nothing else, a place for photos and memories. For now, we will continue The Amanxing Race 3: Globetrotters to its conclusion within the next couple of weeks. This Day in History and Help a Manx will go on-at least for the time being. I'm working on a larger and more complete Photo Album. I'm also thinking about helping a Manx myself. Bella would have wanted it that way.

Nov 2: Thank you to everyone who has sent their condolences and shared their time and their memories of Bella with me during the past few, difficult days. A special thank you to Becky's Island for Becky's tribute and her (and Douglas') support. Some of my friends, I now realize, eventually got a cat or cats of their own because they saw what a good companion Bella was, and witnessed the very positive influence she had on me, her owner. I know that Bella is purring about that right now.

Oct 28: I am very sad and sorry to report that my sweet cat Bella passed away this morning, suddenly. She did not suffer and is now resting peacefully. I mourn the loss deeply and will miss her very, very much.

From the silence of your pain I heard my name
and on the wings of light I have come
to see the sadness in your eyes
that cry without tears

Can you see me, I am here
I will always be near you
to calm your shattered heart
and to make you smile at the memories

Do you feel me, perhaps a soft brush of fur
You ache to believe it's real
but you are afraid to hope
You brush away a strand of hair
But it was I, whispering.....

---Lisa Carmel Singer

Bee-bo, bend it,
My tail's ended.
I'll go back to Man
As soon as I can,
And get copper nails
To mend it.

---Manx folk story

Oct 24: Episode 7 of The Amanxing Race: Globetrotters...

Oct 13: Bella's appetite didn't improve any, so her food and water are back in the kitchen once again... This Monday, Oct. 17th: a special, midseason Amanxing Race report!...

Oct 3: Amanxing Race Globetrotters Episode 6: Beyond the Sea... Panther and Honey are this week's Help a Manx...

Sep 26: Happy Birthday to Becky, owner of Bella's friend Douglas. There is a new episode of The Amanxing Race... This week's Help a Manx spotlights Conan...

Sep 14: For some reason, Bella has lost interest in her chair-top version of soccer. We're searching for a new game... We don't know yet whether she's gained weight as a result of her food being moved...

Aug 27: The Amanxing Race 3 begins Monday, Aug. 29... We recently moved Bella's food and water from the wood floors of the kitchen to the carpeted bedroom, thinking she might eat more and gain back some weight...

Aug 14: Gracie is featured in this week's Help a Manx... Bella now has a second Bella Palm plant as part of her "salad bar"... Bella n' Douglas are in the midst of their vacation: a fishing and hunting trip... The Amanxing Race 3: Globetrotters begins soon!...

Aug. 2: Bella wishes happy birthday to the guardian and servant of Loki, Pumpkin and Lacey... Bella has been understanding about the lack of ball-playing while her human companion recovers from a sprained ankle...

July 18: For her birthday, Bella received a set of four miniature magnet plates (at left)...

June 28: New Help a Manx... Bella has devised a new diversion. She stands atop a tall, wicker-seated chair, and attempts to bat around her "soccer" ball without it falling to the floor. It eventually does fall though, of course, and her human companion, servant & guardian must then retrieve the ball for her--over and over and over and...

June 21: New Help a Manx (every week), and don't forget that sassy comedy duo, Bella n' Douglas... Bella likes French Fries-the crunchier the better...

June 11: Animals in the News, below, highlights interesting feline facts and photos... One of Bella's favorite pastimes is going after her soccer ball inside a grocery bag. Not a particuarly strenuous exercise, but it's a very inexpensive cat toy...

May 29: Bella says, "That's amore!" when it comes to pizza-specifically Tombstone Light Veggie variety. She also had another sampling of bacon, which might be her favorite food ever-next to Chopped Grill and Fish & Shrimp... Help a Manx spotlights Nubs... And there are new Animals in the News, below...

May 15: New Help a Manx and This Day in History plus new "jokes" daily from the comedy duo of Bella n' Douglas...

May 14: Thanks, but no thanks, says Bella, to recent offers of pineapple, peanut butter, hamburger...

May 7: Bella tried shredded Mexican cheese and some lettuce yesterday. The lettuce is much simpler for her owner than growing cat grass...

May 6: If you laughed at Abbot and Costello, Martin and Lewis, Hope and Crosby, you may nevertheless enjoy Bella n' Douglas...

May 5: We're trying out a new feature, This Day in History. May 5th is the birthday of Karl "Manx", but future days will be (only slightly) more serious and all will be cat or animal-related in some way. At the end of the week we'll see if Bella wants to renew the series. (

May 4: Bella has mastered the new PowerMac G5, in that she often shows it who's boss by sitting atop it... New FeLines...

May 2: Bella sampled some fried chicken - well at least the crunchy coating (she didn't want the chicken itself) - and evidently it was paw-licking good. But she drank a lot of water afterwards...

May 1: Welcome back to Bella's Scratching Post. We hope that you enjoy the redesign of her page. All the same things are here, we've just rearranged the furniture a little, painted the walls, and picked up the cat toys and "soccer" balls.

Since Bella's retina conditioned first occured on Mar. 20th, the dark red patch has almost completely disappeared. But as you can see, it was quite bad at first. Although she is being very difficult about taking her blood pressure medication, she continues to show signs of improvement...

New Help a Manx features Kyanna... Read FeLines: Profound Writings from the immortal Shakespaw... View Bella's new spring photo album...

Apr. 6: Bella's eye still getting better... we have a follow-up opthamologist visit next week... New Help a Manx features Cliff...

Apr. 4: To bird lovers, animal lovers, or gentle people everywhere: we recommend seeing "The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill" link...

Apr. 2: Bella continues to show improvement... Her eye is less occluded and her meow sounds a little more cheerful... During her recuperation, Bella is redesigning the Scratching Post for a debut on or about Apr. 10, the one-year anniversary of the Bella-log...

Mar 28: Good news - Bella's ultrasound test was negative - nothing abnormal... blood pressure down from 240 to 170... her eye appears to be healing - the dark patch has gotten smaller... she's gained two ounces... she still needs the pills and eye drops, but Bella seems to be doing better all around...

Mar 24: Bella Bulletin: Results of blood & fluid tests: a-ok. Thyroid test results on the way... Ultrasound, chest x-ray on Monday...

Attempts to give Bella her new blood pressure medication were failing last night, but finally she swallowed the tiny pill - pulverized - very reluctantly, from a water-filled syringe. No test results yet...

Mar 23: Bella had more tests today. Her blood pressure is 240 (normal is 180); other test results in a day or two. Meanwhile, she'll be getting prescription pills and eye drops, and as much of her favorite foods as she wants, as she needs to gain weight. Next week, an ultrasound for an abnormal protrusion in her abdominal area. And--whatever else the vets recommend...

Bella thanks all her friends - both human and fur-clad - for their cards and kind thoughts.

Mar 22: Bella's been diagnosed with very high blood pressure (read about hypertension in cats) which has apparently led to a bleeding retina in her right eye, and possibly a kidney condition. Further tests tomorrow...

Mar 21: An eye ailment of unknown origin arose on Sunday and sent Bella to her vet this morning. The vet was unable to diagnose the problem. So we are going to a specialist tomorrow - a cat opthamologist - for further examinations and tests...

Feb 27: Due to technical difficulties beyond our expertise (mainly, the crash of a four-year-old Macintosh), the Scratching Post has been on an unexpected leave of absence since the first week of February. We're glad to be back! Bella witnessed a fireworks display over the Chicago River last week. A huge, spectacular event visible out the window just a few blocks away--which however failed to stir her all that much. She sat up and watched. From bed...

Feb 4: Bella awoke on Groundhog Day and glimpsed her shadow - underneath the light of the table lamp, that is. Six more weeks of deep slumber...

Jan 25: Bella's tub of cat grass is beginning to wilt a bit, but she's still munching on it... Help a Manx features Mia...

Jan 11: New Help a Manx features Bob... New photo in Bella's Photo Album... On these cold winter days, Bella can often be seen warming her head underneath the shade of the table lamp... Racing Stripes opens at theatres this Friday; would Bella's version be Sleeping Stripes?...

Jan 4, 2005: Bella's new catnap sack is a big flop, but the gift-giver hasn't given up yet...

Nov 8: Bella and her human companion - when not regretting that she didn't run for president this time - have been doing some fall cleaning, painting and fixing-up. One item on Bella's to-do list is a redesign of her web site... New Help a Manx...

Oct 28: We are sorry to hear that Douglas' goldfish friend, Drake, left this world yesterday...

Oct 22: "The last thing dogs want to know is that they're helping cats." --Donald Trump, on The Apprentice

Oct 19: Bella's been dining on bacon every now and then lately, but she doesn't eat a lot of it and it takes some time to cook. So, for the sake of convenience, we're going to try a package of Oscar Mayer Real Bacon Pieces. There'll be a sizzling report soon... Help a Manx features Irwin...

Oct 12: Maybe it's because of the crisp fall air, but Bella is more than ever on her soccer game... Scout featured in the new Help a Manx...

Oct 5: Bella prefers bacon sans eggs, apparently, as attempts to feed her egg yolks were to no avail... New FeLine quotation... Carlotta is featured in Bella's Help a Manx...

Sep 27: Bella's dry food diet now includes a combination of Science Diet Nature's Best and Eukanuba Mature(!) Cat...

Sep 26: The last of the French 'fancy feasts', Terrine pour chats au lapin, brought back from Paris, is on the menu today... Bella loves the new 'sheets' on her bed - it's a t-shirt with various Celtic symbols, including a Manx cat...

Sep 21: The new love of Bella's life is a little square of tissue paper which she enjoys resting comfortably upon... New Help a Manx...

Sep 7: Bringing home the bacon for Bella: besides the microwaveable bacon, Bella's also chowing-down on Friskies Pleasure Pack variety assortment, which includes the flavors Cluck-a-Doodle-Doo, Hook Line & Sinker, and Upstream Dream... New Cat's Eye View...

Sep 2: There's a new picture in Bella's Photo Album, and a new FeLine quote by Shakespaw...

Aug 29: The beautiful painting in Bella's Photo Album was given to her human companion Dave for his birthday... Bella notes that the film Guys and Dolls (1955) 'Pet Me' dance number features a dozen cats, all tailed--no Manxes. We hope this will be corrected in any future remake...

Aug 20: Bella joins the Clean Plate Club: she ate every last bit of her bacon dinner... Extremely loud noise from low-flying Air Show jets could not deter Bella from her appointed rounds of sleep...

Aug 19: Bacon for Bella? Since it was a big hit last week, and since Bella needs to gain some weight, bacon will be on today's menu... The broken send email to Bella link has been repaired... There's a new picture in Bella's Photo Album & new Cat's Eye...

Aug 17: Concerns over Bella's weight and sneezing will be prompting a vet visit soon...

Aug 10: In an effort to add a few lbs. to Bella's girlish figure, she's now chowing down twice a day on Fancy Feast... New Help a Manx...

Aug 3: The Sheba Turkey & Cheese a la Francais is a big crowd pleaser. Next up is Lapin (rabbit). Neither of these flavors are offered here, as far as we know. How come?...

Aug 2: Bella is back from her summer vacation, dining on the Sheba au Fromage et aux Bouchees de Dinde her owner brought back from France... There are new pictures in Bella's Photo Album and a new FeLine quotation...

July 11: Happy Birthday Bella! The Scratching Post will be on summer vacation until Aug. 1st. See you then!...

July 7: New pictures in Bella's Photo Album... Bella will be 12 on July 11th!...

July 6: The vet says Bella lost a little bit of weight over the past six months; he wants her back next month for a dental exam...

June 29: Bella has a vet visit scheduled for next week. Claw-clipping and a look at her sneezing are both on the vet's agenda... There's two cats this week in Bella's Help a Manx feature...

June 15: Bella was allowed to take one or two supervised steps out on to the deck today, to sniff the marigolds and the morning air... New photos in Bella's Photo Album, plus a new Shakespaw quotation...

June 8: Who decided to play back all the stored, incoming phone messages this morning? The usual suspect: Bella T. Manx-- casually resting her paw atop the "play" button... New Cat's Eye...

May 29: On this Memorial Day, remembering my father's service in World War II...

May 27: New photos of Bella's Indiana pals, plus an update to Bella's Help a Manx feature, News, and Cat's Eye View...

May 21: Bella introduces a help-a-Manx feature to her Photo Album... The new catnip mouse now gets more of a reaction from Bella, although she seems more interested in the elastic string the mouse is attached to than the mouse itself...

May 18: Can Bella be taught to say 'hello'? Is she mimicing me, or is it the other way around?...

May 14: Bella has this message for all her cat fans: be sure your human companion knows you've crawled into the open file cabinet, so that the drawer doesn't unexpectedly get closed on you, waking you up from a nice afternoon nap...

May 11: Removed from the menu at Bella's breakfast table: Fancy Feast Chunky Turkey...

May 4: Bella had a rare bite of people-food: a tiny piece of bacon- and she likes it...

Apr 30: A new Shakespaw quotation... still only a half-hearted reaction to the new mouse...

Apr 29: Bella is showing only limited interest in her new, gray & purple catnip-filled mouse, mainly biting at the tail (in a futile attempt to change it into a Manxmouse?)...

Apr 23: Bella will be introduced to a new catnip toy tomorrow. It's a plump, life size mouse with an elastic string attached. As with most pet-store bought toys (tho this one was bought at Ikea), it's questionable how well loved it will be. Full test results in a couple of days...

Apr. 19: In order to stave off Bella's appetite for the new houseplants, we have a small, plastic tub of home-grown grass, that's now up to about five inches tall. But Bella still seems more interested in the Pothos...

Apr. 15: This morning, Pet Gold brand Seafood and Calamari - a sort of faux-Fancy Feast brand and, incidentally, one of the most foul-looking canned cat foods on the market - was on Bella's breakfast menu. And, in an unusual gesture for the normally non-demonstrative Bella, she reached out with her paw to tap her human companion on the nose.

Apr. 14: Movie-cat trivia: one of the characters in the complex film noir classic The Killers (1946) is named Kitty (played by Ava Gardner). A key scene is in a club named The Green Cat. and indeed, near the bar, there is a very large sculpture of a cat, tho it's gray in this black & white film.

Apr.12: Greetings to the new houseplants of the household, from Bella the curious. Although there are no signs (yet) of any munching, she has been evaluating the Pothos, Dracaena & others as humans would a salad bar.

Apr. 10, 2004: We've begun this journal - or Bella-log - to satisfy the big demand for news about Bella. Well, there isn't much of a demand (sorry, Bella), but just to try and make this page more interesting (admittedly there's nowhere to go but up) and up-to-date. While it's about Bella, the human companion Dave will want to help Bella with such things as joining her in her interest in movies and politics (see the new movie quiz and Cat's Eye View of the World, at right), or whatever else strikes her fancy. We'll see how it goes...