“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: It Goes On.”
Robert Frost

Friday, August 10, 2012

Guy and the Bumblebee


My local small bumblebees are my favorite bees.  They are fuzzy and cute, for an insect anyway, and are more docile than regular bees.  If you followed my blog last year you may remember me posting about them here and here.  The bees arrived this spring and have been busy visiting all my flowers and plants, but I am not sure where they are actually living.  I have not been able to trace them back to their hive.  I am just happy they found a new home after last year’s upheaval.  I have never been stung by one ... ever. 
Cute fuzzy Bumblebee on left, regular honeybee on right.

As you know Little Guy Noir has been growing quickly and had figured out that the Big Cats were going outside.  Not wanting to be left out, he had been trying all sorts of escape methods to join them.  I finally caved in and brought out the cat harness we had purchased for Dot when we first got her.  It was too small and we eventually had to order another larger size for her online in the chubby cat section.

Dot with new harness. FYI harness is called Come With Me Kitty Harness + Bungee Leash.


Anyway after a lot of wriggling and squirming by Guy not me, well actually there was some squirming by me, I finally got the harness on him.  Guy loves going out and has gotten used to the harness and behaves pretty well.  


Guy Noir a day before the incident!


On about his third trip out, he started batting something about and I thought it was a leaf or a bit of bark.  Then I noticed Guy stopped abruptly and ran about a foot away, looking back with fear in his eyes.  I then noticed a small bumblebee come staggering out of the grass and after a moment gathered its strength and flew away.  Then Little Guy started licking his right foot and I knew he had been stung.  Bumblebees do not have barbs on their stingers like honeybees, so they actually can sting multiple times.  They also do not die or leave their stinger in their victim. Luckily this bee only stung in self defense when he was being mashed by a paw and then left to go about his business with no ill will.

After Guy was back in the house, I consulted my cat care books and they suggested putting ice on the sting or soaking in water and baking soda.  I opted for the ice pack and Guy sat on my lap with the ice pack for about ten minutes.  I didn't get any pictures of his foot, but it did swell up some, otherwise he seemed alright.  By the next day the swelling was almost gone and by the third day you would never know he had been stung. 

Guy a few days after the sting, all well now.


When we went outside the next day he saw another bee and actually made a move on it.  I could almost see the little wheels whirling in his head as he remembered, "bee….. foot…   hurt!"  He decided to leave the bee alone.  Another lesson learned!









Doing what cats do best.



I don't ever remember any of my other cats ever being stung before. Even though Guy had this unfortunate accident, I do not blame the bee. It was trying to protect itself as is natures way.
I Still See Beautiful When I See A Bee.

Today I am joining the See Beautiful Blog Hop






30 comments:

  1. I like the fuzzy bee! Poor little Guy Noir, I'm glad he has recovered. He looks very handsome in his harness. And Dot is very pretty in hers. One of my cats was stung by a bee on his nose and was left with a little bump that never went away.

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    1. Thanks Sulky, I will tell Guy Noir you said he was handsome! Oooh that must have really hurt to get stung on the nose! Youch!

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  2. Aww.. Guy is so smart. It was so cute for him to do that and it was so darling of you to analyze what Guy must have been thinking upon seeing that bee. Sometimes, I do wish cats could talk. But when I see my own cat walking and lying just anywhere around the house, I'd take back that wish. Imagine what she would tell me to do as she confidently acts like a boss. Still, I love cats and I wish my flowers would grow to be so beautiful, fragrant and sweet to attract bees and other helpful insects.

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    1. Cats always think they are the boss! I find them very comforting to have around the house though!

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  3. Wow, he has grown so much! And he's a handsome devil ;) Well, he certainly learned a lesson. I'm glad he didn't suffer too much. Cats are so curious, and sometimes they can get into a lot of trouble.

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    1. Yes, you see the resemblance too! It's those pointy ears! They look like little horns. His behavior is not far off....sometimes very naughty and sometimes very nice!

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  4. I am here from See Beautiful and had to check this out because...we have a new little tuxedo kitty named, olive and she looks like a mini version of your Guy Noir! Fun post! I might need to get a harness for olive too, someday so she can go outside!

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  5. Um, actually now that i looked at your photos, olive looks like your OTHER cat! lol

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    1. Yes, you are right, Dot is the chubby tuxedo cat.

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  6. Guy it was very nice meeting you today...your flower picture is most beautiful and so are the bees. Looks like you are enjoying your leash and a nice sun puddle
    Hugs madi

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  7. Thanks so much for entering the See Beautiful blog hop. Oh, poor Guy. You'll have to "bee" real careful. We're so glad to read he's okay. My husband is incredibly allergic to bees. We have to have his epipen with us all the time. He was stung a couple months ago while we were on a bike ride together. He was stung in the neck and it was incredibly scary. Luckily we had the epipen with us and were able to get him to the er in less than 15 minutes. It was so scary, but seeing beautiful in wonderful medicine that saved him. :)

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  8. Love this post about the bumble bees ... my dad taught me when I was a little girl and also when my daughter was a wee one, not to be afraid of these fabulous creatures ... they are so good for our world and, you are right, they wouldn't sting unless in self-preservation. Love them !

    We have four kitties in our household ... but we keep them inside ... for me that's the heathest thing for them although I can see they long to go outside. Here in Florida there's way too many yucky things out and about.

    I joined the hop ... my first (I think).

    Happiness to ALL !

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    1. Florida does have more creepy crawly things than we do up north! I use the harness for both of these cats. Dot gets tethered if she starts to wander. I was using a retractable leash for Guy. He is too unpredictable to be left unattended for a minute! With Dot, I can work in the backyard and she pretty much stays put for the entire time! I would never leave them harnessed or tethered alone in my backyard. Glad you joined the hop!

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    2. Okey dokey, but am I supposed to do something else regarding the hop???? I'm so new to this and the hop sounded so beautiful to me.

      Happiness always.

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    3. For a hop you should visit a few other blogs and leave comments, follow if you like any of them. If you want you can add the hop code to your blog post. Scroll back up this page and under the link icons look for Get the code here... click the link and copy and paste the code into your blog post and update. It should show in your preview.

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  9. Woof! Woof! my mom is allergic to BEE so you guys beeee careful. Happy This Moment See Beautiful Friday. Lots of Golden Woofs, Sugar

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  10. Your so lucky you don't have our very nasty, aggressive bees!! Just about everyone in our neighborhood! In the foothills of Loveland, Colorado, have been stung and IT HURTS!!!!! Mom was stung and her hands swelled but when Dad was stung, his hand was swollen for three days!!!
    So, BEE CAREFUL!!

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    1. Our bees are pretty easy going. Sorry for your painful encounters! Animals seem to heal much faster than us humans!

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  11. Poor Guy Noir! And poor bee too. Oh, and what the hell, poor Dot also, for having to shop in the chubby cat section.

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  12. We feel bad for little Noir! Bee stings hurt! Hope he feels better now!! Xoxo Chloe and LadyBug

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  13. They are absolutely adorable in their little harnesses all cute doing their cat thing ;-)

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  14. Thanks everyone for your wonderful comments!

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  15. Dear Diane - Guy is so beautiful...Sorry about him getting stung. My kitties go in and out all the time and I don't think they have ever got stung before. I love the honey bees - they come to my humming bird feeders and feed there with the hummers. They never try to sting - it is as if they know I am feeding them. Once read though not to wear black or dark colors around them. Well take good care of your kitty.

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  16. Lovely photos and I found myself nodding along as your story progressed. Guy Noir is obviously both a handsome and intelligent wee fellow. Looking forward to more of his adventures!

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  17. Love your photos of the bees! Why are black cats considered lucky in England but unlucky in America? I have never found a good explanation for this.
    Take care of your kitty. xx

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  18. Hi Diane, love seeing your beautiful cats, they are living the dream lazing in the sunshine. My two dogs have been stung many times and never learn from their experience. Interesting facts on bumble and honey bees that I wasn't aware of, TFS.

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  19. Guy is a beautiful cat! Sorry he had to learn his lesson the hard way, but at least he is smart enough not to let it happen again.

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