THWUMP!

This update has the last set of files created by Wendy - her hex painted variations of nine of the ten original Catz 3 breeds. These are all overwriting files and I have converted them so that they are available for Catz 3, 4 and 5. The following breed files are in the Hex Painted Originals section of the Sand'z Cattery Archive:

Alien, Black Alley Cat, Chocolate Chinchilla Persian, Dobie, Easter Egg Persian, Flamepoint Siamese, Golden Maine Coon, Gray Alley Cat, Gray B+W Shorthair, Gray Orange Shorthair, Himi Persian, Jewel Calico, Large B+W Persian, Pink Russian Blue, Siamese Russian Blue, Sky Eye Siamese, Spice B+W Shorthair, Spreckle B+W Shorthair, Spreckle Maine Coon, White Maine Coon, and the White Mottled Orange Shorthair

Finally, under Sand'z Cattery Exclusives, you will find the two breed files for the site mascot. Yes. TWO files and each is completely different from the other! Read the page to find out more about this very special cat.

August 31, 2005

Sarah and Ruby's Dogz 5 Site
http://www.freewebs.com/dogz5_stuff

I don't generally report people or warn others, but Sarah and Ruby have driven me beyond my endurance level. They simply cannot, or will not, grasp the idea that stealing breeds, images and bandwidth is just plain theft and will not be tolerated in the Petz Community. Both Carolyn Horn and I tried to advise them nicely, but the only responses were lies and failure to remove the breed pages. I finally had to threaten to report them to their web site host. They then removed the pages, but also sent me an Email telling me that I had insulted them and using foul language to tell me what I could go and do with myself. They then posted a message on their home page, giving my address and saying "some people just have to ruin it for everyone else." How true! Thieves DO spoil things! After I reported them for defamation and posting of my Email address Freewebs froze their account until they removed the statement and address. Keep am eye on these two..

Let's see now. You want to know what is included in this update, don't you? Well, first, I had a request to make the mute Rainbow Lorikeet compatible in Petz 5 under Windows XP. I have Windows XP and this breed file worked fine for me. So, when I did the tweak I had no idea if it made any difference. I sent it to the person who requested it and asked them to let me know if the file now worked for them. They didn't have the courtesy to reply, let alone say thank you! So, if any of you have problems with this file, please let me know. Remember. Don't use an XP friendly file unless the regular file doesn't work. The tweak that makes it XP friendly limits its ability to create mutations in offspring.

This update completes the posting of the Sunshine Kennels breeds! First, for Petz II you will find:

The Farm Cat and the Scottish Fold for Catz II and the French Spaniel, Golden Retriever, Landseer, and Nova Scotia Duck-Tolling Retriever for Dogz II.

Petz 3, 4 and 5 gamers can download the the Farm Cat and Scottish Fold breed files for Catz.

Petz 3, 4 and 5 gamers can also download the following Dogz breeds:

French Spaniel, German Shepherd, Golden Retriever, Landseer, Nova Scotia Duck-Tolling Retriever, Nova Scotia Duck Toller, Pomeranian, St. Bernard, Siberian Husky and the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier

Psst... Those of you who don't believe that Petz drink water should look at the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier. She wanted that water so badly that she knocked it out of the Carry Case!

Last of all I have posted the Grassy Padlock playscene from Sunshine Kennels. It was created for Petz 3, with a hex editor. I have done conversions to Petz 4 and Petz 5 so that everyone can enjoy it. I am fairly certain that Celes created other playscenes, but the Grassy Padlock is the only one I found. If you have any of her other scenes, please send them to me and I will try to convert them.

August 14, 2005

Ahhhh... many weeks and many dollars later... not to mention the hair torn out... Minibyte returns! For those of you who wondered what had happened, read my woeful tale. I was happily working on an update when my modem went bonkers. I could not get on to the internet! After much trouble shooting, I discovered that only a very expensive hardware replacement (plus shipping costs) would solve the problem. As the computer was already quite outdated, it was better to buy a new laptop. One fat check written and a new laptop delivered. Nearly two weeks were spent copying programs and backups to the new computer. Just as I was nearly finished all the indicator lights went bonkers. Tech Support determined that it was " A SERIOUS PROBLEM." No kidding. I should send it in for repair. Hey what? A brand new computer fresh off the shelf and not used to be turned into a factory refurbished machine? Uh uh. I don't think so... Back to the store.

The manager was very nice... he simply exchanged the computer for a new one. So, once again I started installing programs and backup files. Alas! I was stuck with Windows XP! Dogz, Catz, and Petz II wouldn't run on it. Petz 3 worked only at high speed and without sound. This did not bode well for doing conversions, giving technical support or testing files from the earlier games. !@$@!@#$@ The solution to this was to create a Virtual Machine on top of Windows XP. Second fat check was written to cover cost of the VMware program. More hair pulled as the Virtual Machine, running Windows 98 was created and programs installed. Thinking I saw the light at the end of the tunnel, I got ready to get back to my update. Ummmm .... no can do. The CD/DVD installed on this new laptop can't read the hundreds of Petz CD's I have created and used. Another check written to cover the cost of a data recovery program. The going is a bit slow because I have to recover files as I go along, but at least things are working and I managed to put this long overdue update together. If people gripe about the delay, I'm gonna dump a whole bowl of wet noodles on them and pelt them with juicy meatballs!

Were you amused by the cute little petz on my splash screen? You can have some, too! Get the Stick Guy breed file at Khito Petz. and the playscene from JinxFold.

I've nearly finished the Sand'z Cattery breeds. For this update I rearranged the pages to make them load faster and have added the hosted breeds. On the new Hosted Breeds page in the Cattery you will find:

The Bella stand alone and Bella Overwrite, the Bengal, the Cheetah, a link to the Chickenz, the E Cunny, the Gray Tortoiseshell, the Mitted Ragdoll, the Moon Cat, the Short Catz breed. a link to Leaping Frog Inc. and the Catz 5 versions of the SmileyC and the Smores, and the cute little Tribble breed.

There are a lot of new Sunshine Kennels breed files, too! For Dogz II I have added:

The Catahoula Leopard Dog, English Coonhound and the Eurasier.

For Dogz 3, 4 and 5 you will be able to download:

The Black Australian Shepherd, the Blue Merle Australian Shepherd, the Red Merle Australian Shepherd, the Catahoula, the Catahoula Leopard Dog, the Chesapeake Bay Retriever, the Doberman, the English Coonhound, the English Springer Spaniel and the Eurasier.

Theres a really big surprise, too. Be sure to look for the new hidden page!

May 2, 2005

I know it has been a month since my last update... I had some really painful back problems.during April and couldn't tolerate sitting at the computer for very long. But I put in a lot of time during the past week and have some nice goodies for you!

I had a birthday at the end of March and received some really nice Birthday petz. Look at the picture above. Marvel is a hexed Maine Coon. He is white with pale blue markings which represent my birthstone, the aquamarine. Sly and Jenna are purebred Chinchilla Persians. Yvonne really surprised me with them because they were the very first birthday gift I ever received from someone in the Petz Community! On the far right you can see Jonquil (Jonquil is the March flower). Leelo made her very special. Jonquil has a birthday cake tattoo on her right hip and an Aries astrological sign tattoo on her left hip. Many thanks, everyone. You made my birthday kind of special because, at my age, one doesn't usually do anything special to celebrate getting older. LOL! All of these petz joined me for a grand birthday celebration. Go to the Playscenes for Petz 4 or 5 to see them having fun.

A lot of time was spent creating new pages for this update. I have begun posting the breeds from Sunshine Kennels. These include the first Petz II breeds to be posted on this site. Be sure to click on both the Catz II and Dogz II links on the menu to meet two of my Petz 2 pets. Both of them are real characters! You should say hello to them even if you don't use Petz II.

I am also converting the Sunshine Kennels breeds to Petz 4. I know, I know. I have been telling you all NOT to convert those breeds. Read what Pierre on the Sunshine Kennels opening page has to say about me changing my position on converting the breeds to Petz 4.

Hmmm... anything else? Ah, yes. I made some new gifts for you. See if you can find them.

April 1, 2005

RAIN!! April is here and I am now facing the begining of the stormy rain and tornado season! My Rainy Danes, as you can see on the splash page, love this kind of weather. Oh well, I am told that this rain will bring Spring flowers. I LOVE spring flowers and I am watching for the first hint of mine to peep out of the ground. I suppose that I can tolerate a little rain if it brings me pretty flowers!

I promised that this update would focus on catz. I kept my promise. I have ten new cat breeds for you to download - the entire Set 2 of the Sand'z Cattery Color Rainz Collection. All three sets, which have not been available for several years, are now here for you to enjoy.

Since I finished the Corvus Corax breeds, I decided to start working on the Sunshine Kennels breeds. That site has been stagnant for years. I get a lot of requests to convert those breeds, especially the Catahoula. In a week or so those breeds will start appearing here for you to download. I also have conversions of some of Celes' Petz II breeds which I will also post for you. The French Bulldog is a real cutie and you will be able to have it in two versions. I think you will like these breeds which date all the way back to Petz II and the first time gamers started hexing new breeds.

March 22, 2005

Dang! It has been ages since the last update! Bad weather causing power outages, a mouse that died (Ever use Windows without a mouse?), a nasty cold and then the flu! 2005 has NOT been off to a good start for me....

However, here are some goodies at long last. These do take a lot of time, so please bear with me when updates are late.

First, all of the Corvus Corax breed files in my collection are now available for download. Please, please, please, if you have any breeds from Corvus Corax that do not appear here. Email me to make arrangements for sending me copies. I would really like this to be a complete collection and I think I missed out on some of Random's earlier breeds.

After I finished all the Corvus Corax breed files I did a major overhaul of the breed download pages. The breeds have been distibuted among a greater number of pages. The pages should now load faster because there are fewer graphics on each.

A lot of work and time also went into fixing some problem breed files in the Corvus Corax archive. Many, many thanks to Carolyn Horn for guidance in fixing those files. Be sure to download the corrected versions! They are:

1. The Hen and the Mute Hen. There was a quirk in the original file that sometimes caused a male hen to come out of the Adoption Center. Male hens? Yikes! The corrected version ensures that all your hens are female.

2. The AnthroHyena. The original file had a strange variation problem. Pups would lose their Mohawks as they matured and pups that didn't have Mohawks got them as adults! The file has been corrected to reflect Random's intent. One out of ten AnthroHyenas will have a Mohawk and it won't develop a disappearing act!

3. The Demon. Ahhhh... this file had a SERIOUS second generation problem which Random couldn't fix. I couldn't fix it either. If you tried breeding six legged Demons, the extra legs on offspring would be disconnected or appear strange in some way. In addition, every time I bred my Demons, all the offspring would be white. The second generation problems have been eliminated! All credit to our genius Carolyn Horn for fixing this file!

Here are the new files available for download. All of them are from Corvus Corax:

Dogz Breeds: German Shepherd

Fantasy Breeds: AnthroHyena (fixed version) AnthroWolf, Anubis, Cocky AnthroHyena, Demon, Barking Kraen, Mute Kraen, and Zombie Werewolf

Species Breeds: Barking Goldfish, Mute Goldfish, Grey Fox, Barking Hen (fixed version), Mute Hen (fixed version), Red Fox Version 1, Red Fox Version 2, Red Fox - Black Variation Version 1, Simian Jackal, and Spotted Hyena

Sorry, nothing for Catz lovers this time. I really wanted to get the Corvus Corax breeds finished. I will focus on Catz breeds for the next update. There are still a lot of breeds from Sand's Cattery to convert and post for you.

Oh! I almost forgot. There's a new hidden page and gift for you to find.!

February 7, 2005

February brings a special Valentine update!!

First, there are 10 new breed files from Sand'z Cattery and they are very special. They are the ten breeds from Wendy's Color Rainz Set 1. These files haven't been available for years. A few people managed to get some by arranging trades through the Sand'z Cattery Forum, but that Forum is no longer functional. So download one or more of these beautiful breeds and create some colorful litters!

Next, there is a new playscene that is perfect for petz in love! It is a romantic setting - especially nice for weddings.

Finally there is a new hidden page with gifts designed for Valentine's Day ... or any other day your petz feel romantic. See if you can find it!

January 29, 2005

The second half of January continued to give me lots of nasty weather. The snow has been very light, but we have gotten a lot of rain, sleet and ice. Makes me very glad that I am retired and don't have to worry about driving to work in freezing temperatures!

Notice the new critter? The little blue winged Gryph next to my Insane Award? She's a custom Gryph I won at Magonda and Veno worked hard to make her special for me. Click on the "I Love Gryphs" sign to visit Magonda and find out how to get a Gryph of your own. Make sure to look at everything. There are beautiful trading cards to collect and some really nice Find It awards.

There are thirteen new downloads for you!

Here's a list of the new downloads for Corvus Corax:

Three cat breeds - the "Improved" Calico, Version 1 of the "Improved Maine Coon, and the "Improved" Orange Shorthair

Two dog breeds: the Australian Cattle Dog and the Australian Kelpie

Two species breeds - Versions 1 and 2 of the Red Wolf

And here are the new downloads for Sand'z Cattery:

Oreo, Smorez, Sootiez, Stubby, Switterz, and Torti

January 17, 2005

A belated Happy New Year, everyone! Holidays, back problems and severe weather interfering with power lines were the reasons for the delay in updating. Ain't gonna apologize because it was all beyond my control and I couldn't do a thing about it. Made a good time for reading, though.

I hope this large update of nineteen (YES ! NINETEEN) breed files will make it up a bit. Random and Wendy were both prolific hexers. I never realized how many things they had created until I started working on their Archives for you. And there is still a lot more to go!

Here's a list of the new downloads for Corvus Corax:

Carlyle and Lil Bear (based on real life dogs at the Animal Rescue Foundation in Beacon, New York)

Two fantasy breeds - the Anthro Hyena and the Gargoyle

Five species breeds - the Dhole, the Dingo, the Fennec, two versions of the Black Backed Jackal, and two versions of the Maned Wolf

And here are the new downloads for Sand'z Cattery:

Brown Shorthairz, Brushie, Bunny Blue, Celestial Starz, Cocoa Dreamz, Double Chocolate, Fettfleckz and the Manx

December 12, 2004

The Holiday Season continues to be busy... and to top it off, I sprained my back and have had difficulty sitting at the computer and typing. Ergo, the delayed update. I did manage to get some new stuff for you and also got some Christmas decor! For those who are interested in the Sand'z Cattery breeds, I converted all of Set 3 of the Rainz breeds to Petz 4 and Petz 5, These all use furfiles and are very pretty!

I also added several Corvus Corax breeds. You can now download the Canis simensis (a wolf breed), the Cape Hunting Dog, the Hen, the Rainbow Lorikeet and the Red Wolf. I also added a Windows XP friendly version of the Amazon Parrot for Petz 5. Use it ONLY if you are using Windows XP and the regular file doesn't work for you. No guarantee that it will work for everyone, but it's worth a try.

November 26, 2004:

The Holiday Season is here and it is busy, busy, busy. However, I will do my best to provide some updates for you. This one is rather large, so have fun exploring. I have added the following Sand'z Cattery breeds: Coatz of Colorz, Giraffez Catz, Heartz Catz, Marble Shorthair, Razziez, Softiez, Spifferz McGee, Strawberry Cat, Velveteen and Zebra Stripe. Wendy used a lot of external furfiles (bmp files) to give her breeds their colors and markings. Unfortunately, Petz 5 doesn't handle bitmaps the same way as Petz 3. I had to resize some of Wendy's bitmaps to make the breeds work in Petz 5. Most of them are perfect. A few, however, could not be adjusted to look exactly as they did in Petz 3. You might notice, for example, that the Petz 5 Zebra Stripe Catz have slightly different coat markings than their Petz 3 or Petz 4 counterparts. Sorry, blame Ubi Soft if this makes you unhappy.

Added a lot of Corvus Corax goodies, too! Newly uploaded breeds include: the Angora Rabbit, Bald Eagle, Chinchilla, Coyote, Goat, Grey Wolf Version 1, Lobo (Mexican Wolf) and the Shire Horse. As an extra surprise, I have also added some modified files that people have wanted! There are now mute versions of the Bald Eagle and Chinchilla. No more barking! I also created a modified Sheep file that you can use as mute or with Sheep sounds! Finally, there is a modified version of the Shire Horse which can be used mute or with horse sounds!! YEA!!!! The Readme files for the mute versions will tell you how to add sounds - no hexing required.