Thursday, January 21, 2010

@!$&@#!!!


I was in the bathroom last night brushing my teeth - along with several cats - and Jack came in.  He walked up to the side of the bath tub, and after a few moments of staking out his territory, proceeded to do what I refer to as the "pee pee dance"  He siddles up to the tub, butt facing the tub (or wall if it is somewhere else) and starts prancing with his back feet and quivers his tail. 

I have always known that this is the prelim to spraying.. but I figured in Jack it was his sign that he was uncomfortable with his history of urinary crystals.  When I see him start to do that I usually shoo him away and then in the next day or two do a urinary test on him to make sure his PH is in the normal range.

Well last night it was not the prelim... he actually sprayed!!

What the heck!!  My sweet sweet Jack is spraying. 

I feel like I have failed him some how.  Brought too many cats into the house and disturbed him.  Although I'm sure it is his need to dominate Ollie (which Ollie will have NONE of and Ollie often puts him in his place) which would be occurring even if I hadn't adopted a slew of other cats.

I can't say if this is his first actual spray either.  There was a spray mark in the office on the mirror, which made no sense at all, since that is a place not frequented by anyone but my DH when he visits his computer.  There are no comfortable spots to sit or sleep, no reason to be in that corner for a cat at all. I thought it might have been a foster in that room previously, which made a lot more sense.

Then DH comes to me this morning and says the solarium smells like urine too.  *head desk* 

Guess I am going to have to start being more careful with Jack and his emotions and spend some time giving him one on one attention more directly, instead of allowing him to get attention when he feels like it - because maybe he feels he is unable to do that for what ever reason.

Generally I wake up with him curled up on one side of me and Muffin on the other.  He watches over me until I get out of bed, then he's gone to do his daily things and doesn't seem to want to directly interact with me (except to beg for treats) again for the rest of the day.

Since I was able to test the PH of his urine last night, I know that it is not the issue, and he is no longer licking his belly bald, so I doubt this has anything to do with medical issues.  I will watch him carefully though and at the least sign that something is off with him he'll be going in..

There has always been a sense of wonder almost bordering on pride that my crew of eight cats got along so well and there really hasn't be the sort of issues with conflict that can occur in multi cat households.

Guess it is time to dig out my cat behavior books again and read up on spraying..

and what really gets me, is that I am supposed to start pet sitting for a family member on Tuesday for a month or so.  Like we need another cat in the house.  Guess Boots will just have to stay in the cat room..

Thursday, January 14, 2010

My darling Em is famous...


Ok, so famous might be pushing it, but I got an email this afternoon regarding "senior" cats and there was a photo of a kitty sleeping on a furry blanket.  I said to myself "self, that looks an awful lot like Em".. I clicked on the photo and was brought to a page at about.com that contained a photo of my Em I submitted several years ago.

Kinda sad they didn't print the date of the submission.  And a little sad that they gave her credit for being 14 in the newsletter when I submitted she was 16.. but that is so minimal it almost doesn't matter.  (only matters to the fact that I'm mentioning the errors.. )

I'm just giddy.  I've been thinking a lot about Em lately.  So nice to have her pop up in such an odd little way.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

drive by licking


There are times in my life when I know I want to have no idea what my cats are thinking....

then there are others when I think.. that was so cute, why did they do that?

Well Fleurp does something that slays me each and every time.  I feel a little bit like the Grinch and my heart grows two sizes.  She doesn't do it often, but often enough that I know it is on purpose.

She does a drive by licking.

She'll walk up to me as I'm standing some where, and just give my calf a little lick.  She's then off doing something else which is why I call it a drive by.

Last night she found a packing peanut in the basement and dragged it upstairs and proceeded to kill it.  DH found her splayed out with bits of peanut splayed around her and she was looking quite content.  It was a good kill.  Of course we didn't know she did this until we found her like that and we proceeded to pick up the pieces to make sure she didn't accidentally eat them (nor did Tweedle who has a habit of eating inappropriate things) Well apparently we missed one because Skippy was having fun with it this morning.

I have been giving her eye drops to try to reduce the scar on her eyeball.  I'm not sure if it is working or not  I'll have to get a real good look in there soon.  We are coming to the end of the first 10 day cycle.  I so hope it helps her because her depth perception is still off.  She adjusts very well for having one half cloudy eye, but if this will help I want to help her.

Friday, January 8, 2010

Two down, one to go


Pudding and Pip (shelter didn't like Pudding Pop) were neutered on Wednesday and came through it like troopers.  Mom showed some signs of discomfort, but only if you handled her.  The went in Thursday night to get ready to be adopted for Friday.  They needed some vaccines and deworming, but they selttled in ok and were fine when I left.

I feel a little bad that I wasn't more attached to them, but on the other hand it was a good thing.  They didn't need "ME", just someone to pat them, and feed them.  They will adjust nicely into new homes, and that is a good thing.  I don't think for a second they are going to miss me.

I came home and did a quick clean up of the kitten room.  swept up the debris, and picked up all the dry food (hid it so Doug couldn't break into it) and made it ready for his majesty's arrival.  I put his dinner down there, and tested him before bringing him down.  He was quite excited to be brought out of the office, and was perky and alert and happy to be carried until I hit the stairs.  Since he's never been allowed downstairs I'm sure it was a new experience for him.  He got quite concerned and tried to jump down.  I made it into the kitten room with him, and then let him down to explore.

He didn't care one iota for the food, but spent the next 20 minutes exploring the room.  Looking in the litter boxes, jumping up on the window boxes, sniffing EVERYTHING..   He wasn't upset just really curious.  I tried to pat him about 10 minutes in and I got a nice growl in return for my kindness.  I sat there for another 10 minutes and watched him.  He was fine.  Did not appear stressed at all.  He finally hunkered down and took a few bites of the food.

Then something caught his attention.  Apparently when I was cleaning, I missed a few rouge pieces of dry food that were shoved under the ottoman.  Now Doug had an activity to keep him busy.  He kept shoving his paw further and further under the ottoman, flipping himself almost upside down to try to reach even further.  He pulled out two pieces but that didn't stop him from trying to get more.  I doubt there was more under there but he was happy to have a goal to work towards. So I left him playing at that.

This morning he was happily sitting on the couch.  Testing was a lot easier then I expected it to be, and he pulled a 232 - pretty impressive.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

the irresistible cuddling Skippy


I was thinking yesterday that I hadn't seen Skippy for a good cuddle for a while, and I might just have to seek him out.  But I was tired and cold, and my bed was warm and toasty, so I figured it could wait.

Well last night in the middle of the night, in some hour that should not be seen by mankind, I got up to go to the bathroom.  Getting up is a four step process (longer if you include the waking up and then thinking about getting up, which are pretty vital steps)  There is the taking off of the covers, getting the feet out from under the covers you can't get off your feet, swinging said feet off the side of the bed, then the actual standing up.  This is not a fast process in the middle of the night.  In fact it is agonizingly slow - especially in the dead of winter because we have adjustable thermostats so the house is cold at night.  I was in step three (feet over the side of the bed) when Skippy comes out of no where and jumped up on my lap.

"Cuddle time Mom!"

But Skip... it is the middle of the night.  I'm still sound asleep.  I have to go pee!!  IT'S COLD!!

"Purrrrrr"

arrrgh

I give up and roll back into bed so my feet don't get frost bite and we spend the next little while cuddling.

Until Tweedle thought she could join in.  Because Muffin decided Skippy had had enough "Mommy Time" and walked in between him and my face (not nearly enough room there for your 15lb fluffiness, but she some how found a way)  So poor Skippy felt a little claustrophobic (ok so I'm projecting, he probably just didn't want to keep smelling Muffin's butt) and left.

and fortunately for my bladder I have no problem telling Muffin to get off.  Mostly because she is relentless and is on top of me most of the time I'm in bed.

My bladder didn't have a good night, and a little while later I was up again.  Did I mention the house is cold?  well you do know that means the toilet seat is cold too right?  (a little TMI?  sorry, it is going to get a little worse before you start laughing at me)

So I was trying to hurry things along to avoid frost bite on delicate bits, and all of a sudden out of no where Skippy shows up and jumps up on my lap.

"Hi Mom!"

Um.. Skipster, I'm using the "litter box"! 

"Purrrrrr" *cuddle*

I'm always a gonner when he leans into me.  I'd give that boy the moon if he could find a way to ask for it while cuddling.

And yes, I'm still on the freezing cold toilet, in the freezing cold bathroom, which has freezing cold tiles.. so yes, my pants are down around my ankles.  There is just no dignified way to get up and go back to bed and keep Skip happy.

So I did it the un-dignified way.  I was certain he was going to get annoyed with me and leave, but I made it back to bed with him, and we spent a few more minutes cuddling before Skippy went to a sleeping DH and decided it was his turn.

Which is good, because my fingertips were starting to turn blue  (which frankly doesn't take much.  Don't think my house was actually icy.. the thermostat only goes down to 62 at night, but for me I'm cold at 72)

So I finally get back to sleep.  To be awoken several hours (I'm hoping anyway) by a Jack to the bladder.  How they know where that thing is, and are able to step square in the middle of it always amazes me.  I think Jack and Muffin have a running contest to see who can get to mine first in the AM.  When Jack fails, he tends to hang out by my head and stick his ice cold nose on warm bits that are exposed when he steps on the covers.

Why they want me to wake up in the morning I have no clue.  I do not feed them in the AM.  Guess they just miss me.

and I'm totally ok with that.
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