Monday, February 28, 2011

What I did this weekend...


Besides hang out with Peter and Tinsel?  yup, I had an interesting day on Saturday. 

A few weeks ago I was asked if I wanted to help out with SpayDay.  I said sure, what do you need and when?  I was told there would be emailed information, and I was good with that.

Well what I didn't realize is that the email would come two days before the event.  I was a little put off by that since it is my husbands' birthday weekend (birthday on Monday) and there was a darn good chance we would have had plans to do something together.  But since both he and I are last minute kind of people, we hadn't settled on anything, and his brother wanted him to come help him with some things, we decided to each do our own thing.  So I went south to a clinic that was participating.

For $25 you could get your cat castrated, for more (I don't remember the exact amount I think it was $40) you could get your cat spayed.  Pretty good deal.  The people prepaid either at the clinic or at the shelter so basically I was checking people in, getting them to sign consent forms and ID'ing the cats to make sure we knew who was who in all of the may lay.

27 cats were brought in.  it was quite amazing watching the staff work.  As it seems in every vet clinic, there was one woman who was doing a million things, and she amazed me.  How she kept everything straight I'm not sure.  There were a bunch of us who were trying to help but felt we were more in the way sometimes.  I trimmed a lot of claws, got a few mats out of fur (oh those bug me to no end.  We had three older Persians who must have been used for breeding in the past who were COVERED)  I also got to watch a few surgeries (which is when I realized for certain I am sensitive to ISO - the sedation they use - as I kept getting light headed.  I wondered if it was the act of cutting and sewing up a cat that made me want to lay on the ground until I watched her sew one cat and did really well until all of a sudden I wanted to be on the ground.. so I figured it was the ISO)

The surgeries are really interesting.  boys go FAST.  snip pop snip tie glue.    Even the girls went pretty quickly, the first surgeon had it down to 17 minutes per cat. 

I was there from 7:30.  People started showing up at 8:00 am  I left at 4:00 PM when the last cat was sedated and headed into surgery.  Seems like such a long day for such a small portion of the unaltered cats to be taken care of, but part of me was thrilled that 27 cats would no longer be adding to the overpopulation.


So then I got home and hung out with Peter and Tinsel.  Tinsel is turning into quite a love bug, he wants his attention and he wants a lot of it.  He's also hit that awkward teen age lanky stage, and watching him trot across the room he looks like a black panther, dragging his feet on the ground before planting them.    It is a shame he is across the room in just a few bounds, and doesn't have more room to run, but he'll be leaving at the end of the week (or maybe early next week) and HOPEFULLY his furever home will finally show up and take them home.  (and no, it is NOT going to be me.  As much as I love them, there is no more room at Chez Connie Maison des Chats)

They are both way better at taking their medication then I thought I would have a right to hope at.  It is clindamyacin and it is horribly bitter tasting.  I spend a few minutes apologizing for having to give them icky stuff but that it will help them feel better and promising them yummy food for dinner.  I went and got a bunch of shredded type canned food (they prefer that to the loaf stuff) and they seem to say "GROSS!!" after I give it to them, but they do not seem to get mad or be upset.  Peter is not a fan of it, and will let Tinsel go first, but when he sees Tinsel getting loved on, he comes over and rubs against my ankles.   I usually sit down there for an hour, and half of that is just sitting watching them play either with each other or toys.  Tinsel is partial to a little red furry mouse he bats around and grabs and carries off.  They like to come and lay on top of me for a few minutes, then jump down and play a bit, then snuggle, then play, it is rather cute.

Friday, February 25, 2011

Tweedle's spots


She's got a dot on one of her toe pads, and one little spot on the fur of one of her toes.  That is not a speck of dirt, it's yet another part of her specialness.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Guess What..


what?
 They're back!!!
back where??
 You.. your home you silly kittens!!  .. well not officially "home" but back here again for some more care.  Apparently your furever home isn't ready for you quite yet
oh.. ok.  That's alright, I kinda like it here
 Peter was a little unsure of things when he first got here.  He ran out of the carrier so fast that DH thought we left him behind  But after a few minutes of hiding and a few minutes of Tinsel having fun, Peter came out and relaxed a little.  He was still quick to run if you tried to catch him.  They are both on clindamycin for calci virus.  Tinsel's teeth look better and his mouth doesn't smell as horrid as it did.  a little sad since he has been vaccinated for calci,  *shrug*
GOTCHA!!

Peter playing with his tail

more together time

Here Tin, I'll get that spot on your back for you

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Waiting to hear on Peter and Tinsel


I am assuming they didn't get to the vet yesterday, and I haven't heard back yet today on their fate.  They are most likely sitting at a vet waiting to be examined.  I'll probably hear in a couple of hours.

I checked my webstats this morning, and couldn't help but smile at all the traffic I got over my post about House.  People got here some interesting ways, and I hope it means they are all interested in treating diabetic cats.  Diabetes in a cat is NOT a death sentence.   My cat lived seven years with diabetes before she died of cancer.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Jack


I also wanted to share this image of my boy that I was greeted with when I got home from running Peter and Tinsel around.

This post it was attached to the carrier we took out today.  It was put on by the vet who did his surgery and has his name on it.  How he got it on himself, I am not really sure, but it was just the laugh I needed after such a emotion filled morning.  The way he looked at me, the post it, the way he wanted to rub up against me.. it was just so sweet.  So I gave them all treats, and I haven't seen him since.

Animal Communicator


The shelter held an animal communicator event today.  She came in and for $15 you could get a reading.  I thought it was for half an hour, but it was for 15 minutes.  I don't really care, I was mostly done.  I could have gone on and asked about Em, and given some of my other kitties a chance to say something, but I wanted to check in with Jack and see how he was doing since he had been spraying.

I brought him with me, with his harness in the basket carrier.  We used to travel quite a bit when he was younger, but he isn't as comfortable being out and about now.  He shook a little and while he ate the treats, he preferred to sit in the basket while we chatted.  So half way through I moved the basket so he could sit in it.  He was much more comfortable that way. 

From an outward perspective, he did not seem to be interested in the communication at all.  He barely looked at the woman.  He ate the treats, nosed around on me for a bit, then jumped down looking to get in the carrier.

from what I was told though, he was apparently rather chatty.

I've had several different readings, and most times the communicator doesn't much like "so what does he have to tell me"  They prefer it when there is a question to be asked and answered.... well at least that is when I get actual information.  When I ask what does he have to say, I generally get way too general answers.

One of the first things she said though, was he had what felt like post nasal drip.  she even made a noise that she said came from him because she feels what he feels when she connects.  Nasal drip doesn't make much sense to me because he hasn't had any nasal discharge, but he has had some throat issues since his surgery.  I mentioned that, and she went on that thought for a while, but came back to nasal drip.  

I asked about the spraying.  He hasn't done it since Ollie's passing, so I assumed it had to do with stress.  She said it had to do with his feeling like he had to "get something out"  She said it feels like there are crystals on the outside of his bladder walls and when they flake off they feel like snowflakes.  Since he has had several bouts with urinary crystals, I found that interesting.  I had his urine checked during his trip to the vet, and it came back ok (no crystals)   I mentioned again that it concerned me and she wanted to check in with him about not doing it.  She said he liked to do it on the tree.  Since I came with a cat in a harness she assumed I took him out.  I said no, he is completely indoors.  She said he is showing me a tree, which is when it dawned on me that this is the spot that he has been spraying.  You can see I put orange peels down on the heater, and that is where it is, but it is close enough to make me go.. duh!
She said he said he will scratch the tree when he is about to spray..  we'll see.

She said he liked to sit up on my shoulder when I hold him.  He felt that was regal.
She said that he liked the other harness better.  The "blue" one and she pointed to the light blue handles of the basket..  He said it matches him better.  Which was funny because I like the other harness we have as it is easier to put on, but it is a little easier to slip out of so I picked the new one.  The other harness is a light purple.

He prefers canned food in chunks .. ha ha ha.. not surprised.  She said he likes the food in the "purple can" no idea what that means.  He said he prefers the "mushy" treats over the dry ones.

I asked how the harmony in the house was.  She got the sense it was very quiet.  Which it is, no fosters, no fussing over Ollie, the house is very quiet.  She asked if there was anyone in the home, I said yes, six other cats, and she didn't get that sense.  Although a little bit later she said he doesn't like it when one of the other cats scrabble on the floor.. meaning when they try to run and can't get purchase because of the hardwood floors.  He apparently showed her the house and she said it was very nice, mentioning the large room and the archway
Jack talked about liking to be on his back and playing with something hanging.  I thought he meant the toys hanging off one of the cat trees, but the more she talked the more I think she meant this
I got this for Muffin a few years ago because she liked pom-poms.  Tweedle has been playing with it lately and it has been out and about.

I had her check in with Ollie.  I said I am assuming he is happy now, and he said oh yes, very happy.  He apparently showed up "with a dog" which she went on to describe.  I have no dogs in my life, so she was a little perplexed, but then either came up with, or Ollie told her that he just brought the dog for someone else because he was too stupid to find his way himself.  That to me is a very Ollie thing.    Was it?  That is one of those things to me that is too vague to be sure of.  Although.. she did mention the left side, and went right to the spot on her corresponding with the spot on him where his cancer was.  She said she saw an X over it which she thought was odd.  She also talked about his passing.  How Ollie was sorry he had to put me through it, but that he did get comfort in my being there.  She said she got the feeling I was able to give him some Reiki (energy) during his passing which he found comforting.

Then I had her check in with Skippy.  I am concerned about him because I still feel like he is fearful that he will be returned again.  He was returned by me to the shelter originally, adopted by someone and returned, then brought home by me to get healthy, and returned, and he got sick again came back went back, and after a week I couldn't deal with it so I adopted him.  I often get the feeling that he feels that one wrong move and he's being sent back, and I can't seem to get him over that.  She said he was unsure of things.  She said he was unsure of coming up on the bed sometimes - which is completely true.  She said he was unsure of how to play - which is not really true.  He plays with Fleurp a lot, and often tries to play with others, which may lead to his being unsure because they don't much like his version of play.  She also said he had some pain on his left side, but different from what she felt with Jack and Ollie (both of which had their issues on the left side) I have NO idea what this refers to.  He also said he would like to have his dinner on a blue plate.  We feed on two large dinner plates.  We used to give Ollie a separate plate, so maybe he's wishing he got special treatment.. but heck, I have a blue plate, and if that helps him feel comfortable here, then a blue plate it is.  She said he would like to snuggle nose to nose with me (and a dry nose), and then I'll know he's comfortable

I told her about Kit, and her love for my husband, and she said, yes, she does LOVE my husband, and specifically his chest. She would like it if he were to go bare chested.. which I had to giggle at because my husband is not a bare chest kind of guy, and I'm sure he'd be too fearful of her claws to actually do it.
I had her connect to Twee, because the other animal communicators have always found her interesting.  She got the feeling that she was making a rrr rrr sound, or thought, or feeling.. Kind of like a motor that won't fully start, which is interesting since she is such a special kitty.  The other said she talked like a young kitten even though she was several years old. 

There was a lot more this time that was concrete and solid.  There was quite a bit I didn't understand or didn't make sense.  That is the unfortunate side of animal communicators.  Is it because they are scams or because the pets aren't all that great at getting out what needs to be said in a way we can understand it. There was enough on this reading that I don't feel it was a scam, and I will be happy to contact her again if I feel the need to connect to my crew a little more directly.

quick Peter & Tinsel update


Well I wrote to the shelter and heard back this morning.  Apparently the staff did mention Tinsel's teeth and they decided they need to be looked at.  Because I was already at the shelter for an animal commuicator reading and to drop off some donations they asked if I wanted to bring them in.  So I ran home, dropped Jack off and went up to PetSmart to grab them.  An uneventful trip back to the shelter and the staff looked them over.  She originally thought that Tin might have Calcivirus because of the sores in the mouth and nose, but one look told her that wasn't it.  They will be going to the vet most likely on Tuesday.  If they don't have so many adoptions over the weekend that all slots are taken up with neuters, they might go on Monday.

They did have quite a few young small dogs ... well maybe they were just small and active, I didn't actually look at their ages.... so it probably will be Tuesday.

I did mention if they need to go back into foster care, I'm more then willing to take them

While I was there I met two kitties waiting for adoption.  One already had a home with a long time volunteer.  A 15 yr old siamese kitty who the owners no longer wanted.  She said they let their pit pulls harass her, and even said they let the dogs go after her.  sometimes I really hate people

The other was a rather large kitty.  I believe his name is Stripes, but I didn't spend a heck of a lot of time looking at the card.  I patted him, and he had a few things to say.. I think it was "spring me from this joint, I don't belong here" 
  

Saturday, February 19, 2011

how hard is it to adopt out two little boys?


still no adoption.. *sigh* 

playing with the laser beam

Pwned!

I am handsome

hanging out

I think Tinsel gained weight in the past few days, as he seems so much bigger then Peter.. It seems like the difference in their ages is months not weeks.

 The staff tried using something OTC on his teeth and he didn't much like it.  He was still grumpy when I went to visit, and that is so unlike him, so I decided to write to the shelter and voice my concern.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Now this is interesting


So I was surfing blogs a few days ago and ran across someone who was very upset that Michael Vick was going to be on the Oprah show.  The author felt that Michael could never be redeemed and should never be given opportunities.  (ok, so I'm using a broad paintbrush to quickly convey the point of the blog)

I am NOT a fan of Michael Vick.  I think anyone who can watch / enjoy / profit off watching dogs kill each other is missing something vital in their personal being, and I do not want to be a part of anyone who can do that. I don't want to support/encourage/etc.  I don't think he should have been given such a fast return to the NFL (from someone who doesn't even watch the NFL or other sports because I think the players are given too much and are worshiped) From the few interviews I've heard talk about, I wasn't happy with his contrition, I think he was sorry he was caught, and not sorry for what he did (maybe he is now, I do not know)

But.

I wouldn't have mind seeing an Oprah interview.  Since she loves dogs, I would hope that she would have been sincere in getting to the heart of the matter and digging out his real feelings and either getting him to see the error of his ways or admit fully and honestly he sees the error of watching two souls fight to kill.  I was hoping to see more then I'm sorry I was caught and now I have to spout this stupid message of animal rights and it's annoying and taking out of my time being a supastar! 

I abhor what he did.  I don't think that he got enough punishment.  I'm not sure he hasn't learned the real lesson of why he shouldn't do it (I think he learned that getting caught sucks) I don't like him. 

I would have liked a chance to hear him explain.  To have my mind changed. 

Too bad "personal reasons" got in the way of that.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

yet another visit


Ok, seriously, why haven't these two boys found a home yet??  I was so sure they weren't going to be there because I figured they got adopted over the weekend.  But it had been so long since I checked, that I went anyway. 
Peter seems very comfortable there now

Tinsel sleeping

 I snuck them some canned food since I was the only one there tonight. The night cleaning crew had already come and gone.  They were so good, taking turns.  Very well mannered, it reminded me once again how good Tinsel was with Peter.
After the snack, lap time

 Peter's lump is still there.  You can see it slightly when patting him because his fur sticks out.  This was the best picture I could get of it, but it does look much more dramatic then it does in person.  The lump is just into the buff color, the fur sticking out where my jeans are.  The fur was smoothed down, and the part over the lump pops up.  It is barely larger then my pinkie fingernail.  Tinsel's is even smaller.  Tin's teeth are still red and his breath still smells.  The manager wrote that Peter's eyes looked watery.  They are all very mild symptoms but I'm just paranoid enough to think they should be seen before they turn into something.  The shelter has so much experience with mild things turning out to be nothing, so I'm not upset that they haven't done anything yet.
synchronized bathing

I LOVE Wilson (from House MD)


So I watched House last night.  Good episode, but what made me fall in love with the show all over again was the addition of Sarah.

Yes, I know, I'm a "crazy cat lady" (oh how I hate that term), but above that, Sarah is a diabetic cat that Wilson's neighbor owned.  The neighbor died and Wilson felt the need to take her in.

So no only do we have a diabetic cat on TV, we have a diabetic cat on TV being treated!!  Now granted he didn't test her blood sugar levels before injecting her (which would have probably made me faint) but he took care of Sarah's needs while having a conversation.  It showed pretty clearly that treating a diabetic is not the huge overwhelming thing that anyone who gets the diagnosis of diabetes in their cat fears.  It was just a matter of fact thing.  Yes House pointed out that Wilson would need to be home every twelve hours or risk the cat's death (pretty severe thought on the matter, but it is true you need to be home twice a day for optimal health)

YEA!!



screen shots taken from this video


I loved the end of the episode where Wilson was at home laying on the couch having quiet time with Sarah.. Very sweet.

I can't help but wonder if this is going to save kitty lives.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Another Fly


Well, I might not have mighty hunters, but I do have a mighty fly hunter.

And it is NOT Kit


 She liked playing with it but she refused to eat it.  So I called in "The Mighty Fly Hunter" who came running when I called her.  I got her right up on the bed and next to the fly, but it wasn't moving so she was unsure what I wanted her to do.
 Then it moved, and she ate it.
 Jack showed up at that point wondering what all the hubbub was about.
Skippy however wanted nothing to do with it all.

Jack is healing nicely.  I had to pill him this morning.  I had the mascarpone cheese out, and I put a dab on the pill to see if he would just eat it.  And he did.  I was very impressed.  Not that I have a problem pilling any of my cats, but if it can be enjoyable for them to get a pill, I prefer that.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

another lump


I went and saw Peter and Tinsel yesterday.  Apparently Tinsel is now developing a lump  in the exact same spot that Peter has his.  They are starting to think it is a reaction to the vaccine - which is a little odd since it has been weeks since they got it, but it is too odd to be anything else.

The staff member mentioned Peter was having loose stools.  I mentioned that Tinsel has had them since I brought them home, and she said she'd look into that.  She was bringing a sample back to the shelter to test it to see if it might not be parasitic.

But then I saw this

Apparently kittens live cheezy goodness in the form of Doritos.  They were also digging around in her stuff for her sandwich.  So I can't help but wonder what else they have been eating. 

Although it's probably parasitic

I took another look at Tinsel's teeth, and this time they were very inflamed right where his teeth were.  Yesterday they were all red.  I'm hoping it is just because he is cutting his adult teeth, but some how I doubt that.  I've seen many kitties cut teeth, and they don't smell like he smelled and don't become as red.  But every kitty is different, so hopefully it is nothing.  The staff thought they would get into a vet for a check up though.

Friday, February 11, 2011

another visit



 I went back to PetSmart, and Peter and Tinsel were still there. 
Just taking a nap

me too
 How cute are they?  Apparently the PetSmart staff lets them run free during the day.  This was the first time I went in that someone wasn't already in the room.  I found staff to let me in.  It was a little amusing because once I was in there a staff member asked if I was a customer (meaning I shouldn't be in there) but since it is a locked room, I had to wonder how she thought I got in there unauthorized. 

I woke up Tinsel and gave him some love, which woke up Peter who called to me from his cage.   Made me smile.  I sat down and had kittens in my lap

I might want a lap too.. maybe...
 Peter's lump is still there.  Tinsel's gums still looked red to me, so I made a note in the log.  I'm still considering sending a note to the foster email.  I don't want to be pushy.  I have no idea if someone looked at it or not.  They are very good, so I imagine they have, but it might just be one of those minor things that keep being put off.

After a while I decided it was time to go.  Peter went back to his cage, but had a little something to say about it. 
What's up Peter?

There's someone in our cage!
_____________________

Jack is doing very well.  His incision looks very good and is healing well.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Did you know...


(and if you get the cats.about.com newsletter, then you do)

I've always referred to the act of a cat raising it's butt when you pat it as "elevator butt'  But according to http://cats.about.com/ it is actually called Lordosis.

(which my spell check does NOT like)

Definition: Noun. Refers to the posture of female cats in estrus: head down, forelegs bent, rear quarters raised to expose the perineum, with the tail raised and held to the side of the body (to accomodate entry by a willing male). Her rear legs will tread rhythmically, as if walking in place. Lordosis will often be accompanied by loud "calling." 
 
But wait.  Cats who have elevator butt are not always in heat.  So does that mean that lordosis is strictly for the "in heat" pose.  if so, that kinda makes sense, since it starts off with lord, and cats in heat are looking for a man.. 
(yes, I'm being silly)

Well now this is interesting, google tells me that lordosis is a fancy way of saying "swayback" in humans.

Googling (spell check hates that too) feline lordosis ranges from the posture cats take in heat to problems with the spine.

Well, I'm just going to stick to "elevator butt" since people know exactly what I mean when I say that, and I'm sure I'd just look pompous if I tried to call it lordosis.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Back home


So I was anxious to get Jack home, so I left work even earlier then I planned and went and got him.  He did just fine apparently.  The U/A had some odd things written on it (blood, cloudy, high specific gravity) so even though they told me it was "fine" I asked about it.  Turns out it was bloody  because they cathed him, and it was clouding and had a high SG because his urine was highly concentrated.  Was he a little dehydrated or was his urine just concentrated because it was the morning?  the vet was unconcerned either way.  His blood work was "fine"  His lump was exactly what we thought it was. They decided against giving him stitches and just glued it up, it looks silly

His tooth... that was interesting. apparently he had broken a tooth on each side of his mouth.  The small molar right behind the canines on either side on the top of his mouth were both broken off at the root.  thinking about it, I had to wonder if he didn't break them trying to break into the cat vitamins that he has broken into a few times.  Vitamins or something else, I'm sure he broke them trying to get to food.

The post op instructions were the same as we all get, give a small dinner in case he's nauseous.  I laughed.  Jack is SO food motivated, that he would have to be locked away while others ate and that would stress him out silly.  So I put down dinner and was willing to risk his vomiting.  He ate heartily and licked the plate clean.  He even begged for more.  I decided to wait on giving him a little more to see how he was doing later.  I ran out to see Peter.


Peter and Tinsel are still there.  Peter's lump is also still there and now I'm all curious as to why.  Peter was very busy playing with the other kittens, Tinsel was ready for a little cuddling.  He jumped up and was sitting near the manager (male) who was in there playing with them.  He put his front paws on his leg which I wish I had gotten a photo of because it was so adorable.  He spent some time getting love from me while the other kitties played.  But that all ended when the treats came out.  :)  It was really sweet.  A little bitter sweet that Peter didn't need me any more, but that's ok.

I came home and gave Jack a can of Fancy Feast.  Rule is in the house if you  have surgery or a medical issue you get special treats  (probably a stupid rule, but as long as they don't figure it out and exploit it, I should be ok) and so I brought him in the bedroom and gave it to him so he didn't have to deal with the other chow hounds.  He ate 3/4ths of it and decided that was enough.  I let the others in, and the video is what ensued.  Fleurp is a laugh riot.  In case you can't see it well, she pulls the food bowl with her paw away from the other cats.


Speaking of Fleurp, vet recommends a CBC, just to make sure she isn't anemic.  He asked about her weight, and I realized I hadn't actually weighed her.  I did tonight and she is 10lbs 10.5 oz  (she was 8lbs while anemic, and 10 when she finished her round of treatment) so weight loss is not her issue.  I'm really thinking she is just enjoying my S2H watch band for some reason, but I'd rather know and "waste the money" then assume and miss an issue.

all clear


Just got the call from the vet.  Jack came through surgery just fine.  He took not only the loose tooth, but the one opposite of it.  His blood work was "fine" and he's in the process of waking up.  I'll go get him in a couple of hours and talk more.

Video


I have often seen people refer to cat things as "The. Cutest. Thing. Eva." - yup, all caps and periods, and I've always thought they have overstated.  I guess it is spending so much time with kittens and seeing constant cuteness.

But this.. this got me.  It made me laugh, it made me tear up with it's beauty.  This.  This ranks up there with ANY "Cutest. Thing. Eva." you might have.



It doesn't fit in my blog.  I've tried reducing the size, but it won't.  So you might just want to view it full screen or at YouTube for full effect.

Nervous mom


So I am a nervous wreck.  I don't much like it when my kitties aren't safely at home, and even worse when I know they are about to go under sedation.  I trust my  vet and his staff, so when I feel a panic attack coming on I just remind myself of that.

I didn't fall asleep until after 11pm, and I was awaken at 4am by someone crying.  It sounded like the "I'm dying the most pathetic death" meow, which caused me to get up and figure out what was going on.  I was reminded again how dramatically less seven cats seems then eight.  But when I got them all surrounding me (fortunately they did that with out the aid of treats since Jack couldn't have any) and did the head count they all looked up at me with the "It wasn't me" big eyes of innocence.  I got so disgusted with them I stomped off to bed.  Unfortunately I couldn't get back to sleep and everyone came to visit me at one point or another with "I'm sorry mom do you love me" administrations.  I love it when they get clingy, but it is just annoying at 4:30 AM.    I did my best to let my "Frig they woke me again in the middle of the night" anger go as there is that minuscule possibility that something might go wrong with the sedation and I did not want the last time I might possibly - no matter how remote - spend with Jack to be full of frustration.   My boy loves me, and I can't be angry with that (no matter how much I want to go to sleep).

So I finally gave up trying and got up at 6:30.  Listened to the weather man tell me that it was above freezing outside, but we did get some snow.  I knew it was going to be 1-3 inches, and near the coast was going to be minimal.  Well I'm not five miles from the coast, so I figured I'd be fine.  Stupid assumption.  The roads were pure slush.  There were spots in the 20+ miles to the vet that were clear, but for the most part it was quite slick.

So at the vet Jack became all shy.  He is the most outgoing cat at the house, out and about to say hi to everyone and beg cookies.  I gave him big hugs while I talked to the staff.  I decided to go full boat on him since I didn't have the added expense of doing Eli and Twee.     He is officially an "old man" being that he is about to turn nine.  It feels like he is barely five.  I have to keep doing the recount to make sure of his age.  So he is going to have his teeth cleaned, his loose tooth removed (and any others that might need it) the removal of the cyst that has been on his leg for years (he had one previously removed by his shoulders) and Elder Kitty blood work and a urinalysis (I so need to learn to spell that word.. thank goodness for spell check).   Figure I might as well check it when he isn't showing symptoms of problems since he does occasionally spray.  I'm 99% positive the spraying is his insecurities over what has been going on in the house lately  but I'd rather make sure I'm right.

He's going to be fine....

So I saw this on Twitter... http://www.oregonhumane.org/playroom/  I have yet to get it working, but it looks like you can control toys in a cat play room.  I so should loose this link, because I just know I'm not going to get any work done if I can get it working :)

Monday, February 7, 2011

Peter & Tinsel


Nikki asked if Peter and Tinsel are going to go home together, and yes, they are.

Tinsel would do fine with out Peter, but Peter really needed a friend to adjust to the world and considering how well Tinsel did with him, it only seemed right that they stay together.

I know there are many homes where Peter would do just fine without Tinsel, but not knowing where they are going, I felt it was in Peter's best interest to go with a buddy he already knew - that and I felt that someone willing to adopt the pair might be more open to his cautious nature.  again, not to say that someone who isn't willing to adopt the pair isn't... Hopefully you know what I am trying to say.

____

I called my vet today about Jack.  He only does surgery once a week.  I thought it was Wednesdays but it is Tuesdays.  As of this morning, they only had room to fit Jack in, which is fine.  Eli and Twee can wait a while.  I am going to have to talk to them about Fleurp and her silicone issues.  I offered her a completely new source of it (a silicone oven mitt) and she was not interested.  Seems she is just likes my watch band.  If he thinks a recheck is warranted, I'll bring her in.

(edited to note that I replied to a comment to Nikki)

making of the kitty half time show


I did not watch the superbowl, because I am not a fan of football.  I do like the commercials, but apparently so do a lot of other people, because every place that was showing them online was bogging down.  So I googled around to see if I could find the kitty half time show on line.  Not being a fan of puppies, I didn't watch that either.  Unfortunately there isn't a good video online of it, but I did find this



I think I liked this WAY more then the "official" version of it.

and if you want to read more about it check out this

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Jack


yesterday I was snuggling with Jack and looked in his mouth. I saw a bit of tarter on his tooth so I tried to flake it off. In the process he seemed upset and there was a little blood, so I stopped but I thought I noticed his tooth was a bit loose when I had touched it.

I didn't want to upset him, so I let it go. This morning while he was sleeping I woke him up and noticed he had drooled a bit. So I looked in his mouth and touched the tooth again and it moved. So it looks like it is time for a dental for him. He also has a cyst on his leg that has been there for a couple of years and I always said I'd get it taken care of the next time he was sedated, so that will probably be taken care of as well.

Eli needs his teeth cleaned and my vet said that Twee had some issues with her teeth so I will schedule them as well if he has time. Twee has a major reaction to sedation so he is going to try his hand at hand scaling her.

I'm thinking it might not be a bad idea to get Fleurp in for a recheck as well. She has developed an obsession with silicone and I figure better safe then sorry.

guess it is time to dip into the kitty health fund

still waiting


I stopped by to see my boys this afternoon. People like them, but they are not open to a pair. *sigh* it is sad they are not in a home yet.

It is also a little concerning that Peter had a very small lump on his side. it was just south of his shoulder blade a few inches to the side of his spine. Hopefully he just bumped himself or it is a result of a vigorous play session and is not something more concerning. Fortunately the shelter staff had already noticed it, and they had made note to keep an eye on it.

Milo found himself a new home this morning. Apparently he gave Peter a nice bath before he left. I'm so happy he's found a home. Another adult cat went home just as I arrived so there are only Peter & Tinsel, another bonded pair of kittens who are on the skittish side, and a mom and her son. Peter and Tinsel are still in the large cage. The other two sets had all four cages (one on top one on bottom) open to them so they could stretch out.

I was talking to the staff member there and she was telling me about another set of kittens in foster care. Apparently there is a mom cat who freaked out so much at being a mom that she ended up "throwing the kitten across the cage" and it died. So they took the rest of the kittens away from her and are now treating them as orphans. I wish I had the ability to take orphans, but with my job it isn't really feasible.

Friday, February 4, 2011

My first dream of Ollie


It was an incredibly bizarre dream. I am not going to write about it other then the Ollie part. I was in the middle of something when I realized he was near and so I stopped and went to him. I was still fearful of picking him up - because I did not want to cause him discomfort - so I was very careful and ended up picking him up and holding him close. He felt very light and almost like a stuffed rag doll of a cat. I put him down after a very short amount of time, and the dream went on.

I was a little surprised he was in a weakened state in my dream. When I dreamed of Emmy, she was her full vibrant self again.

But then again, I was always uncomfortable picking up Ollie as he was NOT a cat to be held. He would stiffen up each time and make it very difficult - legs out, back stiff. Maybe this was his way of letting me know that the tension was gone.

I still miss him. Every time I think of him, it feels like he is just in the other room. Quite often I've seen Tweedle and thought it was him.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

graduated to the big cage


 I stopped by to see if the boys were still there, and they were.  The staff had moved them into the larger play cage.  Peter is doing really well.  He enjoyed looking out at the people walking by, which is huge considering he started out sitting in a trash can.   Tinsel and I had some wonderful cuddle time, but I think he spent most of the day playing so by the time I got there he was content to sit off to the side.
Peter really liked this bed







I got some licks before I left
I wish this photo were a little better.  This is Milo, a big beautiful orange boy.  He's quite traumatized as he was in the home where something pretty horrid occurred.  I'm not quite sure if I am able to tell you as we are a small community and it could easily be traced.  It broke my heart to hear of what he went through, and I just wanted to take him home and foster him until he felt better.  I'm not sure another change would be good for him at this point though, so I didn't offer.  I might at some point though, if he doesn't find a home soon.
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