Bridgette Visits Grandma for Christmas

It's my annual Christmas trek to Buffalo to spend time with Mom and the Leis family. This year, I decided to let Bridgette tag along.

I took her home when she was a baby, but she hadn't been back since. I figured she'd spend her days hiding in the bedroom from Mom's two frisky kittens, Butch & Sundance. I was hoping they wouldn't pick on her too much since she's still not up to par. But since I have to give her meds twice a day, I figured we'd make do.

We immediately hauled her into the bedroom; set up her "necessities" and proceeded to leave, allowing her time to adjust. She adjusted by bounding out the door and heading straight for the kitchen. She explored the dining room and was off to the living room when Butch and Sundance saw her.

Contrary to what I thought would happen, they both started hissing and bolted for the basement. She just calmly sat there and looked at them, not making a sound. We didn't see them for the rest of the evening! They were cowering in the basement while Bridgette sat on the couch and hung out with the family.

The next day, they inched their way up the stairs into the kitchen, only to find Bridgette calmly sitting in their path. Eventually they worked up enough nerve to slide by her but they hissed and growled the whole way. She retaliated by stretching out across their escape path back to the safety of the basement. She closed her eyes, totally unphased by the two renegades.

By the last day, Sundance had made his peace with her and could actually be in the same room with her. Butch continued to growl and hiss, just for good measure.

On Christmas night, they all shared a Christmas dinner. Mom's other cat Francis had no problems with her cat cousin and no doubt was embarrassed by the rude behaviour of the other two.

Bridgette enjoyed her time with Grandma, getting lap time and a lot of attention. Butch and Sundance enjoyed watching her leave!

A Day in the life of Tuukka

Tuukka's had a rough transition - NOT!

He likes playing with the many catnip toys and checking out the Christmas lights.

He helps wrap Christmas packages and finds time to relax in the little cat condo.

He ends the day by having a meal with the family. All in all, not a bad way to spend a day.

Tuukka Takes on the Cat Doors

Tuukka spent his very first night outside.

Night #1 When I went to bed, he was dozing on the living room floor with his head in the cat toy bag. Since he refused to be locked up, I figured I'd hear some growling and scuffling through the night. But I heard nothing.

About 5 a.m. I woke up hearing a really weird meow from a long way off. I got up and looked around and discovered Tuukka was outside. He obviously found the cat door, but didn't figure out that the cat door worked both ways. After I opened the door, he waltzed in just like he'd been doing it for years.

Night #2 I decided I'd keep him in but "locking" the cat door. This time I woke up around midnight as I heard a really odd crash. Tuukka must have really wanted out and a little plastic lock would not deter him. So, he simply popped the whole plastic door right off!

Night #3 Mike fixed the cat door. I decided if he wanted out so bad, I'd let him go out. No big deal. Unfortunately, I also have to factor in Molly. She ended up spending this night outside because every time she tried to come back in, Tuukka would go over and "regulate" the door. So, she was too scared to come in. I heard her crying outside. So, I got up numerous times to let her in. WHY she kept going back out, I have no idea!

Night #4 New plan. I took the 10 pound box of laundry soap and two tins full of cat food and placed them in front of the cat door to barricade it. This way, the cats would stay in and the door would not need fixed again. I got up in the morning and saw that the laundry soap and cat tins had been shoved aside. The plastic door was somehow perched on top of the laundry soap, so once again Tuukka wins. He was lounging nonchalantly on the cat condo and gave me a look, like "What? I'm inside so what more do you want?"

Tonight - Molly's going to have to get used to Tuukka and learn to come in even if he DOES stand at the cat door. It's every cat for him/herself here!

Meet Tuukka

I'd like to introduce the newest member of my family: Magic Tuukka-Bob Simba Catdog! Everyone who's met him seems to add a new name to the big guy.

Last week I called Dr. Randall to say good-bye and wish her well as she moves on to Minneapolis. It was a bit traumatic - no a Lot traumatic since I've been taking the babies to her for over 10 years! Plus, she gave me Bridgette, Molly and Hamilton - starting me on the road to caring for special needs cats.

As we were talking, I said, "You wouldn't happen to have one last special needs cat that I could take for old times sake?"

"Welllll," she paused, "As a matter of fact I do."

I stopped after work to meet the big guy who has AIDS. His family moved off and left him, and he was on the streets before a neighbor took him in. But her cats were fighting with him, so he ended up at the Cat Clinic. His last stop before he landed at my house.

My cats are not aggressive, so there's little chance that he'll spread the virus to any of them. Plus, all of mine have been tested. Turns out - my house was the perfect destination for him.

Anna helped me bring him home and he really is just a gigantic teddy bear. I'd set him up in the computer room for a "safe place" for him while he adjusted. Turns out - he didn't need to adjust and as soon as I slipped out the door he was right behind me. He cruised around the house, looking it over and walking by several very surprised kitties who just backed up and let him pass. I think they all were a bit in awe over how big he is!

Except Molly. She was outside and saw him through the patio door. She took one look at the interloper and she ran in and attacked him! All 7 pounds and 3 legs were a flying. He backed up looking a little stunned. You could see him go, "Hey, dudette - what's the problem?"

She spent the rest of the evening under the couch growling at him while he discovered the bag of catnip toys and proceeded to play with them.

When it was time to feed everyone, I was going to fix a bowl and feed him in a different room, but he lined up with the whole crew and they all ate together.

Yup - he's adjusted really fast!

The Tail of Ring Worm Cat

I'm still waiting for my Ring Worm cat to actually get over her case of ring worm.

I've never actually waited for a pet before. Usually, they either just move in with me, or I get a call from the Cat Clinic saying they have a special needs cat with my name written all over it. Suddenly, there's a new member of the family. The other cats are all ticked for awhile and then we all are one big happy, even furrier family.

I'm really glad I didn't take her immediately, knowing now that she really did have ring worm. From what I've read, it's a pain to try and get rid of, especially in a multi-cat household. So, another cat disease I can check off my bucket list.

What's funny is I've only seen her that one day although the cat rescue lady Angela sent me a great picture. You can see she has tons of attitude, which I love. That's what attracted me right off. And the fact she's a little homely.

I've named her Sunny after one of my favorite shows It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. They had a great episode about a junk yard cat. Driving 18 cats with ring worm across state lines is something the Sunny crew would do! Also, Mac's mom has a very gravelly voice and that's exactly what Sunny sounds like too.

I'm getting a bit tired of waiting, but I'm sure that Angela is getting tired of fostering her for me as well. So the sooner she gets rid of that darn ring worm, the better.

My brother-in-law Mike asked me what's wrong with her - I just don't take normal cats. They're usually missing a limb or something. But even though Sunny has all her legs, isn't diabetic or blind or something, I think she deserves a new home.

And after the very difficult summer I had, this has really given me something to smile about.

I can hardly wait.

Rescue Mission Part Deux

I've had a big smile on my face all week. The last several months have been dismal in my little cat world and try as I might, I hadn't been able to get over the loss of Truman and Spott.

Then 18 cats stepped in and reminded me that I do have a role in the world - a person who saves the world one cat at a time (like my Mutts shirt says.) Or like the story of the kid who would throw beached starfish back into the ocean. No, he couldn't save them all, but he said, "I made a difference for this one."

That's what I did for Spott & Truman and I'd forgotten that for awhile.

So, I was sitting in the van in Boulder hanging with 18 cats while Missie was dealing with an iPod issue. I called my trusty vet and asked what I needed to do to make sure I didn't catch ringworm and spread it to my family. She said, to wash my hands, strip, burn your clothes, the van, .... well not really, but almost. Apparently it IS very contagious and the spores can travel in clothes or fibers. And, it's notoriously hard to get rid of.

I told her that one little cat had caught my eye. She said, "DO NOT TAKE A RINGWORM CAT." In fact, she might have said it 15 times, but I was looking at Little Cat the whole time, replying, but she's sooooo cute. Dr. Randall said there are cats around every corner looking to get rescued, don't take a ringworm cat.

"Well, I heard there's a 3-legged cat," I said. She told me emphatically to take 3-legged cat, but not Ringworm Cat.

Hmmm, I'll have to ponder...

I pondered as far as Loveland where we passed the cats along to Angela. Missie and I debated taking Little Cat at that moment, but I had no way to keep her separated from the others while waiting to see if she actually had ringworm or not. So, a clearer head prevailed and I didn't take her.

That night, I had another cat dream. I knew when the right cat needed me, she would find me, just like all my cats have. Little Cat found me.

So, I emailed Angela and told her I'd take Little Cat once the threat of Ringworm was gone.

I'm sooooo happy.

You can clearly see her in the 2-toned carrier on the left! :)

Rescue Mission!

On Monday, I heard from my friend Lesley that the Casper Cat Rescue had sent 22 cats to the Boulder Humane Society to be adopted. But, Boulder said the cats had ringworm and they refused to take them. They would be euthanized if they weren't picked up.

Well, I thought, I could drive to Boulder and bring them as far as Cheyenne. I've wanted to do something to help other felines after losing Spott & Truman and this seemed like a perfect time to jump in. So, I offered to help.

Now I didn't really think this through. While my car is large enough to hold 2 small boys, I suddenly realized that fitting 22 cats in would be a bit tougher. So, I coerced my good (way too good I might add) friend Missie into helping.

So, Tuesday morning, directions in hand, we headed to Boulder. We found it quite easily and a friendly person even let us in. We waited for the cats to be delivered but it apparently was more of an ordeal than we thought. Before we knew it, we were in the back helping load the Ringworm Cats into carriers. Well, Missie loaded and I mostly watched. We ended up taking 18 cats and kittens back with us and they all fit neatly into her van.

It wasn't as loud as we expected, but Missie said she hadn't really counted on the smell. (I think more than one might have had a wee bit of an accident.)

Almost all of the cats were in boxes but 3 were put in actual carriers and one little cat was sitting facing us. She was a homely little thing with a very gravelly meow and a forceful personality. We were both drawn to her right away.

On the drive back, I looked back and she was sitting there, paws curled under just like she was Miss Daisy and we were the drivers.

We transferred the furry passengers to the Casper Cat Rescue person Angela. We were happy to help and I felt happy knowing that 18 little lives were spared. It does seem wrong that a supposedly "no kill" shelter would put a cat down for having ringworm. Fortunately, none of these met that fate and are all now awaiting homes in Casper. Visit Caspercatrescue.com to get more info!

Brenda's Tree Donations

I've been trying to come up with a good way to honor the lives of Truman and Spott. Right now, helping other animals in need seems like the best and most appropriate thing.

So, I want to help Lesley raise money for Brenda's Tree. I couldn't figure out how to attach the flyer, but here's the text:

Brenda Collins Newman was a beautiful, vibrant young 37-year-old woman who dedicated her life to her family, friends, and pets. Brenda loved animals of all sizes including cats, dogs, turtles, and fish. Brenda lost her life and that of her unborn child, Cian, to a drunk driver on October 30, 2008 on Highway 59 north of Douglas, WY. Brenda’s Tree is dedicated to her spirit for life and her love of animals – specifically rescue animals.

With Brenda’s devotion to animals in mind, her sister and Paws2Help have created Brenda’s Tree. Ribbons to decorate Brenda’s Tree will be sold in the name of

lost loved ones, with all proceeds benefiting Paws2Help and their rescue animals. For your $5 donation, you may select a large ribbon and a “In Loving Memory” tag in your lost loved one’s name and help fill Brenda’s Tree with love. You may also select the anonymous smaller ribbons for a $1 donation.

Gold ribbons represent lost loved ones. Purple ribbons represent those lost to DUI. Paw print ribbons represent our lost pets.

Brenda's Tree will be on display and ribbons will be available for purchase at Blue Heron Books and Espresso through the holidays. A second tree will also be on display at Popish Veterinary Clinic where ribbons may also be purchased.

So if you'd like to donate a ribbon to the tree, you can send me your donation and I'll coordinate the Cheyenne effort.

Somehow, I'd like to organize a cat rescue here, but don't quite know how to even get started. Give me time, I'll figure something out.

10 Cat-iquette bed rules

I woke up at 3 in the morning a couple nights ago because a large furry cat was on my face, purring in my ear. My nose was tickling so much, I knew it was Hamilton - the big furry feather duster!

I realized then that he was making the transition from sleeping in the closet to sleeping on the bed. He has a few rules to learn:

1. Don't sleep on my face.

2. Don't drool in my ear. Or anywhere on exposed skin.

3. Turn the purring down. Or please fall asleep, so it doesn't sound like a motor boat's closing in.

4. Don't knead your claws anywhere on me or the mattress. (Hamilton's declawed, so he can skip this one.)

5. Don't growl if I should choose to move you because my arm has fallen asleep under your dead weight.

6. Don't pee on my head. (OK, no one's tried this since O'Malley)

7. Don't bring toys or dead mice into the bed.

8. Bed time is for sleeping and not for loud slurpy, grooming.

9. Don't sit and stare at me while I'm sleeping. It's as creepy as if a person was doing it.

10. I am allowed to sleep later on weekends, so there's no need to start pacing across my body if I'm not up by 6.

I'm sure the cats have their own rules, or maybe only one:

1. The bed is mine. Period.

Bridgette's progress

Well, the good news is that Bridgette continues to improve! She's still on her steroids and antibiotics and they seem to be doing the trick.

I talked to Dr. Prauss about her progress and what to expect from rhino...yaddayadda-nose thing. She said that this condition can't be cured, but can be controlled with meds. Somehow, the interior of her nose got irritated and inflamed. Unlike a normal cat (or human nose) once the irritant was gone, the nose didn't relax, it just went into overdrive, producing loads of goo and causing so much inflammation, the passageway was blocked.

So, we'll gradually reduce the dosage and see how it goes. Her weight (which I describe as chunky) is something we'll deal with later.

But she's out and about, grooming again and generally getting feisty. She's actually been fighting with the other cats which in this case, I see as a good thing. The fact she still has litter box issues is another little issue I'll worry about another day. One thing at a time!

Struggle for Supremacy

The battle for the job of Top Cat continues.

With the loss of Truman, a huge vacuum in leadership emerged.

I knew Truman was in charge, but didn't realize to what extent. He determined where everyone slept, their proper place on the bed (or if they were allowed on the bed); who ate in what order (he ate first and sampled everyone's to determine which bowl he'd start with); who got to sit on my lap (virtually no one) and I believe, even which litter box they were allowed to use.

Now I have a bit of chaos on my hands. What's clear is that nothing is clear. No favorites have emerged, but here's how I think they stand:

Dickens - no chance. He's 18 and as long as he can sleep in the corner of the bed, he's happy.

Molly - actually, I don't think Molly's even noticed a change. She's outside and takes little interest in the politics of the inner-household.

Hamilton - the new guy on the block. He's been battling, but is at a disadvantage not having front claws. This has been hurting him in the "tough guy" department. Also he drools a lot which I think would be embarrassing in cat world.

Barclee - although few people have seen her and has been nicknamed "Figment" by friends and family, she's the early favorite. She's getting pretty bossy at opportune times like dinner and bed time. Also, I'm pretty sure it was her claw I found in Hamilton's head. She has a soft spot for Molly though, and that weakness could be her undoing.

Bridgette - she's the dark horse. Now that she's feeling better, I think she'll step it up a little more. I think she was Truman's 2nd in command before the nose situation got the better of her. Plus, she doesn't really care if the other cats like her - and is not really being friendly with any of them. A true leader in other words. And I have seen her club the other cats in the head if they were encroaching on her Cindy time. IN other words, she's not afraid to mix it up.

Stay tuned. Cat hierarchy is much more complicated than dog world, and it'll be interesting to see how it plays out over the next several months. Place your bets...

Bummer

Somedays are still tough.

I came home from a rough day at work and as I walk in the door I always say Hello Babies!

Today, no one greeted me and I inadvertently called out, "Truman?"

Then I remembered.

Truman ALWAYS greeted me at the door and then jumped up on the washer to head butt me. A long time ago, when he saw would see the car, he'd run out the cat door, jump over the fence and get to the car by the time the garage door opened. Then he'd ride on the car into the garage. After the cat fence was installed, he simply greeted me at the door. By the time I'd get to the dining room, Spott would have come out as well.

I miss my greeters.

Dickens & Hamilton

August was a big month for birthdays/anniversaries. Dickens turned 18 and Hamilton celebrated his first year in this crazy household.

I got Dickens as a kitten from the pound. He IS named after Charles Dickens, although I've always joked he was a "little dickens."

Dickens is suffering from kidney disease, but he's doing pretty darn good. In fact, he routinely steals food from the little boys. He growls as he sits on the carpeting eating it, and then he promptly throws it up. But hey, he's 18 so whatever makes you happy. (By the way, I'm not exactly sure of the equivalent, but he's got to be in his 90s human-wise.)

I took in Hamilton last year. His owner had died and the people taking care of the estate brought him into the Cat Clinic to have him put to sleep. Of course, they couldn't do that and promptly asked me if I'd like to take another "special needs" cat. He was 10 and diabetic. Pretty unadoptable in other words. I asked Jack and Will if they liked him, and at first they were hesitant because they thought I was going to trade one of the existing cats. When I said, NO, it would be an additional cat, they were both like, "Ok, whatever."

I picked him up after Missie and I took a trip to Canada. We got lost in Hamilton, Ontario several times and were subsequently told by a visitor center lady that Hamilton is "omnipresent." So, when I got home and picked up my baby, Hamilton was the obvious name. And he IS omnipresent. Or at least his hair is!

We've had some ups and downs as I've learned all about diabetes, but right now he's thriving. He loves sitting in the back yard - hanging out on the deck or under a bush. He's also a BIG baby. He sits on my lap and just drooooooools all over. And over. He's been a good addition!

Goobers

There's no two ways about it - Bridgette is a goober. A BIG goober. It's funny how as a cat mom, I can deal with all kinds of pet excretions, but the minute my nephew Tom has snot running out of both nostrils into his mouth, I start gagging and yell for his mom to get a kleenex. I just can't stand the site.

Now Bridgette actually one ups Tom by constantly licking the boogers off of her nose. I try and beat her to it as often as I can, but during the night I can hear the slurp, slurp, slurp and I know what she's doing.

All this snot is one of the signs of her current condition. OK, I don't know the technical name yet, but it has to do with a nasal inflammation serious enough to cause loads of secretions. I picked up her prescription today and am looking forward to seeing a newer, buffer Bridgette as she snorts down the steroids.

I'm just glad she's not planning on playing major league baseball.

Only Good News

Only Good News from Now On

This is a great song by The Elders and it actually fits today.

I got a message from Dr. Prauss saying that there's no sign of cancer in Bridgette's nose. She has an extreme inflammation something or other, but the bottom line is that it can be treated.

Yahoo!!! I can't even explain the stress I've been under worrying about this. We're not out of the woods of course while we find the right medication, but at least it's not the death sentence I was expecting.

She seems to be aware as well, because she's sitting here next to me just hanging out. She hasn't done that in quite awhile, so I guess we're both better already!

Thanks to everyone for the positive thoughts!!

Another Pain Med attempt

Last night I had some pain meds that I could give Bridgette if she appeared to be in discomfort. I got up to check on her almost every hour because instead of coming home and just falling asleep, she paced up and down the hall for hours. She was still groggy, so kept bumping into things and then falling over.

I finally decided to give her some pain meds around midnight, hoping that would calm her down a bit. Let's just say that I wasn't much more successful than when I attempted it with Spott. This time, I was supposed to squeeze the syringe of stuff in under her tongue. Uh huh. Easier said than done.

I think SOME of it did end up in her mouth, but I got splashed and some dripped right down her chest. She was pretty fiesty when I attempted to pry her mouth open. So, the score with pain meds vs cats comes down to Cats 2 - Pain Meds - 0!!!

Fortunately, she seemed much more relaxed this morning so I didn't see the need to attempt another dose. I believe I'll try that last dose under MY tongue and see how I do!

Bridgette

Today, Mom and Anna drove down with me to Windsor to take Bridgette for her rhinoscopy.

Bridgette has been having difficulty breathing for awhile. We've tried a variety of antibiotics, thinking it was some version of a kitty cold. When nothing worked, we went to Plan B which is to have her nose scoped to see what's inside blocking air flow.

I took her to Peak Veterinary Specialists and they were really wonderful with her - and me. Unfortunately, there is abnormal growth in the nasal cavity and it could be cancerous. The biopsy will come back on Friday and we'll know then whether it can be treated or not.

Let's just say this is not really good news for me, although I suspected this was going to be the case. I knew back in May, but taking Bridgette in got delayed because of Spott and Truman.

She was a good patient though and is now wandering around aimlessly while the drugs wear off. She did eat her dinner, so that's good.

Bridgette

Bridgette was my first, official "Special Needs" cat. I got her from a friend when she was about months old. Unbeknownst to me, my vet had rescued her and nursed her at the clinic for 6 weeks until Brenda agreed to foster her and find her a home.

That ended up being with me!

From what I figured out from her story, some kids were playing tug-of-war with her and her front leg got hyper-extended and it caused a lot of nerve damage. She'd lost the use of it, but after her time in the cat clinic, she got the use of most of it back, except the use of her paw. It curls under like a little club.

She walks on it, but if she's running, she picks it up and runs 3-legged. She also uses her club as a scoop for food, or as an actual club on occasion. I've seen her more than once clubbing one of the other cats on the ear, if they're not behaving!

Thank You

Thank you Lesley, Al and Cathi for such kind words. I got the card and book today and it means a lot to know there are so many pet lovers out there.

This has been a really tough week, so I appreciate all of the support.

The other kitties are all a bit confused. They seem a tad aimless, not knowing quite what to do. Truman ran a pretty tight ship and they all knew what order they could eat and who could sleep where. So, we'll see what happens with the pecking order.

The exception is Molly. Of course. She's outside looking for a new hole in the fence so she can escape again. She's relentless. I'm still proud though.

Truman -1998-2010

The unimaginable happened and Truman died from liver cancer while I was in Dublin. I am heartbroken and can't think of any words so can only share a part of a song that I'd want played for me.

I've had a life that's full

Everyone's been good to me

so fire up that fiddle boy and give me

one last drink

When the sun comes up I will leave without

a fight

The world is mine tonight...

So raise a glass to the dear departed ones.

One Last Drink by Enter the Haggis

More bad news

I got more bad news today.

I'm leaving for a trip tomorrow and was taking Hamilton in to be boarded. I just won't make my cat sitters deal with giving him his shots twice a day.

Truman's still not eating so I decided to take him along with to the vet, just so I could see there was nothing wrong and so Mandy and Dani wouldn't have to worry.

Unfortunately, he's lost 3 pounds and Dr. Randall could tell right away he's extremely jaundiced - signs of liver failure. To say I was crushed is an understatement. And I picked up Spott's ashes, so it was a tough ride home. Two cats seriously ill in this short of period is just too much. (Well, I should say 2 new cats ill - Dickens and Bridgette still have issues too.)

But, if there is a positive, he's in good hands and at least I took him in before I left.

On a positive note, Hamilton's blood sugar is perfect - he's just got an attitude. And Molly got out of the yard again. She's a pill.

Cats and Dogs - the Revenge of Kitty Galore

OK - here's my first movie review: Cats and Dogs - the Revenge of Kitty Galore

I took Jack and Will to see this yesterday and based on the title - I had high hopes. Unfortunately, the title was one of the highlights.

For me, it had a lot of subtle movie humor that only adults would pick up on. I enjoyed the title sequence being similar to The Spy Who Loved Me; the fact that Roger Moore was one of the voices; the bad cat had metal teeth and was called "Paws" and the whole Silence of the Lambs part was pretty clever.

Unfortunately, it was halfway through the movie before I realized neither boy had laughed once. I knew they were still sitting right behind, and that their funny bone was still in place because they roared at the hilarious antics of the Road Runner and Wile E Coyote in the cartoon. But not a peep during the actual movie.

I was also disturbed once again by the portrayal of cat owners. Still a lot of room for improvement although I did laugh at the cat lady and her label as an "enabler" for giving her cats catnip.

So - OK for adults, a snooze for kids. They didn't even laugh at the dogs sniffing each other's butts part.

Final tally - 2 Paws out of 5.

Inappropriate elimination

All of the articles I've read call peeing outside a litterbox "inappropriate elimination."

I call it, "WHY THE !#$%#$ is HAMILTON SPRAYING MY XBOX?"

Or the ever popular "WHO PEED ON THE CARPET?"

I've been having on-and-off again problems with various cats and their peeing. Sometimes it IS health related (like when Truman peed in the clean laundry or my photo box - he did have a blockage).

Truly, though, I just think it's "recreational peeing." Although vets and specialists across the internet insist that cats don't pee for revenge, spite, stress or just for fun - I have to disagree. Hamilton is truly having fun as he's now sprayed every bush in the back yard from what I can tell, and I can see by that glimmer in his eye, he's decided to tackle the inside as well. That would explain the Xbox, the cat post, most of the doors, and last night, my suitcase.

Bridgette, for whatever reason, hates her box and will pee only on carpeting. Her favorite target right now is in front of the TV. She's been triple- checked for infections, but I think she simply hates the litterboxes. Although she will use it to poop, so go figure. I guess she's just very discriminating - but this is really causing me to tear my hair out!

All of the cats are showing various signs of stress from everything that happened with Spott, but this really pre-dated Spott's illness.

I'm back to my original notion they just are having a lot of fun...

At the Vet

Yesterday was shot day for Barclee and Dickens.

It's always an adventure rounding up the appropriate victim, stuffing the howling feline into a carrier and hauling to the car. Somehow they always psychically know who's on tap and go into hiding.

Normally, I just take one at a time, but Dickens didn't get his shots in February when he was due. He wasn't doing well at the time, and was too dehydrated to get his vaccinations. The kidney disease was taking its toll.

But, 4 months of getting canned cat food twice a day has done wonders for the old man, so I decided to bundle him up along with Barclee.

Anna was the chosen hapless helper. Normally, this involves crawling around on the floor, chasing cats down the hall, or pulling someone out from under the bed. This venture was easy actually. Barclee was lounging in the back TV room, so I simply closed the door. HA, nowhere for you to go!

Dickens, poor guy, has always been clueless. He literally walks into the carrier to see what might be inside and genuinely looks surprised every single time the door is closed. Bummer, you could see him say - it happened again!

Dickens has always been extremely stressed anytime he goes to the vet and usually the drooling starts the minute we walk into the clinic. He literally drools buckets! Long globules hang down from both sides of his mouth and his entire body will be soaking wet by the time the exam is finished.

But this was different. Now he had a buddy. Both cats were sitting on the table and they were bumping each other's heads. There was no drool at all. It was amazing. I pointed this out to Dr. Parks, oops I mean Dr. Randall, and she said "Boy, after 18 years, you finally figured out that all Dickens needed was a buddy to come along!" I had to laugh. Then he cried when he was put back in the carrier, but he stopped once Barclee was loaded back up and they could see each other.

And, the old man even gained some weight, so my 18-year-old guy is doing fine! Barclee, fortunately, had an uneventful exam as well. It's good to get some good news. AND, I didn't have to towel Dickens off either! Success!!

Adjustments

All of the cats have their own special time of day. They each find time to have their one-on-one time and the others don't intrude. For example, Hamilton sits on my lap when I'm at the computer. Barclee hangs out and wants attention right before bed. Bridgette likes the morning bathroom time. Molly, well, when Molly FEELS like getting attention, she'll jump up on the table for a quick chin rub.

Spott loved early mornings, right when I was starting to wake up. So, this week has been really hard because it used to be I'd start to open my eyes, and she'd be sitting right next to me, paws neatly folded under and would just be gazing at me. It was a look of just adoration - it's hard to explain. Once my eyes opened, she'd start meowing and head butting me. I couldn't pet her enough to satisfy her. Sometimes Barclee would attempt to horn in but Spott totally would cut her off. Daughter or no - this was her time.

I've missed that. She slept on the bed a couple times after she got home from her surgery, but it was too hard for her to get up on it. I lifted her a couple more times, but sad to say, the others kind of pushed her aside. So she slept in the cat tent or under the bed. It was so gradual, I didn't really notice.

It's funny that it's this one little thing though that's really bothering me the most. She also would stand on her hind legs and bump the top of her head against my hand to be petted. That was uniquely Spott too.

So, learning to get up and face the day without my daily Good Morning from Spott is the biggest adjustment of all.

Hell on 3 Legs

Once again Mike and Anna had to come over and fix the cat fence. The fence is a series of brackets and netting on top of the fence to keep a cat from going over. But one keeps doing just that.

Molly. The 3-legged cat!!!

She's like a velociraptor - continuously circling the fence, looking for weaknesses. She obviously found another one since I discovered her in the front yard again on Thursday.

In her defense, she doesn't always go over the fence. She's also gone under more than once. Yes - she digs relentlessly and the fence has bricks around the bottom to block Molly Holes. She got pretty angry when Anna blocked the last one. She pawed at the brick, and then came over to me and cussed me out in cat language.

I guess I should take it personally that she's working so hard to get out, but secretly, I'm just proud. She has no idea that she's one of my "special-needs" cats.

More Spott

Spott - 1999-2010

Barclee

Barclee is sitting next to me on the cat chair. O'Malley started the cat chair tradition years ago and the other cats have embraced the idea ever since. The old red chair that belonged to my Grandma is now officially the cat chair and one of the throng is always sitting next to me while I "compute."

Every now and then one of them will take a walk across the keyboard. And then there's Hamilton. He insists on sitting ON my lap, front legs around my neck and then he proceeds to drool down the side of my face. It's our little ritual.

Anyway, Barclee is Spott's daughter. Today, when I got home, she was curled up next to her Mom under the bed. It was so sweet. I'm glad that Spott has her while I'm away at the office. She really has reached the end and so probably tomorrow, I'll take her in. I've decided that I need to do what's best for her and not what's easiest for me.

Monday

I think the time is getting near the point of the really tough decision. I was hoping that there would be a clear cut sign when it's time, but that hasn't been the case. Plus, a part of me hoped that she'd bounce back and I'd be off the hook. Looks like it's not going to be that easy.

This is the hardest part of being a cat-mom. I just hope I can make the right decision.

Sunday Revisited

After a hectic day yesterday with kids, today was much quieter and Spott ventured out into the kitchen. She hung out on the cool floor under the fan and lounged all day. I even got her to eat some tuna! Bridgette stayed near her, which is a bit unusual because Bridgette really doesn't like any of the others.

Spott didn't come to me as a special-needs cat but as a mother with kittens looking for a home. My sister Marcie and family were getting ready to move into town off of the ranch. Shortly before they would be leaving, one of the ranch cats showed up with kittens in tow. Marcie had always called her Stripe Nose, for obvious reasons!

I was up visiting and she asked me if I'd be willing to take a kitten. She didn't want to just leave them all, not knowing what would happen to them. I said, No, I don't want a kitten. She said, what about 2 kittens? Ummmm, no - don't want 2 kittens either.

I had recently lost my old tom cat O'Malley. I told her that when I adopted another cat, it would probably be an older cat who no one else would want, not a kitten.

"Well, she said, why don't you take Stripe Nose and then find homes for the kittens in Cheyenne?"

OK! THAT I will do. So, the cat formerly known as Stripe Nose was bundled up into a cat carrier with her 3 kittens and off we went. She did not make a single peep all the way home. On the way down, I decided on her new name - Spott. She was named after Data's cat Spot (Star Trek the Next Generation) and the kittens were dubbed Barclay, Keyhlar and Worf (even though they all turned out to be girls!) Brandon was the only one who correctly pointed out Spott was an ironic name considering her stripe. Well done!

I put the new family in the back bedroom with a big cat bed, scratching posts and lots of food and water. I reached in to pull her out of the carrier, and she promptly bit me -right through my thumb nail!! All I could do was laugh because it was an incredibly stupid thing to do since I knew she'd never had any shots or anything. I live on the edge in my own house!!

It only took a couple of days before Spott would run over to the door to greet me. She often drug the poor nursing kittens along in her effort to be petted. She was the most affectionate and appreciative cat I've ever adopted. To this day she'll push all others aside to get to me for her chin scratching. She also has an incredibly loud motor. All she has to do is see me and it starts right up. She was sooooo happy in her new home! It took her over a month to venture out of the bedroom and a whole year before she stepped a foot out on the patio. She also doubled her weight in one year since she couldn't pass a cat food bowl without licking it clean!

She is also the least assertive cat I've ever had, which may be how she survived on the ranch for 5 years. She would totally back off from any cat in any situation. Maybe it's because she'd had kittens, but she's always been a caretaker and as new cats have come into the house, she greets them and washes their heads. She also developed a fondness for cat toys- especially feathers!

One thing she didn't like though, was to be picked up. So, over the years, she would simply sit next to me on the chair, or sit by my feet. She'd sleep curled up next to my legs on the bed, but I rarely held her. Sadly, if I had I might have noticed the lumps a little sooner. But Dr Parks said that cats who've had lots of litters of kittens are prone to this disease. She'd had several before she moved in with me.

So - if you have a female cat - do the monthly exam - just like the humans! I've totally checked my other girl cats just in case. Now Spott's lounging in the bedroom. Time to go try more tuna...

Escape Artist

I got home last night and as I do my normal head count, I realize Hamilton is missing. I figure he's outside sitting under his favorite bush and will soon come in. After an hour and a half, I start to panic a bit about where the big furball is. I finally check out front and there he is sitting on the porch, waiting to be let in.

Hamilton is a 10-year old, diabetic guy and declawed. Going out front is NOT an option for him, but he still managed to find the one loose board in the fence and somehow wriggled his way out. He will not be happy when he discovers Anna has blocked his escape route. I don't think he really wants to go anywhere, he just likes a challenge.

Find something else buddy!

Just say no to drugs

The morphine experiment is over. Spott was literally scrambling down the hall, her back legs all a-jumble, in an effort to get away from me. She ended up cowering in a corner with a panic-stricken look on her face. I got her message loud and clear - no more drugs.

I can't have her scared to have me come near - just not worth it. Fortunately, this morning things were back to normal. When I got up, she was lounging in the hall, but got up to greet me. Then the purring started. It was so loud, I could still hear her in the kitchen.

All the cats are hanging out in the hall - the coolest spot in the house I think. (Well, Molly's outside, but that's another story).

So, I re-stocked the food and water and when I left I could still hear her motor running, hanging out with her cat family in front of the fan.

Morphine to Go

I figured giving a cat morphine would be a piece of cake! In fact, I envisioned that Spott would feel so good after the first dose she'd be waking me up in the morning to get another fix.

Really, how hard can it be? The vet told me to simply squeeze the morphine into the cheek pouch. No problem - just a pinch between the cheek and gum - easier than a wad of chewing tobacco. Unfortunately, I guess I forgot to tell Spott this was going to be fun and easy with a big payoff in the end.

She became a cat contortion artist as she kept slipping away. Her front paws because two fully armed weapons of destruction headed right toward my face. She also decided to go for broke and tried biting too. She's still pretty darn spunky. I'm unsure how much of the first dose actually made it into the cheek pouch.

The second attempt this morning didn't go much smoother. She was ready for me and was in the crouch and tuck position - glaring at me. If her eyes were lasers, I'd have been fried on the spot. (no pun intended Spott!)

When I got home after work, instead of finding a pleasantly stoned cat waiting for me on the cat rug, I found a glaring, angry cat cleverly hiding under the bed - just out of arm's reach. She's no dummy that's for sure. I'm thinking maybe I got the instructions wrong and the morphine is for ME!!!

This is my first venture into cat-blogging. I'm sure my stories aren't any more diverse or interesting than most pet owners, but it'll give me a way to honor the feline lives I've been blessed with and to acknowledge all of the humans who've helped along the way.

Today's cat is Spott. She was diagnosed with kitty breast cancer about a month ago. After radical surgery to remove the tumors, she's at home and resting. Unfortunately, the prognosis wasn't good from the start and she's not really improving. In fact, she's now lost the use of one back leg.

I've come to the realization that she's not going to get better and my role right now is to make her last days as pleasant and comfortable as I can. Running a cat hospice is a lot harder than it sounds - emotionally it's packed a whallop!

Yesterday, she drug herself outside to sit under one of her favorite bushes. She still purrs though, and sits up when I pet her. I tell myself that in her cat way, she's OK, but I know she's fading. After reading an article about a cat hospice at CSU, they mentioned pain medication as a way to ease their days. So, I called my trusty vet and got her some morphine to see if she responds a bit. Hopefully, her appetite will pick up a bit too.

When I got home tonight, I saw her sleeping in her familiar spot under the bed -with her 6-year old daughter Barclee curled up next to her. The other cats are being exceedingly nice to her. Although they're not above shoving her away to get to her food. Some things don't change!