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.