The Nose Knows

I've learned a lot about cat noses over the years.

1. Cat air passages are very, very small.

2. If a cat's nose is clogged, they will not breathe through their mouths.

3. Cat's can snooze violent snot and aim it like a weapon on clean clothes, walls, furniture and occasionally my face. (It's not good to look close up when a cat's getting ready to sneeze.)

Several years ago my cat Murphy would sneeze so violently, her whole body would shake, and cat boogers were literally caking my walls. Who knew one cat could create so much gook? After several years, and a couple different vet visits, Dr. Parks discovered poor Murphy had been shot and had a pellet lodged in her nasal cavity! I took her to a specialist in Colorado to have it removed. After that, she had a lovely little scar down her entire nose, but she could breathe again, and the quality of life improved one hundred percent. She lived out the rest of her years breathing freely without that pesky obstruction in her tiny nose.

Fast forward about 10 years, and Bridgette arrives. Her nose is perfect, her only little imperfection is her one club foot. But a couple years ago, she starts sneezing, oozing cat snot, and literally gasping for air. Is it a cat cold? A sinus infection? After trying several different antibiotics, Dr. Parks suggests we x-ray her because you never know what you'll find. She said, "Knowing Murphy's her cat-sister, who knows if the same bizarre situation could happen twice."

It was both good and bad that we didn't find a pellet - it meant she hadn't been shot, but we still didn't know what was wrong. I took her down to Peak Veterinary Specialists in Windsor and after numerous tests, Dr. Prauss told me that Bridgette has a form of chronic rhinitis (or something like that.) It means the membranes in her nose get so inflamed it clogs her nasal passage. Her nose had gotten so bad, I'd get up in the middle of the night to scrape the gunk off her nose in order to help her breathe.

Unfortunately, there is no easy treatment like removing a bb shot. So, they flushed her nasal cavity and we are now treating her with steroids and different combinations of antibiotics. The good news, is Bridgette is feeling so much better, she's now emerging from her bedroom cocoon and actually hangs out with the other cats in the living room and has even ventured back outside. I didn't realize how reclusive she had become. The down side is she has gained a lot of weight. And there are potentially long term health concerns with her on steroids, but I made the decision that the quality of her life right now is my top concern.

So, imagine my concern when Anna pointed out that Tuukka had a big bump in the center of his nose. NO MORE NOSE ISSUES! But, she was right. I had noticed it, but didn't think it was very noticeable. It was. I make an appointment with my new vet, Dr. Novack. She agrees that it's not normal and decide the best course of action is another x-ray. The biggest difference between Tuukka's nose issue and Bridgette & Murphy's is that there's no snot, no sneezing no wheezing. He actually looks like he might have broken his nose.

The good news is right now, it's just a lump! It's not in his nasal cavity. It doesn't appear to be cancerous. I'm hoping that this is the last I'll have to worry about Tuukka's nose.

I felt like I may be a little over protective, but the who knows what's going on with a nose?? I just don't take chances!!

All Roads Lead to Hamilton

Happy Anniversary Hamilton!

Two years ago Missie and I were travelling merrily around New York and Ontario, never knowing that we would have a revelation on our journey.

It's simple. All roads lead to Hamilton. We got lost three times and each time we ended up in Hamilton. We discovered, thanks to a helpful tourism lady, that Hamilton is omnipresent. Who knew?

Coming back to the relative Hamilton-less-ness of Cheyenne, I discovered that I drive by Hamilton street every day on the way to work. And there are actual people named Hamilton. So, it was a very easy decision to name my new furry feline "Hamilton."

I had agreed to adopt the 10-year-old siamese cat with long hair and crossed blue eyes before I left. It was an easy decision once I consulted the little boys. They didn't mind as long as I wasn't trading one of my current crew.

Dr. Parks told me about him. His owner had died and the people that were taking care of the estate didn't want to deal with an old diabetic cat. Since diabetes was one cat disease I hadn't dealt with, I said, "Sure, why not?" She kept him while I was on my walk-a-bout. (Well, it was more of a drive-about.) I picked him after I got back.

Hamilton has been omnipresent ever since. He sits on my lap when I'm on the computer. Sits on my chair when I'm watching TV, and has even started sleeping across the top of my pillow. What's even more omnipresent about Hamilton is his hair. It literally IS everywhere!

We've adjusted to the twice daily insulin shots and as long as he has a full bowl of cat food, he's happy. He gets along well with all of the other family members and likes to sit in the backyard under a bush.

There's nothing that will make me smile quicker than seeing him with water droplets on his nose (he's a messy drinker) looking up at me with those crossed blue eyes.

My Hamilton has been a very wonderful omnipresent addition to my little family.

Barclee - the invisible cat

Most people don't know Barclee, have never seen her and doubt she actually exists. I even have a hard time finding pictures of her because she rarely leaves the bedroom and doesn't do all those cute things like Molly.

She's extraordinarily low-key even for a feline. Until today, she made her mark. Unfortunately, it was on Ranel's hand.

I thought cornering her to force her into a cat carrier for her yearly vet appointment was a great idea, until she actually got cornered behind the washing machine. When I jabbed her with my crutch, she reacted by hurling at Ranel, biting her hand.

Good plan which went slightly awry. I'm really sorry Ranel!! When Missie helped with Hamilton, she only got peed on. Normally, Barclee gets in under the bed and is pretty hard to dislodge, which is why I came up with a new plan for this year. I must amend the plan for next year obviously.

Barclee was one of Spott's kittens that I got from my sister's ranch. She has always been incredibly shy and when I had would-be adopters come look at the kittens, I couldn't ever find her. I ended up keeping her by default. She was pretty despondent after Spott died last summer, but she really loves Molly and Dickens and so has come out of her depression.

Barclee is pretty close to bottom of the cat pecking order except in one area. She rules the bedroom. Of course, she practically lives in there 24/7, so she must have squatter's rights. She does determine who can come in, and who sleeps on the bed. Barclee has a very limited sphere of influence, but what she has, she rules with an iron paw. Only recently has she allowed Molly and Hamilton entrance into the inner circle.

So Barclee stepped up to the plate and made sure we knew she wasn't invisible this year! I wish she'd have chosen something a bit less stressful like peeing on clean laundry or something.

Luna - The Accidental Cat

I hadn't intended to add another cat to the feline family. The Group of Six were meshing nicely with few fights and power struggles.

Then I got a text asking if I'd take another cat with AIDS. With only a little introspection, I said YES, because I already had Tuukka and so am somewhat prepared for the cat disease.

The next day, a cat deliverer dropped a tortie/siamese mix at my doorstep and she walked right out of her carrier and moved into the cat tent. WOW - no hesitation at all 0n her part. I freaked though when I saw that her paperwork said she had feline leukemia and not AIDS. There is a huge difference and leukemia is easily transferred to other cats simply by eating out of the same bowls or using the litter box. I was most worried for Tuukka who has no immunity system - he'd be at serious risk.

The little cat was a sweetheart though and jumped up on my lap, curled up and fell asleep. DARN - she's putting the hard sell on me! The others really didn't even acknowledge her, just kept on with their normal day-to-day cat business of carelessly ignoring me.

I took her into my vet the next day and the preliminary test came up negative! She didn't have AIDS, or leukemia - - or anything! We sent her bloodwork to Colorado to verify the results, but it also came up negative.

I ended up with an accidentally, healthy cat!

The shelter people wanted to take her back and switch her for the AIDS cat - and I declined. Luna (named after the Harry Potter character) had already made herself a part of the family, and I was not going to send her back to a shelter. Plus, I can't switch cats out like a pair of socks that are the wrong color!

I was dismayed at the carelessness of the shelter which obviously not only shipped me the wrong cat, but mis-marked her paperwork. I just hope someone doesn't end up taking a "healthy" cat that actually does have leukemia.

But for whatever reason, the stork delivered Luna to me and it felt right immediately. My cat equilibrium has been reached.

And while she may not be a "special needs" cat, she has a place in my house anyway!

Tuukka - Input and Output

It seems I spend a good part of my time monitoring the input and output of the feline family. To an outside observer, this would seem boring watching the cats eat and just gross observing the litter box behaviour.

But with pets, this is one of the keys to figuring out if someone is sick. Right now, 4 of the 6 have some major health issues and I have to make sure they're eating, how much they're eating and then ensure it comes out correctly on the other side.

Tuukka has been my latest worry. The guy eats a ton. I feed the cats canned cat food twice a day. This started off to be strictly for Dickens (he's 18 and I need to make sure he gets something without the others pushing him away) and for Hamilton who is diabetic. But it's impossible for me to feed the premier food without all of them, so Bridgette, Barclee and now Tuukka line up in the chow line. (Molly will not eat canned food for some reason. She goes her own way as always.)

Back to Tuukka. Initially, I gave him the same couple of tablespoon-sized serving I gave the others. By the time I had the last bowl down, he'd already finished, pushed Dickens aside to eat his and was moving on to Hamilton's. I kept increasing his portions until now he gets almost a full can a day. He STILL will shove the others aside, so I sit there watching to make sure everyone gets a few bites in before he moves in.

What's worried me is he's now lost weight. I took him in to the new vet and found he had only lost 1/3 of a pound. It seemed like a lot more. It could be he's getting more exercise now, and isn't just sitting around eating. But I'm worried that it's a sign of bigger troubles. During this time, he also lost his soft, luxurious under coat. He's no longer soft and fluffy.

So, I've been reading all the cat vet sites I can find to figure out what those 2 things could be and have come up with nothing. It seems it could be the first sign of his kitty AIDS, but he doesn't have any sores or swelling in the lymph nodes. His personality is still friendly and outgoing too.

And his output? Let's just say he's very dedicated and busy in this area. All good.

In the meantime, I'll keep my eye on him and continue to hang with everyone during dinner time. There are worse ways to spend 10 minutes.

Everybody Loves Molly

Now - Tuukka has joined the Molly fan club. It was a rough start with her attacking him and growling if he came anywhere near her personal space.

All the other cats love Molly. I can say that because I see how they interact with each other. All of them will go out of their way to rub up against her, or go over and wash her head. She accepts all of the attention as her due.

Spott and Truman really took care of Molly when she was little. One time I heard her cat screaming and I go into the living room to see Truman has her pinned down and is washing her ears! They were her foster parents and she no doubt missed their attention. But, I've seen all of them step up and give her those affectionate pats that they don't do with each other. It's really interesting.

It took 2 months, but yesterday, I witnessed Tuukka rubbing up against her and giving her head a quick lick. She's no doubt decided that he is not going to usurp her place as the baby and now allows him to worship her just like all the other ones do. Because everyone loves Molly.

Except Mariah who ranks her as favorite cat #3.

It's 2:30 am... what's YOUR cat doing?

It’s 2:30 a.m. - - do you know what your cat is doing?


I had the misfortune to wake up at 2:30 a.m. this morning. Wide awake! I
knew the cats played a bit during the night, but normally, I didn’t pay
that much attention. Tonight, I took note because I was WIDE AWAKE!

- First, I noticed that Barclee and Dickens were on the bed, but once
they saw me stirring, Dickens came up and stretched out across my pillow.
Barclee started licking my fingers. So, now I’m really awake. I put my
fingers under the covers and she curled back up.

- The new furnace kicked on. That’s a happy sound.

- Still awake – not going to look at the clock. Someone just used the
litterbox. It’s not Barclee, or Dickens. The noise reminds Dickens he needs
to go so he jumps down and does his business. (Yes, I do have a litter box
in the bedroom just for my little old man. He still uses it pretty
faithfully.)


- The clock just struck 3. Darn it – lost ½ hour of sleep. I hear
Molly’s jingling collar as she makes her way into the bedroom and curls up
around my knees. She decides to take a quick bath and there’s a lot of
slurping noises. Dickens is back in his corner, but when Molly gets on the
bed, he no doubt decides he needs to exert his dominance and comes to sleep
on the pillow again.


- Dickens disturbs Barclee who jumps down to eat. (Yes, I also have
food in my bedroom to make sure Bridgette and Dickens eat. That apparently
doesn’t seem to be a problem after all.)


- I am NOT going to look at the clock – oops 3:20. I hear a lot of
growling. Obviously Barclee is once again defending the bedroom from the
mean intruder Tuukka. She has a very small sphere of influence, but she makes the most of her

limited power. Poor Tuukka is resigned to sleeping in the hall.

- Molly finally falls asleep. I can tell because of the little gasp a
cat makes when they drift off as well as the complete absence of purring.
Maybe I can fall asleep myself.

- Someone else is now eating. Judging from the Darth Vader breathing
and the slurping food noises, I know it’s Bridgette. Her nose is not
getting better. Must remember to call the vet.


- Dickens decides he needs to eat and wakes up Molly. She begins the
purring again – it’s so loud it sounds like a motorboat. BUT, it’s not as
loud as Hamilton when he sleeps on my face. No sign of Hamilton so far.

- 3:45 – there’s a big ruckus in the hall. Someone is running back and
forth, obviously chasing an incredibly noisy ball with a stupid bell in it!
Who would have bought that kind of thing? Tuukka's the culprit. No one else can make
that kind of noise. Barclee continues to growl every time he approaches.

- Dickens jumps back up onto the bed and has to walk across my body, even though it

would have been closer to jump to the foot of the bed. He likes to take the scenic, cross-country route.

- Dickens is snoring. It’s old the old man snoring, snorting combo.

- There’s still time to get to sleep – darn the clock just chimed 4!!! Molly’s
awake again and chewing on her toenails. Since she only has 3 legs, it
shouldn’t take her that long. Must remember to try and trim Dickens’ nails
– they’re growing under.

- Someone is wandering down the hall meowing. Welcome Hamilton to the
melee! He woke up and apparently is just checking to see what everyone else
is doing.

- 4:15-ish – NOT that I'm looking! Tuukka goes out the cat door. That
magnetic door really is loud in the dead of night. Actually, what I’m
finding out is the night really isn’t that dead!

- Dickens, Molly and Barclee see me glance at the clock and all three
come up to see if I’m awake. Barclee starts licking my elbow and I try to
move my arm back under the covers, but Dickens is laying on it. Molly curls
up next to my side and turns her purr on LOUD.

- Bridgette brings in some sparkle balls to play with.

- 4:30 - Someone comes in to eat and Barclee jumps down to defend the
food. Must be Hamilton because I THINK Tuukka is still out, and Barclee
doesn’t bother Bridgette. They have 4 full bowls of food in the laundry
room. I have no idea why they all have to eat out of this single bowl where
I can hear all the chewing!

- 4:45 - Sleeping on my arm must not be comfortable because Dickens
moves back down to the corner.

- If I’m still awake at 5, I’m just going to get up. I obviously have a
litter box to clean and food bowls to re-stock.

- 5:30 – I wake up. I slept for maybe 45 minutes. Barclee, Dickens and
Molly see me move and all descend on me again. Barclee tries to find bare skin to
lick. Tuukka’s sitting in the door way looking in. My day has now officially begun.

Honestly, I wonder why I don't hear this every night!