Because I had to...

Pobrecita!

Our dear feline baby is having allergy issues. I'm assuming that it really *was* an upper respiratory infection that she had when she got to us, but some of the symptoms simply haven't gone away - such as the sneezing, and the watery/mucus-y eyes. The poor dear is miserable, and allows me to wipe her face off once or twice a day with a warm, damp cloth... Which shows how truly miserable she is, since normally such things would *not* be tolerated by a cat.

So - today I went online and ordered some homeopathic anti-allergy meds. Since we have no idea whether she could be allergice to dipenhydromene or chlorphentermine (and chlorphentermine is *NOT* recommended for use in cats), I'm going to try the "safe" stuff first. There were 6 reviews from people who said that it worked wonders on their cat, and described the exact same symptoms that Jazzy has been having. So, I figure, while it's a little more expensive than the Rx stuff, I am more willing to try it, since it has very little in the way of side effects listed or mentioned by owners. And, no drowsiness, either, which is a good thing.

I also got another tub of catnip. I'm hoping that, if we can get her nose and eyes cleared up, she will feel LOTS better and be up to exploring a bit more. I'm also considering getting something called "Feline Calmer", which apparently is a pheremone scent for cats that gets them more comfy in their new home or with a new situation. If Jazzy is still skittish by December, I will pick some up and see how she does with it. I don't want her feeling like she has to live under the bed for the rest of her life - she loves people, she's just not sure of how they will treat her, poor baby.

~M

Recouping...

So, in the aftermath of sorting everything out from the baby shower, I'm finding it easier to come up with the list of things that we don't have - it's shorter. LOL.

*Diaper pail
*bottles (preferably the ones with the pouches, or the ones that are bent)
*bottle sterilizer
*bottle warmer
*large diaper pins (fabu for keeping little booties together in the wash)
*diaper bag (or fabric to make such)
*boppy pillow (or fabric and stuffing to make such)

I'd still like to get a play-mat, but that can wait until after Elizabeth is born, so there's no major hurry on it.

In other news, while I got the chair I needed to work up at the hot site, I have been restricted to no more than 5 lbs lifting due to the back strains that I've gotten - and also no major stretching or bending. I've been referred to physical therapy, but will have to wait until next week for them to schedule an appointment for me (if the insurance covers it). Meanwhile, I'm taking lots of hot baths, sitting up straight, and attempting to gently stretch everything without straining it further. The up-shot, I don't have to carry a lot of pretty much anything. The down-shot, this means that Fred will be doing a lot more, poor thing.

Speaking of, Fred has been a total rock for me, and I am so lucky to have him. I let him know the restrictions and he was fine with them. He has apparently had visions of me doing something to cause premature labor and having the baby pop out then pop back in again... The visual is amusing, but I can understand his concern.

So, tonight I get a nice hot bath, and then possibly some lotion, and then snuggles from both Fred and Jazzy. Jazzy has decided that I'm just the most wonderful human in the world. This morning she got a lonesome attack and got up on the bed to snuggle with me at 3:30 in the morning (something she normally never does). She still shies away from Fred (probably something to do with men in general and her past), but is getting used to him. In about a month or so, she should be mostly adjusted to the house and sounds going around in and next door to it.

Other than that, nothing much going on - just work and home stuff, as usual.

~M

Feeling better...

I am definitely feeling better from last night. I can only say that it must have been total fatigue from walking so much and being up so early with very little sleep the night before. The heaviness and overall feeling of being pulled down and forward is no longer there, and I don't have the muscle spasms that I was having.

So - new lesson learned: Don't wake up early and then go "hiking" for a mile... BAD for me.

Jazzy, also, is feeling better. She got *lots* and *lots* of lap loves today, first from me, then from Fred, and then from our friend, the Hippie Hamster of Doom, who is visiting for a few days. Though she's still suffering from an upper respiratory infection, she is doing much better than before. She's not sneezing overly much, and her eyes are wide and bright with curiosity and interest, rather than with trepidation.


This is her snuggling up to the Hippie Hamster of Doom. At this point, she comfy enough to be off the lap completely, and is starting to simply be one with the couch.


Apparently, afterwards, she decided that she wanted to explore a bit, and found the pillow and blanket stash behind the couch. She happily ensconsed herself there, being comfortable enough to have everyone still see her, but feel protected with all the walls around her.

According to Fred, she's still so happy that she purrs when you talk to her, which is adorable. She's not eating much (if at all), and we both think it's due to the Clavamox, which is probably causing a bit of tummy discomfort - not to mention that her head-cold is probably stuffing up her nose enough to not be abe to smell the food at all, which would make it difficult to taste anything. Poor baby.

We have an appointment with the vet tomorrow to have Jazzy checked over. If she hasn't eaten anything or used the box by then, I'll bring it up to them and see what they say. I don't want her be overly stressed by being sick and not eating or drinking anything. It's not good for her at all, and I want to make sure that she's ok.

The only unfortunate part about tomorrow's vet visit is that we will have to brave 3 busses there, and 3 busses back, the poor baby. She's just gotten to a point of being comfy, and now I have to box her back up and head out again. *chuckle* Hopefully she will forgive me, though.

~M

New baby!

We have a new baby. Her name is Jazzy, and she's a sweet little fuzzy tortoiseshell cat. I will have a few pics of her up in a few days, once she's feeling better and more calm.

Apparently, her most recent owners abandoned her when they moved away from the neighborhood. She'd been an outside cat for some time, and their neighbor, a kindly lady, fed her and tried to acclaimate her to a house to make her a bit more adoptable. Unfortunately, she couldn't keep poor Jazzy, as she already had one cat who was not interested in sharing the home. So, she brought Jazzy to the Oregon Humane Society.

Jazzy was brought into the little room to meet us, and she immediately snuggled up next to my thigh. Neither Fred nor I moved, but we talked softly to her and gently petted her. The next thing we knew, she'd crawled over and into Fred's lap, deciding that he smelled good. He snuggled with her for a while, and then put her onto the bench. We decided that, as we had no idea how she would react, we would try a loud noise to see how she reacted. A loud clap sent her under the bench, but when Fred reached down to pet her again, she was open to it.

She came over to me, deciding that I was another interesting human who could be loving, and I got "elevator butt" almost immediately. She then moved over to my other foot and collapsed in a happy puddle as I got a hand onto her belly and rubbed it, purring up a storm. We knew right then that we'd been adopted, so we proceeded on with the adoption process.

A bag of cat food, some cans of same, and a small bag of tartar control treats, we headed back home, the proud owners of Jazzy. Fred dropped off downtown to head back home, since I would have gotten home just in time to turn right back around and head back to work.

Currently, Jazzy is ensconsed in our bathroom, a little shy but open to exploring. Apparently she loves the brush, and is getting used to being pampered by Fred. We aren't sure whether she's litter-box trained, but we figure we can fix that if it needs to be. She's on clavamox for a puncture wound on her hind left thigh (seems to be healing nicely), and she has a cold that has her sneezing with some discharge. However, she's Feline Leukemia and Feline HIV negative - both things which could have seriously set back her recovery. I'm quite certain she will quickly acclimate to her new home, and I *know* she's a welcome addition to our family.

~M

Hey buddy, can ya s'paradigm?

I couldn't resist that particular pun... It was a fairly popular one in the late 70's sci-fi fan circle...

True, however, I am looking to drum up a bit of donation money to help get us a new cat. We have found two possible babies at the local Oregon Humane Society. I am leaning more toward one than the other, but that's mostly because of the strange idea that some people don't like being dictated to about where to keep their pet. Tusker is a declawed baby who needs to be an indoor-only pet, and an only cat. This, for us, is not an issue. Any pet we have is going to be indoor-only, so there isn't a question of that - also, we can only have 1 cat, so again, not an issue. The fact that the poor baby had been declawed is just another reason to reign down tons of love onto her. Cookie is the other baby we are looking at. She would be more of a challange, from what I understand - if only because she would be quite skittish with loud noises and new people. I'm certain we could, eventually, train her and calm her out of that, but it will take lots of love and affection, as well as patience.

Either way, the adoption cost, which includes (per their website) "a certificate for a free health examination by a participating vet, first vaccines (cats and dogs), spay/neuter surgery, a 24PetWatch microchip, ID tag, collar, leash (for dogs), and an informational booklet. Adopters also receive one month of pet health care insurance. Cats, rabbits, and pocket pets (rodents) also include a carrier to safely transport your pet home.", is $55 for either of them.

If you would like to help us gain a new member of our family (before our newest member actually makes an appearance outside my belly), please let me know.

~M

I has a sweet potato...

You must must MUST check out the following link for the story...

That is all.

~M

http://littera-abactor.livejournal.com/7748.html

U R now ded wit da cuteness!

This all started with a ground-score that Fred had a few weeks ago... A rather obnoxious, camo-patterned bandana of black, flourescent orange, dark orange, and yellow. Fred was going to put it into his arsenal of other headbands that he could wear at work, presumably to blind his co-workers, or make them go into a froth-frenzy.

And then... Then somehow... He got the notion to place it atop my cat this afternoon... And she liked it... No, really - this is NOT something she normally puts up with at all. I can assure you, the following were not posed, or in any other way created. She did, in fact, wander from one end of the couch to the other, with it on, and then down from the couch to the window, a good 15 feet away... It's light enough that she could have (and, in fact, finally did) shuffled out of it at any time... Yet, she felt the need to have it on her for a good 6 hours.

So, here are quite a few photos of my cat being goofy. Why? Because I can - and I'm not the only one who must be inflicted with the camo-patterned badness. The interesting part: It goes with her fur...

~M

This is Shady curled up on her blankie... We take her to the vet with this one...

She's ready for her close-up, Mr. DeMille!

Note the big smile on her face in this photo - I'm not kidding...

On Mama's lap - the comfiest couch in the land...

Fuzzy Logic

Shady update here... She's doing SO much better in the last 5 days since we started her on the renal therapy. Granted, she's completely unpleased about the sub-q injections and the squirts of laculose - but she's getting used to it, and at least doesn't struggle in the morning when I end up giving her shots.

She's been eating like a fiend in comparison to what she had been doing, and is generally perkier than she had been. She's glossy, and starting to lose the washboard that had been her backbone. I'm hoping she ends up gaining a pound by the end of this month.

I'm so very happy that she's feeling so much better. While I know that I can't have her forever, I really didn't want to have to put her down if it was something treatable, and something that won't negatively impact her quality of life.

She's gotten to a point now where she's pretty much accepted that whatever I do is going to make her feel better, even if she doesn't like it. She gripes about it, but won't struggle too much - though she hasn't been snuggling with me too much since the injections started. I'm hoping things will be better once they stop - if they stop... We'll see.

I have to take her in again around March 9th. Hopefully things will be MUCH better by then and she will be healthier.

I have to admit - I was totally terrified to go back to the vet on the 9th to get the news of what was wrong with her. I've had her since she was itty bitty - she turns 21 in July... It's difficult for me to face the eventuality that she will be gone, and it got smacked in my face on Friday how close she is to saying goodbye.

I have decided that, if we cannot give her a good QUALITY of life, where she is not in pain and no longer enjoys herself, then it will be time to say goodbye and let her go. Until then, however, I am going to work as hard as I can to give her the best of everything.

I love my puddin' tat.

~M

News of the Fuzzy Kind...

Well, there's good news, and not so great news...

Shady was taken to the vet yesterday because she's been rather listless, not eating very well, and having hard stool. As she's 20, I got worried about her and decided since I got 3 basic wellness plans with my job, I should take advantage of it for it's free check-up.

I had to drop her off for 3.5 hours so they could do blood, urine and fecal tests on her, and check her out in general. They also ended up doing a thyroid test and a feline leukemia test on her as well, which weren't covered under the plan, but I figured it was worth it.

Turns out, she's dropped 3 pounds in the last 2 years - yikes! While not such a big thing for humans, she's 2/3 the weight she should be for her bone structure.

Her thyroid and feline leukemia tests came back ok, and negative for issues. Her blood work came back fine - no infections and no high white cell count, which means no cancer, either. Her stool showed no parasites, but they did a de-worm just in case.

The issue is with her kidneys. Turns out, she's in the beginning stages of renal failure. Thankfully, we caught it in a period of time that it can be reversed, if I do everything that the vet tells me to.

We've changed her diet over to Royal Canin renal LP for wet food, and Hills Science diet K/d renal for dry. We've gotten rid of all her treats for now, since they're not designed for kidney issues, and I don't want to ruin the treatment at this point.

I also have to give her sub-q injections of a solution to help clean out her system of the excess protein she's had that's causing her kidneys to work so hard. Poor baby has to deal with being poked each day with 50 cc's of it.

She's also getting Laculose and Lactalace to help with the hard stool issues. Her colon's enlarged because she was flushing out all her liquid through her kidneys to try and process the protein. Poor thing.

I did find out that her right eye is partially discolored, but partially it's due to the renal failure - her eye doesn't contract so well anymore, so it messes with her judgement.

The one thing I did NOT like was the doctor I had that day. She didn't seem pleased to be treating a 20 year old cat, and continually talked down to me even when I explained exactly what was going on *in fairly technical terms* to her. She didn't do any better when we were checking out, either. She actually asked me if doing a sub-q routine and taking care of her was something that I *wanted* to do - like I'm going to say no! She's my baby, and she's not in pain, and still feisty. There's no reason for me to say no and decide to put her down. I was really unhappy with that, and I think next time I'm going to ask to see someone else.

I'm to bring her back in in a month, and hopefully by then we'll have fixed it. Meanwhile, I am hoping that everyone sends good thoughts her way.

~M

Go and visit!

So, it's not the BEST thing in the world, but if you have no chance of actually meeting my dear sweet lump of fuzz, you can come and visit her here:




She's an old softie, really - as long as you keep her happy...

This morning found me listening to her as she cried plaintively at the door after I'd left the apartment - It's a wonder the neighbors don't complain about her noise. *chuckle*

An Odd little creature...

My cat eats gourmet onion rolls... I have no idea why. I didn't know she would even *like* such things, except that I got some last night for today's photo shoot. I decided that we could do with just 4 of them, instead of 6, so I ate one (Fred ate the other one).


Whilst eating it, she perked up and started muttering at me as she usually does. She likes to inspect my food - she doesn't normally EAT the food, just inspects it to see whether it's good for me or not... So, in the spirit of mama / baby-cat relations, I offered her a small piece. And she ate it; and then begged for MORE! It wasn't as though it even smelled of butter - or tasted of butter. I was eating it plain. No meat, no nothing...


She ate about 2 normal-sized human bites worth of it, all the while with me looking at her as though she was crazy. She's currently licking her chops and looking immensely satisfied... Fred offered her some of his, and she licked at it, but was apparently done for the day.


Odd little thing.


Speaking of, the photo shoot today will be of a serving wench style. I'm letting the other model pick out her clothing first, as I know that all of it looks good on me. ;-) I even have out the crystal salt cellars with their little spoons... Posh, eh?


~M

Poor Miss Thang...

My poor baby is being eaten alive by fleas. I've tried the over-the-counter crap at Freddy's, and I've tried bathing her (she *really* hated that), and neither of these has worked. I'm not even sure where she picked them up, unless somehow or other they managed to wheedle their way in with us - and/or lived here before and finally found a willing host to live in.


Either way, she's miserable, and I'm feeling guilt-ridden because I have no extra cash for Advantage - or Frontline - or anything else that might actually help her. Currently she's cursing my name while snuggling up to me, sharing her fleas with me as they attempt to abandon ship since she just got a bath today. I lost count after 14 of them. There's another 20 or so down the drain... Most of the ones I'm catching are preggers, too, but I'm sure that it's only a matter of time before she's once again full.


~M

Cute-sy pic...

Figured I'd include this as a recent picture of my curmudgeon of a feline... During my recent photo shoot, she decided to get into the action - the tip of her nose actually managed to get into a shot... So, as punishment, we took a photo of her... Looks like she's trying out for a live-action version of The Last Unicorn, eh?



~M