Thankful Tuesday

Before I lose track of this pic, I want to show it...

 

After Ayla went OTB, I received flowers from the vet.  I mentioned that before.  But I also received 2 cards and wanted to show them with the flowers...

I'm not a big card-sender.  But I sure appreciated those.  And on this one-month Remembrance Day, the thoughts and comments from all of you then mattered to me too.  

It is past time to build Ayla's Memorial box...  I need to do some sad woodworking and digging.  She can't stay in the freezer forever...

And my grateful acknowledgement to the uncredited person who created this "free" image.  I will never know who you are, but that is Ayla to all intents and purposes...

Ayla, I miss you every day.  Your personal windowsill spot seems so empty without you there.  No cat talks to me as much as you did.  No cat sits under the bedroom chair as you did.  And you always meowed to me when I brought your foodbowl into the bedroom (so I would know where you were).  And then I would wait for you to decide where you wanted to eat...

The previous Mews were here when I was working and gone 12 hours a day.  So they saw me only a few waking hours of the day.  You were the first in my life to be with me when I was around 24/7/365 from arrival to the end.  I learned so much more of cats by that.

She was the very definition of catlike grace and beauty...

You were and are my Princess forever and ever.

Womancat Wensday And Thanks

AYLA:   

As Princess and Senior Member of The Mews, I speak on behalf of all of us when I thank so many kitties and beins for all the good wishes and advice about Marley's FIV+ diagnosis!  We know the purrs/prayers/thoughts will help him and lift his spirits.  He was really bummed to be told he has a Problem.  

The Vet gave TBT a summary paper about FIV.  He looked up stuff on the computer, too.  But it is the practical experience in so many of your comments that encourages us about his future.  We are going forward on the hope that he will never actually suffer consequences from it.  But we will watch his health carefully.  

For a disease that seems to strike only 1-5% of cats (and those mostly ferals and fighters), there sure seem to be a lot of them that are mostly indoors cats in our community!  Also, TBT may have Marley retested soon with an eye toward "false-positive".  TBT says he will go through Marley's medical records.  He is old enough to have been vaccinated against FIV before the vaccine was discontinued in North America.

You are all wunnerful!  😍

15th Blogoversary

Its our 15th Blogoversary!  Well, actally, it was on Wensday, but we MISSED IT...

Well, ya know how it goes.  Days of the week are hard enough fer us kitties ta keep track of and dates of the month are harder - there are just so many of them.  If fact, TBT lost track of them hisself! 

So since it is also Flashback Friday and the start of our blog is kinna a flashback, we are celebrating taday.

It started with Skeeter and LC when they were both senior cats and has continued with Ayla, Iza, Marley and Laz.  

Skeeter, LC, and Iza have gone OTB since.  To be kind, we will show them when they were young...

The other 3 of us Mews are still here. 

And we are expecting a 4th in September.  So the PURR goes on...

TBT HERE:  15 years is a long time.  I never imagined that just clicking on a "Free Blog" button back in 2006 would lead to much adventure, writing, visiting, and picture-taking.  We have met SO MANY other cats (and people) that we never would have otherwise.

We are sad about the kitties who have left OTB or for other reasons but we are glad for the new ones who come along with new Gotcha stories, adventures, daily life, and sheer various beauty.   The Mews and all our friends have brightened up my life.  

And it wouldn't have lasted long if all of you hadn't visited our blog!  We thank each and every visitor.  Some comment regularly, some comment very infrequently, and some never do.  I think it is all amazing. 

I have an app called Statcounter.  Mostly, just tells me how many visitors I get per day.  But one feature also shows City/Country.  Our regular commenters are labelled by name (don't worry, it doesn't say much - actually it is just the city of the ISP and the number of visits.  I haven't seen "1,000" yet but some are getting close.  Well, I know our regular visitors have high numbers, of course.  

The occasional visitors are fun, too.  Getting a comment from some kitty just a couple times a year is wonderful.  I think "wow, they must have really liked that post".

But I also enjoy some of the "unknowns" who NEVER comment.  There are some from locations where I KNOW I don't know a cat.  And sometimes those unknowns have 100s of visits registered.  I must be doing SOMETHING right to have those dedicated unknown readers!

It takes so little to keep me happy, sometimes, LOL!

I wasn't sure how to end this post about my happiness to keep going with it for 15 years (and some blogs have been going longer).  But it occurred to me to think of it in terms of cans of cat food.  Assuming an average of 3 Mews and 4 cans per day...  21,900 cans!  And that's just the blogging years and not trying to count the treats and dry kibble.

I can't promise I will keep at it for another 21,900 cans, but I'm sure going to try for several thousand more!

Be happy I didn't try to count the poops and pees in the litterboxes.  LOL!

THANK YOU ALL

Tuesday Twofur

 We're nappin today.

The camera wakes me up more than it does Marley.  He has more years used ta it.  I have just over one.

Marley says I will get used ta it.  I dunno.  It is not the  flashy, but the attention to me gets my attention.  I hope that makes sense.  Well, I KNOW when Im bein looked at...

Marley says he was thrilled at how many friends came ta his Birfday Pawty.  In fact, that is probly why he is nappin so well right now.  He probly wont get up until he is REALLY hungry.

An he wants ta thank Timmy Tomcat's Family fer the great birfday card...

Thankful Thursday

AYLA:  Thanks, all the kitties who  came to my birfday pawty yesserday!  We are all worn out an we slept till afternoon. 

Laz is still in a mild case of shock.  TBT had warned him it was gonna get real busy, but I dont think Laz imagined what "busy" could be like.  He is STILL looking around corners an unner furniture to make sure there are no more surprise kitties in the house.

Afterwards

First, my deepest thanks to all who have left comments and emails of condolences (and some graphics I will use soon) about Iza.  They are all treasured.  Each one soothed my heart and eased my pain at her loss.  You are all very special people and I am grateful for every word of kindness you sent.  The Cat Blogosphere is filled with the best people on Earth.

Going to bed Friday night was hard.  Iza wasn't there.  I stared at the bottom corner of the bed where she slept and just touched it briefly knowing I would never see her there again.  I will have to get used to that.   Every cat has personal habits.  And when they leave us, those habits leave with them.  But we who remain remember those habits.  Not seeing those habits again is hard. That corner of the bed is likely to remain vacant forever, as it was HER habit to be there.

But I remain, so I have to go on.

Sometimes, the details of a sad event can wear you down.  I decided on a spot for Iza today.  It is right between Skeeter and LC.  I have 3 Sedum 'Autumn Joy' plants in a row right behind the small pond and Skeeter and LC are between them. 

The plants are 20 years old and long overdue for lifting and dividing.  So Iza will be laid to rest where the center one currently is and I will find new places for the divisions to go.

Forgive me if I sound a bit overly practical.  It's my nature to compartmentalize.  When I am feeling most emotional, my rational side shouts for attention, and vice versa.  I was going to divide the 3 Sedums anyway, and if there is a hole in the right spot, well...

I went out and realized the spot has gotten overgrown with briars and weeds, so I spent an hour pruning and hoeing around it.  I would have dug up the Sedum, but my left hand decided to do that fun "involuntary finger clenching" trick.  So I had to stop for the day.  That Aspercreme stuff really helps.

Tomorrow, I will dig the plants up, dig the hole deeper and set Iza into it (she is in a bag in the basement refrigerator for now).  I think I will add a couple of her rattley-mousies, a branch of dried Nip, and a small bag of treats.  I think I will bring out the portable CD player with "Clair De Lune" on at the final moments.  Symbolism matters.

Then it will be time to build another wooden box marker and get some brass letters.  Building a box marker eases the pain somewhat and makes me feel vaguely productive. 

And then there are administrative things to do.  The blog header needs to be changed and the sidebar has to be updated.  I don't like to let things like that linger; it just bothers me to have unsettled details sitting around.

There is a certain irony that she died on Good Friday and will be buried on Easter Sunday.  

As I was sitting around the house, it occurred to me that I had 3 unusual cats.  Not to ignore The Cats Who Came Before, but Ayla underwent 3 spay operations before "they" finally got things right, Marley is a male Calico (only .1% of Calicos are male, for genetic reasons - he is an XXY cat), and Iza underwent a miraculous transition from Siamese to Tonkinese (I have the papers that declare her a purebred Siamese) and she died on Good Friday.  None of that was deliberate, of course.   Maybe it is a gift...

I won't go too long without a 3rd cat.  3 feels right for me.  As they say, when one door closes, another opens.  I want to consider carefully, though.  I was expecting that, when the time came, I would be older (I turn 70 next month).  I was thinking that, around 75, I would be too old to assume I would be able to care for a kitten its whole life, and I'm not intending to leave any behind.

So I was expecting to either adopt an adult cat or foster one (I have since realized that I could never foster a cat - I couldn't give it up to someone new) when one of The Mews went OTB.  Now I'm not sure.  I've never had a "real" kitten.  Even The Mews were about 8 months old when I got them.

I'm a bit torn.  The idea of adopting some adult cat and giving it a safe home and love when it may never have experienced it before is deeply appealing.  And I would be a good person for that.  Living alone (happily I will add) and being home all day woud be the perfect situation for an older stressed abandoned cat.  Ppeople who adopt senior cats for that reason have my never-ending admiration and respect. 

But a kitten...  OMG, the pleasure of seeing one experience life anew and discover fun and human attachment, and seeing the pure innocence.  I want to experience that.  And Ayla is 13 this year and Marley 10.  There will be (sadly) a few years from now when I will be certain to adopt an older cat because of my age at the time.

I guess you can see where this is going.  Sometimes, I find that just typing things out see I can read the words settles internal debates.  It will be a kitten.  And THEN an older cat.  And who knows, maybe by then I will have resolved my fear of having to give up a foster care cat, thinking of it more as an opportunity to be a mini-shelter to a cat at a time moving to a new loving family. 

I have a memory to fall back on for that.  I don't remember how many years ago it was, but one cold rainy November morning I was driving to work and needed gas.  I stopped at a place nearby and there was a cat near the pumps, wet, cold, and miserable.  It stayed next to me.  When I went inside to pay for the gas, I told the people there that they should let their cat inside.

They said it wasn't theirs and that someone had tossed it out the car window as they were leaving an hour before.  I went out and held the cat a few moments and then turned around and took it home.  I set it in the garage with a litterbox and some food and went to the office.  When I returned, the cat was dry, had pooped and peed, and it came right over to me and purred its little heart out in my arms.

Of course I adopted it.  But people have preferences.  Some people love short-haired cats, some people love long-haired cats.  Some people love solid-color cats, some people love mixed-color cats.  I tend to love mostly solid colored short-haired cats.  This one wasn't.  She (I discovered after a quick check) was long-haired and I bet there wasn't a square inch of fur color that matched the next.

I brushed her carefully for almost an hour.  It was a new experience for he and she didn't like it at all.  She had badly matted fur (amazingly, no fleas, but maybe that was because she had been out in the cold rain).  I named her "Cher" because she was a bit weird (and I LIKE Cher).  She never fully integrated into the household but was very loving when she had me alone.  She may have never lived with other cats.

My supervisor at work knew about her (I did have to explain why I was late the day I found her). Well, it turned out his family had a cat who was "My Cat From Hell" quality (hissy, clawy and mean) and had recently died.  Being a rather perceptive person, he asked if I might consider letting them adopt her.  Yes...

He and his wife came over to my house one evening to meet Cher.  Cher did her best "love me" routines, chasing a tossed kibble, batting a toy and rubbing legs.  When Mrs Supervisor (a school Principal, so no diminishment intended - I just never learned her name) sat down, Cher immediately jumped up on her lap and purred.  Well THAT settled it!

They took her home.  I felt a bit relieved (and rather noble about my good deed saving her and finding her a new home).  He told me a few days later how happy they were with her.  They had renamed her Boo because of her wide eyes and somewhat startled appearance.  And looking at pictures afterwards, I saw that they were right.

So, I CAN give up a cat.  That's good to know for the future.

But now, the question of what kitten.  I spent my first couple of adult decades with gray tabby female give-aways.  Nothing wrong with them and I loved each of them dearly.  But I did develop a desire for change.  Orange Skeeter was the 1st non-gray tabby females.  Black&White LC was 2nd.  Then came Siamese Ayla and Siamese/Tonkinese Iza.  Then Calico Marley. 

Please don't get me wrong when I say that I want to enjoy the beauty of other color cats.  And the personalities of other breeds.  It's pretty much my last chance.  While I have loved many Domestic short-hairs, I also think that any cat purebred or not is going to be happy here and me with it.

And let me say that the purchase or adoption fee of a cat is pretty irrelevant.  It's the food and vet and litter that matters and that is the same for all cats.  So, I'll assume from past experience that any cat will love me and I it....

I have a strong tendency toward a female Tonkinese.  Iza was amazingly affectionate and devoted.  But I see pictures of others.  It will be a short-hair (maintenance is not my greatest pleasure), female, smallish-to medium size (my lap can't manage a 20 lb cat), and (unless Tonkinese) "different".  I want a cat that talks a lot.  I want a cat that looks like a cat.  Forgive me please, but no short legs, weird ears, and a full tail.  A cat with a high degree of intelligence (for a cat of course).

Brown for Abyssinian or Burmese or Havana Brown.  Or Siamese colors.  I'm really limiting myself here, I suddenly realize.  You start to think about what you want and the list narrows fast.  I think what I am realizing is that I want Tonkinese female with Burmese colors. 

But there will be another cat of some kind here soon.  I'm not one who leaves doors closed for long.  BTW, you can have a smile at the first version of that sentence:  I originally typed "I don't leave closed doors open for long..."  You have to laugh at yourself sometimes. 

We will be back soon to visit all you dear friends.  But we need a few days.  I'm sure you understand. 

Troublesome Tuesday Comments

TBT:  Thank you all for the suggestions. 

The Vet suggested (last January after all The Mews had their annual checkups) that AYLA get a Senior Exam when she turned 10.  That occurred in June.  But she seems to be in excellent health, so I will arrange that but it will be a standard one.

Iza is 9, but she has actual problems.  I am making a list of my observations about Iza to bring to the vet so we can plan a series of tests.  I want to know exactly what tests he proposes (so I can look them up and be aware of what the tests are designed to find) and ask why not other tests.

He won't like that.  He has a sign in the exam room that says something like"Don't compare your internet research to my education and experience".   AFAIK, he is a good vet, and he has taken care of my cats for 30 years.  But I've always been willing to question doctors, lawyers, contractors, etc, and won't stop now. 

Now, some more info about Iza:

1.  I see Iza drinking water from the bowl near the food frequently.  Oops, I thought it was the others not drinking enough or from the pond outside (which I often saw Skeeter and LC do in their days,.  Now I am realizing that Iza drinks much more water than a typical cat.  She has a favorite spot in one litter box to pee, and the amount is massive in just one day. 

2.  Iza is really the dominant cat in the house.  No one bullies her around the litter box.  She is so relaxed about it that she will use one while I am cleaning the others, and she will casually use one when another cat is in another.  On the hand hand, her poops are solid and healthy-looking, and she never pees outside of the boxes.

It may be my fault she is using the space between them about once a day.  I've seen her to it and never Marley or Ayla.  I certainly never react when she does; that might make her upset or worried.  But there have been days I forget the nightly scooping and perhaps she became sensitive to that.  I think one thing to do is pull all the boxes away and thoroughly clean the cement floor with one on those pee/poop neutralizers (she uses the same couple of spots repeatedly).  And I'll move the boxes a couple of feet towards their "approach path".

3.  It doesn't seem to the the brand or flavor of food that disturbs Iza.  When she was having "every few days" immediate regurgitation a few months ago, I  observed that it wasn't related to the flavor,  I keep 6 flavors and use 5 cans every day.  So there was a different flavor every morning for 6 days. 

What I did notice was that it was almost always the first meal of the morning.  Something about eating on an empty tummy was causing a problem.  I adjusted her first morning meal to be smaller, and that has mostly stopped.  She can handle more even 30 minutes later, and regular size meals all the rest of the day.

4.  But she has a possibly related problem.  For months, she has had a habit of gagging up a small amount of clear froth (almost entirely water, from the smell) around dawn.  Sometimes I stay up all night and then stay in bed 12 hours and I thought it was because she wasn't getting food regularly.  So I started getting up briefly at dawn just to feed them all a couple months ago.  They loved it of course, but Iza kept having that problem.  

5.  The eating of bread may also be my fault.  I make very tasty bread, with oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, and beer instead of water.   When Iza discovered she could jump up the the countertops, she went right after the bread.  When I removed the bread to the M/W for storage, she went after the corncobs and bowls.  She is addicted to oils, fats, and butter.  Marley is too, but only meaty fats.  But Marley will sniff around and leave if nothing good is easily available, while Iza will pull stuff around and drag them off the counters to get at them.  She shoved a 10" cast iron skillet I had covering a cat food can with a tight cover on it off the cutting board  last week to get at the can.  And I had packed her with all the food she could eat that night.

That is my fault too.  I tend to clean the dinner pans and plates in the morning.  I am very lazy after dinner and spend post-dinner time on the computer or watching TV science and history DVDs. 

6.  Iza has never been the most routine of cats.  She butt-scootches, she wheezes at night, she is the loudest slurpiest groomer you ever heard.  I know the butt-scootching is a sign of packed anal glands, but when he have had the vet express them, she is right at it a week later.  I know there is an operation for that, but I've read it can cause defecation problems and that might be worse.  I may have to learn how to do the anal gland expression myself.

7.  And last, I must say that Skeeter and LC may have dulled my recognition of feline problems.  In their early years, they ate from a never-ending container of dry food, then got one whole can each of canned food at 6 am when I left for work and another at 6 PM when I returned home, drank from the toilet inside and the pond outside (ignoring the inside water bowl), and stayed utterly healthy without any odd habits until 16.  At 16, Skeeter began a general dementia and lost the litterbox understanding completely and 16 1/2, LC just keeled over into a coma. 

The previous cat (Tinkerbelle) just never came home one day at 16, the one before that (Mischief) died in her sleep curled up peacefully at 12 (I assume some sort of heart failure).  But they were all mixed breed cats, and those are usually healthier.

Ayla and Iza are the first purebreeds I've had.  I know, in my mind, that purebreeds have more health problems than other cats.  But I think I am now understanding it directly.  I've mentioned all the health problems Iza is having.  But Ayla is starting to look a bit old at 10. 

So "senior" problems at 10 are new to me.  I'll do the best I can for them.

 ------------------

There are probably other things I am missing, but that is a good start.  In fact, writing this post was partly to help myself create a list to bring to the vet (without Iza along) for planning purposes...

Afterpawty Wensday

MARLEY:   Wow, what a Birfday Pawty that was!  We were all so bushed, TBT said he should prune us, but he was too tired too.

But I wanted ta make sure ta thank everyone who came ta the pawty or just left happy birfday wishes.  Thank you ALL!

And I wanted ta thank Pipo and Minko fer the lovely card!  They really did it carefully.  It has the goldfinches and hummerbirds that inhabit our yard, the bunnies we love ta chase, flowers of various kinds, our fence, and even the cake has my age on it!  And, of course, ME...  Whoo-Hoo!

Mancat Monday

MARLEY:  Well, Im just gettin up after the great Birfday Pawty yesserday!  It lasted pretty late.

And I think I will take it easy the rest of the day, too...

But I wanted ta make sure ta thank evryone who came by ta help me cellybrate turning 5!  Thank you all from my nosie ta my tailtip...

Saturday Caturday

AYLA:  First, I want to thank everyone who came to my birthday pawty!  It was the BEST EVER with SO MANY friends coming to celebrate!  I am touched...

IZA:  Well you ARE a bit "TOUCHED" Ayla, in some ways...

AYLA:  HEY!  This is MY "thank you", don't introod!  I can still drop on you from atop the cat tree when yer not lookin!

IZA:  Ok, OK...

AYLA:  So as I was saying, thank you all for coming and I will remember this day for weeks at least.  It was a great day.  Every one of you who came were appreciated.  And I think I mentioned evrykitty who visited or posted at the time.  Iffen I missed anyone, I really apologize.

And BTW, the question about the oddest thing in the cartoon at the start of my birfday post?  I think it was the eyeball unner the table, followed by the slice of blueberry pie unner the couch.  But did ya notice that the guy sitting on the couch looked like Robin Williams?  Seriously, go look HERE. 

Being 8 is great!

I am up and around again (after recoverin) fer 2 full days.  The deck rails are good ta be on. 

And I am feeling mebbe 5 again...  Life is GOOD!