“When I played in the sandbox, the cat kept covering me up.” – Rodney Dangerfield

Me and Rowdy, in PA, '90 - '93

Mr. Creme continues to do well on insulin.  We try to keep his feeding times and insulin injections near the same time each day.  I have been giving his injections without help, although when I notice that Mr. Creme is not in a good mood, I ask Charlie to come and help to soothe him.  He’s fine, he eats and is alert, but like all of us, he gets up on the wrong side of his bed sometimes. 

When he had his last fructosamine test, he had gained a few ounces.  I’m scheduling another test for next week.  I hope his glucose level has dropped to a good level.  I’m still concerned about his back legs though.  He kind of walks with his back arched.  He’s still able to get in a chair on the patio, where he sleeps part of the day and he does get around pretty good.  I know that as long as a cat grooms himself, he is feeling okay.  Mr. Creme does keep himself nice.  He seems content to be in a chair on the patio. 

I check on him regularly and he always has access to his food and water.  The only good thing about his condition is that he no longer can go into the front yard.  But, it’s sad too, that now this once big, strong, cat, walks around with such uncertainty.  When you know a cat when he was a kitten and watch him move through his young prime, the meaning of “getting old, sucks” comes to mind.

Toby and Mr. Creme at 8 weeks old - always together

We’ve watched several of our cats get old and sick.  But, at 11 years old, cats should still be running and jumping and doing what cats like to do.  When a disease like lymphoma or diabetes takes over, it does usually cut the life short or at least inhibits what was normal.

Grady at one month old  (forever young)

We never will know what caused Grady's sudden death just before his 10th birthday.  It was quite a blow to lose him in February of 2010 and then lose later that year Taz in October. 

It was very hard to see Taz become the very thin, unstable cat that he became before he died of cancer.  I was looking at some pictures of him in his last few days.  That is when I really saw how sick he was and how bad he must have been feeling.  His clear, beautiful, green eyes had splotches.  It was like someone took a spoon and stirred up the color in the iris.  It distorted the color and the sparkle was gone.  I'm sure the chemo was part of the side effect.   

I keep his picture near my desk and in other rooms to remind me of him when he was happy and healthy and I think that’s how he is now, wherever he is.  That's the way I picture him in my mind anyway.  Better to remember the good, happy times with him and remember how lucky we were to have him for almost 12 years.

Chelsi, Taz (forefront), Calvin and Rowdy

I also think of Chelsi, Rowdy and Calvin.  We knew them all of their lives and we were able to enjoy them as youngsters.  That's how I like to think of them now.


Kiki and her kittens are still with us.  Charlie and I were joking the other day.  I said, “When “Dash” goes to her new home, we’ll have to tell them that they can’t change her name because she’s been “Dash” for 15 years!”  Charlie said, “Well, they might want to change her name to “Sloth”.

Dash and Cody still call us “grandpa” and grandmama”.  Of course, we talk for them.  They say, “We can out-run grandpa and grandmama!”  They are hard to catch, but we manage to trick them sometimes. 

Cody will come up and sit and sometimes even lay down on a lap.  Not surprisingly, she prefers Charlie’s lap.  But, she will let me pet her.

Dash is very independent and is always waiting for the other shoe to drop.  Cody takes her orders from Dash.

Last night we decided we would put them in their room upstairs to sleep.  We didn’t know what to expect when we went up to feed them this morning.  They were at the door and very glad to see us.  It was like they thought we had abandoned them.  They were so excited that they wouldn’t sit to eat.  Finally when Dash settled and started eating, Cody decided it was okay.  We let them out when they were through.

We’ve found that it makes things easier to separate the kittens at mealtime because our more “civilized” cats will not come to eat.  They are so polite when they eat.  The kittens are still growing and are always hungry.  They have no manners and go from dish to dish.  Usually I feed them on the cat patio and close the door so they can’t come in.  I have to block the cat door because they’ve figured out how to use it. 

Rhody is 9 months old now, 13 pounds, and although he has slowed in his eating, he still is a kitten and we haven’t been able to teach him that when he finishes his food, he can’t go to the next bowl and push Jason or Jonesie away from their food.  We probably need to start feeding him away from the others too.  Maybe I’ll try putting him on the patio with the kittens when I feed them tonight.

Lexi at one month old

Lexi is doing fine on her thyroid medicine.  Her weight has stabilized.  She’s not eating all the time and doesn’t seem to be overly drinking water.  She knows the routine.  In the morning she goes to the door to go out.  I swab her meds in her right ear and open the door.  When she comes in at night, I swab her left ear and she goes to the cat patio and gets in her bed.  I just hope she continues to live the rest of her life normally.

Ellie at one month old

Ellie seems to need her asthma meds more than usual.  Sometimes it’s the weather, but she was in the yard a little while yesterday, so the grasses could have irritated her. 

She’s in the house almost all of the time.  Only once in awhile she will come downstairs and go to the door to go out.  I usually will let her out, especially on nice, warm days like we’ve been having.  She doesn’t do much, just walk around sniffing and may eat some grass.  But, then she comes to the door and back in.  If I try to pet her, she runs ahead of me and back upstairs to her room and sanctuary. 

She has the weak leg condition that Toby had, so it’s hard to watch her climb the stairs and wobble from side to side.  She does make it okay though.  I think she’s walked like this for so long, she doesn’t realize she has a problem.  We don’t think she is in pain.

I’m still going to the chiropractor with my back problem. I have what is called Piriformis Syndrome.  It affects the piriformis muscle and the sciatic nerve.                           

The medical jargon:

“The sciatic nerve is the longest and largest nerve in your body. Five sets of paired nerve roots combine to create it, and it's about the diameter of a finger. The sciatic nerve starts in your low back, which is called your lumbar spine. The nerve roots are at the L4 and L5 vertebrae (the 'L' means lumbar, and the numbers indicate the level of the vertebra—where it is in your back). The sciatic nerve also travels through your pelvic region (sacrum).

In most people, the sciatic nerve runs under the piriformis muscle, which moves your thigh side to side. From there, the sciatic nerve descends through the buttocks and the back of the thighs. Behind your knee, smaller nerves branch out from the sciatic nerve and travel down to your feet.

Your sciatic nerve is part of a complex structure: your body's nervous system. That system is responsible for transmitting pain and sensation to other parts of your body. So, when something presses on a nerve, you'll feel it, and it won't feel good. With sciatica, something in your low back—a herniated disc, for example—compresses the sciatic nerve, which then transmits pain down your legs.

The piriformis is a muscle which runs from your sacrum (mid-line base of spine) to the outer hip bone (trochanter).

The muscles in and around the gluteal region help with three areas

1.rotation of the hip and leg;
2.balance while one foot is off the ground; and
3.stability for the pelvic region.”

Apparently my piriformis muscle is pressuring the sciatic nerve.  Funny how you don’t care what the names of your muscle and nerves are until they start causing you so much pain that you have to learn about them.

Anyway, I’m getting better with the treatments my chiropractor gives me every two weeks.  I also decided to try acupuncture yesterday for the first time.  It’s not something I thought of doing on my own though.

I have a friend who volunteers as a receptionist at an acupuncture clinic once a week.  For her volunteer time, she gets free treatments with the acupuncturist. 
I can’t say it was painful, in fact, it was very relaxing.  Even though my pain is on my left side, she inserted needles to my right hand, arm, leg and foot.  Then one needle on my left arm and foot and one in my forehead.
                   
I relaxed in a recliner with a blanket over my feet for about an hour.  I have to say it was relaxing at first, but then I started getting antsy because I don’t like to lie on my back for long periods.  A half hour would probably be better for me.

There are two opening for volunteer receptionists and I’m considering one of them.  I would get my treatments free (if I decide it’s helping me).  I do know that it’s not hurting my condition.

More later............



Do not regret growing older.  It is a privilege denied to many.  ~Author Unknown

Yet for better or worse we love things that bear the marks of grime, soot, and weather, and we love the colors and the sheen that call to mind the past that made them. - Junichiro Tanizaki

I went through my closet last week and decided to get rid of some clothes that I have not worn or been able to wear in years.  I’ve held onto dresses and other clothes because I still liked them, even though I couldn’t wear them and never would. 

One particular dress was my very favorite.  It must have shrunk while it was hanging in my closet.  I used to take it out and hold it up to me and remember how much I loved wearing it.  The material was still bright and colorful.  Each time I took it out to put in the “give away” box, I couldn’t part with it, so I hung it back in the closet until next time.

I remember one time several years ago, I was telling a friend at work about a big leather recliner we had that we really didn’t have room for.  We liked the chair and it was comfortable.  It had sentimental value for me.  I sat in the chair many times with a cat in my lap.  The chair had scratches from the cats jumping on and off of it.  The leather wasn’t torn though.  It was a good, well made chair.  It rocked, swivelled and reclined easily. 

We finally moved the chair upstairs and put it in my computer room.  It was there for awhile.  I sat in it sometimes, but more than once, I complained that it was in my way.

So my friend, Teresa, said, “Can’t you just take a picture of the chair and sell it or give it away?”  I really hadn’t thought of that.  She said that she and her husband lived in a small house and they didn’t keep anything they didn’t use. 

I tend to hang on to more than I need.  There’s just been so many times I have gotten rid of things and then the next week or so, I needed it or could have used it. 

We decided one day to sell the recliner.  I put an ad on Craig’s List and it sold right away.  I was surprised by the lack of attachment I felt when the lady came to pick it up and it was gone. 

I do have pictures of it though. 

Not long after we moved here we, or probably, I, wanted leather furniture for the livingroom.  I still don’t know why.  We went to several places, looking for the right sofa.  Finally, we went to The Leather Factory.  We picked out a sectional sofa, the color and type of leather, and also ordered a matching recliner.

It took a few weeks to have it made.  In the meantime, I got busy and advertised our old furniture in the PennySaver, which was still in very good condition.  Back in 1995, we didn’t use Craig’s List.

The furniture sold very quick.  We used patio chairs in the living room until our new leather furniture came.

Calvin and Rowdy miss their couch

It was beautiful.  Cream colored, soft, leather.  It quickly turned into unhappiness though.  It was cold to sit on.  Blankets and covers just slid off. 

Then we started noticing scratches.  Our two cats at the time, Rowdy and Calvin, didn’t have front claws, but they had back claws.  Of course, when they jumped up on the couch, they would scratch the cushions.  I started trying to cover the couch, but nothing would stay on it.

I think we had the couch less than six months when we decided that leather was not going to work for us.  I called the man at The Leather Factory and he said he could come out and repair the scratches.  Of course, it was not free, but I wanted the scratches gone.  There were just a few to repair.

We planned on selling our new, beautiful leather sofa.  By that time, neither one of us was really attached to it.  It had to go.

When the scratches were repaired, we immediately moved the couch to the garage so it would not have any more damage.

I advertised it in PennySaver.  A nice couple with two kids came by and loved it.  They bought it and it was gone.  I don’t remember shedding a tear.  But, we kept the recliner.  It was comfortable and we did use it.

That weekend we went sofa shopping again.  This time we planned on being more practical.  We went to Krause’s Sofa Factory, picked out a sectional style, the fabric and pattern, and ordered it.

For two or three weeks, we used the patio chairs in the living room again.  The first one to the recliner, got it.

Finally the new sofa was delivered.  It was so much more comfortable than the leather one.  We didn’t have to worry about the cats scratching it. 

Rowdy and Chelsi, relaxing on our new couch

Calvin (recliner next to couch)

That sofa is still with us.  It has been moved three times, two of which were cross-country Navy moves.  The fabric and cushions have held up since 1994.  We still like the colors and I can’t tell you how many people and cats have sat on that couch.

When I wake up at 2:00 in the morning and can’t go back to sleep, I go to the couch with my blanket and watch TV.  I go right back to sleep.

So when I was pulling clothes from my closet and deciding to say goodbye to them, I came across the pretty red and green dress.  I thought of what my friend had said about taking a picture of it and letting it go.

This time, when I held it up to me and saw myself extending more than an inch on either side of the waist, I knew it was time to give someone else a chance to wear the dress.

I took a picture of it, folded it and put it in a nice box with another one of my favorite dresses.  The clothes were going to be picked up the next day. 

The next morning, I woke up early and the first thing that popped into my mind was, “Oh no!  I can’t give that dress away!  I probably took the tags off and no one will know how to clean it.  It has to be dry cleaned.  If they wash it, it will be ruined!”

So, when I got up later, I went to the garage and found the dress.  When I checked for the label, it was there.  I hadn’t removed it.  “Rayon.  Dry clean only.”  It was safe to let it go.

"The Dress"

More later.............

A neighbour's cat, sitting on the wall, waiting to be stroked, brightens up an otherwise miserable walk to work. - Author Unknown

We’ve been giving Mr. Creme insulin twice a day for a week now.  He’s eating pretty well.  I let him out into the back yard this morning.  Later I went out to check on him.  When he hears the door from the garage, he comes around.  I met him in the yard as he was coming my way.  I noticed that his legs looked weak.  He was walking like a raccoon, his back was hunched up. 

We called the vet and they said to bring him in for a glucose test.  The test showed that his levels were still high, but better than when he took the fructosamine test last week.

They were afraid he was hypoglycemic, which is dangerous.  He could go into a coma because the insulin brings the blood sugar down too low.  He was fine though.

I just feel like we’re flying blind because even though we’re told to give him 3 units of insulin in the morning and 2 at night, I don’t know what his glucose count is each time because I don’t test him.  Testing would mean that we’d have to get blood from Mr. Creme’s ear before we gave him insulin. 

From what I’ve read, the blood is taken from the ear or the pad of the paw.  I would think either one would be very uncomfortable. 

We’ve always considered Mr. Creme “hard-wired” because he likes his comforts, his food, and really anything else is gravy to him.

We didn’t raise Mr. Creme.  As he says, “I was raised by a man and a boy.”  That would be my friend, Brian, and his son, John.  Mr. Creme and Toby were eight weeks old when Brian took them home with him. 

From the pictures I saw, the kittens were living a very comfortable life with the man and the boy.  I used to see Brian every day and ask about the kittens and he would say, “The boys are fine.”  Then it got to the point where he would walk in the door of the office and when I looked up, he would say, “The boys are fine.”

Brian and I were talking about the kittens one day.  I told him that our three, Lexi, Ellie and Grady, were always climbing the screens in the windows.  I tried to discipline them, but they wouldn’t learn.  He said he didn’t have a discipline problem with Mr. Creme and Toby.  I said, “What do you do?”, thinking he had something profound to tell me.  He said, “Easy.  I don’t discipline them.”

So, needless to say, Mr. Creme and Toby never heard a discouraging word until they came back to live with us in December 2002.  They were almost three years old.

Maybe because they had not been disciplined or yelled at, like all of ours have, they were two of the sweetest, most loving cats we had.  We never could figure out what Brian did to make them that way.  We had raised the brother and sisters and had loved them, given them attention, but they were the most standoffish, frightened of their shadow, cats we’d seen.  They grew up together, but couldn’t stand each other.

Of course, when Mr. Creme and Toby moved in with us, our other cats hated them and were always glaring, growling and hissing at them.  If that hadn’t been the case, MC and T would have just settled in and it would have been a happy home.

Instead our house was in an uproar all the time.  We kept MC and T in a room for about a week or two and then when they came out, all hell broke loose.  I don’t know if that’s when MC started spraying.  He may have been doing that when he was still with Brian. 

We had him awhile before we even knew he was spraying/marking.  Poor thing, all the cats just hated him.  Toby was the only one who liked him.  The two of them would sleep together in a chair.  We thought it was neat that the two got along.  Of course, they were raised together.  But, their sisters and brother didn’t like each other and they were also raised together.


Mr. Creme will go back for another fructosamine test in a couple of weeks.  I’m hoping that his glucose level will be down and he will start feeling almost normal again. 

I went to run some errands today.  When I came home, I thought how much I missed seeing Mr. Creme in our yard as I drove up.  He used to spend time in our neighbor's yard, sleeping on the front window sill and greeting our neighbor, Bridgit, when she walked by, going to and from the mailbox.  When I got out of my car, he would walk out to meet me and usually would come in with me.  Of course, he would go on into the garage.    

I spend a lot of time with MC and he does like the attention.  I just wish he didn’t spray, so he could be in the house with me.  He’s just so cuddly and easy to hold.  Except for his mom, Jezibel, and sisters, Lexi and Ellie, all of the other cats like him.  He would be accepted in the house.

Later.........

“The cat has too much spirit to have no heart” --Ernest Menaul

Yesterday I was on FB checking the latest news and playing Scrabble.  My niece, Jamie, posted that her three year old dog, Holly, a Boxer, had passed away that morning.

I know how sad she was feeling because we’ve gone through losing several of our pets these last few years.  But, this was a young dog and I was curious about what happened to her.

I called my brother, Richard to see if he knew the details.  He said that Holly was playing in the yard with the other two dogs and then suddenly she was gone.

They took Holly to the vet and a necropsy was done.  Holly had heart failure.  When she was a puppy she had a heart murmur, but the vet thought she had outgrown it.  I guess it was not detected in her exams.

Anyway, Josh posted that the necropsy showed that it was “Boxer Cardiomyopathy.  One of the most common causes of sudden/unexpected death in boxers, both young and old, is a condition thought to be inherited and characterized by abnormal heart rhythms involving the ventricles (the main blood pumping chambers) of the heart.”  If they had known about it, there was nothing they could have done.

It’s hard when a pet dies, even if it has been sick.  But, when they just go suddenly, it’s a shock as well as painful.

Kiki and her two kittens, Dash and Cody are here and still making themselves at home.  Since Kiki really does not like other cats, we have moved her to the 4'x4' kennel on the cat patio.  She is doing fine out there, but Jason can’t help himself.  He has to go out and walk back and forth by her cage.  She doesn’t run at him, but she meows in a way that is not, “Well, hello there, handsome!”  If I catch him taunting her, I make him come back into the house.

Lexi stays in the backyard all day and at night she sleeps in the other 4'x4' next to Kiki.  Since Lexi is not really friendly to other cats either, even the ones she has been with all her life, I put a partition between the 4x4's so the girls can’t see each other.

Dash and Cody have the complete run of the house and they are the most active and destructive kittens we have ever had and we’ve had a few.

We raised Jezebel’s seven kittens and four of them went to their new homes at eight weeks old.  But, the three that we kept, Lexi, Ellie and Grady, were not half as bad as Dash and Cody.

Dash has still not learned that she is not supposed to get up on the counters.  Of course, if she hears me coming, I hear her drop to the floor.  I used to catch her up there and spray her with water, but now she is getting smart and doesn’t get caught in the act.  A few minutes ago I went in the kitchen and Dash was scrambling to get off the counter.  I said, “Dash, you’re up there every time I come in here!”  Of course, she’s probably thinking, “Well, don’t come in here then!”

Dash (no doubt) on the top of blinds....the other two followed her

I think there is something about white cats.  I was talking to someone who has a white cat and she said they are different.  Very smart, very cunning and she used the word “cautious”.  Dash is all of those.

Cody is also smart, but she is a little more trusting than her sister.  Both kittens like to be petted, but they usually don’t come looking for attention.  If you can catch them in their cat tree or in a chair napping, they can be petted easily.

This morning I woke up early and sat up in bed.  Dash was curled up asleep in my rocker, Cody was on the foot of the bed.  I was a little surprised that Dash got out of her chair (MY chair) and came up on the bed to me.  She let me hold her and pet her for longer than she usually allows.  When she left, Cody came up and gave me some of her precious time.

I have posted Kiki, Dash and Cody in an ad at Petfinders.  They post lost and found, adoptable pets and there are thousands of pets posted there from all across the country.

When Chelsi was lost back in 2000, I posted her on Petfinders.  I remember that I got some responses from people who thought they’d found her, but it never was her.  She was gone a month when we got her back.  But, Petfinders is a good organization.

The animal rescue service that helped us with the spaying, advertises their pets there.  There are also posts from the local animal shelters.  Most animals have pictures of them.  I’m hoping that someone is looking for that special cat or kitten.

In the meantime, we will continue to take care of them and they will continue to run and chase each other  through the house, play and wrestle with Rhody, and hopefully learn some manners along the way.  Hopefully.

The lady who took the other white kitten, Dot (now Spyce), called this afternoon.  It has been about a month since she took Dot home with her.  Charlie talked to her and just hearing one side of the conversation, I thought there might be a problem and she wanted to bring Dot back.

I was calm.  I came into my room and sat down at my computer, thinking, I can probably just post another picture of Dash since she looks like Dot.  No one would know the difference.  We never could tell them apart unless we could see the top of Dash’s head.

Charlie came in and said, no, there was no problem.  Cynthia had called to say that she can’t catch Dot.  She has hardly seen her since she got her.  Dot runs away and Cynthia doesn’t move very fast.  She’s older than we are.  But, the good news is, Dot gets along with Cynnamon and Cynthia adores her, even though she hasn’t been able to pet her much.

Cynthia said that she hadn’t been able to catch Dot to take her back to the vet for the rest of her shots.  She said that she lets her cats out in the yard when she is out.  One day Dot got up on the fence and went over, but was so afraid, she came back into the yard.  Another time she climbed a tree, trying to catch a bird.

Dash and Dot are a lot alike.  Not only are they both white cats, but they are also free spirits.  At least Cynthia is not giving up on her.  Charlie told her we’d come and help catch Dot if she needed us.  We just wait for Dash to fall asleep somewhere and then we can pick her up.  Actually though, Dash is not that hard to catch.  But, we move faster than Cynthia, I think.

Mr. Creme has been on insulin twice a day for about a week now.  We monitor him closely.  He loves the attention he’s getting.  If it’s nice outside, I let him out in the backyard.  As of a couple of weeks ago, he’s no longer allowed in the front yard.  I don’t think he’s tried to jump over the fence in a long time.  Before he was diagnosed with diabetes, I let him out of the garage and opened the front gate for him so he could be in the front yard.  I did that because one day he came in and was limping.  I suspect that he sprained his foot or leg when jumping down from the six foot fence.

A couple of weeks ago, he went out front.  After an hour or so I went out to bring him inside.  I couldn’t find him.

As I was walking by the neighbor’s driveway, I spotted Mr. Creme up on the hillside.  That’s the same hillside that I have seen coyotes and saw one in the middle of the afternoon one day a few years ago.

That is when I decided that he shouldn’t be out front anymore anyway.  With the diabetes not being completely regulated yet, I wouldn’t want him to be out and start feeling bad.  He might get sick and find somewhere to lay down.  I’m not sure I could find him in time.

So, Mr. Creme spends his time on the back patio with the girls, Jezebel and Lei, his mom and sister.  Who would have thought it would come to that?  Right Mr. Creme?

Mr. Creme could stay in the house all the time if he didn’t feel the need to spray everything.  That is just not appreciated and I don’t think he really even knows how offensive this behavior of his is.

I do have pants that I put on him when he’s in the house.  I found them at a pet store online.  They actually work well.  I buy the Poise (Mr. Creme would not let me buy Depends) pads and they prohibit his nonsense.

But, he hates wearing his pants.  When he wants to come into the house or when I want to bring him inside, I get the pants.  When he sees me coming towards him, carrying the pants, he runs away.  Sometimes I catch him and make him wear the pants, but usually I just leave him alone.  He just doesn’t get to come in the house.  I think he prefers that, over wearing those pants.  Pictures later.

Later.........

 

 

The Naming of Cats is a difficult matter, It isn't just one of your holiday games; You may think at first I'm as mad as a hatter When I tell you, a cat must have THREE DIFFERENT NAMES.--The Naming Of Cats by T. S. Eliot

When I was standing in the kitchen yesterday morning, getting ready to feed the cats, I became aware that I was humming.  I do hum sometimes without even realizing it.  I always have, just not usually first thing in the morning.  But, this hummer was “Memories” from the play “CATS”.  Then I remembered why.  We went to see the play “CATS” on Wednesday night.  Pretty cool.

Haven and Kim

Our friends Kim and daughter, Haven invited us to go.  Haven won four tickets by being the best “color-ographer” at “Pat and Oscar’s” restaurant.  Even with the limited number of crayon colors to use, she did her best and won. 

We enjoyed the play and I had forgotten how much I like the music.  The “cat” actors did an awesome job, and they were so cat-like in their movements.  To have been around so long, 30 years, this play has many years to go I think.

Kiki came back to us last Sunday.  She had been in her new home for about a month.  I think she was adjusting to having the full access to the house.  But, apparently she was not treating the resident kitten well.  He was afraid of her.  Something happened between them that made him afraid to go near the litter box.  He started using inappropriate places.  That doesn’t go over too well with anyone.

I wasn’t there and Kiki can’t talk, so with what I’ve heard, Kiki will probably be better in a home that has no other pets.  We know she doesn’t like dogs at all, and we had never exposed her to any of our cats.  She’d had the kittens with her and we knew how protective she was.  We thought that since Chino is about the age of Dash and Cody, Kiki would at least get along with him.

Kiki is back in her old room for now and we will start another campaign to find her a home.  In the meantime, Dash and Cody have been re-introduced to their mother and they are fine.  Kiki was a little indifferent at first, but did not slap at either kitten.  The kittens were happy to see their mom, they rubbed against her, went to see what kind of food mom had and helped themselves.  But they did not want to stay in the room with her.  Are you kidding?  They have the complete run of this house.  That room is small to them now.    

Our adorable "sugarbaby"

Mr. Creme had his first fructosamine test on Tuesday.  One of the vets called this morning.  His numbers are still too high.  We are going to have to increase his insulin.  I was hoping that we wouldn’t have to do that.  The vet wants us to keep giving him the 3 units of insulin in the mornings and then for a week, add 1 unit in the evening.  If he does all right, i.e. he doesn’t go hypo on us, then increase it to 2 units at night.  So that would be a total of 5.  I have read of cats getting much more than that.  I still don’t know enough about diabetes that I feel comfortable giving Mr. Creme insulin. 

Some people actually use a blood test kit at home to check the sugar levels.  We’re not doing that and we’ll talk to the vet first.  The vet who called the other day didn’t seem to be too excited about home testing.  It would be more complicated because it would mean that a drop of blood would have to be taken from Mr. Creme.  From what I’ve read, the blood is taken from the ear. Ouch.  Or from the pad on the paw.  I would think both would be very uncomfortable and Mr. Creme is not the easiest cat to do things to.  He knows when we go out to give him his shot each morning.  It takes both of us because he just won’t be still.

We’ll see.  I hope we can get M.C. regulated and feeling better.  He had lost a little weight when he was at the vet’s the other day.

I’m still doing research on feline diabetes.  This website explained it well:  http://www.felinediabetes.com/diabetes-info.htm

I have joined a feline diabetes group and hoped to meet others with cats like Mr. Creme.  So far, I’m just confused about whether we should be testing at home or not.  It’s only been three weeks of insulin injections, but I feel like it’s been forever and I just remember how hard it was to get Rowdy regulated.  Actually, I don’t think we ever did.

Ellie

Ellie has asthma and was pretty congested when Charlie brought her dinner to her last night.  He came back downstairs and said that she needed her medicine (Terbutaline).  I went up and gave her a dose.  She’s hard to pill so I crush it and dissolve it in water and use a syringe.  It usually takes an hour or so for her congestion to really start breaking up.  When it does, she coughs and sounds like she is going to drown.  I feel so sorry for her.

I went up later to use the computer.  Ellie’s bed is in my computer room.  She was not in it and her food was untouched.  I found her on the floor a few feet away.  She was trembling like she does sometimes.  When she used to stay in Charlie’s computer room, he held her on his lap and “scrubbed” her when she got the shakes.  It seemed to help her.

I got a blanket and wrapped her in it and held her on my lap.  She was still trembling, but she buried her face in the blanket and settled in.  I could hear her wheezing when she breathed.  She’s so small that she fit on my lap comfortably.

I also checked out a feline asthma group site, but then I started getting questions like “Please tell me that Ellie is on an inhaler!”, etc.  Well, no, she’s not.  And she’s not on a steroid either.  The Terbuterine is to open her airways and help her breathe.  The vet has never given us any more meds than that and we have never asked.  This particular group will probably not help me much. 

I haven’t told anyone in the group because they’d probably be horrified, but sometimes to help her nasal congestion, I use a Vicks Vapor Inhaler for just a minute or so.  I’m not imagining that it helps clear her nose.  We use it on Jezibel sometimes too.  I can hear the popping sounds inside the nose when it starts clearing up.  But, it’s not prescription.  I buy them at the drug stores.  I can remember carrying one in my coat pocket in the winter time when I was a kid.  They’ve been around forever. 

With Ellie on my lap, I couldn’t do much on my computer, so I went to iTunes and found some songs to play.  It’s amazing how many songs I’ve forgotten about.  I can’t buy them all, but with Ellie’s help, I downloaded about five.

Ellie started breathing better and was obviously feeling better.  She started getting restless so I put her back in her bed.  She didn’t stay there long.  Her food was waiting and she wanted to get to it.  I watched her as she started eating.  She makes a lot of noise when she eats and it reminds me of the sound that Grady made when he ate.  They both would lick at first and then just dig in and make almost slurping sounds, eating with gusto.  The sound of enjoying your long awaited meal.

Ellie is not one to feel sorry for though.  She is usually in her bed near my desk.  We keep a gate up at the door so she can’t leave the room.  There are times when we forget to close the gate and have to go to the top of the stairs to rescue Jason or Jonesie or some other cat who foolishly thought they could get past Miss Ellie.  She’s no pushover.  She may have ailments, but that doesn’t mean that she doesn’t still have the fire in her.

The other night I was at my desk and heard a tussle.  I looked over and Ellie had Jonesie down on the floor, beating the tar out of him.  I think it took him by surprise.  I had to get her off of him and he was out of the room and downstairs in two seconds.

I left the closet door open the other day because I was in there looking for something.  One of the cats wandered in and went into the closet.  Ellie spied him and went after him.  She had him trapped in the closet. 

The other cats are all much bigger than Ellie, but I’ve never seen one of them attack her.  It’s always she who attacks.  She’s been feisty like that since she was a tiny kitten.  She isn’t aware of her small size and Jason, Rhody and Jonesie are all afraid of her.

One by one, the cats will learn to not come in this room unless they can slip past the little black widow spidow-like, sleeping Ellie.

My favorite pain reliever, Excedrin, has been recalled.  I went to Costco the other day and all of the bottles were pulled from the shelves.  I checked online, but there is no information on when the product will be restocked.  I still have some, but usually by now I’m buying more.

I went to the grocery store this afternoon to pick up a few things.  As I was going through the aisles, one of the men who I think is a manager, was saying “I’m happy.  This is my last day here.”  I know him because I’ve checked out with him and he usually is not talkative or friendly. I thought maybe he was going to another store.

Anyway, in the medicine aisle, there were some bottles of Excedrin so I picked one up.  I thought maybe these were not in the group of the recalls and even though it was only 24, it would hold me until the recall was over.

When I got to the checkout, the “last day” guy was there.  He was very friendly, asking me if I found everything okay, etc.  Then when he got the Excedrin, he said, “I can’t sell this to you because it’s on the recall list.”  I said there were more on the shelf and he sent someone to pull them.  So, I didn’t get my Excedrin.  But, the guy was very nice and was actually smiling.  I thought, I wonder why they can’t be nice like this even if it’s not their last day at work?

My friend, Kim, says that she challenges people who work with the public and are rude.  In one instance, a lady was very rude to her and she said, “Excuse me, where did you go to charm school?” 

More later................

    

Nobody can ever take a friend's place--nobody. --Maya Angelou

Dash and Cody continue to amuse us.  Each day they are playing more, becoming less inhibited and even enjoy getting attention.  When they disappear, I know they are taking their hours-long nap.   

We like to check on them when we haven’t seen them for awhile.  Dash is usually in my closet asleep on a blanket.  Sometimes Cody is with her, but most times, Dash is alone.  I still haven’t discovered where Cody goes.  The other day, Charlie found Rhody sleeping next to Dash in the closet.   

Like the other cats, these kittens know when it’s mealtime and they just show up.  Dash is very vocal when she wants her food.  She and Rhody are the only two cats who let me know that they want me to hurry up and get those dishes down.

I was in the kitchen this morning when I heard Cody running and skidding through.  I turned to see that she was being “chased” by Rhody.  Although his manner of chasing is to just trot along a distance behind her.  She burns herself out by running as fast as she can and Rhody just follows her, not even breathing hard.

Mr. Creme has been on insulin since December 21.  Usually it’s easy to give him his injection.  He loves the attention he gets.  Charlie holds him and pets him while I do the injection.  Eventually I should be able to give the shot without Charlie having to hold Mr. Creme, if I need to.  He’ll go back next week to get his blood checked and see how he’s doing.

Sheila is not quite back to normal, but she’s getting there.  I fed her chicken and rice for a few days and then rice mixed with her dry food.  She likes the rice, but I think she’s suspicious when I mix it up.  It’s like she’s not sure she is supposed to be eating this kind of food.  Not that she doesn’t like it, but I think she is wondering if she will get in trouble.

Today a Christmas card was returned to me with “No Such Number” stamped on the envelope.  It was to my friend, Glenda, who I have been sending cards to every Christmas forever.  I haven’t seen her or talked to her in a long time.  She lives in Virginia.  I’ve known her since we were in third grade together.

I was a little concerned that the card was returned like that, so I called the number that I had for her.  No one answered, but it did go into a message recorder.  I left a message for her to call me back, hoping she still had that number.

In the meantime, Charlie and I decided to go to Imperial Beach for lunch and hit the farmer’s market near the pier later.  The last time I was at the beach was a couple of weeks before Christmas.  I met a friend for lunch.  It was windy and cold and even though it was a Friday and they had the farmer’s market, very few people were there.  I had my choice of parking spaces that day too. 

Today was sunny and warm and we had to drive up and down to find parking.  As we were walking to the restaurant I had in mind, we turned the corner and there was “Jersey Boys Diner”.  People were sitting outside and we were intrigued.  We decided to try it. 

The menu was very complete.  They had everything you’d want to eat.  Very reasonable prices.   Breakfast anytime, half pound hamburgers, hot dogs, pizza, all kinds of sandwiches, seafood, Mexican and Italian.  Charlie had a BLTA which is a BLT with avocado slices.  It was served with lots of fries.

I had a chicken quesadilla, which was way too much, but very good.  It was served with guacamole, sour cream and salsa.  They also brought a basket of chips with salsa.  The salsa was very good, but kind of too hot for me to eat much. 

My glass of wine was very good.  Charlie had a thick chocolate and peanut butter milkshake.  I tasted it and it was like a liquid peanut butter cup, very creamy and very good.

We were just finishing up when my friend, Glenda, called.  She and her husband are fine and still living at the same address.  I told her about the card that was returned.  She said her mailman “couldn’t read”.  I said, “Well, he should be delivering your mail to you”, and she said, “He does, all over the neighborhood!”  It was fun to hear her voice and even though it had been so long since we had spoken, we just picked up where we left off.

There was a lot of catching up to do, which we did.  It didn’t take us long to start talking about our cats.  The last time I saw her, she had two cats.  She told me that she now has 10 cats.  I was amazed, but then, I can see how it can happen.

Apparently she had a couple of cats who came to her house and had kittens.  She said she tried to find homes, but “no one wanted them”. 

About six years ago, a little white cat showed up on Glenda’s back deck.  It was snowing outside.  She brought the little cat in and fed her and named her “Snowflake”.  “Sissy” was the only resident cat at the time.  I’ve met “Sissy”, a tiny little calico.  She’s about 17 now.  Anyway, “Sissy” is a lot like our calico, “Jezibel”.  She’s never met a cat that she liked. 

When Glenda discovered that “Snowflake”’s front paws were declawed, she knew that she had been someone’s pet.  She tried to find the owner, but no luck.  So, “Snowflake” and “Sissy” have been sharing the house, only tolerating each other.

One day the two cats got into such a fight that Glenda said she had to take the pillows on the couch to break them up.  She decided that she would take “Snowflake” to the animal shelter because she was afraid “Sissy” would hurt her. 

She went back to the shelter to check on “Snowflake” in a week.  She was still there, so Glenda brought her home again. 

Donnie, Glenda’s very patient husband, said, “Well, you had to pay to take “Snowflake” to the shelter and then pay to get her out.”  Donnie, by the way, is allergic to cats and he gets a shot every week.  I couldn’t make this stuff up.

All of Glenda’s cats are female.  We both thought that was strange, but it just turned out that way.  When she was trying to get them all spayed, the cost was overwhelming.  The vet suggested that she get in touch with PETA.  She said she’d heard so many bad things about them, that she really didn’t want to.  But, she didn’t have a choice when the cost of spaying and vaccinating is in the hundreds and for so many cats.

PETA helped her get all of the cats taken care of.  I didn’t ask her if she had to sign something in blood.  But, I’m glad that she was able to make sure her cats were taken care of.  However, for me, the jury is still out on PETA.  We lived in Virginia and that organization caused a lot of mischief in their home city of Norfolk and across the country.

Anyway, Glenda and I caught up on what was happening with our families.  In the hour we were on the phone, Charlie and I left the diner, crossed the street and went to sit near the farmer’s market.  While Glenda and I talked, Charlie got his phone out and became engrossed in playing “Angry Bird’s” I think.  I just noticed that he was occupied (smart phones are great!), so I felt I could talk with Glenda until we were all talked out.   

It was fun hearing about her cats.  She loves hers as much as I love ours.  There are always those “special” ones though.  We talked about the two cats in our life that we’ll never forget.  For her it was “Marvin”.  He was a big, beautiful black and white tuxedo cat.  I had the pleasure of meeting him.  I remember how Glenda was so attached to him.  I wasn’t with her when he died, but I know what she went through.  I went through the same thing with my “Taz”.

With so much in common, I jokingly told Glenda that we should live together and then we’d have 20 cats.  She said, “But, then, we wouldn’t have our husbands!”  Who knows, we might.  They love our cats too. 

When Glenda and I were growing up, we were best friends, always together, like sisters.  We used to talk and plan that one day we would travel together.  We even knew what kind of car we wanted–a little red convertible.  We could see us going down the highway, who knows where.  Of course, we didn’t think about how we would pay for it at the time...

Glenda and I have stayed in touch all of these years.  I know that the next time we talk or see each other, no matter how long it’s been, we’ll just pick up where we left off.

We said goodbye, her telling me to say “Hello” to my brothers and sisters, and me telling her to do the same with hers when she saw them.  As we always do, we promised that we would talk more often.  I wonder how many cats she’ll have when I see or talk to her again?

More later................

You can say any fool thing to a dog, and the dog will give you this look that says, “My God, you’re right! I never would’ve thought of that!”–Dave Barry

Cynthia called the other day to give us another update on Spice (aka Dot).  Her other cat, Cynnamon, and Spice are getting along well.  Cynthia said she is very happy that she adopted Spice.  Of course, we were glad to hear that and I hope it continues to work out.

Kiki

Kiki is also doing fine in her new home.  Karen’s brother in law was a little disappointed that Kiki didn’t want to “mother” his kitten, Chino.  He thought that since Kiki had kittens, she would just move in with Chino and adopt him as her own.  When that didn’t happen, he thought something was wrong and was about to decide to return Kiki.  But, after some “counseling” from Karen and Greg, he decided to give her some more time.

Kiki and Chino are not fighting, but Kiki is ignoring Chino.  I would be happy with that.  Our cats have been together for years and still can’t ignore each other.  They’d rather fight.  Some people don’t know when they are well off.

Cody

Sarah, the lady who originally was going to take the tabby, Cody, sent me a message the other night.  She has decided that she is unable to have Cody now.  I told her that I understood, and I do.  Sarah just had knee surgery and I don’t know what her work prospects are.  She had been working as a security guard at night.  I’m not sure she is still employed.  Although she told me she was married with two kids, I’m not sure what her personal life is like either.  A kitten is just another responsibility. 

Sheila in her "training bra"

We took Sheila out yesterday.  It had been a week since we were out with her.  On Christmas night, she woke us up every two hours, wanting to go outside.  We thought there must be an animal in the yard.  After the third trip outside for her, she still wouldn’t settle down.  We scolded her and told her to lie down.  Then we thought we’d better go out with her again just to make sure nothing was there.  I could picture getting up the next morning and finding that someone had broken into our cars or into our backyard during the night.  Charlie went outside with the flashlight and found nothing.  Sheila settled in for the rest of the night.

The next morning when we let Sheila out, we could see that she had been desperate to go outside because her stomach was giving her problems.  She had diahearrea.  I’m not sure what caused it. After a couple of days, Charlie took her to the vet. 

He sent me a text saying “Sheila needs to eat chicken and rice”.  I responded, “Canned or homemade?”  He said, “Yes”, which I didn’t respond to, and then, “Homemade”.  I said, “Greeaat!”


So I made some rice, using chicken broth and boiled some chicken thighs.  Needless to say, Sheila enjoyed her cup of rice mixed with some shredded chicken that night.  She inhaled it.  But, the next day, her stomach still was not back to normal.  The vet had said it would take a few days.  I don’t think Sheila is counting though.  She’s looking forward to each meal now.  I can just see her harness getting tighter, although the vet said that Sheila might lose a little weight on the chicken and rice diet.  I don’t think so.  She likes it too much.  We’ll give it another day or so.

Our tree on December 10 - it was so soft then

Our Christmas tree was so dry.  We took it down on the day after Christmas.  Of course, it had been up since December 10, which was really too early, unless it was artificial.  My niece told me that she put her tree up on the day after Thanksgiving.  Even for an artificial tree, that’s too early for me.

Charlie will be taking the outside lights down tomorrow and putting everything away.  Our neighbors have already undecorated.  You’d never even know that Christmas was just last weekend......Happy New Year!

More later................