Therapy Cat Tales from 1/16/13

Tabby writes:

Happy New Year!  My purrents say it's been the new year for a few weeks now, but this is my first note since it became 2013.  We're back to visiting!  I got to cheer up people on the bus on the way to H. on Wednesday, as usual, and heard a lot of cat stories.  I took a nap on the MAX light-rail train, except for once when someone wanted to pet me.

I wore my new NurtureCALM 24/7 Feline Calming Pheromone Collar, which is helping Carbon, Starla, and me get along at home.  Carbon and I were ganging up on Starla sometimes, but now that has changed.  Starla even wants to snuggle with me, and I've given her head a grooming or two!  We're still in separate rooms most of the time, but we can be on the bed at the same time for a few minutes now.  S. thought my calming collar was cute.  It's purple, too, which looks good with my fur.

All I wanted to do at H. was snuggle and sleep.  Mommy was a little embarrassed about that, because usually I want to interact more with my friends.  It was so cold outside, plus it had snowed on Monday, so it felt like the perfect day to snooze!  I curled up on beds right next to my friends' legs to show them I was there, and they petted me while I snuggled.  One lady had a nice, plush robe on, and was sitting in a recliner.  That was the perfect place for a nap!  I squeezed between her and the arm of the chair, turned around, and snuggled in with a purr.  She petted me and I closed my eyes for a snooze while she talked with S. and Mommy.

We didn't stay as long as we usually do, because of how tired I was, but we visited with 10 people!  That's not including the people we saw in the hallway and elevator, even.  It's no wonder I was tired!

On the way back, we had a nice bus driver who remembered me even though it had been about 2 months since we'd ridden his bus.  When we got on the bus, he said, "Oh, there's the nice kitty!"  I was happy he remembered me.  When we got to our stop, it was the last one on the line and time for him to go home.  He got to pet me!

Erin was leaving the house as we were walking home, so I got to say hi to her.  Then it was time to eat, use the box, and sleep some more.  I played later on, but I needed my rest!

Miss Marble's all healed!

Miss Marble writes:

It has been a long two weeks!  That's how long my purrents say I've been stuck inside.  I went to the doctor yesterday for my post-surgery checkup.  I did not want to go into that box again!  I fought tooth and claw for my freedom, but Mommy scruffed me and shoved me into the carrier.  I talked and cried the whole ride there, then told the receptionist all about it while she asked me questions and listened sympathetically to my complaints.

The vet was nice, and I headbutted her stethoscope when she checked my breathing and heartbeat.  Then she turned me around so she could check if my stitches had dissolved on their own.  I didn't want her to check back there!  I remembered the last time I was in that room and what they did, at least until I was too groggy to remember.  I didn't want that to happen again!  Mommy and Daddy both reassured me that we were all going home in an hour and then I could be free again.  I only half-believed them, but they were right!  The vet said my stitches had dissolved on their own, once she and Mommy wrangled me enough to check.  I scrambled right back into that box as soon as I was let loose again, believe me!  Daddy put it right back up on the table, and in I went!  Oh, and they said I weigh 10.5 pounds now.

The vet said I was healthy enough to go back outside with my sister, so once we got back home Daddy opened the door and opened the carrier.  While the other kitties sniffed the carrier, I scooted out the door to my waiting sister.  Tigress was so happy to see me!  She sniffed me all over, gave me a few kisses, then tailed me as I went off to make sure my outside world hadn't changed much while I was away from it.  I explored under the deck, around the yard, along my favorite hunting trails, everywhere.  It was all the same, with the exception of being snowy and cold!  Snow got on my back, but I just shrugged it off.  I still have my warm, extra fur, so I'm well-insulated against the wet and cold.

Tigress went in to get some pets and visit with the inside kitties while she ate, but I wasn't going to go back in yet.  I got pets from Daddy, but I want to be outside for a while.  I know I'll trust them again, but I need to be outside for a few days again.

Thank you so much for all your purrs, prayers, and well-wishes!  They mean a lot!  Kitty kisses to everyone!

I'm free!

Miss Marble writes:

I'm free of the carrier!  Last night, when I was out on one of my supervised jailbreaks, I ran into the bathroom and peed in the box.  A few minutes later, I ran in again and pooped in the box!  Actual poop, although it was soft!  My humans were so impressed that I felt that much better, and they let me stay out of the carrier all night.  I'm very happy right now, although I really want to be outside with my sister.  We touched noses through a crack in the door last night, and again this morning, then I made sure that she got fed when Mommy woke up.  I wanted to snuggle with Mommy last night, but she said I couldn't be up on the bed yet until my poop was drier.  Everyone gave me lots of pets last night and this morning, even the little boy, but none of them would let me out even though I was reaching up to the door handle.

Miss Marble has exercise jailbreaks!

Miss Marble writes:

Yesterday I got to have three supervised jailbreaks for exercise!  After the first one, my legs were very wobbly and I had to take a long nap in the carrier.  The second one went much better, and on the third one I was walking almost normally!  I still have that mucous coming out of my rear end, though, so Mommy follows me with a wipe or a soft, dry washcloth so I don't leak everywhere.  I even got to sniff my sister and talk with her through a crack in the door on my last jailbreak!  She and I were so glad to be able to smell each other, but we wanted to greet each other properly.  Our purrents said that we can't yet, though.

I took my medicines well again, plus I was very well-behaved for my pee pad changes.  I'm eating my dry food and drinking my water.  My pee looks and smells normal, but I hate that I have a pee pad instead of a litter box or dirt.  I yell, then someone changes my pee pad and cleans me up as much as possible.  They can't do too much to my rear end, because of my stitches, but they can clean around those.

Mama Freya bopped me on the head on one of my jailbreaks, but she was nice to me on the next one.  I don't know why she bopped me on the head, but my purrents think it's because I smell of pee and medicine.  I'd just taken my medicines.  I'm glad she licked my head the next time!  Maybe she didn't realize who I was?

Miss Marble's taking the transition well.

Miss Marble writes:

My purrents say I'm taking the transition well, whatever that means.  I want out of the carrier to walk around the house, and am very vocal about my wishes, but I'm not clawing this box up trying to get out.  I did for the first hour, but not since then.

When Mommy went to pick me up at the hospital last night, the tech said I was a very good patient.  I purred at the people when they walked near my cage, at the hospital food, and was generally a good girl for them.  The tech wondered why I like being petted while I eat, though, so Mommy explained that it was a technique they used to socialize me and are using to socialize my sister.  That made total sense to the tech!

I got sent home with three medicines, and took them all this morning from Mommy while Daddy watched.  I was drinking water and peeing normally last night before the humans went to sleep.  When they woke up to check on me and give my meds, I'd peed again, had more water to drink, and had eaten most of my saucer of dry food!  Yay!

I took my medicines like a champion, even the one that made me foam at the mouth.  It has an icky taste, but then I got one after it that had a good taste so I didn't complain.  I get meds three times a day (two of them, one is twice a day) for a week, then go back to be looked at again.  I'm having watery discharge instead of poop, but the tech said that will be normal for the first couple days.  It should slowly go back to regular as my system adjusts again.

Thank you all for the continued purrs!

New Year's Wishes

First of all, happy new year!  We hope this year brings blessings to everyone.  Happy birthday yesterday to our Missy, and double happiness because Monday was her Gotcha Day anniversary!

No word yet on Watson, but we hope he either comes back on his own or has found a good new home.  We keep checking the found ads, hoping he will show up there, but no luck so far.

Now, on with the breaking news:

Miss Marble writes:

I had a very scary New Year's Day!  It was snowing on New Year's Eve, so Tigress and I had a lot of fun hopping around, playing hide-and-seek, and all the fun games that we can play in the snow.  However, I forgot how cold it can be when it gets dark and there is ice on the ground!  At the humans' bedtime on New Year's Day (around 11:30 pm), when they went to make sure we had food, only Tigress came up to the back deck.  She has been getting better and better about wanting attention from the humans, but Mommy realized her behavior was exceptional this time.  Tigress wouldn't let Mommy close the door, standing up against the door frame and placing her paw inside the door frame, not moving when Mommy started closing the door.  Mommy knelt down and Tigress touched noses with her!

My sister may have saved my life by doing that.

As Mommy and Tigress were interacting, I was slowly making my way up to the deck.  After they touched noses, I cried out as I jumped up on the deck, because I hurt.  Mommy heard me and talked to me, encouraging me to come to her.  I did, and walked inside because I knew she could help me.  Tigress immediately calmed down and started eating.  She knew I would be taken care of, now that I'd made it inside.

Mommy started petting me, then saw my behind.  It looked like a bloody mass of exposed muscle!  That's actually what it was, too.  She called for Daddy, and Mommy Erin came out to see what was going on as well.  They all got me into a carrier and rushed me off to the emergency vet.  Freya wanted to come, too, but they said she couldn't.  She wanted to lick me to take care of me, but they kept her away.

I had a prolapsed rectum, which basically meant part of my intestines were pushed out my anus.  No wonder it looked and felt the way it did!  There are many reasons why this would happen, so they're not sure why it did in my case.  I could've strained too much trying to pass something I ate, or sat on the ice and frozen, then pulled, or other things could have happened.  The main thing is, I was able to have emergency surgery on it last night, they pushed things back in where they are supposed to be, and I'm doing well in recovery at the vet now.  I will be back home this evening, with three medicines (one for my G.I. tract, a painkiller, and an antibiotic).  Thanks to CareCredit, my family was able to get me all the necessary care and support right away.  Mommy and Daddy are very grateful that is available and they qualified for it.

All the inside kitties and my sister were concerned that I didn't come home right away, but our purrents let them know what was going on and that I will be back this evening.  The inside kitties spent the night purring on or near the humans, and Tigress has been wanting many extra pets (and getting them) plus has been staying close on the deck.