Happy Gotcha Day! Wow, has it really been 3 years???

I guess it has really been three years since that day!  I was sooo small, only about 4-5 weeks old.  My brother and I were running across the street in the Portland neighborhood, having fun playing chase, when Mommy Erin saw us first.  She told Mommy Karen, and they both told Daddy that they were going to go out to try and catch us.  Daddy shook his head, but my mommies were adamant that we needed to be caught and brought inside.  Maybe not kept for forever, but at least brought in because we were too small to be out there alone without our momma cat.  Then maybe fostered and adopted out, or maybe kept for forever.

Mommy Erin and Mommy Karen were both in their pajamas, but they didn't mind climbing over the fence and walking around some tires and car parts to neighbor Dale's backyard, where we had run.  My brother took off running when he saw them, but I was a bit smaller so I didn't run that fast.  I also was very scared, having two humans coming after me!  I hid inside a tire that was on its side, and I fit very snugly in the covered part of it.  My mommies had to look closely to see me, but I was staring at them, watching their every move.  They picked me out of there, and Mommy Erin cuddled me while Mommy Karen took the picture above.  Then they brought me inside the green house.

Mommy Karen got a can of tuna and put it inside the big crate, then put that out and watched it.  My brother ran over to chow down on the yummy food, mainly lick it because we were so small, and Mommy Karen closed the door on the crate.  She brought him inside.  His first picture is below, clinging to Mommy Karen.

We lived in the plastic crate for a few weeks, with supervised running-around time, and were bottle-fed by both our mommies.  Then, after we were on solid food, my brother Knut was adopted out to a friend of Mommy Karen's.  Mommy Erin was going to keep me, but then she moved and had a newborn human baby to care for, so I stayed with Mommy Karen and Daddy.

My brother Knut with his doggie brother Toby.

This picture was taken last year, and Toby has since passed.

Mommy and Daddy get regular updates on how Knut is doing.

Besides his doggie brother, he has a kitty sister named Nermal who looks like Tabby!

I love hanging out on the dining room chairs!

It's so comfy, and the perfect vantage point to watch the others zoom around the house!

My younger half-sister Little Bit is watching the kittens.

Happy Anniversary to Mommy & Daddy!

Happy anniversary, Mommy & Daddy!!!  We love you!!!  It's their 2nd anniversary today!

Pictured from left to right:  Erin D. (Skylar's Mommy Erin), Mommy, Daddy, West (one of Daddy's work friends), Grandpa Mike (Mommy's dad), and Keon & Hannah (kids of Mommy's best high school friend).

Therapy Cat Tales from 6/20/10

Tabby writes:


Yay, we got to go visiting again last week!!!  :)  >^..^<  I sooo missed seeing all my friends!  We took the bus & MAX light rail there, but Mommy said we were going to get to ride with Grandpa for going home.  I love my grandpa!  He always wears a special shirt when he comes to visit so that our fur doesn't get snagged in it, which means that he can hold us and pet us more.

We had some extra time downtown Portland, so we stopped at a store.  Mommy bought some cute Hello Kitty pajamas that were on sale, pink leopard-patterned ones!


At H., I hopped out of the stroller and walked to the office door, then turned around and lay down to wait for Mommy to finish signing us in.  That's become my new habit now!  A couple of the residents stopped to pet me, and the receptionist walked over to pick me up and hold me.  *Purrrrrrs*  Then she let me in the door, and Mommy followed with the stroller.  I walked in and said hi to S., then we got our list.  Mommy showed S. the pajamas, and S. took them to show a couple other people, who all thought they were cute too.

I strolled into the elevator this time.  On the way to the elevator, we saw R. and another lady.  The other lady was afraid of cats!  The receptionist took my leash while Mommy was showing R. the pictures of the new kittens, and I wanted to go into a room with lots of boxes on shelves.  The receptionist said it was called a mailroom and the boxes were people's mailboxes.  They looked like good sleeping spots to me!

We only had time for a short visit, because we were going over to Mommy's grandparents' house afterward to visit for a while.  It was her uncle's birthday on the 15th, so we were going to go see him and them.  I got to see three friends at H., though, and visit with one other new friend there!  The new friend, I., loved seeing me, and talked with us about her experiences growing up on a farm.  She had pet pigs and pet calves, along with the other animals!

It took a while for Grandpa to come pick us up, and I got bored waiting.  R. came by just before Grandpa came, while we were still in the lobby, and was surprised we were still sitting there.  Traffic was terrible, so it took about twice as long as Grandpa had thought it would to come get us.  I knew we'd had a short visit and not seen everyone that I normally see, so I tried to go back inside when we went to get in the car.  Mommy and Grandpa said we were leaving, so I turned my back to them and sat down facing the door to H. until they got the stroller folded and in the car.  Yes, I was pouting!

I was fine once we got going, though.  I love riding in cars!  Not buses so much, because some of the bus noises scare me, but I love cars!  I usually sit on Mommy's lap in the passenger seat and watch through the side window.  If I'm really tired, like I was on Friday, I lay down on a lap and rest.  Traffic was bad on the way back, too, so we sat a while.  At one point, we were sitting and there were people with signs on the side of the road.  Grandpa said they were asking for money.  They were looking at the people in the cars because they were bored, too, and then one of them saw me.  Grandpa's window was down, and they were on that side, so the man called to me!  I flicked my ears, but I was so tired that I just stayed put.  The man asked Grandpa and Mommy a couple of questions about me, and the lady thought it was cool that I was riding in a car so calmly.  Then it was time for our car to move again.

When we were almost to my great-grandparents' house, I suddenly perked up and looked around, sitting straight up in Mommy's lap.  What did I smell?  Was that a creek?  Wait a minute, why was the water on both sides of the road?  Grandpa told me that we were crossing over the creek.  I sniffed toward one side of it, then the other.  Nice!

At my great-grandparents', we weren't sure that I could go in right away so Mommy and I went out to the backyard first while Grandpa asked if it was ok to bring me in.  There were some lovely flowers, but I stuck my nose right in them and then sneezed!  Some blue jays were taunting me, so I was very glad to go in the house rather than be outside.  Not nice, birdies, when I can't chase you!

I walked up the steps into the house, then stopped to sniff.  A carpet!  Purrring, kneading the plush carpet with my paws/claws, total luxury!  We used to have carpet at our old house, but it was torn up.  Besides, it wasn't like this:  thick, nice-smelling, great on the paws!  I tipped over and rolled on my back on the carpet.

I walked all the way in to the living room and met my great-grandma and great-grandpa, then Mommy took my leash off so I could explore without it following me around the house.  I investigated the hallway and two of the rooms, then went back to the living room to get more pets from Great-grandma.  Great-grandpa was in a huge chair that made funny sounds when it moved, because it was all electric, so it took me a while to go over on my own to him.  I finally did, though, and he petted me and told me what a good kitty I was.  They both did.  I love them, too!  Then my great-uncle and Grandpa came in from the yard and I went right over to Great-uncle to be petted.  He sat down on the couch, so I hopped up there too.  I thought, since I'm allowed on the couch at home, that I would be allowed on the couch there, too.  Nope, I wasn't, but I was allowed to sit on Great-uncle's lap.  I really, really wanted on the white couch, though, so he had to keep putting me back on his lap.  After a couple times of that, I cooperated.

After a while, I hopped down again and went to get pets from everyone else.  Uncle D. decided to sit down on the floor so that he could pet me better, and I loved that!  He did, too!  Everyone loved my visit.  :)  >^..^<

Wordless Wednesday

World Cat Day: Adoption News!

Today in the news...another kitten got adopted and is in his new forever home!

Skylar sent his Mommy Erin a new kitten, a tuxedo boy formerly named Pete but now (at least temporarily) named Scamper!  Mommy, Daddy, Erin, and JJ went yesterday to pick him out!  Erin thought she was going to look at a little orangie boy, but the orangie was adopted already and the other orangie didn't want to come out to be held.  This little tuxie dude went right over to JJ and wanted attention, then was perfectly happy (even purring) while JJ picked him up, carted him around the room, and plopped him on various cat furniture pieces!  It's not every kitten who can put up with a 2 1/2-year-old boy!

Scamper was a good traveler,

but kept sticking his paws and nose out of his cardboard carrier on the way home

When he got home, Smokey came over to sniff the box and was interested in it, even when he meowed at her.  But when the box was opened and she saw who was inside, she hissed and ran off to the far corner of the room.  Scamper is now in the bathroom at Erin & JJ's, with a radio going.  He meowed all last night until she carried him into the living room to watch a movie with her.  Unless he's being held, he's meowing because he's lonely.  We're all sure he'll be fine in a few days once he realizes that he's somewhere new for real.  Then, the process of introductions to Smokey will begin!  Moke's already sniffing under the door, but not hissing or growling.  Erin's going to find the mesh carrier and use that for introductions.

The people at Salem Friends of Felines were so happy to hear that Freya and Heimdall are doing so well here!  Mommy & Daddy brought the digital camera loaded with pictures and video to show them, and they said to e-mail pics as well so they could share them with the other volunteers who cared for them while they were there.  :)  Once Scamper gets settled, Erin's going to e-mail them pics of him at his forever home, too!

Photo Friday: Best Friend

Skylar and his Mommy Erin, Summer 2007

Photo Friday

It's my 3rd birthday!

Rori writes:

Wow!  I can't believe I'm 3 years old already!!!  It seems like it wasn't that long ago that I was with my mama cat in the backyards of the Portland neighborhood, curled up with my littermate brothers.  Now I'm the Lady of the House, Big Kitty of the House, and taking care of everyone!  My new niece and nephew need a lot of guidance, since they're kittens, so I've got my paws full watching over them.

Thankful Thursday: Kittens!

Welcome to your forever home, Heimdall and Freya!!!

We are proud to announce the arrival of our two newest family members!  These two littermates are 2 1/2 weeks old, born on (approximately) March 24, 2010.  Heimdall is a little boykit, named after the Norse god who is the gatekeeper to the Rainbow Bridge.  Freya is a little girlkit, named after the Norse goddess of love, beauty, wisdom, and the leader of the Valkyries (warrior maidens who ferried the souls of the dead), whose sacred symbol is the cat.

Our family was looking for one, possibly two, kittens to adopt, before Skylar got so sick.  Then, we all got too busy taking care of him, and our purrents thought it would be too much strain on the household to have kittens during that time as well.  So, they asked Skylar if, when he crossed to the Bridge, he would pick out a kitten to send to our family.

On Sunday, Mommy was looking at Petfinder.com at kittens in our area.  She and Daddy already knew they wanted a tuxedo kitten, in memory of Skylar, and probably a boykit would fit best with our family.  She narrowed down the choices, then saw the picture below:

Doesn't he look sooooo much like Skylar???  She just knew this was the kitten that we were supposed to adopt!  She told Daddy to look at the picture, and he agreed.  He looked at the other kittens at the shelter, and saw the following one:

Guess what???  She is the other kitten's littermate sister!  Just like Skylar and Lydia were littermate brother and sister!  Mommy and Daddy went down to Salem, OR, on Monday (the next day) to meet them.  The shelter is named Salem Friends of Felines, and we highly recommend it to everyone.  The kittens were in one room, free to play and jump, and the adult cats were in another room, also free to go wherever they wanted in their room.  The only ones who had cages were the sick ones or others needing veterinary care (one was recovering from a leg amputation).

Our purrents gave them their new names on the way home, and Freya proceeded to lick Mommy's hands through the carrier door.  Heimdall wanted in on the attention, too, so he pressed up against the door to get petted.  This, of course, started a wrestling match in the carrier!

When they got home, we all came out to investigate the new beings who were going to live with us.  Even Carbon likes them, and he usually doesn't consider kittens to be cats until they pass a year old!

Of course, Carbon also though the carrier was interesting!

Heimdall on the left and Freya on the right

Little kittens, big hallway!

Wordless Wednesday

Come back tomorrow to find out who these two cuties are!

Journey to the Rainbow Bridge

Skylar with Mommy Erin, at the vet

Skylar with Mom, at the vet

This morning, I woke up on the bed curled up with Dad, Mom, and Starla.  Rori was at the foot of the bed, too.  I woke Mom and Dad up when the alarm went off, and Mom fed me TUNA!  She and Dad got ready, while I lay by the water bowls in the dining room, exchanging sniffs with Carbon, Tabby, and Little Bit.

Then, Dad went out to the truck, and I got up to follow him.  Mom said to wait, so I lay back down while she put my harness and leash on.  She went to wash her hands, because I had jumped in the tub while she was getting ready so I had water all over my tummy.  I got up to follow her, but Carbon bit my leash and pinned me!  I lay down under the table instead, then Little Bit pinned me by my leash, too!

Mom picked me up, petted everyone, and we went out the door.  When we got in the truck, I walked over to sit on Dad's lap so I could look out the window, like I usually do.  They said we were going to pick up Mommy Erin.  Why?  I looked right at them when they said Mommy Erin's name, knowing who she was (which I sometimes forgot, but I was forgetting a lot of things recently).

When Mommy Erin got in the truck, Mom sat in the back so I could sit with Erin, but I kept switching between her and Dad.  Then, we turned onto the street where my doctor is, and I knew that's where we were going!  I went over to sit in Erin's lap, looking out the window, until we got there, then I looked straight through the windshield at the doctor's office!

We all got out of the car, and I wanted to walk.  Nope, Mom insisted on carrying me.  In we went, straight into a room.  We were only there a few minutes before they switched rooms on us because another patient was coming in who needed an isolation room.  No one minded, because no one cared which room we were in.  The vet tech came in with paperwork, which Mom signed, and Mom and Mommy Erin took pictures of me.  Finally they put me down so I could rest!  I lay on the floor, purring.  I knew somehow, the doctor was going to do something for my pain and make me feel better.  The doctor always helps me; I love my Dr. Bob and Dr. C.!

Dr. C. came in, and she DID give me something for my pain!  She gave me a shot that made me VERY sleepy!  I didn't want to go to sleep, but Mom and Mommy Erin said it was ok.  Dad was sitting in the chair, and he said it was ok to go to sleep, too.  Mom and Erin petted me until I fell asleep, then Dad came over and petted me, saying his goodbyes to me, and kissed me.  He went out of the room, but at that point I wasn't in a position to follow him.

Mommy Erin picked me up, and my tongue stuck out of my mouth!  I wiggled it, but I was too sleepy to put it back in!  Dr. C. said that might happen, and it was normal for sedated cats.  What Mom and Erin didn't expect, though, was to hear me PURRRRRRR!!!!!  I was soooo sleepy, but I wasn't in pain anymore, and I was happy, they were holding me and petting me, and I was comfortable, more comfortable than I've been in years!

Dr. C. came in and made pawprints for Mom and Mommy Erin.  She shaved parts of my fur off my leg and over my heart, and gave the fur to them as well.  Then, she tried to give me the other shot.  She couldn't find my blood vessel in my rear leg!  She said I have "old man veins"!  Hmm...I don't think that was meant as a compliment!  She used a vein in my front leg, which she could see after shaving some more of my thick fur, but not all the shot would go in.  Enough of it went, though.

My heartbeat slowed, breathing slowed, then everything stopped.

I was floating, looking down on everyone as my body was wrapped in blue surgical sheeting and given to Mom.  Mom and Dad drove Mommy Erin home, then drove home and let the other cats sniff my body.  Dad brought Starla out of the bedroom to sniff, too.  Then they buried my body in the backyard right next to Spooky's body.

I floated higher, then saw my sister Lydia coming toward me!  Lydi!  We greeted each other, purring together.  Then, I saw both our little Spooky and our foster Spooky/Nyx, Sara Kitty, Squishy, and all the other angels waiting for me.  All my angel Catster friends were there, too, gathered underneath Calvin's sign!

I asked if I could visit my family from time to time, and everyone said I could.  I know they are really going to miss me, and I'm going to miss them, but I know they did the best thing for me.  They took all my pain away, and that's the best gift anyone can give.  I love you!

A video and a yowl from Skylar

Sorry it's so dark!  Mom's giving me chin scritches and telling me how much everyone loves me.

It will be Friday

Skylar writes:

I'm in the bedroom, resting on the bed with Rori and Starla, so I'll let Mom type this.  My appointment's set for Friday morning at 9:40 am.  Everyone at the vet's is sad, too, because I'm a favorite patient there.  None of their other client families have cats who come in on leash and are well-behaved in the waiting room like I am!  Imagine that!

Dad can't get the day off, but he has the morning off at least.  Mommy Erin is trying to get a sitter for JJ so that she can be there, too, to say goodbye to me.

Thanks, everyone, for your prayers, purrs, rosettes, treats, special gifts, p-mails, notes, etc.  Hugs to everyone from all of us!!!

Sad purrs,

Skylar.

Going to the Bridge sometime this week or next. :'(

Hi friends,

Yes, I'm still hanging out in the bathtub a lot.  We have some very sad news.  I'm going to be making my journey to the Bridge sometime either this week or next.  I've been vomiting tar-like liquid, plus my other symptoms (see my diary entry from a couple days ago).  Not good, so Mom and Dad talked with Dr. Bob today and he confirmed that it's my time to leave.  My purrents are scheduling it so that Dad has the day off from work and so that my other mommy, Mommy Erin, can be with me as well when I make my final journey.  We will let you all know when we schedule it.

Sad purrs,

Skylar.

Fading

Skylar says:

Tonight, I let Mom "speak" with me, commune with my inner self. I don't know how humans explain it, but it's how we cats talk with each other. Mom can do it, and Dad can, too, but not often, just under the right circumstances. Everything has to be calm.

I'm aching. All my joints are hurting. Mom says it's something called arthritis. It hurts to move, hurts to lie down. My vision is a bit blurry, too, and Dad had to clean my eye twice today because of mucous. That's from a "kitty cold", mostly.

I'm hungry a lot. I get my wet food twice a day, but I used to "graze" instead, eating small bites throughout the day. It's tough to get used to eating only twice, so I'm hungry during the middle of the day and let my parents know it. When it's food time, I run down the hallway to Tabby & Carbon's room (aka the spare room), starting up my yowl as soon as I hit the doorway, and stand on my plate so that Mom has to move me to put my food on it. Then, I eat my fill and curl up on the chair in that room, yowling once to let everyone know I'm done for the moment. Then, Mom lets everyone else in to get a treat of what I've left on the plate.

I seldom snuggle with my parents anymore, but did this evening with Mom, to let her know what's going on with me. I was shaky as I stood on her, looking her in the eyes. Then, with effort, I lay down, wanting my chin scritched while she went over my body to "see" how I was doing. I'm still not putting on any weight, and my fur's still matting. She brushes me with the slicker brush, and that gets a major part of the mats, but not everything and I hate being brushed. My bones are rubbing my skin in some places, like my shoulders and my heels. Massages aren't really helping.

My favorite places are the bathtub and the kitty tent. I've given up sleeping in my recliner, preferring to curl up in one of my two chosen places instead. Dad has to lift me out of the bathtub when he comes home from work, or else I'd stay in there until he turned the water on for his shower. I get out when it's Mom's turn for a shower, though, for some reason. I'm using the box normally, and drinking water normally.

I told Mom tonight that I'm not quite ready to leave even though I'm hurting and confused, and she said that all I have to do is tell them when I can't stand it anymore and they'll release me. My kitty nieces and nephew aren't ready yet, so I'm going to stay around until they can handle the transition. I can tell Mom and Dad will never be quite ready to let me go, but they will do what's best for me. Rori knows what's going on, knows I'm close to leaving, and has been watching from a distance rather than her usual headbutting-following-me-around behavior. Death always troubles her, and she hides from it and then picks up the pieces. That's why my sister chose her to be Big Kitty of the Household. She came and sat with us on the couch tonight as I was talking with Mom, just sat, watching and listening, then walked over and rubbed against me telling me that she understands. Then she let Mom pet her, too.

We don't know how long it's going to be. No one ever knows.

Mom says that she talked with the vet about a week and a half ago, when she ordered my fluids (which I've been taking every two days). Dr. Bob now thinks I may have cancer, since my behavior's changed so abruptly. Nothing in my behavior seems to correlate with kidneys or hyper-T, in fact some of it counterindicates. So cancer is their next guess. If it is, then it's in a place where it's not showing up yet and not a mass, maybe in the bone marrow. That's what Dr. Bob said, and Mom and Dad think that's most likely, too. That's what they've been thinking for a while, and sensing from me as well.

We just don't know anything for sure, but who ever does?

Happy Gotcha Days to Us!!!!!

Can you believe Tabby and Carbon were ever that small???  Here they are when they first came to live with us, five years ago!

Carbon sleeping in the kitty stroller, one of his favorite places to take a nap

Tabby taking a walk at the Doggie Dash, wearing her cooling collar

PhotoHunt: Free

Free, and loving it!

Tuxedo is our feral friend, shown here hunting mice in our backyard.

PhotoHunt

Photo Friday: Summer Fun

Last year's fireworks show at Long Beach, WA, USA, was wonderful!

We didn't get to go this year, but hopefully will next year again.

Photo Friday

Therapy Cat Tales from two weeks ago

Tabby writes:

A couple weeks ago, Mommy said we were going to a different place to visit.  I wasn't too sure about that, because I love my friends at H., but Mommy said we were going to the new place AND to H., just on different weeks.  That's fine with me!

I didn't really want to leave the house (but I never want to leave anywhere:  home, H., Mommy's work, etc.) so that wasn't a real surprise.  The surprise was that it took a lot longer to get to the new place than it does to get to H.  It's in a different town than we live in, and a different one than H. is in, too!  We had to take three buses to get there.  The cars downtown scared me, so I curled up in my stroller while Mommy petted me.  Then a nice lady came to sit by us, so I poked my head out and said hi to her, while she petted me and talked to me.

The lady we were going to visit, E., had been told we were coming but had never met us before.  Her granddaughter had contacted us to ask if we could visit E.  What a nice person, to do that for her grandmother!  E.'s son made the arrangements with the facility, then told us their schedule.

After we got off the last bus, Mommy said we had to walk a long way on a road.  Wait a minute; don't most roads have sidewalks?  This one didn't!  It was sunny and shady at the same time, and smelled funny.  I sat up straight in the stroller with my nose high in the air, looking around then looking up at Mommy, then looking around and sniffing deeply again.  Mommy said we were in something called a "forest" or "woods".  I know what wood is, that's what goes in the fireplace and what the bookshelf is made out of.  So this is where it comes from?  I wanted to get out and explore, but I couldn't because we were walking along a "highway".  Why is it called "high" when it's on the ground?  It must be a back road, because there were almost no cars.  No, Mommy said it really is a highway, but there was construction so it wasn't as busy.  There were bike lanes, so it was pretty safe for us to stroll, but not for me to get out and explore.

We crossed to the other side and went down a ramp, and finally I was let out to explore.  Dirt, barkdust, and all kinds of smells!  Woweeee!!!!!!!  Oh, do I REALLY have to go down the sidewalk???  Can't I PLEASE stay here in the dirt for a minute more?  Mommy wiped off my paws with a cleaning wipe and put me back into the stroller, leaving the mesh open so I could ride and see everything more clearly.

The lady at the front desk was so excited to see me!  She has cats at home, and knew just how to scritch my back.  I even rolled over to let her pet my tummy.  She thought we were there to meet the person who coordinates the therapy dog visits, but then was just as happy that we had been contacted to visit E.  Turns out the person in charge of visits is allergic to cats, so we can't visit everyone at that facility, but we saw a few people in the halls as we walked.  That was just fine with everyone!

E. was absolutely THRILLED to have a cat come see her!  We stayed for about 45 minutes, although I wanted to walk down the hallway to explore the next couple rooms.  I kept looking out the door and tugging on my leash.  Hey, it was a new place and I wanted to see who else was there!  E. was very nice, and I could tell she was a kitty person right from the start.  She wanted to hold me, and I curled up on her lap for a few minutes while she petted me and talked to me.  I looked right up at her, listening to everything she was saying.  After a couple minutes, I jumped down again and explored her room with Mommy at the other end of the leash.  Then, it was back to going between E., Mommy, and looking out the door while E. and Mommy talked.

All of a sudden, there was a beeeeep!  I didn't like it, and tried hiding under a chair.  Mommy said our goodbyes (for me as well, since I was scared of that beep) and we left the room.  The beep was some kind of signal to the nurses, and was coming from a room farther down the hallway.  We got away from it fast, then found a nice lady in a wheelchair in the hallway.  She and two other ladies (the others worked there in various jobs) wanted a demonstration of me walking on my leash, and I happily obliged by jumping out of the stroller and promptly walking into the tub room!  It was interesting, but I wasn't allowed to be in there so I got turned around towards the hallway again.  One of the ladies joked that she could give me a bath if I wanted!  Um...no thanks, Mommy gives me those.

We made our way back out to the reception area, where I was mobbed again by five people and a little girl.  It was kind of overwhelming, but I did great with it.  They wanted me to walk on my leash, come over to them, roll over for tummy rubs, and ask for pets:  all my favorite things!  :)  >^..^<

Then, back through the forest, stopping at a store to get some icewater.  I didn't drink any, but Mommy put some on my ears and the back of my neck to cool me down.  That helped a lot.  It was supposed to have been in the mid-70's, but had gotten almost to 80.  On our future visits this summer, like the one tomorrow, I will have my cooling collar.

We're going to alternate weeks visiting E. and going to H.  This week it's H., next week we will see E. again.

Happy Independence Day!!!

Thank you to our "Auntie" Janeen for our pawsome pictures!!!  We hope everyfurry has a safe 4th and doesn't get too scared of the big booms & pops.  Stay inside and away from those funny lights & flames!

Rori

Skylar

Tabby

Starla

(and Carbon was camera-shy)

PhotoHunt: Open

Skylar eating out of the open cat food storage!

PhotoHunt

Photo Friday: Bloom

Yes, we know it's Sunday instead of Friday, but we're posting late this weekend.  Anyway, enjoy!  These roses are from my grandparents' backyard, picked and arranged by my uncle for my dad's birthday.  :)

Photo Friday

Mancat Monday Poll: Where do you hang out when it's hot?

Skylar has recently started to hang out in the bathtub when it's hot!  The tub stays cool, because it's formica, and there's often some water left over from showers.  It's a great place to be when temps are above 80!

So, where do you like to hang out when it's hot?

Weird question....

Skylar writes:

Mom talked with my regular doctor today, and we have a strange question!  Including the vet, who doesn't know the answer to this either!

Has anyone ever had their thyroid levels continue to go low?  I had mine checked back in November, after 4 years with hyper-T my meds were decreased from four to three, then two pills a day.  Redid tests, and it was normal again.  Now, after my vet appointment last week, my thyroid levels are low again, so we're trying half a pill per day.

The vet has no clue why I'm suddenly "getting better", or at least my thyroid levels are!  My creatinine & BUN are slightly elevated, just out of the normal range, not as bad as we'd originally thought (we got the exact numbers this time).  That part's to be expected, and I'm still going to have my yummy canned food and my sub-Q fluids to try to keep my kidneys semi-under control.  But we're (and the vet is) absolutely clueless as to why my thyroid levels are normalizing!!!

Any advice/help/experience would be appreciated!

Skylar's not feeling well

Skylar writes:

Mom and Dad took me in to the vet on Friday.  It was time for my routine doctor appointment and bloodwork, but they were worried as well because I've not been grooming myself.  I keep my face, paws, and chest clean and smooth, but the rest of my fur is matted.  Mom plucks my "feathers" (fur that has come out but is still stuck in the rest of my coat) every day, and picks apart my mats.  Sometimes I let her; sometimes I yowl until she stops.  They were also worried because I've lost a little over a pound since Thanksgiving!

So, off we went.  I complained when it took longer than usual to get there, but then my purrents reminded me that we live farther away than we used to.  That made sense, so I settled down again.  I like to sit on Dad's lap while he's driving, and watch the cars go by out the window.

There was a new doctor at the clinic on Friday, a relief doctor, because the others were gone for the day.  As usual, when I got there I wanted down and pulled at my leash to go back into the back (treatment) room to say hi to everyone!  Nope, Dad wouldn't loosen the leash and let me run back.  Bummers!  My sis used to do the same thing.  Mom and Dad are glad that I like my doctors and staff so much that I immediately want to greet them!  Believe me, I wouldn't run away, I would just run TO someone to be greeted!

The vet tech took me into the back to weigh me, then brought me back out and talked with Mom and Dad after she stuck that thermometer in me.  :P  After she went into the back, I stood on the exam table and looked at the door for a few minutes, then YOWLED!  Ok, so where's the doctor?  I'm ready, so come in!  Everyone laughed at that, then Mom put me on the floor and I went to sniff both doors and then yowled again at the back.

FINALLY, the doctor came!  Should it really take her 10 minutes to get done with the doggie patient and come look at me?  She talked with my purrents, consulted my chart, then took me into the back to have the vampires take some of my blood.  They also took my urine.  Hey, you could have just given me a box instead of poking me!  Mom and Dad could tell exactly when they were poking me, because I think they could hear me down the street.  There's something to be said about being half-Siamese!  ;)

We got the results back on Friday evening:  possible kidney disease.  It's what my purrents were afraid of, especially considering that my kidney levels were elevated back in November.  I'm anemic, both my BUN and creatinine levels are elevated, I'm dehydrated, and I've lost that pound.  My thyroid levels are also low, but that's kind of a separate issue.

So, on to the next steps.  First off, I'm only going to get one pill a day, to even out my thyroid levels.  I've been looking at Mom funny when she doesn't give me my evening meds but takes hers, although I give up after a few minutes so she knows it's more from habit than anything else.  I still get my morning meds.

Then, I will be getting my own special food!  The doctor recommended giving me yummy canned food!  I don't even have to share with anyone else, so I'll get fed in a separate room.  Yay!

My blood and urine will have to be rechecked again sometime, but I don't mind that.  I may have to go back to getting sub-Q fluids, but that's not a big deal either.

Properly managed, which is a see-saw because it can change from day to day, I may have another year or three.  But it's different for every cat, so we'll just take each day as it comes and be grateful for every minute.

Thankful that the protest on Catster is mostly done!

Wow!  It was a lot of work protesting the Nutro ads that were on the Vet Blog and are on Dogster, but we are setting down our picket signs for good now!  Go here if you hadn't known about the protest before this.

Here are some of the questions we asked, and Ted R.'s answers:

1.  Why was there silence for a while on this issue?
     We didn't know what exactly you (Dogster & Catster members) wanted of us, so it took us a while to figure that out.  Also, not many people wrote to me personally, originally.
2.  When are the ads coming down?
     The Nutro ads are coming off the Vet Blog at the end of June, and the contract for the rest of Dogster is up for them at the end of the year.
3.  Will there be healthier pet food ads coming soon?
     We are currently in talks with an excellent pet food company that uses human-grade ingredients.
4.  Some of us have written a list of nationally recognized pet food & product companies.  Would you please take them into consideration for future ads?
     I will personally make sure our sales staff reviews them and cross-references them with companies that advertise online.

All in all, we're pleased with how things went!  :)  Some pets are going to continue protesting through the end of the year, until the Nutro ads are off the whole Dogster/Catster site.  We're not, though.  We're going to get back to the fun part of being Catster members!  >^..^<

It's my 5th birthday!!! :)

Thank you, Princess Lilly-Rose, Chandler Ray, and family for the pretty picture and my birthday cake!

>^..^<

Therapy Cat Tales from Last Friday

Tabby writes:

I have been pretty quiet at home, with the occasional chase up and down the hallway with my foster sister Little Bit.  So when I got to H., I wanted to WALK!!!  I hopped out of the stroller as Mommy was signing us in and getting her nametag, and took off towards the door to the office!  One of the residents was coming back from lunch and saw me, so she went right up to the desk and said, "There's a cat by itself over there!  It's not supposed to be there!"  Mommy told her that I was with her and that it was alright.

I waited until Mommy had signed in, but she was taking a little too long getting her nametag so I meowed at her to hurry up!  C'mon, Mommy, we've got work to do!  >^..^<

She FINALLY got done at the desk and let me in to the office.  I went right up to see all my friends there while she put her stuff down and got our visiting list.  Then, off we went, with me walking.  I even walked up to the elevator!  I wouldn't cross that space that goes down forever, though.  That was way to scary for me!  Mommy lifted me over it, and I was just fine standing in the elevator while it moved.  Then, there was that scary space again, so I got lifted over it again.  I gave it the evil eye just in case, though!

As usual, as soon as we stepped out of the elevator we were "on".  Chairs turned, walkers moved, and people were calling for me.  I love it!  I walked right up to the first person and rubbed up against her, then Mommy lifted me up onto her lap for some petting.  We went to the tv/sitting room and I sat with three more people there.  One lady clicks her tongue when she's petting me, which confuses me a little because that sound is what Mommy and Daddy use when I've been bad or when they want me to change what I'm doing.  But this lady just makes the sound all the time.  I'm getting used to it, though.  Mommy keeps reassuring me that I'm being good after the lady holds and pets me.

C. was in bed when we got to her room.  She's usually up and about in her chair, so that was unusual for me, and her bed was lower than it used to be.  I was able to walk right up to her bed and sniff the top of it from my height!  I got up with her and she was so happy to pet me!  I settled down for a bit, then walked around being petted.  After a while, I decided I wanted to sniff her face and touch noses with her.  She wasn't so sure about that, and looked at Mommy to ask what was going on.  Mommy told her that I was just wanting to say hi, so C. looked at me again and I leaned closer to sniff and touched noses with her!  She laughed and smiled at that!  I love her laugh!  I always try to make her laugh when I visit her.  :)

One of the ladies was getting a massage when we visited, so she was too relaxed to visit with me.  She was almost asleep, she was so relaxed!  Mommy talked with the massage therapist for a while, but then I was getting too restless so we walked to the next room.  That was more of a human visit than a kitty visit.

When we went to see if M. was in her room, she wasn't.  We visited some more people, then saw M. being wheeled back to her room by the massage therapist.  She said that was fine if we came too, so we followed along behind.  By this time, I'd walked around the whole floor and I was ready to stroll again.  I lay down on M.'s bed, taking a break from everything for a while.  I wasn't quite napping, but almost, just relaxing.  M., the massage therapist, and Mommy talked about cats, visiting, and memories.  When Mommy gets a car, she's going to ask the massage therapist for recommendations for additional places to visit!  That would be so much fun to go to more places, too!  We already are going to go visit an individual at another place on Thursday.

Our last visit of the day was to a lady who was really missing her own kitty.  She has been at H. for a little less than two weeks, and hasn't been able to see her own cat.  She's got a neighbor looking in on her cat and playing with her every day, but that's not the same as being there.  I visited with her roommate first, who's a dog person but loved me.  Well, everyone loves me, so why not?  Then, Mommy picked me up and set me on the cat lady's bed.  I immediately purred my best purr and went up to be petted.  I investigated toes and the table, then settled down with my chin resting on the lady's ankle and one of my paws wrapped around her foot, with my body against her leg.  I knew she needed some kitty loving!  While she and Mommy talked, I purred and kneaded.  At one point, Mommy wanted to pet me but I meowed softly to tell her that I was working and not to bother me!  She and the lady laughed a little at that, and agreed with me.  They both said I was doing an excellent job, and to keep it up.

Meezer Colors Day 2010

Hello, we are Skylar (on the left) and Lydia (on the right), littermates and tuxedo kitties.  Skylar is 10 years old, and Lydia lived to be almost 9.  Even though we are black and white, we are actually half-Siamese!  Our mama cat was a tuxedo cat like us, and our daddy cat was a handsome Siamese dude.  We inherited his fine triangular face, petite feet, and rounded-end tail, as well as his voice.  Skylar is and Lydia was a snuggle kitty, and we follow (or followed) our humans around the house constantly.  Lydia was lady of the house, and when she left for the Bridge she passed that duty on to Rori, with one exception:  Skylar gets the utmost respect and honor as man of the house and oldest kitty.

Lydia in 2007, showing off her petite paws and triangular Siamese face

Skylar in 2009, showing off his snuggling skills and meezer "stare-down", pictured with Starla (who may be part meezer herself).

Happy birthday to Carbon!

Carbon writes:

Do you see me in the stroller, taking a birthday snooze?  I'm now 5 years old!  :)  I'm going to enjoy my birthday with naps, playtime with Tabby, laying by the sliding glass door, playing with my favorite catnip toy, running at top speed through the house, and maybe a snuggle or two from Daddy and sitting in Mommy's lap.

It's a happy day, but also a sad one.  Daddy brought little Spooky's body home from the vet's yesterday.  He put it on a blanket on the living room floor so we could all say our goodbyes.  I had been having fun with my catnip toy, so I wasn't keen on going to see what was on the blanket.  I was more interested in the box that Daddy had brought home.  But Daddy said I couldn't jump in the box, and wanted me to look at the blanket.  I didn't quite know why.  Mommy picked me up and placed me nose-to-nose with Spooky's body.  I was kind of afraid of him while he was alive, because I don't consider kittens to be cats until they are at least a year old, for some reason.  But I sniffed because I was that close, then realized what I was sniffing!  I looked at Tabby, who was right beside me, touched noses with her, then looked at Mommy and Daddy and walked away to the other end of the house.

After everyone had sniffed and said their goodbyes, conferring with the others about it, and even Starla had come to say her goodbyes (Mommy brought her out to see and sniff), Daddy carried the body out to the backyard.  He and Mommy buried Spooky in a corner of the yard, at a spot where you can see and hear the geese in the marsh next door.  We all love to hear the geese!

When Daddy and Mommy came back in, I claimed Mommy's boots (not raining at the moment, but the yard is muddy) and slept with/on one for a couple hours.

Goodbye, Spooky! We loved you!

Spooky writes:

Yesterday afternoon, I was curled up in the dining room in my favorite spot, when all of a sudden I felt weird.  Something was happening, and not a good something!  Mommy was sleeping, and Daddy was taking a shower, so I ran to Daddy since he was closest.  I skidded to a halt in the hallway just as he came out of the shower, meowed my concern long and loud, then flopped over and started drooling, dripping a small puddle onto my paws and the floor.  Daddy cleaned me and it up, then set me on the couch so I could snuggle with him and Skylar.

Then, it happened again!  My eyes went wide and unseeing, my body went rigid, and I started drooling heavily again!  After it was done, I meowed a complaint and my confusion.

Daddy called for Mommy, who woke up and came out.  They both petted me while they tried to decide what to do.  Daddy called our friend Kellee, who's a vet tech, but she couldn't come until the next day.

About an hour later, I had another seizure.  This time, I was sitting on Mommy's lap when it started.  I looked helplessly at her, then lifted my tail and peed.  I couldn't help it!  Then the wide-eyed seizure, then drooling again, and my confused meowing.  Mommy and Daddy tried to get me to relax afterwards, petting me to calm me down again.  That helped a little, and I took a bit of a nap for a couple hours.

While I was asleep, Mommy searched online for vets that were open on a Saturday evening.  Of course, many were not.  She found one that was, and called them.  It was a 24-hour place, so when I woke up (and had another seizure) she and Daddy packed me into a carrier and drove to the hospital.

The people were so kind!  I had a seizure again as my purrents were filling out the paperwork, and the people immediately took me back and put me on a big table in the open room.  I looked at them and meowed, and one of them went to ask my purrents if they could give me something to help calm me down.  Of course, Daddy said yes, so they gave me Valium.

The vet came out to discuss options with my purrents.  She said that I probably had sustained brain damage from the seizures, and there was a poor prognosis if I survived.  The vet wanted to keep me in for 24 hours at least, give me i.v.'s and do bloodwork. Even then, it would be the same prognosis: not likely to survive, or very brain-damaged if I did survive. Mommy and Daddy said their goodbyes, and Mommy stayed with me and petted my head and cheek as the shot was given. :'( The hospital needs to hold my body until Monday so that the state can release it (standard procedure for anyone who comes in with seizures), so my purrents will bury my body then. The above picture is my picture superimposed on the bag that the vet did for my purrents to take home, containing a bit of my fur and the heart from my catheter wrap.

:'(

Mommy and Daddy loved you, Mr. Spooky kitten! R.I.P. July 2009 -- June 6, 2010

PhotoHunt: Sparkles

Sculpture in downtown Portland, OR, USA

PhotoHunt

Say No to Nutro Ads on Catster!

Cats all over Catster, dogs on Dogster and purrents on Facebook are protesting Catster.com and Dogster.com's decision to serve advertisements for Nutro pet food on the Vet Blog.  Why?  Because Nutro has been involved in many major recalls, both involuntary and voluntary, during the last few years.  Some pets who have pages on the site have died from eating tainted Nutro food which was later recalled!  Still, the head of Dogster.com, Ted Rheingold, made the decision to take Nutro's money!

Ted R. and co. have issued a few statements, but no apologies and no promises.  The only explanation they have given was that Dogster.com users were in favor of the ads and that the company didn't think Catster.com users would read the Vet Blog.  We say that's a load of poop!  Nutro food killed both cats AND dogs!  Most Dogsters are against the Nutro ads, so why is Ted R. saying the exact opposite?

If you have a page on Catster or Dogster and would like to participate in the strike, tag a photo "no to nutro".  There are also threads in both the Plus forums and the regular forums on both Catster.com and Dogster.com.  We don't know how long the threads will continue to be open, as the Catster police are out in force deleting posts and diary entries which expose the ad campaign.  Protesters are determined to be heard, and are reposting two or three for every one that gets erased.  There is also a protest group on Catster/Dogster and one on Facebook.

Therapy Cat Tales from Last Friday

Tabby writes:

Sorry I'm late again writing up my notes.  Here they are, finally!

Mommy is done with teaching her classes for the summer, so we didn't have to worry about what time we got done with visiting when we went on Friday.  That turned out really well, since there was a volunteer appreciation celebration at H., scheduled for about 10 minutes after we got done with our visit!  But first, the visit itself.

It was raining hard, so Mommy used her flowered umbrella to cover the mesh part of the stroller.  That bugged me, because I LOVE being able to see out the front!  I kept on trying to look out when she moved the umbrella slightly, then looked up at her in complaint.  But what could I do...I didn't want to get wet?!

A man in a wheelchair saw us get off the bus, but thought maybe Mommy was using the stroller as a walker.  Instead, he saw me inside!  He started laughing!  Mommy told him that would have been a great idea, though, much less expensive for someone than a walker.

Once we got to H., Mommy got her nametag and I hopped out of the stroller and headed to the office door to check in, trailing my leash.  The people I was going to see laughed at that, because they were coming down the hallway at the same time and saw me!  I heard them behind me and turned around, waited for them to catch up and open the door, then walked in to their office.  Hey, I know where I'm going, so what's the problem?!  ;)

We went off to do our rounds, visiting with all our friends.  In M. & E.'s room, there was a human visitor already but they all motioned for us to come in.  The lady who was visiting told M., who is partially sighted, that there was a therapy cat.  M. immediately said, "Is it in a buggy?"  When told that I was, she replied, "Oh, yes, that's our cat friend.  She comes often."  The lady thought that was wonderful!  The lady was phobic of cats, but is trying to get over her phobia, so she watched M. and E. pet and hold me, then asked if she could pet me.  I immediately came over and asked her to, so she did.  She gave me some good ear scritches and tail pets!  She has a dog, so she knew how to pet another furry.  I rolled over for tummy rubs, but she didn't know what I wanted, so I flopped over onto my paws again.  Mommy told her what I wanted, and so she petted my side until I rolled over again, then petted my tummy.  *PURRRRRR*  I gave her lots of head bonks!  Then, after about 5 minutes of all this, she asked if she could HOLD me!  Remember, this is someone who has NEVER held a cat before!  Mommy picked me up, showed how to hold me and support me, then handed me to her.  She grabbed me and held me close, and I looked at Mommy to say that I wanted down, but didn't wiggle away.  Mommy petted my head, then the lady sat me on her lap in a more comfortable position and I started kneading gently.  I settled down and purred for her, and she was soooo happy!  M. and E. were thrilled for her, too!

We left after a few more minutes and went on down the hall.  One of the nurses who is new to the floor is allergic to cats, and didn't know there was going to be a cat visitor.  Imagine, someone working there who didn't know I would come!  The other nurses told her to take a long break until our visits were done, and Mommy made sure to tell the people in the office about her as well.  Hopefully something can be worked out for her.  :(

When we were done on that floor, Mommy told the nurses so they could let the allergic lady know.  Then we went to visit I. on another floor.  I love I.'s rug and bed!  Both are great for rolling on, and she smiles when she feels that I'm happy.  We showed her how to feel my purrs, and she loved that.  She doesn't get many visitors, and no other animal visitors, so we were quite welcome there.  Mommy was telling her how I travel in a stroller, and she couldn't quite picture it, so Mommy wheeled it over to her so she could feel it and "see".  Once she got how it worked, she started giggling and said that would be great for me!

After that, we went back to the office.  I wasn't allowed to attend the volunteer appreciation, even though I'm a volunteer, because food was served.  Oregon state health regulations say that animals (except for service animals) can't be in any place where food is served to the public.  I was fine with that anyway, because I took a nice long nap curled up by the computer tower under R.'s desk for the whole time.  Mommy attended the event, and met more of the residents on the other floors that we don't get to visit.  That was fun for her!  Most of the volunteers are residents, but there were four outside volunteers including Mommy who attended as well.  Each year, they pick a resident who volunteers, either inside H. or at schools/organizations/clubs outside, to give an award to, and this year it was the librarian.  Things like that are why we love volunteering at this place!  :)  >^..^<

Blessed Memorial Day!

Comments by ZingerBug.com

Comments by ZingerBug.com

Happy birthday to my kits!

Mama Little Bit here:

A year ago today, I gave birth to four boy-kits:  Cloud, Cousteau/Kai, Little Guy/Tiger, and Squishy!  I had to learn how to be a mama cat to them, but my mama, Boo-Boo Kitty, helped a lot with showing me how.  My people didn't take care of us, so when my kits were three weeks old we went to live with our neighbors, who taught me that I was supposed to feed my kits every couple of hours and stay with them until they were done nursing each time.  After I learned that, I was a very good mama to my baby boys!

I love them very much, and am so glad that Cloud, Kai, and Tiger have awesome homes.  They were adopted a short time after they were weaned.  Cloud and his mommy send us pictures every once in a while, and he looks a lot like me, except a lighter grey.  Kai's mommy works at a vet clinic, so she takes very good care of him.  Tiger was originally adopted to a man living alone, but his grandkids loved Tig' so much that they re-adopted him!

Unfortunately, soon after Squishy was adopted out, his new family took him to the vet for his poopy problems and the vet said that he would never get over them.  His system didn't function right, something that our vet hadn't diagnosed but the new vet did.  Squish had to be put to sleep.  He always had a look to him that Foster Mommy thought may mean that he wasn't as well-formed as the rest, and she was right.

I am so glad to have been able to take care of my baby kits and see them weaned and off to their homes.  I'm wishing them all a happy birthday today, at their new homes and Squishy's celebrating his at the Bridge!  Happy, happy birthday, babies!  You are now official mancats!

Tiger
Cloud
Squishy
Kai's new mommy decided not to have a page for him
Group page (with their first baby pictures)

Us, when the kits were 3 weeks old

Cloud as a baby

Cloud now

Kai (heading off somewhere), Tiger, Squishy, & Cloud

4 weeks old

Kai napping in Foster Daddy's shoe

5 weeks old

Kai in his favorite napping place:  his new mommy's purse

8 weeks old

Squishy and Tiger just before they went to their new homes