My life with cats

Nearly Christmas again

2012-12-02T21:43:00.001-06:00

Tigger Suh

It's hard to believe the year's gone by so fast and Christmas is once again "just around the corner." And it's hard to believe it's been so long since I last posted. So much has happened since then.

Around Christmas last year, we knew it was going to be L'il Bit's last. She was succumbing to kidney failure and going downhill quickly. We brought her home from the hospital on hospice care, and on Jan. 25, we had her put to sleep.

My husband took it really hard, since he'd had her since she was a tiny kitten -- about 15 years, as best as he could remember. She was a tiny but spunky little cat, and we miss her terribly.

Then six weeks later, 8-year-old Tigger Suh died suddenly from a heart attack. We had no idea he had an enlarged heart, as he'd always seemed perfectly healthy, but our vet said it's not unusual for this condition to go undiagnosed until it's too late.

At least Bobby was working from home that day and heard Tigger having trouble breathing. He rushed him to the vet, which is fortunately only about 10 minutes away. They had him stabilized briefly, but ultimately weren't able to save him.

It's been hard on us, and our other cats. Emily had bonded with Tigger from the day we brought her home, and she's still missing her big brother.

But we know they're waiting for us across the Rainbow Bridge, and are playing with other loved ones -- human and feline -- who've gone before us.

Tigger Suh, left, and Emily

So as the year draws to a close, we are grateful for what we do have -- five healthy, beautiful cats; wonderful family and friends; and most of all, each other.

Merry Christmas to all!

Tigger in the snow

2010-01-30T23:49:00.019-06:00

Tigger Suh

Well, Tigger the timid has surprised us this winter by being the only one of our seven cats who isn't freaked out by the snow. In fact, he seems to like it. While the other cats high-tail it back into the house or sit in the carport sniffing the snow, Tigger Suh goes exploring--sticking close to the house, but exploring nonetheless. For a cat who was terrified of falling leaves a few months ago, this is quite a change.

Years ago when I lived in Mount Shasta, Calif., I took Raj, on his leash, hiking in the snow on the mountain. The poor baby was so good, he'd just follow along, just stopping every once in a while to shake the snow off his feet. He'd occasionally let out a yowl, probably to let me know his feet were getting cold. I felt bad about that and carried him back to the car.

I'd love to hear how other cats react in snow. Do they try to catch and eat the falling flakes? Do they shake the snow off their paws with each step? Or just make a mad dash for the front door, like Emily did this morning? I got one quick shot of her,
and then just the trail she left as she ran, low on her belly, back inside.

Emily

Peace -- of a sort -- reigns

2009-11-01T23:58:00.042-06:00

Tigger (foreground) and L'il Bit

Here's proof of progress in our blended household -- Bobby's L'il Bit ( the Siamese) and my Tigger actually on the bed together. I just walked in and found them there one day, seeming quite content. This gives me hope that we'll eventually be one big happy family!

We started L'il Bit on Prozac a couple of months ago, after first trying Feliway and Rescue Remedy. The latter did help, but we usually gave it to her to calm her down after she'd already become agitated. When she started pooping and peeing all over the house--something she'd never done before--and became increasingly hostile and aggressive to Bobby and me as well as the other cats, we knew more drastic measures were needed. After a chat with the vet, she got a prescription for Prozac and the results were almost immediate. It took about a week for her to adjust to the meds, during which she was alternately lethargic and restless, but already much more docile.

Now she's back to her old, pre-move-in, self. Not that she was ever Miss Congeniality, but at least she seems much happier and well-adjusted, and the aggressive behavior and territory marking has stopped. Yay Prozac!

Belle's progress

2009-10-23T16:30:00.002-05:00

Belle in Daddy's pants

At tonight's weigh-in, Belle has lost 1/2 pound! Not bad for the first two weeks. I was afraid being on a diet would make her cranky--it certainly does me--but she has actually been more playful and active than she has in a long time. That bodes well for future weight loss.

Belle's fitness regimen

2009-10-09T21:20:00.003-05:00

Belle, my 4-year-old Katrina kitty, has become too rotund to properly clean herself, just like Otis at his maximum weight of 23 pounds. Like my love for chocolate, her love for shrimp may be her downfall. She's now at 16 pounds, when the vet had said at 13 pounds that she shouldn't gain any more. Knowing from sad experience what a health risk it is to let her get so big, I've decided to start her on a weight-loss regimen similar to the one I devised for Otis. It's based on the same formula I use for myself--eat less, exercise more.

So......a few days ago I started feeding her only half a cup of her Iams weight control food morning and evening, instead of just leaving dry food out all the time. To be sure the other cats get enough to eat, I put a bowl for them on top of a bookcase, where they can get at it but Belle can't because she's too fat to climb up there. When she gets fit enough to get to that bowl, then she'll deserve to have it! They all get about 1/2 can of Friskies wet food around 6 p.m.

The second part of the plan is to take her out for walks on a leash as weather permits. She's already been out twice, and was beside herself with excitement. She just purred and purred, sniffed everything, and after getting over some initial timidity, she walked all over the yard, even jumping up on a tree stump--although it took her a couple of tries! I need to get her a larger harness, as this one won't expand enough to fit comfortably. We've also added extra playtime with her favorite toys to get her running and jumping. She seems to really enjoy the extra attention, too.

We'll try this for a few weeks and see how it goes. Cats shouldn't lose weight too quickly--just like humans--so a slow but steady loss is what we're going for. Before long, she'll have her girlish figure back, and Daddy will have to stop calling her "Orca" and "Shrimpboat"!

His, mine and ours

2009-06-07T13:05:00.046-05:00

Happy news! My fiance, Bobby, and I finally tied the knot Saturday, May 30, and just got back from our honeymoon in Memphis. Bobby is a blues musician--and a barbecue fanatic--thus his decision to surprise me with a honeymoon on Beale Street. We had a great time, and are now back home with our combined family of seven cats.
His two are L'il Bit, a tiny Siamese who's nearly 12, and Fiona, a huge long-haired torti we rescued as a tiny kitten from the crawlspace of a student apartment near his old apartment a year and a half ago.

Since they and Bobby moved into my house, we are keeping Bit and Fiona in the spare bedroom, where they have all their favorite things from their old home. They are getting acquainted with my five kitties by sniffing and pawing under the door. There is much hissing and growling coming from the bedroom, and my cats want so much to go in and see what's making that noise. I've done lots of reading on how to integrate new cats into a multicat household; hopefully all that research will pay off with a peaceful transition for everyone.

Waiting in a hot car with a gassy cat

2008-07-15T23:50:00.000-05:00

No pictures of this, thank goodness! Sir Thomas went to the vet today for a checkup and shots. Because he's a stray, the staff asked me to wait with him outside until they got a room ready, and we would be ushered right in. That's understandable, since there's no way of knowing what he might have and they don't want to run the risk of infecting other cats who may be in the waiting room.

Of course all the shady parking spots were taken, so we had to sit in the car in the hot sun with the air conditioner running. Still, it would get a bit warm after a while, so I'd crack the driver's side window a few inches every few minutes to let in some fresh air. Sir Thomas stood on my lap and tried to squeeze himself through the crack in an attempt to escape (he was very unhappy in the carrier and since we had to wait so long, I let him come out until it was time to go inside).

Since he's been eating regular meals, of prepared cat food instead of fresh kill, his little tummy has just bloated up and he's had terrible gas. (The vet did assure me that this would pass--pardon the pun--as he got used to his new diet.) So I'm sitting in this hot car with the sun beating down, and a cat standing on my lap farting frequently. It seemed like forever before a vet tech came out and got us. I'm not sure whether Sir Thomas or I was more relieved!

Sir Thomas needs a home

2008-06-02T13:41:00.002-05:00

My name is Sir Thomas, the title stemming from my courtly visits to a fair kitten named Emily, before she was fixed (though she did not appear to be broken). I myself have since been fixed (though I was not aware of being broken either). I now find myself enjoying domestic life as an indoor cat after having lived about two years on my own in the wild. I carry at least three BBs in my body as a reminder of those tough times.

Although I'm very happy with my foster family, my foster mom already has five cats to care for, and not wishing to impose on her, I feel compelled to look for a family less generously endowed with felines. I enjoy both human and feline companionshi9p, though, as well as lots of affection and play. I've had all my shots (besides the BBs), and my indoor manners are impeccable. However, I confess I do still yearn for the outdoors, and need to be vigilantly watched to prevent my escape until I adjust completely to an indoor lifestyle. Petting and playtime have proven helpful diversions for the "call of the wild."

If you would like to have a gentleman such as myself in your home, please leave a contact number or e-mail address in the comments. God bless you!

Sir Thomas

The latest addition

2007-12-01T15:27:00.000-06:00

The phone rang as I was about to leave home to pick up a mama cat and her seven (!) newborn kittens that I was going to foster. The woman who had found the little family said a new kitten, about four weeks old, had just wandered up. The lady knew all the neighborhood cats, and this baby didn't belong to anyone, so she seemed to have been dumped. The woman asked if I would take this one too, and I said, "Sure, why not?"

Fostering the mama, Sassafras, and her seven boys is a trip, but this little girl just stole my heart from the get-go. I called her Spot, because of her speckled belly, for the first couple of weeks until I realized I was going to keep her. Then she became Emily. She's pictured here at 6 weeks old.

My boyfriend teases me because I've nicknamed her "The World's Most Perfect Kitten" -- even though she doesn't always quite make it to the litter box in time! She's incredibly sweet and snuggly, and has made friends with all my other cats -- even my curmudgeonly 17 1/2-year-old, Shugi.

Full house

2007-11-14T23:08:00.002-06:00

Lots of excitement in our household these days. A few weeks ago, a woman who said she was referred to me by my vet called and asked if I could foster and/or adopt a pregnant cat who was about to have kittens any day. Her neighbors had moved and abandoned the cat, she couldn't afford to take of it, and with winter coming on she was worried about the babies.

So what could I do? I couldn't let the little ones freeze to death. So I agreed to go pick them up on Nov. 1.

The woman called that morning, and said Sassafras, the mom, had her babies the night before. There were SEVEN of them, all boys. One was a runt, which she had bottle-fed through the night because the mom kept pushing it away. So I was getting a lot more than I had bargained for. I would have to keep them until they were old enough to be adopted, and then find homes for seven kittens--if the littlest one, which the woman had optimistically named Hercules, survived.

Sassy, as my boyfriend and I call Sassafras, and her boys are keeping me extremely busy. Sometimes I feel like it's just too much, especially with the holidays coming up and so much to do, and my cats are rather put out by all the commotion.

But these guys are so sweet, and little Hercules is fighting so hard to get stronger, I feel blessed to be able to care for them a little while. I have to watch Herc all the time to be sure he's getting enough to eat, since his brothers tend to push him away from the "dining table," and Mom ignores him much of the time. I'm supplementing his mother's milk with several bottle feedings a day, which seem to be helping him put on a little weight. He's unbelievably tiny. He loves to be cuddled up against my chest, and will just stick like Velcro while I walk around the house, doing chores or whatever. I pray all the time that he will survive and thrive.

The foundling

2007-09-16T21:34:00.035-05:00

We found this little cutie Friday night, Sept. 14. When I say "we," I really mean Bobby's cat L'il Bit and me. I got to his apartment early while he was playing a gig, and L'il Bit wanted to take a walk so I let her out the back door. While I was out there watching her eat grass and check out everything in her world, I started hearing what sounded like a tiny kitten shrieking. I followed the sound, and it seemed to come from a neighbor's house, but I didn't feel comfortable going into their yard to check it out.

Finally a young man came out, and I asked him if they had a kitten, and he said no, they didn't have any animals. I told him about the squalling, but he didn't seem to care. After he left, I didn't feel any qualms about going into their yard to investigate. The sound was coming from a crawlspace under the house that had a boarded-up opening. There was just enough room at the bottom for me to reach into. I was a bit nervous, but stuck my hand in, and this little fuzzball walked into it.

I pulled her out and held her close. She had fleas jumping off of her and was rather dirty, so it didn't look as if her mom had been around for a while. She was screaming at the top of her lungs. I thought for a minute about whether I should take her or leave her in case her mother came back. But it was getting dark, the night was going to be very cold, and as cold and hungry as she already was, I doubted she would make it through the night if something had happened to prevent her mom's return. I didn't see or hear any other kittens under the house, so I snuggled the baby and took her to Bobby's apartment.

2007-03-25T22:06:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I said goodbye for now to my sweet Raj, who would have turned 20 in July. It's so hard to lose such a dear friend who's been with me for so long--he was barely 6 weeks old when I got him.

Raj was such a character--a true terror as a kitten who grew up to be the most laid-back, outgoing and empathetic cat I've ever known. He was great on a leash, and even went hiking in the snow with me when we lived in Mount Shasta, Calif. (I only made him do that once, though!)

He lost one eye to glaucoma two years ago, and shortly after lost the sight in the other eye due to a cataract. It was so hard to see him learn to cope with blindness, but he did it with his characteristic grace and courage. In the past year or so, he developed a form of dementia known as cognitive dysfunction in cats. He would frequently become disoriented and yowl pitifully until he heard my voice, when he would settle down. He also wandered a lot, especially at night, which is common with this disease.

Raj had been diagnosed years before with a heart murmur, and a few years before with an enlarged aorta. He also was in the early stages of kidney failure, but it was not progressing very quickly. He took one pill for his heart, and that was his only medication.

Then last month, his belly began swelling. At first I thought I was giving him too much of his favorite treat--cheese--but within a couple of weeks he looked as if he'd swallowed a watermelon, and I knew something more serious was going on. The vet aspirated some fluid from his belly for analysis, and the diagnosis was heart failure. He put Raj on Lasix, and showed me how to measure his belly to chart his progress daily as the swelling went down.

Until this point, Raj had been acting completely normal, enjoying his food and sleeping a lot. But after about a week on the Lasix, one evening he wouldn't eat his canned food. I knew that was the beginning of the end.

I have to stop here. I'll try to pick this up later, but it's really hard right now.

Missing Otis

2006-11-27T17:59:00.000-06:00

My baby boy Otis pulled his leash loose and disappeared into the woods on Aug. 22. After two months of all-out, nonstop searching, I finally had to "let him go," so I could have some closure and move on through the grieving process. It's still my prayer that he's out there somewhere having a grand adventure and will someday find his way home again.

Otis had celebrated his eighth birthday on July 26. He was the fifth kitten born to a stray mama cat I had adopted. At age 3 1/2, it became evident that he had a lot of health issues, and the next 4 1/2 years I fought with all I had to keep him as healthy and happy as possible.

He enjoyed sitting outdoors in the evenings on his leash, sniffing the breeze, rolling on the driveway and wandering over to nibble on grass. Of course, after his disappearance I felt a lot of guilt, for not having made sure he was tied more securely, for not checking on him sooner. It's been hard to forgive myself for these things.

Everyone who met Otis loved him. He was just a big orange and white ball of love. His doctors and caregivers doted on him, as did I, of course. He loved to curl up in my lap in the evenings, after his outing, where he would purr and knead his claws until he fell asleep. If Otis has gone on to cat heaven, I hope that he no longer remembers the pain and suffering he endured while in his physical form, but just remembers the love.

It's not my intention to have this blog be all about my grief for Otis, but no doubt a lot of posts will touch on it as I try to get used to living without him. I found lots of helpful Web sites and encountered many Web friends who offered reassurance, comfort and support. One of the best of these is www.prayersforpets.org. I would print out the responses I got from my prayer requests and read them over and over. They really kept me going through the darkest days and nights, and I'm so grateful for each person who took the time to reach out to me. God bless you all.

Introduction

2006-10-23T23:56:00.001-05:00

One could easily say cats are my life, as pathetic as that sounds. Wherever I've lived, I've quickly become known as the 'crazy cat lady.' I currently have four cats, though I've had as many as 13 at a time. I recently lost my 8-year-old boy, Otis, who pulled his leash loose and disappeared into the woods on Aug. 22. Not a day goes by that I don't grieve for him.

But my other four furbabies are a huge comfort. There's Raj, a 19-year-old Tonkinese; and my girls--Shugi, 17; Xochitl, 8; and Belle, who just turned 1. Belle is my little Hurricane Katrina baby. When my vet brought 40-odd dogs and cats up from the Gulf Coast a few weeks after Katrina and Rita hit, she asked me if I'd like to foster two 5-week-old kittens who had no mama. I was thrilled, and would have kept both except one was already spoken for. Little Belle loves water, strangely enough, and adores shrimp--a true Cajun, I guess.

Caring for these kids can get tough at times, as any single mom can attest, but I consider it time, money and energy well spent. I have considered, though, having a bumper sticker made up that says "My cats, and my money, go to New Hope Animal Hospital"!