Spyro: Yes, we are still here. Mom has a good excuse this time. At first she was just busy with paperwork and paying bills and stuff, then she fell down and hurt her ribs. She was in bed all day every day until just a couple of days ago. At first it was all she could do to get up and feed us and water us and clean our litter boxes, then she had to catch up on the mail, which she hasn't finished yet, and do a bit of cleaning. A friend of hers came over for about a week to take care of us right after she fell, because she couldn't even do that. She is mostly better now, except she can't pick up anything weighing more than a few pounds and she can't stay up all day yet. These are photos that she took before she fell, but we are still doing the same stuff. I found this heat-reflecting pad that Mom got for Herman and I really like it. It gets nice and warm when I lie on it. Notice the nice sun puddle? We haven't seen any of these lately. We have been getting snow and more snow and we are due for even more tomorrow. I ran outside yesterday when Mom opened the door to get the mail and ran right back inside. Brrr! I was a good boy while Mom's friend was taking care of us and didn't run outside even once. You know what? When your Mom has sore ribs, you can get her up for breakfast really fast by walking over her body. Don't do it when she is really sore, though, or you will get yelled at.
Oja: Here I am in my favorite chair. I haven't been spending much time here lately. Mostly I have been lying beside Mom or on her lap while she lies in bed. I love it. I purr on her lots. I even let her pet me more than usual. Sometimes when I wiggle away from the petting, I hear her sighing.
Karen Jo: I love having you lie beside me or on me and purr, Oja. I am just sighing because I miss Herman. He never got too much petting. None of the four of you really like to be petted much. All of you seem to like it for a little while, then wiggle or walk away from it. Would you believe it? One time I even had all four cats on the bed at once. It didn't last long, but it was great to see.
Austin: This is my favorite spot in the house. I am the shyest one, but I have been in to see Mom and lie on her and purr while she has been in bed; I usually do it when the other cats are doing something else. Oja still doesn't like me a whole lot, but she is getting better. One evening Oja was lying beside Mom and I jumped up in Mom's lap and snuggled down. I slid my head over and laid it on Oja and she didn't react to it at all. We stayed like that for quite a while until Oja realized whose head it was lying on her side, then she growled at me and I moved.
Rocio: I can't decide whether I like the ham-micks or the cat beds best, so I keep moving around. I even sleep in the cat bed in our room that Mom says no cat has slept in before. She got it for Emma, but no cat liked it before. I don't know why; it's a nice bed with room for both me and Austin. I have been spending some time lying on the Mom and purring, too. She likes it and pets my head and back. I have a new game. I chase Oja down the hall until she jumps up on the Mom's bed and growls at me. It's fun to watch Oja run. She moves her back legs together like a bunny hop.
Karen Jo: I think having the boys around has gotten Oja to exercise more. I think she has lost some weight or gotten stronger or both. She is getting up into places that she never went before, like the window sills in my bedroom. It's a much bigger jump than getting up where Austin is in his picture. She has also been eyeing the kitchen counter and that is quite a jump for her. I will be adopting the boys. I got some of their paperwork today and will start the process tomorrow. Oja still growls at them occasionally, but she let Rocio groom her for a minute and let Austin lay his head on her for a while. Spyro loves being big brother to them and they all three have so much fun playing together that I couldn't stand the thought of breaking them up.
Austin: Hear that, Rocio? We get to stay!
Rocio: YAY!
