Good News at the Vet

 Bambino:  Man, what a morning I had!  First the blurp came over and I didn't feel like dealing with her.  Luckily, whenever she comes over Mom puts our ham-micks on her bed and won't let the blurp come into her room, so I just sacked out in a ham-mick until the blurp's grownup came over.  Then Mom picked me up and put me into a PTU.  Off we went to the vet with me complaining all the way.  After we were put in a little room, Mom opened the PTU and I got out to explore for a little, but I didn't get much looking around done when a lady came in, picked me up, put me on a table on a comfy mat and started poking and prodding me and holding a round thing to my chest.  Then she stuck something where it didn't belong.  Thankfully she left after that and I went to hide behind Mom.  Then another lady came in and felt me all over and held a round thing to my chest and talked to Mom.  Then she took me into another room and stabbed me several times and pilled me and put something on my hind leg.  Finally she put me back in my PTU and we went home.  When I got there, my fur on my back was all wet and I couldn't shake that thing off my leg.  After a bit, Mom took the thing off my leg and gave me some really yummy food and I ate most of it.  I would have eaten all of it, but Julius kept sticking his nose in.  It turns out he's not all that afraid of Mom when food is involved.  A little while later I felt hungry again and ate a few bites of dry food.  There was an intruder kitty in our yard and I jumped up on the table to watch out the window with the rest of the mancats.  It's the first time I have been really interested in something in days.  Right now I am in the playpen catching some rays.

Karen Jo:  The good news from the vet is that there is no indication that Bambino's FeLV has become active.  The bad news is that we don't know what's wrong with him.  His temperature is slightly elevated, but that's not unusual for him.  Just going to the vet can do that to him.  He might have an upper respiratory infection, but there aren't enough indications of that to put him on an antibiotic yet.  He might just be feeling under the weather for some reason.  He got a shot with B-complex and B-12, subQ fluids (in case he got dehydrated) and some blood taken for a new FeLV test. He also got an appetite stimulant and I got some more to give to him later.  He could be back to normal in 24 hours or so, or he might not be.  I'm supposed to watch him for signs of an URI, like sneezing or discharge from his nose.  The test results will be back Thursday and will tell us for sure if he really is FeLV+.  If he's not back to normal by then, I am to take him back in.  Keep your paws crossed.  Thank you so much for all the purrs pouring in.  I am sure that they are helping him and I know they are helping me.

Spyro:  I just love making Mom get down on the floor to take my photo.  The blurp was handing out treats like crazy and I was the only cat brave enough to get close enough to her to eat them.

Oja:  I feel discriminated against.  Mom manages to get clear pictures of all the cats, except me.  She took two shots of me and this one was the less blurry so she used it.  I haven't been sleeping with Mom lately and she wants to know why.  I'm not telling, but it might have something to do with a certain orange kitten.

Rocio:  I grabbed Horus' favorite spot today.  Just look at the great sun puddle up here!  There was an intruder kitty in our back yard a few minutes ago and I'm still watching for her.  I know it's a her because Mom knows the cat.  She lives up the street from us.

Horus:  Rocio and I traded spots today.  It's comfy up here and I got some sun on me, too.  I have been grabbing Mom's lap a lot lately.  She pets me and tells me how hard it is to type with me in her lap.  Too bad.

Julius:  The Lady caught me by surprise.  She was facing the other way, then she suddenly turned around and took my photo before I could run.  See my cool stripes?  Mom says I look a bit like a Rex cat she saw at a cat show once.  Mom kept trying to shoo me away from Bambino's really good food, but I kept sneaking back.  Bambino let me have some and he let me have his leftovers when he was done.  He didn't leave me much.

Serious Sunday

When the director of Felines and Friends New Mexico gave me permission to blog about Austin and Rocio, she said that she hoped it would encourage other people to adopt cats with FIV or FeLV.  That got me to thinking and I decided to make a post based on things I have heard people say about adopting FIV+ and FeLV+ cats.

1. A cat with FIV or FeLV would make the cats I already have sick.

This one is mostly true.  Though it is not recommended to mix FIV+ and cats without the disease, the only way that it can be passed from cat to cat is through sex or a bite deep enough to bleed.  FeLV is much more contagious and it would be irresponsible to bring a FeLV+ cat into a household without the disease.  There are reported cases where a FeLV+ cat has lived with other cats for years without passing on the disease, but it would still be a very bad idea to mix them knowingly.

2.  I want a normal, playful cat, not a sick one.


How about these cats?

                                                                      Herman

                                                                             Emma

 Spyro

 
                                                             Oja        

Rocio and Austin

                                                           
All of these cats had/have FeLV and Herman had FIV as well.

3. Don't they get sick all the time?

Not in my experience.  Herman is the only one who got sick and recovered before his final illness.  The others have remained well and happy.  Because they must be indoor only cats and not have contact with other cats, they don't catch kitty colds or other communicable diseases.

4.  I think it's cruel to keep a cat indoors all the time.

It would be irresponsible to let a FeLV+ cat roam the neighborhood because of the possibility that he/she would pass the disease on to other cats, but that doesn't mean that your cat can never go out.  I solved the problem this way:

When the weather is warm enough, Spyro and I go out and explore the back yard.

5. FIV+ and FeLV+ cats are too expensive.

This isn't necessarily true.  I won't try to hide from you that Herman was a very expensive cat.  When he first got diarrhea he got medicine after medicine trying to stop it; then he got really sick, requiring numerous trips to the vet and more medicines.  At the worst part of his illness I was spending $70 a month to keep him alive.  After he got well, he was still on two medicines to keep him from getting sick again for several more months and one more for the rest of his life to boost his immune system.  However the other cats have all remained healthy.  The only time Emma got sick was just before she went to the Rainbow Bridge.  That was one trip to the vet and one medicine.  It is recommended that FeLV+ cats be giving L-Lysine every day and Interferon as the vet prescribes.  These medicines are not terribly expensive.  In its most expensive form you can get 120 doses of L-Lysine for $12.  I get a bottle of Interferon that holds 200 doses for $35.

6.  All cats testing positive for FIV and FeLV should be put to sleep as soon as they are diagnosed, as their lives will be short and miserable.

I really hate this one.  Their lives will probably be short compared to other cats, yes, but they are far from miserable.  FIV+ cats can remain in remission for most of their lives and live almost as long as any other cat. There was a FeLV+ cat adopted from Felines and Friends New Mexico ten years ago and he is still going strong.  Just look at the pictures of the kitties above and consider this:  Herman was diagnosed at 1 1/2 and lived to be 5 1/4.  He had a wonderful life with me.  Emma was diagnosed at just over one and lived to be 1 3/4.  Look at her playing and tell me she shouldn't have been given those months.  Spyro was diagnosed at 1 1/2 and is as healthy as he can be and really enjoying life at two,  Oja was diagnosed at two and she is having a wonderful time.  Austin and Rocio were diagnosed as kittens.  They are running, playing, leaping, wrestling, eating, sleeping and having a ball.  All of them deserve the chance to live out their (probably) short lives.

Spyro Goes Outside

Spyro: Oja's picture came out all black and Herman got up and walked away after Mom pushed the button on the camera, so it's just me today. See me tasting the grass?  It's mostly brown from the heat and Mom not watering it.  She really needs to get up and water it on watering days.  Today Mom picked me up and showed me the back yard.  At first I just snuck around on my belly, but after a while I got used to my harness and started to walk normally.  I explored about half of the back yard.  I rolled on the patio and chewed on grass and found some dirt to dig in and roll in.  I even found an interesting hole and stuck my paw in it, but didn't find anything.  I sniffed an ant and chased a moth that flew up when I explored a bush.  Mom let me stay about about 15 minutes.  If she had let me stay out just a little bit longer, I might even have peed outside.  The first thing I did when Mom took me back in and took off my harness was pee in the litter box.  Then I tore all around the house and meowed to be let out again.

Karen Jo:  I am surprised that you didn't find the gopher holes more interesting.  Maybe the visible holes are all old and don't smell much like gopher any more.

Why didn't you use one of my old pictures?

Karen Jo:  They show you with all your fur and your friends might find that very confusing.

I didn't have much fun today.  Spyro picked a fight with me to take over the ham-mick.  We had quite a smack down, but I finally gave up and got out of the ham-mick.  Spyro jumped in it, then decided he didn't really want it.

Karen Jo:  I think you have fun rasslin' with Spyro.  You really cried when I took Spyro outside.

It's not fair.  He gets to go outside and I don't.

Karen Jo:  The harness isn't big enough for you.  If I got you a harness, would you wear it?

I won't know until I get to try it.

Oja:  I was nice and stayed still for a picture.

Karen Jo:  I guess there wasn't enough light.  All I got was a black square.  You didn't take your Interferon again.  That's two days in a row that it got wasted because you jerked your head away at the last instant.  I hope you licked it off your fur.

Oja:  I don't like stuff squirted in my mouth.

Karen Jo:  I can't even bribe you into starting to accept it because you don't like treats.

Oja:  I played with my fish today.

Karen Jo:  I noticed, but you wouldn't come out, even though I left the door open for quite a while.

Oja:  Spyro was at the door.

Kare Jo:  You could have come out just far enough to meet him.

Oja:  I don't want to meet him.  He scares me.

Vet Visit

 Mom snapped the pictures of me and Spyro at mid-afternoon and everyone knows that's nap time.  I keep trying to get a peek at that girl kitty in the safe room, but Mom keeps closing the door before I can get a good look.

Spyro:   I think the laundry basket is the best cat bed I have ever had.  I did get a look at the girl kitty this morning.  Mom left the door open and she poked her head out.  I saw her and she saw me, then she hissed at me.  Three times!

Karen Jo:  Sorry about the three times, Spyro.  She was in the doorway and I kept waiting for her to retreat back into the room, as Emma did, but she stood her ground.  I think that's a good sign for your future relationship with her.  I finally had to shoo her back into the room so I could close the door.

Oja: I'm not going to let any big mancat scare me into running away.  Mom was mean to me today.  She put me in a PTU, then in a metal monster and took me to the vet.  They poked me and prodded me and put something up where it didn't belong.  Then a vet lady squirted something in my mouth.  The only good thing about it was that Mom had another lady with her and they both gave me pets.  The vet lady and the vet tech both gave me pets, too. I was glad to come home.  My picture is all blurry because I won't hold still.

Karen Jo:  The picture is dark because it was taken late afternoon.  I tried to take Oja's picture in the full mid-afternoon light, but she wouldn't hold still enough for even a bad blurry picture.  The vet report is that her nose-drips have cleared up on their own.  I didn't tell you earlier because I didn't want to worry everyone unduly, but Oja also has diarrhea.  I think it is just that I am giving Oja higher quality food than she is used to.  Since Oja didn't have a temperature or any other obvious abnormalities, the vet cautiously agreed with me.  She is getting liquid metronitazale twice a day to help clear it up. She has to go back in 15 days for her boosters.  If the diarrhea doesn't clear up soon, she is going back sooner.

Not Quite Wordless Wednesday

This is one of the less successful pictures of my new sister.  I want to get into her room very much, but Mom won't let me.

Karen Jo:  Don't worry, Herman.  You will get to meet her properly one of these days.  I am going to let her decide when she is ready.  So far, she has given no sign that she wants out of the safe room.  The last two times I checked on her, she was fast asleep in her ladycat cave.  You have been taking all of this in your stride.

I have my usual run of the house, except for the safe room.  I am getting my food, treats and medicine just like usual.  You pay attention to me like you usually do.  I don't have anything to worry about. Dinner was good tonight.

Karen Jo:  I cooked a roast leg of lamb and some black-eyed peas.  I have almost finished the chicken casserole and needed something to eat and make my sandwiches that I take to work out of.  You certainly enjoyed the lamb.

I could have eaten more than you gave me.  With all the excitement, you forgot to wash my butt today.

Karen Jo: Yes, I did.  If I can't manage to get it done in the morning or after I get home from work, you will have to go to the vet with a slightly dirty butt.  It will be a tad embarrassing, but you have to go, clean or not.

Mancat Monday

This is what Mom sees when she wakes up in the morning, at least if she wakes up before the alarm goes off.  She got up and I stayed put, so she got the camera, got back in bed and took the picture.  We both think it's a great way to wake up. Some of you want to know about the kitty torture bag.  I'll let Mom explain.

Karen Jo:  Because of the way Herman fought me when I tried to clean off his klingons before, I bought a grooming bag, also called a claw control bag, which restrains a cat like wrapping him up in a towel, leaving the head free, but has zippers to allow access to the paws one at a time for claw trimming, or to the rear for cleaning. We are both glad that I didn't have to use it.  Since Herman hates to be restrained, I am not sure I could have zipped him up in it without help.

Mom got up a little early today to make chicken casserole.  True to her word, she let me have a couple of bites of chicken before she put it in the casserole.  When it was ready and she started to eat it, I sat next to her and stared at her until she offered me a bite of chicken.  I liked it and meowed for more.  Next she gave me a tiny bite of egg noodle and I liked that.  I kept helping her eat it for quite a few bites.

Karen Jo:  I picked this recipe because it was easy and it didn't have anything in it that would be bad for kitties.  I remembered that you like pasta with cream sauce and that's why I offered you the bites of noodle.  I will share with you again tomorrow, if you don't do your "I don't like leftovers" act again.

I really like chicken, but when are we having steak again?

Karen Jo:  On Thursday, after your wellness exam.  I expect that we will have cause to celebrate.  You seem very healthy to me and I expect the vet to be amazed at how well you are doing.

I started getting my Interferon again today.  I wasn't expecting it and Mom had to come find me in the living room to give it to me.  I bet I am waiting at the refrigerator for it tomorrow.

Karen Jo:  I bet you will be asking for it tomorrow, too.  Unfortunately, the first of the month is the day after tomorrow and that means you get your Metronitazole again.

Oh, man, I hate that stuff.  You better bring out the really good treats if you are going to stuff that down my throat.

Karen Jo:  I have a good supply of Temptations, nip treats and Greenies for you.

I guess that will do.  I got lots of Temptations tonight.

Karen Jo:  I let you have as many as you wanted because you were so good about eating your dinner tonight.  You ate up all your Stinky Goodness and some of your Medley.  You also ate about half a bowl of your Purina One while I was at work.  There is certainly nothing wrong with your appetite.

When will you know more about the leukemia kitty?

Karen Jo:  I don't know.  I will wait several days for the shelter lady to contact me.  If she doesn't by this weekend, I will e-mail her for more information.  I am not getting my hopes up too high.  I will work on getting your old safe room ready, just in case.

Mancat Monday

Mom likes to get up close and take my picture when I am lying like this.  She loves the way my whiskers show up.  She wishes my eyes would show up better, but I am almost always faced away from the sunlight.  I use my scratchers all the time now and Mom even gives me treats for it sometimes.  I didn't eat quite as much today, but I made up for it at treat time.  I got my Interferon again this morning.  I love my Interferon.  I start meowing for it as soon as I see Mom pick up the oral syringe.  I miss it on my off weeks.  Mom nearly forgot it this morning, but she finally remembered, but not until after she had given me my cheese.  I should get my Interferon first, then the cheese.  It started out as a treat for taking my Interferon, but I like my Interferon so much that I don't need a treat for taking it, but don't tell her that.

Karen Jo:  I tried and tried to get you to play with me while you were lying there, looking bored, but you wouldn't.

I only play when I feel like it.  I will let you know when I want to play.  I don't want to be brushed any more.

Karen Jo:  I know you are resisting it now, walking away from me and going behind your platform where I can't reach you.  You used to love it.

It pulls sometimes and turns me into electric cat.

Karen Jo: I think it is pulling because you fur is beginning to get tangled because you haven't been letting me brush you enough.  The air is very dry and that is what turns you into electric cat when I do get to brush you some.  If you don't let me brush you, you will get mats again.

I don't care.  I don't like being electric cat.

Karen Jo:  I have seen an ad for something called a mat cutter.  I might buy one, just in case.  If it works, it will save you a spot shaving if you do get mats again.

Well, I certainly don't want to get shaved again. At least you are using my old brush most of the time now and not the Furminator.

Karen Jo:  You aren't shedding now, so I am just trying the Furminator on you once a week.  I am thinking it doesn't feel as good to you as your old brush.  At least you let me brush you a bit more when I use your old brush.  It helps, but it didn't stop the mats last year. We will just have to see what happens.

Yup.  I bet you are thinking that if I groomed myself more I wouldn't have as many mat problems.

Karen Jo:  Yup, but at least you don't get hairballs.

Catchup Caturday

 Look at all these toys!  My Christmas package from my woofy cousins arrived and it was huge.

Mom got them all out for me and I just felt overwhelmed.  I did play with a couple of them a little bit and I have been playing with more of them.  Mom laughed because now not all my toys will fit in my toy bucket.  I guess I just have to have more toys out.  Mom hasn't been much fun lately.

Karen Jo:  Sorry, Herman.  I get depressed from time to time and I just can't seem to make myself do much until it passes, which is only a couple of days, usually.  I am fine again now.

Mom finally cooked the lamb last night.  It was delicious.  I ate more bites than usual.

Karen Jo:  But when I offered you some more today, you weren't interested.

Maybe I just don't like leftovers.

Karen Jo:  Could be.  You gave me a real treat last night.

Mom was watching TV while waiting for dinner to finish cooking and I was in the computer chair next to her.  I put my forepaws on her thigh, then lifted one of my back legs, then put it back down, looked at her and meowed.

Karen Jo:  It looked to me like you wanted in my lap, but you weren't sure that you could step across.  I lifted you up and put you in my lap and you actually stayed.  You got comfy and I was petting you, then the timer for dinner went off in just a very few minutes and I had to get up.  It was the very first time that you had sat in my lap.  I was sad that it ended so soon.  Maybe you will do it again.

Maybe.  You never know what I will do.

Karen Jo:  I certainly don't.  I have just been bragging about how good you were about taking your Centrine and today I found three doses on the floor in various places in the living room.  You must be holding in your mouth until after I have checked around you to see it you spit it out, then spitting it out.  It doesn't seem to have hurt anything, as your poop is still firm.

I don't really like taking pills of any kind and I will get rid of them if I possibly can.  At least I am done with my really nasty pill for this month.

Tuxie Tuesday

Mom finally remembered to get the camera out just before she went to work.  Here is where I love to spend the early afternoon.  Mom is weird.  She goes to work at 2:00 pm.

Karen Jo:  A grocery store has shift work.  I volunteered to work afternoons and nights for lots of reasons, but mostly because I am NOT a morning person.

My ham-mick is the very best place to nap in a sun puddle.  I am so glad that Mom was smart enough to set it up here.  If you don't have one of these, you really should get one from Forty Paws.  They are the best cat beds ever!  I don't even care that it is pink.

Karen Jo:  It is pink because I was expecting to get a girl kitten when I bid for it in the auction.  It was supposed to be her bed.

Man, am I glad that the little girl kitten never showed up.

Karen Jo:  You should be glad that she got her very own forever home where she is the only cat, just like you are.

Yeah, I am glad for that, too, but mostly that I am glad that I got her bed.  I finally started playing with Mom again.  She rolled my nip ball to me three times and I batted it back two times.  If it weren't so cold, Mom might be worried that I don't want to play much, but she has read so many blogs where the cats just like to nap through the winter that it seems more normal to her.  See, the one of the signs that Mom had that I was really sick last Spring was that I wouldn't play any more.  Now that she knows me better and knows more about cats in general, she knows that there are several signs that cats aren't feeling good and she watches out for all of them, but doesn't freak out about one, especially when she sees that it seems normal for other cats.

Man, am I getting the medicine. It just all came together.  I always get my Centrine, two half pills per day to keep my poop firm.  Once a month a get a week of Metronidazole to beef up my immune system against things like upper respiratory infections (which could set off an attack from my Feline Leukemia and send me to the Rainbow Bridge).  This is also the week for my Interferon (which helps keep the Feline Leukemia in remission) and I always get a daily dose of Prednisol in my ear to keep my digestive system in order.  It seems like every time my Mom sees me, she is giving me something.  I am not really complaining.  All of this is keeping me a happy, healthy boy and I love that part of it.  Mostly I just wish that the Metronidazole didn't taste so bad.

Karen Jo:  I apologize for the lecture on Herman's health, but reading about Admiral Hestrob just brought it all to the fore and I felt that I should write about it.  Please remember that Herman is mostly a perfectly happy, healthy and very loving cat and no one should shy away from adopting a cat with health problems for fear that the cat won't be like other cats.  Herman acts just like any other cat, apart from his personal eccentricities, which you will find in any cat.  I can hardly believe it.  Herman just reminded me that it was time for his Centrine by going to the little PTU where I give him his treats for taking his pills and looking inside, then looking at me, as if to say, isn't it time we did this?  He took his Centrine very easily and ate up his treats.

To change the subject, Mom brought home a giant piece of meat.  I can hardly wait until she cooks it.

Karen Jo:  I found a whole leg of lamb for $4.99/lb, all natural.  I love lamb, especially the leg.  I can hardly wait, too.  We are going to feast tomorrow night, Herman and I.

Caturday

Mom didn't take any pictures of me today, so this is an old one that she didn't use.  You can see why.  I am inspecting my ball with the mousie inside.  We did find out that the mousie will squeak if I stick my paw in the ball and poke it.  I only did that once, though.  Mom found my nip ball the next morning.  My nip ball goes missing quite often, but Mom always finds it again.  I am playing with Mom more in the evenings.  For some reason, I don't seem to want to play with her before she goes to work, but I do after she comes home.  Mom has been lazy and hasn't been blogging for me.

Karen Jo:  It isn't laziness, Herman.  I wasn't feeling too good the last couple of days.  Luckily I figured out that it was something I was eating and I won't cook that way any more.  It seems that I can't really tolerate breaded fried foods any more, even fried in just a little bit of olive oil.  I finally found a lamb roast and we will be having that Sunday.

That sounds good.  You didn't share your steak today.

Karen Jo:  You didn't ask for any.  You munched your cat food, then left the kitchen just as the steak got ready.

We have been having lots of cuddle time lately.  When you don't feel good, you spend more time in bed and I get more attention.  Will I get to stay on just one dose of my poop medicine?

Karen Jo:  It looks like it.  The other day I found mostly pudding poop and thought I was going to have to put you back on two doses, but today I found almost all good poop.  Good job on catching that bug this evening.

It dive bombed me.  I wasn't going to put up with that.

Wordy Wednesday

This was supposed to be my picture for Tuxie Tuesday, but Mom let me down.  I am watching her get dressed.  I didn't want to leave the nice warm bed.  I love making her get up around me.  I didn't get up until it was time for my Interferon.

Karen Jo:  Sorry about Tuxie Tuesday.  I was really tired when I got home, so after I fed you I sat in my rocking chair to rest a little by listening to the radio.  I fell asleep.  When I fall asleep sitting up, with a light on right over my head and the radio on, I know that it's time to go to bed.

At least you are blogging for me tonight.  Not much has been going on.  I only got pilled once yesterday and today.  I usually get pilled twice.

Karen Jo: Yesterday I only found a little bit of pudding poop, so I decided to see if one dose of your poop medicine will do the trick.  I'll be giving you one dose for the rest of the week and if the pudding poop goes away, we'll stick to one dose.  I only want to give you as much medicine as you need.

I am all for less medicine.  I really don't mind the poop medicine much, but I would rather have less of it than more.  I have been joining Mom in bed almost as soon as she gets in herself and I snuggle up really close.

Karen Jo:  The cold weather has really arrived.  The bird bath was frozen this morning.  Snow flakes drifted down just a little bit today.

I played with Mom a little bit today.  My nip ball has gone missing again.

Karen Jo:  I will look for it in the morning.  I know how much you like it.

Mancat Monday

It's supposed to be Mancat  Monday and Mom kept pestering me to pose with a pink hat.  I don't think that's very mancatly.

Karen Jo:  That's the hat I wear to work every day to show my support for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

What do I care?  It doesn't affect me.

Karen Jo:  Oh, yes, it does.  You know those soft warm things you like to cuddle up against and rest your head on while we are in bed?  This month is to help protect those.

Oh, I am all in favor of that.  I didn't eat any of the canned food you  left me when you went to work, but I ate up all that you gave me when you got home.  I didn't like having you gone away all that time.

Karen Jo:  I'm sorry, Herman, but it you want to keep having more food than you will eat, I have to keep on going to work. Do you know what I found in the litter box today?

I'm afraid to ask.

Karen Jo:  Half normal poop and half pudding poop.

Does that mean what I think it means?

Karen Jo: Yup, you get to go back on your poop pills.

Darn it.  Does this mean I get more treats?

Karen Jo:  You will get treats for taking your pills, yes.

I wish I could just get treats for nothing.  I have to scratch on my platform or post to get a Temptation or Greenie.  I have to take a pill to get Party Mix.  I have to take my Interferon to get my cheese.

Karen Jo:  I give you treats sometimes just for being you.

Not nearly often enough.  I got kind of grouchy today and wouldn't play with Mom before she went to work at all.  I saw her in her uniform and knew what it meant.  I did play with her just a little bit after she got home again.  Mom is eating pot roast again.  I smelled meat and begged for some, but when she gave me a piece, I could smell that it was pot roast and didn't even taste it.  I hope she cooks something good soon.

Last Mom Day

Another older photo.  Mom finally caught me sleeping.  The sun was so warm and I felt so good that I didn't wake up like I usually do when Mom tries to sneak up on me during my afternoon nap.  Mean Mom deserted me off and on for most of the day today.

Karen Jo:  I had to go get your Interferon and do the grocery shopping this morning.  It looked like it was going to rain down buckets, so I wanted to get it done early.  I got home, gave you your Interferon and cheese, ate my own lunch and decided to go out again to do some more stuff before the rain came down.  While I was in the grocery store, getting the stuff I forgot this morning, I met my best human friend and we got to talking, then she invited me to a very early supper, so I went.  We talked and ate and talked some more and by the time I got home again, there wasn't enough light to take a picture of you.

I like the new treats you got me.

Karen Jo:  I like you to have a variety.  I found some Feline Greenies and brought them home.  I also found some very healthy treats, but I remember the last time I got you very healthy treats.

I remember, too.  Instead of eating them, I would stash them around the house.

Karen Jo:  I have some good news for you.  You are doing so well that your vet has decreased your dosage of Interferon.  Now you have it every day for a week, then get a week off.  Do you know what that means?

I don't get my shredded cheese for a week?

Karen Jo:  No, I won't deprive you of your cheese.  It means that if you keep on having good poop, you won't have to take any medicine at all every other week.

Yay!  That sounds great to me.  You had that catalog with the kitty on the front out again.

Karen Jo:  Yes, I got a new issue.  Your Gotcha Day is coming up.  I need to find something good for your present.

That sounds great to me.  Everything is going so great, there must be some bad news coming.

Karen Jo:  There is.  I go back to work tomorrow.

Oh, no!  I like having you home every day.

Karen Jo:  Don't worry.  I will be having my days off soon.

Attack Kitty

Mom says that she is getting tired of taking pictures of me chillaxing on the carpet, but that is about all I do while the light is good for pictures.  At least, that's all I do that she can take a picture of.  It's hard to photograph me when I am running down the hall.  The weather has gotten warmer again, so we have open windows all the time again.  Yay!  We did have steak and I got my bites and lick of sour cream.

Karen Jo:  You do love your steak.  You were nice about telling me when you had had enough this time.  Usually when I offer you a bite more than you really want you sniff it, lick it, take in in your mouth and chew it a couple of times, then spit it out on the floor.  I save it for you in your dish, but you never to back to it.  This time you just sniffed it and walked away, so I ate it.

So far I haven't been interested in the chicken.  Oh, I ate a tiny bit the first time it was offered, but that has been all.  Mom cooked a lot of it, so there is still time for me to decide that I want some.

I haven't been all that interested in my toys lately, but I am playing a new game.  I hide around the corner in the living room and wait for Mom to walk by on her way to the kitchen and then I leap out and attack her pants leg or her toes, if she is barefoot.  Then I run away.

I have been getting lots and lots of petting in bed.  Sometimes I push her hand away with my paw to let her know that I have had enough and sometimes Mom says that her arm is tired or she is sleepy and she stops.  It's great.

Karen Jo:  We did have a short play session tonight.  You got interested in a couple of your small mousies.

Mom snuck up on me to furminate me just after lunch.

Karen Jo:  I snuck up on you because, uncharacteristically, you were lying on your left side, so I started brushing your right side, which I hardly ever get to do.

The furminator caught on something and pulled a bit, so I reowed and got up.  Then I pooted in Mom's general direction.

Karen Jo:  Yes, you did let go of a stinky one. I think you may be getting the beginnings of a mat there, Herman.  If you don't let me brush it, you may have to have it cut or shaved out.  To those of you who may be wondering, Herman has very fine, very thick fur.  It mats very easily, so I am going to keep on furminating him every day.  I have to catch him standing or, rarely, lying on his left side to do his right side, because he almost always lies on his right side.  I don't just roll him over to do his right side because that upsets him and he trots away from me if I try it.  He will even hide under something so I can't brush him any more.  I don't know why he doesn't like having his right side brushed, because he will actually roll over on his back for me to do his tummy.  He purrs all the time he is being brushed or furminated, unless I catch a big snag.  He will let me brush him all over with the slicker brush, but I found out last winter that the slicker brush is insufficient to prevent the mats.

I got new treats today.  Mom gives me a few pieces of Party Mix after I take my pill and she found a new flavor.  It's called Picnic and it's turkey, chicken and cheddar cheese.  It probably isn't new everywhere, but she hadn't ever seen it in our store before.  I ate it all up very quickly.  I have been getting sneakier about spitting out my poop pill.

Karen Jo:  Yes you are.  I found three pills in the last few days.  One in your Friskies, one on the base of your scratching post on one by your small PTU where I give you your Party Mix.  You must be spitting it out after I think you have swallowed it.  Missing those doses doesn't seem to have done you any harm, so I'm not going to worry about it.

Fun and Games

Here I am snoozing on the carpet.  This is another picture Mom took while she was trying to get a good one for the calendar.  Mom did get one that she thought was good and sent it in.  I may have left the impression that I don't play with Mom, but I do, just not all the time when she expects me to.  We had a really good play session just a few minutes ago and we also had a good one just after the last time she posted.  I am getting just a little bummed out, because the weather is getting too cold for open windows.  Mom closed the windows before she went to work today because there was a cold wind blowing.  I didn't have fresh air all the time she was gone.

Karen Jo:  Sorry about that, Herman, but I don't want you getting too cold while I am gone.  I opened the windows again when I got home, to air the house out a bit.  I am going to have to close them again soon.  Next day off I am going to have to clean the filter and put the heat back on, just in case.  Oh, joy! Taking out the filter and cleaning it are no problem at all.  Getting the filter back in is a real pain.

I found a new way to get attention.  Mom likes to watch TV in bed just before she goes to sleep.  I found out that if I jump up on the bed and put my head right in front of hers, so she can't see the TV, I get lots of petting.

Karen Jo:  It's fun for both of us, and it gets you to lay your head down, so I can see again.  I can be tricky, too.

You will never believe this, but I am letting Mom give me my really yucky medicine by just sticking it in my mouth.  I never thought I would do that.

Karen Jo:  I thought I would try it.  I was finding it so hard to get all the medicine sucked up into the syringe that I was afraid you weren't getting enough of it.  It's all over now for another month.  You were really good about taking it tonight.  You spit it out twice, but you didn't fight me about getting it in and you finally swallowed it.  I hope you are as good about taking it next month.  It will make things so much easier and I will be sure that you are getting your full dose.

Mo' Cats Day

Here I am looking out the window.  Mom was chasing me around with the camera, trying to get a good picture of me and experimenting with different settings on the camera.  The Friends of the Shelter are putting out a calendar with pictures of cats who were adopted from the shelter or from foster care and my foster mom told Mom to make sure that she sent in an entry for me.  Mom didn't blog for me last night because she got really upset about something.  I don't know what.

Karen Jo:  The computer repairman had my computer for a month and it was supposed to be all fixed.  I found out last night that neither the DVD drive nor the CD-ROM drive are working.  I really don't want to take it in again, but I need those drives, or at least one of them, working.  Grrrr!

Let's get back to me.  I didn't tell you about the great poop medicine experiment.  Mom put me on three doses a day to firm up my poop all the way and it worked.  Then she cut me back to two doses, then one and everything was fine, so she took me off it completely.  Everything was great for about a week, then the pudding poop showed up again.  Now I am back on two doses per day, which keeps me making good poop.

Karen Jo:  It was worth a try.  I decided that three doses was probably too much as I started finding really hard, dry lumps.  Now you make normal poop, with just a tiny bit of pudding poop at the end.  I don't think I will try any more experiments with your medicine.  You are feeling so good now that  I don't want to mess with it.

I feel great and very frisky, but you don't play with me.

Karen Jo:  Don't give me that.  You ask me to play.  When I get down on the floor to play with you, you walk away from me and ignore all the toys I throw to you. Then when I get up, you paw at my leg to get me to stay.  When I stay, you ignore me.  You are just messing with my mind.

Herman:  Isn't this great?  I am having so much fun.

Windchimes Arrived

Karen Jo:  The lovely windchimes arrived today.  Thank you very much, Meezers.  I love the tone and they aren't too loud.  Right now they are hanging on the kitchen door, but I will find a spot for them outside.

Enough of the boring stuff.  Look what else was in the box! There's a catnip banana, a fevver-butt skunk (which I took before Mom could snap the picture), a fuzzy ball and a crinkle ball.

Mom took back the fevver-butt skunk to take another picture, but I put my paw on it again, so you can't really see it very well.  I played with the skunk until Mom took the nip banana out of its bag.

Wowie!  I really love this nip banana!  I dropped the skunk and grabbed it as soon as Mom put it on the floor.  I licked it and bit it and bunny kicked it something fierce.  Thank you so much, Meezers!

In other news, now that I am letting Mom pill me, she is doing it three times a day, every day.

Karen Jo:  The directions say to give it to you up to three times a day to firm up your poop.  Now that all I have to do is pop it into your mouth, I can give it to you just before I go to bed without much fuss.  Maybe we can get your poop all normal and you can stop taking the pills.

I would like that.  You better not try this with that really nasty pill.

Karen Jo:  I won't.  You will get that one crushed and mixed with baby food and syringed in.

Remember when I wanted some cheeseburger?  I waited patiently, not meowing too much, all the time the burger was cooking.  I meowed at Mom when I saw her putting the stuff on the bun.  I got really excited when the cheese came out and Mom gave me a tiny piece.  When I saw Mom put it all together, I ran and jumped up in her chair at the table to wait for it to arrive.  Mom put it on the table right in front of me and let me sniff it. Then when she shooed me off her chair, I ran off into the living room and didn't come back all the time she was eating.  She didn't save me any, so I still didn't haz cheezeburger. Darn!

Karen Jo:  You know the rule.  If you are not there while I am eating, I figure you don't want any.  It's not like you are going hungry.  You ate up a whole can of food within an hour of my getting home tonight.

I had an outside adventure.  I usually just greet Mom at the door when she gets home.  I have never tried to get out the door, so Mom doesn't really worry about how close I am to the open door.  Tonight, I decided that I wanted outside.  When Mom saw me heading for the opening, she tried to block my way with her shopping bag, but I dodged it and got outside.  I found a really interesting bush about a foot from the door.  Mom dropped her bag and scooped me up within seconds.  I meowed and squirmed, but I was back inside in no time.

Karen Jo:  I am really glad that you just wanted to explore a little and weren't trying to run off.  It's really dangerous for kitties outside here at night.  The coyotes come into town looking for easy meals and kitties disappear much too often.  I will have to be more careful with the door.

Too Hot to Play

My nip syringe is still one of my favorite toys, but lately the temperature has been up in the 80s and I don't feel like playing much.  Mom found my nip ball again, but I'm too hot to chase it. We don't have A/C because this kind of weather never lasts long and we don't really need it.  It gets down in the 50s at night and I play with Mom after she comes home from work sometimes.  Mom has gotten good at popping my little half pill into my mouth and I have been letting her do it without much fuss.  I don't know what has gotten into me.  I used to really fight this. Maybe I got as tired of the baby food syringed into the mouth as she got of fixing it and doing it. This way Mom can be sure that I am getting my full dose, which is the main reason she tried switching methods.  I got to try something new today.  Mom made pork chops and she let me have some tiny bites.  I liked it. She offered me some popcorn last night, but I wouldn't even lick it.  Mom tried to really sleep in yesterday, but I wouldn't let her.

Karen Jo:  I have been really tired and I thought I would be a bit lazy yesterday morning, but you had other plans.

You have to get up and give me my Interferon.

Karen Jo:  Yes, and give you your elevenses and cheese, too.

That's right.  I can't let you sleep through all that.  At least I am gentle about how I wake Mom up.  I usually just tap her cheek with my paw, or get on her chest and meow in her face.  Yesterday I had to put my paw on her arm and extend my claws to get her moving.

Karen Jo:  That last method is quite effective.

Bad Mom

Mom hasn't been taking pictures of me lately, so here's an older one of me playing with my nip syringe.  Mom was really bad yesterday.  She left me all alone at oh-dark-thirty and didn't come back until it was dark again.

Karen Jo:  I'm sorry, Herman.  I promised a friend of mine that I would help her do something and it took much longer than we expected.  I did leave you plenty of food.

Bah!  All I got was early breakfast, which I ate up in a flash, and second breakfast and dinner.

Karen Jo:  I left you half a can of Medley and half a can of Stinky Goodness after you ate up the quarter cans I gave you for early breakfast.  You ate it all up and really put a dent in your dry food.  When I got home I gave you a quarter can of each for dinner.  You were ready for more by dawn. That's two 3 oz. cans of food you are going through per day, plus your dry.  No wonder you are putting on weight, which is all to the good.

I'm a hungry kitty.  You have been eating some good stuff lately, too.  I got some more steak and chicken in the last few days.  I still want to try some of your cheeseburger.

Karen Jo:  I am having one for lunch tomorrow.  I'll let you try a little.  You didn't used to like hamburger meat at all.

I changed my mind.  Where's my nip ball?

Karen Jo:  I don't know.  I couldn't find it this morning.  I'll look again tomorrow morning.  You found another good hiding spot for it.

Hahaha!  I really liked it that you went to bed early last night.  We got in some really good cuddle time.  You got sneaky with my medicine today.

Karen Jo:  Yep.  I popped your little half pill in your mouth before you knew what was up.  You wouldn't let me do it again tonight, though.  It would be easier if you would just let me pop it in and be done with it.

Herman:  I don't like my medicine and I'm going to make you work at it to get it in me.

More Progress

Mom hasn't taken any more pictures of me lately, so here I am relaxing with my mousie from a while back. I am making more progress toward having normal poop. Mom has found two more solid poops in my litter box since I last blogged.

Karen Jo: It is a little frustrating. The solid poops appear about every other day with very thick pudding poop in between. Tuesday I started Herman's pulse with the antibiotic, so maybe that will help get him to solid poop all the time. I am very hopeful that he will get completely back to normal very soon.

I am really enjoying life and having lots of fun. Mom put my wand toys in a big vase and I played with my mousie all by myself for quite a while. I whap my nip ball around and play soccer with Mom. I watch the birdies on my platform and I really got into waking Mom up for food again.

Karen Jo: You were one hungry kitty last night. You woke me up three times before 8:00 am for more Stinky Goodness.

You did say that you missed my pre-dawn wake up calls. Well, you don't have to miss them any more. You had some interesting food for lunch.

Karen Jo: I had a catfish dinner from the nearby take-out place. I didn't give you any catfish because the cornmeal breading has hot spices in it.

I was more interested in something else you had.

Karen Jo: That surprised me. I never knew that cats liked coleslaw. You were so interested in it that I gave you a little, thinking that you would just lick the dressing, but you ate the cabbage, too.

It was yummy. Do I really have to go to the v-e-t in the morning?

Karen Jo: Yes, you do. We need to get that nasty mat off your side. You will feel better when it's over.

I suppose I will. I just don't like to go there.

Karen Jo: We will go with your foster Mom and Miss Kitty. You can meet her through your PTUs.

I just want it to be over with. You say I won't have to go back again for a long time, right?

Karen Jo: That's right. You won't have to go back unless you get sick again, because I think the Furminator will keep you from getting any more mats. At least I hope so. If everything goes well, you won't have to go again until next spring, when it's time for your wellness exam.

That sounds great to me. Maybe taking the nasty medicine is worth it after all.

Guess what? Thursday is my birthday. I will be three. I am trying to talk Mom into having a party for me.