Brody's Vet Visit

Karen Jo:  My blog was supposed to have a "Save Net Neutrality" banner just below the header today, but the code I copied didn't work.

Brody:  I went to the vet yesterday and it was good news.  My temperature has gone down to 103.5 from 104.  My weight has gone up from 6.7 lbs to 8.2 lbs.  Neither Mom nor the vet lady could figure out how I gained 1.5 pounds in one week.  I bet I know.  I eat whatever I want and just lie around most of the day.  There is no sign of fluid in my chest or abdomen.  I only have to have one shot every other day now.  I'm pretty happy about all of this and so is Mom.

Karen Jo:  I am very happy.  Brody might have diarrhea, but it's by no means certain.  He is getting a little Metronidazole in liquid form just in case.

Cissy:  Well, I don't have diarrhea any more.  Mom had to call the vet lady because I hadn't gotten any better by Saturday morning.  Half an hour after the vet lady called her back and told her to come pick up my meds, I pooped a mighty poop and proved that I didn't need any meds after all.

Karen Jo:  I picked them up anyway, because the vet lady was nice enough to tape them to the outside door after closing time.  I'll hang on to them.  Some other kitty might need them.  Brody won't eat the Forti-Flora.

Spyro:  I picked up spraying a bit from Horus.  I sprayed the wall by Cissy's new litter box and I sprayed Cissy's big cardboard box in the kitchen.  Then I quit doing it.  I did pee in Cissy's new litter box, but I did it the regular way.  I guess I got caught up in the kitty politics.  They seem to be dying down now.

Oja: I have almost given up cornering Cissy and making her scream.  It just doesn't seem like much fun any more.  I have that new kitten Tabitha to hiss at.

Rocio: I was watching the birds when I got this itch.  Ah, that's better.  I really got into it with Cissy the other day.  I don't know why.  I haven't bothered her since.

Bambino:  I dumped the toy bucket over so Tabitha would have more toys to play with.  Yeah, that's it.  She is a lot of fun.  She will pounce almost any cat.  She leaves Brody, Cissy and Oja alone.  She learns fast.

Horus:  I haven't bothered Cissy in ages.  It just doesn't appeal to me any more.

Karen Jo:  I am wondering if the calming spray is having an effect or the kitties just got bored with tormenting Cissy.  Whichever it is, I hope it lasts.

Julius:  Here I am showing off my side stripes.

Karen Jo: If any of you have wondered what I looked like, you can see me in the mirror.

Tabitha:  Boy, have I been exploring since the last time Mom posted.  I have discovered the living room.  Wow, it is big!  When I first ran into it, I stopped and did the kitten dance.  I arched my back way up and bounced around.  There is lots of room to run and play and rassle, rolling over and over.  There's lots of toys in here, too.  There's a neat box with holes in it and toys inside.  I am having so much fun!

Brody's Vet Visit

 Brody:  I went to the vet again.  The only bad part is that thing stuck up where it doesn't belong.  All the fluid is gone from my chest, so I only have to get one shot a day.  Yay!  I feel good.  Look at me up here on the file cabinet.  The vet even gave me some food.  I just wish I didn't feel too tired to play all the time.

Karen Jo:  Brody's temperature is 104 and his weight is down to 6.7 lbs from 7.8 lbs last week.  The vet says that it's just a matter of time, but we will keep up the medications and hope for a miracle.  Brody feels so good because he all the fluid is out of his chest and he can breathe normally again.

 Tabitha:  This is the best photo Mom has been able to take of me so far.  I decided that I really like the lady, so I will call her Mom. Mom picked me up and took me on a tour of the house yesterday and showed me all the kitties here.  There are a LOT of them. I did exciting things today.  I came out of my room four times and met other kitties and explored.  There are a lot of litter boxes around here.  I sniffed and sniffed them.  I explored the bathroom and played with Bambino in the bathtub.  I met Julius and we played chase in my room.  We chased each other around the big chair and Mom laughed because it looked like I was chasing Julius.  I met Brody and we nose sniffed each other.  I met Horus and he sniffed and sniffed my behind.  I briefly met Oja and she hissed at me so I ran back into my room.  I met Rocio and he hissed at me a tiny bit, too.  I am back in my room now for the night, but I bet I will be out of my room tomorrow again, at least for a while.

Spyro:  All these goings on make me want a nap.  I haven't met the squirt yet, but I will.

Oja:  The tiny kitten is coming our of her room now.  I don't like it.  I just know she'll pester me.

Karen Jo:  She might not.  There are lots of other kitties for her to play with.

Rocio:  Tabitha might not be so bad.  I went into her room for a little bit.  She's pretty fearless when it comes to the rest of us.  Oja scared her, but Oja scares all of us.

Bambino:  I like Tabitha.  I hope she comes out for good soon.

Horus:  I am King of the Mountain on top of the cat tree today.  I don't know what to think of Tabitha.  She smells good.  She didn't try to smack me for being so personal.

Julius:  Hahaha!  I made Mom lie down on the floor to get a picture of me.  See how wide open my eyes are?  That's the signal that I am going to bolt if she comes any closer.  I like Tabitha.  She's fun to play with.

Cissy:  I have given up trying to get Brody to play with me.  Now when I want to play with another kitty, I go to Bambino or Julius, especially Julius.  This cushion under the chair is the safest place to nap.  Mom started wondering if I really dragged the cushion under the chair or if it ended up under here by accident and I just took advantage of it.  The other day Mom noticed that it had been moved under the table, then it was back under the chair and I was on it again.  Now she knows that I move it.

Brody Holds His Own

 Brody:  Why does Mom take my picture with my shaved spot showing? I'm just hanging in there, no better, no worse.  Mom keeps giving me my medicine and I try to get away from her sometimes, especially after the first shot when I see the second stabby thing come out.  I always get treats right afterward, so I don't go too far.  I have given up on trying to avoid the stuff squirted in my mouth.

Karen Jo:  Now comes the really hard part for me.  Brody has gotten back to being almost himself again.  Now, will the new medicine whip the FIP, or will Brody stay the way he is now until it attacks him again?

 Spyro:  I didn't get my picture taken today, so this is an older shot.  I'll leave the explanation for others.
This is what Mom calls Spyro's Spytower because I am the cat up here most often.  It's a great spot for looking outside and seeing everything that goes on in the living room.

 Oja:  I am on my throne again, watching over my domain.  I still play with the turbo track sometimes.  I have been chasing Cissy again.  Mom is about to give up coming to see what is happening when Cissy screams.  No cat is ever hurting her.

 Rocio:  I am watching the spectacle of Mom crawling around on the floor trying to get good photos.  That white bottle beside me is what Mom uses when Horus pees where he shouldn't.

 Bambino:  Mom was down on the floor, so I started to crawl into the ham-mick facing her. She got all set with the camera for me to stop moving, then I turned around and showed her my butt instead.  She had to wiggle around to get my profile.

Karen Jo:  Horus was a bad boy today.

Horus:  Mom was down on the floor taking pictures.  When it was my turn, she just turns to me and shoots.  When Brody's turn came she petted him and cooed to him and coaxed him to face her, giving him lots of attention.  I couldn't stand that, so I went over to the couch, turned around to face Brody and sprayed the couch. That'll teach her to give that little brat all the attention.

Karen Jo:  Brody needs more attention now because he is sick.  Even you have been nice to him.

Horus:  I still don't like it when he gets more attention than I do.

Karen Jo:  I had to stop the photo session and clean up the mess.  Then I couldn't remember if I had taken pictures of all the cats.  That's why Spyro and Cissy have older pictures today.

 Julius: Mom is getting better at reading my body language on how close she can get with the camera.  As soon as I turned my head to look at her she froze until I looked away again.  The birds are more interesting than she is.

 Cissy:  This is the visiting toddler's table with her crayon box behind me.  She hasn't been over in a long time, which suits me just fine.  I almost got Brody to play with me last night, but he gave me a really soft hiss and I went back to grooming him instead.

Tabitha:  I am getting to like the lady.  Breakfast time this morning I came out to greet her and let her pet me.   I even stayed out when she left and came back with the black box.  I'm all blurry because I am never still.  I like the lady's foot.  I got to play with Bambino twice today for a little while.  The lady lets him in, then goes away and lets us play.  She comes back in a little while and lets him out again.  I like Bambino.

Super Sunday

 Bambino:  I have some great news: I'm well!

Karen Jo:  I'd say 99% well.

Bambino:  Why only 99%?

Karen Jo:  The Prince of Pounce isn't back yet, but I'm sure he will be.

Bambino:  I got a little better every day and the night before last I played with Mom's shoe laces and the sleeve of her pajamas.  Today I rassled with Julius and napped with him.  I can do my mighty leaps again and I eat up all my treats and food.  Yesterday, even the kitten food disappeared.  I say I'm all well.

Karen Jo:  You are certainly well enough not to have to go back to the vet tomorrow.

Bambino: YAY!  I want to thank everyone for purring for me.  It worked!

 Spyro:  It is Sunday and most of us are taking our Easy.  I'm in the blue bed by the heat vent, keeping warm.

 Oja:  I'm up on the tall scratcher, catching some rays.  Mean Mom says she isn't going to take any more pictures of me.

Karen Jo:  That's not what I said.  I said I wasn't going to take any more pictures of you in your cushioned chair under the kitchen table or in your chair in the computer room.  It's too dark and the pictures don't come out well.  I am going to concentrate on getting the camera out when I see you out, so there will be new pictures of you.

Oja:  Oh, that's ok then.

 Rocio:  I'm up on the big pillow in a great big sun puddle.  It's so bright I have to cover my eyes to nap.  Mom says that I've been a bad boy.  I've been annoying Oja again, once in the computer room and once in the kitchen.  She is such a lay-about that I've just been trying to get her up for some exercise, but she doesn't like it one bit.

 Horus:  The trouble with sun puddles is that they move.  When I started my nap I was right in the middle of the bigger one.  At least my tail is getting some rays.

Julius:  I'm glad that Bambino is well again.  I missed playing with him.  I'm getting my rays up on the table.  I still won't let the Lady get close to me with the clicky box.  I did let her pet me while she was giving out treats, but I run from her the rest of the time.

Meet Bambino

 Bambino:  It's about time my lazy Mom got around to letting me introduce myself.  I've been here since April   7th.

Karen Jo:  Sorry, Bambino.  I was greatly affected by Austin's running off to the Bridge.  Then I got involved with my income taxes and that along with the return of winter really got my spirits down.  I'm OK now and will start blogging more again.

Bambino:  I love this nifty cushion.  See all those papers?  I pushed them all off on the floor the other day.  I'm good at pushing things off.

Karen Jo:  I've noticed.  The last three mornings I have been awakened by loud crashes.

Bambino:  It gets your attention and I get hungry in the mornings.  I guess I should tell you how I got here.  Several months ago a nice lady found me as a tiny kitten wandering around on a busy street in Santa Fe.  She took me home and took care of me, but when she discovered that I was FeLV+ she had to keep me in a playpen most of the time to keep me from infecting the cat who was already there and started looking for a new home for me.  She was a volunteer for Felines & Friends, who rescued Austin and Rocio.  There were plans made to pair me with Rocio, but then Austin came along and they were perfect together, so I had to wait.  When Mom first brought me home and put me down in the living room in the carrier, no cat hissed at me, not even Oja.  Things soon changed.

I noticed right away that Rocio and Spyro were both bigger than I was and Oja was stockier and stronger, so I decided that it was best to stay in the safe room for a few days.  Monday, I stuck my head out of my room and promptly got hissed at by Rocio, so I scurried back into hiding.

Karen Jo:  I was surprised that Rocio hissed at you.  He had never hissed at any cat before.  I think he was still missing Austin a whole lot.

Bambino:  Monday evening, I crept out into the hall in slink mode and Oja growled at me, so I ran back into my room again.  Tuesday morning and afternoon, I ventured out just a little, but when running back to my room when I got hissed or growled at.  By Tuesday night, I had figured out that these bigger cats were all talk and no action, so I came out and stayed out.  I spent part of Tuesday night on Mom's bed, until Oja got hissed off that I thought I could sleep ON Mom instead of beside her.

Bambino:  It was only a few more days before I made friends with Rocio.  He saw all the fun I was having with Spyro and decided that I was OK after all.  Here we are playing with Da Bird together.  Spyro, Rocio and I all play chase and rassle together, though not all three at once.  Well, not rasslin' anyway.  By the amount of stuff that gets knocked off of tables Mom strongly suspects that all three of us play THoE at once.  Oja isn't always hissy with me any more and I try to stay out of her way.

Karen Jo:  Bambino may not be the Sultan of Swat, but he is the Prince of Pounce.  He loves pouncing Spyro and Rocio.  From some yowls I have heard, he may have even pounced Oja.  I know that Rocio has been teasing Oja by jumping up the foot or side of the bed and taking a swat at her, then running away.  As a side note, I filed my application to adopt Bambino yesterday.  There is just a little more paperwork to do and he will be an official member of the family.

Happy Easter and Happy Birthday, Oja!

Oja:  Welcome to my Easter/Birthday party.  We have plenty of food, nip and toys to go around.

 These are our Easter toys.  Mom rolled the bunny in catnip and there are treats in the eggs.

Mom is also throwing a huge nip party.  Austin and Rocio have already started.  We have tiny Spring moths to chase.  They have been drowning in our water bowls.  We aren't telling whether they had any help.  There are lots more toys than what you see, including wand toys that Mom will wave around for us.  For the cat who like to go outside and the woofies, there is grass to roll around in and gopher holes to sniff.  Mom filled up the bird feeders and water, so cat TV should be pretty good.  There is lots of cat food, both canned and dry, plus roast beef, ham and turkey.  Lots of fresh water is on hand, along with niptinis and meowgaritas.  When you get tired there are beds and sofas and chairs all over the place.  I am three years old today and I want to party!

Mostly Tabby Thursday

 Spyro: Mom has been really busy today and didn't take new pictures of us, so here are some she hadn't used yet.  This is a chair in the living room with a cat cozy on it.  Mostly we run down the hall and jump in this chair, then on the end table, then on the couch when we are playing THoE.  We have completely cleared off the end table three times now and I think Mom is going to leave it cleared from now on.

Karen Jo:  That's right.  It's silly to keep putting the stuff back on the table just to have it all knocked off again in the next round of THoE.  I even saw Oja playing the other day.

Oja:  It wasn't entirely my idea.  Austin started chasing me and I ran.  I didn't even hiss at him.  Since I lost weight, I can get up to places where I have never been before.  Mom saw me up on Spyro's tower the other day and the cat sitter told her that I had jumped up on the counter.  I haven't done that in front of Mom, though.  I didn't want her to know that I could do it.  I didn't know the cat sitter would tattle on me.

Karen Jo:  I was out of town last weekend, so my friend came over to feed and water the kitties.  She said she put the food down and Rocio was eating Oja's food, Spyro was eating Rocio's food and Oja was up on the counter eating Spyro's food.  Only Austin was eating his own food.  I am not going to worry about Oja jumping up on the counter to eat Spyro's food.  It's self-correcting.  If she eats too much and gains, she won't be able to make the jump any more.  I could always move the boxes she uses to help her up to make it a bigger jump.

 Austin:  Both of us boycats love the ham-micks, especially this one.  You should have seen all the fun we had when Mom changed the cat litter the other day.  Spyro, Rocio and I were all watching as she poured in the fresh litter.  Spyro jumped in as soon as she was finished and started digging like crazy.  Finally he was satisfied and made his deposit.  Then he looked straight at me as he dug and dug to bury it.

Spyro:  That's because you don't bury.  You just scratch the sides of the box.  I am trying to teach you the right way to do it, but you just don't get it.

Austin:  I jumped in right after you to do my business, then you jumped back in and buried it for me.  Why should I bury when you will do it?

Rocio:  I jumped in after Austin and made my deposit and buried it, too.

Rocio:  Spyro is a good teacher.  He taught us the best way to jump up on his tower and how to drink out of Mom's glass.  Oja and I are getting really good at sleeping together on and beside Mom.  Oja hasn't hissed at me in days.  She still makes little growly noises once in a while, especially when Austin wants to play with her.

Austin:  I love to play chase and rasslin'.  Spyro is always up for it, but Oja goes all growly on me.

Karen Jo:  Give her time.  I am sure that she will come around when she is ready.

Almost Back to Normal

 Spyro:  Mom waited until nap time to take our pictures.  That's the only time we are still.

Oja:  It's nice to feel safe enough to nap wherever I want again.  I still hiss at them a little and try to smack them with my paw if they get too close.

Karen Jo:  Oja is back to moving around the house to all her usual places again.  She was in bed with me when I woke up this morning for the first time since the Boys moved in.  I think she might want to get to know the Boys, but she has a strange way of doing it.  She will sneak up on one of them from behind and sniff the very tip end of his tail very carefully, then hiss.  The situation is looking a lot better though.  Oja has become a lap cat and will sit in my lap while I  sit on the couch and read.  I found out last night that Hissy Boy is also a lap cat.  I was checking out all three computers to make sure they were working and playing games that I hadn't played in a long time when Hissy Boy jumped up in my lap and made himself right at home.  I'm taking a lazy day today and was reading on the couch with Oja in my lap.  Hissy Boy jumped up on the couch and slowly approached until he and Oja were only two inches apart from being nose to nose.  Oja didn't hiss until he turned and moved like he was going to get in my lap, too.  Hissy Boy jumped down, walked around to my other side, jumped up on the couch and cuddled up next to my  thigh.  Oja didn't mind that.  When I look my nap pictures today, all four cats were in the living room, sleeping peacefully.

Oja:  Spyro and I had a grooming session in my bed this morning for the first time since the Boycats moved in.  I feel like playing again.  Mom got out Da Bird and Kragonfly and Spyro and the Boys were really playing.  I came running up and grabbed Da Bird right out of the air.  That surprised those Boys!

Karen Jo:  It surprised and delighted me, too.  Oja played with Da Bird for quite some time, while the Boys played with Kragonfly and Spyro watched.  Then Cool Dude came flying through the air and grabbed Da Bird.  Oja hissed at him and walked over to her ham-mick and got in.  She wasn't through playing, though.  I flipped Kragonfly over to her while the Boys played with Da Bird and she really got into it.  She lay on her back and grabbed at Kragonfly with her paws, caught it and chewed on it, then let it go for more.

Oja:  I also played with my jingle-ball and the TurboTrack.  The only thing that's really wrong now is that every other cat wants to eat my food.  I don't have to compete with the Boys for my Stinky Goodness any more, thank goodness, but Spyro will wolf his down and try to help me eat mine.  Mom usually chases him off.  Then Spyro and both Boys want to help me eat my dry food.  Spyro won't eat his dry food, only mine.

Karen Jo:  That's why I have started taking some kibble from his bowl and putting it in yours.  I have no way of stopping any of them from eating your dry food, because anywhere you can go, they can go.  Maybe you should go sample their kibble.

Oja:  Maybe.  I haven't been in my old room since the Boys took it over.

Mom Blew It

 Mom wanted to get a full on portrait shot of me, but I ducked my head at the last second.  I love doing that.    I also love it when Mom tries to figure us all out and posts her observations. We love to prove her wrong.   Mom posted yesterday that I didn't accept Oa as a member of my family  Just this morning,.  I tried to get Oja to play chase with me.  She declined, but it was obvious that I consider Oja part of my group now.  I put out my paw and tapped Oja very gently, then ran away from her, expecting her to chase me.  Spyro was close to her and she decided to play with him instead.

Spyro:  Oja ruined my shot that I was packed and ready to go on my vacation.  See the Tabby Cat Club for my dream vacation.  Oja and I play all the time.  It's great fun.  I was having such a great time with the nip nanner this morning in the living room that Oja couldn't stand it.

Oja:  If the toy was that great, I wanted it, living room or not.  I pounced Spyro and took it away from him.  Then I heard Herman making a lot of noise and I moved away from the nanner just enough to see what he was up to.

I am a very enthusiastic digger in the litter box and Oja only had to move about a foot to see me.

Spyro:  I saw my chance.   I went into my very best stealth mode and sloooowly sneaked up on the nanner, one inch at a time.  I was very patient.  I didn't grab the nanner when I was close to it, oh no.  I waited until I had the upper half of my body covering the nanner, then I started licking and bunny kicking it.  Unfortunately, Herman stopped making so much noise and Oja spotted me.

Oja:  I spotted that sneak thief Spyro playing with MY nanner and I pounced him good!  The trouble is that we had so much fun rasslin' that we forgot all about the nanner.  I love rasslin' Spyro so much that in the afternoon I spotted him napping in Herman's ham-mick and pounced him.  We rassled until Spyro kicked me off the ham-mick.  Mom was afraid that I would have a bad experience with a ham-mick and avoid them, so she picked me up and put me in Spyro's ham-mick and petted me.  I stayed in the ham-mick while I got petted, but jumped out the moment Mom stopped.  Maybe I will try out a ham-mick on my own later.  I also found Herman's bird-watching platform in the living room.  The view is even more awesome than the one from the top of the bookshelves in my room.  I like the living room and there is more choice of food in the kitchen.  Did you know that Mom puts out two choices of canned food and two choices of kibble at every morning?

Karen Jo:  I only put out kibble once a day.  It is carefully measured, but you kitties never stick to your own.

Spyro and Oja:  Herman's diet kibble is awesome.  We love it.

Karen Jo:  Poor Herman hardly gets any for himself.  He ends up eating your kibble.  The next time I see the vet I am going to ask if it is all right you give you all diet kibble, because you all like it so much.  That way I could be sure that Herman wasn't getting too much higher calorie kibble.

Spyro:  I don't need diet kibble.  I am just the right weight.  It is Herman and Oja who are heavy.

Karen Jo:  And who is the first kitty to plant his face in the diet kibble?

Spyro:  I am, of course.  First you get out the Fancy Feast and I jump up on the counter and try to lick up all the juice, if it is a new can, then you put the dish down in front of Herman, but I am right there to share it.  Then you put out the second flavor of canned food, whatever it is.

Karen Jo:  I thought I would be sneaky and put out a higher quality canned food in the second dish, then slowly change you over to only high-quality canned food.  Oja ruined that.  She gets loose stools from anything but Fancy Feast Original Pate Style.

Oja:  I ruined the whole scheme.  I now come into the kitchen and plant my face in the high-quality food every chance I get.  I don't care if it gives me a loose stool.

Karen Jo:  Then I put out Oja's Fancy Feast in her bowl.  Oja used to follow me down the hall to her room to get her Fancy Feast.

Oja:  Lately I have been too busy gorging myself on what is in the second bowl in the kitchen to even notice that you have put food in my room.

Karen Jo:  Then I put Herman's measured amount of diet food in his kibble bowl.

Spyro:  By this time I have finished the Fancy Feast in the first bowl and am ready for more food, so I start munching Herman's diet food.

Karen Jo:  Then I put Spyro's regular high-quality regular kibble in his bowl.

Oja:  By this time, I have finished the canned food in the second bowl and am ready for more, so I help Spyro eat Herman's diet food.

Karen Jo: Then I put Oja's share of kibble in her bowl.

By this time, no cat is interested in Oja's kibble.  It does disappear by the end of the day, most days.  The upshot is that I  have to share the Fancy Feast in the first bowl with Spyro.  I hardly get a look-in at the high-quality food that Mom started buying for me.  To top it off, my siblings eat all my diet food before I get a chance at it.  No wonder I am not losing weight.  Today it became evident that Spyro and Oja were eating up all the canned food and my diet kibble. so Mom picked me up and put me in front of Oja's Fancy Feast.  I gobbled up about half of it.  Soon Mom has to take me in for a weighing.  I don't think I have lost any weight due to my greedy siblings, but time will tell.  I like weighing sixteen  pounds,

Karen Jo:  I am not overly concerned with your lack of losing weight, Herman.  You have been at an average of 16 pounds for the last year, even taking into account the pound you gained when Emma came to live with us and you put on the muscle weight you had lost when you were so sick without losing the fat you had gained after you got well.  You gained muscle, but you didn't lose fat because you ate your food and Emma's too, most days.  Emma was not deprived.  She gained weight before her FeLV struck her down, too.  It's weird.  I heard from Herman's foster Mom and read on the Internet that it is very rare to have FeLV kitties get overweight.  They are usually underweight and have to be encouraged to eat.  Here I have three kitties with FeLV and one with FIV, both wasting diseases.  Herman is about two pounds overweight, after surviving a bout of FeLV which brought him down to 8.5 pounds (he should weigh 12-14 pounds), one kitty who is at his normal weight and one kitty who is a bit heavy, but in her normal weight range.  I don;'t want to take any credit not due me, but I think I have done well by my kitties.  Brag, brag, brag!  I think I was just lucky and got FeLV kitties with good appetites and good attitudes.  Except Emma, that is.  I feel so bad about Emma.  She did gain a pound before her FeLV struck her down.  I think it was the stress of being afraid of Herman that did her in.  I don't know what I could have done about it.  I couldn't have kept her in her room by herself -- she banged on the door until I let her out.  I rescued her from Herman's dominating ways every time she yelled for help.  I don't know what happened between the two of them while I was at work, though.  Dear Emma, I did my best for you, it just wasn't enough.  I must say, hurrah for Herman: he is through the danger zone  Most kitties who get FIV or FeLV before they are grown die before they are five.  Herman turned five in June and is doing great.

Karen Jo: Herman must have gotten FIV and FeLV before he was one and a half:  Congratulations Herman!  You made it to five!!  The statistics say that you will probably live a normal cat lifespan.  As far as I know Oja got FeLV after she was grown.  The vet even says that she may have had kittens at a very young age.  Her estimated age is two.  Her chances are good.  Spyro is estimated at one-and-a-half.  His chances are not so great.  He could have gotten FeLV before he was one.  I am not going to worry about him.  He is the most active of the kitties and he loves life so much that I think he has a long life in front of him.  Go Spyro!

Karen Jo:  Some people say I am an exceptional cat Mom because I take in kitties with a fatal virus or two.  I don't see myself that way.  I have lived in this house since I started third grade, allowing for university and a couple of jobs that didn't work out.  When my Father and then my Mother died, the house became unbearably lonely.  A few months after my Mom died I saw an ad for a cat who needed a home NOW.  I went to see Herman and we took to each other immediately.  His foster Mom said she had never seen Herman take to someone so quickly.  I already knew that he had FIV and FeLV, but I didn't know what that meant, except that it would probably shorten his life span. I didn't care.  I needed him and he needed me.  His foster Mom  brought him over to my home the next week and he became my heart-kitty almost immediately.  A few months later Herman's FeLV became active and I thought I was going to lose him.  The vet, his foster Mom and eventually I all thought that he was headed for the Rainbow Bridge.  I kept giving him his meds and the vet kept trying new meds and I would sit by him by the hour and tell him how much I loved him and he recovered.  His vet's office now refers to Herman as the Miracle Cat.

Karen Jo:  A month or two after it became sure that Herman would survive his FeLV attack, his foster Mother called me and asked me if I would sign up as at least be a foster Mom to FIV and FeLV cats.  I  felt so blessed that I agreed.  About a year and an half later I got a call from Herman's foster Mom that the Espanola kill shelter had a FeLV cat..  Emma was on death row and would be put to sleep in three days if a home could not be found for her. We picked her up the next day.  Emma didn't work out as I had wished, but I gave her eight and a half months that she wouldn't otherwise have had.  About six months after Emma went to the Rainbow Bridge, Herman's foster Mom called me again and told me that Spyro was on death row in Los Alamos.  All the foster homes were full and I was his only chance.  I went and got him that day.  I had signed up with the Espanola shelter as someone who would take FeLV cats.  About three months afer I adopted Spyro, I got a call.  Oja needed a home within three days or she would be put down as unwanted.  Herman's foster Mom and I picked her up the next day.  I am no hero.  I just love cats and have room and enough income to take care of some of the unwanted ones.  I am blessed and nothing special.  I just happened to adopt a special needs cat and found room for others with the same problems.  May God shower blessings on everyone who adopts a shelter animal.

Togetherness Report

 Having two ham-micks led to our each having one, which was great.  Somehow that led to this:

 Spyro:  If I hadn't heard Mom turn on the camera and lifted my head, you would have seen me using Herman for a pillow.

Karen Jo:  I see this as a great advertisement for the sturdiness of Forty Paws' ham-micks.  This one is holding almost 27 pounds of cat.

Oja:  I still don't see what the big deal is.  I prefer to sleep on chairs or up on my windowsill or in a hidely-hole.

Mom got a new swivel chair and put it in the living room.  It's great for napping.  All of us have tried it out.

Karen Jo:  That one is for when I get my office set up in the forbidden room.  I have the desk and chair now.   All I need is the get up and go to get it organized and cleaned up.

Get up and go?  That's a laugh.  All Mom has been doing lately is lying around, watching TV.

Karen Jo:  The Olympics are on and it has been twenty years since I could really just sit or lie down and watch them.  My lying around so much has left you kitties to your own devices and what have you done?

We all made friends with each other.  Spyro and I both let Oja lick us, though Spyro is apt to turn it into a game of chase or rasslin'.

Spyro:  It's great.  I have two rasslin' partners now and one partner for chase games.

Oja:  I think it's OK.  Neither one of the boys has licked me, though.  I hang around next to Herman sometimes and I play with Spyro.  Mom is surprised that Herman and I don't fight over the bed.

Karen Jo:  Yes, I am.  Oja has taken Herman's old spot next to my chest at night and Herman doesn't seem to care.  When I am lying on the bed in the evening, watching TV, Herman will come up sometimes and claim his old spot.  That makes both of us very happy.  Last evening, we were together like that and Oja jumped up on the bed.  I thought that there would be a fight, but there wasn't.  Oja looked things over, then decided she would rather have the computer chair.  When Oja is next to me and Herman jumps up on the bed, he claims a spot near my feet.  Sometimes Spyro jumps up on the bed too, but he never stays long.  Spyro just isn't a bed cat, at least not in warm weather.  I imagine that they will all pile on when it gets cold.

Happy Independence Day!

 Happy Independence Day!  We are all going to tell you how we are celebrating our freedom today.  I am celebrating my freedom from hot heavy fur by running and playing with Spyro.  I am also celebrating my freedom to move my head whenever Mom snaps a picture.

 Spyro:  I am celebrating my freedom to go outside with my harness and leash by making the most of it.  I mostly stayed in the carport because Mom took me out in the hot part of the day.  I did see a butterfly, but it was too high up to even try to catch.  I did investigate a big bush and sniff a lot of spider webs.

Karen Jo:  That was a mistake on my part, Spyro.  Yesterday I took you out in the evening and you enjoyed it much more.

Oja:  I am celebrating my freedom from scary mancats by staying in my room.  I also greatly enjoy my freedom to climb all over my Mom and get loved on.  Mom is spending more time with me.  She even got that yucky Intereferon in me.

Karen Jo:  That's because you have stopped being up in my face so much, so being with you is more enjoyable.  Your Interferon is not yucky.  It has no taste at all.  I am not so sure that you are so scared by the mancats.  You didn't seem scared last night.  While I was visiting blogs last night, it began to rain.  It brought the temperature right down and it felt so good that I thought I had to share it with Oja.  I went into her room and left the door open, so she could feel the cool breeze and sat down so she would come out for petting.

Oja:  What neither of us noticed was that Spyro sneaked into my room and went into my hidey-hole under the corner table.  When I had enough petting, I jumped down and went to get a bite to eat.  I sensed Spyro behind me.  Well, I was having none of that.  I dashed around the easy chair and into my hidey-hole and chased him right out of my room.  Then I sat in my doorway and growled at him.

Karen Jo:  I don't know how Oja know Spyro was in her hidey-hole.  She moved faster than I had ever seen her move before.  Spyro sped out of  the hidey-hole like a fury was after him.  I couldn't close the door until Oja moved away from the doorway.  She growled at Spyro and I think she may have growled at Herman when he showed up to find out what was going on.  Oja certainly knows how to defend her territory.

Karen Jo:  I am celebrating my freedom from going to work by watching A Capitol Fourth on PBS.  I haven't been able to watch it since 2002, as I was always at work.  We will have no fireworks locally because of the fire danger.  I am also being thankful for all my other freedoms.  I am very fortunate as I have freedom from want, hunger and fear.