Wallace

I don't post much about the animals in my life.  Not sure why that is.
There are some wonderful pet soul mates in my past and
present.

But these past 6 months definitely belong to my cat Wallace, 

Wally for short.

Max Left, Wally Right

At 13 years of age we consider ourselves luck to have had Wally that long.  He started out life with his brother, Max - Maximillan. We adopted them together, wanting a bonded pair.  After years and years of 4 previous cats at odds with each other, we wanted the next set to be peaceful.

I think these boys are the best looking of all our cats over 50 years.  The first two weeks we had them, we spent $2,000 to get them healthy.  Shelter cats typically come with various problems and we were committed to giving them a fair shot at life. Wally was underweight and ill due to lack of nutrition. During that time I had to force feed him.  His brother Max was 'the dude' in charge - he ate first and didn't care who else was hungry.  Max was a sweetheart, but food was his God!  Wally was docile and waited his turn to eat!  Once we got this pair in our home and discovered the situation, food was abundant for both.  But old habits die hard and Wally continued to defer to his brother.

Max

For 3 years things were great.  Wally was always "second banana" to his brother, but we kept tabs on that relationship and no one ever suffered.  But at 3 years of age, Max was diagnosed with degenerative kidneys - a common condition for cats, but way too early in his young life.  Between prescription food ($$$$) and subcutaneous fluids (injected under the skin of his ruff) every other day ($$$$) we kept Max alive for another 8 years.  He died at 11 years of age from kidney failure - finally.  But for such a long life, he should be in the Records Book somewhere!  When vets hear Max's story they are astonished.  "Unheard of" ... is the frequent comment.

Wally

So that is the back-story of the two brothers.

Now we were down to 1 cat - Wally.  Initially we worried that he would pine for his brother.  Nope!! No pining here!!  In fact he actually flourished.  He was no longer the second banana.  Wally was loving and happy now that he was the star of this household!!

In August of 2019 - 4 years later - when it was discovered that he was hyperthyroid - another common condition for cats.  Over the course of the last 6 months we struggled with medication at various strengths and appetite problems.  We tried a large range of prescription foods and grocery store food.  All efforts cost many dollars.  But this guy is family so we plowed on as we did for his brother.

Getting food into him was the greatest challenge.  I had visions of my force feeding sessions with him as a kitten. Finally his eating trickled down to almost nothing.  Was it his thyroid meds or was it is teeth.  We moved forward with the dental and they discovered the probable cause of his loss of appetite.  His teeth were a mess.  After the cleaning, we took him to a recommended Vet dentist - where we were told his poor gums and teeth were not the result of improper care - but a condition called Tooth Resorption.  His body was "reabsorbing" his teeth - breaking them down right to and into the root.  When cats in the wild get this condition they starve to death because they cannot eat.  It is an internal process separate from regular tooth care.  And he was in a lot of pain as you can imagine.  But, typical of cats, he never showed that.  Just couldn't eat.  Not showing pain or illness is a survival technique for cats in the wild - they don't want to become prey!  Cats are only partially domesticated and predators by nature, so it all fits together.

Wally

The total visit with exam, X-rays, surgery costs, recovery costs, extraction of 8 molars, injectable meds for pain and antibiotics ... (drum roll ... ) was close to $1900.  Did we wince at that cost??  Absolutely not.  He is now comfortable - eating soft foods - and returning to good health.  We hope to have him for many more years.  He is a fabulous cat and we love him dearly.

Wally

Non-pet folks I find don't understand our willingness to do whatever we can for our pets.  My response is that pets are family.  If you look into those eyes, how can you not see a beautiful 'soul' staring back at you?

Pets 'give' more than they 'take.'  And if good health and a quality life after treatment is possible - I will do it no matter the cost.  If they are in pain and treatment will not fix the cause - like with cancer - we painfully and sorrowfully say goodbye to them, release them from their pain, and give them back to God.  We have done that 9 times and it never gets easy!  But for now this beautiful creature belongs to me.  He hopefully has many more years ahead of him.  Now that he has those pesky teeth out of his mouth, he can enjoy living again.

My husband and I have lived with one or more cats our 50 years of marriage.  I think life would be less without one of these graceful and independent animals!

Rest on my dear Wallace.  

You have earned your place in our home and hearts.

V-Day

We are owned by 2 cats.  Our two boys are "cat-cats," not "dog-cats".  Over 40+ years we have had cats that acted more like dogs. We assumed that all cats were dog-like.

How can two reasonably intelligent and educated people be so wrong!

Preamble:

We spare no expense for our four legged family.

  Soap box comments aside,

 I strongly believe that if you can't be a responsible, caring, loving pet mom or dad,

 you shouldn't have the privilege of being owned by pets. 

(please don't comment if you feel other wise)

AND if you mistreat them,

 you should have the word "Scum" tattooed to your forehead

 so that we can easily identify you!

  Opps!

  Slipped briefly onto my soap box.

  Stepping down now.

Today was V-Day ... Vet Day!  We kept it a secret as long as possible from the participants.  But at some point the jig is up - and V-Day becomes common knowledge.

Our story starts with the two very fancy travel cases on wheels that we have for these yearly trips to the vet.  They were pricey, BUT they are worth every single penny.  The cats seem calmer while traveling and it is easier on our aging backs.

It also allows us to make a snooty entrance into the vet's waiting room - making a positive impression by looking spiffy, calm, cool, collected and blood free.  We always get comments on the cases.

Money well spent, I tell you!

But loading our boys into the cases at home can be tricky!  We haven't totally mastered that yet.

Wally

The first cat is usually easy.  This time the first cat was Wally.  We pick him up, he is happy, purring ensues, and then ... plop ... we drop him into the case and zip him in.  Easy, peasy.  We are feeling masterful and in charge at that point.  Then Wally yowls a long loud cry, raising the alarm for his brother, Max, who gets the message with lightening speed and dives under the bed. (And it makes no difference who is picked up first.  They are brothers.  They work as a team in crisis situations.)

Max

*sigh*

Now our focus is Max under the bed. We begin with softly worded cajoling (which never works, by the way), and then we move on to the "cookie technique" - cookies placed artfully in a line leading out from under the bed (which worked exactly one time 6 years ago and never since), and then the "catnip offering" which he dearly loves (making him totally manic if he imbibes, but on V-Day - he doesn't.)  We are finally reduced to the "broom technique" - sweeping it against his body to push him out where we can grab him (picture two 66-67 year old codgers laying on the floor beside the bed - one codger has markedly reduced vision - an elephant could pass by and he might miss it - the other is swearing mightily - totally annoyed at how dirty it is under our bed.)

Really, it is not one of our finer moments!

At some point, however, we succeed - but not without many swear words and sweat!

The trip by car it uneventful ... if you agree that pitiful cries from the back seat and cat drool (due to motion sickness) are "uneventful."

The vet's exam is also fairly quiet.  The cats are docile making us look totally ridiculous as we stand there looking damp, layered with cat hair and carpet fuzz.  I guess the vet has seen worse.

It is only once the vet take the cats to the back lab for blood work, urine samples, shots and nail trimming that the true state of affairs become evident.

I mean, after all, imagine just how much fun it must be to take urine from a cat.  For example this time we had this scenario:  the technician returned with Max after the visit to the lab using one hand to wipe the side of her face.  I was immediately worried.  There didn't appear to be any scratches or blood.  She said things got kind of exciting in the lab.  While preparing to retrieve some urine (don't ask how they do that),  Max started to pee all over the place.  I had visions of a vet tech holding sample cup here and there - moving left and right - trying to catch the urine stream before it hit the ground.  What she was wiping off her face was cat urine.

Some people are just not paid enough for what they do!!

The return trip is always quiet.  The cats are exhausted and we much poorer!

And every year on the return trip home I have the same nagging thoughts ... will they remember us when we come next year?   ... do we need to change our names?   ... is there any chance that there will be new staff who don't know us?  After all, those fancy travel cases can carry you only so far in the "positive impression" department.

We know things could be worse.  Been there - done that!  Many years ago we had a cat named Alex whose chart was covered in very big red ink letters with stars and arrows - inside and out - pointing to one over-riding message.

***ATTENTION***
***STAFF***

Release cat to owners

 before 

totally recovered from anesthesia.

Yes, Alex had issues!

The vet frequently asked how we were able to manage a difficult cat like this at home.  He cautioned us that often cats with this kind of extreme behavior are euthanized.  I sincerely doubt he believed us when we told him that the cat was a cream puff at home. Oh well.  I prefer to think that Alex was just misunderstood.

Rest in peace dear Alex.  We miss you.

August 2013 is now under our belts.  No worries until August 2014.

And between now and next V-Day I reaaallly need to clean under our bed!!!!

Vet Report

Maximillian

"Max"

Some news must be shared!

Good news, when it is a rare visitor in your life, is reason to rejoice.

My husband and I share our lives with 2 feline brothers, Max and Wally. This month was their annual physicals. I always dread these visits. To begin with, the boys are not good travelers. I guess that is because every time they travel, they visit the vet ... a very nice man who has been our vet for a very long time.

When they were 3, it was discovered that Max has early onset degenerative kidney disease. That news was hard to accept. Kidney disease in older cats is common. We have been down that path before with several older cats.

Kidney disease at 3 is a very hard thing to acknowledge. It most certainly means a shorten life for Max.

As soon as it was discovered, we began corrective measures: prescription food, reduced stress, and subcutaneous fluids every other day. With those changes maybe we could delay the inevitable. And every year they both have the full blood and urine work up.

Believe me when I say that those yearly trips are expensive. But I am a firm believer that when you accept a pet into your home and your into life, they are family. They get the care that is needed to provide as comfortable and as long a life as God intends.

And so, Max has been getting subcutaneous fluids every other day for 2 years.

Last year, Max's blood work results showed that he was relatively stable. There were some values that had pointed to continuing degenerative changes to his kidneys. But the vet was happy. These slow changes are expected, he said. I was happy too, but downward health changes to all the beings that share my home were the norm now. Any reduced kidney function in Max, no matter how small, added to the weight my heart was carrying.

Today we got Max's recent lab values back. The vet was hard pressed to explain it ... Max's kidney values were better!!! He said he always hopes that things remain stable, but he has never seen kidneys show improvement. Never.

Wallace

"Wally"

And Wally, totally normal!!

Today is a very, very good day.

First pics!!!

So my mom got a new digital camera. Here I am with the box. It is a Cannon PowerShot SX230 HS, whatever that is. I am not wild about this flashy thing she likes to do, but based on how she has been lately without it, I guess I should consider myself lucky I am even in the shot at all.

Hey mom, how about a shot of just me??

That's better. No stupid card board box in the photo. Just my handsome face!

Woww - that is too close. You can see all my wrinkles.

My dog cousins won't be happy about the return of Flashy Grandma!!

Love to all

Wally

XXOO

A note from the photographer:

I don't know how many of you a familiar with the Broadway musical called Sweeney Todd. Briefly this is the story of a barber who was wrongly sent to prison and his family destroyed by a bad guy. When released he begins the journey of getting even with the bad guy that stole his life. One of the things he finds is his original barber tools - one of which is a very long threatening knife-like scalpel that he uses to shave the hair off men's faces - and which he now uses to slit the throats of customers since he has gone revenge crazy (it is a dark story but excellent - with meat pies made from the customers he kills - waste not want not, you know).

There is a song where he rejoices at the fact he is finally reunited with his scalpel, lifting it high above his head - declaring most dramatically and emphatically that his arm is now whole again!

What does all that have to do with me and my camera??

That's right ...

With camera in hand my arm is now whole again ...

There are, however, no sharp edges.

Love to all,

Flashy Grandma and Power Shot

3 Dog - 2 Cat Weekend - Day 3

Now you might have noticed that the cats seem to be absent. They weren't. You just have to know where to look.

Max and Wally have a favorite place. It is our bathroom, which is located as far as you can get from the living room where the dogs hang out.

This spot is a favorite for several reasons: it is quiet there, it is far from the dogs, it is the space where Max gets his fluid treatments for his degenerative kidney disease (behind him is a medical sharps container for his needles) - which means many many treats are despensed here, and it is where they can hang out together. They also have a litter box here and you might notice a white mug on the counter. That is their bathroom water bowl. They like their water out of a mug! :-)

But they aren't always hidden away. In the morning, they enjoy sitting in the kitchen watching the birds on the balcony. Max found a special place where he could hang out in the kitchen, but still be above the fray.

He enjoys sitting on one of the kitchen chairs. Here he is hanging out with Grimace nearby.

All is cool.

We can relax, stretch out our neck, be superior!

He also enjoys sitting there with Meathead nearby.

Yes, these mutts are OK, reasonable, companionable!

And here is Max with ... oh, guess not.

A shot of Milo's ears.

Epilogue

These weekends now are pretty tame compared to last year when Milo was an uncontrolled baby. Last year there was much chasing around and nipping and cat hissing and dog barking. This year those behaviors are much reduced. He knows the rules and follows them about 70% of the time. Huge improvement, really.

Now he is pretty much just one of the pack. Enjoys eating his meals with his cousins, taking long morning walks with Grimace and Grandma and afternoon naps with everyone.

He is a dear little soul.

Favorites of 2010

I know.

This is not an original idea or post. But I like the idea of remembering what is special from the previous year!

So before the month of January 2011 totally slips away, here is my list of "2010 Special Favorites". They are in no particular order. Believe me, narrowing it down to 10 was hard.

So here goes.

1. My kids - Everyone says their kids are special. But this year my kids did more for me than just be "my kids". Previous posts tell the story. It is sufficient to say that they demonstrated in small, quiet ways what wonderful adults they have become.

2. My coat - Ok, so I agree this sounds strange. But my dog-walking coat was my friend so many times in December. To state the obvious, it is a warm coat even if it makes you look 15 pounds heavier. This coat goes all the way down to my ankles and when the collar is pulled up, it covers me to above my ears so a hat is seldom necessary. And at the hospital, this coat served as my blanket many many times, and at other times it was a wonderful pillow. I was never too hot or too cold. It is the best coat I have ever had - and last month - it was my best friend.

And when I am not wearing my coat, Wally is wearing it. No joke. The coat has a rustling sound when it is moved and I always hear it slipping to the floor.

3. My mom - I have learned alot about myself through taking care of mom. Last year the lessons learned unveiled many of my short comings.

• I am not the patient person I always thought I was. I am learning patience.
• I am not as understanding about the complexities and frustrations of aging as I thought. I am peeking inside the aging process. It is pretty scary in there.
• I am not as generous or kind a person I think I am. True generosity and kindness is expressed when you respond to a need without being asked and when there is no expectation of recognition. Learning, learning, learning.

4. Big snow storms - My God! I love a big, big snow storm. And in 2010 we counted our snow in"feet". It was very big!

5. My blog - Who would have thought writing to yourself could be so rewarding!!

6. Tuesday knitting group - My Happy Pill. Boy, if I could stick my knitting group into a bottle and sell it, the world would be a better place (and I'd be rich) ... or maybe we would all just warmer in hand-knit stuff.

7. Tai Chi - I returned to Tai Chi last Wednesday after missing 6 weeks - my legs were very unhappy! The rest of me was thrilled!

8. Time with cousins and my sister - Simply stated ... I don't get enough.

9. My four-legged family members - Max, Wally, Meathead, Grimace and Milo. It's a real zoo here sometimes!

This is Max. He isn't allowed on the kitchen table. He is on the kitchen table.

And, in typical cat fashion, he seems to be saying, "No, I am not on the kitchen table and, no, I am not checking out your purse for cookies - and there are no cookies in there, just in case you were wondering.

10. My good health! This year I did little to improve or even maintain my good health. At the risk of making my daughter totally nuts - I will share.

• I didn't do the walking I wanted to do.
• I didn't always eat right.
• I sometimes missed taking my pills (this week I went back on my blood pressure medicine when I causally discovered that my pressure WASN'T normal on its own *sigh*. I bet the same can be said of my cholesterol medicine).
• In December borrowed aggressively against my good health with lack of sleep and worry.

And I am still relatively healthy. But not stupid. I am back to focusing on me (when I'm not focused on mom.)

So that is my list. Do you have a list?

Today's walk: 4458 steps, 1.8 miles, 36 minutes

Feathered Visitors

This picture of my two boys, Max and Wally, is pretty typical. The deck just beyond the slider is where I feed the birds and where the squirrels visit. And the two cats love to sit quietly and watch. In case the picture doesn't show it, Max is sitting on the chair above Wally who is on the floor.

We are allll bird watchers in this house.

And the birds have been fairly quiet this month. I guess there is plenty for them to eat without my seed. I haven't even seen much of the squirrels. That is unusual.

I get the typical typical Wrens and Chickadees - and we have a lot of Cardinals year round. But the woodpeckers have started to arrive.

Left is a Red Bellied Woodpecker (which is what the book says even though it is his head that is red and not his belly).

Right is a Downy Woodpecker. He wants me to go away.

I see these two guys all the time.

Several times this summer I saw a Blue Jay. He was big and beautiful, but recently he has been absent.

I am pretty sure the bird population will increase at my feeder as the season changes to winter. It is a busy feeder come December.

This evening all my dog buddies have gone home to their owners. The house is quiet beyond belief. We are a pretty quiet bunch - my mom, my husband and I. Meathead had another seizure this afternoon around 4:00. It was a short one, but all his seizures seem like hours to me when they are going on. As hard as they are to watch, I am always grateful I was present. The thought of him having seizures by himself makes me sad. It happens, of course, because he frequently is at home alone when my son goes to work. But when he isn't alone, we can give him meds to shorten the seizure and make sure he is OK.

Yesterday I put flannel sheets on all the beds. And today I heard that we are going to have a warm up for this week. Figures!! Think I will go upstairs and switch out my summer clothes for my winter ones. That should send the temperature gauge into the 90's with my luck.

I am also going to do a major clean out of clothing. A visit to the Good Will truck is on the agenda for tomorrow. And tomorrow looks like a killer day. Too many things to accomplish.

Happy Sunday to all.

A busy weekend and a quiet Sunday night

So here I sit at 8:45 pm adjusting to the quiet, and trying to deal with Wally, our cat, who has missed my undivided attention since Thursday when the 3 granddogs showed up. Although he makes a point of strutting through the living room when the dogs are here, (letting them know exactly who is the resident and who is the visitor), he doesn't stay long, and he never gets on the couch to sit by me.

Maybe Wally is sensing that I am feeling alittle lost by all the quiet and he is trying to "fill in". If that's the case, he could stop inserting his claws into my leg, waving his bushy tail across my keyboard and rubbing his chin aggressively against the screen. Or maybe he just wants me to stop typing and pay attention to him since he is bored by all the quiet. Knowing Wally, it is most likely option 2. He is not the most sensitive cat, but he is one of the smartest. And smart pets can make for bored pets. Yes, I sincerely doubt that he cares if I am missing the dogs. Ahhh, finally he has curled up by my side and the slightest of purrs can be heard. And now little licks to the hand ... maybe I will keep him after all. ;-)

The weekend was filled with family and friends and pets. I often wonder why I book activities back to back on weekend days. The weekend just passes in a blur when I do that.

Saturday we had our regular gaming group over. This group has been meeting monthly for probably 30 years. These folks were co-workers of my husband and over time evolved into friends whose lives we share. The group has shrunk as a few moved away and one died about a year ago (we are beginning to show our age), but the monthly game continues.

Sunday we had a family dinner to celebrate my husband's birthday. We are not "big celebrators" of birthdays, but we do try to at least get together to share a meal and enjoy each other's company.

And the house continues to be quiet ... I do enjoy quiet times (more and more these days), but it is the contrast between what it was like since Friday and what it is like now that always trips me up.

No walk for me today either. But my foot is feeling better. I am looking forward to my morning walk tomorrow.

And now Wally is asleep! I guess he is glad to have his couch back.

Chunky-Monkeys!!

Most days I know what I am doing. (Or I do a good fake.) But things change on a dime at my house. Today was one of those days.

Got a call last night from my daughter. Grand-dog Milo had loose stools. A puppy often has loose stools, but it is cause for concern because diarrhea when they are young can cause a rapid decline. And I had my son's two dogs Tuesday. Meathead (an epileptic) was acting restless with some unusual behavior all afternoon. In light of a recent change in his meds we suspect he had mini-seizure activity rather than his typical grand mal seizures. So getting a call at 10:00 pm about Milo just seemed to fit into the puzzle that was my day. This morning Grandma is going into town to pick up her Milo. Don't want another messy crate. His mom already had one of those when she came home work a few weeks ago ... a very sad Milo she found sitting in a mess.

As my son is fond of saying ... we have the "broken" pets.

• Max, our cat, has degenerative kidney disease, and gets fluids every other day with the prognosis of a shortened life span.
• Meathead has epilepsy diagnosed at age 3 and has been on meds.
• Meathead and Grimace have hypothyroid disease and are on meds. (and hypothroid disease complicates epilepsy - to be expected because he is a Shanks dog.)
• Grimace had a fatty tumor removed, and we are waiting on the biopsy.
• Milo seems to have problems producing a solid stool much to the chagrin of his mom.

Wally, our other cat, motors on without problems - well, his problem will be when he is weighed at the vets, and then we get a weight loss lecture. I think vets should be required to address weight issues with the animal directly! This dressing down of the pet owner for the "chunky-monkey" pet they brought in is just unfair - probably unconstitutional! I think that owners of "chunky-monkeys" everywhere should write their congressional representatives and make their demands known. No more taking the blame for "chunky-monkeys"!!

Sorry, it has been that kind of week (and it is only Wednesday - the week is still "young")!!

:-)

Total Steps: 9770

And now for the resident pets - the ones who actually live at my house!

With so much talk about the dogs (who I actually don't own and who don't actually live here - although all my neighbors think differently), we sometimes forget that there are 2 felines in this house who truly rule! They are Max and Wally, and I would be remiss if I didn't include them in my blog. Here are my handsome boys. Wally on the left and Max on the right. They are brothers (obviously).

Max has degenerative kidney disease which makes us sad because it will shorten his life. We inject fluids under his skin every other day to help him maintain his weight and help with his quality of life. With the fluids he can continue to eat and play and just be his normal self. Without them he would be a pretty sickly guy. So we don't know how much time he has, but whatever it is, we are grateful for every day.

Total Steps: 10,931 (yeah - over 10,000!!)