A Heartbreaking Update on Astrid

Hello, friends.

Pup Astrid has taken a turn for the worse. She's been struggling with vestibular disease on and off for many months, but she's now displaying other seemingly neurological symptoms that are very concerning. There are various other issues going on as well, and I have no idea what is related to what, but she's not doing well. She has an urgent care appointment today at 4 pm, and the reality is that I don't know if the outcome of that appointment will be a good one.

I'll let you all know if we have to say goodbye to our good old girl Astrid. My heart is breaking.

Thankful Thursday with Evan

Hello, friends! We certainly didn't mean for this post to go up so late, especially since we know you wonderful friends of ours might be waiting for an update on Evan. Things have been a bit hectic since yesterday afternoon, but for a good reason.

First and foremost, Evan is back home!

Evan and I are both beyond ecstatic that he's back where he belongs. Evan was able to urinate on his own after his urinary catheter was removed at the vet yesterday, which made the staff at the vet and of course myself very, very happy. As a result, I was able to bring him home last night.

Now that he's home, Evan is getting a number of medications, which he's not terribly happy about. That said, he really is a great patient, for which I am beyond grateful. His main medications are an anti-spasmodic (prazosin) and pain meds (buprenorphine), and I also started him back on amitriptyline since his urethral blockage was likely related to some sort of stress or anxiety. One of the most common times for stress-related blockages in cats to occur is the holiday season due to the hustle and bustle, and now I want to do all that I can to ensure that my boy stays happy and healthy year round.

I am also going to do my best to keep Evan on a urinary tract health diet. The vet and I discussed how a urinary tract health diet can be crucial to preventing future blockages. This certainly won't be easy in a house with 5 other cats, especially with some of those other cats being very picky and finicky. That said, I can use Evan's hind limb paralysis to my advantage, because I can elevate the other cats' food bowls while keeping his on the floor. I'm also on the hunt for some urinary tract health treats, because this orange boy is my biggest treat eater and I can't fathom never giving him treats again.

Evan has luckily continued to urinate on his own in his box since he got home. What I find strange, though, is that he hasn't had any sign of his usual urinary incontinence since he got home. At least not yet. That admittedly concerns me, as I'm already paranoid he's going to get blocked again, but since he's passing normal amounts of urine when he goes to his box, I'm trying not to freak myself out.

Overall, Evan is doing well, and I cannot express how grateful I am to have him home again. I don't think Thimble will mind if this week Evan and I take over our contribution to Brian's Thankful Thursday Blog Hop, because the fact that he's home and recovering from his urinary blockage is something for which he and I are beyond thankful.

Evan is also grateful that he can now finally participate in more of our Twelve Days of Christmas celebrations.

Even if he's feeling a bit drugged out on buprenorphine, Evan is still in the Christmas spirit. Sort of.

Thank you all again for the purrs, prayers, and thoughts for Evan! He and I are both so very grateful for all of you.

Merry Fifth Day of Christmas!

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Last but not least, we do finally have for you the fill-in statements for tomorrow's Friendly Fill-Ins challenge. My amazing co-host Ellen of 15andmeowing came up with the fist two, and I came up with the second two.

1. _________ is my focus word for 2023.

2. 2022 was _________.

3. _________ is the most important lesson I learned over the past year. 

4. I hope 2023 is the year that _________.

We'll see you tomorrow, friends!

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Festive Flashback Doodle of the Day

Today's festive flashback doodle is actually from 2 years ago, and it's what at least partially inspired our Christmas card image for this year.

I'm glad there is still a little over a week in the Twelve Days of Christmas, as I really do have some new Christmas doodles that are so close to being ready to share. This holiday season really took a turn, but that's okay. Things could always be worse.

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Tip of the Day

Yesterday we discussed feeding feral and stray cats outdoors in the cold winter months. As we mentioned yesterday, dry food is a good option in the winter, as it will not freeze like moist food. However, moist food still has its benefits, and so today we're here to give some tips on how to feed moist food outdoors in the cold months with at least some success. To begin, you can resort to putting moist food out only when you know the cat or cats you feed are present, so that they will be able to eat it immediately, giving it little to no time to freeze. Sometimes, though, you might not know when a feral or stray cat will show up for a meal. In such cases, there are ways to potentially offer moist food to ferals and strays, without the moist food freezing rapidly.

To begin, you can simply check on the status of moist food as often as possible, and warm or replace food that has become frozen. What's more, a source of heat will obviously help keep moist food from freezing at a fast rate, although you of course have to ensure that this source of heat is safe. This could mean doing something as simple as warming the bowl in which you put the moist food, or warming the moist food itself, to a safe temperature. There are also both electric and non-electric heat sources that can work for keeping bowls and their contents warm. For example, there are microwavable or otherwise warmable heating pads that can be placed under bowls to help prevent the rapid freezing of moist food that is fed to outdoor cats in the winter. There are also electric heated bowls that could keep moist food warm enough to prevent freezing. Other options of course include using a more extensive heat source within an entire feeding station or shelter, details which we will further discuss in upcoming tips. One important detail, though, as we mentioned just a few moments ago, is ensure that any heat source you use is safe and that it will not cause burns or fires. Always do your research before using any item that entails electricity and heating, and choose and use accordingly and wisely.

The last note to make here is that you should still of course make sure that moist food is not spoiling, such as if it manages to get too warm or sits out for too long. If a heated bowl or heat pad causes moist food to remain warm for long periods of time, do be sure to remove any uneaten food prior to spoilage. It might be cold outside during the winter months, but depending on the methods you use and the duration of time that outdoor cats' moist food is sitting out, it is always best to be aware of the potential for gastrointestinal or other issues that could result from the consumption of spoiled food.

An Evan Update on the Fourth Day of Christmas

Hello, friends! Thank you all for the purrs, prayers, thoughts, and overall support for Evan. It's more appreciated than I could ever explain. Evan is still hospitalized as a result of his urinary blockage on Monday morning, but the vet plans on removing his catheter this morning, and as soon as he proves he can urinate on his own, he can come home.

Yesterday I got to visit and cuddle with Evan at the vet clinic where he's being hospitalized.

I indeed snapped some photos during my visit with Evan, and though they're certainly nothing high quality, I'm happy to share them anyway. Though you can't tell in the photos, Evan was making lots of biscuits and purring a ton for me. I felt so bad leaving him again, but I keep telling myself he's where he needs to be to get better, and he'll be home with me again very soon.

The cone of shame is in the background of those last two photos because Evan has to wear it in the hospital so that he doesn't remove his urinary catheter, or his IV catheter. I did get photos of his urinary catheter and all that jazz, but in case anyone out there gets queasy, I'll refrain from sharing those.

There are a couple updates the vet gave me that I don't think I've shared yet with you wonderful friends of ours. First, though many cases of blocked cats results in elevated kidney values or other such issues, Evan's case was caught early enough that his kidneys did not suffer. Except for low potassium that resolved within 24 hours, Evan's bloodwork has looked great since he arrived at the hospital. Second, when Evan first showed up at the hospital, there was a lot of blood coming from his urethra, in what little urine he was producing at that time. His urine has cleared up immensely since then. The vet almost considered removing Evan's catheter after 24 hours, but he was still passing a few blood clots through his urinary catheter this morning, so we opted to give it another 24 hours to ensure that no clots or other complications cause him to immediately block up again. That's the last thing we want.

I will be discussing with the vet their recommendations on trying to prevent a recurrence of this in the future. I'm hoping putting Evan back on the anti-anxiety drug amitriptyline could help, since his blockage was likely caused by inflammation in his ureter, which is often caused by stress of some sort. Whether it was the holiday craziness or something else, I want to help Evan stay calm and happy, and he always did well on amitriptyline in the past. 

Thank you all again for you kind words for Evan. This community is a blessing, and you're all amazing. Evan and I will post more updates tomorrow, hopefully those updates involving him recovering at home.

***

Festive Flashback Doodle of the Day

I admittedly have not had the time or mindset to top off or scan our new, neglected Christmas doodles over the past couple of days. When Evan is home with me, though, I'll be spending lots of time cuddled up with him on the couch. While I do that, I'll try to get all caught up on those new doodles so that they can be shared during our Twelve Days of Christmas celebration.

All that said, here's today's festive flashback doodle in honor of this Fourth Day of Christmas!

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Tip of the Day

We've started a series of tips on how you can assist strays and ferals during the cold winter months. Today's tip regards feeding strays and ferals, and it is to make sure you understand the pros and cons of feeding dry versus moist food during the winter months. Dry food often takes more energy than moist food to digest, and animals need to conserve as much energy as possible to stay warm in the winter. However, that being said, moist food that is not immediately eaten can freeze during the winter months due to its high moisture content. For this reason, it is typically best to ensure that dry food is offered to strays and ferals in the winter months, as it will not freeze and therefore will be readily available even after sitting out for some time. All in all, though, it is possible and often beneficial to feed both dry and moist food to outdoor strays and ferals. Tomorrow we will further discuss how to successfully feed moist food to strays and ferals in the winter.

More fun with persepctive...and a foot update.

A couple days ago I mentioned that I've been having fun playing with perspective shots of my furbabies. As I said then, Thimble is often my most willing and cooperative furbaby when it comes to this.

Perhaps I'm just a tad bit biased, but this little girl is pretty adorable from any angle. Even from below, she usually oozes all sorts of cuteness. See?

Forgive my doting. I simply can't help myself when I see that face.


Now, for a bit of "bonus" material, I thought I'd give a little update on the benign histiocytoma tumor on Astrid's foot.

All in all, Astrid's tumor is still present. On a good day, she keeps her protective bootie on when we take her outside and then it looks good and seems to be on the mend. On a not so good day, Astrid expertly kicks off or in some other way removes her bootie when outside, and then even just a few seconds of contact with concrete or stepping on a stick causes it to get irritated and often even bleed.

I called Astrid's vet recently to give him this update. He admitted that he would like to continue giving it some time, at least a couple more weeks, as it really can take 14-16 weeks for these tumors to heal on their own, and at present we're only at roughly eight weeks since he initially diagnosed it. He reiterated that, if need be, the tumor can be removed. However, being in a sensitive and heavily used location, cutting it off and thereby creating an incision and open wound would put it at even greater risk of infection and difficulty in healing.

So, for now, we're continuing as we are. Some days it really does appear to be improving and looking healthier. The problem is that, for that to be the case, we still have to hold off on Astrid's usual walk regimen. The poor girl is young and active, and so this is admittedly causing her to be restless. We do what we can to keep her preoccupied and busy in other ways besides walks (car rides, short walks to visit Pawpaw and Gammy, staying and playing with Pawpaw and Gammy, new chew bones and toys, etc.), but all I can say is that both she and we are rooting for this tumor to heal up as soon as possible so that she can get back to her long, energy-expending walks.

Now, for those of you curious, I thought I'd share a photo that I took a few days back of Astrid's tumor. I'm going to keep this picture small at first sight, so that those of you who don't want to see it up close and personal don't have to. If you would like to more closely see what a histiocytoma can look like, just click on the image below. Needless to say, WARNING: MILDLY GRAPHIC EWWW FACTOR.

Not too pretty, huh?

Happy Friday, everybuddy!

***

Our Tip of the Day:

For those who live in cold winter climates, keep in mind that ice-melting salt can irritate your pets' paw pads, and it can also cause internal irritation if the pet licks it off of their feet or the floor. Be sure to wipe off the paws of any animal that goes outdoors and comes in contact with salt. Also be sure to either take off your shoes or thoroughly wipe off your shoes before walking through the house when you've been outside on salt. For your own sidewalk and driveway, consider some of the pet-friendly and salt-free products that are available on the market.

A Friday Foot Update

I realized that I haven't given any recent updates on the benign (yet meddlesome) tumor on my sister's and my pup Astrid's paw pad.

Well, as a briefer refresher, Astrid's vet had said that such a tumor (called a histiocytoma) usually goes away on its own. The thing is, that can take 14-16 weeks. We have roughly three weeks under our belt since were were told that, and the tumor is indeed still present. On most days, it looks healthier and far less raw than it did when we took her to the vet. But, at the same time, the tumor is still at least the same size as it was when Astrid was seen by her vet. And, if aggravated, the tumor will occasionally still open up and bleed a bit (although nowhere nearly as badly as it did a few weeks ago).

That being said, as per her vet's recommendation, so as to keep the tumor on her paw pad from becoming aggravated during the healing process, poor active Astrid is not getting many walks. My sister and I had discussed with the vet getting booties for Astrid to wear, if she would tolerate them, so that she could go on walks. And so we did indeed get booties. But, our slight drama queen of a pup does a sad little tarantella each time the booties are put on. She usually ends up with either no booties on, or bootied but hopping along on only two or three legs.

So, unfortunately, the booties are not proving all that useful, and so Astrid is still not getting many walks. Being a young and active dog, Astrid understandably gets a bit restless without her usual exercise regimen. So, for now, Astrid gets lots of car rides to give her something to do. She also loves to visit her pawpaw and gammy (my parents), which gives her something fun and exciting to do (because Pawpaw and Gammy are two of the most pawesome people in Astrid's world!). We've also been getting her new chew bones and toys to keep her busy inside the house.

All in all, Astrid is doing well. She's still her happy, buoyant self (which, mixed with her puppy bed rest, makes for some interesting days here at our house). She loves going on her car rides and chewing on her new bones. And, once she finally does settle down, she also loves having an excuse to put her feet up and relax.

Wish us continued luck in keeping this young little lady calm and collected during the healing of her poor little paw!

And, of course, Happy Friday, everybuddy!

Evan's Evening Out

Little does he know, this boy will be going to the vet this evening for his annual exam and vaccinations.

Given Evan's history of an extremely nervous bladder as well as nervous bowels, this momma has already prepared his diaper travel bag. My boy certainly helps me keep the paper towel and laundry detergent companies in business, but that's perfectly fine with me. This momma's boy is totally worth it.

Happy Friday, everybuddy! (I hope yours is less traumatic than I'm sure Evan will think his is.)

Doggie's Date with the Doctor: The Details

As promised, here's an update on this girl and her sore foot.

Astrid's date with the doctor today was an easy one. All in all, all is well. The vet she saw today has been practicing for many years, and he knew what he was looking at the second he saw her foot. He informed my sister and I that the sore on Astrid's foot is in fact a tumor, but it's a benign one. It's called a histiocytoma, a type of tumor that often heals on its own within 14-16 weeks. That sure seems like a long time, but we'll take it if that means a good-as-new paw for our Astrid.

The vet did indicate that histiocytomas can be removed. However, he also noted that removing such a tumor from a paw pad is not an easy task, nor is it recommended. Since a pup's paws get a lot of mileage and since they also do not hold sutures well, cutting into them and creating incisions are not recommended unless absolutely necessary. So, the vet and we decided to leave the tumor on Astrid's paw pad alone to take care of itself. Of course, if it worsens or does not go away, then we'll discuss surgery for removal, but we're all remaining optimistic that it will heal.

To avoid drawing her attention to the tumor and her messing with it, and to avoid it getting too moist, we will no longer be wrapping Astrid's paw (which will make her very happy!). Unfortunately, though, unless we can coerce Astrid to accept wearing booties on her feet, we will need to continue holding off on taking our active girl on many walks. That is the best way to allow the tumor to heal and disappear on its own.

So, with the mystery of the sore paw pad solved, now our primary task is keeping this active girl calm so that her little foot can heal.

Rest up, Astrid. You know, just for 14-16 weeks or so.

Wish us luck!

Doggie's Date with the Doctor

This poor gal has perfectly good reason to be a pouty puppy.

Astrid hasn't gotten to go for a walk in a few days, and she has an appointment with her vet this afternoon. And both for the same reason.

She has a sore on her paw pad that refuses to heal, the poor girl. It actually first made an appearance in October, back when my sister and I one day noticed that Astrid had a scab on one of the paw pads of her right hind leg. We didn't think much of it then, as Astrid is admittedly a bit of a klutz sometimes and has on more than one occasion given herself cuts and scrapes from run-ins with sticks, furniture, and other feisty objects she has the misfortune of crossing.
 
But, recently, the sore on Astrid's paw has had a significant flare-up. The worst of it really started last week, when it rained relentlessly and Astrid's paws got wet during her walks. The sore got pretty angry and began to bleed frequently, and at that point Astrid also began licking at it and thereby irritating it further, especially the more we cleaned it and drew attention to it.

So, late last week I called the vet and an appointment was scheduled for this afternoon. In the meantime, as we've been waiting for Astrid to be seen, when the sore really gets to acting up we keep it wrapped so as to protect it from further irritation. I really don't like to wrap it any more than I have to, though, as I fear the dressings will keep the sore too moist and aggravate potential infection. But, given the fact that Astrid is a stubborn little lady and does not like to leave the sore alone, and given the fact that Astrid merely walking aggravates it, it's been wrapped up quite a bit.

Self-adhering gauze and sports tape have been the only successful means of convincing Astrid, as well as the ground, to leave her sore paw pad alone.

I'm eager to get this poor girl's foot looked at by her vet today. What bothers me most is how quickly the sore evolved from a mere scab to an inflamed protrusion on the paw pad. I'm curious if the vet will want to do a fine needle aspirate, to determine if there are any abnormal cells present in the lesion.

Aside from the sore, though, Astrid is acting like her perfectly normal, enthusiastic self (well, unless you count her dramatic three-legged hopping when we put fresh dressings on her paw). We'll see what the vet says, and I'll post an update after her vet visit.

And, of course, have a great Monday, everybuddy!

Our Second Home

No, I did not buy another house. Rather, thanks to my adorable feline furbabies, the vet has become our second home these past couple weeks. Fear not, as all the furbabies are well. They just occasionally feel compelled to give this momma a reason to worry and call the vet (whose phone number, by the way, I have memorized).

It first started with Thimble. When I went home for lunch one day not long ago, I found a perfectly happy Thimble, except her ears were surrounded by sores.

Thimble kept trying to rub her head against her scratching post, which was only making the sores worse.

Her left side looked the worst, and she even had sores behind this ear.

I called the vet almost as soon as I found the sores, and Thimble was dropped off that afternoon. The veterinarian found that poor Thimble's lymph nodes in her neck were even swollen, and the best guess is that Thimble simply had an acute dermatological allergic reaction to something in her environment (perhaps an insect bit her, or Astrid or us humans dragged some flower, grass, or other allergen in from outside). The sores grew to look even worse after Thimble was dropped off at the vet, so she was prescribed prednisolone (a steroid). Luckily, after receiving just two doses of the steroid, her sores started to clear up. She is now in the process of being weaned off of the prednisolone, and so far her face continues to remain clear.

Thimble's back to herself (glowing eyes and all)!

Just days later, though, little kitty Eddy suddenly went from having perfectly formed stool to significant diarrhea. And I truly mean that it was sudden, as the change from perfectly solid stool to diarrhea occurred within a couple short hours. Although Eddy remained active, playful, and more than willing to eat her beloved moist food, she quickly developed a nearly constant urgency to visit the litter box. On one instance she couldn't even make it to the litter box in time, the poor girl.

So, the vet was called again, and I took Eddy in with the lovely gift of a stool sample. No parasites nor any other concerning findings were noted in her stool sample, though, so we can only guess that she perhaps got into some of the big kitties' food or something of the sort, and her GI system was thereafter unhappy. Given the severe urgency of Eddy's diarrhea, the veterinarian started her on metronidazole (an antibiotic known to have great success in treating diarrhea) and probiotics. Although Eddy absolutely despised the taste of the metronidazole, she and I came to an understanding, and after just two or three doses of it her stool was back to normal.

Yep, that's happy, healthy Eddy. Still can't manage to get a good shot of this active little lady!

Well, then it was my boy Evan's turn. Despite being on monthly flea preventatives and being completely free of fleas, and despite there being no mice to consume in my house, Evan suddenly started defecating tapeworm segments just this past Saturday. This momma was quite disturbed by that! Otherwise, Evan acted fine. So, I went ahead and waited until my vet opened on Monday (yesterday), and I called them first thing that morning and dropped Evan off shortly after (he was so nervous his paw pads were sweating, and his nervous bladder got the better of him, and it broke my heart).

While he was there, the veterinarian found no fleas or other obvious reason why he suddenly started defecating tapeworm segments, and all we can guess is that perhaps Astrid or us humans dragged in a tapeworm-carrying flea and that Evan somehow managed to acquire and consume it while bathing before his flea preventative could fight it off. Or, perhaps he's had the tapeworm for a while. After all, the four kitties (Thimble and her brothers) had fleas and tapeworm when we rescued them last summer, and I did find some fleas on Evan back then, and sometimes tapeworms can lie dormant. I do wonder about this in Evan's case, as, even though he is currently an ideal weight, he has lost three quarters of a pound over the past year. Perhaps he has had a lazy tapeworm lying dormant in there, the poor boy. But, I guess I'll never know. Regardless, he was given a dewormer yesterday, and I came home with a second dose to give him in three weeks. So, all is well.

Poor boy was so tired after his day at the vet yesterday. Luckily, he let me shower him with limitless affection last night.

The only furbaby of mine who hasn't been in need of a recent vet visit (at least not since her annual exam and vaccines back in mid-July) is the resident pooch Astrid.

Good girl, Astrid! Keep up the good work!

I hope you are all having a great week, and that you're all staying away from those unexpected vet visits!

A Growing Family of Furballs

I apologize for my absence lately! As the title of the post hints, I've been a tad bit preoccupied with some furry additions to the family.

To begin with, my mom, just like myself, has a deep love for calico cats thanks to our beloved Rosie. Since Rosie's passing, my mom and I have both considered bringing home another calico, in honor of the wonderful years Rosie gave us. I myself have not yet brought another calico home, but my mother has! It all started when I went into a local pet store that has display cages for cats from a local cat rescue. Whenever I go to that store I always end up spending far more time oohing and awwing over the adoptable furbabies than actually shopping. Recently, I went in and my eye immediately spotted a roughly 4-month-old calico kitten with markings much like beautiful Rosie's, only dilute in color. In the cage with her was another adorable little girl, also dilute but with markings more like a tabby/tortie. Long story short, I told my mom about the adorable calico and her sister, and now the two little kitties are living at my parents' house!

After a family conference, the kittens were named Gemma (the calico) and Freya (the tabby/tortie). The local rescue they came from is known for trapping, taming, and adopting out stray cats, abandoned cats, and even feral cats. That being said, some of the kittens are not always all that used to humans, or have simply not yet learned full social skills and trust. That is mildly the case with Gemma and Freya. They are by no means aggressive kittens, but they are still a bit skittish and not terribly keen on being held for long periods of time. They love other cats, though, and that includes their new housemates, Talon and Trapper. What's more, Talon absolutely adores his little sisters and was the first to give them a tour of their new home! (Although Trapper did a bit of hissing and growling in the beginning, he tolerates the girls very well, even when they force cuddles on the big boy.)

I have not yet had the chance to get many of my own pictures of the beautiful little ladies, but until I do I want to share a picture that the local rescue had of them:

Pretty girls Freya (left) and Gemma (right).

Although I may not have brought home a calico (yet), I did bring home a kitten nonetheless! Having grown accustomed to giving Rosie special care in her last years, and having been the human momma to special boy Evan for two years, I can openly admit that I have a serious soft spot for special needs animals. That being said, the rescue from which Gemma and Freya came often finds special needs animals under their care and in need of homes. One such kitten was brought to my attention around the same time my parents were adopting Gemma and Freya. I met the kitten on the day my parents brought home their two little girls, and on that same day arrangements were made for me to take home the special needs furbaby.

Let me first post the picture that the rescue group first shared with me (this little one's picture never even made it to the public adoption page, once the organization found out that I was interested and that I had experience with special needs animals):

This is my newest little girl, advertised by the rescue group as 12 weeks old but I personally think she's a bit younger. After much deliberation, I have named her Eddy. I'm told that after a recent sudden event that has not yet been fully diagnosed, Eddy suddenly developed something along the lines of a neurological disorder. Her head tilts to the right (as mildly seen in the picture), sometimes quite drastically, and she sometimes will spin circles in that direction. The right side of her face also does not seem to function properly - her right eye does not truly blink (although her third eyelid does come up when she sleeps), and especially after yawning her mouth sometimes droops down on the right side. Don't let that get you down, though, because she certainly doesn't! This little girl loves to play and romp around. She does not always move in a straight line, but that doesn't keep her from having fun, or from making her way to her food bowl.

Eddy also loves human contact and loves to cuddle. But, when cuddle time is over, she can certainly advertise the fact that she was only trapped and brought around humans roughly two weeks ago. Her play can be a bit rough, both with humans and with other cats, and she has been known to hiss and growl when she does not get her way. That being said, I am continuing her socialization and she is doing very well with it.

Eddy is also doing pretty well with being introduced into the family, although she is not yet ready to be let loose with the rest of the furbaby bunch. When not out and about for play or cuddle sessions, I keep Eddy in the living room in a large cage that allows her and the other furbabies to interact safely. Thimble, Evan, and Toby are all very intrigued by her, and they approach her cage and even reach in to her frequently. Thimble is the most proactive with these meet-and-greet sessions. However, Eddy's play can get rather enthusiastic and Thimble prefers to scowl and walk away after being swatted and grabbed a few times over. Evan and Toby also like to investigate this new little lady, although more cautiously than Thimble.

Now, as for Astrid and Eddy...Astrid loves all cats and wants to be friends with all of them (and I mean all of them), including Eddy. Eddy, however, is just now being socialized with dogs for the first time ever. That being said, Astrid has so far been hissed at, growled at, spit at, and even swatted a couple of times for getting a bit too close. Astrid's a good girl, though, and she never lashes out at the kitten for these behaviors. Rather, Astrid tends to sulk away (with a heartbreakingly sad expression on her face), and then tries again later. This momma is determined to help Eddy realize that Astrid is not an enemy. In fact, Eddy already lashes out at Astrid far less frequently than when she first arrived.

I'll be taking Eddy to my vet on Thursday for her first visit there. The rescue does great work and helps a lot of cats, and they do work alongside a couple of local vets. But, I know that they certainly keep very busy with so many cats. So, I can't wait to get Eddy established at my vet and to let them have a look at her. I plan on discussing her neurological disorder with them so that we can all know more accurately where we stand with it, and so that I can know whether any medications or other treatments would benefit little Eddy.

That all being said, stay tuned for more pictures (and even videos!) of the newest additions to the family! Have a great week, bloggers!

Fighting the good fight.

I again apologize for my lack of updates. It's certainly been a whirlwind this past couple of weeks. Rosie is still fighting her battle with pancreatitis, amongst a number of other possible physiological aggressors. I guess it's time to catch you up to speed, so I apologize for the length this post will probably be, and for any rambling I might now do...

My last post was last Thursday, after I had given Rosie mirtazapine (appetite stimulant). I mentioned to you how she seemed a strange mixture of agitated and drowsy on it. Well, those side effects didn't stop there, and that night she seemed wobbly, had a noticeably increased respiration rate, and ended up urinating on my bed (with me beneath the sheets) rather than making the trip to her litter box. That certainly surprised me. I called the vet first thing the next morning and dropped Rosie off for a recheck, and for them to monitor her side effects of the mirtazapine. Upon arriving at the vet Rosie was weighed. She was down to 8.5 lbs, after having been 9.25 just a little over a week earlier. Although I've been syringe feeding her when she refuses to eat on her own, neither Rosie nor I have been able to give her the nutrition she was previously getting. As for the rest of her vet visit last Friday, after the vet looked at her she called me and indicated that just as Rosie tends to be somewhat sensitive to a number of pain meds (such as butorphanol), she is also obviously sensitive to drugs like mirtazapine. However, even though Rosie's heart rate and respiration rate were slightly elevated, the vet advised me that Rosie was overall managing the drug and its side effects pretty well and would be fine. That was a relief. At that time the vet also prescribed Rosie Cerenia (anti-nausea/anti-vomiting medication), as even though Rosie had not been vomiting, her persistent smacking and drooling whenever sniffing or attempting to eat food were classic signs of nausea. Whereas the vet had previously told me to try giving Rosie subcutaneous fluids twice a day in order to combat her persistent dehydration, she now told me to back off to once a day again. Her reasoning was that Rosie's hydration was still not great but had improved, and Rosie showed an especial dislike for having her skin tented when her hydration level was checked, and the vet did not want her to become unduly stressed by receiving fluids twice daily.

Now, on the mirtazapine Rosie's appetite did increase a bit, although inconsistently so. She ate decently well last Friday morning before I dropped her off at the vet, but then after taking her back home she would not touch her food the rest of the day. I syringe fed her throughout the afternoon in hopes of combating further significant weight loss. She did a little better on Saturday, nibbling at her food throughout the day. That night, though, she started acting very uncomfortable and would not eat, drink, or hardly even move. She again urinated in my bed, and after then watching her struggle to rather uncomfortably defecate, I gave her some leftover buprenorphine (pain med) that I had received from the vet earlier last week. Within a couple hours of receiving the pain med she seemed far more content and alert.

Sunday morning, then, Rosie started lapping at her food the second I put it in front of her. She drooled quite excessively as she was eating, making a royal mess of herself, but she was eating! She did that throughout the day, and even though her appetite was nowhere near what it used to be, I was so excited! The new issue, though, was that she also started a new habit of drinking water like there was no tomorrow, sometimes even lying with her head in the bowl and drinking for minutes at a time. She also started urinating more frequently. The volume of her urine remained normal, but she started urinating around five times a day rather than her usual two to three times.Also, her hind limbs started to appear especially weak. I started frantically going through the potential causes in my head -- had she developed diabetes from the pancreatitis? were her kidneys now acting up? was she developing liver disease?

So, I called the vet's office Monday morning. Rosie's usual vet was not in, but I told the other vet that Rosie was eating decently well, but that she was drinking and urinating more than usual. I also told him that she was starting to look and feel more dehydrated. Since this particular vet had removed Rosie's eye but had not seen her since, he went through her recent records and then got back to me. He told me that he is concerned that her increased thirst and urination and her dehydration could be signs that her kidneys are starting to suffer. He advised me to begin giving Rosie fluids twice a day again, 150 ml's each time. He also gave me the okay to refill her cerenia and buprenorphine so as to continue her on those.

Now, for today...This morning and through this afternoon Rosie suddenly did not want to eat on her own again. She also, however, has not really drank anything today. Throughout the day she acted alert, and I've convinced myself that she looks maybe a tad bit more hydrated since receiving a whopping 300 ml's of fluids both yesterday and today (600 ml's total in two days!). Yet, she won't eat. Occasionally today she has done a bit of smacking, especially when offered food or when attempting a bite of food. It seems her nausea has returned, therefore, even though she's still getting Cerenia. I guess that's why it was perfect timing when Rosie's usual vet called me earlier today to check in on her old gal of a patient. I told her of Rosie's lack of appetite. I did inform the vet that Rosie is due for a bowel movement, and when she needs to defecate she typically refuses to eat. So, the vet decided that we will give Rosie through the night to see if she defecates. Regardless, though, I scheduled to take Rosie in tomorrow at 4:30 pm for a recheck exam and bloodwork. They will check her glucose to rule out diabetes, check her renal values to see if that is what's causing her persistent signs of illness, and check her liver enzymes to see if she's okay in that area. I'm sure they'll also do a recheck pancreatic SNAP test to see if she's still fighting pancreatitis.

Needless to say, my Rosie has me worried sick.  I just really want to see my furbaby like this again:

Remember this, Rosie? See? Food's yummy. Eat it!

I thank you all for your kind purrs and prayers through all of this, and I appreciate any more you can spare for my sweet old girl! Also, thank you for your patience with this worried sick momma. As I'm sure you can tell by now, I tend to cope with stress and worry by writing everything out and sharing my thoughts. If you've made it through all of my tomes of posts lately, I commend you.

Eat, Rosie, eat!

The vet decided to try Rosie on mirtazapine, an appetite stimulant. I gave Rosie her first dose about five hours ago. About an hour after getting it she became very alert and sought out some food. She lapped at it pretty well for a bit, and then backed away and smacked her lips more dramatically than I've ever seen. This time it was more than just a couple of lip licks, it involved her salivating far more than normal and throwing her head around and essentially biting and chewing at the air. It almost looked as if she was trying to get something out of her teeth. As the evening has progressed I can definitely tell that the mirtazapine is having an appetite stimulating effect for Rosie, and that itself excites me. However, each time she's finished lapping up food she smacks very excessively and sometimes even spins in a few circles before finally settling back down for a nap.

That being said, I have learned that mirtazapine can potentially cause side effects such as agitation. It can also cause drowsiness as well as lack of coordination and stumbling. Since giving Rosie this drug I believe I have seen potential signs of all of these side effects. I will certainly be keeping a close eye on Rosie, as these side effects could potentially lead to dangerous effects. If I become too concerned by what I'm seeing I'll contact Rosie's vet. From what I've learned they should, if need be, be able to give her an antidote drug to reverse unwanted side effects of the mirtazapine.

I also wonder, though, if I should really put all the blame for Rosie's current condition on the mirtazapine. Honestly, I've reached a point where I'm just stumped. Rosie obviously had (and perhaps still has) pancreatitis, given her initial symptoms last week as well as her bloodwork. But now, especially after seeing her sudden excessive salivation and smacking, it's as if she's suddenly also bothered by her teeth, which are not a new issue for her by any means (her age and other health issues had just previously caused any dental work to be put off). One new thought I've had came to me when I remembered a case from when I used to work at a cat clinic -- in this particular case, a cat presented with pancreatitis and concurrent severe dental disease. The vet at that clinic ultimately thought that perhaps the dental disease -- which included a severe infection of one of the canine teeth -- led to the manifestation of pancreatitis. Rosie's vet has not seen any obvious, outward signs that Rosie's dental disease involves any infected teeth, but now I wonder if there is a link between her dental disease and this bout of pancreatitis.

So, that's where we stand for tonight. Rosie is certainly showing more willingness to eat since receiving the appetite stimulant. But, whether or not it is a side effect of the drug or a sudden side effect of her dental disease, she also seems more agitated, especially after eating. Pretty much, I think both I and Rosie's vet wish she could tell us what's wrong and where it hurts. But she can't, so I will keep doing everything in my power to get to the bottom of this with my sweet old girl.

Still toughing it out.

I apologize for the infrequent updates, as well as for the lack of new pictures to share. I've still been nursing my sweet Rosie, while also trying to use her nap times to continue working a bit on preparing my new home. Things are just a tad bit hectic lately.

So, where does Rosie stand? Well, in terms of her behavior, she seems to be improving every day. She is becoming more like her old talkative self. She sleeps more comfortably now, and she stretches and bathes. Although she is still more dehydrated than she was prior to this bout of pancreatitis, her hydration level seems to improve daily, sometimes not even needing a second round of fluids. And, sometimes she even asks for her breakfast and even gets excited when she sees me approaching with her food bowl. But...

Rosie is still not really, truly eating. She used to slurp up her breakfast and often empty the bowl, and she used to ask for food throughout the day, and when I'd refill her bowl she used to almost always immediately eat at it. For the past few days, though, when given food she does one of two things: 1) She will sniff the food and then smack her lips and walk away without eating anything, or 2) she will take a couple or a few licks and then stop, smack her lips, and walk away. I can tell that she wants to eat, and she often tries to eat, but then she stops and acts as if she is nauseous or as if it hurts to eat.

I have been calling the vet daily with updates and for advice. They're probably getting tired of hearing my voice. Nevertheless, they always give me something new to try or suggest a new medication. Yesterday I went and picked up some pain medication (buprenorphine), as the vet was thinking that perhaps Rosie's dental disease was causing her pain and that pain meds would alleviate that and prompt her to eat. (My old girl needs a dental. If she would get better and eat, I would force myself to push past my fears and would schedule a dental so that her mouth can heal.) The vet noted that if the pain meds don't work then perhaps her teeth are not the primary culprit right now, and we would next try either an anti-nausea medication or go right for an appetite stimulant.

Long story short, after two doses of the pain meds (buprenorphine being a potent, fast-acting pain medication) Rosie's appetite has really not changed at all. She seemed so excited and eager to eat her breakfast this morning, but could only manage a few licks before backing away and smacking her lips. She even tried a second time, but did the exact same thing as the first time. Although I know her teeth are not healthy at this point in time, I still wonder how much her teeth are truly contributing to her current inability to eat well. As far as I can tell, she at times seems to be acting nauseous. She has not vomited (except for once after defecating yesterday, but that's her typical post-defecation ritual), but she acts like food just doesn't quit sit well with her right now.

I will call the vet again this morning in hopes that she will try an anti-nausea medication next. If the vet prefers to go right for an appetite stimulant (mirtazapine), though, I won't resist, as at this juncture I simply want to see Rosie eat like normal. One of the hardest things for me right now is that I can tell my old girl is losing weight. Especially for her 21 years of age, she had been doing great in the weight department, at least up until last week. Now Rosie feels so much more bony and lighter than she used to. Just one week ago today she weighed in at 9.25 lbs, but now I fear that she is well below that. She is eating some, and I am at least once a day mixing some food with her meds and thereby syringe feeding her (which she really quite dislikes), but neither she nor I am currently able to give her the nutrition that she used to get on a daily basis. Therefore, she is losing weight during this frustrating battle with stubborn pancreatitis.

I apologize for any ranting in this or previous posts, but, as I'm sure most of you out there have experienced, it is so frustrating to watch your furbabies struggle through times of illness. I think I'm most frustrated with the fact that Rosie in many regards acts so much better, yet something just won't allow her to eat like she used to.

As soon as I talk to the vet today I will post another update regarding the next step in this battle against pancreatitis. And I will certainly let you know how Rosie does with whichever medication she is given next.

Rosie and I will keep toughing it out in hopes to get her back to this happy, hungry state:

Thank you for all of your purrs, prayers, and patience! Rosie and I appreciate it more than we can describe!

A little more on Rosie...

I'm sorry I didn't post an update over the weekend. I've been so consumed with watching Rosie like a hawk that I just didn't make it onto the internet much these past couple of days. So...

Rosie did get to come home on Saturday. The vet called me in the morning to inform me that Rosie's recheck pancreatic SNAP test still indicated that her pancreatic values were abnormal. However, because she refused to eat while being hospitalized, her vet decided to send Rosie (along with a couple of extra medications) home in hopes that she would eat and perk up a bit better in her familiar, stress-free home environment. In some aspects, that is what happened. Rosie did eat a little for me as soon as we got home, but only a very tiny, minuscule amount. She was still pretty lethargic, but that could also be attributed to the fact that she had just spent three days away from home with an IV catheter hooked up to her leg. So, Rosie rested most of Saturday, eating a couple of very small meals throughout the day. She did on occasion still smack her lips as if nauseous, but she never vomited.

Yesterday morning Rosie was a bit brighter. Even though it was a very small meal, Rosie did readily eat when I gave her some of her favorite Friskies food for breakfast. She also was a bit more of her usual vocal self. However, throughout the day Rosie started to decline. By the afternoon she would barely eat anything I put in front of her, taking a couple of licks at best. I noticed that her eye started to look dull and sunken in, her coat started to look very dry, and when I tented her skin it went back down very, very slowly. Obviously her dehydration was getting the better of her again. The vet had told me that, since Rosie was given IV fluids through Saturday morning, I should wait until Sunday to give Rosie her usual subcutaneous fluids. Well, by yesterday afternoon I felt horrible upon realizing that I might have waited a bit too long. So, I immediately warmed up Rosie's fluids bag and admittedly gave her a little more than the prescribed 100 ml's. Within an hour of receiving her fluids Rosie perked up. She ate a couple of small meals, her coat started to look far less dry, and her eye was brighter and less sunken in. She even took a little bath after one of her feedings!

This morning Rosie is still doing relatively well. She actually gave me my usual morning scolding when it got near feeding time, and she ate a decent meal of yet another of her favorite Friskies flavors. She is still far less active and alert than usual, but I am seeing small improvements now -- as long as I keep her hydrated. That being said, already this morning, roughly 12 hours after receiving her subcutaneous fluids here at home, I can tell that she's starting to dehydrate and slow down a bit again. I am going to talk to the vet today, and I will be asking her whether she thinks it is reasonable for me to give Rosie subcutaneous fluids twice daily, since going the usual 24 hours between fluid administrations obviously is not working ideally for her at this point in time.

The vet mentioned on Saturday that if Rosie is not improving by early this week then they would re-hospitalize her. The only problem with that is, as the vet has observed and is concerned about, Rosie simply will not eat away from home. Or at least she won't eat at the vet while hooked to an IV, which Rosie makes obvious that she does not like. Nutritional support is very important in treating pancreatitis, so her going on a hunger strike is not ideal. Therefore, if she can be managed with fluids and medications at home, where she will eat, then that would be great.

I'll make another update post once I talk to the vet. Hopefully I can soon get my sweet Rosie back to this (minus one eye, that is):

Thank for you for all of your purrs and prayers for my sweet old girl!

Another Rosie update!

First things first, when I went to visit Rosie at the vet last night she already looked better! The IV fluids, antibiotics, and overall TLC she's receiving at the vet had already left a brighter look in her eye (remember, she only has one eye). She was very affectionate and purred the entire time I was visiting with her. It pained me to leave her, but I know she is receiving the care she needs.

Rosie's awesome vet called me with a new update this morning. She said that Rosie did great on her fluids overnight and is doing well this morning. The vet informed me that Rosie looks and acts even brighter today, and she is now much more receptive to the attention and affection she's receiving at the vet.

Per the vet's request, I took them some of Rosie's favorite food last night. They did offer her some this morning and said that she was very interested in it, but that she still ultimately turned away from it without eating any. The vet asked that I come visit her again tonight (which I'm more than happy to do!) and see if she'll eat for me. I don't know that she will, though, as Rosie has a history of going on hunger strikes when away from home. Nevertheless, I will see if I can coax her to eat.

The vet will more than likely send Rosie home tomorrow. The vet will do a recheck pancreatic SNAP test first thing tomorrow morning, and if it comes back normal she will most definitely get to come home tomorrow, probably early in the day. If the bloodwork is still abnormal, the vet thinks that she'll still send Rosie home tomorrow, although she'll wait until later in the day so that Rosie can be on IV fluids for a bit longer. The vet hopes that once she's back in her familiar home environment she'll improve exponentially.

On another note, the vet boosted this momma's pride yesterday by saying that not only does Rosie hold the record for their oldest patient, but she also is the most robust geriatric feline patient they have. She indicated that their other feline patient runners-up are 18 and 19 years old, and they both weigh 5 lbs or less. At 21 years old, Rosie currently weighs in at 9.25 lbs.

Now, just to get this tough old cookie back home for some cuddles...

Thank you for all of the purrs and prayers thus far! I can't put into words how much Rosie and I appreciate it!

It's time for a Rosie update.

I heard from the vet, and she did find a reason as to why Rosie has been smacking her lips, turning her nose up to her food bowl, and overall not acting herself. The vet first informed me that my old girl's renal values look good (they look great, actually), as does her thyroid level. So, after those tests came back normal, the vet decided to use some of Rosie's blood to do a pancreatic SNAP test, and that came back abnormal. Rosie has had pancreatitis in the past, and it seems that she's now having a flare-up.

Truthfully, as weird as it sounds, I'm considering this more or less good news. I'm thoroughly relieved that after three years of fighting kidney disease, Rosie's kidneys are still showing no signs of shutting down. It was also about three years ago that Rosie first had pancreatitis, and at that time it was a truly severe case that involved significant hepatitis. She pulled through that, and since this time we caught it very early and her vet seems optimistic, I have faith that Rosie can pull through again.

One of the worst things for me right now is that Rosie is going to be hospitalized for a couple of days, primarily because she is significantly dehydrated and because she could also certainly use some IV antibiotics and so forth. Although I can say that I'll try not to, I'm sure I'll be the worryingest worrywart during the entire time Rosie is away from home. My vet does allow humans to visit their furbabies during hospital stays, though, so I will be going to see Rosie tonight, tomorrow, and any other days that she'll be staying there. I'm sure I'll be calling them for updates as well, but luckily the staff and doctors are wonderful and patient people and have yet to block my calls.

Unfortunately, the vet did inform me that Rosie's dental disease has worsened significantly since her last appointment. Therefore, once she gets past this pancreatitis, it is likely she will need to undergo a dental. Since I can only stand to worry about Rosie's most pressing ailment right now, though, I'll worry about her teeth another day.

Any purrs and prayers you can spare are still very appreciated! And thank you so much for all of the purrs and prayers you've sent Rosie's way thus far!

Purrs and prayers please!

I'd like to request some purrs and prayers for my sweet Rosie please! I will be dropping her off at the vet first thing tomorrow morning, as she has not been acting herself today.

It actually started last night, when Rosie began acting a bit uncomfortable and did not want to eat her evening meal(s). At that point I pegged it to the fact that she was due for a bowel movement, and she always refuses food when she needs to defecate. She finally defecated late last night, after which she did seem to feel better. Then, although this morning she was a bit quieter than usual, she did eat most of her breakfast, was alert and watched me move about like usual, and purred when cuddled. Since getting home from work, though, I've observed that Rosie is only licking at her food, is frequently smacking her lips, can't quite seem to get comfortable, and simply does not look or act her usual bright self. Also, her usual rough, gravelly old lady's voice has become quite high-pitched in the past day or two, as if her throat is irritated.

So, I called the vet right after getting home from work and scheduled to take Rosie in the morning. There were no appointment slots available tomorrow, so I'll be dropping her off. It always breaks my heart to just leave my furbabies there, as I do like to be with them during their vet visits, but I understand that the vet is busy and Rosie needs to be seen as soon as possible. So I'll drop her off tomorrow morning and then proceed to wait anxiously by the phone until they call me with their findings.

Although I know it's not healthy, I'll admit that I have been a downright worrywart tonight. I know I shouldn't sit here and try to analyze what could be wrong with my furbaby, but I can't help myself. Rosie is one tough cookie of a 21-year-old who has been fighting renal disease for at least three years, and she also has dental disease. Given her symptoms (lip smacking, etc.), Rosie is surely dealing with some nausea. As I typed this Rosie also vomited for the first time in days. She has always been a cat who frequently vomits, but since getting her renal disease under control it has been far less frequent. Renal cats commonly have nausea and vomiting, as the toxins build up and can lead to gastritis and signs of acid reflux. To combat this, Rosie has been on Pepcid AC for years, but it does not seem to be helping her much lately. Her dental disease could very well be causing some of this, but given the sum of her symptoms, to me it just doesn't seem to be the root cause right now.

Rosie will be getting a full blood panel tomorrow, checking her renal values as well as checking for hyperthyroidism, as it seems as if Rosie has lost a bit of weight. Also, up until this past day or two, she had been more vocal and perhaps a bit more restless than usual, which could potentially be explained by thyroid issues.

Needless to say, Rosie is my priority right now. Although it was put on hold today and likely tomorrow as well, all of the painting, repairs, and moving into my new house is finally nearing its end. Luckily, though, I have not yet moved my furbabies to the new house, as I am waiting until everything is a bit more settled. At least that means Rosie is still in her familiar environment and is not being stressed by changing locations.

I'll go ahead and end this worrywart rambling of mine with a picture of Rosie that I took earlier tonight. It is not the best picture, but since my furbaby doesn't feel well I didn't have the heart to harass her for any others.

One tough little cookie.

Thank you in advance for any purrs and prayers you can send my Rosie's way! Your purrs and prayers worked wonders at the time of her eye removal surgery, and they would be much appreciated now as well!

Thankful Thursday

Good morning, bloggers!

This Thankful Thursday is brought to you by Trapper.

First things first, thank you for the purrs, prayers, and kind words for this little guy! Trapper is doing well!

He ended up not providing us with a stool sample before his vet appointment yesterday, so the vet had to manually retrieve a stool sample using what's called a fecal loop. Trapper was less than thrilled by this, but he ultimately let the vet do what she needed to do (although he did grumble the whole time). It was determined that Trapper has some bacterial overgrowth in his intestinal tract (possibly due to his sneaking dog and human food when we're not watching, naughty boy), which is in turn causing his loose stool and discomfort. So, antibiotics and probiotics it is for Trapper. He certainly does not like the taste of the antibiotics (Clavamox), but he's a good boy and begrudgingly allows us to administer it to him. And he already seems to feel much better!

It's a good Thursday to be thankful!

Wordless Wednesday, and then some.

Wordless Wednesday, Thimble style:

**End Wordless Wednesday**
I have a little news and thoughts to add to this Wordless Wednesday. Trapper -- my parents' cat, and Thimble's brother -- will be going to the vet today.

Trapper has always had on and off loose stool since a very young age, but the past couple of days it has gotten worse. Also -- how do I put this politely? -- he has been passing some especially malodorous gas lately. And this morning he's suddenly acting rather uncomfortable, as if he has a stomach ache and can't quite get cozy. He ate a little moist food this morning, but he's acting nothing like his usual hungry self. So, Trapper's going to the vet this afternoon. Although he hasn't provided one yet today, we're hoping for a stool sample so that parasites can be ruled out.

I don't anticipate that it's anything too serious -- hopefully just some shenanigans from his kitten intestines -- but of course purrs and prayers are appreciated for this little guy!

Thankful Thursday, Rosie Style

Today I am thankful for Rosie's health! Today marks two weeks since Rosie's eye removal (enucleation) surgery. She was scheduled to go in this afternoon for her suture removal, but I ended up taking her in yesterday after I noticed that the incision had a small yet continuous amount of blood coming from it. The vet said that aside from the light bleeding, which was probably just from it being bumped, the incision looked great! So, the vet went ahead and removed the sutures a day early. I'll be monitoring Rosie's incision for any more blood, but as of this morning the bleeding has stopped.

Rosie's happy to be suture-free!

I promise, she's much happier than she let on in this picture.

As always, Rosie did great at the vet. Her primary vet visit vice is that she is very, very, very loud. She likes to yowl and let everyone in the building (perhaps even everyone in the whole city) know that she would rather be at home on her beloved couch. Nevertheless, she lets the staff at the vet get their job done without much more than a few busted eardrums.

After today's vet visit I gave Rosie a new cactus-shaped catnip toy. Rosie had found the kittens' new catnip toys shortly after Christmas and enjoyed them more than I thought she would, so shortly thereafter I bought her this new cactus one. I held off giving it to her when her eye became a concern, though. But, after being such a trooper through all of this, Rosie got her new toy today, and she loves it!

The toy's package claims that the cactus is named Prickles. Apparently Rosie thinks that Prickles makes for a nice, cuddly pillow.