Farewell, Garden Kitty

This is Garden Kitty, GC for short. He lives down the street, but spends most of his time outside.

He's extremely friendly and sweet, and seems to crave attention even more than food. So we gave him both. 

I didn't know his real name, but started calling him Garden Kitty because he liked to keep me company while I gardened. He would hang out and occasionally come over to be pet or to pounce on something that moved enough to catch his attention. He loved to play and would chase sticks, or vines or even long plants. He was great company and made chore time more fun. Often he would be on the deck waiting for us first thing in the morning and would come back after we returned home from work. 

He was extremely curious and before locking the garage up we had to make sure he wasn't still in there exploring. He had no fear. There was the time I went outside to scare away the deer that GC was slowly creeping up on as if he were going to pounce on it. Or the squirrel that he came *this close* to catching and instead swatted on the behind as it leaped away.

Sometimes he was a bit of a pain. Like when I was trying to hoeing weeds and he kept trying to rake against my hoe and pounce where I was working. I was afraid I would accidentally hurt him, so I stopped and petted him instead. Or when he camped out on our deck and stressed out our sensitive kitty, possibly contributing to his recent cystitis flare. Or when he scared away the birds from the feeder we hung from the deck to provide entertainment to our three indoor kitties.

But we couldn't be mad at GC. And we couldn't stick to our resolutions to ignore him. He was too sweet of a soul.

We debated if GC was neglected. He was outside most of the time. Early in the morning and late at night. Even on heat warning days when the temperature was 95 and so humid it felt like 105F. He was thin so when he cried for food we started feeding him. So did some of our other neighbors. One down the street called him Friendly Kitty, also an apt description. 

Our next door neighbor worried that he wasn't good around cars. He didn't always look before crossing the street in his excitement to come visit. And unfortunately on Friday, August 2, this habit is what led to his far too-early death when he was hit by a car. 

I know there can be extenuating circumstances that lead people to let their cats outside. But there are so many risks--cruel people, cars, other animals--and their lives tend to be so much shorter than indoor cats. I question if it's worth the risk considering the alternatives of letting them out only with supervision or on a leash or in a catio. 

We miss him and mourn his early passing. I question if I should have done more for him. I know some of our other neighbors have the same thoughts. He deserved more than he was given at home, but he was loved by many.

Farewell GC, you were a very good boy. We won't forget you.

Spring flings

This spring feels like a personal awakening as well as a seasonal one. After years of not feeling quite myself due to this and that, I feel like my petals are slowly unfurling along with the daffodils and tulips.

I've been enjoying more time in the garden, even the weeding.

I planted more spring bulbs for the first time in years and they've added a lovely bit of early color. 

The apple tree didn't bloom last spring, but t put on quite the show this year.

We've also been getting out an about. This weekend we saw Kedi, a lovely, touching documentary film about the street cats in Istanbul. It was better than expected and I had high hopes to begin with.

Then today, on national picnic day, we had a picnic in Inniswoods Metro Gardens and admired their spring blooms.

Entrance to the Secret Garden

Inside the Secret Garden

Earlier this spring there were more cat capers with a visit to Eat, Purr, Love, the first cat cafe in Ohio which opened right in our neighborhood. A very zen place for cat lovers.

All the cats a up for adoption and 120+ have been adopted since it opened last August.

 

How's your spring going?

On Pacing Myself

my little buddy, Mikko

I'm sitting on my couch having a beer at 4:00 pm on a Friday to try and chill out after taking the cat to the vet.

This summer has not turned out as I expected, to put it mildly. After spending more time than I wanted to working 1.25 jobs last summer, I vowed this summer would be different. I would garden more, have more fun and work less.

Oh, foolish human and her little plans.

As it turns out, I'm working more than ever before. I haven't planted a single vegetable and my kitty got sick.

Yet we're surviving, and even under less than ideal circumstances, we are grabbing every moment of possible happiness.

It started when I got a new job...same company, same job function, but in a new department with a lot more responsibilities. It's a great opportunity with more interesting projects, but I've never been so challenged or worked so hard in my life.

Then the week before I started my new job, my littlest and youngest kitty (at 14 he's hardly young but...) was having problems breathing. I took him to the vet who found that he was in congestive heart failure. The vet gave me two choices: take him to the emergency vet immediately, or put him to sleep.

We took him to the emergency vet and long story short, he has advanced heart disease. But way too many vet bills later, he's doing pretty well on a regime of six pills a day. In fact, if you didn't know he was sick I don't think you'd guess it.  He's still the most active cat in our household, and eats, plays and patrols the windows as much as ever. Now I know that this could change any day though, so I'm doing my best to enjoy him while I can.

With all the stress I've been under this summer, my natural inclination is to freak out, feel sorry for myself, and retreat into sadness. And though I've had those moments, there have also been some really good moments that break through the despair:

• When my boyfriend dropped everything when I called him from the vet, told his coworkers he had to go, and drove straight to the vet when he heard about Mikko, my heart melted a little. It melted more when Mikko insisted on resting his paw on my boyfriend's palm while we sat, waiting for test results, almost like he wanted to hold the boyfriend's hand.
• The emergency vets who treated my cat and I so kindly and saved him from heart failure.
• Knowing that I have an emergency fund and don't have to make tough choices like affording the vet or paying bills
• Hearing from a long, lost friend
• The fact that my cat still follows me around and hangs out with me, despite me forcing him to take pills three times a day, taking him to the vet where he is poked and prodded and generally fussing over him nonstop.

The kitchen reno may not be going as quickly as I'd like, I may not have tomatoes growing out back and my house may be messier than usual this summer, but in the end, none of that really matters, now does it?

What are you grateful for?

On Worrying

I wish I could declutter worrying.

If worrying was an event in the Olympics, I'm pretty sure I would medal, if not take the gold. I've always been a worrier, at least as far back as I can recall. I worry about issues under my control and those that are not. I worry about issues big and small. I remember being completely worried about the environment in high school. Or worrying that I might die in my sleep before going to bed when I was younger than 10.

Sometimes the worries are manageable, and somewhat rational and I can shake them off, or distract myself from them, or at least cope with them. Other times they are all-consuming, like the last three days when my favorite (shh! don't tell the others!) cat Alex appeared to be having an issue with his teeth and I made a vet appointment for him for this morning.

See, Alex is 15, with kidney disease and diabetes, oh, and bad teeth. Trips to the vet with him for the past four or five years have usually meant bad news and a big vet bill. Plus, being a cat, he gets pretty stressed out, which in turn stresses me out. Basically, it's not a fun time and I dread it each time we must go.

This time I was already worried about the possibility of him having a tooth issue and needing a dental (which for cats means going under general anesthesia – something that isn't great for kidney disease or older cats), and then the receptionist said he needed a rabies shot before they would see him. That completely threw me into another level of tizzy, because it was yet another thing that could put his overtaxed system over the edge.

Though I knew it was irrational, I became convinced that this vet appointment pretty much spelled doom for my cat. The worry went into overdrive. I took a million videos and photos of him. I went to the pet store and bought his favorite, and more expensive, food and a new catnip mouse on Thursday and let him indulge all by himself as much as he wanted. I cried myself to sleep that night and almost called off work on Friday to spend more time with him.

Today, v-day, when I woke up I was so nervous that I felt physically sick. I can't tell you who was more nervous on the drive to the vet's office – me or the cat. Luckily, the visit went about as well as possible. First, they didn't even mention a rabies shot, and while his teeth aren't great and have a lot of plaque, the vet didn't see any signs of an acute issue that would require a dental. She is great and doesn't want to put him under unless she absolutely has to any more than I do. We got some antibiotics and he had some blood drawn, and came home 30 minutes later.

I know these kinds of worries are irrational. I completely understand that while it's happening, but that doesn't seem to help me not do it.

Some of my worry-coping strategies are:

1. Distraction – I try to distract myself  with movies, books, surfing the net, even work, anything that will take my mind off the issue for awhile. Tackling a video-editing project at work on Friday definitely kept my mind fully-occupied on Friday.
2. Exercise – A nice, exhausting exercise session really helps. Although I admit, I didn't do this this week, because I wanted to spend my extra time with Alex, rather than at the gym.
3. Writing – Writing about my worries in my journal (which is really a file on my computer because I prefer it these days to the clutter of a physical journal) really helps me express my feelings without boring others with them and surprisingly makes me feel better.

But at times when I'm at a level-ten on the worry Richter scale, these strategies don't quite cut it.

Am I the only one who gets like this? Are you a worrier, and if so what do you do to cope?

Pantry Sneak Peek

It's obviously not done yet, but didn't the boy do a lovely job on the pantry? Still to come are pullout drawers for the bottom half and doors. This weekend I start painting!

Until then, I can't stop daydreaming about organizing this puppy. That's a whole lot of new storage space! It's going to make a big difference in this little kitchen.

Oh, and yes, that is a cat on the counter. No, he's not supposed to be up there, but he pays absolutely no attention to the rules anymore. It's like once he turned, oh I dunno 13 (he's 15 now), he became one of those old men who, fed up of a lifetime of following the rules, finally do whatever the heck they feel like it, whenever they feel like it. Now we're just happy whenever he's not howling with displeasure at something.

Addictions

One of the reasons living more simply appeals to me so much, is that implementing its principles has helped me loosen my addiction to stuff. And yet, just when I start making progress on one addition, another one comes galloping along to take its place.

Case in point: Pinterest. This week I finally created an account and, dear god, I can't stop pinning things! If you're thinking, what the hell is Pinterest and how could pinning things to virtual bulletin boards be so addicting?, I totally understand. That's exactly what I thought, before I signed up. I mean seriously, I've spent hours every evening since looking at pretty pictures and "pinning" them to my own boards.

Maybe it's my weakness for pictures of pretty home decor, or the fact that we've been talking about finally redoing the kitchen (still not definite yet tho) and Pinterest makes it easy for me to organize my inspiration. Or maybe it's just my addictive personality. But seriously, I don't need another internet addiction. Le sigh.

Seems I'm not the only one around here with a new addiction. Alex the cat has recently developed his own mighty fierce addiction to boxes. I present exhibits A and B, your honor:

He's been laying on one of these two boxes constantly for the last week. Seriously, what is it with cats and boxes? Or cats and being weird?

Hide-N-Go Seek

Pig always finds weird places to hang out. This is what I woke up to yesterday and I couldn't resist LOL-ing it.

The Neighborhood Watch

Nothing gets by these two, unless of course it's cat nap time, in which case all bets are off. And heaven help another cat (or raccoon) that encroaches on their territory! Meeeooowww!

I'm really hoping for a quiet, emergency free weekend. Last weekend Mikko, he's the little brown and tan one on the right, had a seizure. This was just four days after he had three teeth pulled. We took him to the emergency vet, but don't know what caused the seizure. He hasn't had another one, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed it stays that way.

I have to give kudos to the boy for being so great last Saturday. As usual, he is better in emergencies and is always good with the cats and I don't know what I would have done without him. (What's hotter than a cat man ladies?!) While I was sobbing and panicking, he was checking the Mikko's vitals and was able to give good information to the vet. Thanks honey!

I've since learned that if your cat has a seizure, you should remove objects that might hurt it, but try not to touch the cat until it's done and let the seizure happen naturally. Of course you don't want to let the cat fall off anything or go down the stairs. Turn off bright lights and any loud noises that might startle the cat when it's over. If you can record the episode, do so, it's very helpful for the vets. Also observe as much as you can about what happens, how long it lasts, how the cat responds (did the cat respond to visual or audio cues?). Once the seizure is over, your cat will probably be dazed, but then it's okay to comfort him as much as you want. I'd contact a vet regardless, but a seizure that lasts more than five minutes can be life threatening and you should go to the vet immediately. Of course it goes without saying that I'm not a vet or medical professional and you should do your own research and consult a vet with questions!

My Sweet Alex

today

My lovely Ali-cat is a special, special cat, my favorite cat and my bestest bud. We've been together for 10 years. Though he sometimes can be a bit mischevious, I couldn't ask for a better fur-friend. Alex is not a lap kitty, but he bestows plenty of affection, with his monster-purrs, head-butts and a well-timed flop at your side (or on your legs). A bit of a klutz (just like me!), Ali has been known to get so into a good scratching or brushing that he rolled off the furniture in ecstasy. Alex loves tussling with his pal Mikko, bathing, patrolling the garden, gnawing on his giant mouse "baby," and guarding water (one of his favorite past-times is sitting by the dehumidifier and watching it drain).

And now Alex is also sugar cat. Yes, he has feline diabetes. I just found out last Friday and have spent most moments since focused on Alex, how he feels, what he's eating, and what we need to do to get this thing under control. The good thing is that diabetes is not a death sentence. It's treatable with diet changes, and possibly insulin (Ali is taking insulin). He's doing quite well right now, and every purr and pet means even more.

I don't want to get up on a soapbox, but if something seems off about your pet, take him/her to the vet. At worst, you'll definitely know you have nothing to worry about. Or you may catch something early and ensure your best friend is around for years to come. If you have a cat, and haven't done so, you may also want to read a bit about feline nutrition. I'm learning a lot because of Ali's diagnosis and am working on switching all three of our kitties to a new diet.

Here to 10 more years with my sweet Alex and to enjoying every moment we get with our special friends. Love you fluffy-butt.

Caturday

I generally try to keep my cat-love on the down low, so as not to appear as the crazy cat lady that I sometimes am. But they're just so darn cute, I can resist no longer.

Pig, not amused, but pretty in pink

Alex, relishing the guest-free goodness of the guest bed. Mmm...

Mikko, the partier (dude you need those brain cells!)

Many more here if you're a glutton for punishment.

He's Baaack....

I promise this blog will be back to it's regularly scheduled home and garden content starting tomorrow, but for now, bear with me.

Saturday night we found the visitor cat shivering on a box of rags we left for it on the porch. I sighed, the boy laughed, and the cat spent the night in the office. The next morning it was even colder and kitty did NOT want to go outside even though he hadn't used the litterbox all night.

Finally, J went and bought a collar and taped a note to it with our number. It was the only way we could think of to find out if the cat had an owner. We put the cat outside and for almost an hour he sat on the welcome mat outside the back door, shivering and crying. We left to go run some errands (and because I couldn't stand watching the cat suffer). We left the cat (with its box for some crying and scratching on the door. A couple of hours later the boy's phone rang, turns out the neighbors just two houses down own the cat. The owner said the cat "escaped" at 5 p.m. Saturday and they were very worried. Oh and we found out he's a boy. Nevermind, that this DECLAWED little cat had no collar, no ID, and had been at our house for hours almost every day last week.

So the cat went back to its owners, and though we liked him a lot, we were glad not to have to introduce cat #4 to the other three. Fast forward to today, when guess who shows up at the back door?


Yup, our friend kitty. I can't believe these people let a declawed cat roam around in the city. Especially a cat they thought they lost just FOUR days ago. We're really inclined to keep him if he comes back again.

A Little Problem

That black and white kitty you see there? She's not ours. She's a neighborhood cat that been visiting more and more often after getting lots of attention and a little food from the boy. He's MUCH more of a softie for cats than I am. She seems taken care-of, she doesn't eat a lot when he does give her food. She had no front claws and has been spayed. But she's hanging out on the deck for hours a day. Now we're afraid she's cold, so the boy took a sweatshirt out to her and she's been huddled up on it ever since.

I've been grumbling that we can't have another cat, and I do NOT want one, but I'm starting to crack. She's so cute and tries to get your attention whenever we walk by the window.

So what do we do? I don't want another cat, but I'm not made of steel. And she might have a perfectly fine home.

We can't bring her in without getting her checked out at the vet first. I can't take the chance of her making our three cats sick. Plus, it's taken 6 months for one of my cats and the boy's cat to get this close without hissing:


So what's a cat lover to do?