Dizzy for Dragonflies: cats

Showing posts with label cats. Show all posts

Monday, June 1, 2020

Eric's 19th birthday (May 1, 2019)

I hoped, but didn’t really believe this day would come. My beautiful fluffy Eric is 19 years old today!!

Friday, September 23, 2016

Tribute to Tigger (June 21, 2016)

Cancer sucks, even for pets!

I noticed a sore on Tigger's lip mid-May.

I know he fights with his brother and gets little scabs, so I didn't think anything of it. He was acting normal. At that time I was really in end-of-the-school-year crunch. There were field trips to prepare for for both kids, Girl Guide outings, field trips for my own class, opening the cottage, my gardening clients to take care of, the closing ceremony movie to make for preschool, not to mention the daily grind of a family of 4 and my 2 normal jobs at school. So... by June 21, my last day of work at school, and Tigger was getting worse, I took him to the vet.

He looks perfectly adorable, but the left side of his face was slightly swollen.

The vet examined him and diagnosed the big C...cancer. Wide spread cancer. OMG! The vet and I agreed that for a 16 year old cat it did not make sense to do invasive and costly treatments.

To make matters worse, Darcy had not been feeling well when I finished preschool, so I picked her up and she was with me at the vet. She heard the diagnosis and the prognosis that without treatment Tigger has at best a few months to live. The poor child was devastated. I forced myself to be strong for her and managed to keep my tears at bay until later that day.

On June 23 I brought Tiggie up to the lake, his favourite place. He was allowed to drink lake water out of the bathtub and roam around outside, with supervision.

June 26, Danny and Tiggie

July 5, the swelling is more noticable.

You can see the raw-looking skin here. By this time I could feel lumps in his neck. The tumours were growing very quickly.

Brothers, July 10 (Kevin and my Anniversary, by the way. 9 years!). The bump is bigger and moving down his neck making his voice change.

July 12, Tiggie watching Darcy in HIS bathtub. He was not having a good day. I had to put his food bowl in the bathtub to get him to eat a bit.

Tigger jumped off the living room chair to come and eat, but some how landed on or tripped on a doll stroller. Then he was mad at me, ran away from me with his mouth bleeding and refused to eat. He finally ate some cheese and some left over fish, which he loved. I was worried it would make him sick, but at this point I figured I might as well spoil him.

I sat on the couch and he came and lay down next to me and purred. I was so relieved he wasn't shying away anymore. I treasured the moment knowing there wouldn't be many more.

It is so hard to have the responsibility to choose the day that will be his last. I knew it would be any day, but how would I pick a day?? Waiting too long meant letting him suffer, but what if I cut his life short?

July 13: enjoying a drink in the tub.

July 13: you can really see his face is misshapen now. My poor baby. He stopped eating today and hid under the bed, which he never does. Both are signs the vet told me to watch for, signs of distress and failing health. I made the dreaded call today.

I slept on the couch with Tigger when ever he wasn't in the bathtub.

July 14: his last walk outside.

Today is the day. Mom drove, I held Tigger on my lap. His last car ride was a good one for him. He was always a bad traveller, throwing up, drooling, pooping. Not today! He sat/lay on my lap and was quite content. So content I questioned my decision, but I knew it was only a matter of a day or two and I did not want him to suffer any more.

Darcy and Cameron came along, too. Cameron has had Tigger in his life since he was 3 - 9 years! For Darcy, she's had him her whole life. It was a hard day for all of us.

The vet reassured me that I was doing the right thing. I was with Tigger and they allowed Mom, Darcy, Cameron and I some time alone with him afterwards. Some time to collect ourselves before having to walk out through the waiting room. We brought Tigger straight to Bum's house where Cameron and Bum gave him a proper burial. I made a little marker out of stones. May he rest in peace and chase an endless string in heaven.

The next day Darcy altered the note I always leave on the door:

I am writing this in September, more than 2 months later, and we really miss him. Darcy was sad to come back home from the cottage and not have Tigger to bring home. I was too! Even Kevin misses him in his way. Eric (his brother cat) is in mourning. He was always a meek, quiet cat and now he caterwauls many times a day. I figure he is calling out to Tigger, looking for him. He was already an affectionate cat, but he seeks even more attention now. We have adjusted to not having Tigger always on the back of the couch to pat as we walk by. Darcy and I have gotten used to not having Tigger join us for story time at bedtime. We have Ollie at the house, too. He is a good companion, too.

Here he is on his last walk outside:
https://youtu.be/zOP847qGRSQ

Sunday, September 18, 2016

Poor mouse

Sept 7, 2016

He got a second one that day, too.

Sunday, March 13, 2016

Ollie update 2016

Ollie sleeping on the back of the chair. Yes he is inside, in fact he has been inside virtually every night since November, except the 2 nights he disappeared in January. Turns out he got into the basement from outside through the basement window and since we keep the door at the top of the basement stairs locked, he was trapped. He couldn't get back out the way he got in and he couldn't get upstairs. All of his attempts to get our attention were easily explained away by the other 2 cats. For example, I heard scratching, but when I went to look I saw Eric there, so figured it was him. Of course now I realize Eric and Ollie were probably communicating on either side of the door. Poor Ollie! (The basement window is fixed, now, so hopefully that won't happen again!)

Ollie's paw prints in the snow...waiting to be let in.

Ollie playing:

http://youtu.be/E7Ru9PAp7tA

Ollie sitting in the barn/garage window. It's getting to be the time of year when he won't even want to be let in.

Ollie is not spoiled at all.

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

February 2015

We went to visit Charla and her feeder was full of cardinals!!

I made this doll as a birthday gift for one of Darcy's friends.

Proof Ollie is in the house,

More proof...hierarchy also present. Not sure who thinks they are king, Ollie since he's higher up or Eric since he's closer to the food bowl!

A rare pic of me!

Whoa man, holy early 90's!!!

Tigger in a box with Cookie, Darcy's (toy) dog.

Sunday, February 1, 2015

Dear Kitten

The Friskies Dear Kitten ads are so well done!

Dear Kitten

Regarding the dog:

Impersona-cat

My friend Peanut

Super bowl 2015:

Disappearng humans

Monday, January 26, 2015

Rexy, you were in and out of my life like a flash

After school one day a darling, affectionate gray cat appeared at our house, apparently lost or abandoned.

Nov 30 I posted this on FB:

He's great with kids! Please...someone must have room in their home for this sweet kitty! It's getting colder, he needs warm shelter. For now he's sleeping in my fleece vest, but without a source of heat. I'm sure he's used to being indoors...he won't last long outside. I already have 3 cats!!

Here is video of Rexy at his finest, most earnest self:

http://youtu.be/HGBZe4tzvNE

Dec 3:

Update on Rexy: after having potential interest from 2 people who would give Rexy a wonderful life, he has become quite ill.

He has been inside with us since yesterday after school, vomiting repeatedly, not eating or drinking, at least not while I was looking. He has used the litter box.

From the chatty, rushing little cat to a lethargic barely audible one in about 24 hours, make me wonder if he ate something he should not have. Until he either gets better or succumbs, he's staying with us unless there is some wealthy angel that wishes to pay for veterinary care.

Dec 4:

I am at a loss for words. I have phrased and rephrased what I want to say, but now I am at a loss.

I came home to a much worse kitty. Thanks to my mom for good, insistent advice in a time of confusion, and her generous offer to pay, I took Rexy to the vet.

Remember, this is not my cat. He's been a guest here for just a few days, unasked for by us; not my responsibility. However, his vivacious catonality really got to me.

The prognosis was not good, possible poisoning or a foreign object in the abdomen. The estimate for the vet in the hundreds for tests over a couple of days and up to 4 digits with prolonged hospitalization, without guarantees. With encouragement from Mom, and knowing he was suffering, I knew the right thing to do. Rexy was put down around 3:00 today.

To err on the side of caution, the vet recommended that I clean anywhere the cat was with bleach and check Tigger and Eric's vaccination records. I have a grieving child, a house that smells like a hospital, an up-coming bill at the vet for vaccines and a broken heart.

All because of some asshole (I am really holding back here) who A) abandoned their cat and/or B) poisoned a pet!!!! Believe me if I ever find out who it was or see someone mistreating an animal they are going to wish they were treated as well as that animal!!!

Epilogue

Thanks to Uncle Brent Rexy was given a proper burial in the family's pet cemetery. I could not give him the forever home he should have had, but we gave him love and affection and the most humane "home" we could. RIP Rexy

After much thought about the dear little guy, I suspect he drank anti-freeze or something similar that would leak out of a car, as there is a huge, busy parking lot just the other side of the fence in our back yard. Since there is an alley nearby with many strays I initially suspected someone was trying to poison the strays, but I have seen the same familiar cats all fall, so I have ruled that out.

July 31, 2014

Tigger cuddling with Darcy's toy cat.

Beautiful rainbow at the end of the day.

In an attempt to tidy up yard and set up a place for a fire, we decided to launch my pedal boat. It waaa leaning against a tree, full of water, so I decided to empty it while waiting for Kevin to make room on the dock. Suddenly I felt hot, painful stabs on my back. I dropped the boat and registered "wasps" in my mind. As my feet carried me along the wharf, running past Kevin, I yelled," Stay there! Wasps! Don't go over there! Wasps..." SPLOOSH! Fully clothed, shoes and all, but boy did the cold water feel good.

I got 3 stings on my back and arm and one on my forehead.

When I lifted the boat, I in advertently ripped the top off of a nest which had been built between the boat and the tree it was leaning on.

Once the swarm settled back into their nest, Peter and Kevin went on a mission. Peter bravely sprayed the hive, repeatedly, until the can was empty. Then they putnthe boat in the lake and went back to the dying wasps. Just to be sure they set the nest on fire!!! Scorched my poor tree and the grass, but definitely wiped put the wasps.

I must explain that I would not normally condone such destruction of nature. However, given the location of the hive, the fact that we do not know if the kids are allergic or not, add that a mayor of nearby city DIED from multiple wasp stings a few days earlier...and well, they just had to go.

What you see in the picture above is all that is left!

My nighttime visitor.

Ollie and his bloody tail (March 14 - 22, 2014)

Ollie came in just over a week ago with the end of his tail bloody. By morning it seemed to have scabbed and looked OK. He went out. A couple days later it looked worse again and almost everytime he went out it got worse after scabbing while being in. Today it looks like this. I have no idea what happened. There are other cats, skunks and sometimes raccoons around. Maybe it froze. Maybe it got stuck somewhere. He will let me look at it, but doesn't like it. Otherwise he seems fine.

Meow meow

February 16, 2014

Just some adorable pictures of my cats.

Why must Tigger always sleep on my clean clothes?

Ollie

Tigger

Eric

Ollie, get your nose off of there!

Aaaaw, Eric, I love it when you do that!

March 9, 2014

More cats

Eric. Just gorgeous.

Oh Tigg Tigg!

Best friends.

Brothers.

Lovey. He is finally feeling better, but that means he's up to his antics again!

March 2014

Eric is just too cute.

Lovey:

Random cat videos

Here is Lovey being, well...Lovey

http://youtu.be/PobJF89mluk

Lovey chasing his tail

http://youtu.be/arCXd2Ll00M

An all nighter of wrapping!

Dec 21 to 22, 2013: An all nighter of wrapping!

I cannot believe it's 3 days from Christmas and I'm just strating to wrap presents! Even worse I still have presents to buy and make!! I am NEVER late like this for Xmas, but unfortunatetly this year Kevin's surgery put everything behind schedule.