Thankful Thursday

I am thankful most days.  Life, health, cats, food...  But I try to express it on Thursdays.  And some days, I'm not sure which to be most thankful about.  

Well, I'm thankful for life, health, and food of course.  But here I try to express it in terms of The Mews.  They are a joy to my life (even when "some issues" arise).  And not just the current ones.  I wish I had good pictures of each and every previous Mews.  Sadly, computer changes and old photos that have disappeared prevent that.

I've lost the pictures of Mischief, Ballou, Ralph and Sport-Sport, Jeremy, Tinkerbelle, and Cher.  They are clear in my mind, but I can't download that.  I was thankful for each of them.  I do have old film photos, but my scanner isn't working.

But my modern age of Mews started when I moved here 38 years ago and I discovered digital cameras.

So anyway, here is what I can still find...

Skeeter & LC

Ayla & Iza

Laz

And the current Mews...

Fur-colors come and go.  Tabby, Tuxedo, Ragamuffin, Siamese, Tonkinese.  But I have always had an orange/white male cat since 1992.   Skeeter, Marley, and Taz.  Something about their (usually; Taz is a bit crazy) calm nature attracts me.  

But I'm thankful for every one of them.  From my first adopted female grey tabbies of my younger days to the bred Siamese and Tonkinese, Gingers, and Shelter Cats of my current days, I have loved them all and they loved me back.

How could I not be thankful for that?

Gotcha Day For Taz And Binq

 TAZ:  This is my Gotcha Day, so I want to meow abut it.  

I am very focussed on TBT.

If he goes into the bedroom, I do too.  If he takes a shower, I get in there and sit on the counter.  I'm the only one of us who doesn't panic at the sound of running water.  When he is preparing his own dinner, I am right at his feet.

I am on his lap more than any of the others.  At night, I sleep next to him and purr loudly.  OK, he really isn't too fond of that, but I am so I do that.

Why?  Well, he came to the Shelter Community Room one day.  OK, he was looking for another cat but that cat didn't like him (his loss MOL!)  But he sat down and I came right over (Binq was a few seconds later).  

Anything to get out of that place with some mean other cats and all those barky dogs.  But then he brought me home.  I don't have clear memories of my time before The Shelter.  TBT says the Beins there said my former person said "he had too many".  And I do kind of remember being crowded a bit.

But I knew that I was sure in a better place!  And I always want to be where he is.  Well, OK, outside in the yard is good too.  But when he calls me, I run.  And he says I am the fastest runner since Skeeter (at his best).

So I am sure happy here.

And some more pics...

BINQ:  And it is my Gotcha Day too.  Taz may have gotten to TBT first, but I was there right after.  He just seemed the right Bein, ya know?  All friendly and happy to see both of us getting on his lap.

Like Taz, I dont really remember much before the Shelter.  The place kinna makes ya want ta forget things.  We were there because "something dint werk right" before.

And while Taz adapted to the new home, I was slower at it.  I was really cautious for months.  I'm doing better now.  I go out on the deck.  I sit on the arm of the TV chair next to him.  I grab his hands to bring them down for head scritchies.  I eat anything he puts in my bowl.

I have recently slept on the bed at night.  And when I dont, I run in when he awakens and dance all around to get his attention.  And I always get it.

I feel so calm here..

Taz and I think we are the luckiest cats on Earth.  We went from places that didn't want us, to a Shelter (where we probably had only a limited time to be adopted), to here.  And "here" is pretty darn good.

So today, on our first Gotcha Day, both of us are really happy.

Not exactly us, but this is pretty close...  We liked it..

Womancat Wensday

 TBT:  Binq did go out on the lawn briefly a couple of times before and sort of panicked at "grass".  But she has suddenly decided it is interesting.  

A previous recent trip was good but she became confused seeing me looking down at her from above on the deck and ran back outside and then inside.  It was not a view she was familiar with.  So it became routine to see the other 3 in the yard and Binq in the deck.

So imagine my surprise to see Binq sneaking around the fallen leaves of the daffodil garden.  And seeming to be hunting!

I could almost hear her  mind click and think "oh wait, this is cool"!

Now I can hardly get her inside at dusk!  She was out an hour late.

I can't wait to see her bring her 1st mouse up to the deck.  

She sits patiently in the daffodil bed waiting for anything to move.  She caught a skink yesterday.  But the daffodils are all dormant now and I plan to cover the area with mesh fabric this year to smother all the weeds.  I used black plastic a couple years ago, but that collected rainwater that led to mosquitos.

So she will have to find another place to hunt in.

I took all these pics from up on the deck, so I'm not sure what she suddenly saw here.

And this one is probably a squirrel in a tree.  Or a baby bird pestering the parents for food.  

She hasn't tried climbing a tree yet...

Dr Seuss Day

The village of Who knew just what to do when the Up-mountain Grinch was aroused.  They set up the things (decorated trees and blings) that they knew he could steal to satisfy all of his unhappiness things.

They understood that all he needed was time to learn of the good things in life.  Like holding hands in a circle.  Like singing for the joy as they're able.  Like preparing to welcome The Grinch to their table.

So they carefully slept in their beds, knowing what he was doing.  They felt sadness for him, but also hope.  One year, they thought, might bring him to kindness, not mope.

And they sang the next morning, lacking the trees and the blings, hoping that this year would be the year that changed his 3x too-small heart to new things.  It had never happened before, but they were the people of "HOPE", and Hope springs eternal.

One year, two living creatures entered into The Grinch's 3x too-small heart.  The first was Max.  Poor Max (the "min") struggled to do what The Grinch said to do.  Maxs are all about that.  

The other was Cindy Lou Who, a Who who had a special gift.  The gift of "acceptance".  She accepted that The Grinch needed to take her tree.  She did not have to understand "why".  She was a Who, not a Why.

So The Grinch did his grinchy thing and took all the trees and gifts.  Even the Who-Pudding.  How could they enjoy The Day without the pudding, he thinked.  

But up on his mountain of cold snowy sadness, he began to hear singing and joy and some gladness; what madness he thought of their song.  He pondered and thought, and he thought and he pondered.  "What is it with them that they lack the understanding of their loss".  

Here is where Max comes in.  The Grinch looked at Max, whose tail was a-wagging.  He thought "why is Max happy"?  And while The Grinch was mean, he wasn't stupid.  An answer floated upwards from his bile to his brain.  

"He likes me" he realized, "in spite of my spite".  And "He just wants to do what I think is right".  And "I think it is right to deprive the Whos of their joy.  Is Max right and I am wrong?  And the Max-tail wagged in joy.

And then he recalled Cindy Lou Who.  The little Who who woke from sleep and asked The Grinch some questions and went back to bed just trusting to keep the Day.

So The Grinch sat up there pondered, and pondereing and sat, considering how the World must be for Cindy and Max.  

And he suddenly realized the Who's joy wasn't about the trees, the bling, or pudding.  It was their happiness of holding Who-hands and being by each other.

Hearing the happy Who-songs while thinking of Max and Cindy Lou changed his understanding that day.  It wasn't the Things, it was the Happiest  Day.

   ----------

You know the rest.  The Grinch got Max to help him down to Whoville, he tossed presents around, and was accepted into Whoville.  

Hurray!  3 sizes too small a heart became enough larger.  

Cheers to Dr Seuss...  May he forever rest in Whoville, with Horton hearing him, running a circus with Yertle and The Cat In The Hat, and so many others   We are amazed at all the places he went!  And we went with him.  He took us down the roads of our dreams...

A Special Thankful Thursday

 TBT:  I think I will use today for a 2023 summary of The Mews.  So it is both thankful and sad.

There were 2 losses and 2 gains.  Ayla and Laz went Over The Bridge.  Both by my decision, not quite theirs.  Loki and Binq joined The Mews, and I suppose not quite by their decision either.  When some doors close, others open.

Ayla succumbed to old age.  She stopped eating and drinking.  Appetite stimulation medication did not help.  The vet could not find anything "fixable".  When she started to stumble a couple days later, I had to say goodbye to my dear sweet Princess.  I adored her from thye day she arrived as a kitten to the moment of her last heartbeat.  I am nothing but thankful for her.

Laz basically succumbed to insanity.  He had a wretched kittenhood with thretening dogs and grabby children.  He calmed down some living with the rescuer for a couple of months.  He calmed down further when I adopted him, but was still very frightened.  A few months of soothing talk and gentle attention helped him.  Then he started attacking Ayla until she learned to just stay up high all day.

When Lori arrived, he calmed down completely.  They napped together played together and ate together for months.  But last Summer he started attacking her.  His demons had returned.  At first, it was once every couple weeks.  Then once a week, once a day, then sometimes twice a day.  And the attacks were more violent.  The vet couldn't find any physical cause, so he went on 2 calming medications.  They had no effect.

I finally had to bring him to the vet for the last time.  I couldn'd find a new home (petless and childless), couldn't find a no-kill cat sanctuary that could take him.  I feared sending him to a regular adoption shelter.  I am thankful for the Laz/Lori BFF days that brought some peace to his mind (and the household).  I am very sad he couldn't stay happy and peaceful.  He adored me.  

I am thankful for Loki and Binq.  I had never adopted cats from a shelter.  The visitation and take-back parts of the contracts always disturbed me.  I understand why they exist, but the lingering threat was too much to accept.

I went to the shelter seeking 1 particular cat, but she did not like me.  But there were 2 others who came right to me.  After they did their best "Take Me" performances, I couldn't decide which one, so I adopted both.  I decided to ignore the visitation and take-back parts.  They are way too busy to bother visiting.

I was unsure about my decision the first week.  Loki had some head infection, wouldn't eat, and was suddenly stand-offish.  Binq just stayed in The Mews Room even after the door was left open.  I brought Loki to the vet.  He had a temperature, infected inner eyelids, and an ulcerated tongue.  The vet gave me some medicated eye ointment and an appetite ear gel stimulant.

I am thankful they both got over their problems.  Loki's infection cleared up, his tongue got better, and he started eating.  He would only eat the stinkiest of Stinky Goodness at first, but now he eats anything.  He follows me around everywhere.  

He had the bad habit of searching for food on the kitchen counters and fought being gently pushed off.  He still does, but less often, and he is learning "Down".  He still wants to steal food from my plate even when I am right there.  He will probably learn "No" in time.

Binq worried me when she kept hiding in The Mews Room all day, but after a week she suddenly started sniffing around the rest of the house.  She still tends to stay in The Mews Room during the daytime, but she is out and about most of the evening.  She isn't a lap cat, but when she is around, she stays "near".  On the arm or back of the TV chair or at my feet while I prepare dinner.

She had a bad habit of clawing at my pants and grabbing at my hands with claws and teeth.  I had a few wounds.  But I started wearing heavy jeans, and I heal quickly...  With some encouragement, she is doing less of the clawy/bitey stuff now.  

Both Loki and Binq play with toys.  Loki found a gray fish and an old Nip Banana he really likes.  But Binq is The Queen of Toys!  She likes cloth mousies, rattley mousies, springs and balls.  I even saw her tip over the bow of toys and rummage around in it looking for different ones!  

And she doesn't just play with them.  She goes crazy with them.  It is like FRAP and toys at the same time.  She also knows how to manage the TurboTrak.  She's the first cat I've ever had who can get the ball over the bridge!  She can also scoop the ball out of the track and bat it around.  Which means I sometimes have a time trying to find it.  

Loki and Binq are now both happy and healthy kitties and I am thankful for that.

Lori is not adjusting to Loki and Binq very well.  I was shocked when she started hissing at them.  But they are new and Lori seems to be a very "status quo" cat.  She forgets that she was new once herself.  I dare say she is adjusting, but only slowly and slightly.  I am giving her the leftover calming pills from Laz.  That may be helping.  She will accept them wrapped in a pill pocket that is rolled around in dried chicken powder (I ground up some pellets of it).  I also use Felliway.

Marley is as calm and tolerant of other cats, as always.  I am thankful for that.  Orange/White male cats always seem calm and peaceful.  I've had 3 now.  Skeeter was like that, Marley is like that, and Loki seems to be like that.

Loki and Binq seem to have been friends in the community room at the shelter and they stay friends here.  Lately Binq has started seeking licks and grooming from Marley and he obliges (of course).  If (when) Lori would just calm down a bit this will be a happy multi-cat household.

This picture is a rare event, but hopefully a good sign of the year to come...

So in summary, this was a sad year losing Ayla and Laz, but a thankful year gaining Loki and Binq.  And I look forward to a better one in 2024 regarding The Mews.

Thankful Thursday

TBT:  An apology and several different subjects today...

First, sorry for not showing new pics lately.  I just haven't begun using the new camera yet, and there seems little point in taking bad-color ones with the old.  Its the same camera model, I guess I just haven't felt like taking any again yet.

Second, I took Marley to the vet again for sub fluid injection.  It is amazing how he knows I plan to.  To my knowledge, I do nothing different in the morning, but somehow he knows.  And he finds places almost impossible to get him out of!

Behind the wine cooler is a favorite spot.   It is cluttered on top and next to a plant stand that is awkward to move.  And I can't lift him one-handed from an angle anyway.  He hid there last Saturday but I "worried" him out of there. Yesterday, he went there too, but got away when I started to move things.  So he ran behind some drapes behind a large cat tree.  I pulled him out slightly, but then he grabbed the base of the tree with all claws.  

It was like trying to pull rope out of a block of ice!  I eventually managed to loosen one paw at a time, but neither of us were happy about.  Marley is a kind and peaceful cat, but I'm sure it was all he could do not to strike out at me.

I was planning to try the injection myself under supervision yesterday, but felt too shaky about it.  Not "mentally" shaky;  physically shaky.   So maybe next time.  It would be good to do it at home.  Then, I could just pick up Marley while he was calm.

Third, it feels like life is just generally falling apart.  Oh, I don't mean I'm dying or anything (I hope).  But hand and arms and ankle muscle cramps are getting routine, and topical rubs are not helping as much as they used to.  Sometimes, it is hard to prepare dinner or type.  I feel fine other than the muscle cramps.   

But obviously I need to see a doctor.  Having lived alone 50 years and being (as one doctor said) "obnoxiously healthy",  I don't actually have much experiences with either illnesses or more general physical problems.  I should probably have some serious screening.  Cancer, heart, blood, nutrition, etc.

But I also mean The Mews (and this is mostly about The Mews).  It is total coincidence, but having multiple cats with serious problems is a struggle.  Ayla dying of starvation and having to be assisted Over The Bridge before things got unbearable was both sudden and hard.  The emergency clinic vet did an exam, took x-rays, and did a blood panel and couldn't actually find anything specifically wrong.  He gave her an electrolyte injection and provided a pill and some oral medication for appetite stimulation.  

He said if that if those didn't help Ayla begin to eat again in 2 days, nothing probably would.  And it didn't.  So I had to bring her back for a last vet visit.  Having to build a memorial box for her will be difficult too.

Marley needing injections 2x a week for life will also be hard.  Stabbing a dear pet routinely will not be easy.  The calming treats the vet gave me for Laz don't seem to have any affect.  Thankfully, the serious medication will arrive later today.  I sure hope those help.  Lori is becoming more and more distressed by Laz's brief attacks.  Marley is upset hearing cat fights.

Let's just say I've had better times...  And sometimes things just don't go the way you expect.  I suppose I just can't adjust to changes and problems the way I did once.  

I think I need to start taking more pictures.  That seems like a positive thing to do.  Cats when they are happy.  Plants in flower.  Ripening tomatoes.  Birds at the feeders.  Etc...

I initially titled this "Thankful Thursday" out of habit.  And there isn't a whole lot to be very thankful about.  Alyla is gone, Marley has to be stabbed 2x a week, Laz needs sedation meds for the foreseeable future, and Lori doesn't understand why her BFF attacks her sometimes.  So I changed it to "Thursday Thoughts" because "Thankful" didn't seem to work.

  -----------

But I can end on a positive and thankful note.  The vet gave me 4 cans of Hill's Science Diet canned "Kidney Food" that should provide enough protein for him but ones that make it easier on his kidneys.  And a non-expiring presciption for that and a Royal Canin variety that I can fulfill at several places.

They warned me I might have to very gradually blend it in to his accustomed food because most cats don't accept it at first.  So I had only mild hope.  But I decided to see how he would react to it and put a unmixed spoonful in a bowl while Laz and Lori were outside.  He LOVED it just as it was!  Even turned the bowl upside down to lick for spillage.  And asked for more! 

I gave him more.  Marley now has a new favorite food.  It is "chicken and stew" and there are 2 cans of "beef and stew".  Well I'll see if he likes that one, tomorrow.  And we will try the Royale Canin as well.  Variety is good.  And anything to help his health... 

So it is "Thankful Thursday" again...  You take what you can of the good things and focus on those.  If Marley likes new his healthy food, that is good.  Hoping that the Laz medication will help him calm down is good and that would mean Lori would be happier too.  There are possibilties for bringing peace and happiness to the household, and I will stay focussed on those.

The 3 are my proper focus now...

Easy Like Sunday

TBT:   I really had to work at this, but I got all The Mews in a single pictures several times this week!  Trust me, that is an unusual opportunity.

Ayla seems to be getting more confident lately about moving around in the house.  She showed up in the main area twice (but is still very skittish).

I saw she and Laz and Lori sniffing noses once.  I wouldn't have imagined that last month.  The peace is good but it doesn't last.  Laz still "bothers" her "sometimes" and she whaps back (good for her).  But things have been calmer lately.

She seems to like the old large "2 cat bed" I moved to the wall end of the floor near the bed headboard for some reason.  

So, some pictures...

You can just see Ayla over the edge of the bed.  That was rare enough.  If Laz is so much as "in the room", she normally hides.

A slightly better shot of Ayla with the others in the pic... I can only lift the camera so high.

More of seeing Ayla.  I had to move carefully.  She is really loving that bed and I am happy for her.

And I couldn't easily get far away enough to get this level.  And lost Marley's head.  But it shows Ayla "not hiding" while the others are in the bedroom.

I am happy for what pics I can get sometimes!  And sometimes I don't have the camera with me.  I saw Ayla, Laz, and Lori all sniffing noses peacefully a day ago.  No camera.  😞

And yeah, it is Marley's 12th Gotcha Day.  He has been a joy in my life since the first day.  A lady got him for Christmas and discovered she was allergic to cats.  I was guided to him by another blogger.  He was promised to a family that had dogs.  I convinced her I had a better place for him.  When I arrived at her place, she called him downstairs and I sat sat on the floor.  He curled right up on my lap.  That was good enough for her and she gave him to me.

I asked her his name.  "Marley", she said, "but of course, you can change it".  I liked it.  "Marley" he was and "Marley" he remains.  I usually spend days deciding on cats's names, usually from books I've read.  But it just seemed right for him.  He seemed so definitely "Marley" and who was I to change a right name?

Speaking of Gotcha Days, we kind of missed Ayla's 15th one.  Well, there was the New Vet appointment that day with Lori and all of us here were a bit distracted about that.  I mean, even Ayla forgot!

But I realized it a few days later and am mentioning it now.  All The Mews are special to me and I try to recognize all their Special Days.  But sometimes, events cause us to slip.

So Ayla got extra treats yesterday to partially make up for my oversight.  And I rubbed my forehead over hers for good attention (she really loves that).  She isn't much of a brushie-loving cat, but she got some anyway and purred politely. 

15 years with me...    Skeeter and LC each got to 16.5 years.  Some can stay around longer.  But 15 is a lot and I have loved her every day.  OK, the 2 years of failed spays were hard, but  she was still "my beautiful Princess" and we got through it.

And even if she wants to spend her elder days on the high windowsill or under the bed in private, I visit her often to stroke her and hear her purrs and reassure her that she is my favorite (well, they all are, but she understands the way she is special to me).

So here is to Gotcha Days and Birthdays for all The Mews and everycat else out there...  May there always be another Gotcha Day to all.

Twofur Tuesday

TBT:  Almost always in contact, always together... 

If one is out and the other is in, I see signs of mild distress.  I was in the basement and Lori came to the door so I let her in of course,  A minute later, Laz was calling at me to let him in.  I have never experienced Laz calling so urgently.  I let him in too of course.

He seemed so urgent to get in that I thought there was a predator or an intruder cat in the yard, so I went looking all around.  I didn't find one.  But I went back inside to find them curled up together.  He wanted to be near her that much!  

Someday, many years from now (I hope), one of them will cross The Bridge before the other.  And the other will be bereft and lose the desire to remain here with me.  That will be a sad, but not unexpected day.

I saw it with Skeeter and LC.  When Skeeter left, LC was never quite the same.  She eventually came up on my lap, but she had a hole in her own heart I could not quite heal and left us the next year.

I love them all of course, but there are some cat-relations different than most sometimes.  Ayla is focussed on me.  Marley is focussed on me.  Lori wants a lot of my attention.  She really likes me.  She gets under the covers and purrs against me at dawn.  

But Laz is foccused on Lori and she to him most of the daytime.  I mean, he likes my attention and he talks to me a lot, but he and Lori are a pair like I've never seen.  

I often regretted accepting "Troubled Laz" many times when he attacked Ayla the first year, and there were endless hours of just sitting and talking to him the first months.  He did respond to that and calmed down a lot, but it took Lori to change his whole world.

I got Lori for my own reasons.  Iza was a Tonkie utterly and completely dedicated to me (and fur like a mink), and left too soon at 12.  So I wanted another.  It took over a year, but I got Tonkie Lori.  

I love all The Mews as favorites in their own ways, but it was the best day in Laz's life when Lori arrived.  I will never truly understand what happened in his cat-brain, but the effect was both immediate and amazing.  He changed overnight from half-sane to 90% sane.  I'm still working on the last 10%, but he is a cat and maybe 90% is all he has.

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LORI:  BTW, before we forget, we got several comments from yesserdays post that we look "well-fed".  Indeed we are!  TBT read once that cats need about 4-6 mousies a day, so we get 4-6 meals a day about a mousie-size.  On a "6" day, there is breakfast, first and second lunch, first and second dinner, and then "going to bed" meal.  On a "4" day, it only means he opened the bigger cans and we ate more at each.

He says "pleasing plump" is correct for we mostly indoor cats.  And he weighs us each week to make sure we are getting enough stinky goodness and kibble.  Marley varies between 16.5 and 17.5, Ayla has been catsolutely steady at 6.6 for all her post-spay life.  Laz is steady at 8.6-8.8, and (I) Lori have reached 8.0 recently.  Laz and I want to get to 10.0 like Iza was, but he says Laz and I am much more active, so it may be years before we get there.

Mancat Monday, Part 2

 TBT:  First of all, Marley is fine!  I just wanted to get that out of the way.  No dental issue.  Apparently he got a claw-wound from some brave defense of our yard or a mouse bit him in a last act of defiance.  The vet couldn't be sure.

But this became an UTTERLY STUPID DAY!  I think I may just drink wine for the rest of it.  And "yes" I've already started.

I called our vet as soon as they opened, explaining that I had an injured cat and was a regular client.  They said they were down to 1 vet (they usually have 3) and could not manage an appointment until the end of November.  I repeated "injured".  No luck.  They referred me to a 24-hour animal hospital.  

I may be referring them to a new vet to whom to transfer The Mews records to soon!  But for now, I will wait to see why they are lacking vets.  I don't want to be unfair if they are having temporary problems they can fix.

I said I called my vet.  Yeah, but not because my regular cordless phone was working.  When I picked it up at 8 am to call the vet, it said "telco line not working".  OK, I have 2 cordless phones (same number) and the other didn't work either.  Both were fully-charged.  

I own a smartphone (my first one), but I'm too old and/or stupid to navigate to the apps.  I only bought it for GPS directions and emergency calls.  And if an injured cat isn't "an emergency" I don't know what is.  But while I can't figure out how to get at the apps on demand or answer calls, I can originate one.   Seriously, most of my smartphone use is just deleting spam calls once a week anyway.  

So I could call my regular vet even though they couldn't/wouldn't help Marley...

So, I prepared to get Marley to the Emergency Hospital.  And I wasn't happy about it.  I had to bring Ayla there after her 3rd spay operation (wow, was that really 14 years ago?) and it was awful.  The vet was weird and a walking dead guy.  I will admit that the place is improved some, but not by a lot.

I arrived and all the parking spaces had signs demanding "text us at xxxxxx".  I don't now how, so I knocked on the door.  They didn't want to open it.  I yelled that I had an injured cat and no smartphone.  

They let us in 😹

There was no other client in the place.  So, we waited for 15 minutes to get attention.  Really...  Injured cat, no customers, 15 minutes?  They acted like they were doing me a favor just to let us in.  15 more minutes before a vet technician took Marley to the examination room.

Ooh, I don't want to forget to mention the 4 page entry form I had to fill out...

And get this...  She said I "could stay in the waiting room" while the vet examined Marley.  How kind of them!  But it makes sense; every door I could see said "Staff Only" in 6" letters.  And the staff even needed cards to get in any door.  I may have to have Marley checked for CIA implants, LOL!

I mentioned "no other customers".  So of course Marley was gone for 30 minutes.  And after he was brought back, 

He was not a "happy camper".  Though he was happy enough to not "sing the song of his people".  Well, Marley talks to me often enough, but not to strangers

it took another 15 minutes for the actual vet to arrive and explain what she found.  I may be complaining a lot (and I'm not done with that), but she was great!  She discussed the likely causes of the wound, explained that the swelling had drained well (oh don't you love to hear "lots of pus squeezed out" - LOL - actually, I do), and that his teeth seemed fine.  She was friendly, smiling, and communicative.  

So, I had Marley back (a bit grumbly, but to be expected).  And we waited another 15 minutes for the bill to be prepared!  I'm still trying to understand that (the wine may be kicking in here) but there were 2 clerks sitting around doing nothing and I wanted to Give Them Money.

I have the general sense that a businessperson could profit at this place by improving procedures and attracting more customers.  But I'm retired and don't want to spend time in or risk anything in a business these days.  

The place looks better than it did when I had to bring Ayla there for seepage around her spay sutures.  It was originally all cinderblock.  But the vet there could sure use some business help...

I forgot to mention earlier that I was sure the Emergency vet would want proof of Marley's rabies shot.  My regular vets do and they gave him the shot - it's in their records).  Now, I don't know about you, but my  paid bills, car maintenance stuff, and cat records end up stacked on the top of the filing cabinet.  

Usually, they are only a few months old and I never need them anyway.  But I needed Marley's Rabies shot document, so OF COURSE things had stacked up for nearly a year this time.  If it didn't matter, it would have been only 3 months.  When it mattered, it was a year's worth.

I found it and brought it along.  So, of course, they didn't even ask for it...  They should have.

I still don't know why the cordless phones aren't working.  Not that I expect any meaningful incoming calls.  I do want them working of course.  But that's tomorrow's problem.

Marley had been eating well before the Emergency Vet visit, but he sure ate a lot more than usual when we got home.  He LOVES Fancy Feast Turkey&Giblets.  He ate the whole can!

He is not exactly hiding after his scary vet visit, but I can tell he wants to be left alone for a day.  He just hates to be handled by "strangers".  I just walk by and stop to talk to him every hour.  The good thing is that he probably won't even remember all this tomorrow.  Marley seems to forget bad experiences well.  😁

Celebrations!

TBT:  Laz's Birthday is today Oct 25th.  Lori's Gotcha Day is Oct 29th.  Since those are such close dates, I discussed "parties" with them.  Holding 2 big parties in 4 days would be a bit exhausting.  And, since they are so personally close, they decided they should celebrate both in the day in between.

So wish Laz a 5th birthday on the 25th and Lori her 1st Gotcha day on the 29th.  But the party will be between on the 27th this year and here on out (if I remember this next year).

LAZ:  Today is my 5th birfday.  I dint really have the first few (being ignored scared and hurt all the time), but I have learned about them here.  Its great!  I get special treats, Nip, and special attention from TBT and the other Mews.  It makes me feel special.  I am still getting used to being safe (some memories fade hard) but every year is better.

Sometimes, I am surprised I made it to 5.  In the old home, I probably wouldn't have.  But TBT says I might see 15 now.  And "here" I can imagine it.

Lori is so wonderful to me, Marley is friendly, and sometimes I can even walk past Ayla without a hiss from her.  So here, on my 5th birfday, I am so very happy to have been "Gottched" here.

And looking forward ta a pawty in 2 days!  Treats, friends, games...

New here...

And Lori:

New here...

Flashback Friday

 Today, we revisit this week in 2011. and there are some good ones!

The 3 Mews at the time actually shared close space!

Ayla loved Marley and he loved her.

Ayla sometimes slept in the big doggie bed.

Iza loved hiding under towels and she could nose under them (which baffles Lori so far).

They would all spend time near each other sometimes.  I had forgotten that.

Marley loved his chair tent.

Remnants of an Iza attack on a cardboard egg carton.  She was dedicated to shredding cardboard.

Ayla and Iza got along then.  It was sadly too brief (though there were some exceptions later).

Even a friendly lick sometimes...

Marley used to spend time near the TV.  Maybe it was warm...

He spent time in the cat tree huts too.  I don't see that often enough now.

Iza like the mid-level platforms...

Ayla always liked the highest one.