A Picture of Our Mom....With Alice Cooper

This is our mom with Alice Cooper. The picture was taken Saturday night at the pre-show meet and greet. Mom is such a dork...



A professional photographer took pictures of the people who purchased the VIP tickets and mom got the link tonight. Like we said, she is a dork.

Twas the Wednesday Before Christmas....

We were away for a few days because Mom took off and went to Phoenix, Arizona for a long weekend. When she left us on Thursday morning it was cold and the roads were icy covered here. When she arrived in Phoenix is was cool and raining. However, Mom said the weather improved each day and by Sunday it was 75 and sunny. She came home on Monday to 32 and snow flurries.

So why did Mom go to Arizona? Every December, usually around the weekend before Christmas, Alice Cooper hosts a charity concert/variety show in Phoenix. It is a fund raiser for the Solid Rock Foundation. This is the fourth year in a row that Mom has gone. She has friends that fly in from around the US and England and they all meet up there. Mom was very excited because one of the performers at this year's show was Rob Zombie. Being cats and all, we don't really understand her fascination with him, but she IS only human! Anymew, she's been walking on the clouds since she got home because she got to met him on Saturday night. Whatever...

Mom promises to help us introduce Lily, Memphis, Puff, Sable, Serendipity, and Spunky before the year is out. But for now, we have to let mom get back to work!

Introducing Jazzpurr

Mom has fallen behind on introducing us. So far you've met Bandit, Batman, Clarissa, Daisy, Fiona, Fred, and Ginger. Now it's time to meet me!

My name is Jazzpurr and I am a "Rubenesque" tortie-girl.  I wasn't always an ample sized kitty. As a matter of fact, I was on the thin side when mom adopted me from my foster home. She also adopted Serendipity at the same time since we had bonded together.

I was adopted in October 2004. I was 2 years old then. Now I'm 8 and still love being in my forever home. If I'm not napping on the cat tree, I can be found in mom's bed. Bandit and I will chase each other around the house and we wrestle a lot too.  That usually starts with some aggressive grooming. He tries to wash my face, then I try to wash his face, then it becomes a wrestling match, and then it becomes a race through the house.

Mom says I have a fantastic purr, and I love to have her scratch my back. Unfortunately I have a problem with getting mats in my back-fur.  Even though my fur is short, it is thick and dense, and I have a hard time grooming it.  I hate to let mom trim the mats off of me but it has to be done. I suppose I should let her brush me more often and then I wouldn't have that problem!

 

That's me in November 2010

My tummy picture

On mom's bed

Thanks for taking the time to read about me. And if any of your boy furs are looking for a girlfriend...I'm just sayin'.

I'm a jazzy girl, in a tortie world....

Cold in Kentucky!

Hi all! We hope all of our friends who celebrated Thanksgiving enjoyed their holiday. Mom went to North Carolina to visit our Aunt Torchy. We got to stay home with our uncle who took good care of us. Mom left town on Wednesday and got home on Sunday night. We sure missed her while she was away!

As you can see, mom changed our background today. Now we have the festive Christmas design. She said she is going to put a tree up this year. We'll see how that goes. She has a vintage 1959 aluminum Christmas tree, complete with rotating stand and the colored light wheel that shines on the tree. It sounds kind of tacky to us, but that's our mom! Two years ago she bought two "leg lamps" for the living room. They are like the lamps from the movie "A Christmas Story." Anymew, mom said when she was a little girl her own grandmother had an aluminum tree. Mom found this one on e-bay. Let's hope it looks good!

Fiona is under the weather. This is the first time she has been sick since joined our family. Mom noticed her right eye (and her only eye) looking "blinkey" on Monday night. Last night it was swollen and by this morning poor Fiona looked like someone had punched her! Her eye was completely swollen closed. Mom dropped her off at the vet on the way to work. Poor Fiona has conjunctivitis probably caused by the feline herpes virus. Dr. B said they put a warm compress on Fiona's eye and she seemed to like that. And they've already put the first doses on antibiotic ointment in her eye. She'll have to have that three times daily. She also has a bit of congestion in her sinuses. Fiona isn't running a fever, so that is good news for her. And she has lost a pound since she was in during the spring. Dr. B wants to see her again on Friday for a follow-up regarding her eye. It's always something around our house!

It rained here all day yesterday and then turned cold. We had snow flurries this morning. The temperature isn't suppose to leave the 30s today. Brrrrr....

Time to nap on mom's bed:

New Pictures!

Mom took some pictures of us last week:

Tthe lovely Fiona:

Sleeping Bandit:

Jazzpurr with her tortitude!

Handsome Puff!

Sleeping Fred:

And a sleepy, yet grumpy, Lily. She wasn't happy that Fred was snuggled against her.

R.I.P. Sweet Pyewacket

Our Aunt Torchy (one of mom's bestest friends) had to help her sweet kitty, Pyewacket, across the Bridge this morning. Mom has known Pye since she was a wee bobblehead kitten. She lived almost 16 years with Aunt Torchy. Pyewacket started failing over the weekend and when her mom took her in to the vet this morning, the vet said Pye was in the final stages of renal failure. It was decided that the kindest thing Aunt Torchy could do would be to let her go to her final forever home. She was Aunt Torchy's baby girl and we know she has a heavy heart tonight.

Mom got to see Pyewacket when she went to North Carolina in September. She is happy that she got to visit with her one last time.

Godspeed pretty Pye. We know you will be missed.

Pyewacket Pettin'Paws
1994-2010

Final Update on Lily

Lily had an appointment with her surgeon on Monday. He said she is doing great and he removed the stitches from her ear. She still needs the ointment in her left eye, but I can go longer periods between applications (every 8 hours now). We all enjoyed having her in the office with me for three days last week. She received a lot of attention from my co-workers and she ate it up! However, I think she is perfectly content to be in the comfort of her home and not making that daily trip back and forth from home to office to home.

We are all purring and praying and send love to Inigo and the Rumble-bum family. Please visit their blog and let Inigo know you are thinking about him.

Lily Update - Looking Better Every Day

We wanted to let our furiends know that Lily Rose is looking better every day. She is still not able to blink her left eye, but the lid relaxes and almost closes when she goes to sleep. She is one week post-op now and acts pretty much like her normal self. Her shaved fur areas are starting to appear fuzzy.

This is Lily's 3rd day going to work with mom. The office staff fuss over her and she likes the attention. We think mom's boss is awesome for letting Lily come to work with mom. But we also know that is a temporary arrangement and if Lily's condition becomes permanent than another arrangement will have to be made. The first day Lily was at mom's office, she spent the day crated. Yesterday, one of mom's co-worker's let Lily roam in his office so she wouldn't have to stay in the crate. He's out today so Lily has his office all to herself. There is a nice window for her to look out of. And a holly tree is right there and it is full of squirrels and birds for her to watch!

Lily will go back to see her surgeon on Monday, November 1st. Hopefully her stitches will come out then.

Also, we've been reading all of our friends' blogs, but we always haven't had the time to comment.

Purrs,
Clarissa & Co.

We Made the Top Ten Most Haunted Places in the World

Well, not exactly. What I mean is a place in our hometown made it into the top 10 most haunted places in the world.

Here is the link to all 10 places:

World's Most Haunted Places

And here is the direct link to Waverly Hills.

Mom said she has never been out there, although she knows exactly where it is. She said the last she heard is the current owners want to turn part of the place into a bed and breakfast. Mom also said she doesn't matter what they make of the place, she would not go there! She's a big chicken. MOL

Another Update on Lily

Mom was going to drive to North Carolina this coming Wednesday to pick up a good friend of hers. She was going to take Miss Lily with her since she needs her eye ointment. However, after discussion with her friend it was decided that the travel might be too much stress on Lily. Therefore mom's friend has made other arrangements to get here.

Lily looks a little better each day. Her head and neck furs are starting to grow back, so now she feels more like a slightly fuzzy hot water bottle. Mom would have sworn she saw Lily's left eye blink yesterday morning, but she hasn't seen it happen again. She says it must be a case of wishful thinking.

Mom's boss did say that Lily can come to work with mom this week. She is going to try if for a couple of days and see how it works out. Lily is still sleeping more than she did before she had surgery. But we know her body is healing and she needs her rest. Mom makes sure Lily eats her food and drinks her water and is using the litter box. So far Lily has been doing all of that.

It looks like the surgeon actually stitched the opening of Lily's ear together so it appears to be closed up now. Maybe that was done to keep any bacteria from getting back down in there.

Mom took Friday off and stayed home with us. It was nice to have her here. The house was cold Friday morning, so she got Lily and put her in bed with her. When mom woke up later, she still had Lily with her, along with Fiona, Fred, Bandit, Sable, and Memphis. Mom says she needs a bigger bed!

We hope everyfur had a good weekend.

Purrs and good nite,
Clarissa & Co.

Lily is home!

I brought Lily home late this afternoon. Currently she is resting on my brother's bed. Her left eye is totally dilated. I'm hoping the light won't bother her too much during the day. Her left ear looks like it is down on the side of her head more than usual. Over half of her neck has been shaved, and her pink skin looks somewhat bruised from the surgery.

I have ointment to put in her left eye to keep it moist. This has to been done every 4 to 6 hours. I'll be doing it again shortly before I go to bed. I also have a number of syringes that are filled with a pain killer for her. Thank goodness they are to be taken orally and not injected. Lily will get one of those shortly too.

I'll have to come home from work during my lunch break so I can check Lily's eye and put the ointment in it. My boss is out of the office until Friday. I may ask her if Lily can be our office cat while she needs the ointment in her eye. It will take me an hour to get home, take care of Lily, then get back to work. Technically I'm suppose to get only a 30 minute lunch. I'll have to use either vacation time or sick time (if I can) to make up that other 30 minutes.

I'm glad to have Lily home where she belongs. She was quite restless when she first got home. I'm glad that she has settled down and is resting.

Thank you all again for your prayers for my girl. I think she is going to be just fine.

Lily's meowmie, Malinda

Lily/Surgery - Update!

We have great news! Lily went into surgery around noon and was out and awake a bit after2:00pm! The surgeon said she did fine and he was able to remove all of the icky stuff that was causing her problem. He did say that she has some transient paralysis on the left side of her face.

Lily will spend tonight at the animal hospital and should be able to come home tomorrow. She will be sent home with some ophthalmic drops to keep her left eye wet in case she has trouble blinking.

Thank you all for you purrs, barks and prayers!!!

Purrs,
Clarissa & Co.

Lily/Surgery

We wanted to ask all of our friends to keep Lily in their purrs, barks, and prayers this morning. Mom took her to see the surgeon yesterday. After going over Lily's x-rays mom could see what was going on inside of Lily's ear.

All cats have bacteria in their ears. If their ears are kept clean it's usually not a problem. In Lily's case the bacteria gets trapped, and even cleaning can't reach all of it. The bacteria grows and multiplies, eventually forming an abscess. The abscess will rupture and drain out through Lily's ear. This has happened repeatedly, causing scar tissue to form, plus some of the softer tissue has mineralized and has hardened so it is more like bone fragments.

The surgeon is going to remove all of that tissue and any bone fragments. Lily has always been deaf on that side, so she won't notice anything different. She may have a problem with balance after the surgery. She also may have some drooping on that side of her face. The surgeon said the drooping is usually temporary and will go away as she heals up.

Lily stayed at the surgeon's office last night. He was hoping to do the surgery yesterday afternoon, but they had a couple of emergencies and couldn't do it.

Mom said they will probably keep her tonight for observation.

We will keep everyone posted.

Purrs,
Clarissa & Co.

Happy Caturday

First of all, we want to thank everyone for their kind words and positive prayers for Lily. She's acting perfectly normal even with the tubes in her neck. Mom woke up this morning and found Lily sleeping in her regular spot at the foot of the bed. Even though Lily really doesn't like us we still want her to be okay.

It's a beautiful fall morning in Kentucky. The sun is shining brightly and some of us have found sunbeams to nap in. Mom is going to be home with us most of the day and we imagine we will get to nap with her later. She's been cleaning the house this morning and took a break to help us with our blog. She said she has to go out later to take our uncle to work and to pick up the sucky monster from the Oreck store. She had to have it serviced and has been without it since last weekend. We are up to our knees in cat fur!

We hope everyone enjoys their Caturday!!!!

Lily Rose...Needs to see a surgeon on Monday....

When I got home from work on Thursday night I immediately noticed that the left side of Lily Rose's neck was swollen again. For those who don't know, Lily Rose is my 9 year old white kitty who has one blue eye and one gold eye. Her blue eye is on the left, and she is deaf (as far as we can tell) in that ear.

I knew exactly what this swelling was. It happened at least once before that I know of late last year. Lily had been feeling puny and was running a low grade fever for a couple of days before Christmas. Out of the blue, on Christmas night, she perked up and was behaving like her normal self. On the morning after Christmas I started to pet her head and noticed that her fur was wet beneath her left ear. On closer inspection I found that whatever the fluid was, it was draining from her ear. It was cloudy and I could see minute traces of blood in it. Being the day after Christmas the two vets I see were on holiday so I had to take Lily to the emergency animal center. While waiting to see the vet I then noticed the swelling in Lily's neck. Lily was sedated and the side of her neck was shaved. The vet made a small incision and drained out what she said appeared to be fluid from an abscessed wound...except there were no visible scratches or bite marks on Lily. Lily was placed on an antibiotic, the swelling disappeared, and we didn't pursued it any further.

I was able to get Lily into the vet at 9:00am yesterday. Dr. Green said the lump definitely felt as if it had fluid in it. She took Lily to another room, shaved her neck, and drew a sample from the lump. Once again, it appears to be an infection and had traces of blood in it. It would definitely have to be lanced and drained. Since Lily would need to be sedated I left her with the vet. Dr. Green asked if she could take x-rays of the area while Lily was out. I agreed. A couple of hours later I received a call from Dr. Green.

The good news is Lily did fine and was still sleeping at the time. She inserted a small piece of tubing through two incisions in Lily's neck so the place would continue to drain. I have to clean around it twice daily, and I am suppose to flush the inside of the area with this solution would send home with me.

The bad news is the x-rays showed thickening of the tissue surrounding the fluid filled area, plus two minute objects that could be foreign matter or bone fragment at the end of her ear canal. The whole mess presses on Lily's ear canal which is probably why she can't hear. Dr. Green also said that Lily's ear was so inflamed that she couldn't see into it with the otoscope. She strongly recommended that I take Lily to see a surgeon and the sooner I could get her in the better. Dr. Green also said that due to the location of the swelling, etc., it may be a risky surgery. The area is near Lily's lymph glands in her neck, her caratoid artery, plus her facial nerves. There is a possibility that a surgeon won't want to work in that area.

Lily has an appointment for a consultation with surgeon at 9:00am on Monday. I have her x-rays to take with me. Any other information will be faxed there from my vet's office.

My gut feeling is this place is NOT cancer. I could be totally wrong, but I don't think I am. A sample of the fluid has been sent to the lab. Hopefully the results will tell us exactly what type of bacteria or viral infection this is.

Lily is 9 years old. She was 7 when she joined me. I know she's had that drainage from her ear two or three times since she's been with me, although last December was when I first became aware of that swelling. It may have been there before and I just hadn't noticed it. Whatever the case is, Dr. Green said this is something that has been going on for quite some time with her.

I was suppose to go to Nashville next week to see Alice Cooper/Rob Zombie, and for various reasons it just was not working out so I decided not to go. I am so relieved that I'm not making that trip. Now I know why it wasn't meant to be. I need to be here to take care of Miss Lily Rose.

Malinda
Lily's Meowmie

Wordless Wednesday: Aug. 27, 2000 - Clarissa's First Night Home

It's Time to Meet Ginger!

Without further ado, it is time for everyone to meet my adopted sisfur, Ginger!:



Hi everyone. My name is Ginger (aka Gingersnap). I'm really friendly and not as huge and grumpy as that above picture makes me look. With that said, I must confess that I am a large girl. I weigh about 14 lbs.

I moved to my forever home from Ohio in June 2007. Mom told you our story when you met Batman. In a nutshell, our first mom wasn't taking us with her when she moved.

I was born in Ohio (along with my siblings Panda & Spunky) under the front porch of our first human mom's house. At least that's what our forever mom was told. We lived at that house for four years.

You've probably notice I have a lot of dark goop around my eyes. I have some scar tissue on my eyes from the infection I had as a kitten. My eyes water a lot and I get a lot of that nasty goop around the bottom of them. Mom will try to clean it off, but I hate to be held and I make it really hard for her to help me. However, my brother, Spunky, takes care of me and he washes my face and cleans me up. We are very close and could never be separated.



I love attention from mom and her brother, and I will rub around their feet and ankles. They don't make me get down from the breakfast bar either. It's one of the few places I will get where I let them scratch my ears and pet me. I will sleep on mom's bed and sometimes I will even spend the night with her.

I'm usually pretty quiet unless someone tries to pick me up! Then I meow loudly and twist around and squirm until I either get away or they put me down! I've only laid down willingly in mom's lap one time. That was back in the summer. And for the record, Spunky and Panda will not let themselves be picked up either! But they will lay down in mom's lap.



That's me (above) sleeping in one of the kitty beds.

I'm a little shy around people I don't know, and I pretty much spent the first week in my forever home hiding. I would come out if the house was really quiet or wait until everyone was in bed. It was a bit of an adjustment for me to leave a house with only five kitties and move into a house that now had 13 kitties!

My favorite place to sleep is close to my brother, Spunky. But if Spunky doesn't want to nap, then I'll lay down to whoever is the closest and will let me snuggle. That's me with Sable in the photo below:



My eyes are a little light sensitive, which may be why I look a little grumpy. Or maybe I just woke up!

Mom calls me and Panda and Spunky "cow cats" because of our markings. And she says I have the softest fur our of the three of us! I have a half-brother, Puff, too. He is a long-furred gray and white tabby. His face is marked just like mine!

I think I've told you everything I can about myself...at least for now!

Purrs,
Ginger
(aka Gingersnap)
(aka Ginger Pie)

Hoping for a less eventful day!

So when mom was on her way to work yesterday morning, she saw an ambulance, two university police cars, and another car stopped at one of the intersections on campus. She suspected that a student was probably hit while crossing the street. She was right. No word on the condition of the student but we are purring that he/she is not hurt.

Then yesterday afternoon another student pulled a handgun out of her bag in a meeting at the college of education on campus. Faculty members were able to disarm her and hold her until the police arrived. So far the word is she told the police she was going to kill herself and no one else. She has been taken to the hospital for psychiatric evaluation. Thank ceiling cat that no one was hurt!

Then around 11pm last night a small 4-seater airplane landed on the expressway about a block from our house! The pilot said he was trying to get to Bowman Field (which is a few blocks away from us) because he was running out of fuel. He couldn't make it and decided to put the plane down on the closest "runway" available. No one on the road or in the plane were injured. Mom actually saw the plane this morning on her way to work. It was over in the grassy area between the highway and the sound barrier wall. One of the wrecker services was there, along with the police. The wrecker had a crane on the back of it. Mom said it looked like they were going to have to lift the plane out of the grass.

We are really hoping nothing that exciting happens today.

Purrs,
Clarissa & Co.

Introducing Frederick Jerome DeWinter

Hello everyone! It's time for you to meet my youngest brofur, Fred.



Hi all! My name is Fred and I've been living in my forever home since April 2008. Mom saw me and my adopted sisfur, Lily, at Feeders Supply. We are both white kitties and mom couldn't chose, so she adopted both of us. Although we were at Feeders Supply, we were actually adopted through the Kentucky Humane Society.

Mom was told that I was two years old, and it hadn't been too long since I had been neutered. My name then was "Crazy Cat" although I never acted crazy at all. Mom couldn't decide if my name was Fred or Jerome and I was no help at all when it came to telling her. She decided that it was Frederick Jerome DeWinter in the end, although most of the time I'm plain old Fred. Sometimes I'm "Freddie J."

I'm very friendly with the other cats and I love to snuggle with Spunky or Bandit. And I like it when the other cats wash my ears! My favorite place to sleep is on my mom's right leg when she is sitting in the recliner. She says it makes it hard to knit sometimes when I do that, but she usually finds a way to work around me.

Mom says I'm probably an average sized mancat. I weighed around 10 or 11 lbs. I'm not real talkative, but I will meow to get mom's attention. My favorite thing in the world is to have mom rub my chest and belly. I will lay on my side and curl my body around her hand and go to sleep while she is rubbing my tummy. I don't like having my claws trimmed although I will usually let mom do it. Generally I'm just not fond of having my feet touched. My paw pads and my nose are a pale pink and I have big gold eyes. I like to eat stinky goodness and dry kibble and an occasional treat. I do not like the PTU and going to the vet (although I usually do behave once I'm there).

The two pictures that I've posted were taken on my second night in my forever home.



I have some catitude going on in that picture. I'm not a big fan of the flashy box.

Anymew, it's great to meet everyone and I'm sure you'll hear from me again!

Purrs & Headbonks,
Fred

Catching Up on the Happenings at Home

UPDATE ON HOPE:  We wrote about Hope, the dog that was thrown from a moving car, in our last post. Her injuries were more serious than first reported. Since then Hope has had two surgeries. Hope sustained two fractures of her back, a crushed pelvis, and two broken legs. Her first surgery was to repair her back. She came through that surgery without difficulties. Yesterday she had surgery on her pelvis and legs. We haven't heard how that went for her. We are still purring for her. As of yesterday, there is still no arrest of the person who did this horrific crime. Unfortunately, we have a feeling that he/she will not be caught.

Clarissa Report:  Unfortunately the antihistamine did not work for me and I continued to chew on my belly. Mom called the vet on Saturday morning and asked if she thought it would be okay for me to have my Depo injection now. The vet okayed it so it was into the PTU for me and a short trip to the vet. My belly is pink and bare, but the chewed places have scabbed over and are healing. I even have the back of my hind legs bare.

Other Vet Visits:  Bandit, Batman, Clarissa, Ginger, and Panda were all due for vaccines in September or October. While mom had me (Clarissa) at the vet's, she asked if they had an opening to bring in the September cats. I was due in September, but mom is debating whether I should be vaccinated. I'm 10 years old now, and I stay inside all of the time. We've heard a lot of people say they don't vaccinate their "senior" cats.

Mom made an appointment to take Batman, Ginger, and Panda in to see our vet later in that morning. She took me home and got out two more carriers. Ginger and Panda HATE to be picked up and they will squirm and twist and turn and yowling to get away. Mom learned a long time ago that she needs to wrap them in a bath towel when she picks them up.  Mom was able to grab Ginger because she was sleeping on the cat tree. The next "victim" of cat-napping was Batman. Unfortunately for mom, Panda was quicker than her and she got away and hid under the bed. This was good news for Panda. It was bad news for Bandit. He was cat-napped instead!

Bandit is so scared at the vet's office. It is the only time he will lay in mom's lap. And then he will stick his head under her arm or in her armpit to hide his head! But he did very well once the vet appeared. He's lost about a pound since last year, but the vet said that was fine. And both Batman and Ginger received good reports too! They all needed their rabies vaccine, and two of the needed that other vaccine that covers several things. I don't remember what the initials are.

Other news:  The nights are getting cooler here and we are snuggle more with mom when she goes to bed. Fiona always snuggles up against mom's chest or back. Bandit will lay between her legs and he is next to impossible to move once he goes to sleep. Mom said she has never seen a cat sleep as deeply as he does.  Lily takes one corner at the foot of the bed and Jazzpurr takes the other corner. The rest of us come and go during the night. Panda has a feather pillow on top of a storage bin that she likes to sleep on. To mom's knowledge, Panda has never slept in any of the human beds.

Guess that's it for now! Hope everyone is staying warm or staying cool, depending on where you live!

Barks/Purrs/Prayer Request for Injured Dog

Clarissa's mom here.  The furbabies and I are asking for purrs and prayers for a severely injured border collie. Her name is Hope (named by the people taking care of her.) She was thrown from a car on I-65 in Louisville, KY on Tuesday afternoon.  She was then struck by a car but survived. Hope has many injuries and will have a long road ahead of her for recovery.  It will be quite some time before this sweet dog will be ready for a loving forever home.  You can read the story and see a picture of Hope (she's been cleaned up) here.

The Humane Society of the United States is also offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the dog's abuse.  We sincerely hope that the person or persons who did this unspeakable act will be caught and duly punished.

Wordless Wednesday: Caught in the Act!

Introducing One-Eyed Fiona

My name is "One-Eyed Fiona" because I have only one eye. My shelter name was "Patches," but it didn't suit me one bit. My mom is a big fan of Lyle Lovett and he sings a song called Fiona. The chorus mentions One-Eyed Fiona and that's how I got my name. Also, the Fiona in the song sounds like a pretty feisty gal, and that describes be to a T.

Mom found me at the Warren County (KY) Shelter in Bowling Green, KY. She was bored one day and was looking at Petfinders on the computer, just browsing and not really looking to adopt another kitty. There were already four cats in her household at that time. She saw my face and said she totally fell for me. That was in February 2005.

I'm a small calico cat, and the smallest cat at my house. I weigh in at 7 pounds. But just because I'm small doesn't mean you can boss me around! My meezer brother will totally run away from me!

My calico patches are tabby striped. I kind of snort when I purr, and I snore a little when I'm sleeping. I used to be a biter when I first moved to my forever home. I even bit my mom on the cheek once. Now I play bite and mom knows when I don't want to be bothered. I love to be close to mom and now I sleep in her lap when she is in the recliner. If she is on the computer I will sleep on the back of her chair. And I like to snuggle right up next to her in bed.

My head is sort of flat on top so my nickname is "Badgerhead". It also goes along with that feisty attitude I have. I hate having my feet touched and I get ornery with anyone who tries to trim my claws. I'm good about using the scratching post and cardboard boxes though.

The shelter said I was between two or three years old when mom adopted me. That makes me either seven or eight years old now. My vet said it's possible that I'm actually a little younger. I look younger because I'm small.

Mom's best friend is afraid of me and I don't know why. I've never tried to put the bitey on her. I think mom gave me a bad reputation when I first moved it. She stills warns people that I MIGHT try to put the bitey on them!

This is the only picture mom can find of me on the computer right now:

One More Update on Me (Clarissa)

Hi all. Sorry I haven't posted for awhile. Mom is hoping to help us get back to the introductions this coming week. But for now, I have a health report on me.

I finished my antibiotic for the UTI about 10 days ago. Mom took me back to the vet for a re-check on this past Friday. It's all good mews!!! My weight is back up to 10 lbs. even! Mom was very excited about that. The most I've ever weighed was 12-13 lbs. Ten is a perfect weight for me.

My temperature was normal. That was good news too! I didn't even growl or hiss at Dr. Green when she took my temperature. Mom said I usually grumble like "Cartman" on South Park. My heart sounded good, and there was nothing unusual going on in my belly either.

Since everything seems to be normal, including my behavior at home, the vet said she didn't think it was necessary to do another workup on my blood. It looks like the antibiotic took care of the problem and it was probably that UTI making me feel bad all along.

I am over-grooming my belly again. I usually get a steroid injection about every 12 weeks for that, but the vet didn't think it was prudent to give me one this time. She was afraid it might undo the good that the antibiotic did. However, she suggested that mom try giving me 1/2 tablet of an over-the-counter antihistamine to see if that helps. She told mom it might make me sleepy. Mom looked at Dr. G and said, "She's cat. She already sleeps 16 hours a day. How will I know if she is sleeping longer?" MOL! Mom does have a point.

I think that is all for now. Mom has been home with us all weekend. She even napped in her bed with us yesterday afternoon. We love to snuggle with her.

Hope everyfur had a good weekend.

Purrs,
Clarissa

Princess Daisy Thistlechaser of Yew Dell

Yes, that is quite a title but I deserve it. I keep trying to usurp Queen Clarissa, but I haven't been able to accomplish that fete yet! But, as Ceiling Cat as my witness, one day I will be QUEEN!!!

My mom just calls me Daisy, or Daisy Mae. I'm not sure where I was born but I was living outside at this beautiful place called Yew Dell Gardens. Mom's best friend, our Aunt Jen, saw me out there and fell in love with me. The volunteers were making sure I had food and water, but they didn't know how I showed up there either. Aunt Jen wanted to take me home with her, but she had a houseful of kitties and couldn't bring another one home. So she talked mom into taking me.

One day, in June 2005, one of the volunteers caught me, put me in a cardboard carrier, and took my to the vet's office where mom was taking my brofurs and sisfurs. I was dropped off there and check over and mom picked me up later that afternoon. The vet said I was about a year old at that time and I had already be spayed. I was checked for any contagious diseases, given my vaccines, and then taken to my forever home. That was about 2 weeks after my angel brother, Colin, had moved in.

About five days after I was home, I had a huge abscess rupture on my left hip. I didn't like to be touched back there and would try to bite the hand that touched me. Of course, when the wound I had ruptured mom found out why. She nor the vet had found any signs of the wound prior to that. It was off to the emergency vet's office to have the place cleaned and to get an antibiotic. The vet shaved my fur off around the wound and it looked like I might have been bitten by a larger animal. But with the good care I got the place healed up and no one would ever know I was ever hurt.

For a long time, Jazzpurr, the other tortie, hated me. She would lay under mom's bed and growl and growl at me. I'm still not fond of the other cats in the house, but I tolerate most of them. I really don't like to share my mom with anyone.

Mom has told my Aunt Jen that I can go home with her anytime she is ready to take me. You see, whenever Mom picks me up I fuss and flail around and generally hate it! But Aunt Jen can pick me up and I just purr and purr. And mom knows how much Aunt Jen loves me and I love her. And Aunt Jen would give me a great home too! Now don't get me wrong, mom loves me too and she is good to me. And to be perfectly honest, mom doesn't know if she could really send me away even though she knows I would be happy and she could visit me any time she wanted.

Mom found a could of pictures of me. One is in the cat bed and the other is me standing on the table.





I'm sure you can see why I am a princess by just looking at me!

Purrs,
Princess Daisy

My Gotcha Story: Clarissa

So far you've met Bandit and Batman. Now it's my turn to tell you about myself.

My name is Clarissa Anne, and I am a 10 year old calico who lives in Kentucky. I came to my forever home on August 27, 2000, when I was only eight weeks old. Mom went to a Human Society event hoping to come home with a dog. She came home with me instead. I was sneezing, had watery eyes, and was one sick kitten. I spent the first three weeks at my new home on an antibiotic to get me all well.

When I was still small, I would sit on top of my scratching post. Here is a picture of me at 12 weeks doing just that:



When I got a little bigger, I would get on mom's desk and hide in her monitor stand. The keyboard tray pulled out so I would crawl in there and try to play "whack-a-mole" with mom's hands when she was typing:



I've never cared for treats or catnip and I will try to bury those things if mom puts them out for the other cats. Mom said I was probably a prohibitionist kitty in another life. MOL!

I enjoy sleeping in one of the cat beds or on mom's bed. I will also sleep on the floor or on the cat tree. Here is a pic of my me sleeping on the bed with some of my siblings:



The tortie closest to me is Jazzpurr. The other tortie is Daisy. The other calico is One Eyed Fiona and of course the orange kitty is Bandit.

And here are a couple of other pictures me posing prettily on the bed and on the cat tree:





I get along with most of my brofurs and sisfurs most of the time. My favorite is my brofur, Sable. He is one year younger than me and I taught him everything he knows...except maybe how to stalk and hunt mice!

I love my meowmie and I like to snuggle and sleep in her lap sometimes. When there was just me and Sable, we both would sleep with her at night. Now her bed is too crowded with other cats. But if she lays down for a nap on the weekends I'll be right there with her.

In 2004, about a month before my grandpurr passed away, I started overgrooming my belly and legs. I would lick and chew until all of the fur was gone and sometimes I would get my skin raw. Mom took me to a dermatologist, but even now I will still lick and chew. I get a steriod shot every 8-12 weeks and that seems to help

I seem to be feeling better now and I'm and still on my antibiotic for that UTI. I'll probably have another blood work up down to check my white count and see if it's down once I'm finished with the antibiotic. Keep your paws crossed that it is.

Purrs,
Clarissa

I'm home from the vet's

First of all, I want to thank all of my friends for their purrs! Both mom and I really appreciate it. The vet stole my pee yesterday and guess what?! I do have a mild UTI. She sent me home with an antiblechotic (that's an antibiotic in case your 'rents don't understand). I have to take one pill each day for 10 days. Hopefully that will take care of what has been ailing me.

Mom is heading off to North Carolina today to visit one of our aunties. She's not really mom's sister, but she is close enough to mom that she might as well be. Mom will be in Durham, so that whirlycane shouldn't be a problem.

We will try to post while mom is away, but it is iffy. It may be next Wednesday before we are back.

Have a safe Labor Day weekend if you live in the USA!

Purrs,
Clarissa (& Co.)

Clarissa Report

Clarissa's x-rays were normal. No fluid or anything unusual in her abdomen or lungs. Dr. B. aspirated that lima bean sized lump that was on Clarissa's back. It is nothing to be concern about and is just a benign cyst.

She spent the night at the clinic so they could get a urine sample. Clarissa does have a UTI and will be going on an antibiotic for that. While collect the urine sample Rissa sneezed a blob of yellow gunk onto the exam table. Although her nose looked clear and her eyes are bright, now we are wondering if she has a sinus infection. Do cats get those? I'll have to ask when I pick her up this afternoon.

Dr. G., one of our regular vets, was back in the office today. She concurred with Dr. B. that with a UTI the white cell count usually isn't as high as Rissa's is. It's so puzzling because Rissa is eating and drinking. She is alert and attentive. She is grooming. Yet she has lost 3 oz. in a week and has this elevated white count.

I'm am going to be out-of-town for the next five days, so my brother and my best friend will be taking care of Rissa and making sure she gets her antibiotic once daily. If her white cell count is still elevated next week and/or she has lost more weight, we will go from there. Dr. G. is still thinking there is something going on with Rissa's pancreas. However, she said cats usually don't have an appetite if that's the issue.

I appreciate everyone's concern and good wishes for Clarissa. She is my baby girl and always will be, even though she is 10 years old.

Clarissa's "meowmie",
Malinda

Monday Mews: Clarissa

I was back in the vet's office last Thursday. Mom found a lump under my skin and she was worried about it. Right now, the vet that saw me said the lump is about the size of a lima bean, and it was probably caused from one of the injections I had couple of weeks ago. She told mom to keep an eye on it for any change in size.

My eyes had been watering and red rimmed, too. The vet wasn't particularly concerned with that, saying it was probably a mild flair up of the feline herpes virus. What did concern her was my belly/abdomen. She said it felt swollen. It didn't hurt when she pressed on me. I didn't cry or growl or his. However, when she took my temperature I certainly let her know that I did not appreciate it one bit! My temperature was normal though, so that was good.

They stole some more of my blood to send to the lab again. This time they were going to check for some infectious diseases. A different vet called back and left the results on the answering machine. Mom got them when she got home.

He said that my white cell count is still high, but not as high as it was two weeks ago. He also said the titers (sp?) showed exposure to FECV/FIP. Mom is scared now because she doesn't know if that means I have FIP. She read online that FIP is generally fatal and that has her all upset. Her eyes keep leaking.

I'm going to back to the vet on Wednesday afternoon to have my belly x-ray done to see if the vet(s) can find out what is going on there.

I'm acting like my normal self again, which makes mom happy. But her stomach is in knots. Please keep me in your purrs and prayers that I don't have FIP.

Purrs,
Clarissa Anne

RIP our dear furriend, Guy McAllister

? - 8/28/2010

At 10:00am today, our furriend, Guy, was assisted in crossing the Bridge. Guy had been diagnosed with cancer. His purrents and vets did all they could for him, but eventually the cancer won. They gave Guy one of the greatest gifts they could, to die with dignity.

We will miss our handsome furriend.

Purrs,
Clarissa & Co.

Batman

Good evening everyfur. My name is Batman and I'm a solid black medium haired mancat with a manly scar on my nose. I've always heard that girls dig scars, but so far it hasn't done me any good with the ladies. I'm on the smaller side at 11 lbs.

I was born in Ohio near the city of Cleveland. I was adopted there by a lady who had a beautiful house. When I was about year old, that lady found four kittens and took them in too. I used to lay on top of the kitchen cabinets at that house. Here is a picture of me at my old house:



You can't really see my face well in that picture, but it is the only one my forever mom has of me from my first mom's house.

You see, in 2007 my first mom decided she was going to move in with her boyfriend. The problem was, he didn't want us in his house. He really didn't like us much at all. My first mom had to find a new place for us to live.

A friend of my forever mom told her about us. She was only going to take two of us, but she ended up bringing all 5 of us home. She drove all the way to Northern Ohio to pick us up. She also transported two dogs to Ohio so they could get forever homes. Besides me, she brought home Spunky, Panda, Ginger, and Puff. You will get to meet all of them eventually.

A couple of years ago I had a nasty bump show up on my nose. It kept getting larger and larger and I finally had to see a dermatologist. It took a good six months to get the place cleared up. It left a scar on my nose and the fur never grew back. Mom still says I'm handsome though, and that's all that matters.

All of the vets and technicians love me and they all sing the Batman t.v. theme song when they see me. Most of my brofurs and sisfurs have nicknames, but mom never came up with a nickname for me.

I like to sleep on mom's bed when she is away. I usually get in bed with her when she first lays down at night. That's when I get my pets and rubs from her. Sometimes I will lay down beside her and put my paw in her hand. I also like to touch her face with my front paws. I like treats and catnip, and sometimes I'll get stinky goodness.

Mom needs to get some new pictures of me. This one was take before I had the bump on my nose. I was sharing some vanilla ice cream with my uncle.



Hope you liked meeting me!

Headbonks!
Batman

Here's Bandit!!!

We decided the best way to introduce ourselves to our new friends is to do in in alphabetical order. So today it is Bandit's day!

Hi gang. Bandit here to tell you all about myself. I was adopted from a shelter located in Frankfort, KY, although I was being housed at a PetSmart in Louisville. That was in 2005 or 2006. Mom gets confused some time about when some of us joined the family.

I'm an orange and white boy and was 8 months old when I was adopted. I was already named Bandit. Mom like my name so she didn't change it. I lost my left eye to an infection as a baby kitten and the tip of my right ear is missing. Mom suspects I may have been rescued from a feral colony.

My nicknames are Bandito and Bandit Bigtoes. I'm not a lap cat, but I love attention when I'm laying on mom's bed or on top of the cat tree. I'll roll all over and show mom my soft white belly fur. I'm a big boy and weigh about 13 lbs.

I like to wrestle with Memphis and I'll groom Jazzpurr (you'll meet them later). I'm shy around strangers and will keep my distance. I like catnip and treats. I eat Nine Lives Plus most of the time, but I also like stinky goodness as a special treat. I've recently started sleeping in mom's bed at night. She was very surprised when I started doing that.

Here is my picture:



That's about all I can say about myself for now!

Purrs to all!
Bandit

A Big Thank Mew to the Rumblebum gang

My siblings and I want to send a big THANK MEW to Inigo Flufflebum and d'Artagnan Rumblepurr for the mention in their blog today! We've had so many new visitors!!! Thank you all for leaving comments. We are reading through them and we are going to be visiting all of your blogs!!!!

And for those of you who commented on my "crabulated" picture, I was giving mom a great big morning yawn! Everyone thinks I was fussing at her but I had just gotten up from a nap. Mom will have to find the picture of our angel brofur, Colin Feral. She has a picture of him yawning and his eyes are crossed, his ears are up but turned at a funny angle...he looks like he is crazy. Heehee.

Since we have had so many people visiting day, mom will help us post some pictures of each of us and introduce us to everyone. She said whoever thinks cats are aloof and have no personality doesn't know cats at all!!!

Purrs and Goodnight!
Clarissa

A Peaceful Sunday

Fiona is sitting on the corner of the desk, giving mom the evil eye. And since she has only one eye she has that look down pat. Clarissa has taken Fiona's spot on the back of mom's chair. It's a "first come first served" chair. Fiona was there first, but she got down to snack or potty or patrol the house. While she was gone Rissa took the spot. I believe Fiona thinks that mom should move Rissa but it's not going to happen.

We've had the house to ourselves most of the day. Mom went to a marathon scrapbook session that started at 1:00pm and was over at 8:00pm, and our uncle went to the state fair. Mom will have to pick him up when he calls. She's hoping it's soon.

We hope everyone has had a great weekend. We got to do our three favorites things: sleep, eat, and snuggle with mom.

Purrs,
Sable the Punk

Wordless Wednesday: Yawn

The Clarissa Report

I'm sorry my blog hasn't been updated for awhile. Mom has been off going to horror movie conventions, steampunk conventions, and Alice Cooper concerts. We are going to try to keep her home with us for awhile.

That's me sleeping in the closet after my first vet visit. You can see that I don't feel good.

All of the furblings are well. I was very sick a couple of weeks ago. I got real puny feeling and started hiding in the back of the closet. I didn't want snuggles or pets or anything. I would come out and eat a little and drink a little, but then I would go back to the closet. When mom took me to the vet, I had a 105 fever! I was given sub-fluids and an antibiotic shot. I felt better that night, but by the next night was starting to act like I still wasn't feeling well.

Mom took me back to the vet that Friday (my first visit was on a Monday). I still had 103 fever. More fluids and three different vitamin shots! OUCH!!! But I'm all well now and feeling like my regular self.

I'll try to get mom to help us post more often!!!

Purrs,
Clarissa Ann

Moderating the Comments Page

If you comment on one of our posts, mom will help us approve it before it will be visible. We have tried to go un-moderated, but we keep getting comments in what is probably Japanese. When translated, they either make no sense, or they are for websites with scantily clad ladies.

We hope this delay won't keep our friends from posting comments!

Thank you all, and good night!

I'm Home

Hi all! I got to come home from the vet last night. Mom picked me up on the way home from work. I finally gave them some pee so they could test it. The good news is I DON'T have a UTI. So it's a mystery as to why I peed on mom (if it was me! I'm not telling!).

However, just to keep things interesting, one of us furs peed on mom's new summer flip flops. And these are the $1.50 jobs that you can pick up at Old Navy.  Nope, these were the pricey Earth Shoe design that mom bought from HSN. She said she can throw them in the washer with some towels and they should be fine.

Here's what we think the problem is. Mom changed our litter boxes on Friday. She's been buying this fine grain crystal litter from Wal-Mart. Well, she changed the litter and put in a coarser grain crystal litter. I think it's hurtin' some of our paws to walk on it. Mom said she is going to Wal-Mart tonight and get the original litter and see if that takes care of the problem.

Mom has had cats for 10 years now. You'd think she'd know by now that we don't like change! Hmmmpppphhh!

Purrs,
Sable the Punk, Pee h D.

Sable Is At The Vet's....

Mom thinks that my brofur, Sable the Punk, may have a UTI. You see, some fur peed on mom while she was sleeping on Sunday night.  Mom woke up and felt something warm and wet against her back and realized that she was being peed on. Since the room was dark, she wasn't sure which fur it was. However, Sable has had two UTIs in the past, and both times he had them he peed on mom while she was in her bed.

Mom left Sable with the vet yesterday morning and explained the situation. They said they would get a urine sample from him and test it. Well Sable won't pee for them. He had to spend the night there and they will try again today. The last time he did this he held out for almost 48 hours before the vet got a urine sample.

Would our friends please encourage Sable to pee so he can come home? Please? We miss him!!!

Sable is the big black kitty. That's Bandit curled up behind him.

Our meowmie

We don't usually post pictures of our meowmie here, but we wanted you guys to see how abused she is by us! The three of us who are holding her down are Batman (on her chest), Panda (the white and black kitty), and Sable the Punk (the other black kitty). Mom said she is nothing more than a cat mattress for us!

Visits to the Vet...the cycle begins again

You know there are 15 of us kitties at mom's house. She says it's a never ending cycle of visits to the vet for us. Most of us are lucky and go once per year. That is for our annual exam and rabies vaccine. The exception was Batman, when he had that problem with his nose (which finally cleared up). And me, Rissa, has that over-grooming problem so I have to see the vet every 8-12 weeks to get a steroid shot.

Anymew, Memphis (the Siamese) and Fiona (calico) saw the vet a week ago Saturday for their annuals. The both got good reports. Memphis weighed a bit over 11 lbs. and Fiona weighed 7.25 lbs. She is the smallest kitty in our house. Memphis behaved, but Fiona GROWLED like a BIG TIGER the whole time she was there!

Both of the solid white kittes, Lily Rose and Fred, visited the vet this past Saturday. Once more, both are healthy kitties. Lily Rose was the perfect little lady. She weighed in at a tad over 11 lbs. The abscess she had on her neck in December has totally healed and not returned.

Fred was a bit of a problem in the office. He HATES the vet's office. He gets scairt and he panics. Mom really doesn't like to take him be she knows it's necessary. Every time the vet completed part of Fred's examine, Fred would try to launch himself onto mom. The last time he tried that he scratched mom's face! It's a tiny scratch, and she knew he didn't mean to do it. She calmly place him in the carrier (it's a top loader). When the vet came back into the exam room, he gave mom some cotton gauze and peroxide to clean the scratch. Then he ask one of the technicians to assist him so mom wouldn't have to hold Fred again.

Fred got his rabies vaccine, and an antibiotic shot. He has really bad breath and the vet said his gums were inflamed in the back from gingivitis. I had that problem once and the antibiotic worked for me. The vet said if Fred's mouth didn't look better in 10 days to let him know.

So that is what we've been up too. Mom said Serendipity and Jazzpurr are next on the list for the vet. They will go in April or May.

Purrs,
Clarissa & Co.

Wordless Wednesday: A comic strip entry

Funny Stuff

Our long weekend with mom...

Mom had a three day weekend and she spent most of it at home with us. I think most of us cuddle with her at one time or another, except Bandit. But she still loved on him too. He just won't get in her lap.

Ginger surprised mom by ALMOST getting in her lap on Saturday or Sunday. Sometimes Ginger will lay on the foot of the recliner. This time she came a little closer and stood on mom's thigh while mom scratched her ears and back. She even let mom wipe the gunk from around her eyes. She would lay down, but she did stand there for awhile. Mom considered that major progress. Ginger finally did lay down on the foot of the recliner.

Lily yakked up her breakfast along with a hairball Monday morning. Before mom could get it cleaned up I had to check it out. I cleaned up the food part for her and left the hairball. Then I sat down to wash my face and promptly yakked it back up. Mom said I was gross. And I thought I was doing her a favor.

Daisy escaped out the front door Monday while mom was bringing in the groceries. Mom wasn't happy about that. She had to stay outside with Daisy until she could catch her. Mom said Daisy kept going under her car. She finally coaxed Daisy out far enough to snatch her by the scruff of her neck. No, mom did not pick her up that way. She held on to her until she got her hand under Daisy, then scooped her up. Of course, Daisy protested. Mom called her a "s**thead" and then said she was a bad girl when they got in the house. The rest of us laughed at her because she was in trouble.

Later, Monday night, I was sitting on a nylon CD case that mom usually keeps in the car. It wasn't zipped closed, but the top cover was down. I started making the "hurkey-gurkey" noise and I yakked on the case and in the case. Mom had to take the CDs out, wash the plastic tray that they sit it, and throw the nylon case in the washer.

We made sure mom stayed busy. It was a good day.

Mom's back at now. Maybe we will leave her a hairball or three to find when she gets home.

Purrs,
Clarissa

Funny Stuff

Funny Stuff

RIP Holly, my friend

Our dear friend, Holly, who lived in Wisconsin, crossed the Bridge yesterday. Although we never met her in purrson, we knew her from her posts on the Meowmail Forum. Holly started feeling very bad and was recently diagnosed with diabetes. She was not getting any better. With a heavy heart her meowmie decided it would be best if she helped Holly cross the Bridge. She was with Holly through the whole time.

We know how sad Holly's meowmie is, and we know Holly's sisfurs, Emma and Lexi, will miss her. Holly's meowmie said in honor of Holly she is going to get a tattoo on her back that depicts the Rainbow Bridge.

Goodbye sweet Holly. We will see you again one day.

Funny Stuff

Funny Stuff

Funny Stuff

Happy New Year

The whole gang of furs at my house wanted to wish everyfur and their purrents a Happy New Year. We wish everyone a year full of noms, treats, playtime, naps, love and good health!

Now, I have some troubling news about my sisfur, Lily. Lily was feeling a bit puny for several days before Christmas. She was sleeping more than usual, and mom didn't notice her eating or drinking quite as much as she usually does. Lily perked up on Christmas night and by Saturday morning, she was back to her usual loving, sweet self.

And that's when mom noticed it. The fur beneath her left ear was soaking wet and had some dark gunk in it. Mom got some cotton swabs to gently wipe out her ear and she didn't like what she saw at all. The gunk looked liked pus with dark stuff and a tiny little specks of blood. Our regular vets were out of the office, so it was off to the emergency vet's office.

The emergency vet checked Lily over. The good news is her temperature was normal and her weight was normal. The bad news is she and mom both noticed that Lily's face and neck were swollen beneath her ear. The vet had to shave her furs over the swelling, and Lily was an angel about it. There were no visible bites or scratches. But the one thing she said was the swelling looked and felt like an abscess and would have to be drained.

Lily was given a mild sedative and something for pain, then taken to another room to have the procedure done. While she was back their Lily was also given sub-q fluids. The vet said she was dehydrated. She was also given an antibiotic injection. Lily was sent home with instructions to keep the incision clean but open (by using a warm compress) so that it would continue to drain.

Lily was fine all week. She ate and drank and was back to normal. The only change in her behavior is wanting to stay close to mom. (She is lay in front of the computer monitor right now). She had a follow-up with our regular vet yesterday. He cleaned her ear again. Some dark gunk was in it, but it wasn't oozing like it did the previous Saturday. Unfortunately there is still some infection there so Lily had to have another antibiotic injection.

The troubling news is neither the emergency vet nor our regular vet can tell us how this happened in the first place. The best case scenario would be to have the infection clear up and Lily not have another problem with it. However, she's had this drainage happen a couple of times before. That means it could be a chronic issue with her. The worse case scenario would be surgery to remove her middle ear. Lily is deaf on that side, so losing her hearing isn't the scary part. The scary part is the vet said part of her skull would have to be removed to get to her middle ear.

Please keep Lily in your purrs and prayers that this surgery won't have to take place. She is such a sweet, gentle girl. None of us want to put her through that.