Happy Boxing Day

Okay, we are American Cats, so we really don't have a boxing day holiday. However, if there is a box around for us to get in then we are all for it! We hope all of our friends had a wonderful Christmas. Ours was on the quiet side. Mom and our uncle both had a stomach flu. Mom started feeling icky late Saturday night, and at 1:30am Sunday morning the festivities began. She was up about every two hours for about 6 hours. The nasty stuff stopped, but she ran a fever all day and just didn't feel well. Her fever broke over night and she felt a little better on Christmas day, but not enough to really eat. Our uncle was hit with it while he was at work on Christmas eve day. He works at "Wally World". The good news is he didn't get sick until his shift was about over. The bad news is, he exposed a lot of people to it. Of course, he didn't know he had it and that is what is sad. The other good news is he is feeling much better today.

I had my annual exam today. My vet said I'm in pretty good shape for a 17 year old kitty. I had my blood stolen and my claws trimmed and I also got my rabies vaccine. The vet said my lungs and heart sound great, and he didn't feel anything unusual when he was checking me out. I have lost a pound since November 2016. I weigh 7 lbs. now. I drink a lot of water, but I always have, so he isn't too worried about that. Mom told him that I like eating Sable's prescription kidney food and he said that was fine. And he added that I should be eating it anyway. YAY!!! It's nummy kibble. None of us like the canned prescription food.

Mom should hear from the vet with my lab report tomorrow. Hopefully it will all be good!

Purrs,

Clarissa

And then there were 12: Happy News!

It's wonderful to share some happy news. Do you remember those two two young kitties that were living in Tennessee? Mom decided to bring them home!!! She made a round trip drive from Louisville to Soddy Daisy, TN and back to Louisville on Saturday. Soddy Daisy, TN is just a little bit out of Chattanooga, TN. The girls are getting settled in and mama cat is trusting of mom. She isn't sure about the rest of us kitties though. She knows how to use the litter box and she is eating in the common area. Baby cat is wary. Once mom or uncle get her, she is fine. But she will take off like a shot if something loud scares her (like the front door opening). She is going to need a little work, but we think she is will be fine once she knows no is after her.

Mom has some good pictures of them, but she hasn't downloaded them from her phone yet.

Also, mom did stop by the 24-hour animal hospital before she brought the girls home. She had them tested for FeLuk/FIV. Both girls are negative for both illnesses. Mama and baby both got their first round of vaccines, and mama was big/old enough for her rabies vaccine. Both girls are scheduled for their spay surgery on January 4. 

Mom thought mama cat's name was Lavinia and baby cat's name was Rosalie, but she was wrong. Then she thought mama cat's name was Noel, and baby cat's name was Tovah. Now she thinks it may be the other way around. Mama is mostly white with some pale orange (more or a beige shade) patches. Baby is beige with white mittens on her front feet and full white stockings on her back feet & legs. Her belly is also white.

Mom was told that mama cat was born on March 1, which means she is still a baby herself. She weighs a little over 6 lbs. Baby cat weighs a little over 4 lbs. She is somewhere between 3-4 months old.

We will try to get some pictures posted of them soon.

Purrs,

Clarissa

And then there were 10: Fly Free sweet Memphis Meezer

Dearest Friends,

It has been a very rough four months for our household. Our Siamese/Manx, Memphis, crossed the Rainbow Bridge yesterday morning. Our vet discovered an irregular shaped growth in Memphis's mouth. He also had the beginning of a second one forming. It was with a heavy heart that I made the decision to say goodbye.

Memphis was adopted from the city shelter in February 2006 or 2007. I honestly don't remember. I do remember that he was approximately 2 years old, and that he took to my brother immediately. He made the ride home from the shelter with his hind quarters parked on the back of the seat and his front half draped over my brother's shoulder.

The saddest thing about Memphis was his mouth. That poor boy had mouth issues almost from the time he came to us. He had chronic gingivitis. He would go through a round of antibiotics and then have a thorough cleaning and be good to go for several months, and then it would start all over again. We always knew when the problem returned because he would get mad at his food dish because his mouth hurt.

Memphis was laying in my lap over the weekend and I noticed something on the side of his mouth, on the edge of his lip. It was a fleshy growth. I was concerned about it and that is why he was at the vet's office yesterday. His vet wasn't concerned about it, but was very troubled when she looked in his mouth. That is when she found the growths and some small lesions. He was also in a lot of pain when she was doing the exam.

The kindest thing I could do for Memphis was to let him go. This situation was not going to get better. Memphis has joined those who went before him. I hope they guided him on his journey.

With so many loses in such a short time I feel like I haven't had the time to properly grieve for Johnny, Spunky, Lily, and now Memphis. I also feel like it isn't a good time to bring in a kitten and her almost kitten mom. I am going to do what I can to help get them to a good home or to a no-kill rescue.

I know when one has a house full of senior cats, the time will come when goodbyes have to be said. But I never, ever expected that I would have to say goodbye to four of my precious babies within weeks of each other. It has left me feeling almost numb.

Kitties, hug your humans. Humans, hug your kitties.

Clarissa's Mom, Malinda

Our Fur Family Maybe Expanding

With so many recent losses and having so many senior cats, mom has been adamant about NOT taking in any more kitties for the time being. We have settled into a new pecking order and everyone seems to be happy with their station in our household. And then this happened in Tennessee:

One of mom's online friends wrote about these two. The top one is the kitten. She's about 3 months old. The bottom one is the mom. We don't know how old she is, but she looks young. There were two or three other kittens that a neighbor trapped and dumped in a different area. This little one and her mom hid and escaped his clutches.

A lot of circumstances will come into play regarding mom taking them in. Of course, the first thing is they will need to be captured and vetted. Mom has no doubt that they have the normal outdoor cat things going on: fleas, earmites, and worms. But those are treatable. What she must know is if they are FeLV negative and FIV negative. Unfortunately, if they test positive for either then mom can't take them.

Mom's other concern, should these babies check out healthy, is how will we accept them? She doesn't think the kitten will be a huge probably, but she is concerned about the adult. Another woman that is helping with the rescue said if mom cat doesn't work out, she would take her, so there is a backup plan.

Wonder if these Tennessee cats meow with a Southern drawl? They are located near Chattanooga.

So that's what is going on in our part of the world.

And Then There Were 11: Farewell sweet Lily Rose DeWinter

It seems we only post now when there is sad news. Our family said goodbye to our sweet Lillian Rose DeWinter on Saturday. We knew it was coming, but we didn't expect it to be so soon after losing both Johnny and Spunky.

When Lily saw her eye specialist last week, mom asked them to weigh Lily. She was painfully thin and weighed in at only 5 lbs. She had stopped grooming over the summer, so mom would brush her coat, and occasionally she would have to wash Lily's hindquarters. The ulcer on Lily's eye was also starting to look worse. Per the eye specialist's instructions, mom was putting several different drops and a soothing gel in Lily's eyes multiple times per day. When mom did Lily's eye drops on Saturday morning, Lily cried out in pain. It was the first time she had ever done so during all of her treatments. That's when mom knew it was time to say goodbye. She wasn't going to allow Lily to hurt.

Our regular vet's office was able to meet with mom late that morning. They had all of the paperwork ready to go. Mom thought Dr. R might cry right along with her. He hadn't seen Lily is quite awhile and I think he was surprised to see how thin she was.

With the help of Dr. R, Lily passed peacefully shortly before noon on Saturday, November 4. Mom was right beside her, stroking Lily's head and telling how much she was loved. We all loved Lily, even when she was being a diva.

Mom was having Lily cremated. When asked if she wanted a paw print, mom declined. Lily was a four paw declaw and she hated having her feet touched. Even in death, mom didn't want anyone messing with Lily's paws.

We aren't exactly sure about Lily's age, but we think she was around 17 years old. She was 6 or 7 when mom adopted her from the Kentucky Humane Society. She adopted Fred at the same time. He was younger at 2 years old. It is hard to believe that they are both Angels now.

Besides being a total declawed kitty, Lily was also partially deaf. About 2-3 years ago she started losing her eyesight. Glaucoma and cataracts. If she had been younger, mom would have had cataract surgery done for her. But at 14 the vet said she wouldn't recommend it. Lily developed an ulcer on on eye early this year. It never seemed to bother her, but she was getting the many eye drops and the soothing gel. About two weeks ago that eye started looking worse. It was just one thing after another for that sweet girl.

We know that fair Lily is much happier and healthier at the Bridge. She has her claws back, she can hear, and she can see again. We miss her, but we know it was the right thing to do.

Rest easy Lily Rose. We will meet again.

And then there were 12: R.I.P Spunky

Clarissa is letting me take over her blog once again. It seems that I am always the bearer of sad news. I said farewell to my big, sweet, doofus boy Spunky on Wednesday. Unlike Johnny's passing, which was expected, Spunky's passing came out of the blue.

All of my kitties have the feline herpes virus. Some have respiratory issues when it flares. Others have eye issues when it flares. Spunky was one of my kitties that would have eye issues. A few months ago I noticed that his right eye was "winky" and it had some of that stringy goop. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. I took him to the vet, got some ointment, and the eye started looking better. But it never totally cleared up.

Back to the vet for an oral antibiotic (liquid). Spunky, although a big goofball and love bug, would turn into a fighter whenever it was time for his meds. He got them, but not on a set schedule. It was very hit and miss. He would see me coming and run under the bed. If I did manage to wrangle him. sometimes he would get away from me and run under the bed. On Tuesday night, I found him on my bed. His eye was swollen shut, and there was tiny bit of blood coming from it. I made an immediate trip to the emergency vet. Lily's eye specialist is located there, although I knew at that hour she would be gone. It wasn't clear if Spunky's eye had ruptured or not. He was given pain meds and another liquid/oral antibiotic. I took him home and isolated him in a spare room. He hated it and he cried to be out.

After a week on the antibiotic and pain meds there was no change. His eye continued to bleed. On Tuesday (Oct. 3) I called the animal ophthalmologist who sees Lily. She had no openings, but I was told I could drop him off the next morning and she would work him in.

Dr. T. called me after she saw him. She was 99% certain that Spunky had a tumor and that it was cancerous. They only way to be 100% sure would be to surgically remove his eye and have tissue sent to the lab. If it was cancer, the chances of it coming back were high.

It was with a heavy heart that I decided to let him go. It was not a decision that I made lightly. I had just spent close to $700 on Johnny for lab work, medicine, and finally, helping him cross the Bridge and his cremation. I had spent close to $300 on Spunky's ER visit, and another $100 to board him. I feel horrible that economics had to be a factor in my decision. Spunky's age was also another factor. He was 15. He was in pain. Even if I had brought him home for hospice care, he would have been kept in a closed room so he would be able to get his pain meds and not hide on me. He would have been miserable. I ask that you not judge me harshly for the decision I made.

I will always miss that sweet boy. I lost his sister, Panda, to kidney disease when she was only 9. I worry about his other sister, Ginger, and if she will cope with his passing. They were a bonded pair and cuddled together a lot. She still has her buddy, Batman, to snuggle with.

Several people have asked me if I will get another cat or two to "replace" Johnny and Spunky. I don't think they intended to sound cold or uncaring. I don't think it was meant to be that way. Those boys can never be replaced. The wounds of losing to furbabies in two weeks will take time to heal. I have 12 senior cats to take care of. I can't even consider bringing another kitty into my home at this time.

Fly free my sweet goofy boy. I will always love you.

Spunky

2002-2017

Thank You

The kitties and I want to send a heartfelt THANK YOU for the kind words left regarding Johnny's passing. It means so very much to us. Johnny was a sweet boy (most of the time!) and he will be missed. His brother, Cash, gave me extra loving on Tuesday night...until he was distracted by a housefly.

I've included the last pictures I took of Johnny. These were taken on Sunday evening. His face is thin, and you can see how thin he is in the last picture.

And then there were 13...

Good morning my friends! I'm at my Bridge mansion and I'm about ready to start exploring the place. I apologize for surprising you all with this news.

I've been very, very sick. I don't know if you all will remember this, but back at the end of December and into January I lost a lot of weight. I had a UTI, but the big issue was with my liver. I went on two types of antibiotics and a liver supplement. The UTI cleared up and I started gaining weight. Soon I went from 9 lbs. back to my regular weight of 13 lbs.

I was doing very well until a few weeks ago. I started losing weight and I was back down to 9 lbs. A full blood panel was done, and it showed that my liver was acting up again, but this time it was worse. I spent last week taking those two antibiotics again, but they weren't helping me at all. I spent most of my time either sleeping on the foot of the bed, or hiding under the bed. I stopped eating. I stopped drinking water. I didn't want to cuddle with mom either.

Mom made an appointment with my vet for 8:30 this morning. Last night I came into the living room and jumped onto the foot of the recliner. I laid across mom's legs and told her I was ready to go. Mom still wasn't 100% sure until she took me in to see Dr. Green this morning. I had lost more weight, and the whites of my eyes had a slight yellow tint. The lining of my ears were also yellow. Mom knew then that I was right.

Dr. Green gave me a shot of medicine so I would relax. Mom held me, and talked to me, and she cried into my fur. When Dr. Green came back, she helped me across the Bridge. Mom stroked my head and whispered how much she loved me.

Once I'm settled into my Mansion, I want to have the biggest party ever!

Purrs,
Johnny Cat


Mom Malinda here. It is never easy when we have to say farewell to one of our furbabies. I was truly hoping that Dr. Green and I could pull Johnny through this again. His liver had other ideas. I honestly thought I was going to lose him back in early January. Johnny was seen by the vet that was filling in for Dr. Green while she was out for the Christmas holiday. Johnny had blood work done and the vet said everything looked fine in the lab results. Johnny continued to lose weight so I took him back in to see Dr. Green. I told her the substitute vet said all was fine with his lab work. Dr. Green looked over the results and said it wasn't fine! The numbers showed that something was off with his liver function! I was furious; not with Dr. Green, but with the incompetent substitute vet! A secondary lab was ran and it confirmed the results of the first lab. Johnny pulled through that scare and I am so grateful that he was with me for another 9 months.

I don't think Johnny was in any pain, but his quality of life was slipping away. He still had enough strength to jump onto my bed, or walk into another room. But he was losing his ability/drive to be social. He never growled or hissed, but he spent the last couple of weeks wanting to sleep at on the foot of my bed, or hide under one of the beds. He had stopped eating and drinking. I gave him water with a syringe, and tried to syringe feed him with baby food.

Johnny and his brother were being surrendered because their guardians had lost their home. I happened to be at the right place at the right time, so they came home with me. It was an easy transition for them, but not for some of my other cats. Eventually the other cats learned to tolerate them, with the exception of Memphis Meezer. He wanted nothing to do with them.

My heart is heavy, but I know Johnny is at peace.

We are in Mousebreath Magazine today!!!!!

We are so excited!!! Our interview is in Mousebreath Magazine today!!! The link is below!!!

 

Mousebreath Interview: Clarissa & 13 Furblings

Tabby Cuteness

You may recall that our Aunty Jennifer (Velvet's meowmie) was taking care of a mom cat and her kittens. They kept visiting her yard and she eventually trapped all of them on the same day. Babymomma, now named Khaleesi, moved in with Aunty Jennifer. She also kept one of the black kittens, now named Maggie.  Mom took the other black boy kitten to her friend in South Carolina. That kitten is now named Smudge. Maggie and Smudge look just like their mom.

There were also three tabby kittens in that litter. One went into foster care by itself. That kitten wasn't as friendly as the others and needed to be socialized. We don't know if that tabby was a boy or girl. The other two tabby kittens, which are girls, went to a home together. Aunty Jennifer sent our mom a recent picture of them. They are growing up to be lovely ladies and they look like their papacat. He is a handsome silver tabby with blue eyes.

We don't know the names of the sisters, but they sure are beautiful.

Purrs,
Clarissa

This and That Tuesday

Good morning! It's a beautiful, bright, and sunny morning. The outside temperature is 60F and their is no humidity. Mom said it is the perfect morning to be outside...except she is inside at work. I wanted to give some updates on a few things I've recently written about.

Lily is being a real trooper about getting all of her eye drops. Mom does give her a couple of crunchy treats between each set of drops. Mom wanted to associate the drops with some positive reinforcement. So far that seems to work. Mom doesn't seen a big difference in Lily's eyes, but they don't appear to be getting worse.

Mom's cataract surgery on her right eye has been scheduled for May 31st. She had lasik surgery way back in 2002 and that corrected her nearsightedness and her astigmatism. The eye surgeon is going to replacement mom's cloudy lens with a toric lens. That will take care of the astigmatism like the lasick surgery did. Many people have told mom that the surgery is easy peasy. She hopes so because having her eyeball cut on is a scary thing.

More mom news. You know humans aren't graceful, right? Well mom does pretty well most of the time. But those times when she isn't graceful she does it up big time. "Go big or go home" defines mom! MOL.  Well she fell on Saturday night. She was participating in a small belly dance show at a local tattoo parlor that has a nice gallery space on the first floor. The main floor is where the show was taking place. On that same floor there is one step up that leads to the back where the restrooms are. She forgot about that one step. Yeppers, she missed it and splatted herself flat out on the hardwood floor. She received a little "floor burn" on her elbow and knee, but otherwise seemed to be okay. As the adrenaline from the fall wore off, mom noticed that her pinky finger on her right hand was sore. She didn't think much about it. She danced later, did fine, had a great time, and headed home after the show was over. When she woke up on Sunday morning her pinky finger was swollen and sticking out from her other fingers, like when we spread our toesies. Except one toesie doesn't go back. Well that's how mom's finger looked. It was also very bruised at the base.

She went to the immediate care center. X-rays were taken, and although they couldn't see anything unusual, they splinted her hand and told her to keep it splinted until a radiologist could look at the x-rays. Mom heard back yesterday that nothing was broken. That was great news. She left the splint on over night and took it off this morning. Her the bruising is mostly along the inside of her finger and across the middle joint. She guesses she must have hit it there when she landed. She can bend the finger, although it is stiff and hurts. But it could have been a lot worse.

I hate to end this post with very sad news. Our friend kitty friend Velvet crossed the Bridge on Saturday afternoon. She is the kitty that had a fast growing cancer in her stomach. Aunty Jen said that Velvet had stopped eating and drinking, and she could no longer control her bladder. Aunty Jen gave her the bestest gift she could. She helped her cross the Bridge with dignity. Velvet was only 7 years old. Fly free sweet girl. You earned your wings.

Purrs,
Clarissa

The Eyes Have It

Yes, today's post is about eyes. Specifically, Lily's eyes and mom's eyes. I'll start with Lily since she is more important. She is a cat after all!

For those who don't know, Lily is blind and also has glaucoma. She developed cataracts about two years ago. She could have had surgery to remove the cataracts, but at 14 the eye specialist said she wouldn't recommend it. Lily has adjusted well to her blindness and gets around the house with few problems. Once in awhile she will bump her nose into the wall. She doesn't jump up onto the cat tree any more, but she will jump onto the kitchen stool so she can steal Sable's prescription food!

Lily sees the ophthalmologist about every three months. The doctor checks her eye pressure and looks for any changes. Lily has been getting daily eye drops since she was diagnosed with glaucoma. She has done quite well on them and her dosage was eventually lowered from twice a day to once a day. Eventually a second type of eye drop was added to her treatment.

On May 6th, mom noticed that Lily's left eye looked "off".  Mom called the vet's office and talked to the technician. The tech relayed the information to Lily's doctor. It was determined that since Lily wasn't rubbing at her eye and there was no discharge, Lily could wait until May 17th when she had her next appointment.

It was determined this morning that Lily is developing an ulcer on her left eye. She has paralysis on the left side of her face due to nerve damage. The nerve damaged occurred when Lily had surgery to clean out the deformed bones in her left ear (she kept getting abscesses from bacteria growth). Mom knew that the nerve damage was a strong possibility but the surgery was necessary. Unfortunately, Lily's left eye no longer blinks properly. Since the eyelid doesn't blink, her eye dries out, and the dry eye is causing the ulcer to form.

$300 later, mom and Lily left the office with two additional eye drops and an eye gel. Lily isn't hard to handle while getting her drops, but mom feels bad because she is afraid that Lily will start avoiding her. It's a lot of eye drops for a little old lady cat to deal with.

This is what Lily will now get on a daily basis:

Azopt Solution - 1 drop in each eye once a day.
Idoxuridine Solution - 1 drop in each eye twice a day.
Ofloxacin Solution - 1 drop in left eye three times a day.
Sodium Chloride Solution - 1 drop in each eye three times a day. (The vet said this one stings a bit).
OptixCare Gel - small amount in left eye 4-6 times daily.

Mom is hoping that once the ulcer is healed Lily may not need all of the newly added meds. She will probably need the gel for the rest of her earthly days. Also, mom is hoping to go to North Carolina for a week in July. She has already made arrangements to board Lily while she is away. She said it is too much to ask her friend(s) to come over three times a day to take care of Lily. She has a friend who will stop by once a day to pill Johnny and me (I get predisone every other day).

Now, depending on what happens regarding mom and her upcoming EYE SURGERY, her trip to North Carolina may not happen. Like Lily, mom has developed cataracts. It's been going on for several years. Last June mom had an eye exam, got new glasses, and by the end of the year she couldn't see well with them at night. She saw her ophthalmologist in February and he said her cataracts were worse and it wouldn't do any good to change her glasses, however he didn't recommend surgery yet. He wanted to see her again in May. Her appointment was yesterday. Her vision (especially night vision) is worse and he said surgery could be done. Now mom is waiting to hear from the office to schedule cataract surgery for her right eye. Once her right eye has healed, she will have the left eye done.

Mom said the crazy thing is she can read without her glasses unless the print is teeny tiny. But when driving, she can't read signage even with her glasses. She does fine during the day, but the glare from the headlights on other cars is bad. Also, she has "halos" around those same lights. The only real driving she does at night now is picking her brother up at work. It's not too far from our house. And when it rains at night she doesn't want to drive at all.

Mom said, "I'm too young for cataracts." She'll be 57 this summer. We meowed at her to be quiet and be glad she can have something done about it!

I'll keep you posted on further developments.

Purrs,
Clarissa

Canadian Visitors

We wanted to share some pictures mom took at work this morning. She said she pulled into the parking lot and these two Canadian geese were strolling through with their goslings. Mom took the pictures from inside the car. She said she was afraid to get out and get closer because she knows that geese will come after you! There were four large (about chicken size in height) goslings with the two adults.

It gets better!  She looked around and another pair of adult geese were walking with a larger brood of goslings! Mom said there were about 6 little ones and they were smaller than the first group.

She sees geese around the parking lot quite often, but in her 20 years working there she has never seen babies! It made her morning.

We are all doing well. Mom rearranged some things at home. When she switched cable companies she moved the t.v. from the family room at the back of the house to the living room at the front of the house. Several years ago she had new windows put in around half of the house. The living room stays cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter with those new windows. We were a little confused at the change when it first happened. Lily still gets a bit disoriented by it. Since she is blind and half deaf we understand why. She will come in and start crying very loudly. Mom or our uncle will pick her up and cuddle her for awhile. That helps a lot. She can usually find her way back to the food and water, the litter boxes, and her bed.

It's been almost 5 months since mom had the surgery on her wrist and arm. Overall she is doing well and is lifting things like she used to do. She can't say the surgery was 100% successful at relieving the pain she had prior to the procedure. It is a lot better, but she still gets the pain in her wrist. That could be arthritis.

We hope everyone is happy and well and enjoying the spring weather!

Purrs,

Clarissa & Co.

Dear Litte Cat - A Letter From The Heart

We are going to let our mom take over today. Her eyes keep leaking and she said she really needs to write this. She asked us to warn everyone that is is very, very sad and she doesn't want you to be upset. Also, we want to assure you that we are all fine and well.

p.s.

If you want to share this letter mom said it would be okay.

Purrs,
Clarissa








Dear Little Cat,

I was on my way to work this morning when I saw your lifeless body in the road. You lived on a street somewhere in my neighborhood. I drove around you and went on my way. But I couldn't get you out of my mind. I knew your spirit was gone, but I couldn't leave your body in the road. I got off the expressway at the next exit and went back to where I saw you. You were still there, and I was grateful that you hadn't been hit again.

Dear Little Cat, I parked at the side of the road and looked for something in my car to put you in. All I had were some reusable bags from the grocery. That would have to do. I hope you didn't mind that I used one of the bags to pick you up. Your little body was stiff. There was only a little blood near your head. I carefully put your body in the other bag and put the bag I had used to pick you up over you.

Dear Little Cat, not knowing what else to do, I took you to my vet's office. Maybe you had been there before when you were alive. It's there in the neighborhood. One of the technician's scanned you for a microchip. You didn't have one. The technicians assured me that your body would be cremated.

Dear Little Cat. I am so very sorry this happened to you. I will never know if you had a home and people who loved you. Maybe you were always a free spirit and never belonged to anyone. Maybe you were a door dasher and escaped and now your people will never know what happened to you. Maybe you cried and cried and cried to go outside and your people finally gave in and let you out. Maybe they cared more about their furniture being scratched up. Only you know they answer.

Dear Little Cat. You were such a pretty little silver tabby. I will never forget you. I hope your death was swift and painless. And I hope you are running through the fields and enjoying your new life across the Rainbow Bridge. And I hope you know that I care.

Clarissa's Mom

Tuesday, Tuesday

Good morning everyone. It is a cloudy, misty morning in Louisville, KY. We hope there are sun puddles where you are. It's been awhile since we checked in. There isn't a lot of news to report, and that isn't such a bad thing.

Johnny had another follow-up visit with his vet on March 21. He had gained another 3/4 lb. That put him back to almost 11 lbs. He finished his antibiotics, but he will be on a daily liver supplement for the rest of his life. Mom said he is fairly easy to pill. That is good for both her and Johnny!

Brother Spunky was at the vet's last Friday. Mom said it looked like he had conjunctivitis in both eyes. The vet said he had a lower fever (103). Spunky was suppose to get his annual rabies vaccine while he was there, but the doctor didn't want to give it to him due to his fever. And since he is impossible to pill, the vet put him on a liquid antibiotic. It is suppose to be tuna flavored, but Spunky still knows it is medicine!

There rest of us are all doing well, and that makes mom happy.

We are sorry this is so short. We'll try to write more the next time.

Purrs,
Clarissa & Co.

Another Follow-Up Post Regarding Johnny

Everyone's purrs and prayers and positive thoughts seem to be working! Johnny saw the vet again yesterday. He has gained another half pound! This makes us all so happy. The vet said he looks good and that even his fur looked better.

Mom managed to steal some of his poop on Saturday morning. She took it to the vet that same morning so she could look for anything nasty or something that just shouldn't be there. Nothing to report in the poop department. It was normal.

The plan of action is for Johnny to continue taking the antibiotics for three more weeks, along with the supplement. He will go back on or around March 21 for another weight check. Of course, if he starts slipping or something is amiss with him, he will go back sooner. The vet said the supplement is something Johnny will be taking for the rest of his life.

Keep your paws crossed that Johnny continues to gain weight and improve. Also keep your paws crossed that the rest of us stay healthy. Mom said that been Daisy's dental surgery and Johnny's illness she has spent about $4000. She is seriously considering a "Go Fund Me" page to help cover the vet bills. She said she hates to do that though because we are her responsibility, not someone elses.

Purrs,
Clarissa & Co.

Update: Johnny's Ultrasound Results

Thank you all for your words of encouragement. Mom dropped Johnny off at the vet's this morning for his ultrasound. She would have liked to have been there with him, but it was scheduled for the same time as her appointment with the eye doctor.

Overall Johnny's results are good. His liver looks good. The vet said this something small on what would be considered his appendix. It could be something or it could be nothing. The only way to know for sure would require a biopsy. She said she did not recommend doing that at this time. We will continue monitoring him for the time being.

Dr. Green said that Johnny has gained 8 oz.! That is a half-pound!!! Considering that he lost 1.5 lbs. in 4 weeks, that was great news. Johnny will continue taking the medicines that were prescribed on February 4th. He will finish out the antibiotics and the supplement. Dr. Green wants to see Johnny in a week to check his weight again. She also told mom that she would really like to have a stool sample from Johnny. That would allow her to check for anything nasty in his gut. Mom will have to isolate Johnny in a room by himself in order to do that. With 14 of us it would be impossible to determine whose poop she is stealing from the litter box!

That's all we have for now. Thanks again for everyone's support. Keep Johnny in your purrs for continued improvement!

Purrs,
Clarissa & Co.

Monday Mews

Wow! It's already mid-February! It hasn't felt much like winter in Louisville, Kentucky. The temps seem to be warmer than usual for winter. There hasn't been any measurable snow here either. We think most of it has gone north of us. According to the news it looks like the northeast has gotten more snow than they want!

What we have had is rain. Although it is sunny today, we've had a lot of rain this winter. Mom said she'd rather have rain or snow, but not that stuff that falls in between: sleet and/or freezing rain. According to mom, when there is snow she can still get traction on the road when she drives. Not so much when there is ice on the roads. Since we don't drive we have to take her word for it.

Mom had a follow-up appointment with her surgeon at the end of January. Her wrist and arm are healing nicely now and she has been released from his care. The incision on her palm and wrist are barely noticeable now. However the incisions on her arm, especially the one on the outside of her arm, have left ugly scars. She is hoping they will fade with time.

Daisy has recovered from her dental extraction. In case you've forgotten, she had most of her teeth taken out at the beginning of January. She still has her bottom fangs. Since she finished her post-surgery antibiotics her breath no longer smells like something crawled into her mouth and died. And that, friends, is a good thing!

Brother Johnny has been under the weather. He and Cash had their annual exam at the end of December. Johnny had lost almost 3 lbs. and weighed just under 11 lbs. The vet suggested that Johnny have a blood panel ran. The vet called the following day and said everything looked good and to monitor Johnny.

Mom kept an eye on him. His appetite was good but he continued to lose weight. Mom took Johnny back to the vet on February 4th. He had lost another 1.5 lbs in a month's time. That put him down to 9.5 lbs. He was getting too thin through his hindquarters.

The vet felt around on Johnny, and listened to his heart and lungs. She said she didn't feel anything unusual and his heart and lungs sounded great. Mom mentioned a possible thyroid issue so the vet pulled out Johnny's lab results. She said that two different thyroid tests had be ran and they were fine. HOWEVER, his cholesterol and BUN were both low. She said that could indicate a problem with Johnny's liver.

The vet who saw Johnny and Cash in December was a substitute vet. Our regular vets (they are a husband/wife team) were on vacation. The substitute vet never said anything about Johnny's low cholesterol and low BUN! Mom was not happy and let our regular vet know this.

Our regular vet said she thought it best to redo Johnny's lab work. She would have the lab add another type of test for any thyroid issues. She also wanted to run a urinalysis. More blood was taken for the lab. Mom dropped Johnny off at the vet's office when she was on her way to work on the following Monday. She was going to leave him for the day so they could get a urine sample from him. Johnny's bladder said it wasn't giving up anything for them! He ended up spending the night and they got the needed sample the next morning.

(1) The urinalysis showed a bad UTI. Lots of bacteria and some blood in his urine. That in itself is enough to make Johnny feel bad.

(2) The blood work results were the same as the December results. Everything was fine, including his thyroid. However, the his cholesterol and BUN were still low.

For the past week Johnny has been on three medications. He has two different antibiotics that he gets twice each day. They will take care of his UTI and any infection that he might have in is liver. He also is getting a supplement once a day that is for liver support. Mom tried giving him the pills in those pill pocket treats. He took them the first two times. Then he figured it out! Now mom has to actually pill him. He does pretty well and he gets a couple of treats when she is done.

Johnny has a follow-up appointment tomorrow. He will have a weight check (mom said it appears that he has gained a little weight) and he is going to have an ultrasound done. The ultrasound is the best way to actually see if there is anything wrong with his liver (too large, too small, any growths or tumors around it). We will let you know what mom finds out.

Purrs,
Clarissa & Co.

Happy Adoption News

Not long ago I mentioned mom's friend who had two kitties cross the Bridge within a week or two of each other. That left her other "old man" cat, Fritz, alone. He was missing his buddies. Well, I have some happy news for you. She has adopted two kitties from the Goat House Refuge in Pittsboro, NC.

Regan is white with black markings. He is settling in nicely and likes to play with the red dot!

The other kitty is Molly. She is an orange beauty who is blind in one eye. Aunty Krista has already shared pics of Miss Molly stretched out snoozing on her bed. I don't have a picture of that scene, but I do have one of her pretty face.

I'm not sure how old either of these new babies are, but I think they may be young adults.

If any of our friends are in the Raleigh-Durham area and are looking for a kitty or three, send them to the Goat House Refuge in Pittsboro, NC.  It is a no-kill facility and they always have lots of kitties ready for adoption.

Have a great weekend!

Purrs,
Clarissa

Update: Lily Rose DeWinter

Our blind sisfur, Lily Rose, had her quarterly checkup with her specialist this morning. Overall the report on her eyes was good. Her eye pressure was good, but she does have some blood vessels appearing on the surface of one eye.

Her doctor told mom to continue giving Lily the Azopt solution. She gets one drop in each eye once per day. Mom is to add the Idoxurine solution drops. Lily was getting them for awhile. Lily will get those drops (one in each eye) twice per day. Her next eye check up will be on May 18.

Lily has been having a little discharge from her eyes, but the doctor couldn't find anything wrong. It could be allergy related or it could be part of the feline herpes virus. Lily had a sneezing fit on the way to the vet and another one on the way home.

Mom has also noticed some thin patches of fur on Lily. This happened once before. It is not fleas. Recently she had a bald patch show up on her cheek. That fur is growing back, but she now has an almost bald patch on her back. It also looks like she is getting a bald patch on her chest. Mom is going to keep an eye on her. If the spots get worse, or if she develops more of the, mom will take her to our regular vet.

We have to keep mom on her toes!!!

Purrs,
Clarissa

In Memorium: Mac, Dusty, Jazpurr, Chuck, and George, and Tuna

Over the past few months several of our furiends have crossed the Rainbow Bridge. We wanted to take a moment to honor them.

Dusty, Jazpurr, and Mac lived in Tennessee. They were brothers from different mothers. Dusty was a handsome gray mancat. He crossed the Bridge last fall. Jazpurr was a good looking white & gray mancat. He predeceased Dusty. Unfortunately we don't know when Jazpurr crossed over. Mac, their ginger tabby brother, crossed the Bridge yesterday. His mom said his health was failing when Dusty crossed. Dusty, Jazpurr and Mac had long, lives. All lived well into their late teens. Mom got to meet their purrents when they visited Louisville.

 Mac, Jazpurr, & Dust LaBresh

Two of our friends who live in North Carolina crossed the Bridge within a couple of weeks of each other. They were also brothers from different mothers. Their mom used to live in Louisville. George was the color of smoke. Not exactly black but not exactly gray. He was found as a kitten in the parking lot of the apartment building where Aunty Krista was living. Mom remembers George as a little kitten. Chuck was an orange and white tabby. He was also a found kitten. Aunty Krista had moved into a house by then (still in Louisville) and Chuck's mom would come through the yard with her kittens in tow. It's been so long ago that mom doesn't remember if the other kittens were caught and re-homed. George was 21 years old. Chuck was 19. They leave behind their brother Fritz.-

Chuck and George Biggs

Lastly, you may have heard of The Amazing Acro-Cats (with The Rock Cats) and maybe your purrents had an opportunity to see them perform. Mom was fortunate enough to have seen them twice. After a battle with an aggressive form of cancer, Tuna crossed the Bridge last week. She was their star performer and leader of The Rock Cats. She would ring a desk bell and perform other tricks (along with other cats, rats, a chicken and a groundhog). Tuna was also leader of The Rock Cats band and played cowbell.

Tuna Martin

Fly free sweethearts. We know you all were loved and will be remember by those who knew you.

Purrs,

Clarissa

Woe is me: A post from Princess Daisy Thistlechaser

Oh woe is me, kitties!!! Over the past two weeks I have been poked, prodded, had my teeth stolen, and poked and prodded some more. Settle in and I will tell you my tale of woe. You see, it started with me losing weight. At my prime I weighed about 9 lbs. Mom also noticed that my breath was horrible. She took me to my regular vet. That was about two weeks before Christmas. I was weighed and was down to about 6.5 lbs.  The vet said I was dehydrated too, and that my gums were inflamed. I was given fluids and a B-12 shot. This was one a Monday evening.

I had a more extensive appointment with a different vet at a different clinic on the Thursday of that same week. I had a more thorough exam. The vet agreed that I was underweight. She tried to look in my mouth and I screamed at her. I didn't mean too. It's just that my mouth was really hurting. The technician took me into a different room where they stole some blood and took pictures of my mouth. The vet who examined me wanted the pictures to show to another vet who does the dental surgeries. I was given more fluids and an extended-release shot for pain control.

My lab work came back on that Saturday (December 17). There was nothing unusual there. The dental vet had looked at the pictures of my mouth and said that some of my teeth needed to be removed. She said there was a possibility that all of my teeth would have to go, but she couldn't determine that until she actually got into my mouth. My dental surgery was scheduled for January 3. Mom would drop me off at the office on the evening of January 2.

I had two more visits at my regular vet's office for fluids and B-12 shots. One was on the Friday before Christmas and the other was on the Friday before New Year's.

My dental surgery didn't start until the afternoon of Jan. 3. I did fine, but because it was so late in the day it was decided that I would stay overnight. When the vet spoke with my mom, she told her that I had all of my teeth removed except for my two bottom fangs. Some of the teeth broke off and the vet had to cut the roots out. So I also had stitches in my mouth!!!! Let me tell you kitties, stitches in your mouth sucks!!! I had more fluids and was given a warm blanket and I slept.

Mom picked me up after she got of work the next day. I meowed all the way home! She made a place for me in the spare room, but I hated it. She thought it would be good for me to have a place to stay where the other cats wouldn't bother me. I was so miserable being by myself that I convinced mom to let me out the next day.

I had a follow-up visit at the clinic on Saturday. I had lost weight and now weigh just under 6 lbs. The vet looked in my mouth and said everything was healing nicely. She even found a little food stuck under my upper lip. She rinsed that out for me. I was given more fluids, another B-12 shot, another shot of the long lasting pain meds, and 1/4 of an appetite stimulant tablet. The vet told mom to make sure I stayed on the antibiotic. I perked up quite a bit and yesterday I was more social. I've been grooming, drinking water on my own, and I'm more interested in food.

I'm not out of the woods yet though. The struggle is to get some weight back on. I don't like canned food, so that makes it harder for me to eat. My mouth hurt so much for so long that I'm a little put off by food. But I'm trying to eat so I will feel better.

And now a brief update on mom. Katie Isabella wanted to know how mom was doing since her surgery. Mom is healing up nicely. She had a brief setback by going back to work too soon. She ended up with an infection in one of the incisions. She ended up on another round of Clyndimicin and a round of Bactrim. She had to take both for two weeks. She also rolled over in bed and caught her bad arm beneath herself. She pulled out some of her stitches!!! She left a trail of blood drops from her bed to the bathroom sink! That happened the night that she felt so bad (before she went back to the doctor).

Mom's incisions look so much better now. She is doing a little more with her right hand, and she even did a little knitting over the weekend. She still can't lift much. The doctor said it will be 3-6 months before she has full strength back.