Welcome Home Bart!!!

Hi Friends! While watching the noon news today, mom saw a spot for a kitty that needed a forever home. Metro Animal Services had a "empty the shelter" event over the weekend. All of the cats & kittens were adopted...except Bart. You see, Bart is an "old man". He is 15 years old, and he has what humans call a cauliflower ear. It's not clear if his ear was damaged from infection or a fight. Bart is also a front paw declaw.  Mom kept thinking about him so she decided to go take a look at him.

Bart was relaxing in his cubicle at the shelter. Mom was able to open the door and pet him. He was very sweet and that was all it took. She filled out the paperwork and within 30-45 minutes Bart was coming home with her.

Our vet was able to check Bart out. He has a clean bill of health. The vet said Bart should have his teeth clean due to a tartar build up, but we are waiting on the results of his blood work. If that comes back good, then she will schedule a cleaning.

Here is Bart's bio from the shelter's Facebook page. It says he weighs 15 lbs, but that's incorrect. He weighed in at just under 13 lbs at the vet's office. Bart is a long haired chonky boy.

And then were 6: RIP Cash

Hi friends. It seems that we post only when one of my cats crosses the Rainbow Bridge.

It is with a heavy heart that I tell you that dear, sweet Cash has left us. Cash had been diagnosed with stage 3 kidney failure in January. He was doing well until the last week or so. Although he was interested in food, he wouldn't eat much. Besides his prescription kibble, he was also getting canned food. He ate like the Fancy Feast/Iams/Sheba pates as long as they were seafood. He reach a point from eating a full can, to only taking a couple of bites. I gave him the Friskies Lil' Soups, also seafood flavored. He would lap up the sauce/broth and leave the bits of fish behind. Over the past week he started leaving most of the broth behind.

Cash weighed around 14 lbs. when in his prime. His last weigh in yesterday had him at 6.5 lbs. Although he was alert and wanted all of the pets and cuddles he could get, he was restless. He took to pacing around the house. When he did rest, he would be hunched up with his front paws curled beneath him. I could tell he wasn't feeling well.

Yesterday is when I said goodbye. Cash passed peacefully at our vet's office. I was there to stroke his head and tell him how much he was loved. I'm sure his brother, Johnny (he passed in September 2017) was there to greet him. I told Cash to not let Johnny pick on him.

Johnny and Cash (I did not name them) came to me out of the blue. I was not looking for any kitties to adopt at that time. While in the vet's office (not my vet) with a friend, a young couple came in with those two handsome boys. The story they told the receptionist was that they had lost their apartment and the place where they were staying would not let them keep their cats. They wanted to surrender them to the vet's office. Unfortunately, the office could not take the cats in. They were told that the cats would have to go to a shelter. As the couple were getting ready to leave I told them I would take the cats. I explained that I had cats and I might have to re-home these two, but as long as they were with me they would have the best care. Of course I kept both of them.

They were such handsome tabby cats. They were 6 years old and were litter mates.I couldn't remember which one was Johnny and which one was Cash. One had some white on his throat so I said, "You're Johnny." That's how I could tell them apart. Johnny was the smaller of the two, yet he was the dominant one. They would participate in mutual "aggressive grooming" until Johnny would pin Cash down. He would bite Cash on the back of his neck until Cash "cried Uncle." Overall, they really did get along with each other and most of my other cats. Memphis, our Siamese, took a disliking to them right off the bat. I lost Memphis the same year I lost Johnny. 

I've lost so many over the past 4 years. Fred passed in 2016. Johnny, Spunky, Lily, and Memphis passed in 2017. Clarissa, Batman, and Fiona passed in 2018. Jazzpurr, Puff, Sable, and now Cash passed in 2019.

Cash was the only boy I had left. I now have 6 girls. Three are seniors and three are youngsters. 

While on the computer this morning, I caught a flash of something on my driveway. I thought it was a squirrel. And then I looked. There was a handsome, gray tabby cat strolling down my driveway. It was a lighter tabby that Johnny and Cash were. However, I want to believe that this was a sign from Cash that he was okay.

Hug your furbabies tonight and tell them how much they are loved.

Clarissa's mom,

Malinda.

And there were 7: RIP Sable

Dearest Friends,

It is with a heavy heart that I must share the sad news of Sable's passing. Sable crossed the Bridge on Tuesday, June 4, 2019. Mom held him through the entire procedure.

Sable joined our family on October 18, 2001 as a "free kitten." Two little girls were trying to find a home for him (his siblings had found homes.) Although mom wasn't looking for another kitty, she felt like she needed to take him. It was getting close to Halloween and Sable was solid black; those two things can end up badly. Mom got a box from the store and put Sable in it. She placed the box on the passenger seat and by the time she walked around the car to get into the driver's seat, Sable was already out of the box and sitting on the dashboard!

Although Sable was a "mama's boy," he would nap with her dad in the afternoon. He would sleep with mom at night and wake her up with his his meowing and poking her with a paw. Over the past year he had started sleeping on mom's head. Seriously. She would get in bed, get comfortable as a side sleeper, and Sable would curl up on her head/face. She always had her blanket over her head when Sable would do this.

Mom knew Sable's health was failing. His kidneys were going bad, his coat wasn't as shiny as it used to be, and he slept more and more. Mom found Sable in the kitchen late in the afternoon on June 4. He was facing the wall between the washing machine and the garbage can. Sable was meowing, but it was a different sound than his normal meow. He would take a few steps forward and bump the wall, the back up and do it again. His hind quarters were slumped and his feet were sliding when he walked.

Mom called the vet's office and told the she thought it might be time to say farewell to Sable. She and her brother went to the vet's office. Sable struggled when mom was wrapping him a bath towel. He eventually worked himself out and pooped on the floor of the SUV. While waiting for the vet to come into the exam room mom noticed that Sable's eyes were 100% dilated. Dr. S. watched Sable attempt to walk (the slipping of his back feet continued). When he sat down, she moved her hand in front of his eyes. There was no reaction. Sable was now blind. That explained the distressed meows and the walking into the wall. It was time to say goodbye.

Sable's loss has hit mom every bit as hard as mine did. She had raised both of use from kittenhood.

Ann from Zoolatry sent mom this beautiful memorial. Please feel free to share it if you want.

August 2001 - June 4, 2019

With much love,

Angel Clarissa

Happy News and Scary News

Happy Caturday!!! I'll start with the happy news!

(1) Mom lost her bar tending job in March. (Yes, I know that isn't happy news.)

(2) Mom worked an eight day temporary job the paid $15/hour. Most of the days were typical eight hour days. However, near the end of the job she volunteered to work two 10 hour shifts and one 12 hour shift. She said that the long shifts weren't hard, but the eye strain was bad.

(3) Mom is now working for one of the rental car companies located at the airport. Her job title is transporter; people return a rental car at the airport, it gets checked in, then mom moves it to the cleaning area. After she drops off the car, she picks up a clean car and moves it back into the rental area. If there is no room for dirty cars in the airport lot, she takes them to the back lot, which is close to the airport. She has driven so many different makes, models, and sized cars. She doesn't care for the smaller cars like Ford Fiesta, Nissan Versa, etc. The big trucks and Jeeps sit too high for her to climb into. She's good with most SUVs, vans, and regular cars. She has gotten to move several Dodge Challengers (she loved those). Her favorite SUV has been a Lincoln.

(4) The job is part time, 4 days a week/7 hour days. The pay is only $9/hour, but it will do for now as mom continues to look for full time employment. She likes having a set schedule. She works 12pm-7pm. That's the hottest part of the day. A van is provided for the transporters to sit in if business is slow.

Now for the scary news...

Daisy had quite the ordeal at the vet's office on Thursday. Mom had taken her in for her senior exam, blood work, and getting a urine sample. The procedure that was used to get the urine sample is called cystocentesis. Daisy has had this done in the past without complications. She did well with it, but when the technician tried to get the blood sample, Daisy started panting and went in to respiratory distress! The halted the blood draw, gave Daisy oxygen, and ended up putting her in an oxygen chamber until she was breathing normally. While she was resting on her side, the vet took a chest x-ray to see if Daisy had fluid in her lungs or chest cavity. She did not, thank cod! Once she settled down, I was able to bring her home. Mom looked up the procedure on line. This is what she found:

There have been reports of death occurring in cats, soon after cystocentesis (drawing urine from the bladder, with a needle). It is suspected that in some cats, this procedure can trigger a "vagal response" - causing a rapid drop in heart output, which can cause cardiac arrest and death. 

That's exactly what the vet said. Also, she said it is a rare occurrence. Dr. C made a note in Daisy's chart to NOT have that procedure done again. Daisy might not be so lucky the next time.

Daisy is going back on June 6. Mom has to give her a half capsule of gabapentin 2 hours before her appointment. This appointment is to complete her blood work. Paws crossed that all goes well.

Purrs,

Angel Clarissa

Good Mews!!!

Dearest Friends,

From our household to yours, thank you all so very much for your kind words of condolences for our loss of Jazzpurr. It means so very much to us. We wish we had an answer to why we've lost so many furbabies over the past 3 years. Most of them have been kitties well into their teens. Some have had cancer (Spunky, Memphis, and Puff). Others have had CRF (Clarissa, Fiona, Fred, and Lily). Johnny had liver problems. Batman had saddle thrombosis. It seems that the losses come in waves.

We want to give a big thank you to Ann for making this lovely memorial for Jazzpurr.

And now for some good mews! Mom helped a kitty get a new forever home!!!

One of the regulars at the bar/club where mom works had an adult male cat that she wanted to rehome. Kitty was 1.5 years old, not neutered and never had a visit with a vet. The woman said if she didn't find a home for him soon, she was going to put him outside when the weather warmed up. Mom said she would take him even though she really didn't want another cat at this time. Mom picked Bandit up from the lady last Wednesday. Bandit got a clean bill of health for our vet, and he was scheduled to be neutered today. Since we have Samantha, who isn't spayed yet, mom couldn't bring Bandit home. They lady who had him said she would keep him one more week. Mom picked Bandit up yesterday and dropped him off at our vet.

Bandit's neuter was this morning. Mom got a call letting her know that he was fine and could come home later in the day. Mom ran some errands then went to get Bandit. The receptionist asked one of the techs to get Bandit. One said something that she didn't quite hear. The receptionist said, "Jennifer said you can't have him. She's taking him home." Mom said if Jennifer was serious, she would be glad to let him go home with her.  Mom explained the situation that Bandit was coming from and why mom was going to take him. Jennifer said she has been looking for the right cat for over a year, and she fell for Bandit the minute she saw him. Bandit will be an only cat. That made mom happy. She was afraid he would have a hard time adjusting in our house with 8 other cats.

We are sending a big thank you to Jennifer for opening her home to this sweet, handsome boy!

Purrs,
Angel Clarissa & Co.

And then there were 8: RIP Jazzpurr

Dearest friends,

It is with a heavy heart we share the news that Jazzpurr (Jazz, Jazzy Girl, All that Jazz) crossed the Bridge on Wednesday, March 13, 2019.

Jazz joined our family in October 2004 (along with her foster pal Serendippity). Jazz was a beautiful tortiseshell cat. She had a very dense coat and she loved to be brushed. We assumed that she got her name from the loud purr that she had. The last few years Jazz became a lap cat. Normally she was content to lay on the top of the cat tree and accept pets, brushing, and claw trims. Her personality was sweet; she just didn't was to be held and snuggled. Over the past 6 months Jazz had taken to sleeping on the kitchen floor in front of the refrigerator. Mom said warm air would blow out from the bottom. When mom would be making coffee, Jazz would get on the counter top and do her happy dance. Mom says that's the hardest part of her being gone. Mom misses that morning greeting.

Jazzpurr was 16 years old.

And then there were 9: RIP Puff

Our Puff crossed the Bridge on Saturday, February 16. Puff was having difficulty walking. Puff had walked rather stiff legged (hind legs) for years. Mom figured he had arthritis in his hips. He was still able to jump onto mom's bed, and he would still get on the top level of the cat trees.

Greg (mom's brother) called on February 13 to see if she made it safely to Dayton, OH. During their conversation he mentioned that Puff was "walking funny." Mom mentioned the stiff legged arthritis walk, but he said this was different. She told him to keep an eye on Puff, and that she would be home on February 15.

When mom arrived home, Puff was sleeping in the cat bed that's in the living room. He woke up long enough to acknowledge her arrival but he didn't get up to greet her. Later that night Puff finally got up to get some food. His gait was definitely off. It's hard to describe it. It wasn't as pronounced as Batman's issue with the saddle thrombosis, and he didn't cry when he walked (which Batman did). Mom thought it could possibly have something to do with his kidneys (he was almost 16). She decided to take him to the see the vet on Saturday.

Mom got him in her lap for a bit on Saturday morning (February 16). She noticed that his back feet were cold. Something was going on with his circulation. The vet said she could feel a pulse in his hind legs, but it wasn't strong. She listened to his heart and said the beat was "thready". When she palpated his abdomen she said she felt a mass. It wasn't poop backed up. She strongly suspected it was cancer. Mom's eyes started leaking and she said she didn't have the money to run a bunch of tests. Dr. G said she didn't think it would change the outcome even it mom did have some tests ran. It was with a very heavy heart that she chose to let Puff cross the Bridge.

Mom said that she held Puff while paperwork was being readied. He had his purr motor on high. She buried her face in his fur and cried. He only purred louder. (Mom is crying right now). Puff's crossing was gentle. A private cremation was chosen and his ashes were returned later in the week.

Puff joined our family, along with his 3 siblings and Batman, in June 2007. Batman was 5 years old, Puff, Spunky, Panda, and Ginger were 4 years old. Panda crossed the Bridge in April 2013. Spunky crossed the Bridge in October 2017. Batman crossed the Bridge in June 2018. And now Puff. Ginger is the only one left from the "Cleveland Cats".

With love to all,

Angel Clarissa

Puff

aka Capt. Puff "Puffypants" McPufferson

2003-2/16/2019