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.

Happy National Cat Day

We hope everyone is enjoy National Cat Day! Mom asked, "And how is this different from any other day?" at our house. We pretty much get to do whatever we want so mom did have a valid point.

Johnny had to go to the vet on Friday to have his dew claw checked out. Somehow he got an infection in it and the claw stopped retracting. He is doing much better now and the swelling has gone.

And speaking of Johnny, he sometimes has an issue with his brother. Cash will be minding his own business and then this will happen:

Johnny will come up behind Cash and bite his neck. Johnny will hold Cash like this for several minutes. Cash doesn't cry out or growl, so Johnny must not being hurting him. Eventually Johnny will let go and Cash will walk away.

The sun is shining today, so I think I'll find a sun puddle and take a nap.

Purrs,
Clarissa & Co.

Tabby Tuesday with Cash

I love to be petted and get ear scritches and chin scritches. I love it so much I sometimes lick my mom's or uncle's nose and then put the bite on it! I don't have any pictures of me biting anyone, but I do have a couple of me up in mom's face while she scratches my chin!

You kitties know just how good that feels, right?

Mancat Monday

I like to put the bitey on my brother, Cash. I show him who is the boss around here!

Cash wanted to order pizza but I wasn't interested.

Friday Photos

Mom has been busy with the flashy box (aka her phone) so we are going to share some pictures today.

 That's me, Clarissa, having a snack. Please excuse the carpet.

Nap pile #1: Lily, Daisy, Fred the Pillow, and the toes of Spunky.

 Ginger and I were sharing a sun puddle on the living room couch.

 That's Johnny on mom's bed. Those are her goggles behind him.

 Cash & Johnny NOT looking at the camera.

 Cash & Johnny looking at the camera.

 Nap pile #2: Cash, Spunky, & Batman (being Long Cat)

 Capt. Puff "Puffypants" McPufferson

Cash Dixon. His eyes match the blanket.

We hope everyone enjoys their long weekend! Mom is going to a Beatles thing tomorrow called "Abbey Road on the River." We are going to be napping!

Purrs,

Clarissa & Co.

Tabby Tuesday with Johnny Dixon & Cash Dixon

Happy Tabby Tuesday! In case you didn't notice, we now have a last name. It's mom's fault. We may have mentioned yesterday that mom loves the t.v. show, The Walking Dead. And she loves Daryl Dixon (and his deceased brother Merle). She also thinks we all need full names. So we are now the feline Dixon Brothers. You know, we could care less about having a full name. But if it makes mom happy then so be it.

So on to the shenanigans. When Mom got up yesterday morning we were waiting in the kitchen to greet her. This is what she saw:

Yes, we are on the kitchen counter. That's me, Johnny, in the front. My brother, Cash, is sitting behind me. We look like we were waiting for breakfast, but that wasn't the case. Our food bowls were full of noms. We were actually plotting to take over the world, or at least our house.

What do you think of that old telephone on the wall? It was an old fashioned land line until last Wednesday. Now our phone goes through the cable company so this phone no longer works. Mom told our uncle to make sure he keeps his cell phone charged. Now if the power goes out mom and uncle will have to rely on there cells phones for calls.

It's colder than a well digger's.....well, it's just plain cold here this morning. We are going to snuggle down somewhere warm.

Have a great day!

Purrs,
Johnny & Cash

Tabby Tuesday

Good morning kitties!  It's Tabby Tuesday and we have new pictures of Johnny and Cash!

Johnny decided he would rather stay in the corner instead of laying in the magnificent sun puddles that graced our family room yesterday.

Cash had the right idea and he stretched out in the sun. Mom said he is one of the longest cats she has ever seen!

Do you see that laundry basket in the corner? It is full of plastic bags from the grocery and it has a pad on top of it. It is one of our prime napping places!

Cash has a kitty cold. He started sneezing on Sunday and last night he started coughing. Mom dropped him off at the vet to be checked out. She just spoke with our vet a bit ago and he said Cash ate a nice breakfast and isn't lethargic. He told mom to keep an eye on him and bring him back in if anything changes. That's a relief for all of us!

Have a great day friends!

Purrs,
Clarissa & Co.

Meet Johnny and Cash!

Mom Malinda here today. Clarissa said it was okay if I wrote today's post.

We have two new additions to the horde at my house. Their names are Johnny and Cash (they were already named) and they joined us on Wednesday night. These guys are All-American Tabby brothers. I was told that they are six years old.

Here is how they came to me:  My friend needed a ride to her vet's office on Wednesday evening. Her car had broken down and one of her kitty's had a 6pm appointment. I agreed to give her ride in the nasty, pouring rain. While we were waiting, a young couple came in with their little girl. Each adult had a large tabby in their arms. The woman was in tears. They wanted to surrender the cats to the vet's office! From what I overheard they had fallen on some financial hard times and were now staying in a place where they couldn't have their cats. Unfortunately the office did not take surrendered animals. If they were turned over to animal control their chances of survival would be slim to none. I don't know how they would fare with the local humane society either. It was obvious that these boys were well taken care of and loved. So I did the only thing I could do: I brought them home with me.

They had their vet visit on Saturday and came out with a clean bill of health. We discovered that Cash has broken the tip off of his upper left fang. The vet said it appeared to be an old injury. It doesn't appear to bother him but I will keep an eye on his eating habits. They were both vaccinated while at the vet's and they both received claw trims. Also, they were already neutered. Johnny was anxious at the office and he started panting. I've never had a cat that reacted that way before.

Johnny and Cash are out and about with the other cats. Cash is pretty laid back about the arrangement. He has discovered the top of the cat trees and a windowsill that gets a lot of morning sun. He also seems to have a favorite chair in the living room. Johnny is a little more cautious. He isn't growling like he first did and I hope he will relax more as he gets use to his new home. He is more of an explorer and has managed to get on top of the refrigerator and tried to get into one of the kitchen cabinets. I've caught him on top of the stove a couple of times and made him get down. That is one place he is not allowed.

Without further ado, here are Johnny and Cash!

This is handsome Cash! Although you can't tell it in these pictures, Cash has beautiful green eyes. He is longer than Johnny and he weighed in at 12 lbs.

 

Cash has picked out this chair as one of his favorite places to sleep. Look at those big back feet!

This is golden eyed Johnny. He is a little shorter in length and little stockier. He weighed in at 14 lbs.

Another picture of Johnny. I put a collar on him to help tell them apart. I'm wondering if he wore one before. He didn't put up a fuss about and he has not tried to take if off.

They are already stealing my heart.