Kitty Talk

[Grahame]

Sorry to hear Craig,
RIP Cheese.

[Craig Sawyers]

You guys are so awesome. Tears me up all afresh. Let's hope I sleep a little better tonight - I only got four hours last night.

He was actually my daughter's cat, and when she went to Australia three years ago, we adopted him. I phoned her as soon as a I got the call from the Vet, and we bawled half a world away into our hankies.

[Hopstretch]

Just saw this. Sorry! Poor Cheese.

[EdipisReks1]

How stupid am I.  I found the papers for the cats, today.  The crazy old lady at the SPCA "Kitty City" had told me that Dunhill was 8, and I never actually double-checked.  He was born in mid-December, 2008. He was 10. I am not going to get as much time with him as I thought, and I am shocked by that. I guess we'll have fewer dances to soul music, he and I. Silver is two, just like I thought.

Dunhill is by far the best thing in my life, at the moment.  New girlfriend would agree, I'm sure. 

Dunhill is by far the best thing in anybody-who-he-has-met's life. He's like if there was a "joy" infinity stone, and I have that stone, and that stone sleeps on my bed.

Silver has not done well with all the people who have passed through, but Dunhill is mine. He doesn't care as long as he can plant his butt against my hip at 2 AM. 

I thought he was 8.

 

Edited April 30, 2019 by EdipisReks1

[Craig Sawyers]

What a great looking cat, Jacob. He might well have a very long life still ahead of him. Our (remaining) cat Cleo is 16, nearly 17 and is still going strong. Eats like a horse. Because she is so old she is not so spry and cannot get out of the garden now. Which is a good thing given current circumstances with poor Cheese.

My daughter says that cats leave paw prints on your soul. So true.

Edited April 30, 2019 by Craig Sawyers

[Dusty Chalk]

Luvbug was 21 when she passed.  She spent most of her last few years in her retirement home, but there was still a joyful connection there.

6 hours ago, EdipisReks1 said:

Dunhill is by far the best thing in anybody-who-he-has-met's life. He's like if there was a "joy" infinity stone, and I have that stone, and that stone sleeps on my bed.

Quoted for appreciation.

[EdipisReks1]

I had to cut Dunhill's front nails, tonight.  It went better than I expected!  He just does't scratch the scratchy things, or anything else.  It was no big deal.

Silver has conjunctivitis in one eye.  I have been giving her medicated eye drops, the last couple days.  I think she has figured out that the slight pain of the eye drops means something good, because I got this, today.  She has NEVER jumped up and let me pet her on the sofa, before.  I pet her every day, more than I want to sometimes, but always before at ankle level. I got this for 30 seconds.  

Edited May 9, 2019 by EdipisReks1

[EdipisReks1]

Silver's eye seems to be completely healed (she has one day left of drops, and I will dutifully apply), but she has learned that she gets attention, so she has been blinking at me.  Sometimes with the wrong eye.

She is a very smart cat. She emulates Dunhill's "Come give me treats goddammnit" sound, because she noticed that it was somewhat successful. I figured it out when I told "Dunhill" to shut up, only to find that he had been sleeping behind me on the sofa the whole time. This makes sense only if you've seen my sofa.  From the divot, you can see where I like to sit.  The cats like to get behind me.  The majority of the sofa belongs to the cats.  Italian!

Edited May 10, 2019 by EdipisReks1

[EdipisReks1]

This is my life.  I'm not entirely sure I would have it any other way. Neither cat really stays still enough for an in focus picture.

Edited May 12, 2019 by EdipisReks1

[EdipisReks1]

To quote your daughter, Craig, this one has left paw prints on my soul.  I like the other one okay, too, but I'd give up 10 years of my own life to have Dunhill for 10 extra.

[EdipisReks1]

I've been having to give Dunhill eye drops.  He HATES it.  He didn't sleep on the bed with me, last night, over it. That about broke me.  It was even worse that he seems to have gone out of his way to not spend time with me today.  I guess he has finally forgiven me, now, as he has jumped up next to me and gotten very comfy looking. His eye looks a lot better, too! 

Are infectious eye issues a thing, or did I just get unlucky?

VERY COMFY

Edited June 7, 2019 by EdipisReks1

[EdipisReks1]

Silver is obsessed with bags.  This is where my briefcase ended up, tonight.  That is where Silver ended up. 

[Craig Sawyers]

I think you just got unlucky. We've had 7 cats over the years, and although we have had vets bills as a result of injuries from fighting other cats, we have not had any eye infections.

But I can see that getting drops into a cat's eyes is a pretty fraught exercise!

[EdipisReks1]

18 hours ago, Craig Sawyers said:

I think you just got unlucky. We've had 7 cats over the years, and although we have had vets bills as a result of injuries from fighting other cats, we have not had any eye infections.

But I can see that getting drops into a cat's eyes is a pretty fraught exercise!

Dunhill is incredibly docile.  He lets me pick him up and dance with him for long periods of time with no complaints. He still protested heavily with the drops.  He is welded to my hip, right now (and badly wants me to go to bed, where I will be going in a moment), so I guess it worked out okay, in the end. His eye seems much better.  One more day of drops (he has been okay after that first day; just like Silver, I think he figured out that the drops were helping, even if they weren't exactly pleasant).

[dsavitsk]

Eye herpies is super common in any cat that's ever been outside. All of ours have occasional breakouts requiring eye drops. Some take them better than others, but none like them.

[EdipisReks1]

Dunhill seems back to normal. I'm hoping to not have to deal with the eye drops again for a while.

[EdipisReks1]

Does this photo even need commentary?

[EdipisReks1]

I almost brought a third cat into the household.  He was adopted before I could (his name was Hugo, he was 12, and had been at the SCPA for several months).  Maybe I shouldn't bring a third cat in, but I love cats so much, and Hugo was so expressive, and I love old kitties.

[EdipisReks1]

Dunhill has been sick the last few days.  My neighborhood had a parade, and I couldn't get to my usual vet.  Went to the vet where my mother used to take her dogs.  They don't take walk-ins.  I didn't know that.  They took us.  Three shots later, and the puking has stopped and he is hungry again.  

[Craig Sawyers]

Various of our cats over the years have had that sort of problem. Scary how quickly a cat loses condition when they start the puking thing. Since ours are outdoor cats, it is usually they have eaten something nasty.

[EdipisReks1]

Dunhill has recovered, though it took a while to get back to 100%.  I am going on a trip, at the end of this week, and I am taking them with me.  It's just five days, and I'd normally have my cat friend (who loves these kitties nearly as much as I do, and always refuses pay) check on them every day, but she's also going out of town.  Dunhill and Silver act like three miles in the car is murder, so I'm sure 450 miles will be just fine. I have bought new carriers that are made for the car and have seatbelt attachments and pads.  I'm assuming they will eventually settle down?

Also, my orientation for volunteering at the local SPCA Kitty City (where I got my two monsters) is set for September 7th.  I am excited about it!

[EdipisReks1]

I am visiting my girlfriend, in Greensboro, North Carolina.  I travelled with the cats, as I mentioned. They did INCREDIBLY well.  I wish I could somehow tell them just how proud I am of them, but all I can do is love them, which I was doing anyway.  We are in a "tiny-house."  It works pretty well, but the cats aren't comfortable with the very steep stairs up to the loft, where the bed is, so they have just been staying downstairs.  They don't love that, as they are used to sleeping on my bed, but it's not the end of the world. They seem content enough.  Maybe a little bored, as there isn't a lot of room, though I brought toys and scratchers, and all of their favorite things, and I've been giving them as much attention as I can.  

We (Heather and I, not me and the cats) were supposed to go to a concert tonight, in Asheville, but I didn't feel comfortable leaving them alone, with all the changes that have happened, so I stayed (I sent Heather on, and it was apparently a good show [Will Oldham, so I wish I could have gone]).  They seemed to appreciate that.

They are SUCH good kitties.

Edited August 28, 2019 by EdipisReks1

[EdipisReks1]

Of course Dunhill waits until the last morning at the AirBNB to finally figure out how to go up and down the stairs to the loft bedroom. That is the most Dunhill thing possible.

[EdipisReks1]

Silver is being rather nice tonight. 

[EdipisReks1]

That cat was listed as a "difficult" cat, when I got her.  She isn't the nicest cat in the world, but I think she is pretty pleasant.  I wake up most mornings with her on my pillow, chirping in my face.

My first SPCA volunteer day had me holding and cleaning up after a pair of 9 week-old kittens.  That was a good Saturday afternoon. 

Edited September 11, 2019 by EdipisReks1