We brought Theo home Sunday afternoon.
I would like to show you a photo of her, but I don't have one because she won't come out from under the armchair in the sewing room. She's eating and going to the bathroom though, so I'm not worried. It just means that there is a delay in adding chaos to the rest of the house, and that I will spend more time in the sewing room so that she gets used to me.
The other cats are quite put out that they aren't allowed in that room anymore. It gets the best afternoon sunlight, and has lots of yarn to roll around in. They've been digging at the carpet outside the door, completely ruining what what already only mostly ruined.
Oh well, we we're going to get our security deposit back anyway.
Showing posts with label kitties. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kitties. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Anarchy, that I run!
This Sunday we will be expanding our family again.
People with more than two children have said to me that they suppose multiple animals are like multiple kids: the jump from one to two is a huge change, but after that, it's a relatively small one. When you've already got four cats and a dog, what's one more kitty?
The last time we did this, about a year ago, Roo, an elderly Shepherd-Husky cross moved in with us. The time before that, just over two years ago, we brought home Zoe, a little black girl kitty, who turned out to be a boy.
On Sunday we will be bringing Theo home. She is an 8-year old, front-declawed, grey and white kitty, with a boy's name. This balances out the boy cat with a girl name thing quite nicely. Since she is about the same age as Sabre and Callie, I am hoping that they will get along. The hierarchy in our house has been out of whack since we go Zoe, so really, it's anyone's game.
We do know for certain that neither Fred nor I are actually in charge of anything. You know what they say: Dogs have owners, cats have staff. Of course, our dog thinks she's a cat.
I'll have photos of the new member of management once she arrives and has a couple of days to settle in.
People with more than two children have said to me that they suppose multiple animals are like multiple kids: the jump from one to two is a huge change, but after that, it's a relatively small one. When you've already got four cats and a dog, what's one more kitty?
The last time we did this, about a year ago, Roo, an elderly Shepherd-Husky cross moved in with us. The time before that, just over two years ago, we brought home Zoe, a little black girl kitty, who turned out to be a boy.
On Sunday we will be bringing Theo home. She is an 8-year old, front-declawed, grey and white kitty, with a boy's name. This balances out the boy cat with a girl name thing quite nicely. Since she is about the same age as Sabre and Callie, I am hoping that they will get along. The hierarchy in our house has been out of whack since we go Zoe, so really, it's anyone's game.
We do know for certain that neither Fred nor I are actually in charge of anything. You know what they say: Dogs have owners, cats have staff. Of course, our dog thinks she's a cat.
I'll have photos of the new member of management once she arrives and has a couple of days to settle in.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Yarn Barf
Last night I attempted to wind some yarn into cakes from skeins in order to start knitting Fred some socks. I don't own a swift, and I didn't have an extra pair of arms around, so I thought I'd rig something up using a chair and a vacuum cleaner.
It didn't work quite the way I'd hoped.
It didn't work quite the way I'd hoped.
Plus, I had "help".
I got frustrated, and gave myself a headache, so I went to bed.
Tonight is my fourth last shift at Giant Bookstore, so it's going to have to wait until Friday for me to tackle it. Unless Zoe can fix it while I'm at work...
Friday, October 05, 2007
The good, the not-so-good, and the downright crappy - updated!
It's been a crazy couple of weeks.
The good: the new job is exciting and only a half-hour drive from home, compared to the roughly two hours each was I was travelling. I miss my friends from the last job, but that's about it. As a going away gift, the company gave me a round-the-world tea package. Once a month for the next 6 months, I will get two fancy teas in the mail. Usually people who quit there get a "Don't let the door hit you on the way out" kind of good-bye, so the gift was quite a pleasant surprise. I got spoiled for my birthday this year too, with knitting books and yarn and more tea and an evening with Fred (he works the afternoon shift, so we don't see each other during the week usually), and I went to meet some internet knitters and eat gelato last night.
The not-so-good: Last Sunday we brought Fred's 14 year old husky/shepherd cross home to live with us. We expected that the cats would be unhappy with the change, but the level of unhappiness was far worse than we expected. Like, Zoe climbing the blinds in the kitchen then making Fred bleed really badly when he tried to get her down, then her racing across the top of the kitchen counter trailing urine (the cat's) and blood (Fred's) after her. The cats have pretty much lived in our bedroom since Sunday night, although they will go out into the hallway for food and to use the litter. We had to put a baby gate at the bottom of the stairs so that the cats live on one floor of the house, and Roo lives on the other.
The downright crappy: When I got home from knitting in public last night, Roo was sick. At first I thought it was just because she had gotten ahold of and chewed up a bunch of kleenex. So I cleaned up the carpet, gave her a drink and took her out to pee. Then she threw up again. All the water she'd just drunk. This went on all night, with her only being able to keep water down for about 5 minutes, and not wanting to eat anything. She didn't even want any peanut butter. Fred is on his way to the vet with her. We're both thinking kidney failure, and Fred said that while the vet didn't want to diagnose over the phone, he felt from her tone of voice that she agrees with us. So after a traumatic 5 days with the cats, it's about to get a whole lot more traumatic.
Edited to add: Apparently we get the slightly broken animals. Roo has the same thing that Zoe does - vestibular disorder. This is something that manifests in young cats and old dogs. I'm very happy that Roo's illness is not the worst-case scenario, but boy, it would be nice to have an animal at some point that isn't dizzy or limping or running away from dust.
The good: the new job is exciting and only a half-hour drive from home, compared to the roughly two hours each was I was travelling. I miss my friends from the last job, but that's about it. As a going away gift, the company gave me a round-the-world tea package. Once a month for the next 6 months, I will get two fancy teas in the mail. Usually people who quit there get a "Don't let the door hit you on the way out" kind of good-bye, so the gift was quite a pleasant surprise. I got spoiled for my birthday this year too, with knitting books and yarn and more tea and an evening with Fred (he works the afternoon shift, so we don't see each other during the week usually), and I went to meet some internet knitters and eat gelato last night.
The not-so-good: Last Sunday we brought Fred's 14 year old husky/shepherd cross home to live with us. We expected that the cats would be unhappy with the change, but the level of unhappiness was far worse than we expected. Like, Zoe climbing the blinds in the kitchen then making Fred bleed really badly when he tried to get her down, then her racing across the top of the kitchen counter trailing urine (the cat's) and blood (Fred's) after her. The cats have pretty much lived in our bedroom since Sunday night, although they will go out into the hallway for food and to use the litter. We had to put a baby gate at the bottom of the stairs so that the cats live on one floor of the house, and Roo lives on the other.
The downright crappy: When I got home from knitting in public last night, Roo was sick. At first I thought it was just because she had gotten ahold of and chewed up a bunch of kleenex. So I cleaned up the carpet, gave her a drink and took her out to pee. Then she threw up again. All the water she'd just drunk. This went on all night, with her only being able to keep water down for about 5 minutes, and not wanting to eat anything. She didn't even want any peanut butter. Fred is on his way to the vet with her. We're both thinking kidney failure, and Fred said that while the vet didn't want to diagnose over the phone, he felt from her tone of voice that she agrees with us. So after a traumatic 5 days with the cats, it's about to get a whole lot more traumatic.
Edited to add: Apparently we get the slightly broken animals. Roo has the same thing that Zoe does - vestibular disorder. This is something that manifests in young cats and old dogs. I'm very happy that Roo's illness is not the worst-case scenario, but boy, it would be nice to have an animal at some point that isn't dizzy or limping or running away from dust.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Update. Without photos.
I've been wanting to update. I've been wanting to post photos. I just can't seem to be awake in my house long enough to find the camera, take the photos and sit down at the damn computer.
So, photoless, I update.
Zoe is doing much better. So much better in fact that a pie plate (with pie still on it!) was knocked off the top of the refrigerator. I also come home every day to the taped-up cupboard where the garbage lives wide open. Sometimes with garbage on the floor. And the daily struggle for dominance between Sabre and Zoe is back up to normal levels. We've got another week of anti-biotics, and two more doses of Prednisone, and another follow-up visit to the vet on Tuesday. There was one recurrence of Zoe having a dizzy spell, after (while chasing Sabre) she bonked her head on the bottom of the coffee table, but it passed quickly and didn't keep them from moving on to I Am The Boss, No I Am The Boss, Round 478. Dorky cats.
I finished (and wore) my first pair of non-vanilla socks. For those unfamiliar with the term, that means they are the first socks I've done with a pattern on the leg and top of the foot. They're Roza's Socks by Grumperina from the latest Interweave Knits. I'm now on incarnation 4 of a pair I am designing myself, using Debbie Bliss Cashmerino in some light orange colour. I am also using up the ends of my first four pairs of socks by knitting in stripes. It's fun! They're gonna be a butt-ugly combo of blue/brown, red with multi-coloured flecks, purple/blue, and olive-drab green.
A couple of weeks ago I said good bye to Shadoe, my husky dog. We got him as a puppy when I was in Grade 12. That means that he was somewhere in the neighbourhood of 17 years old, a fantastic age for a dog. When I went off to University he stayed with my parents. When I finished University, I moved to Toronto to live in a succession of apartments, which is no way for a big dog who loves to run to live. So he stayed with my Mom, and moved with her to the farm when she and her partner bought one. He was very, very happy there, and I think that (along with the fact that my mom and step-dad take very good care of their animals) is why he lived to a venerable age. They had him put to sleep because even though his he had arthritis and was deaf, and probably mostly senile, and they kept hoping he'd just go in his sleep, his heart was very strong. So we finally all said good bye to him. It was hard, but he was getting to the point where his pain wasn't manageable anymore, so it was time, maybe past-time. I'm very happy that my mom and step-dad took such good care of him, I think much better than I would have been able to. So thank you to them, and thank you to Shadoe for being such a lovely boy.
Yesterday I spent the day at The Church of the Holy Trinity with about 100 other witches doing meditation/trancework/storytelling with Starhawk! It was a wonderful, if tiring day. There were epiphanies had, and laughter with my friends, then a spiral dance and a good dinner. It was really nice to see that there is a community of people out there who think/believe in a similar way to me.
This weekend is going to be busy. Grocery shopping then ritual tonight, band rehearsal, then a going away party tomorrow, then on Sunday I will attempt to cram two week's* worth of laundry, weeding of my garden, other assorted housework and a visit from Mom into one day.
So there probably still won't be any photos. :)
*Somebody please tell me whether the apostrophe here is wrong. Please!
So, photoless, I update.
Zoe is doing much better. So much better in fact that a pie plate (with pie still on it!) was knocked off the top of the refrigerator. I also come home every day to the taped-up cupboard where the garbage lives wide open. Sometimes with garbage on the floor. And the daily struggle for dominance between Sabre and Zoe is back up to normal levels. We've got another week of anti-biotics, and two more doses of Prednisone, and another follow-up visit to the vet on Tuesday. There was one recurrence of Zoe having a dizzy spell, after (while chasing Sabre) she bonked her head on the bottom of the coffee table, but it passed quickly and didn't keep them from moving on to I Am The Boss, No I Am The Boss, Round 478. Dorky cats.
I finished (and wore) my first pair of non-vanilla socks. For those unfamiliar with the term, that means they are the first socks I've done with a pattern on the leg and top of the foot. They're Roza's Socks by Grumperina from the latest Interweave Knits. I'm now on incarnation 4 of a pair I am designing myself, using Debbie Bliss Cashmerino in some light orange colour. I am also using up the ends of my first four pairs of socks by knitting in stripes. It's fun! They're gonna be a butt-ugly combo of blue/brown, red with multi-coloured flecks, purple/blue, and olive-drab green.
A couple of weeks ago I said good bye to Shadoe, my husky dog. We got him as a puppy when I was in Grade 12. That means that he was somewhere in the neighbourhood of 17 years old, a fantastic age for a dog. When I went off to University he stayed with my parents. When I finished University, I moved to Toronto to live in a succession of apartments, which is no way for a big dog who loves to run to live. So he stayed with my Mom, and moved with her to the farm when she and her partner bought one. He was very, very happy there, and I think that (along with the fact that my mom and step-dad take very good care of their animals) is why he lived to a venerable age. They had him put to sleep because even though his he had arthritis and was deaf, and probably mostly senile, and they kept hoping he'd just go in his sleep, his heart was very strong. So we finally all said good bye to him. It was hard, but he was getting to the point where his pain wasn't manageable anymore, so it was time, maybe past-time. I'm very happy that my mom and step-dad took such good care of him, I think much better than I would have been able to. So thank you to them, and thank you to Shadoe for being such a lovely boy.
Yesterday I spent the day at The Church of the Holy Trinity with about 100 other witches doing meditation/trancework/storytelling with Starhawk! It was a wonderful, if tiring day. There were epiphanies had, and laughter with my friends, then a spiral dance and a good dinner. It was really nice to see that there is a community of people out there who think/believe in a similar way to me.
This weekend is going to be busy. Grocery shopping then ritual tonight, band rehearsal, then a going away party tomorrow, then on Sunday I will attempt to cram two week's* worth of laundry, weeding of my garden, other assorted housework and a visit from Mom into one day.
So there probably still won't be any photos. :)
*Somebody please tell me whether the apostrophe here is wrong. Please!
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Send more tuna! aka My Cat is on Prednisone
Zoe has something called a vestibular disorder. Basically, her head is tilted to the left side, and she's walking funny.
On Sunday she tried to jump up onto the kitchen counter but missed (missing is fairly normal, we don't have the most gracefull of cats in this household). I think on the way down she bashed her head. When she landed she started to do this thing that looked like she was trying to swim across the linoleum. We kept an eye on this behaviour, and talked to a friend who works in the vetrinary industry, and kept keeping an eye on things. Around midnight Zoe started yowling and looking for somewhere to hide, so we called the emerg vet clinic, packed up the cat and booted it to Cambridge.
The original diagnosis was bilateral vestibular disorder, which means the peripherhal vision in both eyes was affected. It's a neurological condition that can be brought on by anything from polyps in the ear canal to trauma to a stroke. Zoe spent the night at the emerg vet, then we picked her up at 7:30 am and tried to get a bit of sleep before going to our regular vet in the afternoon. The emerg vet had suggested trying to get Zoe in to see a neurologist, but by the time we got to see our own vet, the condition had improved enough that it's only affecting the left side of Zoe's head now and our vet felt that a $4000 MRI probably wouldn't tell us anything really pertinent. Whew!
So now I have added duties to the cat herding roster. In addition to needing to give Sabre a bit of aspirin every other day so that we don't have a repeat of the leg incident from last summer, Zoe gets two antibiotic pills a day, and one Prednisone pill a day.
Send tuna (for Zoe), send Bailey's (for me).
On Sunday she tried to jump up onto the kitchen counter but missed (missing is fairly normal, we don't have the most gracefull of cats in this household). I think on the way down she bashed her head. When she landed she started to do this thing that looked like she was trying to swim across the linoleum. We kept an eye on this behaviour, and talked to a friend who works in the vetrinary industry, and kept keeping an eye on things. Around midnight Zoe started yowling and looking for somewhere to hide, so we called the emerg vet clinic, packed up the cat and booted it to Cambridge.
The original diagnosis was bilateral vestibular disorder, which means the peripherhal vision in both eyes was affected. It's a neurological condition that can be brought on by anything from polyps in the ear canal to trauma to a stroke. Zoe spent the night at the emerg vet, then we picked her up at 7:30 am and tried to get a bit of sleep before going to our regular vet in the afternoon. The emerg vet had suggested trying to get Zoe in to see a neurologist, but by the time we got to see our own vet, the condition had improved enough that it's only affecting the left side of Zoe's head now and our vet felt that a $4000 MRI probably wouldn't tell us anything really pertinent. Whew!
So now I have added duties to the cat herding roster. In addition to needing to give Sabre a bit of aspirin every other day so that we don't have a repeat of the leg incident from last summer, Zoe gets two antibiotic pills a day, and one Prednisone pill a day.
Send tuna (for Zoe), send Bailey's (for me).
Monday, February 26, 2007
Since Meg asked...
The only revelation I got from cleaning the bathroom was that they really, really mean it when they say not to use mildew remover unless your space is well-ventilated. Chemical burns inside the nose hurt. Happily, my nose was back to normal in about 24 hrs. so that I could smell the vanilla body shop perfume that got all over the bedroom carpet when one of the cats knocked it off my dresser and the bottle broke. Gah. Vanilla's nice and all, but not that much of it all at once. It smells like a cookie exploded.
I spent some time yesterday throwing out old perfume/nail polish/make-up. I can see the top of my dresser again, and there is nothing breakable on it anymore.
It's a good thing I love my kitties.
I spent some time yesterday throwing out old perfume/nail polish/make-up. I can see the top of my dresser again, and there is nothing breakable on it anymore.
It's a good thing I love my kitties.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Revelations of a Clean Kitchen
I have just spent about an hour and 19 of the songs on my "Happy" playlist cleaning my kitchen. I had some revelations. Here they are in no particular order.
1. I am a crappy housekeeper. Ok, so that's not really a revelation, more of a confirmation of facts. I'm a surface cleaner. I don't like to pick things up, or even move them forwards to swipe behind them. Fueled by a crappy day at work (see previous post) and some awesome music, I decided to actually move stuff.
2. A lot of crumbs can build up under your toaster.
3. It is possible to do aerobics while you clean your kitchen, as long as you don't mind that it will take a little longer when you have to stop to shake your rump, do a little kung fu fighting, or do a little bit of grapevining.
4. I used to be a dancer; I used to have grace and poise and rhythm. As I've aged, I've somehow turned into Hugh Grant in that scene in "Love Actually", but with more T and A.
5. Dancing is still fun, even if I do look like a giant dork when I do it.
6. It's ok that Fred is on a straight night shift. He's been home on disability for the past month, so my 'me' time has been lessened. Tonight is his first night back at work, and I had a blast by myself. I still don't want to spend forever trying to have a relationship between midnight Friday night and eleven PM Sunday night, but I'll be ok with it for a little while longer.
7. Even the cats will look at you like you've gone batshit crazy when you start jumping around your kitchen and singing into a scrub brush.
8. Grape kool-aid stains white tile floors.
9. Even if I don't want to, I will eventually have to lock the kitten in the basement.
10. I will always forget that I have just washed the floor and walk across it while it is still wet.
Wednesday is bathroom cleaning night. I'm actually looking forward to my discoveries!
1. I am a crappy housekeeper. Ok, so that's not really a revelation, more of a confirmation of facts. I'm a surface cleaner. I don't like to pick things up, or even move them forwards to swipe behind them. Fueled by a crappy day at work (see previous post) and some awesome music, I decided to actually move stuff.
2. A lot of crumbs can build up under your toaster.
3. It is possible to do aerobics while you clean your kitchen, as long as you don't mind that it will take a little longer when you have to stop to shake your rump, do a little kung fu fighting, or do a little bit of grapevining.
4. I used to be a dancer; I used to have grace and poise and rhythm. As I've aged, I've somehow turned into Hugh Grant in that scene in "Love Actually", but with more T and A.
5. Dancing is still fun, even if I do look like a giant dork when I do it.
6. It's ok that Fred is on a straight night shift. He's been home on disability for the past month, so my 'me' time has been lessened. Tonight is his first night back at work, and I had a blast by myself. I still don't want to spend forever trying to have a relationship between midnight Friday night and eleven PM Sunday night, but I'll be ok with it for a little while longer.
7. Even the cats will look at you like you've gone batshit crazy when you start jumping around your kitchen and singing into a scrub brush.
8. Grape kool-aid stains white tile floors.
9. Even if I don't want to, I will eventually have to lock the kitten in the basement.
10. I will always forget that I have just washed the floor and walk across it while it is still wet.
Wednesday is bathroom cleaning night. I'm actually looking forward to my discoveries!
She made me go in the basement! Just because I chewed through the garbage bag. It's not fair!
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Much better, thank you.
After careful application of antibiotics, eyedrops, fancy soft food and extra tuna juice, Sabre is feeling much better and no longer has to wear The Dreaded Cone.
This morning I watched her lay the smack down on Zoe and bat the kitten down half a stair case (Zoe is fine. She got up and raced around the living room seven times, then had a bath).
Life is back to normal at Casa de Furball.
This morning I watched her lay the smack down on Zoe and bat the kitten down half a stair case (Zoe is fine. She got up and raced around the living room seven times, then had a bath).
Life is back to normal at Casa de Furball.
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
So humiliating.
Last week I was fighting with that stupid kitten, and even though the girl had just clipped all our toenails, I still managed to get scratched just under my right eye. It was ok for a couple of days, then it started to bug me and it's been leaking and being itchy and making me squint and the girl says that I look like a pirate and keeps saying things like "Yar!" and "Ahoy, matey!" to me.
As if all this wasn't bad enough, this morning she stuffed me into that stupid crate and put me in that stupid moving vehicle thing and took me to the v-e-t. That's right, the bad place. It was awful.
To add insult to injury, once she brought me home again she wrapped me in a towel and put stuff in my eye. I heard her tell the boy that they have to do that SIX times a DAY, and also give me 2 pills a day in addition to the every-other-day aspirin I have to have because of that whole leg thing in the summer time.
But the worst part? The very, very worst, most humiliating part of all of this?
That's right. They stuck me in a radar dish.
And then they laughed.
As if all this wasn't bad enough, this morning she stuffed me into that stupid crate and put me in that stupid moving vehicle thing and took me to the v-e-t. That's right, the bad place. It was awful.
To add insult to injury, once she brought me home again she wrapped me in a towel and put stuff in my eye. I heard her tell the boy that they have to do that SIX times a DAY, and also give me 2 pills a day in addition to the every-other-day aspirin I have to have because of that whole leg thing in the summer time.
But the worst part? The very, very worst, most humiliating part of all of this?
That's right. They stuck me in a radar dish.
And then they laughed.
Send Tuna!
Sabre is sick again. This time she's got an infected scratch near her right eye. I've taken today off so that we can go to the v-e-t and get it looked at. Send tuna and headbutts for her, and wishes for me that this isn't going to send our already precarious financial situation spiralling out of control.
*sigh*
*sigh*
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