Smells Like Teen Kitten

It has been a week since we let Abby out to roam freely with the other cats and it has gone better than expected.  She is more adventurous then we thought she would be and quickly roamed the entire house.  She isn't much of a jumper but does a lot of exploring on kitten level.

Ollie is being his grumpy old man self and still hisses at her but the hissing has decreased in the last week.  She has learned that she is faster and more agile than him so she just avoids or runs away from him.  I don't know if she realizes that he is all talk and no action but I hope she doesn't learn it so as not to damage his delicate feline ego.

The girls are actually getting along quite well.  Jackie has hissed on occasion but there is a lot of friendly chasing up and down the stairs and playing this game of tag on the dining room chair.  Mostly Jackie just ignores her but there is enough playing that it makes us feel they will be a good team.

We were waiting for some quirks to emerge and we have noticed she has a few.  One, she bobs her head like a bird quite a bit as she walks around exploring. Two, she drools when she is purring and happy.  She drools A LOT.  Three, she likes to roll around on our dirty undergarments and towels or any article of recently worn work-out clothing.  Freak.

Because no cat can escape the nickname factory we have a few names in addition to Abby.  She is also the Ablet, Abby Normal (we actually made Normal her middle name), Jinglebug (because her collar has a bell) and my favorite, Bug.  

It's A Girl!

Here is the latest addition to our household:

Meet Abby!  We adopted her today from MEOW in Kirkland.  She is nine months old and is a really sweet kitty. 

So far Jackie and Oliver don't even seem to care that there is another cat in the house.  We have her shut in my office until she acclimates and they have been sitting by the office door a little bit when we are inside with Abby but paying no attention when we are downstairs.  When we brought her in in her carrier Ollie sniffed her nose and then just sauntered over to his food bowl.  Jackie sniffed her nose and stayed around a little while to sniff some more.  We were very pleased to hear no hissing, see no flattening of ears or fluffing of tails.  In Abby's foster home she got along really well with three adult cats so hopefully she will fit in here. 

So far she seems to lack basic jumping abilities but LOVES to give head butts and get lots and lots of pets.  She even lets you touch her belly! She seems to be playful but not a giant spazz which is exactly what we wanted. 

We can't wait to see how the meet and greets go!

Happy Kitty Anniversary

Six years ago today I found Jackie at the Humane Society and brought her home with me.  She was nine months old at the time and hasn't aged one bit.   She is still the same weight, which means if she were a person she could totally still fit into her old high school jeans.  Bitch.

She is still playful but respectful of bedtime which are wonderful qualities in a cat.  She is also becoming a bit of a lap cat but only for me and, much to his dismay, not for Kevin.  She'll get there though.  Lately, she has been enjoying her cat condo and all the birds that descend in almost Hitchcock-ian fashion upon our bird feeders.  The hummingbirds have also drawn a lot of interest.  They must look like the world's biggest insects to the cats.

She is probably the sweetest little kitty I ever met and I am very glad I found her meowing with her little paw reaching out of her cage towards me. 

Getting ready to bat a hair tie and send it flying.

It is also the 144th birthday of the ASPCA so go forth and hug a furry friend today and do something nice for those that aren't fortunate to have homes yet.

Deluxe Apartment In the Sky

When he knew the cats and I would be moving in Kevin decided that he must build a cat cando/cat tree for the wee beasts. He worked and slaved for many, many hours in the garage to create this beauty. It is gorgeous and solidly built.

I actually had to talk him down from making it a foot taller. Good thing otherwise Jackie would be scrunched against the ceiling.

Jackie, as you can see from this photo, LOVES her new toy. She is perched up in one of the top two boxes/beds almost all the time. The condo is positioned so she can also sit on it and look out the window at the bird feeder in the back yard. She is one happy kitty.

Ollie, on the other hand, has no actual use for it. He has scratched on it twice and that is about it. I think that is another reason she likes it so much; it is an "Ollie Free Zone."

The Boob, The Beast and The Brain

I hate to turn on the pity party but I feel the need to tell everyone about my 10 days of stress. Sit back, grab a cup of tea, this may take awhile. I would call it my "worst week ever" but since there was no death, dismemberment or permanent damage other than to my GPA I will just call it "extra super sucky week". Let me begin...

The Boob: Hello interwebs, let's talk about my boobs. Back in late August I discovered a rather large lump in my breast. Now, contrary to logical thought I didn't actually worry about this because I had had benign lumps before and I figured it was the same thing. However, I did go and get it checked out: physician visit, mammogram and ultrasound. On the mammogram they found a second one I didn't know about. Wheee! So, in for my biopsy on the 7th (begin icky week now).

Now I was fine with this whole thing because I really didn't think it was anything and if it was then worrying wasn't going to solve the problem. But on biopsy day I started to get a little freaked out. First of all, biopsy is a horrible word. No happy images come with biopsy. Nobody ever biopsies oh, I don't know, something like a cupcake. So I am getting worked up and start playing the "what if" game. The procedure itself is un-fun. It was a core needle biopsy and they took six samples with the biopsy gun. I went back to work in kind of a daze and was completely unable to focus on anything when I went home. I really just wanted to go curl up somewhere and be alone. At this point the worrying kicked into overdrive. I had every cliched cancer scare reaction in the book. I was driving myself crazy playing the "what if" game which is never productive but I think is kind of inevitable in situations like this. I tried to shove it out of my mind but for the next two days it hung over me like an anvil. In addition to the thoughts of my own mortality it was thoughts of what treatment would be like and what I would miss out on in my life if I had to go through that. I dreaded a bad result of the test not just for me but for my family, who are already going through quite enough, and Kevin, who lost his mother to breast cancer when he was a teenager. I didn't want to put myself or anyone else through that illness. And also my poor boob looked like Mike Tyson (the old one, not the kinder, gentler new one) had used it for a punching bag. A very tiny punching bag.

Friday I got the preliminary results that one was a fibroadenoma, which is what I had before and is totally harmless. The other was either a fibroadenoma or a phyllodes tumor, they can't tell without removing it. The nurse mentioned the results didn't indicate a cancer on this tumor but my brain didn't hear 100% certainty so my worry wasn't entirely assuaged. The internet and the crazy things you can find about any medical condition didn't help either.

The next week I read the pathologist's report and that made me feel better that it was truly only a benign tumor. Friday I had the appointment with the surgeon who told me I could wait until school was done to have them removed. Hooray! Even though I knew it would only be a day surgery I really don't have time for even that right now. Knowing that it is truly benign and that I don't have to try to fit a surgery into my life right now was a major relief. I felt about 50 lbs. lighter walking out the door. I can't imagine how people must feel when the test results go the other way. They must be very brave, strong people and I hope to never know exactly how they feel.

The Beast: Thursday, still feeling weird and overly focused on whatever might be growing inside of me possibly ready to kill me, I get home from school at night and Ollie is nowhere to be found. I finally track him down upstairs and there is obviously something wrong with my kitty. He isn't moving much and when he does it is only for a few feet and then he lies down again. He is walking funny and almost seems like he is limping a little bit. He looks glassy-eyed and dazed. I keep my eye on him and see how he is doing and then around midnight he crawls under the bed to hide. This is not a cat that EVER hides so this is clearly a bad sign. Off to the emergency vet we go. The vet finds nothing wrong with him even though he is clearly not right and we take him home and fall asleep about 3:00 a.m.

After worrying about him more Friday night we got up early Saturday morning and went back to the vet because he was no better and appeared to even be limping more. I postponed my weekend trip with my mother by a few hours to take Ollie in for his checkup where they decided to keep him for a few hours and perform some x-rays and tests. My dear Kevin was good enough to pick him up later in the day and I knew he would be watching him all weekend for me. At this point we thought he might have hurt his leg in a fall but didn't suspect much more.

The x-rays showed no damage but they did show a huge amount of poop inside my kitty. Here is the picture for your viewing pleasure. The little lumps in the intestine? Poo. He has lovely femurs though don't you think?
They performed an enema, did blood work, gave him antibiotics for a slight fever he had and sent him home. No change in the way he was acting at all. By the time I got home Monday afternoon he was still the same. Fretting about my kitty who laid around looking visibly ill while trying to complete schoolwork was difficult to say the least. Thinking he might have some sort of infection we waited for the antibiotics to do their thing.

Tuesday came and I noticed he was the same except now he wasn't eating. Those of you who know Oliver know this cat loves his chow so this was a very, very bad sign. Wednesday he still wasn't eating and I rushed home from work to take him to another vet appointment. They decided to keep him in kitty ICU overnight where they catheterize him to get a urine sample, give him IV hydration because he is dehydrated, more blood work and monitor him to see how he is doing. We bring him home Thursday night after school and he actually seems better. Still walking gingerly, still not quite himself , but better.

We were afraid to not follow through with the visit to the specialist the next day that my vet recommended because we didn't know if he was still suffering from whatever ailed him or if it popped back up we didn't want to put him in an acute sort of situation. So Friday morning it was a 37 mile drive to the specialist for an ultrasound, neurology consult and more work-up while working this around my surgical consult.

The upshot of all of this is: my baby beast is better and I am $1800 poorer. We knew Ollie had turned the corner when he stopped the hiding behavior, started eating, started grooming himself again and began to have inappropriate relations with his cat toys. Whatever was wrong with him appears to be gone (knock wood) for which we are EXTREMELY grateful but I still would have liked to have a diagnosis.

Watching him acting so unusual and knowing he was very sick was heart wrenching to me. I have had Ollie for over 13 years; 1/3 of my life. Thinking the worst and that he might be gone soon ripped my heart out. I know I don't have many more years left with him but I can't bear the thought of losing him yet. I know I am a slightly neurotic cat-owner but he was sick and scared me a lot.

The Brain: With those two emotional, stressful, mind-screwing activities going on simultaneously it was very difficult to focus on my studies. Damn near impossible to be honest. I also should have said "no" to the planned trip to the ocean with my mother but she really needed to get away and can't drive to the ocean on her own. Besides, in my "what if it is cancer" mindset I asked myself what was more important and time with my mother and doing something nice for her won out hands down. Sorry school, you just don't rate.

I brought my homework with me and spent the majority of the waking hours there on homework. I, however, didn't factor in the travel time or time spent eating out which greatly cut into my studying. I also failed to realize how much research the paper I had due Thursday would take and without an Internet connection or laptop I was hosed. I scrambled when I got back home and put in long hours to turn in a paper I am humiliated by. I don't even want to make eye contact with the instructor when we get it back tomorrow. It is that bad. I was so consumed trying to do this stupid paper that I failed to study for my exam in the other class and got what I believe to be my very first "D". Yes, that is correct. A "D". On an exam that is worth 20 percent of my grade. I am now pulling a "C" in that class. I have only received a "C" once in my life and that was 9th grade art because I spent the whole semester screwing around and didn't turn anything in until the last minute. I am not that kind of student but last week school was the least of my concerns.

I know I said I would make this quarter my bitch but I didn't factor in that in order to do that you actually have to care. My summa cum laude dreams might die this quarter and I don't even give a damn. As an astute fellow student once pointed out: C=Degree.

Oh, and on Thursday night I found out that my Dad was admitted to the hospital where he spent the next four nights recovering from some sort of infection. He is doing better now and is at home. How is that for a capper on the week? This week though? Much, much better.

Weekend Update

Most of the weekend was spent with my head in the textbooks (am I done yet?) but I did manage to squeeze in a little fun too.

Saturday night Kevin and I went to see our darling ancestor, Lucy, at the Science Center. What a thrill to get to see her. It is crazy to me that we actually got to see this monumentally important piece of evolutionary history in person. 3.18 million years old and a 40 percent intact skeleton. Truly awe inspiring to think of her walking around on the earth and all that has come after her. Afterwards, it was yummy dinner at Roti Cuisine of India ... mmmmm, mango chicken and naan.

Sunday I actually got to sleep in and then we went to Chateau St. Michelle for wine tasting and then another tasty dinner at Saltoro. While I finished up homework, Kevin set up Jackie's kitty condo (with Jackie's help). It comes down at Christmas to make room for the tree and she always gets excited when it is reconstructed. I now have one happy little chicken.

Can Haz Denturz?

This face? This big, giant face cost me a lot of money last week. Ollie had to have two teeth removed along with a cleaning, complete films and some drugs. This cost me ...oh, let's just say more than one month's rent. Actually, more than one month's rent, both phone bills and my cable bill combined. Can haz poverty?

Turns out that the x-rays showed he actually needs two more teeth out and his fangs will probably go at some time too. They couldn't get the other two teeth because he had been under the anesthetic too long so they had to bring him out. It is hard on any cat but especially older ones like my beast. I will wait a few months before we go after the other teeth. I need time to find a buyer for my kidney.

P.S. He is worth every penny.

Reasonable Facsimile of Harmony

This qualifies as cuddling for my cats. I am so proud of them. Oliver was even AWARE that Jackie was that close. Of course the minute I sat down on the other end of the couch he got up, biffed her on the head, chased her off the couch and then came over to sit next to me. It was touching while it lasted though.

Jolly Ollie Days

Today is the 12th anniversary of the finding of Oliver. Twelve years ago today I went to visit my folks on a noisy, warm summer afternoon. While Dad was mowing the lawn he heard the sound of a cat crying. How he did that over the sound of the mower, the neighborhood rock band practicing, and the planes flying overhead I will never understand. Investigating, he found the Ollie Beast with his head stuck in the chain link fence. His head must have been huge even as a kitten.

I was not a cat person until I found the Big Giant Heed but I knew right away that I was meant to take this cat home. He was clearly freaked out but when I called to him he came right out from under one of the cars in the driveway and came right to me. He wouldn't go to anyone else. I carried him around the neighborhood knocking on doors but no neighbors claimed him and no one ever posted a sign. There were many growing pains over the years as I learned how to be a cat owner and he learned...ummm ...well, he taught me how to be a cat owner. He is a complicated feline but he is my Beast and I am extremely fortunate to have him.

I hope everyone celebrates in proper Ollie style by demanding snuggles and rubs on the belly from loved ones; or let's be honest, really anyone who is around. He isn't a particularly discerning snuggler. Celebrations can also include napping, eating of cat grass or leafy greens, crying forlornly if you can see the bottom of your plate through piles of food, not letting anyone touch your feet and taking a thoroughly unsatisfying poop.

Happy Hoogen Day!

Four years ago today I walked into the Humane Society for Seattle/King County looking for a new kitty to add to my home. While in one of the back rooms full of cages, looking at eye level cats, I heard a meow like a question. It actually went up at the end and was possibly the cutest meow ever. I looked down and there was this little black and white paw sticking out through the bars trying to touch my leg. I filled out paperwork, interviewed and spent time in the tiny get to know you room with her. This was my kitty.

I am incredibly lucky to have this darling, affectionate, playful, gregarious, wee little bundle of black and white fur. She is always ready to play but never keeps you up at night or wakes you up in the morning. She has become a cuddler and charms everyone who walks in the door. She makes me smile to just look at her. Even Oliver seems to kind of tolerate her. Here's to many more years of Jackie and her perpetual kittenhood!