Holiday's Remembered

Well, it's a New Year, and time to look back on the last few months of 2007 and ask yourself, "Where did the time go?" It seems that once a year hits September, that it starts moving faster and faster. The Holidays all blur together, and you can't enjoy one without worrying about the next one coming up. So let's take time to reflect...

Halloween was very low key at our house this year. Partly because I had to work, so I wasn't even home! The boys didn't dress up, but here is a picture of Larry the Ladybug rom last year.
I need to work on getting a good shot of Devon in his Pig in a Blanket costume, and Mojo in his Super Cat cape. Maybe that will be a New year's resolution...wait, there I go skipping Thanksgiving and Christmas again! See the holidays are flying by...

Thanksgiving was short but filled with great food and fun with family. Mom makes the best turkey and dressing of anyone I know. We had turkey, ham, and all the fixin's...it was delicious! The only thing that would make it better is if the boys could have been there. Since I went to my parents house, which is about 4 hours away, I didn't take the boys with me. They don't mind riding in the car so much, well except Mojo, but they are really stressed out and nervous at new places. They enjoyed the holiday more by staying at our house alone. I hurried back on Friday to be with them. I gave them some turkey flavored canned food, and they were happy as clams.

Christmas brought its own set of challenges and stresses. I decided that I would wrap a tree in lights in the front yard. I was going to get white, but at the after Christmas sales last year, they only had green left. So I bought 1500 green lights and was all set. I ended up only using 500 lights, but the tree turned out great I thought. I ran out of time, but next Christmas, I'll start earlier and decorate 3 of the trees in the yard!


The boys loved the decorations, and enjoyed sleeping under the Christmas trees. That's right, we put up two trees this year in the house! We were quite festive. They are both pre-lit, and very pretty. I need to work on taking photos of them with the flash off, but for now these photos will work. They show off the ornaments, which are the best part of the tree anyway!



This is the tree in the living room. Mojo enjoys sleeing under this one. We can see this one while watching tv, or eating. This is where we put our tree in 2006, our first Christmas in this house, but felt the neighbors were missing out because they couldn't see our beautiful tree. So, we bought the second one after Christmas for a great price. It's amazing how low the price for decorations drops after the holidays.

This tree is in the study, at the front of the house, so you can see it when you drive up. It is slightly smaller, but still a nice tree. Pirate and Devon tried to climb this one, but it kept on standing. I don't think anyone knocked any ornaments off this year, which is quite an accomplishment!

Again, my sister and I travelled home for Christmas. Tanner usually goes with me, but this year I left him behind because we had a special visitor going home with us. Sasha is a Tortoise we were pet sitting and since she likes to stay nice and warm, we decided to just take her with us. She traveled fine, and enjoyed walking in front of the heat vents in the bathroom. This is Sasha on Christmas morning about to enjoy her buffet of salad greens, banana pieces, and some red grapes. She looks excited doesn't she?

We actually didn't let the cats around her, so I don't know how they would react.

Two more photos before I close out this post. I realize I haven't put any photos of the boys in this post, but they weren't around at the holidays. I'll close with a picture of my parents Christmas tree, and the one at my Granny's house.

This is mom and dad's tree.

And this is me standing beside Granny's tree. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all!

Happy Birthday Mojo

Mojo turned 11 years old on October 22nd. He has lived with me for almost 3 years now, and is a very sweet boy. He tries to get along with everyone, although he loves to pick on Tanner! I think it is a black and white cat thing, as Pirate also likes to pick on Tanner. Maybe Tanner is just a sissy boy, who knows, but I've digressed...this post is about Mojo.

Mojo goes through phases of favorite foods. When he first came to live with us, he couldn't get enough beef, especially beef fat! He loved the drippings from the pan when you made browned beef. He loved stew meat with gravy. He loved a Wendy's burger. He didn't mind Chinese beef and broccoli either, just hold the broccoli. But one day, beef wasn't appealing to him anymore. We were stunned. Mojo had always swarmed the kitchen when beef was around. Was he sick? Was he hurt somewhere? Was he full? No, he was just tired of beef. So we started looking around for a new favorite food for Mojo, and finally one day we found it....SARDINES!

Mojo loves sardines. He had a special plate of them for his birthday this year, but I am starting to see signs that we are moving away from sardines. He has loved them now for about a year, so I guess he has a right to be tired of them. Keep in mind that he only gets them about once or twice a month, but I guess that is enough. I'm going to try some more varieties of canned meat for him, as we have a couple of special days coming up. Maybe canned chicken will be the new beef, sardines, favorite. I'll keep you posted on the search. Does your cat have a favorite food?


I believe Mojo had a nice birthday this year, even if the sardines had lost some of their appeal. We played with his favorite string, the red one. He is a frisky kitten and loves to try and grab his string. His other gift was mealworms for the birds outside. He enjoys watching them, along with the other cats, and so we feed them for entertainment. The weather here has finally cooled off a bit so we can order the worms and not feel bad about them riding in a hot truck. I know they are going to be eaten, but they don't need to suffer before their time. I have issues, but that's ok. Again, this post is about Mojo, so back to the birthday boy!

Mojo in human years would be about 60, depending on which website you choose to believe. He is showing some signs of age, but all in all, considering what he has gone through in life, he is doing fantastic! He is living the high life now, and loving every minute of it! I'm glad he is part of my family. Happy Birthday Mojo!

Happy Birthday Devon and Sophie!

I'm a bit late with this post, but better late than never, I suppose. Sophie celebrated her 6th birthday on September 10th, and Devon celebrated his 6th birthday on the 14th. It is hard to believe that we have had them for 6 years!


For Sophie's birthday, we went to the Wild Bird Unlimited store and picked up a bird feeder and some seed for her. She loves to chatter at the birds and watch them throughout the day. This new feeder will bring her pleasure all year. For her birthday dinner, we had steamed asparagus. This is her favorite human food, and she ate several stalks of it! I'll post pictures later...
For Devon's birthday, he also got a new bird feeder and a branch for the pole system. The finches love his feeder and there is always someone out there eating. The cats all love the birds! Devon's big thrill in life, besides laying on the oven, is licking butter from the County Crock tub, so for his birthday dinner, we had baked potatoes. He licked the butter and ate some shredded cheese. He was a happy boy!

Devon and Sophie, along with the other cats all got a new catnip toy as well. They love the felt mice, and will just wash and wash on them until they are soaking wet. Everyone went to bed high that night...pure kitty bliss.

Pictures of the actual birthdays will be posted at a later time.

Summer Update...Waiting for Fall

Since our last post a lot has happened with the boys...they are crazier than ever!

Devon is anxiously waiting for cooler weather so we can go for rides in the stroller again. It is simply too hot right now for him, or anyone to be outside. He enjoys laying in the middle of the floor and cooling his belly under the ceiling fan. He's a touch dramatic at times :)










Mojo's arm has finally healed! GO MOJO!! It only took about a month, but we were all glad when it was back to normal. Here is his arm about half-way through the healing process. Here is the arm completely healed, just needing a bit of hair to grow back. He was so proud of himself, and enjoyed his sardines.

















Mojo had to go back to the vet school to have his eyes examined. He went in for his regular vet check-up, and she was concerned that he might have a melanoma on his eye. Luckily, it was just a spot where the iris has attached to the cornea, so nothing to worry about, just to keep an eye on. We were all thankful for that news, and Mojo got some more sardines.








Smokey is doing well on his allergy shots, and has only had a couple of small flair ups this summer. We are all pleased with his progress. Smokey's latest crazy habit is opening the closet doors. In some of the bedrooms, we have bi-fold doors, and they are no match for the Goose. He has been opening drawers (and pulling things out) since he was a kitten. He used to love to try and open the bathroom cabinets, but couldn't quite master that, so they would just slam shut during the night. I would wrap a hand towel around the post in the middle, so they wouldn't make noise. Now we've moved on to closets. At least he hasn't figured out how to work the door knobs yet!

Smokey went in for his regular vet check-up and got a clean bill of health, except for his teeth. We'll need to get those cleaned this year, along with a senior blood panel. (If anyone would like to hire Smokey to open their closets, he charges $25 per opening, more if he needs to pull something out!)









Tanner has been going well this summer too. He is a playing fool, and loves to jump around on the bed for his string! He is loving life right now because he is getting lots of canned food to help him lose weight. He is eating ProPlan Turkey and Rice Weight Management formula twice a day. We tried the Hills DM formula but no one would touch it! The ProPlan has a very high protein content, which is what Tanner needs. He seems to be extra sensitive to the carbs in the dry food. Maybe this will help him trim down a bit. He is over 17 lbs now! His vet has taken to calling him Mr. Wide Bottom! Otherwise he is going great.


The boys did great with their pet sitter while my sister and I were on vacation. Everyone came down to eat and get love and played with most every day. It took Tanner until two days before we came home to decide this lady might be ok, and he should let her pet him. It takes him a while to trust, but luckily we didn't have to worry about his medicine while we were gone, so that was a relief for all of us!

Everyone needed lots of love when we got home, but Tanner was the funniest. During the night when he would wake up, and see that I was still there, he would just purr and purr. I could hear him from across the room! He was very clingy and needy too. He followed me around all the time, and just talked up a storm. They were all happy to have us home, and we were glad to be back home too!







Well, that about wraps up our summer...hopefully updates will be more frequent this fall, since Devon and Mojo have birthdays coming up. Until then...stay Crazy!

Mojo's Medical News

Mojo has always been the most challenging of my boys as far as medical issues. He started off sick and thin when we got him. We've worked through lots of different treatment regimes with him, and he has drastically improved in the two years we've had him. We brought him home from the facility in February 2005. April he had his teeth cleaned, and was referred to the vet school for an ear polyp. In May he had ear surgery to remove the polyp. The sore on his face remained, so we worked for 7 more months to get that cleared. We did a food trial, eating only Venison and Green Pea food. He was also on a multitude of medicines, raning from the simple, like a Pepcid for indigestion, to immune-suppressants for severe allergy problems. He was also on steriods and antihistamines. Finally in December he was clear and able to be tested for allergies. He is allergic to EVERYTHING! In January 2006, we started the immunotherapy, or allergy shots. He responded beautifully, and has been off all medicines, with the exception of an antihistamine every now and then for over a year!

Fast forward to April 2007. Mojo is doing great...we're still giving the allergy shots every two weeks, and he handles them like a real trooper. He can eat anything that he wants. He weighs close to 10.5 pounds. Life is good for Mojo. Overnight his world changes. A HUGE abcess pops up on his chin. He goes to the vet school for an emergency check-up, where more biopsies are taken. He is sent home on antibiotics for a monthand pain meds for a week. Mojo does not tolerate antibiotics well. He became quite sick again, lost a good bit of weight and just felt miserable. We treated the nausea with Pepcid and this would work for a couple of days, then we just had to increase the dose. We made it through and Mojo went in to see the dentist and his favorite dermatologist to see what the problem was, and to try and figure out what caused the abcess. Mojo spends the day there and gets lots of x-rays. It is decided that his teeth need to come out because they are rotten and decaying. After about 4 hours of surgery Mojo is able to come home with three canine teeth only! He is on pain meds, and you guessed it, more antibiotics! He started out sick from the anesthesia, then sick from the antibiotics, then sick from the pain meds. We had to resort to giving fluids and an injectable form of pepcid to help him through. Slowly he started feeling better and eating better and looking better.

We saw a small sore on him arm after surgery, but figured it was just from the IV. Well, Mojo kept messing with it, and washing it, and chewing at it, so it became a huge sore on his arm! I took him in to be seen, and yep, he was given more antibiotics, and some ointment for his arm. After two doses of the antibiotic he was sick as a dog again. We stopped them, and spoke with another vet for a different treatment option. We have been working with her for over a week now, and the sore is looking better. It may take another couple of weeks for it to heal completely, but at least we are seeing improvements, and Mojo is not sick. I won't say Mojo is thrilled with his new treatment option, but he is tolerating it pretty well.

Here is a picture of the sore. The scab is actually bad for healing at this point. The point of his treatment is to soften the scab, so the skin realizes there is a sore there, so it will heal it like it is supposed to.

We start with a layer of BioDerm, or fake skin! This stuff is extremely sticky, but it works like a charm.

Next, we get wrapped. The store didn't have any red wrap, which is Mojo's color, but he is doing ok with the teal!

Next, he gets taped at both ends of the wrap, so it doesn't slip down his arm.

Lastly, we get the e-collar on, and he is not happy. He doesn't think he can eat, drink, or walk properly with this collar on. We take it off several times a day for him to eat, but you have to watch him like a hawk, because he can have the bandage off in a matter of seconds!

We hope that two to three more dressing changes and we will be able to stop, but we'll see. I know Mojo will be a happy camper once this is all over.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SMOKEY!!

Happy 11th Birthday Goose...I know this is a bit late, his birthday was April 14th, but I did want to write something about him. Smokey is the first cat that I got as an adult. It seems like fate that brought me to him. In 1996, I was about to graduate from college. My sister and I were going to move into an apartment together, and we were both going to get a kitten. It was exciting times! We both started out wanting boys, simply because their surgery would be cheaper. Color didn't really matter, just a nice personality. A friend in our parents hometown had a cat that had just given birth, and we could come and pick from her litter. We drove home, and there were two adorable long haired girls that were just perfect! So much for our cheaper surgery theory! So we took pictures, and started thinking about names, and buying toys and beds and all kinds of neat things for them. We were ready. Our parents went and picked them up on a Friday night, because they were coming down to help us move on Saturday, and they would bring the kittens with them. They arrived, and we got all the moving done, and played with the kittens, and I noticed my kitten, Tigger (she was a brown tabby) wasn't standing well, and didn't act like she felt good. I showed mom and we decided to take her to the emergency vet because it just didn't look right. It took a while to find one, but we finally arrived and the took her back to be examined, and she died while she was back there. I had only known her for a few hours, but I was heart-broken. I hated that she had made the long journey to my place when she wasn't feeling good. It was either a virus, or a vaccine reaction, so we had to keep an eye on Dasha in case it was contagious.

On Sunday, I graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill, but didn't have a new kitten to go home to. My sister picked up a paper for me, and I started looking in the classifieds for kittens. There were quite a few to choose from, so I started calling around. My friend and I went visiting kittens the next day, and most of the ones we found were no longer little kittens at all! It was disappointing. I called another lady that night, and she said she had 2 kittens left, but had 3 people coming out to visit, to not come by, but call the next day and see if she had any left. I called the next morning and she still had 2 kittens! After work, my sister and I drove down to look at the kittens, and I was hoping they would be small enough to fit in with Dasha. There was a little white kitten, and a small greyish black one with some stripes on it. They were living on a screened porch with a bunch of adult cats that kept growling at them. I felt bad having to choose, but I chose the one with the stripes because he was the smallest of the two. He could fit in my hand, and he laid in my hand the whole way home and slept. I chose the name Smokey because he had black and grey and white on him...the colors of smoke.

Smokey as a baby. He was about the size of a Beanie Baby!

Smokey was a nervous kitten, but he loved to play and jump! He and Dasha became instant friends. They played together a lot.

It was fun at night just to watch Smokey and Dasha. They were very entertaining!

As Smokey grew he loved to lay in a comfy spot with his stuffed animals. He was still a nervous boy, but had started laying on me, if I laid on the bed to read. He had multiple favorite spots around the house, one being a towel on the bathroom counter! If we had guests over, they rarely saw Smokey. His safe zone was my bedroom, under the bed, or in the closet. He loves a closet!

Smokey's bad habits would include opening my dresser drawers and pulling clothes out! He loves my pajama drawer, which is the bottom one. He can open the bottom two drawers. The best time to do this is of course in the middle of the night!

Another bad habit when we lived at the apartment, was trying to open the bathroom cabinets, but not succeeding and letting them slam closed again. This too was most fun during the night. I got smart though, and started leaving a hand towel wrapped around the post in between the two doors! He could play all he wanted, but it didn't make noise.

Smokey was my only boy until Devon came to live with us in 2001. Smokey was 5 at the time, and I think having those 5 years alone with him has helped him to thrive. He is now a very trusting boy. He loves to lay on my lap, regardless of where I am in the house. He still loves to lay on the towel on the bathroom counter, and a comfy blanket on the bed. He is spoiled, but he's my boy!

I still hate that Tigger died, but I'm glad that I was able to find Smokey and give him a life that he deserves. Happy Birthday again Smokey...you're my special Goose!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TANNER!!

Tanner's birthday was April 7th. My baby boy is now 5 years old! It is hard to believe that he is that old...it seems like only yesterday that he arrived at the house...

Tanner was 13 days old, and weighed 7 ounces, when he came to us with his sister Riley, and they were a fussy group! They didn't like the taste of the formula we were feeding (KMR) because they were used to a surrogate mom's milk. She was doing an ok job with them, but she had kittens of her own that were much larger and older than Tanner and Riley, so they weren't getting what they needed, and were not gaining weight. They were a bit weak and dehydrated when they came to me, but with the help of a friend who rushed over after a frantic "Get over here and bring a heating pad!" phone call, we got them eating. It took almost all weekend for Tanner to want to nurse on his bottle. Riley understood a bit earlier. He finally caught on, and we knew the drill. Tanner liked the short squatty nipple on the bottle, and Riley preferred the long skinny one. As long as they had the right nipple, they would eat fine!




This is Tanner after almost 6 weeks at our house! What a cutie!

Tanner and I went through a lot together. He developed ringworm and we spent months treating that. Once he was ready to go to adoptathons, I wasn't ready to let him go. It took some convincing, but I was finally able to adopt him!

When he was almost two, he was diagnosed with his heart condition, Hypertrophic Obtrusive Cardiomyopathy. He is handling the daily medications like a trooper.

In the last year, Tanner has become a real snuggle bug. He sleeps with me everynight now. He lays at my feet and stretches out...he takes up most of the bed, but I'll not complain. It's just nice to have him in there! He has also gotten so he will sit beside me on the couch some nights.

His favorite pasttime is definitely playing! He loves for me to sit in the floor and play with him. He likes to do flips over my feet while trying to "get" a toy!

He talks a lot more now that he used to, and he enjoys talking to and waving to his birds outside. Some nights he'll put on a show for them and dance around on the rug in front of the doors!

Tanner is a happy boy that loves life! I hope he'll be around for a long time to come...Happy Birthday Tanner!

Smokey and the Vet School, part 2

Smokey finally made it to the vet school for his allergy testing. His appointment in February was cancelled because the doctor's flight was delayed. We went this past Wednesday. He was not too happy about having to fast overnight or the car ride over to Raleigh. He loves to talk in the car, so I enjoyed hearing him because he doesn't talk at home a whole lot. He has a very high squeaky voice...it's like it never changed from when he was a kitten.

Once we made it to the vet school, and I got him checked in, Dr. Murphy came out to get him pretty quickly. We chatted for a bit, and off they went. When Kim picked him up later that afternoon, Dr. Murphy commented on how loving Smokey was, and how he just wanted to be held! He is a snuggle bug and loves getting hugs.

Smokey got a mild sedative to help him hold still while he was being tested. He got his side shaved, and they marked on his with what looks like a Sharpie where the test pricks were going to go. Here he is just a few minutes after being home...he was starving! You can see the black marks very prominently, and also some sores where the testing was done.

Smokey was so happy to be home...he's been quite talkative, which is unlike him. He loves to play and is a frisky kitten! It takes him an office visit to make him truly appreciate his good life at home.

We found out that he is allergic to 12 things.

• Dust Mites


• Eastern Oak Mix (trees)


• White Hickory


• Red Maple


• Elm Mix


• Johnson Grass


• Orchard Grass


• Yellow Dock (weed)


• Rough Pigweed


• Giant Ragweed


• Fleas


• Cockroaches

Since the serum for the immuno-therapy can have up to 14 items in it, we were all set, and his serum will include all things (except fleas). The serum should be here in a couple of weeks, and we'll get started. Once I know the schedule for the shots, I'll post them here. I will be doing the shots at home. I feel comfortable with that, since I've already gone through this process with Mojo. Mojo is currently on a once every two week schedule, which is nice. I'm hoping to get the boys on the same day, once Smokey gets to the maintenance phase.

After a few days, the black dots were fading on Smokey's side. The shaved area is so warm and soft...I just love rubbing it! I told Smokey we may just have to keep him shaved...he wasn't too happy about that.

Spring is in the Air

Spring is in the air, here in the south and that means two things...

1) Fun Stroller Rides

and

2) Allergies!

We'll start with the fun stuff...Stroller rides! I took Devon out this Sunday for a walk around the block. Now that I'm off the crutches from breaking my fibula in February, I thought a walk would be nice. Plus, did I mention that it was in the 70's here? So I grabbed Devon and we were off. It's been a while since we have used the stroller, so he started out talking a bit frantically. Once we crossed the street, he settled down. He loves to talk while he is out...I secretely think he wants to see if folks will come out and look at him! I forgot to take my camera out with me, but here is a picture of him from last fall in the stroller. Next time we go out, I'll take the camera along...Devon is a bit hard to see here, but he is sitting and looking proud!

Spring also means allergies, and poor Smokey is starting to flair up a bit. His eyes are a bit swollen, so I've started the eye ointment again to see if that will help. He goes next week to be tested for allergies, so I hope we can pin point the culprits and get the immuno-therapy started soon! I'll try to grab a new photo of Smokey tonight...he is a bit camera shy!

Did I mention that it was in the 70's on Sunday? It was a glorious day here...the sky was blue, Carolina Blue, I might add. I took advantage of the day, and when I got back from my walk with Devon, I grabbed a book and a chair, threw on some shorts and headed outside! I sat in the sun with my bare feet in the grass and read for a couple of hours...it was a fantastic way to spend a Sunday afternoon. It's supposed to get into the 80's by mid-week...Spring is definitely right around the corner...

More Snow Pictures

Since it is in the 60's here, and spring should be just around the corner, I thought it would be nice to reflect on the few snow days we had this year. Here in the South, we were once again cheated from any substantial snow amounts. Flurries are pretty and fun to watch, but you don't get out of work long enough! In 2000, we had a large snowfall...over 20 inches. We were out of work, and stuck at home for a week...it was great! My tip to you all is to not watch Food Network when you can't get to the grocery store. In either 2001 or 2002, we had a nice ice storm and we were out of work for almost a week then too. It wasn't quite as fun because we didn't have any power. It is amazing what all you can cook on a grill though. Luckily we had gas logs in the fireplace, so we could keep the downstairs fairly warm. The cats enjoyed sitting on blankets in front of the fireplace! For the last several years, we only received a few snow showers. I suppose that is better than nothing at all...maybe next year, we'll get a big one! Until then, here are some pictures of Snow in the South.

The cats love watching the snow fall, and also all the birds eating and flying around! This is Sophie and Tanner...

Let It Snow!

It's been a while since I've posted here, but we've had a couple of very light snowfalls. The boys all enjoy watching it snow, and watching the birds eat like pigs! We have a bird feeder outside the back door, and it attracts all sorts of birds...we have been impressed and surprised with the variety!

Here is one of the three doves that we've seen in the yard...they even get up in the larger feeder we have.

But this is supposed to be about birds and the crazy boys in the snow, so let me get on with it! Here are a couple of pictures from the first small snow we had in January on the 18th.


These birds were enjoying the food we had out for them. The snow was really coming down, and looked very pretty, but it didn't stick to the roads to become a problem. Here in the South it doesn't take much snow to completely shut towns down...we simply don't have the equipment to clear the roads.

Here's Pirate enjoying the snow...we put him down, and he just ran around like a crazy cat! He loved it!

Devon was a little more conservative. He wanted to go out, but then once he was there, he was ready to come back in. I was able to snap this photo of him though before he stood at the door.

The other boys were happy sitting in the nice warm house, snuggling on blankets spread on the couch!

Our next snow came yesterday, February 1st...another Thursday. I didn't put the cats out this time because it wasn't long before it switched to sleet and then to freezing rain, and that is no fun to be out in! We've added another feeder to the pole and the birds were wild...we probably had about 30 at a time sitting out there. There were birds there about all day long too. The cats loved it. Here's Sophie and Tanner watching out the back door.

It is hard to see in this shot, but there are birds in the grass all along the fence :) We sprinkled some of the sunflower chips on the porch hoping to get the birds closer for the cats. There were a couple that came up there, but I didn't have the camera ready! By the end of the day, all of that seed was gone.

The other boys, Mojo and Smokey, spent their day sleeping in a nice warm spot! Tanner and Devon decided that they were cold after watching the birds all morning, so they snuggled on the couch together...it was a love fest! I'll close with some snuggle photos.
Here's Mojo, in his favorite bed. He got this as a birthday present when he was 9 years old from PC. It is a Christmas bed, but we leave it out all the time because he is always laying in it!

Smokey loves to lay in the this bed and look out the window. Normally, there is a nice, warm, morning sun streaming in for him, but today is cold and dreary.

Here's the love fest of Tanner and Devon snuggling on the couch...I know you've all been waiting patiently for this photo! Here you go, and I hope it will keep you warm where ever you are! Happy Snow Day!

Smokey and the Vet School

Smokey went in for his appointment with the dermatology department on January 3rd. He was not too happy when I had to grab him and drag him out from under a chair! Once he was in the carrier though, I was able to feed the other cats...Smokey had to fast overnight, so everyone fasted overnight! We got in the car and headed off...Smokey also likes to talk in the car, but he is pretty quite about it. At least he doesn't get the frantic sound in his voice like Tanner does.

We arrived and checked in, and finally were called back, to review the history of Smokey's swollen eyes with them. They are all wonderful at the vet school, and made Smokey feel very comfortable. He acts nervous, but he was actually purring the whole time! Once the Doctor came in she mentioned that she was going to have another department, Opthamology look at him as well, so they were going to keep him for the day. I was able to leave and come back in the afternoon to pick him up.

I came back over and spoke with the doctor. She told me what the treatment plan was, and helped me schedule an appointment for later in the month for another evaluation. We are giving Lysine to every cat in the house, every night. They are loving the canned food treats! Smokey is also taking Terramycin eye drops 4 times a day until we return. He's actually getting them 3 times on days when I'm home a lot, and twice on days that I work. It's been a week now, and his eyes are looking better and he is acting very frisky, so maybe this is helping. Smokey was ready to go home! He is very quiet in the car on the way home...doesn't say a word!

I was able to get a picture of the Brick we dedicated to Dasha while I was there. Smokey was hanging out in the carrier, not being very photogenic. Maybe when I go back, I'll try to get a shot of him.

Happy New Year!

To celebrate the New Year, we had a group of friends over to work on our scrapbooks. We had fun and are all ready for 2007! I went around when the clock struck midnight and tried to find all the cats to see how they were celebrating...they were not very exciting...




Devon was laying on the back of the couch!



Sophie was trying to get a glimpse of what was happening in the scrapbook room...
Pirate was laying under a table...




And Tanner was just looking pretty! I couldn't find the others at the time to get their pictures...I think the older boys were sleeping somewhere because it was way past our normal bedtime!

On New Years day, we took down the Christmas Tree...surprisingly enough it still looked about the same as when we put it up. Maybe the boys have grown out of playing with the ornaments so much! I caught a few of them messing around the tree, or stretching up in it, but they didn't knock anything off, so it was fine for them to enjoy it. One last view of the tree before it goes away for another year...

Home for the Holidays

Tanner went home with me to my parents house for Christmas. He is a pretty good travel partner, although he talks a lot...especially when a good song comes on the radio! His favorite artist would be Jimmy Buffett. He'll sit very quietly and listen when I put a cd of his on. So, I try to play him as much as possible when Tanner is in the car. We stopped once for a rest break for us both...I put Tanners leash and harness on him and he sat in the grass for a few minutes. The fresh air helped him to appreciate his carrier and to keep quiet for about 30 minutes.

Once we got to mom and dad's house he was much better. He enjoys exploring and eating mom's many plants. We don't keep live plants at our house for this reason...he loves to chew on them and of course they die. We have a couple of artificial trees, and Smokey still eats the leaves like they are real! I told you my cats were crazy.

Tanner would enjoy exploring more if my parents dogs didn't bark at him. He isn't used to that sound and even though he is at least twice their size, he's too nervous to do anything about it.

Delilah is the smallest of the dogs...she has some health problems, but still enjoys playing and being held.

Here she is laying in the hammock that we had bought for one of their cats a while back.

Samson is a bit larger, but still only weighs about 6 or 7 pounds. Tanner could easily show him who is boss, but he just won't stand up to the dogs. Sam loves to play fetch. He is big enough to jump onto the couch, but not the bed. We have gates up so Tanner has some 'safe' areas of the house...the dogs can still look in, but they can't get to him.

Mom and dad also have a gorgeous long haired orange cat named Chester. He is super sweet and loves to be held and snuggled. He and Tanner like to sit and growl at each other, but that's about it. I'm not sure how old Chester is, he was just dropped off at the house one day when he was a baby. My parents get a lot of animals that way, since they live in a rural area.

After a few days here, Tanner and I headed back to our house. He did pretty good, but demanded I change his towel...guess it wasn't fluffy enough for him. I put two in the carrier for him, and he slept soundly for about an hour. I was thankful to be back home!

I'll be posting more pictures on the blog since I now own my very own digital camera! I have the Sony DSX-H5...it is awesome!