Hello Again

Hello again! We are all doing okay. Mom is home on winter break. We haven't been doing much of anything. Mom has been reading a lot, because it's been rainy and windy and cold outside. We got 7 days of rain in a row. That never happens around here. They have been saying that it was one of the worst set of storms California has seen in years. Mom just laughs because it really wasn't stormy, just rainy. But then again, there is that belief that it never rains in Southern California. Mom is weird because she likes the rain.

We also wanted to send a big thank you to the friend who sent Mom this wonderful pendent. She got it the Saturday after she helped Tavi to the bridge. She has only taken it off when she showers because she doesn't want it to get wet. The person who sent it to us got it from the esty shop Oliviamoon.
As you can see, it is one of Mom's favorite pictures of Tavi, with a beautiful sentiment on the back. We love it.

We are doing okay without Tavi. We all miss him of course. Both Cody and I miss sleeping with him. We don't like each other, but we both liked him. I have been trying to cuddle more with Mom because Tiki and Tavi were the cuddlers. I don't alway sleep on her, but I am trying to more.

In case we don't get to go online again before the new year, we hope you have a safe and quiet New Year.

Happy Christmas

We wanted to wish everyone a Happy Christmas!

Goodbye My Love

One of my favorite pictures of Tavi.
June 25, 1993 - December 1, 2010

As most of you know, I helped Tavi to the bridge today at about 11:30 am PST. He stopped eating almost two weeks ago (only eating a bite or two twice in all that time) and even then, would jump up to sleep with me, or lay on my lap. When I came home last night, I knew it was time to help him take the journey to the Bridge. He was lethargic, and while he would get up, he was extremely wobbly on his feet and had to fight hard to keep his balance. That was the first time he had to fight so hard to stay upright. It also exhausted him, and he would breathe heavily after getting up to get a drink. I had to lift him back up to the couch with me. It was also the first time he sounded like he was in pain.

He tried so hard to fight this terrible disease. He fought it right to the end. He tried to take three gasps even after the vet put the medicine in. He has now joined his litter mate, Tiki, his sister, Jade, and his woofie sister, Camie. I buried him in my dad's front yard, next to Tiki and Jade, and I put Camie's ashes in with him. He was so close to her while she was alive that I felt that they should be together even now.

Thank you for all of your purrs, prayers, good thoughts and encouragement. It has been a very difficult 2 years and I know that your comments have helped me cope with all four losses a bit easier than I would have without you.

One Last Update?

Hello, I've decided to update everyone on how I'm doing, and the short, quick answer to that is not good, but it could be worse.

On Sunday, I decided to stop eating. I just don't seem to want to eat anything. As a result, I've lost more weight and am getting cold a lot. Mom has left her heating pad on low with a thick blanket over it so I won't get too hot, but I do like to curl up there and stay warm, especially in the morning. I also like to snuggle into her newest afghan. It's very warm. In fact, I'm laying on it right now.

As I said, on Sunday, I decided to stop eating. Mom made me eat a little watered down baby food, but I struggled with her. I also kind of didn't know to get up to use the litterbox while I was sleeping, so I got mom a little wet, and another time, got the blanket I was in wet. I really wasn't feeling well at all. I was very lethargic, and stayed curled up under the blankets all night. Mom stayed up all night with me. She had to go into work on Monday, but came home on her lunch break. By then, I was feeling a bit better and I decided I wanted to go outside and sit in the sun a bit. I am usually only allowed out when it is time to get the mail, and then Mom carries me most of the way. Anyway, she let me out, and sat with me on the stairs for a while, but then she had to go back to work. When she came home after work, I again wanted to go outside and wanted to explore a little. Mom was very happy about this because she said she thought she was going to have to take me into the v-e-t so I could go on a trip. I am not quite ready for that trip just yet.

On Tuesday, I decided to try a little more food. I ate about 2 mouthfuls, and decided to try to steal some of Mom's quesadilla. It was buttery, and I really like butter. I also met her at the door again when she got home from work to go pick up the mail, but she wouldn't let me sit outside because she said it was much to cold out there. She had stopped by the v-e-t to leave a message about how I was doing.

On Wednesday, Dr. Martini (the v-e-t) called Mom and they talked about me quite a bit. Mom told him that I had stopped eating (except for the two mouthfuls) but that I was still meeting her at the door for my daily trip outside, and that I still seem interested in finding new places to sleep. He agreed with Mom that I will probably get to see my brother, Tiki, and sister, Camie, before too long. He also told my Mom not to force any more medications on me, except my Pepcid (because the renal failure causes high acid amounts which could lead to a sore tummy) and my fluids to keep my hydrated. He said that he could tell I was a fighter and so was Mom because my numbers were so high 2-1/2 weeks ago, he was surprised I wasn't at the Bridge already. Basically, he told my Mom to keep me comfortable and happy, and to bring me in when it was time for my trip to the Bridge.

Today, I didn't meet my mom at the door for our trip because it was a bit cold in here, and I was curled up in our favorite afghan. Mom picked me up anyway and took me out to get the mail. I've been up and walking around tonight and going to a couple of my favorite places to sleep. I jump up with Mom and sleep on her lap until she either has to get up or I get too hot (the afghan is really warm) and then I jump down and sleep in my ham-mick, and when I get cold again, I jump back up on the couch and sleep with Mom again. I am hanging in there, and fighting as much as I can. I even ate a couple of licks of butter again tonight, and took one lick of the juice from the cat food.

As you can see, my bones are really prominent and I have almost no fat left at all. Mom is calling me her skinny, little man, or little old man. I don't mind as I am both.

As, always, thank you for being our friends and thank you for always making us laugh or cry - usually just when we need one or the other the most.

Update - Tavi

Tavi here - Mom was trying to put up a picture of me, but she is too lazy to get her camera, and there is something wrong with her ability to send pictures via her cell phone. Anyway - we thought we would update you on what's been going on.

As you know, I have been diagnosed with CRF. I had to go back to the V-E-T a week ago, and they said my numbers are very high which is bad. Mom was at work when the V-E-T called, so it went to her cell phone voice mail. Mom called back to get some more information, and the V-E-T said something that Mom can't quite figure out if it's good or bad... he said that my numbers were so bad, he couldn't figure out why I was still alive... Mom doesn't know whether to take that as "Your cat is really a miracle because he should be dead," or "Why don't you just let your cat die?" He also said I shouldn't feel like eating. He called twice after that and left messages asking if I was eating and how I was doing. Mom is kind of under the impression that he thinks I am going to run for The Bridge any moment, but I am proving him wrong.

I am still asking to go get the mail with Mom, and the appetite stimulant really worked on me, because I keep asking for food. I even stole a piece of pepperoni with cheese on it today. Mom wasn't too happy about that - something about not being good for my tummy, but it tasted yummy. I am also still demanding pets and love from Mom and am still hopping up onto the counter to get to the TV stand so I can sleep on top of the Blue-Ray and wireless router. It's very warm up there. I've even sneaked out of the house a couple of times when Mom was leaving for work - that was fun, except I got caught too soon each time (I don't go anywhere, except to the end of our little hall and wait for Mom to pick me up - it's how we go to get the mail everyday).

Anyway, I am getting sub-q fluids every day. I also have to take blood pressure medicine so I don't have another stroke. I've been okay with the medicine, but I really don't like getting the sub-q fluids. I don't really fight Mom, but I definitely let her know I would rather be elsewhere. One day, I jumped down after she stuck me, and pulled the needle out. I don't think I will be trying that again because I just got stuck again. All in all, I am doing remarkably well for a cat that shouldn't be alive.

As for Gracie and Cody, they are both okay. Mom just got a new throw from Sam's Club that Gracie absolutely loves. She kneads on it and suckles it and goes completely gaga over it. Cody has his days where he will jump on the bed for treats and let Mom pet him (she almost gets misty eyed every time it happens because of the long wait to be able to do so.) She says his fur is very soft and he will now stop eating his treats for a few seconds at a time and just enjoy the pets. He is still a scaredy cat about everything else tho. He's so cute because he raises his behind in the air to get more pets. Mom says this is proof to never, ever give up on trying to win over a cat. It's taken her 10 long years to be able to touch him, and she doesn't think he will ever get much beyond where he is now, but just being able to pet him for 2 or 3 minutes is a miracle she never thought would happen.

As always, we thank you for your continued friendship. We are so sorry we are unable to comment or visit as much. Mom used to do a lot of it while she was at work, but she has a different boss now that gets all frowny faced about it.

Funny Video - NSFW based on language

Mom laughed so hard at this video. It does have some words from the naughty list, so be warned.




We hope everyone has a good weekend.

Happy 'Tocktober Day Derby

Today is our good friend, Derby's, birthday. In honor of him, we are posting our best 'tocks. (We don't do 'tocks very well - sorry Derby)


I don't have much 'tocks anymore since I've lost so much weight.


Gracie has lots of 'tocks, but she's such a lady, she doesn't like showing them off.

We hope you have a great birthday Derby. You deserve it.

Tortie Tuesday Tavi Update

I decided to report on today's update since Tavi is just a bit hissed off at the world. He had to go back to the V-E-T again - and Mom made me go too. He has CRF and has to have sub-q fluids, and a special diet. He also got two more prescriptions. One is an appetite stimulant since he hasn't felt like eating, and the other is a phosphate binder - both of which have to be done at a compounding pharmacy. Mom has to take care of those tomorrow. He also got two shots today: one of Vitamin B complex and Vitamin B12 combined, and another of a long lasting anti-biotic.

Mom has to give him 70 mls of fluids each day, and she has to give him a Vitamin B12 shot weekly for at least the next six weeks. And he has to go back for blood tests in 2 weeks.

Tavi was not a happy camper today. Mom isn't sure if it was because he had to go back to the V-E-T- for the third time in as many days or if it was because I was in the carrier with him, or if it was just that he's not feeling well, or a combination of the three. I had to go to get my rooster shots. Mom figured it made sense to take care of it since she had to go there anyway.

Thank you all for the purrs, prayers, and good thoughts coming our way. We really appreciate it.

PS - Mom did buy a pill splitter when she got the pills, but she says it's still a pain in the hiney to split those little things. 1/2 isn't too bad, it's the quartering that's a royal pain.

Meezer Monday

Well, we got back from our v-e-t a little while ago. Mom says we got lucky because I got the v-e-t she likes the best there. He does seem a little bit more gentle and kind when he examines me.

Anyway, they stole some of my furs, my blood and my urine, and are going to send it in to be tested. They also took my blood pressure, and it is high, so they gave mom some medication for me to take at least until they get the report back. It is a very, tiny, itty bitty pill - and I only have to take 1/4 of it once a day. Mom says it's going to be a pain in the hiney to cut it into quarters.

So Not a Sleepy Sunday

We seem to be always apologizing for not getting around and commenting much, and not posting much, so here it goes again. We are so sorry. We are reading about you tho. Here is a bit of an update.

I got hauled off to the emergency v-e-t today. It appears I might have had a stroke. I woke up Mom this morning by dragging myself out from under the covers. Mom noticed I hadn't walked out and got very concerned. She tried to stand me up and I just collapsed back down. She moved me out to the couch to look at me better, and I couldn't move one side of my body. I also had 2 different sized pupils. She took a quick shower, and while she was in there, I tried to get up and ended up falling off the couch (but I didn't hurt myself). She raced me to the emergency v-e-t (I threw up on her shoulder in the car because I got car sick). Once there, they did a preliminary check on me, and I couldn't feel pain sensations in my toes on my one foot, and they agreed with mom about my pupil sizes, but said I was stable for now, and Mom could hold me until the v-e-t could see me.

Once we went into the v-e-t, I had improved noticeably, and was able to stand up and stagger around. I was given a physical exam and neurological exam, and kept getting better. My eyes had improved a lot, but were still slightly different sizes, and when the v-e-t checked my foot orientation (they turned my paw upside down by putting the top of the paw on the table), I could straighten it out, but slowly. I could also see and smell, although the v-e-t said I am starting to get cataracts. I also seemed to have a loss of sensation along my back bone which could be from a couple of things.

I have to go to my regular v-e-t tomorrow for blood work, and a follow-up appointment. I don't really want to go. Today's appointment exhausted me.

Mom was crying both on the way to the v-e-t and on the way home - she said she was first so afraid she would have to help me over the bridge, and then she was so happy. I don't get her at times...how come she was crying because she was sad and happy????

Anyway, I am doing lots better than I was this morning, and am enjoying being back home again.

Mo Cats Day

In honor of Mo Cats Day, we've decided to include pictures of all the cats in our family and pictures from some friends of ours.

One of Mom's favorite pictures of Tavi.

Cody sleeping with Camie.

Gracie looking a little annoyed at having her nap disturbed.

Tiki (now at the bridge)

Miss Jade (now at the bridge)

Our cousin, Einstein. He is now a whopping 16 lb boy. (We don't have a picture of Dharma - his sister)

The intruder kitty from Christmas, 2~1/2 years ago - Belle

Belle's cousin - Ewok.

Stealing Warmth

Mom's shoulder was a bit hurty today, so she brought her heating pad home from work. She put it on the couch by me, plugged it in, and turned it on low. Of course, I had to steal it from her. It was a bit chilly today, so I needed something to keep me warm, and this was wonderful. Mom said she is going to leave it home for us, so I can use it as much as I want.

In other news, I am still a bit depressed without Camie. I have been sleeping in the bathroom in the dirty clothes. I have plenty of other places to sleep, I just feel like sleeping in there for now. I have still been demanding lots of Mom time too. She's pretty good about letting me sleep on her when I want.

Gracie is doing okay, and Cody is still allowing Mom to pet him lots while he eats his treats.

Today is a Heartbreaking Day

We just found out we lost another beloved friend. We are in tears. Luxor was another cat who dealt with a terrible disease with grace and dignity. We are so sorry to hear that he has decided to leave for the Bridge. He will be missed by everyone who knew him through his blog and Facebook. Luxor, we know we will see you at the Bridge one day.

Goodbye Dear Friend

We were so sad to learn that Eric had to be helped to the bridge yesterday. We know how devastated his mum and dad are. Eric was an inspiration to us when Tiki was diagnosed with diabetes. He gave us hope at a time when we were feeling hopeless about Tiki's diagnosis. Eric, we are glad that you are now running around pain free at the bridge. We have so many friends up there to greet you and welcome you. Until we meet again.

Thankful Thursday

It's not so much that I am thankful, but my mom sure is. I hid from her really good the other day. She was looking and looking for me and couldn't find me. I wouldn't even come out for treats. I finally ran past her so she was able to go to bed. She looked outside for me, and in the refrigerator - mol - knowing I wouldn't go in either of those places.

I wouldn't come up on the bed for a couple of days to get treats, but I am back to doing that. The thing Mom is most thankful for tho, is I am allowing her to pet me while I eat my treats. I even let her pet me last night for a bit after the treats were all gone. I've never willingly let her pet me before for as long as I am now. I hate to say this, but I am kind of liking this petting thing. I am even raising up my back while she pets me to make her do it again. Don't tell anyone.

17 years young & Update

Well, I am 17 years young today. It is hard to believe that I am that old. Of course, it is also my brother's birthday, even if he is at the bridge. Mom's birthday present to me (well, really all of us) is that she is home for a whole week. She took off a vacation day, and then has four furlough days. She says she doesn't mind the furlough days because they took the money out a little at a time over all of her paychecks, but she gets to take the days off all at once (so it's like a mini vacation).

We are sorry we haven't been updating. We are all okay, but I have been extra clingy with Mom since Camie went to the bridge. I have been asking Mom to hold me almost constantly when she is home. She has been a little bit concerned about me because of it, but she is giving in to my demands for the most part to be held all the time.

Gracie is her usual self. She is still very sweet with me and very bratty with Cody. Of course, Cody starts their arguments half of the time anyway, so we can't blame it all on Gracie. She still loves to knead on Mom with all of her feet while she purrs and drools. She also takes long naps on Mom until I come up and kick her out of the way. I wouldn't mind if she wanted to share, but she won't. She's kind of selfish.

Cody has the biggest news tho. He has been letting Mom pet him lots while he is eating his treats at night. Mom has been able to pet him for almost a minute. As you know, this is a HUGE improvement over his previous behavior. He still gets spooked easily, and will move away from her if she makes any sudden movements, but at least he will sit still and let her get some good petting in on his back and he doesn't run and hide if she has to move. Mom is going to try to get some video of it if she can. She says it's hard to take video and pet at the same time, especially because it's Cody.

Thank you all for staying friends with us. Mom keeps saying she is going to go back to helping us visit and blog soon.

Goodbye Baby Girl

Our Camie was helped over the bridge today a little before 2 p.m. PST. In the last week, she stopped eating anything but our cat food, or boiled chicken and even then, she could not eat much. She had lost a lot of weight and she couldn't walk very well to go out to go potty. She also had lots of swelling under her chin from the tumor, so Mom made the agonizing decision to help her go. She went very peacefully, and the V-E-T told Mom that she had picked the perfect time to let her take her trip. Mom has been crying lots, but we are sitting on her and sleeping on her to help her feel better. We know we will see her again at the bridge. Goodbye our sweet baby girl Camie. You were a wonderful sister to us, and we will miss you very much.

Update

We are so sorry it has been so long since we have given you an update. Everything is about the same here. Camie is still doing really well. As you can see, her tumor is getting pretty big, but she is taking it in stride. These pictures were taken about a month ago. It really doesn't seem to be bothering her much. Mom is really hoping Camie will make it to her 13th birthday in June, which seems like a definite possibility.

As for the rest of us, Gracie Mae is becoming more of a lap kitty with Mom. When she is tired, she will come up and sleep on Mom. Mom says she is dead to the world then, and won't get up without a lot of prompting.

Cody is doing fine. He has finally started coming up on the bed again for treats. Mom has managed to get all three of us up on the bed at the same time for treats. Cody will run if Gracie moves from her treat spot. She likes to finish up the bits and pieces that Cody won't and sometimes gets overeager and runs him off.

As for me, I am starting to feel my age. I am sleeping a lot more, and am having a harder time getting up and down. Mom says I am looking a little arthritic. I feel fine, just a little creaky. I am almost 17, so I think I have earned the right to be creaky at times. There are times that I still love to play THOE, but they are getting shorter in length and fewer in frequency.

Mom stayed home with us this year over spring break instead of going to Washington DC with the eighth graders. She wanted to stay home with Camie and I think she just really needed a break from work and school. We took advantage of her being home to sleep on her a lot.

We are really sorry we haven't had a chance to visit most of you lately. We have been keeping up on our reader, but have not had any time to comment. We wish that Mom would quit her job so we could visit you all everyday, but since we still need her to buy our stinky goodness, we know she has to work. Thank you for continuing to stick by us as friends and inquire as to our well-being when we haven't posted in a while.

My Gotcha Day

Hi, Gracie here. Wow, I can't believe it's been a year since I was gotcha'd. A year ago, I was living out in the desert where anything could have eaten me, and only given the very basics of care and attention. Now, I am my mama's spoiled baby girl, and have all the food, love and attention a girl could want. I also gained 2 brothers and 2 sisters when I was gotcha'd, even though one of my sisters ran off to the bridge. The big one is still here though, and loves me to sleep with her. I have also gained friends from all over the world whom I love very much. I think I was very lucky the day I tried to eat some food in a box that captured me. I love my new life and love that I was gotcha'd.

Hello

Hi, We're sorry we haven't been around much. We know we've had some of you worried. Mom has just been super busy with work, school and homework. Camie is doing really well. Her tumor is growing, but it doesn't seem to be affecting her at all. She is acting as if nothing is wrong with her, so we are all trying to treat her the same. Mom is trying to keep her from running a lot (not that she does much anyway, but she does love to run in the rain, and we've had quite a bit of it the last few weeks).

I have been a little bit more cuddly with Mom. She needs me to sit on her at times and make her stop moving around. I take my job seriously. I am lucky now because she is doing a lot of sitting and watching all sorts of sports. She doesn't normally like sports, but she is watching a lot right now. Does any other cat have this problem with their beans?

Gracie is not being such a brat. She still purrs, kneads, drools and stomps on Mom. She uses all four feet when she is kneading, and has given Mom a few bruises when she stomps too hard. She hasn't been bothering Cody as much, which makes Mom happier.

Cody hasn't been hiding under the bed as much unless Gracie is in there. He is spending more time on Mom's bed or Camie's bed. Not while we are in there, but Mom catches him every once in a while.

Other than that, not much has been happening. Oh, Mom did find her flashy box. It was vacationing under the couch. Mom thought it was under her bed, but she found it under the couch instead. She has to juice it up. She said we might do a photo shoot this weekend - oh joy!

We hope all of you are well, and we will try to be a little better about posting and commenting when we visit, but Mom hasn't let us.

Meezer Monday

I've decided to see if I like being a monorail kitty. It was fun while it lasted.

A Very Wet Thursday

As some of you may have heard, we are getting lots of rain here in "Sunny" Southern California. Today was one of the worst days of the three storms we are supposed to get. Mom took some pictures to show us how bad it was outside.

This is at Mom's work. An hour before this, the ground was wet, but it wasn't flooded like this. Mom has decided to call it Lake Ross. (The name of her school is Ross)

This is looking the other way from the door where she was standing. The campus has 4 long buildings that that face away from the admin building like fingers. This is between the first and second building. The top picture is between the second and third.

This is also between the first and second building.

This was on the drive home. Mom was stopped at a red light. If you look closely, you can see the water is up to almost the bottom of the doors on the sedans.

This is at our apartment building in the parking area. It is about 2-3 inches deep.

This is right outside our apartment. The first window on the left is our living room window. Fortunately, the apartments are up from the sidewalk, otherwise we would be under water. Our doorway is off to the left (out of the picture). It is higher ground than the sidewalk and under cover so it is only wet from foot prints.

This is Mom standing in the water so you can see how deep it is. She is nuts. Camie said that water is very cold.

This is what Gracie, Cody and I have been doing. We are staying warm and dry inside. Camie has mostly been doing that, but she does have to go outside sometimes.

And finally, here is an update of Camie. If you look closely at her neck, you can see the tumor. She is doing really well tho. She is eating better than ever and is enjoying being pampered. Mom says that we are going to keep on taking one day at a time and being happy with every moment we have with her.

Saying Goodbye is Hard & Thankful Thursday (and an update)

We were so very sorry to hear that our good friend LC has run off to the bridge to be with her brother. LC, you were a wonderful friend, and an even better sister. Even though you weren't thrilled to have first Ayla and then Iza join your family, you took them under your "wings" and taught them everything they needed. We will miss you very much.

In other news, here is an update on Camie...She is doing pretty well. For the most part, she is acting normally. Mom says she is a little bit slower on her walks, and doesn't want to go as far. Mom has noticed that she can no longer lift her head to look up. She can still look ahead of her and down, but she cannot raise her head to look up. Mom was trying to give her some treats, and she cried a bit when she raised her head to get them, but it's okay because Mom is making sure she doesn't have to look up. All of her treats are given at a comfortable level for her. Other than that one thing, Mom thinks she is doing great considering.

As for our Thankful Thursday, we are thankful that Camie is doing so well. We are continuing to take each day as it comes and be thankful for the time we have with her. Cody is still sleeping with her every night, and we continue to bathe her and love on her.

LC, we will see you at the bridge. We will miss you very much.

A Gracie Tuesday

This is what I did on Mama last night. I am not normally a "lap" cat, but Mama has been noticing lately that if I am tired, I will sometimes sleep on her instead of near her. I slept on her so long that her arm almost fell asleep. Of course, that is a bonus.

Meezer Monday

This is pretty much how we all spent the weekend. We did a lot of sleeping and a lot of cuddling. It's my favorite way to spend a weekend, and next weekend, we get Mom for an extra day.