Kitten Update

Animals that come from shelters frequently come with viral infections. So although I was hopeful our two little bits of purring fur would be spared, I was not surprised when Henry stopped eating Friday.  We took him to the animal hospital Saturday and sure enough, he was dehydrated. They ran fluids under the skin and encouraged him to eat. They kept him at the clinic so that our other cats wouldn't be exposed. But as of this morning, he is still not eating.  They were going to feed him via a tube. I don't know if poor Henry is going to make it or not.  
The other kitten, Duffy, had to go to the vet today because he has some drainage from his nose and left eye. He had 3 kinds of parasites, a viral infection, and a secondary bacterial infection. So he has been de-wormed and we have 2 medications to give him.  He is a lot stronger than Henry so I expect he will recover.  My worry is that the two older cats have been exposed to the viral infections.  We shall see.

Kittens

My poor old cats, Bandit aged 12 and the head cat and Misty aged 10 and paranoid, have had their peaceful lives invaded and upended by two tiny black kittens.  They are adorable as only kittens can be, playing and napping and eating kitten chow and pooping in the litter box.  Bandit is certain that there has been some dreadful mistake and Misty is sure they are zombie invaders so she has not come down from the attic. I suppose I should tell her that eventually they will be able to get to the attic too. The kittens are healthy and have had their baby shots and will be neutered in due time. In the meanwhile we are enjoying their sweet antics. They are both black males but that is where the similarity ends. Duffy is a week older and much more active; I've started calling him my "bullet cat" because he moves so fast. He is very loving and literally bounds up into my lap purring and rubbing. He loves to ride with me on my electric scooter. The other kitten, Prince Henry, is smaller and quieter. He loves to be on JMM's lap being gently stroked. 
It never fails to amaze me how much these little creatures fill my heart with love and happiness. 

RIP, my sweet LuckyDuck

He was my sweet, peaceable, happy black cat. He had a good life and he has left a hole in my world.
This is his grave.

My sweet LuckyDuck

LuckyDuck came into my life most unexpectedly 10 years ago.  I was visiting my Aunt Lillian who lived the tiny East Texas crossroads of Etoile. It was a cold and rainy November day. I was in her meticulously clean kitchen, when I heard a tiny mewing sound coming from outside the back door. I looked out and there were two tiny kittens. One was grey and white and the other was all black. Of course, I brought them in, warmed, dried, and fed them and immediately fell in love with them. I named the grey one RagMuffin and the black one LuckyDuck. They were both lucky because I just  happened to be there and hear them. 

However, it seems thatLuckyDuck's luck may have run out because I am almost sure that he has become diabetic. He hasn't eaten since Thursday and has had very little water and he throws up anything that he tries to eat. He is very lethargic and I know he is dehydrated. I call him my Buddha cat because he is always so mellow and peaceable. Like Ferdinand the Bull, all he wants is to quietly smell the flowers. ..and eat dry cat chow and lots of it. Which inevitably has led to him being obese. I have tried to get him to eat Fancy Feast and the dry weight loss chow but he wouldn't. I should have tried harder I guess. 

We will take him to the vet tomorrow.  If he is diabetic, we will most likely euthanize him. I will miss my sweet LuckyDuck. It is going to be a long day tomorrow. 

I live with cats

Bandit

Bandit is our tuxedo cat.  I am convinced that Bandit picked us to be his family.  I remember the first time I saw him, he was sitting in our driveway just outside the garage door. I stepped into the garage and there he was. For all the world, he was sitting there waiting for me to come outside. I was surprised but it was love at first sight on both our parts. I walked over to him, he did not even try to get away, and I picked him up. I took him inside and he purred and looked around. He was probably about 12 weeks old and I have absolutely no idea where he came from. He looked like he was well nourished. No one ever came to claim him. And I sincerely doubt if I would have given him up even if they had. 

Bandit is Mr. Personality. He loves people and always wants to be where his people are. Once, our neighbors gave a big party in their back yard. Bandit sat in the empty lot all by himself watching the party. When my housecleaners come, the other two cats disappear but Bandit sits on the kitchen bar and watches. 

He is very affectionate. Loves to be on my lap or beside me when I am quilting.  He watches me cook and mooches bits of meat, milk, or cheese. 

However, he has one disturbing characteristic. He is a mighty hunter. He loves fresh field mouse and he wants to share his kill. He will bring his kill to the back door, meowing loudly for us to open the door so he can bring it in. We have learned to recognize the sound of the meow that means he is bringing in a kill. I suppose he just likes to eat fresh and local. 

We have come to the conclusion that Bandit is a once in a lifetime cat. 

My Cats

One of these days, I'll get more computer literate and post pictures but in the meanwhile, I'll just tell you about my three furry friends.

LuckyDuck is the oldest (age 7) and biggest (weight much more than it should be). And while by rights as the eldest and biggest he should be Head Cat, he is the most mellow cat I have ever known. He is one big, black furry peacenik. He was dumped on my Aunt's back porch one cold, rainy November day when I just happened to be visiting. I brought the tiny thing inside and fed and warmed him; when we left I took him with me and named him Lucky because he would not have survived the night if I had not been there to bring him in. He loves to lie belly up in the sunshine and does not like to be too far separated from his Cat Chow bowl.

Bandit is Mr. Personality, Head Cat, and as far as he is concerned, ruler of the universe. He just moved in with us about 5 years ago telling us how very fortunate we were to have him move in. We, of course, concur. He pushes LuckyDuck around until LD has had enough; LD will bat him with a massive paw, fluff himself out to an enormous size, and hiss like a fury whereupon Bandit decides it is in his best interest to back off. The thing is Bandit loves LD and wants to snuggle up with him and 99 times out of 100, they co-exist most peaceably. Bandit is the mighty hunter and has brought us birds, mice, and small snakes; most generous, he wants us to share in the joy of his triumph and announces loudly and proudly his kill. He used to be a wanderer but since last year when he was gone for 8 days (We assume he was lost in the woods.), he has stuck close to home.

Our third cat is Missy who JMM snatched out of a tree when she was a tiny kitten. We think she was the only survivor of her litter. She was very frightened the first two years that we had her and lived in the attic, coming down only for food and the litter box. JMM wanted to close off the attic so that she would have to spend more time with us but I insisted that she needed a place where she felt safe and would join us when she was ready and she has. She rarely goes to the attic unless we have company. Missy is a retriever and loves for me to toss a little ponytail hair band which she will retrieve for me. She is a very finicky eater and has always been rather bony thin. She is one of those cats that have grown prettier as she has grown and filled out a bit.

So those are my three companions with whom I share my electic blanket on these cold winter nights.