Category Archives: cats

Friday Wrap-Up and Rambles

Technically I’m writing this on Thursday because I’m taking the day off tomorrow… or rather, today. Since I can’t be on a beach somewhere warm with a cocktail in hand and a cool breeze, I’ll make do with a random day off with my husband. By the time this posts we’ll have been to breakfast, watched Deadpool and probably accomplished some adulting because responsibilities never go away.

I’m probably going to start sounding like a crazy cat lady soon, but it is what it is. Vega still has that new car smell, if you will. My hands are in need of serious help, though, and I’m this close to chopping off my hair if I end up with another claw hooked in my face. She’s really sweet… except for when she isn’t, and in typical kitten fashion she thinks all limbs and hair are toys and/or something to kill.

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This morning we woke up to Enzo screaming because Vega had attacked his foot, which he must have been wiggling. About 15 minutes later, though, she was apparently as sweet as could be because we could hear Phoebe talking to her in her room.  It was really very sweet. Then Vega came back into our room and flopped on my chest with her butt on Enzo’s face and proceeded to give me a bath. Enzo thought it was hilarious and they are friends again.

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Uzi is still not a fan of Vega’s and for the most part neither is Ziggy, though they both tolerate her orneriness.  Vega has already figured out that once Ziggy has gotten comfortable she is unlikely to move and will put up with almost anything, so that’s when she attempts to make friends.  I keep telling her once she stops chasing Uzi and Ziggy around they’ll be much more likely to let her snuggle, but in the meantime I think they’re all getting their needs met.  We are a house of furry, crazy, chaos.

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Pink Eye and Gluttony

I have many photos of Vega, most of which are from a couple of months ago when she was new and more cooperative in front of a camera. Also… when she was much thinner.

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Why do I have this feeling we’re going to be seeing our local vet a lot more this year?  First off, Uzi has been doing better since I took him in. He doesn’t feel quite as thin, but he also hasn’t regained the weight he lost, however it doesn’t seem to be a concern because the vet didn’t say anything when we were there yet again this past weekend.  I was worried that Vega had scratched his eye because it was a little swollen and had major goop… turns out he had kitty pink eye.

Now, thanks to Google I need to verify that Vega doesn’t have worms.  If it isn’t worms, well, she’s just overweight and we should still do something.  Hooray for pets!  At least Vega seems to be fine otherwise so maybe it is just fat… I really should stay away from Google. Josh banned me from WebMd long ago for the same reasons. Virtually all symptoms for man and cat alike can be linked to cancer or something awful so it’s really a miracle we’re even alive still.

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You be you, Vega, even if that is a fat version of you.

The downside of having pets…

I’m not sure if you call it a downside or not, but It’s amazing how much you can love a pet. It’s not the same as having children, but they’re a part of the family and come with their own quirks and drama and just when you think you know them, they still surprise you. The past few days Uzi has not been himself, and last night when he didn’t even come and greet me and stayed in Enzo’s room all evening, I made set up an appointment and took him to the vet this morning.

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According to the vet, everything looked good despite his kidneys being a little further up under his rib cage than usual (which made it more difficult to feel them) and an elevated heart rate, which is tricky because that could just have been due to nervousness from being at the vet. However, due to his age and symptoms he could also potentially have hyperthyroidism, which is fairly common in older cats.  Part of me is hopeful that’s what it is because if his test results come back negative then that means we have another problem.

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Yep, it would mean that our newest family member is causing more stress than we thought or ever expected. Up until a few days ago we thought that everything was going well. The cats were all tolerating each other despite Vega’s kittenish tendency of pouncing, but we hadn’t had any growling and there had even been nose sniffing.

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Then something changed and now Uzi is skittish and in hiding and growls at Vega when she comes near. He’s not eating as much and has noticeably lost weight.  He’s more clingy than usual, but also has been staying in Enzo’s bed or hiding in our bathroom or other dark corners, which is completely unlike him and these new developments had me worried enough to take him in.

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So, we wait until tomorrow before we figure out what needs to be done. I’m going to consult what resources I can depending on what the results are and we’ll go from there.

Like litter through the scooper… so are the cats of our lives

Okay, that’s a horrible title, but I never know what to title anything and at least now you know this post is going to include our cats and all of their drama. Fellow cat people, welcome. Anyhoo….

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Short weeks right before a long weekend are the worst.  It’s hard to stay focused on anything when you’re eagerly waiting time off and can’t help but look at the clock and plan what you’ll be doing.  If anything, the cats will be especially glad that we’re all home for a long weekend. After a few outside-the-litterbox mishaps, we’ve been keeping the cats downstairs at night just to make sure Vega realizes that she needs to poo in a litterbox and not in Phoebe’s room. Admittedly, we kept her in Phoebe’s room initially, so you can understand her confusion.

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The cats are slowly starting to get along better.  Vega is really rambunctious and playful, so there is often some hissing and yowling when one of the older cats has had enough of her, but that is getting better.  Now when I open the door to the basement, all three of them will be there waiting for me and it’s becoming more common for them to sniff noses and even sleep on the same bed or couch together.

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If anything, I think Uzi has been a bit more playful lately as Vega runs around the house like crazy chasing anything and everything.  We’ve even gotten him to play with the laser a bit before he realized how undignified he was being and trotted off.  Cats.  One minute he wants to be held like a baby and the next minute he’s too mature to play with a silly toy.

Just a cat or two shy of crazy…

After about a month, we still have 3 cats, so that’s good, right? The cats are still very slowly adjusting to things, but I’m hopeful we’ll be able to move Vega’s food dishes and litter box downstairs soon. We are at a point where we let them all roam freely, even if we aren’t at home and so far there have been no scuffles. Poor Vega has no intention of being the alpha cat, but still Uzi wants nothing to do with her. She even flopped in front of him exposing her belly and he just grumbled/yowled/made that horrible sound he makes and walked away. Ziggy has been a lot more accepting and she and Vega have sniffed noses, but Vega is still a bit too energetic and pushy for Ziggy’s liking and she will hiss at her to warn her to back off.

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Vega seems to be adapting well, however the kids no longer like it when she tries to cuddle at bedtime with them… she’s attacked moving limbs a few too many times and I can’t convince them that it’s an accident and she isn’t actually trying to eat them. She’s such a good snuggler too… she’s ridiculously soft and has such a loud purr. But… yes, even I get a little tired of her kittenish antics when it involves needing assistance removing her from my face/head/hand. She thinks my hair is a toy and instead of just going for the dangly bits, she just launches herself at my head and latches on, which is just about as fun as it sounds. Kind of reminds me when the kids were babies and I cut my hair short after each one… I’m tempted to chop my hair off yet again just so it’s not a temptation any longer.

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Despite some growing pains, we’re still happy with our new little fur ball and I think it’s safe to say she’s pretty happy about things as well. With a little more time she won’t have to wait until the kids are asleep to cuddle them and the hissing and grumbling will no longer be the norm.

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