International Box Day -- Introoder Edition!

Hi!  Happy Box Day!  Both Kit and I love boxes, so it was easy for mama to get these pictures.  We haf a catnip heart in our box!

Here I am asleep in our box.

Here's Kit in our box.

Efurrycat loves boxes, efun brazen introoders!  I haf talked before about the Siamese that is coming around to check out our bird feeder and come under our bush and come up to our window.  Well, mama left an empty box on her deck chair on the patio and the introoder jumped right in!

Can you believe it?  The nerve of this cat!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed our box post!  I am going to go take a nap you know where!

it comed!

Hi!  We haf hadded some acitement at our house!  A package came and it hadded MY name on it!  Kit and I sniffed it and checked it out -- it smelled like a beautiful girlcat!

Hurry up mama and open it, I said!

When she did, we saw that it was Sparkle's book!  We love Sparkle!

Kit especially loves Sparkle.  He has a crush on her!  He likes her because she is so smart, and beautiful, and funny, and she is petite like he is!  He was sniffing her book, getting her scent.

He is really in love!

He was putting his scent all ofur Sparkle's picture! I am teasing him so much about this!

We are haffing a book club wif mama. It's a great book!  Effurybody should get one!  Sparkle efun pawtographed it for me!

Pee Ess -- mama finded anofur brand of grain free stinky goodness that we like -- Blue Wilderness.  So we are not going to starve!

back to the v-e-t

Hi fellow cats -- Kit here.

Well, Mom started worrying about me again.  I've been going to our water fountain about once an hour.  She talked to an online v-e-t who advised taking me in to have my kidneys tested, since hyperthyroid can mask kidney disease.  As you may remember, one of my kidneys is smaller than normal and one is larger than normal.

So, I got loaded into the PTU.  Mom had to go UTC to get me!

I was brave at the v-e-t.  They stole some more of my blood.   At this rate I'm not going to have any left!  Mom and I waited for the results.  I explored the office.

The v-e-t came back to tell Mom that my kidneys are normal!  She is not sure why I have been drinking so much water.  It could be because I am eating more crunchies than I was.  I do NOT have diabetes.  She said not to worry about it, they will check everything again in two and a half weeks when I go back to have my thyroid levels rechecked.

We got some really good news -- I have gained almost half a pound!  Mom finally found a brand of grain free stinky goodness that both Athena and I like -- Wellness.  We also like the Blue Wilderness crunchies.

Here I am eating!

I am eating my medicine treat, too, twice a day.  Mom had to put it in my throat twice but other than that I am eating it.  Athena is jealous that I get an extra treat.

Mom is so happy that I have gained weight!  I weigh 7.3 pounds now.

Mancat Monday -- UPDATED!

Hi fellow cats -- Kit here.

I am feeling kind of embarrassed, because my belly is shaved from my ultrasound.

I feel nekkid!  Here are my laser eyes to express my unhappiness.

I am getting thyroid medicine twice a day.  It is in the form of a soft treat.  The first few times, I ate it up.  The last two times, I just sniffed it.  Mom had to put it down my throat!  I didn't like that, but I am not holding it against her.  I am not a grudge-holding kitty.

So far the healthy food experiment is not going well.  Mom has only found one food that we like.  She keeps trying, though.  She did find some crunchies that we both like, so we are not starving.  Both Athena and I want our old stinky goodness back, yet Mom insists that this will be better for us.  Not if we won't eat it, Mom!

Still, I am not letting all of this get me down.  I think I'll just have a good stretch and then watch some birdie TV.  Maybe Mom will open the door today and I'll get to run outside!  Mom doesn't like when I do that, but it's fun for me!

UPDATED TO ADD:

Well, I tried to run outside but Mom grabbed me.  Listen to this!  I was having some nice window whiffies when that introoder Siamese came by my bush!  And just sat there and growled at me!  I growled back but he didn't move!  How infuriating!  Mom, let me out so I can deal with this guy!

grumpy

I am not furry happy about the way things are going around here!

Mama is changing our food to "healthy" food.  She said that healthier food will help Kit gain weight and will help me lose weight, which makes no sense to me.  Something about grain-free and high protein.  She tooked away our old stinky goodness and crunchies!  Now she is trying all different kinds of stinky goodness and crunchies, trying to find some that we both like.

She efun tooked away our Temptations and tried to replace them wif healthy dental treats!  We wouldn't eat them, so we sent her out to get different ones.  Finally she comed back wif Greenies, which we both like. But the only reason we haf to haf dental treats in the first place is because when Kit wented to the v-e-t last week, they said he has gingivitis and tartar!

Kit, Kit, Kit.  That's all I hear about these days.  Mama is babying him!  Just acause he's been sick.  She is gifing him extra pets.  She broughted him his purple fever butt mousie and the nip banana yesterday.  She tells him he's a good boy when he eats his medicine treat -- big deal!  Who wouldn't eat a treat?  And yesterday, when he was resting, kitties, she efun broughted food ofur to him to get him to eat.  I couldn't believe it!  It made me want to yak.

About the only good thing that happened yesterday was that we gotted window whiffies.

But efun that was ruined by two introoders -- the gray and white kitty and the Siamese.  They keep coming under MY bush that you can see in that picture there!  Right under my very nose!

Oh, I forgotted one really good thing that did happen.  Something came for us in the mail!  It was a cube!  And mama efun put catnip spray on it!  I like to hang out in there.

Ofur than the cube, though, I am not happy wif the way things are going around here!  I want our old food back!  I want Kit to stop getting so much attention!  And I want the introoders to stop going under my bush!

caturday

Thanks to all for their good wishes about Kit!  He seems to be feeling like his old self again, eating well.  We haf new food and mama is trying to find some that we both like.  She thinks it is going to be a trial and error process.  Mom gotted us new treats, too.  They are grain free dental treats, and we hate them!  They haf to be pretty bad if efun I won't eat them, because I love treats!

We are used to our collars, now.  Mine is pink!

At first we really hated them and tried to get them off.  I couldn't get mine off, but Kit gotted his off right away.  But mama wrestled him and gotted it back on and he is used to it now.

They tooked it off when they did his ultrasound and he didn't fight mama at all when she put it back on.  She says he has to haf it in case he keeps running outside, and I haf to haf it because he has to haf it.  In these pictures we are drinking our Whiskas cat milk, which we love so much!

I hope you are all haffing a nice Caturday.  We are haffing a good one, just hanging out and trying our new food and taking naps.  There's not much sun today.  Take it easy!

good news!

Hi, it's me, Athena!  Kit is too tired to blog about his day -- he's been through a lot!

This is an old picture.  Iffen my mama could haf gotten a new picture, you would see that his belly and his sides are shaved for the ultrasound!  He looks funny!  But that isn't the news.

We gotted good news from the v-e-t!  No cancer or IBD!  So it looks like it is the hyperthyroid that made him lose the weight, efun though his levels were only slightly elevated.  This is treatable wif medication!  Mama is so happy.  I'm happy too, he is a good big brofur.  I am growling and hissing at him right now, but that's just because he smells like the v-e-t.  I can't help it!

One thing the nice lady v-e-t did find on the ultrasound is that one of his kidneys is smaller than normal, and the ofur one is bigger than normal.  They will haf to watch his kidney function, especially since the thyroid medication can mask dysfunction.  His medicine is in the form of a treat!  Hopefully he will take it like a good boy.

He is one tired kitty right now.  They had to sedate him for the ultrasound because he is a feisty cat!  Hopefully he will get some good rest this afternoon and will feel like eating his dinner.  He didn't get any breakfast!  Mama is trying out different foods on us right now.  She is switching us to a premium, grain free diet to try to stimulate Kit's appetite.  She wented to the store to return alla the old food and to get us new food.  She got lotsa different kinds so she can see what we like best.

We want to thank efurryone for their purrs and purrayers!  Mama was so worried and you all helped a lot.  We know it is still a serious condition but it isn't as bad as we feared -- we were so scared it was cancer. at least this is treatable!

xoxo

update on kit

Hi -- Kit here.

The nice lady v-e-t called my mom late today with the results of my thyroid test.  It is slightly elevated.  The nice lady v-e-t does not know whether that slight elevation is enough to explain why I have lost so much weight, so I am having an ultrasound tomorrow.  Another lady v-e-t is going to do that for me.  I don't get to have any breakfast!

Speaking of food, tonight my mom gave us a new brand of food -- Weruva.  She said she wanted to find something to whet my appetite.  Boy, did it ever!  I loved it!

I am going to have to take medicine for my thyroid, no matter what the ultrasound says.  I am going to get it in the form of a chewy treat.  Hopefully I will like it, because neither my mom nor I want to deal with pills.  I am a really tough cat to pill, if I may say so myself!  I may be small, but I'm strong!

Thanks for all the purrs and purrayers so far, my mom and I really appreciate them.  If you could keep them going for the ultrasound, we would really appreciate it!

Here is a picture of me with my head in a food bag.  As you can see, I do like to eat!  Hopefully tomorrow we will figure out why I have lost so much weight and what we can do about it.

purrs and purrayers needed -- UPDATED

Hi fellow cats -- Kit here.

We got loaded into the PTUs this morning.  We put up a good fight, but it was to no avail.  We went in the car and it was as I feared -- we were going to the v-e-t.  The tech came out and, one at a time, took us back and microchipped us and clipped our claws.  The microchip hurt!  The tech nice, though.  It only hurt for a moment.  The problem came when she weighed us.  I had lost "a significant amount of weight."  Now, I am a skinny cat to begin with.  I can't afford to lose any more weight.  So, they are concerned.  Mom is REALLY concerned.  In fact, she is just plain scared.  They want to see me again this afternoon at 3:00 for a full checkup and bloodwork.  Cats, could you please purr for me?  I will update you later.  Thanks!

UPDATE:

Kit here.  Well, she got me into the PTU again and back to the v-e-t.  I howled all the way there and shook the walls of the PTU trying to get out!  When we got there, they took me away from my mom to steal my blood and pee.  They did my senior wellness exam at the same time, without my mom there, because I was getting so upset from having my blood and pee stolen they didn't want to waste any time getting me back to the room where my mom was waiting for me.  One time when I was there I tried to bite a tech who was giving me a bath -- I guess they weren't taking any chances!  I have gingivitis and tartar.  Mom is going to get my teeth cleaned, yuck.  The vet doesn't think that's the problem, though, because I can still eat fine.

The vet asked about my appetite.  I have always been a very good eater -- I eat a lot, actually -- but my appetite has been a little off lately.  I am a chronic vomiter, too.  The vet didn't feel any masses in my belly.  Mom told on me -- I have a habit of eating plastic.  She tries to keep all the plastic away from me, but sometimes she forgets or isn't fast enough and I chomp down.  She was worried that it might be in my belly, but the vet didn't feel anything there.  My blood and pee came back okay, but my thyroid test won't be back until tomorrow.  If that comes back okay, the next step is an ultrasound.  The vet said some words like "inflammatory bowel disease" and "cancer."  I don't know what those things are, but my mom's eyes got leaky when she heard them.

Thanks to efurryone for your purrs and purrayers.  My mom is hoping it is my thyroid and not something more serious.  I am just worried that I will have to take pills!  I know my mom and the nice lady vet will take good care of me.

good news and bad news

Well, kitties, I haf good news and bad news.  Let's start wif the good news!  The gang at Crew's Views gave me the Kreative Blogger Award!  That means I get to tell you five things about myself.

Here goes!

1.  Athena is the name the people at the shelter gave me.  My mama liked it, so she kept it.
2.  I love, love, love Temptations.  I gobble mine up and mama has to hold me back or I'll eat up Kit's too!
3.  My favorite toys are bouncy foam balls.  I could chase them all day!
4.  My mama doesn't want me to tell you this, but last summer I had an awful case of fleas.  It was terrible!
5.  When they shaved me for my ladygardenectomy, my furs didn't grow back.  I haf a bald patch!  It's embarrassing.

Now I get to pick three bloggers to pass the award to!  Let's see, I will pick Willow, Emma and Buster, and Selina.

Now, here's the bad news.  Kit gotted out this morning and runned under the bush again.  He comed back when mama called and whistled for him, but mama gotted upset.  She said, that's it.  When she comed home from work, she hadded something for us -- collars wif our names and phone number on them!  At least she tooked off the bells.  Mine is pink.  I don't like it!  And, kitties, she tooked out the PTUs.  They are sitting in the living room.  I am scared!

Mancat Monday

My fellow cats, we have an emergency on our hands!  We have a third introoder!  A big siamese.  I am beyond words!  Outraged!  They are coming in from the side of the patio, walking around and sniffing the bird feeder, and going to hang out under a bush.

Look at how angry I am!

And to top off the outrage, I got in trouble for trying to defend our home!  Mom went outside to feed the birds, and I ran outside.  I went straight under the bush and wouldn't come out when she called!  Finally I came out when I was ready.  She said she was worried I would run away!  Doesn't she understand that I was just checking under the bush for introoders?  That's where they hang out!  She said that if I keep running outside like that, she's going to make me wear a collar.  Man, I HATE collars.  I am so misunderstood.

red alert!

Kitties!

I was all set for a quiet day watching birdie TV yesterday but you'll nefur believe what I saw on MY patio!

Introoders!  Twice!  The first time it was a calico cat, the second time a gray and white!  I couldn't believe my eyes!  How dare they!  Mama thinks that they started coming around acause of the birdie feeder.  I don't care why they come, I don't want them there!  Kit slept through the whole thing, which mama says she is grateful for acause she thinks he would try efun harder to get out iffen he knew there were introoder kitties in our territories.  She doesn't realize that of course I told him!

caturday

It is a gray day here today.  Efurryone is moving slowly.  We efun letted mama sleep late!  Kit is sleeping and I am going to go back to bed myself.

Efun the squirrels are not at the feeder.  The birdies are there though.  Mama tries to take their picture but when she gets close they fly away.

*YAWN*

Time to curl up and go to sleep, now.  Talk to you later!

tattle tale

Kitties!  Come closer!  I haf a story to tell you!

When mama wented out to feed the birdies this morning, Kit gotted out!  He runned out onto the patio and sniffed around.  Mama picked him up and putted him back inside.  But before she could shut the door, he runned back outside!  And this time he runned far!  He wented alla way around the side of the apartment building.  He scared mama.  He is in trouble!

Kit:  Athena!  It isn't nice to be a tattle tale!

Oh, Kit.  You just don't want the girl cats to know that you are GROUNDED.

tummy tuesday

Since Mom fell down on the job and didn't turn on the computer yesterday for me to do my mancat Monday post, I am taking over today's post and declaring it tummy Tuesday.  Here is a picture of my tummy.

As you can see, I am a lean kitty machine.  In fact, it's because of me that we get extra stinky goodness in the morning around here.  The v-e-t wanted me to gain some weight.  I am the opposite of Athena.  She is shorter and rounder than I am.  She has a little pudge in her bellicular region.  She weighs about two and a half pounds more than I do, but we are well matched in a wrasslin match because I am all muscle.

smelly sunday

Today mama went up to West Virginia wif her family to haf brunch at her sister's house.  Whenefur she goes up there she always comes home smelling like woofie.  We are used to that.  But this time she came back smelling like something else entirely!  We sniffed and sniffed her but we couldn't figure out what it was!  Finally she told us.

Goats.

Her sister has two Nigerian dwarf goats and two pygmy goats.  Can you believe it!  Why doesn't she just get a cat like a normal person!  Mama says the goats are cute.  I don't know, they look kind of scary to me.  Here are some pictures so you can judge for yourselves:

Look, that one has horns!  Scary!  What do you think, kitties?

caturday

First off mama and Kit and I want to fank efurrybody for their kind words and sweet purrs about Grandpa.  We miss him a lot but we are holding up.  Kit and I are taking good care of mama and Grandma's cats are taking good care of her.  Even though Kit keeps eating the flowers.

We are just hanging out this morning.  Mama is threatening to clean the whole apartment but who knows if she really will.  She also says she is feeling lazy.  If she starts cleaning, we will go UTB, but for now we will hang out right here.

Grandpa

We are furry quiet this morning, loving on mama.

We are looking up to Heaven to see our Grandpa.  Today is his funeral.  Mama is furry busy of course, but we wanted to take a moment to post our favorite picture of him.

Yesterday was his birthday.  He would haf been 67.  Thank you, Grandpa, for being such a good Grandpa and for always giving us pats and scritches.  Thank you for letting us stay at your house and taking care of us. Most of all, thank you for raising our mama to be a cat person.  We love you!

"garden" tour thursday

Hi!  As I said last Thursday, we don't haf much of a garden, although there is nice landscaping outside.  We also don't haf plants in the house, acause Kit eats them and then yaks them back up.  But we do always haf either cat grass or a nip plant!  We love to chomp on them, especially the nip plants.

Here is a picture of a chomped on nip plant next to a new one.  As you can see, Kit and I eat almost the whole thing!

wordless wednesday

toesie tuesday

Here are my little toes.  I haf all black toe pads except for one pink one.  My claws are long because I don't let mama do clippy claws, she has to take me to the v-e-t and she hasn't had time to do it for a while.  I am careful though, I don't scratch her.

Speaking of clippy claws, my mama tooked my grandma's cats to the v-e-t for theirs yesterday.  Dey were furry well behaved.  Dey haf been furry quiet since grandpa died.  Dey are taking good care of grandma.

Easy like Sunday

Mama wants to thank effuryone for their purrayers and purrs.  It has been a ruff couple of days but she has a close family and lots of furiends who are helping her.  Kit and I are helping her the most.  She is gone a lot at Grandpa and Grandma's house but when she is here we are laying on her and purring a lot.  She says it is a big help.

We haf been taking it easy today.  Mama is about to leave again but we understand.

The hospice social worker told Grandma to watch out for their cats.  I guess to see if they are sad or act out. I think that is furry interesting.  We will see what happens.

purrs and purrayers needed

mama is furry sad because our grandpa died last night.  purrs and purrayers are welcome.  thanks.

garden tour Thursday

Surprise!  We live in an apartment and we don't haf a garden!  We haf a patio.  But my mama put out this bird feeder so we could watch birdy TV and the birdies and the squirrels spilled the bird seed and now stuff is growing!  Ha ha!  We don't know what it is.

Auction for Shell

There is an auction going on fur Shell's final expenses and those of 6 of her colony mates.  There are a lot of great items up for auction -- check it out!  http://catblogosphereauctions.blogspot.com/