Saturday, September 13, 2014

Meezers.com Update

It's been over four years since my last post to introduce Boo Bambalam (AKA Little Black Kitten). After the death Patrick in 2009 I really lost interest in updating this blog. We then had to put Stanley to sleep due to illness and I didn't even bother with an update. Gato is getting older and having health issues but she still enjoys her days in the sun. Boo has grown up and thinks that she runs the house now. We also have a new edition to the family. Tony Cheeto, a beautiful orange classic Tabby, (reluctantly) moved in with us over a year ago.

The addition of Tony has been an interesting experience. I'll have to summarize the last 17 months in a future post. Unfortunately today we have a house divided, with Gato and Boo standing off against Tony. My boy Tony has his own bedroom and we have to swap him out with the girls every few hours so he can run around. Integration has been a long, slow process but we won't give up! One day we will all be together in the same room...

Monday, January 11, 2010

Introducing Little Black Kitten

Last Wednesday I looked outsite to see what I thought was a small, black bunny eating the stale Wheat Thins I threw out for the birds. After a closer look I realized it was a kitten, not a bunny, probably no more than six months old. His eyes were big and yellow, standing out from his dark fur. I quickly put some cat food out there so he would have something to proper to eat. It has been cold outside and I was worried about him staying out there. Over the next couple of days, we played a game of chase. We'd see the kitten eating but by the time the door was open he'd be hiding under the deck. By Saturday we were about to get into single digit cold weather. We bought a live trap at the local hardware store as a last resort to catch him. We baited the trap and then set a timer so we could keep an eye on it. Within 45 minutes the little black kitten was trapped. He didn't want to go at first and tried so hard to escape as I carried him inside.



We set him up in a shower stall with a bed, food, water, and a litter pan. At first, he gave me a couple hisses and refused to leave the bed until he was alone. Within 24 hours he was running around the room, begging to be loved. Head butting and licking my hand each time I went in to check on him. I assumed he was feral, but it was obvious that he was from a home. His coat was clean and he had no fear of humans. This was not the little scared cat that came in the day before. Earlier this afternoon he had a visit to the vet. We wanted to make sure he didn’t have FIV or any contagious disease our other cats could catch. He got a clean bill of health except the vet thinks he has worms so he’ll be getting some medicine for the next month. He is about 3 and a half pounds and probably four to six months old. We also found out he is really a “she”. Too bad I’ve already named him Chumley. We’ll have to see if that name sticks.

We have placed a couple signs in the neighborhood and will try to track down his home. If no one claims him, I think it’s safe to say he’ll have a good home here with us. It’s only been less than three months since we lost Patrick and I wasn’t ready to bring in a new cat, but when something like this happens what else can you do? This little cat needs us. How can we say "no" to those big, yellow eyes???

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Napping in the sun

It's a beautiful, sunny day in Grayslake, and Gato hopped into the chair to make the most of it. She'd doing better lately and no longer howling in the morning. Stanley is doing well too. He's even using the litter pan more often. I think Stanley never really felt secure enough to use one while Patrick was around. He preferred to sneak down into the basement instead.

We took a drive into Wisconsin in the bus this morning, but didn't take Gato with us. I don't think she cared very much. It was a nice morning to nap in the sun.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Patrick is no longer suffering

Last night, Patrick's vet came by to put an end to his suffering. It was quick and I hope it was painless. We tried everything we could to help him over the last month, but it wasn't enough. It would have been cruel to allow him to suffer for our own selfish reasons.

It's very quiet here now. No more sock moving at night. No more 4am wake up calls for breakfast. No more licks on the nose and face. No more poop on the floor. I've lost my little boy and my loyal friend. It feels like someone has punched me in the stomach. I know things will get better, but it will take time.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Patrick is calm


We have spent most of the day sitting with Patrick. Actually, he came out this morning and sat near us. He napped in the sun and stretched out near us. He still isn’t eating, but I am glad he didn’t spend the day in the dark closet. Gato and Stanley spent some time with us as well. He seemed to perk up after he received the sub-q fluids this morning. We also cleaned him up so he wasn’t wet. I am sure that made him feel a little better.

We called our new vet earlier today and she will be coming by the house tomorrow evening. I’m having a hard time keeping my emotions under control, but I’m trying not to appear upset when I’m near Patrick. He seems calm today and I do not want to disturb him. I want his final days to be as quiet and peaceful as possible.

Patrick is hiding

Patrick has moved to a closet and he is hiding in a dark corner. He hasn't been hiding like this in over a week. The poor boy hasn't had anything to eat on his own in about three days. Over the weekend I felt he was about to make a turn, but I didn't expect it to be in this direction.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Patrick is resting

Patrick is downstairs, sleeping near me as I write this. He had a big day with family staying with us over the weekend. Patrick spent most of his day on a heating pad, with Gato nearby. Unfortunately, he hasn’t had much to eat today. He didn’t sleep with us last night and I bet he would stay downstairs tonight if I were to let him. I’ll probably have to carry him back upstairs to bed tonight.

Earlier in the week, Patrick began peeing where he sat. We thought he was getting weak and losing control of his bladder. Our home vet determined it was a bladder infection and prescribed antibiotics. After a couple days on the antibiotics, Patrick stopped having accidents. We wonder if the medicine is upsetting his stomach and keeping him from eating.

I am disappointed the prescription that the animal pharmacy provided was bubblegum flavored liquids for the antibiotics. I can’t believe there isn’t some other cat friendly flavor. Patrick takes the twice a day dose better than we expected. In fact, he has been the best patient for his daily sub-q fluids. He stays on his side without putting up much of a fight. The boy even kissed me on the nose a couple times while we held him still. So much for the “Caution” warning, he came with.

Gato and Stanley have been very kind to Patrick lately. No one has tried to take advantage of his weakness. I'm very proud of them. I don't think the three cats have ever spent this much time sitting near each other without fighting. Until last night, they had even been sleeping near each other in bed. I don't think has ever happened before. They are certainly watching over their big brother.