What can I say? Leave it to a kitty to know how to observe Caturday! And today is Andy’s day to shine or glow, perhaps, in the morning sun.
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Monthly Archives: November 2016
Post 1206: Dougy and the shadow…
Dougy sprawled on his ottoman, hind legs askew. Nothing new there. Dougy does this all the time.
Except this time, his hind end made a shadow of a kitty head! (Sort of….) 
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My friend Deborah e-mailed me this follow up to yesterday’s blog post memorializing her cat Serena:
Thanks for putting together and publishing the memorial to Serena, Doug. It means a lot to me. Of course I still miss her terribly as does Charles. She and André hardly ever interacted although they did have a few whole house chases.
Serena (behind Charles) by the door. André on the left.
I hope your readers will not start worrying every time their cat throws up. She always had a sensitive stomach and now that I know she likely had a genetic disposition for her disease it explains that better. I think the main thing I have learned is to watch for increased thirst, although there is little anyone can do so maybe even that just takes away from the enjoyment of life with one’s feline.
Post 1205: Serena the Bombay cat
Those of you have been around for longer than six months may remember my friend Deborah and her adventure taking her three Bombay cats to Paris. She told me sad news about one of those cats, Serena. Deborah gave me permission to post this remembrance to her poor kitty:
Serena
Thanks for asking, Doug. That would be a nice memorial to her.
I have had a few bad days of it. Serena was throwing up all weekend (with no emergency vets nearby) Long story short, she had to be euthanized Monday at age 8; throwing up was the only symptom of an incurable disease.
Serena and Charles
It left a hole in the family unit and Charles is very upset. He keeps going upstairs to look for her — she spent most days on my bed since the weather got colder. [Deborah lives in New England.] I was in shock: she had never been a really healthy cat but had never appeared seriously ill.
She was a very quiet cat. She loved sitting in the sunlight and bird watching. And her half brother had a real love/hate relationship with her.
Serena (behind Charles) by the door. André on the left.
Could you mention that she was part of the trio who went to Paris, really enjoyed French cat food, and Volvic mineral water, and that she is greatly missed? In a world of big personalities, she was a very private, self contained cat who found pleasure in the simpler things in life.
RIP poor Serena. In your short life you were loved and brought joy. You even visited Paris.
Deborah, your note reminded me of the night my Louie the ginger cat died, and how he, too, vomited but showed no other evidence of the lymphoma that took his life. Hugs from a friend who understands how this loss feels.
Post 1204: “Trust me!”
It’s time for Andy’s medicine, and I look around for the little rascal. Is he nearby? In hiding? Under my computer desk? And will I be able to get him to trust me long enough for me to snatch him up? It’s a daily challenge, as you know.
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Is he in the other room?
Under my computer desk?
Aw! There he is!
Trust me, Andy?
I guarantee, he doesn’t trust me around medicine time. This is pretty much the closest Andy gets to me till I do the deed.
Post 1203: Ugh! I prepare for the invasion…!
Tomorrow is Election Day in America, but (no pun intended) I will be invaded by probes coming and going. Yes, it is time for a colonoscopy (which I last had 11 years ago) and an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy (EGD, which I’ve never had). Preparation begins today. You know: clean out the colon by inducing diarrhea. Ugh!
It’s time to reflect on what I can learn from my kitties here, Andy in particular. To save time, I will draw on old photos because I need to take time off from the computer. I’ll skip tomorrow since I won’t be free to play around, and try to return to blogging Wednesday, the 10th.
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Andy tells me not to be afraid.
Be a good boy and a big kitty.
Then relax! It will be over soon enough and you’ll get a treat!
All this drama’s made Andy sleepy!
Yeah, sure. I’ll be knocked out for the two procedures at least. Plus I get to spend the day with someone I’ve been friends with since we were two years old or so. A long time, anyway! And he’s graciously agreed to chauffeur me to and from Scottsbluff, where I’ll get the examinations. (Thanks, Terry!)
Post 1202: “Want a head and ear rub, Dougy?”
Dougy loves to have his head rubbed. Don’t pay any attention to that old saw that cats don’t like their fur rubbed the wrong way! As far as Dougy’s concerned…purr… that’s precisely what feels good!
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Want a head and ear rub, Dougy? 
Oh yeah! Purr! Purr! Purr!
Purr! Purr! Purr! Purr!
Oh purr! Purr! Purr!
Purr! Purr! Purr! [slobber…]
Purr! Purr! Purr! Ew! Ew! Scratch my neck, too!
That enough, Dougy!?
Yes, this kitty loves to have his fur rubbed anyway he can get me to rub it!
Post 1201: the kitty boys play hold out…
Wand toy in the morning is intense. Or it would be if Andy and Dougy didn’t catch the wand toy lure and refuse to give it up! (I have much better luck with peacock feathers, though they last about one play session…!)
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Dougy catches the lure. Will he give it up?
Nope!
No way!
You kidding!? He moves to recliner and now is bored.
Get yer kitty on, kitty! (No way!)
How about Andy? He’s bored already and doesn’t want to play, yet.
But he perks up and catches the lure. Will he give it up?
Ha! Ha! What fantasy world do you live in?
I guess “feed the kitties kitty food time” is too close to “wand toy play time” this morning. The kitty boys are putting out minimal effort, mostly catching but not releasing the toy. What fun is that? I think we all need to go back to our naps!
Post 1200: Wow! I just noticed this!
Sometimes I forget that Andy and Dougy are pedigree kitties because they behave like regular moggies. Specifically, they are smoke Persians. Then, as their hair grows out and the characteristic smoke Persian characteristics start to show, I marvel that, well, they are really pretty kitties!
I saw Dougy in just the right light yesterday, and took this quick if poorly composed photo of a very beautiful Dougy before he went off to be a regular kitty:
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In other “news”, I am not a touch typist. I oftentimes type a long passage and discover when I look up at the screen that the [Cap Lock] was on for a whole paragraph. After a blasphemous outburst or two, I unlock the [Cap Lock] key and redo the all caps section of whatever I was writing. Yesterday, I finally did something I should have done a long time ago: I removed that dang key from my keyboard! I never type long passages in all caps, so why bother having the key?
Post 1199: kitty fishing…
No point in having kitties if you don’t engage them in wand toy games or other kitty-licious fun! So, before Dougy started whining for kitty fun, I decided today to fish for kitties. Well, “kitty”, because Andy was off having a little post medicine treat. (He came around later for kitty fun, so don’t worry! I play with both kitties.)
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How long will it take for Dougy to notice?
Suspicious at last!
It’s a kitty-licious frenzy! RAWR!!!
Caught it!
The play continues until…
Dougy’s sated.
It won’t be long, though, before he wants to play again, and I am ready.
Post 1198: I learn from my kitties…
Just a week left before the election, and the kitty boys and I will be glad it’s over. I bet you will be, too. I voted on October 12th by mail, so I have been done with it since then. But it still is in the news. Ugh!
That’s why I am glad I have my kitty boys around. They have basic needs and wants: FEED ME! NOW! MINE! PET ME! LET’S PLAY! They are cute, so I excuse their shouting, and attending to their needs reminds me of the order of the world and how we will survive this election cycle.
Heck, I’m a member of the atomic bomb children of the 1950’s: The US Government told us we could survive an atomic bomb by ducking under our school desks and covering our heads! (Take a look at the video if you doubt me. > smirk <)
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Andy has the right idea. Find your happy spot…
…relax, and watch the world go by!
Hope you have a wonderful day! I will follow Andy’s example and purge the negativity from my system.