It has been a very sad few weeks for our online blogging community with beloved cats going to the Rainbow Bridge and even humans too. Many of our animal pals and their humans are not well and struggling to get their health back.
Our Yoko napping.
It is hard to find things to be thankful for with this going on around us but there is beauty still. As Ann Frank said even in her dire circumstances "Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy.”
So this post is focusing on being grateful for beauty in our world - the spring flowers, lovely fur beings that share our lives and the bonds of friendship we have all forged over the years, online and in person.
Happy St. Patrick's Day and a Happy 13th Gotcha Day to our sweet Darby! We caught her all those years ago after she had been living in the crawlspace under the house we rented. We put a kennel cage on the porch for her to use to keep warm and snug that winter and once she got used to it, we made a trap out of it with a string tied to the door.
Watching Darby
We set the kennel right outside the front door and we all watched from inside the house - Chica, Yoko and Sweetpea too. Once Darby went in, we pulled the door shut from inside the house. Got her! She was not happy but she was safe. We got her spayed and tamed her - now that was a long story in and of itself. She was one wild kitty.
Darby at her desk
But now she is a love bug and a Momma's girl. All she wants is to sit next to Mom especially when Mom works at the desk in her office. As little as she is, no one messes with her much. She can dish it out but does not like to get it back. Mamacita will hide and wait for Darby to run down the hall and then jump out to ambush her. Poor Darby runs like the devil. If it happens enough Darby checks all the hiding spots before she ventures down the hall so she doesn't run the gauntlet.
So enough of the stories. Since Darby is a BIG fan of nip - that is our theme today. Help yourself to apps, niptinis and lots of St Patty's Day foods. Thank you for coming and for being our friends.
Thank you so very much for all the kind words, cards, emails and posts for our beloved Chica. Your support helps us all thru a very sad time.
May your thoughts be as glad as the shamrocks.
May your heart be as light as a song.
May each day bring you bright happy hours,
That stay with you all year long.
For each petal on the shamrock
This brings a wish your way
Good health, good luck, and happiness
For today and every day.
Happy St. Patrick's Day to each and every one of you!
After a fairly good day yesterday, Chica took a turn for the worse last night. She was unable to eat anymore and was beginning to have trouble breathing. She sat with us in the living room all night and I really didn't think she would be here this morning but she was, alert and wanting to be near us.
When she began to have more trouble breathing we felt it was time to let her go. At the ER vet, they said she was so very close to the end. We were holding her and talking to her as she went under.
She is buried next to Joey near the cat house,wrapped in a baby blue blanket with a bouquet of daffodils and a piece of rose quartz to symbolize that she was my heart cat.
What can I say about my first cat? I am in awe that she lived to be almost 22. She had an amazing personality and intelligence
At 5-6 months
Many vets feared her feisty character. They had deep scratches to show for their time with her.
In her younger years we called her Queen of Mean because of her intense dislike for other cats. She would have preferred to be an only cat. She walked through the house grumbling and muttering if other cats got in her way. Because of this she held on to her top cat position - they all deferred to her.
With us Chica was always sweet and loving. Her purr was loud and strong and could keep Pop awake at night. She loved people and would come out to greet any visitor with curiosity and affection.
She loved boxes to sit in and to pummel. Even on the day before she passed she got up looking for her box and spent a few moments sitting in it.
Picking on Yoko...yet again!
She loved being naughty and would do something we didn't want her to do in order to get attention. Her favorite was to pick on Yoko or to pummel the window blinds, getting them all tangled.
She liked to play with us only. She could jump and catch a kitty ball with her two front paws. I would slide pennies on the floor and she would catch them with her paw. She even played hide and seek with me. I would hide and call to her and she would roam the house looking behind and under things until she found me and then it was her turn to hide. Her favorite place was on the floor of the bathtub. I would sneak up on her and just see the tips of her ears over the edge of the tub. If other cats would come over to join in, Chica would walk away in disdain.
There will never be another cat like her and I will remember her forever. Wait for us at the Rainbow Bridge, sweet girl and give our love to Joey and all those who have gone before. Sweet dreams.
Thank you to Ann of Zoolatry for this lovely graphic
UPDATE - Sat 3/2
Chica is having a good day today. Don't really know what this means but she ate a little, drank her water and even strolled through the hosue to come into the living room. I had a box on its side with a cat food box inside the box and she loves to sit here. I took it away since she was not using it anymore. She went right over to where the box was so I went and got it. She got inside like she always does. She walked back to the litterbox and then went inside her hidy spot. She is resting and breathing much better. I have a cat carrier on the floor in my bedroom with a heat pad inside and the door is off. This is her safe place and she has been here since she came home form the vets. As long as she is comfy and breathing well I am going to let her be. She is alert and happy to be with us still.
Our beloved Chica was having a very hard time breathing today so I took her to the vet I took Snowball. They did an x-ray. She has fluid around her lungs and in her abdomen. They aspirated the fluids from her lung area and she came thru that fine. She is still at the vet and I will go back to take her home tonight. I was not ready to put her down and we may be able to give her a diuretic to help this fluid from building up for a while.
Doesn't look good but they can look at the fluid in her and tell where it came from. If it is congestive heart failure it doesn't look promising but I wanted her home. I was not ready to let her go.
She had to be in oxygen - they were very gentle with her and whenever she got too stressed and her breathing was worse they put her in oxygen. The oxygen tank was a small clear plastic tub with a hole cut for the oxygen tube and a cover on top. I went in to see her before they sedated her for the needle and she was alert and knew me. She popped right up with her head above the top and came over to me. This is so hard - I know you all know how I feel.
She may only have a few days or weeks left. At least this way she is more comfortable for as long as she has. Please keep us in your purrs in the days to come.
UPDATE - Late evening on 2/28
Chica is home now and resting comfortably. She is frail and weak and unfortunately has had both her sides shaved to do the ultrasound and the needle aspiration. Her fluids is either the heart or from a cancer so time is short. She cannot take Lasix due to her kidney failure so I will try dandelion tea as a diuretic. We will take this one day at a time and see how she feels. If she is at all uncomfortable we will send her to the Bridge with our love.
Snowball here today. we want to thank you all again for helping us pay off my vet bills. I am doing much better on all canned food and begrudgingly accepting it. I have even lost a tiny bit of weight.
Georgie Girl
All us white kitties have been looking good this winter since they are all on my diet. (Hehehe) Georgie is losing a bit of weight too. She is a dry food piggy but has adapted to wet food.
Smiling Smidge
Mom has noticed that Smidge has a cute smile when you look at her mouth from the side.
We have had days warm enough to open the windows in our kitty house for some whiffies! Spring is coming!
