Category Archives: Cats

Posts about cats go in this category.

31 Months

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Bobbi decided to step out of the house for a few days — on the very two days we got vicious rainstorms, but she was perfectly happy under the house. Thankfully, she allowed me to catch her after two days, and she’s back in the house now.

The Time Out trailer arrived — it’s a mobile tent to tow behind the Spyder. I plan to take it on the trip next week, but we aren’t friends yet. We are developing a working relationship, which I hope gets better. When I called to ask about reservations at a state campground, the person I reached repeated, “It’s cold.” several times. I took this under advisement and ordered several items designed to help keep me warmer than I had originally planned to take with me.

This year’s Texas Animal Control Association conference is complete. They always put on a good conference, but I believe this will be my last year. I don’t need Animal Control Officer certification for what MTOL is doing now, so I believe I’ll devote my time to other areas.

Alan and I used to enjoy watching old movies together. I haven’t watched many movies since he died.

And the seasonal cough that lingers and makes my life miserable is back. If you hear seals barking, it’s just me.

 

26 Months

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My foot surgery went well. I’m not enjoying not walking on two legs, but everything is working out fine. I’m grateful to have friends who check on me,  offer me rides or to run errands for me, and who take me places. It made it easier to make bank deposits for MTOL and to pay the water bill. Cats, on the other hand, have not enjoyed the household upheaval, and several have been most demonstrative in a negative way on multiple occasions. I now have a pretty good idea of the cats without good litter box manners — I’ve been trying to compile that list for some time, and I believe it’s pretty comprehensive now.

My ramp works well. I take the knee scooter or crutches and go onto the front porch, then I get on the electric scooter, ride it down the ramp and pull in or take out the trash can and check the mail. I did learn that crutches have a useful place in the collection of tools that make this annoying process easier. I have another week of dealing with this before I can shift to walking on the boot (for now, it’s protecting my foot as I continue to attempt to remain non-weight-bearing while the bone heals from having the screw implanted.

Jase is doing well at camp, and my cat carers are doing a good job keeping up with the cats’ basic needs — food, water, and litter boxes.

For now, the house is done. Some finishing items still need to be completed, and those are stalled, but no new areas are being worked on at this time. The budget for this project has been exhausted, so I’m re-evaluating how I want to complete the things that didn’t get gotten to.

I’m at a point where everything is annoying to me. This item should not be a thing — Apple Watch charging. My Apple Watch 6 was running out of charge before it was running out of day, so, instead of spending $100 to replace the battery, I bought an Apple Watch 10. Twice now, it has refused to charge. The first time, I was prepared to send it in for service, and it began to charge. This afternoon, it is doing the same thing. I put it on the charger this morning, saw a full charge indicated on the phone, but obviously, it wasn’t, because this afternoon, it indicated 13%. I put it on the charger, and no charging bolt. I changed connections, and still no charging bolt. This is not a feature I desire. I’m tempted to see if I can return this Watch and wait for a new model that may not have this problem. It’s enough of a problem for Apple that they have a link on the main support page for it.

I tried trading in the Watch 6, but they changed their offer from $70 to $0 by saying there was a problem with the screen, so I refused the offer, and they returned the Watch to me. I have a backup now.

I experienced a lot of emotional ups and downs this month. Being cooped up and dependent on others for transportation when I’m accustomed to doing things for myself was a huge adjustment. I have been very fortunate to have people more than willing to take me where I needed to go as well as offering to bring me things.

 

 

19 Months

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I guess I’m entering the angry phase of grief. I don’t know any other way to explain my persistent grouchiness. (I suspect a touch of compassion fatigue as well.)

On a brighter note, the house is coming along. They are nearly finished with the roof and are putting color coat on the walls.

In a huge surprise, Zelda showed up on camera last week. I hurried home and gave her a can. She ate it, but I haven’t seen her again. Seeing her took my breath away. She’s alive! I wish she could tell me what she’s been doing for almost the last year. She looked very healthy. I guess she must have moved to someone else’s porch for a while. My neighbor and i would both love to have her come home.

I bought a building last week. Alan was in the process of buying a 1946 Sportsman when he died. I used the money he would have spent on the car to purchase the building. Some minor renovations are underway. I’ll talk more about it at a later date.

Rossie (2012-2024)

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We adopted Rossie and her siblings back in 2012. Her brother, Pretty Boy Floyd, died young — he had insurmountable urinary tract troubles.  His sisters, Rossie, Ruby Mae, and Delta have all done well. Rossie had always been the most reserved of the quartet. We worked with her for years, but she was always hiding. Eventually, we created the non-conflict room for her and two other cats, and she lived her life as she saw fit — sometimes basking in the window, and sometimes hiding under the curio cabinet. Every couple of months, she would approach me for each ear scritches and treats.

While I was out of town this week, the door to the non-conflict wing got left open. When I returned, I did not see Rossie anywhere in the room, so I presumed she must have gone into the main part of the house. I wasn’t particularly worried, but I do like to make sure I see her periodically to make sure she is okay. Once I verified she was not in the non-conflict wing, I started to search for her last evening. I found her quickly, deceased under the loveseat in the entry hall. I didn’t see any obvious trauma, so I can only speculate about what might have happened.

I never thought Rossie was particularly happy in the house, but she was loved, safe, and allowed to live as she saw fit. She was a good cat, but I believe she is now at peace. Here’s a kitten photo of her from November 2012:

And here’s a photo of Walter and her in the Non-Conflict Wing in February 2022:

Walter (Approximately 2012 – 2024)

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Walter was a gorgeous silver porch cat. I don’t remember when we began noticing him — at first we thought we had one gray cat on the porch until we saw all three at once, and then we realized we had three gray cats. Walter was mild-mannered and silver in … Continue reading →

Bella: October 1, 2016 – March 4, 2023

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I’ve been far too long since posting, and, sadly, it’s another bad news post. In late 2016, my parents adopted two cats and named them Misti and Bella. When my dad passed away in September 2022, my mom decided she wasn’t up to caring for pets, so I brought the … Continue reading →

Zelda Lives!

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You probably saw my last post about Zelda, and that we hadn’t seen her for several weeks and had finally concluded the worst. I am delighted to report we were WRONG. Zelda is alive and well even if she is more avoidant than before. This makes my heart sing, and … Continue reading →