Thursday Thirteen #2

We've read recently other kitties' nicknames in their Thursday Thirteen lists, so we've decided that we'll share some of ours in this edition of Thursday Thirteen (don't worry Smoke, they're tame).

1. Zoey Bowie

2. Pretty Girl (Zoey)

3. Smokey Robinson

4. Cry-baby (Gandalf)

5. Gus Mus (Gus)

6. Trouble (any of the furballs)

7. Chewy

8. Jealous (McKenzie and Gandalf)

9. Green-eyes (McKenzie)

10. Bubbie (McKenzie)

11. Cutie-pie (all of them)

12. Brat (McKenzie)

and 13. Furball!

After we posted, Mommy and Daddy pointed out a few of the nicknames that we missed, such as Hoover (because the furballs will eat anything on the floor). Our response is - it only asked for thirteen, not every rhyming combination of words that you've ever called us or comment on our behavior. So there!

Wordless Wednesday

Thank your vet

First, here's a picture of me getting my fluids on my favorite Tony Stewart #20 blanket. I know it came out pretty dark so you can't see how happy I am, but I really am purring. Caesar's mommy is going to learn tomorrow how to give fluids to Caesar, who was recently diagnosed with renal failure. Although it doesn't look comfortable, it really doesn't bother me at all. Anyhow, we sure hope you'll all stop by Caesar and Princess's blog to leave purrs and prayers for Caesar and his mommy.

Second, many of us don't like the v-e-t, but often times these furry special people play a big role in making our lives happier and healthier. This is the last week that you can enter your v-e-t in a special contest thanking them for making our lives better. You'll have to write an essay of 300 words or less explaining why your v-e-t is the best in America (we think that there are probably really good v-e-t-s efurrywhere). By the way, 300 words really isn't a lot; it only took Mommy and I about a half an hour to fill out the entry. Rules and entry form are on the web at http://www.thankyourvet.org/. Entries are accepted until 11:59 p.m. on May 31, 2007 (they don't say what time zone). We think our v-e-t-s, Drs. Laura and Robert Archer of Ash Creek Animal Clinic, are the best but we welcome lots of competition.

Finally, I am very proud to announce that I was quoted in the Bad Kitty Cat Meows on the Bad Kitty Cats blog. Please check it out!

Happy Memorial Day!

Today is a day to remember and give thanks to all those who have put their life on the line to defend America. For all those past and present members of military, we salute you and send you a big purr and lots of headbutts as thanks. Mommy looked through all the pictures that she has on the computer and couldn't find a single one of any of the family in their military uniform and since she still hasn't managed to get a scanner hooked up to the new computer, she didn't have any pictures of family members for me to post. So in a nod to Grandma, who says she knows more about what's going on in our life by reading our blog than by talking to us (sorry), we found this picture of Elvis in the Army for her.

Happy Memorial Day!

Hide and seek

The other night I was happily sleeping on the back of the chair in the living room when I was disturbed by the cries of the furballs. Mommy started calling for them because they will often cry if they are left alone. But this time they didn't come to her calls. So Mommy got up and started searching all over the house. She still didn't find them. She looked outside just in case they had learned to use the kitty door and were stuck outside, but still no furballs. Daddy even got up to look for them. He got out the flashlight and was looking everywhere. We could hear them crying but they couldn't find the furballs. Mommy was freaking out thinking of all the places they could be like under the house (even though the crawlspace doors are all hidden in rooms with closed doors). They started crying very pitifully. Eventually Mommy found them in the closet. They had dashed in there and pushed the door shut behind them, trapping them inside. Now McKenzie and I am smart enough to know how to open the door if we get shut in, but Mommy and Daddy forgot that the furballs are still young and stupid. I just laughed and went back to sleep. It was good joke on Mommy and Daddy.

Tired....

Mommy and Daddy are very tired tonight. They spent all day outside putting in place all the rest of the stones for the flower beds. They finished up and the yard looks lovely. I'll get Mommy to post pictures later but she said that she's not working on anything else AT ALL this entire weekend. She's just going to watch the races, maybe go to a movie and read bloggies. As you can see from the pictures, Chewie has been helping her read bloggies tonight.

Friday's Feast #145

Appetizer - Name a sound you like to hear.
The shaking of the Temptations bag.

Soup - What is your favorite kind of cheese?
I don't like much cheese. McKenzie and the furballs like cheddar with mozzarella a close runner-up.

Salad - Do you sleep late on Saturday mornings? Why or why not?
Usually. Mostly because my beans often do.

Main Course - When was the last time you forgot something? What was it, and how long did it take to remember it?
I've never forgotten anything. I've the memory of an elephant. Mommy, on the other hand, forgets things all the time. Just today she remembered that she forgot to mail Uncle Jason's birthday card. Apparently it was on the calendar at work and she doesn't work on Fridays so she didn't have a reminder. She only remembered when Daddy came home this evening and they were trying to decide what they wanted to do this weekend.

Dessert - Fill in the blank: I notice ____________ when _____________.
I notice that Mommy yells at Chewie when she tries to the eat the leaves off the canteloupe plant Mommy's trying to grow.

Thursday Thirteen #1

I thought that for my very first Thursday Thirteen post, I would post thirteen things about Acute Renal Failure (ARF). I thought this was especially timely since Mommy was filling out the claim form from Menu Foods today and talking with Daddy about the letter that Menu Foods sent about the various lawsuits. When I was diagnosed with ARF as a result of the bad kitty food, Mommy and I did some research on the Internet and this is some of what we found:

1. Part of the kidneys' function is to remove waste from the body.

2. Kidney failure is also called renal failure.

3. Kidney failure is either acute or chronic. Acute kidney failure occurs when the kidneys suddenly stop performing their filtering function allowing waste products to build up in the kitty's system. Chronic kidney failure occurs when the kidneys gradually reduce their filtering functions over time.

4. ARF is typically caused by urinary obstructions, infectious diseases, trauma, and the ingestion of toxins.

5. In addition to the bad food, ingestion of items commonly found in homes can cause kidney problems for cats. For instance, antifreeze, lillies (yes the flower that many of us may have in our gardens), acetominophen and ibuprofen, and turpentine are just some of the things that can cause kidney problems.

6. Signs of kidney failure usually don't appear until 70% of the kidneys have stopped functioning.

7. Some of the symptoms of ARF are drinking more water, vomiting, depression, reduction in appetite, lethargy, and increased/decreated urination.

8. If you see symptoms of ARF, you should take your cat to the vet immediately. This cannot be treated at home.

9. Blood tests that are used to diagnosis ARF include measurements of the blood urea nitrogen (BUN), phosphorus and creatinine.

10. ARF is treated by providing fluids (such as through a subcutaneous IV) and through certain medications (a nasty pill I didn't like).

11. Cats with ARF also usually are prescribed a kidney-friendly diet that is low in sodium and encouraged to continue that diet even if their kidney functions return to normal ranges.

12. If ARF is caused by the ingestion of a specific toxin, the vet may try to empty the cat's stomach or use charcoal to try to stop more absorption of the toxin.

13. ARF is often fatal. Early treatment is critical to improve your pet's chance of survival.

Some of the websites that we visited are:
Washington State University, College of Veterinary Medicine
Feline CRF Information Center
Cat World
FamilyVet.com
Lexington Cat Clinic (content appears to be from Lifelearn)
Petplace.com
Love to Know
Balgownie Veterinary Hospital

Thirteen Things about ARF Links to other Thursday Thirteens!

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New Kitty Entertainment System

One of our favorite things is to watch the birdies outside but yesterday Mommy broke the bird feeder! We feared that our favorite pastime was over. But today she brought us home a new bird feeder, a super-duper one with three types of bird food! Whoowhee! Now we should have even more birdies to watch.

A few of my favorite things

I got tagged by Daisy Mae Maus for a meme! Whoohoo!

Time of Day: Hmmm.... When my food dish is filled.

Day of the week: Friday, because Mommy usually is home all day to play with me. On the weekends, she and Daddy are usually out running errands.

Season of the year: Spring because I can go outside and play.

Holiday: Christmas because I get lots of presents. It was McKenzie's favorite too. Can you see him in this picture? He was hiding from the beans' nieces and nephews.

Beaches: I've never been to one but I love sand!

Song: I love the one that Mommy sings all the time about God blessing the broken road that lead me straight to her!

Flower: These calla lillies in the yard.

Talk show: Dr. Phil!

Movie: Where the Heart Is

Soaps: Don't watch them, well unless Desperate Housewives is considered a soap.

Beverage: Pond water Fruit: That sounds too healthy.

Snack: Of course....
Food:

Restaurant: Daddy's leftovers from Roadhouse or KFC!

I tag all the kitties that haven't been tagged and want to play!

Furball fights

Thanks to Daisy Mae Maus, we figured out how to do a slide show of pictures. I thought it was the perfect way to display these pictures of the furballs fighting. Don't worry, they are just playing, but then those teeth look pretty sharp and they are pretty wildeyed!

Thanks DMM!

Kitty basketweave and other sleeping positions

This picture shows how the furballs like to sleep intertwined. Here Gandalf is on the bottom with Chewbacca laying over him and then Smoke laying over Chewbacca. Mommy thinks its funny. I don't care what they do just as long as they don't try to curl up with me!

Chewbacca likes to stretch out too....

Smoke likes to curl up in the corner of the couch.

Gandalf likes to curl up beside Daddy.

The Full Monty

Millie has suggested that we adopt the term "full Monty" for this pose in a nod to Monty Q. We think it's a great idea. While I don't like to lay that way, Mommy found this picture of McKenzie who loved to lay in the grass in the backyard of our old house that way. This one isn't quite a full Monty but she loves it too!

Mommy printed the first picture for a special project she's working on. It took a long time to get it printed because she found out that her printer isn't compatible with Vista because they don't make a Vista driver for it. So she was going to have to buy a whole new printer. Fortunately, Grandma had an extra printer and it was Vista compatible so all Mommy had to buy was a couple of new ink cartridges. Thanks Grandma! Stupid Vista and Lexmark. Mommy told me to tell all you out there to make sure that your equipment is Vista compatible before you think about upgrading to Vista. She didn't have a choice when she bought the new computer but wishes that she did.

Friday's Feast #144

Appetizer - List 3 emotions you experienced this week:

Joy, sorrow and anger

Soup - Name a car you’d love to have:

An RV towing Smoke's NASCAR car.

Salad - Describe your typical morning routine:

Turn off the snooze at least two times, roll out of bed, shower, do make-up, brush hair, dress, go to work, wake up two hours later.

Main Course - Have you ever emailed someone famous? If so, who, and what did you say to them? Did they reply?

Robin McGraw because they cut off the line to get her autograph about two hours before she even got there! I told her that we loved what she said at Women of Faith but we were very disappointed that we didn't get her to autograph her book that we bought for Grandma. She never replied.

Dessert - Do you listen to podcasts? If so, which ones?:

Nope.

Laundry Day

On Tuesday night, Mommy told Daddy there are two new things that he has to remember. First she told Daddy that he has to "put the lid on the toilet down because Smoke was drinking from the toilet." Mommy says the water isn't good for him. She also muttered something under her breath about crazy cats not wanting to drink from their water fountain that she paid good money for but wanting to drink from the floating candle bowl, pond, toilet, puddles, etc. Hmmm.... I wonder if she didn't put those floaty-things in my bowl of water on the family room table just to make it prettier for me?

Then she told Daddy, "Do not start the dryer without first checking it for kittens." Apparently they have decided to help with the laundry. I used to help with the laundry all the time. As soon as she got it in the laundry basket, I would jump right in and make sure she got it all clean and leave some fur so she'd be able to tell their clothes from someone else's. Apparently the kittens are helping out with the laundry basket too and even checking the dryer for things that might have been left behind!

Update on my vet visit

Well you all must have prayed really hard because the vet only had good news for me today. All my tests came back normal, albeit in the high range of normal, except my creatinine level, which was only .1 above normal, so even that was pretty good. The vet said I had recovered really well considering just how bad my numbers were only two months ago. I still have to get IV fluids once or twice a week and have to eat the special kidney-friendly food (too bad it isn't kitty-friendly - I don't care what they say it doesn't taste good), but said that it would be good if Daddy would cook me chicken, turkey or beef (with no skin and no seasonings) to entice me to eat. I think it will be hard for Daddy to do that. He likes his spices, but then he's a chef so he should be able to cook anything right? Anyhow, I wanted to thank all of you out there who prayed for me and wished me well today. It was a great day, except for having to be in the prisoner transportation unit (thanks to the kitty who used that on their blog, I can't think of a better name for it).

Smoke, the feather hunter

Smoke: Zoey, I'm taking over the bloggie today to show everyone what a great hunter I am. Mommy was cleaning (Daddy's home because his back is hurting so Mommy stayed home to help him. He's been sleeping most of the day so Mommy's been washing everything) and I went to check out her work in the laundry room. I attacked a feather that came out of the comforter she washed. I went to show Mommy, and to tell her that she missed a sock under the dryer, she tried to take it from me, but I growled at her. It's mine. I caught it and I'm not sharing. Now that I have a taste for feathers, it's off to find where Mommy hid the Whirly-bird to hone my skills and then outside to find a live birdie! Maybe I can get one for Suzanne for her birthday.... Oh and Zoey and the rest of the furballs, want to wish Suzanne a very happy birthday!

Visit to the vet

Mommy says that I'm going back the vet on Wednesday to have a check up so they can see how I'm doing since I got sick on the bad food. Mommy's really worried because I'm such a picky eater now and she thinks I've lost a lot of weight. She's praying really hard that everything's okay.

That made me think of this picture of Auntie Val's daughter Rayna from a couple of years ago. She always prayed with one eye open. I guess she wanted to make sure that they didn't start eating without her. I can understand that because, with the furballs, I can't take my eyes off of them or they'll be gobbling up my food!

The name game

I'm taking over the bloggie to announce that I finally have a suitable name. No more girlie name, or worse yet, no name. I am now Gandalf the Grey from Lord of the Rings. My beans talked to lots of people about what to change my name to since Jean Gray isn't suitable for a boy. They eventually settled on this when they decided to keep me because Gandalf is wise and protective; just like me! Daddy liked that it still had gray in it since they have always called me gray. Mommy liked it because it represented another special memory. She and Daddy met for the first time at a Star Wars movie but the first movie they went to on a date (although Daddy didn't know that it was date because Auntie Val was setting him up) was a Lord of the Rings movie.

Now we all have permanent names. Smoke is really "Where there's Smoke, there's fire," Smoke for short. It suits him because he's always getting in trouble, darting into rooms (or the refrigerator) the minute the door is opened. Chewbacca is "Chewbacca the Wookitty." Personally I think it should be "Chewbacca the chewkitty" because she's always chewing on stuff. Of course, I'm Gandalf the Grey and the kitty formerly known as Jack that my Auntie Michele adopted is now "Perla" for one of the girl mice in Cinderella.

Welcome home, ummm, whatever your name is....

Well the beans have reported that they are going to adopt Jean Gray, Beast, Darth Vader, pain in the rear, whatever his name is as no one seems to be able to decide. They were waiting for the call to take it to the adoption fair today and the call never came and Mommy realized that they haven't even put the kitty's picture up on the Internet to find a family for him. That was Mommy's sign that God means for them to keep, umm, it. I guess she had been talking with Him about the fact that she's conflicted about breaking up the seemingly very happy trio (they all sleep intertwined with one another). Mommy wanted one more kitty anyway; it's just that she wanted a meezer like she had growing up, so I guess this is a trade off. I don't care either way because at least the furballs seemed to recognize that their place in this household is behind me on the pecking order.

Thank you DaisyMae Maus

Mommy says I have to quit looking for where I saw the hammock because we've got to go get ready to go to an early Mother's Day lunch with Grandma Vi and the rest of the family. I was looking for the hammock because I saw it and pleaded with Mommy to get me one. Well that fell on deaf ears, but my cousin DaisyMae Maus must have heard my pleas all the way in the next state over, because she sent me one! Well, me and the furballs. Daddy got the mail and put it together for me yesterday and we all had to investigate it.

Personally, I think it looks much better under me!

Mommy's yelling at me to get off the computer and get ready to go but I want to add two more things:

First, I want to wish all the mothers out there a Happy Mother's Day. Thank you so much for all you do for us, humans and furry ones alike.

Second, Daddy's brother Jason needs all the prayers he can get. Jason has a brain tumor (and a six month old baby, Asa, that Mommy says is the cutest baby) and we need lots and lots of prayers for God to make him better and for support for Jason, Janette and Asa. Thank you!

Goodbye Teacup

Mommy was searching the linkies to find the one for the kitty hammock that we had seen while checking out everyone's bloggies when she came back to the Bad Kitty Cats blog that reported that Teacup had gone to the Bridge. Mommy cried and cried when she read about that and while she watched the video of Teacup. I guess she still misses McKenzie and feels really sad for Teacup's family as they cope with their grief. For Mommy, I just want to send prayers and kisses to Teacup's family. God bless Teacup and his family.

You can visit their bloggie at http://www.silentmessenger.org/blogs/badkittycats.php

You can see the video tribute to Teacup at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JI0K1SFtP0.

Friday's Feast #143

Appetizer - Tell about a time when you had to be brave.

When I was about two years old, I climbed this very, very tall tree next to my mommy's apartment and got stuck! Mommy was very scared (and very afraid of heights). I was as high as the two story building! I didn't know how to get down and I was calling for help. Mommy called her good friends Joel and Lisa to come help. Joel climbed the tree and got me down, but I had to stay up there for hours and hours waiting for help. It was very scary.

Soup - Which upcoming movie are you excited about seeing?

Spiderman 3. I wanted to go at midnight (although Mommy says I'm getting too old to do that after seeing X-men 3 at midnight caused me to be very, very tired and grumpy the next day), but Mommy promised that we would wait to see it with Uncle Jason and Aunt Janette.

Salad - Name an item you try to always have on hand.

Beef Temptations of course - a whole case!

Main Course - Imagine the most relaxing room you can think of. Now describe it!

Hmmm.... that's a tough one... Mommy would say the bathroom because it has a spa tub but I don't like water. I guess it would have to be anywhere I can be on Mommy's lap getting brushed.

Dessert - On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being highest), how spiritual or religious are you?

Probably about a 7. I'm a Christian. I read the Bible and a lot of Christian books and attend retreats of various kinds, but I rarely ever go to church. Although, I'm thinking about trying a new one that mommy's friends Lisa and Joel go to. It's supposed to be very welcoming and not stuck on appearances rather than real praise. The bonus is it's just right up the street instead of having to drive to a whole different town to go to church with family members.

Yeow! What a mixup!

I just have to laugh at Mommy and Daddy for this one. Today they took the furballs in to be spayed and neutered. Auntie Michele brought Jack back too. All was going as planned. Mommy got them all checked in at the vet and went off to work. Then she got "the call." They got Jack and Jean Gray messed up! Apparently Jack, now an it, is formerly a "she." Perhaps Jack is short for Jacqueline??? Jean Gray, also now an it, is formerly a "he." I can see now that it's going to take months of therapy to correct the damage so I'm doing my part by letting Jean Gray (ha ha ha) have her, oops, his say (he he he)...

First, I tried telling them I'm a boy, but they never listened! What's the matter with these beans??? Can't you see in this picture here how I'm telling them "What's with this stupid girlie pink collar? I'm a boy. B-O-Y!" I don't want to wear pink! All the other kitties are going to kick my rear if I go out with this pink collar! I even kept trying to take it off, but they would put it right back in place. Then, there's the girlie name they gave me. Okay so it's a comic book hero and that's cool, but it could at least be a BOY hero. How about Wolverine? He was kick-#$$ and Mommy thinks Hugh Jackman is hot. Or Beast, now that's a real name and my fur's sorta like his and I could play with some blue dye. I mean, geesh, they intentionally named my sister Chewbacca, so the least they could have done for a real boy was to give me a manly name. So, how's about it folks, do you have any suggestions for a really manly name for me? Zoey keeps suggesting "pain in the rear" but that doesn't do it for me, but it was nice of her to let me sound off of the silly things Mommy and Daddy do. Now I just need to squeeze them for the money for the years of therapy I'm going to need to get over this. Where's the checkbook?

Seven Random Facts about Me!

Okay so DaisyMae Maus tagged me. Here are the rules for this meme ...Each player starts with seven random facts about themselves. Cats who are tagged need to write on their own blog about the seven things and the rules. You need to choose seven cats to tag and list their names (holy cat, I'm not sure I even know seven well enough to tag). Don’t forget to leave them a comment that they have been tagged and to read your blog!

Seven Random Facts About Me:

1) I peed in Daddy's truck when they took me to the vet to get my tests when I got sick from the bad food. (Daddy took it really well; Mommy laughed when they wanted a urine sample and Daddy offered to get it out of the back seat of the truck.)
2) I really like beef Temptations and will only eat food if there are beef Temptations sprinkled on it and then will only really eat the beef Temptations.
3) I used to play fetch with wadded up pieces of paper when Mommy was in law school. Now Mommy does the fetching.
4) I look exactly like my cousin DaisyMae Maus.
5) My cat mommy was locked in an apartment without food and water when she was pregnant. I was supposed to be aborted because they suspected that the lack of food and water would have caused damage but I was born in the car on the way to the vet so I ended up being fostered by one of my mommy's friends, which is how she came to be my mommy. (I'm okay except that I don't see all that well.)
6) I used to be really fat until I lost a lot of weight from being sick.
7) I once stalked a live wild turkey (not the alcohol, but the bird) on my grandparents' property. (Mommy doesn't know what I would have done if I had actually caught it and, between you and me, neither do I! So it's a good thing I didn't catch it, but I had a lot of fun trying.)

I will be tagging ... (sorry if I re-tagged anyone by error or tagged anyone that doesn't want to participate)
a. Daisy the Curly Cat
b. George, Tipper, Max and Misty
c. Skeezix
d. Mickey Mantle
e. Latte the Meezer
f. Jeter Harris
g. Tiger Lily

Gus Mus

Today I am featuring my cousin Gus, who my mommy calls Gus Mus (I don't know why except that she likes to rhyme things). Gus is a big scaredy cat. He was even scared of the furball's brother Jack who came to live with Gus and his mommy. Despite being a big scaredy cat, Gus thinks he owns everything. He'll flop down wherever he wants. One of his favorite places was the arm of Auntie Michele's couch. Here he flopped down with a Build-a-Bear that Mommy's aunt Margie made on a trip to Seattle several years ago. Gus also gets into everything too. Although he's a scaredy cat, he has to check everything out. Here he's checking out his mommy's birthday gifts a few years ago. Mommy loves that his eyes are glowing because she says it shows his "devilish" side. All that aside, Gus really loves his mommy and treats her well (although he bites her every once in a while too) so I guess I'm okay with calling him "cuz."

Bad Daddy

Mommy and Daddy got back from the weekend at the coast yesterday. Daddy had an evil glint in his eye when he unpacked his new toy - a remote control car. Daddy almost wore out the batteries chasing the furballs around the room with it. He calls it exercise. I think it's silly. They act like they are scared of it and then they turn around and pounce on it. Silly furballs! At least I'm smart enough to stay on the back of the couch.

....Here's Jean Gray and Chewbacca looking for it under the couch

Here's Chewbacca checking it out....

... Here's Smoke going in for a look

Here I am, the smart one, hanging out on the couch...

Storm damage

On Thursday, we had a huge hail storm. It was very scary. I even curled up with Mommy who had stayed home because she had one of her migraines. I didn't even mind that the furballs had already curled up with her because the storm was scarier than them. Mommy took some pictures of the damage that the hail caused.

Friday's Feast #142

Appetizer - Name something you would not want to own.
Hmmm... A dog. Mommy thought about getting one and Daddy has one that lives at the grandparents, but personally I think the furballs are enough.

Soup - Describe your hair (texture, color, length, etc.).
Beautiful, of course. It's medium length black with a coarse texture and I have a lovely blaze of white on my chest and snowy white paws.

Salad - Finish this sentence: I’ll never forget ___________.
My brother McKenzie.

Main Course - Which famous person would you like to be for one day? Why?
I asked Grandpa because I was stumped. I like who I am and don't really care to be anyone else. Grandpa had the right idea. I want to be Bill Gates for one day so I can transfer some of his money to Mommy's account to buy more Temptations.

Dessert - Write one sentence about yourself that includes one thing that is true and another thing that is not.
My favorite place to curl up is on my Mommy with the furballs.

Coasting Along

Mommy is off to the coast for yet another weekend without me. Hmm... I wonder what I can shred (and blame on the furballs) so she'll stay home or at least take me with the next time .....

Sleeping beauties

Daddy and the furballs were supposed to be watching the race on TIVO after a hard day but it looks like they were spending more time watching the backs of their eyelids! At least Daddy has finally banned the bed at night so I can claim my rightful space.