And the Lord taketh away. Again.

Cats in our house don't get "a little" sick.  I guess Misty was no exception.  And today our little angel went back to heaven.

She had a bout of GI problems last weekend, then got better.  Then had more episodes of vomiting and diarrhea this weekend.  She mostly acted ok, but seemed a little lethargic right after eating and didn't seem as hungry at her night time snack as usual.  But this morning she was perky and with no other explanation I was kind of worried about a foreign body so decided to spay her as scheduled and do a quick check to see if she had eaten a toy or something.  She didn't, but she also did not survive surgery.  I can only surmise that she has something congenitally wrong or poor reaction to anesthesia.  Doesn't matter.  I'm still heartbroken for Icy and now I have a kitten to bury.  This must be what they mean when they say life isn't fair.

I know she had a great three weeks here.  And we did too.

Daily dose of cuteness

Because I'm too lazy to write anything else. And because they are very cute!

More agility stuff

Lyric also had a super weekend.  She went 7/10 (the no training thing is really working out!) and had some really outstanding runs.  We didn't get all of them on video but she ended up getting 2 regular, 2 jumpers, 2 tunnelers, and 1 touch n go.  She also got her Elite Touch n Go title and her Superior Elite Jumpers, which for some reason I already had listed but that was somehow an error.  Here is her video...

I also brought Zodiac to run in Tunnelers.  I put him in Novice again so he would have a chance to make time.  He actually got a Q on Saturday and was a 1/2 second over on Sunday.  Not bad for an old boy who hasn't run a course in a number of years!

Shea generated a lot of interest but official takers yet.  Hopefully soon!

Overall a successful, fun, but tiring weekend!

NATCH Legend

Even though we had to wait for it, I'm glad it happened at our home trial with all our friends and family present to celebrate with!  Even better, it was on Saturday so we had the rest of the weekend to enjoy it and relax.  Even though it was the last event on Saturday.  And since it was our club trial I don't know that I had that much time to relax!

But, all in all, it was a great weekend and we are really excited.  In addition to the Chances Q, she also earned 3 regular, 1 jumpers, and 1 tunnelers.  She probably would have Q'd in TNG but I really made her hold her contacts, which was good because as you will see in the video she barely squeaked in the contact on her NATCH run!

Here are some of her runs from the weekend.  I put her NATCH run first if you don't want to see the whole thing!



And here are some better photos of course!

I'm always amazed when I think about all we have accomplished.  This girl has exceeded my expectations in so many ways and I'm excited to think about we have ahead of us as continue with agility and also pursue other sports!  I'm also glad I had a friend to talk me into trying NADAC in the first place because we have met so many great people and have had some really awesome experiences.  A NATCH was never something I anticipated working for, but I'm glad we did-it was fun and a challenge and shows off Legend's versatility by getting a championship in two venues.

As with most things, it was not always easy, but worth it.

You were a pain girl, a thorn in my side

Drove me insane girl, a white-knuckle ride

                  -Brad Paisley (Pressing on a Bruise)

I may have closed my eyes a few times, but I'm still glad I rode.  And it's not over yet.

Rough night

Yesterday, I took the kittens to work for FELV/FIV tests (both negative, happily) and Mist needed her first kitten vaccine.  Later, she was very lethargic and sore where she had the injection.  Very much not herself and crying if you tried to touch her.  I ended up giving her a dose of Metacam and she was much better in a few hours.  She's still not quite herself today, but close.  Will be interesting to see how she does with the next set.  At least she is an indoor kitty so she mostly just needs Rabies when she grows up.

Then later, Legend woke us up about 12:30 having a seizure.  She has been off her Phenobarb for about 6 weeks.  She's ok, but I guess that measly little half pill in the morning was really making a difference.  I'm a little disappointed, but I knew that was a possibility.  So, I just put her back on the meds and we will carry on as we did before.

Hopefully, we all get better rest tonight!

Soggy Doggies

We filled the pool today and played a little ball.  I think everyone had but Lyric, since she does not swim or play ball.  But she still looked cute.

Double trouble

The kitten is very energetic.  We felt she needed a playmate and we needed a calico cat.

As it so happened I agreed to stop by the shelter Thursday afternoon and do an amputation on a surrendered hit-by-car dog.  Of course, the shelter had kittens.

Therefore, I present to you....

TWIST

and of course MIST, whom you have already met.

They are both very sweet.  They are having a lot of fun playing together and with all the new toys I got them.  Their personalities are a little different.  Mist is wild, into everything, will eat whatever you put in front of her, loves toys, wrestles aggressively, but still cuddles.  She also likes iPad games.  Yes, you can get iPad games for your cat.

Twist (who has a twisted, kinky little tail) is also sweet, and likes toys, but is not quite as wild, fearless, or adventurous.  At least so far.

They are not Icy, for sure, but they help.  And we will love them for whoever they turn out to be.

Funny story about Twist-when the shelter asked how much I wanted to be paid for the amputation, I said I just wanted to trade for the kitten.  They were shocked that that's all  I wanted.  They offered the kitten and money, but I just took the kitten.  Seemed like a good deal to me.  And also to them, since the local vet quoted $1000 for it (which is way high for this area) and none of the other shelter vets would do it.  Anyway, it was a win for the shelter, me, the kitten, and the puppy who got his leg taken care of rather than euthanized.

The Lord giveth

A kitten showed up at our house this weekend. I thought if the house sitter ignored her and the big cats were mean to her she would go away. She didn't. 

When we arrived home on Sunday, grief-stricken and teary-eyed, she was on the deck.

I went outside to pick her up. I told her she was not our kitten. 

She purred. 

We cried. 

She pawed at my face with her little feet. 

I told her she was the wrong color. 

Undaunted, she purred more and jumped from lap to lap. 

I sighed, scooped her up and went inside. And now we have a kitten. After all, we had cat stuff, and no cat. 

Life goes on even if you are sad. Also, you cannot win an argument with a purring kitten. 

Icy's Saga: The Final Chapter

It was borrowed time.  All of it really.  The day she came through the clinic doors in a box with broken bones and no owners, I could have just put her down.  But I didn't. In the face of two, expensive emergency surgeries I could have just put her down.  But still, I didn't.  Instead I chose to have seven and a half years with her.  And it was worth it.

She was Lyric's wrestling buddy.  She was a sandwich stealer.  A turkey lover.  A screamer when the tuna cans came out.  She warmed our laps during TV.  She trained us to give her treats when the dogs went outside.  She knew the sound of a window opening.  She dragged her long hair through the scentsy wax. She was a reliable alarm clock-if you wanted to get up at 5:30 anyway.  She fell asleep every night on my chest, purring right in my face whether I wanted her to or not.

And then she was gone.

While we were away this weekend she chose to break into the puppy food and overindulge herself.  Then she vomited and started panting.  I had my house-sitter take her to the emergency clinic.  Despite their efforts in carrying out our agreed upon plan, she deteriorated for unknown reasons.  Maybe she aspirated while vomiting, or there was too much damage to her stomach, or some complicating factor from her previous surgeries.  It doesn't matter.  It happened, and it sucks, and we all have to live with it.

My house-sitter is understandably traumatized.  I have felt shock, guilt, anger, sadness and devastation.

I felt cheated.  Lots of cats live to be 18 or 20.  But I try to remember I had more than I should have.  This wouldn't be any easier 10 years from now, but that doesn't make me less sad now.

Rest in peace Icy,  all the sandwiches are yours now.

The Unusual: Part 9

1.  Caller wanted to know if they could spay their own dog, and wasn't it just like gutting a deer.  No, and no.  Unless they don't want the dog live, I guess.

2.  In April we took a call from a person whose dog had been hit by a car and killed over the winter.  They covered it in rocks.  Their question was can it still be cremated.  Well, yet, but please bring it in double bagged.

3.  Referring to parvo as "provo"

4.  Dog presented for acting painful and not moving.  While the dog did appear to have back pain further questioning indicated that they had give the less than 10 lb dog an undisclosed amount of OxyContin.  This may have contributed to the lethargy.

5.  Clients wanted to know if they could take their dog currently hospitalized for parvo (a very contagious disease spread via infectious feces) out for a walk in the clinic yard.  Um, no.  For so many reasons, no.

6.  Repeatedly referring to their pet as "it"

7.  Using the sentence "my dog might have been impregnated by a dingo."  We don't have dingos here ma'am.

8.  Client was concerned that his dog might develop a red meat allergy from a tick bite.  Apparently this might be real in people (supposedly happened to him) but not in dogs that we could ascertain.

9.  Client reported their dog will stop breathing when it lays down and they have to massage it get it started again and it has been going on for a month.  Turns out this dog has an arrhythmia and I think it was having snycopal (fainting) episodes.

More Random Musings

Is there anything you can't get on Amazon?

Wikipedia might be the best invention ever.

Who was the first person to think declawing a cat was ok?  And why did people just go along with that?

Why do you have to answer so many questions at the gas pump?

Is merging onto the highway just not taught anymore?  Because people seem widely unfamiliar with the process.

How do some people get on Wheel of Fortune?  It's sad.  Really.

You never notice how hilly your street is until you are driving on ice or running.