A Scare With Our New Kitty

Hi, Friends,

It's been a little bit since I've checked in. This will be a little chatty. 

How are you? I hope you are doing well. 

I had great intentions of doing a country house anniversary post but that didn't happen. 

To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure exactly what to say but I'm sure I'll think of something. 

 

Last Wednesday night I saw a thread hanging out of Caroline's bottom. I thought it was just caught in her fur but when I tried to remove it, she squeaked and I realized that it was stuck inside. 

Bill had already gone to bed. He heads to bed early because he is commuting to Dallas again which has us both sad. 

Anyway, I thought I should wake him to tell him that I was taking her up to the animal hospital. 

He groggily said he was coming with me. He and Caroline have bonded. He's bonded with her more than any animal we have ever had. The tech took her back to the exam room. She thought they would be able to remove it quickly and that they wouldn't even charge us. 

Nope, They wanted to do x-rays. 

We said, "Of course." 

They didn't see a needle but they were a little concerned that the thread was stuck somewhere and that the intestine would start compacting. 

I imagined pulling on a thread to gather a ruffle. They wanted to open her up to have a look. Each hour is critical. The longer that the intestine bunches up the more damage there is. 

We agreed even though the cost was astronomical. 

Caroline has just captured our hearts. She is only a year old and we want her with us for many years. We've had her since May and we are in love. 

I think that a cat that travels in the car is a rarity and she travels really well. She is a darling. 

 In the past, Bill said he would never spend thousands on animal but he was willing to fork over a bunch of cash for this cat. 

 I just wanted our new little sweetheart back to her old self. 

They had a surgery scheduled in front of Caroline's. 

They asked if we wanted to see her again before surgery. 

I was crying. Caroline kept rubbing her head against our hand like she wanted us to get her out of there. 

It was heart breaking.

We came home and tried to get some sleep. It was 2:00 a.m. at this point. 

We cried, we snacked, we dozed. 

I kept waking up with a panicky feeling. This isn't our regular vet but we've dealt with them many times before for after hours stuff. Still. They had never done surgery on one of our animals. The vet looked like he was barely out of Kindergarten instead of a graduate out of vet school. I was worried about long term damage from opening up her intestines. Yet, he said they do this surgery every day. That made me feel a little better. 

At 4:30 my phone rang. When they sedated her for the surgery, they were able to remove the thread without opening her up. She had relaxed enough that they could get it out.  

I was so relieved. Exhausted, I cried very happy tears.

We snuggled her close when we got her home. 

I napped when we got her home but that was all until I went to bed Thursday night. 

Wow. I am too old for all nighters! 

Bill slept about an hour total. Thankfully, he was able to work from home. 

I don't know if this makes sense but somehow after I lost my dad at the age of 17, I began to believe a lie that if something bad is going to happen, it is going to happen to me. 

When my mom died, I was 10. I remember thinking, "Good. Nothing bad will happen to Dad." 

When the unthinkable transpired and he died, it affected me. I knew that the unthinkable can happen. 

I had a nagging feeling that God was hard on me. 

I know that He isn't but the last year has caused many of those old feelings to come to the surface again. 

Covid, buying the house in East Texas, not getting to spend much time with my family, has worn me down emotionally. When this happened to our kitty, I had to remind myself that all would be okay if we lost our sweet Caroline. It would be so sad but it would be okay. 

My emotions seemed magnified for the situation. It was the middle of the night and I was exhausted but I sobbed at the thought of something happening to her. 

My growth and maturity, healing and trust have been challenged in the last year and a half. 

It's a reminder that that growth is a life long process. There are steps forward and steps back because childhood trauma is a beast to overcome. 

 

Are we more attached to our sweet kitty because she came to us during a hard season in life? 

I don't know. 

I do know that she has been such a joy to us and that she has enriched our lives. 

She is such a wonderful gift and I know who gave her to us. 

We are very thankful that she was okay. 

"being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6 

"If you then being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him. " Matthew 7:11  

That is all for now. 

Katie 

Three Weeks With Caroline

Hi, Friends,

How are you? I hope you are well.

We picked up Caroline three weeks ago today. I thought I'd give you an update concerning her transition into our family. Be prepared for cuteness overload. 

I am smitten with this kitten. 

I took her to the vet last week. She thinks that Caroline isn't a year old yet. She changed her age on her chart to 9 months based on her size and the way she acts. Bill and I thought she was still a kitten too.

She got a clean bill of health. She had no ear mites or nasty parasites and she is caught up on her shots.  

She is sleeping pretty well. At first she wanted to be touching either Bill or I to fall asleep. 

She is napping independently but is still sleeping with us at night.

 

She is like a small child and gets cranky when it is nap time. 

I was concerned how a new cat would get along with Dixie. 

They are getting along pretty well. They have had a few tense moments but Dixie has handled our new family member with ease. Dixie won't admit it but there has been a little jealousy. 

She seems to enjoy Caroline. After we lost Ringo, Dixie just slept all of the time. 

Caroline has caused Dixie to engage a little more. This was very unexpected but we're happy about it. I hope it will help Dixie stay more youthful and playful. 

Caroline has gotten into her fair share of trouble. 

She's scared me a time or two. 

She makes us laugh. 

 

She doesn't have a problem riding in the car. 

I was very concerned about this. Ringo didn't seem to mind it but all our other cats hated the car. 

We head to the new house almost every weekend so this was super important.

 It was such a relief that she is a good traveler. 

She meows a little at first but then settles down for a nap. 

She doesn't want me to drive so Bill is doing all the driving. 

I'm sure taking her to another house was confusing but she sniffed around the new house and then settled right in, 

She quickly found a favorite spot for a nap. 

She loves the screened in porch. 

I mean, who doesn't love a good screened in porch? 

 Caroline acts like she has never been outside. All of our other were inside and outside cats. This worked well with all the coming and going that occurred with our family of five. All of our felines enjoyed long lives except for one orange tabby.  

So far I am not letting her out without a harness and leash. Bill let her out once to roam the backyard. 

When we brought her back inside, she immediately wanted to go back out. I'm not sure an inside cat with limited outside privileges works. I still need to do some research but for now she is staying inside. 

It has rained most of the last month, anyway. It's too wet and muggy to be outside. 

It's time to say 'hello' to the mosquitoes. 

Bill had to make a door that locked for the dog door. 

Dixie hates going out in the rain to potty anyway so she hasn't missed the dog door. 

I love this kitty. She is perfectly snuggly which I really missed when we lost Ringo.

It's like all our former pets got together to send us a perfect little kitten. 

We feel very blessed that Caroline has fit right into our little family unit. 

That's about it for now. 

I hope you have a wonderful day. 

Katie 

Sweet Caroline Our New Kitty

Hi, Friends, 

How are you? 

I'm refreshed after a good night's sleep. 

I picked up Caroline after five on Tuesday. She'd been fixed at around eight that morning. Which I understand but I didn't love the idea that we would be bonding with her when she was uncomfortable. 

I expected her to be very sleepy. She was not. 

Bill wasn't home from work when I got home with her. I probably should have done my research on an introduction of a new pet into the family but I didn't. 

Bill got home and we introduced Dixie to Caroline. There is a mutual interest and distrust at the same time. Our animal shelter isn't great about providing a lot of context for their animals. You can release a pet if there are too many animals in the home and that is the reason they listed for Caroline's release. Dixie's too, for that matter. It would be good to know if there were other dogs in the home as well as cats. I know that she was in a home with other cats. They were all released together. She doesn't seem unfamiliar with dogs. Dixie is well acquainted with cats. She and Ringo tolerated each other but secretly, I hope that they were closer when we weren't around. 

I kept the carrier on the sofa with me during the evening. Caroline could escape to her carrier if she felt uneasy around Dixie. It was a good plan except that about the time that I was ready for bed, Sweet C was ready to play. Then she began to bother her incision. I was tempted to run out and get a cone collar of shame but those have never worked for us. They are an epic waste of money, in my opinion. Every animal we have ever had wriggled right out of it. I sat with my hand between her face and her incision until she fell asleep. I tried to leave her and go up to bed but she got up and wanted to play. I tried moving to the bigger sofa in the living room but Dixie wanted to sleep right below us and I didn't feel comfortable with that just yet. She began to fuss with her incision again. I decided that she must be hungry since she was trying to nurse on my finger. It was technically the next day after surgery so I gave her a small bite to eat which settled her down.  

We were about to fall back to sleep out in the garden room when she started staring at the wall. 

I said, "There is nothing there. Go to sleep." Oh wait. There was something there. There was a giant water bug hanging out on the brick. The garden room is an enclosed porch so it can have its share of wildlife from time to time.  

"We're out."

This is Texas, we have those giant water bugs. It doesn't matter how many times an exterminator is here, they seem impervious to pesticides 

I packed her up and took her up to one of the guest rooms. At this point it was after two in the morning. 

I let her explore for a bit and she fell asleep in my shoulder. She moved when I fell asleep and she ended up under the covers at my feet. 

Bill came hunting for us when he got up. He is an early riser. He let me sleep a little longer. 

Bill is more relaxed than I am when it comes to Caroline and Dixie time. He is in the 'they will work it out camp.' I'm in the 'I don't want them to kill each other camp.'

Caroline has spent a lot of time exploring the house yesterday morning. Then she took some good long naps. She hasn't bothered her incision at all. 

I ordered groceries and napped yesterday afternoon. 

I'm too old for almost all nighters. 

Last evening, I needed a break from Cat Watch 2021. 

Bill snuggled with kitty and I watched some YouTube in another room. I feel asleep almost immediately. 

When Bill went to bed, she came and slept on my shoulder. I get the feeling that she slept with her humans at her other home. I don't mind that for now since she just had surgery but I'm not sure that will work for us long term. 

I am perfectly okay with a cat sleeping on my feet, however. That is what Ringo did in the evenings.  

Midnight, the cat that I got for my 13th birthday, slept with me too. 

Bill wasn't wild about that when we got married but Midnight was already 12 at that point. 

Our other cats may have been in the kid's rooms. I really can't remember. 

It's been a long time sine we've introduced a new pet into the family and it takes some work. The reward is worth it, however. I'm very grateful that Bill pushed the issue and wanted to get us a cat for my birthday. He is wise because I love having a kitty. I wanted to mull over all the options and potential problems. He said, "We'll work it out." He is so sweet and so smart. 

She doesn't seem to have bad habits like climbing on the kitchen table. She doesn't seem to be a climber at all, even though I've shared that Dixie is too chubby to climb and that she'd be safe up high. She hasn't tried to scratch anything either. Oops, spoke too soon. She is litter box trained. I don't think she has ever been outside. We have always let our animals be inside and outside but I'm not sure what we will do with Sweet C.

She is very photogenic. Bill told her to prepare for her life online. I said that she didn't come with a "Do not publish" directive. 

It surprises me how much we have missed Ringo. It may just have been the exhaustion and emotional turmoil from the last year but I teared up a lot thinking about him. Now I'm tearing up because I'm grateful for Bill and for her. I think she is going to be a great addition to the family.  

Caroline wore a collar that was too tight so I hope that there isn't permanent damage from that. 

She'll see our vet for shots and a check up next week. She is a year old and I'm not sure what she has had except rabies. 

That is all for now, 

I hope you are having a wonderful day. 

Katie 

Sweet And Funny Ringo

Hi, Friends,

I hope you are well.

We are doing okay. 

This sweet and funny cat deserves a eulogy, of sorts, because he was so unique. I'm sure everyone thinks that about their beloved pets but Ringo really was special.

I've had cats my whole life. I've had three black cats, two orange kitties, three tabbies

and one black and white cat. The black and white cat, Checkers, was a beautiful cat. Big Foot, an orange cat, had extra toes. Copper, another orange, was fun. He just vanished one day. The tabbies were not my favorite. Their personalities were not as unique and fun as our black cats.

I was too young to remember much about Cinder except that he had a heart attack and died when I was in Kindergarten. We picked up Midnight around my 13th birthday and he saw me through my awkward teenage years and into my roles as wife and mother. He was my cat and he bonded with me above other family members. He was fun and funny too. I vividly remember him standing over my fish tank looking with longing at my goldfish. I think he even yanked him out once. I found the fish in time, fortunately. He would sit in the tank with the Guinea pig but never harmed him. He also had a foray into sobriety after my brother's weed usage may have gotten him high through second hand smoke. It was the 70s. My brothers were naughty. 

Ringo was one of our best cats, however. He lived longer than the others, that is for sure. He was 16 years old. 

The other day as I was picking up a steroid for the cat, the sales associate asked me if I was a Beatles fan. What? I thought it an odd question until I realized that she was talking about the cat's name. Oh!!!! No, but my daughter was a huge Beatles fan when she brought this cat home to us.

Rebekah found Ringo in a feed store in October of her Junior year. Since it was almost Halloween, she wanted to rescue him because she was afraid some sicko would get him for a twisted Halloween ritual. We had two dogs but I think we were otherwise cat-less. 

The kids were older. The dogs required less care. We babied this kitten. 

Bill carried it around like an infant. It was fun having a kitten again and Ringo acted like a kitten for a long, long time. 

He had cat qualities but he had other traits that seemed more dog- like.

He'd follow us when we walked in the neighborhood. He'd walk three houses, stop, wait for us, cross the street and then resume walking with us as we swung back around up the street.

He'd walk three more houses and then sit and wait for us to return.

He had friends. Many times I'd open the door and he'd be just chillin on the front lawn with another cat.

I can only imagine what went on in the middle of the night since we have had possums and raccoons in the back yard at times.

He never seemed to bond with Dixie.

Dixie's exuberance isn't everyone's cup of tea. 

They tolerated each other but Dixie had trust issues. Secretly, I hope they showed a little more affection when I wasn't around. 

He always had an air of superiority around her because he could be in the front yard and she couldn't.

She had to be on a leash and he was free to roam. 

She was afraid of storms and he faced them without fear. 

He had distain for the rest of us that were worried about tornados. 

He loved the hot summer.

I had to make him come in when the temps reached 100˚. He loved taking a nap on the warm concrete.

He was my gardening companion.

He loved being in the yard with me.

He was outside trained since we've always had a dog door. He didn't know how to use a litter box which wasn't a problem until Uri hit in February.

Winter was not his favorite season. 

He liked our attention but if you pet him one time too many, he might bite your hand.

He was really good at playing "grumpy" cat.

He loved to put his head in old shoes. 

He had a bizarre relationship with dirty sponges. 

Our daughter went off to college and moved out. We all thought Ringo would be happier staying here with us instead of living in an apartment. He became our empty nest cat.

There is something special about empty nest animals. They fill part of the hole left when the kids are grown.

It became clear about a month ago that he was failing.

It's never an easy decision but our vets were great about trying a few things for Ringo but affirming that it was time to say goodbye.

They took good care of us as we took care of him for the last time.

Pet's lives are just a little too short.

Rest well my little foot warmer and gardening companion.

 We will miss you.

Katie