I’ve used the same veterinarian for over 20 years, primarily because I liked his bedside manner and the personal attention provided by the staff. Unfortunately, he sold the business and retired. Now I’ve got to find another vet that I have as much confidence in, and am as comfortable with as the other one. So where do I start?
Part of selecting a veterinarian is finding one that fits my needs. Continue reading this post…
We’ve just brought home our new kittens; Scarlet, Caesar & Cleo.
The one thing that I was really worried about was the electrical cords. They were like a magnet to the kitties. No matter how hard I tried to cover all the cords, they always found them. My vet told me about a product called Bitter Apple that tastes like it sounds. I put a little of that on the exposed electrical Continue reading this post…
One of the most difficult decisions I’ve ever had to make was to have one of my babies put to sleep. If you’re as much of a cat lover as I am, then you know how painful the thought of losing one of our kids can be. Because it is so painful and we’re so afraid of making the wrong decision, it’s too easy to just do nothing. I had a pair of siblings from the time they were kittens until they were almost 19 years old. Shadow had developed a kidney disorder when she was in her early teens but we were able to slow the decline in her health and weight loss with daily medication. When Baby began to lose weight and vomit too often, we took her to the vet and she was diagnosed with the same illness. To our surprise, her health declined rapidly. She had gone from 10 pounds to less than 6. We were having to get her hydrated by placing an IV needle under her skin. The vet wouldn’t say “it’s time to put her down”, he could only offer options, that being one. Obviously, I thought I had to try everything else first. I asked him how I would know when it was time and he told me that she would probably stop eating and seclude herself away from everyone. She would have very little quality of life. Sounds simple enough – not so simple. As she continued to lose weight, found a place Continue reading this post…
Part of gaining the reputation of The Cat Lady was due to that fact that I have five cats. I’ve told you about Caesar, Scarlet and Cleo, but there is also Valentino and Romeo and I affectionately call them “The Boys”.
They came to us as kittens about a year after we got the other three. Someone had abandoned them in a cardboard box next to a dumpster at my sister’s office complex. The janitor brought them into the utility room and a few of the office workers in the building helped feed and take care of them until they found a home. Already having three kitties, I didn’t jump on the chance to bring one home. Continue reading this post…
Yup, I’m one of those crazy cat women who take care of her cats as a mother would take care of her children, except for dressing them and sending them off to college. From the first day I brought them home, I made sure that they were eating the right cat food, had the best cat toys, and kept them comfortable with cat beds and furniture. I’m like one of those women who go into a baby store and ogle over the cute little baby clothes and stuffed animals, except I’m ogling over the cute cat beds and furniture covered in fuzzy leopard print fabric. And the cat toys……..I go crazy picking out the perfect fuzzy, feathered, or jingling mice for them to bat around at home. When my significant other moved in, he became a cat lover too and spoiled them more than I did. Their names are Caesar, Scarlet and Cleopatra (Cleo for short). They each have their own unique personalities. Continue reading this post…
As a child I was always surrounded by dogs & cats. Most were strays and followed me home; or at least that’s what I always told my mom. The little old ladies next door fed stray cats and so some of the resulting kittens ended up in our house. My family didn’t have a lot of money so they rarely went to the vet and we certainly couldn’t afford to have them fixed – which led to more kittens. I loved my pets but I didn’t really appreciate them until later in life. In 1981, I took in two black kittens from the same litter and they were with me from the age of six weeks until they died, 5 days apart, 19 years later. I had grown to consider Shadow and Baby my kids and losing them was devastating. Continue reading this post…
