Sofie Bear would have been 12 years old yesterday. Here she is with Mr. Nine from a few years back. Nine would have been 12 this coming February. They passed too young at 11 years old. I miss them both a whole lot and I am thankful I got to spend so many years with them.
Memories are a double-edged sword: both sweet and painful at the same time.*
*I am not sure where I heard that quote, or who said it, but it makes a lot of sense.
Dear Noel – I know that my humans are planning a big food celebration tomorrow – they call it Thanksgiving. All they ever give me though is dry kibble. How do I get my human to understand that I can have some leftovers too! – Please help. I am Hungry in Hagerstown
Dear Hungry – Many humans do not understand a cat’s diet. We are obligate carnivores, which means we have to have MEAT to live. But fat on the other paw can make us sick. In the wild, we would eat about 3 or 4 mice a day (yum), depending on our size. But remind them that we are little creatures and our calories per day should be limited to our size. And, we are each different, so tell your human to ask your Vet, since I am not a medicine cat and don’t know what is right for you.
You can have many wonderful COOKED lean proteins:
1 ounce of cooked TURKEY white meat
Skinless chicken (MY FAVORITE)
Liver
Lean beef
Lamb
Cooked eggs
Cooked salmon/tuna
Canned fish
Don’t forget your veggies and grains:
Raw Pumpkin/squash, peas, and cucumber
Cooked carrots, broccoli, green beans
Mashed sweet potato
Cooked oatmeal
And your fruit:
Bananas
Blueberries
Watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew (no seeded)
Peeled apples
But remind them that you cannot eat the following:
Mom bought us a house elf named Dobby because he is supposed to have a surprise inside and she thought Jolie might actually want to play with him. At least that is what the package said. Whatever is inside did not interest either of us, but we think he is cute and will keep him around awhile.
Mom said to be careful because he will want to take our socks, whatever that means?
Charles here – I am interrupting the Caturday post to bring you an update on my bladder surgery:
Everything is going great. The first day was hard and no one told Mommy to have ramps and things for me to get up onto the bed and couch and boy, did coming up the stairs hurt, But you know me, Mr. Biter, I would not let anyone carry me, even though the stairs were really tough.
I was not very impressed with the ramp Mom made from pillows, but Joile thought it was a hoot!
I am making Mom crazy with going out a great deal, but maybe it is because I am just getting used to not having that big bladder stone anymore. The Doctor called and said that it was a CALCIUM OXILATE stone. That is what we thought and there is not much we can do but stay on the special urinary diet we are on and hope no new ones grow.
Mom says I am licking myself too much and she is going to the store to get a baby onesy. That sounds awful.
Charles here: I just wanted to let you know that I am Ok and did very well with my surgery. The Doctor said I am a real trooper.
It is going to be hard for a few days until all the stitches heal but I should be as good as new, for an old guy. They aren’t going to get rid of me so fast. At 14-1/2 years old and 14 pounds, I plan to be around for several more sun rises.
The Dr said that the stone was so big and green and odd, that they are sending it to a lab to make sure it wasn’t some alien from outer space. Then maybe we can know what we can do to avoid more in the future.
I am having trouble with the stairs and don’t want anyone to touch me, so I am trying to bite people to leave me alone. It’s not that I don’t love them. Mom made me a ramp to get up on the bed cause I can’t even do my dog stairs. But hopefully I’ll be OK soon.
Mr. Charles is having his cystotomy today. The date was moved up because he is starting to have issues. A cystotomy is a surgical opening created in the wall of the urinary bladder. This procedure allows the surgeon to look inside the bladder and remove the giant stone that he has. Beat your drums for a quick and pain-free recovery. We will keep you posted.
This is not my box. I am not the one responsible for the constant nibbling on the sides of the box and leaving cardboard shavings everywhere.
This is not my box. I am not the one that jumps in and out of it constantly when the laser red dot goes off and makes its evil marks on the wall all around the box.
This is not my box. I am not the one that sleeps in it most days.
But, I felt like today, it should be my box. So I took it! – Queen Noel, the Christmas Cat