LIVESTRONG DAY

Our Cal was helped to the bridge on March 26, 2009. He was a warrior till the end as he battled intestinal lymphoma. We miss him so much everyday and would give anything to have him back. He suffers no longer at the Bridge. This was the last footage we had of Cal. If you are unable to view the video, you can see it here.

Gone, But Not Forgotten

Cal has been gone one year today. Seriously, where does the time go?
We miss him very much!

Just Got Paid

Just got paid today, got me a pocket full of..........mice!

We are all so happy the weekend is here! It is supposed to warm up and the forecast for Sunday is 70 degrees! We are hoping to hang out on the back porch and catch some rays.

We think the fresh air will be good for Cal. At his weigh-in on Monday he had lost a few ounces. He had some bloods stolen and the results showed a slightly elevated wbc count and slight anemia, his thyroid, kidneys, etc. were normal. He continues to be on prednisilone daily is eating very well (about 4 times a day) and acting normal. His stools go from normal one day to mushy "cal pies" the next. We may go forward with another test next week which will show if he has malabsorption syndrome which sometimes coincides with IBD. Please continue to purr for Cal!

Our Pop is on the road to recovery, although driving our Nana crazy :) She can't quite understand how a man (who is supposed to be layed up all day and off his foot!) can get a house so messy while she is at work. A few more weeks of antibiotics and he should be good to go! Our Nana has her appointment with the internist next week to see about effectively treating her Hashimotos.

Have a fabulous weekend!

What I Got - Fashion Friday

Look what the lady bought me while Christmas shopping last weekend.

It's a very cool whale sweater. It is made out of the softest material and fits me great. It's to help keep me bones warm since I have lost quite a bit of my insulation-- 4 lbs since this time last year due to my IBD.

Isn't it great? I do believe green is my color!

I have been unable to wear my sweater the last few days because my IBD is acting up again and I don't want to get it dirty. I am having litter box issues that are using all the lady's paper towels (good thing she buys in bulk) and I also vomited this morning (on the rug, of course.) I am still on prednisilone and this afternoon I will start back on the metrondiazole. Please purray that this is just an IBD flare up and not something worse.

The lady needs advice on what to feed me. She has read that a raw diet is the way to go for cats with IBD. However, being a vegetarian, it kinda grosses her out, but she is willing to do whatever it takes to get me eating and healthier. Even if that means using a meat grinder. At the moment I will only eat a little bit of dry kitten food. She has done lots of research (which is making her loopy) and found that dry is not good for IBD. I will not eat the canned RX diet recommended by our vet. Just. don't. like. it! Does anyone out there eat raw, either homemade or store bought? We don't have any stores near her that sell raw, so it would have to be shipped and the shipping is very expensive.

The Real Me

8 random facts about Cal!

1. I was born on Halloween 1998 and was adopted just before Christmas of that year (That's before we had a digital camera and I don't feel like scanning right now, so I will use a pic of me from in my outfit last Christmas)

2. I came from a local pet shop (I was an impulse buy, they were looking for fish and came home with me)

3. The name they gave me originally was Cali, short for Caliente (It was later shortened again, to Cal, after my first vet visit and they were told-- what I knew all along, that I was a boy)

4. I will randomly attack Dixie dog (Some hisses, a few whaps to the face, I even chase her)

5. I love to go outside (It is rare that I can leave the porch and only when on my harness and supervised)

6. I miss my brofur, Sylvester, very much (He died last year suddenly and unexpectedly)

7. When I was 3 years old I was hospitalized for 3 days for a severe urinary obstruction caused by urethral plugs (Unable to urinate I was catheterized, given fluids, and $1800.00 later I was all better)

8. I have many nicknames (The Sissy, Satchel, Calboy, Cal-bal and the list goes on......)

Man In The Box

The lady had a phone consultation yesterday with the great Dr. D about my recent IBD flare-up. It was decided that I should go back on the prednisilone and metronidazole for a while, since we had such great results on it before.

She also recommended I start a food trial, but I'm not having it. Right now the only thing I will eat is dry kitten food--thanks CC and Snoopy! I was loving my grain-free wet food until I had that flare up and vomited, but the lady is hoping I will go back to it once my tummy settles.

Right now I am having intermittent vomiting, diarrhea, and constipation. Sure hope the meds kick in real soon so I will go back to having a wonderful appetite and normal litter box habits! A little weight gain wouldn't hurt either.....I need some more insulation during this cold weather!

Come Sail Away

Come sail away,

Come sail away,

Come sail away with me.

Yesterday

"This is how I feel about going to the vet!"

So yesterday afternoon the lady and man captured me and put me in the PTU for a re-check at the vets office.

"This is the only pic of me at the vets office. When the lady broke out the flashy box while waiting for the Doc, the man covered his face with his hand and said something about it embarrassing him...haha!"

The weekend was fast approaching and although my appetite was great and I was no longer vomiting, I had become a bit dehydrated and was unable to go #2 in the litter box. So I was given flooids! I was not happy at all!!

"That is flooids dribbling out of my puncture hole."

Now I have a rather large camel hump on my back and the flooids are dribbling out a little. I was also give a stool softener to help things move along and they are cutting back on my predisolone to once per day. I heard them say something about an enema(!) on Monday if no improvement?! So the flooids and docusate better start working!

"Nom nom nom nom!"

While we were out the lady went to the store and stocked up on our stinky goodness......this outta hold us for about a week.

We hope you all enjoy your weekend!

With A Little Help From My Friends - Update On Cal

**Update on Cal**
First we would like to think all of our friends in the blogosphere for their purrs and purrayers for Cal. It means so much to us!

Cal is so glad to be back home from the vet visit. The vet performed a blood chemistry panel, which checked his glucose, liver function, kidney function, etc. It all came back normal! Yay! The vet said it was probably a sensitivity to his new food. The food upset his tummy and caused him to vomit so much that he began to vomit up a little blood. This is probably from irritation in the lining of the stomach or esophagus. Cal is down to 9 lbs, he was 14 lbs this time last year, so that worries me. He was his usual bad boy self at the vet, which makes it hard for him to be throughly examined. He was given an injection of Metoclopramide (Reglan) for nausea and vomiting. He vomited again when we got home, but hopefully the injection will start working soon and he can eat again.

I know some of you are lucky to live in areas where you have access to holistic veterinarians, in these parts we don't have any nearby. I would much rather use something natural to help cure Cal of his tummy upset. Does anyone out there have any advice for some good remedies for cats with sensitive stomachs who vomit frequently??

Thanks again for all the purrs and purrayers!

Only Superstition - Midnight Monday

If you were superstitious......we'd be bad luck, huh?

Wikipedia says: In Western history, black cats have often been looked upon as a symbol of evil omens: in other cultures they are considered to be good omens.

We consider ourselves to be the latter!

Easy Like Sunday Mornin'

Midnight Rider - Midnight Monday

Look at Ferris trying to steal my "Midnight Monday" thunder with his laser beams.

Ruby Tuesday

How Now Brown Cal

As fall approaches and the leaves begin to change colors, so do I. My face is turning a lovely shade of reddish-brown or as I like to call it, chocolate-cherry. Went to the vet a few months back for a check up and the bloods they stole looked good. Not sure what is going on here. Last year this time I lost all the furs from the back of my neck. The vet stuck me with a needle and all the furs grew back. I change with the seasons.