June 23, 2005
Awww, otters
i love the Shedd Aquarium. i still use Dawn dishsoap because, according to an exhibit there, it was donated for cleaning animals hurt by oil spills. |
 |
May 24, 2005
May 16, 2005
Goodnight, Puddy.
Well, Roscoe is gone.
The vet just left. It did not go not quite as easily as Muffy because he was so dehydrated that there was no good leg vein for the injection. It was done between his ribs.
There were a few little aftershocks in his breathing, probably brain discharging (i guess that does not say much for Muffy's brains :) )
Marcia (my landlady) got back in time to say goodbye, and she got some pictures. You could definitely see he was not participating anymore. Tina managed to make it in time to say goodbye too, thankfully. She heard him purr before the injection. i didn't hear it, so i am glad to know that he felt good at the end.
It was very peaceful, though, and obviously the right thing to do. He had not gotten off the bed on his own power for a month, and had been refusing food for weeks (except for a baby food rally last Wednesday and Thursday). Last night he was crying desperately to get out, smacking his lips (a sign of pain), and had fallen face down in his water dish. Had i not been there he would not have gotten out. He had obviously had had enough. Poor Boy. He had a good life!
April 22, 2005
Puddy has lymphoma :(
Poor Roscoe, the vet thinks he has lymphoma and 3-12 months left. Dammit.| i called the vet for a 1 cm cyst on right shoulder blade (which grew in less than two weeks and is firming up), when he noticed that his left kidney was swollen, firm and bumpy, which is probably why he hasn't eaten. He has lost the ability to jump up and down from the bed, it probably hurts too much. he has lost some agililty and the ability to retract his claws. He will be taking steroids, he had one shot which seems to help a bit, at least he can try to eat some. Daily squirts of liquid prednisone for the duration, he will LOVE that. We are going with chicken flavor for the first batch, at least it will be better than the bubblegum-flavored amoxicillin. Bummer. |  |
February 13, 2005
Ode to a Round Cat
(Reproduced without the consent of the author, hence anonymously.)Oh Shanti!! You ever-blooming tulip bulb
How you do put the stars to shame -
Those mere shadows with their finite density -
And make envious all angular creatures
For the eyes may easily follow the curve of you
And are saddend only for being unable.
To take in your full breadth of your beauty
How the rest of us do fall down
Before the weight of your glory
December 31, 2004
RIP, Mufflig
Muffy went quite peacefully at 14:34 today. The vet came and did it here, so she never knew a thing.She had started refusing her favorite foods last night, so i think she was ready to go. She purred like crazy when the opioids hit, and was gone halfway through the injection.
i sent her off in my ratty old Berkeley sweatshirt, together they were the two favorite things i still had from grad school. She will be cremated next week and scattered in the yard at the Commonwealth Veterinary Hospital. From the picture on the site, the grounds are very beautiful, not that it matters. Still, it is better than some old gas station lot or something.
The vet was awesome in every respect. Here is his page on Euthanasia as a humane alternative. He caressed her and talked to her the whole time, and wrapped the sweatshirt around her so gently and carried her out like a baby. You could almost believe that he knew her for over a decade, too. He certainly did a lot to make her last year much more comfortable.
Roscoe was there when it was done, so he knows what the deal is. All three (remaining) kitties came up and sat with me and purred and licked me right after the vet left. So sweet.
And then there were three.
December 26, 2004
Muff-date
Well, the super hardcore pain meds are doing wonders, but i cannot let that distract from the reality. The vet named three possible diagnoses for the Muffster. To get a solid diagnosis for any of them would require much expensive imaging and testing (MRI and CT scans) which would cost a ton and torment her, and not really add to any significant quality of life. She looks great today, and was so sweet and purry all night (she slept on my chest) that i was afraid to move. But it would be selfish to go overboard with the heroics.The possible diagnoses:
Continue reading "Muff-date"
Poor Muffy
Things aren't looking good at all for the little white girl, i think we're counting her life in days now if not hours. At least Mufflig has some good opiates at the moment. i could use some too. This has been on the table since March, but it is still pretty awful.
March 22, 2004
Baby Pix
No, no, not mine. i posted pix of Roscoe and Muffy a while ago, but the other two were here on my work computer. i finally remembered to ftp them from work.
click on images to enlarge
| Shanti's first week
| Puzz with her brand new baby on Day One. Such a smile!  | OK, just one more, because of the cute ickle nose peeking out.  |
March 13, 2004
February 28, 2004
Mufflig
Bavarian for Sourpuss, but she is really my heart. Sadly, she is about half this weight right now. Her temperment is now strangely sweet as sugar; this worries me deeply.
Roscoe
Yes, he is good-looking, but the problem is that he knows it. A big, dumb, sweet puddy, but when he wants something, for God's sake give it to him.
February 19, 2004
February 10, 2004
February 08, 2004
Out Nagl-ing Nagl
Nagl thinks he is the only one who can sicken us with cute pictures. HAH!
My secret weapon? My mom.
January 19, 2004
My Cat Annie
My Cat Annie: bringing pride to stupid cats the world 'round.
OK, we have all seen it before, but it is so freaking hilarious. If, for some strange reason, you are sick of it, then check out the rest of the site. After you get your head examined, of course.
January 18, 2004
It's All About Spin
They just needed better PR; i hope it saves some animals.
Big Apple renames pit bulls 'New Yorkies'
New Yorkers are renaming the pit bull terrier in an attempt to improve the dog's frightening image.More in linkThe city's animal welfare agency has decided to change all its official documents to rename the pit bull the "New Yorkie". It is hoped that the image change will encourage more people to adopt the thousands of pit bulls taken in by the animal shelter each year.
Ninety per cent of the 6,000 pit bulls taken to the New York City Animal Care and Control centre each year are destroyed.
January 14, 2004
Lion Country Safari
In case that last post got you thinking it was something more exciting.
Lion Country Safari
My family went to LCS when i was a kid, and they tried to eat us. It was very educational!
January 10, 2004
Awwww...
From Suzers (thanks, sweetie!): You can see the baby panda at the sandiego zoo on a webcam....