They're Still Here

We still have kittens

I still don't like it

Even worse, they're growing

Mom says I should make friends
so I don't have to worry about it.

I say, I want to worry about it.

Oh. They have names now... click here for that.

Invasion

We've been invaded by the worst thing imaginable....

Kittens

They've taken over my toys.

They've taken over my food.

They've taken over my tuna juice.

They've taken over Mom's lap.

They're in to everything.

The only time they're tolerable is when they're asleep.

I'm grumpy.

I Wanna Drink

Mom, you know there's water in there. Why won't you turn it on and give me a drink?

Mom Smithereened Her Camera

I can't believe this happened. Just when she was finally starting to take pictures of Me in our new house, with My new outside. Look at what Mom did to her camera.....

Can you believe it? She was outside taking pictures of some dumb plant she found, but didn't want to bring the camera back inside because her shoes were all muddy. Or so she says. So she set it on the hood of her car. When she finally did come inside, she forgot all about it. Later, she left for Lowes and the library and guess what. Yup, she left the camera on her car and didn't realize it until she got home and couldn't find her camera again.

Well. You never saw such a panic. Then, all of a sudden she remembered that she left in on the car. She looked all over the yard and then jumped in her car and took off again. When she finally got home, she had the camera as you see it above. Sadly the battery was missing, but the memory chip was still intact....

Which is a good thing because there are pictures of Me on it. The question now is, how is she going to get them off of it?

BTW, you can see some (mostly catless) photos of our new house and outside on Mom's new blog. Click here for a peek.

Protest

Mom and Dad keep bringing boxes home and putting stuff into them. Then the boxes and the stuff disappear to the "house."

I protest. I've been to the "house" and so what if it has an outside. It means a long ride in the green machine to get there and I hate riding in cars. If I occupy every box they bring home, then they can't move all our stuff there and then we don't have to ride in the car.

I think this is a good plan, don't you?

Mom, My Blog is Way Overdue

My blog needs an update.

An Excellent V-E-T Report

Dr. C just called with the results of my blood test. They did a superchem, CBC, and T4-SA120, whatever that is. But the results for all tests were normal. There was no sign of inflammation or infection anywhere. My liver function is good, which means there was no damage from my chemotherapy. He also checked blood calcium and phosphorous levels, which he said rise when there is tumor growth. There were also within normal limits. He's very proud of me and I'm very happy to not have to go back for another six months.

He also wasn't too concerned about the 4 ounces I'd gained, though he encouraged Mom to keep working on my weight. This, I feel, is no fair, since I did so well on my test. I think I deserve some treats at least.

6 Week Check-Up

We have not been blogging much lately. Not since Mom and Dad got home from their vacation. Oh, Mom's been blogging, but just between you and me, she hasn't even had time to play with her strings and sheep furs lately.

Today however, I get priority blogging, because today was my 6 week check-up since finishing my chemotherapy.

Mom has been happy because I've been talkative, hungry, playful, and downright ornery at times. Just like my old self she says. She just hoped Dr. C would be happy too.

And he was. He was happy with my weight (up to 14 pounds 12 ounces), he was happy with my energy and activity level, and he was especially happy that he didn't find any lumps or swollen areas in any of my lymph nodes.

I however, was not happy. I grumped and growled and hissed the entire time because he massaged deeply to feel for those nonexistent lumps.

The good news is that I don't have to go back for another 60 days. I don't think I should have to go back at all. But Mom says that's the time Catzee and I have to go in for our annual check-ups anyway. Maybe she'll change her mind by then.

Tormented

A Cat would think that after a good report from the V-E-T last week that I wouldn't have to go through the torture routine anymore. But I do. Today was another typical Wednesday where Mom catnapped Me to the V-E-T. On top of that, look what else I had to put up with ......

Before this she had ran into the PTU and wouldn't get out when Mom was trying to put Me in. Sometimes I don't think she is very smart.

My blood counts were down even more today, lower than last week. Dr. C is keeping an eye on this. If they get too low I get to take a break from my chemotherapy. My weight is steady though, and they are happy about that.

One interesting turn of events is that I now get Stinky Goodness. Mom says this is a bribe to take my pills. I don't think it's all that good however. I still like my crunchy Cat treats the best.

Oh Raaaascal... Time For Your Medicine!

Weekly Check-Up & Report

I am trying to hide from Mom's flashy box because I am grumpy because she stuffed Me into the PTU this morning and forced Me to endure the torture of having to ride in her green machine, having my blood taken, and being examined by the V-E-T.

Today they discussed my white blood count, platelet count, and weight. My WBC is just getting below normal, but Dr. C says that since it's taken so long to get that low (4 weeks), we will just leave my chemotherapy as scheduled (every other day) for the time being.

My platelet count is ok, but he was concerned because it took awhile for the spot they drew blood from, to stop bleeding. He said the count was still within normal limits, but that they'd keep an eye on it. He told Mom what to watch for and to call him if I started bleeding from my gums or the other end when I used the litter box.

My weight is down to 15 pounds, so he asked Mom how I was eating. She told him that I was hungry and asking for food, but just nibbling at it. He told her to get some Pepcid AC and give Me a quarter tablet everyday in case the medications are upsetting my stomach. That means another pill and this is something else I'm not happy about.

At the moment, all I want is to be left alone so that I can go take my morning Catnap. But, here comes Mom with the pill pusher. Woe is Me. Won't this torture ever end?!?!?

Chemotherapy - Starting Week 3

I've just gotten back from an exhausting trip to the V-E-T.

There's nothing for it like a good snooze in the sun. Of course, this was after Mom gave Me the treats she promised for putting Me through this ordeal in the first place.

As you can see, my fur is growing back after being shaved for my surgery.

Dr. C looked at my incision, checked my weight, felt around for who knows what (for which I protested with a hiss), and took some blood. Here's what he said:

• My incision looks good with only one little place not completely healed.
• My weight is down a little - I'm now 15 pounds 6 ounces. However, since I'm eating well and had a tendency to be overweight anyway, they aren't worrying about that at the moment.
• My white blood cell count was 9860. This is up from last week, which was 6900. However, since normal values for a Cat range from 6000 to 19,000, no one is worrying about that either.

The outcome of all this is that I still have to take my pills and I have to go back next week again. Sometimes a Cat's life just doesn't seem fair.

Chemotherapy - Week 2

Wednesday's V-E-T appointment went very well according to the humans. I didn't think it went well at all. After all, who wants to be stuffed into the PTU, forced to take a ride in the noisy human machine, and then be subjected to getting poked for no good reason. Bloodwork, hmmph. Dr. C said I was quite the gentleman when he took a sample of my blood, but I thought that was insulting too. I'm a ManCat! Not a gentleman.

My incision is healing nicely and my blood report was "within normal limits. " That means that I still have to take my pills. One everyday and both every other day. I'm not pleased with that, especially as Mom is getting pretty good at giving them to me.

The only benefit of this is that I get an extra treat without having to do anything for it. Like sitting up for it. Or chasing it. This whole routine quite distrubs my Catnap time, so I usually just get up and take it out on Catzee by chasing her all over the house. We have fun and Mom is glad I'm feeling good. Me too.

Starting Chemotherapy

Today I was stuffed into the PTU and catnapped to the V-E-T's office. I've had to go there a lot lately, so I was not at all happy to have to go again. Dr. C. looked at my incision and said I am doing an excellent job of keeping it clean. He said it is healing nicely. Then he talked with Mom and Dad for a long time about Me and about my lymphoma. He said fortunately, it is a slow growing kind. They also talked about chemotherapy. Mom and Dad asked some questions, but mostly I just looked around for a way to get out of there.

Next the torture assistant put me back on the exam table and Dr. C. showed Mom and Dad how he gives pills to Cats. I didn't think it was at all fair, but I never had a chance. Mom says the pill was a type of prednisone. I have to take it every day until further notice. It is supposed to reduce inflammation and make me feel better. Dr. C. said it will also increase my appetite and make me gain weight. He said that the weight gain isn't desirable, but increased appetite will help me want to eat during the times when I'm not hungry due to my treatment and disease.

After we got home, Mom used Dr. C's how-to-give-a-pill-to-a-Cat technique to give Me another pill! This pill was Leukeran (chlorambucil) which is an anti-cancer drug. I have to take half a pill every 48 hours. I am not at all happy about this either, but fortunately it is very tiny. After that I played the part of the poor pitiful victim, and Dad gave me some treats.

I was still hungry after treats, so I went to the kitchen to eat some crunchies. Then I followed Mom around, begged to be petted, played with some yarn, and had a batting match with Catzee. After that I went to bed for my daily afternoon nap. Actually I feel pretty good in spite of this morning.

No News Yet

We're still waiting on the pathology report from the lab. They aren't open on weekends, so it will be Monday before we get the results.

For the most part, Rascal is doing pretty well. He's managed to get out of the e-collar twice in three days however. He was quite pleased with himself and managed full blown baths each time. I felt badly putting it back on, but I don't want to take a chance with the surgical staples. Plus, it keeps him from jumping too much.

Amazingly, both cats are getting along. Catzee wants to check him out frequently, but has been very gentle. He doesn't want her to touch him, but he hasn't hissed at her either. Pretty good for them.

Because he wants to jump up onto their cat tree (and he's not supposed to jump), I had to put it into our spare room and shut the door. Today, both cats snuck in when I had to get something out of there. They were both delighted that they had found it and nokitty wanted to give it up again.

So, while we wait, Rascal's sleeps a lot (which he's supposed to do anyway.) And looks forlorn. And spends quite a bit of time in his favorite box, in his favorite window.

.

Home

Rascal's home again. He's groggy and grumpy and having a hard time getting around. The e-collar is to protect the sutures, which come out in 10 days. He can get around a little, but when the collar gets caught on something he just stands there. He's taken to backing up to get around, as he sometimes steps on the collar as well. His right front paw is still bandaged from where the IV was, and he isn't too happy about that either. Catzee is beside herself with curiosity, but he isn't in the mood for anything. At least the worst is over, and things will get better from here.

Rascal Needs Surgery

Rascal's Mom here.

Over the weekend my DH was playing with Rascal and felt a lump in his belly flap. (We call it his "poochie, " a word he knows and reacts to with the bitey.) I got him into the vet this morning, who examined him and took a little sample of the lump with a needle. The lump is a tumor and requires surgery. He is scheduled to go in tomorrow at 7:30 am for surgery at 8. The vet believes that it will go smoothly and he isn't anticipating any problems or complications. He will send the tumor into a lab to be tested. Hopefully it won't be malignant.

If all goes well, I can probably bring Rascal home tomorrow evening. If the incision drains a lot, he will have to spend the night. I admit that I am a little worried about this as I lost Tibber, my absolute favorite bunny to surgery about two years ago.

We haven't posted much lately as we have been trying to buy a house with a nice "outside" for the cats. We put a contract on a home with 5 acres last September, then right after Christmas it fell through as the sellers were unable to make the repairs required for the home to pass inspection. After almost four months of trying to get things done, it was very disappointing. We were pretty discouraged but decided that, rather than unpack, we'd start looking again. As you can imagine this takes a lot of time, but we're present in the Cat Blogosphere in heart, if not meows.

Please send your purrs and prayers Rascal's way! He'll be eight people years old in April and he's been part of the family all that time. We love him dearly.

Widebody Wednesday

On Monday, Catzee and I had our annual check-ups at the V-E-T. He said I'd gained weight. I'm now up to a whopping 17 and a quarter pounds. That's up from last year, isn't it. That means Mom is supposed to ration my food. 1/2 cup a day. To protest, I decided to stage a sleep in.

Here I am, protesting as hard as I can. Anycat care to join me?

Cat Haiku Link

Mom has been too lazy busy to take any cute photos of me lately, but I thought you all might enjoy some excellent Cat Haiku. Just click here and enjoy.

Sleepy Sunday

Or at least it would be a Sleepy Sunday if Somekitty
would quit walking around on the bed!