Mornings have been pretty chilly in our part of Washington lately, so Mama G bought a new hat. Apparently this style of hat is an essential part of “the PNW look,” and Mama G has spent a good part of her life trying hard to fit in — with mixed results, I might add.
Those Two decided to let me try it on, too. It didn’t look too stylish on me. You might say I was a mad hatter.
Well it’s time again for our favorite holiday! I’m just hanging out, eagerly awaiting our first trick-or-treaters. Now that we live in an apartment complex, my mamas have geared up for lots of visitors, unlike at our previous homes, when one small bag of candy “just in case” would do it, and then Those Two would inevitably have to eat all of it.
I thought they did a pretty good job of decorating outside, although I don’t know about those crows. The ones out back are very active and keep me entertained, but this bunch is the laziest I’ve ever seen!
Hope you all have a sweet Halloween!
OK, technically that’s my house, also known as my “cat condo,” but if you catch my drift, you’ll understand that I’m in trouble. You see, I haven’t been feeling myself lately, so I’ve developed a new habit: I start crying during the night at various intervals, typically 1 a.m., 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. Needless to say, Those Two are not happy about this.
The issue came to a head recently, when Mama C was on a three-week trip to New England to visit family and friends, and Mama G was stuck at home with me. Mama G had hoped to use her time alone to work on a writing project, but I left her so sleep-deprived that she couldn’t think straight! I’m not saying that like I’m proud of it — I’m not.
Mama G tried various measures, such as blocking off the stairs one night with an inflatable mattress. Seriously? I knocked that over in short order! About three nights in a row, when she was really at her wit’s end, she shut me in the downstairs bathroom with my cat condo and some food and water. But then she felt guilty after going back upstairs to bed, and thought she could still hear me crying, even though I probably wasn’t. She was eventually in such bad shape that she swore she could hear me crying even when she wasn’t home! Yes, I had achieved the ultimate obnoxious cat move — I was now in her head!!
Before Mama C returned, Mama G hauled me off to the vet to see if there was some medical reason for my behavior, and $474 worth of testing later, the vet concluded that there probably was. I won’t go into details here, but let’s just say getting old is not fun.
Once Mama C returned, I was a little better, skipping the 1 a.m. awakening, at least. But still, humans need their sleep, too, even if it is just a paltry seven hours, and I know something has to give here.
I try not to be political, but these days it’s hard to stay on the sidelines, especially when the Republican candidate for vice president recently disparaged women with cats, and the former president and convicted felon at the top of the ticket has never had a pet! Who in their right mind doesn’t like animals?
So I decided to join my mamas last night as they watched the Democratic National Convention. What a joy it was to see Those Two so happy and enthusiastic, clapping away with each new speaker, finally feeling hopeful that our democracy will be preserved in November. Michelle and Barack Obama closed out last night’s lineup with amazing speeches. Anyone who wasn’t inspired by them must just be kind of weird, if you know what I mean.
Oh, and that martini was pretty good, too!
If you’ve been reading this blog for the past couple of months, you know that my life has been one crazy adventure after another since I was transported from Connecticut to the Pacific Northwest. Well I was recently treated to another adventure that I didn’t see coming — my first-ever stay in a hotel! This came about because of some repair work being done in our apartment that required all of us to vacate the premises for 24 hours. My mamas phoned around to find a nearby hotel that accepted cats. So many of them said on their websites that they were “pet-friendly,” but then it turned out they did not want my kind. So why don’t they just say “dog-friendly” and save us all some trouble?
Fortunately, Mama C found the Holiday Inn Express in Camas, the town just east of us, to be very accommodating to feline travelers. So off in the car we went again, me in my carrier on Mama C’s lap. Lately when we travel she’s been letting me come out a little bit, which I enjoy. I like to make sure Mama G is coming to a full stop at the stop signs!
After a short elevator ride we were in our room. At first I was nervous, because I don’t really like unfamiliar surroundings. Under the bed is usually my go-to hiding place, but these beds were strangely boxed underneath, denying me entry. But then I began to explore my new, temporary digs, and started having some fun.
I watched TV on bed with Those Two for a while, then slept pretty soundly. The next morning, as we prepared to check out, I felt almost a little sad. Although we cats generally love the familiar and routine, there’s something to be said for leaving your comfort zone and trying new things.
Thanks again to the Holiday Inn Express for welcoming me. I was a good little camper and left no trace. Pack it in, pack it out.
Our recent move to Vancouver, Washington, has meant a lot of changes in our lives, so it was only inevitable that I would be seeing a new veterinarian at some point. That point turned out to be this past week, when I ran out of my thyroid medication. So once again, while minding my own business and enjoying life, I was unceremoniously scooped up by Mama C and plopped feet-first into the carrier being held by Mama G. If ever there was a team of co-conspirators, it is Those Two!
I wasn’t especially happy to be back in my carrier, the one in which I spent 11 hours traveling out here not so long ago, but this trip lasted only three minutes by car, and then we pulled up in front of the Cascade Park Animal Hospital. I had some trepidation, of course, because I never have a clue as to what’s about to happen to me when I go to such places. But we received a pleasant greeting upon entering, and sat ourselves underneath this sign:
It’s not that I don’t like dogs, but I think having separate waiting areas makes a more pleasant experience for all of us.
Soon we were ushered into the exam room, where a very nice and gentle vet tech named Rose gave me lots of treats before taking my vitals. She even took my temperature by holding a thermometer on the inside of my thigh, instead of some other horrible methods I’ve been subjected to. I immediately liked Rose a lot!
After asking us some questions and making some notes on the computer, Rose left and then we had to wait a few more minutes before meeting my new doctor. I took the opportunity to find some shelter, but not before noticing the interesting magazines on the wall.
Now I’ve never heard of Catster before, but I’ll take this opportunity to answer a few of the teaser headlines on the cover in order to spare you the subscription cost, if you were so inclined. Comfort Foods? Tuna, tuna, tuna! When, Why and How to Give Treats? At least every hour, and whenever I cry for more. Can Kitty Hold a Grudge? You betcha!!! Tricks to Get Kitty to Drink More Water? Well I’ve already posted frequently about that topic: Just leave your water glass sitting out and I will hydrate like never before!
Soon Dr. Kelly Hagerman entered the room, introduced herself, and began freely sprinkling some more treats out for me. By now I was really loving this place and not caring what they did to me. It was like I was at an all-you-can-eat buffet!
Unfortunately I don’t have a photo of Dr. Hagerman to post, because my personal photographer messed up that shot, but you can take my word for it that she was very gentle as well, knowledgeable, personable and thorough. Because I’m now considered a senior kitty and am having a few issues, she even gave me a kind of cognitive test, which I passed with flying colors! Not to sound like another orange guy …
Dr. Hagerman spent a lot of time with us, and addressed all my mamas’ concerns. After she left the room, Rose came back in with a new bottle of medication for me and a couple of surprises. She tied a cute little bandanna around my neck and then fed me a lickable treat.
Man, was I in heaven at this point!! I don’t know if every kitty gets this kind of treatment at Cascade Park Animal Hospital, but I left feeling like a rock star! I am already looking forward to my next visit.
Well who knew that water could be a gateway drug of sorts?
The other evening as Those Two watched TV, I decided to try to settle that age-old dispute: Is the glass half empty or half full? Before I could come up with an answer, Mama G yelled at me and I had to abandon my quest.
Nevertheless, I remain optimistic that my future will be full of many more such opportunities to empty the glass. Those Two can’t stay hypervigilant forever!
I’m back to follow up on my multi-part tale. Some of you may still be wondering just what took place on that strange Sunday back in April. Well, as my mamas explained it to me later, they had been planning for months, even years, to move from our home in Connecticut. Now I had been through moves before, but nothing like this one!
As it turned out, we moved across the country — 3,043 miles to be exact! The logistics of it even put Those Two to the test, and involved, among other things, selling our house, stuffing some of our belongings into a small container known as a POD, some bizarre event called a garage sale, and, of course, my abduction and relocation. But they had it all pretty well thought out, and worked like a team to make it happen. Mama G had moved out six weeks earlier, to set up our new home, while Mama C stayed behind to be the “closer.” We are all back together now for good!
We now live in Vancouver, Washington, a city in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Or at least from my vantage point it’s beautiful.
We live in an apartment, which is kind of interesting. Sometimes nice men with tools drop in unannounced to fix things while Those Two are away. Mama G used to do most of the fixing back at the house in Connecticut, but she was tired of fixing things, and that’s part of the reason they decided to rent. Mama C had grown tired of mowing, weeding, raking and all the other yard work that seemed to consume much of her spare time in the spring, summer and fall. Now I get to watch some guy zip around on a machine and accomplish in minutes what used to take Mama C hours!
We have a lot more neighbors here, including some four-legged ones! Sometimes they get pretty up close and personal with me, which I enjoy. Dogs are so silly! At least I know how to take care of my own bathroom needs.
And of course there was much to explore in the beginning, with lots of new boxes arriving every day, and the usual mischief to get into.
I’ve settled in now, and am enjoying the new routine, now that Mama C is retired as well. It’s nice to have both of them around much more often. I can’t think of any place I’d rather be.
After disembarking the aircraft, Mama C wheeled me down a long hallway full of people and suitcases again. Thankfully, it wasn’t quite as chaotic as that other place. Soon we came to a loud set of mechanical stairs, and down we went. To our surprise, Mama G was waiting at the bottom with a sign with our names on it!
I guess she was trying to be funny, but I didn’t get the joke. I was feeling pretty humorless at that point. And come to think of it, where had Mama G been the last few weeks? She seemed to have abruptly disappeared, along with some of the things in our house.
We had to walk down another long corridor, and then we reached a dark garage and made our way to a vehicle that smelled familiar. Oh boy, another car ride! Fortunately, this one was mercifully short, about 13 minutes, and then I was being carried into an unfamiliar dwelling.
Those Two took me into another bathroom — this one much nicer than any of the others I had visited that day — and Mama C filled up my travel bowl with fresh water from the faucet. I drank and drank and drank like they had never seen me drink before!
And then I was introduced to what turned out to be my new litter box. It was really fancy! As it turns out, this entire bathroom is all mine! All of my food, treats, litter and other supplies occupied the vanity draws and space under the sink. So this is where Mama G had been the last few weeks. Like Lewis and Clark, she had set out west to explore and set up camp!
It didn’t take me long to inaugurate my new box. And then it was time to explore! What a relief it was to be free again!
And that’s pretty much the story of my abduction. I’m going to take a break for a few days, because my little paws are tired from all this writing, and then I’ll give you an update on my new life.
Oxbow's World 