Cats And Fashion

An artist friend, Susan Jones of Austin, created this silk wedding dress for her 6 ft. tall red-haired daughter....in spite of the fact that daughter and fiance' were flying to Las Vegas... alone....to be married in the Elvis Presley Chapel.

This dress had been in the making for 3 weeks, and the creator who allowed me and a friend to see it before it flew to Vegas in a special trunk. Are you wondering what took so long? What you see as red, gradually getting lighter as your eye travels up the dress, was airbrushed! For this, an airbrush and compressor had to be purchased as well as special airbrush textile paints. The airbrushing was done on the finished dress! (THAT alone would have made me crazy!)

The back of the dress is embellished with handmade flowers and the train consists of layers and layers of silk and tulle......and, guess what?

There are three cats in Susan's household......and I heard myself saying "In my next life, I want to come back as one of your cats." I saw the cats having a wonderful time, while Susan kept up a conversation with them. That was enough to impress me, but then I saw this:




This is "Brownie", who..I was told...was a very rare exotic breed :-), a cute name I unfortunately forgot.
The other kitty is Zipie. (The third cat was a little shyer)

And, what did this cat mom say when she saw two kitties playing in the train of the dress?

She said...in a soft, sweet and melodic voice: "They love the sound the layers make when they jump on the dress." Now....Brownie, don't do that.....Zippie, please get off that." And, she smiled a big beautiful smile...and, I would swear, so did the cats!

Changes

Blogger has changed their format just in the last few hours. Now I am allowed to download photos only from a website or from Picasa! And, all I want to do is download them from my picture file without fist transferring them to Picasa, I am going to step away from this and try again tomorrow. Maybe it's just a bad dream.

I'm flying up to DC Sunday to get a kitty!!!!! What an adventure!:-)

I really am looking forward to meeting Virginia and Paul

and the 21 cats and kittens. I hope they,

the cats, not Virginia and Paul, will all pile into bed with me!!

Sweet Pictures of Sweet Kitties

Oh, Rudy is around....but apparently in no mood for looking sweet and cute.  He knew Miki his entire life, and he is the most affected of the kitties.

I am looking forward to having one of Santino's relatives join us soon!!!  Because of the kindness of Virginia, Santino's breeder, and also my family and friends who have assured me that my cats will be taken care of if I should predecease them, I am receiving this wonderful gift of another fur child!!!! I am SO excited!!!!

Recovering

We are recovering from the loss of Miki.  Gradually, but. because I'm paying attention, Santino and Rudy are growing less needy, seeking out each other instead of solely me.  Rudy is visibly more relaxed, and Santino no longer begs for treats constantly.:-)

Unfortunately, even after a year, I do not know Sophie well enough to notice if she is affected at all. Everyone is back to eating a lot and Rudy has gained weight.  I guess him to be between 9 and a half and 10 #, fat for an Abyssinian.  He needs to run around a bit more!  Santino, I'm guessing is between 8 and 8 1/2....probably just right. Prince Fuzzy is shedding terribly with the warmer weather.  I could easily clone several more  from all the tufts of fluff everywhere...oh, and how I wish I COULD!  I am hoping to get a relative!  Three cats is not enough!!!! I promised myself all the animals I wanted during the time I knew that Jack was dying....and, to my surprise, I find that I am also wanting to live in a clean house, do a lot of art, and not trip over litter boxes!  But, FOUR is perfect!!! I would add a dog if there were a man here.:-) 

I miss Miki terribly.  He bossed me more than any of the others.  And, he pressed his body against mine every night when we went to sleep.  In the mornings I had Miki kissing me on one side and Santino on the other.  I catch myself looking for him....and then I remind myself how troubled he was since Zippy died.....and I hope that there really is a Rainbow Bridge and that he is happy.

I long for the day I see Rudy snuggled up with one of his "sibs".  He did occasionally lie down next to Miki.  Both Sophie and Santino would be happy to have him. 

What, Me Worry?

Santino seems to be doing great, going about his normal routine.  He even made me laugh last night with his playing.  

Today he tucked himself in next to Sophie.:-)
(Yes, his head is down, but only because he anticipates the flash!)

Rudy, who has been extremely agitated, seems to be back to normal...or close to it.  More than missing Miki, I think they take their cues from me...and I take that responsibility seriously.  The lighter my spirit, the happier they are.

And, I am so hoping that Miki is with his beloved Zippy as he is in this 3 and a half  year old photo.  No space was too small for the two of them together.

Mikimoto, July 14, 2002-April 12, 2010

z

Bags of fluids, 3 different antibiotics, wrapping in wet towels...nothing would keep Miki's fever down, and except very occasionally, he even refused Gerbers's chicken and his favorite tuna juice. The vet could do not more for him, and I could not allow him to suffer any longer.  This morning, before his fatal injection, his temp was up to 105.

Miki was never my cat, but did his best to make do with me after his beloved Zippy died.  I say "made do" only because from that day on, he cried almost every night, the only exceptions being when he fell asleep cuddled tight against the warmth of my body.  When Zippy died, Miki also stopped his routine of bringing me a mouse which he would fetch over and over.  He seldom played, and most often looked depressed.  As crazy as this may sound, I think he lost interest in living.

There will be an autopsy.  Perhaps he can help other kitties this way.  He was a wonderful cat, very loving....He and Santino were always on my bed to wake me every morning.  The house is so quiet.  Not because Miki was noisy, but because his sibs know....They have known all along.

Emotional Whiplash

Yes, I know this isn't about me.  But, just the same, this is very hard, and it's been going on 11 days now.  Miki is down again.  His temp measured  104.5 when he lurched away from me, so I don't know whether it would have registered even higher.  This is in spite of the medication I have faithfully given him as instructed.

I've spoken to the vet twice today....He was the one on call.  Wet him down, he said....which I did, and do.  But, it's all feeling like it's not working, and I am only making him more miserable.  I try hard to not think those thoughts, but they are coming just the same.

Unlike any of my previous cats whom I helped across the Rainbow Bridge, Miki shows no sign of distress.  He is perfectly still, breathing  evenly.  There doesn't seem to be any pain anywhere.  If he makes it through the night, I will not hospitalize him again.  No more.  It's quiet and peaceful here, and he is where he loves to be.

Miki

Miki is home and awfully glad to be here.  The vet called this morning to say that Miki's temp. was only slightly elevated and that he had his head in the food bowl chowing down!  

We are cautiously optimistic.  I need to give him antibiotics twice a day for two weeks!, which means after the first pilling, I will need to isolate him to a small room...I weighing bathroom against my pristine, cat-freoffice.Oh, he isn't going to be happy about this, and neither will the others. I think the guest bathroom is IT!  At least I stand a chance catching him in there.

So beautiful in this photo, he is scraggly now.  He has tiny bits of litter "glued" to his butt.  Santino says "EUW!", but everyone is happy to see him, nevertheless.

Miki

Miki is in the hospital.  His white blood cells (neutrophils, specifically) and temperature were up.  This afternoon his temperature had spiked to 105, but they got it down to normal by 4:30.  He is on IV fluids and antibiotics.

Hopefully, he will respond to this type of antibiotic....If not, it is likely to be FIP.  

From what I read, the Coronavirus can lie idle in the cat's body for several years before mutating.  But, all I know for certain, Miki's condition is very serious, and FIP is an ugly fatal disease.  After looking it up, I understand why the vet suspects it.  Miki's symptoms fit the criteria.

The house is incredibly quiet.  I don't even see the cats.  We are all affected.

Update

Miki doesn't seem to be in any discomfort, though he has not eaten or taken in any water since last night. He has even refused tuna juice, his absolute favorite thing.  He has not moved from the extra  kitty bed I keep underneath my bed.  Sophie is sitting nearby. Rudy and Santino are arguing.  I am numb....well, almost.

If the vet had even an idea about what to look for...other than what he already checked for...I would have pursued more tests.  I do appreciate that he was honest with me.  Not only do I trust this vet, but Miki was also seen by the senior vet at the clinic.  

Monday morning:
Miki is better this morning!!!  Twice he drank water, and came to breakfast when I called!  I am hopeful and grateful to have reason to be.  I will call the vet to see if there is more that we can do for Miki.

Kitty Love. Kitty Joy

The love my cats show for each other and for me brings joy to my heart!

When Sophie and Santino snuggle together, they look so blissed out ....It's as if they adore how the other feels and smells.  (I, too, like to burrow my face into Santino's silken fluff....but, I don't think he smells so good:-) Hmm...maybe I should buy some dry shampoo?

Miki who appeared to have completely recovered from the dental surgery, took a sudden turn for the worse a few days ago.  In two weeks he had lost an entire pound...some of this water weight, of course.  I've had him to the Vet both Thursday, and again today because he had not responded to the fluids and antibiotic he was given.  This time he received more fluids and an injection of a short acting steroid.  He went straight to the food bowl when he came home and he has been visible...not hiding...ever since.  

In the past, I remember my cats hissing at anyone I brought back from the vet...but not anymore!  Both times I brought Miki home, Santino and Rudy were happy to see him.  Miki got a bath from both his brothers at once.:-)

Oh, and Rudy sits on my lap and my shoulder. Santino has brought peace, love and joy. And, though Sophie is usually in the background, she is a sweet, happy, and playful kitty.  This is where my focus is now, not on the "what if's" regarding Miki.

(Blood work showed evidence of an infection, but his mouth looked good.  I hate the idea of exploratory testing for a cat!  Vet did say he has no idea what he would be looking for, and we've already done TWO blood panels.  Sometimes I really hate being the sole decision maker here.)