We have a new adoption to celebrate! Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, I made the rash decision to adopt a new family member. Like everyone else in the family, she is in need of some TLC and special care.
Now don’t fret, thinking I’ve gone round the bend. Cat Daddy and I would never adopt an animal without the other’s consent. Rather, this beauty has arrived to hopefully help in the quest to promote cat liver shunt awareness, and Collie rescue.
Newt is having a good day, and thoroughly enjoyed the photo shoot.
Please meet Newt’s newest friend:
I think her name is Virginia. Will write more about her later, as research yields answers to our mystery girl.
Still quite gobsmacked that she is here, along with her companion weasel. No, silly, not a real weasel, but rather a “reel” weasel. Click reel, actually – also known as a yarn weasel, for measuring yarn. (Pictured on right, with Newt’s rat tail)
First, let me assure you that I am quite happy that Newt is feeling better, in spite of what you may read in the following paragraphs. Thrilled, in fact.
We revel in the “good days.” Whenever our naughty little boy gets into mischief, it makes our heart sing – and makes damage control that much easier to perform!
Still on standby for the next big project for Major Corporation. Fine, more time to try and organize my spinning. I usually am hesitant to block out wait time (unbillable) for projects to land, but this one is worth the gamble. Two months, reasonably close to home, same great Team I’ve successfully worked with before, so I’m waiting. The demands and stress of this type of work are difficult enough, so having a great Team certainly helps make things much more tolerable. A bit impatiently, but I’m waiting. Injured finger is almost back to normal (many bits left unsaid in a previous post about biting the hand that feeds you – use your imagination!) so am trying to be a good girl, stay away from the computer and do something else. So let’s work up our courage and face our spindle fear, shall we? I mean, I am supposed to be on a Tour de Fleece Team, and it would be nice to actually spin something, instead of just cheering on the rest of the team. Just Spin It! (with apologies to the famous shoe company for stealing their slogan).
Am simultaneously encouraged and disheartened. Missed the spinning meeting on Saturday. Remembered at the last minute, then got stuck in dreadful traffic. Sunny and hot here today, so I planned to re-wash the Chiengora. That sounds sooooo much more enticing and exotic and expensive than dog hair, don’t you think? I believe that it smells like dirty dog. Cat Daddy, on the other hand, simply said “I don’t see a problem, it just smells like The Dog.”
Oh, great, does this mean that other people think that The Dog stinks?!?!
Newt LOVES the smell of The Dog, as evidenced by his frequent burrowing against his soft, silky fur, freshly bathed or not. Come to think of it though, for someone with a predilection for stinky shoes and sweaty feet, not to mention for the first year of his life having carrion breath that could knock a buzzard out of the air at 100 paces, his sense of polite aromas could be a bit … skewed.
Perhaps in my spinning paranoia (spinanoria?), my olfactories are playing tricks on me, trying to convince me that the freshly cleaned piles of fluff smell dirty, when really they don’t. Whatever. I’m the one who has to spin it, so I decided to wash it again this morning, with a vinegar rinse, then set it out to dry. The torrential rains on Saturday, and my busy day yesterday meant the fluff stayed safely inside on the makeshift drying racks. I use the term “safely” quite loosely.
It seems that SOMEONE had other plans for my precious piles of plucked fluff. The culprit decided to redecorate the house overnight in a faux sheep shearing slaughter scenario.
Cat Daddy asked this morning if we had hosted the SMMA last night (Sheep Mixed Martial Arts), as we have a terrific trail of terror leading from the drying racks, throughout the kitchen, filling the table, my office, spiraling around the living room, covering the couch, meandering down the hall, and ending with a whimper in Newt’s Room. Yes, I’m sure it was him, as he greeted me with a gleeful grin this morning, and waved those delicious pink footie paws at me – complete with shreds of cheingora still clutched between his long lizard toes.
What, you mean your cat doesn’t have its own room? Technically, the room was supposed to be my studio, but when Newt began to need to be isolated for feeding, that was the logical choice. Add a litter pan in there, and suddenly, it’s no longer mummy’s garishly painted studio, it became “Newt’s Room.” Hence the bright orange Dog Rug, specially knitted to match the lime green, purple and orange hues of Newt’s Room. Newt has his meals in there, and the rest of the time, he and his One True Love lounge in and out, joined periodically by the Dog. Yeah, I know that One True Love also had HER room (which used to be my library), but apparently, the blankies and sunshine are better in Newt’s Room.
Are you noticing a theme here? Not only are the felines plotting their world domination, they are slowly and steadily taking over all the corners of our home which were previously allocated for ME!
So fine, take over the house, you ungrateful fuzzybutts, but leave my fleece alone!
Have you ANY idea how difficult it was to wrestle – errrrr, wash – the Dog to get that should-have-been freshly cleaned fiber, then put up with Cat Daddy’s joyful teasing about setting up the Cheingora Laundromat in “his” kitchen for the fiber prep, then have the neighbors pointing and laughing at me chasing drying piles of puff escaping across the windy lawn (and fighting the birds for it, no less!), then MORE of Cat Daddy’s howls of laughter as the makeshift drying racks were moved into the kitchen for safekeeping and to finish drying during the rains? And when I FINALLY worked up the courage and decided that my precious camel-coloured cheingora could be sacrificed upon the alter of the dreaded Spindle of Doom, (yes, I had nightmares last night about spindling!), I awake to … to … to …
Words fail me.
Perhaps the Universe has a really sick sense of humour? Instead of spinning, maybe I should sweep it all up, chuck it into alternately hot and cold water, agitate the stuffing out of it and turn it into felted cat toys.
Except that I may have found a wheel, within my limited budget, assuming I that want to experiment with repairing it. May go for it.
Along with Newt’s artistic redecorating endeavors, anything to keep me from actually spinning!
By the way, you readers are starting to freak me out a bit
Seeing how I’m all shy, anti-social, quiet and all that – not to mention fiercely private! – it has been a bit disconcerting to see how many subscribers and readers that Newt has accumulated. The mind, it BOGGLES! What began as a slender Hope that perhaps by posting Newt’s journey, other cat liver shunt parents might find comfort in knowing that they are not alone, has morphed into a strange hodgepodge of the mundanity that is our life. Why on earth would non-cat liver shunt people be interested in Newt? (Let alone my mis-adventures in knitting?!?)
I mean, he’s overwhelmingly adorable and all, but, seriously? Why are you guys so interested in string and chicken, anyway? There’s tons of fab knitting and crochet blogs out there, innumerable cat blogs, a staggering amount of recipe and cooking blogs (well, okay, I’ll concede, most of them are not related to cooking for CATS, but still!), and, blogs by holistic practitioners and “normal” writers abound.
So, why are you peeking in Newt’s windows? And why are you emailing to ask for more info on ME?!?! I’ve never been much of a navel gazer; heck, I can’t even SEE my belly button! (Well, maybe now that gravity has taken its toll, it IS easier than it used to be!)
Nevertheless, don’t bite the hand that feeds you!
You guys are awesome! I never imagined that random electronic scribbling about a runty, spotted, spoiled, tabby cat with a rare condition would *ever* generate so much interest. So, if rambling tidbits about holistic health care for animals, random cat-food recipes, and basic knitting and crocheting projects all bundles up with our story about little lion-hearted Newt makes you happy and helps to promote awareness of liver shunts in cats, who am I to argue?
Wrapped the last project for Major Corporation, yay! Have a couple of days to “relax” before the next one hits. This one is scheduled to run for two months, so, trying to hurry and catch up before heading back into the fray.
Top of the list, Schnookie Snurfing, of course. I miss having that spotted belly to snurf at will, and those darling pink footie paws waving at me from wherever Newt happens to be lounging. Have some other accounts that I want to try and wrap up as well, plus am still desperately searching for the shaman’s drumming CD that I wanted to share with a friend. I KNOW it’s got to be here .. somewhere. Am embarrassed that it’s taken so long. And I can’t even use clutter as an excuse, everything is pretty well organized and in its place. It’s probably hiding in plain sight, as the router software CD was, when I had to do an emergency network repair.
Note to self, never again should I be allowed to repair the network, or do any other computer repairs, until at least four days after completing a major project. My aging brain does not recover as quickly from the long days as it used to, and is prone to making strange errors. Cat Daddy said toward the end of this last effort, I was speaking German to him! Uhm … das ist nicht sehr gut, ja?
Needless to say, tearing the entire software library apart, ripping out all the computer cables, running back and forth between systems, all the while muttering obscenities (in English, German, French, Spanish and Klingon) on the first day after wrapping the deadline was rather amusing.
For Cat Daddy and The Dog.
I, on the other hand, was far less amused – particularly when I looked yet AGAIN where the router software was SUPPOSED to BE, and discovered, much to my bemusement, there it was … right where it belonged, hiding in plain sight.
::sigh::
Not a great start for “relaxing.” Toss in the fact that Newt is having an odd spell the last couple of days, and I’m not doing much resting right now.
Newt’s drooling. After the last few days of him behaving oddly, he began slightly drooling this morning. He also refused his breakfast of chicken and cheese. He’s been mildly off his feed for the last couple of days. Eating some, but pickier than his norm, and not clearing his plate. So, we resorted to the old standby of chicken morsels, and added a pinch of shredded cheddar. Worked last night, but not this morning.
He’s been looking tired, and he’s been half-crouchy, and not lounging in his normal spots. This time around, he seems to prefer the floor, under the bed, or the annex box, where has gathered together some plastic bags for a nest. I haven’t the heart to take the bags away from him, as he seems so comfy there. In other words, he’s not seeking warm spots as in a usual episode. Now it seems like he’s wanting cooler places to hang out.
Another shunt cat seems to get episodic during the heat. Cat Daddy agrees that possibly it may be affecting Pookie as well, as we’ve had three days in a row of 100+ degrees. The air conditioner has run non-stop (poor Dog, with his thick, hairy fur coat) to help keep the house cool. Aside from giving Newt an ice pack for a nest, I’m at a loss as to what else to do for him.
Anyone else’s shunt kitties seem to go episodic during the heat? If yes, what do you do to help them? We’ve already been direct dosing the meds, offering enticing morsels for him, and keeping things quiet so he can relax.
Thanks bunches for your happy healing vibes! Marley in Australia has stabilized, and his parents are hopeful.
You guys rock! Love the fact that geo-theo-political boundaries are proving boundary-less when it comes to pulling together in Love and Hope., and am so grateful that this tiny parking space along the information superhighway, devoted to an obscure condition (in a cat, no less!), has enriched our lives in such a splendid fashion.
On our end, am still on deadline; project was extended for another week, and it looks more definite that the next project will land immediately after this one is delivered. Woohoo Chicken and Lactulose money for another two months! Crossing my fingers and rubbing Newt’s belly.
And speaking of Newt, am trying really, really hard to not go all neurotic mama cat – for the second time in a week.
Had an episode last week where the new pharmacy did not compound his Neomycin, and when I arrived for pick up on Saturday, was told we had to wait until Monday.
Monday?!?!
The good news is, that since it was not done in time, we had a chance to discuss the Rx with the compounding pharmacist, and opted to go for the tuna this time instead of the lemony chicken. MUCH better.
Crisis averted – until tonight.
Opened the new bottle of Lactulose tonight for his dinner dose, and, oh, no, it’s the wrong kind! Instead of the odorless, clear liquid we’ve been getting, it is the nasty green puke-smelling other kind that he won’t eat. Not only that, but he’s been a bit off his feed today. Although, the little brat did jump onto the counter while I was processing the Cheap Chicken Friday chicken for freezing and started tearing hunks of it off. The chicken, that is, not the counter.
So, for tonight, looks like it will be a tablespoon of chicken and goo, and if he refuses to eat that with his Lactulose on it, we’ll have to direct dose his meds. Cat Daddy will be coming to the rescue (again!) and going back to the pharmacy tomorrow for the good stuff.
And so, time for the midnight snacks here at the zoo. Night, all!
Just a quick hello from crazy calendarland. I miss you guys! I love my job, I really do, but sometimes I get to feeling a wee bit sorry for myself. That is, until I kick my arse and get over myself
Being a freelancer affords me the flexibility to spend the majority of my time easily arranging the calendar around our little liver shunt cat’s special dietary needs and the Dog’s potty breaks. Frequent mini-meals, a la fresh din dins every 5-7 hours. Alas, the flip side of that means that when work comes in, all bets are off, and Cat Daddy and I scramble to ensure adequate lunchroom and hall monitor duties.
Working on these major projects typically for 30 days each project means that usually I’m working 18 hours a day, 7 days a week for that month. If I’m lucky, the deadline extends for another week or month or three. Yay! More chicken and Lactulose money! But it also means that my Schnookie Snurfing Sessions are severely shortened, as well as my other important home care rituals. Things like scratching Cat Daddy’s belly and kissing the dog’s cheek – or is it the other way around? By the third week of the deadline, I’m so tired I don’t know whether I’m coming or going – or, scratching or kissing, as it were!
So that’s where the feeling sorry for myself comes in. No time to keep up with our other shunt cat friends, no leisurely coffee visits with friends, no Newt News, barely enough time to shower, and collapse into bed for a few hours until time to get back to work.
Today was a short day, so I’m taking advantage of it to say hello to you loyal subscribers and assure you that Cat Daddy is taking his customary wonderful care of Pookie Bear. Newt is doing fine, and actually helped me with my shower tonight.He’s been a little stinker of late, refusing to give me my much-needed spotted belly snurfs, but am hopeful that tonight will be the night.
Rumour has it that our deadline is being extended, and not only that, another I’m being slated to immediately move over to another project when this one delivers. Good news, right?
Yeah, except for the exciting fact that I’m soooo tickled to have been invited (dared!) to participate in the Tour de Fleece right in the middle of it all! Excellent motivation to kick my spinning into some semblance of order. I hope! Wish me luck.
And speaking of luck, going to close with a plea for your prayers, healing energies, well wishes, good luck, all your vibes please, for Marley in Australia. Marley has been having a rough time of it lately, being hit with a double whammy – diagnosed with pancreatitis on top of his liver shunt. He’s been having some rough days while his vets try to determine an effective management protocol for both of his issues. His mums have been superstars in his care, and they are inspirations to many of us. So, vibes if ya got ’em..
Newt is having another good day, yippy! It’s me I’m starting to worry about.
No, no, everything is fine. Just behind schedule, and still have too many projects in process. Tried to take the day off yesterday, to get AWAY from the monitor and try and get my head back on track. Good plan, while it lasted. Didn’t get to go to the spinning meeting, but crashed the local knitters meeting and met some ueber nice Ravelers, – a couple of them even recognized Newt from my knitting bag. COOL! My evil plan of world domination (or at least spreading the news about possible liver shunts in copper-eyed cats) is working!
After that, scavenged for some more things to use for the Ghandi wheels that are languishing on my workbench. Got two calls for emergency holistic wooowoo stuff in the evening, and didn’t get home til almost midnight.
Today’s plan was to finish everything that did not get done yesterday, but, not a lot of progress yet. Completed the final draft of the new CD cover, then went to the dog park and experienced my first Dog Park Knitting Disaster.
Upon entering, The Dog peed on my shoes (yes, the fabulous, custom-painted shoes from last year). Then, another dog peed on my knitting bag. Fortunately, not IN the bag, or on the yarn, but now I’m all paranoid, thinking that I, and everything around me, smells like dog pee. Is it deja vu all over again from last year?
Nah, last year, it was Cat Pee Paranoia.
Oh, and I’m having an overwhelming urge to dye my hair. Pink. I’ve never dyed my hair in my life, but the few times the thought has cropped up, pink does seem to be the preferred colour.
Methinks I need more than a half day vacation to get my brain functioning normally again. Either that, or I should just go snurf some more Newt. That always makes everything all better …
I’m tired. Or simply lazy. Or maybe turning back into my reclusive wintry popsicle slug. Whatever it is, it needs to go AWAY.
Newt is well. In fact, he has been the major contributor to my lack of get up and go for the last two days. He’s been in fine form – quite lovey and affectionate, and determined to clean the persistent smoodge from my chin that apparently only he can see. (Trust me, I’ve looked, trying to determine just WHY he so insistently cleans my face!)
Cat Daddy says that I’m hooked on Kitty crack, and Newt is my supplier, and I would snort him with a straw if I could. But who needs a straw when that soft polka-dotted fur is nestled next to my nose for hours on end?
So I’m blaming my Schnookie for my sluggishness. I was able to excuse the blahs for a few days as being my post-Sheep Fest recovery period. And then I got motivated, and have bits and pieces of things scattered around to upcycle into spinning machines, Crocheted a turtle for Cat Daddy that he easily recognized as actually looking rather turtle-esque. Woohoo. Only now, Cat Daddy has decreed that I should make MORE turtles and add them to Newt’s shop. Uhm … son, have you ANY idea how slooooooow I go? It would take a long time to generate chicken money from turtles!
Lots of things tornadoing around in my mind – laying out and stocking inventory for Newt’s shop, migrating Newt’s social networking site to a new location, moving his website onto its own server instead of free-hosting (both of which are main motivators for opening Newt’s shop),
So, there’s lots I could and should be doing. But it turned cold. And I’m sleepy. And whiny. And instead of being productive, I’ve been lollygagging under my down comforter on the couch, snuggled with my own little furry generator, New New.
Oops, gotta go, apparently the mysterious smoodge has reappeared, and must be cleaned Right Now …
Am beginning to suspect I may be a bit … obsessive. OK fine, I’m definitely obsessive when it comes to my little Schnookums. And it’s possible those tendencies may creep into other aspects of my life. Like this new phase I’m going thru. You know, with the sheep, and the bunnies, and the spinning?
I’ve been telling Cat Daddy since Wednesday that Newt wasn’t quite right. Oh, nothing we could put our finger on, but you know how it is with our shunt babies. We seem to know when a whisker is out of place … at forty paces …. in the dark … blindfolded. And *something* just wasn’t right with him. The feeling made no sense, as we’ve both been saying how good he looks, all sleek and glossy. In fact, we caught the little brat sitting in the pizza pan on top of the stove, and his little poochy poo was puddled around his hind legs. New nickname – Dough Boy, and yes, we got a picture LOL.
But, he was just … quiet. A bit too quiet. Definitely wanted his snuggles, and even wanted his sling. Very odd, as usually he doesn’t ask for his sling unless he’s deep in an episode. Also caught him half-crouchy during one of my nocturnal ramblings. He didn’t even try to crawl into the fridge, so I direct dosed his Lact, checked for drool – you know the drill.
He’s also been off his feed, only finishing about half of his meals yesterday. But still foraging on the pizza dish, go figure! Did not eat most of his 7AM breakfast, and was slightly drooling by 730. Direct dosed his meds, let him chill out in his box. He ate maybe half of his lunch, more direct dose with Lact. Staggered out of his room in the afternoon for an ooze around the house and a bit of sunshine in the window.
Drool was gone by the 7PM feeding, when he attacked the (freshly roasted, Cheap Chicken Friday) chicken with gusto. Mixed some into his veggie mix, where he ate little. Is now wheezing a bit here in the Annex Box’s Annex – his newest spot. A cardboard box I’d set on the shelf to sort thru shred papers, and hadn’t yet removed. Cat Daddy agreed that of course, we can’t move the box NOW, because it’s Pookie’s new spot LOL. Sheesh do we rearrange our house, as well as our lives, for this kitty? Uhm … YEAH, I guess we do LOLOL
So yes, I’ll admit it freely. I’m obsessed with my shunt cat! And why wouldn’t I be? He has brought such joy into our lives, and we laugh all the time at his silly antics and adorable spotted self.
I’m a bit more hesitant to admit that I’m currently also obsessed with something besides shunted spotted tabbies. With sheep. And spinning. I’m hoping it’s a phase, but so far, it’s showing no sign of diminishing.
In fact, I have pieces of two box charkhas halfway assembled in my workroom, and Cat Daddy had to physically stop me from cannibalizing the lawn mower so as to harvest a wheel to finish the kick spindle I’m making. And it’s a good thing the neighbor pedals faster than I can run, am afraid I’d be trying to take their bike away to go with the pvc squirreled away, and make the spinning wheel that’s going round in my brain.
I’ve heard of counting sheep to go to sleep, but am really beginning to feel a bit silly about visions of sheep and spinning wheels and fleeces and fat designer yarn haunting my every dream!
So what’s YOUR obsession / passion? What engages your brain when not wiping drool, giving meds, adjusting diet, or simply gazing in awe at your perfect little kitty shunt baby?
We are very excited at the surge of interest in “Newt Food!” One of the shunt cat owners was talking to their vet about “Newt’s Diet” and the vet asked what brand that was LOL. Hope to soon have more sample menus and recipes for you to try.
In the meantime, definitely talk to your vet about preparing your shunt cat’s meals yourself. You may hear them say what the other vet did – “Wow, your cat eats better than I do!” Particularly if you are searching for more economical ways to manage the condition, homeprepping meals can save money. It just takes more time. But, with Newt, the results speak for themselves.
Newt continues to do well. He was rather unfazed when Bopper visited earlier this week for the Second Cat Liver Shunt Conference. Spent most of the day snoozing in the Annex Box, but he did climb up and demand snuggles. Think perhaps he was feeling a bit put out that mum’s attention wasn’t entirely focused on him.
Cat Daddy will be doing main zookeeping duties tomorrow, as he is insisting that I attend the humongous sheep and wool festival. He says I deserve a vacation after the last round of deadlines. Not to mention, I’ve been threatening for years to attend and watch the herding dog trials. Now I can go pet yarn AND watch the dogs! Have my list of must-see vendors, a small shopping list of things I hope to buy, am visiting a booth to see the Ghandi-type of spinning wheel in action, and hope to get to try some other wheels as well. Plus, one of the vendors is offering a free spindle class.
Still want to try and make a T-shirt and cards with Newt’s Ravelery info on it, in case people are ask about his copper eyes. Yeah, yeah, again with promoting liver shunt cats, what can I say? ::smile:: It’s the least I can do, as so many folks are now speaking up, sharing their shunt cat stories, info, and Hope. We have quite a happening little community evolving, and the more creative venues we can reach, the more Hope that we can provide to future owners and their special shunt cats.
