good day Archives - Page 6 of 7 - Hope for Liver Shunt Cats

Marley has Stablized

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!

Miss You Guys!

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..

Oops, gotta go, Newt wants a snurf – woohooo!

Pink Hair, Dog Pee and Paranoia

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 …

Mired in Inertia

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 …

Sheep Fest, Here I Come!

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.

Africa, Part II ?!?

Geesh has it been a week since the last post? Eeek, where has the time flown?

Newt continues to do well, hooray! Cat Daddy and I are getting ready to host the 2nd International Cat Liver Shunt Conference. The first was held in our living room when Bopper and Newt had a playdate. We will be catsitting for Bopper while his apartment is renovated. I don’t know who is more nervous, me or his mum

I’ve had some part time with Major Corporation (yay!), and two more projects from them are supposedly going to launch soon. And, I got ANOTHER call about the Africa gig. Okaaaaaaaay, submit me if you think I meet the minimum requirements; I’m not going to turn down a chance to write in another continent!

May have finished another pet nest; debating on whether to rip it out and enlarge the base. These things are addictive. All made with donated yarn, and so far, no two alike. Next step is probably going to incorporate upcycled fabric remnants for even more of a rag rug appearance.

Early feedback is very promising. Still experimenting with the “Shepherd’s Knitting” (also called many other names, depending on what source you read – everything from Tunisian crochet, gobelinstitch, pjoning, slip stitch crochet). I just need to alter my pattern a bit, as I do think they should be larger. My sense of size is obviously still skewed from tiny baby New New!

Africa?!?

Another good day, yippy!

Sugar Newt is being his adorable, darling little self today. Bright-eyed and rat-tailed. A few rounds of gnawing on his One True Love, good appetite, normal snuggles. All good news!

Other good news – well, good news, but, rather odd news – got a call from an agency today, asking if I was interested in a summer contract. Time commitment is within range; pay is acceptable; and, commute is reasonable. Sort of. Seems that part of the project will be spent on location.

In AFRICA!!!

Yeah, that’s what I said, too. “Pardon me, did you just say ‘Africa‘?”

I was still trying to wrap my brain around how I ended up on the short list of tech writers for out-of-country assignments, and I’m sure I sounded like an idiot. “Uhm … did you say Africa? Africa, Africa? As in, the CONTINENT of AFRICA?” All the while, thinking to myself “No shyte! Africa, in all its glorious, wondrous, otherworldness?”

While they had me on hold, I asked Cat Daddy “How do you feel about me going to write in Africa for a few weeks?”

His reply – “Pardon me, did you just say ‘Africa’?”

::snork::

Seems they feel that I am a good fit for the job, in spite of not meeting one important criteria, which I helpfully pointed out.

“But, you have animal control experience!” he enthused.

“Uhm … yes, I do, but that was controlling cats and dogs and guinea pigs, not lions and elephants and gazelles!”

“But, are you interested?” he persisted.

“I guess so,” I replied, oh-so-convincingly.

He said he is going to submit me for consideration, and I say that I’m reasonably certain nothing will come of it. But dang, guys, how ueber COOL is that? To even be considered for an assignment in an exotic locale.

Gosh, I love my job!

Am already under orders from Cat Daddy that if I do get the gig, I am NOT to try to smuggle home an occicat. One spotted wild cat in our home is enough.

Gotta go – need to learn how to say “Cat Liver Shunt” and “yarn” in Swahili!

Newt! Getouttathe …

In the ever-growing list of Newt Names, perhaps I should have added his most common appellation, “Newt Getouttathe” (pronounced quickly, and with a slightly exasperated slur) As in:

Newt! Get OUT of the Refrigerator!
Newt! Get OUT of the other cat’s food!
Newt! Get OUT of the dog’s food!
Newt! Get OUT of the cabinet!
Newt! Get OUT of the microwave!
Newt! Get OUT of the dryer!
Newt! Get OUT of the knitting bag!
Newt! Get OUT of the frying pan!
Newt! Get OUT of the dishwasher!
Newt! Get OUT of the Cat Daddy’s chair!
Newt! Get OUT of the sink!
Newt! Get OUT of the bathtub!
Newt! Get OUT of the pet-free room!

Yeah, I know cats are curious creatures, but my little Pookie possesses the cheek and daring to match the bravest transcontinental explorer. Who do you blame for such brazen behavior? Are all liver shunt cats as shamelessly spoiled as ours?

Part of the blame lies in his determination to make every single step that I make – insisting on being right in the center of action at all times. A tiny portion of the fault may lie with moi, in that perhaps I might have contributed a teeny bit, by overindulging his impudence as a baby. (After all, he was “going to die any day” so what harm was there in permitting a minor indulgence or two?) However, for my wee spoilage, I lay the bulk of the blame on Cat Daddy himself.

Yes, that’s right, it’s ALL Cat Daddy’s fault. He started it!

The very first, post-diagnosis Lactulose dosing, while I was juggling the bottle and dropper in one hand, and the squirmy kitten in the other, (successfully, might I add!), Cat Daddy “helpfully” took The Baby and placed him ON THE COUNTER!

“Cats aren’t allowed on the counter,” I reminded him of the non-negotiable house rule.

“Oh, he’s just a tiny kitten. He’s not really a cat, so it isn’t the same,” Cat Daddy replied, while gently comforting Newt against my rude medicinal advances.

“Errr, we don’t want him to develop any bad habits, Cat Daddy,” I persisted.

“Don’t be silly!” He replied. “He’ll associate being on the counter with ‘bad things’ like medicine. Besides, he’s not going to be around very long, so it’s okay. Remember, we’re supposed to ‘keep him comfortable’.”

So began the journeys of our Trek Cat, to boldly go where no cat has gone before …

In the Pink

Well, let’s add yet another item to to the ever-growing Mystery of Newt. This time, it’s “The Case of the Intermittent Pink vs. Not-So-Pink Appendages.“

Yesterday, his darling little pink nose, his mouth, his sweet little lips, and those irresistible little pink footie paws were an alarming pastel, almost white, shade of pale. Hydration was good, appetite was fine, but … you know how it goes with your shunt cat. The teeniest little change sends you round the bend into another cycle of the OMGs what is going on NOW.

No snot, no boogers, and no pink! This was the second time in the last month or so that his nose has been almost the same color as the flashy splash of white surrounding his mouth, with the inside corners of his eyelids peeking out.

Today? Back to normal – snot and all. His footie paws are practically glowing their customary robust, lively pink; his nose is nice and bright, as are his lips and the inside of his mouth. I should know, he’s cleaned me. Vigorously and repeatedly throughout the day.

Still have a bit of the inner canthus on both eyes showing, but not as marked as yesterday. He’s eaten well, played a bit, had a few naps, and spent the rest of his time cleaning my cheeks and chin.

Wish I could explain to him that if he is so compelled to clean me, to work on the crow’s feet around my eyes. I’m convinced that his tender ministrations rival the effect of any dermabrasive procedures for wrinkle removal any day!

I Got Nuthin’

Sorry, guys, I got nuthin’ for ya.

Sorry ’bout that. But hey, no news is good news, right?

Newt has had another wonderful, normal week, woohoo! Cat Daddy does an amazing job, for sure!

Cat Daddy is not only taking good careof Newt, he’s also doing an amazing job (as always) of caretaking moi. Clean house, dishes and laundry, food on demand, encouragement, the works. It’s so much easier to be on-site with these hellish projects when Newt is doing well andhas Cat Daddy at his “beck and claw.”

::snork:: Sorry, that just slipped out

Four (yes, 4!!!) new shunt cats have found Newt in the past few days – two of them littermates with suspected liver shunts. Will post more info on them once the owners give permission.

Supposed to be wrapping one of the current deadlines up tomorrow. We’ll see about that. It was contracted for one week, continued for two, and I have a sneaking suspicion that a frantic phone call is going to extend it through the weekend.

Ah well, client work is what buys Newt’s chicken and my yarn, right?