Helpful

My Human says I've been sooooooooo helpful the last hour and a half while she's been working on her computer that maybe it's time for me to write my first post. I had to point out a lot of things on the computer screen that she would have missed and I really helped her control her mouse cord which kept moving around on her. (And I really hope she gets that wireless mouse she just put on her Christmas wish list)
This is the one month anniversary of my Gotcha Day! Charlie didn't like me much when I first came ... But we hang out a lot together now ...
and she's my best play buddy ... Everybody is worried about Alberta who just doesn't look like she's feeling well. But even she lets me sleep "close" to her as long as we don't touch and I'm quiet.I even like the Woofie. She saved my tail. Literally. One night the humans had AuntJudy over for dinner and weren't paying attention to me. They got really irritated cause the Woofie started barking while they were trying to eat until they realized that she was standing next to where I had somehow gotten an elastic string wrapped around my tail and was in a real predicament. They couldn't hear my squeaks but they could hear her bark. She even rescues me when Blackie and Charlie play too rough. I sqeak and she comes running to separate us.
So things are pretty ok for me here in the Oligarchy. Sometimes I even think the Humans like me -- Maggie Fu

Sky, the Mighty Turkey Hunter

While everyone else with opposable thumbs around here was so preoccupied this week, I want to thank my HumanGyrrl for helping me write about my Turkey Hunting adventure. (We're hoping she'll "help" more often) Here goes:

Well, the other day, I had one of those opportunities that only come around once in a long while, and it was a really yummy one, too.

One of my humans made a turkey sandwich and then just left it next to her computer when she went outside to talk to the neighbors! I think any reasonable feline would regard that as an invitation to help yourself, wouldn't you?

So I began to investigate the sandwich - of course, I wasn't really that interested in the cheese, tomato, lettuce, or bread, but I did give them all a lick just to be polite, and then left them on the floor in case another family member would care for a bite. See how generous I can be?

Anyway, then I got to the really good stuff - the TURKEY! Boy, did that smell good! I was just settling down to a gourmet meal when the Woofie came around. Even though I had generously spread the rest of the sandwich ingredients around buffet-style so that she could pick something, she seemed much more interested in MY turkey! The nerve of some creatures!

Well, I gave her a good growl to tell her what I thought of that, and took a big bite. And just then, the door opened and in came my HumanGyrrl. Can't a respectable feline get a moment of peace to enjoy a hard-won meal?

The next thing I knew, I was turkeyless once more, and she didn't even eat it - just threw it in the trash! Honestly, the waste of that good food just makes my hair stand on end!

(Well, either that, or I need a tongue bath to get the mayonnaise out of my fur.)

--
Sky

Bookends

My blogging human got sent up to BeanTown for workstuff; then the OtherHuman got sent up to OpryTown. So it's been a real quiet blogging week for us.

Biggest news is that in spite of the comings and goings, Alberta has been eating well. We're all a little less worried, but still keeping a close eye on her.

And I guess I have been "bonding" a bit with the new kid. Here I am trying to teach Maggie Fu how to be a bookend.
She's a fast learner.
--
Sky

Alberta's Home

Alberta came home Thursday evening and so far things are going well. We're still not sure what's going on with her other then she was very dehydrated. Not all tests are in, but preliminary indicators don't indicate kidney disease, the most logical cause for all her symptoms. There's the suggested "special diet" to help her eat and hydrate and the over-the-counter anti-acid to settle her tummy. The Human was unpacking the bag stuff from the v-e-t office when Alberta jumped on the table and then over to the counter and demanded food as only Alberta can. (The humans snickered to each other when the v-e-t tech noted that "Alberta is rather vocal" when they were checking her out of the hospital)

She may be elderly and look frail, but she is still very spry and very assertive.

The unanswered questions, of course, are whether she can hydrate herself enough by eating and drinking; and if not, whether we supplement with fluids; and for how long her body would tolerate the process if we do. All our paws remain crossed.
After eating, Alberta chose the rocking chair
in the middle of "Grand Feline Station" and settled in back home.

As long as the little one (Maggie Fu) is playing elsewhere and NOT rocking Alberta's chair, all is well in the Oligarchy.

Thank you everyone for your purrs, prayers and concerns. We hope, this weekend, to get caught up with what's happening with everyone else in the blogosphere.

Alberta update

Alberta is eating well! She does not have an infection so they took her off antibiotics. She's still on fluids and we're waiting on the report from Dr. G before we know if the Humans can bring her home today.

About Alberta ....

This was to be Alberta's week at the Feline Oligarchy with two planned posts focused on her: one where we were all wishing her a "Happy 18th Gotcha Day" and another one with her and the new little one sleeping together on the sofa.

Unfortunately, she's been in the v-e-t hospital since Monday.

Alberta has been a little strange about her food for a long while - INSISTING on being fed numerous times a day and preferring to eat little bites at a time. Since there is often at least one human home, she is ususally accommodated. (She's also been on thyroid medicine for a couple of years with regular monitoring.)

Still she's been eating less and less while acting hungry but still looking bright eyed and being active and interactive. HumanGyrrl took care of everyone this weekend and Alberta was even more picky about her food. (Usually, HumanGyrrl doesn't get the same grief that the regular Humans do)

Monday morning the Human opened several different cans of Alberta's favorite foods and she barely wanted to lick the juice. But she wolfed down turkey broth baby food. So the Human called the v-e-t office and they said to bring her in.

Dr. G has done all sorts of tests thinking maybe Alberta had another infection. They said she was dehydrated but because of Alberta's history with injection site sarcoma, they didn't want to do subcutaneous fluid therapy. So, Dr. G. put in a catheter and asked to keep Alberta for a couple of days in the hospital.

The new little one, Maggie Fu, is settling in very nicely. Although Alberta didn't seem at all bothered by her presence and was sleeping close to her, the Humans are, of course, concerned that this might have exacerbated an existing situation.

She's supposed to come home tomorrow, but we're all rather worried about her. Please keep your paws crossed for our Alberta.

Lizards and Chunks

I must be getting old. When I lived Way Up North on the farm, I could eat whatever I managed to catch and not be bothered a bit. Of course, I only hunted for sport since my original human made sure I had my tablespoon of chicken flavored stinkygoodness every morning and all the crunchy food I could eat. Now that I've retired to Florida and don't leave the house, my hunting is a bit more limited. Sometimes, though, I still manage a catch. Like last night.

Unfortunately, early this morning, about 2 a.m. something was really not agreeing with my digestive system. I was feeling uncomfortable so I crept up from the foot of the bed to be right on top of my Human's chest. She was sound asleep. I laid my head on her hand, which was on top of the quilt. It was nice and cozy, but my stomach still wasn't settled so finally I just, uh, "hurled my chunks" up right on top of her hand.

Let's just say, that woke her up. She started asking if the OtherHuman were awake. Which due to her continued process of asking, assured that the OtherHuman and anyone else who might have been sleeping within a five mile radius became awake. OtherHuman immediately (or what passes for "immediately" when one is woken up from a sound deep sleep in the middle of the night) went for paper towels; gathered the chunky results of my hurling and proceeded to tell the Human, in great detail, that they appeared to contain lizard pieces intermingled with regular stinkygoodness.

The Human was not behaving in an overly polite manner toward this description. In fact, at this point she was so rude that I left the room. My chunks got flushed without further analysis. So I'm left to ponder whether that really was a lizard I ate last night.

--
Blackie