Thank you, one and all!

As the official spokescat for my family, I want to thank all of our friends who sent Passover cups (what's up with that?) and flowers for Mother's Day. None of us is a mother, but Mom is, and she loved the way our pages looked so colorful and spring-y. She's sorry she missed the free gift days, for she would have loved sending pressies to all our friends.

Today I am using my heated bed again. Our radiators are off while some work is done to the boiler, and even though the sun is shining, it is only 60 degrees in the house -- fine for Bear and Vicki, with their luxuriant fur, but not nearly warm enough for an elderly short-hair like me!

I fell down the stairs

This morning, the humans were awfully slow in getting up. Mom wasn't feeling good, and no matter how hard Vicki and Bear tried, they couldn't get her out of bed. So I had to take matters into my own paws, and went upstairs, which I don't do much anymore. I went directly into the humans' room and put my paws on the side of the bed and yowled into Mom's ear. Well, that did it. She got up and put her bathrobe on, apologizing to us for being a sluggard.

Vicki and Bear ran immediately down the stairs, and I started to follow them. But I forgot that I can't scamper down two paws at a time like I used to. Somehow my paws got tangled up, and down the stairs I went. Mom was horrified and ran down to me, feeling me all over before she picked me up. I was OK, though mortified. I immediately starting licking my paws to show I meant to do that, though I guess I wasn't fooling anybody.

I feel like a klutz. Although, to be fair, it was all Mom's fault.

The new tag game

Well, here's a fun game.

1. Describe one thing your pet pawrent does that you think is REALLY CUTE.

When she gives me my medicine in the morning, she keeps me on her lap for another five minutes or so, cuddling and rubbing my ears.

2. Describe one thing your pet pawrent does that you think is REALLY LAME.

Once a month or so, she puts me in the sink, turns the spray on me and washes me like I'm a dirty dish or something. She says it's for my allergies. I'll tell you what I'm allergic to, Mom. Baths!

What, another medicine?!?!

Mom took a pee sample into the vet Monday (from me, not her, of course), and the vet called back today to say that it was more dilute than last time, which suggests my CRF is progressing (although the creatinine and BUN are holding steady, hooray!).

The vet suggested a supplement called Renavast. Has anyone ever tried it? From what Mom reads on the Internet, it's not super expensive and contains nothing dangerous, but people are divided on how much good it does.

Pretty soon there won't be room in my tummy for food, what with all the medicine I take. No, wait. What am I talking about? There will ALWAYS be room for food!

What I like about spring.

I was tagged by Jax and Marmalade for this game! Copy my diary, change the answers to yours and tag five of your friends!

Five Things I Like About Spring:

1. Long naps in sun puddles
2. Sun puddles that last longer
3. Sun puddles that get warmer than they did in the winter
4. Smelling the outdoors through the screens
5. Did I mention sun puddles?

I am tagging:
1. Bear
2. Ka-Zar
3. Zach
4. Jezebel
5. Samoa

Happy Spring!

Is it spring?

Today the sun was shining brightly, and even though it was only in the low 50s outside, Mom got overheated while cleaning the sunny family room. So she opened the French doors to let a little cool air in.

We came zooming in from all over the house to stand by the screen and sniff that sweet air, even though the vacuum cleaner monster was in the room with us.

Wow. Fresh air and sun puddles all at the same time. Life is good.

And to make it even better, Mom picked up a package of chicken livers at the store yesterday to fry up and freeze as occasional treats for us. She was astonished at how much chicken livers cost these days -- she remembers when they were so cheap that she treated her cats once a week. Those must have been some really good old days.

Thanks for the purrs, friends!

So Mom gets out the carrier this morning, in preparation for my vet visit, and comes to get me. She finds me by the laundry-room litter box, proudly standing next to a nicely formed, fresh, FIRM poop.

She says it's like taking her car to the mechanic. It never makes that funny noise when it's at the shop.

But off we went anyway, and the vet said it was because the metranidazole was doing its job in getting rid of the diarrhea, and to keep it up for another week. (The vet had seen the baggie of soupy stool Mom took in Wednesday, so he knew she wasn't making it up!) No parasites in that soup, which is good news.

And more good news! He said my heart sounded good and only a little bit fast, so the hyperthyroid medication is doing its job, too. And I gained two ounces!

Had to donate some blood while I was there, and also got a new bottle of Posatex for my ears, since there is some evidence that the yeast crud is returning.

Thanks, everybody, for your purrs and good wishes. The vet said I was a "tough little guy" and had a few lives left yet.

Whew. Time for lunch and a nap.

Sigh. In need of purrs, I'm afraid.

It's always something. For a couple of years Mom has given me lactulose every day to keep the poops moving along. An old cat with CKD needs to grease the skids a little, as it were.

But yesterday what was once too firm turned into soup. Backyard trots, Mom called it, though of course I'm not allowed into the backyard. I think it's a technical term. Probably Newman would know.

Anyway, she took a sample in to the vet today and made an appointment on Saturday. Meanwhile, I get to take the lovely metronidazole (aka Flagel) and prednisone.

The Oscars

Mom added to my page a picture taken during the Oscars last night. We kind of lost interest when we found out that the tiger from "Life of Pi" didn't get nominated.

She's home!

Mom came home last night! She'd been gone since Thursday, and Dad said she was in the Biggest Little City in the World with the rest of her litter mates, celebrating Grandmom's 90th birthday. Dad did his best to take care of us. He's not bad at feeding, but let's face it, litterbox scooping and medicine giving are not his strong suits.

Mom also found five days' worth of newspapers in the driveway and five days' worth of mail in the mailbox, and she said, "Really?" in a tone of voice that suggested she was not pleased.

Grandmom is doing great and was excited that KU won its basketball game. Mom went to the casino one night with her brothers but said that the only machine she had any luck with was the ATM.

I was so glad to see her that I left my little heated bed and came in to sit with her and get my ears scratched while she watched "Downton Abbey."