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Dijon's Discoveries

Tree climbing...

It's been a LONG TIME since I was stuck in that silly tree. For quite a while I stayed away from trees completely, but finally, Smokey Cat decided to help me out a bit and teach me how to climb DOWN.
Apparently I learned okay. I have been traveling down into the lab pen with Smokey Cat lately when Mom goes down there with the dogs. I must admit, for the most part those dogs are pretty fun. And, after a while they do learn to watch the claws, MOL! I pretty much just need to turn and face them and slowly lift up my front paw if they get out of hand now.
But, every once in a while I do find it in my best interests to quickly climb a tree. Especially if there are two or three of them coming at me at the same time...that gets scary!
There is a HUGE cedar tree down in the lab pen that is totally dead. It is really fun to climb because you can see a million miles from up there. And, unlike that silly maple I climbed this Summer, that cedar has nice, soft bark that grabs my claws so I don't slip at all.
Today Smokey Cat and I were sunning ourselves up in that cedar tree. Mom took all the dogs back to the house, and gave a long, lingering look back at me up in that tree. Smokey Cat quickly got down and headed for the house and I am SURE Mom thought I was stuck up there.
I KNOW she thought that, cuz about ten minutes later, she stuck her head out the door and called me. Surprise, I was right there on the porch, waiting for her to let me in, MOL!

I am SICK!

Last week I had a sore foot. I hobbled around all day Thursday and Friday. Friday night Mom checked my foot and couldn't see anything wrong with it at all! She thought it might be slightly swollen on the big pad so she put some bacitracin on it and wrapped it with some bandaids.
Saturday morning I was better and would at least rest my foot on the floor, but I was still pretty quiet. Mom was gonna take me next door to the vets but she was alone at work and they have the same hours we do on Saturdays.
Sunday there wasn't much change and I pretty much stayed on the bed all day. Monday morning I was SICK as a dog, MOL! I was dehydrated, had a high fever and couldn't/wouldn't eat and now my BACK FOOT hurt like crazy.
Off to the vets where they found my fever was 104.6 and they gave me a shot of antibiotics and fluids. In the afternoon they called Mom and said my fever was down and I could go home with antibiotics but they had NO IDEA what was wrong. Mom said she would get me after work.
An hour later they called and now my fever was 105.7 and I was very sick. They did the combo testing and I was negative for all those cat diseases, WHEW!!! But, they said I had to stay.
When Mom got out of work she called and I was a bit better so they let me go home. I did eat some food, and I slept on Mom's bed all night long without moving. Yesterday I stayed in my cat bed all day long, but got up when Mom got home. I was still feverish, too.
Today, I am a bit better... in fact, I even snuck outside, but once I was out there I didn't have the strength to even climb over the dog kennel fence. Mom grabbed me and put me back in the house.
Mom is going crazy... the vets have NO IDEA what is wrong other than that I must have an infection somewhere. While my feet hurt, they LOOK perfectly fine. Mom says I act like I have lyme disease BUT that cats aren't supposed to get it, according to the vets. BUT, I DID have some deer ticks a few weeks ago!
Hopefully, tomorrow I will be all better cuz I am getting sick of Mom stuffing those antibiotics down my throat twice every day!!!

Oops, Lost again!!!

Yesterday morning I climbed out my little in/out puppy door, climbed up the kennel fence, walked along the top railing, climbed onto the Chickie house, slid down the front of it and climbed over the end fence. Whew, sounds like a ton of work just to go outside!!!
I had a good day out there with Joey and Smokey. Mom trapped the gray kitty and put her in the kennel for the Winter cuz she is now at least 19 years old and the cold bothers her. Even though she has been here 10 years she STILL won't let anyone touch her so Mom had to trap her!!!
Anyway, it got dark and Smokey cat came inside. Mom couldn't find me, though!
She was getting worried when it was bedtime and I still didn't come inside. She kept checking all night, but I was no where to be found.
This morning she called and called and I still didn't show up. NOW, Mom was really worried!!! As soon as she got out of work, early cuz it's her afternoon off, she decided she HAD to walk along the road and make sure I wasn't there. Nope, I wasn't so she went all around the house, checking the tops of all the trees. No Dijon!
Mom was working in her bedroom changing her Summer clothes with her Winter ones all afternoon, but she kept calling and calling me. She did check the cellar and the guest room but I wasn't shut in either of those.
Finally, Mom was in her closet which is next to the stairs up to the second floor. We don't use that floor cuz there is no electricity up there. No one EVER opens the door at the foot of those stair EVER! But, suddenly, Momsie heard my tell tale meow. She answered, and I meowed even louder!!
She opened the door and OUT I SPRANG!!!!
Our house used to be part of the underground slave railroad and there is a secret room up over the shed. Mom says I apparently climbed up into the top of the shed, walked a beam over to that room and somehow came in the little door when the slaves went in. She THOUGHT that door was closed and nailed shut, but apparently it is not. It was too dark to check on it today, but she will soon!
Meanwhile, I was soooo happy to be out of there! It was a bit better than the tree, but still dark and lonely and I was hungry!!!