Clear as a Bell--Ding Dong!

My herpes had really gotten out of control a few weeks ago. I was sneezing greenish goo mixed with blood! Finally, my mommy broke down and took me to the vet. They had told her there's no cure for my herpes and all we can do is treat the symptoms, but my symptoms were bad enough for her to want to seek treatment for them. They put me on another antibiotic, like a Z-pack for humans. Well, it did the trick! Not only did it get rid of the bloody green goo, I haven't sneezed in over a week! It's a miracle drug, I tell ya! Of course, with Maddy and Kisses also on medicines, it's a lot of work for my family to force-feed pills to 3 different animals. But, I'm just so glad for the ability to breathe again, I don't feel even a little bit sorry for them. MOL!

Wheres my Walking Target?

I havent seen Kia around the house since early Saturday morning. I had just chased her the night before and scattered chunks of her fuzz all over the hallway carpet. Maybe she finally got my message and ran away. I havent seen Aria or April since then, either. I assume theyre both out looking for her.
Hmmm...with Kia gone, whos gonna be my new target? Im the alpha male! If I dont rough someone up regularly, I could lose my street cred!

Traces of Altzheimers?

I think I'm developing Altzheimers in my old age! I completely forgot about my own birthday last Oct 16! (Well, I didn't completely forget, but I forgot to post anything about it.) I wonder if that kitty herpes virus has gotten into my head or something. Good thing is, I'm lucky number 11 now! That's a very lucky number in my family. I know I'm gonna have the best year of my life ever!

Milk Carton Mikey!

I had quite a day yesterday. My mommy was off of work so she got to stay home with all us kitties and doggies. Most of us were raring to go out, so she put the gate up on the deck and let us out on there to lay around in the sun and soak up the lovely spring breeze. She had to go shopping later, so she corralled us all inside then left after making sure we were all accounted for....or so she thought. Fast forward several hours to dinnertime. Everyone else had gotten home by now and were eating their dinner, and the doggies all asked to be let outside to go potty. All of a sudden, they were all barking uncontrollably, so the humans yelled at them to hush up. But they wouldn't. April ran outside to tell them to stop barking at the neighbor's dog, but then she saw they were barking at a large black cat mostly hidden by a tree. She remarked to Mom that there was a beautiful black cat next door. That made Mommy start to worry. Had she really accounted for everyone before she left to go shopping?
Well, April ran down to the yard, just to be sure. OMG! It was ME!!! I had somehow escaped off the deck and had made my way to the next-door neighbors' yard. I was so bushed-up she didn't even recognize me at first! She was trying to figure out how to coax me safely back over the fence as I kept looking for ways out of it. Fortunately the neighbor was outside with his dog, so he bravely picked me up and handed me over to her. I dug my claws in her skin and twisted, creating nice puncture wounds. But she held onto me long enough to run me back inside. Then I unbushed myself, ate my dinner like it was going out of style, and strutted around the house for the rest of the evening. No one could believe I had been gone all afternoon and they hadn't realized it. They also couldn't believe I had made it back safely on my own. (What? They don't think I have kitty GPS?) Well, now I'm the BMOC because I get to relay the tale of my outdoor adventure to everycat, including how I nearly ended up with my face on a milk carton!

I'm a Good Little Snot

I had to go to the doctor today for a checkup. Aria went with me, but I know I was the main attraction at that appointment. :) I've been having a bit of respiratory distress lately, and when I sneeze it leaves long trails of nose goo all over the side of my face. It'd be cute if it weren't so disgusting. MOL! Mr. Doctor-Vet informed me that I have some virus he called "Herbies." Or maybe it was Kirbies? He said 9 out of 10 kitties have it but it doesn't usually show up till we get older, after our immune system slows down a bit. (He likened it to humans getting that chicken disease as a child then having it come back later as shingles, whatever that may be.) Velvet had this virus, too, when she was here on earth. I blame her for giving it to me!
Anyway, this Herbies virus got into my teeth and made them all fall out. I only got a few left. So, now I have to swallow antibiotics and eat some powder to keep the symptoms at bay. The good news is, my kidneys are functioning normally. I was so happy about that part, I rubbed up against the Doc and wrapped my tail around his legs as a thank you. Aren't I a good little old man?

Barrel of Loneliness

My brother Charlie is gone, so I'm now the oldest male kitty living in the house. My only living brother, Sonni, is just 5. (I have sisters, too, but I'm only talking about the men of the house.) I made sure to say a special good-bye to Chalie when he passed away. I got to spend one more night with him in our favorite barrel, where us boys would cuddle up next to each other, barring all laws of normal male social conduct in most other places. :) It was our Brokeback Barrel! Haha! I missed cuddling with Bro, and now I'll miss getting all snuggly warm with Charlie. Sonni isn't exactly a touch-feely kind of guy, so he would never do that with me. And Lord knows the girls are above that kind of nonsense. I guess I'll have to learn to sleep in that barrel all by my lonesome now. I think a human would lay there with me if only it weren't so small. I think I need another guy friend to bond with and give manly advice to. When April, Toby, and Rob all move out with their respective animals, it'll just be me, Sonni, and Kisses left. After spending the last 10 years in a total zoo, that's gonna be a hard adjustment to make. That makes me sad to think about.

Soon it will be Christmas Day

It's that time of year again! I can smell the pine needles in the air and the dusty tree ornaments encased in mothballs! Soon we'll have a big green Christmas tree sitting up in the living room again, just waiting to be climbed! It will have all kinds of ornaments on it for me to knock off and hide, plus row upon row of yummy tinsel I can swallow and then poop out in my liter box. My family seems to try harder every year to keep the ornaments and tinsel away from me, but I always find a way. I kind of enjoy the challenge, too! I think that's the best part, even!

The Torch has Passed

Hello furry and non-furry friends alike. My big brother, Bro, has officially passed the Alpha Male torch down to me, as he gave in to his battle with CRF early this morning. I promise to uphold his legacy and to rule with a firm but gentle paw, like he did. I'll miss his friendship and tutledge, but I know I'll see him again someday. Until then, all my loyal subjects bow before me (except Kia--she's too busy hiding from me).

Leaves of Grass

I got to go outside on Sunday afternoon! April/Mommy hooked me up on the little blue harness and let me out back to explore. Bro was already out there roaming freely (he was allowed to do that because he's too old to hop the fence or otherwise skip town). I was hooked up to Koivu's 60-ft leash and just walked around the perimeter of the yard, chewing on leaves of grass and rolling in the dirt. I know the older kitties used to be allowed to wander around the neighborhood whenever the pleased, but that rule got changed when Mini died and September ("Seppy") disappeared. (I never met them, they were way before my time.)
I love being able to explore beyond the front door and window sills! But, even more, I love that my family cares enough about me to do what's in my best interest and not let me wander unattended. I can live with the harness and leash. I like it, actually! It's proof that I'm loved and cared for.

Free as a Bird on a Leash!

I wrote in my diary yesterday that Mommy would probably take me outside on my leash and harness soon since it's so nice out. Well, little did I know "soon" meant that same afternoon! While she was waiting for Grandpa to come home so they could go to the store, she saddled me up in my little harness and took me out to the front yard. All the other animals were very jealous, expecially Aria, who pretended to scratch on the screen door (she's always trying to scratch things and sharpen her non-existant claws). I rubbed my face all over the bushes, grass, garden mulch, etc. I backed my little rear up to the side of the house and twitched my tail like I was spraying, but nothing came out except for my odiferous scent glands. I was having such a ball...until the neighbor's dog came around the corner of the house. She's a fat old rottweiler with arthritis in her legs, but she still scared the bejeebs out of me. My back arched, my tail bushed, and every hair on my coat was standing on end. She looked like she was about to charge me, so I gave her a warning hiss. Maybe she wasn't going to charge me, but Mommy decided it was time for me to go in at that point. So, she took me back inside then proceeded to take Aria for some outdoorsey time. I wasn't ready to go back in, but I never am. I just love the outside! I've always been an indoor-only kitty. But, the first time Mommy took me out on a leash, I fell in love with nature. Now, it's impossible to coax me back inside.
I don't mind my excusrions being constantly supervised while on a leash. In fact, I like my leash and attempt to dig it out of the bowl everytime someone approaches the door. To me, a leash means freedom! Ironic, isn't it?