A Humble Honor

When Mama got the pmail today that said "Sebastian is Cat of the Week" I did not believe her. After all, she's been saying lots of unbelievable stuff lately, such as "I don't have time for Catster anymore" and "I don't have time to play with you right now".

So when Mama pulled this one out of her hat, I thought she was trying to make me feel better. I've been having asthma attacks of late; you should see the pollen on Mama's car! I just couldn't believe the fuss until I started getting messages & rosettes & gifts from everyone. This is just the coolest thing ever and even Mackenzie's getting in on the excitement by racing around the living room, chasing me! She never does that!

So, since such an honor means your adoration for the coming week, allow me to get in position to receive your respect and homage. Orange Rules!

~Sab

Sad News from The Sab's House

My hamster sister, Reese, has been sick with cancer for a couple months now. Mama's been giving her medicine for pain, giving her the most favorite of her food, and keeping an eye on her, but her pain was getting to be too much for her and she began biting at her cancerous leg and foot over the weekend.

Mama loaded her in the car this morning and took her to the clinic to have her PTS. She tells me it was so cold this morning that Reese's paws were cool when they got there. They didn't have an appointment but Dr. Vicki was able to help her. Reese was cold, so Mama says she wrapped her in her scarf-thing she wraps around her neck, and Reese tried to stuff it in her pouch!

So Reese got rid of her pain for good and went to sleep with a pouch full of her bedding, lettuce, and a banana chip. Mama says she lost 250 grams since she got sick, which is a really big deal when you only weight 100 grams when you're full grown.

I will not miss her, sorry to say. That rotten hamster chased me around in her exercise ball all the time! It's not fun getting run over by a rodent! I have done the howl for her and purred for Mama, who is sad but glad that Reese's not in pain anymore. Mama was there the day was born, and there the day she died, and almost every day in between. She says we can't be too sad, because Reese had a fabulous life and, I will admit, she was super spoiled!

Yo Wazup?

I know I've been AWOL lately; please don't blame me. It's all Mama's fault. I just don't know what to do with her! After all, I can't win another "diary of the day" title if I don't post in my diary MOL

She's always got a reason to keep me off of Catster. Right now its "I've got to do birthday shopping for the nieces" and now she's got a new toy: this fancy super-dooper lens that a friend gave her for her camera that Mama says is super expensive and more than she could even dream about. Mama's been taking lots of pictures lately and this isn't going to help!

At least Mama's knee is feeling better and she can move around again. I hate to see Mama in pain. The bad part about her feeling better is that she's not home as much! So I've done my part to make sure she knows I'm still around.

I've been leaving her regular dingleberries about the apartment. Unfortunately she manages to find them before she steps on them, but at least when she does find them, she comes over and bats me on the head with a "keep it in the box, Sab!"

When she's not taking pictures she's been at the animal shelter. She tells me that there's hardly anyone to work in the bunny room so she's been putting a lot of hours there. I tell her "hey, they don't pay you enough to work that hard!" and she says "silly Sab, I'm a volunteer; I don't get any money at all!"

We've had another foster bunny living with us for almost a month now - I haven't even had time to tell you about that! He's white with floppy ears and has a bad head tilt. Mama says he's getting medicine for a parasite infection that cats could catch so Bongo - that's his name - has to stay behind the fence and not come out and play with us. How come she doesn't do this with every bunny?

The not-so-baby nieces have been coming over to visit, too. I guess that they think Mama's the coolest person in the world to come visit and Lucy comes over alot. She likes to try to play with me by putting my boa feather in my face. Mama shows her how to swing it in front of me, but I don't want to encourage this behavior. They got me yesterday, though: Lucy threw my favorite ball at me and before I could think, I was out of my Morgan's Bed and chasing after it. This made Lucy laugh and jump and get all happy. Last time she was here, Lucy stuck her face in the pet carrier where Mackenzie was hiding and Kenzie striped Lucy's face. Mama was angry about that b/c she just missed Lucy's eye, but hey Lucy stuck her head where it didn't belong - even I know better than to do that! Now Lucy's afraid of Mackenzie and I get more preschooler attention!

It's been super hot here; Mama's kept the air machine on for us. Ah it feels so good!

Dogs and Cats and Tricks?

I love my mama - really, I do - but sometimes, she is one crazy cat. I just don't get her sometimes. This time, its about our new food routine, which I am not questioning at all - its purfect!

Mama said out loud to herself this morning "why didn't I think of this before? If you can teach an old dog new tricks, then you can teach old cats new ways to eat." She seemed quite happy about this and I wouldn't have even seen the funky grin on her face if I hadn't pulled my head out of my still-has-kibble-in-it bowl.

I know I've said it before, but its just so good I hafta say it again. Mackenzie having to take medicine is the best thing evah (we don't say the "r's" in Maine) because Mama puts a spoonful of succulent, soaked-in-gravy, manna from Heaven wet food in with my k/d kibble. She puts one in Kenzie's bowl, too, but she does something to Kenzie's bowl with pills and a little jar that goes crunch and then powder comes out. THEN she puts our bowls on our place mats.

At first I was quite annoyed with having to wait longer to put food in my belly; after all, I haven't seen food for a full 12 hours and I'm about to waste away to my bare, skinny bones. When I put my nose in my bowl and see that awesome gravy goodness on top, its like Mama when she puts liquid chocolate on her ice cream: its the cherry on top. Ooooooooooh it is nose-and-lip licking good! I get so wrapped up in the Whiskas wet pouch yumminess that I even walk away from my bowl and leave kibble behind just so I can savor the juices. Oh it is so delightful.

I guess this all makes Mama super excited, because both Kenzie and I are actually leaving food behind for later and not inhaling all our food in two breaths. I have no idea why Mama's so excited; its not like the kibble is old enough to grow into new cows or anything. I just like to go back and have a snack 10 minutes after I've enjoyed my Whiskas.

This has not stopped me from getting nibbles out of Kenzie's bowl or scratching the four corners of the world to bury imaginary stuff on my place mat and bowl. Mama says if she can stop two famished cats long enough to smell the kibble, then maybe there can be a solution to world peace and hunger.

Have I mentioned what a crazy cat my mama is?

Diary Pick? Me? No Way!

I cannot believe it! The Diary Gal is so pleased with the idea of filing a complaint against abusive pawrents that she made me a DDP and share our protest with all of Catster-dom. Can you imagine a better day?

thank you, thank you, thank you! *takes a gracious bow*

While I'm at it, thank you to the senders of the rosettes & gifts, like Sparkman and Simon and Calvin & Morris and Nala Sue and Siouxsie & OWP. You are all so kind!

The news from here? Mackenzie has been put on medicine & I'm really liking this a lot. The bad part was that she was tossing her kibble every breakfast for a week. Mama called the v*t and they put her back on tummy medicine. In order to give Mackenzie her tummy medicine Mama's been giving us each a spoonful of wet, succulent pouch food along with our dry kibble. Mackenzie's got such a great nose for sniffing out medicine so she's been none the wiser; I only know because I heard Mama talking on the phone with Memere. Since being on tummy medicine, the spoonful of pouch food has been grand and I haven't heard Mama complaining about cleaning up after Kenzie's breakfast toss.

As for celebrating my diary selection, this morning I pounced on Mackenzie for "no good reason", as Mama put it. Oh it was so much fun!

Time to Report Abusive Pawrents!

As usual, the brilliantly clever Jason Hopper has come up with a fantabulous idea that I just couldn't keep to myself. After all, he's going to need tons of help and he said I could recruit all of you!

He suggested that he and I report our pawrents to the ASPCA for feline abuse because they insist on taking us to the vets for inhumane treatment.

Have you had this problem? Do your pawrents haul you off to the v*t for unseemly procedures, tortures, and other fearful things? Do they take you more than once a year? Do they exhibit an extreme lack of financial sense by paying off the v*t in order to torture you? Making you sleeping so they can take unseemly photos? Sticking fingers were no fingers should ever go? POKING YOU with painful needles? Shoving alien liquids into your precious feline self? If so, then you can add your pawrents to the complaint list! If we get this big enough, I'm sure the ASCPA will notice & take action! After all its Prevention of Animal Cruelty Month - what better month to make our case?

So, who's in? Let us know!

The Annual Torture-of-the-Cat Trip to the Evil Vet

I know our parents love us but why do they say that to make it sound like going to the v*t is a good thing?

Yesterday Mama interrupted a purfectly good nap - in a sunbeam even - to toss me in the cat carrier and haul me off to visit Dr. Shawn. At least I had company this time: Mama put guinea pig brother Bijou in his carrier and he came with us. I don't even know why Mama did this - after all, she can't stand on her left knee well and hobbles all over the place. Even the ladies at the v*t place said "you shouldn't be carrying all that weight without your cane and on your bad knee!"

I let Bijou have the honors of being tortured by Dr. Shawn first. The laugh's on Bijou - he gained 2 ounces and Dr. Shawn called him "overweight". He told Mama to put Bijou on a diet and lots of exercise. Otherwise, Bijou is a good-looking, healthy boy - so says Dr. Shawn and his helper Linda, who just couldn't hug him enough.

Mama forced me out of the carrier and Linda made me stand on the scale, but I didn't make it easier for them! Had I known the scale was going to tell us good things I would have cooperated! Even so, I've lost one entire pound since last year & Dr. Shawn is very pleased! He says I'm in great shape, a good weight, and keep up the good work.

Granted, he said all this AFTER he shoved his fingers in my mouth and up my tail and poked my belly and listened to my heart and my lungs and stared at my poop and THEN poked me with a needle. He did say one thing that made me happy: he told Mama to bring me in LATER for the stealing of the blood b/c he knows Mama is needing lotsa money for her vet and her bad knee.

Because Mama couldn't carry both of us up the stairs when we got home, she let me out of my carrier as soon as she closed the door to the apartment. I got to walk up the stairs to our door and wait for her while she carried Bijou and my carrier. Mackenzie didn't even care that we were gone - she was still sleeping in same place I'd left her when Mama woke me up!

The good news is that I'll be around another year! The bad news is... oh wait, there IS no bad news!

Heartbreak "Hotel"

Mama's grandma has been sick for a couple weeks, and she finally died Tuesday morning. Mama rushed to be with her, leaving us with our trusty pet feeder and a family friend of 20+ years.

Pet sitter turned the heat on way too high Tuesday night but then forgot to turn it off on Wednesday. Mama came home in the afternoon to find us cats panting - wowsers it was really hot in here - and our guinea pig brother, Monet, was non-responsive. Even worse, our hamster sister, Reese, had gotten out of her cage and was nowhere to be found.

Mama got hysterical and she rushed Monet and other piggie brother Bijou to the vet's. I have never seen Mama so upset. She came home with Bijou; he was OK. Monet came home in a box, though, and he was dead. Kenzie & I got to say goodbye.

The vet thinks that he was starting to get sick; Mo had lost several ounces, and Mama hadn't noticed it yet, but with the heat, it just made him super sick really fast. Pet sitter is beside himself with guilt, because Monet was fine Wednesday morning.

Mama made sure that we cats were fine. It was 130F in here when she got home, she said. She worried about my asthma, but I am fine. No attacks! I'm not dumb; I took it easy. I wasn't going to chase Mackenzie around in that heat!

Memere came over that night to help look for Reese, and she came out from under the bed, all on her own, about 9 pm. Mama was so happy to see her! Reese was hungry and devoured her supper. Then - can you imagine - she started begging to get out of her cage!

Mama tells me she's home for good now; no more being gone overnights. She said that as much as we make her mad for hogging the bed, she didn't really sleep well with the bed to herself at her aunt's house. So Kenzie & I piled on her last night, and all of us slept good.

I don't plan on leaving Mama's feet today. I hope she doesn't plan on stepping on me again!

Mama Tries to Kill Me!

I need a new mama; mine is broken and she's going to break me too!

Because of all that hobbling and creaking and popping coming from her knee, Mama doesn't clean our litter boxes like she used to clean them. She's been forcing us to use them until the stench is unbearable and we must resort to... counter measures... to take care of things. Toilet paper only works so far, but even me leaving a... ah hem... a present... for her by her pillow didn't make her clean them faster!

So Saturday she decided it was time to clean the boxes. Since she's not done them in awhile Kenzie & I decided that I would be the one to supervise the cleaning.

Mama didn't want my help at all. She kept saying "Sab, get OUT OF MY WAY!" and "I don't want to step on you" and she even took her foot and pushed me away from the door. I couldn't see the #1 box where she put me! I moved back to my spot.

Mama had gotten the dirty litter in a shopping bag and tied it up. She then tried to get it out of the bathroom. I tried to get out of the way for her, but what did she do? She decided to walk right in front of me!

It was something like a desperate tragedy ballet or some other ridiculous something. Mama landed square on my front paws! I hissed and I howled and I bit her ankle!

Mama did her best to move herself quickly and what did she do? She stepped on my back paws and tail as I tried to flee the carnage. She was wobbling back and forth and teetering over me and I just knew she was going down! I slapped her other ankle very good and drew some blood so I know she got the message!

Mama slammed into the door with her hand and was yelling and shouting at me and going "owie" and "oooooooh" and managed to keep herself from falling over. She claims that she twisted her back, her bad knee, and bruised her wrist. Don't ask me how it happened, but she never did spill that cat litter.

I cannot believe she blamed that episode on me! She is so full of it! Mama got her report on her knee test and you know what it said? It told me what's wrong with her. It says, and if I can read human well, it went something like this: "large body habitus." I think they called Mama fat and, after feeling her on all four of my paws, I totally agree!

Two Go Out, One Comes In

Mama's been busy moving things all around in the living room the past couple of days. She's also been busy with the telephony and her pmails and getting things ready for finding our foster guinea pigs new homes!

I'm so happy that the mama and baby girl moved out, but even happier than they went to their forever home on Sunday. Mama talked to the new family this afternoon and everything is going good for them and the little humans and the piggies are having a blast!

Yesterday, though, Mama took down the big cage and the table its been on - the one that the mamas and the babies have been living in while they were here. She put the boys in the smaller cage and took the big stuff out of the house. Then today she cleaned everything up and out came the rabbit cage.

Just when I was getting excited....

Mama leaves this afternoon and comes back with those scary "I love my pet" boxes. I call them scary because you just can never tell what is going to come out of them! This time Mama pulls out a bunny - well she says its a bunny - and put it in the cage.

I have thoroughly sniffed the cage and the scary box. Yes, this smells like a rabbit. I'm not sure it looks like any rabbit I've ever seen. This rabbit is the size of my guinea pig brothers! What kind of a rabbit is that?

Mama says she's a "pregnant" kind of rabbit, is what she is, but she's just a very, very small rabbit and she's here so she can have her babies. Mama says she's also had a hard time eating so lots of food and love are also on the list of things for small bunny.

No sooner had Mama put the bunny in the cage than she took the boy piggies out of the small cage, put them in a box, and out the door they went. She came back late - too late to serve me supper on time grrrrrr - but no guinea pigs were with her. She says they went to their new home tonight and now all we have is the foster bunny. Oh yeah we still have a foster hamster but I hardly ever see her; she's too busy hiding all the time!

In the middle of all this, Mama sat down to check her email. I got next to her chair, got on top of the paper eater box, and put my paws on her leg. She picked me up and for the next long while, we cuddled. She held me and rubbed my head and my ears and my chin and gave me kisses and just let me hang with her for a few, until I had enough.

Today was a very good day!