Thank you to all my friends

A super big thanks to all my pals and their families who dropped by to wish me a Happy Birthday and Gotcha Day:

Alfie
Ashley (wow, that cake was big enough for everyone!)
Boogers
Pansy
Samoa & Gleek
Ashlynne
Bugsy
Big Harry
Mercedes
Kitcat
Hazel Lucy
Tigger
Jezebel
da tabbies o trout towne
Alex

My Mom got to stay home with me and give me snackies and scratches all day. I am a lucky boy! Thanks everybody.

The Murrman

It's My Birthday!!!!!

Today is my birthday/gotcha day. I came to my forever home in 2005. Since then, lots has happened - including 4 more kitties who have come to call this their forever home too.

As some of you know, I had 2 surgeries last year and am a very lucky boy to be here for this birthday. My family treasures everyday they have with me and I treasure them and all of my friends here on Catster. Now bring on the tuna cake!!!

Boogers? Pansy? No, it's Hazel Lucy Two!!!

Dad was giving us our last snackie the other morning before he went to work and noticed that Willie got off his perch but never showed up for his snackie which is NOT like Willie. Dad goes down the basement steps and about 4 steps down he gets a strong whiff of pee. Then he sees Willie under the oil tank and he won't come out. Dad starts freaking out that Willie is having urinary problems again. He hasn't had an issues in well over 4 years. He calls our vet and she is not in that day. Dr. Winter is the only one we like to see even though there are a dozen other docs there. Now he calls Mom and asks her if she saw Willie pee before she left for work. She isn't sure. Dad didn't see Willie pee anywhere on the stairs or struggling but he doesn't know what else to think.

Dad puts Willie in their bedroom area by himself until he can come home for lunch to check on him. He has a bathroom and water and a big clean litter box and blankies and perches so it is not as sad as it sounds. He closes the basement door because he can't figure out what is going on down there. Now I am sniffing all around down there and Pearl and Cindy Lou are acting weird too.

Dad comes home at noon and goes to check on Willie. There is a huge pee in the his litter box so Dad is relieved that everything is okay with him and lets him out of the room. But we are all still freaking out at the basement door to try to get down there. Normally the door is ajar so we can go down to use the box down there. Dad puts a bowl of dry food down there and sprinkles some baby powder around it to see if the food will be eaten and whose footprints will be there. He looks all around with a flashlight and sees nothing. The basement is almost all empty anyway. He glances up the the little window and then he sees it. A huge hiney sitting on the outside under the front porch. He gets a step ladder and stands on it and yep, there are pointy little ears. It's a cat!!! A big stinky outside cat! It was raining so he or she was sitting under the porch to stay out of the rain.

Dad goes outside with a bag of food (he knows he shouldn't 'cause he doesn't want the stinky smell to be in the basement anymore) and there are 2 cats!!! A big tabby and a big black and white tuxedo. The tabby runs around the corner but the other big cat doesn't move. Maybe Boogers came to visit me. Or Pansy! Or, gulp, Princess, although she did not have blonde hair or sunglasses.

He puts a big bowl of food and a bowl of water out under the step and sure enough the big tuxedo comes to eat it. It's kind of dark and raining so he only sees the white part of the cat and knows it is not the tabby. He has to go back to work but he tells Mom not to go in the basement until they are both home. That night, the food is untouched and there are no footprints in the powder. The cats must have peed right outside that window and the smell got inside. But thank goodness, no stray cats got inside the basement.

Yesterday evening, when Dad pulled the car up the driveway, he saw a big blur run across the yard to the same place under the porch. He went to feed him/her again. Today, he went out right as it was getting dark and looked under the porch with a flashlight. No kitties. He put some food out and turned around and guess who is sitting there about 6 feet away? A big beautiful kitty but he's/she's not BLACK and white, he/she is GRAY and white. Then it hits him, this is the kitty that he named Hazel Lucy last summer!!!! He fed him/her quite a bit back then and then didn't see him/her anymore. What a beautiful kitty. Dad doesn't think this cat acts like a feral although he can't get very close. Smart kitty, he knew Dad was going to feed him/her again. No signs of the tabby. Also, thank goodness, the pee smell has completely gone away in the basement. Dad wants to move the feral shelter he made last year somehow closer to the porch. The shelter has been out there and elevated by the shed for 2 years, but it doesn't look like anyone has ever used it. He even cut a hole in the back end so there would be an escape route. Don't know if that was a mistake or not, but no one seems to use the shelter and it is nice and insulated and has straw in it. Will keep you posted. One bright side is that this has been one of the most mild winters we have had in years so far.

The Murrman

Santa Paws is (hopefully) coming to town

Mom and Dad finally recovered from working a billion hours on Blk Friday to get some Christmas decorations down from the attic. There are stockings hanging everywhere. Too bad they are all...empty! Where are the treats? The catnip? The Yeoowwww toys? The cans of Tiki? The new large size bags of Party Mix and Temptations? Guess we will have to wait and see if Santa stops by since some of the kitties in this house have not been exactly on their best behavior all year... I won't single any cat out but her name rhymes with Rindy Who.

I have been doing pretty well except I keep scratching my ear. The docs seem to think that the internal healing of the nerves is causing me to scratch. My right ear is sewed closed but I keep scratching anyway. I am on my second Convenia shot and have some ointment to put on the scratches. On Monday I am getting a new medicine on the advice of my regular doc and the surgeon in NJ. Otherwise, I am doing well. Dr. Winter says my nymph nodes feel great and she is very happy with how well I am doing. I am very happy to be with my family for the holidays.

Hope everycat is getting ready for the holidays and realizes how lucky they are to have a cozy home with families who love them.

Purrs,
Murray

Daily Diary Pick!!!

Ooooooh, I can't believe I'm a DDP today! What an honor. I'm glad to have such a cool page for Halloween from my friend Pansy. Thanks Catster for picking me today.

The Coolest Page Ever!

Check it out! Is this not the scariest page ever? Pansy and her Mom have outdone themselves this time. Check out Miss Tiki's glowing changing eyeballs!

I almost want to be nice to her, but next thing I know, her evil friend Princess will be at my front door with some newfangled scheme to steal my Tiki...

Purrs,
Murray

Ok visit from the doc

The doc in NJ said everything looks good. My eye looks a little better lately. I only need drops once a day now to keep it lubricated. I blinked twice in my right eye when I was there. I haven't blinked since my surgery. Well, no one has seen me blink anyway.

We tried a new kind of dry food called Grandma Mae's Country Naturals yesterday and we were all (except Willie) twirling around like poodles asking for more. Dad tried a little trial size bag to see if we would like it. It is made close to us in upstate NY. The lady at our pet food store said it is flying off the shelf. I have been very fussy with my food lately so Dad decided to try something new. It takes me forever to finish my food lately. Dad had the doc look at my teeth and the doc said they look great. Maybe I am just being a fussycat.

To the docs on Thursday

I go back to NJ on Thursday for a post-surgery follow-up. I will probably only be there a few minutes but Mom and Dad are concerned because the ride is over 45 minutes each way. Mom sits in the back with me and it is not too bad except that I am scared the whole way there and back. If she pets me I don't cry too much but it is nerve-rattling on all of us. My eye is about half-open. I hope the doc says that I am doing well.

Guess what? Muffy came out of his room the other night. Mom sat in the hallway and threw him treats and he came out and looked all around. Dad will put up some new pics soon. He hasn't met any of us yet but he is making progress. Last year at this time he was in the basement hiding in the rafters and hissing. Now he is Mom's big love muffin. Baby steps...

Good News from the Doc

The Doc in NJ called today with my test results. He said I have "large clean margins". In the world of the evil C, this is a good thing. It means I don't have any remaining cancer at the site of the original tumor. The lymph node that was removed as a precaution was healthy. The Doc doesn't believe that it has spread. He called the surgery a "complete success". Dad was repeating to Mom what the Doc was saying on the phone and she starting crying.

He wants to do a physical exam every 2 months and chest xrays every 4 months for at least one year. He said if I am still in tip top shape, we can reduce the time inbetween exams and xrays for the second year. After 2 years, if I am still healthy, he believes this will no longer be an issue for me for the rest of my life.

We always believed in the "power of the paw". We have seen it many times on Catster. I had no idea that I would be needing the POTP, but when I did, my pals were there for me and guess what? It worked!!!

We are carefully and cautiously looking to the future. I plan on being around to eat, sleep, pester for food, scratch the furniture, gack up some hairballs on the carpet, take up half of the bed at night while Dad yells at Mom that he'd have more room in an army cot, sit near the computer with Dad and take on the dastardly Pirate Pansy this month before she sinks me ship.

I am off the pain meds and my eye looks a "little" bit better. My ear is still floppy and may not go back to the way it was, but I am still handsome to Mom and Dad. Thanks again to everyone for your purrs and friendship.

Love,
Murray

My Pirate Page!!

Pirate Pansy has outdone herself this time. Look at my beautiful new pirate page with Ms Tiki as my first mate. Pretty soon I'll be back to my old self and be kickin' some pirate booty.

I am sleeping quite a bit, probably due to the Buprenex. I'm eating on and off. Mostly I'm eating the catnip Temptation treats that my buddy Boogers sent me. Dad will put up pictures tomorrow. Mom was off with me for 3 days and now Dad will be home with me for the next 3 days. I get my stitches out next week. Boy there are a lot of them.

Thanks for asking about me. I might need a pirate patch for my right eye but I'm a tough guy. Looking forward to hangin with me mateys this month. Arrrrgh!