We are leaving Catster

Dear friends,

We will be deleting our family's accounts on Catster.com at the end of May. This decision has been a long time in the making, but has been prompted by the recent changes and the very recent acquisition of Catster by Say:Media.

Catster and Dogster are no longer nice places to play for our family, so we have moved over to Cathugger.com. We are going to recreate the restaurant group over there, too.

We love each and every one of you, and hope to continue to chat with you either on Cathugger or at our family's blog at http://pdxpride.blogspot.com

Love,

Chef Skylar and family (Skylar, Lydia, Tabby, Carbon, Rori, Starla, Little Bit, Freya, Heimdall, Sara Kitty, the Trailer Kitties, etc.)

*singing*

(from "American Pie")

I met a girl who sang the blues
and I asked her for some happy news,
but she just smiled and turned away.
And I went down to the sacred store
where I'd heard the music years before,
but the man there said the music wouldn't play.


-- A disillusioned Skylar.

We ARE staying on Catster

We have decided to stay on Catster/Dogster, but ONLY for the restaurant group, Pen Paws, and a couple others. We're going to not use our diaries, just post everything on our family's cat blog instead of on our Catster pages.

The restaurant will continue to run and continue to be open. :)

Love,

Chef Skylar and family.

Journey to the Rainbow Bridge

This morning, I woke up on the bed curled up with Dad, Mom, and Starla. Rori was at the foot of the bed, too. I woke Mom and Dad up when the alarm went off, and Mom fed me TUNA! She and Dad got ready, while I lay by the water bowls in the dining room, exchanging sniffs with Carbon, Tabby, and Little Bit.

Then, Dad went out to the truck, and I got up to follow him. Mom said to wait, so I lay back down while she put my harness and leash on. She went to wash her hands, because I had jumped in the tub while she was getting ready so I had water all over my tummy. I got up to follow her, but Carbon bit my leash and pinned me! I lay down under the table instead, then Little Bit pinned me by my leash, too!

Mom picked me up, petted everyone, and we went out the door. When we got in the truck, I walked over to sit on Dad's lap so I could look out the window, like I usually do. They said we were going to pick up Mommy Erin. Why? I looked right at them when they said Mommy Erin's name, knowing who she was (which I sometimes forgot, but I was forgetting a lot of things recently).

When Mommy Erin got in the truck, Mom sat in the back so I could sit with Erin, but I kept switching between her and Dad. Then, we turned onto the street where my doctor is, and I knew that's where we were going! I went over to sit in Erin's lap, looking out the window, until we got there, then I looked straight through the windshield at the doctor's office!

We all got out of the car, and I wanted to walk. Nope, Mom insisted on carrying me. In we went, straight into a room. We were only there a few minutes before they switched rooms on us because another patient was coming in who needed an isolation room. No one minded, because no one cared which room we were in. The vet tech came in with paperwork, which Mom signed, and Mom and Mommy Erin took pictures of me. Finally they put me down so I could rest! I lay on the floor, purring. I knew somehow, the doctor was going to do something for my pain and make me feel better. The doctor always helps me; I love my Dr. Bob and Dr. C.!

Dr. C. came in, and she DID give me something for my pain! She gave me a shot that made me VERY sleepy! I didn't want to go to sleep, but Mom and Mommy Erin said it was ok. Dad was sitting in the chair, and he said it was ok to go to sleep, too. Mom and Erin petted me until I fell asleep, then Dad came over and petted me, saying his goodbyes to me, and kissed me. He went out of the room, but at that point I wasn't in a position to follow him.

Mommy Erin picked me up, and my tongue stuck out of my mouth! I wiggled it, but I was too sleepy to put it back in! Dr. C. said that might happen, and it was normal for sedated cats. What Mom and Erin didn't expect, though, was to hear me PURRRRRRR!!!!! I was soooo sleepy, but I wasn't in pain anymore, and I was happy, they were holding me and petting me, and I was comfortable, more comfortable than I've been in years!

Dr. C. came in and made pawprints for Mom and Mommy Erin. She shaved parts of my fur off my leg and over my heart, and gave the fur to them as well. Then, she tried to give me the other shot. She couldn't find my blood vessel in my rear leg! She said I have "old man veins"! Hmm...I don't think that was meant as a compliment! She used a vein in my front leg, which she could see after shaving some more of my thick fur, but not all the shot would go in. Enough of it went, though.

My heartbeat slowed, breathing slowed, then everything stopped.

I was floating, looking down on everyone as my body was wrapped in blue surgical sheeting and given to Mom. Mom and Dad drove Mommy Erin home, then drove home and let the other cats sniff my body. Dad brought Starla out of the bedroom to sniff, too. Then they buried my body in the backyard right next to Spooky's body.

I floated higher, then saw my sister Lydia coming toward me! Lydi! We greeted each other, purring together. Then, I saw both our little Spooky and our foster Spooky/Nyx, Sara Kitty, Squishy, and all the other angels waiting for me. All my angel Catster friends were there, too, gathered underneath Calvin's sign!

I asked if I could visit my family from time to time, and everyone said I could. I know they are really going to miss me, and I'm going to miss them, but I know they did the best thing for me. They took all my pain away, and that's the best gift anyone can give. I love you!

It will be Friday

I'm in the bedroom, resting on the bed with Rori and Starla, so I'll let Mom type this. My appointment's set for Friday morning at 9:40 am. Everyone at the vet's is sad, too, because I'm a favorite patient there. None of their other client families have cats who come in on leash and are well-behaved in the waiting room like I am! Imagine that!

Dad can't get the day off, but he has the morning off at least. Mommy Erin is trying to get a sitter for JJ so that she can be there, too, to say goodbye to me.

Thanks, everyone, for your prayers, purrs, rosettes, treats, special gifts, p-mails, notes, etc. Hugs to everyone from all of us!!!

Sad purrs,

Skylar.

Going to the Bridge this week or next. :'(

Hi friends,

I'm going to be making my journey to the Bridge sometime either this week or next. I've been vomiting tar-like liquid, plus my other symptoms (see my diary entry from a couple days ago). Not good, so Mom and Dad talked with Dr. Bob today and he confirmed that it's my time to leave. My purrents are scheduling it so that Dad has the day off from work and so that my other mommy, Mommy Erin, can be with me as well when I make my final journey. We will let you all know when we schedule it.

Sad purrs,

Skylar.

Fading

Tonight, I let Mom "speak" with me, commune with my inner self. I don't know how humans explain it, but it's how we cats talk with each other. Mom can do it, and Dad can, too, but not often, just under the right circumstances. Everything has to be calm.

I'm aching. All my joints are hurting. Mom says it's something called arthritis. It hurts to move, hurts to lie down. My vision is a bit blurry, too, and Dad had to clean my eye twice today because of mucous. That's from a "kitty cold", mostly.

I'm hungry a lot. I get my wet food twice a day, but I used to "graze" instead, eating small bites throughout the day. It's tough to get used to eating only twice, so I'm hungry during the middle of the day and let my parents know it. When it's food time, I run down the hallway to Tabby & Carbon's room (aka the spare room), starting up my yowl as soon as I hit the doorway, and stand on my plate so that Mom has to move me to put my food on it. Then, I eat my fill and curl up on the chair in that room, yowling once to let everyone know I'm done for the moment. Then, Mom lets everyone else in to get a treat of what I've left on the plate.

I seldom snuggle with my parents anymore, but did this evening with Mom, to let her know what's going on with me. I was shaky as I stood on her, looking her in the eyes. Then, with effort, I lay down, wanting my chin scritched while she went over my body to "see" how I was doing. I'm still not putting on any weight, and my fur's still matting. She brushes me with the slicker brush, and that gets a major part of the mats, but not everything and I hate being brushed. My bones are rubbing my skin in some places, like my shoulders and my heels. Massages aren't really helping.

My favorite places are the bathtub and the kitty tent. I've given up sleeping in my recliner, preferring to curl up in one of my two chosen places instead. Dad has to lift me out of the bathtub when he comes home from work, or else I'd stay in there until he turned the water on for his shower. I get out when it's Mom's turn for a shower, though, for some reason. I'm using the box normally, and drinking water normally.

I told Mom tonight that I'm not quite ready to leave even though I'm hurting and confused, and she said that all I have to do is tell them when I can't stand it anymore and they'll release me. My kitty nieces and nephew aren't ready yet, so I'm going to stay around until they can handle the transition. I can tell Mom and Dad will never be quite ready to let me go, but they will do what's best for me. Rori knows what's going on, knows I'm close to leaving, and has been watching from a distance rather than her usual headbutting-following-me-around behavior. Death always troubles her, and she hides from it and then picks up the pieces. That's why my sister chose her to be Big Kitty of the Household. She came and sat with us on the couch tonight as I was talking with Mom, just sat, watching and listening, then walked over and rubbed against me telling me that she understands. Then she let Mom pet her, too.

We don't know how long it's going to be. No one ever knows.

Mom says that she talked with the vet about a week and a half ago, when she ordered my fluids (which I've been taking every two days). Dr. Bob now thinks I may have cancer, since my behavior's changed so abruptly. Nothing in my behavior seems to correlate with kidneys or hyper-T, in fact some of it counterindicates. So cancer is their next guess. If it is, then it's in a place where it's not showing up yet and not a mass, maybe in the bone marrow. That's what Dr. Bob said, and Mom and Dad think that's most likely, too. That's what they've been thinking for a while, and sensing from me as well.

We just don't know anything for sure, but who ever does?

Weird question....

Mom talked with my regular doctor today, and we have a strange question! Including the vet, who doesn't know the answer to this either!

Has anyone ever had their thyroid levels continue to go low? I had mine checked back in November, after 4 years with hyper-T my meds were decreased from four to three, then two pills a day. Redid tests, and it was normal again. Now, after my vet appointment last week, my thyroid levels are low again, so we're trying half a pill per day.

The vet has no clue why I'm suddenly "getting better", or at least my thyroid levels are! My creatinine & BUN are slightly elevated, just out of the normal range, not as bad as we'd originally thought (we got the exact numbers this time). That part's to be expected, and I'm still going to have my yummy canned food and my sub-Q fluids to try to keep my kidneys semi-under control. But we're (and the vet is) absolutely clueless as to why my thyroid levels are normalizing!!!

Any advice/help/experience would be appreciated!

-- Skylar.

Not feeling well

Mom & Dad took me in to the vet on Friday. It was time for my routine doctor appointment and bloodwork, but they were worried as well because I've not been grooming myself. I keep my face, paws, and chest clean and smooth, but the rest of my fur is matted. Mom plucks my "feathers" (fur that has come out but is still stuck in the rest of my coat) every day, and picks apart my mats. Sometimes I let her; sometimes I yowl until she stops. They were also worried because I've lost a little over a pound since Thanksgiving!

So, off we went. I complained when it took longer than usual to get there, but then my purrents reminded me that we live farther away than we used to. That made sense, so I settled down again. I like to sit on Dad's lap while he's driving, and watch the cars go by out the window.

There was a new doctor at the clinic on Friday, a relief doctor, because the others were gone for the day. As usual, when I got there I wanted down and pulled at my leash to go back into the back (treatment) room to say hi to everyone! Nope, Dad wouldn't loosen the leash and let me run back. Bummers! My sis used to do the same thing. Mom & Dad are glad that I like my doctors and staff so much that I immediately want to greet them! Believe me, I wouldn't run away, I would just run TO someone to be greeted!

The vet tech took me into the back to weigh me, then brought me back out and talked with Mom & Dad after she stuck that thermometer in me. :P After she went into the back, I stood on the exam table and looked at the door for a few minutes, then YOWLED! Ok, so where's the doctor? I'm ready, so come in! Everyone laughed at that, then Mom put me on the floor and I went to sniff both doors and then yowled again at the back.

FINALLY, the doctor came! Should it really take her 10 minutes to get done with the doggie patient and come look at me? She talked with my purrents, consulted my chart, then took me into the back to have the vampires take some of my blood. They also took my urine. Hey, you could have just given me a box instead of poking me! Mom & Dad could tell exactly when they were poking me, because I think they could hear me down the street. There's something to be said about being half-Siamese! ;)

We got the results back on Friday evening: possible kidney disease. It's what my purrents were afraid of, especially considering that my kidney levels were elevated back in November. I'm anemic, both my BUN and creatinine levels are elevated, I'm dehydrated, and I've lost that pound. My thyroid levels are also low, but that's kind of a separate issue.

So, on to the next steps. First off, I'm only going to get one pill a day, to even out my thyroid levels. I've been looking at Mom funny when she doesn't give me my evening meds but takes hers, although I give up after a few minutes so she knows it's more from habit than anything else. I still get my morning meds.

Then, I will be getting my own special food! The doctor recommended giving me yummy canned food! I don't even have to share with anyone else, so I'll get fed in a separate room. Yay!

My blood & urine will have to be rechecked again sometime, but I don't mind that. I may have to go back to getting sub-Q fluids, but that's not a big deal either.

Properly managed, which is a see-saw because it can change from day to day, I may have another year or three. But it's different for every cat, so we'll just take each day as it comes and be grateful for every minute.

Our new house!

Moving again? Okay by me! I was totally unconcerned with the moving process. When it was time for us kitties to move, our purrents put my harness on and carried me out to our friends' Expedition that they let us borrow.

They had to stop at the store to get new litter boxes and some food for us, so Tabby and I waited in the driver's seat until Daddy came back. Then I sat on Daddy's lap the whole time while he drove.

Once we got there, Starla and I shared a room and the others shared another room. Tabby and Starla still need to be separated, so they figured that was best for us. Once we were all allowed out, I saw my chair had arrived so I hopped up into it and settled right down.

As long as I have my chair, I'm fine! Spooky and Starla like it, too. :)