*Cleo's mom here* Happy, Happy 14th birthday Cleo!

Happy birthday sweet Cleo! It is so hard to believe it has been almost 14 years since you have been with me. You were such a tiny girl when I picked you up from the shelter in September 1996, and what a ride this has been! You have been with me from the good times, to the dark times. From times of plenty and times of not nearly enough. You have come with me from TX, IN, OH, KY, and WA. You have been faithful to me through it all, a constant companion keeping me on track. Hope your day is fabulous my dear! Love ya, mom

Mom and her "hair-brained" ideas

It has been a very, very long time since we wrote last. It seems that my mom has officially lost the mind she never really had to begin with. Our lives have been in turmoil for the last couple of months, what with boxes coming out of the wazoo, and being stuffed into carriers and carted all over the country.... On the second day, mom even had the nerve to drive me, a true Texas lady through Nebraska! NEBRASKA?! Well, I cried and cried, expressing my disdain for the Cornhuskers (which we stayed in a hotel really close to the enemy school. What was mom thinking?). To her credit, it was really late when we got there, and she was really tired of driving. Anyhow, mom wouldn't listen, so I performed a ceremonial cleansing, so to speak.

I thought that road trip would NEVER end! OMC..... we drove, and drove, and drove..... through Louisville, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska (BOO HISS), Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, Oregon, and finally ending in Washington. We saw rivers, and farms, and prairies, and deserts, and mountains.... my ears were going nuts with the elevation changes! And I had to listen to Sebastian LeBrat crying through Utah and Idaho.... Oh, and we were able to see and "take over" our cousins' house (Cookie and Tigger, they are not on Catster. They hid, so we took over the house... and then we did not want to leave :D). The last 4 hours of travel Spaz and I cried together. I laughed when he made his great escape.

For the most part the weather was AWESOME.... until we got to Idaho/Oregon... In Idaho we had a mixed bag... rain, snow, sleet, freezing rain, sunshine, killer tumbleweeds, dust storms, and the wind... really had to hang on to your hats folks! It was WINDY!!!! In Oregon, it just rained. For a lot of our travel, we had the road pretty much to ourselves, which was really nice too.

Our new place is really small, but comfortable. We are slowly settling in, and mom has been busy with her new job. We have an Eastern window and a Western window to look out of. There is also a small balcony. There is still much to do around here, but it will get done, slowly but surely :)

Mom has found the best pet store that sells really good foods like Evo, Wellness, etc. She told us all about all the cool toys and cat tress they had there too. They best thing about this whole experience is that we are all together. And we can stay together, just as mom promised both of us.

PHEW! That was a close one....

A Queen can never be too careful. I was sleeping very, very deeply sawing a serious cord of logs. Mom tried to nudge me two times. I didn't wake up. So she had the gall to try to get a video recording of me sawing those logs. She got things set up when I heard this sound from her phone. I woke up JUST in the nick of time! Can't a girl get any rest around here? HMMPH.

Nursemaid of the year?

Yep, you heard it right. Mom has named me Nursemaid of the year tonight after a particularly rough and otherwise evil day for her.

Somehow she picked up a NASTY stomach bug. when she finally laid down I went and laid on her stomach several times even though she begged me to get off and nudged me off. So I went to settle in on her pillow. I laid there for a while with mom telling me how sweet I was and thanking me for knowing how sick she was. Then I decided to go ONE step further. I laid down and put my two front paws on her forehead and started purring like crazy. Mom must have appreciated that because I was immediately rewarded with praise *beams with pride*

Anyway, I think things are starting to look a little better on the home front. Thank goodness!

Can someone break me out of this kennel?

Mom says I need to stay in here, at least for the night.... PHOOEY!!!!! Can someone break me out of here? I need a jail break! I am fine mom....

So today was the day that the vet STOLE FOUR TEETH from me. I dont know why she needed MY teeth as she had a full mouth of her own.... HMMPH....

Anyway, I ate, drank, used the box and Meowed to no avail.....I made a royal mess of my kennel too. I knocked down my water bowl, mixed it with clumping kitty litter, and buried my food dish (getting wet clumping kitty litter mixed into it).... MOL mom had to clean it up :D. That is what SHE gets for locking me up!

The Bestest Friday EVER!!!!!!!!

The first great thing that happened was that most of my blood work was within normal limits, except blood sugar (215). The vet seemed to be pretty sure that was a result of stress. Kidneys are fine so far :) and Thyroid too :)

And the absolutely best thing that happened today was mom finding out that she PASSED the board exam!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOO HOO!!!!!!!

My Vet Appointment did not go so well

Mom packed me up and took me to the vet today to get some lab work done. I expressed my displeasure with her quite clearly, but she did it anyway. They tech took me back to be weighed and then they stole my blood! OMC, that was terrible.

First, the good news, this vet that I saw today listened to my heart for a long time and DID NOT hear a heart murmur! :)

Here is the worst part, I lost 3 pounds in the last year. For all the trying mom has done to get me to lose weight, all to no avail, with all the vets saying I need to lose it with mom responding "if she gets sick, she will need every bit of that weight"..... well, now it is gone and everyone is flipping out. What could be the cause of such weight loss? We dont know yet. However, they also looked at my teeth and will have to have some teeth pulled because they are very, very bad. It is possible that my teeth have made me not want to eat as much, which could have caused my weight loss. That is what we are hoping for. We will find out the results of the blood work tomorrow. Oh and guess what? I have ANOTHER ear infection! That means I have to have MORE REFRIGERATED EAR DROPS.... I HATE THOSE DROPS!

The vet asked about my diet and said that Wellness Core is a "very good food" but said I may have to change if something else is causing my weight loss :(. She suggested I eat wet food also, I have no problem with that :) MOL... actually she said she would prefer ALL cats have wet food, mom was taken aback by a vet acknowledging what she has researched. Mom took the middle of the road because of other vets reactions to mom even hinting at a wet food diet, as though it were some grave sin..... sigh

So next Monday I have to go back in for dental work to be performed on Tuesday. I have to go in a day early because of mom's work schedule :(..... I have pain medicine and ear medicine to take and I was given an antibiotic shot to help fight off the infection in my mouth. We will keep you posted on everything.

Ladiecats and Gentlecats.....

Please start your purr-engines.....

Mom is taking her national board exam tomorrow at 1pm EST....

She says she is "as nervous as a cat on a hot tin roof", although I have NO idea where she is finding this "hot tin roof", it is FREEZING outside! And there is still snow on the ground? (We have not gotten to 30 degrees in well over a week here in KY) Humans and their sayings....

Anyway, this is the biggest and most important test of mom's very long school career. Passing is essential, so please purr for her tomorrow :)

Guess What?

It has been a while since I last wrote in my Diary.... we are long over due for an update.....

Mom went to Seattle for a job interview a couple of weeks ago. Sebastian and I went on a spa vacation, let me tell you, that was no vacation! Sure, we were well cared for, but they gave us a bath, and groomed us, and I had to share the kennel with the scardy-cat brother of mine......

Anyway, they offered her the job and gave her 4 days to think about it.... Mom thought and thought and then asked for another week to let them know of her decision..... which is:

We are moving to Seattle! Some how I think things are going to be a wee bit crazy around here for a while, what do you think?

A little worried..... and a little excited

Mom told me yesterday that my cousin, Rosie (who is also 13 but is not on Catster), has the beginnings of Kidney problems and arthritis. When I was younger and still in Texas, I used to go visit her, a lot. She has started medication so hopefully she will cooperate and take it like she is supposed to. She does not often cooperate with medicine, even the yummy hairball medicine. So we are a little worried here and purring like crazy for Rosie.

Now for some good news :) (well, good for mom and maybe us too).....

Mom will be going on a trip to Seattle to meet her potential employer next week! That means Spaz and I will have to go on our own spa vacation for a few days. Anyway, please keep your paws and whiskers crossed for mom...