Diary of The Day

Yay! >^.^<

I got picked as Diary of The Day on Friday, May 27th, 2010. What good news! I didn't know about this until my mommy said she received an email from Catster.

"Dear Lucybelle,

Catster wanted you to know that Lucy Belle is today's Diary of the Day! Lucy Belle will be featured on our homepage all day long at http://www.catster.com complete with picture, name and title!

I know I know, we're purring like mad over here too!

Thanks so much for running with the Catster pack and keeping a diary.

Much Meow,

Catster"

I am so happy and mommy, even more! We got many pawmail congratulation me and that truly made my day. Thank you Catster for choosing me. I am honored!

Master Trickster

I heard mommy whispering to daddy last night, something about me being tricked into eating a new brand of food. I tried to perk up my ears to catch on the conversation but couldn't get much info out of it.

Later today, I realized what they were talking about. Mommy said that I am such a good girl because I finished my dinner last night. Emptied the plate. Licked it clean. And I wonder why make a big deal out of it. Turns out, she gave me something new in addition to something old. She added a tablespoon of something called Wellness Core to my Natural Balance. She said something about introducing me to a new palate.

Well, I am not going to say I didn't like it, because the food was surely yummy, but I hate the thought that I didn't realize it earlier. I mean being a cat means you have to be fussy about food. And I got tricked. Grrrrr....

Hello again!

Now that mommy is in the right mood, I gently persuaded her to come back to Catster. You see, mommy's been very very notti .. meow! She has been neglecting my page here but fear not, she has been taking extremely good care of me. So, to all my Catster friends, hello again!

Nothing much have changed for me really. I am still the same wonderful cat as I have always be (mommy nods in agreement). I am just too happy to be back and hopefully, I will stick around to see what everyone is up to!

Hack Hack Hair Ball~

A few days ago, we had a hairball attack. It's all due to mommy running empty on my delish hairball treats. Now, that got me and mommy thinking if that hairball treat is a miracle or a curse. Or was it merely coincident that the week I miss my treat, the hairball monster came out and wreck havoc. Anyway, I don't really want to talk about that embarrassing hacking episode but mommy felt that it's one of those things that you just can't hide from.

So, mommy heard me hacking and coughing and she was in a worse predicament than me. I just wanted to get the hairball outta me but she was clucthing her chest as if her heart will just pop out had she not hold on to it dearly. After a few split seconds, the slimy monster made its exit. Phew! What a relief for me but for mommy, it's one of those yuckiest things she has ever seen.

Being a cat is not a bed or roses really. Hairball is one of those things that makes being a cat a real pain in the bum. Now that mommy finally went out and stock up on a dozen packages of my hairball treat, I sure hope the monster will exit via the backdoor from now on.

Tada!

Hiya!! It's been long overdue ... my updates I meant. It's all mommy's fault.. I have no idea what she's thinking really, she is always so busy with her work and she wouldn't have helped me update if not for my super paw swipe attack.

The last time I was at the vet, it was because mommy thought something is very wrong with my breathing. Luckily, the doc gave me a clean bill of health. She is always so careful with me. Can't blame her really. We have both been through a lot.

It's hot, and I have been taking a lot of catnaps. Mommy didn't want me turn in that notorious 44lb cat from Jersey so she has been trying to get me to play. I mean, I would love to, but playing alone is not much fun. Mommy is always doing her own stuffs and sometimes, I had to just literally shove my butt onto her face before she would even acknowledge that I need my play time. I know she didn't do that on purpose, ignoring me that is, but lately, I really feel like being left alone.

Oh yeah, to everyone else who has been emailing me asking about how I am, don't you worry ok. I am doing well now and I know where to go when nature calls. Mommy said I've been peeing a lot and her litter expenses are increasing. I mean, that's what we are both hoping for right? Just yesterday, Petco delivered litter to mommy and it came in two huge boxes! Whoa...BOXES! :)

Times of Trial

Since my last post, Lucy Belle's condition has not improved and has gotten even more alarming. The most important thing is we changed vet as the old vet is simply too incompetent, bordering on malpractice. She is now being taken care by a team of Feline Exclusive Veterinarians and I am glad that they are dedicated professionals who are pursuing aggressively to diagnose her condition.

The initial diagnosis was FLUTD and she was given the antibiotic Clamavox - 2 weeks course. The first culture result came back negative. She did well during the course of her medication and the week and a half after. All of a sudden, her condition worsen yesterday morning. She had blood oozing out from her vulva. I only notice the blood stains on my bedsheet and had no idea initially where she was bleeding.

I rushed her to the vet again and this time, when a cysto was performed, all I could see was blood. Even when the vet tried to feel her bladder, she expelled blood from her urethra. I got the scare of my life. The vet mentioned the possibility of stumped pyometra.

Stump pyometra is a serious health condition that may occur in bitches that underwent Ovariohysterectomy (spaying). In this condition, the remaining stump of the resected Uterus becomes infected and filled with a purulent fluid. The symptoms are similar to those of true pyometra. The risk of this condition is significantly reduced if no uterine or ovarian tissue remains from the original ovariohysterectomy. Diagnosis of a stump pyometra may be challenging as pyometra is often discounted as a possibility if the bitch has been previously spayed. source: wikepedia

This is an extremely rare condition but she is not willing to rule out any possibilities. I've had terrible feeling that her spay surgery didn't go too well. She was a happy and healthy kitten before this procedure and afterwards, everything started heading downhill.

Another round of tests and I am waiting for the results. She is resting at home and I only pray that she is not in terrible pain. The vet prescribe Orbax as precautionary measures as we still have not gotten to the root of the problem.

Leeny at TDK wrote this beautiful prayer which really comforted me:-

Dear God of love, who created Lucy Belle and brought her to tuttibella, you see and know all things. You see this precious kitten who means the world to her mother and means so much to all of us here. Heal your blessed creation. Cure the illness in her little body. Guide the doctor who is helping her. Send strength and wholeness coursing through her. Let that which must be done to help her be successful, and grant her a long, happy life.

Give the comfort that only you can provide to tuttibella. Her heart is breaking. Have mercy on her; give her rest and assurance that her little one will be well. Help her as she does for her baby that which needs to be done. Provide all that she needs to see Lucy Belle through this crisis.

Give your help also to all who love Lucy Belle at a distance. Help us to cope when we don't know what's happening, and remind us that you are right there with Lucy Belle and tuttibella. Take control of this situation, and bring wholeness to us all.

Feeling Under The Weather

Lucy Belle is recuperating so as her mommy, I will take over her diary for now.

She underwent her spay surgery on April 17 and initially everything went on well. I brought her home the same day and within 2 days, she has started licking her sutures. Her incision site were a little swollen and infected. Had to get her back to the vet.

She is now wearing a collar and is not happy with it at all. Just yesterday, she gave me another scare. She urinated in the bathtub and she has never done such.

I was mortified to find traces of blood in her urine and hurried her to the vet yet again. Since coming back from her spay surgery, she has been back to the vet twice. *Sigh!* A procedure called a cystocentesis was performed, in which a needle was placed in her abdomen into her urinary bladder to obtain a sterile urine sample.

A urinalysis and culture sensitivity test will be performed and we would have to wait a few days to obtain the result. She is currently not on any kind of medicine as the vet has suggested that we wait for the test result to better determine the course of treatment.

I have never been so traumatized by her experience. I can imagine how unhappy she is with everything that's been going on lately. I have to praise her for being such a strong girl. At her vet visits, she was calm and composed and very cooperative. Even the vet and her staffs said that she has a really outstanding personality.

She still have difficulties urinating but the good news is, she is not avoiding her litter box. I sincerely believe that her action in the bathtub was her way of telling me she needed help. Had she not urinated in the white tub, I'd never have found out this early. I have been monitoring her and she still couldn't pass urine normally. I only hope that she is not in pain, discomfort maybe, since she has not been growling or crying.

Her stitches will be removed tomorrow and we are also expecting her urinalysis result. The culture sensitivity test result is due on Saturday.

It's very difficult for me to see her this way. She loves to climb and jump, pounce and stalk, basically, everything that a healthy kitten would engage it. Since last week, she is more subdue and weak. She still attempted to climb her cat tree and jump on sofas, but due to her condition, she could not. I sincerely hope that this would pass as soon as possible so I can have my bouncy baby girl back.

Hello! Hello again!

Hello! It's been more than two months since I last updated. I am sorry for not keeping up with everyone. You see, I have been taking good care of mommy, who has been a little bit sick. She needs me to be there for her and I sure did.

Rest assured, I have been a very good girl. Mommy have some good news for everyone at The Daily Kitten. She is NOT allergic to ME! She is so relieved when the test result came out NEG, and I am also extremely, extremely happy for her.

Nevertheless, mommy still have some difficulty breathing and she's taking some meds to help her feel better. Poor mommy, I wish there is more that I could do for her.

The good people at TDK are simply awesome! They were really worried about me when mommy didn't update my tummy troubles. I am doing really good now, eating and playing like before. I just got some bad allergic reaction to certain brand of food and mommy swear never to let me eat them again! Bad FOOD ... Then, mommy got some serious scare because she developed some bad allergies and breathing difficulties. She had to use an inhaler when her attack becomes too overbearing. The doc told her that she might be allergic to my kind. Boo! She was so upset with the news and couldn't sleep for nights. Poor mommy.

Now that the test came back negative, I sure hope mommy can feel better. She was so scared that she had to give me up because her doc did tell her that one way to reduce those attacks is to send me away. Bad bad doctor! Shouldn't have said that to mommy before getting the test results. Scared me and mommy to our tails!

Oh well, I think I am a little bit more chatty nowadays. I wasn't very vocal before but these days, I felt compelled to share in conversations, just letting everyone know what I have to say about certain things. Mommy loves it when I respond to her when she talks to me. She thinks I am a better listener than you know who. She loves telling me stories and also things that she couldn't tell anyone else. I have the privilege of being her secret keeper.

And oh, yeah, I am allowed in the long hallway now. What a blast! I am normally forbidden to enter the zone. And I always hesitated a little to set my paws down the hall. Anyway, mommy told me that it's ok to explore a little further from my home turf. I was really cautious of the new area but the more I bring myself to investigate the long hallway, to use my incredible sense of smell to explore the *unpawed* area, the more I realize it's not that scary at all. I get plenty of exercise running up and down the hallway, chasing after furry mice and noisy balls. Thanks mommy for letting me play there. Of course, mommy always kept a watchful eye on me, lest I wander too far or hurt myself in some way.

I'll try to write more often like before, now that mommy is up and running again. So, see you all soon. Lots of kisses from me to you.

Um..B-O-N-E-S

I woke up earlier than usual this morning. Mommy and daddy were still sleeping, snoozing away such a beautiful morning. What a waste! I dashed towards the window to look at some fast flying birds. I wonder if I they would drop by and say hello. They seems to be in such a hurry all the time.

The wind feels so good against my face and my whiskers were twitching and fanning away, trying to feel as much fresh wind as I could. There's some kind of construction going on across the street and the tools go *Ngeeee.........katcha...ngeeee....katcha...katcha ...* I don't like the noise at all.

My breakfast is not ready yet. So, I just scoot around the kitchen trying to figure out what will it be today. And then, there, hidden in a corner of the cabinet. Something stood out. I took a sniff and ummm .... smells great. At the same time, my tummy betrayed me and I felt it roaring. I know I am not supposed to eat off the floor but this forbidden thing is just too tempting. Argh .. I can't resist it.

Slowly and cautiously, I proceeded towards it. I don't want to scare it away. Then, with one swipe of my paw, I got hold of it! What a strange looking object. It's a little thick in the middle, forked out in two ways and boy does it smell wonderful. Without much thought, I sank my teeth into it and *ack* it's so hard. So, I spit it hard and swipe it a couple of times across the floor. I must've made a lot of noise because that is when I heard mommy yelled *practically on top of her lugs* *NOOOOOOOOO*

Whew! I ran for my life, abandoning the *bone* - as mommy called it. I hid behind the couch, a little but startled but at the same time, felt really good for being so mischievous. I heard a really loud familiar noise coming from the kitchen and that is when I know my fun has ended. The monster vacuum cleaner is now out from its hiding place and gorging away whatever is left on the kitchen floor.

Back to eating my Duck with Green Pea for breakfast. Oh well!

Naps and Treats - Two of my favourites!

I love taking naps and there is not one place at home that I won't nap in. See this picture here. That is really a most unlikely place to take a nap in because that is actually the cover of my Sleepypod. Mommy made a nice comfty bed out of my Sleepypod but instead, I choose to retire on the cover.

Who says I can't nap next to my litter box? Well, I do and also on piles of dirty laundry and most of all, dirty socks. Heaven!

What about on the dining chair, which is tucked neatly under the dining table? My most private space to nap and mommy have no idea until she accidentally found me one day. The printer is also a good place especially when mommy is printing never ending pages of her manuscript! Good vibrations baby!

Oh, before I forget, the toilet seat cover of course. It has it's own plush carpeting with beautiful embroidery, it's elevated and just the right size for me to curl up. Mommy hates it when she has to go and find me snoozing. She doesn't have the heart to wake me so she just pray that her bladder will not betray her or my nap is shorter than usual.

Mommy weighed me a couple of days ago and guess what? I am 6lbs now. Wohahahaha....and people have been whispering behind my back that I've got plenty of meat on my bones. I will have to thank mommy for my healthy growth. She's been feeding me only the best.

I've got some achievements to boasts today. Mommy has suggested that I try out some neat tricks and she mentioned that since I am such a smart kitty, I can easily do them. Of course, some yummy treats won't do any harm either. I've already learnt my beautiful name and will go to mommy when she calls. I will also *SIT*, *GIMME 5*, *PAW SHAKE* and now mommy is suggesting that I do *STAND UP*.

Oh yeah, fellow kitties, have you tried the MC Milky Flakeums Kittens Treats? I totally love it! It helps promotes healthy teeth and strong bones! For preventing hairballs, (yucky!), mommy gave me Defurr-UM once a day. Makes my coat shiny and I don't shed much.

Some other treats which got me going:-

We Pity The Kitties Alaskan Salmon Treats

Catswell VitaKitty Chicken Breast Cat Treat

Zuke's Natural Purrz Tender Chicken and Savory Salmon Treats

Organix Cat Treats

Snack 21 Pacific Whiting Bites Treats

Kitty Kaviar

Actually, I don't always get my treats except for my daily dose of Milky Flakeums and Defurr-UM. Mommy only gives it to me sparingly, whenever we are learning to do new tricks or if I did something extra special. So, don't worry, I won't turn into a treat addict. I get all my nutritionally balanced meals on time.