MERRY CHRISTMAS & THANK YOU!!

Dear Catsters Friends:
Just a simple note to say Thank you & Merry Christmas & a healthy Happy New Year to you and your family! Richard is taking "baby steps" to a slow recovery and we are so appreciate of "you"!
Much Love,
Judy, Richard & Family

Update on my Dad

Hi Catsters:

Just a quick and happier note that Richard's trachea tube was pulled yesterday(not his feeding tube) and he had to stay overnight so Dr. Gardner could monitor his breathing. We are taking baby steps towards a complete recovery and are staying positive and grateful for each day. As always thank you for the positive, caring and supportive pawmails, emails and prayers. We are ever so grateful to have our Catster "family" to call our own.

Much Love,

Judy

Richard is Home!!

Dear Catster Friends:

Just a quick update, Richard came home on Monday after thirteen days in the hospital!!!! I was extremely overwhelmed the first day, but with each day we have found a routine that comes with time and patience on both sides. We had an appointment with Dr. Gardner this morning and he is very pleased with the progress Richard is making. He will be taking out the trachea tube on Tuesday and we are slowly making progress with his physical therapy(it improves daily) and making sure he is pain free. Being that this is our finally chance at a recovery from cancer ( as Richard went through chemo and radiation last year and there were no other options) we are staying as optimistic as possible with each passing day.

Catster has been my personal support group as the American Cancer Society is to others. The only difference has been is that I know you, you have become my dear and cherished friends in the three years we have been here. Your paw mails, comments and emails on your personal experience with cancer, being something you had personally, a family member, friend, loved animal companion, co-worker or an article that was read in the paper or internet and you shared your thoughts, emotions and support with me that not only warmed my heart but made me aware of the strength that someone can endure and live through. I was also so touched and grateful for people that just wanted me to know how they will keep Richard and I in their prayers, bless you from the heart. You got me through many a sleepless night, a long day at the hospital and reminded me that I was not alone so many times I can’t even count. I’m too emotional spent to say how much I appreciated your love and caring ways, but just thank you so much again.

Much Love,

Judy

Update on Richard

Dear friends:
I have been so very touched and humbled by your sincere kindness, support, caring messages, paw mails, emails and love I can never tell you how much it’s picked me up to get through another day or hour. I’m going to keep this short as I am no longer running on empty, I’m just running. Richard’s original surgery turned from nine hours to thirteen as Dr. Gardner had to wait for the pathology report to dictate the course of the surgery and there were set backs here and there. Dr. Gardner then called me at 2:30 am that morning as the vein had not taken in the skin graft in the throat area so they had to reopen him up to replace the vein. On Friday he was finally moved from ICU to a normal hospital room as he is slowly improving a little each day. He has a temporary treak tube in his throat and has had occasional “anxiety attacks” as he panics on his breathing ability and cannot communicate for the next week to ten days as they broke his jaw and also the treak tube placement. They will be doing extensive tests tomorrow as plugging the treak tube and putting oxygen tubes in his nose and walking to the nurse’s station to get him to breathe on his own. Please keep him in your prayers and I am sincerely sorry for the lateness of this update and know how much your loving support has meant to me.
Love,
Judy

Surgery on October 4, 2011

Dear Catster Furfriends:

We got the results on the biopsy September 27th and the cancer has returned. We had the PETSCAN done on Thursday September 29, 2011 and received the results on Friday September 30th. The cancer has not spread and is localized to his orginial location and he is going in for the surgery Tuesday October 4th. All we ask is to please keep us in your prayers and thougths and I will probabaly not post again until later in the week. On a much happier note Ingen(Catster # 1011864) was found sandwiched in between the box springs and matress in the hotel room where her family had stayed from their move from Wisconsin to Washington state, if you can visit her page as I'm sure her Mom is overwhelmed with relief and could use Catster support. And as always you can't imagine what you all have given to me individually in your caring and loving messages, emails and personal gestures time and again, Catster is such a wonderful community built up with sincerely caring human beings that I personally have never been so touched. Thank you so very much.

Love,
Judy

A VERY EMOTIONAL TIME

Dear Catster friends:

First, I wanted to thank all of you for all the pirate flags and dear messages yesterday and what a surprise when I got home from work last night I was stunned to find how many we received from our dear friends. I was also deeply disappointed because I didn’t realize that it was a one day event and I wish I could personally thank each and every one of you for your kindness.

On a very personal and emotional level some of you know that my husband Richard was diagnosed last July 2010 with Stage Three Throat Cancer. He went through the horrendous chemo and radiation treatments, feeding tube placement and everything brought on by this destructive and vicious beast called cancer. He has been seeing one of his doctors(chemo, radiologist and surgeon) on a monthly visit(for the next two years) to make sure the cancer does not return. About a month and a half ago he started complaining about a sore throat. He had seen his radiologist who prescribed him an antibiotic for Thrust, which is an infection last month. He went to see his surgeon for his monthly visit last Monday when another lump was discovered. We went for a biopsy today and Dr. Gardner is hopeful and optimistic that the cancer has not spread to his voice box, lymph nodes and esophagus and has recommended a seven to nine hour surgery to remove the cancer. We go for the biopsy results on the 27th and to consult further with Dr. Gardner. The other option is to do nothing with a diagnosis of six to nine month time frame. I am writing today to tell you why I will be absent from time to time from here and to tell you how much I have appreciated your support, love, friendship, caring and mostly a way to make a person smile with witty and wonderful messages and paw mails that come directly from the heart. Please just keep us in your prayers.

With Much Love,

Judy, Casey, Grace, Leo, Frankie, Bonnie(4 Ever Our Angel), Sherlock (In Loving Memory) & Zoe

LOVEBUG TAG!!

I was tagged by my sweet friend Popeye!!

A New Game- Lovebug Tag! To play, copy the 6 questions below and paste/answer them in your diary! Then tag some friends to play, too!

1. Meow! Are you a noisy kitty or a quiet kitty?
I am actually getting quite vocal as I age(which Mom thinks is super cute, calls me Grandpaw)and desire a pet, treat(usually shouting at this point) and overall attention from my loyal subjects.

2. Litterbox! Cover your business or let some other kitty cover?
We're talking party time at the litter box, streamers, litter contents, balloons flying out at the same time! Did we say party??

3. Happy! Favorite Daily Routine?
Loving and petting time, next!

4. Hiss! Least Favorite Routine?
None comes to mind overall pretty mellow guy.

5. Ding-Dong! What do you think about visitors to your house?
I go run and hide.

6. Friends! Do you like other animals?
I have adjusted quite well and have become the go-between for Gracie and Leo and actually seek them out to lay with and cuddle. I have become the most loving cat with age and seek out companionship, who would have thought(blushes).

"Here are some friends that I am tagging!
Everfurryone is welcome to play if you are reading this and you want to play, consider yourself tagged! Be sure to let your friends know they've been tagged by sending them a message or rosette! Angels can play, too! Tell us about your life at the bridge or your life at home before the bridge!"

I tag:
Annie(Calico Junction Spokescat)
Harley
Tabatha
Luke
Tinker Bell
Smiley

I've been tagged by Big Harry

My pawsome furiend Big Harry tagged me, so here it goes.......
Name the 5 most annoying things your humans do, then tag 5 friends. Here's a few of my Human Pet Peeves....

1)Meowmy kissing me all the time(must be a girl thing)!
2)Meowmy making me come inside while she supervises our outside visits on the patio.
3)Meowmy putting me on a diet this year(really, that takes a lot of nerve she thinks I'm slightly over the poundage of my height)!!
4)Making me move when I'm sleeping on her head in the middle of the night.
5)Meowmy telling me "she loves me all the time"(actually don't tell her this, but she makes my insides do flip flops when she says that to me as I love her to, blushes)!!

Now off to tag 5 friends.....
Zeke
Man Man
Simon
Rusty
Smokey

If you're reading this and haven't been Tagged yet...consider yourself TAGGED if you'd like to be!

I've Been Tagged

I've been tagged by my good friend Platelicker and here we go!!


1. Do you ever wake your parent up in the night?

OF COURSE, what else is there to do?????????? Every morning at 4 am I sit in the doorway of my parent's bedroom and yowl and cry(I do it for attention and have gotten a slipper tossed my way more than once, giggles).

2.Do you ever tear up things?
No Way, maybe when I was younger but in my older years I would rather cuddle with Mom or Dad than waste the energy tearing things up, BORING(yawn,yawn).

3.What's your favorite treat?

That's a toss up, Natural Temptations, Baked Chicken, Cheese are the top three(starts licking lips). Excuse me while I raid the kitchen.

4.Can you fetch something when ask to do so?

Please, next question.

5.Have you ever lived any place other than where you live ?

I was born in Las Vegas, Nevada and lived there with Mom and Dad for the first four years. We then moved to Cedar City, Utah for four and a half years and I now live in Mesquite, Nevada. I perfer Nevada, not so cold!!
I'll now tag a few of my friends!!

I've been Valentine's Day Tagged!!

Precious Klemy Q-Tip tagged me to play the Valentine game. Here we go.......


1. Do you have a valentine?... if so... who?

No, I'm to busy being single(laughs)

2. if not... do you wish you did? ... is there anyone particular?... or would you rather be single? ...why?
I'd rather be single, thank you very much

3.What's your favorite love song?... who sings it? Can You Feel the Love Tonight by Elton John

4.what would be a perfect valentines day for you?
Being able to spend the whole day with Mom eating sweets and sleeping in the sunbeams.

Now the game meows that I tag 5 others so I am tagging:
Callie Rose
Hallie Baloo
Napoleon
Zeke
Platelicker