Knitting in the Big City

Birthday Girl!

Ok, ok, it was my cat’s birthday yesterday. My Boo has reached her 17th birthday.

It’s the first birthday she hasn’t had to share her special dinner (tuna) with any other cats. And no, she didn’t share it with Garfield either. Let me tell you, she sure woofed, I mean, scarfed her dinner last night.

Hmmm....

tuna....

...t-u-n-a....

.... TUNA!!!!!!

Her head (and tongue) were moving so fast it was difficult to get a good pose. Since she stuffed her tummy and fell asleep, we spent the night talking about how much we missed our other two cats, Wembley and Pucci. It’s been almost a year since Wembley passed on but we missed her everyday. Since we inherited Pucci from my mother-in-law we don’t have an abundance of memories with her but then again I miss her if only for the fact that she was the only cat that wanted to sleep on your lap.

Since we lost Wembley and Pucci within 4 months of each other I really was praying that Boo would make it to her birthday in June. Losing three cats in one year would have been too much for me to bear.

Sad news for the second time...

Our youngest cat, Pucci, had to be put to sleep last night. Apparently she’s had some medical issues going on for the past year and we’ve been dealing with them in the last few weeks. The emotions are hitting me now as I write this – this was the inevitable path we had to take but knowing this doesn’t make it any simpler or easier to deal with.

We adopted Pucci into our household when my mother-in-law past away 4 years ago. When I get her ashes we will with bury her at the family gravesite; it’s only right that she be with the owner that loved her so much.

Seven pounds of love

Wembley at her happiest - sleeping on her human's lap.

Showing off her breed.

"I packed up our stuff - hope we have separate rooms at the new place"

We made the decision to put our sick kitty to sleep last week. She was dealing with pronounced physical issues the last few years – her hearing has been on the decline the past few years and since this past May she’s had difficulty in jumping, balancing herself while walking and in the last few weeks she increasingly walked in circles, as if she were trying to orient herself. Increasingly our bed became her sanctuary. Last week she somehow fell off the bed and my when he got home my husband found her on the floor. One eye was bloodshot and for the rest of the night she had difficult moving around the apartment. Since her May tests we had hoped that she’d make it to the end of the summer but as the days passed you could see that she was struggling physically.

That night we talked about our options and how much "our buddy" should have to go through. The overwhelming thought was that she had a wonderful 13 years with us and she lived a happy life: she was never cold, hungry and never lacked any attention. She certainly displayed the traits of her Ocicat breed - athletic, outgoing, talkative, intelligent. she loved action and adventure, and thrived on human interaction. Everyone loved her.

We elected not to put her through any more tests but from her symptoms I have to concluded that she had either a brain tumor or she had some sort of head trauma. She wasn’t going to get better and the veterinarian didn’t attempt to talk us out of our decision.

It’s tough to see the bed unoccupied. But the toughest thing is not saying her name or the multitude of nicknames we gave her.

She’s been a big part of my life and it has definitely helps me to talk about her with joy. I’m sure you guys won’t mind an hearing an occasional story or seeing a picture of her.

This crazy cat …

Yoga cat... in mid-pose!

…. drank diet soda out of the glass this weekend. Did I also mention that the cat took possession of the dining table and would not get off of it? No matter how many times I removed her she would not leave. Who knew she’s such a willful little thing!

Kitty/Clapotis update

Well it looks like my cat doesn’t have an issue with her inner ear so the recommendation is to make an appointment at the Animal Hospital and get some more tests done. She’s already made adjustments to her condition - now her movements are deliberate because fast and quick puts her in a tizzy. This is upsettingly because she was a “jumper”, she loved jumping up everywhere. My other two cats are content to be in the room with you but this girl is the in-your-face kitty – she always what to know what you are doing, what you are eating, heck, are you sitting in a warmer spot than hers!?!? There was a delay in getting her x-ray done last week so she stayed at the vet’s overnight, leaving us with the sad experience of a night without her at home.

Miles of Clapotis - well maybe that's an exaggeration - its 12" by 40".

As for knitting, I’m making a lot of progress on my Koigu Clapotis – I’m well into the second round of straight rows and I’ve purchased the all important backup skein in case my calculations are off. Knitting this Clapotis has been a comfort. Sick kitty has been sleeping on the bed and when I have a chance I usually nap with her or work on Clapotis while she dozes. As for Koigu I can definitely see why everyone goes ga-ga its colorways but does everyone realizes what a super soft fabric is produced? I have an unholy stash of Koigu and some colorways certainly have enough to make a tee shirt or a cardigan.

Tommorrow- mugshots of those 25 skeins of Koigu.

Distraction

My middle kitty, Wembley, is having trouble walking straight and landing her jumps. We think she has an inner ear problem but given her age (14) the vet has already mentioned the possibility of a tumor or cancer. She’s getting x-rays tomorrow.

This is the second time in the last couple of years that’s she’s had ear and balance issues. She’s such a sweet girl and she loves my husband like there’s no tomorrow. I've had her ever since she was a kitten so this is just breaking my heart…

Snow, snow, snow

Well my kitty was trying to tell us something yesterday since she spent the whole day in the window watching this:

“Hey Mom, it’s time to head somewhere warm!”

Got some cash?

Please consider donating to some of the animal rescues going on in Mississippi and Louisiana! One look at this poor dog will tug at your heart. The link also mentions worthy places to donate.

Wembley, 13 yrs old

My kitty trifecta is donating the cost of one week's food. Generous ain't they?
Their Mom and Dad, errr... owners are matching their contribution.

Birthday girl!

My oldest kitty, Boo, had a birthday late in June. She's 15 years old and definitely grand dame of the house! She has top kitty status so she's the first one to check out this green tomato that we had to throw out (it was turning black!!!)

As with all kitties, the minute you try to take a action photo they decide to sit and sulk! BTW, she's a southpaw (and the paw is usually very vicious).

Cat on a Diet?

I think my mother-in-law's cat, Pucci wants to go on my diet with me. Why? Whole Foods sells edamame hummus - the chickpeas are replaced with soybeans. Well last night the cat shoves her face into the container and starts eating it!!! Lately she's been acting like she's never seen food before. She actually licks peanut butter off my morning toast too. She's twice the size of my other 2 cats and I think she's starting to feel self-concious (NOT! She's just a little porker!)

And wouldn't you know it if you are new on the floor at work just leave your knitting out on your desk. I had 3 people stop and talk to me. They all are veteran crocheters and they all want to learn to knit. I added another 2 inches to Butterfly yesterday.