anne_d: (Hamster of Doom)
First, ants in the snacks cupboard. I just got everything put back in time for laundry day today*. Second load hits spin cycle, I hear water gushing. Being a paranoid worrying sort, I go look. The washer drain was backing up. There's even some water coming out from under the washer. I called Roto-Rooter, they got us an appointment for this morning.

I had to run errands, so I left Paul in charge. By the time I got home, the line (sewer, main) had been cleared† and he was talking to another person from R-R who wanted to sell us on a $15K loan to pay for $2500 of water damage mitigation on the other side of the wall from the washer. Which is Paul's workroom, and which is now a bit damp. We took her card and said we'd think about it.

I helped Paul drag several cardboard boxes of wet magazines‡ and a bunch of other not-wet stuff into the patio, and he removed a chunk of damp ratty old carpet. It doesn't look bad, really. However, there's a homeowners' insurance inspector going to drop by sometime in the next week to inspect our exterior, and the patio is now full of random junk. Paul was planning to spend today cleaning up outside, but obviously that didn't happen.

Kitty and I went to Panda Express for takeout for everyone, I eventually finished the laundry, and I cleaned up Dr Emily's room some more. She'll be home tomorrow evening, and I wanted her to at least be able to sleep in her bed and access her dresser.

Oh, yeah, before the floods came, there was Pooka. She's licking a thigh bald this time, so she's back in the Cone of Shame and very needy and clingy about it.

*And reorganized the kitchen table and the cart so the opened bags in their ziplocs can sit there instead. Ziplocs are not as ant-proof as you'd think.

†Roots. It's always roots.

‡Alas for his old Fine Woodworking collection.
anne_d: (Default)
Today is the second anniversary of the day Norma Rae and Pooka joined the family! They are the Best Girls, sweet and loving, and we were very lucky to find them.

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I follow Cats of Yore on Twitter, and yesterday she posted a picture of someone I knew.

https://twitter.com/CatsOfYore/status/1623169753039740930?t=pEolr7byo855kMkSGTKWMA&s=19

Room 8 was my school cat when I attended Elysian Heights public school in LA for kindergarten and 1st grade, way back in 1960-62. I remember we all fed him bits of our lunches. There's a book about Room 8, and I own a copy. A Cat Called Room 8 )
anne_d: (Default)
Norma Rae, the best grey girl, is three years old today!

anne_d: (Default)
Yesterday was Pooka's second birthday. In cat years, she is a mature and responsible adult in her mid-twenties. In reality, she's a total flake and perpetual kitten. And we adore her and her partner in crime Norma. Here she is, with a peacock feather.

anne_d: (Default)
Presenting "Pooka The Toilet Paper Slayer"

Norma was probably involved as well, but Pooka was sitting in the middle of their creation. Yes, we have a toilet paper roll holder, but someone forgot to secure the roll. Young and active cats are such fun!

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I forgot until this morning, but we had another family birthday yesterday.

According to the shelter paperwork, Norma the Explorer was born October 24 2019. She's two years old by the human calendar, which makes her about 25 in cat years. Happy Birthday, Norma, we love you and we're glad you came to live with us!
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On the off chance there's someone out there who needs more photos of our cats... Meow )
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Saturday morning, we drove to the Petco in La Habra, to meet a nice lady from the La Habra/Whittier chapter of Cats in Need of Humans and two kitties. The cats came home with us. I've been trying to take photos. and here are a couple. )
anne_d: (Cat tree)
I got Shadow to her vet today as an urgent appointment because she was refusing all food.

Her kidney disease had gotten much worse and her kidneys were failing. We chose to let her go. I was able to be with Shadow while the vet administered the drugs. She fell asleep almost immediately. Her ashes will be buried next to her sister's, by the gingko tree.

Tortoiseshell cat basking in the sun
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Here's a happy thing; Shadow curled up in the sun this morning. I just had to share the happy with everyone I know. Photo follows )
anne_d: (Default)
Shadow had her vet post-surgery recheck this morning. She's gaining back weight, the infections are cleared out, and they took the drains out. She gets the last of the stitches out a week from Friday. She is confined to the indoors for at least the next two weeks, until everything is completely healed, and she has to wear the Cone of Shame until her doctors say it can come off. They want her to be a completely indoor cat now. I can't see that happening, but I can promise that she will be closely supervised.

Shadow is at the interesting convalescent stage where she wants to do All The Things (including beating the crap out of Harley). This is going to be a very fun next few weeks. We'll all have to monitor the doors so she can't sneak out. There are three of us humans and she's just one little cat. How hard could it be? Probably very hard, but we will persist.

She is certainly feeling better; she's loud, energetic - even with the cone she managed to get up into her cat tree with help and down again on her own - she's eating, and today she decided to be a lap cat again. Such a relief.
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Last night as I was lying in bed, reading*, suddenly there came a tapping, as of someone gently rapping their plastic cone against my chamber door...

Yes, it was Shadow, accompanied by Kitty. Shadow bashed me with her cone, rocketed into the room, leapt up on the bed, and demanded my immediate attention. After a lot of petting and scritching from us and more running around from Shadow, Kitty and I got her out into the living room and settled in my comfy chair. Where I found her this morning. Although she had gotten up and eaten most of her dry food.

Shadow has been fed, medicated, and is back in her Fortress of Catitude under Kitty's bed, with supplies of food and water. She's in the bin full of plushies at the other end of the bed. I think she's feeling a lot better today. Although she needs some cleanup around the drains. But that can wait; she's happy right now.

*Harrow the Ninth, which is very confusing.

What a day

Aug. 21st, 2020 06:34 pm
anne_d: (Happycat)
Let me state up front that Shadow's home safe now. The whole long story follows. )
anne_d: (Cat tree)
Shadow says every day is Cat Day, foolish human, and cover me back up, I'm sleeping.


Shadow the tortie cat in her nest
anne_d: (Cat tree)
Eighteen years ago today, the four of us drove to a cat adoption fair in La Habra, and returned home with two six-week-old sister kittens. We lost Patches two years ago, but Shadow is still bossing everyone around.

Happy Kittens Adoption Anniversary!

Midweek

Jun. 20th, 2018 05:31 pm
anne_d: (Default)
Shadow has been to the vet for her fasting blood work. She was Not Happy being kept in and not fed, but she was pretty well-behaved about the whole thing. Of course when I got her home, she had to go out and in all the doors, just to make sure, but that's only fair. She's a good old cat.

Oh, just as I was pulling up to the house, a little birdy landed in the gutter in front of my car so I got a really good look at it. I have now seen a male pin-tailed whydah! They're an invasive species here, but rare, and since they lay their eggs in the nests of another invasive species, nobody's too worried. Cute little thing he was, too. Of course I emailed Emily.

Other usefuls slayage: I finished the drawn-threadwork tote bag and I'm cleaning up after. I haven't decided what to tackle next; I might just take down the vision board thingy. I've been meaning to rework it, and right now it isn't too hard to reach. Then maybe I'll do a few more silly decorative things around the studio, like hang the strands of bead curtain (glow-in-the-dark stars, yet) I scrounged from Kitty.

I need a quiet day to make lists and think about what I want and need to do. Tomorrow is looking good. Paul's got a lunch date with some of his old co-workers, so it'll be pretty quiet around here.

But now it's time for my evening pills and dinner plans. Later, gators.
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Patches stopped breathing a little while ago. She was sixteen years old by the human calendar. She will be missed by all of us including her sister Shadow.


anne_d: (Default)
Or, the Patches in her native habitat.

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