prysma

Stuff about prysma, Jackie.Elle, and of course Trick and Freya and Cory-Bear.

170 Comments

  1. (Just looked back at how long this is. Oops. Reading it is not obligatory. Too Long; Didn’t Read version: seasonally-exacerbated depression/anxiety, mild feline health stress, low-level stresses, but surviving and still here, if not very talkative.)

    Um, sorry about going quiet. Just a few days after the court stuff, the weather took a sharp turn towards greyer, cooler, wetter, and darker, and it took my mood down with it. Nothing specific, it’s just the same unpleasant aliens that have taken up pernament residence in my head, depression and anxiety, and sometimes they team up and knock me down and sit on me. This half of the year, they tend to get the upper hand more easily, without even needing serious external stress to give them strength bonuses. Because I’m sure someone will bring it up, I did have a psychiatrist that I saw occasionally to check in, but he moved on to other things, and I currently don’t even have a GP/family doctor/PCP because there are not enough around here. Meds do not help anymore, I get zero benefit and increasingly horrible side effects. There’s no one offering talk therapy that I could even remotely afford – I’m too functional for the critical care agencies but too broken to function reliably. Meh, so I rely on Jackie and the purrkids and things like trying to get out to walk (weather permitting) and the routine of keeping Cheezland going and, as often as possible, living in my own worlds while writing. No, I am not at any risk of hurting myself even on bad nights, I could never do that to Cory and Freya and Trick.

    We’re a little worried about Trick, who’s 15 years old with arthritis and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. He’s always tended to forget How To Cat but at the moment, he needs to be reminded to eat, especially kibble, which keeps his tummy more settled. This means that virtually every night, I’m awake at some point in the night to urge him to eat so he doesn’t throw up. Disrupted sleep, not so good. He’s generally all loving and cuddly and cheerful, if a bit annoyed that he can’t spend all day on the balcony any more. He’s getting a bit more CBD oil for his arthritis, which seems to help beautifully, especially on bad-weather days when you can see the difference in how he moves, and he’s enjoying his wet food and washing the younger kids and enthusiastically carrying toys around while singing the song of his people at the top of his lungs. So he’s happy, but… his tummy’s getting more sensitive, and we probably can’t do much beyond his current meds. So lots of energy is going into reminding him to eat – and getting him pretty much anything that he will enjoy eating, regardless of how healthy.

    Still can’t get Cory’s weight down, even though the vet is worried about diabetes. She says he can’t handle carbs. He gets hardly any, and eats less of everything else than any recommendation, but we can’t get anywhere. He’s on prednisolone for environmental allergies, and I’m certain that’s why. Think I need to ask the vet about reducing it (it’s already low) or stopping it. Itching is bad, but it’s less dangerous. *sigh*

    Freya’s her usual cheerful little self, and is starting to climb under blankets at night again, although not always on particularly cold nights. Since Jackie’s comatose once she has her C-PAP machine on, she comes and wakes me up so I’ll lift the blankets for her, and then I stay half awake because she’s little and I’m scared I’ll squish her. But it’s utterly adorable and makes her purr insanely, so what can you do? (How does she build up so much heat I have to start pulling blankets off, though?)

    The weather’s playing havoc with Jackie’s pain to go with my energy. We very badly want to get some very seriously overdue housework done – half the apartment seems to be covered in a carpet of laundry I need to do, for one thing. But Trying to find the physical energy to tackle it is problematic. It takes energy for me to go out and get food and kitty litter and all, too, and even on good days, that’s a finite resource. I bet we’ll both feel better once we get there, but it feels like it’s going to take forever. It’s normal for both of us to get distracted by other things, but I was keeping up reasonably well, before the court stuff – while Jackie was at her part-time job, I took part of one day every week and picked everything up and swept and did some laundry. We sorta got behind… for the past couple of years, arrgh.

    And to top it all off, my laptop is dying. I still have a bit of money left, thanks to amazing Cheezpeeps (!) and my dad says he’ll help. Jackie put her current system together super-cheap using parts she ordered on Amazon during Black Friday sales last year, so she’s doing some preliminary research and we’ll hope she can find me something equivalent to what I have now. I don’t exactly need a high-end gaming system, but I do need to be able to write and go online and keep Cheezland going! We’ll figure it out, it’s just one more thing.

    But hey, I’m writing! And it’s a real manuscript, this time, instead of just messing around in my playground world like I was doing for months to keep myself going! Fingers crossed I’ll have the complete first draft of a new novel done very soon. As long as I’m still writing, I’m still some version of functional. All the stories in my head only went silent for an extended period once, and it was very very bad. So, writing anything is good, but even better is writing something I can share (outside of Jackie and one old friend, because who else is insane enough to be interested in 2 million words and counting?). This one’s odd but it’s been mostly fun to write. :-)

    Okay, enough (too much) rambling. I’m sorry I probably still won’t be very chatty, but I’ll try to at least share the latest silly thing the purrkids have done, or something, because there’s always something new! :lol: And I’ll try to keep it short but, eh, I’m me…

    Love you guys!

  2. What do you do if you get keeped awake much of teh nite by an uberkyoot stripeygirl who insists on lying on top of you? She started out on top of my upper leg whylol I were on my side, and when she leefed to eat I flopped on back to let mussles uncramp, then she reinstalled on my belly… and kept moving upwards every time I dozed back off. “Uh, Mom, you falled asleep and teh petting stopped!” Eventually her had whiskery lil face directly in mine. Used to be, her wud nebberebber be on a human willingly… she figured out a cupple yeers ago that it gibs her grate power coz my prevyuss kittehs trained me very well to never disturb teh kitteh.

    I has a big sleepy. *yawn* But I lubs her.

  3. ohai dere prysma et al. u am amazing dat u keepz awn choogling along wiv awl da RL stuff u gotz two deel wiv. ai haz a huuuge greful an admirachun four u. u am wundrus furrson. lotsa luv frum da noodle an PJ an Jessica. “smooooches”

  4. OH! I didn’t see the update. I know what you mean about seasonal. Ugh. Something called “Wake Up Lights” supposed to help. Hey it’s worth a shot-I’ll let you know how it goes. I finally got up the nerve to find someone to clean for me but that means picking up the stuff so she can do the cleaning. So had to put off for a week. I’ve been sitting in my recliner so long I think I’m about to get a bed-sore on my butt. Just about the time I get charged up a cat will go to sleep on my lap…and you know the rules about that…..Hugs to the whole family and special beems to Trick.

  5. Freya halped herself to my laptop. Aifinkso her can has Catmus message, but I nawt ablol to translate it yet.

    Along wif opening menny windows and making bookmarks in browser and naming wun uv tehm 8-2u=1 ‘b]bdefgjklrtuy4567

    Her also typed this:
    1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111IAOT\=Z777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777777&&&&&&&&s111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))&&%&&&&&&&&&)))))eeeeeeeeeeeee~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~)eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee)$$$$$$$$&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&dYD=z+!1!!~&$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~@~+d~#+===ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ“““=========D=ZghADEFGHOQSTWZ#%^*()|1UJKZPXBC1 VBD

    Sumhao. Even tho sum uv those meen holding wun kee an hitting anuvver sumwhair else.

    Probably it meens, “Cory an Trick an I am wishin ebreewun awsum lollidays!”

  6. Ohai! I know, I not around much rite nao. I thinkin of peeps an tehn furget to actually come heer an say stuffs :oops: until I are gettin reddy fur bed, an teh purrkids kinda has opinions abowt me stayin up late.

    Inna nutshell, I bin bizzybizzy onna website called Wattpad where I are tryin to get peeps tu reed teh stuffs I haz writed an also reedin teh stuffs tehy has writed an generally tryin mai best to duz teh netwurking stuffs that I are berryberry bad at. I gottid super-lukky an eben maked a friend who am a nawsum writer. :-D (Her name am Sarah and she in Callyfornya. There am a Cheezpeep whu will find that funny aibetcha. :lol: ) Alla this are takin up a whole lotta time an energies, but I haz putted sooooo much into writing teh stories that I kinda wanna get moar peeps to see tehm, y’know? And there am rly nawt enuff stuff available taht has teh characters taht am nawt straight or am trans an actually do stuff that am inneresting an fings, insted of bein teh walkin clichays.

    Also, wevver been sooper weerd (whyfore we can has rain in mid-January? Srsly? I nawt a fan of sno but this are just bizarre) an Jackie be havin teh pain stuffs a lot coz uv that an so duz Trick wif hims arfritis, but uvver tahn that, helf-wise fings am okay. I trying sumfin gnu fur anxieties/deepreshuns (CBD, wunna teh active parts of cannabis, inna nice neet no-tasting-it capsule purrscribed by a nice doctor) but it mostly just makin me sleepy, which I guess are okay at nite but cannawt duz in moarning (coz I spended about a week fallin asleep in puter chair haff teh day!) and gotta talk to teh nice doctor bout that. Onna uvver paw, I fall asleep a lot when teh days am this short an dark ennywai.

    So, I sorta am around an defnitly still goin, just a lil scattered at teh momint. I hates teh winters.

  7. glad yu meating riters, thass grate! wethur pritty funnie hear, waz 68 dekrees faeirinhight sadurday, ai noe taht acause ai saw teh teimppitchr awn mai car screen awn teh wai bak from taeking a showur at teh horse spittle on accounta ai had no hot wadder. :( Fixed nao.
    Ai noe yu hangin arawnd inn bakgrownd keeping us awl connickted an wee luv yu fore it!xxxooo

  8. I has a sad – aifinkso Trick is running out of time on this side of teh Bridge.

    He’s still a happy loving boy who isn’t suffering, but… he’s 16 years old. He’s been dealing with IBS and arthritis without much trouble and no real changes, until very recently. When he saw the vet just after the new year for his regular checkup, she commented that it’s the first time she’s ever seen him that he *looks* like an old cat. She said he was losing muscle tone, in particular. We’ve known for a couple of years that he’s having increasing moments of confusion, probably a bit of age-related dementia.

    It’s getting worse, and not just his energy levels dropping. It’s getting harder to keep his tummy stable and keep him from having the runs or throwing up, and we’re having to coax him into eating. (It’s not like IBS has a cure, just management to slow down the progression.) He’s mostly lost interest in crunchies of any kind, even ones he used to love. He’s losing weight even though he is getting enough food into him, and he just feels so frighteningly frail when I pick him up. Even petting him has to be gentle – he wants it but doing it the way he wants hurts him. He’s having trouble keeping himself clean – his spotlessly-white chest is not white now, and we’re helping him stay clean at both ends. A bit of food and salmon CBD oil clung to the side of his face and by the time we noticed and cleaned it up, it irritated his skin, which is recovering a lot more slowly than it used to, and there’s a slowly-growing patch on his jaw and down onto his throat with no fur.

    Vet, over the phone, thinks there’s a chance his thyroid is going wonky. We could take him in for blood tests and stuff, and see if it’s something we can fix. We decided against that. With his slow healing, the probable dementia, the progressive nature of IBS, his age… we decided that we’re going to allow him whatever peace and dignity we can. We’re going to spoil him as much as we can for as long as he’s still happy and enjoying it. I hope he has long enough for the stupid weather to start *acting* like late April and give us some sunny days that will allow him to lounge on the balcony. We’re giving him quite a lot of CBD oil right now, which is keeping him from feeling any pain from his arthritis (we made him some double-strength stuff), and right now, I don’t care about the lack of testing or any thought of long-term effects of the high dose. And we’ll only take him to the vet for one more visit – I hope far enough in the future that we can both be with him without the current very tight COVID restrictions.

    So, I has a sad. I’m spending a *lot* of time just holding him whenever he wants and making sure he has everything he needs and hoping that he knows how much we love him. It is going to be seriously weird and quiet without him, after over a decade and a half of him being right in the middle of absolutely everything, endlessly curious and endlessly able to find trouble to get into. But I’m grateful he found us, all those years ago, and grateful we’ve had this long with him.

    1. Oh no. Peej an Jessica an I are sad four u an Jackie an ur luvly boi Trick. Watt a luvly rascal him is. {{{{{Trick an fambly}}}}.

    2. Hugs to you and the entire household. There’s nothing I can say that you don’t already know, so just sending support. It’s sunny on our side of the lake today, so maybe for you, too? Mara was about 16, also. We never knew, exactly.

  9. {{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{Whole howse ob Prysma}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

    Oh dear heart, he knows how much you all love him. Please never doubt that. Animals know our hearts and minds and souls better than we do ourselves.

    That said, I am so sorry you are heading into this sad and worrying time. It is never easy. Keep reminding yourself that the love and the connection never end. I’m holding you all in the light.

  10. Holding you and the whole household in my heart, Prysma I know that you will not let Trick suffer but also know how hard it will be when the time comes to say goodbye.

  11. Plz to be sending Trick beemz? He seemz nawt inclined to eat this morning, no matter what I gibs him. He are a lil snuffly so I gibbed him allerjy meds – mebbe if he can sniff betterer, he will has more interest. If nawt, I gonna has to blenderize sum an syringe it into him tu see if he will start agen. Is pawsiblol he just slippin geers a lil an furgot hao noms wurk an will remember. Or iz coz we has yet annuver rainy bleeping &$#%ing day (we can has sun? sumthime this year mebbe?) an it makin him sore.

    Wif pandemic stuff, regular v-e-t am closed onna weekend and shorter hours thru teh week. I duzzint want to take him to teh emergency clinic fur last visit, they nawt know him an it be a much longer trip. This mite be a berry ruff weekend, depending hao this goes.

  12. Sending ohaiest and strongest super beems frum de west…

    {{{{{Whole howse ob Prysma}}}}}}}

    Ai is so sowwy. Iz scary when dey nawt eat. C’mon Trick…lovely noms….just a bit or two, please?

  13. Nothing’s working, he won’t eat more than a couple of bites of ANYTHING – and there is an astonishing array of food and tuna water and stuff out now. And we’re pretty sure he’s starting to just… disconnect. I realized a few minutes ago that he isn’t purring when I pick him up – he always purrs when I pick him up.

    1. We called the vet.

      2:10 Cheezthyme he does one last vet visit. They even arranged it so he can see his usual vet even though she’s booked solid today. We’re allowed in to be with him, at least.

      He’s just more and more… not there, y’know? Less and less responsive. The only thing left we can do for him is help him get out of a failing body as peacefully as possible now.

      He’s 16. He has chronic health issues. He’s been fading in front of us. We’re both completely sure he’s ready. But I still can’t stop crying.

      1. Hugs to you and everyone. I let Mara go on a Friday afternoon. The vet assured me it wasn’t just for “convenience”. It was inevitable and I would have spent the weekend thinking “I should have…” while watching her suffer. Go in peace Trick, safe journey.

  14. Oh dear Prysma, so sorry to read this. We are with you in our hearts. Your tears are a tribute to your wonderful care and love for your lovely boy. Thinking of the House of Prysma with much love and tenderness.

  15. Oh it is always hard to say good-bye to a furrry child. They give us such joy and then we are obliged to give them a peaceful ending no matter how it hurts to say goodby. I’m glad I got to meet Trick, he was such a friendly boy. My love to you and Jackie and lots of hugs.

  16. So very very sorry. This is the worst day for all fur parents. You and Jackie are strong and loving moms and are doing the best thing for sweet Trick. He is and will always be your own boy – the love and connection never end. Don’t worry about the tears. They are the depth of your heart.

  17. It’s now 2:13 Cheeztime. Emma just jumped on mai lap adn snuggled her face into mai forearm.

  18. Thanks, guys. We’ll be okay. V-e-t said he was anemic and just wasting away, and she agrees it was absolutely time. Until today he wanted to keep going, but it was taking more of his CBD oil to give him good days, ands he was losing weight and… yeah. He had about 5 times his normal CBD dose before we went, so he wasn’t stressed or hurting at all and that actually perked him up enough for him to enjoy the fresh air a bit.

    They arranged somehow for his own vet to be the one to do it even though she had a full day booked. She was very gentle and she said with al that CBD he didn’t even feel the Valium shot that made him go to sleep in our hands, before she got to the heavy one. Think he was gone before she even got to the second shot, though.

    A long and active life, determined to never be left out of anything and with lots of love, ands a peaceful crossing at a time he chose… that’s about as good as it gets, really.

    Gonna miss him bad, though. Never had a cat so utterly obsessed with being right in the middle of everything. After over 15 years of that, it’s gonna leave one biiiig hole.

    We donated his leftover meds to go to the local wildlife rehab centre (prednisolone and Cerenia) since, well, what are we going to do with them? Maybe they can help a porkypine like Sully or something.

    1. PJ an Jessica an I send our love to you prysma an jackie an ur fur gang. Trick wuz unique an lived a gud life. But so very hard to say gudbye.

    2. Take care of yourselves. Hugs and sunnybeems (agreeing with your earlier post about lack of sun lately. grrrr) coming your way.

  19. that’s what was immedieatley endeering about Trick. “oh company!, ai sits in middlol uf ebriewun inn case sumwun wanna pets me or sumfing!”

  20. Hugs to the whole House of Prysma. You did right by Trick, and now he is in a place where it is always sunny, there is no pain and he can get into the middle of all sorts of things. And then tell you all about it when you see him again.

  21. Checking in on the House of Prysma….I think sometimes this day is harder than the actual day. How are you all?

    Sending love and hugs.

    1. We are… doing okay, I guess? Tired – neither of us slept well. We’re now firmly in the phase of disorientation and change. We got so used to the whole schedule revolving around Trick’s schedule for meds and food and everything that it feels very weird not to have to do that, and of course we’re constantly looking at things and finding things that remind us of him. We were sorta braced for it, but… never, y’know?

      Cory and Freya have both investigated the carrier and the blanket thoroughly, and they’re both staying very close to us and wanting a lot of attention. (Anyone who says cats can’t bond to each other or grieve is insane.) We’re trying to keep things as consistent as possible for them and giving them lotsa loves. Just… all spending time together.

      Trick was so constantly in the middle of absolutely everything that we’re going to be constantly aware of his absence. *sigh* I’m personally slipping past the scream-to-the-world-in-pain-and-rage phase and into the how-I-failed-him-how-I-miss-him-see-him-everywhere phase.

      But we’ll be okay.

      I have to admit I’m a bit ticked off, though. The clouds finally broke while we were walking away from the vet clinic. The sky was clear by the time we got home. This morning was beautiful and bright and warm, and Bear and Freya spent the early morning on the balcony enjoying it. Trick would have loved it so much.

  22. Have to be back at the vet in an hour – Freya’s constipated and probably needs an enema. She always has hairball problems in the spring but this is new. Poor baby. She’s terrified of strangers, this is going to be just hell for her. I can’t even stay with her, I have to wait outside. But have to do something. Jackie’s going to stay here with Cory (who will likely be upset I’m away from him, he’s being ultra-clingy). Fingers crossed this works quickly and easily (ha! nothing easy about this!) so we can maybe get back to trying to rebuild our lives.

    1. I’m so sorry…more animal stress is the last thing you need right now. {{{{{{{Whole House of Prysma}}}}}}}}}
      Fingers and paws crossed from the House of Lili that Freya will be fine.

      Please let us know!

    2. Harebawls an harebawls an enemas, oh mai! Twice mai Jessica haz had two get dem. my vet sed hur wuz sew impactified Jessie kneaded 2 enemas. Butt, :grin: (ai sed butt), hur wuz eva sew muchly happier afta.
      Lettuce kno hao it terns aut. Much luv two da hause ov prysma.

    3. Apparently she’s not constipated… she has a UTI. Cats can get those very fast in response to stress, apparently, and she’s definitely been unhappy without Trick.

      An hour of nightmare for her, getting poked and prodded and examined, getting sub-q fluids and a urine test. An hour of sitting outside in the cold for me. Gotta pay them now (they said we could do the credit card thing so I could get her home NOW). Vet referred to Freya as a high-strung “stress-bucket” which she mostly is around strangers.

      Antirobotics 2x/day for 10 days.

      1. Sorry, was typing fast and distracted. Thanks for all the beems and good wishes. She forgives me: I was afraid she’d associate me with the bad stuff but I scooped her for cuddles and she purred. I almost cried.
        She’ll be on antibiotics twice a day for 10 days to clear up whatever’s going on. (“So many bacteria we couldn’t even get a decent count.”) I actually did not know that stress could cause cats to develop serious cystitis. And she’s been unhappy all week, missing Trick. So has Cory, he’s just wanting me in sight all the time and wanting cuddles from both of us several times a day.
        This has been a ghastly day, but I think we can all take a deep breath and breathe now.
        The fact that they had Trick’s ashes and pawprint there sorta became secondary. Trick wasn’t scared and stressed, Freya was. I think he’d understand.
        Please no more for a while!

  23. Oh prysma, so very sad to hear of Trick’s passing. He had a long, wonderful life with you and felt your love every day. So hard to say goodbye, but at the end it was the best gift you had to offer. I hope your memories of all the fun, crazy things he did, and how much he loved you, will help you heal.

    1. Thanks. <3 He left a huge hole behind, after so long being right in the middle of everything, but honestly... at this point, I miss him terribly but mostly I'm grateful that we got to have that time with him. He was an absolutely extraordinary personality, even among all the cats I've ever known. And I'm grateful we could make sure he got a peaceful crossing when love and everything we could do for his comfort just weren't enough anymore. But man it's going to take a long time to stop expecting to see him turn up to investigate anything and everything. That's a pain I know Cheezpeeps understand very well. {{{{{{{{CatBurgh and alla peeps}}}}}}}}

  24. I’m sorry lovely Freya has to go through this (and you as well) but I’m also very glad that it is a treatable, fixable thing. I’m so sorry for all the stress and sadness you’ve had this week.

  25. Same fing I put on Facebork. Sorry, I too tyred to retypes. This haz been wun heckuva week.

    Babygirl’s doing good so far today. She’s had her first two doses of her antibiotics and she is being *very* good about taking them, no fussing or fighting. (Cat peeps know just how much of a relief that is!) She’s getting the sloppiest foods I have on hand and loving it, and I’m going to be putting in an order at our awesome local PetValu for more I can pick up tomorrow when I need to go out anyway. She slept on top of JackieElle for a while last night and woke me an hour early this morning for loves, and she’s currently enjoying a sunbeam on my bed – after a brief visit to the very chilly balcony and its view of snow (!). She needs love and attention, on her terms but lots of it, the way she needs oxygen, I swear.

  26. Freya update: the antirobotics are giving her the runs, poor girl, and her behind was already sore from teh vet chekkin if she were blocked, but she overall are doing much better! She’s halfway thru teh meds. She’s not crying when using teh litterbox, which is such a HYOOOOJ relief all around. We been giving her a lot of extra CBD fur pain and anxieties, gonna start dropping that back towards normal in another day or two. (And mixing a bit of metamucil into her wet foods, hoping that’ll help with teh runs.)

    I has a bigbig proud of her for being brave and smart. She been coming to me when she has a messy litterbox visit, all distressed and stuff because she’s a very clean cat, and even wakes me up if necessary so I can get her all cleaned up. She doesn’t resist at all, but she ferociously grooms herself or my hand or Jackie’s, whatever’s in reach. For the babygirl who took years to trust us that it’s okay to sit on laps and that claw-trimming is safe, that is just soooo enormous a step! She not even fussing about her meds or… or anyfing!

    She’s spending a lot of the day wanting to be alone to sleep, but not hiding, and she purrs and arches towards hands when we check on her, so we mostly be letting her be. (If she were under teh bed or in teh closet, I’d have more of a worried.) She’s eating rly well – I put in an order at teh pet store for a whole lot of sloppy stuff, some with fishes that tehy could not has because it upset Trick’s tummy, some that comes in smaller packages that weren’t viable regularly with 3 cats to feed, some from a brand our store not had before. And she are demading very vocally taht she gets to go onna balcony nawt-sekkund thing inna morning, even if it are chilly still.

    I got teh pet store to add in a toy too. (It can has catnip and honeysuckle boff innit!) I gottid pics this morning. (This are a Google Photos album, shud nawt be a problem fur anywun to see.) https://photos.app.goo.gl/hzHXd9GJDCvJQ8ZU9

    Must be alla goodgood beems!

    Onna other hand, Bear is doing a lot of excessive self-grooming (more than he should be from environmental itchies) and being a bit bratty at times… super-cute and snuggly one minute, wreaking havoc the next. We’re being patient ’cause he missing Trick and his siscat are sick, but I rly hope everything calms down soon. *sigh*

  27. oh, deer Prysma, I’ve been amiss and awol… I’ve got hyoomin fren hoo is taking up all spare moments I have; I’m his POA and he’s actively dying…. I am SO very saddened to read about Trick…. I had thought the CBD would be a halp to him, but I guess it was palliative more than curative.
    It hurts so terribly to lose a furbebbeh, I’m still aching over Murphy MacToffee, and it’s been over a year. I feel ya.

    I do hope you can feel all teh lubs and BEEMS that are coming from all parts of the whirled to you!
    Stay safe, stay sane, and stay healthy!
    {{{{{{prysma and all teh furs}}}}}}}

    1. Turtlol, I nawt has wurds, just… alla lubs and beems fur you and yur friend.

      Teh CBD did halp Trick enormussly, it worked wunnerfully as a way to control his arfritis and keep him active and nawt in pain. Everything has limits, an we did nawt eggspect it tu cure ennyfing. It has halped all 3 cats nao, in different ways, so I has a happy.

      There am manymany furbabies fur Murphy MacToffee an Trick to make frenz with, an hyoomin Cheezpeeps lyk Lungdoc to watch ober them all an give loves an scritches… but is hard for those of us still on this side.

      An beleeb me, we feels teh lubs, berryberry much! {{{{{{{{{{{{Turtlol}}}}}}}}}}}}}}} Look after you!

  28. ai hasta weight till hoem cawse barakewda at werk sez NONONO bad yu, ai am reportin yu! (nuffin knew!)

  29. I has a proud of my gentle no-longer-baby Cory-Bear. He was an orphan with no mom to teach him stuff, except Angel who did her best with the hyper lil rugrat as a kitten, and he is now eleven years old.

    For some reason, we have a whole bunch of moths that all look the same all fluttering madly around our balcony. Sometimes they get inside the screeen, and then a few get inside the apartment. Bear-cat is taking exception to this. (Also, he is finally losing some weight, even though he’s been eating okay, and his energy and alertness have been higher lately.)

    Today is the third day in a row one has gotten inside and he’s gone after it with absolute focus and major excitement and seriously mad skillz!

    It was hilarious watching him the first time, just before bedtime, tearing around the apartment trying to reach it. I scooped him up to help and he kept chirping impatiently at me whenever I lost sight of it and wasn’t getting him close quickly enough. I might have been in some danger when it started fluttering around a ceiling light up too high for me to lift him. They’re very hyperactive fluttery moths that don’t seem to like landing for long, so that helped. Once he got close enough, he dispatched the first moth with one swat, then watched it and sniffed at it to see if it would move again… then he ate it. We rewarded him with treats and lots of praise.

    The second one, suppertime yesterday, got hunted and killed and devoured so quickly that he was a bit disappointed and kept looking for it. Then he spotted a third one this morning, and instantly forgot everything else. This time he didn’t want to eat it, but he killed it extremely efficiently as soon as he got into reach.

    He keeps watching for more, now. He is very diligently protecting us from any further moth incursions. LOL I know it’s normal cat behaviour, but he’s so often to uninterested in “normal cat” things that it’s always awesome when he explodes like this. :-D

    3
    1. mai PJ yoost two fli thru da hair wiv da grateist ov eeze too catchify an eet dem pesky mothiz. dem him wood hab moth wing powdor awn hims uppor lip. yup.

      1
  30. Oh Steph, please take good care of yourself — we will be fine! We will spend the time sending you healing beems! You have an excellent nurse there in Jackie Elle, with some lovely assistants to make sure you rest and stay still for awhile. Sending you all good beems for speedy healing. (Lili would like you to know she cut her foot the other day and completely understands what you are going through, although she does point out that at least in your case, food was involved…)

    2
  31. Getz bettor soon mai deer. Accidents involving handz can be sooo frustrating, butz u MUZT gives dem time to heal up proper. We will be fine here in Cheezland. I am hopin deh accident did nawt involve a mandoline! Doz fings r wicked!

    1
  32. Jackie has finally decided to allow me access to my computer. :roll: I’m okay. A bread knife slipped and I messed up my left index finger badly enough to need 4 stitches and a tetanus shot. Jackie has serious first-responder training and she figured out fast that it was too much for her to deal with. Literally everyone I saw in the Emergency Room was very kind and very friendly – one nurse, despite being busy, offered to stay with me through everything when I mentioned my anxiety being sky-high without Jackie there. I was in and out in a couple of hours, which is really fast considering that mine wasn’t life-threatening and they were fairly busy. (Jackie says, yeah, but because mine only needed a few minutes to actually sort out, that meant they could get one more body out of there.)

    I’m being sensible, even though it’s frustrating. I was going to do a run to the pet store and a couple other places this morning but it’s going to rain and I’m supposed to keep my heavily-wrapped finger dry, so I’ll wait til tomorrow. I have every intention of trying to get some Cheezland posts set up ASAP but I may have to fight with Jackie on that one since she apparently believes that’ll in some way lead to catastrophe. So we’ll see.

    I am sooooo sorry about the interruption and not having Monday cuteness up for everyone! Especially with Cheezland being 8 years old this coming Friday!

    Thanks muchly for the patience and the beems. Love you guys withamuchness!

    1
  33. PS, sorry about confusions – I told Jackie to put an announcement in the sidebar. I totally forgot how many people use mobile devices to access Cheezland and how different the layout looks.

    1. One or two Lols a day will be fine while you heal – we don’t want you to feel that you have to make it normal service! Take it easy an give yourself time to recover.

      2
  34. O noes! Taht wasklee bred must habz puttid up ay fite!!
    Psst…..I herd teh baygullz plai durtee sew bee karefull!!

    1
  35. So sorry to hear about your accident Prysma. Take all the time you need to heal. Not to worry about lols. Sometimes I don’t even need to see them – I start laughing in the street remembering one from weeks/months/years ago!

    Hope you feel much better soon x

    1
  36. Just changed Steph’s banages?-bangads?-badgn….? booboo-wrappy-stuffs, and underneaf looks very clean & CC doing a great job cause it is healing beautifully, no signs of infekctsun-infecksun-innerfect…. errr bad icky stuffs.

    ER doc-tinycat at Kingston General Hospital and tiny-nursing-cats did an amazing job!

  37. 1) AAARRRGGGHHH it’s startin tu ITCH!!!! Jackie gonna has to get me a cone of shame or sumfin!!!! (I bein good, I promiss, but… aaarrrggghhh!!!!)

    2) It are a pandemic. Wash hands elebenty-seben thymes a day. But keep left index finger dry. Also cleen. Hao to meet alla this at wunce am a complication.

    Shud nawt complain. Is healing up very well. It wud nawt dare du ennyfing else, wif Jackie keepin an eye on it an teh purrkids keepin an eye on me!

  38. Itching, as ai unnerstands it, am a sign ob healing, so dat am gud gnus albeit fussterpating. Ai habs had dose “don’t touch dis owie!” fings and it duz drive one crazy. Ai habs anudder frend who fell and dislocatified his pinkie finger. He spent the whole time in the ER yelling at everyone to make sure they know him am a concert pianist. He is going through the same — keep it dry, keep it clean, don’t fuss with it, do the exercises. Ai feels so bad for both of you – you a writer and him a musician. {{{{Pandemic safe hugs all around}}}}

    1. Yup, Jackie sez teh itching am a good sine fur heelin. But it are maddening! So I mite whine an complain sum.

      I has a big sowree fur yur frend, an I hopeso muchly that hiz finger heels up all purrfect. At leest I can type – wifacareful, and mostly wif mai uvver hand.

      Plz tu gibs Lili scritches fur me, an boff of you stay coolz!

      1. Ai wuz wuns telled dat u shud wish teh itcheez awn sumwun u du nawt liek – Ai jenrullee pikk a polly tishun!

  39. Yay, all de-stitched. Still looks a bit scary but it’s nothing like it was. Healing up nicely. :-D Much thanks for all the beems and patience all arownd! (Cory-Bear still keepin a close eye on me, tho, wakes up ebree thyme I walk out of teh room.)

  40. I know I’m quiet a lot right now. Sorry about that. When I’m struggling a lot with the evil aliens in my head (I refuse to insult dogs of any colour by calling it that) I tend to shut down a lot – you’ve seen that happen before.

    I’m okay, and Cory’s on new meds for his allergies (which went completely off the scale and actually scared me) and he’s doing great. We’re trying desperately to figure out whether Freya’s intermittent yelling in the litter box is a UTI, or constipation, or her arthritis in her hips making either crouching or pushing uncomfortable, or a demand for attention, or WHAT, since we can’t find a &%$#ing pattern to it of any kind. Any other cat I’d take her to the vet but I’ve never seen a cat as absolutely panic-level terrified of anything out of the ordinary, let alone the vet – no cat likes going, but this is a whole new level of utter terror, and I can’t bear to put her through that unless I know it’s necessary. Jackie’s pain has been pretty bad lately, the weather’s been insane and isn’t helping either of us. We’re both depressed about how much of a mess our apartment is but can’t do much about it, when she’s hurting and I’m always exhausted. I’m trying to keep writing so I have something to keep my mind busy, at least.

    Mostly we’re just… hanging in there, like everyone else right now.

    Doesn’t mean I don’t love you guys! It’ll sort itself out. I always end up struggling through the middle of winter, and man, has that ever set in hard around here.

    This August makes TEN YEARS Cheezland has been around, you realize that?

    Love an hugs an hedbonks all around!

    1. We love you both, and the kittehs too. We understand, too – as you said, we’re all just in some way waiting for something to be over, whether its winter, or work stuff, or animal or human illness. We stand with you and send hugs and light and support. YOU ARE LOVED.

  41. Be kind to yourself. If there is anythung can do to help, do ask. I can always say if it is not within my ability. We love you too and appreciate all the work you do to keep Cheezland running.

  42. Sending teh warmest beems Ai can over teh Lake. Thay might need a neggstra parka.

    Ai know yoo know moar abowt kiitehs tahn Ai do, butt(!) mai noo guy recently had bladder crystals (moar common in boy kittehs) adn wehn Ai tried to get him in teh carrier to go to teh v-e-t, he screemed bluddy murrdurr. Ai thawt he wuz just being ornery, but terns owt he wuz in lotsa pain. Thay ended up keeping him for a fyoo daze. Sending additional beems to Freya.

  43. ooohhhhh ai’m sew sorrie bowt teh bloos an teh pain. suks a bunch!
    ai shore unnerstan it an yur stress wiff nawt noeing what ar bothering deer Freya.
    Hugs and strong beems tew yu.
    TEN yeers? holee carp!!!

  44. Anyone can has beems to spare for Cory? He’s having really horrible mucousy diarrhea today. He has undefined neurological issues, we know that, but they’ve been kicking up bad today, with absence seizures when he just goes away, and a lot of tremours – possibly just stress. We have an excellent vet and she’s in today personally, and the front desk staff are passing on messages to her so she’s keeping track of what’s happening when I send them updates (they’re very modern, they’ll do texting, email, whatever). He’s probably going to be okay… but I’m worrying about him a lot, of course. We JUST finally got the upper hand on his dratted allergies, and now whatever this is, is happening.

    I’m sorry I’m just full of bad stuff to talk about lately. *sigh*

  45. Whatever that was yesterday, it seems to be over, after about 18 awful hours or so (that seems so very short, put like that… didn’t feel like it!). My poor boy is just exhausted. So are both his humans. Thanks for the beems, guys!

  46. I am so sorry I didn’t see your message yesterday, glad the boy is better, you all rest now! Hugs and Hedbonks! xxxooo

  47. Me too…ai wuz away most ob yesterday and didn’t see it. Super strong recuperation beems on the way for awl ob yoo. {{{{{{{whole howse ob Prysma}}}}}}}

  48. Cory has decided that food is evil. The single most counter-survival trait of cats. Lots of blenderized watered syringe feeding, until he remembers what eating is. No, there is nothing he likes that I can tempt him with, he is ridiculously fussy and will not do human food or most cat food. Keep those beems coming that he starts eating again fast, he’s tired and weak and desperately needs it before his system starts shutting down.

    1. (Fires up the auxiliary beemerator)

      Prayers going up for sweet Cory Bear – I’m so sorry you are having this worry. Holding you all in the Light.

  49. He’s still trying… he doesn’t have that one-paw-on-the-bridge look that’s so heartbreaking. He’s alert and responsive, just tired a lot. I’ve managed to get a bit of good food into him, and I saved a couple of cans of a junk food he loves that he has mild itchy allergies to, so he doesn’t normally get it, and he ate a bit of that on his own. So I’m staying optimistic that we can get through this. But it’s still going to take time and effort.
    Thanks for the beems! I’ll keep you posted!

  50. Boy, nobody does drama as a patient better than a cat…

    Cory decided yesterday that he was not inclined to eat even as much as Saturday, so he got an entire can of Fancy Feast (I was hoping junk food would encourage him… it did not) finger-fed into his mouth. He was, to say the least, displeased with me.

    He’s thirsty a lot, and he’s peeing, and he’s alert, and he’s active to the point of being restless. He doesn’t want to be brushed or even petted much, but he’s been sick and sometimes you just don’t want contact, right? He still wants to know where I am and generally wants to be in the same room. He’s actually taken up residence mostly in an oversized plastic bag on my bed. He’s just disinclined to actually, y’know, EAT, and we all know how incredibly dangerous that is.

    The good news is, I offered him a different FF flavour this morning, and he ate a reasonable amount of it all by himself, and then purred when I petted him gently afterwards. So… maybe? Vet clinic was closed over the weekend and his usual vet isn’t back in until tomorrow. If he’s not eating by then, we’ll consider a visit.

    For now, his humans are exhausted and living on junk food because no prep is required, and we’re trying to keep Freya from getting stressed which so far is working. I’m just waiting for him to do that cat thing where he suddenly just goes completely back to normal and acts surprised by all the fuss.

    Much thanks for the beems! Keep ’em coming!

  51. Beeeeeeeeeems\\\\\\\\\\\\\
    Beeeeeeeeeems————————–And moar beeeeeeeeeems!
    Beeeeeeeeeems/////////////

    When my Sarah had gnumonia, she wouldn’t eat in the hospital. White fish flavor? Pleh…. Chicken? Nope….
    Then…Salmon…..gulp, schnarf, guzzle, inhale, got any more?

    Sometimes you have to do a bit of experimenting to find what tastes good at the moment.

    Hang in there, Cory and his mawms. Holding you all in the Light.

  52. V E T with Cory today at 1:30 cheezthyme. Can’t afford it but I can’t get enough into him at this point and I’m worried he’s getting dehydrated.

  53. :shock: Belaytid Beems!!!!!
    Sawree, I tend tu miss teh thread things :(
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>

  54. Been to V E T. Had to stay more or less isolated while they took him away to examine him. I could hear his “I WANT MY MOM! UNHAND ME HUMAN!” indignant yells from there through at least one closed door and some distance – I would know that cry anywhere!

    Long story short (coz I exhausted), she thinks he just needs a little help, and he is nowhere near the Bridge. She gave him some sub-q fluids because he was a bit dehydrated, and an appetite stimulant (2 weeks’ worth).

    He was purring while we waited for the cab home. As soon as we got home, he went looking for food and tried stealing Freya’s. I got him some, a fave junk food he doesn’t often get, and he had a few kibble while waiting. Ate a bit, had a drink of shower water, and is now eating wet food like there’s no tomorrow. I just took it away for a few so he doesn’t make himself sick.

    What did they do, hit a reset button I didn’t know about?!?!? He’s lying here PURRING.

    Also, Freya had Jackie’s undivided attention for loves while we were out. She’s now happier too. Been trying not to neglect her, but…

    Much thanks for teh beems and other kinds of support! It’s looking like Cheezland can keep seeing new silly Cory-Bear pics for a while longer!

    1. big sigh uv releef! glad all iz luuking gud. mai noo guy iz lying across wun arm adn ai can’t yooze capitals. ai still haz sum standards ;]

  55. Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!!!!!

    * duz happy dance all ober da plais *

    Aifinkso yoo described it purrfecktly wif “reset button.* I has had dat happen wif mai shepherds.

    Mebbe consider keeping sum chicken-flavored baby phood on hand? If nuffink else, you can smear it all ober der gums and teef so dey habs to lick it awf. Dey gets bof protein and moistures frum it.

  56. Aaargh, the appetite stimulant mirtazapine is making Cory all agitated and restless and lemme tell ya, there is nothing wrong with his lungs or larynx! He doesn’t even have the attention span for more than a few bites at a time. Called vet. Waiting to hear but I will not be giving him that again! Got some various flavours of Fancy Feast delivered so I can, I hope, keep him interested now he remembers eating. Two steps forward, one back. Plus I think all the yelling is upsetting poor Freya. Just… argh. At least mirtazapine wears off fairly fast.

    1. Sorry to hear this news….many beems and prayers that there is an alternative or that a smaller dose might work better. {{{{{{{Whole howse ob Prysma}}}}}}}}

  57. *ahem*
    CORY IS EATING!
    And purring.
    And forced Freya out of a bag he has claimed. I found her another one.)
    And mostly let me sleep last night.
    And much less agitated, although still a little. The yelling is still slightly over his normal lord-of-the-manor demands, but much better.
    Maybe it’s over?

  58. Oh pleeze, CC and all angels, let dis be de end ob Cory’s episode, for his sake, and for Freya and hims lubbin mawms!

  59. Whellp… I just found out that my 73-year-old momcat is in the hospital. She has been 1) eating terribly for as long as I can recall, 2) smoking for much longer than I have been alive, 3) has a chronic issue with her red blood cells that has been diagnosed with several names and has her on blood thinners, 4) had her first chemo treatment on the 21st… and 5) has had ZERO Covid vax shots for no reason that I can figure out, despite her normally being a fairly rational human being. Oh yes, and tested positive for Covid when she went to the hospital sick and in pain. Apparently my brother called her just before Catmus to tell her that HE had tested positive and he’d been to see her recently (oh yeah, and he has kids, and is mostly disabled, and his wife is the main breadwinner, so I bet THAT is fun).

    And my momcat lives an hour’s drive away and I have no car. She might as well be on the moon.

    Plz to find me a wall to bang my head on.

    Between my long-divorced parents (my dad won’t get vaxxed either! or take his heart meds!), Roo (sweet but needy and expensive), Freya (gruntle so dissed we have to coax her into eating), Jackie (recent diabetes diagnosis), my neighbour/friend/catsitter (nearly died in her apartment if her daughter hadn’t called 911 and they made the landlord let them in, still in hospital) I am running out of rope. If my life is a story, then the author really needs to learn something called “narrative balance” because this is ridiculous.

    Okay, enough whining. I’m going to go back to writing now because at least I can get away from reality that way. But if there are any disruptions with Cheezland posts, well… I’ll try not to let it happen, but it’ll be because of all that up there.⇧

    1. I’m so sorry that you have so many worries all piling up on you. I can offer nothing but beems and hugs. I wish there was more I could do to hlp.

    2. oh mai

      i had nawt noticed this teh last two days.

      hope things are getting better soon

      {{{{ prysma and hooman and feline family }}}}

  60. Oh my goodness. I am so sorry you have to deal with so many problems all at once. Wow and wow. Maybe some of us would like to contribute to the care and feeding of Roo. We could be official aunties or uncles.

    1. I’m in agreement PK, you do so much for us!
      Hoo-eee yur mama is wun yeer older than me sew yu cood bee mai niece an yu are sew much wiser than eye.

  61. You guys can’t afford to be giving me money – mqos, you have a horde of your own. No one has extra money these days. We’re looking into whether we can move Cheezland hosting back to a cheaper plan, since it’s quieter these days, so I don’t have to do the usual fundraising appeal in January (we’re being careful, talking to the hosting company). We’ll manage. At least the court thing and the overnight train trips are a thing of the past – we would not have made it through that without your help.

    (And I’m grateful for good friends, despite being the age of a niece! :-) )

    I called the hospital, which was a struggle given my anxiety, and talked to her nurse. They’re doing their best but she’s on IV antibiotics for some kind of raging infection on top of the Covid, which might explain why she is intermittently rather disoriented and agitated when I talk to her. They’re trying to get a social worker in to talk to her but the whole medical system is stretched so thin. She’s talking about going home and I don’t know if they can stop her.

    I gotta go for a walk and get kitty foods that will, I hope, interest my disgruntled tabbygirl and more fresh veggies for Jackie who is trying her best to adjust her diet around this diabetes thing. And maybe a catnip toy for silly playful Roo.

    The good news is, Roo is having bowel movements regularly now, no more than 48 hours apart, and no distress. I think it’s been a long time since that was the case, instead of 3-4 days and uncomfortable. Mom warned me he was bad at using the litter box but he’s never missed here, so probably discomfort had him moving around to new places.

    And Freya, while her gruntle is still srsly dissed and she keeps watch on him if he’s in sight, is being less vocal and hissy, so that’s something, too. I’ll take positives where I can get them!

  62. So sorry awl dis am happening awl at wunce.

    Please to be letting us halps. Shared burdens am indeed lighter, and wii awl lubs yoo and Jackie and Freya and Roo to pieces.

  63. Just talked to my mom. She is a LOT more coherent and less agitated today, and actually feels like the nurse who was looking after her yesterday was very pushy with the doctors, trying to get them to realize just how bad some of her symptoms are and to do something. Which they are doing. They’re keeping her until Jan 2nd. She still really wants to go home but she’s willing to stay that long. She’s complaining about the hospital food now, instead of telling me that they aren’t doing anything and no one cares if she’s in pain. That seems like an improvement!

    I also have a sneaking suspicion that she might be planning on Roo staying with us permanently, from a couple of little things she said. :roll:

    I am currently on my bed, writing, with Freya beside me on the bed in her fave cardboard box, occasionally demanding that I go get her a serving of freeze-dried raw nuggets in hot water (if they’ve been out long enough to get cold, she duz nawt want), with Roo on my opposite side in my sort-of-but-not-really computer chair, occasionally getting briefly spooked by the neighbours. Freya isn’t trying to eat Roo, or even using bad kitty language at him, or so much as staying half-awake and vigilant, which is good, right? :-)

    Muchness of thanks for the loves, guys. We’re okay for now, as long as life doesn’t throw any other surprises at us. But it helps knowing we have backup in a crisis. <3

    Also, the hosting company comes up with new plans as tech changes, and they have a newish one that would 1) meet our usage needs over the past year or so (the host checked), which probably won't change, and 2) would cost us all muchmuch less. We've been paying US$431.40 a year - this one would be $143.40 for one year, $262.80 for two years, or $358.20 for a full three years, so we'll probably switch. The only drawback is a minor backend thing that would only affect Jackie and I and it wouldn't be a big deal. So YAY, we won't have to ask for donations towards a huge annual bill, just a middle-sized one!

    1. Complaining about the hospital food is a very good sign! I was lucky in the hospital where the food was at least adequate (unlike the nursing home) sriously though, i do hope that your mom is now getting the appropriate treatment and will soon be well enough to go home – hospital is the best place for treatment, but not always the best place to get better.

  64. Just looked here, and BOY is your 2022 going out with a bang. Sorry it’s all piling up, troubles tend to come in groups but I think you have your fill. Please do let us help if we can. It’s as close to a group hug as we can get.
    My sympathies to Jackie. Diabetes causes a lot of life changes. Best advice I got was start shopping around the edges of the grocery store (produce, fresh fish, fresh meat etc.) and if you do get anything processed, check the ingredients carefully. I had a little “funeral” when I first was diagnosed and had a Coke and a pizza, knowing they were the last.

    Keep us in the loop, and again, let us be supportive and help. These silly cat pictures and group discussions can really brighten a dreary day. And we all need that.

  65. We can has beemz fur Freya, plz? We has a scared for her.

    Details are long and complicated, but shortest form (still not very short), she’s having trouble eating anything at all. This is not the first time, and it’s probably because of a chronic issue that vets have yet to diagnose properly (because it would cost me literally a month’s entire income to get the x-rays and bloodwork that MIGHT help with that, and we wouldn’t be able to pay for the surgery I suspect she needs anyway even if I were willing to put an easily-stressed 14-year-old cat through that). She had a very bad episode last June but she pulled through. I really don’t know if she will this time. I can’t call the vet, it’s Victoria Day here and everything is closed, and besides, they’ve been understaffed lately and it’s hard to get appointments fast.

    We do have the kit here to give her subcutaneous fluids, and we might be doing that later today (Jackie’s an ex-paramedic, and I learned how for a kitty with kidney failure), and also some liquid stuff from the vet that’s basically meant to help cats who can’t eat, kind of a kitty short-term meal replacement. We decided after the last terrifying episode that we were going to be prepared. She’s interested in food, she just can’t seem to eat more than a few bites at a time and that’s just not adding up to enough.

    Maybe we can get her through? I know she misses Cory-Bear and Trick, but… Idunno.

  66. Thanks for the beems. Freya’s trying to eat, and we’re coaxing her with a little of this, a little of that – different kinds of wet foods, kitty broths, kibbles, treats, freeze-dried raw food, human food, whatever we can do to get her to eat, and she’s interested but only seems able to eat a few bites at a time. She’s sleepy and wants one of us with her all the time, but she’s having moments of being alert and very responsive to being petted and brushed and generally loved-on. I’m giving her 3ml of kitty food supplement every couple of hours, it has good stuff in it meant to help kitties recover and encourage them to eat, and she’s being very good about it. We’re still very worried, she’s not out of the woods by any means, but she’s not ready to throw in the towel yet – she grabbed a whole freeze-dried raw nugget that had been soaked in warm water, about the size of a finger joint, and shook it and devoured it, and she’s still very much in control, letting us know what she wants and that she wants it NOW. Fingers crossed that she pulls through this episode.

  67. Keep goin’ Freya! Gets awl yoor nootrishuns in dere so yoo nawt worry yoor mawms — dey lubs yoo and wii duz too!

  68. Freya’s doing better this morning, so we’re cautiously optimistic. She’s certainly interested in eating, she just can’t seem to eat much at a time, so we’re constantly reminding her to eat and swapping foods out to keep it fresh and diverse. She’s more alert and engaged all the time, although still very clingy and wants company constantly, preferably with frequent contact, even if it’s just using an available hand as a pillow. (Not much is getting done except kitty care right now… :roll: ) She doesn’t have much stamina, but it’s improving.

    I think Roo’s getting jealous, although we’re trying to make sure he’s not neglected. When he first got here and had tummy issues, he got extra attention too. He’s pwning my left hand while I type this – I learned years ago to type really fast with just my right hand because my Loki used to fall asleep in the crook of my left arm while I was writing. (Really freaked out my teachers when I took a 2-year office admin course… :lol: )

    Anyway. Possibly rambling, really tired. So far so good! We’ll keep up the nursing care and hope for the best!

  69. This thread is getting unmanageably long, I might need to start a prysma2 or something, which suggests that my life has too much drama or I overshare it. LOL

    Freya update: she is obviously feeling much better. She wandered off to the living room by herself soon before we got up instead of staying with Jackie, and she met us with bright eyes, looking alert and very comfy. She even fussed over her morning meds, which she hasn’t had the energy to do much for the past few days. All this on a day when it looks like it’s going to rain, which is hard on her hips. We’re going to keep going with the nursing care routine until she’s 100% back to normal and possibly for a day or two beyond that, but it looks like she’s pulled through this time.

    I’m still worried about her. We’ve known for the past year that something is wrong and efforts to get a clear diagnosis haven’t been successful at all, which is unexpected because I trust my vet and have a good relationship with her. I understand that she needs information to tell me anything for certain, I’m not expecting her to be psychic, but this has been weirdly frustrating on multiple levesl. I hate it, but all we can do is be ready to deal with episodes like this and do what we can to keep her as spoiled and happy as possible for as long as we can.

    Which she currently is, lounging in her hammock right next to Jackie’s computer chair with food she really likes plus Jackie giving her loves and encouraging her to eat treats.

    Muchness of thanks fur all the beems and the patience and the support!

    Back to writing while Roo tries to flop on my keyboard and covers everything in white fur…

  70. Sorry about starting to add descriptions and then dropping it abruptly – feeling slightly overwhelmed and scattered. Lots of household stuff all at once. Jackie’s been having some frustrating health stuff since she managed to stop the really-bad-and-useless painkillers, and then got diagnosed with rly high blood pressure that her GP isn’t taking very seriously, and the meds are giving her bad side effects. I need to get Freya to the v-e-t because one eye looks cloudy and is a bit runny (not rubbing it tho). The CBD capsules that are the only thing that works on my chronic insomnia might be messing with my asymptomatic long QT syndrome (genetic cardiac thing), which would be just maddening but a low dose might be safe? Which make a couple of non-medical issues feel bigger. We both know we’ll get through it, and this stuff happens with two disabled adults and a pair of senior cats, but right now, I’m having to do more because Jackie can’t, and having a bit of trouble staying focused around that. We’re working on it!

    And anni, for the love of CC, don’t disappear on us! We love you and would miss you terribly!

    1. Dats a lot awn ur pl8s awl at wun thyme. {Lol talk awf:} wow, I am sorry you are dealing with so much all at the same time. Ooof.

  71. You have more than enough to deal with. The descriptions, while helpful to me, are by no means essential. Getting yourself, Jackie and the kittehs as well as possible must be your priority. I know I sometimes complain that I can’t make out the picture – I frequently can’t make out things around me – see shadows as solid things and often can’t see what is in front of me!
    Beems for healing and peace of mind. We love you all,

  72. Yes, please take care of yourselves first. That’s a lot going on, and health issues should be the priority (with a little fun thrown in!)

  73. I knew something was up from little comments about Jackie and stopping the descriptions, but this is a LOT to deal with all at once. Take it slow, obviously your family is the first priority. I don’t think there are any of us that wouldn’t understand dealing with medical stuff and the frustration it can cause. And I will say this because I know how caregivers can be, do NOT put yourself at the bottom of that list. The Voice of Experience here saying often caregivers run themselves into the ground while helping those they love. I vividly remember a stern conversation with my Mother of all people telling her to have her much needed surgery because my Dad had just been diagnosed with terminal cancer and she was putting it off. I told her to take care of herself now, because he would only get worse and need her more later and she wouldn’t want to not be there for him. I felt really terrible about having to play that card, but it was the only thing that got her moving.
    I am quite surprised at a doctor that would blow off high blood pressure (???).
    Sending beams to the whole House.

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