Hello? Is this thing on?

I've had a few concerned humans ask mom if I was still alive since I haven't posted in awhile.  Truth is, I haven't had much to post about!  I still spend my days sleeping, looking out the window at the animals destroying mom's yard, and, of course, eating.  Some things never change :)

I think mom felt a little guilty about leaving me home alone while she on the road, so the last time she came home she brought me a present...a giant bag of catnip, which she sprinkled all over my scratching board.  I haven't left this spot in 16 days.

Thank you all for your concern...I hope to post a little more frequently in the future since I know how much you all miss me.  Especially Grandpa.

Ebony & Ivory

Just wanted to give a little shout out to Great Grandma B in celebration of her 85th birthday. It's also special since it's my first duet. Enjoy!

I Work Out

Before I begin, I'd like to give a shout out to Aunt Cheryl and Unkie Jeffy...both have been concerned with my well-being and asked mom if I'm still alive.  To ensure I live a long and healthy life, I've decided to start a workout regimen.  My appetite has increased a lot for some reason, so I figured it'd be best to offset any weight gain with a little yoga.  I LOVE mom's yoga mat.  So much so that she can't get a really good yoga workout in when I'm around (which is always).  Every time she goes into downward dog, she sees an upside down cat underneath her.  I'm really good at the cat stretch though.  My arch is way better than hers.

There are some risks that come with working out though.  For instance, almost getting a weight dropped on top of you.  If it wasn't for my tail hanging out (see below) I would have instantly gained 10 lbs...on my head.

My Mountain Pose

Every yoga session ends with "Ohms".
OHHHHHHHHHHHHMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM.
Namaste.

After all that working out I worked up an appetite.  I was starving but realized dinner wasn't for another few hours...until I realized Mom apparently forgot to put the lid on my dispenser.  SCORE!

Here's some of my before and after poses:

 Girl look at that body... 

 Girl look at that body...

Girl look at that body...

I work out.

Oh, and P.S...

I'm sexy and I know it.

Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa's house

This was the first year/time I've ever been allowed to go to Grandma & Grandpa's house for Christmas.  I wasn't really sure what to expect, but I knew I wouldn't enjoy the car ride.  My even drugged me with some meds the vet gave her, but I think it made me even more alert than before.  Lucky for mom, I'm an excellent co-pilot and even sang Christmas carols with her on the way there...

And when mom got tired, I took over the wheel for her...

We arrived at G&G's about 5 hours later.  Man that's a long drive!  My little bladder found it's limit:  4 hours and 50 min.  I couldn't hold it any longer and no choice but to pee in my new bed mom got me for Xmas:

Luckily mom bought a very durable bed which didn't allow for any pee to soak through to her car seat.  She was happy about that, but not about the fact that I could have easily peed in my litter box, which was directly below my bed.  I just wanted to show her how "pissed" I was for turning me into a prisoner for 5 hours.

Once we arrived, my cousins were immediately drawn to me which was a little too much for me at first.  I spent the first day hiding anywhere I could fit.  However, when in hiding, I was still trying to be a helper when I could.  For instance, I was shining light so that the emergency vehicles knew where to find the derailed train...

I eventually became more comfortable with my cousins and even played with them a bit:

Cousin Kate and I played "Patty-Cake"

Posing with Cousin Brookie and Charlie...and once again providing light in case mom's flash didn't work.

"...And that, Charlie, is how you hunt bunnies.  The End."

Mom clearly didn't say "1, 2, 3" before she snapped this pic because I'm talking and my cousins were mid-smile.  Amatuer.

Overall I had a great trip.  I think I even warmed up to Grandpa a bit...or maybe he was trying to warm me up with his coffee?

Can't wait to see celebrate again next year! :)

Love,

Chuck

Happy Holidays!

Hi Everyone!

I apologize for not sending out Xmas cards this year.  It would've taken me til next year to walk to the mailbox and back.

Here are the pics I intended to put on my Xmas card:

This is how I feel about posing for mom's stupid pictures.

I'm taking this sack of goodies and getting out of here!

My "nice" pose

Hope you all had a great Christmas!

Love,
Chuck

Swiper, NO SWIPING! (Aw maaan!)

I have a new nickname.  Mom calls me Swiper (I think it's from Dora the Explorer).  Every night around 2:30am I "clean off" mom's bedside table by swiping everything onto the hardwood floor.  I also am really good at cleaning off the dining room table and the end tables in the living room.  What can I say, I take after Grandpa (aka Mr.Clean).  I think I'm doing mom a favor but she ends up getting mad for some reason. She also has been complaining a lot because she never gets to sleep in anymore.  My insulin has to be given twice a day around 7am and 7pm...even on the weekends, Mom.  I pretty much can tell when 7am approaches, so I typically start doing a "pre-wakeup call" around 6am every day by batting at the alarm clock, trying to make it go off early.  Sometimes I get lucky and hit the button to make the radio turn on.  Other times I'm not so lucky and accidentally turn OFF the alarm, which doesn't seem to make mom very happy when it happens on weekdays.  Good thing she has an alarm set on her phone too!

Caught red-handed:

Swiper, No Swiping!!

Since I haven't really written about my health lately, I guess I'll throw that in too.  I've been going for checkups about every 10 days to see how my blood sugar is doing.  As soon as mom gets out the red leash, I'm hiding under the bed in the very middle where she can't reach me.  I hate riding in the car but once I get there it's not so bad.  The ladies LOVE me and threaten to "kitnap" me if Mom's not careful. My last trip was interesting...the doctor called mom because she wanted to tell her that my blood sugar had dropped.  Mom thought this was good news, until the doctor said it dropped to 57.  (It was in the 400s two weeks before).  It's supposed to be around 110, but if it gets too low I can start having seizures. So we're going to cut back my insulin intake a little bit and see if that evens me out.  Aside from that, I'm pretty much the same except for my walk/run and jumping abilities.  I can't really run anymore and I walk like a drunken sailor.  I have to concentrate really hard if I want to jump on the couch (the first attempt is usually unsuccessful).  My hind legs just aren't working the way they used to.  The docs aren't sure if it's neurological or diabetes related.  It could get better, get worse, or stay the same.  Time will tell. Mom worries about me but the doc assures her I'm not in pain.  I'm still my lovable, local self with a gimp walk.  

Thanks to everyone for thinking of me and the well wishes!

Love,

Swiper

Update

Well, a lot has happened since my emergency vet visit.  I got home late Tuesday night with a prescription for insulin and bethanechol.  The insulin is to control my diabetes, of course, and the bethanechol is to help me pee.   The doctors are very concerned with my full bladder and have had to manually drain my bladder with their hands (not a pleasant experience for either party).  I started my pee meds on Thursday...but let me first backtrack to Wednesday...

Wednesday.  What a day.  Mom had a busy day at work so she regretfully had to leave me unattended.  When she got home she discovered the many places I peed and pooped...none of them being in my litter box.  Had she been home a few minutes earlier, she would've caught me in the act of laying a nice steaming pile in the middle of the living room floor.  (She could tell it was recent because it was still warm).  Anyway, I cuddled on her lap for awhile and then had the sudden urge to pee.  I got up and walked to my typical spot on the couch and sat down.  Mom thought I was ONLY sitting until she heard the sound of a leaky faucet...which was of course my pee dripping down the leather couch and onto the wood floor.  She got up to clean up my mess...when she returned she found me hiding in the corner.  She figured I was pooping, but when I got up she noticed I basically peed blood.  Two minutes later I puked up my dinner.  Three minutes later I picked out another spot to bleed out, and then another a few minutes later.  Mom was immediately on the phone with the emergency vet.  The vet said "That's not normal".  No duh. She was told to check my blood sugar and monitor me closely, and to bring me in if it continues.  My blood sugar was 370 (pretty average for me lately), so mom decided to just keep me home and watch me closely.  She knows how much I hate the car. So the house is now decorated with old towels and the laundry is a continuous cycle of washing the "used" ones.

This picture shows exhibits how lethargic I was on Wed...and how Mom kept me surrounded by towels...

Let's fast forward to Thursday.  Mom had to leave me again for work but came back around 6pm.  She started me on my pee medication and continued with the insulin shots (which, by the way, I take like a champ!).  She also knew my favorite spots to pee, so she played "interception" with me all night.  This is how the game goes: I lay on the floor for awhile, get up and look at the couch that I'm about the jump up on and pee on.  Mom notices this behavior and before I jump, she scoops me up and runs me to the litter box.  I do my business and she rewards me with treats.  This happened about 18 times last night.  Only one time she missed me, and that's because my neighbor Tony came over to drop off some "get well soon" cookies (which mom greedily ate before I could get my paws on them).  I'm pretty sure that odor remover stuff doesn't work...mom washes down the couch with it every time I pee, but she's not fooling anyone!

I was really well behaved last night...I snuggled with mom in bed for a long time with no accidents (I think she really appreciated that), and only peed once on one of the towels...the other two times were in my litter box.  I may have slipped out one tiny turd onto the living room floor, but mom didn't get too upset about it so I'm not going to worry about it too much.  I'm feeling much better today...there is less and less blood in my urine (if any), my energy level is up--I'm currently stalking a cat that is wandering around my neighbor's house, and I just peed in the litter box.  Mom is working from home today and all of next week so she can keep an eye on me.  She's getting a little worried because she has two work trips back to back starting the 16th.  She needs to find someone willing to give me insulin shots and give me my meds every day.  Any volunteers?  Worse case scenario she can have me boarded, but that can be expensive AND I hate being crated.  So, she's looking for a kind soul who will take care of me...you can even stay with me at my house! And she'll pay you of course. :)

Well, I should get going and take a nap.  It took forever to type this without any thumbs and I'm exhausted.

Thanks to everyone for keeping me in your thoughts...I really hope I'm on the road to recovery!

Love,

Chuck