My little cutie patutie!

I have to share how cute my little snookums is! I may have been pampering him a bit in the past few weeks. I've been a bit worried about how he is going to adjust to being the only cat here. And he has developed some odd behaviors.
First he has started napping in the closet, among my shoes... he has always had a thing for shoes, but usually it is just to drop his toys into them, then fish them out... but now he is napping on them (he lays so he leans on them). Strange! Now he had brought his ball up there with him, and is using it as a pillow, SO CUTE! (see photo). This is the same ball that he will yell at from time to time. Really, he yells at it.. I wish I knew what was going on in that little cute head of his!

Hard day

It's been a hard weekend, on Saturday morning, Kitty left us. I'm sure he is somewhere now chasing, and of course catching moths, without worrying about his legs hurting him anymore. He is jumping up onto anything and everything he sees! And I am sure that he has found someone to scratch his ears for him!

We tried to make the last few days he was here filled with all he loved. On Thursday he got cheese snacks.... On Friday I had tuna for lunch, just so that he could have the tuna juice, then I picked up a bit of cat grass from the pet store for him to nibble, he LOVED grass! He got treats when he looked up at me with those loving blue eyes... and for Friday and Saturday morning, he didn't have to eat the Rx cat food, he got just the fancy feast stuff that he liked. He had put up with the Diabetic diet for long enough.

We gave him lots of kisses and rubbed his ears and belly the way he liked... I made sure he had his rubber band to chew... Kitty loved rubber bands! When I worked in Twin I would come home with them on my wrist, on 'accident' so he had a fresh supply of them to chew through... I guess I stole office supplies for him :)

Despite trying to make him happy... and thinking I was ready for this... it still hurts me to realize he is gone. I keep expecting to see him come waddling down the hallway. Or hear his soft whisper of a meow when he wanted something... We went to rent movies this morning, and I expected to see him sitting at the top of the stairs, waiting for us when we returned.

Yesterday when 7pm rolled around I almost lost it completely... Kitty got his insulin injection twice a day, 7am and 7pm... I guess I don't have to worry about being home at those times everyday anymore. sigh.

It has never been a burden to take care of him, in fact, he has made me so much stronger! I used to hate needles! When the vet told us he had diabetes, I told Keith he would have to do all the injections... but then Kitty didn't mind them at all... so after just a few days of Keith giving him the medicine, I decided to 'gave it a try'. Nothing to worry about, it's easy! I need to not be scared of the unknown!

To anyone who has had to make the decision to put a pet down, I am sorry! I never knew... I had no idea how hard it would be... I am sure we made the right decision... but it doesn't help the pain. And to see Keith right now.... man... that hurts more.
I wrestle with the idea of 'playing god'. Do we really have the right to make this decision? In the end I suppose I decided yes we do. Kitty had a full 15 years here... July 9th 1994 was the birthday on his adoption papers... Kitty was only a kitten when he came into Keith's life... and it's been a good one... R.I.P Kitty... we miss you! (kisses on your head)

Kitty photos

Just a few photos of Kitty this morning :)

Our Babies!

Well I am not mom to a human baby, but I have my two fur babies! Kitty and Hercules.

First there was Kitty. He was part of a package deal, I got the cat, and Keith together! A great 2-fer deal! :)
Kitty moved into my apartment in 2000, and that was before Keith 'officially' moved in :) Keith and Kitty had already been together for a few years. Keith was spending a bit of time at my place, and not so much time at his house, so he decided to bring Kitty over to my apartment.

Well just a short time after that, Keith was headed out of town for the weekend (I think he was going to Texas to see his Dad and Sister, but my memory could be off). Anyway, I was in charge of Kitty... so about 2 hours after Keith left... I couldn't find the cat. Seriously! I had a TINY one bedroom apartment... and the cat was no where. I started thinking that he may have snuck out the door somehow, he was a fast, agile cat after all. So I walked the neighborhood looking... I couldn't find him anywere. I went back to the apartment and again looked every where for him.. no luck. I was dreading calling Keith to tell him I lost his cat... when I heard noise in the cupboards above the washing machine. There he was, he had somehow gotten into the cupboard above the machine... and was napping on a stack of towels! I thought I had looked everywhere for him... I didn't think to open the cupboards to look.. crazy cat! I am still not sure how he managed it... but he was there.

About a year after that, I was moving to a new apartment, and Keith decided to take Kitty back to his house. I quickly realized I needed that love that a cat can give... enter Hercules!

I've had Hercules since 2001, I adopted him at 6 weeks old from the Pet Smart parking lot. They were having an adoption fair, or something. There were tents out front, and shelters from all over the valley were there to try to match up us pet lovers with our new fur babies. He was so tiny he fit in the palm of my hand! I remember being scared he would hurt himself if he jumped off the bed, so I would put him up there at bedtime, then in the morning, I would let him down... I guess he has been spoiled since the begining.

I ended up with my little bundle of spastic joy! He started out as the calmest cat! It was about a week of calm cat... then he started sneezing... and I realized he was sick... after a week of antibiotics, I got to know the real Hercules! My little spaz! :) I do believe he is afraid of the dark, he sleeps in the hall way near a night light we have put out for him. If there are no lights on he tends to meow loudly into the corner of the room, so that it amplifies his voice. Smart cat!

It was in 2002, when Keith and I moved to Boise, and 'officially' moved in together, that the cats got to meet eachother. Let me tell you, it was a tough car ride, from Salt Lake city, to Boise Idaho, with a LOUD cat in the car! :) I had Hercules in my car, and Keith was with Kitty in the truck.
After tormenting them with a long car ride, we introduced them to eachother... At first it was as if they didn't like eachother, they would hiss, scratch, and show their teeth to eachother. They continued this 'fighting' sharade until one day we walked into the apartment and found them cuddled together on the couch! The door opened, we saw them, they saw us, looked at eachother, hissed at eachother, and Kitty ran off to the other room... but the charade was over. We realized we had been played by the cats. They were actaully getting along but must have realized they got more treats and such, if we were worried about them. I guess they do rule the house!

Well here we are years later, there are a few grey hairs, a bit of a wider mid section, and I suppose I am not only talking about the cats here :) We have had a great... almost 10 years together for me and Kitty, and it's been longer for Kitty and Keith... I will not forget the good times... Kitty was a lap cat.. he liked to be on your lap when you were reading, he liked to stick his head between you and the book, so that it made it hard to read :) seems like so long ago... He's been sick for a while... one thing leads to another, and yet another. He's been a trooper!