One cat household

So, those of you on FB know that we lost Bonspiel. She was the matriarch of the house and ruled all the other cats. Nobody messed with her, even the kitten got his ears pinned back a couple of times while she was still fiesty. At the end she was not so fiesty. History of cats to follow so stop reading if you don't care.

In the beginning (when I moved to CT to marry Mrs. JH) there was Bonspiel and Domino. She had Bonspiel (hence referred to as Bomps cause that is shorter to type) and I brought Domino with me. The first two nights we were together, I slept on the couch. Seems Bomps always slept in bed with Mrs and of course Domino always slept with me. However, the bed (and fighting zone) was not big enough for the two of them. So, off to the couch with the Domino I went. They eventually figured it out and things grew relatively quiet.

A couple of years passed and someone decided we needed a kitten. I blame ours friends and scotch. At an Ardsley curling club party, there was a picture of a cute kitten. Mrs immediately started buying me scotch to listen the tongue to the yes word. Well it worked and Snickle (the baby) entered the house. Bomps loved him, Domino not so much. Bomps decided he was her baby and would groom him and curl up with him. Domino would hiss and spit at the Poodle (who knows where he got that name) and the Poodle would just ignore that and jump on Domino. It all quieted down mostly.

The most stressful times were "daddy lap times". I would settle in to the comfy chair to watch TV and it became a contest for the lap. Both Domino and Bomps would want to be there. Poodle would be content with curling up by my feet. Having two cats (both 15+ pounds) fight over your lap is not really that much fun. Things always worked out. One would end up pouting on top of the couch or somewhere.

At the end of 2008, we lost Domino. At 17 or so, it was a long life. Then we lost the Poodle in the summer to what we think was a brain tumor. No life left in him at the end. This week we lost Bomps, who slipped away quietly one day.

Now, we are left with the nutball who is Skippy. Part Domino, part dog, mostly crazy. He makes us laugh every day. He has not yet found the joy of curling up in my lap but that will happen. Took Poodle almost 5 years to be a lap cat. He will curl up with Mrs on the couch if I am not here. All the better to protect her as he is known to growl when a strange noise happens.

I am sure that sometime in the not so distant future there will be another addition to the family. For now we will enjoy the "quiet" that one cat provides.

Later,
JH

A fluff of fur

Yes, that is Skippy, on his perch, sleeping. The grey fluff in the middle is the tail hanging over and the white are the back feet. He likes to sleep on top of this tall cabinet. The plant is fake so at least he doesn't eat it or hurt it. Probably pretty dusty up there except we put a towel up there for him to sleep on. He is our baby after all.

Later,
JH

Moose Hunting

Skippy on the porch

Oh, what is that, is it a moose?

A MOOSE! I will catch it and bring it to you.

Okay, so not quite. Skippy likes to go to the screened in porch at night. We always kid that he is hunting moose. Well, he does get to visit with the deer that seem to inhabit the back yard. Nice six point buck sitting about 15 feet from the back door.

Skippy spent about an hour just staring. The big brave hunter that he is.

Later,

JH

Off the air

I guess I have been off the air for a bit. A lot of driving and conference calls and all that work stuff.

We also lost Poodle. He was a good boy but just went down hill really fast. Vet thought it was probably a brain tumor. He was mostly blind and could not really walk at the end. Would take a step and then fall over, struggle to get up. Just no life left in him. He was only ten. Young when compared to Domino who we lost at 18 and Bomps who is still going strong at 20.

Was thinking about how we came to call him Poodle. We named him Snickle and somehow that morphed into Poodle. That was what he answered to when we called him. Bonspiel gets called Bomps on a regular basis but she answers to almost anything. Domino was always Domino.

The kitten, who is getting huge, will answer to Skippy but also Stinky Feet. Yes, who knows where the names come from.

As Mrs said the other day "He is not poor Poodle now but happy Poodle".

Later,
JH

Snickle aka Poodle

Pictured is the middle "child", Snickle who we call Poodle. Just back from the vet with him. Seems he may be going blind. Still can find his way around somewhat. There may be something going on in the brain, possibly a tumor but there is no way of knowing. So, for now, we keep him in the den and kitchen with a baby gate. He is almost 10 at this point so still a bit young. Will keep him happy as possible and just watch him. He ate breakfast when we got home and now is taking a nap from the morning adventure. Of course we are going away this weekend but we have someone come in twice a day and she stopped in yesterday just to get a status update on all of them. He seems to be fine at this point, no pain that we can tell.

Later,

JH

This and that

Yes, I recycle that title for blog posts quite a bit, as my friend Coach Ray says, deal with it.

The ice is all gone at this point at the club. It did not melt as fast as I though but we had a big crew and we shoveled it all into trash cans and out the door. Now, the final cleaning is to wash the remaining paint off and get it all shiny.

On the cat front, seems we have another little problem. You know you are getting old when your cat get arthritis. Our middle one, Poodle, is at the vet. He has been really snarly lately and doesn't want to be picked up. So, to prevent a late night emergency visit we took him in today. Good news, nothing serious, just some arthritis. Probably some kind of medication to put him on to ease the pain a bit.

The Derby picture keeps getting clearer as horses keep dropping out. Looks like I Want Revenge will be at the top of the heap this year. Of course, I will not let the Baffert horse get overlooked. More on that as the time gets closer and the actual nominations occur.

Later,
JH

By popular demand

Well maybe not "popular" but there was one comment about pictures of the other cats. This is the old lady of the house, Bonspiel. We think she is around 18 years old or so. This is the first picture in many years with her eyes open.

This is the former kitten who is now 10. Snickle is his official name but we call him Poodle. Have no idea where that came from but that is what he answers to.

New picture on right of the kitten in mid-leap. One of his favorite games, I throw the mouse which is in the lower left corner and he leaps after it. A lot of times he catches it in mid-air.

Later,

JH

So much to do

Between following the regional Trials on the web and watching Twitter while trying to squeeze in some work. Have a feeling that the blogging might drop off a bit this week and weekend.

We are heading down to Ardsley tonight to catch some of the action. Maybe I can talk Mrs. into bringing a laptop and I can do some live blogging. Maybe not.

Huge game happening right now at TCC - Fenson vs Mellerup. Should be interesting, wish I could be there for that one.

Still haven't taken down all the Christmas decorations yet either. That will get done at some point, maybe tomorrow. Saturday is out as we are heading to Ardsley probably early to beat the snow. Then staying down there overnight. Oh well, guess there is always Sunday afternoon.

The kitties have all returned to normal, thanks for asking. If anyone has a cat with liver issues, try some of the OTC stuff called SAM-e from Nature Made. Seems it really helps, just a quarter of tablet (50mg) once a day is supposed to keep their liver in order.

Later,
JH

All is well

Snickle is home. He came home on Friday. He is eating and seems much better. So, that is over for now.

We are also home after the long New Years weekend in LBI. Pretty sure we will be returning to that house for the fall. Really nice place.

Finally got a team together for the Club Playdowns. Registered this morning and we are set.

Olympic trials start this week and we will be heading to Ardsley to support the locals.

Now just trying to get back into the swing of work and such.

Later,
JH

At the vet clinic again

So, Snickle (or Poodle as we call him) is not himself today. Didn't eat breakfast and wasn't interested in dinner. Not looking well, not perky or really wandering around much. Off to the 24 clinic again.

Spend an hour there while they do the blood work. Liver problems but they are not sure what. He will be spending at least two nights with an ultrasound scheduled for tomorrow. On intravenious right now.

We are not as worried about him as the kitten. He went through this about 3 years ago and it was just an infection. Some antibiotics, some pills and then he was fine. We will wait to hear the results tomorrow and see where we are.

And we are still going to LBI. Can't do anything by staying home except worry more.

Of course, the old lady Bonspiel is as healthy as a horse. We think she is pushing 20 but Mrs. is not sure exactly. She rules the roost and has already let the kitten know who is boss of this house.

Things will turn out fine, just like before and it WILL be a Happy New Year.

As we say at least once a day "damn cats" but we love'em.

Later,
JH

PS and no this has not turned into a cat blog.

This and that

The kitten is fine at this point, thanks for asking. In fact, he got a new place to nap thanks to Santa who brought Mrs. this nice new purse cat bed.

Otherwise, just taking down the Christmas stuff, putting away presents and getting ready for the special meeting of the LBI CC for New Years.

Also spent a couple of hours putting together a new stand for the HD TV. Then had to disconnect all the electronics, take out the old stand and hook everything back up. That went pretty well except for the missing parts and the lack of pre-drilled holes. Good thing I am a bit handy in figuring out that stuff.

Also have been following the Junior playdowns up at Broomstones. The Plainfield team for the boys is in the playoff and a win will get them to Nationals. Bob and Rachel must be pretty excited about that.

On the local curling front not much is happening. Still trying to get a team together for the club playdowns. Made a quick stop at the club on Saturday for a little maintenance and the local Trials teams of Derek and Charrissa were both there practicing.

Check out the LBI blog over here as we have internet access at the place we are staying and there may be some late night blogging.

Later,
JH

Funny paws

So, he is still cute but now we have to wait for the fur to grow back. The expression says it all "Great now all the world will see me on the intarwebz".

Later,
JH

He is home

Thanks to everyone who was emailing us. The kitten is home, we just went and got him. He is fine at this point although very ratty. I guess a couple of days in a cage with a cone on your head you wouldn't look good either. He is exploring the house and cleaning himself.

He has two shaved front paws from the IVs that he had for fluids. Will be on oral antibiotics for about a week.

So a merry Christmas after all. Mrs JH is much happier now that she has the baby home.

Hopefully DC will post his kitty story, not sure how you get a black eye from your cat.

Later,
JH

A sick kitten

The baby, pictured at right, is sick. This morning he was very, very sick with a temperature of 106.4. That is right on the edge my friends. Now, he is somewhat better. It was a really looong day. Here is the brief recap.

8:45 - kitten not good, Mrs. agrees, off to the vet.

10:00 - home from the vet, he is getting good care

11:00 - fever at 105

12:00 - off to pick up pies for Christmas in Pawling, NY

2:00 - fever spikes at 106.4 (we are driving home at this point...tears....)

3:15 - home from pie journey, drop off pies, pick up cat carrier, off to the vet

4:30 - at the vet, kitten doing slightly better (with cone on head), fever coming down

5:15 - at the emergency 24 hour vet center. Why? They can provide the 24 hour monitoring he needs right now. Cost- don't ask.

5:30 - kitten happy to see us and is purring - a good sign - temp down to 104

6:00 - home again, feed the other munchkins, check email, do some work

future at 9:00 - Mrs. will be calling the 24 hour center even though they would prefer we don't. There is no way that call will not happen. And if she wakes up at 2:00am, you bet there will be a call made then as well.

Christmas eve morning - get the blood work results, check the fever, determine if he is coming home or not. Hopefully they will figure out what is going on as sometimes these things have no rhyme or reason.

Christmas day - off to NJ hopefully and maybe home again the same day.

Why do these things always happen with pets at the worst times?

Later,
JH

Comfort

A nice spot in the sun laying on a stone horse. That is comfort for a kitten I guess.

This is a little better. Trying to fit in Mrs. purse for a little nap. And he has discovered how to jump up onto the kitchen counters. Now we have to hide the dry food inside a closet. I had forgotten how good kittens were at leaping.

Later,
JH

Happy Thanksgiving

Let us all give thanks for friends and family. Stuff yourselves today as that is what is right. Watch some football or whatever. Lots of "marathons" on the tube as well like Deadliest Catch. Have some crab (great commercial). Have the extra dessert. A little late night snack of a turkey sandwich.

Enjoy the day as you worry about how to buy Christmas presents, keeping the kitten from climbing the tree and where to put decorations that won't become "toys". Maybe an extra glass of wine will help.

Watch the curling on TV this weekend, you do have that Canadian satellite right. Probably lots of college football as well. The skins golf if that is still happening. Go outside and finish the leaves.

Give thanks to the Phils on the World Series. And somewhere David Wright is giving thanks that the Yankees are getting all the headlines right now and not the latest Mets collapse. Suck it Mutts.

As the Mrs says Happy Gobble Gobble Day!
JH

You are doing what to my what!?

Pictured on right is a very cute kitten. He went and got fixed this week. First patient of the day so we got to pick him up late in the afternoon. The vet provided instructions such as keep him quiet. Fine, we can do that. He has the guest room all to himself. So, bedtime comes and we bring him into our room to sleep with us.

Then this happens:
Hallucinatory behavior, which may progress to delirium, may occur during emergence from Ketamine anesthesia.

Yep, around midnight he is literally bouncing off the walls, attacking everything in sight including us and just freaking out. This causes Skippy mom to freak out. Call the 24 hour emergency vet clinic and explain what is happening. They told us about the above. So, back into the guest room he goes for the night.

The next day expect to open the door to the room and see him floating above the bed like something out of the exorcist. Nope, just his old normal self (sans balls), purring and just wanting pets. We called our vet to ask if he got ketemine and she says yes and then explains that the reaction happens in about 10% of cats.

He has completely returned to "normal" at this point. Of course the instructions say to not allow him to run or play on the stairs for 3 days. Riiiighhhtt, how do you keep a kitten from playing? Duct tape maybe but he seems to be fine and takes breaks when he gets a tired.

Happy (American) Thanksgiving to all.

Later,
JH

The weekend

There was finally curling on TV Saturday and Sunday. The Sunday final was a great game to watch. At least it wasn't Kevin Martin playing, can't stand the guy.

And finally got the satellite dish all hooked up. Ran another cable as I was convinced the first one had a problem. So, tested this one first by hooking it up and running through the back door to the TV. No problem, okay so up on the roof, take down the other one, run the new one through the wall. To get through the wall have to cut off the connector on the end. Inside, hook it up and NO SIGNAL. Finally figured that it must be the metal fibers in the coating making contact somehow. Got that fixed and now we have HD satellite with a PVR and it works.

Because I know someone might care, Skippy is roaming free without supervision in the entire house. Even left him alone this morning when I took Mrs. to the train station.

Off to Philly this weekend for the Harvest mixed. Always a great time. Need to work out the costumes this week.

Later.
JH

Colds and kittens

So I guess we did win something at the bonspiel. Mrs. has a wonderful cold which is a typical side effect of the first bonspiel.

The kitten is FREE. He just loves to play and play with this little plastic cirle toy, kind of like the part you pull off a jug of milk. His favorite part is knocking it under the stove, then finding me and watching me get it out with a ruler. Yes, he has us trained already.

He is also a pretty good escape artist. He was scheduled for the vet today to get fixed. But he escaped the upstairs this morning and found his way to the food dish. Had to postpone the vet for a bit. Now we just have to deal with locking him in a room overnight and listening to the meowing when he is scheduled next.

No curling this weekend. Next weekend is the ten year return to the scene of the crime at the Philly club. Hmmm, maybe I should have sent them a gift registry....

Later,
JH

Cat Freedom

DC is talking about cat freedom as well as people freedom. We are also letting Skippy roam around unfetered these days for short bits.

When he gets out of the upstairs guest room it is a short dash to the stairs and then find a toy. Play with the toy while the other cats are not sure what is happening. Snickle, the 9 year old, just stares and stares. Occasionally following him around slowly. The kitten is fast, so fast that Snickle will be staring into a corner and the kitten is three rooms away. Bonspiel, the 18 year old, just wanders away to go hid in her bed or on the couch.

The kitten doesn't really care about the other two, he is too busy running and playing.

Pretty soon he will have full roam of the house unsupervised. Then you just have to listen for the crashes as he finds new "toys" to play with, like the plants.

Oh yeah and we went to a bonspiel this past weekend. Had fun, didnt win any jewelry and got to catch up with a lot of friends. More on that over here at some point.

Later,
JH