Ash (AKA Ikkle One, Compact Kitty)
2002-2015
In 2002, there was this friendly little gray kitty that hung out under a gazebo that was located between Camp Humphreys' old Commissary, PX, and food court. People used to buy cans or bags of food to feed him and his friends that lived there. This was OK while the weather was nice, but winter was coming and plans were in the works to tear down the the buildings and build new ones. It became obvious he needed a new home.
We brought him home on Thanksgiving Day, 2002. We already had three other kitties at the time, Lucy and Linus (the siblings), and Achilles. It became apparent Ash was more than just friendly with people, he also loved other cats, becoming friends with all, and also becoming the official greeter of any new kitties that entered the house. He purred at the slightest touch and even purred when he saw you petting kitties near him!
He really loved Flea and hung out with her a lot.
He also liked playing with Ginger.
He was a true diplomat and hung out with everyone.
As you can see, it's almost impossible to sleep in the bed, let alone make it. Ash also liked to see what we were doing.
He loved shoes.
He was a kitty full of life, love, and happiness.he never complained or put up a fuss, no matter what. We noticed he started losing weight a few weeeks ago. We took him to the vet, but she didn't find anything wrong, other than a little dehydration and some arthritis in his hips. She gave him some fluids and a vitamin shot and sent him home. Things didn't improve. His gait became unsteady, his appetite waned. His back and ribs became more pronounced. We took him back again, and after more tests, things still showed normal.
We know, however, that something was wrong. The other kitties took turns looking after him and comforting him, much as he did them when they were young. he had trouble walking, and was starting to find secluded places to hide. It was after he totally stopped eating or drinking that we knew he had decided it was his time. His last meal was his favorite. A freshly opened can of tuna that got him wobbling from where he was holed up into the kitchen where I was prepping it for him. he took a few laps of liquid, and stumbled off. I pureed the rest and located him. he lapped up about a quarter of that. It was the last thing he ate, despite my trying again last evening to get him to eat some more.
He disappeared for a couple of hours last night, and when we finally located him, he was limp and barely moving. but when brenda picked him up, he purred in his typical fashion. We placed him in the bed between us, and aside from an occasional tail twitch, he didn't move all night. he would purr when you touched him, and that was about it. This morning, we contacted the vet, and made arrangements. We spent a little more time giving him some love, and when the time came, tucked him inside Brenda's coat (just like when we brought him home on that day almost 13 years earlier), and brought him to the office. He put up no fuss, and I believe he was ready to go and looking forward in joining all his friends that had passed before.
Ash was a remarkable kitty and of a type I doubt will ever meet again. Give them a hug from us, Ikkle One.
Louise
2012 - 2013
Louise came into our life about the same time Lucy left. Louise was one of two gray kittens the vet had left over from a litter. Her sister, which I called Thelma was a gray and white striped kitten with a pointed head and an aggressively playful style. Louise had a rounded head and a more fluffy patchwork gray and white "cammo" color, and was fairly shy. She was obviously the runt of the litter. When Lucy passed away, we decided we would adopt both Thelma and Louise, but found that someone had already adopted Thelma, but poor Louise was left behind all alone. We took her home on July 3rd, 2012.</span></p>
When Louise came home, she immediately wanted to explore her surroundings. She first went under Brenda's desk, about the same time Spot came in to investigate.
Can you say 'Love at first sight"? Spot did. He went up to tiny little Louise, picked her up by the scruff of the neck, and carted her around like a 2-year-old with his favorite toy, Louise complaining the entire time. Despite the complaints, they became fast friends.
What Louise loved most though, was nursing on Brenda. Everyday, usually twice a day, she would climb up on Brenda and start loudly sucking and kneading on her neck, up to an hour or so. We even took a video of her. (See links)
http://jaderb.org/images/Louise/Louise_nursing_on_Brenda.mov
http://jaderb.org/images/Louise/Louise_loves_to_nurse.mov.
In fact, Brenda became an accessory.
http://jaderb.org/images/Louise/Louise_making_herself_comfortable.mov
http://jaderb.org/images/Louise/Louise_cleaning_herself.mov.
Louise had a rough beginning. For the first couple of months she had trouble with her bowels, and we were giving her probiotics to help her out. It seemed as if her digestive system wasn't fully developed. But time, patience, and love yielded positive results and it seemed that other than an occasional eye cold, she appeared healthy.She certainly got along with all the others. She was always a tiny kitty, and never got to be very big.
Unfortunately, a little over a month ago, things changed. Louise suddenly stopped nursing on Brenda, and her diarrhea returned. We took her into the vet to have her checked, and the initial results showed only a slight hemoglobin count. But a few days later, her abdomen started swelling, and a second test confirmed the worst. Wet FIP. We started a steroid treatment, which helped for little awhile, then tried an interferon treatment that didn't yield much of a result. Even when giving Louise her medicine, she would make a cute "yuck" face.
Last night, she pretty much quit trying to eat or drink anything. We couldn't get hold of the vet today, I made up a little box, lined it with a nice towel, and we gave her some painkillers and little droppers of water until she passed at about 8:30 this evening. Coco and Spot were both checking up on her, and gave their respects when she passed. We gave her a toy mouse, a little catnip, and some pictures, then closed up the box. We'll bring it to the vet in the morning, since there's no place to do a proper burial around here. We only had Louise around for a few days over a year, and while we understand she had health issues, it's very hard to let someone with so much love go in such a short amount of time. I hope her spirit moves quickly onto her reward.
Louise, we'll miss you.
Lucy: 1997 - 2012
Lucy (The Love Kitty) and her brother Linus were brought to me in 1997 as 6 month old kittens to babysit, while a PFC sent his wife back home to the States (she was pregnant and not sponsored for Korea) and moved back on base. He was going to pick them up and send them back in a couple of months. He never came back for them.
When she first arrived, Lucy established herself as the Love Kitty by insisting on sleeping in the bed, cuddled up to me when I slept on my right side. She would then curve herself into my armpit and put her head on my arm and purr. She did this pretty much for her entire life, and as she grew, she found she enjoyed spooning even more when she had the top of her head against my nose. She would even reach up with a paw and gram my nostril and pull it down to her head if I wasn't in the right position. When she wasn't spooning, she would flip the other way and knead on me. she was a total love.
She also loved her brother, Linus, a lot.
Lucy was a beautiful cat with asymmetrical markings.
Like all cats, Lucy enjoyed taking naps:
On beds:
On scanners:
With the other kitties:
When we first brought Achilles home, Lucy was NOT thrilled.
It took awhile, but Lucy went from anger to indifference. In fact, she was more or less indifferent to the other cats, except her brother Linus, for the most part. But if they caught her at the right time:
And of course, the bed seemed to become a neutral ground over time.
Lucy also found my computer equipment a great place to hang out:
In 2010, Lucy became very ill. She spent 6 weeks in an intensive care unit near Seoul with liver failure. This was shortly after Flea passed away. We never found out what caused it, but she wasn't quite the same after. For a couple of months after she came home, we hand-fed her, and she slowly improved, although her mouth hurt, and the vets said she had some kind of viral infection that never went away. It didn't stop her from cuddling at night, and she was tough enough not to complain. We would alternate antibiotics, diet, and painkillers (if needed), and she would perk up for awhile. She eventually got back top eating on her own, although we had to switch from the kibble that she loved to softer food. She would frequently eat from the kibble bowl, and work the crunchies slowly until she could swallow it.
When Linus passed away last year, Lucy was lost. She clung to Brenda and myself even harder, and didn't want much to do with the other cats. Except for Spot, when we brought him home, for some reason. All she lived for was cuddling with us at night, and when we brought Spot home, she allowed him to fuss over her.
After Achilles passed away, even though she never liked him much, Lucy started to decline. She lost weight, and we had to go back to feeding her. Age had caught up with her, and her race was about done. We brought her in to the vet, who confirmed she had arthritis in her joints, and she wasn't taking in the nutrition anymore. We started giving her subcutaneous fluids with vitamins, and that helped for a little bit.
Then Smokey passed away last week, shockingly. Lucy actually perked up for a couple of days, sensing our distress, and she put on a brave show for the remainder of the week through the weekend. But this morning, the small peak from her effort ebbed, and we knew that it was time. She was very shaky, and her body temperature started dropping. The fluids given her this morning didn't help much, and by 5PM, we knew it was time. We broght her back to the vet, and she gave Lucy the final shot. It was hard to find a good vein, but the vet found one, and Lucy actually look relieved and let go quickly and quietly while we said our goodbyes. She had given all her love, and the well was finally empty.
I know Lucy has finally joined her brother again, and they are together snuggling each other. We will miss her tremendously.
This has been a very sad week as we lost one of the youngest, and the oldest of our gang. I really hope we are done with the sadness for awhile.
Smokey: 2010 - 2012
Brenda has always wanted a Meezer, so when the local vet had a litter of Siamese kittens, she jumped at this little guy:
He started out as a tiny little thing that smelled like a hickory-smoked barbecue, which is why we named him Smokey. The scent faded over time, but the name stuck. Smokey started out as a sleepy little kitty. He could sleep just about anywhere, at any time. he didn't meow like a regular Siamese. He had a little chittering cheep, and when you picked him up and turned him on his back, he would go limp and sound a little like Perry the Platypus. he was a very unusual cat indeed.
He was very limber and could curl his tail into a prehensile curlicue. I wish I had a picture of that amazing tail.
And he loved to cuddle.
He liked to sit on my printer/scanner, so I resorted to putting a pillow on it to keep the hair out.
We also found out something else. Smokey was an amazing cat, he was full of boundless energy and quite the athlete. Even as a kitten, we found he could jump very high and would play until he ended up panting on the floor. By the time he was fully grown, Smokey could jump over 6 feet straight up in the air. If we put a toy on top of a bookcase, he would pace a little, gauging the height, then leap up, snagging the edge of the bookcase, then haul himself up. No place was safe from his climbing and leaping skills.
http://jaderb.org/images/Smokey/Smokey_at_play.AVI
http://jaderb.org/images/Smokey/Smokey_loved_to_play.AVI
Smokey also liked to play games. He had this little trick where he would take one of his toys and tried to see if he could get it under my desk without my noticing. if I turned and looked at him, he would drop the toy and act innocent. And when I turned away, he would pick it up and sneak it closer. If he saw me turning, he would drop the toy just outside my reach, knowing I would grab it and toss it farther way, or someplace high, where he would have to jump at it. You can see one of his toys in the picture of him under my desk. Ah, success!
As you can see, his colors darkened as he matured. He was a beautiful cat.
Smokey loved to try to escape outside, only to be lured out from under the porch with jingle toys and laser pointers. We did try to make him king of the jungle on the porch, since we didn't allow our cats to go outdoors.
He liked finding hidey holes for himself.
Smokey also loved being with the other kitties.
Well, except maybe Spot. But then, Spot was the new kitten, and wanted to play and chase the others, and he would chase Smokey around the house until Smokey would get into a hissy-fit.
Maybe we should have noticed that Smokey would sometimes become tired and pant after a hard time at play, or when Spot chased him around. But we chalked it up to his going all-out when he did things.
The first sign we saw that something wasn't right was last Monday. I noticed that he had been spending a lot of time on the porch in a particular spot. It seemed OK as the cats tend to go out to enjoy the afternoon sun and snooze away the day. After all, they're cats. But something didn't look right with Smokey. I brought him into the main room, where I had the A/C going and tried to cool him off and give him water. When Brenda got in, I gave him a piece of chicken, one of his most favorite foods. Just a couple of days ago, he was wrestling with the other cats to snag as many pieces as possible. Instead, he walked away from it, and plopped down by my computer chair. Then went back out to the porch and sagged down.
Concerned, Brenda and I called the vet and asked to bring him in. It was about 6 PM. We brought him in, and the vet did some exams. he was a bit dehydrated, and his blood cell count was up. He was running a fever. She gave him an IV and after awhile sent us home. About 10 PM, with a bit of the IV fluid left and Smokey trying to move around and pull it out, I removed the IV. He wandered away and I noticed him a short time later, back on the porch with a dark pool under him. He had licked around the IV point and got it to bleeding. We bandaged him up and kept him in the bedroom overnight. He was so very subdued.
The next morning, we took him back over to the vet and explained what happened. This time, his temperature was 95 degrees. Dangerously low. She gave him a warmed IV and took another blood sample to send out. She told us to go home and she would call us later to pick him up. Later, she called us and told us Smokey had taken a turn for the worse. He was panting as if he couldn't breathe. She tried to get him on oxygen and said his lungs were filling with fluid. She called the regional pet hospital, about an hour away, and told us we needed to take him there. They could then put him in an oxygen tend and drain the fluid.
We got him in the car (IV still attached) and took off. At 8 PM the traffic was a bit heavy, and it took a bit longer than expected. It didn't matter. Less than 5 minutes out, Smokey stopped breathing. We got into the parking lot, grabbed the carrier, and ran in. They were expecting us, and I told them he had stopped breathing, although his body was still warm. They took him upstairs into the ICU and tried to resuscitate him. It was too late. His heart had quit.
Smokey had a big heart, and sadly, looking at the X-Rays, the doctor said he had an enlarged heart, as well. It appears he was born with it, and between the exertion and the heat, it couldn't pump anymore. We left for home, heartbroken. Our amazing little Meezer had lived a a short life, but perhaps he knew his time was short, for he tried to pack as much into it as possible.
I hope that when he goes on to the next place, he finds a lot of tall trees to jump into, birds to chitter at, and a lot of tall grass he can sleep in. He will truly be missed.
Achilles @1997 - 2012
We first saw Achilles, with his beautiful green eyes, as an adoption poster at the old Food Court court at Osan AB, back in early 2002. The owners had to give him up because the husband came down with leukemia, and the doctors were afraid that Achilles might cause him complications. After a little bit of deliberation, Brenda and I decided to bring him home to meet Linus and Lucy.
When we first got Achilles home, it seemed things were going to go OK, but when Lucy saw him, she realized this wasn't Linus, and let us know she wasn't happy. Linus, however, took to him immediately and became a buddy to him. Lucy, over time, learned to pretty much ignore him.
Although Lucy didn't care much for Achilles, Most of the others did. Achilles seemed to get along with all the other newcomers.
Achilles looks on with amusement as a very tiny Flea tackles a tomato. Flea enjoyed playing with Achilles, and I think he missed her when she passed away in 2010.
Achilles, along with the others, loves to sleep on the bed, although sometimes he misbehaved, which caused him to be banished from the bedroom at times.
He loved sleeping in boxes, and sometimes shared them. Here he is sharing an MRE box that has an empty back pack as bedding with Ginger.
When Linus passed away in 2011, Achilles became a bit of a recluse. He slept on the bed a lot, but during the summer of 2011, started sleeping in a box on a small table we had in the video room. The box was filled with crumpled paper, and it seemed he liked to nestle into it he also became less tolerant of the other cats, especially the new additions, Smokey and Oliver.
Achilles always had this sad look about him. I guess it was the markings.
Although he ate well, he had lost a bit of weight in the last couple of years. He seemed to be doing pretty good until a couple of weeks ago. We noticed that his tummy was a bit bloated, although he didn't seem to be in pain, and was eating and drinking well. We took him to a local vet, who did some tests and noticed that he appeared dehydrated, especially along the spine and ribs. She thought maybe he had a little constipation. We went home and awaited the results. They came back negative. But his tummy continued to swell a bit, and we brought him back in. This time, X-rays showed fluid was building up in his abdomen. We knew that this would probably mean FIP, Feline Infectious Peritonitis, which is what Linus passed away from in 2011. The vet used a syringe and drained about a half cup of clear fluid from his lower abdomen. She sent that in for a test. A couple of days later, the results came back positive. We brought him back in a few days later to remove more fluid from his abdomen, as he was eating and drinking well, but his tummy was getting bloated and tight again. This time, almost 2 cups of water was removed. Achilles stopped eating that night, although he was still drinking a lot of water. It as obvious by Friday that this was going to be a losing battle, and soon he would stop drinking. After a long sleepless night, we decided to take Achilles in to the vet's office Saturday, for the last time. He was not in pain yet, but his green eyes asked us not to let him continue as he soon would be.
Achilles didn't complain when we took him in. He meowed only a little when we put him in the carrier, and purred when we petted him. When we took him out at the vet's, he didn't struggle. He sat calmly, then laid slightly on his side as the vet hooked up the IV. He was then gently sedated, then put to sleep, purring, which faded in a few minutes with his heart. He was at peace at last.
Goodbye, Old Man. You will be missed.
Linus, AKA "Whinus", or "Whinus the Chickenhearted" passed away earlier this evening. He was 14. He took ill last Tuesday and was diagnosed with FIP (Feline Infectious Peritonitis) last Thursday. The vet didn't give him more than a week to live.
He was greatly loved by all of us and shall be greatly missed.
Linus and Lucy, his sister, were brought to me in 1997 as 6 month old kittens to babysit, while a PFC sent his wife back home to the states (she was pregnant and not sponsored for Korea) and moved back on base. He was going to pick them up and send them back in a couple of months. He never came back for them.
They were just the companions I needed at that time, going through a part part of my life. Both loved to sleep on me when I went to bed, and they both loved each other so much. Linus was the only cat Lucy tolerated to be next to for any period of time.
Linus was also the official peacemaker and greeter when we started adopting other kitties needing homes. He made close friends with Achilles, who Lucy actually disliked intensely at the beginning. Now she tends to ignore him.
Linus also loved to snuggle with Ash. You could find him spooning Ash on the bed or on a chair. But when people showed up, he would disappear in a flash. Although he didn't have front claws, he had a powerful kick, and if he was startled when holding him, you were going to get hurt. But he would never intentionally hurt anyone and never even bit. He was a gentle giant.
Linus liked standing on my lap, looking out the window and demanding I rub his belly.
Linus sure loved his naps.
He could sleep on or in anything.
He also loved his food. Especially kitty treats. For awhile, he was so addicted to Temptations, he would pester me day and night for them, in his "Whinus" voice. I finally had to wean him off of those, since they aren't the best thing for kitties. I switched to Greenies, which are better.
Linus was indecisive to the extreme. He would want in and out of the bedroom 10 times in 10 minutes. I think he just liked a door valet.
When he passed away, we put him into a roomy little box that was lined with a brown and white floral towel. I added a stuffed mouse toy, and handful of kitty treats, and sprinkled it with catnip. We then placed him gently in the box, tucked him in, then closed the box up. We will bury him in the morning. I think I will plant some catnip seeds on his resting place.
I hope he has lots of kitty treats in Heaven. Sleep well, fair Prince.
He was greatly loved by all of us and shall be greatly missed.
Linus and Lucy, his sister, were brought to me in 1997 as 6 month old kittens to babysit, while a PFC sent his wife back home to the states (she was pregnant and not sponsored for Korea) and moved back on base. He was going to pick them up and send them back in a couple of months. He never came back for them.
They were just the companions I needed at that time, going through a part part of my life. Both loved to sleep on me when I went to bed, and they both loved each other so much. Linus was the only cat Lucy tolerated to be next to for any period of time.
Linus was also the official peacemaker and greeter when we started adopting other kitties needing homes. He made close friends with Achilles, who Lucy actually disliked intensely at the beginning. Now she tends to ignore him.
Linus also loved to snuggle with Ash. You could find him spooning Ash on the bed or on a chair. But when people showed up, he would disappear in a flash. Although he didn't have front claws, he had a powerful kick, and if he was startled when holding him, you were going to get hurt. But he would never intentionally hurt anyone and never even bit. He was a gentle giant.
Linus liked standing on my lap, looking out the window and demanding I rub his belly.
Linus sure loved his naps.
He could sleep on or in anything.
He also loved his food. Especially kitty treats. For awhile, he was so addicted to Temptations, he would pester me day and night for them, in his "Whinus" voice. I finally had to wean him off of those, since they aren't the best thing for kitties. I switched to Greenies, which are better.
Linus was indecisive to the extreme. He would want in and out of the bedroom 10 times in 10 minutes. I think he just liked a door valet.
When he passed away, we put him into a roomy little box that was lined with a brown and white floral towel. I added a stuffed mouse toy, and handful of kitty treats, and sprinkled it with catnip. We then placed him gently in the box, tucked him in, then closed the box up. We will bury him in the morning. I think I will plant some catnip seeds on his resting place.
I hope he has lots of kitty treats in Heaven. Sleep well, fair Prince.
While I enjoy the bands that Armed Forces Entertainment and the USO bring around, the places they perform leave a lot to be desired. Last week, Montgomery Gentry played at the MP Hill gymnasium. What happens when you put a high-powered country band into a basketball court with high corrugated metal ceilings and bare walls lined with bleachers, then crank up the base? Enough noise to drive me out after 15 minutes.
This is only the second band I walked out of. The other one was Bomshel in the old gym's basketball court. Same design, same noise. 100% distortion is not enjoyable. I prefer the performances in the open ball fields (late spring through fall), or even the Community Activity Center, which has a proper auditorium.
This is only the second band I walked out of. The other one was Bomshel in the old gym's basketball court. Same design, same noise. 100% distortion is not enjoyable. I prefer the performances in the open ball fields (late spring through fall), or even the Community Activity Center, which has a proper auditorium.
I get my mail in a military combined unit mail room. They used to pool all their resources. Unfortunately, the unit i am used to getting my mail at decided to not only withdraw from the combined mail unit, they are also dropping those people who are not specifically part of their unit. Since I was there under an agreement dating more than 5 years ago, I am one of those people getting dropped. I was given a notice at 1600 today effective tomorrow.
Using some quick work, I contacted the combined mail room commander and managed to keep my mail support. Unfortunately, It means my address will change.
For those of you who need my address, please email or otherwise contact me and obtain it. I am not posting it here.
Using some quick work, I contacted the combined mail room commander and managed to keep my mail support. Unfortunately, It means my address will change.
For those of you who need my address, please email or otherwise contact me and obtain it. I am not posting it here.
Sorry if this is graphic intensive. It is a story that should be told.
It was a warm day in May, 2003 when I stopped by the garage where the mechanic worked on my Dodge Caravan. While talking to him, I heard this nonstop series of mews coming from his office. I asked him what that was and he told me he was glad I stopped by. he took me into his office and showed me a small Calico ball of fluff that was making a ruckus. She was barely 3 weeks old, it appears and the mechanic had found her, abandoned by her mother, it seemed, in the street.
Brenda went to a nearby store and bought a pint of milk, while I checked her out. "Please take her home, I don't know anything about cats." My mechanic asked me.
She was so young, and I didn't think she would survive. but we were wiling to try.
http://jadephoenix.org/images/Flea/Flea1.MPG
We brought her home and I did some research on making formula. As it turned out, I tried to feed her with a baby bottle, but that didn't work. I ended up dipping a washcloth in the solution and having her suck it out of that. but she decided she preferred to tackle dry food within a few days and ignored the formula afterward.
Ash, our ever present ambassador and greeter immediately adopted her as his younger sister. She was fearless.
http://jadephoenix.org/images/Flea/Flea2.MPG
http://jadephoenix.org/images/Flea/Flea3.MPG
http://jadephoenix.org/images/Flea/Flea4.MPG
http://jadephoenix.org/images/Flea/Flea5.MPG
She loved jumping on things and biting you playfully, so we named her "Flea"
We gave her some worm medicine, and after a few days it became apparent that we was going to survive. She was our miracle kitty.
(Yes, that's me holding her)
She was pretty tiny, so we usually referred to her as "Baby Cat" or "Tiny Baby"
Flea grew to become a beautiful Calico, and a very talkative cat. She loved the other cats.
She sure did enjoy her naps!
She also liked to nurse on clothes and blankets.
She also loved to sleep behind Brenda's leg at night, and behind my monitor, especially in the winter. But above all, she loved to talk to you, and she always was the first one to greet every visitor that stopped by. Flea was quite the techno-cat. She always came running when she heard the printers running, or help pull the paper out of the fax machine, or even try and catch the scanner light.
The only problem was that when we adopted Ginger in 2005 (Actually Ginger adopted us by literally coming in out of the rain), there was some sibling rivalry between the two over who was the baby cat. But when we weren't watching, they seemed to be content to put aside their differences and sleep with each other. All of our kids were doing great overall.
Unfortunately, our cats came down with some kind of virus sometime after Christmas. Watery eyes and noses, sneezing, and drool. But all the cats seemed to get better after a few days, Even Flea, but that didn't last. At the beginning of February, we noticed she wasn't eating much and was losing weight. We took her to the vet here in town, who gave her some antibiotics. But after a couple of days, we knew something was wrong. We brought her back on a Monday, and he took her in for a couple of days and gave her an IV with antibiotics to help it along. We took her home but she still seemed to not want to eat too much. The vet took her back in and ran some tests. He found her liver had been badly damaged. He took her in, started several treatments, and we hoped for the best. She was in there for a week. We went back last week to pick her up, and the vet told us she had jaundice, and was passing liquid. We had to hand-feed her twice a day a high-protean diet of chicken or turkey, mixed into a soup, along with vitamins and liver medication. She didn't like it, but Brenda and I had a routing worked out where she would squirt some water into her moth and when she was drinking, I would squirt some food with my modified syringe. After a few rounds, we'd wipe the mess and keep going until she fought to get free. We would them wash the towels and let her down.
By this time, she would either crawl under my desk and sleep on the hot pad I had set up, or sleep behind Brenda's legs on a towel in the bedroom at night. We took her to the vett on Thursday as she was meowing as if in pain. He gave her a shot and noted she had gained a few ounces. She had dipped below half her weight in less than a month. He told us that he had done all she could and advised if she got worse, to take her up to the big Vet hospital in Songnam, about an hour away.
She got worse. yesterday (Friday), she was complaining a lot and almost dragged herself when moving. We fed her around 11, and let her sleep on the hot pad. About two hours later, she climbed down, and started vomiting undigested food, then fell over on her side whole doing so. She made a pitiful noise. I called the hospital and told her I was coming, put her in a carrier, and took off. This was about 2PM, I got there at 3. I comforted her enroute, and she made that weak little mewing.
We waited in the waiting room a bit, and I brought her in. The doctor did a quick parvo test (negative), asked a lot of questions. he had called our local vet to get some of the history. Flea was immediately send up to the ICU and they ran a lot of tests. I signed paperwork and waited. The doctor came back down around 6:30. He went over all the tests. She was in very bad shape, The liver wasn't working well, she had severe anemia, and high white blood cell counts. She needed a transfusion,a nd he wanted me to bring in the other cats the next day to find a match. I saw her before I left. They had a feeding tube stapled to her nostril and were giving her Iv's. She had such a disgusted, resigned look. I gave her some rubbings and she purred a little. I left about 8PM, got home at 9. I finally went to bed at 1:30.
At 3AM, I received a call from the doctor. he wanted to know if I could get to the hospital quickly. Flea had cardiac arrest twice and was on life support. They had found another cat at the hospital that had a blood match, and tried the transfusion. It didn't help. She was not going to make it. I told him to have them do their best, and I would be there at 9AM. I couldn't attempt to drive after so little sleep.
Saturday morning, I took off to see her. I arrived at 9 on the dot. The doctor met me at the door and took me upstairs to see her. It was horrible. She was surrounded by people pumping air into her, and a heated blower. her eyes... she was gone, even if the heart was faintly beating. I couldn't take it. I asked them to stop and went back downstairs, crying by eyes out. I asked them to please take care of her remains for me, and came home. Brenda wasn't there to see her, and I am glad. I know how sensitive sher is, she wouldn't have taken it.
Flea is going to leave a large hole in our lives. She was the miracle kitty who we didn't think was going to make it. We still have five other "kids" and they know we are hurting. They want to help. We will miss Flea, and I think I will close this little tribute with a picture I would like to remember her as. Happy.
Farewell Flea, my sweetheart. I hope there's a catnip mouse and a soft blanket for you to suckle on in Heaven.
It was a warm day in May, 2003 when I stopped by the garage where the mechanic worked on my Dodge Caravan. While talking to him, I heard this nonstop series of mews coming from his office. I asked him what that was and he told me he was glad I stopped by. he took me into his office and showed me a small Calico ball of fluff that was making a ruckus. She was barely 3 weeks old, it appears and the mechanic had found her, abandoned by her mother, it seemed, in the street.
Brenda went to a nearby store and bought a pint of milk, while I checked her out. "Please take her home, I don't know anything about cats." My mechanic asked me.
She was so young, and I didn't think she would survive. but we were wiling to try.
http://jadephoenix.org/images/Flea/Flea1.MPG
We brought her home and I did some research on making formula. As it turned out, I tried to feed her with a baby bottle, but that didn't work. I ended up dipping a washcloth in the solution and having her suck it out of that. but she decided she preferred to tackle dry food within a few days and ignored the formula afterward.
Ash, our ever present ambassador and greeter immediately adopted her as his younger sister. She was fearless.
http://jadephoenix.org/images/Flea/Flea2.MPG
http://jadephoenix.org/images/Flea/Flea3.MPG
http://jadephoenix.org/images/Flea/Flea4.MPG
http://jadephoenix.org/images/Flea/Flea5.MPG
She loved jumping on things and biting you playfully, so we named her "Flea"
We gave her some worm medicine, and after a few days it became apparent that we was going to survive. She was our miracle kitty.
(Yes, that's me holding her)
She was pretty tiny, so we usually referred to her as "Baby Cat" or "Tiny Baby"
Flea grew to become a beautiful Calico, and a very talkative cat. She loved the other cats.
She sure did enjoy her naps!
She also liked to nurse on clothes and blankets.
She also loved to sleep behind Brenda's leg at night, and behind my monitor, especially in the winter. But above all, she loved to talk to you, and she always was the first one to greet every visitor that stopped by. Flea was quite the techno-cat. She always came running when she heard the printers running, or help pull the paper out of the fax machine, or even try and catch the scanner light.
The only problem was that when we adopted Ginger in 2005 (Actually Ginger adopted us by literally coming in out of the rain), there was some sibling rivalry between the two over who was the baby cat. But when we weren't watching, they seemed to be content to put aside their differences and sleep with each other. All of our kids were doing great overall.
Unfortunately, our cats came down with some kind of virus sometime after Christmas. Watery eyes and noses, sneezing, and drool. But all the cats seemed to get better after a few days, Even Flea, but that didn't last. At the beginning of February, we noticed she wasn't eating much and was losing weight. We took her to the vet here in town, who gave her some antibiotics. But after a couple of days, we knew something was wrong. We brought her back on a Monday, and he took her in for a couple of days and gave her an IV with antibiotics to help it along. We took her home but she still seemed to not want to eat too much. The vet took her back in and ran some tests. He found her liver had been badly damaged. He took her in, started several treatments, and we hoped for the best. She was in there for a week. We went back last week to pick her up, and the vet told us she had jaundice, and was passing liquid. We had to hand-feed her twice a day a high-protean diet of chicken or turkey, mixed into a soup, along with vitamins and liver medication. She didn't like it, but Brenda and I had a routing worked out where she would squirt some water into her moth and when she was drinking, I would squirt some food with my modified syringe. After a few rounds, we'd wipe the mess and keep going until she fought to get free. We would them wash the towels and let her down.
By this time, she would either crawl under my desk and sleep on the hot pad I had set up, or sleep behind Brenda's legs on a towel in the bedroom at night. We took her to the vett on Thursday as she was meowing as if in pain. He gave her a shot and noted she had gained a few ounces. She had dipped below half her weight in less than a month. He told us that he had done all she could and advised if she got worse, to take her up to the big Vet hospital in Songnam, about an hour away.
She got worse. yesterday (Friday), she was complaining a lot and almost dragged herself when moving. We fed her around 11, and let her sleep on the hot pad. About two hours later, she climbed down, and started vomiting undigested food, then fell over on her side whole doing so. She made a pitiful noise. I called the hospital and told her I was coming, put her in a carrier, and took off. This was about 2PM, I got there at 3. I comforted her enroute, and she made that weak little mewing.
We waited in the waiting room a bit, and I brought her in. The doctor did a quick parvo test (negative), asked a lot of questions. he had called our local vet to get some of the history. Flea was immediately send up to the ICU and they ran a lot of tests. I signed paperwork and waited. The doctor came back down around 6:30. He went over all the tests. She was in very bad shape, The liver wasn't working well, she had severe anemia, and high white blood cell counts. She needed a transfusion,a nd he wanted me to bring in the other cats the next day to find a match. I saw her before I left. They had a feeding tube stapled to her nostril and were giving her Iv's. She had such a disgusted, resigned look. I gave her some rubbings and she purred a little. I left about 8PM, got home at 9. I finally went to bed at 1:30.
At 3AM, I received a call from the doctor. he wanted to know if I could get to the hospital quickly. Flea had cardiac arrest twice and was on life support. They had found another cat at the hospital that had a blood match, and tried the transfusion. It didn't help. She was not going to make it. I told him to have them do their best, and I would be there at 9AM. I couldn't attempt to drive after so little sleep.
Saturday morning, I took off to see her. I arrived at 9 on the dot. The doctor met me at the door and took me upstairs to see her. It was horrible. She was surrounded by people pumping air into her, and a heated blower. her eyes... she was gone, even if the heart was faintly beating. I couldn't take it. I asked them to stop and went back downstairs, crying by eyes out. I asked them to please take care of her remains for me, and came home. Brenda wasn't there to see her, and I am glad. I know how sensitive sher is, she wouldn't have taken it.
Flea is going to leave a large hole in our lives. She was the miracle kitty who we didn't think was going to make it. We still have five other "kids" and they know we are hurting. They want to help. We will miss Flea, and I think I will close this little tribute with a picture I would like to remember her as. Happy.
Farewell Flea, my sweetheart. I hope there's a catnip mouse and a soft blanket for you to suckle on in Heaven.
It's no secret that I had been a friend of a writer, Andre Norton, since my teen years. Over the years, we had written a lot of letters to each other, and she had sent me a lot of books, while i sent her a few things I thought might interest her. One of those things was a design for a sword made of dragon scale. I had gone into great detail on how such could be fashioned.
Andre passed away in 2005, and sometime later, a book named "Dragon Blade", written by Andre Norton and Sasha Miller came out. The person who was Andre's caretaker, Sue Stewart, sent me a copy of the book. i was very surprised that Andre had used my design in the book, and dedicated the book to me.
One may wonder where the vanity part comes in. Well, today I stopped by the Camp Humphreys Post Exchange and while finding some new books that are being issued by Andre Norton and co-writers, i saw three copied of "Dragon Blade". I grabbed all three copies and went back to the manager's office. I pointed out to the store manager, that the person the book was dedicated to, and the person holding those three books were one and the same. I then offered to autograph all three books right above my name on the dedication page. Just because. I wanted to make sure this was OK with the manager, because that would be vandalism, otherwise.
The manager was ecstatic. he not only said it was OK, he thought that was a wonderful idea. So I signed them, and put them right back on the shelf.
Yep, call me vain. Camp Humphreys has a celebrity and that with $2 might get you a cup of coffee here on post.
Andre passed away in 2005, and sometime later, a book named "Dragon Blade", written by Andre Norton and Sasha Miller came out. The person who was Andre's caretaker, Sue Stewart, sent me a copy of the book. i was very surprised that Andre had used my design in the book, and dedicated the book to me.
One may wonder where the vanity part comes in. Well, today I stopped by the Camp Humphreys Post Exchange and while finding some new books that are being issued by Andre Norton and co-writers, i saw three copied of "Dragon Blade". I grabbed all three copies and went back to the manager's office. I pointed out to the store manager, that the person the book was dedicated to, and the person holding those three books were one and the same. I then offered to autograph all three books right above my name on the dedication page. Just because. I wanted to make sure this was OK with the manager, because that would be vandalism, otherwise.
The manager was ecstatic. he not only said it was OK, he thought that was a wonderful idea. So I signed them, and put them right back on the shelf.
Yep, call me vain. Camp Humphreys has a celebrity and that with $2 might get you a cup of coffee here on post.
Comments
It's always hard to lose a friend. :( *hugs*