Cesar the cat

I've decided to call the new cat Cesar.  It can be pronounced either SEE-zar or SAY-zar.  I tend to lean more towards SEE-zar.

We went to the vet today.  I knew Cesar was a hefty cat.  It turns out he weighs - wait for it - 13 pounds.  Yep.  He's not a huge eater.  More of a nibbler.  He still weighs 13 pounds.  And he is solidly built, rather like a furry rectangle with legs.

The only problem spotted was conjunctivitis in his right eye.  I noticed he's been only partially opening it.  I now get to put drops in his eye several times a day for at least a week.  What fun!

He doesn't seem to be much of a player.  He was indifferent to a number of toys left over from Oscar's era.  So, of course, I went out and bought more.  More - meh.  I bought a flat scratching post that has toys inside.  He likes to sit on it and sharpen his claws.  Has he played with the interior toys?  Nope.

I did buy him a collar with a bell.  Although he's less clingy than he was yesterday, he still likes to follow me around.  The bell helps me keep track of him.  It's a pretty blue, the color of his eyes.

Papillon

The newest member of the family

For 16+ years I lived with Oscar, the cat.  His kidneys were failing and I had to have him put to sleep in December, 2014.

So, I decided to adopt another cat.
There were two reasons - one, I was missing having a cat (not all the time, but quite often).  Two, I've been noticing evidence that I might have a mouse in the house.  Not good.  With that, I decided to head off to a local pet adoption event.

There I found Siwa, a 5 year-old Siamese flame point.  We're still getting to know each other and have been doing a lot of lounging around the house this afternoon.  I'm not entirely reconciled to his name.  I looked it up and it's the name of an oasis in Egypt.  It just sounds a bit twee as a cat's name.

There's stuff I'm still getting used to.  I was startled at his drinking habits.  He's capable of drinking from his water bowl like a regular cat.  However, he also likes to drag his paw through the water and lick the water off it.

He's been kinda stand-offish for most of the afternoon.  I can't say I'm surprised.  One habit that does startle me is when I walk around the house.  He follows me almost like a dog and demands attention.  It's kinda weird because he'll sort of ignore me - until I start walking, then I'm his best buddy.



I'm taking him to the vet tomorrow for a wellness check.  I think he's a bit overweight, but will see what the vet says.


Papillon

Missing Oscar

Over 16 1/2 years ago, I adopted an orange tabby named Oscar.  Here he is, just a day or so after coming home with me.

He has aged gracefully over the years, at least until April of this year.  At that time, he began losing weight.  Since he was not overweight at the time, this was not a good thing.

I took him to the vet who said it was a question of 16+ YO kidneys beginning to give out.  The vet gave me a prescription for Oscar, vaso-dilators to help his kidneys continue to function.

He did OK, but more and more little things started to surface.  He couldn't jump up onto things like he used to - such as my bed.  I put a chair in place so he'd have a halfway point to use.  Then, his balance was beginning to go.  He couldn't make quick turns. 

This past week, the downhill slide speeded up.  When I got home from work on Tuesday, he was so heavily asleep it took him a half hour to notice I was home.  Even more balance problems, including not being able to squat when he urinated and getting urine on the floor.

I called the vet and set an appointment for Thursday morning.  Wednesday evening we spent with him on my lap being petted.  By this point, he was still drinking water, but had stopped eating.

Since my appointment was early on Thursday, I was hoping for some peace and quiet.  No such luck.  There were a couple of unhappy cats letting everyone know how unhappy they were.  Plus, a large dog (golden Lab?) who did some barking. 

That said, I did get some alone time with Oscar in the exam room and got to hold him as he passed over.

I sure do miss him.

Here he is, about a week prior.

I love you, silly kitty.
Papillon

Furniture

I've been adding furniture to my new house.  Keep in mind, my old house was small (about 1,000 sq. ft.) with a huge yard (about 1/3 acre).  My new house has a MUCH SMALLER yard and is about 2,200 sq. ft.

When I moved from the old house, I donated a lot of my older furniture and had some other pieces go to the landfill.  Which means I've essentially been starting from scratch with furniture at the new place.

Recently I added a couple new pieces.  Four months and 4 days after I ordered it in early February, my bed frame finally arrived.  The mattress/box spring arrived a month earlier and the furniture store allowed me to use a 'rug roller' - which is a metal frame that got things up off the floor.  Here's what the new bed looks like.

The quilt is one I made years ago.  I'm not sure if I'm going to continue to use it or make a new one.  If I make a new one, the old one will be in place for the foreseeable future.

On Wednesday, I was at lunch with some coworkers.  One mentioned that a nephew (I think) was coming to stay with them (while in college, I think).  The room he'll be staying in had an armoire in it.  He decided he didn't need it so my coworker talked about selling it.

My ears perked up because I've been looking for an armoire or other cabinet with door/drawers.  My master bedroom does not have a linen closet so I've been making do with my bed sheets and towels.  There's a nice large niche in the wall by the door and that's where I planned on putting the armoire.

I asked my coworker if she could send me dimensions/price/pictures.  She did and mentioned she and her husband could deliver for a small fee.  SOLD!

Here's the armoire.

Here's the armoire being officially inspected.

The difference in color is because I used a flash in the cat photo and not in the other.

It's good to be getting more furniture.  That said, I've still got lots more furniture to buy. 

Papillon

Snow...

The last day of a very dry year, we got a small amount of moisture in the form of snow.

The weather forecasters had been saying we had a 30 percent chance of snow.  I went to bed and there was no snow.  This morning I got up and voila!

It must have started shortly before 5 AM because the newspaper gets delivered around then and there was snow under the paper.

We have a fairly active rabbit population in my neighborhood and they are obviously more active than I'd originally suspected.

You can't see it in this shot, but I did spot one line of tracks that I think belongs to one of the neighborhood cats.  It must have strolled through either pre or post bunnies because I don't see any evidence that bunnies were chased (or caught).

Have a great 2013!
Papillon

Happy New Year!

Courtesy of http://www.icanhascheezburger.com/

I think somebody needs to cut back on the catnip!

Papillon

Happy Halloween!

A very appropriate photo found at http://www.icanhascheezburger.com/.

Papillon