Category: Blog

Since having to put Miri down, I’ve been debating about whether or not to get a new cat. And then debating about whether to get an adult cat or a kitten. I like the idea about getting an adult cat from the shelter since they are so often left behind. But, I also feel like you bond better with a pet when you’ve had them since kitten-hood. Older cats are easier to care for…was I up for the energy a kitten would bring into my house?

Right now, I have Freya – I adopted her when she was five – and it’s been rough going. She’s a very sweet cat, but she’s very, very (did I mention very?) needy. She came from a mulit-cat household and her neediness has increased ten-fold since Miri died. I kept wondering if a companion cat would make her happier and more relaxed. If so, a kitten would probably be better because Freya wouldn’t feel so threatened. I started trolling all the local shelter sites. There were so many adorable little babies and beautiful adult cats, but none really said, “you must adopt me!” Well, until last night.

I was looking through the available cats at the local Humane Society. There was an adorable short-haired Blue little boy cat with the unfortunate name of Borneo. I’ve never owned a little boy cat, I was always worried about spraying. But this face… So, I went down to the Humane Society at lunch.

I got there at five ’til noon. I didn’t realize they didn’t open until noon. So, I stand around outside with some other hopeful adopters. When the doors open up, I follow the other people inside. Borneo was in cage (glass on the side facing me) right across from the door. He’d been playing with a ball while everyone else walked in, but as I walked in, he looked right up at me. I walked up to the glass and he put his nose against the glass. Awww! I filled out my papers and asked to visit with him.

We played for about a half hour. He didn’t mind being held, but he wasn’t too cuddly and would squirm after a bit. That felt about right – last thing I need is two needy, clingy cats. He was alert, loved chasing a piece of string around and had a great dramatic pounce when he felt he’d conquered the evil string! Oh geez. I’m in love.

So, next Friday, I’ll bring him home. He hadn’t been neutered yet and couldn’t be neutered until next week. I wanted to take him home on a Friday so I could have the weekend to be there while he gets acclimated to his new environment, new companion (Freya) and new mommy. So, wish me luck! It’s been 14 years since I had a kitten to deal with! And what am I going to name him???

Oh – and just look at this face, like you could have said no?

I feel like my brain is slowly becoming detached from my body. You know how in action movies there’s always the scene of the hero dangling via a rope over some sort of pit of doom? (Perhaps filled with crocodiles or just never ending blackness.) And the rope starts to unfray and little bits of it snap off? That’s what seems to be happening to my brain – the synapses that hold it to my body are snapping like crazy. (And yes, I know synapses don’t “hold my brain to my body” – just bear with me!) I can no longer think clearly and forget speaking in full sentences. I’ve never exactly been verbally gifted, but just trying to say, “I need a converter plug that will allow me to put a small headphone plug into a mini-plug slot” to the guy at Radio Shack led to babbling like I haven’t heard in ages. “I have a…I need a…I have this plug? And I need a smaller…you know, headphones? and a mini-recorder?” Sheesh.

And just forget concentrating on anything but staring out into space for more than 5 or 10 minutes straight. ‘Cause that ain’t going to happen.

Ah, yes. It took iris blooming season for me to put new photos up…or to write in here.

I picked Miri up at the vet today and couldn’t stand to see how bad off she was. She couldn’t even stand up. I’m a selfish person, but not so selfish that I could see her suffer like that just so I could spend some time hugging her. She’s gone now. Just to make sure our relationship came around completely full circle, her last act was to pee on me. (Did she read that last blog entry? I wouldn’t put it past her.) I buried her in the back yard with the Dutch Irises and right by the window she used to sit in and soak up the sun rays.

I can’t express how much I’m going to miss her. She was my best friend – that may sound lame if you aren’t a pet person, but sometimes a pet is just a pet and sometimes they are friends. Miri always seemed to know when I was upset – she would cuddle up against me and purr. When I was crying after my dad died, I think she spent a whole week glued to me. She helped me so much during that time.

A Miri update: The treatments aren’t really working for the long term, but they are making her feel a bit better. The vet is going to release her back to me tomorrow afternoon. I’ll spend Friday and the weekend spoiling her rotten. Then, Monday, she’ll be put to sleep.

So, I’m laying here in bed with my laptop in place of Miri (yeah, not a good substitute) and I thought: if one of my last memories of Miri ends up being peed upon by her, that would, in a strange way, bring our time together full circle. The first night I brought her home, she was rather ticked off at having been separated from her family (yes, I’m anthropomorphizing – deal with it). When I went to bed, she clawed her way up on to the bed (she couldn’t quite make it in one jump), hopped up on top of me, hissed and then peed on me.

Of course, I could be totally overreacting and she’ll be much better in the morning…

I took my cat Miri to the vet today. She hasn’t been acting like she’s been feeling well – loosing weight and moving slow. I didn’t know if that was just her age (she’s 16) or if she was ill, so I took her in just to be safe. I was more than a bit disturbed at how little of a fight she made about going into the cat carrier. Getting her in there is often very difficult.

The vet took a look at her and wanted to do some tests. He said she was very dehydrated. He took a urine sample and left to run some tests. Miri started trying to jump off the table. While she’s never happy to be on the table at the vet, she’s never done that before. I pick her up to try and comfort her – that’s when a warm feeling down my front let me know why she was trying to get down. Yep, the vet’s poking around had made it really imperative that she pee.

The vet returns (with towels, bless him) and said he wanted to keep her for some blood work. Her urine didn’t show high glucose levels (which was good), but it also didn’t show a lot of anything else. He was worried that it seemed to be basically water. I gave her a hug and walked out.

I called back around noon and asked for an update. The assistant said I’d have to wait for the vet to get back from lunch. He called later while I was heading to a branch office to take some employee photos. The news left me sitting in the parking lot bawling my eyes out. He said her kidneys have failed and that, most probably, she’s beyond help. He said they could try hydrating her to see if that would help – that sometimes that “brings them back” for a few days or even a few months or longer. In my head, I knew I should probably say no, but my heart won. So, right now, Miri’s at the vet’s office on an IV. I’ve perhaps put off the inevitable a few days, maybe just one. She’s alone and scared in a strange place; I’m alone and feeling guilty at home.

This is most spiffy. I’m really surprised at the quality of the image.

I can’t quite decide if I like my new haircut or if it just makes me look like a somewhat dimwitted 3 year old. It looks great wet…dry…it looks like a large triangle with bangs is sitting on my head.

Meet the new year, same as the old year…