My cat Tina

My senior cat was acting weird. She’s been pulling out her fur and sneezing her head off. Her leg has this bare patch where she’s pulled off all the fur. We’ve been super busy, but we finally took her in to the vet and he said it’s severe arthritis in her knee – did you know cats have knees? They do! Weird! And she has a sinus infection too. I know how that feels! So she got two shots, one for her pain and one for antibiotic. She seems to be feeling better already, not sneezing so much. She’s still pulling out her fur, dumb cat.

And this is NOT the best picture of her, but she really didn’t want her picture taken today! She would wait until the shutter was about to go off and then look away. It took a dozen tries! Silly cat. So glad she’s going to be OK. I was really worried that it was something more serious. She has lost weight, so we need to keep a closer eye on her diet, just in case. But for now, she’s just fine.

Meet My Cats

The theme of my blog is book, cats, life – and I’ve been falling down on the cat angle. I haven’t introduced my gorgeous felines that live with me! So I thought today would be a good day to do just that.

This one is Tina, shown here in her library cat pose. She’s never actually been to the library, but she approves of the library basket. Tina is the head cat. She adopted us on Valentine’s Day, 2002, and she’s 17 years old! She’s completely deaf and mildly arthritic, but she still figures she’s the cat in charge.

Tina’s Glamour Shot

Tina has decided she just doesn’t care any more. So if she wants what you’re eating, she’ll try to steal it from you – sometimes while you are ACTUALLY EATING IT. She always gets in trouble, but she’s been successful at stealing from the trash and the stove. She’s such a stinker. But she’s also sweet with us and she loves company. More attention for her!

Spooky taking a Power Nap

This big guy is Spooky. He’s twice as long as our smallest cat. He showed up about a year and a half after Tina and sort of moved in. Even as a stray, he came right up and started purring as soon as we picked him up. That’s sort of stayed his personality right through. He was a very wary, easily started cat for a few years, but now, at age 15, he’s the sweetest, most loving cat I’ve ever known. He’s also the only one that wants you to rub his tummy.

This kind of makes it look like all Spooky does is sleep, but that’s kinda true. You can see his markings better here. He’s black with black stripes and a white mustache. He does get some exercise sometimes, but he’s super mellow.

And the little kitty here is Rosey. She’s half Spooky’s length and they are either best friends or she’s the biggest annoyance ever. The first time we ever heard Spooky hiss was at Rosey. Rosey is 5 years old and still thinks she’s the adorable kitten who can get away with anything. And sometimes, she’s right.

Rosey is BEAUTIFUL and super, velvety soft. She also has razor sharp claws which she’ll use on you if you hold her too long, pick her up wrong, rub her tummy, or generally bug her. She hates strangers and will disappear immediately. But she loves my husband. We got her from a neighbor when Rosey was only 4 weeks old and she’s the baby.

So there you have it. My cats are AMAZING and beautiful and yes, super annoying. But I’m a crazy cat lady and I’m not ashamed!

Book Review: Cat Daddy

Title: Cat Daddy: What the World’s Most Incorrigible Cat Taught Me About Life, Love, and Coming Clean

Author: Jackson Galaxy, the guy on My Cat From Hell

Genre: Memoir, animal behavior

This is not Jackson Galaxy’s cat pictured above. It’s my cat, Tina, who adopted us one Valentine’s Day. I stick to my story that I thought she was a present from my husband who knew how much I wanted a cat. By the time he came home from work, we had cat food, a little box, and three little kids who were in love with the pretty kitty.

As you can tell, I am definitely a cat person. So I was prejudiced in favor of his show and his book. He’s got an amazing rapport with animals, especially cats. He just connects with them. I really admire the guy.

But I had no idea what a mess the dude was before he got clean. Back in the day, the only part of his life that made sense and did not revolve around substances of various kinds was the part he spend with animals. They worked magic. But it wasn’t until he adopted Buddy, an abandoned cat with a broken pelvis, that he began to feel the need to get clean.

It wasn’t easy. It was amazing that he survived. After his first bout of getting clean from drugs, he still had drinking, prescription abuse, and finally food to detox from. I could totally related to his abuse of Klonopin, as I have a close friend who does the same thing. She’s realized how deeply it has affected her, but she can’t seem to give it up entirely. Jackson was much more lucky that he should have been. He didn’t even wind up in the psych ward for any length of time (Although at one point, he wanted to be. He knew he needed help. But his doctor wouldn’t admit him.) After lots of serious work and a move he finally got clean.

This one is recommended reading, especially for anyone who doesn’t fit the mold and is having trouble visualizing a way to achieve their dreams. Jackson didn’t fit in, but he still created his own success. 4 stars