One Cat

Here we are now with only one cat. She adjusted fairly easily to being the lone feline. She gets all the attention now. She greets us at the front door when we come home. Nya is much more relaxed and eager for us to throw a paper bally her way or draw a string across the floor for her to chase. She likes to be fed treats from my fingers and even stands up on her hind legs to get them. She sleeps on our bed at night and likes to be with her family when together. On the other hand, there is only three people in the whole world that she likes: my wife, my son and me. We are feeding her pumpkin cat food to lose weight; dental cat food for her teach; and treats to make her life interesting and to help get her in from the yard. When we shake the treat bag she comes running. We only let her out when: we are home, the weather is nice, and never at night.  Having only one cat has kept the expenses down considerable from when we had four cats. The dry cat food is $15 a month instead of $85 a month. The litter box is not as dirty, so the cost of kitty litter has decreased a lot. With the weather improving, I expect to see the kitty litter cost even less. The moral of the story is that having only one cat has been a blessing for us and the cat.

We were watching a documentary about the discovery of a 13 thousand year skeleton of a young woman found in a cave at the bottom of a an underground lake. They named her Naia and sounds the same as the name our cat Nya. The girl was named after a Greek mythological water nymph. My son tells me that Nya is Japanese for meow. In our book of baby names, Nia means precious one. Nya is a very fortunate cat to be rescued from the freezing cold one February night a few years ago.

Missing Teddy

I'm back after a lengthy time of coming to terms with the passing of one our cats, namely Teddy, a strawberry blond orange male. Teddy got sick. He wasn't eating or drinking. My wife took him to one of the vets near us. They put him on an IV, kept him overnight while we prayed for the best. The next day there was no improvement so we waited for the next day. There were small signs of improvement but nothing major. That evening my wife called me from the vet while I was at work. She said that he seemed a little better. I told her that whatever decision she makes will be the right one and that I think she is making the right decision. Next thing I knew she had put him down.
She was devastated. She cried and cried for days until her eyes became inflamed. She had to see an eye doctor and get special drops for her eyes. She already had eye problems - dry eyes, but this was much more. Her eyes are better now.
She found it hard to know if she had made the right decision. I think what helped the most was being able to talk about it. First she talked to me, then her mother, then some church friends, then a kind friend she met while grocery shopping.
She said she wants  a new orange kitten. I don't think that now is a good time. We are thinking about moving from our house to an apartment sometime soon; it may be sooner than later if my back and feet continue to give me pain. Also we are looking after my wife's dad, who is 88 years old, and my dad who is 84. Neither one of them are well and they take a lot of time traveling to nursing homes. Then there is my  mother-in-law who needs some attention. My wife and I both have part time jobs, therefore I don't think we can devote the time to a kitten that it needs. A new kitten could never replace Teddy.
Teddy would curl up beside my wife and rarely leave her side all night. I remember him as full of energy and life. He could jump 4 feet high when he was chasing a string. He loved to go outside into the green belt and be gone for an hour or two. Nobody ever knew where he went, but he always came back for his afternoon nap and his supper. He was the top cat among three at the time of his demise. No one could figure  out why he got sick. There were lots of theories, but nothing concrete. It remains a mystery until this day.
We have happy memories of Teddy and they will be cherished always.

Grieving

I haven't posted for a while because we're grieving the loss of one of our cats. I'm too close to the situation at the moment to write about it. I will post something soon. His name was Teddy and He's the one pictured at the top of this blog. Please bare with me.

Counting The Cost

When you are considering adopting a new cat. One of the things you have to consider the financial outlay. First of all there is the start-up costs:  food dish, water dish, litter box, needles, kitty litter, and cat food. Then there is the monthly or weekly price of cat food and kitty litter. Then vet bills can run up your expenses. You can expect vet bills with cats so we don't let them be unexpected expenses.

We try to keep our monthly expenses in check by buying cat food in bulk and store it in large sealable boxes. So for our three cats, an 8 kg approx. 18 lb bag lasts our household a little over a month. Another way we have cut back is by buying kitty litter in bulk. A large bag lasts our feline friends for approximately 2 months. All together the monthly bill for food and kitty litter is a little under $100 CAD.

The cost is worth it when our furry critters show us such love. They need us and we need them. Isn't that what love is a about.

Cat Fest 2017

On 8th and 9th July, at the Museum of Natural in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the annual Cast Fest was held. Entry was the normal price of admission to the museum. It was a well attended event - the best attendance of three years running. Tables were set up for venders, charities, and give away stuff. There was even a food truck parked outside. I was able to get my hands on a free book, Cat Care 101, which I may review on this blog at a future time. The tables were on the main level and the cats were housed on the lower level. I wanted to take my father-in law from the nearby hospital which is only a short distance away on foot, but we couldn't get a proper wheelchair - one with a belt. It was just as well that we didn't take him, because it would have been nearly impossible to maneuver the wheelchair through the crowds of people, especially on the lower level due to the narrow aisles between displays of cats in their carriers. All the cats were absolutely beautiful. Of special mention were the Bengal cats and a very pretty blue-grey long hair. The cats were being judged while I was there, but that part of it was not very observable at the time. Two improvements could be made: Wider aisles between the cats, and a way to better observe all the judging. Both of the improvements are hindered by the size of the rooms.  All in all, I enjoyed the event very much, and I would like to go back next year. On Sunday, the Cat Fest was having adoptable cats on display. Just as well I missed that, I'm sure. I really don't want another cat at this time.

I take my cat everywhere I go

I take my cat everywhere I go; not literally; just the fur. I quite carefully put on my clean uniform for work and as soon as I have it on; voila, cat fur flies up and clings to it. I quite careful put on my clean clothes for church and when I sit down in the car; voila, cat hair all over me. It's not that we don't try to keep a clean house, but it's next to impossible to clean up all that feline covering that God gave them. One minute after cleaning the loose fur is back.

I challenge someone to design a machine that eliminates cat fur from the air in the house. I love our three little cats, and I won't give them up for the sake of clean. But it would be nice if I didn't look like an overdressed sasquatch when I leave home for work or church in the morning. Maybe I shouldn't care - like the t-shirt says, " CAT HAIR DON'T CARE" and most of the time I don't care about cat hair on my clothes. Just on my uniform and on my suit.

One time I was taking my father to a wedding, when he got out of my car, his backside was covered in cat fur. What a time getting that off him at the church. Oh well, the wedding went off without any trouble and the bride was none the wiser.

Good Grief

Grief, a short word, but packed with all kinds of stuff. When we lose our pet, whether through accident, illness or other loss, it can be devastating for the owner, and the family and friends of the owner. For some, the grief can be as strong as losing a child or a spouse because some owners think of their pets as furry little people. Grief for a pet may be difficult for some friends and family to understand but grieving for your pet is normal and expected.
When I lost shadow, my black long haired feline friend, images kept coming to mind of all the things that we used to do together, and the same thing happened when I lost Simon the cat. Sometimes it seemed like they never really left. I would sit or hours and think about all the things these cats used to do. I still think about Muffin from time to time and she took the journey 17 years ago.
We've cared for 18 cats during our marriage of almost 36 years and we are left now with three cats.
Each one of them was and is precious to us.
Now, instead of grieving, we celebrate their memories with fondness and nostalgia. The love we give our pets comes with a price but the cost is rewarding, and the reward is love. God bless!