Hunger pains

I have four cats. Most people consider that a LOT of cats. People react to the information on the size of my furry family in many ways, including comments like:

• “You must spend a LOT on litter/cat food!” (Yes, I do.)
• “Wow, do they all get along?” (No, they don’t. They’re like kids, sometimes they squabble.)
• “You must have to clean your house a lot” (Only if I don’t want giant cat fur tumbleweeds)
• and simply “You must really like cats!”

Most of the time, I do really like cats. But you know, sometimes I don’t. Sometimes the cats drive me BONKERS.

Shopping shell-shock

The big news in Chicago is our loss of the 2016 Olympics bid. I’m sure you’re all wondering what my personal feelings are on the subject – so I decided I’d write my column on SHOPPING!

I’ve lost over 50 pounds this year.  Obviously, that means buying new clothes.  What may be less obvious is it means buying a LOT more clothes.  People fail to realize you can’t just start out in your old larger clothes, then buy a new wardrobe when you’re finished losing weight, and wear clothes that don’t fit in between.  Cinching clothes with belts and safety pins only gets you so far – and by the way, you have to buy new belts as well.

Commuting complaints

I know I complain about my commute a lot. Well, that’s because I hate it a LOT.

Growing up, I felt really bad for those people that had to drive 50 miles every day for their job. They spent 45 minutes in the car, each way, just for work. Well, that sounds pretty darn good right now – as instead, I spend 45 minutes each way on a train with hundreds of other people.

There are a lot of things about my commute I just don’t understand. Like why does it have to smell SO bad? I mean, we all just got up for the morning and are on our way to work. Didn’t we all just shower, apply deodorant, and brush our teeth? WHY is the stench of bad breath and body odor SO overwhelming on the train in the morning?

Puff asthmatic kitty

When a caregiver contacts me regarding a cat having difficulty breathing, coughing fits, and/or wheezing – my first guess is asthma.  My second guess would be heart disease.  Then again, it could be as simple as an upper respiratory infection (the cat’s version of the common cold.) There’s not a lot you can do for a cold – but if it’s progressed to bronchitis/pneumonia, an antibiotic would be appropriate.  Obviously, the first step is to get the cat to a vet.  Any cat having difficulty breathing should see a vet IMMEDIATELY!  I’d start with a chest x-ray.

In the case of  asthma, treatment is generally two-fold. 

1)  A preventative medication/corticosteroid such as fluticasone (Flovent)

2)  A short-acting (emergency) medication/bronchodilator such as albuterol

Inhaled medications are VASTLY preferable to injected (or oral).  Inhaled medications obviously target the respiratory system.  Therefore, they have fewer systematic side effects.  Injected or oral steroids can cause diabetes and attacks of acute pancreatitis.

Feline triaditis

Feline triaditis is actually three conditions occurring simultaneously:  pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas), cholongiohepatitis (inflammation of the liver), and inflammatory bowel disease or IBD (inflammation of the intestines).

There may be no known “cure” for triaditis, though I would argue that proper nutrition is the absolute BEST method of treatment and prevention.  By proper nutrition, I mean a raw diet or a canned diet – and most definitely no dry food/kibble of any kind.

Nature attacks!

I love nature. I really do. I love the plants and the little critters and the sunshine and even the rain. Unfortunately, nature does NOT reciprocate. Nature seems to hate me.

Perfect example was our visit to Dad’s ranch. I was telling Dad I was going to put a piece of tape with my name on it on the ranch. (My sister and nieces have started putting tape with their name on it on my parents’ belongings that they want when my parents pass away.) I was joking with Dad that I’d have a little cabin on the ranch with just me and the cats, and it’d be great for me.

Hooker’s handiwork

I’m still crocheting… for the most part, it still serves as a relaxing hobby – except for those times I get super frustrated and want to throw the yarn and the work-in-progress and everything else out the window. Those are the times I need to take a deep breath, a big step back, and remember I took this up to RELAX. It doesn’t have to be perfect, or even GOOD. The finished object isn’t even particularly important – I needed something that allowed me to turn my brain off for a while and rather than try to save the world (or just one cat in it) do something selfish and “meditative” in a way.

Doggy dilemma

I was walking home the other night when I saw a dog – a poor lonely, lost dog. I am NOT a dog person. I like dogs, don’t get me wrong, but I’ve never had a dog and know next-to-nothing about interacting with dogs. This, however, was a really friendly dog, and he came right up to me and introduced himself. He had on a collar, with tags, and they said his name was “Sandy”.

So, as Sandy-the-dog was so VERY nice and friendly, I was able to look at his tags and call the phone number on them. It was disconnected.

My little miracle is now an angel

I lost Ralph Friday. It was sudden and unexpected. I came home from work, started the usual routine of grabbing my mail and saying hello to the cats – when I see Ralph wasn’t there to greet me. Stepping into the living room, I see him laying near the bottom of the stairs. Of course, those mixed feelings hit me – a combination of dread and fear and hope that really nothing is wrong and I’m being paranoid. But I know something’s wrong, the way you just KNOW. He’s not getting up. I give him a freeze-dried 100% meat treat and he eats it eagerly, but he’s not getting up. Honestly, I hoped he’d just fallen down the stairs and broken his leg, but again, I just KNEW. I knew this was bad.

Ralphie in the cat tree, surveying his domain

Pit stop

Last weekend I visited a friend in Iowa. It was a FABULOUS time, with the exception of the drive there, and the drive back. It seems like any drives I make out of state are fraught with disasters galore.

I set out Friday morning – and was soon hit by torrential rains. It was POURING rain, visibility was poor, and every time I tried to change lanes my car started to hydroplane. It was all the more exciting as it’s summer in the Midwest so there’s lots and lots of construction. Lanes closed and reroutes and all the fun that comes with it. Fantastic. I wasn’t sure I’d make it there at all, but I did.