In Memory of Lucky Chance May 2002 to May 1 2013

I am once again late in posting on this blog...not that it matters to much I suppose but I do try to keep up with it. May didn't start out to well for me because on Wednesday May 1st, I had to put my beloved cat Lucky Chance also known as "Stinky Booty" to sleep.. I had taken him back to Sunburst because he was still having problems breathing. And although he was breathing a little better it was clearly obvious that he was still struggling to breath. I had hoped that they could give him another antibiotic since that seemed to help him before. But after they took x-rays of his lungs it was clear to them that he had more than just bronchial asthma. Although no tests were done the vet suspected that he had cancer judging by the look of his lungs. They were worse than the last time and she suspected that the cancer had probably spread from some other point in his body. I will miss him so much! And though I didn't like cleaning his rear end, I will miss doing it and scolding him for leaving "gifts" around the house. So this posting is, once again, dedicated to one of my beloved babies. 

"O' solo meow..."

One of my favorite photos of Chance on our sofa. 

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I alway felt a little bad for Chance because Sweetie Pie would never cuddle with him. Out of all my cats he was the most mellow. 

Unlike Morris, Chance was NEVER finicky about his food. He'd eat 9 Lives, Friskies...whatever was in his dish.

Giving me a good lickin...

When pet in just the right spot, he'd start licking you and licking and licking...it's a wonder his tongue didn't get tired! My hubby blamed his bald spot on Chance...I wonder what his excuse will be now that Lucky is no longer with us. 

5/ 1/ 2013

This was among one of the last photos I took of him before we went to the vet. 

5/1/2013

I don't know why but that morning while he relaxed on the bed I just kept taking his photo little knowing that it would be the last photos I'd ever took of him. 

5 /1/ 2013

The very last photo I have of Lucky Chance. Ironic really that I captured him walking away. I will miss watching my step around the house, cleaning off the bottom of my shoe when I haven't, miss his licking me when I pet him, miss cleaning his booty when he needed it, the way he walked with a swing to his back end (due to a fractured pelvis that didn't heal properly) and even scolding him when he not only ate his food but everyone elses. I know he is with my other "babies" and he will always be in my heart but still there is an empty spot on the bed where he used to sleep and an empty spot where he used to doze in front of the back door. Although he was 11 years old when he passed, we had him for 10 of those years. He brought such joy to our lives and I can only hope that in return we gave him a safe, loving home. Farewell sweet Chance...you will be missed.

Til next time....

                                                                     ALOHA

Sweetie Pie..She lived up to her name

Sweetie Pie 1995-2013

(Thought I'd posted this yesterday but I didn't so I'm posting the day after Sweetie Pies crossing over the Rainbow Bridge)

No matter how much you prepare yourself for it and KNOW in your heart it's for the best and you're doing the right thing, it's never, ever easy to say goodbye to a beloved animal companion. This morning I took my cat Sweetie Pie to the vet KNOWING I would probably NOT be bringing her home. Initially it was for the Vet to look at the open wound on her neck which never seemed to heal. I kept a sock on her back paw to help keep her from scratching the scab off. And it seemed to be helping since she hadn't scratched it off. It was the cost of the surgery that I was concerned about. I didn't feel it was fair to her to have her continue going around with the open wound and was prepared to "put her out of her misery". She's always been a quiet cat, very seldom meowing until the last year when she seemed to be more "demanding". She'd always been a cat who liked a lot of attention but lately it was constantly.
So I made the appointment with Sunburst Animal Hospital for this morning. When Dr. Stevens first started to examine the wound and I told him how much another Vet told me surgery would be, he scoffed at it and said it would cost a little over $100.00 to have the wound closed up. Which did raise my hopes just a little, that is until he examined her abdomen and felt the hard mass that was there. I had noticed it myself in the respect that her "tummy" seemed awfully hard. When they weighed her she'd gained a pound, and I was thrilled, at first, until the Doctor told me it was most likely the mass that had caused the weight gain. He also told me that while I could wait to ease her suffering (she's probably been in pain for awhile and I just attributed the meowing to the wound making her uncomfortable) her quality of life wouldn't be good. So I held her while he gave her the injection saying my final farewells to this wonderful being. She did live up to her name. And what I found interesting is that SHE was not ready to go.

Up until today she'd never been antsy when she went to the Vet. Always sitting quietly in my arms but today she wanted to leave, climbing up onto my shoulders and holding on tightly; I had to literally pry her off me (thankfully I'd clipped her claws recently). Still, I KNOW I did the right thing but it was still hard to say goodbye. I will miss her so much. She was my smallest cat...she'd sit on the back of my chair or get up on my shoulders while I sat here on the computer. She'd "paw" at my face in the mornings wanting me to get up and feed her. At night she'd follow me to bed (or meow and TELL me it was time to go to bed) and sleep on my right side and cuddle. Or get on my chest and rub her face against my nose (she nipped my nose the other day when I didn't pet her quick enough LOL) when she wanted attention. I often wonder why I put myself through this each and every time; after all it would be so much easier NOT to have animals because I wouldn't have to deal with the pain of saying goodbye to them. And yet, the joy they give me when I look into their eyes, and stroke their fur and the warmth of their small bodies as they lie beside me or on top of me is immense. Life without them would be so empty, which is why I would have to find some way to keep my animals if and when we have to move. Perhaps I'm being silly and sentimental, but I really don't care. Sweetie Pie was my eldest "daughter", I loved her dearly and she had a good life with us (she was a rescue from the Arizona Humane Society). She was 17, and as I said, though I was prepared to let her go, it still left a gap in my heart that can never be filled.  What I do find ironic is that back in June, when I took her to the Vet she didn't have the mass in her abdomen. In fact I was told her kidneys felt normal for a cat her age and the Vet was even surprised. The only thing "wrong" with her then was she needed her teeth seen to and the wound and that it was going to cost me over $1000.00 to have her taken care of and I simply didn't have it. I wonder if it would have made any difference if I had done her surgery last year if it would have helped extend her life at all?
Back when I first brought her home from the Humane Society I wrote a poem about her. Back then she was afraid of every little noise and would go and hide behind something, usually the couch. This is the poem I wrote about her entitled FRAIDY CAT.

                                                You're such a little fraidy cat
                                                Jumping at every little noise like that
                                                You disappear from my side at a child's cry outside
                                                Every little sound makes you want to run and hide.

                                                I wonder what kind of life you had
                                                Before I saw you makes me sad
                                                You find a dark corner and there you stay
                                                Hoping the bad sounds will go away.

                                                Let me hold you dear little one and stroke your fur
                                                And hear your happy little purr
                                                Allow me to give you a lot of love and affection
                                                I promise sweet cat there will be no more rejection.

                                                Trust me Sweetie Pie it will be okay
                                                I will make those bad sounds go away.
                                                In my arms you will always be safe
                                               And no longer be a scared little waif.

I bought this My Little Pony from Savers with the intention of selling it on Ebay, which I did. But before I cleaned and and listed it, Sweetie took a shine to it, rubbing her head against it. I call the photo: Sweetie's Little Pony. 

One of the numerous things I will miss about her is how she loved to cuddle with the other cats. Before Flaky passed away she was his cuddle bunny. Then when we introduced Drooler into our household she shared cuddling time with him. Of course when Flaky was no longer with us, she cuddled all the time with Drooler. He would be lying in a chair and pretty much take up the entire thing (he is a large cat) and she'd insinuate herself near him and I'd find him wrapped around her and if you were viewing him from the other side you'd think he was there alone until she popped her head up. I am sure he will miss her too. It seemed for awhile today as if he were looking for her as he went from room to room and seemed restless. 

Cuddle bunnies

Now Drooler is my oldest cat. Aside from Kitty, the newest, he seems healthy but having lost two cats within a 10 month period, I worry is he going to be next? Or will it be Chance? I can't imagine being without my "babies". And though I KNOW it would be much cheaper and easier on our finances to be without the animals, I can't imagine my life without them in it. 

 I will especially miss Sweetie Pie on Thanksgivng. She loved turkey and is the only one of my cats who would eat from my hand and do what I call "the turkey dance" since she'd get on her hind legs and turn around as I held the turkey above her head. I will miss you Sweetie.

On the day I took this video she had done the Turkey dance right before I thought to film her. She decided NOT to do it for the camera. LOL Still she is the only one who stood on their hind legs and  reached for the treat. 

TIL  NEXT TIME

ALOHA

Sweetie Pie

I know I've been awfully remiss about posting on my blog, but it's been a stressful month or so since Snowbelle had to be put to sleep. It's now my beloved cat Sweetie Pie who needs serious attention and I'm unable to give it to her. Mainly finances.

She has a wound on her neck caused by my male Drooler mounting her, or at least trying to. I don't think he has ever realized that he's a fixed male and isn't supposed to be doing that any more. In his attempt to mount her, over the years, a cyst developed on her neck that eventually broke open a few months ago. Although I pointed it out to the Vet at Sunburst Animal Hospital when I took her in a year ago, I was told, kindly enough, that it wasn't anything to worry about. Well, it's turned into something to worry about. To make matters worse, she needs her teeth seen to which will cost an extra $400.00, topping the bill to a whopping $1000.00, which, of course, I don't have and won't have any time soon.

Sweetie is 17. I KNOW she's an older cat with only a few more years to live. But for the wound on her neck and her teeth she's relatively healthy with none of the symptoms that normally plague a cat of her age.
Or so the vets have told me. If I'd known, back when I'd first gone to the Arizona Humane Society and adopted her, I would be in this situation years down the line, I would have NEVER went and definitely wouldn't have adopted her. I've always prided myself on the ability to look after my animals with love and the proper care. I can still give them love, but now, unfortunately,  not the proper care. Don't get me wrong, I don't in the least regret adopting Sweetie. She's been such a joy in our household, but when she needs care I can't give it to her.

I'd thought "If I could just save enough to get her teeth taken care of, that would give me time to save for the surgery on her neck." But it hasn't happened. I've made over $400.00 on Ebay selling my Star Wars collection and various other things that I own and I have NOTHING to show for it. What have I spent it on you ask? Food. When my husband doesn't have enough to stretch for sustenance I supply it with what I've made on Ebay. I also have to put money aside each month to pay for Snowbelle's vet bill among other bills that need to be taken care of to the point where I just can't seem to save enough no matter how hard I try. It's frustrating and depressing to the point where I find myself weeping helplessly when I'm by myself trying to figure out how in the heck I'm going to save Sweetie.

My husband thinks I over dramatize the situation with Sweetie Pie when I tell him that if I don't have at least her teeth taken care of she will starve and die. Well before that happens I'll put her to sleep as that is a HORRIBLE way to die. She's four pounds now, her ideal weight is 8 lbs. She IS eating but I watch her as she is doing so and can see that she has difficulty chewing her food. I would like to get her teeth taken care of before the bad one becomes abscessed. We humans, when we have a bad tooth, or teeth that are giving us grief simply chew on the other side of our mouth, I'm not sure if Sweetie is doing that. I watch her and it does seem as if she's trying to chew on the side with the bad tooth and half chewing and spitting her food out when she does.

I have debated if the kindest thing I could do for her at this point is to put her to sleep as I don't see myself having the funds any time soon to get her teeth taken care of. It breaks my heart to even contemplate doing such a thing as she is still in relatively good health, all things considered. I keep hoping that any day now I'll get a call from the numerous businesses I've sent out my resume to saying to come in for a personal interview and that I in turn have a job. But it hasn't happened. I'm unsure what to do. I really have no where to turn and no means to have her taken care of properly. I know, as I stated, that the kindest thing would be to put her to sleep rather than slowly watch her suffer with the inability to eat properly or that bad tooth finally abscessing. She is truly a Sweetie Pie and though it pains me to say it, I honestly wish I had never adopted her.

One last thing before I end this posting of my blog...a coloring page featuring Sweetie in a regal pose. All my cats are my models in one form or another when I draw felines. She was younger when I did this drawing and sitting on the VCR if I'm not mistaken. I'd intended to add this drawing to a coloring book of cats that I was developing but probably won't finish it. Why? Well there are tons of coloring books featuring cats and I don't have the money to have it done up any way. LOL

IN MEMORY OF SNOWBELLE 6/1/2005 to 6/9/12

IN MEMORY OF A WONDERFUL CAT

Snowbelle sunning herself 6/8/12

6/8/12 Age 7

6/8/12 Getting a little sun

Today was a very difficult day for me. I had to put down Snowbelle because she had fluid on her lungs and though the vets at Sunburst Animal Hospital tried six times to do so, they were unable to because the fluid was so thick. The Vet said that, though it couldn't be proven without tests, that she most likely had cancer and there was a mass that they couldn't see due to all the fluid in her system. It was not a sudden thing, but had been developing for years. It would explain WHY she was always sensitive around her ribs. Without us knowing it we'd been hurting her. The vet also informed me that even if I'd brought her in for a check-up, and I had been doing that for years as well, it still would have gone undetected because her heart sounded fine, her gums were pink, and her temperature was normal. Except today..it was below normal...95 degrees. I had thought her sensitive sides were caused by being "ticklish" not realizing that a more serious condition existed. She'd been sensitive around her ribs for as long as we've had her. She'd visited the vet numerous times over the 7 years she'd been with us and they never detected anything wrong with her. It wasn't until Thursday (6/7/12) that she showed signs of distress. The vet informed me that it wan'ts my fault that she'd gotten sick because I'd been trying to save electricity by turning the A/C off during the day and running it at 68 during the night but it had acerbated the condition. It would have eventually manifested itself, my running the A/C as I had been doing just sped up the process. It doesn't make me feel all that much better since I can't help feeling if I'd just run the A/C as I normally did at 78 to 80 during the Summer months, perhaps we would have had her for a few more years. So this edition of my blog is dedicated to her. The reason why she was so "fat" was due to the fluid around her chest NOT because she'd actually put on weight in a day. Up until Thursday the "fat" on her side DID NOT hang over the window sill as it does in the video and last photos I took of her. If only I'd known....

6/8/12

This photo was taken last night. I was optimistic that she was going to be okay. She seemed to be alert at times, then lethargic. I wish I'd taken more photos of her last night but perhaps it is for the best that I didn't. She wasn't looking her best and it's always difficult for me to watch a cat suffer, and she was suffering. To watch her breathing and not be able to help her except through the meds she was given was extremely hard. To find out that it was all for naught was even more difficult. Still I did all I could for her, and I KNOW that but it doesn't ease the fact that this evening, when I feed the other cats, she won't be among them begging to be fed.

The rest of this blog will be photos of her. I'm having to much trouble writing this without crying.

Father and daughter...

Her favorite place to chill out

On the hunt!

Chillin in the bathtub

Her vampire impression

This is actually HER tree. I bought it for her in
2005 when I first brought her home from the
Humane society. She  was the one who used it
the most. I shall sorely miss seeing her in it. :(

MY DEAREST LITTLE SNOWBELLE


Snowbelle, my dearest little one
I shall miss all your funny little quirks,
How you'd try to drink water out of the faucet,
Putting your whole head under neath
The way catnip would drive you crazy,
The struggle to clip the nails on your feet. 


I shall miss your purring  
As you sat in my lap, 
Kneading into my arm,
How you wormed your way into our hearts
With all of your sweat charm. 


You were always the queen of the house,
Keeping the other cats in line
You loved to bat around your mouse,
And had a grand old time.
             
Now you are gone and my heart is sad
I only wish you hadn't felt so bad.
I'd always imagined you to be our very last cat,
Growing old with us and all of that. 


                                        Snowbelle...gone but by no means forgotten

                                                            ALOHA