This evening I learned that a small cow can successfully hide in our coat closet for half an hour.

Wow, I really want to hear the rest of the story

I'm bored. There is no one (other than dogs & rats) to pick on. *sigh*

WoC was quite good. Doesn't tip its hand too early, has a couple nice surprises. Love the rainbow laser spirals.

Such a sweet post. Took me back.....:) You'll miss these days, GD- yes, even when Theo is 3 (not 2, it happens at 3) and screaming bloody murder in the middle of Target. I can't wait to meet him.


I had a scare with Samwise tonight- he was doing really well all day, attacking Haku, menacing Boris,etc, then he just sort of bottomed out. He started limping and growling at us when we tried to help him, which is not usual. We ran him to Pet Emergency, and they gave him fluids, antibiotics, and pain meds. He had a temp of 103.6 when we left the house to take him to the clinic, and a temp of 104.4 when we got there. Poor baby! He was shaking and so sick...it was very hard to watch. I'm pretty sure he has FCV, which can sometimes cause joint pain and pneumonia. The other vet saw a spot on his lung and thought it might be asthma or the beginnings of bronchitis, but didn't give us any antibiotics. A little pissed about that..... Anyway, his illness is chipping way at our vacation savings, but we'll make it work. We love him so much- it's hard to see him so sick.:(

Powdered lysine added to wet food is really good for keeping FCV at bay. It really helps keep the immune system boosted. Ask you vet for Viralys powder (they make a gel too). Or you can buy Lysine powder from FruitfulYield.com.


I hope Samwise feels better soon! I'm a bit worried about him (especially given the heart stuff going on as well and my recent experiences with Jack and Sid).

Thanks, Lisa- I'll be sure to pick up some! The vet said he does have a heart murmur, so when we get back and he's better we'll take him in for some tests. He seems better this morning, but we're keeping him in Tori's room until he's 100%!

Maine Coon, Norwegian Forrest Cats and Rag Dolls (and other fluffy cats) all have the posability of a genetic heart defect that leads to early heart disease. Jack had it and I had no idea, which is why he suddenly went into cardiac arrest and died. When Sid had a round of UTI's they took xrays. The vet didn't notice anything but a radiologist who comes in weekly did. They recommended an ultrasound which showed that he has the genetic defect. There's not much you can do to cure it, but you can manage it to give the cat a longer life. Sid is on blood pressure meds 2x a day, gets monthly blood pressure checks and they've recommended an ultrasound every 6 months.

There are other things that I'm trying to piece together that may go along with the heart disease. Both Sid and Jack were tartar-prone and had pretty bad teeth for being youngsters. Sid's had to have his first teeth cleaning at 1 1/2. They both seem to get sicker than the other when something is going around. I'm not sure if this has anything to do with the heart issue, but I'm keeping it in mind as I piece together this puzzle.

I've also started giving Sid COQ10 to help him out. Luckily, he doesn't mind meds.

T-3hrs until I'm Bothell-bound.

All of the old family 8mm film reels have been digitally transferred and were delivered to me today.

I have awesome Disneyland footage circa 1965! (Yes, I'll post it once I edit and compress it.) But, it was great seeing my mom as a new parent to my siblings. She was so vibrant and energetic in her younger life. :)

I also have early 1960's nudist colony footage and three very raunchy vintage porns. If any of you would like copies, lemme know. They're actually quite interesting, especially with all the beehive hairdos. ;)