I Sense a New Cat Story...

Tell me this experience won't make it into the book.  For the past couple of weeks Blair and I have noticed that Olivia has some very small scabs on her skin. We first thought maybe Lucy had swiped her. But the scabs stayed and showed up in different places. They didn't seem to hurt or bother her but we wanted to get them checked out. So I had the vet look at them yesterday when I took the cats in to get their nails trimmed. (That's right, my girls have a standing every 6-week manicure appointment. They're more girly than I am.)

"Flea allergy," said the vet.

"I thought of that," I said. "But I've checked her for fleas and there's nothing."

"Doesn't matter," said the vet. She went on to explain that just one flea can bite a cat but the cat can have a reaction to the bite which spreads through their system. With the complete lack of winter we've had here for the past 4 years, our flea/tick/mosquito problem has been huge. Since the cats are indooor only, chances are Blair or myself carried a flea inside that had the audacity to bite my baby kitten.

"So what do we do?" I asked.

Here's where the fun starts. We need to give Olivia a PILL every other day for the next month. Have you ever tried to give a cat a pill? There are jokes about it on the Internet. My vet showed me how. With Olivia on the exam table, she cradled the skull in one hand, prying the upper jaw away from the lower with a flick of her fingers.

"Do it like this," she said demonstrating. "Then take your finger and stick the pill way back in the mouth. If you think it will be a problem there is a pill gun available."

Yeah, like I'm really going to aim anything, no matter how much it's meant to be helpful, at my baby's throat. No, I told the vet, we would forge ahead.

When Blair got home I informed him of the situation. He looked depressed.

"A pill? Seriously? For a month?" He sighed. "Well, at least the vet gave her the first one."

"Hey, that would have been a good idea," I said. "Only I didn't think of it. So it's you and me and a cat and a pill tonight."

Suffice it to say that our attempt to give Olivia her medication did NOT look like the vet's easy-as-pie demonstration. I held her while Blair shoved the pill in  her mouth. We didn't see it come back up so we're hopeful we did it right.

Meanwhile, both of us are concerned Olivia is going to start avoiding the sight of us. She didn't sleep with us last night for the first time in weeks. Maybe it's not related. But maybe it is.

More to follow, I'm sure...

Daylight Savings Time Doesn't Affect Cats

Someone forgot to tell our cats that Daylight Savings Time went into effect last night. Instead of the purring, pawing, annoying cats that greet us every morning at 4:15 a.m., this morning we had the joy of being awakened by the same creatures at 3:15 a.m.

"Look at the clock" I moaned, as I shoved a cat off my belly. "It's not even four-frickin'-a.m."

"Mow. Meow. Mow."

How do you reason with someone like that?  I sense a week or two of no sleep ahead of us...

Cat Mulan's Mindful Musings

About a month ago, I was asked if I would provide a back-of-book blurb for a new cat book coming out called "Cat Mulan's Mindful Musings."  The author mailed me the manuscript and--as I found the writing and pictures to be fun and enjoyable--it was easy to provide a blurb. I mailed my comments back to the author in the enclosed pre-addressed envelope she'd sent along with the manuscript.

When I went to check the mailbox yesterday, there was a medium-sized box addressed to me from the author. I opened it up and it was as if Christmas had come early. The first thing I opened was her thank-you letter. She'd taken pictures of Cat Mulan "opening" and "reading" my letter, including little quotations like, "It's from Dena!" and "Yes, uh-huh, excellent. Very good." It was laugh out loud funny.  Tucked inside the box were then kitty toys galore. There's also a cat mug and wrapping paper with Cat Mulan's image on them.  It was like the bottomless box as I kept pulling one thing and then the next out.

It was incredibly sweet and fun, more so because I wasn't expecting it in the least.  I find her thoughtfulness touching.  It's also smart networking on her part. I'm giving a talk in November (along with my good friend Pam Cable) on "Publicity, Promotion, & Pulling Your Hair Out," at the NC Writers Network Fall Conference. This is a good example of a small thing an author can do to make a difference. Will I remember this author now? Yes. Will I think kindly toward her? You betcha.

Meanwhile, Lucy & Olivia are having fun with their new toys. And I think they're jealous their own images aren't (yet) on a mug. I'm working on it girls... I'm working on it.

Stinky Clothes

Here's how much we love our cats:

Last Sunday, Blair did some work out at the property. Even though it was 95 degrees with about 10 extra points added for intense humidity, he wore jeans and a three-quarter length shirt because he was dealing with briars and brambles.

He came home soaked from sweat, to say the least, and abandoned his clothes on the floor while he took a shower. That was Sunday. Today is FRIDAY and the clothes are still there.

Why? Lucy has a love fest going on with them. She sits on them and purrs. She sleeps on them. She rubs her scent glands over the folds and ridges. In short, she is in total kitty-clothes ecstasy.

"Get off the stinky clothes!" we tell her, but we do nothing to remove them. She seems so happy. "You are stinky kitty," we inform her (not without affection).

So the clothes sit there. I suspect we'll break down this weekend and wash them but it just...I don't know...either cracks me up or worries me to no end that we've allowed this to occur. How much control over your lives is too much when it comes to your cat?

Meanwhile, at least I know where to find her...