Returning from our short shopping trip, I installed myself before my PC only for the phone to ring and I knew instantly that we’d messed up.
What we’d been supposed to do on Tuesday morning was take Lily to the vet for a blood draw. I’d remembered on Monday night, checked the time – and seemingly purged it from my brain.
A blood draw doesn’t involve an actual appointment. We arrange a time that is convenient for a vet tech, so at least we were not depriving anyone else of valuable time with a doctor. Still, it is not good to be a no-show and it’s not something we ever do.
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Embarrassed, I agreed to bring Lily down shortly after. We plucked our sleepy kitty from her nap and off we went, though en-route we came to the conclusion that these blood tests in an elderly cat are rather pointless.
The blood test merely tracks the progress of early stage kidney disease for which there is no treatment. In the past I had a cat that accepted daily IV fluid which extended her life briefly, but Lily is an unlikely candidate.
In the past year Lily has begun to take on the appearance of an elderly cat, yet she still may be seen chasing Little Man around, despite a lame paw. We keep a close eye and offer lots of love and special kidney-friendly food when she will accept it.
Maybe we’ll forgo the blood tests in future, but I’ll talk to the doctor.
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Poor Little Man, living with such a bunch of old fogies! He was about 6 months old when he arrived in 2024, so he turned 2 on his official birthday which we mark in January.
By far, Little Man is the most loving cat I’ve ever encountered, demanding to ride around on a shoulder, leaning in and pushing against your head. If I don’t pick him up, the boy simply leaps up and hangs on, which is not always convenient, but how could one rebuff such enthusiastic demonstrations of affection?
Cuddling this little furry bundle is incredibly soothing.
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Like all cats, he spends a lot of time sleeping, often beneath the covers of my bed, but when he’s up, he likes to be included in whatever is going on.
This morning he found a small ball that Grant had tipped out of a bag of toys and as he chased it noisily around the house, we smiled.
It may seem an unlikely reason for a smile, but the sound, – or sight – of an animal playing has a special sort of sweetness to it that warms the heart.
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It’s a reason to look forward to Spring and the antics of newborn animals.
Looking out of my window, Spring seems rather remote, but February is nearly done and temperatures are moderating. On March 8th – Daylight Savings Time returns which marks the coming of long days and warm weather.
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If Summer proves as hot as this Winter has been cold, I shall not be especially pleased, though it is really a matter of mindset, since the house has central air-conditioning.
The reason I don’t care about cold weather is not because I enjoy feeling cold, it’s because I like the look, which I enjoy from inside a warm house or a heated car.
So why not enjoy warm weather from inside a cool house or car?
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Just knowing that it’s hot outside makes my brain seem to boil.
While I can always seem to warm up if I feel cold, cooling off from being over-heated is far more problematic. While I couldn’t live here without it, I don’t like air-conditioning which often makes me shiver.
The thermostat is set at a “comfortable” temperature but it’s off and on with a sweater all day.
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As I said, it must all be mindset.
Maybe keeping photographs of this year’s Winter on hand will help.
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I, too, do not look forward to summer heat. I am outside a lot, and in my old age I find that I sweat so profusely I need a bandana to sop sweat just so that I can see! Nice to have air conditioning for a siesta and relief. Funny to be writing about sweat, when I nearly fell on ice while feeding the birds this morning!
Ohh…don’t do that!
Thank you, Carolyn, for writing about the young sweetheart playing happily with a ball. It is wonderful that he is so affectionate! As always, I like all your photos!
Joanna
Little Man has done a remarkable job with the jigsaw puzzle!
Two years old already? Those eighteen months seem to have flown by. Hot summers are not great for us, as with no a/c we have to rely on fans and any available breeze. But I am tired of being cold without the heating on at 20C, and having to heat the house for 12 or more hours a day is also very expensive. At least summer heat is free! 😊
Best wishes, Pete.
After years of geriatric cats, one with the explosive litter box that comes with kidney disease and one slowly going down the slope it is a joy to have a the six month old found as a kitten in a tree leap into the air for no reason at all, bat a toy mouse around the tile and do the zoom and sideways slide because it’s food time. And yes, the leap for affection is almost as bad as decide sweat pants ties are a toy.
The joy of kittens is precious!
Haha😁, do you know what I do when I get really hot? I go to your blog and open one of your Winter posts – then I imagine how cold it is. Like you say, it’s all about your mindset! I giggled about Little Man lying on the puzzle – I’m sure if he could, he would have probably helped to build the puzzle!