The Dust Bunnies are Multiplying Exponentially

There is a reason why my house is a mess and I haven't posted in ages. We have a new addition to the family. No, no babies. I am becoming the crazy cat lady.

I swear, I only went to PetSmart to pick up cat litter! Deceptively, they have kittens from local shelters in nearby window cubbies. I recognized one from a couple months ago. She was very needy and would rub all over the Plexiglas window if you held your hand up. After I read the description that she'd do best in a household with another active cat, I knew she'd be right for us. And roughly 15 minutes later, I was bringing home a kitten. lol



The transition had me quite worried. We separated her in another room and were slowly acclimating the other cats with her. Linus guarded the door 24/7. Lucy would just hiss. But after some time, everybody just loves each other!





Maybe now I'll finally get to hanging my dining room light fixture. (Three months after I was anxiously awaiting it to be delivered.)

Ahem! (tap tap) Is this thing on?

I'm back from my hiatus. I know it's been a while. I wasn't in the house-renovation mood for a while. Then I found some more interesting things to take care of...

Introducing Linus and Lucy:



The night we adopted them, we had no intentions of bringing home a cat, much less two! We only went to get information on the adoption process. But Matt and I came across these two 6 month old kittens and couldn't say no. The two littermates were found in a local warehouse. They were starving and underweight. The foster mom, Rose, was at the shelter so it was great that we had the chance to ask a lot of questions about their personalities and needs.

I completed the adoption paperwork that asked the standard questions like:

1. How long will you give the adjustment process? (Duh! As long as it takes!)
2. Do you have any current pets?
3. If not, what happened to them?
4. Can we contact your vet for references?

I just answered very vaguely that I had a cat that was recently put to sleep. I didn't mention Fatty by name. The vet was xx Animal Hospital. The foster mom was reviewing the paperwork and looked up to ask, "Was Fatty yours?" I just looked at her bewildered, wondering how she knew. She said she works at that vet and knew about Fatty. I knew then that these two kittens were meant to be.



However, I really do have some house updates. Whoohoo! I finally got a paint color picked out for the master bedroom. (And painted!) I bought some new bedding and spray painted a bunch of decor. I was really happy I was able to reuse some of the previous decor. Initially, I didn't think the plum and lavender would work with the new furniture.

So here is a taste of what's to come:



I need to clean the bedroom of cat toys and clutter before taking more pictures. Then I'll give a full before/after update. I'm so excited. This room has done a complete turn-around, if you'll remember:



Scary stuff!!

Goodbye my Sweetie-pie, I love you.

The last 24 hours have been very painful for me and Matt. I had to say goodbye to my cat, Fatty, of ten years. My best friend of ten years, my cuddlebug of ten years, my baby.



After the long-awaited diagnosis of a food allergy, we thought all was well. Then Fatty started losing weight in the last year that couldn't be diagnosed despite multiple vet visits and blood tests. Overall, he was still himself but with a little less energy. But Thursday night, he began a swift decline in health. He would not eat and refused to drink any water. He was having trouble even standing. I took him into the vet first thing Friday morning to find out that he was in renal failure, his heart murmur had progressed, had an enlarged liver, and was anemic. The vet wasn't optimistic with treatment because of his severe weight loss.



The decision to put Fatty to sleep wasn't easy but I was completely at peace with it. It wasn't fair to make him suffer like he did Thursday night and Friday morning. It was horrible seeing him like that. Matt and I were with him until the end and I'm so very glad that I was. I was there to comfort him, tell him I loved him, and give him kisses.



But Fatty was more than this ball of medical problems. He was a sweetheart. Fatty would be at the door to greet me when I got home. He would follow me from room to room. Cry outside the bathroom door until I came out. Sleep on my lap while I was watching TV or on the laptop. He would sleep on me (under the covers) the entire night and only get up when my alarm clock went off. If he wasn't next to me, he was either eating or in his litter box. That was it. Fatty was a very vocal kitty. If you said something to him, he would answer back with a meow. It was never a quiet household. He was a source of constant amusement and Matt and I often made up Fatty responses...

Matt: Why is Fatty looking at me like that?
Me: He's imagining what you'd taste like with a little salt and pepper.



Even his name is a silly story. We adopted Fatty and Skinny when they were kittens. Those weren't their original names though. We couldn't really decide on names. Skinny was noted as underweight at his first vet visit. We referred to him as "the skinny one" and Fatty became "Fatty" by default. :) I had to put Skinny down about 5 years ago. Enough time to have distanced myself from the pain of losing a pet.



I think the worst part of it is adjusting to life at home without him. I never realized how much our lives really revolved around him. I don't hear the clickity-clack of his nails on the floor. I wait for him to jump up on the couch with me. I don't have him laying on my legs as I type this. He's not sprinting to the faucet as I turn on the water. He's not running into the bathtub as soon as I step out of the shower. My bed is very lonely.



But I was blessed with the best cat possible. The most affectionate cat ever and one that was FULL of personality. He will be missed greatly. Do me a favor and hug your pet extra tight tonight.