It was sunny, calm and in the low 50s this afternoon; a nice day for the cats to roll in the dead grass, the Georgia red clay and then stretch out on the back porch. 

Everyone enjoyed rolling in the dead grass and dirt..they they came in for a snack and got dirt all over the kitchen floor that I got to clean up.

I have an old shelving unit I had hoped to turn into a place for flowering plants on the back deck, but the rain killed it and I haven’t gotten around to pitching it yet.  Still, Parker found it a comfortable sunny spot.  Tommy and Mia had a nice nap on the deck while Haley took advantage of the warm brown Bermuda.

Summer enjoys walking on the railing.

We’re expecting more rain and some snow Tuesday into Wednesday..we’re all so over winter.

Because my cats are indoor/outdoor I sometimes put a small bowl of dry food out for them when I’m not home.  That has attracted the strays, I guess. Plus, they’ve taken up residence under the vacant house next door.  I know queens are in heat right now and I do have a neighbor who has several unsterilized females.  So I’m sure that’s another reason they’re lurking about my house, but I have no unfixed females and no toms for them to fight with. 

Anyone who reads my little blog knows I’m a sucker for a foundling. However, I can’t have any more felions than I already have so these guys had to go.  Plus, they were upsetting some of my guys.   All three were males and so far, one was a tom.

The first was a beautiful longhair orange and white tom. I called him, Mystic.  Sadly, though he’s extremely feral.  Once trapped, he growled and tried to attack me through the cage.  My local humane society will try to work with him to see if they can tame him for a possible home as a barn cat, but if not, he will likely be put to sleep.

The second guy is the exact opposite of the first.  He’s a big white and grey-blue guy. Don’t know if he’s a tom, but I think so. One of Binky’s littermates last year looked just like him. He was so happy to be trapped.  I brought the trap inside and put it in the bathroom, hoping to get him into a large carrier without a struggle.  He walked out of the trap and into the carrier and collapsed, as if exhausted from being homeless.  He slept in there quite contentedly in my office at work until I could get him to the humane society.  He also loves to be held and petted.  He too, was living under the vacant house next door.  I’m hoping he really does belong to someone and they’ll coming looking for him at the shelter and take him home.

The third cat is yet to catch. I think it’s also a tom, but he’s a little guy with an injury on the side of his neck, possibly from fighting or scratching his hears. He’s a little gray and white tabby who comes every evening and sits on my back porch waiting for his dinner. If he doesn’t get it, he puts his little white paws on my storm door window and looks in the kitchen. He’s very cute.  I hope to get him this week and have the vet look at  his owwie.

If people would just spay and neuter their cats…. sigh.

I took Midgie out early this morning for her walk and some of the cats came with me.

Some liked the snow, like Junior, whose Maine Coon coat protected him from the cold, and Binky who thought it was quite a lot of fun too.  But others like Alysanne (the black and white tuxedo) and Baby (the orange dlh) were not so thrilled.

Anyway, he was at the shelter about a week and wasn’t eating, so I offered to foster him. He did fine at my house and was adopted by one of my coworkers.  While he was at my house he made my dog, Midgie VERY jealous. 

Most of cats were fine with him.  In fact, my kitten Jr., who was actually bigger than Rocky, just loved him and they became friends.

Rocky is now in his new home and is much loved.  I took this video a few days before he was adopted.  He had a favorite toy….Sweet Gum seeds.  They’re round, prickly seeds of the Sweet Gum tree.  He’s only about 9mos old and still losing the last of his baby teeth and I think it probably felt good on his gums to chew on the prickles.

My dog Midgie was sooo jealous.  She doesn’t like other dogs in the house…outside that’s fine, but not in her house with her mommy paying attention to it.  So she wasn’t a happy camper when I shot this little video.

We had been back to the vet twice this week.  On Monday, Dr. Pat took a cc of blood, all he dared take, and sent it off for a T4, another kidney test and some other tests I don’t remember.  Still, everything came back within normal ranges for a 13-14yr old cat.  The hyperthyroid pills he was on for a week had no effect.

Out of desperation, I took him back Wednesday and discussed doing an x-ray.  Dr. Pat said he felt no masses, he felt normal stool, he felt no obstructions.  He said the only real way to find out what was wrong would have been to open him up and of course, that was out of the question.

We decided to try steriods to boost his appetite, fluids to battle the dehydration, and continue the antibiotics.  I guess the vet knew whatever Suppie had, he was terminal, but he kindly helped me work through it by offering what help he could.  Dr Pat said he couldn’t understand why Suppie was still living as thin as he was.  He’d never seen anything like it.

Anyway, I was glad I was off this week so I could be close to him.  Monday night, Suppie mustered the strength to jump up on the sofa and take his place on the back cushion behind my head.  He purr’d loudly as I gently and carefully petted his head and ears.  There was literally nothing left of him. His frail body rubbed against me as I told him how much I loved him and that I was trying to make him well. I told him it was ok if he had to let go, that I would understand.

Suppie had never been an overtly affectionate cat. It wasn’t that he didn’t love me, I knew he did, but he had had a hard start in life, living his first year or two on his own so he always retained a little distance – just in case, he likely thought, this new found home and care he found with me all went horribly wrong. 

Each time I would reach out to pet him, he’d back away.  He would stay near, come in at night, play with the toys, sleep on the bed, eat with the rest of the cats, but he didn’t like to be fussed with.  So I gave him his space.   It was only the past year that he began to allow me to pet him.  I should have guessed then that something was wrong, but he continued on as if everything were great and I was busy with work and moving.  It wasn’t until early November that I noticed he was losing weight.  Even then, I didn’t realize how serious it was.

So being the party animal that I am, I spent New Year’s Eve at home, which is where I like to be anyway when one year ends and another begins.  But I fell asleep before midnight.  All the cats and Midgie were inside, while neighbors set off fireworks outside.  Suppie was curled up next to my bed in Midgie’s new bed she got for Christmas. Midgie was alseep next to me.

About 4 a.m. I just woke up.  I usually get up for work about that time so my brain just wakes up..even on vacation.  I got up to check on Suppie and I found him. He was lying cold and still next to Midgie’s bed.   He must have died sometime around midnight as we all slept.   Suppie had had a good life with me the past 12 years and I’m grateful he was able to die peacefully in his own home surrounded by those he loved and who loved him. 

I buried him between the Rose of Sharon trees in the back yard.