Georgia Lily

She loves sleeping on any piece of our clothing. 

Today when I came in from cleaning my car I spread my snowy coat on the bed to dry.  And look who's decided that is a comfy spot to sleep.

This has to be the best cat we have ever owned, or should I say that has ever owned us.

Clueless

She's in for such a shock.  This is the first time we leave her overnight.  So she is camped out on top of the suitcase.  Sakaura is suspicious and is in the other room giving me furtive looks when I checked on her.

We are only away until Wednesday morning, and they will have plenty of dry cat food and water and an extra litter box.  We will feed them their canned cat food before we leave - that is the only thing they will miss.  Oh and us - yelling at them to stop scratching on furniture  - I'm sure they will really miss that.

Georgia again

Peekaboo

Trip to the vet

Georgia went in for her annual checkup today.  We've been home for hours but she's still in the carrier.

Jack Russell cat

Don was groping for words yesterday and called Georgia "that Jack Russell cat", which is so appropriate.   If ever there was a Jack Russell personality in a cat it would be Miss Georgia Lily.

Christmas Tree Shop Cat

Georgia loves bags.  I knew it wouldn't take long for her to hop into this one.

Queen of the hill

We got a new piece of cat furniture and look who took over the top spot!

Best buddies

They just kept moving closer and closer together, so I could not resist a picture.  There is still much hissing and fighting, but it's more in play now than in anger.  Sakaura has taken a motherly role, and Georgia likes to be the baby.  Honestly, Snoopy must be rolling over in her grave to see these two cats getting along.

Rainy day cat

Nothing escapes her attention. We came in and my wet umbrella was a tempting spot to roost. Georgia, what an entertaining cat you are!

Buy one, get one free

I am trying to work here, but took a small break to read the weekly grocery ads.  Georgia will have none of that!  She is purring so loudly now that she's knocked all the papers down to the floor.  But its impossible to get mad at her.

Party!!

The cats are so funny. All we need to do is say the word Party! and both will run into the living room and wait for some treats. No matter where in the house they may be, that is a magic word. And, as you can see, they actually party together. I missed the initial ritual though before the party begins. Georgia waits for Sakaura to sniff and lick her head, and then they both wait by their "plates". They are really becoming friends.

Beauty queen

Pretty Sakaura.  She gets nowhere the attention that Georgia does.
She has sort of become a mother figure for Georgia though, and that is nice.  They get along very well and actually chase each other playfully. 

Hard to ignore

I'm supposed to be working but this face is hard to ignore.  She's up in my face now headbutting my hand trying to type this on my phone keyboard and purring so loudly.  I guess it's time for a cat petting break!

Georgia Lily loves balloons

She's having such fun.  The little feather toy beside her is her current favorite, too.  She is just the most playful cat.  It's hard to believe she is not a kitten, and has, in fact, had her own litter of kittens.

Testing a new blogging tool

I'm playing around with standalone blogging tools. I have tried Windows Live Writer which is okay. Today I downloaded Zoundry Raven, and I am just testing here to make a comparison.

I took the picture above with my cell phone. Sakaura looks like a deer in the headlights! Don has a lot more hair and a few less scars!

Long overdue update

I think the cats are both relieved that Don is home and all appears to be “normal” here again.  Normal being that they get their food at their “normal” times – no more waiting until after dark some nights.

Don is still sleeping in the middle bedroom and I think the cats take turns sleeping with each of us at times.  I usually wake with Georgia sleeping on my feet though, and Sakaura sitting on the floor staring at her.

They get along so much better now.  They even play, when they think nobody is looking!  And Sakaura bathes Georgia like she was her kitten.  And then in the midst of all this niceness, she will turn on her and attack her like she is a bitter enemy.

They are fun though.  And pretty good kitties.

She's the boss

This is the cutest cat ever. She has the most wonderful personality.
That is a giant yawn in the picture.  I had looked all over the house for her when I got ready to leave so that I could make sure she was not in the closet for the day.  She was downstairs on top of the file cabinet and when I saw her she looked so bored with the whole thing.

Sleepy Saturday morning

Who am I kidding?  Every day is sleepy in the cat world.  Actually I guess today is officially "Caturday".

Yesterday I was showing Don how to use the phone in his room, and had him dial our phone number and leave a message on voice mail.  I promptly forgot about this, so last night when I got home I had an extra message on the phone.  When I heard his voice I wondered what would happen if I played that message for the cats.

I put the phone on "speaker" mode and replayed the message from Don.  They both came running and sat and listened, turning their heads curiously, and I just know they recognized his voice.  They still miss him so much.  When I bring in laundry,  they sniff and sniff, and if I place a bit of it on the floor one or the other of them will sleep on it.

Don continues to improve.  He has been in rehab almost three weeks.  This weekend he begins a test of eating food on his own to see if they can discontinue the tube feeding.  He had the trach removed Wednesday evening, and swallowing tests done early Thursday morning.  He's been eating almost regular food since then.

I don't have a projected date for his homecoming, but I am sure the two cat girls will be so happy to see him!

This cat loves bags

Last night when I came home from the rehab hospital I just tossed my stuff on the floor so that I could quickly feed impatient cats.  After I sat down on the sofa to catch my breath I heard a rustling noise and found Georgia Lily had crawled into the laundry bag.

Don continues to improve.  He just asked me how the cats are doing so that reminded me to show him this picture.

My reason for coming home nights

I swear these kitties are a lot of work but without them my house would be so empty.  Georgia Lily is such a poster girl.   And she seems to love to be photographed.

Georgia tried to eat my iPod

Good grief.  I heard a crunching noise and looked up to see Georgia nibbling on the iPod.   She'd already tried to share my supper.

Incorrigible

She is purring away.  In with freshly dried towels.  What a clown.

Cat in a drawer

Cat in a drawer
Originally uploaded by fbruehl

Never a dull moment with Georgia Lily.
This morning she made herself at home in my dresser drawer.
She is certainly an alarm clock - her wake up time is 5:30 sharp.

Poor Sakaura - she has lost her Alpha cat role and must yield to Georgia Lily's rule.

Don is doing better. Hope to get him to rehab on Monday.

Sleeping beauties

365-32 - Sleeping beauties
Originally uploaded by fbruehl

I am not keeping up with this blog much lately.

Don was critically injured on June 10 when he was struck by an automobile while he was returning home from his morning walk.

The cats are so distraught. He is their playmate, and I am a poor substitute. The two girls have decided they need to stick together. I just found them both sleeping in the bed where Snoopy used to sleep.

I am sure they will both be happy to see Don sitting there on the sofa snoring. I know I will be the MOST happy.

Georgia Doodle

Georgia Doodle
Originally uploaded by fbruehl

Yes, another nickname for kitty. I call her Georgia Doodle, and the other cat is sometimes Saki Doodle.

It's strange here with just those two cats. They are much more low maintenance than Snoopy was.

Both are eating well. I want to settle on one kind of dried cat food that they both will eat and quit experimenting. We got some Iams yesterday and they both seem to like it.

I took this picture today through the back door glass - it is a bit blurry but I liked the colors.

Life goes on

Georgia
Originally uploaded by fbruehl

Georgia has quickly taken over Snoopy's spot. I'd planned on getting rid of the blankets, etc. on that spare bed, but Miss G. has decided that is now her bed. I won't argue now.

The two girls are a bit confused. Snoopy was always the one who decided it was time to eat and they merely followed her lead. So for the past two days they have not really given any indication that it was time to bring out the cat food bowls.

I am thinking it will be pretty easy to retire the canned cat food. Neither of them are extremely fond of it and both seem to eat the dried food pretty well.

Time will tell. I miss Snoopy but I don't miss having to try to figure a way to get her medicine down her. She'd become extremely hard to dose lately and in fact for two or three days I'd just given her the liquid directly into her mouth. She hated that and so did I.

I hope these girls stay nice and healthy for a good long time.

Not a happy ending

I hope we have made the right decision.  The doctor who examined Snoopy this morning did not have a very good prognosis.  Because of the rapid onset and the fact that she was so filled with fluid, the suspicion was cancer.  The poor old girl was so sick that I could not even imagine taking this further.  IF it had been one of my younger cats, I'd have said yes - let's find out and treat it.  But Snoopy at almost 16 has already had her share of health problems-- diabetes, the thyroid disease, and a heart murmer.  I do not think she would have come back from any agressive testing and treatment.

Of course, the doctor can never tell you what to do.  But she said it was not a bad decision.  She said we had taken very good care of the cat over her lifetime, and I do hope and pray that is true.

Rest In Peace, Sweet Snoopy.
08/16/94 - 05/30/10

Now these three are back together again.

Where we started the holiday

Emergency room at Tufts Veterinary Hospital with Snoopy. Waiting now.

Snoopy is not doing well

I did not take this picture today, but she was hiding under the bed this morning. My poor old girl is looking very bad. She is not eating like normal and this morning she refused her food all together.

She is very good at sensing what food has medicine in it now. I am not sure if it is the stronger dose, or the new flavor. Anyway, I had to give her the medicine directly into her mouth this morning. You can believe she hated that. After the medicine and a trip downstairs to the litter box, she ate a bit of food.

I think our days of easily giving her the meds mixed in with wet cat food are over. I hope the full dose of medicine this morning will perk her up a bit. I have a feeling she's been avoiding getting all the medicine down for the past few days.

Damian Aspinall's Extraordinary Gorilla Encounter on Gorilla School

This is so beautiful!

So innocent

Georgia
Originally uploaded by fbruehl

Ha! She is resting up for her next episode of racing through the house like a maniac. She is wild at times. But she entertains herself (and us).

There is something about her lack of depth perception that makes her focus in on anything that shines - she sees reflections in the oddest objects and must attack. This morning she was attacking one of my shoes. When I looked at it, the light was causing a reflection off the shoe and that was all it took for Miss Georgia to think it was something she had to conquer and kill.

She has amazing vision though - she can spot the tiniest insect, and again, she is on a mission to kill.

We have had a pretty good week. Snoopy, however, has become quite picky with her food and it's been a challenge getting her medicine in. We got a new prescription this week. Stronger dosage, so we can give a lesser amount. We also switched from fish flavored to chicken flavored. I hope it works.

Picky eaters!

Georgia on the TJ's grocery bag
Originally uploaded by fbruehl

All of the cats are starting to be so picky about their food.

Today after lunch, we are going to Petland in Natick to see if we can find some Tiki Sardine Cutlets. I think that they ALL like that. Of course, if we do buy some, one of them will surely prove me wrong.

Even Snoopy is getting to be hard to feed. She thinks the other cats are getting better food than she is, even if it is exactly the same. It is very hard to outsmart a cat! But I try.

Always hiding

Georgia loves to hide in all sorts of inaccessible (to me) spaces.  She likes to take advantage of my aging legs and make it hard for me to catch her.

Snoopy Update

Snoopy
Originally uploaded by fbruehl

Miss Snoopy had her blood tests done on Tuesday and we got the report back yesterday. As Don said in his email to me, she aced the test. Her thyroid levels are within the acceptable range, so we won't have to increase her medication.

In other news, all of the cats are having trouble finding out which of the grain free foods they really like (mostly don't like).

If one likes a food, the other two hate it, and vice versa. I am going to continue though because I think diet is very important to their health and welfare.

Kitty Update

We are doing a little feeding experiment and so far the results have been good. Sakaura and Georgia had been throwing up hairballs it seemed daily and a friend of mind recommended that I try feeding them a grain free diet.

We were willing to give it a try so I bought a small supply of cat food and started them on it two weeks ago. We have not had one incident from either of them. I could not believe it would work so quickly.

They have taken to the food pretty well. I am really surprised at my picky eater Sakaura. She has loved almost all of the food offered to her. Georgia is a bit pickier. And poor old Snoopy - she still will eat anything. Just make sure there is a LOT of it.

Snoopy has an appointment on Tuesday to have her blood test to adjust her thyroid medication.  And she and Georgia both are due for rabies shots.  I hate to give Snoopy the shot, but if we ever want to board her again, it will be required.

Girlfriends

They really are friends now.

Of course, Georgia is the "boss".  She is the tiniest cat, but she carries all the weight in this family.

It is amusing though to see Sakaura looking for her and wanting her to play. 

This weekend we started the cats on a new "grain free" diet.  A friend told me that she has two cats who eat no grain and they do not shed nor do they ever cough up hairballs.  I can only dream, but I thought I'd try this.  So far they have taken to the food pretty well, too.

Of course, it's more expen$ive.  But if it works, I'm willing to pay extra.  Sakaura, who is the pickiest eater of them all is doing especially well eating the new food.

Best buddies?

Best buddies?
Originally uploaded by fbruehl
I think they are only sharing the sunshine. Both are huge fans of open doors and windows and sunshine. Neither wants to go outside though. They are perfectly happy enjoying the fresh air from a distance.

It makes me wonder if they have bad memories associated with the outdoors. Both of them came from an animal shelter, so their background is really unknown. All we know is that they both had a litter of kittens at a pretty young age and they and their litters were put into shelters.

They certainly do not think they are shelter cats now - they have arrived and demand to be treated like royalty!

Rainy Day Cat

Rainy Day Cat
Originally uploaded by fbruehl

This is THE most curious cat and she will make herself at home any place she chooses. I came in from work yesterday and put my umbrella down and she immediately made a bed of it.

Georgia and Sakaura have begun to play together and they have been seen bathing each others faces. I don't want them to know that we have seen this, because they would deny it ever happened!

Snoopy continues to be the matriarch. She and Georgia have an unspoken truce. The do nap together though, and Georgia knows enough to leave Snoopy alone. I'm not sure she knows that Snoopy has no claws, but she is very wary around her. I think it's the growl!

Speaking of Snoopy, she just sleeps away most of her time. But you can always depend on her to show up at what she deems the normal meal times. She is usually an hour early, though. The other two cats could care less about eating it seems. Maybe they know she will be the one who forces us to put out the canned cat food. However, both of them like dried food so they snack off and on all day long.

Still the prettiest of them all

Sakaura
Originally uploaded by fbruehl

She is also the only really social cat of the bunch. She sleeps at my feet all night long. And she is rarely far away at other times from either Don or myself.

Today for the first time Sakaura and Georgia actually licked each other. They have gone nose to nose before, usually ending in a hiss. But today they were nose to nose and they started to bathe each other. Strange behavior from these two.

Trying a new tool

I have downloaded Windows Live Writer so I wanted to check it out with this blog.  It appears that it will work fine.  I’ve got it linked to my Flickr gallery, so I am going to post a picture and see how that appears.

I am not sure if I have already posted this one.  I call it “Sleeping on the Job”.

Georgia Lily

The pictures taken with the phone leave a lot to be desired.  But if you look closely you can see a little one-eyed face peering out of the window.  The open windows have surely made the cats much more friendly toward each other.  They all want to be right in the window, but Georgia usually wins that spot.  It is funny how she is the smallest, and the youngest, of these three cats, but she is fearless and she is.the.boss!

She has become so independent.  It is hard to catch her at times.  She does not want to be held or petted.  This is a big change for her, since she was so social when she first came here.

I tried to bring her outside on a leash this morning and she would have none of that!  She is definitely an indoor cat, who just loves to look outdoors.

Loves sunshine

I made a place for fat Sakaura to be able to enjoy some sun and fresh air.  Look who took it over.  Why am I not surprised.  This cat is THE boss of everyone.  But we love her.

Can I Post with my new phone?

I am just trying a post with my new phone.  I took this photo of Georgia Lily innocently napping by Snoopy.

Cat in a Box

Cat in a Box
Originally uploaded by fbruehl

Do all cats love boxes?

I wish Snoopy's eyes would photograph better. They either look like burning flames or bright lights. She has pretty BLUE eyes for real.

The cats continue to "socialize". Snoopy is tolerant of this upstart addition to the family, but she is not really amused. Georgia casually slaps her from time to time - and she does not find that at all funny.

Sakaura and Georgia take turns chasing each other. Sakaura is a poor loser and likes to hiss loudly when she has had enough.

My reference to Georgia as a peacemaker really meant she has caused a truce between the other two cats. Neither of them is really wanting to be her buddy, but she is such a confident little cat that she really could care less. She slaps at both of them equally.

Peace and quiet!

Georgia
Originally uploaded by fbruehl

The cats are getting along so very well these days. There is rarely ever a hiss or growl. They all have their own little quirks, and know where they belong most of the time.

Georgia's become very independent. She's not a cuddly cat by any means. She does make her presence known if we happen to sleep a bit too late for her taste though.

Sakaura sleeps at the foot of our bed. She's the more social of the three cats. Georgia likes to play but once the playing is done, she is off somewhere on her own. Snoopy spends the majority of her time sleeping in her bed, but we could set the clock by her appearances when it is time to eat.

All in all, things are going very well. I think Georgia was our peacemaker.

Sakaura resting

Sakaura resting
Originally uploaded by fbruehl

And that is what she does best. She is such a whiner. It is almost like she thinks we know what she is wailing and complaining about. Of all the cats, she is the most vocal. Poor Georgia has no voice at all.

We go for hours not seeing Georgia, but the minute we go to bed she appears and starts rifling through everything on the top of my dresser. The last two nights I have had to put my glasses in a drawer since she tries to take them off and hide them. She is something else!

In my socks drawer

In my socks drawer
Originally uploaded by fbruehl

She goes anywhere (and everywhere) she pleases. An open door, open drawer, open trash can - she's there. I have to be careful with the clothes dryer, too. She is so quick that she can sneak by without us actually seeing her.

Georgia and Sakaura are getting along so much better. They have stopped the hissing and slapping for the most part. Snoopy just stays out of the way of the both of them. She's been seen giving Georgia a slap if she invades her space. Since Snoopy is the only one of the three without claws, I am happy to see that the two younger cats don't see to try to slap at her at all. I guess they know. Or perhaps her loud growl is so menacing that they don't dare try to attack her.

Who knew that bringing a third cat into the mix would result in peace! For that I thank you, Miss Georgia!

Birdwatching!

Birdwatching!
Originally uploaded by fbruehl

I had a tv tray sitting in the living room and Georgia took possession of that as her personal bird watching perch. I moved it close to the door and she was planted there for a long while. She does not do anything for a very long while though - I think she is much too curious to ever do that.

This morning I was loading the washing machine and she just had to try to jump up to see that action. I picked her up and let her watch the agitator move around and she was curious but her body language quickly told me she wanted no part of that!

She and Sakaura seem to "play" now. Of course, their usual game is chase and Georgia does most of the chasing. Snoopy, on the other hand, is content to have another cat who leaves little bits of food in her bowl. That is Snoopy's big job in life - licking all the cat food bowls clean!

Georgia playing

Georgia playing
Originally uploaded by fbruehl

What a funny cat this is. We really should have changed her name to Snoopy except we already have a cat with that name. She is just so curious - about everything.

Yesterday we came in from shopping and I had tons of bags, so unloaded some on the floor and went back to the car to get more. The cat girls were all nosing around in the plastic bags, just like curious children. In one of the bags I had a 12X magnifying mirror. My eyesight is so poor that I use mirrors like that to put on mascara (without my glasses). Georgia found that mirror and we almost died laughing. She started stalking the gigantic 12X cat. I pulled the mirror out of the bag and put it so she could get a good view and we watched. She would twist and turn her head and sneak up and then jump back, and I thought she was finally afraid of something. Wrong! After a bit more investigation, she ran up to the mirror and slapped the giant cat! She is fearless.

I wish I had a video camera to have recorded that episode. Don and I were both laughing so hard.

She and Sakaura fight now. It's not serious fighting, and Georgia is a real instigator. She will run up to Sakaura and take a quick slap and then continue on her merry way.

Snoopy had her hair all shaved last week, so she's much more agile now and she takes nothing from Georgia. She's even slapped her when she gets too close and nosy.

Snoopy's blood tests returned better results. Her T3 (or is it T4) levels are dropping but Dr. K would like to see them go a bit lower. Her Methimazole dosage was raised from 1.5ml/day to 2ml/day.

Georgia continues to roam free. I am not sure where she sleeps at night, but sometimes I wake to feel her sleeping on top of my feet.

This morning both Sakaura and Georgia were trying to sleep on my feet. So we woke to hissing and slapping noises. Thank goodness it was pretty close to wake up time anyway.

There is never a dull moment!