Orange Cat Fun

He unzipped the front and let himself out - after trying to bite the vet tech.

As you previously read, Mr. Roughy had two vet appointments back to back just about this month, all for a lingering kitty cold/infection. Yes, you read that right—two appointments for a kitty cold. Why? Because Roughy is blessed to be an orange cat, one that has all the spice that orange cats are known for. If you've met him and spent more than a minute with him, you know that spice comes out with no notice.

His spice is noted at the vet's office as minimal kitty minutes. Those minimal minutes are after he's been dosed up with gabapentin 2 days before, leading up to the morning of his appointment. How helpful is it? Depends on how spicy he truly is feeling. The first of the two visits, he had ALL the spice. After being all cute hanging in the exam room window, they took him back to get x-rays—and hopefully draw some blood. He had other thoughts—yelling, scratching, and trying to bite the techs. A very unsuccessful appointment, I wasn't even embarrassed because they know, I know, and Roughy knows this is the chance we take with him.

Just an average cat, enjoying the view before he gets fiesty.

So, we scheduled a second visit for him to spend most of the day at the "Spa." What did that entail? Gabapentin for the days leading up to the appointment, followed by sedation so they could get X-rays, bloodwork, do a full exam, and update his rabies shot. I know—it seems a bit ridiculous—but knowing what a menace he is makes it not ridiculous. When we showed up for that appointment, Roughy had the forethought to bring coffee and munchkins as a little smoothing over from the last visit.

In no way is that a bribe to the vet's office; it's truly the "I'm sorry my cat is such an ass and we have one of the first appointments of the day" present. Always much appreciated by everyone. At any rate, he's all chill in his carrier - thanks, Gabapentin! Check-in goes smoothly, where I once again apologize for his behavior. Dr. B would be doing his exam and reviewing all the x-rays. This would be the same doctor he had the nerve to hit at the end of one of his appointments - the most embarrassing moment of my life.

So pick-up time comes - nothing of significance on the X-rays, blood work is headed to the lab. But the doctor did notice that he has lots of green mucus lingering around - and that would be the culprit of him being so congested. So he's on meds for a few weeks, which means he's on a diet too - this is when free feeding fails us. This ensures he will get all the meds he needs as it gets mixed into his wet food.

Maxed out on Gabapentin & Sedation - enjoying some deep sleep.

Sedation & Roughy - a great combo! When I got to the vet's office, they said - he's still sleeping, how dare the man with all the spice be such a lightweight! Needless to say, he slept the entire 8-minute ride home. At home - he's back in his kingdom - the master bathroom, where he has all the things he could need. Now, to keep an eye on him as he's

still overly tired. Naturally, he wanted to walk around - climb his tower, all the things he really couldn't do. We had a good laugh over how he was walking like a drunk: one step wobbly, two steps wobbly, three fall over. He tried to pull himself along the floor route too - but that was even more effort. Once he found a spot - he was out for a while. I will say it was nice - being able to actually hold him like the other cats for once. I may have taken advantage of that to snag a few extra cuddles.

Go ahead - guess how much this lovely visit cost us? Not including the donuts and coffee.

Till our tails cross again,

Mel

#lovecatsandeverything #Roughy #orangecat #spicy #vetbill #vetfun

Is it ever ok to say.....

So here goes—something that I can't believe I'm going to write about and toss onto the internet. But it's something that has been bothering me and has happened twice in the last few months. I deal with the public 5-6 days a week most weeks for work. While I love it (almost every day), there are days when I'm left questioning people, when things changed, and how people figure it's okay to say things to people they don't know.

I'm a short person; it's a daily struggle—reaching things on top shelves, sitting and having my feet dangle, my four steps to someone's two steps. I'm also blessed to be a bit overweight. Unfortunately for me, my weight gain always hits my stomach area (or at least that's the only place anyone else sees it). So here is my struggle: it is NEVER OK to mention, ask, allude to, question, or comment about someone you DON'T know being pregnant. Hell, even if you know them, you need to tread very lightly.

I used to just laugh it off and be like - oh no, that's just my love for food, a desk job tanked my metabolism, anything to be like I'm not pregnant, just fat. So let's talk about this. There are so many things here. First - I realize what I look like, is it a struggle for me? You bet it is. Is there a good reason for it? Depends on who you are. I've had some health things happen and currently happening that are not making my fat belly any easier to deal with. I want to go back to that sickeningly skinny person I was in high school - but let's face it, I'm getting older, bad food habits, plus health issues are making that not possible. Am I trying to lose weight, have a better diet and get my health where it should be, yep. But guess what? It's no one's business, and doesn't mean complete strangers can comment about me being pregnant.

There are so many levels here: Pregnancy - it could be someone's worst nightmare and just a stranger mentioning it sets them off, or it could be the happiest thing that's happened to them. But guaranteed, you don't know someone's situation and how your seemingly innocent comment will affect them. Every time someone says anything related to being pregnant to me, I immediately think - who are you to comment on this? What if this is a situation where someone is pregnant and doesn't want to be? Rape, failed preventative measures, recently separated from the father, maybe they have found out their child has a major medical issue, will be stillborn, and so many other possibilities.

The situation that happened: I'm in line at a store - the line is extremely long. A second register opens, and a lady behind me says - you go, you're pregnant. How my jaw didn't hit the ground, I don't know. First off, I was ahead of you in line, so yes, I should be the one to move to the newly opened register. Second, even if I were pregnant - that doesn't mean you can just yell that out to someone you don't know. Just say, go ahead of me. Leave it at that, no need to add anything else.

The second time was at work, during a bridal appointment. I carry heavy gowns all the time for work. These gowns can be heavy, especially when carrying more than one or two at a time. But guess what? It's my job; I do it every day, multiple times a day for hours. Guess what doesn't need to be said by a mother of the bride: I feel bad you have to carry those heavy dresses while you're pregnant. How exactly do you respond to that? Fortunately, my back was to her as I had already started to walk back to the bridal suite to hang the dresses up. So I just didn't respond. But it set me off; I was definitely fuming about the comment. No choice but to keep my head up and act like it was never said.

Every time a comment is made, I wonder what happened to the unspoken rule: don't ask, allude, or question about pregnancy situations. Even asking a newly married couple when they are having kids. You wait until that information is presented to you, especially if you don't know the person.

Each of those instances left me wondering - how am I supposed to react and handle that comment? I chose both times not to respond. But there's a piece of me that wants to reply, knowing the person I am, it wouldn't be nice. I'd be named a Karen for sure; it infuriates me that people think they can say what they want and think it's okay.

I have never wanted kids - it's been a hard no for me. Gene, on the other hand, would be happy with kids. We have settled with our life of no kids; for anyone to say something is disrespectful and out of line. It's no one's business why/if/when we have kids or don't. I get it, people want to ask, and it's assumed at some point couples will have kids after being together a set amount of time or being married. But bottom line - it's none of your business.

Till our tails cross again,

Mel

#lovecatsandeverything #pregnant #notpregnant #DINK #DINKWAC #kids #nokids #socialstandard

Wishlist

I've talked before about the expense of cats. You've probably heard that cats are cheaper than kids. Most times I'd agree with that, but with 21 cats, I feel like they are not cheaper. A ballpark figure: one child costs $21,600 annually, whereas a cat costs $1,000 - $2,000. That's a pretty big difference. Expenses for humans are high: food, clothing, schooling, insurance, extracurricular activities, etc. Meanwhile, the cats just need food and one visit to the vet annually (for a healthy cat). Running those numbers, our 21 cats are costing us what one child would cost us. To those wondering, I am hands down much happier with the cats than having a kid. #sorrynotsorry Kids have never been a part of my life plan. I'm happy to spoil your kid and send them home, treat them like my own, and become the "mama bear" when needed. But I'll take the cats any day over a child.

My kids don't talk back, don't have an attitude, and eat what is presented to them. Well, maybe that's not quite true. They talk at me, have attitudes, and do not eat what is presented to them all the time. Some of them dare to turn their noses up if the flavor doesn't suit, or there's not enough water in the wet food. Sure, there's no schooling or outfits to pay for as they grow, but that doesn't mean they come with no expenses. The cats in my house have a mission to see how wild they can be, what they can break, and just how much they can single-handedly cost us a small fortune each.

Roughy has another vet appointment for his worsening congestion, following a recent visit for the same issue. The cost of these vet visits is significant. He now lives in the bathroom, enjoying the single cat life. While I've been house-sitting, Gene has started giving him wet food daily, opting for the expensive single-serve packs to avoid the hassle of feeding 20 other cats.

They have numerous toys, several cat towers, and many scratchers. The scratchers are frequently used and create a mess. The tall cat towers are very expensive; we own two tall ones and several shorter ones. Recently, we had to tighten screws on a big tower because Dobby plays vigorously, launching herself onto them and climbing to the top, which loosens the screws and causes them to fall apart.

I've been advised to start a wish list, open a non-profit, or a retail account for better pricing on food and litter. While these are great ideas, they're not feasible for someone who has voluntarily taken in many cats. I feel uncomfortable asking for donations, especially without a formal rescue setup. (not that I would ever say no to donations or gifts for the cats)

Chewy - only lets rescues or shelters create and share wishlists.

Petsmart - no wish list option that I could find.

Amazon - there's always a wish list option - believe it or not, they even have one for pets. Yes, I started one, no I'm not sharing it. Pretty sure it will never see the light of day.

The long and short of it—pets can be just as expensive as kids. No judgment to those people who choose kids over pets, or pets over kids. Life is expensive, so enjoy those kids or pets, or a happy mix of both. For now, I'm enjoying the cats, plus all my bonus pets (that I pet sit for). I'll happily borrow your kid and return them spoiled and jacked up on sugar.

Pets are technically cheaper than kids, but don't let them hear that—they might start racking up the bills.

Till our tails cross again,

Mel

#lovecatsandeverything #pets #kids #catsfyp #wishlist