Vet visit again?!?

Over the years, we have come to expect the unexpected with the cats. We may think we've figured out all the little nuances of them—just for them to change. The same goes for vet visits/sick visits. We just spent almost 2 months going back and forth with various cats at the vet's office—I thought we would be clear of vet bills for a few months.

Jasper, however, has other plans. Currently, he is the most "sickly" or needs the most attention from the vet's office. Diabetes will do that, along with his smoldering pancreatitis and other health issues (not to mention his secret love for all the people at the vet's office!). Lo and behold - he has been getting sick - throwing up bile. The mystery of are you sick, did you eat something, just a hairball that's not quite ready to come up, or who knows what?!?

Now add in that we noticed his stomach is a bit distended on both sides. It looks like he has little love handles on his sides, which is not a normal thing for cats to have. They have the "pouch" that hangs from their belly, but that is different. There are a few different things that could lead to this, some more serious, some less serious. Either way, none of them are something easily diagnosed at home.

My hope is that it's just some pockets of gas, or it's just a pancreatitis flare-up. Something that is manageable and treatable. So we've made an appointment to see his favorite Dr. - now to wait patiently for Monday morning to come along so we can get some answers. Meanwhile, I'm going to hope that we don't enter the cycle of all the other cats feeling like they need some love from the vet's office! The budget for vet visits is a bit tight this month after Clara's almost-surgery appointment!

Say a cat prayer for Jasper, an update blog will be posted as we get some answers for him.

Till our tails cross,

Melanie

#Purrfectdozen #jasper #vet #medical #feline #catlife #felinediabeties #smolderingpancreatitis

Roughy picks a new favorite human!

This is the exact thought that runs through Roughy's head everyday.

It's no secret that Roughy is a mean, aggressive, orange boy who still showers people with love and affection—just on his own terms. What was a secret? How quickly his alliance with any single person would change! Sure, we humans pick our favorite pet, kid, aunt/uncle, parent, grandparent, etc. But we sure don't let on that we have a favorite. That memo never made its way down to Roughy.

Roughy's favorite human was my cousin Joe. Roughy taught him that cats hate water and don't "stay" on command. Once, Joe placed Roughy on a truck tailgate and told him to stay, but Roughy left as soon as he was unattended. Open windows meant adventure for Roughy. Joe was the fun person who could get away with anything.

Roughy moved on, though - he realized that his human mom would be more than happy to spoil him - in a different way. One-on-one time - no other cats - for nap time, gentle pets - staying away from his back and never too much petting at one time. I would also always warn the other cats not to mess with him, or they would pay the price when he decided to fight them. I used to say we both looked forward to our nap time - he knew the difference between the true nap time and when I just wanted him to chill out. If I said nap time too late in the day, he would walk away. But say it mid-day, and it was a sure thing.

He slowly started favoring another person - Wally, our favorite long-distance hiker. Wally quickly learned the no-pet zones and stuck to them. He also started putting Roughy in a "headlock" and then pulled his arms away, saying he slipped out of it. To say Roughy loved that would be an understatement. Wally became his truest best human friend - ready to spend hours sitting on the couch binge-watching TV or playing video games. When Wally got the hiking itch and hit the trail, I thought Roughy would be back for his nap time routine with me.

Sadly for me - not the case. He moved on to Scatter, Wally's girlfriend. I'm miffed - because she gives him all the things I used to. The big exception is she's home more than I am - so now he has nap time, bedtime, and whenever he wants! He hunkers down on her bed and settles in for a long haul of sleep - no matter the time of day. When she leaves for work, he walks around the house looking for her, stands in front of her bedroom door, and cries because he wants to be let in. It's like her room is really his room, and he just lets her stay there. It could be that most of the other cats don't hang as long in her room, so he truly feels like an only cat in our multi-cat house.

Whatever his deal is, he has single-pawedly figured out how to manipulate all the humans around him. The days of him being scolded are long gone—we realized that if we scold him, he spitefully pees in places; reprimand him, and he takes his frustration out on the other cats. So he is the true King of the house. His favorite human may change, but it's always whoever gives him what he needs or wants at the current time.

Can't say that we blame him—he figured out the system and is making it work to his full advantage.

Till our tails cross,

Mel & Roughy

House sitting and managing my 11 cats!

So, about 2 and a half years ago, I had the brilliant idea to start pet sitting for some extra cash. I'm always open to new ways to make money and have fun while I do it. More than 7 years ago, I gave up the "corporate 9-5" job lifestyle. First, I panicked—I was collecting unemployment but dreaded going back to the office jobs that for sure included office politics and drama. So I started my first "fun and part-time job" at the chiropractor's office (working on 6 years here!). I love it—while it's not mentally challenging, I get to talk to people, be social, and make money. There's no drama as there are no other employees. Next, I stumbled on some other small jobs—working for a pool company remotely, a plumber also remote, a vodka company—also remote. None of which lasted super long. I then followed the wild hair and started working at a bridal shop. I started just working weekends (something I said I would NEVER do again), and not long after, I started working a few afternoons and weekends. I truly love this job. It allows me to be extremely social, help people find the dress of their dreams, and have fun!

At some point, I must have decided I had plenty of spare time on my hands (who knows why I felt that!), so I signed up on Rover as a pet sitter. Now I have branched out—I have repeat customers not on Rover, have business cards that I hand out, and a Google and Yelp listing. The thing I love about pet sitting is that I'm able to work at my other jobs, do stuff at home, continue my social life, and best of all—I get to hang out with all the best dogs!

How do I manage to take care of other people's pets, work my jobs, and take care of my 11 cats? I don't do that single-handedly—I have some help. Gene—the loving husband who never gets enough credit—handles the daily medicines that have to be given (Clara and Jasper, plus the occasional sick meds). When I'm house-sitting, he also keeps an eye on the food bowls and water bowls. His theory on them is a little different than mine. As long as they have one water bowl and food bowl filled upstairs and one set downstairs, they are good to go—so he keeps that up. I, on the other hand, keep several food and water bowls filled on both floors.

Gene doesn't do litter scooping; that waits for me. I try to make it home at least once a day (midday is my preferred time) to take care of the litter and puppy pads. I've got it down to a science, so it takes about an hour-ish if I stay focused and don't veer off to anything else. Gene will clean up the occasional throw-up spot or a really stinky poop.

He keeps me updated on the supplies we need (food, litter, medicine, etc.). When we get low on things, he tells me, and I push through the Chewy order. Sometimes, if we only need one or two things, I'll just head to PetSmart. I drop stuff off, and it ends up wherever it needs to be.

The only time I don't make it home midday or after work for a quick visit is if I have a super needy set of pets, multiple drop-in visits, plus an overnight. Then I spend my midday break letting out dogs, walking them, and tending to my house-sitting pets. During those times, if I'm really nice, Gene will do the litter once or twice during the week for me.

Gene absolutely does not get enough credit for taking care of my P.I.T.A. cats. More recently, we have been doing a weekly date day, and that ensures we get some quality time together to enjoy each other's company.

Without Gene, I wouldn't be able to focus on my house-sitting pets and be successful. My cats miss that I am not home as much, but I do try to make time for nap-time with Roughy, TV time with Smokey, facials with Clara, meat snacks for Dobby, and time with the general population for Jasper. Fortunately, the rest of the cats aren't as demanding for attention or one-on-one time with me.

A happy house, is a house that communicates and keeps a good calendar!

Till our tails cross again,

Melanie

#PURRFECTDOZEN #PETSITTING #BESTHUSBAND #PETLIFE #DOGS #CATS #GOODLIFE