Feline Bliss
Originally uploaded by Kitty LaRoux.
Some friends came over today to eat eggs and waffles and apparently, to pet Memphis. She wasted no time in coopting Jessica's lap and stayed there for most of the afternoon. As it was a mere 9°F (-12°C!) outside, I'd be quite happy to spend the afternoon napping as well.
My company generously gave everyone everyone a Flip MinoHD for Christmas, and I will be using mine to do what any self-respecting cat-owner wielding a camcorder would do: Put video of my cat on the internet.
Featuring a sonata composed by Ken!
Monorail Memphis
Originally uploaded by Kitty LaRoux.
This cat has had a rough week. On Wednesday night around 9 p.m. Ken (his real name! Yay!) commented that she was being really quiet considering how close we were to feeding time. I immediately suspected that she was being *too* quiet - in other words, that she wasn't actually in the apartment. Apparently when I had come back in from the backyard, she hadn't. We called her back with a few shakes of a can of treats, and she didn't seem any worse for the wear - and in fact, I suspect she might have eaten something somewhere because she was remarkably unpesky as 10 p.m. approached.
Then, on Friday morning, a cockroach (ugh, I know) ran across our hallway. It stopped beside a box, and Memphis, descendent of fierce feline predators, sauntered over to it, gingerly touched it with her paw, then walked away.
What a pussy.
New Digs
Originally uploaded by Kitty LaRoux.
We moved into BP:LE today. Memphis has already hissed at our new roommate (one of the humans; she hasn't met the other feline yet). She seems content, if a little suspicious.
Here's a list of the sh*t I'm supposed to get done tonight:
1. Make a logo/signage for Dos' business.
2. Design the CD label/packaging for Jillian's upcoming show (that's August 1 at the Hope Lounge in Williamsburg).
3. Bake a delicious cake for Gigi's birthday.
4. Learn PHP.
Instead, I'm blogging (lucky you!) - oh, and as I was leaving the office this afternoon, a certain book that I'd pre-ordered was blocking the door. So maybe I'll get all that other stuff done later tomorrow.
I leave you with the lovely Miss Memphis, who seems to be feeling much better these days:
Last year when I took Memphis for her yearly check-up she weighed 17.6 lbs. That is pretty close to her peak, and per the vet, unhealthily high. In an attempt to facilitate feline weight loss (no small feat - just ask Sars and "Little" Joe), we cut her portion sizes down from 1 5.5oz can of food/day to 2/3 of a can. It didn't seen to bother her too much, and a couple of months ago I thought, wow, this is finally working! She is one svelte kitty.
More recently, though, I thought she seemed a little too skinny, and last weekend I finally hopped on the scale with her. She weighed in at 12.6 lbs. YIKES. I already had an appointment scheduled for today for her regular visit (as well as to check out that thing on her nose), and on Tuesday I called to move it up a few days.
The vet took blood and urine samples (it is really hard to get a cat to pee in the little cup, let me tell you!) and we'll get the results on Monday. In all likelihood, Miss Memphis has hyperthyroidism. The good news: It's common, and treatable. Our options will probably be either a drug regime (2 pills/day for the rest of her life), or radioactive iodine treatment. The former would cost ~$350/year, and since she's going to live FOREVER, that just isn't feasible, so I'm leaning toward the latter (which would entail her spending 7-10 days in the hospital and will cost ~$3k, but will be a permanent cure).
The good news in all of this is, it could explain a lot of her food anxiety, and might quell her 4 a.m. "I'm hungry and this is an emergency WAKE UP NOW MOM" urges. It's pretty sad that my BFF with her NEWBORN BABY is getting more sleep than I am with my cat.
P.S. She didn't really have to pee in a cup. CATURDAY TRIVIA: To take a urine sample from a cat, the vet inserts a needle directly into her bladder. And now you know.
Too Hot
Originally uploaded by Kitty LaRoux.
It's a hot hot Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend, just like last year when DLang and I tied the knot. Memphis is trying to keep cool by napping. Note that that is also her strategy for keeping warm.
Kiki
Originally uploaded by Kitty LaRoux.
Yesterday I visited my friends A & B (and their sweet sweet baby Daphne) in NJ. This is one of their cats, and this week's UFF Caturday honouree, Kiki.
Sunbathing
Originally uploaded by Kitty LaRoux.
For as long as I can remember, I wanted a cat. My mom didn't like the hair, so we had poodles instead - but I coveted creatures of the feline persuasion. I collected All Things Cat: stuffed, ceramic, sticky - anything I could get my hands on. Finally, in 1997, having recently graduated and started my first Real Job, I decided it was time to adopt a kitty. My then-boyfriend Greg had friends outside Ottawa (where we lived at the time) whose cat had recently had kittens, and he arranged for me to have one. I didn't care if I got male or female - I just wanted the orange one.
On the eve of Mother's Day at around 8 p.m., I drove out to the McDonald's on Carling Ave. to meet a man with a cardboard box in the trunk of his car containing a tiny orange kitten who fit in the palm of my hand. She came with a can of cat food and a note telling me that her birthday was April 1 and that they'd been calling her "Morris." As we'd recently visited Graceland, Greg & I decided on the name Memphis. She also goes by Mempher, Memipher, Memiflower, Memphy, Furball, The Furb, FOP (Furry Orange Pussy), as well as myriad variations on "Kitty LaRoux" (see: Purry LaRoux, Pesky LaRoux) and has been called the "Softest Cat in the World" on more than one occasion.
And, despite moments of wanting to throw her out the window, I think I'll keep her around.
Close
Originally uploaded by Kitty LaRoux.
Percy went home before we could get a family portrait. Maybe next time.
Pussy*
Originally uploaded by Kitty LaRoux.
It's still cold in Brooklyn, but the pussy willows at the green market this morning are a sure sign of Spring.
Lounging
Originally uploaded by Kitty LaRoux.
Caturday morning. Tomorrow is Memphis' 10th birthday! She will enjoy a celebratory can of tuna.
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