Tenth Life Fund-Raiser

The Cat Who Fetches

Misty, our 9.5 month old kitty, likes to fetch. She brings toys for me to throw, but she also likes to explore the basement and bring me whatever she finds. Here's what she's fetched so far:

* bubble wrap sheets (on several occasions)

* a strip of dried caulk (I have no idea where she found that!)

* a phone jack

* a tupperware lid (I have no idea where the matching freezer container is)

Isn't she clever? She certainly keeps me guessing! I just hope she doesn't start bringing me mice. (So far, so good.)

RIP Mia

Mia Keeler
1992-2010

Rest in peace, fiesty girl. You were my first (surrogate) cat and the reason I love kitties. I miss you already and I always will.

Good-Bye, Dear Little Friend

Our precious little Saffron died in her sleep the day after Thanksgiving, just two days after my last post. She was sleeping peacefully in one of her favorite beds under the Christmas tree and seemed to know Roger and I were both with her. She coughed very delicately a few times and just slipped away peacefully. I’m thankful for her peaceful passing and so glad she was home with us. I know we did all we could to give her a wonderful life but I miss my sweet little girl already and always will. I like to think she’s already in heaven with Sable.

Thank you for all your love and support during her illness, from all of us.

Cathy and Roger (and Sophie the oblivious cat who nevertheless howled at the moment of Saffron’s death)

Saffron Update

Saffron hasn't been doing so well recently. A couple weeks ago she had some kind of "event": she fell over, acted a bit weird for a few hours, and was back to normal the next day. There's no way to know for sure what happened, but since then, she's been acting like an old cat (pacing, vocalizing, and occasionally a little confused). The old cat behavoir appears to be unrelated to her liver problem or the "event."

I became really worried this week when her weight dropped to 4 lbs. (she should weigh about 7 lbs.). She's eating, but not nearly as much as usual. Although she's still drinking and getting around, I'm afraid she doesn't have much time left. We don't want to make "the decision" as long as she's not in pain and is still eating, drinking, and getting around. She seems comfy and happy -- I'm the one who is distressed! I guess we're never ready to say good-bye, no matter how much time we have to prepare. I'm still hoping that when the time comes, she'll leave us peacefully in her sleep. Until then, I'm going to sleep in the living room with her and love and comfort her as much as I can.

Here are some photos of her eating in bed (yes, she's the most spoiled cat on the planet) and sleeping in her favorite spot in the whole world (of course we put the tree up early just for her!). Say a prayer for my sweet little girl.

Saffron's Special Day

The weather forecast says only a 20% chance of rain tonight and it should be cool and windy. Perfect Halloween weather! (You know you're from Michigan if you've ever gone trick-or-treating in the snow, wearing your winter coat over your costume.)

Best of all, today is Saffron's special day. We found her 12 years ago today and, despite her liver disease, she's still with us and doing OK. We are so happy she's here to celebrate her special day with us! Here's a recent photo of us together (don't you hate it when you're sleeping and someone starts taking your picture?):




















And here are a couple of Halloween pics from last year. (She no longer climbs onto the table with the village.)








































Happy Halloween birthday, sweet girl!

Saffron on YouTube!

The other night we gave Saffron a Cornish Hen. Yup, a whole chicken that was just her size! She loved it. Watch the excitement in her first YouTube video:



Before you ask: yes, we spoil her terribly. (Hey, she deserves it and we are just so glad she's still with us after being diagnosed with liver disease two years ago!) And, yes, we are easily amused. Who needs TV when you have cats?

P.S. If the video takes too long to load watch it on YouTube.

Saffron Update

Much to the vet's (and our) surprise, our sweet little Saffron is still hanging in there. She still appears comfy, eats a lot, and purrs a lot. Isn't she cute sleeping under her cat tree? It takes a comfy, secure cat to sleep with her head upside down!

Thank you to everyone who asked about her and sent prayers and good wishes for her. Her liver is clearly getting larger and we know her time is really getting short and thank everyone for being so supportive.

Advanced Cat Yodeling

By request from icanhascheezburger.com, "Advanced Cat Yodeling" is a shortened edit of "An Engineer's Guide to Cat Yodeling (with Cat Polka)" by Paul Klusman. Don't drink while you are watching this!

Saffron Update

Our sweet little Saffron is still hanging in there! Isn't she adorable sleeping in her bed (above)?

A few weeks ago the vet tech thought Saffron was having trouble breathing. An x-ray showed that her liver is much larger and is pushing on her lungs, tummy, and intestines (which is probably why she has diarrhea). The vet said she might make it to July 4th, but he'd be astonished if she made it to Labor Day. We've known for a long time that her days are numbered, so we're just glad she's comfortable, eating a lot, and has no trouble breathing. If any of those things change, we'll have to make The Decision, but we're still hoping she stays comfortable for as long as possible and slips away peacefully in her sleep.

Saffron has never been a lap cat; she's just happy to be near me, especially if she can see me, but every now and then she wants to snuggle (below). I'm thrilled with every happy minute, every sweet kiss that wakes me in the morning, and every cuddle. Maybe our Miracle Kitty will surprise everyone again...

Tenth Life Fundraiser

Tenth Life is a no-kill shelter that provides love, medical care, and homes for homeless cats. Kitties live in foster homes until they are adopted; funds are always needed for medical care.

Even small donations help! If you can't attend the concert, but would like to make a tax-deductible donation send a check to:

Tenth Life
3415 Hull
Flint, MI 48507

The kitties appreciate your support!

Tenth Life Fundraiser

Tenth Life is a no-kill shelter that provides love, medical care, and homes for homeless cats. Kitties live in foster homes until they are adopted; funds are always needed for medical care.

Even small donations help! If you can't attend the concert, but would like to make a tax-deductible donation send a check to:

Tenth Life
3415 Hull
Flint, MI 48507

The kitties appreciate your support!

Saffron Update

I’ve been putting off posting this update. Saffron is OK but has had a rough week. For the last couple weeks she has had more digestive problems than usual (about three bad days per week instead of one; this is probably an indication that her overall condition is getting worse). This past weekend she clearly didn’t feel well and Sunday we couldn’t get her to eat. Not eating is very bad for cats because they can go into liver failure very quickly. Since she already has liver problems, not eating is a very serious problem.

When she saw the vet Monday her digestive problems were gone but she was dehydrated and her gingivitis was not responding to antibiotics — which was why she didn’t want to eat. (She is too frail for dental surgery.) Fortunately, she HAS responded to extra fluids and pain medicine. The pain medicine doesn’t make her groggy, loopy, or hyper; it just makes her act like her normal, perky, hungry self. Whew! Today she is OK, but we have no idea how long it will last.

If she had not responded to this treatment, it would have been time to make THE decision. When she first got sick we decided that as long as she was eating, drinking, getting to the litterbox, and looking happy, her quality of life was good. Fortunately, the new medicine means she has those things, for now. I’m afraid it may not last long and that the end may come soon and possibly suddenly.

She likes to be near me or where she can see me. Here are some photos of her telling me she's ready to eat and looking happy and snuggly in her favorite bed (I left the little Christmas tree up -- undecorated -- for her because she loves sleeping under it so much):

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas! Saffron is under the tree, Sophie is wearing her Santa hat, the house is decorated, and stocking are hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there...

Sweet Saffron

I'm busy with my end-of-the-semester grading, but my beautiful, sweet Saffron is keeping me company in her favorite spot.

Giving Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope everyone is having a peaceful, happy family holiday.

Among the many things I am thankful for year is Saffron. After getting worse in Oct. (so much so that we thought she might not make it through the weekend), she perked up and is holding her own. She is comfortable, hungry, and purry. She still has some trouble with gingivitis and is too frail for dental work. Fortunately, there's a injectable antibiotic that fixed that problem -- and it lasts for two weeks. (Amazing!). She woke me up today, as she does most days, by hopping on the bed to give me kisses. She is enjoying her Christmas village and sleeping under her small Christmas tree. I hope to put up our big tree tonight so she can enjoy sleeping under it. I'm just so thankful that my sweet kitty is purry, happy, and here to eat turkey with us.

More Halloween Cats

For those who thought Saffron looked ticked in the previous photo:





















She really is the sweetest, most tolerant cat I've ever known.

Our Halloween Cats

I bought the kitties a costume at the after Halloween sale. They were so excited, the couldn't wait until next Halloween to wear it. Here they are, still celebrating Halloween:







































One of my friends thought Saffron (top photo) looked mad and Sophie (bottom photo) looked playful. Actually, Saffron is just waking up in that photo; she took the whole thing well and didn't mind the hat at all. I got several photos of her. Sophie, on the other hand, was not cooperative and this is the only photo I got of her. I'll have to sneak up on her when she's sleepy and try again.

Happy Saffron

Saffron has been pretty quiet today and not eating much (which scares the heck out of me). To perk her up we brought home her favorite toy in the world: the Christmas tree box. As soon as she saw it she got all excited and tried to get in before I could remove the tree! Once the tree was out of her way, she ran in, sat down, and groomed. Then she purred for the first time today -- very loudly.

We're not putting up the tree, but I did set up half of her Christmas village. (Our dining room now represents The Nightmare Before Christmas with a Halloween village on the desk and a Christmas village on the buffet! LOL.) Saffron has walked through a couple of times, but hasn't settled down to sleep in her Christmas village, stare into the little houses, or look at the pretty lights. Maybe tonight...

We're just glad to see her perk up at the sight of her favorite Christmas things.

Saffron the Wonder Cat

Saffron the Wonder Cat improved over the weekend. Dr. Amy examined her this afternoon and confirmed that her liver is more distended that it was last Mon. It’s the same as it was on Fri but not any worse. Her spleen is also somewhat enlarged, so the probable cancer is probably not limited to her liver.

Saffron is doing remarkably well for a kitty whose time is limited. She is alert, hungry, bright-eyed, purring, and wakes us up most mornings by hopping on the bed to give us kisses. We are keeping a very close watch on her for any signs of discomfort or organ problems, and loving her and spoiling her as much as possible. We know the vets can't tell us exactly how much time she has left, but we are happy that she’s still here and grateful that she’s not in any pain.

I thought you might enjoy this picture of Saffron in my Halloween village. She likes it, but not nearly as much as she likes my Christmas village. She keeps giving me a look that I am sure means "Where are my snow fabric and my little houses?". Since it's very unlikely she'll be here at Christmas to enjoy her village, we are going to set up at least part of it for her now so she can enjoy sleeping in the village, staring into the little houses, and looking at the pretty lights.