Joe & probably the best cookie ever.

Grand-kitty Joe seen here with his little sister Rae-Rae (taken 2 years ago) went off to the vet this morning with a boo-boo on his pea-brain head.

Joe is an indoor/outdoor cat in his quiet neighbourhood but he is not the only cat on his street. With that in mind,  he is also a scrapper.

Once upon a time, he was just a little innocent kitten. He was found in a bush by my kitty-lovin' daughter and brought home to live life in luxury. He lives with my daughter now.
But now that he's a big boy he likes to rule and other than his sweet little sister he tolerates no cats on his property. That saying, he now is on antibiotics for an infection caused by a wound from one of his neighbourhood *play-mates*.
He will be an indoor-only cat until his next vet appt. in 2 weeks. "Good luck with that, Allie" "Geeeeesh"

I was asked to post my banana bread cookie recipe again so here you go....

BANANA BREAD COOKIES

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup butter

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

3 ripe bananas

2 cups rolled oats

1 cup walnuts

Oven 375 degrees

Cream together butter and sugars.Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add flour, baking soda & cinnamon.

Mix well.  Mix in bananas, oats and walnuts. Drop by spoonful on a greased or parchment paper lined cookie tray. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

I'll keep you posted on the Siamese cat.

hugs, Deb

Sometimes you need more than calming tea

My nerves are a little shattered today. The way some cats are treated just blows my mind. This abandoned cat's future wears on me and our local shelter is now turning away people because they are beyond full. 

I walked by this morning and took these pictures of him on his temporary deck.

He's a very handsome boy. He seems to be quite happy with the accommodations he has been given so we will just work hard now to find him a permanent home. I don't think it will take long...hoping anyway.

Another issue I am dealing with is Hugo's numbers have been higher than usual when we test his blood sugar. This is really a mind-boggler and I feel like we are not getting anywhere with this health issues. It looked good for awhile and then wham...numbers shot up.He seems happy and jolly and comfortable and loving but he is not getting better.  I really want to get him leveled and hopefully down to one injection a day before he goes back to his original home. Oh well, I'll carry on and drink lots of herbal teas. :)

It's a nice day today. Lots of sunshine. Ed joined Gary in the yard this morning while he worked.

Ed's favorite spot is to lie on this plank and bask in the sunshine. He'll model his new collar for you later. Right now, he's busy.

I'm off to visit Buddy & Eb. This is Ebony's last day with cat-care. I told her last night that she just had one more sleep before mom & dad would be home. Then, I corrected myself and said  OK! You're a cat....8 more sleeps. :)

Have a great day. Drink some tea and relax. I'm gonna try. My dog and I are going for a walk.
Hugs,
Deb

Siamese needs home urgently

How could anything this beautiful be discarded like a bag of garbage? 

This gorgeous cat was abandoned by his owners. A kind lady in our town has given him shelter and food for now. She was told by neighbours that it came from a home where they didn't want it anymore and just put it out. I don't know for sure but was told they don't live there anymore. So now he is wandering and looking for a home. Jean has stepped up and decided to care for him until a spot at a rescue opens up or someone comes forward who would give him a good home.
He seems to get along well with male cats. Not so much with her female. He is rather indifferent to the dog.
He wants to be in her home but because the female and he do not get along (lots of hissing and snarling) she will house him on their covered deck  for now. She has made a bed of blankets and says he is very comfortable while the evenings are warm. He is being well fed and she said she tries to spend time with him as he is very affectionate. He was sitting on her knee as she spoke to me on the phone. She thinks he is around 2 years old.

If anyone would like more information on this wonderful cat, please contact me. 
 
Deb

To nap!

The big question in our home is "To nap or not to nap?"

                       "I say.....let the napping begin."

                                          zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz


hugs, Deb (yawn!)

Cravendale - Cats with thumbs

Cravendale - Cats with thumbs

Thinking of having cereal?  Thought I'd post this video once again in case you may have missed it.
Here's the real deal on Cats & Milk

Many people who own a cat think that milk is an important part of a cat’s diet. This is not true. In fact, milk does not meet any of the nutritional needs of a cat. So, should cats drink milk? Many veterinarians would say “no”.

While old movies often show cats contentedly feeding on a bowl of milk or cream, the fact is that a cat could not survive if her diet consisted of only milk. Not only does milk fail to meet any of the nutritional needs of a cat, it can even cause health problems for some cats.

The reason for this is that most cats are lactose intolerant. Cats lack the enzyme, called lactase, that allows them to properly break down milk. For such cats, drinking milk can lead to digestive problems including diarrhea.

While there is no reason that cats need to drink milk, some owners just enjoy giving it to them. As long as the cat is not lactose intolerant, there is no problem with giving a cat an occasional treat of milk.

Unfortunately, a little trial and error is the only way to find out if your cat is, in fact, lactose intolerant. To find out you will have to give her a little milk. If she does not have any symptoms, then it is safe to assume she is not lactose intolerant – at least right now. In this case, it is safe to give her milk as a treat once in a while.

At my home all the cats love a treat of milk. I don't have a cat that shows the negative results of milk drinking but I still limit it to a couple of tablespoons at a time 2x a week. It's just a treat remember.

hugs, Deb

the last few days

While Hugo sleeps...

Let's get out there and enjoy the last few days of August.

First....tea

Then...walk Kane..

shoot some pics..visit my daughter..kitty-sit..get instructions for medicating a rabbit (oh dear...wish me luck)... throw on a veggie pizza.


hugs, Deb

Sleep

Dreaming of mice, flies & spiders.


Cats sleep more than almost any other mammal. Realistically, your cat sleeps about twice as much as you do. How much an individual cat sleeps depends on his age, hunger, the temperature and the weather. Like humans, cats go through both Rapid Eye Movement (REM) and non-REM sleep. Although no one can actually ask a cat, the assumption is that your cat dreams during REM sleep. You may notice his whiskers twitch or his eye moving behind his eyelids. The deep non-REM sleep is when the cat's body grows and repairs itself. (from web)


Now that hurricane Irene has left, I wish you all a good sleep.


hugs, Deb

Fierce winds & Calm Hugo

After a morning of cat-sitting and having breakfast out, I am home listening to Adele & cookin'. I have been wanting to make a vegetarian spaghetti sauce for awhile so on this cool, windy day I will stay home and do just that. We are experiencing bad weather due to Irene but even if it pours here I won't complain. We are hearing about some of the deaths due to this hurricane....it's so very sad.

Last night Hugo joined me once again in the office.

 He is off all dry food now because of diabetes and no treats are allowed. I feel bad for him and try to make up for it in other ways. I brush him a lot, carry him around and make comfy spots for him in the office where he loves to hang out. He's a good boy and although he still needs insulin every day we are hoping to help him beat this disease. Tonight he got a treat. Just nip (that's allowed) and he loved it.

If you are interested here is a little on diabetes in cats....If not, move on to the next blog or you'll fall off your chair from boredom.

Diabetes is a pretty simple illness to understand. But it's important to really understand it, because the key is the balance between sugar and hormone insulin. That's the "sugar dance", as we call it.the in and out of sugar and insulin in the cells, the replacing of insulin that the body can't make for whatever reason, and finding the correct amount of insulin to give so that there is enough sugar in the blood, but not too much and not too little. And, much to our dismay, it can vary from day to day, and even time to time within a day, depending on food, stress, happiness, and - let's face it, they're cats; they do their own thing.


So it's a daily struggle to keep his insulin levels right. We have to check his blood twice a day by poking his ear (s) and getting a drop of blood to measure his sugar levels. Normal would be between 3 & 8 and Hugo's readings are mostly around 12 or 13. When it is under 8 we are very happy. So we just keep going and he is the best little patient ever. He just eats his grub while we poke for blood and he never flinches. This morning it was 13 :( 

Happy Sunday everyone.


hugs, Deb

"So long Jack" "Hi Mooch"

Never has a state funeral made me cry. Jack Layton's televised funeral was full of inspiration, love & hope for the future of Canada. It brought me to tears. 

So much in the news today kept me glued to the TV. This wonderful man's funeral/celebration of his life and legacy and watching the outcome of Hurricane Irene has made this day emotional. I hope Irene is over soon.

A bit of comic relief is this little moocher.

 I was just finishing up my visit with Josephine and low and behold look who is waiting at the door for the cat-sitter to appear. Of course, I fussed over her and I did give her some treats. Her friend missed out but tomorrow is another day.

I'm picking up some organic apples tomorrow and I think I just may like a new 'snack' idea I read on Cozy Little House. http://www.cozylittlehouse.com/Slice up apple and add a bit of peanut butter to each slice. Really? I think I may like that and it has fewer calories than peanut butter on a cracker.What can be wrong with that! Drop over and meet Brenda. She's incredible. Wait til you see her cozy little photos.

                        "You guys should try nip on a cracker. Really!"
Hugs, Deb

off to cat-sit

It is a beautiful morning here but the thoughts of all those in Irene's path lay heavy on the mind.

Last night, as I visited one of my kitty clients, I was welcomed on the deck by one of the neighbour cats.

She was so soft & sweet. Look how gorgeous she is.  I guess she had heard that a cat-sitter was coming and the thought of her cat-bag carrying a few kitty treats entered her little brain. She got lots of tummy rubs and yes, a treat as I left. She's no fool!

Josephine was happy for company and was much friendlier than usual. She is on medication presently but doing fine.

 We had a fun visit.

This morning as I arrived to give Josephine her breakfast, I was greeted by 2 cats on the back deck.

Wow! Word spreads fast in this neighbourhood. Of course, they both got some patting and I left them with a few treats. They were friends, you could tell.

My clients mentioned these little moochers so it was not a surprise to learn that they come by for a treat regularly. This street houses many cat-lovers and many gorgeous, friendly cats.

Ebony was looking for a tummy-rub when I arrived this morning. Is she not the most gorgeous, silky black cat? I love this gal.

Hope you have a safe weekend.

Hugs, Deb

Prayers go out for your safety

No cat makes me feel more welcome at his home than Cooper.

The word "HOME" lays heavy on my heart tonight.

My thoughts are with all those who anxiously await the effects of Hurricane Irene. I cannot imagine how frightened you are in your homes and I hope and pray that everyone will be safe this weekend. PLEASE do all that you can to protect yourself, your loved-ones and your pets.  You are on our minds and in our hearts.

Hugs, Deb

Robin's Nest & Happy x 3

We ate lunch at the Robin's Nest today in Almonte, Ontario (12 km from home)

Cute little place.

Their food is like 'mom used to make'

Pies are homemade

Tasty, hot tea.  I 'm happy.

Then we took our dog, Kane for a run but all he wanted to do was roll.

 Why you ask? Because I had just bathed him.

At Home....Ed was happy, too. Fresh grass just for him.

and at our local shelter there is a very happy cat there, too. Look who just got adopted...

I am so happy for John today. He has been picked out of 100 cats to be given a second chance. Tonight he is at home with his new family. I wish him a long and happy, healthy life. Bless you, John. You are a wonderful cat and it was a privilege to get to know you. :)
John is 5 years old and had been at our shelter since May/11. Here is their websitehttp://www.lanarkanimals.ca/cats1.asp?page=10


This made my day!


hugs, Deb

No breaks for Mothers

Zeus is coming along but the little fella is still at the clinic. Shelly will bring him home tomorrow and she has asked me to look in on him on Friday while she has a break from home. I'm happy to do that.

Well...once a mother..always a mother. My son broke his hand last night. The doctor said the break is very bad and hard to set so he is in a cast for now and they will look at it in 2 weeks to decide whether he needs to have surgery. He was injured during a soccer game and it is his right hand and he is right-handed. Boo.....
He sounded so frustrated already tonight and of course he drives a standard car so his wife will have to give him her car and she'll be having to make up for his disability.  Riley won't have any pick-me-up's from daddy for awhile. So I'm being a normal mom and I'm really worried about his hand healing properly. Being a mom does not get easier when your children become adults. I think it gets harder because problems can be more serious. OK...deep breath...stay positive.

The spare room has an extra piece of furniture in it now and I've been playing with dishes tonight.

 I moved the pine desk from the dining-room and I'll use it to store linens and extra dishes. A place for my mis-matched dishes, a little bit of everything.

I can make anything a china cabinet. You know....think outside the box.

My new 'love' is to mix and match tea-cups and saucers.

Match up the colours but have different patterns.

It was a warm, Fall-like day today and the cats really enjoyed their morning nap outside on the screened-in deck.

They'll wonder where their room went come winter. But then, the wood-stove magically turns on and they hog that all day and night so they'll get over their deck pretty quick. Ah.....a cat's life! 

Hope your weather is nice. I'm just lovin' this.

hugs, Deb

High note on Hugo

The day started off on a high note. Hugo did not need insulin.

                                                              Lion wannabee

 His numbers were lower than normal so that means he gets a morning off from an injection. This has been happening quite a bit lately and we are hoping that it means he will soon need only 1  injection instead of  2  injections daily. Our target is to get him off this insulin altogether. Isn't he a cute fella?

Then off to visit Ebony and pick up more keys for this coming weekend. Got some cute ones to care for.

Last night Shelly called me and one of her foster cats needed to be rushed in to the vet's clinic. He was showing signs of urinary obstruction and was showing blood when he tried to pee. He is there now and will stay another day for observation. Poor Shelly...this costs a lot and money is tight for all the rescues. He is only a year old and already has health issues. Poor fella. He needs to get healthy and find his forever home.

So good thoughts for Zeus & Hugo would be appreciated.

hugs, Deb