I am back but just for a short post this time! Lots to tell, once I get my pics all together. So much has happened since I last posted. Also, I need to go through my Blogroll to see who is still blogging. I see a lot have moved over to Facebook, like I did, but I am about through with that now.

Anyhow, I am anxious to get back into blogging again!

GUEST BATH FINISHED!

I have had some blogging friends asking if I ever got my guest bath done. Yes, it was finished in October '09! I had to hurry and get it done then, as I was getting a little 7-year old kitty with asthma from Houston, TX. This was her quarantine room after she arrived, as she had been in a foster home around other cats/kittens that had not been tested for FeLV. I had taken the floral arrangement out to get ready for little Sarah and forgot to put it back on the commode tank when I took these pics, but it filled in that area quite nicely.

I did the wallpaper and floor removal, painting, and tile work myself, as I'm sure you all remember my earlier posts on this project. Now I am into painting my big room...16 x 27 with 13 1/2 foot ceiling! Then I am moving on to the next project after that! Some people are gluttons for punishment, and I guess I am one of those people! Have to keep busy or go crazy! LOL

Anyhow, I think I am back to blogging for awhile again! Seems good to be back, but from what I've heard, a lot have dropped blogging and moved on to Facebook, just as I did. It's good to be back, and I will be by to visit you all soon! ;-)

FLOYD COUNTY, GA SHELTER CATS NEED YOUR HELP!

I'm Back!!!

Hello! Remember me??? I have been on a sabbatical from blogging...a much-needed break, what with everything that has been going on in my life. Before the weekend ends, I plan to do a new post about everything, or at least as much as I can recall, anyhow! Just give me a few days to get my pictures together and such. So-oooooo much has happened since I last posted. We have lost a total of 3 of our beloved cats.....Cleo, Miss Cookie and Buster, 2 in August just 2 days apart (mine) and then Buster (my daughter's cat) in October. More on all this in a few days! See you then! It feels good to be back on the blogging screen instead of Facebook! LOL

Happy 4th of July!

A HAPPY AND SAFE 4th OF JULY TO Y'ALL!!!

Sweet Pea's Final Surgery

Sweet Pea

I know it's been a good while since I posted, but things have been busy around here. My daughter's beloved little Sweet Pea had to have surgery again. She was clear of cancer at her last checkup on April 6, but on Mother's Day, May 12, I discovered another lump on her shoulder. The cancer had returned! That was 3 times in that same exact spot! So, after discussing the pros and cons of this latest surgery, we had to give her another chance. The oncologist said when this type of cancer returns like this, it comes back with a vengeance! So on May 18, her left front leg was amputated, including the shoulder where this cancer seemed to return each time. This was the only way to get rid of the cancerous tumor, so we had no other choice but to go this route at this time. Sweet Pea had her surgery on that Monday and was discharged on Wednesday. I met my daughter there on Tuesday, the day after surgery, over her lunch hour so we could visit Sweet Pea. I have never heard that cat so much as meow her entire 14 years of life, but that day she actually was communicating with my daughter! Everything Tammy said to her, Sweet Pea responded with a little meow. I was absolutely stunned!


She was confined to a 2x4-foot crate for 2 weeks, but I was there every day with her until Tammy got in from work each evening. We let her out of the crate several times a day to walk a little and gain her strength and confidence. Her appetite was unbelievable! She had no problems at all adjusting to 3 legs...none whatsoever! The first thing she did when I got her home was hop into her litterbox and use it! She now gets around as if she had 5 legs...up and down the stairs and jumping up onto the bed and sofa. Just amazing! She is receiving a new kind of chemo for 6 rounds, given at 3-week intervals. This is the same kind Buster has been getting, and his tumor this time disappeared entirely after only 2 treatments! He has just one more round of chemo to go, and Sweet Pea has 5 more left. It doesn't make them sick at all. The only effect it has on them is that can lower their white cell count, so they are usually put on antibiotics to ward off infections. Their blood is checked every week. Sweet Pea cannot receive any more radiation treatments now, as it has to be 2 years between treatments so that the skin can heal thoroughly. But she is going strong once again! She has gained over 2 extra years of life since her first cancer surgery, so we feel it has all been worth it. We would do this for our child, so why not our pet? I have seen many 3-legged dogs getting around like normal, and cats are no different....they adjust so well, and you'd never even know she had just 3 legs to see her running around. The surgeon was very optimistic about her surgery as he removed as much of the surrounding tissue as he possibly could, and the lab report came back that there was no cancer in that surrounding tissue. Maybe this surgery bought her another year or two...who knows? She's going to be a hard one to let go as she has been just the best cat! But we do know know when to do that last thing for her.


My little feral kitty, Miss Cookie. is doing well! She had 6 more ounces of fluid drawn off her chest 2 weeks ago, but the internist added another diuretic called spironolactone, to her meds, and this is the longest she has gone without having to have fluid drawn off. She is due for another cardiac ultrasound this week which will tell us how her little heart is responding to the heart medication. She really is a great little kitty!


As for myself, I have been battling an addiction. I am addicted to Farm Town, a game on Facebook! It is normal for me to stay up all night harvesting others' farms and replanting my own! LOL I am not alone, trust me! There are many others in the chatrooms on Farm Town who speak of their own addictions! It is really fun, and the hours seem to fly by! Before I know it, it is daylight! So, blogging has taken a backseat lately to it...and I apologize...but I do plan to visit all of you this week and catch up a little!

Miss Cookie's Cardiac Ultrasound

Miss Cookie

We took Miss Cookie to the specialists' hospital in Greenville yesterday for her cardiac ultrasound. It was not good. She may not live long, or she could live 5 years, I was told. It all depends on how well she reacts to the medications they have started her on. This is breaking my heart....she is just such a loving little cat. The right side of her heart is greatly enlarged and thickened, and the left side is not doing its share of pumping, so she is not getting the proper flow of oxygenated blood to her tiny little body at all. It doesn't seem to be bothering her one bit, but she does sleep a lot lately.

The doctor said, generally, cats with this type of heart condition only live 2-4 months. She has seen them live as long as 5 years sometimes, though. My heart is hurting...she is so sweet and only 3 years old. The specialist there said her condition is more than likely due to the fact that she was born a feral and her mother and ancestors not having the proper nutrition during their own lives. She said these cats don't absorb the taurine in their food as well as healthy-bred cats. She is on 2 meds now...one being lasix, the other for her heart. They drew another 3 ounces of fluid off her chest yesterday, too. 9.5 ounces was drawn off when I took her into my regular vet the first time, and then they referred her to Upstate Veterinary Specialists in Greenville, SC. They only accept referrals there. Thank the good Lord for this wonderful facility!!! They are just super there! It's actually like a human hospital but for animals. They can perform anything there for an animal that our human hospitals can for us. People come there from all over with their pets.

So it was a long day there, as I didn't get home til about 6:30 last evening. She has to go back next Monday for a kidney check to make sure they are not becoming dehydrated from the lasix. Then a repeat ultrasound will be done in one month to see how, and if, her heart is responding to the medication. For being a feral cat, she has tamed quite nicely, and they handled her with ease. She didn't need to be gassed down for the ultrasound procedure or the fluid removal.

I have never had a cat, ever, with a heart condition. If you are a regular reader of my blog, you will recall that my son lost his little "Scooter" to a heart condition last October. She was only sick about 4 months before he lost her.

So for now, all I can do is give her the prescribed meds every 12 hours and just enjoy what time I have left with her. Prayers would be welcomed. It hurts to lose a pet, how well I know, as I've had to say goodbye to a good many, but to lose such a young one is just so heartbreaking. I just have to keep reminding myself that she's had a better life, albeit a short one, than what she would have had living outside as a feral.