The Cats Part - Goodbye to a Friend

The Itty Bitty Kitty is no longer with us and the world is smaller place.  Itty Bitty lost his fight against old age and cancer today at the age of 18.

According to my sister, Itty Bitty spoke with the voice of Darth Vader.   In reality, he spoke with a distinctive half-chirping meow.  And a giant purr.  Itty Bitty was not your typical cat.  He loved olives, yogurt, deli ham and a freshly opened box of Cat Chow.  He had a glorious white coat and luxurious neck fur, a long tail and tufted paws. 

Itty Bitty found us when we were living in a ground floor apartment.  We think his previous owner had abandoned him after a move.  My husband heard him calling at the window and let him in the apartment.  Oily and undersized, he walked in like he owned the place and  16 years and two residences later, he was still our cat.   I had tried out several names on the Itty Bitty Kitty.  Molly didn’t work when a vet pointed out Itty Bitty was a boy.  Ellis didn’t work (too stuffy).  So we kept calling him the Itty Bitty Kitty.  And it stuck.  Even as he grew into his frame and eventually weighed fifteen pounds, he was always the Itty Bitty Kitty.

Itty Bitty loved sleeping in a warm sunny spot in our back yard.  Not an outdoor cat, Itty Bitty still spent time in the back yard with us, chewing grass and just hanging out.  He supervised every construction project and house repair, offering advice as needed.

He was a gentle soul and a good friend.   Our lives are richer for having him in them, and we are lucky to have had him so long.  Itty Bitty will be missed beyond words.  And I know, even though I wish he was with me,   he is in a better place, chewing on grass and sleeping in the sun, with an endless supply of Cat Chow.  And olives.

Cats, Cats,Cats

Itty Bitty

Izabella (left) and Callie

Welcome, Calista!

I wasn't sure I was ready for another kitty so soon after losing Phoebe, but my perennial dining companion said a lot of kitties were waiting for homes in shelters and I agreed. Welcome, Calista!

The Cats Part - Saying Goodbye to Phoebe

My perennial dining companion found Phoebe at the Capital Area Humane Society in November of 1998. She flopped in her cage to let him rub her belly and he knew she was the kitty for us. Phoebe’s ride home from the Capital Area Humane Society was legendary. She chewed through the cardboard carrier they gave my perennial dining companion to transport her home and he played a gentle game of “whack a mole” with her all the way from Lansing to Farmington Hills. 12 years later, Phoebe was still flopping for belly rubs and surprising us with her determination.

Phoebe was the quintessential cat. Small and striped, she could hear a tuna can open while asleep on another floor of the house. Feisty and determined, she could open folding doors with one paw. Our constant basement companion, Phoebe, the sports kitty, survived many important sporting events in the basement, including 2 Detroit Stanley Cups, Michigan’s victory over Florida in the Capital One Bowl in 2008, and the Detroit Tigers World Series Appearance in 2006.

When Phoebe was diagnosed with Chronic Renal Failure in November, she amazed us with her determination to survive and to thrive despite her failing kidneys. Phoebe never gave up. A bad day would lead to a series of good days. She never quit giving head butts, belly flops and love to her family. Over the last week, our little fighter kitty lost the battle of wills with her body and we had to say goodbye. We were lucky to have her as part of our lives and she will be sorely missed.

The "Cats" Part - or Why I Haven't Posted in Almost 2 Months

The week before Thanksgiving, my beautiful and fiesty 12-year old tabby cat, Phoebe, yowled in pain and was taken to the vet, presumably with some sort of UTI. After a week of blood work and antibiotics, we discovered that she had Chronic Renal Failure (or CRF). This is a common killer of kitties and we were heartbroken. We hospitalized her for IV fluid treatment and she didn't respond well. Phoebe quit eating and her blood tests weren't showing improvement after the initial downtrend. We took her home, presumably just to give her a little bit of good time at home before it was her time to leave us forever. After a few hours, it became clear she was miserable and we took her to the emergency vet thinking she would be put to sleep. Fortunately for all of us, the emergency vet was wonderfully supportive and we ended up giving her some fluids and anti-nausea drugs and taking her back home. She perked up overnight and even ate a little bit. We have since then been on a mission to find a treatment pattern to help her. She is on Sub-Q fluids three times a week and is eating normally and living a typical kitty life, with the exception of the fluids. She is a CRF cat and that isn't going to go away, but we for the moment are all in a good spot and I'm very grateful for that. Phoebe is an amazing little kitty and I'm so happy she is still with us.