Stitch Murphy (aka Stitch, Stitch Murf, Murfles) is the most recent addition to our family. All I can say about Stitch so far is that he is incredibly playful and sweet. He loves the dogs, and acts like them a lot of the time. Stitch is obsessed with food, there is no food item that he has not shown interest in.
Mr. Kitty will fuck you up. For real, he is the biggest cuddle bug with me but he won’t let anyone but Gar or I touch him. When Mr. Kitty got neutered way back when, he escaped from the clutches of the technicians who were working with him and got into the ceiling of the surgery suite. Eventually, Mr. Kitty had to be caught with a net and tranquilized through the net. Kitty was the first animal that was truly mine and he is so dear to me I cannot even begin to express my love for him. If Mr. Kitty were a Spice Girl, he would be Posh Spice.
Shortly after my beloved Fenris passed, I knew I wanted another cat. However, I decided this time I was going to be extremely picky. I adopted my last two cats as adults (well Fenris was supposedly an adult at the time) from rescue groups and this time around I wanted a kitten with a good upbringing for various reasons. Firstly, I wanted a kitten because he (I usually always choose male animals but that is another story) would have the best chance of getting along with 10-year-old Mr. Kitty. I also wanted the kitten to grow up around the dogs and not hate their guts. Finally, I wanted a kitten who spent the first 8 weeks of his life with his mom and siblings in order to not be fearful and have social manners as far as cats go. I would like to say at this point that there are countless amazing adult cats available for adoption at shelters and rescue groups. However, I felt that a kitten who had a good upbringing was ideal for my family at the time.
I did not want to mention this at first, but, the day before we left for camping my three year old Maine Coon mix, Fenris, dropped dead. I had just finished picking up some things for camping in the early evening when Garrick called and told me he thought Fenris had just dropped dead in the office for no apparent reason. I could not believe it at first. Fenris was so young and healthy. I came home and confirmed for myself what Gar had told me, then took him to my work to meet with a co-worker and take care of his remains. The doctor is certain that Fenris died from a practically undetectable heart problem called cardiomyopathy. I basically cried the whole rest of the day.
The first few days of camping were bittersweet and I was exhausted but the trip was a blessing. I was able to have five days of separation from my work, and being there would have inevitably triggered my sadness. Also, I didn’t have to be home where it happened.
I had such a good time camping. I was very happy to have no phone service most of the time I was there. Mostly, my mind was concerned about when and where the next hike is and when and what the next meal is. This simplified existence along with the omnipresent natural beauty of the place was extremely therapeutic. Nature is magical to me and I find myself entranced by it every day regardless of whether I’m camping or not. I once wrote a paper analyzing the importance that J.R.R. Tolkien placed upon nature in his novels titled, “Nature: The Antithesis of Evil.” I don’t know why I felt compelled to mention that but there it is.
Fenris was a great cat. He was extremely sweet to the dogs and Gar and I. He practically was a dog himself. I got Fenris from a rescue group and they told me he was about a year or two old. It turned out, he was much younger when I got him than anyone thought. About 5 months later, Fenris needed to have surgery on both his hips in order to be able to walk again. The specialist told me that he was likely a year old or a little younger at that time based upon his x-rays. The specialist said that the rescue group probably thought he was older because he was relatively big and that the problem Fenris had is one that Maine Coon cats are prone to. Even knowing what I know now, I would not not change the past and would still have done his surgery.
Ultimately, I am blessed in a lot of ways. I am grateful Garrick was home when Fenris passed and that he did not suffer.
How can you not love kittens?!? I understand if you are not a cat person, but kittens man, kittens are too cute. Parrot kittens are especially cute. Parrot kittens are the ones that just sit and chill out on your shoulder while you take a break at work and snap off a selfie.
February is National Pet Dental Month. I spent a good amount of time researching and writing a pretty awesome article for work about some important things that everyone needs to know about pet dental health. I would like to share some things about your pet’s teeth that I think are important.
If you want your dog or cat to live a long, healthy, and happy life you must be aware of and address their dental health. Most pets over the age of three suffer from painful and inflamed gums due to infection. Infection under the gumline can spread to the liver, kidneys, and heart. Pets mouths should not smell like they just got done eating all the poop out of the litter box or something worse. Daily teeth brushing is freaking awesome for your pet and it can end up saving you A LOT of money.
Not all people can brush their pet’s teeth, I totally get that. Ask your veterinarian about other options like oral rinses, special foods, and treats. Not all treats, especially dental health related ones, are created equal. Animal bones can can splinter and cause tears in the stomach or intestines and possibly cause intestinal blockages. I’m not even going to go into why I think non-anesthetic dentals suck (and are often illegal) because there are so many reasons. Finally, I am not a veterinarian and will not and cannot offer medical advice for your pet.
Anywho, happy National Pet Dental Month! I hope you found this helpful or interesting. Some days I get too busy or forget to brush my dog’s teeth. I can’t brush my cats’ teeth, they try to shred my face. My goal for this month is to not miss one day of brushing… starting tomorrow. Enjoy this picture of Loki loving on his poultry flavored toothpaste.
I almost peed my pants at work today because of a slideshow screen saver. I work at a veterinary hospital and we are paperless (or “paper light” if you will), and we have about 25 computers in the hospital. One computer in a treatment center just got replaced by another one for whatever reason. I was giving an animal fluids under the skin and noticed the slideshow screensaver directly in front of me. The new computer had a default setting to play “My Pictures” from the work server on a slide show as its screen saver.
The pictures I saw were 60% adorable dog or cat and 40% disgusting infection, growth, or internal organ etc. I could not stop laughing at the absurdity of it all. One moment I’m looking at a cute puppy and the next I’m looking at an enlarged spleen. I can’t post most of the gross pictures I saw because I do not want to seriously disturb anyone. However, to give you a little taste, here’s part of an x-ray, a weirdo growth, and a cute puppy from the images I saw. My baby, Mr. Kitty, the Siamese mix with his butt in your face, is an added bonus… enjoy!