Steven's Feline & Furball Friday: Goodbye Pickle

From For Ellipsis

"By associating with the cat, one only risks becoming richer."

-Sidonie Gabrielle

I hope Steven doesn't mind my using this photograph. When I saw it last year, during Elvis's illness, it just filled my heart and made everything a little easier to take. I believe Elvis and Pickle would have been friends, if they could have met each other. Elvis loved having friends, and he had many in his life, so I just know they would have gotten along famously.

Pickle made me smile many many times, before and since Elvis's passing, and it was a lot of fun hear about his many adventures with Steven. I will miss hearing about those times. Goodbye nice kitty, I just know that somehow you and my boy Elvis are running side by side, chasing butterflies together.

Oh Pickle cat. I will miss you very much. Sigh.

-Carly

If you haven't already done so, please visit Steven's blog and leave Steven your support.

Steven's Feline And Furball Friday: Dylan The Wild Child

"Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still."

-Dorothea Lange

What can I say? This photo was, of course, a mistake, but after I downloaded it to the computer, along with the other photos from this session, I decided I liked it. Knowing Dylan as I do, I can see in it, his inner lion, stalking his prey. See, Dylan is a bit of a putty-tat. Those of you who own cats know exactly what I mean. There are pussycats, and then there are putty-tats. Putty-tats are love bugs. Like Sylvester, they try their best to stalk and then catch their prey, but more often then not they are almost always outwitted by the object of their stalking, even by the inanimate objects. It can be highly entertaining to watch. In Dylan's case, it is not an inanimate object at all, it's his brother Hendrix. Hendrix has already shown great potential in stalking and attacking, but Dylan rarely puts his claws out, and almost never bites. Like I said, he is my love bug. But if you need him to catch a plastic ball with a bell in it in midair... then Dylan is your cat! :)

I haven't played Steven's Feline and Furball Friday in far too long. Friday is the day for pets, go see Steven for all the details!

-Carly
"Wild Child"
Berkeley, California
January 14th, 2009
Afternoon

Steven's Feline Friday... Oops We Did It Again!

"There is one order of beauty which seems made to turn heads. It is a beauty like that of kittens or very small downy ducks making gentle rippling noises with their soft bills, or babies just beginning to toddle."

-T.S. Eliot


Introducing Dylan, as himself! LOL. Yes, it's true, Alan and I made the wacky decision to adopt a second kitten. Why you ask? Well, see, Hendrix was lonely for feline company. Mommy's legs made great scratching posts, but her tights weren't much fun to climb! Especially when she squealed! LOL. Just joking there, actually we had planned to adopt two kittens all along, but after a really bad experience at a local shelter, one I will never forget or forgive, we changed our minds and settled in with our new baby Hendrix. But in this ever changing world we live in, fate decided to step in an unite us we our new orange baby Dylan. :)

How did we find Dylan? Well, the phone rang early last Wednesday morning, it was Donna, from Dr. B's office, and she said there was a little orange kitty who had been through a traumatic experience, and he was all alone in the world. LOL. Well, I am paraphrasing, but basically Ms. D, who had helped Hendrix find us, had an orange kitten for us, if we were interested. Hmmmm... was I interested? You bet! It was a sunny day, the election was a landslide for Obama, democrats were very close to taking a 2/3 majority in the senate, and I slept better the night before then I had since the Clinton years! LOL. Holy cow... the planets have aligned! Yes, give me that cat! Tee Hee.

Dylan has a story, and I will tell it next week. I have been so cat heavy lately on Ellipsis that I bet you think I have gone all things cats, so don't worry I am not going to only speak about felines, I have plenty to say about politics, and humor, and cooking, and holiday madness, and general madness, and photography, so please don't go running from my blog in a fit of cat allergies, there's more to come I promise!

Now, this is an entry for Steven's Feline and Furball Friday, because Friday is the day for pets! Go post your own pet photo and play along. It's fun!

;)

-Carly
"Introducing Dylan As Himself"
Berkeley, California
November 6th, 2008
Afternoon

Steven's Feline & Furball Friday: Elvis And The Boy Next Door

"Our perfect companions never have fewer then four feet."

-Colette

Have I told you about Elvis's canine pal Mac? Mac is a beautiful bulldog mix who lives just over the fence that has the beautiful Morning Glory growing on it. Mac and his human, Oliver, moved into the neighborhood almost a year ago. Since that time, Elvis has had the same routine. Each morning Elvis wakes me for his regular breakfast, consisting of two cans of Gourmet Chicken Fancy Feast, then it is on to picking out his clothes for the day, followed by cuddle time with mommy, as we watch Live with Regis & Kelly.

It seems Elvis isn't a big fan of The View, no offense ladies, but the minute Regis and Kelly go off, he walks to the back door and asks to go out, so he can play with Mac. So far the cat and dog haven't been in the same yard, but they seem to enjoy chatting about neighborhood gossip through the fence. :) Sometimes, Mac will bark late at night, as if to say, "Hey, can Elvis, come out and play?!" I am pretty sure this is true, because as soon as I let my boy out, Mac always stops barking, and then sits down by the fence, quietly, and politely. I am proud of my boy, and his ability to make friends. It doesn't matter if you have paws, claws, legs, or fins, Elvis will consider you a his friend. Friendship seems to be the most important thing to him. :) What a boy!

"Oh boy, a belly rub!" This is part of our nightly routine, so Elvis will be able to let go of the seperation anxiety he has been feeling lately. We have lots and lots of quality playtime before bed. :) Good for the cat, and for me too. :) He was just starting to giggle as I took this picture. Everyone loves a good giggle. ;)

Medical Update: Elvis is doing awesome as far as we can tell. His nose has stopped bleeding, and his eye infection is completely gone. And the best news of all... he is eating enough again, to be able to tolerate his insulin, and last night he ate some fried chicken for the first time in 6 months. He can smell his food again!!! And if all that wasn't enough, he has let me sleep through the night, for the last 2 nights in a row!

Have you got a feline or furball? well then, you should play along with Feline & Furball Friday. Drop by Steven's blog for all the info.

-OndineMonet
"Elvis And The Boy Next Door"
Berkeley, California
August 19th, 2008
Afternoon

Steven's Feline And Furball Friday: Elvis's New Hat

Kathleen Kelly: Once I read a story about a butterfly in the subway, and today I saw one. It got on at 42nd, and off at 59th, where, I assume, it was going to Bloomingdales to buy a hat that will turn out to be a mistake, as almost all hats are."

-Meg Ryan, as Kathleen Kelly, You've Got Mail

Elvis has a new hat! I was in Target the other day, looking for a flea comb, and there it was. There were elephant hats, and monkey hats, and even bunny hats, but of all the hats there were to choose from, I thought the giraffe hat suited my boy best of all! Elvis looks good in hats, and he loves wearing them. I, however, do not look particularly well in hats. Well, except for newsboy hats and berets. I look good in those types, but as Kathleen Kelly said in the quote most other hats are a mistake... at least for me.

I would love to find a fedora for Elvis. Kind of like the one worn by Indiana Jones. LOL. Couldn't you just see my Elvis dressed like the handsome archaeologists? Elvis could be known as "Berkeley" Jones, action-adventurer. LOL. He would travel the world looking for rare feline artifacts, you know, like the Holy Salmon, or maybe the Temple of the Golden Mouse. LOL. As my good friend H.P. says, "Elvis is an awesome little dude!" :)

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Have you played Steven's meme, Feline and Furball Friday? You should... it's fun. Friday is the day for celebrating our pets. You can find all the info you need to play, by visiting the link below.

Steven's Feline And Furball Friday

-OndineMonet
"His New Hat"
Berkeley, California
May 22nd, 2008
Afternoon

Steven's Feline And Furball Friday: I 'm Ready For My Close-Up Mr. DeMille

"There is no snooze button on a cat who wants breakfast."

-Unknown

LOL. My cat loves the camera. My cat is mostly ham. My cat is a star. Meet my cat Elvis! LOL. Elvis has always loved posing for photos. I think I did something very right with him when he was very little. When he was a wee one, and I saw how goofy he was, I immediately brought the camera into things because I just knew I would be able to get some good candid shots of him, and I did! He saw me enjoying this action, and he seemed to take to that happiness like a moth to a light. From the time he was about 2 weeks old, we had a regular routine of camera time, followed closely by praise and play. Last night, as we sat on the steps of the storage room, Elvis and I got in a really good session of fun. He's good for me... no doubt about it. :)

Now, about his first experience with chemotherapy. The name of the chemo drug Dr. B is giving Elvis is, Doxorubicin. Apparently it is a very common chemotherapy drug, used most often with the kind of cancer Elvis has. It was given to Elvis by a slow intravenous injection. According to some articles, it takes about 10 minutes or so, to administer start to finish. Elvis did really well. He had no negative reactions to the medication, but Dr. B kept him overnight, from Tuesday night to Wednesday morning, for observation, just to be sure all was well with my boy. :) It was. :) We will know soon if the chemo is doing it's job. With a little luck we might be able to see a full remission. I am really hoping for that. I hope you will hope for it too.

A good sign came to me this morning, in the form of my boy causing a small ruckus. Elvis loves to taunt the nearby dogs into barking. He is a bully of sorts when it comes to dogs. LOL. Earlier today, I let him out to play in the yard, and he almost immediately went to the fence all the way in the back of the yard, where he could yet again make poor Mickey the Bulldog crazy with need to "Flatten THAT CAT!" LOL. I watched Elvis sit down very gently, stick one of his front paws under the bottom of the fence, and mew. Over came Mickey, barks a blazin'. LOL. Mickey has a very strange bark, which never fails to inspire the other dogs up the hill to barking. LOL. It was quite a concert around here. LOL. That's my boy.

Elvis a little less dramatic. Puckering up for a kiss. :)

Yes, I am hopelessly in love. I am a true cat fancier. I like looking at websites that deal with cats and cat care. The other day I found a really cute site that lists some signs of whether you are truly a cat owner or not. I had such a good time going through this list, and I have to admit, I saw myself in those descriptions right and left. LOL. I chose a few off the list that definitely describe me as a cat owner...

From Catowner.com

1. You kiss your cat more then ten times per greeting.

You have to understand... he is just soooo kissable!

2. If you are cold, you put a sweater on your cat!

Well of course, doesn't everybody? ;)

3. You and your kitty have matching outfits.

Blush!

4. Poop has become a source of conversation for you and your significant other!

Well, it's important! LOL

5. You celebrate cat events (new cats, cat birthday, etc) by throwing catered parties with lots of people, but ignore your own birthday.

Now to my defense, I also throw parties on my birthday. We love to celebrate.

6. You have a set of towels with "his, hers, and "kitty's."

LOL. Yes, Elvis does have his own towel for after his bath. It says, "I Love My Mommy" on it. :)

7. Your Mom calls and asks how the grandcats are!

Yep, my Mother-in-law does indeed do that! She even has a baby book of Elvis!

8. You snap your fingers, and pat the sofa next to you to invite your guests to sit down.

Ut oh... guilty! ROFL. I do that! I confess. But I only do that if I really, really like you, and you don't shed or give me fleas! ;)

That was a fun list. If you have a kitty you can play along too. You can find the list here. I love participating in Steven's Feline and Furball Friday. You can play too. Just stop by his blog for all the details!


-OndineMonet
"I'm Ready For My Closeup"
Berkeley, California
May 14th, 2008
Early Evening

Steven's Feline And Furball Friday: Elvis Update

"The cat has too much spirit to have no heart."

-Ernest Menaul

The business end of the cat you see here is Elvis, who had had enough of me at this point. We had a long day of grooming, and fussing about eating, followed by some gardening time, play time, and finally nap time. LOL. We have been together almost constantly lately. He has been following me around the house, and when I don't see him for a few minutes, I go looking for him! He has been really patient with his new special needs, like medicine that smells like bubblegum being forced on him, but sometimes he just needs to be on his own. I can almost hear him say, "Mommy, I need my ME time." Seriously, we need to stop worrying about each other already! He sees Dr. B later today, and we will know more then, but until then we are just enjoying our time, with lots of love, lots of kisses and lots of fuzzy smiles.



Elvis in his "Fortress of Solitude" under the blue wheelbarrow.

Elvis and I Feeling Fuzzy

It's fun playing Steven's Feline and Furball Friday! Friday is the day for pets. Stop by his blog for all the details!

-OndineMonet
"The Business End Of Elvis"
Berkeley, California
May 5th, 2008
Afternoon

Steven's Feline And Furball Friday: Caring For Elvis

"The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd rather not."

-Mark Twain

Thank goodness times have changed! LOL. It's not as difficult as it used to be. Take having diabetes for example. There are new insights and products coming along for we humans everyday. I was diagnosed with Type2 diabetes just last year, but from what I understand it I had been diagnosed even 5 years ago, my daily maintenance would have been much more difficult. Just the invention of the newer blood glucose meters that make checking my blood sugar throughout the day, is a big relief. I have read, that in the past, folks would stop checking their glucose readings, because of how painful it was. I can't really complain about that, I mean my fingers get tender and it isn't my favorite thing in the world to do, but I also know who lucky I am to have been diagnosed early on in my diabetes, and to have these wonderful new products and resources available to me. A lot is being done for we humans, I just wish more was being done for our furry friends as well.

Just like with myself, I didn't pay too much attention to the possibility of Elvis developing diabetes. Who wants to think about such things, until faced with it. Fortunately there is some course of action once your kitty is diagnosed. We immediately put Elvis on Petsulin, and a diet that was rich in carbohydrates. We began using Diabetic Management by Purina. He did pretty well on that. He didn't care much for the flavor, which made me a little sad, but he didn't fuss too much. He seemed to understand. I was diagnosed with diabetes just three months after he was. Elvis and I put our heads together, and decided to move forward together. We would just share that darned old diabetes... and kick it's butt. LOL. To a big extent, I am successful with my diabetes because of him. I decided that I wouldn't eat anything that would make him ashamed of me. If he had to be strong, how could I look him in the eye and not be strong as well?

Now Elvis has Feline Lymphoma. There is no cure. But, there is plenty of things I can do for my boy, besides sit around and cry. As an alternative to putting him on the chemotherapy, we have decided to start with a steroid injection every three weeks or so. Like with chemo, there is no guarantee's, but according to Dr. B, there has been a measure of success. Again, it won't cure his cancer, it merely shrinks the tumors and eases the discomfort of having them in his nose. He is happy, he is eating well, he is playing, and we have some serious cuddle time. He just got his first shot this past Tuesday, and it is a little soon to know how it is doing, but I think we are ok for now. I wish we could have afforded the chemo right off, I know that is his best chance, but the simple truth is, we can't. Sigh. That is the hardest part, but I am not letting that distract me from doing all that I can otherwise.

So, I am going to develop some nutritious and vitamin delicious recipes for my boy. I want to make his food, so that I am not giving him all the bad ingredients that are in store bought cat food. We learned about what canned cat food does to kitties, when Elvis developed some serious digestive troubles about ten years ago. As I have mentioned many times before, Elvis and I love to cook, and I have a little chef's hat for him. Beginning next week, we will be developing new recipes together. It will be a bonding thing for us. Hey, I have had to come up with recipes for my ever changing lifestyle, why not for my boy? There is a lot to be hopeful about, and that helps both of us deal with this time a lot easier. Attitude is everything when it comes to illness, and CATTITUDE is as well! :)

If you have a great cat or dog, you should consider playing along with my friend Steven's Feline and Furball Friday, which can be found at his blog, sometimes photoblog. It's FUN!

-OndineMonet
Elvis and his friend Nurse Mary
April 29, 2008
Afternoon