VD on VD

George has a gooey eye so Logic took him to the vet this morning.
I'm choosing to work since I was sick for a few days and need to make up some time. Logic called to tell me what the vet said: "No joke: George hsa herpes."
How appropriate.

Our Family

We lost Gracie a few months ago. She rapidly lost weight and struggled for three weeks with Liver Disease before we did what was humane and right. But it was not easy.
We suffered as she became a figment of our imagination - showing up for a fraction of a second in the bedroom or on her favorite chair.
Our favorite "Gracie Songs" were started and halted in mid-sentence.
Her much-loved toys lied untouched.
It was especially hard to see her in the face of her brother.The two of them looked so much alike that we would sometimes mistake him for her. He stood as a testimony to her in his appearance and the toys that couldn't be boxed up and donated. He was still with us. He still needed our affection. And he was hurting as much as we were.
We wanted to give Georgie time to mourn but as the weeks passed, it became more and more evident that he was miserable. He would roam the house at night, looking for his sister and making the most heart-wrenching meowing noises that a cat-parent could hear.
I started to toy with the idea of getting him a friend but Logic was steadfast in his belief that if we did it too soon it would be like replacing Gracie. I agreed but watched my remaining cat slide deeper and deeper into despair.
I tried to give Logic some space - I didn't want him to feel forced into the idea, but whenever the topic came up I was eager to express my concern for George. It wasn't until two weeks ago that Logic came around.
We were coming home from work and could hear George's guttural moaning from downstairs. As we opened the door, he made a run for it. Luckily, we live in a building without outside access to our unit so George only made it as far as the hallway, but it was heart-breaking to see our favorite little guy be so desperate to get away.
Two days later (I'd been preparing for this and had done quite a bit of research), we went to my favorite shelter and picked up a new friend for our George. It has taken a week of integration - following guidelines in many different books and from our Vet - but today we left the boys unsupervised and free to roam the entire house together.
Since picking up Mobey last week, George has been a little hesitant, which is to be expected. We have made every effort to show him that Mobey isn't replacing him and have tried to give him the space to cope with this new bundle of energy. But even in the rare moments of discontent when Mobey gets a little too close or moves a little too quickly, we haven't heard any guttural moaning or heart-wrenching meows. George is quickly warming up to his new friend.
And even though Logic had to stop himself mid-sentence while singing his favorite "Gracie Song" yesterday, we are now on the slow road to recovery.
Thanks Mobey.

What It Might Be Like

Not that I know... but I have the feeling I am being prepped for parenthood.
My cat, Grace, has Fatty Liver Disease which is treatable but she has been a wreck for the past few weeks; losing weight, throwing up, refusing to eat, turning yellow, you know - all the good stuff.
We have taken her to the vet more times that I can count and have done everything from blood-work to an ultra-sound to inserting a feeding tube. We're finally starting to see some progress so it has been worth all the effort, but damnit! I'm tired.
This whole ordeal has required a lot of sacrifices. The most recent one has been lack of sleep. All of the other sacrifices I can handle - like turning our house into a virtual vet office - including the hanging IV, but missing sleep is about to push me over the edge.
I remember reading a post by Aaryn a while back that talked about the challenges of parenting: more specifically, her daughter's lack of sleep which resulted in her lack of sleep. Now I can't compare what's going on to me to what happened to her but I can complain nonetheless.
I didn't sign on the dotted-line the way parents do. They know what they're getting themselves into. But lack of sleep is one of the reasons I have avoided that kind of paperwork. So to find myself in a situation where I'm losing sleep because of my cat.... well let me just say that if this is how being a cat-owner is, I never want kids.

It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This

Last night as I was lying in bed, Logic was in the shower so George took the opportunity to come cuddle with me. I was lying on my side, head resting on one arm while the other one was petting him. And because of the angle I was in, I could feel the cool, quick breaths coming from George's pink nose. I rubbed under his chin, around his ears, on his nose; all his favorite places. And although he didn't purr (which is rare), the sensation of having his soft breath on my face was reward enough. I basked in the kitty-love for a minute or two until I heard the shower turn off. Knowing that 1) as soon as Logic entered the room George would scamper as if he'd never cared an ounce for me in the first place and 2) as soon as Logic entered the room I might forget what happened, so I needed to write it down.

A Thud in the Night

I sleep with a mask on. It keeps my eyes from wandering so I can get a better night's sleep. Without it, I would wake up and stare at the ceiling - coming up with new reasons to obsess over something. But since it requires my eyes to stay closed, I can make a conscious effort to listen to my breathing and fall back asleep rather quickly.
With my mask on, I usually find George to my left around 4:00 every morning. He sure loves to cuddle with his mama. But as a fluffy fur-ball approached this morning, I discovered it to be Grace. I had to lift my eye mask to be sure. I'm still surprised that she wanted to cuddle, she usually likes her space at night. But since she was willing to love me, I took full advantage. I turned on my side, allowing her to brush up against me and lie down close enough for some scratching.
She began to purr. And then, THUD. Somehow she managed to slip off the bed. And not Gracefully (ha!) either. It was a loud thud proceeded by four paws scampering away in embarrassment.
I wonder how long it will be before she tries to cuddle with me again?