COVID19: Yellow Cats and Thankfulness

Today was hard. We had to say goodbye to our PuddyBuddy, and we feel his absence tonight.

He spent two nights at the vet's office after having a bad Sunday with no pee and both a re-obstruction and a diagnosis of primary kidney failure once his labs were checked on Monday. The last bout seemed to squeeze him dry, and he didn't rebound the way we all - us and the vet staff - had hoped afterward. His appetite was almost nonexistent, and his urine trickled off to nothing by the weekend.

Jack and I were prepared for the worst, so when Scott, our trusted vet, told me Puddy's lab results over the phone Monday afternoon, my heart was already sunk. He recommended aggressive hydration and diuresis to hopefully stimulate Puddy's kidneys and suggested a two-night stay at the clinic, so that's what we did. Yesterday the news was maybe a little good: Puddy was making urine but he still wasn't out of the woods.

When we hadn't heard from someone by this afternoon, I called just as Nikki, Scott's long-time right arm and leg of an assistant, was pulling our file to phone us with the news. Puddy's kidney function was kaput, he was re-obstructed and not doing well. Nikki said he wasn't feeling good at all and just didn't seem to have much fight left.

Jack and I had already discussed the options and what we might need to do, and now Puddy's ashes will be returned to us in a few days to join the others on the shelf over the door.

We didn't go to the clinic to tell him goodbye and know that Nikki and the rest of the staff at the office gave him kindness and respect in those last minutes.

Losing two pets during these months of "safer at home" has not been easy, and our hearts are broken, but our grief pales in comparison to that of so many other people, and I can't help but feel incredibly fortunate for so many things, starting and ending with each other, our family - Mom and Dad, the P-Vs, Jack's brother's bunch - and our ability to endure this pandemic.

Cat and Dog

Suddenly we're a week deep in July! How did that happen? I love summer, and it always passes way too quickly.

For the second year in a row, Jack and I have ended up adding to our family, and once again, the new addition is of the cat variety. And yellow.

Meet Little Omar.

Jack and I had stopped at the grocery store on the way home from a visit with Mom and Dad, and since we had Dudley with us, I waited in the car while Jack shopped for the few items we needed. Several minutes after Jack left the car, I heard a loud cry and then another, and the sounds seemed to be coming from the car itself. I got out for a quick check to see what was making the noise, and there on the front passenger-side tire was this itty-bitty kitty. He hissed and howled and struck at me with his claws, but I grabbed him before he could scurry further into the car or escape to more danger in the parking lot.

He was panting, and the fur on his chest was wet from his saliva. Dudley stared from him to me and back again - he knew immediately that the baby was going home with us, and quickly warmed up to the idea, comforting the little guy and gently grooming him.

Jack loves kittens every bit as much as I do and immediately agreed that our only option was to bring the little thing home with us.

Despite his tiny size, he munched-down on some crunchy food and made several trips to the water bowl. Within a couple of hours, he'd figured out how the litter box works and started the process of making friends with the dogs and other cats.

"The Cubs," Bill and Kinky, who celebrated their one year anniversary with us on June 30th, were initially a bit hissy and territorial, but they quickly realized that the kid is a fun, new playmate and initiated what can only be described as ninja training. They've wrestled and romped and run and taught their new baby brother how to make it to the top of the cat pole.

Interestingly enough, the old cats and the dogs like him, too. He's done "snuggles and ears" with everybody, including poor Venus, who's hanging in there and maintaining her baseline quality of life. Fuzz, for the first time in months, is spending time in the bedroom window, and earlier today, Little Omar and Diva cuddled up like spoons.

Also new is Holly, a stray dog we've been fostering for the last month, but she isn't staying. With the increased traffic in our neighborhood and the reality that we no longer have a safe place to allow our dogs to exercise, keeping her wouldn't be fair to any of us. Especially her. And us.

She's sweet as pie and remarkably calm for a six-month-old puppy. She's around thirty pounds, and our vet doesn't think she's going to get much bigger. Her teeth are in great shape, she's gone through an intensive series of parasite eradication treatment, and this past week she was spayed. We speculate that she has heeler and terrier in her family tree - the former for her body shape and gait and the latter for her wiry, low-shed coat. Her facial markings are adorable, and she's going to look like a puppy until she's an old dog.

She's cool with the other dogs, the cats, people, kids, and thunderstorms. She doesn't like fireworks, but the ones she experienced this weekend were intense and made all of us anxious.

As sweet and delightful as she is, keeping her isn't an option for us, so please feel free to share her photos and information.

If you or someone you know is interested in finding out more about her, please shoot me an e-mail - 2busyandersons@gmail.com.

Before we let Holly go anywhere with anyone, we'll have to make sure they're legit and that she's going to be a good fit, but that's standard these days with any rescue dog.