Today ....sadness

Today, we lost our girl, Sadie.  She had shown some signs of muscle problems in her back legs in the last few weeks but seemed to recover quite quickly so we just assumed it  was perhaps from sleeping on them for too long.  She did like to sleep - as you will see by the following photos.

Last week she started to sleep in a dog bed under the living room end table and spent much of her day there. We noticed she was losing some fur and was not interested in eating much.  We didn't know how old she was but the symptoms looked like old age and we prepared ourselves for the eventual good bye.

Then in the last few days she went downhill very quickly. We made a vet appointment for yesterday afternoon, thinking we would not be coming back with her. We cuddled as much as we could during the day and wrapped her in her little pink blanket,fully expecting to hold her close as she was put to sleep. When the vet saw her, he recognized she was in bad shape but he decided to do some blood tests and take an X-ray. Our hearts hurt when we heard her cries of pain while she was being X rayed but it was a small bit of hope. Initial thoughts were that perhaps she had been infected by some sort of bacteria so he decided to keep her overnight.  We were so excited to think there was a chance to save her and we walked out of the clinic with much lighter hearts - so happy to know we'd have more time with her.

The next day, the happiness bubble burst.  The blood tests had been sent out and the vet said Sadie had to be sedated in the morning since her little heart was racing.  Three hours later the phone rang - and we heard our little girl had passed away in early afternoon, before the blood tests had come back.

We are left with so many questions now.  Did she think we had abandoned her and she just let go?  Was there anything we could have done to help her earlier?  Should we have asked the vet to put her to sleep while we were there to cuddle her so her last thoughts were of the humans who loved her so much?

But now I will turn to thinking about how she was so much a part of our family and how we treasured her unique qualities.  Our sweet little deaf cat - who always knew when food was being served and who found so many places in the house to put her furry print on. She would sit by side with our dogs - never worried about any one biting her.  Her short legs made it tough for her to jump on on most things - but she certainly would keep trying.  And her favorite place of all - was to climb up on my hubby until she was stretched out on his chest - and then she would close her eyes and knead her paws.

I have pulled out some of my favorite photos of Sadie - the often sleeping gal - who would claim a sleeping place for a couple of weeks and then look for another to lay claim to. The last photo is from a couple of months ago - when she actually made it up "Mount Everest" - the couch which she has often struggled to get up onto.  When we found her at the very top we were so surprised - and we figured it must have taken her quite some time to get all the way.

Two by Two

Sadie has decided that Max's rug makes a nice snoozing spot, regardless of whether Max is simply stretched out relaxing or having his dinner.  Surprisingly, she has no fear of Max, even given that he is the largest dog in the household.  At the beginning of Max's time with us, we kept moving her away to a different part of the living room but she kept coming back.  Max has never shown any concern - basically gives her a quick look and then ignores her.

New use for an Ikea chair

A couple of years ago we found  a cream colored leather chair at Ikea which we thought would make a comfy addition to the living room seating.  Little did we know that it would become a favorite sleeping spot for two of the furry family members. (That is why it is now covered with a cotton blanket - cat claws and dog claws have already left their mark on the leather!) Sadie often sleeps on the wide chair arm but sometimes likes to stretch out so will crawl onto the main part of the chair and get comfortable.  Molly seems to think she owns the chair as well but she is ever vigilant and the slightest noise will wake her up from even a deep sleep.

Cat TV

Usually the cats have no interest in what show is on TV and simply walk straight past...or sneak by very quickly if there is a dog on one of the three dog beds. However, this one time we saw Sadie stop and turn towards the TV.  Being deaf, it certainly wasn't the sound that attracted her ..so she must have seen something which caught her interest enough to watch for few minutes.

Leg Warmers

Last week hubby posted a photo on facebook labelled "leg warmers".  Probably a welcome warmth in winter but a bit hot in summer.  Sadie on the left (I recognize those "space ears"!) and Angel on the right.  Seumas is on the floor,wondering why this is worth taking a photo of!

Often, one of these kitties will climb up onto hubby's lap or sit on the arm of the chair beside him.  If I didn't know better, I would think it was due to the prime TV viewing that the occupant of this chair enjoys.

Molly joins the family

On July 31st, we added a new member to our family.  Due to an unfortunate circumstances in Molly's first home, she was looking for a new forever home. We had a large hole in our hearts from the loss of two beloved dogs within the past 14 months so we were very happy to have the opportunity to love another sweet girl. Molly, who is almost a year old, has fit in well with our family.  She loves to tussle with older "brother" Seumas and she has quickly recognized that the cats are not little sheep to be herded. Sometimes she does follow them when they walk around the living room but most times she is content to simply sit beside them.

Relaxing on Sunday

A typical Sunday at home...4 cats perched in various places, at safe distances from the dogs, who lay claim to the floor.

First in sight was Sadie, stretched out comfortably on the couch, with not a care in the world.   Spike, who rearranged himself on the chair several times within 5 minutes, doesn't realize he is too large to fit in this chair. Angel tucked himself into the corner of the couch, asleep almost instantly once he was in place.

And then there is Sebastian.  Ever wary...ever watchful.  He has been venturing out into the living room, which for him is very brave when there are dogs in here. In an effort to catch him still on the chair it had to be a quick shot ...hence the lack of focus and the unplanned flash.  You can see his right paw is not relaxed - rather he is always ready to flee at a second's notice.  He will push himself off this paw and be out of the room in a flash.

Pepperoni..or cat..on your pizza?

On Wednesday, hubby decided it was time to have a pizza dinner which did not come from our freezer.  There is a local pizza joint which makes a good pepperoni pizza and it is very convenient for me to stop there on my way home from work.

I brought home our usual order and put it on the counter for a few minutes while I went upstairs.  This was the sight that met me when I came back into the kitchen.  Sadie must have thought she found a nice, heated sitting spot which would also be great for sleeping (probably would have been snoozing if I had come back into the kitchen just a little later).  Needless to say, I removed her very quickly ..but not until I had a couple of photos for the blog!

Soccer fan

Hubby is a supporter of the German soccer team whereas I, of course, support the Socceroos (Aussie team). Earlier this week he had his German soccer shirt out on the coffee table waiting for the game.  Sadie decided it would make a great cat blanket and she curled up right on top of it. As is usual with Sadie, she chooses something that isn't quite large enough for her  whole body, even if she sticks her little nose as far into her chest as she can!

I guess, in her own way, she was keeping me company as I waited for the game to start.  I was on the chair right beside her so she could have had much more room if she sat in my lap :-) but Sadie always marches to her own drummer.

Carbon copy kitties

A most unusual scene in our house ..where we have no bonded pairs of kitties ...just 4 very independent souls who really don't have any interest in others unless someone is in chase mode.  In fact, yesterday was the proverbial den of snakes where we kept hearing hissing in various parts of the house. Angel is often on the receiving end of a chase so the hissing will come from his end.  Sadie's first response when she sees a cat or dog coming her way is to hiss at the offender until she finally turns tail and runs away.

Hubby saw this "book end" tableau play out earlier this week. Sadie had curled herself up on the chair and was fast asleep.  Angel carefully made his way into the empty space she had left and tucked his little body into the opening. Within minutes we had two sleeping kitties sharing one space (and no hissing anywhere!)

Goodbye to Dakota

This past Saturday was a sad day for us.  We had to say goodbye to Dakota, our 15 year rescue sheltie. She had been struggling lately, finding it very difficult to sit down and even more so to get up.  We found out on Friday that she had an adrenal gland tumor when she went for her ultrasound and we knew that at her age, we could do nothing more for her. She had been stumbling and falling down on her way to her water bowl so we made the difficult decision to say goodbye to her on Saturday.  My husband held her close until her last breath and I hope she knew how much we loved her in in her short 3 years with us.

She did not care for our cats and when they came too close she would bare her teeth to warn them off. We did worry a little when we first brought her home but realized that our cats were smart enough to keep their distance and certainly were not interested in getting to know her better. Towards the end Dakota tolerated the cats and would let them share the coveted front window space with her.

Another Strange Place to Sleep

I was just filing some photos from last year when I came across this one of Sadie crammed into my leather basket.  I use it to keep the spare blankets in and it really isn't very large.  I didn't even realize she was in there at first and must have walked by the basket a few times before I caught a glimpse of white fur out of the corner of my eye. I am really surprised she didn't tip it over when she was crawling in since it is sitting precariously on the edge of the coffee table.

BEFORE and AFTER

Before and after photos...it does not take long before a photo opportunity changes quickly to another view.

Before (awake) :

After (asleep):

Before  (Sadie and Angel):

After (Sadie and Spike):

I am fascinated by the attraction of this chair.  Right now I see Angel's green eyes looking at me as he sits on the red cushion facing me.  I expect it will not be long before Spike decides it is time to move back in (yes...a true poacher of pre-warmed spaces).  The only cat who has not curled up on any part of the chair is Sebastian..probably because he cannot easily launch himself at a moment's notice from the soft innards of the chair.

Spike and Sadie getting used to the idea of sharing

When we bought a new leather chair from Ikea a few months ago (after the pup savaged our old chair) Sadie was quick to claim it as her own. I bought a nice red pillow with cream stitching and as soon as it was on the chair, Sadie pulled at it until it flipped over and then she curled on top of the cushion.  I guess the cream embroidery stitching must have been uncomfortable. Yesterday Spike did something very unusual and sat beside Sadie.  His normal approach is to poke at the occupant until the space is empty and then he takes over (see photo below!).  This time he squeezed in beside Sadie and sat there for almost half an hour.  Sadie must have been fast asleep because she didn't even stir when Spike claimed half of the cushion for himself.

Sadie enforcing a work break

As you know by now, Sadie chooses the oddest places to curl up in.  I have been busy working on my laptop most evenings and typically just pop it down in my chair when I go to get a coffee refill.  I was out of the living room for less than 5 minutes and when I came back I found Sadie curled just behind my laptop, already fast asleep.  I expect the residual heat at the back of the laptop may have provided some of the appeal..but really did not look like a comfortable sleeping spot. She was not happy when I went to pick her up...giving me a baleful glare, with one eye still partially closed.  She lets her body go limp and just hangs there when I haul her over to another more suitable place to sleep.  But. of course, the relocation is not what she wants, so she quickly scurries off to find another place of her choosing.

The ham-micks are here!

For several years I have noticed cat hammocks showing up in many of the blogs I have visited.  Not knowing much about these to begin with, I checked a few pet stores here to see if they had any of this unusual style of cat bed.  As you have probably seen from earlier posts, we have a bad habit of buying all sorts of cat and dog beds then scattering them around the house.  In fact, right now, we have two dog beds stacked up in the corner of the bedroom since no one (dog or cat) seems to want to seep on these. They are more interested in the latest style was have picked up from Costco (rectangular with high sides and plushy insides). On occasion I have had to remove a cat from those beds so a dog could get in.

So..the other day when a post came in from Zoolatry referring to the ham-micks at Forty Paws I remembered that I was so fascinated that the cats in the ham-mick photos looked so comfortable...and after a quick email to find out that these could be shipped to Canada, the next step was picking out the patterns. One which included white cats...that was easy.  It took me some time to settle on the second choice...there are many appealing patterns and I keep going back and forth between a couple of them until I finally decided on a similar pattern to my first choice.  In retrospect it really didn't matter what I chose since our cats would cover almost every single square inch once they stretch out!.

Spike welcomed the package as it came in the door ...and was even more excited when he found the special catnip treat inside!  He laid claim to one of the ham-micks quite quickly and was not going to rousted by anyone, including a curious dog.  Even wary Sebastian ventured into the living room to get a quick sniff of the new ham-micks.

After the first day, we moved one bed to the corner of our bedroom and now Sadie regularly comes in to sleep on it whenever she feels like it is time for a break away from the cats downstairs. The other is in a spare room and has a rotating schedule of cats...most often Sebastian.

Thank you, Forty Paws!  http://fortypawshammicks.blogspot.ca/

And the animals came in two by two ....

Wide awake..and the dogs come to visit.

Trying to sleep..and the cats come quickly to cuddle up and sleep as well. Angel (at top) was quite annoyed to see Sadie in the prime spot and he crawled over me several times until I finally gave him an arm to snuggle into.

Sadie in a "toasty" warm place

Sadie chooses the strangest places to sleep. We find her up on a blanket by the bookcase, tucked into an open suitcase, curled up on the top of a shoe box, stretched out on the dog bed.....anywhere that she decides makes a good sleeping spot. The other day we came into the kitchen and found her crammed into the small space between the toaster oven and the overhead kitchen cabinet. Her head is up against the fridge and, with no room left on the toaster oven, her tail hangs down.

Fortunately, we rarely use this toaster oven so she was perfectly safe. But I do worry about some of the places she chooses.  When she falls asleep she won't hear anything happening around her...even the vibrations on the floor when we walk by are not enough to rouse her from a deep slumber. Usually the other cats do not bother her when she is asleep (a different story when she is awake!) and the dogs typically ignore her (except for Seumas and his sniffing habit) so we haven't had a problem yet.   

Seumas - The Early Days

 

Seumas (a fine Scottish name for a Shetland Sheepdog) joined our family last year when he was just over 8 weeks old.  We knew Girly's remaining time with us would be numbered in months rather than years and we wanted to have a little pup who would be a reminder of our beloved old gal.  We have never had a young pup before since our dogs have come to us after they have spent their puppyhood with owners who later decided that they were not going to take care of these sweet dogs the way they should be looked after (some people don't deserve the privilege of owning pets - enough said).

Within the first week Seumas had a taste of where he placed in the hierarchy.  Sadie climbed on top of his cage and acted as if the pup wasn't even there.  Angel was already used to sharing the couch with Girly so hardly missed a beat when Seumas was placed at the end of the couch. After a wary look at each other, they both settled in and fell asleep, oblivious to anything around them.

Seumas quickly learned how to climb up on the back of the couch (better to see everything and everyone around him!) and he is the only dog in the family to show any interest in this - usually this is the cats' domain.   Although in this case it was probably my food that caught his interest. And being a typical pup, the couch was also a prime sleeping spot.  In fact I am just looking across the living room and I can see a much larger Seumas stretched out on the couch, with his head on one of my good feather cushions.  He, like Girly and Angel, knows that it is important to keep me company in the living room, when I am the only human down here late into the evening.

Why I love my cats

Sometimes a sleepless night really brings home how much I love my cats. First ..at around 3 in the morning...a loud yakking sound at the end of the bed..a scramble to get up and see which dog was getting sick and make it there before next dog decided to jump on clean up duty.  Then, an hour and a half later, a couple of soft, piteous whines from the third dog at my side of the bed, looking for someone to carry her downstairs. (She can't climb stairs due to her age and arthritis so I carry her upstairs each night - although don't usually have the AM shift to come downstairs.)  After snuggling back under the covers and falling asleep, I heard the sharp yap of a wide awake puppy.  At this point all three dogs were downstairs with hubby (who is always up by 5 AM to feed dogs and cats) so the pup wanted someone to give him attention.  I hoisted him out of his crate, took him outside to take care of business then handed him over to hubby.

Now, over this time, Angel was sleeping at the end of the bed, not bothered by anything going on and not moving until he heard hubby heading downstairs for feeding time. Angel comes up at night time right after I head to bed, jumps on the end of the bed and spreads himself over my feet.  At some point during the night, Sadie saunters down the hall and curls up on the laundry basket just outside the room (well..not a functioning laundry basket anymore..now taken out of use and filled with a cat blanket). Spike occasionally sneaks up to sleep in the headboard...squishing his ample frame into a rather small bookcase section in the headboard, right by his adored "papa". And NOT at any time during the night, am I woken up by any of my sweet cats!   

  

Sadie and Seumas are sharing the couch in the photos above.  Sadie crawled up on Saumas' blanket just after it had come out of the dryer. She was fast asleep when Seumas was put on the couch to play with his toys..she opened an eye to see who it was and then went right back to sleep. Seumas followed suit shortly after!