Category Archives: cat’s… both live and dead…

Drew Brees June 2008-June 19, 2021

Posted on Saturday June 19th, 2021 by | Comments Off on Drew Brees June 2008-June 19, 2021

Drew Brees  June 2008- June 19, 2021

ToRn’s buddy……my baby….is no longer in pain.

It was a good thing that they got him in today….took a bad turn in the last 36hrs. 

But this post is about what an awesome cat Drew was.

When we first got Drew and Sakura, we worked from home in the office upstairs.  I would carry him up and down the stairs with me.  Until ToRn asked me if his legs were broken…LOL

He is the only cat that we were able to hold like a baby…..he would sleep for hours curled up like a baby in my lap as I worked. His fangs were so long that I would call him vampire kitty…lol

We would be able to carry him on our shoulders without him using his claws.  He trusted us so much to just carry him.  We were able to carry and move him around so much with the trust he had in us.

ToRn would call to him and hold his arms out and Drew would jump into them purring up a storm.  Drew would stand on his shoulders.

Loved it when he use to go against the wall and do “upside down butt”  LOL

Our first Xmas with Drew and Sakura was the last one that we had an artificial tree. Now, keep in mind that I’ve had this tree for 15 years with 4 other cats…never had an issue.  

I had gone out to Indiana, the 2nd week of Dec to visit family and while on the phone with me, ToRn had eyes staring out at him from the tree at eye level.  Well, ToRn is 6’2”….so they were pretty high up there.  

They keep getting into the tree and making a mess that ToRn just put the tree in the downstairs half bath for me to deal with when I got home…..he is not a Xmas fan, that is all me…lol

When he encountered our friend’s german short hair, he would just look at her and she would not meet his eyes and back down.

I remember us hearing something from downstairs, we get down there and our hanging plant is swinging like crazy and dirt on the floor.  Drew was on the floor just looking at us, like what?  He had to have jumped a good distance from the counter.  We never knew Drew could fly…..lol

I had never had a cat that would try and wake me up to let them under the covers like he did.  He would paw at the blankets, if that didn’t work, I would sometimes open my eyes to his paw on my nose, or him hissing at me to wake me up…..lol  

When we were in the king size, he got a whole portion to himself.  It use to drive ToRn nuts how much I would go out the way not to disturb Drew when I had get out of bed for a potty call…..lol

He would talk to us on all the time, until last year.  You would tell him no and he would talk back.  Sometimes, he would just stand there and do his “roar” for no reason.  It always reminded me of him trying to be a lion…lol

When we were down in AZ at the wildlife preserve, he was doing his meow “roars” and all of the sudden we heard this howl.  It was a coyote near by, startled the hell out of us…..especially Drew….LOL  He was like wth?? 

ToRn always claimed that when I left, he would call meow “mommie”.  He was my baby, ToRn would say he was spoiled, I would say he was just very well loved.  And he is sorely missed. =(

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Last Day……

Posted on Saturday June 19th, 2021 by | Comments Off on Last Day……

0928 Sat 19 June 2021

The vet got us in at 1130.  On one hand we are grateful for more time with Drew, on the other the wait is horrible.  I went to bed last night, hoping that Drew would pass on his own during the night.

I’ve been trying to distract myself the whole time.  Getting things done around the house…..didn’t do my weekly errands or gym…..I may do the gym afterwards to distract myself…..thinking I need the physical effort to get my mind off of crying all day.

I’m currently an emotional wreck….doesn’t help that we have Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows Part 2 on….that one always gets me.

At work yesterday when I informed folks why I was not doing well, I tried to state it briefly and move on.  For those who offered sympathy, I just started tearing up and almost broke down, especially on the hugs.  Did that on and off through out the day.

He wasn’t doing too good when we made the decision Thursday night, but I noticed since we made the decision, he has gotten even worst, quickly….

His food intake went down yesterday, but eating….today, won’t even lick the turkey meat, won’t touch any of the cat nip that we have piled up all around the place.  He is not making it to the litter box and is very dehydrated. Before today, he followed me all over the apartment, just to be near me……not cuddling, but there on the floor….and now can’t even get a purr.  =(

I think the enlarging of the lump on this throat, that has spread to his cheek, has made it harder for him to eat….the meds quit working on the swelling about a month ago.

It confirms that we made the right decision for today, but wonder if we should’ve done it last week.  I really thought it would happen during my vacation week.

Neither ToRn nor I are over how quickly we lost Sakura, and we can still see her in Drew’s face and tail.  When we talked about it the other night, I told him that maybe having the extended time we had with Drew will help us with unexpected lost of his sister in Dec.

No matter how painful this is…..I can’t go without cats and I want even more.

We have just over an hour before we leave for the vet………

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Vacation’s End

Posted on Saturday June 12th, 2021 by | Comments Off on Vacation’s End

Uuuggghhhh……this week has gone by way too fast.

I really don’t want it to be over with and back to work Monday…..it is too soon….I still have so much I want to get done, while having a few more chilled out days.

I did get a lot done, nearly all of what I wanted to get done. There is only a few more things I would like to get done. It felt good to get a good portion accomplished. ?

Even when my 2 days are off together, there isn’t enough time, because I want one day not do a damn thing, then a day to get stuff done around the house….but that day is usually getting ready for the next week. Making the lunches, getting clothes ready and all that…..puts a killer on things.

I’ve throughly enjoyed being back at the gym, even though it is going to be a while before I’m back up to what I was doing before it closed. I got 6 days in this week……forced myself to take a day off since my calves were still sore. Wanted to push through, but worried about doing more damage. Damn, do I love seeing the calories burned…grin

I’m just not ready to try and figure out what to have for next week’s work lunches and then spend Sunday getting them together….uugghhh

I wish I had been able to head out to Indiana to visit family, but on the other hand glad I stayed home to spend time with Drew. I am actually surprised that Drew is still eating, purring and demanding. I really did not expect him to, but he is still walking like normal, just laying down a lot more.

Like I was telling ToRn the other day, on one hand I’m glad that Drew is still with us and do not want to let him go, but on the other hand I keep looking for signs that it is time because I don’t want him to suffer, but don’t want to have to make the decision. We both would like to come home and found that Drew to have made the decision for us.

We would never give up having cats, but we hate it when we have to make the decision to let them go to the rainbow bridge.

I did have some chill out time today, which was very nice.

I also played around with the scanner and scanned some old pictures and uploaded them to one of my FB albums. That was pretty cool. I was having some major flashbacks…lol

I want to do some pictures from my grandparents album of my parents wedding and their first couple of years. That would be cool ?

After almost 3yrs at this apartment, I have us the best prepared to deal with this years heat. Two ACs and a few more fans all set up.

I won’t hide that I’m concerned about this summer, with the drought we are having here in Oregon. We are currently getting some rain now, but no where near enough and after last year’s fires, I’m a little concerned.

I did go through our fire safes that we would take with us for evacuation, but we need to get prepared. I’ll look up the tips from the state and work on some of that next weekend.

I did treat myself this week, got my hair colored to bright copper red and had my first pedicure in about 9yrs. That was relaxing as hell. ?

Need to get up early tomorrow, get back into part of my morning routine. Need to get our fresh veggies & fruits for the week, fill up the Jeep and get lunches done after the gym.

This week is going to be different, been a few weeks since I did exercise before work…..need to get my timing down so I’m not late….lol I’ve been sleeping in until 0335, for the 3 days of gym before, I’ll be getting up by 0215….means no more staying up until 2000……lol

And on that note, I need to get to bed

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Lows & Highs

Posted on Saturday June 5th, 2021 by | Comments Off on Lows & Highs

It has been mix the last few weeks…..both stressful and some relief.

Work has been stressful.  I actually had to go to the one manager that I don’t deal with very much or care do so.  But she actually works and gives a damn.  So I brought things up that need to be addressed, found out I was the 8th person to come to her.  

I was actually dreading to come into work….I may not want to go to work at times, but dreading it is not me.  

In nutshell, it is retail, it has been hell the last 18months.  Never had our seasonal slow down, just been fricking nuts the whole time.  People being even more abusive and entitled as ever…..gggrrrr   While we can’t get enough people to work, can’t past the drug test, or they don’t last long. 

Then we lost our good store manager to a higher volume store, we have 3 new to the company ASMs and 1 experienced…..the 3 new ones either don’t know or want to know the nuts and bolts or they are on their phone or in their office talking….not on the floor.

Drew still eating/demanding and purring, but so skinny, more time just laying there.  I’m justing feeling that it won’t be much longer.  Getting more time with him, has been the positive and as of this month, he is 13.

Finally had my annual……gained weight, cholesterol and sugar needs work.  =(  Not happy at all about that.  We have been eating more pizza then we should, too much take out, I’ve been eating more junk offered to me at work and I’m only going on walks on my days off, not before work…..so overall, I need to get it turned around, but stress doesn’t help.

Had a freak out at the beginning of the week. There was an ACH withdrawal on our bank account that I did not authorized…..after hitting up the payment processor it was under, our landlord, was very relieved to find that it was our credit union system error that they were fixing.  At least we weren’t hacked.  =)

Now that is all the stressful, not very positive part.

The good part is I’m off until the 14th. Couldn’t pull off heading out to Indiana this year, but looking forward to chilling out a little this week.  I’ve made me my list of things that I need/want to get done.  I did a list on my last day off, and got a huge amount done….felt good.  Would like to get something done this week.

Thinking of getting my hair colored, if they are opened….possibility a pedi…

Loved how today started….one I don’t have to get ready for work next week….lol  Two, it is no longer unseasonably hot…..able to turn off the ACs, it was overcast and a chilly. …even got a down pour of rain, of course without my rain jacket…lol  LOVED it…..

Now during my freak out about the bank mess up, learned that our complex little gym should be opening up soon!!!  Boy did it give me a light at the end of the tunnel.

Went for my walk today, I always go past the gym and I noticed the sign that they were closed was removed.  So I took my key fob to the door, it unlocked like normal but this time it actually opened!!!  I’m so psyched!

It made it hard to do the walk, I just wanted the gym….lol  But I got over 6 miles in and at a better rate than I’ve had been doing, didn’t feel the shin splints.

So I’ve been waiting for an email from them all day to say that it is open and what the rules are going to be.  It hasn’t come…..but I don’t give a damn!  I’m getting up early and heading over!  I’m so excited!!  Perfect way to start my week off.  =)

It’ll be the first time back at the gym since I got the apple watch (so I’m not sure how that it is going to work with it) and since I got the shin splints.  I’m going to start on the elliptical, listen to my music and read my book.  Hoping to get back on track this week, so I can start doing it before work again.

Hoping that will also help get me back on track on eating.  I’m so geeked to get back to the gym!!!  Major stress reliever  =)

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Days Off & Drew Update

Posted on Tuesday May 25th, 2021 by | Comments Off on Days Off & Drew Update

We had the last 4 days off. We got a few things done around the house, I got shopping done Sunday.  Spent time together binge watching Star Trek Discovery, it was nice. I really enjoyed it and would like more. =)

It really made me missed from when we use to work from home.  

Really not wanting to go in tomorrow….lol  And I’ve done everything to not think about work the last 4 days.

We are major home bodies, once we are home.  

Unlike the majority of the country, other than social distancing, masks, and no gym our personal lives hadn’t changed.  

We were very lucky that covid didn’t cost us our jobs, but in many ways it added so much more stress…..between losing co-workers at times due to medical emergences/scares, and increase business at work, we never had our normal winter slow down to catch our breath. Just seems never ending busy….especially with staffing shortages.

The really reason for today’s writing is an update on our baby Drew.  

When I took him in to the specialist in Jan, the vet stated that most aggressive treatment for his lymphoma, would include surgery and chemo would cost $600-$900 a week for 2-3 months and in his experience, the cats he treated only lasted 4 months.

Well, no way we could afford that and, even if we could, we won’t want to put him through all that, be miserable and then lose him.  We wanted quality.

So we were given a steroid for pain management and to help reduce that lump at his throat.  I loved when that lump was no longer obvious.  Felt like we got some of him back

It also increased his appetite.  Just so I know how he is eating and making sure he gets nutrition, I’ve been feeding him prescribed wet food, twice a day.  With the high calorie food and the appetite increase, our skinny cat actually got a small belly.

He also knew something was up, we allowed him human food for the first time. He became very demanding….in the kitchen as soon as I was in there….lol

Well, it has been over 5 months since the specialist vet and his lump is coming back, he is still eating, the belly is still there, but his backend has lost what little he had.

I’ve increased his dosage, just want to make sure that it helps with his pain and if it can reduce that lump at all, I’ll take it.

He still purrs like crazy when brushing, he demands it…..not playing like he was a few months ago, when we were alone without the other 2 kitties.  He’ll go and bop the heck out of Anastasia and Gimli and make them back down.  He is not getting that glazed look….his looks are more of why are you not feeding/petting me.  He is still settling next to me in bed, but as ToRn and talked the other day, we don’t have much time left with our Drew Brees. He will be 13 in June…..we are just taking one day at time, but time is getting short and we are lucky it has been over 5 months.

It doesn’t help that we just lost his sister, Sakura, very quickly last Dec and sometimes if he looks a certain way, he reminds me of her.  I can’t always handle pictures of her, because I keep wondering what if…..she is first that we had lost so quickly. So I know that neither of us have recovered from her lost.

Our other four babies, we knew when it was coming.  It helped to make the pictures bitter sweet and but don’t make me feel that I had failed them….we knew we did the right thing, even though it hurts like you are ripping out your heart.

Anastasia and Gimli make us laugh…..that helps a lot.  

Gimli is such goof ball. He may out weigh his sister, but she jumps without an issue and does not back down…lol They are both loud at meowing at us when they want something…..holy cow, sometimes it sounds so pathetic as if we never feed them…lol  We feel sorry for our neighbors below us, our cats are loud when they are chasing each other…lol

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