Ayla the Grump

Thank You

2007-09-16T16:49:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to say thank you to everybody for their kind words, hugs, and prayers. Things have been hard the past couple of weeks but this great cat blogosphere community has really helped get us through it.

At the very least, I know Ayla would've been impressed at all the attention. For a cat who wanted to be left alone, it's amazing to see how many friends she made.

I've been encouraged by friends and family to keep on blogging. I've especially been encouraged by my other kitties, each of whom now wants their own webpages. Since time is limited due to my jobs, I'm only going to do one kitty blog for now: the Flock O' Fuzzies one. I know I've been neglecting it for quite some time but I think it will be a good jump off point for now. While I can't guarantee daily updates, I promise to add the humorous stories as they come it. You can't have a bunch of kitties and not have a few interesting days.

So please check out Flock O' Fuzzies. The most recent post is a bit sad but hopefully I have a lot of happy things to share with all of you.

Ayla (1990-2007)

2007-09-05T20:32:00.000-04:00

My beautiful baby girl has crossed the Rainbow Bridge this afternoon.

I'm sorry. I just can't write anything right now. It just hurts so much.

When is it Time?

2007-09-04T18:11:00.000-04:00

From The Mom -

When do you say it's time to help your best friend of 17 years cross over the Rainbow Bridge? I thought Ayla would be clear in telling me when she would be ready to go, but she's being her stubborn self.

The cancer she has will never go away. It just gets worse and worse. Her weight is down even more so she is literally skin and bones. She can barely open her mouth to eat. Her left eye is swollen closed from the tumor. Her left cheek is full of lesions including a small area of skin that just disappeared, like part of her cheek was gouged out. When I noticed it last night, I was crying so hard.

I figured it was Time and we would call the vet.

However, the old girl has been more spry these past couple of weeks than she has been in months. She's trotting up and down the stairs, demanding Stinky Goodness, and is being her old snarky self. Every time I think it's Time, she does something to remind me that she is still there, being strong, tough, and independent like she always has been.

Part of me wants to help her fight. Give her as many good days as she wants. But I don't know if I can take it any more. Every time I see her, I cry. She was such a beautiful girl and now she is so tiny and fragile and mutilated by this evil disease. Is this more of a decision for me or for her at this point? If I know her, she'll keep going strong mentally until her body gives out. I just don't think I can be that strong. I love her so much and to see her body being eaten away is wrenching my heart.

How do you know when it's Time for both you and her?

Hugs for the Mom

2007-09-01T10:36:00.000-04:00

The Mom has had a couple of really bad days back to back.

On Thursday, she talked to her library job. Because she gots the full-time job at the college, her boss at the library wanted her to quit the library job. The thing is, the Mom really, really loves that job and to her it's more of a fun outing around books than a jobbie. So she managed to pursue her boss there to let her work two Saturdays a month with a demotion. The Mom is kind of upset about it. She understand that she couldn't devote the hours she used to 'cause of the full-time job but she didn't think they would try to get her to leave.

Then yesterday, she got a call from the other college she teaches at. The one class she has there was canceled due to low enrollment. Well duh. It was a SUNDAY class. Who the heck is going to take a history class on a Sunday morning? Well, she's upset about it 'cause she likes teaching at that college.

The worst, though, happened yesterday morning. The Mom and the Dad were bringing the Dad's car to the mechanic. The Mom was driving her car, the Dad his. Well, it was a new mechanic so the Mom was unsure of where to go. When she saw the turnoff at the last minute, she stopped short. Unfortunately, the Dad's car's brakes failed and he went ramming into the Mom's car. They are both OK but their cars aren't. The Dad's car is at a body shop with the left front of the car smashed in. The Mom's is in the driveway but she can't really drive it 'cause the trunk keeps popping open. At least they were able to get the insurance people to get them a rental.

The humans say bad things come in threes. I guess they are right.

Vicious Deer Siting!

2007-08-30T18:08:00.000-04:00

I was sleeping on the dirty clothes pile all nice and comfy when I hear the Mom yell "Honey! Come up here and see this!" They were pointing out the window and so I had to see what the big deal was. I mean they woke me up and all so it better be worth it, right?

So what do I see? Two big vicious deer (one had horns!) and two mini vicious deer.

They were across the street just walking around. Those things are evil! And they were so close to me. Bah. If they tried to come up to me I'd just whap them upside the head. Nobody messes with me.

OK, well maybe the cancer is. The Mom is getting really worried 'cause the lesion on the side of my face is getting bigger. At first she thought it was a sore from the food that was constantly on my face (this stupid cancer makes it hard to eat) but for the past couple of weeks she has been keeping my face clean. Dr. Country Bob said it was the cancer poking through. You can see the lesion a bit on my face in this photo.

Excuse the dirty face and paws. The Mom tried the wet-wipes but they didn't do such a good job cleaning me up and she doesn't want to put me through the stress of a bath (thank goodness for something!).

Have I mentioned that cancer sucks?

Shot = Good Thing

2007-08-26T22:59:00.001-04:00

The Mom brought me to see Dr. Country Bob on Friday evening to get another shot. Unfortunately, while we were there, the V-E-T weighed me. I've lost almost a pound since I was at the V-E-T's a few weeks ago so now I'm a little over 5 pounds. This has the Mom really worried 'cause I'm now lighter that TAO. She asked the V-E-T what to do and he prescribed some canned food (it's called "Recovery") that's really yummy. He also gave the Mom some of these meat-liquid stuff but that is nasty. Yuck!

This shot seems to be working well 'cause I"m feeling much better again. I don't have much energy to thwap TAO but I was able to mooch serious amounts of cheese and ham today from the Mom when she was eating lunch. She said that's a really good sign. OK I guess. All I know is that it was yummy.

Eating has become a bit more difficult. The left side of my face isn't cooperating with me. It's that evil cancer crap. First it was causing me to drool and now I really don't have control over anything on that side any more. As long as the food is soft, I can kind of slurp it and lick it up. The ham and cheese was a bit hard but the Mom helped me eat it. It gets really frustrating. The Mom says that as long as I'm eating, that's a Good Thing. I just tell her to keep bringing the ham and cheese and I'll keep on eating as long as I'm able to.

Just Chillin'

2007-08-21T18:56:00.000-04:00

Here I am, enjoying the entire bed to myself just chillin' and relaxing.

The Mom says I'll be going for another shot later this week as the effects of the last one are wearing off. She also says I need a bath 'cause I've been drooling all over myself. Bah.

'Roid Rage

2007-08-15T19:19:00.000-04:00

The Dad keeps on making fun of me 'cause I'm all pumped up on steroids and he's waiting for me to go into "'roid rage." I have no clue what this was so I asked the Mom ('cause she's the smarter of the two...hey...she doesn't make fun of me). Supposedly, when stupid humans take steroids they can go crazy and get all destructive like. I don't think kitties get this, but I'm thinking I could use this to my advantage. Maybe if I beat the crap out of the Annoying One I can use the defense of "'roid rage." Human lawyers use it all the time so why can't I as a kitty who is all pumped up on steroids? Hmmm....I'm beginning to like this idea. *evil grin*

Oh...and a note of congrats to the Mom. She got hired as a lecturer at one of the colleges she teaches at. It's a full time, non-tenure track gig but it's better than the adjunct hell she has been working. It also means she can spend more quality time with me, which is the most important part. So I want to attach this picture from LOLcats to congratulate her:

OK...

2007-08-09T13:48:00.000-04:00

...so while I technically hate V-E-Ts, Dr. Country Bob may not be all that bad.

OK. Let me clarify something. The Dr. Country Bob that the Annoying One went to who screwed up his diagnosis was an associate of the true Dr. Country Bob, not the real Dr. Country Bob. Does that make sense? The Mom doesn't hate the real Dr. Country Bob and thought that since he has been my V-E-T for the past six months he knows me best.

Anyhoo, I saw Dr. Country Bob yesterday and he poked and prodded and then gave me a big nasty shot. Not the best way to spend the afternoon. But you know what? I'm feeling good. I don't know what was in that shot but it's like a sort of "happy shot." The Mom said it was steroids but I'm feeling like a bit of the ol' nip was put in there. Good stuff.

This morning, the Mom was really happy to hear me yowling at her to feed me. Hmmm...this drug must make me hallucinate or something 'cause she is usually complaining when I yowl at her. She even gave me extra Stinky Goodness and was petting me and saying "good Ayla" while I was eating. Hmmm...maybe Dr. Country Bob gave her a "happy shot" too. Who knows? Who cares? I'm feeling better and I'm getting extra Stinky Goodness. I'm just going to enjoy it. :)

Another Update From The Mom

2007-08-08T17:48:00.000-04:00

From the Mom:

Just wanted to give you all a head's up before I give out final exams tonight. We took Ayla to the vet today and things are looking better. The vet gave her a heavy duty steroid shot to help reduce the swelling and give her a little boost. Yesterday and today she was a lot better so I was happy he was able to help her out some. I just have to wait and see how the shot affects her. If it does well, the vet said she has a couple of months in her. If not...well...we'll be lucky to have a month. I have faith my snarky little girl won't give up that easily.

I want to thank everybody for the thoughts and prayers. It means a lot to me and to Ayla.

Update From The Mom

2007-08-06T08:44:00.001-04:00

I just wanted to give an update on Ayla since many are asking how she is doing. Unfortunately not so well.

Her face has gotten so swollen that it has made it difficult for her to eat. It really is amazing how much the tumor has grown in just two months. Also, I don't know if it's that she's having trouble eating or the cancer, but she has also lost a lot of weight. I'm going to bring her to the vet later this week to have her checked out and see if there is anything we can do to help the swelling.

If not...well...I'm starting to look at her quality of life. Right now, she is spending 99% of her time in the closet with only occasional outings to the food dish and the litter. Her spunky attitude does come out around feeding time but this morning it was painful to watch her eat.

I will keep you all updated on her condition as soon as I know more.

Bad, Evil Deer

2007-08-02T14:23:00.000-04:00

Bad, evil, nasty deer.

The Mom was driving to work on Tuesday and a suicidal deer ran in front of her car! She was all the way up in the mountains driving when she saw a deer so she slowed down. Then all of a sudden, BOOM! This crazy deer comes out of nowhere and the Mom couldn't stop in time. She's ok and so is the car but the Mom isn't sure how the deer was. It wasn't dead since it ran into the woods. The Mom is thankful there wasn't any damage 'cause there was no cell reception way up there and there's no way she could've gotten help.

She does have to wash her car though. It is now covered with evil deer poop.

Stupid deer.

Oh boy

2007-07-28T09:45:00.001-04:00

One of the outside kitties had kittens. Five of them. Well, we think that but there may be more 'cause every time we see them there is a new one.

Personally, I don't mind the outside kitties. Why? They aren't eating my food or annoying me and as long as they stay outside, I can accept their existence. The humans, however, are a different story:

"Oh my...look how adorable they are!" squeals the Mom.
The Dad looks out the door and says "they are cute."
"I don't know if we'll be able to catch them. They seem to be just as skittish as their mom."
"Great. That's all we need are cats number ten, eleven, twelve--"
"--honey," the Mom growls angrily at the Dad.
"Oh you know I'll do nothing to stop you."
The Mom walks away with a smile on her face.

I may be old and grumpy but I'm not stupid. This means one of two things: 1) she will attempt to catch the kittens and "rescue" them. Or 2) she won't catch the kittens and she'll be upset and crying for a kitten. That leads to her and the Dad going to the local shelter and "rescuing" a kitten from there. Either way, this means that by the end of the summer they'll be adding to the throng of Brats I already am tormented by.

It's at times like these I really hate life.

P.S.1. I'm doing fine. My face is really swollen now so I've gotten into this awful habit of drooling on myself.

P.S.2. TAO is doing OK. The Mom took his cone off last night and he's not scratching at his eye. It looks almost healed. They'll be going to the eye doctor on Monday for a follow up.

Who the hell...

2007-07-21T22:09:00.001-04:00

...is Harry Potter and why has the Mom spent all day reading about him and not lavishing attention on me?

Another Update on TAO

2007-07-17T12:13:00.000-04:00

Ya. I know I haven't written in a while. Blame the Mom. She turns off her computer when she's out and lately she's been out a lot. Working, supposedly. Why she can't leave her computer on when she's gone is beyond me.

Anyhoo...the Mom did bring TAO to Dr. Eye Person for a follow up. He took all these weird lights that were white and blue and wore this funny thing on his head to look at TAO's eyes. The ulcer is completely gone but his eye is still healing. So, this means he'll have to wear the cone for another couple of weeks and get all those drops he's been bitching about. Bah. Poor baby. *rolls eyes* At least he doesn't have a malignant tumor in his mouth. Next time he complains I'm giving him a good thwapping.

Update on The Annoying One

2007-07-10T12:24:00.000-04:00

It looks like TAO is coming home today. Well, I was enjoying the peace and quiet.

The eye doctor looked at him yesterday and said he won't need surgery as long as the medication keeps on working. He did say that the ulcer went down 35% into his cornea which is a lot in my opinion but the eye is still good.

According to the Mom, he's going to be wearing that awful cone on his head. I have never had the humilation of wearing one of those things. Since he is getting better, I may have to tease him a bit. At the very least, get the Mom to take lots of pictures of him so we can make fun of him later on.

The Mom did say that I'm not allowed to thwap him for a while. Bah. First off, I have no front claws. Secondly, I won't thwap him in the face but I make no promises on the rest of him. If I know that little Brat, he'll be bugging me the minute he gets home, trying to snuggle with me and all that stuff. The minute he gets near me I'll have to give him a little nip on his tush to remind him who is boss. Just because you just got out of the hospital doesn't me you can bother me.

Prayers Please

2007-07-09T12:30:00.000-04:00

The Annoying One (TAO for short in this post) is in the hospital. He has an eye ulcer that is so bad that the local V-E-T told us he might lose his eye.

And you know whose fault it is? Stupid Dr. Country Bob. The Mom brought TAO to him last month. His eye was really runny and he could barely keep it open. Dr. Country Bob said it was an eye infection and gave some anti-biotic goop with a steroid in it. The Mom was a bit suspicious in that it was clear stuff running out of his eye and not yellow or green stuff. She is kicking herself now for not requesting a "stain" to see if it was an ulcer at the time.

Then Saturday night, the Dad noticed TAO's eye was really swollen. Yesterday morning, the Mom looked at it and saw it was all red and hazy. They took the Annoying One to Dr. Country Bob 'cause his office had emergency hours. The V-E-T there was amazed at how bad his eye was and was even more amazed the earlier V-E-T hadn't stained his eye. The lady showed the Mom and the Dad the ulcer on his eye and said that TAO needed to see an ophthalmologist ASAP.

Oh ya, did I mention the anti-biotics with steroids probably made his eye worse?

With that, they packed up TAO and rushed him to the Oradell Animal Hospital in Paramus, NJ. It's like 1 1/2 hours away but that used to be our old V-E-T and they are really, really good there. Plus, they have an ophthalmologist on call. They admitted him and TAO's supposed to see the eye doctor later today. When the Mom talked to them this morning, they said he was responding well to medication treatment which was a good sign. We'll know whether or not he needs surgery this afternoon.

Now you guys know how I feel about TAO but even I'm not evil enough to wish this on anybody. The poor little Brat is in quite a bit of pain and may lose his eye, at the very least his vision. Please send prayers his way for a speedy recovery.

P.S. The Mom is never bringing us to Dr. Country Bob again. There was much rejoicing.

New Sleepy Spot

2007-07-04T08:57:00.001-04:00

Whenever I'm in the closet, the Mom comes over, pushes aside the clothes, and says "oh there you are" in this sickeningly cute voice. She then pets me on the head and puts the clothes back.

This has to be the most freakin' annoying thing possible.

Then yesterday, I realized why she's doing it. She wants to see me to make sure I'm alright. Ever since my stupid diagnosis, she constantly wants to be around me and is "checking in" on me. So I figured, I need to do something where I'm easily visible (so she won't wake me up) but in a place where I'm still comfortable.

Voila! The cubby hole in the closet:

Now I'm perfectly comfortable sleeping on top of clothes in the closet and yet I'm easily visible so the Mom doesn't have to constantly wake me up.

Get that Mom? Don't wake me up. OK?

P.S. Though you can't see it in this picture, the tumor is on the left side of my face and it's starting to get really big. Otherwise, I'm ok.

Note to the Dad

2007-06-30T10:03:00.000-04:00

If you have cheese, I will find you. No matter where you are hiding in the house, I will find you. So don't act all surprised if I come out of nowhere and yowl in your face. You should expect it by now.

To put it in computer geek terms that you could understand: all ur cheese belong to us!

Note to the Annoying One

2007-06-28T17:26:00.000-04:00

If you see me outside of the closet, that does not mean you should bother me. I am just trying to go downstairs to eat or use the Stinky Pan. I do not want to deal with you. If you come near me again, I will have to beat the living #$%@ out of you. The best part? With the way things are now, the Mom will let me do it without any repercussions. Capisce?

It's good to be the Queen.

Ugh...

2007-06-25T11:50:00.001-04:00

I must be doing something wrong.

What we do...

2007-06-24T23:26:00.000-04:00

...to keep our humans happy.

The Mom has been unusually depressed lately. From what I gather, a lot of it has to do with her not getting the full-time teaching gig she interviewed for. Since the Brats don't have a clue as to how to help her, I need to come out of my comfy closet and show them a few tricks.

It's easy to keep the humans happy. Case in point: the Mom. All I have to do is jump on the bed under my own power, curl up on the pillow, and purr. That alone makes her happy. To deal with this stupid depression she has, I just take it one step further. I rub my nose all over the edge of her glasses and give her little kisses on her forehead. Usually by that point she's giggling and laughing.

My job is done.

Back to the closet.

OK Enough Already

2007-06-19T14:09:00.000-04:00

OK, getting the extra attention was nice. At first. Sometimes a girl just wants to hang out in the closet and be left alone. Especially with the weather being all yucky and humid. I'm tired, cranky, and the temperatures in house range from too cold to too hot. This means:

I do not want to be yanked out of my nice closet. It's probably one of the most comfortable places too because it's dark and and not too cold from your stupid air conditioner thingie.
I do not want to be hugged. You're body heat and my body heat just makes things too freaking hot.
I do not want to sleep on the pillow for the entire night. Usually either the Annoying One comes to bother me or else Loki sleeps on top of me. That's more of the combined heat thingie and that's a Bad Thing.

If you really want to make me happy, you can give me my Stinky Goodness when I ask for it. Don't just go "oh look...Ayla's out of the closet." If I'm looking at you and yowling, that usually means "get your tush out of the bed and feed me dammit." How difficult is this to comprehend?

I'm Starting to Enjoy...

2007-06-16T10:22:00.000-04:00

...all the positive attention.

For the past couple of nights, the Mom has been insistent on me sleeping on her pillow. I had been spending most of my time in the closet. Why? Well, the Mom has lots of really long dresses whose bottoms puddle on the floor so I can curl up in a ball in all that fabric. It's warm, dark, quiet, and most importantly no Brats. But now I have to humor the Mom and sit on her pillow until she falls asleep. Then I sneak back into the closet.

Then again, the pillow bit isn't a bad deal. The Mom lavishes me in pets and good scritches and occasionally she has a treat. Like last night she gave me a piece of hot dog. I haven't had that in ages. It made the Mom happy to see me eating so we were both pleased. But honestly, if me eating makes her happy, I'm more than willing to oblige.

How am I doing? I'm having my good days and bad days, but that's more to do with this girl's old joints and the weather than my cancer. The other day was just yucky with the rain and the cold and everything hurt. Yesterday and today, though, were nice and warm. At least now I can move around without aching.

Thanks again for all your well wishes, purrs, hugs, and prayers!

Just an FYI

2007-06-13T12:03:00.000-04:00

The Mom has decided to start up writing again in the Flock of Fuzzies blog. Silly her, she forgot the sign in information for the last new version so she redid the old version. Humans can be so stupid. You can find the link at:

http://flockofuzzies.blogspot.com/

She's doing this 'cause I'm getting sick of having her take over my blog. It is MY blog. You don't she her name on it do you? Didn't think so. At least now she can talk all she wants over there.

I'm going to milk it...

2007-06-13T10:48:00.000-04:00

...for all it's worth.

So I guess you all heard the news, eh? Sucks. Seriously sucks. The Mom explained what it was and I was upset at first. Then I was angry. Now I've come to realize that there may be some good that will come out of it:

The Mom and Dad are now lavishing me with attention. They are giving me lots of good scritches and pets so I can't complain about that.
They are also keeping the Brats away from me. Before they thought it was "cute" how I would thwap them to get them out of my face. Now they are actively keeping them away from me.
I'm getting lots of Stinky Goodness. That is definitely a Good Thing.

The way I look at it, I've lived a good life. I've got nothing to complain about especially after the Mom rescued me from that horrible place when I was a kitten. Well, the Brats are something to complain about but as long as they leave me alone, I'm good. Anywho, I think that I'm going to milk this thing for what it's worth: lots of pets and lots of Stinky Goodness. If I've got to head out, I might as well do it in style, right?

Bad News

2007-06-11T15:19:00.000-04:00

From the Mom -

I spoke to Dr. Country Bob today and he had bad news for us. The biopsy shows that she has squamous cell carcinoma, which is a malignant skin cancer.

According to the International Veterinary Information Service

Unfortunately, the vast majority of neoplasms found in the mouths of cats are malignant and carry a poor prognosis. Over 20 different types of cancer have been reported to occur in the oral cavity of felines, although only a few are observed commonly [1]. Among the more common feline oral neoplasms are squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), fibrosarcoma, lymphoma, and malignant melanoma. In fact, SCC alone accounts for about 70% of all feline oral tumors. It is of extreme importance to identify the tumor type and commence treatment early in the course of disease if a favorable treatment outcome is to be achieved. In the majority of cases, however, a clinical cure is not possible.

Ugh. After talking with Dr. Country Bob, the treatments are just too much for Ayla. I have the choice of starting radiation treatment--which according to him probably won't do much to help her anyway and I'm not willing to put her through it unless the prognosis was 100%--or surgery but that would basically require removing half her face. That's out of the question.

So basically we're just going to keep her as comfortable as possible. The vet told me that if the lump starts bothering her, she can be put on steroids or antibiotics.

Right now she seems to be doing ok. Getting her teeth removed seems to have done some good since she seems happier with them gone. She has yowled at me numerous times for Stinky Goodness and I've seen her eating the dried food too. As long as she has an appetite and shows that she's happy, I'll be happy.

Thank you all again for your prayers and best wishes.

Still Waiting

2007-06-10T21:54:00.000-04:00

The Mom didn't hear from Dr. Country Bob on Friday but he did say the results might take until Monday to get in. Have I mentioned I hate waiting?

Things seem to be going OK. The Mom says I've been a little more feisty lately and thinks that getting those four teeth removed was a Good Thing. If it means more Stinky Goodness for me then of course it's a Good Thing. Duh.

My face is still a bit swollen but I don't know if it's from the surgery or the original swelling that was there. Hopefully we'll be getting some good news tomorrow. I'll let you all know as soon as I find out.

I'm doing ok...

2007-06-06T09:13:00.000-04:00

...considering they doped me up and yanked out four teeth! Bah. I knew they were going to dope me up but I was expecting only one tooth to come out. It's bad enough that it looks like someone stuffed some grapes under my cheek, but now I'm going to be lopsided. At least I have some teeth left to chew with, unlike the Annoying One. Hmmm...maybe I can use this to my advantage somehow. Ah! I can only eat soft foods which means the Mom will have to give me Stinky Goodness all the time. Mwuahahaha. I can live with that.

The experience at the V-E-T wasn't too terrible considering it is the Stabby Place. I just can't believe that the Mom told them I was grumpy. The tech even put a note on my cage saying "grumpy," like it's a bad thing. Bah. Then they tell the Dad when he picks me up that I'll be grumpy and not get along with other cats for a few days. Geeze. Me? Grumpy? I should've thwapped that chick upside the head before they doped me up.

The Mom thinks that they released me a little too soon 'cause I was seriously tripping out from the drugs. Heck, I was falling over every time I tried to walk. Then what does the Dad do? He locks me in The Box for an hour "to keep me safe." I know he meant well, but screw that. I despise The Box. Loathe it. Why would I want to be kept in there? I'd rather fall down the stairs five times. Eventually the Dad got it (a lot of yowling and pawing at the cage made him see the light), and put me in the bedroom.

I was happy when the Mom got home. She teaches at night so she didn't get home until 11pm. I hate to say it but I really wanted my mommy. Even though she can be a royal pain in the tush, she knows how to make me feel better. She gave me a little bit of Stinky Goodness and then poofed up the pillows on the Big Sleepy Spot so I could have a nice place to rest. When she finally went to sleep, I fell asleep on her head. There is something comforting about that, especially after the day I had.

P.S. The Mom is reminding me to thank all of you for your prayers and best wishes. We won't know the results of the biopsy until at least Friday but I will let you all know as soon as I find out.

Update on Ayla Part II

2007-06-05T17:22:00.001-04:00

From the Mom:

I'm not home yet but I did talk with the Dad. Ayla is now home and doing well. Kind of. She's not having fun recovering from the anesthesia. The Dad told me she kind of fell over when she went down the stairs so he's keeping her in the really big cat carrier until she's more steady on her feet.

He did say that Ayla let out one of her famous yowls when the tech put her in her carrier. Supposedly she was so loud that she could be heard even in the waiting room. The tech warned the Dad that she'll be grumpy and may not do well around other cats for a day or two. LOL. That would be normal behavior for Ayla!

What is rather amazing was the cost for all of this. Our old vet would've charged us over $1,300 for the anesthesia, teeth removal, biopsy, and blood work. This one only charged us $200. I'm still in a bit of shock from that but I always thought our old vet gouged us. Maybe there are some advantages to going to Dr. Country Bob.

Update on Ayla

2007-06-05T12:52:00.000-04:00

From the Mom:

The Dad just got off the phone with the vet and Ayla is doing well.

Dr. Country Bob did the surgery which I did not know about but it's too late to bitch about it. He did say that "her bloodwork is suprisingly good for her age," which I know Ayla will be just so thrilled to hear about. Because she's healthy, she was able to have the surgery. Four teeth were removed but the vet didn't know if it was an abcessed tooth, a bad infection, or a tumor. He took a biopsy and we should know the results by Friday.

The Dad will be picking her up this afternoon but I will give an update as soon as I get home from work.

Thank you all so much for your prayers and good thoughts. I know Ayla appreciates them, and so do the rest of us. She is a special cat and I don't know what I would do without her.

Triple Bah

2007-06-04T10:39:00.001-04:00

Today was going really well. The Annoying One was dragged to the V-E-T. His eye got all swollen like mine did but the doc just said he had an eye infection. I think that's the universe's way of telling him to leave me the heck alone. Anywho, what really made my day was that he got not just one but two shots! That should make it a perfect day, right?

Well, while the Mom was there, she started talking to one of the other V-E-Ts. This one is a little younger than Dr. Country Bob (my new nickname for him) and while isn't as friendly, seems to know his stuff. The Mom got the impression that Dr. Countrybob thought that she should just let "nature run its course" since I'm "older than dirt." Bah. Thankfully, the Mom is a bit more proactive than that. She told me that she wants to know what's going on with me. Well, I do too.

Anyways, Dr. Blue Eyes (as the Mom calls him) said that she should bring me in and they'll check me out. OK...what does that mean? Basically, if I'm healthy enough, I'm going under anesthesia and they are going to find out if it's really an abscessed tooth or if it's something worse. "Exploratory surgery" is how she put it. Part of me really wants to poop on the Mom's pillow for doing this to me, but another part of me realizes that it's better to know. Bah. No matter what happens, at least they'll know what's wrong with me.

So, tomorrow I'm going in. The Mom asks that you send lots of prayers my way in the hopes that it's nothing serious.

I HATE Medicine

2007-06-02T11:43:00.000-04:00

Hmph. I am not sick. My face may be a little swollen but I am not sick. Come on. I'm just as spry as I usually am. The Mom commented that I was prancing around the other day and last night the Dad even said that I'm looking quite svelte.

So why the %#@& are you stuffing this bitter, nasty crap down my throat twice a day? The pills are bad enough but at least I can't taste anything with them. This antibiotic stuff is just plain yucky. Heck, even Mr. Countryboy Vet said it tasted bitter so why did you agree to give this to me? I think we've moved beyond to just pooping on your pillow. I am going to have to think of something nastier.

Oh, and yes my face is still swollen. The Mom is going to bring me to my old V-E-T Dr. D next week to get a better look at it. Personally I don't see what the big deal is but it has the Mom and Dad worried. Just don't give me any more medicine.

Update on Ayla

2007-05-28T21:06:00.000-04:00

From The Mom:

Last Friday, I brought Ayla in to the vet to get her routine "senior" physical and shots. However, while we were there, the vet noticed that her left eye and cheek were swollen. Upon closer examination, her left pupil wasn't the same size as her right. The vet said that it could be an abscessed tooth but most likely is an oral tumor of some sort. He put her on antibiotics and gave us the "worse case scenario." You know, the "she's older than dirt" lecture, which I'm sure Ayla was thrilled to hear.

Right now she seems to be doing fine but her face is still rather swollen. We're going to see how things turn out. If it's still swollen in a week, we'll take her to our old vet. The vet we saw is a "country bumpkin" sort of vet and while he may be very good, he was quick to diagnose a tumor. Ayla is quite spunky and is still thwapping around the other cats so personally I don't want to believe it is cancer.

I will keep you all posted. All I ask is that you pray for her. She is a good, loyal cat and though she may be grumpy, she has been there for me through some of my toughest times. I love her dearly.

Top of the Stinky Goodness Pile

2007-05-24T13:03:00.001-04:00

Julia wrote a comment on my last post that she found me while Googling "stinky goodness." Since the Mom's not home and I was bored I decided to Google it myself. There I was at the top of the Google search! Can you believe that? I was positive it would be Max or Buddah with the top Stinky Goodness posts, not little ole' me. Hehehe. I feel so powerful now. Muawhahahaha.

Anywho, thank you all for the words of support. I think the Mom is being rather selfish by not devoting more time to doting on me. So last night when the Mom got home I looked straight at her and yowled at her. "You're not spending enough time with me!" Then she picked me up and gave me some good pets. It was nice but extra Stinky Goodness would have made it even better. She told me to not push it.

Oh, by the way, I think I'm going to the V-E-T soon. The Mom was searching for my medical records in her office. When I asked her what was up, she just said she was looking for something but didn't tell me what it was. Later on, when she was sleeping, I jumped on her desk and saw my records. Oh I hope I don't get poked and stabbed again.

Bah

2007-05-22T17:35:00.001-04:00

The Mom has been really busy the past month or so with all her grading and test writing and other worthless school stuff. She said yesterday that she was thankful she turned her final grades in. So, a logical thought would be "yea! I get the Mom now until school starts up again." Right?

A few minutes later she yells out "see you all later! I'm off to school!" Huh? What? I thought she was done with school for the summer. The Dad then explained that the Mom is teaching summer school all summer which means she won't be home in the evenings to hang out with. Bah.

Last night, I even acted really cute (very unlike me) doing all the purring and "happy feet" she loves so much to convince her that I'm much more important than school and she should stay at home to cater to MY needs. No. She says that she has to work to pay the bills and buy me my Stinky Goodness. Bah. I hate it when she uses that argument.

Ugh. Make Up Your Mind Please!

2007-05-19T11:35:00.000-04:00

One week it's cold.

The next week it's nice and hot.

Now it's freakin' cold again.

What the heck is going on? The Mom assured me that things would be nice and warm. She said she's not in charge of the weather. Ya right. So who controls the temperatures inside the house, eh? What happened to the nice 70+ degrees we had inside? To me, outside weather does not matter. It's the inside one that counts. Who cares how freakin' cold it is outside? I'm not going out so hence I don't care.

What's worse? She has turned off the heat "for the season" so I have to deal with the chilly temperatures. I must remember to poop on her pillow when I get warm enough to move.

Seven Random Facts

2007-05-15T20:07:00.000-04:00

"Seven Random Facts About Me"
Skeeter and LC tagged me!

Here are the rules for this meme ...

Each player starts with seven random facts about themselves. Cats who are tagged need to write on their own blog about the seven things, and mention the rules. You need to choose seven cats to tag and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment that they have been tagged and to read your blog!

The Mom didn't mean to adopt a kitty the day she got me. She went with a friend to the house I was born in so her friend could find a new kitty. Of course, the Mom saw my beautiful face and couldn't resist.
I was a very sick kitty. I had a really bad upper respiratory infection when the Mom got me and the V-E-T told her I would probably die. The Mom nursed me back to health by making me eat this yucky paste stuff. Then I moved onto baby food (very yummy) and then Stinky Goodness.
I hate the Brats.
I'm the only one of the Fuzzies left who has lived in every house the Mom has lived in (and that's a lot).
I wasn't always grumpy. I used to act like a kitten all the time before my friend Xanadu crossed the Bridge. He was a really good friend. I miss him each day.
I am the only Fuzzy the Mom has ever voluntarily had declawed. Yes, she regrets it so don't give her grief. It was 16 years ago and she was a lot more stupid back then. But I was awfully good at destroying furniture with my talons. Those were the days...
And yes, I actually do get pleasure out of thwapping the Annoying One. You would too if you got the opportunity. He is quite the pest.

Once again, I am like the last kitty to do this meme so I'm tagging anybody left who hasn't done it.

Don't even THINK about it...

2007-05-14T18:28:00.000-04:00

...we don't need any more cats.

You see, there are three fuzzies that are living outside our new house. The neighbor had been feeding them but she's been away for a couple of months now. A couple of days ago, when the Mom was feeding us, she heard a meow outside. It was the tiny tabby kitty. Since the Mom is a silly mushy human she went out and gave him some of OUR food. Um. Hello? That's OUR food. Not theirs. OURS.

Later that day, the Mom went out and bought the kitties their own bowl and food. Now she's feeding them on our front stoop. The next thing you know, she'll be adopting them, giving them names, and I'll have even more Brats to deal with.

I don't think so.

Warmth!

2007-05-07T16:23:00.000-04:00

Hmmm. Could spring actually be here? It was really nice this weekend but I'm hesitant to fully shed my winter coat. I mean, less than a month ago it was 70 degrees one day and then we got 10" of snow two days later!

The Mom claims it's really spring now. It's supposed to get near 80 degrees most of the week. I hope so. I'm sick of the cold. The living room has been too chilly to hang out in and the Mom has been keeping the windows open in the rest of the house. All this chill isn't good for the old bones. If it gets warm enough I may get brave and venture out of the laundry basket and find a nice warm sunbeam.

Oh...and would somebody please tell the big fat Maine Coon that the laundry basket is my sleepy spot?

Ceiling Fans are Evil

2007-04-30T15:54:00.000-04:00

In our new house, the big sleepy room has a ceiling fan in it. Of course, I just learned what the heck a ceiling fan is.

You see, for the first couple of months we've lived there, it just was a fixture attached to the ceiling with lights on it. I just figured it was another light, right? Well, now that the weather is getting warmer (finally!) it's been moving a lot. Round and round and round. It wouldn't be so bad except that it's right over the bed. I mean, who knows what kind of damage that thing could do if it fell off the ceiling, right? And here I am, trying to sleep but that stupid thing just hovers right over me going round and round and round.

Bah. I'm going to sleep in the laundry basket instead. At least nothing is going to fall on my head there except for clothes. No evil spinny thingies in there.

Yes, I'm ok

2007-04-27T20:45:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to give an update. Yes, I'm ok. I've been busy helping the Mom with her grading. The poor thing is really starting to lose her mind. From what she's read to me of the tests and stuffs, her students are kind of dumb. I mean dumb for humans. Some of them are smart, but it seems most of them couldn't tell a hairball from a hairbrush.

I should be blogging more in the next week or so.

Rainy Day Blues

2007-04-04T09:39:00.000-04:00

It's raining and all miserable outside today. The Mom said "April showers bring May flowers." Bah. Who cares about flowers? It's cold. It's wet. Everything hurts. And she's thinking about flowers? Double bah.

At least she's suffering too. I know she's got bad joints that hurt really bad in wet weather. Also, she has allergies and they've been acting up. She said that it feels like she's got a football stuffed in her sinus cavities. I just wonder how she can act all cheerful on such a miserable day. Maybe it's that coffee stuff. There's got to be some good benefit to that nasty sludge.

Anywho, to try to cheer myself up--ya right--I'm posting up a picture of me lounging in the sun from yesterday. Oh why couldn't it be this nice today?

Now I'm going to crawl into the nice laundry basket inside the closet where it's nice and warm and cozy. The Brats better leave me alone today 'cause I'm in a mood for a good thwapping.

Pheasants, Turkeys and Bears...Oh My!

2007-04-02T19:26:00.001-04:00

The Mom was driving to school the other day when she saw a wild pheasant just walking along the side of the road. Then, a few miles up farther, she saw not just one but a whole flock o' wild turkeys! She told me that she has seen quite a few of the wild turkeys but she hadn't seen a pheasant before.

Um. Mom? WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU STOP AND GRAB ME ONE OF THEM FOR DINNER?

P.S. We haven't seen any bears yet but the season for them is coming up. Hopefully they won't try to steal my Stinky Goodness.

Why I Blog?

2007-03-31T09:58:00.000-04:00

DaisyMae Maus has tagged me. So I must give five reasons why I blog. Hmmm. Good question.

I need a place to vent about the Brats and the Humans.
I like to share my opinions with the world about various things.
To put up embarrassing photos of the Brats for the whole world to see.
To tell the Mom that I'm really the one in charge of the house, not her.
To meet like-minded kitties who can understand me and my need to thwap the Annoying One.

As usual, it looks like I'm the last one to do this so I'm tagging anybody who hasn't done it yet.

The Mom is Losing It

2007-03-26T14:18:00.000-04:00

I was just lying around enjoying a sunbeam when I got the urge to do some surfing on the 'net. Yes, we cats do this. We just don't do it when you can see us.

Anyways, I decided to drop by the Mom's blog to see if she even noticed my complaints about the lack of Stinky Goodness. Instead of that, I find her raving about this coffee stuff. She calls it "ambrosia." Blech.

What is it with humans and coffee? I tried it once when I was a kitten and that stuff is just plain nasty. It's bitter, it's brown, and it stinks (and I mean bad stinky, not Stinky Goodness stinky). When I was growing up, my big brother Xanadu used to love taking sips of the Mom's coffee. Ugh. Taking bites out of cheese, stealing deli meat, heck...even eating an occasional marshmellow is acceptable behavior for a cat. Sips of coffee? Eww. I do not understand the desire factor behind that. Then again, Xanadu wasn't the smartest cat in the barn if you know what I mean.

Oh...I am working on training the Dad. Unfortunately, he is quite stubborn. When I yowl at him for Stinky Goodness he just laughs and thinks it's cute. Cute? Bah. I am not cute.

The Grumpy Mom

2007-03-25T20:05:00.000-04:00

I may hold the title of "Grumpiest in the House," but the Mom is getting awfully close. All she has been doing the past week or so is walk around the house grumbling.

According to the Mom, she is burned out. It is mid-terms at one of her colleges so she is swamped by term papers and tests that need to be graded on top of all her lesson plans. What's worse is that the two colleges she teaches at don't have spring break at the same time so she doesn't get a real vacation. Boo hoo. She's the one who took all the jobs in the first place. What does she expect?

Is all this MY fault? No. All I do know is that my Stinky Goodness has been coming later and later on the weekends and she is too busy to give me pets. She shouldn't be taking out her grumpiness on me. At least when I'm grumpy, I take it out on those who made me grumpy in the first place, like the Brats. Hmph.

Maybe I'll go and lie down with the Dad for a little while. At least he's not grumpy.

Sateen Goodness

2007-03-21T13:10:00.000-04:00

The Mom and Dad got some sateen sheets for me (she claims it was for them but I know the truth). Since today is the first day of spring, she thought it would be a nice time to put these sheets on the bed. It was different and a nice treat. Here's a picture of me enjoying them.

OK, can you now put the flannel sheets back on the bed? It's still cold out and I need my flannel goodness.

Isn't It Spring Yet?

2007-03-17T15:59:00.000-04:00

The Mom was home all day yesterday which I thought was unusual for a Friday. I figured her school must have given her a holiday or something. When I asked her, she said the school was closed because of a big snow storm coming. Snow? But it was like 70 degrees out just a couple of days ago! Heck, the Mom opened up all the windows and was wearing shorts. How could we be getting snow?

Unfortunately, she was right. Later that afternoon when I looked out the window, it was snowing! I'm not talking about some flurries here but a full fledged storm! What the...? Then, when I got up this morning, everything was white. According to the Mom, we got 10" of snow. I watched her and the Dad spent like an hour digging out their cars. That was a lot of snow.

So what happened to the really nice weather we had earlier in the week? Is Mother Nature playing mind games with us? I mean, it was really nice. I got to enjoy an open window and a nice sunbeam. Life doesn't get better than that, right? The Mom said that spring is just around corner but I wish it would just get here. I'm sick of the snow and cold and the Annoying One trying to curl up with me every darn night.

Some Photos

2007-03-14T22:39:00.000-04:00

Not really in the mood to write so I'll share some photos...

Fizzy in a box

The Annoying One with Boo. At least he's not trying to sleep next to me any more.

A Limmerick About Me!

2007-03-13T12:02:00.000-04:00

Karen Jo, over at Kitty Limericks, wrote a limerick about me! I feel honored as the limerick does fit me well. Here it is:

What makes Ayla such a grump?
She wants to give the Brats a thump.
They grab the best places,
All the nice warm spaces.
It's enough to make anyone grump.

And see...she doesn't say I'm spunky.

Thanks Karen Jo!

I Am NOT Spunky

2007-03-12T17:26:00.000-04:00

I don't care what the Mom says. "Spunky" is not a word that should be used to describe me. I am not spunky. Grumpy? Yes. Snarky? Of course. Spunky? No friggin' way.

Just because I am spending time in all the other rooms besides the bedroom does not change my personality. Is it my fault that the new house is so big that I don't have to worry about crossing the paths of any of the Brats? That I can finally reclaim my spot on the couch again? That I'm demanding access to the bathroom so I can drink out of the sink again?

This does not make me spunky. It just means I'm back to my old self.

Spunky? Bah.

Shoes are a Bad Thing

2007-03-09T20:34:00.000-05:00

The Mom is still gimping around. Her ankle is getting better, but her v-e-t decided to put acid on her other foot and scrape away at it with a knife for some strange bizarre reason. Boy, I thought my v-e-t was bad. At least she only pokes me with a needle.

Personally, I think the biggest problem with humans is that they wear shoes. Some of the Mom's shoes look like nasty torture devices. And she wonders why she has problems with her feet! Geeze. Doesn't take a kitty Einstein to figure that one out. Just stop wearing shoes. Look at us kitties. We don't wear shoes and we rarely, if ever, have problems with our pitties. Mine are healthy, soft, and a nice shade of pink. You don't see me going to a v-e-t to get scraped. If only the humans would listen to us more.

Idiot

2007-03-07T10:07:00.000-05:00

Loki is really scared by the sound of a flushing toilet.

Do I need to say more?

P.S. The Mom wants to let you know that she has a new blog up and running which she claims she's going to keep up-to-date. Ya right. I'll believe it when I see it. Anyways, here's the link:

http://acrazycatslife.blogspot.com/

All About Me

2007-03-03T19:56:00.000-05:00

Since Beau decided to tag me, I guess I should fill out this meme. I don't know why you would want to know this stuff about me, but I'll do it.

A) Four places I have lived:

A really tiny apartment in New Paltz, NY
A slightly bigger apartment in Binghamton, NY
Another teeny apartment in Montclair, NJ
A townhouse somewhere out in the boonies with the Humans

B) Four things I love to watch:

Birds
TV
Any type of bug
My food being poured into a bowl

C) Four places I have been outside my home:

Cape Cod
Chappaqua, NY (where the Mom's parents used to live)
Outside our apartment one time that I fell out the window (long time ago)
Too many V-E-Ts to count

D) Four websites I visit daily:

Gmail (email)
Any of the cat blogs on my blogroll
Official Stinky Goodness website
Any website that could tell me how to get rid of the Annoying One

E) Four of my favorite foods:

Stinky Goodness
Cheese
Ham
Did I mention cheese?

F) Four places I would rather be right now:

Any place without the Brats
Any place free of the Annoying One
Any place that has unlimited supplies of Stinky Goodness
Any place that has unlimited supplies of cheese

G)Four toys I have owned and played with:

Anything with catnip
The Annoying One's head (didn't own it...thwapped it quite a bit though)
Feather balls
Did I mention anything with catnip?

H) Four nicknames my family have called me:

Fuzzy
Ayla-Fuzzy
Grumpy Girl
Stop Chewing the Plastic Bags!

I) Regarding Catnip:

Love it! (duh...stupid question)
It's nice
Could take it or leave it
Don't like it or can't have it

J) Regarding Cat Grass:

Love it
It's nice
Could take it or leave it
Don't like it or can't have it

K) First four things I'd buy after winning the lottery:

Buy another house for the humans that only I would be allowed in
Lots of Stinky Goodness
Lots of nip
Lots of cheese

L) Four things I do besides eat, sleep, and litterbox:

Blog...duh
Thwap the Annoying One
Thwap the rest of the Brats
Yowl at the Mom to feed me

M) Four things I want to do this summer:

Sleep
Thwap the Annoying One
Find a nice warm sun beam to curl up in
Eat lots of Stinky Goodness

N) My four most prized possessions that have limited value to anyone else:

My nip...it's mine dammit
The laundry basket
The Mom's pillow
Any cheese in the house

O) What I’m going to do before tomorrow is over:

Thwap the Annoying One at least twice
Yowl at the Mom
Sleep lots
Eat Stinky Goodness

P) Which of the following is your favorite place to hide and play?

The closet
In the laundry
On the Mom's chair (she keeps it pushed in so you can't see me unless you pull the chair out)
Wait....I don't really hide or play. Never mind.

Q) Four other "pets" your staff have kept with you:

The Brats. That's eight too many

R) Four furiends I tag to respond:

Anybody who hasn't been tagged yet

Me? Snarky? Never.

2007-02-26T19:11:00.000-05:00

The Mom said this morning that I was being snarkier than usual. Hmph. Just because it snowed and she didn't have to go to school until 11am doesn't mean that she shouldn't feed me at my usual 5:30am. I have routines and I stick to them and she needs to understand that.

Taking Care of Sick Humans

2007-02-18T16:41:00.000-05:00

Sorry I haven't written in while. We had all been busy getting settled into the new place when the Mom and the Dad both decided to get sick. It's bad enough when one of them gets sick. At least then the one human takes care of the other and we fuzzies only have to go in and do some emotional backup. With both of them sick, we have to work overtime with the purrs and snuggles.

I do have one complaint about the new house: it's FREAKING COLD!!!! Turn up the heat already. You would think with two sick humans, they would want the house to be nice and warm, right? Bah. This place is worse than the last place. The Mom does think that the temperature gauge on the thermostat is a bit off so she plans on buying a little indoor thermometer to check it. But in the mean time can you please turn up the heat?

At least the Mom's office is a smidge warmer than the rest of the house. I have officially claimed it as My Room. I'll let a couple of the Brats in to visit but it is mine. M. I. N. E. Mine. It also gets the most sun during the day and has a really big window (I can see why the Mom put her office in here). Here's a pic of me alseep on one of the boxes in the office. Yes, the Mom has a lot of junk and will probably be spending the next three years unpacking.

My Palace

2007-02-05T19:24:00.000-05:00

I've survived the move. It was long and a huge hardship. The movers took two whole days packing up all of the junk the humans have collected and moving it to the new house. Thankfully I was only locked up in the bathroom for part of one day, but it was a very long day. I can't believe the Mom locked me up not only with the Annoying One but three other Brats as well. The Maine Coons were able to go to the new place but where am I? Stuck in a tiny bathroom freezing my little tushie off.

I have to give the Mom some credit. She said she would buy a really nice house for us to live in and I think she did a pretty good job. It's got multiple floors with lots of stairs to sleep on and plenty of room for me to stay away from all the Brats. If they are on one floor, I just go to another one and it's nice and quiet. Amazingly, I'm actually happy with the place.

Now technically the house is in the humans' names, but you know what? This is going to be my palace. I've already claimed most of the house and since I'm the oldest kitty, I shall be the Queen of Everything inside of it.

Of course the Brats are ruining my new home with them running all over the place and going nuts. I can't tell who is having more fun. Even Bomber, who is the most laid back of the Brats, has been sighted spazzing around.

I will post some pictures as soon as the Mom finds the camera. It's in a box. Somewhere. Like everything else. Heck, I'm stuck using the Mom's laptop 'cause that's buried in her office behind fifty boxes.

P.S. The Mom is hurting and exhausted. Of course, she's working really long days everyday this week. If she doesn't get better, it's all her own fault.

Let the Panic Begin!

2007-02-02T06:40:00.000-05:00

We're moving tomorrow and you know what? The humans aren't even ready for it. According to the Mom, the bedroom needs a minimum of one coat of paint, no blinds have been put up, and they still haven't cleaned the new house yet. On top of that, I don't think they've packed one box of stuff yet.

The Mom isn't too worried about that last part. Since she sprained her ankle, she decided to have the movers pack up all the stuff. Oh I feel sorry for them. There are places in the apartment where boxes have sat for the 3+ years we've been here that must be covered with a good inch coating of dust and cat hair. Even that thought scares me. The Mom did say if the workers did a good job and didn't complain she'll give them a good tip. She is good that way.

Speaking of the Mom, her ankle is getting worse. This week has been hard on her. If she wasn't already working a 12 hour day (a good portion of that is on her feet), what little free time she's had has been spent painting the new place. When she came home from teaching last night, she looked utterly fried. I'm starting to worry about her. Of course she tried to humor me and say things will be better after we move. I hope so. That damn air cast came a little too close to my tail more than once.

I'll update you all either tomorrow night or Sunday to let you know how everything went. At least the humans were smart enough to get the broadband access hooked up first.

She May Be Named Cat...

2007-01-30T19:40:00.000-05:00

...but she sure doesn't have the grace of one.

Who? The Mom. You see, about a week and a half ago when she was leaving the lawyer's office after buying the new home, she sprained her ankle. Supposedly she passed out from the pain--wimp--and went to the hospital to make sure nothing was broken. The human V-E-T just gave her this silly brace that caused more pain than good.

Yesterday, she went to see a podatrist about her ankle 'cause it was still hurting her. She supposedly doesn't trust bone doctors with her ankles 'cause one really screwed up the other one when she broke it. The podatrist said that the Mom needs more protection for her ankle so now she's walking around in this big air cast thingie. And I thought she lacked agility before! Ha! She has this big huge thing attached to her leg and either trips over it or whacks it into something. It's really dangerous around us fuzzies 'cause we may end up being on the painful end of that thing. Thankfully she takes it off at night or else the Dad would be all black and blue. Hehe.

Painting the Day Away...

2007-01-28T13:52:00.000-05:00

The humans are out today painting some rooms in the new house. I wish I could be there to see it. Neither of them are that agile and they are both huge klutzes. I can see them coming home covered in paint from head to toe. Ha!

Supposedly the master bedroom is going to be "merlot" and the Mom's office will be "butter." Umm...why are there paints named after foods and drinks? Whatever happened to "red" and "yellow?" The Dad is teasing the Mom 'cause she's going all looney over the fact that she can actually paint the walls something other than white which is why she's going for such "rich" colors. Since they're doing such a dark color in the bedroom, they have to put on a grey primer first. Bah. If I were them, I'd just paint it one color that would be nice and easy. Then again, you don't see cats painting 'cause it requires way too much effort.

There are no words...

2007-01-23T09:03:00.000-05:00

...to express how pissed off I am at the Mom. She had the nerve to give me a BATH. OK, so I had some bad poopies that stuck to my butt, but it didn't warrant a full fledged water bath.

What's worse? The Dad took a picture of me. Boy am I glad that the poopies got on his pillow.

Winter's Finally Here

2007-01-16T20:32:00.000-05:00

A lot of you asked how the Mom could get by not putting the winter sheets on the bed until January. Well, here in New Jersey, it hasn't felt like winter. The temperatures had been in the 50s and just the other day the Mom was wearing shorts! Since the Dad is a weird "it's too hot" type of person, the Mom had to wait until she had a good reason to put the winter sheets on: the temperatures are dropping into the teens this week.

I'm dreading the cold weather. These old bones feel the cold pretty badly. The Mom has been keeping the heated kitty bed on every night to help out the Annoying One and Monkee, both of whom are too darn skinny and have no fat whatsoever to keep them warm. What gets me is Bailey, who is way too tubby, loves sleeping on the heated bed too. Doesn't she have enough fat to keep her warm? Geeze. Of course, they make no room for me. Then again, Bailey takes up most of the darn thing anyways. I'm happy right now with the laundry basket since I can bury myself under the clothes. If that doesn't work, I'll crawl under the covers with the Mom at night.

Monday Morning Rantings

2007-01-15T11:11:00.001-05:00

You know it's a Monday when you're sleeping all nice and comfy on the Big Sleepy Spot when the Mom yanks all the sheets off the bed and you go flying in the process. Bah. I can sort of forgive the Mom today. She officially is switching over from the "summer" sheets and stuff to the "winter" stuff. This means a much thicker and comfy comforter. But I'm still miffed at the whole flying part.

The Mom and Dad are "closing" on the new house on Friday. Shouldn't it be called an "opening" since they are technically opening the house to us? The Dad is kind of freaking out about the whole thing but the Mom isn't. As she put it, she's teaching five classes this semester and still working at the library. She's so beyond the freaking out part that she has become numb.

We've had a train load of moving people coming in to give us guesstimates for the cost of not only moving us but packing up everything as well. Oh that's going to be fun. The Mom is making sure nobody is allergic 'cause there are some parts of the house that have about 2" of cat fur and dust on them. Heck, it must be bad if both the Mom and the Dad don't want to pack it up and are leaving strangers to do it and pay out an extra $500 for it.

Have I mentioned how much I hate moving?

This is going to be my 8th move with the Mom. Oh geeze. Has it been that many? Damn. I've only been alive 16 years so that means a move every two years. Well, the Mom promised me this is going to be the last one for a very long time. I hope so. I'm tired of having to hunt out good, private hiding spots.

My New Title

2007-01-11T09:11:00.000-05:00

My Peculiar Aristocratic Title is:
Baroness Ayla the Expensive of Lower Wombleshire
Get your Peculiar Aristocratic Title

Expensive is fitting since I demand only the Extra Special Stinky Goodness now. Though if the Mom had her way it would be the Baroness Ayla the Expensive and Grumpy of Lower Wombleshire.

Wacky Wednesday...

2007-01-10T10:13:00.000-05:00

...Fuzzy Feeding Frenzy

And the humans wonder why I wait until everybody else finishes eating before I even attempt to get at the food bowls. No way I'm going to fight with these bozos.

Thanks and a Really, Really Good Laugh

2007-01-07T17:25:00.000-05:00

First off, before the Mom bites my head off, she wants me to relay thanks to all of you who passed along hugs and purrs. Her depression got really bad after she got the news and you guys helped her out a lot, so thanks.

Now you guys know I'm not one for posting links to videos or anything but the Mom found this link and even I had to laugh at it. This guy has the most infectious laugh we've ever heard and it had the Mom almost peeing in her pants 'cause she was laughing so hard herself. It's work safe and no swearing. Really funny. Just make sure you're not drinking anything when you're watching it 'cause it'll come out of your nose.

And ya, the Mom is trying to redesign this site for me. Ever since we switched over to the "new and improved" Blogger--bah--I've been having problems with my old site. However, this new coding is so confusing even to the Mom, who hand codes HTML all the time. She can't figure out how to change things like the background. Oh yes, Blogger put in all these new bells and whistles controls but you can't change the background color. What's with that? Even putting my picture up required some effort, or at least the Mom claims it did. I don't care as long as it looks nice and you guys can bask in all my glory.

The Poor Mom

2007-01-05T13:36:00.000-05:00

The Mom is a little miffed right now. She was supposed to teach two classes at her college starting next week but she just got an e-mail, not even a phone call but an e-mail, informing her that a full-timer took one of her classes. It was a European history class which is her real favorite to teach. She was crying about it 'cause it was the one class she was really looking forward to and had prepped it an all.

Now normally I would say "great...this means more time with the Mom," right? But I know that she really loves her teaching and I hate anything that makes her upset. Also, this means she won't get paid as much which means my Extra Special Stinky Goodness supply may not be replenished. Bah. I told the Mom to bring me to the head of the department's office to give him a good thwapping but she said I couldn't do that. She wants to keep the one class she has left. Bah.

Wacky Wednesday...

2007-01-03T20:32:00.000-05:00

...aka Baked Monkee Butt

OK...I know he's sitting up there 'cause of the warmth of the pilot light and all, but he's one of the idiots who TOOK MY BED.

New Year's Resolutions

2007-01-01T10:33:00.000-05:00

First off, Happy New Year's everybody.

Since this is a time for resolutions (a stupid human tradition if you ask me, but one that is very popular for some strange reason), I decided to write my own resolutions:

Demand more Extra Special Stinky Goodness - The Mom sometimes mixes in the regular Stinky Goodness but I want the Extra Special type.
Thwap the Annoying One more - I don't think I hit my quota for 2006 so I think I should make up for it in 2007
Get more quality alone time with the Mom - She works too much now so I barely see her. I think I'll have to get off my tush and do some serious thwapping to get the Brats away from the Mom when I want time for her.
Keep the Brats out of my room in the new house - This, again, will require much thwapping, but it's a good way for me to stay in shape.
Get my damn bed back - It's MY bed and I'm going to do whatever it takes to get it back.

Oh wait. The Mom is telling me that these aren't "real" resolutions. Supposedly resolutions are ways to improve yourself. Well duh. All the things I listed are ways to improve myself. Just because I'm not being stupid and saying "I will lose 30lbs this year" like you are doesn't mean that I'm not improving myself. Humans should learn from us and how to truly improve their lives. Maybe the world will be a better place.

Happy Boxing Day!

2006-12-26T08:17:00.000-05:00

OK. Now this is a holiday I can get into. This means I can go around thwapping all the Brats, right? What? No? Then why the heck is it called "Boxing Day?" Doesn't that mean I can box all day long? Bah. You humans take all the fun out of everything.

Well, I would post a picture of me enjoying my new heated fuzzy bed but of course all the Maine Coons decided to claim it first. The Mom has a couple of pictures of Frankie and Bailey on it but I'm not going to post those 'cause the bed was supposed to be for me. MINE!!! Double bah.

Merry Kissymas!

2006-12-25T08:03:00.000-05:00

Bah. It sounds more fun than Merry Christmas. Just wanted to wish everybody a very Happy Christmas (or Happy Kissymas). I'm going to enjoy the heated bed the Mom and Dad got me and all the catnip too.

Wacky Wednesday...

2006-12-13T20:56:00.000-05:00

...aka Fried Monkee Butt Part II

I don't know what it is with Monkee and frying pans but here he is again. This time he's lounging in the large frying pan. He is one weird cat.

Speaking of weird, the Mom is really going over the edge. As she puts it, she's so fried she's "toasty." There's only a week and a half of school left and she's got a huge pile of tests and papers to grade and she's starting to act all silly and stuff. Supposedly stress does that to humans. Personally, I think she should just take a nap since I find that's the best way to avoid stress.

Google, Wikipedia, and Blogger

2006-12-10T15:49:00.000-05:00

I was trolling some of the blogs earlier and I saw that Max had "Googled" himself. So I figured, "ah what the heck" and I "Googled" myself. First I did "Ayla the Grump" and I was all over the front page, which was pretty cool. Then, I did just "Ayla" and I'm stuck on the second page. It's top of the second page, but it's still the second page. Bah. I mean, I realize that I was named after a character in a book, but I'm real. Thus, I should be more important.

One of the things I did notice was that there was a Wikipedia entry for Ayla. Of course, I had to read it. Now, as you know, the Mom is a professor and she's always telling her students to never use Wikipedia as a source because it can be constantly edited and people can write any sort of poop that they want to. Well, now I know why:

It is also indirectly related to the English word aura which has its etymological roots in Greek and Hebrew languages. In ancient Hebrew, the word aur, meaning "illumination", but also "radiance," "happiness" and "joy,"...

"Radiance?" "Happiness?" "Joy?" Ya right. They definitely aren't talking about me.

So anyways, I'd figure I'd share this little tidbit with you all when I noticed that there's a new version of Blogger to be had. Since I try to be a very technically savvy kitty, I figured I would try it. Since when did Google take over Blogger? I had to create a Google account and do all this pain in the tush stuff to get the new Blogger. What's that all about? All I know is if this makes Blogger any more annoying than it already is, I may have to create my own webpage. Bah.

New House Pics

2006-12-07T20:34:00.000-05:00

The Mom and Dad went to inspect the new house today. They had to hire some guy to walk around it and make sure it wasn't falling apart or anything like that. The Mom was really excited when she got home so I'm assuming it went well. She did tell me that the heating system did work really well which is what's important to me. Then again, with my luck, the Dad will keep the new place as cold as the old one. Bah.

Anywho...the Mom gave me some pictures to share with you all.

The front of the house

This is the dining room on the left. The stairs go up to the loft and the bedrooms, and go down to the living room

Fireplace in the living room. I'll be curling up near there a lot

And the Mom said she'll set up a nice spot for me in this closet. At least I get my own closet. Hopefully the Brats will stay out of it, but that's probably just wishful thinking.

What I Want for Christmas

2006-12-04T14:56:00.000-05:00

This:

The Brats, trapped underneath the laundry basket, each and every day.

Turn Up the Darn Heat Already!

2006-12-03T10:46:00.000-05:00

OK...I know you were wearing shorts last week and that this has been an unusually warm Fall, but it's over now. It's cold outside and it's cold inside. I mean look at this:

Fizzy was so cold that she wrapped herself in the Mom's blanket on top of the big Sleepie Spot to get warm. Isn't that enough proof? Do you need icicles to form on our noses before you turn up the darn heat? We're freezing here and we have fur!

I'm not yelling at the Mom about this either 'cause I know she's cold too. She's always bundled up as well. It's the Dad who is the bane of our existence right now. That human is always hot and he's always opening the windows. Maybe I need to poop on his pillow to get the point across.

We'll Miss You Kosho

2006-12-02T20:18:00.000-05:00

I just found out that my cousin Kosho crossed the Rainbow Bridge last weekend. I never knew him but he came from the same original family that Moose, Frankie, and Moto came from. My uncle Marty adopted Kosho and Moto and then moved away to Providence so I never really got to know him, but if he's anything like the other cats he lived with, he was a very special cat.

The Mom is really upset about his passing. Supposedly he was very sick but the V-E-Ts couldn't figure out what was wrong with him. He just got sicker and sicker until his little body couldn't take it any more. It's nice to know that he's ok now and can run around playing with bugs and eating endless amounts of Stinky Goodness.

We love you Kosho.

Bah, Bah, and Double Bah

2006-11-30T16:40:00.000-05:00

The Mom has decided that the Annoying One is going to get Stinky Goodness again. She says that he's getting too skinny and hopes that he'll eat more with the wet food. This is bad enough because I have to endure that pain in the tush when I'm eating again. The really bad part is that he's getting the Extra Special Stinky Goodness too! Why should he get it? He doesn't deserve it. I'm the oldest and the more superior of the cats which means only I should get it. He can have the regular Stinky Goodness. The Extra Special kind is mine and mine alone.

Oh ya, the Mom said the people signed the contract so it's official: we're moving to a new house. She says that she'll let me have the run of her office in the house but it won't be all mine. See? I told you she'd pull that on me. She did say it had a nice closet in which she'll put a nice pillow for me. Bah. I want the laundry basket, not a pillow. I like sleeping on the stinky clothes. I may have to fight with her over this one. Then again, she says that she'll have her own washing machine so the laundry won't pile up like it is now. Well what's the fun in that?

Flannel Comfort Goodness

2006-11-26T10:01:00.000-05:00

The Mom got new flannel sheets for the bed and they are really nice and soft. Of course, the first thing I'm going to do is assume my position on the Mom's pillow and take a nice nap, right?

Then the Mom grabs that stupid flashie thingie and wakes me up. Bah. Can't a girl sleep in peace?

And she wonders why I'm grumpy all the time.

Oh boy....here we go

2006-11-24T13:22:00.000-05:00

The Mom got a phone call this morning from the realtor. The owners of the townhouse countered our counter-counter offer and the Mom accepted it. Tomorrow they are driving up to Vernon to sign a new contract with the new offer price. This means it's official: we're moving. Bah.

You'd think I'd be freaking out right now, eh? Well it's nothing compared to the Mom. She did this "happy dance" thingie and squeaked in delight. Then she started freaking out about lawyers, inspectors, movers, and a whole bunch of other things. Right now I think she is in shock.

On the bright side, I did get lots of turkey and ham. The Grandpa sent the Dad home with a whole turkey breast just for us!

Happy Turkey Day

2006-11-23T09:42:00.000-05:00

Happy Turkey Day everybody! I hope you all get to eat lots of turkey bits. The Mom and the Dad are going to the Grandparents' house for dinner and she promised me that she will come back with not only turkey but ham as well. The Mom is weird in that she doesn't like turkey so the Grandpa makes ham especially for her. You won't hear me complain about that.

So what am I thankful for? Hmm...good question. I am thankful for:

The Extra Special Stinky Goodness - How can you not be thankful for that?
The Mom - You need to be thankful for the one who feeds you, especially when it's the Extra Special Stinky Goodness.
The Dad - He's slowly learning how to do pets properly.
The Laundry Basket - MY place that nobody else can have.
The Annoying One - Hey, when I need to thwap someone upside the head he's a perfect target.
Cheese - You can't forget Cheesey Goodness.
The Cat Blogging Community - It's always good to have someone to vent to and sympathize with.

P.S. The Mom finally updated her blog. Can you believe it. It has only been like three months since she last wrote in it so she asked me to tell you all that it's active again.

Tired Out Tuesday

2006-11-21T21:36:00.000-05:00

At least it is for the Mom. She is really wiped out. Today she taught in the morning, worked all day at the library, and then her and Dad drove up to Vernon to put an official offer on the house they like. The Mom confided that she was really scared about the whole thing. Um. Ok. If you're really scared then why are you doing it? Sounds kind of silly if you ask me. Though personally I'm starting to like the idea of a bigger place. A bigger place means less chance of me running into any of the Brats. I still doubt I'll get my own room but the Mom did say there were a LOT of closets, which means that I probably will get my own closet. That would be a Good Thing.

The Stabby Place

2006-11-19T19:48:00.000-05:00

Sorry I haven't written in a bit. The Mom still won't show me how to turn on the computer and she has been really busy with the house hunting and school and stuff. I've been trying to get the Dad to show me by threatening to poop on his pillow but he knows that it's one of my favorite spots and won't do it. Bah.

Anyways, I got dragged to the V-E-T on Friday, or as Max calls it, the "Stabby Place." The latter is just a much more fitting term. It was bad enough being put in The Box. I almost got away a couple of times 'cause the Dad was trying to do it, but then the Mom showed up and stuffed me in it. Bah. It's a long drive to the V-E-T, about 1/2 hour away. Dr. D. is ok but this time she stabbed me with one of those needle thingies! She said I was due for my rabies vaccine. Rabies? How the frick am I going to get rabies? I never go outside. I think it was just an excuse to inflict torture on me. I know, I know. I need it anyways, but that doesn't mean I can't whine about it. At least this time she didn't stick a thermometer up my butt.

Oh ya, the Mom and Dad went to look at some places today and they think they've picked out a good one. It's really big and has sliding glass doors for us to look out of. The Mom also said it's three bedrooms and there's still a chance I get my own room. Ya right. She just wants to make me feel better about moving. I HATE moving.

Some Good News

2006-11-14T13:57:00.000-05:00

The Mom got the information from the insurance company and unless there is more damage found, they are not going to consider it totalled. She was very, very happy when she heard this but then she started to cry again. Supposedly these were "tears of joy." Then, soon after that, she got her really mean look in her eyes and said "the &%#$ers aren't going to get away with this" and mumbled something about a bettered business bureau. Bah. Humans are weird.

Anyways, what's even better was that since we were good kitties in comforting the Mom she went out and bought us the SPECIAL Stinky Goodness. You know the stuff that's got veggies in it and is really expensive? She bought a whole bunch of cans and they are only going to be for me and Frankie. Too bad I've got to share, but it's better than nothing.

Car Problems and House Hunting

2006-11-13T13:22:00.000-05:00

Normally, I have no sympathy to humans when they get upset about stuff 'cause most of the time the stuff that happens is their fault. This time, however, I do feel sorry for the Mom.

Last week, the Mom brought her car to the dealership to get the oil changed. Well, while the car was there, someone must've hit it 'cause the hood was bent and the bumper damaged. Since she tends to be oblivious, she didn't notice it for a couple of days. When she went to confront the dealership they gave her a hard time and refused to pay for the damage. That's bad enough, right?

Well, today she went to the mechanics to get a guesstimate about how much it's going to cost to fix it. There was a lot more damage to the car than you can tell from the outside and the guy told the Mom that the insurance company may just consider the car totalled rather than pay to fix it. Now I don't know about you guys but the Mom gets really attached to her cars. She had her first car for ten years and this one for eight. She even has a silly name for it: the Blue Baron. When she got home she was crying that she would lose her car and that they can't afford to buy a newer one right now since they are about to get a mortgage.

I'm sorry but anybody that makes the Mom cry deserves a good thwap upside the head with additional poopinosity on their pillows. Nobody makes the Mom cry and gets away with it. Bah.

On top of this, the humans are stressing out over house hunting. The Mom said they saw a lot of nice places but there was one major thing wrong with each of them. They'll be going out again in a couple of weeks looking at more of them. The Mom said a couple of them had three bedrooms which means I might actually get my own room. That would be so nice, but I'm not holding my breath. With my luck the Doofi will claim the room before I have a chance to get into the place.

When in doubt...

2006-11-04T08:50:00.000-05:00

...hide.

The Doofi were really making a racket last night and were spazzing like crazy all throughout the house. It was bad enough that they ran over me on the Mom's pillow but they even ran over me when I tried to get some sleep in the laundry basket! I said "enough is enough" and looked around for the best spot away from those two loons. It was an unconventional spot for me but it worked: on top of the TV in the bedroom. The cable box was nice and warm to sit on and most important, the Doofi couldn't reach me up there. Unfortunately, it's not really big enough to sleep on but it works at a temporary refuge.

Oh Mom? I think you need to dust.

Mortgage? What's a mortgage?

2006-11-01T13:05:00.000-05:00

The Mom has made the decision that she wants to buy a condo or a townhouse. She says that the Doofi (Loki and Monkee) are just way to big for our current place and she's sick of renting. So, she has been on the phone for the last few days getting "quotes" for this thing called a mortgage. I don't know what is it, but it's driving the Mom close to hysterics. She has been digging for papers and writing all this stuff down, mumbling about arms and percentage points and closing costs.

All I know is that means we'll eventually have to move. The Mom says it won't be until the spring, but it's still moving. I HATE moving. I don't want to move. I finally found all the comfy places here and I don't want to have to search a new place. Also, it means either being in The Box or locked in a small room with the Brats for the good part of a day. That is definitely not fun.

However, the Mom said the places she's looking at are at least twice as big as our place now and promised me lots of good hiding spots away from the Brats. If that's the case, it might be worth it. Bribing me with in my own room with lots of windows and Stinky Goodness would help. Hint, hint, Mom.

Speaking of Stinky Goodness, the Dad brought home sushi today for lunch and shared it only with the Mom. Salmon too. Bah. I may just have to puke on his pillow tonight when he's asleep.

Happy Halloween? Bah

2006-10-31T17:43:00.000-05:00

I hate this holiday. I hate it, hate it, hate it. Why? 'Cause every 15 minutes the darn doorbell rings. I don't know about you, but we have a very LOUD doorbell. Since the house isn't all that big, it's loud everywhere in the house, even in my laundry basket. So, I'm in the closet, nicely curled up in the Mom's laundry, and the doorbell keeps on ringing. How is a girl supposed to sleep? After a while, it becomes a royal pain.

Some of the Brats are happy about it because all these kids knocking at the door means lots of pets and new smells. Been there, done that, bought the t-shirt. I just want some peace and quiet. Is that too much to ask for?

Fried Monkee Butt

2006-10-24T19:53:00.000-04:00

I swear. Monkee is turning into a real weirdo. Yesterday he was sitting in the frying pan on the stove, doing nothing but sitting there. Why? I have no freaking clue. Weird cat.

P.S. The Mom says to ignore the messy stove. It's the Dad's turn to clean it and we all know how much male humans love to clean.

Well I Was Comfortable...

2006-10-22T18:28:00.000-04:00

Last night, I was sleeping on the Mom's pillow, all nice and comfortable, when all of a sudden Loki plops down on me. Not only is he on top of me, he spreads himself all over the pillow. As you can image, I'm stuck under this moose cat and not all too thrilled with it. The Mom tried to make me feel better by cooing at me and petting me, thinking how "cute" this way. I wonder if she'll think it so "cute" when I poop in her shoes tomorrow morning?

After a while, I realized that I was kind of stuck in the situation so I just gave up and went to sleep. Then, about five minutes later, the Mom decides to move all the pillows to "make it easier" for us to "sleep together on the pillows." You know what this means? Both Loki and I went flying as she moved the pillows. At this point I was really mad and just stomped away to go sleep in the laundry basket.

On the bright side, the Mom is really miserable now. She's off grading papers. I can tell that the class did a miserable job because she's moaning and complaining as she's reading them. Hehe.

It's Official...

2006-10-19T09:36:00.000-04:00

...the Mom is now a true Nerd (according to her).

Earlier this week, she got promoted from being a Library Assistant to being a Librarian. I thought humans needed a special degree for this but the town she works for is so small that anybody can be one.

This is really cool 'cause it means she gets paid lots more money--which means more Stinky Goodness for me--but according to the Mom it also increases her Nerd factor. I have no clue what a Nerd is, but if the Mom is one, it can't be all that bad. She nice, and smart, and knows how to treat me right most of the time (it's not perfect because she keeps bringing in Brats).

The Mom is really happy about this promotion 'cause she seems to really like the job and the people she works with. If she's happy, I'm happy. Just so long as she remembers to give me the daily minimum requirement of attention I need each day. Oh ya, and my Stinky Goodness.

Sick is Bad

2006-10-15T09:35:00.000-04:00

On Friday night, the Mom said she felt a "tickle" in her throat. Personally, I thought she just swallowed a bunch of cat hairs, but in human terms that means she thinks she was getting sick.

And sick she was. The Mom didn't get out of bed the entire day. She even fell asleep during the Leafs game last night (she never misses Hockey Night in Canada), which means she really must not have felt good.

I did my feline duty of sleeping on her head all day, but I guess she didn't delegate her human duties to the Dad. You see, I DID NOT GET MY STINKY GOODNESS yesterday. Nope. None. Nada. Zilch. Now I'm not blaming the Mom 'cause she was really sick. But hello? Dad? What were you doing all day? Couldn't you have given us Stinky Goodness?

When the Mom got up this morning, she realized the error and made sure that we got our Stinky Goodness. She gave me and Frankie lots of pets and apologized. I'll forgive her. This time.

Some days...

2006-10-13T14:46:00.000-04:00

...I just can't win.

It's bad enough that the Mom isn't home all the time now to give me my Stinky Goodness when I want it, right?

Well, the other night, the Dad got home before the Mom so I figured I would go and yowl at him until he fed me. Simple, eh? So, I perch myself up on top of the Mom's scrapbooking case and was about to yowl at the Dad when I'm all of a sudden knocked over by Frankie. It seems he was on one of his typical nip-highs and spazzing out. Normally that doesn't bother me, but this time he was preventing me from my duty of yowling for food. That's not cool. I turned around and yelled "oh no...you did not just do that!" and thwapped him back into sobriety.

By the time I regained the appropriate mental state for a good yowl, the Dad had already walked into the other room. Once he sits down for the evening, nothing is going to budge him. My moment was lost and I was forced to wait for the Mom, who didn't come home until two hours later.

Bah.

No Sneeze Kitties? What the...

2006-10-07T11:43:00.000-04:00

The Mom was reading the New York Times and saw this article about genetically mutated hypo-allergenic kitties. OK, they are kitties, but they are mutant kitties. I'm sorry. It's bad enough that the humans add growth hormones to Moo-cows and change the genetics on corn to make it more durable (or something like that).

This is so freaking stupid.

Oh ya, you can give me the whole argument of "well this means people can enjoy the company of cats who couldn't before." Two problems with this. One, if they really loved cats, they would put up with the sneezies. Heck, the Dad is highly allergic to cats and he's still with the Mom six years and nine cats later. He loves all of us, including the Annoying one who is a huge bundle of allergy causing snot. Secondly, there are so many kitties out there who need homes. Why should some idiot spend $4,000 on a cat when there are so many loving little furballs at the shelters who can go home right now for the cost of dinner at a fast food place?

*steps off soap box and goes to thwap someone*

The Mom and Stuff

2006-09-22T17:10:00.000-04:00

The Mom seems to be enjoying her new jobs. She increased her hours at the library to make a little extra money. When she is home, she's working on lesson plans and other school work which means she is still hogging the computer.

And no, no computer for me. The Mom says she doesn't trust me with full access to the internet. What is she worried about? It's not like I plan on posting naked pictures of her on the 'net. Ewww...ok that thought needs to clear my head.

Amazingly, I've been in a rather good mood this past week. The Brats have been leaving me alone and the temperatures have been comfortable, which means no aching bones. Even the Mom commented on it, like she was baffled by me not being grumpy. Hello? Just because I'm gumpy occasionally doesn't mean it's a permanent mood thing. Geeze. And like she doesn't get moody. Bah.

The Mom and the Dad are planning a weekend away and are thinking of bringing one of us along. I thought about it, since the idea of getting away from the Brats for a couple of days sounds like heaven, right? Then the Mom mention that it would mean a two hour car trip. In the Box. Ugh. Brats...or...the Box....Brats....or....the Box. Hmmm. Brats. I'm just hoping that they'll take the Annoying One. Ah...a weekend away from the Annoying One. Not exactly paradise, but close enough.

Thank You!

2006-09-16T18:08:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to thank everybody for coming to my party yesterday. I would've posted this earlier but I'm still reeling from all those niptinis Frankie was making for me. He makes a wicked good one too. I just hope next year I'll have a party with just as many friends (if not more), and this time I'll make sure that we have some fresh Stinky Goodness on hand so you won't have to bring your own.

P.S. The Mom and the Dad got me lots of fresh nip for my purrthday and I'm a very happy kitty.

Happy Purrthday to Me

2006-09-15T14:32:00.000-04:00

The Mom got home just now and discovered our little party going on. She didn't mind and said I deserved to have some friends over as long as you all make sure to use the stinky pan. Thank you to all of you who have shown up so far.

So Happy Purrthday to me!!! Man...I'm 16 years old. Mind you, a very svelte 16. I think that since I'm now officially old I can be grumpy and the Mom can't complain about it.

Invitation to my Birthday Party

2006-09-14T22:16:00.000-04:00

I have spent the past few days working on the Mom, trying to get her to let me have a big bash. She won't let me, saying the house isn't clean enough for guests, we don't have enough food, etc. Bah. So I'm going behind the Mom's back, with the Dad's help of course.

It's not going to be a formal affair, but you're all invited to stop by when the Mom isn't home tomorrow (between 8am and 2pm est). The Dad's home, playing Virtual Office again, so he'll be helping me out. It'll be BYOSG (Bring Your Own Stinky Goodness). We'll hang out, thwap some Brats, and enjoy the large pockets of sunshine coming through the windows.

See you tomorrow!

[The Dad - She'll be 16 years old tomorrow but don't say I told you so]

OK...

2006-09-10T10:37:00.000-04:00

...it's about time they gave me my own computer. I've been trying to write all week but I couldn't get at the Mom's computer.

During the day, the Dad keeps the door to the second bedroom closed 'cause he's working "virtual office." Now is that some sort of game? You know, like little kids who play house or something? Doesn't virtual mean imagined? I hear the Dad talking all the time but I know for a fact that there isn't anybody in the room with him. Maybe the Dad is starting to lose his mind and I should tell the Mom.

In the evening when the Mom is home she's busy hogging up the computer with her "lesson plans." She says she needs to plan out what she's going to teach her students. OK, that's fair but she knows this stuff already so why is she writing it down? I mean, just teach from memory. It's not like history changes or anything.

Mom....I want my own computer. NOW. My birthday is coming up on the 15th and since you haven't gotten me any presents in five years, I think I deserve one.

Oh ya...speaking of birthdays, I plan on having a party on September 15th and you're all invited. I really want to drive the humans nuts. :)