Ugh...

I must be doing something wrong.

What we do...

...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

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...

...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

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...

...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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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

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

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...

...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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

"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!

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. I hate the Brats.
4. 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).
5. 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.
   
6. 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...
7. 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...

...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!

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?