Showing posts with label Ashke. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ashke. Show all posts
Friday, March 23, 2012
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Rowan's Birthday outing...
Rowan is "officially" 17 years old as of today. She was born sometime in March according to her adoption information, so I chose Saint Patrick's day as her birthday. I don't know if it was prescience or a grievous mistake, because she's turned out to be a pesty, fast, elusive leprechaun of a cat. At 17, she's the equivalent of an 84 year old human, and she's still quite spry. I only hope I'm that well preserved when I get to that age.
Rowan's birthday present was the first "spring" outing in the yard. She loves to go outside in warm weather, but I don't let her roam freely because of the foxes and coyotes in the neighborhood. Instead the cats get supervised outings with Chander and me playing bodyguard We're having unseasonably warm weather, and she'd been staring longingly out the sliding glass door watching the robins and squirrels hop around.
Unfortunately for her, most of the possible prey items skedaddled when Chandler shot out the door. Still, she had a good time reacquainting herself with the backyard and nibbling on grass.
Nibbling on grass was a challenge. Despite the relatively warm days we've been experiencing lately, we're still in the stages where crocuses are emerging. The grass really hasn't had a chance to grow, but that didn't stop her from marching across the lawn to all her favorite plots of grass. Rowan has occasionally been hard to catch in the past, so she has to wear a harness and drag a flexi lead locked at its greatest length behind her. Despite extra weight of the dragging lead, she first wandered up toward the woods and then toward the neighbor's weathered and decaying fence at the rear of the property.
Ashke joined her in grass nibbling, but also did a surprising amount of walking around on his creaky legs. He's spent a lot of time sleeping in the sun this winter, which has caused the gray fur on his sides to be browned by the sunlight. I think he has some arthritis in his front legs, but it didn't hold him back this afternoon. After making a beeline to his favorite patch of grass behind my parked car, he wandered the driveway for a while. Eventually Ashke circumnavigated the house, checking out every bush along the way. He punctuated most of his explorations with loud meows; I think he may be a bit less confident now that he's older.
Chan did a bit of running around in figure eights, but soon decided nothing really exciting was forthcoming, and settled on the grass. I adore the English Shepherd "off switch". I had to put in some extra hours at work today, so Chandler had not been walked yet. The one case of zoomies was the only indication of this lack of exercise. Once it had been worked out, he quickly settled down to watch over the yard as I wandered between the two cats.
Yes, Chandler got his walk after the cats were back indoors. Ashke and Rowan had a snack, and have been curled up sleeping for almost four hours since their trip to the yard. All that exercise and fresh air must have exhausted them physically and mentally. They don't look like they are going to move anytime soon. Maybe I do really have 17 year old cats.
Rowan's birthday present was the first "spring" outing in the yard. She loves to go outside in warm weather, but I don't let her roam freely because of the foxes and coyotes in the neighborhood. Instead the cats get supervised outings with Chander and me playing bodyguard We're having unseasonably warm weather, and she'd been staring longingly out the sliding glass door watching the robins and squirrels hop around.
Unfortunately for her, most of the possible prey items skedaddled when Chandler shot out the door. Still, she had a good time reacquainting herself with the backyard and nibbling on grass.
Hmmm...this twig is interesting...
Nibbling on grass was a challenge. Despite the relatively warm days we've been experiencing lately, we're still in the stages where crocuses are emerging. The grass really hasn't had a chance to grow, but that didn't stop her from marching across the lawn to all her favorite plots of grass. Rowan has occasionally been hard to catch in the past, so she has to wear a harness and drag a flexi lead locked at its greatest length behind her. Despite extra weight of the dragging lead, she first wandered up toward the woods and then toward the neighbor's weathered and decaying fence at the rear of the property.
I'm on a mission. Do not interrupt!
Ashke joined her in grass nibbling, but also did a surprising amount of walking around on his creaky legs. He's spent a lot of time sleeping in the sun this winter, which has caused the gray fur on his sides to be browned by the sunlight. I think he has some arthritis in his front legs, but it didn't hold him back this afternoon. After making a beeline to his favorite patch of grass behind my parked car, he wandered the driveway for a while. Eventually Ashke circumnavigated the house, checking out every bush along the way. He punctuated most of his explorations with loud meows; I think he may be a bit less confident now that he's older.
I was just inspecting the planter.
Chan did a bit of running around in figure eights, but soon decided nothing really exciting was forthcoming, and settled on the grass. I adore the English Shepherd "off switch". I had to put in some extra hours at work today, so Chandler had not been walked yet. The one case of zoomies was the only indication of this lack of exercise. Once it had been worked out, he quickly settled down to watch over the yard as I wandered between the two cats.
Bodyguard duty. So boooooooooooring.
Are we going for a walk after this?
Are we going for a walk after this?
Yes, Chandler got his walk after the cats were back indoors. Ashke and Rowan had a snack, and have been curled up sleeping for almost four hours since their trip to the yard. All that exercise and fresh air must have exhausted them physically and mentally. They don't look like they are going to move anytime soon. Maybe I do really have 17 year old cats.
Friday, March 16, 2012
Friday, March 2, 2012
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Wordful Wednesday: Ashke Recovering
To give you all some context for this video, Ashke has been sick since Sunday night, which has caused me a lot of worry.
I ended up taking him to the veterinarian on Monday, since a lack of appetite is extremely unusual for him. He's almost 17, and I wanted him checked before it could become worse, as not eating can sometimes cause a serious liver condition in cats. He got a steroid shot to make up for the prednisolone pill he'd vomited, a shot for the nausea, and some subcutaneous fluids to make sure he didn't dehydrate.
That night he chowed down on the Prescription Diet EN and seemed much better. (I know, ick. But it was only a few cans.) Tuesday morning he happily ate breakfast.
Tuesday afternoon he threw up all the rice grains from the EN, and later refused food even if I gave him his Wellness canned turkey. He barely licked at the "gravy" in his cat bowl early this morning. I was all set to drag him back to the vet for bloodwork...
...and he decided he wanted a snack in the late morning. So he had one, and kept it down. He's been snacking on small portions every few hours, he looks much more alert, and he is actually interested in his surroundings.
I'm hoping this trend continues.
So...this is a video taken this afternoon. In it I say a lot of nonsensical things to my cat, because I am very happy he is feeling better. He says a number of things back, which probably amount to "I want another snack!"
I ended up taking him to the veterinarian on Monday, since a lack of appetite is extremely unusual for him. He's almost 17, and I wanted him checked before it could become worse, as not eating can sometimes cause a serious liver condition in cats. He got a steroid shot to make up for the prednisolone pill he'd vomited, a shot for the nausea, and some subcutaneous fluids to make sure he didn't dehydrate.
That night he chowed down on the Prescription Diet EN and seemed much better. (I know, ick. But it was only a few cans.) Tuesday morning he happily ate breakfast.
Tuesday afternoon he threw up all the rice grains from the EN, and later refused food even if I gave him his Wellness canned turkey. He barely licked at the "gravy" in his cat bowl early this morning. I was all set to drag him back to the vet for bloodwork...
...and he decided he wanted a snack in the late morning. So he had one, and kept it down. He's been snacking on small portions every few hours, he looks much more alert, and he is actually interested in his surroundings.
I'm hoping this trend continues.
So...this is a video taken this afternoon. In it I say a lot of nonsensical things to my cat, because I am very happy he is feeling better. He says a number of things back, which probably amount to "I want another snack!"
Friday, December 16, 2011
Friday, April 1, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
To my Ashke: Happy Birthday
Ash is 16 years old today.
It seems that time has flown by so fast, and I feel blessed that he is still with me.
It is actually his estimated birthday, as his cage information at the Denver Dumb Friends League said that he was four months old. Valentine's Day was a fitting birthday however, as his name means "beloved". He's reciprocated fittingly, as he is a momma's boy who loves only me. This is not to say he is aggressive with other people. He tolerates them, and is largely indifferent, unless he is trying to notify somebody that it is feeding time. His trilling mew, purr, and happy kneading are reserved for me.
I had waited over 15 years to get a cat when I picked him out at the shelter. He would meow back at me when I talked to him and chase my fingers across the Plexiglas front of his cage. During the wait for an adoption counselor, I was irrationally frightened that somebody would try to adopt him before I could. Once we were in the adoption room, he climbed all over me.
He was large for a four month old kitten, almost cat size. Perhaps this explains why nobody had yet scooped him up. He grew into a large cat, fully three feet long from nose tip to tail tip, although I do truthfully have to say that he has a very long tail. At his top weight he was about 14 pounds, and he never got fat like so many pet cats do. Now that he is 16, he has lost some of that muscle mass and weight.
I think Ashke is an unusual cat because he is very responsive and easily trainable. I taught him to use the scratching post by plucking him off the couch when he started scratching it. I'd them stick him onto the scratching post and scratch it myself. He would happily pounce on the post and have a scratch fest. After a few repetitions, he left the couch alone and went straight to his scratching post.
He's also amazingly responsive to verbal cues. I can actually call him off if he is annoyed and smacking Chandler over the head for being a mischievous dog. Unfortunately Ashke and Chandler get a bit jealous of each other. I'm fairly sure Ashke thought I went insane when I introduced an uncouth puppy into the household. He probably made puppy raising a little bit easier for me, because he enforced the "no dogs on the furniture" rule better than I could, and also instituted a "no zooming in the apartment" rule. He didn't need to swat Chandler for this; fourteen pounds of annoyed grumbling cat jumping to the floor was usually enough to quash things.
He's aged a bit since then. He's gotten a bit creaky, and is no longer as agile as he used to be. He's had a few health crises, which have thankfully turned out to be treatable. Most of the time he'd prefer to be curled up on the bed, even if I am offering a half hour escorted outing into the backyard. He seems to have decided that being a housecat is the best of lives.
Who am I to argue with that?
Happy Birthday Ashke. I love you.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Sunday, September 23, 2007
*sigh*
Sick kitty.
Ash is off his food, and I've been coaxing him to eat cooked chicken since yesterday evening.
Looks like a trip to the vet tomorrow.
Ash is off his food, and I've been coaxing him to eat cooked chicken since yesterday evening.
Looks like a trip to the vet tomorrow.
Saturday, December 10, 2005
Weird Consciousness
It could be just that I've been awake today since 4 am, and am running on my last bit of energy, but things seem unreal around me. I'm watching the cats pad around and settle in next to me with this odd consciousness that tomorrow at this time, everything will be different somehow. I've made a promise to another animal, and it won't just be me and cats anymore...forever, barring major accidents. It makes the apartment seem quiet, surreal, and somehow scary.
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