Tomorrow is our monthly low cost spay/neuter day and I set out my trap early since it looked like rain. I put a can of cat food inside the trap and walked around the lake with Weezie and Romeow. When we returned an hour later, there was this young cat inside:
I'm glad I set the trap early, because it is raining as I type this.
Poor thing will have to spend the night in the bathtub till I take him/her tomorrow morning with the help of my neighbor since my car is still not running. I sure hope I have the date right because if it's on Tuesday, that poor kitty will have to spend another day in there...
Here are a few photos of our outing around Lake Irma with Weezie and Romeow:
Romeow is getting so big and is doing very well on his harness and leash. He is 5 1/2 months old now and has been neutered already. He enjoys it by the lake and is watching "his domain" as if he is carrying on the tradition for Gizzy. I still miss my boy very much - every day!
I love Weezie's white eye lashes. She looks like such a girl. We went to the Nursing Home again last Tuesday (our second visit) and am scheduled to go every week to see the old folks who look forward to petting and holding my Weezie.
Then we had some kitty boot-camp when Romeow practiced his climbing skills:
Romeow practicing his ambush skills on a flock of unimpressed ducks
I'm very proud of the way Romeow handles his harness and leash!
Mush, little doggy (ahem) kitty!
This is Romeow's climbing tree and I loved the way the hazy winter sky was dimming the sun light.
It was a nice outing yesterday, but today was too cold and wet, but we'll go back as much as we can before the summer spoils our time outside.
Always in my thoughts and in my heart - my Gizzy boy!
If all goes well, we should have pears again this year for making pies and compote. This tree did not produce last year, so I'm hoping it will this year. It's not mine, but I have permission to pick as many as I want from the owner. They are the green, hard ones that nobody wants, but they are excellent for baking, juicing and making compote with cinnamon and honey!
The Carolina Jasmine or "jessamine" (aka Yellow or Confederate Jasmine) or more properly Gelsemium sempervirens is one of my favorites. I find the faint, delicate scent intoxicating - as do the bees. It reminds me of a little flower called Himmelschluessel (Heaven's Keys) that conjure up childhood memories of field trips in Germany. Here it's known as Cowslip and is often confused with Oxlip (photos below)
I trust everyone had a lovely Valentine's Day yesterday! Weezie and I visited our local Nursing Home facility for the very first time yesterday. I've been wanting to do this with her for a long time, and finally decided to go for it. Weezie is the total opposite in temperament of Gizzy's and I never could have taken him to be held or petted by strangers. Weezie however did great. Weezie, sporting a strawberry scarf, was a big hit from the moment we walked in the door until we left about an hour later!
The night before, I made about 80 Valentines to bring with us. I attached a photo of Weezie to each one! I used them all up giving them to the patients and nurses who were all thrilled to see us.
Due to the HIPPA laws I was unable to take photos for my blog, but the Activities Director, Karen, took photos for their bulletin board and she asked me to provide her with a big picture of Weezie to frame and hang on their wall for everyone to see their new Therapy Dog!
I'm so thrilled because we are invited back anytime and I will make this our new weekly adventure for it'll give Weezie something to look forward to as well. She was so calm and mellow when people petted and held her. Many asked if she could stay and take a nap with them and one man (who I learned was difficult with taking his medicine) was bribed with Weezie if he took it. He quickly took his pills and received the Weezie with open arms in his bed. One lady I was told rarely speaks, but she opened up and talked when she saw Weezie and held her in her arms. I saw many big smiles and requests to let them keep her... one man got very emotional and cried when he found out we had to leave, but we reassured him that we will be back and gave him a photo of Weezie to keep. All the staff was super friendly and very encouraging about our visit.
It was one of my most rewarding Valentine's Days!
After I got home, I got ready for my Valentine's luncheon with my friends Arlene and her sister Marcia. They came over for tea and sandwiches and playing Scrabble till dusk. Romeow had to be restraint a couple of times because he kept wanting to play with the chips, but we all had a good time and I want to make it a regular game night as well.
As always, I remembered my biggest love of all, my dearly departed Gizzy whom I miss every day! Rest in peace, big boy, till we meet again! Mommy loves you!
(This photo was taken on our last walk around the lake, the last time he drank water, two days before we said our last good-bye! You could tell he was not feeling well!)
If he had lived, I believe that he and Weezie would have become good friends since he was already trying to be friends with her.
Thank you for your nice comments. I really appreciated them as the tears flowed...because when I'm here I remember sharing photos of my boy and I know most of you enjoyed seeing his photos as much as I enjoyed taking them. He was my most favorite and obliging subject. He loved the camera and vice versa!
Have you guys ever noticed that when some people casually ask you how you are doing, you are able to maintain your composure and reply in a calm and sensible way assuring them you're ok, everything's just fine and under control, yet when someone you know who cares about you asks that very same question, you just fall apart and can barely speak for crying? Well, that's how I kind of feel with you guys because you knew my boy and you know how much I enjoyed writing about him. I think that's why I always cry when I come here and post and read your comments...because I know, I'm in sympathetic company and I really appreciate that. I just wanted you to know how much you mean to me even when I don't come and visit as much as I should right now. I just lit a candle for Gizzy and I still talk to him in my Gizzy voice. Hearing myself talk to him in that special way makes me feel closer to him. He is the first pet I had that I felt this close to and so awful about him being gone - just like a human.
Having said that, I have some pictures for you to see. But first, let me say that Romeow got neutered on Monday and he's doing just fine. Now I'm hoping and praying he'll simmer down a little, although there is no guaranty that will happen, but the Vet thinks it probably will calm him down in a few weeks.
Weezie also went to the Vet on Monday to get her bloodwork done, including a thyroid test because she sleeps so much and is so calm and relaxed (unless Romeow bugs her too much.) She got a thorough examination and he's going to run a urinalysis because she had a couple of "incidents" in the house when she cried and lost her water...at first It thought she was having a seizure because she was laying on the floor crying, but then later that day, she was on the chair and screamed when it happened, both times she looked at me with clear eyes, aware of her surroundings, more embarrassed and surprised than anything. That made me think to check for a urinary tract or bladder infection and stones before doing an extensive neurological work up. I'm hoping it was just a fluke or if she passed a stone, maybe that will be it for a while, but the urinalysis should indicate any crystals and maybe she can be treated with a pill instead of surgery. We'll get the test results back sometime this week. But, she acts the way she always has, she sleeps, eats and loves her walks...so I'm hoping for the best.
She does need a dental however, and will lose about three teeth and that will have to be done either next month or the one after, because she'll also need an X-ray on her chest to check for an enlarged heart while she is under. She has a heart murmur and Pekingese are prone to congestive heart failure (Gizzy had it, which is why his kidneys went bad.) Weezie is difficult to examine and the Vet had to sedate her on Monday and I don't want to subject her to too much sedation so I have to try to do as many things as possible while she's unconscious.
(My Glamour girl, Weezie)
Below is a photo of Weezie and her little friend, Seila, from the lake. We have not seen her for a while and yesterday we met her while she was walking around Lake Irma with her grandma. Weezie pepped right up and wagged her tail happy to see the little girl. Weezie just loves little children, especially the girls because they are not as loud and boisterous as the boys tend to get:
Don't they look cute together?
Romeow slipped outside on Saturday because I failed to put him in his big kennel before opening the back door for the mail lady. I learned my lesson! He climbed up on the big Bradford Pear tree and decided he was going to hang out up there all day watching the birds below eating at the bird feeder:
He was up there for about an hour, but finally, with the help of a smelly can of sardines and the tall Animal Control guy, we were able to get him back into the house.
I hope this will be his first and last time, but there is no telling since today, on our walk, his lead broke as he bolted away and a neighbor was able to catch him for me before he took off and probably up another tree...his harness stayed on him and the clip was still on his harness, but the nylon lead had broken off the clip! I'm going to reinforce it and use a double lead using a piece of twine PLUS the nylon lead next time.
Here is Romeow exploring near the woods yesterday (near the cat feeding station.) He was being watched by several of the stray/feral cats that come out of the shrubs when they see me since I'm the one feeding them.
(Romeow spies the black cat in the woods)
(Romeow sees another cat in the woods)
(Here is a closer view of "Leggs", one of our residents cats)
Here is Romeow perched on top of his cat house wearing the harness. I let him keep it on inside for a few hours each day so that he can get used to wearing it. So far he's doing really well.
Here is Romeow after our walk wearing his harness. He's inside his huge "Petmate" Pet Porter that's big enough for a German Shepherd, but apparently just right for a five pound Romeow. He loves to knead on his stuffed kitty toy when he's in there. He does it right before falling asleep. I was offering him a piece of Swiss cheese and that's why his mouth is partially open - he was smacking his lips in anticipation!
And lastly, here's a nice picture of my Gizzy with Weezie. I believe they would have become great friends.
Weezie looked so pretty after her brushing. Weezie does not love the camera like Gizzy did and in order for her to look at me, I have to make shrill and unusual sounds.
See? I used to do that to Gizzy when I wanted him to tilt his head, but he was ALWAYS looking at me, especially when I had the camera. He was such a ham!
Gizzy loved being brushed with his pink brush, especially under his chinny-chin-chin!
When provoked with a squeaky toy, Weezie can be cute and coy, but it takes a lot of coaxing to get her to come out of her reserved shell.
Weezie often looks so sad and deep in tought. She is coming around in appearance, but not yet too much emotionally. She's not an affectionate dog, but I know she acknowledges me as her mommy, because when someone else takes her leash (like my neighbor) she will not budge and go with her, but stay by my side. I suppose it has to do with her having had three other homes before me.
Weezie sitting on the table where Gizzy used to sit and Romeow looking out of his carrier. He likes watching the ducks when I feed them and they get really close to him. Sometimes I stick a duck feather in there for him to smell and play with. He really is a sweet cat when he's not all charged up.
My Gizzy last year at around this time.
When I walk around the lake I constantly hear that song in my head: "I keep seeing you in all the old familiar places..." and tears start flowing...and then I feel bad for Weezie and Romeow because I'm bringing sadness into their lives and that's not fair, but I can't stop grieving the loss off my boy. He was a VIP to me, a very important Peke!
Yesterday is the first time I actually was able to sit at the place where Gizzy and I always sat by the lake to do our bonding and communing with nature. I brushed and combed Weezie's fur like I did Gizzy's and she enjoyed it tremendously. She laid down and closed her eyes to soak up the sunshine while I brushed one side and then the other. It was an exceptionally nice day yesterday and it looks the same today. It's been a mild winter and I'm dreading it ending.
Weezie is not an affectionate dog, and neither was Gizzy, so I'm used to not being showered with kisses, but it would be nice to have someone show me that they actually liked me once in a while. Weezie is a sweet dog. She loves everyone, especially children. She's calm and mellow and endures all kinds of crap from my kitten Romeow who is getting on both of our nerves lately. He needs to get neutered next month and I'm hoping that will calm him down some. He's 17 weeks old now and getting bigger and stronger by the minute. Weezie and Romeow still play together, but not as much, because she's not comfortable with him anymore like she was when he was little. He gets very hurtful and mean when he plays. Romeow bites a lot and that's the biggest thing that bothers me about him, the biting!
Romeow will soon need a bigger carrier - he's growing so quickly.
He's skating on thin ice and I'm toying with the idea of giving him back to my manager who gave him to me. She would take him back to her house in the country where he would live with his other 3 siblings and his mother. At least he'd have space to run and get regular meals, but I won't do that till he's neutered and then only if I can't take it anymore, because Weezie comes first. I worry about her eyes constantly, because he's always swatting at her. She lays on the chair sleeping and he ambushes her by reaches up from any corner, swatting up towards her eyes and that just does not sit well with me. I can't keep him in the big dog kennel all day, and when he's out, I can't do anything at all, because I have to watch him like a hawk with a squirt bottle in one hand and a fly swatter in the other. Maybe the neuter will calm him down. He's adorable when he's sweet, but those sweet moments are far and few in between since he's gotten older and bolder. Our apartment is very small - it's like living in a large room - and he needs space to run and work out his energy. I already have some calming spray called Comfort Zone with Feliway to help sedate him, but I'm not sure it is working.
On the other hand, on the rare occasions when he's calm and sweet he sits on me and looks at me with love in his eyes, I just melt. He's so much fun to pet when he purrs and loves on me. He shows me he loves me and the thought of me giving him up just because he's a rowdy young'n makes me feel bad. I really believe and hope that he will outgrow this hurtful phase and become a very loving, mellow cat. My only concern ins Weezie's eyes and that's what really upsets me. If it were just him and I, I could live with it better, but Weezie does not deserve to have her eyes scratched out.
I take him on our walks with us, but of course, he's inside his carrier, because we have too many cat-hating dogs running lose and he'd have his neck broken in an instant if he were only on a harness and a leash. He needs some protection. I once had one of the big spotted hunting dogs (who lives by the lake) run up to me with his teeth showing. He looked like he meant business, because he smelled a cat and his fur was raised on his back. Thank God his owner was pulling out of the driveway and when I screamed bloody murder, he put on his breaks, got out of his truck and got his dog back. He apologized and reprimanded his dog and later - after I was out of sight - I heard him giving his dog a whipping (that's how men train their dogs around here - but better him getting a whipping than Romeow or Weezie being mauled in front of me) but so far, he's never done it again. Whenever the dog sees me, he must remember because he stops and waits to see which direction I'm going and then he slowly goes the other way. I just feel safer with Romeow in an enclosed cage rather than on a leash. There is no leash law for dogs in this city and the majority of people hunt and fish, so there is a lot of big dogs who are trained killers. That's how I keep losing our stray cats. Since I've lived here, we lost four or five cats who got their necks broken by dogs.
Speaking of stray/feral cats. I still feed and trap them for spay and neuter day once a month. I got one of the youngest ones last week. He was one unhappy, hissing and spitting little kitty cat, but I'm glad he got done.
He was about Romeow's age and size and also orange, except with white paws and chest. He has two more siblings, one tri colored and the other black with a white face and I think the cutest. I wish I had a tranquilizer gun to sedate the mother cat and get her spayed, because she's pregnant around the clock and it's getting too much for me to keep up with feeding them all by myself. Besides, with me feeding them regularly, she does not teach the kittens how to hunt, but only to beg from the humans and shows them the way to the cat feeding station. Then when I'm dead and gone, they will all starve because they never learned to forage for food...and yes, cats do starve in the wild. My late Middi was skin and bones when I found her here...she would not have lived much longer if I had not took her in and nursed her back to health - and even she ended up getting her neck broken by a dog. She was an outside cat who felt trapped in here and Gizzy hated cats, so cried and cried to be let out to the point it was driving me nuts, so I let her and she only had a couple of days of freedom before the dogs got her. I have a small apartment with very limited space. It's only 800 sqft and the bedroom is off limits because it's full of my yarn and crafts stuff, so imagine being locked up in a big room when you are a cat wanting to run. It's not fair. It will drive them mad too!
Now I have four more of the stray/feral cats to trap (I didn't catch one last month because it was raining) unless the mother cat (who is impossible to trap) brings me 3 more, but I can barely keep up feeding them anymore and in the summer will have to cut down to once a day instead of twice. I have to wean them off gradually because it's not fair to feed them regularly and then quit cold turkey. Besides, in the summer, I'm probably out of this apartment because the owner of these buildings has started the rebuilding process...so far apartments 1 through 18 have to be empty by the 15th of April and next month is another meeting on the 22nd so I will find out when I have to be gone because I'm in number 22...I will most likely live in another unit on the other end of the complex because management has stopped renting so that there are some empty units for people who have no place to go. Then I'll live in that temporary place for 2 or 3 months and move back here.
My car quit running and the mechanic said he will look at it tomorrow to see what's wrong. Two different people have looked under the hood and said it's probably the coil because it's not firing, not even with a jump from a battery cable and the battery is new and so are the wires because I've had a tune up a few months ago and have not driven it very much.
Next month I have several doctor's appointments, one in particular I'm not looking forward to and that is with my GI to discuss my Hep C treatment, a new treatment that was approved for 2012 and is supposed to be better and more effective than the old. I have the most popular strain of Hep C and the most difficult to treat and this one is supposed to be working better, but still, I have to give myself daily injections (which I HATE) and it will still make me puking sick and depressed and anemic (because it affects the blood) and who wants to move in the middle of that? So, unless my liver is totally shot I'm going to wait till after the move is done! I will discuss my liver chemical profile with my GI next month to see how it compares to last year's and then make my decision - after all a doctor can only recommend and not force! I am known to not take my doctor's advice - if I did, I'd be taken a bunch of pills and inhalers that all have side effects and would have stressed my liver even more. I'm just not a big believer of suffering just to postpone the inevitable for a few months or a couple of years. In my case, I really have not much to live for other than the animals. Romeow can go back to my apartment manager (or my daughter in CA said she would take him) and I have a friend in Michigan who would probably take Weezie. So,what else is there? I go through days where I really want to be with Gizzy because I miss him so much - still - every day I cry for him. I'm pathetic (I know!) but I can't help it! It just sounds like such a busy and strenuous year ahead with the packing and moving - I'm tired just thinking about it, who needs a new and improved Hep C treatment to add to that stress?
In retrospect, Romeow has given me lots of laughs with his antics and here are some photos for your viewing pleasure:
Romeow celebrates Chinese New year: by eating Longevity Noodles (aka Ramen) and really seemed to enjoy not only eating them, but mostly playing with them. (and YES, that is my Christmas tree still up and I don't care - I like the lights at night!)
Romeow and his kitty grass: More than eating it, he loves to dig in the dirt and get it all over the floor
When I bring in my houseplants on cold nights, I have to watch him not only so he won't eat the leaves, but make sure he does not dig out all the dirt...he just loves to jump right into the plants and start digging.
Romeo at play:
Romeow chewing on Weezie's doggy bone
Romeow attacking Weezie
"I'm faaaaaalling"
I gave him a stuffed kitty cat to wrestle with and chew on instead of us - it works only some times.
When he was smaller, he played better on his own, but just a couple of weeks later, and he started to attack me or Weezie for his entertainment.
I have so many cute photos of Romeow, too many to post here, but if you want to go to my facebook site and click here on my photos, you can see them all, if you want. I don't think you need a facebook account to just look!
I know Romeo loves his Nana Weezie because every chance he gets, he lies down beside her, and Weezie lets him as long as he's calm and quiet, but as of late, she's been hiding from him, not wanting to have anything to do with him because he's too rough.
Attacking Weezie's tail
Weezie's saying "Stop that!"
Gizzy's spot by the lake
An "Awwww" Moment
I have named her Saint Weezie because the most she'll ever do to Romeow when he annoys her is growl or snap towards him, but never bite, and amazingly he backs off when she does that...but all to often I hear her yelp out in pain when he swats or bites her and darts off...
A friend of mine asked me if I did not anticipate that this would happen before I took him in? In all honesty, I did not know what to expect. All I saw is a little helpless 8 week old kitten out on the streets. (At the time the manager still lived here on premises and since she is allergic to cats and can't have them in the house, she put him outside.) I have not had a kitten for decades and Gizzy hated cats. I only adopted adult cats. They both kept their distance. I did not know how Weezie would react and in the beginning, when he was still very young, she loved playing with him, but now, she can't do it anymore. I already had her at the Vet's once for her red eye (which turned out to be not a scratch) but it makes me worry about her eyes...and even if I had to end up giving him back, he would not be any worse off than he would have been before. I only had him for two months and he'd still be with his mother and siblings running free in the country with people to feed them.
I found this new program online called Imikimi and been making all sorts of pretty pictures. They are on facebook, but I want to share some with you. With your indulgence, they are mostly of my precious boy, Gizzy, whom I miss every day. I promise to keep my next post light hearted and less serious, but I've not written for a while and maybe some of you may be interested in reading about my unimportant little life.
I'm giving you the link to all of the pictures I made on facebook, but if you don't want to go there, here are a few I find especially precious:
often confused with 
+of+DSCF6051.JPG)
