More Feline Drama

Suede has continued to have some kind of reaction to something in our house. We had our vet check him for allergies and he is about allergic to everything. She said she had never seen the numbers that this guy has. Strange because when we brought him home he didn't have a thing wrong with him. That could be because he had been living in a "cattery" for who knows how long. So he wasn't exposed to wood fires (we have many) carpet, furniture, and all the other things he is now exposed to.
At least he isn't allergic to me!!!
This is true, Standard Poodles are great for people with allergies.
He is loosing his fur in several spots and is just very uncomfortable. He has had several steroid shots and that seems to help briefly but over the long run they are not the solution. The vet is making up an allergy shot for him and hopefully that will do the trick. For the weekend he is staying at the vet's in an effort to get him feeling better. It's strange not having him around. He became part of the family so quick we all miss him.

Winter Storm JANUS

Since when did we start naming winter storms? Seems like it is all part of the Weather Chanel hype to me. They talked about the coming of JANUS for a few days, whipping everyone into a frenzy. The grocery stores were crazy with people stocking up for the storm. Toilet paper was in high demand.
Jim Cantore from the Weather channel actually arrived in DC a few hours before the snow began to fall. When he shows up in your town you can expect the worse. Well, JANUS didn't live up to expectations. Much to Sandi's dismay. We did get 4-5 inches of snow but not the 10" plus they were forecasting. They even warned us that we would have near blizzard conditions.
While Sandi and I are a bit bummed over not getting as much snow as they thought we would, Gypsy is happy with what we did get. She jumped out the back door and did the twist in the air, trying to lure me into a game of tag. Sorry Gyp, it's a bit cold for me.

 Come on light weight!!! Catch me if you can!!!

 

One thing they did get correct in the forecast was the cold temps. It is so cold that Gypsy only wants to play in the snow briefly and then heads back to the garage to warm up.

Snow Day!

At least that is what the weather guru's are saying. At first they said we could get a dusting of snow and now we are expecting 8-10 inches. Gypsy loves the snow almost as much as Sandi. The first time Gyp experienced snow was when she was a puppy and she jumped around and ran through it without a care.  She still  shows the same enthusiasm for snow at almost 9 years old. I took her for her morning walk today and we had a terrific sunrise.
The calm before the storm?
We have not had a significant snow storm in some time so I'm looking forward to this.

Kitty Drama (again)

When you have multiple cats it seems as if there is always something going on with one of them. We take pride in the care that we give these guys and they all won the kitty lottery when they came to this house to live. The latest addition, Suede (aka Captain America) hasn't been feeling very well. Shortly after moving in with us he started scratching and lost some fur on his face and had an ear issue. After a few trips to our trusty neighbor the vet, and after much testing and lab work, we discover he is allergic to just about everything. That long list includes oak, elm, oats, and a bunch of other things. He has had a round of steroid shots in an effort to make him feel better. If cats could play baseball Suede would be a home run king. Move over Barry Bonds.

He is still laying around a bunch. He gets up and follows me around like usual but I can tell it is an effort for him.

 

As I write this he slowly came up into the office and took his usual place by the door next to Gypsy. Gypsy is always present when I'm at the computer and Suede is right by her side.

I think we are going to try some allergy shots this week and hopefully that will do the trick. My job today is to go out and try to find some firewood that isn't oak or elm.



Poodle Day

I have to admit that Stormi winning the "pet of the year" award last week created some turmoil in the house. Sandi made a strong case why each of her cats were deserving of the coveted award. She made good arguments for each but I stand by my decision. Gypsy, on the other hand, needed some TLC after loosing out to a cat.
I still can't believe I lost!!!
Maybe next year gal.

What better way to help Gypsy get over her loss than to have a "poodle day." These are days that we spend outside almost all day long. We hang out on the deck or patio and Gypsy is with us all day long. Most importantly, she is with us without cats. Chloe is the only cat allowed outside and only on the deck. She is too fat to squeeze between the posts on the railing to hop off and escape. During the nice weather we are basically outside almost everyday but when winter comes we are trapped inside. This year has been wet and cold  and we've not been out much. After a few weeks of hunkering down inside we all get pretty antsy. Last weekend was a bit warmer and sunny so we headed outside for the day.
Poodle Day!!!

It was so nice out we decided to break out the charcoal grill and cook something. We are in the middle of oyster country here and Sandi is nuts about them. I like oysters too. We've been getting into roasting them on the grill. It takes a little longer but the charcoal gives them a hint of smokiness. Very tasty indeed.

Gypsy used to turn her nose up at oysters. In a previous post I had pictures of Rim devouring oysters. Of course he would devour just about anything you set in front of him. This time around Gypsy ate a few oysters with gusto. She also liked chewing on a shell or two.

One of the things Gypsy does when we are out is keep our air space free from intruders. That includes all big black birds and an occasional Cessna. She started this "Birding" a few years ago and I've talked about it before. It never fails that when we are out with her she will look to the skies and chase off all intruders.

Strange behavior for a Poodle that is going to be 9 years old this June. She had a great day and we are all looking forward to warmer weather.

PET OF THE YEAR

Yes, with the beginning of the New Year we have all the awards being passed around. We have the Golden Globe, Oscars, and Peoples Choice Award all coming up just to name a few. I saw Britney Spears won some award the other day. Jeez, how would you feel if you lost an award to Britney?   So I was thinking which of the animals would win the coveted Pet of the Year Award at our house. (The coveted trophy shown above)
Hello...this is a no brainer!!!
Obviously Gypsy would be the hands down favorite. She has all the attributes worthy of the Pet of the Year. She is pretty, funny, and provides us (me) with endless joy.
Please continue...
That said, she has become much more of a Diva this past year. She is getting more obsessed with bunnies and other furry things. She has been a picky eater and is stressing out over being alone more than ever. So, I had to keep an open mind and consider each of the pets equally. After a second or two of thought I came up with a decisive winner.

STORMI (aka Pretti)

Yes, we have a cat winning the Pet of the Year award in a major upset.
I've been robbed!!!
Stormi was the rescue cat Sandi came home with a few years ago. We don't really know much about her past. One thing we know is that she was not very comfortable in the house at first. I think everything was new to her. She hid for the first few months we had her. She stayed up stairs under the beds coming out at night secretly to eat or use the cat box. We never saw her and she never came downstairs. She eventually poked her head around the corner of the steps one evening and took a look around and decided this place was pretty cool.

She now is one of the most outgoing of the cats and loves to have her picture taken. How do you like the pose above? Whenever Sandi or I sit down, Stormi is with us, up on the arm of the chair poking our arm prodding us to pet her. Whenever a guest comes over, she is there checking them out. She has become very social over the last year. She enjoys hanging out and laying down close to Gypsy. Not to mention she is one good looking cat.
I'm thrilled Stormi is with us and she deserves Pet of the Year.
I demand a recount!!

Snow

It warmed up some today and much of the snow has melted. We had it for a few days though. Looks like it is going to turn very cold next week and perhaps we'll get more snow. I'll have to remember to bring Dino and gypsy's favorite bone in before it snows next time.

HOLIDAZE

Yes the Holiday season came and went. It was a different holiday for Sandi and I. First off each of us recently lost our Mom so that was strange to begin with. Then, Sandi had Rotor Cuff surgery a few days prior to Thanksgiving. The first several days she was on pain meds so, she was in a daze. The biggest problem was she had difficulty getting comfortable enough to sleep. Hardly any sleep at all for the first week or so. Finally, right before Christmas she started to feel a bit more normal and then, she came down with either a wicked bad cold or Bronchitis. She couldn't sleep again because of the coughing. We went to the "Doc in the Box" it was so bad. They said it was Bronchitis but we aren't so sure about that. Anyway, it was a bad cough and they gave her some serious meds. She was basically in a daze through the New Year. Of course this meant more cat box duty for yours truly.

We began giving Gypsy a doggie downer a few times a day. After talking to the vet we decided it might be something that would take the edge off and make her a happier dog. We are only giving her 1/2 pill a few times a day. Not nearly what they prescribed for her. I can definitely see a difference in the way she is acting. Nothing dramatic but a bit more relaxed. She is still on alert while we are walking. Looking out for bunnies or squirrels. One thing that has changed is she is eating much better. (knock on wood) I was making her food from scratch and as she typically does, she started to turn her nose up at it. I was concerned that she wasn't getting the nutrients from what I made anyway. So, se decided to just get a runoff the mill dog food. We tried many of the high end foods and she was not that crazy about any of those. Sandi came home with a Purina Pro Plan kibble and she is devouring it. Maybe it's the drugs?

We did have some snow the other day. I guess we had about 4 inches or so. Gypsy jumped into the snow and went on a search for Dino and her bone. She found them both and checks on each of them every time I put her out.