Hurricanes and Chin Scratches

First, the weather -

Irene came and went, and other than some leaves and small branches down, and a little water in the basement, you'd never know it.  We were very lucky.  Bast and I were snug in our camper, and weathered the storm safe and sound.

And I'm starting to walk on my own more and more.  Still a little wobbly, but I'm getting there.

My favorite thing to do is to have Mom pick me up, and then I climb way up onto her shoulder and flop down.  Sometimes I am so comfy I fall asleep.  Second favorite thing is still chin scratches.

I'm still a little afraid of everything, but I'm working on it.

- Spyder

Ringworm

Yep, ringworm.

My sister Bast has it. This is Bast at the vet's last week:


That's when Mom found out good news...and bad news. See, Bast got to our new home the same day I did. I had three legs, and Bast had MRSA. Since both of us were pretty sick, we had to be quarantined for a while. Our vet likes to be very careful about these things, so even after my stitches came out, he wanted me isolated for the time being. Well, Bastie had to be isolated on account of the MRSA, which I guess is a pretty nasty little bacteria that can make you really sick. Mom took Bast to the vet last week to make sure it was all fixed.

And it was! That's the good news. But the bad news...Bastie has ringworm. Which I guess isn't really a worm at all - it's a fungus. Wonder why they don't call it ringfungus. I just call it annoying, cuz it means both Bastie and me need to stay in isolation til it's gone. Sigh.

On the upside, Mom is teaching me how to play and I played with a little toy mouse all by myself today. And I really like playing with the FADTOAS. I'm getting lots better at catching and shaking things, and I walk a short distance all the time now. It's a little bit of work, and sometimes I lose my balance a little, but it's getting easier.

Picture Time!

OK, so when you're trying to take a picture of your kitten, and your husband's got one of those nifty Things-On-A-Stick (TOAS) to get him to look alert, this is how things go:

Dang.
Dang. Again.
Aw, come on - he was looking right at the camera when I snapped this!
Better...
Ok, this one's cute. But why does he hang out in the litterbox?
Target acquired...lasers charging...
"Wait a minute...is that the camera? You have the camera out again, don't you?"
Lasers fully charged and locked on sister kitty.
Target reacquired...Must...swat...TOAS...

What I Learned Today

Today was a good day. I am walking more and Mom gets really excited every time. Sometimes I move so fast she has to scramble to catch me while she's trying to clean my ears (still kinda yucky) and give me my meds. I think it's pretty funny.

Mom says I am getting a little pudgy and need to move around some more. I don't really know what pudgy means, only that it means I'm getting a little less canned food, which is a bummer.

And today I learned to play! Mom has bought me lots of toys, including this little snuggle/cuddle thing I really like because it kinda looks like a cat and is nice to lie down next to. I'm spending a lot less time sleeping in the litterbox since she got it:

Anyway, tonight we went through the whole clean-the-ears-and-take-the-yucky-meds" thing, and then she gave me chin scratches. And THEN she took out this super cool toy - Feathers-And-Dangly-Things-On-A-Stick (FADTOAS). I've been really shy and too scared to play up until now, but I saw the FADTOAS and I Just.Couldn't.Help.Myself.

I swatted it, and I grabbed it and shook it, and I stomped on it! It was really fun, and Mom seemed very happy that I finally learned that it was OK to play in my new home.

And I got some canned food. Yay!

What's Wrong with this Picture?

OK, someone needs to tell me why this is a problem:



Yes, I know that's my litterbox. Yes, I know I poop in there. But why can't I lie in there too?

Mom did not seem to approve.

Three Whole Steps

I took three whole steps on my own today!

Mom has been keeping up the "make me walk for food" routine. Usually, she has to put her hand under my tummy and hold me up a little, or I don't feel much like trying.

Tonight, after she cleaned my litter box and gave me fresh water and food, she put me near the entrance to the crate, but not in. I thought about it a minute or so, and then figured what the heck.

I stood up and walked into the crate, then into the litterbox, all by myself.

Three whole steps, all on my own.

Woohoo!

Vet Visit

I went to the vet's today to have my stitches out.

First the vet checked my ears, eyes, and nose. He said my ears were much better, but Mom has to still keep cleaning them twice a day, and I still have to take my medicine - yuck! And to top it all off, I'm two whole pounds now, which means I gained weight (yay!), so I have to take a little more of the yucky medicine (boo!). But I don't have to get the medicine that goes in my eyes now, so that's good.

I didn't really like getting my stitches out, but they were kinda itchy, so I guess that's good too. The vet and Mom talked about making sure I was up and moving around a little so I can build up strength in my back leg. Mom told him she's been putting my canned food a little bit away from me so I have to walk a little to get there - she's been doing that on purpose!

He said I'm doing really well. I have to stay away from my new kitty brothers and sister for at least another week, though, just to make sure I'm all better and won't give anyone else my runny nose and yucky ears.

And Mom sent an email to the shelter that saved me to let them know I'm doing OK and was getting my stitches out today. She sent them pictures, too.

Here are some she took today:

Still not happy about that "making me walk for the food" thing.

See? No stitches! My hair still looks a little silly, but Mom says it'll grow back.

Best thing about the day so far - chin scratches!