Kitty update

Good news and bad news. Gonzo did well until January 2018. Then a new lump appeared. We had already decided we would not put her through any more surgeries or treatments. The cancer just kept coming back. A full senior panel showed her to be in perfect health. Except for the cancer. We spoiled her and kept her comfortable. The cancer was very localized and very aggressive. We said good bye to her March 19th. She had lost so much weight and the tumor kept growing. This photo is from 15 days prior. It was a beautiful day and we put her in a large dog crate to enjoy the outdoors. We couldn't risk her running off or anything. She seemed to really enjoy herself.

We had to put Hana down November 16, 2016. She was 16 years old and she had had some liver issues and seemed to be responded pretty good to medication, but then took a turn for the worst. This was one of her last photos, taken November 1st.

We miss our kitties dearly. Harold was showing signs of stress and loneliness. I had been telling G for years that Harold needed a kitten, someone to play with, for years. After Hana was gone he agreed. We didn't rush into anything. I frequently visited Zeus' Place to cuddle the kittens. No big deal. But February 22, 2017 one orange tabby spoke to me. We were going out of town, so not a good time to adopt, plus the kitten was so cute it was sure to be adopted. March 16 I brought her home. It took some time but now Harold adores her. She is really his kitten. Even Gonzo, who wanted nothing to do with Harold, liked the kitten we now call Scout. With all the kitty heart break, Scout has brought us so much joy.

Scout, the first meeting. She was about 1-1/2month old. So tiny!

The day I took Scout home, March 16, 2017.

Scout and Harold. So cute.

I remember when I fell in love with Scout I asked Michelle, the owner of Zeus Place, if Scout could put up with asshole Harold. She sent me a video of Scout wrestling with her father. Yes! She could hold her own. I knew Scout's father and mother. They were brought in with their kittens a cold January night by a kind soul.

Scout's parents Sonny, the orange and white one, and Cher, the calico. A couple of young, sweet kitties who were very good parents.

Dexter, the second twin

Dexter. I'll fatten him up, just you wait.

Twin and Dexter

We feed a few stray cats. Our conditions are 1) they must be neutered and 2) we don't name them so we don't get "attached." Of course, when there are more than one stray around, you've got to some how be able to tell them apart when you talk about them. We used to have "Friendly Cat" "Whiny Cat" and "Twin." All three are from the same feral colony and Twin is called that because she looks just like our "official" cat Hana, also from the same colony. Friendly and Whiny are no longer around. Twin used to not come near us, but now can't get enough of us. She even lets me pick her up and hold her, something neither Hana nor Harold let me do. Hana and Twin also share bad teeth and it came to my attention a few months ago that Twin had lost all her teeth. We had been feeding her dry food and she had lost some weight. We started feeding her canned food and that was when a new crop of strays appeared. Canned food is stinky and the outdoor cats (we don't even call them stray) love it. Now we have a black male cat who I've named Dexter after Dexter Gorden who I share a birth date. He's Gonzo's twin. There's also a third cat that we are going to try and catch and get him neutered. Now we have to stay around when we feed Twin and Dexter because #3 will try and eat their food. I've broken down and given him dry in hopes of distracting him but it doesn't work. Even hungry strays will snub dry cat food.

Looking In

Our unofficial outdoor cat, Twin, sits on the stair rail. I took this from inside our kitchen.