Nonmom’s Picks for #Holiday12 Part Three

As the blog implies, I’m not a mom per se, but I am a cat mommy and I cannot express how much I adore my beloved furballs. Coming home and calling out for the boys and seeing them run to me for cuddles is the best part of my day I assure you. When I was away earlier this year I made my hubby put them on Skype for me so I could talk to them and see them. Yes, I am THAT person LOL.

At the holidays a lot of people tend to get a pet, but a lot are also unprepared for that pet and there is nothing that breaks my heart more than a pet having to go back to a shelter instead of having a forever home. Honestly, my hubby was at a pet shelter today and he refused to take pictures to show me because he knew I’d be in there and wanting to bring them all home for the holidays. He did of course give a few some snuggles which were appreciated no doubt.

So this is where today’s Holiday ’12 idea comes in. I was recently sent two lovely books, ‘For Love of Cats’ and ‘For Love of Dogs‘ which are put together by Animal Rescue League of Iowa and are full of important and helpful information for the pet-owner-to-be as well as the current pet owner.

This organization touched me because they take in all rescues, no pet is turned away, and the books include wonderful stories of pets finding their forever homes through this great group.  We need more groups like them for sure and this is why my boys are from a shelter too.

Both books include tips for selecting the right pet for your home, basic care, training and grooming tips. They cover everything in an easy-to-understand way and give confidence and that much-needed reality-check for a potential pet owner. In For Love of Dogs there is also a training DVD included to enhance the book even more.

Even though my boys are almost 6 (oh my!!!!), I still found some great tips and info and am now going to attempt (once again) to get Spot to wear his collar using the method they describe. I made him a lovely Christmas collar last year and he looks divine in it and I’d like to see it on him for more than 30 seconds this year… he is a bit of a diva, Smudger loves his, you should see him strut with it on, he knows he makes it look good.

These books make great gifts and come from a great organization. I encourage you to check them out. The books are published by Landauer Publishing and are available at: http://ForLoveofCatsandDogs.com/

Family Comes Furrst

The past couple of days have been rather stressful in my household as we have had a sick family member. Unfortunately, he couldn’t tell us he was sick, we had to (and thankfully did) recognize it and jump on it.

Mr. Smudgie, one of our beloved furbabies is still in hospital.

On Saturday morning I picked Smudge up for snuggles and noticed his fur was dryer than normal and he felt lighter. Hubby immediately took him from my arms and we weighed him, yup, he was definitely down. We had a couple cans of wet food so I put some in a ramekin (Smudge prefers his wet food served a certain way…not that he and his brother are spoiled at all), picked him up and set him down in front of it. I figured the wet food would fill him up and rehydrate him a bit too.

We kept this up on Sunday and his fur did get softer and he did eat but yesterday morning (Monday) hubby came upstairs after getting up way earlier than me and said he was going to rush him to the vet. Mama panic set in, this is one of MY babies, and I know they’re cats, but for us, they are our kids. I stayed with Spot and I got ready for work and waited for hubby’s call.

‘We think it’s a tooth but they’re going to run tests to be sure that’s all it is.’

Ok, I can deal with that.

Then later in the day a second call, kidneys, renal issues. That’s much more serious. Acute is what we were aiming for, chronic, we were really worried about.

I called my mom. I know it’s not the same as humans, but my mom was a dialysis nurse and that means kidneys. She told me which results to look at from the tests and eeep, they were way high. As soon as I walked in the door after work I walked back out again with hubby and off we went to go see the poor little guy. I had that sinking feeling in my stomach worrying for Smudgie but when the vet said he was visibly perking up with us there to see him it made me feel a lot better. Even moreso was when he ate some food for daddy.

We had a long visit with him, he did not like his cone at all or his little leg being wrapped up for his IV but mama brought him a toy from home to help him not feel as lonely. If I could have slept there I would have but we did have to leave him. Poor little Spot has been just lost without him and would not leave my side when I was watching a movie with hubby last night and then wouldn’t come to bed because he was waiting for his brother to come home. Spot also did not come to bed Sunday night, neither did Smudge which was another warning sign. Spot is very good about sticking to his brother when something is up. In the past when Smudge got stuck in a closet (still trying to figure that one out) Spot just sat at the door and wouldn’t leave, that’s how we knew Smudgie was in there. So him staying with him on Sunday night was a definite sign that he needed brotherly support.

The vet called again before bed to update us with more positive news and then this morning hubby called me with another update (out vet is really great for keeping us in the loop) and he is doing even better and might possibly come home tonight! My heart about burst with this news, I cannot wait to have him back home again and give him cuddles and snuggles and kisses again.

My whole life went on hold for this little guy. Again, I know these are cats, but I know that when my sister or I got sick as kids or even now with my nephew, life gets put on hold for them when they need us. Priorities get re-evaluated and everything stops. And I did. Stop that is. Nothing was important other than my fur-son getting better and getting home.

You don’t realize just how much these little fur-kids become a part of your life until something like this happens, unfortunately this is the second time Smudgie has scared us, the first being when he was still a kitten and again, we found a way and dealt with it. You go into crisis-mode and where you couldn’t find options before, you find them now. These are your little ones, and I know that doing everything you can for them and having your heart break for them is universal.

Family comes first, or in my case ‘Furrst’.

We’ve had all good reports so far today but they’re running a couple more tests and my fingers remain crossed and life remains on-hold until he is home with his brother and us.

Hubby and his Smudgie, they are inseparable. Feel better and come home soon buddy!