Friday Monday Catnap Blogging

I really haven't gotten the hang of the camera in the new phone... my heavy-handed application of GIMP (the Photoshop equivalent in the Linux world) makes this pic barely acceptable. Esther catnaps in Stella's grandfather's rocker, which makes Esther the only sentient creature in the household who is not off his/her rocker:

Esther on her rocker

Friday Cat Blogging On Sunday

This pic of Lily is clipped from one of the first photos at home using the new phone:

The original is better, but huge... I had to reduce the file size a lot by reducing the pic size and cutting the jpeg quality a bit. Sometimes Stella wishes she could reduce Lily a bit, but dieting is not Lily's forte.

Twelve Reasons Cats Are NOT Republican

MessagingMatters at Kos lists the reasons.

Kitty Esther's Most Recent Transit Through The Pearly Gates (Cartoon)

Thanks to one of Stella's brothers for the ref. Stella promptly reminded me of the frequent diner card we take to Dimassi's Mediterranean Buffet, which is, in its own right, a kind of paradise...

Friday, Esther Sat On My Lap

Warning: the gaze of this cat melts hearts of stone!

(If possible, Esther misses Stella even more than I do. And Lily is inconsolable. Good thing their Human Mom returns Sunday evening!)

‘It's Friday, Cats! Let's Party!’ Sings Esther

The cat's in the basket, says Stella, though it looks like a box to me. In any case, Esther seems to like the rough texture of the two kinds of cloth that cover the object both inside and out:

Actually, Lily speaks or sings about 10 times as often as Esther: Lily will hold an actual alternating conversation with a human, as long as the human speaks adequate Miau.

(Photo by Stella.)

Lily Captures Stella With Her Big Dark Cat's-Eyes

... which she does not avert from the bright object Stella is pointing at her...

It's Esther's Turn With Manekinekko

... who signals for more harpsichord music (see Flemish-style 2x8' cembalo partially visible in mirror):

My thanks to Michael for providing the proper name of the Good Luck Cat, in the thread below with Lily's pic. Photo by Stella, of course, wielding her iPad!

Lily The Art Critic

... with her buddy the Good Luck Cat...

Photo by Stella, on her iPad. The quality of photos from that device is astonishing; you should see the pic prior to web-shrinking!

I'm pooped; I'll post more later, or maybe tomorrow morning.

Thinking Of Esther — CATTEREL!

Someone has been mighty friendly and attentive to me lately...

Esther Kitty

Of all the creatures I have seen,
Our Esther's best... and that is that!
Eliza may be fairest queen,
But Esther is the fur-est cat!

Your Maserati, Ferlinghetti,
Each is great, within his Beat,
But if you're seeking soft and pet‑ty?
Esther: no cat's half so sweet.

With Esther on your lap, your chair,
Your dining table... you'll discover
You are truly glad she's there —
The perfect pet: you gotta love 'er!

— Steve Bates

Alternative last clause: "you got a lover!" Pronounced the same, whichever you choose.

Esther's Opinion: Sofa, So Good

... though her new furniture could stand to be an inch longer IHNSHO:

(The pad underneath is for comfort and insulation. Cats who have to sleep on a hardwood floor have special burdens...)

I'm A Little Busy Here...

... with household duties, medical matters, feeding cats, herding cats, etc., all things that cannot be put off but are nonetheless not paid work. Have patience,please; I haven't forgotten the blog.

Esther Rides The X

Esther and Lily have new toys, each an identical foam-rubber 'X' like this one. Each cat claims both of them, which is only a problem when both cats happen to occupy the same room with both 'X's. Generally we take some trouble to see to it that this does not happen! No amount of persuading would cause Esther to face a flashing camera, so we see her ride the 'X' with her back facing us. Sic transit gloria mundi. (OK, so it's Friday.)

P.S. The toy comes with a bag of catnip, which sometimes enhances the fun... and sometimes simply provokes a fight.

Esther Loves Steve

Sometime yesterday afternoon, Esther decided to join me in the recliner. She asked permission (as always) and she was careful with her claws (as she usually is). Late in the evening, as I sat reading in the chair, Esther stayed with me. Still later, when I drifted off to sleep and then awoke, Esther was on my lap. Even later, around 3:00 AM, I had to get up, and finally Esther departed the chair. Today when I sat to watch a bit of classic TV, Esther again graced me with her presence.

This behavior isn't unheard of, but it's been quite a while since Esther loved me so enthusiastically. I guess an old love renewed is the best love.

(Photo by Stella!)

We Need Garfield To Teach Lily...

... about rocking chairs:

Cat Ballou Balloon

Whatever...

Lily has begun to look rather... inflated...

I have some new batteries for the same old camera. They aren't Eneloop, but they are a variety of NiMH technology specifically designed to maximize battery shelf life, so with any luck, I will be taking more pictures in the coming weeks.

AFTERTHOUGHT: Whatever else I may gripe about, I can't complain that Lily is uncooperative. She sat still for three flash shots, the camera no farther than 18" above her... and slept through it all.

Kitty News

This is about our visit yesterday on behalf of Esther's health. Referred by our regular veterinarian, we took her to a veterinary "clinic" (don't be fooled; the thing was a veritable hospital, in size, scope and prices) for a visit with a veterinary ophthalmologist.

Esther extends a foot in greeting

Esther, usually the most sociable of cats (with us and even with visitors to the house), had begun sticking tenaciously to her favorite place in the music room... moved from there by Stella, Esther would promptly return there. Looking for a cause, Stella noticed that one of Esther's eyes has some milky-cloudy spots in it. Our regular vet (actually her assistant vet) was somewhat concerned, but said their general-practice clinic did not have the necessary equipment to make a determination, other than to eliminate a few simple things by blood work.

The clinic/hospital didn't have that problem. They had special cameras to photograph Esther's eyes and lights to shine in them (both much to her annoyance). They had an ophthalmologist who IMHO was very impressive in the depth of her knowledge and her ability to express it.

So we started on a prioritized sequence of tests and treatments, prioritized starting with the least drastic in terms of difficulty of test, severity of disease, and cost of everything. It's a multi-week, multi-visit process. At the least (and most hoped for), it's some sort of inflammation that should be alleviated by a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory ointment (think: ibuprofen in an ointment) which Stella is applying this week; at the worst, it could be feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), which is fatal and incurable. Only time, preliminary treatment, and the application of large amounts of money will tell.

Kitty Proverb

The "facilities," both human and feline, in Our House are in the same small room. I've noticed that when Stella excuses herself, both Esther and Lily often go with her, sometimes speeding up and running ahead of her, so entangled in her feet that I worry she will trip over them. After all, as the proverb says...

The pride goeth before a fall.

From EPOP To IPOP

Mine won't look like this

Yesterday morning I met with the surgeon who did my amputation, for a post-op follow-up. As had every other knowledgeable medical person who had viewed the stump, he pronounced the result quite satisfactory, and forwarded x-rays and advice to the leader of the team who will design and construct my prosthesis with a recommendation of "EPOP" ... early post-op prosthesis, i.e., they should proceed soon with that design and construction.

This morning I met with that team. After evaluation, they upgraded the recommendation to "IPOP" ... immediate post-op prosthesis, i.e., they are beginning the process (both on my body and in the shop) right away, and I should have a shrinking of the stump into an appropriate cone shape and a first attempt at a prosthesis within weeks, not months. I am dumbfounded!

This does not mean I will be running races immediately. It is usual to receive several successive prostheses which fit better on each try, and I must be trained extensively in use of the prosthesis, in my home, with a walker. But I never expected to be this far along so early in the process. I am thrilled, and a bit frightened. But I accept the good results, not as a right, nor as a God-given boon, but as a stroke of extraordinary fortune... and exceptional luck in choosing hospitals, clinics, surgeons and therapists, and of course literally hours of help every day from the lovely Stella. My primary care provider of many years deserves an "attaboy" as well; he steered me to the right institutions and persons along the way, and told me "get thee to a hospital" at just the proper time.

It's not all over, of course. There's much work to do, by me and by my doctors. But with luck, I should be walking... yes, walking on two legs, one natural, one prosthetic... sometime this very spring. "Walking with a step in the spring," I suppose I could say... and oops, I guess I did say that...

R.I.P. Krugman's Doris Lessing, Dead At Age 19

Paul Krugman, Robin Wells
in 2010, with cats
Doris Lessing, Albert Einstein

Grown men do cry. And I am not the only one who reports it. When our cats step on the rainbow bridge, we add our tears to the rain. Paul Krugman's cat Doris Lessing, age 19, who has suffered a tumor on her liver for several months, finally stopped eating a few days ago, and today Paul and Robin, following the only kind course, had her euthanized. I am sure I join with the entire left blogosphere in offering the Krugmans our condolences on the loss of one of their furry friends.