Celebrating Mardi Gras, Cat Style!

  

#BlogPaws Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop ~~ Winter Shape Up

This is where Disco (and the rest of the cats, and Teri) would like to spend the rest of winter, hahameow!

And we're guessing that 'Winter Shape Up' tips don't include stopping at Coldstone Creamery, do they?

Teri doesn't even have these exercise toys any longer, cuz she says only the kittens played on the Jungle Gym,  and raced around the Cheese Chase, hahameow!

So, because we don't exercise much (supposed to do Air-Oh-Bix 15 minutes twice a day), we are having to Shape Up but changing our diet...and actually that's not been too bad!

We have no more kibble out, none in the Aikiou Stimulo Feeder, none in the foraging feeder...they now have freeze-dried chicken chunks in them.

And our canned food now how no 'plant material' in it at all--no potatoes, no peas, nuttin! We dine on Weruva Paw Lickin' Chicken and Primal Freeze Dried Raw Nuggets sprinkled on top and just today, we started on Darwin's Raw Cat Food, recommended to us by a friend who's kitties have done well on it. 

Disco was diagnosed with IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease) back in 2012 and has done well since then on novel protein diets but Teri never ventured into raw much, but she is ready to move in that direction as both Coco and Kely have presumptive IBD (not diagnosed with biopsies like Disco was, but based on lab work and occasional pancreatitis flare ups), and still sometimes we urp up the shredded Weruva (and they don't make pates, darn says Teri). 

And cutting out the dry kibble has helped us all get toned, in spite of our lack of exercise. Teri needs to cut out something, too...if she is going to tone up without working out, hahameow! She just measured all of us to update our files in case we need more clothes and Disco is the Biggest Loser, even though the scale says he's plateaued!

You can't see it in this photo (Yoga Napping) but he has lost 2 inches from his chest and waist and now doesn't quite look like Detective Frank Cannon anymore, HaHaMeow!

And it sounds like exercise that might help you shape up, so why not Hop Hop Hop over to the Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop, hosted by #BlogPaws! It's a first step in shaping up, honestly!

Happy (Paw) Paddy's Day!

And here's a little Blarney for all our furriends!

Oh, and don't forget to Hop!

Simply Sunday Evening...

We were trying soooo hard to get on the computer every day in December and dictate a blog post to our secreTeri, but we missed yesterday!

Teri was busy working on her Christmas card list and trying to get cards out for the first time since our Daddy died...she says they will probably be New Years cards but she is going to do it, and catch up with many long, lost friends she hopes...

We didn't get out strolling last weekend cuz Teri was hanging Christmas lights and finishing decorating the house, and then today she finally got all the storage boxes back up into the attic, but we got to play in them for a while, anyway!

Disco got to go out into the cold today, but he was wearing a coat and has two Snuggle Safe's to keep him toastier...Coco and Brighton stayed home cuz they hopped right out of the stroller when she was getting it zipped up, and Teri took that to mean they wanted to stay home!

Here's some pix she took today out strollin' (yes, she remembered the camera this time!)

And here's our 2011 Xmas Photos!

Teri got dressed up and went out Saturday night to The Cat Hospital's Christmas Party...she wore those 'Adult Pajamas' again but everyone said she looked pretty!

Oh, and her date last weekend? She said it was the most enjoyable evening she'd had in a while that didn't include us, hahameow! This guy likes cats and we want to give him the once over...Teri said soon, ok.

Last week, we told you that Coco is going to have to have surgery on her torn ligaments that are making her limp. So we thought we'd tell you a little more about that today...

Last July, Coco and Brighton and Disco were in the 'Stud Room' keeping Sammy company. Teri is not sure what happened, but she heard some commotion and growling and she thinks there might have been a fight over who gets to be in the heated cat bed on top of the cabinet in that room.

Anyway, Brighton was hiding, Disco looked wide eyed, and Coco was carrying her left hind leg. At first, Teri thought maybe Sammy bit her but then she remembered he doesn't have any bitey teeth left.

So, she thought Coco probably fell off the top of the cupboard and hurt her leg. The vets examined her the next day and took xrays but Coco was very grumbly and they could tell if it was from pain or just not liking being at the vets.

For a month, she was on pain meds and Cosequin and she did get better, as far as the swelling in her knee went down and she didn't complain when Teri examined her. But she continued to carry her leg many times a day, and so our vets talked to a orthopedic specialist and they thought Coco probably tore some ligaments when she fell. Here's a short video of her in 'action':

Teri decided to get their expert opinion on what was wrong and so last week, she took Coco to see Dr Lotsikas and this is what he said:

Coco has bilateral patellar luxation, left clinically worse than right, minimal fluid buildup on left side, Great II-IV lateral patellar luxation left hind leg, no cranial drawer or tibial thrust noted on either stifle. Full range of motion both joints. Surgical management of trochlear block rescssion, joint capsule inbrication and potentially a tibial tuberosity transposition.

So, she had not so great knees before she hurt herself, but he thinks that she 'tore' some support ligaments when she fell, and if Teri does nothing, she will continue to limp and worse, could damage the other ligaments if she had another accident.

Coco is only 6 years old and as most Cornish Rex are, very athletic and active. We live in a 3 level house with lots of running room and stairs (Teri says it's our 'Giant Cat Tree', hahameow!). And to have to restrict Coco from 'being a cat' wouldn't be how Teri would like her to spend the rest of her life...

So, on January 3rd, Coco is going to have surgery on her leg, and then have an 8 week 'bed rest' enforced. That will be easy as Teri can take her to work with her every day and then when she is at home, she will stay in the 'kitten tent' which Teri kept just for these kind of situations!

We will keep everyone updated on Coco's surgery and progress and ask for lotsa healing purrs for her on her surgery day and during her recovery...

Fashion Friday!

We haven't had our 'sitting' for our Christmas 2011 photos yet, so here are a few from last year...and at the end, a real cute video from Klaatu42, that guy with the great Talking Animals videos!

A very sexy Mrs Claws!

Peace on Earth...

Is Santa on the roof?

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas...

A festive Christmas drink!

And a pretty birdie, all decked out in Christmas red!

And since it IS Fashion Friday, a photo from our extensive collection, of Kiki, who is 'Pretty in Pink'!

Caturday Saturday

Teri's still not done decorating for Christmas! She said she will probably leave the house Christmas-y until Ground Hog Day, hahameow! And that silly photo of Coco? She's cuter in a real costume but hope it makes you all laff 'n laff!

Teri did make a little bit of headway this week, but has to put twinkly lights up inside around the windows and hang one more string of icicle lights outside and then she'll be done! We'd help, but as you know, we don't have thumbs!

It's a chilly, but sunny day and as you can see by this photo, all the cats are enjoying the warmth of even a winter sun. We didn't get to go out strolling yet this weekend, but Teri is going to try and make time to take us out tomorrow! After all, she has to walk, why not take us!


Here's some pix of last weekend...if you wonder why we are on our porch, it's cuz Teri keeps forgetting to take the camera along on our strolls!


Teri has a date tonight...yep, not just a meet n greet or a 5 minute speed date! She met an English professor who rides a motorcycle and used to be in the movies...no joke! And he likes cats! They met for lunch last weekend and guess they thought each other interesting enough to go out again, hahameow!

She tried on all her dresses but none of them fit, so yesterday she went shopping and got (as one friend calls them, Adult Pajamas, hahameow!). Black velvet pants (stretch waistband...Disco would understand that!) and a shimmery red blouse (not clingy, either). She said she can wear it to the Cat Hospital's Christmas Party, too...

Our petsitters, who were waiting to have their baby, are now the proud parents of a little boy who weighs less that Coco, but he is doing fine and Teri is going to visit them tomorrow! So we will have lots of kids visiting us when Teri goes away cuz they are a family of 5 now!

Another big surprise is that this week, Teri saw TomTom get in the Catty Shack she made him...three times! Yep, he was in the content, meatloaf position, warming his buns on the heating pad! She tried to get a photo of the memorable moment, but he got nervous and ran off. But it's a start and she hopes he will take advantage of the warm spot from time to time now that the weather is getting cold! Here's a photo Teri took of him today in the garden, and just like us, he's enjoying the sunshine, too!

And an update on Coco. You might remember she hurt her hind leg back in July. Well, she had her appointment at the Sports Medicine Vet on Friday to get an experts opinion on her luxating patella and limping...and we'll tell you more about that tomorrow when Teri has more time, but to make her get better, it looks like she will need surgery to repair some torn ligaments. Here she is, waiting for Dr Lotsikas...

Teri said she is going to cut back her counseling therapy sessions to once a month and get rid of our landline telephone, so she can have the extra money to pay for the surgery, and she's going to look into applying for Care Credit so she could have 6 months and no interest to pay off the surgery.

But she needs to check and see if VOSM even accepts it CareCredit. She's already looking around the house to see if there are some things she could donate to a CB auction to help, too...we said we'd donate our Hepper Pod to help Coco!

Well, we hope all you kitties are having a good day at home, too with lots of sun or at least warm blankies to snuggle under!

We are purrayin' for our friend, Ginger Jasper, to also have a good weekend back at home and to be able to share some more hugs and loves from his human family. We are sad to think he is close to having to go to the Bridge and we want him to have some good days left to soften the sadness of having to say goodbye...

Oh, and don't forget to Blog Hop today and share the love!